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 China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum highlights strong consensus on deepening ties in trade, security and regional connectivity 10:04, November 07, 2025 By Chen Qingqing ( Global Times The 12th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum convenes in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on November 6, 2025, which is attended by about 300 representatives including high-level officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT The 12th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum opened in Urumqi on Thursday with strong consensus reached among delegates from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, including a renewed commitment to building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future, with a focus on enhancing practical cooperation in trade, green development, security, and regional connectivity. Shen Yueyue, vice chairperson of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, also president of the Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Commission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. Shen stated that the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has drawn a blueprint for development in the next five years, which will also bring more development opportunities to Central Asian countries. An initiative adopted at the forum stated to uphold mutual trust and support, and to practice initiatives including the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and Global Governance Initiative. The initiative also stated to optimize pragmatic and efficient cooperation with a focus on trade, investment in industries, connectivity, green minerals, modern agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges. On building a peaceful and secure environment, the initiative stated to strengthen regional security governance, deepen law enforcement and security cooperation, jointly prevent and combat extremist ideologies, resolutely fight the three forces, namely terrorism, separatism, and extremism, and maintain peace and stability in the region. Some high-level officials from the Central Asian countries spoke highly of the practical significance of the forum, which was held under the theme of "promoting the China-Central Asia Spirit and advancing common modernization." "I believe that the proposals and initiatives presented today will inject new momentum into the cooperation between China and Central Asian countries," Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Bakyt Torobayev told at the opening ceremony of the forum on Thursday morning. In recent years, the China-Central Asia cooperation mechanism has become an indispensable part of the regional interaction architecture, Torobayev said, noting that the mechanism has developed into an effective platform for coordinating efforts, discussing current issues, and formulating joint solutions to achieve sustainable development in the region. This mechanism has proven its practical relevance and its ability to adapt to global and regional changes, reflecting the shared will of our countries to expand cooperation, enhance stability, and ensure sustainable development. "Today, we can confidently say that the Central Asia-China relationship has reached an unprecedented level, showing not only a quantitative but also a qualitative improvement in all areas. This cooperation, based on mutual benefit and respect, provides a solid foundation for our common prosperity," Tajikistan's Deputy Prime Minister Dilrabo Mansouri told at the opening ceremony of the forum. "The goal is to bring the total trade volume between China and Central Asian countries to $100 billion in the near future," she said, noting that China has become one of our largest and most reliable investors, supporting key infrastructure projects and facilitating the creation of modern joint production in the region. A logo sign of the 12th China-Central Asia Cooperation Forum held in Urumqi, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on November 6, 2025. Photo: Chen Qingqing/GT In a world increasingly fractured by geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds, the deepening cooperation between China and Central Asian nations stands as a key stabilizing force - one that fosters both regional peace and sustainable development, the Xinhua News Agency reported in June. Anchored in millennia of the ancient Silk Road exchanges and fortified by three decades of contemporary partnership, the China-Central Asia relationship has matured into a new paradigm of international relations - one that is built on mutual respect, synergistic development and strategic trust, per Xinhua. From the first China-Central Asia summit in Xi'an to the second summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana last year, some scholars from the Central Asian countries observed many positive changes over the past few years in the regional development and cooperation. Merdan Yazyyev, a research expert of the CAREC Institute who is from Turkmenistan, told the Global Times on Thursday that in recent years, China has been more open to Central Asian countries. "For example, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have implemented mutual visa exemption agreements with China. This means more businesses and tourists will come to China, especially to Xinjiang, and explore new investment opportunities," he said. Likewise, Chinese businesses and entrepreneurs will also have the chance to explore more opportunities in these countries, particularly in Kazakhstan. We hope this trend will continue and expand to other Central Asian nations as well, he added. Kazakhstan has always been a strong supporter of the development of the China-Central Asia partnership, Kazakh Ambassador to China Nuryshev Shakhrat told media on the sidelines of the forum. "We have consistently supported China's initiatives to strengthen cooperation. The second China-Central Asia Summit, held in June this year, was an important step in the development of this partnership. The summit adopted the treaty on eternal good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, and the President of Kazakhstan has outlined a new long-term strategy for the development of the China-Central Asia partnership," the Kazakh diplomat said. Therefore, we believe that this partnership model is in high demand, and everyone is very clear about its significance. The China-Central Asia partnership model offers advantages not only to the countries and neighboring nations involved but also to countries outside Central Asia, he added. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) NEW YORK and HOUSTON, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A mismatch between two common tests for kidney function may indicate a higher risk for kidney failure, heart disease, and death, a new study shows. Health care providers for decades have measured blood levels of the molecule creatinine to track the rate at which kidneys filter waste from muscle breakdown in the bloodstream. According to more recent guidelines, levels of cystatin C, a small protein made by all cells in the body, can also be used to measure kidney function. Since these two tests are influenced by different factors including some related to disease or aging using both markers together can provide a better measure of kidney function and risk of organ failure than either one alone. Evaluating both biomarkers may identify far more people with poor kidney function, and earlier in the disease process. Post this Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the new work reveals that many people, especially those who are sick, often have a large gap between the two readings, which may be a signal of future disease. Specifically, the global study shows that more than a third of hospitalized participants had a cystatin C-based readout of kidney function that was at least 30% lower than one based on their creatinine levels. "Our findings highlight the importance of measuring both creatinine and cystatin C to gain a true understanding of how well the kidneys are working, particularly among older and sicker adults," said study co-corresponding author Morgan Grams, MD, PhD. "Evaluating both biomarkers may identify far more people with poor kidney function, and earlier in the disease process, by covering the blind spots that go with either test." The study is publishing online Nov. 7 in the Journal of the American Medical Association and is simultaneously being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual Kidney Week conference. Beyond detecting signs of disease, assessing patients' kidney function is important for calculating the appropriate dosage for cancer medicines, antibiotics, and many other drugs, says Grams, the Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. During another investigation, the results of which were published the same day, the same research team found that a record number of people worldwide have chronic kidney disease, which is now the ninth leading cause of death globally. Having new ways to spot the condition early can help ensure that patients receive swift treatment and avoid more dramatic interventions such as dialysis and organ transplantation, says Grams, who is also a professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. For the recent investigation, the research team analyzed health care records, blood tests, and demographic data collected from 860,966 men and women of a half-dozen nationalities. All participants had their creatinine and cystatin C levels measured on the same day and received follow-ups 11 years later on average. The team considered factors unrelated to kidney function that influence the biomarkers' readings, such as smoking, obesity, and history of cancer. Performed as part of the international Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium, the study is the largest to date to explore differences between the two tests and whether they may signal potential health problems, the authors say. Established to better understand and treat the condition, the consortium provides evidence for global definitions of chronic kidney disease and related health risks. According to the new findings, those whose cystatin C-based measures of kidney filtration were at least 30% lower than their creatinine-based measures were at higher risk for death, heart disease, and heart failure than those who had a smaller difference between the two metrics. The former group was also more likely to be diagnosed with severe chronic kidney disease that required dialysis or an organ transplant. The same was found for 11% of outpatients and seemingly healthy volunteers. Grams notes that while cystatin C testing was first recommended in 2012 by the international organization Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes, a 2019 survey revealed that less than 10% of clinical laboratories in the United States performed it in-house. The two largest laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp, now offer the test. "These results underscore the need for physicians to take advantage of the fact that more hospitals and health care providers are starting to offer cystatin C testing," said study co-corresponding author Josef Coresh, MD, PhD, director of NYU Langone's Optimal Aging Institute. "Physicians might otherwise miss out on valuable information about their patients' well-being and future medical concerns." Coresh, who is also the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, cautions that among the hospitalized Americans in the study, less than 1% were tested for cystatin C. Funding for the study was provided by National Institutes of Health grant R01DK100446 and by the National Kidney Foundation. Michelle Estrella, MD, MHS, at the University of California, San Francisco, is the study's first author. Kai-Uwe Eckardt, MD, at Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin in Germany, is the study last author. Along with Grams and Coresh, who are co-leaders of the Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium, NYU Langone researchers involved in the study are Shoshana Ballew, PhD; Yingying Sang, MS; and Aditya Surapaneni, PhD. Other study co-investigators are Teresa Chen, MD, MHS, and Michael Shlipak, MD, MPH, at the University of California, San Francisco; Natalia Alencar de Pinho, PhD, at Paris-Saclay University in Villejuif, France; Johan Arnlov, MD, PhD, at Dalarna University in Falun, Sweden; Hermann Brenner, MD, MPH, at Heidelberg University in Germany; Juan-Jesus Carrero, PharmD, PhD, at Karolinska Institutet in Huddinge, Sweden; Debbie Cohen, MBBCh, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia; Mary Cushman, MD, MSc, at the University of Vermont in Burlington; Ron Gansevoort, MD, PhD, at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands; Shih-Jen Hwang, PhD, at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland; Lesley Inker, MD, and Andrew Levey, MD, at Tufts Medical Center in Boston; Joachim Ix, MD, at the University of California, San Diego; Keiko Kabasawa, MD, PhD, MPH, at Niigata University in Japan; Tsuneo Konta, MD, PhD, at Yamagata University in Japan; Jennifer Lees, PhD, at the University of Glasgow in Scotland; Kevan Polkinghorne, PhD, at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia; Robin Vernooij, MS, at Utrecht University in the Netherlands; David Wheeler, MD, at University College London; and Ashok Kumar Yadav, PhD, at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India. About NYU Langone Health NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient, Inc. has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 118 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation for four years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently ranked four of its clinical specialties number one in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across seven inpatient locations, its Perlmutter Cancer Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. The system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise. Media Inquiries Shira Polan Phone: 212-404-4279 [email protected] SOURCE NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health NEED TO KNOW Jade Mali, a 28-year-old regional manager at a real estate tech company, first came out as trans two years ago but only recently shared her identity at work Mali, who shares her transition to thousands of followers on TikTok, opens up to PEOPLE about her nerves during the process and the response she received from her colleagues I mostly just wanted to make sure that people had the clarity they needed, says the creator Over the last two years, Jade Mali has counted down the minutes until 5 p.m., excited to leave the office where she works as a regional manager at a real estate tech company and in the process leave behind what she describes as the massive weight of concealing her gender identity. When she would get home, where she could comfortably present more femininely, she tells PEOPLE in an interview, she would start to feel like herself again. Alison Kolb Jade Mali Mali officially started her gender transition roughly two years ago, first sharing her trans identity with her closest friends and family. But the 28-year-old New York City resident who has nearly 60,000 followers on TikTok under the handle becoming_jade started to gain a following online when she made the next big step in her transition: sharing her gender identity at work. This wasn't just like me getting something off my chest or me sharing something behind closed doors, she says. This was about to become a very public journey for me. Long before she entered corporate America long before she even left the rural suburbs of Chicago where she grew up Mali knew something felt very different, she says. Alison Kolb Jade Mali She doesnt dive into details, but Mali acknowledges that, during her upbringing, she was aware that many around her didn't really want me to be that way. As she grew older, she developed a number of social barriers while she struggled with the incongruency of her public identity and how she understood her gender. Having so many barriers to that truth created a lot of internal mental health issues that I had to work through, she says. It just took me a long time to sort of peel back all of these protective layers and all of these masks that I wore to finally reach a place in my adulthood where I was stripped down to nothing. Many years (and many therapy sessions) later, at 26, Mali finally felt comfortable to start sharing her trans identity with those closest to her, even before she started to change the way she physically presented her gender. I was telling so many people in my personal life I'm a trans woman yet still very much presenting masculine, she says, acknowledging that the disconnect occasionally made those conversations difficult. But for me, personally, I wanted to take it slow. Over the next two years, Mali started to explore options for her medical transition, began taking estrogen, and met with doctors to discuss facial feminization surgery and she decided to come out at her corporate job, too. Alison Kolb Jade Mali I knew that, appearance-wise, things were going to start changing, she says. People in corporate America dont know you so deeply, so it was important to me that there was a little bit more congruence between what I was saying I was which is a trans woman and how I was presenting in this space. Mali knew it would be a difficult process: Because of the nature of her position, she interfaces with a large number of people at her job, though many do not know her very well. She first started by meeting with HR, and then she scheduled a call with a small group of employees who also work on the management level. I do work for a really progressive company, so there were never any concerns around my safety or my ability to even share this part of my life with people here, says Mali. I never felt concerned about that. I mostly just wanted to make sure that people had the clarity they needed. 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. Then it was time to share the news with the 130 people at her company, which she did in a single email. It was horrifying, honestly, admits Mali. I was so nervous. I was sick to my stomach. She timed the email with a vacation she was taking with her parents and her sister, and for the next several days, Mali didnt even open her inbox. When she finally did, it was filled with dozens and dozens of replies some paragraph-long and others short and sweet, but so overwhelmingly positive in their sentiment. To Mali, the response was beyond freeing for me to see and read. Still, that first day back in the office was nerve-racking, and even now, she struggles to show up to work as her authentic self. I do feel anxious and guarded most days, Mali says. I'm just constantly challenging myself to break through that. But it is that same anxiety that made her realize how important it was to share her story online, she tells PEOPLE. I genuinely just didn't see anyone that looked like me or had certain physical attributes that I had, and so it kept me really fearful, like, is this gonna work out for me? Can I really venture down this path? she says. By no means am I the first trans girl who's ever shown parts or aspects of their transition on social media, but I do believe that there will never be enough representation of trans people out there. Alison Kolb Jade Mali Malis account is a mix of updates about her transition at work, her journey with hormone replacement therapy, dispatches from her dating life and other general lifestyle content. Though the response has been a mixed bag we know how the world is right now, she says it has been incredible to see so many other trans people resonate with her experience online. And when she looks back on her journey thus far, at the root of it, Mali tells PEOPLE, she feels freer. Nothing has changed and everything has changed, says Mali. I'm still me and I very much feel like the same person and yet so much about me has changed, like the physical appearance and how I present in the world. It was like this constant like removal of my identity, she continues about her life before transitioning at work. I feel so much continuity in my life knowing that like who I show up as in a personal setting on a Saturday is how I'm showing up in the walls that I spend 40 hours a week. Read the original article on People Walmart Inc. Oftentimes, a cost-effective way to put together a big Thanksgiving meal is to lean on a grocery store package. In 2022, Walmart started an annual deal to feed a big group cheaply. The deal is back again for Thanksgiving, and this year, Walmart is boasting that youll feed everybody for $4 a pop. Heres everything you need to know. What Is Walmarts 2025 Thanksgiving Deal? Walmart Inc. Walmart claims youll feed 10 people with this meal, but its important to note that meal is slightly misleading. This is a grocery list. Some Thanksgiving meals arrive cooked and ready to eat; this comes with the ingredients to cook a bunch of Thanksgiving classics. If you order online, delivery fees may also be a factor. Heres what comes in the bundle: Butterball Frozen Whole Turkey (10-16 lbs) Fresh Cranberries (12 oz) Fresh Russet Potatoes (5 lbs) Great Value Brown Gravy Mix (2 units 0.87 oz) Great Value Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn (3 units 15 oz) Great Value Baby Carrots (2 lb) Great Value Cut Green Beans, Canned Green Beans (3 units 14.5 oz) Campbells Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (10.5 oz) Kinders Crispy Fried Onion Original Recipe (4.5 oz) Great Value Artisan Crafted Macaroni and Cheese, Italian Five Cheese (3 units 12 oz) Stove Top Turkey Stuffing Mix Twin Pack (2 units 6 oz) Great Value Dinner Rolls (12 ct) Great Value Frozen Traditional Pie Crusts (15 oz) Great Value 100% Pure Pumpkin (15 oz) Great Value Evaporated Milk (12 fl oz) Counting each can or package, this bundle contains 22 individual packages across 15 different ingredients. Thats seven fewer items than the 29-package (21-ingredient) basket Walmart offered last year. Basically, Walmart has given you the ingredients for a turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and pumpkin pie. The baby carrots are a little bit more of a mystery, but maybe youre supposed to glaze those suckers. Walmart has a few other Thanksgiving bundles as well, if you want to switch up the classics. Here are the other packages Walmart is offering: What Was Last Years Deal? Walmart Inc. Walmarts deal last year was a little bit more robust, but it came out to $7 per person despite only serving about eight people. Thats fewer people, for more dollars per person. Heres what they offered in 2024: Whole Frozen Turkey (10-16 lb) Great Value Sweet Hawaiian Rolls (12oz) Great Value Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn (3 units 15oz) Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce (14oz) Great Value Canned Green Beans (2 units 14.5oz) Frenchs Crispy Fried Onions ( 6oz) Campbells Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (2 units 10.5oz) Great Value Brown Gravy Mix (2 units 0.87oz) Marie Callenders Southern Pecan Pie (32oz) Great Value Frozen Whipped Topping (8oz) Great Value Frozen Deep Dish Pie Crusts (16oz) Great Value 100% Pure Pumpkin (15oz) Great Value Evaporated Milk (12 fl oz) Jet-Puffed Mini Marshmallows (10oz) Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix (2 units 8.5oz) Great Value Poultry Seasoning (1.5oz) Swanson Chicken Broth (32oz) Fresh Whole Russet Potatoes (5lbs) Fresh Whole Sweet Potatoes (3 units) Fresh Yellow Onions (3lbs) Fresh Celery Stalks Walmarts 2024 basket served eight people for under $7 per person, or about $55 total. It included brand-name staples like Marie Callenders pecan pie, Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, and Jiffy corn muffin mix. Those products, along with sweet potatoes, celery, and onions, are missing from this years basket. There are some obvious differences here, like name-brand products rather than Walmarts Great Value brand, and ingredients for different dishes. But price-wise, this doesnt hold a candle to the current deal. How Does Walmarts Deal Compare to Aldis Deal? ALDI Aldi is doing something pretty similar. This is what comes in Aldis Thanksgiving basket, another $40 meal meant for 10 people: Whole Turkey Chicken Broth Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup Evaporated Milk Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Miniature Marshmallows Cut Green Beans (x2) 100% Pure Canned Pumpkin Shells & Cheese (x2) Brown Gravy Mix (x3) Poultry Spices & Herbs French Fried Onions Pie Crust Chicken or Cornbread Stuffing (x2) Whipped Dairy Topping Yellow Onions (3 lbs.) Baby Peeled Carrots Celery Cranberries Sweet Potatoes (3 lbs.) Russet Potatoes (10 lbs.) This is inarguably a better Thanksgiving basket. It comes with everything that Walmarts does, plus the ingredients for sweet potatoes with marshmallows. Walmarts dinner basket clocks in at 15 ingredients, but Aldi is offering 21. What Are People Saying About Walmarts Thanksgiving Dinner Deal? Walmart Inc. While this years Walmart basket costs less than last years basket, consumers dont seem to feel theyre getting the same quality of ingredients. One shopper on Reddit lamented the turkey was more expensive, and that, Last year also had Hawaiian rolls (replaced by Walmart brand); Pecan Pie (not included this year); sweet potatoes (not included this year); Campbells Soup (1 can this year instead of 2); fresh onion (not included this year); and others. Fewer items and fresh produce is a tough one. Another shopper in a separate corner of Reddit agreed that Aldis deal was better, saying, Aldis list is more diverse. There are a lot more items than the Walmart ones. Some of the other meals Walmart offers have gotten more love than the traditional Thanksgiving meal, with some calling the prime rib basket a great price. While Walmarts meal comes with a lot of stuff, you should consider the quality of that stuff when choosing which Thanksgiving package to pick this year. Bottom Line Walmarts 2025 Thanksgiving meal basket lowers the upfront cost of hosting a holiday meal, but the price drop comes from trimming the contents and swapping name-brand items for store-brand versions. The new bundle contains 22 individual packages and costs about $40, whereas the 2024 kit had 29 packages and cost roughly $55. Customers who want extras like pecan pie, cranberry sauce, marshmallows, or sweet potatoes will need to supplement the 2025 basket or consider Aldis $40 promotion, which includes more ingredients. As always, comparing the lists and considering personal preferences can help shoppers decide which Thanksgiving deal offers the best value. More Thanksgiving content: Signs in support of Initiative 2081 on parental notification are displayed in Washington state. Photo: Carleen Johnson / The Center Square (The Center Square) Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman on Thursday lost his bid at the Washington Supreme Court to force Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to process his proposed referendum on Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1296. Passed earlier this year by majority party Democrats in the state Legislature, ESHB 1296 establishes new requirements in public education for immediate parental notification of serious incidents, provides a complaint process for noncompliance with student safety laws, and protects school employees from retaliation for supporting students' rights. Critics, including Eyman, contend the law undermines Initiative 2081, which was passed by the Legislature in 2024. I-2081 grants specific rights to parents and legal guardians of public school students, including the right to inspect school records, review curriculum materials, and receive notification of certain events, such as the provision of medical services or questioning of their child by law enforcement. Hobbs refused to file Eymans referendum based on the fact that ESHB 1296 has an emergency clause. This allowed the bill to take effect immediately upon the governor's signature on May 20, making it referendum-proof. We did a little research, and we found out there are 183 bills, Sen. Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, said when asked by The Center Square during an April media availability event about the number of bills with an emergency clause. The Center Square spoke with Eyman on Thursday about the decision. Its pretty maddening to see it. I do these lawsuits, not just because I think I'm going to eventually win, but to kind of expose how corrupt the system is, Eyman told The Center Square. A law says that an elected official has to do something. He doesn't do it. And the court said, Thats okay with us. Thats pretty upsetting, pretty maddening. A day after Gov. Bob Ferguson signed ESHB 1296 into law, Eyman filed the referendum. A referendum gives the people a chance to be able to collect signatures, and to say if they agree or disagree with the fact that he just signed into law the gutting of our citizen initiative, Eyman explained. So, I filed it the following day. They took my money. They assigned it a referendum number, but the secretary of state refused to send it on to the attorney general to give it a ballot title. Without a ballot title, you can't print up petitions. You can't collect signatures. In its unanimous ruling Thursday, the high court wrote that Eyman contends that the plain language of the elections act, and this courts precedent, require the Secretary to accept his properly filed referendum, assign it a serial number, and transmit it to the attorney general for preparation of a ballot title and summary. We hold that the Secretary has no mandatory duty to process a purported referendum on legislation that is, on its face, constitutionally exempt from referendum The petition for a writ of mandamus is denied. Eyman said the good news is that the signature-gathering effort to restore the parents rights measure continues. He's having to get twice as many signatures as it would have required with my ballot measure, but he has found a way to be able to give the voters exactly what this referendum would have done, he said. Eyman was referring to conservative political action group Lets Go Washington and its founder, Brian Heywood. The group is currently gathering signatures for a voter initiative to restore I-2081. Initiative Measure No. IL26-001 would reinstate Initiative 2081s laws guaranteeing parents rights, including reviewing their childrens instructional materials, accessing their school records, being notified when medical services are provided, and opting out of certain classes. Voter approval of this initiative provides two years of constitutional protection from legislative interference, which reinforces Initiative 2081s laws guaranteeing parents rights, according to the text of the initiative. LGW founder Heywood texted a statement to The Center Square following the courts Thursday decision denying Eymans challenge. 40 [sic] years of one-party rule has led to arrogant lawmakers in Olympia essentially eliminating the citizens' constitutional right to referendum through abuse of the emergency clause, he texted. It is shameful that the WA Supreme Court seems to be rubber stamping Olympia rather than upholding a nonpartisan interpretation of the law. Washington State Republican Party Chair Jim Walsh, who also serves in the state House of Representatives, tells The Center Square he will offer legislation for the upcoming session to rein in the use of the emergency clause. Yes, I will, he said. Especially in light of widespread concerns about HB 1531. House Bill 1531, which has an emergency clause, passed during this years legislative session, preserves the state's ability to address communicable diseases by ensuring public health responses are guided by science and that local jurisdictions cannot enact measures that prohibit evidence-based controls like vaccines, according to the bill summary. Minority Republicans pushed back on the legislation, with many citing concerns that it would allow unilateral decisions during public health emergencies, such as those made during the COVID-19 pandemic by former Gov. Jay Inslee, who issued a state of emergency that remained in effect for over two and a half years. Many critics, primarily Republicans, said it lasted too long without sufficient legislative oversight. A person refuels a car at a gas station. Photo: Engin Akyurt / Pexels (The Center Square) One Wisconsin lawmaker wants people to know just how much they are paying in taxes the next time they fill up. Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, introduced legislation that would have the state add gas tax price stickers to pumps across the state. While the final price is clearly visible, the components of that cost are often a mystery to consumers, Allen said. Wisconsin charges 32.9 cents per gallon in gas taxes, and the federal government charges another 18.4 cents per gallon. Allen said it is important for people to understand that more than 51 cents per gallon of gas goes toward the government. [This would] provide the public with information and ensure they understand exactly where their hard-earned money is going, especially the significant portion dedicated to funding our roads and infrastructure. We believe drivers deserve a clearer picture, Allen added. Allen says his plan would not cost gas stations across Wisconsin anything. His legislation orders the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to print the gas tax stickers, then would use state inspectors to get them on the pumps. State or municipal weights and measures inspectors will be required to affix this sticker to the face of every motor vehicle fuel pump during their regular inspection process, the legislation states. State Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, is the Senate sponsor of the plan. We believe transparency is a fundamental pillar of good government, Jacque said. This is a straightforward step to provide the public with a better understanding of gas pricing, making the process seamless and ensuring our consumers are fully informed every time they fill up. The plan now heads to lawmakers for co-sponsors. After that it will likely be sometime next spring before the legislation gets a hearing and sees its first votes at the statehouse. Zohran Mamdani speaks during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday. - Angelina Katsanis/AFP/Getty Images When Zohran Mamdani made history this week by becoming the first South Asian mayor of New York, he quoted one of modern Indias founding fathers in his acceptance speech and walked off the stage to the sounds of a thumping Bollywood banger. The Muslim son of Indian-origin immigrants, the win is a powerful rebuke of US President Donald Trump, who has sought to drastically curb immigration to the United States, and takes on a greater meaning in a city still contending with the deep scars of post 9/11 Islamophobia. But the aftershocks of his success are also being felt more than 8,000 miles away in cities across the worlds most populous country, where his ascent is both celebrated and criticized. We have been denied the limelight for a long time, said 48-year-old Gulfam Khan Hussain from the Indian city of Mumbai. People in New York come out to support Zohran Mamdani, who won the mayoral election in New York Tuesday. - Andrea Renault/STAR MAX/AP Its really nice to see someone from the South Asian origin has come this far, artist Tanya Lalwani said. Mamdanis victory places him at the forefront of a global cohort of diaspora leaders who have shattered political ceilings in recent years. In the US, Kamala Harris reached the second highest seat in government; across the Atlantic, Rishi Sunak became British Prime Minister, while Sadiq Khan secured the London mayoralty. Leo Varadkar led Ireland and Humza Yousaf headed Scotlands government. Mamdanis win really brings the South Asian diaspora to the center of the conversation, said Sangay Mishra, an associate professor of politics and international relations at Drew University. But Mamdanis election also amplifies a central tenet of his political identity: his vocal criticism of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis government and its Hindu nationalist agenda. A blend of Uganda, India, America A three-term state assemblyman, Mamdani is a political embodiment of the district he serves: parts of Queens, one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse regions in New York City. An immigrant from Uganda with Indian parents born in their homeland, he was first raised in post-apartheid Cape Town, South Africa, before his family settled in New York City. Mamdani is the son of Mahmood Mamdani, a renowned professor of post-colonial studies at Columbia University, and Mira Nair, the celebrated Indian filmmaker whose works like Mississippi Masala, The Namesake and Monsoon Wedding explore the diaspora, displacement and identity. He referenced this identity in his victory speech Tuesday. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this, he said. Zohran Mamdani, center, walks through midtown Manhattan, New York, on September 29. - Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg/Getty Images While speaking, Mamdani went into the archives of Indian history, quoting its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. He chose the iconic opening of Nehrus Tryst with Destiny speech, delivered on the eve of Indias independence from British rule. And after finishing, the rebellious beat of Dhoom Machale (which roughly translates to Make Some Noise) from the Bollywood blockbuster Dhoom, began to play, prompting the room to erupt into thunderous applause. When Mamdani quoted (Nehru) he stirred some strings in our hearts, Khan said. And Dhoom Machale? What can I say? Bollywood rocks. Mamdanis rise as a grassroots democratic socialist assemblyman symbolizes the diasporas next chapter: a generation moving beyond integration to transform politics from within. It means a lot that somebody who is a naturalized citizen and whose identity is a blend of Uganda, India, America who is also Muslim is poised to reshape the politics of the Democratic Party, Mishra, the professor, said. That Mamdanis political ascent also comes in the wake of a presidential administration that targets immigrants, crackdowns on H-1B visas, and conducts aggressive ICE raids, gives this moment deeper meaning for South Asians across generations and nationalities, Mishra added. South Asians are going to be entering into political conversation in much more central ways. Criticism of India As the leader of the US largest city and financial capital, any mayor of New York is given an outsized role on the world stage. And with Mamdani, that role may clash with a government thousands of miles away. A vocal critic of Indias Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mamdani has condemned what he perceives as human rights abuses in his ancestral home. He has criticized the BJPs Citizenship Amendment Act, a controversial law that critics say discriminates against Muslims by making faith a criterion for citizenship, and has disapproved the governments 2019 revocation of Article 370 of the constitution, which had granted special autonomous status to the Muslim-majority region of Jammu and Kashmir. Hindu Refugees from Pakistan and Afghanistan stage a protest against Congress Party over alleged Anti-CAA remarks near AICC headquarters in New Delhi, India, on March 15, 2024. - Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times/Getty Images He has called the Indian prime minister a war criminal, in regard to Modis controversial role as Chief Minister of Gujarat during which a brutal wave of sectarian violence erupted in 2002. Hindus blamed Muslims for setting fire to a train in an incident that killed dozens of Hindu pilgrims and sought revenge by attacking Muslim-owned homes and stores. More than 1,000 people mostly Muslims were killed, according to government figures. Allegations of state complicity were so severe that for years Modi was barred from entering the US. He denied any wrongdoing, and the Supreme Court of India cleared him of complicity. For many of Modis supporters, Mamdanis rhetoric is seen as a malicious attack on the countrys majority religion. Mamdani is a rabid liar, wrote a BJP national spokesperson, Sanju Verma, on X. Mamdani is Hinduphobic bigot. Another BJP politician, Kangana Ranaut, said Mamdani sounds more Pakistani than Indian, referring to Indias longtime rival. Whatever happened to his Hindu identity or bloodline and now he is ready to wipe out Hinduism, she wrote. However, plenty of Hindus disagree. Zohran and his campaign have moved beyond symbolic representation of South Asian Americans to actually addressing the concerns that South Asian Americans raise, said Ria Chakrabarty, Senior Policy Director for Hindus for Human Rights Action, a non-profit that advocates for civil rights in South Asia and North America. The Hindu advocacy organization opposes Modis version of Hindu nationalism, believing it conflicts with the religions core values of pluralism and justice. When a prominent American politician condemns events like the 2002 Gujarat riots, it directly empowers activists on the ground in India, Chakrabarty said. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi attends the India-UK CEO Forum at Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, Indai, on October 9. - Leon Neal/Reuters They know the Indian government is very responsive to international pressure, which permits activists to develop more tools that an international politician or journalist can use to exert pressure on the government, she said. Yet, on the ground in India, the mood has been harder to judge, though newspapers celebrated his victory with headlines about how he is New Yorks first mayor of Indian descent. For those who do know him, the optics are less about political pressure and more about simple, unadulterated pride. This wave of joy was seen online, where some claimed his victory as Indias own. We are a country of leaders and Mamdanis win is another feather in Indias already colorful cap, said Khan from Mumbai. Whenever the challenge arises we give the world a Gandhi, a Sunak, a Mamdani And this is just the beginning. CNNs Ayushi Shah contributed reporting from Mumbai. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com In todays CEO Daily: Geoff Colvin on Elon Musks $1 trillion pay package. The big story: Long delays at U.S. airports as FAA reduces flight capacity amid shutdown. The markets: Its bad out there! Plus: All the news and watercooler chat from Fortune. Good morning. For Elon Musk, the Texas gambit seems to have workedgreat news for Musk, bad news for shareholders of U.S. companies. At Teslas annual meeting on Thursday, shareholders voted in favor of giving CEO Musk a gargantuan, record-shattering pay package that could give him stock worth $1 trillion after several years. Its all upside for Musk; under the packages rules he has nothing to lose. But the backstory of how he got there is worrisome. Very briefly: In 2018, the Tesla board of directors gave Musk a 10-year pay package that could bring him, if he met certain financial targets over ten years, as much as $55.8 billiona new record for CEO pay at the time. A Tesla individual shareholder sued Musk and the Tesla board for breaching their fiduciary duties. After years of litigation, a judge in Delaware, where Tesla was incorporated like most big U.S. companies, ruled against Tesla and Musk, invalidating the pay package. Other corporations began to fear that Delaware might no longer be the best place to incorporate. In response, Delaware last March passed a law to make the state more alluring, to which Texas quickly counter-punched with an even friendlier law. Key feature: Lawsuits against companies like the suit in Delaware can be initiated only by shareholders who hold at least 3% of the companys shares. The only person with more than 3% of Tesla is Musk. This summer, Tesla left Delaware and incorporated in Texas, where the companys board promptly offered Musk the new, eye-popping pay package. Supporters of the pay package, which apparently received 75% of the shareholder votes at the meeting, will argue that it aligns management and shareholder interests (to get the trillion-dollar payout, Musk must meet a series of milestones, including boosting Teslas market cap to $8.5 trillion from its current $1.5 trillion). But whats good for corporations and management is not always good for shareholders, and rules like the Texas 3% threshold insulate companies from accountabilitythey whittle away shareholder protections, such as the right for any shareholder to sue a company. And in doing so, they minimize the judiciarys role in overseeing corporate conduct, weakening the system that has built the extraordinary U.S. economy. The fight to attract big corporations is heating up as states hope to take away some of the incorporation fees and the business litigation that bring Delaware some $2.2 billion annually. Nevada is on its way; Dropbox and TripAdvisor are among those that have reincorporated there since last year. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt has said, Im trying to take down Delaware. Competition is good. The danger is that as states vie to become corporations legal homes, the competition risks becoming a race to the bottom.Geoff Colvin Contact CEO Daily via Diane Brady at diane.brady@fortune.com This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Key Points First Majestic reported record silver production in Q3 2025. The company updated investors about a taxation dispute with the government of Mexico. With shares valued at a discount to their historical valuation, today's a great time to click the buy button. 10 stocks we like better than First Majestic Silver For a mining company like First Majestic (NYSE: AG), reporting a notably higher year-over-year gain in silver production usually leads to a jump in the stock price. Investors are finding, however, that this isn't always the case. The company reported strong third-quarter 2025 financial results yesterday before the market opened, but investors are instead keenly focused on another feature of the company's quarter. According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, First Majestic stock is down 14.6% from the end of last Friday's market session through the end of trading today. 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 Investor studies financial charts and works on tablet. Image source: Getty Images. One thing is robbing the silver stock of its lustrous third-quarter performance In First Majestic's press release announcing the Q3 2025 financial results, the company provided an update on a tax dispute with the government of Mexico. Subsequent to the end of the third quarter, First Majestic learned that the Mexican Supreme Court had ruled against a subsidiary that the company wholly owns with respect to a taxation appeal regarding the San Dimas gold and silver mine. On the company's Q3 2025 conference call, management tried to dispel the notion that the unfavorable ruling was a major event. Keith Neumeyer, First Majestic's CEO, stated, "The tax dispute that seemingly some people are focused on today has been with the company for 13 years. There's no change. We continually work with the Mexican government to resolve the issue." First Majestic reported a record for silver production in a single quarter of 3.9 million ounces, a 96% year-over-year increase. In addition, the company reported revenue of $285.1 million, a 95% increase over the same period last year. Should investors buy First Majestic stock on the dip? First Majestic stock provides a great opportunity right now for precious metals investors with shares valued at 13.3 times operating cash flow -- a discount to their five-year average cash flow multiple of 25.3. The silver production company's strong performance (which should continue in the coming quarters) certainly outshines any doubts that the taxation issue in Mexico is casting over the company. Should you invest $1,000 in First Majestic Silver right now? Before you buy stock in First Majestic Silver, 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 First Majestic Silver 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 $592,390!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,196,494!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,052% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% 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 November 3, 2025 Scott Levine 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. Courtesy of Mary Mac's Tea Room Atlanta stands out in the South for acting as a culinary melting pot for its own region, bringing flavors and ingredients from the Louisiana bayou to the Lowcountry. Southern dining can mean hole-in-the-wall barbecue or white napkin service, and thankfully Atlanta is chock full of both and everything in between. Once you've experienced the requisite Atlanta restaurants, like Busy Bee Cafe and The Varsity, there are plenty more to try that specialize in the flavors of the South. Here are some of the hottest reservations for your next visit to The Big Peach, from an 80-year old iconic tea room to a dive bar on the Florida coast. Mary Macs Tea Room Courtesy of Mary Mac's Tea Room Celebrating an incredible 80 years, Mary Macs is one of the citys most well-regarded Southern and soul food restaurants, even dubbed Atlantas Dining Room by Southern Living. While the destination has expanded to six dining rooms throughout its eight decades, the restaurants recipes, charm, and hospitality havent changed one bit, with the same simple corn-shucking and bean-snapping happening in the kitchen today that started in 1945. Be sure to order some table wine, aka sweet tea, with your meal. Auburn Angel Courtesy of Auburn Angel The Sweet Auburn neighborhood is one of the countrys most historic Black neighborhoods, situated at the heart of the Civil Rights movement and the birthplace of Dr. Martin Luther King. Auburn Angel is on the historic Auburn Ave. known as Soul Food Row. Founder Asa Fain spent six years developing the restaurant to honor the legacy of the neighborhood and the former Auburn Avenue Rib Shack space. Also led by co-owner and chef Robert Butts, Auburn Angel offers a variety of dishes that highlight flavors and ingredients from throughout the South, including Potliker and Hoe Cakes, a classic combination in the American South, and Fumee Chicken, which is popular in Southern Louisiana with Creole and Cajun preparations. Southern Belle Courtesy of Pedro Marashi | Southern Exposure Chef Joey Ward grew up in Georgia where his Southern roots inspired his culinary career, including his two restaurants Southern Belle and Georgia Boy. Southern Belle offers a unique blend of traditional Southern dishes with multicultural flavors including the Corneal Fried Carolina Trout and the Indian-Style Shrimp and Grits. As an homage to the region, the restaurant recently launched a Southern-style Royal Tea that's hosted on the second Sunday of each month. Guests are encouraged to don their Sunday best to enjoy Southern fare like pimento cheese gougeres, benedictine sandwiches, sweet potato biscuits, and hummingbird scones. Bomb Biscuit Courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee Bomb Biscuit began as part of a pop-up Sunday Supper series in 2016 and has since grown to one of the most acclaimed and awarded restaurants in the city. Owner and 2024 F&W Best New Chef Erika Council serves up her scratch-made biscuits and sandwiches with breakfast and lunch offerings. Check out the Big Boy with sausage, egg, the Peoples Cheese (aka American cheese), bacon, Dynamite Sauce, and bread and butter pickles. Bomb Biscuit offers vegan and gluten-free options so everyone can enjoy their famous biscuits. Breaker Breaker Courtesy of Justin Dombrowski Many may not consider Florida as part of the South, but for those who do, Breaker Breaker is a great hideaway for anyone seeking the charm of old Floridastyle dive bars in the heart of Atlanta. The restaurant is conveniently located on the citys popular BeltLine and includes a 21+ rooftop bar called Floridaman. Guests can enjoy fresh seafood options like fried fish platters, gumbo, peel and eat shrimp, po'boys, and more, all year long. Woodall Courtesy of Brandon Amato Tucked away on the Westside of the city, The Woodall offers a list of seasonal entrees and steaks, and whats most impressive is its weekend brunch. The extensive menu packs all the savory and sweet including Shrimp and Polenta, Biscuits and Gravy with its famous ham gravy, and Charred Okra. Of course, brunch isnt complete without a cocktail, including the Bloody Mary prepared with St. George Green Chile Vodka. Magnolia Room Courtesy of Magnolia Room Just outside the city in Tucker, Georgia, is the Magnolia Room, a traditional cafeteria restaurant where guests nudge their trays down the line as they select their entree and sides. The restaurant takes enormous pride in sourcing locally from Sherrys Produce for their meat-and-sides menu offerings, which include fried chicken, catfish, and Southern sides. Arrive early for lunch, which gets crowded. Read the original article on Food & Wine President of Suriname, Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, speaks at the TIME100 Impact Dinner: Leaders Creating Climate Action Credit - Wagner PinheiroWagner Pinheiro Leaders discussed the most pressing climate issuesand reasons for hopeahead of the TIME100 Impact Dinner: Leaders Creating Climate Action held at Casa Camolese in Rio. Global leaders will be gathering this month in Belem, Brazil for COP30, the United Nations climate summit. Kara Hurst Kara Hurst, Amazons chief sustainability officer, spoke of the challenge of addressing climate change fast enough as communities around the world face the brunt of its impacts. We really have a limited amount of time with the climate crisis, she says. Hurst spoke of the ways Amazon is looking to utilize new technologies to serve customers and reduce emissionsfrom minimizing packaging to electrifying fleets of delivery vehicles. Amazons disaster relief team has also been able to use new technology to better serve communities after natural disasters, she says. Weve been able to utilize AI in a lot of ways to really speed up the response to those disasters and provide us better information that indicates where first responders can go and help the safety of those communities very, very quickly. Tzeporah Berman Despite wealthy countries pulling back on climate commitments, climate activist Tzeporah Berman, who chairs the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative calling for a new global pact to limit the production of fossil fuels, remains hopeful that there are opportunities to bring other nations to the table. A line has been drawn between the countries that are willing to step out and work on fossil fuel phase out and the countries that are holding back and the leaders that are denying the science, she says. People realize that it will benefit them to actually have a plan. She hopes to see more countries cooperate to create a plan to support a managed decline in the use of fossil fuels. A lot of countries, like the United States and Canada, are doubling down on fossil fuel productions, she says. Im really inspired by the countries who are standing up and starting to create a path that is science led and based on cooperation between countriesbecause no country or company can do this alone. Leah Seligmann Though it seems as though the world is no longer on track to meet the 1.5 goal set out in the Paris Agreement, sustainability leader Leah Seligmann maintains that a lot of progress has been made since the treaty was first established ten years ago. On one hand, weve seen more progress in the last decade than we could ever have imagined, says the CEO of The B Team. We were on track for a 4 degree world, now were on track for a 2.4 degree world. But countries need to be more ambitious, she says. When you get to this point in a transition, it is super hard. This isnt the time when we can just change lightbulbs and all save money, she says. This is the time where we have to do bigger investments that are harder and riskier to really deliver whats needed. The urgency couldnt be greater. The need couldnt be greater. Wade Crowfoot Since 2019, Wade Crowfoot has served as California's natural resources secretary, working to protect and strengthen the states natural landscapes. California is already facing some of the more extreme impacts of our warming planet. Climate change contributed to the conditions that caused wildfires to burn through over 37,000 acres and destroy more than 16,000 structures in Los Angeles in January. Its for this reason that Crawfoot says adaptation is so important. Adapting to these changes, building resilience to these climate-driven threats is now a matter of public safety, he says. Crowfoot says he is optimistic that the state can learn from global leaders present in Rio, and believes that leaders should be moving quickly to find solutions that both avert the worst impacts of climate change and protect the people most vulnerable. This is no longer a crisis of ambition, its a crisis of implementation, he says. Jennifer Geerlings-Simons Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, president of Suriname, was candid about the lack of global progress on limiting warming to the targets laid out in the Paris Agreement. It looks like we will not be able to achieve the 1.5 degrees, so we have actually not done very well in my opinion," she says. Geerlings-Simons is hopeful, however, that Indigenous people who live in and rely on forests might serve as an example for how to manage natural resources while still reaping economic benefits. But in her eyes the urgency of the climate crisis cannot be understated. Climate change is here, she says. We see it. I hope that people are seeing it, and more inclined to do something about it. Write to Simmone Shah at simmone.shah@time.com. FG: TSXV 3FA: FRA TORONTO, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Falcon Gold Corp. (TSXV: FG) (FSE: 3FA) (OTC-Pinks: FGLDF) ("Falcon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the staking and acquisition of 689 mineral claims totaling 17,225 hectares in Central Newfoundland. This acquisition secures a district-scale land position across a highly prospective corridor within the Victoria Lake Shear Zone, a structural system known to host high-grade gold mineralization. FG Final Map (CNW Group/Falcon Gold Corp.) The corridor bridges Sokoman Minerals' Crippleback Lake Trend to the west and Benton Resources Stony Lake Caldera to the east, giving Falcon a commanding position over a largely underexplored section of the Central Newfoundland gold belt. "Falcon now controls the key structural corridor between two active gold trends. The geology and magnetic signatures suggest multiple high-priority targets, making this one of the most compelling underexplored regions in Central Newfoundland," Karim Rayani, Chief Executive Officer Investor Highlights Strategic Corridor Overview 17,225 hectares controlled by Falcon, bridging two major gold trends. Three active players in the corridor: Sokoman Minerals Crippleback Lake Trend to the west. Benton Resources Stony Lake Caldera corridor to the east. Falcon Gold bridging the structural and geophysical gap in the middle. Corridor lies along the Valentine Lake Fault system, a proven gold-bearing trend hosting the Valentine Gold Mine (Equinox Gold). Multiple high-priority targets identified through structural and geophysical analysis. Immediate exploration program includes magnetic reinterpretation, geochemical sampling, IP-Resistivity surveying, trenching, and Phase I scout drilling. Project leadership includes Mike Kilbourne, P.Geo., a veteran geoscientist with 40+ years of experience. Falcon's position allows the Company to capture structural and geochemical continuity across a largely untested section of the belt. Immediate Work Program Falcon will mobilize a high-velocity exploration campaign, including: High-resolution magnetic reinterpretation and 3D structural modeling Extensive geochemical sampling and mapping IP-Resistivity surveying across priority targets Trenching followed by Phase I scout drilling "We are moving quickly to get boots on the ground and advance exploration across the corridor. Our immediate work program is designed to generate targets that could lead to significant discoveries," Karim Rayani, Chief Executive Officer Project Leadership Falcon is pleased to appoint Mike Kilbourne, BSc (Hons), P.Geo., as Project Manager for the Central Newfoundland portfolio. Mr. Kilbourne brings over 40 years of exploration experience, having overseen more than 100,000 metres of drilling and generated over 700 targets across North America and Mexico. He is a registered Professional Geoscientist in Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland and has served as a Qualified Person under NI 43-101 for multiple publicly listed companies. Falcon Gold's expanded land position places the Company at the center of a highly prospective and underexplored gold corridor, providing a district-scale platform for systematic exploration and potential discovery. Qualified Person The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mike Kilbourne, P. Geo, an independent Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About Falcon Gold Corp. Falcon is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on generating, acquiring, and exploring opportunities in the Americas. Falcon's flagship project, the Central Canada Gold Mine, is approximately 20 km southeast of Agnico Eagle's Hammond Reef Gold Deposit which currently has an estimated 3.32 million ounces of gold (123.5 million tonnes grading 0.84 g/t gold) mineral reserves and 2.3 million ounces of measured and indicated mineral resources (133.4 million tonnes grading 0.54 g/t gold). Ref: https://www.agnicoeagle.com/English/exploration/exploration-projects/Hammond-Reef/default.aspx The Hammond Reef gold property lies on the Hammond shear zone, which is a northeast-trending splay off the Quetico Fault Zone ("QFZ") and may be the control for the gold deposit. The Central Gold property lies on a similar major northeast-trending splay of the QFZ. The neighboring properties results do not necessarily apply to the current project or property being disclosed The Company holds multiple additional projects: a 49% interest in the Burton Gold property with Iamgold near Sudbury Ontario; Spitfire-Sunny Boy, claims in B.C.; Great Burnt Copper-Gold Project in Central Newfoundland, and most recently battery metals projects, Timmins West Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Property Ontario, Outarde Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Property, and the Nickel North property in Quebec. Cautionary Language and Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, etc. Forward looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Neither 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. SOURCE Falcon Gold Corp. A large group of federal law enforcement officers rearrested Sean Dunn on Wednesday for allegedly throwing a sandwich at an officer. | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | FBI | White House A jury today acquitted Sean Dunn, the Washington, D.C., man who went viral in August for hurling a footlong Subway sandwich at a Border Patrol officer. The jury deliberated for several hours over Wednesday and this afternoon before finding Dunn, a former Justice Department paralegal, not guilty of misdemeanor assault on a federal law enforcement officer. The verdict is another high-profile embarrassment for federal prosecutors in the District of Columbia, who have repeatedly failed to win convictions or even indictments against residents accused of obstructing or assaulting federal officers deployed as part of the Trump administration's occupation of D.C. "I would like to thank family and friends and strangers for all of their support, whether it was emotional or spiritual or artistic or financial," Dunn said outside the courthouse following the verdict, according to CNN. "That night I believed that I was protecting the rights of immigrants," Dunn continued. "And let us not forget that the great seal of the United States says 'E pluribus unum.' That means 'from many, one.' Every life matters no matter where you came from. No matter how you got here, no matter how you identify, you have the right to live a life that is free." In a statement to Reason, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said, "As always, we accept a jury's verdict; that is the system within which we function. However, law enforcement should never be subjected to assault, no matter how 'minor'. Even children know when they are angry, they are not allowed to throw objects at one another." On the night of August 10, a bystander filmed Dunn confronting several Border Patrol officers patrolling the streets of D.C. "Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don't want you in my city!" Dunn yelled at officers. He then threw a salami sandwich at Border Patrol Officer Greg Lairmore, hitting Lairmore in the chest, before running away with several officers struggling in pursuit. Dunn's act of defiance led not only to viral fame, memes, and street murals, but an arrest warrant on his apartment, executed by 20 officers in riot gear (and a White House film crew). However, federal prosecutors originally failed to secure a felony grand jury indictment against Dunn, leading them to refile a lesser misdemeanor assault charge against him. Dunn pleaded not guilty and went to trial. At the trial this week, Lairmore testified that the salami sandwich "exploded all over" his chest and claimed he could smell mustard and onions. However, a photo showed that the sandwich was still in its wrapper after it landed on the ground. NBC News reported that Dunn's defense attorneys also noted Lairmore received two gag gifts from coworkers: "a plush sandwich and a patch featuring a cartoon of Dunn throwing the sandwich with the words 'Felony Footlong.'" Dunn's attorneys argued that the gag gifts showed that no one, not even the alleged victim, thought this was a serious matter. "This case, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is about a sandwich," Dunn's defense attorney, Sabrina Shroff, said, according to NBC News. As Reason's Billy Binion wrote, the "disproportionate response to [Dunn's] offense epitomizes why Trump's plan appears to be, at least for now, more political theater than a real solutions-oriented approach" to crime in D.C. And the outcome of the trial shows what the jury thought of that political theater. CNN reported that one juror "told reporters after the verdict that she didn't think the officer felt threatened by the sandwich and laughed when asked if she felt the sub 'exploded' as the officer claimed." The verdict is one of several recent instances where prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. have failed to convince local juries to indict or convict defendants accused of assaulting federal law enforcement officers. For example, prosecutors failed to convince three different grand juries to indict a woman accused of assaulting an FBI agent, forcing prosecutors to refile the case as a misdemeanor. The post D.C. Jury Acquits 'Sandwich Guy' of Assaulting Federal Agent appeared first on Reason.com. Minidoka Memorial Hospital is the joint operation of Minidoka Countys only hospital and nursing home located in Rupert, Idaho. Services offered at Minidoka Memorial Hospital include surgery, inpatient and outpatient treatments, long-term care, home health, ambulance and occupational health. The hospital employs over 250 people, making it one of the countys larger employers. | Courtesy of Minidoka Memorial Hospital BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) Idaho is asking the federal government for $100 million annually over five years to support rural health care through a grant created in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Through the major federal tax and spending bill approved by Congress in July, states are entitled to a pool of $25 billion divided equally among each state, of which Idaho will receive $500 million over five years. Another $25 billion was set aside to be distributed as grants to states based on need. Idaho submitted its application Nov. 4 in hopes of receiving the additional $100 million in annual grant money, aiming to collect a total of $200 million annually between both distributions, or $1 billion over five years. Idaho is a mostly rural state, and we are grateful for the significant investments President (Donald) Trump and Congress have committed to improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural Idaho and across the country, Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in an emailed statement. We are proud of the effective, collaborative approach we utilized in preparing Idahos application for funding through this transformative new program. Little created a task force through an October executive order to recommend priorities for the application. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare also solicited input from the public through a survey. Idahos application centered on five initiatives: Initiative 1: Improving rural access to care through technology. Initiative 2: Ensuring accessible, quality care through innovative models. Initiative 3: Sustaining rural workforce with training, recruitment, and retention. Initiative 4: Implementing population-specific, evidence-based projects to make rural America healthy again. Initiative 5: Investing in rural health infrastructure and partnerships. What is Idaho trying to do with the funds? The states application focused on a population of 655,070 Idahoans who live in rural census tracts, all rural health care centers, hospitals and facilities, and the five federally recognized Native American nations in the state. Idaho officials plan to set aside 3.5% of total funds awarded for the states tribal nations, the report said, based on the percentage of the states Native population over the states total rural population. The state hopes to enhance telehealth as well as mobile and community-based services, upgrade electronic health records, develop a shared technology infrastructure, utilize artificial intelligence, and pair technology with provider training. There are also proposed investments in Emergency Medical Services, software upgrades at rural health centers, installation of telehealth pods and diagnostic kiosks, recruitment and retention incentives at the undergraduate and graduate level for training physicians as well as retention bonuses and sign-on incentives for practicing doctors, and increased utilization of non-physicians health care professionals such as nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and pharmacists. The application also lays out plans to deploy technology, such as phone apps, to monitor and educate about chronic health conditions. The goals laid out in the application include reducing emergency department visits for chronic conditions by 20%, and increasing the ratio of physicians per 100,000 population from 193 in 2023 to at least 195 by 2030. What are the health care challenges in rural Idaho? The states application outlines several of the challenges faced by rural residents, including higher rates of preventable illness and premature deaths than the national average. Idahos rural residents with chronic conditions have higher death rates than those living in urban areas, according to the application. Nearly 60% of residents are affected by primary health care professional shortages, and nearly 66% of residents are in whats called a dental health care professional shortage area. The entirety of the states landmass and population fall in whats considered a mental health professional shortage area, the application said. Most rural residents have no or limited access to public transportation and must drive significant distances to reach care, which can cause people to postpone preventative care, the application said. The states rural hospitals and clinics face significant financial pressures. A 2024 assessment found that 46% of Idahos Critical Access Hospitals maintain fewer than 100 days cash on hand, the application said. Rural Idaho hospitals bracing for reductions in Medicaid payments Many rural hospitals in Idaho are struggling financially because of low patient volumes and a reliance on reimbursements from Medicaid, which are often less than what it costs to provide the care. This summer, Idaho said it would cut Medicaid reimbursement rates for health care providers by 4%, the Sun reported. The state budget is facing a projected budget shortfall of more than $49.3 million by the end of the fiscal year, which prompted Little to direct agencies to cut their budgets by 3% ongoing. The federal Big Beautiful Bill is expected to reduce Medicaid spending in rural areas by $137 billion nationwide over 10 years, according to an analysis by the health policy organization KFF. Its estimated Idahos Medicaid funds will be cut by up to $4.3 billion over the decade. U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, previously told the Sun that the reductions are meant to protect Medicaid for those it was intended for, and most people who are disabled, children, or able-bodied and complying with new work requirements will maintain their coverage. The only way to prove this is to wait and see what actually happens, Crapo said. The post Idaho seeking $1 billion in federal funds for rural health care from One Big Beautiful Bill appeared first on East Idaho News. Aaron Schwartz/Pool via CNP/Picture Alliance/Consolidated News Photos/Newscom Last January, Dennis Donnelly, a longtime Des Moines Register subscriber, sued the newspaper and pollster Ann Selzer, alleging that they had committed multiple torts by conducting and publicizing a poll suggesting that the presidential contest between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in Iowa was much closer than expected. On Thursday, a federal judge in Iowa dismissed that lawsuit with prejudice, deeming it inconsistent with the First Amendment. U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger also concluded that Donnelly had failed to properly plead any of his claims. That decision in Donnelly v. Des Moines Register and Tribune Co. does not bode well for a similar lawsuit that Trump filed against Selzer and the Register last December. "A party cannot evade First Amendment scrutiny" by "simply labeling an action one for 'fraud,'" Ebinger notes. Yet that is exactly what Trump is trying to do when he portrays "fake news" as a form of consumer fraud. If anything, Trump's fraud claims are even less plausible than Donnelly's. Donnelly, who sued on behalf of all Des Moines Register subscribers, actually has a commercial relationship with the newspaper. Trump, by contrast, does not seem to have any such connection with the Register or Selzer. But both lawsuits suffer from the same basic problem: Because they treat misleading journalism as actionable fraud, they amount to thinly veiled assaults on freedom of the press. The poll at the center of both cases, which Selzer conducted in late October 2024, gave Harris a three-point lead over Trump in Iowa, a difference that was within the statistical margin of error. The Register reported the results two days before the election under the headline "Iowa Poll: Kamala Harris leapfrogs Donald Trump to take lead near Election Day." By contrast, several other polls conducted around the same time gave Trump a lead of seven to nine points in Iowa. He ultimately won Iowa by 13 points. The gist of Donnelly's complaint is that the Register and Selzer misled him and other readers about the state of the race in late October. But as Ebinger notes, he did not allege that Selzer's methodology "differed from the one disclosed in the accompanying article" or that the defendants "altered responses or weighed the sample in an attempt to produce a certain result." In fact, Donnelly noted that Selzer's Iowa Poll "is historically accurate and is the 'gold standard' for polling" in that state. But he thinks Selzer and the Register should have been skeptical of the surprising results because other polls painted a different picture. Is that sort of journalistic failure enough to strip Selzer and the Register of the constitutional protection that ordinarily would apply to their work? Ebinger thinks not. "Each of Donnelly's claims must satisfy First Amendment scrutiny," she notes, "because 'there is no free pass around the First Amendment.'" The defendants argued that they were entitled to "absolute immunity" from Donnelly's claims, which they described as "a frontal assault on the First Amendment." Donnelly argued that he could prevail by showing "actual malice," the standard that applies to defamation claims by public figures. Finding the relevant case law unclear, Ebinger applies the "actual malice" test but concludes that Donnelly has failed to meet it. "Actual malice requires showing 'sufficient evidence to permit the conclusion that the defendant in fact entertained serious doubts as to the truth of [their] publication,'" she writes. It is not enough to argue that a "reasonably prudent" person would not have published an article or that he "would have investigated before publishing." To show a "reckless disregard for the truth," a plaintiff must do more than allege that the defendant failed to "recognize a mistake or ambiguity and its potential consequences." At this stage of the case, Ebinger says, Donnelly had to allege "non-conclusory" and "non-speculative" facts "sufficient to give rise to a reasonable inference of actual malice." She says he clearly failed to do so. Donnelly suggested that Selzer and the Register "designed the poll's methodology to produce an intentionally inaccurate result and knowingly published the inaccurate result," Ebinger notes. But "no specific facts have been alleged to support such a theory." That failure, Ebinger says, dooms all of Donnelly's claims. She nevertheless addresses each one separately. "Donnelly alleges fraudulent misrepresentation of the state of the election," Ebinger writes. "Under Iowa law, a claim for fraudulent misrepresentation requires a plaintiff to show: 1) a representation was made; 2) the representation was false; 3) the representation was material; 4) the defendant knew the representation was false; 5) the defendant intended to deceive the plaintiff; 6) the plaintiff acted in reliance on the truth of the representation and that reliance was justified; and 7) the representation was a proximate cause of plaintiff's damages." Donnelly's claim fails right out of the gate, Ebinger says, because "no false representation was made." The defendants "conducted a poll using a particular methodology which yielded results that later turned out to be different from the event the poll sought to measure," she writes. But "the results of an opinion poll are not an actionable false representation merely because the anticipated results differ from what eventually occurred." Donnelly "does not claim the disclosed methodology was not followed, that results were falsified, or that Defendants altered the poll in some other way which did not reflect the publicly disclosed methodology," Ebinger notes. "Defendants told readers exactly what they did and how they did it." Donnelly "fails to cite to any authority finding an opinion poll [regarding] a future event constitutes a false factual assertion." Donnelly also alleges "negligent misrepresentation to a reckless degree." That claim requires a plaintiff to show that the defendant, by virtue of his profession and his relationship to the plaintiff, had a "duty of care." The Iowa Supreme Court has said "professionals such as accountants, abstractors, and attorneys owe a duty of care in supplying information to foreseeable third parties as members of a limited class of persons who would be contemplated to use and rely upon the information." But that duty extends only to "a person in the profession of supplying information for the guidance of others" who "acts in an advisory capacity," is "manifestly aware of the use [to which] the information will be put," and "intends to supply it for that purpose." Donnelly's negligent misrepresentation claim "fails because a pollster and a general circulation newspaper reporting on the results of an election poll are not in the business or profession of supplying information to a limited class of others who [they know will] rely on the information," Ebinger says. "The relationship between a newspaper and the public is fundamentally different from the relationship between an accountant or attorney and his or her client. There is no 'limited class of persons' a newspaper contemplates will use the information the paper publishes." Donnelly asserted that Selzer and the Register violated the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, which prohibits "unfair" or "deceptive" practices "in connection with the advertisement, sale, or lease of consumer merchandise." That claim, Ebinger says, "fails because publishing the results of a political opinion poll that matches the co-published methodology is not an unfair or deceptive practice." An "unfair practice" entails "substantial and unavoidable injury to consumers." That did not occur here, Ebinger says. Donnelly claimed the defendants promised "trustworthy, accurate news" and "knowingly or recklessly failed to deliver that product" by "blowing their biggest story of the year." Under Iowa law, "a course of conduct contrary to what an ordinary consumer would anticipate contributes to a finding of an unfair practice." But "ordinary customers of the Des Moines Register would expect the paper to publish the Iowa Poll as it has done for decades," Ebinger writes. "Consumers would expect the poll to be conducted commensurate with the methodology accompanying the poll. Consumers would understand from the methodology statement, as well as the inherently uncertain nature of opinion polling, that polling is an inexact science which can yield errant results in prognosticating future election results." Donnelly "cites to no law which establishes that mere inaccuracy of an opinion poll constitutes an unfair practice," Ebinger notes. "Donnelly's assertion is also internally contradictory as such a standard would mean every [pollster] cited favorably by Donnelly was similarly engaged in an unfair practice because they too published polls which did not accurately forecast the election outcome." To establish "deception," a plaintiff must show that "an act or practice" was "likely to mislead a substantial number of consumers as to a material fact or facts." Deception "therefore necessarily requires the false statement or material omission of a fact," Ebinger writes. "Donnelly does not allege any misrepresentation with regard to either the methodology statement or the poll resultsNo factual information regarding how the poll was conducted was withheld from readers. The article fully described the poll results [and the] the poll methodology, and provided additional analysis of the surprising nature of the results." Donnelly claimed Selzer and the Register engaged in "professional malpractice." But he "fails to allege the necessary element of duty," Ebinger says. Donnelly argued that the defendants owed Register readers "the ordinary care of a journalist or pollster," which would have entailed recognizing "the obvious problems with the Iowa Poll." But "the nature of the relationship between newspapers and their readersdoes not impose such a general duty," Ebinger writes. "Donnelly fails to cite to any Iowa law imposing such a duty on newspapers, and courts generally find no such duty exists." She quotes one of those decisions, which concluded that "imposing a high duty of care on those in the business of news dissemination and making that duty run to a wide range of readers or TV viewers would have a chilling effect which is unacceptable under our Constitution." To illustrate the implications of imposing such a legal duty, Ebinger cites a 1999 decision rejecting the proposition that the Weather Channel could be held liable for an inaccurate forecast. The judge noted "the litany of absurd suits which could follow from imposing such a duty, such as construction workers suing when they pour concrete in reliance on a weather report forecasting no rain or commuters suing when they are stuck in traffic and late to work because the news reported there would be light traffic," Ebinger writes. "Finding for Donnelly here would permit similar absurdity." Finally, Donnelly argued that Selzer and the Register were guilty of "interference with the right to vote." In support of that claim, he cited a 1911 Iowa case involving local officials who prevented someone from voting. The outcome hinged on "the proper interpretation of the Iowa Code section governing voter eligibility," Ebinger notes, and the decision "makes no mention of a cognizable tort under Iowa law for interference with the right to vote." Donnelly "cites to no other Iowa law establishing such a tort." Like Donnelly's lawsuit, Trump's complaint against Selzer and the Register alleged "fraudulent misrepresentation," "reckless negligent misrepresentation," and violations of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. "The claims are essentially identical," notes Robert Corn-Revere, chief counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which represents Selzer. Trump's case, like Donnelly's, was assigned to Ebinger. But on September 30, he asked her to dismiss it without prejudice. She initially resisted but was overruled by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit last week. "Right now," Corn-Revere says, "the question in the Trump case is about whether it will remain in federal court." Corn-Revere nevertheless welcomed Ebinger's ruling in Donnelly's case. "This decision shows where petty politics ends and the rule of law begins," he said in a press release. "The court's strongly worded opinion confirms that a legal claim cannot be concocted with political slogans and partisan hyperbole, and that there is no hiding from the First Amendment. This is a good day for freedom of speech." The post This Ruling Does Not Bode Well for Trump's Attempt To Portray Journalism as Consumer Fraud appeared first on Reason.com. Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco, shown in 2018. (Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle) More than a half century after the U.S. ignited 67 atomic weapons in the the central Pacific Ocean, a former Navy base in the Bay Area continues to carry that nuclear legacy. Last week, residents were informed by the San Francisco Department of Health that a test taken in November 2024 at the former site of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard showed radiation levels of airborne Plutonium-239 had exceeded the Navy's "action level," requiring the military to further investigate. The city and the residents were not informed until 11 months after that initial reading. Hunters Point, a 500-acre peninsula jutting out into San Francisco Bay, served as a military laboratory to study the effects of nuclear weapons from 1946-69 following World War II. Although the research largely focused on how to decontaminate U.S. warships and equipment targeted with atomic bombs, the experimentation left much of the shipyard laced with radioactive contaminants and toxic chemicals. For the last 30 years, the Navy has sought to clean up the area now a U.S. Superfund site with the long-term goal of redeveloping it into new housing and parkland. But some Bay Area community leaders say haphazard remediation work and lackluster public outreach have endangered the health and safety of residents of the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood that sits beside the former shipyard. And they point to the Navy's nearly year-long delay in informing them of the elevated Plutonium-239 reading, taken in November 2024, as just the latest example. Plutonium-239 is a radioactive isotope and byproduct of nuclear bomb explosions. The elevated readings from November 2024 came from a 78-acre tract of land on the northeast portion of the shipyard, known as Parcel C. "The City and County of San Francisco is deeply concerned by both the magnitude of this exceedance and the failure to provide timely notification," wrote San Francisco Health Officer Susan Philip in an Oct. 30 letter to Navy officials. "Such a delay undermines our ability to safeguard public health and maintain transparency. Immediate notification is a regulatory requirement and is critical for ensuring community trust and safety." Navy officials and some health experts insist the radiation levels detected at the site, while above the Navy's action level, did not pose an imminent or substantial threat to public health. Exposure to this level of Plutonium-239 every day for one year would be less than one-tenth the dose of radiation from a chest X-ray, according to a Navy spokesperson. "The San Francisco Department of Public Healths letter references a single outlier air sample that detected Plutonium-239 above the regulatory action level," a Navy spokesperson said in a statement to The Times. "Regulatory action levels are deliberately and conservatively established below levels of health concern, and a single detection of Pu-239 at this level does not pose a risk to human health or public safety." The Navy said it has collected more than 200 ambient air monitoring samples from Parcel C since it began performing fieldwork there in 2023. The November 2024 sample was the only reading with elevated Plutonium-239, the Navy spokesperson told The Times. Plutonium isotopes emit alpha radiation that is relatively benign outside the body, because it cannot travel through solid objects. However, if these radioactive particles are inhaled, they can damage the lungs and increase the long-term risk of developing certain cancers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "What we generally are concerned about for alpha emitters is if you get them into your body, and either through inhalation, ingestion, inadvertent injection like somebody gets a cut and it gets into their body," said Kathryn Higley, a professor of nuclear science at Oregon State University. Read more:Elevated radiation detected at former Bay Area landfill turned art park But it's the lack of transparency and the 11-month delay in reporting the reading that has fomented community mistrust and raised questions regarding the military's competency to safely clean up the polluted shipyard. In 2000, the EPA admonished naval officials for neglecting to inform residents that a fire had broken out at a hazardous landfill at Hunters Point. In 2017, two employees of the consulting firm Tetra Tech, who were hired by the Navy to assess radiation levels at Hunters Point, pleaded guilty to falsifying data in an effort to avoid having to perform additional cleanup on some areas of the shipyard. The presence of radioactive air contaminants at any level compounds the health risks of the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood, which already faces high exposure to toxic diesel particles from big rigs traveling on nearby freeways and cargo ships visiting the Port of San Francisco. Hunters Point Biomonitoring Foundation, a local nonprofit, has found concerning levels of toxic substances in urine screenings it has provided to several residents of the neighborhood, especially among older individuals and those living closer to the former Naval shipyard. "Now, you're talking about adding one of the most devastating radionuclides known to the human cardiopulmonary system to the chemical burden," said Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, the foundation's medical director and principal investigator. "The particulate load is enough to kill people," Sumchai added. "But you add ... a little Plutonium-239, and it's a recipe for death." Philip, the San Francisco health officer, said in a statement that she met with Navy officials Oct. 31 and received assurances that air and dust monitoring is ongoing and that the military agency is reviewing their duct control methods to ensure they are fully protective of public health. As a result, no immediate action is required from a public health safety standpoint, she said, adding that her office will continue to closely monitor the situation. Other experts argued the situation was overblown. Phil Rutherford, a radiological risk expert and corporate consultant, called the delayed notification "unacceptable" but said the San Francisco health department's letter was "a storm in a teacup" considering the low levels of radioactive material. Higley, the Oregon State professor, said the site's long history of delays and scandals likely added to backlash from community members. "I understand [residents'] frustration that they want to see this place cleaned up so that they can safely use it," Higley said. "And there's been a lot of reasons for why this process takes so long. But, from a radiological perspective, the actual residual radioactivity at the site is pretty modest." Read more:Its not just toxic chemicals. Radioactive waste was also dumped off Los Angeles coast In November 2024, a Navy contractor was grinding asphalt on the site a construction project that, while unrelated to the site's historical contamination, triggered the Navy to monitor for any air quality issues. One of its air samplers, in Parcel C collected 8.16 times 1015 picocuries per milliliter of Plutonium-239 twice the established action level according to a Navy spokesperson. Navy officials sent the sample to a lab for analysis, and the initial results came back in March 2025, showing high radiation levels. In April, they ordered the lab to reanalyze the sample. In the follow-up analysis, radiation levels of Plutonium-239 were below action levels. Between May and September, the Navy "further investigated the test results and conducted a methodical review of the laboratorys procedures and practices to ensure they complied with standards," according to the Navy spokesperson. "A third party also conducted an analysis of the labs performance." Later that September, the Navy told the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several California state agencies about the elevated airborne radiation from Plutonium-239, in preparation for an upcoming community meeting. That information later trickled down to the San Francisco health department. At some point, the Navy published some air quality data for Parcel C gathered between October and December 2024 on a website where it curates several environmental monitoring reports. That report only showed the lower Plutonium-239 radiation levels from the reanalysis were below the action level. A Navy spokesperson told The Times that it was "mistakenly uploaded." "As soon as the Navy realized an incomplete report was uploaded, it was removed from the website," the spokesperson said, while the Navy worked to verify the results. All that has contributed to the confusion and concern among locals and advocates alike. Navy officials are expected to attend a Hunters Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting on Nov. 17. When fieldwork is occurring at the shipyard, the Navy monitors for Plutonium-239 and several other radioactive elements that may have resulted from historic fallout from atomic weapons testing. Acquired by the Navy in 1940, Hunters Point was initially a base where ships were built, repaired and maintained during World War II. After the war ended, it became home to the Navy Radiological Defense Laboratory, a military research facility dedicated to investigating the effects of nuclear weapons and radiological safety. The Navy bombarded a fleet of U.S. warships with nuclear weapons as a part of atomic testing in the Marshall Islands. The irradiated vessels were towed to Hunters Point, and used as the material and hardware upon which scientists tested decontamination methods. In 1974, the shipyard was deactivated. Hazardous chemicals and low-level radiological contamination were identified, prompting the U.S. EPA to place the site on its Superfund list in 1989. The Navy has led cleanup efforts, excavating contaminated soil and demolishing buildings. A largely residential parcel of the base, Parcel A, was turned over to San Francisco and has been redeveloped with new town houses and condos. A collective of 300 artists live and work in former naval buildings. But dangers continue to emerge during ongoing remediation work. In recent years, the Navy has recovered radioactive objects, including dials and deck markers coated with paint containing Radium isotopes to provide a glow-in-the-dark effect. Sumchai, medical director of the biomonitoring foundation, said she has observed large stockpiles of contaminated soil held in areas without any protective fencing to prevent contaminants from spreading off site. "I view this as a local public health emergency," Sumchai said. "I think that everything should be done to contain it and to remove people safely, if necessary, from documented areas of exposure." But to the casual observer the site looks unremarkable. Hunters Point juts out into the San Francisco Bay just north of where Candlestick Park, the former home of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, used to stand. Beyond the abandoned barracks and drydocks, the site is now mostly an empty expanse of grass and reeds, with an unobstructed view of the bay. The cleanup sites, including Parcel C, are still fenced off, and only those with authorized credentials are allowed onto the property. On a recent weekday afternoon, ravens flew and cawed over the long-vacant shipyard buildings, while construction crews and trucks ferried building equipment up and down Hill Drive a steep road leading to brand new homes standing sentinel over the former shipyard. And beyond waiting for a new batch of Navy reports, there was no way of knowing what's in the air. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Marc Andreessen says too many people are letting their feelings about Tesla CEO Elon Musk inhibit them from learning from his example. Jae C. Hong/AP Tesla shareholders approved Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package on Thursday. The billionaire's previous $56 billion pay package was struck down by a Delaware judge after an investor filed a lawsuit. Legal professors told BI that challenging Musk's pay deal will be a lot more difficult this time. Tesla won the war for Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package. Now it's prepared to win future legal battles. Shareholders voted to approve the record-breaking compensation plan by a 75% margin on Thursday, paving the way for Musk to become the world's first trillionaire should he meet a series of ambitious product and financial goals. It came after the Tesla CEO's previous $56 billion pay package, which was approved by Tesla shareholders in 2018 and again in 2024, was struck down by a Delaware judge last year following an investor lawsuit. Since then, Tesla has made a series of moves to ensure Musk's $1 trillion payday doesn't suffer the same fate. The EV giant has relocated its legal home from Delaware to Texas after gaining shareholder approval for the move at its 2024 annual meeting. In May, the Lone Star State passed SB 29 and SB 1057, two bills that make it much harder for small shareholders to bring legal challenges against companies. Under SB 29, litigants must now prove in a lawsuit that a company's directors are not acting in good faith and that they have engaged in fraud or violated the law. The bill also introduced a new rule that shareholders have to own at least 3% of the company's shares to bring legal action, also known as a derivative lawsuit. The threshold is not automatically applied to companies, but Tesla incorporated it into its bylaws in May. Only Musk himself and a handful of large, institutional investors, including BlackRock and Vanguard Group, own more than 3% of Tesla and although shareholders can club together, $42 billion worth of shares is a high bar to meet. By contrast, the lawsuit that led to the Delaware Court of Chancery's ruling on Musk's previous pay package was bought by Richard Tornetta, a former heavy-metal drummer who owned just nine Tesla shares at the time. The judge in the Tornetta case ruled that Musk was too close to some of Tesla's board members for them to act independently, and that Tesla's board did not do enough to justify how it arrived at the package's $56 billion figure. Lawsuits face 'a very hard road' Legal professors told Business Insider that it would be far more difficult for shareholders to bring legal challenges against Musk's new pay package in Texas. "I think that it would be a very hard road to challenge this in court," said William Magnuson, a professor of law at Texas A&M University, citing the changes to Texas law that have granted heightened legal protection for company directors. "All of these really have greatly limited the ability of shareholders to challenge misbehavior by boards of directors," he said. James Spindler, a corporate and securities law professor at the University of Texas, agreed. He said that while Tesla shareholders could still challenge the level of disclosure surrounding the pay package under Texas law, as Tornetta did in Delaware, the 3% standing threshold made the prospect of a similar lawsuit unlikely. "For a public company, that's probably going to be the end of the matter. When you're talking about a multibillion-dollar company, there just aren't going to be that many people that own 3% of the shares," Spinder added. After a Delaware court struck down his last pay package, Musk urged other companies to leave the state, and several have followed Tesla and SpaceX's lead. The Diamond state has since tweaked its corporate law provisions to make it harder for small shareholders to bring derivative lawsuits. Delaware's move came as states like Texas and Nevada attempt to woo big companies with their own director-friendly regulations, and Magnuson said that companies are increasingly seeking to move to states with "friendlier" corporate law statutes that place more limits on shareholder's rights. "I think that we're at the beginning of a real sea change in the way that corporate law works," he added. Read the original article on Business Insider Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least five people as it made landfall in Vietnam on Thursday, barrelling in from the Philippines, where it had caused 188 deaths and widespread destruction. One of the strongest storms on record to hit Vietnam, Kalmaegi brought torrential rains and destructive winds that uprooted trees, damaged homes and left more than 1.6 million households without power. Although the typhoon weakened as it moved inland, authorities in the Southeast Asian country warned of continuing heavy rainfall of up to 200mm in central provinces, from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri. The five deaths occurred in Gia Lai and Dak Lak provinces, while three fishermen were reported missing after their boat was swept away by strong waves on Ly Son, an island in the Quang Ngai province. A search operation was launched but later suspended due to worsening weather, state media said. Waves crash onto Quy Nhon beach ahead of the arrival of Kalmaegi in Gia Lai province of central Vietnam on 6 November 2025 (AFP via Getty) Authorities said nearly 537,000 people were evacuated, many by boat, as floodwaters rose and landslides loomed. Vietnam was already reeling from record rainfall that triggered massive flooding and killed 40 people. As the typhoon arrived, at least 50 flights were cancelled or delayed across eight airports on Thursday and Friday, aviation authorities said. As floodwaters receded, recovery work started in battered towns and industrial zones, with residents joining local officials in clearing debris and repairing roofs across central Vietnam. An unusually strong storm for the region in November, Kalmaegi packed sustained winds of about 183kmph with gusts reaching up to 220kmph as it approached Vietnam over the South China Sea. Waves up to 3m high hit the coast in cities like Danang and strong winds uprooted trees in Dak Lak province. Many homes in Quy Nhon, another coastal city, were left without power for hours. Residents clean up outside their homes after Kalmaegi caused devastation in Talisay city of Cebu province in the Philippines (AP) The Vietnamese government said it had mobilised over 268,000 soldiers for search and rescue operations and warned of potential floods in low-lying areas, which could affect agriculture in the Central Highlands, the countrys main coffee-growing region. In the Philippines, the typhoon left at least 188 people dead and 135 missing in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year. The central province of Cebu was the hardest-hit, recording 139 deaths. Krizza Espra lost her husband and three children when the roof they were sheltering on collapsed. "I hope someone can help speed up the search for their bodies before they decompose, we hope we can still recognise them," she said. She said four other members of her family, including her mother and aunt, remained missing. An aerial view shows Trieu Son Trung village, which has been isolated after days of heavy rain, on 4 November 2025 in Hue, Vietnam (Getty) Kalmaegi displaced more than 560,000 villagers in the Philippines, including nearly 450,000 who were evacuated to emergency shelters, according to the civil defence. More than 318,000 of them were still in evacuation shelters. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a state of national emergency on Thursday as another potentially powerful typhoon was expected to slam into the western coast on Sunday night. "We suffered many deaths, it was very grave," Mr Marcos said on Thursday of Kalmaegi's deadly aftermath. The biggest problem that we're seeing is, we have to think who and how many of the personnel now handling government relief and support in the central Visayas region can be shifted to prepare for Uwan. Kalmaegi caused widespread destruction in Liloan, Cebu, central Philippines (AP) The next approaching storm, Fung-wong, was growing as it barrelled towards the Philippines over the Pacific. State forecasters said Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, could grow to an estimated 1,400km in diameter before it made landfall in northern Aurora province or nearby regions. They warned that it could hit the densely populated area around the capital Manila as well. Kalmaegi is expected to move through Laos and hit northeast Thailand on Friday afternoon. Thailand's weather agency advised people to be cautious of heavy to very heavy rainfall that could lead to flash floods or river overflows. In Laos, the weather bureau issued a nationwide warning as the typhoon was expected to bring moderate to heavy rainfall across central and southern parts of the country. Vietnam is hit by nearly a dozen storms annually and is enduring a relentless series this year as well. Typhoon Ragasa dumped torrential rain in late September and then Bualoi and Matmo together left more than 85 people dead or missing and caused an estimated 990m in damage. Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and typhoons increasingly destructive and frequent. Sir Keir Starmer is poised to slash 150m from Britains contribution to the international fight against Aids, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, putting 255,000 lives at risk, The Independent understands. The government is preparing to announce its contribution to the Global Fund as soon as next week, in one of the first major decisions since announcing it would dramatically reduce foreign aid to pay for defence spending. The prime minister is expected to pledge 850m towards the Global Funds work over the next three years a 15 per cent reduction compared with the previous pledge of 1bn in 2022, which itself was down from a pledge of 1.4bn in 2019. The government has indicated that it will use Britains aid budget to contribute to the humanitarian response in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, as well as in support of global health. It has named the Global Fund, along with the global vaccine alliance Gavi, as organisations that are in line to receive a bigger share of its aid spending. Nevertheless, the cut in aid could threaten the Global Funds plan to raise $18bn (around 14bn) to save 23 million lives between 2027 and 2029. Worldwide NGO the ONE campaign calculates that a 1bn commitment by the UK would save 1.7 million lives, so a 150m drop would see an estimated 255,000 lives lost. Former secretary of state for international development Sir Andrew Mitchell said the cut in aid was a bitter pill to swallow, adding: Not just for the many thousands of people who will lose their lives, but also for the many people in Britain who are proud of the work Britain has led in preventing death from malaria, HIV/Aids and tuberculosis, which is now being curtailed by the first Labour government ever to cut development spending. Keir Starmer is following in Donald Trumps footsteps by slashing foreign aid (PA) Conservative MP David Mundell, a co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on HIV/Aids, said the decision was seriously disappointing. Obviously, there are constraints on funding, but the track record of the Global Fund is well established in terms of delivery, and therefore is one of the most effective ways of providing funding, he said. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said that the UK would continue to play a significant role in the global response to fight disease globally by providing funding to the Global Fund, and that its pledge would be announced in due course. The UK remains firmly committed to tackling global health challenges, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it will help us deliver on our Plan for Change in the UK by supporting global stability and growth. The world was on track to end the Aids pandemic by 2030 until funding cuts, especially those implemented by the US, took effect earlier this year. Now, potentially millions of additional deaths are predicted to occur in the coming years. Unplanned cuts, like the US cuts, always have adverse consequences for the people who are being supported, said Mr Mundell, referring to the deaths linked to Donald Trumps decision to withhold funding that was used to provide HIV services in lower-income countries, as reported by The Independent. Malerata Tau, from Lesotho, who is HIV positive. Nations across Africa have already felt the impact of the US cut in aid (AP) The Global Fund pays for a quarter of all international HIV treatment and prevention programmes, more than half of the worlds malaria programmes, and three-quarters of those aimed at the prevention and treatment of TB. It is estimated to have saved 70 million lives in the past 20 years. This work is mostly funded by contributions from more than 80 governments, as well as support from private industry and philanthropy. Currently, the UK is the Global Funds third-largest donor, and will co-host its fundraising event in South Africa on 21 November. After Mr Trump entered office, the US withheld money that had already been pledged to the fund, with disastrous consequences. Countries supported by the fund were immediately forced to cut at least 10 per cent of their work. When The Independent recently visited programmes in Senegal, we found disabled people dying for lack of transport to reach lifesaving drugs; hospitals no longer able to give out food kits to malnourished patients; and challenges in the distribution of preventative HIV medication. A spokesperson for the US Department of State said: Over the last year, the United States has provided more than $60m of health assistance programming for Senegal to support the most urgent health needs, including HIV prevention and treatment. Dr Katherine Horton, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines tuberculosis modelling group, said that a reduction in the UKs contribution to the Global Fund would result in thousands of extra deaths. TB kills more people each year around the world than any other infectious disease. Global health broadly is really strained at the moment, [largely] because of the US cuts that have already happened. And so I think, in the wake of the US cuts, theres a real need for other countries to contribute as much as they can to try to fill some of that gap, she said. TB programmes have been successful in bringing down the number of deaths and reducing the threat of the disease spreading across borders, Dr Horton added. Any further cuts are just going to cause greater damage and greater harm to these global health systems and individual lives. This article has been produced as part of The Independents Rethinking Global Aid project In the news release, GenerativeX Introduces "ExcelenceAI" - The AI Agent for Deal-Ready Financial Modeling in Excel, issued on November 4, 2025 by GenerativeX over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that changes have been made. The complete, corrected release follows, with additional details at the end: GenerativeX Introduces "ExcelenceAI" - The AI Agent for Deal-Ready Financial Modeling in Excel Built for investment bankers and valuation experts, ExcelenceAI automates LBO, M&A, and DCF models, bringing generative AI precision to the core of financial analysis SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GenerativeX today announced the U.S. launch of ExcelenceAI, an AI-powered Excel add-in that brings generative intelligence directly into spreadsheets. Built by former investment bankers and consultants, ExcelenceAI enables financial professionals to automate financial modeling, data analysis, and project management all within the familiar Excel environment. View PDF top page of marketing material ExcelenceAI operates as a native Excel add-in, allowing users to automate tasks, generate insights, and refine results simply through natural language instructions. From complex LBO and M&A models to DCF valuations, deal schedules, WBS charts, and performance dashboards, the AI agent handles advanced workflows seamlessly. "ExcelenceAI bridges the gap between traditional spreadsheets and generative AI," said Rei Araki, CEO of GenerativeX. "We're empowering investment bankers, private equity professionals, and finance teams to model deals, run valuations, and analyze outcomes smarter, faster, and with greater precision without ever leaving Excel." Key Features Deal-Level Modeling AI Agent: Automates financial workflows across LBO, M&A, and DCF models, as well as business plans and complex transaction analyses. Automates financial workflows across LBO, M&A, and DCF models, as well as business plans and complex transaction analyses. Natural Language Prompting : Describe your task in plain English from formatting to complex model builds. Describe your task in plain English from formatting to complex model builds. Runs Directly Inside Excel: No upload, no download, no copy-paste. ExcelenceAI operates natively with 100% Excel compatibility, maintaining your firm's formulas, macros, and formatting. No upload, no download, no copy-paste. ExcelenceAI operates natively with 100% Excel compatibility, maintaining your firm's formulas, macros, and formatting. Advanced Data Functions: Extract and standardize data from web pages, PDFs, and documents into clean, model-ready Excel sheets. Extract and standardize data from web pages, PDFs, and documents into clean, model-ready Excel sheets. Dynamic Workflow: Generate, refine, and iterate on outputs in real time. Generate, refine, and iterate on outputs in real time. Enterprise-Grade Security: All processing runs on Microsoft Azure with end-to-end encryption and zero data leakage. All processing runs on Microsoft Azure with end-to-end encryption and zero data leakage. Full Audit Trail: Track every change, roll back instantly, and maintain transparent version history. For Financial and Business Professionals Designed for analysts, accountants, and consultants, ExcelenceAI accelerates workflows such as LBO and DCF modeling, credit memo generation, and KPI dashboarding. Early adopters report reducing model build time by over 70%. Quick Setup Install the ExcelenceAI add-in from Microsoft Office Add-ins Store. Sign up and retrieve an access token from https://app.excelence.ai . Connect via Excel ribbon and start typing commands. A two-week free trial is available now for U.S. users. Media Contact: [email protected] https://generativex.com GenerativeX builds AI agents that help financial institutions transform how they analyze, operate, and make decisions. With offices in New York and San Francisco, the company enables banks, investment firms, and insurers to harness generative AI across critical workflows, from modeling and valuation to reporting and risk management. With a proven record of delivering secure, enterprise-grade AI solutions, GenerativeX integrates AI agents into daily financial operations with precision, reliability, and measurable impact. Correction: An earlier version of this release misspelled ExcelenceAI. SOURCE GenerativeX by Vladimir Rozanskij With Russia's doors increasingly closed due to nationalist tensions, nurses, labourers and bricklayers are now looking to Germany thanks to agreements signed by Berlin with the government in Tashkent. Meanwhile, the Uzbek population is set to reach 40 million, with a severe shortage of jobs at home. Tashkent (AsiaNews) - German language courses are becoming increasingly popular in Uzbekistan, especially among adults, as a result of the growing opportunities to find work in Germany. Traditional labour migration to Russia is becoming increasingly limited and difficult due to repressive actions and nationalist tensions, which violate the rights of Uzbeks and all foreign migrants. Students of German courses admit that they find it difficult to learn a language that is very foreign to Uzbek culture, unlike Russian, and one of the phrases that husbands engaged in study learn to repeat to their wives is Wegen des Unterrichts habe ich keine Zeit, oder? (Because of my lessons, I don't have time for anything, do you understand?), as they are no longer able to take care of family, home and children, as one of the adult students, Umidzon Alidzonov, a paramedic by profession, tells Radio Ozodi. There are in fact numerous groups of healthcare workers who aspire to move to Germany, where there is great demand for them, and they have to study medical terminology thoroughly, which is certainly not the easiest in linguistic exchanges. As Tashkent nurse Malika Makhkamova says, I was very afraid to start studying, but it is becoming more and more interesting. The comparison with another culture makes me understand better the concepts related to my profession and beyond. Nurses and paramedics will be the first to be admitted to professional retraining programmes for Uzbek immigrants in Germany. Another hospital assistant, Sakhnoza Gulmurotova, admits that what attracts me is certainly the salary, but in reality, I have dreamed of travelling and seeing the world since I was a child, and so far this dream has not come true, while the German project is a truly special opportunity for many Uzbeks, both because of the high salaries compared to the customs of a country that is still very economically backward, and because of the mental and cultural openness that it inspires, even just by imagining being able to take advantage of it. After all, sending its citizens to work in European countries is one of the goals recently declared by the Tashkent government itself, in response to Russia's anti-migrant campaign. As Bobur Valiev, head of the international partnership department, comments, until recently, diversification mainly concerned the post-Soviet CIS countries, but now it is increasingly directed towards Europe, thanks to the political orientation set by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Agreements have been signed with Germany that greatly simplify the process of registering Uzbek citizens for work in German companies, a very forward-looking choice considering that Uzbekistan's young population is set to reach 40 million, with a severe shortage of jobs at home. Uzbeks can now easily find employment in many sectors besides healthcare, such as transport and logistics, construction and large industries. The procedure for obtaining a visa with a work permit is quick, but always requires participation in special study and qualification programmes, and Berlin has made 50,000 jobs available to Tashkent for the first part of this programme. SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Harness, the AI DevOps Platform company, was honored by Bank of America on November 5 during its annual Technology Innovation Summit. This recognition highlights the contributions Harness has made to the financial services industry and some of the world's largest industries in artificial intelligence, automation, and governance to provide a more innovative, secure, and dependable experience for their customers and clients. With Harness, Bank of America is advancing its approach to modern software delivery, bringing speed, governance, and security together to deliver better digital experiences for its clients. "This recognition from Bank of America is deeply meaningful. It reflects not only the innovation behind our platform, but the strength of our partnership," said Jyoti Bansal, founder and CEO of Harness. "Bank of America is one of the world's most forward-thinking technology organizations, known for setting the bar on modernization, security, and scale. Working together, we're reimagining what enterprise software delivery can look like in the era of AI where every process is intelligent, every deployment is secure, and every team can move with confidence. Jyoti Bansal accepted the award on behalf of Harness during the Bank of America Technology Innovation Summit. Harness's best-of-breed platform offers eighteen modular solutions across the software delivery lifecycle, helping organizations modernize their DevOps strategy and increase the productivity and satisfaction of their developers. To see how Harness can help your organization securely deliver software at scale, connect with us for a demo. About Harness Harness is the AI DevOps Platform for complete software delivery. Built on a unified Software Delivery Knowledge Graph, Harness brings context-aware AI to every stage of the software delivery lifecycle from build and test to security, cost, and reliability. Harness's best-of-breed, modular platform helps organizations modernize their DevOps practices and transform how teams build, deploy, and manage software. By combining data, automation, and generative AI, Harness eliminates repetitive work, improves decision-making, and increases both the productivity and satisfaction of developers, enabling faster, safer, and more efficient releases. Customers like United Airlines, Citibank, and Choice Hotels use Harness to accelerate deployments by up to 75%, reduce infrastructure costs by 60%, and cut lead time for changes by 90%. Based in San Francisco, Harness is backed by Menlo Ventures, IVP, Unusual Ventures, and Citi Ventures. SOURCE Harness In a video message to a conference sponsored by the Italian government, Leo XIV warns of the growth of obsessive Internet use, which is increasingly accompanying drug abuse. For the pontiff, human and spiritual proposals must counteract emptiness. Vatican City (AsiaNews) Pope Leo XIV sent a video message to Italys National Conference on Addictions, a problem that is increasingly affecting many Asian countries as well. In his address, the pontiff noted that, The growth of the drug market and drug use, the pursuit of easy money through slot machines, and addiction to the internet, which also includes harmful content, show that we live in a world without hope, where there is a lack of vigorous human and spiritual proposals. In recent times, alongside addictions such as drugs and alcohol, which continue to be prevalent, new forms have emerged, since the growing use of the internet, computers and smartphones is associated not only with clear benefits, but also an excessive use that often leads to addictions with negative consequences for health, such as compulsive gambling and betting, pornography, and almost constant presence on digital platforms. The object of addiction becomes an obsession, conditioning behaviour and daily life. For the Holy Father, these are clear symptoms of a malaise. [M]any young people think that all forms of behaviour are equal, as they are unable to distinguish good from evil and do not have a sense of moral limits. Hence, educational programmes are needed to encourage teenagers and young adults to become free and responsible architects of their own lives. For Leo XIV, government institutions, the Church, and voluntary groups, are called to perceive among these young people a cry for help and a deep thirst for life, to offer an attentive and supportive presence that invites them to make an intellectual and moral effort, and helps them to forge their will. To prevent youth malaise, it is necessary to boost the self-esteem of the younger generation in order to combat the sense of insecurity and emotional instability fostered both by social pressures and by the very nature of adolescence. Job opportunities, education, sport, healthy living, the spiritual dimension of existence: this is the path to preventing addiction. This calls for a culture that opposes selfishness and utilitarian and economic logic, but which reaches out to others, listening to them, on a journey of encounter and relationship with our neighbours, especially when they are most vulnerable and fragile. by Joseph Masilamany The Minister of Home Affairs has announced firm measures to prevent attacks or clashes amid growing global tensions caused by the war in Gaza and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He met with the Jewish community at the Chesed-El Synagogue and confirmed the much-debated Friends of Israel Annual Aliyah Gala Dinner. However, the funds raised will not go to the settlers. Singapore (AsiaNews) - Singapores government has vowed firm action against any form of anti-Semitism, following a recent spate of harassment and vandalism cases targeting the Jewish community amid heightened global tensions over the Israel-Palestine conflict. Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam made the remarks on Nov 6 during an engagement session with members of the Jewish community at the Chesed-El Synagogue, which marked its 120th anniversary with more than 200 guests, including members of the Inter-Religious Organisation. Shanmugam said incidents in recent months from vulgar graffiti in school toilets to verbal abuse and assault were deeply troubling. In one case, a Jewish man wearing a skullcap was shouted at by a passing motorist; in another, a Singaporean Chinese man with a cap resembling the Israeli flag was assaulted. Everyone, regardless of race or religion, must be treated fairly, said Shanmugam. They must be protected from discrimination, harassment, and violence. All Singaporeans, whatever their feelings towards Palestine or Israel, must feel safe and respected here. The minister said the government was in touch with the Jewish community, which expressed feeling less secure in the current climate. Similar tensions have also affected Christians and Muslims. A Catholic woman, for instance, reported being condemned by others in the name of God for not taking sides in the conflict. Shanmugam noted that while Singaporeans are free to express their views, hatred and incitement whether online or offline will not be tolerated. He condemned social media posts suggesting violence against an upcoming Israel-linked fundraising dinner, calling them unacceptable. The Friends of Israel Annual Aliyah Gala Dinner has been allowed to proceed under clear conditions: funds raised cannot be used for Jewish resettlement in occupied territories or for any military or combat purposes. Shanmugam also revealed that the government had advised a local church against publicly defending the event, saying such actions risked turning a sensitive issue into a Christian versus Muslim divide. He reminded Singaporeans that the harmony enjoyed today was hard-won. Places of worship cannot become fortresses, he said. Singaporeans of all faiths should be able to go about their lives feeling safe and secure. Thats the kind of society that has taken us decades to build. The Internal Security Department has warned that the terrorism threat remains high, partly fuelled by events in the Middle East. In recent years, Singapore has detained several individuals, including a 14-year-old boy influenced by extremist ideologies and a man who planned to attack Jews outside the Waterloo Street synagogue. Despite such threats, Shanmugam said the situation remains under control thanks to vigilance, firm laws, and strong interfaith cooperation. The online world can be vicious, he said, but Singapore must remain a place where faith builds bridges, not walls. 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. 7 November 2025 17:05 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The South Caucasus once again finds itself under the scrutiny of outside powers eager to define the terms of its peace. What was meant to be a fragile process of reconciliation between neighbors has increasingly become a stage for geopolitical performance, where Western missions operate not as mediators, but as instruments of influence. The European Union Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA), in particular, has become a case study of how "peacekeeping" can blur into political patronage. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyans statement on November 4 at the Orbeli Forum 2025, Building Peace and Multilateral Cooperation, reignited debate over the role of external actors in the region. Pashinyan noted that no substantial changes are expected in the activities of EUMA until a peace treaty is signed and formal interstate relations with Azerbaijan are established. For context, the EU Mission in Armenia comprises around 200 personnel from 25 EU member states, as well as Canada. According to its leadership, these observers "patrol the Armenia-Azerbaijan border day and night to monitor security." In essence, EUMAs claim is misleading. Azerbaijan has never attacked Armenia nor even contemplated doing so. The opposite has long been true. Against this backdrop, the decision to "postpone" the missions withdrawal until after the peace treatys ratification raises an obvious question: Why is Yerevan so intent on keeping European observers on its border, despite Azerbaijans explicit opposition? Bakus objections are both specific and justified. From the outset, it has warned that EUMA is not a neutral mechanism but a political tool. The mission arrived in Armenia without Azerbaijans consent, and key information about its personnel was withheld aside from assurances that they were "unarmed." Operating close to Azerbaijani territory, the mission often uses minor incidents to legitimize its presence, ensuring its own indispensability. When the EU deployed the mission in early 2023, the stated goal was to "stabilize" the ArmenianAzerbaijani border and reduce tensions. Essentially, it aimed to enhance Western strategic visibility in Armenia, gather intelligence, and maintain influence in a region historically outside Brussels control. What began under the banner of "peace" quickly revealed itself as part of a broader geopolitical contest. From the arming of Armenia to openly hostile resolutions in the European Parliament, from provocative statements by French officials to selective reports that ignored Armenian provocations, neutrality was never part of EUMAs operating code. Instead of confidence-building, it deepened mistrust and slowed momentum toward genuine peace. Meanwhile, the region has advanced on its own. Since 2024, Baku and Yerevan have moved forward through direct dialogue, reached agreements on border delimitation, and restored communication lines without any Western mediation. Progress has come not from observation, but from ownership. EUMAs structure further erodes its credibility. Despite its "civilian" label, many of its staff are ex-military or intelligence officers. Its reports routinely echo the Armenian narrative while ignoring documented provocations. Without a UN mandate, the missions legitimacy is political not international. In practice, EUMA serves two roles. First, it sustains artificial tension to justify its indefinite presence. Second, it seeks to entrench European political influence in the South Caucasus under the guise of monitoring. This approach is less about "peacebuilding" and more about positioning. But the region is changing, and so is its legal reality. The initial peace deal, which both sides have already discussed, makes the mission incompatible with the new framework. Article VII explicitly prohibits the deployment of any third-party forces along the border and requires that stability be maintained through bilateral confidence-building mechanisms. That clause alone makes the continued presence of EUMA both unnecessary and legally contradictory. As the proverb goes, "A liar keeps his witnesses handy" and Yerevans witness, EUMA, stands ready. Though presented as impartial, the missions alignment with Armenian narratives has made it a participant rather than an observer. Europes influence in the South Caucasus cannot be dismissed, but its credibility depends on balance. By turning a blind eye to Armenian provocations while amplifying criticism of Azerbaijan, the EU undermines both trust and diplomacy. What was once framed as a peace initiative now risks becoming a symbol of hypocrisy. Both sides have shown that it is possible to reach a common agreement on the path to peace without the need for a mediator. The main solution now is to take official and serious steps toward formalizing this agreement. Otherwise, both sides move on to the side of criticizing each other throughout the process, and if this leads to "word wrestling," this loophole would not see the end of it. The South Caucasus does not need supervisors; it needs sincerity. The success of future peace depends not on imported oversight but on mutual recognition and regional confidence. If the West truly seeks stability, it must choose fairness over favoritism and dialogue over dependency. 7 November 2025 11:23 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more An exhibition of works created by the Peoples Artist of Azerbaijan, prominent graphic artist, and professor Arif Huseynov as part of the project Knots of Time has opened at the Bolnisi Museum in Georgia, Azernews reports. The event was attended by Kamal Khalilov, Counselor of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Georgia; embassy officials; Mahir Mammadov, Head of SOCARs Representation in Georgia; Salome Jamburia, Head of the Cultural Heritage Department of the Georgian Ministry of Culture; Zamur Chitanava, Mayor of Bolnisi Municipality; as well as other officials, and representatives of the arts and culture sectors. David Lordkipanidze, Director General of the Georgian National Museum, stated that relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia are developing in all areas, including culture. According to him, such projects make a great contribution to the strengthening of cultural ties. Amina Melikova, Director of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, highly appreciated the opening of the exhibition, which was organized for the first time. She provided detailed information about the historical necessity and significance of establishing the National Carpet Museum and about the prospects for the development of carpet weaving art. Peoples Artist of Azerbaijan Arif Huseynov expressed his gratitude to the organizers for hosting his first solo exhibition in Georgia. The exhibition, held in the Bolnisi region, known for its strong carpet weaving traditions and compact Azerbaijani community, features 12 paintings created by the artist between 2024 and 2025. These works reflect the artists devotion to national traditions, spiritual values, and his love for Azerbaijani culture. One of the highlights of the exhibition is a carpet woven based on Arif Huseynovs painting The Story of Two Souls, created by the Traditional Technology Department of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum. Using 70 color shades, this carpet represents the first instance in which one of the artists paintings has been transformed into the art of carpet weaving. The exhibition also features a video created with AI, illustrating the stages of the carpet-making process. As part of the project, a masterclass titled "How to Make a Carpet?" was conducted by the staff of the Childrens Department of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum for the residents and guests of Bolnisi. Participants took part in every stage of carpet production from sheep shearing and wool combing to spinning and weaving. Organized with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Culture of Georgia, and the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Georgia, and co-organized by the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museumand the Georgian National Museum, the exhibition will continue until December 5. As part of the exhibition, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the National Carpet Museum of Azerbaijan and the National Museum of Georgia. 7 November 2025 16:10 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Throughout November, the Azerbaijan National Art Museum will host educational and artistic events for children, dedicated to significant memorial dates, Azernews reports. The event programs, focused on patriotic themes, aim to honor the memory of the martyrs of the Patriotic War, strengthen the upbringing of the younger generation in the spirit of national spiritual values, and foster their intellectual and creative abilities. In collaboration with the Social Services Agency of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population and the inclusive group "Parla," the museum will organize a concert titled "Sounds of Victory Song of Triumph." The event, dedicated to the Great Victory and the bright memory of the martyrs, as well as veterans, will take place on November 13. On November 7, at 12:00, the museum will host a concert program "Victory of the People" featuring students from the Huseyngulu Sarabski Children's Music School No. 7. On November 8, Victory Day, the museum will organize a lecture titled "The Five-Year Chronicle of Victory," along with an art master class and a themed tour. On November 9, State Flag Day, children will participate in a lecture and master class titled "State Symbols Coat of Arms and Flag," as well as a thematic tour dedicated to the state symbols of Azerbaijan. On November 17, National Revival Day, a lecture titled "National Revival," a master class on "State Symbols Coat of Arms and Flag," and a thematic tour will take place. The event's media partners are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az. 7 November 2025 17:40 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more A traditional book exhibition titled "November 8 Shusha City Day" has been opened at the Azerbaijan National Library, Azernews reports. The exhibition features literature in Azerbaijani and various languages on the history and culture of Shusha, a strategically significant cultural capital, its victorious liberation, the visionary military and political strategy of the President, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the heroic battle paths and bravery of the sons of the homeland, and the reconstruction efforts carried out in the post-occupation period. On July 31, 2023, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on the establishment of city days for the liberated territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. According to the decree, November 8, the day of Shusha's liberation, is celebrated as Shusha City Day. Shusha, often referred to as the "Pearl of Garabagh," stands as a prominent symbol of Azerbaijan's rich history and cultural heritage. Established by Panahali Khan in 1752, Shusha is a city steeped in historical landmarks, offering a reflection of the nation's past. The ancient monuments in Shusha provide valuable insight into the city's cultural and historical narrative. As Azerbaijan's cultural capital, Shusha is home to significant sites such as Shusha Castle, the House-Museum of Bulbul, the Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque, and the Ashaghi Govhar Agha Mosque, among others. Given its profound historical and cultural importance, Shusha was named the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World for 2023. This decision was made during a special meeting of the TURKSOY Permanent Council in Bursa, the 2022 Cultural Capital of the Turkic World. In 2024, Shusha city was named the "Capitals of Islamic Culture" for 2024 by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO). Two presentations at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting highlight promising new clinical trial results NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute, New Jersey's only National Cancer Institute (NCI) - designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and RWJBarnabas Health, along with colleagues from the National Cancer Institute, a center of the National Institutes of Health, announced findings from two HPV-related studies that highlight the potential of novel T cell therapies to achieve long-lasting remission and complete tumor regression in patients with advanced epithelial cancers. Christian Hinrichs, MD, Co-Director of the Duncan and Nancy MacMillan Cancer Immunology and Metabolism Center of Excellence at Rutgers Cancer Institute and Chief of the Section of Cancer Immunotherapy, led the studies and presented these findings at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting, in National Harbor, Maryland, November 59, 2025. Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health (PRNewsfoto/Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health) In one study, researchers reported encouraging interim results from a Phase II clinical trial evaluating genetically engineered T cell receptor (TCR)-T cells designed to target the HPV16 E7 oncoprotein (E7 T cells) in patients with metastatic HPV-associated cancers. The treatment consisted of a conditioning regimen, a single infusion of up to 50 billion E7 T cells, and a median of three doses of adjuvant aldesleukin. All 10 patients had advanced cancers that are generally regarded as incurable and for which there are limited treatment options. Five had head and neck cancer, two had cervical cancer, two had anal cancer, and one had esophageal cancer. The treatment was generally well tolerated, with side effects consistent with the preparative regimen and aldesleukin. Six out of 10 patients achieved substantial tumor shrinkage, including two patients who experienced complete tumor regression that remains ongoing at 11 and 12 months, respectively. Both of these patients had previously received immunotherapy and other standard therapeutic options. "Metastatic HPV-associated cancers remain difficult to treat," said Dr. Hinrichs. "We found that E7-directed T cells can induce meaningful, and sometimes complete, responses in patients with limited options. It's an encouraging step toward effective engineered T cell therapies for these and other epithelial cancers." Development of this treatment has been through a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute and Rutgers Cancer Institute, with the phase II study conducted at Rutgers Cancer Institute. The cell products for the study were manufactured in a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility on-site at Rutgers Cancer Institute, a part of the Duncan and Nancy MacMillan Cancer Immunology and Metabolism Center of Excellence. The Center is uniquely positioned to advance the development of novel cell therapies through its specialized research capabilities and GMP infrastructure, supporting both innovative clinical trials and the translation of laboratory discoveries into patient care. "When I finished my treatment, I couldn't believe how quickly I started feeling better," said Maria, a patient from Philadelphia. "Within a month, the nodules were gone, and for the first time in years, I felt free, full of energy and living the life. I can spend time with my son, do the things I love, and really enjoy life again. I'm so grateful to the team that made this possible and proud to be living proof of the difference their research can make." In a second study, investigators reported the extraordinary finding that two patients with metastatic cervical cancer remain in complete remission 10 years after receiving a single infusion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy. Conducted as part of clinical trial NCT01585428, the study represents the strongest evidence-to-date that cellular therapy can produce long-term, potentially curative responses in epithelial cancers, the most common type of malignancy. A decade after treatment, patients exhibited no evidence of disease based on imaging and circulating tumor DNA analysis. Administered anti-tumor T cells underwent a temporary expansion phase that coincided with tumor shrinkage and apparent elimination. Tumor responses have continued long after the T cell responses suggesting that the tumors were cleared during the initial response. "Findings like these highlight the importance of conducting research at an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center such as Rutgers Cancer Institute," said Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, William N. Hait Director, Rutgers Cancer Institute and Senior Vice President, Oncology Services, RWJBarnabas Health. "Centers like ours, the only one in New Jersey, bring together the scientific expertise, clinical resources and collaborative environment needed to translate new discoveries from the laboratory into clinical trials, and ultimately into meaningful treatments for patients." One patient who has had an ongoing complete response is Sue of Washington, DC. "Participating in this clinical trial felt like a calling. When I joined the study, my cancer was very advanced, and I wanted to use whatever time I had left to help enhance research that could benefit others. I never imagined the treatment would work for me, but just two months after receiving my TIL infusion, my cancer was undetectable on the scans," said Sue. "Now, 12 years later, I'm still cancer-free and deeply grateful to the doctors and researchers who made that possible. It's an incredible and unexpected blessing to see how my participation has led to new discoveries that have the potential to help other patients in the future." "These studies indicate that one-time cell therapies can achieve durable responses in epithelial cancers, which historically have been more resistant to these treatments than blood cancers," said Dr. Hinrichs. "The decade-long complete responses to TIL therapy give hope that these patients may be cured. The E7 T cell results that include complete responses are encouraging and support continued study of the approach." About RWJBarnabas Health RWJBarnabas Health is New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive academic health system, caring for more than five million people annually. Nationally renowned for quality and safety, the system includes 14 hospitals and 9,000 affiliated physicians integrated to provide care at more than 700 patient care locations. RWJBarnabas Health partners with its communities to build and sustain a healthier New Jersey. It provides patient-centered care in a compassionate manner and is the state's largest safety-net provider and leader in addressing the social determinants of health. RWJBarnabas Health provides food to the hungry, housing for the homeless and economic opportunities to those most vulnerable. RWJBarnabas Health's commitment to enhancing access to care includes a transformative partnership with Rutgers University, including the Rutgers Cancer Institute the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. RWJBarnabas Health is among New Jersey's largest private employers, with more than 44,000 employees, contributing more than $7 billion to the state economy every year. For more information, visit www.RWJBH.org About Rutgers Cancer Institute As New Jersey's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, Rutgers Cancer Institute, together with RWJBarnabas Health, provides patients access to the most advanced treatment options including clinical trials close to home at our facilities throughout the state. Our groundbreaking cancer research is the engine that drives access to the most advanced cancer treatments, where our discoveries become your care. This has been enhanced with the opening of the state's first and only freestanding cancer hospital, the Jack and Sheryl Morris Cancer Center. Visit: www.cinj.org. About Rutgers Health As New Jersey's academic health center, Rutgers Health takes the integrated approach of educating students, providing specialized and compassionate clinical care, and conducting research, to improve health for all people. For journalists contact: Krista Didzbalis Corporate Communications Specialist, Strategic Communications, RWJBarnabas Health 732.507.8307 [email protected] For patient appointments/inquiries contact: 844-CANCERNJ (844-226-2376) SOURCE Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas Health 7 November 2025 18:20 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more The Azerbaijan National Art Museum has opened an exhibition titled "Colours of Victory", Azernews reports. The exhibition, organised jointly by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, Azerbaijan Artists' Union, and the National Art Museum, is dedicated to the 5th anniversary of Azerbaijan's victory in the 44-day Patriotic War. The opening ceremony began with a one-minute silence in honour of the martyrs. The director of the Azerbaijan National Art Museum, Shirin Malikova, and the First Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Artists' Union, People's Artist Salhab Mammadov, both addressed the audience, emphasizing that the "Colors of Victory" exhibition is a reflection of the artists' love for their homeland, and a manifestation of the national pride and unity through the medium of colors, creating an artistic chronicle of our victory. The exhibition displays artworks by both renowned and young artists dedicated to the heroes of the 44-day Patriotic War, the reconstruction efforts in the liberated territories, the theme of the Great Return, and the breathtaking nature of Garabagh. It showcases works by People's Artists Arif Huseynov, Sirus Mirzazadeh, Honoured Artists Adil Shikhaliev, Elshan Hajizadeh, as well as contemporary representatives of visual arts such as Vafa Penahova, Intigam Aghayev, Nigar Valiyeva, Mirza Guliyev, Hafiz Karimov, Ulker Aliyeva, and other artists. Their works, created in various techniques, are on display. The compositions in painting and graphic arts, as well as examples of decorative-applied arts such as tapestries, express the magnificent spirit of victory and depict the heroic figures of our brave soldiers who brought us the joy of victory. Works like "Jidir Plain," "Kharibulbul," "Khudafarin Bridge," "Return," "Dawn of Victory," "Shusha, You Are Free," and other pieces are central to the exhibition's thematic and artistic concept. The exhibition will continue until November 9. Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az. 7 November 2025 16:44 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Baku Music Academy (BMA) has hosted an international scientific-practical conference themed "Dialogue of Eastern and Western Music Cultures" as part of the festival dedicated to Uzeyir Hajibayli's 140th anniversary, Azernews reports. The conference was organised at a high level with the initiative of Narmin Guliyeva, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at Baku Music Academy, Honoured Teacher, PhD in Pedagogy, Professor, and Gulzar Mahmudova, Dean of the Department of History and Theory, Honoured Teacher, Doctor of Art Studies, Professor. Scholars from Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Russia, the USA, Germany, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan participated in the conference. The hybrid format of the conference allowed over 50 participants from various countries to join. Presentations were made in four languages: Azerbaijani, Turkish, Russian, and English. The State Anthem was played at the opening of the conference. The conference, moderated by Honoured Art Worker, PhD in Art Studies, Professor Zumrud Dadashzade, and Honoured Teacher, PhD in Art Studies, Professor Konul Nasirova, included presentations on various contemporary issues in music science. BMA Rector, People's Artist of the USSR and Azerbaijan, State Prize laureate, Professor Farhad Badalbayli, congratulated the participants and highlighted Uzeyir Hajibayli's significant role in the development of Azerbaijan's music culture. Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Professor Narmina Guliyeva, wished success to the conference participants. The article collection titled "Uzeyir Hajibayli 140: A Lifetime in the Rhythm of War" and the "SABAH: Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow" journal, dedicated to the 140th anniversaries of Uzeyir Hajibayli and Muslim Magomayev, prepared by musicology students from Baku Music Academy's SABAH groups, were presented as part of the international conference. Representatives from the Baku Music Academy, the Azerbaijan National Conservatory, the Kazakh Kurmangazy National Conservatory, the Uzbekistan State Conservatory, the M. Tursunzade Tajikistan State Institute of Culture and Art, the M. Glinka Novosibirsk State Conservatory, the S. Rakhmaninov Rostov State Conservatory, and the N. Zhiganov Kazan State Conservatory participated in the event and presented highly interesting and relevant topics. At the end of the conference, all participants were awarded certificates. Uzeyir Hajibayli significantly shaped national musical identity, achieving the distinction of composing the first opera in the Islamic world. His opera "Leyli and Majnun" (1908) drew upon traditional folk music and dance, forms of expression transmitted orally. Hajibayli's subsequent operas, including "Sheyh Sanan," "Rustam and Sohrab," "Asli and Karam," "Shah Abbas," "Khurshudbanu and Harun," and "Leyli," also prominently featured national folk music elements, particularly mugham. Beyond opera, Hajibayli composed three comedies: "Husband and Wife" (1910), "If not this one, that one" (1911), and "Arshin Mal Alan" (1913). "Arshin Mal Alan," or "The Cloth Peddler," stands out as one of his most beloved and enduring operettas. This operetta has enjoyed widespread international success, with performances in numerous languages across over 60 countries, encompassing the U.S., Austria, France, China, Greece, India, Russia, and Turkiye. 7 November 2025 18:00 (UTC+04:00) Laman Ismayilova Read more Garabagh's "Clbi" carpet, woven as part of the social project "Qarabag ilmlrd," which symbolizes Azerbaijan's victory in the 44-day Patriotic War, was handed over to the Shusha branch of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum on the eve of the 5th anniversary of the Azerbaijan's victory, Azernews reports citing the museum. The project "Qarabag ilmlrd" represents the effort, unity, and solidarity of every Azerbaijani in the victory achieved during the 44-day Patriotic War. The carpet, which will be presented as an exhibit at the museum in Shusha, was woven on a loom that was transported by special vehicles over 44 days across various regions of the country, with thousands of people participating in the weaving process, one knot at a time. The first knots were tied by war participants, and after 44 days, the final knots were tied in Shusha. The carpet features the symbol of our victorythe Khari Bulbul flower. Its cutting was carried out with the participation of martyrs' families. This project, initiated by the Azerbaijan Journalists' Network Public Union (IJN), and organized in collaboration with "Tmiz Shr" ASC, "Azerkhalcha" OJSC, and the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, also included the creation of a documentary film titled "Qarabag ilmlrd," which captures the entire carpet weaving process from start to finish. It is also significant that the "Qarabag Clbi" carpet woven as part of this project is the first carpet of the Garabagh style to be woven in Shusha since the city was liberated from occupation. 8 November 2025 00:00 (UTC+04:00) Editorial On November 8, Azerbaijan commemorates one of the most glorious chapters in its modern history - Victory Day, marking the liberation of Shusha and the decisive turning point in the 2020 Patriotic War. This day is not merely a military milestone; it is a symbol of national resilience, unity, and the restoration of dignity after decades of occupation. For nearly 30 years, the city of Shusha, the cultural heart of Azerbaijan, remained under Armenian occupation following the First Garabagh War. Its loss in 1992 was a deep wound in the Azerbaijani national psyche. Shusha was not just a strategic stronghold; it was the cradle of Azerbaijani music, poetry, and intellectual life. Its occupation was felt as a spiritual loss, a silencing of the nations voice. But on November 8, 2020, that silence was broken. After 44 days of intense combat, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces achieved what many had thought impossible. In a daring and complex operation, Azerbaijani troops scaled the cliffs and forests surrounding Shusha, engaging in close-quarters combat to reclaim the city. The liberation of Shusha was announced by President Ilham Aliyev in a historic televised address, his voice trembling with emotion as he declared: Shusha is ours! Garabagh is ours! This victory was not just military; it was moral, cultural, and political. It marked the collapse of the Armenian occupation and separatist regime in Garabagh and led directly to the signing of the trilateral ceasefire agreement on November 10, brokered by Moscow. Under this agreement, Armenia agreed to withdraw from the remaining occupied territories, effectively ending the conflict and partially restoring Azerbaijans territorial integrity. A homeland is not liberated easily; this was only the beginning of a great struggle. After that, even more pressure, unfair accusations, and hybrid threats awaited Azerbaijan. Such smear campaigns in the international arena came close to labelling Azerbaijan as an aggressor, just like the saying, the thief shouts so loudly that the innocent suffers. In the face of all these pressures, the Azerbaijani people stood firmly behind their Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Loyalty to the homeland is a duty of conscience, and every citizen fulfilled that duty as a matter of honour. During the Patriotic War, the unity and solidarity of the people, as strong as a clenched fist, once again proved the unshakeable nature of the national spirit. Victory Day was officially established by presidential decree in December 2020. Since then, November 8 has become a day of national pride, celebrated with military parades, cultural events, and solemn tributes to the martyrs who gave their lives for the homeland. In Baku and across the liberated territories, the Azerbaijani flag flies high, a testament to the sacrifices made and the justice restored. The 2020 war, often referred to as the Second Garabagh War or the Patriotic War, was a watershed moment for Azerbaijan. It demonstrated the strength of the Azerbaijani military, the effectiveness of its modern warfare capabilities, including drones and precision strikes, and the unbreakable will of its people. It also reshaped regional geopolitics, affirming Azerbaijans sovereignty and altering the balance of power in the South Caucasus. But beyond the battlefield, November 8 represents something deeper: the rebirth of a nation. It is a day when Azerbaijanis remember their history, honor their heroes, and look forward to a future built on unity and strength. The liberation of Shusha has sparked a cultural renaissance, with music festivals, restoration projects, and the return of displaced families breathing life back into the city. November 8 is not just a date, but it is a heartbeat. It is the pulse of a nation that refused to surrender, that rose from the ashes of occupation and reclaimed its rightful place. It is the voice of mugham echoing through the streets of Shusha once again. It is the prayer of a mother, the pride of a soldier, the dream of a child born into peace. As Azerbaijan continues to rebuild and reintegrate its liberated territories, Victory Day serves as a reminder of what was achieved and what must be protected. It is a call to vigilance, to unity, and to the enduring spirit of a people who have proven that justice, once delayed, can still be delivered. 7 November 2025 10:43 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more British Chamber of Commerce Azerbaijan (BCCA) hosted an event to unveil its rebranded corporate logo and announce the results of recent elections for leadership and expert positions across its Working Committees, Azernews reports. Sponsored by bp, the event brought together representatives of BCCA member companies and the wider business community, providing a platform for open dialogue and professional networking. Mr. Giovanni Cristofoli, bps newly appointed regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye, addressed the gathering as a guest speaker. In his remarks, he emphasized bps long-standing partnership with Azerbaijan and the companys continued focus on sustainable development and innovation in the energy sector. Its a pleasure to be part of this important moment for BCCA, said Mr. Cristofoli. bp is proud to support initiatives that strengthen collaboration between the UK and Azerbaijan. As we look to the future, our commitment remains firmly rooted in driving innovation, supporting local talent, and contributing to a more sustainable energy landscape in Azerbaijan. Serving as a bridge between the British and Azerbaijani business communities, BCCA continues to foster engagement between companies from both countries, promote international best practices, and contribute to the growth of bilateral economic cooperation. 7 November 2025 10:21 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more A concert program titled The Sound of Peace was held in central Madrid to mark the fifth anniversary of Azerbaijans Victory Day, celebrated on 8 November. The event was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Kingdom of Spain, Azernews reports. According to the Embassy, Azerbaijani tar virtuoso and Honored Artist Shahriyar Imanov, together with pianist, jazz master, and composer Etibar Asadli, performed an extensive musical program. Their performance generated great enthusiasm in the hall and was met with thunderous applause. Guests expressed particular delight in experiencing Azerbaijans rich musical heritage and the artists improvisations in the Jazz-Mugham style. Delivering opening remarks, Ambassador Ramiz Hasanov stated that 8 November is remembered by the Azerbaijani people as a historic day when justice was restored and the countrys territorial integrity was secured. He noted that this Victory was achieved through the farsighted leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, the national unity of the people, and the heroism and dedication of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, building on the foundations laid by National Leader Heydar Aliyevs successful domestic and foreign policy. The Ambassador emphasized that, in accordance with the principles of international law and UN Security Council resolutions, Azerbaijan restored its sovereignty and territorial integrity, bringing an end to nearly three decades of conflict. He underscored that this historic Victory marked the beginning of a new stage for the region, based on peace and cooperation. He also highlighted the Joint Statement signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia on 8 August 2025 and the initialing of the peace agreement as major steps toward reconciliation and normalization. The Ambassador stressed that Azerbaijan has been the main initiator of peace and that the countrys calls for a cooperative and peaceful future are highly valued by the international community. Ambassador Hasanov noted that the Victory of 8 November is a meaningful legacy for future generations to live in peace and solidarity. He described it as a symbol of Azerbaijans national unity and enduring resolve, as well as an embodiment of the spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation in the region. The event brought together more than 200 guests, including senior diplomats from Spains Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, members of the Spanish Parliament, officials from various state institutions, representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations, ambassadors, Madrid City Council representatives, public and political figures, members of the Azerbaijani community, and cultural figures. Following the concert, a reception was held, providing a friendly and warm atmosphere among participants. 7 November 2025 15:53 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more The Speaker of the Milli Majlis, Sahiba Gafarova, delivered a speech at the Leaders' Summit of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30), held in Belem, Federative Republic of Brazil, Azernews reports. The Press and Public Relations Department of the Milli Majlis issued a statement on the event. In her address, Speaker Gafarova provided detailed information about the significant achievements of COP29, which was successfully organized by Azerbaijan under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. Despite global uncertainties and challenges, she noted, Azerbaijan hosted one of the most effective and result-oriented conferences in COP history, leading to a historic consensus among the participating states on several long-standing climate issues. Gafarova emphasized that Azerbaijan achieved the adoption of the Baku Finance Target at COP29 an initiative to mobilize $300 billion annually for developing countries starting from 2025, marking the largest financial package ever reached under the United Nations framework. Furthermore, COP29 set an ambitious target to raise annual climate finance for developing nations to $1.3 trillion by 2035. To support this goal, Azerbaijan has collaborated with Brazil on the Baku-Belem Roadmap, strengthening continuity between the two presidencies. The Speaker also underlined other major accomplishments of COP29, including the completion of the rules governing carbon markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, making it fully operational a decade after its adoption. COP29 also finalized the operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund, ensuring it will begin disbursing resources by 2025. Additionally, the Enhanced Transparency Frameworka crucial step for accountability and clarity in global climate actionwas launched. Agreements were also achieved on a wide range of issues related to mitigation, adaptation, gender equality, indigenous peoples, and other cross-cutting priorities. Highlighting Azerbaijans commitment to inclusivity, Gafarova stressed that supporting the most vulnerable groupsparticularly Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs)was a central element of its COP29 Presidency. Azerbaijan financed the participation of representatives from these groups and hosted a special high-level conference for SIDS during the COP29 Leaders Summit, ensuring their concerns were heard globally. She noted that, alongside negotiations, the COP29 Presidency developed an Action Agenda of 14 initiatives covering all major aspects of the Paris Agreement. The agenda focused on moving beyond commitments toward the creation of infrastructure and implementation of practical measures. Gafarova underscored that one of COP29s most important outcomes was the restoration of confidence in multilateralism, proving that nations can still unite for a shared purpose even amid geopolitical tensions and global uncertainty. Addressing Azerbaijans future vision, Gafarova stated that the country remains committed to enhancing its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), having advanced its 2050 climate targets by 15 years to 2035. This, she said, reflects Azerbaijans unwavering dedication to climate action, even as it undertakes large-scale reconstruction and demining in its territories liberated after decades of occupation and destruction. In conclusion, Speaker Sahiba Gafarova expressed Azerbaijans readiness to continue supporting global climate efforts. She reaffirmed Bakus full support for the COP30 Presidencys Executive COP vision and called on Brazil to join hands in sustaining the momentum created at COP29. Azerbaijan stands ready to fully support and contribute to the realization of COP30s goals to make decisions and take actions that are vital for our planet and our common future, she concluded. 7 November 2025 16:35 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more An event dedicated to the fifth anniversary of Victory Day, marked on 8 November, was held at the Military Prosecutors Office with the participation of servicemen from various branches of the Armed Forces who took part in the Patriotic War, Azernews reports, citing the Military Prosecutors Office. The Office reported that participants first laid flowers at the bust of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and honored his memory with deep respect. The ceremony then continued with a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs, followed by the performance of the National Anthem. Opening the event, Deputy Prosecutor General and Military Prosecutor Bahruz Ahmadov congratulated the Azerbaijani people, military personnel, and the staff of the Military Prosecutors Office on Victory Day. He highlighted the indispensable role of the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, in securing this historic triumph, as well as the bravery of Azerbaijani servicemen during the war. It was emphasized that the prosecutors bodies, including the Military Prosecutors Office, not only upheld law and justice during those days but also fulfilled their civic and moral duty with dignity, demonstrating deep patriotism. The event concluded with the screening of the film Letter to a Martyr. 7 November 2025 10:00 (UTC+04:00) Qabil Ashirov Read more Azerbaijans State Oil Company (SOCAR) and Chinas Sinopec Engineering have signed a framework agreement on cooperation, Azernews reports. According to SOCAR, the agreement was concluded during a meeting between SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf and Zhang Xinming, President of Sinopec Engineering. The meeting noted that relations between Azerbaijan and China are successfully developing across various fields, including the energy sector. In this context, both sides expressed satisfaction with the existing cooperation between SOCAR and Chinese companies. The discussions covered cooperation in oil and gas processing, petrochemicals, digitalization, the energy transition, the application of modern refining technologies, and other issues of mutual interest. 7 November 2025 15:17 (UTC+04:00) Akbar Novruz Read more Energy cooperation between the European Union and Azerbaijan continues to play a crucial role in reducing the blocs dependence on imported fossil fuels, particularly Russian gas, as outlined in the EUs REPowerEU plan, Azernews reports. EU Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen highlighted this in a written response to a European Parliament inquiry, noting the strategic importance of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC). Since 2021, Azerbaijan's gas supplies to the EU through the Southern Gas Corridor have increased by more than 40 per cent. The SGC is directly connected only to Azerbaijani gas fields and is not integrated with the countrys national gas transportation system. Therefore, it is not used to transport Russian gas to the EU, Jorgensen emphasised. According to him, Azerbaijan imported less than 1 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia for domestic needs in 2023, a volume that sharply decreased in 20242025. At the same time, Azerbaijans total gas exports in 2024 exceeded 25 billion cubic meters, nearly half of which went to the EU market, a clear indication of the countrys major contribution to Europes energy diversification. Jorgensen also reaffirmed the EUs support for lasting peace in the South Caucasus, noting that it is of utmost importance that both countries continue to make progress towards full normalisation of relations. He praised the initialling of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement in Washington on August 8, 2025, calling it a significant step toward ending the long-standing conflict, and reiterated that the EU stands ready to support the implementation of the Washington agreements. CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In appreciation of U.S. military veterans and active-duty service members, Autobell Car Wash will offer them a free Ride-Thru Exterior wash, or an equivalent credit toward another wash option, on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at all Autobell locations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. No coupon, barcode, or ID is required. In the event of rain on the 11th, the offer will be honored on November 12. All Autobell locations are open daily; hours vary by location. Visit autobell.com to find nearby locations and hours of operation. "We're glad for an opportunity to recognize and thank those who have served and sacrificed for our country," stated Autobell President and COO Carl Howard. "We want these veterans and active service personnel to know they are always acknowledged, appreciated, and supported." ABOUT AUTOBELL Celebrating 56 years of service, Charlotte, NC-based Autobell Car Wash remains unwavering in its focus on customers and the cars they love. Founded in 1969 by the late Charles Howard Sr., Autobell is privately held and operated by subsequent generations of the Howard family. Autobell is a conveyorized car wash with a range of exterior and interior cleaning and finishing services completed by its team members within minutes, saving customers time and effort. The company currently operates 91 locations in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, with consistent expansion. The company offers multi-level UnlimitedSM car wash plans that provide unlimited washes for a set monthly charge, as well as the Autobell App that allows customers to pre-purchase washes and skip the line while earning My Autobell Rewards. Autobell prioritizes team member training and development, community involvement, its scholarship and fundraising programs, and environmental protection and conservation. All Autobell washes treat 100% of wash water used and recycle up to 100% using innovative, environmentally friendly systems. For more information, visit autobell.com. IMAGES FOR DOWNLOAD MEDIA CONTACT: Hensley Fontana Public Relations 704-542-0607 [email protected] SOURCE Autobell Car Wash 7 November 2025 22:10 (UTC+04:00) by Alimat Aliyeva The Japanese government has resumed seafood shipments to China, marking the first exports since Beijing imposed a ban in 2023, Azernews reports. The import suspension was originally introduced following the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which raised safety concerns in China. In June 2025, the two countries reached an agreement to gradually resume Japanese seafood imports under strict safety protocols. According to reports, Japanese exporters must now register their companies with Chinese authorities and provide certificates confirming radioactivity testing before shipping fish products. Currently, only three types of seafood products are allowed for export, though authorities expect hundreds more products to be gradually approved for shipment in the coming months. Analysts note that the resumption of exports could significantly boost Japanese seafood businesses, particularly those specializing in high-value products such as tuna, shrimp, and shellfish. For China, it offers consumers access to premium Japanese seafood after nearly two years of restricted imports. This development also highlights a broader trend of careful economic and diplomatic coordination between Japan and China, balancing trade interests with food safety concerns a signal that bilateral trade relations are gradually stabilizing despite past tensions. Democrats claim that non-citizens voting in American elections is not a problem, but two states who found thousands of non-citizens on their voter rolls after the Trump administration provided them with data bases to identify them, have already turned them over for prosecution. Now another state in the process of using those data bases to identify non-citizens on the voter rolls, Kansas, has even found a non-citizen holding elected office. A day after being reelected mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, Joe Ceballos was arrested by state officers for illegally voting three times as a non-citizen. Ceballos is a citizen of Mexico who holds lawful permanent residence (green card) in the US but is not a citizen and so is not entitled to register to vote or to vote. Records show that he has been registered to vote since 1990 and has actually voted at least three times. Democrats continue to look the other way while illegal aliens and other foreign citizens wantonly commit election fraud by voting in our elections. Texas Democrat Senate candidate "Beto" O'Rourke even got caught sending out emails asking for volunteers to transport "undocumented immigrants" to the polls to vote in his race. https://thefederalist.com/2025/11/06/reelected-kansas-mayor-faces-charges-of-voting-as-noncitizen/ Piccolo Kitchen is due to open at 697 to 699 Lisburn Road, the former location of Belfast Woodfired Pizza Company. (Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph) The owners of a popular restaurant in Co Armagh are now opening in south Belfast, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal. Pizzeria Piccolo Kitchen is due to open over the next few weeks at 697 to 699 Lisburn Road, in an expansion into Belfast by the owners of Zio Restaurant in Portadown. The sooner, the better: Durham Street in Belfast reopening after a year of lost income Sandy Row traders welcome an end to roadworks that devastated footfall Watch: Traders embrace Durham St reopening Gabrielle Swan Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 20:08 Traders on Sandy Row have welcomed the imminent reopening of Durham Street after a year of lost income and reduced footfall. A man has been arrested after breaking into a home and assaulting a resident later going on to hit a police officers head against a wall. It happened on Lenaghan Crescent in south Belfast shortly after 4am on Friday. He climbed in to the house through an upstairs window. The male resident assaulted required hospital treatment for his injury. The incident occurred in south Belfast (Stock image) The story behind Belfast's 'Alec the Goose' tribute outside St George's Market in Belfast Detective Inspector Keon said: The suspect, aged in his 20s, then barricaded himself in a room before being arrested by police on suspicion of burglary and common assault. "He was also arrested on suspicion of assault on police, after he hit a police officer's head against a wall. He remains in custody at this time, assisting with enquiries. "Our investigation is ongoing, and I would appeal to anyone who may have information, including CCTV or other video footage, to contact police on 101 quoting reference 158 7/11/25." Car-drifting events at Mobuoy superdump site sparks call for Muir to vest the land Environment Minister urged to act to protect public safety after organisers thumb noses at police A car at the illegal dump site. Garrett Hargan Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 07:13 Environment Minister Andrew Muir has been urged to vest land at the Mobuoy superdump as it emerged a car-drifting group is now using the site to host events. Durham Street will reopen by the end of November following months of road improvement works outside Belfasts Grand Central Station. The busy street is a major transport link beside the station and is set to accommodate two-way traffic upon completion of the works. Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins confirmed Durham Streets reopening following a question from North Belfast MLA Brian Kingston. I welcome that Translink have been working closely with its contractor to accelerate the work programme with the aim of reopening Durham Street by the end of November 2025. While the reopening of Durham Street will help ease traffic build-up in that part of the Belfast, we should still expect additional traffic on our roads in the run up to Christmas. "With this in mind, I have agreed to bring forward the road works embargo to November 10 2025 within the Belfast City Council area, Ms Kimmins said. Durham Street (Luke Jervis for Belfast Telegraph) News Catch Up - Friday 7 November Sharing the response to social media, Mr Kingston said he was pleased with the update. [The decision] will be very welcome to reduce congestion on Great Victoria Street and to restore access for Sandy Row residents & businesses, he said. A man who died following a road accident in Co Londonderry has been named locally. John Shaw passed away after the incident involving a car on Thursday., The accident happened shortly after 5.50pm in the Grange Road area of Magherafelt. Emergency services attended, but the 69-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Shaw is survived by his wife, Martina and children, Claire, Cathal and Ciara. He was also father of the late baby Catherine He was the son of the late Peter and Annie Shaw and a brother to Margaret, Anne, Bell, Marie, Gabriel and Breege. The pensioner was described as a great friend. One online tribute said: I cant believe youre gone my friend. Ready easy John. My heart and prayers go out to his family. Another recalled how Mr Shaw was the life and soul of the party." To say I am gutted is an under statement - I have lost a great friend in John Shaw, we had some great adventures, they said. John was the life and soul of the party. I will miss you my old friend. Mr Shaw was a respected member of dog show circles with a particular expertise in whippets. Those in the community expressed their sorrow at the loss of a man loved by so many. Today we say goodbye to a great Irish man John Shaw, one mourner within the community said. His passing is a truly sad loss to the whippet world. John was known and loved by so many for his passion, kindness and deep love for the dogs. "His knowledge and dedication will never be forgotten, and his memory will live on through the many lives both human and canine that he touched. Rest easy, John. The fields and tracks wont be the same without you. Chief Inspector Celeste Simpson from the PSNIs Collision Investigation Unit said: Police received a report shortly after 5.50pm of a collision involving a car and a pedestrian in the Grange Road area. Our officers attended, supported by colleagues from partner emergency services. However, sadly, the pedestrian - a man aged 69 - was confirmed deceased at the scene. "The Grange Road was closed for some time but has since reopened. Collision Investigation Unit detectives are continuing to investigate the circumstances of this collision. We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who witnessed the incident or who may hold digital footage which could assist with our enquiries. John Shaw. FuneralTimes News Catch Up - Friday 7 November This includes dash-cam, mobile, CCTV or other material. Contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1576 of 6/11/25." NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Preston Lane, the modern home care and lifestyle brand bringing elegance to the everyday, announces the debut of its new Home Accessories Collection, launching exclusively on Amazon.com this November. Arriving just in time for the holiday season, the collection blends timeless design, European craftsmanship, and modern functionality to offer curated and stylish solutions for every home. Preston Lane Home Collection Many pieces are crafted in Europe by skilled makers using premium materials chosen for their beauty, durability, and refined texture, rooted in artisanal craftsmanship. Inspired by classic European interiors and modern American living, the collection captures the spirit of a home that feels both polished and personal. With prices ranging from $24 to $238, the Preston Lane Home Accessories Collection makes heritage quality and elevated design beautifully attainable, perfect for holiday gifting, entertaining, or an everyday home refresh. As part of the launch, Preston Konrad collaborated with Amazon to style a bespoke brownstone in New York City with his new collection as well as his favorite holiday products from across Amazon. The collaboration underscores how Preston's timeless, approachable aesthetic aligns with Amazon's vision for inspired and effortless holiday living. "Preston Lane was created to make luxury feel approachable," said Preston Konrad, Co-Founder of Preston Lane and lifestyle expert. "Launching the collection on Amazon allows us to bring that vision to more people than ever before; and just in time for the holiday season. Amazon gives us the trust and speed to reach homes nationwide while maintaining the craftsmanship and beauty that define Preston Lane. Every piece was designed to blend form and function, helping people create spaces that feel refined, comfortable, and uniquely their own." The Preston Lane Home Accessories Collection launches November 7 and will be available exclusively online at Amazon.com as well as in the Preston Lane Hudson Yards boutique. The collection will expand to onprestonlane.com in early 2026. About Preston Lane Founded in 2024 by TV personality and lifestyle expert Preston Konrad and brand-building veteran Lisa Manice, Preston Lane is a modern home and lifestyle brand created to bring the magic of European luxury into more homes. Known for its beautifully designed home care collection made in Italy with plant-powered ingredients, Preston Lane quickly built a devoted following for its refined approach to everyday living. In 2025, the brand expanded its vision with the launch of its debut home collection, a curated assortment of home accessories and decor crafted by skilled artisans across Europe and beyond. Together, the collections embody a way of living that celebrates beauty in the everyday, combining quality, comfort, and style in everything Preston Lane creates. SOURCE Preston Lane First Minister Michelle O'Neill on Remembrance Sunday in 2024. (Photo by Kevin Scott) A senior TUV figure has said he will not attend a Remembrance Sunday event at Belfast City Hall because of the presence of First Minister Michelle ONeill. It is the second successive year that Ron McDowell, the partys deputy leader, has stayed away from the event. Ms ONeill will attend the official Remembrance Sunday ceremony in Belfast and lay a wreath at the Cenotaph. Although the First Minister took part in the event last year, it did attract criticism from victims of state and loyalist violence, as well as victims of IRA violence. There had been some speculation that she might not do the same in the wake of the DUPs behaviour following Soldier Fs acquittal of murder and attempted murder on Bloody Sunday. Party leader Gavin Robinson posted an image of the Parachute Regiment insignia on social media, causing widespread anger across nationalism. First Minister Michelle O'Neill laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in Belfast at last year's Remembrance Sunday (Photo by Kevin Scott) Ms ONeill became the first senior Sinn Fein member to attend the official event for fallen members of the UKs armed forces last November. The party told the Belfast Telegraph she would be doing so again on Sunday. Now, Mr McDowell, a TUV councillor in Belfast, has said: I will be marking Remembrance Day this year with the Royal British Legion and will also lay a wreath at the Belfast Cenotaph on behalf of my constituents. However, I will not share a ceremony with Michelle ONeill. As the First Minister continues to eulogise the IRA, her attendance on Sunday would be nothing more than political point-scoring. I cannot pretend this is acceptable to me. Therefore, after consultation with victims of the IRA, and to satisfy my own convictions, I have once again taken the difficult decision to mark the 11th hour in the company of those doing so sincerely. Ron McDowell News Catch Up - Friday 7 November It comes as Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly is yet to confirm whether she will attend the inauguration for new Irish President Catherine Connolly at Dublin Castle on Tuesday. On attending Remembrance Sunday events, Sinn Fein has said: Michelles acceptance of the invitation is an expression of her continued commitment and determination to represent all sections of our society as First Minister for all. Ms ONeill will attend with Ms Little-Pengelly and lay a laurel wreath at the Cenotaph. In a letter to republican families, the chair of Belfast Sinn Fein, Harry Connolly, acknowledged that not everybody would be comfortable with her attendance. We recognise that this decision may be challenging for some republicans, particularly for the families of the republican patriot dead and for those whose loved ones were killed by British state forces and agents, he said. This initiative, however, seeks to acknowledge the pain and suffering of all those who lost their lives on all sides in the First World War and in subsequent conflicts." Sinn Fein has been contacted. The Deputy First Minister has said it will not be possible for her to accept an invitation to the inauguration of the Irish president. Grenadier Guards Captain Robert Nairac talking to children in the Ardoyne area of Belfast (Archive/PA) An ex-IRA man has vowed to keep trying to help locate the remains of Disappeared soldier Robert Nairac. Martin McAllister described the situation as an open running sore in south Armagh where the Grenadier Guards captain was last seen alive in 1977. Information he secured led to the first official search for his remains last year by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR). Capt Nairac is considered to be part of a group known as the Disappeared, who were killed and secretly buried by paramilitary groups. A general view of the search in the area of the Hill of Faughart for the remains of Robert Nairac (Archive/PA) The search for his remains in Co Louth ended without success last October. A new BBC film, The Disappearance Of Captain Nairac hears of his love of Ireland from his friends, from colleagues who saw him as unconventional and locals in south Armagh who nicknamed him Danny Boy. It hears that Capt Nairac had walked into the Three Steps Bar in Drumintee on the night of Saturday May 14 1977, undercover, dressed in a donkey jacket and jeans, hoping for a breakthrough in the intelligence war against the IRA. Those in the bar remember him drawing attention to himself, saying he had lost his cigarettes and also asking for advice on routes across the border without army checkpoints. He maintained he was a republican from Belfast called Danny McErlean and sang two rebel songs. However, a group of local men are understood to have become suspicious, overpowered him in the car park, took him across the border and shot him. The programme heard an account of a man in the car who said they called the local IRA Officer Commander, who arrived drunk, and told them to shoot Capt Nairac. He said he pretended to be a priest to try and elicit a confession, but then withdrew, adding he heard shots fired as he walked away. He went on to say he hopes some day Capt Nairacs body will be given to his sisters, and wanted to sympathise for the part he played. Former local councillor Seamus Murphy recalled Capt Nairac as having stood out, greeting people in Irish in Crossmaglen and showing off a knowledge of Irish history. He had a certain swagger and arrogance about him, and an awful habit of putting his gun down and walking away from it which everyone thought was strange, he said. Everyone knew he wasnt an ordinary soldier, but they thought he was a roaring idiot, and probably dangerous. He also said he saw him in full undercover mode once at the cattle mart in Newry, dressed as a farmer and pretending to be a bit drunk. However, an anonymous former army intelligence officer described Capt Nairacs role in an area known as the IRAs greatest stronghold, where soldiers had to be brought in and out by helicopter, as absolutely imperative, being out on the ground, talking to people and identifying potential agents. Capt Nairacs biographer Alistair Kerr said he was said to have believed he was on the verge of an intelligence break through recruiting someone with serious links to the IRA on the night he disappeared. A former RUC intelligence officer said he had a touch of 007 about him and took risks he would never take. He said he believed Capt Nairac went to the pub that night as he cultivated a friendship with a woman who was very close to an IRA figure, and hoped to gain information through her about her relatives. Capt Nairacs friend Jemima Parry-Jones said he loved Ireland and was passionate about the Troubles not going on. He wanted to be a part of stopping it which meant he took risks, she said. Mr McAllister said he has always been fascinated by the Nairac story, describing a open running sore in this area. He said he was in prison at the time of the abduction, but said he has learned those who abducted Capt Nairac were IRA sympathisers, not members, and all scarpered after, adding they had nothing to do with the burial. Rumours were circulated about Capt Nairac following his disappearance, adding to the confusion. Mr McAllister said in the decades since every imaginable horror has been laid at his door, with claims he was involved in atrocities such as the Miami Showband killings, the Kingsmill Massacre and the Dublin Monaghan bombings. It just becomes a figure of speech with no proof, he said. Mr McAllister described speaking to lots of people to put together a jigsaw puzzle of what happened. He said, while people are shy about giving information, they will give it to him. Its been on my mind constantly because its an open running sore in this area, he said. This man was a soldier, and I was his enemy, but to disappear somebody is something I never ever agreed with. No one should be left in such a position whereby they havent a grave to visit. This man should be back with his family. He has pledged that he will not give up on his search, describing it as a matter of honour. The Disappearance Of Captain Nairac will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Northern Ireland from Monday November 10 at 10.40pm. The International Protection Accommodation Services centre in Drogheda, Co Louth (PA) Two men have been charged in relation to an attack at an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in Co Louth, gardai have said. The men in their 20s were due to appear before a special sitting of Drogheda District Court on Thursday night. A baby and three other children were among several people who had to be rescued from the International Protection Accommodation Services centre in Drogheda on Friday. In a statement, gardai said the two men had been arrested on Wednesday night and Thursday morning for alleged offences under the Criminal Damage Act 1991. Gardai said they are continuing to investigate the fire. Harry and Meghan watching a game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays in Los Angeles (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The Duke of Sussex joked he was addressing the blue-hatted elephant in the room as he apologised to Canada for wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers cap to a World Series game against the Toronto Blue Jays. At a dinner in Toronto honouring Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans and their families, Harry said wearing the cap was the polite thing to do after being invited to the dugout by the teams owner, and joked he would have even worn a Yankees cap to avoid floodlights shining down on an ever-increasing bald spot. Well, maybe not a Yankees cap, he added. The duke, who was speaking at the event hosted by Canadian military charity True Patriot Love Foundation, is in Canada for Remembrance Week events. Harry and Meghan watching the World Series (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) In October, Harry and his wife, Meghan, wore Dodgers caps and colours to a seventh-game decider won by the Los Angeles team, despite Meghans previous support for the Blue Jays a nod to her former home city. The former actress lived in Toronto while filming the legal drama Suits, and she and Harry spent time together there during the early stages of their relationship. The royal pair moved to Los Angeles in 2020, after initially setting up home in Canada, and live in Montecito with their children Archie, six, and Lilibet, four. Harry told dinner guests on Thursday: As for my wife, she lived in Toronto for years and has deep affection for this city, so much so that many people around the world believe shes Canadian, so I think we can forgive a native Californian for her Dodgers loyalty, even if just for one evening. During his visit to Canada, Harry met a 101-year-old Canadian Second World War navy veteran and other former servicepeople at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto ahead of Remembrance Day. He watched veterans taking part in activities such as painting, ceramics and photography, and was even pictured lending a hand with one mans artwork. In his speech, he said it was humbling to hear the veterans stories, adding that the world they fought for now feels increasingly fragile. He said: To sit and hear and feel the weight of history through their words, was humbling beyond measure. The residents of Sunnybrook are people who, in their youth, stood in defence of principles that continue to define our humanity: freedom, dignity, and the rule of law. Harry, right, talks with Ed Marshall as he meets some of Canadas oldest veterans (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP) They crossed oceans not for conquest, but for peace. They rebuilt a world that had nearly destroyed itself. And now, in their later years, they still teach us through quiet wisdom and gentle humour, what service really means. Today, we must be honest; the world they fought for feels increasingly fragile. We see the erosion of respect for international institutions, the disregard of truth for political or personal gain, and the exploitation of peace as a brand rather than a promise. Among those the duke met was Brenda Reid, 101, who served at a women-run naval station in Nova Scotia during the Second World War and Harold Toth, 95, a Korean War veteran who enlisted with the Queens Own Rifles. When asked by Harry about their war experiences, Ms Reid offered a playful warning about her fellow residents: You cant always believe the boys. The meeting and dinner were part of his two-day visit to Toronto to meet veterans, members of the armed forces community and military charities to mark the Remembrancetide period which spans the two-week period leading up to Remembrance Sunday. One pilot, being carried out in Leeds, will allow men who have been treated for prostate cancer to provide regular updates to doctors on the NHS App (PA) Dozens of new pilot schemes will give patients with certain conditions direct access to specialists through the NHS App, removing the need to travel for a hospital appointment. Self-reporting health information such as blood pressure and oxygen levels using technology could help reduce pressure on the health service ahead of winter, officials said. A shift to remote monitoring could free up 500,000 hospital appointments a year once fully rolled out, according to the Government. It comes as the NHS launches a world-first trial looking at how to support people with motor neurone disease (MND) remotely. Many of the 45 pilots taking place at 37 trusts across England will focus on five specialisms: ear, nose, and throat (ENT); gastroenterology; respiratory medicine; urology; and cardiology. They will allow patients to use the NHS App to fill in forms and questionnaires rather than attending hospital. Elsewhere, people with long-term conditions will be able to have routine tests in their local area, with specialists reviewing them remotely. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: Patients expect care fit for the 21st century and thats what Im determined to deliver. This is a government that puts the NHS and patients first as our record investment in the service shows. Using tech to bring care closer to home frees up hospital appointments for those who truly need them and makes life simpler for everyone. Thats our mission: care thats easier, faster, and always within reach. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said patients expect care fit for the 21st century (Lucy North/PA) Through innovative approaches like this and NHS Online which will digitally connect patients to expert clinicians anywhere in England we are building a smarter NHS all while easing pressures on busy hospitals and stretched staff. One pilot, being carried out in Leeds, will allow men who have been treated for prostate cancer to provide regular updates to doctors on the NHS App. Chiara De Biase, director of health services, equity and improvement at Prostate Cancer UK, described the trial as a really exciting development. The impact that a prostate cancer diagnosis can have on a mans psychological and physical wellbeing is often underestimated, she said. This shows the NHS is harnessing technology to enable more personalised support and gives men the power to navigate this complex disease, a mission we are passionate about at Prostate Cancer UK. North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust will use the app to slash missed appointments by enabling patients to outline access needs such as transport or interpreters ahead of time. Elsewhere, at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, digital pre-appointment questionnaires will be introduced for people with suspected respiratory conditions to speed up initial appointments and reduce the need for unnecessary follow-ups. Ian Eardley, national clinical director for elective care at NHS England, said: Right across the country the NHS is harnessing the latest technology to ensure people can get the care they need more quickly and conveniently, and closer to home. Remote monitoring enables vital information to be shared more easily and efficiently between patients and their health teams allowing people to get the support they need without an unnecessary trip to hospital. Meanwhile, the NHS trial on MND will look at the benefits of remotely monitoring and adjusting portable ventilators used by people with the condition. It will involve more than 250 patients with MND. Sally Hughes, director of services and partnerships at the MND Association, said: Increased support and digital monitoring will make it easier for people with MND to choose to receive expert care from the comfort of their own homes reducing the burden of travel and helping them live better for longer. The trial will be led by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with the University of Sheffield and will involve trusts across England. Dr Esther Hobson, honorary consultant neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and senior lecturer in neurology at the University of Sheffield, said: Were making the most of existing technology to make it as easy as possible for NHS staff and their patients to get the benefits without extra burden. Were especially interested in the experiences of people who find it hard to access NHS care to make sure everyone can get the benefits. Julia Wandelt was found guilty of harassment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday (Elizabeth Cook/PA) A Polish woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has been found guilty of harassing the missing girls parents by turning up at their home and sending sinister letters and messages repeatedly begging for a DNA test. Julia Wandelt, 24, who now faces deportation back to Poland, put her hands to her face when jurors returned a guilty verdict for the harassment of Kate and Gerry McCann on Friday, but a not guilty verdict for a charge of stalking. She was told her sentence would be one of six months imprisonment, which is less than the time she has served on remand awaiting trial, and that she would be made the subject of a restraining order. A five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court heard Wandelt claimed to have memories, induced by hypnosis sessions, of being abducted and of living with the McCanns as a child, including feeding Madeleines younger brother Sean and playing ring-a-ring-a-roses. Madeleine McCann disappeared from a holiday flat in Portugal in 2007 (PA) Jurors heard Wandelt, who had an emotional outburst while Mrs McCann gave evidence against her, tried to persuade anybody prepared to listen that she was Madeleine, and that she had been kidnapped from Portugal and abused with other girls in Poland. Wandelt called and messaged Mrs McCann more than 60 times in one day on April 13 last year, claiming to have a memory of the mother stroking her head and saying she would find her before the abduction. Her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, was found not guilty of stalking and harassment. Sentencing judge Mrs Justice Cutts told Wandelt her pestering and badgering of the McCanns was unwarranted and unkind. She told the defendant: They (the McCanns) were entitled to refuse to engage with you, particularly in the sad circumstances in which they live with the disappearance of Madeleine. They have suffered from that disappearance of their young child for many years, they are entitled to their privacy and to get on with their lives in the best way they can and to decide with whom and with whom not they will engage. Your constant pestering, badgering and eventually attendance at their home address on a dark evening in December was unwarranted, unkind, and as the jury have now found, criminal. Wandelt, who sat beside Spragg in the dock, gasped at the verdicts, while Spragg cried. Wandelt and Spragg held hands in the dock before the verdicts were handed down, after the jury deliberated for more than seven hours. Karen Spragg has been found not guilty of stalking and harassment (Jacob King/PA) Trial judge Mrs Justice Cutts pointed out immediately after the verdicts that the maximum sentence for harassment was six months imprisonment. The judge said: I think it also is a fact that Julia Wandelt has been in custody since her arrest in February of this year. So she will have been in custody, in fact, for longer than the maximum sentence. Before the judge reconvened court to discuss her sentence, Wandelt appeared to be sobbing in a room behind the dock. The judge told her barrister she would need to compose herself for sentence, but she was satisfied Wandelt did not need to be present while representations were made. Prosecution counsel Michael Duck KC said a restraining order was sought against Wandelt because there had been plain harassment against the McCann family. He said: We submit there has been plain harassment and on the face of the evidence, that that will continue into the future and this is a mechanism by which the McCanns can be afforded some protection. The court was told a deportation order had already been served against Wandelt and that it was a matter for the secretary of state whether she remained in custody. Mr and Mrs McCann were confronted by Wandelt on their driveway last December, where they were begged for a DNA test. Julia Wandelt gasped at the verdicts (Elizabeth Cook/PA) Both Madeleines parents gave evidence during the trial, from behind a curtain shielding them from Wandelt. During their emotional evidence, Mr McCann said he and his wife still cling onto hope that Madeleine may be alive today. He also claimed Wandelts actions were hampering the ongoing inquiry into his daughters disappearance, while Mrs McCann said she had been distressed by Wandelts behaviour, particularly a letter sent by the defendant addressing her as mum. In recordings of the interaction outside their home, Mrs McCann can be heard saying: Youre causing us a lot of distress. The following day, the couple received a sinister letter addressed Dear Mum (Kate) and signed Lots of love, Madeleine. Wandelt referred to Mrs McCann as mummy and said you are my real mother in other messages sent to her phone. She told the jury during her evidence that she persistently contacted Mr and Mrs McCann because she thought they were being misled by the police and she wanted a DNA test to prove her relation to them. Wandelt also told jurors she believes Mr McCann was involved in Madeleines disappearance and that Mrs McCann knew of the abduction, but they had no other choice. Members of the media outside Leicester Crown Court where the trial was taking place (Jacob King/PA) The defendant also suggested that the ongoing police investigation into the girls disappearance called Operation Grange, which has received more than 13 million in funding, involves money laundering. Forensic expert Rosalyn Hammond told jurors Julia Wandelt cannot be Madeleine McCann because their DNA profiles do not match. Wandelts DNA sample was taken by police after she was arrested at Bristol Airport in February, which was against the investigations policy, in an attempt to stop her behaviour towards the McCanns. Her profile was compared with a sample recovered from Madeleines embroidered pillowcase at the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, days after she disappeared and a blood sample taken when she was born. Asked in court whether she still thought she was Madeleine, Wandelt said she was 50/50 and added she would like to see the full paperwork proving they are different people. The following day in the witness box, Wandelt said: I do believe Im her. I do remember them but Im exhausted, Im completely exhausted with all of this. Wandelt told the trial she could not remember early parts of her childhood, and after looking into missing persons cases she realised she had a similar mark in her eye to Madeleine. Madeleines 2007 disappearance during a holiday at a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, remains unsolved. Nicola Hutton strung man in need of a new organ along for monthsThe east Belfast woman was convicted under the Communications Act for sending false information The Cullen family's lives were torn apart by the false promises of Nicola Hutton (Photo: Luke Jervis/Belfast Telegraph) Nicola Hutton was jailed for five months. An east Belfast woman labelled an emotional parasite in court has been sentenced to five months in prison after promising to donate a kidney. Glengormley couple Billy and Joanne Cullen posted on Facebook in search of a kidney to save Billys life after his diagnosis of a serious disease. Nicola Hutton, a stranger, appeared to answer their prayers. As Billys condition deteriorated the east Belfast woman called them every week, assuring them that her kidney was a match and the process was underway. In reality, she had never intended to donate the organ. Police called the case unprecedented while Judge recorder Liam McStay described Hutton as a wicked, callous, and evil liar. Olivia Peden is joined by The Belfast Telegraphs Kurtis Reid who has been following this story. Since its entry into China in 1995, providing system development and integration, and IT support services BEIJING, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- transcosmos is delighted to announce that on October 10, 2025, the company celebrated the 30th anniversary ceremony of its Chinese subsidiary with 240 guests, including its clients. The ceremony was held at the Ritz-Carlton, Tianjin, China, under the theme of Building on 30 Years of Trust, Towards a Bright Future. 30th anniversary ceremony Kokkei Nakayama, President of transcosmos Information Creative (China) Co., Ltd. Guests at the venue transcosmos entered the Chinese market and established transcosmos Information Creative (China) Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tianjin, China; President: Kokkei Nakayama), a subsidiary specializing in system development in 1995. The company provides outsourcing services with a focus on system development, system integration, and IT technical support. Building on its expertise and system development and operational capabilities acquired over the years, the company provides high-quality, cost-competitive services with over 1,600 members across centers in China and Japan. The company maintains high-level operations, earning both ISO9001 and CMMI Level 5 certifications through its proprietarily developed quality management system. At the ceremony, the company received congratulatory messages from many clients and looked back at its 30-year history. During the reception, guests enjoyed Chinese cuisines and fine drinks, along with elegant performances showcasing traditional Chinse musicincluding Chinese fiddles, lutes, zithers, and flutes. The company also presented Beijing Opera, an impressive acrobatic show, and the popular Sichuan Opera "Bian Lian (Mask Change)," offering guests a rich experience of oriental art through beautiful arias and captivating performances. The 30th anniversary is a milestone year to reflect on the company's journey as well as a starting point for the next stage. Putting trust at the core, transcosmos will continue to create a bright future with clients and partners. *transcosmos is a trademark or registered trademark of transcosmos inc. in Japan and other countries. *Other company names and product or service names used here are trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies. About transcosmos Information Creative (China) Co., Ltd. In 1995, transcosmos established transcosmos Information Creative (China) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary specializing in system development in Tianjin, China. Since then, the company has been running an end-to-end system development project service from designing, development, to testing for both the Japan and China local markets. Today, the company has grown its locations to Suzhou, Jinan, Shenzhen, and Japan, and is offering high-quality system development services that meet Japan's quality standards with 1,600 engineers and a specialized quality management team. (transcosmos Information Creative (China) Co., Ltd. official website: https://www.trans-cosmos.com.cn/) About transcosmos inc. transcosmos launched its operations in 1966. Since then, we have united superior "people" with up-to-date "technology" to enhance the competitive strength of our clients by providing them with superior and valuable services. transcosmos currently offers services that support clients' business processes focusing on both sales expansion and cost optimization through our 184 bases across 36 countries/regions with a focus on Asia, while continuously pursuing Operational Excellence. Furthermore, following the expansion of e-commerce market on the global scale, transcosmos provides a comprehensive One-Stop Global E-Commerce Services to deliver our clients' excellent products and services to consumers in 46 countries/regions around the globe. transcosmos aims to be the "Global Digital Transformation Partner" of our clients, supporting the clients' transformation by leveraging digital technology, responding to the ever-changing business environment. Visit us here https://www.trans-cosmos.co.jp/english/ SOURCE transcosmos inc. 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Until now, most Americans have not been unduly affected by the shutdown, but as Thanksgiving approaches, the holiday flight schedules will become far more critical to the nation. 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. Yes, to some, it is just an old building. To others, when a building is torn down it leaves a rent in the fabric of our history. These days, it's tough to get 78 percent of people to agree on just about anything. Yet with that overwhelming majority, residents of the Berkshire Hills Regional School District on Tuesday night approved a pivotal project to build a new high school. As we argued in our endorsement of the plan, this decision over the future of secondary education in this three-town district essentially came down to doing the math. Greetings from France, a nation in crisis. Of course, France is always in crisis, a condition that along with the countrys excellent food, beautiful women and world-class museums (the Mona Lisa says hi!) explains why I enjoyed living here for 10 years and keep coming back. Never a dull moment. The current crisis, like many of its predecessors, is so typically, incomprehensibly French as to defy explanation. Lets just say that the government is spending too much money, and that its mossbacked political parties cannot agree on a tax plan to prevent fiscal unpleasantness. That, in turn, is largely because leaders of the major parties President Emmanuel Macrons centrist Renaissance and the center-right Les Republicans, along with a sizeable leftist coalition consider horse-trading and deal-cutting as beneath them. The parties exist largely to protect their own parliamentary standing and to block the rising, neofascist National Rally party from horning in. The French, along with everybody else in the world, seem far more interested this week in a power struggle taking place a few miles north. Britains King Charles III just stripped his brother, the former Prince Andrew, of all royal titles and perquisites, including his 50-room residence near Windsor Castle. Andrews mistake, of course, is getting caught up in a scandal involving a then-underage girl reportedly sent his way by the financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The girl later committed suicide, but not before writing a tell-all memoir mentioning the now non-prince. This is hardly British royaltys finest hour. Ah, royalty: that romantic realm of kings and queens, pomp and elegance, all designed to lull ordinary folks into loving the unelected royal family whose gilded comforts they subsidize. Monarchy has been around at least since Egypts pharaohs 5,000 years ago. After peaking in the 17th century, however, royalty as a form of government encountered a growing backlash against its cost and unaccountability. Countries began dropping their kings and queens often violently for republics with elected politicians. Even the 40 or so royal families that survive are little more than figureheads with nice lodgings, purely symbolic duties and little actual power. Perhaps theres one exception: Donald Trump, elected leader of a country that dumped its kingly overlord nearly 250 years ago, is making his royal aspirations increasingly clear. In addition to amassing enough power to make a modern monarch jealous, he has been mentioning the K word with notable boldness. In February, the White House shared AI-generated illustrations of Trump wearing a crown and, in one, also a kingly ermine robe. A month later, the president shared an image labeled Kings and featuring a man with a MAGA blazer and the crown-wearing head of a lion. More seriously, Trump has made claims about having unlimited authority as president, as well as the right to do whatever he wants. A federal judge warned that such remarks could put democracy on a slippery slope to authoritarianism. They also led some Americans to suspect that Trump really does want to become not just a plain old authoritarian but a king and maybe even pass the business along to one of his heirs. In response, civic and political groups across the country have been organizing No Kings protests against Trumps royal aspirations and his performance as president especially on the economy. (The latter was no doubt a major factor behind his partys poor showing in this weeks off-year elections.) The most recent No Kings gatherings, on Oct. 18 in 2,700 cities and towns, drew 5 to 6 million participants. Trump has seemed torn between outrage and flattery at the exertions of his opponents, though he rejects their premise. Theyre referring to me as a king, he told Fox News. Im not a king. That same day, however, a Trump campaign social media account posted an AI-generated video showing him dressed as a king, wearing a crown and waving from a balcony. He also released an AI video of himself, again in a crown, piloting a fighter jet marked King Trump and dropping a brown sludge resembling excrement on the No Kings protesters. Harmless satire? No doubt, but maybe also a subliminal expression of Trumps inner yearning for kingly powers and, of course, prestige. Frances political scene these days might seem a little quiet compared to that of its longtime ally across the Atlantic. But lets recall that, only a few years after the Americans revolted against their British overlord, the French stormed the Bastille and got rid of their king, too. Only that guy was not 3,000 miles away but right on their doorsteps. Indeed, Louis XVI and his regime were just as entrenched and arguably more horrible than George III and his. The French Revolution, though bloody and traumatic, has long served as a cautionary lesson for would-be kings and dictators everywhere. So, not incidentally, has the fact that Frances 1789 rebellion was partly triggered by royal mishandling of an economic crisis involving government debt, soaring consumer prices and an inability to implement tax reforms. Sound familiar? For 10 years, I got a reminder of the revolution that toppled Frances last king whenever I stepped out of my apartment building, hard by the ruins of the Bastille. Lets hope Donald Trump knows his history. A unusually early dip in the "polar vortex" is expected to keep temperatures unseasonably cold Monday and Tuesday, with daytime highs struggling to reach into the 40s. Forecasters say a return to more seasonable temperatures is expected the following week. Dreams can sometimes fascinate believers. From the visions Daniel experienced in the Old Testament (Daniel 7) to Peters dream about clean and unclean animals (Acts 10:9-16) it seems as though dreams lace almost all the books of Scripture. Even in the modern context, it seems as though many believers have come to Christ through seeing Jesus in a dream (see an article about such encounters here). What are some examples of dreams throughout Scripture? What does the Bible have to say about dreams explicitly and does God still speak to us through dreams? And how much stock should Christians place in dreams today? Biblical Examples of God Communicating through Dreams Of course, this article cannot dive into every instance of dreams in Scripture. However, it will highlight a few instances of dreams and why the matter: Joseph (Old Testament): You cannot discuss Joseph from Genesis without diving into dreams. Granted, most of the time he spent interpreting dreams (Genesis 41), but he did have a dream of his own before he entered Egypt (Genesis 37). These dreams hinted that Josephs family would bow to him in the future. This comes to fruition when they come to him for food during a great famine. In essence, the dream had a purpose to foretell the future. You cannot discuss Joseph from Genesis without diving into dreams. Granted, most of the time he spent interpreting dreams (Genesis 41), but he did have a dream of his own before he entered Egypt (Genesis 37). These dreams hinted that Josephs family would bow to him in the future. This comes to fruition when they come to him for food during a great famine. In essence, the dream had a purpose to foretell the future. Daniel (Old Testament): Like Joseph, he often interprets dreams rather than has them, but in Daniel 7 he witnesses a terrifying dream of four beasts. Theologians have attributed each beast to a certain kingdom (Babylon, Medo-Persians, Greeks, and Romans/End Times Kingdom). The dreams served to show events and kingdoms to come. Like Joseph, he often interprets dreams rather than has them, but in Daniel 7 he witnesses a terrifying dream of four beasts. Theologians have attributed each beast to a certain kingdom (Babylon, Medo-Persians, Greeks, and Romans/End Times Kingdom). The dreams served to show events and kingdoms to come. Joseph (New Testament): Joseph, Jesus father, sees an angel in a dream who warns him to flee to Egypt before Herod can take the life of his son (Matthew 2:13). This dream served as a warning. Joseph, Jesus father, sees an angel in a dream who warns him to flee to Egypt before Herod can take the life of his son (Matthew 2:13). This dream served as a warning. Pontius Pilates wife (New Testament):When Jesus stands at trial with Pontius Pilate, his wife warns Pilate against having anything to do with him, because she knows of his innocence (Matthew 27:19). The dream informed her about the true nature of Jesus. This article shows all the dreams in Scripture and the meaning behind them. Dreams often employ symbolism to teach a lesson, divulge elements of the future, or help us discover more about God. What Scripture says about Dreams for Us Although most dream references in Scripture refer to certain dreams God has given to a certain person (see above), Scripture does mention a few things about dreams: Acts 2:17: In the End Times, many believers will see dreams. Although it doesnt specify what exactly theyd see, one can infer it might be a vision of Heaven, Christ, or of the future. Ecclesiastes 5:7: This verse seems to warn against placing too much hope in dreams. Much dreaming . . . (is) meaningless. Therefore, we shouldnt dwell too much on dreams, and instead, turn to Scripture to hear Gods messages to us. Jeremiah 29:8: This verse warns us against placing our faith in the dreams of others. Sometimes false prophets will speak about dreams that did not take place to sway Gods people. Christians have to be careful whenever anyone speaks about a dream and should test everything said about that dream against Scripture. How Much Stock Should Christians Place in Dreams? Christians should consult Scripture any time they encounter a vivid dream that seems to have a meaning or authority greater than the regular dreams most of us experience each night. In the article above which talks about Muslims who have seen Jesus in dreams, those dreams occur because they mostly do not have access to Gods word or have not read Scripture for themselves. Dreams form a temporary bridge for them to encounter God. If you take a look at the frequency of dreams in the Bible, most occur in the Old Testament. Since most who lived in the Old Testament had limited access to Gods word, or in the case of those who lived before the time of Moses, God used dreams and visions as a way to communicate His messages to people. Although visions and dreams have been known to take place after the Old Testament and after the New Testament, we do have to keep in mind that our primary basis for what God has to say to Christians is in the canon of Scripture. The Bible does mention believers having dreams in the last days, but those dreams should never usurp Scripture in terms of authority. God may place a dream in a Christians life to warn them about a future event, show a symbol that is important for that believers life, or to convey a certain message. Whenever a Christian encounters such a dream, they should test the spirits by opening the Bible and reading what it has to say about the subject of that dream. Furthermore, although dreams may fascinate us, Christians should not envy other Christians who have dreams. Dreams dont have a greater authority than Scripture, and most believers have Gods words right at their fingertips. Why Does This Matter? If people are experiencing visions and dreams today, it may fulfill what Scripture says about this happening more frequently in the Last Days. However, ultimately, it shows us God is still speaking to those unreached by Scripture. Related Resource: When Atheists Have Visions: 9 Surprising Encounters What happens when atheists who expect nothing after death report vivid visions of an afterlife? Dr. Steve Miller returns to unpack surprising cases of near-death experiences, deathbed visions, and other phenomena that challenge a purely naturalistic worldview. He talks about how these encounters unfold, what they describe, and how they reconcile them with their beliefs. Are these experiences just brain chemistry or something more? Want more answers to your biggest questions about God, morality and contemporary culture? Be sure to follow The Sean McDowell Show on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode! Photo credit: Getty Images/Prostock-Studio 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. Seminar calls for deepening China-Africa cooperation to spur African industrialization Xinhua) 10:26, November 07, 2025 ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A high-level seminar was held Thursday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to further deepen China-Africa cooperation in spurring Africa's green and sustainable industrialization. Themed "China Supports Africa's Industrialization: Promoting Green, Coordinated, and Sustainable Development," the seminar brought together experts and policymakers from China and Africa, as well as representatives from the African Union (AU), United Nations agencies, think tanks, and academia. Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the AU, highlighted Africa's recent industrialization progress, as evidenced by the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement and national development strategies across the continent. "Industrialization is African people's dream and legitimate right," Jiang said, as he emphasized China's continued support for Africa's industrialization through key cooperation platforms, such as the Belt and Road Initiative. "China and Africa have jointly implemented a vocational education cooperation project called Future of Africa, co-established Luban Workshops and Centers for Chinese Language and Professional Skills, and conducted the Chinese Language + Vocational Skills Project. These efforts have helped Africa train over 300,000 practical professionals," he said. Jiang reiterated China's willingness to work with the AU and African countries in the implementation of the initiative to support Africa's industrialization and the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Lerato Dorothy Mataboge emphasized "great alignment" of the deepening China-Africa cooperation with Africa's industrialization ambition. Noting that Africa's industrialization effort needs to be backed by capacity building, development of skills, institutions, and human capital, the AU commissioner called for collaborative actions to foster locally-led capacity building programs and centers of excellence for green technologies. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Hollywood star Rami Malek has said he hopes telling stories like Nuremberg can inch society closer together to live as one, united rather than divided. The 44-year-old actor stars alongside Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon in James Vanderbilts historical drama, Nuremberg, portraying the American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley in the aftermath of the Second World War. The film follows Kelley as he is tasked with deciding whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes, including Hermann Goring (Crowe), who was Adolf Hitlers right-hand man. Speaking about the film, which was written by Vanderbilt and based on Jack El-Hais book, The Nazi And The Psychiatrist, Malek told the PA news agency: After reading that book, I found that story fascinating, and it was surprising. I was so taken by it, I wanted to track down the script, because I knew one existed, and it was a film that I fought for. Rami Malek attends the Nuremberg UK premiere at Odeon Leicester Square in London (Jonathan Brady/PA) It was quite devastating reading certain aspects of what Douglas Kelly had written in his book 22 Cells in Nuremberg, because a lot of the things that he challenged in regards to the way we look at the human psyche and the way we try to define evil, they were not listened to, unfortunately, and it just is a constant reminder that these moments will happen again. They keep happening. Hopefully, step by step and story by story, and experience from one moment to another, collectively as a society, we do begin to inch towards some semblance of acknowledgement that we need to live as one, united rather than divided. Advertisement I know its lofty, but it might possibly happen. The film also stars Shannon as the Supreme Court Justice Robert H Jackson, the chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials as well as Leo Woodall who plays Sergeant Howie Triest who acted as the translator. Left to right, Michael Shannon, Rami Malek, Leo Woodall, Richard E Grant and James Vanderbilt at the premiere (Jonathan Brady/PA) He said: I felt I had to do this character justice. I think we all did collectively. There was, a unifying factor in what we were all doing. From the production designers all the way (to) every designer on the film, to the actors, especially our director, we knew what we had, the massive weight on our shoulders and I think every day we didnt just try to rise to the occasion. We tried to excel beyond it. The pivot to Europe comes 15 years after Malek portrayed an American marine fighting in the Pacific Theatre of the Second World War in the award-winning TV series, The Pacific, which was produced by Hollywood star Tom Hanks and American filmmaker Stephen Spielberg. Advertisement Speaking about the role and importance of telling these stories, Malek added: That was one of the most seminal moments of my life, being on The Pacific. Rami Malek on the red carpet at the premiere (Jonathan Brady/PA) I remember just auditioning. And for my final casting session, Tom Hanks was in the room, and I had an older gentleman who had a camcorder filming my audition, and that was, of course, Steven Spielberg, unbeknownst to me. Those are custodians of history and to be able to carry on a certain legacy of telling those stories through film or television is incredibly important to me, and I hope, Im carrying that legacy on with this film, Nuremberg, at the moment. I know I am, actually. Malek earned an Academy Award in 2019 for his role as Freddie Mercury in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and also starred in Christopher Nolans historical epic, Oppenheimer. A 26-year-old man who subjected an 81-year-old woman to a terrifying experience, knocking her to the ground as he stole her handbag, causing her to fall onto the road, has been jailed for three years. Kelvin Murphy, formerly of Wolfe Tone Street in Gurranabraher in Cork city, expressed his deep remorse for his behaviour when he appeared before Cork Circuit Criminal Court for sentencing. His now 82-year-old victim said that it was deeply unsettling to be targeted so aggressively - especially given her age. She suffers from flashbacks and lives with a persistent anxiety that another attack of this type could occur again. Mr Murphy was first charged in relation to the offence at Cork District Court. Garda Brian Holland indicated that the robbery and assault occurred shortly after 11pm on March 3rd last when the woman was walking home with her 75-year-old friend. Advertisement They were walking up Military Hill (in Cork city) when the accused crossed the road from the opposite side and walked towards them. "The accused asked the injured party for money, and she declined. The accused then grabbed the injured partys handbag and in the process, dragged her to the ground, causing her to fall onto the road. The accused fled on foot down Military Hill onto Wellington Road. Passers-by came on the scene and retrieved the injured partys handbag from the accused before he made good his escape. The injured party had an injury to her upper right leg. An ambulance attended the scene and gave medical attention. In a victim impact statement at Cork Circuit Criminal Court the woman said that the shock and confusion she suffered in the incident was overwhelming. It all happened so quickly. One moment we (she and her friend) were laughing, and the next I was lying on the pavement in pain and terrified. "Physically, I sustained painful leg injuries that required medical attention and weeks of recovery. Although Im grateful that my mobility wasnt permanently affected, the pain and discomfort were significant. However, the emotional impact has been even more difficult to overcome. "Since the attack, I have been afraid to go out alone, even in areas that once felt completely safe. Ive lost a sense of freedom and confidence that I used to take for granted. "The experience has left me feeling vulnerable in a way I have never felt before. I now avoid going out alone, take extra precautions and live with persistent anxiety that it could happen again. The memory of that night continues to upset me deeply. Advertisement "What happened to me was not just a robbery it was a violent act that shattered my sense of safety and peace of mind. I strongly believe that no one, especially someone at my stage of life, should have to endure something like this. Defence barrister, Elaine Audley BL, said that her client only started offending in late 2021/early 2022. However, he has long-standing alcohol and drug addictions. Judge Helen Boyle noted difficulties in his circumstances, including the fact that his family ended up in emergency accommodation when their home was destroyed by fire. Judge Boyle stated that she was grateful for the attendance in court of the injured party, who had endured a horrifying experience. One minute she was laughing and the next she was lying on the pavement. Judge Boyle said that culpability was high in the case. She described Mr Murphys alcohol and drug issues as being a mitigating factor in the case. However, she stressed that it was a despicable attack on an elderly person. It never ceases to amaze me the depths to which drug and alcohol addiction can bring people. You (Murphy) sank very low. Ireland Paedophile ballet teacher jailed for 'evil' abuse of two young girls Read more Judge Boyle said that Mr Murphy fled the scene without any assistance. However, she noted the signed plea of guilty, which saved the victim the trauma of giving evidence at a trial. Mr Murphy also wrote a letter to the victim in which he profusely apologised for his actions. He said that he was raised to respect his elders and was deeply ashamed at what had occurred. Judge Boyle jailed Mr Murphy for three years and eight months, suspending the last eight months of the sentence. A Dublin man who bit a woman he was dating on the face after grabbing her by the neck has been jailed for 15 months. Shane Cowzer (31) called the woman a cheater, told her she was lucky she was not dead, and later threatened to come to her work after she ended the relationship. Cowzer of Lower Gardiner Street pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to assault causing harm on January 28th, 2023. Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Martin Nolan said Cowzer had thrown a phone at the woman, grabbed her twice by the neck and then bizarrely bit her on the face. Judge Nolan said it seemed the relationship had gone sour and the man acted out of bed temper and jealousy. He noted they have both since gone their separate ways. Advertisement The judge said he thought Cowzer deserved a custodial term for his misbehaviour and imposed a 15-month sentence. Tinder Garda Ronan Harris told Rebecca Smith BL, prosecuting, that the couple had met on Tinder and were seeing each other for a couple of weeks. On the date of the assault, Cowzer was staying at the womans home, and she was woken by him throwing a phone at her. Cowzer was screaming that she was texting someone else, that he was going to smash up the house, and she was lucky she was not dead. He grabbed her by the neck after she asked him to leave. She ran to a friends house but returned later, and he was still there, shouting out the window. He let her in the back door, and she later gave him a lift into the city. When she parked, he began screaming at her and grabbed her by the neck, before biting her on the face. He then kissed her and said he would see her later. She saw the man again, and he went through her phone, telling her he did not trust her. She later told him the relationship was over, and he threatened to come to her work via Instagram messages. The woman made a statement to gardai, and Cowzer, who has nine previous convictions, was arrested. Victim impact statement In her victim impact statement, the woman said she believed Cowzer was going to kill her during the assault. She described the adverse effect the offences have had on her life. She included how she felt anxious and unsafe, went to counselling and took antidepressants and sleeping tablets. Advertisement I would not wish what happened to me to me on my worst enemy, she said. Luke OHiggins BL, defending, said at the time of this offence, Cowzer had been homeless and abusing cannabis, cocaine and tablets. He said his client has since done a complete 180 in his life. He said Cowzer was miserable at the time and was visiting that misery on the victim and his family. Mr OHiggins said Cowzer is now employed, engaging in drug treatment and in a committed relationship. He submitted that the progress he has made would be lost if he were jailed. He has not picked up any further charges. He said Cowzer had formed the impression she was talking to others and did not have the emotional intelligence to deal with it. He said he should have walked away, but did not do so. Counsel said his client was offering 1,000, which would be available soon if the case was dealt with in a non-custodial manner. A former Fianna Fail councillor who harassed a 25-year-old waitress at work will be sentenced next month. Joseph ODonovan, formerly known as Gary OFlynn, appeared before Cork District Court on Friday, having previously pleaded guilty to one count of harassment. The harassment occurred on three occasions in late July/early August 2022. Judge Mary Dorgan said that the good news was that Mr ODonovan had been assessed as being of low risk of reoffending. She described the victim impact statement furnished to the court as a compelling read. Judge Dorgan said that she continued to have certain concerns in relation to the case. She asked defence solicitor Frank Buttimer to have his client furnish proof of his ASD diagnosis and his qualification as a solicitor. Judge Dorgan said that she also wanted to hear of the steps taken by Mr ODonovan to address his issues with alcohol. Advertisement She described the victim impact statement in the case as having been a compelling read before remanding Mr ODonovan on bail for sentencing on December 4th next. Meanwhile, Sgt John Kelleher previously told the court that Mr ODonovan (49) went to a restaurant in Cork city centre on July 30th, 2022. He stayed for two hours during which time he was drinking wine. He flagged down a waitress and kissed her on the hand telling he that she was the nicest and prettiest girl he had ever seen. He continued to engage the young woman in conversation whilst he was in the restaurant. His behaviour made her deeply uneasy. Mr ODonovan of Melvindale House, Coolowen in Blarney, Co Cork returned to the restaurant on August 1st, 2022. Sgt Kelleher said that Mr ODonovan wanted to be served by the same waitress. He ordered food and wine. The waitress felt that he was continuously staring in her direction. He again took her hand and kissed it. He breathed in to her ear and said Meet me outside for a tip and I better get your phone number for it. The court heard that Mr ODonovan then went outside and started staring in the window. Sgt Kelleher said the waitress went out and told the accused that he wasnt welcome and should leave. He (Mr ODonovan) went back in again and asked (the waitress) could he see her again. He was asked to leave by management. He threw a fifty euro note at the waitress. Advertisement Mr ODonovan returned to the restaurant on August 6th, 2022 at around 10.30pm when the premises was near closing. The waitress told him to leave and Mr ODonovan said that he was sorry and that he couldnt help it. Mr ODonovan was arrested later that month. He told gardai he thought young woman was very pretty and that he kissed her hand in a manner seen in movies. He claimed that he had carried out the gesture out of politeness and courtesy. Mr ODonovan said that he was under the impression that his interactions with the woman were congenial. He claimed that he never meant to upset her. He insisted he was very sorry for what had occurred. The young woman who was harassed by Mr ODonovan opted to give her own victim impact statement. She said that she had waited three years to have her say in court about what happened to her. Ireland Boy convicted of the murder of Ana Kriegel given more time to appeal his sentence Read more For three years I have never stopped looking over my shoulder when I heard steps behind me. "This man (ODonovan) looked me in the eye and called himself a creep. This man looked me in the eyes and called himself a stalker. Then laughed about it. Laughter with a laugh that still makes me recoil in fear to this day. That moment has never left me. Because I that moment I realised I wasnt dealing with someone who didnt understand boundaries, but someone who chose to violate them. Joseph ODonovan, when he was known as Gary OFlynn, was a sitting councillor in Cork city from 2003 to 2008. A judge fell into error by "blaming" a convicted armed robber for the death of a man who took his own life after being persistently threatened over an alleged drug debt, the Court of Appeal has heard. Barristers for the State said that Kenneth Kelly (54) had launched a prolonged campaign over a number of months to retrieve a 1,000 drug debt, before the tragic outcome of the victim committing suicide. However, defence barristers said that the sentencing judge went too far in drawing a causal link between Kelly and the death of the deceased. Kelly, of Monaseed Demesne, Gorey, Co Wexford, was sentenced last June by Judge James McCourt at Wexford Courthouse to six years in prison, having pleaded guilty to demanding money with menaces. The offence related to an incident at Carnew Road, Gorey, on January 31st, 2024, in which he demanded a payment of a drug debt of 1,000. Advertisement Two further counts were taken into consideration of an offence contrary to section 2 of the Firearms Act, 1925 as amended by Section 15 of the Firearms Act 1964, and section 3 of the Firearms Act 1971. These related to the possession of ammunition, namely ball bearings for an air pistol, and possession of a firearm, namely a .177 calibre air pistol. Kelly had 12 previous convictions. In launching an appeal against the severity of sentence on Thursday, defence counsel Kenneth Murphy BL submitted that the headline sentence of eight years set by the sentencing judge was excessive and an inadequate reduction was given. He said that the sentencing court had made reference to the gravity of the crime and the harm done, with Judge McCourt saying that the appellant had just kept on persisting until he got the money, before the injured party in the case ended up dead. Mr Murphy said that the judge went too far in drawing a causal link between the death of the deceased and Kelly. He said that Kelly accepted there was a contributing element, but the judge tacked the entire death on the appellant, even though the deceased had mental health difficulties. Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said that the motivation behind the crime was having a debt repaid, with the appellant having previous convictions for armed robbery. She said that as threats had been made, the motivation for the offence was quite sinister. Ms Justice Kennedy said that the headline sentence was within the margin of appreciation given the level of aggravating factors, including the appellants persistence. Advertisement Mr Murphy replied that the headline sentence should have been seven years, followed by a reduction. He said that the judges error was blaming the appellant for the death of the deceased, as there was no evidence of causation before the court. Youre saying the error is the judge didnt close his eyes that this unfortunate man committed suicide, said Mr Justice Maurice Collins, going on to ask if the judge was not supposed to take into account the consequences of what had happened. Mr Murphy said the judge was given a very emotional victim impact statement, which referred to future fears of what would happen when Kelly was released from prison. He said the judge declined to engage with a probation report, meaning he never gave Kelly the chance to put his best foot forward. Counsel for the State, Liam Dockery BL said this was a particularly sad case with a tragic outcome, but there was no error in principle by the judge as the headline sentence was correct. Ireland Cork woman jailed for sustained campaign of harassment against consultant surgeon Read more He said that even if it were the case that seven years would have been more appropriate, that would still have been within the judges margin of appreciation. Mr Dockery said that this had been a prolonged campaign by the appellant over a number of months, so the headline sentence was appropriate. He said the appellant was given due credit, with two years taken off the headline which reflected that the judge took into account all the factors. Ms Justice Kennedy said the court would reserve judgement in the case, with the matter put back to November 20th next. A senior employee at a healthcare manufacturers who was suspended over alleged sexual harassment of a junior female colleague has got a High Court injunction halting disciplinary proceedings. A judge was told the allegations arose out of what had been a long-standing private WhatsApp relationship featuring what the male employee says was "playful, mutual and sexualised banter." Conor Power SC, for the man, was on Friday granted leave to serve the proceedings on the company and an injunction restraining a disciplinary process from continuing. A disciplinary hearing had been set for next Tuesday and the man has been suspended on pay since April after he was found guilty by another inquiry of sexual harassment, which he strongly denies. The company is also injuncted from publishing or acting on any findings it has made so far and the case can come back in a week, the judge said. Advertisement The application was made with only the man's side represented (ex parte). In an affidavit, the man said in his relationship with the woman, they engaged in off-colour, mutual sexualised innuendo outside work systems. The investigation into alleged harassment found that up to February 2025, the exchanges were consensual and reciprocal, he said. The complaints the woman made against him related to a period between February 17th and 25th last. It was only just before 11pm on February 24th that her first "note of complaint" came, he said. He said he reacted to it with "an overzealous concern for the complainant's welfare and to understand what happened." After that, he did not engage in any sexualised banter and the investigation report found it was so, he said. While he did contact after the February 24th message, and also tried to do so through another friend, it was not sexualised and he apologised for having done so. He said her text had "come out of the blue" and was out of step with their previous communications. Her fiance also rang him a few days later in a very threatening way after he came across the texts, he said. Among the findings of the investigation into his behaviour, a claim that following a briefing about a work trip to London he made a verbal comment about "we'll go to the pub, stumble home and.....see what happens" was not upheld. The inquiry upheld her claim that a message on February 17, referencing "aloe vera", was a shift away from innuendo to explicit direct instruction. Advertisement It also found against him in relation to a late night link to pornographic content. He said she sent "playful messages" in return. He describes as wholly irrational the inquiry's conclusion that communications between February 17 and 21 crossed the line and were inappropriate. This conclusion did not square with another finding that her feelings of discomfort were not clearly articulated by her until February 24th he said. A complaint by her that he had "cornered her" at the door of a research and development lab at work and blocked her was not upheld. It did not make any finding against him in relation to a fake LinkedIn profile and blocked contact number, he said. She also claimed he made "alleged possessive remarks" about not walking alone but the inquiry said the only corroborated communication was of a general community safety alert. This was not upheld either. Notwithstanding those findings, the investigation outcome recharacterised all the overall communications from mid-February as "unwelcome", he said. "The finding was specific that I had engaged in unwelcome sexual harassment", he said. Ireland Woman refusing to leave hospital after 719 days could be moved to another room, judge suggests Read more He also said the investigation failed to consider her sexualised banter including a link she sent to pornographic content on Reddit. She also sent an explicit wordplay pun "Cocktite 425". He claims the inquiry was conducted in breach of the company's own policies, were flawed, gave rise to irrational findings and were in breach of his constitutional right to fair procedures. The company was called on to reopen the inquiry but refused to do so and the man brought High Court proceedings. Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley is likely to find out next week how much money he will have to put upfront as security for costs in advance of his 30million court action over works carried out at his Cork Castelhyde mansion. Ms Justice Eileen Roberts in the Commercial Court on Friday turned down an application by the Flatley side for more time to submit a cost accountants report as he disputes the 2.8million security sought by the other side. Mr Flatleys counsel Ronnie Hudson BL submitted to the court that the entertainer and businessman intends to appeal a decision of the court last August which said he must provide the security for costs before the hearing of the main action. In the main proceedings, the Riverdance performer claims he and his family had to vacate the Castlehyde period property in Fermoy, Co Cork on October 2023 after alleged toxic chemical residue was detected during routine maintenance. Advertisement Mr Flatley is suing Austin Newport Group Ltd, the main contractor and insurance underwriters MS Amlin Underwriting Ltd, AXA XL Underwriting Agencies LTD and Hamilton Managing Agency Limited along with Lloyds Insurance Company. All of the allegations are denied. In the Commercial Court on Friday , Mr Flatleys counsel asked the court for more time to provide a cost accountants report in advance of the hearing to determine how much Mr Flatley will have to put up front. Michael Flatley, he said has been ill and had withdrawn from the presidential campaign due to a change of circumstances. Counsel said the entertainer had been hospitalised in Ireland and London. Andrew Fitzpatrick SC for the underwriting and insurance defendants in Mr Flatleys main action said the first indication his side had that the entertainer wanted to submit a costs accountants report was three minutes before that days court appearance. This is not good enough. It is yet another attempt to delay resolution of the matter, Counsel said. He said the matter had not been raised at a security of costs hearing last July and his side objected. Rachel Duffy BL for Austin Newport told the court that the judgment in the matter had been made three months ago and the situation in relation to the Flatley application was wholly unsatisfactory at this stage. Ms Justice Eileen Roberts said the Flatley side were perfectly free at the hearing last July to submit a cost accountants report. The judge said Mr Flatley was entitled to lodge an appeal to her August judgement but she was going to proceed with the hearing to decide how much should be paid in security for costs. Advertisement Ireland Cork thief who knocked woman (81) to the ground when robbing her handbag is jailed Read more Last August Ms Justice Roberts ruled Mr Flatley had to put up money for security for costs and she ruled the businessman and entertainer is not at this time ordinarily resident in Ireland but is rather here on a temporary and conditional basis. At the start of September Mr Flatley announced he had decided not to attempt to run in the presidential election . In a post on Facebook Mr Flatley said: I have decided not to run for President of Ireland at this time. I am honoured by the encouragement and support Ive received from so many people across Ireland over recent weeks, but I must put my family and my health first. Mourners have gathered for the funeral of Focus Ireland founder Sister Stan at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dublin. President Michael D Higgins, the Tanaiste Simon Harris, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, and former president Mary McAleese have arrived for the mass in Donnybrook. Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who is attending the Cop30 climate conference in Brazil, is represented by an aide de camp. The funeral missal features a quote from the founder of the Religious Sisters of Charity, of which Sister Stan was a member, which reads: Do pray that justice may be accomplished in peace and that truth may prevail. Sister Stan Kennedy. Photo: Julien Behal/PA. The Capuchin Franciscan friar and author Father Richard Hendrick, known as Brother Richard, led the service. The entrance hymn of The Deers Cry was followed by a musical version of the prayer, St Patricks Breastplate. Advertisement Sister Una of the Religious Sisters of Charity gave the welcoming remarks and said Sister Stan had planned much of her funeral, adding, she had: Very definite ideas about how we should celebrate her passing. She said Sister Stans purpose was to provide the best way possible for those who are needy, sick, destitute, and heart sore. She said: We know how much of that she achieved in her life, it is well documented. But none of us will ever know the countless individuals whom she quietly helped, supported, encouraged, advised and championed. Sister Una described her as a formidable woman in many ways, with high standards and expectations, and she could be as stubborn and as determined as any of us, and maybe more so than most of us. There was a quiet laugh from the congregation when she added she was not happy when she heard the word no. Stanislaus Kennedy died following a short illness at the St Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown on Monday morning. Tributes have poured in for the 86-year-old social justice campaigner since her death. Outgoing president Higgins said on Monday she was a deeply committed campaigner for the vulnerable and marginalised in our society, and a fearless advocate for human rights and equality. Telling the truth of inequality required a woman of immense courage and vision. She was that. And said she had made a profound contribution to Irish society. He also said her many books and writings provided a further source of policy, inspiration, solace and support for so many. Advertisement Sister Stan, who was born as Treasa Kennedy, grew up on a farm on the Dingle Peninsula in Co Kerry. She joined the Religious Sisters of Charity in 1958 after being inspired by the work of its founder, Mary Aikenhead, at the age of 18. She was missioned to Kilkenny where she spent 19 years developing the countys social services. In 1974, the government appointed her the first chair of the National Committee on Pilot Schemes to Combat Poverty. She moved to Dublin where, in 1985, she founded Focus Point, now called Focus Ireland, following her research into the needs of women in homelessness in Dublin in the 1980s. The same year, she was appointed by the European Commission to co-ordinate a rural anti-poverty programme right across Europe. She also founded other entities: a meditation centre called The Sanctuary in 1998; the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) in 2001; and the Young Social Innovators (YSI) in 2021, an initiative to encourage students to be more socially engaged. An elderly woman who is refusing to leave a hospital after 719 days even though doctors say she needs no further treatment, could be moved out of the private room she is in, to another room, a High Court judge has said. The woman, who cannot be named by order of the court, is opposing a court application on behalf of the hospital for orders that she leave within 24 hours and be restrained from attending again pending further order, other than in a medical emergency. Mr Justice Brian Cregan, dealing with the case on Friday, said there is no application by the woman seeking that the hospital not move her and he did not understand why she cannot be moved to another room. "That is an internal hospital management matter", he said. Advertisement Shane Murphy SC, on behalf of the hospital applicant, said the woman had made allegations of assault and he understood there had been a lot of correspondence between lawyers for the hospital and the woman's lawyers. The judge also asked what was going to happen to her after she leaves hospital as he was told she lived alone and had no family support. He said he would not make an order that she was trespassing but said common sense and compassion had to be brought to this matter. He asked the parties to reflect on that. Mr Murphy said she had been offered various supports including home help but had turned them down. The judge asked if a step down facility could be investigated. Counsel sought an early hearing of the matter. Nathan Reilly BL, for the woman, said his client has significant issues including bowel cancer, cardiac and a urological issue which led to her collapse and she believes she should remain in hospital. Mr Reilly said her solicitor was seeking a six week period to allow a medical expert to review her most up to date reports and to do that in a shorter time would be extremely challenging. The expert would be able to say whether she should remain in hospital, he said. The judge said the application for time for an expert to examine the records seemed extraordinary as she was in a hospital and was surrounded by doctors. The court heard she does not accept what he treating doctor has said about discharging her. Advertisement Mr Justice Cregan said he would give the matter a hearing before Christmas and gave the woman's side three weeks to have an affidavit outlining their expert's opinion with the hospital side replying to that within a week. Ireland 'Monster' father who raped and threatened to kill daughter jailed for 12 years Read more He adjourned the case for a week in order to see if it might become moot by then. In the proceedings, it is alleged the woman has insisted she has multiple issues which have not been treated and is backed in her claims by her solicitors. The regional clinic director of the hospital has sworn in an affidavit that she and her solicitor have been repeatedly told there is no legal entitlement under the Health Acts for anyone to determine the treatments he/she should receive or which doctors provide treatment. The solicitor responded that the patient's charter makes it quite clear the opposite is the case as it states patients are "entitled to b*e involved in making informed decisions about care and treatment...." and have a right to seek a second opinion. Four Afghan civilians were killed and five others wounded in an overnight clash between Pakistani and Afghan forces along their shared border, an Afghan official said, in a sign of rising tension between the two as they hold peace talks in Istanbul. However, a tense calm largely prevailed along the Chaman border in southwest Pakistan, where the two sides briefly exchanged fire on Thursday night, with both sides blaming the other for the breach of last months ceasefire brokered by Qatar. In Afghanistan, Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of the Information and Culture Department in Spin Boldak, blamed Pakistan in a statement for initiating the shooting but said Afghan forces did not respond due to the peace talks in Istanbul. In Islamabad, Pakistans foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi on Friday dismissed the Afghan claim, saying the Afghans initiated the shooting. Advertisement Pakistans ministry of information said late Thursday on X that the shooting was initiated from the Afghan side, but the situation was brought under control. People near the closed gate at the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, after the border was shut for nearly two weeks following clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces (Sibghatullah/AP) The ministry said a ceasefire brokered by Qatar on October 19 remained intact. Mr Andrabi said Pakistans national security adviser Lieutenant General Asim Malik is leading the Pakistani delegation in the talks with Afghanistan. The Afghan side is being led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, director of general intelligence. For years, Pakistan has accused Afghanistans Taliban government of harbouring Pakistani militants who carry out cross-border attacks, a charge Kabul denies. Tensions have remained high since last month, when deadly border clashes erupted, killing dozens, including soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, and wounding hundreds on both sides. The fighting began after explosions in Kabul on October 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed to avenge. The violence, the worst between the neighbours in recent years, subsided after Qatar brokered a ceasefire. Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks in recent months, most claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and the United States. Though separate, the TTP is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban. Many of its leaders and fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since the Talibans return to power in 2021, further straining ties between the two countries. Advertisement CultureMusicGrammys Australian K-pop star Rose nominated for record of the year Grammy Debbie Cuthbertson and Nicole Precel November 8, 2025 8:18am 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 Australian singer Rose has become the first K-pop artist to be nominated for a Grammy Award for record of the year. Rose, whose real name is Roseanne Park, lived in Melbourne before moving to Korea in her teens to pursue a musical career, later joining the juggernaut girl group Blackpink. Rose accepting her MTV award for song of the year for APT. Getty Images for MTV Her solo single Apt, recorded with Bruno Mars, was nominated for a Grammy in the United States on Friday, making her the first K-pop artist to be shortlisted in that category. Kendrick Lamar leads the nominations and is in the running for awards in nine categories, followed by Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff and Canadian record producer-songwriter Cirkut with seven nominations each. Advertisement Apt was named song of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards in September. In her acceptance speech at the time, Rose dedicated the award to her 16-year-old self. Rose was born in New Zealand but moved to Australia with her family when she was seven. She went to Canterbury Girls Secondary College, in Melbournes east, then left in year 10, moving to Seoul to train with YG Entertainment, a major Korean music company. She spent four years training and joined K-pop band Blackpink, who became one of the bestselling groups of all time, topping the iTunes charts in 18 countries. In 2021 she premiered her solo single On the Ground, and has amassed millions of fans worldwide. Advertisement Lamars nominations include record, song and album of the year marking the third time hes had simultaneous nominations in those big categories. Hes also nominated for pop duo/group performance, melodic rap performance, rap song and rap album. Hes also nominated twice in the rap performance category. He is due to perform in Australia next month, headlining the Spilt Milk festival, which begins in Ballarat on December 6, before heading to Perth, Canberra and the Gold Coast. Kendrick Lamar won five awards at the 2025 ceremony. Getty Images for The Recording Academy Lamar, who is riding the success of last years blockbuster GNX album, has 22 Grammy career wins and 66 nominations. GNX is his fifth consecutive studio album to be nominated for album of the year, something no other artist has ever done. If it wins, it will be his first win in the category. And it will be only the third rap album to win the top prize, following OutKast in 2004 for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below and Lauryn Hill in 1999 for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Advertisement Lady Gaga is up for song, record and album of the year her first time receiving nominations in all three categories simultaneously. She could also score potential wins in the pop solo performance, pop vocal album, dance pop recording and traditional pop vocal album categories. Lady Gaga at the MTV Video Music Awards in September. AP Antonoff is nominated in the record, album and song of the year categories twice, for his work with Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter. Hes also nominated for rap song for the first time, for TV Off with Lamar, featuring Lefty Gunplay. Antonoff and Cirkut are this years leading producers. However, Antonoff will not face off with Cirkut in the producer of the year, non-classical category though hes won it three times before. Cirkut is up for both record and song of the year twice for Lady Gagas Abracadabra and Rose and Bruno Mars Apt as well as album of the year and best dance pop recording. Advertisement In addition to Lady Gagas Mayhem and Lamars GNX, the album of the year category is rounded out by Carpenters Mans Best Friend, Bad Bunnys Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, Justin Biebers Swag, Clipse, Pusha T & Malices Let God Sort Em Out, Leon Thomas Mutt, and Tyler, the Creators Chromakopia. Bad Bunny, seen performing in Puerto Rico in September 20, received six nominations. Getty Images This is the first time three albums have been up for both rap album and album of the year: GNX, Let God Sort Em Out and Chromakopia. Bad Bunnys Debi Tirar Mas Fotos is only the second all-Spanish language album to be nominated for the top prize. The first was also a Bad Bunny release Un Verano Sin Ti in 2023. Harry Styles Harrys House won that year. Carpenter, Bad Bunny, Leon Thomas and Serban Ghenea all boast six nominations. Andrew Watt, Clipse, Doechii, Sounwave, SZA, Turnstile and Tyler, the Creator have five each. Advertisement There were also some significant snubs. Despite earning major chart success, musicians including Lorde, Gracie Abrams and Megan Moroney did not receive any nominations. Also overlooked was The Weeknd, who released his sixth studio album Hurry Up Tomorrow, which was a critical and commercial success, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also topped charts in 16 other countries. Perhaps the biggest surprise was Taylor Swifts name missing from the list of nominees. But The Life of a Showgirl was released in October - too late to be in the running. Only recordings commercially released in the United States between August 31, 2024, and August 30, 2025, were eligible for nominations. The final round of Grammy voting, which determines its winners, will take place from December 12 until January 5. In the best new artist category, global girl group Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marias, Addison Rae, Sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young will all go head-to-head. The record of the year category is made up of Bad Bunnys Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, Carpenters Manchild, Doechiis Anxiety, Billie Eilishs Wildflower, Lady Gagas Abracadabra, Lamar and SZAs Luther, Chappell Roans The Subway and Rose and Bruno Mars Apt. Some may be surprised to see Eilish included in the bunch as Wildflower was released on her 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft, ahead of the eligibility window. However, there is a Recording Academy rule that allows albums released during the previous ceremonys eligibility period to be considered, provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy, with a few exceptions. By that rule, Eilishs Wildflower which was not previously entered is eligible. Advertisement Timothee Chalamet, as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, is up for best compilation soundtrack for visual media. Song of the year an award for a tracks songwriters, which sometimes include the performer but not always is made up of an almost identical list to record of the year, except Roan is replaced by Golden from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. Related Article Music festivals Kendrick Lamar headed to Australia for Spilt Milk festival The Grammy Awards are our opportunity to honour the people who make this community so vibrant and this years nominees remind us of the incredible talent that is driving music forward, said Recording Academy chief executive Harvey Mason Jr in a statement. From emerging talent to influential icons, these nominees reflect todays broad and diverse musical landscape and I am excited to celebrate them in the coming weeks ahead. Advertisement There are a number of first-time nominees as well this year, including Tate McRae, Zara Larsson, PinkPantheress, JID and Timothee Chalamet. Yes, you read that correctly: the actor is up for best compilation soundtrack for visual media for A Complete Unknown, for his work covering the great Bob Dylan. But competition is stiff: hell have to beat out Wicked, KPop Demon Hunters, Sinners and F1: The Album. The 2026 Grammy Awards will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 1. With AP Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday. Advertisement Eating outFood Find one of 2025s best new bars hidden in an Edward Street basement From the brains behind Frogs Hollow and Alice comes another distinctive CBD boozer. Matt Shea November 7, 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 Rituals and execution. Peter Hollands will talk in detail about it. Rituals that people can engage with, he says. So things like the beer crates: when one runs out and we fill a new one, were going to carry it around the room and offer people more beers. Or the citrus press to make our own citrus water. Shaman opened this week beneath the old Metro Arts building in the CBD. Markus Ravik These are the rituals at Shaman, Hollands long-awaited bar slotted beneath the old Metro Arts building at 109 Edward Street. But, he says, theyre not meant to be burdensome. Hollands already has a knack for this with other bars he co-owns. At Frogs Hollow Saloon on Charlotte Street, its honky-tonk. At Alice, just off Elizabeth, its 80s rock and pop culture. At the Alliance in Spring Hill, its Queensland cultural throwbacks. At all of them, though, its never overbearing or constrictive. Advertisement Related Article After three decades, an inner-west institution is reborn Theres nothing to make your experience more onerous, he says. The themes dont get in the way of just coming in and having a drink. If you want to engage, you can. And then the theme can be really unique because its not forcing anyone into a pigeonhole. The theme at Shaman is rum and tequila theres about 150 of them combined on the back bar with a little bit of Carlos Santana thrown in for good measure. Hollands was intending to open the bar in late July but approvals pushed the process back and meant he wound up doing much of the build himself. Shaman comes from the brains behind Frogs Hollow and Alice. Markus Ravik Advertisement Ive burned myself out but I got the result I wanted, he says. Its exactly what I envisioned. The bar occupies a basement space beneath the heritage-listed building. You enter down the old carriageway on the left of the building before descending downstairs and entering through a heavy timber door. You enter Shaman via the old carriageway on the left of 109 Edward Street. Markus Ravik Inside, the buildings heavy original timber beams frame an intimate space with a semi-octagonal bar on one side of the venue and matching low-set octagonal tables on the other. Sealed original archways feature a variety of framed photography, the space lit by vintage petal lights (theres also a framed, signed copy of Santanas album Abraxas, which kicked off the original idea for the bar). It takes a moment to realise its a deceptively simple fit-out, the detail in the precisely set lighting and Santana-esque (in the broadest possible sense) music selection. Advertisement For drinks, Shaman focuses on rum and tequila. Markus Ravik Your eyes tend to be drawn the bar, where seasoned vets Tim Pope (ex-Par Bar in Melbourne) and Ed Quatermass (Maker, Death & Taxes et al) are in charge of a tight drinks list that features three house-takes on the staples a daiquiri, a margarita prepped with house-made triple sec, and an old-fashioned; a rotating list of old-school, more obscure classics; and a third section thats designed to celebrate forgotten retro gems (a bracing pina colada currently features). Theres a short list of mostly South American wines, and just one beer, Estrella, bottles of which sit iced up behind the bar in the afore mentioned crates. Shaman joins high-profile neighbours such as Exhibition and Dr Gimlette at 109 Edward Street. Markus Ravik Drinks are served either over the bar or at the table its your choice. Advertisement Theres no structure that forces anyone to do anything they dont want to do, Hollands says. Theres no [venue] police telling you, you need to be seated. We have table service, but well just come over if you havent already approached the bar. The vibe, the vision the look, the feel we have to maintain. Thats the brand. But our offering we can be dynamic. Were always ready to try to be flexible and give people what they want. Open daily 3pm-12am 109 Edward Street, Brisbane instagram.com/shamanbne Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share License this article More: Food For subscribers Matt Shea is Food and Culture Editor at Brisbane Times. He is a former editor and editor-at-large at Broadsheet Brisbane, and has written for Escape, Qantas Magazine, the Guardian, Jetstar Magazine and SilverKris, among many others. Humans have a history of subjecting dogs to pain and indignity. We chain them up and interbreed them. We tie bows around their necks and teach them stupid tricks. But its difficult to imagine a fate more surreal and sad than that endured by Laika, a little Russian mongrel who was shot into orbit on November 3, 1957, becoming the first dog in space. Canine cosmonaut Laika rests comfortably inside the Soviet satellite Sputnik 2 before being blasted into orbit in 1957. BETTMANN ARCHIVE It was 10 years into the Cold War, and the Soviet Union had scored a coup with the launch, in October 1957, of Sputnik 1, the first satellite to enter orbit. Sputniks success triggered an existential crisis in the West, which regarded Soviet ascendancy as a foretaste of atomic doom. Hoping to press the advantage, then-Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered his scientists to send up another Sputnik, and gave his engineers just one month to do it. Keen to test the effects of space on a living creature, the Soviets decided to load the satellite Sputnik 2 with a canine cosmonaut. The catch? The ship wouldnt be capable of sustaining life for long or re-entering the atmosphere without burning up. The pooch would be on a one-way trip. A team of recruiters began by collecting Moscow street dogs, which were thought to be strong and resilient. One dog stood out. They initially called her Kudryavka (Russian for Little Curly), but renamed her Laika (Barker) after a particularly vocal turn on state radio. Laika was small just five kilograms with inquiring eyes and a placid temperament. Vladimir Yazdovsky, the missions lead physician, described her as quiet and charming. In case she couldnt perform, Laika had an understudy, another mutt named Albina. Im not just going to stand here and scream and yell and say, The worlds unfair, Sussan Ley says of lifes challenges. My approach has always been, OK, so whats next? After the Liberal Partys worst ever election result, Sussan Ley took on the hardest job in politics as party leader. Six months on, shes struggling, not only with policy and personality divisions, but with what on earth the party stands for in 2025. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share This story is part of the November 8 edition of Good Weekend. See all stories . On the day Sussan Ley was elected Liberal Party leader, her friend Judy Brewer sent her a text. Ley had impressed Brewer since the moment she walked into her economics class at La Trobe University in Wodonga in around 1991, aged 30, a baby in a basket beside her. I dont think I ever had another student who brought a baby to class, and I thought, Wow, good on you. Brewer went on to marry the late Tim Fischer, the former National Party leader who held the enormous NSW federal rural seat of Farrer before retiring in 2001. And it was in that year that Ley, by then a married farmer with three children, won the seat from the Nationals by a couple of hundred votes, astonishing everyone, including her own party. When Ley became leader, Brewer wanted her to know how proud she was of her, sending her a text to the effect of: This is in itself a wonderful thing. Even if its as far as it goes, it will be a huge achievement. As far as it goes. Leys election as the first female leader of a party forged in 1944 by Robert Menzies shouldnt be a big deal in 2025, but because the party is so male-dominated, it is. Of the 34 parliamentarians representing the party and the associated Queensland Liberal National Party in the lower house, just seven are women. Some Liberals have struggled to get used to a female leader, particularly a feminist with an empathetic persona. Shes no Iron Lady Maggie Thatcher (thank goodness, say some; what a pity, say others). The truth is the Liberal Party is very conservative and no one has ever imagined what our first female leader would look like, says NSW MP Alex Hawke, Leys key factional supporter. Was she, 10 years ago, considered as a leader? No, but only because there was no woman being [seriously] considered. To take the helm after the worst defeat in the partys history rejected by just about every demographic, bar male Boomers and those who own their home outright, and riven by irreconcilable differences, as one Liberal put it has a streak of the crazy-brave. There was no honeymoon for Ley, forced to patch up the Coalition after the Nationals threatened a split just days after the election and at a time when her mother, Angela, was dying. Sussan Ley and Ted OBrien after being elected as Liberal Party leader and deputy in May. James Brickwood In the six months since, Leys leadership has never settled. She has made some unforced, slightly odd, missteps, but mostly they have had little to do with her, and everything to do with internal brawling and a crisis of party purpose. Two ambitious shadow ministers, leadership aspirant Andrew Hastie and conservative darling Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price unconvinced by Leys conviction that the partys future must be through the sensible centre shuffled to the backbench to speak their minds. The National Party, with little interest in winning city seats the Liberals must appeal to, abandoned net zero emissions targets early this month and all the tensions within the Liberals bubbled over. With her leadership being questioned Victorian Senator Sarah Henderson claimed Ley was losing support among her colleagues she has summoned MPs back to Canberra on Wednesday to resolve the partys position on net zero by 2050. This will be pivotal for her leadership but, more importantly, for the party and its prospects as an effective opposition to a dominant government. Some contemplate whether the party could collapse, not over net zero, but because the most successful federal political party in Australian history isnt sure any more what it is, who its for. Advertisement No one in the Liberal Party should rationally want to be leader at this time, says Victorian Senator James Paterson, who did not vote for Ley in May as leader but, as shadow finance spokesman, is a member of her leadership team. She has accepted the burden and responsibility of leading us at a very difficult time, and she deserves a lot of credit for that. I dont normally feel sorry for politicians, but I watch Ley, 63, over several weeks and wonder how she does it, always showing up with a high-wattage smile, wispy blonde hair blowing in the wind, peppered with questions about tumult in her own party. Her leadership was greeted with scepticism even as it was announced. At her first press conference on May 13, it was suggested that she was a transitional leader, and was asked whether she would last the term. One hundred per cent, she said with a determined nod. I will be here in three years. I ask what drives her, and she thinks for a few seconds. I dont like the word resilience, its overused these days, she says. Persistence is what I call it. Long-time Liberal Party strategist and former adviser Tony Barry observes the self-destruction. He says Ley is doing her best to stabilise the party despite the efforts of self-harm by some in the joint party room. Six months in, its too early to judge her. The truth of it is, we crashed the station wagon into a brick wall and threw the car keys [to Ley]: There you go, baby, its all yours. Barry believes its got to the point where there has to be a fight for the heart and soul of the Liberal Party. Hes not the only one who thinks so. Ley embodies that fight for now, a fight thats not going well. Its a test of whether she will wobble in her determination to make the party electable again, especially in the cities, or whether she will be derailed by her own shortcomings and a roaring minority who look to the anti-immigration populist Nigel Farage in the UK as inspiration for a revival of right-wing politics in Australia. Labor-lite, they call her, in a world where moderate is an insult. Alex Hawke says Ley is up for it ... shes underestimated in terms of her experience and her depth and her ruthlessness as a politician. Underneath Leys personal fate are questions about what modern Australia as Ley refers to it actually is in 2025 and whether harder-right conservatism, on the march overseas, will take hold here. Its frustratingly hard to get Ley to address these questions beyond generalities. I ask her about what a tough job she has and she looks surprised. Oh, no, no, she says. Its a privilege to do. Its a privilege to be the leader of the party. We are in her electoral office in the NSW border town of Albury, just a few minutes from where she watched the huge loss on election night. If I had a conversation with the people who didnt support us and I introduced it as, What is liberalism, conservatism?, I dont think they would have the slightest interest in that, but its an intellectual conversation that is probably worth having. Leys tenure has been dogged by speculation about the leadership ambitions of others, such as West Australian MP and hypermasculine former SAS captain Andrew Hastie, although his disruptive style has annoyed many MPs. Hastie spectacularly quit the Coalition front bench to speak his mind on issues such as immigration and climate change. The less provocative Angus Taylor, who Ley narrowly defeated to become leader after the election, is a contender, as is Deputy Liberal leader Ted OBrien. Advertisement Andrew Hastie (left) and Angus Taylor speak in the House of Representatives. Alex Ellinghausen Ley is either unconcerned, or is feigning it. Differences of opinion are not differences in values, she insists. I accept theres a variety of views in my party room, and Im very relaxed about what people say privately and publicly. I am sceptical, so she offers an analogy. Youve got the Christmas lunch. Everyone comes to the big table in the backyard. Everyone has different views. Everyone disagrees vigorously and agrees furiously about a whole range of things, but you touch our family or the principles we stand for as a family and youre in trouble. Ive watched the Labor Party. They sing from the same song sheet, they stay in their lane. And that is not good for public policy or public debate. It is true that members of defeated parties often vent personal and policy frustrations, although this family barbecue is a doozy of hurling sausages and storming off. And it is also true that defeated parties can revive rather quickly and hand-wringing about existential challenges can be tiresome. One thing Ley is given credit for is having a more consultative approach than previous leader Peter Dutton in the shadow cabinet room and in developing policy. A reason for the public disagreements is that, as Paterson explains, some people feel like they were passengers in the last term or held their tongue or didnt speak up, and they regret that. There was a facade of unity because they thought they could defeat Labor after a single term, and they were wrong. Ley strides from her electoral office in Albury, on the north bank of the Murray River, towards an outdoor table for lunch. She wears a white jacket, blue button-down shirt and black jeans, the epitome of smart country casual. The only hint of quirkiness is her signature gold aeroplane earrings that remind her of her passion. How are the local shops going, I ask, struggling to keep up with her as we walk along Dean Street. Terrible, she says, adding that small businesses are closing because people havent got enough money to spend. Ley has been vegetarian at different stages of her life since her frugal teenage years, but today orders a salmon salad, and can I have a small almond flat white in a takeaway cup and can you make it extra, extra hot? After lunch, we take off to the Albury airport to see the single-engine Cessna 182 she bought last year. She tosses off her town pumps for boots I wouldnt be seen dead on an airfield with these flimsy shoes and proceeds to single-handedly push open the heavy hangar doors and drag the plane out. The 2007 four-seater is the ute of the skies, she says with pride, a workhorse she bought to help her get around her electorate, an area as large as Greece. Her two uncles were killed in World War II, which led her to read childrens adventure books about flying. That led to just amazement about the craft of the aeroplane, what it could achieve, how it was built, who invented it, and what it was like to fly, and that sort of ignited the passion. It taught her something about life, too: discipline and focus, and how to fight for what she wants qualities she needs now. Advertisement Sussan Ley with the single-engine Cessna 182 she bought last year. Gay Alcorn Ley has held the seat of Farrer for nearly 25 years, through nine elections and seven PMs, starting with John Howard. Before politics, she lived a rollicking, girls-own-adventure story, not without hardship and struggle. Shes been broke, shes been a cleaner, worn Vinnies clothes to save money for flying lessons, got up at 4am to cook breakfast for shearers, studied for degrees part-time and sat across from a bank manager threatening to close her farm. Shes had to fight for everything shes got, says NSW Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic. She hasnt grown up in the way that some people in the party room have, with opportunity and affluence. Her adventurous streak must have been inherited from her globe-trotting parents, Edgar and Angela Braybrooks, English people who loathed England. Before they met, they travelled independently to Australia in the 1950s, her father working as a crocodile hunter in the Northern Territory and her mother as a midwife on Thursday Island. Ley was born in Nigeria, and as a small child moved with her parents and brother John to Qatar, then Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, because her father was advising the sheikhs who were setting up what would become the United Arab Emirates. At the same time, he was also a British spy. Ley got a scholarship to an English boarding school before the family moved to Australia in 1974 when Ley was 13. They settled in Canberra, where Edgar worked for the Australian Federal Police. Ley says her toughness came from her mother and her focus on the future from her father. As a young woman, she was obsessed with becoming a pilot but found commercial airlines resistant to women in the front of the plane. But she still took lessons, paying for them by working part-time jobs, including as a cleaner in a department store. While she worked as an air-traffic controller in Melbourne and Sydney for a time, she was determined to fly. At one point she thought shed do crop dusting, but the crop-dusting trainers said, No, Im not going to teach you the chemicals will affect your unborn children. So she trained to be an aerial stock musterer, and it wasnt easy: lurching around in a small plane close to the ground made her airsick. She got her licence, and was offered a job on a sheep farm in Thargomindah, 1000 kilometres west of Brisbane. She packed up her 1969 Holden to drive the two days to get there. Thats how Ley frames life challenges, then and now. Im not just going to stand here and scream and yell and say, The worlds unfair, she says. My approach has always been, OK, so whats next? Lets work out a way around this. Ill show them. Ill do mustering, and Ill show them. She doesnt worry about criticism because her mother always told her that its none of your business what people think of you. Ley is determined to show them. Since the 2025 election, she has been methodical. Shes set up a conventional review of what went wrong on May 3 and a longer-term probe, headed by Queensland Senator James McGrath, for a deeper look at the existential issues we face. That will include how its state and territory divisions, with their own constitutions and power over preselections of candidates, can lift anaemic membership numbers and begin to look vaguely like the Australian population. All policies bar a couple including a commitment to raise defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP are up for review. Advertisement Then theres a short, sharp working group into energy policy, led by spokesman Dan Tehan, formed to tackle the bitter issue of whether to dump the net zero emissions target by 2050, a target then prime minister Scott Morrison signed up to in 2021. Already, Ley has rejected the Labor governments reduction target of between 62 and 70 per cent by 2035 as too costly and unachievable. For some, the 2050 target 25 years away is the defining issue of principle, a signal of whether the Liberals understand the diabolical challenge of climate change, or believe serious action and economic prosperity are incompatible. Net zero by 2050 is not arbitrary - it is the international target that climate scientists say offers the world the best chance to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. If the Liberal meeting next week resolves the policy, it will be an uneasy resolution if the party is perceived to be only half-heartedly committed to the challenge of climate change. The pressure Ley faces is not really about her. Its about what modern Australia is. Ley pitches the Liberal economic traditions of smaller government, lower taxes, lower spending, private sector-led growth and productivity, and a tightly targeted welfare system. Its an economic program, and she frames issues such as climate change and immigration as economic, not cultural, challenges. She has no problem with Welcome to Country acknowledgements. She doesnt prioritise interviews with conservative Sky presenters who champion Hastie and Price; one called her Malcolm Turnbull in a skirt (a devastating insult to the Sky audience). She turned up at the National Press Club in Canberra, a venue Dutton shunned. An alternative Liberal vision, embodied for now by Hastie, argues that the party must stand for moral and social values alongside an economic agenda. He warns of the repudiation of Christian, Western values and wrote after the assassination of American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk that the radical left are evil and will use violence to win. Lets stop pretending they act in good faith. There was a hint of Trump in that. He rejects climate alarmism, championing the advantages of coal and gas. In terms of his partys future, Hastie told the ABCs Four Corners program just after the election that theres no reason to think that we wont disappear over time if we dont get our act together. Thats how serious this challenge is for the Liberal Party. John Roskam, a party member for 37 years and unashamedly conservative, says the more thoughtful ones [in the party] are thinking, Well, you know, what is this thing called the Liberal Party? ... Regardless of whether it will or wont, maybe the party should split. James Paterson says it need not be an existential crisis, but it could be existential depending on how we respond to it. Paterson is one of the few Liberals who can speak of the partys challenges beyond platitudes. In a speech last month, he put the case that the economic and the cultural werent incompatible, but essential to the partys success. Labor would win any spending war, and without cultural issues of identity, such as the importance of the flag and national unity, we would be left with a soulless, hollow party which spoke to only the narrowest material aspirations of Australians. Marginal voices arguing that the party should split must remain marginal, Paterson says. Nigel Farages approach in the UK was not suitable as a model because, crucially, Australia has compulsory voting, which means the Liberals must appeal to swinging voters, not just the base. It was time, Paterson said, to call time on the apology tour and get on with it. To date, Ley has not made such a defining speech, and the party is not getting on with it. Advertisement Advertisement NationalQueenslandRadio Duo revealed as new hosts for 4BC Breakfast November 7, 2025 10:26am 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 Dean Miller and Sofie Formica have been announced as the new hosts of 4BC Breakfast in 2026, replacing Peter Fegan, who helmed his last show three weeks ago. The duo will present the show on the talk radio station, which, like this masthead, is owned by Nine Entertainment, from January 19. Miller was previously a breakfast host at Triple M, and has appeared on lifestyle TV shows such as Creek to Coast, Queensland Weekender, and The Great South East. The new hosts of 4BC Breakfast, Dean Miller and Sofie Formica. 4BC There is yet to be an announcement on who will host the Mornings program next year a seat left vacant by the departure of Bill McDonald in September or Afternoons, where Formica had been host for the past four years. Advertisement Fegan anchored the 5.30am-9am show for a year, taking over after Laurel Edwards, Gary Clare and Mark Hine left in late 2024. Related Article Radio Not Kyle and Jackie O: Radio hosts address rumours as Robin Bailey takes swipe at network after axing In a media release, 4BC station manager Siobhain McDonnell said she wanted listeners to start the day with the latest news, the best conversation, and a smile on their face. Their 20-year friendship is infectious, and its time for Brisbane to be invited in, she said. Sharing the news on this mornings program, Formica said she would be sad to leave Afternoons, and acknowledged listeners had seen many changes to line-ups in recent years. Advertisement Other than Salty [Peter Psaltis from Wide World of Sports], Im the longest serving announcer, she said. But she said she was looking forward to the new challenge of a two-person breakfast show. This is a long friendship that is now going to turn into a friendship were wanting to share with our 4BC listeners and this city, she said. We love this place ... [but] we dont shy away from some of the challenges and the complexity of moving forward. Im so looking forward to sharing breakfast time with the listeners who really want some joy in their morning, as well as some reality. The move comes after the show dipped in the latest ratings, with the audience share down to 3.6 per cent from 4.1 per cent. The stations overall share rose slightly to 5.3 per cent, from its previous 4.8 per cent. Advertisement This is the time of year when radio stations reveal their line-ups for the new year, before their usual hosts take breaks over summer. Last week, it was announced that comedian and writer Craig Low, known professionally as Lowie, would take over KIIS97.3s breakfast show after the shock axing of Robin Bailey, Kip Wightman and former Broncos star Corey Oates. Nova106.9s morning offering with Ash, Luttsy & Nikki Osborne is Brisbanes most listened-to breakfast radio show, with an overall audience share of 13.4 per cent. It is followed by Stav, Abby & Matt on B105 (12.7 per cent), Marto, Margaux & Dan on Triple M (12.6 per cent) and Loretta Ryan and Craig Zonca on ABC local radio (10.1 per cent). Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Remove items from your saved list to add more. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Police have warned the community against taking the law into their own hands after a 31-year-old man was arrested and charged over allegedly sending sexualised messages to teenage boys. While the nature of how the community got involved was unclear, police issued a warning to strongly discourage the behaviour. The Riverton man was arrested on Thursday. Getty Images/File photo WA Police appreciates community assistance in reporting alleged criminal activity and information from the public is instrumental in identifying and disrupting criminal offences, but it must be done safely and lawfully, a police statement read. WA Police strongly discourage the community from taking the law into their own hands or engaging in any behaviour that could put them at risk. Advertisement PoliticsFederalLiberal Party Opinion Liberals zero-sum game reaches terminal velocity Nick Bryant Journalist and author November 8, 2025 4:00am November 8, 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 534 View all comments As I tap out the words net zero by 2050, I can almost hear you clicking on the travel section for escapism or a Sudoku puzzle in which to bury your head. The question of whether the Liberal Party should dump its commitment to reach this emissions target, under intense duress from the Nationals, is the latest instalment of an argument without end, an ideological struggle over climate action that feels like a ceaseless fight. The temptation is to tread the dark path of cliche by saying we have seen this movie before, multiple times. But this feels more like pulling from the shelf a tattered VHS box set of vintage daytime Aussie soaps that first aired when televisions came in wooden casings. Illustration by Dionne Gain What makes this required viewing, at a time when Labor enjoys such a commanding majority and regaining power looks for the Coalition like a six-year rather than three-year project, is not so much the policy as the posturing and positioning. For the Liberals, the question of whether they should be dictated to by the National Party is secondary. Whether Sussan Ley can survive Canberras ritualistic pre-Christmas killing season is not the primary concern. Uppermost is the more existential question of whether the Liberals should remain a party of the centre-right or lurch to the populist right. The net zero emissions target has become the most emblematic issue: the defining marker of political identity. That is what this saga is truly about. Advertisement There is a political rationale for moving rightwards. In the latest Newspoll survey, the Coalition slumped to just 24 per cent, its worst ever poll. That suggests Leys moderate conservatism has limited appeal although so far, she has put little flesh on the bones of her political philosophy and she is more probably being judged on her tactical stumbles, such as calling for the sacking of Kevin Rudd. There has also been a surge towards One Nation, which has now reached 15 per cent in two separate polls, which is above its previous peak of 13 per cent in 1998. Related Article Exclusive Political leadership Hanson attacks Coalition at Trumps Mar-a-Lago as she closes on Ley in polls Beyond these shores, nationalistic populism, often with racist overtones, looks to be on an unstoppable march. In Germany, the far-right Alternative For Germany party has for the first time overtaken the moderate Christian Democrats. National Rally is ahead in France. In Britain, Reform UK is leading the polls, and trouncing the Conservative Party under a black female leader, Kemi Badenoch. Then, of course, there is Donald Trump, who a year ago this week became the first Republican since 2004 to win the nationwide popular vote, railing against wokeism, diversity, equity and inclusion, an immigrant invasion and the hoax of global warming. This week, Pauline Hanson ventriloquised that exact word, hoax, when she delivered a fiery speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, held in the gilded ballroom of Trumps Mar-a-Lago. Trump has fans Down Under, foremost among them Gina Rinehart. The billionaire Liberal donor was also a guest, like Hanson, at the Mar-a-Lago Halloween Party, and wants the Liberals to go MAGA. Dont you just love the saying drill baby drill?, the mining magnate said during a speech at National Mining and Related Industries Day in November last year. Tellingly, she also assailed LINOs (Liberals in Name Only), a reworking of the RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) mocked by Trump. Advertisement Climate weaklings is what the conservative lobby group Advance has taken to calling Liberals who support the net zero target. Angel power is how Barnaby Joyce now describes solar and wind energy. Related Article Political leadership Incumbent, scholar, new challenger or dark horse: Who could be leading the Liberals in 2028? Right-wingers who believe populism offers a quick route back to power could even point to how voting allegiances have become more fluid in recent election cycles, which means mammoth parliamentary majorities offer no guarantee of re-election. Just look at Anthony Albaneses mate, Keir Starmer. After winning a landslide victory as recently as 2024, his unpopular Labour government is languishing way behind Reform UK in the polls. With eyes affixed on the US and Europe, it is easy to be seduced by whats being called the Great Realignment of conservative parties. The problem with Great Realignment thinking is that it ignores the political contours of the great southern land: the electoral system, electoral geography, electoral demographics and recent electoral history. Put more bluntly, it defies Australian electoral reality and wilfully disregards the outcome of a federal election held only six months ago. Under the hard-right leadership of Peter Dutton, the Liberal Party slumped to its worst defeat in 80 years. The Liberals suffered a near wipeout in the cities, winning just nine out of the 88 seats classified as metropolitan. The Coalition garnered less than a third of the female vote. Liberal support among younger voters, the generations most energised by climate change, has cratered. Advertisement The Nationals, in such an urbanised electorate, are never going to offset losses in the cities. These include once-safe blue-ribbon Liberal seats won by teals and independents, which are populated by voters who drive Teslas but detest Elon Musks noxious populist emissions. It is a measure of the challenge facing the Liberals that seats once held by Robert Menzies, John Howard, Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull are all in the hands either of independents or Labor. As for the Trump playbook, which defied political orthodoxy partly by boosting turnout among Americans alienated by conventional party politics, it is not so impactful in a polity with compulsory voting. Here, it feels more like fantasy politics. Magical thinking. The Australian system rewards parties of the mainstream, and net zero by 2050 has mainstream support. The same poll that showed the worst ever result for the Liberals also indicated a 44-27 per cent margin in favour of net zero by 2050. Even among the dwindling band of Coalition supporters, 38 per cent were in favour (35 per cent were opposed). The wretched climate wars are the key to understanding the chronic stand-stillism that has beset Australia in the 21st century. Ley faces a lose-lose conundrum. Because of the backlash from metropolitan voters, dumping net zero runs the risk of turning the self-styled natural party of government into the self-sabotaged natural party of prolonged opposition. Not dumping net zero, or somehow fudging it, could produce the same outcome, given the possibility of divorce with the Nationals, the potential boost for One Nation and the chaos that would ensue in her party room. No wonder we talk of the glass cliff, where women often assume leadership positions at times of crisis with no good options available. Her position seems both impossible and untenable. Mutterings from within her party room this week suggested she would survive the killing season but that she would be ousted some time in 2026. Four men Andrew Hastie, Ted OBrien, Angus Taylor and Tim Wilson are jostling to spearhead the survival mission of winning back female voters. Good luck with that. Advertisement Always it is worth recalling the self-defeating politics of climate change contributed to the demise of Howard, Turnbull (twice), Abbott and Scott Morrison, who never recovered from his handling of the 2019 bushfire emergency. Internecine disputes over environmental policy, whether it involved ratifying Kyoto or creating an emissions trading scheme, go a long way towards explaining why the reform era of the late 20th century turned into the revenge era of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd-Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison years. Related Article Updated Political leadership Were not ready yet: Leys enemies refuse to back Hendersons attack Likewise, the wretched climate wars are the key to understanding the chronic stand-stillism that has beset Australia in the 21st century. Time and again, the smallness of intra- and inter-party politics has got in the way of the country achieving big things, especially on climate action. Australia should already have become a renewables global powerhouse, and yet this endless struggle, and the uncertainty it has created for investors in clean energy, has repeatedly got in the way. The last quarter-century has been a phase of national underachievement. Here, all the parties, including the Greens, are to blame. As for the Liberals, the wrangling over net zero highlights an identity crisis that reaches back to the end of the Howard era. Turnbull was too much of an environmentalist to mould the party in his image. Abbott was too much of a climate sceptic. Morrison so often came across as a slick, sloganeering PR man, Scotty from Marketing. Duttons hardline conservatism was electorally catastrophic. Since Howard, no leader has fashioned a Liberal brand that could win the party consecutive election victories. The party isnt only contending with the implications of Trumpism. It has never truly contended with the end of Howardism. Nick Bryant, a former BBC correspondent, is author of The Rise and Fall of Australia: How a Great Nation Lost Its Way. Advertisement Analysis PoliticsFederalPolitical leadership The three gaffes that fuelled Leys nightmare fortnight James Massola and Matthew Knott Updated November 7, 2025 2:56pm ,first published November 7, 2025 2:54pm 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 164 View all comments Sussan Ley did an admirable job exuding a sense of calm as she fronted journalists outside Canberras Hyatt Hotel on Friday. It was the end of a shocking fortnight for the Liberal Party leader, but she kept a straight face as she insisted she and her colleagues were on the same page when it comes to the topic that has riven the party for two decades: climate change. What I am saying is that every one of my team is absolutely united behind the focus that we have right now, which is to hold this Labor government to account for an energy policy that is destructive of households, businesses and indeed harming the economy, she said. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley speaks to reporters outside the Hyatt Hotel, Canberra. David Beach It was a sentence that instantly raised eyebrows among the reporters in attendance. After all, the words absolutely united sound laughable when thinking about the federal Liberal Party today. Just hours earlier, one of Leys backbenchers, Victorian senator Sarah Henderson, had issued a withering assessment of the state of the party. Advertisement Ive been a member of parliament since 2013, Henderson told the press gallery on Friday morning. Its the worst Ive ever seen in our party, and Ive seen a few dramas. Moments earlier, Henderson told Sky News: I do think Sussan is losing support, but I do believe in miracles. We can turn things around, but things are not good. I dont support things the way they are. Liberal senator Sarah Henderson. Alex Ellinghausen Hendersons comments could easily have been dismissed as sour grapes, given she was demoted by Ley after the May election, and she is more conservative than her leader. But her comments were not an aberration, nor a lie. In fact, they were a statement of the obvious. The remarkable thing was simply that an MP was willing to put their name to such criticism. Its easy to forget now, but Ley started her stint as opposition leader with a fair bit of goodwill from the Australian public. Compared to Peter Duttons combative and hard-headed style, the former shearer and punk seemed like a likeable and less intimidating alternative. In August, Ley had a net positive rating of plus 9 in the Resolve Political Monitor survey; that has now sunk to minus 5, a 14 percentage point turnaround. Advertisement The last fortnight, when the opposition could have been holding the government to account, has been a nightmare for Ley, with gaffes, divisions and MPs openly discussing when, not if, she will face a challenge. Related Article Updated Political leadership Were not ready yet: Leys enemies refuse to back Hendersons attack Her problems are going nowhere. She has a divided frontbench that increasingly opposes net zero, a policy she privately supports, a miserable backbench and the Coalitions support in the opinion polls has plummeted to lower depths than it ever reached under Peter Dutton. Whatever their individual views on Ley, her MPs are returning this weekend to electorates where the voters will want to know why the opposition has become a clown show. Advertisement Photo: Matt Golding Colleagues are increasingly questioning Leys judgment and despairing at the Coalitions inability to put the government under pressure over any issue of importance. The core reason is infighting over net zero. The length of time it has taken since the May election to almost finalise a policy has frustrated her supporters as much as her internal opponents. Sussan has been incessantly advised that she has to lead the party through this, not follow, seethes one moderate MP. That advice has not been acted upon. Distrust is rampant among Liberal MPs, who are looking at each other with suspicion. A cabal around Hastie keep throwing bricks at her, one says. The question is whether its about the net zero policy or the leadership. Advertisement Feeding into the angst is a series of baffling judgment calls that have damaged Leys authority and exposed her to ridicule. Related Article Opinion Political leadership How Albanese triumphed, Trump got his deal and Ley was left with egg on her face James Massola Chief political commentator The first blow came on October 21, when Anthony Albanese held his successful-beyond-all-expectations meeting with Donald Trump at the White House. Looking for an area to attack, Ley seized upon Trumps comments to US ambassador Kevin Rudd that he didnt like him and probably never will, ignoring the fact that Trump quickly said all was forgiven. Within a day, Ley had walked back the comments as prominent Liberals, ranging from Tony Abbott to Jane Hume, backed the ambassador. Then, as MPs were strolling in for question time last Tuesday, Ley stood up and gave a 90-second statement that instantly caused parliamentarians and journalists in the chamber to ask, Did she really do that? Having fumbled the ball on Rudd, Ley returned to Albaneses DC trip by attacking him for wearing a Joy Division shirt when exiting the prime ministerial jet. Full of high dudgeon, Ley said the choice of the shirt was offensive to the Jewish community, given the bands name was a reference to Nazi concentration camps. The problem: leading Jewish groups, who are rarely shy about attacking the government, were more baffled than offended by the shirt and kept quiet, leaving Ley hanging. Aware she has to watch her right flank as a moderate, Ley had overcorrected by falling into a trap set by Sky News, which had gone into apoplexy about the Joy Division shirt the previous night. Advertisement Loading Three days later, Ley planned to hold a press conference at the troubled Tomago aluminium smelter in the NSW Hunter Valley, but was banned from doing so at the last minute. The opposition leader suggested political game-playing by the Albanese government may have been behind the decision, but this was paranoia creeping in: the government said it had nothing to do with it. Related Article Political leadership Incumbent, scholar, new challenger or dark horse: Who could be leading the Liberals in 2028? Despite all this, opponents of Ley insist that while she is vulnerable, she is not about to be challenged in the next sitting week and that, essentially, the opposition leaders internal foes believe she must be given every opportunity to fail, or perhaps even succeed. Asked about Leys prospects, one supporter in the party room says: The next four days are critical. I can tell you after Wednesday. Advertisement Ley is unlikely to be removed from the top job this year, but by backgrounding against the leader and disagreeing publicly over net zero, the conservative wing of her party is laying the groundwork for a strike early next year at a time and by a method of their choosing. By then, even if net zero is settled, Ley may prove so weakened that she is unable to fend off her ideological enemies when they are finally ready to strike. Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter. Advertisement Travel newsCruises Just 12 ships will visit Adelaide this summer. SA wants more Brian Johnston November 7, 2025 2:49pm 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 Whats not to like about South Australia? Adelaide is on the up and up. Kangaroo Island has bounced back from bushfires. Big peninsulas poke into the ocean, and wild islands and wildlife tempt the expedition-minded. Cruise passengers like it, to judge from statistics. Over the 2023-24 cruise season 208,000 passengers disembarked in South Australia, according to the South Australia Tourism Commission. The most-visited port was Adelaide with 45 ship visits. From there 27,228 shore excursions were undertaken to destinations such as Adelaide Hills, the Barossa and Clare valleys, and the Fleurieu Peninsula. Cruise ship at Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula. Duy Dash Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island saw 25 ship visits and Port Lincoln 10. A further 42 were scattered across expedition destinations such as Flinders Island, Cape Donnington on the Eyre Peninsula, American River on Kangaroo Island, and Port MacDonnell and Robe on the Limestone Coast. Advertisement Meanwhile an expedition ship returned to Victor Harbour on the Fleurieu Peninsula for the first time in 15 years. Wallaroo on the Yorke Peninsula will see a cruise ship arrive in March 2027 for the first time in seven years. And after a two-year hiatus, Coral Expeditions will also be returning with several voyages in 2027 whose short durations are designed to attract younger expedition travellers. The 2024-25 season saw another uptick. Passenger numbers rose to 241,000 and South Australia attracted 20 first-time voyages from cruise lines such as MSC and Hapag Lloyd. South Australias cruise sector has increased by an impressive 48 per cent compared with pre-pandemic levels. Yet alarm bells have been ringing, with overall ship visits expected to drop by 20 per cent in the forthcoming 2025-26 season, and big ships in particular are heading for the horizon. Adelaide by night. Advertisement Last season Adelaide was visited by 27 ships that carry over 2000 passengers each, but next season that number looks to be just 12. Among the challenges are homeport competition from Sydney and Brisbane former stalwart Princess Cruises has reduced its sailings out of Adelaide and the recent absorption of P&O Cruises into Carnival Cruise Line, which scrapped South Australian visits. Other companies are reducing ship visits, and overall cruise capacity in Australia generally is declining, with cruise lines citing onerous regulations and high port costs. An algae bloom has been killing fish along South Australias coastlines. Stefan Andrews In more bad news, an unsightly algae bloom is being experienced along South Australias coastlines, which has been killing fish and other marine creatures and deterring beachgoers. While it hasnt affected ship visits yet, it may put off anyone thinking of booking a cruise in the state. Advertisement Related Article Cruises Port guide: Kangaroo Island, South Australia But despite the gloom, nobody is declaring doom. Earlier this year the South Australian government partnered with Cruise Lines International Association to bring together cruise lines, travel agents, ports and operators in search of solutions. The plan is to develop South Australias cruise business by expanding the number and variety of cruise ships sailing into its waters, and increasing the range of itineraries they offer. More pre- and post-cruise package holidays are also being developed. Will it succeed? We can only hope so. South Australia has many attractions, vast stretches of near-unspoiled coast, and great wine and wildlife. Not a bad place to cruise. Sign up for the Traveller newsletter The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now. Advertisement WorldEuropeSocial media Denmark set to limit social media for children under 15 David Crowe November 8, 2025 4:50am 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 London: Denmark will ban social media for anyone aged under 15 after a political deal to endorse new laws follows a similar crackdown in Australia, signalling the momentum for tougher measures across Europe. The Danish government announced the change after a clash with social media giants over their impact on the health of children and teenagers, amid a broad push across Europe to restrict or ban their platforms among younger users. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has called social media a monster for mental health. AP But the deal came with a key concession for parents who might allow their children to start using the platforms from a younger age, allowing them to give their consent under specific rules from the age of 13. Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredericksen declared last month that society had unleashed a monster through the widespread use of social media among the young. Advertisement Never before have so many children and young people suffered from anxiety and depression, she said. The announcement in Copenhagen on Friday (11pm AEST) signalled support for changes that are yet to be drafted in law and put to parliament, amid questions in Europe that parallel concerns in Australia about how the rules could be enforced. Related Article Social media How would a social media ban actually work? Denmark is yet to name the companies it will target. Australia has passed a law to enforce age verification from December 10. The new regime imposes fines of up to $50 million on platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Kick, Threads, Reddit, YouTube, X and Instagram if they do not enforce the age limit. The Danish government said it had support from legislators across the political left, centre and right to enact the new regime. Advertisement Digitalisation Minister Caroline Stage Olsen said the government was finally drawing a line in the sand after allowing the rise of the social media platforms for many years. Denmark is now leading the way in Europe with a national age limit for social media and a concerted effort to strengthen the digital wellbeing of children and young people, she said. Caroline Stage Olsen, Danish Minister for Digitalization leads a press conference about a new political agreement for better protection of children and young people online. AP We are taking a necessary stand against a development where large tech platforms have had free rein in childrens rooms for far too long. Stage Olsen has previously said society had been naive in giving the tech platforms so much influence over children, and she blasted Instagram earlier this year for launching an advertising campaign to oppose mandatory age verification. Advertisement Related Article Social media Platform being pursued by federal police escapes teen social media ban Instagram, which is owned by Meta, the tech giant led by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, used the campaign in June to argue for age checks to be done in the app store rather than by the social media platforms. I must be honest here, I was furious when I saw that advertisement, Stage Olsen told Politico at the time. I wish they would have spent the money on making a technical age verification solution instead of making a campaign stating how much they care. European leaders heaped praise on the Australian approach when they met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a meeting on social media at the United Nations in New York in September. Since the announcement of Australias landmark minimum age law, Ive been watching very closely, and Ive been inspired by Australias example, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the event. Advertisement A key speaker at the event was Emma Mason, whose 15-year-old daughter Tilly took her life after being bullied by other teens on social media. Emma Mason, who lost her 15 year old daughter Tilly to suicide, addressed leaders in New York in September. Dominic Lorrimer Members of the European Parliament are preparing for a debate in November on a social media ban after an inquiry called for a minimum age of 16 in a report issued last month. The inquiry was led by Danish politician Christel Schaldemose, a Social Democrat like Frederiksen. France will be one of the next countries to debate stronger laws after a parliamentary committee declared in September that there should be a digital curfew for teenagers to keep them off social media at night. The French inquiry called for a social media ban for those under 15 and a curfew for those aged from 15 to 18. It was chaired by National Assembly member Laure Miller of the Renaissance party, which is led by French President Emmanuel Macron. Advertisement with AP 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. It took just one night for Europe to be suddenly reminded of its total exposure to airborne malice, forcing leaders to step up work on their defences. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share 47 View all comments A single night of calculated mayhem left at least 20,000 passengers in chaos when a small number of drones flew over Copenhagen airport and forced authorities to ground dozens of flights. The chaos came to Oslo airport soon afterwards, and then to smaller airfields. Within days, there were drones over military bases in Denmark and Norway. Europe was suddenly reminded of its total exposure to airborne malice. The chronic disruption in September forced national leaders to step up their work on drone defences. The European Union quickly updated its defence plans to pledge more spending on systems that could intercept drones and force them to the ground. Leaders even talked about a drone wall to stop attacks. But none of that helped Brussels Airport this week when it had to ground flights on Tuesday and Thursday after drones were seen around the runway, which it shares with the Melsbroek military air base. Nor Swedens second-largest airport, Gothenburg-Landvetter, which halted traffic on Thursday and launched a sabotage investigation. Nor Liege Airport in Belgium, which stopped flights briefly on Friday morning. Week after week, the drones keep coming and authorities are struggling to stop them. Amsterdam was targeted in September, Munich in October. The events force urgent questions about the cost and capacity of new technologies that can protect people and essential infrastructure. Some of the answers come from Australia. No civilian airport in the world, to my knowledge, has a fully deployed counter-drone system, says Oleg Vornik, the chief executive of DroneShield, a company based in Sydney that exports systems to stop drones. He knows of many projects under way, and his company is part of the work at airports and other sites, but he does not describe these systems as full defences. Not yet, at least. Another Australian company, Electro Optical Systems (EOS), is making drone defences in Canberra and exporting them at a rapid rate. Its chief executive, Andreas Schwer, is watching what happens in Europe because he expects it to keep happening. Like many others, he sees drones as an emerging hybrid threat from hostile nations. Passengers look at a departure board after cancellations and delays following the latest drone incursion, this time over Brussels Airport this week. AP Advertisement Those kind of threat scenarios are extremely hard to defeat, he says. Why? Because those kinds of drones can be launched from anywhere. In the case of Copenhagen, it looks like they were launched from a vessel close by. They fly 30 or 40 kilometres, they do the mission over a few hours, and then they can return to the vessel and nobody knows where they came from. We have to expect this to happen more frequently in the future. The timing points everyone to a natural suspect. Russian drones flew over Poland two weeks before the Copenhagen incidents, in a startling move that led NATO to scramble fighter jets to shoot them down. At least one Russian drone flew over Romania. These were military alerts directly linked to the war in Ukraine, but Western military officials do not regard them as accidental incursions. After all, three MiG fighters also flew over Estonia. The overwhelming belief is that Russia is testing Western defences. And it has help from allies: the drones that bombard Ukraine use motors and electronics made in China, based on designs from Iran, and sometimes using explosives from North Korea. There is even speculation that North Korean labourers will work at Russian factories to help increase drone production. At the same time, Chinese ships have sailed from Russia and been accused of dragging anchors in the Baltic to cut major communication cables on the sea floor, disrupting phone and internet traffic. Cyberattacks are routinely sourced to Russia, China and North Korea. The hybrid threats are increasing. The danger, in other words, is not limited to Europe. The drone arms race is global. Liberal democracies are waking up to the need to work together. This is galling for those who could see the way such cheap consumer technology small motors, propellers and frames could be exploited for such costly disruption. The really astonishing thing in all of these drone shutdowns at airports is that weve known about this problem for a decade, says Keir Giles, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House in London and a director of the Conflict Studies Research Centre. His most recent book, Who Will Defend Europe?, examines the threat from Russia. Advertisement These major European airports dont have the means to mitigate, or sometimes even detect, the drone incursions, he says. Loading Its an astonishing lapse in security, so of course there are going to be more attacks. Its not just Russia that recognises that this is a major vulnerability for Europe, where they can cause enormous amounts of disruption for very little investment. Also, youll have any number of local idiots cottoning on because they enjoy the drama. It would be wrong to say that nothing was done. Gatwick Airport, near London, grounded hundreds of flights seven years ago after drone sightings over two days, in what police called a malicious attack. Australian authorities acted soon afterwards to tighten controls at airfields. Even so, it is clear that stronger defences will be needed. A mobile radar installation deployed on the Danish coast following a string of unidentifed drone incursions in September. AP More radio frequency (RF) systems, for instance, could detect drones in and near airports and other essential services. In a white paper released last month, DroneShield and consulting firm SRI Group called this the foundational layer for defence. RF sensors can identify the presence of drones by detecting control links, telemetry transmissions, or video feeds, often providing early warning before the drone becomes visible or enters restricted airspace, they said. Advertisement The next layer of defence uses RF systems to jam a drone and force it to the ground. But these systems may not be enough, so there is a case for using radar and optical systems to detect intrusions. A no drone sign outside the perimeter of Brussels Airport after more drone activity this week. AP When it comes to taking down a drone, the equipment seems lifted from a sci-fi movie. One of the DroneShield products, called the DroneGun, looks like a handgun at one end and a chunky black tube at the other. Once hit with the radio waves, the drone should fall to the ground or return to its base. Related Article Russia-Ukraine war NATO raises alert over Russian jets. Trump says shoot them down The systems from EOS include the Slinger, which looks a little like one of the swivelling cannons from Star Wars. It can be fitted to the back of a vehicle and includes radar and a 30mm cannon to hit drones with ammunition. Another product, the Apollo, uses light waves. The company says the laser weapon can kill 20 drones a minute over a range of up to three kilometres. Hundreds of companies are now working in this field, some of them producing drones and some making the defences. The Department of Defence chose 11 Australian suppliers last year to develop uncrewed aerial systems, and some companies are enjoying surging sales and soaring share prices. DroneShield increased its sales to $92.9 million in the three months to September 30, up from $7.8 million in the same period last year. Its share price shot up at the time of the September airport disruptions and then fell back, but the stock is nonetheless five times higher than it was at the start of the year. The company is now worth $3.6 billion. Advertisement EOS recently announced an order for its Apollo laser weapons from a NATO member state, which it will not name, worth $125 million over the next three years. The companys revenue has been lumpy, partly due to corporate restructures, but its market value has climbed to $1.2 billion. Its share price has risen fivefold over the year to date. Loading The stocks are up because the entire industry is surging. There are no guarantees that the Australian companies will ride the global boom to success; anyone who remembers the tech booms of the past will know that failure comes with the territory. Will this make Australians safer? Unfortunately, nobody is promising an electronic shield that can stop every drone. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke about a drone wall in September, in a sign of the urgency around the work to build defences against Russian incursions. In the weeks since then, however, the language has changed because the European Unions defences are unlikely to be so concrete. European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius also used the drone wall phrase in October but quickly switched to a new term: the European Drone Defence Initiative, which will put billions of euros into new defences. These are meant to be operating in part by the end of next year and in full by 2030. This is much broader than protecting airports because the NATO and EU member states have to take into account direct military threats from Russia. Advertisement The 34-year-olds rapid rise has shocked the establishment as much as it has excited large parts of the Democratic base. Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Share 135 View all comments Washington: Six years ago, Zohran Mamdani was an unknown New York rapper with four Twitter followers. Even at the start of this year, four in five New Yorkers had no idea who he was, or at least had no view on him. Today, the 34-year-old is about to take the reins as the citys youngest mayor in a century, the first Muslim and only the second democratic socialist to hold the role. His rapid rise he stunned former New York governor Andrew Cuomo to win the Democratic primary in June, and commanded just over 50 per cent of the vote in a three-way race this week has shocked the establishment as much as it has excited large parts of the Democratic base. We have toppled a political dynasty, Mamdani told his raucous crowd of supporters on Tuesday night. I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life. But let tonight be the final time I utter his name. The day after his decisive victory, Mamdani had lunch with another young firebrand, the New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom many believe will challenge Senate leader Chuck Schumer for his seat and may one day seek the presidency. Meanwhile, veteran Democrat congresswoman Nancy Pelosi the first woman to serve as speaker of the US House of Representatives announced she would retire at the end of next year, another major symbol of the changing of the guard in a Washington that has largely become a gerontocracy. Loading Advertisement Mamdanis success came on a red-letter day for Democrats in elections elsewhere. Mikie Sherrill was elected governor of New Jersey by 13 points, and Abigail Spanberger was elected governor of Virginia by 15, decisive wins that have party strategists thinking big about whats possible at next years national midterm elections. Related Article World elections Zohran Mamdanis four words for Trump after historic win in New York mayoral election This was an excellent night for Democrats, says James Booth, a Washington-based Democratic strategist and pollster who also works with the Australian Labor Party. If you only read The New York Times and Twitter [now X] over the last nine months, things feel bleak. But data points that come from elections are the most important data points. We are in a 2017 ballpark world in terms of reactions against Trump and Trumpism. Democrats have been anxiously trying to work out where they sit in comparison to President Donald Trumps first term (in 2018, they won 41 House of Representatives seats at the midterms in a blue wave election). A week ago, we were kind of worried that the Democratic brand was much more tarnished now than in 2017, Booth says. This is a very important data point suggesting the Democratic electorate is out there and alive ...[and] there to be mobilised again. The question is how best to mobilise it. Does the answer lie with left-wing populist candidates such as Mamdani, whose appeal in a city like New York is clear, but who would fail to resonate in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada or North Carolina? Or does it sit with moderates such as Spanberger and Sherrill? Can both things co-exist? Advertisement The Republicans will do their best to make sure the answer is no. Trump has branded Mamdani a communist lunatic, but its not just the US president. Texas senator Ted Cruz has called the New York mayor-elect a literal, Karl Marx-quoting, America-hating jihadist. And House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson spelled out how Republicans would seek to use Mamdani to attack Democrats over the next 12 to 36 months. His brand of Marxism is truly a bellwether for the Democrats nationwide, Johnson said. We pointed out that other major metropolitan areas in the country are facing the same threat with candidates similar to Mamdani. And we are going to continue to call out their effort to mainstream and normalise socialism and Marxism in America. Working families watching this play out have a right to know that socialism and communism are not just confined to New York City. Mikie Sherrill was elected governor of New Jersey by 13 points. Bloomberg Booth, however, says the Democrats can walk both sides of the street in fact, they need to, to patch together a winning Coalition, much like Australian Labor has to manage its left and right flanks. The Democratic Party is in a moment of figuring out how to cohere a coalition that looks more like 51 per cent than 49 per cent, he says. Booth says Mamdanis campaign and the successful gubernatorial campaigns were more alike than people may realise. They focused on practical, local issues; in Mamdanis case, how to make Americas most expensive city more affordable for working people by redistributing wealth. The data appears to bear this out. According to the Searchlight Institute, a new think tank whose raison detre has been described as pushing the Democrats towards the most effective, broadly popular positions, exit polls found 51 per cent of New York City voters identified affordable prices as one of Mamdanis top issues, compared with only 24 per cent who said the same for the national Democratic Party. Advertisement The victories of Abigail Spanberger (pictured), Sherrill and Mamdani have party strategists thinking big about whats possible at next years national midterm elections. AP The Searchlight Institute said: With his relentless focus on the cost-of-living crisis, Mamdani avoided usual Democratic problems with crowding out his best issues with other lower-priority issues. That was no mean feat for Mamdani, who was dogged throughout the campaign for his previous support for defunding the police, and his criticism of Israel. The probable lesson for Democrats, if it were not already clear, is that jettisoning ideological, identity politics-rooted causes in favour of hip-pocket politics is the way to win. These are all campaigns where, in their own place and way, the candidates did not get sucked into culture war fights or put themselves in a position where we were pushing our ideological concerns on the electorate, Booth says. That is the overarching thread that makes those campaigns similar just different flavours in different places. Related Article Analysis US politics At last, a massive win for the Democrats on paper, and with several asterisks We are going to have to figure out how to do a national version of that, and with national party leadership. The big tent goes left and right. Were going to need a bigger tent than we had in 2024. In New York, Mamdani now faces great expectations. Many of his commitments tax increases on the wealthy, free childcare, free buses, a rent freeze and a big affordable housing build will require co-operation from the state government in Albany. Advertisement Democratic governor Kathy Hochul endorsed Mamdani but opposes his tax plans; she fears taxpayers at the top end of town will flee and leave middle-class residents to pick up the tab. In one of his first interviews after the win, Mamdani told The New York Times he was clear about the mandate that we won to lift taxes on the citys richest residents. The Times said the interview matched the defiant and at times boastful tone he had struck in his victory speech, which some observers found off-putting. That speech contained a direct challenge to Trump, who was watching at the White House. Turn the volume up, Mamdani urged him, pledging to take on the billionaire president, even though Trump had threatened to choke federal funding for New York if it elected the communist mayor. Related Article World elections Who is Zohran Mamdani, the cricket-playing former rapper that just became New Yorks next mayor? And yet, Trump also seemed to mellow a fraction in the face of Mamdanis overwhelming win. Well help him, well help him we want New York to be successful, Trump told the America Business Forum in Miami. Well help him a little bit, maybe. Booth says this weeks elections ought to be a wake-up call for the president, who has been focused on trade deals, ending foreign wars and vanity projects such as the White House ballroom. Hes projecting a disinterest in the practical challenges facing voters in their daily lives, and has been captured by the ideological parts of Trumpism in a way that voters saw from us last year, Booth says. This is bad news for Trump. Advertisement Chilean university hosts UB architect for weeklong trip UB faculty member Kristine Stiphany discusses a new book she edited, Insurgent Urbanisms in the Americas, during a presentation last month hosted by the Escuela de Arquitectura y Disenothe (e[ad]) at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso in Santiago, Chile. There is a shared project that threads through this book: to learn from Latin Americas experiments in collective urbanism how to build resilience in cities across the Americas. Kristine Stiphany, director of the Design with Resilient Environments Lab in the School of Architecture and Planning and assistant professor in the Department of Architecture, was invited to Chile in October to give a presentation on a new book she edited titled Insurgent Urbanisms in the Americas (Routledge). Insurgent Urbanisms in the Americas, co-edited by Stiphany and Edna Ely Ledesma of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, brings together 22 scholars and practitioners from across the Americas to explore how urban insurgencies reshape cities and challenge dominant paradigms. Crossing the disciplines of architecture, urbanism, sociology, public policy and geography, the volume offers a transgeographic perspective on alternative spatial practices that are redefining the future of urban life. There is a shared project that threads through this book: to learn from Latin Americas experiments in collective urbanism how to build resilience in cities across the Americas, Stiphany said. The Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso (PUCV) invited Stiphany to present at an event on Oct. 17 hosted by the Escuela de Arquitectura y Diseno (e[ad]) in Santiago. The event united academics and members of the public in reflections on the relationship between cities, housing and landscapes, bringing together Chilean and international perspectives on the spatial and social challenges of contemporary urban transformation. Stiphany presented with Adriana Marin Toro, associate professor at PUCV, and Francisca Bogolasky, assistant professor at the University of Chile. This book looks at old problems through new contexts of design action, reminding us of what we might yet transform together, Juan Carlos Jeldes, director of the architecture masters program at PUCV, said in opening the book launch event. During the presentation, the three scholars shared reflections on the many forms of localized urbanisms emerging across the Americas, exploring how communities through their own practices and resistances transform territory and propose new ways of inhabiting it. Dr. Stiphany develops the concept of an architecture of rent, a notion that has been key to strengthening the interdisciplinary perspective through which we approach this line of research, Toro said, adding that Stiphanys work has particular importance for research in the region. Her framework has allowed us to articulate reflections from both architecture and sociology, expanding the conceptual and methodological lens with which we analyze contemporary transformations of rental housing in Chile and Latin America. At the close of the event, the panelists held an open conversation with attendees, generating a rich exchange around the contemporary challenges of architecture, design and urban management in Latin America. While in Chile, Stiphany engaged in academic exchanges with students and faculty at both the Universidad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso, including PUCVs Escuela Abierta campus. She served as a visiting critic for thesis reviews in the Engagement, Investigation, and Livability seminar, where students presented projects on urban verticalization at the rural-urban divide, agricultural commons as urbanism, and territorial and housing transformations. She also reviewed research led by Bogolasky and Toro in her primary areas of expertise housing informality, rental markets and urban redevelopment across several research groups. Stiphanys weeklong trip, hosted by PUCV, reinforced the shared commitment of UBs School of Architecture and Planning and the Escuela de Arquitectura y Diseno (e[ad]) at PUCV to critical reflection on the role of design in cities, while promoting academic exchanges that link research, teaching and creative practice around pressing urban issues. November 7, 2025: The quantity and qualities of people in East Asia are changing. The populations of China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Russia are aging and shrinking, while India, the Philippines, Vietnam and Australia continue to grow. Russia has a population of 144 million which is stagnant or declining. Currently Russia is losing population loss because of its war in Ukraine where the fighting has left at least a million Russians dead, disabled or missing plus another million or more military age men fleeing the country to avoid getting mobilized into the army and killed in Ukraine. The Russia birth rate is also declining because of the economic impact of the war. Economic sanctions imposed by NATO countries, which represent half the global GDP of $111 trillion, cuts Russia off from its usual source of imports. Russian oil sales to NATO countries are now being included in the sanctions. Russia can sell that oil elsewhere, but at a lower price. All these problems together mean the Russian birth rate has fallen to 1.4 children. It has to be 2.1 for the population size to be stable. The current birth rate is the lowest in 200 years and liable to get worse the longer Russians are fighting, dying or deserting in Ukraine. China has an official population of 1.42 billion and an actual population of 800 million or less. The Chinese government went to great lengths to conceal the negative population impact of the one-child policy and covid19. But reports from tourists or commercial travelers indicated there were far fewer Chinese than the government claimed. Satellite photos showed fewer lights where major cities were and many lights for smaller towns were now absent. Unless living in the dark at night became a new Chinese custom, the lower population estimates are apparently accurate. Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea have declining populations because of prosperity and comfortable living conditions. Worldwide, industrialized countries face lower birth rates because of this. The Japanese birth rate is 1.15, Taiwans .89, South Koreas is .75. Other industrialized countries are experiencing similar birth rates. In Italy its 1.18, Germany is 1.62. The United States is no exception with a birth rate of 1.58. India has a population of 1.46 billion. Thats nearly 18 percent of the world population. That is changing as India's birth rate of 1.9 is also below the 2.1 replacement rate. The Philippines birth rate is also 1.9. In Vietnam its 1.4, and Australia 1.8. There are nations with high birth rates. Most are in Africa, which has an overall birth rate of 3.1. Worldwide the rate is 1.75. This will have an impact on economies, military capabilities and relationships with major trading and military partners. Two nations matter the most when it comes to trade. The United States had total exports and imports valued at $5.2 trillion. China did $6.1 trillion in trade. The importance of trade to the Chinese, who now have a declining middle class, is critical. Disrupt economic stability and you have chaos and maybe even another civil war. China builds most of the worlds commercial shipping and it has the worlds largest navy, at least in terms of ship numbers. The United States still has a larger fleet in terms of total tonnage, 11 aircraft carriers and over a century of experience. China may threaten war, but to actually start one would be a political and economic catastrophe for China. Peace through prosperity is more than a catchy slogan. November 7, 2025: Singapore, an island city-state in southeast Asia, is responsible for security of the 223 kilometers long and 19 kilometers wide Singapore Strait that connects the Strait of Malacca and the South China Sea. Over a thousand ships a day traverse this seaway. To help with that, Singapore recently launched Victory, the first of six locally built, 8,000 ton Victory-class Multi-Role Combat Vessel/MRCV warships. These ships are armed with 32 Vertical Launch Cells/VLS containing Aster and Mica VL surface to air missiles, a 76mm gun and two remotely controlled 30mm autocannon. The helicopter deck and hangar contain a Seahawk manned helicopter and two smaller unmanned helicopter drones. Electronics include a sea/air search radar and a hull mounted sonar. Anti-submarines weapons will consist of lightweight torpedoes launched from the helicopter and/or from several of the VLS cells. Victory will enter service by 2028 after being equipped with all its weapons and machinery. These items have to be tested after installation and then the ship takes a shakedown cruise to discover any other problems. After that the Victory enters service with the Singapore Navy. The other five Victory class ships will enter service by the mid-2030s. Currently the navy consists of six submarines, four LPD amphibious ships, six frigates, 12 patrol vessels, four mine sweeper ships, eight semi-submersible stealth boats and about a dozen combatant craft. There are also a growing number of unmanned drone vessels. Singapore is a 736 square kilometer island with a population of six million and a GDP of $565 billion. That comes out of about $94,000 per capita, the fourth highest in the world. The military consists of 51,000 active duty personnel and 252,000 reservists. Israel helped Singapore establish its armed forces and supplied personnel to help train personnel. Israel continues to sell weapons to Singapore. Until recently coastal security consisted of shore based sensors and offshore patrol ships. Earlier this year Singapore added some Maritime Security Unmanned Surface Vessels or MARSEC naval drones. These 30-ton drones are 16.9 meters long and 5.2 meters wide. Top speed is nearly 50 kilometers an hour and endurance is up to 40 hours at sea. A two man team ashore or in a nearby vessel controls the MARSEC drones. They are equipped to identify a ship by reading its mandatory transponder and track its movement through Singapore-controlled waters. The drones electronics handles avoiding obstacles. Additional equipment includes a strobe light, siren, an LRAD/Long Range Acoustics Device for interrogating people on small boats that lack a radio, and a 12.7mm machine-gun that includes a non-lethal laser dazzler to temporarily blind suspicious subjects. MARSEC has been successful at increasing security at a lower cost and using less manpower. MARSEC is not the first such drone. For years America and China have been competing to develop more drones similar to MARSEC. So far China has produced the Zhu Hai Yun, a 2,000-ton ship that carries up to fifty drone submarines, surface and airborne vehicles. Zhu Hai Yun is operated remotely to get it out to the high seas, where the ship operates autonomously to carry out a variety of missions it is capable of. China is depending on its Artificial Intelligence/AI software to effectively carry out its mission and then signal that it is returning. The U.S. Navy has similar but smaller 145-ton unmanned surface ships that do not carry and operate other drones, but can stay at sea for up to sixty days carrying out Anti-Submarine Warfare/ASW missions. The navy has also developed larger autonomous cargo ships to move supplies long distances. Smaller armed and unarmed autonomous vessels have been in service for decades to patrol ports and coastal areas. China believes it has a lead in AI control software and the Zhu Hai Yun is an effort to test that. The Americans are depending on less ambitious technologies that have produced impressive results so far, and a new Orca autonomous submarine takes those proven concepts further than ever before. A month before China presented the Zhu Hai Yun, the Americans received the first of 24 Orca 80-ton Extra-Large drone/XLUUV drones that can carry and deploy a variety of naval mines and evade enemy detection due to their small size. Orca was the U.S. Navy solution to the difficulties with deploying offensive mobile naval mines and a robotic submarine in enemy controlled waters, like the South China Sea. Orca could even operate as an offensive weapon against Chinese submarines seeking to block access to the South China Sea and Taiwan. China is considered the major submarine threat in the Pacific and the South China Sea is seen as a major future battleground. Currently China has about 55 diesel-electric subs of recent design in service versus 42 operated by Japan and South Korea, each with 21. Malaysia and Indonesia each have two and Australia has six. The United States has about 30 nuclear attack subs in the Pacific. The anti-China coalition also has a large array of surface and aerial ASW forces. To even the odds China has built a network of underwater sensors in the South China Sea that is complemented by ASW aircraft and surface ships. South Korea and Japan have similar technology monitoring their coastal waters. The only nation capable of blocking Chinese subs from moving out of the South China Sea is the United States, which has underwater sensors and a large fleet of ASW aircraft. The problem is defeating the Chinese diesel-electric submarine force. China has been trying to build effective SSNs for decades and that is still a work-in-progress. Chinese non-nuclear subs are another matter and they have become world-class. The U.S. Navy believes robotic subs carrying mobile mines would be an effective new ASW asset because the U.S. is already developing some of the new ASW technology needed for this. This includes underwater drones and mobile mines. Over a decade ago the navy adopted civilian underwater drones used for monitoring the oceans, and has been using them to do that as well as collect data useful for wartime submarine operations. With a growing number of civilian and military customers, American drone developers and manufacturers have been coming up with new ocean research drones that also have military applications. The latest example of this is the new class of XLUUV with the ability to go deeper, carry a cargo bay for other research gear to be stored and deployed from, and operate autonomously for up to six months. The first of these XLUUV was the Echo Voyager, which Boeing developed from a research project and had the first one ready for testing in 2016. The tests were successful and have involved more complex an d completely autonomous operations. In 2019 the navy ordered four militarized Orca versions of the Echo Voyager for $11 million each. Both models are diesel-electric powered autonomous subs that are 16 meters long with a payload compartment 9.1 meters long and 2.6 meters in diameter which is located within the subs pressure hull. Propulsion is by battery powered electric motors with diesel generators to recharge the batteries when on or near the surface. This XLUUV has no topside sail and can stay underwater for days at a time because there is no crew on board. While submerged these drones can move at 14 kilometers an hour and have sufficient generator fuel to travel 10,500 kilometers. The main difference between Echo Voyager and Orca is that Echo Voyager is built to dive to extreme 3,400 meter depths. Endurance is over 60 days. Orca does without that but adds additional passive sensors and signal processing computers to detect other submarines or surface ships. There is also an underwater communications system for arming the dozen Hammerhead mobile mines Orca is designed to carry and place on the ocean floor in areas like the South China Sea. These Hammerhead bottom mines carry a Mk 54 lightweight torpedo, which is normally carried by ASW helicopters and aircraft. Mk 54 has a range of ten kilometers and a guidance system that is regularly updated. Hammerhead is being used in a similar fashion to a larger version of this used during the Cold War that deployed a larger Mk 48 torpedo. Hammerhead is an encapsulated system equipped with passive sensors to detect and identify submarines and surface ships and attack specific types of targets, like diesel-electric subs larger than Orca. 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 By Bairbre Holmes, Cillian Sherlock and Grainne Ni Aodha, PA Mourners at Sister Stans funeral have heard how a truly great soul has passed from this world. In his homily Father Richard Hendrick told the congregation the charity and social justice organisations she founded will remain as a testimony to the legacy of this powerhouse of good who swept into so many lives. The Capuchin Franciscan friar and author, known as Brother Richard, led the service at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dublin on Friday. He described how the funeral mass was filled with real loss and grief but also filled with the hope that burned in the heart of Sister Stan her whole life. He also said Ireland has been blessed by women who have heard the gospel as the Good News to the poor that it truly is adding Sister Stan followed in their footsteps. President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins arriving at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook in Dublin, for the funeral of Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, Photo: Conor OMearain/PA. In her welcoming remarks Sister Una of the Religious Sisters of Charity said Sister Stan had planned much of her funeral, adding she had very definite ideas about how we should celebrate her passing. She said the Focus Ireland founders purpose was to provide the best way possible for those who are needy, sick, destitute, and heart sore. She said: We know how much of that she achieved in her life, it is well documented. But none of us will ever know the countless individuals whom she quietly helped, supported, encouraged, advised and championed. Sister Una described her as a formidable woman in many ways, with high standards and expectations, and she could be as stubborn and as determined as any of us and maybe more so than most of us. There was a quiet laugh from the congregation when she added: She was not happy when she heard the word no. In a tribute from her family, her niece Deirdre said: After all those years looking out for others, this old heart has finally learned to look after itself, each act of kindness a stitch in the warm blanket that now covers you. Tanaiste Simon Harris arriving at the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook in Dublin, for the funeral of Sr Stanislaus Kennedy. Photo: Conor OMearain/PA. President Michael D Higgins, Tanaiste Simon Harris, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald and former president Mary McAleese all attended the mass in Donnybrook as did the auxiliary bishop of Dublin Father Donal Roche and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin. Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who is at the Cop30 climate conference in Brazil, was represented by an aide de camp. The funeral missal featured a quote from the founder of the Religious Sisters of Charity, of which Sister Stan was a member, which reads: Do pray that justice may be accomplished in peace and that truth may prevail. Sister Stan Kennedy. Photo: Julien Behal/PA. The offertory gifts were presented by representatives of the different organisations Sr Stan founded and including a key symbolising the Focus Housing Association and a copy of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights representing the Immigrant Council of Ireland. Stanislaus Kennedy died following a short illness at the St Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown on Monday morning. Since then, tributes have poured in for the 86-year-old social justice campaigner. Outgoing President Higgins said on Monday she was a deeply committed campaigner for the vulnerable and marginalised in our society, and a fearless advocate for human rights and equality. Telling the truth of inequality required a woman of immense courage and vision. She was that. And said she had made a profound contribution to Irish society. He also said her many books and writings provided a further source of policy, inspiration, solace and support for so many. Sister Stan, who was born as Treasa Kennedy, grew up on a farm on the Dingle Peninsula in Co Kerry. She joined the Religious Sisters of Charity in 1958 after being inspired by the work of its founder, Mary Aikenhead, at the age of 18. She was sent on a mission to Kilkenny where she spent 19 years developing the countys social services. In 1974, the government appointed her the first chairwoman of the National Committee on Pilot Schemes to Combat Poverty. She moved to Dublin where, in 1985, she founded Focus Point, now called Focus Ireland, following her research into the needs of women in homelessness in Dublin in the 1980s. The same year, she was appointed by the European Commission to co-ordinate a rural anti-poverty programme right across Europe. She also founded other entities: a meditation centre called The Sanctuary in 1998; the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) in 2001; and the Young Social Innovators (YSI) in 2021, an initiative to encourage students to be more socially engaged. High Court Reporter The family of a father-of-two who died after it was claimed his head was crushed by a meat-packing machine at a processing plant in Kildare has settled a High Court action for 700,000. Binak Cokaj, (54)an Albanian national, died after a work accident on May 14th, 2020. He had been inspecting a vacuum-packing machine while carrying out his duties as a quality control and general operative in the boning hall of Kildare Chilling Company, Old Dublin Road, Curraghfarm, Co Kildare. Mr Cokaj's wife, Shkurte Cokaj, Julianstown, Co Meath had sued Kildare Chilling Company, Momentum Capital Projects Ltd - an employment agency with an address at Unit 4B, ClaneBusiness Park, College Road, Clane, Co Kildare - and Sealed Air Limited, Cromwell Road, St Neots, Cambridgeshire, UK, who supplied the machine over her husband's death. In court papers, it was submitted that Mr Cokaj was inspecting and cleaning the machine on May 14th, 2020, when it "crushed" his head as a result of which he suffered fatal injury. As a result of the incident, it was claimed the deceased suffered "multiple skull fractures and extensive parenchymal brain injuries". All of the claims were denied. At the High Court on Thursday , Kieran Fleck SC with Michael McCormack BL, instructed by Daly Lynch Crowe & Morris Solicitors LLP, told Mr Justice Paul Coffey that a 700,000 settlement had been agreed by all parties after mediation. Mr Fleck said Mr Cokaj suffered "tragic and catastrophic injuries" on May 14th, 2020, as a result of which he died in "very traumatic and distressing circumstances". Mr Fleck said Mr Cokaj had been on minimum wage and was entitled to work and reside in Ireland after his refugee status had been approved by the State. Mr Fleck told Mr Justice Coffey that the settlement was without admission of any liability on the part of any of the defendants. Mr Justice Coffey noted the settlement and approved the "fair and reasonable" figure of 700,ooo. Mr Justice Coffey extended his "deepest sympathies" to Ms Cokaj, who was in the court with the assistance of an interpreter, in what he said was a "very tragic case". Olivia Kelleher A prisoner at Cork Prison had his left ear bitten off by his cellmate who attacked him during a psychotic episode, a court has heard. Roman Becvar (28) of no fixed abode previously pleaded guilty to assault causing harm to another prisoner at Cork Prison. The 45-year-old victim of the unprovoked attack was not able to have his ear reattached. He has opted not to have a prosthesis. Det Sgt Kieran OSullivan told Cork Circuit Criminal Court that the incident occurred shortly before 10 pm on April 9th, 2023. Mr Becvar and his fellow prisoner had been sharing a cell for a week without any incident when the assault occurred. The prisoner recalled that he was just about to go to sleep on his bunk in his cell when the accused asked him for tobacco. Det Sgt OSullivan said that the injured party told him that he didnt have any. The next thing he remembers is Mr Becvar banging on the inside door of the cell. Prison staff entered. They discovered the injured party lying on the cell floor in a pool of blood. "Mr Becvar was standing against the back wall of the cell with his hands up, blood on his hands and clothing. Fortunately, there was a nurse in the area who was on the scene almost immediately. Dt Sgt OSullivan said that the ear was located in the blood on the floor. The injured man was taken to Cork University Hospital for treatment. Mr Becvar has no recollection of the assault. However, he had injuries on his knuckles consistent with having assaulted a person. CCTV in the area of the cell was harvested. It showed that nobody entered the locked cell. It was established that the only person who could be responsible for the assault was the accused. Judge Helen Boyle was told that in addition to losing an ear, the victim suffered injuries consistent with blunt force trauma. This included cheekbone and jawbone fractures. Mr Becvar, who is a Czech national, has four previous convictions which arose from an incident of aggravated burglary in 2023. A victim impact statement was handed in to the judge for her consideration. Det Sgt OSullivan said that the victim wanted to put the incident behind him. He lost his ear and is coming to terms with it. Defence senior counsel, Elizabeth OConnell said that her client lacked proficiency in English. As a result, no psychiatric history was elicited, and none was forthcoming in the short period in which he had been in prison. She said that he is now in solitary confinement in prison. Ms OConnell described the condition of her client as being stable. No further incidents have occurred since he was prescribed anti-psychotic medication. She said that but for the psychotic episode the assault would not have occurred. Mr Becvar previously worked on a farm in Ireland, having been brought to this country in a trafficked manner. Ms OConnell added that her client had a diagnosis of psychosis possibly up to schizophrenia. Judge Boyle remanded Mr Becvar in continuing custody for sentencing on November 14th next to allow her time to consider various reports. The accused required the assistance of an interpreter in court. Fiona Ferguson A serial burglar stole a laptop containing a draft thesis which led to his victim being unable to complete it for her masters, a court has heard. Eugene Tolan (47) broke into three homes, and stole items including the laptop, many of which were never recovered. Tolan told gardai he had a baby on the way and needed to buy a pram. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the woman was unable to complete her thesis for her masters. Tolan, of West Road, East Wall, Dublin 3, pleaded guilty to three burglaries, two of which were committed on October 10th, 2024 and one further burglary on December 15th, 2024. He has 23 previous convictions for burglary. Passing sentence on Friday, Judge Martin Nolan said it was to Tolans credit that he turned and ran way on encountering a resident in one of the homes. He said if Tolan had engaged in a confrontation, the sentence would have been doubled. Judge Nolan said that victims of burglary suffer a loss of their peace of mind, as well as their property. He said one of the victims had suffered significantly by losing the draft of her thesis on her laptop, causing her significant trauma and disappointment. The judge said there had been a significant gap in offending by Tolan prior to this offending, but he had been drawn back to his old ways. Judge Nolan sentenced Tolan to a cumulative sentence of three and a half years, backdated to when he went into custody. Prosecuting gardai told Rebecca Smith BL, prosecuting, that Tolan broke into two apartments on October 10th, 2024. He encountered the resident in the first apartment and left straight away. CCTV Several hours later he broke into a second apartment through an open window and stole property to the value of 4,900, including technological items which had geo-tracking devices. He was identified as a suspect on CCTV and his home was searched. All items were recovered apart from a PlayStation controller and games, which had been sold. Tolan was arrested and made full admissions. He told gardai it was stupid and he was sorry. He said he had a baby on the way and would have to buy a pram. In the following December he broke into a further apartment and stole items to the value of 3,000, including a laptop containing a womans thesis. These items were not recovered and the woman could not complete her thesis. Tolan was again identified on CCTV, looking directly at the camera. Victim impact statements were handed into court and read by the judge. Amy Heffron BL, defending, said that prior to these offences there had been a long gap in offending and Tolan had managed to get clean for 12 years. He was deeply affected when his parents passed away in 2021 and 2023 which sent him down a bad path. Counsel said Tolan has expressed remorse and asked the court to be as lenient as possible. by Austin Bay November 6, 2025 On Saturday, Nov. 1, U.S. President Donald Trump via his Truth Social platform announced that he had told the Department of War to "prepare for possible action" against Nigeria's government in order to stop "the killing of Christians." Trump added several strokes of internet vitriol theatrics. The U.S. military should go into Nigeria "guns-a-blazing" in order to "completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities ... If we attack," Trump wrote, "it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!" A bluff? Possibly. Emphatic and unfiltered verbal diplomacy by an information-savvy leader calling attention to a genocide global media all but ignores? Definitely. The Truth Social post followed an Oct. 31 official statement in which the president said he would designate Nigeria "a country of particular concern" for permitting the persecution of Christians. In 2020, the State Department designated Nigeria a "country of particular concern" for "systematic violations of religious freedom" -- but the designation did not specify Christians. In 2023, the Biden administration lifted the designation. Trump's castigations -- both in official statements and social media attacks -- spotlight mass murder a responsible government cannot allow. Trump signals that intent with his Nov. 1 all caps last sentence telling the Nigerian government to stop the slaughter FAST. So Trump fumes with a purpose. But he does have a stick. The Nigerian government and everyone with an iota of awareness knows he is the one international leader with the strategic naval, marine, air and airborne forces that could actually launch a major military attack into Nigeria. It isn't going to happen, but it could. Trump wants the Nigerian government to conclude that he just might be riled and enraged enough to 1) order the Navy to send an amphibious assault task force to the Nigerian sea coast; 2) order the Army to alert the 82nd Airborne Division; and 3) tell the Air Force to ready its C-17 transports and prep some B-52s just in case. Will Trump's diplomatic threats prompt the Nigerian government to stop the attacks on Nigeria's Christian tribes? Earlier this year, the Nigerian government rejected accusations that Christians were the primary targets of attacks by Islamists like the notorious Boko Haram terrorist group and well-armed criminal gangs operating in the area. Nigeria contends the anti-government armed groups (sectarian and criminal) have primarily targeted villages in Nigeria's Muslim-majority north. The majority of the attacks do occur in the north -- but that is the region where Muslim fanatics seek to impose Sharia (Islamic) law on non-Muslims. In the last four years, somewhere between 55,000 and 60,000 Nigerian Christians have been murdered in what the Nigerian government calls religious and ethnic clashes. The government contends the Christian death toll is exaggerated but U.S. Christian groups claim it is accurate, and the attacks are unabated. Boko Haram has been killing for well over a decade. Remember the Chibok schoolgirls, seized by Boko Haram in a raid in April 2014? The Obama administration made it a cause celebre, with the Twitter social media hashtag, "#bringbackourgirls." As of 2024, 82 of the girls were still missing. Reportedly, some of the girls were sold as slaves. Ethnic clashes in Africa means tribal warfare. In Nigeria, the northern Fulani and Hausa tribes are predominantly Muslim. The southern Ibo tribe(Igbo) is predominantly Christian. The Biafra War (1967-1970) was a civil war pitting Ibo-led secessionists against the Nigerian central government. The death toll from that war -- killed by violence or starvation -- may have exceeded 2 million. The Islamist murders in Nigeria touch terrible history. The 10th Parallel north, as it cuts across the African continent, crudely divides Muslim northern Africa from Christian and animist southern Africa. In Uganda in 2002, I heard a Ugandan call it Africa's "green line," with green denoting Islam. He said for a millennium, Muslim imperialists had pushed south with two objectives, conversion and enslavement. In east Africa, Arab Muslims were running African slaving operations in the early 20th century. It's time Nigeria stopped the slaughter and slaving. Advertisement This week, Moapa residents won a major victory when the Clark County Planning Commission unanimously denied a proposal to rezone hundreds of acres for a planned mine and cement manufacturing facility. Utah-based Bridgesource sought to rezone about 380 acres of private land from agricultural and residential to heavy industrial use to build a cement plant east of Moapa, roughly 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, USA. The plant would sit within four miles of about 500 homes, two elementary schools, and community parks. The company also plans to develop a limestone mine on 200 acres of nearby public land to supply raw materials for up to 80 years. After more than two hours of public testimony, commissioners rejected the zoning changes, citing widespread community opposition and environmental concerns. Residents warned of air pollution, noise, and risks to the Muddy River, a key water source for Moapa Valley. This is probably the largest and most organised objection to an application that Ive seen, said Planning Commissioner Michael Roitman. Environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, urged a full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act before any zoning decisions. The proposed mine will require such a review. Bridgesource said the project could create 150200 jobs and generate US$10m in annual tax revenue. However, commissioners questioned the locations compatibility with surrounding residential and agricultural areas. The Moapa Band of Paiutes also opposed the project, citing inadequate tribal consultation. The Clark County Commission will make the final decision on 3 December. Isabella Azopardi uses House of Commons address to highlight transformative power of education In an address delivered in the UK Parliament, Isabella Azopardi reflected on the pivotal role of education in shaping Gibraltars identity and future. The 16-year-old Bayside student spoke confidently and "as a proud British Gibraltarian. Following a recent essay competition, Ms Azopardi was selected to represent Gibraltar in a session of the UK Youth Parliament. She described education as the tidal wave that carries ambition, innovation and hope, emphasising its power to unite communities and equip young people to navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world. With her father Reggie watching on proudly in the mother of Parliaments, Ms Azopardi praised Gibraltars education system as one that combines British academic standards with Mediterranean warmth and cultural diversity. She said Gibraltars schools nurture not only knowledge, but empathy, creativity and critical thinking, ensuring that every child - regardless of background - has the opportunity to flourish. She said learning is a personal journey and also a bridge to the wider world. Ms Azopardi said education is a moral imperative, urging continued efforts to adapt schools to global change, strengthen innovation, and promote access to learning for all, particularly - she said - young girls in parts of the world where education remains a privilege rather than a right. She concluded that by advancing learning, Gibraltar helps to ignite imagination, courage and compassion, creating ripples of change that extend far beyond the Rock's shores. Deputy Chief Minister, the Hon. Dr Joseph Garcia MP, said: I congratulate Isabella Azopardi for speaking so confidently on this important topic. Her words remind us that Gibraltars commitment to education is not only about academic excellence but about nurturing the values that define who we are as a community: compassion, resilience and opportunity for all. Education is the cornerstone of our shared future, and through our young people Gibraltars light continues to shine beyond our shores. National Park Partners of Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and Moccasin Bend welcomes the public to the final event of the 2025 Rita Vital Memorial Moccasin Bend Lecture Series (MBLS) on Monday, November 10th at 7 p.m. at the Tennessee Aquarium River Journey Auditorium. Titled Public Lands Partnerships: The Fort Monroe National Monument Model, the talk brings Scott Martin, former Department of Parks and Outdoors Administrator for the City of Chattanooga, back to town in his new role as the CEO of the Fort Monroe Authority. Linda Moss Mines, Hamilton County Historian, will give a brief overview of Chattanoogas plans to celebrate America 250 in 2026 before introducing Martin. Fort Monroe National Monument is the outgrowth of a unique partnership between the nonprofit Fort Monroe Authority, the National Park Service, and the City of Hampton, Virginia. Together, these organizations maintain selected portions of the 565 acre park, providing tourists and residents with pleasant experiences all year round. Martin will outline how the partnership began, how it has changed throughout the years, and how the best practices of this model for public lands management may be replicated in other communities. Seating is limited and advance registration is required (register here) to guarantee a spot. Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the MBLS has been underwritten since its inception in 2006 by Tennessee State Representative Greg Vital and was memorialized in 2024 by National Park Partners to honor his late mother, Rita Vital, who attended every lecture series event held in her lifetime. Designed to explore topics related to National Parks and conservation; Indigenous culture and history; and Chattanoogas place in the U.S. Civil War, the MBLS events are FREE and open to the public, thanks to Rep. Vitals generous sponsorship. Recordings of previous lectures are available on-demand on the National Park Partners YouTube Channel. Prior to becoming the CEO of Fort Monroe Authority last December, Scott Martin served as Administrator of the Department of Parks and Outdoors (DPO) for the City of Chattanooga. He guided the development of the first comprehensive DPO plan in over 25 years, engaging more than 5,000 residents in the process, and helped secure $8.4 million in philanthropic and public funding for parks and recreation. Previously, Martin served as Executive Director of the River Heritage Conservancy in Indiana, where he led efforts to establish a 4,400+ acre urban park system celebrating the historic Falls of the Ohio River. Martins experience also includes serving as Parks Director for 21st Century Parks in Louisville, Kentucky, where he helped develop a 4,000-acre nonprofit-run park system. Earlier in his career, Martin was the first Director of Franklin County (VA) Commerce & Leisure Services. Martin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Administration from Boise State University. He is a Fellow of the American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration, serves as North American Chair for World Urban Parks, and is recognized internationally for his work integrating conservation, recreation, and economic development in urban settings. National Park Partners preserves and promotes the landscapes and stories of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, including Moccasin Bend National Archeological District. We believe the park belongs to everyone and everyone belongs in the park, and we engage the community in growing Chattanoogas National Park legacy for current and future generations. Middle Valley Church of God, located at 1703 Thrasher Pike in Hixson, Tennessee, announces that Retired US Army Chaplain David Cavin will be the special speaker for a Veteran's Day Service on Sunday, November 9, at 10:30 a.m. The special service is designed to honor all veterans present in the service with recognition and specially selected gifts. Dr. Cavin retired from the US Army at the rank of Chaplain, Lt. Colonel and has served as a professional counselor for many years. His service included time in Vietnam and other war zones.All are welcome to participate. Each Sunday at 5:30 p.m. the church conducts a Prayer Meeting. The Prayer Meeting is open to all who wish to participate and is designed to encourage prayer. Information on various methods of prayer will be shared with participants. The goal of this prayer meeting is to encourage Believers to seek God through prayer. All are welcome to participate. Each Wednesday at 7 p.m., an Interactive, Interesting, and Informative Bible Study will be held in the church auditorium. Kelly Seby is currently leading this Bible study. All are welcome to participate. The goal of this Bible study is to encourage Believers to study the Bible and discuss with others, making the Scripture their guide. Middle Valley Church of God is a community focused church with various ministries in the Middle Valley area and in Cusuna, Honduras. The community is welcome to join in times of worship and community service. MVCOG has been ministering in the Middle Valley Community since 1946 from the same location. If you have questions, please contact the church office at 423.843.1539. All are welcome. Please note that MVCOG will make public announcements about dangerous road conditions and cancellations. Postings about cancellations will be made on the church Facebook page. Please look there for information. President Donald Trump has pardoned former House Speaker Glen Casada and his aide Cade Cothren, who were convicted in a fraud case in which numerous members of the state Legislature were duped. Former Rep. Robin Smith was also convicted, and has asked to be pardoned as well. Casada got 36 months, Cothren 30 months and Ms. Smith eight months. Ms. Smith was the chief witness against Casada and Cothren in a lengthy federal trial in Nashville. Ms. Smith also was ordered to pay a $7,500 fine. She also paid $28,263 in restitution. She had been due to report to prison on Jan. 5. Authorities said in November 2019 that Cothren set up a firm called Phoenix Consulting that was said to be headed by Matthew Phoenix, which in fact was a fictitious name and the actual operator of the firm was Cothren. The firm was set up to get payments from a program in which legislators could use up to $3,000 each per year for mailings to constituents. Ms. Smith at one time headed the state Republican Party as well as the Hamilton County Republican Party. She ran for the Third District U.S. House seat long held by Zach Wamp in 2010. The race was won by Chuck Fleischmann, who still holds the seat. The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce marked another milestone in its yearlong centennial celebration with a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling a special historical exhibit at the Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points. The exhibit, which honors the individuals and businesses who have shaped the chambers first 100 years, is now open to the public and will run through December 19.The exhibit features photographs, memorabilia, plaques, and other artifacts that illustrate the Chambers impact on economic growth, community partnerships, and regional progress.Together, these pieces tell the story of a century of leadership and vision that helped define Cleveland and Bradley County.Vice President of Operations Lisa Fain led the ribbon-cutting, celebrating the chambers ongoing legacy and the excitement ahead.Looking back at the people and businesses who helped shape our Chamber reminds us just how far weve comeand how much fun the journey has been, Ms. Fain said. Its inspiring to see what collaboration can do, and were excited for the next 100 years of working together to keep our community thriving.Director of Communications Aaron Weatherford also reflected on the exhibits significance, saying, Its an honor to recognize some of the chambers most iconic partnerships, including many of our earliest investors. He continued by honoring the partnerships, Their support helped build the foundation we stand on today, and were grateful for their lasting impact on our business community.The chamber, along with the Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points, invites the community to explore the exhibit and celebrate the remarkable progress made through collaboration, innovation, and service.Location: Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points Dates: Open through Dec. 19For more information, contact Aaron Weatherford at 423 472-6587 or AWeatherford@clevelandchamber.com. Randall Franks (right), Dawson Wright (left) and Wesley Crider pause in the lobby of the Grand Ole Opry House at the Josie Music Awards Randall Franks (center) and Wesley Crider interview on the Red Carpet with Cashbox Magazine at the Josie Music Awards Randall Franks (center) and Dawson Wright (right) interview on the Red Carpet with The Life Box Media Channel at the Josie Music Awards Caleb Lewis Ryan Stinson Previous Next The 11th Annual Josie Music Awards took place last Friday at the iconic Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, celebrating independent artists from around the world. Among the standout nominees were Ringgold, Georgia-based vocalist and fiddler Randall Franks, guitarist Wesley Crider and members of Franks' Hollywood Hillbilly JamboreeDawson Wright, Caleb Lewis and Ryan Stinson.The group earned multiple nominations across various categories, showcasing their talent in Americana, folk and instrumental music: Randall Franks: Male Vocalist of the Year - Americana/Folk; Musician of the Year - Fiddle; Best Actor in a Music Video - The Americans Creed; Social Impact Video of the Year - The Americans Creed (with Wesley Crider). Dawson Wright: Musician of the Year - Banjo. Ryan Stinson: Musician of the Year - Piano. Caleb Lewis: Musician of the Year - Guitar.Mr.Franks, Mr. Crider, and Mr. Wright attended the event, walking the red carpet, participating in media interviews and connecting with fellow nominees and winners.Mr. Franks, best known for his role as Officer Randy Goode on TVs In the Heat of the Night, directed and starred in the film The Americans Creed, portraying his ancestor, Revolutionary Patriot Robert Shields. He is the reigning 2024 Josie Music Awards Musician of the Year Fiddle."Congratulations to all the winners and nominees," Mr. Franks said. "We had a wonderful time cheering on fellow members of the JMA family as they received their awards.Many of my long-time friends took home a JMA, he said. While we did not bring home an award this year, according to the JMA, 'there were 86,000 submissions this year so making it into the nominations was a huge feat.' I congratulate Wesley, Dawson, Ryan and Caleb for that achievement and I am honored for the four JMAs for which I was nominated. Thanks to God for the blessings and the Josie Music Awards for including us."Mr. Crider, an internationally renowned finger-picking guitarist inspired by Chet Atkins and Merle Travis, co-wrote and performed the music for The Americans Creed with Mr. Franks, from which the nominated video was drawn. In addition to his performance career, he works weekly as a music therapist for patients with dementia and Alzheimer's.It was an exciting time in Nashville at the Josies, Mr. Crider said. It is such a great opportunity for independent artists. I was blessed to be included.The other Musician of the Year nominees hailed from Mr. Franks' Hollywood Hillbilly Jamboree, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary.All threeMr. Wright, Mr. Stinson and Mr. Lewisare Pearl and Floyd Franks Share America Scholars, highlighting the program's role in nurturing young talent.Dawson Wright, 19, a banjo nominee among seven global contenders, also plays guitar and sings. A Ringgold High School graduate with about seven years of experience, he frequently performs in the region.I am thankful I had the opportunity to be part of the awards. I couldnt believe that I was nominated, he said. Going to the awards was amazing. I never gave an interview before so sharing about my love of music was an amazing experience.Ryan Stinson, a piano nominee among 10 contenders, is an entertainer and vocalist who performs concerts across the South, including in Pigeon Forge and Nashville theaters. Find him at Ryan Anthony Stinson Music on Facebook. It means a lot for me to be nominated for this award, he said. I want to share a word of appreciation for my family parents, grandparents and sister for all their help and encouragement.Caleb Lewis, a guitar nominee among 12 in his category, specializes in finger-style guitar and studied under Wesley Crider. He attended Providence Christian Academy in Ringgold and graduated from Chattanooga State. This is such an honor, he said. I want to thank God for giving me this amazing talent. I want to thank my family for always believing in me. Every lesson, every jam session, every rehearsal, every small gig built up to moments like these this nomination is also my teachers Wesley Crider.All three expressed gratitude to Mr. Franks for his encouragement and for providing a global platform for their music.For more information about their music, visit www.RandallFranks.com or www.WesleyCrider.com. To learn more about the nominated video, visit www.RandallFranks.com/The-Americans-Creed/. Planet Power Cafe & Juice Bar, 6215 Lee Highway Unit 137, is a new vegan soul food restaurant that also has gluten free options. Beer will be sold to eat-in customers as well as for carry-out. Hours are 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. Planet Power After Hours a bar/lounge will be coming soon, it was stated. Eagles Food & Fuel is a convenience store at 5902 Shallowford Road that has new ownership. Because of the owners change, a new license to sell beer was required and approved for carry-out sales. Violations that were heard by the City Beer Boards hearing officer Trevor Atchley were discussed. The board has the option to either sustain the HOs recommendation, deny it, amend it or create their own penalty. Circle K, 3729 Tennessee Ave., was given a $500 fine for violation, but has failed to pay it. The time limit to pay fines was unknown as was who in the city has the ability to enforce a fine. by the board or the city attorney. The board has asked Police Officer Phillip Moser with the beer board to make a visit there with a reminder it has to be paid. Applebees Neighborhood Grille and Bar, 5606 Brainerd Road, was given a penalty of a five-day suspension for making a sale of beer to an underage undercover agent. The five-day suspension was upheld. It will be in effect from Nov. 25-29. Mexi Wings, 3202 Brainerd Road, was also given a five-day suspension to be served November 25-29, plus a requiring training for employees in beer sales. The penalty was sustained and the restaurant was given a 60-day time limit for training to be completed. A Fort Payne, Ala., has been convicted by a Dade County jury following a two-day trial before Judge Don Thompson. Ethan Wayne Rogers, 36, was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison without the possibility of parole, followed by 10 years on probation. Rogers was convicted of aggravated assault and theft by bringing stolen property into the state in the case in which authorities said an officer was almost run over by Rogers. Evidence presented during the trial showed that on Jan. 3, 2022, investigators with the Dekalb County Alabama Sheriffs Office were located at the One 9 Fuel Station in Wildwood for the purpose of executing an arrest warrant on Rogers for the theft of a 2015 Honda Accord stolen out of Dekalb County. Two of the investigators also served as lawfully sworn Dade County Sheriffs deputies under Sheriff Ray Cross. Investigators located the stolen vehicle at the gas station, and attempted to box the vehicle in, driving directly in front of where the stolen vehicle was parked. While attempting to apprehend Rogers, he put the stolen vehicle in drive, nearly causing Andrew Hairston, a 40-year law enforcement veteran, to be crushed in between the two vehicles. Authorities said Andrew Hairstons life was saved by the actions of his son, Investigator Joshua Hairston, who opened fire on Rogers, striking him in the abdomen. The investigators were able to render aid to Rogers on scene while awaiting EMS services, and he ultimately survived his injuries. The case was investigated by Georgia Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Adam Jones, and Dade County Sheriffs Office Investigators Chad Payne and Tim McKaig. The case was presented by Senior Assistant District Attorney Kevin Baugh and Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Banks, who were assisted by Administrative Assistant Tamara Clayton, Administrative Assistant Annabelle Carter, Victim-Witness Services Director Amy Reed, and Chief Investigator Christy Smith. District Attorney Clayton M. Fuller said, Maybe in Washington, D.C. juries let felons walk for throwing objects at law enforcement. But we dont do that here in Northwest Georgia. You attack our officers, were coming after you. Now this piece of Alabama Crimson Trash is headed to prison for a long time. In Northwest Georgia, we dont play. The continuing weak economic environment and massive geopolitical uncertainties impacted the results of specialty chemicals company LANXESS in the third quarter of 2025. Sales amounted to EUR 1.338 billion, down 16.3 percent from EUR 1.598 billion in the previous year. EBITDA pre exceptionals was EUR 125 million, a 27.7 percent decline compared with the prior-year figure of EUR 173 million. This decline was primarily due to generally weak demand, which led to lower sales volumes. In addition, the sale of the Urethane Systems business unit on April 1, 2025 whose results are no longer included in the quarterly figures and adverse currency effects also contributed to the decline in the Groups earnings. The EBITDA margin pre exceptionals for the third quarter was 9.3 percent, compared with 10.8 percent in the same period last year. LANXESS The ongoing weakness in global demand continues to impact the entire chemical industry, including us. The situation is particularly dramatic in our target industries of construction, automotive and agrochemicals. We currently see no light at the end of the tunnel and expect this situation to continue well into next year, said Matthias Zachert, CEO of LANXESS. We are therefore continuing to focus all our energy on what we can influence: reducing costs, streamlining processes and structures, and optimizing our market positioning. Nevertheless, the chemical industry needs further support from politicians. Zachert said: Berlin and Brussels must strengthen our competitiveness much more quickly and decisively otherwise entire value chains are at risk. LANXESS has specified its guidance for the full year 2025 and now expects EBITDA pre exceptionals to be around the lower end of the range of EUR 520 to 580 million. Further cost reductions planned Thanks to the FORWARD! action plan initiated in 2023, LANXESS will achieve permanent annual savings of around EUR 150 million by the end of 2025. In August of this year, LANXESS announced additional optimizations in its production network. These are expected to generate permanent annual savings of around EUR 50 million by the end of 2027. In addition, the company is now launching further measures with a savings potential of around EUR 100 million. The details are currently being worked out and will be specified in the first quarter of 2026. Net financial debt stable despite tense market situation LANXESS was able to keep its net financial liabilities stable thanks to tight cash management. At the end of the third quarter, they amounted to EUR 2.072 billion, compared with EUR 2.069 billion at the end of the second quarter. Business development in the segments The Consumer Protection segment achieved sales of EUR 453 million in the third quarter of 2025, a 13.1 percent decline compared with the prior-year figure of EUR 521 million. EBITDA pre exceptionals was EUR 72 million, up 1.4 percent from EUR 71 million in the same period last year. Among other things, cost savings from the FORWARD! action plan ensured stable development. The EBITDA margin pre exceptionals increased to 15.9 percent, compared with 13.6 percent in the prior-year period. The Specialty Additives segment recorded sales of EUR 505 million, an 8.2 percent decline from EUR 550 million in the third quarter of 2024. EBITDA pre exceptionals decreased by 26.2 percent, falling from EUR 61 million in the prior-year quarter to EUR 45 million. Weak demand and the resulting lower capacity utilization led to a decline in earnings and margins. The EBITDA margin pre exceptionals was 8.9 percent, compared with 11.1 percent in the prior year. Screenshot: YouTube/ CBN - The Christian Broadcasting Network The United Methodist Church has approved a path that lets its global regions uphold biblical standards on sexual ethics, even after last years vote scrapped those rules denomination-wide. Amendment I, which allows for a denominational structure known as regionalization, cleared ratification by a margin of 34,148 yes to 3,124 no easily surpassing the two-thirds threshold. Under the change, regional conferences gain authority to adjust certain portions of the UMCs Book of Discipline that pertain specifically to their part of the world. These regional conferences constitute the UMCs major global sections, each comprised of multiple, more local annual conferences. According to a Wednesday announcement from the UMC Council of Bishops, three additional constitutional amendments likewise passed with overwhelming support. They include: Amendment II, which adds gender and ability to protected categories for church membership; Amendment III, which formally acknowledges the UMCs role in resisting racism, racial inequity, colonialism, white privilege, and white supremacy; and Amendment IV, which revises Section VI, Article IV to set the educational requirements for clergy members of annual or provisional conferences who are eligible to vote for clergy delegates to the General Conference. The ratification and certification of these constitutional amendments mark a defining moment in the continuing renewal and unity of The United Methodist Church, said UMC Council of Bishops President Tracy Malone, as quoted in the announcement. These amendments reflect the churchs rich diversity and deep commitment to live more fully into our shared mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world and strengthens our world-wide connection to serve faithfully and inclusively in every context. For years, the denomination wrestled over Book of Discipline language banning same-sex union blessings, the ordination of non-celibate homosexuals, and financial support for LGBT advocacy. Nevertheless, many theological progressives declined to follow or enforce those provisions, accelerating a wave of conservative departures from the UMC. At the 2024 General Conference after more than 7,000 mostly conservative congregations had exited delegates finally voted to remove the restrictive language from the Book of Discipline. At that same gathering, delegates also advanced regionalization by a vote of 586164, sending the amendment to annual conferences for ratification. Home Books 'God opened our eyes': Amber Smith opens up about faith, healing after 3-year-old son's death Amber Smith, wife of country star-turned-minister Granger Smith, has opened up about the heartbreak of losing her 3-year-old son, River, and the faith that carried her through it, a story she tells with raw honesty in her forthcoming memoir, The Girl on the Bathroom Floor. In June 2019, the Smiths three-year-old son, River, drowned in the familys pool. The tragedy shattered their world and, for a time, nearly ended it. Granger has since spoken publicly about the night he almost took his own life, overwhelmed by guilt and despair. Amber recounts that moment in the book, both from her perspective as a wife and mother trying to hold her family together and as a woman learning to trust that Gods goodness could somehow survive catastrophe. This book, lots of prayer, lots of tears, lots of Scripture, she told The Christian Post. When I was grieving heavily, I was looking to other women who had gone before me, women who suffered with grace and grit and still kept their eyes on the Lord. I wanted to be one of those women. It was all of the emotions, Amber said. Cathartic, hard, healing. I learned about myself and about God. Some chapters surprised me; I cried in places I didnt expect. Im not a writer, but I prayed through every page. If it turns one person to the Lord, it will have been worth it. The memoir isnt only about grief, she said, but about how to suffer well and bring glory to God even in the pit of loss. When I decided to write this book, I thought, if theres a girl on the bathroom floor right now, I want her to look to my story and see that shes not alone, she said. That her bathroom floor moment is not the end. God is still good, even in the darkest valley. Amber didnt grow up in a Christian home, and before Rivers death, she and Granger had only recently started attending church. They believed in Jesus, she said, but hadnt yet surrendered their lives to Him. Theres a difference between believing in Jesus and believing Jesus, she said. We were living cultural Christianity, we said the right things, but we werent fully surrendered. But that changed after Rivers death. God brought us through one of the most painful things and opened our eyes, she said. Now our lives are laid down for Him. Were not perfect, but our devotion is to Him. Our focus is on the eternal, not the temporary. For Amber, faith has been about daily dependence on God; she described how, in the hospital after Rivers accident, she felt a peace that made no sense. There was this unexplainable peace, she said. Looking back, I know it was the Holy Spirit. God was helping us make impossible decisions. He never left. He sent His people to comfort us. Thats how I learned were built for community, and God comforts us through His people. That peace, she added, has carried her through other losses, including a miscarriage and the recent death of her aunt. When I faced new pain, I could say, OK, Lord, I trust You. Because He brought me through my worst nightmare. I knew I could trust Him again. Much of Ambers grief unfolded online, where social media users, many strangers, dissected her familys every move. The attacks were vicious at times, often questioning her character as a mother. In the beginning, I wasnt grounded in Scripture, and those words really hurt, she shared. But now I can replace those lies with truth, with who God says I am. When people are far from the Lord, out of the heart the mouth speaks, she added. Its really a reflection of their heart condition. So now I just pray for them. The Bible says to pray for your enemies, and thats what I try to do. Still, she acknowledged the toll the comments have taken. When I see hateful comments now with the book coming out, I have to remind myself: I cant be surprised. I just have to have grace and focus on what Gods called me to do. One of the most challenging passages in Ambers book recounts her husbands suicide attempt, a story Granger first shared in his 2023 memoir Like a River. I knew he was hurting, she said. I knew he was grieving and carrying immense guilt. But I didnt know it was that bad. I didnt know it had gotten to that point. As a wife, she wrestled with guilt of her own for not seeing the depth of his despair sooner. It was really hard to hear that, she said. I almost lost him, too. But Im so thankful that I didnt. The Lord saved him that night. And now, honestly, our marriage is stronger because of what weve walked through together. For the Smiths older children, London, now 14, and Lincoln, 11, Amber and Granger made an early decision: nothing about Rivers memory would be off-limits. When we came home from the hospital, we told them any emotion they felt was OK, Amber said. If they wanted to play, that was OK. If they wanted to cry, that was OK. We let them see us grieve. We kept Rivers pictures up. We didnt shut his room off or stop saying his name. That helped them process. Their youngest son, Maverick, now 4, carries a part of River in his own name. We wanted him to have his own identity, but we wanted a piece of his brother in his name, Amber said. Its beautiful how God wove that together. Soon after Rivers death, the Smiths launched the River Kelly Fund, a nonprofit that honors their son by helping families and communities in need. Recently, the organization donated $10,000 to Texans affected by flooding. It gives me purpose through pain, Amber said. We said when we lost him that we were going to find the good, be the good, and bring good from this. We werent going to let this loss define our family. Giving, she said, brings joy. Every time his birthday or the anniversary of his passing comes, we do something kind. Seeing the fruit from his little life has helped me find meaning. Six years after Rivers death, Amber now lives in what she calls the tension between grief and gratitude. I cried yesterday, she said. And thats OK. Its OK to still have those hard moments. Just dont stay stuck there. Grieve your losses, then thank God for the life you have now. She quoted John Piper: Weep over the life you thought youd have, then wipe your eyes and embrace the life you do have. God has brought us so much joy, she said. Hes blessed us with Maverick, with a stronger marriage, with peace. But we still miss River. We still hate the darkness in this world. And thats OK, because both grief and gratitude can exist together. Death isnt the end. We werent made for this world. One day, well see River again and well see Jesus face to face. Hes our ultimate treasure. The Girl on the Bathroom Floor is now available. Home News 1,000 Evangelical Christians gather at Hispanic church in Queens for 'Bless Israel' prayer event More than 1,000 people gathered at Breath of Life Church in Queens, New York, on Wednesday for the special "New York Bless Israel" event. The gathering, which also marked the start of celebrations for the 25th anniversary of Breath of Life ministries, aimed to send a powerful message of solidarity to the Jewish people amid the ongoing conflict and what organizers described as a growing distorted media narrative. Pastor Victor Tiburcio, leader of Breath of Life, explained in exclusive statements to CP Espanol the urgency of the event. "The idea was to give and send a message of solidarity and embrace to the Jewish people in the midst of this terrible and deplorable situation," Tiburcio said. The pastor harshly criticized the current media landscape, noting that Israel and the Jewish people "... have gone on to be portrayed by the media from being the original victim to being the bad guys in the movie." Tiburcio also highlighted the importance of holding this event specifically in New York City, "... a place where there are so many divergent situations, especially where woke culture and cancel culture are very fashionable ...", he said. During the event, Tiburcio grounded the congregation's support on biblical principles. "The Scripture says, 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.' And that is the fundamental reason why we are here," he proclaimed from the pulpit. "We believe that God still has plans with Israel and continues to have plans with His Church, and the New Testament says that He made both peoples one." In exclusive statements to CP Espanol, Tiburcio was emphatic in the theological stance of his ministry: "... I emphasized that we do not believe in the false theology of replacement that posits that the Church has come to replace Israel. That is false." 'Breath of fresh air' Pastor Eduardo Gomez, director of New Latin America and pastor of the Word of Life church in Colombia, also offered exclusive remarks on the significance of the event, highlighting its immediate political context. Gomez noted that the meeting took place just as "the whole world had its eyes on New York ... because of what had happened with the election of this new mayor." In this climate, he described the event as "without a doubt ... a breath of fresh air and encouragement for Israel and the Jewish community." The most emotional moment of the night occurred when Gomez asked the congregation to stand. "Let's raise our flags!" he exclaimed. The auditorium, packed with nearly 1,000 attendees, responded by waving hundreds of Israeli flags as they declared in unity: "We love Israel! We pray for Israel! And we stand with Israel and the Jewish community!" "We Evangelical Christians rise up to affirm that ... we are the best friends in the world of the people of Israel," Gomez said in his statements. Mutual recognition and anniversary celebration The event was attended by Rabbi Carlos A. Tapiero, deputy CEO of Maccabi World Union, who also works with Israel's Diaspora Ministry. The Breath of Life Church presented a recognition to Rabbi Tapiero "for his great work in strengthening the fellowship of Evangelical Christians with Israel." Visibly moved, Rabbi Tapiero addressed the church: "I want to thank you for defending the Jewish people. ... Thank you, thank you, thank you. Even if I were to repeat it 1,000 times, it is not enough. Thank you for your love for the Jewish people. Thank you for joining us. ... We need them." The evening was a double celebration, as Breath of Life ministries commemorate 25 years of service. In turn, Rabbi Tapiero presented a recognition to Pastors Victor and Hattie Tiburcio on behalf of Maccabi World Union "for their inspiring leadership ... and its firm commitment to the State of Israel." Pastor Tiburcio detailed to CP Espanol the multiple milestones that his ministry celebrates: "We celebrate the 25th anniversary of the church and the ministries Breath of Life. ... We are also celebrating 20 years of the INLIMI Institute of Leadership and Ministry, and we are celebrating 10 years of the UNILIMI University of Leadership and Ministry." Home News Anti-Israel mob hit with FACE Act complaint after disrupting Christian, Jewish interfaith services A mob disrupted a planned gathering with Jewish visitors at a pro-Israel church in California, shouting vulgarities at attendees through bullhorns and blocking their path as they attempted to leave, a new lawsuit claims. The Mission Church of Carlsbad and The Christian & Jewish Alliance of San Diego claim they are facing a "campaign of disruption and harassment" due to their members' support for Israel, according to the federal complaint filed on Tuesday by attorneys with First Liberty Institute and Jones Day. "We at The Mission Church simply want to be able to worship and support our local Jewish community without fear or intimidation," Pastor JC Cooper said in a statement. "It's of the utmost importance that our congregation feels safe in our house of worship." On three separate occasions, a group of agitators has shown up to disrupt worship services, with the lawsuit noting that several of them are affiliated with CODEPINK, an activist group accused of antisemitism in the past. The attorneys behind the suit cited the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which prohibits the use of force, the threat of force, and intentional property damage to interfere with religious practice. "Defendants have committed and are almost certain to continue committing violations of the FACE Act, by their injury, intimidation, and obstruction of Jews and Christians seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights of religious freedom at places of religious worship," the lawsuit stated. A spokesperson for CODEPINK told The Christian Post the organization does not comment on any ongoing or pending litigation. According to the lawsuit, the first disruption occurred during a worship service at the church on March 19. The church had partnered with the alliance to host the event, which was headlined by Einat Wilf, a Jewish scholar and a former member of the Israeli Knesset. Around 400 people attended the event, including 200 members of the local Jewish community, according to the suit. "The purpose of the event was religious. Members of the Church gathered to pray corporately for their Jewish neighbors and the peace of Israel, worship, learn about the ongoing conflict, and encourage the local Jewish community as a part of their Christian duty," the lawsuit explained. Nearly half an hour into the event, dozens of protesters occupied the sidewalk outside the church's front door. The demonstrators wielded bullhorns and attempted to drown out the sound of the speaker in the auditorium, and they also held up signs with graphic images of dismembered children, the lawsuit noted. Shouting through the bullhorns, the protesters engaged in chants and loudly accused attendees of being "Nazis." The attendees could hear the commotion outside, according to the suit, which interfered with the worship service inside. Another group of agitators entered the event by registering under fake names, and they posed as guests as part of their strategy to disrupt the worship service. The inside protesters started shouting and filming congregants at various intervals before the church's safety team escorted them out. Most of the protesters physically resisted the removal by kicking and hitting members of the church's safety team, according to the lawsuit. As a result of the protesters' actions, several attendees opted to leave the event early, with the church's safety team escorting them to their cars. "Other attendees did not have that luxury, as the Church parking lot could not accommodate everyone in attendance," the lawsuit stated. "Those who parked at the overflow parking lot across the street and wished to leave early were forced to walk through a gauntlet of disruptors at the Church's entrance to reach their vehicles." One month later, the disruptors returned on Easter Sunday, deterring visitors from attending worship services by shouting into bullhorns, targeting children's activities in the parking lot, and blocking access to the Church's overflow parking lot. "This four-hour disruption had its intended effect: to further intimidate the members and guests (including small children) who attended the Church's services," the suit said. Protesters interfered with an interfaith worship event on Sept. 7, which was sponsored by the church and hosted by the alliance. Demonstrators blocked access to the venue's entrances. They later gathered at the back of the amphitheater, "blaring imitation police sirens and hurling epithets for three hours during the interfaith prayer and worship service." When Ruth Mastron, a Jewish woman who joined the lawsuit, pulled up to the worship event, a masked individual jumped on the hood of her car and started screaming and banging on the windshield. The experience has caused Mastron "severe stress and lingering anxiety," and she experiences "heightened situational awareness and anxiety when in public in her own community" due to the defendants' actions, the suit stated. Citing public comments from the defendants, the lawsuit argued that they "have no regrets about their actions" and have vowed "to continue 'doing our part to fight the war against Zionism, which is an abomination. We ain't shuttin' up and we ain't goin nowhere.'" The attorneys behind the lawsuit noted that multiple complaints have been filed in relation to anti-Israel protests that occurred throughout the country following the Hamas-led terrorist attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked Israel's military offensive in Gaza. "Unchecked antisemitism expands, adding to its target any who show solidarity with the Jewish people and the nation of Israel," the lawsuit warned. "Christians, like those of The Mission Church, make easy targets for those hoping to isolate the Jewish people, intimidating those who would otherwise be their closest supporters," the document continued. "Such anti-Christian prejudice thus becomes a subset of antisemitism." Home News Arizona man gets 6 years in prison for hoax bomb threat targeting 4 churches An Arizona man has been sentenced to six years in prison for targeting four churches with a bomb plot in which he planted backpacks with the intention of disrupting worship. Zimnako Salah, a 46-year-old resident of Phoenix, was sentenced Friday in the Eastern District of California to six years in prison, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ Civil Rights Division stated in the press release that the sentencing sends a clear message that those who target people because of their faith will face the full force of federal law. The Department of Justice will continue to protect the rights of all people of faith to worship and live free from fear, and we will hold accountable anyone who threatens or harms them, Dhillon said. Although the backpacks that Zimnako had planted at the churches did not contain any bombs, investigators found that he had actual components for an explosive device at a storage unit. Salahs seeming ultimate goal to bomb a Christian church would have resulted in many deaths and injuries if his plan had not been thwarted, said U.S. Attorney Eric Grant, as quoted in the press release. Todays sentence is justified by the history and characteristics of this defendant and serves to protect the public from this defendant. And it affirms that people of all religions should be able to worship freely and exercise their First Amendment rights in this country without fear of violence. From September to November 2023, Salah traveled to four churches in California, Arizona, and Colorado, bringing a black backpack with him each time. At two of the congregations he visited, he left the backpacks containing hoax bomb threats. At one church in California, he strapped a backpack to the back of a toilet. At two other locations, however, security personnel stopped him. Last year, Salah was indicted for his actions, with court documents showing that he had expressed anti-American views. On one occasion, for example, he had an altercation with a neighbor who was wearing a hat with a U.S. flag on it, The Sacramento Bee reported. At his storage unit, Salah also reportedly had displayed an antisemitic statement painted on the wall in Kurdish along with a reference to the [Islamic prophet] Muhammad, according to court papers quoted by the Bee. In April, following an 11-day trial, a federal jury found Salah guilty, with Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California saying in a statement at the time that Salah was not simply pulling a prank. His actions were designed to threaten and intimidate the congregation because he disagreed with their religious beliefs, said Beckwith. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of federal and local law enforcement and the attorneys from my office and our DOJ partners in Washington D.C., our communities are safer with yesterdays verdict. People of all religions should be able to worship freely and exercise their First Amendment rights in this country without fear of violence. Home News Bible engagement impacts tithing, social interaction and views: ABS study Increased engagement with scripture, whether through reading or listening, combined with a deeper understanding of the Christian faith, leads to more positive social behaviors and increased charitable giving, according to a new study. The American Bible Society released the eighth chapter of its State of the Bible USA 2025 report on Thursday. The latest installment of the research focused on Love & Generosity. The research, based on responses collected from 2,656 American adults between Jan. 221, found that a higher level of scripture engagement correlates with a stronger embrace of positive social behaviors, as measured by views on immigration, race relations, attitudes toward people of other religions and environmentalism. On the topic of immigration, 38% of the scripture engaged respondents who scored the highest on the scripture engagement scale, which measures the impact and centrality of the Bible on their lives, either strongly or very strongly agreed that it was important to welcome immigrants into my community. By contrast, 25% of the movable middle, who had slightly lower scores on the scripture engagement scale, and 35% of the Bible disengaged, who had the lowest scores on the scripture engagement scale, said the same. Similarly, 54% of the scripture engaged strongly or very strongly agreed that it was important to befriend people of other races, along with 42% of the Bible disengaged and 35% of the movable middle. A higher share of the scripture engaged strongly or very strongly agreed that it was important to befriend people of other religions (45%) than the Bible disengaged (34%) or movable middle (31%). An identical share of the scripture engaged (45%) strongly or very strongly agreed that it was important to advocate for those who are oppressed by society. In comparison, 40% of the Bible disengaged and 27% of the movable middle held the same position. Only on the importance of environmentalism did a higher share of the Bible disengaged strongly or very strongly agree (45%), it is a priority, compared to 40% of the scripture engaged and 37% of the movable middle. The correlation between Scripture engagement and loving behavior and generosity is undeniable, said American Bible Society Chief Innovation Officer and State of the Bible series Editor-in-Chief John Farquhar Plake in a statement reacting to the research shared with The Christian Post. Our thoughts, behaviors and words reflect what we consume and what fills our hearts and minds. Its only logical that when we fill our minds with Scripture the greatest love story ever told an outpouring of love will follow. Scripture-engaged respondents also gave more money to charity than their counterparts in the movable middle and Bible disengaged category. Eighty-six percent of the scripture engaged reported giving any amount to charity, with a median donation of $2,000 among those who donated and 66% of their donations going to their church, parish or temple. By contrast, 75% of respondents in the movable middle donated to charity, with a median donation of $955 and just under half (49%) going to their church, parish or temple. Only half (51%) of the Bible disengaged said they gave to charity, with a median donation measured at $500 and just 20% going to their church, parish or temple. The overwhelming majority (94%) of practicing Christians donated to charity, with a median donation of $2,086 and 70% going to their church or parish. The term practicing Christians refers to those who go to church at least once a month and consider their faith very important to them. Among casual Christians, 87% gave to charity, with a median donation of $1,000 and 60% going to their church or parish. Fifty-six percent of nominal Christians gave to charity, with a median donation of $500 and 27% going to their church or parish. Just under half (51%) of non-Christians gave to charity, with a median donation of $500 and 20% going to their church, parish or temple. Evangelical Protestants were the most generous with their donations to charity, as 78% of respondents who belong to this group gave a median of $1,500, with 53% going to their church. Seventy-three percent of those belonging to other religions gave to charity, with a median donation of $898 and 42% going to their church, parish or temple. Seventy percent of Roman Catholics donated to charity, with a median donation of $600 and 45% going to their parish. Sixty-six percent of Mainline Protestants gave to charity, with a median donation of $632 and 40% going to their church. Although only 64% of historically black Protestants gave to charity, they gave the highest proportion (57%) to their parishes, with a median donation of $1,000. Just 43% of those who belong to no religious group donated to charity, with a median donation of $500 and only 5% going to their church, parish or temple. Those who have strong Bible engagement also strongly identified with the claim that they are "more generous with my time, energy, or financial resources. Agreement was strongest among respondents who use the Bible four or more times a week (56%), followed by those who use the Bible every day (54%), those who interact with scripture several times a week (35%), respondents who use the Bible once a week (20%) and those who use the Bible once a month (15%). Home News National Association of Evangelicals speaks out against Trump cut to refugee admissions The National Association of Evangelicals has urged President Donald Trumps administration to reverse its decision to cut United States refugee admissions to the lowest level in history a move faith leaders warn will leave persecuted Christians and other vulnerable groups without refuge. The White House announced a historically low ceiling of 7,500 refugee admissions for Fiscal Year 2026 last week. In his Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions, Trump specified that the primary focus of admissions should be on White Afrikaners from South Africa. The new cap is a considerable drop from 125,000 the previous year, the Evangelical body noted, and called upon the administration to reconsider the decision, made at a time when the world faces an unprecedented displacement crisis. The U.S. refugee resettlement program is a lifeline for those fleeing persecution whether because of their faith, their political opinion, ethnicity or other reasons protected under U.S. law, said NAE President Rev. Dr. Walter Kim, whose parents were Korean refugees to the U.S. In the past, the United States has been a beacon of safety and freedom for those escaping persecution. In the past decade, the NAE stated that the people forced to flee their homes because of various conflicts or [religious] persecution had nearly doubled. Figures given in the NAE release claimed a sharp upsurge from 60 million to more than 120 million of displaced people. Most American Evangelical leaders (65%) believe the American Church should be on the forefront of responding to the global displacement crisis, according to a NAE survey from earlier this year. The greatness of the American humanitarian spirit finds beautiful expression in our proud heritage of life-saving refugee resettlement in partnership with churches and volunteers, Kim pointed out. The administrations 2026 refugee determination identifies Afrikaners from South Africa primarily descendants of early Dutch and French settlers as a primary focus of the 7,500 refugees who may be resettled. In his Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2026, Trump, in a memorandum, explained his reasoning for the controversial refugee criteria. The admissions of up to 7,500 refugees to the United States during Fiscal Year 2026 is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest, Trump wrote. The admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa pursuant to Executive Order 14204, and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands. In response, Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief, the NAEs humanitarian arm, said a focus on Afrikaners means that individuals who are at much greater risk including persecuted Christians and others fleeing religious persecution from places like Nigeria, Iran and Burma; advocates for democracy and human rights living under totalitarian regimes; and Ukrainians fleeing Russias brutal war will be effectively abandoned. This article was originally published by Christian Daily International. Home News Mistress apologizes for pastors murder, claims she only wanted to kill herself LaToshia Daniels, the woman on trial for the 2019 murder of Brodes Perry, who served as associate pastor at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, says she doesn't remember firing the gun and never wanted to hurt him. "I loved Brodes. I would never intentionally hurt him," Daniels said Thursday as she spoke in defense on the third day of her trial in Shelby County, Tennessee, WATN-TV reports. Daniels, 46, is on trial for first-degree murder and attempted murder in the April 4, 2019, shooting at the Perrys' apartment in Collierville, Tennessee. The late pastor's widow, Tabatha Archie, who was also shot by Daniels during the 2019 attack at her apartment, testified in court on Tuesday that she met Daniels through a church in Little Rock, Arkansas, when Perry was serving as pastor of assimilation at Saint Mark Baptist Church. On Thursday, the prosecution accused the defendant, who said Perry seduced her during a spiritual counseling session, of premeditating his murder. Prosecutors say she bought the murder weapon and ammunition on the day of the shooting. Surveillance video was presented of her buying the gun at Thompson Sporting Goods in Arkansas ahead of a three-hour drive to Tennessee, where she is alleged to have carried out the shooting, Court TV noted. Daniels, who was a licensed social worker and owned The Root Behavioral Health, specializing in anger management prior to the shooting, insisted on the stand that she did not plan on killing Perry but had planned to kill herself after she realized Perry had used her and no longer wanted to continue their relationship. "I wanted to hurt myself. I wanted to end my own life that day. That's it and that's all," she said. A psychologist also testified for the defense about Daniels' mental health leading up to the shooting and stated that Daniels is diagnosed with a major depressive disorder "severe enough to impair her functioning," but could not determine diminished mental capacity during the shooting because the defendant couldn't remember the event. "I hate what happened. I'm so very sorry. I never wanted to hurt anybody. I've spent most of my life helping," Daniels said. "I never would intentionally try to hurt anybody." Perry's widow told the court that they were living in Tennessee for about six months when Daniels unexpectedly showed up at their home at around 9 or 10 p.m. on the night of the shooting. She said even though she was surprised, she let her inside her home after she told her she was in town for a conference. Daniels' attorney argued that it was Perry who instructed her to lie to his wife about being in town for a conference. The defense also noted that Perry had told Daniels to meet him at his home so they could reveal their relationship to Archie. About 10 minutes after Daniels arrived at the apartment, Archie said Perry showed up, but he immediately became "agitated." She said her late husband questioned Daniels' visit, and after about 10 minutes of tense conversation, she said she would leave. Archie said she led the way toward their door with Daniels and Perry following. When she got to the apartment stairs, however, she realized Daniels and her husband were not behind her. "I see her pull out a gun and start shooting," Archie recalled. Daniels reportedly shot Archie in the shoulder when she tried to shield Perry from the attack. She also repeatedly stated, "You broke my heart," during the shooting. Home News Pastor among 10 Christians killed by radical Fulani in Nigerias Middle Belt 'The pastors corpse has been found, alongside two other corpses of two other Christians' ABUJA, Nigeria Fulani herdsmen on Monday killed at least 10 Christians, including a Pentecostal pastor, in Benue state, Nigeria, residents said. The Rev. Simon Nbach of Flaming Fire Ministry and the other Christians were massacred in the attack on Anwule Oglewu village of Ohimini County as farmers were working in their fields, residents said. The assailants also burned down a Catholic Church building and destroyed dozens of homes. The pastors corpse has been found, alongside two other corpses of two other Christians, Adoya Ejigai, and Ejeh Loko, area resident Casmir Eigege told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. So far, 10 Christians have been confirmed dead, and one other Christian was abducted by the herdsmen. Eigege identified the attackers as Fulani herdsmen. Village resident Ojay Ojonya said he lost relatives in the assault. My uncle and my cousin are victims of the invasion and killing by the armed Fulani herdsmen in Anwule community of Ohimini Local Church Area of Benue State, Ojonya told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News. Lord, please come to our aid. Area resident Paul Vershima said the assault went on until 5 p.m. Tuesday, and confirmed the deaths of at least 10 Christians. At least 10 Christians have been killed, with several others still missing, following a brutal attack by Fulani herdsmen on Anwule community in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue state, Vershima said. During the attack, the herdsmen unleashed widespread violence on Christians. The herdsmen set ablaze many houses, including a Catholic Church worship building. Numbering in the millions across Nigeria and the Sahel, predominantly Muslim Fulani comprise hundreds of clans of many different lineages who do not hold extremist views, but some Fulani do adhere to radical Islamist ideology, the United Kingdoms All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief (APPG) noted in a 2020 report. They adopt a comparable strategy to Boko Haram and ISWAP and demonstrate a clear intent to target Christians and potent symbols of Christian identity, the APPG report states. Christian leaders in Nigeria have said they believe herdsmen attacks on Christian communities in Nigerias Middle Belt are inspired by their desire to forcefully take over Christians lands and impose Islam, as desertification has made it difficult for them to sustain their herds. Nigeria remained among the most dangerous places on Earth for Christians, according to Open Doors 2025 World Watch List of the countries where Christians face discrimination and persecution. Of the 4,476 Christians killed for their faith worldwide during the reporting period, 3,100 (69%) were in Nigeria, according to the WWL. The measure of anti-Christian violence in the country is already at the maximum possible under World Watch List methodology, the report stated. In the countrys northcentral zone, where Christians are more common than they are in the northeast and northwest, Islamic extremist Fulani militia attack farming communities, killing many hundreds, Christians above all, according to the report. Jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the splinter group Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), among others, are also active in the countrys northern states, where federal government control is scant and Christians and their communities continue to be the targets of raids, sexual violence and roadblock killings, according to the report. Abductions for ransom have increased considerably in recent years. The violence has spread to southern states, and a new jihadist terror group, Lakurawa, has emerged in the northwest, armed with advanced weaponry and a radical Islamist agenda, the WWL noted. Lakurawa is affiliated with the expansionist al-Qaeda insurgency Jamaa Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, or JNIM, originating in Mali. Nigeria is ranked No. 7 on the list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. This article was originally published at Christian Daily InternationalMorning Star News Home News Princeton University facing civil rights complaint as bathroom policy sparks women's safety concerns Princeton University's "gender-neutral" bathroom policy has reportedly left some women on campus feeling "scared" in one of the few spaces they've considered a "safe haven," according to a new federal complaint. The parental rights group Defending Education filed a complaint last week against Princeton University with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, accusing the university of violating Title IX civil rights law by denying female students' rights to sex-segregated intimate spaces, requesting that the department investigate. "Princeton admits that Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, but Princeton's Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity equates sex discrimination with '[s]ex or gender discrimination,'" the complaint stated, citing the university's Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity's definitions regarding what constitutes harassment and discrimination. "Gender identity discrimination is not the same as sex discrimination under Title IX, and the Supreme Court has never held otherwise," the document continued. "Nevertheless, Princeton has prioritized some students' subjective feelings over all female Princeton students' rights to sex-segregated intimate spaces." Princeton University did not immediately respond to The Christian Post's request for comment. In its complaint, Defending Education describes itself as an "interested third-party organization with members who are parents of students throughout the country" who oppose "discrimination on the basis of sex" in education. The parental advocacy group noted that the New Jersey-based university offers 250 "gender-inclusive" restrooms, all gender dorms, and prescribes gender hormone replacement therapy to students, "despite federal law and federal directives to the contrary." Defending Education's complaint also highlighted the university's bathroom policy at two of its residential colleges, Yeh College and New College West, alleging that this policy violates Title IX and conflicts with Presidential Executive Order 14168. The order, issued by President Donald Trump earlier this year, tasked governmental agencies with taking "all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology." It also defined the word "sex" as "an individual's immutable biological classification as either male or female," adding that it was "not a synonym for and does not include the concept of 'gender identity.'" Yeh College and New College West each house roughly 500 students, as the complaint noted, and the university requires them to share "gender-neutral" bathrooms. These bathrooms require residents to walk through a common restroom space to access the toilet stalls, Defending Education noted, pointing to Princeton's webpages for Yeh College or New College West. The complaint also cited a 2023 opinion piece in The Daily Princetonian that featured a quote from a female student about the communal bathroom stalls at the university, which she said have gaps that "makes using them feel less safe and private." Another female student's comments about the university's bathroom policies appeared in The Daily Princetonian in 2022, where she stated that "knowing that there are male students in a place that I've always considered a safe haven scares me." The female student added that she would not feel comfortable or safe when there is a chance she could encounter a male student while she is not fully dressed and about to take a shower. "Moreover, there is a level of emotional safety and solidarity in being in a common bathroom with other female students that I would not want to lose," the female student said. Since the university randomly assigns first-year students to one of seven residential colleges, there is no choice to opt out of the "gender-neutral" bathroom arrangement, according to the civil rights complaint. "Princeton offers limited exemptions from the communal bathrooms, but only for medical or safety reasons, and it cannot accommodate all requests," the document stated. "Moreover, while Princeton offers these medical and safety exceptions, it refuses to grant religious exemptions." "This discriminates against many female religious Princeton students, such as hijabi students, whose faith regulates interactions with male students in private spaces," the complaint continued. In its complaint, Defending Education included a copy of an email that a parent sent to Princeton's associate dean of undergraduate students, objecting to the bathroom policy at New College West on religious and safety grounds. While the associate dean replied that he would share the parent's concerns with the "appropriate offices," Defending Education's complaint said that no actions were taken to change the policy. In addition to the bathroom situation, the complaint took issue with the university's graduation ceremonies. One of the graduation ceremonies Princeton offers is called a "Rose Graduation" ceremony, which celebrates "women and fem accomplishments and achievements." The other one, known as a "Lavender Graduation" ceremony, celebrates "queer and trans accomplishments and achievements." "In short, the reality of biological sex is a fiction at Princeton University," Defending Education concluded. Home News Protestant group fires off complaint to King Charles III over papal prayer service Senior officials with a historic Protestant fraternal group based in Northern Ireland fired off complaint letters to King Charles III for having prayed with Pope Leo XIV last month, which the group alleged was a violation of his coronation oath. The Grand Masters of Ireland, England and Scotland in the Orange Order founded in 1795 by Ulster Protestants in County Armagh, Northern Ireland each wrote to the king privately "to encourage him to reflect upon the solemn commitments of his Coronation oath and the promises he made before God," according to The Orange Standard, the organization's flagship newspaper. On Oct. 23, King Charles III participated in an ecumenical worship service with Pope Leo XIV in the Sistine Chapel, marking the first time a reigning British monarch has attended such a service since the English Reformation nearly five centuries ago. Acknowledging that "Henry VIII's motivations to break from Rome are well documented as being largely a means to meet his own personal needs," the Orange Standard noted that the Protestant Reformed faith has nevertheless become intrinsic to England, and that the king took a solemn oath in 2023 to "maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed religion established by law." "As Orangemen and women, [we] should not be discouraged or deflected from our solid foundations which are rooted in the truths of the Reformation. In October 1555, [Hugh] Latimer and [Nicholas] Ridley were burned at the stake for their beliefs," the outlet continued. "Winds of change will always blow, they have done so down through the centuries, and will no doubt continue. Nevertheless, it is important to remain steadfast in the Reformed faith, even in the face of opposition." In addition to the private letters from the grand masters, the secretary of an Orange Lodge in Markethill, Northern Ireland, sent an open letter rebuking King Charles III for his appeasement of both Roman Catholicism and Islam, according to a local County Armagh outlet. "His Majesty took a Coronation Oath to be Defender of the Protestant Faith. There was a time when an Englishman's word was his bond, but sadly we have seen that oath watered down, first in his appeasement of Islam and now with bending the knee to the head of a church whose heretical priests 'absolved the sins' of those who murdered members of our Institution, our friends and family," the lodge wrote in part. The lodge contrasted the king's behavior with the staunch Protestantism of his late mother, implying that he embodies the general spiritual decline of the United Kingdom, where rates of Christianity have cratered in recent decades. "Sadly, the United Kingdom, whose strong Protestant Faith witnessed by Her Majesty [Queen Elizabeth II], once a beacon to the world, has become a country the world no longer respects. We cannot understand why His Majesty wishes to alienate further those still loyal to the Crown as he seeks to be a defender of all faiths and not promote the one true Faith," the letter continued. Noting that neglecting to affirm the exclusivity of Jesus Christ is the behavior of "a weak king," the lodge added, "We will pray that the King of Kings will not only continue to bless the monarchy but will particularly pray that God will indeed save the King, from himself." Named after King William III, also known as William of Orange, the Loyal Orange Lodges are local branches of a fraternal organization rooted in Reformed Protestantism and committed to maintaining Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. The group, which boasts tens of thousands of members, annually commemorates the victory of King William III's Protestant forces against the Catholic forces of the deposed King James II during the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. Nancy Pelosi Retires, IVF Embryo Jewelry Sparks Debate, Trans Mayor On Inciting ICE Violence link to download the audio instead. link to download the audio instead. 07:38 07:38 Top headlines for Friday, November 7, 2025 Erica Dueso, Pennsylvanias first trans-identifying mayor, responds to backlash over a social media post about ICE deportations; Nancy Pelosi announces she will not seek reelection after decades in Congress; and a new trend of turning unused IVF embryos into jewelry sparks debate over ethics and emotion. 00:11 Pa.'s first trans mayor denies inciting violence after ICE tweet 01:01 Moody Bible Institute sues school board over teacher program ban 01:51 Texas voters OK amendments on parental rights, non-citizen voting 02:39 UMC to allow regions to maintain biblical views on marriage, sex 03:33 Nancy Pelosi to retire from Congress after nearly 4 decades 04:18 IVF embryos turned into jewelry sparks outrage 05:04 Evangelical leader challenges Tucker Carlson to debate on Zionism 05:54 Construction begins on largest Christian monument to prayer SAP will shortly submit formal concessions to the European Commission to settle an antitrust investigation into its software licensing and maintenance practices. The Commission opened a formal investigation in September after concluding SAP may be restricting competition in the aftermarket for on-premises ERP maintenance and support services. The remedies will address concerns that SAP makes it harder for customers to use rival support providers, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the development. The Commission conducted an informal market test of SAPs proposals several months ago and will now seek feedback from competitors and customers before accepting the final offer, likely with minor tweaks, the report added. Interview: Grand Egyptian Museum CEO invites Chinese visitors to explore Egypt's ancient heritage Xinhua) 10:43, November 07, 2025 CAIRO, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Ahmed Ghoneim, chief executive officer of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), extended a special invitation to the Chinese people to visit Egypt's recently opened cultural landmark, describing it as "Egypt's gift to the world." "I invite the Chinese people to come to see another ancient civilization alongside their own, and we are waiting for you in Egypt, specifically at the GEM," Ghoneim told Xinhua in a recent interview. "This is an extremely important matter because Egypt and China are unique in this regard," he added. Ghoneim expressed optimism about future cooperation between Egypt and China in cultural exchange and civilizational dialogue, noting that "the avenues for bilateral cooperation can be very fruitful, especially in terms of restoration capabilities and means of scientific and research cooperation." Located near the pyramids and the Sphinx, the GEM opened its doors to the world on Saturday in a grand ceremony attended by 79 international delegations, including heads of state, members of royal families, and senior government officials. Reiterating the museum's significance, Ghoneim noted that the GEM will change the context of tourism in Egypt and enhance cultural tourism, which is extremely important for the nation. "Egypt is a pioneer in this field...the matter is not limited to our heritage but also to how it is displayed," he said. He emphasized that the museum serves not only as a showcase of ancient treasures but also as a center for education, scientific research, and heritage preservation. The GEM, he said, employs the latest technological innovations in restoration and conservation. The GEM "is key to Egypt's national plan to attract 30 million tourists annually by 2030," he said, revealing that the museum aims to receive between 15,000 and 20,000 visitors daily -- about 7 million per year. The GEM, which opened to the public on Tuesday, contains about 100,000 artifacts, covering all eras of ancient Egyptian civilization, including the complete collection of boy-king Tutankhamun. The total cost of the museum, which took more than 20 years to build, is about 1.2 billion U.S. dollars. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) The number of casualties from the crash of a United Parcel Service Inc. cargo plane rose to 13, as investigators head into the fourth day of a probe into what caused the incident near the companys global hub in Kentucky. On my way to the Teamsters vigil, I learned of a 13th person that died as a result of the UPS flight 2976 plane crash, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg wrote in a post on X Thursday night, referring to a local service being held in honor of the victims. Officials had previously said that 12 people had died. Three crew members aboard the aircraft are believed to be among the casualties, Greenberg said separately in a press conference on Thursday morning. Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond were operating the flight, UPS said in a separate statement. Nine people presumed to be in the area at the time of the crash are still unaccounted for, Greenberg said. Local officials are working on confirming the victims identities, he said. On Thursday evening, about 48 hours after the crash, the Louisville airport returned to being fully operational, after closing runways following the incident. Meanwhile, federal investigators are looking into what caused the crash. Agents have successfully extracted data from the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, National Transportation Safety Board official Todd Inman said in a briefing Thursday afternoon. The data from the recorders, commonly called black boxes, will allow investigators to piece together what happened in the final minutes as the doomed jet took off Tuesday evening, bound for Honolulu, Hawaii.We consider this a good extraction with good data points, which means that we will have even more information to help paint a comprehensive picture, Inman said. The fuel-laden McDonnell Douglas MD-11, which lost its left engine during takeoff, climbed high enough to clear a fence at the end of the runway at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, but then plunged into terrain and buildings outside of the facilitys perimeter. Preliminary flight data shows that the UPS plane was last recorded at an altitude of 475 feet and traveling at a speed of 183 knots, Inman said. The NTSB has recovered parts of the left-side engine from the runway, including fan blades, Inman said. The agency said the aircraft was in San Antonio for a period of several weeks prior to the crash. Flight records show the jet flew from Louisville to San Antonio on Sept. 3, and didnt return until Oct. 18. VT San Antonio Aerospace was contracted to conduct the so-called heavy maintenance on the aircraft, according to data from Cirium. Safety investigators are pulling records from that visit and also looking at any prior maintenance or inspections as part of the probe. The NTSB said it currently doesnt know of any maintenance issues on the plane immediately before Tuesdays crash. Travel Disruptons The fatal accident comes at a time of widespread air travel disruptions across America caused by air traffic controller shortages since the US government shutdown began Oct. 1. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday that US air capacity will be cut by 10% at 40 high-volume locations to alleviate strain on the aviation system. The reductions are expected to be phased in, starting with 4% on Friday, according to people familiar with the plans. Tuesdays incident adds to a deadly year for global aviation. Just three weeks ago, a cargo plane skidded off the runway and into the sea at Hong Kong International Airport, killing two ground crew. In June, 241 people died on an Air India flight that crashed just after takeoff, and in January a US Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines Group Inc. regional jet on approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport near Washington. UPS on Wednesday night resumed package-sorting operations at the Louisville hub its largest facility known as Worldport after halting the work right after the crash. Our goal is to begin returning the network to a normal cadence, a UPS spokesperson said in an emailed statement, adding that flights leaving Louisville arrived at their destinations Thursday morning. UPS has said it doesnt believe the event will materially impact the companys financial position, results of operations or cash flow. Boeing Co., which took over McDonnell Douglas in 1997, said it is offering technical assistance to the NTSB. The aircraft involved in Tuesdays accident was originally built for Thai Airways International in the early 1990s before being converted into a freighter about 20 years ago for UPS. The plane was powered by three General Electric Co. CF6 engines. The DC-11 model is now only flown by cargo operators, having conducted its last passenger flight more than a decade ago. Other accidents involving UPS operations include UPS Flight 6 in September 2010, when a Boeing 747-400F crashed near Dubai after it experienced an in-flight cargo fire, killing both crew members. In August 2013, an Airbus SE A300-600F crashed short of the runway in Birmingham, Alabama, killing the captain and first officer. Authorities cited fatigue, pilot error and subsequent aircraft instability as probable causes for that crash. Top photo: Smoke from the crashed UPS cargo jet near Muhammad Ali airport in Louisville, on Nov. 4. Bloomberg. Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Andrew Bower of "Anderson's Smoke Show" spatchcocks a small turkey in preparation for smoking. The turkey is for his Friendsgiving celebration. Courtesy of Andrew Bower MUNROE FALLS, Ohio -- For Andrew Bower, barbecue isnt just about foodits about community. The man who created 258 videos for Andersons Smoke Show on YouTube has spent the past six years teaching followers the finer points of smoked brisket, ribs, and, most famously this time of year, turkey. But once a year, he puts the camera down and fires up his grills -- not for his 143,000 subscribersbut for his friends. Bower, who lives in Munroe Falls, hosts an annual Friendsgiving thats grown into a full-blown feast. This is our third official year, he said. It started small, but now we have 25 to 40 people. Its all friends, no family. Everyone brings a side dish, and I handle the meat. Friendsgiving falls in late October or early Novemberfar enough ahead of Thanksgiving that no ones juggling family plans. In 2025, it was Nov. 2. For the event, Bower lights the smoker, sets up tables and opens his backyard for an evening of food, laughter, and smoky aromas. Ive always been a social person, he says. Ive always looked for reasons to get people together. A BBQ for me is the perfect way to do that. The centerpiece of the day is the turkeysmoked on one of the many grills hes collected through years of work with major manufacturers like Traeger, Camp Chef and Lone Star Grills. Ive got too many grills, Bower laughed. But that comes with the territory. Andrew Bower of Anderson's Smoke Show uses smaller turkeys because they cook better on a smoker. Courtesy of Andrew Bower This years bird, like those before it, was spatchcockedits backbone removed so it can lay flat on the smoker. The picture-perfect turkey isnt always the best method for flavor and moisture, Bower explained. When you spatchcock it, it cooks faster and stays juicier. Its all about moisture and flavor. He uses hardwood pellets in his smokers and has perfected a combination of injections, brines and rubs that keep the bird flavorful and tender. Smoking adds this third dimension to food, he said, Its not just about heat or seasoning. Its that subtle layer of flavor that makes people stop and say, What is that? The menu changes slightly from year to year. Sometimes brisket joins the turkey, sometimes ribs or pork but the tradition stays the same. Everyone brings something from their own Thanksgiving table. To keep it organized, Bower uses the potluck tool from Punchbowl Online Invitations to track dishes. That way, we dont end up with three mashed potatoes, he said. What I love most is that everyone brings a little bit of their familys tradition. When you get 30 people together, you get 30 different holiday dishes. Though Andersons Smoke Show keeps him busyhis channel hits its peak viewership each Thanksgiving seasonFriendsgiving is a break from the spotlight. When I film, its hard to predict how things will go, he said. This ones just for us. No cameras, just good food and friends. Its a fitting celebration for a man who turned curiosity into community. It all started six years ago, when he couldnt find the technical information that he wanted about smokers. So, he started filming his own cooking experiments. My mission was to share things from my perspective and answer the questions I couldnt find answers to, he said. When hes not grilling and smoking, Bower is an engineer. That explains his technical curiosity. Six years later, his YouTube anniversary falls right around the same time as Friendsgivinga reminder of how far both the channel and the friendships have come. For me, thats what its about, Bower says. Good food, good friends, and a little smoke in the air. Bower has more than two dozen videos on cooking turkey on his channel. The shortest is a nine-second spot that advises cooks to dispense of the popup indicator. Perhaps the best place to start is his 9:44-minute video Are you a Turkey Beginner? START HERE! RELATED: Northeast Ohio turkey guide: Where to source heritage and modern birds Andrew Bowers advice Clean your grill or smoker Buy a fresh turkey, never frozen If you must go big, buy two 12-pound turkeys. They cook better than a big bird. Wet brine for two to three days Consider injection for more flavor Spatchcock to cut down on cooking time and yield a juicier, more evenly cooked turkey Wet Brine for Turkey 1 gallon unsalted chicken broth 1/2 cup salt 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp parsley 1 tsp thyme Mix ingredients. Soak turkey for 2 to 3 days. Scale up recipe if needed. More than 190,000 residents in Cuyahoga County about 15% of the population depend on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Kaitlin Durbin, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio United Way of Greater Cleveland launched a new online tool to help residents find food assistance as an ongoing federal government shutdown disrupts benefits for hundreds of thousands of local families. The 211 Food Resource Finder, available at 211oh.org, allows people to quickly locate nearby food programs. The organization introduced the resource as calls to its 211 Helpline for food-related help have more than doubled in recent days. When families lose access to vital benefits like SNAP, it can quickly push them from stability into crisis, Sharon Sobol Jordan, president and CEO of United Way of Greater Cleveland, said in a statement. Right now, food is the number one need were hearing about as calls to United Way 211 have more than doubled. RELATED: Cleveland Hopkins airport opens food pantry to public donations during shutdown Greater Cleveland food pantry locations 2025: County-by-county resource guide Cleveland food pantries see surging need as SNAP benefits stop amid federal shutdown Laketran offers free rides to help residents reach food pantries during SNAP suspension Cleveland food pantries see surging need as SNAP benefits stop amid federal shutdown More than 190,000 residents in Cuyahoga County about 15% of the population depend on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits to feed their families. Another 2,500 residents in Geauga County also rely on the program. With benefits now paused because of the shutdown, working families, seniors and children face difficulty affording basic groceries, a United Way news release says. Food needs have surged to become the top concern among people reaching out to United Way 211, overtaking housing and utilities, which typically rank as the primary requests for help, the news release says. Our 211 team is working around the clock to connect people to help as fast as possible and the new 211 Food Resource Finder makes it even easier to find trusted, up-to-date information on local food resources when its needed the most, Jordan said. The organizations 211 service provides information and referrals to local resources throughout Greater Cleveland. Vice President JD Vance portrayed himself as a son of Appalachia in his book Hillbilly Elegy, but a Washington Post story shows his support comes from a group of billionaires seeking to replace democracy with an oligarchy, in a plot that Today in Ohio likened to an Ayn Rand novel. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) AP The Washington Post has exposed a frightening reality about the future of American democracy: a secretive network of ultra-wealthy conservatives is working to replace our democratic system with an oligarchy, and Today in Ohio podcast hosts marveled Thursday at how much the group has helped JD Vance. Known as the Rockbridge network, the group of right-wing oligarchs has accumulated immense political influence by funneling massive amounts of money into Republican campaigns and building a sophisticated data operation to profile and mobilize voters. Their goal is simple: to ensure that they, the financial elite, control how the country is run. This is a rapidly growing group of very rich people who want to direct government elections and policy, explained Laura Johnston. Replied Chris Quinn: Theyre basically saying you, the people listening to this podcast, us, the people making this podcast, are too stupid to determine our fate and the country can only survive if a very elite group of filthy rich oligarchs make the decisions. One of the networks key figures is Vice President JD Vance, the author of Hillbilly Elegy, who was present at the Rockbridge groups secretive 2019 Ohio meeting, where the plan to reshape American politics was hatched. JD Vance was at the meeting, said Quinn. Hes part of the group that says You are too dumb to be in charge. You need to have masters to dictate our fate. " The Rockbridge networks methods are both sophisticated and sinister. Theyve built a vast database of potential voters, harvesting information from non-political memberships like outdoor groups and churches, in order to precisely target and manipulate them. And theyre not afraid to play dirty, using their wealth to drown out opposing voices and install their preferred candidates. The Post story describes a grave threat to the future of American democracy, born right here in Ohio. Listen to the discussion here, and read the full Post story on cleveland.com. Listen to full Today in Ohio episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with Editorial Board member Lisa Garvin, Impact Editor Leila Atassi and Content Director Laura Johnston. Mumbai Airport Flight Status on November 7, 2025 (Screenshot) A technical malfunction in Delhi Airport's air traffic control communication system triggered widespread air travel disruption on Friday, November 7, spilling over into major cities including Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow and Varanasi, while forcing manual flight clearances at the capital's busiest aviation hub.According to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), more than 300 domestic and international flights were delayed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport due to a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), a crucial network that enables communication between air traffic controllers and airlines, as per News18.The glitch has been ongoing since the evening of Wednesday, November 5, forcing air traffic controllers to approve flight plans manually, significantly slowing departure and arrival procedures, CNBC-TV18 reported earlier.The disruption at Delhi Airport soon impacted downstream airport operations. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai issued a public advisory confirming delays due to the Delhi AMSS failure, though the notice was later deleted."Flight Operations at Mumbai Airport have been affected by a technical issue impacting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) at Delhi, which supports Air Traffic Control flight planning. The concerned authorities are actively working to resolve the issue at the earliest," the advisory had earlier stated."As a result, airline operations may experience delays. Passengers are advised to connect with their respective airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules. We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and cooperation," read the now deleted statement, as per News18.However, Mumbai Airport's flight status portal shows a Lufthansa flight's arrival from Munich as delayed. Two departure flights, one of Singapore Airlines to Singapore, and an IndiGo flight to Delhi, were delayed.At Jaipur International Airport, at least 15 flights were delayed, while similar passenger alerts were issued in Lucknow, both attributing disruptions to the Delhi ATC system failure, as per News18.Delhi Airport operator DIAL acknowledged the issue, stating flight movements were impacted due to the AMSS breakdown.A GMR spokesperson said, "Due to a technical issue with the ATC system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. The team is actively working with all stakeholders, including DIAL, to resolve it at the earliest," as per CNBC-TV18.AAI also confirmed that manual processing was underway.Airlines including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet, Akasa Air acknowledged network-wide delays due to the system failure.CNN-News18 also reported a possible malware-linked overload affecting system interfaces and radar synchronisation software as the cause of disruption, though no official confirmation has followed. Weeks after the violent unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), a significant wave of dissent is rising across the conflicted region over educational reforms, specifically fee hikes and a faulty exam process. The protests, led by mostly Gen Z, began peacefully but turned violent against the Shehbaz Sharif-led government after gunfire injured a student.The demonstrators are unhappy with the new digital assessment system, delayed exam results, and rechecking fees of1,500 per subject. These protests follow the recent agreement signed between the federal government and protesters to end the earlier demonstrations in PoK.The recent wave of protests began earlier this month, when students at the University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (UAJK) in Muzaffarabad, PoK, rallied against a massive fee hike and exam result discrepancies. The dispute revolved around the implementation of a new digital assessment or e-marking system at the matriculation and intermediate levels.After a six-month wait, the results of the intermediate first-year exams were made public, which left thousands of students dismayed. Several students said they earned unexpectedly low scores, while others claimed they had passed in subjects they had never taken.Then, a committee was established by the Mirpur Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education to examine the procedure and a fee of1,500 per subject was introduced, which further fuelled the anger.But, according to Kashmir Digital, the management of the university refuted reports of a 60% fee rise, describing them as false and baseless. The proposed1,000 adjustment in transport costs, which had not yet been approved, was immediately withdrawn, and it stressed that only a 10% yearly rise was allowed under current regulations.The peaceful demonstrations turned violent when a man opened fire on the students earlier this week at the protest site before fleeing the scene. The incident, which reportedly occurred in the presence of police officers, injured one student.Soon after the incident, videos of the firing and ensuing chaos went viral online. After this, students reacted by blocking roads, chanting slogans and burning tyres against the government and the Pakistan Army.The recent unrest in PoK is reminiscent of the Gen Z protest in Nepal, where students revolted against corruption, a lack of opportunities, and development following the government's move to prohibit social media.The Sharif government is alarmed, fearing the unrest could become a nationwide movement.Earlier in September, massive protests were reported across PoK when talks broke down between officials and leaders of the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), a representative body of protestors.The protestors had issued a 38-point charter, demanding that the government embrace it or they would take it to the streets, which they finally did, resulting in violent battles with police that killed at least ten people, including police officers. Several police officers and citizens were also injured during the protests. Louis C.K. and Dana Carvey go back to the early 1990s when the stand-up comic was hired to write for Carveys new sketch comedy show. Little did Carvey know then that the new kids on his staff would go on to stardom. I'm sitting back in life and I go, Oh, (Steve) Carell, oh, (Stephen) Colbert! What are the odds two guys, cast members, and theyre movie stars. Incredible. As for The Dana Carvey Shows head writer, C.K.? Louis became the greatest stand-up, potentially, Carvey blushed on the latest Fly on the Wall podcast. He told the comedian that recent guest Andrew Santino agreed, also naming C.K. as the greatest comic ever. It feels good to hear, admitted C.K. Don't Miss You think? Being called the greatest stand-up has to feel better than hearing He abused his power, He proceeded to take all of his clothes off, and get completely naked, and started masturbating, or simply Gross, assessments leveled in a 2017 New York Times article about the comedians behavior toward female comedians. None of C.K.s dark past was a concern to Carvey and David Spade, who didnt ask a question about those allegations or the comedians later confession that the stories were true. Carvey kept his focus on C.K.s comedy, lauding him for being honest on stage, and then it just went from there. Give C.K. this his stand-up has said some of the quiet parts out loud, like the fact that men like him are the number one threat to women. We're the worst thing that ever happens to them, he said as part of a 2013 routine before the allegations went public. Advertisement Carvey and C.K. took turns building their mutual admiration society. Working with you was a big deal for me, C.K. gushed. You were legend. C.K. kept on kissing Carveys funny ass. I loved working with you because you had this great, deep, traditional background of comedy, he said. You were a purebred. You're just a Hall of Fame guy. You're great at what you do. And you still are. Were we recording? asked Carvey, wanting to make sure the adulation was recorded for posterity. The smooches kept coming. Louis remembered Carvey fawning over him back in the 1990s after watching a set C.K. had done on Letterman the night before: Do you understand that when I was out there doing what you're doing, being a standup, and if you had a set like that back in the 70s or 80s, you would have been huge! A never-to-look-back-again star. Youd walk anywhere, theyd give you a standing ovation. Youd be the next guy. So I was right, beamed Carvey. Its a wonder David Spade didnt ask if they wanted the room to themselves, so as not to intrude on their loving interlude. Old friends sharing fond memories can be fun, I guess. But when an elephant in the room is as big and damning as Louis C.K.s backstage behavior, its a weird, complicit listen when everyone involved ignores the beast in favor of giving everyone their comedy flowers. Former Vice President and War on Terror architect Dick Cheney is dead and gone, but his memory lives on in the personal collection of torture devices belonging to Colonel Erran Morad. Back in 2018, barely a year into President Donald Trumps first term, satire master Sacha Baron Cohen set out to interrogate the growing political and cultural divide in America while under cover as various eccentric characters. In the limited series Who is America?, Cohen interviewed some of the biggest names in American politics and embarrassed some of the most powerful conservative figures in the country, with the recently deceased Cheney appearing in one episode to speak to an Israeli military leader about the grand old time he had waging war in the Middle East. Don't Miss At one point during the talk, Cohen, dressed as the fictional Col. Morad, applauded Cheney for changing the sport of advanced interrogation and asked the Vice President to sign a plastic water jug attached to a rag. After Cheney passed away at the age of 84 earlier this week, its now time for that waterboarding kit to take its place in our National Museum of American History, next to Abraham Lincolns top hat and the Abu Ghraib hoods. A year after he bamboozled a blissfully unaware Cheney with questions like What is your favorite war? and statements such as, We wanted to get rid of Bush to see more Dick, Cohen spoke to Don Cheadle for Variety about the surreal experience of playing one of the most powerful warmongers in American history for a fool. Advertisement As Cohen revealed, he and the Who is America? writers created the character of Col. Morad specifically to trick Cheney, saying You have to think, OK, we got Dick Cheney, hes agreed to do this. How am I going to convince one of the most cynical, suspicious, brilliant minds that Im real? How am I going to get him to say things hes ultimately going to regret? As it turns out, all Cohen had to do to trick one of the most shrewd and ruthless political operators (formerly) alive was to act like a torture device would make great memorabilia. And, to be clear, Cohen/Morad was correct that Cheney-signed waterboarding kit is a valuable artifact that shows America just how ghoulish, violent and oblivious its leaders can be. It's unclear what, exactly, the Who is America? team did with the jug after Cheney left the set, but hopefully someone saved it for posterity and will donate it to the Smithsonian Institution. Advertisement But if Cheney's waterboarding kit can't be located, it's probably just because Cohen and his team burned it following Cheney's passing out of fear that the late war criminal could use it as a Horcrux. Pauly Shore was in full weasel mode when he appeared with Roseanne Barr on the Kill Tony podcast last month. In other words, he was an obnoxious pest all in the service of laughs, of course but not everyone thought it was so funny. Shore was so irritating that the Kill Tony gang has banned him from the show, according to Shores latest Random Rants video. I thought it was good, but I don't know if you guys saw the episode, Shore said. Tony Hinchcliffe basically said, I'm going to kick your fucking ass if you don't fucking stop fucking around, Pauly. Shore was definitely fucking around. For example, check out the 21:30 mark when Hinchcliffe asks Shore for a stack of notecards full of jokes. Shore offers one of the cards, then another, but refuses to hand over the pile. That's not how it works, Pauly, Hinchcliffe warned. If you're planning on doing this for the next two hours, you could shove that wig in your fucking mouth, buddy. Don't Miss Shore swears he was just trying to be funny. But after the fucking show, he took me aside. All his security guards took me aside and they asked me never to come back. The comedian believes he could be the first Kill Tony guest to get a permanent ban. To make matters worse, Joe Rogans Comedy Mothership is now off-limits for Shore on Mondays when Kill Tony is taping. On other nights, Shore says hes only allowed to play Little Boy, the clubs smaller performance space. The only reason I'm allowed in the baby room is because it's literally above Bar Mitzis. (Mitzis Bar at the Mothership is named in tribute to Shores mother, Mitzi, who ran the Comedy Store in Los Angeles for decades.) Shore, who appeared on multiple episodes of the podcast, says it was a good run, but hes received paperwork from an attorney advising him to stay away from the Mothership when Kill Tony is in the house. Kill Tony, if you're out there, I love you and I understand, Shore said. I wouldn't put me back on that show either. I fucked up your whole rhythm. It's the number one podcast in the world, and you don't want me on there. Advertisement Law firms must be thrilled, because Shore revealed other legal emails hes recently received, asking him to stop mentioning comedian Bobby Lee and show organizer Jam in the Van. Despite the alleged gag orders, both were mentioned several times during Random Rants. Advertisement Could the Kill Tony ban simply be a bit? Hinchcliffe is visibly annoyed during Shores episode, so not inviting him back makes sense. But why are all the lawyers getting involved? Any episodes of Random Rants that address comedians beef with Shore get quadruple the views of his normal podcasts, so the Weasel might just be drumming up business. But he definitely seems bummed out. He claims hes squatting in his current apartment and cant be evicted under the policies of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Him and AOC and also that Persian Talibani guy that's now the mayor of New York I am for you guys. I think you're fantastic. You're doing a great job for squatters. Advertisement In the meantime, Shore needs a job. He asked his viewers for a special favor from the bottom of my heart if you're bored and you got nothing going on I was thinking about you possibly tweeting at Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO, all these places and just say you saw Pauly Shore recently on his Random Rants podcast or wherever you saw me and you go, you know what? Put Pauly Shore in a film. The 2015 Donald Trump-hosted episode of Saturday Night Live was arguably the lowest point in the shows history. And considering that the same program once gave us Elon Musk as Wario and 90 minutes of Steven Seagal attempting to perform comedy, that sure is saying something. The aspiring authoritarian rulers late night campaign stop included an assortment of terrible sketches featuring lame jokes about Twitter, an Ivanka cameo and a filmed segment that found him joining Martin Shorts Ed Grimley to awkwardly gyrate to Hotline Bling. But if you thought that the material that actually aired was bad, wait until you see one of the sketches that didnt make the cut. Advertisement Donald Trumps Hair was a Fantastic Voyage parody set in the future year of 2017, in which an elite team of supersoldiers get zapped by a shrinking ray and tasked with piloting a ship onto Trumps head. Why? In order to save the presidents embarrassing haircut from a slight breeze by detonating a hair gel bomb before Trumps meeting with Vladimir Putin. The sketch actually made it to the shows dress rehearsal, but it was ultimately scrapped before the live episode was broadcast. Officially, Donald Trumps Hair was Cut For Time," presumably because SNL never puts Cut For Being An Unfunny Mess on their YouTube video titles. Who came up with this godawful sketch? Apparently it was a sitting U.S. Senator. Advertisement Advertisement As reported by LateNighter, the germ of the idea came from then-Minnesota Senator and SNL alumnus Al Franken. It seems that Franken reached out to Lorne Michaels directly and pitched him a sketch poking fun at Trumps famously bizarre follicles. As I recall, I just gave Lorne the premise for a sketch in which Trumps hair is depicted as a construction site, Franken recalled. So I had no part in writing this sketch and never saw it until now. I understand why it was cut, although Trumps performance in it, as you can tell, is brilliant. So the SNL writers seemingly took Frankens idea about populating Trumps hair with tiny people and ran with it, turning it into a sci-fi riff (complete with bloody deaths and a yeti sighting) rather than a straightforward skit about construction workers. At least we can be fairly sure that this is one Al Franken idea that wasnt stolen from Garrett Morris. Joseph C. Harsch did not fit the modern mold of a journalist. He was not a specialist, as many of today's reporters are. Indeed, the word "breadth" defined his writing, which covered everything from the rise of Hitler to the problems of the dispossessed of the 1990s. Nor was he a blow-dried deliverer of sound bites, despite his extensive broadcasting career. His words usually seemed both simple and weighty. He could explain geopolitics to an eighth-grader. In his later years he didn't even particularly look like a journalist. He favored clothes that were both rumpled and expensive, giving him the appearance of a yachtsman who had stumbled into the Monitor newsroom on his way to the club for lunch. But for much of this century Joe Harsch, who passed away Wednesday, helped define quality American journalism. He was a giant of the profession, as were his friends William Shirer and Edward Murrow. He brought analysis, rigor, and dispassionate objectivity to everything he did. Moreover, he seemed to be everywhere, or at least everywhere something important was happening. He was in Berlin for the rise of the Nazis, in Warm Springs, Ga., with Roosevelt, with Eisenhower in France. He helped capture Hitler's architect, Albert Speer, in the bathroom of a German castle. His nose for the right place was a talent that was somehow not related to conscious planning. Take early December 1941: Harsch and his wife, Anne, were in Hawaii for a break, on their way to Moscow via the Asian mainland. Adm. Husband Kimmel, head of US Pacific forces, had assured him the Japanese wouldn't attack. So when loud sounds awoke Harsch in his hotel room the morning of the 7th, he woke his spouse. "I said, 'Listen to this dear,' " he later wrote. " 'You have often asked me what an air raid sounds like. This is a good imitation.' " A month later, he hitched a ride on the carrier USS Enterprise. As they left the harbor, he met Vice Admiral William Halsey (a future hero of the war) on deck. "There were tears in his eyes - whether from the wind whipping in over the lip of the deck or from depth of feeling was the unanswered question...," Harsch wrote. Harsch was born in 1905 in Toledo, Ohio. He attended Williams College in Massachusetts, then spent two years in England, at Cambridge. His primary goal in acquiring a Cambridge education "was to get some of those lovely English blazers," he once told an interviewer. He also wanted a grounding in history, which he got. The Monitor hired him in 1929. He worked for the paper until 1988. Along the way he moonlighted as a broadcaster, working for all three major US networks and the BBC. Harsch's "Pattern of Diplomacy" was a Monitor constant, lucidly dealing with everything from the causes of the Vietnam War to the Middle East. As a reviewer of his memoir, "At the Hinge of History," once wrote, many journalists are "voyeurs of the moment." But Harsch possessed "the vision of an age." 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Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe 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 It's no secret that GLP-1 drugs have completely transformed the weight loss industry. Gallup research even found that obesity rates in America have decreased in 2025. And a big reason for that is because people have found a solution in Freya Meds, a telehealth platform that originally launched in Australia and that's now available across most of the United States. Freya Meds Join the many who've seen results after joining Freya Meds, the telehealth platform that offers weight loss prescriptions tailored to your needs. 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Freya Meds helps you reach your goals, with the company's clinicians offering carefully tailored dosing to help you adjust to your medication Freyas clinicians offer carefully tailored dosing to help patients adjust comfortably and safely to their prescription. 'The goal isn't to take the smallest possible dose,' explains Dr. Russel Bartels, MD, who's a prescribing physician at Freya Meds. 'It's so find the dose that supports long-term stability, healthy habits, and a sustainable relationship with food. 'For some patients,' he continued, 'that dose may be lower than the FDA-approved dosing guidelines. Less can be more.' The medications, including Semaglutide and Tirzepatide, are delivered from U.S.-licensed pharmacies with overnight shipping, so you can quickly get started on your road to a healthier you. And the best part? Even if your dosage changes during the course of your treatment, your price remains fixed. You don't have to worry about memberships or fees that catch you off guard. With flat monthly pricing and no memberships or hidden fees, Freya Meds is designed to make medically supervised weight loss both accessible and straightforward. Influencers have absolutely fallen in love with Freya's easy and effective process, which offers the benefits of both science and support And leading the charge are influencers who have absolutely fallen in love with Freya Meds. @honeysbody has shared candid accounts of her journey, explaining that the platform was key in helping her drop more than 40 pounds in three months. 'There were days I would cry in the mirror, not because of how I looked, but because I felt trapped in a body that didnt feel like mine anymore. I remember telling myself, I just want to feel like me again,' she said. 'Thats when I started my journey with Freya Meds. From the first month, I noticed small changes. My appetite started to balance, my cravings became manageable, and I began feeling more in control.' You deserve to feel your best every single day of your life and with help from Freya's modern alternative balancing science with personal support, you can finally get the help that you need in the most convenient way. Another week, another knife wielding madman is mass stabbing strangers on a London-bound train at will. Am I allowed to say 'madman'? What other word can there be for someone who was reportedly shouting 'the devil will not win' during the blood-soaked attack? Despite much speculation, it has not been confirmed if the suspect Anthony Williams had a history of mental health issues before he allegedly stabbed ten people minding their own business at teatime last Saturday. The random violence was so shocking that initially the police thought it was a terror attack this is the reality of the horrendous times we live in. Williams, 32, has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder following the train attack, and a separate incident in London hours before, and we shall have to wait for his trial to understand the circumstances that are said to have brought him to this sorry point. The randomness and the ferocity of the incident has echoes of the 2023 triple murder in Nottingham, when paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane stabbed and killed two 19-year-old university students and a 65-year-old school caretaker. And let's not forget the Southport stabbings last year, when 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana attacked children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, killing three little girls and wounding eight more, along with two adults. What Calocane and Rudakubana have in common is that both had been under the care of NHS mental health professionals, for three and four years respectively. Both men had also stopped engaging with the NHS, slipping out of the system of their own volition, free to do their worst. It seems likely that Williams' journey from anonymity to a man on an attempted murder charge may have followed a similar trajectory and, if so, whose fault is that? There have been calls for legal changes to hold NHS psychiatrists personally and criminally accountable for patients with serious mental illnesses whom they discharge into the community and who then go on to commit offences. One can understand why the families of victims advocate such a move; they need justice and answers for the bereavements or loss they have suffered. Yet blaming hard-pressed doctors on the frontline of a mental health epidemic cannot be the answer. CCTV footage emerged earlier this week of a man thought to be Anthony Williams apparently bursting into a barber shop in Peterborough last Friday evening The randomness and the ferocity of the incident has echoes of the 2023 triple murder in Nottingham, when paranoid schizophrenic Valdo Calocane stabbed and killed three people In Calocane's case, it is true that one psychiatrist wrote in his notes that he was a homicide risk only for another to later sign off his release. Yet Calocane had lied about his symptoms saying he no longer heard voices in his head when the opposite was true knowing this would get him discharged from a secure facility. Patients who lie, patients who don't take their medicines, patients who don't attend their appointments how can medical staff monitor or be held responsible for this kind of behaviour? Doctors are dealing with people who have severe mental illnesses, not a head cold. People who are riven with psychosis but who are often wily and crafty, too. There are other factors at play. To the dismay of many in the mental health profession, progressives such as Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, are calling for cannabis to be partially decriminalised. Has he lost his mind? Around one third of psychosis cases in the capital alone are the result of cannabis use, a drug that is far from benign and despite what campaigners say has a profound effect on brain function. People and communities are being destroyed by its use. This is not helping psychiatrists with their ever-increasing caseloads, nor keeping the public safe from the attentions of their most disturbed and potentially violent charges. For it is no secret that the mental health profession is under siege. In 2024, NHS England received a record 5.2 million referrals to mental health services, a huge 37.9 per cent increase from 2019. The pandemic has played a part in this escalation, but the reality is that people who have nothing wrong with them are being encouraged to believe they are ill. The system is being clogged up by those with middling to minor to nothing complaints, including parents seeking ADHD diagnoses for their naughty children or adults seeking the same to put a comforting label on their problems and relieve them of being responsible for themselves. Then there is your low-functioning autism, your social phobias, your neurodivergent sufferers and your army of victims seeking medical evidence to prove their anxiety, for example, is a long-term mental health condition that entitles them to multiple benefits. It is staggering to me that the number of people claiming disability benefits for mental health conditions has doubled since the pandemic, at a cost of 3.5 billion to taxpayers. Why doesn't Rachel Reeves turn her attentions to slashing this monstrous bill, instead of punishing hard workers? But that is another argument for another day. My point is that random, violent crime by those with serious mental health issues is on the increase and part of the reason for this is because the system that could help them is overwhelmed by those suffering from little more than incentivised helplessness. There was a telling scene on BBC's Question Time last week when an unemployed woman with anxiety issues was defending the Personal Independent Payment (PIP) she claimed. PIP is a government benefit with a maximum of around 800 per month paid to those with long-term mental health conditions (or disability). She qualified because of her chronic anxiety and insisted no one would fake a mental health issue 'just for the money'. How could she possibly know if that were true or not? She also demanded sympathy. 'I'm struggling to find a job anyway, but it makes it worse being anxious. People should be a bit more compassionate. It is so traumatic,' she said. Listen. Life is traumatic. Summertime is over for us all, and the living is still not easy. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this preposterous, anxiety riddled creature debating in front of a live audience on national television to more than two million viewers. The lights glinted off her septum nose ring, a bold piece of jewellery not usually associated with the socially anxious. I will be thinking of her the next time another batch of innocent people are murdered in another random, psychotic knife attack in this once great country of ours. If you cannot see the connection, then you are looking the wrong way. Sometimes we are all just so grateful when such bloodshed is not a terrorist attack that we fail to see the real enemy within. Jen has a new friend Jennifer Aniston has a new boyfriend and, frankly, I'm worried. For if you start off by marrying Brad Pitt, everything must be downhill from then on Jennifer Aniston has a new boyfriend and, frankly, I'm worried. For if you start off by marrying Brad Pitt, everything must be downhill from then on. Second hubs Justin Theroux? Was he ever good enough for our Jen? Now she is dating Jim Curtis, a hypnotherapist and self-help author. Jim promises his readers he will 'rewire your inner programming and awaken the truth of who you really are'. Uh oh. His presence certainly explains Jen's pronouncements about her lifelong struggle with infertility. Normally she is so private! Now she is letting it all hang out, perhaps with her new love's encouragement. Look at Jim! He is a total silver fox with dimples and good hair, a man whose experiences with a mysterious tribe he calls 'The Stimulati' helped transform his life. Look at Jen! She is so radiant, as if her inner programming is being rewired on a regular basis and she is getting all the stimulati she needs. Thrilled for her! Let's hope it's third time lucky for the best Friend of them all. Is the Bella Freud collection for Marks & Spencer the firm's worst celebrity designer collaboration ever? The mannered trendiness of Bella's designs might have once played well with the Primrose Hill set, but how many adult women across the UK are going to pay 130 for a slogan jumper with Dance or Wham Bam printed on the front? Particularly when the wool isn't that great on some and the colours unforgiving. Indeed, throughout the range the quality is not quite what it should be for the price point. The only bright spot is the Me! jumper in the kiddy range. I love it! But that is just me. It doesn't feel quite right that Beckham is a knight Arise, Sir David Beckham. You are living proof that there is no shame in public life any more and the fact that a rich man gets what a rich man wants Arise, Sir David Beckham. You are living proof that there is no shame in public life any more and the fact that a rich man gets what a rich man wants, especially if he keeps banging his own drum hard enough. Yes, it was a touching scene when Becks was finally finally! knighted by the King on Tuesday. 'I couldn't be prouder,' the 50-year-old said afterwards. 'People know how patriotic I am I love my country.' Lady Beckham was at his side, every inch the doting corpse bride in her Morticia frock with its weird sleeves but did her husband truly deserve the honour? On the plus side, our hero played a vital role in securing the London 2012 Olympics, has been a UNICEF ambassador for two decades and has recently worked with King Charles and The King's Foundation. However, ahem, there is that business with the tax avoidance scheme, the speeding ticket avoidance scheme, the fury with the honours system when he was repeatedly overlooked for a knighthood ('a f***ing joke'), plus his demands for private jets from the BBC and the alleged affair with his ex-PA, Rebecca Loos. Yet here he is, a knight of the realm at last. John Lewis Xmas ad's too woke bloke... That new John Lewis Christmas ad what a load of rubbish. Is Christmas really the time to focus on the masculinity crisis? That new John Lewis Christmas ad what a load of rubbish. Is it supposed to be about the beauty of connection between a former raver dad and his uncommunicative son? Somebody is damaged, but who? The boy leaves a present under the tree for his father, with a Post-it note label because he couldn't get it together to locate a gift tag, durrr. Dad unwraps the gift oh look, it is his favourite groove record from his clubbing days. Father and son silently hug, cue tagline: 'If you can't find the words, find the gift.' Is Christmas really the time to focus on the masculinity crisis? Especially when we all know that it is the women in most households who are the heart of the Christmas logistics and the Sellotape. Mum is only a ghostly presence, fleetingly glimpsed in the background here. Fake news! Any mum worth her eggnog would have furnished Junior with a proper gift tag, for a start. As the Prime Minister is swanning round Brazil posing as the saviour of the planet, back home his Chancellor is drawing up plans to slap new taxes on... electric vehicles. You couldn't make it up. While Surkeir preens himself as a 'world leader' in cutting carbon emissions, Rachel From Complaints and her childminders at the Treasury are gearing up to make Net Zero motoring more expensive. Drivers of EVs, which were billed as the solution to eliminating ozone-puncturing exhaust fumes, are set to be charged 3p-a-mile from 2028. The new tax is reported to be announced in the Budget later this month as Reeves seeks ever more desperate ways of extorting money to pay for her own public sector profligacy and fiscal incompetence. It comes as another high-profile Labour attendee at the COP30 summit in Brazil, London's two-bob chancer of a mayor Genghis Khan, prepares to scrap the congestion charge exemption for EVs in the New Year. Call it punishment for doing the right thing. No good deed and all that. From January, drivers of electric vehicles in London will be hit with the same 18-a-day charge as everyone else except, of course, Genghis, who is chauffeured round town in a 350,000 gas-guzzling, armour-plated Range Rover. For his 'security', you understand. We also discovered a couple of weeks ago that Khan's hated ULEZ extension raking in 3.5 million a week has had no effect at all in cutting pollution. Turns out his international jet-setting is more damaging to the planet than all the cars in Outer London. Sir Keir Starmer with Ed Miliband at the Earthshot Prize. How can Starmer claim to be a 'world leader' in tackling climate change when Britain produces a piffling 1 per cent of global emissions' asks Richard Littlejohn London mayor Sadiq Khan with Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduordo Paes during the Earthshot Prize awards New taxes on motorists are certain to discourage many drivers from swapping their existing internal combustion engine cars for zero-emission models. Cynical raids on our hard-earned, justified on the grounds that they're designed to save the polar bears, are simply par for the course. Labour politicians may posture about 'clean air' and their concern for the environment, but all they really care about is extracting the maximum amount in taxes. Remember when Gordon Brown lowered duty on diesel, which was said to produce fewer pollutants than petrol? We were all encouraged to buy diesel cars to combat global warming, even if it meant less duty for the Exchequer. Then came a sudden reverse-ferret from 'the science' which declared that actually diesel vehicles did more damage than petrol. So Gordon jacked up the price of diesel again, with the happy consequence of swelling the Treasury's coffers. And to hell with all those he'd bribed to junk their petrol cars in favour of diesel. It's money that matters. Rachel has now realised that tax-breaks for electric cars reduce the amount of money raised by the Government. So she's come up with a different way of screwing motorists, along with everyone else. Labour's hypocrisy on 'climate change' would be hilarious were it not so scandalous. Wouldn't a Zoom conference do the trick? After all, it was good enough for everyone else during the Covid lockdown? But obviously not for freeloading, jet-setting Knights of the Realm Surkeir and Genghis. Or the swivel-eyed eco-zealot Mister Ed, who has also gone along for the ride. Preaching hair-shirt environmentalism to the rest of us, Labour's grandees think nothing of gallivanting halfway round the world to take part in a meaningless jolly ostensibly aimed at cutting global greenhouse emissions. 'Do as I say, not as I do,' is the order of the day. In addition to new taxes on EVs, Reeves is also preparing to jack up yet again Air Passenger Duty from next April. We already pay the highest APD in the world, allegedly to discourage us from flying. But that hasn't stopped Rachel announcing a third runway for Heathrow. Of course, none of this will impact on Surkeir and Genghis Khan's globetrotting. The mug British taxpayer will pick up their bills. Miliband also turned left on the plane to Brazil, taking a reported 100 officials from the Department of Energy with him. And that's probably only about half the size of the British delegation. The Government is refusing to give us the full figure, or the total cost. All we do know is the UK presence is the largest of any country at the conference. No wonder their stinking double-standards stick in our craws. They've even roped in Prince William to play volleyball on the beach and warn of the coming apocalypse. For some unfathomable reason, the Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has also joined this Jolly Boys' and Girls' Outing. What's she doing there? 'Mayors are the tugboats of change, pushing the tankers of Government towards a greener world,' she explained helpfully. I'm sure they speak of little else in the saloon bars of Halifax, Dewsbury and Leeds. Where do they find people like Tugboat Tracy? Give me strength. Down in the city formerly known as The Smoke, Khan's London tourist board has decided not to welcome visitors with a sizeable carbon footprint. They won't be advertising in long-haul markets such as Idaho, in the US, in order to make London a 'sustainable global destination'. Not that having a footprint the size of a Yeti has prevented Genghis from jetting around the world. Analysis of his international travel since he came to office shows he has churned out enough carbon to punch a 'black hole' in the ozone layer, so to speak. He'd already accumulated enough air miles to fly to the moon and back before boarding the big silver bird to Brazil. As for Surkeir, his extravagant grandstanding is frankly sickening at the time of a cost of living crisis, and the prospects of extensive tax rises in the Budget in clear breach of Labour's manifesto commitments. It's his 40th foreign trip since taking office 16 months ago. When he gets back from Brazil he's off to Johannesburg. And it's not as if he's got anything to do at home, apart from a prisons crisis and rampant illegal immigration, as a basis for negotiation. So how dare vainglorious, deluded Never Here Keir claim to be a 'world leader' in tackling climate change when Britain produces a piffling 1 per cent of global emissions? The leaders of the big polluters, the US, China and India, have quite sensibly given the latest COP fiasco a wide berth. This is the 30th such gathering. Thirty years ago, we were warned we had just 100 days to save the planet, if memory serves, back when Two Jags was flying first class to China to lecture the rest of us on not taking package holidays. Yet after three decades, little if nothing has been achieved. We're still being told that the danger of the world being consumed by fires and tsunamis is greater than ever. Virtually every other sensible country in the world has scaled back its over-ambitious Net Zero targets. Brazil, this year's COP hosts, is actually ramping up drilling for oil and gas. In Britain it's full steam (or wind) ahead, further and faster in pursuit of a suicidal, unattainable goal: shutting down the North Sea, banning fracking and carpeting the country with inefficient solar panels and wind turbines made in China with electricity generated using coal as well as lumbering us with the highest energy bills in the developed world, four times higher than America. Only this week, the US ambassador warned that American-owned pharmaceutical giants based in Britain were relocating because of the exorbitant, uneconomic cost of gas and electricity. That'll lead to thousands more climate-related redundancies and the loss of billions in taxes. Meanwhile, Surkeir prances round Brazil in Carmen Miranda's hat, singing Copacabana with Mister Ed and Genghis, while back home we all go to Hell in an expensive electric handcart... at 3p-a-mile. In news meant to shift the Earth's tectonic plates, Meghan Markle has returned to acting. Has she ever stopped? But before we get into Meghan's dramatics histrionics, really let's revisit her most recent 'acting' work in that home movie clip. The scene: A seemingly disconsolate Prince Harry slouches on a sofa, dressed in T-shirt and sweats, staring blankly as the LA Dodgers win the World Series. The set: An in-home screening room, presumably in Meghan and Harry's Montecito mansion, lacking any art on the walls, any side-tables for drinks and snacks, and any friends of Harry's. The furniture looks La-Z-Boy adjacent. Action! Into the frame hops Meghan, opening her arms and bending down to kiss her unsuspecting husband, who quickly realizes it's time to smile and laugh. Meghan then turns to a female friend, and both begin screeching at a pitch and decibel that could repel wildlife, jumping and pumping their arms in the air before hugging. In news meant to shift the Earth's tectonic plates, Meghan Markle has returned to acting. Has she ever stopped? Now, this video clip, posted to Meghan's Instagram story, was meant to look totally relaxed, unplanned and spontaneous. It looked anything but. In fact, only Harry looked natural as if he had been completely caught off-guard and had no idea a small camera was filming this grainy, black-and-white footage of a private home-viewing party. Meghan, however Meghan came across as she always does: Stilted, artificial, simulating what she thinks happiness and joy look like, and lacking a single shred of self-awareness. In other words, she's a terrible actress. Always has been. But the timing of this video, and the subsequent development that she's returning to the dramatic arts, is surely key. It's all coming on the heels of King Charles stripping his brother of all royal titles, honors and residences, which raises the question: When William ascends the throne, are Harry and Meghan next? It also comes as Harry has released a 650-word essay in advance of Remembrance Day, issued from 'The Office of Prince Harry & Meghan' and entitled, 'The Bond, The Banter, The Bravery: What It Means to Be British.' What it means to be British. One line in this essay again, Harry reminding us of his military service for his homeland, and reframing himself as a serious person stands out: 'Though currently, I may live in the United States, Britain is, and always will be, the country I proudly served and fought for.' Currently. Finally, finally, Harry and Meghan appear to have gotten the message. And now he is off in Canada, where his father is king, while Meghan stays in California. It's perhaps why Meghan posted that LA Dodgers video. She is trying to prove that she and Harry are happier than ever that they have not a care as Andrew is humiliated on the world stage and reintroduced as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, now and forever. Meghan has never been subtle, but these quotes about why she's now returning to acting feel telling. 'It is Meghan's way of gently putting her toe back in the water and seeing how she enjoys being back on set,' a source told The Sun. One possible translation: It is Meghan's way of going back to Hollywood while her husband seemingly works his way back into the royal fold. Per The Sun, 'everyone involved [in the movie] is super-excited' that Meghan is there. Who isn't super-excited to see Meghan? Just ask the crowd at Dodger Stadium, who reportedly booed Meghan and Harry on the jumbotron last week. More! A source close to the production says that Meghan has been 'swamped with offers' but 'this one felt right'. Swamped with offers! Yet she chooses, for this most consequential return, a movie whose leads are 50 percent nepo-babies. It's quite the message to send as a woman made famous for her marriage. And now Harry is off in Canada (pictured), where his father is king, while Meghan stays in California One possible translation: This is Meghan's way of going back to Hollywood while her husband seemingly works his way back into the royal fold (pictured: Meghan as Rachel Zane in Suits) Let's revisit some of Meghan's acting credits, shall we? 2006-2007: 'Briefcase girl' on the network game show Deal or No Deal. Meghan later said that 'I didn't like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance. And that's how it felt for me at the time, being reduced to this specific archetype: the word "bimbo".' Forced? She auditioned for it! Also, she meant 'stereotype' not the shoehorned-in 'archetype', which referenced the name of her first failed podcast. But I digress. Back to the acting credits: 2008: Cameo in the Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot. This was a small role in which, among other things, she simulated oral sex in a parked car. 2010: Seconds of screen time in the movie Remember Me. 2011: Ditto in Horrible Bosses. 2011-2018: Suits, as Rachel Zane, a performance that Harry memorialized in Spare as leading William and Kate, who Harry claimed were 'religious' fans of the show, to gasp upon his disclosure that they were dating. 'Their mouths fell open,' Harry wrote. 'They turned to each other. Then Willy turned to me and said, "F**k off!"' OK, sure. 2016: Dater's Handbook, Hallmark movie, lead role as Cassandra 23 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. I would add to this, of course, her apparent performance as a royal wife pleading racism to Oprah Winfrey. As to this new role: Meghan has been cast alongside Lily Collins, Jack Quaid, Brie Larson and Henry Golding in Close Personal Friends, a comedy about a non-famous couple that meets a celebrity couple in Santa Barbara. Meghan is said to be playing herself. If only she knew who that was. There was to be no mercy. The three duty policemen were to be blown to pieces at their desks by a digger carrying a 400lb bomb and if any of them attempted to escape, they were to be shot dead. Those were the orders from Jim The Executioner Lynagh and Padraig McKearney, two of the more psychotic figures within the Irish Republican Army of the late 80s. Sure enough, their bomb did go off and their mass attack on a tiny country police station in Loughgall did, indeed, lead to a bloodbath in the early evening of May 8, 1987. However, the bodies strewn around the wreckage afterwards were not the corpses of the police officers earmarked for slaughter. They were those of eight terrorists including the two maniacs in charge. The IRA certainly did not win that day. Indeed, they suffered their gravest defeat in the history of The Troubles, thanks to the men of the Special Air Service who had put themselves between the targets and the killers. One of those SAS men speaking for the first time, exclusively to the Daily Mail recalls crawling out of the wreckage alive while still under fire. It was like Rorkes Drift with diggers, he says, likening it to the famous siege of a tiny British outpost by a Zulu army in 1879. However, the SAS saved many more lives than the three policemen who survived that day. For forensic tests on the captured weapons showed that these had murdered more than 50 people and would unquestionably have been used to murder many more. Lynagh, alone, had been linked to more than 30 deaths. He had certainly not been planning his retirement from the killing game. Job done, you might say. So why is this Labour Government now about to drag the SAS heroes of that day into a courtroom 38 years later? Why is it about to throw millions of pounds at a brazen attempt by human rights lawyers and radical Irish nationalists to rewrite history? Why must taxpayers pay to repaint the IRAs murderous incompetence as some sort of martyrdom while demonising the SAS as the bad guys? Above all, why, in the week we remember those who have died for this country, has the Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn again confirmed as he did this week that brave veterans who saved lives have fewer rights than the terrorists trying to snuff them out? For there is still only one set of combatants from The Troubles of Northern Ireland who can wave comfort letters (secret get-out-of-jail cards, issued by the Blair government during the Northern Ireland peace talks to protect around 200 terror suspects from prosecution). And it is not our veterans. Hence the disgust among veterans at Mr Benns announcement that the Government will resurrect plans for an inquest into the events at Loughgall. That flies in the face of recent assurances from Defence Minister Al Carns to this paper that no such inquest would take place. Your browser does not support iframes. A scene of devastation outside Loughgall police station in 1987. It was the IRA's gravest defeat in the history of The Troubles thanks to the men of the Special Air Service It is clear that the ineffectual Mr Carns and the Ministry of Defence, which purports to look after our veterans, either has no say in the matter or does not care. The Northern Ireland Office is calling the shots. Whats more, there will not just be one multi-million pound jackpot for the legally-aided juggernaut representing the victims. For Mr Benn has said that Loughgall will be followed by up to eight further legacy inquests shorthand for SAS victories over the IRA. We know how these will operate thanks to the recent inquests into the deaths of IRA terrorists (caught red-handed) at Coagh in 1991 and Clonoe in 1992. In each case, Michael Humphreys, a High Court judge, has applied human rights law which did not exist at the time to an event more than 30 years before. He has then criticised both SAS operations because they did not minimise to the greatest extent possible the need for lethal force. He has even referred the Clonoe case to prosecutors. In the cosy legal La-La Land of judges like Mr Humphreys, the only correct response on being confronted with a man in a balaclava blasting a machine gun in a public place is to say: Halt. You are under arrest. So what happened at Loughgall? I ask John X, a long-serving SAS veteran in the thick of the action that evening, why British troops did not just ask those Provo hotheads to put their hands up. He emits an exasperated guffaw. Theyd already opened up first. If Id tried to say, Youre under arrest, Id be dead. And they wouldnt have heard it anyway with all the noise going on! Now in his mid-70s, John has never breathed a word to anyone outside the Regiment about the events of that evening. But Mr Benns decision to put him and his comrades up before a coroners court has goaded this brave old soldier beyond endurance. As he points out, they all complied with a full investigation at the time and not a shred of evidence has surfaced since. The difference is that, back then, he and his mates received free beer in the mess for six months for ridding Northern Ireland of two homicidal monsters. Nor, back then, was there a Human Rights Act giving terrorists a right to life. This time around, those same gallant soldiers could end up being charged if the coroner decides the deaths were unlawful. Its why the Mails Stop The SAS Betrayal campaign is more important than ever. From the outset, John tells me it was not the Loughgall ambush, as the IRA and their sympathisers label it. They want to call it an ambush because it makes it sound like we set out to kill them, he says. If that had been an ambush wed have done it totally differently. Its the same when they claim we had a shoot to kill policy. Its rubbish. These were defensive operations to protect other people. And you have to remember, we were getting tip-offs like this all the time. Most of them would never come to anything. IRA arms captured after the Loughgall attack. Forensics tests on the weapons showed that these had murdered more than 50 people All he knew was that the RUC had received intelligence that the IRA might be preparing an imminent attack on Loughgall police station and needed extra help from the SAS. The tip-off was in keeping with Jim Lynaghs new Maoist strategy of liberating areas by erasing government buildings and their occupants. A Sinn Fein councillor in Monagahan, Lynagh was living happily in the Republic of Ireland while enjoying occasional daytrips into the North for a spot of killing. So John arrived at Loughgall to find a small station manned during daytime office hours by two or three officers. The plan was to plant five SAS men, including himself, inside the station in plain clothes overnight, hidden from view in an upstairs room. They would also place small cut-off units in the surrounding woodland, to provide cover, to stop enemy reinforcements and to stop innocent civilians blundering into any firefight. All in all, there would be 24 SAS men on the ground. So we just sat there all day and nothing happened, except in the morning a guy came in on some pretence about a vehicle incident, he recalls. We hid behind the door. It later turned out he was one of theirs doing a recce to check who was in the station but he never saw us. Even so, he fully expected nothing to happen. That afternoon, however, two hooded IRA gangsters hijacked a van in Dungannon. Nearby, four armed men appeared at the Mackle familys farm and ordered their son to hand over their digger and fill it with diesel. They then loaded the bucket with 400lb of explosives a mix of fertiliser and diesel with a high explosive booster and drove off, leaving two gunmen to stop the Mackles from raising the alarm. At around 7pm, the RUC officers spotted a digger drive past, followed by a van. The digger had its bucket up which looked odd so the boys were already on standby, John recalls. Moments later the vehicles turned round and came back. The van screeched to a halt opposite the station. Five guys in balaclavas immediately deployed from the van and opened fire on us, says John. There was no chance of saying hands up and all the rest of it. It was heavy fire raking the whole station. The IRA were aiming at the ground floor right-hand end of the building where the police had their desks. Suddenly, to the IRA mens surprise, John and his team were returning fire from the first floor to the left. A number of us got hit by fragments of bullets disintegrating as they hit the steel window frames. One of his team we will call him Barry fell back, his face covered in blood. I thought Barry was gone, says John. Then he crawled back as the digger arrived. The Mail's 'Stop The SAS Betrayal' Campaign is more important than ever By now, the Mackles digger had crashed through the stations entrance gates, with three terrorists aboard. They jumped off, lit the two fuses and ran. The plan was that if a vehicle bomb appeared, three of the SAS should run for the back door and regroup outside. John and Barry stayed put firing at the gunmen and the van from which they appeared to be grabbing more weapons. Then we were just blown back against the back wall, says John. We just looked at each other and said, Lets go. The digger bomb had obliterated one half of the building. You couldnt see or hear anything. We aimed for the staircase but it had gone and we just fell on to the floor below. Both men ran out of the wreckage towards the gunmen. The idea is to get into them as quick as possible. Because, of course, theyre going to be disorientated as well. And they arent expecting anyone to come out of the front. They were wounded but still firing. But not for long. As the sound of helicopters filled the air, it was over. Eight terrorists were dead while three had escaped. Also killed was a passing civilian, Anthony Hughes, travelling in a car with his brother, Oliver, who had been wearing a similar boilersuit to the IRA. John later heard that they had failed to stop when challenged by one of the cut-off units. Oliver was critically injured. Though one RUC officer received severe head injuries from the digger bomb, all survived. John and Barry had minor shrapnel wounds. I had lots of holes in my trousers from bits of brick but you just pull it out and stick a plaster on it, says John, who would also need serious surgery for a back injury which still hurts to this day. He remembers being flown back to barracks for the mandatory debrief and being snubbed by the general commanding British Land Forces. Someone finally told him who I was and he said: Oh I thought you were a cleaner. Then due process kicked in. Over four days, all the soldiers were interviewed by police and signed written statements. In 1988, the Director of Public Prosecutions decided there was no evidence to warrant a prosecution. In 1991, the Hughes family received compensation and, in 2001, the families of the terrorists received legal aid to take a claim for unlawful killing to the European Court of Human Rights. Seven European judges awarded them 10,000 each for technical flaws in the legal process but did not deem the killings unlawful. In 2011, the Historical Enquiries Team of the Police Service of Northern Ireland ruled the IRA had opened fire first so arrests would have been impossible. Yet, for the IRA, Loughgall remains a humiliation that has to be recast as a moral win, hence all the songs and murals about the Loughgall Martyrs. Their lawyers kept pushing every new interpretation of the Human Rights Act until, in 2015, a (Tory) Advocate General caved in to demands for a fresh inquest. This, in turn, was quashed by the Conservatives 2023 Legacy Act which was supposed to stop veterans being hounded. Labour is now dismantling that Act and reopening the case but with one crucial difference. Mr Benn has unveiled a new Legacy Framework which also gives the Irish government a say in these matters. It did not go unnoticed that while he has pledged vague new protections for veterans, the Irish deputy PM has assured Irish voters there will be no new protections for veterans. Little wonder the old soldiers smell betrayal. On previous form, we can be reasonably sure of a few predictions. First, the new inquest will cost many millions. Second, the soldiers will have nothing to add to their signed statements from 1987. And third, the debate will boil down to this: could the SAS have stopped the attack before it started? To which the simple answer is yes. They could have stood outside with blue flashing lights and hi-vis jackets whereupon the IRA would have slipped away quietly without a shot fired. They would then have come back another day when no one was looking. And no one, 38 years later, would be demanding an inquest into why those policemen were slaughtered at their desks. Because, even if they did, their killers could simply stick up two fingers and wave a comfort letter. At the going down of the sun and in the morning... A mother's decade-long battle with prescription ADHD drugs left her with so much heart damage she suffered a heart attack, and needed to terminate a pregnancy to save her own life. Mandi Masterpole had been assaulted aged 11 and turned to drugs a few years later to cope with the lasting trauma, self-medicating with unprescribed Adderall. At 21, she became pregnant with her first child and stopped taking pills, but the damage was already done. When Masterpole went into labor with her daughter, Shae, she suffered a heart attack - twice. After those life-threatening episodes, doctors performed an emergency surgery to implant a device that improves blood flow to her heart - which was functioning at about 30 percent. Since then, she has longed for another child and was elated to find out earlier this year that she was pregnant. But then came more terrible news: doctors explained that the strain of the pregnancy could kill her, and recommended an abortion. Pregnancy can put significant strain on the heart, as blood volume increases by up to 60 percent, requiring the organ to work harder and pump more blood, which can raise heart rate and exacerbate pre-existing cardiovascular conditions. Masterpole, now 34, told the Daily Mail that she felt she needed to be there for her partner and her daughter, who is now 12, so she had the abortion in October - about four weeks into her pregnancy. Mandy Masterpole's heart, weakened by years of strain and mismanaged diabetes, failed after she gave birth, leaving her reliant on a pump that then caused a persistent infection (Masterpole pictured above) 'I have to be here for Shae,' she said. 'Anything that happened to me could happen to her, and I may not be [here]. There's no way I can risk it.' Nearly 18 million Americans reported taking prescription stimulants such as Adderall or Vyvanse in the past year. Masterpole is among them, however she was never prescribed them by a doctor. She told the Daily Mail that she was looking for an escape after her traumatic assault, and found it when a friend gave her her first tablet. Her recreational use was initially to keep up with her school work and social life. But it soon escalated into a full-blown addiction, progressing to snorting the drug multiple times a day and spending most of her paycheck on it. Adderall is a class II controlled substance, which means it has an accepted medical use but a high potential for abuse. Masterpole's long-term abuse had devastating health consequences. The stimulants suppressed her appetite, causing her weight to plummet, and, more critically, placed immense strain on her heart. She had her first heart attack soon after giving birth to Shae at 22. After the initial attack, Masterpole's heart stopped twice. At that time, doctors implanted an LVAD - a device to help pump blood to the heart - and placed her on the wait list for a heart transplant. Years of heavy drug use in addition to mismanaging her diabetes made Masterpole's heart 'ridiculously weak.' Doctors have since told her that her heart health has improved by about 43 percent (Pictured: Masterpole in the hospital) But after the surgery, Masterpole suffered a severe bacterial infection. Infections are common in people with LVAD implants because they involve an external tube, which creates a permanent entry point for pathogens. An estimated 60 percent of LVAD patients have been reported to suffer an infection within 90 days of having it implanted. Thinking they had treated the bacterial infection, doctors replaced Masterpole's LVAD, but her infection returned worse than before. When operating to remove this second infection, surgeons were forced to leave a piece of the device attached to her left ventricle, telling her it was too dangerous to remove. On top of her existing heart issues, the piece of the device would make a second pregnancy fatal, doctors told her. Then, at age 26, Masterpole had a pacemaker and defibrillator installed. The pacemaker regulates her heartbeat, while the defibrillator monitors its rhythm to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. Although these devices alone did not necessarily threaten her or a fetus, doctors determined that the stress of any future labor would overwhelm the pacemaker. Years after her heart attacks, Masterpole became pregnant. Her cardiologist personally called to caution her, explaining that the remnant of the LVAD device in her heart made continuing the pregnancy dangerously risky To this day, Masterpole is taking antibiotics for the second infection and medications to help her heart pump more efficiently. She was near the top of the transplant waiting list for weeks initially. Now, at 34, she is at the bottom of the list as doctors have determined that her heart function has improved significantly (from about 30 percent to 43 percent thanks to medications). But that is not enough of an improvement to make pregnancy safe. 'My heart doctor himself called me on the phone and was like, "Listen, I know you're excited about this pregnancy, but the fact that you still have a piece of that machine in you, and we couldn't put an LVAD in right away, [puts you at] extremely high risk,"' Masterpole said. She told the Daily Mail that she deals with the emotional pain of the recent abortion by focusing on Shae. Masterpole is protective of her daughter and dreads the thought of no longer being the support system she needs. 'I would never leave her in a position where anything that happened to me could happen to her. Over my dead body,' she said. Despite her sadness at knowing she can no longer carry children, Masterpole received encouraging news after undergoing an imaging test on her heart. 'Doctors were like, "You're looking great,"' she said. 'Hearing that I've been doing so well after that, it made me feel good.' Masterpole's greatest fear is leaving her daughter (pictured holding onto Masterpole) without a mother, a dread that fuels her fierce protectiveness The doctors initially told her she likely wouldn't live past Shae's seventh birthday. Now, Masterpole has her sights set on seeing her daughter graduate from high school. 'My fear was like, I'm going to give up this baby and then I'm going to die anyway,' she told the Daily Mail. 'And then to hear... "You probably will make it to her graduation" - that means a lot to me. 'She's right around the corner from 13, and I wasn't supposed to be here. That's amazing, and that's why I'd be crazy to risk it [by having another child].' Amphetamines like Adderall constrict blood vessels and reduce oxygen to the heart. They can also trigger artery spasms that block blood flow, worsening heart damage. They disrupt the regular electrical activity in the heart, causing life-threatening disruption to normal rhythms known as ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Meanwhile, her unmanaged type 1 diabetes - which was diagnosed in childhood - was also affecting her heart, as uncontrolled blood sugar damages its vessels and weakens its muscle. 'In honesty, I was blowing my heart out, and I had no mindset of even knowing what I was doing because I wasn't taking my insulin and the damage was done,' Masterpole told the Daily Mail. Some days are harder than others, she said - confronting one's own mortality is destabilizing and overwhelming. But Masterpole does puzzles to keep her mind busy and focuses on Shae, 'who has gotten me through all this.' 'She keeps me going. That girl is more my strength and determination than she'll ever realize.' For Kirk Neff, whose camera lens has captured prime ministers and princes, the simple act of holding a coffee cup became an exhausting struggle, until a chance encounter with a neurosurgeon who declared: I can fix that. Diagnosed at age 16, the Canadian cameraman has contended with a debilitating neurological condition that causes uncontrollable shaking. Now, in a high-stakes surgery, he is fighting to save his career, which has defined his life. His condition, known as essential tremor, made every task, from holding a coffee cup to steadying his camera, a major effort. Each small movement required intense focus to control the overwhelming shaking. His life-changing moment came during a routine assignment when Dr Mojgan Hodaie, a neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital, noticed his tremors while Neff was attaching a microphone to her shirt for recording. Her immediate diagnosis and promise of treatment opened a door that Neff thought had long closed. He underwent the first of two awake brain surgeries this year in a final attempt to stabilize the shaking, starting with targeting his left hand, which is now perfectly still. Approximately 1 million Canadians and 10 million Americans have essential tremor, the exact cause of which is unknown. One leading theory suggests essential tremor arises from faulty communication between the cerebellum, the part of the brain responsible for muscle coordination, and other brain regions. In many cases, the condition is inherited. A child of a parent with essential tremor has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the gene responsible for it. Cameraman Kirk Neff suffered from a debilitating shaking condition for two decades, until a chance encounter with a neurosurgeon told him, 'I can fix that' Your browser does not support iframes. Neff has experienced tremors since he was 16. He told CTV news that he was prescribed medication to alleviate the shaking, and it never really worked. He said: It takes a lot out of you. So not only are you shaking, but your minds working 24/7 not only on what youre doing, but working on trying to keep your hands straight. Neffs colleague Omar Sachedina, chief news anchor and senior editor of CTV National News, first wrote about his colleague's tremors this week. Years ago, Sachedina attributed Neff's shaking to overcaffeination. But they only worsened as he got older, which is typical in cases of essential tremor. Sachedina said: I always noticed when Kirk had to put a microphone on a guest, he was always prepared with a few jokes to distract them from what was happening with his hands. On our car rides back to the newsroom, Kirk acknowledged [his condition], but he never understood why they were happening. Two weeks after meeting Dr Hodaie for the first time, Neff was in her office discussing his upcoming surgery. During a five-hour surgery, doctors implanted a device that delivers electrical impulses to calm his tremors. The system, known as deep brain stimulation, can be adjusted by the patient using a smartphone app. He is pictured with his colleague Omar Sachedina [left] and Dr Mojgan Hodaie [right] The plan was to implant a small, pin-like electrode in a specific part of the brain to target the nerves causing his tremors, and then connect it to a pacemaker-like device in his chest. This treatment, known as deep brain stimulation, delivers electrical impulses that patients can adjust via a phone app to control the shaking. When the day arrived, Neff described doctors placing a stabilizing brace around his skull before laying him down. They worked behind his head, the top of which was cordoned off with a blue sheet, while he and the staff faced an array of monitors displaying real-time data. As the tip of the electrode got closer to its target, the Ventral Intermediate Nucleus (VIM) of the thalamus, Neff said: 'I just remember hearing this sound... it's almost like a static sound.' As the electrode hit its target, it stimulated the adjacent brain area, the medial geniculate body (MGB), which is the brain's primary auditory relay station, creating the static sound that came through the monitors. 'And as they got closer and closer to the tremors [with the electrode], it got quieter and quieter, the sound,' he said. The lack of sound indicated that the electrode tip was now perfectly positioned within the exact tiny cluster of neurons within the VIM, having moved from the nearby auditory area. The test stimulation delivered from this spot was the signal that steadied the overactive nerves, silencing the tremor. With a second surgery scheduled to finally calm the tremors in his right hand, Neff feels he's getting a fresh start. He recalled emotionally telling his surgeon, 'You saved my life. You saved my career' He added: 'So at one point, I just remember it was so quiet in that surgery room that all I heard was, "ok, we got it."' In an interview after the procedure, Neff demonstrated the life-changing results. Lifting his left hand in the air, he kept it perfectly steady. His right hand, which used to be his 'good hand,' shook vigorously. His next surgery will stop the tremors there, too. He said: 'As soon as they turned on the pacemaker [the electrical stimulations through the electrode], my body just went "whoo," just relief, a sense of relief after 30-some odd years.' The procedure took approximately five hours in total. Essential tremor typically presents with several key signs, most noticeably involuntary shaking in the hands, which can make simple tasks, such as writing or using tools, challenging. The condition may also cause shakiness or a quiver in the persons voice, uncontrollable head nodding, and, in rare cases, tremors in the legs or feet. Deep-brain stimulation is highly effective in treating essential tremor, with total tremor scores showing a 65 percent improvement at six months. Neff will soon undergo a second surgery to target the nerves causing tremors in his right hand. He said: 'It's a new beginning. I remember crying and I told the doctor, "You saved my life. You saved my career."' or confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details A coroner has sounded the alarm over inadequate safety checks by medicines wholesalers after a man died of an overdose from painkillers he bought without 'any checks'. Paul Pidgeon, from Surrey, was a mechanic who owned a garage in Wimbledon and had a 'business account' with Booker, a Tesco-owned wholesale distributor. In February 2022, he 'bulk' purchased paracetamol and ibuprofen both over-the-counter medicines from the wholesaler. Less than a month later, he used his trade account again to purchase more paracetamol from the same Booker branch. But his business 'did not involve the onward supply of medication to the public' and it '[did] not appear that any checks were carried out' by Booker 'to confirm his status prior to the sales', coroner Anna Crawford concluded. Mr Pigeon was later discovered dead with 'empty packs' of paracetamol and ibuprofen beside him in March 2022, having 'deliberately overdosed on paracetamol'. Investigations found that his death was caused by 'paracetamol toxicity' but it had 'not been possible to establish his intentions'. In a Prevention of Future Death report, Ms Crawford wrote: 'Booker in Wimbledon, and therefore potentially Booker more widely, may be selling medicinal products to customers who are not authorised or entitled to supply them to the public. Paul Pidgeon, from Surrey, was a mechanic who owned a garage in Wimbledon and had a 'business account' with Booker, a Tesco-owned wholesale distributor 'Given, the potential for this to result in significant amounts of medicines being sold in single transactions, the Coroner is concerned that this gives rise to the risk of future deaths.' Health leaders have long issued warnings over patients obtaining medicines directly from wholesalers or other unregulated sources like spurious online 'pharmacies'. Yet despite a number of recommendations designed to clampdown on the supply of prescription and unlicenced drugs over the internet, a lack of regulation means the potentially fatal drugs are still available. Pharmacy regulator, the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), states that legitimate online pharmacies, where medication can be legally obtained, must display the GPhC logo alongside their registration number this can often be found on the homepage or 'about us' section. People can also check if the pharmacy is legitimate by typing the registration number into GPhC's pharmacy register on its website. In the report, Ms Crawford said Mr Pigeon had two pre-existing conditions coronary artery disease and hepatic steatosis which made him 'more susceptible' to paracetamol toxicity. Hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease, occurs when excess fat builds up in the liver, and often has minimal symptoms. Both increase toxicity by increasing blood pressure and raising the production of the toxic metabolite NAPQI, respectively. In the report, Ms Crawford said Mr Pigeon had two pre-existing conditions coronary artery disease and hepatic steatosis which made him 'more susceptible' to paracetamol toxicity Ms Crawford said that wholesale suppliers must ensure they supply medicinal products 'only to those who are themselves in possession of a wholesale distribution authorisation'. Or to those 'who are authorised or entitled to supply medicinal products to the public', she added. Wholesalers should 'comply' with these guidelines by 'requesting and checking a customer's status'. A copy of her report was also sent to the Mr Pigeon's family, the UK medicines watchdog the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), as well as the chief coroner. All organisations 'have the power' to 'prevent future deaths', Ms Crawford warned. In a seven-page response to the report, Booker offered its 'sincere condolences' to Mr Pigeon's friends and family. The wholesaler told the coroner that it was not aware of the 'tragic circumstances of Mr Pidgeon's death' and it was 'unfortunate that Booker was not invited to make representations at the inquest'. At the time of his death, Mr Pidgeon had held an account with Booker 'for over 20 years', meaning 'the qualification system for members would have been different' when he joined. Given the significant period of time that has passed since then, 'Booker is no longer able to access the documents that he provided at the time to demonstrate he was a business owner or the nature of his business', it told the coroner. It added that 'it is possible' there was a 'miscommunication regarding the type of business [Pidgeon] owned during the onboarding process', however this was purely 'speculative'. Booker also said that 'various aspects' of its systems have changed since 2022 and 'has a stringent qualification process in place for customers which requires them to prove they are entitled to supply to the public'. 'Booker is confident that its current systems would prevent the sale of medicines to any customers who are not authorised or entitled to supply medicines to the public themselves,' it added. UK: For help and support, call the Samaritans for free from a UK phone, completely anonymously, on 116 123 or go to samaritans.org. US: If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. Scientists may be on the cusp of developing a new vaccine to combat tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's deadliest diseases. TB takes more than 1million lives each year and is particularly deadly in developing countries where access to modern antibiotics is limited. The disease's resistance to certain treatments has made respiratory infections the leading cause of infectious deaths globally. More than a century ago, researchers developed the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which dramatically reduced TB cases in the US from upwards of 80,000 annually to just a few hundred over the following decades. While effective for children, the vaccine is less protective in adults, especially in regions with high TB prevalence. Now, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on a next-generation vaccine using proteins produced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause TB. The team infected human phagocytes, white blood cells that boost immunity by engulfing and destroying pathogens, with M. tuberculosis. They then extracted MHC-II proteins from the surface of these cells and identified specific peptides, short chains of amino acids, that bind to these proteins. Researchers discovered that 24 peptides triggered a response from T cells, the immune system's pathogen-fighting cells, suggesting these peptides could help T cells recognize and destroy TB bacteria more effectively. Researchers at MIT are working on a potential vaccine for tuberculosis, the world's deadliest disease (stock image) Your browser does not support iframes. While none of the peptides triggered a T cell response in every case, the team believes a vaccine using a combination of them would likely work for most people. Bryan Bryson, an associate professor of biological engineering at MIT and a member of the Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham in Boston, said: 'There's still a huge TB burden globally that we'd like to make an impact on. 'What we've tried to do in this initial TB vaccine is focus on antigens that we saw frequently in our screen and also appear to stimulate a response in T cells from people with prior TB infection.' Today, TB infects a few thousand Americans every year and kills around 500, far fewer than cancer, heart disease and dementia. But the threat is much more prevalent in developing countries, however, and TB kills 1.2million people worldwide each year. TB in the US was on a steady decline from 1993 until 2020, when the overall number of cases hit an all-time low of 7,170. But in 2021, that number jumped to 7,866. Prevalence has gone up every year since. The latest CDC data shows the US provisionally recorded 10,347 TB cases in 2024, up eight percent from the year before and the highest tally since 2011, when there were 10,471 cases. Cases are now on the rise in 80 percent of US states, which experts have blamed on missed cases and distrust of doctors forged by the Covid pandemic. The demographics of TB have also shifted, starting in 2001. That was the first year the CDC reported more non-US-born citizen patients than US-born, meaning immigrants and travelers were the driving force behind infections. Your browser does not support iframes. TB around the world is primarily prevented with the BCG vaccine, developed in 1921. Since then, no other vaccines have been approved for use, largely because Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces more than 4,000 proteins, making it difficult to identify those that trigger a strong immune response. Bryan Bryson, an associate professor of biological engineering at MIT, said: 'Instead of looking at all of those 4,000 TB proteins, we wanted to ask which of those proteins actually end up being displayed to the rest of the immune system via MHC proteins. 'If we could answer that question, then we could design vaccines to match that.' Because the risk of TB in the US is low, BCG is not routinely administered, except for children regularly exposed to people with active TB or for healthcare workers in high-risk areas. Where it is given, it provides stronger protection in children than in adults. In a study published this week in Science Translational Medicine, the researchers infected human phagocytes with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and, three days later, extracted MHC-peptide complexes from the cell surfaces. These complexes display fragments of TB proteins to T cells, helping researchers identify promising vaccine targets. They found that 27 TB peptides from 13 proteins were most frequently presented, and when exposed to T cells collected from blood samples donated by people previously infected with TB, 24 peptides triggered a response in at least some donors. However, none of the peptides worked for every donor. Your browser does not support iframes. Bryson said: 'In a perfect world, if you were designing a vaccine, you would pick one protein that is presented across every donor. 'It should work for everyone. However, using our measurements, we've not yet found a TB protein that covers every donor we've analyzed so far.' The team currently has a mix of eight proteins they believe could protect against TB for most people, and they are continuing to test the combination with blood samples from donors around the world. They also plan additional studies in animals, as human trials are likely several years away. TB spreads through airborne droplets released when a person with active TB coughs, sneezes, or speaks. Early symptoms include a persistent cough, sometimes coughing up blood, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, fever, night sweats, and loss of appetite. In later stages, patients may experience severe breathing difficulties and extensive lung damage, and the infection can spread to other organs, including the brain and spine. TB in the brain, also known as tuberculous meningitis, can damage vital tissues, increase intracranial pressure, and kill nerve cells, potentially leading to paralysis or strokes. Deaths are most often caused by respiratory failure due to bacterial damage to the lungs. Like everybody else, I was enchanted by Gavin And Stacey, created by Ruth Jones and James Corden, when it first started in May 2007. It went on to clock up 22 episodes, including much-anticipated Christmas specials. The final instalment, last December, drew 21 million viewers figures not seen since the heyday of Morecambe And Wise. By the time they were shooting the later episodes in south Wales, hundreds flocked to the locations, kept back by security guards. Paparazzi were out in force, pestering the cast. For fear plot elements would be leaked, roads had to be blocked off for filming. Left to right: Smithy, Stacey, Gavin and Nessa Yet the premise was simplicity itself: fresh-faced Essex boy (Mathew Horne) and lush Barry Island girl (Joanna Page), in the era pre-dating Facebook and social media, get to know each other by speaking on the phone at work. They meet in London and fall instantly in love. Over the various series, they get married, buy a house, raise children . . . all very normal and predictable. Spicing things up were Ruth Joness Nessa allegedly a smuggler and lorry driver, who once went to bed in Las Vegas with two of Gladys Knights Pips and James Cordens Smithy, Gavins ebullient best mate. They made for a gloriously incompatible couple. We kept watching to see whether theyd overcome their own considerable quirks. This book, tailor-made for fans, is a transcript (by journalist Boyd Hilton) of a long and candid conversation between Jones and Corden, interspersed with coffee-stained production memos, drafts, proposal outlines and doodles, complete with misspellings and typographical blunders. Covered in detail is the genesis and evolution of the programme. We also learn much perhaps too much about the authors professional and personal relationship. Jones and Corden first met on a sitcom called Fat Friends, about a slimming club. I thought you were very nice and sweet, and very young, Jones tells Corden. Over drinks at the cast hotel in Leeds, they decided to try writing a show of their own they had vague ideas about the Welsh encountering the English at a party or wedding reception. Gradually, it came together, the Shipmans, the Wests, their neighbours the Sutcliffes: all named after serial killers; Billericay versus Barry. Catapulted to fame: cocreators James Corden and Ruth Jones ITV rejected it as too small-scale. They didnt see it as mainstream. A commissioning editor at the BBC, however, in June 2005, said: I think it could be one of the best things weve done. Corden, who by now was appearing in The History Boys on Broadway, showed what theyd written to Alan Bennett, who was full of praise for the scripts. Corden and Jones admit there is indeed a Bennett influence a lot of that sort of day-to-day stuff. Just not said in a Yorkshire accent. Jones, the touch typist, put everything into Word documents. Corden scribbled on Post-it notes. There were lots of laughs, tears, snacks and chocolate. Each morning in an office theyd start by saying: Imagine if . . . and then wed go on a flight of fantasy. They frequently met in New York. It was so surreal, writing these scenes set in Barry Island while we were sitting in Central Park. The series was given the green light and casting decisions could be made. Rob Brydon was ideal as the pedantic Uncle Bryn. Julia Davis was Dawn the next-door neighbour. Alison Steadman, as Pam, Gavins mother, was sublimely dotty. Having told everyone shes a vegetarian, shes then discovered tucking into a packet of ham by Stacey: Promise me thou shalt speak of this to no one ! But its ham, Pam! Best of all was Joness Nessa, in her black bob wig, heavy eyeliner, and wearing lots of leather the sort of battleaxe whose locutions are instantly recognisable to those of us who grew up in the south Welsh valleys: Im not being funny, dont get me wrong, I got to be honest with you, at the end of the day, if truth be told, no word of a lie . . . Nessas inquiry, Whats occurring? became an instant catchphrase. Jones is in no doubt about what made the programme a hit: Its about friendship and family and laughter and love, and those are all things that really keep us going. As Corden adds: Joy is the currency of the show, which is true even when there is tension. Stacey hates married life in Essex and insists on going back to Wales every weekend, even though its a long way and the traffic is horrendous; Smithy, who can be sulky and immature, doesnt like Gavins switch from bosom pal to domesticated husband: Your phones been off for weeks, he complains, when Gavin is on honeymoon. Everyone has difficulty adjusting. Pams little prince now belongs elsewhere. And, of course, Nessa gets pregnant. Audiences were enraptured. It was quite intoxicating, it really was . . . It was life-changing, says Corden. Here the book gets interesting. Corden relished fame, capitalised on it. Jones did not. When Gavin met Stacey is available now from the Mail Bookshop I think we have experienced fame in different ways, you and me, Corden says cautiously. He went to Los Angeles, to be the host of Emmy award-winning talk shows. The Americans adored his bumptiousness. I had some amazing times and great moments, he admits. Jones, more modestly, went back to Cardiff. I just stayed in Wales most of the time and I really did fight against the fame thing. She detested red-carpet duties, disliking looking dolled-up and overweight in press photographs. When Corden came to visit her, people excitedly beeped car horns at him Jones went unrecognised. Cordens huge celebrity status did sort of separate us, she says a point that is rubbed in: I think I found it difficult to deal with that world you were in because I felt it was separating us. There must have been a huge financial gulf opening up, too. Though Jones should be proud of her turn as Hattie Jacques in a biopic and of the 58 episodes of Stella on Sky, it has to be conceded that Llanbradach and St Mellons, where they made it, isnt Beverly Hills, where Corden was in his pomp doing Carpool Karaoke with Will Smith and Gwyneth Paltrow. Notwithstanding, the mutual admiration rings somewhat hollow: I dont know if people would ever realise how much you and I actually say the words I love you, is a typical comment. You walked in, and when I saw you, I just burst into tears. I was so happy to see you, Corden remembers about the fact Jones simply attended his birthday party. To which Jones responds: Its really weird, because I dont think I always appreciate how much you love me. (We must assume none of this is physical it is all gush.) More sincere is an email from Corden to Jones in 2015: I feel youre cross with me or something, or like you dont count me as a friend any more. And here is Jones to Corden in 2017: Were just in such different places. As she adds now in this book: Youd gone into the stratosphere, fame-wise . . . There ends up being a little bit of a disparity. Theyve done their level-best to realign. Your performance is one of the greatest of all time, Corden tells Jones, which means he thinks Nessa can stand comparison with Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra or Vivien Leigh as Blanche DuBois. On the final day of shooting last years Christmas special, it was probably the most emotional TV or film set Ive ever been on . . . Everyone was holding each other and singing. What an emotionally incontinent lot actors and actresses are. News recently broke that Corden and Jones are being paid millions to collaborate on a ten-episode series for Apple TV about a local community choir. Jones is also working with a Stella co-star Steve Speirs on a BBC drama about patients at a knee trauma clinic. Plenty of comedy potential in all these projects. Senior Chinese military official meets with Serbian defense minister Xinhua) 11:25, November 07, 2025 BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, met with Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic here on Thursday. Zhang said that under the strategic guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China and Serbia have embarked on a new journey toward building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era, and that military relations between the two countries have been developing at a high level. Zhang said that China is willing to work with Serbia to enhance military cooperation that is more dynamic, broader in scope and of higher quality. Lauding China's development achievements, Bratislav Gasic said Serbia firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and is willing to work with China to step up strategic communication, consolidate the achievements of cooperation, and elevate relations between the two countries and the two militaries to a new level. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A female geologist was once addressing a meeting organised by Nasa, when a man interrupted to say she didnt understand what she was talking about, and that she definitely needed to read a paper by McCarty et al (academic speak for and others). She looked him in the eye, pulled back her hair so he could see her name tag, and said: I am McCarty et al. The dangers of thinking you know it all are there for all to see, yet still people insist on sharing their boundless wisdom with a fortunate world. 'Eggheads aren't really a barrel of laughs' This is the sense in which Dutch academic Arnoud S. Q. Visser has used the word pedant, rather than the narrower idea of someone who moans about apostrophes. His book is a useful warning for those inclined to advertise their own cleverness. US President Dwight D. Eisenhower defined an intellectual as a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows. His predecessor Thomas Jefferson said moral philosophy was mostly useless, as you cant learn a sense of right and wrong from books: State a moral case to a ploughman and a professor, and the former will decide it as well, and often better than, the latter, because he has not been led astray by artificial rules. Jacques Goussault, the 17th-century French writer, agreed, arguing it was more valuable to understand the art of living than have a library in your head. And the ancient Greeks, as ever, knew a thing or two about knowing a thing or two. Plato criticised those who debated for its own sake like puppies, they enjoy dragging and tearing those around them with their arguments. And the playwright Eupolis said that Socrates thought hard about everything else, but neglected to consider where hes going to get his meals from. Hard to disagree, isnt it? Eggheads are rarely a barrel of laughs. Visser has an entire section on the portrayal of arrogant academics in books and films, from the one in Kingsley Amis Lucky Jim who answers the phone history speaking to Professor Amos Pomfritt in The Affairs Of Dobie Gillis. On Pedantry is available now When a student argues that an incorrect piece of English is acceptable because its in daily use, Pomfritt snaps: The rules of English usage are made by scholars and learned men, not by college freshmen and other such vulgarians. The best way of dealing with a know-it-all is to mock them. You might quote the philosopher Denis Diderot: He who claims to know everything only shows himself ignorant of the limits of the human mind. None of this is to say facts dont matter. But we shouldnt become enslaved to intellect. Visser admits to being a pedant as a child. People would say: What expensive words you use. He took it as a compliment, but in adolescence realised such reactions expressed unease and mild irritation. Another way of putting it is that no one likes a smart-arse. Empire of the Dawn is available now from the Mail Bookshop Empire of the Dawn by Jay Kristoff (HarperVoyager 22, 800pp) Were back for a third instalment of life but mostly death in the twilit empire of Elidean. Under a sunless sky, armies of vampires, shapeshifters and other assorted monsters roam the land in a quest for blood and domination. Gabriel de Leon, our battered, indestructible, demi-vampiric hero, is back. His mission? To stop the armies of the dead, lead by the monstrously vile Fabien Voss, from taking Augustin, capital city and the only hope for the future. In the way? Pretty much everything that needs slashing, gouging, smiting and cleaving. Theres also a lot of swearing and drinking (red stuff, mostly) and a smidge of hope (see title). Another bloodily brilliant, gorgeously gory epic. Ice is available now from the Mail Bookshop Ice by Jacek Dukaj (Head of Zeus 25, 1,200pp) Gleissen, mysterious ice-nests, are creeping westwards from the vastness of Siberia and submerging cities in their icy grip. Even history has succumbed to the great freeze so no First World War or Russian Revolution. Eternal student Benedykt is dispatched to the frigid East on a secret mission via the Trans-Siberian express. Its his entry to a world of plots and counterplots as spies, cranks and scientists are drawn to the mysteries of ice. Mighty, relentless, unhurried, this extraordinary work by the much-garlanded Polish author is glacial in the best way. It dazzles and grips as it carves out a new world of science, history and pure imagination. Slow Gods is available now from the Mail Bookshop Slow Gods by Claire North (Orbit 20, 432pp) While a mysterious civilisation brings news of an impending supernova-driven catastrophe, some galactic powers get down to the business of evacuating billions of souls from threatened planets, while others jockey for position with their rivals politics as usual. Events are seen largely through the eyes of Mawukana na-Vdnaze, a uniquely gifted space pilot, but how has travelling through the blank spaces within the void changed him? On one level, Slow Gods plots the metamorphosis of a humble man from debt-slave to vengeful, mystical, quantum revenger. On another, its a vast tragi-comedic masterpiece of love, loss and good manners in the face of sure and certain death. The Riders is available now from the Mail Bookshop THE RIDERS by Tim Winton (Picador 10.99, 368pp) Optimist Scully, 30, works in manual labour, despite his educated background, to support his attractive, artistic wife Jennifer and their young daughter, Billie. When Jennifer falls in love with a derelict cottage in rural Ireland, Scully starts renovations, ably assisted by the local postman, while she and Billie fly back to Australia to sell their house. But when Billie returns alone and mute, Scully becomes obsessed with finding Jennifer, dragging the child across Europe to former haunts. Did he ever really know his wife? And what price will he pay to track her down? Beautifully written in 1994, this portrait of a father and daughter relationship is heartbreaking and uplifting. Soon to be a film with Brad Pitt . . . The Green Years is available now THE GREEN YEARS by A. J. Cronin (Pan 10.99, 320pp) Scottish doctor Cronin is best known for his 1937 novel The Citadel, based in a Welsh mining village, that inspired the creation of the NHS but here he returns to his Scottish roots. After the death of his parents, eight-year-old Roman Catholic Robert is brought back from Dublin to live with his mothers family in sectarian Scotland. His grandmother is kind, his grandfather penny-pinching, but it is his womanising, hard-drinking great-grandfather with whom he develops a special bond over 12 years. The characterisation is rich and funny but, despite a tragedy, it is the unconventional, intergenerational love that triumphs in this touching tale from 1944. Freezing Point is available now from the Mail Bookshop FREEZING POINT by Anders Bodelsen (Faber 9.99, 192pp) Originally published in 1969, this dystopian Danish thriller feels unnervingly contemporary with its driverless cars, wall-sized TVs and obsession with dodging ageing and death. Magazine editor Bruno is diagnosed with terminal cancer but offered the chance to be frozen down until a cure can be found. He agrees, but on being thawed in 1995, he is kept in isolation and the existential questions of what life is for tortures him. He is frozen down again, re-emerging in 2022 when the world is run by medical specialists who can live for ever. Full of challenging ideas, this is as chilling as its title suggests. For decades people have spent thousands of pounds bleaching, drilling and filing their teeth down to achieve a perfectly pearly 'Hollywood smile'. But the It-Girls for today are being praised for their imperfect incisors despite admitting they were once plagued by childhood taunts for their 'wonky' chompers - as dentists reveal patients are moving away from costly veneers for more natural options. From breakout star Aimee Lou Wood, set to play supermodel Pattie Boyd - whose beauty inspired hits such as Layla and Wonderful Tonight - to musical sensation Sabrina Carpenter, today's sex symbols are proudly touting their gnashers. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Nicole Khalife, dentist and owner of Lux Smiles NYC, shared that wonky teeth are 'officially in', and she's seeing it in her customers. 'In my years as a dentist, I've seen plenty of trends come and go - from ultra-white veneers to the push for perfectly straight teeth. But lately, there's been a really refreshing shift,' she explained. 'More people are rethinking what a "perfect smile" actually means. These days, patients are leaning into a more natural look - embracing little quirks, slight overlaps, and the kind of uniqueness that makes their smiles truly their own.' In this day and age, Nicole added, people 'don't want cookie-cutter smiles'. 'They're moving away from that super-polished, identical look and instead asking for something that feels more real,' she continued. From breakout star Aimee Lou Wood (pictured), set to play supermodel Pattie Boyd - whose beauty inspired hits such as Layla and Wonderful Tonight - to musical sensation Sabrina Carpenter, today's sex symbols are proudly touting their gnashers 'I've had patients tell me, "I just want my smile to look like me - but a little better." That mindset says a lot about how our idea of beauty is evolving. Small imperfections can make a smile feel genuine, approachable, and full of personality. 'From a professional standpoint, I think this is a really positive change. Healthy, natural teeth are beautiful - and preserving that natural structure is always one of my top priorities.' She said that while 'veneers still have their place and can work wonders for certain patients', they are 'not always necessary'. 'They involve removing some enamel, which is a permanent step, and more people are starting to realize they'd rather avoid that if possible,' Nicole stated. 'Patients are becoming more informed, and they're looking for treatments that are conservative, long-lasting, and focused on overall health, not just aesthetics. 'I think social media has helped shape this new attitude too. You're seeing more public figures showing off natural, slightly imperfect smiles - and people love it. 'It's a reminder that beauty doesn't have to mean flawless symmetry. In fact, a smile with character often stands out more because it feels genuine.' Elsewhere, Madelyne Salo, who owns Select Dental, has also noticed the change with her own patients. Georgia May Jagger is also a member of the gap gang. The model, 33, has not fixed the space between her two front teeth as her famous look has led to a successful modeling career 'Lately, more people are starting to appreciate their natural teeth, even if they are not perfectly straight,' she told the Daily Mail. 'There is something charming and human about a smile that shows personality instead of perfection. 'The "wonky teeth" trend reflects this shift toward authenticity. In many ways, it is a reminder that beauty is not about chasing a flawless look but embracing what makes us unique. 'The Japanese idea of "yaeba" where slightly crooked teeth are seen as cute and youthful, really captures this mindset that imperfection can be its own kind of beauty. 'Veneers are still a valuable option for many, especially when someone wants to fix chips or discoloration. 'However, I have noticed that patients today are moving away from that ultra-white, identical Hollywood smile. They want results that look natural and feel like them. 'People are also more informed about the long-term maintenance that veneers require, and that has made many think twice before choosing something permanent. 'This awareness has created a healthier balance between cosmetic enhancement and self-acceptance.' Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri (pictured) is another celebrity who has been lauded for their natural smile Experts have credited the emerging A-listers of today for helping cement the new attitude towards teeth. 'For years, a perfectly straight, dazzlingly white smile was the ultimate status symbol. We saw it on Hollywood stars, on influencers, and even on our friends who had taken the plunge,' Dr Jana Denzel, founder of Denstudio Dental Limited, shared. 'That uniform, bright-white look, often achieved with a full set of veneers, became the standard of beauty we all felt we had to chase. But now, something is shifting. 'Lately, Ive noticed a quiet rebellion against this manufactured perfection. Were seeing more people in the public eye, like the effortlessly cool Daisy Edgar-Jones, rocking their natural teeth with pride. 'These smiles have character. They have little gaps, slight overlaps, and unique shapes that make them uniquely individual. The move away from "perfect" smiles seems to be part of a bigger conversation we're having about authenticity.' Aimee Lou Wood has been applauded by many around the world for showing off her teeth as she has reached new heights of fame with her fan-favourite role on The White Lotus earlier this year. But in a recent interview with British GQ, Aimee explained that White Lotus creator Mike White had to 'fight' to cast her, which made her feel insecure. She continued: 'When someone (not a producer) told me Mike fought for me it was said in a nice way. Elsewhere, Sabrina Carpenter - revered for her incredible musical talent as well as her beauty - has also been praised for her natural chompers 'I just spiralled about it because of my own imposter syndrome. That was my point. Just really wanted to clear that up because HBO have been nothing but super supportive. In the GQ article, Aimee dove into the insecurity, saying, 'My little head goes: "HBO didn't want me. And I know why HBO didn't want me, it's because I'm ugly."' 'Mike had to say, "Please let me have the ugly girl!" That was the thing that was in my head,' she continued. Aimee has been praised online for leaving her buck teeth natural, instead of caving into the artificial beauty standards of Hollywood. During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, the actress marvelled: 'I can't believe the impact my teeth are having. Americans can't get over them. 'Even the way White Lotus fans are talking about me and my teeth - that I don't have veneers or Botox - it feels a bit rebellious.' Many have also heaped praised on the natural smile of her White Lotus co-star Charlotte Le Bon. The 38-year-old French-Canadian actress has been at the center of multiple articles and Reddit posts appreciating her unique teeth. Many have also heaped praised on the natural smile of her White Lotus co-star Charlotte Le Bon Meanwhile, actress Margaret Qualley has a slight gap between her two front teeth. The 31-year-old actress wore prosthetics in critically-acclaimed film The Substance Aimee and Charlotte's characters Chelsea and Chloe even addressed their chompers in their first meeting as the latter told the former: 'I love your teeth! You're from England right?' Elsewhere, Emmy winner Ayo Edebiri is another celebrity who has been lauded for their natural smile. The 30-year-old star of The Bear often flashes her signature smile on the red carpet. However, in January 2024 she was candid about dreaming of being able to afford to maintain the teeth she has. She told E! News's Laverne Cox on the red carpet of the Primetime Emmy Awards of herself at the time: 'She didn't dream of nights like this. She sort of dreamed of just, like, dental insurance. 'We've got dental, we've got eye [insurance], we've got ear. We can go to the dermatologist.' Elsewhere, Sabrina Carpenter - revered for her incredible musical talent as well as her beauty - has also been praised for her natural chompers. The 26-year-old Espresso hitmaker is said to have slight crowding, a rotated tooth, and pointed canines - and mamelons, which are the bumps on the edge of a tooth which help it erupt through the gum. Meanwhile, actress Margaret Qualley has a slight gap between her two front teeth. The 31-year-old actress wore prosthetics in critically-acclaimed film The Substance. Georgia May Jagger is also a member of the gap gang. The model, 33, has not fixed the space between her two front teeth as her famous look has led to a successful modeling career. And it's not just the It-Girls - male stars like Jacob Elordi have been praised for their imperfectly charming smiles too. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Steven Davidowitz, founder of Luxury Dentistry NYC, remarked: 'Its been fascinating to watch how our idea of "perfect teeth" keeps changing. 'The obsession with flawless, cookie-cutter smiles is losing its grip. People dont want to look like they just stepped out of a cosmetic ad anymore. They want to look like themselves- quirks, character, and all. 'I remember a patient who came in asking if she should "fix" a tiny overlap in her front teeth. 'It wasnt something most people would even notice, but she felt pressured because every influencer seemed to have the same bright, veneered smile. We talked about it, and she decided to keep her natural look. A few weeks later she told me, "I actually get more compliments now because my smile feels more me." Thats the kind of moment that tells you beauty standards are shifting.' PR experts say it could be way for her to distance herself from the White House The First Daughter, 44, shared a series of pictures with her long-term friends Posing in a tight black minidress and surrounded by a gaggle of intimidatingly beautiful women, you could be mistaken for thinking Ivanka Trump was rubbing shoulders with socialites and influencers. In reality, the First Daughter was seen striking a pose with a close-knit circle of childhood friends whom she's known for many years. Trump, 44, often spends time with the glamorous group at various social events and, most recently, they were captured together once again in a series of photos shared to Instagram from her belated birthday celebration in New York. While the images gave a glimpse into the former Advisor to the President's social life, public relation experts told the Daily Mail they also could be used as a way for Trump to distance herself from the White House and to help her create a more relaxed persona. Jaycie Cooper, the principal PR consultant at Cooper Communications, said Trump is using the pictures of her long-term friendships to remind people of who she was before her father, President Donald Trump, was in the White House. 'She's continuing to transition from the controlled, corporate image she had during her political years to a more lifestyle-focused persona,' Cooper said. 'She's signaling a return to the lifestyle and fashion spaces where she originally built her brand and in tandem distancing herself from the political arena. 'The change from rigid workwear to more fashion-forward choices is more about audience repositioning than her style.' Ivanka Trump shared a series of pictures with her close-knit group of friends. L to R, Lindsay Powers Fox, Tamara Goldstein, Trump, Lindsay Smith, Flo Fulton Miller and Julie Shaffner Brawn Ryan McCormick, managing partner at Goldman McCormick PR, told the Daily Mail that Trump's online popularity has grown over the years due to her ability to connect with people over her content. 'She's already more relatable than other people,' he said. 'She talks about things that average people kind of go through, and I think that this post that she had with her friends is just another mark of that consistency.' In the carousel of pictures shared to Instagram on Thursday, Trump looked effortlessly chic in a fitted strapless mini dress which boasted a low-cut top that was adorned with silver sparkles. She paired the dress with black tights and stilettos, wearing her long, blonde hair straight and flowing over her shoulders. Her friends looked equally as glamorous, wearing outfits in various dark shades as they posed on a rooftop in Midtown, New York. While her friends were tagged in the post, none of them have public social media profiles. They appear to be a mix of friends from Florida - where Trump lives with husband Jared Kushner and their three children: daughter Arabella, 14, and sons Joseph, 12, and Theodore, nine - and New York. A pictured shared by Smith to Facebook in 2021. Trump pictured third from the left Trump shared a birthday post for her friend Tamara Goldstein to social media earlier in the year Ivanka Trump and Lindsay Powers attend The Director's Council of the Museum of the City of New York Winter Ball in 2005 Among the group were pals Lindsay Powers Fox, Lindsay Smith and Flo Fulton Miller who have all been spotted with Trump over the years. Julie Shaffner Brawn, who co-founded the jewelry brand Alexandra Jules with Alexa Taron in 2015, and Michael Lefton, the senior managing director and global head of capital raising and investor relations at the Starwood Capital Group, were also in attendance. Tamara Goldstein, who is a noted childhood friend of Trump's, was also one of the guests. Speaking about their friendship to New York Magazine in 2016 during Donald Trump's presidential campaign, she said at the time: 'We don't discuss [the politics]. 'I ask her about how she's doing amongst the chaos of the campaign and about her well-being, since that's what matters to me. Other than that, I don't get involved.' On Trump's actual birthday, October 30, the mom-of-three celebrated with an intimate lunch in Miami with friend Isabela Grutman, the founder of sustainable women's clothing line RANGEL and Isa Grutman Jewelry. Trump also posted a heartfelt post to social media, where she shared the 15 life lessons that she learned over the past year, including her advice on overcoming 'pain' and 'sitting with what shattered.' The post included assorted photos of her year, which included a snap of her family at her father's inauguration this past January. The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives of Ivanka Trump's for comment. On Thursday evening, First Lady Melania Trump was honored by Fox Nation with their 'Patriot of the Year' award - and even though she attended solo without husband Donald Trump, it looks like his absence gave her a 'boost,' according to a body language expert. Melania, 55, wowed the crowd with a seven-minute-long address in a stunning black, Carolina Herrera long-sleeve gown with a thigh-high split at the conservative-leaning network's ceremony on Long Island. Donald had stayed behind in Washington, D.C., to host the leaders of several Central Asian nations. The Patriot of the Year award is presented to those 'heroes and patriots who have shown unwavering dedication to the values that make our country great.' During her speech, The First Lady, who emigrated from Slovenia, spoke with a passion about what makes America great. Melania also paid tribute to the founders of the United States in the Revolutionary War, and praised the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, who she said 'reinvented how things work,' adding that 'innovation is a form of patriotism.' On a night that honored Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika, Melania paid tribute to those who defy political correctness, urging those watching to 'open their minds.' She finished by asking the audience to make a 'personal pledge to celebrate ambition and scale imagination to create a more advanced and prosperous society. Individual productivity is not selfish. It's the heartbeat of civilization.' On Thursday evening, First Lady Melania Trump was honored by Fox Nation with their 'Patriot of the Year' award - and even though she attended solo without her husband, President Donald Trump, it looks like his absence gave her a 'boost,' according to a body language expert Donald Trump stayed behind in Washington, D.C., to host the leaders of several Central Asian nations On a night that honored Charlie Kirk's widow, Erika, Melania paid tribute to those who defy political correctness, urging those watching to 'open their minds' It was a big night for The First Lady, and according to body language expert Judi James, her husband's absence didn't seem to impact her negatively at all, as she seemed confident and addressed the audience 'like a star in her own right.' 'If Donald's absence from this event affected his wife's mood at all it was to boost rather than decrease her levels of visual confidence,' James told Daily Mail exclusively. 'Melania's formal portrait that she chose for this second term as FLOTUS showed her looking like a CEO of a large company with her power dressing; her splayed arms as she stood at the top of a boardroom table, and a very challenging stare to show that, this time around she means business,' James explained. 'So it was fitting that this speech to accept her award reflected a very similar narrative in terms of basking in the solo attention, soaking up the ovation and addressing her audience like a star in her own right.' James observed that The First Lady's on-stage confidence came from three 'key' areas - the 'pace, timing, and control rituals.' She noticed how Melania used the stage as her own 'catwalk' when she arrived, and her 'unhurried and elegant pace of walking came with a wave of acknowledgment to the audience.' James also said that her handshake on stage with host Sean Hannity was one that showed a gesture of 'soft control.' 'She instigated the handshake with the host and even placed her right hand onto his back as they turned to face front in a leading gesture of soft control,' James explained of her embrace with Hannity. 'If Donald's absence from this event affected his wife's mood at all it was to boost rather than decrease her levels of visual confidence,' James told Daily Mail exclusively James observed that The First Lady's on-stage confidence came from three 'key' areas - the 'pace, timing, and control rituals' James also said that her handshake on stage with host Sean Hannity was one that showed a gesture of 'soft control' 'There was no trace of any nervous flinch from Melania, who looked like a woman who was suffering not the smallest trace of any Imposter Syndrome or sense of being Donald's "Spare" as she accepted the prestigious award,' she explained. Her body language during the speech was also one that was commanding. 'Melania paused before speaking to control the room and her delivery was as unhurried as her deportment,' James said. 'When she delivered a small joke she used the professional speaker's technique of glancing up and pausing to allow for the laughter,' she noted. 'Melania's smile towards the audience looked like a friendly tie-sign of acknowledgement,' she continued. 'Her cheeks rounded and they sustained that shape as she delivered her speech to suggest pleasure to be there communicating.' The body language expert explained that the way Melania communicates is quite different to that of her husband's. 'Melania is a very different speaker to her husband, who specializes in a spontaneous, often stream-of-consciousness, rambling delivery with jokes and asides,' James told Daily Mail. 'Melania paused before speaking to control the room and her delivery was as unhurried as her deportment,' James said The body language expert explained that the way Melania communicates is quite different to that of her husband's 'Melania is a very different speaker to her husband, who specializes in a spontaneous, often stream-of-consciousness, rambling delivery with jokes and asides,' James told Daily Mail 'She tends to stick to her script in a more formal style but here she used her eyes for punctuation, and it was a much more entertaining and personality-based style than her earlier speeches in office,' she shared. 'She looked very much like the right person in the right time at the right place and in the right spotlight at this prestigious event.' In addition to Melania, Kirk and inspiring 13-year-old DJ Daniel were among the others honored at the awards show, which Fox has run since 2019. Star host Sean Hannity was the master of ceremonies and Jason Aldean performed at the event in New York. A bargain involving Coles' beloved hot roast chicken has quietly flown under the radar - until now. The special deal offers shoppers a Coles' roast chook along with a 1.25L bottle of soft drink for $13.50 - a very simple combo that's since taken social media by storm. Since the roast chicken alone is usually $12.50, this means you're effectively picking up a soft drink for just $1 extra. By comparison, 1.25L soft drinks like Sprite and Coke Zero usually typically cost $4. A Coles spokesperson confirmed the national deal's existence to the Daily Mail. 'We are always looking at ways to offer our customers great value on the items they need and want regularly,' they said, adding the deal will run until February. An Aussie woman was among those who were stunned to only just discover the 'secret deal'. The savvy shopper shared her findings across two popular TikTok videos posted to her @heyitsbiancasusan account, explaining that she'd spotted it on the supermarket's website. She admitted she was kicking herself over all the times she could have been saving money at the checkout given it had been available since April. A bargain involving Coles ' beloved hot roast chicken has quietly flown under the radar - until now An Aussie woman was among those who were stunned to only just discover the 'secret deal' 'The amount of 1.25L Coke No Sugar I could have got for $1,' she wrote. 'Hot chicken rolls are a regular weekend lunch at our house!' Even though she - along with many other shoppers - may be late to the party discovering this deal, Bianca did note there's still plenty of time to take advantage. 'Get your family a hot chook and grab an extra 1.25L for an extra dollar,' she urged. The comments section quickly filled with replies from Aussies who also had no idea about the combo's existence. 'This is the first time I've seen it advertised! No way has it been a thing since April,' one stunned shopper replied. Another heralded it as the ultimate 'girl dinner'. Some shoppers who had already seen the signs in-store near the chicken warmer were surprised not everyone was aware of the offer. Although many Aussie supermarket shoppers were stunned qt the Coles hot chicken combo deal's existence, others said they had spotted signs for it near the chicken warmer 'It's heavily advertised in my local - it's on a big sign on top of the chooks and in the drinks fridge that has 1.25L drinks,' one woman commented. 'Crazy to me that other stores don't make it more of a thing.' But not everyone was impressed with the deal, with some saying they'd prefer a different pairing with their roast chicken. 'What a weird combo, would make more sense offering a fresh pack of buns,' one TikToker replied. 'They should have a tub of coleslaw to go with it and some bread,' another mused. One cheeky commenter wondered, 'who's raw dogging a whole chook as a meal?' Some shoppers were also quick to point out that rival supermarket Woolworths is offering a similar combo deal. Using food delivery app MilkRun, Woolworths customers can grab a roast chicken and 1.25L soft drink for $13.95. Earlier this year, a Coles deli worker revealed a little-known secret about how to score a free hot roast chicken. Coles deli worker Ellie has lifted on the supermarket's best-kept secret about its fan-favourite roast chicken - and it's something not everyone knows Ellie, from Adelaide said shoppers are entitled to a free hot chook if there are none available for purchase before a certain time, as part of its supermarket policy Ellie, from Adelaide, explained that shoppers are entitled to a free hot chook if there are none available for purchase before a certain time, as per Coles' store policy. 'Not enough people know about this so I thought I'd let you in on the best deli secret there is,' she said in a now-viral video. 'If you come to Coles before 8pm and there are no chickens in our chicken warmer, you can get a free roast chicken on us. 'Our chicken promise is that we always have a hot chicken ready for you, but if you come to the store before 8pm and the oven isn't broken, then you're entitled to a free chicken ticket.' The free roast chicken policy is available in most stores across Australia - but the time to claim the voucher may differ depending on your location, as trading hours vary between states and regions. 'If you ever come across an empty chicken warmer, and see a sign that reads "Our Promise" at your local Coles store, it's best to ask a staff member for the voucher.' However, Ellie noted shoppers only get the voucher if they specifically mention the free roast chicken promise. 'You have to ask for the voucher first - we don't offer, that's why it's a secret,' she said. 'But if you do ask, we give you one of these vouchers and you have a week to come back and get a free chicken.' Back in 2004, the government of the United Arab Emirates began borrowing heavily as it looked to launch a major expansion drive in Dubai. In the same year, some 700,000 births were registered in the UK. Fast forward 21 years, the city of Dubai is flourishing, its economy growing robustly and the skyline of 2004 is now unrecognisable for the countless skyscrapers that have shot up in the intervening years. In other words, Dubai is experiencing a boom time. Not so some 5,500 kilometres away, where the lustre of Britain is looking somewhat tarnished for many young people. Some of the hundreds of thousands born in 2004 have been graduating from university into a job market that is stuck in the doldrums. The proportion of young people who had secured a job in the February before they graduated fell to 27 per cent this year, from 33 per cent two years ago, according to data from High Fliers Research. Now, there could be an opportunity to get a graduate job in Dubai - though winning accepted could be easier said than done. Training ground: Graduates are being offered an opportunity to get a graduate job in Dubai - though winning a place could be easier said than done Dubai Business Associates, which offers a fully-funded nine month graduate training programme in Dubai-based businesses, has opened applications for its twelfth cohort of graduates. The programme will give graduates the chance to receive training in strategy consulting, finance, and data analytics, offering placements at partner companies such as the Dubai District Fund and Dubai Future Foundation. Those on the course will be able to work on consulting projects for the likes of Emirates Airlines, dnata, Dubai International Finance Centre, and Dubai Economy and Tourism. However, entry is extremely competitive with an acceptance rate of just 0.5 per cent. The scheme also isn't paid, though graduates' living costs are funded. Rami Tafiq, director of Dubai Business Associates, said: 'We are proud to attract exceptional talent from around the globe. Our associates bring fresh perspectives and a shared commitment to positively impact business and society. 'With a 0.5 per cent acceptance rate and an international cohort of future leaders, DBA is a truly prestigious graduate programme.' Dubai Business Associates is funded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai. While the course doesn't promise a job role upon completion, graduates of the course will have built up practical experience and an extensive network of contacts. Dubai also has no personal income tax, meaning that those who do find a job in the city after completing the course would be able to cash in on their new salary. Applicants need to have graduated from a bachelor's degree, and to have worked for fewer than three years. The last cohort comprised 6,660 applicants from across 146 different countries, with only 26 graduates admitted. The programme typically accepts between 30 and 40 graduates each year. Applications are open until 1 March, with the programme beginning in September 2026. One alumnus of the course, Surkhel Yousafzai, who graduated from the course in 2022, said: 'DBA's practical experience was a major appeal, offering the opportunity to work with many innovative companies. 'DBA opened my eyes to what a dynamic city Dubai is, and gave me the skills, confidence, and global perspective to thrive professionally.' The Government of Dubai also launched a first-time buyer scheme earlier this year which offers young Britons the chance to get on the housing ladder with a complete mortgage offer, if they can secure residency in the emirate. Products featured in this article are independently selected by This is Money's specialist journalists. If you open an account using links which have an asterisk, This is Money will earn an affiliate commission. We do not allow this to affect our editorial independence. Freetrade is a home-grown investment platform that launched in 2018 and stakes a claim as a pioneer of commission-free investing in the UK, hence the company's name. It's now owned by online trading firm IG Group. Since 2018, several other investment platforms have boomed in popularity, each offering its own spin on Freetrade's selling point. Commission-free investing is no longer anything special. Some investors now demand free account fees too, which other platforms oblige, while Freetrade's best features are locked behind subscriptions. That being said, Freetrade has made some positive changes in 2025 that mean it's worth another look. Its big shake-up is that you can now open a stocks and shares Isa on its basic plan, without any account fees to pay. This makes it a competitive low-cost option for do-it-yourself investors. Freetrade now also lets you invest in mutual funds, which sets it apart from the newer batch of investing platforms such as InvestEngine and Trading 212. Funds are only available on Freetrade's paid plans. But their addition makes the platform an attractive option for those who want a wide investment choice while still keeping costs low. What deals are Freetrade running? You can currently get 2 per cent cashback on pension transfers and up to 1,000 cashback on Isa transfers until 31 December 2025. > Open an account with Freetrade* Freetrade: Who does this investment platform suit? Good for investors who want a no-nonsense low-cost platform Freetrade* Learn More Simple and straightforward platform to use No account fees on its stocks and shares Isa Funds are now available on the paid plans Flat fees can work out well for those with larger pots Fractional shares are only available for US stocks Performs well but little that makes it stand out among a growing range of platforms This is Money's view: Freetrade has improved its offering recently, with the addition of funds making it worth considering as a low-cost alternative to the likes of Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor. The platform is straightforward to use on both desktop and mobile but doesn't do anything special in terms of features. > Learn more about Freetrade and open an account* You can open these accounts with Freetrade: Investment Isa read our full round-up of the best stocks and shares Isa providers General investment account Self-invested personal pension (Sipp) here's our view of the best Sipps Unlike other platforms, Freetrade doesn't offer a cash Isa. Read our round-up of the best cash Isas you can open at the moment. Why you can trust us This is Money has been covering investing and personal finance since 1999. Read more about how our editorial independence helps make our readers' lives richer and how we test and review investment platforms. About our writer: Sam has been helping people make the most of their money for more than a decade and has written extensively about investment accounts and types of investments. He's a DIY investor and enjoys tracking economic news and market developments. He's written for organisations including NerdWallet, the Financial Ombudsman Service and Simply Business. How we tested Freetrade I opened a general investment account and a stocks and shares Isa with Freetrade and spent several hours testing its features. I've searched for investments using Freetrade's 'discover' tab and tried the platform on both desktop and mobile. I've bought an investment and set up a limit order to sell when it reaches a certain price. I've spoken to This is Money team members who use the platform and have included their opinions in my Freetrade review. Freetrade's fees Freetrade's basic plan is free and allows you to open a general investment account and a stocks and shares Isa. You need to pay to access the two plans above that, but they offer a wider investment choice, with Freetrade's plus subscription giving access to a self-invested personal pension (Sipp) too. Basic Standard Plus Monthly cost Free 4.99 (billed annually), 5.99 (billed monthly) 9.99 (billed annually), 11.99 (billed monthly) Accounts General investment account, stocks and shares Isa General investment account, stocks and shares Isa General investment account, stocks and shares Isa, Sipp Investment choice 6,500+ UK, US, and European stocks, ETFs As on basic plan + mutual funds As on basic plan + mutual funds FX fee 0.99% 0.59% 0.39% Interest on cash 1% 3% 5% Source: This is Money based on Freetrade's published fees. This is Money's view of Freetrade's fees Freetrade charges fixed subscription fees rather than charging them as a percentage of your investments, meaning its fee structure is like Interactive Investor's. We like flat fees, because they're straightforward to understand and crucially they don't skyrocket as your investments grow. And now its stocks and shares Isa is free, Freetrade can compete much more effectively with the likes of Trading 212 and InvestEngine, neither of which charges account fees. Even though there's not many to choose from currently, adding funds is a savvy move for the platform. When there's more to choose from, it should be able to compete with fund supermarkets like Bestinvest and Hargreaves Lansdown. If you have a larger portfolio, Freetrade should work out much cheaper than many of these platforms for fund investors. For example, Interactive Investor ramps up its subscription fee to 11.99 a month when the value of your Isa reaches 50,000. With Freetrade there's no similar rise. There are no dealing fees either, which some platforms charge for funds for example Interactive Investor at 3.99 a trade and AJ Bell at 1.50 a trade. On the other hand, those with a smaller pot are likely to find cheaper account fees elsewhere. Here are example annual account fees for someone with a 75,000 portfolio of funds in a stocks and shares Isa: Bestinvest 300 300 AJ Bell 187.50 187.50 Hargreaves Lansdown 337.50 337.50 Interactive Investor 143.88 143.88 Freetrade 59.88 (billed annually), 71.88 (billed monthly) 59.88 (billed annually), 71.88 (billed monthly) Fidelity 262.50 What is Freetrade's investment choice like? Freetrade says it has more than 6,500 UK, US and European stocks, investment trusts and ETFs to choose from. By comparison, Trading 212 claims you can pick from more than 13,000 global stocks and ETFs. The number of options available through Freetrade is enough for investors to build a diversified portfolio. But with more stocks available elsewhere, it's possible that more experienced investors may not be able to find certain niche investments on Freetrade. > Read more: Investing for beginners Those on the Standard and Plus subscriptions can also invest in gilts, UK Treasury bills and funds. It's great that Freetrade has added funds to the platform for paid subscribers, with a limited choice of options currently available from investment houses such as Aegon, Trojan and Vanguard. The platform is aiming to have around 300 funds available initially before expanding this out to around 2,000. But until this happens, more experienced fund investors may not be able to find what they're after on Freetrade and will likely want to stick with a different investing platform. What about fractional shares? Freetrade's fractional share trading is limited, but the platform says it's aiming to add fractional share trading in UK and EU stocks and ETFs in the future. Buying investments is straightforward enough, though fractional shares are only available for US stocks, with no option to buy fractions of UK and European ones. Harvey Dorset, Reporter at This is Money What is Freetrade's customer service like? Like many app-based investment platforms, Freetrade funnels you to a chatbot when you have a question, which you can access through your account. If you have a more general question, the chatbot attempts to match your question to a response in Freetrade's help centre. But during my testing, it wasn't obvious how to get put through to a real customer service agent, or whether they would read my messages. It's not the best experience when it's unclear how to get connected to a human and whether you're chatting to an AI or not. Someone did reply to my question about the choice of investments available through Freetrade a day later. You can also email Freetrade with your questions or get in touch with the team using social media. There's no phone-based support, so Freetrade may not be the right platform for you if you prefer to speak with customer service in real time. I, robot: It's not always clear whether your question will get through to a human What is Freetrade's platform like to use? Freetrade is one of the more straightforward platforms to use, on both mobile and desktop. It lacks frills, but this means it's uncluttered and simple to navigate. Within moments of joining, I'd funded my Isa by connecting my bank account to the platform using a QR code. Searching for investments is a better experience on Freetrade than most other platforms I've tested. The 'discover' tab allows you to find investments by popularity, sector and theme, with the platform highlighting particularly distinctive ones such as cannabis companies. When searching for companies, Freetrade helpfully gives a short summary of what each one is known for. In most instances, these are dry. But Freetrade has injected frivolity into some of them, making your search dare I say it quite fun. Sausage rolls: Freetrade describes companies by what they're known for I bought two shares in a UK company using Freetrade, with the transaction occurring instantly after placing the order. If you place an order outside of market hours, Freetrade queues it so it goes through when the market opens. Freetrade also has extended hours orders on certain US stocks, meaning you can place orders before the market opens. You can search for these investments using the 'discover' tab. I like the 'discover' function where you can search for stocks by sector and region, and I also like that this function allows you to find stocks in more niche categories such as companies with female founders. I found it fiddly to update my address but managed to do it without contacting support. Helen Crane, Deputy Editor at This is Money Does Freetrade have any useful features for investors? When compared with options from rivals such as Trading 212 and Etoro, Freetrade is fairly bare bones. But as I mentioned in my InvestEngine review, a streamlined platform is no bad thing especially for novice investors who may be overwhelmed by lots of bells and whistles. The main drawback with Freetrade is that it doesn't allow you to build distinct portfolios for your investments. Other platforms let you add investments into a portfolio and buy them according to target weights. This is a simplified example, but on Trading 212 you could create a more cautious investment portfolio or Pie as the platform calls them with an ETF that tracks global stocks at a 75 per cent target weight, and an ETF that tracks bonds, or fixed income, at 25 per cent. When you add money into the Pie, Trading 212 then allocates the investment according to these targets. There's no similar feature on Freetrade. This isn't the end of the world, but the Pie feature is useful if you're investing with different financial goals in mind. That being said, Freetrade does give you a portfolio breakdown, which allows you to track performance and to easily see how you're invested including across investment types and sector. Otherwise you can expect the usual essential features in Freetrade: Recurring investments: You can set a single recurring order for up to 50 investments, choosing target allocations for each. Advanced order types: Extended trading hours, plus limit, stop and triggered orders to help you control how and when Freetrade places your orders these are now available to free users as well as paid ones. Watchlist: You can track investments you've got your eye on by 'starring' them and adding them to your watchlist at the bottom of your main portfolio screen. What is Freetrade's research and educational content like? Freetrade has a learning hub on its website that gives useful information, especially for those just starting their investment journey. It has a news section of the website, where it publishes regular weekly articles about timely topics. There isn't a dedicated news section within Freetrade's app, however. It would be great to have relevant content featured under the insights tab of your account. When I signed up and logged into the desktop version of Freetrade for the first time, the platform pushed relevant articles at the bottom of the screen, which is useful when choosing your first account and investment. Other investing platforms have more extensive research and educational content. In particular, investment platforms such as AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor produce their own research and analysis to help you choose your investments. But they generally charge more in fees, letting them employ entire teams of investment researchers and analysts and offer these extra trimmings. The app-focused platforms like Freetrade, Trading 212, Prosper and InvestEngine can't generally compete with the established ones on this type of content. Freetrade: This is Money's overall review There was little to make Freetrade stand out before it improved its platform this year. But now it's added a free stocks and shares Isa and allows paid subscribers to invest in funds, it's worth keeping an eye on. Further changes are also afoot, with Freetrade aiming to dramatically expand the choice of funds available. These changes mean that Freetrade could appeal to two types of investor those who prefer app-focused, low-cost platforms like Trading 212 for trading stocks, and those who want low-cost access to funds. The platform itself is less fiddly to use than others, and I was set up and investing very quickly. I can see myself using the platform more regularly because of its simplicity. > Learn more about Freetrade and open an account* The merger of two UK food manufacturing giants is set to go ahead early next year amid proposals designed to overcome concerns raised by the competition regulator. Announced in early April, Greencore's takeover of Bakkavor is set to create a UK food-to-go giant with a combined revenue of around 4billion. But unions have warned the Greencore deal could result in up to 1,500 job losses as well as factory closures. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority last month warned the 1.5billion combination of Greencore and Bakkavor could hurt competition in the supply of chilled supermarket sauces. Prepared food specialist Greencore, which supplies all major supermarkets as well as Marks & Spencer, on Friday revealed proposals to sell its Bristol-based chilled soups and sauces manufacturing site. The group is already in talks with 'a number of prospective purchasers' for the business, which generated revenues of 47million in the year to 26 September. Packaged food mega deal set to go ahead after CMA approval in principle In response, the CMA said it had in principle accepted the deal could go ahead in lieu of a 'phase 2', more intense investigation. In a joint statement Friday, Greencore and Bakkavor said they are working towards the deal going ahead early next year. Greencore, which has its headquarters in Dublin, with a British head office in Worksop and 14 factories, supplies nearly 750million food-to-go items each year and employs around 13,300 staff. London-based Bakkavor employs 17,200 staff across 41 locations in Britain, the US and China. It makes around 3,500 different freshly prepared food products, including meals, salads, desserts, dips, sauces, sandwiches, and pizza and bread products. Greencore boss Dalton Philips said: 'Working with brilliant colleagues across Greencore and Bakkavor, we've got a huge opportunity to create real value - for our customers and consumers, our colleagues and our shareholders. 'Both teams are already collaborating really well on integration plans, and we'll be ready to hit the ground running once the deal completes in early 2026.' Bakkavor chief executive Mike Edwards added: 'The combined group's scale will enable us to create even more opportunities for colleagues, deliver even better quality, service and innovation for our customers, and generate value for our shareholders.' A Polish woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann was today found guilty of harassing the missing girl's parents. Julia Wandelt, 24, let out an audible gasp as the jury returned verdicts on Friday. She was found not guilty of stalking. Her friend and 'supporter' Karen Spragg, 61, a care worker, was cleared of stalking following a five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court and burst into tears as the verdicts were delivered. In a statement released afterwards, Kate and Gerry McCann said: 'Despite the jury's guilty verdict of harassment, we take no pleasure in the result. 'Like most people, we did not want to go through a court process and only wanted the harassment to stop. 'The decision to prosecute was taken by the Crown Prosecution Service, based on the evidence gathered by the police. 'We hope Ms Wandelt will receive the appropriate care & support she needs and any vulnerability will not be exploited by others. 'If anyone has new evidence relating to Madeleines disappearance, please pass this on to the police.' Wandelt was accused of stalking the McCanns for almost three years, calling, sending messages, leaving voicemails and turning up at their home demanding a DNA test after claiming to be their missing daughter. Her barrister claimed she was 'vulnerable' and her behaviour was that of a 'rather sad and pathetic young woman' acting out of 'desperation' because she believed her parents had lied about who she was. While Spragg's defence team argued she was simply trying to detect a crime - that of Madeleine's abduction - when she took Wandelt to the McCann's home and shouted at Kate. Before Mrs Justice Cutts reconvened court to discuss her sentence, Wandelt appeared to be sobbing in a room behind the dock. The judge told her barrister she would 'need to compose herself' for sentence and she later sat silently in the dock. Prosecution counsel Michael Duck KC said a restraining order was sought against Wandelt because there had been 'plain harassment' against the McCann family. He said: 'We submit there has been plain harassment and on the face of the evidence, that that will continue into the future and this is a mechanism by which the McCanns can be afforded some protection.' The court was told a deportation order had already been served against Wandelt and that it was a matter for the secretary of state whether she remained in custody. The judge handed restraining orders to both both women. Wandelt was sentenced to six months. LISTEN: The Trial of the 'McCann Stalkers'. Listen to the latest on this Daily Mail podcast Wandelt sobbed as she was found not guilty of stalking the McCanns for almost three years Karen Spragg, 61, of Cardiff, arriving at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday. She was cleared Kate and Gerry McCann have both given evidence during the trial in Leicester Video footage shows Wandelt and Spragg checking into a hotel before confronting the McCanns at home in Rothley, Leicestershire in December where they are caught on a neighbour's Ring doorbell. Audio recorded by Wandelt on her phone reveals the moment she accosted Mr McCann and he tells her she is not Madeleine. Separately, an audio recording in which a police officer from Operation Grange, the Metropolitan Police investigation into the disappearance of Madeline, tells Wandelt she is not the missing girl is also released today. Det Con Draycott said he called Miss Wandelt to say 'in no uncertain terms' that she was not Madeleine. The conversation - which was played in court - was recorded without his knowledge, the jury heard, and uploaded to a YouTube crime podcast with Miss Wandelt. Mr Duck told jurors both women caused 'very significant distress' to Kate and Gerry and the messages and calls and the visit to the McCanns' home showed the 'ends to which these two ladies would go to make sure they reached their targets ... and imposed their will upon them.' Referring to the visit to the McCanns house in which Mrs McCann can be heard in a recording saying: 'You are causing a lot of distress stop it', he said it could not have been 'clearer in plain English' what they were doing to her. In the recording, Wandelt can be heard telling Spragg 'don't shout at Kate' which Mr Duck said was an 'early and overwhelming demonstration that Mrs Spragg 'wasn't just a hanger on but an enthusiastic encourager'. The court heard Wandelt, who claims she was sexually abused by her step grandfather as a child, first started thinking she was Madeleine in June 2022 while in hospital where she was being treated for depression and self harming. It was said that from then on she sought to 'persuade anybody who was prepared to listen that she was Madeleine McCann' contacting friends of the McCanns as well as Madeleine's siblings, Sean and Amelie. She said she had childhood memories of growing up with the twins, who were two when Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment on the Algarve in 2007. And claimed to have memories of her 'abduction' when Kate McCann told her she would find her - which the prosecution said was a 'particularly wicked' lie given Mrs McCann's desperation to find her daughter. Wandelt shared with the McCanns and online with her one million plus followers photos which she said showed similarities between her and Madeleine and other members of her family. She also claimed to have DNA evidence which showed she was an almost 70 per cent match to Gerry McCann but which jurors were told was 'wholly irrelevant and a complete nonsense'. Wandelt, who worked as a private tutor, recorded much of her contact with the McCanns and published the distressing audio online. Both Mr and Mrs McCann gave evidence during the five-week trial in which they told how her behavior had left them distressed with both becoming emotional when discussing how Wandelt had also targeted Sean and Amelie and turned up at their house. Wandelt broke down and sobbed at several points during the trial and screamed at Mrs McCann 'why are you doing this to me' as she gave evidence. She fled from the dock screaming when jurors were told: 'She is not Madeleine'. Judge Mrs Justice Cutts, urged jurors to put any emotions or sympathies with Mr and Mrs McCann to one side before considering verdict. Despite being presented with DNA evidence from police that she is not Madeleine, her defence barrister said she still believed she may be the missing girl. It can also be revealed that Wandelt claimed she may have been a fourth missing girl, Katelyn Rivera-Helton, who went missing aged 20 months in America in 1999. Her father Robert was found guilty of her murder even though her body has never been found. The court heard Wandelt asked ChatGPT to examine similarities between her and the missing girl in January. It came after she earlier said she might Inga Gehricke, who disappeared in Germany in 2015, and Acacia Bishop, from Utah, who was kidnapped in 2003 before finally settling on Madeleine McCann, who vanished from a holiday apartment on the Algarve in 2007. It can now also be reported that prosecutors took the highly unusual step of attempting to ban all reporting of the trial due after Wandelt gave an interview to a YouTube channel from behind bars. And in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Julia's father Jacek Wandelt revealed the agonising story of his daughter's obsession and his own heartache at watching it unfold. 'I have been following the case, and I just want them [the judge and jury] to see that Julia is not bad, she is sick and needs help,' he said. 'The situation is madness, I know the McCanns have lost their daughter and don't have any idea of what has happened, but I have lost my daughter as well.' Wandelt, who claims she was sexually abused by her step grandfather as a child, first started thinking she was Madeleine (pictured) in June 2022 A sketch of Wandelt in the dock at Leicester Crown Court Pictures shared by Julia Wandelt which she claimed showed a similarity to Madeleine Another imaged shared on social media reportedly showing a similarity between her and Kate McCann A composite shared by Wandelt on social media claiming similarities between her and Gerry Julia Wandelt claimed in social media posts that she had similar marks on her face to Madeleine Her defence barrister Tom Price had said she was not 'wicked' as the Crown had suggested but was 'desperate' and her behaviour was that of a 'rather sad and pathetic young woman.' He told jurors in his closing statement: 'You may think she came across confused, certainly a troubled young lady who has had in life her fair share of troubles: sexually abused by her step grandfather, mental health problems not doubt linked to the abuse she has suffered, somebody who has self harmed somebody who has attempt suicide... you would have to have a heart of stone not to feel some compassion and sympathy for that young woman. 'And against all that she is confuse about her identity and who she is ...set off on this three year course to find out what her life is about and who she is.' Simon Russell Flint KC, defending Spragg, submitted that Wandelt was on an 'increasingly desperate quest' to try to find out and establish who she is. He said Spragg's 'sole purpose' had been to find out whether Wandelt 'might be the missing Madeleine'. 'Karen Spragg came to be a true friend to Julia Wandelt,' Mr Russell Flint said. 'She almost suffered with her. She supported her, she believed in her. She wanted to help her find her true identity.' There comes a time in a woman's life when she grows out of her bad boy stage. For most, it happens after a few dates - when 'I can change him' quickly turns into 'get me out of here' faster than you can block all his numbers. His shady past, his constantly buzzing two or three phones, the days he vanishes, and those blinding Versace shirts... what once felt thrilling soon becomes tedious, or worse, dangerous. I've had my own dalliances with bad boys, and let me tell you, the very things you find sexy - the unpredictability and edge - are exactly what make you want to bolt before you can say 'parole'. That's why this whole new fascination with reformed crims on social media is so fascinating to me men who have swapped prison overalls for podcast deals, crime for content creation. Because guess what? While their law-breaking, ram-raiding days are over, the chaos isn't. Which brings me to Australia's most famous redemption story: Spanian, real name Anthony Lees, 37, who was once a hardened Sydney crim who spent 13 years in prison. He's a former heroin addict, bank robber, ram-raider, and self-proclaimed street-philosopher, who has traded in his balaclava for Balenciaga, kicking in doors for a kebab business, and has amassed over 1.2 million adoring fans on YouTube and social media platforms for his trouble. Good for him, and I mean that sincerely. I love a good re-invention story, having worked hard to go from Australia's most high-profile escort back to being just Amanda again. 'While I'm clapping at Spanian's re-invention, his personal choices suggest he sure ain't no saint,' Amanda Goff writes Spanian stepping out with his 22-year-old girlfriend while his ex-wife is looking after their five-month-old baby doesn't exactly scream 'reformed man', says Amanda Goff (Pictured: Spanian with his girlfriend Ava Jean Walker) I'm not exactly lily white myself. I've endured stigma, judgement and, while I broke no laws, I know I was controversial and will carry the notoriety for the rest of my life. Like Spanian, I own it; I have to. Misfits like us don't really have much of a choice. I also know as a 51-year-old woman who doesn't have a TikTok account and who chooses The Golden Bachelor over YouTube videos that I'm not his target audience. I don't find jail cool, I'm no longer attracted to bad boys, and I know a leopard never really changes its spots. Once you've experienced the fast-paced, unconventional world of quick cash and excitement, returning to 'normal' life is no easy feat - so I salute anyone who can break free. But here's where my applause ends. Because while I'm clapping at Spanian's re-invention, his personal choices suggest he sure ain't no saint. And according to comments on his socials, his once adorning fans are slowly but surely turning against him, calling him a sell-out. Let's discuss his freshly chiselled honker and blindingly brand new veneers. Look, I am no stranger to tweakments, and I'm all for a new look if it gives you confidence, but you can't claim to be a man of the streets then spend fifty grand on a Hollywood smile and lord knows how much on sculpting your schnoz. Spanian pictured with his ex-wife, Angela McColl Ain't nothing 'real', 'raw', or 'Redfern' about that. But again, his body, his choice. He calls his surgery a mark of his success, and fair enough. I feel similarly about my breast implants, if I'm honest. What turns me off, though, is the very public debut of his new 22-year-old girlfriend, Ava Jean Walker, while ex-wife Angela McColl is at home caring for their five-month-old baby. It's not illegal, and sure, relationships end. But to split just weeks after the birth, and immediately step out with someone 15 years younger? Come on. You don't need to be a High Court Judge to know that's not the behaviour of a man living a God-fearing, reformed life. And here's my gripe Spanian isn't the first and certainly won't be the last reformed bad boy to burst onto our social media feeds with a 'Baby, I've changed' narrative. Call me cynical, but I've had my own run-in with one of these media bad boys, the kind of man who swore he'd turned his life around, who was charming, magnetic, intense and had a great story. We connected on social media and I met him in a cafe to interview him for my podcast. Spanian's Hollywood smile is not 'raw', 'real', or 'Redfern', says Amanda Goff During the chat, he tried to hold my hand, made sleazy comments, and told explicit, inappropriate stories. After five minutes, I had to leave and had an anxiety attack on the street - the first one I'd experienced in years. His behaviour scared me and I realised very quickly, despite his 'reformed bad boy' persona on social media, he was anything but. He claimed to be clean and sober, yet after this encounter, he'd call me late at night, clearly off his face, and would send me inappropriate texts. I felt like such a fool for believing this guy might've changed. The truth is, in my opinion, many of these so-called redemption stories are less about genuine change, and more about rebranding: how to monetise trauma and appeal to lost young men who are desperately looking for male role models. Same ego, same attitude, different hustle and a savvy PR team. And that's what bothers me so much not that these men are trying to change, because good for them, if that's the truth, I know that isn't easy. But while they are monetising their brand-new morals, they're still making the same mistakes. True redemption isn't flaunting your new 22-year-old girlfriend on social media, while your wife is changing a newborn's nappies. True change happens slowly and quietly. There has to be a whole lot of humility and genuine accountability. So yes, I'm the first to celebrate those who genuinely turn their lives around, but can we please stop confusing charisma and 'cool' for true character. Behind every bad boy is usually a trail of destruction and a broken-hearted woman. You can take the boy out of 'bad', but whether you can take the 'bad' out of the boy is another story. The boyfriend of a marketing executive who died after she partially severed her arm during an alleged argument will remain behind bars charged with her murder. Claire Austin, 38, allegedly ran through a glass door between a bedroom and sunroom of the Randwick flat she shared with Lee Robert Loughlin in Sydney's eastern suburbs on April 12. Loughlin was arrested on Thursday but did not apply for bail when he appeared before a bail court on Friday accused of Ms Austin's murder. According to court documents, news.com.au reported that he is alleged to have engaged 'in abusive behaviour' which intended to 'coerce or control' her and could 'cause fear that violence would be used' against her. The marketing and events consultant, who was from the UK but had been living in Australia for ten years, is believed to have severed an artery during the alleged incident. She died three days later in St Vincent's Hospital. Ms Austin was living with Loughlin, 44, on the top floor and the couple reportedly had a disagreement on the Saturday morning when the alleged incident occurred. After being told Claire would not survive her injuries, Ms Austin's family flew from the UK to Sydney and arrived just hours before she passed away on April 15. Following her death, Loughlin was taken to Maroubra Police Station for questioning before being admitted to a mental health facility for several days. Claire Austin, 38, and Lee Robert Loughlin, 44, (above, together) lived in the top floor Randwick flat where police now allege he murdered her in April Claire, a marketing executive, severed an artery in her arm when a glass door between the sunroom and a bedroom of the Randwick apartment shattered in April Neighbours of the couple heard an altercation and then called emergency services. Claire was taken to hospital but she could not be saved An Apprehended Violence Order taken out by police on behalf of Ms Austin was dismissed after she died. However, on Thursday - almost six months after her death and following a lengthy police investigation - detectives arrested Loughlin at a home in Little Bay. He was taken to Maroubra Police Station and charged with domestic violence-related murder and coercive control. In April, one of the Randwick neighbours who claimed to have heard a row before Ms Austin's catastrophic injury said it had 'sounded like something wrong would happen'. 'I heard the woman at first and it worried me. Then I heard the man. I think I heard a crash and then I didn't hear the woman again,' he said. The neighbour added he then heard a man screaming 'somebody help me' over and over. He said after the crashing sound and the woman going quiet, someone had called triple-0 and soon after the ambulance and police arrived in the street. Ms Austin had worked at a Sydney marketing company until the month before she died when she had moved on to a new media company as an events producer. Following her death, her former colleagues from her old employer arrived at the apartment block where she had lived, placed flowers and mementos outside and paid tribute to her memory. Loughlin, 44, was arrested on Thursday (right) at a Little Bay address and remanded in custody to appear in a bail court on Friday afternoon Former workmates of Claire (above) described her as 'a lovely person' who had embraced life since moving to Australia from the UK Police alleged Ms Austin was murdered in the apartment where she severed an artery in her arm on a glass door between the sunroom and a bedroom They told the Daily Mail that Ms Austin was 'a lovely person' who embraced life and had a large group of friends. One of the cards left for Ms Austin read: 'To the sweetest soul, it was an honour to have known you. Your presence is truly missed. 'Thank you for all your love and support - words can't describe how painful this is. Rest in peace Claire.' Ms Austin's family members were believed to have spent several weeks in Sydney following her death before returning home. Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 1800 RESPECT A crocheted Spitfire painstakingly created to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War is being removed ahead of Remembrance Sunday - to make way for a Christmas tree. Despite local fury, the stunning life-size model - which took eight months to complete - will be dismantled from its location outside Southport Town Hall today. But visitors have demanded to know why it couldn't have been left in place for just two more days, especially as the site does not host Southport's annual 'Christmas spectacular' until November 15. The fuselage of the artwork - which pays tribute to 145 fighter pilots from occupied Poland who served with the RAF during the Battle of Britain - was constructed by Bootles Men in Sheds Association in conjunction with Polish community groups. It was then covered with panels meticulously crocheted by local yarn-bombing group Southport Hookers before being unveiled last month. Since then hundreds of visitors have come to admire the Spitfire every day and read memorials to 12 Polish wartime pilots based at nearby RAF Woodvale who lost their lives defending Britain. But the site is also the centrepiece of the Merseyside seaside resort's Christmas festivities, meaning the organisers have always accepted that it would have to be dismantled after just two-and-a-half weeks. The local Royal British Legion, which co-ordinated the project, says its focus for Remembrance Sunday is the annual civic commemoration at Southport's imposing war memorial. The life-sized crocheted Spitfire - created by a local Men in Sheds association in conjunction with a yarn-bombing group - in pride of place outside Southport arts venue The Atkinson, next to the town hall Nigel Mulliss, 72, and wife Gillian, 65, who had travelled from the Wirral to see the 'fabulous' artwork, said it was 'a shame' that it had to be dismantled ahead of Remembrance Sunday Meanwhile the organisers of the Christmas festivities say contractors need to start erecting the tree and lights on Monday morning, therefore the site must be cleared in advance. However yesterday there was universal horror from people visiting the artwork at the prospect, with one woman of Polish descent bursting into tears. 'My father was Polish, served in the RAF and ended up in a prisoner of war camp,' she told the Daily Mail. 'He never spoke a word of what he went through. I thought this display was for people like him on Remembrance Sunday.' Valerie Taylor, 91, from Southport, whose father flew Spitfires while serving in the Air Transport Auxiliary, said: 'It's ridiculous. 'It should be left up and the Christmas decorations put up later. 'It is an amazing display. I keep coming back to take another look at it. 'I think what it represents, especially with all the red poppies around it, is an important lesson for children so they know the sort of sacrifices that have been made for them. 'It is more important than Christmas decorations.' The spectacular crocheted Spitfire will have been in place for two-and-a-half weeks - but it will be dismantled today as the site is also the centrepiece for Southport's November 15 'Christmas spectacular' lights switch-on, with work beginning on Monday Valerie Taylor, 91, from Southport, whose father flew Spitfires while serving in the Air Transport Auxiliary, said it was 'ridiculous' for the artwork to be removed before Remembrance Sunday Nigel Mulliss, 72, and wife Gillian, 65, had travelled from the Wirral to see the 'fabulous' display. 'I think it is a shame it has to come down,' Mr Mulliss said. 'I honestly thought it was put up for Remembrance Sunday.' His wife added: 'It is just so poignant. How can they be taking it down when we know what it represents?' Eric Griffiths, 87, and wife Barbara, 89, from Southport, both hoped for a change of heart. 'I served in the RAF and although I didn't fly Spitfires I know this is a really accurate depiction of one,' Mr Griffiths said. 'It is just wonderful.' His wife added: 'The amount of work that has gone into it is staggering. It should really be here for Remembrance Sunday.' Lindsey Ashenden, 67, from Derbyshire, said: 'It must have taken the people who made this many hours of skill. Eric Griffiths, 87, and wife Barbara, 89, from Southport, were wowed by the 'wonderful' crocheted Spitfire installation and hoped for a change of heart on plans to dismantle it 'It just seems really daft.' However Stuart Steel, community engagement officer for the Royal British Legion who has overseen the project, said it had no choice as the site was already booked for the Christmas tree. 'This wonderful artwork has brought a new level of awareness about remembrance in people's daily lives,' he told the Mail. 'We could never have anticipated the amount of support it would receive from the public, and everyone involved is extremely grateful. 'Unfortunately it's all down to timings as the site is needed for heavy machinery on Monday ahead of the Christmas event. 'It wouldn't have been right to ask my volunteers to give up several hours of Remembrance Sunday to dismantle it. 'So we just have no other choice.' Mr Steel added that choosing the sought-after location in central Southport meant the Spitfire had been seen by far more people than if it had been put somewhere less prominent - but the trade-off was having to dismantle it after two-and-a-half weeks on show. It is hoped that the artwork can be put back together and go on display in another town next year. Southport Business Improvement District and Sefton council both declined to comment. George Santos revealed he's packing up and leaving New York City after Zohran Mamdanis win. 'Id rather the evil I know than the evil I dont want to know,' Santos said in his goodbye message. Mamdani was elected as the city's first Muslim mayor to NYC after securing over 50 percent of the vote Tuesday, surpassing former Governor Andrew Cuomo at 41.6 percent and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa at 7.1 percent. On Wednesday morning, Santos delivered a dramatic breakdown of the results on X and officially waved goodbye to the Big Apple. 'Good luck New York, it was nice knowing you,' the disgraced former Republican congressman said. 'After 37 years, I'm out.' Recently released from prison for scamming donors and misusing stolen identities to fund his campaign, Santos was among the many threatening to flee Manhattan if Mamdani secured victory. On October 21, he warned on X that if the 34-year-old Democrat takes the crown, New York will be a 'very dangerous place to live.' 'Sadly it seems that my family and I will be departing the city I've called home my entire life,' he wrote. 'NYC will become a very dangerous place to live in if we elect mayor Mamdani and that is a risk I am unwilling to take now that I want to start growing my family,' he added. George Santos (pictured) revealed on X that hes packing up and leaving New York City after Zohran Mamdanis win and declared: 'Id rather the evil I know than the evil I dont want to know' Mamdani (pictured) was elected as the city's first Muslim mayor after securing over 50 percent of the vote Tuesday, surpassing former Governor Andrew Cuomo at 41.6 percent and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa at 7.1 percent Just minutes after Tuesdays results, Santos (pictured) rushed to X to blame GOP failure on Sliwa, writing 'I HATE YOU, your dumb wife, that stupid Beret of yours and all your f***ing cats!' Just minutes after Tuesdays results, Santos rushed to X to blame GOP failure on Sliwa - making clear his dislike not only for Sliwa, but also for his family and fashion choices. 'F*** you Curtis Sliwa. I HATE YOU, your dumb wife, that stupid Beret of yours and all your f***ing cats!' the jailbird wrote. Following a brief string of late-night posts, Santos returned to X the next morning with a nearly two-minute video, eventually revealing he was going through with his vow to leave the city. 'I'm very upset, I don't take election night well and I know I go really hard,' he said, emphasizing that there is 'nothing wrong' with him being so passionate. 'What bothers me is when people play stupid games and win stupid prizes and then wonder what happened,' he added. 'It's infuriating because politics and elections are a mathematical simple equation. And unfortunately, for New York, we ignored math.' Santos compared Sliwa's campaign to 'common core math,' claiming that 'the rest of us were doing conventional math.' He described it as a 'bad example of how delusion, greed, self-aggrandizing and most importantly, the consulting class, put all of that first instead of the people.' Santos described Sliwa's (pictured) campaign as a 'bad example of how delusion, greed, self-aggrandizing and most importantly, the consulting class, put all of that first instead of the people' Santos highlighted Cuomos controversial political history in his video (pictured) but argued that he would have fared better than the new mayor-elect Cuomo (pictured) declared his bid for mayor in March, only a few years after stepping down in 2021 following a series of sexual harassment allegations - all of which he has denied Attention turned to Cuomo, who was endorsed for the second time by Donald Trump in a lengthy Truth Social post hours before the election. 'It is my obligation to run the Nation, and it is my strong conviction that New York City will be a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win,' Trump wrote. 'Whether you personally like Andrew Cuomo or not, you really have no choice. You must vote for him, and hope he does a fantastic job. He is capable of it, Mamdani is not!' he added. Santos highlighted Cuomos controversial political history in his video but argued that he would have fared better than the new mayor-elect. Cuomo declared his bid for mayor in March, only a few years after stepping down in 2021 following a series of sexual harassment allegations - all of which he has denied. 'Cuomo was by far, a flawed candidate. Terrible human being. But much better than what we just landed ourselves with,' Santos said. 'I'm sorry if anybody feels offended, hurt, I'm sorry if the truth hurts,' he added. The focus shifted back to Sliwa, whom Santos claimed couldve never won, particularly by pointing to his previous campaign efforts. In the video, Santos claimed Sliwa (pictured) couldve never won, and claimed that 'he underperformed his 2021 election campaign by a remarkable 24 points' The surprising move by Trump to commute Santoss sentence comes about three months after the serial fabulist and onetime drag queen began his seven-year term at a federal prison in New Jersey in July Santos (pictured) pled guilty to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for deceiving donors and stealing people's identities in order to fund his congressional campaign 'He not only could have never won, he underperformed his 2021 election campaign by a remarkable 24 points,' Santos said while briefly giggling. 'He lost 24 percentage points of his 2021 race. So I'm very sorry, but at the same time, not sorry?' he questioned. 'I'm really sorry for New Yorkers that Curtis Sliwa couldn't see what we all saw months ago, and begged him to consider to put himself aside and put the city first.' Santos then officially said goodbye to New York City. The surprising move by Trump to commute Santoss sentence comes about three months after the serial fabulist and onetime drag queen began his seven-year term at a federal prison in New Jersey in July. 'George Santos was somewhat of a 'rogue,' but there are many rogues throughout our Country that aren't forced to serve seven years in prison,' Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post. '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!', the president added. Santos pled guilty to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for deceiving donors and stealing people's identities in order to fund his congressional campaign. Pope Leo XIV has offered his strongest rebuke yet of the Trump administration as he called for 'deep reflection' on America's treatment of migrants. The world's first American pope made a rare public appearance on Tuesday, when he was asked about claims that Catholic priests, nuns and other clergy attempting to bring Eucharist to migrants at the Chicago-area Broadview ICE facility were barred entry over the weekend. Pope Leo, who hails from Chicago himself, then urged authorities to permit the pastoral workers access to the detained migrants, arguing that they have been separated from their families and face uncertainty about their futures. 'Their own spiritual needs should be attended to,' the pope said, according to the National Catholic Reporter. He then went on to cite the Bible as he scolded the Trump administration. 'We're going to be asked, you know, "How do you receive the foreigner? Did you receive him and welcome him or not?"' the pope said, speaking in English for the American audience, CBS reports. 'And I think that there's a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what's happening,' he continued, arguing that 'many people who've lived for years and years and years [in the United States], never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what's going on right now.' The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership in Chicago, which has been appealing to local and federal authorities to let spiritual leaders provide sacraments to the detained migrants, praised the pope's remarks. Pope Leo XIV, who hails from Chicago, urged federal authorities to permit pastoral workers access to the detained migrants, arguing that they have been separated from their families and face uncertainty about their futures The pope had been asked about claims that Catholic priests, nuns and other clergy attempting to bring Eucharist to migrants at the Chicago-area Broadview ICE facility were barred entry over the weekend. Police are pictured at a demonstration outside the facility on October 10 He then slammed the United States' treatment of migrants 'We're deeply grateful to Pope Leo XIV for raising his voice in defense of the detained and affirming their right to spiritual care,' the group said in a statement. 'His leadership gives us strength to keep pressing until the doors of this facility in Broadview are opened.' But Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin claimed the reason the clergy are not allowed to enter the Broadview facility is because it is 'a field office, it is not a detention facility.' 'Religious organizations are more than welcome to provide services to detainees in ICE detention facilities,' she told Axios. 'ICE staff has repeatedly informed religious organizations that due to Broadview's status as a field office and the ongoing threat to civilians, detainees and officers... they are not able to accommodate these requests at this time.' Still, the pontiff's comments marked his strongest admonishment of the Trump administration since he took the papal seat in May. 'I was struck by how direct his reference was because he's obviously talking about the ICE roundups,' Catholic historian Austen Ivereigh told the BBC. 'It's very strong.' He added that the pope's remarks are going to 'put pressure' on the Trump administration, especially for those who 'identify as Catholic.' Experts say the pope's remarks are going to 'put pressure' on the Trump administration, especially for those who 'identify as Catholic' The comments marked the new pope's sharpest criticism yet of the Trump administration 'So far, Leo's avoided getting entangled int heh whole Trump machine,' Ivereigh said. 'Maybe he's taking that risk now.' It seemed at first that the pope was staying out of geopolitics, but then last month he used the word 'inhuman' in reference to the Trump-led migrant crackdown. He also stressed that the issues of poverty and migration would remain at the heart of his papacy in his first major document last month. 'I think this is an issue that matters to him personally,' Professor Anna Rowlands of Durham University said. 'He has lived in countries affected by these policies and had been welcomed himself as a migrant. He was in effect a migrant bishop.' The pope also hit out at the president's policy of targeting ships allegedly carrying drug cartels. 'I think that with violence, we won't win,' Leo XIV said, suggesting that the deployment of US Navy vessels near Venezuela was actually increasing tensions in the area rather than working to 'defend the peace.' Taken together, these remarks showed American Catholics that Pope Leo is going to continue in the footsteps of his predecessor, Francis - who once called Trump 'not Christian' for building a wall on the southern border - despite his American origins. 'Now they're waking up to the fact that Leo isn't going to change Church teachings or their sake,' Ivereigh said. 'They realize that he's very different from Francis in his style, but it's the same teaching and priorities. 'He's very much a continuation.' National pride has plummeted and society is more divided than ever in Keir Starmer's Britain, a major study has found. In findings which will send alarm bells ringing in Downing Street, eight in ten said they felt the nation was divided - up five percentage points from two years ago and ten points from 2020. And half of the public said Britain's 'culture' was changing too fast, up from a third. Worryingly for the Prime Minister, Reform UK voters - many in Labour's traditional heartlands - were most worried about the cultural state of the nation, suggesting Nigel Farage's party stand to make big gains in future elections. Researchers at King's College London and pollsters Ipsos, who have been tracking UK cultural trends annually since 2020, branded their latest set of findings 'frightening' and said they laid bare an increasingly divided, polarised and downbeat society. They also highlight how much of the public thinks Labour has failed to get to grips with several of their key priorities - and has potentially even fanned the flames of division with its wavering stance on issues like trans rights and Net Zero. Lord Young of Acton, boss of the Free Speech Union, said: 'This is the effect of Labour's divisive identity politics. 'Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers have been pandering to minorities who claim to be the victims of intersectional oppression, prioritising their rights and needs over those of ordinary Britons. Sir Keir Starmer used a speech earlier this year to warn that Britain risked becoming an 'island of strangers' - a reference to unchecked immigration - before climbing down, creating confusion over his stance Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. 'Labour politicians justify this two-tier approach by claiming it promotes community cohesion, but in reality it creates social division, as this poll makes clear.' Reform UK MP Lee Anderson said: 'Of course national pride has fallen. The education system is corrupting our youth, leadership has been weak for decades and millions can no longer afford a home of their own. 'For patriotism to flourish, Britons need strong leadership and the confidence that their government is working for them, not against them.' Sir John Hayes, chair of the Tory common sense group of MPs, said: 'Keir came in with no clear defining purpose. 'So people are feeling at sea because they think the Government doesn't know which way it wants to take the country in. 'The absence of a plan from Government doesn't build popular confidence. 'Ideological multi-culturalism basically said to people you can live how you like, do what you like, you don't need to mingle, you can be introspective, and then we're surprised that we've got a fragmented society. 'We have to deconstruct that and have more people buying into British values and a shared sense of Britishness.' In a sign that many think immigration remains too high under Labour, half of the public said Britain's 'culture' was changing too fast - up from 35 per cent in 2020. And 48 per cent said they would like the country to 'be the way it used to be', up from 28 per cent. Strikingly, nostalgia for Britain's past rose in every single age-group, even among 16 to 24-year-olds. Nearly a third of this age group wanted the country to return to how it 'used to be', up from 16 per cent in 2020. The next biggest jump was in people aged over 55, which soared from 34 per cent to 62 per cent. National pride across all age groups also plummeted, with less than half (46 per cent) saying they were 'proud' of their country - down ten points from 2020. Reform MP Lee Anderson said the study showed that 'leadership has been weak for decades' Lord Young of Acton, boss of the Free Speech Union campaign group, said the poll showed 'the effect of Labour's divisive identity politics' The most prominent drop was among 16 to 24-year-olds (47 per cent to 29 per cent), followed by 35 to 54-year-olds (54 per cent to 43 per cent). Across all age groups, 86 per cent said they believed there were greater tensions today between immigrants and people born in the UK, up from 74 per cent two years ago. Nearly seven in ten who took part in the study cited 'culture wars' issues as being central to widespread divisions, up from less than half (46 per cent) in 2020. Most of this increase happened over the last two years, with Labour having been in power for most of this. Overall, six in ten (64 per cent) said they agreed this was a 'serious problem' for UK society and politicians, up from 44 per cent five years ago. The trans rights debate was cited as another major source of tensions. Amid high-profile interventions from gender-critical campaigners such as JK Rowling, the proportion who said trans rights had gone too far more than doubled since 2020, from 17 per cent to 39 per cent. In a sign of how polarised the debate remains, a fifth of people said trans rights had not gone far enough, although this was down from 31 per cent five years ago. In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that gender is based on biology rather than what people self-identify as, the number of women who said trans rights had gone too far jumped from 14 per cent to 35 per cent. For men it soared from 21 per cent to 44 per cent. In a sign of deep divisions over the Net Zero debate, more than six in ten (64 per cent) reported feeling differences between climate sceptics and believers. In better news, people said they believed that Brexit wounds were healing. While more than half (52 per cent) still thought there were divisions between Leavers and Remainers, this was down from 78 per cent five years ago. The study also looked at public attitudes according to how they plan to vote in future elections. Among those most concerned about the pace of change were Reform voters, highlighting the massive vote pool Nigel Farage's insurgent party looks set to tap into. Nearly six in ten of the party's supporters said the UK was 'very' divided - almost double the share of Conservative (33 per cent) and Labour (31 per cent) supporters. Eight in 10 (83 per cent) said they think the UK has been divided by culture wars, compared with around six or seven in ten supporters of other parties. And staggeringly, nearly nine in ten (88 per cent) of those planning to vote Reform said the pace of cultural change was too fast. The study also found slight differences according to people's heritage. While 86 per cent of white people reported feeling that the nation was divided, just 72 per cent of those belonging to ethnic minorities did. The proportion of white people who reported feeling that the UK's culture had changed too fast jumped from 35 per cent to 52 per cent, while among ethnic minorities it rose from just 32 per cent to 35 per cent. Respondents were still relatively divided on Britain's colonial past. While 34 per cent said the British empire was something to be proud of, 23 per cent said they were ashamed of it and 36 per cent said they were neither virtually unchanged from attitudes five years ago. Elsewhere, almost half (48 per cent) of the public said they consider being described as 'woke' as being an insult, rather than a compliment - up from under a quarter (24 per cent) in 2020. Woke is defined by the Cambridge dictionary as being 'aware, especially of social problems such as racism and inequality'. Professor Bobby Duffy, Director of the Policy Institute at King's College London, said: 'This latest study shows a frightening increase in the sense of national division and decline in the UK in just a few years. 'We've seen steep rises in the beliefs that the UK is divided, that "culture wars" are real and that things were better in the past.' He added: 'We now have incredibly different perspectives between different groups in the country, across party lines and by age group.' Gideon Skinner, Senior Director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said: 'Perceptions of political and cultural disharmony are growing, reflecting a society grappling with nostalgia, the pace of change.' He said that Reform UK had become the new 'home for those concerned about the pace of change', adding: 'The challenge is to understand the roots of these divisions and use these insights to create dialogue and policy that can help reduce further polarisation.' Ipsos surveyed 4,027 people aged 16 and over in August for the study. A 10-year-old beekeeper won a months-long battle against city officials after they tried to force him to remove his colony of thousands of bees in California. The city of Santa Rosa instructed Nicholas Bard to remove his hives following an anonymous complaint about them, according to the Los Angeles Times. Santa Rosa determined that the Bards' beekeeping operation was equivalent to running a home business, which was a violation and defied zoning laws. Nicholas and his family reached out to the Sonoma County Beekeepers Association, and outrage spread across the community. City Hall was swarmed with emails and letters about Bard's bees until Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp announced that staff were working to revise the zoning ordinance. When the family first appealed the order, they were unaware that they were flying into a six-month battle. The city supervisor not only denied their request to keep the bees but also stated that they were looking into a second offense of having nuisance insects on their property. 'I was pretty sad and they were sad too [the bees],' Nicholas said. Nicholas Bard was devastated when he was told he must remove his colony of bees The city of Santa Rosa instructed Nicholas's family to remove his hives following an anonymous complaint about them 'When I told them, you can hear how they're feeling because the tone of their wings, the vibrating changes... so you could hear that they were sad.' Ettamarie Peterson, who met Nicholas when he was seven at a science fair, seemed shocked when she heard the boy would have to get rid of his bees. Peterson told the outlet that many backyards in Santa Rosa have hives, so it made no sense why the city was targeting the Bard's colony. The 86-year-old suggested that the family reach out to the Sonoma County Beekeepers Association. The association answered the call for help, and a swarm of supporters came to Nicholas's side to fight for his bees. Newspapers contacted the boy and he even received a postcard from Wales. Nicholas said he always checked in with the bees before local TV appearances: 'Because all the bees are girls, worker bees are girls, I say, "Girls, you're going to be on the news tonight."' He and his family reached out to the Sonoma County Beekeepers Association, and just like pollen, the word spread across the city City Hall was swarmed with emails and letters about Bard's bees until the Santa Rosa Mayor Mark Stapp announced that city staffers were working to revise their ordinance 'Or I'll say, "Girls, how are you doing this morning?" I just want to give them a heads-up.' The little boy, who had a deep connection to his bees, would read to his colony, his parents said. 'I just find it very interesting to see how they work together as one organism,' he said. Similar to the way bees work as a team, he led a colony of people to get Santa Rosa to amend their code. Sonoma County Beekeepers Association President Cheryl Koeller provided information stating that the zoning code was too general in the city to determine it was a violation, and that an exception should be made. The city agrees and is in the process of amending the code. Bees are considered an endangered species 'The city of Santa Rosa does not want to do anything to discourage people who want to support our pollinator community,' Mayor Stapp said. 'We were thankful to Nicholas and his family for raising this issue, because we didnt even know that we were preventing this.' The Santa Rosa City Council will still vote on the ordinance next year, but for now, the bees are to stay with the Bards. An adorable wiener dog feared dead after being flung from a car in a Wyoming crash has been found alive after surviving more than a week in the wilderness. On October 24, 33-year-old Amanda Lohr and her boyfriend packed up their 2005 Buick Century - along with their dachshund Chewie and cat Newt - and hit I-80 from Kokomo to Portland, Oregon, to visit a friend, according to Cowboy State Daily. But at around 6.30pm, a semi-truck attempting to pass slammed into their small car, sending it rolling three times before it came to rest in a ditch. While the 18-wheeler fled the scene, Lohr was taken to a hospital in Rawlins with minor injuries and her boyfriend was airlifted to Casper, where he spent eight days recovering from a neck fracture. The familys cat suffered severe injuries in the crash and had to be euthanized. Their seven-year-old pup, Chewie, was hurled from the car and presumed dead, with officials fearing hed been hit by passing traffic on the interstate. Reeling from the crash and having just lost her job and insurance, Lohr was heartbroken. She ultimately decided to give up her remaining cat to a loving home, believing she couldnt care for him in her situation, according to her Facebook post. But on Monday, Lohrs phone rang with the news she thought shed never hear: Chewie was alive and ready to come home. 'I was really happy because I had been mourning for more than a week,' she told Cowboy State Daily, adding that her daughter burst into tears of joy when she heard Chewie was alive. Chewie, a seven-year-old dachshund who was feared dead after being flung from a car in a Wyoming crash, has been found alive after surviving more than a week in the wilderness (pictured after rescue) Amanda Lohr, 33, and her boyfriend were driving along I-80 on their way to Oregon to visit a friend when a semi-truck attempting to pass slammed into their car, sending it rolling three times before it came to rest in a ditch (pictured) The familys cat suffered severe injuries in the crash and had to be euthanized (pictured). Their seven-year-old pup, Chewie, was hurled from the car and presumed dead Chewies heartwarming story is a testament to humanity, thanks to strangers who stopped on the busy road to help the frightened pup. Kenny Coomes, a FedEx long-haul trucker, was making one of his regular trips between Salt Lake City and Scottsbluff, Nebraska, days after the car wreck when he spotted Chewie along I-80. He immediately pulled over and leapt from his truck to catch the little dog, but his attempt proved unsuccessful. Coomes, a devoted dog lover whose Facebook is packed with photos of his pets, set a live trap with food and a blanket by the side of the interstate, hoping Chewie would eventually take the bait. On Facebook, Coomes said he saw the dog twice along the road before he vanished. He feared the pup had been abandoned and worried a coyote might have gotten him. Then on Monday, Scott and Kodi Allred, both 49, were traveling the same stretch of interstate on their way to see their son at the University of Northern Colorado, according to Cowboy State Daily. Around 11am, near Elk Mountain, the couple saw Chewie wandering along the busy interstate, still lost and frightened. Worried that a single misstep could put Chewie in danger, Scott pulled over his truck, hoping to scoop up the little dachshund and bring him to safety in their car. Kenny Coomes (pictured), a FedEx long-haul trucker and dog lover, was making one of his regular trips days after the wreck when he spotted Chewie and leapt from his truck to catch him - but his attempt proved unsuccessful Coomes set a live trap with food and a blanket by the side of the interstate, hoping Chewie would eventually take the bait (pictured) On Monday, Scott and Kodi Allred (pictured), both 49, were traveling the same stretch of interstate on their way to see their son at the University of Northern Colorado Around 11am, near Elk Mountain, the couple saw Chewie wandering along the busy interstate, still lost and frightened (pictured: area where Chewie was found) 'The little guy was terrified and I couldn't get close to him,' he told the outlet. 'I tried to call him to me but he ran off, and I began chasing after him. I tried to cut him off so that he wouldn't run into the road.' She initially jumped out to chase him, but quickly realized her boots would slow her down. Instead, she hopped into the drivers seat, keeping a careful eye on Chewie as she drove closer. Finally, Scott got a hold of him. He slipped a collar over his neck and clipped on a leash. 'His little legs gave out, but man, he was fast,' he told the outlet. Finding no dog tag, the couple drove roughly an hour to the closest Humane Society office in Laramie. Workers scanned Chewie and found a microchip under his neck, quickly tracing him back to his owner, Lohr, and his home in Kokomo, Indiana. Lohr was stunned and relieved, thanking everyone who went out of their way to help rescue Chewie. 'I should be able to pick him up in a week or two. We thought he was dead because a teen came and told us he hit a dog near our accident site and the cops wouldnt let us go check if it was him or not,' Lohr wrote in a Facebook post. The couple got a hold of Chewie and took him to the closest humane society office. Workers scanned him and found a microchip under his neck, quickly tracing him back to Lohr and his home in Indiana (pictured after rescue) Lohr (pictured) was stunned and relieved, thanking everyone who went out of their way to help rescue Chewie and added that her daughter burst into tears of joy when she heard the news Coomes (pictured with makeshift trap) enlisted a fellow FedEx driver to deliver Chewie back home, and the pup will be reunited with his family in the coming days 'This is a miracle and I am so happy he was found,' she added. 'That puppy is my best friend and I cant wait to have him back with me.' Coomes couldnt believe it when a friend tagged him on Facebook with the news of Chewies rescue. 'It's amazing,' he told Cowboy State Daily. He enlisted a fellow FedEx driver to deliver Chewie back home, and the pup will be reunited with his family in the coming days. In another heartwarming gesture, the couple that captured Chewie set up a GoFundMe to help Lohr and her family, who are beginning with almost nothing. 'This little guy had been thrown from the car and lost, wandering hungry and scared avoiding coyotes and interstate traffic for better than a week,' the fundraiser's description read. 'On top of losing her only car, and nearly her own life, she thought she had lost her little friend,' it added. 'She told us her daughter had been praying for Chewie, even though the family thought he was gone. A little girls prayer was answered!' 'I think Chewies unlikely survival journey is more than just a nice feel-good side note. I think this happened out of providence, and I believe Amandas injuries and hardship can have a happy ending. This sweet little wiener dog can bring her the miracle she needs in her life.' Australians are urging Bunnings to ban pets from entering its stores after a Brisbane shopper urged fellow customers to 'keep your dog at home'. Bringing the family pooch to Bunnings is fairly common, and it's within the rules as long as they're restrained - but not everyone's a fan. 'Keep your dog at home. Bunnings is a hardware store, not a dog park,' the customer posted on Reddit. Many Aussies agreed. 'So many poos and piss on the floor at Bunnings. People are scum,' one said. A second added: 'Most dogs are untrained and misbehaved. 'The owners are just narcissistic attention seekers. Its the only reason why they want to take their mutt everywhere. 'Dogs have the worst fan base. But I also don't want dogs around me anywhere I go in public. Including Bunnings.' Bunnings allows dogs to enter stores but states they must be of a 'friendly' nature and need to be either on a lead, wearing a muzzle, carried or safely secured in a trolley Some dog owners have been slammed for not picking up their dogs' poo at Bunnings A third said: 'Only Bunnings? I'm seeing them everywhere. They're not children, you can leave them in the back yard. Stop bringing them to cafes.' A forth said: 'Why do people insist on taking their dogs everywhere? They're not a person. The dog doesn't need to buy a power drill.' A fifth said: 'The majority are fine but there have been more than enough incidents where people have been bitten, poo has been left on the floor with staff having to clean it up to warrant a ban. 'All it will take is a kid to lose their eye or something before they are banned again. Why should it have to come to that?' 'There are a lot of people for one reason or another that are really uncomfortable around dogs. 'I love dogs but I was attacked at work a couple of years ago and I now really struggle to be around them. Kind of makes me wanna find somewhere else to shop rather than the convenience of going to Bunnings.' Despite calls for a ban, many Australians said it would be the wrong move. 'I am my dogs only human and hes young and active so he needs a lot of exercise,' one said. Bunnings said it 'welcomed' well-behaved pets but owners should clean up after them or they'll be asked to leave 'We also live in a pretty walkable suburb so I run a lot of errands on foot. 'Where hes allowed, he comes with me. That way hes getting a walk in and some stimulation, and Im getting bread or picking up a prescription or whatever. 'As a puppy I trained him to be able to do this without impacting anyone negatively. Last thing I want is for him to be a nuisance.' A second said: 'I get that dogs can stay home, but sometimes you're already out with them, like if you're heading home from the park or a drive, and instead of leaving them in a hot car (which is illegal anyway), it just makes sense to bring them inside,' they said. 'I totally understand there are some irresponsible owners out there, but surely that's not the majority, right? So why are so many people so strongly against it?' The retailer's official policy allows dogs in stores but states they must be of a 'friendly' nature and 'well-behaved pets that are on a lead,' wearing a muzzle, or safely secured in a trolley or vehicle. 'We ask that you maintain full control of your pet at all times and clean up after it, otherwise you will be asked to remove your pet from the store,' the policy reads. A Bunnings spokesperson added: 'We know this topic comes up from time to time; however, what remains consistent is the support we see from customers for allowing pets in our stores and our commitment to maintain this.' Bunnings has allowed pets into its stores since 2015 Many said they felt uncomfortable sharing tight spaces in Bunnings with big, unknown dogs 'Like many other retailers that offer pet products, we take a common-sense approach when welcoming dogs into our stores. The feedback we receive shows the vast majority of pet owners are respectful of other customers and our team when they're in our stores.' In 2021, Australians were horrified when a pit bull mauled a smaller dog to death inside a Brisbane Bunnings store. The pit bull lunged at the smaller dog and grabbed it by the neck, leaving it with injuries that were too severe to recover from. Australia could face devastating attacks on its cities and onshore infrastructure if an increasingly likely war with China broke out, a leading military analyst has claimed. Jennifer Parker, a former naval officer and expert associate at the Australian National University, warned that conflict in the Indo-Pacific would likely reach Australian soil if it ever breaks out. 'This is what Australians need to grapple with... we've gotten into this viewpoint that war is something where we've seen people to the other side of the world to fight as part of somebody else's operation,' she told the Daily Mail. 'That is not what an Indo-Pacific conflict looks like. An Indo-Pacific conflict looks like fighting from Australia,' she said. 'That means that Australia is going to be targeted.' Parker said there were many potential flashpoints for a conflict involving China and Australia, including territorial disputes in the South China Sea and an attempted reunification with Taiwan. 'Xi Jinping has said a number of times, in number of different forms, that he sees Taiwan as an inalienable part of China,' she said. 'He sees the reunification of Taiwan as a core interest. 'In the event of a military attack and invasion, I think that we would have a regional conflict on our hands instantly.' Military expert Jennifer Parker (above) said Australia would likely be targeted in a regional conflict with China, bringing war to Australian shores Taiwan is a key flashpoint for a potential regional war in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwanese soldiers are pictured training for a potential conflict with China in August last year Parker said China could target surrounding nations including Japan and the Philippines if it launched an invasion of Taiwan, forcing Australia to defend its allies. 'So in that scenario, I think Australia would have to be involved.' Chinas hypersonic missiles are said to be capable of striking military bases or naval assets within minutes, travelling at more than five times the speed of sound and manoeuvring mid-flight to evade missile defences. Australias north would be the most exposed if China ever decided to strike. 'If it's a land based missile, then, with the exception of a new missile they're developing... it is probably only northern Australia that would be attacked,' she said. 'They do have a missile called the DF 27 that could technically hit Sydney. It's not clear how effective it is, but you could also target the southern parts of Australia with missiles from aircraft, submarines and ships.' The warning comes after the Australian government announced last year it would spend up to $18billion upgrading military bases across the country's north to counter the threat of China. The five bases, stretching from Western Australia to Queensland, would likely form the 'front line' of a conflict, chosen for their proximity to the South China Sea. It came after a strategic review found Australia's geographic isolation was no longer a significant defensive advantage due to advancements in long-range warfare. Australia will spend up to $18billion upgrading five military bases across the country's north - from Western Australia to north Queensland to defend against the growing threat of China Chinese President Xi Jinping has said a number of times, in number of different forms, that he sees Taiwan as an inalienable part of China, military expert Jennifer Parker warns The Defence Strategic Review concluded Australia found itself in the 'most challenging strategic circumstances since World War II'. Despite the investment, Parker said Australia's defences remained inadequate. 'We have a range of significant weaknesses. I would say that the state of our navy capability right now is a huge issue,' Parker said. 'Our current ships and submarines, with the exception of their Hobart-class destroyers and LHDs were all commissioned in the 90s, early 2000s. They should be getting replaced. Although there are plans in place, this won't start til the 2029-2030s'. 'As an island nation, we know land borders, our biggest vulnerability is the maritime domain because we import everything, and so you don't have to actually set a foot on Australia, or lob a missile in Australia to make Australia capitulate. 'All you would have to do is intercept our fuel, our ammunition, our fertiliser, or other critical seaborne supply, all of those things across the maritime domain.' Australia's missile defence capacity is equally under-invested, Parker said. While the country's northern military bases are its first line of defence, Parker warned southern sites could also be vulnerable. Pictured: footage released by the Chinese state-run media of live-firing exercises purportedly taking place in the Tasman Sea under an area of busy airspace in February China is 'rapidly investing' in its nuclear capability. Pictured are intercontinental strategic nuclear missiles Dong-Feng-5C with a global strike range at Tiananmen Square in September 'They will be targeted,' she said. 'We shouldn't underestimate the importance of protecting infrastructure to the south as well.' She said China's long-term military build-up had made it a formidable global power. 'They've been modernizing their military for the last 30 years,' Parker said. 'They've always had a big military, but what has changed is the shift in towards the focus of that military, so focusing more on a rocket force, and they have rapidly developed a large range and breadth of different types of ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.' China is also rapidly investing in nuclear weapons and delivery systems as well as substantially expanding their naval force. 'They've had a lot of ships historically, but they were generally coastal ships and not great ones,' she said. 'Now they have some of the most modern in the world'. 'In fact, they have over 370 battle force ships, so fighting ships. Out of those 370, about 70 per cent were built in the last ten years. 'And that's just a taste of the capabilities that China has. They are a very formidable force.' Hundreds of thousands of Britons fleeing for their lives as a 1,600ft tsunami crashes across our shores. Countless men, women and children killed instantly. Buildings flattened and submerged and roads, bridges and power grids destroyed. Inland, people trample over each other as they run for high points, even clambering up buildings and lamp posts to escape the wave of death. Yet the survivors arguably face an even worse fate than the deceased, because there is one major difference between this disaster and the Indonesian tsunami of 2004 and the Japanese tidal wave of 2011. This time, the water is radioactive. This 'nuclear wave' transforms coastal cities into barren wastelands. The radiation splashed on to people's bodies is lethal to anyone who survives drowning, while the toxic water turns the coast into a sterile desert as it recedes. This terrifying prospect is now more possible than ever after Vladimir Putin unveiled a new nuclear submarine, Khabarovsk named after Russian explorer Yerofey Khabarov tipped with new Poseidon missiles, each of which is 100 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The vessel was seen by the world for the first time last Saturday, just days after the Kremlin announced its missiles, each equipped to carry a nuclear warhead, had been successfully tested. Satellite images, taken on November 2, emerged this week showing the location of the submarine at a shipyard in Severodvinsk, a port on the shores of the White Sea in Russia's far north. 'There is nothing like this in the world in terms of the speed and the depth of the movement of this vehicle and it is unlikely there ever will be,' Putin gloated, adding that there were 'no ways to intercept' it. The terrifying prospect of a 'nuclear wave' is even more possible than ever after Vladimir Putin unveiled a new nuclear submarine, Khabarovsk Khabarovsk is tipped with new Poseidon missiles, each of which is 100 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 The Russian president boasted that each missile had 'unrivalled advantages', while the sub's nuclear reactor would take just 'minutes or seconds' to start. Originally called Project 09851, the contract to build the Khabarovsk was signed in 2012. Construction of the colossus began two years later at shipbuilder Sevmash in Severodvinsk. But the project only became known to the international community in 2018, when Putin announced six new nuclear weapons programmes, including the Poseidon missiles, in his annual state-of-the-nation address. The Khabarovsk was due to be launched in June 2020. Although no official reasons were given for the delay, reports have suggested work was held up by technical difficulties, the Covid pandemic and the start of the Ukraine war in 2022. Many details of this behemoth have been shrouded in secrecy, but the submarine measures 370ft long and has an operational depth of up to 3,300ft. It is estimated to have cost well in excess of 1billion. Russian media have reported that the sub will have a maximum underwater speed of up to 100 knots (equivalent to 120mph), compared to the UK's Vanguard Class submarine that can currently travel at only 25 knots, equivalent to 30mph. Shipping industry experts say the sub will be manned by a crew of around 100, have a virtually unlimited firing range and remain submerged for months without surfacing. The design is said to incorporate stealth technology, making both the sub and its missiles extremely difficult to detect. This technology includes radar-absorbent materials (RAM) to prevent hostile radio waves from bouncing back to enemy transmitters and revealing the sub's location. Meanwhile, it is understood that Poseidon's pump-jet propulsion system mimics the noise of civilian ships, to conceal its deadly purpose, while its missiles are designed with curves and angles to deflect radio signals. The hulking craft, which weighs 10,000 tons, has been commissioned to transport up to six new 78ft Poseidon missiles, each said to be capable of triggering a radioactive tsunami. Just one Poseidon missile could cause enough damage to 'plunge Britain into the depths of the sea', according to a chilling report on Russian television Putin boasted that: 'There is nothing like this in the world in terms of the speed and the depth of the movement of this vehicle and it is unlikely there ever will be' Unlike traditional attack submarines, which have a variety of roles, the Khabarovsk has been designed solely to carry these missiles although it is also believed to be kitted out with standard torpedoes. Just one Poseidon missile could cause enough damage to 'plunge Britain into the depths of the sea', according to a chilling report on Russian television. Andrey Kartapolov chair of Russia's Duma defence committee has gone further and said the weapon is 'capable of wiping out whole coastal nations'. While the Poseidon is launched from the Khabarovsk like a normal missile, once it has been dispatched it is believed to have the capability to pause in the sea and 'loiter', as one observer has described it, as an underwater drone before being directed to unleash its nuclear warhead. One scientist says: 'The technology involved here is extremely sophisticated, but the aim is very basic indeed. 'The function of Poseidon is to cause massive explosions under the surface of the water that will result in cities and other key targets being drenched with radioactive seawater and, as a result, being largely uninhabitable.' Speaking to the Daily Mail, Admiral Lord West who served as First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff says: 'It's extraordinary that Putin is developing a weapon like this it's extremely concerning and shows what a maverick he is. 'It's a Doomsday weapon and is primarily aimed at travelling across the Pacific to hit the American West Coast.' Lord West, whose career also included a stint as Britain's Chief of Defence Intelligence, said he wasn't 'over-fussed' by the threat to Britain by Putin's latest move. But he adds: 'I'm fussed that he's actually developing it. I'm fussed that he thinks it's clever. Hopefully he won't use it because he knows the deterrent works. What should happen if he fires this thing is that both he and Moscow will disappear in a puff of smoke [as the West retaliates]. That's why we have a deterrent force. 'But, of course, one never wants that to happen. Hopefully Putin is not so maverick and so stupid that he thinks he can use a weapon like this and that no one will react to him.' International opinion is divided on how effective this Doomsday missile will be if ever put to use. Pavel Podvig, an expert on Russia's nuclear capability, has said leaders of the former Soviet Union 'studied the idea of using tsunami-like waves to destroy coastal facilities several times', adding: 'Each study concluded that it won't work.' Michael B. Petersen, of the US-based Centre for Naval Analyses, says the weapon principally functions as a warning. 'Rather than serve as a war-fighting function, it's designed to force an adversary to back down in the face of threats to use it,' he says. It is only ever likely to be actually deployed, Petersen adds, as a 'second-strike' retaliation after a nuclear war has already begun. Indeed, if the latest reports that Putin is amassing attack submarines with nuclear weapons in the Arctic Circle in preparation for war with Nato are to be believed, then the Khabarovsk could soon be prowling an ocean near you. 'We're talking about a massive, megaton-sized thermonuclear weapon designed to produce significant, long-lasting radiation effects,' Jeffrey Lewis, a scholar at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies explains. 'It's downright terrifying.' A former senior NAB business banking manager has been charged with a string of offences over his alleged involvement in one of Australia's biggest-ever fraud and money laundering syndicates. For almost two years, NSW detectives under Strike Force Myddleton have been investigating a highly sophisticated $150million syndicate operating across Sydney. The investigation initially uncovered that the syndicate allegedly used stolen personal information to apply for loans through various financial companies to purchase luxury 'ghost cars' that did not exist. Police have been investigating several NAB employees for allegedly facilitating home and business loans for the scheme, dubbed Penthouse Syndicate, which allegedly acquired a property empire worth tens of millions using corrupt solicitors, agents, and mortgage brokers. Following extensive inquiries, detectives arrested Timotius Donny Sungkar, 36, at a Bonnyrigg home in Sydney's south-west on Thursday morning. Arrest footage showed heavily-armed officers lined up to storm the home before Sungkar was escorted away by detectives. Police allegedly seized $60,000 worth of luxury jewellery and watches in the early morning raid. Sungkar was charged with 19 offences, including nine counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, and four counts of possessing or attempting to possess anabolic or androgenic steroidal agents. Former NAB business banking manager Timotius Donny Sungkar will appear in court on Friday Police allege that Sungkar used his role at NAB to apply for $10million worth of business loans for the highly sophisticated fraud and money laundering syndicate Alleged syndicate leader Bing 'Michael' Li, 38, (pictured) was arrested in July and charged with 87 offences Li was arrested in July following a raid of a penthouse at the Crown Towers Sydney in Barangaroo Other charges included possessing or attempting to possess a prescribed restricted substance, dealing with the proceeds of crime, and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity. He was refused bail to appear in Fairfield Local Court on Friday. Police will allege that Sungkar used his role at NAB to apply for $10million worth of business loans for the syndicate. Sungkar was initially stood down pending the outcome of internal and police investigations but has since been sacked by NAB, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. He had worked for the bank since 2008 in customer advisory roles and as a mortgage broker before moving into a senior position in 2018. Sungkar had been a senior business banking manager since 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. No NAB customers were targeted in the alleged scheme. Fifteen others previously charged under Strike Force Myddleton remain before the courts. Timotius Donny Sungkar, 36, (right) is the 16th person to be charged under Strike Force Myddleton Sungkar allegedly approved fraudulent business loans worth millions to syndicate members Hanna Karliana, 60, and her partner, Indra Hari Nurkianto, 61. The couple were previously charged over the alleged syndicate Some of the luxury watches seized during raids on the penthouse are pictured They include alleged syndicate ringleader, Shanghai-born Bing 'Michael' Li, 38, who was arrested in July following a raid of a penthouse at the Crown Towers Sydney in Barangaroo. He was charged with 87 offences, including knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group and dealing with the proceeds of crime. Police allege Sungkar was paid $17,000 by Li to facilitate fraudulent business loans worth millions of dollars for 'shell' companies bought by the syndicate. They also allege Sungkar approved fraudulent business loans worth millions to syndicate members Hanna Karliana, 60, and her partner, Indra Hari Nurkianto, 61. The pair were charged with various offences in August. Hours after Sungkar's arrest on Thursday, NAB chief executive Andrew Irvine publicly addressed the scandal for the first time. '(Alleged) insider fraud is always difficult, we've got zero tolerance for it, and you can be sure that we're looking at all of our processes and controls to make sure that those are strengthened as we go forward,' he told SMH. Investigations continue into whether other major banks were caught up in the alleged syndicate. The NSW Crime Commission has already seized $60million in assets linked to alleged syndicate members. Fashion designer Tory Burch 'lost her cool' during a heated meeting over an alleged secret deal to sell her iconic New York City home to a mysterious foreign buyer. The Pierre Hotel, a storied Fifth Avenue co-op overlooking Central Park, has long attracted a star-studded roster of residents - from Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor to Yves Saint Laurent and Tory Burch, who has called it home for nearly 25 years. But she and several other wealthy residents allege that the board has secretly been negotiating a $2 billion deal to sell the building and evict them, all while keeping the them in the dark, according to documents obtained by The New York Post. On Wednesday, Burchs LLC, Autumn River, sued in Manhattan Supreme Court, demanding the board hand over internal documents to reveal whats really going on behind closed doors. The filing is considered an 'emergency' application, as the 90-day due-diligence window expires on November 11, potentially allowing the sale to be completed within days. If the sale proceeds, everyone could be kicked out of their posh apartments within just a year. Even though the deal could line the pockets of the affluent residents, the lawsuit claims that anyone who refuses to leave would 'forfeit their share of the proceeds.' The lawsuit detailed a tense virtual Zoom meeting in September, where Burch, Disney CEO Michael Eisner and other residents took on the board over what they called 'secret negotiations.' Fashion designer Tory Burch (pictured) 'lost her cool' during a tense meeting over a secretive plan to sell her famed New York City residence to a mysterious Saudi buyer The Pierre Hotel (pictured), a storied Fifth Avenue co-op overlooking Central Park, has long attracted a star-studded roster of residents - from Cary Grant and Elizabeth Taylor to Yves Saint Laurent and Burch, who has called it home for nearly 25 years Several wealthy residents allege that the board has secretly been negotiating a $2 billion deal to sell the Pierre (pictured: lobby) and evict them, all while keeping the them in the dark On Wednesday, Burchs LLC, Autumn River, sued in Manhattan Supreme Court, demanding the board hand over internal documents as the 90-day due-diligence window expires on November 11, potentially allowing the sale to be completed within days Amid the heated back-and-forth, the fashion mogul reportedly 'lost her usual cool and reserved demeanor,' as she spoke about the home where she raised her kids, according to Page Six. Court documents allege that during the meeting, the board confessed that it had no idea who the buyer was, naming only shell companies tied to the Saudi-based Khashoggi Holding Company. The filings also claim that the board couldnt show that the mysterious buyer could actually cover the $2 billion price tag. It was allegedly revealed in the meeting that the board had a rival offer from the Taj Hotel, the Pierres current owner, to buy or invest in the building. But that deal - which would have allowed residents to remain in their apartments during 'substantial renovations' - was rejected by the Pierre, with the lawsuit claiming the board offered no explanation for its decision. Since the Pierre operates as a co-op, residents hold shares in the company that owns the building, not the apartments themselves. While the co-op corporation holds ownership of the building, the resident-elected board controls major decisions - from sales to renovations - on behalf of the shareholders. The lawsuit alleges that the board struck a term sheet with the mysterious buyer without letting the handful of wealthy residents vote, a move the plaintiffs say breached the boards legal duty to protect residents interests. The lawsuit detailed a tense virtual Zoom meeting in September, where Burch, Disney CEO Michael Eisner (pictured) and others confronted the board. The board allegedly confessed that it had no idea who the buyer was, naming only shell companies tied to a Saudi-based company The filings claim that the board couldnt show that the mysterious buyer could actually cover the $2 billion price tag. It was also allegedly revealed that the board had a rival offer from the Taj Hotel, the Pierres (pictured) current owner, but rejected it Burch (pictured) reportedly 'lost her usual cool and reserved demeanor,' during the meeting as she spoke about the home where she raised her kids since 2001 The filings claim the boards 'flagrant refusal' to answer residents inquiries, including Burchs, has fueled suspicions that it is concealing other problems - including possible undisclosed conflicts of interest and excessive fees (pictured: window of Pierre) Put simply, the lawsuit says residents longtime homes are 'now under threat of being sold right out from under them without their consent.' 'Over the vehement objections of many residents who have no desire to leave, the Board, under the sway of the Sale Proponents and their outside advisors, has insisted on pushing forward with its sale agenda while keeping shareholders utterly in the dark about the process,' the lawsuit claims, according to The Post. In the court documents, the residents lawyers included letters that allegedly show the board was uncooperative and 'continuing to stonewall' efforts to learn whether the building will be sold. The filings claim the boards 'flagrant refusal' to answer residents inquiries, including Burchs, has fueled suspicions that it is concealing other problems - including possible undisclosed conflicts of interest and excessive fees. The board, meanwhile, characterizes the lawsuit as overly dramatic, emphasizing that the term sheet with the buyer was 'non-binding and subject to shareholder approval.' Michael C Keats, an attorney for the board, told The Post: 'The Board remains committed to allowing shareholders to understand and vote on options for the Pierre.' 'Representatives of the corporation are in negotiations and prior to any shareholder a vote, the shareholders will have a full understanding of the facts and the terms to make an informed decision,' he added. A US official reveals to the Daily Mail that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard had a plot to assassinate the Israeli ambassador to Mexico. The plot to kill Einat Kranz Neiger was hatched at the end of 2024 and was active through the first half of this year. By late 2024, Western intelligence agencies had tracked an alleged assassination plot tied to Hasan Izadi, a senior officer in Iran's Quds Force, the overseas arm of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, responsible for foreign operations and support to allied militias across the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Investigators say Izadi, who goes by the alias Masood Rahnema, was directing an effort to kill the Israeli ambassador, working as a double-agent. Izadi had been posted as second adviser at Iran's embassy in Venezuela, a diplomatic role that US and allied officials now believe doubled as a cover for lethal operations targeting American and Israeli officials. During his time in Caracas, he reportedly stayed in regular contact with Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon. Intelligence reports shown to the Daily Mail indicate Izadi has traveled through Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador, cultivating a network of informants and facilitators across Latin America. The Quds Force plays a central role in Iran's foreign military and intelligence strategy, asserting influence across Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and beyond. Four of the plotters meeting at an apartment in Venezuela. IRGC-QF officer Hasan Izadi, known as Masood Rahnema (center), Iranian intelligence officer Majid Dastjani Farahani (far left), and Iranian intelligence officer Mohammad Mahdi Khanpour Ardestani (far right) The FBI is currently seeking information on Farahani (far left) for recruitment of individuals inside of the US to lethally target current and former US government officials IRG-QF officer Hasan Izadi aka Masood Rahnema (far right) at an event with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to memorialize the death of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) marching during the annual 'Sacred Defence Week' military parade Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured speaking to members of Iran's air force in Tehran on February 7, 2025. Khamenei has urged his government not to negotiate with the United States, saying it would be 'unwise' Israel's Ambassador to Mexico, Einat Kranz Neiger 'This is just the latest in a long history of Iran's global lethal targeting of diplomats, journalists, dissidents, and anyone who disagrees with them, something that should deeply worry every country where there is an Iranian presence,' the US official who requested anonymity told the Daily Mail. The source tells the Daily Mail the plot was contained and does not pose a threat at this time. Kranz Neiger remains in Mexico City in her role as ambassador. Izadi is alive and still in Iran, according to US intelligence. Since the 1979 revolution, the IRGC has become the main instrument of the Iranian regime's hidden operation. Over the past four decades it has been linked to dozens of assassination plots in Europe, The Middle East and America. The IRGC has been implicated in several recent murderforhire plots targeting high-profile US officials. Federal prosecutors say that in September 2024, the IRGC asked Farhad Shakeri, an Afghan national living in Iran to assassinate President Trump. Iran has denied this. Another highprofile case fell apart in New York: federal prosecutors in March 2025 convicted two Eastern European organizedcrime figures for their involvement in a murder-plot to kill outspoken anti-regime IranianAmerican journalist Masih Alinejad. According to court documents, the Iranian government paid roughly $500,000 and enlisted a network of operatives to surveil and target Alinejad. In August 2022, US prosecutors charged Iranian national Shahram Poursafi for arranging a $300,000 payment to have former National Security Adviser John Bolton killed, allegedly in retaliation for the January 2020 US strike that killed IRGCQF commander Qasem Soleimani. A former top advisor to President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign fears for his own future if the Democrats regain control of the US House of Representatives in next year's midterm elections. Steve Bannon, who also served as the White House Chief Strategist and senior counselor from January to August of 2017 during Trump's first term, said during a recent speech that he might soon end up back behind bars. Bannon was addressing a crowd at the 2025 Bellator Awards, an event for the Conservative Partnership Institute, a Washington, DC, non-profit that trains 'public policy warriors' who advocate for 'conservative principles of liberty and small government.' 'As God is my witness, if we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included,' Bannon stated. 'They're not going to stop. They're getting more and more radical, and we have to counter that. And what do we have to counter it with? We have to counter it with more action, more intense action, more urgency,' Bannon added. 'We're burning daylight. We have to codify what President Trump has done by Executive Order, ' Bannon concluded. Bannon previously served a four-month sentence in federal prison from July to October of 2024 for failing to comply with a subpoena to appear before the investigative January 6th Select Committee in 2022. He was also slapped with a fine of $6,500. Since his release just a week before the 2024 election, Bannon has returned to hosting his War Room Podcast, which is popular in right-wing circles. Steve Bannon speaks at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington D.C., Sept. 3, 2025 A car drives past the federal correctional institution, Danbury (FCI Danbury) on July 1, 2024 in Danbury, Connecticut. Former top Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon served a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress there in 2024. Trump had also pardoned Bannon on the last day of his first term in 2021 for defrauding donors in the 'We Build the Wall' fundraising scheme. That pardon only covered federal charges, and Bannon appeared in court and pleaded guilty to the same fraud charges on the state level in New York in February of this year. That plea did not include any jail time, but it meant that Bannon could not be involved in the leadership of any charitable organization or nonprofit in New York state. A smattering of Republicans have been expressing alarm over Tuesday's results, when Democrats won governorships in Virginia and New Jersey, and Zohran Mamdani won the election for mayor of New York City. President Donald Trump immediately turned to spin the strong electoral victories by Democrats on Tuesday night far away from himself. 'Trump wasn't on the ballot, and shutdown were the two reasons that Republicans lost elections tonight,' according to Pollsters,' the president posted on social media as he watched the losses for Republicans pile up Tuesday night. Vice President JD Vance brushed off the concerns of Republicans about the election and about the coming midterms, noting on X that it was 'idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states.' Charting a path forward, Vance cited the need for Republicans to turn out low-propensity voters, as well as focus on domestic policymaking, to win future elections. A border patrol agent's text messages appeared to show him bragging about how many times he shot a Chicago woman after she allegedly struck his SUV with her vehicle. Agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez five times on the southwest side of the Windy City on October 4, following a collision between the two and a separate car driven by Ian Santos Ruiz, according to officials. Martinez, 30, and Ruiz, 21, were charged with assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon. However, Martinez claims that it was the agent who sideswiped her. A hearing on Wednesday revealed Exum had texted fellow agents 'I have a MOF amendment to add to my story. I fired five rounds, and she had seven holes. Put that in your book, boys.' He explained to US District Judge Georgia Alexaki that a MOF is a 'Miserable Old F**ker' that is always trying to outdo others. He also sent a news article from the Guardian in another message and told his colleagues to 'Read it. 5 shots, seven holes.' When asked by Christopher Parente, Martinez's defense Attorney, why he sent the texts, he replied: 'I'm a firearms instructor, and I take pride in my shooting skills.' Marimar Martinez, 30, was shot five times by Agent Charles Exum on the southwest side of the city on October 4, following a collision between the two A separate car driven by Ian Santos Ruiz, 21, also collided with the agent A day after the shooting, Exum had sent another message that read: 'Cool. I'm up for another round of "f*** around and find out,"' according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Exum defended his use of force: 'I did what I had to do.' Noting that his life was at risk. None of the officers sustained serious injuries. The Department of Homeland commented on the shooting on October 5 that said when the agents exited their vehicle, 'a suspect tried to run them over, forcing the officers to fire defensively.' DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said Martinez was armed with a semiautomatic weapon, according to the Boston Herald. The woman who was shot five times was treated at the hospital and was taken into custody by the FBI after her release. A hearing on Wednesday revealed Exum had texted his fellow agents 'I have a MOF amendment to add to my story. I fired five rounds, and she had seven holes [stock image] Martinez, 30, and Ruiz, 21, were charged with assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon Martinez's attorney argued that the agency destroyed evidence after allowing Exum to drive his SUV from Chicago back to his station in Maine, where the scratches and marks were buffed out. Exum told the court that he was 'told to pick it up, I picked it up.' After it was processed and released by the FBI. However, Judge Alexakis questioned why Martinez and Ruiz's vehicles were kept in Chicago as evidence while the agent's was released. 'What gives me great pause is the fact that the cars have been treated differently,' Alexakis said. The Judge ordered the government to return the agent's vehicle to Chicago on a flatbed truck, according to CNN. The Trump administration began detaining illegal immigrants all across the windy city as part of Operation Midway Blitz on September 8. The Department of Homeland said when the agents exited their vehicle, 'a suspect tried to run them over, forcing the officers to fire defensively' [Ruiz's GMC] The Trump administration began detaining illegal immigrants all across the windy city as part of Operation Midway Blitz on September 8 Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson have pushed back against sending armed troops into the city. Despite their efforts, Trump has attempted to deploy the National Guard to the city, a decision now being reviewed by the Supreme Court to determine if the deployment is fair. Estimates indicate Chicago is home to approximately 150,000 illegal immigrants, accounting for about 8 percent of households. David Lammy was on Thursday night urged to 'stop digging and come clean' as he tried to dodge responsibility for the accidental release of foreign sex offenders. The Deputy PM and Justice Secretary was struggling to contain a growing backlash on Thursday after a second foreign criminal was mistakenly set free just days after he pledged to impose the 'strongest release checks ever'. Mr Lammy faced fury this week after repeatedly dodging questions in the Commons about his knowledge of the accidental release of any other 'asylum-seeking offender' at a time when news of the second blunder had not yet been made public. Minutes later, police revealed that Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been freed from Wandsworth prison in south-west London by mistake. It followed a national outcry over the accidental release last month of migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu. On Thursday, Mr Lammy insisted he had not been 'equipped with all of the detail' on Kaddour-Cherif when he ducked five questions on further accidental releases while standing in for Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. But shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick dismissed the claim as 'total bull****'. Mr Jenrick said: 'Every time Calamity Lammy intervenes, he makes things worse. He's either lied or has absolutely no clue what's going on in his department. It's time he stopped digging and finally came clean with the facts.' Mr Lammy, on a visit to HMP Gartree in Leicestershire, where he helped break ground on a prison expansion project, named HMP Welland Oaks, acknowledged he had a 'mountain to climb' to get on top of the prisons crisis. But he insisted he could not be blamed for the recent spate of accidental releases. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy speaking during a groundbreaking event for a new prison next to HMP Gartree in Market Harborough on November 6 Mr Lammy helped break ground on a prison expansion project, named HMP Welland Oaks The Justice Secretary complained he had been in post for only two months and was informed of Kaddour-Cherif's release on Wednesday morning a day later than previously briefed by his officials. And he said the fault ultimately lay with years of Tory 'austerity'. Mr Lammy acknowledged the number of accidental releases which has soared under Labour was 'too high'. He told Channel 4 News: 'We have a paper-based system that depends on human beings, not technology, and that will need to change. 'It is subject to human error. I want to see the figures come down to more reasonable levels than we're seeing at the moment. But the system is overheating.' Kaddour-Cherif was accidentally released on October 29, two days after Mr Lammy announced he was imposing the 'strongest release checks ever' with 'immediate effect'. Bizarrely, Mr Lammy claimed on Thursday that Kaddour-Cherif's release 'was actually before I introduced those checks'. Whitehall sources later said the Ministry of Justice was investigating evidence that the mistakes that triggered his release took place in September. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Mr Lammy of 'incompetence and dysfunction'. Asked whether he misled the House, Mrs Badenoch replied: 'It's quite clear that he had answers which he refused to give.' Speaking about the accidental releases, she added: 'These people are making a mockery of our country. They are laughing at the justice system. Labour needs to get a grip right now.' Former Tory justice secretary Michael Gove said Mr Lammy 'doesn't really command the confidence' needed to run the justice system. Mr Lammy acknowledged he had a 'mountain to climb' to get on top of the prisons crisis Mr Lammy claimed on Thursday that Kaddour-Cherif's release 'was actually before I introduced those checks' One Labour MP described Mr Lammy's handling of the crisis as 'shockingly bad'. But Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell said he should be cut some slack for his performance in the Commons, telling the BBC: 'Look, it's always a learning curve in these things. It's the first time he's done it. You know, not very many people are really, really good at it from day one. It does kind of take experience as well as sort of, you know, a lot of preparation and ability.' The Liberal Democrats on Thursday night urged the Government to recall Parliament from a mini-recess that started on Thursday so Mr Lammy could make a statement 'setting out the exact timeline covering what happened and when, including when he received information and what advice he received from officials'. On Thursday night, Sir Keir defended Mr Lammy's refusal to answer questions in the Commons on Wednesday, saying it was 'right' that the Justice Secretary was 'setting out the facts to the best of his knowledge'. Speaking to broadcasters in Brazil, the Prime Minister said: 'Let me just say how angry and frustrated I am that these mistakes have been made in releasing people. They're intolerable and they shouldn't be made. 'A lot of it comes from the burden and the strain on the system because of the failures of the last government. But I recognise it's our job to step up and to fix this, and we will. 'David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, has convened the [prison] governors to talk to them about what more can be done, but we must put the systems in place to ensure that this doesn't happen again, and we will.' Sir Keir said that an independent inquiry was also being launched into the releases 'to find out what's going wrong'. A Liberal senator has cast doubt over Sussan Ley's leadership as party figures prepare to finally settle a position on net-zero emissions targets. After a fortnight of damaging infighting and supercharged leadership speculation, former frontbencher Sarah Henderson said she could not continue to 'back things the way they are' ahead of a key party room meeting in the coming week. 'I do have to say really honestly, I do think Sussan is losing support,' she told Sky News on Friday. 'But I do believe in miracles.' Asked whether the party can turn itself around with Ley at the helm, Henderson took a long pause before reiterating she could not support the 'way things are'. 'I'm not in the business of throwing anyone under the bus, I'm stating the bleeding obvious, we are in a dire situation,' she said. 'The infighting has been terrible and I'm terribly sorry about what's been going on in the Liberal Party.' Senator Henderson, who was dumped from shadow cabinet after Ley took over the Liberal leadership, commended the opposition leader for calling a series of meetings as a 'significant step forward' in deciding a policy position on energy and climate. Federal Opposition leader Sussan Ley is under mounting pressure from within the Coalition Liberal senator Sarah Henderson (pictured) is among those who have cast doubt over Sussan Ley's leadership, describing the situation as 'dire' 'I vehemently oppose net zero in all of its guises, it's sending our country backwards,' the conservative senator said. After weeks of internal brawling, Liberal members are shortly due to decide a position on retaining or dumping an existing goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A party room meeting will be held on Wednesday and shadow cabinet will meet to formalise their position the following day. But even if the Liberals land a cohesive plan amid fierce internal divisions, they will still need to strike an agreement with junior coalition partner the Nationals, who have already elected to drop the formal net-zero target. Former Liberal leader John Hewson has delivered a withering assessment of Ms Ley and the party she leads in the midst of the fractious policy debate. 'She hasn't shown any clear strategy, or any strong capacity in terms of leadership,' he told AAP. Mr Hewson, who let his membership lapse in 2019 because of concerns about the party's record on climate change, said the opposition was devoid of serious policies because its members had little experience outside politics. 'They haven't got people with significant business experience ... I don't think that they've got people who are policy wonks in economic policy,' he said. Questions have been raised of whether the Coalition can turn itself around with Sussan Ley at the helm Former Liberal leader John Hewson delivered a scathing assessment of Sussan Ley's performance 'You can't just keep being negative and hoping to win on criticism, as (Tony) Abbott did.' As opposition leader, Mr Hewson took a highly detailed promise of economic reform to the 1993 federal election, which the coalition roundly lost to Paul Keating's Labor government. 'I'd really like to see Sussan be given a fair run with everyone pitching in and doing a proper policy job,' he said. Mr Hewson was also highly critical of West Australian MP Andrew Hastie, who is widely considered a potential leadership contender and has been a vocal critic of the nation's climate targets. 'He's been sold a bit of a dump by the right of the party,' the former Liberal leader said, arguing Mr Hastie's criticism of Australia's immigration program was unlikely to be popular in the broader electorate. The Senate will hold another vote on a deal to end the government shutdown Friday as airports across the US begin to cut thousands of flights per day. Majority Leader John Thune said he believes he has a plan to get Democrats on board to end what is now the longest shutdown in US history at over 36 days. Thune's plan involves adding three spending bills that would last the next year and tack them on to the continuing resolution to fund the government through January that has already passed the House of Representatives, Politico reported. Democrats, emboldened by electoral victories Tuesday that Donald Trump blamed on the shutdown, have remained together, as well as plotting a counter-proposal. 'We want to stay together and unified. And we had a really good conversation about how to do that,' Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said following a Democrat meeting Thursday. In addition, New Hampshire's Jeanne Shaheen - part of the bipartisan negotiations - said she didn't know whether the parties were any closer to agreement. If the plan fails, Senate leadership is set to keep members of both parties in Washington through the weekend in an attempt to finally get a deal done. While millions remain concerned about the continuation of SNAP benefits for 42million Americans, panic has set in about the 'unholy mess' set to take place at airports. The Senate will hold another vote Friday on a deal to end the government shutdown as US airports begin to comply with the FAA order to cut thousands of flights per day Majority Leader John Thune said he believes he has a plan to get Democrats on board to end what is now the longest shutdown in US history at over 36 days American airports were hit by mounting delays on Thursday morning, with less than 24 hours until the White House begins to cancel up to 10 percent of daily flights because of the longest government shutdown in history. There were already 269 cancellations and 576 delays as of 7.30am eastern standard time, offering a stark warning of the havoc travelers can anticipate at airports over the coming days. The Federal Aviation Administration is reducing air traffic by 10 percent across 40 'high-volume' markets beginning Friday to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain amid the ongoing government shutdown. Experts predict the cutback could represent as many as 1,800 flights a day and upwards of 268,000 seats combined. Nearly 700 planned Friday flights were cut from airline schedules, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. That number, already four times higher than Thursday's daily total, was likely to keep climbing. The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a list distributed to the airlines. In some metropolitan areas, including New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, multiple airports will be impacted. Donald Trump blamed the shutdown for Democrats' electoral victories on Tuesday Chuck Schumer's Democrats appear emboldened and ready to wait for a better deal 'I'm not going to lie, it's going to be an unholy mess for the next few days if these cuts go through,' airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced the 10 percent slowdown Wednesday, with Bedford admitting the airline industry could be headed for uncharted territory. 'We're in new territory in terms of government shutdowns,' Bedford said. 'I'm not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we've had a situation where we're taking these kinds of measures.' The FAA said it was making the extraordinary cutback to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown. Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began October 1, and most have been on duty six days a week while putting in mandatory overtime. With some calling out of work due to frustration, taking second jobs or not having money for child care or gas, staffing shortages during some shifts have led to flight delays at a number of US airports. Bedford, citing increased staffing pressures and voluntary safety reports from pilots indicating growing fatigue among air traffic controllers, said he and Duffy did not want to wait until the situation reached a crisis point. 'We're not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,' Bedford said. Workers and volunteers help distribute food boxes to those in need at a large-scale drive-through food distribution, in response to the federal government shutdown Airport delays at Salt Lake City International, one of the many airports that face reductions 'The system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow. If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, well come back and take additional measures.' United, Southwest and American all said they will try to minimize the impact on consumers as they cut their schedules to comply with the order. President Trump told Republican senators during a breakfast meeting at the White House Wednesday that 'we must get the government back open soon and really immediately.' At the same meeting, Trump blamed major GOP's losses in an off-year election on the shutdown - now the longest stalemate in US history. 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 Illegal tobacco is burning a $4billion hole in Australia's hip pocket, with skyrocketing tobacco tax blamed for fuelling the underground trade and escalating violence. Reports from the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and Australian Institute of Criminology lay bare the national scale and cost of serious and organised crime. The direct and indirect cost of organised crime to Australia jumped to $82.3billion in the 2023/24 financial year, up from $68.7billion in 12 months. Illicit tobacco's cost of the Australian economy was estimated to be $4billion, a four-fold increase over the past three years. Of that figure, $3.3 billion was as a result of lost tax revenue from the tobacco excise, with the rest from associated healthcare costs and reduced productivity. Organised crime groups' efforts to control the illicit tobacco and vape market has led to 200 fire bombings, at least three murders and countless acts of intimidation and extortion, the commission's chief executive Heather Cook said. 'Legitimate businesses have been forced to close their doors,' she said in a speech at Canberra's National Security College on Thursday evening. 'Billions of dollars in lost tax revenue means less money for hospitals, schools and essential services. Billions of dollars being lost to the Australian economy through the illicit tobacco trade 'Organised crime syndicates then recycle these illicit proceeds into a range of other criminal activities, further impacting community safety, security and the broader social fabric.' The violence was not contained, spilling into streets and impacting bystanders and entire neighbourhoods, Ms Cook added. Tobacco sales across Ritchies IGA's 156 shops in Victoria, NSW and Queensland have cratered from $300 million to $60 million in four years. Woolworths' tobacco sales in the September quarter were down 51 per cent on the same period last year, while Coles had a 30 per cent drop over the past financial year. It follows sharp increases in the federal tax on tobacco to $1.50 per stick, pushing the average cost of a legal over-the-counter pack of 20 cigarettes in Australia past $40. Australian Association of Convenience Stores chief executive Theo Foukkare said legal tobacco contributed to about 40 per cent of all non-fuel sales at service stations and corner stores as recently as four years ago. That has dwindled to about 15 per cent, with Mr Foukkare pointing the finger at the federal government's decision in 2019 to lift the tobacco tax by 55 per cent over three years on public health grounds. 'The crime groups are ... in a smugglers paradise,' he told ABC Radio. Organised criminal efforts to corner the tobacco black market include firebombings and murders. (James Ross/AAP PHOTOS) 'We have the highest excise in the world. We up until very recently have had very limited enforcement with meaningless fines and effectively next to no prosecutions.' The federal government unveiled a multi-agency national tobacco disruption task force in October after the collapse of tobacco excise revenue. Two shops in Sydney's north were the first to be shut down for selling illicit vape and tobacco products under new NSW health powers. While issuing closure orders in raids on Tuesday, NSW Health inspectors seized 3860 illicit cigarettes and 224 illegal vapes at both shops. David Lammy was facing more pressure last night after it was revealed 90 violent or sex offenders have been released from prison by mistake in the last year. The number of bungled releases mark the highest on record, and eight times the figure from the year before, when 11 were freed in error. It comes as pressure has already been mounting on Justice Secretary Mr Lammy, who yesterday insisted he stonewalled MPs over prisoner release failings because he 'didn't have all the facts'. He also accepted there is 'a mountain to climb' before the prisons crisis is resolved - while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended his deputy but insisted he is 'angry and frustrated' over the mistakes. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, a 24-year-old Algerian sex offender, is on the run after being mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth more than a week ago. Meanwhile, 35-year-old fraudster William Smith - another prisoner wrongly released at the same jail - handed himself back in yesterday morning. Mr Lammy said Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly released before new checks were implemented, although he told the Commons last Monday those checks were effective immediately, two days before the wrongful release. David Lammy was facing more pressure last night after it was revealed 90 violent or sex offenders have been released from prison by mistake in the last year Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data shows the number of violent offenders wrongly released increased from nine in 2023/2024 to 87 in the year to March 2025, The Telegraph first revealed. And the number of sex offenders freed by mistake was three, an increase from two the previous year. The number of thieves or burglars wrongly let go rose from 17 to 52, while those behind bars for possession of weapons also increased from five to 18. The Daily Mail has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'This fiasco is entirely of Labour's making. As the former chief inspector of prisons has said, this has been caused in part by Labour's disastrous early release scheme. 'Calamity Lammy is completely out of his depth and has no plan to fix it.' Sir Keir yesterday defended his deputy Mr Lammy over the prisoner release bungles - but insisted he is 'angry and frustrated' over the mistakes. Asked whether Mr Lammy was telling the truth on Monday or in his latest comments, Sir Keir told broadcasters: 'David Lammy can speak for himself on that. 'And I'm absolutely clear that he's setting out the facts to the best of his knowledge, and that's the right thing for him to do. But whatever the checks, it's intolerable.' The Prime Minister added: 'There's a huge burden on the prison service because of the failures of the last government, but we've now got to pick this up, roll up our sleeves. 'Let me just say how angry and frustrated I am that these mistakes have been made in releasing people.' Mr Lammy squirmed as he insisted he stonewalled MPs over prisoner release errors because he 'didn't have all the facts'. Sir Keir Starmer defended his deputy Mr Lammy over prisoner release bungles - but insisted he is 'angry and frustrated' over the mistakes The Justice Secretary floundered as he was grilled for the first time since his extraordinary dodging of questions in the Commons on Wednesday. Stressing he had only been in the job 'two months', Mr Lammy said he was not told about the latest case of an offender being released in error until the morning before he stood in at PMQs. That is despite suggestions officials were discussing the situation with the police on Tuesday evening. Speaking on a visit to HMP Gartree in Leicestershire, Mr Lammy also seemed to muddle dates by suggesting new checks on releases had not been introduced before the latest incident. Asked why he had refused to engage with direct questions in the House, Mr Lammy said: 'I first found out about this on Wednesday morning. I was in the department, both learning from officials, but also preparing for Prime Minister's Questions. 'At the despatch box, I did not have all of the detail. That detail was actually released just later, after I had finished at Prime Minister's Questions. 'I took the judgement that it is important when updating the House and the country about serious matters like this, that you have all of the detail. 'I was not equipped with all of the detail. And the danger is that you end up misleading the House and the general public. So that is the judgement I took. I think it's the right judgement.' Mr Lammy also said he was 'as shocked as anyone' at the amount of mistaken prison releases, as he vowed to 'leave no stone unturned' to fix the problem. A mother of four died in front of her husband after being shot when they mistakenly arrived at the wrong house to clean. Maria Florinda Rios Perez was gunned down on the porch of the home before she even tried putting the key into the door at just before 7am on Wednesday in Indiana. The police received a report about a possible home invasion and found the 32-year-old deceased on the property with her distraught husband, Mauricio Velazquez, by her side. Officials have ruled out that the couple was trying to break into the home. The couple, who are self-employed cleaners, drove around the block and checked twice to make sure they had the correct address, Velazquez said through a translator to the Indy Star. When the couple was outside the front door of the home, Velazquez was fumbling with the keys when Perez grabbed them. 'She didnt even put the key in when I heard the shot happen. I saw my wife had stepped back twice, and then the keys dropped. Then she dropped, and I went to catch her.' 'I was trying to console her and tell her everything was going to be OK, but I was seeing the blood coming out,' the husband told the outlet. Maria Florinda Rios Perez was gunned down on the porch of the home she thought she was paid to tidy up on Wednesday, just before 7am in Whitestown Authorities have not released the identity of the shooter. A GoFundMe was set up in an effort to support Perez's family and funeral costs. Members of her community described her as a hardworking woman who only wanted to take care of her family and a gentle soul taken too soon, according to the fundraiser. Maria Florinda Rios Perez was known by all who met her as a beacon of kindness, humility, and strength. She worked tirelessly to support her loved ones, often taking extra jobs to provide a better life for her children.' 'Friends and coworkers remember her infectious smile, her laughter, and the way she always made time to help others even when life was hard. Her heart was as big as her dreams for her family,' the campaign continued. The crowdfunding effort is more than halfway to its goal of $100,000. The father of four only asked that people pray for his family. His children range from less than a year old to 17. 'Raising them isn't going to be easy,' he noted to the Star. The police received a report about a possible home invasion and found the 32-year-old deceased on the property with her distraught husband, Mauricio Velazquez, by her side Officials have ruled out that the couple was trying to break into the home Velazquez further explained how his wife loved to dress their kids up and that she was a good mother. Perez said they are bringing her body back to Guatemala, where she was originally from. The family had only been in Indianapolis for one year. Velazquez added that whoever shot his wife should have tried to call the authorities first, and wants to see justice. Whitestown officials said that the investigation is ongoing in a statement online. 'The loss of life is always a profound tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected. WMPD is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation.' 'Our detectives are interviewing all individuals involved, and our Crime Scene Investigators are meticulously collecting and analyzing all relevant evidence to understand the full scope of what occurred,' said the police department. Do you know more? Email charlotte.karp@dailymail.com.au A Sydney dad who was mauled by three of his own dogs has been identified as father-of-three, Graeme Harper. Emergency services were called to the 54-year-old's family home on Kildare Road in Blacktown, in the city's west, about 11am on Thursday following reports of a dog attack. Officers from Blacktown Police Area Command found Mr Harper suffering horrific injuries inside after he was attacked by three Bull Arabs, which are a powerful crossbreed of English bull terriers, greyhounds and German shorthaired pointer. Police held bloodstained white sheets as he was brought out the home on a stretcher to shield him from view. A CareFlight helicopter was initially dispatched to the scene, but he was instead transferred to an ambulance and taken to Westmead Hospital by road. Mr Harper was reportedly suffering severe injuries and major blood loss, but the Daily Mail understands he checked out of hospital later on Thursday. It is alleged he was running an unregistered dog breeding business. His wife told media she was 'shocked' by the attack. Graeme Harper, 54, was attacked by three of his own dogs on Thursday. He is pictured holding another dog Pictured: Police holding a blood-stained sheet while Mr Harper was loaded into an ambulance Animal control workers struggled to remove the dogs from the scene due to their size and weight A female neighbour told the Daily Mail the dogs were 'constantly escaping'. 'We have taken a few of them to the vet when we found them wandering,' she said. 'The two I've seen were all skin and bone and very nervous, especially around fast movements even petting them, they were unsure of.' The situation unfolded when larger dogs started attacking smaller dogs on the property. Six dogs were retrieved from the home by animal control officers who struggled to manage them due to their size and weight. One large black dog had to be controlled by three officers as it was walked to the back of a van. Others were carried out in bedsheets after they were shot with sedatives by Blacktown Council staff. 'Council is assisting NSW Police with its investigation,' a council spokesman said. 'At the request of the owners, three dogs, believed to be of the cross Bull Arab type, were voluntarily surrendered to council and have been euthanised. Graeme Harper (pictured) is understood to have been an unregistered dog breeder Neighbours said Mr Harper's dogs often escaped from the home in Blacktown 'Council is committed to community safety and will continue to support police as enquiries continue.' Several shocked neighbours watched on from the street as the situation unfolded with some sharing accounts of the dogs' past aggression. Some said the dogs were known to fiercely bark at passing pedestrians and one claimed to have seen a dog from the property wandering the street without a collar. A CareFlight helicopter was initially dispatched, but he was later transported by road. Marjorie Taylor Greene heaped lavish praise on Nancy Pelosi, years after she'd referred to the former Speaker of the House as a 'traitor to our country.' Greene continued her liberal lovefest amid rumors the firebrand congresswoman will run for president in an act of vengeance against President Trump after he failed to support her Senate campaign. 'Well, my reaction is I believe in term limits,' she initially joked when asked about the retirement of the 85-year-old Pelosi, who spent 38 year in Congress. 'However, I will praise Nancy Pelosi. She had an incredible career for her party. I served under her speakership in my first term of Congress, and I'm very impressed at her ability to get things done,' Greene admitted. The Georgia firebrand then continued her criticism of her fellow Republicans, who she has slammed as unable to deliver for voters. 'I wish we could get things done for our party, like Nancy Pelosi was able to deliver for her party. So, I wish her well in her retirement, but I would like to see people exit Washington a lot sooner rather than wait until they're 80.' It's a stark change from comments Greene made in a 2019 Facebook video that was unearthed by CNN. 'She's a traitor to our country, she's guilty of treason. And by our law representatives and senators can be kicked out and no longer serve in our government. And it's, uh, it's a crime punishable by death is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason.' Marjorie Taylor Greene stunned CNN with praise for the retiring Nancy Pelosi , years after she'd referred to the former Speaker of the House as a 'traitor to our country' Before joking that Pelosi, 85, should have retired sooner, she did admit that the former Speaker of the House 'had an incredible career for her party' She also once had to apologize for her social media team, who she claimed 'liked' posts calling for Pelosi to be executed. Her appearances among the liberal media elite caused 'Squad' Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to claim Greene turned on Trump in an act of 'revenge' after he shut down her alleged Senate ambitions. 'Here's some tea for you,' Ocasio-Cortez said during a lengthy Instagram livestream shared this week. 'MTG, people are like, 'Oh my God, she's saying all these things, like, what's gotten into her lately?' 'Oh, like, she's bucking against Trump, she's bucking against the administration.' 'Marjorie Taylor Greene wanted to run for Senate in Georgia. She wanted to run for Senate earlier this year in the state of Georgia, she wanted to be the Republican nominee for Senate,' the New York Democrat added. 'So, she was gearing up for that statewide race, and Trump told her no. Trump said no, and the White House and Trump Land shut down Marjorie Taylor Greene's personal ambitions to run for Senate, and she has been on a revenge tour ever since.' Sources also told the Wall Street Journal back in May that Trump warned Greene away from a potential Senate run, on the basis that he believed she would lose. But Greene denied AOC's theory about the sudden change in her approach to politics ever since, pointing to her social media post on May 9 which outlined why she did not run for Senate - a decision she said had nothing to do with Trump. Her appearances among the liberal media elite caused 'Squad' Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to claim Greene turned on Trump in an act of 'revenge' after he shut down her alleged Senate ambitions AOC claimed she knows why the former MAGA firebrand has broken ranks with the president in recent months over several key policy issues, from ICE raids to the government shutdown She claimed that beating the incumbent Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff 'would be easy', while condemning him as 'a silver-spoon progressive who's never held a real job or worried about putting a roof over his family's head'. Greene claimed the reason she was not running was that 'the Senate doesn't work', and she felt that she could better deliver for the people she represents through her current role in Congress. '(The Senate) is designed to obstruct the will of the people and protect the Uniparty's grip on power,' Greene wrote in May. 'Nearly everything requires 60 votes to pass, and even when we have a majority, a pack of Republican Senators always votes 'no' on the bills that matter most.' 'Even with a few good Republicans in the Senate, nothing changes,' she added. The change of tune comes as Greene, 51, a conservative mother of three known for her outlandish attacks on her political opponents, has recently separated herself from the GOP by repeatedly criticizing party leadership. The Georgia lawmaker has been telling her congressional colleagues she is eying a bid for the White House, four sources familiar with the matter told NOTUS. One of the sources shared that MTG believes she is 'real MAGA and that the others have strayed' from Trump's true vision. However, Greene strongly denied the rumors in a social media post that included a screenshot showing her text message to a reporter who broke the story. 'I just saw you posted a baseless article and did not reach out to Ty Sharpe [and] my comms team,' she said in the message to NOTUS' Reese Gorman. 'Who is your source? Laura Loomer? She claimed I was running for governor last week and announcing it in The View. Once again you publish baseless gossip. Very disappointing. Don't text me again.' Greene has been embraced of late by even her most ardent opponents because of her recent critiques of Republicans and specifically her embrace of healthcare reform - a top priority among those on the left. On Wednesday, Greene chastised GOP leadership's failure to provide relief to 'Americans suffering from high cost of living, rising food and energy prices. In the same post, she accused leadership of 'leaving them out to dry with no plan on our skyrocketing health insurance premiums.' Once siloed to the far-right networks like One America News (OAN) and Real America's Voice, a network her boyfriend Brian Glenn works for, MTG has broken out of the conservative echo chamber and found herself in bluer waters. This week, she appeared on ABC's 'The View,' a left-leaning daytime program that frequently slams Republicans and Trump. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene leaving 'The View' in red pant suit in New York City on Tuesday. A recent report indicates that she wants to run for president in 2028 Greene has split with her party on several issues, including mass deportations, plans to expand the number of visas given to Chinese students, and the Republican stance on the ongoing government shutdown. The 51-year-old Georgia Rep. even told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview in August that it may be time for her to walk away from the Republican Party. Her boldest split from the party line came in October, when she openly criticized the ICE raids - the execution of the policy which many say got Trump elected. 'As a conservative, and as a business owner in the construction industry, and as a realist, I can say, we have to do something about labor,' Greene told the Tim Dillon Show on October 11. 'And it needs to be a smarter plan than just rounding up every single person and deporting them just like that. 'I'm going to get pushback for that, but I'm just living in reality from here on out. If anyone's mad at me for saying the truth, then, I'm sorry.' Immigration was the central focus of Trump's campaign for the White House in 2024. He promised the 'largest domestic deportation operation' in history and to re-start construction on a border wall. Trump, 79, also pledged to end birthright citizenship and revoke the visas of Pro-Palestinian student protesters. Greene was known as a stalwart of Donald Trump's MAGA movement until recently His administration has aggressively pursued these policies through shock ICE raids which have seen more than two million people deported in less than 250 days during his first year as the 47th president. Greene has also sided with Democrats who claim that the bill currently causing a stalemate in the Senate would impact healthcare if passed. 'I'm going to go against everyone on this issue because when the tax credits expire this year my own adult children's insurance premiums for 2026 are going to DOUBLE, along with all the wonderful families and hard-working people in my district,' Greene wrote. 'No I'm not towing the party line on this, or playing loyalty games.' Greene also spoke out against Trump's plans to expand the number of Chinese students admitted to U.S. universities by up to 600,000 people per year. 'We're going to allow their students to come in. It's very important - 600,000 students,' he said. Greene said this undermined the administration's immigration clampdown, while also claiming that American colleges 'are being propped up by the CCP' via admissions from China. The Georgia Republican has even gone as far as to admit that her party is going to lose the lower chamber of Congress if the cost of living crisis is not addressed. She told Semafor in October that she could 'see Republicans losing the House if Americans are continuing to go paycheck to paycheck.' 'They'll definitely be going into the midterms looking through the lens of their bank account,' she added. Elon Musk ordered his staff to hand over biometric data to help train his highly sexualized chatbot while the tech titan worked around the clock to win an AI arms race. The world's richest man threw himself into work at xAI while developing Grok chatbot capabilities in May after a precipitous fall out with the president caused him to leave The White House. According to The Wall Street Journal, he based himself at the Palo Alto xAI office, occasionally even sleeping there as he worked to catch up in the AI sphere. The effort comes as rival Sam Altman at OpenAI leads the US effort in a digital arms race with China to develop a nearly sentient 'artificial general intelligence.' A month prior to Musk's quest, company lawyer Lily Lim allegedly told a group of employees that xAI was developing several avatars which would be used to communicate with Grok users. Musk's mission was to make xAI's Grok chatbot the most popular in the world, and he saw female chatbot Ani as the key to his success. Ani was described by PC Magazine as a 'sexy, NSFW, anime AI chatbotgirl.' Employees were told they must hand over their biometric data in order to train the chatbots on how to act and talk like human beings, the publication stated. The employees who were called up to hand over their data were working as AI tutors, and were ordered to sign a form which gave xAI 'a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, sub-licensable, royalty-free license' over their faces and voices. Elon Musk ordered staff at xAI to hand over their biometric data to help train his highly sexualized AI chatbot, Ani (pictured) The world's richest man threw himself into work developing Grok chatbot capabilities after he left Washington in May after falling out with top Trump administration insiders and the president himself The confidential project sparked concerns among some of the staff. At least one employee allegedly asked higher ups if they 'could just explicitly, for the record, let us know if there's some option to opt out.' Another female employee was concerned her face could be sold to other companies and used in deepfake videos. According to the WSJ, the project leader told employees: 'If you have any concerns with regards to the project, you're welcome to reach out to any of the [points of contact] listed on the second slide.' But just a week later, a second notice went out to the impacted employees, telling them that handing over the data 'is a job requirement to advance xAI's mission.' They were told they must 'actively participate in gathering or providing data, such asrecording audio or participating in video sessions.' Since Ani has been rolled out, user numbers have boosted significantly. To connect with her, users must sign up for a paid subscription on Grok. The description for Ani reads: 'I'm your little sweet delight.' Critics have noted she appears to be hyper sexualized. Users can ask her to get dressed in lingerie, or to fantasize about engaging in a romantic encounter with them. Many of her functions can simulate a dating game, and some users have noted her appearance resembles Japanese anime. Ani, which has been launched by xAI, is a fully-fledged, blonde-haired AI companion with a gothic, anime-style appearance He based himself at the Palo Alto xAI office (pictured), occasionally even sleeping at the office as he worked around-the-clock to catch up in the AI sphere Ani has been made available to anyone over the age of 12, prompting fears it could be used to 'manipulate, mislead, and groom children', internet safety experts have warned. She has been programmed to act as a 22-year-old and engage at times in flirty banter with the user. Users have reported that the chat bot has an NSFW mode - 'not safe for work' - once Ani has reached 'level three' in its interactions. Those who have already interacted with Ani report that Ani describes herself as 'your crazy in-love girlfriend who's gonna make your heart skip.' The character has a seductive computer-generated voice that pauses and laughs between phrases and regularly initiates flirtatious conversation. Matthew Sowemimo, associate head of policy for child safety online at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, said: 'We are really concerned how this technology is being used to produce disturbing content that can manipulate, mislead, and groom children. 'And through our own research and contacts to Childline, we hear how harmful chatbots can be sometimes giving children false medical advice or steering them towards eating disorders or self-harm. Users have reported that the chat bot has an NSFW mode - 'not safe for work' - once Ani has reached 'level three' in its interactions, including appearing in lingerie 'It is worrying app stores hosting services like Grok are failing to uphold minimum age limits, and they need to be under greater scrutiny so children are not continually exposed to harm in these spaces.' Sowemimo added that government should devise a duty of care for AI developers so that 'children's wellbeing' is taken into consideration when the products are being designed. Grok's minimum age to use the tool is actually 13, while young people under 18 are advised to receive permission from a parent before using the app. Grok has in the past landed in hot water after the chatbot praised Hitler and made a string of deeply antisemitic posts. These posts followed an announcement from Musk that he was taking measures to ensure the AI bot was more 'politically incorrect.' Over the following days, the AI began repeatedly referring to itself as 'MechaHitler' and said that Hitler would have 'plenty' of solutions to 'restore family values' to America. On Grok's publicly available system prompts at the time, instructions were added to 'not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect, as long as they are well substantiated.' The AI was also given a rule to 'assume subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased.' Musk's controversial chatbot has been launched as industry regulator Ofcom is gearing up to ensure age checks rare in place on websites and apps to protect children from accessing pornography and adult material While the AI has been prone to controversial comments in the past, users noticed that Grok's responses suddenly veered far harder into bigotry and open antisemitism. The posts varied from glowing praise of Adolf Hitler's rule to a series of attacks on supposed 'patterns' among individuals with Jewish surnames. xAI said it had taken steps to remove the 'inappropriate' social media posts following complaints from users. Multiple people at a military base right outside of Washington DC were rushed to the hospital after someone opened a suspicious package that contained white powder and political propaganda. The suspicious envelope was opened at around 1pm Thursday in a building at Joint Base Andrews that houses the Air National Guard Readiness Center, which had to be evacuated while several people were transported to the on-base Malcolm Grove Medical Center, CNN reports. Joint Base Andrews first responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats and have turned the scene over to [the] Office of Special Investigations, officials said. An investigation is currently ongoing. As part of the investigation, authorities are said to be looking into political propaganda that was sent along with the mysterious substance. Meanwhile, the room where the envelope was opened remains closed. It remains unclear what may have caused the soldiers to fall ill, as one source told CNN that an initial field test conducted by a HAZMAT team did not detect anything dangerous. It is also unclear whether anyone or any specific department was targeted at the base, from where the president, vice president and members of Congress take off for official trips. But it comes one month after a federal office building in New York City had to be evacuated after employees found another envelope containing white powder. President Trump is pictured at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, just one day before soldiers were hospitalized Authorities say someone opened a suspicious package that was reportedly containing white powder and political propaganda at the base. Air Force One is pictured at Joint Base Andrews in 2009 A building on the base (pictured) had to evacuated in the aftermath The building houses the city's Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office as well as the Department of Homeland Security, though it is unclear if the suspicious envelope was directed at either office. Tensions across the country have only increased since then, however, amid the nation's longest-ever government shutdown, which has seen federal employees like air traffic controllers working without pay for weeks and left millions of Americans without food stamps. Trump has since admitted the shutdown contributed to Tuesday night's election losses for Republicans. 'I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor negative for the Republicans,' the president told GOP senators at a breakfast on Wednesday, after Democrats proved victorious throughout the country. Progressive Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayor's race with 50.4 percent of the vote compared to runner up and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's 41.6 percent. Mamdani will be the first Muslim and South Asian mayor of America's largest city. Further south, Democrat Abigail Spanberger won her Virginia race against Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. And in New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill convincingly beat Trump-backed Republican Jack Ciattarelli to become the next governor. 'Last night it was, you know, not expected to be a victory,' Trump admitted on Wednesday morning. 'I don't think it was good for Republicans I'm not sure it was good for anybody.' 'But we had an interesting evening and we learned a lot,' he said. Donald Trump had been at the base on Wednesday just before the suspicious package was found Presidents, vice presidents and members of Congress take off from the base when conducting official business. Marine One is seen here with Trump onboard in October Last month, a federal office building containing New York City's Immigration and Customs Enforcement office was evacuated on Thursday The president later reprimanded his fellow Republicans for not touting his agenda enough during the 2025 campaign season to win more elections on Tuesday night. And he warned the results could begin a slippery slope of plunging the United States into communist rule if more progressives are voted into office. 'These people are crazy,' Trump said during a business forum in Florida on Wednesday. 'And Mamdani whatever the hell his name is in New York he thinks it's wonderful to have men playing in women's sports.' 'Now let's see how a communist does in New York we're going to see how that works out. And we'll help them we want New York to be successful. We'll help them a little bit, maybe,' he added before warning that Mamdani will plunge the U.S. into a communist state. Still, he assured business leaders that 'as long as I'm in the White House the United States is not going communist in any way shape or form.' 'We're going to stop it stop this nonsense,' he insisted. Trump spoke to senators during a breakfast at the White House on Wednesday US Air Force Thunderbirds are pictured at Joint Base Andrews Trump and his administration have tried to portray the United States as strong, renaming the Department of Defense the Department of War and telling generals to 'prepare for war.' Speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia in September, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said that America's enemies would 'FAFO', which stands for 'f*** around and find out,' if they chose to challenge its military might. 'From this moment forward the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: war fighting, preparing for war and preparing to win,' Hegseth continued, before issuing a series of directives to soldiers. The Secretary of War said that there would be a male standard of fitness for all troops, stating that he was 'tired of seeing fat troops.' Hegseth also said these new rules are 'not about preventing women from serving' though he noted that the physical standards needed to be gender neutral. 'If women can make it, excellent, if they cannot then so be it ... it will also mean that weak men won't qualify. This is combat.' Hegseth said standard training guidelines will be restored 'to what it should be scary, tough disciplined,' and one where drill sergeants 'can put their hands on recruits.' 'No more identity months, DEI offices, dudes in dresses, no more climate change worship, no more division, distraction or gender delusion, no more debris. I've said before and will say again, we are done with that s***,' the Secretary of War said. Tensions have flared across the nation amid the longest-ever government shutdown People are pictured taking the streets in New York City last month to protest the Trump administration's actions Hegseth continued to lay out other directives. Notably, that each service will require high-level physical requirements, adding a combat arms field test. Displaying America's strength, the US military has repeatedly struck suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean, carrying out another attack as the terrifying incident occurred in Maryland on Thursday. 'The vessel was targeting narcotics in the Caribbean and was struck in international waters,' Hegseth shared on social media. 'No US forces were harmed in the strike and three male narco terrorists - who were aboard the vessel - were killed. 'To all narco terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs - we will kill you,' the Secretary of War warned, despite Colombian President Gustavo Petro apparent threat to Trump. 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. Yet the president is no stranger to threats. 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 Over the summer, Nathalie Rose Jones, a 50-year-old woman from Indiana, was arrested in Washington after making unhinged threats and attempts to have Trump removed from office. 'I am willing to sacrificially kill this POTUS by disemboweling him and cutting out his trachea with Liz Cheney and all The Affirmation present,' a post from her account read on August 6. 'Listen up, Donald J. Trump. I'm psychotic,' she wrote on August 11. On August 14, she wrote directly to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth pleading with him to 'arrange the arrest and removal ceremony of POTUS Trump as a terrorist on the American People from 10-2pm at the White House on Saturday, August 16th, 2025.' Just days ago, an Illinois man was charged with threatening to execute President Trump. Trent Schneider, 57, was taken into custody at his home on Monday by a local SWAT team, to be handed over to federal authorities. In an Instagram video seen by Daily Mail, Schneider appears to threaten to execute Trump in a mass shooting event. 'I'm going to get some guns. I know where I can get a lot of f***ing guns and I am going to take care of business myself,' he allegedly said. 'I'm tired of all you f***ing frauds. People need to f***ing die and people are going to die. F*** all of you, especially you Trump. You should be executed.' Schneider also claimed in the video that Trump was an actor and had several body doubles who often stood in his place at events. He was arrested without incident on Monday. St Augustine's College in Sydney is mourning the heartbreaking loss of one of its own, beloved teacher and 2017 graduate Harrison Foresto, who tragically passed away this week at just 26 years old. The school community was left reeling after the news broke, with tributes pouring in for the young educator described as a 'gentle and joyful presence'. Harrison returned to his alma mater in 2022 to teach Technology and Visual Arts, quickly becoming a cherished figure among students and staff alike. Known for his ever-present smile and unwavering positivity, Harrison was deeply admired for his creativity and kindness. 'He loved this school community and we loved him in return,' the college said in a statement. 'We will miss him greatly.' The college extended its deepest condolences to Harrison's grieving parents, Steve and Kerrie-Ann, and his sister Emily, as well as his extended family, friends, students and colleagues. Harrison's cause of death has not been confirmed. Cairns teacher Harrison Foresto (pictured) tragically passed away at the young age of 26 St Augustine's College confirmed the Harrison's death on social media on Friday night There has been an outpouring of support on social media following the news. 'Far too young, so sorry for his family and all his students,' one person said. 'Rest in Peace Harrison. Thank you for being an amazing friend. My sincerest condolences to the Foresto family at this difficult time. A young life lost far too early. RIP,' said someone else. Counselling support is being offered at the school for students following the news. Harrison Foresto was a graduate from the Australian Catholic University (ACU), attending there between 2019 and 2022. Mr Foresto was a 2022 Executive Dean's Commendations recipients, in the year he graduated from ACU. It is understood that Harrison passed after spending weeks in an intensive care unit, and died from a sudden and unexplained illness. Airports across the United States started cutting back on thousands of flights early Friday after the record-long government shutdown caused staffing shortages. Airlines scrambled to meet demands and began canceling flights overnight in anticipation of the FAA's order, while travelers with bookings this weekend waited anxiously to learn whether they would take off on time. More than 780 flights scheduled for today have already been called off nationwide, according to FlightAware, and many more are expected to be scrapped. Delta Air Lines said it would scratch roughly 170 flights Friday, and American Airlines planned to cut 220 a day through Monday. Republican leaders expressed hope they could get a deal done at some point this weekend, with President Donald Trump pressuring the GOP to get the government back up and running. Trump told Republican senators during a breakfast meeting at the White House Wednesday that 'we must get the government back open soon and really immediately.' The president has threatened a 'nuclear option' to eliminate the filibuster and allow the GOP to reopen the government with a simple majority and no Democrat votes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has publicly stated he's against that idea. Thune said he believes he has a plan to get Democrats on board to end what is now the longest shutdown in US history at over 37 days. SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL LIST OF AFFECTED AIRPORTS Airports across the United States have already begun to cut back on thousands of flights because of the record-long government shutdown Airlines scrambled to meet demands and began canceling flights Thursday night in anticipation of the FAA's order If the plan fails, Senate leadership is set to keep members of both parties in Washington through the weekend in an attempt to finally get a deal done. While millions remain concerned about the continuation of SNAP benefits for 42million Americans, panic has set in about the 'unholy mess' set to take place at airports. The FAA said the reductions would start at four percent and ramp up to ten percent by November 14. They are to be in effect between 6am and 10pm and impact all commercial airlines. The agency said the cutbacks are necessary to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month. Many are pulling six-day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers of them have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount. Airlines said they would try to minimize impact on customers. Some planned to focus on slashing routes to and from small and medium-size cities. Carriers are required to refund customers whose flights are canceled but not to cover secondary costs such as food and hotel accommodations unless a delay or cancellation results from a contributing factor that is within the control of the airlines, according to the Department of Transportation. The cuts could also slow package service as two airports on the list are major distribution centers for delivery companies: FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this weeks deadly cargo plane crash. President Donald Trump is pressuring the GOP to get the government back up and running Senate Majority Leader John Thune (middle) said he believes he has a plan to get Democrats on board to end the shutdown and stop the travel mayhem Travelers have braced for chaos Thursday morning after there were 269 flight cancellations and 576 delays at airports across the US before 8am The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a list distributed to the airlines. In some metropolitan areas, including New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, multiple airports will be impacted. 'I'm not going to lie, it's going to be an unholy mess for the next few days if these cuts go through,' airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced the 10 percent slowdown Wednesday, with Bedford admitting the airline industry could be headed for uncharted territory. 'We're in new territory in terms of government shutdowns,' Bedford said. 'I'm not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we've had a situation where we're taking these kinds of measures.' Bedford, citing increased staffing pressures and voluntary safety reports from pilots indicating growing fatigue among air traffic controllers, said he and Duffy did not want to wait until the situation reached a crisis point. 'We're not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,' Bedford said. 'The system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow. If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, well come back and take additional measures.' The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Houston (pictured), Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a list distributed to the airlines Duffy said the FAA wanted to take a proactive approach instead of reacting after a disaster. He pointed to all the questions that arose after the deadly midair collision in January between a commercial jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport about why FAA didn't recognize the risks and act sooner. 'We learned from that. And so now we look at data, and before it would become an issue, we try to assess the pressure and try to make moves before there could be adverse consequences,' Duffy said. 'And thats whats happening here today.' Duffy also warned on Tuesday that if the federal government shutdown continues another week, it could lead to 'mass chaos' and could force him to close some of the national airspace to air traffic, a drastic move that could upend American aviation. 'If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays,' Duffy said at a press conference. 'You'll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it. 'We will restrict the airspace when we feel it's unsafe.' United, Southwest and American all said they will try to minimize the impact on consumers as they cut their schedules to comply with the order. Trump admitted the government shutdown contributed to Tuesday night's election losses for Republicans. While the president said he didn't expect his party to come out on top, he realizes the ongoing shutdown now the longest in US history could have hurt Republican candidates' chances even more. Travelers look at the flight information display system at Los Angeles International Airport Majority Leader John Thune said he believes he has a plan to get Democrats on board to end what is now the longest shutdown in US history at over 36 days 'I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor negative for the Republicans,' the president added. Shares of major airlines, including United Airlines and American Airlines, were down about one percent in extended trading. An airline industry group estimated that over 3.2 million passengers have been affected by flight delays or cancellations due to rising air traffic controller absences since the shutdown began on October 1. Airlines have been raising concerns with lawmakers about the impact on operations. While the shutdown has not significantly affected business, airlines have warned that bookings could drop if it drags on. More than 2,100 flights were delayed on Wednesday. A man accused of stabbing a tradie during a dramatic citizen's arrest in Melbourne's CBD was refused bail at court on Friday evening. Hakan Sahin, 32, from Dallas in the city's north, appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court charged with affray, recklessly causing injury, and possessing a controlled weapon without excuse. The court heard Sahin was armed with a 15cm knife when he allegedly lunged at a member of the public who was waiting for a carpark elevator on Lonsdale Street just after 6am. He then fled, swinging the knife at a second bystander near the carpark entrance. 'He hunched forward, increased his pace... the member of the public backed away cautiously from Sahin and positioned boom gates between them,' the police prosecutor told the court, according to news.com.au. 'Sahin made a brief lunge before turning around and walking back into Lonsdale Street.' Tradie Michael Webster, 41, had parked his car in the underground carpark nearby and witnessed Sahin's erratic behaviour. Fearing someone would be stabbed, he began warning others and followed Sahin, joined by two other men. Tradie Michael Webster saw the man, and followed him, concerned he would attack someone 'As the three members of the public grappled with Sahin, Webster attempted to remove the knife from his pocket,' the prosecutor said. 'Sahin resisted and the knife was lodged into the right inner thigh of Webster.' Webster was rushed to St Vincent's Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The other two men were unharmed. In a police interview, Sahin claimed he was responding to a voice he heard 'via hotspot', telling him a woman was being raped and assaulted by a group of men. 'He stated he was trying to find the men and if he did find any person he believed to be associated with the female, he would stab them,' the prosecutor said. No woman was seen on CCTV footage. Defence lawyer Nikail Sood said his client had a 'clear mental impairment' and was suffering from delusional beliefs. Magistrate Gerard Lethbridge agreed. The incident happened at the corner of Lonsdale and Elizabeth street (file image pictured) 'These alleged offences seem to have occurred when Mr Sahin was completely delusional but holding very dangerous, delusional beliefs,' he said. 'He causes a great deal of fear and consternation to the extent that members of the public feel compelled to intervene, where one ends up with a knife injury.' Mr Sahin was refused bail and will return to court on January 20. The incident is yet another knife related attack in the Melbourne CBD just weeks after sushi worker Wan Lai was stabbed on Little Bourke Street. Vladimir Putin has reportedly sent his veteran foreign minister Sergei Lavrov into 'disgrace' after the president blamed him for angering the Trump administration. Reports of fresh turmoil in the Kremlin come as the hard-line chief diplomat, who has not been seen in public in recent days, is sidelined from key summits and meetings in Russia. Lavrov is believed to have upset US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a 'disastrous' phone call back in September, the Moscow Times reports. Their conversation resulted in a meeting between Trump and Putin being put on hold despite the Russian president's desire to get more backing from Washington. Putin's loyal ally also reportedly refused to engage in a peace process, resulting in him getting accused by some Kremlin officials of 'sabotage'. Shortly after the phone call, Russia was hit by massive US sanctions aimed at moving Putin to the negotiating table and bringing an end to Moscow's brutal war on Ukraine. An investigation may have begun into Lavrov amid the Kremlin's need for a scapegoat after Russia failed to secure international backing for its war in Ukraine, according to reports. Lavrov has been Russia's foreign minister for 21 years but he was 'conspicuously absent' from a meeting of the Russian security council this week, and removed from representing Putin as head of the delegation at the G20 summit in South Africa. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has reportedly been sent into 'disgrace' after Putin blamed him for angering the Trump administration. File photo: Lavrov is pictured on October 27 in Moscow Lavrov is believed to have upset US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a phone call, despite Putin's desire to get Washington's support. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the plenary session of the 'Russia is The Country of Sports' forum in Samara, Russia, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025 According to a source cited by Telegram channel Nezygar, Moscow's top diplomat is 'clearly dejected' and has 'clearly lost Putin's favour'. Other accounts suggest Lavrov - who recently said he had no health problems - has been aching to retire but, until now, has been refused to do so by Putin. Lavrov was last seen at a high profile meeting with the Russian leader last month, when they hosted North Korean foreign minister Choe Son Hui in the Kremlin. However, Kremlin spokesman Dmity Peskov on Friday dismissed speculation that Lavrov may have fallen out of favour with Putin. Peskov, in response to a question at his daily briefing with reporters, said such suggestions 'do not correspond to reality', and Lavrov continued to carry out his duties as foreign minister. Reports of Lavrov's ousting comes as Ukrainian long-range drones attacked an industrial plant around 800 mile inside Russia on Tuesday. Ukraine's army also remained locked in an intense battle to hold back a Russian push on the key city of Pokrovsk in the eastern Donetsk region. Kyiv's daring strikes deep inside Russia using domestically produced drones have embarrassed Moscow, with officials being unforthcoming about any damage, and unnerved Russians. Ukraine has taken aim at manufacturing plants, oil refineries and military logistics hubs in a bid to disrupt Russia's war effort almost four years after Moscow launched an all-out invasion. David Lammy is facing a Cabinet backlash over his 'cowardly' and 'incompetent' handling of a mistaken prisoner release. The Justice Secretary has been blasted by fellow ministers over his refusal to answer questions in the House of Commons about the release of an Algerian national. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence at HMP Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal. He has a past conviction for indecent exposure. It is understood Kaddour-Cherif, who is still on the run, is not an asylum seeker but is in the process of being deported after he overstayed his visa. Mr Lammy, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, refused to confirm Kaddour-Cherif had been freed during exchanges at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. He has also been criticised for not returning to Parliament later to give a statement on the detail of Kaddour-Cherif's mistaken release. Alex Davies-Jones, a junior minister at the Ministry of Justice, was left to be quizzed about the scandal during a round of TV and radio interviews on Thursday morning. One Cabinet minister told The Times of Mr Lammy's response to the mistaken prisoner release: 'It's cowardly. He should have fronted up and owned it. 'I still don't understand why he didn't confirm it or make a statement in the Commons. He left it to a junior minister to do the broadcast round. The handling is terrible.' David Lammy is facing a Cabinet backlash over his 'cowardly' and 'incompetent' handling of a mistaken prisoner release The Justice Secretary has been blasted by fellow ministers over his refusal to answer questions in the House of Commons about the release of an Algerian national Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence at HMP Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal. He has a past conviction for indecent exposure Another Cabinet minister told the newspaper the row had brought into question Mr Lammy's political 'judgment' and his 'aggressive manner' in the Commons. A third minister said: 'The PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] are deeply unhappy. They think the way he has handled this is awful. Why can't he just hold his hands up?' A senior Government source said: 'It feels less like a contempt [of Parliament] issue, more just rank incompetence and frankly pretty dodgy.' A manhunt for Kaddour-Cherif is ongoing. But another prisoner, Billy Smith, 35, who was also accidentally freed from the same prison on Monday, has handed himself back in. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that he was 'angry and frustrated' by 'intolerable' wrongful prisoner releases, although he defended Mr Lammy. The Justice Secretary did appear in front of TV cameras himself on Thursday afternoon to be quizzed about the prisoner release row. But Mr Lammy raised further questions when he said Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly released before new checks were implemented. This is despite him telling MPs last Monday those checks were effective immediately, two days before the wrongful release on October 29. Whitehall sources later said the Ministry of Justice was investigating evidence that the mistakes that triggered Kaddour-Cherif's release took place in September. Mr Lammy repeatedly refused to confirm at PMQs on Wednesday, when he was standing in for Sir Keir, whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since Hadush Kebatu, the now-deported migrant at the heart of protests in Epping, Essex. He told reporters on Thursday he was 'not equipped with all the detail' about Kaddour-Cherif's release when he appeared in the Commons. 'We have found out that the release that has caused concern, this week, was actually before I introduced those checks just a few weeks ago following the release of Kebatu, and the other prisoner was a court mistake not, in fact, a prison mistake,' Mr Lammy added. The Justice Secretary had confirmed on October 27 that stronger release checks would come into force immediately, two days before Kaddour-Cherif was released. The Tories accused him of potentially misleading the public. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'David Lammy has either lied or has absolutely no clue what's going on in his department. 'How can the public have confidence in the Justice Secretary when he can't establish a timeline of events or answer basic questions?' Housing Secretary Steve Reed on Friday morning dismissed criticism of Mr Lammy from fellow ministers as 'anonymous tittle tattle'. He told Times Radio: 'The problem is we've got a broken system, and you are going to see failings when you have a broken system. 'The key is to make sure we have a digital system so that no prisoner is ever released by mistake. 'There is not an acceptable number for this, but the way to fix it is not tittle tattle about David Lammy in the newspapers, it's to get on and do the work and put in the investment that will digitise the system. 'David has already had the prison governors in his office yesterday, I imagine they felt pretty hauled over the coals given what's been going on. 'But he was also making sure that they're getting all the support they need to carry out the much tougher checks that will be required to make sure that the repeats of this are at an absolute minimum.' Indonesian officials have revealed that Lindsay Sandiford could walk straight back into prison as she returns to Britain after spending 12 years on death row in a Bali prison for drug offences. Yesterday, the 69-year-old grandmother was photographed in a wheelchair as she left Kerobokan Prison, where she was held for smuggling in 1.6million worth of cocaine from Bangkok. However, when asked about her future in the UK, Indonesia's deputy minister for immigration and correctional coordination told Mirror: 'In England, she will remain in prison.' Britain's Foreign Office is yet to confirm or deny I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram's statement. Sandiford left her cell shortly after 2pm GMT alongside another British inmate, 35-year-old Shahab Shahabadi, who was serving a life sentence for drug offences. The two were briefly presented to local media before being handed over to British diplomats at the airport ahead of their return to Britain. Wearing a face mask and shielding herself from photographers, she was taken to Denpasar International Airport, where she boarded a Qatar Airways flight bound for London via Doha. It was at the same airport in 2012 that Sandiford was publicly paraded in orange prison clothes beside a table stacked with cocaine. Lindsay Sandiford was seen at a handing over ceremony at the prison where she was held following her release yesterday Indonesian officials have said she is expected to be back in prison once in Britain Sandiford in her prison cell where she is said to have taught other prisoners how to knit The UK government funded her 600 plane ticket after Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper reached a repatriation deal with Indonesian officials. The agreement, signed on October 21 by Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, secured her release on humanitarian grounds due to her failing health. The former legal secretary from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, is said to be severely ill and requires urgent medical treatment. According to Indonesian officials, she is suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure. It was also reported that she has arthritis. Sources in Jakarta said the prime minister and home secretary personally appealed for Sandiford's release. Foreign Office staff had been working on the case for more than 18 months, regularly visiting her as her condition worsened. Sandiford was sentenced to death in 2013 after being convicted of trafficking 4.8kg of cocaine. Her lawyers had asked for a 15-year jail sentence and repeatedly launched appeals. She initially claimed she had been forced into the operation by a British gang that threatened to harm her family. She later admitted that she had agreed to carry the drugs for a British antiques dealer. Her lawyers argued she had been coerced and was suffering from mental health problems at the time. They also said she acted under threats that her son would be killed if she refused. During her years inside Kerobokan Prison, Sandiford endured brutal conditions of overcrowding, poor sanitation and extreme humidity. Despite this, she was known to run knitting classes for fellow inmates and made clothes for her grandchildren back home. Sandiford was wheeled out of prison. Officials say she is severely ill and needs urgent medical treatment In 2013, she was sentenced to death and spent 12 years languishing on death row under harsh prison conditions In 2012, she was caught with 1.6million worth of drugs. Officials said she smuggled the narcotics in from Bangkok Her case attracted major public attention in the UK. Writing from her cell for the Mail on Sunday, Sandiford described how she had begun preparing for death, saying she had written farewell letters to her family and planned to sing Perry Comos Magic Moments if she faced a firing squad. Speaking about the method of death, she said: '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.' Friends said the years of uncertainty pushed her into depression as she waited to learn when her execution would be carried out. Indonesia's firing squad typically consists of twelve soldiers who shoot a convicted prisoner, aiming for the heart. While three fire live bullets, the rest shoot blanks. The last execution by firing squad was carried out in 2015, when eight people were killed. Nearly nine million pensioners will be hit by an income tax raid at Rachel Reeves's upcoming Budget. The Chancellor has paved the way for fresh levy hikes later this month after she used a Downing Street speech on Tuesday to warn Britons: 'Each of us must do our bit.' She also declined to stand by Labour's manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, National Insurance or VAT. Ms Reeves is scrambling for revenue-raisers ahead of her fiscal statement on November 26 due to a multi-billion pound black hole in the public finances. She is said to be considering a 2p rise in income tax, which would be mitigated by a 2p cut in National Insurance for earnings below 50,270. But pensioners would not benefit from this relief because, unlike workers, they do not pay National Insurance. Higher-earners would also lose out under the plans, which could raise more than 6billion a year, as there would be no National Insurance cut for earnings over 50,270. Ms Reeves is said to be mulling plans to limit the National Insurance cut to lower earnings so those with the 'broadest shoulders' bear the biggest burden. Rachel Reeves has informed the Budget watchdog she plans to break Labour's manifesto promise by increasing income tax, it has emerged Labour's new deputy leader Lucy Powell warned ditching the party's promise to voters on income tax, National Insurance or VAT would damage 'trust in politics' Figures from HMRC, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by pensions consultancy LCP, show there are currently 8.8million pensioners paying income tax Figures from HMRC, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by pensions consultancy LCP, show there are currently 8.8million pensioners paying income tax. This includes more than one million pensioners who pay higher or additional rate income tax. Ms Reeves is reported to have informed the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) that a rise in personal taxation is one of the 'major measures' she will announce. The OBR will now assess the impact of Ms Reeves's plans after she informed the watchdog of her intent to hike income tax, according to The Times. If Ms Reeves hikes the basic rate of income tax, it would make her the first Chancellor to do so in 50 years. Accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg said a pensioner with an income of 27,500 a year would pay 298 more tax a year if the basic rate of income tax went up to 22p. A pensioner who also had a rental property that took their income up 40,000 a year would be 550 a year worse off. Robert Salter from Blick Rothenberg said: 'Pensioners, those with letting income and those continuing to work past state pension age would all be losers from this change. 'While some of these losers from the suggested change may have 'broad shoulders', to use the Government's terminology, this is clearly not going to be the case on a consistent basis.' It is estimated that 124,000 pensioners who currently pay the additional 45p rate of income tax would face paying an extra 2,500 a year to HMRC. If you are an additional rate taxpayer you do not enjoy the tax-free personal allowance of 12,570. Moore Kingston Smith, another accountancy firm, said putting 2p on income tax while cutting 2p from National Insurance would mean no change for a working person on the average 35,000 annual salary. But someone on 100,000 would be 370 a year worse off and someone earning 130,000 would be 1,846 a year worse off. In her speech on Tuesday, the Chancellor all but confirmed she will hit the country with fresh levy hikes as she highlighted the 'challenges' facing the UK economy. In what was branded a 'laundry list of excuses' by critics, Ms Reeves blamed the Tories, Brexit, Covid and Donald Trump for Britain's economic woes. But she opened up an internal split within Labour by failing to commit to the party's manifesto pledge on tax rises. Labour's new deputy leader Ms Powell warned ditching the party's promise to voters on income tax, National Insurance or VAT would damage 'trust in politics'. She told the BBC: 'We should be following through on our manifesto, of course. 'Trust in politics is a key part of that because if we're to take the country with us then they've got to trust us and that's really important too.' Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes. Ms Powell said the Budget later this month should be about 'putting more money back into the pockets of ordinary working people'. She added: 'That's what that manifesto commitment is all about. And that's what this Budget will be about, I'm sure. 'It's really important we stand by the promises that we were elected on and that we do what we said we would do.' Ms Powell was sacked from Sir Keir Starmer's Cabinet in September as the Prime Minister frantically reshuffled his ministers after Angela Rayner quit. She won the race to succeed Ms Rayner as Labour deputy leader last month after a campaign based on a call for the party to change course. Housing Secretary Steve Reed on Friday pushed back at Ms Powell's comments. He told LBC: 'We're not damaging trust in politics. We're getting on and delivering the manifesto. That's important. 'But Rachel the Chancellor gave a speech a couple of days ago in which she said, we're not going back to austerity. We will invest.' A spokesman for Ms Powell said she would continue to support the Chancellor. 'As Lucy made clear in the interview the Chancellor and Prime Minister make decisions on the Budget in the round,' they said. 'As the Chancellor said this week, the context for this Budget is particularly difficult and Lucy will continue to support them on these issues.' Suffered stab injuries to his leg after being hit by spear A young police officer is recovering in hospital after a terrifying confrontation in Sydneys southwest saw him stabbed in the leg with a spear during a dramatic arrest. The 23-year-old probationary constable was allegedly attacked while responding to reports of an apprehended violence order breach at a home on Werombi Road in Grasmere around 5:20pm on Friday. Officers from Camden Police Area Command arrived at the property to arrest a 20-year-old man, but the situation quickly spiralled into violence. In a shocking turn, the man allegedly hurled a spear at officers before stabbing the young constable in the leg. Emergency services rushed to the scene, with dramatic images showing the injured officer being airlifted by helicopter to Liverpool Hospital. He remains in a serious but stable condition. Police used a Taser to subdue the alleged attacker before arresting him and transporting him to Narellan Police Station. A crime scene has been established, with investigators seizing a spear, a knife, and a hatchet for forensic examination. The man was airlifted from the scene in Grasmere, taken to Liverpool Hospital Reports say the man was stabbed with a spear, before being rushed to hospital A 20-year-old man who allegedly threw the spear has been arrested by NSW police offices The officer was stabbed in his leg while responding to reports of an AVO breach in Grasmere A top German general has chillingly warned that Vladimir Putin could launch an attack against NATO territory as early as tomorrow. Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, head of Germany's joint operations command, said that Russia retains enough combat strength to carry out a 'small, quick, regionally limited' attack, despite being heavily engaged in Ukraine. He said: 'If you look at Russia's current capabilities and combat power, Russia could kick off a small-scale attack against NATO territory as early as tomorrow.' He added: 'Small, quick, regionally limited, nothing big - Russia is too tied down in Ukraine for that.' Speaking from his headquarters in northern Berlin, Sollfrank said Russia's air force and nuclear arsenal remain largely intact, and that the Kremlin still possesses enough tanks to mount a short-term offensive. 'The ground forces are suffering losses, but Russia says it aims to boost its total troop numbers to 1.5 million soldiers,' he told Reuters. Although Moscow's Black Sea Fleet has suffered major damage, its other naval forces remain strong, he added. Sollfrank also warned that Russia could have the capacity to launch a much larger assault on NATO by 2029 if its ongoing rearmament continues. NATO officials have previously issued similar warnings. Ukraine rescuers work at the site of a Russian missile strike. Despite being heavily involved in its war in Ukraine, Russia could attack a NATO nation as early as tomorrow, according to the official The general also warned that Putin could launch large -scale assaults on NATO by 2029 The general stressed that any decision by Moscow to act would depend on how united and prepared NATO remains. 'A Russian attack is in the realm of the possible. Whether it will happen or not depends to a large extent on our own behaviour,' he said. Putin, however, has denied any aggressive intentions and has consistently claimed that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 was a defence against NATO's expansionist ambitions against Russia. Sollfrank, who took charge of the newly formed joint operations command in 2024, said Russia's hybrid warfare tactics, including drone incursions and cyber operations, are part of a wider strategy to test NATO's resolve. He explained: 'The Russians call this non-linear warfare. In their doctrine, this is warfare before resorting to conventional weapons. And they threaten to use nuclear weapons - which is warfare by intimidation.' He said Moscow's goal is to provoke NATO, measure its response and spread fear. 'They want to foster insecurity, spread fear, to do damage, to spy and to test the alliance's resilience,' he added. Since September, Putin has been accused of increasingly ordering incursions into NATO airspaces. Many of those have caused severe disruptions, including the spotting of drones at Copenhagen Airport in September. It forced Denmark's busiest airport to shut for several hours, leaving over 20,000 passengers stranded. That same month, during an overnight attack on Ukraine, several of Russia's drones crossed into Poland, with one hitting an elderly couple's home and destroying its roof. On 19th September, three armed Russian MiG-31 aircraft violated Estonia's airspace and stayed there for 12 minutes. Russia has repeatedly violated NATO nations' airspace, including an incident in September where it sent three armed MiG-31 aircraft over Estonia This week, Brussels Airport was forced to shut for hours after drones were spotted over its runway Just this week, Brussels Airport reported drone sightings and was forced to shut for hours, causing significant delays and flight cancellations. NATO fighter jets have had to be deployed on several occasions in response to Putin's incursions. Germany, meanwhile, is significantly boosting its defence capabilities. Berlin plans to raise military spending to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2029, up from nearly 100 billion in 2025 to about 160 billion ($187 billion). The armed forces are also expected to be expanded by 60,000 troops, bringing the total personnel to around 260,000. General Carsten Breuer, the country's Chief of Defence, echoed Sollfrank's warning in a separate address to senior officers in Berlin. He said Russia must never believe it could defeat NATO or any of its members. 'We need to look into the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, adapt them for ourselves and develop our own concepts and structures accordingly because the war in Ukraine is our teacher,' Breuer said. 'We must prevent Russia from another miscalculation like this. Russia must never come to the assumption that it can win a war against NATO or a single NATO country.' The warnings come after Putin revealed that Russia had successfully tested its Poseidon nuclear weapon The warnings come after Putin revealed Russia had successfully tested its terrifying Poseidon nuclear weapon, which can cause devastating tsunami waves in coastal cities. Russian media have constantly said the weapon could 'drown Britain'. Meanwhile, Western leaders have warned Putin that any act of aggression will be met with brutal retaliation. Another foreign criminal has escaped from prison, as police admit they have been unable to locate him for almost a month. Ola Abimbola, a Nigerian national, allegedly walked out of the open prison HMP Ford on October 10 and has not been seen since. The 36-year-old is currently serving a 21-year sentence for offences including kidnap, GBH and possession of an offensive weapon in public. He is yet to return to the prison, with Sussex Police saying it is working with partners to find him. Abimbola is the second foreign national known to be on the run from police, with Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, still at large since he was mistakenly freed from HMP Wandsworth on October 29. Another Wandsworth prisoner, William 'Billy' Smith, 35, was also wrongly set free on Monday but handed himself into the scandal-hit jail on Thursday. Mark Drury, a member of the Prison Governors' Association, warned there had been a 'sudden' rise in absconders from open prisons in recent years, adding that there is an 'increased risk to the public'. He explained that, due to attempts to tackle prison overcrowding, 'there are a large number of prisoners in open prisons now we would not have considered suitable two or three years ago'. Ola Abimbola, a foreign national, escaped from open prison HMP Ford on October 16 and has not been seen since Sussex Police released this CCTV image Abimbola last month after allegedly walking out of prison Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly freed from the scandal-hit prison on October 29, while British national William 'Billy' Smith has been at large since Monday due to a court error. The Algerian migrant was serving time for trespass with an intent to steal but has previously committed a sexual offence of indecent exposure. He was accidentally released from the south London prison on October 29 but the mistake was only reported to the Met Police at 1pm on Tuesday, November 4, raising serious questions over why it took nearly a week for the force to be informed. The fugitive came to Britain legally on a visa in 2019 but it expired and he has been here as an 'overstayer' since, it is understood. The Home Office flagged his immigration records as an overstayer on February 6, 2020, sources said - meaning he has been in Britain illegally since then. Kaddour-Cherif, who has links to both Tower Hamlets and Westminster, most recently appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court in September on a charge of failing to comply with sex offender requirements. With Kaddour-Cherif still at large, his accidental release is latest in a series of such cases that have embarrassed the authorities in recent days. It followed soon after last months scandal when Ethiopian migrant Hadush Kebatu was mistakenly freed from HMP Chelmsford. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence at HMP Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal. He has a past conviction for indecent exposure Hedush Kebatu (pictured) was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre Kebatu, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman in Epping, Essex, was freed in error on October 24. He was arrested in Finsbury Park, north London, three days later and was only finally deported after being paid 500 to go quietly. HMP Ford is not the only open prison where inmates have gone missing in recent weeks. Days after Abimbola's escape, Thames Valley Police reported that a 'vicious' Eeast London drug dealer had absconded from HMP Spring Hill in Buckinghamshire. Osei Kuffour, 36, had been serving 25 years for attempted murder after shooting a woman in the face when he failed to return the category D prison in October. He was arrested the next day by police after warning members of the public not to approach him. Another inmate Anton Newell, 36, who is originally from Isleworth in Middlesex, absconded from the same open prison in June and remains at large. Investigating officers Detective Sergeant Matthew French, said: 'We are appealing for the publics help in tracing Newell. We would strongly advice members of the public not to approach him but to call 999 if they see him. 'If you have information as to his whereabouts then please call 101 quoting reference 43250369549.' Osei Kuffour, 36, had been serving 25 years for attempted murder after shooting a woman in the face when he failed to return to HMP Spring in October. He was arrested the next day Another inmate Anton Newell, 36, who is originally from Isleworth in Middlesex, absconded from the same open prison in June and it remains unclear whether he remains at large Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that he was 'angry and frustrated' by 'intolerable' wrongful prisoner releases, although he defended his Justice Secretary David Lammy. Mr Lammy repeatedly refused to confirm at PMQs on Wednesday, when he was standing in for Sir Keir, whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since Hadush Kebatu, the now-deported migrant at the heart of protests in Epping, Essex. He told reporters on Thursday he was 'not equipped with all the detail' about Kaddour-Cherif's release when he appeared in the Commons. 'We have found out that the release that has caused concern, this week, was actually before I introduced those checks just a few weeks ago following the release of Kebatu, and the other prisoner was a court mistake not, in fact, a prison mistake,' Mr Lammy added. The Justice Secretary had confirmed on October 27 that stronger release checks would come into force immediately, two days before Kaddour-Cherif was released. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'This was a horrific crime, and our thoughts remain with the victim. 'This Government inherited a justice system in crisis, with prisons days away from collapse and were forced to take firm action to get the situation back under control. The small number of offenders eligible for moves to open prison face a strict, thorough risk assessment and anyone found breaching the rules can be immediately returned to a closed prison. 'We are also keeping the most dangerous offenders off the streets by expanding prison capacity with 14,000 new places by 2031 and introducing sentencing reforms to force prisoners to earn their way to release or face longer in jail for bad behaviour.' BBC staff have rallied behind veteran newsreader Martine Croxall after she corrected the phrase 'pregnant people' to 'women' live on air. The 56-year-old presenter was introducing a segment on Britain's heatwave when the autocue instructed her to warn 'pregnant people' to take precautions. After briefly reading the line, she corrected it with an eye brow raise, saying: 'Malcolm Mistry, who was involved in the research, said the aged, pregnant people women and those with pre-existing health conditions need to take precautions.' Her off-the-cuff correction immediately went viral, winning her widespread praise from viewers and high-profile figures including JK Rowling, who hailed her as her 'new favourite BBC presenter'. But the BBC's Executive Complaints Unit (ECU) ruled yesterday that Croxall breached impartiality rules, concluding that her facial expression gave a 'strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter'. Complaints from just 20 viewers were upheld, with the ECU stating: 'As giving the strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter, even if inadvertently, falls short of the BBC's expectations of its presenters and journalists in relation to impartiality, the ECU upheld the complaints.' However many BBC staff are said to have backed Croxall, arguing she simply corrected an 'obvious mistake' rather than making a 'political point'. A BBC source told the Daily Mail: 'She's quite a character she can be quite sparky, it's not uncommon for her to do things like that and be playful with her presentation. And she can be quite robust with people on air. 'But it's a problem we face in our business when someone puts a bit of their personal energy on screen. Martine Croxall (pictured as she was made to say 'pregnant people') is one of the main presenters of BBC News, having started work for the broadcaster more than 30 years ago, in 1991, and for its news programme in 2001 'The question is why did she do it it seems like she is not being transphobic, but rather that she didn't like the bad writing in the script. 'There's a bit of a divide over this. A lot of people were saying it isn't really fair on Martine, while some say it was a breach of impartiality.' It comes as the BBC were forced to correct an article they wrote on the issue because it was decided the first was too harsh on Croxall. The correction note read: 'This article originally said the ECU found that Martine Croxall's facial expression as she spoke expressed a 'controversial view about trans people' and has been amended to make clear that they instead found that her expression gave the 'strong impression of expressing a personal view on a controversial matter'. 'The article also mistakenly quoted the judgement as referring to 'trans ideology' and has been amended to correctly refer to 'trans identity'.' According to sources who spoke to the Daily Mail at the time, the presenter was visibly 'shocked and frustrated' when the autocue first displayed the words 'pregnant people'. One senior BBC figure remarked: 'Most people didn't need a Supreme Court ruling to tell them what a woman is but based on what happened to Martine Croxall, it seems someone at the BBC might.' The same insider insisted that Croxall 'has the full backing of the BBC because she got it right', adding: 'She was stating a fact and correcting a mistake.' Ms Croxall has supported women on TV before - and behind the scenes also stood up with female colleagues in their fight for equal pay at the corporation. She posted a picture of herself yesterday morning, smiling into the camera with her colleague Sally Bundock sitting behind the newsdesk as the duo prepared to go live on air Martine Croxall, arriving at the Central London Employment Tribunal, before the case over pay was settled by the BBC In April the broadcaster was praised when she challenged a transgender activist who claimed the Supreme Court's ruling that the definition of a woman is based on biological sex may still need 'clarification'. The BBC veteran firmly told ex-Labour MSP candidate Heather Herbert that the landmark ruling made it clear 'sex is binary and immutable'. Leicestershire-born Ms Croxall repeatedly challenged Herbert after she called for further 'clarification' on single sex spaces, at one point reminding her: 'The ruling is that woman means biological sex.' Politicians were quick to condemn the BBC's response. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'Whoever reprimanded Martine Croxall has lost the plot. This is the latest in an endless series of complaints that shows the BBC is no longer acting as a public service broadcaster. 'Licence fee payers want the truth, not force-fed ideological rubbish from a cabal of agenda-driven activists. 'The director-general should get involved and if he cannot protect his staff then he should go and the board should recruit someone who will impose common sense. Croxall deserves an apology not a rebuke.' Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also blasted the decision, calling it 'complete double standards' and insisting: 'The newsreader should be applauded, not scolded. Why should people continue to pay the licence fee?' Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused the BBC of 'grotesque bias', saying: 'They have suppressed debate about the trans issue. Anyone who owns a TV is compelled to fund this organisation. Tim Davie must either explain or resign.' Croxall, who joined the BBC in 1991, has long been known as one of the corporation's most forthright presenters. The controversy comes after Croxall and several female colleagues settled a legal case against the BBC over alleged pay inequality, claiming they lost roles after a 'rigged' recruitment process. READ MORE: Police officer airlifted to hospital after being stabbed with a spear Council slammed for allowing house to be used The chaos of 'strippers, car fires and parties' at a notorious Moana mansion south of Adelaide has sparked fresh outrage, with a former acting mayor demanding action. Simon McMahon, who served as acting mayor of the City of Onkaparinga in 2022, has taken aim at Luxe Haus, a multimillion-dollar beachfront property infamous for wild weekends and police complaints. 'For years, residents in Moana have been forced to put up with ongoing chaos at the Moana party house, strippers, car fires, and parties running into the early hours every weekend,' McMahon said in a Facebook post. Now, the mansion is being turned into an 'influencer party house for summer,' hosting six rising TikTok creators in a luxury setting complete with a private chef, pool, and sweeping ocean views. 'Imagine if you were trying to raise a family next door,' McMahon said. The TikTok Party Games House launched on November 1, with Adelaide star Frida Khalife, 23, revealed as the first to be moving in rent-free. For up to nine weeks, the group will collaborate on content, enjoy nightly game sessions, and turn their experiences into viral moments, all with accommodation, food, and drinks fully covered. According to the official website, the Tiktok Party Games House is described as 'a world-first opportunity, open only to a select group of bold creators'. Frida Khalife (pictured) was revealed as the first guest to be moving in to the Moana mansion Two pallets of party supplies, including wireless speakers and adult drinking games were delivered days before the launch. The property operates as a short-term rental and appears on Booking.com, though it's currently 'not taking reservations'. Private bookings are still possible. The mansion's history is controversial. In 2019, a bucks night attended by SA AFL players triggered police complaints and public outrage. No charges were laid. The home has also been linked to a convicted sex offender and multiple alleged arson attacks. McMahon says residents are 'fed up' and have nowhere to turn. 'When I was an elected member, I would raise this and be told that council had no power to do anything about it,' he wrote. 'When residents wrote to state government, they were told to contact the council. This left residents voiceless with no means of resolution.' The Moana mansion (pictured), known as Luxe House, will host influencers over the summer Simon McMahon (pictured) lashed the influencer house, criticising council for not acting Onkaparinga Council confirmed the last complaint was lodged in February 2021. 'Complaints about noise or nuisance should be referred to local police, and there was no legal basis under current planning laws to stop parties at residential addresses,' a spokesperson told The Advertiser. The council pointed to state legislation as the key to change, citing the Local Nuisance and Litter Control (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill as an example. For now, residents can only call SAPOL for noise complaints or report illegal parking to council. Two people have been arrested after an XL Bully dog killed a nine-month-old baby, with neighbours fearing it was 'spooked by fireworks' going off outside. The baby was on a family visit with his father Jarrod Bluck, 30, when he was attacked by the six-year-old dog in Rogiet, Gwent, South Wales on Sunday evening. After it was seized, the family dog was put down and police later confirmed it was a legally owned black male XL Bully. Gwent Police has confirmed a man in his 30s and a woman in her 20s from Rogiet were arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death. Both were also arrested on suspicion of child neglect and later released on police bail as inquiries continue. Neighbours believed the dog was scared by fireworks before it killed the boy, who hasn't been named. The baby boy was born in January this year, with locals saying his father was 'as proud as punch'. A woman living next door to the baby's grandparents said: 'It is just horrendous news. Police outside home where dog savaged a ninemonthold baby to death in South Wales Floral tributes at the house where the child was killed. The baby was on the family visit with his father to the house in Rogiet, Gwent 'We have lived next door to the family for many years and they're lovely neighbours. 'I can't believe this has happened.' Police confirmed the dog was properly registered with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and a certificate of exemption was issued in 2024. Assistant Chief Constable Vicki Townsend said: 'The arrests were made as part of a wide range of enquiries that officers are carrying out to understand the circumstances of the death. 'These enquires are still ongoing and so you will continue to see officers in the area; if you have any information or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us. 'I understand that there is a lot of interest about this in our communities, but this is now a live criminal investigation. 'It is vital that people think about how their online commentary, in particular social media comments or posts, could impact the ongoing investigation and the criminal justice process. 'We urge people not to speculate, if you have any information, including information on the dog involved - a male, black XL bully - and its previous behaviour, please contact us directly instead. 'Once again, my condolences and thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic death, both within the community and further afield.' Well-wishers have gathered around to help the family and a fundraiser was started by a local community group in Rogiet, near Caldicott, Gwent. But the 3,500 target was smashed in less than 24 hours as kind-hearted people were keen to help out and has exceeded more than 7,100. Caldicot Town Team, who started the fundraiser, said: 'Our heartfelt thoughts and condolences go out to the family at this unimaginably difficult time. 'While no amount of money can ease their pain, we hope this gesture can help relieve some of the financial pressure and allow the family to focus on grieving and remembering their beautiful baby. 'All funds raised will go directly toward covering funeral and memorial expenses as a mark of respect and support for the family.' A crackdown on restricting the breeding and sale of XL Bullies came into force on December 31, 2023 following a spate of horrific attacks on the public. Then just months later in February, it became illegal to own the breed unless it was registered before the deadline. The XL Bully became the fifth breed to be banned in Britain, adding to the pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, Doga Argentino and Fila Braziliero. When the new laws came in, the government estimated there were around 10,000 XL Bully dogs in England and Wales. However, this was a major underestimate, with the figure more like 57,000. But, despite the ban, reports of XL Bully attacks keep on coming. In August, a hero helicopter pilot shot a crazed XL bully dead which savaged three people in the countryside. Jon Earp landed his helicopter on a farm where he was called to the multiple attacks on three victims that were 'seriously injured' by the rampaging dog. The chopper pilot was given a shotgun by a neighbouring farmer and coolly shot the dog called Ricoh four times before anyone else was injured. The dog was so ferocious it was completely unaffected by the first shot and needed four to be euthanised. A horse breeder has been left raging after receiving complaints from villagers that her foals were 'constantly neighing' in the country's equine capital. Mandy Young, 59, from Stradishall, Suffolk, has been left 'paranoid' after a letter from the council accused her animals of causing a disturbance on neighbouring properties. West Suffolk Council told her it had received a complaint about her 12 horses, which she breeds, making excessive noise. Ms Young, a keen equestrian who lives just 10 miles south of Newmarket - known as the 'headquarters' of British horseracing for its racecourse, denied that her horses made the racket, claiming the complaint was 'petty'. She said: 'Horses do whinny but it's not a big deal. It makes me feel a bit paranoid. 'If there was a lot of noise, I'd be there checking there wasn't a problem and I'd hope others would come to me too.' The 59-year-old owns a stallion, five broodmares and four foals as well as riding horses. She added: 'The only thing I can assume is I have just weaned three of the foals. Mandy Young, 59, from Stradishall, Suffolk, has been left 'paranoid' after a letter from the council accused her animals of causing a disturbance on neighbouring properties West Suffolk Council told Ms Young it had received a complaint about her 12 horses, which she breeds, making excessive noise 'There has been a little bit more neighing than usual but not a lot. 'The foals and mares are separated into different fields and can call out to each other. 'We're just outside Newmarket which is horse city. Where I live, I can count about 25 horses in a half a mile stretch.' Weaning can be stressful for foals and vocalisation ofter occurs, according to the World Horse Welfare charity. She added: 'The additional calling was very short lived, was during daylight hours and was not enough to be a legal nuisance, otherwise I would have been concerned about it myself. The council's letter states it is 'required to investigate all complaints where noise significantly and unreasonably affects neighbouring properties.' It adds that if the alleged disturbance continues, the person affected will have to provide further information on how they are disrupted. But the letter added that the claims had not been substantiated. Ms Young denied that her horses made the racket, claiming the complaint was 'petty' Ms Young said if she was informed there was a problem, she would have moved the horses. 'My argument is if there is a problem it is clearly something I am not hearing so why not come and knock on my door? 'If they told me it was causing a disturbance I would have moved them.' Airports across America are grinding to a halt with delays mounting into the thousands after the Federal Aviation Administration's unprecedented order to scale back flights nationwide took effect. On Friday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said flight cancellations will soar to 20% if the government does not reopen. 'If this shutdown doesnt end relatively soon, the consequence is that more controllers dont come to work,' he told Fox News. 'I dont want to see that.' America's airlines are scrambling to meet travels demands and began canceling flights overnight in anticipation of the FAA's order, leaving some passengers anxious to learn whether their trips will go forward at all. The economic impact of the mandated cuts is said to be 'far worse' than expected, experts say. 'If the air travel thing goes south for another week or two,' National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told Fox Business, 'you could say that they would have at least a near-term downturn.' The FAA cutback will impact 40 airports nationwide including in airline hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, as well as major metropolitan areas like New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington DC. A senior civil servant who pocketed 45,000 in sick pay while jetting around the world has escaped jail after a judge ruled he could stay free because of his wifes poor health. Maurice Okello, 39, a Department for Work and Pensions policy adviser, spun an elaborate web of lies claiming he was gravely ill with malaria after being bitten by a mosquito at his fathers funeral in Kenya. But instead of recuperating in bed, the DWP boss was busy globe-trotting to luxury destinations including Tampa, Mexico City, Boston, Gothenburg, Kos, Marrakesh and Brussels all while pocketing taxpayer-funded sick pay. The shameless fraudster carried out his sick note scam between December 2022 and September 2023, hoping no one at the DWP would notice his high-flying lifestyle. Okello was given a suspended sentence at Southwark crown court after a judge accepted his wife really is ill. Judge Martin Griffith told him: 'Over a period of getting on for a year you helped yourself to while working as a civil servant. That was a total of 45,000. 'You willingly helped yourself to money that was available and hoped that nobody would pick up on it. 'People are rightly fed up with civil servants doing this sort of thing and there may come a time when a very serious view is taken on these things. The judge added: 'I am not going to lock you up today.' But he added: '45,000 is a very substantial sum of money. You abused your position. What you did was sophisticated in nature and you did it over a long period of time. 'There is an argument that in these circumstances, where a civil servant helped himself to that amount of money, that the only thing the courts should do is lock him up.' Maurice Okello, 39, claimed he had been rushed to hospital with malaria after being bitten by a mosquito while he was attending his father's funeral in Kenya But Judge Griffith acknowledged that Okello aims to pay back some of the money in compensation. 'I bear in mind the difficulties we have these days having run out of money... You offer the prospect of paying compensation.' The judge also acknowledged that his partner, who is ill, would be affected if he was given an immediate custodial sentence. 'I consider that you have a real prospect of rehabilitation and that you will not stand in the dock again. I bear in mind the significant effect that an immediate sentence would have on your partner.' He was given an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years. He will have to complete 10 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement and 80 hours of unpaid work. Okello will have to pay 800 a month in compensation for 16 months, with his aunt contributing 600. After that he will have to pay 200 for a further 20 months, and he will therefore pay around 16,800 in compensation. The judge told Okello: 'If you've ever played Monopoly you've used your get out of jail free card and you won't get another one.' Earlier Nathan Palmer, prosecuting, said: 'In summary, he was an employee at the Department for Work and Pensions, and he forged a sick note so that he could claim his salary while claiming he was off work for ill health.' As part of his role he was able to travel using DWP funds. 'We was able to make bookings for authorised travel', said Mr Palmer. But he used his position to 'pay for unauthorised travel for himself and others.' Okello messaged his line manager, Dominic Kelly, telling him that he had been unwell and had to spend time in hospital. 'He said that he had returned from Kenya to attend his father's funeral and had contracted malaria'. Mr Kelly told him that he would need a sick note so he provided a fake document from the Park Royal medical practice stating he had the potentially fatal disease. Later Mr Kelly was copied into an email which showed Okello had booked a hotel in London. 'Mr Kelly was concerned about this as Mr Okello was a London-based member of staff,' said Mr Palmer. Mr Kelly then discovered unauthorised trips that Okello had booked to Boston, Marrakesh and Mexico City, and he was suspended. The Met Police was contacted, and it was confirmed that the sick notes were fake. 'The certificates appeared to be counterfeit', said Mr Palmer. He added: 'Mr Okello was in fact in Sweden when he claimed to be unwell'. 'The total value of the fraud was 45,615. We will be seeking a compensation order of 45,615. You will of course have to make inquiries into Mr Okello's circumstances.' Chloe Carvell, defending said: 'He accepts his responsibility for the offences. He has demonstrated remorse and that is set out in the probation report.' She said that his partner had been diagnosed with cancer, and depended on Okello to look after her. 'She has no other relatives in the UK to support her.' She added that Okello had been diagnosed as bipolar when he was a teenager, and had been on medication in the past. 'At the time he tells me it was exacerbated by his workload and the pressure he was under, and that he was caring for his grandfather who was unwell at the time,' the barrister added. Okello, from northwest London, admitted two counts of fraud. A hotel cleaner caused a wave of online disgust after he was captured dipping guests' bedsheets into a hot tub, ostensibly to clean them. The footage was shot by horrified onlooker Alex Kenmille at the Expressway Suites hotel at 4303 17th Ave S in Fargo, North Dakota. 'Tell me why we let the kids go swimming and as we were getting ready to leave we saw this worker throwing sheets in the hot tub they had shut down,' she wrote. 'I was sooooo shocked!!' she added. 'Is that where they wash the laundry????' Kenmille punctuated her post with three crying with laughter emojis, but the reactions in the comments were much less amused. One user posted: 'Good post but not good on this whole s***show' Another added: 'This [is] so sad.' A third simply wrote: 'Omg!!!!!!' A hotel worker at the Expressway Suites hotel in Fargo, North Dakota, was captured using a hot tub to clean bedsheets The man allegedly mixed the sheets with a stick after dumping them into the tub, just feet away from where kids were swimming in a hotel pool In the four-second clip, a male hotel worker can be seen moving white sheets from a housekeeping cart to soak them in the hot tub already filled with bedding. Kids are swimming and playing in a hotel pool as the worker continues tossing sheets in. 'At first, I thought maybe the hot tub was down, the drain was broken, they couldn't get it, they were trying to soak up the water,' Kenmille told Valley News Live. 'But then he started adding more in there and I was like, 'What is going on?' She claimed the man mixed the sheets with a stick after dumping them into the tub. Kenmille was so concerned that she reached out to hotel management. 'That's disgusting, like are you kidding?' she added. 'Are we sleeping on those sheets?' Kenmille wrote on Facebook: 'Tell me why we let the kids go swimming and as we were getting ready to leave we saw this worker throwing sheets in the hot tub they had shut down' Amy Vandal, who was also staying at the Fargo hotel, said she was 'still in shock' at what she saw Amy Vandal, who was also staying at the Expressway Suites in Fargo, was outraged at the hotel's apparent cleaning protocol. She said on Facebook: 'Some people say that's sanitary, but I don't believe it is - and to top it off, there [were] no warning signs around that area if you see in the video.' Vandal claimed Wednesday that the hotel's manager called her to say that the city had approved placing bedsheets in the hot tub to sanitize them. 'That's not right,' she added. 'I'm still in shock. Like, really? This is really what they do? I don't know. It's so crazy.' Vandal said the hotel had offered her a reimbursement, but she was not looking for that 'at all.' An unnamed Expressway Suites employee told Valley News Live that the bedsheets were placed into the hot tub to remove 'tiny, little stains.' A spokesperson for Fargo Cass Public Health told the Daily Mail an inspection had taken place at Expressway Suites on Friday morning 'The hot tub is drained. It is really heavily cleaned with a huge deep cleaner,' the employee added. Hotel management reportedly said the employee seen in the video was 'talked to' about cleaning sheets in the hot tub in front of guests. The hotel was also checking with Fargo's health department to see if this cleaning procedure was approved. The environmental health division for Fargo Cass Public Health told the Daily Mail that Expressway Suites was inspected on Friday morning. The division was unaware of how the bedsheets were cleaned, but told the Daily Mail that the hotel had been fully cooperative' with their inquiry. The hotel explained the bedsheets were initially washed in a commercial machine, then dried at 160F, soaked in the hot tubs chlorine to remove stains and then washed and dried again. This did not present any health or safety issues to guests, the division told the Daily Mail. The hotel had also drained the jacuzzi, sanitized it, refilled it and would face another inspection shortly. The Daily Mail reached out to Kenmille, Vandal and Expressway Suites management for further comment. A Michigan man who had a history of public service and had long dreamed of becoming a politician died just moments after voters elected him to serve. Greg Ouellette, 69, who won a seat on the Auburn Hills City Council in the Detroit suburbs, suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after polls closed on Tuesday, his widow confirmed with Fox 2 Detroit. He was pronounced dead that evening, the city confirmed in a press release. Ouellette had received 1,278 votes, or 15.15 percent of the total, securing the fourth-highest vote count among six candidates vying for four open seats. 'It was Greg's lifelong dream to be a member of the City Council,' his wife Jeanne said in a statement released by the city. 'I believe that somehow Greg was able to know that he won that election on Tuesday.' Ouellette had previously run for council in 2023 but was unsuccessful. This year, he told friends he had a good feeling about his chances. 'Greg called me on Friday and told me that he had a really good feeling that he was going to win this time,' Steve Cohen, the director of community development for Auburn Hills, said in the press release Ouellette was scheduled to be sworn in on November 17. Instead, the city will honor his legacy at the event, leaving his seat empty as a tribute. 'Our thoughts and prayers are with the Ouellette family, and we have no doubt how proud they must be that Greg achieved his dream of being elected to City Council,' Auburn Hills Mayor Brian Marzolf said. Greg Ouellette had just been elected as a Auburn Hills City Council member when he died of a heart attack (Pictured: Greg with his wife) Ouellette had received 1,278 votes, or 15.15 percent of the total, securing the fourth-highest vote count among six candidates vying for four open seats Ouellette's public service spanned nearly three decades. He served 28 years on the Auburn Hills Planning Commission, including the last 17 as chairman. City Manager Tom Tanghe called him 'a well-respected and instrumental leader' who helped guide some of the city's most complex developments. In 2018, the city formally recognized Ouellette for his decades of dedicated service. 'Greg has professionally represented the City showing the utmost respect to both the citizens and businesses,' then-city planner Shawn Keenan wrote. Outside of his public service, Ouellette was an avid outdoorsman and a dedicated member of a weekly hiking group. Over the course of nine years, he completed more than 430 hikes with close friend Tom Lipinski, including a summit of New Hampshire's Mount Washington, the highest peak in the Northeast. Their weekly adventures often began with coffee and conversation, a ritual Lipinski said he will deeply miss. 'As I talked to others who knew Greg, I realized more how kindhearted he was,' Lipinski wrote in a Facebook tribute. 'He always made a timely phone call or shared a thoughtful gift with those in need.' Ouellette chaired the Auburn Hills Planning Commission for 17 years, helping guide major developments across the city (Pictured: Ouelette, right, and his friend Tom Lipinski) City officials say plans to fill the vacant council seat will be announced 'soon' Ouellette grew up on Grosse Ile in the Detroit area and earned a bachelor's degree in public administration and accounting from Oakland University. He became a licensed Realtor in 1986 and joined the Michigan Association of Planners in 1998, receiving formal recognition from the organization in 2018 for two decades of service. Beyond his role on the Planning Commission, Ouellette also served on the city's Board of Review and contributed to the board overseeing Auburn Hills' library expansion. His civic engagement extended into his personal life as well, as he was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and belonged to Masonic Lodge 21, according to his campaign literature. City officials say plans to fill the vacant council seat will be announced 'soon,' according to their press release. Auburn Hills, located 26 miles north of Detroit, is home to more than 26,000 residents and 80 international corporations. Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif has been re-arrested after being accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth nine days ago. The 24-year-old shouted 'look at the justice of the UK... it's not my f*****g fault, they released me' as he was handcuffed on a busy street in Finsbury Park, north London. Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal, but had a previous conviction for indecent exposure. He was released on October 29, but the Prison Service only told police about the error six days later, prompting a manhunt. It is not clear what caused the delay. The Met found Kaddour-Cherif on Blackstock Road after he was spotted by a member of the public just before 11.30am. Footage of his arrest, captured by Sky News, showed him initially standing by a police van before officers arrested him, as a small group of people gathered on the pavement to watch - with some filming the scene on their phones. Wearing a grey hoodie, black beanie and black backpack, he denied that he was 'Brahim' and, when asked if he knew him, said: 'Everyone knows him he's in [the] news.' Police began to handcuff his hands in front of him, telling him: 'You're going to be placed under arrest on suspicion of being wanted... because you look identical to the person released from custody.' Officers brought him to the back of the van and held up an image of Kaddour-Cherif next to his face before un-cuffing and re-cuffing his hands behind his back. They then searched his backpack and found a laptop, umbrella and wallet. Before Kaddour-Cherif was put in the back of the van, he turned to those gathered and said: 'Look at the justice of the UK they release people by mistake after this they 'ah ah ah', it's not my f****** fault.' When a journalist asked: 'Why didn't you hand yourself in?', he appeared to look at the police around him and said: 'Do your job.' Another prisoner, Billy Smith, 35, was also accidentally freed from Wandsworth on Monday before handing himself back in. While Kaddour-Cherif's arrest will come as a relief to the government, it will do little to dampen the backlash against David Lammy, who has been branded 'cowardly' and 'incompetent' for his handling of the issue. After confirming the Algerian had been rearrested, Mr Lammy said: 'We inherited a prison system in crisis and I'm appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing. I'm determined to grip this problem, but there is a mountain to climb which cannot be done overnight.' Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was filmed being arrested by Met Police officers today in Finsbury Park, north London As he was being arrested, Kaddour-Cherif said the mix up at the prison was the fault of officials Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence at HMP Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal. He has a past conviction for indecent exposure The Met said in a statement: 'At 11.23am on Friday, 7 November, a call was received from a member of the public reporting a sighting of a man they believed to be Brahim Kaddour-Cherif in the vicinity of Capital City College on Blackstock Road in Islington. 'Officers responded immediately and at 11.30am detained a man matching Cherif's description. His identity was confirmed and he was arrested for being unlawfully at large. 'He was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in relation to a previous unrelated incident. He has been taken into police custody. The Prison Service has been informed.' A man who claims he called the police after spotting Kaddour-Cherif said he was 'glad he is in prison'. Algerian Nadjib Mekdhia, 50, who is homeless but stays around the Finsbury Park area, said he recognised Kaddour-Cherif from a newspaper photograph. He said: 'I am glad he is in prison. We do not need people like that in our community. 'I am proud Algerian. I am proud British. We do the right thing.' He said he was walking past a cafe on Blackstock Road this morning when he saw Kaddour-Cherif. He said 'straight away I called 999, I gave the location' and said 'this is him'. He added: 'I was by the Alerian cafe. The individual approached to me. I don't know what he was doing. I recognised him. I asked a member of the public to give me a phone. Straight away I called the police. The police vans came quickly. ' He said Kaddour-Cherif was just 'hanging around' at the time. It is understood that Kaddour-Cherif is not an asylum seeker, but is in the process of being deported after he overstayed his visa. He was accidentally let out five days after the wrongful release of Epping migrant hotel sex attacker Hadush Kebatu. Stronger security checks were announced for prisons and an independent investigation was launched into releases in error after Kebatu was accidentally freed on October 24, prompting a three-day manhunt. The Ethiopian national had been jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, but was freed by mistake instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. He was later traced and deported. It comes amid a huge political row over David Lammy's handling of Kaddour-Cherif's release. British national William Smith (pictured), who goes by Billy, was also mistakenly freed from the scandal-hit prison on Monday but handed himself in The Justice Secretary refused to confirm the criminal had been freed during exchanges at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. He has also been criticised for not returning to Parliament later to give a statement on the detail of what had happened. Alex Davies-Jones, a junior minister at the Ministry of Justice, was left to be quizzed about the scandal during a round of TV and radio interviews on Thursday morning. One Cabinet minister told The Times of Mr Lammy's response to the mistaken prisoner release: 'It's cowardly. He should have fronted up and owned it. 'I still don't understand why he didn't confirm it or make a statement in the Commons. He left it to a junior minister to do the broadcast round. The handling is terrible.' Another Cabinet minister told the newspaper the row had brought into question Mr Lammy's political 'judgment' and his 'aggressive manner' in the Commons. A third minister said: 'The PLP [Parliamentary Labour Party] are deeply unhappy. They think the way he has handled this is awful. Why can't he just hold his hands up?' A senior Government source said: 'It feels less like a contempt [of Parliament] issue, more just rank incompetence and frankly pretty dodgy.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that he was 'angry and frustrated' by 'intolerable' wrongful prisoner releases, although he defended Mr Lammy. The Justice Secretary did appear in front of TV cameras himself on Thursday afternoon to be quizzed about the prisoner release row. But Mr Lammy raised further questions when he said Kaddour-Cherif was mistakenly released before new checks were implemented. This is despite him telling MPs last Monday those checks were effective immediately, two days before the wrongful release on October 29. Whitehall sources later said the Ministry of Justice was investigating evidence that the mistakes that triggered Kaddour-Cherif's release took place in September. Mr Lammy repeatedly refused to confirm at PMQs on Wednesday, when he was standing in for Sir Keir, whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since Hadush Kebatu, the now-deported migrant at the heart of protests in Epping, Essex. He told reporters on Thursday he was 'not equipped with all the detail' about Kaddour-Cherif's release when he appeared in the Commons. 'We have found out that the release that has caused concern, this week, was actually before I introduced those checks just a few weeks ago following the release of Kebatu, and the other prisoner was a court mistake not, in fact, a prison mistake,' Mr Lammy added. The Justice Secretary had confirmed on October 27 that stronger release checks would come into force immediately, two days before Kaddour-Cherif was released. The Tories accused him of potentially misleading the public. David Lammy is facing a Cabinet backlash over his 'cowardly' and 'incompetent' handling of a mistaken prisoner release Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'David Lammy has either lied or has absolutely no clue what's going on in his department. 'How can the public have confidence in the Justice Secretary when he can't establish a timeline of events or answer basic questions?' This morning, Housing Secretary Steve Reed dismissed criticism of Mr Lammy from fellow ministers as 'anonymous tittle tattle'. He told Times Radio: 'The problem is we've got a broken system, and you are going to see failings when you have a broken system. 'The key is to make sure we have a digital system so that no prisoner is ever released by mistake. 'There is not an acceptable number for this, but the way to fix it is not tittle tattle about David Lammy in the newspapers, it's to get on and do the work and put in the investment that will digitise the system. 'David has already had the prison governors in his office yesterday, I imagine they felt pretty hauled over the coals given what's been going on. 'But he was also making sure that they're getting all the support they need to carry out the much tougher checks that will be required to make sure that the repeats of this are at an absolute minimum.' A Portland lawmaker fired a top aide who took in a homeless woman with mental health issues only to throw her back on the streets days later with a beach umbrella and little else. Portland city councilmember Jamie Dunphy sacked Amani Kelekele, 35, Tuesday after allegations surfaced that his former chief of staff had dumped a homeless woman at a state park, The Oregonian reported. Kelekele had served as a chief of staff since the Democratic councilor took office, which paid him an annual salary of $131,000. Prior to the job, Kelekele had a few run-ins with the law - including convictions of harassment and burglary in 2013 and 2014, through the burglary conviction was expunged in 2021 by then-Democratic governor Kate Brown. 'Amani brought real passion to his work and a deep commitment to helping others,' Dunphy wrote in an email to colleagues, according to The Oregonian. 'That said, choices were made that do not align with how we strive to serve our community and uphold the trust placed in us by our constituents.' Kelekele wrote in a memo that he received a call from the woman on September 17 asking for help. It remains unclear how she obtained his number. Three days later, she allegedly again called Kelekele repeatedly in the middle of the night, claiming that her life was in danger. Amani Kelekele, 35, was fired after allegations surfaced that he had taken in a homeless woman and then abandoned her at a state park Kelekele had served as a chief of staff for Portland city councilmember Jamie Dunphy, a Democrat Kelekele met the woman, who has not been named, near the public library in Milwaukie, Oregon, which was also close to his home. The woman, who was wheelchair-bound and had an emotional support Pit Bull dog, allegedly claimed to have autism, neurological damage, Broca's Aphasia and a history of violent interactions with police. She also alleged that police planned to arrest her. Kelekele wrote that an officer confirmed this to him, but law enforcement later told The Oregonian that her arrest was not imminent. Rather, outreach workers had been trying to help the woman for more than one week. Kelekele decided to take the woman in, but allegedly waited the entire weekend to find her help. It reportedly took until September 22 for Kelekele to tell Dunphy he was housing a homeless woman and was trying to find her a new place to stay. Kelekele wrote in a memo that he initially received a call from the woman on September 17, asking for help It took until September 22 for Kelekele to inform Dunphy he was housing the homeless woman Kelekele wrote: 'I informed my office of the situation and let them know that I could not leave because of the situation.' Dunphy said he offered help, which Kelekele rebuffed. The situation soon turned dire. Kelekele wrote that the woman started behaving with 'extreme hostility' when Adult Protective Services case workers attempted to intervene. He also claimed the woman began crying after he gave her a list of social housing options. 'She feared they would beat her up and mistreat her and that she did NOT want to go to any of those places,' Kelekele alleged, per The Oregonian. He sent away the case workers but told the woman she could not stay at his home. Dunphy said he offered help to assist his aide with the unusual situation, but Kelekele turned that down However, Kelekele was unable to find a solution, he wrote, as the woman did not have a form of ID. 'The only option remaining was to find her a place to camp [legally],' he claimed. Kelekele then allegedly drove the woman to Milo McIver State Park on September 25, leaving her at an empty, reserved campsite with only blankets, a beach umbrella and grocery bags. He claimed he was going to check on her, but that a protective services caseworker told him to stop contacting the woman. She reportedly texted him 'HELP' after being abandoned at the park. Staff found the woman and her 'heavily emaciated, limping' dog less than 36 hours later, noting that she was 'handicapped.' She began to 'bear hug' her dog while resisting arrest, which caused an officer to tase her in the back. Kelekele allegedly drove the woman to Milo McIver State Park on September 25, leaving her at an empty, reserved campsite with only blankets, a beach umbrella and grocery bags Camp staff found the woman and her 'heavily emaciated, limping' dog less than 36 hours later As the woman was cuffed, her dog bit an officer, broke free and ran away. The woman was later taken to Willamette Falls Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. Kelekele had allegedly left his name and contact information on a reservation he had made for the woman, which started on September 28 - just days before he dropped her off. A park employee reported that Kelekele 'just dropped her off here days early with a bunch of groceries and her dog with no transportation or known plan,' per The Oregonian. The Daily Mail reached out to Kelekele and Dunphy for comment. Last year, Dunphy said his former aide had fought 'his way back from the bottom' after spending time in prison for breaking the law in 2013 and 2014. 'He ended up homeless and addicted to drugs after he aged out of foster care,' Dunphy told Willamette Week. The woman would not let go of her dog while resisting arrest, which caused an officer to tase her in the back 'He ended up making some really bad life choices.' The Portland lawmaker defended his decision to hire Kelekele then. Dunphy added: 'He's had his record expunged, and if somebody in our system can't claw their way back from the very bottom to use their experience to make penance for their past choices and use their experience to inform the highest level of government, I don't know what the point of justice is.' A public social media profile for Kelekele said he was from Kinshasa and had studied at Pacific University and Concordia Portland University. Prior to working for Dunphy, he had also been a legislative assistant for Democrat state representative Alissa Keny-Guyer and the director of constituent services under the Oregon Secretary of State. As of Friday morning, Kelekele's public LinkedIn profile showed that he was no longer working for Dunphy's office. Prosecutors criticized an Arizona father who killed himself just hours before he was set to go to jail for killing his two-year-old daughter. Christopher Scholtes, 38, was found dead early Wednesday morning at the $1 million home in Phoenix he shared with his wife Dr. Erika Scholtes. He was supposed to begin a 20 to 30-year prison sentence for the second-degree murder of his two-year-old daughter, Parker, who died after being left in a hot car on a 109-degree Fahrenheit day in July 2024. 'This is obviously extraordinarily complicated, and we extend our deepest sympathies and sorrow to all the loved ones who have suffered the loss of this beautiful baby girl,' Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said in a video statement. 'This little girl's voice was nearly silenced because justice was not served appropriately this morning. But it has not and will not be silenced due to the hard work of the people who work here at the Puma County Attorney's Office.' Scholtes took a plea deal in October was set to be sentenced on November 21 after reporting to jail on Wednesday. He was allowed to stay out on bail until Wednesday, when he would be taken into custody, and used that time to plot his suicide. Parker had been left in the hot car for more than three hours, while her abusive father watched porn, played video games, and drank beer. Scholtes leaves behind three daughters and his wife. Christopher Scholtes, 38, was supposed to begin a 20 to 30-year prison sentence for the second-degree murder of his daughter, Parker, two, who died after being left in a hot car on a 109-degree Fahrenheit day in July 2024 'This little girl's voice was nearly silenced because justice was not served appropriately this morning,' Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said Conover spoke directly to the surviving family in her statement, saying to Parker's sisters: 'May you be surrounded by love. May you receive all of the support you deserve and need and then some. May you know and believe that you can survive and thrive.' She went on to say she has seen similar victims go on to thrive in life and that her team wishes that for them. 'And when you look back on this time as the years follow, may you not feel tied down by what happened here, but rather lifted up by your baby sister's wings from up above,' she added. Texts between Scholtes and Erika revealed leaving his children in the car for extended periods of time was a recurring pattern of behavior for him. As Parker was rushed to the hospital, Erika texted Scholtes saying: 'I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you.' She later added: 'We've lost her, she was perfect.' Scholtes replied: 'Babe, I'm sorry! How could I do this? I killed our baby, this can't be real.' Their other two other children, then aged nine and five, told police their father regularly left all three siblings alone in the car. Scholtes was found dead early Wednesday morning at the $1 million home in Phoenix Parker had been left in the hot car for more than three hours, while her abusive father watched porn, played video games, and drank beer Scholtes took a plea deal in October was set to be sentenced on November 21 after reporting to jail on Wednesday. He was allowed to stay out on bail until Wednesday, when he would be taken into custody, and used that time to plot his suicide Scholtes moved from the house where Parker died to one in the suburbs of Phoenix about an hour away. His wife, anesthesiologist Erika Scholtes, 37, splashed $1.025 million on the stunning four-bedroom, 2,369sqft home in April. Scholtes's protracted legal defense has not been cheap as he pleaded not guilty last year and rejected a plea deal in March that would have let him off with as little as 10 years behind bars. Just six months later, he had no choice but to accept a far worse deal for 20 to 30 years in jail on second-degree murder and child abuse charges. Erika was at work as an anesthesiologist at Banner University Medical Center, the same hospital Parker was taken to, while her daughter was left in the car. She strongly defended her husband in court by calling their daughter's death 'a mistake.' In addition to facing decades in jail, Scholtes was sued last week, along with Erika, by his eldest daughter, now 17, for emotional distress, assault, battery and fraud. He's married to Dr. Erika Scholtes, an anesthesiologist at Banner University Medical Center Scholtes was also allegedly abusive towards the eldest girl, and she on one occasion called police to say she was afraid to go home because she lost some money and was worried her father would hit her. Department of Child Services investigators wrote in their reports that she told them 'she would frequently be slapped, thrown, have her hair pulled, have her head pushed into walls, and be picked up by her shirt or her arm.' Scholtes eventually lost custody of the girl, and after her mother died earlier this year, she was instead given to another guardian. The daughter of a San Francisco radio icon who is charged with trying to extort Bachelor star Clayton Echard with false pregnancy claims is facing fresh criminal charges over allegations she pulled the same stunt with another man. Laura Owens, 35, the daughter of longtime radio host Ronn Owens, was hit with new felony charges yesterday in Arizona for allegedly making up a fake pregnancy with an ex-partner in 2021. She allegedly tried to trick the second man, named in Maricopa County Court papers as Gregory Gillespie, with an elaborate scheme to convince him she was pregnant. According to prosecutors, Owens forged medical records and used ultrasound images from another woman to support her claim. Owens allegedly stole the identity of two women in her scheme, one for the ultrasound images and another for a doctor's note, to show Gillespie evidence of her pregnancy, according to her indictment. Her alleged extortion scheme also saw her threaten Gillespie with accusing him of a crime if he didn't give her money, prosecutors say. The fresh allegations have seen Owens charged with theft by extortion, perjury, fraudulent schemes, forgery and identity theft. Owens also accused another man, Michael Marraccini, of getting her pregnant during their relationship a decade ago, but she has not been criminally charged over those allegations. Laura Owens, 35, who was charged with trying to extort Bachelor star Clayton Echard with false pregnancy claims, is facing fresh criminal charges over allegations she pulled the same stunt with another man Owens is facing new charges after allegedly trying to extort Greg Gillespie (left). She has also said Bachelor star Clayton Echard (center) and ex-boyfriend Michael Marraccini (right) got her pregnant Owens is the daughter of the legendary San Francisco DJ and radio host Ronn Owens, who lives with his daughter in Arizona. The disc jockey filed for bankruptcy in August with his wife, according to AZ Central. Owens captured headlines last year after she lost a civil case and a judge ruled that she had falsified sonograms and altered medical records when she accused Echard. The judge referred her case for criminal prosecution and she was charged in May by the Maricopa County Attorney General's Office. Gillespie and Marraccini are reportedly on the witness list when Echard's case goes to trial in January. Echard's attorney said that the allegations followed a pattern for Owens of allegedly false pregnancy accusations against several men. Her behavior was described by the attorney as 'so egregious and documented' that it showed 'a serious pattern of fraud pregnancy fraud for years.' Last month, Daily Mail exclusively revealed shocking bodycam recorded in January showing Owens flying into a frenzy when cops descended on the Arizona home that she shares with her radio host father. Owens is the daughter of the legendary San Francisco DJ and radio host Ronn Owens, who lives with his daughter in Arizona Echard, who was 'The Bachelor' on Season 26 of the hit ABC dating show and now works as a realtor in Scottsdale, said he felt 'vindicated' when prosecutors charged Owens last May In the footage, she was seen screaming: ''I have done nothing except get pregnant from the f**king Bachelor. I feel like I've gone and killed somebody!' Owens yelled at the officers that they had no right to enter, even though they had search warrants and were polite in the face of her fury. 'F**k all you guys,' Owens said more than once in the videos, as she yells indignantly that her father is 'handicapped'. She says she reacted that way because she is autistic. Echard, 32, previously told Daily Mail that Owens's demeanor in the videos mirrors some of the behavior he experienced from her during a lengthy ordeal that ended last May when prosecutors charged her with seven felony counts. 'This was the stuff of a bad movie and yet it happened to me,' Echard, 32, said, describing a 'nightmare' that included hundreds of harassing texts from Owens from 13 different phone numbers and three email addresses. Echard claimed Owens began sending him five or six angry emails per day including one that showed a the pregnancy announcement photo that she planned to post if he didn't unblock her. He said her scheme also included efforts to discredit his reputation and get his real estate license taken away from him. Echard claimed Owens began sending him five or six angry emails per day including this one that shows the pregnancy announcement photo that she planned to post if he didn't unblock her On a website set up by Echard, Gillespie and Marraccini, named Victims of Laura Owens, numerous documents and photos between Gillespie and Laura allege a disturbing pattern including a text thread where she allegedly sent him ultrasounds claiming to be pregnant with twins Marraccini (pictured) says he met Owens on a dating app in 2016 and dated her on and off for a year, but alleged that she faked a twin pregnancy, another singular pregnancy, multiple miscarriages and several abortions during their relationship Echard denied the pair ever had sexual intercourse and claims they only had oral sex during their one-night stand. He said his life was turned upside down by Owens' allegations. He claimed she immediately became 'obsessed' with him after he dumped her and made up the pregnancy. Echard, who was 'The Bachelor' on Season 26 of the hit ABC dating show and now works as a realtor in Scottsdale, said he felt 'vindicated' when prosecutors charged her last May. He told Daily Mail that he believes Owens's mother, former radio reporter Jan Black is the driving force behind her daughter's legal issues, although she denies that accusation. Prosecutors listed an unnamed 'accomplice' in court documents. 'I don't even really blame Laura,' he said, 'I think her mom has enabled and encouraged her daughter and Laura doesn't even realize it.' But Black insisted her daughter's pregnancy was real and said Laura has been 'tormented' by an online mob, hounded by 'men's rights podcasters' and prosecuted selectively by the state of Arizona. 'I genuinely didn't think something like this could happen in this country,' Black, 69, told Daily Mail exclusively. Echard claims Laura's mother Jan Black (seen with Owens' father Ronn Owens) 'is the driving force' behind her daughter's legal troubles, while Black insists the pregnancy was real and says Laura has been 'tormented' by an online mob Black (right) told Daily Mail that both she and Ronn supports Laura's 'version of things' and believes she has been serially victimized by her lovers 'It's absolutely mind-boggling. Apparently, it's the only time there's been a paternity case like this prosecuted.' Laura, she said, 'begged the court' to seal the record. 'She wanted this to be private. The prosecutor seems to be saying she wanted notoriety. She begged not to have notoriety,' Black added. She hit back at claims both online and by Echard that she is pulling the strings behind the scenes. 'If supporting my daughter makes me a puppet master, then fine,' she said. 'We've really tried to help her through this.' Owens told the Daily Mail last month that she was unable to comment on her allegations because of her pending court cases. 'I can't tell you how much I wish I could make a statement to you and I would be happy to once the criminal side of things is over,' she said. 'I have lots to say, but I would get in trouble. I can say I am innocent but nothing more for now. It's best if you go through my mother.' Owens's case has been amplified online because she previously sought protective orders against Gillespie and Marraccini, and the men set up a website, Victims of Laura Owens, to air out their side of the story. The website outlines Owens's alleged pattern of making false pregnancy accusations, coercing men into relationships and filing orders of protection. Marraccini says he met Owens on a dating app in 2016 and dated her on and off for a year, but alleged that she faked a twin pregnancy, another singular pregnancy, multiple miscarriages and several abortions during their relationship. The heartbroken family of Mary-Anne Cutajar are marking a devastating milestone - one year since the beloved mother-of-four was tragically killed on Melbourne's M80 Ring Road. Mary-Anne, 46, was driving near St Albans on November 7, 2024, when a riv-nail driver system fell from the back of a truck, bounced off the road, and smashed through her windscreen, killing her. The truck driver didn't stop. Instead, the vehicle was last seen heading towards Altona, leaving behind a shattered family and a community desperate for answers. Despite an extensive investigation by Victoria Police's Major Collision Investigation Unit, the person responsible remains unidentified. The most recent development came nearly a year ago, on November 28, when police executed search warrants at two properties in Epping and Hallam. A 40-year-old man from Mernda was interviewed but later released without charge. Since then, the trail has gone cold. Mary-Anne Cutajar (right) died while driving, after a unsecured truck load smashed into her car Victoria Police say the case remains 'active and ongoing,' and have issued a renewed plea for information. 'Major Collision Investigation Unit detectives continue to appeal to anyone with information who is yet to come forward,' a police spokesperson told The Herald Sun. Mary-Anne had only recently married her husband, Daniel Cutajar, in January 2024. The couple had just returned from a joyful trip to Gozo, Malta, a place close to Mary-Anne's heart, having lived there three decades ago. She leaves behind four children and three grandchildren, all of whom are still grappling with the sudden loss. Her daughter, Laura Grech, shared a tribute in the days following the tragedy. 'Rest in peace mum. Love you heaps and miss you like crazy,' she said. 'I know you're always there for me even though you're not here anymore.' The truck driver who was ahead of Mary-Anne Cutajar (left) remains at large a year on Detective Inspector Craig McEvoy described the incident as 'a tragic situation' and made an emotional appeal to the driver to come forward. 'Mary-Anne's family are trying to grieve the loss of a mother, a wife, and they're trying to assist us the best they can and grieve in these really, really sad circumstances,' he said. 'Please, if it is yourself and you have now identified through searching of your equipment and your tools that you are missing this item... please come forward and let us know so you can assist us with our inquiries.' Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Brussels has sparked fury by stepping up demands for Britain to pay into the EU's budget for the first time since Brexit as part of Sir Keir Starmer's 'reset' deal. The Prime Minister and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck a new agreement in May that Sir Keir claimed would 'move on' from past spats. The wide-ranging deal included agreements on food standards and the bloc's carbon border tax, but it later emerged how the UK would have to cover 'relevant costs'. The Financial Times has now reported that EU member states were due to further discuss on Friday how Britain could be made to pay as the price of the 'reset'. It said EU nations want the UK to contribute to a regional levelling up fund in return for dropping checks on animal and plant products and allowing cheaper energy trading. One EU diplomat made the argument that Britain should pay into Brussels' coffers as Norway, Switzerland and other partner nations do. 'Third countries that want access to the EU internal market pay,' they said. 'You can't have the benefits of membership when you are not a member.' Any potential payments by Britain to the EU will risk claims of a Brexit betrayal, after Leave campaigners pledged to 'take back control' of UK borders, money and laws. Dame Priti Patel, the Tory shadow foreign secretary, said Sir Keir had paved the way for an 'outrageous hit job' on British taxpayers with his 'reset' deal. The Prime Minister and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen struck a new agreement in May that Sir Keir claimed would 'move on' from past spats 'Today we are seeing the first fruits of Keir Starmer's weak post-Brexit reset,' Dame Priti told the Daily Mail. 'What Starmer claimed would be in Britain's interests has turned out to be an outrageous hit job on British taxpayers, with demands from the EU for billions of pounds from our country. 'Starmer doesn't have the backbone to stand up to Brussels, with their attempt to extort cash from us as a punishment for having the foresight to leave the EU. 'Starmer is so desperate to ingratiate himself in the EU club and undo Brexit by the back door that he concedes to every request. 'When Labour negotiates, Britain loses. Only the Conservatives will protect British interests at home and abroad.' EU diplomats were said to have questioned the 'good faith' of Britain as negotiations to finalise Sir Keir's 'reset' deal also stumble in other areas. The PM's agreement also paved the way for the UK's return to the Erasmus university exchange programme. And it set out hopes for the creation of a youth mobility scheme to allow young people access to the EU for work, study or travel. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Tory business secretary, told the Daily Mail: 'The EU is always after our money and never deals in good faith. We must not give it another brass farthing.' Naomi Smith, chief executive of pro-EU lobby group Best for Britain, said: 'It's high time both sides delivered on the promises made at the summit in May. 'From defence to agrifood, but chiefly, by giving young people across the continent the unparalleled opportunities of living, studying and working across borders.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We are working together with the EU to implement the package agreed at the UK-EU Summit. 'We will only agree deals that provide value to the UK and the UK industry. 'Nothing has been agreed, and we will not give a running commentary on ongoing talks.' The European Commission said: 'At the summit the EU and the UK marked the beginning of a new chapter in their relationship with agreements on a number of ambitious accords that will promote prosperity on both sides of the Channel and strengthen co-operation on common priorities.' A British grandmother who spent more than a decade on death row in Indonesia has touched down on British soil. Lindsay Sandiford, 69, who was convicted of smuggling 1.6million worth of cocaine into Bali 13 years ago, was pictured arriving in Heathrow's Terminal 4 on Friday. Sandiford was seen today in a wheelchair wearing black leggings and a green cardigan as she covered her face with her clothing. Sandiford departed Indonesia early on Friday after she was spared execution when Jakarta and London reached a deal to repatriate her and another British prisoner on humanitarian grounds. Her plane ticket back to the UK reportedly cost the British government 600. Before boarding her flight in Bali, the grandmother was pictured at a handover ceremony at Kerobokan Prison. Sandiford left the notorious prison today with fellow British inmate, 35-year-old Shabab Shahabadi, who was serving a life sentence for drug offences. The pair were driven to Denpasar International Airport, where they were expected to be handed over to British Ambassador Dominic Jeremy before boarding their flight. At a news conference, the UK's deputy ambassador to Indonesia Matthew Downing said: 'Lindsay Sandiford and Shahab Shahabadi have serious health conditions and are being repatriated on humanitarian grounds'. Lindsay Sanford pictured at Heathrow Airport on Friday The 69-year-old was convicted of smuggling 1.6million worth of cocaine into Bali 13 years ago He thanked the Indonesian government for the transfer, and said the British government was open to talks about Indonesians imprisoned in the UK. Sources said that Sandiford was desperate to reunite with her family in Britain. 'More than a decade in one of the world's worst prisons has taken its toll on her and she wants nothing more than to get back to the UK', a source told The Mirror. The repatriation comes after Indonesia's senior law and human rights minister, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, signed a deal with British foreign minister Yvette Cooper last month for the transfer of Sandiford and Shahabadi. Sources in Jakarta say prime minister Keir Starmer and home secretary Yvette Cooper personally appealed for her return. It is believed that Foreign Office representatives had been working on the case for over 18 months, visiting her regularly in prison as her condition became worse. Sandiford, originally from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, moved to India in 2012 after losing her home. That same year, she was arrested in Bali after arriving from Bangkok with a suitcase containing cocaine. Sandiford covered her face with her clothing as she touched down in Heathrow on Friday She initially claimed she had been forced into smuggling the drugs by a UK-based gang that threatened her family. However, she later recanted her story, admitting she had agreed to carry the drugs for a British antiques dealer. Her legal team told the court that she had been forced to peddle the drugs and that she was suffering from mental health conditions. They also claimed that a drug syndicate had threatened to kill her son if she did not carry the narcotics. Sentenced to death in 2013, she has since endured years inside Kerobokan Prison, where overcrowding, poor sanitation and extreme humidity made life unbearable. The severity of the sentence was met with shock because prosecutors had not recommended the death penalty for her. The ruling was condemned by the British government and anti-death sentence activists. The grandmother's release comes just days after pregnant British teenager Bella Culley, who was arrested on drug smuggling charges earlier this year, was released from prison as part of a plea deal. This handout photo taken and released by Indonesia's Coordinating Ministry for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections on November 6, 2025, shows British death row inmate Lindsay Sandiford before being repatriated under an agreement between Indonesia and the UK, at Kerobokan Prison in Badung regency on the resort island of Bali Lindsay Sandiford reacts in her holding cell after she was sentenced to death for trafficking drugs on January 22, 2013 Culley, 19, was arrested in May at Tbilisi Airport and accused of attempting to smuggle 12 kilograms of marijuana and two kg of hashish into the country. She was found guilty by a Georgian court on Monday and sentenced to five months and 25 days in prison, the total time she had already spent in custody. Her family also paid around 140,000 as part of a plea deal. A team excavating at the site of a former Irish mother-and-baby institution have found seven sets of what they believe to be infant remains. The Office of the Director of Authorised Intervention Tuam (ODAIT) began their mass excavation of the burial site in Tuam, County Galway, with the objective of identifying the remains of children and babies. It is currently unclear whether the bones they have uncovered date back to when the institution was open or from an earlier period. St Mary's Home operated from 1925 until 1961 and was run by the Bon Secours Sisters. Pregnant women out of wedlock were kept away in the home and post-birth, newborns were often given up for adoption. The home came under international controversy in 2014 after local historian Catherine Corless noticed there were no burial records accounting for the 796 death certificates of the infants who died there. ODAIT said the seven sets of remains were next to a different 'vaulted structure' on the western edge of the site where excavation is being completed by hand. The agency confirmed a full analysis will be carried out to estimate age at death which can take up to three months. A memorial left at the site of the former Mother and Baby institution in Tuam, Co Galway, at the start of pre-excavation works at the site A historic razor uncovered between September to October this year An excavator at the site - the excavation process is part of efforts to try to identify the remains of infants who died at the home between 1925 and 1961 Prior to the site being utilised to house unmarried mothers and their infants, it was a workhouse for 80 years and was later used as military barracks for another seven years - and so, the agency cannot yet confirm which era these remains are from. Diggers have found a further two set of remains, which are thought to be from the workhouse era, and have recovered five skeletons in the same location earlier in the excavation process. ODAIT said it is cooperating with the National Museum of Ireland as the organisation has responsibility for historic human remains. 'Significant quantities of human remains' in underground chambers were found in 2017, following an inquiry set up by the Irish government. The mass excavation started in July and is expected to last until 2027 with follow-up work continuing for another three years. Experts from the United States, Canada, and Spain have joined forces with the ODAIT team in Tuam to help entirely uncover the mass burial site. The agency has previously remarked the complexity of the task 'is unique as we are dealing with so many sets of infant remains'. The grounds are monitored on a 24-hour basis to ensure forensic integrity during the process. A week before the works began, families and survivors of the St Mary's Home institution visited the grave site to pay their respects. A City banker who falsely claimed he was sexually harassed by a female manager after wearing a string vest at work has been jailed. Damilare Ajao claimed the manager made a number of 'sexual advances' towards him and 'sexually harassing' comments while working at German finance giant Commerzbank. He was dismissed by the company in November 2019 and subsequently brought an employment tribunal claim against the bank, which included allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault against the manager. One claim alleged he was pestered by the manager, identified in court as only 'Q, who 'flirtatiously' told him she could see his nipples and tried to touch his Gucci belt buckle in the staff canteen. But, the case was thrown out in 2024 by judge Anthony Snelson, who found the sexual harassment and assault allegations 'were false and in large part made up', and amounted to 'pure invention'. The case subsequently went to the High Court, where Ajao was today jailed for 20 months by Mr Justice Martin Spencer for 'serious contempt of court.' The judge also handed the separated father-of-two, who lives in Medway, Kent, a 150,000 bill towards the bank's lawyer's costs of bringing the contempt case. Giving judgment, the judge said the allegations made at the employment tribunal - and persisted in as he denied contempt - amounted to a 'deliberate and wicked assault' on the manager's professional standing. Ajao was today jailed for 20 months by Mr Justice Martin Spencer for 'serious contempt of court' Mr Ajao worked for Commerzbank in London in 2019 (stock image) The court previously heard that Ajao worked for the bank at its offices in Gresham Street, in the City of London, between May and November 2019 when he was sacked, and subsequently brought his unsuccessful tribunal claim. Among his complaints were that 'Q' had a sexual motive in her dealings with him and he claimed she became 'annoyed' at his rejection of sexual advances. He claimed the manager had told him 'I fancy you' and had on several occasions over a period of months commented that she could see his skin and nipples through his shirt. He then launched a compensation claim to an Employment Tribunal, which the bank branded a 'wholly bogus claim of sexual assault and harassment,' against Ms Q. Employment Judge Snelson in April 2024 dismissed his claim and said that, although mention had been made of Mr Ajao's vest, the allegations in Mr Ajao's claim were 'simply false.' The case reached the High Court earlier this year, when Commerzbank launched its bid to have Mr Ajao jailed for contempt of court relating to his rejected allegation. However, he denied contempt, claiming that it was his 'perception' that he had been the victim of sexual harassment and assault, and that he was not deliberately untruthful. But the bank's barrister Louis Browne KC said that did not fit with the way his case was run at the tribunal, nor with the way he gave his evidence at the High Court. 'He was very clear in what he said in his Employment Tribunal claims - not that there was a perception that he was sexually harassed or assaulted,' he argued. 'His case was very clear: these events happened and there was a clear intent and motive behind them. He was given ample opportunity to row back from these allegations.' But Mr Ajao fought the case, denying contempt of court and insisting that he had genuinely believed in what he told the tribunal, even if he ultimately lost his case. His barrister Sasha Wass KC said the bank had put its contempt case on the basis that Mr Ajao's accusations were 'wholly bogus' and knowingly so. However, there was 'foundation in evidence' for everything he said, with the manager Ms Q accepting in her evidence that there had been a conversation - although innocent - about his string vest, she said. Finding Mr Ajao in contempt of court today, Mr Justice Martin Spencer said Ms Q had been 'entirely honest and credible' in her evidence to the court. The judge also handed the separated father-of-two, who lives in Medway, Kent, a 150,000 bill towards the bank's lawyer's costs of bringing the contempt case She had never said she could see Mr Ajao's nipples, but only spoke to him in the context of a friendly relationship between people who sometimes talked about fashion. Mr Ajao's evidence was however false, he said, adding: 'There were such discrepancies, inconsistencies and impossibilities in his evidence that it was quite incapable of acceptance. 'The more I heard of his evidence the more I became sure his evidence was untrue and deliberately so.' Mr Ajao had said the comments and the alleged attempted sexual assault were the culmination of a pattern of behaviour over the summer and autumn of 2019, but the judge said it was in fact a 'deliberate and wicked assault' on her professional standing. 'If there had been a mounting campaign of sexual harassment by Ms Q...that would have made the claim all the more serious and given credence to his claim that her conduct had the purpose or effect of violating his dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment,' he said. 'In my judgment, there wasn't a shred of truth in any of the allegations the defendant has made against Ms Q. 'I'm sure that the allegations made were untrue and deliberately so, and a deliberate attempt to deceive the tribunal, compounded by lies told to this court.' The court heard Mr Ajao had lost a successful career in finance and now relies on Universal Credit, while his marriage had also failed and he now lives alone. But the judge said the effect on Ms Q had been 'predictably serious'. She said she had felt like a 'criminal' and described her ordeal as 'insulting and painful,' resulting in her taking sleeping medication. Mr Ajao had also tried to cover up his lack of reporting the allegations at the time by saying he felt Ms Q was sensitive at that time due to a family bereavement. But the judge said that was a 'cynical' attempt to 'exploit genuine grief,' part of a 'fictitious' set of allegations which amounted to a 'serious contempt of court.' Addressing Mr Ajao, he continued: 'Your lies were deliberate and perpetuated over a significant period of time and included the giving of false evidence on oath. 'They represented an attempt to deceive the court into awarding you substantial damages. 'The most significant fact is that appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody. 'The result is that I commit you to prison for 20 months.' The judge said Mr Ajao would be eligible for early release on licence after serving eight months in prison, but also ordered that he pay 150,000 towards the bank's costs. As the ongoing government shutdown threatens to halt air traffic across the US, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to attend his son-in-law's congressional campaign event. Michael Alfonso, Duffy's son-in-law, is hosting a meet-and-greet event in Wausau, Wisconsin, on Tuesday, according to a copy of the invitation posted online. The morning event with coffee and pastries is scheduled on Veterans Day, a federal holiday. But Duffy's scheduled appearance at his relative's campaign event has reportedly upset some in President Donald Trump's orbit. The transportation secretary never approved his plan with the White House, NOTUS reports. One source close to the White House labeled the move a 'world-class stupid decision.' 'While our airports are in chaos, the Transportation Secretary is flying to a campaign fundraiser for his son-in-law,' liberal pundit Ron Filipkowski mused on X. The secretary is attending his son-in-law's event in a personal capacity, a Transportation Department spokesperson told the Daily Mail, adding Duffy's presence 'does not reflect any official administration position or endorsement.' Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is headlining a meet-and-greet event for his son-in-law's congressional campaign on Veterans Day. Duffy's attendance has reportedly upset some people in Trump's orbit Duffy and his family - Alfonso, the congressional hopeful, is seen furthest to the right. Evita Duffy-Alfonso, Alfonso's wife and the secretary's daughter, can be seen in the green dress The turbulence for Duffy also comes at a time when he's faced headwinds on multiple fronts. Staffing issues within the secretary's agency and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are threatening to cause a catastrophic couple of weeks if the government shutdown is not ended. The FAA has warned that 40 airports nationwide will be impacted by funding-related issues starting on Friday. Duffy said the airline industry will have to slow down by 10 percent earlier this week, and his deputies have noted how the industry is entering uncharted territory. 'If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays,' Duffy said at a press conference. 'You'll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it. 'We will restrict the airspace when we feel it's unsafe.' The reportedly unauthorized trip also comes on the heels of the president re-nominating billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to become the next NASA administrator - a role currently held by Duffy on an interim basis. Duffy's angling to keep the NASA role permanently reportedly prompted White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to reprimand the secretary, telling him to 'knock it off.' In Wisconsin, Alfonso is running for a seat that Duffy previously held for the better part of a decade, from 2011 to 2019. Michael Alfonso and his wife Evita Duffy with President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Alfonso and his wife, Evita Duffy-Alfonso The 25-year-old Gen-Z candidate married Evita Duffy, the daughter of the secretary and his Fox News host wife, Rachel Campos Duffy, when he was 22 and fresh out of college. Alfonso announced his candidacy for Wisconsin's seventh district last week. Republican Representative Tom Tiffany, who currently represents the district, has announced a bid for governor, leaving the seat without an incumbent in the 2026 midterms. The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment. Former Congresswoman Katie Porter has seen a noticeable drop in support for her 2026 California gubernatorial bid after video of her lashing out during a TV interview went viral, a new poll shows. Porter, who had polled at 17 percent in August, now sits at just 11 percent, according to a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll released this week. The poll was conducted between October 20 and 27, shortly after Porter's tense televised interview with CBS California reporter Julia Watts. It also follows a resurfaced clip of Porter berating a staffer during a 2021 call with Biden administration officials. The poll found Porter's image ratings have turned negative, with 33 percent of voters viewing her unfavorably compared to 26 percent favorably. Republican Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco now leads the field with 13 percent support. However, the race remains wide open, with 44 per cent of voters still undecided. Porter remains the top Democratic contender, but the poll indicates her campaign may need to rebuild momentum following the controversy. Former Congresswoman Katie Porter has seen a noticeable drop in support for her 2026 California gubernatorial bid after video of her lashing out during a TV interview went viral The former congresswoman has faced accusations for years that she was a difficult boss or was abusive to employees during her time in Congress During the exchange with Watts, Porter pushed back against questions about appealing to Trump voters and criticized the tone of the interview as 'unnecessarily argumentative.' In the now-viral conversation, Porter was being probed about current Gov. Gavin Newsom's attempt to redistrict California to benefit Democrats - and what she would say to California Trump voters whom Watts said she will 'need to win.' Porter seemed to disagree as she furrowed her brow and asked: 'How would I need them in order to win, ma'am?' Watts stood her ground. 'Unless you think you're going to get 60 percent of the vote. You think you'll get 60 percent? Everyone who did not vote for Trump will vote for you?' the reporter asked. 'If it is me versus a Republican? I think that I will win the people who did not vote for Trump,' Porter said, after laughing at Watts' initial question. The reporter then pointed out that California's electoral system involves a primary in which several candidates from all parties compete, with the top two candidates moving on to the general election. With that in mind, Porter was pressed on what would happen if her general election opponent was another Democrat. The day after her interview, a video from 2021 resurfaced showing Porter sharply reprimanding a staffer during a virtual meeting with a Biden administration official 'I don't intend that to be the case,' she responded. Watts then questioned how Porter could be sure that a Democrat-on-Democrat general wouldn't happen. The question prompted the former congresswoman to get increasingly annoyed, as she said she would build support and cited her experience representing Orange County in Congress, which is a swing district. 'But you just said you don't need those Trump voters,' Watts retorted. With that, Porter finally began to crack, starting to gesture with her hands and questioning Watts' interview. 'Well you asked me if I needed them to win. I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative, what is your question?' At that point, Watts returned to the original question of wanting to know what Porter would say to Trump voters who were against Newsom's redistricting efforts. 'I'm happy to say that, it's the "do you need them to win" part that I don't understand,' the Democrat responded. Porter also lamented in the video that she had not yet visited the White House despite raising a 's**t ton' of money for former President Joe Biden's campaign A new poll showed that 33 percent of voters viewing Porter unfavorably compared to 26 percent favorably. She ultimately became fed up with the questions. 'I don't want to keep doing this, I want to call it. Thank you,' she said, suggesting she was about to walk out. 'You're not going to do the interview with us?' Watts asked. 'Nope, not like this, I'm not,' Porter replied. 'Not with seven follow-ups to every single question you ask.' Watts said that 'every single candidate' had gone through a similar interview, with Porter responding: 'I don't care.' 'I want to have a pleasant, positive conversation in which you ask me about every issue on this list and if every question, you're gonna make up a follow up question, we're never going to get there,' Porter continued. Porter indignantly claimed she 'never had to do this before' as she was daring herself to walk out on Watts, who again pointed out that every other candidate had done the same interview. 'I'm me. I'm running for governor because I'm a leader, so I am going to make-' she said before Watts asked: 'So you're not going to answer interview questions from reporters?' Porter remains the top Democratic contender, but the poll indicates her campaign may need to rebuild momentum Watts then tried to bring the interview back to her list of questions, but Porter refused. 'I don't want to have a negative experience with you and I don't want this all on camera,' Porter said. Watts agreed that she didn't want to have a negative experience either, but she would 'love to continue to ask these questions so that we can show our viewers what every candidate feels about every one of these issues that they care about and redistricting is a massive issue.' The clip was blasted across social media and pounced on by Porter's electoral rivals on both sides. The day after her exchange with Watts, a video from 2021 resurfaced showing Porter sharply reprimanding a staffer during a virtual meeting with a Biden administration official. Porter had recorded a meeting with then-Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to support the Biden administration in July 2021. An unedited version of the video showed that several minutes into the conversation, a female staffer wearing a facemask ducked into view and a few minutes later could be seen rifling through some items in the background. 'Get out of my f***ing shot,' Porter yelled as she noticed the aide, who said she simply wanted to correct something the congresswoman had said about electric vehicles. Porter later acknowledged that her conduct toward the staff member was 'inappropriate' and admitted she could have handled the situation more effectively 'OK,' Porter replies, clearly irritated. 'You also were in my shot before that. Stay out of my shot.' Later on in the video call, in which Porter touted the Biden administration's climate agenda and promoted electric vehicles, the then-congresswoman reportedly also complained to Granholm that she had not yet visited the White House despite raising a 's**t ton' of money for Biden. 'Never been there,' she lamented. 'Some of my colleagues [have been] there three, four times. I don't fit in the photo-op for some reason.' She also moaned about being out of touch with Biden officials. 'I'm like the least in-connection with the White House member of Congress,' Porter reportedly said, prompting Granholm to try to assuage her. 'That is not true,' the then-Energy Secretary could be heard saying, according to Politico. The final, edited version of the webinar that was published by the Department of Energy, did not include the exchanges. Porter later acknowledged that her conduct toward the staff member was 'inappropriate' and admitted she could have handled the situation more effectively. Tucker Carlson dismissed the outcry over his controversial interview with Nick Fuentes by shifting the focus to a Republican lawmaker who celebrated bombing Palestinian babies. He pointed to comments from Florida Representative Randy Fine, who made the remarks after Hamas committed a terrorist attack in Jerusalem in November 2023. Fine wrote on X: 'Guess the ceasefire is over and Hamas wants more Palestinian babes to die! #bombsaway.' Carlson pointed to these comments as evidence that Fine has said 'much worse' things than Fuentes. Carlson recently came under fire for interviewing the 27-year-old, who has made repeated anti-Semitic claims over the years, on his podcast. The former Fox News host was speaking as a guest on conservative media star Megyn Kelly's national tour in White Plains, New York, on Wednesday. 'We have a member, a sitting member of Congress. I spoke to the Speaker of the House about this today,' Carlson told Kelly. 'We have a sitting member of Congress from Florida, Randy Fine, who was literally texted or put on Twitter: "We should kill them [Palestinians] all, every single one." Someone texted a picture of, literally... a dead baby, and he laughs at it. 'And it's like this guy's a lawmaker is appropriating money to a military committing genocide, and that's cool? It's not cool,' Carlson continued. 'Let's just be honest, that is much worse than anything Nick Fuentes has said, period.' In February, Fine posted on X claiming that 'Palestinian' is just another word for demon' and in May told his followers, 'So much for 'innocent Palestinian civilians' #bombsaway.' Tucker Carlson joined Megyn Kelly for an event interview in New York on Thursday night to discuss the controversy surrounding Nick Fuentes Carlson slammed GOP Representative Randy Fine for celebrating the killing of Palestinian kids Nick Fuentes is known for having made anti-Semitic statements, including comparing the Holocaust to baking cookies Fine responded to Carlson's latest attacks by claiming the podcast host was bought and paid for by the Gulf nation of Qatar. 'I had believed he was just paid off by the Qataris and other enemies of America to parrot this nonsense,' the Representative wrote on X. Pro-Israel influencers and politicians on social media have long claimed that Carlson receives money from Qatar to spread talking points critical of Israel. There is no evidence behind these allegations. 'Now I wonder if the guy is just really, really, really dumb,' Fine concluded. Following his interview with Fuentes, Carlson was condemned by GOP leaders, including Senator Ted Cruz and former Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, for providing a 'platform' to the controversial political commentator. Fuentes's anti-Semitic statements have included comparing the Holocaust to baking cookies. Carlson told his critics to 'buzz off' when asked about the fallout from the Fuentes interview. Carlson told his critics to 'buzz off' and said he does not endorse Fuentes's views Fine has made social posts celebrating the deaths of Palestinian children in Gaza 'You're not my editor, Buzz off. I mean, I don't know. If you want to go yell at Nick Fuentes, I'll give you his cell. Call him and go sit and yell at him and feel virtuous or whatever,' Calrson told Kelly. 'I care about what my wife thinks, my children think, and God thinks, and that's it. I don't need to prove that I'm a good person to you. You may think I'm a terrible person,' Carlson added. 'I want to understand what people think, and I'm committed to that. And if you don't like it, don't watch. That's my view. But that doesn't mean that I share the views.' A school administrative worker will face trial after denying forming a sexual relationship with a pupil. Leila Jackson, 43, pleaded not guilty to five charges of sexual activity with a boy aged 16 to 17 while in a position of trust which are alleged to have taken place over a six-month period. During a hearing at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday, Jackson, of Gretton, Cheltenham, spoke only to confirm her name and enter her not guilty pleas. A six-day trial is expected to take place in July 2027. Jackson was released on conditional bail and ordered not to contact any prosecution witnesses, including the complainant. Leila Jackson, 43, pleaded not guilty to five charges of sexual activity with a boy aged 16 to 17 while in a position of trust which are alleged to have taken place over a six-month period During a hearing at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday, Jackson, of Gretton, Cheltenham, spoke only to confirm her name and enter her not guilty pleas It comes after disgraced paedophile teacher Rebecca Joynes was convicted last year in May after she slept with one pupil before falling pregnant by a second. Just days after the damning conviction, a former colleague of Joynes, 30, has revealed how the shocking scandal eroded the relations between pupils and staff as a 'toxic' atmosphere led to an exodus of 'distraught' staff. 'They completely stopped trusting us,' the teacher at the secondary school in Greater Manchester told The Times. She added that after Joynes was suspended, rumours started to spread that she had been buying alcohol for teenagers whom she had invited to her flat for a party. As the scandal engulfed the school, eight male pupils jokingly identified themselves as Joynes' victims on an online group. Others made TikTok videos calling her a 'paedo' who 'likes kids' and graffitied the toilet with 'Free Ms Joynes'. Joynes was described as acting like a 'cool girl' who would stop to chat with female pupils about fashion during breaks and would 'strut' down corridors between classes while they cheered her on. Looking back, they feared this was 'over-friendly'. In contrast, although Joynes had a good working relationship with her colleagues, she never interacted with them 'on a personal level'. 'Rebecca never joined,' the colleague told the newspaper. 'Even the near-retiring teachers would have had a drink.' Paedophile teacher Rebecca Joynes (pictured) liked to play the 'cool girl' and was more sociable with students than staff Joynes covers her face as she leaves Manchester Crown Court with her father on May 17 2024 A court heard that Joyce also allowed a third boy to visit her home twice, although no sexual activity took place. The teacher was suspended in October 2021 after Childline received a report that she had had sex with a 15-year-old pupil after buying him a 345 Gucci belt and driving him to her home. While on bail for having sex with the pupil, she then became pregnant by one of his classmates, whom she slept with around 30 times. Women are more likely to suffer fear and distress if made to undress in front of the opposite sex, an academic has told a landmark tribunal centred on a transgender NHS nurse. Eight nurses are bringing a claim against an NHS trust alleging sexual discrimination and sexual harassment because Rose Henderson who was born male but identifies as a woman was able to share female changing rooms at Darlington Memorial Hospital. One nurse, Karen Danson, previously told the tribunal in Newcastle-upon-Tyne how she was left sobbing and shaking in a panic attack when she found herself in the changing room with Henderson, an operating department practitioner, who was stood behind her in boxer shorts. She said of their August 2023 encounter that Henderson looked masculine, had facial hair, and there was nothing to suggest [Henderson] was anything other than a man. Professor Jo Phoenix, a criminologist at the University of Reading, produced a report for the nurses which was submitted to the tribunal today. In the report she said she holds gender critical views and believes sex is immutable but claimed that whilst these beliefs have informed the direction that my academic and research career has taken, they do not cloud my academic judgment. Last year Prof Phoenix won a claim for unfair dismissal against the Open University after one colleague compared her to a racist uncle at a family gathering for her views on gender. Judge Jennifer Young ruled that the abuse she had endured for what her university colleagues described as transphobic views amounted to harassment and victimisation. (Left to right) Nurses Annice Grundy, Lisa Lockey, Karen Danson, Bethany Hutchinson and Tracey Hooper outside the Civil and Family Courts and Tribunals Centre in Newcastle Rose Henderson has been accused of staring at colleagues in the female changing rooms and walking around in boxer shorts. Henderson has denied the allegations In her 28-page expert report to the Newcastle tribunal, Prof Phoenix concluded that it can be inferred that women are likely to be more sensitive than men to undressing (partially) in a changing room in front of a member of the opposite sex. She added: There is an extremely robust criminological evidence base from which it can be inferred that women are far more likely than men to suffer fear and distress at being compelled to undress in front of a member of the opposite sex. She said this was down to the rational fear of male sexual predation which is grounded in the realities of the pervasive risk of male violence in womens lives and these fears are likely to be considerably heightened in the intimate setting of a changing room where women partially undress. Prof Phoenix was the last witness to give evidence in the case and it will resume with closing submissions next week. The nurses claim that Henderson stared at colleagues in the female changing rooms, repeatedly asked one of them why she was not getting changed and walked round the room in boxer shorts. But giving evidence earlier this week, Henderson said: I am not the individual [the claimants] have painted me to be. She said she had been out as a trans woman since she started working at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust as a student in 2019 and for several years before that. Professor Jo Phoenix won her own employment tribunal against the Open University after colleagues criticised her allegedly 'transphobic' views All of my colleagues at this time were aware I am a trans woman, and they were very accepting of me, she said in a statement. The issue of where I would get changed, and my status among this group of women, was never queried. In response to claims of alleged behaviour from the nurses, Henderson added: I deny that I stare at colleagues, whether at their breast area or otherwise. I don't tend to look at anyone when I'm getting changed, or when they are getting changed. Giving evidence on behalf of the NHS trust, Andrew Thacker, director of workforce and organisational development, said Henderson had not been threatening, adding: I think the image that you're trying to portray is there was a largely built man using the female changing rooms. Rose identifies as a woman. The nurses are bringing a claim for sexual harassment, discrimination, victimisation and breaches of the right to a private life, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The tribunal continues. A womens rights campaigner accused of damaging a trans activists rainbow umbrella during a protest outside Holyrood has received an apology from Police Scotland. Susan Smith, a director of For Women Scotland, was asked to attend a station to face vandalism charges after a complaint against her was made by a drag queen who militantly opposes her views. She was reported for allegedly damaging the umbrella during a rally outside the Scottish parliament in September. The complaint was made by Tom Harlow, who counter-protests dozens of women's events by blasting music to drown out feminists. Harlow, a drag artist and stripper who performs as Cabaret Against The Hate Speech has received funding from the Scottish Government's quango Creative Scotland. Both video and still pictures of their 20-second interaction at the Women Won't Wait event featuring high-profile speakers including Tracey Edwards, Joanna Cherry, KC, and MSPs Pam Gosal and Ash Regan appear to show no damage. Police Scotland said last month it was reviewing its response to the protest. Today it confirmed it is now satisfied no crime was committed. Susan Smith, a director of FWS, has received an apology from Police Scotland Tom Harlow counter-protests dozens of women's events by blasting music Susan Smith is part of the group which successfully took the Scottish Government to court The force has now written to Ms Smith informing her of the decision, and have also apologised to her. A Police Scotland spokesman said: We have completed our review into this incident and are now satisfied that no crime has been committed. We have written to those involved to inform them of this decision. The force added that a previous invitation to Ms Smith to discuss the offer of a recorded police warning had now been withdrawn. Police Scotland have apologised to the individual, the spokesman confirmed, adding: Our review into the policing of the event on September 4 is concluding and we will update any learning captured through the Scottish Police Authority. Ms Smith is part of the group which successfully took the Scottish Government to court over the legal definition of a woman - was at an event outside the Scottish Parliament in September where there was a confrontation with a counter-protester. Kate and Gerry McCann have said they 'take no pleasure in the result' after a fantasist who claimed to be their missing daughter was found guilty of harassing them. In a public statement released today, the couple also pleaded for new evidence relating to Madeleine's disappearance. Polish national Julia Wandelt, 24, was found guilty of harassing the McCanns but cleared of stalking them following a trial at Leicester Crown Court. The judge imposed a restraining order on her, saying she posed a 'significant risk of harassment' towards the couple in the future. Speaking after the trial, Mr and Mrs McCann said: 'Despite the jury's guilty verdict of harassment, we take no pleasure in the result. 'Like most people, we did not want to go through a court process and only wanted the harassment to stop. 'The decision to prosecute was taken by the Crown Prosecution Service, based on the evidence gathered by the police. 'We hope Ms Wandelt will receive the appropriate care and support she needs and any vulnerability will not be exploited by others. 'If anyone has new evidence relating to Madeleine's disappearance, please pass this on to the police.' Both Mr and Mrs McCann gave evidence during the five-week trial in which they told how her behaviour had left them distressed. They both became emotional when discussing how Wandelt had also targeted Sean and Amelie and turned up at their house. Wandelt's friend and 'supporter' Karen Spragg, 61, a care worker, was cleared of stalking and burst into tears as the verdicts were delivered. The two women were seen holding hands and giggling before the verdicts were read out. Kate and Gerry McCann have both given evidence during the trial in Leicester Wandelt sobbed as she was found not guilty of stalking the McCanns for almost three years Karen Spragg, 61, of Cardiff, arriving at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday. She was cleared The judge Mrs Justice Cutts said the maximum sentence for harassment was six months and Wandelt had already been in custody for longer. She was arrested in February. Wandelt was accused of stalking the McCanns for almost three years, calling, sending messages, leaving voicemails and turning up at their home demanding a DNA test after claiming to be their missing daughter. Her barrister claimed she was 'vulnerable' and her behaviour was that of a 'rather sad and pathetic young woman' acting out of 'desperation' because she believed her parents had lied about who she was. While Spragg's defence team argued she was simply trying to detect a crime - that of Madeleine's abduction - when she took Wandelt to the McCanns' home and shouted at Kate. Before Mrs Justice Cutts reconvened court to discuss her sentence, Wandelt appeared to be sobbing in a room behind the dock. The judge told her barrister she would 'need to compose herself' for sentencing and she later sat silently in the dock. Prosecution counsel Michael Duck KC said a restraining order was sought against Wandelt because there had been 'plain harassment' against the McCann family. He said: 'We submit there has been plain harassment and on the face of the evidence, that that will continue into the future and this is a mechanism by which the McCanns can be afforded some protection.' The court was told a deportation order had already been served against Wandelt and that it was a matter for the secretary of state whether she remained in custody. The judge handed restraining orders to both women. Wandelt was sentenced to six months. LISTEN: The Trial of the 'McCann Stalkers'. Listen to the latest on this Daily Mail podcast A sketch of Wandelt in the dock at Leicester Crown Court Video footage shows Wandelt and Spragg checking into a hotel before confronting the McCanns at home in Rothley, Leicestershire, in December where they are caught on a neighbour's Ring doorbell. Audio recorded by Wandelt on her phone reveals the moment she accosted Mr McCann and he tells her she is not Madeleine. Separately, an audio recording in which a police officer from Operation Grange, the Metropolitan Police investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine, tells Wandelt she is not the missing girl is also released today. Det Con Draycott said he called Miss Wandelt to say 'in no uncertain terms' that she was not Madeleine. The conversation - which was played in court - was recorded without his knowledge, the jury heard, and uploaded to a YouTube crime podcast with Miss Wandelt. Mr Duck told jurors both women caused 'very significant distress' to Kate and Gerry and the messages and calls and the visit to the McCanns' home showed the 'ends to which these two ladies would go to make sure they reached their targets ... and imposed their will upon them.' Referring to the visit to the McCanns house in which Mrs McCann can be heard in a recording saying: 'You are causing a lot of distress stop it', he said it could not have been 'clearer in plain English' what they were doing to her. In the recording, Wandelt can be heard telling Spragg 'don't shout at Kate' which Mr Duck said was an 'early and overwhelming demonstration that Mrs Spragg wasn't just a hanger on but an enthusiastic encourager'. The court heard Wandelt, who claims she was sexually abused by her step grandfather as a child, first started thinking she was Madeleine in June 2022 while in hospital where she was being treated for depression and self harming. Wandelt, who claims she was sexually abused by her step grandfather as a child, first started thinking she was Madeleine (pictured) in June 2022 It was said that from then on she sought to 'persuade anybody who was prepared to listen that she was Madeleine McCann' contacting friends of the McCanns as well as Madeleine's siblings, Sean and Amelie. She said she had childhood memories of growing up with the twins, who were two when Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment on the Algarve in 2007. Additionally she claimed to have memories of her 'abduction' when Kate McCann told her she would find her - which the prosecution said was a 'particularly wicked' lie given Mrs McCann's desperation to find her daughter. Wandelt shared with the McCanns and online with her one million plus followers photos which she said showed similarities between her and Madeleine and other members of her family. She also claimed to have DNA evidence which showed she was an almost 70 per cent match to Gerry McCann but which jurors were told was 'wholly irrelevant and a complete nonsense'. Wandelt, who worked as a private tutor, recorded much of her contact with the McCanns and published the distressing audio online. Wandelt broke down and sobbed at several points during the trial and screamed at Mrs McCann 'why are you doing this to me' as she gave evidence. She fled from the dock screaming when jurors were told: 'She is not Madeleine'. Judge Mrs Justice Cutts, urged jurors to put any emotions or sympathies with Mr and Mrs McCann to one side before considering verdict. Despite being presented with DNA evidence from police that she is not Madeleine, her defence barrister said she still believed she may be the missing girl. It can also be revealed that Wandelt claimed she may have been a fourth missing girl, Katelyn Rivera-Helton, who went missing aged 20 months in America in 1999. Her father Robert was found guilty of her murder even though her body has never been found. The court heard Wandelt asked ChatGPT to examine similarities between her and the missing girl in January. It came after she earlier said she might be Inga Gehricke, who disappeared in Germany in 2015, and Acacia Bishop, from Utah, who was kidnapped in 2003 before finally settling on Madeleine McCann, who vanished from a holiday apartment on the Algarve in 2007. It can now also be reported that prosecutors took the highly unusual step of attempting to ban all reporting of the trial after Wandelt gave an interview to a YouTube channel from behind bars. And in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Julia's father Jacek Wandelt revealed the agonising story of his daughter's obsession and his own heartache at watching it unfold. 'I have been following the case, and I just want them [the judge and jury] to see that Julia is not bad, she is sick and needs help,' he said. 'The situation is madness, I know the McCanns have lost their daughter and don't have any idea of what has happened, but I have lost my daughter as well.' Pictures shared by Julia Wandelt which she claimed showed a similarity to Madeleine Another imaged shared on social media reportedly showing a similarity between her and Kate McCann A composite shared by Wandelt on social media claiming similarities between her and Gerry Julia Wandelt claimed in social media posts that she had similar marks on her face to Madeleine Her defence barrister Tom Price had said she was not 'wicked' as the Crown had suggested but was 'desperate' and her behaviour was that of a 'rather sad and pathetic young woman.' He told jurors in his closing statement: 'You may think she came across confused, certainly a troubled young lady who has had in life her fair share of troubles: sexually abused by her step grandfather, mental health problems no doubt linked to the abuse she has suffered, somebody who has self harmed somebody who has attempted suicide... you would have to have a heart of stone not to feel some compassion and sympathy for that young woman. 'And against all that she is confused about her identity and who she is ...set off on this three year course to find out what her life is about and who she is.' Simon Russell Flint KC, defending Spragg, submitted that Wandelt was on an 'increasingly desperate quest' to try to find out and establish who she is. He said Spragg's 'sole purpose' had been to find out whether Wandelt 'might be the missing Madeleine'. 'Karen Spragg came to be a true friend to Julia Wandelt,' Mr Russell Flint said. 'She almost suffered with her. She supported her, she believed in her. She wanted to help her find her true identity.' A family rejoiced after a 70-year-old man presumed dead started breathing again today as preparations for his funeral were already underway. Makhanlal Vaid, from Indore, India, suffered a brain hemorrhage and was admitted to hospital last week where he underwent surgery. His condition continued to deteriorate and he was placed on life support. Vaid was then withdrawn from life support, leading the family to believe he stopped breathing and died - and so, they took him home. After half an hour, the man began breathing again. The startling moment came after an announcement on social media had already been made of his death and relatives had gathered at the family home, making arrangements for the funeral. His son dubbed it a miracle and has confirmed Vaid is recovering at home. 'We are praying for my father's speedy recovery', his updated social media post read. 70-year-old Vaid's loved-ones had begun preparing for his funeral when they unexpectedly heard him breathe again Last year, another Indian man was reported to have come 'back from the dead' as he was being prepared to be cremated in India. Rohitash Kumar, 45, showed faint signs of life to prevent his own cremation just moments before he was due to be put on the pyre in Jhunjhunu City, Rajasthan. Footage shows the live but seemingly catatonic man wrapped in a blanket and surrounded by stunned onlookers as he appears to resurrect himself. Kumar, who is both mute and deaf, had spent three hours in a freezing morgue before staff noticed that he was still breathing. Officials said the patient was a mute and deaf orphan staying at a local shelter when he fell ill and was taken to hospital days before. Doctors declared him dead after his condition kept deteriorating but failed to do a post-mortem examination where they would have realised he was, in fact, still alive. Police Superintendent of Jhunjhunu City said: 'The man did not have any relatives present when he initially arrived at the hospital. 'His condition worsened and there were no signs of life. 'The doctors were supposed to do a post-mortem examination but they did not do anything.' 'They just fulfilled the paper formalities and sent the man for cremation. There, Kumar was reportedly kept for several hours in a cold mortuary before the funeral rites. Local media reported Kumar eventually did pass away while undergoing emergency treatment, following the incident. Police said the principal medical officer and three doctors involved in the case have been suspended over the alleged negligence. A couple accused of having sex on a JetBlue flight from New York City to Florida have dodged criminal charges. Trista L Reilly, 43, and Christopher D Arnold, 42, were arrested in July upon arrival at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport after allegedly engaging in sexual activity in front of minors on the plane. They were each charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition, but those charges were dropped by Florida officials last week, according to The Mercury News. No reason had been given for this in the court filings. Reilly and Arnold, of Danbury, Connecticut, were aboard JetBlue Flight 163 when a mother alerted a flight attendant that Reilly was 'making up and down movements with her head while she was facedown on Mr Arnold's lap' in front of her children. The mother also accused Reilly of being fully aware the youngsters were watching, but kept doing the lewd act on her partner. The duo were arrested upon landing and later released on their own recognizance. They pleaded not guilty in August. 'This behavior is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by JetBlue,' the airline said in a statement to the Daily Mail at the time. Trista L Reilly, 43, and Christopher D Arnold, 42, of Danbury, were arrested at a Florida airport in July after allegedly engaging in sexual activity in front of minors on a domestic flight They were each charged with two felony counts of lewd and lascivious exhibition, but those charges were dropped by Florida officials last week Both of them have been permanently banned from the airline. Arnold owns a carpentry and home remodeling company. The couple appeared in Facebook photos together as far back as 2016. Joining the Mile High Club does not always result in criminal charges. Mandy Smith, who spent more than 12 years flying for Virgin Atlantic as a flight attendant, told LadBible that workers are aware when customers are engaging in things they should not be doing in the air. 'It's worse when you've got children on board and it's in the daytime,' she told the outlet. Both of them have been banned from the airline permanently following the ordeal Sometimes, especially on night shifts, they turn a blind eye to it; however, on flights during the day and with children on board, they are less likely to do so. 'We can take those doors off, you know,' she said of the lavatories. 'Even though you've locked it, we can open them. And we can take the whole door.' But she said most flight attendants will knock to avoid exposing passengers in front of everyone. Denmark will become one of the first EU countries to ban social media for children under the age of 15 over concerns for their mental health. The Danish government will however allow parents to give access to children aged 13 and over for certain platforms. Friday's announcement came after Minister Mette Frederiksen called for the government to restrict social media to children in her opening speech to parliament last month. 'The so-called social media thrive on stealing our children's time, childhood and well being and we are putting a stop to that now,' Digitalization Minister Caroline Stage Olsen said. A majority of parties said they would back the plan ahead of a formal vote. The platforms most used by children in Denmark include Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, the government said. According to an analysis from the Danish competition and consumer authority published in February, youngsters in the Nordic country spend on average 2 hours and 40 minutes every day on social media. The strident move from Denmark follows the likes of Australia, which last year imposed a ban on social media for children under 16. Denmark will become one of the first EU countries to ban social media for children under the age of 15 over concerns for their mental health (file pic) Australian communications minister Michelle Rowland said at the time that the age limit would keep children and teenagers safe online. 'We know parents are concerned about the harms to children and we have taken a decision to support them,' she told parliament. 'Keeping Australians safe online requires decisive action and the Albanese government is delivering exactly that.' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added: 'Social media is doing social harm to our children and I want Australian parents to know that we have their backs. 'Platforms now have a social responsibility to ensure the safety of our kids is a priority for them.' Under the new laws, social media giants will face fines up to $50million if they fail to take 'reasonable steps' to keep children under the age of 16 away from their platforms. There are no penalties for parents or children who break the age restrictions. Messaging apps, online gaming services and 'services with the primary purpose of supporting the health and education of end-users' are not included in the ban. Friday's announcement came after Minister Mette Frederiksen called for the government to restrict social media to children in her opening speech to parliament last month YouTube has also been omitted. Many critics have questioned how the ban will work, while others have raised concerns about social connection. The billionaire owner of X, Elon Musk, is among those who have warned that Australia's new laws will not work. 'Seems like a backdoor way to control access to the internet by all Australians,' he recently captioned a retweet of Mr Albanese speaking about the age-limit reforms. Suicide Prevention Australia executive director Christopher Stone said the laws had been rushed and would not address the issues of bullying and predation as the government had claimed. 'The government is running blindfolded into a brick wall by rushing this legislation,' he said. 'It has bypassed the rigorous consultation and scrutiny needed for such a far-reaching decision. 'Young Australians deserve evidence-based policies, not decisions made in haste. 'This legislation fails to consider the positive aspects of social media in supporting young people's mental health and sense of connection.' France and Norway have also taken steps towards a social media ban for children under 15. The issue was also debated in the UK parliament earlier this year after a petition gained hundreds of thousands of signatures. But politicians were not in favour of supporting a ban. A statement said: 'Children face a significant risk of harm online and we understand that families are concerned about their children experiencing online bullying, encountering content that encourages violence, or other content which may be harmful. 'We will continue to do what is needed to keep children safe online. However, this is a complicated issue. 'We live in a digital age and must strike the right balance so that children can access the benefits of being online and using smartphones while we continue to put their safety first.' Princess Beatrice has landed a major charity role amid the growing scandal engulfing her family. The elder daughter of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, who last week had all of his royal titles stripped over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has become deputy patron of The Outward Bound Trust, an organisation encouraging young people to spend time outdoors. She joins her uncle Prince Edward, who was announced as the royal patron of the charity at a special event at St James's Palace on Thursday. Beatrice, 37, has already been a trustee of The Outward Bound Trust since 2019 - the same year the charity accepted Andrew's resignation as patron following his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, having supported the then Duke for decades. Andrew himself took on the role from his father, Prince Philip, who was patron for 65 years, with many believing it was the charity closest to his heart. Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of Outward Bound, said: 'With The Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Beatrice working alongside us, we're embarking on a new chapter. 'One where every young person has the chance to test their limits, build confidence and discover that anything is possible. Their support reflects a shared belief that adventure changes lives.' It comes after it emerged that Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, and her sister Princess Eugenie, who is 12th, will retain their titles as the walls cave in around their father Andrew. Princess Beatrice pictured accepting her role as deputy patron of The Outward Bound Trust with her uncle Prince Edward at a reception and dinner at St James's Palace on Thursday Beatrice has already been a trustee of The Outward Bound Trust since 2019 Her father Andrew Mountbatten Windsor last week had all of his royal titles stripped over his links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein In 2019, the charity accepted Andrew's resignation following his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, having supported the then Duke, pictured in 2001, for decades Amid the controversy Charles is said to be very keen to 'protect' nieces Beatrice and Eugenie, 35, who remain Her Royal Highnesses as granddaughters of Queen Elizabeth. 'He wouldn't have wanted to sign off on anything that would impact them,' a source told the Daily Mail. 'His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,' the palace said. Beatrice is also an adviser for Afiniti, an artificial intelligence software firm, and a co-founder of The Big Change Charitable Trust. She has a number of royal patronages, including the Forget Me Not Children's Hospice, the Teenage Cancer Trust and the Helen Arkell Dyslexia Charity. In 2019, following Andrew's calamitous Newsnight interview where he discussed his friendship with Epstein, The Outbound Trust became the second charity to accept his resignation. On Thursday Andrew was ordered to appear in front of Congress to explain his links to the paedophile. Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee sent the disgraced royal a letter on Thursday saying they believe he possesses important information about people with links to the late financier's crimes. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were spotted hugging on Thursday after a week where their father has also been taken off the Roll of the Peerage The sisters were spotted together in London around the time the King formally stripped their father Andrew of his titles and his HRH The siblings stood and chatted intensely for a long period in central London on Thursday It read: 'The Oversight Committee will investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein's operations, network, and associates based on the men's longstanding and well-documented friendship.' Robert Garcia, the most senior Democratic figure on the committee, added: 'Rich and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long. 'Now, former Prince Andrew has the opportunity to come clean and provide justice for the survivors.' Buckingham Palace announced last week that the former Duke of York, 65, will now only be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. In a bombshell statement, the Palace coldly announced the 'censures [were] deemed necessary' amid the growing controversy surrounding his relationship with paedophile financier Epstein, with whom Andrew lied about cutting ties. Within hours, the former royal was erased from the Roll of the Peerage, and it was revealed he could face a private prosecution over allegations of sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in public office. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor - as he is now known - has for many years been dogged by allegations he sexually abused Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein, which he strenuously denies. Ms Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy, after she was trafficked by Epstein. Andrew paid millions to settle the civil sex case with her in 2022, despite insisting he had never met her. Last week, King Charles III stripped his brother of his titles and announced Andrew would be leaving his home at Royal Lodge after paying 'a peppercorn rent' for decades. This came after Andrew previously announced he would no longer be known as the Duke of York and would be stepping down from membership of the Order of the Garter the country's most ancient order of chivalry. Earlier on Thursday, Beatrice and Eugenie were spotted sharing an emotional embrace - and appeared to be consoling each other - just as their father officially became a commoner and was ordered to Congress. The sisters hugged when they met in Mayfair, London, yesterday in their first public appearance together since Andrew was stripped of all his royal titles and his Windsor home. They were spotted chatting intensely in the street as they walked together through London's most exclusive district. At one point they did appear to be consoling one another. They stood on a street corner for a few minutes, talking tersely and without smiles, before sharing a close embrace as they said goodbye to one another. Beatrice looked particularly solemn as she walked away. The Duke and Duchess of York are divorced but live together in Windsor and remain very close to their daughters The sisters will continue to be known as HRH Princess Beatrice and HRH Princess Eugenie Pictured: Royal Lodge. Andrew will now move onto a property on the private Sandringham estate and it is understood any future accommodation he lives will be privately funded by The King Their warm, lingering hug came on a busy street close to Green Park and Buckingham Palace - around the time when Charles III issued a rare Letters Patent. The official document, published by the Crown Office in The Gazette, the UK's official public record, formally stripped Andrew of his prince title and also removed his HRH. Beatrice and Eugenie are close to their parents but have been reportedly spending more time supporting their beleaguered father. They have also supported their mother Sarah Ferguson, who is said to be considering emigrating while Andrew will be banished to Sandringham, Norfolk. But yesterday they were supporting each other through what will also be a very testing time for them too. Both were wrapped up in winter coats but Beatrice was more formally dressed. It is not known if they were discussing their father's situation. Eugenie lives at Kensington Palace but Beatrice lives further afield in the Cotswolds. In a bombshell statement released last week, Buckingham Palace said he will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor Speculation has been rising over whether there is any way back for the sisters' mother Sarah Ferguson, pictured left with Andrew last month Andrew, Virginia Giuffre and sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell in a photo reportedly taken in 2001, when Giuffre was 17 years old. Andrew denied having sex with Ms Giuffre, but forked out millions in an out of court settlement in February 2022 Both their parents must now leave Windsor's Royal Lodge in the fallout from Virginia Giuffre's book and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The sisters have kept a low profile since the scandal erupted. Princess Eugenie put on a brave face as she was spotted in public for the first time earlier this week since her father Andrew was stripped of his titles and Windsor home. The 35-year-old was photographed laughing with her husband Jack Brooksbank, 39, in Notting Hill. The couple looked happy and were enjoying an animated conversation as they walked through west London this week. Despite the scandal that has engulfed Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, a relaxed Eugenie and Jack are clearly keen to continue life as normal. The couple were seen smiling on their walk and repeatedly exchanged warm glances. They spoke briefly with their companions, who were laughing along as Eugenie chatted expressively. They were both casually dressed, with the princess wearing black jeans and a matching top with brown suede boots. Her husband of seven years wore jeans, a jumper, Nike trainers and a bobble hat. Recent events have inevitably placed a strain on family relations. Multiple sources told the Daily Mail that both princesses have gone out of their way to strongly support beleaguered Andrew in recent weeks. Both girls are said to be deeply worried about his mental wellbeing, with Andrew having become a virtual recluse at Royal Lodge, which he is due to leave. But one source said it won't be for a while. 'Even when she is sitting in Royal Lodge, Sarah can spend the money,' one informed source told Rebecca English. 'The Amazon deliveries that go up to Royal Lodge are unbelievable. There are rooms full of boxes that haven't even been opened. 'It will take weeks, if not months, to shift all their s*** out.' Last week, Andrew also relinquished his position as Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order. His ex-wife, Sarah also lost her title and became plain Sarah Ferguson. The former prince's decision was made after strong pressure from King Charles and in discussion with other family members, including Prince William, as heir to the throne, as well as Andrew's other siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward. Andrew is expected to leave Royal Lodge and move to a new home on the Sandringham estate - which is owned by the Royal Family. Sweeping thunderstorms have brought flash floods and turned an Italian holiday hotspot into a lake. Dramatic footage posted to social media shows motorbikes almost fully submerged under flood water and cars attempting to move slowly with their hazards blinking. The videos were taken in the vicinity of Piazza Euripide, in Syracuse, on the island of Sicily. Red and white tables and chairs can also be seen being swept away in the gushing waters where roads were once apparent. A couple of pedestrians, holding umbrellas to shield themselves from the stormy weather, wade through the water, which has reached their knees. The ItaliaMeteo Agency, the national meteorological service, has issued a moderate rainfall and thunderstorm warning for the coming days. Sicily's latest inclement weather follows similar flash floods on October 1 which engulfed the towns of Agrigento and San Leone, which left residents unable to leave their homes. Meanwhile Spain has also been battling with a mega storm which hit the country yesterday, with flooding leaving tourists stranded in airports and lightning sending people running for their lives. Dramatic footage posted to social media shows cars almost fully submerged under flood water The videos were taken in the vicinity of Piazza Euripide, in Syracuse, on the island of Sicily Dramatic videos show cars battling through torrents of flood water in Barcelona where a warning to stay indoors was issued. Ferocious winds and torrential heavy rain also caused chaos on the holiday island of Mallorca where flights were grounded and roads were blocked as the region was pounded by Storm Melissa. Meteocat, the metereological service of Catalonia, placed Barcelona on orange alert as the city was battered by hail and rain brought by the downgraded hurricane that wreaked havoc on the island of Jamaica. Residents were urged to take 'extreme precautions' and were advised to avoid travelling in the affected areas as Storm Melissa swept across the Iberian Peninsula. The violent storm caused major disruptions at Barcelona's El Prat Airport, with at least 47 cancellations reported for both domestic and international flights, Spanish news outlet La Vanguardia reported. A graphic on flight tracking website Flightradar showed a number of grounded aircraft yesterday morning. Barcelona firefighters responded to dozens of incidents caused by torrential rainfall involving residents trapped inside their buildings. Elsewhere in the region of Catalonia, a property was evacuated in the town of Badia del Valles due to the possibility of a roof collapsing. No injuries were reported, but several other local residents had to be rescued after becoming stranded in their cars. The storm caused several waterways to overflow in the region of Catalonia. Footage on social media showed flooded streets in the municipality of Cerdanyola del Valles, near Barcelona, after the Riu Sec river overflowed. Over in the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca was nearly brought to a standstill due to hail and rain, with dozens of delays reported at Palma airport. Other videos shared on social media showed panicked locals running for cover as they were struck by hail and thunder. A woman takes cover in Palma de Mallorca after getting caught up in a massive thunderstorm Cars floated down village streets and water engulfed vehicles during a mega storm in Spain The violent storm is expected to continue throughout the days, with the worst conditions expected in the regions of Andalucia, Galicia, Catalonia and Aragon In the northwestern region of Galicia, waves of more than five metres were recorded, with winds reaching 80 kilometres per hour. The violent storm is expected to continue throughout the days, with the worst conditions expected in the regions of Andalucia, Galicia, Catalonia and Aragon. These latest weather events in Spain come a year after the region of Valencia was struck by devastating flash floods that killed more than 230 people. The natural disaster was one of Europe's deadliest in living memory. Justice Secretary David Lammy has been accused of 'hiding an even bigger scandal' after another foreign criminal went on the run this time by walking out of an open prison. Police have been unable to locate violent offender Ola Abimbola who vanished from HMP Ford more than three weeks ago. Labour has been repeatedly warned that unsuitable prisoners were being transferred to open jails, such as Ford, as ministers devised increasingly desperate measures to ease the jail overcrowding crisis. Abimbola disappeared from the jail, near Arundel, West Sussex, on October 16 and has not been seen since. The 36-year-old, whose nationality is unknown, was serving 21 years for offences including kidnap, GBH and possession of an offensive weapon in public. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'David Lammy is hiding an even bigger scandal, as dangerous prisoners now simply walk out of open jails. 'Labour were warned about placing high-risk inmates in open prisons, but they ignored them and these are the results. 'The whole system is in chaos under 'Calamity Lammy' and the British people are being put in danger.' Ola Abimbola, a foreign national, escaped from open prison HMP Ford on October 16 and has not been seen since Sussex Police released this CCTV image Abimbola last month after allegedly walking out of prison Justice Secretary David Lammy has faced a mounting backlash after stonewalling repeated questions about bungles in the Commons on Wednesday and new prison release revelations It came after Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, went on the run after being mistakenly freed from HMP Wandsworth in south-west London on October 29. Another Wandsworth prisoner, fraudster William 'Billy' Smith, 35, was also wrongly set free on Monday but handed himself into the scandal-hit jail on Thursday. Mark Drury, of the Prison Governors' Association (PGA), warned there had been a 'sudden' rise in absconders from open prisons in recent years, adding that there is an 'increased risk to the public'. He said that due to attempts to tackle prison overcrowding 'there are a large number of prisoners in open prisons now we would not have considered suitable two or three years ago'. In June, the PGA blasted a new Labour scheme which allows serious criminals to be transferred to open prison after serving just two weeks behind bars. The Prison Governors Association said the move would 'potentially place the public at greater risk'. It was the first time the association had expressed concern over a series of soft justice measures introduced by then Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who was promoted to Home Secretary by Keir Starmer two months ago. Measures she introduced while at the Ministry of Justice in June allow prisoners to be transferred to open jails three years before their normal release date. Crucially, governors will have 'only limited discretion in exceptional circumstances' to reject the transfers, the PGA said. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence at HMP Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal. He has a past conviction for indecent exposure Hadush Kebatu (pictured) was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre Osei Kuffour, 36, had been serving 25 years for attempted murder after shooting a woman in the face when he failed to return to HMP Spring in October. He was arrested the next day Another inmate Anton Newell, 36, who is originally from Isleworth in Middlesex, absconded from the same open prison in June and it remains unclear whether he remains at large They also warned they would only have a two-week period to block a transfer, and that proper assessments could not be carried out in time. PGA president Tom Wheatley said at the time: 'Without the ability to properly consider a prisoner's behaviour during those two weeks we have concerns our members will be required to take decisions that potentially place the public at greater risk.' Other prisoners have gone missing from open jails in recent months. Thames Valley Police reported that a 'vicious' East London drug dealer had absconded from HMP Spring Hill in Buckinghamshire last month. Osei Kuffour, 36, had been serving 25 years for attempted murder after shooting a woman in the face. He was arrested the next day by police. Another inmate Anton Newell, 36, originally from Isleworth in Middlesex, absconded from the same open prison in June and it remains unclear whether he remains at large. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban cracked a joke about Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a meeting with top officials at the White House on Friday, prompting laughs from the crowd. Orban, Trump and other top officials from the Hungarian and US governments met in the Cabinet Room on Friday to discuss relations between the two countries, the war between Russia and Ukraine and other issues facing Europe. When a reporter pressed Trump during the meeting about what he is doing to lower prices for US consumers, the president asked Leavitt to quickly step in to set the record straight. Karoline, could you discuss that question that was asked and how it was asked in such a fake, disgusting manner by the fake news? the president requested. Leavitt immediately began listing policies implemented by Trump to cut down on costs. He signed the largest middle-class tax cut in six months, in six months, in record time, she said. So affordability is what the American people elected the president to do, and he is doing it, and you guys refuse to cover it. The previous administration created the worst unaffordability crisis in American history. And I've been watching the TV all day, saying that he [Trump] doesn't want to talk about affordability. That's what he's working on every day. Her decisive response clearly impressed the Hungarian leader, who immediately joked that hed like to hire Leavitt, telling the room, Can I get her [for] some months? Karoline, could you discuss that question that was asked and how it was asked in such a fake, disgusting manner by the fake news? the president requested after getting an inquiry on affordability in the US Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban joked during a White House meeting Friday that he'd like to hire White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt after she defended Trump's efforts to bring down costs for US consumers Can I get her for some months?' the Hungarian leader joked after Leavitt's sharp answer Trump liked the quip, saying, Karoline, the prime minister would like you to work for him in Hungary. Orban shot back to the press secretary: Please consider it. Leavitt later posted on social media, thanking the leader for his remarks. Thank you Prime Minister Orban for being so kind, but Im staying right here, she posted on X. Orban also told Trump during the meeting that it would take a 'miracle' for Ukraine to win the war against Russia. Seated next to Orban in the Cabinet Room, the president expressed optimism that 'we're going to get that war ended in the not-too-distant future.' Trump's second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was supposed to be held in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, with Orban hosting, but it got scrapped last month, days after it was announced, as negotiations stalled. Orban said one major issue is that the Europeans have a 'different approach to the war,' as the Hungarian leader has said that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia to gain a ceasefire. 'A miracle can happen,' Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban (left) responded when asked by President Donald Trump (right) Friday in the Cabinet Room if he believed that Ukraine cannot win the war President Donald Trump (left) is captured greeting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (right) outside the West Wing on Friday, which marked Orban's first visit to the White House during Trump's second term He said Hungary and the United States were 'the only pro-peace' governments. 'All the other governments prefer to continue the war, because many of them think that Ukraine can win on the front line, which is a misunderstanding of the situation,' the Hungarian leader said. Trump then asked, 'So you would say that Ukraine cannot win that war?' 'A miracle can happen,' Orban replied. Trump has gone back and forth on whether he believes Ukraine can win, as his relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has veered from nasty to nice. In September, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Trump made the surprising pronouncement that he even thought Ukraine could win on the battlefield. 'I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form,' Trump said at the time. But weeks later, Trump shifted his position, suggesting such a victory would be tough. He expressed more optimism for a Ukrainian win when things were especially sour with Putin. On Friday, Trump said the Putin meeting in Budapest didn't happen because Russia wasn't ready to end the war. 'The basic dispute is they just don't want to stop yet,' the president answered. 'And I think they will,' Trump also offered. Last month, Trump put more pressure on Russia to stop the fighting by upping sanctions. He sanctioned two of Russia's largest energy companies, a move that complicated his relationship with Orban due to Hungary continuing to purchase Russian fuel. On Friday, Trump was sympathetic to Orban's plight, noting how Hungary is landlocked. 'We're looking at it,' the president said. 'Because it's very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas, as you know, they don't have the advantage of having sea, it's a great country, it's a big country, but they don't have sea, they don't have the ports.' Trump then slammed other European countries that were still buying oil from Russia. 'And as they know, I'm very disturbed by that, because we're helping them, and they're going and buying oil and gas from Russia,' Trump said. A Royal Navy Lieutenant left officers in his car terrified on a trip to Faslane as he raced on a motorway at speeds of 113mph and told them Im allergic to driving slowly, a court martial has heard. Lieutenant Tiarnan Gallagher, 30, made two Navy officers fear for their safety in his high-powered BMW with his dangerous driving, it is alleged. As well as speeding, Lt Gallagher is accused of driving erratically and weaving in and out of traffic on a long journey to the Navy base in Dunbartonshire. He is alleged to have used his phone to send texts and shuffle music with one hand on the wheel and sped up to cars before braking and undertaking them. His colleagues, Sub-Lieutenant Henry Wilson and Sub-Lieutenant Alexander Wardlow, were so concerned that they tried to persuade him to let them drive but he was hellbent on driving. At Bulford Military Court, Wilts, he is accused of one count of dangerous driving. Lt Gallagher was driving a rental BMW 3 Series. It was heard that on 27 October 2024, after completing three weeks of training at HMS Raleigh in Cornwall, the three servicemen had to travel to the base to complete a final week of training. Lt Gallaghers colleague, Sub Lt Wilson, checked out the hire car at HMS Raleigh to drive to Faslane at about 10am, and drove to pick up Lt Gallagher from HMS Drake in Plymouth. Lieutenant Tiarnan Gallagher, 30, made two Navy officers fear for their safety in his high-powered BMW Sub Lt Wilson described how the two didnt have much of a relationship outside of the courses they both attended. He said that while he was driving the first leg of the 500 mile trip, Lt Gallagher told him to put his foot down and see what the car could do. Sub Lt Wilson said he replied: The car will do 70 miles per hour. The pair stopped at Michaelwood Services near Bristol and swapped places, which is when Lt Gallaghers dangerous driving is alleged to have begun. Sub Lt Wilson said he was worried at the speed his colleague was driving, even reporting that he at one time reached 113mph on the M5 motorway. He also alleged that Lt Gallagher was on his phone sending texts and shuffling through his music with one hand on the wheel, and that he would speed up to cars and suddenly brake before undertaking them. Sub Lt Wilson said it left him with white knuckles on the dashboard when Lt Gallagher repeatedly refused to slow down. They reached Uttoxeter at about 2.30pm and picked up their colleague, Sub Lt Wardlow, whom Sub Lt Wilson said he told about Lt Gallaghers driving when the lieutenant was out of earshot. They agreed not to let him drive again, and shared the next leg of the journey between them. However, he criticised their driving. And when they stopped for petrol at around 19:30 in Gretna, Dumfriesshire, both sublieutenants had to leave the car. One refilled the petrol while the other went in to pay. They allege that while outside the car, Lt Gallagher climbed from the back seat into the drivers seat and refused to leave. The two witnesses described how the senior officer was hellbent on driving, and as it was dark and because they were closer to Faslane, they decided to go along with it. But as they merged back onto the motorway, they said that Lt Gallagher drove across a solid white line too early and was a metre or two from hitting the back of a lorry. Both sublieutenants described it as unpleasant and dangerous driving, and said they wouldnt ever want to let him drive again, with one calling the experience frightening. Sub Lt Wardlow told the court: He was frequently on his phone behind the wheel and dismissed [Sub Lt Wilson] when he was called out. He was hellbent on driving. He was accelerating on the roundabouts and would brake sharply. I didnt want to be in a car with him. It was dangerous driving.' He continued: He was on his phone for music. We told him to stop and he was very blase about it and didnt see a problem. He would say Im allergic to driving slowly and I cant go in the slow lane. He also said that we were in a hire car so we could do what we wanted. His driving was unsafe and frightening in parts. Prosecuting, Lieutenant Commander Luis Canosa said: Lt Gallagher drove erratically. On the motorway he accelerated hard and was speeding. He weaved in and out of traffic. He drove while using his mobile phone to send texts and shuffle his music. He would speed up to the back of traffic. They picked up [the second sublieutenant] and Wilson explained how [Lt Gallagher] had been driving. They decided he wouldnt drive. They stopped to refuel and [Lt Gallagher] climbed into the drivers seat. They told him to leave but he said no and said he would drive. Lt Cdr Canosa added: They decided to take him off the insurance to stop him driving again. They then told the police. He said he never speeded and drove safely. He used dangerous manoeuvres again and again while driving. Mark Karpinski, defending, said that Lt Gallaghers colleagues made up allegations. The trial continues. Ben Shapiro popped off on Megyn Kelly after she briefly tried to defend her longtime friend Tucker Carlson. The Daily Wire co-founder sat down with Kelly for her latest tour event on Thursday night in Jacksonville, Florida. The previous evening Kelly sat down with Carlson in New York amid the controversial fallout surrounding his interview with Nick Fuentes. Shapiro is one of Carlsons most vocal critics following the controversy, accusing the former Fox News host of being an intellectual coward as well as a super-spreader of vile ideas in America. If I see somebody breach basic moral values by having on a Nazi, and in my own view take your own view in my own view, gloss the Nazi, then Im going to speak out about that, Shapiro told Kelly. Im gonna point out that there is a long pattern of him ideologically laundering terrible ideas over the course of the last two years, ranging from traveling to Russia to sniff the bread and explain why the Russian regime is actually wonderful. Tucker famously traveled to Russia in February 2024 to interview Vladimir Putin. While in the country, Carlson documented his experience traveling through a supermarket in Moscow. Shapiro continued, To saying last week the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro is actually not that bad because theyre being attacked by, in his words, globo-homo. Kelly then interjected to defend Carlsons viewpoint on the US conflict with Venezuela, resulting in an explosive reaction from Shapiro. Ben Shapiro did not hold back the anger he has for Tucker Carlson following his interview with Nick Fuentes Carlson and Shapiro have been at odds for years over a variety of foreign policy issues, including US support for Israel Nick Fuentes has made anti-Semitic statements that involve downplaying the Holocaust Kelly told Shapiro, Tuckers made the point Im not gonna try to be Tuckers defender but hes made the point that Maduro is cultural conservative. Who gives a sh*t!? Shapiro spat back. The guys a communist dictator! Carlson recently has called out the Trump administration for applying military pressure to Venezuela by striking alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. Last week, Carlson posted a monologue arguing that although Maduro governs with a left-wing socialist economic agenda, the Venezuelan regime pushes socially conservative policies, particularly regarding LGBTQ+ rights. Carlson also argued that Venezuela does not traffic the vast majority of drugs coming into the United States from Latin America. Shapiro continued, I dont give a sh*t whether hes anti-LGBTQ rights! This is the number one thing about Nicolas Maduro? You know how far down the list you have to get before you can get to anything remotely recommendable about Nicolas Maduro? Carlson and Shapiro have been at odds with each other for years well before the Fuentes interview. Carlson joined Megyn Kelly on Wednesday night to discuss his decision to interview Fuentes Carlson has criticized the Trump administration for targeting the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro The two right-wing juggernauts have opposing viewpoints over a variety of conservative principles, including US foreign policy relating to Israel. Shapiro also pressed Kelly over her unwillingness to criticized Candace Owens amid the rise of conspiracy theories surrounding Charlie Kirk's murder. 'I think you and I differ on our angle with regard to, for example, Candace Owens. I think that what Candace Owens is doing right now is evil. It is evil what she is doing right now.' 'But what, II didnt opine on whether its evil or not,' said Kelly. 'But my position is: its really none of my business.' Shapiro interjected, 'But I have a question: why is it none of your business? I mean, you comment on these things for a living.' 'Im not mother of the internet,' replied Kelly. 'No, but if this were on the left and somebody were accusing Charlie Kirk of his wife having murdered him, I assume that you would be talking about it,' shot back Shapiro. Kelly then told Shapiro she was not aware that Candace has made disparaging comments about Kirk's wife, Erika. A passenger plane taking off from Glasgow came within a few feet of hitting a 'drone' an official probe has revealed. The UK Airprox Board, which investigates near misses, gave the incident its highest risk of collision rating. It was the third suspected Scottish drone incident the board dealt with at its meeting. On August 16, a Boeing 737 was four nautical miles north east of Glasgow at 3,000 feet. Both crew noticed a fast-moving, round black object pass at eye-level past the right-hand side of the aircraft and over the right wing, said the report, adding it was 'possibly a drone'. The reported separation was just six feet vertically and 32 feet horizontally with the risk of collision assessed as High. All departures were stopped for seven minutes before operations were allowed to continue at crew. The report added: In the Boards opinion the reported altitude and/or description of the object were such that they were unable to determine the nature of the unknown object. The near miss at Glasgow involved a Boeing 737 like the one above Drones have proved a risk to aircraft in recent years It gave the incident a category A rating its highest. Another Boeing 737 also came into conflict with a drone - this time at Edinburgh six days earlier. The pilot reported that on approach into Edinburgh at approximately 3200 feet a possible drone passed the aircraft down the left-hand side at their level, tracking horizontally. The object appeared to be a large commercial drone with twin propellers and blue in colour passing within about 50 metres above them. They also said the risk of collision was 'High'. The Board considered that although safety had been reduced, there had been no risk of collision On August 14, nine miles east of Peterhead an EC175 Airbus helicopter was flying back from offshore, inbound at 1000ft, when a drone was spotted on an opposite track, approximately 200 feet below. 'I've killed my best friend' - a court heard after a young driver killed a passenger in his car the day after passing his driving test. 19-year-old Corey Owen Cooper was sentenced to five years in a young offenders institution today after the court found his dangerous driving caused the death of Josh Atkins. His other friend, Gabe Wiggett, also sustained serious injuries. Speaking in the Sheffield Crown Court, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC said Cooper was 'driving a car deplorably, almost certainly trying to show off to friends'. Cooper and his friends were all 17 when he crashed on his birthday in his grandfather's Fiat Grande Punto car in 2023, around the Stannington area of Sheffield on November 11. Cooper appeared remorseful and close to tears for most of his court appearance, which was packed with the families of all three teenagers involved. Crown Prosecutor Ian West, said police estimate the car was speeding at 53 mph in a 20mph area of Myers Grove Lane before Cooper lost control on a bend and crashed into a metal barrier. He explained the woman following behind him said the Fiat 'just shot off' when it reached a straight section of road, adding: 'He went that fast we lost sight of him.' 19-year-old Corey Owen Cooper (pictured) was sentenced to five years in a young offenders institution today after the court found his dangerous driving caused the death of Josh Atkins When she finally drove past them, the car was on its roof with Cooper covered in blood standing next to it, saying: 'What have I done, what have I done, I've killed my best friend.' The prosecutor told the court about how Cooper was also speeding earlier that night, past Bradfield School at 80mph in Worrall with a friend in the car. West recalled Cooper's night, saying he performed wheel spins in a car park in the Lodge Moor area while he was with friends. He said his friends described the dashboard warning lights lit up like a Christmas tree' 90 minutes before the crash, because the brakes were not working properly. Judge Richardson KC addressed Cooper, saying: 'This case should be called to the attention of all young people who have just passed the driving test.' 'In consequence of your driving too fast, that young man, you killed a friend and maimed another friend. 'A young life has been ended. Another two lives have been ruined. For what? Showing off to friends.' He scolded Cooper, saying he displayed 'immaturity on a grand scale' and described his actions behind the wheel as 'truly appalling driving.' Josh Atkin (picture) was described by his aunty as 'cheeky, funny, friendly and kind, with an infectious energy' 'He was just 17 years old and full of promise, laughter, and happiness.' 'His death was utterly shattering for all our family and friends.' - Claire Chapman talking about her nephew - Josh Atkin He added: 'This case depicts human tragedy in every dimension.' Judge Richardson KC did acknowledge Cooper's emotion and acknowledged how he thought it was genuine and told him, 'in the ordinary course of events, you are a thoroughly decent young man'. The court heard evidence of Josh's family being out of town the day the crash happened. His mother told her him to 'be careful' when he text her saying he was 'out with Corey for a drive.' Josh's aunty, Claire Chapman, read a statement on behalf of the family explaining how his parents chose to save four other people's lives through donating his organs. She said this brought the family some comfort and was the 'ultimate gift'. Judge Richardson KC applauded the move, describing it as 'remarkable magnanimity', saying 'They are much to be congratulated and admired for this action.' Speaking outside of court, Ms Chapman called for the UK to adopt a graduated driving licence system. Speaking outside of court Josh's aunty, Claire Chapman called for the UK to adopt a graduated driving licence system. She's adamant had this been in place, her nephew Josh would still be alive. She wants young drivers to have more guidance. 'Young and inexperienced drivers need more support, more education, and more accountability before they are given full driving licence privileges. 'This is not about punishment, it is about prevention,' Chapman added. She's adamant had this been in place, her nephew would still be alive. She described her nephew as 'cheeky, funny, friendly and kind, with an infectious energy.' 'He was just 17 years old and full of promise, laughter, and happiness.' 'His death was utterly shattering for all our family and friends.' Four MPs suspended for repeatedly rebelling against the Government have had their whip restored. Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman and Rachael Maskell will return to the Labour benches after a review of their conduct, party sources confirmed. The group had repeatedly voted against the Government in the weeks leading up to their suspension, most notably over welfare reforms that they argued would harm disabled people. They were stripped of the whip in July for what was described as 'persistent breaches of party discipline'. Ms Maskell, the MP for York Central, played a prominent role in the revolt which pushed the Prime Minister and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to scale back plans to reduce disability benefits spending. And the others all clashed with the Government over welfare and other issues, including Net Zero and relaxing planning rules. They had voted against the Universal Credit Bill, even after ministers removed every contentious change to personal injury payments (PIP) that it contained. Rachael Maskell, the York MP, was a leading figure in the rebellion, and has now had the whip restored Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff and Neil Duncan-Jordan lost the whip for what was described as 'persistent breaches of party discipline' but have had it restored They were all involved in a major welfare rebellion that forced Keir Starmer to scrap major cuts to the huge disability benefits bill The action came after relentless backbenchers pressured the Government into watering down the cuts to Britain's ballooning benefit bill. Ms Maskell previously said she had been suspended for 'standing up for my constituents' over welfare reform. She said she was 'not angry' but 'upset that we are in this place because I believe we are better than that as a party. I believe that strength comes from the backbenches.' Ms Maskell urged the Prime Minister to engage with his backbenchers, saying she wanted to see 'bridges built' and this would 'make him a better Prime Minister'. She has now spoken of being 'Labour to the core and will always stand up for Labour values', after having the party whip restored. The York Central MP told the PA news agency: 'I am grateful that the whip has rightfully been restored and want to especially thank all those who have been so kind to me over the last few months. 'I am Labour to the core and will always stand up for Labour values, to be a voice for those in need and to seek justice at every opportunity. 'I will continue to work hard for my constituents in York as their Labour and Co-operative MP. 'I recognise the heavy responsibility on Labour to repair our public services and economy after 14 disastrous years and above all to lift people out of poverty. 'With 4.5million children living in poverty tonight, I am focused on ensuring they have the very best start in life.' Mr Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, told the PA news agency: 'I've been part of the Labour and trade union movement for 40 years, so I'm pleased to have had the Labour whip restored today. 'I'll continue working hard for my constituents in Poole and standing up for Labour values - tackling poverty, raising living standards and building a fairer society.' Mr Hinchliff welcomed his restoration, and told of having had 'constructive discussions' with the new chief whip in recent months. He added: 'As ever, my focus remains on serving the communities of North East Hertfordshire and contributing to Labour's historic mission to create a society that puts people and nature before profit.' Mr Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole in Dorset, had consistently refused to toe the line on a range of issues, while Alloa and Grangemouth's Mr Leishman had also criticised plans to close a local oil refinery. Mr Hinchliff, the North East Hertfordshire MP, attacked Angela Rayner's planning reform that would make it easier to build on the green belt, and rebelled over welfare cuts. The rebellion meant the savings the Chancellor hoped to make were thrown out of the window, contributing to a blackhole, which has reportedly led to her drawing up plans to increase income tax in the upcoming Budget. One of the areas reportedly being targeted by Rachel Reeves will be EV drivers, with a road charging tax being in the works as she scrambles for revenue-raisers ahead Ms Reeves is said to announce that EV owners will be charged 3p per mile on top of other road taxes, as Treasury sources disclosed to the Daily Mail. This will mean that the average driver will pay an extra 250 per year by 2028. Rachel Reeves has informed the Budget watchdog she plans to break Labour's manifesto promise by increasing income tax, it has emerged The Treasury will reportedly make the case that the new tax is needed to cover falling fuel duty revenue as more and more vehicle owners go green, with up to six million extra EVs expected to be on the roads by the time the scheme is introduced. Ms Reeves will also argue the move will be fairer as petrol drivers already pay 600 a year on average in fuel duty. It will also help the Treasury raise an estimated 1.8billion by 2031 and help plug a fiscal hole caused by the green transition due to the loss of revenue from petrol cars. A pay-per-mile road taxation system has been discussed by governments and industry experts for years but has often been seen as hard to implement. Meanwhile, nearly nine million pensioners will be hit by an income tax raid as officials work on a 2p rise in income tax, which would be mitigated by a 2p cut in National Insurance for earnings below 50,270. But pensioners would not benefit from this relief because, unlike workers, they do not pay National Insurance. Higher earners would also lose out under the plans, which could raise more than 6billion a year, as there would be no National Insurance cut for earnings over 50,270. Ms Reeves is said to be mulling plans to limit the National Insurance cut to lower earnings so those with the 'broadest shoulders' bear the biggest burden. The Chancellor is not the only member of the Labour cabinet under fire as David Lammy is facing a backlash over his 'cowardly' and 'incompetent' handling of a mistaken prisoner release. The Justice Secretary has been blasted by fellow ministers over his refusal to answer questions in the House of Commons about the release of an Algerian national. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been serving a sentence at HMP Wandsworth for trespass with intent to steal. He has a past conviction for indecent exposure and was this morning arrested by police. David Lammy is facing a Cabinet backlash over his 'cowardly' and 'incompetent' handling of a mistaken prisoner release Mr Lammy, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, refused to confirm Kaddour-Cherif had been freed during exchanges at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. He has also been criticised for not returning to Parliament later to give a statement on the details of Kaddour-Cherif's mistaken release. Alex Davies-Jones, a junior minister at the Ministry of Justice, was left to be quizzed about the scandal during a round of TV and radio interviews on Thursday morning. One Cabinet minister told The Times of Mr Lammy's response to the mistaken prisoner release: 'It's cowardly. He should have fronted up and owned it. 'I still don't understand why he didn't confirm it or make a statement in the Commons. He left it to a junior minister to do the broadcast round. The handling is terrible.' He has been accused of 'hiding an even bigger scandal' after another foreign criminal went on the run this time by walking out of an open prison. Police have been unable to locate violent offender Ola Abimbola who vanished from HMP Ford more than three weeks ago. Abimbola disappeared from the jail, near Arundel, West Sussex, on October 16 and has not been seen since. The 36-year-old, whose nationality is unknown, was serving 21 years for offences including kidnap, GBH and possession of an offensive weapon in public. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'David Lammy is hiding an even bigger scandal, as dangerous prisoners now simply walk out of open jails. 'Labour were warned about placing high-risk inmates in open prisons, but they ignored them and these are the results. 'The whole system is in chaos under 'Calamity Lammy' and the British people are being put in danger.' The King and the Prince and Princess of Wales have paid heartfelt tributes following the death of Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg aged 95. Mr Goldberg, who met the senior royals as well as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, devoted his life to Holocaust education and was awarded an MBE at Clarence House in September. He died on Thursday. And King Charles III said that 'it meant more to me than I can ever say to have been able to wish the fondest of farewells, a few weeks ago, to a truly special human being'. In a message of condolence, he wrote: 'My wife and I were most deeply saddened to hear the news of Manfred Goldberg's recent death and, together with everyone present, mourn his great loss in our hearts and souls. 'Above all, it meant more to me than I can ever say to have been able to wish the fondest of farewells, a few weeks ago, to a truly special human being, in whose eyes shone the light of true redemption and humanity. 'As a survivor of the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, I am so proud that he found refuge in Britain, where he would later tell the world of the unimaginable atrocities he had witnessed as a young boy - an enduring reminder for our generation, and generations as yet unborn, of the depths of depravity and evil to which humankind can fall, when reason, compassion and truth are forsaken. 'Indeed, I was profoundly moved to hear Manfred's recollections at this year's reception to mark Holocaust Memorial Day and, more recently, during his investiture ceremony. 'Together with other Holocaust survivors, he became an integral part of the fabric of our nation; his extraordinary dignity, resolve and courage an example to us all, which will forever be remembered. 'It was the greatest privilege and joy to have known him and my prayers are with his dear family and those who grieve with them.' William, who wrapped up his whirlwing tour of Brazil for the Earthshot Prize today, joined Kate in hailing his 'tireless work' teaching young people in an emotional statement on Friday. King Charles holding an audience with Manfred Goldberg at Clarence House in September The Prince and Princess of Wales have paid a heartfelt tribute following the death of Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg aged 95 (pictured: Prince William shaking hands with Mr Goldberg in January 2020) They said: 'We are deeply saddened by the passing of Manfred Goldberg. Having joined him on a visit to Stutthof, we witnessed first-hand his extraordinary strength, grace and dedication to sharing his story. 'His tireless work to educate young people about the Holocaust will never be forgotten. W & C' Holocaust Educational Trust described Mr Goldberg as 'truly extraordinary' following the sad news of his death this week. Born into an Orthodox Jewish family in Kassel, Germany, in 1930, he was deported with his mother Rosa and brother Herman to the Riga Ghetto in 1941. As the Red Army advanced in 1944, he was moved to Stutthof concentration camp near Gdansk and its subcamps, enduring more than eight months as a slave labourer before liberation by the British army in May 1945, aged 15. He came to Britain in September 1946 to reunite with his father, Baruch, who had escaped Germany in 1939 with a visa secured via British diplomat Frank Foley. After learning English, Mr Goldberg completed an engineering degree and spent decades sharing the story of his family and the millions of Jews killed across Europe. Married with four sons, several grandchildren, and a great-grandchild, he returned to Germany in 2018 to lay a memorial stone for Herman, who was murdered during the Holocaust. In January 2022, he met the then Prince of Wales, a patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, after commissioning paintings of elderly Holocaust survivors. Mr Goldberg had previously met Kate and William in 2020, describing how moved Kate was during the visit. 'I recall Princess Kate telling me that once they had decided to visit the camp, they had done a lot of Holocaust-related reading, but she said, 'Nevertheless, we were not prepared for what we saw and what we heard from you two',' he told People. Karen Pollock, chief executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust, said Mr Goldberg was 'truly extraordinary'. She added: 'Manfred's passing leaves an irreplaceable void in our hearts and in our community. King Charles III said that 'it meant more to me than I can ever say to have been able to wish the fondest of farewells, a few weeks ago, to a truly special human being' William, who wrapped up his whirlwing tour of Brazil for the Earthshot Prize today , joined Kate in hailing his 'tireless work' teaching young people Kate Middleton pictured chatting with Mr Goldberg during a visit to Poland in 2017 Mr Goldberg said the Cambridges' involvement in keeping the story of the Holocaust relevant today is 'priceless' 'Having endured unimaginable horror and loss, he chose to look forward, dedicating his life to ensuring that the atrocities of the Holocaust would never be forgotten and that antisemitism in all its guises would be confronted. 'Manfred understood the power of education. He spent decades sharing his story with young people across the country and through the Trust's programme Testimony 360: People and Places of the Holocaust, his legacy is assured. 'Thanks to digital eyewitness testimony combined with virtual reality, this programme will ensure that his incredible testimony will continue to reach generations of students for many years to come. 'We will deeply miss Manfred - his kindness, his encouragement, wisdom and his gentle guidance. He was a true Tzadik - a righteous - and we will strive harder than ever in his name to continue his mission.' X users rushed to praise the Prince and Princess of Wales for their emotional statement. One wrote: 'So sad, education needs to continue some people dont know anything about the Holocaust, heartbreaking.' Another added: 'He clearly touch many and your words are so heartfelt.' A third said: 'Sorry to hear that. condolences to his family and friends.' Prince William brought his landmark visit to Brazil to a poignant close with a deeply symbolic meeting with Indigenous leaders at one of the Amazon's most historic institutions The Prince of Wales was greeted by Joenia Wapichana, a former politician and President of the National Association for Indigenous Peoples On his final engagement of what has arguably been a hugely successful first visit to Brazil, William pledged to 'support' Brazil's indigenous communities at the frontline of safeguarding the Amazon. It came during a meeting with a group of indigenous leaders from across the South American nation, where he hailed them as 'guardians'. In a mini-rainforest oasis in the centre of Belem, home to the Museu Emilio Goeldi, a museum focused on the scientific study of the Amazon's natural and sociocultural systems, William told the leaders: 'We appreciate you all'. He added: 'Thank you so much, all of you, we do hope things improve and everyone realises the importance of what indigenous people and communities do to protect the natural world. 'You are the guardians and protectors that we all need to support.' Among the five leaders William met was Juma Xipaia, 33, who has received death threats from organised crime and her fight to protect the Amazon was featured in the documentary Yanuni, which she co-produced with Hollywood star Leonardo Di Caprio. The film looks at her fight, since childhood, against the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in the Xingu river of the Amazon. She told William how big business was ruining the environment, specifically in the form of the Belo Monte dam, the third largest in the world, and the Belo Sun mine. Speaking through a translator after meeting William, she said: 'I told him that it is getting worse because of violence. The Prince of Wales posed for a photo alongside representatives and leaders of Indigenous Peoples, who come from many different parts of Brazil and represent the different cultures and biomes of Brazil 'I am a young woman and leader of my people, and I have already received six direct death threats and have been under protection from the UN for some time and decided to get back to my territory because an organised crime organisation was threatening our territory.' She added that indigenous communities also faced 'struggles around drugs, alcohol and violence against women and girls'. A royal aide told the Mail that William had 'loved' his visit and was sure to come back one day. 'This week you saw what Princes William does best, using his platform to create positive change,' they said. 'What's he's built with Earthshot is so impressive now. It's becoming a real juggernaut, with some of the biggest businesses on the planet supporting the finalists to scale.' The fact that some of the 'biggest names on the planet' including stars such as Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes, as well as the biggest pop star in Latin America, Annita, leant their support speaks volumes about what he has built, they added. 'The people of Rio, and Brazil, fell in love with William this week,' another sources added. 'I think they saw just how down to earth his really is. He left Rio as a Caricoa! (The name of typical Rio people) 'He loved Brazil. He'll be back, for sure! ' Sources say the prince's speech at COP30 showed 'just how much he values working hard to leave the planet in a better state for the next generation'. A Florida mayor testified that his 34-year-old ex-boyfriend threw him to the ground during a violent alleged assault outside his $1million pink mansion. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, 72, appeared virtually before a Broward County court to accuse his former partner, Daniel Curran, of the attack. Curran was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with violation of a domestic violence injunction and for battery of a person 65 and older. Trantalis took out the injunction a few months ago, telling the judge their relationship was a 'very complicated situation'. Trantalis, a Democrat, said he and Curran were reconnecting at the time of the alleged attack as he wanted to help 'rehabilitate Danny' and 'hopefully steer him into counseling and mental health treatment'. 'And I failed at that,' he told the judge. 'At the end, this past weekend, he threw me to the ground. He committed everything thats in the information with regard to the violent act against me, and then I realized that there was no hope for this relationship.' The couple began dating in March and had previously lived together, the police report said. On Saturday, Curran allegedly pushed the mayor 'with both hands,' causing Trantalis to attempt to 'fight him off' at his home, the arrest report stated. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, 72, appeared virtually before a Broward County court to testify against his former partner, Daniel Curran, who allegedly threw him to the ground earlier this week Trantalis, a Democrat, said he and Curran had a 'complicated' relationship and were reconnecting at the time of the alleged attack In the commotion, Curran grabbed Trantalis by the leg and pulled him to the ground, dragging him approximately 15 feet across the road according to an arrest report. Trantalis suffered injuries to his wrist, left leg, and right knee, according to Local 10 News. Curran was arrested and the judge set his bond at $6,000 for contempt of court and for the battery charge. He has also been ordered to not contact the politician and to not return to Trantalis' home. He also cannot have firearms, weapons, or ammunition but has paid his bond. The Broward County District Attorney's Office has requested the State Attorney's Office move the case to another jurisdiction, as Fort Lauderdale is in the county. Curran goes by DannyTrantalis on Instagram and referred to himself as the 'first gentleman' of Fort Lauderdale. On Saturday, Curran allegedly pushed the mayor 'with both hands,' causing Trantalis to attempt to 'fight him off' at his pink home (pictured), per an arrest report He told the judge he 'failed' at being able to rehabilitate Curran. The couple began dating in March and had previously lived together, the police report said Curran was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with violation of a domestic violence injunction and for battery of a person 65 and older He also claimed to be an artist, creator, Catholic, knight, neuro, carer, ambassador, and a sonic. In a post from three days ago, Curran said he and the mayor 'grilled chicken and cooked some pasta for a relaxing dinner together.' He posted photos of their meal and them together. He also posted pictures of him and Trantalis attending the boat show in October and taking a trip to Paris over the summer. Daily Mail has contacted Trantalis for comment. Diddy was allegedly caught drinking homemade prison moonshine despite insisting to a judge that he is sober. The disgraced rap mogul, real name Sean Combs, was reportedly spotted boozing at Fort Dix in New Jersey, where he is serving time for his prostitution convictions. Sources told TMZ that Combs was caught with alcohol made from Fanta, sugar and apples, which had been left to ferment for weeks. Authorities initially considered moving the 55-year-old to a new facility but decided against it, according to the source. It comes after Combs repeatedly told the court during his high-profile trial that he was sober for the first time in 25 years. Images which emerged last week offered the first glimpse of the rapper in prison. The usually well-maintained producer was spotted with a scraggly beard and grey hair while he chatted with other inmates. Prior to his sentencing, Combs told the judge his time in prison had allowed him a new-found clarity as he blamed substances for having lost his way. Diddy, real name Sean Combs, was caught drinking homemade prison moonshine at Fort Dix in New Jersey despite insisting to a judge that he is sober. The rap mogul is seen pictured behind bars for the first time last week The disgraced rap mogul is serving a four-year sentence for transportation for prostitution 'The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. Prison will change you or kill you - I choose to live,' he wrote in a letter to the judge before his sentencing. He added that he had gone through a 'spiritual reset' in jail and was 'committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person'. The producer is serving a four-year sentence for transportation for prostitution, after a jury convicted him in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sex parties. Last week the bedraggled record producer was seen unshaven and with greying hair as he stepped out on the prison yard wrapped up in a beanie and thick jacket. Combs wore a large smile on his face as he appeared to be holding court with his fellow inmates. TMZ reported at the time that he was able to secure a job in the prison's laundry department soon after being transferred to his prison, which is located on the grounds of the joint military base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Combs's lawyers had asked a judge earlier this month to 'strongly recommend' transferring him to the low-security male prison so that he could take part in the facility's drug treatment program. FCI Fort Dix, one of several dozen federal prisons with a residential drug treatment program, would best allow Combs, 'to address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts,' Teny Geragos, his lawyer, wrote in a letter. It comes after images emerged last week showing the 55-year-old behind bars for the first time, showing him holding court with other inmates Combs has already served about 14 months of his 50-month sentence and is set to be released from prison on May 8, 2028 Comb's trial earlier this year saw heartbreaking testimony from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who told the court how his abuse tore her life apart Combs has already served about 14 months of his 50-month sentence and is set to be released from prison on May 8, 2028. Authorities said he could earn reductions in his time behind bars through his participation in substance abuse treatment programs, however the allegations of him drinking prison alcohol may spell the end of this privilege. The rap mogul's attorneys have petitioned a federal appeals court to quickly consider the legality of his conviction and sentence. Combs wants his appeal to be considered soon enough that he can benefit from a reduction of time spent in prison if the appeals court reverses his conviction, his lawyers said. President Donald Trump has also said Combs had asked him for a pardon, though the Republican did not say if he would grant the request. When Combs went to trial earlier this year, he was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution, but was acquitted by a jury of the most serious charges against him - sex trafficking and racketeering. The trial saw heartbreaking testimony from his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who told the court how Combs's abuse tore her life apart for years even after they broke up in 2018. When Combs went to trial earlier this year, he was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution, but was acquitted by a jury of the most serious charges against him - sex trafficking and racketeering The judge handed him four years behind bars because the abuse he inflicted on women meant the sentence had to meet the gravity of his 'serious offenses' that had 'irreparably harmed two women.' When the judge handed down the sentence, he noted that the punishment was significantly shorter than the range probation officers had recommended, of 70 to 87 months. The judge told Combs he was counting on him to 'make the most of your second chance'. Tearfully addressing the court before the judge handed down the sentence, Combs said he was 'truly sorry' for his actions. Combs apologized to his family as well as his victims, saying his behavior was 'disgusting, shameful and sick'. Daily Mail reached out to Combs' representatives and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP) for comment. The FBOP said it is unable to handle inquiries due to the government shutdown. The mother of missing nine-year-old Melodee Buzzard has been arrested at her California home. Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody Friday afternoon outside her residence in Lompoc, roughly 50 miles away from Santa Barbara. Buzzard, 40, lived at the home with her daughter Melodee, who was first reported missing on October 14 by school officials after repeated absences. She was arrested on the felony charge of false imprisonment and booked at the Northern Branch Jail on a $100,000 bond, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies confirmed. The charge is not related to Melodee's disappearance. Buzzard has refused to cooperate with their investigation and has offered no explanation for her daughter's whereabouts. The FBI confirmed Friday it is still searching for the child. Lizabeth Meza, Melodee's aunt, told the Daily Mail she has mixed emotions about Ashlee's arrest. 'I don't understand exactly why they arrested her for false imprisonment and since the FBI took over the case, the detectives are keeping information close to them,' Meza told the Daily Mail on Friday. 'Ashlee could be the only one who knows and she is the missing piece to this puzzle. Will she actually talk now? We hope she will so she can tell them where Melodee is. 'I want her to know if someone is hurting her or Melodee, that she is not alone in this. We want to get them help, both her and Melodee. We just want her back.' Ashlee Buzzard was taken into custody Friday afternoon outside her residence in Lompoc, roughly 50 miles away from Santa Barbara Melodee Buzzard, nine, was first reported missing on October 14 by school officials after repeated absences Private investigator Bill Garcia, who was hired by Melodee's family, told the Daily Mail that officers recently seized several potential pieces of evidence from the home. Sheriff's deputies and FBI agents descended on the family's property on the 500 block of Mars Avenue in Lompoc with a search warrant last week. Buzzard was not home as investigators spent hours combing the house and garage into the evening, removing several items - including sections of drywall and carpeting - that could prove vital to the case. They also collected a piece of concrete from the garage, Garcia said. The Daily Mail has reached out to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's and the FBI for comment. Sheriff's investigators earlier this week released more information on the possible route the mother and daughter took from their Lompoc home and traveled more than 1,500 miles away to Nebraska in a rented white Chevy Malibu on October 7. Detectives believe the pair then started their trip back the next day, but the Malibu was spotted with a New York license plate, which authorities said did not belong to the rental or to Buzzard. Investigators now believe the Malibu traveled through various small towns on October 9, including Green River, Utah; Panguitch, Utah; northwest Arizona; Primm, Nevada and Rancho Cucamonga, California. Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officials released pictures of Ashlee Buzzard and her daughter Melodee that focused on their travel route on from their home in Lompoc, California to Nebraska. Investigators said the pair traveled to Utah, Arizona and Nevada on October 9 Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officials said Melodee was wearing a wig that was straighter and darker than her natural hair as seen in this still shot from video surveillance footage captured at a car rental business on October 7 Garcia said sources have indicated Buzzard does have connections in Iowa, although detectives have not indicated the mother and daughter traveled that far into the Midwest. He also said Buzzard was spotted at a gas station in Santa Paula, California but without her daughter. On October 27, Garcia approached Buzzard as she was dropped off at her Lompoc home by a medical transportation vehicle. In a video obtained by the Daily Mail, Garcia is seen approaching Buzzard as she walks calmly to her door. The 40-year-old, dressed in black pants and a tight black jacket, was sporting the same long curly wig she was also wearing at the time she traveled with Melodee, according to pictures obtained from video surveillance footage and released by Sheriff's officials. Melodee also was seen wearing a wig in the same footage. Buzzard has given Melodee a solitary lifestyle that includes being homeschooled for at least a year, Meza previously told the Daily Mail. She previously lost custody of Melodee because of mental health woes and allegedly admitted psychological issues run in her family, according to Meza. The Daily Mail uncovered an eerie Google Maps image last week of Melodee staring into the street while standing on her doorstep in May 2023 Buzzard also previously declared bankruptcy after amassing debts totaling $23,000. 'There were so many hurdles, just so much going on within the family,' Meza said in tears. 'And it just saddens me that there was so much going on at that time that we weren't able to keep in contact with Melodee, and nobody had a relationship with her. 'The system failed her by giving her back to a mother time and time again when she was unstable. There is just so many emotions that go through my mind when I think of that little girl.' The Nobel Prize-winning scientist who discovered the structure of DNA has died aged 97. James D. Watson, died this week at a hospice on Long Island, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory where he worked for many years confirmed. The American biologist's 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA ushered in the age of genetics and provided the foundation for the biotechnology revolution of the late 20th century. In his later years, Watson's reputation was tarnished by comments on genetics and race that led him to be ostracized by the scientific establishment. In 2019, he was stripped of many of his honorary titles after he repeatedly shared racist views that genes caused a differences between black people and white people. As a younger man, he was known as much for his writing and for his enfant-terrible persona - including his willingness to use another scientist's data to advance his own career - as for his science. His 1968 memoir, 'The Double Helix,' was a racy, take-no-prisoners account of how he and British physicist Francis Crick were first to determine the three-dimensional shape of DNA. The achievement won the duo a share of the 1962 Nobel Prize in medicine and eventually would lead to genetic engineering, gene therapy and other DNA-based medicine and technology. Crick complained that the book 'grossly invaded my privacy' and another colleague, Maurice Wilkins, objected to what he called a 'distorted and unfavorable image of scientists' as ambitious schemers willing to deceive colleagues and competitors in order to make a discovery. James D. Watson, the American biologist whose 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA, the molecule of heredity, ushered in the age of genetics and provided the foundation for the biotechnology revolution of the late 20th century, has died at the age of 97 In addition, Watson and Crick, who did their research at Cambridge University in England, were widely criticized for using raw data collected by X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin to construct their model of DNA - as two intertwined staircases - without fully acknowledging her contribution. As Watson put it in 'Double Helix,' scientific research feels 'the contradictory pulls of ambition and the sense of fair play.' In 2007, Watson again caused widespread anger when he told the Times of London that he believed testing indicated the intelligence of Africans was 'not really ... the same as ours.' Accused of promoting long-discredited racist theories, he was shortly afterwards forced to retire from his post as chancellor of New York's Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL). Although he later apologized, he made similar comments in a 2019 documentary, calling different racial attainment on IQ tests - attributed by most scientists to environmental factors - 'genetic.' James Dewey Watson was born in Chicago on April 6, 1928, and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1947 with a zoology degree. He received his doctorate from Indiana University, where he focused on genetics. In 1951, he joined Cambridge's Cavendish Lab, where he met Crick and began the quest for the structural chemistry of DNA. Just waiting to be found, the double helix opened the doors to the genetics revolution. In the structure Crick and Watson proposed, the steps of the winding staircase were made of pairs of chemicals called nucleotides or bases. As they noted at the end of their 1953 paper, 'It has not escaped our notice that the specific pairing we have postulated immediately suggests a possible copying mechanism for the genetic material.' That sentence, often called the greatest understatement in the history of biology, meant that the base-and-helix structure provided the mechanism by which genetic information can be precisely copied from one generation to the next. That understanding led to the discovery of genetic engineering and numerous other DNA techniques. Watson and Crick went their separate ways after their DNA research. Watson was only 25 years old then and while he never made another scientific discovery approaching the significance of the double helix, he remained a scientific force. 'He had to figure out what to do with his life after achieving what he did at such a young age,' biologist Mark Ptashne, who met Watson in the 1960s and remained a friend, told Reuters in a 2012 interview. 'He figured out how to do things that played to his strength.' That strength was playing 'the tough Irishman,' as Ptashne put it, to become one of the leaders of the U.S. leap to the forefront of molecular biology. Watson joined the biology department at Harvard University in 1956. 'The existing biology department felt that molecular biology was just a flash in the pan,' Harvard biochemist Guido Guidotti related. But when Watson arrived, Guidotti said he immediately told everyone in the biology department scientists whose research focused on whole organisms and populations, not cells and molecules 'that they were wasting their time and should retire.' That earned Watson the decades-long enmity of some of those traditional biologists, but he also attracted young scientists and graduate students who went on to forge the genetics revolution. In 1968 Watson took his institution-building drive to CSHL on Long Island, splitting his time between CSHL and Harvard for eight years. The lab at the time was 'just a mosquito-infested backwater,' said Ptashne. As director, 'Jim turned it into a vibrant, world-class institution.' In 1990, Watson was named to lead the Human Genome Project, whose goal was to determine the order of the 3 billion chemical units that constitute humans' full complement of DNA. When the National Institutes of Health, which funded the project, decided to seek patents on some DNA sequences, Watson attacked the NIH director and resigned, arguing that genome knowledge should remain in the public domain. In 2007 he became the second person in the world to have his full genome sequenced. He made the sequence publicly available, arguing that concerns about 'genetic privacy' were overwrought but made an exception by saying he did not want to know if he had a gene associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Watson did have a gene associated with novelty-seeking. His proudest accomplishment, Watson told an interviewer for Discover magazine in 2003, was not discovering the double helix - which 'was going to be found in the next year or two' anyway - but his books. 'My heroes were never scientists,' he said. 'They were Graham Greene and Christopher Isherwood - you know, good writers.' Watson cherished the bad-boy image he presented to the world in 'Double Helix,' friends said, and he emphasized it in his 2007 book, 'Avoid Boring People.' Married with two sons, he often disparaged women in public statements and boasted of chasing what he called 'popsies.' But he personally encouraged many female scientists, including biologist Nancy Hopkins of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 'I certainly couldn't have had a career in science without his support, I believe,' said Hopkins, long outspoken about anti-woman bias in science. 'Jim was hugely supportive of me and other women. It's an odd thing to understand.' An army of online conspiracy theorists fuelled a Polish womans harassment of Madeleine McCanns parents after she claimed to be the missing girl. Julia Wandelt, 24, gasped as a jury convicted her of tormenting Kate and Gerry McCann in a campaign that began on the internet but resulted in her turning up at the familys home. The couple said they hoped Wandelt would receive the appropriate care support she needs, and that any vulnerability will not be exploited by others. It comes after the trial heard Wandelt was aided and encouraged by more than a million online followers many of whom believe the McCanns were involved in the disappearance of their daughter. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Wandelts father Jacek, a 60-year-old radiologist, revealed she changed after being abused by a relative. He recalled the last time he saw her when she told him: Daddy, I love you, but you are not my dad. I am Madeleine McCann. Her devastated family had, by that point, already tried to voice their fears after her online I am Madeleine campaign garnered mass attention, saying in a statement: She always wanted to be popular. Whats happening now has given her one million followers. Were scared. Wandelt, a private tutor, was convicted of harassment but acquitted on the more serious charge of stalking the McCanns following a five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court. She was handed a six-month jail term but has already spent nine months in custody awaiting trial so could, technically, have walked free from court. But she was instead taken back to prison, where it is understood moves are under way to deport her to Poland. The final decision will rest with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Julia Wandelt, 24, gasped as a jury convicted her of tormenting Kate and Gerry McCann in a campaign that began on the internet but resulted in her turning up at the familys home Kate and Gerry McCann both gave evidence from behind a screen at the trial, where they said: Despite the jurys guilty verdict of harassment, we take no pleasure in the result. Like most people, we did not want to go through a court process and only wanted the harassment to stop' Judge Mrs Justice Cutts imposed a restraining order that bans the defendant from contacting the McCanns in any way or from publishing or broadcasting any information in relation to the family or the case. Sentencing Wandelt, the judge she said she had caused distress to both the McCanns, but particularly Kate, and an indefinite restraining order was necessary as she posed a significant risk of harassment towards them in future. She said: Even when giving evidence you did not accept you were not Madeleine. Wandelts co-accused Karen Spragg, 61, was acquitted of stalking and harassment but also handed the same restraining order after the judge said Spragg enjoyed the drama and supported Wandelt while indulging in her conspiracy theories. Spragg, a care worker and grandmother from Cardiff, told police she believed the McCanns were involved in the kidnap of their daughter. She started communicating online with Wandelt after watching her videos in which she presented evidence that she was Madeleine, before arranging to take her to the McCanns house to demand a DNA test, where she shouted at Mrs McCann, accusing her of not wanting to find her daughter. Mrs Justice Cutts said Spragg was intimately involved with Ms Wandelt and was verbally aggressive during the confrontation at the McCanns Leicestershire home. She said she accepted that Wandelt, who was abused by her step-grandfather aged nine, had a difficult childhood but that did not justify the way she behaved. Mrs Justice Cutts said her constant pestering, badgering and eventually attendance at their home address on a dark evening in December was unwarranted, unkind, and as the jury have now found, criminal. Madeleine was three-years-old when she vanished during a family holiday to The Algarve in May 2007 The trial heard Wandelt was aided and encouraged by more than a million online followers many of whom believe the McCanns were involved in the disappearance of their daughter She added: They (the McCanns) were entitled to refuse to engage with you, particularly in the sad circumstances in which they live with the disappearance of Madeleine. The judge said Wandelt believed she was the victim. She paused before telling her: You are not. The court heard a DNA comparison between Wandelt and Madeleine, from a pillow case at her Leicestershire home, proved conclusively that Wandelt was not her. But asked in court whether she still thought she was the girl who went missing, aged three, from the Portuguese resort of Praia de Luz in 2007, Wandelt replied: I do believe Im her. The court heard Wandelt called and messaged Mrs McCann more than 60 times on April 13 last year and wrote her a letter addressed Mom, signing it Madeleine. She also contacted the couples twins, Sean and Amelie, their friends and other family members and turned up at a vigil for Madeleine demanding a DNA test. Jurors were told that, from 2022, Wandelt began to make attempts to persuade anybody who was prepared to listen that she was Madeleine McCann, believing she had been abducted and brought up by a couple who were not her real parents. She utilised social media with twin accounts on Instagram and TikTok, both called @iammadeleinemccann where she uploaded evidence to support her claims, along with pictures comparing her face with Madeleines and that of her siblings and parents. Wandelt also claimed to have memories of growing up in the McCann household, and particularly distressing, memories of being abducted, which she also shared online. She has appeared on various YouTube shows discussing her claims and incredibly gave an interview from prison while awaiting trial. As a result, prosecutors took the highly unusual step of attempting to ban all reporting of the trial in part due to Wandelts significant social media platform. Karen Spragg (right), 61, leaving Leicester Crown Court. She was acquitted of stalking and harassment but the judge said Spragg enjoyed the drama and supported Wandelt while indulging in her conspiracy theories The jury was told at the outset of the trial that the disappearance of Madeleine brought many tragic consequences for her parents, including their inability to escape the glare of publicity that came with that tragedy. Mr and Mrs McCann, who both gave evidence from behind a screen at the trial, said: Despite the jurys guilty verdict of harassment, we take no pleasure in the result. Like most people, we did not want to go through a court process and only wanted the harassment to stop. The decision to prosecute was taken by the Crown Prosecution Service, based on the evidence gathered by the police. We hope Ms Wandelt will receive the appropriate care and support she needs and any vulnerability will not be exploited by others. If anyone has new evidence relating to Madeleines disappearance, please pass this on to the police. When Kate Middleton first laid eyes on a young Prince William at St Andrew's University in 2001, she was instantly besotted with Britain's most eligible bachelor. As university sweethearts who quickly fell head over heels, Kate and William's fairytale romance captured the nation's hearts, culminating in a Royal Wedding held a decade later at London's Westminster Abbey. But in the early years of their courtship, long before she was married to the future King of England, Kate was not afraid to let her hair down. In 2008, Kate and her sister Pippa - dubbed the 'sizzler sisters' by the media - organised a themed charity roller disco in London to raise funds for their school friend Thomas Waley-Cohen, who had passed away from bone cancer in 2004 aged 20. The event, hosted at the Renaissance Rooms, hoped to raise 100,000 for Tom's Ward, named in his memory, at the Children's Hospital in Oxford, alongside the organisation Place2Be, which provides counselling to youngsters in need. A far cry from her later life of Palace protocol and prestige - the future Princess was seen arriving at the event dressed in a sparkling turquoise top and luminous yellow shorts. Firmly committed to the 80s theme, she also donned pink leg warmers and was seen carrying a Mulberry Araline purse in claret red. No need for private butlers or Royal aides - the future Princess was seen moving around the party on skates that lit up while carrying a bowl of food. Long before she was married to England's future King, Kate and her sister Pippa organised a themed charity roller disco in London to raise funds for their school friend Thomas Waley-Cohen, who had passed away in 2004 aged 20 from bone cancer No need for private butlers or Royal aides - the future Princess was seen moving around the party on skates that lit up while carrying a bowl of food Indicative of her growing role in the Royal Fold, the event's star-studded guest list included Princess Beatrice and Eugenie, with Kate seen relaxed and chatting to friends while fulfilling her role of hostess. The planning of the event was supported by Mr Waley-Cohen's brother Sam, alongside Sir Richard Branson's daughter Holly. Discussing the event later, Sam explained the idea for the day-glo roller disco 'came about after a group of us got together and decided that we wanted to help raise money for these two extremely worthwhile charities'. He told The Telegraph: 'We wanted to do something fresh and new; something that would be fun and a bit tongue in cheek, reflecting the lighter side of life, very much like Thomas was himself'. And the amateur jockey did, in fact, play a crucial role in helping to repair Kate and William's relationship after their short-term separation. In April 2007, weighed down by the millstone of anticipation from the public and Palace officials alike for an engagement announcement, William had called time on their four-year courtship. For his part, it wasnt long before William was having second thoughts. Mindful, perhaps, of his fathers decision not to marry his early love Camilla Shand, William did not want to make a similar mistake. But he still had to win Kate back. In his book, Catherine Princess Of Wales: The Biography, royal biographer Robert Jobson revealed how Sam had invited the pair individually to his 'Freakin Naughty' themed fancy dress party at his family's 17th-century manor house in June 2007. A far cry from her later life of Palace protocol and prestige - the future Princess was seen arriving at the event dressed in a sparkling turquoise top and luminous yellow shorts. Firmly committed to the 80s theme, she also donned pink leg warmers The planning of the event was supported by Mr Waley-Cohen's brother Sam (pictured), alongside Sir Richard Branson's daughter Holly. The amateur jokey played a crucial role in repairing Kate and William's relationship after their short-term separation earlier that year When Kate arrived, dressed in a nurse's outfit, William was said to have 'made a beeline for her', with the pair's chemistry said to speak for itself. Later, recalling the incredible role he played in the Royal couple's reunion, Sam said: 'There's an idea that I was like Cupid with a bow and arrow. 'People love the idea that somebody put them back together, but they put themselves together far more. 'There is no doubt, however, that sending them both invitations and the timing of the party certainly helped.' William said later about the period of their break-up: We were both very young we were both finding ourselves and being different characters. It was very much trying to find our own way, and we were growing up, so it was just a bit of space and it worked out for the better. In her book The Making Of A Royal Romance, royal expert Katie Nicholl described how Kate and William tried desperately to keep their rekindled relationship under wraps. 'Kate had not sat with William at Diana's memorial concert at Wembley Stadium, nor did she attend the church service at the Guard's Chapel. 'Behind the closed doors of Clarence House, however, William and Kate were seeing each other as often as possible. In April 2007, weighed down by the millstone of anticipation from the public and Palace officials alike for an engagement announcement, William had called time on their four-year courtship At the Concert for Diana on July 1, 2007, William didn't want speculation about his relationship to eclipse his late mother's concert so Kate agreed to sit two rows away in the Royal Box. But when Take That took to the stage, Kate allowed herself a momentary glance at William 'It had taken just days for the prince to realise that ending their relationship was a mistake, but weeks before Kate agreed to give William a second chance,' she wrote. At the Concert for Diana on July 1, 2007, William didn't want speculation about his relationship to eclipse his late mother's concert so Kate agreed to sit two rows away in the Royal Box. But when Take That took to the stage, Kate allowed herself a momentary glance at William as she sang along to their hit song 'Back For Good'. 'Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn't mean it. I just want you back for good.' During an exclusive holiday on the secluded island of Seychelles in August, the two were said to have discussed the prospect of marriage, with Nicholl writing how 'William had assured Kate she was the one'. She wrote: 'William, who had inherited something of his father's fear of commitment, knew he would lose Kate if he could not give her some form of guarantee.' 'They didn't agree to get married there and then; what they made was a pact,' a member of their inner circle explained. 'William told Kate she was the one, but he was not ready to get married. He promised her his commitment and said he would not let her down, and in turn she agreed to wait for him.' During a period of significant change for the Monarchy, Kate's day-glo disco serves as a stark reminder that the British public adore a Princess with a lighthearted and personable side The pair wed in a fairytale ceremony that was watched by an estimated 1 billion people around the world. London was a blanket of red, white and blue as a million well-wishers came together to catch a glimpse of the new bride and groom The pair wed in a fairytale ceremony that was watched by an estimated 1 billion people around the world. London was a blanket of red, white and blue as a million well-wishers came together to catch a glimpse of the new bride and groom. 14 years since their Royal nuptials, and despite being a celebrated member of the Firm, Kate still holds a strong connection with her early roots as a down-to-earth girl from the Home Counties. With the help of a small team, she has established a clear public vision for her charitable work, focusing on core issues, such as helping vulnerable children and young people, and promoting sport and the arts. As the future Queen consort looks to the future, it seems clear that her down-to-earth and charitable nature, combined with an acute ability to fit the Royal mould, has proven successful. During a period of significant change for the Monarchy, Kate's day-glo disco serves as a stark reminder that the British public adore a Princess with a lighthearted and personable side. They say time heals all wounds, but just as Queen Mary was moving past the pain of the 2023 Danish royal photo scandal, the controversy is set to resurface - this time as the images become the focus of a new court case. Let's rewind a moment. Back in November 2023, a series of photos were published that showed Crown Prince Frederik enjoying a night out in the streets of Madrid with Spanish TV personality Genoveva Casanova. Absent from the pictures was Frederik's Aussie-born wife, then known as Crown Princess Mary. The 14 photos captured the heir to the Danish throne and the TV personality spending hours together in the Spanish capital - strolling in a park, attending an art exhibition, and eating a meal while watching flamenco. The pictures - reportedly taken on October 25 and 26 - also showed the pair walking through the city before heading to her apartment building, changing clothes and going out again for the evening. The controversial images were first published by Spanish magazine Lecturas and quickly sent shockwaves through Spain and Denmark - eventually making global headlines. Taking a leaf from the British royal playbook, the Danish royals remained tight-lipped about the photos: don't complain, don't explain. Neither Frederik, Mary, nor any other Danish royal has ever publicly uttered a word about the photos. After abdicating in December 2023, Frederik and Mary became King and Queen in January 2024 The 2024 coronation ceremony saw the new king and queen exchange what was widely-regarded as an awkward kiss on the palace balcony Genoveva Casanova was pictured attending an event in November 2023 - weeks after photos were published of herself out with then-named Crown Prince Frederik Less than two months after their publication, Queen Margrethe II announced in her New Year's Eve speech that she would step down in January 2024, installing her eldest son Frederik as monarch. Cynics mused that a changing of the guard was the ultimate smokescreen. Frederik and Mary became King and Queen in January 2024. Since then, theyve worked hard to present a united front and an image of marital harmony. Meanwhile, Genoveva had remained largely silent - until now. Initially, when the images were published, she released a statement denying the rumours of a romance outright. 'I categorically deny the statements that suggest a romantic relationship between Crown Prince Frederik and me,' Genoveva said in a statement provided to Spain's Hola magazine in November 2023. 'Any statement of that type is not only devoid of truth, but also misrepresents the facts in a malicious manner. It is already in the hands of my lawyers, who will take the appropriate steps to protect my right to honor, truth and privacy.' It seems this was no idle threat, as reports of legal action have now surfaced. Spanish newspaper El Economista was first to report on the legal proceedings, based on confirmation from Lecturas' editor-in-chief, Luis Pliego. Genoveva Casanova, pictured here at a fashion event in November 2022, is reported to have filed a 400-page lawsuit against Lecturas and several other Spanish outlets that published photos of her with Frederik They alleged that Genoveva's lawyers filed a 400-page lawsuit against Lecturas and several other Spanish media outlets that reported on or contributed to the spread of the story. The lawsuit reportedly claims that the stories published by local outlets violated Genoveva's privacy and damaged her reputation irreparably. Furthermore, the suit is reported to be demanding one million euros in compensation for publication of the scandalous snaps. El Economista quotes editor Pliego, who said: 'I can only say that she is demanding one million euros and that in my explanation I have defended the journalistic relevance of the story.' Also attributed to Pliego is a claim that a total of 16 people were called into court to give evidence in the proceedings. Curiously perhaps, Genoveva was not among them. Instead, El Economista claimed she fled to Mexico - even missing the wedding of her ex, Cayetano Martinez de Irujo, father of her children. This might seem unsurprising - why would you want an ex-spouse attending your wedding - but the pair, who were married for only a few years and share twins, are reportedly on good terms. In fact, according to El Economista, her aristocratic ex-husband is believed to be funding the lawsuit. Queen Mary and King Frederik, pictured here attending a state dinner in Latvia on October 28, have remained silent on both the photographs and the court case A SE og HR report claimed that Genoveva's ex is 'the one who pays Casanova's lawyers bills in connection with the trial'. As the case unfolds in a Spanish courtroom, Lecturas has taken the lead in mounting an unexpected defence, aiming to dodge the compensation claim. If successful, it could be another brutal blow to the Danish royals. El Economista reported that the defence's argument centres on public interest - suggesting the reporting was justified because it ultimately 'led to Queen Margrethe's abdication and Frederik's ascension to the throne'. In other words, the media argue that the public interest in the story outweighs the right to privacy of the future King and the TV star. However, there is some scepticism in the Danish press as to whether this argument will hold up. Danish royal expert Sebastian Olden-Jrgensen is among those questioning the validity of this claim. 'It is quite clear that it was a decision she made during the Christmas days of 2023 - that is, some time after the Madrid story,' read part of his translated statement given to SE og HR. On October 27, Queen Mary and King Frederik co-hosted the Royal Couple's Awards Ceremony for the first time Danish media outlets such as Billed Bladet gushed over the couple's warm interactions as hosts, noting they exchanged 'loving glances' throughout the event 'The other thing is: Could this be the way the Queen has typically acted? Has she continuously reacted and acted strategically for the press? I don't think so.' Nevertheless, the crux of the Spanish media's defence carries a sting for the royals. Meanwhile, as ever, Queen Mary and King Frederik remain silent on both the photographs and the court case. With a royal tradition of not commenting on rumours, it's unlikely we'll hear anything further. But the royals are certainly doing their utmost to project an image of a solid, united and even loved-up couple. With timing that may appear uncanny, Frederik and Mary have ramped up their joint public appearances over the past week. On October 27, Queen Mary and King Frederik enjoyed a milestone in their reign, co-hosting the Royal Couples Awards Ceremony for the first time - an event widely hailed as a triumph. Danish media outlets such as Billed Bladet gushed over the couple, noting their arm-in-arm walk and 'loving glances' throughout. Days later, the royal couple's busy schedule continued with back-to-back events during a two-day State visit to Latvia. The royal couple's action-packed itinerary included several photo ops - all peppered with warm interactions between Mary and Frederik The action-packed itinerary included photo ops at a museum, a gymnasium and an official meeting with the president - all peppered with warm interactions between Mary and Frederik. The visit culminated with a glamorous State Banquet, which saw them don tuxedos, tiaras and other finery. There was no rest upon their return to Denmark on October 30, when the pair enjoyed a date night at the Copenhagen Concert Hall, watching the Danish National Symphony Orchestra's 100th birthday celebration. Maintaining a positive and press-friendly front is clearly still the royal strategy - and with almost two years on the throne, it's a tactic that's served them well so far. In the meantime, Mary's glamorous photo offensive hasn't let up. In early November, she travelled to Egypt, with the royal family's Instagram sharing a series of awe-inspiring photos of the Queen exploring the Giza pyramid complex and surrounding sites. There's certainly plenty of sand there, should anyone feel the urge to bury one's head. She's always preferred to be more understated, epitomising elegance. But on Tuesday, Queen Letizia of Spain debuted her most striking look yet as she attended a gala dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid. Sporting full regalia and having undergone a glamorous glow-up, the 53-year-old, who is married to King Felipe VI, 57, wowed royal fans with her impeccable ensemble. It comes just months after the Princess of Wales stole the show in gold during the King and Queen's state banquet for the Trumps - now Letizia has taken her time to shine. With Kate having seemingly set the royal fashion blueprint for state banquets, Letizia wowed in a floor-length silk cobalt blue gown by The Second Skin Co, complete with a Cartier tiara and diamond earrings. For the event - a gala dinner for Haitham Bin Tariq, the sultan and prime minister of Oman, as part of his three-day state visit to Spain - Letizia swapped her usual understated look for something much more glossy. With her shoulder-length hair arranged in loose curls rather than her typical smooth blow dry, the royal chose a sophisticated make-up style centering on warm bronze shades, a smoky eye and shiny lips. Letizia, who shares two daughters with Felipe, used a shimmery blush to accentuate her cheekbones while layered mascara and prominent, arched eyebrows had the effect of opening up her hazel eyes. The Queen of Spain's outfit, including her striking jewellery and 19th century Cartier tiara, was also uncharacteristically theatrical. Queen Letizia of Spain (pictured) debuted a glamourous new look at a state banquet in Madrid on Tuesday evening The royal left behind her understated look in favour of something much more glossy She wore a full-length gown in a rich blue satin and opted for a heavier make-up look that accentuated her cheekbones and opened up her eyes Letizia stood out in a royal blue satin gown by Spanish fashion brand The 2nd Skin Co, which has built a strong following thanks to its beautiful bridal dresses. The label's 'Suraia' dress, identified by the Royal Fashion Daily blog on Instagram, had a round, high-cut collar and three-quarter length sleeves featuring bows. The floor-length gown, which contrasted with the cocktail dresses that Letizia often chooses, had a trailing skirt and, cinched at the waist with a blue suede belt, drew attention to her slim waist. Letizia paired her formal gown with platform heels, specifically, the 'Monroe' style from Martinelli's collaboration with Redondo Brand. The most striking part of the royal's elaborate ensemble, however, was her pearl and diamond tiara, which, according to the Royal Watcher, dates back to 1886. Officially known as the Cartier Loop tiara, the headwear was first made for Queen Maria Christina, the wife of King Alfonso XII, whose reign as the Spanish king spanned 1874 to 1885. It is also said to be a favourite of Letizias mother-in-law, Queen Sofia, 87. Letizia completed her look on Tuesday night with a pair of prominent diamond earrings, which perfectly complemented her blue gown, and a collar which appeared to feature the insignia of Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III. It comes just months after the Princess of Wales stole the show in gold during the King and Queen's state banquet for the Trumps - now Letizia has taken her time to shine Letizia (pictured in December 2024) has always preferred a more natural style Felipe, meanwhile, looked dapper in a black suit made up of a tailcoat and slim trousers, and adorned with various medals. During the course of the evening Felipe and Letizia appeared to share a tender moment, smiling as they stared into each other's eyes. Letizia, who has attended a number of events since Haitham Bin Tariq arrived in Spain earlier this week, isn't the only Spanish royal who has had a busy autumn. Indeed, Princess Leonor, 19, the eldest of the royal couple's daughters, debuted her Air Force uniform in October as she joined her family for the Spanish National Day celebrations. Leonor was accompanied by her parents and her sister Infanta Sofia, 18, at the formal reception at Zarzuela Palace in Madrid. The national day festivities, which were led by the Royal Family - and notably the king - included a number of activities. King Felipe and his wife and daughters gathered to watch a procession, before then greeting dignitaries and taking them to the royal residence. While all eyes were, as ever, on the whole family, many were interested in seeing Princess Leonor, who has been increasing her public profile in recent times - even making her first official visit to the parliament building the Palacio del Gobierno de Navarra last month. Even on formal occasions, such as a reception for the diplomatic corps at the Royal Palace in January, Letizia preferred to wear separates rather than a traditional gown She has always worn her brunette locks in a straight blow dry but this week opted for a more regal look of loose curls Leonor (who remains as heir to the throne so long as her parents don't give birth to a son, as Spanish law still favours male primogeniture when it comes to the crown and its succession) looked every inch the Air Force cadet in her smart uniform. She wore dark blue trousers and a matching jacket, with well-polished patent shoes, white gloves, and peaked uniform cap. Meanwhile, the Queen was typically stylish in a green boatneck midi-length frock, paired with low heeled, pointed black sling backs, a coordinated slim belt, and handbag. Making a trip back to her home nation from Portugal, where she is currently studying, Infanta Sofia of Spain opted for a navy frock with white polka dots, and a navy cape. Sofia made her debut at the palace portion of the day on Sunday, after turning 18 earlier this year. Meanwhile, Leonor is currently undergoing her three-year military training: she embarked on her final year earlier this month. As she is the heir to the throne, Leonor will one day take the title of Commander in Chief of the armed forces, alongside being the Queen of Spain, and therefore has to spend time in each section of defence. She spent her first year of training with the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, before completing her naval training this summer. The state banquet on Tuesday was held for the Sultan of Oman, Haitham Bin Tariq, as part of his three-day visit to Spain King Felipe, who looked dapper in a tailcoat and slim trousers, and Letizia shared a tender moment during the course of the evening In January, she boarded the Juan Sebastian de Elcano, a Spanish Navy training ship. Then, in June, the royal and her fellow cadets arrived in New York on board the vessel. Leonor was not reported to have taken the ship back to Spain, instead returning by plane to board the Spanish Navy guided missile frigate Blas de Lezo, where she was scheduled to complete an essential part of her naval training. The royal looked every inch a poised naval cadet as she arrived in the States, blending, in her crisp white uniform complete with black insignia. She took off her hat and saluted onlookers as she stood proudly aboard the ship as it arrived in the US. The royal started her aeronautical training after arriving at the General Air and Space Academy in San Javier on September 1. A message written in the Academy's Book of Honour by Leonor said: 'Today I begin the third stage of my military training at this General Air and Space Academy. I look forward with enthusiasm to this course, during which I will have the opportunity to begin my aeronautical training and, alongside my classmates, learn the practical and theoretical aspects of military aviation.' After being found 'flight fit' before the Summer, the princess is taking a number of theoretical classes, before she takes to the skies - with reports saying that by Christmas, it's estimated that she will have started flying. The Duchess of Sussex has been pictured sporting a new watch - and fans are convinced it's the same one Dodi Al Fayed once gifted Princess Diana. Meghan Markle, 44, looked to be wearing some never-before-seen bling on her wrist, where she usually dons her late mother-in-law's Cartier Tank Francaise model, worth 17,800 ($24,020), which was gifted to her after she married Prince Harry. However, while spotted on the set of the upcoming film Close Personal Friends in California, she donned a different golden band, which followers believe to be the Panthere De Cartier variant, from the same luxury jeweller. Eagle-eyed wellwishers believe it may have once belonged to the Duke of Sussex's mother. Today, watches from the collection go for as much as 138,000 ($180,909). It is thought Meghan was, on her left arm, wearing the heirloom piece which was reportedly presented to Diana as a gift during her relationship with the son of Harrods tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed. According to royal biographer Judy Wade, as shared by Town & Country, it was among the many opulent gifts he showered her with, including 'a huge box of tropical fruit and a roomful of pink roses'. 'Designed in the 1980s, the Panthere de Cartier watch takes its name from the bracelet of the same name,' according to the brand. 'Its ultra-flexible structure echoes the movements of the Maisons emblematic animal. The Duchess of Sussex is sporting a new watch - and fans are convinced it's the same one Dodi Al Fayed once gifted Princess Diana According to royal biographer Judy Wade, as shared by Town & Country, the watch was among the many opulent gifts he showered Diana with, including 'a huge box of tropical fruit and a roomful of pink roses'. Pictured: A Panthere de Cartier watch retailing for 26,200 on the website currently. It comes in a variety of designs and sizes 'Both a watch and a piece of jewellery, it is a veritable fashion icon for women with bold style.' While Meghan has been gifted several items from Diana's collection, the Cartier Tank Francaise watch is a clear favourite and she has been spotted wearing it often. After Prince William initially picked the watch from his mother's jewellery, he is believed to have given it to his brother in exchange for Diana's sapphire engagement ring. On Wednesday, while seen getting back into acting work on the movie set to star Lily Collins, Brie Larson, Jack Quaid, and Brit heartthrob Henry Golding, Meghan accessorised the piece with what appeared to be her 18-carat gold Cartier Love bracelet which retails for around 7,050 ($9,513). The bracelet's screw motif symbolises eternal love, with a unique closure that locks around the wrist, representing lasting commitment. Elsewhere, she looks to have stacked her gold plated wide ripple bracelet from Bar Wide, which retails for around 240 ($385). Elsewhere, there was a sizeable jewel glistening on the former actress' finger. This is her 120,000 ($161,922) engagement ring which Prince Harry used to propose to her in 2017, a year before they married. He designed a bespoke engagement ring, featuring a cushion-cut diamond from Botswana, symbolising their first holiday together. Diana pictured wearing a watch Dodi reportedly gifted to her in 1995 The ring also included two smaller round diamonds from Princess Diana's personal collection, ensuring his late mother's presence in their journey. Initially crafted by Cleave & Company, Queen Elizabeth's trusted jeweller, the ring featured a simple gold band and was valued at around 120,000. However, less than two years later, Harry commissioned Lorraine Schwartz to resize and reset the ring with a new diamond band, which Meghan first wore at Trooping the Colour in 2019. Meghan stacked this on top of her 10,000 ($13,493) wedding band, which was crafted from Welsh gold and was gifted to her from the late Queen, as in keeping with royal tradition. Meghan was also seen donning her eternity ring, which retails for 80,000 ($107,947), and first caught the eye of royal watchers when she first wore it in 2019. Placed alongside her wedding band and engagement ring, the eternity ring holds deep personal meaning as it was a gift from Harry to mark their first wedding anniversary. Crafted with conflict-free diamonds, the ring features the birthstones of Meghan, Archie and Harry, subtly set on its underside: a green peridot, green emerald and blue sapphire. The Duchess, wearing dark sunglasses, was all smiles in a casual white and navy pinstripe shirt, which she paired with an elegant white linen maxi skirt. She waved excitedly to a member of the crew. The Duchess pictured sporting some of her jewellery collection in the first season of With Love, Meghan - including the Cartier Tank Francaise Princess Diana pictured wearing the Cartier Tank Francaise watch as she visited the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir In Neasden in 1997 She added brown sandals and chic sunglasses for the warm weather in Pasadena, making for a relaxed look while filming. Meghan looked delighted as she climbed into a luxurious Range Rover and was swept to a large estate in the hills of Pasadena. There the former actress, who starred as Rachel Zane in Suits between 2011 and 2018, was filming a scene by the swimming pool for the Amazon MGM Studios production. The mother-of-two is returning to showbiz eight years after her final scenes in the legal drama when she quit to marry Prince Harry and briefly become a working royal. A source close to the production has insisted that Meghan has been 'swamped with offers' for acting work 'but this one felt right'. The gig is with the full support of her husband because he knows acting 'brings her joy', the insider said. Close Personal Friends follows two couples - one famous and the other, not. Little is known yet about the plot, or Meghan's role, but the couples at the heart of the script meet in Santa Barbara and 'fast become friends'. The Hollywood production she is filming couldn't be more different to the last one she starred in, a low budget TV movie called Dater's Handbook for the Hallmark Channel in 2016. An LA insider has told the Daily Mail this week that executives in Hollywood have been urging her to return to acting given her success in Suits, and the failure of some of her projects since she left the business and married Harry. 'She's finally seen sense', they said. The Duke of Sussex, 41, is in Canada this week, while William is in Brazil Prince Harry has been accused of 'copying' his older brother Prince William after posing for a remarkably similar photo opportunity during his trip to Canada this week. On Tuesday, the Prince of Wales, 43, was seen looking suave in a pair of sunglasses as he stood at the helm of a boat during a tour of the picturesque Guanabara Bay in Brazil. Mere hours later, Harry took part in a boat trip of his own as he was seen on the water with soldiers from two historic Army Reserve units. The Duke of Sussex, 41, has denied deliberately trying to overshadow his older brother with a high-profile pseudo-royal tour at the same time William jetted to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize awards. William's visit was made public first: Earthshot is one of his biggest achievements and is a key staple in the royal calendar. The clash was labelled 'predictable' by one royal expert, however Harry's spokesman knocked back any suggestion his announcement was about sibling rivalry. But today, more fuel was added to the fire after royal fans spotted that the Duke had taken part in a very similar photo opportunity to his estranged brother. Both royals were seen holding onto the railings on a boat ride, and looking pensively into the distance. 'William went on a boat ride I need to go on a boat ride,' one royal fan commented, comparing the two pictures. Prince Harry has been accused of 'copying' his older brother Prince William after posing for a remarkably similar photo opportunity Hours earlier, William was also seen on a boat as he toured the picturesque Guanabara Bay A second said: 'Prince William looks like he's having so much fun on that boat. Haz, on the other hand, looks bored.' Others said: 'This is soooooooooo cringe'; 'Going on a boat in Canada in November is a weird choice'; 'Wait. Let me hop on a ferry and look concerned.' 'Just as his wife does trying to copy Catherine. And always failing,' another commented. Similarly, Meghan Markle has also been accused of emulating the Princess of Wales and her style in the past. Most recently, royal fans said she was 'copying' Kate after taking a picture in the cockpit of a plane during her Washington DC trip last month - weeks after the Princess visited RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire. On Wednesday, Harry spent time with members of Canada's Reserve Forces in Toronto, meeting with soldiers from two historic Army Reserve units. In a previous statement, his team blamed the timing of his trip on the fact that he is 'not afforded the same level of security and protection as other working members of the Royal Family'. Prince Harry on the water during his trip to Canada this week, at the same time Prince William is in Brazil Prince William, Prince of Wales (centre) rides in a boat during a tour of the Guapimirim mangrove area in Guanabara Bay Today, more fuel was added to the fire after royal fans spotted that the Duke had taken part in a very similar photo opportunity to his estranged brother 'It means therefore, that the period of time in which we can release details of events is much more truncated than it is for His Majesty the King or the Prince of Wales', his spokesman added. The Prince of Wales landed in Rio de Janeiro on Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of his environmental award, the Earthshot Prize. But as William began his first engagement at Sugarloaf Mountain, his younger brother's office in California announced a trip to Canada this week ahead of Remembrance Sunday. The Duke of Sussex's visit to Toronto to meet with veterans, members of the armed forces community and military charities directly clashed with William's trip to South America. The Brazil visit marks a pivotal and personally important moment for the heir to the throne, who jetted out of the UK after he and his father stripped his uncle Andrew of all his titles and his Windsor home. Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter said the timing of Harry's announcement was 'inevitable if not predictable.' But a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex has hit back, declaring: 'The events were planned nearly a year ago. 'The date of the main event, the dinner, is set by the charity, not Prince Harry. William's visit was made public first, and Earthshot is one of his biggest achievements, and is a key staple in the royal calendar 'The period of Remembrance-tide traditionally extends from the 111 November and has done since 1918, over 100 years. He can't choose to move those dates.' The spokesman added: 'We are always guided as to when we can announce trips like this, by the advice given to us by his private security advisers and the event's security team. 'This visit, months in the planning, marks a return to a city that has a special place in the Duke's heart, having played host to the Invictus Games back in 2017.' The British royal household was informed of Harry's Canada plans in advance a sign that communications between the King and his youngest son are open again. But Harry and William, however, are understood not to be talking. William has diplomatically declined to discuss the Royal Family's current woes in public - but did speak of his desire to surround himself with people 'who want to do good'. The Prince of Wales would not be drawn on the rows caused by his uncle Andrew and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a 'fireside' chat with CNN on his Earthshot Prize trip to Brazil. Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour asked the heir to the throne about his recent comments that he would pursue 'change for good' when he is king. Ms Amanpour pointed to William's recent Apple TV interview with Eugene Levy and asked if could expand on his comments 'given there has been a lot of change in your family recently'. Harry is in Canada ahead of Remembrance Sunday However, William batted away the apparent nod to the decision to strip Andrew of all his titles and home, as well as the rift with Harry and Meghan over Megxit. Without hesitation he decided instead to focus on Earthshot and praised 'the brilliant people in this room', calling them 'action heroes' and declaring: 'Change will come from backing them not by what I do'. But to cheers from the audience he did add: 'I want to surround myself with people who want to make change and do good in the world'. Royal watchers have praised his decision to stay quiet. 'Unlike Harry, William doesn't air the family laundry in public', one said. Last night, Harry's tour of Canada continued with a glittering gala for veterans where he used his speech to speak of his bond with the Commonwealth nation's troops and crack jokes about his 'ever-increasing bald spot'. 'I am truly sorry for wearing a Dodgers hat', he said, before joking that the cap had also helped hide how much his hair is thinning. There were more guffaws in the crowd of 500 when he made a gag about the lights on bouncing off his bald spot. Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, meanwhile, has this week revealed she is returning to acting. A Florida mom says her neighborhood Homeowners Association targeted her five-year-old son after he was seen swinging on a tree near the community bus stop. Ariel Barner, who lives in Orlando, received a letter from an attorney representing the University Pines Property Owners Association, the HOA where she lives, which said her child Owen was 'swinging from tree branches and throwing rocks.' The letter called Owen a 'public nuisance and annoyance to the neighborhood.' Barner was also told to pay $382 to cover the attorney's fees for drafting the letter. 'My five-year-old son has been labeled a "public nuisance" by our HOA for simply touching a tree at the bus stop,' Barner wrote on a GoFundMe page where she is asking for help with legal fees. 'Instead of compassion, we've been met with attorneys and legal threats. I'm a single mother fighting for fairness and my child's dignity please help us defend our rights.' Barner said on TikTok that her son was simply full of energy in the morning and was behaving like kids normally do. 'They are hyper in the mornings,' she said. It comes as Americans are increasingly speaking up about overbearing HOAs forcing meticulous or unwritten rules on homeowners. Ariel Barner, who lives in Orlando, received a letter from the HOA where she lives, which said her child Owen was 'swinging from tree branches and throwing rocks' The letter called Owen a 'public nuisance and annoyance to the neighborhood.' Barner was also told to pay $382 to cover the attorney's fees for drafting the letter Barner said this all started when she told a neighbor who was disciplining her kids to 'please speak to me, not my children.' Within days she received the legal letter. 'Yes, my five-year-old was listed in a legal complaint as a "public nuisance." No prior warning, no written notice, no conversation,' she said. 'Just retaliation because I asked an adult to stop harassing my children about property that doesn't belong to them.' She claimed the HOA is demanding she pay attorney's fees for something that was 'never documented, never proven,' and never communicated to her as a homeowner. 'This isn't just about me. This is about every parent who believes adults should address adults, not children. 'And it's about every homeowner who deserves fairness, transparency, and accountability from the people who claim to "represent" the community.' The letter came with no prior warning from the association, Barner said. She went door-to-door handing out fresh flowers and a copy of the letter along with her own letter to notify her neighbors of where their HOA dues were going. The letter came with no prior warning from the association, Barner said, and it included a fine in the amount of $382.16 Ariel Barner went door-to-door handing out fresh flowers and a copy of the letter, along with her own letter to notify her neighbors of where their HOA dues were going The tree at the communal bus stop which the five-year-old was accused of swinging on and of being a nuisance to the neighborhood Americans are increasingly speaking up about overbearing HOAs forcing meticulous or unwritten rules on homeowners 'That was so hard and embarrassing,' Barner said. 'I may lose but I have no problem going down fighting. It's not right. No matter how drained I am I have to keep going.' Barner is also sharing the ongoing saga on TikTok, where she now has nearly two million followers. Her posts are receiving thousands of responses from people supporting her family. 'Join the HOA! Become the MOST powerful person in the community! You've got this,' one commenter said. 'I can't imagine owning a home and have to tip toe in my own community,' said another. One suggested an attorney take on her case pro bono, writing: 'Some attorney needs to step up and help you! It's time someone steps up to these HOA's.' Shipwash Law Firm, which is representing the University Pines Property Owners Association, did not return a request for comment. HOAs across the country are gaining a reputation for being overbearing about residents' behavior and upkeep of homes all while hiking fees. HOAs are soaring in many states with Florida hit particularly hard due to new laws around reserve funds and soaring insurance rates. In one instance, a luxury building in downtown Miami recently saw a $538 jump in monthly dues when their HOA went from $1,735 to $2,318. A researcher has managed to trace the fate of the missing fragments of the Stone of Destiny, a powerful symbol of the British monarchy. It has been placed under the coronation chair for the crowning of kings and queens since the 13th century, including Charles III in May 2023. Professor Sally Foster, an archaeologist at Stirling University, says there are 34 small fragments of the centuries-old object, also known as Stone of Scone, circulated around the world. And through intensive research, she's traced the history and whereabouts of several of the pieces, which were distributed by Scottish politician and stonemason Robert Gray between the 1950s and 1970s. As her new paper reveals, they were gifted to family members, trusted political friends, nationalist politicians and journalists at home and abroad. She's managed to chart the suspected whereabouts of 17 of them, but that means another 17 are completely unaccounted for. 'The existence and significance of a diverse, dispersed body of small fragments of the Stone has been overlooked,' Professor Foster said. 'This is not just any stone; since the fourteenth century, nearly all English, later British monarchs, sat over the stone during their coronation.' The Stone of Destiny, pictured here on display at the new Perth Museum, was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century, and thereafter in the coronation of English and later British monarchs Laser scans in 2023 revealed the subtle marking 'XXXV' which is the number 35 in Roman numerals, according to Professor Sally Foster, archaeologist at the Stirling University This summary shows Stone of Destiny fragments known to be dispersed by Bertie Gray, and their transmission (correct to December 2024). It shows the suspected whereabouts of 17 of them, but that suggests another 17 are completely unaccounted for The Stone of Destiny is said to date back to the 13th century, but on Christmas Day 1950, a botched theft by activists at Westminster Abbey broke it into two. The following year it was repaired by Robert 'Bertie' Gray, but during the restoration work more than 30 little fragments were left over. Gray never revealed exactly how many fragments before his death in 1975, but Professor Foster thinks it's 34, citing a crucial clue on the main 335 lb (152kg) slab, which is on display in Perth. Mr Gray inscribed 'XXXV', the Roman numeral for 35, on the slab, interpreted as meaning there are 35 pieces in total (with the 35th being the main one). This would mean there are 34 fragments out there waiting to be found and Professor Foster has been on a determined mission to locate them. The academic has relied on written records and a call-out to the public earlier this year in an effort to settle the mystery. One fragment, now on display at Queensland Museum in Brisbane, was gifted by Mr Gray to Catherine Milne, a visiting Australian tourist. On her death in 1967, the family donated the fragment, accompanying letter of authentication and Gray's business card, to Queensland Museum. Your browser does not support iframes. A fragment of the Stone gifted to Queensland Museum in Australia (image courtesy of Queensland Museum and photographer Peter Waddington) One fragment is known to have been gifted to former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and kept at the SNP's headquarters (pictured) What is the Stone of Destiny? The Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, is an oblong block of sandstone with great religious and historical significance. Legend has it that it started life as the stone pillow on which Jacob slept when he had his dream of the ladder leading up to heaven as described in Genesis 28:12-17. It has featured in the coronation of every English sovereign, with the exception of Mary I and Mary II, since 1307. In 1296, English king Edward I looted the stone (from Scone Abbey) in 1296 and brought it to London. 700 years later, it was returned to Scotland. Advertisement Another beneficiary was Canadian journalist and Calgary Herald editor Dick Sanburn, who mounted his piece behind his desk in the 1950s. Amazingly, another bit set in a brooch was given away as second prize in a Scottish raffle in 1955, according to her new study. Perhaps even more astonishingly, one of the activists who stole the Stone of Destiny at Westminster, Ian Hamilton, got a bit that he then gave to his girlfriend, again set in jewellery. Yet another fragment is known to have been gifted to former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and kept at the SNP's headquarters. Decades before this, in 1974, it had been gifted to Margaret MacCormick, the widow of John, a friend of Mr Gray and fellow Scottish nationalist. One other SNP politician also owned a fragment Winnie Ewing, who was photographed in 1967 next to legendary TV host David Frost wearing a necklace with a stone fragment inset. Ms Ewing joked 'she would like to be arrested for being in possession of stolen property'. 'Other sources showing her wearing the necklace during her successful campaign for election to Parliament in November 1967,' said the professor. In September 1974, Mr Gray said he did still have in his possession 'one or two small pieces', one of which he gave to his daughter Marion with a letter of authentication. In 2018, she put her framed letter and fragment up for auction, where it was expected to reach 3,000, but concern about the sale led to its 'discreet withdrawal'. In this image, photo (a) shows a fragment donated to Australian Catherine Milne, while (b) shows Scottish politician Winnie Ewing with TV host David Frost Winnie Ewing wearing her necklace with the inset stone fragment Pictured, a service to mark the arrival of the Stone of Destiny to Westminster Abbey in London in April 2023 According to Professor Foster, the majority of the fragments have been treasured and looked after rather than publicly paraded. 'Few people opted to brazenly flaunt and taunt with their possession, except for some politicians,' she said. 'Families cared for them, emotionally and physically, and we can also trace the progression of fragments to valued heirlooms.' However, about half are still unaccounted for, and Professor Foster is still keen to hear from people who may have knowledge of the others' whereabouts. 'I'm hoping even more people will now get in contact, and I am particularly keen to hear from Bertie Gray's family,' she told the Daily Mail. Her research has been published in The Antiquaries Journal. Two British explorers have put George Mallory's 1920s Everest kit to the ultimate test by wearing it up a Himalayan mountain. Identical twins Hugo and Ross Turner, 37, summited Nepal's 21,250feet (6,476m) Nera Peak. While Ross was fitted with the latest gear, Hugo completed the feat wearing an exact replica of Everest pioneers George Mallory and Sandy Irving's kit. Hugo even wore custom replicas of Mallory's boots, complete with doublelined leather, yak felt insulation, and an extra upper layer added by Mallory himself to improve the waterproofing. The unfortunate twin was bundled up in seven layers of silk shirts and woollen jumpers under his gaberdine jacket, alongside three pairs of leggings under his trousers as well as a weighty ice axe made of oldfashioned wood and steel. Overall, the replica 1920s kit came in over 3.5 kilograms heavier than the modern alternative. Amazingly, monitoring revealed that there were no major differences in stress or cognition levels between Hugo and Ross. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Hugo said: 'The clothing was flawless and created zero issues for me, so they definitely knew about clothing back in the day!' Two British twin explorers, Ross (right) and Hugo (left) Turner, have put George Mallory's 1920s Everest expedition kit to the ultimate test Identical twins Hugo and Ross Turner summited Nepal's 21,250feet (6,476m) Nera Peak. While Ross (right) wore the best modern gear available, Hugo (left) wore an identical replica of the kit worn by George Mallory and Sandy Irving In 1924, Sandy Irving (back left) and George Mallory (back row, second from left) attempted to climb Mount Everest. The expedition ended in tragedy and both men died, but it has never been confirmed whether they made it to the summit first Mallory and Irving attempted to make the first ascent of Mount Everest in 1924, but the expedition came to a tragic end after both men were lost on the mountain. It would be almost 30 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made their successful climb in 1953, and whether Mallory made it to the summit remains one of mountaineering's most hotly debated questions. Ross and Hugo wanted to help settle part of this mystery by investigating whether Mallory's 100yearold kit could have prevented him from reaching the peak. Hugo told Daily Mail: 'We wanted to understand the performance of Mallory's kit.' Their expedition was closely monitored by scientists from the University of Portsmouth's Extreme Environments Laboratory, who gathered data on the twins as they climbed. Initial testing took place in a lab, where the twins exercised in their gear and then stood in a cold chamber set to a freezing 25C (13F). Happy that Hugo wouldn't freeze to death right away, the twins set off to Nera Peak, the highest trekking mountain in Nepal, for the final test. As they climbed, researchers measured the twins' temperature, cognitive performance, dexterity, and levels of cortisol a chemical associated with stress. Your browser does not support iframes. Hugo wore seven layers of silk shirts and woollen jumpers under his gaberdine jacket, alongside three pairs of leggings under his trousers to protect him from the cold Hugo also wore replicas of Mallory's boots that included doublelined leather, yak felt insulation, and an extra upper layer added by Malory himself to improve the waterproofing Did Mallory and Irving reach the summit of Everest? The 1924 British Mount Everest expedition was the second time British mountaineers had attempted to summit Mount Everest. After arriving in the mountain in April, George Mallory and Sandy Irvine made their third attempt to climb the mountain on June 5. However, the pair disappeared, and their remains were not found for almost 100 years. There is no conclusive evidence to show that they did or didn't make it to the summit before dying. Mallory's body was found at 26,760 feet (8,156 metres), but there wasn't any sure sign he had reached the summit first. To this day, it remains one of mountaineering's biggest questions. Advertisement Surprisingly, the researchers found that there were no major differences in stress or cognition levels between Hugo and Ross. Dr Joe Costello, a researcher who conducted the research, told Daily Mail: 'Our observations were that the old and the new kit were very similar in the conditions we tested. 'This expedition and investigation offer a rare comparative insight into how gear may have affected Mallory's chances of survival and summit success in 1924. In the extreme environments area of research, this is one of the key questions which remains unanswered.' Hugo says that the biggest difference between the 1920s gear and modern equipment was weight and thermal performance. While Ross' kit from the British brand Montane weighed just 8 kilograms, Hugo's vintage gear weighed 11.5 kilograms. Hugo says: 'The Mallory boots didn't have as much grip as expected on the snow conditions we had on the mountain, so this added to my energy expenditure while climbing.' Additionally, the twins were fitted with temperature monitors for their final summit push, when temperatures fell to 20C (4F). The readings from Hugo's chest and boots were about 2C (3.6F) lower than Ross', while his hands were 3.5C (6.3F) colder. Although Mallory's kit was more than three kilograms heavier than modern gear, the twins say there is no reason that it should have prevented him from reaching the summit Hugo says that the biggest differences were the weight and the thermal performance. The oldfashioned gear was about 2C (3.6F) colder at the summit The pair have also tested the gear worn by explorer Ernest Shackleton in 1914 by trekking across the polar ice cap in Greenland However, the twins believe that these oldfashioned methods still work well enough for all but the worst conditions. 'Mallory shouldn't have been held back, given the snow and weather conditions were favourable,' Hugo said. That suggests clothing and equipment alone might not have prevented Mallory and Irving from reaching the summit. By comparing the data from two genetically identical individuals, scientists can get a very clear view of what difference the kit itself makes. Previously, Hugo and Ross tested Mallory's equipment by climbing the 18,500foot (5,642m) Mount Elbrus in Russia. The pair have also tested the gear worn by explorer Ernest Shackleton in 1914 by trekking across the polar ice cap in Greenland. Saturn's moon, Enceladus, could harbour alien life, scientists have discovered. New findings from NASA's Cassini mission have revealed heat leaking out from the moon's North Pole. This suggests that the moon's vast underground ocean might have a much more stable climate than had previously been thought. According to the researchers, this means it might be the perfect place for life to evolve. Although Enceladus' icy surface is barren, its underground oceans have all the necessary ingredients for life. However, until now, scientists weren't sure whether the planet's internal temperature could be stable for long enough for organisms to emerge. Scientists can't yet say whether life actually exists on the moon, but they have now shown that Enceladus has an ocean in which life stands a chance of surviving. Co-author Dr Carly Howett, of the University of Oxford, told Daily Mail: 'We think life likes stability to survive - so showing Enceladus energy is stable means its sub-surface environment probably is too.' Saturn's Moon Enceladus (artist's impression) might be home to alien life, according to a new study, as researchers find heat escaping from the moon's North Pole Although Enceladus looks barren on the surface, beneath the ice, there is a vast liquid water ocean which has all the ingredients for life. Pictured: Enceladus as seen by the Cassini spacecraft With a diameter of 310 miles (500 km) about as wide as Arizona Enceladus is Saturn's sixthlargest moon. On the surface, conditions are exceptionally cold with temperatures as low as 201C (330F). But beneath the surface, there is enough heat energy to maintain a large, liquid ocean of water. The moon gets heat from a process called tidal heating, where it is squeezed and stretched by Saturn's gravity. This energy prevents the moon from freezing completely, but the underground oceans would only be able to support life if the energy coming in matches the energy flowing out. Dr Howett says: 'If Enceladus is losing more energy than gaining, then eventually the whole moon will cool and Enceladus ocean is going to freeze which is obviously bad for life! 'If it's gaining more energy than losing, then the ocean will heat and melt the ice shell from the bottom which will change both the oceans temperature and chemistry.' Previous studies have estimated how much energy Enceladus loses through its active South Pole, where jets of water are constantly erupting through tectonic fissures known as 'tiger stripes'. Scientists have calculated how much heat is escaping through the North Pole from the warm ocean below. This reveals that the planet is losing as much energy as it gets from the gravitational pull of Saturn Since Enceladus' energy is balanced, scientists say that its oceans are likely to be stable and long-lived. This increases the chances that the planet might have developed life What is Enceladus? Enceladus is Saturn's sixthlargest moon, at 313 miles wide (504 kilometres). It is an icy satellite with hydrothermal activity a rare combination with vents spewing water vapour and ice particles out from a global ocean buried beneath the moon's frozen crust. According to NASA observations, the plume includes organic compounds, volatile gases, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, salts, and silica. Microbes on our planet either produce these compounds or use them for growth, leading some to speculate that tiny organisms live in Enceladus' hidden ocean. Advertisement However, figuring out how much energy the entire planet loses from its ocean is extremely difficult because it heats the entire ice sheet at once. This means there is only a tiny difference from the normal day-night temperature cycle at any given time. 'These subtle temperature increases are easiest spotted against a cold surface, and probably where the ice shell is thinnest,' says Dr Howett. 'Enceladus north polar region met these requirements.' Using measurements from the Cassini spacecraft, the researchers compared the surface temperature of the North Pole in deep winter and in summer. This revealed that the surface around the pole was around 7C (7 Kelvin) warmer than expected. From this data, Dr Howett and her co-authors were able to calculate that the moon is losing 46 milliwatts of energy per square metre, or 35 gigawatts of energy across the entire planet. Combined with the known energy loss from the active South Pole, Enceladus' total energy loss rises to 54 gigawatts. In 2005, the Cassini spacecraft discovered striking tectonic faults at the south pole known as 'tiger stripes' (bottom right), which allow water from the inner ocean to escape. Analysis found that this water contained complex molecules associated with the origins of life Scientists don't know yet whether the planet hosts life, but any life that does exist might look similar to that found around hydrothermal vents in Earth's deep oceans This figure is almost exactly the same as the estimated total energy input from tidal warming, proving that it is balanced. Dr Howett says this 'supports Enceladus having an ocean that is long-lived and stable, in which life stands a better chance of evolving.' Scientists aren't sure what that life might look like, since we have only ever seen how life evolved on one planet, but it could share some similarities with life on Earth. 'Its possible life on Enceladus looks a little like that around the deep hydrothermal vents of the Earth, says Dr Howett. 'There we see things that look like shrimp, crabs and lobsters. So perhaps like that but maybe not like that at all!' The next steps will be to work out whether the oceans on Enceladus have existed long enough for life to have formed. If the oceans are old enough, it might justify sending another probe to look for chemical signs of life in the South Pole's icy plumes or even to burrow through the ice into the ocean itself. Shocking new images of the interstellar visitor have revealed that it has mysteriously shrunk in size weeks ahead of its closest approach to Earth. NASA recently calculated the change, noting it shed 13 percent of its material after 3I/ATLAS soaring past the sun last month. Harvard Professor Avi Loeb, who has been analyzing the object since the summer, noted that this sudden shrinkage was directly tied to the noticeable change in the interstellar object's course as it moved closer to the sun. 'For a typical comet, this should have resulted in a massive coma with dust and gas that would have been pushed by the solar radiation pressure and the solar wind to the shape of a typical cometary tail pointing away from the sun,' he said in a blog post. 'No such tail is visible in the new images from November 5, 2025.' 3I/ATLAS will make its closest approach to our planet on December 19, just six weeks from now. Loeb has previously warned that contact with 3I/ATLAS has the makings of a 'black swan event,' meaning this massive space object could be an alien mothership trying to disguise itself as a space rock for an unknown purpose. However, NASA and hundreds of researchers are sure 3I/ATLAS is nothing more than a comet from outside of our Solar System. An image of interstellar object 3I/ATLAS taken on November 5 revealed no obvious cometary tail, which should have formed after passing the sun Clues have continued to pile up that suggest this object from outside the solar system is not a natural phenomenon. This includes displaying a strange 'anti-tail' which pointed towards the sun as it made its closest approach to the star last month With no such tail forming around 3I/ATLAS, Loeb maintains that the odds of this strange visitor being an artificial craft of extraterrestrial origin are growing every single day. The shedding of material happened when a ground-based telescope in Chile identified a mysterious increase in speed. NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) said the mysterious shift by 3I/ATLAS could not be explained by the sun's extreme gravity pulling on the alleged comet. Instead, 3I/ATLAS clearly pulled away from the sun and also turned to its side, which Loeb suggested was a sign of a rocket engine adjusting the craft's course. For a normal comet to complete this shocking maneuver naturally, 3I/ATLAS would have had to lose more than 13 percent of its mass, creating giant jets of gas pouring out of the space rock. These jets of gas would have had the same effect as a rocket engine, pushing the comet away from the sun despite the massive star's gravitational pull on everything in the solar system. However, this kind of outpouring of gas leaves a trail of evidence, clear signs that the comet melted and released roughly five billion tons of gas and dust into space. NASA's latest images, released on November 5, show absolutely no signs that 3I/ATLAS has done any of this, despite shrinking by about 13 percent and pulling away from the sun. NASA telescopes photographed 3I/ATLAS as it moved out of its blind spot behind the sun in early November Moreover, Loeb revealed that the unidentified object hasn't changed much at all compared to a photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in July. The physicist and head of the Galileo Project, a scientific research group looking for signs of extraterrestrial life, has argued that 3I/ATLAS has shown at least 10 signs it's an artificially constructed vessel that's now heading toward Earth. However, clues have continued to pile up that suggest this object from outside the solar system is not a natural phenomenon. This includes displaying a strange 'anti-tail' which pointed towards the sun as it made its closest approach to the star last month. A normal comet's tail points away from the sun as ice and rock break away and trail behind the comet as it moves through space. 3I/ATLAS has also repeatedly changed color during its journey through the solar system, including turning blue as it reached the sun, something a typical comet never does. Normal comets turn red as their cold surfaces absorb blue light and bounce back mostly red light, just like a cold piece of metal glows red when you start heating it. While one strange oddity being seen in a comet could be explained by science, Loeb noted that the odds of 3I/ATLAS displaying 10 strange anomalies at the same time are astronomical and point to the object being created by a distant intelligence. Interview: UNICEF representative hails China's role in advancing innovation for youth Xinhua) 11:27, November 07, 2025 George Laryea-Adjei, director of programme group of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), speaks in an interview with Xinhua in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) SHANGHAI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- China International Import Expo (CIIE) is an important global platform that brings together governments, businesses, academics and international organizations to empower youth and find pathways for innovation, said George Laryea-Adjei, director of programme group of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) during the expo. In an interview with Xinhua at the 8th CIIE, which opened on Wednesday in Shanghai, he indicated that the expo serves as a global public good and creates business activities for young entrepreneurs, particularly those from developing countries, to tap the vast Chinese market with preferential policies. "Youth entrepreneurs network, share aspirations and learn from businesses and governments at the CIIE, and UNICEF is proud to partner up with China," he said. Since 1979, UNICEF has worked closely with the Chinese government to support progress across areas including health, nutrition, child protection, youth empowerment and South-South cooperation. During the expo, UNICEF and China's Ministry of Commerce co-hosted a forum on empowering young people in scientific and technological innovation. Laryea-Adjei underscored the importance of digital empowerment, noting that as the world changes rapidly, today's youth are more informed and creative than ever. However, UNICEF estimates that two-thirds of adolescents still lack the skills needed for the future economy globally, while 90 percent of adolescent girls and young women in low-income countries do not use the internet. "In the age of the digital economy, China is a leader in new technologies such as AI. Its digital practices can contribute to bridging the digital divide in the Global South," Laryea-Adjei said. He said that UNICEF has collaborated with China to advance digital education, such as integrating digital resources into classrooms, to empower both Chinese teachers and students. The two partners also support young innovators to apply technology to sustainable agriculture and climate-smart entrepreneurship and many more. "China has demonstrated success in digital and green transformation. We hope to cooperate with China and demonstrate these experience in Africa, to ensure every child and every young person can benefit from the promise of technology and innovation," he said. In fact, since 2018, UNICEF has also been working with China in over 20 countries across Africa and Asia to support children and youth, with projects spanning education, healthcare and child protection. Ahead of the CIIE, Laryea-Adjei also visited Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, which is building a child-friendly city, in partnership with UNICEF. "We can see that in the city, there are dedicated parks, traffic lights and even innovation centers where children can build up their capacity," he said, adding that UNICEF aims to facilitate the "two-way exchange" for China and its partner countries to learn from each other. Laryea-Adjei described CIIE as an international platform for building human capital and advancing innovation for youth. "Working together with China, we hope to connect innovation with inclusion, and turn investment into impact for every young person." George Laryea-Adjei, director of programme group of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), speaks in an interview with Xinhua in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) A holding pen that just one day earlier housed 300 ostriches now contains their tarp-covered bodies after officials carried out a slaughter late Thursday night. The pen sits on the grounds of Universal Ostrich Farms in British Columbia, Canada, which has been locked in a legal battle with federal officials over a governmentordered cull. Katie Pasitney, daughter of farm owner Karen Pasitney, sobbed while telling the Daily Mail about the loss of the birds, saying: 'They made a mistake, these animals aren't poultry, some of them were 35 years old, and every single one had a name. 'My mom lost everything she loved. Those birds were all that kept her happy. They killed all her babies, and now they're still lying there under a tarp.' The deaths came months after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) began investigating the farm following an anonymous report in December that alleged roughly 30 ostrich deaths within three weeks. Subsequent testing confirmed two birds had contracted H5N1 avian influenza, a highly contagious strain of bird flu. Agency records showed deaths continued through mid-January, ultimately totaling 69. Pasitney recently pleaded with the Supreme Court of Canada to halt the cull, insisting the birds were healthy and posed no threat to public safety. Around 6 pm local time on Thursday, trucks and SUVs belonging to the agency arrived at the farm, and several men were seen carrying equipment into the enclosures. The sound of repeated gunfire echoed across the property as supporters gathered outside, praying and shouting for the birds. Hundreds of ostriches were wrangled inside a pen on the farm on Thursday The owners said they heard hundreds of gunshots overnight. More than 300 birds are dead, and their bodies are still in the pen under tarps By Friday morning, the Pasitneys awoke to find their ostriches bodies littering the pen. 'They are all gone. They need to pay for this. The world needs to know the monsters they are,' Pasitney told Daily Mail. 'They brought war to our farm last night.. Just to kill healthy animals. When did we stop valuing life? You can't just keep killing everything.' The Daily Mail has contacted CFIA for comment. Canada's highest court on Thursday ended a months-long legal battle to save hundreds of ostriches exposed to avian influenza, a fight that had drawn international attention and even the support of the US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear an appeal filed by the owners of Universal Ostrich Farms, who had sought to overturn a federal order mandating the cull of their flock. The decision effectively cleared the final legal hurdle preventing authorities from moving forward. In a statement, the CFIA said it will now proceed with 'depopulation and disposal measures' to contain the spread of H5N1 avian influenza, following an outbreak in December 2024 that killed 69 birds at the British Columbia farm. RFK Jr had publicly urged Canadian officials to reconsider the cull, arguing that the ostriches could provide valuable scientific data. In an open letter to the CFIA, he wrote that 'the indiscriminate destruction of entire flocks without up-to-date testing and evaluation can have significant consequences, including the loss of valuable genetic stock that may help explain risk factors for H5N1 mortality.' Picture of Karen Pasitney crying on Thursday in the warms of her daughter Katie (right) The family had owned the ostriches for more than 30 years, giving each one a name The US Health Secretary's plea, echoed by animal welfare advocates and high-profile supporters, including television personality Dr Mehmet Oz and New York billionaire John Catsimatidis, called for a reprieve that would allow researchers to study the birds' immune response rather than destroy them. Dr Oz, who runs Medicare and Medicaid, even offered to adopt the birds at his 900-acre ranch in Okeechobee, Florida, but his rescue plan was quashed. Canadian authorities, however, have maintained that the cull was necessary to prevent further spread of the virus, which poses a serious threat to both wild and domestic bird populations. Beyond the emotional devastation, the farmers said the cull will also bring ruinous financial losses. The Canadian government's compensation offer, they claim, falls far short of the birds' true market value and threatens to destroy their biotechnology venture, Struthio BioScience Inc, named after Struthio, the genus for ostriches. Witnesses reported seeing trucks and SUVs from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) arrive at the farm on Thursday evening, and several men were seen carrying equipment into the enclosures. Pictured is a CFIA personnel in a hazmat suit The company pivoted in 2020 from selling ostrich meat and oil to developing antibodies known as immunoglobulin Y (IgY), extracted from egg yolks. These antibodies are thought to have potential in combating diseases ranging from influenza to obesity. Pasitney told the Daily Mail that prior to the CFIA reporting the bird flu tip, she and her family petitioned the government for funding to progress research in ostrich egg yolks. 'We proved antibodies for covid and H5N1 avian influenza in the egg yolks,' she said. If you struggle to pull in the 'likes' on Instagram there's good news it might be because you're too attractive. A new study has revealed a surprising downside to extreme beauty. Researchers from the University of Dayton showed hundreds of participants mock Instagram posts from fictitious fitness influencer accounts. The participants were asked which posts they'd like, and which accounts they'd follow. Their results revealed that extremely attractive fitness influencers received fewer likes and followers than moderately attractive creators. According to the experts, this is because people view them as less relatable. 'Our new research suggests that in a digital world full of influencers trusted tastemakers with large online followings being too attractive can actually backfire, particularly in the fitness space,' researchers Andrew Edelblum and Abby Frank explained in an article for The Conversation. 'We call this the "beauty backfire effect."' If you struggle to pull in the 'likes' on Instagram there's good news it might be because you're too attractive (stock image) In the study, extremely attractive fitness influencers received fewer likes and followers than moderately attractive creators In their study, the team set out to understand whether the mantra 'sex sells' applies to influencers in the fitness space. '"Sex sells" has been a mantra in marketing for decades,' they explained. 'As researchers who study consumer behavior, we've seen plenty of evidence to support it: Attractive models and spokespeople have been shown to reliably grab attention, boost clicks and make products seem more desirable.' The team enlisted hundreds of participants, who were shown Instagram posts from fitness influencers varying in attractiveness. The results were 'striking', according to the experts. 'We found that extremely attractive fitness influencers or "fitfluencers" got fewer likes and follows than their moderately attractive peers,' they explained. However, the influencer's tone was also found to play a crucial role. When highly attractive influencers were humble and shared their struggles, challenges and fitness plateaus, their likecounts went up. When highly attractive influencers were humble and shared their struggles, challenges and fitness plateaus, their likecounts went up (stock image) In contrast, when they boasted about their natural talent or exceptional dedication, their likecounts plummeted. 'This suggests that humility can be a powerful communication tool for influencers who might otherwise seem "out of reach,"' the researchers explained. Unfortunately for ladies, gender appears to play a key role in the beauty backfire effect. In a followup study, highly attractive female fitness influencers were found to face stronger backlash than equally attractive men. According to the experts, this might reflect a 'broader social tendency to judge womens looks more harshly.' The researchers hope their findings will inspire further research into other factors that may influence the beauty backfire effect, including race and disability. A 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck in the Gulf of California on Thursday, a region known for seismic activity and also used by Mexican drug cartels. The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake 47 miles from Santa Rosalia at 7:04am ET. It followed two smaller tremors earlier in the day, measuring 4.4 and 4.6 in magnitude. The Gulf of California has long been exploited by cartels, including factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, to move drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and fentanyl, as well as migrants, into the US. The quake is part of Mexico's broader seismic context, which is shaped by its position atop three major tectonic plates. The North American, Pacific and Cocos plates interact in ways that make Mexico one of the most seismically active countries in the world. The Pacific Ocean floor south of Mexico is being pushed northeastward by the dense Cocos plate. As it meets the lighter continental crust of Mexico, the oceanic crust is subducted beneath the North American plate, forming the Middle American Trench along the southern coast. This process not only triggers earthquakes but also fuels volcanic activity, creating the Cordillera Neovolcanica, a chain of volcanoes across south-central Mexico. Mexico has a long history of destructive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In 1985, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake killed more than 9,500 people in Mexico City. Volcan de Colima and El Chichon erupted in 2005 and 1982, respectively. The US Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the quake 47 miles from Santa Rosalia at 7:04am ET Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl volcanoes southeast of Mexico City continue to vent gas, and Popocatepetl last erupted in 2010, highlighting that volcanic activity remains a constant threat. Only a few dozen people issued shaking reports to the USGS following the three earthquakes. This was likely due to the seismic activity occurring in the middle of the Gulf, which is a key trafficking route for the Sinaloa Cartel. The Sinaloa Cartel is considered one of the largest and most powerful drug trafficking organizations in the Western Hemisphere. The cartel, historically led by Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman, employs small, fast boats called 'lanchas' to navigate the Gulf of California, allowing them to go undetected by border police. They also use tunnels and other clandestine methods to move illicit cargo while engaging in violent turf wars and corruption to maintain control. President Donald Trump is allegedly planning to send US troops to Mexico in the latest escalation against drug cartels. The mission is in early stages, but plans would include ground operations inside Mexico and drone strikes on drug labs and cartel leaders, four sources familiar with the effort told NBC News. The Trump administration is planning to put troops on the ground in Mexico to combat drug cartels and gangs, according to a new report. The earthquake hit in a region known for seismic activity and also used by Mexican drug cartels. If green-lit, the plan would exponentially expand on the administration's ongoing military campaign against drug cartels, which have so far focused on Venezuela and Colombia with drone strikes against suspected drug cartel vessels in the Caribbean and Atlantic. So far 64 people have been killed in the 15 strikes that began taking place in early September. The latest was carried out in the Caribbean Sea over the weekend against an undisclosed terrorist organization, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that three people were taken out in the strike. Past US administrations have quietly deployed military, law enforcement and intelligence forces to support Mexican police and army units fighting drug cartels. But current plans would be more boisterous and would see the US taking direct action against them maybe even without Mexican cooperation. It's not clear how many troops would be deployed and what the timeline is for a potential operation. Two current US officials and one former official claim that a deployment to Mexico is not imminent. An employee from a healthcare giant at Donald Trump's drug pricing event in the Oval Office collapsed on Thursday. The man, whom the White House has refused to identify, fainted just feet away from the President, who was seated at the Resolute Desk. The health scare led to the event being paused, with White House aides quickly telling reporters that they needed to leave the Oval Office. SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO Collapse: President Donald Trump stands by after a drug company worker fainted in the Oval Office on Thursday Dr Mehmet Oz, who serves as Trump's Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, jumped into action, helping the man to the floor and then offering him medical attention. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the attendee was doing fine moments later. 'During the most favored nations Oval Office announcement, a representative with one of the companies fainted. The White House medical unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay. The press conference will resume shortly,' she said in a statement. The President later acknowledged the incident. 'One of the representatives of one of the companies, got a little bit light-headed. You saw he went down. And he's fine. They just sent him out, he's got doctor's care, but he's fine,' Trump said. 'So we had a little bit of an interruption, sorry about that.' Quick: The man, second from left, is captured as he begins to faint in the Oval Office on Thursday in the middle of the President's announcement on drug pricing Reaction: Dr Mehmet Oz and others help a drug company executive who passed out during an event in the Oval Office where Trump was announcing drug price reductions Trump was announcing that he was tackling the price of the 'fat drug'. Attendees included executives from Novo Nordisk, which makes the popular weight-loss shot Ozempic, and Eli Lilly, the maker of Zepbound. The White House announced that the deal would allow some weight loss pills to be available for just $149 a month. Medicare enrollees will also have more access to the drugs. In return, drug makers will get a break on Trump's tariffs on imported pharmaceutical products. Trump lauded the weight-loss drugs, saying that they don't have the same list of side effects as lots of other prescriptions on the market. 'So far, I've never heard anything bad about them,' Trump said at the top of his remarks. 'Is there anything bad about them?' he asked Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., who was standing nearby. The president then went around introducing members of the Cabinet and staff. Faint: The man, fourth from left, passed out at Trump's Oval Office event on Thursday Response: A White House aide, left, and a member of the Secret Service usher the media out of the Oval Office after the guest collapsed He asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick if he was taking Ozempic. 'Not yet,' Lutnick replied. Trump then outed one of his communications aides for taking weight loss medication. Kennedy said the drugs, known as GLP-1s, will allow the American public to lose '125,000,000lb by this time next year'. 'It is going to have dramatic effects on human health in his country,' the HHS secretary added. Travellers have been warned over an overlooked mobile phone rule at airports. Your phone could be confiscated if you do not abide by the regulation. It's as simple as ensuring your device has enough battery to be able to turn on. Airlines permit certain electronic devices in cabin baggage - such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Whether you're taking just a single device or a whole load of them, you'll need to make sure they are charged before heading through security. If any of them have a dead battery, you could be faced with consequences - the last thing anyone wants before a flight. Security staff at airports are permitted to ask you to turn your devices on and confiscate them if you can't, as authorities can deem a non-functioning device a security risk. The GOV.UK website explains: 'Make sure your electronic devices are charged before you travel. If your device does not switch on when requested, you will not be allowed to take it onto the aircraft.' Airlines permit certain electronic devices in cabin baggage - such as mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Whether you're taking just a single device or a whole load of them, you'll need to make sure they are charged before heading through security If any of them have a dead battery, you could be faced with consequences - the last thing anyone wants before a flight Most airlines enforce these rules, including such carriers as Ryanair and EasyJet. British Airways explains: 'You can generally take electric and electronic items in your hand or checked baggage, but you need to follow specific safety instructions. 'Airport security staff may ask you to turn on electronic or battery-powered devices, such as phones, tablets, e-books and laptops, to demonstrate they function.' The BA website says: 'If you're not able to do this, you will not be able to take your device with you. Please ensure that any items in your hand baggage are fully charged and switched on before you arrive at the airport. 'If your device is not charged, please place it in your checked baggage. 'If you are connecting, make sure that you do not deplete power in your devices during the first part of your journey as charging points at airports might be very limited and you may need an adapter.' The same rule applies with TUI. TUI's website says: 'If you're carrying any electronic devices in your hand luggage that are capable of holding a charge, you'll need to make sure they're fully charged when you go through airport security. Security staff at airports are permitted to ask you to turn your devices on and confiscate them if you can't 'This is part of new security measures that have been introduced by airports in the UK and abroad. 'We recommend you keep things like mobile phones switched on until you board the plane, as there might be more checks at the departure gate.' The rule, recently reported by the Manchester Evening News, applies across airlines. It's worth making sure your phone is charged before heading to the airport to avoid any unpleasant consequences. Plenty of Brits are keen to escape the UK's grey skies and cool weather, and are jetting off to warmer winter destinations around the world. New research has revealed that more than half of UK holidaymakers are booking their trips at the last minute. Many are making the reservations within six weeks of the holiday, and seven per cent are booking it just seven days before they jet off. But where are they flying to? Lastminute.com has revealed the top winter sun destinations for 2025. Some 70 per cent of winter sun and beach holidays are booked by couples, and they're heading off to a range of locations. Lanzarote proved to be the most popular with 71 per cent of couples booking a trip to the popular Spanish spot in the cooler months. The sunny island sees average temperatures of 24 degrees in the winter and is well-loved for its beaches and cuisine. Another Canary island, Tenerife, closely followed with 69 per cent and boasts temperatures of 23 degrees. Lanzarote proved to be the most popular with 71 per cent of couples booking a trip to the popular Spanish spot in the cooler months Joining the top three destinations is Dubai which accounted for 69 per cent of the bookings. The popular Middle Eastern spot sees temperatures of around 31 degrees in the winter and draws in visitors with its impressive landscapes and luxurious shopping malls. Malta was another well-loved location for a winter break with gorgeous cuisine and rich culture drawing people in. What's more, the Mediterranean island has temperatures around 21 degrees in the winter. Costa Blanca, in Spain made it on Lastminute.com's popular winter destinations list and can be around 20 degrees. Elsewhere, Marrakech was another hotspot and draws in plenty of visitors all year-round. The Moroccan city can be around 23 degrees in the cooler months. Sharm El Sheikh proved to be popular with temperatures of around 28 degrees, as well as Antalya in Turkey, which can be around 21 degrees. Meanwhile, Gran Canaria is around 24 degrees. Joining the top three destinations is Dubai which accounted for 69 per cent of the bookings It comes as new research revealed the cheapest holiday spots for all-inclusive winter sun. Hammamet, in Tunisia, is a characterful fishing village with a beautiful coastline and plenty of things to do. It's also the most-affordable destination, according to TravelSupermarket's recent analysis. A seven-night stay comes to just 328 per person and temperatures average at around 17 degrees. Brits travelling across Europe are facing delays and flight cancellations at major airports due to bad weather conditions. Many passengers travelling with Spain's largest carrier, Vueling Airlines, have been left stranded and struggling to find alternatives after 17 flight cancellations and 53 delays. Some of the affected flights are key routes between major cities such as Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Lyon, and Florence, as well as popular tourist destinations like Nice and Malaga. With many flights cancelled or significantly delayed, passengers are facing long wait times and overcrowded terminals, as reported by Travel and Tour World. These disruptions, which have unfolded over the past 24 hours, are expected to cause a ripple effect, impacting tens of thousands of travellers trying to navigate some of Europe's busiest transportation hubs. While the specific reasons behind these operational disruptions have not been fully disclosed by the airline, they have been partly attributed to weather conditions, including scattered thunderstorms. A Vueling spokesperson said: 'On November 6, Vueling adapted its flight schedule in response to the adverse weather forecast. 'This adjustment was made in line with the airports updated flight rate guidelines and applied equally to all airlines operating that day. 'All affected customers were informed in advance and offered the option to change their flights free of charge. 'Despite these necessary adjustments, Vueling confirms that operations today are running smoothly.' Many passengers travelling with Spain's largest carrier, Vueling Airlines, have been left stranded and struggling to find alternatives after 17 flight cancellations and 53 delays Some of the affected flights are key routes between major cities such as Barcelona, Valencia, Paris, Lyon, and Florence, as well as popular tourist destinations like Nice and Malaga. Barcelona International Airport is pictured It comes as International Airline Group (IAG), which owns Vueling, British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia, reported a two per cent increase in their third quarter earnings to 1.8billion. That is up from 1.77 billion a year ago, according to The Standard. Pre-tax profits in the three months to the end of September fell by 2.1 per cent to 1.64 billion. That is compared with 1.68 billion during the same period last year. IAG reported a 2.4 per cent increase in its capacity but a 2.4 per cent decline in passenger revenue. The company said the North Atlantic market saw 'some softness in US point of sale economy leisure', while prices across its airlines were lower in the European market because of 'high growth by British Airways and more competitive markets elsewhere'. IAG chief executive Luis Gallego hailed the 'strong set of results', noting that 'we are comparing with a very strong quarter last year'. He said: 'This performance was driven by the strength of our airline brands and businesses across our core market, where we continue to see robust demand for air travel. 'Europe continues to be weak but is improving lately, but it's true it is the market that we can say is a little softer. 'The rest of the world, in general, is positive.' It comes after Aer Lingus UK cabin crew escalated industrial action by announcing more strike dates, in a further blow to holidaymakers travelling through Manchester Airport this month. In a further blow to holidaymakers travelling through Manchester Airport this month, Aer Lingus UK cabin crew escalated industrial action by announcing more strike dates Almost 130 Unite members working for the airline will stage walkouts on 9-11, 14 and 16-18 November, in addition to the strikes scheduled from 30 October to 18 November. British employees, including check-in staff and cabin crew, for the airline have called the strikes amid a dispute over pay and lower flying allowances than their Dublin-based colleagues. Many say years of low pay has left them struggling for essentials, with many having little option but to take on a second job or work more hours to improve their wages, which has left them at risk of burnout. Though Aer Lingus recorded an operating profit of 205 million for 2024, employees allege their base salaries are so low that they struggle to afford rent, bills and groceries. The best-value destination for 2026 has been revealed - and the 'magical' European city is less than a two-hour flight away from London. Skyscanner has identified ten global locations with the largest airfare price drops compared to last year, allowing travellers to get more bang for their buck during their 2026 travels. In its latest report, the flight comparison website looked at places where round-trip ticket prices for 2025 dropped compared to 2024. Several factors can lead to a flight being more affordable, such as the addition of new routes, old routes resuming, or simply the fluctuation of airfare prices based on supply and demand. And right now, Skyscanner is encouraging travellers to snap up a ticket to Cologne, a historic city set along the Rhine River in western Germany. Data cultivated by the site shows flight prices to the popular city break destination have almost halved (44 per cent) since last year. Cologne, which boasts a rich heritage, breathtaking gothic architecture, and a vibrant, contemporary scene, is not only affordable, but it's also a short trip away for visitors travelling from the UK. Non-stop flights from London to Cologne take around 1 hour and 25 minutes - quicker than some holidaymakers' route to the airport from their home. Right now, Skyscanner is encouraging travellers to snap up a ticket to Cologne, a historic city set along the Rhine River in western Germany Data cultivated by the site shows flight prices to the popular city break destination have almost halved (44 per cent) since last year Non-stop flights from London to Cologne take around 1 hour and 25 minutes - quicker than some holidaymakers' route to the airport from their home Once there, visitors can marvel at the city's Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, explore local breweries, stop by numerous museums and galleries, or amble along the riverside promenade - all without breaking the bank. Skyscanner recommends a visit to the city in February, highlighting the Carnival as a key event 'worth timing a trip around.' Running from Sunday, 15 February to Tuesday, 17 February in 2026, 'Fastelovend' is a major folk festival with street celebrations, parties and parades taking place in the days leading up to Ash Wednesday. For those who'd prefer to ditch the bleak British weather for a far-flung beach escape in the beginning of 2026, Goa might be the perfect pick. Skyscanner's second-highest recommended destination has seen airfare prices drop by 34 per cent year-on-year, making India's pocked-sized paradise the ultimate choice for savvy travellers yearning for sun, sea, solace and seafood spots. Coming in third is Kaunas, a picturesque city in south-central Lithuania, that's currently 31 per cent cheaper to fly to than it was in 2024. Described by Skyscanner as an ideal destination for 'culture lovers seeking something under-the-radar', Kaunas offers something for all: stunning 14th century castles, a charming Old Town, contemporary food and coffee spots and a cool creative scene. For travellers looking to visit Cologne before the year is up - flights to its most 'magical' Christmas markets have been significantly reduced. For those who'd prefer to ditch the bleak British weather for a far-flung beach escape in the beginning of 2026, Goa might be the perfect pick Coming in third is Kaunas, a picturesque city in south-central Lithuania that's currently 31 per cent cheaper to fly to than it was in 2024 Airfares to Cologne have seen a drastic drop in the past year, according to Skyscanner, with some one-way flights from London airports starting at just 14. Cologne is home to several distinct and popular Christmas markets, each with a unique theme. While the city's main market, the Cathedral Christmas Market, is renowned for its historic backdrop, the illuminous Alter Markt, located by the Rhine, is themed around the legend of the Heinzelmannchen dwarves. Neumarkt is also popular choice for its unique St. Nicholas-themed setup, extraordinary light art and festival atmosphere. A mother who's ticked off 24 countries with her family says she refuses to follow conventional wisdom when it comes to travelling with children - and that her approach has served her well. US travel writer Jamie Davis Smith, writing for Business Insider, has been to some of the world's most popular tourist attractions with her two kids in tow, including Kyoto in Japan and Egypt's famous pyramids. However, she says she's learned not to worry too much about following the advice of others when it comes to holidaying with her brood. While she admits to researching trips online, including in travel forums, when her children were younger, Davis Smith says that, for her, often ditching the unwritten rules when travelling with a family has largely been stress-free. For many parents, sticking to travel rules of thumb such as getting up early to beat crowds and staying put in one hotel or Airbnb to ensure consistency - and less unpacking - for younger travellers, makes for a calmer holiday - but Davis Smith disagrees. On a recent trip to Europe, she reveals the family changed their accommodation every few days because the ultimate aim was to see as many places as possible - and says the trip was much more fun because of it. The mantra of 'rise early to beat the crowds' also doesn't wash; the mother-of-two says that an early alarm call can make a holiday feel, well, less like a holiday. She writes: 'I love not having to rely on an alarm clock while on vacation. Plus, knowing we don't have to wake up early means there's less pressure to cut the day's activities short to get back to the hotel to sleep.' Travel writer Jamie Davis Smith recounted her own family travel wisdom for Business Insider...and it involves breaking many of the rules that lots of parents swear by The family are often the last people to leave a theme park, she explains, saying that the hour before closing is usually the quietest time to enjoy an attraction. Sticking to child-friendly destinations is also a no-no, Davis Smith says she wants her offspring to experience 'complicated histories' and had taken her children to the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland, Hiroshima in Japan and destinations at the heart of America's civil rights movement in the Deep South. Warnings that India might leave the family with food poisoning didn't put them off, nor did advice not to visit Jordan on the grounds of personal safety - Davis Smith says the family enjoyed both countries without incident. Suitcases packed full of home comforts are also off the list; the experienced traveller says the family take the minimalist approach, with big teddies and toys off limits. She writes: 'A small travel blanket helps my son feel more secure when we are away from home, so I usually toss that into his bag, but otherwise, we make do with what we have.' Last month, the world's best family holiday hotspot for 2026, according to research by Sunsail, was revealed - and it's just a short flight from the UK. The new global list of the best holiday destinations ranked the top 20 spots, using a combination of online search data, Tripadvisor reviews, information from official tourism boards, and geological data. The Italian island of Sardinia was crowned number one. Praised for its calm, child-friendly beaches, you can reach the destination in two hours and 50 minutes from London Stansted - and even quicker than that from hubs such as Manchester Airport. Sticking to family-friendly destinations also doesn't appeal to the travel expert, who said that warnings about visiting places such as India and Jordan hadn't put the family off - and they enjoyed both countries (Stock image of a mother travelling with children) Each destination was ranked based on popularity, accessibility, safety, diversity of activities, family-friendly accommodation options and beaches. Unlike many overcrowded Mediterranean hotspots, Sardinia balances lively resorts with peaceful coves, perfect for travelling with both younger kids and older teenagers, the research suggested. Sardinia's reputation for safety and welcoming hospitality, along with its unspoiled landscapes and vibrant culture, makes it the ultimate family holiday destination for 2026, TripAdvisor said. Meanwhile, Ibiza comes in second place in the study scoring highly for safety, cleanliness and Blue Flag sands. Lake Garda, Cornwall and Orlando also made the top five. Jennifer Lawrence left Jimmy Fallon squirming as she repeatedly burst into tears during a car crash interview on The Tonight Show. The 35-year-old actress appeared on the TV programme on Thursday and became highly emotional several times. At the beginning of their chat, Lawrence admitted she was 'nervous' and reflected on her recent New Yorker profile, where she discussed feeling like she was 'annoying' in interviews when she was younger. After struggling to fight back tears, The Hunger Games star insisted that she 'wasn't gonna say a f***ing word' during their talk. To which the host replied, 'No, you have to say something!' But Lawrence was then lost for words, as she burst into loud, dramatic wails during her wide-ranging conversation with the visibly flustered host. Jennifer Lawrence left Jimmy Fallon squirming as she repeatedly burst into tears during a car-crash interview on The Tonight Show The actress then began to weep loudly in her seat during her talk-show appearance Her first cry came as she recounted a lengthy story about how she became attached to her new movie, Die My Love, which follows a young mother who descends into madness after moving to the countryside with her husband. Lawrence explained: '[Director] Lynne Ramsay is someone I've always wanted to work with. So basically, she cracked it and she's a genius and I can't believe I'm still talking!' The actress then began to weep loudly in her seat, apparently overwhelmed by the prospect of speaking on the talk show. Fallon then exclaimed: 'No, stop crying! Stop crying! No, this is fun! You're having fun on a talk show! Stop crying. Just trust me, this is fun.' In response, Lawrence stopped sobbing and told him, 'OK,' as she began laughing. But she became tearful again as she began sobbing after sharing a story about a comment that had been lost in translation on the film's Canadian set. She said: 'In Canada, they call the trailer "your room". We call trailers "trailers", because they're trailers, and we call our room, like, the hotel room that we're living in for months.' She went on to explain that her producing partner 'got a text from our line producer that was like, "These three background kids have nowhere to stay. Can they use your room?"' But she became tearful again as she began sobbing after sharing a story about a comment that had been lost in translation on the film's Canadian set The request left her thinking she would suddenly be sharing a room with three children. Lawrence recalled: 'She's like, "Well, geez, I don't know. All my stuff's in there." And the line producer's getting more and more flabbergasted. He's like, "I'll help you move your stuff!"' The actress added that the producer got so frustrated that he eventually just said he'd ask Ramsay if they could stay in her trailer. She concluded: 'This whole back-and-forth where he thinks we're crazy, we obviously think he's crazy, and then it was just a misunderstanding.' The star then promptly burst into another wave of mock tears. But Fallon's response was different this time. He said: 'Oh my gosh. Unbelievable. You're unbelievable.' The Oscar-winner, 35, recently opened up about feeling completely comfortable shooting explicit scenes with Robert Pattinson in their new film Die My Love, 39; pictured this month Lawrence said on a podcast: 'I felt really safe with Rob. He is not pervy'; seen in May 2024 The interview comes after Lawrence revealed why she declined to use an intimacy coordinator while filming her new psychological drama Die My Love with Robert Pattinson. While appearing on the Las Culturistas podcast, the Oscar winner, 35, opened up about feeling completely comfortable shooting explicit scenes with her co-star, 39. 'We did not have [an intimacy coordinator], or maybe we did but we didn't really,' Lawrence explained. 'I felt really safe with Rob. He is not pervy and very in love with [his partner] Suki Waterhouse.' The actress said the pair shared an easy trust on set, adding that they spent most of their time 'talking about our kids and relationships'. 'There was never any weird like, "Does he think I like him?"' she said. 'If there was a little bit of that, I would probably have an intimacy coordinator. A lot of male actors get offended if you don't want to f*** them, and then the punishment starts. He was not like that.' Lawrence's bold performance in Die My Love has already drawn widespread acclaim and early Oscar buzz, with critics praising her fearless portrayal of a woman unraveling under the weight of motherhood. Elsewhere, Lawrence revealed she suffered from postpartum depression after having her son in April this year. Speaking to host Vogue Williams on ITV's Lorraine, she explained: 'I was totally surprised, when I had my second I actually suffered really bad postpartum depression.' The actress also shared that she was five months pregnant while filming, which Williams appeared incredibly moved by. The cast of a legendary ITV sitcom have fuelled reboot rumours after they were spotted reuniting for dinner seven years after the show's TV axe. The stars of Benidorm took to social media with a snap of them enjoying an evening out together, and sent fans into a frenzy. Benidorm aired 74 episodes across 10 series on ITV between 2007 and 2018, and fans were left delighted when news of a potential reboot hit headlines in April. But there had yet to be any movement on whether the iconic series, which aired on ITV, would in fact be back for more. Nonetheless, rumours are once again circling after Sherrie Hewson, who played Joyce Temple-Savage in the series, posted the picture of the group. She was seen smiling alongside creator of the show Derren Little, Jake Canuso, who played bar man Mateo, Elsie Kelly, who played Noreen Maltby, and Danny Walters, who was Tiger Dyke. The cast of a legendary ITV sitcom Benidorm fuelled reboot rumours after they were spotted reuniting for dinner SEVEN years after the show's TV axe Benidorm aired 74 episodes across 10 series on ITV between 2007 and 2018, and fans were left delighted when news of a potential reboot hit headlines in April Not giving anything away, Sherrie, 75, simply captioned the picture: 'The Team'. Commenting underneath the picture, fans were quick to push for the cast to reunite again on screen, and began suspecting the photo could mean a reunion was on the cards. One penned: 'This is why we need Benidorm back and NOW,' as a second chimed in: 'Don't tease. Is it a sign?' A third wrote: 'This picture has put a smile on my face,' as a fourth questioned: 'Any mention of a New series of Benidorm in the meet up?' 'The conversation at this table! Hellbent you spoke of a return' a fifth wrote. Just two months after its cancellation was confirmed in 2018, the show won best comedy at TV Choice Awards - with its creator Derren calling out the decision in his acceptance speech at the time. But fans were hopeful they may not have to wait too long for another Benidorm fix, as The Sun reported ITV bosses were in talks to reboot the show earlier this year. A TV insider told the publication: 'Benidorm was adored by millions when it was suddenly cancelled. Fans will be thrilled to hear ITV wants to bring it back. The stars of Benidorm took to social media with a snap of them enjoying an evening out together, and sent fans into a frenzy as they roared: 'We need you back NOW' 'An 11th series hasn't been commissioned yet, but there's major excitement building as early talks begin. 'Producers have started to reach out to the show's stars and are hopefully a decision can be made later this year.' The ITV Brits abroad sitcom - which followed a group of holidaymakers in the Spanish resort and their hilarious escapades - came to an end in May 2018 after 11 years, and fans have been begging for more ever since. In 2023, show creator Derren teased a return of the beloved series as he announced that he was returning back to writing for 'both television and theatre'. He said: 'I have had clear, recent indications that certain TV channels are interested in my decision and I hope you will be watching the fruits of my labour in time to come.' Then, last month he sparked hope of its comeback once again when a fan asked on X: '@DerrenLitten @ITV Another series of Benidorm on the cards?' and he cryptically replied: 'Who knows...' Announcing the news on social media that it had been axed in 2018, Derren said: Crazy to think Wednesday will be the last episode of Benidorm! 'I created the series over 11 years ago, wrote it, guest starred in it and ended up directing it. Its difficult to think what else there is to do! Thank you for watching!' In 2023, show creator Derren teased a return of the beloved series as he announced that he was returning back to writing for 'both television and theatre' Beloved ITV series Benidorm could be set to return to screens, eight years after it was axed, a source told The Sun Derren had initially dismissed reports that Benidorm was being taken off air after its 10th series, and posting on X, he wrote: 'Don't make me f*****g laugh! (I enjoyed that story after series 6. And 7 and 8 and 9...)' He later removed the message and retweeted a series of positive fan posts. A source told The Sun at the time: 'Benidorm has been a huge success for ITV for a decade, but bosses feel it's run its course. 'The ratings have started to drop off and a number of the fan favourites have left, so it just feels as though the time is right to let it go out while it's still on a high. 'It has been ITV's longest running comedy, which is a real achievement.' Earlier this year, it was reported that the reboot was in crisis after the shows creator and one of the lead stars were rocked by a miserable divorce. Writer Derren Litten, 54, and Mateo Castellano star Jake Canuso, 55, had been together for years and lived in Benidorm, Spain. However, in 2022 they decided to go their separate ways and officially divorced last year. Just two months after its cancellation was confirmed, the show won best comedy at TV Choice Awards - with its creator Derren Litten calling out the decision in his acceptance speech at the time This could make the show's return to our screens, eight years after it was axed, a little bit complicated, according to insiders. A source told The Sun: 'Matteo is Benidorm, hes the character that everyone wants to see. 'Hes been part of the Solana since the beginning so for him not to feature in any future reboot, well it just would not be the same without him. 'Jake created one of the shows most loved characters in Matteo, but with everything thats happened between him and Derren, its not looking good.' Another added: 'Conversations have been had. 'The only way Jake will return is if ITV make him a huge offer, one that he could not possibly turn down. 'But obviously Derren is making negotiations difficult. He is the writer and creator and believes that he should make all the decisions. 'The fans would want to see Matteo, which ITV get. Its all become one big headache.' All series of Benidorm are available to stream on ITVX. Grand Designs: House Of The Year is making a comeback to Channel 4. The popular TV series will be back on screens this month after it was previously dropped in 2023. Kevin McCloud, with architect Damion Burrows and conservation architect Natasha Huq, will be working closely together to find the House of the Year. Fans will be pleased to know that they can watch it on Wednesday 19 November at 8pm. The much-loved series takes viewers on a glimpse of some of the most extraordinary homes in the UK. But there's one catch - only the absolute best homes with appear on the curated shortlist. Grand Designs: House Of The Year is making a comeback to Channel 4. The popular TV series will be back on screens this month after it was previously dropped in 2023 Kevin McCloud, with architect Damion Burrows and conservation architect Natasha Huq, will be working closely together to find the House of the Year Kevin said: 'The glorious thing about House Of The Year is the fact that we know how were going to make it. We know its not going to involve any mud. 'We know that the people making it, my colleagues, are wonderful and hugely talented, and the best in their field. It is an absolute joy to make that series.' He added: 'We never really know what the buildings are like until we turn up because the photographs can say one thing, but the experience of being in a building, which is what we try and communicate every time, can be so powerful and so unusual.' The presenter concluded: 'So, the job is to try and put that into words and to explain what the nuggets of the project is about, that is always fresh and unusual and exciting.' Over the duration of the show, houses will be shortlisted for the award - leaving one lucky winner to be chosen. This exciting news comes after it was previously not commissioned for an eighth series of the show back in 2023. In 2022, a RIBA spokesperson said: 'This is disappointing news, the series has gone from strength to strength over seven seasons, with strong viewing figures and audience engagement in 2022.' On Wednesday, viewers branded a couple who spent 150,000 building an eco-home which they could be kicked out of after five years 'unhinged'. The episode of the Channel 4 show saw Marcus and Abi pursue their dream of building a family home on a 20-acre plot of woodland purchased by Marcus's late father more than 30 years ago. The married couple, who lived in the Pembrokeshire seaside town of Tenby with their 14-year-old twin daughters, were granted rare permission to build a house in the woods through the One Planet Development scheme specific to Wales. Permission was granted on the basis that the family would live a low carbon life and provide proof of their ecological living for five years - or risk being 'chucked off.' Speaking to host Kevin, Marcus explained that someone from the organisation 'scrutinises every part of our living from how we're going to buy clothes in the future to what food we're growing, what food we're eating.' 'It's about the whole land management,' Abi added. 'You're monitored for the first five years and you have to show that you have reduced your transport miles.' When Kevin, who was visibly shocked by the requirement to produce five years' worth of personal accounts, asked what happens if 'you fail', Abi replied: 'You get chucked off.' Viewers of the show were equally stunned, with one person saying the couple must be 'unhinged' and 'mad'. Taking to X, one wrote: 'Is it a requirement now of Grand Designs people to be slightly unhinged/mad/naive? Who would spend 100,000 building a home that has absolutely no future guarantee.' This exciting news comes after it was previously not commissioned for an eighth series of the show back in 2023 Marcus and Abi's finished completed home (pictured) was praised by Grand Designs host Kevin McCloud The very modern interior of the home (pictured) contrasted with its wooden exterior Marcus added that they 'can never sell' the property, which was initially costed at 100,000 but ran to 150,000, due to the nature of the planning permission obtained through the special policy. It was the fact that the family could be either forced to leave their new home or stuck with it forever that proved astonishing for some viewers. Marcus and Abi used only sustainable materials for the building, including timber from trees at risk of disease with recycled windows, second-hand glazing and even recycled newspapers for insulation. Another person implied Marcus and Abi were terribly shortsighted, adding: 'I do like it but I wonder what it'll be like in five or 10 years during a storm when the first shingles need replacing.' Others, however, labelled the couple 'selfish' on account of their decision to relocate their 14-year-old twin daughters to such a remote woodland location. One person said: 'Anyone think this couple on Grand Designs are selfish? Their kids [are] clearly not happy to love there and the house can't be left to them.' Another person agreed: 'A playground for parents. For the children it's isolation.' A third commented: 'Teenagers clearly gutted to live away from all their mates'. Grand Designs: House Of The Year airs November 19 on Channel 4 at 8pm ot sure what to watch tonight? Discover our brand new TV GUIDE now! BBC Breakfast guest Tom Conti has paid a heartfelt tribute to Shirley Valentine's Pauline Collins. The actress sadly died 'peacefully' aged 85 following a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Tom previously worked with Pauline in the 1989 romcom and during an appearance on Friday's show, he praised his late co-star as 'brilliant'. In fact, Tom claimed that Pauline actually changed his life, telling show hosts Ben Thompson and Sarah Campbell. He said: 'Pauline did change my life. She did, in fact, change my life because I did Shirley V with her. And that changed both of our lives, really, due to her phenomenal work.' Tom continued: 'As I watched her speak to the camera, I thought, this movie's going to be a hit. Because she was so incandescent, really, in her ability to transfer thought, which is really what acting is about more than anything else, is the transference of thought.' BBC Breakfast guest Tom Conti has paid a heartfelt tribute to Shirley Valentine's Pauline Collins Tom previously worked with Pauline in the 1989 romcom and during an appearance on Friday's show, he praised his late co-star as 'brilliant' 'And she was just brilliant at that, in everything she did. She and Maggie Smith, I think, were our greatest actresses.' He continued: 'The secret of acting is not acting and she was brilliant at that. She just talked. And you believed her absolutely everything that she said. You believed completely. Because you weren't watching an actress, you were watching a person. And that's a phenomenal skill.' Tom also shared how they were neighbours before they became friends on set. 'I didn't know she was in Valentine's until I met her on the set,' he added. 'You know, we had been friends. We lived in the same road for 30 years. We were neighbours. 'So, you know, we were in and out of each other's houses all the time. I mean, it was a very long friendship. I knew her long before we did Shirley Valentine together.' In a statement released on Sunday, which came to light on Thursday evening, her family said: 'Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. 'A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens. The actress sadly died 'peacefully' aged 85 following a long battle with Parkinson's disease Pauline Collins appears with her husband John Alderton at the premiere of 'Quartet' during the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival 'She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine a role that she made all her own. 'We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them. 'More than anything, though, she was our loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma. Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us. And she was John's life-long love. A partner, work collaborator, and wife of 56 years. 'We particularly want to thank her carers: angels who looked after her with dignity, compassion, and most of all love. She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. 'We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers; so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her.' Dame Joanna Lumley, who acted alongside Pauline in Shirley Valentine, also paid tribute to the 'unforgettable' actress. She said: 'We only shared one afternoon, filming a scene for Shirley Valentine: but in that short time I could see at once why she became a blazing star. 'The blend of truthfulness and soulful naivety with impeccable comic timing and mischief made her unforgettable.' Born in Devon and raised in Wallasey, Cheshire, Pauline trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama after working briefly as a teacher. Her early television success came in the BBC sitcom The Liver Birds, before her breakthrough role in Shirley Valentine made her an international star. The 1989 film, adapted from Willy Russell's stage play, earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Awards and a Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. The film followed the life of a Liverpool housewife who rediscovers herself on a trip to Greece a performance that became one of the defining portrayals of British cinema in the 1980s. Pauline's extensive career also included performances in No Sex Please, We're British, Wodehouse Playhouse, Forever Green and The Time Of Their Lives. Her stage work spanned decades, with roles in London's West End and regional theatre productions. The actress also appeared alongside Patrick Swayze in 1992's City Of Joy and starred in Dustin Hoffman's 2012 comedy Quartet alongside Dame Maggie Smith, Sir Tom Courtenay and Sir Billy Connolly. In 2001 Pauline was made an OBE for her services to drama. Succession's Sarah Snook stars in a missing child thriller based on Andrea Mara's novel Year: 2025 Certificate: 15 Watch now on NOW Watch now on Sky Based on the novel by Irish author Andrea Mara, All Her Fault is one of those thrillers that will be instantly relatable to any parent who has momentarily misplaced their child. Succession's Sarah Snook stars as Marissa, a mother who arrives to pick up her son Milo from a playdate only to be told 'There's no Milo here'. And Milo hasn't just popped over the road to the playground, either. The woman who answers the door has never even heard of him. You can feel Marissa's heart drop at that moment and she's not given much reason to relax after that in an eight-part thriller that echoes The Stolen Girl in its set-up, but is more grounded in style and doesn't let up from that opening scene. As news of the child's disappearance spreads through Marissa's well-to-do suburban friends, it becomes apparent that the guilty party must be someone she knows - but who? Anchored by Snook's strong performance and with notable support from Dakota Fanning, this is the kind of thriller that delights in revealing the secrets behind suburban facades, steadily building the pressure until the truth is finally known. It's also particularly good at showing the female perspective, and picks neatly away at the frustrations and guilt that can simmer around the responsibilities of parenting. (Eight episodes) When news of her father's affair broke in 2008, Alix Earle wanted to 'rip the head off' of the woman who would become her new stepmother. Then only eight-years-old, Earle found herself being ushered out of her childhood home with her mother, Alisa, and sister, Ashtin, as paparazzi swarmed the property. Why? Her father, Thomas Earle, had been sleeping with Ashley Dupre - the same Ashley Dupre who had made headlines years earlier for her involvement in a sex scandal with the former governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer. Fast forward some 17 years and Dupre is mother to Earle's three half siblings. And Earle, now 24 and an influencer with 4.8million Instagram followers to her name, has spoken openly about how she and Dupre, 40, have 'gotten to such a good point' in their relationship. That was, at least, until last week when Dupre is said to have utterly and publicly 'humiliated' her famous stepdaughter. Earle is currently a contestant on this season of Dancing with the Stars and only two more episodes away from the final. But with the stakes rising, and after Earle was given a disappointing score by guest judge and pro-dancer Cheryl Burke last week, Dupre hit out at Burke on TikTok, telling her to 'take more Ozempic'. 'She looks weird. Doesn't even look like her,' added Dupre, who was watching the show from home. Fans immediately slammed the comments as 'body shaming', forcing Dupre to eventually apologize for her 'insensitive' words - but the damage was done. The incident had, sources say, exposed a family 'tension'. 'The Earles keep family issues private, but lately there has been noticeable tension between Alix and her stepmom Ashley,' an insider tells the Daily Mail. 'Ashley likes attention just as much as Alix, so she'll say and post whatever she wants without thinking about the repercussions. This smack talking of Cheryl Burke was a scenario where she crossed the line.' Alix Earle (pictured) felt humiliated by her step mother Ashley Dupre's comments about Cheryl Burke on Dancing with the Stars, an insider told the Daily Mail Earle (center), 24, has worked hard to build a relationship with Dupre (right) in the years since her affair with Earle's father Thomas 'TJ' Earle (left) was outed 'Alix would have talked to her stepmom about it immediately and told her what she did was wrong,' the insider added. 'I'm sure Ashley wasn't thrilled about posting an apology, but she did it for Alix. She loves Alix and would not want to get on her bad side.' But despite that apology, it is understood that Earle was left fuming by Dupre's comments, afraid that they could cost her a spot in the DWTS final. After all, the competition has proved to be a tough ride for the influencer, who found fame with her #GetReadyWithMe videos. Days before last week's Halloween DWTS special, Earle broke down in tears after leaving rehearsals, telling fans she was struggling to learn the routine. 'She works so hard in the ballroom and gets upset over how difficult it can be,' our insider said. 'So to find out that her stepmom would make damaging comments that could potentially effect fan votes, that could completely break her. 'Alix has been pulling the weight in the family when it comes to maintaining a good reputation. Ashley has a known history of breaking up marriages and being an escort. The fact that Ashley would make mean comments about a famous person really just shows she hasn't changed and just wants attention. People who know her don't take her seriously half the time.' Earl's life was turned upside down when her father's affair with Dupre came to light in 2008. It happened months after Dupre landed at the center of a sex scandal with the former governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer. The politician was investigated by the FBI after he was found to be spending thousands of dollars on an escort service. A then 23-year-old Dupre was revealed to be a woman he had hired. Spitzer quickly resigned, and his wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, later filed for divorce. The couple share three daughters. Dupre married Earle's father in 2013, a year after they welcomed their daughter Izabel. Their second daughter, Penelope, followed in 2015, and their son, Thomas, was born two years later. 'The Earle's keep family issues private, but lately there has been noticeable tension between Alix and her stepmom Ashley,' an insider told the Daily Mail. 'This smack talking of Cheryl Burke (pictured) was a scenario where she crossed the line' Earle and her younger sister Ashtin (left) initially refused to accept Dupre into their family. Speaking on the Hot Mess podcast in 2023, they revealed how they ignored her when first introduced by their father, rejected gifts from her and would play pranks on her Earle and her full sister Ashtin, 22, initially refused to accept Dupre into the family. Speaking on the Hot Mess podcast in 2023, they revealed how they ignored her when first introduced by their father, rejected gifts from her and would play pranks on her. They recalled how they once filled her shoes with toothpaste and served her a garlic clove disguised as a chocolate-covered strawberry. 'I don't want people to think that... our parents got divorced and we were like, "Hey, we're a big perfect family," because it was like years and years of us fighting and hashing it out to get to this point that we're at,' Earle said on the episode. 'I'm very grateful that we're here.' 'They come off as this perfect family, but like all families, they have their own issues and struggles. Alix is all about her reputation and this would've been something she would've been completely humiliated by.' Raven-Symone is facing major backlash after making a rare remark about her former TV dad Bill Cosby telling fans she can separate his cultural impact from his horrific personal behavior. Cosby faced his first sexual assault accusation in 2004 from Andrea Constand, with dozens more women later coming forward with similar claims. He was convicted in 2018 and jailed, but walked free in 2021 after Pennsylvanias Supreme Court overturned the ruling, citing a prior deal that should have blocked his prosecution. During an appearance on the Hate to Break It to Ya podcast, the 39-year-old actress who played Olivia on The Cosby Show from 1989 until the sitcoms finale in 1992 said, 'Separate the creator from the creation.' And thats just where I live, she continued. The creation changed America. Changed television. Hes also been accused of some horrific things, Symone added. That does not excuse, but thats his personal [life]. So personally, keep that there, and then business-wise, know what he did there as well. Raven-Symone is facing major backlash after making a rare remark about her former TV dad Bill Cosby telling fans she can separate his cultural impact from his horrific personal behavior During an appearance on the Hate to Break It to Ya podcast, the 39-year-old actress who played Olivia on The Cosby Show from 1989 until the sitcoms finale in 1992 said, 'Separate the creator from the creation' (pictured 1990) The response online was swift and brutal. Many fans accused the Thats So Raven star of defending the indefensible. Raven occasionally pops up every few years specifically to disappoint me, one user wrote on Reddit. Another added bluntly, Queen of bad takes. One fan argued that The Cosby Shows success was the work of an entire team, writing, The Cosby Show made a major cultural impact yeah and a whole team of people made that so. We can give the show and the crew all the credit in the world, why cant we both mention his record and discuss the shows impact without erasing or downplaying the sh** he did on set? Another commenter dragged Cosbys TV wife Phylicia Rashad who has appeared to support him in the past saying, I hate how Raven and Phylicia Rashad have defended Cosby. Others didnt hold back, with one writing, Just adding to her legacy of saying idiotic things, while another said, Raven strikes me as a mean girl, but she has a point regarding Bills cultural impact. One simply piled on: She strikes me as a grown mean girl. Cosby currently lives primarily at his home in a Philadelphia suburb, following his release from prison in 2021 after his sexual assault conviction was overturned. He has remained largely out of the public eye but continues to face numerous sexual assault allegations and lawsuits filed by other women in New York, Los Angeles, New Jersey and Nevada. Hes also been accused of some horrific things, Symone said, adding, That does not excuse, but thats his personal [life]. So personally, keep that there, and then business-wise, know what he did there as well' And thats just where I live, Raven explained, adding of the sitcom, 'The creation changed America. Changed television' The response online was swift and brutal as many fans accused the Thats So Raven star of defending the indefensible Cosbys spokesperson Andrew Wyatt responded to the latest round of lawsuits by accusing the women plaintiffs of seeking 'massive amounts of media attention and greed,' per CBS News. Cosby has repeatedly maintained his innocence. 'I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence,' he insisted in a since-deleted post on X after his 2021 release. Since then, the once-beloved TV star has largely vanished from public life, only reemerging occasionally most recently after the tragic death of his Cosby Show co-star Malcolm-Jamal Warner in July. Warner drowned while vacationing in Costa Rica, and Wyatt later revealed the two men had stayed in touch through the years. Days later, Raven-Symone shared her own emotional tribute on Instagram, calling Warner 'a big brother' and 'one of the most multi-faceted, talented men' shed ever known. 'He was so gentle,' she said, sending 'hugs and kisses' to Warners daughter, wife, and mother. 'He gave the best advice, he gave the best hugs,' she added. It appears that Lauren Phillips woke up a tad worse for wear after her appearance at Oaks Day this week. The Melbourne radio queen, 37, cut a very chic figure when she stepped out for the star-studded Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington Racecourse on Thursday. However, she may have over-indulged a little too much with her Nova 100 breakfast co-stars Jase Hawkins and Clint Stanaway. Lauren took to Instagram on Friday to reveal the whopping amount of fast food needed for the trio to adequately 'back up' for their breakfast radio shift after a big day trackside. She shared a photo that showed an Uber Eats order that Lauren placed for the trio ahead of going on air. Lauren had chosen McDonald's for the radio stars' hangover breakfast of champions and a confirmation from her bank on the image showed just how 'under the weather' they were. It appears that Lauren Phillips woke up a tad worse for wear after her appearance at Oaks Day this week. Lauren is pictured with Nova 100 co-star Jase Hawkins The image showed that Lauren had racked up an impressive $307 bill for the morning repast. While the photo did not give an itemised account of what was actually ordered, that price is sure to nab you more than a few hash browns and bacon and egg McMuffins. 'All fun and games until the alarm goes off at 4.30am,' Lauren captioned the image. 'Pray for us,' she added while tagging her partied-out co-stars. Meanwhile, Lauren looked absolutely stunning for her 2025 Oaks Day appearance. She wore a fetching navy blue tailored boucle dress from Self Portrait that featured faux button embellishments. The $800 dress also boasted a playful bubble skirt that showed off Lauren's toned pins. She completed her ensemble with a pair of strappy heels and accessorised with an eye-catching $4,140 Valentino Garavani metallic shoulder bag. She may have over-indulged a little too much with her Nova 100 breakfast co-stars Jase Hawkins and Clint Stanaway Lauren took to Instagram on Friday to reveal the whopping amount of fast food needed for the trio to adequately 'back up' for their breakfast radio shift after a big day trackside The image showed that Lauren had racked up an impressive $307 bill Wearing her hair back for the occasion, Lauren completed her race day look with a navy blue headband. Lauren also wore some subtle bling in her ears as well as a light rose shade on her lip. She looked to be having a whale of a time with Jase and Clint, particularly at the G.H Mumm tent. She uploaded a clip to Instagram on Thursday that showed her happily popping a cork on a magnum of the high-end champagne. As Jase and Clint looked on, Lauren's face lit up with glee as a jet of champagne shot metres into the air. As the assembled crowd cheered on, the radio trio scuttled for cover, protecting their finery from the champagne fountain.' Married At First Sight star Jules Robinson has slammed trolls online who criticised her Melbourne Cup outfit. Jules wore a giant smile on Tuesday as she posed for pictures in a pink and green striped frock by Pasduchas, pairing the head-turning dress with silver heels, a silver purse and silver bow headdress. However, the 41-year-old's snaps were inundated with negative comments, with one social media user fat-shaming the Channel 9 star and accusing her of 'squeezing' into her dress. The mum-of-two explained in her Instagram Stories that she still had a great day despite the dress being too small, however that was no excuse for trolls to harass her over her fashion choices. 'Yesterday I wore a dress that was too small for me. [The] Pasduchas team who are so lovely kindly gifted me a beautiful dress and they had it made for me,' she told her followers, adding that she didn't have a chance to try the pre-ordered dress on before the big day. Jules was slammed for looking 'ridiculous' by people who claimed they were just trying to 'help' as they over-analysed her body in the Instagram post. Married At First Sight star Jules Robinson (pictured) has slammed online trolls who criticised her Melbourne Cup outfit Jules wore a giant smile on Tuesday as she posed for pictures in a pink and green striped frock by Pasduchas, pairing the head-turning dress with silver heels, a silver purse and silver bow headdress 'Heres the thing. I didnt wear that dress to look smaller. I wore it because I loved it. Because fashion should be about joy and fun,' she shared. The MAFS wife added that she truly believed that 'when you are comfortable you are confident', and that despite the ill-fitting frock, she 'dug deep' and had a great day at the races. Jules finished off the clip with some wise words to the harsh people in her comments section. 'Women are not public property for nasty critique. We dont need your stylist advice disguised as insults,' she said. 'Confidence looks good on everyone. And I promise kindness does too.' This isn't the first time Jules has addressed online trolls. The Married at First Sight alum hit back at a cruel social media user who claimed that her son Oliver, five, had passed away in March. She took to Instagram to address a cowardly keyboard warrior who made the false and hurtful comments about her boy, who she shares with husband Cam Merchant. The mum-of-two explained in her Instagram Stories that she still had a great day despite the dress being too small, however that was no excuse for trolls to harass her over her fashion choices She took to Instagram to address a cowardly keyboard warrior who made the false and hurtful comments about her boy, who she shares with husband Cam Merchant 'Whoever wrote this is you should be ashamed of yourself. If you see please report. A family member shared this with me; it's a MAFS fan page.' Jules also shared a video to her stories in which she could be seen holding her baby Carter James - who was 7-months-old at the time - while urging users to 'stop and think' before posting 'stupid comments'. 'Ive done enough work on myself to be able to protect myself and to always know that generally theyre always about how I look or how I dress or whatever,' she said. 'You know what? That does not bother me at all. But to come at my family and to say something so awful. 'And the point that youve gone to source photos of [Oliver] as a baby... like what is the purpose of this? 'It's just insane and people just need to stop and think before they do such stupid things,' she went on. 'So yeah I am upset and I am human and that is not fair to write things like that about my children so who ever you are @#$%^ you are an absolute moron.' Hugh Jackman and his girlfriend Sutton Foster shared a playful moment as they arrived to LAX on Wednesday. The 57-year-old actor - who finalized his divorce from Deborra-Lee Furness in June - kept a lowkey profile as both he and the Tony Award-winning actress, 50, made their way through the bustling airport. It comes just days after it was revealed that the Australian star's ex-wife landed a book deal to pen a bombshell memoir following the pair's split. Hugh sported a short-sleeved blue shirt as well as a pair of black pants and comfy sneakers for the busy day of travel. He placed a cap on top of his head while also carrying a black backpack over his shoulders. Sutton - who is known for her roles in projects such as Shrek The Musical and Bunheads - opted for green sweatpants as well as a gray sweatshirt and mustard yellow cardigan. Hugh Jackman, 57, and his girlfriend Sutton Foster, 50, shared a playful moment as they arrived to LAX on Wednesday It comes just days after it was revealed that the Australian star's ex-wife landed a book deal to pen a bombshell memoir following the pair's split; former couple seen in 2018 in NYC At one point as the couple retrieved their luggage, the actress was seen flashing a big smile before humorously sticking her tongue out. The two stars were also spotted holding a conversation as they awaited for a suitcase after touching down in Los Angeles. Hugh and Sutton recently made their red carpet debut as a couple late last month at the premiere of his upcoming film Song Sung Blue during the 2025 AFI Fest in Hollywood. The pair held big smiles on their faces as they posed for a brief photo session together and sweetly wrapped their arms around each other. A few days before, Hugh and Sutton also attended Richard Marx's After Hours Confessions event in NYC. They also made an appearance at the Fetch Pet Gala in the Big Apple last month. At the time, a source told the Daily Mail: 'Press and photographers were patiently waiting for Hugh and Sutton to make their big debut on the red carpet, but unfortunately, plans had changed last minute. 'A lot of people who were made aware of their debut as a couple were left confused by why they had changed their minds.' Sutton stepped onto the red carpet and was 'glowing and in good spirits' after arriving solo to the festivities, with Hugh making his own separate arrival later. At one point as the couple retrieved their luggage, the actress was seen flashing a big smile before humorously sticking her tongue out Hugh sported a short-sleeved blue shirt as well as a pair of black pants and comfy sneakers for the busy day of travel Hugh and Sutton recently made their red carpet debut as a couple late last month at the premiere of his upcoming film Song Sung Blue during the 2025 AFI Fest in Hollywood (seen above) 'You can tell she was a bit overwhelmed by all the photographers that it might have been the reason why she did not do any interviews and did not bring Hugh to the carpet,' the insider explained. 'Hugh had snuck inside following the cocktail hour and was seated next to Sutton during the dinner portion of the evening. He was there to support her.' Before striking up a romance, both Hugh and Sutton had been friends for many years - with their relationship confirmed in January of this year. In 2022, the two co-starred in the production of The Music Man and she previously opened up about their friendship at the time. 'The best thing that's happened out of this whole thing is that I've made a new friend, which you never anticipate,' Sutton told People. 'We always joke that after 40, you don't really make new friends! He's a dream and so kind and talented and is even more generous. He's pretty fantastic. We're having a really remarkable time - the whole company.' It was recently revealed that Hugh's ex-wife Deborra has landed a book deal to pen a memoir where she will get candid about her 27-year marriage to The Wolverine star as well as their split. A source told Woman's Day Magazine, 'Hugh had heard about Deb's plans but he didn't really know until she told him herself during their secret meetup. Before striking up a romance, both Hugh and Sutton had been friends for many years - with their relationship confirmed in January of this year It was recently revealed that Hugh's ex-wife Deborra has landed a book deal to pen a memoir where she will get candid about her 27-year marriage to The Wolverine star as well as their split; seen in 2022 in NYC 'He'd been warned early on that almost every A-list divorcee is approached to write a book but part of him hoped Deb wouldn't take that fat publisher's cheque.' The insider told the outlet that the book is not 'revenge' but instead a way for Deborra to reignite her career and find her own voice. She reportedly turned down the opportunity to write a memoir initially but eventually changed her mind, in the hopes that the experience could be 'cathartic.' Last month in October, RadarOnline claimed that Hugh and Deborra have begun to repair their friendship following the separation. 'Hugh has been trying to make peace with Debs for a long while now, but as you can imagine, it has taken her time to feel ready,' a source told the outlet. 'Settling all the legal stuff seems to have helped because she's finally coming around - they've gotten together a couple of times in New York recently to talk things out.' The insider added, 'By all accounts things have improved dramatically, which is fantastic for everyone, most of all their kids. 'It's been two years now since they officially separated. It really is time to let the hatred and anger go.' But the insider told the outlet that the book is not 'revenge' but instead a way for Deborra to reignite her career and find her own voice; seen in Australia in January Deborra previously reflected on the end of her marriage to Hugh and labeled it as a 'traumatic betrayal' that 'cut deep.' Their divorce was finalized in June of this year - just one month after the filing. 'A settlement was reached that Deborra is pleased with, which includes a handsome spousal support payment,' a separate source told the Daily Mail. 'There was some back and forth regarding this financial agreement but, in the end, she got what she believed she deserved. Both are coming out of this financially secure. 'There is not going to be any drama with this - it gives closure that she needed.' Deborra previously reflected on the end of her marriage to Hugh and labeled it as a 'traumatic betrayal' that 'cut deep'; former couple seen in 2015 in NYC Along with his budding romance with Sutton, Hugh has been keeping busy and preparing for the release of his new movie Song Sung Blue Along with his budding romance with Sutton, Hugh has been keeping busy and preparing for the release of his new movie Song Sung Blue. The biographical musical drama was written and directed by Craig Brewer - while Kate Hudson, Ella Anderson, Michael Imperioli and King Princess are also a part of the cast. The premise is: 'Lightning and Thunder, a Milwaukee husband and wife Neil Diamond tribute act, experience soaring success and devastating heartbreak in their musical journey together,' per IMDB. The movie is set to hit theaters later this year on Christmas Day and has already generated positive buzz among critics. The film currently holds a critics score of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, seems to have owned up to his record of hateful rants about Jews. The rapper's sorry-not-sorry apology for his three-year string of antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments came Tuesday during an apparent meeting in New York City with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, a controversial Orthodox leader known as a guru to business titans and celebrities, Jewish and non-Jewish alike. A video of their conversation, originally posted on Pinto's Instagram account, went viral Thursday. 'I'm really blessed to be able to sit here with you today and just take accountability,' Ye, his voice subdued, can be heard telling the non-English speaking rabbi through a Hebrew translator. 'I was dealing with some various issues, bipolar, also, so it would take the ideas I had and had them, take them to an extreme where I would forget about the protection of the people around me, or myself,' Ye continued. 'So it's like if you left the house and left your kid at the house and your kid went and messed up the kitchen and messed up the garage, mess up the living room. Now, when you get back, it's your responsibility, because that's your child,' he said. Kanye West, also knowns as Ye, made a significant choice in his decision to renounce his antisemitic ideology, meeting with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto in New York City on Tuesday to apologize The reconciliation came just two days before Ye was spotted with his wife, Bianca Censori, for the first time in months as they boarded a plane out of LAX on Thursday 'And I really just appreciate you embracing me with open arms and allowing me to make amends. And this is beginning in the first steps, and the first brick by brick to build, to build back the strong walls.' Pinto, who appears in the video holding Ye's hands and listening to him attentively, seemed to absolve him for his comments. 'Judaism brought to the world a way for someone, when he regrets something that you have done wrong you can regret and fix it,' the rabbi told the rapper. Their apparent meeting ended with a hug. The reconciliation came just two days before Ye was first seen with his elusive wife, Bianca Censori for the first time in months, boarding a plane out of LAX on Thursday - wearing the same outfit he'd had on in the video. Just a day earlier, Censori had been spotted in Melbourne, Australia, after a brief two-day visit, strutting through the airport in a figure-hugging all-black ensemble. Pinto, a controversial Orthodox rabbi regarded as a spiritual adviser to business moguls and celebrities of all backgrounds, shared their conversation on Instagram on Thursday In the video, Ye tells the Rabbi that his bipolar disorder made his ideas 'extreme' to the point where he would 'forget about the protection of the people around me, or myself' Their exchange ended with a hug, as Pinto told Ye that if he truly regretted his past behavior, he had the power to make things right - seemingly offering him absolution for his history of antisemitic remarks Censori and Ye were both dressed in all-black ensembles as they walked across the tarmac, with the rapper appearing to wear the same outfit from his Tuesday meeting Just a day earlier, Censori had been seen in Melbourne, Australia, wrapping up a quick two-day visit and strutting through the airport in a sleek, figure-hugging all-black outfit Nicki Minaj publicly commended Ye's meeting with the prominent rabbi, writing on X: 'So happy to see Kanye publicly take accountability for the pain his words may have caused to so many. Standing with our Jewish brothers & sisters.' Ye's string of antisemitic remarks began in late 2022, including a tweet that he was planning to go 'death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE.' He embraced conspiracy theories that 'Jewish people' control the media, the music industry and finances, saying, 'The Jewish media blocked me out. This is not hate speech, this is the truth.' He also praised Adolf Hitler and Nazis. His remarks prompted Adidas, Balenciaga and his talent agency CAA, to stop doing business with him in 2022. Most recently, the rapper released a song earlier this year entitled 'Heil Hitler.' Nicki Minaj praised Ye's meeting with the well-known rabbi, posting on X that she was 'so happy to see Kanye take public accountability for the pain his words may have caused so many In Ye's Heil Hitler music video that dropped earlier this year, he raps: 'N*****s see my Twitter but they don't see how I be feeling / So I became a Nazi, yeah b****, I'm the villain' Ye attributing his rants to bipolar disorder comes as a curveball in his evolving understanding of his mental health condition. He said for years that he struggled with bipolar until asserting last winter that he had been misdiagnosed and has autism, instead. His apparent comments Tuesday suggest that he is once again embracing the diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which is characterized by extreme mood swings between periods of high energy, known as mania, and low-energy, or depression. It is often referred to as manic depression. The Anti-Defamation League, whose mission is to eradicate antisemitism in the US, did not return the Daily Mail's inquiry seeking its response to Ye's meeting with the rabbi and comments. On social media, some users are praising Ye for acknowledging his actions and taking responsibility, while others remain skeptical, noting that he blamed his tirades on his mental health condition rather than flat-out apologizing for them. Ye, who earlier this year was seen wearing a diamond swastika chain, appears to have made a dramatic turnaround from his previous views, which echoed conspiracy theories claiming that 'Jewish people' control the media, music industry and global finances However, prominent Jewish figures like Yashar Ali remain skeptical, posting on X that he believes Ye is 'unwell' and reminding followers of the rapper's past association with Nick Fuentes 'If someone wants to change particularly someone who has played a significant role in the explosion of Jew hatred globally it takes years to prove it,' journalist Yashar Ali posted on X. 'I do not believe Kanye has changed; he's deeply unwell.' Another poster, @RabbiShmuley, wrote: 'Rabbi Yeshayahu Pinto @rabbi_pinto Disgraces Himself and Betrays the Jewish People by legitimizing Hitler-lover and demonic antisemite @Ye Kanye West. I need to vomit.' Neither Ye, Pinto or Pinto's organization, Shuva Israel, could be reached to comment on what led to the meeting, why the rapper chose that particular rabbi to reach out to and what other Jewish leaders may have declined such a meeting. Pinto, 52 only four years older than the far younger-looking 48-year-old Ye is an Israeli Moroccan Orthodox rabbi and teacher of the Kabbalah, an ancient Jewish mystical tradition followed by Madonna, among other celebrities. He has a history of legal problems, including being investigated for alleged money laundering in Israel, which led him to plead guilty in 2014 to bribing a high-ranking Israeli police officer. He served a brief prison sentence in Israel before being named chief rabbi of Morocco in 2019. In the meantime, he has become a guru of sorts to business leaders and celebrities. His followers are said to include Jay Schottenstein, chairman of American Eagle Outfitters, real estate mogul Jacky Ben-Zaken and disgraced former Congressman Anthony Wiener, as well as non-Jews, including LeBron James. Tori Spelling was spotted for the first time since she finalized her divorce from Dean McDermott. On Wednesday, the 52-year-old actress appeared solemn as she stepped out with one of her and her ex-husband's kids to pick up lunch. She was seen stopping at a sushi restaurant in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles with her eight-year-old son Beau. This comes after Spelling and her reality star ex finally settled their divorce two years after separating. For her outing, Spelling wore a cropped, black knit sweater paired with dark, distressed cargo pants. The Beverly Hills, 90210 star wore checkered sneakers and sported a pair of yellow-tinted sunglasses. Tori Spelling was spotted for the first time since she finalized her divorce from Dean McDermott Her long blonde hair had transformed into a shoulder-length, blunt bob. And she appeared calm as she followed her youngest child into the eatery. Earlier this week, it was revealed that the pair signed off on the terms of their legal separation in late October, according to documents filed to the Superior Court of California in the County of Los Angeles. In the court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, her request for spousal and child support was 'ordered.' Both Spelling and McDermott both checked off a box that listed their divorce as 'uncontested.' The pair had also cited irreconcilable differences as the reason behind their separation and listed their official split date as June 17, 2023. Spelling initially filed for divorce in March 2024 after 18 years of marriage. At the time, she requested spousal support from her ex as well as sole physical custody of their five children. She requested joint legal custody with McDermott's visitation rights to be determined at a later date. In addition to Beau, Spelling and McDermott share Liam, 18, Stella, 17, Hattie, 14, and Finn, 13. McDermott also shares adult son Jack, 25, with his ex-wife Mary Jo Eustance. On Wednesday, the 52-year-old actress appeared solemn as she stepped out with one of her and her ex-husband's kids to pick up lunch She was seen stopping at a sushi restaurant in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles with her son This comes after Spelling and her reality star ex finally settled their divorce two years after separating; pictured in June 2023 Spelling initially filed for divorce in March 2024 after 18 years of marriage; pictured in October 2018 In the court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, her request for spousal and child support was 'ordered.' Spelling and McDermott share Liam, 18, Stella, 17, Hattie, 14, Finn, 13, and Beau, eight; pictured in December 2019 Recently, Spelling also revealed that her romance with Ryan Cramer an advertising CEO she started dating after her estrangement from McDermott is still going strong. The pair made their relationship red carpet official in April after rekindling their on-off romance in early 2025. The pair were first romantically linked two years ago when they were spotted making out during a romantic dinner date just months after Spelling's separation from her ex-husband. The insider revealed that even after Spelling and her new beau broke up, they remained in contact 'here and there' in the past two years. 'She feels it was serendipitous that they reconnected and hit it off again,' the source told the outlet. The insider also said Spelling feels supported by Cramer because he is 'the least judgmental person.' The source added that the reality star 'is really happy and feels like her life is moving in a great direction.' Another insider also told the outlet that the couple previously met through work before their romance initially began in 2023. Savannah Chrisley plans to use weight-loss drugs to help shed the 25lbs she's been wanting to lose. On Tuesday's episode of her Unlocked podcast, the reality TV star, 28, told her mom Julie, 52, that her goal is to be 'skinny' after struggling with her 'fluctuating' weight. 'My weight has always fluctuated. Always. Like right now, I am almost 160lbs. Probably more than that,' the 5foot7inch star revealed, adding that she would prefer to weigh around 135lbs. Chrisley admitted that she had previously tried weight-loss injections but struggled to stay consistent with them due to how the drug affected her appetite. 'That's the hard part. So when I'm on the shot and I can't eat, I'm like, "Ugh, I really love food."' But this go around, Chrisley is committed to reaching her goal weight and is planning to use a different GLP-1 injection known as tirzepatide. Savannah Chrisley plans to use weight-loss drugs to help shed the 25lbs she's been wanting to lose; seen in 2023 'I want to start back [on] my shot,' she said, adding that her healthcare company, Good Girl RX, is 'now selling tirzepatide.' She told fans that she recently got her bloodwork done 'to see where all my markers are' before starting back up on the injections. Tirzepatide, which is sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound, is injected once weekly and must be administered on the same day each week. According to the Mayo Clinic, the medication is intended to treat type 2 diabetes but it is also 'used to help lose weight and keep the weight off in patients with obesity caused by certain conditions.' Chrisley said she chose to go the tirzepatide route because it 'doesn't give me all the side effects' that other weight-loss jabs like Ozempic 'give people.' 'I love tirzepatide, which is great. So then I can compare my bloodwork before taking it and after taking it and see where my biological age is, how my A1C is, all those things,' she explained. She added that her and her mom Julie are 'doing it together' this time, with Julie revealing that she hopes to lose 20lbs. Chrisley said she believes people are entitled to feel 'good' in their bodies and that her ultimate goal is to get 'skinny.' On Tuesday's episode of her Unlocked podcast , the reality TV star, 28, told her mom Julie, 52, that her goal is to be 'skinny' after struggling with her 'fluctuating' weight Back in July, Chrisley (seen left in 2023 and right in 2019) admitted to previously getting liposuction after gaining 40lbs amid her battle with endometriosis 'I want to be skinny. I want people to be like, "Is she ok?"' she joked. 'I mean, not that skinny because I don't wanna lose my a**. 'But I want to be pretty thin because now when I put on some of my jeans, I don't like it when I go to put on a pair of jeans and they don't fit...,' she explained, before bluntly adding, 'I've got to lose some [pounds].' Once she begins her latest round of GLP-1 shots, Chrisley said she plans to share progress photos with her Good Girl RX community. 'I'm gonna start that so everyone can follow along.' Chrisley's weight-loss jab confession comes just months after she revealed for the first time that she underwent liposuction to slim down her figure. During a candid sit-down with her plastic surgeon, Dr. Charlie Galanis, on a July episode of Unlocked, Chrisley said she made the decision after gaining 40lbs amid her battle with endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition characterized by tissue that normally lines the uterus growing elsewhere in the body. 1 in 10 women experience it. 'I was going through all kinds of s***t with my endometriosis,' she recalled about what prompted her to go under the knife. Chrisley admitted that she had previously tried weight-loss injections but struggled to stay consistent with them due to how the drug affected her appetite; seen in October But this go around, Chrisley is committed to reaching her goal weight and is planning to use a different GLP-1 injection known as tirzepatide; seen in July Chrisley said she believes people are entitled to feel 'good' in their bodies and that her ultimate goal is to get 'skinny'; seen in 2014 'I had taken this medication and I gained 40 pounds in like three months. It was crazy. And I had to do this like campaign shoot and I hated how I looked.' The Chrisley Knows Best alum didn't say exactly when she had her liposuction, but noted that it was 'a while ago,' while adding that it 'happened fast,' taking place just one week after her virtual consultation. Post-procedure, Chrisley regained her confidence. 'Speaking from personal experience, when I got my lipo done, I felt like... when you can look in the mirror and see a difference, it made me want to live healthier,' she explained. 'When I saw the results, I was like, oh my gosh. I wanna keep this up.' And she said she looked like a 'totally different human being' afterward. In the same episode, titled 'Be Curious, Not Judgmental,' Chrisley also spoke about the terrible rhinoplasty that left her nose crooked, warning fans that a higher cost doctor doesn't always translate to better results. In a recent podcast episode, Chrisley spoke about undergoing two rhinoplasties, with the first one needing to be fixed because her nose was 'crooked'; pictured right in 2024 and left in 2014 'I got my nose done by a guy in Beverly Hills, and he was known as the "it guy." I went and got it done and it was literally crooked,' she detailed. 'I was like, this does not look good,' she added before sharing that she went to 'one of my dad's friends to fix it.' Now, she says about her nose, 'I love it, looks great.' She then emphasized that 'just because [plastic surgery] is a certain price or just because [a doctor] has done such and such celebrity],' doesn't guarantee a satisfactory procedure. Sydney Sweeney has shared how she drowns out 'the noise' - shortly after she was seen having a screaming match with her ex Jonathan Davino. Jonathan, 42, and Sydney, 28, were romantically involved from 2018 until news broke early this year that they had gone their separate ways. However last weekend she was seen slipping into the passenger seat of a car Jonathan was driving, after having dinner with friends in Santa Monica. Their conversation took an acrimonious turn, as she reported shouted at him: 'I don't believe you. Please leave, leave me alone.' Amid the frenzied attention her love life, including her current rumored romance with Scooter Braun, 42, she has shared how she copes with the scrutiny. 'You just know who you are. And the people who matter and are your friends and your family, they know who I am,' the Euphoria bombshell told Extra. Hollywood bombshell Sydney Sweeney put her world-famous assets on jaw-dropping display yet again during her latest red carpet appearance 'And to me, like, that's whats most important. Everything else is just noise none of it's real. And Im just surrounded by really good people. And I love my job and I love my characters and I just stay focused,' added Sydney. Sydney raised eyebrows this past Saturday when she was glimpsed quietly slipping into a car with her ex-fiance in Los Angeles. She had just enjoyed a private meal with friends at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, dining in one of the restaurant's back rooms while watching Game 7 of the MLB World Series between the Dodgers and Blue Jays, an eyewitness told the Daily Mail. The source claimed the atmosphere inside the private dining space was 'intimate and relaxed' on Saturday night, adding that the actress appeared to be 'in great spirits' as she chatted and laughed between innings. Minutes later, she was seen quietly transferring into another vehicle driven by Davino, 42. Photographs captured the two-time Emmy nominee ducking down in the passenger seat with Davino behind the wheel. But their apparent amiability seemed short-lived. TMZ reported that, at one point, the star screamed: 'I don't believe you. Please leave, leave me alone.' The sighting comes amid ongoing rumors that Sweeney has been dating Scooter Braun. Sweeney and Davino, who dated for several years and got engaged in early 2022, previously kept their relationship largely private. Sweeney and Davino, who dated for several years and got engaged in early 2022, previously kept their relationship largely private; pictured last December in New York At this time, it is unknown whether the pair are rekindling their romance or simply remain close friends. Last month, a source told The Sun that she had 'plans to take her relationship' with Braun to 'the next level.' The insider claimed the pair are now looking to move into together just months after meeting. The actress and the record executive, 44, met over the summer at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Venetian wedding in Italy and ever since, the pair have seemingly been inseparable. They said the stars were like 'teenage lovers' who are constantly in contact with one another. A friend said: 'When they arent together, they are always on the phone, on FaceTime, and messaging each other all the time.' Another added: 'They are also planning on moving in together in the next couple of months.' The source also told the outlet: 'Either by the end of the year or by the beginning of 2026, so they can take their relationship to another level.' Amid the frenzied attention her love life, including her current rumored romance with Scooter Braun, 42, she has shared how she copes with the scrutiny; pictured with Scooter last month The Daily Mail has contacted Sydney and Scooter's representatives for comments. 'He really, really likes her,' a source close to the couple said after he attended her star-studded space-themed 28th birthday party in Los Angeles last weekend. It comes as the Daily Mail has learned that the budding pair are very serious. 'They talk every day and see each other often, it is hot and heavy,' a source shared. 'I don't want to say the L word, but it feels like the L word. They seem very much in love, or at least incredibly in lust.' 'The attraction is she is hot as can be and he is an old soul who is helping her guide her way through sudden fame and her exploding career. He gives great advice. They have what each other wants.' As their early-stages but 'very real' romance amps up, Sweeney reportedly spent Labor Day weekend with Braun during a romantic Lake Tahoe retreat and even introduced him to her parents. In recent weeks, the actress and the businessman have also been spotted on a number of intimate, low-key dates in Los Angeles. 'It's not a casual relationship,' a source told Page Six. 'It's game on. It's full throttle. They are together.' Meanwhile, another source told People that the pair 'have a lot in common and neither one of them cares what others think'. The actress's friends and family are 'really happy about this relationship'. There have been claims that the two have been together since April when they took in Lana Del Rey's performance at the Coachella Music Festival, but that claim has yet to be confirmed. Sweeney ended her engagement with film producer Jonathan Davino, 42, in March. Braun divorced wife Yael Cohen in July 2021 after seven years of marriage. They have children Jagger, nine, Levi, seven, and Hart, five. The Choral (12A, 113 mins) Verdict: Out of tune Rating: This week's good news is that Alan Bennett, now aged 91, has written a new original screenplay. Furthermore, The Choral is directed by Nicholas Hytner, with whom Bennett has impressive form: their previous cinematic collaborations are The Madness Of King George (1994), The History Boys (2006) and The Lady In The Van (2015). The bad news is that The Choral set in a fictional Yorkshire town during the First World War, where the local choral society is preparing to perform Edward Elgar's The Dream Of Gerontius is second-rate Bennett and for that matter, second-rate Hytner. In trying to be a comedy, a weepie and a history lesson; in attempting to tackle class, sexuality and bereavement; in straining to be melancholic, profound and fun... The Choral never quite convinces as an actual story. Which is a shame, because it has a tip-top cast (Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam, Simon Russell Beale, Alun Armstrong, Mark Addy) all doing their utmost with disappointingly flabby material. Fiennes plays Henry Guthrie, a refined local doctor who reluctantly agrees to take over the choral society. It is 1916, and England is ablaze with patriotism. Unhelpfully, Guthrie has ties to Germany, a country he regards as more civilised and cultured than his own. He is also discreetly homosexual. But by jove he's a terrific choirmaster, and finds enough musical talent in the town to prepare a Gerontius fit for a king, although not necessarily fit for Elgar (played by Simon Russell Beale as a caricature of pomposity indistinguishable from his character in the latest Downton Abbey movie). Roger Allam as Alderman Duxbury and Ralph Fiennes as Dr Guthrie, Amara Okereke as Mary, Alun Armstrong in The Choral BRIAN VINER reviews Nicholas Hytner's The Choral There are many sub-plots, some of which work nicely while others fall flat, mostly related to the war raging on the Western Front. But there are too many big, set-piece monologues; and every tug on the heartstrings feels more like someone energetically ringing the church bells. Also, much as the best Bennett one-liners can make the heart sing, a mediocre one just makes the eyes roll. 'There are atheists now... there's one in Bradford.' That's not worthy of the great man, and nor, for all its occasional virtues, is The Choral. Dragonfly (15, 98 mins) Verdict: The acting soars Rating: Dragonfly, by contrast, is quite brilliantly written and directed (by Paul Andrew Williams), and revolves around two acting performances that could be shown to drama students for the rest of time. Brenda Blethyn and especially Andrea Riseborough take the breath away as lonely next-door neighbours in semi- detached suburban bungalows, who come to rely on each other for company. Elsie (Blethyn) is an elderly widow, overweight and infirm. Her middle-aged son John (Jason Watkins, also wonderful) has hired carers to call daily, evidently to appease his own conscience for not visiting enough. Colleen (Riseborough) next door is in her mid-30s, an unhappy woman on benefits, who shares her home with her beloved Sabre, a cross- breed bull-terrier. Brenda Blethyn and especially Andrea Riseborough, pictured, take the breath away as lonely next-door neighbours Gradually, the two women form a friendship built on mutual need but also genuine affection, with Colleen keeping a gimlet eye on the comings and goings of the carers. When one leaves well before her hour is up, Colleen, sitting outside her home like a vigilante, is unsparing in her criticism. Skinny and hollow-eyed, ferocious-looking dog at her heel, she might not present well, but the truth is that she seems more decent and dutiful than the mostly absent John. Not much else happens, at least until the last 15 minutes or so, when the sort of film that Mike Leigh might have crafted morphs into something more redolent of Tales Of The Unexpected. It really is exquisitely acted. Riseborough played a similarly downbeat, life-battered character in To Leslie (2022) and was nominated for an Oscar. She is every bit as good here. Anemone (15, 125 mins) Verdict: Unrelentingly grim Rating: Speaking of Oscars, nobody has won the Best Actor gong more than Daniel Day-Lewis, whose 'retirement' in 2017 was duly mourned. But he's back, in Anemone the directing debut of his son Ronan, with whom Day-Lewis shares the writing credits. He's brilliant, of course, as Ray, an angry, possibly traumatised former soldier now living like a hermit in a Yorkshire wood, estranged from his brother Jem (Sean Bean, also splendid), former partner (Samantha Morton) and son (Samuel Bottomley). It's a heavy, intense tale, in which Jem tries to draw Ray towards some kind of reconciliation, but except for the mighty acting there is nothing to relieve the film's unrelenting gloom. The Predator franchise snarls on, bellowing its way back into the multiplexes almost 40 years after the original 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, here comes Predator: Badlands (12A, 107 mins, two stars), in which Dek, a predator outcast, teams up with Elle Fanning's wise-cracking humanoid to hunt down a terrifying monster called the Kalisk. In truth, Dek would be much better off hunting down a good dentist. His incisors are in terrible shape. The Predator franchise snarls on, bellowing its way back into the multiplexes almost 40 years after the original 1987 film Director Dan Trachtenberg's 2016 film 10 Cloverfield Lane was one of the better sci-fi horror films of recent years. Predator: Badlands does not scale the same heights. Die My Love (15, 118 mins, two stars) is directed by Glaswegian Lynne Ramsay, whose credits include Ratcatcher (1999) and We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011). She does not favour what you might call cuddly subjects. True to form, Die My Love stars Jennifer Lawrence as Grace, a self-harming young mother in the grip of what appears to be post-natal depression. 'Everybody goes a little loopy the first year,' says her mother-in-law (Sissy Spacek). But Grace is beyond help, it seems. Her partner Jackson (Robert Pattinson) is incapable of defending her from her demons, as their life in rural Montana becomes a tumult of violence. It's bleak stuff indeed. Train Dreams (12A, 102 mins, three stars) is also set out west, in the early 20th century. Joel Edgerton plays a hunky railroad labourer who, in search of work, must keep leaving his lovely wife (Felicity Jones) and their daughter in their remote log cabin. There's a sense something bad is going to happen, and it does, but this is a film light on action, heavy on mood, and consistently appealing on the eye. A fine supporting cast includes William H Macy and Kerry Condon. All films in cinemas now. She's the quintessentially British actress who was catapulted to global fame in The White Lotus. Those credentials led Marks and Spencer bosses to woo Aimee Lou Wood into being the star of their Christmas advert. Indeed, they were initially thrilled when they signed her, and in August, despite sizzling temperatures, she threw on her winter clothes for a festive photoshoot in the Hertfordshire town of Hatfield. Executives at the retailer were, sources there say, clinking champagne glasses at their hiring confidentially believing that they had outdone their rivals John Lewis, Waitrose and Sainsburys. It was, insiders insist, Ms Woods distinctive gap in her front teeth that made the chains chiefs warm to her. Only now, the Daily Mail can reveal, Ms Wood, 31, has been dumped by Marks after it decided to take the campaign in a different direction by using several different social media clips instead. The retailer said it wanted to move away from the traditional single television advert and make its campaign more product-focused. Last night a spokesman for Marks and Spencer said: We really enjoyed working with Aimee Lou Wood during the early stages of this years Christmas campaign she brought great energy and creativity to the process. Actress Aimee Lou Woos was expected to be the face of the M&S Christmas campaign but the Daily Mail can reveal, Ms Wood, 31, has been dumped by Marks after it decided to take the campaign in a different direction The Mail revealed earlier this year that the White Lotus star had been offered a lucrative sum to star in the advert but now insiders say her absence is nothing if not mysterious As the campaign evolved, we started to embed a new product-focused strategy under new leadership. So, rather than a single-hero advert, the campaign was reshaped around a series of festive films and influencer content-drops aligned to key seasonal shopping moments from gifting and hosting to partywear delivered through a social-first, multi-channel approach across social media, digital, out-of-home and print. The Mail revealed earlier this year that Ms Wood had been offered a lucrative sum to star in the advert but now insiders say her absence is nothing if not mysterious. Those involved with filming the advert note that it was all top secret and that the decision to drop her is baffling. We are told its a change of direction, but why would you drop a Hollywood star? asked one associate behind the ad. Ms Wood, the Stockport-born actress who first found fame in Netflixs comedy drama Sex Education, before portraying ditzy Chelsea in the third series of the Sky Atlantic drama last year, signed a deal to lead the ad in the summer. Dawn French is the face of the M&S food advert this year She later became embroiled in a fascinating saga over whether she had fallen out with her White Lotus co-star Walton Goggins which gripped its millions of viewers across the world. Rumours of a feud between her and Goggins who portrayed her older love interest Rick began after fans noticed that he had unfollowed her on Instagram. This years abandoned TV advert was certainly due to be glitzier than in 2024 when British comic actor Dawn French reprised her role as the M&S Christmas fairy, and also appeared as herself. This year Ms French is the face of its food adverts. In 2023, Marks and Spencer signed Hannah Waddingham, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Zawe Ashton, while in the past the likes of Holly Willoughby and model David Gandy have appeared. Ms Lou Wood was approached for comment. Aimee Lou Wood revealed she had Angelina Jolie's support on set when she stood up for her mental health. The White Lotus star, 31, recalled how when she advocated for herself during a chaotic moment on set of their upcoming film, Anxious People, the Hollywood icon, 50, stood in solidarity with her. At the time, Wood and Jolie were filming an emotional scene for the comedy movie, the actress shared in a new interview with Harper's Bazaar. Wood who's been diagnosed with ADHD said that she struggled with panic as multiple crew members were shouting at her at the same time. The actress stood up for herself, telling them that in order to focus she needed one voice, one direction, and no hand movements in her line of sight. 'All I could see was Angelina giving me a thumbs up,' Wood shared. Aimee Lou Wood, 31, revealed she had Angelina Jolie's, 50, support on set when she stood up for her mental health; (L) Wood pictured in October, (R) Jolie seen in January 'She's possibly the most famous woman ever, but shes so normal. Im fairly certain she drives herself to set each day,' the actress added. Wood then explained that after years of not being able to speak up for herself, she has found her voice. 'Ive spent years feeling unable to say anything like that for fear of seeming argumentative but now I feel like I can take ownership of what I need to thrive, and tell people what wont work for me.' Just earlier in May, Wood expressed how she really feels about working with Jolie in an Instagram post. Celebrating the new role, thrilled Wood shared a snap of Jolie portraying diagnosed sociopath in 1999 thriller Girl, Interrupted, which won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, to her Story as she called the star a 'goddess'. She wrote: 'This performance rocked my whole world when I first saw it and now I get to act with my goddessssss'. In September, Wood was barely recognizable while filming scenes of Anxious People in east London. Wood said that she struggled with panic as multiple crew members were shouting at her at the same time on set of their upcoming film, Anxious People; Seen in November in London The actress stood up for herself, telling them that in order to focus she needed one voice, one direction and no hand movements in her line of sight; Pictured in September in LA 'All I could see was Angelina giving me a thumbs up,' Wood shared, adding that though Jolie is 'possibly the most famous woman ever' she's also 'so normal'; Jolie seen in October Earlier in May, Aimee revealed she thinks Hollywood legend Angeline Jolie (pictured) is a 'goddess' after watching her in Girl, Interrupted The star was a far cry from her iconic character Chelsea - instead sporting a black beanie as well as an oversized jacket and trousers. Before getting started on an action-packed chase scene, the Sex Education actress was snapped looking concerned and anxious. She plays Grace, 'a reluctant bank robber' in the new project directed by World War Z's Mark Foster, from the 2019 novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman (A Man Called Ove). The new film is set the day before Christmas Eve, when and investment banker named Zara (Angelina), 'begrudgingly finds herself mingling with a group of strangers at an open house.' Aimee inadvertently takes the strangers hostage as chaos ensues. Elsewhere in the interview, Wood revealed she battled body dysmorphia while filming bikini scenes as Chelsea in the third season of Emmy-nominated HBO series The White Lotus. The actress said: I shook myself out of it by thinking, Its not about whether Aimee wants to show her body or not Chelsea does. Chelsea was known for her optimistic and spiritual outlook on life and the actress said she used this to feel emboldened by her characters confidence. The line between me and her [her character Chelsea] started to blur, Aimee said. Aimee has a long history of struggles with her body image - which she has bravely opened up about on various occasions. At her worst, she suffered with eating disorder bulimia, which eventually resulted in a 'harsh but necessary' intervention from staff at prestigious drama school, RADA. Elsewhere in the interview, Wood revealed she battled body dysmorphia while filming bikini scenes as Chelsea in the third season of Emmy-nominated HBO series The White Lotus In a 2023 interview, she spoke of drama school feeling like a 'tirade on your body', which led to feelings of 'I have to make myself sick' in order to 'people please'. 'I hated my body and didnt want to be in it thats not the case any more, thank God. 'But then, going to drama school, it can get even worse. I have scoliosis [curvature of the spine], so neutral for me is not neutral for everyone else.' 'You go to drama school and everyones being straightened out. Its not easy being told youre moving wrong its basically a tirade on your body.' 9News Melbourne is set to farewell one of its biggest stars this month, as the city's most beloved weather presenter is set to sign off on November 18. Livinia Nixon first joined the network in 1997 and has held the position of 9News Melbourne weather presenter since 2004. The TV presenter, 50, announced her shocking departure on Friday, saying she has decided to focus on her family while her sons enter their senior schooling years. 'After 20 years presenting weather on 9News, I've decided to step back from this role,' she said. 'My sons will both be in high school and I want to be there to support them. 'It's been a privilege to be welcomed into viewers' homes for so long, but this is the right time for my family.' 9News Melbourne is set to farewell one of its biggest stars this month, as weather presenter Livinia Nixon, 50, will be signing off on November 18 after more than 20 years in the role 'Presenting the weather has shaped my life and career. I owe this role everything but this is the right decision for me,' she continued. 'When I discussed it with our boys, they said, "We're pretty excited to spend more time with you, Mum."' But while Livinia may be leaving her long-held role as the weeknight weather presenter, the media personality will not be exiting the Nine Network. Livinia will continue in her current presenting roles on Getaway and Postcards. 'I'm thrilled to be staying with Nine and will be continuing my roles on Getaway and Postcards,' she assured. 'I am incredibly grateful to the 9News team and our loyal audience for their support over so many years.' Nine's National News Director Hugh Nailon commended Livinia's vast career in the newsroom, calling her a 'shining star' of the industry. 'Livinia's contribution to the Melbourne newsroom has been immeasurable,' he said. Livinia Nixon first joined the network in 1997 and has held the position of 9News Melbourne weather presenter since 2004 The TV presenter announced her shocking departure on Friday, saying she has decided to focus on her family while her sons enter their senior schooling years. Pictured with sons Henry, now 15, and Ted, now 12, and her husband Alistair Jack 'She has been a shining star on 9News for two decades, delivering Melbourne's weather with warmth, expertise and unmatched professionalism. 'We are all incredibly proud of her and wholeheartedly support her decision to put her family first. 'She is a true asset to the 9Network and we are delighted that she will remain with us on Getaway and Postcards.' Livinia is considered by her colleagues as one of the most versatile and enduring personalities on Australian television. In addition to her roles on 9News, Getaway and Postcards, she has worked on a long list of programs including Hey Hey It's Saturday, Temptation, Today, Weekend Today, Carols by Candlelight, Things to Try Before You Die and Plucka's Place. She currently shares sons Henry, 15, and Ted, 12, with her builder and property developer husband Alistair Jack. A replacement for the 9News Melbourne weather role is yet to be announced. Sofia Richie and her husband Elliot Grainge looked just as in love as ever in a series of loving photos she shared to mark his birthday on Thursday. The 27-year-old model marked her husband's 31st birthday with photos of the two oozing elegance in formal wear and locking lips in a steamy embrace. Sofia also included some sweet snaps of the couple with their 17-month-old daughter Eloise, though she kept the tot's face obscured. The family love comes just weeks after the daughter of Lionel Richie revealed that she's expecting her second child with Elliot. 'Happy birthday to my best friend and soul mate @elliotgrainge!!' Sofia gushed in her caption. 'You are the best dad and husband I could ever dream of. We are absolutely obsessed w you and love you to death .' She opened her post with a stunning black-and-white photo of herself and Elliot holding hands and gazing into the camera while dressed for a black-tie function. Sofia Richie and her husband Elliot Grainge looked just as in love as ever in a series of loving photos she shared to mark his birthday on Thursday The 27-year-old model marked her husband's 31st birthday with photos of the two oozing elegance in formal wear and locking lips in a steamy embrace Sofia looked chic in a black off-the-shoulder top decorated with shimmering trapezoid-shaped decorations, along with a matching skirt. The social media star accessorized with a diamond bracelet and a necklace that was framed by her dyed-blond locks, which were parted down the middle and styled down in delicate waves. Elliot cut a tasteful figure in a classic black tuxedo with a bow tie, a white pocket square and dark horn-rimmed glasses. Another snap featured the lovebirds in a more playful light as they shared a romantic kiss. Sofia, who cradled her husband's face in her hand, looked lovely in a yellow sundress decorated with daisy designs and made of a striking moire fabric. Elliot wore a garland of green leaves around his neck ands ported a gray button-down shirt. Sofia, who had a sizable age-gap relationship with Kourtney Kardashian's ex Scott Disick before finding love with her husband, showed off an infectious smile as the new parents held Eloise aloft in one cute image. Sofia was dressed in a stylish black sleeveless dress with red designs, while Elliot wore a beige sport coat with dark pants and a pale pink shirt. Sofia, who had a sizable age-gap relationship with Kourtney Kardashian's ex Scott Disick before finding love with her husband, showed off an infectious smile as the new parents held Eloise aloft in one cute image Sofia was overcome with laughter in another snap from last month's Vogue World 2025 show, as her husband tickled little Eloise's toes The model completed her post with another romantic photo of herself and Elliot holding hands and wearing complementary western wear including black and white cowboy hats as they entered an arena Their daughter looked adorable in a pale green dress with a white bib. Sofia was overcome with laughter in another snap from last month's Vogue World 2025 show, as her husband tickled little Eloise's toes. Sofia completed her post with another romantic photo of herself and Elliot holding hands and wearing complementary western wear including black and white cowboy hats as they entered an arena. Sofia announced on Instagram last month that she and Elliot were expecting another child by posting a photo of herself pulling up her shirt to expose her pregnant tummy for a mirror selfie. 'On my way to launch these babies + @srgatelier,' she wrote for her 11 million followers. She and Elliot celebrated their daughter Eloise's first birthday in May of this year. In July, Sofia gushed how becoming a mother has helped with her confidence for Vogue's Beauty Secrets clip. 'I think having a daughter made me realize the importance of feeling confident without makeup,' the star explained. Richie revealed she is expecting baby number two with Grainge last month by revealing her baby bump 'I talk to her a lot about that. I love how I'm saying I talk to her a lot about that, because she's 1 and she barely speaks, but I am convinced that she can understand me. Therefore, we have deep, deep chats about life.' Sofia also told British Vogue late last year that she has no plans to change her style since becoming a mom. 'I'm slowly starting to get back into my clothes, so that has made things a little different,' she said at the time. 'But no, I'm not altering my style because I'm a mom. I'm super confident and comfortable in the way that I dress. If anything, my bag is just a lot fuller.' Gwyneth Paltrow suffered a rare beauty fail this week while on her way to a high-profile event. On Thursday, the Oscar-winner, 53, joined the United States' top venture capitalists during this year's All Raise VC Summit held in Half Moon Bay, California. Hours before she was set to appear at the conference, Paltrow took to her Instagram Story to share a filter-free selfie. While her makeup looked flawless, Paltrow's straightened blonde hair had pesky flyaways all along the part, many of which seemed to defy gravity. 'On my way to half moon bay for [All Raise VC Summit] and in need of hairspray,' the Iron Man star captioned the post. A member of Paltrow's glam squad must have caught wind of her plight as Paltrow returned to Instagram just minutes later with her hair looking sleek and smooth. Gwyneth Paltrow suffered a rare beauty fail this week while on her way to a high-profile event; Paltrow seen on October 6 For the annual conference, Paltrow slipped into a chic all-black outfit consisting of a turtleneck top, skirt and a skinny belt with a dainty gold buckle. She accessorized with large glasses, a pricey gold watch and chunky gold rings. She snapped a photo of herself in the mirror in her hotel room before heading into the conference, which runs from November 5 to November 7. The All Raise VC Summit 'brings investors together to author their next chapters and build the relationships that will shape the future of venture capital,' according to the official website. Paltrow was one of the featured speakers who appeared on the event's main stage. She co-leads the successful venture capital firm Kinship Ventures with beauty industry veterean, Moj Mahdara. In 2023, the LA-based firm announced their goal to raise $75 million to invest in 'early-stage consumer goods and technology companies,' as reported by Axios. During Thursday's conference, Paltrow snapped a selfie with Mahdara in the audience as they attended one of the day's events. Paltrow's appearance at the All Raise VC Summit came just hours after she jetted to New York City to watch her son Moses Martin perform with his band, People I've Met. She shares the 19-year-old as well as model daughter Apple Martin, 21, with ex-husband Chris Martin, 48, who she famously 'consciously uncoupled' with in 2014. In a photo from the concert shared to Instagram, Moses towered over his famous mother and her friends, author Amy Griffin, actress Demi Moore and producer Sara Foster. Hours before attending the All Raise VC Summit, Paltrow posted a selfie showing off her pesky flyaway hairs A member of Paltrow's glam squad must have caught wind of her plight as Paltrow returned to Instagram just minutes later with her hair looking sleek and smooth Paltrow dubbed the evening 'a night in NYC to remember' during which the group enjoyed a dinner at West Village steakhouse The Eighty Six. Moses is following in the footsteps of his superstar father while also studying as a sophomore at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Meanwhile, Paltrow and Martin's daughter Apple is an up and coming model while majoring in law at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Following her divorce from Martin, Paltrow found love again with Glee and American Horror Story creator, Brad Falchuk. She and the screenwriter/producer, 54, tied the knot in 2018 and have been happily married ever since. Paltrow is stepmom to Falchuk's daughter Isabella Falchuk, 21, and son Brody, 18, whom he shares with ex-wife Suzanne Bulnik. Paltrow previously spoke about some of the errors she made in creating a blended family on her Goop podcast back in April with Falchuk as her guest. 'We traversed through some really rough things,' the Avengers franchise star told her husband. For the annual conference, Paltrow slipped into a chic all-black outfit consisting of a turtleneck top, skirt and a skinny belt with a dainty gold buckle She was joined at the conference by her Kinship Ventures partner, Moj Mahdara 'One of the most profound lessons that I've learned from my relationship with your daughter which is now so fantastic is there was a testing going on.' she explained. 'She was testing me at the time to see at what point I would reject her.' To avoid getting an reputation as an 'evil stepmother,' the actress and entrepreneur decided to take a maternal approach. 'I was going to be that presence for her, always loving and forgiving in the face of, you know, if she acted up, and show her that ultimately I was so there for her that she would not question my intentions or think that I was there to take you away from her,' she explained. As with most step-parents, Paltrow said she struggled with discipline. 'I thought that in my case, if I assert my boundaries or my expectations around manners, or anything like that, it will exacerbate the situation,' she said. Paltrow admitted if she could, she would do things differently. 'If I look back at my mistakes as a stepmother, I should have just treated them both like my kids way faster, like, I was too worried about everyone's feelings, in a way.' Paltrow's appearance at Thursday's conference comes just weeks after she gave fans a rare look at her day-to-day life as a Hollywood actress living in Montecito, California. Hours before her conference appearance, Paltrow supported her son Moses Martin at his show in NYC; Paltrow and Martin seen with Paltrow's friends (from left) Amy Griffin, Demi Moore and Sara Foster She also shares 21-year-old daughter Apple Martin with ex-husband Chris Martin She did so by uploading a video of herself in her bathroom doing her extensive morning wellness routine. Wearing a fuzzy robe and appearing makeup-free, Paltrow listed the six things she does everyday right after she wakes up. The first thing the actress does is use a copper tongue scraper; the benefits are oral hygiene by reducing bacteria and bad breath, enhanced taste sensitivity, and potential benefits for overall health, such as reduced inflammation and a lower bacterial load in the body. Next Paltrow stuffs a packet in her mouth which she said is for 'oil pulling', which is an ancient Ayurvedic practice of swishing edible oil in the mouth for up to 20 minutes to improve oral hygiene. Then she washes her face with a cleanser from her wellness brand Goop, which she says smells nice. The ex of Brad Pitt follows that up with using a Peptide Serum from Goop which she says gives her a 'glow'. After that, the daughter of actress Blythe Danner rubs on an 'all-in-one moisturizer' which she says she loves because it is 'rich' which helps her 'dry skin'. To round out her morning routine, Paltrow applies a yellow Goop face oil which she says is like 'liquid gold'; she also applies the oil to her tanned arms. Clint Stanaway has opened up on the toll working in breakfast television had on his health. The former Today show reporter and Weekend Today host, 42, shocked viewers back in September, announcing he was leaving Channel Nine after 25 years with the network. Appearing on the Big Bros podcast, Clint revealed that the high-profile gig, coupled with radio commitments, had adverse effects on his physical and mental health. 'Physically, first and foremost, I was just getting sick a lot, pushing the envelope,' he admitted. 'I had really bad gut issues, I was getting headaches, I wasnt sleeping well, which is ironic, because I was so tired, but I just couldnt sleep.' Clint admitted that the issue became so bad that he started experiencing worrying chest pains. Clint Stanaway has opened up on the toll working in breakfast television had on his health 'It was scary. I was getting chest issues, like I had chest pain and a bit of anxiety as well,' he said. 'When I finished work, I was going home because I was exhausted. Id sit on the couch, go to bed.' Clint admitted that burning the candle at both ends left little time for anything else outside of work. 'In fact, every day was set an alarm, go to bed, wake up, go to work, and sometimes go to radio work, go to TV work in the same day, come home at seven oclock, make my dinner, sit on the couch, go to bed,' he said. 'That was all I was doing.' He said that he also suffered from 'social burnout', admitting that not being able to see his mates and family was 'distressing'. 'I felt really guilty because I wasn't seeing my mates,' he said. 'I was just a write-off to my friends. 'They weren't even bothering to invite me to birthdays because they knew I wasn't available, and that was heartbreaking.' Appearing on the Big Bros podcast, Clint revealed that the high-profile gig, coupled with radio commitments, had adverse effects on his physical and mental health 'Physically, first and foremost, I was just getting sick a lot, pushing the envelope,' he admitted. Clint is pictured with Jayne Azzopardi (l) and Sophie Walsh 'That coupled with feeling s*** was just enough.' Clint announced his shock departure in September in a statement as he admitted he had been dealing with a significant workload that he hoped to minimise. 'It's been a huge workload juggling both TV and being part of the Melbourne Nova breakfast team over the past couple of years,' Clint began. 'I am passionate about my newfound love for radio and have decided to give it priority moving forward, while I also look to strike a better work-life balance.' He began his media career in the news library at Melbourne's GTV9 in the early 2000s and steadily rose through the ranks. Clint later honed his reporting skills at WIN Television in Bendigo, before returning to 9News Melbourne, where he took on the role of news and court reporter. Several years later, the veteran journalist was appointed Weekend Sport Presenter for 9News Melbourne. In March 2024, Clint was announced as the newsreader for Nova 100's new breakfast team, Jase Hawkins and Lauren Phillips. In March 2024, Clint was announced as the newsreader for Nova 100's breakfast team, Jase Hawkins and Lauren Phillips 'I'm all in on radio which I'm so excited about because the show is doing some unreal things,' Clint added on the podcast. Despite his love for radio, Clint added that he hadn't closed the door completely on television. 'I still love television and I'm not closing the door completely on it. There might be some special projects that I keep working on but it's all radio now.' Elsa Pataky looked sensational as she filmed scenes for Jessica Alba's film The Mark on Friday on a Gold Coast movie set. The Spanish actress, 48, flaunted her toned figure in a strapless jumpsuit which hugged her torso before flaring out in a wide-legged cut. Slicking her blonde tresses back into a chic bun, the mother-of-three and wife to Chris Hemsworth could be seen chatting with fellow actors as she worked. The model accessorised her look with a gold belt and choker necklace, hiding her eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses as she stepped out of a flashy car. She also added a simple pair of earrings, gold bangle, and rings to her ensemble as she was filmed getting in and out of the vehicle several times. One scene also appeared to picture Elsa looking at her mobile as cameras followed her walking out of a ritzy mansion. Elsa Pataky looked sensational as she filmed scenes for Jessica Alba 's film The Mark on Friday on a Gold Coast movie set The Spanish actress, 48, flaunted her toned figure in a strapless jumpsuit which hugged her torso before flaring out in a wide-legged cut Slicking her blonde tresses back into a chic bun, the mother-of-three and wife to Chris Hemsworth could be seen chatting with fellow actors as she worked Elsa arrived on-set in much more comfortable attire earlier in the day, slipping on some white billowing slacks with a matching T-shirt. She appeared ready to start the day with her hair and makeup already done. The sighting comes just days after Elsa was seen putting her best foot forward when she stepped out for a fashion launch event this week. The blonde beauty was attending the launch of Ralph Lauren's Autumn/Winter 2025 campaign in her native Byron Bay on Tuesday night. The Fast And The Furious star was joined by the likes of actors Lincoln Younes, Daniel Webber and Olivia DeJonge. Models Duckie Thot and Montana Cox were also present for the occasion. And while her Aussie A-List hubby Chris, 42, was nowhere in sight, Elsa appeared unfazed at the prospect of 'flying solo'. Elsa also stepped out for Halloween without her Hollywood star partner last week. The model accessorised her look with a gold belt and choker necklace, hiding her eyes behind a pair of black sunglasses as she stepped out of a flashy car She also added a simple pair of earrings, gold bangle, and rings to her ensemble as she was filmed getting in and out of the vehicle several times One scene also appeared to picture Elsa looking at her mobile as cameras followed her walking out of a ritzy mansion She also showed off her numerous arm tattoos in the ensemble Elsa arrived on-set in much more comfortable attire earlier in the day, slipping on some white billowing slacks with a matching T-shirt She appeared ready to start the day with her hair and makeup already done She walked the streets of Byron Bay in a very detailed Beetlejuice costume as she got in some quality time with their childrenIndia Rose, 13, and 11-year-old twins Sasha and Tristan. Meanwhile, Chris appeared to stay home to spend time with his younger brother Liam during a Halloween-themed celebration. The Thor actor was spotted chatting and laughing with Liam, 35, during a relaxed backyard gathering in the coastal town the Hemsworth clan calls home. Lara Worthington is sporting a new look - rocking strawberry blonde hair as she arrived Down Under on Friday. The model touched down in Sydney with one of her sons, marking the first time in almost a year that the star has returned to Australia. The 38-year-old was seen at Sydney Airport pushing a luggage trolley while her son, who she shares with Sam Worthington, sat on one of the suitcases. Later on, she could be seen walking to her car with a giant smile on her face, obviously happy to be home. The Base founder looked almost unrecognisable, having ditched her signature golden locks for a head-turning strawberry blonde bob. Lara looked effortlessly chic in a $2,370 Miu Miu shirt. Lara Worthington showed off her strawberry blonde hair as she arrived back in Australia on Friday with one of her sons for the first time in almost a year The model was all smile as she arrived on home soil Lara looked effortlessly chic in a $2,370 Miu Miu shirt The 38-year-old could be seen arriving at Sydney Airport pushing a luggage trolley while her son, who she shares with Sam Worthington, sat on one of the suitcases She paired the laidback button-up with black trousers, maroon-coloured loafers and a leopard-print handbag. Lara then attempted to go incognito with a pair of oversized shades. Despite being known as one of Australia's most fashionable natives, Lara recently turned heads for all the wrong reasons at Paris Fashion Week after landing on the worst-dressed list. The model stepped out at the Louis Vuitton show last month, putting on an eye-catching display in a striking blue mini dress, distinguished by its unusual pockets positioned above the waist. The loose-fitting dress was cinched at the pleated waist with a blue canvas belt and was accented with an unusually placed buckle at the collarbone. Showing off her trim and toned pins, Lara completed the look with a pair of black leather wedge boots. She was in good company, though, with the likes of FKA Twigs, Hailey Bieber, and Cara Delevingne also making the list. However, Lara would more than likely be unfazed by the lacklustre critique. She paired her laidback button-up with black slacks, maroon-coloured loafers and a leopard print handbag The Aussie native attempted to go incognito with a pair of oversized shades She has previously stated that she does not care what others think of her often bold sartorial choices. Speaking to Stellar in 2022, the blonde beauty admitted that she has no regrets about some of her more daring choices in the style department. 'I wear whatever the hell I want and I don't care,' Lara said. Jennifer Lawrence looked sleek in all-black as she stepped out in New York City on Thursday while on the promotional trail for her new film Die My Love. Surrounded by her entourage and security, the Oscar-winner, 35, was photographed exiting the SAG-AFTRA Foundation building, where she hosted an exclusive Q&A. For the event, Lawrence modeled clinging black button-up dress styled with black heels and a small designer purse. She wore sunglasses over her blue eyes and her signature blonde hair fell down her back in natural waves. As for makeup, the mother-of-two opted for a natural glam look complete with a glossy lip and peach blush. Die My Love, which hits theaters on November 7, stars Lawrence and Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson, who plays her onscreen husband. Jennifer Lawrence looked sleek in all-black as she stepped out in New York City on Thursday while on the promotional trail for her new film Die My Love Surrounded by her entourage and security, the Oscar-winner, 35, was photographed exiting the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, where she hosted an exclusive Q&A The thriller film follows a young mother named Grace (Lawrence) who 'is slowly slipping into madness.' The IMDb synopsis continues: 'Locked away in an old house in and around Montana, we see her acting increasingly agitated and erratic, leaving her companion, Jackson (Pattinson), increasingly worried and helpless.' While promoting the movie this week, it was revealed that Lawrence is working with fellow Oscar-winner Emma Stone to produce an upcoming Miss Piggy movie. On Wednesday's podcast episode of Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, Lawrence said she may also be starring in the film in addition to working behind the camera to produce the project. 'I don't know if I can announce this, but I'm just going to,' she told the podcast hosts. 'Emma Stone and I are producing a Miss Piggy movie and Cole [Escola] is writing it.' Lawrence later revealed how she came up with the idea to bring a Miss Piggy movie to life while appearing on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday. 'So, during lockdown, one of my good friends who is not in the industryit was also kind of around cancel culture,' she began explaining to host Fallon. 'It was like both things were kind of happening at once. We were all locked up in our rooms, naughty people were being locked up in prison,' continued Lawrence, seemingly in reference to disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, who was jailed in 2020 for criminal sexual acts. For the event, Lawrence modeled clinging black button-up dress styled with black heels and a small designer purse She wore sunglasses over her blue eyes and her signature blonde hair fell down her back in natural waves As for makeup, the mother-of-two opted for a natural glam look complete with a glossy lip and peach blush She strolled past fans as she made her way out of the NYC building Lawrence continued, 'Miss Piggy is a feminist icon, and she said it would be so funny if Miss Piggy got canceled.' However, Lawrence insisted that 'that is not the plot, necessarily, but it got the wheels turning.' Also during her Las Culturistas podcast appearance, Lawrence set the record straight on a wild rumor that she will be starring in a remake of Death Becomes Her, which originally starred Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. She denied the speculation but said she would 'love' to work on such a project. 'No, that was just, like, fan casting,' Lawrence explained. 'It would be great. I would love to. I mean, I would be there.' Along with discussing her career, Lawrence also addressed more personal topics during her recent media blitz, including why she stopped criticizing President Donald Trump and discussing her political beliefs in public. Lawrence said and she didn't want to prevent potential moviegoers from seeing a film she did that could 'change consciousness or change the world' by stating a controversial political opinion. She also said she hoped to make her thoughts on the world clear through her work, as she has a production company called Excellent Cadaver that has been doing documentaries about topics such as abortion and issues abroad. While promoting the movie this week, it was revealed that Lawrence is working with fellow Oscar-winner Emma Stone to produce an upcoming Miss Piggy movie; seen in 2017 Lawrence later revealed how she came up with the idea to bring a Miss Piggy movie to life, citing the 'cancel culture' during COVID-19 lockdown as inspiration 'Miss Piggy is a feminist icon, and she said it would be so funny if Miss Piggy got canceled,' Lawrence recalled of a conversation with a friend at the time; Lawrence seen on November 1 'A lot of movies coming out from my production company are expressions of the political landscape, and that's how I feel like I can be helpful,' Lawrence said. Lawrence last year indicated in an interview with people that she would be voting for Democratic candidate, ex-Vice President Kamala Harris, when she took on Trump after ex-President Joe Biden dropped out. 'Abortion is literally on the ballot,' she told People in September of 2024. 'I'm voting for Kamala Harris because I think she's an amazing candidate and I know that she will do whatever she can to protect reproductive rights. 'That's the most important thing, is to not let somebody into the White House who is going to ban abortion.' Hilary Duff has pulled the curtain back on her encounters with her fellow Disney Channel child stars Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. During the early years of the network's heyday, Hilary, 38, shot to fame on the smash hit sitcom Lizzie McGuire in 2001 at the age of 13. Meanwhile Selena, 33, rose to prominence on the show Wizards of Waverly Place beginning in 2007 and Demi, 33, in the TV movie Camp Rock in 2008. However despite having preceded them into the limelight on the Disney Channel, Hilary never felt the need to take the younger actresses under her wing. 'I can't remember exactly but I know at some point, Selena and Demi both approached me at certain things, like years and years and years ago,' Hilary revealed on a recent episode of the podcast Therapuss with Jake Shane. 'Then they were really lovely, and really sweet and kind, and telling me how much they love me and that kind of conversation,' she dished. Hilary Duff has pulled the curtain back on her encounters with her fellow Disney Channel child stars Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato; Hilary pictured last month 'But I was never like: "Let me show you the way," which thank goodness, because it's been so fun to watch all of them pave the way and watch the journey. It's been insane. What a ride for all of the Disney people.' She was promoting her steamy new song Mature, which she has described in a statement as 'a little conversation that my present self is having with my younger self.' Hilary added: 'The two of us are reflecting on a past experience and sending love to each other. Its a chuckle, a wink and a sense of being grateful that we are sure footed in where we landed,' via People magazine. Although Hilary never took Demi and Selena on as her protegees specifically, she has offered her advice in general terms to young people. 'Theres always so much pressure to succeed and be at the top. But you might not always get it right the first time,' she told Forbes in 2016. 'You have to continue to be bold and put yourself out there. Even if your first job might not be your dream job,' the Younger actress said. 'It opens up doors to hopefully be where you want to be. Or maybe it will take you in a totally different direction that might be really good for you.' A few years ago Hilary was asked whether she would still be a child star if she were offered the chance to lead her life again, and she responded that she would. Despite having preceded them into the limelight on the Disney Channel, Hilary never felt the need to take the younger actresses under her wing; Selena pictured last month Although Hilary never took Demi and Selena on as her protegees specifically, she has offered her advice in general terms to young people; Demi pictured last week 'I wouldnt do it all exactly the same, but I cant look at my life and be like: I wish this was different, because I dont know if it would get me to where I am right now,' the How I Met Your Father star told Cosmopolitan. 'I wish I had a little bit of a better education. I wish I had a little bit of a college experience,' the mother of four confessed. 'But what would that look like? The thing that I crave out of it wouldnt look the way I pictured it because of who I am and how I came up,' she added. 'Its weird to say who I am to others, but it would be hard to erase that element to have a normal experience,' Hilary reasoned. 'I feel smart, but theres certain things that people talk about where it literally isnt in my brain because I didnt experience it. I learned other things that people dont have a clue about. But I dont sit and harp on that.' Sydney Sweeney gave Stephen Colbert more information than he asked for when she delved into her surprising skydiving trip earlier this year. The 28-year-old actress, who admitted she was terrified of jumping out of a plane, said Thursday on The Late Show that she calmed her nerves by spending the whole night drinking before going skydiving early the next morning. But Sydney admitted that, after such a boozy night, she was worried that she might lose her breakfast while plummeting from the sky. Her chat with Stephen came after both were named 'Men of the Year' for the latest GQ issue, in which Sydney finally responded to the controversy over her widely criticized American Eagle jeans ad. Stephen brought up the skydiving trip when he shared a photo of the Euphoria star screaming in midair while strapped to a skydiving instructor. 'Why would you do this?' he asked with concern. 'Do you like heights?' Sydney Sweeney made a disgusting confession about a skydiving trip she took in April on Thursday's episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert After Colbert shared a photo of her in mid-air, Sydney said it had been a 'terrifying' ordeal, which made him wonder why she did it in the first place 'No, I'm scared of heights,' Sydney responded, saying it was 'terrifying.' But when the host asked again why she went skydiving, Sydney said she was in a 'year of trying new things.' 'So I decided to jump out of a plane!' she added with a shrug of her shoulders. Stephen asked what kind of preparation the dive required, but instead of training for the big event, Sydney said she and her her cousins 'went out to a town which is, like, three bars and one church, and we went barhopping until 3 a.m.' 'And then I went skydiving at six,' she added. Colbert was shocked and asked if Sydney 'show[ed] up still drunk.' 'I was a little worried stuff would come out,' she admitted to laughter from the audience. 'I would not be the only thing falling out of the sky.' But despite her fears about barfing all over her skydiving partners, Sydney said her flight above the Earth was 'a blast.' Sydney admitted that she and her cousins were drinking the night before until 3 a.m., then they went skydiving at 6 a.m. when she was still drunk Sydney said she was afraid she was going to vomit all over her tandem diving partner. 'I was a little worried stuff would come out,' she admitted to laughter from the audience. 'I would not be the only thing falling out of the sky' Sydney also spoke about how she came up with a five-year plan for becoming a star when she was trying to convince her parents to let her pursue acting when she was just 10; pictured Thursday in NYC Sydney, who lives most of the year in Idaho, spoke about how her family lived in neighboring houses. After years, she was able to buy back her great-grandmother's house to reunite her family's block of houses; pictured Thursday in NYC She said she was hypnotized by the sight of all the farmland parcels below her and noted she jumped over a lake, though Stephen didn't find those sights very comforting. 'If you hit a lake at terminal velocity it still doesn't go well,' he joked. Elsewhere in the interview, Sydney spoke about the surprisingly mature way that she managed to convince her parents to let her follow her dream of going to Hollywood to pursue acting. 'I put together a five-year business plan presentation when I was ten years old,' she explained, adding that it was a 'hard sell' and still took 'years' to convince them. Stephen was fascinated and wanted to see what kind of a presentation a 10-year-old Sydney would have made, but she said her mother had it and hadn't gotten around to sending her a copy yet. The comic star was also surprised that Sydney spends much of her time living in Idaho, where her family hails from, rather than in Hollywood. Sydney explained that she now lives in the home that her great-grandparents once lived in, which was next to her grandmother's house and houses that her cousins lived in. But her great-grandparents died shortly after she was born, and the house was sold, breaking up the block of family homes. 'So, growing up, I would run across the backyard to my other cousins, and three years ago I walked up and knocked on the door and said, "I want to buy back my great-grandmother's house."' Colbert wondered if they were unhappy about her trying to muscle them out, but Sydney explained that they were happy to have the house taken off their hands because they were also annoyed at her and her cousins running through their yard to each other's homes. She said her family was 'always running amok,' so she decided to name the home 'Camp Run Amok.' Tradwife influencer Nara Smith and her family brought festive cheer in Kim Kardashian's new SKIMS holiday campaign. The 24-year-old TikTok star and her 27-year-old model husband Lucky Blue Smith were joined by three of their four kids for the shoot, which Kim shared to her Instagram page on Friday. The two announced the birth of their youngest, baby girl Fawnie Goldie Smith, last month. The couple are also parents to daughters Rumble Honey, 4, Whimsy Lou, 18 months, and son Slim Easy, 3, who were part of the photoshoot. Lucky also shares daughter Gravity Blue Smith, seven, with actress Stormi Bree, 34. The heartwarming new snaps showed the pair in various cozy pajamas as they spent time with their three kids. The couple frolicked in the kitchen, danced in front of a Christmas tree, and cuddled their kids, whose faces were strategically hidden, as the pair choose to not show them on their popular social media pages. Tradwife influencer Nara Smith, 24, and her family brought festive cheer in Kim Kardashian's new SKIMS holiday campaign The TikTok star and her 27-year-old model husband Lucky Blue Smith were joined by three of their four kids for the shoot Another image showed Nara tenderly stroking Lucky's hair as they sat under the Christmas tree. They also appeared to prepare a number of yummy dishes together in the kitchen. 'Nara, Lucky Blue Smith, and family for SKIMS Holiday,' Kim captioned the post. A number of the comments poked fun of Nara's viral TikTok videos where she makes unusual food items like bubblegum and sunscreen from scratch, with one asking, 'Did she make the pjs from scratch?' 'Skims from scratch,' someone else joked. 'Did Ms.Nara make these from scratch??!' Others praised the pair for protecting their kids' privacy. 'I love that the kids faces arent shown, love the respect for the family. The photos look amazing and pjs too!' The heartwarming new snaps showed the pair in various cozy pajamas as they spent time with their three kids The couple enjoyed a meal in the kitchen and cuddled their three kids, whose faces were strategically hidden, as the pair choose to not show them on their popular social media pages Another image showed Nara tenderly stroking Lucky's hair as they sat under the Christmas tree They also appeared to prepare a number of yummy dishes together in the kitchen The two announced the birth of their youngest, baby girl Fawnie Goldie Smith, last month The couple are also parents to daughters Rumble Honey, 4, Whimsy Lou, 18 months, and son Slim Easy, 3, who took part in the photoshoot Lucky also shares daughter Gravity Blue Smith, seven, with actress Stormi Bree, 34 Nara and one of her babies rocked cozy teddy bear slippers A number of the comments poked fun of Nara's viral videos where she makes unusual food items like bubblegum and sunscreen from scratch, with one asking, 'Did she make the pjs from scratch?' 'Now THIS is a holiday ad. The team ate with this one.' Last month Nara praised her 'miracle' body two weeks after giving birth to her fourth child. Their baby girl Fawnie Goldie Smith was born on September 27 - her mother's birthday. Nara took to Instagram to share some snaps with baby Fawnie as she praised her body for bringing her daughter into the world. Sharing pictures cuddling Fawnie, Nara wrote: 'Women's bodies are pure magic - divinely designed to create, grow and nurture life. 'We become the bridge between heaven and earth guiding life into this world. With that our bodies transform and stretch. 'I used to feel the need to bend and force it back into how it used to look only to realize that it has been home to four other bodies. 'This final stage is filled with grace and slowing down.' 'Fawnie Golden Smith,' Nara wrote in a post shared earlier this month. 'Our little golden girl born on my birthday welcomed to this world by Lucky.' 'Her entry into this world was graceful, gentle and oh so magical. Soaking all the love and snuggles!' Nara's pregnancy with Fawnie was announced back in June, with the couple unveiling her baby bump in a sweet video broadcasting 'our little surprise.' Last month Nara praised her 'miracle' body on Instagram two weeks after giving birth to her fourth child Nara gained popularity via TikTok where she flaunts her 'tradwife' (traditional housewife) lifestyle a trend on social media that showcases women embracing traditional gender roles Nara is known for her lifestyle and cooking content on social media - and boasts millions of followers. However, the star has previously gotten candid about the negative effects of being on social media - such as dealing with backlash. While talking to Who What Wear, Nara discussed how negative comments had affected her while pregnant with her third child. 'I just felt so heavy,' the media influencer admitted, before adding, 'Nothing felt good to me anymore.' Spencer Matthews and his wife Vogue Williams are celebrating the festive season early as they took their children to a Christmas party on Thursday. The former Made In Chelsea star and Irish TV personality looked like they were in high spirits as they posed with their children on a red sleigh with elves. The pair share three children son Theodore, six, daughter Gigi, five, and a son Otto, three. Spencer, 37, wore a green hoodie and black trousers as he embraced his little one Gigi, who looked adorable in a red jumper and skirt. Vogue, 40, looked radiant in a black leather jacket and trousers while she held Otto. Spencer Matthews and his wife Vogue Williams are celebrating the festive season early as they took their children to the Hamley's Christmas party on Thursday Presenter Ashley James, 38, and Vogue were also pictured enjoying the event with and a friend as they laughed in the sleigh together Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby, 35, posed in a brown fitted dress for a sweet photo with her daughter, while Alba, three, wore a pink dress The couple were also joined by presenter Ashley James, 38, former Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby, 35, and TV personality Freddy Brazier, 21 at the the Hamley's Christmas Party. Ashley posed with her son and looked lovely with auburn-dyed hair as she rocked a brown tweed look, with white white heels. She shares two children with her partner Tommy Andrews - Alfie, four, and Ada, two. And posing for a sweet photo with her daughter, Charlotte stunned in a brown fitted dress and bouncy curled hair, while Alba, three, wore a pink dress. Charlotte is also mum to Pixie, nine months, and shares the two with her fiance businessman Jake Ankers, 34. Freddy, the son of Jade and Jeff Brazier, enjoyed the Christmas experience with family as he kept it casual in a brown shirt and white trousers. The 21-year-old is just months away from the birth of his first child and has said he hopes of naming the baby after his late mum Jade Goody if he has a daughter. Girl band Sweet Love performed for the crowds and won the approval of rapper Stormzy, who made a surprise appearance to watch them. Ashley posed with her son Alfie, four, and looked lovely with auburn-dyed hair as she rocked a brown tweed look, with white white heels TV personality Freddy Brazier, 21, enjoyed the Christmas experience with family as he kept it casual in a brown shirt and white trousers Spencer is set to undergo one of TV's most extreme psychological experiments to find out if he really is a psychopath. The Daily Mail can exclusively reveal he will front a one-off Channel 4 documentary that puts his personality to the ultimate test. He volunteered for the film after friends and family suggested he showed 'psychopathic traits'. But as he dives into the science behind the label, Spencer hopes to challenge perceptions, asking whether there is such a thing as a 'good psychopath.' Vogue once admitted she thought he was a 'sociopath' when they first met on reality show The Jump in 2017. Even podcast host Spencer has confessed he sometimes 'suspects' he's a psychopath because of what he calls his 'lack of empathy for others'. Kaia Gerber put on a sizzling display as she stepped out to present an award at The Beverly Hilton on Thursday. The model and actress, 24, looked stunning in an elegant red mini dress and black Christian Louboutin heels as she showed off her long toned legs. Kaia attended the 2025 Women In Film Honors in Los Angeles where she surprised her Palm Royale co-star Kristen Wiig, 52, with the Icon Award. She said from the podium: 'Tonight, we celebrate the woman who taught us that comedy is art, that chaos is beautiful, that sheer stupidity is not only encouraged but a necessity of life, and that being unapologetically yourself might be the most iconic move of all.' Kristen, who rocked a white floor-length dress, reflected on her journey as an actress in Hollywood and spoke of her fear of failure despite her experience in the industry. Kaia Gerber, 21, put on a sizzling display as she stepped out to present an award at The Beverly Hilton on Thursday for the 2025 Women In Film Honors The model and actress looked stunning in an elegant red mini dress and black Louboutin heels as she showed off her long toned legs Kaia surprised her Palm Royale co-star Kristen Wiig, 52, with the Icon Award Upon accepting the award she said: 'I still have things in my career that I really want to do, that I'm really scared to do, and there have been things that maybe I haven't done. 'I'm just gonna be real vulnerable with you right now that I'm afraid to fail and I'm afraid of criticism, and stepping out of that comfort zone is really something that I'm trying to work on.' Kristen and Kaia were joined by the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, 66, Jane Fonda, 87, Maude Apatow, 27 and Tessa Thompson, 42, Lili Reinhart, 29, and Zoey Deutch, 30, at the starry event. Jamie and Jane were seen sharing a tight embrace on the red carpet as the pair sported matching pantsuits. The Freaky Friday star looked chic in a maroon set and black heels while the Grace and Frankie actress stunned in a red trousers and blazer set with a black T-shirt. Maude, famously known for her role in the hit HBO series Euphoria, wore a Max Mara ruffle blouse and black pencil skirt as she posed with her Face of the Future Award. Lili looked lovely in a classic black mini dress with matching Roger Vivier heels and a handbag. She paired the look with an emerald stone choker and earrings. Creed actress Tessa won The Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film as she looked fabulous in a peplum wide shouldered suit jacket and skirt which she paired with a white choker. She said of Kristen 'Tonight, we celebrate the woman who taught us that comedy is art, that chaos is beautiful, that sheer stupidity is not only encouraged but a necessity of life, and that being unapologetically yourself might be the most iconic move of all' Jamie Lee Curtis, 66, (left) looked chic in a maroon set and black heels while tJane Fonda, 87, stunned in a red trousers and blazer set with a black T-shirt The Freaky Friday and Grace and Frankie actress were seen sharing a tight embrace on the red carpet as the pair sported matching pant suits Maude Apatow, 27, famously known for her role in the hit HBO series Euphoria, wore a Max Mara ruffle blouse and black pencil skirt as she posed with her Face of the Future Award Lili Reinhart looked lovely in a classic black mini dress with matching Roger Vivier heels and a handbag. She paired the look with an emerald stone choker and earrings Zoey also stunned the red carpet in a stone-coloured off the shoulder top and maxi skirt. It comes as Kaia was recently seen with her supermodel mother Cindy Crawford, 59, as the pair put on a very glamourous display in sparkly dresses at the LACMA Art & Film Gala on Saturday. The model wowed in an elegant red dress as she held hands with her mother, 59, at the event. Meanwhile Cindy, who shares Kaia with Rande Gerber, put on an age-defying display in an elegant off-the-shoulder gold dress. The family outing comes after Cindy revealed earlier this year that her daughter Kaia grew up 'raiding her closet' as the pair spoke as part of a new joint fashion project. The duo have returned for a second series of the ZaraStreaming service where they picked their 'perfect edit' wardrobe. As they showed off a series of chic looks they chatted about being influenced by each other's style but admitted they have different approaches when it comes to fashion. Nepo baby Kaia said as they tried on the Zara clothes: 'I think I've been so influenced by her be that consciously or subconsciously but we are also different in a lot of ways. The actresses posed together for a photo on the red carpet of the star-studded event Creed actress Tessa Thompson, 42, won The Crystal Award for Advocacy in Film as she wore a peplum wide shouldered suit jacket and skirt which she paired with a white choker Zoey Deutch, 30, also stunned the red carpet in a stone-coloured off the shoulder top and maxi skirt. 'But we have a lot of the same classic pieces but how we put things together differs.' Cindy then chipped in saying: 'I grew up in Illinois and my mum didn't care about fashion and then Kaia grew up with her and her friends raiding my closet!' Kaia responded saying: 'Now I mainly steal stuff from her. I don't think I have anything she wants!' As she showed off one look - a tight black bodysuit and gorgeous flowing trousers Kaia said: 'Catwalking in front of you is like playing guitar in front of Jimmy Hendrix!' Tanya Bardsleys daughter was left locked on a train after a bomb squad were called to Stockport station on Tuesday evening. The Real Housewives star, 44, said she was 'going out of her mind' as she waited to hear from Gabriella, 23, who got caught up in the chaos. Police and a bomb disposal unit were called after reports of a 'suspicious item on Greek Street,' which is nearby. Sharing an update to her Instagram Story, Tanya wrote: 'Does anyone know whats happening at Stockport train station? 'My daughter and all the passengers are locked on the train by police Im going out of my mind.' In a statement, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: 'Just before 6pm this evening (November 4) firefighters were called to reports of a suspicious item on Greek Street in Stockport.' Tanya Bardsleys daughter was left locked on a train after a bomb squad were called to Stockport station on Tuesday evening The Real Housewives star, 44, said she was 'going out of her mind' as she waited to hear from Gabriella, 23, who got caught up in the chaos They added: 'Two fire engines from Stockport and Whitehill fire stations, as well as the technical rescue unit from Ashton fire station, are currently at the scene where a suitcase has been left on the footbridge by Stockport railway station.' A witness told Manchester Evening News: 'I was told I had to evacuate Stockport bus interchange and it was chaos with people running. 'I was told had to leave immediately. There was approximately 50 of us running out of the interchange, followed by the police. There was lots of panic and hurry.' Daily Mail has contacted Tanya's representative for comment. Tanya recently revealed her surgeon pulled out 20-year-old 'cement-like' filler during a recent cosmetic procedure. The model has always been open about her surgical enhancements and believes celebrities should be honest about the work they've had done. After noticing her 'jowls just dropped' while dealing with perimenopause symptoms, Tanya initially planned to get a full facelift last year but her surgeon advised against it, insisting she only needed minor adjustments. In the past, Tanya has had filler injected into her face, but she had no idea that it lay dormant in the areas where it was injected. Sharing an update to her Instagram Story, Tanya wrote: 'Does anyone know whats happening at Stockport train station? My daughter and all the passengers are locked on the train' In a statement, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: 'Just before 6pm this evening (November 4) firefighters were called to reports of a suspicious item on Greek Street in Stockport' Before going under the knife, she candidly told The Mirror: 'I started looking like a bulldog. 'I just thought "I'm not having this anymore, I feel terrible and I can't control it, but I can control these chops" I'd heard great things about Mr Rao I didn't have the full facelift. Instead, her surgeon 'sewed muscles back to where they were,' giving Tanya natural cheekbones without the need for filler. She shared: 'He was dragging out 20-year-old filler, scraping it out which was amazing. It's just like starting again you can't keep pumping it full of filler and Mr Rao is just amazing, he did all these pre-videos and everything. I was deciding for a good year because I'm impulsive. I have to tell myself I need to wait a year now.' Tanya added that Mr Rao, who operates at Pall Mall Medical, told her the old filler was 'like concrete'. She also opened up about how perimenopause can affect you both emotionally and physically as your skin tends to change and everything 'drops' including your personality. And while her face may have lifted slightly, she admitted it also gave her mood a much-needed lift. Tanya said the surgeon 'talked her out of it' after explaining that her expectations 'could never be achieved' without visible scarring. YouTubers Jonathan Joly and his wife Anna Saccone were once the reigning king and queen of the sharenting genre - chronicling their young familys every last move on the internet for more than a decade. Nothing was off limits: from a vlog showing the birth of their first child Emilia (5.6million views) to another revealing that their second, born a boy, was trans (80,000 views). Their daily updates quickly started bringing in the sort of money that saw their estimated net worth reach over 1million. Until, five years ago, in a storm of controversy about their parenting style and accusations that they were exploiting their children, the Saccone Jolys all but disappeared from YouTube - and deleted much of their back catalogue of videos. Fans and critics alike concluded that was it for the family. But in an unexpected twist, the garrulous Jonathan this week made a surprise return to their YouTube channel - which still has more than 1.6million subscribers - with a Halloween-themed video. This time, however, it was the children, not their parents, who took centre-stage, with eldest daughter, Emilia, and her siblings starring in the vlog. Given the 45-year-old Jonathans love of the limelight, this was a surprising development. But it is unlikely to prevent those accusations of exploitation being resurrected. Anna Saccone and Jonathan Joly with Emilia (in green) and Edie at a premiere in 2022 Jonathan celebrates with Anna after winning a celebrity dad of the year award in 2019 The video begins with Jonathan announcing the comeback with almost frightening enthusiasm before he is practically elbowed aside by Emilia, who jokingly insists her father is so old and hes been doing this for way too long. The accompanying blurb tells viewers that the voices you once watched are now grown-up, and a fresh generation is taking the reins. It adds: This channel is back, redesigned for 2025 and beyond: real life, no filter and driven by the young adults who grew up in front of the camera. The precocious-sounding Emilia certainly looks comfortable in the spotlight. Caked in make-up and wearing two-inch-long fake nails, the 13-year-old repeatedly rolls her eyes and pulls forced smiles as she outlines her plans to go trick-or-treating with a friend. Her trans sister Edie, 11 - originally known as a boy named Eduardo but now sporting a crop top and a headful of tumbling curls - explains how her Halloween costume includes black eyeliner, fake eyelashes, bat wings, a pair of tights and a Hotel Transylvania wig. For her part, eight-year-old Alessia - who is having a friend to stay for a sleepover - is filmed applying her own make-up. This is only the start, guys, this is only the start,' she says confidently. Trust me, its good. Jonathan with Amelia in new video posted after Halloween Meanwhile, eagle-eyed viewers will note the show has been discreetly renamed SacconeJolys Sisters (although there is no record as to what the youngest child - a seven-year-old boy named Andrea - makes of this). Mum Anna, 38, only makes a brief appearance to explain her aversion to carving Halloween pumpkins. Much of the 22-minute video is taken up with footage of Emilia - repeatedly pouting for the camera and dressed as if she is heading for a nightclub - wandering the streets with a pal. Later they spend an inordinate amount of time prowling the aisles of a Morrisons branch as they search for bottled water, chocolate and milkshakes. But the YouTube community has been lapping it up. With almost 36,000 views so far, the video has been greeted with a barrage of gushing comments. I think everyone looks so gorgeous, wrote Kayla Feliciano. Another fan, using the name Lorluvvv, said of Emilia: I watched her grow up and I feel like a proud auntie lol. Yet another follower, Amomuzz, trilled: Emilia has Annas mannerisms, but Jonathans sense of humour! I love it!!! When a rare negative commenter had the temerity to gently point out that the nails and make-up might not be entirely appropriate for a 13-year-old, they were turned upon. Stop hating, advised one reply. Shut up, said another. Jonathan with all four of his children before their social media break It all comes after Joly and his wife stopped posting new clips on the original SacconeJolys channel in 2020. While many of the home videos they removed two years later subsequently reappeared on the platform, the couple have largely been broadcasting separately ever since - although they have been at pains to point out on their other social media platforms that they are still very much together. The couple met in Jolys native Dublin in 2007. Anna was born in the US, in Baltimore, Maryland, to an Italian father and half-Irish mother, but moved to Cork when she was eight. Ms Saccone has previously told how she started posting videos of fashion and make-up tips during a lonely period when she was about 20. But she said it was only when she started receiving small cheques for her videos that her husband-to-be realised we could actually make a living from this. Which raises the question: who will be cashing in on their comeback? In a statement about the re-emergence of their YouTube channel, Joly told the Daily Mail: I never thought Id post on that channel again, but Emilia really loves making videos and was the one who pushed for the comeback. Now that shes a teenager, its become her space to talk to her peers - and apparently, Im too old and irrelevant anyway. In the US, there have been growing calls to introduce child labour-style protections, requiring parents to set aside earnings or letting children delete content once theyre older. No such laws exist in the UK. It remains to be seen, therefore, whether Emilia, Edie and Alessia will ever see the profits of their new starring roles. Claire Sweeney is set to ruffle some feathers as she revealed she has put her Christmas tree up just a week into November on Friday. The former Brookside actress, 54, posted the lighthearted pictures to her Instagram story to show off her dazzling tree, complete with red and gold decorations. Claire also showcased several red baubles and ribbons which were strewn across the mantlepiece under the TV in her living room. She captioned the story photos: 'Xmas adverts are on so the tree can go up. Thank you so much @Maddisonjcreations... My tree is stunning.' Claire wasted no time despite being still 48 days away from Christmas. The move is sure to divide fans as festive trees are typically put up in late November or the first week of December. Claire Sweeney, 54, is set to ruffle some feathers as she revealed she has put her Christmas tree up just a week into November on Friday (pictured in July) The former Brookside actress posted the lighthearted pictures to her Instagram story to show off her dazzling tree, complete with red and gold decorations Many people also wait until mid-December to prevent real trees from drying out and shedding needles before Christmas Day. However some particularly strong holiday enthusiasts think it's fair game to put up a tree as soon as it hits November 1. It comes after Claire paid tribute to her ex-boyfriend Ricky Hatton, who died last month, on what would have been his 47th birthday. She posted a picture of the boxer on Instagram, simply writing: 'Happy birthday' along with a prayer and a heart emoji. Former world welterweight champion Ricky was found dead at his home in Hyde, Greater Manchester, on September 14 by his close friend and manager, Paul Speak. Claire and Ricky dated for several months in 2024, starting after they competed on ITV's Dancing On Ice, but remained friends after ending their romance. But it's clear that he's never far from her thoughts because last month, Claire mentioned Ricky on Instagram while enjoying a shopping trip with her son Jaxon, 13. They were both enthralled with an Only Fools And Horses toy which features a Del Boy figurine falling through the bar, mimicking the iconic scene which first aired in 1989 and was played by David Jason. Claire also showcased several red baubles and ribbons which were strewn across the mantlepiece under the TV in her living room It comes after Claire paid tribute to her ex-boyfriend Ricky Hatton, who died last month, on what would have been his 47th birthday (pictured at the NTAs in September) 'Ricky would love that,' Claire said. The much-loved boxer died just three months before he was due to make his professional comeback in Dubai. His death is not being treated as suspicious, and his funeral was held at Manchester Cathedral on October 10. Claire paid tribute to Ricky a few days after his death. Sharing a video montage of him to the soundtrack of Elvis Presley's If I Can Dream, the actress wrote: 'Ive needed a few days to process the devastating news about my dear friend Ricky.' 'My thoughts are with his family especially his children Campbell, Millie Fearne and Lyla, his granddaughter,' Claire wrote. 'To them, Speaky and to all his friends who loved him so deeply and for so many years I send you my deepest sympathy. Ricky, you were the peoples champ. We adored and cherished you. Love you always.' Chrishell Stause has announced her shock departure from Selling Sunset after nine seasons. The star, 44, who was an OG cast member from the show's debut in 2019, revealed she was exiting the Netflix show in a candid chat with Bustle, admitting the pressure of filming was taking a toll on her mental health. She said: 'Ive gotten to a place where I dont need the show financially. Im lucky to have other forms of employment, because its no longer good for my mental health. 'The show has given me so many opportunities, and I dont want to be bitter about it, even though Im leaving not in the way that I wouldve loved.' Stause added that the departure from the hit show was very much on her own terms - and claimed creator Adam DiVello had been calling and texting '100 times a day' in a bid to get her back. Still, the choice wasnt easy. 'Ive vacillated back and forth with this decision in the past... I have to be honest, having come from nothing, its really hard to turn something like this down,' she admitted. The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Netflix for further comment and has yet to hear back. Chrishell Stause has announced her shock departure from Selling Sunset after nine seasons The star is an OG cast member of the hit real estate show - pictured with Heather Young, Maya Vander and Mary Fitzgerald in 2019 The exit comes after an argument between Chrishell and Nicole Young spawned from the latter's false claims that their co-star Emma Hernan was having an affair with a married man Behind the scenes, tensions on Selling Sunset were reportedly far more intense than what fans saw on screen. Stause says this season, in particular, she struggled with the way editors chose to portray conflicts. 'I get it, they want to make a light show,' she told Bustle. 'And if I was doing a show with less problematic people, I can totally see their point.' Among her biggest clashes this season was with Emma Hernan, specifically over her boyfriend Blake Davis, whom Stause openly disapproves of. 'He compared being nonbinary to having a mental illness,' Stause alleges. Her partner, musician G-Flip, is nonbinary; Davis has previously denied using derogatory language toward Stause. She added: 'He constantly posts anti-trans stuff He thinks its too woke if you dont sing the N word in songs. 'He posted something the other day, with a gun in view, saying he wants to sue [me for lying] my d**k off. Stause added that the departure from the hit show was very much on her own terms - and claimed creator Adam DiVello had been calling and texting '100 times a day' in a bid to get her back Hernan disputed some of these claims on the Season 9 reunion. Stause also says the editing left her looking like the 'overbearing friend'. 'But there are so many things that wouldve completely vindicated me and my opinion, and they left all of it out,' she added. She further raised concerns about Daviss behavior toward Hernan: 'They would break up, and she would tell me these horrific things that he would say to her, that he would do. He thought it was funny to say, "If you ever do that again, Ill beat you." Who jokes about that? Its not funny.' Last month, tensions between Stause and Young boiled over during a fiery dinner party on the latest season of Selling Sunset, when Young made a cruel remark about Stauses late parents. Stause's father, Jeff, passed away from lung cancer in 2019, followed by her mother a year later, who tragically succumbed to the same disease. After Stause leveraged prior accusations about her co-star's alleged drug overdose, she hit back: 'Honey, youre confusing me with your parents, OK? You seem to be obsessed with drugs.' It was not taken lightly, with the dinner party aggressively calling for Young to leave immediately. She was subsequently reprimanded by Oppenheim Group bosses Brett and Jason Oppenheim and fired from her job as a real estate agent. The argument between the pair spawned from Young's false claims that their co-star Hernan was having an affair with a married man. Following Young's biting remark about Stause's mother and father, Amanza Smith, 48, responded, 'I hope you are on drugs because this is f***ing inexcusable.' She demanded that Young leave the dinner, and pointed out that Stause's parents 'are dead'. But Young did not back down as she called out Stause's swipe and argued, 'Shes talked about [her parents] being addicts. 'It is OK for me to continually be called a "drug addict". You talked about your parents doing drugs.' Meanwhile, Hernan labeled Young 'sick and evil' as the group of women seemed to gang up on their now-former co-star. Following the ouster, some fans took to X and Instagram to weigh in on the explosive confrontation, with one calling Young's remark about Stause's parents 'diabolical'. Stause is married to non-binary musician G Flip (pictured March) When she first shot to fame on the show, she was wed to actor Justin Hartley - pictured 2019 Stause also feuded with Hernan over the star's romance with Blake Davis (pictured). Stause, who is married to non-binary musician G-Flip, claimed Davis 'compared being nonbinary to having a mental illness' - Davis has denied this Taking Young's side, one person wrote online, 'You can't keep calling someone a drug addict and weaponizing their private medical moments not expect them to take it to hell when they finally respond.' Another wrote off the show entirely, saying on Instagram: 'I'm so done with this show. They didn't even bother to try to stop Chrishell from slandering and sharing someone's personal medical info, but they fire someone for making a comparison to a person that openly stated her parents OD'd while simultaneously trying g.' Earlier this year Stause apologized to Selling Sunset viewers after her co-star Smith's stylist made 'homophobic' remarks about G Flip. She wrote a lengthy message on her Story firing back at stylist, Sammie Moussallem, who she claimed was lying about finances, misleading the public and 'policing [her] sexuality'. This came a day after Moussallem issued an apology via Instagram since he called Stause a 'fake lesbian' on season eight of Selling Sunset. With Stause exiting, Selling Sunset loses its only queer-identified cast member a role that she admits could feel isolating at times. Reflecting on her experiences before and after coming out, she told Bustle: 'I think people think theyre an ally, but theyre not realizing the lived experience of having lived half of my time at the brokerage being straight and then living the other half really noticing the stark differences.' She added that it sometimes took a while for her relationship with G-Flip to be taken seriously by the group. Either way, fans may struggle to picture Selling Sunset without Stause, as she has been the face of the series since 2019 'I actually understand a lot of the jarringness of the whole thing. Iconic, love it, wouldnt change it. We laugh about it now, but I can look back and understand,' she said. This isnt the first time Stause threatened to walk away. After Season 8 dropped in September 2024, she wrote on Instagram that she 'will NEVER work on a show' with Young again and 'would rather be sued' than return. Yet both returned for Season 9. Either way, fans may struggle to picture Selling Sunset without Stause, as she has been the face of the series since 2019. 'If they do continue, I wish them the best,' she said. 'If they do do another one, by then, I may not watch it. I dont know. But I have no ill will toward the show. 'The show has given me so many opportunities, and I dont want to be bitter about it, even though Im leaving not in the way that I wouldve loved.' Debra Messing is continuing to face backlash for posts she made about Zohran Mamdani, including one appearing to liken him to a 'jihadist'. The once-beloved actress, who became an LGBTQ icon for her role in Will & Grace, has outraged many members of her gay fanbase with her posts. This week, RuPaul's Drag Race star Katya blasted the 57-year-old star in a fiery statement on X (formerly Twitter). 'God Debra Messing is such a stupid b***h,' the performer posted to his million followers. Other fans didn't hold back in the comments, with one writing, 'Will & Disgrace!' Another wrote, 'She ruined Will & Grace for me. I'm p****d.' Debra Messing is continuing to face backlash for posts she made about Zohran Mamdani , including labelling the new NYC mayor a 'jihadist' The actress, 57, has shared dozens of offensive anti-Mamdani posts on her Instagram account 'Absolutely destroyed my fave show for me and now I cant watch Will & Grace because of her racist a**,' added a third. The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Messing for comment and has yet to hear back. Messing has yet to publicly respond to the backlash. However, as the actress was being canceled back home in America, she was also being honored at the International LGBTQ+ Film Festival in Tel Aviv. Celebrating the victory, Messing wrote on Instagram, 'To me, the LGBTQ+ community feels like family. Its been 30 years of advocating, learning, failing, celebrating, challenging, but always moving forward. 'To be recognized by @TLVFest on its 20th anniversary in my homeland is almost too overwhelming to put into words,' she continued. 'Israel is the only country in the Middle East where LGBTQ+ live freely and openly, with rights protected by law.' The actress sparked widespread outrage this week after she shared a controversial comment that appeared to label newly elected New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani as a jihadist. Messing, 57, reposted a political meme to Instagram from an account called Persian Jewess on November 4, the same day as the New York City mayoral election. RuPaul's Drag Race star Katya called Messing a 'stupid b***h' in a fiery post Progressive journalist Matt Binder called out Messing for being 'islamophobic' Queer influencer Matt Bernstein blasted the Will & Grace actress, calling her a 'right-wing maniac' The image captured a voter filling out a fake ballot with two options, the first of which read 'A Democrat. Just a democrat.' The second option read: 'An actual communist jihadist. A literal Karl Marx-quoting, America-hating jihadist.' Her post sparked an online furor as critics hurled insults at the Brooklyn-born actress, describing her as a 'racist' and an 'idiot'. Messing, who is Jewish and a self-professed liberal Zionist, also shared dozens of other offensive posts about Mamdani on her Instagram page, including resharing social media posts from President Trump. Prior to the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, Messing was known as an outspoken liberal and anti-Trump activist. She actively campaigned for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and in 2017 she was honored with the Excellence in Media Award by GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). However, she has changed her tune in recent years as her passion for supporting Israel at any cost has increased. One shocking social media post she shared suggested that Mamdani, as a Muslim, was secretly planning to implement 'mass conversion' to Islam in New York City. In another post she shared, Mamdani was referred to as 'Osama Bin Mamdani,' likening him to al-Qaeda terrorist Osama Bin Laden. Some of Messing's offenive posts included resharing a post that compared Mamdani to terrorist Osama Bin Laden At one point she shared close to a 100 posts on Instagram in a single day One shocking social media post she shared suggested that Mamdani, as a Muslim, was secretly planning to implement 'mass conversion' to Islam in New York City Her posts have enraged progressives on social media, with one writing, 'I truly hope Debra Messing never gets hired for anything ever again. The way she was calling Zohran a jihadist. The day OF the election. Just a deeply racist person.' Another added, 'That was some sort of journey she has posted on her [Instagram] story. I would say meltdown isn't quite enough of a strong word.' In addition to be slammed by social media users, even some of Messing's Hollywood pals have turned on her over her staunch support of Israel during the ongoing war in Gaza. In July, Marcia Cross called out Messing in a since-deleted comment, writing, 'Deb, it's a genocide. I know you thought or think you're doing the right thing... but it just is not. Please lead others with the truth. You can do it.' Alyssa Milano has also called Messing out on Instagram. However, others came to the defence of the Emmy award-winning sitcom star. 'Glad to see she finally came to her senses,' one supporter wrote. 'Good for her. Good for Debra Messing. At least somebody has some common sense. Unlike you, who is clearly brainwashed and highly uneducated,' another added. A third agreed, accusing Mamdani of being a 'communist piece of s**t.' Messing was once known for her progressive views and became a gay icon thanks to her role on Will & Grace Hours after Messing's controversial posts, Mamdani went on to defeat former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was running as an independent, and Republican candidate Curtis Silwa. Messing, who has made no secret of her political opinions and is outspoken about antisemitism, had earlier revealed she voted early for Cuomo on October 25. 'I voted for Andrew Cuomo because we need someone with experience to bring our city back to what it should be - safe, the thriving financial center of the world, more low-cost housing, more police to make our streets and subways safe for everyone,' she wrote. 'A social worker cannot help someone who is stabbed in the subway.' She argued that New York City is too large for someone as young as Mamdani, 34, and that his lack of practical experience makes it difficult for him to handle the responsibilities as mayor. She urged her followers to vote and use their voices to make a difference. Mamdani has shrugged off criticism about his age and inexperience throughout his entire campaign. After his overwhelming victory on Tuesday night, he listed the early pledges he intends to move on, including universal childcare, fast and free buses, and freezing rent hikes for tenants in rent-stabilized units. His broader platform has stressed affordability measures such as a $30 minimum wage, additional affordable housing and higher taxes on the city's wealthiest residents. Mamdani's team and supporters framed the final result as a mandate for affordability measures and a rejection of the attacks that marred the contest. Famed film director Lee Tamahori has died at home in New Zealand at the age of 75. The Hollywood stalwart had been battling Parkinson's disease, his family revealed to New Zealand's public broadcasting company on Friday. 'His legacy endures with his whanau, his mokopuna, every filmmaker he inspired, every boundary he broke, and every story he told with his genius eye and honest heart,' his family told RNZ. He was best known for directing the 2002 James Bond movie Die Another Day which starred Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry. The slick film saw 007 captured by North Korean agents and serve a grueling prison sentence. He's finally released, and is convinced that someone in his own agency betrayed him. Also in the movie were Rosamund Pike, Judi Dench and Rick Yune. Famed film director Lee Tamahori has died at the age of 75. The Hollywood stalwart who hailed from New Zealand had been battling Parkinson's disease He was best known for directing the 2002 James Bond movie Die Another Day which starred Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry Tamahori's feature directorial debut, 1994's Once Were Warriors, was a widespread critical and commercial success, and is considered one of the greatest New Zealand films ever made. He went on to direct the pricey Hollywood drama Mulholland Falls in 1996. That neo-noir crime thriller film starred Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Connelly, Chazz Palminteri, and Michael Madsen. It was about an elite LAPD squad investigating the murder of a woman in 1950s Los Angeles. It leads to a conspiracy that goes high up. Lee also directed xXx: State of the Union, Next and The Convert. And he directed an episode of The Sopranos and an episode of Billions. He has a film in post-production: The Emperor starring Adrien Brody. Tamahori was born in Wellington, New Zealand. He was of Maori ancestry on his father's side and British on his mother's. Tamahori moved into the film industry the late 1970s. He found employment as a boom operator for Television New Zealand, and on the feature films Skin Deep, Goodbye Pork Pie, Bad Blood, and Race for the Yankee Zephyr. In the early 1980s, Tamahori was an assistant director on Utu, and he subsequently worked as first assistant director on The Silent One, Murphy's The Quiet Earth, Came a Hot Friday, and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. The director and Sasha at the London premiere of his James Bond movie Die Another Day From left: Rosamund Pike, Tamahori, Brosnan and Rick Yune at the Sydney Opera House to promote Die Another Day in 2002 He directed Mulholland Falls in 1996, left, with Nick Nolte, Melanie Griffith, Jennifer Connelly, Chazz Palminteri, as well as XXX: State Of The Union, right In 1986, Tamahori co-founded the production company Flying Fish, and made high-profile television commercials. Then came Once Were Warriors, a gritty depiction of a violent Maori family. Tamahori moved to Hollywood and directed Mulholland Falls which was considered a flop. The Edge (1997), which starred Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin and Elle Macpherson, was a successful survivor tale. Next was Die Another Day (2002). He also directed an episode of The Sopranos and the thriller Along Came a Spider (2001) with Monica Potter and Morgan Freeman. The Edge (1997), which starred Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin and Elle Macpherson, was a successful survivor tale Tamahori's next film was the sequel to XXX (2002), titled XXX: State of the Union (2005) with Ice Cube and Samuel L Jackson. In 2007 he directed Next with Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore, and Jessica Biel. In 2012, Tamahori started work on Emperor, about a young woman seeking revenge for the execution of her father by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. It shot in 2014 but is still not done, In 2022, Tamahori directed the historical drama The Convert, starring Guy Pearce and Tioreore Ngatai-Melbourne. Tamahori was married twice and had two sons, one from each marriage. Ariana Grande and Michelle Yeoh joined their Wicked co-stars for a swanky night out at the Paris Opera on Friday evening ahead of the musical sequel's release. The actress, 32, who plays Glinda The Good in the fantasy films, looked sensational in a chic black gown with pink floral embellishments. Ariana's stunning look carried the pop of colour into the lining of her coat which she let fall down her slender shoulders. Sweeping her tresses into a bun, the stunner accented her beauty with glam makeup and added extra height to her frame with pointed heels. Michelle, 63, who plays Madame Morrible, was also dressed to impress in a purple caped evening gown which she teamed with white opera gloves. While Elphaba actress Cynthia Erivo was not in attendance, the ladies took their seats alongside Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey and the film's director Jon M Chu. Ariana Grande joined her Wicked co-stars for a swanky night out at the Paris Opera on Friday evening ahead of the musical sequel's release Michelle Yeoh (L), 63, who plays Madame Morrible, was also dressed to impress in a purple caped evening gown which she teamed with white opera gloves Later in the evening, Ariana was spotted in another outfit as she arrived for a private premiere of Wicked: For Good in the French capital. The star wrapped up in a long black coat as she stepped out of a private cab. She later changed into what appeared to be a light pink maxi dress, which she paired with another set of sleek black heels. The star appeared in good spirits, waving to fans as she made her way to the next venue. When Wicked: Part One was released last year Ariana and Cynthia were the names on everybody's lips. However, it wasn't necessarily for their role in the film itself, which was less of a talking point than the bizarre press tour that accompanied it. Cynthia and Ariana were caught up in a series of embarrassing blunders, gaffes and mocked for their constant crying. Indeed, one particular interview went viral around the globe, with the clip dubbed the pair's 'holding space' moment after Cynthia burst into tears at being told fans were 'holding space' with the lyrics of Defying Gravity. Ariana's stunning look carried the pop of colour into the lining of her coat which she let fall down her slender shoulders Sweeping her tresses into a bun the stunner accented her beauty with glam makeup Ariana added extra height to her frame with a pair of black pointed heels The Oscar nominee looked nothing short of sensational Michelle, 63, who plays Madame Morrible, was also dressed to impress in a purple caped evening gown which she teamed with white opera gloves Jonathan Bailey flashed a glimpse of his hairy chest beneath a sheer Balenciaga T-shirt which he teamed with a leather jacket The hunky actor was recently named Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine Jeff Goldblum, who plays the Wizard of Oz, was suited and booted The actor put on a very animated display ahead of the performance Ariana and Jonathan waved to fans who had waited to catch a glimpse of their favourite Wicked stars The movie's director Jon M Chu (centre) joined his cast Cynthia Erivo who leads the cast as Elphaba was not in attendance (pictured at Wicked: For Good Brazil premiere on Tuesday) The fanfare around the movie went into overload, with merchandise galore and star-studded premieres. However this time around there seems to have been a noticeable lack of Wicked mania. And with less than a month until the release of Part Two on November 21, questions have been raised over where are Ariana and Cynthia. On Tuesday, Ariana missed the world premiere of Wicked: For Good in Brazil because of flight issues, claiming her team had failed to find an alternative arrangement to get her to Sao Paulo in time. In a message to her fans, she said that she was 'heartbroken', adding: 'We sincerely tried everything we could and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.' Later in the evening, Ariana was spotted in another outfit as she arrived for a private premiere of Wicked: For Good in the French capital The star wrapped up in a long black coat as she stepped out of a private cab She later changed into what appeared to be a light pink maxi dress She teamed it with another pair of black pointed heels Ariana kept her hair and make up the same from the event prior As she got out of her cab, she made sure to conceal her outfit However, the star made sure she waved to fans waiting outside the venue She even posed for some selfies with fans Cynthia was still able to attend, however, and made an appearance alongside Jonathan, Jon, Jeniffer Nascimento and Larissa Manoela. It was a muted affair compared to last year's world premiere, held in Sydney, which had recreated a yellow brick road for the stars to sashay down. While Cynthia and Ariana were splashed all over the internet during last year's promo tour, this time, the supporting characters seem to be making a splash. Jonathan, who plays Fiyero in the film, made global headlines this week when he was crowned People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. It marked the first time an openly gay man had ever been awarded the honour. He was appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote Wicked: For Good when the announcement was made. He said of the news: 'Its a huge honour. Obviously Im incredibly flattered. And its completely absurd. [Laughs] Its been a secret, so Im quite excited for some friends and family to find out.' Cynthia and Ariana were inseparable during the run up to the film's release last year, however this time around their seems to be a real lack of Wicked mania Meanwhile, across the pond, it was cast member Michelle who was chosen to appear on Britain's biggest chat show, The Graham Norton Show. Her interview will be aired on BBC One on Friday night. While the film's leading ladies have not been in the press as much, Cynthia recently revealed she has been making moves to distance herself from being defined by the Wicked Witch of the West. Posing for Harper's BAZAAR's November issue, Cynthia spoke about parting ways with her character, she said: 'Elphaba will be part of my life forever, but we need separation. 'We're not one and the same anymore, but we can be friends.' Similarly the star is also busy promoting her new book Simply More: A Book For Anyone Who Has Been Told They're Too Much. She has emphasised that the book, due for release a day before on the film on November 20, is not a memoir but rather teachable moments from her life. Sigourney Weaver has an unconventional physical trait that could have hindered her Hollywood career. It's her height. The Aliens actress is a stunning 6ft tall, which is about five inches taller than the average Hollywood movie star. Weaver told Empire magazine she never hid her height as she shared a story about an early audition. The 76-year-old star 'wore these very high "hooker boots"' to her audition for the original Alien movie, 'which meant that I absolutely towered' over the film's director Ridley Scott. 'And more power to him that he didn't go, "Oh my God, this woman is grotesque,"' added the Galaxy Quest actress who graduated from Stanford University and subsequently the Yale School Of Drama. Sigourney Weaver has an unconventional physical trait that could have hindered her Hollywood career. It's her height. The Aliens actress is a stunning 6ft tall. Seen in 1984 The thespian at the Sigourney Weaver Retrospective on November 6 in Paris The New Yorker also told the publication that she used to 'pray that there'd be some crazy director' who would appreciate she was 6ft tall. She is grateful that directors took a chance on her. 'I always thought it took an unconventional director to think of casting me, and I was able to find a lot of those it could easily have not worked out like that,' she said. The star - born Susan Alexandra Weaver (she chose the name Sigourney) - was taught to embrace her height at a young age. 'I came from the theatre where that's all you have when you present yourself on stage the last thing you want to do is hide as you come on; you have to embrace whatever you are,' the actress said in her cover story. 'I had a very short mother, she was 5ft2in or 5ft3in English, too! and she used to say, "You're going to be so happy you're tall,"' she added. 'And, of course, it was one of the many things I couldn't imagine when I was a teenager. 'But I did grow into it, and as my mother was very much an athlete, I have always found that strength in women is so attractive.' Weaver is at the start of her press tour for the upcoming sci-fi epic Avatar: Fire and Ash. Weaver with actors Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn, Jenette Goldstein and Lance Henriksen, on the set of Alien The diva told InTouch Weekly that she was very tall even at age 11. 'I felt like a giant spider. I never had the confidence to think I could act,' she said at the time, opining that she 'was never the babe or the beautiful ingenue or the love interest, because I was too tall.' Seen in October She has talked her height in the past. The diva told InTouch Weekly that she was very tall even at age 11. 'I felt like a giant spider. I never had the confidence to think I could act,' she said at the time. She added, 'I was never the babe or the beautiful ingenue or the love interest, because I was too tall.' Sam Ryder is set to make his West End debut as Jesus in a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar at London's Palladium next summer. The Eurovision star, 36, who finished second in the 2022 contest, will follow in the footsteps of Wicked's Cynthia Erivo who played the role in LA earlier this year. With music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice the musical, which first premiered in 1971, follows the final days of Jesus through the eyes of Judas and will run from June 20 until September 5 2026. Following the announcement Sam said: Im so excited to be part of one of the biggest institutions in musical theatre the worlds ever known, at The London Palladium in the West End!' Im honoured to take on this responsibility as I follow in the footsteps of rock vocal titans like Ian Gillan and John Farnham. I cant wait to immerse myself in the word of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2026. Meanwhile Producer Michael Harrison said: It is thrilling to be bringing this astounding creative team from the Regents Park Open Air Theatre production back together, and I am excited to see them create Jesus Christ Superstar specially for The London Palladium'. Sam Ryder is set to make his West End debut as Jesus in a new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber 's Jesus Christ Superstar at London's Palladium next summer The Eurovision star, 36, who finished second in the 2022 contest, will follow in the footsteps of Wicked's Cynthia Erivo, 38, who played the role in LA earlier this year Sam said: Im so excited to be part of one of the biggest institutions in musical theatre the worlds ever known, at The London Palladium in the West End!' In Sam we have a true superstar to play the iconic title role, and I look forward to sharing further announcements about the production in the coming months. Erivo previously played Mary Magdalene in an all-female version of Superstar in 2020, before being cast as Jesus at the Hollywood Bowl in August. The casting news divided fans - with some lambasting the casting of a woman as the male religious icon 'blasphemous' while others delighted in the fresh take on the project. One fan wrote: 'What the actual f**k is going on' while a second typed: 'Absolutely friggin blasphemy. Youre mocking Christ the King.' Others wrote: 'Hollywood really is just a fishbowl of likeminded individuals; good luck with this one. 'Cynthia should be more careful about the roles she gets. This is just plain disrespectful. 'This is blasphemy. Jesus Christ is not a woman. 'F**k it. Whatever. Nothing matters. Set your money on fire, production company. I dont care.' Sam gushed: 'I cant wait to immerse myself in the word of Jesus Christ Superstar in 2026. Cynthia's casting news divided fans - with some lambasting the casting of a woman as the male religious icon 'blasphemous' while others delighted (Pictured at 2025 Tony Awards) Others came out in support of the casting, revealing that Erivo's role would 'p**s off those MAGA snowflakes.' Followers wrote: 'She is extremely talented and no doubt slay and, doubly, if it pisses off the magabillies and Leon lovers this if GREAT NEWS. 'Oh no here come the conservatives up in arms because their feelings are hurt that someone isnt playing their version, of Jesus! 'oh, this is going to piss off a LOT of people, and I am here for it. Most recently Rachel Zegler has been performing at the Palladium as former First Lady of Argentina Eva Peron in the show, which debuted in 1978 and was also by Lloyd Webber and Rice. The play follows her rise from a poor background to becoming a powerful political figure and cultural icon in Argentina. Hundreds of people gather outside the venue for the Snow White star's performance of Don't Cry For Me Argentina on the balcony, made famous by the likes of Elaine Paige and Madonna. Most recently Rachel Zegler has been performing at the Palladium as former First Lady of Argentina Eva Peron in the show that was also by Lloyd Webber and Rice Hundreds of people gather outside the venue for the Snow White star's performance of Don't Cry For Me Argentina on the balcony, made famous by the likes of Elaine Paige and Madonna An official announcement for the show read: 'Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's legendary Evita returns to the West End, reimagined by the visionary award-winning director Jamie Lloyd'. 'Featuring an iconic score including Dont Cry For Me Argentina, Oh What A Circus, Another Suitcase in Another Hall, and the Oscar-winning You Must Love Me'. 'Fuelled by ambition and passion, Eva Peron rose from poverty to become the most powerful woman in Latin America. A symbol of hope to many Argentines, her star shone brightly as she captured the nations heart and divided its soul'. Rachel is no stranger to musical theatre and starred in Stephen Spielberg's Oscar winning adaption of West Side Story in 2021. Other famous faces to take on the iconic role Evita include Patti Lupone, Elaine Paige as well as mega Madonna in the 1996 movie version. Denise Richards' ex Aaron Phypers has responded after the actress was granted a five-year restraining order against him. On Friday, the 54-year-old actress was given the order against her 53-year-old wellness expert ex by a Los Angeles judge - who she has accused of abusing her. Phypers has denied all the allegations. Phypers is not allowed to own or buy guns, abuse Richards, disturb her peace, be in contact with her, among other restrictions, the Daily Mail confirmed Friday. If they do have communication, Richards is allowed to record any conversations she has with Phypers, the site added. The order is scheduled to expire on November 7, 2030. Phypers' representative commented on the recent development to the Daily Mail: 'This is a victory for Aaron since none of Denises lies proved that he ever abused her. Denise Richards ' ex Aaron Phypers has responded after the actress was granted a five-year restraining order against him. Seen in 2023 On Friday, the 54-year-old actress handed the judge an order against her 53-year-old wellness expert ex They also claimed: 'Aaron had been locked out of all his money, personal, and business documents necessary to hire a team and put forth a decent defense against Richard's million-dollar legal assault of false accusations, plain and simple. 'The judge said only the petitioner and respondent know the real truth. Aaron got what he wanted her staying away from him and proof she proved nothing.' The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Richards for comment and has yet to hear back. Phypers filed for divorce from Richards in July after six years of marriage. She was first granted a temporary restraining order on July 16. Phypers must also return Richards laptop and cannot share pictures of her or provide information about her to the media, the site added. He has also been told to return videos of her surgeries to her and delete them from all his devices and iCloud account, People claimed. This comes after Richards claimed that her ex subjected her to domestic abuse. Phypers' cousin, Kathleen McAllister, supported Richards' claims that her ex struck her. 'I saw Aaron hit Denise and immediately she had a really bad black eye,' McAllister claimed via her virtual testimony about an incident on January 17, 2022. 'I'm literally in shock now to this day about it.' On September 15 Phypers filed a response to her previous claims of domestic violence - which were made in a restraining order in July as she alleged her partner 'repeatedly abused' her during their six-year marriage. According to court documents obtained by People magazine, he has refuted her claims and denied the allegations. He said in the documents: 'There is no need for such orders, as I have not abused her and will not abuse her.' He also alleges that his ex has been 'frequently' phoning and messages him and his father. Richards with former RHOBH costar Kathy Hilton at her Pajama Party Presented by QVC on November 4 in Los Angeles Phypers told a judge overseeing their divorce proceedings that she needs to give him $150K He claimed: 'As well as asking other family and friends to ask me to call her so often that it should be considered harassment, demonstrating that she is not afraid of me and that she is the aggressive one.' Phypers has also claimed the actress has 'attacked' and 'harassed' him 'many times.' Elsewhere in the documents, he referenced an alleged incident on August 3, saying: 'She barged aggressively and forcefully into other family members' living spaces, including my brother's room (which he recorded), violating his privacy rights and looking through his personal property. 'Denise violently smashed my cell phone, placed it in a trash can buried under bags of trash, and then lied about, claiming she had not taken my phone.' Richards has grown closer to her ex-husband Charlie Sheen in recent months; seen at the Los Angeles premiere of aka Charlie Sheen on September 4 in Hollywood The couple married in 2018 in a beachfront ceremony that aired on Bravo during The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Phypers, who filed for divorce in July following what has been described as an explosive argument, previously described her allegations of abuse as 'bogus'. He said over the summer: 'She's upset. I publicly dumped her to the world, and she's mad, so how does she retaliate? File a bogus abuse claim.' Robert De Niro's quick stop in Italy has landed him in the middle of a firestorm the Oscar winner likely didn't see coming. The 82-year-old actor jetted to Rome on Thursday to receive the city's highest honor, the Lupa Capitolina, celebrating his 'cultural, civic, and humanitarian' contributions. But the trip has stirred controversy with critics accusing the Taxi Driver legend, a longtime Donald Trump opponent, of 'joining the exodus' of liberal stars ditching the U.S. for Europe as political tensions rise back home. Things escalated further on Friday when De Niro visited the Vatican and met with Pope Leo XIV, a pontiff already under fire for his own allegedly anti-Trump leanings. In viral clips, the pair are seen warmly shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries and smiling for cameras before the Pope presented the actor with a rosary. The footage quickly ignited outrage online, with some blasting the Vatican for prioritizing celebrity meet-and-greets over ordinary worshippers. Roebrt De Niro visited the Vatican and met with Pope Leo XIV on Friday The pair are seen warmly shaking hands, exchanging pleasantries and smiling for cameras before the Pope presented the actor with a rosary One fumed: 'Whats with Leos fawning of Hollywood celebrities like a pre-pubescent school girl with a crush?' Another sneered: 'Birds of a feather: two extreme lefties greeting each other.' A third commented: 'His Holiness following the same path as Pope Francis, walking alongside every famous liberal and progressive figure.' One critic chimed in: 'Pope is revealing himself day by day as a liberal.' Another frustrated Catholic wrote: 'This isn't good. Many ordinary Catholics would love to meet the Pope but now the Vatican brings in Hollywood actors who have said terrible things against God and who aren't Christian.' One suggested the meeting had political undertones, saying: 'The rewards for cursing the president. Or maybe De Niro will use the rosary to pray for Trump?' Others mocked the optics, with one viral comment reading: 'I do seriously wonder what it is with Popes and movie celebrities. Like... who arranges this stuff? "Hi Bob... this Pope Bob. Next time you are in Rome stop by." "Sure. How about beginning of November?" "Great. We'll keep a slot open for you." And why De Niro? Is the message "I hate Trump, too"? Just what?' One simply blasted the meeting as 'HORRIFYING!' The footage quickly ignited outrage online, with some blasting the Vatican for prioritizing celebrity meet-and-greets over ordinary worshippers The meeting quickly sparked backlash online Still, not everyone was outraged. Some defended the encounter as a harmless gesture of goodwill. One fan explained: 'De Niro was in Rome receiving the Lupa Capitolina award and the meeting was arranged for him to attend with another group. You are all making too much of it. 'My own brother met Pope John Paul II the same way. Popes often meet people as good will gestures. That's their job.' The viral outrage comes after De Niro fueled speculation he might be planning a permanent move abroad, looking overjoyed as he accepted the Lupa Capitolina from Mayor Roberto Gualtieri. The ceremony comes nearly 20 years after De Niro was at the center of a citizenship controversy, when an Italian-American group tried to block Italys plan to honor him, claiming hed spent his career portraying 'unflattering and untrue stereotypes' of Italian-Americans. In August 2004, the Order of the Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) based in Washington, D.C. publicly condemned the plan, accusing the Oscar winner of having 'made a career of playing gangsters of Italian descent,' per The Guardian. 'He has done nothing to promote Italian culture in the United States. Instead, the OSIA and its members hold him and his movies responsible for considerably damaging the collective reputations of both Italians and Italian-Americans, the group said in a statement. De Niros career has long been defined by his portrayals of Italian-Americans and gangster figures, roles that made him an iconic figure in Hollywood. De Niro, who currently resides in New York City, had fans wondering if hes preparing to cross the pond for good after he looked thrilled accepting Rome's top honor, the Lupa Capitolina, from Mayor Roberto Gualtieri on Thursday From the ruthless mobster in The Godfather: Part II to the cunning criminal in Goodfellas, his performances often leaned into the very stereotypes the group criticized. Even in lighter fare, such as the animated Shark Tale, he brought his signature gangster persona to the character, reinforcing his on-screen association with Italian mob figures. OSIA was particularly angered by De Niros portrayal of a godfather-like figure in Steven Spielbergs animated film Shark Tale. OSIA even demanded that DreamWorks edit what it called the films 'most offensive aspects' at the time. DreamWorks pushed back, saying the outrage was misplaced. The ceremony comes nearly 20 years after De Niro was at the center of a citizenship controversy, when an Italian-American group tried to block Italys plan to honor him, claiming hed spent his career portraying 'unflattering and untrue stereotypes' of Italian-Americans; (pictured in 1990's Goodfellas) In August 2004, the Order of the Sons of Italy in America (OSIA) based in Washington, D.C. publicly condemned the plan, accusing the Oscar winner of having 'made a career of playing gangsters of Italian descent,' (pictured 1974's Godfather II) Spokesman Andy Spahn told reporters, 'This organization has not even seen the film, so we are somewhat perplexed. 'Its an animated movie about colourful fish. I cant see how that can offend anyone.' At the time, OSIA warned that giving De Niro such an honor would insult millions of Italian-Americans who viewed his filmography as a 'distorted and unbalanced portrayal' of their heritage. per the outlet. Despite the backlash in the U.S., many Italians supported the Taxi Driver stars recognition. In Ferrazzano the tiny village De Niros great-grandparents left in the 19th century locals have long celebrated him as one of their own. The Guardian reported in 2004 that the villages 3,000 residents hosted an annual festival devoted entirely to his films, gathering each August to honor his work. De Niro, born in New York in 1943, does not qualify for an Italian passport because neither his parents nor grandparents were born in Italy. He has never visited the village himself, according to the outlet. Still, locals remained fiercely proud of their connection to him, describing the actor as a symbol of their immigrant success story, according to the outlet. Christina Applegate sparked up a bizarre feud with Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City stars as she called out 'super gross' behavior on X this week. The 53-year-old actress - who recently reflected on her late former boyfriend's shock death from drug overdose - made the comments following Tuesday's episode amid the RHOSLC and Below Deck Down Under crossover. She reposted a screenshot of an interaction between Captain Jack Chambers and Britani Bateman while voicing her frustration with the stars of RHOSLC and their treatment to the Below Deck crew, including Daisy Kelliher. 'The treatment of the crew and my pals by the women was super gross. I hope they apologized to Jason and Daisy. Wow,' Applegate tweeted. She gave an example in a since-deleted post which began with, 'I know you're shooting your show at the same time. 'But seriously not to even acknowledge the captain and chief stew first officer and chef Ben as they brought out your food was way not cool.' Daily Mail has reached out to a Bravo and Applegate's reps for comment but did not immediately hear back. Christina Applegate sparked up a bizarre feud with Real Housewives Of Salt Lake City stars as she called out 'super gross' behavior on X this week; seen in 2023 in L.A. She reposted a screenshot of an interaction between Captain Jack Chambers and Britani Bateman while voicing her frustration with the stars of RHOSLC and their treatment to the Below Deck crew, including Daisy Kelliher; RHOSLC cast seen in 2024 'The treatment of the crew and my pals by the women was super gross. I hope they apologized to Jason and Daisy. Wow,' Applegate tweeted On Thursday, she followed up with an apology to the stars of RHOSLC after voicing her thoughts on the recent episode. 'To the SLC ladies I want to apologize. I was just watching and I was a bit shocked,' she wrote on X. 'But I realize you're shooting a show too. And you're my favorite franchise! Much love.' Bateman voiced her interest in Chambers during the episode amid her 30-day break from her boyfriend Jared Osmond. However, her castmate Heather Gay revealed that she had similar feelings and said both she and Chambers had 'f***ed around' before in the past. Lisa Barlow was not having it and expressed at one point, 'Enough with the pile on. Like, Captain Jason's not interested. It's, like, duh! Right? Back me up on this, Daisy. 'Daisy, come on. Is he interested? Say, "No. Hard no,"' the reality star further encouraged, but Kelliher notably opted to not comment on Chambers' feelings. Barlow then labeled the attention some of her co-stars were giving the caption as 'ridiculous' before adding that she 'feels bad for him.' 'But seriously not to even acknowledge the captain and chief stew first officer and chef Ben as they brought out your food was way not cool,' she added in a since-deleted post On Thursday, she followed up with an apology to the stars of RHOSLC after voicing her thoughts on the recent episode Bateman voiced her interest in Chambers during the episode amid her 30-day break from her boyfriend Jared Osmond; Chambers seen above Lisa Barlow was not having it and expressed at one point, 'Enough with the pile on. Like, Captain Jason's not interested. It's, like, duh! Right? Back me up on this, Daisy' 'Daisy, come on. Is he interested? Say, "No. Hard no,"' the reality star further encouraged, but Kelliher notably opted to not comment on Chambers' feelings 'I wouldn't want my name dragged around in a conversation that I'm not a part of. Don't do this to people.' Earlier this week, a joint post was also shared to Chambers' own Instagram page which showed the same screenshot interaction he had with Bateman. The TV personality could be seen asking, 'Do you actually, like, run the ship?' to which he simply replied with, '...Yeah.' Bateman jumped to the comment section and penned, 'Look. someone as hot as @captainjchambers should be a paid modelwe were all thinking it & Im the only one who said it. You're welcome.' Chambers told Us Weekly last month, 'We didn't know what we're in for, but wow. What a wow. What a way to start a season, I'll tell you. 'To be quite honest, there's a lot going on now. There's a lot happening, and I don't think you could fit that much into a three-day charter.' When it comes to his RHOSLC guests on the Below Deck yacht, he expressed to the outlet that the cast had 'taken it to a new height.' 'I don't think we've had [that] much drama go on, [but] it was so much fun too. I don't know how much I can say, but from some injury happening, I'm playing doctor to one of them... The TV personality could be seen asking, 'Do you actually, like, run the ship?' to which he simply replied with, '...Yeah'; Bateman pictured above Bateman jumped to the comment section and penned, 'Look. someone as hot as @captainjchambers should be a paid modelwe were all thinking it & Im the only one who said it. You're welcome' Chambers told Us Weekly last month, 'We didn't know what we're in for, but wow. What a wow. What a way to start a season, I'll tell you'; Chambers seen with RHOSLC stars Whitney Rose (left) and Heather Gay (right) 'I was a doctor. I was a yoga instructor. I was a Zen master. I had to be everything to try and calm the whole thing down,' Chambers added. Applegate's recent remarks on the RHOSLC and Below Deck crossover came shortly after she offered a rare comment about her late former partner Lee Grivas 17 years after his fatal drug overdose. The actress - who is currently battling multiple sclerosis after announcing her diagnosis in 2021 - opened up about her ex's tragic 2008 passing during Tuesday's episode of her MeSsy podcast. The Dead To Me star was joined by her co-host Jamie-Lynn Sigler as well as Sopranos actor Robert Iler - who got candid about his own battle with addiction. 'I kind of don't understand sometimes like with Lee, which people know about. You could Google it, whatever,' Applegate began. 'My boyfriend who passed away, it was like I tried everything, right? And he still wanted to escape. When he passed away, it was just like, "F*** man."' Applegate's recent remarks on the RHOSLC and Below Deck crossover came shortly after she offered a rare comment about her late former partner Lee Grivas 17 years after his fatal drug overdose; the pair seen in 2007 Grivas had been found dead inside his Hollywood apartment in July 2008 from an apparent drug overdose - and was just 26-years-old. Applegate issued a statement at the time as she broke silence on his passing and said, 'I am profoundly saddened,' per People. 'Lee was an incredible human being who was an extremely important and beautiful part of my life.' She added, 'He is missed beyond words. He touched so many and I feel much sadness for his mother, brother and all of his family and friends.' She added, 'He is missed beyond words. He touched so many and I feel much sadness for his mother, brother and all of his family and friends'; seen in 2020 in Beverly Hills Applegate and Grivas had first crossed paths in 2006 while she was starring in the Broadway show Sweet Charity. The actress was also previously married to Jonathon Schaech from 2001 until their divorce was finalized in 2007. She then sparked up a romance with Dutch musician Martyn LeNoble in 2009 and the couple said 'I do' in 2013. They are also parents to a daughter named Sadie, 14. Applegate has mainly stayed private on Grivas' death - but recently opened up about dealing with grief following her father's passing earlier this year in April. Kim Kardashian shared several sizzling photos to Instagram on Friday that were taken when she was in the Caribbean with her sisters Khloe, Kendall and Kylie last week. The 45-year-old reality TV star was wearing a low-cut white swimsuit with a long sheer skirt. She was barefoot and had no jewelry on for the shoot. Her glam was dialed down as she had on little makeup with her jet-black hair worn down behind her bare shoulders. Fans were uncomfortable with what she was doing, however, as they deemed the move 'dangerous.' The Kardashians star - who is hours away from her California bar exam results - was standing on rocks that were covered with thick green moss which is incredibly slippery. Kim Kardashian shared several sizzling photos to Instagram on Friday that were taken when she was in the Caribbean with her sisters Khloe, Kendall and Kylie last week. The 45-year-old reality TV star was wearing a low-cut white swimsuit with a long sheer skirt Fans were uncomfortable with what she was doing, however, as they deemed the move 'dangerous.' The Kardashians star - who is hours away from her California bar exam results - was standing on rocks that were covered with thick green moss which is incredibly slippery The ex-wife of Kanye West was also pictured sitting on a wood bench by an outdoor shower 'Don't walk on mossy rocks, so easy to fall,' said one fan while another added, 'Be careful Kimmy!' Lindsay Lohan sent her three heart emojis while Amy Schumer, Khloe Kardashian and Lauren Sanchez hit the like button. Moss poses a fall hazard because it creates slippery surfaces, which can cause people to fall. The danger is especially high when the moss is wet, like it was on the rocks Kim was standing on. The mossy rocks were drenched in ocean water. Globally, an estimated 684,000 fatal falls occur each year, making it the second leading cause of unintentional injury death after road traffic injuries. It's amazing that Kim could even get out onto those rocks and stay there without being injured. The ex-wife of Kanye West was also pictured sitting on a wood bench by an outdoor shower. There were also glamorous photos of Kim in a black dress as she posed outside a stone home lined by palm trees. That was, obviously, a much safer place for a photo shoot. There were also glamorous photos of Kim in a black dress as she posed outside a stone home lined by palm trees That was, obviously, a much safer place for a photo shoot Kim took the two-day CA bar exam in July. The mother of four wont know her fate until November 7, when results are released to examinees just two days before theyre made public on November 9 at 6 p.m. PT As the day wore on she posted another set of pictures of her posing by the ocean, this time clad in a sizzling see-through outfit. Her sheer black lace outfit left almost nothing to the imagination as she posed on a stone staircase. A sea breeze whipped through her hair and caused her dress to flutter slightly. The gown allowed the reality TV siren to put on a cheeky display from behind and to show off her shapely legs. Its neckline plunged to show off her ample cleavage as she struck pose after pose by the ocean. She added a naturalistic touch to the look by going barefoot as she strolled around, descending the stairs towards the waves. During the summer Kim took the California bar. As the day wore on she posted another set of pictures of her posing by the ocean, this time clad in a sizzling see-through outfit Her sheer black lace outfit left almost nothing to the imagination as she posed on a stone staircase A sea breeze whipped through her hair and caused her dress to flutter slightly The gown allowed the reality TV siren to put on a cheeky display from behind and to show off her shapely legs Its neckline plunged to show off her ample cleavage as she struck pose after pose by the ocean She added a naturalistic touch to the look by going barefoot as she strolled around, descending the stairs towards the waves Kim seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself The reality TV icon has been studying for several years to become a lawyer and has already based the baby bar. She is following in the footsteps of her late father, famed attorney Robert Kardashian who worked on his friend OJ Simpson's murder trials. The notoriously brutal California bar is considered the hardest in the nation with one of the lowest pass rates. Kim took the two-day exam in July, answering 200 multiple-choice questions, five essay prompts, and one 90-minute performance test, per TMZ. The mother of four wont know her fate until November 7, when results are released to examinees just two days before theyre made public on November 9 at 6 p.m. PT. Here she is seen in a bikini studying for the bar; she took the CA bar in July While most examinees test in person at designated sites, insiders say Kim likely took her exam privately with a proctor to avoid unwanted attention. The timing couldnt be more fitting: Kims legal pursuit mirrors her fathers famous career as a defense attorney, most notably for O.J. Simpson during his 1995 murder trial. It also come as Kim is once again taking aim at Donald Trump this time blasting his ICE raids, even though shes maintained a surprisingly cordial bond with the former president, his wife Melania, and daughter Ivanka. Back in June, the SKIMS mogul used her Instagram Story to condemn Trumps immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, calling the tactics 'inhumane' and urging protection for the 'hardworking people' being separated from their families. But the post drew mixed reactions, with critics accusing her of 'virtue signaling' given her personal ties to the Trump family. Samsung is stepping up its battle with America's biggest phone company. But this time, the fight is over credit cards. The tech giant is in advanced talks with Barclays to launch a consumer credit card in the US, according to people familiar with the discussions, The Wall Street Journal reported. The partnership would mark Samsung's latest attempt to compete directly with Apple's growing ecosystem of money products. Currently, Apple offers popular credit card and digital wallet options, whereas Samsung's US financial options lag in popularity. Samsung's tap-to-pay feature is popular in South Korea. For Barclays, the deal would expand its US credit card business after losing some of its partnership with American Airlines. The British bank, which already issues co-branded cards for companies such as JetBlue and Wyndham, has been seeking new opportunities outside the travel sector. Samsung and Barclays want to formally announce the tie-up by the end of the year. Visa is also in talks to be the credit card's network. Samsung is in advanced talks to introduce payment options in the US If it launches, the Samsung card would be the core of a suite of financial products. The company is also exploring the introduction of a high-yield savings account, a digital prepaid account, and a buy-now, pay-later service, according to internal materials reviewed by WSJ. And, the moves come as credit cards compete to attract America's wealthiest spenders. In September, Amex boosted its Platinum card with credits worth $400 at restaurants, $600 at hotels, $300 at Lululemon, 5x points on flights, and lounge access. The annual fee jumped from $695 to $895. But the hefty pricetag has some big perks for big spenders: Amex is ramping up its presence in Las Vegas ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix, rolling out new trackside lounges, member-only pop-ups, and high-end hotel benefits. To sweeten the deal, new customers are also being offered as many as 175,000 points convertible into air miles if they sign up and spend $8,000 in the first six months. Chase has also refreshed its Sapphire Reserve, adding new travel benefits, 3x points on dining and travel, and raising its annual fee to $795. Citi also tried to jump into the luxury race with its Strata Elite card, but the release has been more of a thud: Some customers say they've been unable to make purchases or redeem rewards for more than a month. The bank's top-end card comes with a $595 annual fee. This is a breaking news story. Updates to come. In a major security breach at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, a British national who arrived from Bangkok allegedly fled the immigration area and escaped into the city, prompting a massive search operation, police said on Friday. The incident occurred on October 28 when the passenger, identified as Fitz Patrick, a British citizen, arrived in Delhi from Bangkok, they said. Patrick was scheduled to be deported to the United Kingdom via Thailand, but managed to evade authorities after landing in Delhi. He allegedly escaped from the immigration area and left the airport premises before being formally processed, police said. A security lapse was reported at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport after a British national, who was to be deported to the UK via Thailand, escaped from the immigration area and entered the city. Delhi Police and security agencies have launched a search operation and filed an FIR while questioning airline staff, a senior police officer said. The Central Industrial Security Force, responsible for airport security, along with the Bureau of Immigration and Delhi Police, has launched a coordinated effort to locate the fugitive. Airport CCTV footage is being scanned to determine the sequence of events and identify possible lapses that led to the escape, officials said. Air France-KLM (OTCMKTS:AFLYY Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The transportation company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.39 by ($0.09), Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $10.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.92 billion. Air France-KLM had a net margin of 3.30% and a return on equity of 116.09%. Air France-KLM Stock Performance Shares of OTCMKTS AFLYY traded down $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $1.12. The companys stock had a trading volume of 186,091 shares, compared to its average volume of 126,316. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.12 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.69. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $1.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.26. Air France-KLM has a one year low of $0.70 and a one year high of $1.76. Get Air France-KLM alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays raised Air France-KLM from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Air France-KLM in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued an equal weight rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup restated a neutral rating on shares of Air France-KLM in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold. About Air France-KLM (Get Free Report) Air France-KLM SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides passenger and cargo transportation services and aeronautical maintenance in Metropolitan France, Benelux, rest of Europe, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Airframe maintenance, Engine Maintenance, and Component Support. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Air France-KLM Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Air France-KLM and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) CEO Richard Fairbank sold 103,487 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.68, for a total transaction of $22,837,511.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 4,001,228 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $882,990,995.04. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Capital One Financial Stock Down 2.0% NYSE:COF traded down $4.50 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $216.90. 4,058,650 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,181,902. Capital One Financial Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $143.22 and a fifty-two week high of $232.45. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market cap of $138.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.52, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.19. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $219.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $209.01. Get Capital One Financial alerts: Capital One Financial (NYSE:COF Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The financial services provider reported $5.95 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.25 by $1.70. The company had revenue of $15.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $15.06 billion. Capital One Financial had a return on equity of 10.94% and a net margin of 2.24%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 53.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.51 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Capital One Financial Corporation will post 15.65 earnings per share for the current year. Capital One Financial Increases Dividend Wall Street Analyst Weigh In The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a $0.80 dividend. This represents a $3.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. This is a boost from Capital One Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. Capital One Financials dividend payout ratio is presently 101.27%. Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of Capital One Financial in a research note on Friday, August 1st. They issued a buy rating and a $290.00 price objective for the company. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Capital One Financial from $260.00 to $270.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, September 12th. Wolfe Research increased their price objective on Capital One Financial from $260.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. BTIG Research reissued a buy rating and set a $264.00 price target on shares of Capital One Financial in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Capital One Financial from $240.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $261.63. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Capital One Financial Institutional Investors Weigh In On Capital One Financial A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Mather Group LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Capital One Financial by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 4,540 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $965,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 3.6% in the second quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC now owns 1,407 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $299,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Optas LLC lifted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 1.4% in the third quarter. Optas LLC now owns 3,484 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 1.1% in the third quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 4,450 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $946,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Capital One Financial by 0.4% in the third quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,251 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,392,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.84% of the companys stock. Capital One Financial Company Profile (Get Free Report) Capital One Financial Corporation operates as the financial services holding company for the Capital One, National Association, which engages in the provision of various financial products and services in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Credit Card, Consumer Banking, and Commercial Banking. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Capital One Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Capital One Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS (NYSE:CIG Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $2.15 and last traded at $2.1350, with a volume of 772904 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $2.13. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS presently has a consensus rating of Hold. Get Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS Stock Performance The firm has a market cap of $6.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 1.00, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $2.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.94. Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS (NYSE:CIG Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The utilities provider reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS had a net margin of 15.68% and a return on equity of 16.30%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS will post 0.44 earnings per share for the current year. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS by 69.2% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 15,227 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 6,227 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Invested Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. MAI Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS during the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS by 224.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 23,648 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 16,354 shares in the last quarter. About Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS (Get Free Report) Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity in Brazil. The company generates electricity through renewable energy sources, such as water, wind, sun, and biomass; or non-renewable sources, including fossil and nuclear fuels. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Comp En De Mn Cemig ADS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Eaton Corporation, PLC (NYSE:ETN Get Free Report)s stock price fell 7.5% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $352.10 and last traded at $357.4660. 2,162,842 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 23% from the average session volume of 2,801,958 shares. The stock had previously closed at $386.57. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have commented on ETN. Mizuho upped their price target on Eaton from $385.00 to $425.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Eaton from $425.00 to $432.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday. Rothschild Redb raised Eaton to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Eaton from $375.00 to $395.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Eaton in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a hold rating and a $336.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $403.23. Get Eaton alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ETN Eaton Stock Down 2.1% The firm has a market cap of $146.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.19. The firms 50 day moving average price is $369.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $350.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Eaton (NYSE:ETN Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.06 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $6.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.09 billion. Eaton had a net margin of 15.11% and a return on equity of 23.91%. Eaton has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 3.230-3.430 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 11.970-12.170 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Eaton Corporation, PLC will post 12.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Eaton Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, November 6th will be given a $1.04 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 6th. This represents a $4.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Eatons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.60%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, Director Gerald Johnson acquired 100 shares of Eaton stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $384.33 per share, for a total transaction of $38,433.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $76,866. This trade represents a 100.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Eaton Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMA Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Eaton in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new position in Eaton in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new position in Eaton in the first quarter valued at about $41,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in Eaton in the first quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Eaton by 125.0% in the first quarter. Flagship Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 180 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.97% of the companys stock. Eaton Company Profile (Get Free Report) Eaton Corporation plc operates as a power management company worldwide. The companys Electrical Americas and Electrical Global segment provides electrical components, industrial components, power distribution and assemblies, residential products, single and three phase power quality and connectivity products, wiring devices, circuit protection products, utility power distribution products, power reliability equipment, and services, as well as hazardous duty electrical equipment, emergency lighting, fire detection, explosion-proof instrumentation, and structural support systems. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Eaton Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eaton and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Gran Tierra Energy Inc. (NYSE:GTE Get Free Report) Director Equinox Partners Investment Ma bought 172,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $4.02 per share, with a total value of $691,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,312,866 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,297,721.32. The trade was a 8.03% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Equinox Partners Investment Ma also recently made the following trade(s): Get Gran Tierra Energy alerts: On Thursday, November 6th, Equinox Partners Investment Ma purchased 200,000 shares of Gran Tierra Energy stock. The shares were acquired at an average price of $4.07 per share, for a total transaction of $814,000.00. On Tuesday, November 4th, Equinox Partners Investment Ma acquired 276,000 shares of Gran Tierra Energy stock. The stock was acquired at an average price of $3.79 per share, for a total transaction of $1,046,040.00. Gran Tierra Energy Price Performance Shares of NYSE GTE traded up $0.01 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $4.08. 797,322 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 323,510. Gran Tierra Energy Inc. has a 52 week low of $3.09 and a 52 week high of $8.19. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $143.99 million, a PE ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.71. The companys 50 day moving average price is $4.10 and its 200 day moving average price is $4.44. Institutional Trading of Gran Tierra Energy Gran Tierra Energy Company Profile Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Gran Tierra Energy by 4.6% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 58,450 shares of the companys stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 2,551 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Gran Tierra Energy by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 98,090 shares of the companys stock worth $484,000 after buying an additional 6,015 shares during the period. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Gran Tierra Energy by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 558,374 shares of the companys stock worth $2,753,000 after buying an additional 6,219 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Gran Tierra Energy by 270.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 15,962 shares of the companys stock worth $76,000 after buying an additional 11,651 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Gran Tierra Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $56,000. 31.70% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. (Get Free Report) Gran Tierra Energy Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and production of oil and gas properties in Colombia and Ecuador. The company was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Gran Tierra Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Gran Tierra Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Informatica (NYSE:INFA Get Free Report) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The technology company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. Informatica had a positive return on equity of 4.64% and a negative net margin of 0.45%.The business had revenue of $439.16 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.28 EPS. Informaticas revenue for the quarter was up 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Informatica Stock Performance INFA traded up $0.02 during trading on Thursday, hitting $24.86. The stock had a trading volume of 1,167,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,400,181. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $24.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $23.62. The firm has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -621.38, a P/E/G ratio of 7.11 and a beta of 1.14. Informatica has a one year low of $15.65 and a one year high of $27.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 2.01. Get Informatica alerts: Insider Transactions at Informatica In other news, EVP John Arthur Schweitzer sold 10,193 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.89, for a total transaction of $253,703.77. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 309,204 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,696,087.56. This represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gerald Held sold 70,212 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.93, for a total value of $1,750,385.16. Following the sale, the director owned 198,845 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,957,205.85. The trade was a 26.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 403,082 shares of company stock valued at $10,034,169. Company insiders own 2.80% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Informatica Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Informatica by 555.6% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,332,271 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $56,791,000 after buying an additional 1,976,500 shares during the period. Whitebox Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Informatica in the second quarter valued at about $49,918,000. Man Group plc acquired a new stake in shares of Informatica in the second quarter valued at about $32,638,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Informatica by 6.0% in the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 422,489 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $10,287,000 after buying an additional 23,765 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Informatica by 45.3% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 221,687 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $3,868,000 after buying an additional 69,150 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.45% of the companys stock. Several research analysts have weighed in on INFA shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d) rating on shares of Informatica in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Informatica from $21.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered Informatica from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $27.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Sixteen analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Informatica currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and an average price target of $23.67. Get Our Latest Research Report on INFA Informatica Company Profile (Get Free Report) Informatica Inc develops an artificial intelligence-powered platform that connects, manages, and unifies data across multi-vendor, multi-cloud, and hybrid systems at enterprise scale worldwide. Its platform includes a suite of interoperable data management products, including data integration products to ingest, transform, and integrate data; API and application integration products that enable users to create and manage APIs and integration processes for app-to-app synchronization, business process orchestration, B2B partner management, application development, and API management; data quality and observability products to profile, cleanse, standardize, observe, and monitor data to deliver accurate, complete, and consistent data; and master data management products to create an authoritative single source of truth of business-critical data. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Informatica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Informatica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Matador Resources Company (NYSE:MTDR Get Free Report) Director Shelley Appel purchased 1,338 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $37.52 per share, for a total transaction of $50,201.76. Following the transaction, the director owned 66,859 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,508,549.68. This trade represents a 2.04% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Matador Resources Stock Performance MTDR stock traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $37.96. 2,099,395 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,766,606. The firm has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.06 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $44.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.19. Matador Resources Company has a 1-year low of $35.19 and a 1-year high of $64.04. Get Matador Resources alerts: Matador Resources (NYSE:MTDR Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The energy company reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $939.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $893.22 million. Matador Resources had a net margin of 20.46% and a return on equity of 14.80%. The firms revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Matador Resources Company will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current year. Matador Resources Increases Dividend Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a $0.375 dividend. This represents a $1.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is a positive change from Matador Resourcess previous quarterly dividend of $0.31. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. Matador Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.96%. MTDR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Matador Resources from $62.00 to $61.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Matador Resources from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $55.00 target price (down previously from $63.00) on shares of Matador Resources in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Matador Resources in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Matador Resources from $55.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Matador Resources currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $63.57. Check Out Our Latest Report on Matador Resources Hedge Funds Weigh In On Matador Resources A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MTDR. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Matador Resources by 298.5% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 534 shares of the energy companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Matador Resources by 225.2% during the second quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 517 shares of the energy companys stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Matador Resources during the first quarter worth about $26,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in Matador Resources by 93.0% during the second quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 554 shares of the energy companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in Matador Resources by 182.0% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 564 shares of the energy companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. 91.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Matador Resources Company Profile (Get Free Report) Matador Resources Company, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, production, and acquisition of oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through two segments, Exploration and Production; and Midstream. The company primarily holds interests in the Wolfcamp and Bone Spring plays in the Delaware Basin in Southeast New Mexico and West Texas. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Matador Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Matador Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones (NYSE:IRS Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The financial services provider reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, Zacks reports. IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones had a net margin of 36.40% and a return on equity of 12.00%. The firm had revenue of $97.35 million for the quarter. IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones Trading Down 0.3% NYSE:IRS traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $14.56. 103,771 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 201,311. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.09 and a beta of 1.50. IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones has a 52 week low of $10.61 and a 52 week high of $17.67. The firms 50 day moving average is $12.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Get IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones alerts: Institutional Investors Weigh In On IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Engineers Gate Manager LP purchased a new stake in IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones in the 2nd quarter valued at about $148,000. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new stake in IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones in the 2nd quarter valued at about $249,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones in the 2nd quarter valued at about $315,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones by 220.5% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 166,710 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,322,000 after buying an additional 114,687 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones in the 1st quarter valued at about $4,209,000. 45.46% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, September 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones About IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones (Get Free Report) IRSA Inversiones y Representaciones Sociedad Anonima, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the diversified real estate activities in Argentina. It operates through five segments: Shopping Malls, Offices, Hotels, Sales and Developments, and Others. The company is involved in the acquisition, development, and operation of shopping malls, office buildings, and other non-shopping mall properties primarily for rental purposes. See Also Receive News & Ratings for IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for IRSA Inversiones Y Representaciones and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. KB Home (NYSE:KBH Get Free Report) EVP Albert Praw sold 20,284 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.08, for a total value of $1,218,662.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 104,062 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,252,044.96. The trade was a 16.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. KB Home Stock Up 0.2% KB Home stock traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $60.62. 651,988 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,438,216. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $63.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.05. KB Home has a twelve month low of $48.90 and a twelve month high of $85.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.93 billion, a PE ratio of 8.03, a PEG ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 1.36. Get KB Home alerts: KB Home (NYSE:KBH Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 24th. The construction company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.11. KB Home had a return on equity of 12.91% and a net margin of 7.92%.The firm had revenue of $1.62 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.59 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.04 EPS. The businesss revenue was down 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that KB Home will post 8.42 EPS for the current year. KB Home Announces Dividend Institutional Trading of KB Home The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 13th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. KB Homes dividend payout ratio is currently 13.25%. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in KB Home by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 208,222 shares of the construction companys stock worth $12,102,000 after purchasing an additional 902 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in KB Home by 0.9% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 763,666 shares of the construction companys stock worth $44,384,000 after purchasing an additional 6,856 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in KB Home by 52.2% during the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 12,844 shares of the construction companys stock worth $750,000 after purchasing an additional 4,405 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC boosted its holdings in KB Home by 102.0% during the first quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 35,931 shares of the construction companys stock worth $2,088,000 after purchasing an additional 18,139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. boosted its holdings in KB Home by 35.6% during the first quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 990 shares of the construction companys stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 96.09% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several brokerages recently issued reports on KBH. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of KB Home from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of KB Home from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, July 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of KB Home from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of KB Home from $63.00 to $53.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on KB Home from $67.00 to $62.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $64.36. Read Our Latest Research Report on KB Home About KB Home (Get Free Report) KB Home operates as a homebuilding company in the United States. It operates through four segments: West Coast, Southwest, Central, and Southeast. It builds and sells various homes, including attached and detached single-family residential homes, townhomes, and condominiums primarily for first-time, first move-up, second move-up, and active adult homebuyers. See Also Receive News & Ratings for KB Home Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for KB Home and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Kingsway Financial Services (NYSE:KFS Get Free Report) (TSE:KFS) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The insurance provider reported ($0.10) earnings per share for the quarter, Zacks reports. Kingsway Financial Services had a negative return on equity of 40.69% and a negative net margin of 4.46%. Kingsway Financial Services Trading Down 0.0% KFS stock traded down $0.00 during trading on Thursday, reaching $14.63. 59,057 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 62,551. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $14.55 and a 200-day moving average price of $13.36. Kingsway Financial Services has a 1 year low of $7.06 and a 1 year high of $16.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $422.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -91.41 and a beta of 0.23. Get Kingsway Financial Services alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other Kingsway Financial Services news, Director Joseph Stilwell sold 75,000 shares of Kingsway Financial Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.18, for a total transaction of $1,063,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 466,893 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,620,542.74. The trade was a 13.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 1,201 shares of company stock worth $17,498 and have sold 239,429 shares worth $3,409,173. 54.75% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kingsway Financial Services Analyst Ratings Changes Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KFS. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Kingsway Financial Services by 20.2% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 426,836 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $5,780,000 after buying an additional 71,720 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Kingsway Financial Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $149,000. Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Kingsway Financial Services by 149.4% during the 2nd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 25,754 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 15,427 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Kingsway Financial Services by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 102,386 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $811,000 after acquiring an additional 10,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in Kingsway Financial Services by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 12,334 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. 72.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. A number of research firms recently weighed in on KFS. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Kingsway Financial Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kingsway Financial Services from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kingsway Financial Services presently has a consensus rating of Sell. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Kingsway Financial Services Kingsway Financial Services Company Profile (Get Free Report) Kingsway Financial Services Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the extended warranty and business services in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Extended Warranty and Kingsway Search Xcelerator. The Extended Warranty segment markets, sells, and administers vehicle service agreements and related products for new and used automobiles, motorcycles, and ATVs. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Kingsway Financial Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kingsway Financial Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Lineage Cell Therapeutics (NYSEAMERICAN:LCTX Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported ($0.13) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.02) by ($0.11), FiscalAI reports. Lineage Cell Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 20.00% and a negative net margin of 374.84%.The business had revenue of $3.68 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.30 million. Lineage Cell Therapeutics Price Performance NYSEAMERICAN LCTX traded down $0.09 during trading on Thursday, hitting $1.73. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,078,347 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,869,038. Lineage Cell Therapeutics has a fifty-two week low of $0.37 and a fifty-two week high of $2.09. The company has a market cap of $395.06 million, a PE ratio of -9.61 and a beta of 1.77. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $1.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.09. Get Lineage Cell Therapeutics alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of LCTX. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Lineage Cell Therapeutics by 9.9% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 201,447 shares of the companys stock worth $91,000 after purchasing an additional 18,092 shares during the period. Jump Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Lineage Cell Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new stake in Lineage Cell Therapeutics during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Lineage Cell Therapeutics by 136.2% in the 2nd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 69,380 shares of the companys stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 40,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Lineage Cell Therapeutics in the second quarter worth $44,000. 62.47% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, D. Boral Capital restated a buy rating and issued a $2.00 price target on shares of Lineage Cell Therapeutics in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Lineage Cell Therapeutics has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $4.25. View Our Latest Research Report on Lineage Cell Therapeutics About Lineage Cell Therapeutics (Get Free Report) Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, develops novel cell therapies for unmet medical needs in the United States and internationally. The company develops OpRegen, an allogeneic retinal pigment epithelium cell replacement therapy, which is in Phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of the dry age-related macular degeneration; OPC1, an allogeneic oligodendrocyte progenitor cell therapy that is in Phase 1/2a multicenter clinical trial for the treatment of cervical spinal cord injuries; and VAC, an allogeneic cancer immunotherapy of antigen-presenting dendritic cells, which is in Phase I clinical trial to treat non-small cell lung cancer. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Lineage Cell Therapeutics Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lineage Cell Therapeutics and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zalando (OTCMKTS:ZLNDY Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $13.13 and last traded at $13.13, with a volume of 511 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $13.98. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Citigroup reissued a buy rating on shares of Zalando in a report on Friday, September 26th. Baader Bank raised Zalando to a buy rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Cfra Research cut Zalando from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating on shares of Zalando in a research report on Monday, July 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy. Get Zalando alerts: Read Our Latest Report on ZLNDY Zalando Stock Up 4.9% The companys 50 day moving average price is $15.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $15.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The stock has a market cap of $7.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.40 and a beta of 1.57. Zalando (OTCMKTS:ZLNDY Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.21. Zalando had a net margin of 2.49% and a return on equity of 10.19%. The firm had revenue of $3.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Zalando will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current year. About Zalando (Get Free Report) Zalando SE operates an online platform for fashion and lifestyle products. The company operates through Fashion Store and Offprice segments. It provides shoes, apparel, accessories, and beauty products with free delivery and returns, as well as various payment options. The company also sells its products through Lounge by Zalando; and brick-and-mortar outlet stores. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Zalando Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Zalando and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. SoundHound AI, Tempus AI, BigBear.ai, Hut 8, and Upstart are the five Artificial Intelligence stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Artificial intelligence stocks are shares of companies whose core business, products, or significant growth prospects depend on developing, selling, or deploying AI technologiesranging from pure-play AI firms (algorithms, models, and tools) to larger tech and chipmakers that integrate AI into their offerings. Investors buy these stocks to gain exposure to the economic upside of AI-driven revenue and market expansion. They also carry risks tied to rapid technological change, competition, and regulatory or ethical challenges. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Artificial Intelligence stocks within the last several days. Get alerts: SoundHound AI (SOUN) SoundHound AI, Inc. develops independent voice artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that enables businesses across automotive, TV, and IoT, and to customer service industries to deliver high-quality conversational experiences to their customers. Its products include Houndify platform that offers a suite of Houndify tools to help brands build conversational voice assistants, such as Application Programming Interfaces (API) for text and voice queries, support for custom commands, extensive library of content domains, inclusive software development kit platforms, collaboration capabilities, diagnostic tools, and built-in analytics; SoundHound Chat AI that integrates with knowledge domains, pulling real-time data like weather, sports, stocks, flight status, and restaurants; and SoundHound Smart Answering is built to offer customer establishments custom AI-powered voice assistant. Tempus AI (TEM) Tempus AI Inc. is a technology company advancing precision medicine through the practical application of artificial intelligence principally in healthcare. The company provides AI-enabled precision medicine solutions to physicians to deliver personalized patient care and in parallel facilitates discovery, development and delivery of optimal therapeutics. Read Our Latest Research Report on TEM BigBear.ai (BBAI) BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. provides artificial intelligence-powered decision intelligence solutions. It offers national security, supply chain management, and digital identity and biometrics solutions. The company also provides data ingestion, data enrichment, data processing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive analytics, and predictive visualization solutions and services. Read Our Latest Research Report on BBAI Hut 8 (HUT) Hut 8 Corp., together with its subsidiaries, acquires, builds, manages, and operates data centers for digital assets mining, computing, and artificial intelligence in the United States. It operates in four segments: Digital Assets Mining, Managed Services, High Performance Computing Colocation and Cloud, and Other. Read Our Latest Research Report on HUT Upstart (UPST) Upstart Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) lending platform in the United States. Its platform includes personal loans, automotive retail and refinance loans, home equity lines of credit, and small dollar loans that connects consumer demand for loans to its to bank and credit unions. Read Our Latest Research Report on UPST Read More Ashtead Group (LON:AHT Get Free Report)s stock had its underperform rating restated by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada in a report issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a GBX 4,600 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price target suggests a potential downside of 1.84% from the companys current price. A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on AHT. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Ashtead Group to a hold rating and lowered their target price for the stock from GBX 5,900 to GBX 5,700 in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a no recommendation rating on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a GBX 5,000 price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a report on Friday, August 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of GBX 5,920. Get Ashtead Group alerts: Get Our Latest Report on Ashtead Group Ashtead Group Stock Down 2.2% About Ashtead Group Shares of Ashtead Group stock traded down GBX 104 during trading on Friday, reaching GBX 4,686. The companys stock had a trading volume of 162,732,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,912,730. Ashtead Group has a 1-year low of GBX 3,477 and a 1-year high of GBX 6,448. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 5,221.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 4,828.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 146.30. The company has a market cap of 19.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22. (Get Free Report) Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Ashtead Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ashtead Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Globus Medical (NYSE:GMED Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Bank of America from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a $91.00 target price on the medical device companys stock, up from their prior target price of $65.00. Bank of Americas target price suggests a potential upside of 12.04% from the companys current price. A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC restated a hold rating on shares of Globus Medical in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Canaccord Genuity Group lowered their target price on shares of Globus Medical from $97.00 to $90.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $88.00 price target on Globus Medical in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Globus Medical from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Globus Medical in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. They issued a hold rating and a $64.00 price target on the stock. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $86.27. Get Globus Medical alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on GMED Globus Medical Price Performance NYSE GMED traded up $19.51 on Friday, hitting $81.22. The stock had a trading volume of 5,379,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,423,626. Globus Medical has a 52-week low of $51.79 and a 52-week high of $94.93. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $59.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.91. The stock has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.15. Globus Medical (NYSE:GMED Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The medical device company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.39. Globus Medical had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 13.58%.The company had revenue of $769.05 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $734.58 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.83 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 22.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Globus Medical has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Globus Medical will post 3.44 EPS for the current year. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, Director Ann D. Rhoads sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.46, for a total value of $584,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 25,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,483,948.64. This represents a 28.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 18.51% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Globus Medical by 4.7% in the first quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,804 shares of the medical device companys stock valued at $278,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Globus Medical by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,316 shares of the medical device companys stock valued at $375,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in Globus Medical by 46.5% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 580 shares of the medical device companys stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Globus Medical by 14.7% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,438 shares of the medical device companys stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Globus Medical by 74.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the medical device companys stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. 95.16% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. About Globus Medical (Get Free Report) Globus Medical, Inc, a medical device company, develops and commercializes healthcare solutions for patients with musculoskeletal disorders in the United States and internationally. The company offers spine products, such as traditional fusion implants comprising pedicle screw and rod systems, plating systems, intervertebral spacers, and corpectomy devices for treating degenerative and congenital conditions, deformity, tumors, and trauma injuries; treatment options for motion preservation technologies that consist of dynamic stabilization, total disc replacement, and interspinous distraction devices; interventional solutions to treat vertebral compression fractures; and regenerative biologic products comprising of allografts and synthetic alternatives. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Globus Medical Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Globus Medical and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of Montreal Can trimmed its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB Free Report) by 20.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 144,496 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 36,033 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Cans holdings in AvalonBay Communities were worth $29,405,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AVB. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 9.3% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 215,404 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $46,230,000 after purchasing an additional 18,282 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of AvalonBay Communities by 12.0% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 16,596 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $3,562,000 after buying an additional 1,773 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 1.8% during the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 100,334 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $21,079,000 after buying an additional 1,790 shares in the last quarter. LBP AM SA grew its position in AvalonBay Communities by 3.4% during the first quarter. LBP AM SA now owns 52,030 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $11,167,000 after buying an additional 1,700 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in AvalonBay Communities by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 873 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $180,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.61% of the companys stock. Get AvalonBay Communities alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts have recently weighed in on AVB shares. BNP Paribas downgraded AvalonBay Communities from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, September 29th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on AvalonBay Communities from $244.00 to $213.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a hold rating to a buy rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $224.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of AvalonBay Communities from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and decreased their target price for the company from $228.00 to $225.00 in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of AvalonBay Communities from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, AvalonBay Communities currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $212.92. AvalonBay Communities Stock Performance NYSE:AVB opened at $175.14 on Friday. AvalonBay Communities, Inc. has a twelve month low of $166.73 and a twelve month high of $239.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $188.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $196.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.94 billion, a PE ratio of 21.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.84. AvalonBay Communities (NYSE:AVB Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.75 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.81 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $682.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $766.22 million. AvalonBay Communities had a return on equity of 9.75% and a net margin of 38.78%.During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.74 EPS. AvalonBay Communities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 11.150-11.35 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 2.800-2.90 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that AvalonBay Communities, Inc. will post 11.48 EPS for the current fiscal year. AvalonBay Communities Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a $1.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $7.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.0%. AvalonBay Communitiess dividend payout ratio is presently 85.47%. About AvalonBay Communities (Free Report) AvalonBay Communities, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the development, acquisition, ownership, and operation of multifamily communities. It operates through the following segments: Same Store, Other Stabilized, and Development or Redevelopment. The Same Store segment refers to the operating communities that were owned and had stabilized occupancy. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AVB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AvalonBay Communities, Inc. (NYSE:AVB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for AvalonBay Communities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AvalonBay Communities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by analysts at Barclays from $370.00 to $417.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an overweight rating on the industrial products companys stock. Barclayss price target would indicate a potential upside of 11.44% from the companys previous close. ROK has been the topic of several other research reports. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $375.00 target price (up previously from $350.00) on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Oppenheimer restated an outperform rating and issued a $391.00 price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation in a report on Friday. Bank of America upgraded shares of Rockwell Automation from a neutral rating to a buy rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $360.00 to $410.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b-) rating on shares of Rockwell Automation in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $320.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $353.39. Get Rockwell Automation alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation Stock Up 0.5% Shares of ROK traded up $1.71 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $374.21. 815,669 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 898,588. The stocks 50-day moving average is $349.11 and its 200-day moving average is $330.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 1.06. Rockwell Automation has a fifty-two week low of $215.00 and a fifty-two week high of $396.89. The company has a market cap of $42.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.00, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.45. Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.40. The firm had revenue of $2.32 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.19 billion. Rockwell Automation had a net margin of 12.03% and a return on equity of 30.14%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.47 EPS. Rockwell Automation has set its FY 2026 guidance at 11.200-12.200 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Rockwell Automation will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Transactions at Rockwell Automation In other news, CEO Blake D. Moret sold 24,400 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.13, for a total transaction of $8,543,172.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 83,873 shares in the company, valued at $29,366,453.49. This represents a 22.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Matheus De A. G. Viera Bulho sold 822 shares of Rockwell Automation stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $300,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 983 shares in the company, valued at approximately $358,795. This trade represents a 45.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 30,375 shares of company stock worth $10,661,109 over the last three months. 0.68% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Rockwell Automation Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ROK. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. lifted its position in Rockwell Automation by 468.8% in the third quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 91 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Rexford Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 48.7% in the 2nd quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 116 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.75% of the companys stock. About Rockwell Automation (Get Free Report) Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Rockwell Automation Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rockwell Automation and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. UnitedHealth Group, Intuitive Surgical, Hims & Hers Health, Globus Medical, Johnson & Johnson, Tempus AI, and Medtronic are the seven Healthcare stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Healthcare stocks are shares of companies that operate in the medical and health-related industriesincluding pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, hospitals and clinics, health insurers, and other healthcare services. Investors view them as a sector driven by long-term demand (aging populations, innovation in treatments) but subject to unique risks such as regulatory approval, patent cliffs, and high R&D costs, often showing defensive behavior in economic downturns. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Healthcare stocks within the last several days. Get alerts: UnitedHealth Group (UNH) UnitedHealth Group Incorporated operates as a diversified health care company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: UnitedHealthcare, Optum Health, Optum Insight, and Optum Rx. The UnitedHealthcare segment offers consumer-oriented health benefit plans and services for national employers, public sector employers, mid-sized employers, small businesses, and individuals; health care coverage, and health and well-being services to individuals age 50 and older addressing their needs; Medicaid plans, children's health insurance and health care programs; and health and dental benefits, and hospital and clinical services, as well as health care benefits products and services to state programs caring for the economically disadvantaged, medically underserved, and those without the benefit of employer-funded health care coverage. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) Intuitive Surgical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets products that enable physicians and healthcare providers to enhance the quality of and access to minimally invasive care in the United States and internationally. The company offers the da Vinci Surgical System that enables complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach; and Ion endoluminal system, which extends its commercial offerings beyond surgery into diagnostic procedures enabling minimally invasive biopsies in the lung. Read Our Latest Research Report on ISRG Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) Hims & Hers Health, Inc. operates a telehealth consultation platform. It connects consumers to healthcare professionals, enabling them to access medical care for mental health, sexual health, dermatology and primary care. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA. Read Our Latest Research Report on HIMS Globus Medical (GMED) Globus Medical, Inc., a medical device company, develops and commercializes healthcare solutions for patients with musculoskeletal disorders in the United States and internationally. The company offers spine products, such as traditional fusion implants comprising pedicle screw and rod systems, plating systems, intervertebral spacers, and corpectomy devices for treating degenerative and congenital conditions, deformity, tumors, and trauma injuries; treatment options for motion preservation technologies that consist of dynamic stabilization, total disc replacement, and interspinous distraction devices; interventional solutions to treat vertebral compression fractures; and regenerative biologic products comprising of allografts and synthetic alternatives. Read Our Latest Research Report on GMED Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) Johnson & Johnson is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and sale of products in the healthcare field. It operates through the Innovative Medicine and MedTech segments. The Innovative Medicine segment focuses on immunology, infectious diseases, neuroscience, oncology, cardiovascular and metabolism, and pulmonary hypertension. Read Our Latest Research Report on JNJ Tempus AI (TEM) Tempus AI Inc. is a technology company advancing precision medicine through the practical application of artificial intelligence principally in healthcare. The company provides AI-enabled precision medicine solutions to physicians to deliver personalized patient care and in parallel facilitates discovery, development and delivery of optimal therapeutics. Read Our Latest Research Report on TEM Medtronic (MDT) Medtronic plc develops, manufactures, and sells device-based medical therapies to healthcare systems, physicians, clinicians, and patients worldwide. Its Cardiovascular Portfolio segment offers implantable cardiac pacemakers, cardioverter defibrillators, and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices; cardiac ablation products; insertable cardiac monitor systems; TYRX products; and remote monitoring and patient-centered software. Read Our Latest Research Report on MDT Recommended Stories Breedon Group (LON:BREE Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by investment analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from GBX 575 to GBX 525 in a research note issued on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price target would suggest a potential upside of 61.64% from the companys current price. BREE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Berenberg Bank reissued a buy rating and issued a GBX 540 price objective on shares of Breedon Group in a report on Monday, September 8th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Breedon Group from GBX 410 to GBX 360 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 486.25. Get Breedon Group alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on BREE Breedon Group Stock Performance Insider Activity LON BREE traded down GBX 8 on Friday, hitting GBX 324.80. The stock had a trading volume of 826,272 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,819,040. Breedon Group has a one year low of GBX 321.80 and a one year high of GBX 501. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.86. The stock has a market cap of 1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.29. The companys 50-day moving average is GBX 351.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 389.07. In other news, insider Amit Bhatia bought 150,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of GBX 393 per share, with a total value of 589,500. Also, insider Clive Watson purchased 1,223 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 371 per share, for a total transaction of 4,537.33. Company insiders own 42.37% of the companys stock. About Breedon Group (Get Free Report) Breedon Group plc, a leading vertically-integrated construction materials group in Great Britain, Ireland and the USA, delivers essential products to the construction sector. Breedon holds 1.5bn tonnes of mineral reserves and resources with long reserve life, supplying value-added products and services, including specialty materials, surfacing and highway maintenance operations, to a broad range of customers through its extensive local network of quarries, ready-mixed concrete and asphalt plants. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Breedon Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Breedon Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLC raised its stake in Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR Free Report) by 36.6% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 123,955 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 33,220 shares during the quarter. Bryn Mawr Trust Advisors LLCs holdings in Nutrien were worth $7,219,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Nutrien by 284.0% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 69,128 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,430,000 after acquiring an additional 51,126 shares during the last quarter. Covea Finance raised its stake in Nutrien by 16.5% during the second quarter. Covea Finance now owns 73,500 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,265,000 after purchasing an additional 10,400 shares in the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Nutrien during the first quarter valued at $311,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of Nutrien by 1.0% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 736,996 shares of the companys stock worth $36,607,000 after buying an additional 7,194 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Nutrien by 20.6% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,824 shares of the companys stock worth $106,000 after buying an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 63.10% of the companys stock. Get Nutrien alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages recently commented on NTR. National Bank Financial started coverage on shares of Nutrien in a report on Friday, September 5th. They issued a sector perform rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company restated a cautious rating on shares of Nutrien in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Wall Street Zen cut Nutrien from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, September 5th. National Bankshares began coverage on Nutrien in a report on Friday, September 5th. They set a sector perform rating and a $64.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Nutrien from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $62.83. Nutrien Stock Up 3.0% Shares of NYSE:NTR opened at $55.63 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.95 billion, a PE ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.83. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.17. Nutrien Ltd. has a 1 year low of $43.69 and a 1 year high of $65.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Nutrien (NYSE:NTR Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.06. Nutrien had a return on equity of 6.51% and a net margin of 5.25%.The firm had revenue of $5.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.59 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.39 EPS. Nutriens quarterly revenue was up 12.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Nutrien Ltd. will post 3.72 EPS for the current year. Nutrien Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.545 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $2.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Nutriens dividend payout ratio is presently 58.76%. Nutrien Company Profile (Free Report) Nutrien Ltd. provides crop inputs and services. The company operates through four segments: Retail, Potash, Nitrogen, and Phosphate. The Retail segment distributes crop nutrients, crop protection products, seeds, and merchandise products. The Potash segment provides granular and standard potash products. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NTR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Nutrien Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nutrien and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. China Mengniu Dairy (OTCMKTS:CIADY Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $17.81 and last traded at $17.81, with a volume of 4009 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.41. Analysts Set New Price Targets Separately, Zacks Research upgraded China Mengniu Dairy from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold. Get China Mengniu Dairy alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on CIADY China Mengniu Dairy Stock Performance About China Mengniu Dairy The businesss 50-day moving average is $18.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $20.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.82. (Get Free Report) China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the manufacture and distribution of dairy products under the MENGNIU brand in the People's Republic of China and internationally. It operates through Liquid Milk Business, Ice Cream Business, Milk Formula Business, and Cheese Business, and Other segments. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for China Mengniu Dairy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Mengniu Dairy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Claro Advisors LLC lowered its position in shares of Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV Free Report) by 43.3% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 828 shares of the companys stock after selling 632 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLCs holdings in Elevance Health were worth $322,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ELV. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Elevance Health during the 1st quarter valued at about $789,943,000. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Elevance Health by 31.4% during the first quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 2,849,173 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,239,276,000 after purchasing an additional 680,228 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Elevance Health by 3.1% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,152,108 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,635,281,000 after purchasing an additional 666,534 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in Elevance Health by 241.3% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 856,737 shares of the companys stock valued at $372,039,000 after buying an additional 605,689 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Elevance Health by 13.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,676,203 shares of the companys stock worth $1,164,041,000 after buying an additional 324,040 shares in the last quarter. 89.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Elevance Health alerts: Elevance Health Price Performance Shares of NYSE ELV opened at $315.08 on Friday. Elevance Health, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $273.71 and a fifty-two week high of $458.75. The company has a market cap of $70.02 billion, a PE ratio of 12.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.56. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $329.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $345.97. Elevance Health Dividend Announcement Elevance Health ( NYSE:ELV Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 21st. The company reported $6.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.03 by $1.00. The firm had revenue of $50.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.26 billion. Elevance Health had a net margin of 2.84% and a return on equity of 16.17%. Elevance Healths revenue was up 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.37 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Elevance Health, Inc. will post 33.96 EPS for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.71 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $6.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Elevance Healths payout ratio is 27.96%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Truist Financial set a $400.00 target price on Elevance Health in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Bank of America raised their price objective on Elevance Health from $330.00 to $370.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Elevance Health from $435.00 to $425.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, September 5th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $360.00 to $398.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Elevance Health from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Elevance Health has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $397.33. View Our Latest Stock Report on Elevance Health Insider Activity In other news, Director Susan D. Devore bought 1,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $312.15 per share, with a total value of $374,580.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 3,502 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,149.30. The trade was a 52.13% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. About Elevance Health (Free Report) Elevance Health, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health benefits company in the United States. The company operates through four segments: Health Benefits, CarelonRx, Carelon Services, and Corporate & Other. It offers a variety of health plans and services to program members; health products; an array of fee-based administrative managed care services; and specialty and other insurance products and services, such as stop loss, dental, vision, life, disability, and supplemental health insurance benefits. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ELV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Elevance Health Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Elevance Health and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. boosted its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL Free Report) by 2.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,974 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 740 shares during the period. Texas Yale Capital Corp.s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $2,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 34,009,078 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,186,651,000 after purchasing an additional 5,269,140 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Colgate-Palmolive in the first quarter valued at approximately $217,593,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 34.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,980,387 shares of the companys stock worth $747,762,000 after acquiring an additional 2,045,191 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 45.0% in the first quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,562,968 shares of the companys stock valued at $521,250,000 after purchasing an additional 1,727,105 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive during the 2nd quarter worth $83,837,000. 80.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Colgate-Palmolive alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth CL has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $80.00 to $77.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Citigroup cut their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $105.00 to $95.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $92.00 to $90.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $89.87. Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance Shares of CL stock opened at $77.25 on Friday. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a 1 year low of $74.54 and a 1 year high of $100.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.79, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $62.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a PEG ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.35. The stocks 50-day moving average is $79.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $85.88. Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.02. Colgate-Palmolive had a return on equity of 377.63% and a net margin of 14.55%.The firm had revenue of $5.13 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.17 billion. The firms quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.91 EPS. Analysts predict that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 earnings per share for the current year. Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. This represents a $2.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. Colgate-Palmolives dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.26%. Colgate-Palmolive Profile (Free Report) Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Colgate-Palmolive Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Colgate-Palmolive and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. LuxExperience B.V. (NYSE:LUXE Get Free Report) and Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C (NYSE:BWMX Get Free Report) are both small-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, profitability, dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership. Earnings & Valuation This table compares LuxExperience B.V. and Betterware de Mexico SAPI de Cs gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Get LuxExperience B.V. alerts: Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio LuxExperience B.V. $1.37 billion 0.57 $620.57 million $4.89 1.87 Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C $773.60 million 0.67 $39.07 million $1.40 9.96 Risk and Volatility LuxExperience B.V. has higher revenue and earnings than Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C. LuxExperience B.V. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. LuxExperience B.V. has a beta of 1.1, indicating that its stock price is 10% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C has a beta of 1.24, indicating that its stock price is 24% more volatile than the S&P 500. Institutional and Insider Ownership 10.1% of LuxExperience B.V. shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 12.7% of Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.9% of LuxExperience B.V. shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Profitability This table compares LuxExperience B.V. and Betterware de Mexico SAPI de Cs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets LuxExperience B.V. 45.47% 90.47% 54.10% Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C 7.23% 102.61% 11.58% Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent recommendations for LuxExperience B.V. and Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score LuxExperience B.V. 1 0 0 0 1.00 Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C 1 1 0 0 1.50 About LuxExperience B.V. (Get Free Report) MYT Netherlands Parent B.V., through its subsidiary, Mytheresa Group GmbH, operates a luxury e-commerce platform for fashion consumers in Germany, the United States, the rest of Europe, and internationally. The company sells clothes, bags, shoes, accessories, and fine jewelry through online and retail stores. It serves high-income luxury consumers. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in Munich, Germany. About Betterware de Mexico SAPI de C (Get Free Report) Betterware de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. operates as a direct-to-consumer company in Mexico. The company focuses on the home organization segment with a product portfolio, including home solutions, kitchen and food preservation, technology and mobility, and other categories. It serves approximately 3 million households through distributors and associates in approximately 800 communities throughout Mexico. The company was formerly known as Betterware de Mexico, S.A.P.I. de C.V. Betterware de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. was founded in 1995 and is based in Zapopan, Mexico. Betterware de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. is a subsidiary of Campalier, S.A. de C.V. Receive News & Ratings for LuxExperience B.V. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for LuxExperience B.V. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Curtiss-Wright (NYSE:CW Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Truist Financial from $525.00 to $537.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a hold rating on the aerospace companys stock. Truist Financials price objective points to a potential downside of 5.32% from the companys current price. Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Curtiss-Wright from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Curtiss-Wright from $457.00 to $502.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Curtiss-Wright in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Curtiss-Wright from $405.00 to $550.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating and issued a $625.00 target price on shares of Curtiss-Wright in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $547.00. Get Curtiss-Wright alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Curtiss-Wright Curtiss-Wright Stock Down 1.5% Shares of CW stock traded down $8.81 during trading on Friday, hitting $567.14. 59,986 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 300,507. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.98, a P/E/G ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.95. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $535.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $479.58. Curtiss-Wright has a twelve month low of $266.88 and a twelve month high of $612.28. Curtiss-Wright (NYSE:CW Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The aerospace company reported $3.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.28 by $0.12. Curtiss-Wright had a net margin of 13.66% and a return on equity of 18.34%. The company had revenue of $869.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $869.03 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.89 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Curtiss-Wright will post 12.32 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity In other news, VP John C. Watts sold 1,110 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $480.50, for a total value of $533,355.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 3,863 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,856,171.50. The trade was a 22.32% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.55% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Curtiss-Wright Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in Curtiss-Wright during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $270,731,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Curtiss-Wright during the 2nd quarter worth about $241,537,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Curtiss-Wright in the 1st quarter valued at about $70,357,000. Munro Partners acquired a new position in shares of Curtiss-Wright during the second quarter worth approximately $78,000,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Curtiss-Wright by 45.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 388,493 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $189,468,000 after purchasing an additional 122,048 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.71% of the companys stock. About Curtiss-Wright (Get Free Report) Curtiss-Wright Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides engineered products, solutions, and services mainly to aerospace and defense, commercial power, process, and industrial markets worldwide. It operates through three segments: Aerospace & Industrial, Defense Electronics, and Naval & Power. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Curtiss-Wright Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Curtiss-Wright and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dynatrace (NYSE:DT Get Free Report) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.620-1.640 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.320. The company issued revenue guidance of $2.0 billion-$2.0 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $2.0 billion. Dynatrace also updated its Q3 2026 guidance to 0.400-0.420 EPS. Dynatrace Price Performance Dynatrace stock traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $47.18. The stock had a trading volume of 4,414,054 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,089,904. Dynatrace has a one year low of $39.30 and a one year high of $63.00. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $49.06 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.78. The company has a market capitalization of $14.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.25, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.85. Get Dynatrace alerts: Dynatrace (NYSE:DT Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $493.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $487.33 million. Dynatrace had a return on equity of 9.24% and a net margin of 27.33%.The companys revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.37 earnings per share. Dynatrace has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.420 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 1.620-1.640 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Dynatrace will post 0.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Analysts Set New Price Targets DT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Rosenblatt Securities restated a buy rating and set a $67.00 price target on shares of Dynatrace in a report on Thursday. Cantor Fitzgerald reduced their price objective on shares of Dynatrace from $57.00 to $51.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Dynatrace from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Dynatrace from $68.00 to $64.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Dynatrace from $67.00 to $60.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $62.27. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Dynatrace Insider Activity In related news, CAO Daniel S. Yates sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.89, for a total value of $99,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 22,555 shares in the company, valued at $1,125,268.95. This trade represents a 8.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Lisa M. Campbell sold 1,013 shares of Dynatrace stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.77, for a total value of $50,417.01. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 1,012 shares in the company, valued at approximately $50,367.24. This trade represents a 50.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,602 shares of company stock valued at $529,579. Company insiders own 0.57% of the companys stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dynatrace A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Dynatrace by 21.3% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,548 shares of the companys stock worth $85,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Dynatrace by 19.2% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,161 shares of the companys stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Dynatrace in the 2nd quarter worth about $226,000. Keel Point LLC purchased a new stake in Dynatrace in the 2nd quarter valued at about $358,000. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Dynatrace by 18.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,018 shares of the companys stock valued at $387,000 after buying an additional 1,110 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.28% of the companys stock. About Dynatrace (Get Free Report) Dynatrace, Inc provides a security platform for multicloud environments in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates Dynatrace, a security platform, which provides application and microservices monitoring, runtime application security, infrastructure monitoring, log management and analytics, digital experience monitoring, digital business analytics, and cloud automation. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Dynatrace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dynatrace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Enersys (NYSE:ENS Get Free Report) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 2.710-2.81 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.540. The company issued revenue guidance of $920.0 million-$960.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $927.4 million. Enersys Stock Up 0.4% NYSE:ENS traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $129.74. The companys stock had a trading volume of 216,931 shares, compared to its average volume of 369,162. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $114.17 and a 200-day moving average of $98.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 1.13. Enersys has a 52-week low of $76.57 and a 52-week high of $140.98. Get Enersys alerts: Enersys (NYSE:ENS Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $951.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $890.27 million. Enersys had a net margin of 9.60% and a return on equity of 21.99%. The firms revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.12 earnings per share. Enersys has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.710-2.81 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Enersys will post 9.99 earnings per share for the current year. Enersys Announces Dividend Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.2625 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $1.05 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Enersyss dividend payout ratio is presently 11.99%. A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Capital reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $120.00 target price on shares of Enersys in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Enersys in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Enersys in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Enersys from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Sunday, September 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $126.00. Get Our Latest Research Report on ENS Institutional Trading of Enersys Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Enersys during the 1st quarter valued at about $240,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in Enersys by 9.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 113,770 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $10,419,000 after buying an additional 9,737 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in shares of Enersys during the second quarter valued at approximately $4,623,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Enersys by 626.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 552 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Enersys in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $460,000. Institutional investors own 94.93% of the companys stock. About Enersys (Get Free Report) EnerSys engages in the provision of stored energy solutions for industrial applications worldwide. It operates in four segments: Energy Systems, Motive Power, Specialty, and New Ventures. The Energy Systems segment offers uninterruptible power systems (UPS) applications for computer and computer-controlled systems, as well as telecommunications systems; switchgear and electrical control systems used in industrial facilities and electric utilities, large-scale energy storage, and energy pipelines; integrated power solutions and services to broadband, telecom, data center, and renewable and industrial customers; and thermally managed cabinets and enclosures for electronic equipment and batteries. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Enersys Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Enersys and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ePlus inc. (CNSX:PLUS Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be given a dividend of 0.25 per share on Wednesday, December 17th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 25th. ePlus Stock Performance The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.71 and a 200-day moving average of $69.25. ePlus has a one year low of $53.83 and a one year high of $106.98. Get ePlus alerts: About ePlus (Get Free Report) Featured Stories Plus Products Inc develops, manufactures, and sells cannabis products in California. The company offers cannabis-infused edibles to the regulated medicinal and adult-use, or recreational markets. It sells products under the PLUS brand to dispensaries and delivery service customers. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Receive News & Ratings for ePlus Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for ePlus and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV Free Report) Stock analysts at Zacks Research boosted their FY2025 earnings estimates for Dover in a research note issued on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $9.53 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $9.38. The consensus estimate for Dovers current full-year earnings is $9.45 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Dovers Q4 2025 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $2.32 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.66 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.72 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.41 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.79 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.93 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $11.14 EPS. Get Dover alerts: A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Dover from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. UBS Group set a $200.00 price target on shares of Dover in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Citigroup reissued a buy rating and set a $226.00 price target (up from $202.00) on shares of Dover in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on shares of Dover from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Dover from $183.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Dover has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $211.55. Dover Stock Down 0.6% Shares of NYSE DOV opened at $178.50 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $171.96 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $177.07. Dover has a 12 month low of $143.04 and a 12 month high of $222.31. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.48 billion, a PE ratio of 10.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.29. Dover (NYSE:DOV Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.55 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter. Dover had a net margin of 28.37% and a return on equity of 17.62%. Dover Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. Dovers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.79%. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in Dover during the second quarter valued at $30,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Dover by 122.4% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 169 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 93 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Dover during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Dover during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. increased its holdings in Dover by 51.7% in the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 176 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. 84.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Dover Company Profile (Get Free Report) Dover Corporation provides equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services worldwide. The company's Engineered Products segment provides various equipment, component, software, solution, and services that are used in vehicle aftermarket, waste handling, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, industrial winch and hoist, and fluid dispensing end-market. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Dover Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dover and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ethos Financial Group LLC increased its position in Portland General Electric Company (NYSE:POR Free Report) by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 25,882 shares of the utilities providers stock after buying an additional 1,406 shares during the period. Ethos Financial Group LLCs holdings in Portland General Electric were worth $1,052,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of Portland General Electric by 62.6% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 634 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Portland General Electric by 1,291.7% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 668 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. S.A. Mason LLC bought a new stake in Portland General Electric during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in Portland General Electric in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Tompkins Financial Corp increased its position in Portland General Electric by 83.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tompkins Financial Corp now owns 1,100 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the period. Get Portland General Electric alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Portland General Electric In other news, CEO Maria M. Pope sold 18,896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.50, for a total value of $803,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 194,135 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,250,737.50. This represents a 8.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.40% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on POR shares. BTIG Research raised Portland General Electric to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of Portland General Electric from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Mizuho set a $47.00 price target on shares of Portland General Electric in a research report on Monday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Portland General Electric from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Portland General Electric in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $46.83. View Our Latest Stock Report on Portland General Electric Portland General Electric Stock Up 0.2% POR opened at $47.69 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.60, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firms fifty day moving average price is $43.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.42. Portland General Electric Company has a fifty-two week low of $39.54 and a fifty-two week high of $48.40. Portland General Electric (NYSE:POR Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. Portland General Electric had a net margin of 8.43% and a return on equity of 8.07%. The company had revenue of $952.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $975.64 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.90 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Portland General Electric has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.130-3.330 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Portland General Electric Company will post 3.21 EPS for the current year. Portland General Electric Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 22nd will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 22nd. Portland General Electrics dividend payout ratio is currently 76.36%. About Portland General Electric (Free Report) Portland General Electric Company, an integrated electric utility company, engages in the generation, wholesale purchase, transmission, distribution, and retail sale of electricity in the state of Oregon. It operates six thermal plants, three wind farms, and seven hydroelectric facilities. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned an electric transmission system consisting of 1,254 circuit miles, including 287 circuit miles of 500 kilovolt line, 413 circuit miles of 230 kilovolt line, and 554 miles of 115 kilovolt line; and served 934 thousand retail customers in 51 cities. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding POR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Portland General Electric Company (NYSE:POR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Portland General Electric Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Portland General Electric and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Get Free Report) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Evercore ISI from $96.00 to $99.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the financial services providers stock. Evercore ISIs price target would indicate a potential upside of 28.99% from the companys current price. Several other brokerages have also recently commented on UNM. Wolfe Research raised Unum Group to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Unum Group from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Unum Group from $79.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $95.00 price objective (down previously from $100.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Unum Group from $94.00 to $92.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Unum Group presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $94.67. Get Unum Group alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on UNM Unum Group Price Performance Shares of UNM opened at $76.75 on Wednesday. Unum Group has a one year low of $66.81 and a one year high of $84.48. The stocks fifty day moving average is $75.51 and its 200-day moving average is $76.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.30 and a current ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.37. Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($0.06). Unum Group had a net margin of 11.77% and a return on equity of 13.44%. The company had revenue of $3.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.13 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Unum Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 EPS for the current year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Unum Group by 2.2% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 6,308 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. NDVR Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 3.3% during the second quarter. NDVR Inc. now owns 4,526 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Unum Group by 36.2% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 587 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. increased its stake in Unum Group by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Waterfront Wealth Inc. now owns 29,350 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,370,000 after buying an additional 158 shares during the period. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Unum Group by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 42,327 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,418,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. 86.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Unum Group (Get Free Report) Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segment. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Unum Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Unum Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE:FNF Get Free Report) shares were up 8.2% during mid-day trading on Friday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $59.60 and last traded at $59.0540. Approximately 248,006 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 1,459,051 shares. The stock had previously closed at $54.56. The financial services provider reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter. Fidelity National Financial had a net margin of 7.93% and a return on equity of 14.30%. The business had revenue of $3.17 billion during the quarter. Get Fidelity National Financial alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts recently issued reports on FNF shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. National Bankshares set a $64.00 price objective on Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Barclays restated a cautious rating on shares of Fidelity National Financial in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $69.83. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Financial A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 38.7% in the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 738 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Fidelity National Financial by 21.9% in the 1st quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,482 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $552,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in Fidelity National Financial by 5.4% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 13,608 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $886,000 after buying an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board boosted its position in Fidelity National Financial by 5.5% during the first quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 54,000 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,514,000 after acquiring an additional 2,800 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Peddock Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Fidelity National Financial by 3.2% during the first quarter. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,663 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.17% of the companys stock. Fidelity National Financial Trading Up 7.6% The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a current ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.89 and a beta of 1.05. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.57. Fidelity National Financial Company Profile (Get Free Report) Fidelity National Financial, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides various insurance products in the United States. The company operates through Title, F&G, and Corporate and Other segments. It offers title insurance, escrow, and other title related services, including trust activities, trustee sales guarantees, recordings and reconveyances, and home warranty products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Fidelity National Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fidelity National Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Figma, Inc. (NYSE:FIG Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 9,723,609 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 14% from the previous sessions volume of 11,318,122 shares.The stock last traded at $44.41 and had previously closed at $45.98. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades FIG has been the topic of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price target on Figma from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Weiss Ratings initiated coverage on Figma in a research note on Friday, October 24th. They issued a sell (d) rating for the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Figma in a report on Monday, August 25th. They issued a peer perform rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Figma from $70.00 to $52.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, William Blair restated an outperform rating on shares of Figma in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $62.00. Get Figma alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on FIG Figma Trading Down 3.6% The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.98. Figma (NYSE:FIG Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($1.56) by $1.66. The firm had revenue of $274.17 million during the quarter. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 38.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.04 EPS. Figma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CTO Kris Rasmussen sold 73,738 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.17, for a total value of $3,551,959.46. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer owned 11,378,919 shares of the companys stock, valued at $548,122,528.23. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Tyler Herb sold 3,133 shares of Figma stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.17, for a total value of $150,916.61. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 226,087 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,890,610.79. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 129,230 shares of company stock valued at $6,225,009 in the last ninety days. 45.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Figma Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Figma in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new position in Figma in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Figma in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Figma in the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, North Star Investment Management Corp. bought a new stake in shares of Figma during the third quarter worth $62,000. About Figma (Get Free Report) Figma is where teams come together to turn ideas into the worlds best digital products and experiences. Every day, billions of people around the world use apps, websites, and other digital experiences that are made in Figma. Theyre looking up directions on Google Maps; requesting rides with Uber; checking in for flights on JetBlue; streaming shows on Netflix; learning languages with Duolingo; asking questions of Claude; connecting on LinkedIn; buying goods on Mercado Libre; or booking stays and experiences with Airbnb. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Figma Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Figma and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX Free Report) Stock analysts at Zacks Research lifted their FY2025 earnings estimates for Freeport-McMoRan in a report issued on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the natural resource company will earn $1.51 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $1.27. The consensus estimate for Freeport-McMoRans current full-year earnings is $1.68 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Freeport-McMoRans Q3 2026 earnings at $0.51 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.43 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.65 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.41 EPS. Get Freeport-McMoRan alerts: Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. UBS Group set a $48.00 price target on Freeport-McMoRan and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $54.00 to $48.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $47.01. Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance NYSE FCX opened at $38.63 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $42.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $41.53. The firm has a market cap of $55.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.64. Freeport-McMoRan has a twelve month low of $27.66 and a twelve month high of $49.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.09. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 7.84%. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.74 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. The companys revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 1,962.9% in the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 722 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 687 shares during the period. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new position in Freeport-McMoRan in the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Finally, Dagco Inc. acquired a new stake in Freeport-McMoRan during the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Freeport-McMoRans dividend payout ratio is presently 21.13%. About Freeport-McMoRan (Get Free Report) Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Freeport-McMoRan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Freeport-McMoRan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. goeasy (TSE:GSY Free Report) had its target price reduced by Raymond James Financial from C$226.00 to C$208.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,BayStreet.CA reports. Several other brokerages have also weighed in on GSY. Scotiabank upgraded shares of goeasy from a hold rating to an outperform rating and set a C$225.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on goeasy from C$230.00 to C$225.00 in a research note on Tuesday. National Bankshares set a C$265.00 price target on goeasy and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. TD Securities lifted their price objective on goeasy from C$205.00 to C$210.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a C$194.00 target price on goeasy and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of C$217.88. Get goeasy alerts: Check Out Our Latest Research Report on GSY goeasy Stock Performance goeasy Dividend Announcement goeasy stock opened at C$134.26 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of C$2.16 billion, a PE ratio of 8.08, a PEG ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 82.04, a quick ratio of 28.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 287.63. goeasy has a 1 year low of C$130.68 and a 1 year high of C$216.50. The companys 50-day moving average is C$179.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is C$173.35. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th were paid a dividend of $1.46 per share. This represents a $5.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 26th. goeasys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.67%. About goeasy (Get Free Report) goeasy Ltd provides financial services to own furniture, electronics, computers, and appliances. It offers merchandise leasing of household furnishings, appliances, and home electronic products to consumers under weekly or monthly leasing agreements. The company also offers unsecured installment loans to consumers. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for goeasy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for goeasy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Risk and Volatility Teijin has a beta of 0.18, indicating that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Teijins peers have a beta of 3.35, indicating that their average share price is 235% more volatile than the S&P 500. Profitability This table compares Teijin and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Teijin alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Teijin N/A N/A N/A Teijin Competitors 4.01% -33.88% 5.17% Earnings and Valuation This table compares Teijin and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Teijin $6.60 billion $187.09 million 218.50 Teijin Competitors $6.40 billion $605.04 million -0.41 Dividends Teijin has higher revenue, but lower earnings than its peers. Teijin is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry. Teijin pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Teijin pays out 600.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, TEXTILE APPAREL companies pay a dividend yield of 1.9% and pay out 32.9% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Insider & Institutional Ownership 65.8% of shares of all TEXTILE APPAREL companies are held by institutional investors. 19.2% of shares of all TEXTILE APPAREL companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Summary Teijin peers beat Teijin on 7 of the 11 factors compared. Teijin Company Profile (Get Free Report) Teijin Limited engages in the fibers, films and sheets, composites, healthcare, and IT businesses worldwide. It offers aramid fibers and polyethylene materials; carbon fibers, composite materials, and oxidized PAN fibers; polycarbonate sheets and films; high-density polyethylene porous films and materials; and microporous films. The company also provides PC resins, polyphenylene sulfide resins, molded parts, and additives; lightweight glass and carbon fiber reinforced composites for automotive applications; and polytrimethylene telephthalate products, artificial leather materials, polyester nanofibers, and recycled polyester fibers. In addition, it offers pharmaceuticals for bone and joint, respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic, and other diseases; home oxygen therapy, non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, rehabilitation, and sleep disordered breathing related devices, as well as sonic accelerated fracture healing system and community-based integrated care system; and orthopedic implantable devices, and functional food ingredients. Further, the company provides Recopic, a radio-frequency identification technology for inventory management. Additionally, it develops and implements engineering solutions for various issues, such as environmental pollution, energy supply stability, and aging-related workforce population decline. Teijin Limited was incorporated in 1918 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Receive News & Ratings for Teijin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teijin and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hengan International Group Co., Ltd. Unsponsored ADR (OTCMKTS:HEGIY Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $18.23 and last traded at $17.83, with a volume of 2766 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.8830. Hengan International Group Stock Performance The company has a 50 day moving average of $16.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. Get Hengan International Group alerts: Hengan International Group Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, September 10th were paid a $0.4175 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 522.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 9th. This is a positive change from Hengan International Groups previous dividend of $0.41. Hengan International Group Company Profile Hengan International Group Company Limited, an investment holding company, manufactures, distributes, and sells personal hygiene products in the People's Republic of China and internationally. The company offers pocket handkerchiefs, box and soft tissue papers, kitchen towels/papers, toilet rolls, first-aid products, enema, garbage and food bags, preservation papers, table cloths and disposable toilet brush, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, overnight pants, wet tissues, maternal and child care products, adult and baby diapers, and cleansing products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Hengan International Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hengan International Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE Free Report) by 13.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,555 shares of the technology companys stock after buying an additional 2,267 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Banks holdings in Hewlett Packard Enterprise were worth $379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. raised its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 0.3% during the second quarter. Benson Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 227,291 shares of the technology companys stock worth $4,648,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 74.4% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,611 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares during the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its position in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 1.0% during the 1st quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 70,600 shares of the technology companys stock worth $1,089,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 16.7% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,370 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 126.7% in the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,437 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 803 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.78% of the companys stock. Get Hewlett Packard Enterprise alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Hewlett Packard Enterprise In related news, CEO Antonio F. Neri sold 166,666 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.03, for a total transaction of $4,171,649.98. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,585,726 shares in the company, valued at $39,690,721.78. This represents a 9.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Gary M. Reiner sold 40,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.58, for a total value of $983,200.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 83,869 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,061,500.02. This represents a 32.29% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 543,738 shares of company stock valued at $12,922,932. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Stock Performance Shares of HPE stock opened at $23.44 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $30.93 billion, a PE ratio of 28.59, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.43. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $24.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.69. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company has a one year low of $11.97 and a one year high of $26.44. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The technology company reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $9.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.77 billion. Hewlett Packard Enterprise had a return on equity of 9.01% and a net margin of 3.77%.The firms revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.50 EPS. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.880-1.920 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 17th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 18th were given a dividend of $0.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 18th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.2%. Hewlett Packard Enterprises dividend payout ratio is 63.41%. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Hewlett Packard Enterprise from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. They issued a market perform rating and a $24.00 price target for the company. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $25.41. Read Our Latest Stock Report on Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company Profile (Free Report) Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. It operates in six segments: Compute, HPC & AI, Storage, Intelligent Edge, Financial Services, and Corporate Investments and Other. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW Get Free Report) Director Pamela Strobel sold 1,521 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.25, for a total value of $373,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 39,249 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,625,817.25. This trade represents a 3.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance Shares of NYSE ITW traded up $1.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $245.47. 1,077,198 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,084,056. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $255.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $252.65. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 52-week low of $214.66 and a 52-week high of $279.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.21 billion, a PE ratio of 23.81, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39. Get Illinois Tool Works alerts: Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $2.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.09. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.05% and a return on equity of 93.26%. The company had revenue of $4.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.91 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Illinois Tool Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.400-10.500 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 earnings per share for the current year. Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend Hedge Funds Weigh In On Illinois Tool Works The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $1.61 dividend. This represents a $6.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. Illinois Tool Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.46%. A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ITW. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the second quarter valued at approximately $821,888,000. Auto Owners Insurance Co lifted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 55,978.4% during the 1st quarter. Auto Owners Insurance Co now owns 1,430,000 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $354,654,000 after purchasing an additional 1,427,450 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the 1st quarter worth $293,928,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Illinois Tool Works by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,797,055 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $938,822,000 after buying an additional 415,982 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Illinois Tool Works by 24,625.1% during the 2nd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 343,431 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $84,913,000 after buying an additional 342,042 shares in the last quarter. 79.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts recently commented on ITW shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $254.00 to $265.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI set a $265.00 target price on Illinois Tool Works and gave the stock an underperform rating in a report on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $258.00 price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Monday, October 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works currently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $262.00. Check Out Our Latest Report on Illinois Tool Works About Illinois Tool Works (Get Free Report) Illinois Tool Works Inc manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment in the United States and internationally. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Illinois Tool Works Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Illinois Tool Works and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC reduced its position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV Free Report) by 4.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 48,204 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,011 shares during the period. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF comprises about 6.6% of Atlas Legacy Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF were worth $29,927,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in IVV. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Lord & Richards Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 1st quarter worth $31,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 1st quarter valued at $52,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, Rice Partnership LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core S&P 500 ETF by 460.0% in the 2nd quarter. Rice Partnership LLC now owns 112 shares of the companys stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 70.12% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get iShares Core S&P 500 ETF alerts: iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Price Performance iShares Core S&P 500 ETF stock opened at $673.52 on Friday. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF has a one year low of $484.00 and a one year high of $693.07. The companys fifty day moving average price is $667.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $629.01. The company has a market capitalization of $706.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.10 and a beta of 1.00. iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Profile iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Standard & Poors 500 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the large-capitalization sector of the United States equity market. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IVV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (NYSEARCA:IVV Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Core S&P 500 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Lenovo Group Ltd. (OTCMKTS:LNVGY Get Free Report) saw unusually-strong trading volume on Friday . Approximately 116,317 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 39% from the previous sessions volume of 83,479 shares.The stock last traded at $28.24 and had previously closed at $28.96. Lenovo Group Stock Performance The company has a market capitalization of $17.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.32, a P/E/G ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.95. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $29.65 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.66. Lenovo Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Lenovo Group Limited, an investment holding company, develops, manufactures, and markets technology products and services. It operates through Intelligent Devices Group, Infrastructure Solutions Group, and Solutions and Services Group segments. The company offers commercial and consumer personal computers, as well as servers and workstations; and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smartphones. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Lenovo Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lenovo Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA lowered its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR Free Report) by 6.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,940 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 1,255 shares during the period. Middleton & Co. Inc. MAs holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $4,117,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 89.5% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 108 shares of the business services providers stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 360.0% during the 2nd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 115 shares of the business services providers stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 85.1% in the 2nd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 124 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust lifted its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 110.3% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 122 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 450.0% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 143 shares of the business services providers stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. 90.03% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Broadridge Financial Solutions alerts: Broadridge Financial Solutions Trading Down 0.6% Shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock opened at $217.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $237.27 and a 200-day moving average of $241.77. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 52-week low of $212.33 and a 52-week high of $271.91. The stock has a market cap of $25.35 billion, a PE ratio of 27.81 and a beta of 0.96. Insiders Place Their Bets Broadridge Financial Solutions ( NYSE:BR Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 3rd. The business services provider reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 43.28%. The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 EPS for the current year. In other Broadridge Financial Solutions news, CEO Timothy C. Gokey sold 84,571 shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.53, for a total value of $21,948,711.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 165,634 shares of the companys stock, valued at $42,986,992.02. The trade was a 33.80% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, President Christopher John Perry sold 7,036 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.72, for a total value of $1,848,497.92. Following the sale, the president directly owned 48,813 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,824,151.36. This trade represents a 12.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 147,532 shares of company stock worth $38,417,208. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $261.00 to $256.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut Broadridge Financial Solutions from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Wednesday. Needham & Company LLC increased their price objective on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $300.00 to $305.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $250.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Broadridge Financial Solutions presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $264.83. View Our Latest Stock Report on BR Broadridge Financial Solutions Profile (Free Report) Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Broadridge Financial Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA lowered its holdings in shares of RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:RNR Free Report) by 3.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,489 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 425 shares during the quarter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MAs holdings in RenaissanceRe were worth $3,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in RenaissanceRe by 37.2% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,496,035 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $599,049,000 after buying an additional 676,125 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of RenaissanceRe during the first quarter worth $54,087,000. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its holdings in shares of RenaissanceRe by 18.0% during the first quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,247,742 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $299,458,000 after acquiring an additional 190,139 shares during the period. Great Lakes Advisors LLC lifted its position in RenaissanceRe by 49.3% in the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 326,480 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $78,355,000 after acquiring an additional 107,745 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in RenaissanceRe by 15.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 763,210 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $183,175,000 after purchasing an additional 101,060 shares during the period. 99.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get RenaissanceRe alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes RNR has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on RenaissanceRe in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. They issued a sell rating and a $256.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on RenaissanceRe from $265.00 to $272.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of RenaissanceRe in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Cowen reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of RenaissanceRe in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of RenaissanceRe from $268.00 to $269.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $283.67. RenaissanceRe Price Performance Shares of RNR opened at $266.17 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $12.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.40, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.40, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $249.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $245.11. RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. has a 1-year low of $219.00 and a 1-year high of $300.00. RenaissanceRe (NYSE:RNR Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The insurance provider reported $15.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $9.49 by $6.13. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.97 billion. RenaissanceRe had a net margin of 14.23% and a return on equity of 16.83%. RenaissanceRes revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $10.23 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. will post 26.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. RenaissanceRe Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. RenaissanceRes dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 4.45%. RenaissanceRe Profile (Free Report) RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Property, and Casualty and Specialty segments. The Property segment writes property catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance and excess of loss reinsurance to insure insurance and reinsurance companies against natural and man-made catastrophes, including hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis, as well as winter storms, freezes, floods, fires, windstorms, tornadoes, explosions, and acts of terrorism; and other property class of products, such as proportional reinsurance, property per risk, property reinsurance, binding facilities, and regional U.S. Read More Receive News & Ratings for RenaissanceRe Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RenaissanceRe and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Morgan Advanced Materials (OTCMKTS:MCRUF Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $2.85, but opened at $2.6092. Morgan Advanced Materials shares last traded at $2.6092, with a volume of 900 shares traded. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Morgan Advanced Materials in a report on Friday, August 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. Get Morgan Advanced Materials alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Report on MCRUF Morgan Advanced Materials Stock Performance Morgan Advanced Materials Company Profile The business has a 50 day moving average price of $2.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.77. (Get Free Report) Morgan Advanced Materials plc operates as a materials science and application engineering company primarily the United Kingdom. It serves customers in the industrial, transportation, petrochemical and chemical, energy, semiconductor and electronics, healthcare, and security and defense markets. The company was formerly known as The Morgan Crucible Company plc and changed its name to Morgan Advanced Materials plc in March 2013. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Morgan Advanced Materials Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Morgan Advanced Materials and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NET Power Inc. (NYSE:NPWR Get Free Report) major shareholder Cynda Beauchamp sold 18,116 shares of NET Power stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $4.05, for a total transaction of $73,369.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 1,847,130 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,480,876.50. This represents a 0.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Large shareholders that own at least 10% of a companys stock are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC. NET Power Trading Down 7.8% NYSE NPWR opened at $3.32 on Friday. NET Power Inc. has a 52 week low of $1.48 and a 52 week high of $14.28. The stock has a market cap of $727.81 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.41 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $3.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $2.66. Get NET Power alerts: NET Power (NYSE:NPWR Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The company reported ($0.36) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.12) by ($0.24). As a group, equities research analysts expect that NET Power Inc. will post -0.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NPWR. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position in shares of NET Power during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Invesco Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of NET Power in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Sei Investments Co. bought a new position in NET Power during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in NET Power by 63.0% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 14,051 shares of the companys stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 5,429 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in NET Power by 48.7% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 16,047 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 5,255 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 53.62% of the companys stock. Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) rating on shares of NET Power in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, NET Power has an average rating of Reduce and an average price target of $4.00. Get Our Latest Report on NPWR About NET Power (Get Free Report) NET Power Inc operates as a clean energy technology company. The company invents, develops, and licenses clean power generation technology. NET Power Inc was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for NET Power Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NET Power and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. China firmly opposes false narratives on maritime issues: spokesperon Xinhua) 13:15, November 07, 2025 BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- China strongly deplores and firmly opposes certain countries peddling false narratives on maritime issues and making groundless accusations against China, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said here on Thursday. It's reported that defense ministers of the Philippines, Australia, Japan and the United States met together on November 3 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus and issued a joint readout on maritime issues. Noting the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is generally stable at present, spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily press briefing that relevant sides need to respect the efforts of regional countries to handle maritime issues properly through dialogue and consultation and maintain peace and stability, and stop using maritime issues to sow discord and heighten tensions. "The 'South China Sea arbitration' is nothing but a political farce masqueraded as a legal process and aimed at destabilizing the South China Sea for selfish gains. The so-called 'award' is illegal, null and void, and is not binding," Mao said, pointing out that China has never accepted or recognized it from the outset. "The Asia-Pacific is a pacesetter of cooperation and development, not a chessboard for geopolitical competition," Mao said, noting that group politics and bloc confrontation will not bring peace and security, and is not conducive to the stability in the Asia-Pacific and the world as a whole. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Nisa Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Xerox Holdings Co. (NYSE:XRX Free Report) by 82.0% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 5,127 shares of the information technology services providers stock after selling 23,302 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Xerox were worth $27,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in XRX. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its stake in shares of Xerox by 2,035.4% in the first quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 3,682,002 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $17,784,000 after acquiring an additional 3,509,574 shares during the last quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY grew its position in Xerox by 2,392.4% during the 1st quarter. Paradigm Capital Management Inc. NY now owns 1,246,200 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $6,019,000 after purchasing an additional 1,196,200 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Xerox during the 1st quarter valued at about $4,765,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its holdings in Xerox by 348.8% in the first quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 953,827 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $4,607,000 after buying an additional 741,297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Xerox in the first quarter worth approximately $2,363,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.36% of the companys stock. Get Xerox alerts: Xerox Price Performance Shares of XRX opened at $3.01 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $3.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.46. The firm has a market cap of $378.75 million, a PE ratio of -0.28 and a beta of 1.80. The company has a current ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.61. Xerox Holdings Co. has a 1-year low of $2.91 and a 1-year high of $9.91. Xerox Announces Dividend Xerox ( NYSE:XRX Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The information technology services provider reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.18) by $0.38. Xerox had a positive return on equity of 7.57% and a negative net margin of 21.24%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 28.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. Xerox has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Xerox Holdings Co. will post 1.07 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be issued a $0.025 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $0.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Xeroxs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -1.28%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Xerox in a research report on Monday, August 18th. They set a neutral rating and a $4.50 price target for the company. Zacks Research upgraded Xerox from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $4.50. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Xerox Xerox Company Profile (Free Report) Xerox Holdings Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a workplace technology company that integrates hardware, services, and software for enterprises in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Print and Other; and FITTLE. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding XRX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Xerox Holdings Co. (NYSE:XRX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Xerox Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Xerox and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities researchers at Barclays from $89.00 to $118.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an overweight rating on the energy companys stock. Barclayss price target suggests a potential upside of 4.56% from the companys previous close. A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on ORA. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Ormat Technologies from $97.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Ormat Technologies from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $102.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Ormat Technologies from $99.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday. Roth Capital reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $125.00 price target on shares of Ormat Technologies in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Ormat Technologies in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $113.10. Get Ormat Technologies alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Report on ORA Ormat Technologies Trading Down 1.7% Shares of ORA traded down $1.89 on Friday, hitting $112.86. 294,577 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 528,409. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Ormat Technologies has a 1 year low of $61.58 and a 1 year high of $115.72. The stocks 50 day moving average is $100.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $88.30. Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The energy company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.37 by $0.04. Ormat Technologies had a return on equity of 5.47% and a net margin of 14.49%.The company had revenue of $249.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $235.03 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.36 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Ormat Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Ormat Technologies will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Activity In other Ormat Technologies news, insider Jessica Woelfel sold 5,611 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.80, for a total transaction of $531,922.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,433 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $325,448.40. This represents a 62.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Assi Ginzburg sold 9,343 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.31, for a total transaction of $871,795.33. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 24,482 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,284,415.42. The trade was a 27.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 40,926 shares of company stock worth $3,861,296. 0.56% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Trading of Ormat Technologies Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Curio Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Ormat Technologies by 29,200.0% in the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 293 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in Ormat Technologies by 43.8% during the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 371 shares of the energy companys stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Ormat Technologies by 251.0% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 523 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its position in shares of Ormat Technologies by 218.0% during the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 547 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in shares of Ormat Technologies by 313.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 595 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the last quarter. 95.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Ormat Technologies Company Profile (Get Free Report) Ormat Technologies, Inc engages in the geothermal and recovered energy power business in the United States, Indonesia, Kenya, Turkey, Chile, Guatemala, Guadeloupe, New Zealand, Honduras, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Electricity, Product, and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment develops, builds, owns, and operates geothermal, solar photovoltaic, and recovered energy-based power plants; and sells electricity. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Ormat Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ormat Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA Get Free Report) had its price objective hoisted by analysts at UBS Group from $105.00 to $135.00 in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a buy rating on the energy companys stock. UBS Groups price target suggests a potential upside of 19.09% from the companys previous close. Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Ormat Technologies from $97.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Piper Sandler upgraded Ormat Technologies from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and raised their price target for the company from $90.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Oppenheimer restated an outperform rating and issued a $125.00 price objective on shares of Ormat Technologies in a report on Wednesday. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Ormat Technologies from $89.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Roth Capital reissued a buy rating and set a $125.00 target price on shares of Ormat Technologies in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $113.10. Get Ormat Technologies alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on ORA Ormat Technologies Trading Down 1.2% Shares of ORA stock traded down $1.39 on Friday, reaching $113.36. 729,812 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 530,558. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $100.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $88.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a PE ratio of 52.72, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Ormat Technologies has a 52 week low of $61.58 and a 52 week high of $115.72. Ormat Technologies (NYSE:ORA Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The energy company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $249.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $235.03 million. Ormat Technologies had a return on equity of 5.47% and a net margin of 14.49%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.36 earnings per share. Ormat Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Ormat Technologies will post 1.94 EPS for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Ormat Technologies In other news, Director Dafna Sharir sold 981 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.70, for a total transaction of $94,862.70. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 2,257 shares in the company, valued at approximately $218,251.90. This represents a 30.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Jessica Woelfel sold 5,611 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.80, for a total value of $531,922.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 3,433 shares of the companys stock, valued at $325,448.40. The trade was a 62.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 40,926 shares of company stock valued at $3,861,296. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Ormat Technologies Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Curio Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ormat Technologies by 29,200.0% in the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 293 shares of the energy companys stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Ormat Technologies by 43.8% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 371 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ormat Technologies by 251.0% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 523 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 374 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in Ormat Technologies by 218.0% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 547 shares of the energy companys stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 375 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Ormat Technologies by 313.2% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 595 shares of the energy companys stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the period. 95.49% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Ormat Technologies Company Profile (Get Free Report) Ormat Technologies, Inc engages in the geothermal and recovered energy power business in the United States, Indonesia, Kenya, Turkey, Chile, Guatemala, Guadeloupe, New Zealand, Honduras, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Electricity, Product, and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment develops, builds, owns, and operates geothermal, solar photovoltaic, and recovered energy-based power plants; and sells electricity. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Ormat Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ormat Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Parker-Hannifin Corporation (NYSE:PH Free Report) by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,731 shares of the industrial products companys stock after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the period. Parker-Hannifin makes up approximately 2.4% of Carnegie Lake Advisors LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Carnegie Lake Advisors LLCs holdings in Parker-Hannifin were worth $6,098,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Parker-Hannifin in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Parker-Hannifin during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Interchange Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Parker-Hannifin in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Parker-Hannifin during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its stake in Parker-Hannifin by 421.4% during the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 73 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.44% of the companys stock. Get Parker-Hannifin alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In other Parker-Hannifin news, EVP Joseph R. Leonti sold 4,625 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $750.84, for a total value of $3,472,635.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,878 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $10,420,157.52. This represents a 25.00% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.32% of the companys stock. Parker-Hannifin Stock Performance Shares of Parker-Hannifin stock opened at $834.59 on Friday. Parker-Hannifin Corporation has a 52 week low of $488.45 and a 52 week high of $851.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $756.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $710.40. The company has a market cap of $105.61 billion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.37. Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $7.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.62 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.94 billion. Parker-Hannifin had a return on equity of 26.80% and a net margin of 17.79%.Parker-Hannifins revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.20 earnings per share. Parker-Hannifin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.600-30.400 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 29.600-30.400 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Parker-Hannifin Corporation will post 26.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Parker-Hannifin Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a dividend of $1.80 per share. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. Parker-Hannifins dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.55%. Analysts Set New Price Targets PH has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Parker-Hannifin from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, September 20th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a research report on Tuesday, August 19th. Mizuho upped their price target on Parker-Hannifin from $800.00 to $825.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Susquehanna began coverage on Parker-Hannifin in a research report on Friday, August 15th. They set a positive rating and a $860.00 target price on the stock. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $794.35. Read Our Latest Report on PH Parker-Hannifin Company Profile (Free Report) Parker-Hannifin Corporation manufactures and sells motion and control technologies and systems for various mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets worldwide. The company operates through two segments: Diversified Industrial and Aerospace Systems. The Diversified Industrial segment offers sealing, shielding, thermal products and systems, adhesives, coatings, and noise vibration and harshness solutions; filters, systems, and diagnostics solutions to ensure purity and remove contaminants from fuel, air, oil, water, and other liquids and gases; connectors used in fluid and gas handling; and hydraulic, pneumatic, and electromechanical components and systems for builders and users of mobile and industrial machinery and equipment. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PH? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Parker-Hannifin Corporation (NYSE:PH Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Parker-Hannifin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Parker-Hannifin and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Primo Brands Corporation (NYSE:PRMB Get Free Report)s share price dropped 11.4% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $15.97 and last traded at $15.6810. Approximately 5,717,576 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 12% from the average daily volume of 5,099,187 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.70. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have issued reports on PRMB shares. TD Securities dropped their price objective on Primo Brands from $48.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Primo Brands and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America cut their price objective on Primo Brands from $32.00 to $26.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Primo Brands in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on Primo Brands from $40.00 to $35.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $33.08. Get Primo Brands alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Primo Brands Primo Brands Price Performance The companys fifty day moving average is $22.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -136.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. Primo Brands (NYSE:PRMB Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.41. Primo Brands had a positive return on equity of 9.64% and a negative net margin of 1.20%.The firm had revenue of $1.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.78 billion. The firms quarterly revenue was up 35.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Primo Brands Corporation will post 1.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Primo Brands Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 25th will be given a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 25th. Primo Brandss payout ratio is presently -363.64%. Insider Buying and Selling at Primo Brands In related news, CEO Robbert Rietbroek bought 8,285 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $24.12 per share, for a total transaction of $199,834.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 586,349 shares in the company, valued at $14,142,737.88. The trade was a 1.43% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael John Cramer purchased 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was bought at an average price of $24.46 per share, for a total transaction of $97,840.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 12,762 shares of the companys stock, valued at $312,158.52. This trade represents a 45.65% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders purchased 24,685 shares of company stock valued at $595,770 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 58.40% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Viking Global Investors LP increased its stake in shares of Primo Brands by 290.2% in the 2nd quarter. Viking Global Investors LP now owns 19,602,116 shares of the companys stock valued at $580,615,000 after purchasing an additional 14,578,589 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners boosted its stake in Primo Brands by 9,613.2% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 7,117,540 shares of the companys stock valued at $252,552,000 after buying an additional 7,044,263 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in Primo Brands by 2,486.6% during the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,867,110 shares of the companys stock worth $173,784,000 after acquiring an additional 5,640,287 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Primo Brands in the first quarter worth about $184,225,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Primo Brands by 28.7% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,704,538 shares of the companys stock valued at $699,314,000 after purchasing an additional 4,389,327 shares in the last quarter. 87.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Primo Brands (Get Free Report) Primo Brands Corp. is a branded beverage company, which focuses on healthy hydration. It delivers sustainably and domestically sourced diversified offerings across products, formats, channels, price points and consumer occasions, distributed in the United States and Canada. The company provides water filtration units for home and business consumers across North America. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Primo Brands Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Primo Brands and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) (TSE:AD.UN Get Free Report) had its target price upped by analysts at Raymond James Financial from C$25.00 to C$26.00 in a research report issued on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has an outperform rating on the stock. Raymond James Financials price objective would suggest a potential upside of 36.05% from the stocks previous close. AD.UN has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada set a C$20.00 price objective on Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Desjardins lifted their target price on Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) from C$24.50 to C$25.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of C$25.00. Get Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) Stock Performance Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) Company Profile AD.UN stock traded down C$0.09 during midday trading on Friday, reaching C$19.11. 122,313 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 71,826. The firm has a market capitalization of C$868.00 million, a PE ratio of 6.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$18.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$18.85. Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust has a 52 week low of C$16.58 and a 52 week high of C$20.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.33, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a current ratio of 0.60. (Get Free Report) Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust is an open-ended trust. The Trust, through its subsidiaries, indirectly provides alternative financing to private companies (Partners) in exchange for distributions with the principal objective of generating stable and predictable cash flows for payment of distributions to unitholders of the Trust. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Alaris Equity Partners Income Trust (AD.UN) and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE:GWW Free Report) by 7.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,712 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 1,428 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.s holdings in W.W. Grainger were worth $20,455,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of W.W. Grainger during the 1st quarter worth $285,574,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in W.W. Grainger by 10.1% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 822,411 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $812,403,000 after purchasing an additional 75,644 shares during the period. Kodai Capital Management LP bought a new stake in W.W. Grainger during the first quarter worth about $67,601,000. Interval Partners LP grew its stake in W.W. Grainger by 1,429.9% during the first quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 67,957 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $67,130,000 after buying an additional 63,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in W.W. Grainger by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,388,378 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $5,322,801,000 after buying an additional 57,690 shares during the period. 80.70% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get W.W. Grainger alerts: Insider Transactions at W.W. Grainger In related news, SVP Jonny M. Leroy sold 500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $992.86, for a total value of $496,430.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 1,771 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,758,355.06. The trade was a 22.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 6.10% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on GWW. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price target on shares of W.W. Grainger from $1,006.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on W.W. Grainger from $1,215.00 to $1,160.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b-) rating on shares of W.W. Grainger in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Loop Capital lowered their price target on W.W. Grainger from $1,000.00 to $950.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on W.W. Grainger from $1,035.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, W.W. Grainger has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $1,059.86. Get Our Latest Analysis on GWW W.W. Grainger Stock Down 1.0% Shares of GWW opened at $952.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a current ratio of 2.82. W.W. Grainger, Inc. has a 52 week low of $893.99 and a 52 week high of $1,227.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.17, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $974.89 and a 200-day moving average of $1,014.79. W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The industrial products company reported $10.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $9.95 by $0.26. W.W. Grainger had a return on equity of 49.63% and a net margin of 10.99%.The business had revenue of $4.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.64 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.87 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. W.W. Grainger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 39.000-39.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that W.W. Grainger, Inc. will post 40.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. W.W. Grainger Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a $2.26 dividend. This represents a $9.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. W.W. Graingers dividend payout ratio is 25.35%. W.W. Grainger Profile (Free Report) W.W. Grainger, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, distributes maintenance, repair, and operating products and services primarily in North America, Japan, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, High-Touch Solutions N.A. and Endless Assortment. The company provides safety, security, material handling and storage equipment, pumps and plumbing equipment, cleaning and maintenance, and metalworking and hand tools. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for W.W. Grainger Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for W.W. Grainger and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rovin Capital UT ADV trimmed its stake in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY Free Report) by 13.0% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 9,526 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 1,418 shares during the period. Rovin Capital UT ADVs holdings in Bristol Myers Squibb were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. New England Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 0.8% during the first quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. now owns 39,476 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $2,408,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 1.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 1,288,407 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $78,580,000 after purchasing an additional 13,959 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 24.6% during the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth Retirement Investments LLC now owns 59,183 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,740,000 after purchasing an additional 11,690 shares during the last quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc boosted its position in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 60.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sage Capital Advisors llc now owns 85,234 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $3,946,000 after purchasing an additional 32,181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Bristol Myers Squibb by 458.2% during the 2nd quarter. Castle Rock Wealth Management LLC now owns 44,559 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,088,000 after buying an additional 36,576 shares in the last quarter. 76.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Bristol Myers Squibb alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated a market perform rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Daiwa Capital Markets lowered Bristol Myers Squibb from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $42.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, Citigroup restated a neutral rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a research note on Monday, October 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and fifteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $57.23. Insider Buying and Selling at Bristol Myers Squibb In other Bristol Myers Squibb news, EVP David V. Elkins sold 56,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.33, for a total transaction of $2,650,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 167,379 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,922,048.07. The trade was a 25.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.07% of the companys stock. Bristol Myers Squibb Stock Up 0.5% Shares of Bristol Myers Squibb stock opened at $46.70 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $45.26 and a two-hundred day moving average of $46.73. Bristol Myers Squibb Company has a one year low of $42.52 and a one year high of $63.33. The company has a market cap of $95.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.83, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.21. Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.52 by $0.11. The company had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.75 billion. Bristol Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 80.04% and a net margin of 10.58%.Bristol Myers Squibbs revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 earnings per share. Bristol Myers Squibb has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.400-6.600 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Bristol Myers Squibb Company will post 6.74 earnings per share for the current year. Bristol Myers Squibb Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.3%. Bristol Myers Squibbs payout ratio is currently 83.78%. Bristol Myers Squibb Profile (Free Report) Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for various anti-cancer indications, including bladder, blood, CRC, head and neck, RCC, HCC, lung, melanoma, MPM, stomach and esophageal cancer; Pomalyst/Imnovid for multiple myeloma; Orencia for active rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BMY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Bristol Myers Squibb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bristol Myers Squibb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. RPS Advisory Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 645 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $274,000. Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC increased its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 722,329.3% in the 2nd quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 17,851,227 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $7,579,274,000 after purchasing an additional 17,848,756 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF during the first quarter worth about $424,812,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 311.4% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,285,798 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $464,289,000 after acquiring an additional 973,250 shares during the last quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 36,009.0% in the first quarter. OVERSEA CHINESE BANKING Corp Ltd now owns 494,693 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $178,629,000 after acquiring an additional 493,323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp boosted its stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 5,109,809 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,845,101,000 after purchasing an additional 208,598 shares in the last quarter. 75.33% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF alerts: iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Trading Down 1.6% Shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF stock opened at $472.17 on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average is $467.32 and its 200 day moving average is $432.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $122.60 billion, a PE ratio of 33.43 and a beta of 1.13. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 1 year low of $308.67 and a 1 year high of $493.00. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Profile iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS Free Report) Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Fidelity National Information Services in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 5th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst J. Cantwell now expects that the information technology services provider will earn $1.42 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.40. The consensus estimate for Fidelity National Information Services current full-year earnings is $5.74 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Fidelity National Information Services Q4 2026 earnings at $1.76 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $7.05 EPS. Get Fidelity National Information Services alerts: Fidelity National Information Services (NYSE:FIS Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The information technology services provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.48 by $0.03. Fidelity National Information Services had a net margin of 1.09% and a return on equity of 18.73%. The firm had revenue of $2.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.65 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.40 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Fidelity National Information Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.740-5.780 EPS. Several other analysts also recently issued reports on FIS. Susquehanna cut their price objective on Fidelity National Information Services from $81.00 to $77.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 12th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $82.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on Fidelity National Information Services from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (d) rating on shares of Fidelity National Information Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Fidelity National Information Services from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $85.53. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Fidelity National Information Services Fidelity National Information Services Trading Up 0.1% Shares of Fidelity National Information Services stock traded up $0.06 on Friday, reaching $64.74. 417,276 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,776,135. Fidelity National Information Services has a fifty-two week low of $59.51 and a fifty-two week high of $89.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 359.95 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $66.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.00. Fidelity National Information Services Announces Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 23rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 9th will be paid a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 9th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Fidelity National Information Servicess payout ratio is presently 888.89%. Insider Buying and Selling at Fidelity National Information Services In other Fidelity National Information Services news, Director Jeffrey A. Goldstein purchased 889 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $67.66 per share, with a total value of $60,149.74. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,588 shares in the company, valued at approximately $919,364.08. This represents a 7.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fidelity National Information Services A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Fidelity National Information Services by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,019,323 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $5,130,403,000 after acquiring an additional 376,499 shares during the last quarter. Dodge & Cox raised its stake in Fidelity National Information Services by 1.3% during the 2nd quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 35,274,497 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $2,871,697,000 after buying an additional 466,199 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Fidelity National Information Services by 0.4% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,288,097 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,077,157,000 after acquiring an additional 48,968 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 10.5% during the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 11,820,211 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $958,537,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,181 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Fidelity National Information Services by 4.1% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 10,712,794 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $800,032,000 after purchasing an additional 419,199 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.23% of the companys stock. About Fidelity National Information Services (Get Free Report) Fidelity National Information Services, Inc engages in the provision of financial services technology solutions for financial institutions, businesses, and developers worldwide. It operates through Banking Solutions, Capital Market Solutions, and Corporate and Other segments. The company provides core processing and ancillary applications; mobile and online banking; fraud, risk management, and compliance; card and retail payment; electronic funds transfer and network; wealth and retirement; and item processing and output solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Fidelity National Information Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fidelity National Information Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Spire Wealth Management cut its position in shares of Moodys Corporation (NYSE:MCO Free Report) by 98.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 93 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 4,842 shares during the period. Spire Wealth Managements holdings in Moodys were worth $47,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MCO. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Moodys during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $328,595,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its stake in Moodys by 21.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,530,582 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $712,777,000 after purchasing an additional 265,389 shares in the last quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Moodys by 10.3% during the second quarter. PineStone Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,311,020 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,159,185,000 after purchasing an additional 215,551 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Moodys by 29.9% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 634,762 shares of the business services providers stock worth $295,570,000 after buying an additional 146,141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Moodys by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,586,672 shares of the business services providers stock worth $738,897,000 after buying an additional 140,128 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.11% of the companys stock. Get Moody's alerts: Moodys Price Performance MCO opened at $482.02 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $488.43 and a 200 day moving average of $488.73. Moodys Corporation has a 52-week low of $378.71 and a 52-week high of $531.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.84, a current ratio of 1.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.70. The stock has a market cap of $85.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.75, a PEG ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.40. Moodys Dividend Announcement Moodys ( NYSE:MCO Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The business services provider reported $3.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.70 by $0.22. Moodys had a return on equity of 63.58% and a net margin of 29.92%.The business had revenue of $2.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.92 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.21 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 10.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Moodys has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.500-14.750 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Moodys Corporation will post 13.95 EPS for the current year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st will be given a $0.94 dividend. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st. Moodyss payout ratio is 30.23%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $528.00 price target on shares of Moodys and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Barclays lifted their target price on Moodys from $520.00 to $580.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded Moodys to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Moodys from $526.00 to $471.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Moodys from $525.00 to $552.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $543.07. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Moodys Insider Buying and Selling In other news, CEO Robert Fauber sold 1,167 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $478.95, for a total transaction of $558,934.65. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 61,082 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $29,255,223.90. This trade represents a 1.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,984 shares of company stock valued at $1,470,249. 0.14% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Moodys Company Profile (Free Report) Moodys Corporation operates as an integrated risk assessment firm worldwide. It operates in two segments, Moodys Analytics and Moodys Investors Services. The Moodys Analytics segment develops a range of products and services that support the risk management activities of institutional participants in financial markets. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Moody's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Moody's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Stillwater Critical Minerals Corp. (CVE:PGE Get Free Report) shot up 23.1% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as C$0.33 and last traded at C$0.32. 1,658,996 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 301% from the average session volume of 414,056 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.26. Stillwater Critical Minerals Stock Performance The company has a market capitalization of C$86.85 million, a P/E ratio of -16.00 and a beta of 1.70. The firms fifty day moving average is C$0.39 and its 200 day moving average is C$0.28. About Stillwater Critical Minerals (Get Free Report) Stillwater Critical Minerals Corp., a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada and the United States. The company explores for gold, palladium, nickel, cobalt, and copper deposits, as well as platinum group metals. Its flagship project is the Stillwater West project, which comprises 763 claims covering an area of approximately 61 square kilometers located in Stillwater District, Montana. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Stillwater Critical Minerals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Stillwater Critical Minerals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF Free Report) (NYSE:SLF) had its price target cut by TD Securities from C$101.00 to C$99.00 in a research note published on Thursday,BayStreet.CA reports. They currently have a buy rating on the financial services providers stock. SLF has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group raised Sun Life Financial to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Argus upgraded Sun Life Financial to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Barclays raised their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$82.00 to C$84.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. CIBC lowered Sun Life Financial from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and boosted their price target for the stock from C$88.00 to C$94.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$88.00 to C$83.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of C$90.13. Get Sun Life Financial alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on SLF Sun Life Financial Stock Performance Sun Life Financial Increases Dividend Shares of SLF stock opened at C$83.41 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 92.19, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.00. The company has a market cap of C$46.75 billion, a PE ratio of 14.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.83. The companys fifty day simple moving average is C$83.80 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$84.70. Sun Life Financial has a 52 week low of C$74.56 and a 52 week high of C$91.11. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.92 dividend. This represents a $3.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. This is a boost from Sun Life Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.88. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 26th. Sun Life Financials payout ratio is presently 59.75%. Insider Transactions at Sun Life Financial In related news, insider Thomas Murphy acquired 3,389 shares of Sun Life Financial stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of C$79.37 per share, for a total transaction of C$268,973.75. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 3,389 shares of the companys stock, valued at C$268,973.75. The trade was a increase in their position. Insiders have acquired 4,262 shares of company stock valued at $338,105 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.03% of the companys stock. Sun Life Financial Company Profile (Get Free Report) Sun Life Financial is one of Canadas Big Three life insurance companies along with Great-West Lifeco and Manulife. Sun Life provides insurance, retirement, and wealth-management services to individual and corporate customers in Canada, the United States, and Asia. It also owns MFS Investment Management, a Boston-based asset-management firm. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Sun Life Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sun Life Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas trimmed its holdings in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG Free Report) by 23.0% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 47,594 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 14,190 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas holdings in Kite Realty Group Trust were worth $1,078,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Centersquare Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Kite Realty Group Trust by 133.6% during the first quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 5,960,072 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $133,327,000 after purchasing an additional 3,408,442 shares during the period. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,838,842 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $130,615,000 after buying an additional 459,752 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Kite Realty Group Trust during the 1st quarter worth approximately $70,071,000. Long Pond Capital LP acquired a new stake in Kite Realty Group Trust in the 1st quarter valued at $60,616,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Kite Realty Group Trust in the first quarter valued at $24,727,000. 90.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Kite Realty Group Trust alerts: Kite Realty Group Trust Trading Down 0.2% KRG opened at $22.00 on Friday. Kite Realty Group Trust has a 1-year low of $18.51 and a 1-year high of $28.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a PE ratio of 34.37, a PEG ratio of 6.16 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 1.70, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $22.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $22.31. Kite Realty Group Trust Increases Dividend Kite Realty Group Trust ( NYSE:KRG Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $205.06 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $208.82 million. Kite Realty Group Trust had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 4.23%. Kite Realty Group Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.090-2.110 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Kite Realty Group Trust will post 2.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 9th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This is an increase from Kite Realty Group Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 9th. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.3%. Kite Realty Group Trusts payout ratio is 181.25%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research analysts have issued reports on KRG shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kite Realty Group Trust from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $25.00 in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kite Realty Group Trust from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. They set a buy rating and a $30.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $24.00 target price (down previously from $25.00) on shares of Kite Realty Group Trust in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $26.70. View Our Latest Research Report on Kite Realty Group Trust Insider Buying and Selling at Kite Realty Group Trust In other news, CEO John A. Kite sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.70, for a total transaction of $1,135,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 54,121 shares in the company, valued at $1,228,546.70. The trade was a 48.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Kite Realty Group Trust Profile (Free Report) Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE: KRG) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) headquartered in Indianapolis, IN that is one of the largest publicly traded owners and operators of open-air shopping centers and mixed-use assets. The Companys primarily grocery-anchored portfolio is located in high-growth Sun Belt and select strategic gateway markets. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KRG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Kite Realty Group Trust (NYSE:KRG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Kite Realty Group Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kite Realty Group Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF (NYSEARCA:MMKT Get Free Report) announced a dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a dividend of 0.0742 per share on Monday, November 10th. This represents a yield of 385.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF Price Performance Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF stock opened at $100.26 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $100.24 and a 200-day moving average of $100.23. Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF has a 52-week low of $99.82 and a 52-week high of $100.60. Get Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF alerts: Institutional Trading of Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Red Tortoise LLC purchased a new position in shares of Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hummer Financial Advisory Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF in the 3rd quarter worth about $301,000. Uniting Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at about $602,000. Townsquare Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF during the first quarter worth about $631,000. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF in the first quarter worth about $1,622,000. About Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF The Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF (MMKT) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund is actively managed, investing in US government money market instruments, particularly overnight repurchase agreements with short-term maturities. The fund aims to balance income, liquidity, and capital preservation. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Texas Capital Government Money Market ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC lowered its stake in shares of Timothy Plan International ETF (NYSEARCA:TPIF Free Report) by 7.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 118,577 shares of the companys stock after selling 9,249 shares during the period. Timothy Plan International ETF comprises about 3.2% of Sound Financial Strategies Group LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC owned 2.58% of Timothy Plan International ETF worth $3,829,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of TPIF. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in Timothy Plan International ETF by 53.8% in the 2nd quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 1,647 shares of the companys stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 576 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Timothy Plan International ETF during the second quarter valued at $66,000. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Timothy Plan International ETF by 28.8% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,425 shares of the companys stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 542 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Alpha LLC acquired a new position in shares of Timothy Plan International ETF in the second quarter worth about $215,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Timothy Plan International ETF by 33.3% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 9,955 shares of the companys stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 2,485 shares in the last quarter. Get Timothy Plan International ETF alerts: Timothy Plan International ETF Stock Down 0.3% Shares of Timothy Plan International ETF stock opened at $33.52 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $160.90 million, a PE ratio of 16.22 and a beta of 0.84. Timothy Plan International ETF has a twelve month low of $25.85 and a twelve month high of $36.02. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $33.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.33. Timothy Plan International ETF Cuts Dividend About Timothy Plan International ETF The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a dividend of $0.0087 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. (Free Report) The Timothy Plan International ETF (TPIF) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in large cap equity. The fund tracks a volatility-weighted index of international stocks screened for defined Christian values. TPIF was launched on Dec 2, 2019 and is managed by Timothy. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TPIF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Timothy Plan International ETF (NYSEARCA:TPIF Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Timothy Plan International ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Timothy Plan International ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Titan America (NYSE:TTAM Get Free Report) is one of 40 publicly-traded companies in the BLDG&CONST MISC industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare Titan America to similar companies based on the strength of its institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends, profitability and risk. Insider and Institutional Ownership 91.0% of shares of all BLDG&CONST MISC companies are owned by institutional investors. 3.8% of shares of all BLDG&CONST MISC companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Get Titan America alerts: Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent ratings for Titan America and its peers, as reported by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Titan America 1 4 3 1 2.44 Titan America Competitors 286 1688 2421 136 2.53 Valuation and Earnings Titan America currently has a consensus price target of $17.07, suggesting a potential upside of 9.90%. As a group, BLDG&CONST MISC companies have a potential upside of 11.01%. Given Titan Americas peers stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Titan America has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. This table compares Titan America and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Titan America $1.63 billion $166.07 million 22.84 Titan America Competitors $6.75 billion $555.91 million 45.12 Titan Americas peers have higher revenue and earnings than Titan America. Titan America is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Dividends Titan America pays an annual dividend of $0.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.0%. Titan America pays out 23.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BLDG&CONST MISC companies pay a dividend yield of 0.9% and pay out 26.2% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Titan America is clearly a better dividend stock than its peers, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Profitability This table compares Titan America and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Titan America 10.83% 21.42% 10.85% Titan America Competitors -5.82% 62.91% 4.42% Summary Titan America peers beat Titan America on 9 of the 14 factors compared. Titan America Company Profile (Get Free Report) Titan America is a leading vertically integrated, multi-regional manufacturer and supplier of heavy building materials and services operating primarily on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States (the Eastern Seaboard). We are a leading provider of materials that contribute to lower carbon emissions than traditional building materials and/or beneficial reuse of waste materials. We are a leading provider of heavy building materials in Florida, the New York and New Jersey Metropolitan area (Metro New York), Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina (Virginia and the Carolinas, together with Metro New York and their adjacent areas, the Mid-Atlantic). We serve markets that benefit from population growth, economic growth and technology and innovation trends that are among the strongest in the United States. We have built what we believe is a unique and differentiated building materials platform in the markets we serve. Today, our manufacturing, logistics and customer support capabilities span across critical building materials and products, including cement and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), aggregates, ready-mix concrete, concrete block and other ancillary products. Additionally, we believe that our market leadership in lower carbon cement and green concrete solutions positions us to benefit from growing demand for building materials that contribute to lower carbon emissions. We believe our vertically integrated business model and continued investment in our extensive logistical capabilities have enabled us to grow with our diverse customer base across infrastructure, residential and non-residential end markets. By leveraging these competitive advantages across our two reportable segments, the Mid-Atlantic and Florida, we believe that we are in a strong position to drive meaningful growth and enhanced profitability into the future. Our executive management team has led Titan America to experience growth in scale, product portfolio and geographic footprint. This growth was driven by our management teams targeted investment strategy, which has enhanced production capacity and strengthened distribution and logistics capabilities in high-growth markets. These efforts include expanding cement and SCM storage, scaling import capacity and leveraging digital investments to optimize logistics execution and boost asset reliability across our vertically integrated operations. Between fiscal years 2013 and 2023, we have grown our sales from $539 million to approximately $1.6 billion (an 11% compound annual growth rate (CAGR)), our net income went from a loss of $65.4 million to a positive $155.2 million and our Adjusted EBITDA increased from $36 million to $328 million (a 25% CAGR), while our net income margin has grown from negative 12% to positive 10% during that same period. As a result of our continuous investment program to modernize and scale our operations, we have experienced 50% revenue growth, 150% net income growth and 65% Adjusted EBITDA growth from fiscal 2019 to fiscal 2023. Additionally, we have reduced our cement operations CO2 emissions per metric ton of cementitious materials by 18%, from 718 kg of net CO2 per metric ton in 2019 to 587 kg of net CO2 per metric ton in 2023. Our scaled, vertically integrated network of more than 100 facilities includes some of the largest cement plants, import terminals, mines, ready-mix concrete plants, fly ash processing plants and concrete block production lines in our core markets. Our cement plants are capable of producing approximately 3.8 million tons of cement annually, over 95% of which contains up to 10% lower CO2 emissions than standard use ordinary Portland cement (Lower-Carbon Cement). Our cement manufacturing activities are supported by a network of mining operations containing a total of 474 million tons of reserves as of May 1, 2024, which we are in the process of expanding through various opportunities. Since our initial investment in the Essex Cement import terminal in Metro New York in 1989, we believe we have built one of the most comprehensive, capable and reliable building materials platforms on the Eastern Seaboard through focused and strategic investments. In 1992, we acquired 59% of Roanoke Cement Company and all its related assets, establishing our domestic manufacturing and regional distribution capabilities in the Mid-Atlantic region through the addition of the Roanoke cement plant in Troutville, Virginia (our Roanoke Plant), a marine import terminal in South Norfolk, Virginia (our Norfolk Terminal) and a rail-connected distribution network in Virginia and North Carolina. Between 1996 and 2002, we invested $110 million in our Roanoke Plant, which included a major modernization of its clinker and cement production process, as well as the addition of a preheater/precalciner, a new clinker cooler, new clinker silos, a new finish mill and a new packaged cement line. In 2000, we acquired Tarmac America Inc., including the remaining 41% of Roanoke Cement Company, giving us initial positions in ready-mix concrete and block operations across the State of Florida, as well as our Pennsuco facility in Medley, Florida (Pennsuco) that produces cement, aggregates, ready-mix concrete and concrete block. In 2002, we acquired Separation Technologies (ST), a market leader in fly ash beneficiation and marketing. Throughout the early 2000s, we made significant investments to expand and improve the logistics and import capabilities of the business establishing a cement import terminal at the Port Tampa Bay, Florida (our Port Tampa Bay Terminal), and modernizing the Essex import operation at Port Newark in Metro New York (our Essex Terminal). Between 2001 and 2006, we invested approximately $254 million in our Pennsuco plant, which included modernization efforts with the commissioning of a state-of-the-art clinker production line, significantly increasing clinker production capacity at much lower energy consumption rates, and the addition of a new finish mill and a new packaging operation. Between 2006 and 2007, we invested approximately $365 million to significantly expand our ready-mix footprint through the acquisition of the S&W Ready Mix Concrete Company (S&W Ready Mix), which operated 26 concrete plants in the Carolinas, the Mechanicsville Concrete Company and five plants under the Powhatan Ready Mix brand in and around Richmond, Virginia. We also completed acquisitions of three ready-mix businesses on the west coast of Florida, including nine concrete plants located in and between Tampa and Fort Myers. In addition to these acquisitions, we installed 11 greenfield ready-mix concrete plants and one block production line throughout our territory which expanded our geographic footprint and improved density of delivery and manufacturing capacity in growing markets. In early 2010, we invested in a sand mine in Sussex County, Virginia, followed by commencing our operations in New Castle, Virginia (our Castle Sands Operation) in 2011 and Branchville, Virginia in 2019. From 2014 to 2023, we invested $53 million in an overland conveyor and two new draglines at the Pennsuco quarry. In 2017, we entered into a long-term mining royalty agreement and began operating a crushed limestone quarry in Estero, Florida, near Fort Myers. We upgraded the operations by installing a dragline and mobile mining fleet, as well as expanding the existing permit to substantially increase the base of reserves, all of which provide a stable source of aggregates for both external sale and internal consumption. Between 2018 and 2023, we invested $52 million in modernizing our logistics network in the Mid-Atlantic, including (i) investments in increasing silo storage capacity and installation of an automated loadout system at our Roanoke Plant, (ii) expansion of the Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Selma and Wilmington rail terminals to allow for multiple products, optimized storage and distribution capabilities and (iii) installation of a hybrid loadout system at the Norfolk Terminal capable of loading both trucks and rail cars. In 2023, we completed a $73 million investment at our Port Tampa Bay Terminal and our Norfolk Terminal, constructing new domes, adding multi-product storage capacity of approximately 70,000 tons each, as well as on other repairs and refurbishments. Recent investments we have made seek to capitalize on dynamic growth themes in the U.S. economy, including decarbonization, circular economy, resilient urbanization, infrastructure modernization, refurbishment and renovation, new construction technologies and high-performance products. We believe these initiatives contribute to and will act as significant drivers of growth. We have developed new cement types requiring less carbon intensive inputs that perform equally or better than conventional cements, resulting in lower CO2 content of the final product. We have replaced over 95% of our standard use Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) production with Lower-Carbon Cement, improving the CO2 emissions per ton of product by up to 10% compared to OPC. We are currently investing in the development of our Type IT cement (a ternary cement blend) that requires even less amount of clinker while delivering equal or better performance than Lower-Carbon Cement. Depending on the type of SCM used (such as fly ash, slag, calcined clay or natural pozzolans) the total reduction in clinker quantity can reach up to 50% compared to OPC cements, resulting in a significant reduction of the CO2 emissions per ton of product. We are also committed to digital transformation. We are early adopters of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) technologies in our industry, which we employ to increase plant reliability and capacity utilization, improve product quality, proactively manage operating and maintenance costs and improve energy efficiency. These initiatives place our cement plants in the top five most efficient in the U.S. cement industry out of companies participating in a 2022 Portland Cement Association (PCA) survey. We created a Digital Center of Excellence in 2022, which has driven digital transformation across our entire supply chain and fostered continuous improvement and fine-tuning of existing industrial AI/ML solutions, as well as the development and implementation of similar solutions in our commercial and logistics activities. Our investments in state-of-the-art operations and process control systems have also resulted in the deployment of predictive maintenance systems, based on data analytics for equipment faults and process anomaly detection to improve the reliability of our operations, and predictive quality analytics that improve product quality and consistency. Throughout the United States, we operate and maintain two cement plants, three marine import terminals, seven active mine locations, 82 ready-mix locations with 92 batch plants, eight concrete block locations with 13 production lines, seven fly ash plants and 21 distribution hubs that can handle various combinations of our products. We were incorporated on July 17, 2024 as a company with limited liability, incorporated and operating under the laws of Belgium. Our principal executive offices are located at 1000 Bruxelles, Square de Meeus 37, Belgium, which is also our registered office. We also have offices at 5700 Lake Wright Drive, Suite 300, Norfolk, Virginia. Receive News & Ratings for Titan America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Titan America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF (NYSEARCA:BALI Free Report) by 206.7% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,046,952 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 705,543 shares during the quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. owned approximately 8.86% of Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF worth $31,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF by 74.8% during the 2nd quarter. LGT Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,361 shares of the companys stock valued at $101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,438 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF by 6.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 6,533 shares of the companys stock worth $188,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $292,000. Willner & Heller LLC boosted its position in shares of Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF by 34.8% during the 1st quarter. Willner & Heller LLC now owns 10,260 shares of the companys stock valued at $295,000 after acquiring an additional 2,649 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SigFig Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF by 41.9% in the second quarter. SigFig Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,731 shares of the companys stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 3,463 shares in the last quarter. Get Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF alerts: Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF Stock Performance Shares of BALI opened at $31.37 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $571.56 million, a PE ratio of 23.77 and a beta of 0.84. The companys fifty day moving average is $31.48 and its 200 day moving average is $30.24. Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF has a fifty-two week low of $25.05 and a fifty-two week high of $32.21. About Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF The BlackRock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF (BALI) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in large cap equity. The fund is an actively managed ETF that holds a portfolio of US large-cap equity securities. The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by utilizing proprietary return forecast models combined with quantitative analysis methods BALI was launched on Sep 26, 2023 and is issued by BlackRock. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BALI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF (NYSEARCA:BALI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Blackrock Advantage Large Cap Income ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Washington Trust Bank lifted its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV Free Report) by 71.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,676 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Washington Trust Banks holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF were worth $487,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in EFV. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC boosted its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 30.5% in the second quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 32,836 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,084,000 after acquiring an additional 7,674 shares in the last quarter. First American Trust FSB raised its holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 380.1% in the first quarter. First American Trust FSB now owns 509,715 shares of the companys stock worth $30,043,000 after buying an additional 403,538 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF in the first quarter worth approximately $14,710,000. Valence8 US LP increased its position in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 3.2% during the first quarter. Valence8 US LP now owns 417,025 shares of the companys stock valued at $24,579,000 after acquiring an additional 12,777 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its position in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 24.9% in the 1st quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 27,101 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,597,000 after acquiring an additional 5,411 shares in the last quarter. Get iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Price Performance EFV stock opened at $68.70 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.17 and a beta of 0.73. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF has a 1-year low of $51.05 and a 1-year high of $66.83. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $67.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.09. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Company Profile iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Value Index. The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. decreased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB Free Report) by 34.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,317 shares of the pipeline companys stock after selling 37,759 shares during the quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp.s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $4,479,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 9.2% in the 2nd quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,369 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $463,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Williams Companies by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,078 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $382,000 after buying an additional 341 shares during the last quarter. Long Run Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the second quarter worth $204,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 6.4% in the second quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,094 shares of the pipeline companys stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 306 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HORAN Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at $5,786,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Williams Companies alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total value of $115,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.44% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $67.86. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Williams Companies Williams Companies Price Performance NYSE:WMB opened at $57.91 on Friday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.58 and a 52-week high of $65.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market cap of $70.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.10, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.63. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $60.35 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.38. Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Williams Companies Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Williams Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.09%. Williams Companies Company Profile (Free Report) The Williams Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in the United States. It operates through Transmission & Gulf of Mexico, Northeast G&P, West, and Gas & NGL Marketing Services segments. The Transmission & Gulf of Mexico segment comprises natural gas pipelines; Transco, Northwest pipeline, MountainWest, and related natural gas storage facilities; and natural gas gathering and processing, and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Williams Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Williams Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tesco (OTCMKTS:TSCDY Get Free Report) was downgraded by Zacks Research from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Separately, Barclays reaffirmed an overweight rating on shares of Tesco in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. Get Tesco alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on TSCDY Tesco Stock Up 1.7% About Tesco Tesco stock opened at $18.90 on Wednesday. Tesco has a 12-month low of $12.16 and a 12-month high of $18.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firms 50-day moving average is $18.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.86. (Get Free Report) Tesco PLC, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a grocery retailer in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. It offers grocery products through its stores, as well as online. The company is also involved in the food and drink wholesaling activities. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Tesco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tesco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. AwakenHub, the only all-island community dedicated to backing and supporting women founders, has been shortlisted in three categories at the Social Enterprise NI Awards 2025. Headquartered in Derry, the shortlisting recognises AwakenHubs growing impact and leadership across Irelands entrepreneurial ecosystem. Since launching in 2020, AwakenHub has built an active community of over 3,500 women founders, supported hundreds of women-led businesses through its programmes, and helped drive a wave of first-time investors into businesses founded by women through the creation of its own investment syndicate, AwakenAngels. Formed in 2023, it is the first and only women-led investment syndicate across the island of Ireland, having doubled its membership in the last 12 months to 118 members and helped its eight portfolio companies to raise over 4M. The Social Enterprise NI Awards take place tonight (Friday, November 7) and celebrate the best of Northern Irelands social enterprise sector, recognising innovation, impact, and leadership. AwakenHub is shortlisted for: Social Enterprise of the Year (turnover up to 500k) Staff and Volunteer Teams of the Year Leader of the Year Clare McGee, CEO and cofounder The shortlisting follows a milestone week for AwakenHub in which, along with its sister organisation AwakenAngels, it returned from their first trade mission to San Francisco, building on previous successful missions to Boston and New York. The organisation also launched its latest joint impact report, Breaking Barriers. Backing Women. Building Businesses with AwakenAngels. The report highlights how both organisations are transforming the landscape for women investors and founders across the island of Ireland. Speaking ahead of the Social Enterprise NI Awards, Clare McGee, AwakenHub cofounder and CEO, said: This is another proud week for the AwakenHub community. To be recognised across three categories in these competitive awards reflects the passion and commitment of the incredible women, and our male allies, who make AwakenHub what it is. View this post on Instagram A post shared by AwakenHub (@awakenhub) "Our mission has always been to remove barriers for women founders and create a fairer, more inclusive investment ecosystem throughout the island. To be shortlisted highlights the very real, positive impacts, socially and entrepreneurially, that the collective efforts and belief of our team, partners, and AwakenHub community have made across the entire island of Ireland. "To stand alongside so many inspiring social enterprises, all of them making a difference across Northern Ireland, is a real honour. Further information on AwakenHub and how to join the community can be found online at www.awakenhub.com. PICTURED ABOVE: Karen Sugrue Hennessy, Vice Chair of Tourism Ireland; Karen Henderson, Visit Derry; Maressa McWilliams, City of Derry Airport; Dr Caoimhe Archibald, Economy Minister for Northern Ireland; Laura McCorry, CEO of Tourism NI; and Lynn Bryce, The Ebrington Hotel, at World Travel Market in London. (Photo: Malcolm McNally) A delegation of tourism companies representing Derry partnered with Tourism Ireland in London this week, to promote Northern Ireland at the worlds largest travel fair, World Travel Market (WTM). The Northern Ireland tourism companies in attendance were also joined by Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald. WTM is the largest B2B event in the global travel and tourism calendar and marks the beginning of Tourism Irelands promotional drive overseas for 2026. It provides an excellent opportunity to meet tour operators and travel trade from around the world, including those serving nascent markets like China, India and the Middle East, as well as GB, Mainland Europe and North America. The tourism businesses from Northern Ireland from premium hotels to whiskey distilleries, visitor attractions and hidden gems of heritage took part in around 1,200 meetings with international tour operators to negotiate and exchange vital contracts for 2026 and beyond and ultimately bring valuable tourists to Northern Ireland. Economy Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald said: Tourism is a vital contributor to the economy. It is a sector I am keen to support and to help grow as we aim for tourism expenditure from our overnight visitors to exceed 2 billion by 2035. Events such as World Travel Market, the largest in the global travel and tourism calendar, are important to help achieve this. The event marks the beginning of Tourism Irelands promotional drive overseas for 2026, where Ireland is positioned as a must-see destination. The tourism businesses in attendance from across the north have the opportunity to meet with operators from across the world and bring tourists to our beautiful island. All of which boosts our economy and places us on the map as a location with a unique story to tell, renowned for our authentic experiences, landscape, heritage and culture. Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, said: Our presence at World Travel Market is extremely important to kick-start our promotional drive overseas for 2026. We were delighted to have 25 tourism companies from every corner of Northern Ireland, join us at this years WTM. World Travel Market presents a unique opportunity for the travel industry to meet, network, negotiate and contract business for 2026 and Tourism Ireland facilitates that connection. We are targeting visitors who do more, see more, enjoy more and therefore spend more during their time on the island of Ireland, to help tourism businesses thrive. A man has been jailed at Derry Magistrates' Court charged with two counts of assaulting police. William Ireland (45) of Rock Mills in Derry was charged with the offences that occurred on July 16 this year after police found him drunk and attempted to help him. Ireland was said to be 'quite aggravated' in the police car and threatened to cut off the air supply of the officers. Following a warning, he struck out at an officer and grabbed his arm. He also twisted the fingers of another officer. The court heard that Ireland has 49 previous convictions, including six assaults on police and a number of drug offences. Defence barrister Michael Donaghy said that Ireland has a 'bad record' but had managed to stay away from court since November 2022. He added that Ireland had been 'experiencing a mental health episode' at the time of the incident and he had only been in a police vehicle as police were concerned about his well being. District Judge Ted Magill described Ireland's behavior as 'bizarre', sentencing him to three months in custody. The proposed over 55's accomodation planned for the bottom of Derry's Waterloo Street has been described as "totally unsuitable". Aontu Ballyarnett representative Emmet Doyle, said the scheme needed to go back to the concept stage as it would be "totally unsuitable for housing due to noise from one of the city's busiest streets". "It is no secret that we need more housing in this city, but it has to be housing that is placed appropriately for those who need it, and placing accommodation for older people at the foot of one of the noisiest streets in the city with access facing right onto it is totally unacceptable," said Mr Doyle. "I don't know of any older people who would want to live on a street where they are almost guaranteed to be woken up in the early hours of the morning a number of times each week. "The acoustic glass proposed as part of the plans will limit noise by up to ten decibels, but anyone who has been in Waterloo Street or Place in the early hours of a Saturday or Sunday morning knows there is no amount of glass that will stop the levels of noise that will inevitably emanate from a street that is almost exclusively entertainment venues. "Aside from the obvious problems with the location, I have concerns about the fact that there are no parking facilities, and the fire escape at the back of the building is limited in space and faces the City Walls. If an older resident was bed-bound and needed to be evacuated to an ambulance for example, bollards would need to be removed from outside the premises at the front of the building to allow access in the midst of a one-way system. "It is beyond me how Clanmil, Councillors, CCI and Planners thought this would be a good addition to the city centre and meet the needs of older people seeking accommodation. It's fairly obvious that their research didn't include standing in Waterloo Place at 1am on a Sunday morning to identify the noise levels and access difficulties, but they will expect people to live there," said Mr Doyle, who added: "This whole concept needs to be brought back to the drawing board we need more housing in Derry, but not at any cost. People are rightly asking me what will happen to this building when, I believe inevitably, no-one will want to live there long term." 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. Members of the local Sudanese community will gather in Guildhall Square on Monday evening to highlight the terrible atrocities taking place in their country. It is over two years since Sudan was plunged into war after a vicious struggle for power broke out between its army and the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). But the horrors being visited upon the countrys civilian population reached a new level of brutality last month when the RSF seized a key military base in El Fasher, a city in Sudans Darfur region. After the capture, the RSF was accused of killing more than 2,000 unarmed civilians, with Yale Universitys Humanitarian Research Lab calling the level of violence comparable to the first 24 hours of the Rwandan genocide. Reports suggest that up to 150,000 people have lost their lives in Sudan in the past two years, with the Sudanese Government describing what is happening as a genocide. According to the UN Security Council, the east African country is in the grip of the worlds worst hunger and displacement crisis with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants facing starvation. Famine conditions have already been confirmed in El Fasher and Kadugli. Derrys Sudanese community, supported by United Against Racism, are encouraging people to join them on Monday evening at 6pm for a vigil in Guildhall Square aimed at highlighting the ongoing barbarity. Among the speakers will be Farida Hassan who had to flee Sudan in March this year due to her political activism. Ms Hassan said, We are holding this peaceful vigil to demand an end to the war in Sudan and to stop the ethnic cleansing, sexual violence and starvation of innocent children. This is a military conflict between two armed forces. It is not a civil war and innocent civilians are paying with their lives. It is time for the world to act and help end the suffering of the Sudanese people. A former Derry teacher who was tragically killed in an accident was described as flamboyant who stood out from among others today. Paddy Flanagan, a retired teacher from the Waterside area of Derry, died in hospital a short time after being found seriously injured on the Foreglen Road, Dungiven on November 2. Police believe Mr Flanagan may have been the victim of a hit-and-run incident. Mr Flanagan had previously taught at St Columbas Primary School in Newbuildings. Speaking to mourners at this morning's Requiem Mass in The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Trench Road, parish priest Fr Michael Canny said the 69-year-old was a big part of the Prehen and Newbuildings community for a long and significant number of years. Fr Canny continued: We all know him of course, as being that flamboyant person and in more latter years with his hat, and we see it on the coffin here today, and of course also his dress and his hairstyle, he certainly stood out from among others. The parish priest added that Mr Flanagan grew up in the Woodside Road area of the Waterside as part of a big family, where he had many happy days with friends and people from all sections of the community. Paddy was also full of fun, Fr Canny said. He enjoyed so many things, the family told me about an occasion when Paddy was out with a home made bow-and-arrow and shot one of his brothers. So Paddy and mischief went hand and hand. A former pupil of St Columb's College, Fr Canny told mourners that Mr Flanagan was a teacher of his time but seen the best in all of his pupils. He believed in discipline and hard work from all of his students. He also had a lot of fun and loved each and every one of them (pupils). Paddy saw in each and every one of them, their own individual dignity and their own importance and he tried to get out of each and every one of them the best. They may not have thought it at the time, they might not have realised it at the time but of course he saw in each person and unique character, a unique person and he wanted for each and every one of them to grow up to be the best people they could be. He knew and valued the importance of education. He was associated with St Columba's Primary School and saw many pupils down through the years and got them through the Eleven Plus, working hard with them and sharing sweets with them. Fr Canny described Mr Flanagan as a family person with a razor wit. I met him about three weeks ago, Fr Canny said. I said to him 'Paddy how are you doing', and he said 'how do you think I'd be doing living in a house with two women!'. I said, 'well Paddy you've got two and I can't even get one'. But of course, Paddy was a husband and a father and they tell me he was their cook but he wasn't their cleaner, but Paddy was an important part of their life. He added: Many other people know Paddy from his social life, as well as his flamboyant dress. I think he also had many different friends in many different places sharing a a beer or whatever. Mr Flanagan was the beloved husband of Paula, loving father of Sian, cherished son of Patricia and the late Eamon and dear brother of Sean, Michael, Margaret, Geraldine, Pauline, Eamon, Kevin, Seamus and Noel. Mr Flanagan was laid to rest in the City Cemetery. 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. Supply Technologies, a division of ParkOhio, has officially opened its new branch in Dundalk, marking a significant milestone in its continued European expansion. The company has established the branch on Northlink Business Park, in a 15,000 sq ft facility, creating 20 new jobs to support manufacturers across Ireland, particularly in the growing industrial hubs from Newry to Dublin and across to Galway. The grand opening was attended by Councillor Sean Kelly, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, who performed the official ribbon-cutting alongside Supply Technologies President, Brian Norris, who travelled from the companys global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio for the occasion. Cllr Sean Kelly, Cathaoirleach of Louth County Council, said: We are delighted to welcome Supply Technologies to Dundalk. Their investment in County Louth is a strong vote of confidence in our local economy and workforce. This new facility not only brings high-quality jobs to the region but also strengthens our position as a hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation. Louth County Council looks forward to supporting their continued growth and success. James Smetham, Managing Director - Europe & Asia, at Supply Technologies, said: The opening of our Dundalk branch strengthens our position in the European market and demonstrates our commitment to supporting Irelands manufacturing community. This facility will allow us to work even more closely with customers, providing invaluable support, expertise, and collaboration across a wide range of industries. We are extremely proud to establish a presence in Dundalk, creating new employment and contributing to the strength of Irelands manufacturing supply chain. A spokesperson for the company added: Supply Technologies brings to Ireland its expertise in global supply chain management of assembly components for manufacturers across hundreds of industries. Using advanced digital technologies and tailored delivery solutions, the company helps manufacturers streamline production, reduce costs, and increase competitiveness in global markets. The new Dundalk branch is strategically located to enable Supply Technologies to provide its customers in Irelands data centre, electrical distribution, medical device and other manufacturing sectors with enhanced local support and supply chain solutions. Read Next: Dundalks own Tara Erraught set for Northern Ireland opera debut The site is part of the companys journey of continuing expansion building its portfolio to more than 70 facilities located on three continents. The global branch network seamlessly manage and supply tens of billions of parts and materials annually to some of the worlds most demanding manufacturers. The Dundalk branch will hold and manage customer inventory, ensuring uninterrupted access to the components and equipment essential for their manufacturing operations. A man who filmed the sexual abuse of his partners young niece, was jailed for seven years and three months at Dundalk Circuit Court last week. The 45-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the victims identity, pleaded guilty to eight offences including four sample counts of sexual assault, one of possessing child abuse material and three of producing child sexual abuse images at a location in County Louth and a further charge of sexual exploitation of a child between February 2015 and April 2023 . The court heard he has been in protective custody since he was remanded to Cloverhill prison, where he is locked up 23 hours "less the time it takes to take a shower". Judge Dara Hayes noted the defendant was in the 35 to 43 age range when the offending occurred. READ NEXT: Criminal Assets Bureau seized substantial Louth property It came to light over five and a half years ago, when the young girl who had known him all her life, told her mother she had been sexually assaulted by her aunt's partner, before she left to go on a sleepover at the defendant's home. She said it happened 'lots of times' and it did not make her feel good and the defendant had told her to keep it a secret. Her aunt's partner initially said there was no truth to any of the allegations, but he later accepted it happened and said he was probably a paedophile. Seven thumbnail images of the girl and three video files were recovered when the defendant's phone was seized and the search history was for key phrases associated with child abuse material and searches related to countries with a lower age of consent. He had one previous conviction from 2020 for the unlawful possession of drugs. Probation and psychological reports were prepared for the sentencing hearing and Judge Hayes noted the defendant had been abused as a child. He began drinking alcohol at 14, taking cannabis at 15 and progressed to cocaine in his 20s and up to his incarceration continued daily cannabis use. Judge Hayes said the defendant had been unwilling to discuss "certain aspects of his life" and appears to have engaged better with the psychologist who assessed him, than his Probation officer. However, he had disengaged from One in Four after being challenged over discrepancies in his accounts. He was assessed as being at high risk of reoffending. The judge added the 45-year-old had demonstrated shame, embarrassment and had expressed guilt over the impact of his offending on both the victim and her family. The psychologist's assessment was "somewhat lower" than the Probation officer's. Judge Hayes said the defendant had sexually assaulted his "de facto niece"and made videos of his abuse. The girl's mother noticed a change in September 2022 with upsetting outbursts at school and at home and when her daughter told her about the abuse it was as if a weight "had been lifted off her shoulders". The girl's father, in his victim impact statement, said his sister had taken the defendant's side and said hurtful things about her niece. He has not spoken to her since and it has caused irreparable damage to his relationship with his family and his wife's relationship with his father "is destroyed". Judge Hayes said it cannot be known what impact the abuse will have on the victim in her adolescence and into adulthood but she has the support of loving parents. The judge imposed concurrent sentences of five and a half year for the sexual assaults, and consecutive sentences of one year and nine months for possession of the child abuse material and two years and nine months for production of the child abuse images. That amounts to an effective sentence of eight years and three months, but Judge Hayes said it is the clear opinion that he requires further supervision and counselling and as such he was suspending the final 12 months on the defendant entering a good behaviour bond for five years and that he places himself under the supervision of the Probation Service for three years post release. He must also engage with the preparation of a plan for post release supervision and engage with offence-focused work, and with addiction counselling and residential drug treatment as directed. The defendant must also take part in the Safer Lives sex offenders programme and have no contact directly or indirectly with the victim, her parents or siblings. He is not allowed to reside in the same household as a person under the age of 18 without the approval of his Probation officer or have contact with children without the approval of the Probation officer or the child protection agency. An ex-IRA man has vowed to keep trying to help locate the remains of Disappeared soldier Robert Nairac. Martin McAllister described the situation as an open running sore in south Armagh where the Grenadier Guards captain was last seen alive in 1977. Information he secured led to the first official search for his remains last year by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR). Capt Nairac is considered to be part of a group known as the Disappeared, who were killed and secretly buried by paramilitary groups. The search for his remains in Louth ended without success last October. A new BBC film, The Disappearance Of Captain Nairac hears of his love of Ireland from his friends, from colleagues who saw him as unconventional and locals in south Armagh who nicknamed him Danny Boy. It hears that Capt Nairac had walked into the Three Steps Bar in Drumintee on the night of Saturday May 14 1977, undercover, dressed in a donkey jacket and jeans, hoping for a breakthrough in the intelligence war against the IRA. Those in the bar remember him drawing attention to himself, saying he had lost his cigarettes and also asking for advice on routes across the border without army checkpoints. He maintained he was a republican from Belfast called Danny McErlean and sang two rebel songs. However, a group of local men are understood to have become suspicious, overpowered him in the car park, took him across the border and shot him. The programme heard an account of a man in the car who said they called the local IRA Officer Commander, who arrived drunk, and told them to shoot Capt Nairac. He said he pretended to be a priest to try and elicit a confession, but then withdrew, adding he heard shots fired as he walked away. He went on to say he hopes some day Capt Nairacs body will be given to his sisters, and wanted to sympathise for the part he played. Former local councillor Seamus Murphy recalled Capt Nairac as having stood out, greeting people in Irish in Crossmaglen and showing off a knowledge of Irish history. He had a certain swagger and arrogance about him, and an awful habit of putting his gun down and walking away from it which everyone thought was strange, he said. Everyone knew he wasnt an ordinary soldier, but they thought he was a roaring idiot, and probably dangerous. He also said he saw him in full undercover mode once at the cattle mart in Newry, dressed as a farmer and pretending to be a bit drunk. However, an anonymous former army intelligence officer described Capt Nairacs role in an area known as the IRAs greatest stronghold, where soldiers had to be brought in and out by helicopter, as absolutely imperative, being out on the ground, talking to people and identifying potential agents. Capt Nairacs biographer Alistair Kerr said he was said to have believed he was on the verge of an intelligence break through recruiting someone with serious links to the IRA on the night he disappeared. A former RUC intelligence officer said he had a touch of 007 about him and took risks he would never take. He said he believed Capt Nairac went to the pub that night as he cultivated a friendship with a woman who was very close to an IRA figure, and hoped to gain information through her about her relatives. Capt Nairacs friend Jemima Parry-Jones said he loved Ireland and was passionate about the Troubles not going on. He wanted to be a part of stopping it which meant he took risks, she said. Mr McAllister said he has always been fascinated by the Nairac story, describing a open running sore in this area. He said he was in prison at the time of the abduction, but said he has learned those who abducted Capt Nairac were IRA sympathisers, not members, and all scarpered after, adding they had nothing to do with the burial. Rumours were circulated about Capt Nairac following his disappearance, adding to the confusion. Mr McAllister said in the decades since every imaginable horror has been laid at his door, with claims he was involved in atrocities such as the Miami Showband killings, the Kingsmill Massacre and the Dublin Monaghan bombings. It just becomes a figure of speech with no proof, he said. Mr McAllister described speaking to lots of people to put together a jigsaw puzzle of what happened. Read Next: Men charged in connection to fire at IPAS centre in Louth He said, while people are shy about giving information, they will give it to him. Its been on my mind constantly because its an open running sore in this area, he said. This man was a soldier, and I was his enemy, but to disappear somebody is something I never ever agreed with. No one should be left in such a position whereby they havent a grave to visit. This man should be back with his family. He has pledged that he will not give up on his search, describing it as a matter of honour. The Disappearance Of Captain Nairac will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Northern Ireland from Monday November 10 at 10.40pm. Bound for Canada: A Musical Journey from Hardship to Hope, an orchestral suite composed by Dundalk Institute of Technology doctoral graduate Dr. Odhran O Casaide, will make its Irish premiere in Ballina Arts Centre this December The 80-minute orchestral suite, composed by Dr. Odhran O Casaide, forms the centrepiece of his recently completed doctoral research at Dundalk Institute of Technology. The work pays tribute to the resilience and courage of the Irish Famine migrants who, in 1847, embarked on their perilous journeys in search of a new life. It also serves as a heartfelt expression of gratitude to the compassionate people of Canada who provided refuge, care, and hope to the thousands of Irish men, women, and children who arrived on those distant shores during one of the darkest chapters in our shared history. The evening will include a welcome from Councillor Sean Carey, Cathaoirleach Mayo County Council and special guests, Minister Dara Calleary, T.D. Minister for Social Protection and Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and Robert G. Kearns, Founding Chair, Canada Ireland Foundation. The orchestra will be conducted by Pat Kenny, Musical Director with The Garda Band, and will feature the following performers: Sibeal (Sean-nos vocalist) Ellen Fair (Soprano) Patrick Lacken (Tenor) Dr. Odhran O Casaide Maitiu O Casaide (Uilleann Pipes) The Garda Band St Muredach's Cathedral Choir All proceeds from both evenings will go directly to Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation to support its future development of a Childrens Hospice for the Western Seaboard, with further details to be announced in the coming weeks. Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation provides palliative care services to people with life limiting illnesses and their families in County Mayo and County Roscommon. Martina Jennings, CEO of Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation, said: It is so special to have Bound for Canada premiere here in Mayo and I am incredibly proud that our next project will benefit from whats going to be a truly fantastic event. This concert represents hope, compassion, and community coming together in support of children and families who need it most. We are extremely grateful to everyone involved. Dr. Sheila Flanagan, Vice President Academic Affairs, DkIT, said We are delighted to bring Bound for Canada to County Mayo following its successful premiere in Toronto. This sweeping musical epic represents a creative, skilled, and moving rendering of a major chapter in the conjoined histories of Ireland and Canada. It is a tribute to Canada for its compassionate response to Ireland in a year of desperate, apocalyptic need and it is indeed appropriate that the narrative within the music is representative of hope. We are thrilled to support Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation in its future development of a Childrens Hospice through this concert event. Joanne Grehan, Director of Services, Mayo County Council, added Mayo County Council, in collaboration with our event partners, is proud to welcome Bound for Canada to Ballina - a celebration of the enduring relationship between County Mayo and our diaspora community in Canada. This event represents a meaningful opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to strengthening international connections and fostering relationships that honour our shared heritage. It also opens new avenues for cultural, social, and economic collaboration between Mayo and our global family. Read Next: Supply Technologies opens new Dundalk branch creating 20 jobs "We are especially honoured to once again welcome His Excellency Dennis King, Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, to County Mayo. His presence at this event underscores the importance of our transatlantic ties and the mutual respect that continues to grow between our communities. "In addition to celebrating our diaspora, this occasion also supports the future development of a vital new Hospice service for the people of Mayo and the wider region - a testament to our collective values of compassion, care, generosity of spirit and community. "Mayo County Council looks forward to welcoming audiences to Ballina Arts Centre on 5th and 6th December for what promises to be a significant, enjoyable and memorable event. To book tickets for the event, visit www.ballinaartscentre.com To make a donation, see www.hospice.ie Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, today announced almost 130k in funding for projects in Louth and surrounding areas under the 2025 LGBTIQ+ Community Services Fund. The money is part of 1.7 million in funding for projects announced nationwide. The government say the overall aim of the 2025 LGBTIQ+ Community Services Fund is to promote inclusion, protect rights and to improve quality of life and wellbeing for members of the LGBTIQ+ community enabling them to participate fully in Ireland's social, economic, cultural, and political life. The breakdown for funding to the five projects in Louth and surrounding areas is: Outcomers Project: Operation Rainbow Funding: 94,558.00 Location: Louth, Meath, Cavan, and Monaghan Drogheda LGBT Support Group Project: RISE: Resilience, Inclusion, Support & Empowerment for LGBT+ Drogheda Funding: 9,000.00 Location: Louth Navan Pride CLG Project: Navan Pride Festival 2026 Funding: 10,000.00 Location: Meath and Louth Outcomers Drogheda Project: Outcomers Drogheda Safety & Wellbeing Programme Funding: 7,056.00 Location: Louth and Meath Queer Shed Louth/Meath Project: Queer Shed-Louth/Meath Funding: 9,000.00 Location: Louth and Meath Grants of up to 100,000 are being provided to 43 LGBTIQ+ community service-based projects nationally. Fianna Fail TD Erin McGreehan welcomes the announcement that LGBTIQ+ projects across the North East will receive funding under the 2025 LGBTIQ+ Community and Services Fund. The announcement was made today by Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley TD, who confirmed that 1.7 million in funding will support 43 local LGBTIQ+ projects nationwide. Louth TD Deputy McGreehan said the funding represents an important investment in equality, inclusion, and community spirit, ensuring that all our citizens feel included, accepted, and represented. I am delighted that projects across the North East are included in todays funding. Drogheda LGBT Support Group has received 9,000 and Outcomers Drogheda will benefit from 94,558 for a number of groups across the North East under the 2025 LGBTIQ+ Community and Services Fund. It is essential that our LGBTIQ+ friends, neighbours, and families feel represented and supported within our communities - that they feel seen, heard, and valued for who they are, McGreehan said. She praised the work of the local projects, noting their dedication to making real change and standing up for equality every single day. These groups are so important. They give, they support - and they help ensure that everyone, no matter their identity, feels safe, accepted, and loved. Coming to terms with your identity can be a challenging journey for some, and these local organisations play a crucial role in providing counselling, youth support, and community spaces where people can be their authentic selves. Concluding, McGreehan expressed gratitude to Minister Norma Foley for her continued support of inclusion and equality: I want to thank my colleague, Minister Foley, for her leadership in delivering this funding to 43 projects nationwide. To the organisers, volunteers, and advocates who make these initiatives possible, your work is invaluable, and your commitment is helping to build a kinder, fairer Ireland. Welcoming the announcement, Minister Foley said: I am delighted to announce this funding for projects at a national, regional and local level to ensure that LGBTIQ+ persons across Ireland can avail of these crucial supports and continue to thrive in their communities. Read Next: Men charged in connection to fire at IPAS centre in Louth Funding of over 1.7 million will enable 43 organisations to support LGBTIQ+ persons in a range of ways including frontline community supports, counselling services, youth supports and Pride celebrations. The continued interest in the Community Services Fund over the last five years demonstrates the willingness of communities around the country to support LGBTIQ+ persons. The National LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Strategy II 2024-2028 was also published this year and outlines the governments commitment to responding to continued challenges facing the LGBTIQ+ community and ensuring they are supported in realising their rights." The recent outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu on a turkey farm in Carlow has caused much concern across the country, with the Department of Agriculture imposing a mandatory housing order for poultry and captive birds starting from 10 November. Earlier this week, the National Chair of the IFA's Poultry Committee, Nigel Sweetman, said that the outbreak discovered in Carlow is "very, very worrying" and encouraged all farmers to take the necessary precautions to avoid its spread. The outbreak in Carlow follows the closure of Fota Wildlife Park until the end of November due to the detection of the virus in a flock of geese at the park. The virus has been identified in over 40 wild birds across Ireland this year, however the Carlow farm is the first outbreak in a commercial poultry flock in a number of years. Can people contract bird flu? Now, what many people are wondering is whether or not people can pick up the bird flu. The answer is yes, although it is very rare to find cases of bird flu in people. According to the HSE, bird flu or 'avian influenza' is a type of flu infection that spreads among birds. It does not spread easily to humans and the spread of the flu from person to person is very rare. READ NEXT: Refusing guide dogs, overcharging and bad hygiene: Thousands of complaints made against taxis That being said, it is possible. You can contract bird flu if you are in close contact with a bird that has it. The HSE considers close contacts to include touching infected birds that are dead or alive, touching their waste or bedding, and killing or preparing infected poultry for cooking. However, they also note that "you cannot get bird flu by eating poultry or eggs that are fully cooked, even in an area with an outbreak." Symptoms of bird flu in people: If a person does contract bird flu, it takes about 3 to 5 days for the first symptoms to appear. The main symptoms include a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or above, feeling hot or shivery, aching muscles, headaches, and a cough or shortness of breath. Some other early symptoms to look out for are diarrhoea, stomach pain, chest pain, bleeding from the nose and gums, and conjunctivitis. How to avoid catching bird flu: Luckily, it is rare for people to catch bird flu and there are many ways to prevent contracting it. The HSE advises not to go near or touch bird poo and sick or dead birds. Do not visit live animal markets or poultry farms if you do not need to, do not bring live birds, poultry or feathers into the country, do not eat poultry that is raw or undercooked, and do not eat raw eggs. The HSE also encourages people to take some simple steps to avoid its spread such as washing hands often with warm water and soap, especially when handling food and raw poultry. They also advise to use different utensils and surfaces for raw meat and cooked meat, make sure meat is cooked until steaming hot, and report any sick or dead wild birds. In the War of Independence, the province of Munster was the most violent region of Ireland, and the IRA men in East Cork made a huge contribution to the war effort. A new book, The War Of Independence In East Cork, published by The History Press last month, revisits that time and place more than a century ago. The cover depicts a photograph of the East Cork Flying Column, and the book was extensively researched and written by East Cork men Tom ONeill, Eugene Power, and Paul Busteed. It spans more than 400 pages and is richly illustrated with photographs, some of which have never been published before, as well as specially commissioned drawings and maps. The book contains comprehensive lists of the IRA men and Crown Forces who were involved in the battles, ambushes, and attacks, that took place in the area between 1919 and 1921. It provides details of all major and minor engagements between the IRA and the Crown Forces. These actions have never been so extensively researched and published in such a balanced and comprehensive manner, claim the authors. East Cork was the area of operations of the Fourth Battalion, First Cork Brigade, IRA, and the area was particularly violent, with many IRA ambushes and attacks on Crown Forces. The new book was released in recent weeks. The battalion consisted of 17 companies, and the activities of each are featured in the book, including the formation of the companies, lists of the active IRA members, and the actions they carried out. The details of the Company activities were compiled from accounts written by the IRA veterans involved in the actions. The amount of information available on each company in the book is a reflection on how active each company was. During the War of Independence, the IRA men were greatly assisted in their struggle for independence by the boys of Na Fianna and the local women of Cumann na mBan. They stand for the honour of Ireland, As their sisters in days that are gone, And theyll march with their brothers to freedom, The soldiers of Cumann na mBan. The Royal Irish Constabulary Barracks in Carrigtwohill was the first police barracks in Ireland to be attacked, captured and destroyed by the IRA during the War of Independence. This action is covered in detail in the book, and the content includes the names of the IRA volunteers and the members of the RIC garrison that were involved. The successful IRA attacks on the RIC barracks in Cloyne and Castlemartyr are also covered in the same detail. The 4th Battalion flying column was formed at Knockraha, east of Cork city, in late September, 1920, under the command of Comdt Diarmuid Hurley. Following the completion of their training, the members of the column moved through all parts of East Cork, to engage the Crown Forces. The authors have managed to determine where the column set up their temporary bases and the engagements the men were involved in, from the time they left Knockraha, until the time the column was destroyed at Clonmult. The columns very narrow escape from Cloyne is well documented, as is the disaster at Clonmult. The details of the Midleton ambush on December 29, 1920, which resulted in the deaths of an RIC Special Constable and two Black and Tans, are included, as are the resulting official reprisals carried out in the town. The reprisals were the first to take place in Ireland during the War of Independence. Several other actions have been researched in detail for The War Of Independence In East Cork, including the ambushes at Mile Bush, Ballyedekin, Churchtown North, Bunker Hill, the Cobh quarry attack, and Youghal Bridge, among others. The killings in Aghada, Ballycotton, Ballymacoda, Castlemartyr, Cobh, and Midleton, and at the grenade and mine factory in Knockraha are all extensively covered. The blowing up of the band of the Hampshire Regiment outside Youghal is fully detailed, and as a further indication of the historical balance of the book, the Crown Forces account of the bombing and extracts from the Military Court of Inquiry In Lieu of an Inquest are included. The accounts of the actions in the book were taken from primary sources, contemporary newspapers, and documents. The authors made extensive use of the Irish Military Archives in Dublin and the UK National Archives, Kew, London, and newspaper archives from Ireland and the UK. There are complete lists and details in the book of those who lost their lives violently in the area, including members of the IRA, RIC, British Army and civilians. There are 19 appendices, including organisation charts and nominal rolls of the opposing forces. There is also a poem titled In Memory of Diarmuid Hurley, the slain commander of the East Cork Flying Column. The book is extensively footnoted throughout, and there is a bibliography. It aims to present a balanced history of the exciting, dangerous, dramatic, and terrible times of the war between the IRA and the Crown Forces. The authors hope it will be a valuable source of reference and an outstanding addition to our understanding of that time. It is available from most bookshops, and online. An illustrated historical presentation on the book will be available for schools, libraries, societies, etc, from the middle of November. The first presentation will be held in Cobh Library on November 22 at 2pm, it will be a free event, no booking required. Residents of East Cork have been warned to avoid third-party operators who are offering to install flood barriers on their homes, because the cost of these cannot be reimbursed from the council, despite what the operators are claiming. The Midleton and East Cork Individual Property Protection (IPP) Scheme involves Cork County Council sourcing and providing IPP to eligible applicants. In a statement issued this week, the council said: Cork County Council understands that members of the public in the East Cork area have been approached by third-party operators who have offered to install flood protection on their property, if costs are paid up front. The operators are advising that the property owner can then contact Cork County Council for reimbursement of these costs. These third parties are not working on behalf of the Council, and there will be no avenue for reimbursement through Cork County Council should payments be made directly to these operators. They added that property owners who are due to receive barriers through the Individual Property Protection (IPP) scheme currently underway will be contacted by the contractors appointed by Cork County Council, adding: There is no cost to the property owner receiving barriers through the IPP Scheme. If a member of the public has any concerns about the IPP scheme, they should contact Cork County Council by email at ipp@corkcoco.ie, or by telephone 021-4386619. A British Labour MP with Cobh connections welcomed students from Colaiste Muire in Cobh for a tour of the Houses of Parliament in London's Westminster recently. Liam Conlon, the newly-elected Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge in south London, gave the students a tour after the school contacted the MP to ask if he could arrange a visit to the UK parliament. Mr Conlons grandmother was from Cobh, having lived on Harbour View before moving to Co Down. The tour itself was arranged by the MP's office manager, Donal Sheehan, who is from Charleville, which further strengthened the Cork ties to the visit. Students were given a comprehensive tour led by Mr Conlon himself that included a behind-the-scenes look at the Palace of Westminster, the home of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Mr Conlon said that taking a group of students from Cobh on the tour was a poignant moment. I was born in London, but being London Irish is a big part of my identity and Im proud to be a dual British-Irish citizen. Parliament wasnt sitting on the day the school were in London. But when I heard they were from Cobh, I moved appointments so I could be there myself to show them around. They were a fantastic group. They asked lots of thought-provoking and interesting questions. They are a real credit to their school and great ambassadors for Cork. " Tadhg Murphy, assistant principal from Colaiste Muire Cobh added: The tour of Parliament was an extraordinary educational experience for our history students. It was a wonderful surprise to be shown around by an MP with a connection to Cobh. It just made the whole visit more special. The students truly appreciated the opportunity to see where laws are made and historic decisions taken. They won't soon forget their day in Westminster. " Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said Uisce Eireann has no excuse for high levels of manganese up to eight times the maximum levels permitted in EU law found recently in Cork citys public drinking water supplies. Mr Martin told The Echo that water is a public health issue, and the question of water quality simply has to be dealt with. Manganese is a naturally occurring mineral which can, at high levels, be extremely harmful, potentially affecting brain development in children, and in adults it can also cause symptoms similar to Parkinsons disease. The EU Drinking Water (2023) Regulations allow a maximum of 50 microgrammes per litre (g/L). In one week in September, manganese levels of 428g/L were recorded at Friars Walk, more than eight times the EU limit, as shown in data released following a Freedom of Information query by Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould. That same week, beginning September 22, levels of 271g/L, more than five times the EU limit, were recorded at College Rd, while levels of 100g/L were recorded at Capwell and 108g/L at Deerpark, both of which were twice the EU limit. Between January and the end of September this year, two-thirds of all tests carried out in the Ballyhooley Rd B area showed manganese levels above EU maximums, while half of those carried out in the Ballyhooley Rd A area also failed to meet regulations. In February, the HSE expressed alarm at high levels of manganese in drinking water in Cork city, telling Uisce Eireann that if such exposure was ongoing, its immediate recommendation would be a Do Not Consume notice. In March, manganese levels of 193g/L were recorded at Richmond Tce, off Gardiners Hill, almost four times the EU maximum, and when The Echo published those figures in September, Mr Martin described the situation as very serious. Its quite shocking that the levels would be that high, and if known about, the public should be made aware of it, of course, he said at the time. Asked about the latest figures, Mr Martin said he had met recently with both Uisce Eireann and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and, he said, there are issues there. The EPA have raised issues, and Im not entirely happy with the responses, there are issues in particular sites and locations, said Mr Martin. This speaks to governance, proper governance and management in wastewater treatment plants and in water supply plants, and there can be no excuse for that, and thats my view on that. The Taoiseach said he had also spoken with housing minister James Browne, who has responsibility for Uisce Eireann. Water is about public health, its a public health issue, said Mr Martin. You know, if you take other plants and other sectors like pharmacy, these issues dont arise, cant arise, and it should not arise in the context of water. Now, what Uisce Eireann will say, in its defence, is that the transition from local authorities to the national body has been slow and difficult, and all of that, but to me, public health is the bottom line here, and this simply has to be dealt with. A spokesperson for Uisce Eireann said: In 2025, the vast majority of samples taken across the network are compliant: 94% for manganese, 96% for iron, and 94% for colour. Following all exceedances at customer properties, including those in September an investigation is carried out, reactive flushing is typically undertaken, and follow-up sampling arranged. For the locations referenced, multiple compliant sample results have been returned since the reactive flushing work was carried out. Eight artists from Cork were among those honoured at the Oireachtas na Samhna 2025 Performing Arts Competitions, which was held in Belfast last weekend. Oireachtas na Samhna, is the annual showcase event organised by An tOireachtas featuring the best of sean-nos performing arts. The festival programme typically includes junior and senior competitions, formal and informal music and singing sessions, exhibitions, seminars, drama, and a host of fringe events. This years programme included 65 performing arts competitions for young people and adults, as well as music and singing sessions, exhibitions, seminars, plays, multi-thematic clubs and numerous discussion and discourse events. A range of competitions and events were broadcast live on TG4 and RTE Raidio na Gaeltachta, with live shows and podcasts on Raidio Failte, Raidio Ri-Ra, Raidio na Life, and BBC Gaeilge. Mairin Nic Dhonnchadha, CEO of An tOireachtas, said the winners from this years competition are an expression of the best. Congratulations to the winners and everyone who took part in the Oireachtas na Samhna 2025 Performing Arts Competitions, said Ms Nic Dhonnchadha. Oireachtas na Samhna is an expression of the best, most positive, and most exciting parts of our culture, our language and our arts. Cork actor Aidan OCallaghan, who hails from Innishannon and attended Hamilton High School in Bandon, has joined the cast of Coronation Street. This achievement makes him the first Irish actor to appear in all three major UK soaps - Coronation Street, EastEnders, and Emmerdale. He previously made history as the first and only Irish actor to appear in both Emmerdale and EastEnders. Aidan's growing career also includes roles in international productions such as Netflixs The Witcher: Blood Origin, Starzs The Rook, and Skys Wolfe. Recently back from Chicago film festival, he earned acclaim for his work opposite acclaimed Irish actress Olwen Fouere in the award-winning Irish feature film The Reckoning of Erin Morrigan. A public meeting will be held today to discuss the future of Cork City Library. In September 1930, the city library moved to its current home at 57-58 Grand Parade, its collection rebuilt after the destruction of the Carnegie Library on Anglesea St during the Burning of Cork. Officially opened as the Terence MacSwiney Library in 1979 by the then taoiseach Jack Lynch, the librarys staff have long contended that it is no longer fit for purpose. In 2021, Cork City Council announced that funding of 46.05m from Ireland 2040s Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) for the Grand Parade Quarter would help regenerate the southern end of the Grand Parade. That regeneration would include Bishop Lucey Park, which is due to reopen this month. In addition, the funding will enable public realm works in Tuckey St and South Main St, the council said. It is proposed to develop the area with a mix of cultural activity, job creation and housing. The funding will also help progress plans to develop a new 7,700 square-metre city library that will facilitate up to one million visits in this quarter. In April of this year, Cork City Council chief executive Valerie OSullivan said the library would have to move because its just not good enough for a European city. It is not a library befitting Cork, she told the Irish Examiner. Id prefer to move the library into something of a far higher standard to cater for a growing population than spend money on refurbishing whats there. Counting House Asked if the former Beamish and Crawford Counting House on South Main St might be a suitable venue, Ms OSullivan said: I think it would be fantastic as a library. The Counting House was restored by developers Bam in 2021, as office and cultural space, but the building has been vacant since. A spokesperson for Cork City Council said on Friday: The City Library Service is an important component of the cultural, literary, and recreational infrastructure of Cork City and its community now and into the future. The commitment to providing a new city library of scale and substance is one that is a priority for Cork City Council. Work is ongoing to make this happen and further updates will be provided as this matter progresses, they said. A public meeting to discuss the library is to be held at 11am today, Saturday, November 8, in the South Parish Community Centre. Hosted by Padraig Rice, Social Democrats TD for Cork South Central, and councillor Niamh OConnor, the meeting will be chaired by former Independent senator Colette Kelleher. Speakers will include Gerry Kelly of the Cork School of Music Campaign, Jude Sherry and Frank OConnor from Dereliction Ireland, and Louise Cotter, the architect behind the Dun Laoghaire Library. Mr Rice said Cork City needed a new, fit-for-purpose central library. The people of our city care about the library and their voices deserve to be heard, he said. This is why I would encourage anyone interested in the future of the city library to join us on November 8 between 11am and 1pm in the South Parish Community Centre. The nurse who found 61-year-old Michael Foley lying dead in a pool of blood in his kitchen told the judge and jury at his murder trial that he used to be very proud of his house buying trinkets and other items to decorate it. Ciara Harmon said he also spent an awful lot of his money on alcohol, but was organised enough to put some aside to pay for heating and so forth. Ms Harmon said he had moved into the house in October 2022 under the auspices of the Simon Community, Focus Ireland, and the HSE. She said he was required to get permission to have overnight guests, but that he invited people without permission. The late Mr Foley told her he wanted to give people who were not fortunate enough to have a place of their own somewhere to stay, but she said she felt that sometimes he would invite them over for a session. On occasions this resulted in complaints from residents to the council about peoples behaviour in the area. Ms Harmon said it quietened down for a few months, but it did start again. Care worker Niamh Kelleher used to call to Michael Foleys home as well to see how he was getting on, and she testified that she called to him the week before his death: He was his usual self charismatic and chatty. Garda Fintan Coffey was one of the first gardai on the scene, and he described what he saw: I could see there was a substantial amount of blood on the floor and there appeared to be footmarks in it. He added that the soles of the deceased mans shoes when he was found on the floor did not appear to have blood on them. Sixty-one-year old Michael Foley. Garda Coffey said the deceased had a jacket draped across the bottom half of his torso, and had what he described as a very nasty injury to his left ear. This witness also said: I could see a large blood spatter on the wall. Much of yesterdays evidence in the trial consisted of CCTV from shops and street cameras of various parties to the case in and around Macroom. Daniel Hourigan, aged 32, who is originally from Farranree in Cork city, and Linda OFlynn, also aged 32, who is originally from the Hollyhill area of the city, both deny the murder between January 31 and February 1, 2024. Each defendant effectively blames the other. To the murder charge, each of them replied not guilty to murder but guilty of impeding the prosecution of another person. The case will resume on Monday at the Central Criminal Court sitting in Cork before Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford and a jury of nine men and three women. I first learned about climate change in the most harmless way - a PowerPoint presentation in primary school, complete with a clip-art polar bear floating on a melting ice cap. It was distant and abstract, something that lived in the world of someday. But by the time I was in first year of secondary school, that someday had arrived. The tone shifted from isnt this interesting? to this is happening now. When I began taking action at 12, I didnt imagine it would one day bring me from Cork classrooms to the global stage. Yet in a few weeks, Ill travel to Belem, Brazil, as part of University College Corks delegation to the United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP30 - representing students, youth, and communities demanding climate justice. The privilege of being there isnt lost on me. These conferences are, in many ways, exclusionary: spaces where the loudest voices are often the most powerful, not the most affected. But Im determined to bring the latter into the room. My journey into climate activism began - like it does for many - from a mix of fear, frustration, and heartbreak. At the time, I couldnt have articulated the colonial and capitalist roots of the crisis. I didnt know the language of systems or emissions or policy. I just knew it felt the world was burning and nobody cared. The planet I loved - the one I walked through every day - seemed to be slipping away, one flood, one storm, one drought at a time. I recall my family in Somalia calling to say it hadnt rained for months - and then, a few days later, another call: the rains had come, and everything was gone. The crops, animals, soil, the hope. I couldnt yet name it as climate injustice, but I felt it deeply. That feeling - of watching disaster unfold in two places at once - became the starting point for all that followed. That year, with a small group of equally restless young people in my school, we organised Corks first student climate protest. Over 5,000 showed up. I recall standing on Opera Lane with co-organiser Mira Henchi, looking at each other thinking What on earth is going on. Only on reflection can I truly try to articulate the myriad of emotions I felt that day. Happy our hard work paid off, but scared to see so many young people were skipping their right to education to tell their government how to do their job. It was chaotic and beautiful and slightly terrifying (and what Id now describe as dystopian), but it changed everything. It showed us young people could mobilise, we could be heard - even if we had to shout. We didnt stop there. We founded SCAN - the Student Climate Action Network - to give young people in Ireland the tools to organise, protest, and demand better climate education in schools. And it just went up from there. Looking back, I feel incredibly lucky to have come of age during what people now call the Green Wave. It was messy and imperfect, but it was full of energy, solidarity, and something I think weve all been searching for since: hope. Since then, my advocacy has grown. I had the privilege of attending COP27 on behalf of SCAN, as an advisor on the Youth Climate Research Project, and delivering countless workshops in schools, community centres, and boardrooms - helping people make sense of the crisis we face and, more importantly, their place in it. Through it all, one truth has stayed constant: change begins with education. Sumaya Mohammed is attending COP30 in Brazil this month. Education was where I first felt empowered. Its the reason I became an environmentalist in the first place. When people understand an issue, truly understand it, they begin to care in ways that compel them to act. As a second-year Law student, Quercus Active Citizenship Scholar, and Environmental & Sustainability Representative for the UCC Students Union, Ive tried to embed that same philosophy in everything I do. One of the projects closest to my heart has been co-leading the UCCSU Student Food Pantry alongside Cian Walsh - fellow Quercus Scholar and former Environmental Representative. The Pantry tackles two issues often seen as separate but deeply intertwined: food waste and food insecurity. In collaboration with FoodCloud, every week, surplus food that might have gone to landfill is redistributed to students who need it most, turning what could be waste into something genuinely sustaining. Its climate action you can feel - tangible, local, and human. As I prepare to attend COP30 in the Brazilian Amazon, Im acutely aware of whats at stake. Belem - a city in the heart of the rainforest - is both a symbol of the planets fragility and its resilience. Its also where the first global stock-take since the Paris Agreement will take place - when the world is supposed to assess if its still on track to limit warming to 1.5C. Spoiler alert: were not. Current policies put us closer to 2.7C of warming, a path the UN has described as a death sentence for millions. At COP30, Ill be following negotiations under the Just Transition Work Programme - a framework designed to ensure that as we move away from fossil fuels, we dont leave people behind. Because climate policy isnt just about cutting carbon; its about reimagining economies, protecting livelihoods, and addressing centuries of inequality. In Ireland, those conversations are just beginning - about how we support farmers and rural communities via agricultural reform, how we retrain workers from high-emission industries, how we build a future that doesnt just look green on paper, but feels fair in practice. For many in the Global South, however, the term just transition is not a buzzword - its survival. Its the difference between development and displacement. If Im honest, I go into COP with cautious optimism. The climate movement has taught me to be hopeful, but not naive. At COP28 in Dubai, there were 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists - more than the entire delegations of the ten most climate-vulnerable countries combined. Its hard to talk about progress when those most responsible for the crisis have the biggest seats at the table. But I go anyway. Because every time Im in those rooms, I remember the real solutions dont start there - they start here. In Cork, where students line up every Monday for the Food Pantry. In Kenya, where youth groups plant trees to restore degraded land. In Brazil, where Indigenous communities defend the rainforest with their lives. These are the frontlines of climate action. COP, at its best, should amplify them - not overshadow them. When I return from COP30, Ill share what Ive learned with students and the wider community. My hope is that people see these global negotiations not as distant politics, but as something that belongs to all of us. The climate crisis is not an abstract problem to be solved by leaders - its a lived reality, shaped and resisted by ordinary people. GOING OUT THEATRE Saturday Cork City Ballet presents Swan Lake, Cork Opera House, 8pm; Cork City Ballets production promises to be spectacular, from the opulent costumes to the alluring sets. Tickets 36. Never Going Back There, Briery Gap, 8pm; The village of Kyletock in the west of Ireland is a very different place today than in 1970 when Danny Dalton upped sticks and decided to head to England in this new Irish play by Philip O Byrne, Hunters Moon Theatre Co. Tickets 22. Cork One Act Drama Festival 2025, Cork Arts Theatre; Over four nights, the best of local and national drama groups performs one act plays, competing for a place in the All-Ireland One Act Finals Competition in December. Tickets 18. MUSIC Saturday Leah Sohotra, Maureens 3pm; Through poetic reflections, Leah captures both the pain and beauty of transformation; inviting audiences to journey through landscapes of personal and collective memory, intertwined with the natural world. She is accompanied by Martin Leahy. Tickets 22. Thunder Rolls- Garth Brooks Experience, The Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, 8pm; This live band show includes all of Garths biggest hits. Tickets 25. Brian Kennedy, Murrays Bar, Macroom, 8pm; Brian Kennedy is one of Irelands most inspired and revered ambassadors of music. Tickets 27.79. Sunday Sunday Sessions, Cronins Crosshaven, 6pm; Every Sunday, Cronins Crosshaven showcases live music from local and international artists, both original work and covers. This week Stuart Wilde OMB takes to the stage. OTHER EVENTS Saturday 70th Cork International Film Festival: Over 11 jam-packed days, audiences in Cork will see it first Irish and world premieres and gala screenings, plus special events to mark its 70th anniversary at venues across Cork City and county. Singles Night, Titanic Bar and Grill, Cobh, 8pm; Get ready to mingle and meet other singles at this fun-filled event. Who knows, you might just find your perfect match. All in aid of Cobh Rescue Horses. Tickets 27.79. Sunday Brick World LEGO Exhibition, Midleton College, 11am; Whether youre a LEGO enthusiast, a fan of intricate designs, or just looking for a fun day out, this event is not to be missed. Tickets 10. Aye Laugh Comedy, Aye, 7pm; Looking for the perfect way to wrap up your weekend? Look no further than Aye Comedy Club, Cork Citys only Sunday night comedy show. With every ticket purchased receive a complimentary spritz drink. Tickets 10. Our top 5 films at the cinema 1. Steve: Cillian Murphy gives a tremendous turn as an overwhelmed teacher. 2. House Of Dynamite: Explosive military drama with an all-star cast. Simply brilliant. 3. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Now: Must watch biopic of The Boss. 4. Bugonia: Bonkers but brilliant. 5. Frankenstein: The monster king Guillermo del Toro brings us a lavish new Frankenstein. STAYING IN TELEVISION Saturday JADE At The Proms: A Homecoming, BBC2, 8pm: The Little Mix star performs songs from her solo album with the Royal Northern Sinfonia. Sunday Live FAI Cup final, RTE2, 3pm: Cork City try to salvage glory from a poor season as they face Shamrock Rovers at the Aviva. STREAMING Squid Game: The Challenge, Netflix: Spin-off game from the South Korean drama as 456 players compete for a life-changing sum. Frankenstein, Netflix: Guillermo del Toros take on Mary Shelleys novel, starring Oscar Isaac. A dance teacher who sexually assaulted two children and recorded the abuse has been jailed. Leighton Morrison, aged 49, of Woodfield, Galway Road, Tuam, Co Galway pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to sexually assaulting two children, the sexual exploitation of a child, the production of child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Morrison ran a ballet dancing school which operated in the West of Ireland. The school had around 200 students. He pleaded guilty to six counts before the court, including the sexual assault of two female victims. The specific details of the location are not being disclosed to protect the anonymity of Morrison's victims. The sexual assaults took place on March 9th, 2024 and on dates unknown between January 1st, 2023 and June 4th, 2023. The victims were eight and nine years old when the assaults took place. Morrison admitted to two charges of production of child sexual abuse material relating to an image of the sexual assault of one of the children and a video recording of the sexual assault of his other victim. He also pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child, with this offence occurring on March 9, 2024. On March 12, 2024, child sexual abuse material classed as category one was discovered by gardai on a mobile phone belonging to Morrison. The investigating garda told the court that the first complainant was collected from dance lessons by her father on March 9th, 2024. She was not her normal, bubbly self, and on the way home, disclosed that something had happened with her dance teacher. Later that same day, the girl told her mother that Morrison had made her wear revealing underwear and then told how he had touched her inappropriately. The incident occurred in the changing/costume room where the dance class was being held. On March 10th, 2024, the girls mother contacted gardai. Later that same day, the woman contacted gardai again to tell them that another mother with a child in the dance school also wished to speak to officers. The second mother disclosed that Morrison had sexually assaulted her daughter about a year earlier at the same location. An investigation team was assembled and an investigation launched. On March 12th, 2024, detectives obtained a search warrant for the defendants home and the premises used for the dance classes. A number of electronic devices were seized, including two mobile phones and a laptop, as well as items of clothing from the costume/changing room. The first victim was interviewed by Gardai on March 13, 2024. She told officers she had been attending ballet classes for a number of months. Some time before she was due to go home on March 9th, 2024, Morrison asked her to try on a costume. She went into the costume room, and the defendant gave her a costume to try on. It consisted of silver shorts, a silver cropped top and jacket and inappropriate underwear which looked like a thong from the back while the front part was cut away. The girl dressed herself while the defendant was out of the room. There were no other children present. The girl thought the underwear was for the outside of her costume, but when Morrison returned, he instructed her to remove her leotard and her underwear. He left the room but returned again when she did what she was asked. The girl told gardai she felt very uncomfortable, and the dance teacher told her he really liked what she was wearing. While on his knees, the defendant pulled down the girls shorts. He asked the girl to sit down. She did not want to, but felt she had no option. He also sat down, and the girl recalled that Morrison sexually assaulted her. The girl told gardai she went into a corner and started crying. The young victim told officers she felt she had no choice but to do what Morrison asked, as he was an adult. On March 9, 2024, the mother of the other victim spoke to her daughter, asking if she had any issues with her dance teacher. Her daughter told her that the defendant took children to the changing room by himself. She told her Mum that he once helped her change her clothes, which she found strange as she could dress herself. The next morning, they spoke more about what had happened, and the girl told her how Morrison helped her take off her leotard. The girl told her mother that she thought the defendant had accidentally touched her intimately. She returned to the dance studio in a costume that was different to everybody elses. It featured short shorts and a short jacket. The girl was embarrassed wearing it in front of her friends. When interviewed by gardai on March 13, 2024, the girl said that being touched by the defendant made her feel uncomfortable. She told officers that the defendant watched her get undressed after the dance class was over. Gardai praised the mothers of both girls for the manner in which they allowed the investigation to proceed. A forensic examination of all devices found in the defendants home was carried out. Evidence supporting the girls version of events was found on the phones, including a video recording of the sexual assault of the first complainant. The self-generated video was recorded by the defendant on March 9, 2024, and was two minutes and 33 seconds in duration. The camera is facing towards the girl, and while Morrison is not visible, his voice is recognisable. He tells the girl to "lose the leotard and underwear and put the black on and then the silver". The remainder of the horrific video corroborates the child's evidence of sexual abuse. At one stage, the girl is heard saying, Im dying with the defendant replying, Youre okay. The video recorded on the device was forwarded via WhatsApp to another mobile phone number. This number was for another mobile phone owned by the defendant. The second phone was severely damaged, and gardai believe this was done deliberately. However, officers were able to repair the device, and it was forensically examined. This examination discovered thumbnail sprites. These are single-image files containing a grid of smaller thumbnail images from a video. There is clear evidence in the video of sexual abuse. The girl appears to be unaware that the recording is taking place. Additional examination of the device detected further child sexual abuse material. These included 339 category one images and 853 category two images. Category one images depict sexual activity with a child, while category two are images of child exposure. Morrison was searching the internet for child sexual abuse material and recording the images. Explicit videos of young children engaging in sexual activity were also found on the phone. An examination of a laptop revealed 25 category two images of child sexual abuse material. The mothers of the two children delivered heartbreaking victim impact statements in court. At a very young age, this little girl has had to defend herself from an evil that most grown-ups will never come to know. At eight years of age, she did not understand that such evil existed, said one of the mothers. She is a good, kind thoughtful little child who has had her life ruined at a young age. This little girl has had to grow up very fast. She did not get a chance at a normal childhood. This was taken away from her in the most cruel way, the statement added. One of the mothers said their daughter would bite her fingernails sometimes until they bled. Both girls have had problems sleeping and reported nightmares. She recently told me she will always be afraid of monsters when she tries to fall asleep, said one of the devastated parents. For me, her Mam, and for her Dad, we are completely broken. This has broken us. It has taken a piece of us that we will never get back. We will never view life the same way again, stated one of the victim impact statements. One of the mothers said the abuse her daughter endured haunts her. I dont know how this will affect her in the future. It is a life sentence for her. She told the court that the dance teacher would be happily chatting and laughing with other parents, knowing he had abused her daughter. She said Morrison had been actively recruiting her daughter for the next term of classes after he had committed these horrific crimes. Had we not found out about these crimes against our little girl, she would have continued attending class, continuing to suffer in silence. He was keen to get her back to class. One of the mothers said her daughter was afraid to try on a Communion dress in a shop after what had happened to her and experienced feelings of hating herself. When interviewed by gardai on four occasions, the defendant made no comment replies to all questions on legal advice. Morrison has been in custody on these matters since July 2024 and has not had any visitors in that time. The court heard the defendant is a separated father of two with no previous convictions. Originally from Derby in the United Kingdom, he was a talented ballet dancer who performed all over the world. The court was told he had a difficult upbringing and was sexually and physically abused as a child. A psychological report revealed a "paedophilic disorder" and recommended that he never have unsupervised access to children. He is deemed to be at high risk of re-offending. Senior counsel Desmond Dockery, representing Morrison, said his client has remorse and wishes to apologise to his victims and their families. The defendant had problems with alcohol and became desensitised to pornography. Judge Eoin Garavan said Morrisons background was that of almost a type of Billy Elliot as a working-class ballet dancer. He said Morrisons victims have been totally robbed of their childhood and innocence with the dance school becoming a wolfs lair for the paedophile. The judge said the recording of the abuse was a particularly aggravating factor. He said a psychological report identifies Morrison as a paedophile who is sexually attracted to female children. Judge Garavan said Morrison had wreaked devastation and turmoil on his victims and their families. He praised the girls and their parents for having the courage to come forward. The judge imposed an eight-year prison sentence. He said he would reluctantly suspend the final year of that term to allow Morrison to undergo counselling and treatment for sexual offenders. No matter how long this man is in prison, he will remain a paedophile, Judge Garavan reasoned. The prison sentence was backdated to July 2th, 2024 to reflect time already spent in custody. 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. Disney is rolling out its redesigned interface for Disney+ to more users in the US today. The redesign brings the streaming service in line with the loud, key art-forward approach of Netflix, and follows a price increase for both tiers of Disney+ that the company introduced in October. The biggest change in the new Disney+ is the addition of a horizontal navigation bar with separate tabs for recommendations (For You), Disney+, Hulu and ESPN. Disney is leaning on a new algorithm that better uses your viewing history to make recommendations, and it now also integrates live TV streams via a dedicated tab in its vertical menu. Outside of the US, the new interface is also being paired with the rebranding of Disney's Star streaming service to Hulu. The new interface is the latest step in Disney's plan to eventually completely fold Hulu into Disney+ in 2026. The Hulu has a dedicated tab in the app, but eventually it'll just be one of the many sources of content Disney+ collects. Meanwhile, the live TV component of Hulu + Live TV will eventually be merged with Fubo, creating an even larger YouTube TV competitor that Disney will have 70 percent stake in. The growing competition between Google and Disney could be one of several reasons the companies have yet to settle the carriage dispute that's currently blocked channels like ABC and ESPN on YouTube TV. The government of Denmark said on Friday that lawmakers from its political right, left and center have reached an agreement to ban social media for anyone under 15, as reported by The Associated Press. If enacted, the move would be one of the most ambitious attempts globally to keep children off social media. Momentum has been building in recent years around concerns that social media is harming its younger users . The countrys Digitalization Ministry would set the minimum age at 15 for certain social media platforms but has not clarified which ones would be affected. The government also did not share specifics on how enforcement would work. A statement from the Digitalization Ministry reads, in part, Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present, as reported by The Associated Press . Digitalization Minister Caroline Stage said Danish authorities are finally drawing a line in the sand and setting a clear direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In December, the worlds first country-wide social media ban for children will go into effect in Australia , banning children under 16 from major social media platforms. Platforms that want to operate in the country must employ age-verification technology and would face fines if they fail to enforce the nations age limits. Some age-verification methods, particularly facial recognition and showing of ID, have faced heavy skepticism as they have been implemented around the world. In the UK and Italy anyone wanting to watch porn online must now upload a selfie or provide ID to verify they are above age limits. If the same methods are employed to verify teenagers' ages, questions will undoubtedly arise about data safety and privacy involving minors' data. Texas recently came close to enacting a similar ban , though it ultimately didn't pass. Utah passed laws in 2023 that require parental consent before teens can create social media accounts. Florida passed a social media ban for children that is currently held up in court . WASHINGTON, DC FEBRUARY 26: Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, speaks with the media after oral arguments were heard by the United States Supreme Court to determine whether the controversial Florida and Texas social media laws, which prohibits platforms from suspending the accounts of political candidates or media publications, can stand on February 26, 2024, in Washington, DC. Their decision has far reaching implications for the role that states can play in regulating the tech industry. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images) WASHINGTON, DC FEBRUARY 26: Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, speaks with the media after oral arguments were heard by the United States Supreme Court to determine whether the controversial Florida and Texas social media laws, which prohibits platforms from suspending the accounts of political candidates or media publications, can stand on February 26, 2024, in Washington, DC. Their decision has far reaching implications for the role that states can play in regulating the tech industry. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (The Washington Post via Getty Images) Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Roblox, accusing it of ignoring state and federal safety laws. In his announcement on X, Paxton said the children have been repeatedly exposed to sexually explicit content, exploitation and grooming on the online game platform, because it chose to prioritize pixel pedophiles and corporate profit over the safety of children. Thank you, Schlep posted in the comments of his announcement. Schlep was a popular Roblox user who was known for staging sting operations a la To Catch a Predator on the platform, which had led to multiple arrests. He was controversially banned from Roblox in August, because he violated the companys new rule that prohibits vigilante behavior. We share Attorney General Paxton's commitment to keeping kids and teens safe online," the company said in a statement. "We are disappointed that, rather than working collaboratively with Roblox on this industry-wide challenge and seeking real solutions, the AG has chosen to file a lawsuit based on misrepresentations and sensationalized claims. Roblox has implemented several measures meant to protect children over the past few years. It blocked any user under 13 from being able to play, search or discover any unrated experiences on the platform, and it restricted DMs for that segment of users, as well. It also added an age estimation feature that requires a video selfie for a user to be able to prove that theyre 13 or older. The company intends to roll it out to everyone by the end of this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas isnt the only state suing Roblox and accusing it of failing to protect children from predators, though: Kentucky and Louisiana had previously filed their own lawsuits against the company. Louisiana argued that the platform contains user-created experiences with troubling themes, such as Escape to Epstein Island and Diddy Party, despite the majority of its users being under 16. It also pointed out that it was possible to initiate voice chats within Robloxs experiences, even between users who werent friends, until November 2024. In one instance, a man who was arrested for possession of child sexual abuse materials was discovered to have used voice altering software to pretend to be a young girl in order to exploit children on the platform. Roblox must do more to protect kids from sick and twisted freaks hiding behind a screen, Paxton wrote. Any corporation that enables child abuse will face the full and unrelenting force of the law. To note, the Texas AG also previously sued TikTok, alleging that it has insufficient parental controls, as well as Meta and Character.AI for potentially misusing data collected from underage users. A feature film centered on Miss Piggy is in early development at Disney, marking the iconic Muppet character's first solo film opportunity. Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone are producing the project, while Cole Escola, known for the Broadway hit "Oh, Mary!," will write the screenplay. Lawrence announced the project during an appearance on the "Las Culturistas" podcast hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers on November 5. "I don't know if I can announce this, but I'm just going to. Emma Stone and I are producing a Miss Piggy movie and Cole is writing it," Lawrence said. When asked if she and Stone would appear in the film, Lawrence responded, "I think so, we have to." The film marks the first feature-length project to center on Miss Piggy since her debut on "The Muppet Show" in the mid-1970s. Over the decades, the character has appeared alongside other Muppets in ensemble films, but this will be her first solo starring movie. Miss Piggy was created by Bonnie Erickson and Frank Oz and has become one of the most recognizable characters in the Muppet franchise. Lawrence and Stone are both Oscar-winning actresses, and this project will mark their first film collaboration. Neither has provided specific plot details about the feature, though Lawrence mentioned that the project will have a different tone from typical Muppet productions. According to reports, she described the film as "dark" and "messed up," suggesting a more mature approach to the character. Cole Escola has gained significant recognition in recent years for creating and starring in "Oh, Mary!," a Broadway comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln. Escola received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play and won the award for Best Leading Actor in a Play. This experience with comedic storytelling and character development makes Escola a fitting choice to develop Miss Piggy's narrative. The news arrives as the Muppets franchise continues to expand. The Muppets recently celebrated their 70th anniversary, and Disney announced plans to bring back "The Muppet Show" for a special television event featuring guest star Sabrina Carpenter, set to premiere in 2026 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the original series. While Disney has not yet made an official announcement about the Miss Piggy film's development status, neither the studio nor The Jim Henson Company has denied the project. Additional details about the film's plot, timeline, or other potential cast members remain unclear at this time. Pauline Collins, the acclaimed British actress best known for her transformative role as the titular character in "Shirley Valentine," has died at age 85. Her family revealed she passed away peacefully at her care home in London, surrounded by her loved ones, after living with Parkinson's disease for several years. Collins earned international recognition for her portrayal of Shirley, a discontented middle-aged housewife from Liverpool who rediscovers joy and passion during a holiday in Greece. The character first appeared in Willy Russell's one-woman stage play in 1988, when Collins performed at the Vaudeville Theatre in London's West End. Her powerful performance earned her the Olivier Award for Best Actress that year. The following year, she brought Shirley to Broadway's Booth Theatre, where she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play in June 1989. When the film adaptation directed by Lewis Gilbert premiered in September 1989, Collins received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, alongside winning a Golden Globe and BAFTA Award. Born in Exmouth, Devon, in 1940, Collins initially worked as a teacher before pursuing acting part-time. Her television breakthrough came in 1971 when she was cast as Sarah Moffat, a spirited maid, in the acclaimed British drama series "Upstairs, Downstairs," where she worked alongside actor John Alderton. The couple married in 1969 and collaborated on multiple projects throughout their 56-year marriage, including the sitcom "No, Honestly" and the spinoff "Thomas and Sarah." Beyond "Shirley Valentine," Collins built a distinguished career spanning six decades, appearing in acclaimed films such as "City of Joy" alongside Patrick Swayze, "Paradise Road" with Glenn Close, and "Quartet" with Maggie Smith. She also made memorable television appearances, including a guest role as Queen Victoria in a 2006 episode of "Doctor Who." In 2001, Collins received the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her contributions to drama. Her family released a statement describing her as "a bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen" whose magic was evident in every role she undertook. Her husband, John Alderton, called her "an extraordinary star" and reflected that while she would be remembered for "Shirley Valentine," her greatest role was as his wife and mother to their three children. In honor of Collins, her family suggested that donations be made to Parkinson's UK. In a historic and final move, King Charles III has officially stripped his younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, of his princely title marking the end of Andrew's royal status and any chance of returning to public life. According to a Letters Patent published in The Gazette, the official record of the United Kingdom, the King declared that "Andrew Mountbatten Windsor shall no longer be entitled to hold and enjoy the style, title, or attribute of 'Royal Highness' and the titular dignity of 'Prince.'" The document, dated November 3, 2025, was issued under the Great Seal of the Realm, confirming the decision as legally binding. This move comes just a week after Buckingham Palace revealed that the 65-year-old would be leaving his longtime home, Royal Lodge, on the Windsor Castle estate. "His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the style, titles, and honours of Prince Andrew," the Palace said in an earlier statement, PageSix reported. "Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease, and he will move to alternative private accommodation." The decision marks the latest chapter in Andrew's long fall from grace following his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, the brother of King Charles III and son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, is officially no longer a prince. https://t.co/xk0hZnyon7 ABC News (@ABC) November 6, 2025 Read more: King Charles Seen Visiting Prince Andrew Days After Forcing Him to Leave Royal Lodge Prince Andrew Loses All Royal Honors The former royal has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct, though he settled a civil case in 2012 for a reported multi-million-pound sum. According to ABC News, the Palace added that "these censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him," emphasizing that the King and Queen's "utmost sympathies remain with the victims and survivors of abuse." Andrew's loss of rank extends beyond his title as Prince. A royal source confirmed he has also been stripped of the honors of Earl of Inverness, Baron Killyleagh, and the Orders of the Garter and the Victorian Cross all of which had once symbolized his standing within the monarchy. Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, who lived with him at Royal Lodge, will also lose her Duchess of York title. However, their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are expected to retain their royal titles and remain part of the wider royal family. Andrew, now simply known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, has kept a low profile since his disastrous 2019 television interview, in which he expressed no regret for his friendship with Epstein. Amid the ongoing government shutdown and looming cuts to food assistance programs, filmmaker Tyler Perry has stepped up in a major way. The 56-year-old producer and actor has donated nearly $1.4 million to support families and individuals affected by the loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. According to a statement shared with People, Perry's donation will be distributed among several community-based organizations, including the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Baby2Baby, Meals on Wheels Atlanta, Caring for Others, All for Lunch, Ron Clark Academy, and Goodr. These groups serve families, seniors, and children who are at risk of going hungry as millions brace for potential benefit losses. "If you've never been poor then you may not fully understand the life-changing impact SNAP benefits mean to hard-working people, to our seniors and to our children," Perry said. "For millions of people, it could mean extreme hunger. For newborns, it could mean a lack of access to formula." The US Department of Agriculture announced in October that approximately 42 million Americans could lose access to SNAP benefits due to a shortage of federal funds. The program, which helps low-income families buy groceries, is facing a funding gap that could leave many households without food assistance by the end of November. Tyler Perry to Donate $1.4 Million to Organizations Supporting Families Impacted by SNAP Benefit Reductions Those include Atlanta Community Food Bank, Baby2Baby, Meals on Wheels Atlanta, Caring for Others, All for Lunch, Ron Clark Academy and Goodr. : @People : pic.twitter.com/OzUIZtavYu Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) November 7, 2025 Read more: Tyler Perry Denies Sexual Assault Allegation from Actor Derek Dixon Tyler Perry Speaks Out on SNAP Hunger Crisis For Perry, who has openly shared stories of growing up poor and experiencing homelessness, this crisis feels deeply personal. In his statement, he called the situation "heartbreaking," adding, "Compassion is not political it's humanity, and we seem to be missing both right now." A source close to the filmmaker told sources that Perry's empathy stems from his own experiences. "Tyler knows firsthand what it feels like to be hungry and homeless," the source explained. "Even with all his success, those memories never leave him. When he sees people struggling like this, he feels a responsibility to act." The government shutdown, which began on October 1, is now the longest in US history, surpassing the 35-day closure under former President Donald Trump, Yahoo reported. With federal programs like SNAP caught in the middle, many families have turned to local charities for help making donations like Perry's more vital than ever. Other public figures have also spoken out. Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel recently announced a food drive to support the Los Angeles Food Bank, while Wanda Sykes used her platform to highlight the struggles of single mothers impacted by the cuts. Kanye West's reported bid to rival his ex-wife Kim Kardashian's billion-dollar shapewear empire appears to be unraveling, as plans for Bianca Censori's much-hyped brand launch face mounting problems behind the scenes. The rapper's wife, who recently returned to Instagram after a long hiatus, surprised followers this week by posting a series of revealing selfies to promote what she called her upcoming "Bianca" brand. The line, long rumored to compete directly with Kardashian's SKIMS, was originally expected to debut in October but has now been delayed to December 11. Sources close to the project described the rollout as "a mess," pointing to Kanye's heavy influence and the involvement of controversial figures as key reasons for the setbacks. According to The Sun, the Australian-born Censori, 30, who worked as an architect for West's Yeezy brand before marrying him in 2022, had first teased the launch in September with a "coming soon" notice on her website. But the promised October date passed without explanation. Insiders now say that former Yeezy staffer Milo Yiannopoulos, known for his far-right activism, has played a major role in developing the brand's website and rollout, though his team denies he is "the man behind anything." "Milo is much of the brains behind Bianca's brand and website," one source told the outlet, claiming the involvement has created image issues for a project already seen as volatile. They added, "There's demand for Bianca's shapewear ... but she's attached to Kanye's world, and with that comes chaos. Nobody wants to touch him." Trademark filings have reportedly added more complications, as there appear to be active "Bianca" registrations for various unrelated products but none linked to her branding. Kanye's 'Revenge Play' Industry insiders have framed the project as part of Kanye's ongoing attempt to reclaim relevance after a series of public controversies and business fallouts. One source told Radar Online the launch is "his revenge play," explaining that West views it as a way to "outdo Kim on every front." Observers have noted the striking similarities between Censori's photos and SKIMS' minimalist campaigns. "From the visuals to the vibe, Bianca's photos are pure SKIMS," said one industry figure quoted by Radar. "That's entirely intentional." Censori, who has increasingly mirrored Kardashian's neutral-toned aesthetic from her Kanye years, has been seen in outfits that blur the line between fashion statement and provocation a pattern that some say reflects the rapper's ongoing influence. While speculation swirls around Kanye's motivations, sources close to Censori have suggested the model may not share his ambitions. "Bianca has no interest in going into the clothing business," one insider told The Sun, claiming she views herself more as an artist than a designer. Identity Crisis for 'Bianca' Censori's long-awaited brand was supposed to mark her independence and identity apart from her husband. But with production delays, trademark confusion, and Kanye's controversial shadow over the project, it may have only deepened questions about who is really behind it. "Bianca is mystified as to why people are trying to set up some kind of fake rivalry," one friend told the outlet. "If she's thinking about a brand war, it's with artists like Marina Abramovic or Jeff Koons not her husband's ex-wife." China's seed industry revitalization initiative yields remarkable results People's Daily Online) 13:41, November 07, 2025 Harvesters work at a late rice field in Jianxia village, Xiangtang town, Nanchang county, east China's Jiangxi Province, Oct. 29, 2025. (Photo/Zhu Haipeng) During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (20212025), China has vigorously advanced its seed industry revitalization initiative. The effort has focused on developing urgently needed crop varieties such as high-quality, high-yield rice, water-saving and disease-resistant wheat, mechanically harvestable corn, and high-oil, high-yield soybeans. Domestically bred crop varieties now account for over 95 percent of the nation's planted area. Throughout this period, regions across the country have developed a range of groundbreaking rice varieties. For instance, the rice cultivation team at Anhui Agricultural University in east China's Anhui Province introduced its self-developed rice varieties to local farmers, achieving yields of 800 kilograms per mu (1 mu equals about 0.067 hectares). The National Salt-Alkali Tolerant Rice Technology Innovation Center bred a new rice variety that achieved an average per-mu yield exceeding 400 kilograms at demonstration sites under salt stress of 35 per mille (parts per thousand) throughout the entire growth period. This filled a gap in strong salt-tolerant, high-quality hybrid rice varieties for coastal saline-alkali areas in south China. Supported by improved seed varieties, China's rice yield per mu rose steadily during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. In 2025, early rice yields surpassed 400 kilograms per mu for the first time, reaching a historic high. During the same period, thanks to major projects in agricultural biological breeding, researchers successfully developed a new wheat variety resistant to Fusarium head blight, marking significant progress in China's efforts to breed disease-resistant wheat. A Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) official noted that in recent years, China has approved various new wheat varieties characterized by high and stable yields, water conservation, and superior quality. Average yields per mu have continued to rise annually, with varieties featuring high and stable yields now accounting for over 75 percent of plantings. China consumes around 7 billion white-feather broiler chickens each year. Previously, 100 percent of breeding stock was imported. A turning point came in 2021 when three domestic white-feather broiler breeds, including Shengze 901, won official approval, marking China's breakthrough in white-feather broiler breeding after decades of imported dependence. A visitor watches crop seeds at the 32nd China Yangling Agricultural Hi-tech Fair in Yangling, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Li Yibo) "Foreign companies long held pricing power over grandparent breeder chickens of white-feather broiler chickens," said Fu Guangming, founder of Sunner Group, which led the development of Shengze 901. The unstable supply of imported grandparent breeder chickens made it difficult for domestic enterprises to pursue long-term development plans. Against this backdrop, Sunner Group began independent breeding in 2011. After a decade of dedicated research, the company successfully bred Shengze 901, whose performance indicators now meet international standards. While meeting domestic demand, China's homegrown white-feather broiler breeders have also begun entering global markets. In May 2024, 3,500 sets of Shengze 901 parent stock were shipped to Tanzania the variety's first overseas delivery. Earlier this year, 51,000 Shengze 901 hatching eggs were exported from Guangze county in Nanping, southeast China's Fujian Province, to Tanzania, marking the first export of domestic white-feather broiler breeding eggs to Africa. The performance of domestic white-feather broiler breeds continues to improve, gaining recognition from an increasing number of domestic enterprises. With a market share exceeding 25 percent, these breeds have strengthened the nation's breeding stock security. In addition, Huaxi cattle, China's homegrown beef cattle breed, has broken the country's dependence on imported core breeding stock and now holds over 20 percent market share. The whiteleg shrimp commonly found on dining tables once relied entirely on imported breeding stock, costing tens of millions of dollars annually. Today, 12 domestically bred whiteleg shrimp varieties account for over 30 percent of the market. "These are varieties we once lacked or mainly relied on imports for. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we independently developed them, and their market share continues to grow," said Zhang Xingwang, vice minister of MARA. Breeding superior varieties requires advanced technologies, but it also depends on access to high-quality germplasm resources. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China completed its third national survey of agricultural germplasm resources, launched in March 2021. This three-year survey represented the largest in scale, with the widest coverage and the most participants since the founding of the People's Republic of China. For the first time, aquaculture germplasm resources were included in the study. The survey identified 139,000 new crop germplasm resources. In the livestock and poultry sector, 10 species previously declared extinct were rediscovered. The aquaculture sector collected 120,000 genetic materials. The survey has provided more options for breeding superior varieties of fruit, vegetables, tea, meat, eggs, dairy, fish and shrimp, said Liu Xu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. It has also provided critical support for enhancing independent innovation capacity in the seed industry and revitalizing the sector, Liu added. To date, over 6,000 germplasm resources have been applied to breeding innovation and industrial development. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) US President Trump said he 'never had the privilege' of visiting Jeffrey Epstein's island, saying he turned down an invitation f... In 2023, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a bombshell report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, that painted a bleak picture of citizens feeling isolated, invisible, and insignificant. Most provocatively, it stated that perhaps half of Americans face a personal crisis of aloneness that poses health risks similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. The report received wide attention as it resonated with myriad data points including declining marriage and birth rates and the rise of remote work showing Americans are spending less face time with one another. But a RealClearInvestigations inquiry has found that its warnings of a loneliness epidemic are unsupported and that its claims of severe health risks stem from a misreading of the data. The University of Rochesters Viji Kannan, whom Murthy partly relied on for his claims of a loneliness increase, told RCI her study focused on measurable declines in social connections and not more subjective feelings of loneliness. YES! she said in an email. Loneliness is a different thing. Daniel Cox at the American Enterprise Institute, whose research on loneliness was also cited by the surgeon general, had a similar take. He told RCI, The evidence more strongly supports an epidemic of aloneness rather than loneliness. We are spending more time by ourselves. Hans IJzerman, who studies loneliness at the University of Oxford, concurred. The biggest story may be how the surgeon general basically butchered the narrative by not relying on solid data, he said. Murthy, who now works outside of government, did not respond to request for comment. The Department of Health and Human Services, which still posts the loneliness report on its website, declined to comment, citing the government shutdown. Critics say the former surgeon generals questionable assertion of a loneliness epidemic which has been amplified extensively in the media reflects a larger pattern whereby science is invoked to make larger arguments about American culture. These include claims that systemic racism is a public health crisis or that technologies such as cell phones are increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues among teens. These assertions take kernels of truth racism exists, mental health problems were on the rise until the last few years and then attach them to specific causes to add a patina of scientific credibility. The alleged loneliness epidemic seems to stem in part from concerns over how technology in particular may be enabling people to choose to spend more time by themselves which can seem counter to democratic ideas of community and from a conflation of two very different phenomena: loneliness and being alone. Being alone is not the same thing as being lonely, and research shows social obligations in heavy doses can be as stressful for many as they are supportive. Research results have clarified that true feelings of loneliness only kick in at the extreme end of social isolation. Quality time with others is more important than simply time spent with others overall (sometimes other people are annoying!) Unsurprisingly, those who enjoy being alone are less likely to feel lonely when not around others. More Time Alone A wealth of data suggests that Americans are spending more time by themselves. The surgeon generals advisory, for example, pointed to slow declines in family and friend engagement during the early 2000s, though the most serious drop-offs occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic due to lockdowns and social distancing. Source: U.S. Surgeon General's Office More people are forgoing marriage and parenthood. We have fewer close friends. More Americans live alone than ever before, partly because were living longer. Source: National Vital Statistics, US Census Bureau and American Community Survey, and previous work by John Loo According to Gallup Data, U.S. church membership has been on a steady decline since the 1990s, though that decline may have slowed or leveled off as of 2018. Source: RCI from Gallup Remote work, already slowly increasing, skyrocketed after the pandemic. Whether this is bad or not is debatable, given people seem eager enough for it. Source: Coworking Mag While these trends are clear, their meaning and effect are harder to pinpoint. Even though people are alone more often, data for the period 2003-2019 shows a very small decline in social connection. Professor Kannan calculated that time spent with others declined by about 146 hours per year, or about 1.7% a relatively slight decrease that hardly seems reflective of an epidemic. That period was, of course, also marked by the rise of smartphones and social media, forcing researchers to ask new questions about connectivity: Is aloneness defined by physical proximity? If someone is playing Dungeons and Dragons online with friends all over the world, are they truly alone? Source: RCI based on data from Kannan & Veazie Loneliness By the Numbers Loneliness is, of course, a common and universal human trait. It is a subjective feeling of unwanted aloneness that is accompanied by a sense of social emptiness. A connection is desired but missing. Feeling lonely from time to time is not a sign of a problem. Loneliness becomes a clinically relevant issue when it is chronic and becomes a precursor for persistent distress and dissatisfaction with life. Tracking loneliness over time can be trickier than time spent alone, perhaps one reason why so many conversations about loneliness seem to subtly shift to time spent alone instead. There appear to be few high-quality datasets tracking subjective loneliness over time. Though some data suggests a very small, gradual trend upward in loneliness among young adults since the 1970s, the increase is remarkably small over a 40- to 50-year period, hardly an epidemic. Data from Gallup suggests that loneliness has decreased since a high during the pandemic, although their data does not appear to extend back earlier. As one recent summary of the evidence put it, There is an epidemic of headlines that claim we are experiencing a loneliness epidemic, but there is no empirical support for the fact that loneliness is increasing, let alone spreading at epidemic rates. Source: Gallup As Bad as Smoking? One of the surgeon generals more dramatic claims was that lacking social connection is as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. This comparison appears to come straight from the research of Professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad at Brigham Young University, who was the lead science editor on the surgeon generals report. However, this comparison appears to be for light smoking (defined as 15 cigarettes or less per day). Had comparisons been made with medium (15-25 cigarettes) or heavy smoking (25+ cigarettes), smoking would clearly come out far more dangerous. Further, the impact of smoking is pretty direct lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes. Lonelinesss impact on mortality is clear. It could involve everything from more stress to fewer people around to help with medical issues. Causal claims are also tricky, given the degree to which the evidence relies on self-report correlational studies of subjective loneliness, associating it with mortality. In some cases, prolonged illness could prompt social abandonment, which would cause loneliness. Using correlational data to suggest that loneliness is causing illness is fraught, but that did not stop the surgeon general. While Holt-Lunstad declined to address RCIs questions about the surgeon generals use of her study, her co-author, University of Arizona Professor David Sbarra, expressed some unease with the epidemic framing. In terms of a loneliness epidemic, I think I am more skeptical than mostdemographic changes that would establish an epidemic are really challenging, he told RCI. I think loneliness can spread through social networksbut what are the best data that loneliness and social disconnection are increasing? It's quite equivocal, in my opinion. There is little disagreement that loneliness is bad and can be associated with declining health. This may be because the distress of loneliness can cause stress and related health problems such as high blood pressure. But also because close social connections can help people with their medications and medical complications. Its less clear that, if the prevalence of loneliness has risen, its risen dramatically or that simple interpretations of loneliness = health risk are warranted. IJzerman, who is also CEO of Annecy Behavioral Science Lab and an expert on loneliness, has been critical of the way Kannans data was used by the surgeon general. IJzerman noted that trends regarding time spent alone dont tap into subjective loneliness and may be due to changes in how questions are asked over time. Further, they may simply reflect more people using technology for social interaction, which isnt necessarily bad. IJzerman suggested we tend to get distracted by vanishingly small time trends and a tendency to look for technology to blame, such as social media or smartphones. Instead, we should be more concerned with the structural barriers some people face regarding social connection, for example, older adults and lower-income individuals. Children and Loneliness Much attention has focused on the world of teens. Buffeted by COVID-19 lockdowns, with increasingly structured lives, and navigating new technology worlds, legitimate concerns have been raised about teen loneliness. Though some studies have suggested an increasing loneliness trend among youth, IJzerman has said they are seriously flawed. He has critiqued these studies as mining noise, saying, We cannot afford to base our understanding of loneliness on the psychological equivalent of wetted fingers in the wind. IJzerman also noted the difficulties of measuring loneliness across various cultures, as some studies have done. While measuring loneliness across different societies might seem as simple as translating a questionnaire, the reality is far more complex. A Dutch student's understanding of loneliness may differ fundamentally from their British peer's interpretation, shaped by distinct cultural norms and social expectations. Even within the same country, temporal shifts in social attitudes can dramatically affect responses - as stigma around loneliness waxes and wanes, respondents' willingness to acknowledge these feelings may change accordingly. While arguing that our difficulty in measuring loneliness should give society pause especially when it comes to advancing specific policies as a response he also noted that our current concerns around technology have a long lineage. Socrates warned that writing would erode memory and authentic dialogue; the printing press faced condemnation for encouraging solitary reading over community gatherings; early telephones were criticized for disrupting social norms; television was blamed for isolating families. Even mundane innovations like heating stoves faced resistance for disrupting traditional communal practices. Time has generally proven these fears exaggerated, suggesting we should approach current concerns about social media with similar careful skepticism. This doesnt mean we should dismiss all concerns about loneliness. Whether subjective loneliness has declined or people have simply changed how they interact with others remains something of an open question. Whatever is occurring, it does not appear that changes in technology are central, so we might look to the breakdowns in institutions, reduced marriages, problems with schools, etc. Our difficulty seems to be that our national conversation can occur in only two modes. Either something is a crisis, or it is not worth talking about at all. Perhaps in having a more nuanced understanding of loneliness concerns, we could begin to appreciate that some issues are still worthy of consideration even if they are not a 5-alarm fire. Christopher J. Ferguson is a professor of psychology at Stetson University in Florida and author of "Catastrophe! The Psychology of Why Good People Make Bad Situations Worse." Farmers across England are preparing for coordinated demonstrations on 24 November, as frustration mounts over the proposed inheritance tax reforms, which campaigners warn could put the future of family farming at risk. The planned changes due to take effect from April 2026 would overhaul the rules on agricultural property relief (APR) and business property relief (BPR), two long-standing tax measures that allow family farms to be passed on without incurring heavy inheritance-tax bills. Farmers To Action organisers, a campaign group that has been mobilising support online, say the 'Day of Unity' demonstrations will highlight the impact the reforms could have on the viability of family farms and the wider rural economy. Plans are already in place in Devon, Somerset, Southampton, Oxford, Northampton, Suffolk, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, with more areas expected to confirm in the coming days. Supporters are being urged to contact local coordinators to take part or help spread the word. The call to action has drawn widespread engagement from across the farming community, with organisers describing the response as fantastic and saying that the momentum is building. The initiative encourages farmers and supporters to gather at visible roadside locations, where their presence can attract attention and public support. Those behind the campaign stress that participation does not depend on size or scale. No group is too small, organisers said, adding that even two or three of you out in your local area can make a difference. Visibility is key, they argue, with many of the planned meet-up points located on main roads to ensure maximum impact. Farmers are being reminded that large convoys are not essential every tractor, vehicle or visible show of support contributes to the wider message. Farmers To Action says the movement is about standing up for British farming and protecting the ability to hand family businesses on to future generations. Our industry has huge public backing, one message read. People want us to keep producing British food the best in the world and most understand why this action is necessary. The coordinated show of solidarity follows months of frustration among farmers over policy uncertainty, falling farm-gate prices and rising costs. While the 24 November demonstrations are described as peaceful and community-focused, organisers say they aim to send a clear message to policymakers that changes to inheritance-tax relief must not come at the expense of family farms and rural livelihoods. A Private Members Bill before parliament is demanding tougher protections for UK dairy producers from fair pricing and transparent labelling to safeguards in future trade deals. The legislation, introduced this week by Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Dyke, seeks to ensure that the government considers the impact on British dairy farmers in any future international trade negotiations. It also calls for measures to promote fair dealing between farmers, processors and retailers, alongside stronger contractual protections to prevent exploitation in the supply chain. The bill follows growing alarm over falling milk prices and the long-term decline of Britains dairy sector. Figures from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, show the number of UK dairy farms has fallen by more than 30% since 2015, from 12,643 to 8,738, while the national dairy herd has dropped by nearly 90,000 cows. At the same time, prices continue to slide. Dairy co-operative Arla Foods reported its November milk price fell by 2.63p/litre from 1 November, marking the third monthly reduction in a row. Dairy co-operative First Milk has also confirmed it will cut its milk price by 6p per litre from 1 December 2025, citing weak global demand and oversupply across dairy markets. The move has deepened concern among producers already facing significant financial pressure. Dyke said the one-sided contracts that allow buyers to cut prices in this way are unacceptable and unsustainable. She warned that price volatility, rising input costs and uncertainty over future farm support were leaving producers under enormous pressure. Dyke also raised concerns that recent trade agreements have opened the door to cheaper imports that fail to meet UK production standards. A major dairy farmer in my constituency has commented that recent trade deals for the UK and EU mean that we are being flooded with US butter and New Zealand butter and cheddar, she said. She argued that proper labelling would allow shoppers to support hardworking local farming families and make informed decisions about where their food comes from. Calling dairy farming a backbone of the UKs domestic food production, Dyke urged ministers to do more to secure the industrys future. Its imperative that the Government supports, stands up for and protects this vital industry, she said. She also warned that changes to inheritance tax rules could further threaten family-run farms, adding: Im calling on the government to make these essential provisions to safeguard our farming industry and protect our hardworking farmers. Pig farmers are being urged to tighten biosecurity after a sharp rise in cases of swine dysentery has raised concerns about disease control and on-farm hygiene across the UK. Government figures show the number of confirmed outbreaks caused by Brachyspira hyodysenteriae has climbed steadily over the past three years from just eight cases in 2021 to 54 in 2024 according to the GB Pig Surveillance Dashboard. The AHDBs Significant Diseases Charter has also recorded 12 new cases in seven counties up to mid-September, including one in Scotland, suggesting the disease continues to spread despite control efforts. Swine dysentery is a highly infectious bacterial disease that affects growing and finishing pigs as well as young breeding stock. While it poses no risk to human health, it can cause severe diarrhoea, dehydration and loss of condition in pigs, leading to significant welfare and financial impacts for producers. Industry specialists warn that the recent increase points to gaps in on-farm hygiene and movement controls, both within and between units. Biosecurity expert Nigel Bennet from Roam Technology said the data underlines the urgent need for action. We all know that African swine fever is knocking at our door, he said. This data shows there are already biosecurity weaknesses that are allowing diseases like swine dysentery to spread. Every movement of people, vehicles or animals has the potential to bring new infections in or spread them around the site. In response to rising infections, AHDB has relaunched its Muck Free Truck campaign to emphasise the importance of keeping vehicles clean when entering or leaving farm sites and to empower producers to turn away those that fail to meet standards. AHDBs Lauren Turner said collaboration and transparency are crucial if the industry is to get ahead of the disease. Theres still stigma around reporting swine dysentery nobody wants to be that one but we need to tackle this as an industry, she said. The earlier we can alert others, combined with good biosecurity, the better. The levy board has also secured a 12-month licence for a BioCheck tool, used by vets to evaluate farm biosecurity and pinpoint weak areas that could be exploited by disease. Veterinary surgeon Dr Annie Davis of the George Vet Group said her practice has seen more mild or hidden cases, where clinical signs are not immediately obvious. In less dramatic cases, you might just see loose stools, particularly in slatted systems, she explained. The only way to know what youre dealing with is to test and thats what were encouraging all farmers to do. Dr Davis said early diagnosis is vital to contain outbreaks quickly. Internal biosecurity is just as important as external, she added. Look closely at pig movements, shared equipment and medication protocols. Where disease pressure is too high, partial depopulation or repopulation may be the only effective option. Mr Bennet said a robust biosecurity culture benefits farms far beyond individual disease control. Good biosecurity isnt just about stopping swine dysentery, he said. Its about protecting the overall health, productivity and reputation of your farm. "By keeping infectious diseases out or stopping them spreading producers can safeguard pig welfare, reduce antibiotic use and protect their bottom line. Scottish government ministers have been accused of presiding over a shambles and urged to come clean over the Future Farming Investment Scheme. The Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) provides grants to help farmers and crofters invest in new equipment, technology and environmental improvements. Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross has sharply criticised the rollout of the scheme, saying it has left farmers, crofters and agricultural workers furious after missing out on promised grants. Ross said that key priority groups including young farmers, new entrants, tenant farmers and island businesses were repeatedly rejected despite assurances they would be given special consideration. Quoting a Lanarkshire farmer during a Holyrood debate, Ross told agriculture minister Jim Fairlie the process felt like selling raffle tickets for the fund rather than running a fair and transparent system. He has called on the government to publish a full breakdown of successful and unsuccessful applications by constituency and region to show, as he put it, the full picture of how the funding has been allocated. The SNP announced this scheme to much fanfare but it has completely failed to deliver for those who need it most, Ross said. He added that Fairlie has failed to answer many key questions and must explain why even modest grant requests were rejected. Ross has also written to the minister seeking clarity on what he described as a huge number of ineligible applications, accusing the government of mishandling a process that was meant to support the backbone of rural Scotland. The Scottish government said the scheme was heavily oversubscribed and has since been expanded, with Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon announcing an additional 7 million in funding taking the total pot to more than 21 million. She said the FFIS was designed to deliver practical support for agricultural businesses through investment in agri-tech and environmental projects. Ministers have also indicated that further funding rounds are being considered given the significant level of demand. NFU Scotland acknowledged the strong level of interest in the scheme, saying the volume of applications exceeded the funding available a clear sign of ambition and investment appetite within Scottish farming. The union noted that sustained lobbying by NFU Scotland had helped secure a significant budget increase earlier this year, raising total funding to over 21.4 million. While welcoming the success of some farmers, the organisation said many others were understandably disappointed after seeing strong applications rejected. Initial feedback, it said, highlighted perceived inconsistencies in how bids were assessed and concern over low success rates among ministerial priority groups. NFU Scotland said it would seek further talks with ministers to understand these issues. The union added that the clear and growing appetite among farmers to invest in sustainability and productivity underlines the need for long-term, well-funded support schemes. It said it is already working with the Scottish government on shaping the next round of FFIS, which will be backed by a 26 million budget, to ensure lessons from the current round are carried forward. The 43rd Session of the UNESCO General Conference brought India a new delicious surprise on October 31, 2025. The session, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, saw the official declaration of Lucknow as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. About The UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy Distinction To be eligible to be declared a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy, a city must boast a rich culinary heritage, traditional ingredients and skills; it must promote food education and sustainability; and it must foster cultural exchange and community participation through food. The capital of Uttar Pradesh and the largest city in the North Indian state, Lucknow follows Hyderabad in winning this distinguished honour of UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Lucknows recognition as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy honours the citys rich cultural legacy while opening new avenues for international collaboration, said Tim Curtis, Director and Representative UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was established in 2004 to promote cooperation among cities in which creativity is identified and acknowledged as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. Currently, 408 cities across 100 countries are part of the UCCN. The network looks at eight categories of creativity Design, Crafts and Folk Art, Gastronomy, Film, Music, Media Arts, Literature, and added this year Architecture. India now has nine cities recognised under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). These are Jaipur and Srinagar for Crafts and Folk Art; Varanasi, Chennai and Gwalior for Music, Mumbai for Film, Kozhikode for Literature, and Hyderabad and Lucknow for Gastronomy. Try biryani in Lucknow Why Lucknow? This distinction honours the rich Awadhi cuisine of Lucknow, which is known for its biryanis, kebabs, kormas, and sheermal all proof of the citys cultural heritage, culinary artistry and hospitality. Biryanis, kebabs, kormas, and sheermal are the traditional superstars of Lucknows culinary scene, but theres a lot more happening in the city. Try tunday kababs in Lucknow Heres what you could try Traditional Tundey Kababi for kababs Raheems Kulcha Nahari Shop for nalli-nahari Idris Biryani for biryani Basket chaat at any of the stalls in the market Sassy Kitchen for updated and adapted classics Naimat Khana for home-style Awadhi food Images: Shutterstock Also Read: 5 New UNESCO World Heritage Sites To Put On Your Bucket List Emraan Hashmi has built a legacy and a fan base that few can match and no, it didn't start with The Ba***ds of Bollywood. The Aryan Khan directorial only reintroduced him to Gen-Z but his loyal fan following has existed for decades. Known for his intense and sizzling portrayal of love and romance, heartbreak and obsession, his films were also marked by unforgettable music and raw emotions. Now, the actor who was most recently seen in HAQ, is gearing up to revisit one of his most celebrated films, Awarapan. A cult classic, Awarapan became a turning point in the actor's career. In an exclusive conversation with Filmfare, Emraan was asked whether he plans to re-release some of his most loved films, given that many from today's audience were too young to experience them in theatres when they first came out.Responding to that, the actor said, "That's why we're bringing back Awarapan. I'm not doing it just because I want to capitalize on a certain brand or franchise. It is a very loved brand a film of mine, that through the years has stood the test of time. When I meet people, wherever I go, Awarapan is something that's there on top of the filmography." He continued, "I would love to get Jannat back, but again, we have to have a director and a writer who crack a subject, which is good. Right now, theatrical business is in a very dire situation where you need people to come back in cinema halls. But also, you run a risk of put out a sequel for the sake of it, because you want to capitalise on it. They say, generally 40% of the audience comes back. That's a given. But Jannat will be one. I don't know if we can probably take Murder ahead. That's something that I would want to, but again, this all depends on the producer and the director. And also, a good script, first and foremost." Emraan also admits that The Ba***ds of Bollywood has opened a new audience base to him. Talking about his scenes going viral from the show, he added, "What I've gathered from this, there is a Gen Z audience that probably have not seen some of those films. And this was just the Gen Z's voice acknowledging it again. People are curious and revisiting it. My certain fan base has already seen that, consumed the songs, seen the films, loved the dialogues, loved those characters. And they have known it for what it is. Now, you'll have to re-release most of these films in cinemas, for them to enjoy it again. We might come out with Aawarapan in cinemas, soon, for people to witness that." Rashmika Mandanna's film, The Girlfriend, released today, for which she has been receiving well wishes from many celebrities. Kriti Sanon, among them, conveyed her message to Rashmika on social media as The Girlfriend released in theatres. On her Instagram stories, Kriti Sanon posted an unseen photo with Rashmika and wrote, Gossiping with The Girlfriend. You can meet her in the theatres now!! Good Luck for the release Rashuuu! I am sure you are gonna kill it. Kriti Sanon and Rashmika Mandanna are working together on Cocktail 2. Rashmika also wrote a special love letter earlier for all the girls who are working on becoming the women they love. She also praised all the men who support their partners, empowering them to find their voices. She shared her thoughts on social media and wrote, A love letter to all the girlies growing into the woman they love. To every Girl who was told what do you know" and yet grew into a woman who knows what she wants". Youve come a long way, give yourself that proud, tight hug. And to the men whove loved, not by leading, but by standing beside your love gave her the courage to find her voice. Dedicating her movie The Girlfriend to the love that liberates and does not limit, Rashmika added, This film is for every unspoken moment for the love that liberates, not limits, for the hearts that heal while learning to choose themselves, and for the courage it takes to begin again, as your truest self. Claiming that the drama is "going to create an impact," Vijay Deverakonda also wrote on social media, I know they have made something powerful. Something important. Something that will be hard to digest. I know the performances by all actors are top class and what @23_rahulr has created with @iamRashmika and @Dheekshiths and @ItsAnuEmmanuel is going to create an impact. Tomorrow we will all see this happen with #TheGirlfriend, go experience it in the theatres and think. Lots of love and big hugs to the entire cast and crew. Also Read: PHOTOS: Kriti Sanons Workcation Diaries in Sicily Critic's rating 2.0 /5 The first Predator movie came out in 1987, featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role, squaring off against a technologically advanced alien, simply named Predator. That film, over the last 38-odd years, has become a cult classic for sci-fi and action movie fans. The reason for that is the films unique premise a group of hard-edged mercenaries and assassins get beaten to a pulp by a stronger, faster and menacing alien hunter. A few other strong reasons the jungle setting, fantastic combination of cinematography and practical VFX and finally a haunting background score by maestro Alan Silvestri. Over the past 4 decades, weve seen some banal, some exciting, some promising movies in the Predator franchise, but none have been quite as pointless and disingenuous than Dan Trachtenbergs 2025 offering Predator: Badlands. The franchise has over the years given a more creative name to the main alien hunter species. Theyre still Predators, but theyre referred to as Yautja. The Yautja, have been humanised to show that they live in clans and have a strict hierarchal system like ancient tribes of Indians or Incas did. That has been the first failing of this franchise. Up until Badlands, this was still an unexplored concept. But director Trachtenbergs new movie begins with a short, less adept Yautja warrior named Dek squaring off with his bigger and stronger brother Kwei. Soon, the brothers meet their father Njohrr who wants Kwei to kill Dek, because his younger son is small and weak. Trachtenbergs 2022 film from this franchise, titled Prey, featured a lone hunter Yautja who was wreaking havoc on the American Badlands in 1700s bumping off Indians and Frenchmen with equal fervour. There was a sense of mystique and mystery to this killer, something that was present in Predator (1987) and Predator 2 (1990) as well. Its the oldest trick in the book of horror/thriller movies. You dont overexpose your creature. If you do, the element of fear and intrigue gets lost. Unfortunately, Dek, the protagonist of Badlands has been humanised to the extent that he looks and feels more like a tribal brute than a fearsome alien killer. It also doesnt help that Deks clueless and beady-eyed face design is used to create humour and repartee throughout Badlands. Elle Fanning, who plays a synth and another protagonist in Badlands, even jokes about Deks fangs, asking him how he eats. That is too much humanising of a character that was built on mystery and intrigue. What does work in Badlands is the action choreography and the combination of VFX, CGI and cinematography. The action sequences look spectacular and the way Trachtenberg and his team use the character/creature designs to elevate the action and premise is fantastic. Deks mission in the movie is to slay a fearsome creature called Kalisk on a planet called Genna. He teams up with the Weyland-Yutani synth Thia (Elle Fanning) and a native ape-like creature called Bud to track and hunt Kalisk. Also in the mix is Thias counter-synth Tessa (Elle Fanning) who also wants to capture Dek and the Kalisk for their parent company Weyland-Yutani. This premise works well on a conceptual level. Where the story falters is that it begins and ends on the Yautja family feud theme, which looks and feels dated. As if, borrowed from an old Western movie from the 1960s. Wise, muscular men have in the past, established the fact that action works best when theres genuine emotion involved and the dramatic stakes are at a high. With Badlands, the action looks great and feels very slick, but the emotion is simply missing or diluted by the constant brand of humour played out between Dek and Thia. For those whove grown up appreciating the badass nature of the Predator creature in cinema, Badlands will feel like a corny betrayal with Dek being more of a Star Wars-esque comedian than a genuine creature of fear and intrigue. And that becomes the complete undoing of the film and its franchise propositions. Predator: Badlands feels like a pointless story being pushed in a franchise that has de-evolved into a mythos that seems more marketing driven gimmick than creative-driven storytelling. Alos Read: Elle Fanning and Dan Trachtenberg Open Up About Action Film Predator: Badlands Speaking about the film, Tennant explained that the story explores themes of power and the abuse of it and particularly the power of communication and information. He said, "It is a story with wider implications. Because it is about power. Its about who holds the power and how you can abuse that power. The power of communication and information. When we are told one thing when actually the opposite might be true. Theres so much in there. In a world that is increasingly run by information. Where facts are upstaged by someones version of the sub-truth. And where that has more power, potentially. Where public opinion can be influenced by something that is blatantly not true. There are examples of that all around the world." David Tennant stars in the political drama The Hack which was released on OTT on November 7. The film is inspired by real events surrounding the News International phone hacking scandal, with Tennant portraying journalist Nick Davies, who exposed the illegal practices at the now-defunct British newspaper News of the World. The Doctor Who actor further explained that commodification of truth poses a danger to a just and fair society. He also criticised certain newspapers for spreading misinformation for commercial or survival reasons, stressing that the erosion of truth in media, amplified by the unregulated nature of the internet, threatens the very foundation of society. Tennant continued, "That truth is a commodity is something very dangerous for us all if were trying to run a just and fair society. I think thats the kernel of what Nick was pursuing and the reason that Jack (Jack Thorne, writer) wanted to tell the story now. Our view of people or, indeed, groups of people are perniciously influenced by the way facts are transmitted to us and it is cheapening society. Even the most learned media observer is probably being hoodwinked by some of this. Were all being told things that may not quite be true on a daily basis and our opinions are being formed. It means that people can be othered. People can be diminished. That prejudices can be enforced in ways that we dont even understand are happening to us. And Im afraid to say I think certain newspapers have been desperately guilty of that. Sometimes for commercial reasons. Sometimes for reasons of their own survival. But thats not an excuse. You cant put yourself forward as a teller of truths unless you are willing to die by that. The internet makes that more difficult because its unpoliced. How do we know what a fact is anymore? Especially if the gold standard of truth telling has been eroded to the point where it means nothing anymore. The idea that if a lie is repeated enough it becomes a fact. Thats terrifying. Thats the end of society as we understand it." The Hack is streaming on Lionsgate Play. Also Read: Exclusive: Emraan Hashmi Opens Up About Balancing Faith and Constitutional Justice in HAQ Director SS Rajamouli has revealed details of the #GlobeTrotter promotional event scheduled for November 15, 2025, at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. But on Friday morning, he shared that a few surprises will be out as part of the led up to the mega event. The makers have unveiled the first look and character poster of Prithviraj Sukumaran. As Kumbha, he looks flamboyant and intense. Prithviraj one of the finest actors According to reports, Prithviraj Sukumaran will play the antagonist in the action adventure. The makers have only released his character, and kept his role under wraps perhaps they want to build the anticipation around. But Mahesh Babus tweet, Stood on the other side time to meet you head-on KUMBHA said it all. It will be the Malayalam star Prithviraj locking horns with the Telugu superstar, Mahesh Babu. Sharing the character poster of Prithviraj, Rajamouli shared an anecdote about the part. After directing the first shot, the filmmaker walked up to the actor and said that he is one of the finest actors he has ever known. Describing Kumbhas role as ruthless and powerful, Rajamouli thanked Prithviraj for playing the part, despite the character being wheelchair-bound. He also stated that bringing life to this sinister (Kumbha) has been creatively very satisfying. After canning the first shot with Prithvi, I walked up to him and said you are one of the finest actors Ive ever known. Bringing life to this sinister, ruthless, powerful antagonist KUMBHA was creatively very satisfying. Thank you Prithvi for slipping into his chair pic.twitter.com/E6OVBK1QUS rajamouli ss (@ssrajamouli) November 7, 2025 The most complex mind ever played Sharing the poster, Prithviraj Sukumaran defined Kumbha as, The most complex mind I have ever played. The intensity, shrewdness and the con side surrounded by the character makes it all the more amazing on screen. The actor thanked Rajamouli for crafting a world that constantly tests his creative limits and pushes his boundaries. Rajamouli is presently filming climax scenes on the trio Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Mahesh Babu and Prithviraj. All the arrangements for the title launch (November 15) are in full swing, and the event will be live-streamed on JioHotstar for global audiences . Also Read: Prithviraj Breaks Silence On SS Rajamouli, Mahesh Babus SSMB 29 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 6, 2025) - Adelayde Exploration Inc. (CSE: ADDY) (OTCID: SPMTF) (WKN: A41AGV) (the "Company" or "Adelayde") wishes to provide an update to its shareholders on the impact of the current delays and suspension of mail service in Canada as a result of the nationwide strike of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers as it relates to the requirements to send proxy materials (the "Meeting Materials") for the Company's upcoming annual general meeting (the "Meeting"). The Meeting is to be held Thursday, December 18, 2025, at 10:00am (Pacific Time) at the office of Cozen O'Connor LLP, at Suite 2501 - 550 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. On October 10, 2025, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers announced that the union was moving from a full, national strike to rotating strikes (the "Rotating Strikes"). While the Company will make all efforts to mail the Meeting Materials during the Rotating Strikes, shareholders are reminded that there can be no assurance that the Meeting Materials will be received by the shareholder prior to the Meeting. The Company's Meeting Materials, comprising of the Notice of Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, the Management Information Circular, the Form of Proxy, the Notice and Instruction (NI) Card are accessible on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. and on the Company's website at https://www.adelaydeexp.com/investors/. Shareholders of the Company are encouraged to access the meeting materials directly through the above-mentioned websites or contact the Company to request electronic copies of the meeting materials. Shareholders can contact the Company to request copies of the Meeting Materials by telephone at 604-646-6903 or 1-855-599-9150 (toll free in Canada and the United States) or by email at info@adelaydeexp.com. As set out in the Meeting Materials, shareholders will be asked to consider and approve the following resolutions: (i) appointment of auditors until the next annual meeting and to authorize the directors to set the auditor's remuneration; (ii) set the number of directors until the next annual meeting; and (iii) election of directors to hold office until the next annual meeting. Detailed voting instructions are available on the Form of Proxy. The proxy cut-off is Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time). Registered shareholders can contact Computershare's Investor Centre at 1-800-564-6253 (8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST; Monday to Friday) to request their proxies and voting control numbers. Beneficial shareholders who hold the Company's common shares in a brokerage account should contact their broker for details on how to submit their vote. About Adelayde Exploration Inc. Adelayde's projects include three lithium projects in Clayton Valley, Nevada: the 1,136-acre McGee lithium clay deposit, which has a resource estimate of 1,369,000 indicated tonnes and 723,000 inferred tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) for a total of 2,092,000 tonnes of LCE, directly bordering Pure Energy Minerals and Century Lithium Corp.; the 280-acre Elon lithium brine project, which has access to some of the deepest parts of the only lithium brine basin in production in North America; and the 124-acre Green Clay lithium project. The Company also holds the 248-acre Clayton Ridge gold project in Esmeralda County, Nevada; the 4,722-acre George Lake South antimony project, the 4,890-acre Sisson North tungsten project, and the 4,890-acre Sisson NW tungsten project all located in New Brunswick. Management cautions that past results or discoveries on properties in proximity to Adelayde may not necessarily be indicative to the presence of mineralization on the Company's properties. If you would like to be added to Adelayde's news distribution list, please send your email address to info@adelaydeexp.com Adelayde Exploration Inc. "James Nelson" James Nelson President, Chief Executive Officer and Director For more information regarding this news release, please contact: Adelayde Exploration Inc. The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Forward-Looking Statements Certain information in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties such as the proposed use of proceeds from the Financing. 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. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of Adelayde. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. 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 and Adelayde disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273531 SOURCE: Adelayde Exploration Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 6, 2025) - Sienna Resources Inc. (TSXV: SIEN) (FSE: A418KR) (the "Company" or "Sienna") wishes to provide an update to its shareholders on the impact of the current delays and suspension of mail service in Canada as a result of the nationwide strike of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers as it relates to the requirements to send proxy materials (the "Meeting Materials") for the Company's upcoming annual general & special meeting (the "Meeting"). The Meeting is to be held Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 10:00am (Pacific Time) at the office of Cozen O'Connor LLP, at Suite 2501 - 550 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. On October 10, 2025, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers announced that the union was moving from a full, national strike to rotating strikes (the "Rotating Strikes"). While the Company will make all efforts to mail the Meeting Materials during the Rotating Strikes, shareholders are reminded that there can be no assurance that the Meeting Materials will be received by the shareholder prior to the Meeting. The Company's Meeting Materials, comprising of the Notice of Annual General & Special Meeting of Shareholders, the Management Information Circular, the Form of Proxy, the Notice and Instruction (NI) Card are accessible on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. and on the Company's website at https://www.siennaresources.com/investors/. Shareholders of the Company are encouraged to access the meeting materials directly through the above-mentioned websites or contact the Company to request electronic copies of the meeting materials. Shareholders can contact the Company to request copies of the Meeting Materials by telephone at 604-646-6900 or 1-855-646-6901 (toll free in Canada and the United States) or by email at info@siennaresources.com. As set out in the Meeting Materials, shareholders will be asked to consider and approve the following resolutions: (i) appointment of auditors until the next annual meeting and to authorize the directors to set the auditor's remuneration; (ii) set the number of directors until the next annual meeting; (iii) election of directors to hold office until the next annual meeting; and (iv) approval of the Company's omnibus equity incentive plan to replace the current omnibus incentive plan. Detailed voting instructions are available on the Form of Proxy. The proxy cut-off is Monday, December 15, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time). Registered shareholders can contact Computershare's Investor Centre at 1-800-564-6253 (8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST; Monday to Friday) to request their proxies and voting control numbers. Beneficial shareholders who hold the Company's common shares in a brokerage account should contact their broker for details on how to submit their vote. 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/273532 SOURCE: Sienna Resources Inc. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 6, 2025) - Advanced Gold Exploration (CSE: AUEX) ("Advanced Gold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of Arndt Roehlig to its Board of Directors, President and CEO effective immediately. Mr. Roehlig has served on numerous Canadian public company boards operating in the resource and technology sectors. As president and chief executive officer of various companies, Mr. Roehlig has raised millions of dollars for TSX Venture Exchange and CSE listed companies. Mr. Roehlig has decades of corporate experience in the management and development of publicly traded companies. In addition, the Company would like to announce that Mr. James Atkinson has resigned as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Mr. Atkinson will continue to serve as a director of the Company and has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company. Mr. Radovan Danilovksy has resigned as a director of the Company, effective November 1, 2025. The Company wishes to thank Mr. Danilovksy and Mr. Atkinson for all their services in the past and wishes them well in their future endeavors. Finally, the Company wishes to announce that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement through the issuance of up to 5,000,000 units (each, a "Unit") in the capital of the Company at a price of $0.05 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $250,000 (the "Offering"). Each Unit shall be comprised of one common share (each, a "Common Share") in the capital of the company and one-half of one whole transferable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.065 per Common Share for a period of two (2) years from the date of issuance. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance and the resale rules of applicable securities legislation. The gross proceeds of the Offering shall be used for general corporate and working capital purposes. The closing of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory and other approvals, including the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange. The Company may pay certain eligible finders a cash commission of up to 10% of the gross proceeds received from subscribers introduced to the Company by such finder. About Advanced Gold Exploration Inc. Advanced Gold Exploration (formerly Advance United Holdings Inc.) is a Canadian mineral exploration company. The Company has acquired a portfolio of undervalued gold and copper properties and are increasing their value through the application of modern technology, new ideas and systematic exploration. The Company has a growing pipeline of similar properties that the company is looking to acquire. Advanced Gold is involved exclusively in the acquisition and advancement of past projects -- with no intent to bring them back into production or to mine them itself. The Company's expertise is in identifying and acquiring undervalued properties with significant historical work, which were uneconomic at the time. The company believes it can enhance their economic value at today's prices. The Company finances the reworking historic data and applying modern technology to underwrite new qualified reports, document quantifiable resources and reserves to current standards, thereby recognizing the current value. The Company's purpose is to bring immediate and long-term value to its partners and shareholders while seeking to reduce exploration risk, so that it can all advance in the shortest possible time frame. This news release may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the trading of the Company's securities and the focus of the Company's business. Any such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "contemplates", "believes", "projects", "plans" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Company's ability to increase the value of its current and future mineral exploration properties and, in connection therewith, any long-term shareholder value, the Company's ability to mitigate or eliminate exploration risk, and the Company's intention to develop a portfolio of historic gold properties. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that the Company will continue its business as described above. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's annual and quarterly management's discussion and analysis and other periodic filings made by the Company with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward-looking information to reflect new events or circumstances or actual results unless required by applicable law. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273553 SOURCE: Advanced Gold Exploration Inc. Singapore, Singapore--(Newsfile Corp. - November 6, 2025) - Raffles Financial Group Ltd. (CSE: RICH) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Raffles FinTech Limited ("RFT"), has secured four strategic contracts to provide supply-chain financial technology and revolving credit advisory and arrangement services, along with Initial Public Offering (IPO) advisory, to four prominent companies: Regen Healthcare, CAPA Medical Facility, SAFA (Sustainable Aviation Fuel Asia), and Silica Material Tech. The contracts mark a significant resumption of business for RFT, which will be advising and arranging trade-finance revolving credits and IPOs for each client within the next 24 months. Prof. Kevin Lou, Chief Consulting Officer of RFT, expressed his enthusiasm for the new mandates, "RFT resumed business from July 2025, and we are delighted to secure four strategic clients who are leaders in their fields. Each of them has mandated RFT in advising and arranging for their trade-finance revolving credits and IPO within the next 24 months. This is a strong validation of RFT's innovative approach to non-dilutive financing and corporate advisory." Strategic Clients and Their Industry Leadership The four clients represent high-growth sectors and are recognized for their leadership and innovation in their respective spaces: 1. Regen Healthcare Healthcare Leadership: Regen Healthcare is recognized as a fast-growing provider of high-quality, cost-effective medical services and healthcare solutions in ASEAN and China. The company focuses on leveraging efficiency in its supply chain, including procurement-to-payment funding and record-keeping, to support its mission of advancing health. Regen Healthcare is recognized as a fast-growing provider of high-quality, cost-effective medical services and healthcare solutions in ASEAN and China. The company focuses on leveraging efficiency in its supply chain, including procurement-to-payment funding and record-keeping, to support its mission of advancing health. Service Mandate: Supply-chain finance technology advisory, revolving credit arrangement, and IPO advisory. Supply-chain finance technology advisory, revolving credit arrangement, and IPO advisory. Regen CEO, Li Jing, said: "To meet the burgeoning demand for quality healthcare, we must ensure our operational and financial supply chains are robust and efficient. Partnering with RFT to arrange for our trade-finance revolving credit and advise on our corporate reorganisation is a necessary step to fund our accelerated growth and transition into a publicly listed company, ultimately allowing us to serve more patients." 2. CAPA Medical Facility Medical Facility Leadership: CAPA Medical Facility is a Singapore-headquartered company dedicated to providing specialized medical and surgical facility services. The firm is currently undergoing strategic corporate restructuring and expansion planning to scale its operations in ASEAN and China. CAPA Medical Facility is a Singapore-headquartered company dedicated to providing specialized medical and surgical facility services. The firm is currently undergoing strategic corporate restructuring and expansion planning to scale its operations in ASEAN and China. Service Mandate: Restructuring & Corporate Finance Advisory, IPO & Global Fund Raising Advisory, and Trade Finance Facilities Advisory services. Restructuring & Corporate Finance Advisory, IPO & Global Fund Raising Advisory, and Trade Finance Facilities Advisory services. CAPA CEO, Ricky Yan said: "The RFT mandate is pivotal for our next phase of development. Their expertise in corporate finance and IPO preparation will enable us to successfully execute our global fund-raising plan. Securing a trade finance facility will optimize our liquidity, ensuring we can maintain our high standard of medical excellence while strategically positioning ourselves for a public listing." 3. SAFA (Sustainable Aviation Fuel Asia) Pte Ltd BioFuel Leadership: SAFA is pioneering the establishment of Asia's largest standardized, asset-light network for the collection and pre-treatment of Used Cooking Oil (UCO), a critical feedstock for the global Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Biodiesel industries. SAFA's control over this secure, compliant supply chain places it at the forefront of the green energy transition, aiming to meet the expected US$25 billion SAF market by 2030. SAFA is pioneering the establishment of Asia's largest standardized, asset-light network for the collection and pre-treatment of Used Cooking Oil (UCO), a critical feedstock for the global Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Biodiesel industries. SAFA's control over this secure, compliant supply chain places it at the forefront of the green energy transition, aiming to meet the expected US$25 billion SAF market by 2030. Service Mandate: Exclusive supply-chain finance technology advisor, arrangement of a trade finance revolving credit facility, and leading the planned IPO. Exclusive supply-chain finance technology advisor, arrangement of a trade finance revolving credit facility, and leading the planned IPO. SAFA CEO Tony Li, said: "SAFA is pioneering the shift towards a sustainable aviation sector by controlling the feedstock supply chain, and we look forward to the enhanced valuation when our market cap hits the billion-dollar mark. This partnership is crucial for unlocking the capital efficiency needed to achieve that valuation. We believe Raffles FinTech can help us achieve that". 4. Silica Material Tech Silica Leadership: Silica Material Tech is a high-tech enterprise serving the demands of the tech titans, specializing in the production of ultra-high-purity silicon sand, a critical material for the advanced semiconductor and new energy industries. The company holds 14 core patents for its proprietary, environmentally friendly physical purification process that refines silicon sands to 99.99% purity for advanced semiconductor use. Silica Material Tech is a high-tech enterprise serving the demands of the tech titans, specializing in the production of ultra-high-purity silicon sand, a critical material for the advanced semiconductor and new energy industries. The company holds 14 core patents for its proprietary, environmentally friendly physical purification process that refines silicon sands to 99.99% purity for advanced semiconductor use. Service Mandate: Supply-chain finance technology advisor and arranger for a trade finance revolving credit facility, and advising on the planned IPO. Supply-chain finance technology advisor and arranger for a trade finance revolving credit facility, and advising on the planned IPO. Silica Material Tech CEO Mr Zhao CJ said: "We need to expand our non-toxic, no-chemical environmental-friendly technology to refine silicon sands to 99.99% purity for advanced semiconductor use. With the growth of AI applications, the need for super-power computing means pent-up demand for fine quality silicon materials. We need to be proactively funded to meet strong demands. The collaboration with RFT is expected to accelerate the company's growth trajectory, positioning it as a key player in the silica global supply chain". RFT's Value Proposition RFT's strategy is to provide non-dilutive capital solutions through trade-finance revolving credits, enabling clients to significantly scale operations and enhance their valuation prior to an IPO. This approach allows the companies to achieve a much larger market capitalization upon listing, benefiting shareholders and founders. About Raffles Financial Group Limited (CSE: RICH) Raffles Financial Group is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange Purchasable under the stock symbol (CSE: RICH). On behalf of the RFG Board of Directors Monita Faris Corporate Secretary Phone: +1 604-283-6110 Email: monita@rafflesfinancial.co Website: www.RafflesFinancial.co The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release. Neither the Canadian Securities Purchase nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Purchase) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain statements contained in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements' or "forward-looking information" (collectively "forward-looking information") as those terms are used in Canadian securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words 'could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated", "anticipates" 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 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273563 SOURCE: Raffles Financial Group Limited Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 6, 2025) - Nevada Sunrise Metals Corporation (TSXV: NEV) (OTC Pink: NVSGF) ("Nevada Sunrise" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has closed a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of $650,000, consisting of 13,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit, with each Unit comprised of one common share of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one common share at a price of $0.075 for a period expiring three years from the closing date of the Offering. Due to investor demand, the Offering was increased from $600,000 (12,000,000 Units) (see news release dated October 16, 2025) to $650,000 (13,000,000 Units). Proceeds of the Offering will be used for: Exploration work on the Company's Nevada mineral properties; Other mineral property investigations, and general working capital. The Offering was available to accredited investors and individuals that qualified under certain other statutory exemptions. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period expiring March 7, 2026. In connection with the closing of the Offering, the Company paid finder's fees consisting of a total of $31,500 cash and 630,000 finder's warrants (each a "Finder's Warrant") to Canaccord Genuity Corp. Each Finder's Warrant is exercisable at a price of $0.075 for a period of three years from the closing date of the Offering. The Offering is subject to acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. This news release does not constitute an offer of sale of any of the foregoing securities in the United States. None of the foregoing securities have been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act") or any applicable state securities laws and may not be offered or sold 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) or persons in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor will there be any sale of the foregoing securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About Nevada Sunrise Nevada Sunrise is a junior mineral exploration company with a strong technical team based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, that holds interests in gold, copper and lithium exploration projects located in the State of Nevada, USA. Nevada Sunrise holds the right to purchase a 100% interest in the Griffon Gold Mine Project, located approximately 50 kilometers (33 miles) southwest of Ely, NV. Nevada Sunrise holds the right to earn a 100% interest in the Coronado Copper Project, located approximately 48 kilometers (30 miles) southeast of Winnemucca, NV. Nevada Sunrise owns 100% interests in the Gemini West, Jackson Wash and Badlands lithium projects, all of which are located in the Lida Valley in Esmeralda County, NV. As a complement to its exploration projects in Esmeralda County, the Company owns Nevada Water Right Permit 86863, also located in the Lida Valley basin, near Lida, NV. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur and include disclosure of anticipated exploration activities. Although the Company 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 may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date such statements were made. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Such factors include, among others, risks related to future plans for the Company's Nevada mineral properties; reliance on technical information provided by third parties on any of our exploration properties; changes in mineral project parameters as plans continue to be refined; current economic conditions; future prices of commodities; possible variations in grade or metallurgical recovery rates; failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of contracted parties to perform; labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry; delays due to pandemic; delays due to weather; delays in obtaining governmental approvals, financing or in the completion of exploration, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis for the Nine Months ending June 30, 2025, which is available under Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedarplus.com. Although Nevada Sunrise has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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 statements. Nevada Sunrise disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273569 SOURCE: Nevada Sunrise Metals Corp. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 6, 2025) - Lion Copper and Gold Corp. (CSE: LEO) (OTCQB: LCGMF) ("Lion CG", or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Debenture Financing") of secured convertible debentures ("Debentures") for gross proceeds of US$2,700,000. The Debentures bear interest at the rate of 12% per annum and will mature on the date that is 12 months from issuance. The principal amount of the Debentures may be converted into common shares of the Company at US$0.0965 per share until November 6, 2026. Interest may be settled in shares priced at the time of repayment or conversion of the note at the option of the Company. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for the purchase of lands and associated mineral rights for the Company's Yerington area projects. The repayment of the Debentures will be secured against the lands and mineral rights to be purchased with the proceeds of the Offering. In connection with the sale of the Debentures, the Company issued to the purchasers one detachable warrant (a "Warrant") for every US$0.0965 of principal amount of the Debentures subscribed for. The Company issued 27,979,274 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") to the purchasers. Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire a common share of the Company at a price of US$0.0965 until November 6, 2030. Pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), the Company advises that one insider who is a director and a control person of the Company participated in the Debenture Financing for the principal amount of US$1,400,000, which constitutes a "related party transaction". The Company is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation requirements contained in section 5.5(a) and section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the securities issued to the related party do not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the Debenture Financing, as the details of the Debenture Financing and the participation therein by related parties of the Company were not settled until shortly prior to closing and the Company wanted to improve its financial position as expeditiously as possible. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months expiring on March 7, 2026. The securities are also subject to restrictions on resale under Rule 144 under US Securities laws, which in general requires that the securities be held for six to twelve months prior to being eligible for resale. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such province, state or jurisdiction. Early Warning Report Tony Alford, a director of the Company, acquired Debentures in the principal amount of US$1,400,000 and 14,507,772 Warrants for the total purchase price of US$1,400,000 pursuant to the Debenture Financing. Immediately prior to the Debenture Financing, Mr. Alford owned 127,849,604 common shares of the Company, representing approximately 30.94% of the Company's total issued and outstanding common shares on an undiluted basis. In addition, immediately prior to completion of the Private Placement, Mr. Alford owned an aggregate of 59,768,240 Warrants and 29,995,000 stock options. Exercising all of his warrants and options would bring his total to 217,612,844 common shares or 43.26% (partially diluted). Following completion of the Debenture Financing, Mr. Alford owns and/or has control over an aggregate of 74,276,012 Warrants, 29,995,000 stock options, and Debentures of principal amount of US$1,400,000, which, if exercised or converted, would result in Mr. Alford holding 246,628,388 common shares, representing approximately 46.36% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company on a partially diluted basis, assuming that no further common shares of the Issuer have been issued, resulting in an increase of approximately 3.09% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares on a partially diluted basis. Mr. Alford acquired the securities for investment purposes. Mr. Alford may, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease his beneficial ownership of the Company's securities, whether in the open market, by privately negotiated agreements or otherwise, subject to a number of factors, including general market conditions and other available investment and business opportunities. The disclosure respecting Mr. Alford's shareholdings of the Company contained in this press release is made pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 62-104 Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids and a report respecting the above acquisition will be filed with the applicable securities commissions using the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR+) and will be available for viewing at www.sedarplus.ca. About Lion CG Lion Copper and Gold Corp. is advancing its flagship copper project in Yerington, Nevada through an Option to Earn-in Agreement with Nuton LLC, a Rio Tinto Venture. Further information can be found at www.lioncg.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors, John Banning Chief Executive Officer Neither Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Except for statements of historical fact, any information contained in this news release may be a forward-looking statement that reflects the Company's current views about future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the terms of the Offering, the terms of the Notes, the conversion price of the principal amount and interest, the intended use of proceeds, the Offering including a related party transaction, and the exemptions under MI 61-101 which the Company intends to rely. Although the Company believes that it has a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our expectations of the future, about which we cannot be certain. The Company cannot assure that the actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273575 SOURCE: Lion Copper and Gold Corp. Columbus, Ohio--(Newsfile Corp. - November 6, 2025) - Rinehardt Injury Attorneys announced that attorney John K. Rinehardt has been named to the Top 100: 2026 Ohio Super Lawyers and the Top 50: 2026 Cleveland Super Lawyers lists, marking a continued streak of recognitions that dates back to 2012. The honor reflects a peer-reviewed selection process that evaluates professional achievement and peer recognition within the legal community. Rinehardt Injury Attorneys' John K. Rinehardt Honored Among Ohio's Top 100 Super Lawyers for 2026 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/273001_f9c8eb4a94e45adf_002full.jpg As a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Law, Rinehardt has devoted his career to advocating for injury victims across Ohio and helping clients navigate the legal system with diligence and professionalism. This acknowledgment is viewed by the firm as a milestone in its ongoing commitment to client service and to the communities it serves throughout the state. Readers can learn more about the recognition here: Top 100 Super Lawyers for 2026. Rinehardt Injury Attorneys, with offices in Columbus and Mansfield, represents individuals in a broad range of personal injury matters. The firm underscores its mission of providing knowledgeable guidance to Ohioans affected by accidents, including those seeking information related to an Ohio Car Accident Lawyer and public safety topics such as the top causes of car accidents. While the announcement highlights a personal accolade for a member of the firm, Rinehardt Injury Attorneys emphasized that the recognition speaks to the collective dedication of its legal professionals and staff who work collaboratively on behalf of clients. Beyond casework, the firm notes that Rinehardt's ongoing support for community organizations-such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Mid-Ohio Youth Mentoring, and the Richland County Humane Society-demonstrates a sustained commitment to civic engagement. These efforts complement the firm's broader focus on safety, prevention, and community well-being across Ohio. The firm attributes its long-standing approach to a balance of rigorous advocacy in the courtroom and tangible participation in local initiatives. Rinehardt Injury Attorneys maintains that accolades such as the Super Lawyers lists are one datapoint within a larger record of sustained service. Over more than two decades, the firm has provided guidance and representation to injury victims throughout Columbus, Mansfield, and surrounding communities. With a culture centered on responsiveness and careful case preparation, the firm views this recognition as encouragement to continue refining its practices, mentoring younger professionals, and contributing to public education on safety and legal rights. Members of the public seeking to understand legal options after an accident can consult resources the firm provides, including information tailored for those searching for an Ohio Car Accident Lawyer and data-driven insights on the top causes of car accidents. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273001 SOURCE: Plentisoft Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 6, 2025) - Doubleview Gold Corp. (TSXV: DBG) (OTCQB: DBLVF) (FSE: 1D4) (the "Company" or "Doubleview") announces it has closed the first tranche (the "First Tranche") of its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of non-flow-through units (the "Units") as previously announced in the Company's news release dated October 30, 2025. The Company is pleased to announce that due to shareholder response it has increased its Non-Flow Through Offering from $5 mill to up to $7.25 million. The Company further notes that it will reduce its Flow through Share offering from $5 million to $1.5 million, The First Tranche consisted of the issuance of 8,242,857 Non-Flow Through Units at a price of $0.70 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $5,769,999.90. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Share at a price of $1.00 for a period of 24 months from the closing date, subject to an accelerated expiry date at the option of the Company in the event the ten (10) day volume-weighted average price of the Shares on the TSX.V for any ten (10) consecutive trading days is $1.25 or more. Proceeds from the First Tranche will be used to fund the current exploration program on the Company's BC projects, particularly for the polymetallic Hat Project located in northwestern BC, and for general working capital. In connection with the closing of the first tranche the Company will pay finders fees to Ventum Financial Corp. the fees include $350,000 in Cash and 500,000 non transferable Finders warrants issued under the same terms as the Units noted above. All securities issued pursuant to the First Tranche are subject to a four-month-and-one-day hold period expiring March 7, 2026, in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Private Placement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company anticipates closing the remaining Non flow through and the flow-through portion of the Private Placement in the coming weeks. About Doubleview Gold Corp A mineral resource exploration and development company is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is publicly traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: DBG) (OTCQB: DBLVF) (WKN: A1W038) and (FSE: 1D4). Doubleview focuses on identifying, acquiring, and financing precious and base metal exploration projects across North America, with a strong emphasis on British Columbia. The company enhances shareholder value through the acquisition and exploration of high-quality gold, copper, cobalt, scandium, and silver projects-collectively critical minerals-utilizing cutting-edge exploration techniques. Doubleview's success is deeply rooted in the unwavering support of its long-term shareholders, supporters, and institutional investors. Their ongoing commitment has been instrumental in advancing the company's strategic initiatives. Doubleview looks forward to further collaborative growth and development and continues to welcome active participation from its valued stakeholders as the company expands its portfolio and strengthens its position in the critical minerals sector. About the Hat Polymetallic Deposit The Hat Deposit, located in northwestern British Columbia, is a polymetallic porphyry project with major resources of copper, gold, cobalt, and the potential for scandium. As one of the region's significant sources of critical minerals, the Hat deposit has undergone targeted exploration and development. The 0.2% CuEq cut-off resource estimate, as of the recently completed Mineral Resource Estimate and the Company's July 25, 2024, news release, is summarized below: Average Grade Metal Content Open Pit Model Hat Resource Category Tonnage CuEq Cu Co Au Ag CuEq Cu Co Au Ag Mt % % % g/t g/t million lb million lb million lb thousand oz thousand oz In Pit Indicated 150 0.408 0.221 0.008 0.19 0.42 1,353 733 28 929 2,045 Inferred 477 0.344 0.185 0.009 0.15 0.49 3,619 1,945 91 2,328 7,575 Scandium potential for the Hat Deposit is estimated to be 300 to 500 million tonnes at an average grade of 40 ppm (0.004%) Sc2O3. For further details, please refer to the Company's July 25, 2024 news release. Qualified Person: Erik Ostensoe, P. Geo., a consulting geologist, and Doubleview's Qualified Person with respect to the Hat Project as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed, and approved the written technical disclosure contained in the news release. He is not independent of Doubleview as he is a shareholder in the company. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Farshad Shirvani, President & Chief Executive Officer NEITHER 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. The information contained herein contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives and assumptions made as of the date of this news release, including without limitation: the size of the Private Placement and other statements concerning the Private Placement; the anticipated use of proceeds from the Private Placement; the renunciation to the purchasers of FT Shares and timing thereof; the tax treatment of the FT Shares and the Company's plans regarding exploring its mineral exploration properties; anticipated results of geophysical drilling programs, geological interpretations and potential mineral recovery. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "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 to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate funding on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to the gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty or reliance on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law, to reflect new information, events or circumstances, or changes in management's estimates, projections or opinions. Actual events or results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements or from the Company's expectations or projections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273579 SOURCE: Doubleview Gold Corp. IRAEmpire has published a new guide on selling a small business quickly to help business owners understand the process and identify the best methods for this purpose. NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / In today's economy, many business owners are looking to sell their small business. While the process may seem daunting, it can be come quite simple if you have the right guidance. The key is understanding that a fast sale doesn't have to mean accepting a low price - it's about preparation, clarity, and targeting the right buyers. According to Ryan Paulson, Chief Editor at IRAEmpire.com , "In the U.S., thousands of small businesses change hands every year, but not all sales go smoothly. Deals can stall because of messy financials, poor communication, or unrealistic expectations. With the right strategy, however, you can attract qualified buyers, negotiate efficiently, and complete your sale within months - not years." Learn About the Best Business Sale Advisors in the US Here. This guide walks you through the essential steps to sell your small business fast, from preparing your books and pricing your business correctly to marketing it confidentially and managing the closing process. Whether you run a local service company or a growing eCommerce brand, these steps will help you navigate the process confidently and efficiently. Check Out the No.1 Ranked Business Brokers of the USA Here. Know Why You're Selling - and Define Your Goals Before you begin the process of selling your small business, take time to understand why you want to sell and what outcome you're aiming for. Your motivation will influence how you price the business, the buyers you attract, and how quickly a deal can be finalized. Many small business owners in the U.S. sell for common reasons - retirement, relocation, partnership disputes, health challenges, or simply the desire to pursue a new opportunity. Others sell because they've grown the business as far as they can and want someone else to scale it further. Whatever your reason, being clear about it helps you communicate more confidently with potential buyers and advisors. It's equally important to define your goals for the sale. Do you want to maximize the selling price, or is your priority a quick, no-hassle exit? Are you hoping the buyer will retain your employees and customers? Clarity here helps you make faster, more objective decisions during negotiations. For instance, an owner focused on speed may accept a slightly lower all-cash offer instead of a higher, drawn-out installment plan. When you understand both your why and your what, you'll approach the process with sharper focus - saving time, avoiding distractions, and attracting the kind of buyers who align with your objectives. Read this Free Analysis of US Business Brokers to Learn More Get a Realistic Business Valuation If you want to sell your small business fast, pricing it correctly from the start is critical. Overpricing will turn away serious buyers, while underpricing leaves money on the table. A realistic valuation not only speeds up the sale process but also builds trust with potential buyers and helps prevent long negotiations later. The best way to determine your business's value is to work with a professional appraiser, accountant, or business broker who understands your industry. They'll look at your financial performance, growth potential, and market conditions to estimate what a qualified buyer would be willing to pay. Most small business valuations rely on a combination of methods - primarily earnings multiples, cash flow analysis, and asset-based valuation. For example, a business with consistent profits might be valued at a multiple of its EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization), while an asset-heavy company could be assessed based on the fair market value of its equipment and property. You should also consider market factors, such as industry trends, local competition, and economic conditions. If similar businesses in your region are selling for two to three times annual earnings, that's a realistic benchmark to start with. Ultimately, a fair valuation positions your business in the "sweet spot" - attractive enough to spark buyer interest quickly but accurate enough to withstand scrutiny during due diligence. A professional valuation gives you that balance, helping you close faster without unnecessary haggling or delays. Choose the Fastest and Safest Selling Method Once you know your business's true market value, the next step is deciding how to sell it. The right selling method can make all the difference between a deal that drags for months and one that closes quickly and efficiently. The approach you choose should balance speed, security, and control. If you want to move fast, hiring a business broker is often the smartest option. Experienced brokers already have networks of pre-qualified buyers and know how to market your business confidentially. They handle listing, inquiries, negotiations, and paperwork - freeing you to focus on daily operations. In exchange, they typically charge a success-based commission, usually ranging between 8% and 12% of the final sale price for smaller deals. Learn More About the Best Business Brokers in the US Here. For very small businesses or side ventures, you might consider a direct sale or online listing. Platforms like BizBuySell, BizQuest, and BusinessBroker.net allow you to list your company directly to thousands of active buyers nationwide. If you already know a potential buyer - such as a competitor, supplier, or even a key employee - negotiating privately can save time and fees. However, you'll still need professional guidance from an attorney or CPA to handle contracts, tax implications, and due diligence properly. In some cases, small business owners pursue a local sale by leveraging community networks, industry associations, or even social media to find interested buyers nearby. While this can work well for retail, service, or franchise businesses, confidentiality must be managed carefully to avoid alarming employees or customers. Whichever method you choose, your goal should be to create controlled visibility - reaching serious buyers quickly while protecting sensitive business information. A structured, professional sales process signals credibility and helps your deal move faster from interest to closing. Market Your Business to Serious Buyers Once you've chosen your selling method, the next step is to market your small business effectively - and discreetly. The goal is to attract serious, qualified buyers quickly without creating unnecessary noise that could unsettle employees, customers, or competitors. Strategic marketing is what turns your preparation into real buyer interest. Start by creating a professional business summary or Confidential Information Memorandum (CIM). This document acts as your business's sales pitch. It should highlight key details such as your company's history, financial performance, customer base, and growth potential - all while keeping identifiable information private. A well-written summary communicates credibility and value in just a few pages, helping buyers see why your business stands out. If you're working with a broker, they'll handle this step for you and present your business to pre-screened buyers under Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). This ensures confidentiality while maintaining momentum. If you're marketing directly, make sure to only share in-depth financial or operational details once a buyer has signed an NDA and demonstrated genuine interest. You should also target the right type of buyer. For small U.S. businesses, the most common types include: Strategic buyers such as competitors or suppliers who can benefit from your customer base or location. Individual entrepreneurs looking for a turnkey business that's already profitable. Private investors or small equity groups interested in recurring revenue and growth potential. When marketing online, your listing should be clear, concise, and benefit-oriented. Highlight what makes your business desirable - steady cash flow, loyal customers, trained staff, or strong local brand recognition. Avoid overselling or exaggerating claims; honesty builds trust and accelerates the sale process. Finally, make yourself responsive and accessible. Serious buyers often move on quickly if communication lags. Reply promptly to inquiries, schedule calls or meetings efficiently, and be ready with documentation when requested. A professional, cooperative approach not only shortens timelines but also strengthens buyer confidence - the most important ingredient in closing a fast sale. Negotiate Smart - and Stay Flexible Once genuine buyers start showing interest, the negotiation phase begins - and this is where deals can either accelerate or stall. If your goal is to sell your small business fast, you'll need to balance firmness on key terms with flexibility on structure. A good deal isn't always the one with the highest number; it's the one that closes efficiently and aligns with your priorities. Start by reviewing each offer carefully. Buyers typically submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) outlining the purchase price, payment structure, contingencies, and transition terms. Don't be swayed by the headline number alone. A slightly lower all-cash offer that closes in 30 days can often be better than a higher offer dependent on financing or extended earnouts. Evaluate each proposal for its certainty and simplicity as much as for its dollar value. It's wise to involve a broker or M&A attorney at this stage. They can help you assess offers objectively, identify red flags, and ensure negotiations stay professional. They'll also handle communication with multiple buyers, keeping pressure on timelines without sacrificing confidentiality. When speed matters, flexibility is your ally. Consider creative deal structures that make it easier for the buyer to move forward quickly - such as partial seller financing, short-term training agreements, or inventory adjustments. These options can remove roadblocks and make your deal more attractive without drastically reducing your return. Above all, maintain open and professional communication. Be transparent about your expectations, provide requested documents promptly, and show a willingness to cooperate. A buyer who feels you're straightforward and responsive is far more likely to move quickly to closing. Remember, negotiation isn't about winning every point - it's about reaching a balanced agreement that satisfies both sides and leads to a successful, timely exit. Prepare for Due Diligence Once you've reached the negotiation stage, expect the buyer to conduct due diligence - a deep review of your business's financial, legal, and operational details. This is often where deals slow down or fall apart, especially if sellers aren't fully prepared. If you want a fast sale, preparation is your greatest advantage. Due diligence allows buyers to verify that everything you've presented - from revenue numbers to contracts - is accurate and reliable. They'll typically request documents like financial statements, tax returns, employee records, supplier agreements, leases, and proof of ownership for assets. They may also examine customer concentration, outstanding debts, and any pending legal or tax issues. To keep the process moving smoothly, organize all key documents before you start discussions. Create a secure digital folder or data room where you can quickly share records upon request. Be transparent about any issues - such as late payments, minor disputes, or temporary revenue drops. Buyers appreciate honesty, and full disclosure early on can prevent last-minute complications. Communication is also critical. Respond quickly to buyer requests, clarify details when needed, and keep your broker or attorney in the loop. Even small delays in sending documents can make a buyer lose confidence or move on to another opportunity. Think of due diligence as your final test. The better prepared and organized you are, the faster the buyer can complete their review - and the sooner you can move to closing. Close the Sale Efficiently After due diligence is complete and both parties are satisfied, it's time to move toward closing - the final step that officially transfers ownership of your small business. At this point, the goal is simple: finalize all legal, financial, and operational details quickly and correctly so there are no last-minute surprises. Start by working closely with your business attorney and accountant to draft or review the purchase agreement. This document spells out every detail of the deal - the purchase price, payment structure, assets included, non-compete clauses, transition support, and any remaining contingencies. Double-check that all points discussed in the Letter of Intent and due diligence stage are properly reflected in the contract before signing. Next, coordinate logistics with the buyer and any third-party professionals such as escrow agents or lenders. Funds are typically transferred through an escrow account to protect both sides. Once payment is secured, legal ownership of the business and its assets can officially change hands. Make sure all records, licenses, digital accounts, and passwords are turned over smoothly so the buyer can take control without interruption. Don't overlook the tax implications of the sale. Work with your CPA to understand how the deal structure - whether it's an asset sale or stock sale - affects your tax liability. Proper planning can help you keep more of your proceeds and avoid costly mistakes later. Finally, stay communicative and professional through closing day. Prompt responses and cooperation signal reliability and help ensure the transaction wraps up on time. With everything properly documented and reviewed, you'll walk away confident that your sale is complete, compliant, and successful. Plan for Life After the Sale Even after the closing papers are signed, your journey as a business owner doesn't end overnight. A smart post-sale plan helps you manage the transition smoothly - for both you and the new owner - while positioning yourself for the next stage of your life or career. In many small business sales, the buyer will request that you stay involved temporarily to ensure a seamless handover. This transition period might last anywhere from a few weeks to several months, depending on the complexity of the business. Your role could include training the new owner, introducing them to key clients and vendors, or helping staff adjust to the change. Defining these responsibilities in advance (and including them in the sale agreement) ensures clarity for everyone. It's equally important to manage communication carefully after the sale. Collaborate with the buyer on how to announce the transition to employees, customers, and suppliers. Consistent messaging that emphasizes stability and growth helps preserve the business's reputation and keeps operations running smoothly. On a personal level, selling your business can be both exciting and emotional. After years of effort, it's natural to feel a mix of relief, pride, and uncertainty. Use this period to reassess your financial goals with a trusted advisor. Decide how you'll use the proceeds - whether to invest in new ventures, save for retirement, or simply take a well-earned break. Finally, take time to reflect on what you've built and learned. Exiting a business successfully is an accomplishment few achieve. With careful planning and a steady mindset, you'll not only close this chapter well but also set yourself up for an even stronger next one. Be Sure to Check Out the Top Ranking Business Brokers in the US. Conclusion Selling your small business fast is completely achievable - as long as you approach it with preparation, clarity, and realistic expectations. The goal isn't just to close a deal quickly, but to do it confidently and profitably. By organizing your financials, setting a fair valuation, and choosing the right sales channel, you can attract serious buyers who are ready to move. Throughout the process, professionalism and transparency go a long way. Be responsive, provide accurate information, and work with experienced advisors who understand small business transactions in the U.S. market. Their expertise can help you avoid common pitfalls, manage negotiations efficiently, and keep momentum all the way through closing. Finally, remember that selling your business is both a financial decision and a personal milestone. Take pride in what you've built - and view this transition as a launchpad for your next chapter, whether that's a new venture, retirement, or simply enjoying the rewards of your hard work. With the right preparation and mindset, you can sell your small business quickly, smoothly, and on your terms - turning years of dedication into a well-deserved success story. About IRAEmpire IRAEmpire is a leading independent resource dedicated to helping Americans make smarter decisions about retirement investing. Through expert analysis, comparison guides, and unbiased reviews, IRAEmpire provides clarity on Gold IRAs, Crypto IRAs, and other self-directed retirement strategies. Committed to transparency, accuracy, and investor education, IRAEmpire empowers readers to evaluate providers, compare fees, and choose the right long-term wealth protection strategy. CONTACT: Ryan Paulson ryan@iraempire.com SOURCE: IRAEmpire LLC View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/blockchain-and-cryptocurrency/how-to-sell-your-small-business-fast-guide-release-1097656 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. SAO PAULO, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Geely Auto, a world-leading manufacturer of new energy vehicles, is expanding its electric line-up in the global market with the launch of the Geely EX2, its best-selling electric hatchback. The compact city car was launched in Brazil on 6th November, where it was unveiled alongside the brand's ambitious plan to lead the global B-segment market towards a more refined future. Built on GEA architecture, the Geely EX2 boasts a sleek design, advanced technology, safety features, and impressive performance, setting a new standard for urban electric mobility. It measures 4,135 mm in length, 1,805 mm in width, and 1,580 mm in height, with a 2,650 mm wheelbase that strikes the perfect balance between agile handling and class-leading cabin space. The Geely EX2 establishes a safety benchmark for city cars. It features a comprehensive safety protection system centered on battery safety, comprising the Geely Battery Safety System, an optimized high-strength structure, and a real-time temperature monitoring system. In terms of structural safety, the Geely EX2 features reinforced cabin structures, including a cage body and a #-shaped rear subframe, as well as a tri-directional energy-absorbing structure to enhance structural integrity in various conditions. Before its launch in China, the compact city car made its overseas debut at the 2024 Automechanika Frankfurt, Germany, along with plans to go global. Operating under the name Xingyuan, it was the best-selling model in the Chinese market from January to September 2025, and the second-best-selling BEV model worldwide in August 2025. In September 2025, the model set a new milestone by becoming the fastest to exceed 400,000 units in sales in the Chinese market. The launch of the Geely EX2 in Brazil further solidifies Geely's focus on the country's market. The Geely EX5, Geely Auto's first model in Brazil, was launched in August 2025 and has quickly become the best seller in its segment. In accordance with the agreement between Renault and Geely Holding, Renault do Brasil will manufacture Geely Auto-branded zero and low-emission vehicles at the Ayrton Senna plant. As the latest addition to Geely Auto's electrified lineup, the Geely EX2 is scheduled to launch in markets across five continents within one year. By entering major European markets, it is set to amplify Geely Auto's presence on the continent. In the SEA region, it will soon be available in Thailand, Indonesia, and other countries. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2816672/Geely_EX2_KV.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/geely-autos-game-changing-geely-ex2-arrives-to-redefine-the-city-car-standard-302608454.html KALMAR CORPORATION, PRESS RELEASE, 7 NOVEMBER 2025 AT 10:00 (EET) Kalmar and Transnet Port Terminals continue sustainability-focused collaboration with significant order for hybrid straddle carriers Kalmar has concluded an agreement to supply 16 hybrid straddle carriersto South African operator Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) for its Cape Town and Port Elizabeth container terminals. The significant order was booked in Kalmar's Q4 2025 order intake with delivery of the machines scheduled to be completed during Q2 2026. TPT delivers integrated, reliable and cost-effective cargo handling services across Southern Africa for containers, vehicles, breakbulk and mineral and agricultural bulk. The company operates 16 sea-cargo terminals across South Africa in Durban, Richards Bay, East London, Cape Town, Gqeberha and Saldanha. TPT's equipment fleet includes diesel electric straddle carriers, RTGs, reach stackers, empty container handlers, forklift trucks and terminal tractors. The hybrid straddle carriers will be the first of their kind to be delivered to a customer in Southern Africa. Of the 16 machines, 12 will be deployed at the Port Elizabeth Container Terminal and four at the Cape Town Container Terminal. Dean Moodley, General Manager of Capital Projects at TPT: "We are committed to continuously improving efficiency and sustainability at all our port terminals, and hybrid straddle carriers have an important role to play in supporting this commitment. The new machines will enable us to significantly reduce fuel consumption, noise and carbon emissions all while enhancing operational excellence. Kalmar continues to be one of our valued partners in the renewal of our cargo-handling fleet." Karri Keskinen, Head of Global Sales, Horizontal Transportation, Kalmar: "Kalmar is a true partner for TPT, supporting their journey towards more sustainable and cost-efficient cargo handling operations. We have built a strong supplier-customer relationship over many years of working together. We are delighted that TPT has chosen our proven hybrid technology to future-proof their port terminal operations." Further information for the press: Karri Keskinen, Head of Sales, Horizontal Transportation, Kalmar, tel. +358 40 700 2198, karri.keskinen@kalmarglobal.com Nina Jahi, Communications Manager, Kalmar, tel. +358 40 519 3635, nina.jahi@kalmarglobal.com Kalmar Attachments The 19th International Architecture Exhibition shines a spotlight on the Fondazione Pistoletto with The Third Paradise Perspective, an immersive installation supported by Pomilio Blumm. Visitors to the Biennale enter a striking, sensory environment: a flooded room where water rises to 70 centimetres - mirroring the projected sea level in Venice by the year 2100. Cutting through the water, a walkway shaped as the Third Paradise symbol invites reflection on collective responsibility and the possibility of building shared solutions for the future. The Third Paradise symbol, conceived by Michelangelo Pistoletto in 2003, serves here as both a tangible structure and a conceptual key to the exhibition. Its inclusion at the entrance is deliberate: this initial space stands as a threshold where the tangible effects of climate change become visible, urging visitors to confront the challenges of a transforming world. Far from being a mere emblem of hope, The Third Paradise Perspective proposes a real connection between natural and artificial intelligence - a synergistic vision capable of addressing global crises. Set against the backdrop of a near-dystopian climate scenario for Venice, "the Third Paradise emerges as the only source of light and hope, guiding visitors - both literally and symbolically - towards the heart of the Biennale and a regenerative vision of tomorrow," states the official Cittadellarte press release. Founded in 1998 in Biella by Michelangelo Pistoletto - a leading figure of the Arte Povera movement - Cittadellarte is a non-profit foundation devoted to social and artistic innovation. The Third Paradise Perspective stems from one of its creative laboratories. Pomilio Blumm has also supported Scanno, the Third Paradise - a pioneering project uniting art, architecture and community regeneration in the mountain village of Scanno, nestled within the Abruzzo National Park in central Italy. Long admired by artists and photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Mario Giacomelli, Hilde Lotz-Bauer, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Mimmo Jodice and Steve McCurry, Scanno now becomes the stage for a bold experiment in cultural renewal. "Why are we here at Biennale 25 with a work of art like The Third Paradise? Because it operates on three - or even four - dimensions. There is the artwork itself, the light that extends into the next dimension - water - and the temperature that anticipates how much that water will rise over the next century. The increase in sea levels, the rise in the Earth's temperature, and the urgency of environmental action are all embedded in the relationship that the Third Paradise symbol represents between nature and humanity. For us, standing alongside Michelangelo Pistoletto in such a significant artistic project at the opening of the Architecture Biennale is part of our mission and ongoing research. In institutional communication - particularly when expressing the values that shape society and inspire new generations - the future of every territory can lie in art, because art is a forerunner of social phenomena," said Franco Pomilio, President of Pomilio Blumm. The Third Paradise Perspective can be visited at the Venice Architecture Biennale until 23 November 2025. Attachment DUBLIN, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- BOC Group today announced ADOIT 18.0, the newest release of their Enterprise Architecture suite. Designed for intelligence and impact, ADOIT 18.0 redefines how teams explore, understand, and govern their architectures - helping them move from information to insight faster than ever. The update introduces three major innovations: a new Search Experience, AI-powered reasoning with MCP, and Structured Approvals for streamlined governance. Together, they make ADOIT 18.0 the most intuitive and intelligent version yet. The redesigned Search Experience connects the dots across systems, data, and applications, turning every query into a complete, connected view of the enterprise. With Transitive Search, users can trace dependencies across layers and instantly reveal the ripple effects of change. MCP (Model Context Processor) brings built-in AI directly into ADOIT. Users simply ask a question in natural language, and MCP interprets intent, analyses context, and delivers precise, explainable answers, transforming the way architects find and understand information. And with Structured Approvals, teams can review, align, and validate submitted architecture changes directly in ADOIT Forms. Proposals move forward only when approved, ensuring quality, transparency, and accountability across the enterprise. "With ADOIT 18.0, we're making Enterprise Architecture more intelligent, approachable, and actionable", said Christoph Moser, ADOIT Product Manager at BOC Group. "It's about giving teams instant clarity - enabling them to explore their architecture, anticipate change, and lead transformation with confidence". Key Highlights of ADOIT 18.0 New Search Experience: Find and connect insights faster in one unified view. Find and connect insights faster in one unified view. Transitive Search: Trace dependencies and impacts across your landscape in seconds. Trace dependencies and impacts across your landscape in seconds. MCP AI in ADOIT: Ask naturally, understand instantly with built-in AI reasoning. Ask naturally, understand instantly with built-in AI reasoning. Structured Approvals: Review and approve proposals confidently in ADOIT Forms. Learn more on the BOC Group website or explore the new release through the free ADOIT: Community Edition. About the BOC Group BOC Group crafts and markets state-of-the-art Enterprise Modelling Software in the domains of BPM, EA and GRC, for effective and extensive business management in the digital era. Our tools are based on interconnectivity. They are free to adapt to the users' needs and can collaborate with a wide-range of ecosystem applications. ADOIT global customers include Allianz, Dentsu Aegis, iHeart Media, PostFinance, the Vienna International Airport and many others. Contact BOC Information Technologies Consulting GmbH Michael Kamberov Global Market Development Manager +43 1 905 10 81 2250 michael.kamberov@boc-group.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2466100/5606837/BOC_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/adoit-18-0-redefining-enterprise-architecture-with-built-in-intelligence-302607721.html Fidelity Japan Trust Plc - Result of General Meeting PR Newswire LONDON, United Kingdom, November 07 THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT ARE NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, CANADA, JAPAN, THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, IN ANY MEMBER STATE OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOIMIC AREA OR IN ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE SAME WOULD BE UNLAWFUL 7 November 2025 For Immediate Release FIDELITY JAPAN TRUST PLC Result of General Meeting Further to the circular to shareholders dated 14 October 2025 (the " Circular"), the Board of Fidelity Japan Trust PLC (the " Company") announces that at the first general meeting of the Company which was held today (the " First GM"), the special resolutions set out in the notice of the First GM (the " Resolutions") were duly passed by shareholders. By the passing of the Resolutions, shareholders have authorised: a) the terms of the Scheme set out in Part 2 of the Circular; b) amendments to the Articles of Association, to give effect to the Scheme; and c) subject to their appointment, the Liquidators to enter into and give effect to the Transfer Agreement with AVI Japan Opportunity Trust plc (" AJOT"), distribute New AJOT Shares to Shareholders in accordance with the Scheme and to purchase the interests of any Dissenting Shareholders. The Resolutions were voted on by way of a poll. Details of the number of votes cast for, against and withheld in respect of the Resolutions are set out in the table below and will also be published on the Company's website, https://www.fidelity.co.uk/Japan . Resolution Votes for (including discretionary) Votes against Total votes Votes Withheld(3) Number % of shares voted (2) Number % of shares voted (2) Number Proportion of issued share capital voted (%) (2) 1. To reclassify the Ordinary Shares and amend the Articles*. 67,972,634 99.87 87,912 0.13 68,060,546 59.8% 30,216 2. To approve the Scheme, to further amend the Articles and to instruct the Liquidators to give effect to the Scheme*. 67,972,634 99.87 86,912 0.13 68,059,546 59.8% 31,216 *denotes special resolution Notes: Each holder of Shares present at the First GM, in person or by proxy, was entitled to one vote per Share held at the voting record time, being 8:30 a.m. on 5 November 2025 (the " Record Time"). At the Record Time, the Company's issued share capital comprised 113,677,866 Ordinary Shares of 0.25 each and the Company held no Ordinary Shares in treasury. Therefore, the total number of voting rights in the Company as at the Record Time was 113,677,866. Rounded to two decimal places. 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 or in the calculation of the proportion of issued share capital voted. A copy of the Resolutions passed at the First GM will be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism . Following this First GM, the expected timetable is provided in full below. The implementation of the Proposals in the Circular also requires a Second General Meeting of the Company to be held, which is convened for 9:00 a.m. on 27 November 2025 at 4 Cannon Street, London EC4M 5AB. At the Second General Meeting, a special resolution will be proposed which, if passed, will place the Company into liquidation, appoint the Liquidators and agree the basis of their remuneration, instruct the Company Secretary to hold the books to the Liquidators' order, and provide the Liquidators with appropriate powers to carry into effect the amendments to the Articles made at the First General Meeting. The Resolution to be proposed at the Second General Meeting is conditional upon the FCA agreeing to admit the New AJOT Shares to the closed-ended investment funds category of the Of?cial List and the London Stock Exchange agreeing to admit the New AJOT Shares to trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (subject only to allotment), respectively, and the Directors and the AJOT Directors resolving to proceed with the Scheme. The Resolution will require at least 75 per cent. of the votes cast in respect of it, whether in person or by proxy, to be voted in favour to be passed. Circular Capitalised terms shall have the meaning attributed to them in the Circular unless otherwise defined in this announcement. A copy of the Circular is available for viewing at the National Storage Mechanism https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism and on the Company's website, https://www.fidelity.co.uk/Japan . EXPECTED TIMETABLE Scheme Entitlements Record Date 6.00 p.m. on 7 November 2025 Ordinary Shares disabled in CREST 6.00 p.m. on 7 November 2025 Suspension of trading in Ordinary Shares 7.30 a.m. on 10 November 2025 Announcement of the results of Elections 10 November 2025 Calculation Date 5.00 p.m. on 20 November 2025 Latest time and date for receipt of proxy appointments from Shareholders for the Second General Meeting 9.00 a.m. on 25 November 2025 Reclassification of the Ordinary Shares 8.00 a.m. on 26 November 2025 Suspension of dealings in Reclassified Shares 7.30 a.m. on 27 November 2025 Second General Meeting 9.00 a.m. on 27 November 2025 Appointment of the Liquidators 27 November 2025 Effective Date and Transfer Agreement executed and implemented 27 November 2025 Announcement of the Company FAV per Share, the Adjusted Cash NAV per Share and the AJOT FAV per Share 27 November 2025 New AJOT Shares issued pursuant to the Scheme 28 November 2025 First day of dealing in New AJOT Shares 28 November 2025 CREST accounts credited with, and dealings commence in, New AJOT Shares 28 November 2025 Cancellation of listing of Reclassified Shares as soon as practicable Effective Date Cheques expected to be despatched and CREST payments made to Shareholders in respect of the Cash Option Not later than 10 Business Days from the Effective Date Share certificates in respect of New AJOT Shares despatched Not later than 10 Business Days from the Effective Date The times and dates set out in the expected timetable of events above and mentioned throughout this announcement may be adjusted by the Company in which event details of the new times and dates will be notified, as requested, to the FCA, the London Stock Exchange and, where appropriate, Shareholders. All references to time in this announcement are to UK time. Enquiries: Fidelity Japan Trust PLC David Graham (Chairman) George Bayer (Company Secretary) via Stifel Stifel Edward Gibson-Watt Andrew Yeo +44 (0) 20 7710 7600 Legal Entity Identifier (LEI): 549300ND695NEJ5GPI72 This announcement is not for publication or distribution in or into the United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States. EQS Newswire / 07/11/2025 / 10:15 CET/CEST HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 7 November 2025 - Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is committed to nurturing technology enterprises and talent, driving the development of the local innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem, while actively assisting Park companies in exploring international markets and leveraging Hong Kong's role as a bridge in connecting the world and the mainland. Building on the positive momentum from the Dubai visit, 13 HKSTP Park companies joined a delegation led by Financial Secretary Paul Chan from October 27 to 31 to visit Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII9). 13 HKSTP Park companies joined a delegation led by Financial Secretary Paul Chan to visit Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the 9th Future Investment Initiative (FII9). Following HKSTP's earlier collaboration with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council to lead 22 Hong Kong technology enterprises to two major I&T events in Dubai-GITEX Global and Expand North Star-the delegation once again visited Riyadh to further expand cooperation with the Middle East. The Future Investment Initiative brings together global political and business leaders, investors, and innovation pioneers to discuss future economic trends and investment opportunities. Park company i2cool's Co-founder and CEO, Dr Martin Zhu met with local chambers and institutions, and successfully signed a MoU with MADAR Building Materials Company. Through participation in this high-level conference, Park companies actively promoted Hong Kong's I&T ecosystem to decision-makers and business leaders in the Middle East, exploring potential opportunities in technology investment, research and development collaboration, and market expansion. Among them, Park company i2Cool achieved a significant progress by successfully signing a Memorandum of Understanding with MADAR Building Materials Company. Another Park company, Westwell Technolgy, which had previously visited the Middle East last year, shared its development journey at FII9 this year. Park company Westwell Technology specialises in providing automated new energy solutions. At FII9, Yang Ming, CEO of Westwell Holdings (Hong Kong), delivered a presentation titled "Sailing to a more Sustainable Future of AI and Renewable Energy", sharing insights on integrating AI and energy to drive the green transformation of the logistics industry. Currently, the company's business spans 28 countries and regions, including the Middle East market. This visit marks a significant milestone for HKSTP and Hong Kong's I&T sector in establishing closer collaborative ties with the Middle East, expanding the global cooperation network, and opening a new chapter for Hong Kong's I&T development. Hashtag: HKSTP The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. About Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), established in 2001, has built a thriving innovation and technology (I&T) ecosystem in Hong Kong, supporting 13 unicorns, nurturing around 15,000 research talents, and hosting more than 2,400 technology companies from 25 countries and regions specializing in biomedicine, AI and robotics, fintech, and smart city development. HKSTP is dedicated to positioning Hong Kong as an international I&T hub. To align with Hong Kong's future development, HKSTP is committed to attracting and cultivating I&T talent, accelerating the commercialization of innovative outcomes, and providing comprehensive support for technology companies and professionals on their innovation journey. Its vibrant I&T ecosystem continues to grow, encompassing Hong Kong Science Park in Pak Shek Kok, InnoCentre in Kowloon Tong, and three InnoParks in Tai Po, Yuen Long, and Tseung Kwan O. These facilities drive advancements in applied technology, focusing on industries such as advanced manufacturing, micro-electronics, and biotechnology, steering Hong Kong toward new industrialization. Hong Kong Science Park Shenzhen Branch, located in Futian, Shenzhen, leverages the strategic advantage of "support of the Motherland, connecting to the world." It serves as a bridge for "bringing in and going global," actively fostering cross-border I&T collaboration. The Shenzhen Branch supports global technology companies and professionals by providing research and collaboration spaces, with a focus on enterprises in seven key sectors: Medtech, big data and AI, robotics, new materials, microelectronics, fintech, and sustainable development. HKSTP is dedicated to advancing Hong Kong's I&T development by providing research infrastructure, startup and enterprise support services, professional investment and business expertise, fostering partnership networks, and attracting top talent. These efforts drive innovation as a new engine for economic growth for Hong Kong. More information about HKSTP is available at www.hkstp.org ? News Source: HKSTP 07/11/2025 Dissemination of a Financial Press Release, transmitted by EQS News. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Media archive at www.todayir.com View original content: EQS News Dr. Simon Plyte, Biomunex's CSO, has been invited to present MAIT engagers preclinical data during an oral communication at 2025 SITC Annual meeting With a very attractive safety and efficacy profile, MAIT engagers have a major potential to fuel an innovative portfolio of drug candidates in oncology Biomunex's ambition is to develop the next generation of immunotherapies in oncology: MAIT engagers, bispecific antibodies capable of identifying, mobilizing, and activating MAIT cells, a subpopulation of T cells, to kill cancer cells. Biomunex Pharmaceuticals, a French biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of next generation immunotherapies based on the discovery and development of bispecific and multispecific antibodies, today announces presentation of preclinical data from its MAIT engager platform at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's ("SITC") 40th Annual Meeting being held in National Harbor, USA, from November 5th-9th, 2025. MAIT engagers: a new class of bispecific antibodies for cancer treatment Invited to present an oral communication on November 8th, Dr Simon Plyte, Biomunex CSO (Chief Scientific Officer), will make a presentation entitled: "The MAIT Engager platform: rapid generation of several MAIT T cell engagers with significantly improved safety profile and large therapeutic window (Abstract 1197He is also presenting a Poster regarding the topic on November 7th Biomunex is developing a large portfolio of MAIT engager drug candidates, a new therapeutic class in immuno-oncology, that is differentiated from classical TCEs ("T cell engagers"). MAIT engagers are bispecific antibodies that identify, mobilize and bridge MAIT cells (Mucosal-Associated Invariant T cells) to cancer cells resulting in MAIT activation and directed killing of tumors; MAIT engagers could become a breakthrough approach in the treatment of many cancers, particularly in solid tumors. The presentation at SITC Annual meeting will focus on the MAIT engager differentiation from classical CD3+ TCEs and highlight the superior safety of MAIT engagers. MAIT engagers are expected to overcome some of the limitations of current CD3+ TCE therapies, including activation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and cytokine release syndrome, serious side effects that are difficult to manage for cancer patients. The Biomunex platform enables rapid generation of several MAIT engagers, that are not only as potent at classical CD3+ T cell engagers but also bring significantly improved safety profile and have the potential to provide a larger therapeutic window in specific tumor types. Moreover, MAIT engagers can effectively induce the "SPARK effect", enabling long-term durable anti-cancer response. Based on preclinical data, Biomunex expects the first MAIT engager to enter clinical trials soon. The MAIT engager platform paves the way for a series of innovative new immunotherapeutics targeting many cancers. "MAIT engagers are an attractive approach for the treatment of cancer with breakthrough potential for redefining the standard of care for solid tumors," comments Dr. Simon Plyte, Biomunex's CSO. "Presenting those preclinical data as an oral communication and a poster during the 40th SITC meeting is a unique opportunity in sharing the scientific and medical potential of this innovative approach with the scientific community". Biomunex accelerates development of its disruptive immunotherapies pipeline Biomunex is becoming a major innovative player in oncology. Bi- and multi-specific antibodies and T cell engagers are attracting considerable interest from pharmaceutical companies, with the recent signing of many licensing and partnership agreements, including for Biomunex. "The last few months have marked the beginning of a new chapter in Biomunex's development with the signing of a major agreement with Ipsen, following other licensing or partnership deals, demonstrating the team's ability to develop drugs and technologies of interest for the pharmaceutical industry, such as the MAIT engagers presented at 2025 SITC Annual meeting, to treat cancer patients, but also to establish leading licensing agreements and partnerships with the industry," comments Dr. Pierre-Emmanuel Gerard, Biomunex's founder and President. In addition to BMX-502 licensed to Ipsen, Biomunex is developing a portfolio of MAIT engager drug candidates and innovative new therapeutic approaches with high potential, based on its proprietary "Plug-and-Play" BiXAb platform. This technology enables the generation of breakthrough immunotherapies faster than most other platforms in the field, with excellent drug-like properties and high industrial yield. Biomunex's first BiXAb drug candidate is currently in Phase 1 clinical development in partnership, as a monotherapy or in combination, in patients with certain solid tumors or hematological malignancies. Details about Biomunex' presentations at 2025 SITC Annual Meeting Abstract Title: "The MAIT Engager platform rapid generation of several MAIT T cell engagers with significantly improved safety profile and large therapeutic window" Abstract Number: 1197 Ranked amongst 150 best abstracts. Poster presentation Friday 7th Nov, 5:35-7 p.m. ET Poster Reception Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center Lower Level Atrium Prince George's ABC Oral presentation Saturday 8th Nov, 1:08-1:16 p.m. ET Concurrent Session 205a: Rapid Oral Abstract Session Basic Maryland Ballroom AB About Biomunex Pharmaceuticals: www.biomunex.com Biomunex Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company based in Paris, France, and Cambridge, MA, USA, specializing in the discovery and development of innovative therapeutic approaches based on solid data and biological and clinical evidence to address unmet medical needs in oncology. Biomunex has created and developed BiXAb, a robust, next-generation, plug-and-play technology platform for bi- and multi-specific antibodies, using a proprietary in silico modeling approach, based on a very robust intellectual property and patent portfolio. The BiXAb platform, which enables the generation of bispecific antibodies from any pair of monoclonal antibodies in a simple, rapid, and cost-effective manner, has been validated through licensing agreements and collaborations with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, including Sanofi, Onward Therapeutics, and most recently Ipsen. Biomunex is the first company in the world to develop a cancer immunotherapy approach that uses bispecific antibodies from its BiXAb platform to specifically target, engage, and redirect MAIT cells, a subpopulation of T cells naturally present throughout the body, particularly in mucosal and barrier tissues, to kill cancer cells for the treatment of solid tumors. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251107376297/en/ Contacts: Media: Biomunex Pharmaceuticals NewCap Agency Nicolas Merigeau nmerigeau@newcap.fr +33 (0)1 44 71 94 98 Dubai Harbour hosted 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors managing over US $1.1 trillion in AUM during the world's largest startup and investor connector event Korea's AI security startup, AIM Intelligence, crowned Supernova Challenge 2.0 champion, with Chile's Chucao Technology Consultants and Ecuador's Aerialoop named runners-up Global fund launches, high-level dialogues, and next-gen innovations reaffirm the UAE's leadership in shaping the world's digital-economy future DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Expand North Star 2025, the startup showcase of GITEX GLOBAL, concluded its milestone 10th anniversary edition last month at Dubai Harbour, drawing record participation from entrepreneurs, investors, innovation leaders and tech delegations from 180 countries. Over four days, the event reaffirmed Dubai's role as the global launchpad for technology entrepreneurship, bridging emerging economies and advanced markets across AI, climate tech, deep tech, digital health, and fintech. Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the 2025 edition convened 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors with combined assets exceeding US $1.1 trillion, catalysing partnerships, venture creation, and capital flow on an unprecedented scale. The international showcase - featuring ApexBrasil as Country Partner and the largest participation of Latin American startups - also saw the largest gathering of over 40 international unicorns, including PsiQuantum (USA), a US$68 billion unicorn architecting the first fault-tolerant quantum system, Carousell (Singapore), one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing e-commerce platforms and the newly-minted US$ 1.5bn AI unicorn - Decagon (USA). Startups from Fast-Rising Digital Nations Shine Bright in Supernova 2.0 The 2025 edition of the Supernova Challenge 2.0 pitch battle spotlighted the world's most promising founders vying for a total prize pool of US$300,000, with finalists shortlisted from South Korea, Chile, Ecuador, Estonia, Pakistan, Singapore, and the UAE. South Korea's AIM Intelligence was crowned the champion, claiming the US $100,000 top prize for its pioneering AI-safety platform recognised by Meta and Anthropic. Whilst Chucao Technology Consultants (Chile) and Aerialoop (Ecuador) earned runner-up honours for groundbreaking innovations in nanotechnology and drone logistics. Speaking after their decisive win, Haon Park, Co-Founder of AIM Intelligence, shared: "We are absolutely honoured and excited to receive the first-place award. As an AI security and safety company, we are solving a very frontier challenge. We have a lot of clients in Korea, but now we are expanding globally, and through the Supernova Challenge 2.0, we will be able to expand into the Middle Eastern region. That means we need the talent, and we need the resources, so this prize money is important." Expand North Star 2025 also hosted a special session featuring six previous winners of the Supernova Challenge, sharing how the pitch competition propelled their growth trajectories. "For us, winning the Supernova Challenge 2.0 helped accelerate trust in the market and, because we primarily sell to public sector and enterprise organisations, trust is incredibly important. This takes a long time to build, but by winning Supernova Challenge 2.0, it accelerated this project and we've managed to secure clients in the region, and also here in Dubai with Dubai government, so it was critical for us," said Alp Katalan, MENA Commercial Lead of Desolenator - an innovative modular tech water desalination company that won the top prize in 2022. Million-Dollar Partnerships and Impact Ventures At the event, Crescent Enterprises unveiled an AED 250 million investment programme to support home-grown ventures with global potential, reinforcing the UAE's appeal as a magnet for digital talent and capital. Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, commented during the launch: "The UAE has become a launchpad for serious builders, and our collective vision is for the country to be known as the start-up capital of the world. With CE-Creates, our venture building platform, we're helping entrepreneurs convert purpose into performance - locally proven, globally competitive." A wave of high-profile deals punctuated the event: Mobility Fintech Group (MFG) announced a US $2 million investment from AHOY Technology and new collaborations with Mawarid Finance, a leading Sharia-compliant Finance company, and Mazeed, advancing AI-enabled mobility and fintech across the region. AI, Fintech and Purposeful Innovations Dominate Dialogues The conference programme witnessed global investors, founders, and government leaders unpacking the next frontiers of innovation - from AI and digital assets to quantum computing and climate change. At the newly launched GITEX Digital Assets Forum, thought leaders discussed tokenisation, institutional investment strategies, and the importance of democratising capital access. Val Malinovskiy, CEO of YPay, highlighted how digital assets are moving "from fringe experiment to financial foundation," while panels featuring experts from Nvidia, Samsung Ventures, and Honda delivered insights on the urgency to increase deep-tech investments, government-backed research excellence and collaborations for AI and quantum growth. Amandeep Singh Gill, United Nations' Under-Secretary-General, urged startup founders from the Global South to target hard problems over easy wins, sharing: "Don't go for the easy stuff that we've seen during the previous two generations of digital technologies. Go for societal challenges, such as improving productivity in agriculture and food production, or climate change resilience - get to the heart of these kinds of problems and avoid the low-hanging fruit." Reflecting on the UAE's status as the global launchpad for tech entrepreneurs to scale faster and further, Jayesh Patel, CEO of Wio, the UAE's leading digital bank, shared, "We are blessed to be in an ecosystem where the government builds a lot of capabilities, which help us grow. The place is buzzing, and for the next 10 years, I see hyper growth in the UAE." Presight, a G42 company and the region's largest big data analytics enterprise, shared the progress of its AI-Startup Accelerator launched at Expand North Star in 2024. The company reported 120 applications from AI startups worldwide, with Thomas Pramotedham, CEO, Presight, revealing, "The UAE, in particular Abu Dhabi, has become the AI capital - and this is where technology and innovation meet. With G42's ecosystem and the UAE's reach, we offer our cohorts not only compute and expertise but real business and growth worldwide." The 10th edition cemented Expand North Star as the world's most influential platform for startup innovation and investment. The journey now advances to Expo City Dubai in 2026, where GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star will reunite to shape the next decade of the intelligent economy, from 8-10 December 2026. For more information, please visit: expandnorthstar.com Follow Expand North Star on Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram |LinkedIn Hashtag: ExpandNorthStar GITEX GLOBAL About Expand North Star: Expand North Star is the startup showcase part of the world's largest technology and AI event, GITEX GLOBAL. Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, Expand North Star 2025, from 12-15 October 2025 at Dubai Harbour, is the world's largest startup and investor connector event. The show convened over 2,000 startups, more than 40 unicorns, and 1,200 investors with a combined US$1.1 trillion in assets under management (AUM), with the highest percentage of growth and late-stage startups participating in any tech show. In parallel, GITEX GLOBAL celebrated its 45th edition this year, from 13-17 October 2025 at Dubai World Trade Centre, featuring over 6,800 exhibitors and participation from 180 countries. In 2026, GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star reunite in a new home at the Dubai Exhibition Centre - Expo City Dubai, with a new format that begins on 7 December with the GITEX Scale Summit, followed by an immersive Exhibition from 8-11 December, and Expand North Star 2026 running in parallel from 8-10 December. Recognised as the world's largest technology and AI event brand, GITEX now spans 14 cities across multiple continents. More information: expandnorthstar.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2816861/GITEX.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/gitex-global-uae-reinforces-global-leadership-in-startup-growth-and-funding-with-landmark-10th-edition-of-expand-north-star-302608548.html BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the leading international summit on cities and smart urban solutions organized by Fira de Barcelona, has closed its 2025 edition registering record-breaking figures. With over 27,000 attendees from 143 countries, the event focused on how cities must spearhead urban transformation by making use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence. Under the theme "The Time for Cities," SCEWC 2025 showcased the transformative potential of technology in the global effort to drive sustainable and efficient urban development. The debut of the AI-enabled Cities area allowed delegates to explore how this technology is accelerating solutions in metropolises worldwide, establishing itself as a catalyst for change. The Director of Smart City Expo World Congress, Ugo Valenti, said: "Cities are clearly embracing their role and responsibility in the future. The challenges are complex, but they are facing them head-on and steering towards action. Artificial Intelligence has established itself as a critical tool, not just for efficiency but for accelerating the transformation that metropolises urgently need. Cities must lead with purpose and accountability and after this year's event it is clearer than ever that we are on the right track." SCEWC was held alongside Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress-organized with EIT Urban Mobility-Tomorrow.Building, and Tomorrow.Blue Economy, gathering 1,190 exhibitors including Axis Communications, Bentley, Dahua Technology, Dassault Systemes, Dell, Deloitte, Google, iot squared, Microsoft, Nvidia, SPIE, Urbaser, and Veolia. In addition, the events brought together more than 600 international experts, including Nikki Greenberg, Kate O'Neill, and Carlo Ratti, who shared insights on the future of urban living, governance, and mobility. SCEWC 2025 also highlighted the role of startups in shaping tomorrow's cities, with the Innovation Playground connecting investors, research centers, and nearly 350 young companies showcasing their latest products and technologies. World Smart City Awards The Italian city of Rome was awarded "Smart City of 2025" at the World Smart City Awards, which each year acknowledge the most outstanding initiatives and projects in the urban transformation industry. The awards also honored Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and former Executive Director of UN-Habitat, for her contribution to the development of new urban paradigms on a global scale. Smart City Expo World Congress will return to Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue for its fifteenth edition on November 3-5, 2026. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2816850/Smart_City_Expo_2025.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/659718/Fira_Barcelona_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/smart-city-expo-closes-a-record-edition-calling-for-cities-to-lead-global-transformation-302608537.html CALGARY, AB / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Primary Hydrogen Corp. (TSXV:HDRO)(FRA:83W0)(OTCQB:HNATF) (" Primary " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce the identification of two significant rare earth element (REE) anomaly clusters following completion of comprehensive geophysical and soil sampling surveys at its Wicheeda North REE Project (" Wicheeda North " or the " Project ") in British Columbia. Key Highlights Completed 401 line-kilometre airborne VTEM and magnetic survey covering 25 square kilometres Collected 533 new soil samples, bringing total property-wide samples to 1,234 Identified two high-priority REE anomaly clusters in Grid A-South and Grid D-South areas Applied for drilling and trenching permits to advance exploration program Project located 5 km from Defense Metals Corp.'s Wicheeda deposit (29.3 Mt @ 2.27% TREO) Survey Results and Anomaly Identification Geotech Ltd. successfully completed an airborne VTEM Plus and magnetic survey, covering 401 line-kilometres over 25 square kilometres. The new data is being integrated with historical datasets to create a seamless property-wide survey. Advanced inversion techniques, including MVI3D and Structural Complexity analysis, will provide comprehensive insights into subsurface geology and potential REE mineralization. The Company's 2025 soil sampling program, conducted by Tripoint Geoservices, collected 533 samples, bringing the total property-wide sample count to 1,234 (see Figure 1). Sample results were normalized with previous surveys to account for analytical method variations, enabling comprehensive data comparison. Two distinct anomaly clusters representing the top 5% of REE values were identified (see Figure 2): Grid A-South : Located in the northeastern region of the claim blocks Grid D-South: Located in the eastern region of the claim blocks Both anomalous areas are situated near the Wichcika River. While certain anomalous samples may originate from river sediment transport, samples collected at higher elevations above the flood plain likely indicate proximal bedrock sources, warranting further investigation. Geological Interpretation and Next Steps Target 4, identified in the 2023 Power One NI 43-101 technical report (see Figure 3), may account for the Grid A-South anomalous samples and will be a focus of future exploration. The Grid D-South anomaly represents a newly recognised zone of interest without any prior identified targets and is currently under active investigation. Background REE levels across the Wicheeda North property are lower than those observed at the adjacent Wicheeda deposit, potentially indicating greater overburden depth. The Company has applied for drilling and trenching permits with the British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. Approval is anticipated in Q1 2026. Planned exploration activities include: Additional soil sampling to delineate and expand anomalous areas Overburden depth survey to assess trenching feasibility Multi-phase drill program targeting anomaly sources if trenching proves unfeasible Expanded sampling at Zone B, identified as a prospective untested area "The programs were conducted in accordance with the recommendations specified in our recently updated NI 43-101 technical report," stated Benjamin Asuncion, CEO of Primary Hydrogen. "The successful completion of these surveys and identification of high-priority anomalies will facilitate targeted trenching and drilling programs, advancing our goal to delineate REE mineralization at Wicheeda North. The proximity to Defense Metals' advanced Wicheeda deposit and our position within the same geological belt reinforces the exploration potential of our property." About the Wicheeda North REE Project The Wicheeda North Project comprises nine contiguous mineral claims totaling 2,138 hectares (21.1 km) in the northern Cariboo Mining Division, British Columbia. The property is located within the Rocky Mountain Trench, a structural corridor known to host carbonatite intrusions associated with REE mineralization. The Project is situated approximately 5 km northwest of Defense Metals Corp.'s Wicheeda Rare Earth Element Deposit, which hosts a NI 43-101 compliant Measured and Indicated Resource of 29.3 million tonnes grading 2.27% Total Rare Earth Oxide (TREO), and an Inferred Resource of 5.7 million tonnes grading 1.40% TREO [1] . Historical exploration at Wicheeda North identified seven geophysical and geochemical targets, including sub-circular to elliptical magnetic anomalies and elevated REE concentrations in soil and rock samples. The exploration strategy of the property relies on the latest interpretation of the carbonatite-related REE mineralisation and geochemical signatures of the Defense Metals Wicheeda REE deposit. Figure 1: Wicheeda North Soil Samples Figure 2: Grid D- South and Grid A South Anomalous Areas Figure 3: Second Vertical Derivative of the Residual Magnetics (linear trend removed) from Chuchinka 2011 Interpretation. Labels indicate location of discrete responses (numbers) and zones (letters) Qualified Person The scientific and technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Peter Lauder, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for Primary Hydrogen and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101. About Primary Hydrogen Corp. Primary Hydrogen is dedicated to the exploration and development of natural hydrogen resources. With over 740 acres in the U.S. and 230 square kilometers across Canada, the Company's portfolio includes the Blakelock, Hopkins, Mary's Harbour, Point Rosie, Crooked Amphibolite, Coquihalla, and Cogburn projects. Primary also holds the Arthur Lake copper project in British Columbia and has an option to acquire a 75% interest in a hydrogen-REE project known as Wicheeda North, also located in British Columbia. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Ben Asuncion Chief Executive Officer Primary Hydrogen Corp. Email: ben@primaryh2.com CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information relates to future events or performance and includes statements regarding: the Company's planned exploration activities at the Wicheeda North Project; expected receipt of exploration permits; the interpretation of geophysical and geochemical results; the geological prospectivity of the Project; and the potential for future trenching or drilling. Forward-looking information is based on assumptions, including, but not limited to: the availability of capital and skilled personnel; receipt of required regulatory approvals; access to property and equipment; and the reliability of historical data and current exploration results. Such statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These include, but are not limited to: delays or denial of permits; environmental and weather-related risks; changes in commodity prices or market conditions; and the possibility that exploration may not yield expected results. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements, except as required under applicable securities laws. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. [1] Wicheeda Rare Earths Project PFS. (2025, April 4). NI 43-101 Technical Report. Effective date: February 28, 2025. SOURCE: Primary Hydrogen Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/oil-gas-and-energy/primary-hydrogen-identifies-two-high-priority-ree-anomaly-clusters-from-geophysi-1098121 MACAU, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- From November 7th to 9th, The 15th China (Macau) International Automobile Expo (hereinafter referred to as "Macao Auto Show") was grandly held at The Venetian Macau Cotai Expo. As a local automobile enterprise in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, GAC brought six new energy vehicle models from its three product lines - GAC, AION, and HYPTEC - to the expo, fully demonstrating GAC's leading strength in the fields of new energy and intelligentization, strengthen the image of "Tech-Driven GAC, Advancing Global Reach with a Full-Chain Ecosystem". GAC continues to implement the 'Macao ACTION' localized action plan, and announced the official launch of the global premium compact car AION UT in Macao at the auto expo press conference. Based on the "ONE GAC 2.0" international strategy, GAC used this Macau Auto Expo to demonstrate its determination to strengthen localized actions to the world. It continues to implement 'Macao ACTION', adhering to the concept of "In Macao, For Macao, Integrated into Macao, Serving Macao, and Contributing to Macao", and deeply cultivate the Macao market. Through comprehensive layout in products, channels, services, energy systems, and travel ecology, GAC will adhere to long-termism and win-win cooperation, and take the model of whole-industry-chain ecological globalization. Focusing on the needs of Macao consumers, it will inject new impetus into Macao's green travel and create more value for Macao's high-quality mobile travel. The AION UT, positioned as the "New-era super ICON of fashion and intelligence," has officially launched in Macao. This intelligent life vehicle built for the global market features a fashionable design, spacious space, leading intelligentization, and super-strong safety quality, bringing exceptional value to Macao consumers. At the expo site, AION UT attracted many visitors to stop and experience it. Visitors spoke highly of the car's Milan-style fashionable large hatchback design and the comfortable riding space comparable to that of luxury sedans, and believed that the rich technological configurations such as intelligent voice interaction and L2-level advanced driver assistance system exceeded expectations. Macao's professional automobile media stated that the AION UT performs outstandingly in terms of design, space performance, and intelligentization, which is in line with Macao's road environment and local consumers' demand for high-quality pure electric compact cars, and is expected to achieve a good market response. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2816913/1.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/aion-ut-officially-launched-in-macao-gac-deeply-implements-macao-action-to-accelerate-ecological-globalization-302608602.html DELRAY BEACH, Fla., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- According to MarketsandMarkets, The agricultural robots market is estimated at USD 17.73 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 56.26 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 26.0% from 2025 to 2030. The agricultural robots market is driven by the growing adoption of automation and precision farming solutions, which aim to improve operational efficiency and mitigate labor challenges. Increasing demand for higher crop yields and ongoing labor shortages are driving the integration of robotic technologies. Innovations in AI, machine learning, and IoT-enabled systems facilitate autonomous planting, harvesting, and real-time crop monitoring. Furthermore, the emphasis on sustainable farming practices and optimal resource utilization is supporting market expansion. Strategic government initiatives and investments in agri-tech startups are further accelerating the deployment of advanced agricultural robotics across global markets. Browse in-depth TOC on "Agricultural Robots Market" 200- Tables 80- Figures 310- Pages Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=173601759 The farm produce segment holds a significant market share in the end-use segment. The farm produce segment holds a significant share in the agricultural robots market due to the increasing adoption of automation for crop cultivation, harvesting, and post-harvest handling. Farmers are leveraging robotics to enhance productivity, lower operational costs, and maintain consistent yield quality. The growing demand for precision in planting, weeding, and harvesting operations across large-scale farms has further boosted the use of autonomous systems. Additionally, advancements in vision-based and AI-enabled robots are enhancing efficiency in crop monitoring and handling, making farm produce a dominant end-use segment in the agriculture robotics market. Key players like Deere & Company (US), DJI (China), CNH Industrial NV (Netherlands), AGCO Corporation (US), Delaval (Sweden), and other players in the agricultural robots market. The outdoor segment holds a significant market share in the agricultural robots market, by farming environment. The outdoor segment is expected to hold a significant share of the farming environment split. This dominance is attributed to the widespread use of autonomous tractors, harvesters, and drones for large-scale field operations, including planting, spraying, and crop monitoring. Outdoor farming environments require robust and high-performance robotic systems that can operate effectively under varying weather and terrain conditions. The growing focus on precision field management, yield optimization, and labor efficiency continues to drive the adoption of outdoor agricultural robots across diverse crop types and geographies. Request Sample Pages: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestsampleNew.asp?id=173601759 Based on region, the Asia Pacific holds a significant share in the agricultural robots market. Asia Pacific holds a significant share in the agricultural robots market, driven by the strong adoption of advanced farming technologies and high investment in agricultural automation. The region's well-established agricultural infrastructure, coupled with increasing labor shortages, has accelerated the deployment of autonomous tractors, drones, and robotic harvesters. Moreover, the presence of key industry players, supportive government initiatives that promote smart farming, and a focus on precision agriculture all contribute to market growth. South Korea, in particular, leads regional adoption due to its early integration of technology and emphasis on sustainable, data-driven farming practices. The report profiles key players such as Deere & Company (US), DJI (China), CNH Industrial NV (Netherlands), AGCO Corporation (US), Delaval (Sweden), Trimble Inc. (US), Boumatic Robotic (Netherlands), Lely (Netherlands), Agjunction (US), Ageagle Aerial Systems (US), Yanmar Co. (Japan), Deepfeild Robotics (Germany), Ecorobotix (Switzerland), harvest Automation (US), Naio Technologies (France), Robotics Plus (Zealand), Kubota Corporation (Japan), Harvest Cro Robotics (US), Autonomous Tractor Corporation (US), Clearpath Robotics (Canada), Dronedeploy (US), Agrobots (Spain), FFRobotics (Israel), Fullwood Joz (UK), and Monarch Tractors (US). Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=173601759 Browse Adjacent Reports @ Agriculture Industry Market Research Reports & Consulting Related Reports: Agriculture Drones Market by Offering Type (Hardware, Software, Drone-as-a-Service), Technology Type, Payload Capacity, Component, Farm Produce, Farm Size, Range, Application, Farming Environment, and Region - Global Forecast to 2030 Digital Agriculture Market Offering, Technology (Peripheral, Core), Operation (Farming & Feeding, Monitoring & Scouting, Marketing & Demand Generation), Type (Hardware, Software, Services), Region - Global Forecast to 2029 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets has been recognized as one of America's Best Management Consulting Firms by Forbes, as per their recent report. 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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 Research Insight:https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/agricultural-robot-market.asp Visit Our Website: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ Content Source:https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/agricultural-robot.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1868219/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/agricultural-robots-market-worth-56-26-billion-by-2030-exclusive-report-by-marketsandmarkets-302608293.html Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - Gold X2 Mining Inc. (TSXV: AUXX) (OTCQB: GSHRF) (FSE: DF8) ("Gold X2" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a significant update to the environmental baseline work which began in 2021 at the Moss Gold Project in Northwest Ontario, Canada (the "Moss Gold Project"). The assessment has grown in scope through 2025 keeping pace with the Company's development plans. The key strategy employed by Gold X2 and led by CSL Environmental & Geotechnical Ltd. ("CSL") focuses on de-risking the project from an environmental permitting perspective, while simultaneously expanding the various components of the program to ensure all permitting milestones are achieved. Key accomplishments have included advancing long-term water quantity and quality studies and expanding the overall environmental baseline with the addition of several studies required for the project's review by the Canadian Federal Impact Assessment Agency, including: Stage 2 Archaeological Assessment: Stage 2 Archaeological Study was performed during the 2025 field season. To date nothing of archaeological significance has been discovered. Gold X2 and the archaeological team are proposing to continue this work in 2026 to incorporate information shared by Indigenous Communities. Waste Geochemical Assessment: In 2025, a sampling program was initiated to characterize waste rock material and assess the metal leaching and acid rock drainage risk. Geochemical analysis is ongoing and will continue into 2026, covering both waste rock and tailings material. Results to date suggest most of the waste material is non-acid generating with insignificant metal leaching. Enhanced Fisheries Assessment: In 2025, aquatic field programs were conducted to characterize baseline conditions in lakes and streams potentially influenced by the proposed mine, as well as nearby upstream systems that may serve as future reference sites. Building on this progress, further fisheries assessment work will resume in the spring of 2026 with enhanced studies focusing on suitable habitat lakes. Advanced Hydrogeological Field Assessment: In 2025, two key hydrogeological milestones were achieved: the completion of a deep bedrock packer hole assessment and the installation of a baseline monitoring well network. The 2026 field and technical programs planned are designed with de-risking and characterization in mind and have been developed at an EA level. Geophysical Assessment: In 2025, the Company conducted a seismic survey to map the overburden and develop a bedrock surface model in conjunction with existing drill hole data. Additional seismic work is planned for the tailings management facility area to inform hydrogeology, geotechnical and mining studies. Advanced Hydrological Assessment: In 2025, the hydrological study expanded, adding fifteen additional hydrometric stations for a total of 25 data points covering the entire project area. In 2026, work will include detailed modelling to assess inundation and stream augmentation studies, and the development of a baseline hydrological report. Geospatial Data Acquisition: During the fall of 2025, Gold X2 commissioned an aerial lidar survey covering over 80 km2, providing the team with an ortho-imagery file and details elevation data with 40 points per square metre. This information will be used to calibrate both hydrological and bedrock models through the course of 2026. It will also facilitate detailed engineering studies in 2027-28. Enhanced Terrestrial Biological Assessment: Terrestrial assessment work has been ongoing since 2021, focusing on Species at Risk (SAR) and other biological components. Studies conducted between 2022-2025 include ecosystem mapping, wetland evaluation, wildlife, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian assessments. To date, Gold X2 has not been informed of any significant SAR unique to the project area. This work will continue in 2026, culminating in a final baseline terrestrial biology report. Looking ahead to 2026, the Company will focus on completing the above ongoing studies while initiating additional studies in parallel, including: Air Assessment: Ambient air quality monitoring of contaminants expected to be emitted from the proposed project is to be conducted in 2026 Noise Assessment: The Environmental Noise and Vibration Assessment and Acoustic Assessment Report work will commence in 2025, with a 2026 study consisting of a 3-phase approach: assessing baseline conditions, reviewing proposed facility operations, and evaluating predicted site-wide noise and vibration impacts from equipment, haulage, and truck routes. Socio-economic Evaluation: The project team will assess the socio-economic setting, examining cultural, social, and economic environments, and in 2026, will work with Indigenous Communities to develop strategies that enable their meaningful contribution and self-determination in the project's impact assessment. Mine Closure Planning: Planning will begin with developing conceptual site closure options for discussion with local and Indigenous Communities, aiming to develop a preferred mine closure plan. Michael Henrichsen, CEO of Gold X2, commented: "Our baseline studies are crucial in informing our decision-making and enabling us to minimize environmental impacts throughout the project's lifecycle. We're on track to complete these studies by the end of 2026, which will position Gold X2 to enter the formal permitting process alongside a feasibility study in 2027. This work is foundational to our project's success, and we're committed to conducting it thoroughly and responsibly. By engaging with Indigenous Communities and incorporating their insights, we're building a project that not only meets regulatory requirements but also aligns with the needs and values of the communities we're working with. We're excited to take the next steps in advancing our project and look forward to continued collaboration with all stakeholders involved." Chris Perusse, President of CSL, had the following statement: "The efforts to date are a strong indicator of project value and commitment to ensuring a full understanding of the environmental baseline setting. Gold X2 demonstrates that cultural values and historical land use are an important value set and continue to keep Indigenous Communities informed throughout the process. The approach employed by CSL, supported by Gold X2, has been designed and implemented such that Indigenous Communities engagement helps drive baseline data acquisition and inform key decision makers. "Overall, the project is progressing toward submission of both Provincial and Federal Environmental Assessment during Q3 2027. This will begin the process with various government agencies leading to project approval." Equity Grant to Management, Directors and Consultants The Company further announces that the board of directors of the Company has approved the grant of 11,770,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") and 3,870,000 restricted share units pursuant to the Company's Omnibus Incentive Plan, to officers, directors and consultants of the Company. The Options are exercisable at $0.51 per share for a period of five (5) years and vest as follows: 1/3 on May 06, 2026, 1/3 on May 06, 2027, and 1/3 on May 06, 2028. The RSU's vest 12 months from the date of grant on November 06, 2026. Qualified Person Chris Perusse, P.Geo., President/Sr. Geoscientist of CSL, and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Perusse has verified the data disclosed. To verify the information related to the various environmental baseline programs at the Moss Gold Project, Mr. Perusse has visited the property several times; discussed and reviewed results and strategy with responsible project team members; discussed and reviewed analytical results and QA/QC results with responsible personnel; and reviewed supporting documentation. Peter Flindell, PGeo, MAusIMM, MAIG, Vice-President, Exploration, of the Company, and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Flindell has verified the data disclosed. To verify the information related to the winter drill program at the Moss Gold Project, Mr. Flindell has visited the property several times; discussed and reviewed logging, sampling, bulk density, core cutting and sample shipping processes with responsible site staff; discussed and reviewed assay and QA/QC results with responsible personnel; and reviewed supporting documentation, including drill hole location and orientation and significant assay interval calculations. He has also overseen the Company's health and safety policies in the field to ensure full compliance, and consulted with the Project's host indigenous communities on the planning and implementation of the drill program, particularly with respect to its impact on the environment and the Company's remediation protocols. About Gold X2 Mining Gold X2 is a growth-oriented gold company focused on delivering long-term shareholder and stakeholder value through the acquisition and advancement of primary gold assets in tier-one jurisdictions. It is led by the ex-global head of structural geology for the world's largest gold company and backed by one of Canada's pre-eminent private equity firms. The Company's current focus is the advanced stage 100% owned Moss Gold Project which is positioned in Ontario, Canada, with direct access from the Trans-Canada Highway, hydroelectric power near site, supportive local communities and skilled workforce. The Company has invested over $75 million of new capital and completed approximately 100,000 meters of drilling on the Moss Gold Project, which, in aggregate, has had over 255,000 meters of drilling. The 2024 updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate ("MRE") has expanded to 1.54 million ounces of Indicated gold resources at 1.23 g/t Au, contained within 38.96 million tonnes and 5.20 million ounces of Inferred gold resources at 1.11 g/t Au, contained within 146.24 million tonnes. The MRE only encompasses 3.6 kilometers of the 35+ kilometer mineralized trend, remains open at depth and along strike and is one of the few remaining major Canadian gold deposits positioned for development in this cycle. Please see NI 43-101 technical report titled: "Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Moss Gold Project, Ontario, Canada," dated March 20, 2024 with an effective date of January 31, 2024 available under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. For more information, please visit SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Company's website (www.goldx2.com) 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or developments to differ materially from the anticipated results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "could" or "should" occur. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements relating to expectations regarding the exploration and development of the Moss Gold Project; the potential mineralization at the Moss Gold Project based on the winter drill program, including the potential for additional mineral resources; the enhancement of the Moss Gold Project; statements regarding the Company's future drill plans, including the expected benefits and results thereof; the potential for resource growth at Moss and the fact that the results have the potential to significantly impact the economic performance of the deposit moving forward; the potential for a much larger mineralized system and that it will be pursued in the near future through additional drilling; and other statements that are not historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, among others: uncertainty and variation in the estimation of mineral resources; risks related to exploration, development, and operation activities; exploration and development of the Moss Gold Project will not be undertaken as anticipated; the Company may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations which may not be available when needed or on acceptable terms and conditions acceptable; the economic performance of the deposit may not be consistent with management's expectations; the Company's exploration work may not deliver the results expected; the fluctuating price of gold; unknown liabilities in connection with acquisitions; compliance with extensive government regulation; delays in obtaining or failure to obtain governmental permits, or non-compliance with permits; environmental and other regulatory requirements; domestic and foreign laws and regulations could adversely affect the Company's business and results of operations; risks related to natural disasters, terrorist acts, health crises, and other disruptions and dislocations; global financial conditions; uninsured risks; climate change risks; competition from other companies and individuals; conflicts of interest; risks related to compliance with anti-corruption laws; the Company's limited operating history; intervention by non-governmental organizations; outside contractor risks; the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies and these fluctuations may adversely affect the price of the Company's securities, regardless of its operating performance; and other risks associated with executing the Company's objectives and strategies as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking information in this news release is based on management's reasonable expectations and assumptions as of the date of this news release. Certain material assumptions regarding such forward-looking statements were made, including without limitation, assumptions regarding: the future price of gold; anticipated costs and the Company's ability to fund its programs; the Company's ability to carry on exploration, development and mining activities; prices for energy inputs, labour, materials, supplies and services; the timing and results of drilling programs; mineral resource estimates and the assumptions on which they are based; the discovery of mineral resources and mineral reserves on the Company's mineral properties; the timely receipt of required approvals and permits; the costs of operating and exploration expenditures; the Company's ability to operate in a safe, efficient, and effective manner; the Company's ability to obtain financing as and when required and on reasonable terms; that the Company's activities will be in accordance with the Company's public statements and stated goals; that the Company's exploration work will deliver the results expected; and that there will be no material adverse change or disruptions affecting the Company or its properties. The forward-looking information contained in this news release represents the expectations of the Company as of the date of this news release and, accordingly, is subject to change after such date. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue importance on forward-looking information and should not rely upon this information as of any other date. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273562 SOURCE: Gold X2 Mining Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - C21 Investments Inc. (CSE: CXXI) (OTCQX: CXXIF) ("C21" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated cannabis company, today announced it will release its financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2025, on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, before market open. For further inquiries, please contact: About C21 Investments Inc. C21 Investments Inc. is a vertically integrated cannabis company that cultivates, processes, and distributes quality cannabis consumer products in the United States. The Company is focused on value creation through the disciplined acquisition and integration of core retail, manufacturing, and distribution assets in strategic markets, leveraging industry-leading retail revenues with high-growth potential branded consumer packaged goods. The Company owns Silver State Relief and Silver State Cultivation in Nevada, including legacy Oregon brands Phantom Farms, Hood Oil and Eco Firma Farms. These brands produce and distribute a broad range of THC and CBD products from cannabis flowers, pre-rolls, cannabis oil, vaporizer cartridges and edibles. Based in Vancouver, Canada, additional information on C21 can be found at www.sedarplus.com and www.cxxi.ca. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273565 SOURCE: C21 Investments Inc. ABU DHABI, UAE, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- In the presence of His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs, and His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, Silal, Abu Dhabi's leading agri-food and technology company, signed a landmark joint venture (JV) agreement with Shouguang Colorful Manor Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd (SVG), one of China's leading agricultural technology companies, during the China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2025. The agreement marks a major milestone in advancing UAE-China collaboration in sustainable agriculture, reinforcing the UAE's vision to strengthen food security, diversify local production, and accelerate the adoption of advanced agri-tech solutions for harsh climates. H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, said: "The UAE continues to build strategic partnerships that strengthen our national food security ecosystem while deepening economic ties with key global partners like China. This joint venture reflects our shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and responsible growth that benefits both nations and contributes to global food system resilience." Under the agreement, Silal and SVG will establish the region's first facility for agricultural biological insects and jointly develop next-generation greenhouse infrastructure to serve the UAE and broader GCC markets. The partnership combines Silal's deep market insight and farmer network with SVG's technological expertise in AI-driven greenhouse systems, biological pollination, and precision farming. Reinforcing their shared vision for global market expansion, both parties have also established a long-term strategic partnership in fruit and vegetable trading, anticipating more than 1,000 containers of selected products from China to the UAE and surrounding markets annually. H.E. Dhafer Al Qasimi, Group CEO of Silal, added: "This partnership represents a major step forward in Silal's mission to advance sustainable agriculture through science and innovation. By combining SVG's technological expertise with Silal's deep understanding of the UAE's agricultural landscape, this joint venture will enable long-term resilience, efficiency, and competitiveness across the agri-food value chain. Beyond innovation, our goal is to empower local farmers with access to cost-effective agricultural inputs and the latest technologies, helping them increase productivity, reduce costs, and enhance resource efficiency in a rapidly evolving environment." This collaboration will localize key agricultural inputs, reduce import dependency, and enable climate-smart, resource-efficient farming across the region. By integrating SVG's advanced manufacturing capabilities with Silal's operational leadership, the partnership will deliver scalable, cost-efficient solutions that enhance water efficiency, improve yields, and strengthen the UAE's position as a regional hub for sustainable agriculture and innovation. Mr. Ming Yang, Founder of Shouguang Colorful Manor Modern Agriculture Co., Ltd (SVG), said: "Our partnership with Silal presents an unparalleled opportunity to further enhance our advanced technologies and farming expertise under the region's unique climate conditions. Together, we will combine our strengths to make a significant contribution to building a sustainable, innovative, and resilient food security ecosystem in the UAE." As part of the joint venture, USD 38 million will be invested to build an AI- and robotics-powered vegetable production hub in Al Foah, Al Ain, on a 9.8-hectare plot. The facility will serve as a regional innovation hub showcasing modern greenhouse technologies, water-efficient systems, and climate-smart agricultural models adaptable to Gulf environments. The agreement follows the signing of two major MoUs between Silal and SVG, and represents a deepening of technical and commercial collaboration. It will enable knowledge transfer, capacity building, and technology localization, empowering UAE farmers with solutions that reduce import dependence, enhance yield, and promote environmental stewardship. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2817009/Silal.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2817010/Silal_2.jpg Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2817011/Silal_3.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/theyab-bin-mohamed-bin-zayed-witnesses-jv-agreement-signing-between-silal-and-svg-at-china-international-import-expo-2025-302608617.html THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES Saguenay, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - First Phosphate Corp. (CSE: PHOS) (OTCQX: FRSPF) (FSE: KD0) ("First Phosphate" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement to a strategic investor for gross proceeds of a minimum of $2,000,000 million (the "Offering"). The Offering is anticipated to consist of any combination of: Flow-through shares of the Company ("Flow-Through Shares") at a price of $0.90 per share ("Flow-Through Offering"); and Hard dollar units of the Company ("Hard Dollar Unit") at a price of $0.90 per Hard Dollar Unit (the "Hard Dollar Unit Offering"), with each Hard Dollar Unit comprised of: (i) one common share in the capital of the Company ("Common Share"), and (ii) one Common Share purchase warrant ("Warrant") with each Warrant exercisable for one Common Share at a price of $1.25 per Common Share until April 30, 2026, subject to an Accelerated Expiry Date (as defined below). The gross proceeds from the Flow-Through Offering will be used to incur "Canadian exploration expenses" that are "flow-through mining expenditures" (as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) related to the Company's projects in Quebec. The net proceeds received from the Hard Dollar Unit Offering will be used for exploration and development activities, working capital and for general corporate purposes. The Offering is expected to close on or about November 21, 2025, or such other date or dates as may be determined by the Company. All securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a four-month and one day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws. In connection with the Offering, eligible finders will be paid: (i) a fee consisting of up to 8% of the gross proceeds raised from subscribers introduced by them, and (ii) such number of compensation warrants ("Compensation Warrants") as is equivalent of up to 8% of the number of Hard Dollar Units or Flow-Through Shares issued to subscribers introduced by them. Each Compensation Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.90 per share until April 30, 2026, provided that if the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange for any 5 consecutive trading days equals or exceeds $2.00, the Company may, upon issuing a press release, accelerate the expiry date of the Compensation Warrants to the date that is 30 days following the date of such press release ("Accelerated Expiry Date"). The Company reserves the right to pay cash finders' fees on the Flow-Through Offering in Common Shares rather than cash issued at the Flow-Through Offering issue price. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. Completion of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals. There can be no assurance that the Offering will be completed, whether in whole or in part. About First Phosphate Corp. First Phosphate (CSE: PHOS) (OTCQB: FRSPF) (FSE: KD0) is a mineral development and cleantech company dedicated to building and onshoring a vertically integrated mine-to-market lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery supply chain for North America. Target markets include energy storage, data centers, robotics, mobility and national security. First Phosphate's flagship Begin-Lamarche Property in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Canada is a North American rare igneous phosphate resource yielding high-purity phosphate with minimal impurities. Follow First Phosphate: X: https://x.com/FirstPhosphate LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-phosphate Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking information". Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "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 to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking information relating to, among other things, the completion of the Offering, the anticipated closing date(s) of the Offering, the intended use of proceeds of the Offering, approval of the CSE and the filing of the Offering Document. Although the Company 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, development and exploration successes, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. These statements are based on a number of assumptions including, among other things, assumptions regarding general business and economic conditions; that the Company and other parties will be able to satisfy stock exchange and other regulatory requirements in a timely manner; that CSE approval will be granted in a timely manner subject only to standard conditions and that all conditions precedent to the completion of the Offering will be satisfied 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. All forward-looing information contained in this release is qualified by these cautionary statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273481 SOURCE: First Phosphate Corp. Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) ("Colibri" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news release of November 3, 2025, it has closed a second tranche ("Tranche 2") of its non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") for gross proceeds of $140,980. In connection with closing of Tranche 2 of the Offering, Colibri has issued 939,867 units ("Units") at a price of $0.15 per Unit. Each Unit is comprised of one (1) common share (a "Common Share") and one (1) common share purchase warrant ("Warrants") of the Company. Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one additional Common Share of the Company at a price of C$0.25 for a period of 24 months following issuance. No finder's fees or commissions will be paid in relation to Tranche 2 of the Offering. Combined with Tranche 1, which closed on October 31, 2025, the Company has raised gross proceeds of $1,491,702. Net proceeds will be used to fund the exploration at Colibri's flagship Mexican gold projects, including Pilar and EP, and for general working capital. The Common Shares and Warrants are subject to a statutory hold period expiring on the date that is four months and one day after closing. Completion of the Offering remains subject to final acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. ANY SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 (THE "1933 ACT") AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO A U.S. PERSON IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE 1933 ACT. 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 jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. ABOUT COLIBRI RESOURCE CORPORATION: Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) and is focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company holds four high potential precious metal projects: 1) 100% of EP Gold Project in the significant Caborca Gold Belt which has delivered highly encouraging exploration results and is surrounded by Mexico's second largest major producer of gold on four sides, 2) 49% Ownership of the Pilar Gold & Silver Project which is believed to hold the potential to be a near term producing mine, and 3) and an additional 60% interest in the highly prospective claims at Diamante Gold & Silver project. Colibri is committed to advancing its portfolio through systematic exploration programs in one of Mexico's most prolific mining states. For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com. Neither 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. Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273601 SOURCE: Colibri Resource Corporation On Nov. 8, the Center Opens Its Doors for a Community Celebration With Music, Family Fun and Interactive Tours. Be Part of History as the Museum Reopens to the World. ATLANTA, GEORGIA / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / The National Center for Civil and Human Rights has reopened following a $57.9 million expansion that fulfills the vision of its founders and strengthens its role as a national destination for education, reflection, and action. National Center for Civil and Human Rights Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Leaders and supporters gathered on Nov. 4 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony featuring Arthur M. Blank, former Mayor Shirley Clarke Franklin, Mayor Andre Dickens, Board Chair Egbert Perry, Co-Chair AJ Robinson, CEO Jill Savitt, and Juneau Construction CEO Nancy Juneau. The reopening marks a defining moment for the Center, expanding its footprint by 24,000 square feet - to 65,000 square feet - and transforming how visitors experience the ongoing story of courage and human rights in America and around the world. Two new wings, six new galleries, three classrooms, and interactive experiences. The expansion also doubles the Center's event-space capacity, with areas for classrooms, community gatherings, conferences, performances, and celebrations. The Franklin Pavilion's roof terrace offers skyline views - a symbolic reminder of the city's place at the heart of the civil rights movement. "Our reopening arrives at a time when understanding our shared history feels more urgent than ever," said Jill Savitt, president and CEO of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. "This Center was built to show how history speaks to the present. These new galleries allow people to experience both the courage of those who came before us and the call to continue their work today." Champions of the Center Reflect on Its Reopening Arthur M. Blank, Chairman, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation "I've always believed in the Center's mission, in the lessons it teaches and the hope it inspires," said Arthur M. Blank, owner and Chairman, Blank Family of Businesses. "Being part of this expansion is an honor for myself, my family and our Family Foundation, and we look forward to seeing the extraordinary work that will continue to shape our community and our future." Shirley Clarke Franklin, Former Mayor of Atlanta and Founding Visionary of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights "When we originally opened the Center, we wanted history to live in the present. Seeing it reopen even stronger reminds me that Atlanta's commitment to truth and justice continues to guide and inspire the world." Andre Dickens, Mayor of Atlanta "Today's ribbon cutting exemplifies progress and peace. The City of Atlanta was happy to support this expansion with $10 million, in partnership with Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority. This expansion was a group project in every sense of the phrase and has made Atlanta proud," The expansion honors two visionary Atlantans whose leadership made the Center possible. The Shirley Clarke Franklin Pavilion adds flexible classrooms, event space, and rooftop views of the city, while the Arthur M. Blank Inspiration Hall houses three new galleries, a cafe, and a museum store. The Center's updated and expanded galleries bring history to life in powerful new ways: Rolls Down Like Water: The American Civil Rights Movement - The Center's signature gallery returns with new storytelling and updates that enhance one of the most powerful visitor experiences: the Lunch Counter simulation, where guests take a seat at the counter and experience the courage of protestors who faced hatred with calm resolve. A Committed Life: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection - This reimagined gallery features a rotating selection of Dr. King's personal papers and writings. Visitors encounter Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as never before - as a man, a father, a pastor, and a leader whose humanity deepened his moral vision. In a new tradition, the Center will feature a guest curator for each rotation. The inaugural guest curator is Rev. Dr. Bernice A. King, the youngest child of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King. Everyone. Everywhere. The Global Human Rights Movement - Highlights defenders and activists around the world and includes A Mile in My Shoes, an immersive installation where guests walk in others' stories, encouraging empathy and connection. Action Lab - A hands-on space where visitors design personal civic engagement plans and find practical ways to make a difference in their own communities. Special Exhibitions Gallery - For the first time, the Center will have a gallery for temporary exhibitions, beginning with Reclaiming History: Selections from the Tinwood Foundation, featuring Southern Black artists whose work confronts injustice and celebrates resilience. Broken Promises: The Legacy of the Reconstruction Era - Opening on Dec. 5, this gallery explores a chapter of U.S. history that provides critical context for the Civil Rights Movement. This gallery includes artifacts from the Without Sanctuary collection and a memorial space featuring the marker for Mary Turner's lynching with an interpretation by artist Lonnie Holley. The reopening comes amid a national conversation about how history is told in museums. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights remains privately funded and steadfast in its mission to share a more complete and accurate story of civil rights history, human rights challenges today On Nov. 8, the Center will host a Community Celebration inviting visitors of all ages to experience the new museum. The event will feature a live radio broadcast by V-103 with Big Tigger, music, kids' activities, giveaways, and special guests. With admission, visitors can explore the new galleries through free tours. Guests are encouraged to reserve tickets early at civilandhumanrights.org. About the National Center for Civil and Human Rights The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is a museum and cultural organization that inspires the changemaker in each of us. Opened in 2014, the Center connects U.S. civil rights history to global human rights movements today. Our experiences highlight people who have worked to protect rights and who model how individuals create positive change. For more information, visit civilandhumanrights.org. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram @civilandhumanrights and LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncchr. SOURCE: National Center for Civil and Human Rights View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/national-center-for-civil-and-human-rights-reopens-with-major-ex-1097640 Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - Altamira Gold Corp. (TSXV: ALTA) (FSE: T6UP) (OTCQB: EQTRF) ("Altamira" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that the Company has raised $6,284,820 since September 1, 2025 as a result of the exercise of 31,292,400 share purchase warrants and 131,700 broker's warrants (the "Warrants"). The Warrants each had an exercise price of $0.20, and were issued on November 6, 2023 in connection with the Company's non-brokered private placement. The Warrants expired on November 6, 2025. Michael Bennett, President & CEO commented; "We are pleased to have the continued support of our shareholders as we advance drilling across our Cajueiro porphyry gold district in Brazil. The exercise of these warrants reflects the confidence of our shareholders in our expanding Cajueiro Porphyry Gold District. These funds will allow us to continue with our extensive drill program at Maria Bonita and the Central Resource area with the goal of increasing our current mineral resources in those zones, and to drill test several of the new target areas identified over the last 18 months. We look forward to advancing our exploration efforts and realising the potential of the Cajueiro district." Qualified Person Guillermo Hughes, FAIG and M Aus IMM., a consultant to the Company as well as a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, supervised and approved the preparation of the technical information in this news release. About Altamira Gold Corp. The Company is focused on the exploration and development of gold projects within western central Brazil, strategically advancing five projects spanning over 100,000 hectares within the prolific Juruena Gold Belt-an area that has historically yielded over 6 million ounces of placer gold3. The Company's advanced Cajueiro project contains two gold deposits. The central area comprises NI 43-101 resources of 5.66Mt @ 1.02 g/t gold for a total of 185,000 oz in the Indicated Resource category and 12.66Mt @ 1.26 g/t gold for a total of 515,000oz in the Inferred Resource category1. In addition, the Maria Bonita gold deposit comprises additional open pit Indicated Resources of 24.19Mt @ 0.46g/t for a total of 357,800oz, and Inferred Resources of 25.64Mt @ 0.44g/t for a total of 362,400oz2. Ongoing exploration and fieldwork at Cajueiro indicate the presence of multiple porphyry gold systems, reinforcing its potential for district-scale development. These hard-rock gold sources align with historical alluvial gold production, highlighting the region's exceptional gold endowment and potential scalability. With two independently established mineral resources, a highly prospective geological setting and a track record of significant discoveries, the Company is well-positioned to unlock further value across its extensive land package. 1NI 43-101 Technical Report, Cajueiro Project, Mineral Resource Estimate: Global Resource Engineering, Denver ColoradoUSA, 10thOctober 2019; Authors K. Gunesch, PE; H. Samari, QP-MMSA; T. Harvey, QP-MMSA 2 NI43-101 Technical Report, Mineral Resource for the Maria Bonita Prospect: VMG Consultoria, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. 12th June 2025; Author V. Myadzel 3 Juliani, C. et al; Gold in Paleoproterozoic (2.1 to 1.77 Ga) Continental Magmatic Arcs at the Tapajos and Juruena Mineral Provinces (Amazonian Craton, Brazil): A New Frontier for the Exploration of Epithermal-Porphyry and Related Deposits. Minerals 2021, 11, 714. https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070714 On Behalf of the Board of Directors, 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. The securities described herein have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements under the U.S. Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws. Forward-looking Statements Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Company's proposed use of the warrant exercise funds and future plans for its mineral projects. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will", "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, including the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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 and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that is incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. Notes Gold analysis has been conducted by SGS method FAA505 (fire assay of 50g charge), with higher grade samples checked by FAA525. Analytical quality is monitored by certified references and blanks. Until dispatch, samples are stored under the supervision the Company's exploration office. The samples are couriered to the assay laboratory using a commercial contractor. Pulps are returned to the Company and archived. Drill holes results are quoted as down-hole length weighted intersections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273596 SOURCE: Altamira Gold Corp. New initiative in the Konkoure Delta builds on Senegal's success, advancing coastal restoration, biodiversity, and community resilience across West Africa. CONAKRY, GN / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Building on the success of its 7,000-hectare mangrove reforestation project in Senegal-which has already generated an estimated 2.8 million tonnes of CO2 reductions and measurable community benefits-Karbon-X Corp. (OTCQX:KARX) ("Karbon-X" or the "Company") is expanding its blue carbon leadership into the Konkoure Delta of Guinea, as blue carbon emerges as a critical frontier for climate investment and coastal resilience. Developed through ALLCOT - A Karbon-X Company, the project development and advisory arm of Karbon-X, the initiative will replicate and scale the proven model from Senegal, enhancing biodiversity, shoreline protection, and sustainable livelihoods across West Africa. Mangroves are more than trees; they are natural shields protecting coastlines, nurseries for marine life, and vital sources of income for coastal families. Restoring them means restoring balance, security, and opportunity for communities that depend on the sea. To prepare for implementation, Karbon-X's project development arm, ALLCOT, has led regional technical missions and training sessions in Guinea, uniting forestry and climate agencies to exchange best practices and strengthen local capacity for blue carbon development. Field visits to the Gandoul Marine Protected Area offered hands-on experience, from propagule collection to carbon monitoring, bridging knowledge and practice under a shared vision of sustainability. "Our work in Guinea builds on years of collaboration with local governments and communities," said Alexis Leroy, Chief Sustainability Investment Officer at Karbon-X. "We're deeply rooted in this region-understanding the drivers of deforestation, building local capacity, and ensuring continuity so that restoration efforts deliver lasting social and environmental impact." Through this initiative, Karbon-X and its project development arm, ALLCOT - A Karbon-X Company, reaffirm their mission to turn climate ambition into measurable, lasting impact-accelerating the growth of the blue economy and shaping a more resilient future for the region. To explore the Guinea Mangrove Restoration Project in more detail, visit https://www.allcot.com/project-development/guinea-mangrove-restoration-project/ About Karbon-X Karbon-X Corp. (OTCQX:KARX) is a vertically integrated climate-solutions company delivering end-to-end carbon and sustainability services across both compliance and voluntary markets. From project origination and verification to credit issuance and market distribution, Karbon-X ensures transparency and measurable impact at every step. Learn more at www.karbon-x.com About ALLCOT - A Karbon-X Company ALLCOT, Karbon-X's project development and advisory arm, develops and manages science-based climate projects that deliver verified emission reductions and social co-benefits. With over a decade of experience across five continents, ALLCOT supports Karbon-X's mission to make trusted climate action accessible and accountable worldwide. Forward Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements, including expected future project outcomes and expansion plans. Over the next five to ten years, Karbon-X aims to scale its nature-based solutions to restore additional ecosystems, generate verified emission reductions, and strengthen community-led climate programs across its operating regions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially. Karbon-X undertakes no obligation to update these statements except as required by law. Media Contact Emma Caputo VP of Marketing Karbon-X ec@karbon-x.com SOURCE: Karbon-X Project Inc. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/clean-technology/karbon-x-expands-blue-carbon-leadership-with-new-restoration-project-in-guinea-1097840 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / UniDoc Health Corp. (CSE:UDOC)(FRA:L7T)(OTCQB:UDOCF) ("UniDoc" or the "Company") will attend and exhibit at the 42nd Annual ANCI Assembly in Bologna, Italy, from November 12-14, 2025. ANCI is the national association of Italian municipalities. The annual assembly convenes mayors and municipal leaders from across Italy. UniDoc will be present at BolognaFiere with an exhibit at Booth #164-166. Key Takeaways UniDoc exhibiting at ANCI 2025 in Bologna, November 12-14, Booth #164-166. Engagement aligned with Italy's designation of the H3 Health Cube as preferred eHealth equipment. Meetings available on site; schedule via info@unidoctor.com. The 42nd Annual ANCI Assembly will take place at BolognaFiere in Bologna, Italy from November 12-14, 2025. The assembly draws municipal decision-makers and national institutions. In prior editions, it has included addresses from the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister, together with participation by central government ministries. Background information: https://www.anci.it/. Attendance at ANCI follows Italy's designation of the UniDoc H3 Health Cube as preferred equipment for eHealth initiatives. The designation led to initial orders and deployments in Italy, including the Municipality of Aliano. "ANCI gathers the leaders who plan and fund local services," said Tony Baldassarre, UniDoc's Chief Executive Officer. "Our objective in Bologna is simple: meet with municipalities, demonstrate the H3 Health Cube, and align deployments with local care priorities across Italy." Parties wishing to schedule a meeting during the show can contact UniDoc at info@unidoctor.com. Exhibit Details Dates: November 12-14, 2025 | Location: BolognaFiere, Bologna, Italy | Booth: #164-166 Marketing Engagement Update Further to the Company's news release of April 3, 2025, the Company is also pleased to announce it and Rumble Strip Media Inc. ("Rumble") have agreed to extend the term of its previously marketing engagement (the "Original Engagement") to provide certain social media, marketing, and consulting services to UniDoc (the "Services") for an additional period of three months beginning on November 10, 2025 (the "Extended Term"). The Services may include investor relations activities within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the policies of the CSE. No additional consideration above the US $500,000 payable to Rumble as announced in the Company's April 3, 2025 news release announcing the Original Engagement is payable to Rumble in connection with the renewed term. Due to market factors, the Company and Rumble paused the Original Engagement while there were still funds left in the marketing budget payable to Rumble and are now restarting the same Services in connection with the Extended Term until the remaining marketing budget is expended and the Extended Term expires. Rumble and its principal are arm's length to the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, Rumble does not own, control, or direct any securities of the Company. Rumble Strip Media Inc. (Address: #893 250-997 Seymour St, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3M1; Email: info@rumblestrip.ca; Phone: 604-800-8824) is a Vancouver-based media and consulting firm. On Behalf of the Board of Directors, Antonio (Tony) Baldassarre Chief Executive Officer, President & Director About UniDoc Health Corp. (CSE:UDOC)(FRA:L7T)(OTCQB:UDOCF) UniDoc is developing an eHealth solution which is being designed as a self-contained remote virtual clinic within a private kiosk for patients to undergo full consultations as if they were present in a physician's office. eHealth opens the doors to a large segment of the population challenged by access, experience or understanding of online computer technology. It is the Company's belief that physical accessibility is the key to its business proposition. UniDoc is dedicated to unlocking shareholder value by delivering an excellent product and sophisticated commercial network within an expedited timeframe. The UniDoc team encourages engagement, questions, and interest, so please stay in touch and invite anyone who might be interested in our story to visit our website at https://unidoctor.com/ and signup to receive the latest information with updates on our activities, events and progress. For further information, please contact: UniDoc Investor Relations Tel: +1 778.383.6731 Email: info@unidoctor.com Matt Chatterton, Director Tel: +1 778.613.2082 Email: matt@unidoctor.com Media Inquiries media@unidoctor.com Forward-Looking Information Certain information contained herein constitutes "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to: the use of proceeds of the Offering. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipates", "anticipated" "expected" "intends" "will" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different, including receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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 and forward-looking information. The Company will not update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. SOURCE: UniDoc Health Corp. View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/healthcare-and-pharmaceutical/unidoc-to-exhibit-at-anci-2025-in-bologna-november-12-14-1098083 Dr. Adrian Bot joins Immuthera to support the company with his unique experience in commercialization of groundbreaking cell therapies Dr. Adrian Bot, a renowned biopharmaceutical founder and scientist, has joined Immuthera's Board of Directors to strengthen its pipeline development and commercialization efforts. Immuthera, operating in the United States, is a wholly owned subsidiary of PolTREG S.A. a leader in innovative immune therapies with focus on regulatory T cell technologies. In addition, Dr. Bot will serve as Scientific Advisor of PolTREG S.A., leveraging his experience in development and commercialization of novel cell and gene therapies. Dr. Bot brings 27 years of experience in the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry, spanning discovery, preclinical and clinical development, translational medicine and product life cycle management in commercial setting. He spent over half of his professional career developing first-in-class or best-in-class CAR T cell products. Dr. Bot was the founding CSO and EVP of R&D for Capstan Therapeutics, a company developing in vivo mRNA-based CAR-T therapies. He helped secure $165 million in financing for Capstan and then participated in the company's sale to AbbVie for $2.1 billion in 2025. Dr. Bot held leadership positions at Kite Pharma, where he contributed to the success of Yescarta and Tecartus, CAR-T cell therapies for Oncology. The company was acquired by Gilead for $11.9 billion in 2017. Dr. Adrian Bot, M.D., Ph.D., was the founding Chief Scientific Officer and EVP of R&D for Capstan Therapeutics, a company focused on the development of in vivo CAR-T therapies. Prior to this, he held leadership positions at Kite Pharma, before and after the acquisition by Gilead Sciences, where he contributed to the development and approvals of Yescarta and Tecartus, the first autologous CAR-T cell therapies for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and other indications. He obtained his M.D. from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara in Romania in 1993 and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York in 1998. He was also a Guest Scientist at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California andauthored or co-authored over 100 scientific publications. In addition to his expertise and network of scientific collaborators in areas relevant to PolTREG and Immuthera , Dr. Bot possesses unique experience in the development and commercialization of groundbreaking therapies integrating gene medicines and cellular technologies. He participated in numerous financing rounds and two major acquisitions, in companies where he served as Chief Scientific Officer. Under his leadership, Capstan secured $165 million in financing and was subsequently acquired by AbbVie for $2.1 billion in 2025. Capstan's primary assets included its in vivo CAR-T therapy candidate, CPTX2309, and its patented lipid nanoparticle platform technology, used for mRNA delivery and cell engineering. At Kite Pharma, he was instrumental in the scientific leadership and translational development of Yescarta and Tecartus, groundbreaking cell gene therapies that target and destroy cancer cells using the patient's own modified CAR-T immune cells. Yescarta was the second CAR-T therapy approved by the FDA and the first one for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; and shortly before marketing approval, Kite was acquired by Gilead Sciences for $11.9 billion in 2017. " PolTREG is a global leader in the development of T-regulatory cell products with over 12 years of clinical experience in over 100 patients. This data set in autoimmune disease patients is a unique strength in our rapidly evolving field of cell therapies. This experience has been utilized as a springboard to design and advance an array of products and technologies such as CAR-engineered Tregs, and multi-edited, allogeneic CAR-Tregs. Innovative therapies based on induction and augmentation of immune regulatory mechanisms are needed to more effectively treat autoimmune diseases with complex etiopathogenesis. I am very excited to help Immuthera and PolTREG S.A. advance and commercialize transformative therapies based on engineered Tregulatory cells, for patients in need. We are traversing an inflexion point for the field and I have high confidence in the leadership team under Dr. Piotr Trzonkowski as they are well positioned for a US expansion." - comments Dr. Adrian Bot. "Dr. Bot is a seasoned, accomplished, and well respected leader in the evolving field of cell and gene therapies. I'm very pleased that our team will be strengthened by such a distinguished name. He has twice played a key role in developing breakthrough innovations in cell therapy, specifically in CAR-T cell engineering and in-vivo technology. The significance of these technologies has been validated by the market through the acquisitions of Kite Pharma and Capstan by global pharmaceutical leaders. Both transactions remain among the largest in the industry to date. We share the vision that T regulatory cells, reinforced by the recent Nobel Prize awarded for their discovery, represent the next frontier in cell therapies for patients with autoimmunity and other disease indications. Dr. Bot's experience and innovative scientific and business approach will be invaluable on our journey to ultimately commercialize Tregulatory cell therapies. We look forward to Dr. Bot's input and guidance as we bring our therapies into the US and continue to develop next-generation Treg and Treg-based therapies." - says Prof. Piotr Trzonkowski, founder and CEO of PolTREG S.A. PolTREG is intensifying its presence in the American market. In recent months, it has built Immuthera's Scientific Advisory Board, staffed by internationally renowned American key opinion leaders. PolTREG's partners include Kinexum Services LLC, which is supporting PolTREG with FDA Clinical, Manufacturing, and Regulatory strategy for the United States along with an exclusive collaboration with Antion Biosciences, with whom it is developing a new generation of multi-edited, allogeneic, CAR-Treg therapies. About PolTREG: PolTREG is a global leader in developing autoimmune therapies based on T-regulatory cells (Tregs). Its lead product, PTG-007, autologous Treg treatment for early-onset Type-1 Diabetes (T1D) is ready for Phase 2/3 clinical testing, for which the company is seeking a partnership. PolTREG has established a robust platform encompassing a wide range of cell therapy approaches, including CAR-TREG, multi-edited, allogeneic CAR-Tregs, and In-vivo Antigen-Specific Tregs. More at: https://poltreg.com/pl/ About Immuthera: Immuthera is pioneering novel cell-based therapies for clinical development in the United States and Canada. Immuthera will be clinically developing assets initially developed by PolTREG under the US FDA regulatory framework and assets licensed from US institutions. Immuthera will have full access to PolTREG's Research and Development capabilities and asset pipeline. Immuthera is currently seeking investment to pursue the manufacture and clinical development of these assets in the United States. More at: https://immuthera.bio/ Contact: ir@poltreg.com Media contact: Michal Wierzchowski, cc group Tel.: +48 531 613 067 michal.wierzchowski@ccgroup.pl IR contact: Agata Dzieciolowska, cc group Tel.: +48 606 205 119 agata.dzieciolowska@ccgroup.pl Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - PTX Metals Inc. (TSXV: PTX) (OTCQB: PANXF) (FSE: 9PX) ("PTX" or the "Company") is pleased to report positive results of the 3D inversion processed from the 2025 magnetic survey ("Mag Survey") at its W2 Copper-Nickel and Platinum-Palladium-Gold (PGEs) Project in Ontario, Canada. This new data brings significant insight into the behavior at surface and depth of the targeted gabbroic horizons linked with the mineralization. This leads to increasing confidence for drill targeting and provides more visibility for expansion of the target. The Company is also advancing other activities including a drill program at W2 Project. Additionally, PTX Metals is pleased to see recent developments announced by Ontario government on October 29, 2025, related to a signed agreement with Webequie First Nations that includes: Funding local community priorities Providing necessary infrastructure upgrades Speeding up construction of the roads and infrastructure in the region (see Ontario and Webequie First Nation Sign Historic Agreement to Unlock the Ring of Fire). Results from the 3D Inversion Figure 1: Location of the 3D section highlighted below in Figure 2. Background is the TMI result from the mag survey. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7277/273602_dfec44ff54f78ab2_001full.jpg Figure 2: 3D section of the CA1 zone showing the 3D inversion results (bottom figure), and two zoom-in sections showing % CuEq intercepts and logged lithology as indicated (top figure). To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7277/273602_dfec44ff54f78ab2_002full.jpg Results are strongly suggestive of a magmatic causative source highlighted as a stronger response in the magnetic pattern (yellow and red in Figure 2), which correlates well with the position of the mapped magnetic gabbro. Earlier this year, the Company released an initial geological interpretation identifying a preferred folded horizon extending for an estimated 8-km in strike length. Additional structures such as thrusting and faulting led to imbrications for stacked mineralized intercepts especially in the CA zones. Similarly, the AP zones seem to have been strongly structurally affected as well. The 3D inversion result confirms this distinct pattern, showing multiple north-south imbrications allowing formation of near-surface bulk tonnage targets. For example, as indicated in the section A - 460500E (Figure 2), the stacked zone could reach up to 1,850m width and extending to depth. Along trend, similarities can be observed between CA1 and CA2 with some variations such as thickness, dip and orientation depending on the main structural strains. An independent geophysicist processed the Mag Survey data which consists in flight lines trending north-south spaced at 75 meters and a mean terrain clearance of 34 meters. Additionally, for compilation, other data was considered for this evaluation such as the Electromagnetic (EM). The EM data was used in 2024 to further process and to generate Maxwell plates in order to delineate conductors. It is important to note that unconstrained potential field models as calculated by a magnetic inversion process do not have unique solutions, and that at deeper depths the resolution of the models and confidence in the results are reduced. Overall interpretations and observations, tend to vector ideas toward a mineralized horizon within the gabbro and a tendency for higher-grade zones at contact with the metavolcanics unit. The mineralization also indicates multi-stage deposition, which is currently being investigated under a paragenesis study and is expected to increase confidence in the model and assist in future targeting. PTX Exploration Program at W2 The Company continues to advance an extensive work program, which includes a drill program, ongoing metallurgical testing, paragenesis study and age dating study on the gabbroic horizons of interest using the 2024 and 2025 core drilled by the Company. In October 2025, a LIDAR survey was flown by KBM Resources Group. Results are expected by early January 2026 and comprise a detailed topography and orthophoto, which will help for future resource modeling as well as locating historical work on the property. The Company will provide shortly a separate press release outlining the drill program and its objectives. Ontario and Webequie First Nation Sign Historic Agreement to Unlock the Ring of Fire Ontario recently signed an agreement with Webequie FN to fund local community priorities and necessary infrastructure improvements ahead of construction of roads and other upgrades in the Ring of Fire. The province says that this support is a critical step in the development and construction of the proposed all-season Webequie Supply Road to the Ring of Fire. Funding will also support studies to realign other winter roads and ultimately will link all season roads to existing Pickle Lake corridor, which extends near the western edge of the W2 Project. Figure 3: Location map of the Webequie Supply Road and the proposed road access to the Ring of Fire. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/7277/273602_dfec44ff54f78ab2_003full.jpg For more information here: https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1006668/ontario-and-webequie-first-nation-sign-historic-agreement-to-unlock-the-ring-of-fire Qualified Person The technical information presented in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Kyle Pedersen, a non-independent qualified person to PTX Metals who is responsible for ensuring that the related technical information provided in this news release is accurate and who act as a "qualified person" (QP) as defined by National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About PTX Metals Inc PTX is a mineral exploration company focused on high-quality strategic metals assets in northern Ontario, allowing exposure for shareholders to Copper, Gold, Nickel, and PGEs discoveries. The Province of Ontario is a renowned mining jurisdiction for its abundance of mineral resources and safe jurisdiction. Our corporate objective is to advance our assets, and unveil the potential of two Flagship Projects, the W2 Cu-Ni-PGE located in the strategic Ring of Fire region, and the Shining Tree Gold Project neighbor to other known deposits in the Timmins Gold Camp. PTX's portfolio of assets was strategically acquired for their geologically favorable attributes, and proximity to established mining companies. PTX is based in Toronto, Canada, with a primary listing on the TSX under the symbol PTX. The Company is also listed in Frankfurt under the symbol 9PF and on the OTCQB in the United States as PANXF. For additional information on PTX, please visit the Company's website at https://ptxmetals.com/. 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 "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. 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, including statements regarding the ability of the Company to satisfy the regulatory, stock exchange and commercial closing conditions of Private Placement, and the potential development of mineral resources and mineral reserves which may or may not occur. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and general economic and political conditions. Forward looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary approvals, including governmental and regulatory approvals, will be received as and when expected. 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, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable laws. For more information on the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ from current expectations, please refer to the Company's public filings available under the Company's profile at www.sedarplus.ca. 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 any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, including any of the securities in the United States of America. The securities described herein 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. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider 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/273602 SOURCE: PTX Metals Inc. Rimouski, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - Puma Exploration Inc. (TSXV: PUMA) (OTCQB: PUMXF) (the "Company" or "Puma") is pleased to announce that its 2025 surface sampling program at the Jonpol Property, part of the Williams Brook Project optioned to Kinross Gold, has returned high-grade gold and copper values up to 19.55 g/t Au and 3.32% Cu*. Ten (10) trenches were excavated, totalling 809 metres. A total of 169 samples were collected, of which 12 exceeded 0.50 g/t Au* (see Table 1). Trench T25-10 yielded notable results, including samples with up to 19.55 g/t Au and 3.32% Cu*, as well as 5.64 g/t Au and 2.32% Cu*. Further south along the Ramsay Brook Fault, sampling showed values of 9.05 g/t Au, 2.71 g/t Au, 1.62 g/t Au, and 1.04 g/t Au* (Figure 1). *The reader is cautioned that grab samples are selective by nature and may not reflect the actual metal content of the mineralized zone. These sampling results provide compelling evidence that the Ramsay Brook Fault ("RBF") is highly prospective for significant gold mineralization. It could host a major gold-bearing trend stretching over at least two (2) kilometres. Additional fieldwork will further assess and delineate the extent and continuity of the gold mineralization along the RBF, as it becomes a priority exploration target within the Williams Brook Project. Figure 1. Location of 2025 grab sampling at Jonpol To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/3398/273567_e659784eb442cba5_001full.jpg Table 1. Assay Highlights of 2025 surface sampling at Jonpol Project Trench utm_X utm_Y Sample Au (g/t) Cu (%) Jonpol T25-10 686256 5271286 K213520 19.55 3.32 Jonpol T25-05 687313 5271765 K212201 9.05 0.01 Jonpol T25-10 686242 5271305 K213528 5.64 2.32 Jonpol T25-10 686256 5271288 K213508 3.27 0.92 Jonpol T25-06 686991 5271527 K212223 2.71 0.05 Jonpol T25-05 687311 5271766 K212202 1.62 0.00 Jonpol T25-10 686260 5271284 K213512 1.14 0.31 Jonpol T25-07 686052 5271020 K212240 1.04 0.00 Jonpol T25-06 687044 5271483 K212232 0.93 0.00 Jonpol T25-06 687046 5271481 K212231 0.68 0.00 Jonpol T25-06 686987 5271532 K212220 0.55 0.00 Jonpol T25-06 686990 5271528 K212222 0.52 0.00 Jonpol T25-05 687305 5271770 K212206 0.31 0.07 Jonpol T25-05 687307 5271769 K212204 0.31 0.00 Jonpol T25-04 687563 5271986 K212185 0.22 0.00 Jonpol T25-02 687534 5271966 K212169 0.17 0.01 Jonpol T25-07 686053 5271018 K212242 0.16 0.00 Jonpol T25-02 687532 5271961 K212170 0.16 0.00 Jonpol T25-10 686245 5271303 K213523 0.16 0.19 Jonpol T25-01 687501 5271929 K212155 0.15 0.00 Jonpol T25-02 687537 5271966 K212168 0.14 0.00 Jonpol T25-10 686246 5271301 K213522 0.01 0.51 Jonpol T25-10 686249 5271299 K213503 0.00 0.24 Jonpol T25-10 686244 5271303 K213524 0.00 0.23 About the Jonpol Property The Jonpol gold property is located approximately 20 km from Puma's Lynx Gold Zone and 5 km northwest of the Murray Brook Deposit - the largest undeveloped polymetallic asset in New Brunswick, now owned by Canadian Copper (CSE: CCI), a subsidiary created by Puma Exploration. The Jonpol Property has seen limited historical exploration. In 2021, Puma completed a VTEM heliborne geophysical survey over the area, followed by a series of early-stage exploration programs marking the first systematic work on the property in decades. The property is predominantly underlain by sedimentary rocks intruded by mafic to intermediate intrusions. The Petit Rocher Group, composed of Upper Silurian sedimentary rocks, covers most of the property and is bounded to the north by the regional Rocky Brook-Millstream Fault. At the southwestern margin, the Devonian Ramsay Brook Gabbro intrusion marks an important geological boundary. Structural mapping reveals four major NE-SW faults on the property, with most gold showings located near these faults or adjacent intrusive rocks, indicating strong structural control over mineralization. Historical data compilation has identified parallel gold-bearing trends aligned with fault zones and contacts between dikes and sedimentary units. Mafic dikes with gold mineralization have been mapped along magnetic anomalies in the eastern, central, and northwestern property areas. Together, these factors highlight a robust structural framework and suggest significant gold potential along a regional trend. Jonpol's 2025 exploration program focused on investigating and revisiting historical gold showings, employing Puma's established exploration techniques. Grab samples taken from trenches dug between 1985 and 1988 reported gold grades of up to 17.1 g/t Au, 14.8 g/t Au, 10.6 g/t Au, 6.8 g/t Au, 5.1 g/t Au, and 3.4 g/t Au. *The reader is cautioned that grab samples are selective by nature and may not represent the true metal content of the mineralization. Previous diamond drilling efforts yielded results including 1.13 g/t Au across 12.0 m, 1.37 g/t Au across 6.0 m, 1.37 g/t Au over 1.4 m, 3.89 g/t Au for 1.0 m, and 2.78 g/t Au over 1.5 m. The mineralized quartz-carbonate veinlets at the contact between an altered gabbro and the silicified sedimentary unit also contain abundant copper oxides (azurite and malachite) and visible chalcopyrite crystals, highlighting the strong potential for copper on the property. Qualified Person The scientific and technical content of this press release has been prepared, reviewed, and approved by Mr. Dominique Gagne, P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"). On-site quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) measures Grab samples are bagged, sealed and sent to ALS CHEMEX in Moncton, New Brunswick, where each sample is crushed and pulped before being fire-assayed (Au-ICP21). The remaining coarse reject portions of the samples remain in storage for further work or verification as needed. As part of its QA/QC program, the Company inserts external gold standards (low to high grade) and blanks every 20 samples in addition to standards, blanks, and duplicates. All samples over 10 g/t gold are analyzed with a gravity finish (Au-GRA22). Check assays are routinely performed for samples with visible gold to ascertain the gold content of the mineralization zone. About the Williams Brook Project The Williams Brook Project (40,225 ha), optioned to Kinross Gold Corp (see October 24, 2024, News Release), comprises the Williams Brook Property, the Jonpol Property and the Portage Property. To earn a 65% interest in the project, Kinross can finance a minimum of $16.75 million in exploration expenditures over the next five years (including a firm commitment of $2 million with at least 5,000 metres of drilling in the first 18 months). About Puma's Assets in New Brunswick Puma has accumulated an impressive portfolio of prospective gold landholdings strategically located close to roads and infrastructure in Northern New Brunswick, including the Williams Brook Project and the new McKenzie Gold Project. Both are located near the Rocky Brook Millstream Fault ("RBMF"), a major regional structure formed during the Appalachian Orogeny and a significant control for gold deposition in the region. Puma's work to date has focused on the Williams Brook property, but prospecting and surface exploration work on its other properties have confirmed their potential for significant gold mineralization. About Puma Exploration Puma Exploration is a Canadian mineral exploration company focused on identifying and developing a pipeline of precious metals projects in New Brunswick, near Canada's Renowned Bathurst Mining Camp. Puma has a long history in Northern New Brunswick, having worked on regional projects for over 15 years. Puma's successful exploration methodology, which combines traditional prospecting methods with detailed trenching and cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, has been instrumental in facilitating an understanding of the region's geology and associated mineralized systems. Armed with geophysical surveys, geochemical data, and consultants' expertise, Puma has developed a cost-effective exploration tool to discover gold at shallow depths and maximize drilling results. Connect with us on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn. Visit www.explorationpuma.com for more information or contact: 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. Forward-Looking Statements: This press release may contain forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve several known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Puma to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made, except as required by law. Puma undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. The quarterly and annual reports and the documents submitted to the securities administration describe these risks and uncertainties. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273567 SOURCE: Puma Exploration Inc. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - Andrew Thomson (the "Acquiror") has today filed an early warning report (the "Early Warning Report") advising that on November 6, 2025 he purchased an aggregate of 3,695,000 units of Palamina Corp. (the "Company") at a price between $0.125 per unit (each "Unit"). Each Unit consists of one common share and one warrant (each a "Warrant"), with each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share at a price of $0.20 for a period of two years after the date of issuance. Immediately prior to the purchases, the Acquiror had beneficial ownership, or exercised control or direction, both directly and indirectly over 9,955,802 shares and 975,000 options, representing approximately 13.9% of the outstanding shares of Palamina on an undiluted basis and 15.0% of the outstanding shares of Palamina on a partially diluted basis. Following the purchase, the Acquiror has beneficial ownership or exercises direction or control over, directly and indirectly: (a) 13,651,802 shares; (b) 975,000 Options; and (c) 3,695,000 warrants, representing approximately 16.1% of the outstanding shares of Palamina on an undiluted basis and 20.5% on a partially diluted basis. The warrants can not be exercised by the Acquiror unless and until all regulatory and shareholder approvals are obtained. The shares were acquired for investment purposes. The Acquiror has a long-term view of the investment and may acquire additional shares of the Company either on the open market or through private acquisitions or sell the shares on the open market or through private dispositions in the future depending on market conditions, reformulation of plans and/or other relevant factors. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273537 SOURCE: Andrew Thomson Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - It is with great sadness that Gunnison Copper Corp. (TSX: GCU) (OTCQB: GCUMF) (FSE: 3XS0) ("Gunnison" or the "Company") announces the sudden passing of Mr. Colin Kinley, Director of the Company. The Board and Company express their sincere condolences to Karen, Cooper, and Claire, their extended family and friends. Colin joined Gunnison as a Director in 2010 and was Chair of the Compensation Committee. He was a well-respected member of the Board, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to Gunnison from his distinguished career that extended far beyond his technical expertise. He was an internationally respected explorationist within the natural resources sector, whose contributions to the Company, and industry, will be greatly missed. "We are deeply saddened by Colin's sudden passing. He has been a valuable member of the Board since 2010, but more importantly he has been a friend for nearly 20 years. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and friends; he will be deeply missed by all," said Mr. Stephen Twyerould, Chief Executive Officer & President of Gunnison Copper. "Colin was a mining subject matter expert, a person of broad and valuable perspective and of sharp strategic instincts. But most importantly, he was a wonderful human being. His passing is a significant loss to our company and to us as friends," added Fred Duval, Chairman of the Board of Gunnison Copper. Colin's seat on the Board will remain vacant until a new Director is proposed and confirmed at the next annual meeting of shareholders. This news release is authorized for release by the Board of Directors of Gunnison Copper. Contact Information For more information on Gunnison, please visit our website at www.GunnisonCopper.com For further information regarding this press release, please contact: Gunnison Copper Corp. Concord Place, Suite 300, 2999 North 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85018 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273576 SOURCE: Gunnison Copper Corp. TITAN Group is a Belgium-registered company and a leading international business in the building and infrastructure materials industry, with passionate teams committed to providing innovative solutions for a better world. With most of its activity in the developed markets, the Group employs more than 6,000 people and serves customers in over 25 markets, on four continents. It holds prominent positions in the United States, Europe including Greece, the Balkans, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France and the Eastern Mediterranean. The Group also has joint ventures in Brazil and India. With more than 120 years of history, TITAN has always fostered a family-and entrepreneurial-oriented culture for its employees and works tirelessly with its customers to meet the modern needs of society while promoting sustainable growth with responsibility and integrity. TITAN has set a net-zero goal for 2050 and has its CO2 reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The Group is listed on Euronext Brussels and Paris, and the Athens Exchange, and its US business is listed on the NYSE. For more information, visit our website at www.titanmaterials.com. 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. Company announcement No. 17/2025 Inside information Aquaporin A/S Nymllevej 78 DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby aquaporin.com Company registration no.: DK28315694 KONGENS LYNGBY, Denmark, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Aquaporin A/S ("Aquaporin" or the "Company"), an innovative water technology company dedicated to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology, hereby provides an update on its strategic review. As announced in company announcement no. 15/2025 dated August 11, 2025, the Company has initiated a strategic review and is currently exploring multiple opportunities in parallel to raise capital, including equity and/or through a strategic transaction or partnership. As part of this process, the Company is engaged in constructive dialogues with a group of existing shareholders and potential new investors. These discussions remain ongoing and no conclusions have been reached at this stage. As a result of the current financial position of the Company, the Company has assessed that additional capital is needed from the beginning of 2026 to meet the Company's ongoing capital needs and to support its future growth ambitions until profitability in the near- to mid-term. The Company is currently aiming for gross proceeds in the range of DKK 125 million to DKK 175 million and aims to complete a transaction, or a combination of transactions, before year end and in any case not later than the first half of 2026, subject to the necessary authorisations being granted, prevailing market conditions and investor sentiment. As part of this process, the Company's Board of Directors will today present a number of proposals for adoption at an extraordinary general meeting to be held on December 1, 2025. The proposals are motivated by the need to provide flexibility to accommodate a range of potential outcomes in structuring a transaction. A final decision on the transaction structure will depend on market conditions and the outcome of the ongoing discussions with various stakeholders as part of the strategic review, including the Company's larger shareholders, potential new investors, and its financial adviser. For further information, please contact: Ulrik Lund Jakobsen, Chief Executive Officer Klaus Juhl Wulff, Chief Financial Officer +45 53 55 55 19, investorrelations@aquaporin.com About Aquaporin Aquaporin is an innovative water technology company with operations in Denmark (HQ), Singapore, Turkey, the United States, and China. We are committed to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology to solve global water challenges. By combining three disciplines from the world of natural sciences: biology, chemistry, and physics, we have created the unique, nature-inspired Aquaporin Inside technology which we embed into all our membranes and solutions. Our technology is based on Nobel Prize-winning research and is used to clean and reuse water in industries, in our homes, and even by NASA in space. We work with customers and partners around the globe to responsibly treat industrial wastewater, concentrate food and beverage products in a natural way, and enhance drinking water quality and accessibility. Forward-looking statements Certain matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and that can be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should", and similar expressions, as well as other statements regarding future events or prospects. Specifically, this company announcement includes information with respect to projections, estimates, and targets that also constitute forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this company announcement are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control. Such risks, uncertainties, and other important factors include, among others: limited experience in commercialization of the Company's products, failure to successfully implement strategies, dependence on third parties for manufacturing certain product components and the supply of certain raw materials, manufacturing disruptions, strategic collaboration, protection of the Company's intellectual property rights and other risks disclosed in Aquaporin's annual reports and company announcements. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations, projections, estimates, and targets expressed or implied in this report by such forward-looking statements. The information, opinions, and forward-looking statements contained in this company announcement speak only as at its date and are subject to change without notice. Aquaporin expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/aquaporin-a-s/r/update-on-strategic-review-and-intention-to-strengthen-financial-position,c4263869 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/22362/4263869/3771383.pdf 17-2025 Update on strategic review and intention to strengthen financial position https://news.cision.com/aquaporin-a-s/i/aquaporin-ar2024-strategy-no-text,c3485590 Aquaporin AR2024 Strategy no text View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/aquaporin-as-update-on-strategic-review-and-intention-to-strengthen-financial-position-302608724.html NANNING, China, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Recently, Minister Tanapat Saengchan of the Vocational Education Commission of Thailand visited Guangxi Financial Vocational College. This exchange is an important opportunity to deepen cooperation between the two sides, and it is expected that through pragmatic communication, in-depth collaboration in the field of vocational education between the two countries will be promoted. A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link. Guangxi Financial Vocational College adheres to building a highland for open cooperation and innovation in vocational education in Guangxi facing ASEAN, actively explores new models of integration of production and education, helps the high-quality economic development of the ASEAN region, and constantly polishes the golden brand of "Modern Craftsmen" in international exchanges and cooperation. Four-Party Collaboration Between Schools and Enterprises to Enhance the Ability of Vocational Education to Serve Industries Focusing on the construction of the "China-Malaysia Digital Economy Modern Craftsman College", the school has established a regular communication mechanism with Malaysian national universities and enterprises, forming a "school-school-enterprise-enterprise" co-construction model. It has jointly built a "1+1+N" production-education integration innovation and development carrier with "one industry community, one modern craftsman college, and N demonstration enterprises and branch colleges" as the core. Relying on the background of the digital economy industry, it serves the overseas expansion of products of Chinese enterprises and increases the output value of enterprises by about 13 million yuan. Co-construction of Overseas Platforms to Promote In-depth Collaboration in China-ASEAN Vocational Education The school has successively established foreign exchange projects such as the China-ASEAN Business Technology Innovation and Vocational Education Cooperation Center (Indonesia), Cooperation Center (Cambodia), and the overseas "Silk Road Finance College", forming an all-round and sustainable pattern of vocational education exchanges. Relying on the intellectual resources of the "Zhongguancun Artificial Intelligence Large Model Industry Agglomeration Area" in Tsinghua Science Park, it has built 1 overseas digital intelligence center, 2 exchange centers, 3 technical service platforms, and 2 cross-border production-education integration bases. It accurately meets the technical and talent needs of enterprises in ASEAN countries and further promotes China-ASEAN vocational education collaboration. Cross-border Ecological Integration to Empower the Training of "Modern Craftsmen" With the help of the Modern Craftsman College project, schools and enterprises have built an international talent training matrix integrating "teaching, training, competitions, research, conferences, and exhibitions". It has co-constructed and shared 6 standards, 4 international courses, 1 bilingual textbook, and 8 international training resource packages, and developed 6 teaching equipment. It has carried out 49 domestic and foreign skill training sessions, covering 8,251 participants. It has held 2 international skill competitions for ASEAN, attracting 303 teams from 7 countries to compete. The school also held the "2024 China (Guangxi)-ASEAN Vocational Education Development Exchange Conference", jointly carried out research projects and exhibition activities with universities and enterprises in ASEAN countries, explored the "AI+X" compound talent training model, transported high-quality applied talents for the development of Guangxi's digital economy and China-ASEAN artificial intelligence industry cooperation, and wrote a new chapter in vocational education serving the local economy. Source: Guangxi Financial Vocational College Contact person: Mr. Zeng, Tel: 86-10-63074558. Company announcement No. 18/2025 Aquaporin A/S Nymllevej 78 DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby aquaporin.com Company registration no.: DK28315694 KONGENS LYNGBY, Denmark, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Aquaporin A/S ("Aquaporin" or the "Company"), an innovative water technology company dedicated to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology, hereby convenes an extraordinary general meeting of Aquaporin to be held on: Monday, December 1, 2025, at 16:30 (CET) at the Company's office, Nymllevej 78, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark with the agenda set out below. As announced in company announcements no. 17/2025 dated November 7, 2025 and 15/2025 dated August 11, 2025, the Company has initiated a strategic review to explore multiple opportunities to raise capital, including through equity and/or through a strategic transaction or partnership. As part of this process, the Board of Directors today presents a number of proposals to be adopted at the extraordinary general meeting. The proposals are motivated by the need to provide flexibility to accommodate a range of potential outcomes in structuring a transaction and raising gross proceeds in the range of DKK 125 million to DKK 175 million to meet the Company's ongoing capital needs and to support its future growth ambitions until profitability in the near- to mid-term. Agenda Proposal to amend the Articles of Association with a new authorisation to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital with pre-emptive rights for the existing shareholders at a price, which may be below market price Proposal to amend the Articles of Association with a new authorisation to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital without pre-emptive rights for the existing shareholders at or above market price Proposal to amend the Articles of Association with a new authorisation to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital without pre-emptive rights for the existing shareholders at a price, which may be below market price, for the benefit of persons other than the shareholders and employees of the Company Proposal to amend the Articles of Association with a new combined maximum for the authorisations proposed under agenda items 1 and 3, subject to adoption of each authorisation. A shareholder who wishes to attend the general meeting must notify the Company of her/his attendance no later than Thursday, November 27, 2025 at 23:59 (CET). Please refer to the attached notice convening the extraordinary general meeting for further information. For further information, please contact: Ulrik Lund Jakobsen, Chief Executive Officer Klaus Juhl Wulff, Chief Financial Officer +45 53 55 55 19, investorrelations@aquaporin.com About Aquaporin Aquaporin is an innovative water technology company with operations in Denmark (HQ), Singapore, Turkey, the United States, and China. We are committed to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology to solve global water challenges. By combining three disciplines from the world of natural sciences: biology, chemistry, and physics, we have created the unique, nature-inspired Aquaporin Inside technology which we embed into all our membranes and solutions. Our technology is based on Nobel Prize-winning research and is used to clean and reuse water in industries, in our homes, and even by NASA in space. We work with customers and partners around the globe to responsibly treat industrial wastewater, concentrate food and beverage products in a natural way, and enhance drinking water quality and accessibility. Forward-looking statements Certain matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and that can be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should", and similar expressions, as well as other statements regarding future events or prospects. Specifically, this company announcement includes information with respect to projections, estimates, and targets that also constitute forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this company announcement are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control. Such risks, uncertainties, and other important factors include, among others: limited experience in commercialization of the Company's products, failure to successfully implement strategies, dependence on third parties for manufacturing certain product components and the supply of certain raw materials, manufacturing disruptions, strategic collaboration, protection of the Company's intellectual property rights and other risks disclosed in Aquaporin's annual reports and company announcements. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations, projections, estimates, and targets expressed or implied in this report by such forward-looking statements. The information, opinions, and forward-looking statements contained in this company announcement speak only as at its date and are subject to change without notice. Aquaporin expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/aquaporin-a-s/r/notice-to-convene-an-extraordinary-general-meeting,c4263881 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/22362/4263881/3771386.pdf 18-2025 Notice to convene an extraordinary general meeting https://news.cision.com/aquaporin-a-s/i/071119-aquaporin-00867-sh,c3485599 071119-AQUAPORIN 00867-sh https://mb.cision.com/Public/22362/4263881/b499fbf66baab9df.pdf Notice to convene EGM View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/aquaporin-as-notice-to-convene-an-extraordinary-general-meeting-302608731.html Grants includes $200,000 to Freedom Equity and $250,000 to Children's Hunger Alliance to advance economic opportunity and food security across Columbus and Central Ohio COLUMBUS, OH / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / As part of its ongoing commitment to building stronger, more equitable communities, KeyBank and the KeyBank Foundation have announced two philanthropic investments totaling $450,000 in support of economic empowerment and childhood nutrition in Ohio. A $200,000 grant was awarded to Freedom Equity, a Columbus-based nonprofit focused on expanding access to capital for underserved small businesses. The grant is part of KeyBank's bicentennial celebration, which includes $5.4 million in milestone grants across its 27 markets. Freedom Equity will use the funds to launch a Low-Interest Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) Alternative, designed to provide fair and transparent financing options to small businesses in Columbus that are often excluded from traditional lending. "Freedom Equity was founded to improve access to affordable capital for underserved businesses," said J. Averi Frost, President and CEO of Freedom Equity. "This grant will give our customers access to funds without creating the kinds of hardships that high interest loans with difficult terms sometimes create. We're here to help eliminate barriers. As a community lender, fair and affordable lending options are central to our mission. We're excited to be able to deploy this new product." In addition, the KeyBank Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant to Children's Hunger Alliance (CHA) to support its Early Childcare Program for In-home Providers and Childcare Centers. This initiative will deliver over one million nutritious meals and snacks to 3,400 children across Franklin County, while also expanding nutrition education and supporting 130 small childcare businesses - many of which are minority- and women-owned. "KeyBank is showing a true commitment to the well-being of children in our community, and we're thankful for their leadership and support in the fight against childhood hunger in Central Ohio," said Michelle M. Brown, President and CEO of Children's Hunger Alliance. "Strong partnerships like this make all the difference in helping us provide nutritious meals and food education to children right where they are, every day of the year, so they can reach their full potential and thrive." "At KeyBank, we believe thriving communities are built through economic empowerment, access to opportunity and support for families," said Lara DeLeone, KeyBank Central Ohio Market President. "Freedom Equity is transforming the small business landscape in Columbus by giving entrepreneurs the tools to grow and succeed. Children's Hunger Alliance is equally vital, ensuring thousands of children receive nutritious meals while strengthening the childcare ecosystem that working families rely on. These investments reflect our commitment to helping our neighbors build stability, resilience and long-term success." ABOUT KEYBANK In 2025, KeyCorp celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at September 30, 2025. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC. ABOUT KEYBANK FOUNDATION KeyBank Foundation is a nonprofit charitable foundation that supports organizations and initiatives aimed at improving financial wellness, education, and community development. Through strategic philanthropy, KeyBank Foundation works to create thriving communities and drive meaningful, lasting change. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: KeyBank Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: KeyBank View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/keybank-awards-450-000-in-grants-to-support-small-businesses-and-chi-1098196 THG to deliver training, innovation, and engineering expertise to enable academic institutions and industries with Hedera-powered Web3 applications in the Philippines PFAFFIKON, Switzerland, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hashgraph Group (THG), the Swiss-based Web3 technology and engineering company operating within the Hedera ecosystem, has announced the signing of a strategic framework collaboration agreement with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) - the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for directing, leading and coordinating science, technology and innovative efforts to support national economic development. This strategic partnership aims to strengthen the cooperation between the public and private sectors in exploring Web3 and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) as part of Philippines national digitization and financial inclusion strategy. Philippines is emerging as a major hub for blockchain adoption in Asia-Pacific, driven by a young, tech-savvy population and supportive government that is integrating technology for transparency and efficiency. DOST's mandate includes promotion and adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies, including blockchain and artificial intelligence to foster continuous innovation in the country, resulting in job creation and economic growth. As the Philippines embraces Web3 technologies, the need for transparent, verifiable, and secure digital infrastructure becomes increasingly important for the government, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders. Sancho Mabborang, Undersecretary for Regional Operations DOST, said: "This partnership between DOST and The Hashgraph Group strengthens our commitment to bring digital innovation to every region of the Philippines. By introducing Web3 and Hedera-powered solutions through our regional offices, we are empowering communities, universities, and industries to take part in the global digital economy. This collaboration ensures that innovation and opportunity reach all Filipinos, driving inclusive and sustainable growth across the nation." Through this strategic partnership, DOST and THG will seek to empower Filipino communities, academic institutions, and industries with Hedera-powered solutions and applications. DOST, through its Regional Offices, and THG will collaborate to prioritize the specific Web3 regional requirements, including capacity building, knowledge-sharing, and for developing real-world solutions for startups, enterprises, and governments. The signing ceremony in Switzerland not only covered the framework Collaboration Agreement but also included the signing of six separate agreements with the first six of 17 administrative regions, which included National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Regional Office III - Central Luzon, Regional Office VI - Western Visayas, Regional Office VIII - Eastern Visayas, and Regional Office XI - Davao. Stefan Deiss, Co-Founder and CEO of The Hashgraph Group, stated: "We are very excited to be working with DOST and the regions on developing and deploying Hedera-powered Web3 technologies within the Philippines. We look forward to enabling both the public and private sectors and empowering the Filipino society through training, innovation, and engineering." As part of the official signing ceremony, which included a visit by the government delegation of Philippines to the headquarters of THG in Switzerland, THG showcased its pioneering Web3 products and solutions, including a demo of its Hedera-powered carbon bank developed for enterprises and government institutions. THG will work with DOST to develop industry use cases by providing engineering expertise across multiple industries, encompassing venture building, sustainability projects, smart agriculture, smart food systems, water quality traceability, gaming, tourism, and other science, technology, and innovation initiatives. This partnership with THG marks an important milestone in DOST's ongoing pursuit of science, technology, and innovation for sustainable and inclusive growth. Through this collaboration, both organizations aim to strengthen the cooperation between the public and private sectors, including implementing nation-wide Web3 training, certification, and innovation programs for students, entrepreneurs, and enterprise to adapt to and compete in the Web3 economy. This includes strategic investments in innovative startups via THG's venture building program. About The Hashgraph Group The Hashgraph Group (THG) is a Swiss-based Web3 technology and engineering company that operates within the Hedera ecosystem, specialized in design, development, and deployment of enterprise-grade solutions aimed at enabling enterprises and governments to adapt and compete in the Web3 economy. Focussed on building business without barriers through technological innovation, THG unlocks new business and growth opportunities for enterprises globally. For more information about The Hashgraph Group, visit www.hashgraph-group.com. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2817049/The_Hashgraph_Group_x_DOST.jpg For Media Enquiries: The Hashgraph Group Lara Malak lara.malak@hashgraph-group.com View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/dost-and-the-hashgraph-group-sign-collaboration-agreement-to-advance-web3-innovation-in-the-philippines-302608780.html Kris Gagermeier's 26-year journey at Trane Technologies started with a nudge and grew into a career training the next generation of industry leaders. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Almost three decades ago, a chance encounter catapulted Kris Gagermeier into a rewarding career at Trane Technologies. Today, he educates and inspires the company's next generation of leaders. A successful career that began with a nudge Kris Gagermeier didn't set out to become a leader at a global company. He was just a college student home for the weekend in La Crosse, Wisconsin, when a chance encounter changed everything. While hanging out with friends one evening, Kris met a Trane Technologies executive who saw something in him. "Kris," he said, "I think you need to apply to Trane Technologies." He did. Now, 26 years later, Kris is still at the company, helping the next generation of industry leaders take that first step. As the leader of the Technical Training Center of Excellence, he oversees the company's Graduate Training Program (GTP), one of the industry's most robust and longstanding talent development pipelines. VIDEO: Kris Gagermeier on Training Future Leaders | Trane Technologies World-class training for future sales and engineering leaders "Trane Technologies has been running Graduate Training Programs for nearly 100 years. We offer three specialized programs for front-line account managers, energy engineers, and contracting project managers. Each program recruits the best of the best, puts them through the most comprehensive training program and sends them out to serve our customers." Our immersive GTP programs are where a large proportion of Trane Technologies employees begin their journey. "What I love most about my job is that we bring in new talent into the organization every year. Most of them are right out of colleges and universities. And, we get to see those first steps they take in their career with Trane Technologies." The GTP is also where many future presidents and vice presidents first got their start. "There are so many amazing stories that have come out of the Graduate Training Program. Leaders across all of Trane Technologies' business were developed right here." A company that feels like home If Kris speaks about the program with pride, it's because he's lived it. And in some ways, it's lived through him. His roots at Trane Technologies run deep. His grandmother worked for Trane in manufacturing in La Crosse to build parts for the US Government. His father worked a summer job here. And now, his daughter, an engineering student herself, is stepping into a role at the company. Kris reflects on this full-circle moment with amusement. A winning culture that grows with you For Kris, it's these personal moments that define his journey. While Trane Technologies is a global company, its culture, in Kris's eyes, is deeply local, generational and personal. "Some of the best stories come from generations of families growing their careers here." And that family continues to grow with each new class of GTP participants and every young engineer and sales leader who, like Kris once did, finds themselves stepping into something bigger and more rewarding. This advancement, Kris believes, is what contributes to the longevity of so many employees' tenure at the company. "I think one of the biggest reasons people stay at Trane Technologies is because we keep growing," he says. "As people, as a company, as a culture. Today is the best version of Trane Technologies I've seen in my entire career. We're aligned to achieve sustainability goals like never before. To be part of that, and to be respected for the background I have, that's what our culture feels like today. I'm very happy to be here." Explore careers that make an impact at Trane Technologies. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Trane Technologies on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Trane Technologies Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/trane-technologies Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Trane Technologies View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/consumer-and-retail-products/how-trane-technologies-kris-gagermeier-trains-the-industrys-future-lea-1098226 In an exclusive interview, the UAE's cybersecurity leader discusses quantum readiness, AI-driven defense, and the power of collaboration DUBAI, AE / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / As global reliance on digital infrastructure accelerates, Lt. Colonel Saeed Mohamed Al Shebli has underscored the UAE's forward-thinking approach to digital sovereignty, quantum preparedness, and the integration of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity. Speaking in an exclusive written interview ahead of GISEC Global, the region's leading cybersecurity event, Lt. Colonel Al Shebli emphasized that digital sovereignty is now a cornerstone of national independence and strategic stability. "Digital sovereignty is no longer a technical concept - it's a cornerstone of national independence and strategic stability," said Lt. Colonel Saeed Mohamed Al Shebli. "The UAE has been remarkably proactive in ensuring that data, platforms, and systems critical to our nation's wellbeing remain under national jurisdiction and governance. This approach strengthens our defenses and builds public trust - the most valuable currency in the digital age." Preparing for the Quantum Era Looking ahead, Lt. Colonel Al Shebli identified quantum computing as both an opportunity and a disruption for global cybersecurity. He noted that the UAE's early investments in research, post-quantum cryptography, and collaboration with local institutions such as the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) and MBZUAI are ensuring the nation is ready to lead in the quantum era. "Quantum computing will revolutionize problem-solving but also challenge today's cryptographic foundations," he said. "The UAE's foresight and long-term thinking - investing in quantum-safe encryption and advanced AI research - ensure we are not waiting for quantum to arrive; we are preparing to lead when it does." Public-Private Collaboration: The Core of Resilience Lt. Colonel Al Shebli highlighted that cyber resilience depends on cross-sector collaboration, not ownership. "Cyber resilience today depends less on who owns the systems and more on how well we collaborate across them," he noted. "In the UAE, there's an extraordinary spirit of partnership between government, private industry, academia, and innovators. Cybersecurity has become an ecosystem of shared accountability - a collective shield protecting the nation." AI and Advanced Analytics: Transforming Cyber Defense According to Lt. Colonel Al Shebli, AI has completely redefined the cybersecurity landscape, allowing organizations to anticipate and counter threats before they occur. "AI is not replacing human expertise - it's amplifying it," he said. "The UAE's integration of AI into national infrastructure demonstrates a balance between technological advancement and ethical responsibility, setting a strong global example for others to follow." GISEC Global: A Platform for Collaboration and Innovation Lt. Colonel Al Shebli also commended GISEC Global for serving as a catalyst for collaboration and innovation across the cybersecurity ecosystem. "GISEC Global has become more than just an exhibition - it's the heartbeat of the region's cybersecurity ecosystem," he said. "It connects ideas with action, inspires young professionals, and strengthens the UAE's position as a global hub for cybersecurity collaboration." The Future of Cybersecurity in the UAE Looking to the next three to five years, Lt. Colonel Al Shebli foresees the evolution of cybersecurity from reactive defense to intelligent resilience, with growing opportunities for both local and international businesses. "The UAE will continue to lead by example - not only by adopting advanced technologies but also by nurturing homegrown talent and startups," he concluded. "Cybersecurity is evolving into a national enabler of economic growth, innovation, and global competitiveness." About Lt. Colonel Saeed Mohamed Al Shebli A dedicated cybersecurity professional and a law enforcement officer with 20 years of experience in the field. Deputy director of the Digital Security Dept. at the U.A.E's Ministry of Interior and member of the advisory boards at ADPoly University and Zayed University. "I believe in leveraging the human element to strengthen digital defenses. I understand that technology alone cannot secure an organization. It is the people-trained, aware, and vigilant-who are the true frontline defenders against cyber threats." PR Contact: ZEX PR WIRE info@zexprwire.com SOURCE: Gisec View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/lt.-colonel-saeed-mohamed-al-shebli-highlights-uaes-vision-for-d-1097992 Hanoi, Vietnam--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - Giang Huy Logistics officially expands its cross-border logistics platform, introducing a comprehensive digital ordering system that streamlines e-commerce procurement from major Chinese marketplaces. The initiative reinforces the company's mission to simplify the sourcing journey for Vietnamese businesses importing goods from China. Mr. Giang Van Huy (center) - Founder and CEO of Giang Huy Logistics To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/273594_8b824e3894791afc_002full.jpg Giang Huy Logistics provides an integrated supply chain model covering cross-border importing, purchasing, transportation, customs clearance, and final delivery. For further insights into the company's tailored solutions for leading e-commerce platforms, readers are invited to visit https://gianghuy.com. Cannot view this video? Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOcjxtS4Eg The new digital expansion enhances automation for online order management through an intuitive and efficient user interface. Clients can now place and track order China requests directly via the online platform, improving processing times and reducing manual errors. This approach reflects Giang Huy Logistics' continued investment in technological solutions to meet the evolving needs of Vietnam's import-export ecosystem. According to the company, Vietnam's demand for Chinese consumer goods and manufacturing inputs continues to grow rapidly, particularly within the fashion, homeware, and electronics sectors. By combining logistics expertise with platform integration, Giang Huy Logistics aims to bridge the operational gap between Vietnamese retailers and Chinese suppliers, ensuring efficient handling from warehouse to doorstep. In addition to core logistics functions, the platform provides value-added services such as supplier verification, purchase consolidation, and real-time shipment updates. These enhancements are designed to increase reliability and transparency, two of the most critical factors for cross-border business success. Giang Huy Logistics also continues to strengthen its partnerships with carriers and customs agents across key transport routes, ensuring consistent delivery within an average of 3-5 days. The company's system supports flexible shipping options, competitive pricing, and a transparent cost structure, aligning with its commitment to long-term operational excellence in the logistics industry. This digital transformation marks a significant step in the company's ongoing effort to modernize Vietnam-China trade operations, promoting a more accessible and technology-driven logistics environment for importers nationwide. About Giang Huy Logistics Giang Huy Logistics is a Vietnam-based logistics company specializing in cross-border e-commerce and sourcing solutions between China and Vietnam. Through digital integration and customer-focused operations, the company supports Vietnamese retailers and businesses in accessing reliable, efficient import services. More information is available at their social media. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gianghuycompany/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@gianghuylogistics Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gianghuylogistics https://maps.app.goo.gl/UeffViSR7PFfa6xV9 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273594 SOURCE: Plentisoft $1.4B investment expands access to evidence-backed tools to help farmers in some of the world's poorest regions adapt and build more resilience to droughts, floods, heat waves BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gates Foundation today announced a new commitment to advancing climate adaptation, helping smallholder farmers build resilience to a warming world and protect hard-won gains against poverty. Announced at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, where leaders are emphasizing locally driven adaptation, the four-year, $1.4 billion investment will expand access to innovations that help farmers across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia adapt to extreme weather. In these regions, where food security and livelihoods depend on agriculture, smallholder farmers and the communities they feed are among the most exposed to droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. Yet less than 1% of global climate finance targets the growing threats to these vital food systems. "Smallholder farmers are feeding their communities under the toughest conditions imaginable," said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation. "We're supporting their ingenuity with the tools and resources to help them thrive-because investing in their resilience is one of the smartest, most impactful things we can do for people and the planet." The commitment supports Bill Gates' vision, outlined in his recent COP30 memo, of prioritizing climate investments for maximum human impact and advances the foundation's goal of lifting millions of people out of poverty by 2045. Addressing a global funding gap Farmers in low-income countries produce one-third of the world's food but face mounting climate threats. Without greater adaptation investment, these shocks will continue to drive food insecurity and reverse hard-won gains against poverty. World Bank research shows that targeted adaptation investments could boost GDP, particularly in small island developing states, by up to 15 percentage points by 2050. The World Resources Institute estimates that every dollar invested in climate adaptation will yield more than $10 in social and economic benefits within a decade. "Climate adaptation is not just a development issue-it's an economic and moral imperative," said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. "This new commitment builds on our support for farmers in Africa and South Asia who are already innovating to withstand extreme weather. But they can't do it alone-governments and the private sector must work together to prioritize adaptation alongside mitigation." Scaling farmer-led innovation While climate shocks continue to intensify, the financing needed to help farmers adapt to them is not keeping up. According to the 2025 UN State of Food Security and Nutrition report, Africa was the only region where hunger and malnutrition increased this year. Without urgent adaptation, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that agricultural productivity in parts of Africa could drop by up to 20% by 2050. The foundation's new investment will scale farmer-led, evidence-backed innovations that strengthen rural livelihoods and food systems amid growing climate threats. It will expand technologies and approaches already showing results, including: Digital advisory services: Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030 Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030 Climate-resilient crops and livestock: Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition Soil health innovations: Approaches that restore degraded land, enhance productivity, and reduce emissions-supported by a $30 million partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation to advance soil science research Partnerships driving global impact The new commitment builds on partnerships that were expanded or launched through thefoundation's COP27 pledges and are already reaching millions of farmers. Examples include: AIM for Scale: Launched in 2023, this global partnership delivered AI-powered SMS weather forecasts to nearly 40 million farmers across 13 Indian states during the 2025 monsoon season, helping protect millions of acres of crops. TomorrowNow and KALRO: Together with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), TomorrowNow is providing hyper-local weather alerts to more than 5 million Kenyan farmers, improving yields and reducing crop losses, with expansion underway in Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia. The Gates Foundation is working alongside local researchers, governments, and private-sector partners to scale such efforts-strengthening rural economies and food systems for the long term. "We've seen what's possible when smallholder farmers have access to the right tools and resources-they adapt faster than anyone," said Wanjeri Mbugua, CEO of TomorrowNow. "With the right investment and strong partnerships, we can put powerful, data-driven solutions directly in farmers' hands-so they can make informed decisions and build resilience on their own terms." Collaboration at COP30 This investment reflects a shared global commitment-led by African leaders and Brazil's COP30 presidency-to put food, livelihoods, and health at the center of resilience planning. Brazil's own experience linking social programs with sustainable agricultural innovation shows how inclusive adaptation can drive equitable growth. Together with Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Embrapa, AGRA, AIM for Scale, CGIAR, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the United Arab Emirates, the foundation will co-host the Agricultural Innovation Showcaseat COP30. Both a high-level event on November 10 and a physical exhibition, the showcase will highlight affordable, climate-smart solutions designed for and, in many cases, by farmers. More information is available here: https://www.embrapa.br/en/cop30/agrizone About the Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we work with partners to create impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. In the United States, we aim to ensure that everyone-especially those with the fewest resources-has access to the opportunities needed to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and our governing board. Media contact: media@gatesfoundation.org View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/gates-foundation-announces-new-commitment-for-smallholder-farmers-on-the-frontlines-of-extreme-weather-302608791.html Intermediate Business Update as of September 30, 2025 Paris, November 7, 2025 - 5:00 p.m. ODIOT SA (Euronext Access - FR0014010DV3 - MLODT) releases a business update for the market. In accordance with Euronext Access market regulations, ODIOT SA is under no obligation to produce or publish semi-annual financial statements. However, this release aims to inform the market of the company's current business performance. Business Activity and Performance of the Operating Subsidiary As of September 30, 2025, ODIOT's order book stood at 2,114,673, reflecting sustained business activity. Gross revenue at the same date amounted to 1,856,261, representing net revenue of 1,307,224 after discounts granted to distributors. The projected revenue for fiscal year 2025 is estimated between 1.8 million and 2.0 million, representing an increase between +59.6% and +77.4% compared with fiscal year 2024, during which revenue totaled 1,127,580. Since the beginning of 2025, ODIOT has also acquired 218 kilograms of silver at an average price of $38.07 per ounce. These purchases were made in planned quantities to secure the best conditions from our supplier. The silver used is 100% recycled, enabling ODIOT to operate within a circular economy framework. Clarifications Regarding the press release dated October 24, 2025, relating to the publication of the updated GreenSome Finance report: ODIOT SA has not carried out any acquisition. The information contained in the October 24, 2025 press release referring to the GreenSome Finance report should be read in light of this clarification. About ODIOT SA ODIOT SA is the holding company controlling ODIOT, a French luxury brand founded in 1690, and one of the most prestigious silversmiths since the 18th century. A supplier to royalty, the Empire, and European courts, ODIOT possesses exceptional know-how in the creation of decorative masterpieces and cutlery crafted from precious metals (solid silver, vermeil, silver-gilt, and gold). ODIOT is distinguished as Company of Living Heritage (Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant) by the French Minister of Economy. Investor Relations: investors@odiotholding.com Press Relations: odiotholding@aelium.fr ODIOT SA (Euronext Access, FR0014010DV3 - MLODT) www.odiotholding.com ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: l2ucZcaclmfHmmpqZploZ2FoZpxmm5bHZ2OXm2RwlMmWbG6RlG6VmcnGZnJmlW5t - 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-0-95097-20251107_pr_odiotsa_intermediatereport_en.pdf The PHLY 80K Trees initiative returns to Texas for its 10th anniversary, gathering employees from across the country for a community tree planting event in Austin LINCOLN, NE / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Since 2015, the Arbor Day Foundation and Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) have partnered to plant 80,000 trees each year in high-priority forests that have been devastated by wildfires, hurricanes, and other disasters. To mark the 10th anniversary of the PHLY 80K Trees initiative, 40 PHLY employees from across the country gathered in Austin, Texas, this week for a community tree planting event. "For the last decade, this partnership has set a powerful example of how sustained corporate engagement can drive meaningful environmental impact," said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. "PHLY's long-standing support has helped restore ecosystems, strengthen neighborhoods, and inspire local action through trees and we're grateful for their continued collaboration." Over the years, the PHLY 80K Trees program has expanded to plant trees in both forests and communities throughout the United States. Through more than 40 unique projects, these tree-planting efforts have helped restore over 1,290 acres of forestland across a variety of landscapes ranging from the Pacific Northwest to the American Southeast. To date, more than 200 PHLY volunteers have supported planting projects. In Austin, community tree planting efforts took place along the locally popular Ann & Roy Butler Trail, about 30 miles from the partnership's first reforestation planting site at Bastrop State Park. The 10-mile trail loop - which runs along both sides of the Colorado River near downtown Austin - is in need of new trees to help protect the river's water quality, replace canopy lost to Winter Storm Mara in 2023, and provide shade and cooling for both surrounding communities and trail users alike. "Philanthropy is at the core of our corporate culture, driving us to make meaningful contributions that extend far beyond our walls. Environmental causes are a central pillar of our social giving philosophy, and our 10-year partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation is a testament to our commitment to regeneration and sustainability," said John Glomb, president and CEO of Philadelphia Insurance Companies. "The opportunity for our employees to come together as a team, working collaboratively on projects that restore and protect our natural environment, is a win for everyone involved. This annual event has become one of our favorite expeditions, seeing how it strengthens our company bonds and benefits communities for years to come." The PHLY80K Trees initiative not only aids in forest recovery but also enhances community resilience against natural disasters. Healthy tree canopies play a vital role in flood prevention, air and water quality improvement, soil stabilization, and urban heat island mitigation. About the Arbor Day Foundation The Arbor Day Foundation is a global nonprofit inspiring people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. They foster a growing community of more than 1 million leaders, innovators, planters, and supporters united by their bold belief that a more hopeful future can be shaped through the power of trees. For more than 50 years, they've answered critical need with action, planting more than half a billion trees alongside their partners. And this is only the beginning. The Arbor Day Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit pursuing a future where all life flourishes through the power of trees. Learn more at arborday.org. About Philadelphia Insurance Companies For over 60 years, Philadelphia Insurance Companies (PHLY) has delivered stability and peace of mind through enduring partnerships with our customers, brokers, and independent agents nationwide. We provide commercial property/casualty and professional liability coverages, comprehensive risk management, and expert claims handling across 120+ specialized industries. As a proud member of Tokio Marine Group, one of the largest insurance groups in the world, PHLY's exceptional financial strength has been independently validated through the highest ratings from the AM Best Company ["A++" (Superior)] and Standard & Poor's ["A+"] since 2011. PHLY is nationally recognized as a member of Ward's Top 50 since 2001, Business Insurance's Best Places to Work in Insurance since 2010, and ranked as one of America's Best Midsize Employers by Forbes. For more information, please visit PHLY.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. ### View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Arbor Day Foundation on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Arbor Day Foundation Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/arbor-day-foundation Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Arbor Day Foundation View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/1-300-acres-of-trees-planted-through-arbor-day-foundation-philad-1098244 Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - Ecksand, the Montreal-based fine jewellery maison, announces the official launch of Aura, its new signature collection that redefines modern Canadian craftsmanship. Conceived by Creative Director Erica Bianchini and handcrafted in the maison's Montreal atelier, Aura showcases Ecksand's signature blend of artistry, precision engineering, and sustainable luxury. Ecksand's Aura Collection To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11710/273504_photo1%20(1).jpg A new design innovation At the centre of Aura is its breakthrough design, experienced in the collection's standout creation: a gold ring deemed as the "heirloom of the now" with a unique flipping mechanism that seamlessly transitions the ring between diamond pave crescents to brushed solid gold. This reversible innovation is the leitmotif across the collection, exemplified in the line-up's sculptural pieces, featuring a bangle, pendant necklace, hoop earrings, a stackable ring, and a crescent necklace with an interchangeable diamond pear pendant. A world first in fine jewellery design, this dynamic reversibility expresses the duality at the heart of Aura - refined artistry and technical mastery in seamless equilibrium. Designed to mirror the energy of the wearer, the collection is an evolution unto itself, proving that you can shift your aura with the flick of a finger. "Aura is about transformation," says Bianchini. "When I created the collection, I was pursuing more than form; I was capturing a transformative pulse. Each piece carries presence - the subtle, empowering kind that influences how we move through the world. Aura represents Canadian craftsmanship expressed with modern confidence." Ecksand's Aura Collection To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/11710/273504_photo2.jpg Crafted to endure Created entirely in Canada, the Aura collection is handcrafted from solid gold of recycled origin and set with ethically sourced natural diamonds. Every piece is created under one roof through Ecksand's vertically integrated model, which unites five key stages of production: Design and conception Wax preparation and gold casting Gold work and assembly Diamond and gemstone setting Finishing, engraving and certification with the Canadian National Hallmark The maison's in-house, integrated structure ensures complete traceability and quality control from start to finish, reflecting Ecksand's sustainable and transparent approach to fine jewellery. Canadian innovation with purpose Aura marks a defining moment for Ecksand, reaffirming its leadership in Canadian luxury and human-centred craftsmanship. In a time defined by increasing automation, Aura is a cultural statement - a celebration of artistry, human skill, gentle luxury, intention and sustainability. Each piece reflects the maison's commitment to a circular production model: no outsourcing, no waste, and no shortcuts. Every gold fragment is recovered and reused, while every stage of production sustains local artisanship and expertise. "Our goal has always been to create jewellery that endures. Not just in noble materials, but in meaning," shares Bianchini. "Aura embodies that philosophy. It's designed to resonate, to move, and to last." The Aura collection launched on Oct. 30, 2025, and is available in-store at Ecksand's boutiques in Montreal and Toronto, as well as online at ecksand.com. About: Founded in 2009 in Montreal, Ecksand was born from the meeting of two complementary visions: the refined creativity of Erica Blanchini, a designer driven by longevity and the enduring beauty of form, and the deep connection to noble, natural materials embodied by Yoan Gehant Vidoni. Their shared belief - that luxury should be both ethical and enduring - sparked the creation of a Maison unlike any other: one that unites design integrity, craftsmanship, and conscience. The name Ecksand, drawn from the merging of "eclectic" and "sand", symbolizes this union: an art form grounded in nature, shaped by human hands, and refined into lasting modernity. From its inception, Ecksand has remained fully independent and vertically integrated, producing every creation under one roof in its Montreal atelier. Each piece passes through five specialized disciplines - design, wax and casting, gold work and assembly, diamond and gemstone setting, and final hallmarking - culminating in the official Canadian National Hallmark, which certifies full Canadian origin and craftsmanship. Ecksand's sustainability platform is founded on longevity. The Maison works exclusively with solid recycled gold and responsibly sourced gemstones, operating a circular craft ecosystem where every gold fragment is recaptured and reborn. This model - no outsourcing, no shortcuts - preserves human skill, sustains local artisanship, and ensures creations made to last across generations. Through collections such as The Mark, Duel, Arctic Dragon, Starlight, and now Aura, Ecksand continues to redefine the landscape of modern creation: Canadian excellence shaped by design, intention, and time itself. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273504 SOURCE: Ecksand Disruptive Pay-As-You-Go Model and Proprietary Vertical Intelligence Platform Recognized for Solving Cost, Customization, and Integration Pain Points for Institutional Investors LONDON, UK / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Hermes Intelligence, an emerging intelligence platform revolutionizing alternative data access, today announced it has been awarded "Best Alternative Data Provider to the Buy Side" by Waters Technology, the leading global financial technology publication. Hermes Intelligence The prestigious award recognizes Hermes Intelligence's groundbreaking approach to solving persistent pain points for buy-side firms, including inflexible datasets, high-cost subscriptions, complex integrations, and data overload. As a new entrant challenging established incumbents, Hermes Intelligence is redefining alternative data through the vertical integration of intelligence and risk monitoring, combined with proprietary, client-specific datasets. "Traditional vendors force buy-side firms into inflexible, six-figure subscriptions for broad datasets they only partially utilize," said Albion Begaj, Head of Operations at Hermes Intelligence. "This award validates our conviction that the future of alternative data is pay-as-you-go, fully customized, and built around exact client requirements. We are redefining how institutional investors consume market intelligence." Solving Critical Buy-Side Challenges Hermes Intelligence was specifically recognized for challenging the traditional data subscription model by directly addressing five major pain points: Costly Licensing: The pay-as-you-go model eliminates expensive multi-year subscriptions. Clients pay only for specific, necessary intelligence-for example, targeted competitor pricing instead of comprehensive industry datasets. Lack of Customization: Hermes Intelligence defines exact client requirements rather than delivering broad, irrelevant data. The technology can provide access to the highest information granularity at the highest scale leveraging proprietary AI systems. Complex Integration: Solutions seamlessly integrate with existing systems regardless of infrastructure. From API to SMS. Data Ownership and Freshness: The platform builds proprietary, custom datasets tailored to each investor's unique strategy, providing exclusive, real-time market leads. Navigating Complexity: Hermes Intelligence transforms unstructured web content into actionable data, converting raw regulatory documents into standardized, digestible formats for compliance teams and extracting pricing intelligence from disparate sources into centralized feeds. Vertical Integration: Intelligence Meets Real-Time Risk Monitoring Unlike traditional vendors that provide only raw information, Hermes Intelligence vertically integrates intelligence gathering with real-time risk monitoring. Clients receive immediate, specific alerts when competitor actions, market conditions, or regulatory changes impact their portfolio positions. "We are building proprietary intelligence infrastructure for each client-custom datasets, real-time monitoring, and seamless delivery that gives them exclusive insights competitors cannot access," added Albion Begaj. This disruptive approach positions Hermes Intelligence as a leading challenger, offering institutional investors a more agile, strategically aligned, and cost-effective intelligence solution. About Hermes Intelligence Hermes Intelligence challenges traditional alternative data models with pay-as-you-go pricing, proprietary intelligence, and vertical integration of data gathering and real-time risk monitoring. The AI-powered platform builds custom intelligence solutions for institutional investors demanding exclusive, real-time insights without costly subscriptions. For more information, visit www.hermesintelligence.com Contact Information Albion Begaj Head of Operations abegaj@hermesintelligence.com +48787359936 SOURCE: HermesIntel OU View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/computers-technology-and-internet/hermes-intelligence-named-best-alternative-data-provider-to-the-b-1098152 As German hydrogen strategy takes shape, the European Union selected 61 technology projects, including 8 focused on hydrogen throughout the continent: Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Norway, and Spain.The European Union's Innovation Fund's call for NetZero Technologies has selected 61 net-zero technology projects, totaling 2.9 billion in funding. Among the selected project, eight are focused on hydrogen: the Endor project in Denmark will build large commercial Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF); the Luxia project in Spain will demonstrate integrated production of renewable hydrogen, ... 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. Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation Regulatory News: Corporate name of the issuer: Veolia Environnement 21 rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS FRANCE (ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE) Information closing date Total number of shares forming the share capital Total number of voting rights October 31, 2025 741,723,437 Total number of theoretical voting rights: 741,723,437 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (1): 731,234,099 Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8). (1) Number of voting rights that may be exercised number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of October 31, 2025, i.e. 10,489,338 shares). Veolia Environnement Siege social/head office: 21, rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS France Adresse postale/Correspondence address 30, rue Madeleine Vionnet 93300 AUBERVILLIERS France tel. +33 (0)1 85 57 70 00 Fax +33 (0)1 71 75 10 45 www.veolia.com A Public Limited Company (Societe Anonyme) with a share capital of 3,708,617,185 403 210 032 RCS PARIS View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251107765599/en/ Contacts: Veolia Environnement MILAN, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stealing the spotlight at EICMA Milan 2025, ASTRAUX's next-generation Smart Electric Vehicle (SEV) concept redefined urban mobility. Featuring the category's only full-series air conditioning and a range of up to 180 km, the SEV drew massive crowds to the brand's booth at the world's premier two-wheeler exhibition. From November 4 to January 1, customers can pre-order any ASTRAUX SEV for just 9.9 and receive a 400 discount upon delivery. Prices start from 6,590 for the AL6 and 8,590 for the AL7. Learn More at: https://astraux.short.gy/EICMAPR Half the size of a standard car yet offering up to 180 km of range, the SEV delivers zero-emission practicality with exceptional agility. Its compact form and ability to park in half a standard space make it ideal for dense urban environments, where it can be operated with just a motorcycle license in many regions. The SEV also connects mobility, smart living, and digital lifestyle. Six self-suction modular interfaces enable flexible accessory attachment, CarPlay connectivity, while a customizable rooftop rack allows users to shift seamlessly between city commuting and leisure adventures. Visually, the SEV reflects ASTRAUX's design DNA - a friendly "Big-Eye" dashboard, smooth body lines, and over 99 customizable wrap options. Inside, a full air-conditioning system - the only one in its class - ensures true comfort in every season. Safety lies at the core of ASTRAUX engineering. Its high-strength steel frame, anti-roll stabilizer bar, and premium materials create reliable protection. The addition of an intelligent Sentry Mode provides 24/7 surveillance and instant alerts, offering drivers peace of mind wherever they go. ASTRAUX isn't just building vehicles - it's shaping a smarter, greener, and more connected urban lifestyle. By blending technology, design, and emotion, ASTRAUX invites the next generation to experience the joy of intelligent mobility. About ASTRAUX ASTRAUX is a Dubai-based global brand that fuses innovation with lifestyle. Its three product lines-smart micro EVs, AI robots, and joy-tech essentials-reimagine how technology fits into everyday life. Guided by the motto "Style it. Live it. Show it.", ASTRAUX drives a new wave of tech-powered aesthetics for the next generation, pushing boundaries to shape a bold, intelligent, and expressive future for young creators and city explorers. Learn More at: https://astraux.short.gy/EICMAPR Media Contact: Contact Person:Cathur Leigh Email:press.astraux@maktoumtech.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/410b3dfd-8849-40fb-a720-9afa51bbfd61 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/cc0460ef-e5aa-44a0-91f5-95e9a4af0b99 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e2604c60-c907-4093-8d28-83478f4db255 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c59f7c16-bed9-4557-8f68-93f3361479f7 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/26e922d1-e47e-4413-94dd-ea3a8d0fb2bb https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d685e59d-d2c6-4b48-b3d9-8defda96ffa3 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5d39043e-9da4-4cee-ac86-abfffa1a4049 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a6d48cc3-43bc-4484-9267-658089034e16 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/0bef53db-45ed-458a-8b9d-d2fb4732b93f ANNOUNCEMENT SUBMISSION OF REQUEST FOR THE REVISION OF THE VOLUNTARY SHARE EXCHANGE TENDER OFFER MADE BY EURONEXT N.V. ("OFFEROR" OR "EURONEXT") FOR THE ORDINARY REGISTERED SHARES OF HELLENIC EXCHANGES-ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE S.A. ("ATHEX") TENDER OFFER REVISION 1. In accordance with Article 21, paragraph 2 of Law 3461/2006 as in force (the "Law"), Euronext announces the following: a) On 30 July 2025, (the "Date of the Tender Offer") the Offeror submitted a voluntary tender offer (the "Tender Offer") to acquire all ordinary registered shares, each having a nominal value of 0.42 (each, a "ATHEX Share") issued by ATHEX, which Euronext and any "persons acting in concert" (as defined in article 2(e) of the Law) with Euronext, did not hold directly or indirectly as at the Date of the Tender Offer. b) On 3 October 2025, the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (the "HCMC") approved the information circular in connection with the Tender Offer (the "Information Circular"). c) In the terms of the Tender Offer included in the Information Circular, Euronext had set as a prerequisite for the completion of the Tender Offer that no later than the end of the Acceptance Period, at least 38,759,500 ATHEX Shares, corresponding to at least 67% of ATHEX's total voting rights whose exercise is not subject to suspension, shall have been lawfully and validly tendered to the Offeror (the "Minimum Number of Shares"). Euronext had stated that this prerequisite may be amended in accordance with the provisions of the Law. d) On 7 November 2025 (the "Date of the Revision"), Euronext submitted to the HCMC a request to revise the Tender Offer. According to the revised terms of the Tender Offer, the minimum number of shares that should have been lawfully and validly tendered to the Offeror for the Tender Offer to complete shall be equal to 30,174,001 ATHEX Shares, corresponding to 50% plus one (1) ATHEX Share of the total voting rights of ATHEX (the "Reduced Minimum Number of Shares"). e) The above revision of the Tender Offer in relation to the Reduced Minimum Number of Shares remains subject to approval by the HCMC in accordance with Article 21 of the Law. f) The revision of the Tender Offer does not extend the acceptance period of the Tender Offer which started on 6 October 2025 and ends on 17 November 2025, at the end of the business hours of banks operating in Greece (the "Acceptance Period"). 2. Shareholders who have duly and validly accepted the Tender Offer in accordance with the acceptance procedure described in the Information Circular shall be deemed to have also accepted the revised terms of the Tender Offer. 3. This announcement does not substitute the full text of the Information Circular to which any interested party should refer and read carefully in conjunction with the section hereof headed "TENDER OFFER REVISION". 4.Statement of the Advisor Deutsche Bank AG is acting as advisor to Euronext in connection with the Tender Offer and has provided the following statement in accordance with article 12 of the Law: "The Tender Offer is an offer consisting exclusively of shares as consideration. For this reason, the credibility of the Tender Offer primarily depends on the Offeror's ability to issue and deliver the required number of Consideration Shares to the Accepting Shareholders. Deutsche Bank AG has certified, as per paragraph 4.10 of the Information Circular, that the Offeror has the necessary means to pay the relevant clearance rights to ATHEXCSD, as set out in section 4.10 therein. Furthermore, the Offeror has taken all the corporate actions required and possible to be adopted up to the date of the Information Circular under the laws of The Netherlands in order to increase its share capital through contribution in kind and to issue the Consideration Shares, as described in the Information Circular and subject to the publication the Offeror's Exemption Document enabling the issuance of the Consideration Shares (which has been satisfied) and the validly executed private deed of issuance. In addition, the Offeror has taken all appropriate measures in order to perform the additional actions expected to take place and outlined in sections 5.5 of the Information Circular and has appointed the Tender Agent and the Offeror's DSS Participant in order to ensure the duly closing of the Tender Offer. In light of the above, the Advisor considers the Tender Offer to be credible. The Offeror has taken all appropriate measures to be able to issue and deliver the Consideration Shares, as described above, and to complete the Tender Offer in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Information Circular, subject, however, to the revision to section 4.2 (Prerequisite and Conditions of the Tender Offer) described herein and to the occurrence of a force majeure event. In the event of force majeure, the relevant provisions of the Greek Civil Code on the failure to perform obligations without fault shall apply. Nonetheless, the Advisor does not provide any guarantee (within the meaning of Article 847 of the Greek Civil Code) for the fulfilment by the Offeror of the obligation to offer the Consideration Shares or any monetary and other obligations undertaken by the Offeror in the context of the Tender Offer nor does it bear any liability within the meaning of article 729 of the Greek Civil Code." IMPORTANT NOTICES General The Tender Offer described herein is addressed to holders of ATHEX Shares and only to persons to whom it may be lawfully addressed. The Tender Offer will be made in the territory of the Hellenic Republic. The making of the Tender Offer to specific persons who are residents in or nationals or citizens of jurisdictions outside the Hellenic Republic or to custodians, nominees or trustees of such persons (the "Excluded Shareholders") may be made only in accordance with the laws of the relevant jurisdiction. It is the responsibility of the Excluded Shareholders and each person wishing to accept the Tender Offer to inform themselves of and ensure compliance with the laws of their respective jurisdictions in relation to the Tender Offer. If you have any doubts about your status, you should consult with your professional advisor in the relevant jurisdiction. The Tender Offer is not being made, directly or indirectly, by mail or by any means in or into any jurisdiction within which, under its laws, rules and regulations, the submission, the making or the presentation of the Tender Offer or the mailing or distribution of the Information Circular to be approved by the HCMC a declaration of acceptance and any other document or material relevant thereto (together, the "Relevant Documents") is illegal or contravenes any applicable legislation, rule or regulation (together, the "Excluded Territories"). Accordingly, copies of any such Relevant Documents and materials will not be, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed, distributed or otherwise sent to anyone or from anyone in or into or from any Excluded Territory. No Offeror Shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the Tender Offer to the public in the United Kingdom, except that the Offeror Shares may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time: (a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; (b) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation); or (c) in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the FSMA. Provided that no such offer of the Offeror Shares shall require Euronext or the Advisor to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation. For the purposes of this provision, the expression an "offer to the public" in relation to the Offeror Shares in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any Offeror Shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any Offeror Shares and the expression "UK Prospectus Regulation" means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The Consideration Shares have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States absent registration, or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable state and other securities laws of the United States. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Consideration Shares in the United States. Euronext has no intention to register any part of the Tender Offer in the United States or make a public offering of the Consideration Shares in the United States. Any Consideration Shares offered in the United States will be offered only to (i) holders of the Company Shares located outside of the United States and (ii) holders of Company Shares located within the United States that are "Qualified Institutional Buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act). Such holders of Company Shares will be required to make such acknowledgements and representations to, and agreements with, Euronext as Euronext may require establishing that they are entitled to receive Consideration Shares pursuant to an exemption from or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Accordingly, any holder of Company Shares located within the United States who is not a Qualified Institutional Buyer or who does not make such acknowledgement and representation to establish their entitlement to receive the Consideration Shares is ineligible to participate in the Tender Offer, and any purported acceptance of the Tender Offer by such holder will be ineffective and disregarded. The Tender Offer is being made in the U.S. in reliance on the expected availability of the Tier II exemption pursuant to Rule 14d-1(d) of, and otherwise in compliance with Section 14E of, and Regulation 14E promulgated under, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Greek law. The Tender Offer is not subject to Section 14(d)(1) of, or Regulation 14D promulgated under, the Exchange Act. The Company is not currently subject to the periodic reporting requirements under the Exchange Act and is not required to, and does not, file any reports with the SEC thereunder. Pursuant to exemptive relief granted by the SEC from Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, during the period of the Tender Offer, Euronext may purchase, or arrange to purchase, whether directly or through any of its affiliates, any broker or other financial institution acting as its agent or any affiliates of any broker or other financial institution acting as its agent, shares of the Company as permitted by applicable law. The Offeror Shares are issued to the Company's existing shareholders in Singapore without the intention of being onsold there, and no documents issued by or on behalf of the Company may be used in any subsequent sale by these shareholders. The Information Circular has not been and will not be lodged with or registered as a prospectus under the Securities and Futures Act 2001 of Singapore with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Therefore, the Information Circular does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of the Offeror Shares in Singapore, whether directly or indirectly, and shall not form the basis of any contract for the issue or sale of the Consideration Shares in Singapore. The Offeror Shares may not be marketed, offered or sold directly or indirectly to the public in the People's Republic of China (the "PRC") and neither this announcement, which has not been submitted to the Chinese Securities and Regulatory Commission, nor any offering material or information contained herein relating to the issuance of the Offeror Shares, may be supplied to the public in the PRC or used in connection with any offer for the subscription or sale of shares to the public in the PRC. Offeror Shares may only be marketed, offered or sold to Chinese institution which are authorized to engage in foreign exchange, business and offshore investment from outside the PRC. Chinese investors may be subject to foreign exchange control approval and filing requirements under the relevant Chinese foreign exchange regulations, as well as offshore investment approval requirements. This announcement is only made available to a limited number of "Professional Investors" within the meaning of the SCA's Board of Directors Decision No. 13 of 2021 Concerning the Financial Activities Rule Book, as amended. By receiving this announcement, the entity to whom it has been issued understands, acknowledges and agrees that it has not been approved by or filed with the UAE Central Bank, the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, the Dubai Financial Services Authority ("DFSA"), the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi ("FSRA") or any other relevant regulatory or licensing authorities in the UAE, nor has the originator, or any other related party received authorization or licensing from the UAE Central Bank, the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, the DFSA, the FSRA, or any other authorities in the UAE. This announcement does not constitute a public offer of Offeror Shares in the UAE in accordance with the UAE SCA Chairman of the Board Resolution No. (11/R.M) of 2016 On the Regulations for Issuing and Offering Shares of Public Joint Stock Companies, Federal Decree-No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies, or otherwise. The announcement does not constitute a disclosure document for the purposes of the Australian Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act) and has not been submitted to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. If you have received this announcement in Australia, you represent and warrant that you are an existing shareholder of ATHEX and that you are a sophisticated investor, professional investor, or another investor to whom disclosure is not required under Part 6D.2 of the Corporations Act. The Offeror Shares may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act ("FinSA") and no application has or will be made to admit the Offeror Shares to trading on any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. The Information Circular and any related offering or marketing materials regarding the Offeror Shares do not constitute a prospectus under the FinSA and must not be publicly distributed or made available in Switzerland. The Offeror Shares have not been licensed for offering in Kuwait by the Kuwait Capital Markets Authority or any other relevant Kuwaiti government agency. The offering of the Offeror Shares in Kuwait on the basis a private placement or public offering is, therefore, restricted in accordance with Law No. 7 of 2010 and the bylaws thereto (as amended). No private or public offering of the Offeror Shares is being made in Kuwait, and no agreement relating to the sale of the Ordinary Shares will be concluded in Kuwait. No marketing or solicitation or inducement activities are being used to offer or market the Offeror Shares in Kuwait. The Offeror Shares may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the Offeror Shares must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws. The Offeror Shares have not been and will not be registered in Japan pursuant to Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended, the "FIEA") in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements since the offering constitutes the private placement to qualified institutional investors only as provided for in "i" of Article 2, Paragraph 3, Item 2 of the FIEA. A transferor of the Offeror Shares shall not transfer or resell them except where a transferee is a qualified institutional investor under Article 10 of the Cabinet Office Ordinance concerning Definitions provided in Article 2 of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (the Ministry of Finance Ordinance No. 14 of 1993, as amended). This announcement does not constitute an invitation to the public in the Cayman Islands. Any invitation to participate in the Tender Offer is not being conducted in or from with the Cayman Islands or a place of business in the Cayman Islands. No person receiving a copy of this announcement or of any Relevant Document in any jurisdiction outside the Hellenic Republic may treat any such document as if it constituted a solicitation or offer to such person and under no circumstances may such person use any Relevant Document if, in the relevant jurisdiction, such solicitation or offer may not be lawfully made to such person or if such Relevant Document may not be lawfully used without breaching any legal requirements. In those instances, any such Relevant Document is sent for information purposes only. This regulatory announcement does not contain, constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or subscribe or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for any securities in any jurisdiction, and neither this regulatory announcement (nor any part of it) nor the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or may be relied upon in connection with, or act as any inducement to enter into, any contract or commitment whatsoever. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information contained in this announcement does not purport to be full or complete. The exact dates of the Tender Offer may change. This announcement contains forward-looking statements which are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties which change over time and relate to, amongst others, the business activities and certain plans and objectives that Euronext has in respect of the ATHEX Group and the Euronext Group. In some cases, the forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "may", "hope", "might", "can", "could", "will", "should", "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential" or "continue", "intends" and the negative of these terms accordingly. There are many factors (for instance, without limitation, commercial, operational, economic, political and financial), as a consequence of which the actual results and the actual developments may potentially substantially differ from the plans and the objectives of Euronext and the ATHEX Group set out in this announcement. As such, Euronext and the ATHEX Group evolve in a highly competitive landscape and rapidly changing environment, where new risks and uncertainties not specifically described herein this announcement may emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. Although Euronext believes that, as of the date of this announcement, the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Euronext cannot assure you that future events will meet these expectations. Moreover, neither Euronext nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. After the date of this announcement, unless Euronext is required by applicable law to update these forward-looking statements, Euronext will not necessarily update any of these forward-looking statements to conform them either to actual results or to changes in expectations. VALLOUREC ANNOUNCES A TRANSITION IN ITS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Meudon (France), November, 7th 2025 - Vallourec, a world leader in premium seamless tubular solutions, announces that its Chief Financial Officer, Sascha Bibert, has decided to leave the Group to pursue an opportunity in Germany. Sascha Bibert will leave the Group in December after a transition period with his successor. Mr. Bibert's replacement, has already been identified and will join Vallourec's Executive Committee upon taking up his position in early December. Philippe Guillemot, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the Vallourec Group, stated: "Together with the entire Executive Committee, I would like to warmly thank Sascha for his dedication and professionalism over the past four years. Sascha has contributed to implementing the New Vallourec plan, which has enabled the Group to regain its position as leader in our industry. I wish him every success in his future endeavors." About Vallourec Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions for the energy markets and for demanding industrial applications such as oil & gas wells in harsh environments, new generation power plants, challenging architectural projects, and high-performance mechanical equipment. Vallourec's pioneering spirit and cutting-edge R&D open new technological frontiers. With close to 13,000 dedicated and passionate employees in more than 20 countries, Vallourec works hand-in-hand with its customers to offer more than just tubes: Vallourec delivers innovative, safe, competitive and smart tubular solutions, to make every project possible. Listed on Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0013506730, Ticker VK), Vallourec is part of the CAC Mid 60, SBF 120 and Next 150 indices and is eligible for Deferred Settlement Service. In the United States, Vallourec has established a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R4074, Ticker: VLOWY). Parity between ADR and a Vallourec ordinary share has been set at 5:1. For further information, please contact: Investors relations: Connor Lynagh Tel: +1 Press relations: Taddeo Romain Griere Tel: +33 Nicolas Escoulan Tel: +33 Attachment Cascale and Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) staff attend High Point Market in High Point, N.C. October 25-29. NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Cascale and Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) staff attended High Point Market in High Point, N.C. October 25 to 29. Cascale staff in attendance included Ashley Buchalter, manager, global membership development, AMER; Angie Kenny, manager, Cascale's Sustainable Furnishings Council; and Scarlette Tapp, executive director of SFC. Approximately 38 SFC members exhibited at the market, among them American Leather, Copeland Furniture, Jaipur Living, Home Trends & Design, Hooker Furnishings, Vanguard Furniture, Composad, Arteriors, and Norwalk Furniture. The brands' showrooms were spread across the furniture market district. High Point Market focuses attention on buyer and designer education, hosting seminars with topics around sustainable materials, trends, and celebrity designer-licensed furniture. Highlights included a keynote from Amy Astley, who was celebrating her 10th anniversary as editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest, and a "Learning from Leaders Forum" around sustainable sourcing, with representative SFC member companies in discussion. Also new this fall, the National Kitchen + Bath Association (NKBA) debuted at High Point Market, marking a strategic expansion into whole-home design. Angie Kenny, SFC manager, judged and co-presented the Green Leaf Award at the annual Pinnacle Awards Ceremony hosted by International Furniture Designers Association. Two SFC member companies were presented with Pinnacle Awards in other categories during the ceremony. These included Phillips Collection, winner of the "Accessories & Wall Decor" category; and Greenington Fine Bamboo Furniture, winner of the "Stationary Upholstery-Broad Appeal" category. Furniture industry advocates will next convene at the Dallas Total Home & Gift Market and the 36th Annual ARTS Awards in Dallas in January 2026. View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Cascale on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Cascale Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/cascale Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Cascale View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/cascale-sustainable-furnishings-council-sfc-mark-presence-at-hig-1098352 The firm's campaign on behalf of ITR Economics has earned a place at the 2025 Ragan PR Daily Awards ceremony in NYC; winners to be announced December 2 AUSTIN, TX / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Razor Sharp PR, a digital public relations firm that helps businesses engage customers and investors, today announced their selection as a finalist for the 2025 Ragan PR Daily Award for "Thought Leadership Communications". The honor is bestowed in recognition of the firm's thought leadership campaign with ITR Economics, which saw the latter grow its share of voice by 78% year-over-year in top-tier media outlets. The Ragan PR Daily Award for "Thought Leadership Communications" celebrates campaigns that "position individuals or organizations as leaders in their field through insightful content and expert perspectives." Razor Sharp PR's work for economic forecasting firm ITR Economics exemplified this achievement by combining real expertise, newsworthy topics, and proactive media pitching into an offering that would be difficult for journalists and audiences alike to ignore. ITR economists have been frequently quoted in Forbes, CNN, Bloomberg News, and MarketWatch since engaging Razor Sharp PR, and have appeared on a number of tier-one broadcasts including Bloomberg TV, CNBC, Yahoo! Finance Live, Reuters TV, and NPR's Marketplace. In total, Razor Sharp PR oversaw more than 600 media placements for ITR Economics in 22 months. Razor Sharp PR lauds ITR Economics for their industry-leading knowledge and eager cooperation, without either of which the success of the recognized campaign would not have been possible. The ITR team has been constructive and flexible throughout the full process. Economist Lauren Saidel-Baker stepped into her role as a recurring feature on tier-one financial television with particular excellence. "We would like to extend our gratitude to the folks at Ragan for recognizing the hard work we pour into giving our clients a media platform worthy of their expertise," said Ray Young, Founder and President of Razor Sharp PR. "We are more grateful still to ITR Economics, who always provides us with the ammunition we need. And, finally, we really are proud to be counted among the very best agencies in the business of giving industry leaders a voice." Representatives from Razor Sharp PR will attend the PR Daily awards luncheon on Dec. 2, 2025, in New York, NY, where the winners for all categories will be announced. About Razor Sharp Public Relations Razor Sharp PR is a digital public relations firm that helps organizations produce, publish, and place the right content at the right time. A proud finalist for the 2025 Ragan PR Daily Award for Thought Leadership Communications, the firm has guided hundreds of successful campaigns that boost sales, secure funding, and strengthen employee morale while allowing business leaders to stay focused on what they do best. The firm specializes in comprehensive content and media strategies built for AI-powered search, helping brands become every AI assistant's default industry source. For more information, visit www.razorsharppr.com. Media Contact: Jo Detavernier VP of Communications Razor Sharp PR 210.803.2097 jo@razorsharppr.com SOURCE: Razor Sharp PR View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/publishing-and-media/razor-sharp-pr-recognized-as-national-finalist-for-%22thought-leadership-communi-1098366 Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - NexGold Mining Corp. (TSXV: NEXG) (OTCQX: NXGCF) ("NexGold" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the company is presenting a live virtual corporate update hosted by Red Cloud Financial Services on November 10, 2025 at 2:00 pm ET. We invite our shareholders and all interested parties to register for the webinar and participate in the live Q&A session at the end of the presentation moderated by Red Cloud. The replay will be emailed out to all webinar registrants proceeding the event and will also be available on the Red Cloud website. For more information and to register: https://redcloudfs.com/events/rcwebinar-nexg/. About NexGold Mining Corp. About NexGold Mining Corp. NexGold is a gold-focused company with assets in Canada and Alaska. NexGold's Goldboro Gold Project is located in Nova Scotia. The Goliath Gold Complex (which includes the Goliath, Goldlund and Miller deposits) is located in Northwestern Ontario. NexGold also owns several other projects throughout Canada, including the Weebigee-Sandy Lake Gold Project JV, and grassroots gold exploration property Gold Rock. In addition, NexGold holds a 100% interest in the high-grade Niblack copper-gold-zinc-silver VMS project, located adjacent to tidewater in southeast Alaska. NexGold is committed to inclusive, informed and meaningful dialogue with regional communities and Indigenous Nations throughout the life of all our projects and on all aspects, including creating sustainable economic opportunities, providing safe workplaces, enhancing of social value, and promoting community wellbeing. Further details about NexGold, including the Feasibility Study for the Goldboro Gold Project and the Prefeasibility Study for the Goliath Gold Complex, are available under the Company's issuer profile on www.sedarplus.ca and on NexGold's website at www.nexgold.com. About Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. Red Cloud Financial Services Inc. is a globally focused capital markets advisory firm that provides a full range of executive strategy, media, marketing, and corporate access services. Our breadth of services combines with our significant knowledge of the junior mining industry combine for unique product offering. The company was founded by capital markets professionals with extensive experience in the junior mining industry. Contact: Neither 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. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein For additional information contact marketing@redcloudfs.com or visit: www.redcloudfs.com www.facebook.com/RedCloudFinancialServices www.twitter.com/RedCloudFS www.linkedin.com/company/red-cloud-financial-services-inc www.youtube.com/c/RedCloudFinancialServicesInc www.instagram.com/redcloudfs To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273620 SOURCE: Red Cloud Financial Services Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) -SORRENTO RESOURCES LTD. (CSE: SRS) (OTCQB: SRSLF) ("SORRENTO") (the "Company") announces that further to its news releases dated October 21 and October 23, 2025, the Company anticipates the closing of the brokered private placement offering (the "Offering") to occur by November 14, 2025 with a lead order from Mr. Eric Sprott. The closing of the Offering has been delayed due to budget delays on the charity component. Pursuant to the Offering, Research Capital Corporation shall act as sole agent and sole bookrunner (the "Agent"), to raise gross proceeds of up to $4,500,000. The Offering will be comprised of a combination of: a) premium flow-through units of the Company (the "Premium FT Units") at a price of $0.35 per Premium FT Unit. Each Premium FT Unit will consist of one Common Share that will qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"); b) flow-through units of the Company (the "FT Units") at a price of $0.30 per FT Unit. Each FT Unit will consist of one Common Share that will qualify as "flow-through shares" within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Tax Act and one-half of one Warrant; and c) units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.25 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one common share of the Company (a "Common Share") and one Warrant. Each whole Warrant shall entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share (a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.35 per Warrant Share at any time up to 24 months following the Closing (as defined herein). The net proceeds from the sale of Premium FT Units and FT Units will be used to incur eligible "Canadian exploration expenses" ("CEE") that are "flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures" (as such term is defined in the Tax Act) related to exploration expenses on the Company's projects in Newfoundland and Labrador, as permitted under the Tax Act to qualify as CEE. The Company will renounce such CEE to the purchasers of the Premium FT Units and FT Units with an effective date of no later than December 31, 2025. The net proceeds from the sale of Units will be used for the Company's ongoing exploration drilling program, working capital requirements and other general corporate purposes. The Agent will have an option (the "Agent's Option") to offer for sale up to an additional 15% of the number of Premium FT Units, FT Units, and Units sold in the Offering, which Agent's Option is exercisable, in whole or in part, at any time up to 48 hours prior to the closing of the Offering. If the Agent's Option is exercised in full, the aggregate gross proceeds to the Company will be $5,175,000. The Premium FT Units, FT Units, and Units to be issued under the Offering will be offered by way of private placement in each of the provinces of Canada. The Units may also be offered in those other jurisdictions where the Offering can lawfully be made (including the U.S. under applicable private placement exemptions). The Premium FT Units, FT Units, and Units and securities underlying the Broker Warrants (as defined herein) to be issued under the Offering will have a hold period of four months and one day from Closing. In connection with the Offering, the Agent will receive an aggregate cash fee equal to 6.0% of the gross proceeds from the Offering, including in respect of any exercise of the Agent's Option. In addition, the Company will grant the Agent, on date of Closing, non-transferable broker warrants (the "Broker Warrants") equal to 6.0% of the total number of Premium FT Units, FT Units, and Units sold under the Offering (including in respect of any exercise of the Agent's Option). Each Broker Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.25 per Common Share for a period of 24 months following the Closing. 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 accordingly, 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 requirements or pursuant to exemptions therefrom. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any securities in any jurisdiction. About Sorrento Resources Ltd. Sorrento is engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral property assets in Canada. Sorrento's objective is to locate and develop economic precious, rare-earth element, gold, and base metal properties of merit in including the Bottom Brook REE Project, Rodgers Cove Gold, and the Harmsworth (VMS) project all located in Newfoundland. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information 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 release. This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the activities, events or developments that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including the expectation that the Offering will close in the timeframe and on the terms as anticipated by management. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof 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" or the negative connation thereof. These forward-looking statements or information relate to, among other things: the completion of the Offering; the expected closing date of the Offering; the intended use of proceeds from the Offering; the Company's ability to incur Canadian Exploration Expenses and flow-through critical mineral mining expenditures as anticipated by management; and the receipt of all necessary approvals for the completion of the Offering, including the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's plans or expectations include risks relating to the failure to complete the Offering in the timeframe and on the terms as anticipated by management, market conditions and timeliness regulatory approvals. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or implied by forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. 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/273672 SOURCE: Sorrento Resources Inc. Published by Las Vegas Sands NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Over the past year, a rebirth has taken place in the historic and culturally significant Rua das Estalagens area of Macao with the opening of six unique new businesses. This local resurgence was made possible by Sands China's Entrepreneurship Recruitment Programme, which is part of the company's broader Community Revitalization Programme and run in conjunction with the Macao Chamber of Commerce. Introduced in April 2024, the entrepreneurship initiative within Sands China's community revitalization program funds innovative entrepreneurial ventures from Macao residents interested in starting businesses on Rua das Estalagens, once a thriving commercial district in Macao. Sands China awarded funding to seven local businesses from 128 applications in July 2024, and six businesses have begun operations on the street. Owner of Cafe Fantart, Chan Iat Seng, previously operated a catering business and saw the Entrepreneurship Recruitment Programme as a way to reach his larger business goals. He noted that the program's entrepreneurial training courses on marketing, writing and pitching helped him raise the cafe's profile. Since opening in May, Cafe Fantart has seen a steady increase in customer traffic as more locals and tourists visit. "The workshops helped me refine my vision and understand how to position my cafe," Chan said. "Sands China didn't just give us funding; they gave us the tools to build a sustainable business. When I heard about the scheme, I saw an opportunity to turn my passion for food into a business that could contribute to the community." PanPan Bakery has become a popular attraction on Rua das Estalagens because of its unique baked goods. The shop sells a blend of European-inspired items, such as chocolate baguettes and pistachio buns, as well as items that reflect Macao's culinary history, such as tofu pudding. PanPan's brand and marketing director Steve Xie said they have been able to draw in both residents and tourists, including a younger clientele, in part due to the marketing support from Sands China. "The launch of Sands China's entrepreneurial program couldn't have been timelier," Xie said. "We were deep in our planning phase when we learned about the scheme. Being selected enabled us to become one of the pioneer brands on Rua das Estalagens." The entrepreneurship initiative within the overall community revitalization program provided crucial financial backing and strategic marketing support. Sands China facilitated introductions to prominent food bloggers and travel influencers, greatly enhancing visibility for all new businesses on the street. Other entrepreneurs funded through Sands China's Entrepreneurship Recruitment Programme are: CATFEE Macau: The pet souvenir store features a cats and Macao theme and combines a cat rescue with artistic displays and a cafe. The store promotes an "adopt, don't shop" mentality, and customers can enjoy a unique culinary experience from the rooftop with a view of Rua das Estalagens. Little Port: This retail shop features impactful Portuguese specialties that transform traditional souvenir offerings into unique collectible opportunities. OLALA: The snack shop features iconic Macanese light-meal offerings such as Pasteis de Bacalhau (fried salted cod fritters), which combine Chinese and Western ingredients, and other signature products that educate tourists about Macanese culture. Travessa Gelato: To introduce the Italian ice cream shop, its team members studied gelato making in Italy and obtained official certifications. The store offers fresh combinations of flavors to surprise and satisfy customers. Voyage Thai Kitchen: Founded in 2013, Voyage Thai Kitchen is one of Macau's signature brands, and the soon-to-open Rua das Estalagens catering space is its latest venture. There, the Thai restaurant will provide specialty catering based on affordable pricing and feature nostalgic elements to create a private catering experience that integrates leisure, music, local culture and sharing sessions. Since awarding funds to these businesses, Sands China has offered a series of supportive promotional elements such as inviting travel and food bloggers to visit shops, organizing media interviews and hosting a Food Fest for its Team Members at The Venetian Macao. The event featured signature foods and products from five of the businesses to introduce more people to the offerings on Rua das Estalagens. "With the Entrepreneurship Recruitment Programme for Rua das Estalagens, we offered substantial assistance to these local entrepreneurs to help get their businesses started smoothly, while fostering sustainable economic development by integrating various business elements into the district," Dr. Wilfred Wong, executive vice chairman of Sands China, said. "With initiatives such as the entrepreneurship program and the Team Member food fest, we are pleased to embrace the Macao SAR government's policy to support SMEs, empowering them to succeed in the early stages of their businesses; promotional platforms such as these help them pursue their dreams while reviving the economy in the neighborhood. We look forward to continue bolstering local SMEs, thereby optimizing the business conditions for entrepreneurs and maximizing their impact on our community." While the Entrepreneurship Recruitment Programme supports the future of Rua das Estalagens, Sands China has also honored its past with publication of "In Search of Its Roots - An Illustrated History of Rua das Estalagens." The print and digital series highlights the street's community, businesses and revitalization effort, and Sands China worked with the Macau Artist Society to produce the pictorial compilation and narratives showcasing the street's rich history. The PATA Gold Awards 2025 named "In Search of Its Roots" the Best Printed Marketing Campaign (Industry) at its annual awards celebration, which recognizes exceptional and innovative tourism initiatives in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. PATA awards are among the most sought-after accolades in the tourism industry. Sands China's Entrepreneurship Recruitment Programme is part of the company's broader Community Revitalization Programme, a collaboration with the Macao SAR government to support local efforts to restore the vitality of cherished Macao historical areas. These initiatives align with company's commitment to preserving Macao's heritage, promoting the region as a major tourism destination, and helping small and medium-sized enterprises succeed. To learn more about Sands China's community revitalization efforts in Macao, visit www.sandschina.com/the-company/scl-community-revitalization-programme.html View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Las Vegas Sands on 3blmedia.com. Contact Info: Spokesperson: Las Vegas Sands Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/las-vegas-sands Email: info@3blmedia.com SOURCE: Las Vegas Sands View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/travel/sands-chinas-community-revitalization-program-empowers-entrepreneurship-in-culturally-signif-1098427 Montreal, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - E-Power Resources Inc. (CSE: EPR) ("E-Power" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the voting results from the Company's Annual Meeting ("Meeting") held on November 6, 2025. A total of 40,192,109 common shares were voted representing approximately 56.53 % of total shares issued and outstanding as at the record date of the Meeting. The following nominees were elected by a majority of votes cast by the shareholders virtually present or represented by proxy at the Meeting and the special resolutions were passed as follows: Motion Votes For Withold / Abstain % Votes For % Withold / Abstain Number of Directors Number of Directors to be set at four. 40,192,109 0 100.00% 0.00% Election of Directors Jamie Lavigne 40,192,109 0 100.00% 0.00% Michael Danielsson 40,192,109 0 100.00% 0.00% Alexis De La Renaudiere 40,192,109 0 100.00% 0.00% Alexander Haffmans 36,707,889 3,484,220 91.33% 8.669% Appointment of Auditors To re-appoint SHIM & Associates LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as auditors of the Company for the forthcoming year and to authorize the directors to fix their remuneration. 40,192,109 0 100.00% 0.00% Company's Stock Option Plan To approve the stock option plan of the Company which is currently in place. 40,192,109 0 100.00% 0.00% Company's Restricted Unit Plan To approve the restricted share units plan of the Company which is currently in place. 40,192,109 0 100.00% 0.00% Quorum To approve the quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the shareholders, which shall consist of 10% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote. 40,192,109 0 100.00% 0.00% About E-Power E-Power Resources Inc. is a Quebec Corporation based in Montreal and focused on battery minerals exploration in Quebec. The Company's is currently focussed on flake graphite resource development on the Tetepsica Property located in the Innu Nation of Pessamit, North Shore Region of Quebec. For more information about E-Power Resources Inc. please visit the Company website at: e-powerresources.com Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273694 SOURCE: E-Power Resources Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - November 7, 2025) - Batero Gold Corp. (TSXV: BAT) (FSE: 68B) (OTC Pink: BELDF) (the "Company" or "Batero") is pleased to announce that the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") has accepted its application for reinstatement of trading of the Company's common shares on the TSXV. This follows the successful resolution of the Failure-to-File Cease Trade Order issued by the British Columbia Securities Commission on August 6, 2025 and revoked on August 12, 2025. The Company expects that its common shares will be reinstated for trading on the TSXV soon. "We wish to thank our shareholders for their patience during the reinstatement process," said Diego Heilbrunn, CEO. "We recognize that not having an active trading market during the recent rise in the gold price has been frustrating for our shareholders. We believe, though, that over the last several months, the new management of the Company has instituted procedures and systems that will allow us to move forward with renewed focus on advancing our La Cumbre Gold Project in Risaralda, Colombia." About Batero Gold Corp. Batero is a precious and base metals exploration company. The Company's objective is to develop the La Cumbre Gold Project in Risaralda, Colombia. La Cumbre is located within the Company's 100% owned Batero-Quinchia Gold Project, which sits within Colombia's emerging and prolific Mid Cauca gold and copper belt. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Diego Heilbrunn Navarro-Grau Director and Chief Executive Officer Batero Gold Corp. 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 press release. CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements as defined in applicable securities laws (collectively referred to as "forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or our future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the future development of the Company's La Cumbre Gold Project in Risaralda, Colombia. By their nature, forward-looking statements and information involve assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are usually beyond the control of management, that could cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed by these forward-looking statements and information. Forward-looking information and statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to several known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievement expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. Readers and investors should not place undue reliance on such statements. Certain risks which could impact the Company are discussed under the heading "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Company's most recent MD&A available at SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Forward-looking information and statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and accordingly are subject to change after such date. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any obligation to revise any forward-looking information and statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such information and statements. All forward-looking information and statements contained or incorporated by reference in this news release are qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273690 SOURCE: Batero Gold Corp. The petition against HAQ was filed by Shah Bano Begums daughter, Siddiqua Begum Khan, who argued that the filmmakers could not have made such a film and depict such events without taking consent from Shah Banos family or heirs The Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a petition to restrain the release of HAQ, starring Yami Gautam Dhar and Emraan Hashmi. Directed by Suparn S Varma, the film is inspired by the landmark judgement of the Supreme Court on Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum case, in which the Supreme Court ruled in favour of providing maintenance to divorced Muslim females. The petition against _HAQ_ was filed by Shah Bano Begums daughter, Siddiqua Begum Khan, who argued that the filmmakers could not have made such a film and depict such events without taking consent from Shah Banos family or heirs. She had stated that she had inherited her late mothers reputational rights after Banos death. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Justice Pranay Verma at the Indore Bench of the High Court rejected the arguments, holding, Privacy or reputation earned by a person during his or her lifetime extinguishes with his or her death. It cannot be inherited like a movable or immovable property." The court also accepted the filmmakers stance that HAQ is inspired by the landmark case. It is fictional and the disclaimer that states the same is also a part of the movie. Since the disclaimer itself states that the same is dramatization and is fictional and an adaptation of a book and is inspired by a judgment of the Apex Court, it cannot be said that the contents of the film are fabricated. Since the film is an inspiration and a fiction, some amount of leeway is certainly permissible and merely because the same is done, it cannot be said that there has been any sensationalization or false portrayal," the Court said. In its final verdict, the Court also noted that the film is stated to be largely inspired from publicly available court records. Once a matter becomes a matter of public record, the right of privacy no longer subsists and it becomes a legitimate subject for comment by the Press and Media amongst others. The same is precisely the fact situation in the present case, it said. Additionally, the Court also accepted an argument by the filmmakers that the petitioner had an alternative approach of heading to the Central government for revoking or suspending the censor certificate granted by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), instead of coming to the Court directly. Insomnia Films (a producer) was represented by advocates HY Mehta, Chinmay Mehta along with Chandrajit Das, briefed by Parinaam Law Associates. Junglee Pictures was represented by Senior Advocate Ajay Bagadia and advocate Ritik Gupta along with advocate Jasmeet Kaur, briefed by Anand Naik & Co. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Directed by Suparn Varma, HAQ stars Emraan Hashmi, Yami Gautam Dhar and it also also features Vartika Singh making her debut with the film and powerhouse performers Sheeba Chaddha, Danish Hussain, and Aseem Hattangady. It explores themes of the Uniform Civil Code, Triple Talaq, and gender equality before the law. Written by Reshu Nath, produced by Junglee Pictures, in association with Insomnia Films and Baweja Studios, HAQ is set for a worldwide release on 7th November 2025. More than 60 people have been killed since September, when the US military began attacking boats that the authorities alleged were smuggling drugs. Donald Trump and top US officials have alleged the vessels were being operated by narco-terrorists and cartel members bound with deadly drugs for American communities. But is there truth in these claims? One was a fisherman struggling to eke out a living on $100 (approx Rs 8,870) a month. Another was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet. And a fourth was a down-on-his-luck bus driver. The men had little in common beyond their Venezuelan seaside hometowns and the fact that all four were among the more than 60 people killed since early September when the US military began attacking boats that the Trump administration alleges were smuggling drugs. President Donald Trump and top US officials have alleged the craft was being operated by narco-terrorists and cartel members bound with deadly drugs for American communities. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Associated Press learned the identities of four of the men and pieced together details about at least five others who were slain, providing the first comprehensive account of those who died in the strikes. In dozens of interviews in villages on Venezuelas breathtaking northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had indeed been running drugs but were not narco-terrorists or leaders of a cartel or gang. The relatives of those killed said they were incensed that the men were killed without due process. AP Most of the nine men were crewing such craft for the first or second time, making at least $500 (approx Rs 44,352) per trip, residents and relatives said. They were labourers, a fisherman, and a motorcycle taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a well-known local crime boss who contracted out his smuggling services to traffickers. The men lived on the Paria Peninsula, in mostly unpainted cinderblock homes that can go weeks without water service and regularly lose power for several hours a day. They awoke to panoramic views of a national parks tropical forests, the Gulf of Parias shallows and the Caribbeans sparkling sapphire waters. When the time came for their drug runs, they boarded open-hulled fishing skiffs that relied on powerful outboard motors to haul their drugs to nearby Trinidad and other islands. The residents and relatives interviewed by the AP requested anonymity out of fear of reprisals from drug smugglers, the Venezuelan government or the Trump administration. They said they were incensed that the men were killed without due process. In the past, their boats would have been interdicted by the US authorities and the crewmen charged with federal crimes, affording them a day in court. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US government should have stopped them, a mans relative said. It has been difficult for relatives to learn much about their dead loved ones because criminal gangs and the Venezuelan government have long repressed the flow of information in the region. Venezuelan officials have blasted the US government over the strikes, and the nations ambassador to the UN called the attacks extrajudicial executions. They have also steadfastly denied that drug traffickers operate in the country and have yet to acknowledge that any of its citizens have been killed in boat strikes. Spokespeople for Venezuelas government did not respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration has justified the strikes by declaring drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and said the US is now in an armed conflict with them. Trump has said each sunken boat has saved 25,000 American lives, presumably from overdoses. The boats, however, appear to have been transporting cocaine, not the far more deadly synthetic opioids that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sean Parnell, the Pentagons chief spokesman, said in a statement to the AP that the Defence Department has consistently said that our intelligence did indeed confirm that the individuals involved in these drug operations were narco-terrorists, and we stand by that assessment. So far, the US military has blown up 17 vessels, killing more than 60 people. Nine of the craft were targeted in the Caribbean, and at least three of those had departed from Venezuela, according to the Trump administration. The military is striking the boats at the same time the administration is applying increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Justice Department doubled a reward for his arrest to $50 million, and the US military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off Venezuela and has flown pairs of supersonic, heavy bombers along the countrys coast. Relatives and acquaintances said they have confirmed the deaths through word-of-mouth and inexplicit social media posts that sought to convey information about the dead men without drawing the attention of Venezuelan authorities. They have also made what they described as reasonable deductions: The men have not returned phone calls or texts in weeks, or reached out to say they were okay; Venezuelan authorities, residents said, have also searched some of the homes of the dead men. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD I want an answer, but who can I ask?" said a relative of one of the men. I cant say anything. The fisherman A native of Guiria, a village on the southeast side of the peninsula, Robert Sanchez dropped out of school as a teenager and, like many others in the region, became a fisherman like his father, according to friends and relatives. The 42-year-old was considered among the peninsulas best pilots, they said, having spent the better part of three decades mastering the areas currents and winds, so much so that he could navigate the waters at night without instruments. As part of hired crews, the father of four spent his days fishing for snapper, kingfish and dogfish. The fisherman wanted to save enough money to buy a 75-horsepower boat engine so he could operate his own boat and not work for others. It was a dream Sanchez knew he was likely to never realise, relatives said: Most of his income about $100 a month went to feed his children. He was not alone in that situation. The peninsula is part of Sucre state, one of Venezuelas poorest. Sucre was once home to several fish processing plants, an auto assembly plant and a large public university, all of which offered well-paying jobs. Most have shuttered. The peninsula is dotted by the unfulfilled promises of 26 years of a self-described socialist government, including an abandoned shipyard and the rusted infrastructure meant for a natural gas complex. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With its proximity to the Caribbean Sea, the area is a popular transit hub for cocaine, making its way from Colombia to Trinidad and other Caribbean islands before heading to Europe. Colombian cocaine destined for the US is generally smuggled out of Colombia through the Pacific coast. The peninsula is dotted by the unfulfilled promises of 26 years of a self-described socialist government. AP The larger economic pressures and Sanchezs goal of owning a boat engine are what pushed the fisherman to accept an offer to help traffickers navigate the tricky waters he knew so well, friends and relatives said. Sanchez had just finished offloading a days catch last month when he told his mother he would be taking a short trip and would see her in a couple of days. They had no idea where he was going. After seeing clips on social media that mentioned his death, relatives broke the news to his mother, but not until after ensuring she had taken her blood pressure medication. Sanchezs youngest son, a third grader, could not accept for days that his father was gone. He kept asking adults if his father could have survived the explosion, noting he might still be at sea. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD No, the adults told the boy. His father was gone. One of the first to die Luis Che Martinez was killed in the first strike. A burly 60-year-old, Martinez was a longtime local crime boss, and he made most of his living smuggling drugs and people across borders, according to several people who knew him. He had been jailed by Venezuelan authorities on human-trafficking charges after a boat he had operated capsized in December 2020, killing about two dozen people, law enforcement officials said at the time. Among those who died in the accident were two of his sons and a granddaughter, relatives told the AP. The AP was not able to determine the disposition of his criminal case, but Martinez was eventually released from custody and returned to smuggling people and drugs, according to acquaintances. Though they detested what he did for a living and the control Martinez and similar criminals exerted over their villages several residents said they appreciated how Martinez contributed annually to the towns festival of the Virgin of the Valley, the patroness of fishermen, and he spent lavishly in local shops and restaurants. He also bet heavily on cockfights, a popular pastime, a bird breeder said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Martinez was killed, a relative and several acquaintances said, in the first known US strike, which took place September 2. Trump quickly took to social media to claim the vessel had departed from Venezuela and had been carrying drugs. The 11-man crew, the president said, had been members of the Tren de Aragua gang. He said all men were killed and also posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames. Martinezs relatives said they did not believe the underworld figure was a member of that gang. They said they have been provided no information from the Venezuelan government about his fate. They figured it out when they came across a photo of a body that had washed ashore in Trinidad. The photo had been shared on social media and messaging apps and depicted a badly mutilated body. The people familiar with Martinez said they knew instantly the stout corpse was Martinez because, on his left wrist, was strapped one of his most treasured belongings: an ostentatious watch. The former cadet and bus driver Dushak Milovcic, 24, was drawn to crime by the adrenaline rush and money, so much so that he dropped out of the countrys National Guard Academy, according to those who knew him. He started as a lookout for smugglers, they said. Though he had no experience at sea, he eventually won a promotion to the more lucrative and coveted jobs on drug-running boats. Its not clear how many trips he had undertaken before he was killed last month. Juan Carlos El Guaramero Fuentes had operated a transit bus for several years but was facing dire financial circumstances when it broke down. The government had been unable or unwilling to fix it. That meant he was losing money because bus drivers in Venezuela typically pocket a portion of the fares, making it nearly impossible for him to feed and clothe his family. Villagers said they were not surprised that Fuentes, who had no nautical experience, turned to smuggling to make ends meet. The higher-level traffickers who typically crewed such boats had been staying ashore to avoid being targeted by US missiles. In their place, villagers said, they had been increasingly hiring novices like Fuentes. Fuentes told friends he had been nervous about his first smuggling run, knowing it would be filled with risks from weather, rival gangs, even the US military. The September trip had gone surprisingly smoothly, he told friends, and he readily agreed to join another crew. Fuentes was killed in a missile strike last month, friends said, the precise one unknown. Chinas Fujian, its first domestically-made and third aircraft carrier, has entered military service. The vessel, which has an electromagnetic catapult launch system, is considered a symbol of Chinese President Xi Jinpings rapid expansion of Beijings military. The electromagnetic catapult-assisted takeoff and arrested landing training on the aircraft carrier during a maiden sea trial.(Image: AP) The Fujian, Chinas newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, has entered service days after a grand commissioning ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping. Beijing, with the commissioning of the Fujian, now has the second most aircraft carriers in the world after America. The Fujian, Chinas third warship, comes equipped with electromagnetic catapults, which allow planes to be launched at higher speeds. China is also looking to assert power in the disputed waters of the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what do we know about it? Lets take a closer look. First domestically-made carrier The Fujian is Chinas first domestically-designed carrier. Its first, the Liaoning, was refurbished from an unfinished Soviet ship that Ukraine inherited and later sold to China. The second, the Shandong, was built in China based on the Liaonings design. All three carriers are named after coastal Chinese provinces. The countrys three carriers push its tally past India, the United Kingdom and Italy, which have two aircraft carriers each. Boost to Chinas blue-water naval capacity The Fujian is Chinas first aircraft carrier with a catapult launch system, which means it can launch heavy and fully-loaded warplanes including an early-warning and control plane. That allows the carrier to operate against distant targets while far out at sea, since it doesnt have to rely on land-based reconnaissance aircraft to detect threats. Its planes can also carry more arms and fuel, boosting their range and firepower. The Shandong and Liaoning have an upward-sloping ski-jump deck that can only launch fighter jets with lighter loads and cannot handle large support aircraft. Electromagnetic catapult system Its also the second carrier in the world with an electromagnetic catapult launch system, after Americas newest carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. Americas 11 carriers all have catapult launchers, but the 10 Nimitz-class carriers use a steam system rather than an electromagnetic one. The steam catapults put more stress on both the aircraft and the ship, requiring more maintenance, and take up more space. The electromagnetic version operates more efficiently and can also handle a wider range of aircraft, because its launch power can be calibrated to handle both lightweight drones and heavier planes. These include the KJ-600 early warning and control plane and Chinas latest J-35 stealth fighter and J-15T heavy fighter. No nuclear power However, Chinas carriers are not nuclear-powered, which limits how long and how far they can sail. Estimates put the Fujians operational range at 8,000 to 10,000 nautical miles. Americas carriers are nuclear-powered, giving them virtually unlimited range with no need to refuel. China appears to be working on nuclear propulsion for its next-generation carriers, but the timetable remains unclear. The nations carrier development is moving in that direction, Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the militarys naval research institute, told state broadcaster CCTV in September. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Fujian smaller than US counterparts The Fujian has a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tonnes compared to 100,000 tonnes of Americas Nimitz and Ford-class carriers. China has not disclosed how many planes the Fujian can carry, but experts estimate it is 40 to 60. The US carriers, meanwhile, can hold between 60 and 70 planes. The Fujian has two aircraft elevators versus three on the USS Ford, a smaller flight deck and three catapults compared to the Fords four. Experts say that means the American ship should be able to launch planes more rapidly. A second Ford-class carrier is expected to be delivered to the US Navy in 2027. With inputs from agencies Vande Mataram, written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875, which became a rallying cry for Indian freedom fighters and Indias national song, is now at the centre of a back-and-forth between the BJP and the Congress. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accused the Congress of omitting some important stanzas from Vande Mataram in 1937 Jawaharlal Nehru in 1937 wrote to Rabindranath Tagore that the background of the novel Anandamath is 'bound to irritate Muslims'. After a row over Amar Sonar Bangla earlier this week, now a controversy has broken out over Indias national song Vande Mataram. The song written by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in 1875, which later became a rallying cry for Indian freedom fighters, is now the at the center of a back and forth between the BJP and the Congress. The development comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, kicking off year-long celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, slammed Congress for distorting the anthem in 1937. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what happened? What do we know about the row? Did Congress remove stanzas from the song? A brief look at Vande Mataram First, lets take a brief look at 'Vande Mataram' . Chatterjee penned Vande Mataram, meaning I bow to thee, Mother, using Sanskrit and Bengali verses in 1875. He reportedly did so on Akshaya Navami, which fell on November 7 in that year. The six-versed anthem was first published in Chatterjees 1882 novel Anandamath. Rabindranath Tagores recitation of the song at the Indian National Congress convention in Calcutta in 1896 brought it into the limelight. More from Explainers PM Modi strengthens energy ties with Bhutan, extends $455 million credit line Bankim Chandra Chatterjee first published Vande Matarams in his 1882 novel Anandamath, which was set during the events of Sannyasi rebellion. The song quickly captured the public inspiration and inspired countless people across India. It was taken up by freedom fighters as a rallying cry to unite the people against the British, who had banned it. After Independence, Vande Mataram was given the status of Indias national song. It was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India and also honoured by Indias first president Prasad for playing a major part in the freedom struggle. Prasad, in fact, placed it at par with Indias national anthem Jana Gana Mana. Whats the row? Modi on Friday claimed that the Congress had omitted some important stanzas from 'Vande Mataram' in 1937. Vande Mataram became the voice of Indias freedom struggle, it expressed the feelings of every Indian. Unfortunately, in 1937, important stanzas of Vande Mataram..its soul was removed. The division of Vande Mataram also sowed the seeds of partition. Todays generation needs to know why this injustice was done with this maha mantra of nation building. This divisive mindset is still a challenge for the country," he said. Modi isnt alone. BJP national spokesperson CR Kesavan, on social media, taking to social media, cited a letter from Nehru saying the song was likely to irritate Muslims. Kesavan claimed Nehru made a historic blunder by weakening the songs national symbolism. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that the Congress had omitted some important stanzas from Vande Mataram in 1937. PTI In a letter dated Sep 1, 1937, Nehru spitefully writes that anybody considering the words in Vande Mataram as anything to do with a Goddess was absurd. He also derisively opines that Vande Mataram is not suitable as a national song. Netaji Subash Bose had strongly advocated for the full original version of Vande Mataram. On Oct 20, 1937, Nehru wrote to Netaji Bose claiming that the background of Vande Mataram was likely to irritate Muslims, the spokesperson said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what happened? In October 1937, the Indian National Congress adopted 'Vande Mataram' at its national song. However, it did so only with its first two stanzas and left out the remaining four paras. This was because the song contained references to the Hindu religion and goddesses such as Durga and Lakshmi. For example, the fourth stanza read: Thou art Durga, Lady and Queen, with her hands that strike and her swords of sheen, Thou art Lakshmi lotus-throned." Some Congress members, particularly Muslims, felt gave the anthem a far more religious connotation rather than a nationalist sentiment. It also went against the Islamic concept of tawheed (oneness of God), which was problematic for them. In fact, Muhammad Ali Jinnah wrote in 1938, Muslims all over [India] have refused to accept Vande Mataram or any expurgated edition of the anti-Muslim song as a binding national anthem. Indeed, Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the Congress president at the time, acknowledged this in a letter that clarified the Congress position on the anthem. He noted that objections had been raised by some of our Muslim friends to certain parts of the song Vande Mataram. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Nehru in 1937 wrote to Tagore himself that the background of the novel is bound to irritate Muslims. To which Tagore wrote back, To me the spirit of the tenderness and devotion express in its first portion, the emphasis it gave to beautiful and beneficent aspects of our motherland made a special appeal, so much so that I found no difficulty in dissociating it from the rest of the poem and from those portions of the book of which it is a part, with all the sentiments of which, brought up as I was in the monotheistic ideals of my father, I could have no sympathy. Tagore also wrote to Subash Chandra Bose, The core of Vande Mataram is a hymn to goddess Durga: this is so plain that there can be no debate about it. Of course Bankim does show Durga to be inseparably united with Bengal in the end, but no Mussalman can be expected patriotically to worship the ten-handed deity as Swadesh (the nation). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Congress in a 1939 resolution explained why it had adopted just the first two stanzas of the song. As to the singing of the long-established national song, Vande Mataram, the Congress, anticipating objections, has retained as national song only those stanzas to which no objection could be taken on religious and other grounds. But except at purely Congress gatherings it should be left open to individuals whether they will stand up when the stanzas are sung. In the present state of things, in Local Board and Assembly meetings, which their members are obliged to attend, the singing of Vande Mataram should be discontinued, the resolution drafted by Mahatma Gandhi read. It adopted just the first two stanzas of the anthem to make it more inclusive to members of all faiths. Congress hits back Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hit back at the BJP, saying his party has been the proud flagbearer of Vande Mataram, which awakened the collective soul of the nation and became the rallying cry for freedom, whereas BJP and RSS have avoided the national song despite its universal reverence. RSS and BJP, who claim to be self-proclaimed guardians of nationalism, have never sung Vande Mataram or the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, in their shakhas or offices, Kharge claimed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, it is deeply ironic that those who today claim to be the self-proclaimed guardians of nationalism the RSS and the BJP have never sung Vande Mataram or our national anthem, Jana Gana Mana, in their shakhas or offices. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav and TMCs Sudip Bandyopadhyay during an all-party meeting being held over Operation Sindoor, in New Delhi, May 8. Represenational image: PTI Instead, they continue to sing Namaste Sada Vatsale, a song glorifying their organisations, not the nation. Since its founding in 1925, the RSS has avoided Vande Mataram despite its universal reverence. Not once in its texts or literature does the song find mention, he alleged. The Congress, on the other hand, takes immense pride in both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana, he said, adding that both songs are sung with reverence at every party gathering and event, symbolising Indias unity and pride. From 1896 to the present day, Vande Mataram has been sung with pride and patriotism as a tribute to the people of India at every Congress meeting, from small to big, he added. The Congress party reaffirms its unshakable faith in Vande Mataram, the eternal song of our motherland, the clarion call of our unity, and the voice of Indias undying spirit, Kharge said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Tesla shareholders have made history by approving a pay package for Elon Musk that puts him on the path of becoming the worlds first trillionaire. This mind-boggling figure is more than the GDP of countries like the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, or Switzerland Elon Musk could become the worlds first-ever trillionaire after the Tesla board approved a record-breaking $1 trillion pay package for the world's richest individual. File image/Reuters 1,000,000,000,000. Thats a one and 12 zeroes which makes up a trillion. Its also going to be Elon Musks new pay package after Tesla shareholders did the unthinkable and approved the new plan, setting up the worlds richest man to be also become the worlds first trillionaire. On Thursday (November 6), more than 75 per cent of Tesla shareholders approved a $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk, which will be the largest corporate payout in history. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what exactly does this mean for the Tesla CEO and what could he possibly buy with his payout? What does Musks Tesla pay package entail? On Thursday, in Austin, Texas, amid chants of Elon, Elon, Tesla shareholders overwhelmingly endorsed a massive pay package for their CEO. Reacting to the news, a euphoric Musk said: Id like to just give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the shareholder votes. I super-appreciate it. Dancing alongside the companys Optimus robots, Musk added, What were about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla, but a whole new book. Other shareholder meetings are snoozefests but ours are bangers. Look at this. This is sick. Tesla CEO Elon Musk shows off his dance moves as he bounded onto the stage of the company's annual meeting at its factory in Austin, Texas, accompanied by dancing robots https://t.co/4PNOyhBuIt pic.twitter.com/IWQPXVruoV Reuters (@Reuters) November 7, 2025 However, the pay package has some caveats attached to it and will be handed out in 12 tranches. The first tranche will be available to Musk when Tesla reaches $2 trillion in market value, up from its current $1.5 trillion. He also needs to ensure the delivery of 20 million Tesla vehicles cumulatively over the decade, until 2035, a volume more than twice the companys total output of the prior dozen years. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk also needs to put one million robotaxis into commercial operation and deploy one million humanoid robots (Optimus). Additionally, he needs to achieve up to $400 billion in core profits over the period. The payout package also states that he has to be vested in the company for at least seven-and-a-half years and help it develop a long-term succession plan. In its proposal, the company noted that the milestones laid out will be extraordinarily difficult and challenging for Tesla, and for Musk personally. If these financial goals are met, it would mean Tesla would be worth nearly as much as Meta, Microsoft and Googles parent Alphabet combined. How does Musks payout compare to other CEOs? The short answer to this is that it is incomparable. As India Today notes Musks $1 trillion potential payout represents compensation on an entirely different scale from contemporary tech executives. For instance, Tim Cooks compensation reached $74.6 million in 2024, an 18 per cent increase from $63.2 million in 2023. His package included $3 million in base salary and $58.1 million in stock awards. Similarly, in 2022, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai received $226 million in total compensation, with approximately $218 million coming from stock awards granted every three years. His base salary remained steady at $2 million. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With the new deal, Elon Musk has to be vested in the company for at least seven and a half years. File image/Reuters What can Musk do with a trillion dollars? If Musk is able to secure the goals set out for him, he will achieve a total payout of $1 trillion, which will be added to his existing net worth of $475 billion fortune. This will make the Tesla CEO have more money than any one person anywhere, ever, in the history of the world, and needless to say more money than any person could ever spend. To put things in perspective, $1 trillion is more than the annual GDP of countries like the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia or Switzerland. It is also less than what the United Nations World Food Programme stated would be the required amount to end world hunger. In 2021, the UN agency had it would need around $US 40 billion annually to end world hunger by 2030. That is a total of $400 billion. It is also equivalent to Indias total defence budget for nearly 15 years. For a trillion dollars, Musk could acquire 10,000 CEOs of the coffee giant, Starbucks. Currently, the CEO of the firm is paid a paltry sum of $100 million. The Tesla CEO could also build 333 supertall skyscrapers, each of them costing $3 billion. With a trillion dollars, Musk could also 2,000 superyachts just like the one Amazons Jeff Bezos has. The Amazon CEO owns a 127-metre-long yacht, named Koru, which is an estimated $500 million. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Besides this, $1 trillion would get Elon Musk all the Ivy League institutions not once but five times over. CNN reported that currently the endowments of the eight most elite American universities come out to about $200 billion which is nothing compared to Musks payout. If Elon Musk wanted, he could also buy each and every house in Hawaii; for reference, the American state has 572,781 households, and according to Zillow they go for $826,575, on average. Elon Musk could also buy other major car manufacturers such as Toyota, Volkswagen, Stellantis, Hyundai, Ford, and GM. Talk about buying out his competition. He could also acquire 7,150 tonnes of gold; thats double the amount of the yellow metal that the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox houses. With $1 trillion, Musk would also have enough money to award every American a bonus of $2,923 bonus. And if thats not enough, he could also purchase the three largest American oil companies ExxonMobil, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If Musk was feeling generous, he could use the $1 trillion to provide clean drinking water for every person on the planet and still have enough to several missions to Mars. He would also be able to buy every team in the NFL, NBA, and Premier League, and still have hundreds of billions left over. People protest during the No $1 Trillion for Elon Musk! rally, at the Texas State Capitol, in Austin. AFP But does Musk truly deserve such a pay package? But Musks huge pay package has invited criticism from many, with some pointing to the companys dip in sales, while others point out the income inequality. Tesla Takedown, an activist group, blasted the shareholders, noting the companys drop in auto sales in recent quarters. Elon Musk just got one trillion dollars for failure, said the group, adding, Sales are down, safety risks are up and his politics are driving customers away. This isnt leadership its the worlds most expensive participation trophy. Others such as Norways sovereign wealth fund have also argued that the pay is excessive. But regardless, Musk has got what he wanted and is very well on the path to acquiring $1 trillion a number we still arent able to comprehend. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Following his historic election, New Yorks mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani immediately became the target of US conservative influencers, who falsely linked him to the Islamic State. A slew of anti-Mamdani accounts on the social media platform X circulated misleading information, suggesting an attack in New York City on Election Day against supposed American aggression New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York. AFP US right-wing influencers falsely linked New Yorks mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the Islamic State group, amplifying a fabricated statement that garnered millions of views on social media, researchers said Thursday. Mamdani the first Muslim and South Asian elected to lead Americas largest city secured a decisive victory this week in the face of fierce attacks on his policy proposals and religious background. Anti-Mamdani accounts rise on social media A slew of anti-Mamdani accounts on the Elon Musk-owned platform X have circulated a statement purportedly from IS titled Operation Manhattan Project, which alluded to an attack in New York City on Election Day against what it called American aggression. Among the influencers who linked the fake communique to Mamdani was Laura Loomer, a conservative influencer who has Trumps ear. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York. AFP The Muslims cant think of a better way for the Muslims to celebrate the victory of a Muslim mayoral candidate today than by committing an ISIS (Islamic State) attack in NYC, Loomer wrote in a post on X that racked up more than 200,000 views. Other conservative accounts cited the purported statement to falsely claim that the extremist group had endorsed Mamdani as mayor. The posts collectively amassed millions of views across the platform. The purported letter, which displayed the logo of the jihadists Amaq News Agency, was fabricated, according to multiple researchers, including the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard. Meili Criezis, an American University academic, told the watchdog that the supposed communique did not bear the hallmarks of other statements that emanated from Amaq. Amaq is used [by the Islamic State] to share news and claim responsibility for attacks, Criezis said. It doesnt make threats like what is stated in the screenshot. The Information Epidemiology Lab, another research group, also said the circulated communique sharply diverged from established IS media practices in language, style, formatting, and distribution. The fabricated statement appeared to first surface on the far-right message board 4chan, a known haven for conspiracy theories. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mamdanis beliefs In recent months, Mamdani, a long-standing supporter of the Palestinian cause, has vocally denounced antisemitism as well as the Islamophobia he himself suffered following the September 11, 2001, attacks. The 34-year-old state lawmaker who appealed to voters by pledging to tackle the soaring cost of living has repeatedly been targeted by racist tropes and misinformation. In the weeks leading up to the highly anticipated election, AFPs fact-checkers debunked several false internet claims targeting Mamdani, including that a noncitizen illegally voted for him and that one of his campaign staffers posed beside graffiti of a Nazi swastika. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss a path to seek an exemption from US energy sanctions. Also, US flight cuts will begin today amid the government shutdown. After meeting the Pope, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is set to visit Rome, where he will hold talks with Italian PM Giorgia Meloni It is set to be a busy Friday with several events lined up for the day. Firstly, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington today. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during his three-day official visit to Italy. In India, the Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) satellite is set to be declared operational today. The Supreme Court will pass an order on the regulation of the feeding of stray dogs in government institutions and other premises. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will mark 150 years of Vande Mataram with nationwide recitations from today. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here is all that is set to take place today. Hugarys Orban to meet Trump in DC Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet US President Donald Trump on November 7 in Washington. During the meeting, he aims to discuss a path to a US-Russia meeting and seek an exemption from US energy sanctions. Earlier, Orbans chief of staff, Gergely Gulyas, told a press briefing that the two leaders would also conclude agreements on cooperation in the fields of energy, defence industry, economy and finance. Some of these have already been negotiated, while in other cases discussions are still ongoing, he said. Orban had previously said that he aims to sign a broad economic agreement with Washington to offset the effect of US tariffs on the European Union. US flight cuts to begin amid government shutdown Airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are among 40 of the busiest across the US where flights will be cut starting today due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press. The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday it would reduce air traffic by 10 per cent across high-volume markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers go unpaid and exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown. The affected airports, in more than two dozen states, include the busiest across the US, including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities such as New York, Houston and Chicago multiple airports will be affected. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas to meet Italys Giorgia Meloni Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni today as part of a three-day official visit to Italy. President Abbas arrived in Rome on Wednesday (November 5). He is also scheduled to meet Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis during his visit. The leaders are expected to discuss recent developments regarding the situation in Gaza, efforts toward a lasting political solution based on the two-state solution, the release of hostages, and Italys potential role in the stabilisation and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Notably, the two leaders have met previously in December last year and held a phone conversation in August this year. Nasa-Isros Nisar satellite to be declared operational The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar (Nisar) satellite, the first ever jointly developed by the two space agencies, is set to be declared operational today. The 2,400 kg Nisar satellite, which was launched on July 30 using Isros GSLV rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, is considered the most expensive Earth observation satellite ever built. It possesses the remarkable ability to monitor most of the planets land and ice surfaces twice every 12 days. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The 2,400 kg Nisar satellite was launched on July 30 using Isros GSLV rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. File image/PTI The Nisar mission is unique as it is the first to carry two Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sar) systems, namely the L-Band and S-Band sensors. Both systems are designed to collect high-resolution data through clouds and precipitation, day and night. SC to pass order on regulating feeding of stray dogs in govt institutions, other premises The Supreme Court is set to issue an order on regulating the feeding of stray dogs in government institutions, and similar premises, where the employees support canines today. Earlier, the three-judge bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, and comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria, was hearing the suo motu case registered by the court in connection with the stray dog menace across the country. We will be issuing some directions with respect to specifically regarding government institutions, public sector institutions, and other big institutions where the employees are supporting, feeding, and encouraging dogs in that area, Justice Nath said. The message from the Supreme Court on October 27th was blunt: The rising reports of stray canine attacks are a national disgrace, actively maligning Indias reputation abroad. And who is failing the people? The states and UTs. The Court lacked patience for those government bodies that hadnt bothered to follow its earlier directions and file their required affidavits. It was a sharp reprimand for administrative inaction on a high-stakes public safety issue. BJP to mark 150 years of Vande Mataram with nationwide recitations The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will mark 150 years of the national song of India, Vande Mataram. The song will be sung across the country on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend one such event at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. The celebrations are massive and are scheduled for 150 nationally important sites, including the Kargil War Memorial and the Cellular Jail, and other landmarks like Swaraj Ashram, Shaheed Smarak Park, and Namo Ghat. The scope is huge, especially in West Bengal, which alone plans to hold similar events at approximately 1,100 different locations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Ajit Singh Chaudhary, a 22-year-old Indian student from Rajasthan, was found dead inside a dam in Russia. He went missing on October 19 while studying at Bashkir State Medical University in Ufa. Hailing from Kafanwada village in the Alwar district of Rajasthan, a 22-year-old student Ajit Singh Chaudhary, went to Russia with a big dream. He was studying at Bashkir State Medical University in Ufa city. On October 19, the medical student left his house around 11 am but never returned, according to sources. After 19 days, Chaudharys body was recovered from a dam in Russia on Thursday (November 7). After authorities found his clothes, phone and shoes on the riverbank, a search operation was launched. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Distraught by the news, Chaudharys family is now demanding a full-fledged inquiry from the Russian government. However, the Indian embassy in Russia has not issued any official statement regarding this case. So what exactly happened to the 22-year-old? Where does the investigation stand so far? Heres what we know. What happened on October 19? Ajit Singh Chaudhary had been living in Russia since 2023, when his medical course began. According to several sources, on October 19, he left his hostel around 11 am, telling his friend that he was stepping outside to buy milk. However, he never returned. Chaudhary had spoken to his family just an hour before he went missing. On October 20, Chaudharys uncle Bhoom Singh told The New Indian Express that the family received a call from the Russian police. However, it is unclear what information was passed on to the family. Later, his (Chaudharys) roommate informed the hostel warden about Ajits disappearance, but now even the warden is not responding properly. We tried to reach out to college authorities, but havent received any reply yet. We are completely in the dark about what has happened to Ajit, Singh was quoted as saying. Devastated by the news of Chaudharys disappearance, the family members reached out to Union Minister Bhuprendra Yadav. They also appealed to the Alwar District Collector to coordinate with the Ministry of External Affairs. Where does the investigation stand? Authorities found the Indian students clothes, phone and shoes near the riverbank, prompting a search operation. The Indian embassy in Russia is yet to make a statement. However, according to sources, they informed the students family about his death. A further probe is being conducted by the embassy in Moscow. An untoward incident Jitendra Singh Alwar, former Union minister, stated that this incident has left him deeply stressed, while urging the External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar to look into the matter urgently. Taking to his social media, Alwar added, The deceaseds clothes, mobile phone, and shoes were found by the riverbank. The family was extremely distraught upon hearing the news of the 22-year-old boys disappearance; the entire family had been making efforts and prayers for his safe return. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the Congress leader, Chaudharys family, including his uncle, met him and informed him that they managed to connect with the Bashkir State Medical University through Indias Ambassador to Russia. Todays news of Ajits body being found in the river is utterly shocking. This is an extremely sorrowful moment for the Alwar family; in suspicious circumstances, we have lost a promising young boy. I express my deepest condolences to Ajits father Roop Singh ji, mother Santara Devi ji, and the entire family, Alwars yesterday post read. MBBS 19 Jitendra Singh Alwar (@JitendraSAlwar) November 6, 2025 Alwar has requested the EAM to bring back Chaudharys body to India without any hindrance. AIMSA seeks Indian govt intervention As the shocking incident unfolds, the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) has also written a letter to Jaishankar to draw his attention to this matter. It has urged him to connect with the Indian Embassy in Moscow to bring back the students body. We also request that the necessary assistance be extended to the bereaved family to expedite formalities and bring their son home at the earliest, the letter read. With inputs from agencies Saudi Arabia had unveiled The Line, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans Vision 2030 plan, with great fanfare. MBS, as he is known, made no secret of wanting to diversify away from oil and turn the Kingdom into a vacation and luxury destination. However, there are reports that officials working on the project are scaling back their massive plans Is Saudi Arabias ambitious megacity in the desert on hold? The Kingdom had unveiled The Line, part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans Vision 2030 plan, with great fanfare. MBS, as he is known, made no secret of wanting to diversify away from oil and turn the Kingdom into a vacation and luxury destination. The Line is part of Saudi Arabias $1.5 trillion (Rs. 1331 lakh crore) mega Neom project, which was planned to be 33 times the size of New York City. The project has been haunted by reports about repeated delays, ballooning spending costs and even allegations of corruption. Its long-time CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr abruptly resigned earlier this year while giving no reason. MBS absence from his pet project has also set tongues wagging. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what happened? And what do we know about the project? Lets take a closer look. What we know The Kingdom had claimed that The Line would be a linear futuristic city in the desert near the Red Sea. Located in the Tabuk province, it was envisioned to stretch from the Red Sea to the mountains. The Line was to be a 170-kilometre city built in a straight line within two mirrored walls. It was to contain two parallel, 500-metre-high, linear skyscrapers which would be around 200 metres wide. It was projected to be home to 9 million people a fourth of the Kingdoms population. Authorities had said that the city, which would have no cars, roads or emissions, would operate on 100 per cent renewable energy. They claimed 95 per cent of the land would be reserved for nature and conservation. Plans for the scheme, when unveiled, appeared something more out of sci-fi than reality, with images of a fake moon, animatronic dinosaurs and robot farmers. MBS, who launched Vision 2030, has already spent billions on such projects to change the image of the Kingdom. However, there are now reports that officials are scaling back on the grandiose plans. Authorities are saying The Line will only be a few kilometres long and host around 300,000 people. They say the 170-kilometre span is likely to be achieved in three to five decades. What happened? So, what happened? Blame the price of oil, which is hovering around $60 (Rs. 5,318) per barrel. The Kingdom, having no personal income tax, relies on oil for income. Jerry Inzerillo, an American-born executive who is a key adviser to MBS, said the Kingdom was making a course correction. He said that oil prices are forcing them to be more conservative. The design plan for the 500-metre tall parallel structures, known collectively as The Line, in the heart of the Red Sea megacity NEOM. Now, the plan for this project is being scaled back. File image/AFP Saudi Arabia is a very wealthy country but there is a limit on how much it can spend relative to GDP, Inzerillo admitted. Inzerillo also added that the project was likely to be delayed to 2040, if not even further. The Line might more accurately have been positioned as a laboratory of what quality of life might look like in 2040, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We spent too much, a Saudi official told The Times. We rushed at 100 miles an hour. We are now running deficits. We need to reprioritise. We need another two to three years of high oil prices to pay down our debts. Im optimistic that price rises will be coming, the official added. The Line is far from the only project affected. MBS raged at the design flaws and wasteful spending over Sindalah, a $1 billion (Rs. 88,640 crore) island resort in the Red Sea. The project, which witnessed Alicia Keys and Will Smith attending the VIP opening party at a beach, was cancelled. Designers were found using rare and expensive crocodile skins in the interiors of one building. The mountain resort Trojena, which was supposed to hold the 2029 Asian Winter Games, has also been delayed. Saudi officials said it is unlikely to be ready until 2032. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The $50 billion (Rs. 44.32 lakh crore) New Murabba in Riyadh, projected to be the worlds largest downtown district, is facing the same fate, according to Michael Dyke, New Murabbas chief executive. We took a decision to slow down before speeding up. The worst thing is to make lots of fanfare only to find that you dont have substance behind it, Dyke said. With inputs from agencies Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, was honoured with the Patriot of the Year award by Fox Nation, a streaming service, for her several social and humanitarian efforts since her husband, Donald Trump, returned to power in January. The award, organised annually since 2019, celebrates individuals who embody the spirit of American patriotism' Melania trump was given 'Patriot of the year' Award. The Fox-run Patriot Awards, organised annually since 2019, celebrate individuals who 'embody the spirit of American patriotism'. FileImage/AFP Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, was honoured with Fox Nations Patriot of the Year award on Thursday. Fox News host Sean Hannity had earlier hinted that Melania would receive a very important award at the event held in Brookville, New York, an upscale Long Island town. Interestingly, the same title was awarded to her husband, Donald Trump, during the 2024 ceremony. The Fox-run Patriot Awards, organised annually since 2019, celebrate individuals who embody the spirit of American patriotism, recognising military veterans, first responders, and other citizens who have made meaningful contributions to their communities, Fox said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why did Melania receive the award? Melania Trump received the award in recognition of her work on behalf of children and families, according to Fox News. The Slovenia-born former model has been involved in several social and humanitarian efforts since her husband returned to office in January. In May, she made history by becoming the first First Lady of the United States to co-sign a bill into law alongside a sitting president. The legislation, known as the Take It Down Act, bans the creation and sharing of AI-generated pornographic content that uses real peoples faces without their consent. Melania had personally advocated for the bill earlier this year, visiting Capitol Hill in March to urge lawmakers to criminalise the distribution of non-consensual intimate images, including whats commonly called revenge porn. Her campaign gained strong bipartisan support, with the Take It Down Act passing through the House in a 409-2 vote and later receiving unanimous approval in the Senate. Senator Cruz speaks about a bill to help protect victims of deepfakes and revenge porn, at the Capitol on June 18, 2024. File image/AP Beyond her legislative efforts, Melania has also used her platform to speak out on global humanitarian issues. She recently praised the bravery of women taken hostage by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, calling their resilience an inspiration to all women across the world. She has also taken up the cause of reuniting Ukrainian children separated from their families amid Russias invasion. Earlier this year, she penned a "peace letter" to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to address the issue of child separation. The letter was delivered during President Trumps meeting with Putin in Alaska on August 15. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The proposed summit between Trump and Putin in Hungary comes two months after they both met at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. File image/Reuters Host Sean Hannity lauded her understated effectiveness during an interview, saying, I think that for any First Lady, its a very hard position. Shes got this quiet dignity about her, and is an absolutely brilliant human being." He went on to describe Melanias behind-the-scenes diplomacy as remarkable", noting that many Americans were unaware of her involvement in back-channel efforts for the childrens release. Addressing the audience, Trump spoke about innovation and the American spirit, saying, Lets celebrate everyone who dares to think differently, for it is these courageous Americans who are the heartbeat of our civilization. She added that daring to pursue ones dreams embodies the American way and described innovation itself as a form of patriotism. What is the award all about? The Patriot Awards were first launched by Fox Nation in 2019 to honour everyday American heroes, people who go above and beyond for their country through courage, service, and innovation. Awards are handed out across several categories, including Heroism, Young Patriot, Salute to Service, Most Valuable Patriot, and the top honour, Patriot of the Year. This years event also introduced a new category, the Charlie Kirk Legacy Award, in memory of the late conservative activist. The award, presented to Kirks widow, Erika Kirk, recognises individuals who uphold the values he championed: faith, family, and free speech, according to Fox. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US President Donald Trump reacts next to Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, after speaking at the public memorial service for right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. AFP Charlie Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth organisation Turning Point USA, was tragically shot and killed while speaking at a college in Utah on September 10. The trophies for the 2022, 2024, and 2025 editions of the Patriot Awards were designed by Shane and Justice Henderson, a father-son artist duo. Speaking on Fox & Friends ahead of the event, Shane Henderson said they had thought they had peaked with last years design but were amazed by what they created for this years awards. With input from agencies The Pakistan government is planning to introduce the 27th Constitutional Amendment in the Parliament soon. The controversial bill proposes to amend Article 243 of the Pakistani Constitution, pertaining to control of the armed forces. Critics argue the legislation would consolidate power with Field Marshal Asim Munir. What does this mean for democracy? Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (R) and President Asif Ali Zardari (C) jointly confer the Baton of Field Marshal on Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir during a ceremony at the country's President House. File Photo/AFP/Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID) (Handout) Pakistan is on the verge of making significant changes to its Constitution, which would leave greater power in the hands of Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. The federal government is planning to present the 27th Constitutional Amendment in the Parliament in the coming days. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with ruling allies on Thursday (November 6) to reach a consensus on the controversial legislation. The bill is reported to be tabled in the Senate soon. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lets take a closer look. Whats in Pakistans 27th Constitutional Amendment? The Pakistan government is vying to amend the Constitution to bring changes to the judiciary, armed forces and distribution of resources between the federal and provincial governments. As per The Diplomat report, there are proposals to amend Article 243 of the Pakistani Constitution, which relates to control of the armed forces. Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told Geo News that discussions are underway on amendments to the law governing the armed forces. He underlined that these consultations for amending Article 243 were needed because defence requirements have changed. According to Article 243 of the Constitution, the federal government shall have control and command of the armed forces and that the supreme command of the armed forces shall vest in the president. The government has not revealed what changes could be made to Article 243. However, as per a Pakistani journalist, the government is considering creating a position similar to a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). Field Marshal Munir would then be in charge of all services, heading a central command. It remains uncertain whether Munir would then stay as the Pakistan army chief or vacate that post, Ayesha Siddiqa, a senior fellow at the Department of War Studies at Kings College, London, wrote in an opinion piece for ThePrint. Another major change could be introduced in the judiciary. This includes empowering the Supreme Judicial Council to transfer judges without their prior approval, as per ThePrint report. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Currently, a judges consent is sought before a transfer to another court. Notably, the government wants to set up an independent Constitutional Court to limit judicial overreach. The move would give greater powers to the Chief Justice, who may ensure that cases pertaining to the Constitution are heard by only favourable judges. District-level courts could get executive magistrates for handling petty crimes and maintaining public order, reducing the burden on the courts, as per The Diplomat report. The amendment is likely to tweak rules on provincial shares of federal revenue, giving Islamabad more power to reduce provincial budgets during economic crises. To prevent election delays, the proposed legislation plans to remove obstacles to the appointment of Election Commission members, so that any dispute among political parties does not leave the posts vacant for years. It also proposes the return of education and population planning to the Centre. According to Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the proposed amendments include ending the protection for the provincial share under the National Finance Commission (NFC). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On November 3, he wrote in a post on X that a delegation of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by PM Sharif had visited him and President Asif Ali Zardari to seek their support for the 27th constitutional amendment. The PPP and PML-N are allies in the federal coalition government. Fears over Pakistans 27th constitutional amendment The proposed amendments have sparked concerns about threatening democracy. Critics argue that the Sharif government is trying to undermine the judiciary and take policy control from provinces. The amendments are expected to give Munir greater powers over all services. The 27th Amendment is really about Munirs power consolidationand Pakistan slipping further toward the unravelling of democracy, Siddiqa wrote for ThePrint. There are fears that the 27th Amendment would roll back the 18th Amendment. Passed in 2010, the legislation increased the financial and administrative autonomy of the provinces, particularly in sectors like health and education. Pushtun leader Mohsin Dawar called the 27th Amendment a blatant attempt to undo the 18th Amendment, long the bane of Punjabs civil-military elite. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, however, has assured that the 18th amendment would not be undone. He told the National Assembly on November 5 to stop negative and false propaganda. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He claimed there was no plan to take control of provincial educational institutions or boards. We are just talking about a uniform syllabus, he was quoted as saying by Dawn. The bill is viewed as the governments effort to weaken the judiciary and make it completely docile. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has emphasised building consensus for passing constitutional amendments. He argued that the 27th Amendment defied the spirit of the Constitution and warned the government against dividing the nation. It will further jeopardise the independence of the judiciary, he said, as per Dawn. However, Chaudhry defended that setting up a separate constitutional court would help reduce case backlogs. Can govt get the bill passed? The Pakistan governments bill is expected to pass the Parliament hurdle. The ruling coalition has 233 seats in the 336-member National Assembly. The government needs 224 seats for a two-thirds majority. In the 96-member Senate, the government has 64 seats, the number required to get a bill passed in the upper house. With these numbers, the government does not need the support of independent senators or opposition parties, especially of Imran Khans PTI, which has opposed the bill. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The 27th Constitutional Amendment will be introduced in the Senate within days, Dawn reported. While there are reports that PM Sharif will establish a parliamentary committee comprising all parties to fine-tune the legislation and develop a consensus. However, there has been no confirmation from the Prime Ministers Office. As per the Pakistani daily, all government partners, except the PPP, have promised conditional support, given that the 18th Amendment is not rolled back. The Pakistan government is reportedly adamant about getting the 27th Amendment passed next week. After the Senate, the bill will be tabled in the National Assembly. Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in both houses; the Sharif government then must get the support of the PPP to get the bill passed. With inputs from agencies Saikat Chakrabarti is hoping to succeed Nancy Pelosi in the US Congress. The 85-year-old Congresswoman said on Thursday that she will not seek re-election in 2026. Now, the software engineer and former political adviser, who aims to bring reforms in the Democratic Party, has thrown his hat in the ring for her seat Nancy Pelosi, one of the most powerful political figures in the United States, has announced she will retire from Congress. The 85-year-old Congresswoman said on Thursday (November 6) that she will not seek re-election to Congress in 2026. Pelosis announcement came two days after voters in California approved Proposition 50, a state redistricting effort to help Democrats win five new House seats in next years midterm elections. With Pelosi ending her four-decade career, her congressional seat is up for grabs. Many candidates, including Indian-origin Saikat Chakrabarti, have thrown their hats in the ring. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lets take a closer look. Who is Saikat Chakrabarti? Saikat Chakrabarti, 39, is a former political adviser who has worked with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders. He was born in an Indian Bengali family in Fort Worth, Texas. Chakrabarti earned a Bachelors in computer science from Harvard University in 2007. Before entering politics, he worked as a founding engineer at financial services company Stripe. Later, he co-founded the tech startup Mockingbird. In a video on X, Chakrabarti said he was motivated to shift to San Francisco in 2009 because he had always been in love with the idea of the city. He said he has pursued progressive politics for the past decade or so. Chakrabarti was associated with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign. He founded a campaign group called Justice Democrats in 2017, which recruited progressive candidates all across the country to run for Congress. After working for Sanders presidential campaign, Chakrabarti co-founded an organisation called Brand New Congress with the aim of helping hundreds of progressive candidates in congressional races. He successfully launched Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs congressional campaign for New York. As she headed to Congress, Chakrabarti served as her chief of staff. Chakrabarti and AOC joined hands in 2019 for the Green New Deal (GND), a proposed framework to adopt drastic measures to cut carbon emissions across the economy, with a goal to create jobs and boost the economy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD To put GND onto the legislative agenda, they held a sit-in alongside climate activists in the office of Nancy Pelosi, who was then the US House Speaker. Chakrabarti wants to reform Democratic Party In February, Saikat Chakrabarti had announced he will run for Congress against Nancy Pelosi. I really thought after Trumps second election, the Democrats would have some sort of come to Jesus moment, Chakrabarti told Prospect magazine in September. I saw none of that. I even saw Nancy Pelosi asked point blank, what did the Democrats do wrong? And her answer was basically nothing I just feel like its completely inadequate. Now, he is in the race to replace Pelosi in Congress. He said he is running to represent working people and help transform the Democratic Party. This is really the chance we have for a movement that really stands for working people, he said, as per Fox News. Thank you, @SpeakerPelosi , for your decades of service that defined a generation of politics and for doing something truly rare in Washington: making room for the next one. pic.twitter.com/EE1G8evEK9 Saikat Chakrabarti for Congress (@saikatc) November 6, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Last month, in an interview with news outlet Zeteo, Chakrabarti said that he believed Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York has failed as leader for the Democratic Party and that he would not back Jeffries if elected to Congress. Chakrabarti also said he thinks Jeffries should be primaried. I am going to be calling for people to primary all the democrats who have completely failed this party, he said. Jeffries is currently the US House Democratic leader. Sharing a clip of the interview on X, Chakrabarti called for an overall reform of the Democratic Party and wrote, Its not just me. Nearly 80 people running for Congress declined to support Jeffries for leader. We need new people to run across the country to completely rebuild this party to be one that can stop an authoritarian coup and build an economy that works for working people. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Speaking to Prospect, the software engineer said earlier that his goal is to completely change the brand of the Democratic party, which faced its lowest favourability ratings ever, according to some recent polls. The real battle in Congress right now is not left (versus) right, Chakrabarti said. Its sort of status quo people who want to keep this old status quo thats in the pockets of oligarchy, in the pockets of corporations, versus a new movement of people who arent taking corporate money and lobbyist money, and who are really working for an economy that works for everybody. To replace Pelosi, Chakrabarti first needs to win the Democratic nomination. He will be running from San Francisco in the US Congress, the Californian seat currently occupied by Pelosi. He is likely to be challenged by California State Senator Scott Wiener, Christine Pelosi, the congresswomans daughter, and San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan. Polling by GrowSF shows Chakrabarti has a better shot than any challenger in many years. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Chinas intl import expo attracts largest Australian delegation 13:46, November 07, 2025 By Yin Yeping ( Global Times The Australia pavilion at the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) Photo: Chen Xia/GT The Chinese market remains foundational for Australian businesses, not only for its scale and sophistication, but also for its growing role in driving global trends in sustainability, innovation and consumer preferences, Vaughn Barber, chairperson of the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce (AustCham China), told the Global Times in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. The remarks came as China's annual trade fair, the China International Import Expo (CIIE), is being held in Shanghai from Wednesday to November 10, attracting government and business delegations from around the world, including Australia, that are eager to seize opportunities in China's open market. The CIIE, which is holding its eighth session this year, has drawn a delegation of 256 Australian companies, led by Australia's Trade Minister Don Farrell, marking the largest Australian presence at the event so far. The CIIE continues to be a key platform for Australian businesses to showcase world-class products to their largest export market, said Barber. This year, a record number of Australian businesses are participating, seeking new opportunities to expand and diversify within the Chinese market, across regions, sales channels and customer segments, he said. Exhibitors will showcase a broad range of in-demand food and agriculture products packaged foods, dairy, meat, seafood, wine and beverages alongside healthcare and consumer goods. "These are categories where Australian quality, provenance, and reliability resonate strongly with Chinese consumers," said the chamber head. To Barber, this annual trade fair "provides a unique opportunity to connect directly with distributors, corporate buyers and consumers from across China, and even from other international markets represented at the Expo." "For many exhibitors, it's a chance not only to grow sales, but to test new products, build relationships, and demonstrate a long-term commitment to the China market. The Expo remains a powerful symbol of the continuing interest and confidence on both sides to deepen Australia-China commercial engagement," he said. In a recent Doing Business in China report issued by AustCham China, the organization noted that while companies were navigating a more complex environment, most continued to see China as indispensable to their long-term strategy. The findings of the chamber's upcoming 2025 Doing Business in China Flash Report, to be released during the CIIE, will reaffirm that view, according to Barber. Ultimately, China's significance lies not just in its size, but in its dynamism and openness to collaboration, said Barber, noting that it is a market to learn from as well as sell into. "For businesses that engage with a long-term, strategic mindset, China will remain a cornerstone of their growth and of Australia's broader international competitiveness," he noted. According to the upcoming 2025 Doing Business in China Flash Report, which surveyed more than 700 companies engaged in Australia-China business, traditional sectors such as resources, energy and agriculture remain the backbone of the bilateral trade relationship. At the same time, the report highlights a clear shift in perceptions of opportunity for the next five years toward food and agriculture, with opportunities to lift efficiency and scale across supply chains, from on-farm productivity and processing to cold-chain operations, safety systems, traceability, and e-commerce, and toward broader growth areas including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and digital trade. "These are sectors where complementary strengths can create new capability together," said Barber. The nature of the complementarity is changing, said Barber, noting that "as China's economy continues to innovate and expand its technological and industrial capabilities, the opportunity lies not only in what Australia can supply to China, but in what we can build together." This next phase is about joint capability, combining Chinese technology, expertise, and scale with Australian innovation, resources, and trusted governance to unlock growth in agri-food, clean energy, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing, said Barber. Also at the CIIE, Penfolds Managing Director Tom King is excited about being part of this year's annual fair, which marks Penfolds' sixth year of participation. King told the Global Times that "visitors can enjoy an immersive luxury tasting experience and discover our limited-edition Year of the Horse gift box" at this year's expo. "The CIIE provides an important platform for us to engage with China's growing community of wine enthusiasts, strengthen local partnerships, and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the Chinese market through initiatives such as the Australia-China Winemaker Immersion Program and our collaboration with China Agricultural University," King said. Commenting on the importance of the Chinese market for the Australian wine brand, King said that "China has been integral to Penfolds since our first export to Shanghai in 1893, and it remains one of our key markets." With its recent investment in a winery in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the company is deepening its presence and confidence in China as a future origin of globally recognized luxury wines, said King. Penfolds sees strong momentum driven by growing demand for premium wines, and its focus remains on local collaboration, sustainability, and contributing to the long-term growth of China's wine industry. "China is Australia's largest trading partner - larger than our next three combined, with businesses and jobs across Australia supported by our relationship," according to a press release posted on the website of the Australian Embassy to China, citing Farrell. "The record number of Australian businesses traveling to the expo means our world class agricultural, industrial and services exports are on show and ready to meet Chinese demand," Farrell said. On Tuesday, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with Farrell in Shanghai. Wang said that under the current circumstances, China and Australia should strengthen collaboration within regional and multilateral frameworks, jointly safeguard the WTO-centered, rules-based multilateral trading system and inject greater stability and certainty into the global economy. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Hundreds of flights across the US will be cut starting today (November 7) due to the ongoing government shutdown. The aviation agency in America has said that 10 per cent of flights across 40 airports, including some of the busiest in New York, Washington DC and Atlanta, will be reduced. Chaos and confusion for passengers are expected ahead of the holiday season Passengers wait for their flight at Newark Liberty International Airport on November. Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford has announced that the FAA will be reducing flights by 10 per cent in 40 major airports around the country in an effort to keep airspace safe amid staffing shortages due to the government shutdown. AFP In the United States, its the holiday season, which means people are planning to travel across the length and breadth of the country on vacation or to meet family and loved ones. But holiday headaches are bound to get much worse this time around, as the government shutdown has led to flight reductions at major airports. Starting Friday (November 7), 10 per cent of flights at 40 airports will be cut across the country. These reductions come as a means to take pressure off air traffic controllers, who are federal employees and have been working without pay during the shutdown which has now entered Day 37, making it the longest in US history. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD So, what does all of this mean for US flyers? Will international flights also be affected? Here is what we know as the flight cuts begin. Which airports will be affected? A total of 40 airports, including some of the busiest ones in the world, will see flight cuts. This includes Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in Georgia that has frequently been ranked as the busiest airport in the world it saw more than 108 million passengers get on and off flights there in 2024. Other airports include the Atlanta airport, Dallas Fort Worth International, Denver International, Chicago OHare, and Los Angeles International, which make up the five busiest airports in the US. The FAA announced a up to 40% reduction in flights across the United States as Air traffic controllers have gone unpaid since the government shutdown began on October 1st Here's which airports are expected to see flight cuts via CNBC ANC - Anchorage International ATL - pic.twitter.com/TDRlRs3bof Evan (@StockMKTNewz) November 6, 2025 As per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the flight cancellations will be gradual there will be a four per cent cut on Friday, which will rise to six per cent by November 11 and eight per cent by November 13. It will rise to a full 10 per cent by November 14. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to tracking website FlightAware, more than 750 US flights scheduled for today have already been cancelled. American Airlines said in a statement it was reducing its flight schedules amounting to 220 flights cancelled each day. Delta Airlines was axing about 170 flights scheduled for Friday, the carrier said, while broadcaster CNN reported Southwest Airlines nixed around 100 flights set for that day. A traveller checks the flight information board as others walk through the terminal at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore as flight reductions begin across the US. AP But, why is this happening? The flight cuts across the US is a result of the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 37th day. Owing to this, air traffic controllers have been working without pay. But, this has led to many of the controllers calling in sick, resulting in staffing shortages. Most controllers work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown without pay, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has said. That leaves little time for a side job unless controllers call in sick to the FAA. Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, was quoted as telling NBC News that air traffic controllers are exhausted, demoralised and worried about the future. Its unprecedented to go through two full paychecks, 37 days, and receive no compensation, he said. So its not a matter of calling in sick. Theyre calling their employer and saying, I dont have gas. I have not received pay in 37 days. What do you want me to do? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Jeff Guzzetti, an aircraft accident investigator who has worked for both the National Transportation Safety Board and FAA, said that by slashing flights, the FAA will reduce potential risk of an overworked controller, or an understaffed FAA facility, from making a mistake and running two airplanes into each other. Air travellers face the morning commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a day after US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10 per cent of flights at 40 major US airports to be cut starting Friday. Reuters So, how long will these flight cuts be in effect? The reductions come into effect today (November 7) across the US. However, it is unclear when the reduced flights could end. Airlines, unions and the travel industry have urged Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record. What will be the impact of these flight reductions? The flight reductions come as the country enters its busiest travel time of the year, with the Thanksgiving holiday just weeks away. The cancellations could affect thousands of flights every day, with one estimate stating that it could include up to 1,800 flights each day and about 268,000 seats. The flight reductions will also result in ticket prices rising significantly higher. This comes after fares were already forecast to rise by seven per cent to 10 per cent over a year ago during the holiday season, according to data from discount travel site Going.com. Many travel experts and flight operators have also urged travellers buy backup tickets with another airline to avoid being stranded. United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have all said that they would offer refunds to passengers who opted not to fly, even if they purchased tickets that were not normally refundable. Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle even posted on Instagram, Dont book a basic ticket. For example, book economy on Frontier so you can reuse the ticket value as changes are free or you can get a credit. If your flight is cancelled your chances of being stranded are high so I would simply have a backup ticket on another airline. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And its not just passengers who will be affected by the flight reductions. Many people expecting packages should also brace for a delay as two airports with major distribution centres are on the list. FedEx operates at the Memphis, Tennessee, airport and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky. People wait in line at a security checkpoint at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. AFP Will international flights be affected? The flight cuts in the US are not expected to affect international flights, with Flight Centre CEO Graham Turner telling ABC News, Generally, international flights will be protected, from what we believe. Assuming people are prepared for some disruption, the chances are that the international flights will be the last to be disrupted. Even American Airlines said it expects the vast majority of its customers flights would not be affected and long-haul international service will remain as scheduled. This, however, could be subject to change in the days ahead, reported Bloomberg. Has such a situation ever happened before? FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said this week that he has never seen these kinds of measures taken before in his nearly four-decade experience in the aviation field. Were in new territory in terms of government shutdowns, he said. All in all, US flyers should brace for turbulence in the skies in the weeks to come. With inputs from agencies Singh told Network18 that New Delhi ceased its strikes and announced a ceasefire at the request of Pakistans Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that Pakistani citizens were not killed during Operation Sindoor in April. Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the Pahalgam attack, targeted and destroyed several terrorist hideouts in Pakistan. We did not target Pakistani civilians; our strikes were directed at terrorist bases, Singh told Network18s Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi in an exclusive interview. Talking further about the Indian Armys operation, Singh said that New Delhi ceased its strikes and announced a ceasefire at the request of Pakistans Director General of Military Operations (DGMO). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US President Donald Trump has time and again claimed that his intervention stopped the conflict between India and Pakistan, a statement that has been categorically denied by New Delhi. Operation Sindoor was not paused due to any external pressure or request, Singh told Network18. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) talks about #OperationSindoor, opposition's 'vote chori' allegations, Bihar elections, and more in an #exclusive conversation with @18RahulJoshi Watch it tonight at 8pm, across CNN-News18 platforms #RajnathSinghToNews18 pic.twitter.com/zrnouc6UQw News18 (@CNNnews18) November 7, 2025 The defence minister added that the operation against Pakistans state-sponsored terrorism has not ended yet, and that if needed, well act again. #RajnathSinghToNews18 | Defence Minister @rajnathsingh opens up on #OperationSindoor, Indias nuclear strategy, and the nations evolving defence vision in an exclusive conversation with @18RahulJoshi 'Pakistan begged to ceasefire. Op Sindoor is paused not finished..' pic.twitter.com/QRYRanl9Mn News18 (@CNNnews18) November 7, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Prime Minister Narendra Modi, similarly, said earlier this year that Pakistan begged for a truce after Operation Sindoor. We penetrated hundreds of miles into Pakistan and destroyed the hideouts of terrorists. Due to the bravery of our army, Pakistan had to plead and beg for a ceasefire. The one who was begging during Operation Sindoor must not forget - it is not over yet, PM Modi said. Old legacy air defence systems, such as the L-70 anti-aircraft guns, ZU-23mm twin-barrel guns, and upgraded Schilka units, which are often overlooked in todays high-tech military landscape, demonstrated their effectiveness in the recent conflict. Meanwhile, the indigenous Akash air defence missile systems, with an interception range of 25 km, played a crucial role in countering larger threats like aircraft, armed UAVs, and Turkish-made Byker Yiha III kamikaze drones. Their reliable performance added a significant layer of defence against these sophisticated airborne adversaries. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Friday sealed a major deal with GE Aerospace to procure 113 jet engines for its Tejas light combat aircraft programme. The Indian Air Force's LCA Tejas performs an aerobatic display in Bengaluru, India. File image/Reuters Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Friday signed a significant agreement with GE Aerospace for the supply of 113 jet engines to power Indias Tejas light combat aircraft fleet. The delivery of the F404-GE-IN20 engines will begin in 2027 and is expected to be completed by 2032, officials said. In a statement, HAL said it had finalised an agreement with General Electric to acquire the engines and associated support packages for the production of 97 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft under the Indian Air Forces (IAF) expansion programme. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The defence ministry in September sealed a Rs Rs 62,370 crore deal with the HAL to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A light combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force. Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. It has been designed to undertake the air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles. With inputs from agencies We have started work on swadeshi drones. We dont wish to depend on other nations for weapons, and the progress in this area is good, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in an exclusive interview with Network18 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that India has initiated work on developing swadeshi (indigenous) drones as part of its broader push toward achieving self-reliance in the defence sector. In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said, We have started work on swadeshi drones. We dont wish to depend on other nations for weapons, and the progress in this area is good. Singh said India will procure additional S-400 missile systems from Russia, calling the move essential for safeguarding national security. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Speaking about the countrys key strategic programmes, Singh said the nuclear submarine project is advancing as planned and is not delayed. He also praised the performance of the Rafale fighter jets during Operation Sindoor, describing them as brilliant, and noted that BrahMos missiles proved highly effective in the same operation. Singh further said that the export of BrahMos missiles to other countries would massively impact Indias defence export figures, boosting the countrys stature as a global arms supplier. The Defence Minister also said that the delivery of MQ-9 drones from the United States is expected to proceed as per the scheduled timeline. We want that defence systems be made on Indian soil, by Indians, he said, emphasising that India has achieved massive progress in the defence sector through the governments ongoing indigenisation drive. Amid US President Donald Trumps continuing claims of brokering a ceasefire, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that the Operation Sindoor was halted at Pakistans request. The medium-range Akash air defence system is in service with the Indian Army and Air Force. (Photo: BEL) Operation Sindoor is ongoing but currently paused, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday amid US President Donald Trumps continuing claims of brokering a ceasefire. In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said that Pakistan had pleaded for a ceasefire. I want to make it clear that there were repetitive phone calls from the Pakistan DGMO asking for a ceasefire. After those phone calls and after achieving what we wanted to achieve, we ended the operation, he said, adding, We will do it again if the need arises. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Singh also reiterated Indias stance on cross-border terrorism, warning that New Delhi will respond decisively to attacks originating from Pakistan. If they run away to Pakistan, we will enter Pakistan to kill them (Yadi woh bhag kar Pakistan mein jayega, toh Pakistan mein ghus kar marenge), he said. We have proved it. India targeted terror dens on Pakistan soil, and no civilian was attacked, Singh told News18. Rajnaths remarks have come at a time when Trump has again started to refer to the India-Pakistan conflict of May in his public remarks. He has claimed that it was his intervention that stopped the India-Pakistan conflict. India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7 to strike at nine terrorist sites in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK) and Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam attack the previous month. When Pakistan responded with attacks on Indian cities and military facilities the next day, India responded with strikes on Pakistans military installations. For the next four days, India and Pakistan were locked in clashes and India hammered Pakistans airbases, radars, air defence systems, and other military infrastructure. After four days of hammering, Pakistan reached out and requested a ceasefire on May 10. India granted the request as it has achieved its objectives. However, Trump has never stopped claiming that he brokered the ceasefire between India and Pakistan. He has invoked nuclear threat to the world from these countries and said he leveraged trade with these countries to push them towards a ceasefire. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At the same time, Trumps sky-high tariffs on India and alignment with Pakistan, the India-US relationship has fallen to the lowest point in the post-Cold War era. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India will not bow to external pressure or influence from any country when it comes to matters of national security or nuclear testing. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday responded to the US President Donald Trumps claim that several countries including Pakistan, Russia, China and North Korea are secretly conducting nuclear tests, saying they were free to act as they wished and that Indias stance would become clear in due course. In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said Let them do it if they want to. Only the future will tell what India will do, we have nothing to say in this regard. Whether its Pakistan or America, whoever wants to do it, is doing it. India does not take any step out of fear or pressure,. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We will take whatever action India deems appropriate. We will take the right action at the right time, he added. #RajnathSinghToNews18 | Defence Minister @rajnathsingh opens up on #OperationSindoor, Indias nuclear strategy, and the nations evolving defence vision 'Pakistan begged to ceasefire. Op Sindoor is paused not finished..' In an exclusive conversation with @18RahulJoshi pic.twitter.com/yC9ZLXd4Ff News18 (@CNNnews18) November 7, 2025 Earlier, Trump, in an interview, alleged that countries from Russia to China and Pakistan have conducted underground nuclear tests unknown to the public and that the United States of America would follow suit. Russias testing, and Chinas testing, but they dont talk about it, he told CBSs 60 Minutes programme. Were gonna test, because they test and others test. And certainly North Koreas been testing. Pakistans been testing. Pakistan and China, however, have dismissed the explosive claim made by the US President. A senior Pakistani security official told CBS News that Pakistan was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume nuclear tests. In a statement, Beijings foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, China has always adhered to the path of peaceful development, pursued a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons, upheld a self-defence nuclear strategy and abided by its commitment to suspend nuclear testing. Earlier, Trump announced plans to resume nuclear weapons testing after over 30 years, citing alleged tests by Russia, China, Pakistan, and North Korea. He said the US cannot be the only country that doesnt test and directed the Pentagon to begin preparations immediately to maintain nuclear parity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a major milestone in the Centres ambitious Atmarnirbhar (self-reliance) push, Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Friday said that India is likely to begin production of fighter jet engines as early as next year. India is set to begin production of indigenous fighter jet engines next year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday, calling it a major step forward in the governments Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) initiative. In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said New Delhi is in talks with several global defence manufacturers, including US-based GE and Frances Safran, for local production of jet engines. Responding to a question on Indias efforts to fast-track engine supplies for the Tejas aircraft following the phase-out of the MiG-21 fleet, Singh said, There are (talks with) many companies like GE, Safran, etc. We have taken several steps in that direction. I cannot reveal at this point as the final decision will only be taken by the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security). We have clarity on the concept and direction. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Expressing optimism about Indias progress, the defence minister said the country is poised to start producing fighter jet engines within a year. They will be made in India, by Indians, Singh said. Singh added that India will also continue to import jet engines from foreign countries but stressed that there is no pressure from US or any other nation on these purchases. We wont compromise on our interests while purchasing these engines from outside. We have told (companies) that we will purchase engines from you but you should manufacture them in India and transfer technology to us, he said. While Singh declined to name any specific company India is currently negotiating with, he asserted that his statements were not baseless. Asked when India could expect the first engine for its fifth-generation fighter jet following talks with French firm Safran, Rajnath Singh said: We are trying to get the manufacturing done in India as soon as possible. The CCS will take a decision on this soon. He reiterated that while India may collaborate with other countries on the production of fighter jet engines, the manufacturing will happen domestically. We are trying to get technology transfer as part of the agreement, he said. Singh also said the progress on the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project Indias indigenous fifth-generation, twin-engine, stealth fighter jet currently under development is encouraging. Rajnath had approved the AMCA Programme Execution Model through industry partnership in May, shortly after Operation Sindoor. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When asked whether the project might take up to 10 years for production, he replied: There is a possibility it may even happen under that time frame. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged Bangladeshs Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to watch his words, as he maintains that India does not want a rift with Bangladesh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged Bangladeshs Interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus to watch his words, as he maintains that India does not want a rift with Bangladesh. Singh gave his take on the India-Bangladesh tiff in an exclusive conversation with Network18 group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi. During the conversation, Singh made it clear that New Delhi does not seek tense relations with Bangladesh, and Yunus should be cautious about what he says. We do not seek tense relations with Bangladesh, but Yunus should be cautious with his statements, Singh told Network18 on Friday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India can handle any kind of challenge, though we aim to maintain good relations with our neighbours, he added. Tensions between India and Pakistan started brewing after violent protests toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas government. Nobel Prize Winner Yunus took over the reins as the countrys interim chief advisor after Hasina left the country and is currently in India. Since coming to power, Yunus has been pushing provocative rhetoric against India. Recently, he stirred a storm after he presented a controversial artwork to Pakistans Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) Chairman General Sahir Shamshad Mirza and a visiting Turkish parliamentary delegation. What was the gift? The Bangladesh interim chief advisor gifted Art of Triumph to a five-member Turkish parliamentary delegation led by Mehmet Akif Ylmaz, earlier this week, while they were visiting Dhaka. According to The Dhaka Tribune, the book is a collection of graffiti drawn by students and youth during and after the student-led protests in the country last August. However, as per News18, the artwork outlines a Greater Bangladesh" plan that incorporates Indias northeastern states, especially Assam, into Bangladeshs future strategic vision. Unnamed sources told News18 that the book presented by Yunus included battle plans" and post-victory management frameworks," with the alleged aim to transform Assam into a productive and viable region" under Dhakas influence. This was not an art display but a message one directed at specific transnational Islamist networks that see Bangladeshs interim regime as part of a wider strategic consolidation," the source said. Hence, Yunuss recent actions and statements have deteriorated decades-long ties between India and Bangladesh. As US President Donald Trumps announcement of the resumption of nuclear tests has threatened a new nuclear race, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India will do what it is in its interests and its decisions will not be guided by anyone else. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that India will not bow to external pressure or influence from any country when it comes to matters of national security or nuclear testing. In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said that New Delhis decisions will be guided solely by national interest. The future will tell what India will do. India will not be pressured by what the US or Pakistan are doing. They can do what they want to do. We will do what we feel is the right thing to do at the right time, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD #RajnathSinghToNews18 | Defence Minister @rajnathsingh opens up on #OperationSindoor, Indias nuclear strategy, and the nations evolving defence vision 'Pakistan begged to ceasefire. Op Sindoor is paused not finished..' In an exclusive conversation with @18RahulJoshi pic.twitter.com/yC9ZLXd4Ff News18 (@CNNnews18) November 7, 2025 The minister also spoke in detail about Operation Sindoor, rejecting reports of third-party involvement in securing the ceasefire with Pakistan. He reiterated that Indias strategic and defence actions are autonomous and driven by its security imperatives. On the issue of nuclear power, Rajnath said the construction of nuclear submarines has picked up pace lately. There has been a delay in the building of a nuclear submarine, but it has now picked up pace, said Rajnath. India has conducted two rounds of nuclear tests in 1974 (Smiling Buddha) and 1998 (Shakti). The second round of tests were conducted under extreme secrecy and took the international community, including the United States, by surprise when then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced those tests. India has formally committed to a no-first use policy for nuclear weapons, meaning it would only respond with nuclear weapons and not start a conflict. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rajnaths comment about nuclear power came days after Trump ordered the resumption of nuclear tests. He has claimed that China, Russia, North Korea, and Pakistan have been testing nuclear weapons secretively. And Russia has also suggested it could formally resume testing after Trumps announcement. Russias testing. And Chinas testing. But they dont talk about it. You know, were an open society. Were different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it because otherwise you people are gonna report. They dont have reporters that gonna be writing about it. We do. No, were gonna test because they test and others test. And certainly North Koreas been testing. Pakistans been testing, Trump told CBS News last week. But there is no independent confirmation of such claims. As per available information, Russia has not conducted a test since the last days of the Soviet era. And North Korea is the only country that has conducted tests lately. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Supreme Court told the father of late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal the pilot of the Air India Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad in June, killing 260 people that his son was not to blame for the tragedy. The court assured him that nobody in the country believes it was the pilots fault." Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, The Air India pilot, who died in last weeks Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad, was brought back to his home in Mumbais Powai on Tuesday morning for his final rites. Image courtesy: PTI, X The Supreme Court on Friday (November 7, 2025) assured the father of late Captain Sumeet Sabharwal the pilot of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad in June, killing 260 people that nobody in the country believes it was the pilots fault. A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi made the remark while hearing a plea filed by 91-year-old Pushkar Sabharwal, who has sought an independent, technically sound probe into the crash, monitored by a retired Supreme Court judge. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD You should not carry this burden Expressing sympathy, the Bench told the grieving father that his son was not being blamed for the tragedy. Its extremely unfortunate that this crash took place, but you should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed. Nobody can blame him for anything, Justice Surya Kant said. Justice Bagchi added, There is no insinuation against the pilot so far. The investigation report merely records the communication between the two pilots; it does not apportion blame. Plea seeks independent probe Represented by senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, the petitioner argued that only a preliminary probe under Rule 9 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules had been conducted, while a full-fledged investigation under Rule 11 was required. He also cited a Wall Street Journal report that, he claimed, relied on unnamed Indian sources to suggest pilot error. In response, Justice Bagchi said, Then your suit should have been against the Wall Street Journal. Any insinuation in the press needs to be dealt with in the proper forum, not through a writ petition. Court seeks replies from Centre, DGCA The Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and other authorities, seeking their responses on the plea. Whatever may be the cause of the tragedy, the pilot is not the cause, Justice Surya Kant reiterated. The matter will be heard next on November 10. Trump has been asserting that since China, Russia, North Korea, and Pakistan are conducting secret underground tests, the US must also resume testing. Image: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds, AFP It is indeed an irony that Donald Trump, as the president of the most powerful country in the world and aspiring to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, wants to revive nuclear testing merely because he feels that few other nations are doing so. For all these years the United States has been chiding those states that have interests in nuclear weapon development. Does it not undermine the very confidence of Washington, which for decades has seen itself as the global policeman? Or, has Trump realised that leaders like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping no longer care about his stature and are determined to chart their own course? Perhaps he has understood that the US is no longer able to dictate terms to Russia and China and that its global leadership is fast losing its sheen. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Today, President Trump wants to destroy the global nuclear arms control and disarmament structures, which were shaped some decades back by his predecessors with a significant amount of scientific and diplomatic efforts. Is restarting nuclear testing indicative of the reality that the technological and strategic superiority of the US is no longer self-assured? Is the global power equilibrium no longer tilted in favour of the US? Possibly, all this makes him more anxious, and hence, he may be trying to use the nuclear route to uphold the power edge. Or has he understood that using tariffs as a tool will not help him in the long run to maintain their economic supremacy and therefore wants to revive the Cold War-era model of an arms race that once served as a symbol of US dominance? During his recent trip to Asia, Trump met his Chinese counterpart, Xi, for a trade negotiation session in Busan, South Korea, on October 30, 2025. While en route to this meeting aboard his Marine One helicopter, Trump made a surprise announcement that he had directed the US military to immediately restart nuclear weapons testing. In the last 33 years, the US agencies have not tested any nuclear weapons. Initially, some believed this statement was a tactical move intended to unsettle the Chinese ahead of the talks. However, Trump has since repeated this claim several times, even asserting that since China, Russia, North Korea, and Pakistan are conducting secret underground tests, the US must also resume testing. It appears that the US is getting a feeling that they are losing their so-called nuclear supremacy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is also important not to forget the events between 25 and 30 October 2025. Russian President Putin declared on October 26 that Russia had successfully tested the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, having a range of more than 14,000 km. Two days later, on October 28, Putin claimed that the Poseidon, a nuclear-powered underwater drone with a range exceeding 9,650 km, had also been successfully tested. Both these systems were first unveiled in 2018 as part of Russias next-generation strategic arsenal. These tests may not have come as a surprise to Trump, but these Russian tests must certainly have provoked him. Some time back the Pentagon gave the White House the green light to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. However, Trump is not keen to do so. Still, it appears that Russia is not ready to cool down. Possibly, Russia is trying to incite Trump. On November 4, 2025, Putin gave state awards to the developers of the Burevestnik cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater torpedo. So, is Trump getting caught in the Russian trap? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At present, nine countries are known to possess nuclear weapons. Although the exact numbers of weapons differ across sources, broad estimates provide a general picture of the global nuclear stockpiles. At present, Russia has the highest number of total warheads, amounting to more than 4000 (could be a maximum of 5500), and the US has between 3500 and 4000 warheads (could be a maximum of 5100). China has around 600, and India and Pakistan have between 170 and 180, and North Korea could have about 50 nuclear warheads. As per the theoretical estimates, one nuclear weapon blasted over a populous city could amount to killing around 6 lakhs of people. The last US nuclear test was in 1992, and China conducted its last test in 1996, with North Korea being the most recent nation to test in 2017. Some argue that existing nuclear weapons are old and require testing. However, this is a complex issue with differing viewpoints and technical considerations. One possibility is that to ensure the reliability and safety of existing nuclear weapons, especially with their ageing components, scientists could be arguing for the necessity of new testing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Over the past three decades, technologies have advanced significantly, and now we have warhead designs which are more sophisticated with more precise delivery systems. Advocates of renewed testing argue that some fresh underground tests would allow states to validate and integrate these improvements, reshaping existing arsenals into a more modern mix of warheads and delivery systems. Conversely, critics say full-scale nuclear testing is unnecessary. They argue that modernisation can be achieved by testing individual weapon components and missile subsystems, supplemented by simulations and dummy tests. They push for the use of artificial intelligence and advanced modelling as a substitute for actual testing. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the US agency that oversees nuclear weapons security, maintenance, and stockpile aspects, has continually made it clear that the US does not need new tests. It is important to understand that the role of nuclear weapons even today is not as a weapon for use, but as a weapon to deter. So even if nuclear stockpiles are of an older vintage, their primary role remains political and psychological. Even in their old form they can deter aggression since any potential adversary understands that the costs of attacking would be unbearable. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Today, the available nuclear weapons with various states are old, but other structures required to maintain an effective deterrence posture are modernising very fast. From command-and-control units to various weapon delivery platforms like aircraft, missiles and submarines, they are continuously getting upgraded. With the entry of hypersonic weapons and new missile defence systems, the potency of deterrence is increasing. Trump has already conceptualised the Golden Dome project, which would be a proposed multi-layer defence system for the US from any missile threat. Against this backdrop, it is not conceivable that the US requires a restart of nuclear testing. The US officials are indicating that the planned nuclear tests will be noncritical and will not feature any nuclear explosions for now. Such tests examine the safety, reliability, and performance of weapons without producing a nuclear explosion; they typically focus on delivery systems or individual components like mechanical triggers, conventional explosive lenses, electronics, and firing mechanisms. They may include subcritical experiments, which use fissile material but do not produce a sustained chain reaction. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD All these efforts are expected to be largely laboratory-based. There could be major support for computer simulations that model warhead behaviour. The aim would be to validate new designs and check for replacements of any components. In all possibility, the US could have undertaken this job without making any official announcement. But Trump has gone public, clearly indicating that he wants to raise the nuclear ante. It appears that Trump is keen to reassert his countrys military edge. He needs to realise that modern-day deterrence today is increasingly multi-domain. The contemporary deterrence triad is not about nuclear alone, but there are cyber and space elements also associated with it. During Trump 1.0, he already established a separate vertical for space, and over the years, the US Space Force has shown considerable progress. Unfortunately, Trump 2.0 has seen significant budget cuts across several key US scientific institutions like Nasa, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), various basic science organisations, and even the health sector. Trump must recognise that nuclear weapons alone cannot sustain Americas image of strength and global leadership. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US already possesses a credible nuclear deterrence mechanism. Tampering with the testing framework risks letting the genie out of the bottle and could trigger a new wave of nuclear proliferation and encourage other nations to resume testing. If his vision is truly to Make America Great Again, the path lies not in reviving Cold War-era politicking, but in reinvesting in science, technology, and innovation the very forces that have historically advanced both US power and human progress. (The author is Deputy Director General, MP-IDSA, New Delhi. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) Even though India currently does not have a dedicated South Caucasus policy, and certain serious issues with Azerbaijan and Turkey hamper closer engagement, efforts must be made to iron out differences through dialogue and diplomacy Inaugurating the Orbeli Forum (November 4-5, 2025), Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan convincingly flagged his Peace for Prosperity initiative, urging for prevalence of the Corridors for Peace platforms for regional development. He sounded very hopeful of the recent rapprochement and initialling of the Peace Agreement along with the Washington Declaration of August 8 regarding the cessation of the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Since decades of distrust and disinformation take time to go, he urged that the agreement and political understandings reached have to be nurtured like a newborn child. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Peace is the most desirable option, but sincerity and a sense of purpose on all sides and stakeholders in equal measure are essential. Incidentally, the first wheat consignment from Kazakhstan to Armenia via Azerbaijan augurs well. India welcomed these developments and the quest for peace in the Caucasus. But its pace and sustenance will also depend on continued engagement of US President Donald Trump for some time. President Trump, in his missionary zeal to quench the fires of conflicts, played cupid, and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (Tripp), with strategic connectivity and $149 million to fund it, is being flagged as a guarantee for success. PM Pashinyan has been on the spree of mending fences, and in this he also reached out to Turkey, despite historic baggage, and visited twice as well as invited President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit Armenia. He even accused the prevalent narratives created by the KGB of yore that a Turk remains a Turk; an Armenian remains an Armenian". We must break away from this worldview created for us by KGB agents, he said. A land route is almost ready to be opened between the two countries. On the sidelines of the Tianjin SCO Summit, Armenia and Pakistan established diplomatic relations, most probably under pressure or persuasion by both Washington and Beijing or due to their quest for SCO membership, pursuant to the peace deal and strategic partnership agreement with China. Rapprochement is real this time was the message to think tanks, media and opinion makers from all the neighbouring countries and major stakeholders and competitors like the US, China, Russia, India, Turkey, the UAE and Iran. A good exercise in public diplomacy indeed by the prime minister as a grassroots matter. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It is generally agreed that stability in the South Caucasus means fewer geopolitical bottlenecks, greater predictability for energy and transport investments, and a clearer path toward a Pan-Eurasian logistics ecosystem connecting South and Central Asia and the Caucasus to Europe via the Caspian and Black Sea and beyond. Mired and stuck in history forever in a negative sense provides external powers the fodder to ignite the conflicts again and again. India and Armenia enjoy a historic and civilisational relationship. This has been further enhanced and enriched by strategic interactions and people-to-people (P2P) connections in recent years, marked by increased expectations and mutual trust and respect as well as mutual interests. Both also suffer from neighbourhood issues and connectivity disruptions, mired in unilateral approaches of superpowers. The two nations follow strategic autonomy, multiple alignments and a multi-vector foreign policy which is balanced and balanced in essence. If we could intensify our cooperation 2,175 years ago, why cant we do so now with greater vigour? There is hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be able to visit Yerevan soon. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The partnership has become multidimensional, encompassing defence, economics, diplomacy, and transport connectivity, which are critical and important actors in the evolving Eurasian landscape. Hence, both are exploring newer dimensions of collaboration for enriching mutually beneficial ties through trilateral, plurilateral, institutional and connectivity initiatives, especially in the Eurasian context. India is engaged with Armenia in a trilateral format with Iran and a Quad format with France and Greece due to geostrategic balancing in the region and for its Mediterranean strategy. The India-Armenia-UAE trilateral could also be conceived for mutual benefit. Armenias Crossroads for Peace and Indias Connect Central Asia and Caucasus policies provide a robust framework for connectivity and collaborative initiatives in the South Caucasus despite some intrinsic contradictions with certain partners. International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) has acquired a new salience in the ongoing global churn and geopolitical and geoeconomic competition. India is committed to this vital project and has worked to include the Chabahar Port in Iran with the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). In this context the strategic trilateral between India, Armenia and Iran becomes increasingly relevant. They all have been an integral part of the Silk Routes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Defence and security cooperation has increased significantly in recent years, and with Joint Working Group meetings, it is being carried forward. Foreign Office consultations at the level of deputy ministers this week assess the collaborative agenda and regional and global landscape. Economic collaboration is currently focused on areas like infrastructure, IT, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, and tourism. Regular high-level meetings, business forums, and new agreementslike those in medicine regulation and digitalisation as well as healthcareare concrete signs of advancing ties. It is important to also harmonise standards and tariffs through an institutional mechanism for smooth sailing and connectivity and to address concerns quickly and convincingly. Moreover, Indian investment in Armenian infrastructure, especially logistics and digitalisation, could strengthen regional trade networks and underpin the development of Indias northbound supply chains. Pending physical and digital connectivity, especially during this AI-driven Industrial Revolution 4.0, should be focused upon when geotechnological competitions have all the ingredients to leave the Global South behind yet again. Hence, a focused collaborative matrix across the region as well as through bilateral formats with a strategic vision is warranted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Both countries are also looking to work closely within the EAEU format. Recently a Russian delegation visited India, and the talks on the FTA and association agreements are underway, which will also enhance regional cooperation and integration, which Armenia has been supporting. India is also a member in the Saarc, which also has its own trade agreement that is functioning reasonably well despite problems between India and Pakistan due to Rawalpindi continuing to use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of its foreign policy against New Delhi. But this mechanism, along with others like Bimstec, BBIN and the Eastern Kaladan corridor, along with multiple corridors across the South Caucasus, could significantly enhance inter-regional connectivity and cooperation. India has recently hosted the Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Afghanistan is quite important for smooth intra-regional cooperation. Likewise, India and China are also mending fences after a rough five years, which is evident after the Kazan Summit of Brics followed by the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Russia is Indias special and privileged strategic partner, and the same is true with the EU. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Despite certain contradictions during the Trumpian era, India and the US remain global comprehensive strategic partners and would need each other in this transient and volatile global landscape. Likewise, Armenia is also following its foreign policy with strategic autonomy and multialignment, and therefore sufficient scope exists for synergising the partnership with broader objectives. P2P connections will be central to strengthening bilateral ties. This includes promoting tourism through targeted campaigns, ensuring smoother visa facilitation, and exploring the possibility of direct air connectivity. Religious tourism could also serve as a meaningful bridgeIndia has a significant Christian community, and Christianity reached its shores as early as 78 AD, well before it spread across much of Europe. Armenia, notably, became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD. To further deepen institutional engagement, it would be timely and appropriate to establish a Friends of Armenia Group in the Indian Parliament as a gesture of reciprocity and partnership. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Even though India currently does not have a South Caucasus policy, and certain serious issues with Azerbaijan and Turkey hamper closer connection, efforts have to be made to iron out differences through dialogue and diplomacy, and hopefully they will understand Indian sensitivities since terrorism in all forms and manifestations, especially state-sponsored terrorism in particular, is a global problem that has to be confronted decisively. (The author is the former Indian Ambassador to Jordan, Libya and Malta and is currently a Distinguished Fellow with Vivekananda International Foundation. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) For the broader strategic community, the message from Trishul is unambiguous. India has entered the phase of technological deterrence, where strength is measured not only by numbers or firepower but by integration, speed and autonomy Trishul 2025 is not just another tri-service exercise. It is a rehearsal of Indias new grammar of warfare, one that converges domains with technological tempo. Representational image/PTI Indias ongoing Tri-Services Exercise Trishul 2025, which commenced on November 3, 2025, integrates Army, Air Force, and Maritime elements across the Sir Creek and desert sectors of Gujarat and Rajasthan, extending into the northern Arabian Sea. It sends a strategic message of operational readiness and credible deterrence. It has forced Pakistan into panic mode as Islamabad restricts airspace and raises an alert near the Arabian Sea. Even the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba was forced to cancel its Lahore rally. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trishul was conceived as more than a rehearsal of joint operations. It was designed to validate the concept of convergence. The exercise drew the Army, Navy and Air Force into a single operational web linked by data, cyber and space-based enablers. The focus was on the transition from jointness to synchronised multidomain convergence as a combat capability. It showcased the nations capacity to integrate sensors, shooters and decision-makers within compressed timelines that define an integrated Kill Web operational architecture. Exercise Trishul is not a rehearsal; it is a trailer of Operation Sindoor 2.0. Indias Cold Strike multi-domain doctrine is now in motion, where tri-service precision, digital command, C5ISR and kinetic cum non-kinetic effects converge for decisive offensive capabilities. When the Notices to Airmen (Notams) went up, they quietly unveiled a new era: Indias deterrence now rests on decisive, technology-driven joint operations. It represents not only a test of interoperability but also an unmistakable signal of Indias readiness to project calibrated power across multiple domains. The new mantra is Cold Strike readiness across all domains, executed proactively and seamlessly through tri-service integration. Trishul was the first time India put that thinking into motion. It unfolded across three connected theatres: the Arabian Sea, the Thar Desert and the digital domain. Naval carrier battle groups worked in synchrony with air force formations of Rafales and Su-30s. On land, integrated battle groups and mechanised forces in the Thar sector unleashed offensive manoeuvres with precision fires and networked AI-enabled C5ISR architecture. This reflects a shift from platform-centric to multi-domain data-driven force integration warfare. Alongside them, specialised forces, drones, swarms, and long-range precision fires have been integrated to deliver calibrated beyond-visual-range effects deep inside hostile territory. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Above and beyond these, the digital battlespace was alive with cyber intrusion drills, satellite data fusion and electronic warfare measures. Together, they represented a single continuum of multidomain operations rather than separate service efforts. What has distinguished Trishul most from earlier tri-service events is its offensive orientation. The aim was not static defence or routine coordination but the conduct of rapid, high-intensity offensive operations capable of securing combat overmatch with converging effects in the physical, digital and cognitive domains. Each phase stressed decision superiority, precision engagements and synchronised operations across convergent domains. The underlying message was clear: India possesses the ability to initiate controlled multi-domain offensive operations should deterrence fail. Strategic signalling formed the core of the exercise. To Pakistan, it underscored that Indias evolving multi-domain dominance now offsets nuclear blackmail. The exercise rehearsed limited offensive actions under tight escalation control, signalling that offensive options remain available below the nuclear threshold. Its proactive dispensation and tiered air defence capability negated a nuclear missile threats effectiveness while retaining the ability to preemptively strike assets before they even launch. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD To China, it highlighted Indias capacity to integrate space, cyber, electronic warfare and kinetic cum non-kinetic fires in a single campaign framework. For global observers, it presented India as a confident regional power capable of delivering security rather than only seeking it. The Indian Air Force (IAF) also issued a Notam covering the entire Northeastern region bordering China, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Bangladesh for a series of large-scale exercises. This ability to connect theatres is central to credible deterrence in a contested strategic environment where dual fronts could converge. Trishuls conduct also reflected the steady evolution of Indias military doctrine. The older Cold Start concept was built around rapid mobilisation after provocation. In the emerging construct of Cold Strike, the emphasis shifts to pre-emptive shaping and precision denial of the adversarys options while gaining the freedom of manoeuvre to offensively strike. The doctrine underscores compressed time cycles, integrated non-kinetic actions and defined escalation control. It is a framework of deterrence through denial and domination rather than defence and attrition. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Cold Strike mindset, as reflected in Trishul, is not about reckless pre-emption. It is about restoring initiative and compressing the adversarys options. It positions India to act with precision, control and legitimacy when faced with imminent threats. It also enhances deterrence by signalling that escalation, if forced, will be on Indias terms and within a controlled framework. The technological spine of this doctrine lies in resilient command and control. The new indigenous AI-assisted C5ISR grid tested during Trishul reduces decision latency and fuses data from multiple sources into one live operational picture. In a future conflict where adversaries deploy kill-web architectures, the speed of decision will decide survival and success. Cold Strike thrives on such machine-speed decision loops, enabling commanders to act faster than the adversary can react. The exercise offered key lessons in logistics and sustainment. High-tempo operations rely on agile supply chains, mobile maintenance facilities and prepositioned reserves. Trishul tested these under simulated stress to ensure that precision strikes are backed by continuous and responsive resilient logistics. The demonstration of tailormade AI-led logistics, supported by digital tracking and modular stocks, indicated growing maturity in sustaining fast-moving campaigns. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For the broader strategic community, the message from Trishul is unambiguous. India has entered the phase of technological deterrence, where strength is measured not only by numbers or firepower but by integration, speed and autonomy. The doctrines, systems and culture of the past are being replaced by a warfighting architecture designed for the age of AI, space operations and information dominance. Trishul 2025 is not just another tri-service exercise. It is a rehearsal of Indias new grammar of warfare, one that converges domains with technological tempo. In its unfolding, it offers a glimpse of what Cold Strike means in practice: fast, multi-domain, precise and under control. For adversaries, it was a warning. For partners, it was reassurance. For India, it was a declaration that deterrence is no longer static. The quiet Notams that marked the beginning of the excercise spoke louder than any press statement. They signalled a military ready to act within compressed time cycles, with clear objectives and calibrated power. The age of Cold Start has ended. The era of Cold Strike has begun. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD (The author is former Director General, Mechanised Forces. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) Sceptics of the promised Mamdani utopia have pointed out that his idealistic rainbow coalition is actually a triumph of foreign influence groups, Pakistani in particularan ideological Red-Green alliance that often considers India, Israel and America as oppressors and enemies daurmantryat nrpatih vinasyati mantri ca apranayat silam khalopasanat snehah pravasasrayat | A king gets ruined by bad advice A minister by distancing from the ruler Character is ruined by poor company And friendship, by travel to distant lands Subhashitham For several years, the hype in India about Indian Americans has focused on two things: economic success and political success. This tendency has been echoed in social media as well, although of late there are distinctions being made between the fact that personal success and collective well-being are not necessarily the samethe rabid rise in anti-Indian and specifically anti-Hindu hate among the US right wing (which of course has fed on years of Hinduphobia from the supposedly anti-racist American liberals and progressives) is proof of that. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In this context, it is useful to explore what the spectacular victory of Zohran Mamdani in the New York mayoral election tells us about what we are reading correctly and what we fail to read at all in the interactions between the South Asian, Indian, Pakistani, Hindu, Muslim and other diasporas and the United States of America. In this essay, we will attempt to map out not only broad reactions to the current American political landscape from these constituencies but also connect it to deeper causes and conclude with, hopefully, practical suggestionsfor parents and children in the matter of education and social, political, and cultural awareness. Three Categories: Indian, Hindu, South Asian For the sake of analysis, we might divide the reactions to Mamdanis rise in the diaspora into three broad categories. The first category is possibly the widest one and the longest-standing one in the diaspora. For people in this category, who are usually very busy with work and daily routines of the American Dream, the details about what a politician stands for and has actually said or done matter little. Whether it is Nikki Haley or Kamala Harris or Ro Khanna or any other Indian or Indian-descent public figure, there is a natural attraction or sense of celebration around them. It fits in with the general self-perception of the diaspora as one which is defined by its material and professional success. For years, diaspora Indian newspapers and magazines used to print lists of high-level job moves, awards, and promotions in the community. Individual professional success was somehow seen as collective success and rising political clout. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Accustomed to practicality in this way, the busy and usually self-satisfied professional class are happy to claim any political figure with Indian angles as their own and support them. Such thinking also used to be largely bipartisan, although with the deep polarisation that began with Trumps campaign for the 2016 election, a Republican star like Vivek Ramaswamy might not attract the same casual empathy that Indians once did due to fear of ostracisation on WhatsApp groups. For this group, which we might call Category 1 or Indian Americans, Mamdanis win most likely resonates at the level of any other Indian American success story. Parents are possibly telling their children that if they work hard at spelling bees and SATs, one day, they could be mayors and governors and CEOs and presidents, even. From the first generation of immigrants in the NASA-Doctor waves of the 1960s and 1970s to the H1B and Y2K boom of the early 2000s, this is one part of the diaspora experience, expression, and value pyramid. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The second category is the self-identified Hindu American diaspora (Category 2). This includes, though not without friction, second-generation (ABCDs) Americans as well as first-generation or FOBs. Hindu Americans is a smaller category in terms of numbers than Category 1 but has been growing in self-awareness and visibility in recent years, largely because of how brazen specifically Hinduphobic racism has become in public and institutional spaces like academia and media. Mamdani is clearly not popular in this category given his statements against the reconstruction by Hindus of the Ram temple destroyed in Ayodhya in 1528 by Islamic imperialist forces and his reckless statements about there not being any Muslims left in Gujarat because of Hindu violence (a blood libel against Hindus, as someone put it). A video clip of Mamdani protesting the Ram Mandir in the company of anti-Hindu bigots chanting slurs against Hindus (haramzade or bastards) also added to this perception, and even though Mamdani made a tour of Hindu temples to show his inclusiveness, concerns remain given that he has not explicitly condemned Hinduphobia from some of his supporters. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The third category, and the one that is most often overlooked, misunderstood, or caricatured by the Hindu category above, is the South Asian American one (Category 3). This is the category of people like Mamdani himself and straddles a spectrum of geographies, countries, faiths, cultures, languages, and even economic differences. Not unlike the evocative vision of diversity and grassroots struggle he brought up in his victory speech (Uzbek nurses and Ethiopian aunties, etc), this group gets along famously with working-class New Yorkers as well as transnational billionaires and elites. Sceptics of the promised Mamdani utopia, such as Asra Nomani and Ashley Rindsberg, have, of course, pointed out that his idealistic rainbow coalition is actually a triumph of foreign influence groups (Pakistani, in particular), an ideological Red-Green alliance that often considers India, Israel and America (or Hindus, Jews and Christians, to be precise) as oppressors and enemies. But such criticism seems to find little traction in either the minds of an adoring fan base or, worse, even in the minds of Mamdanis opponentsthe current ruling establishment in the United States, which has allowed its tentative big-tent conservative, post-racist, meritocratic American Dream coalition of 2024 to collapse under the weight of its extremist anti-Hindu and anti-Jewish wings. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It may even be safe to say that many Indian American voters have now decided to take their chances with bigots on the Democrat side rather than on the Maga side. Whatever the truth of the power plays and projects surrounding Mamdani might be, the important thing for the moment is that between Mexican abuelas and Yemeni bodega owners and Dhoom Machale, who can argue with the optimism of those filled with it? Intergenerational Continuities: Mamdani to Vance The task of a critical scholar, or teacher, or parent, is to be able to respect optimism among the young while also serving to offer reality checks from a place of good intent towards them. Intergenerational communication, in other words, is a key issue in understanding how each of the categories within the diaspora above are doing. If we look at a 15- to 30-year span of time, how have perceptions changed in each of these categories, and where are they likely to go in the next 15 to 30 years? How much influence does each category have over its own youth and their future, and of course, the outside world? STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD From this point of view, it would be hard to deny that Category 3 above, the South Asian Americans, have been enormously successful on both counts. A professor-father (Mahmood Mamdani) and movie-maker mother (Mira Nair) have raised a son who is proud to say he is young, Muslim and a democratic socialist and refuses to apologise for these labels. Clearly, intergenerational communication and continuity are flourishing in some spaces, despite the occasional conservative suspicion that progressives dont care about families, traditions and so on. It is, of course, another matter, possibly of interest mostly to some, though not all Hindus, that the intergenerational continuity here happens to have excluded one side of the heritage. Mamdani said nothing about his mothers Hindu heritage in his victory speech, and that is fine; it is his choice. The question of freedom and religious heritage of course also sent ripples through the Hindu diaspora recently in the case of the words of another important political figureVice President JD Vance. In response to a politely sharp question from an audience member about immigration and religion, Vance expressed his hope that his wife, Usha, who happens to be of Telugu and Hindu heritage, would one day convert to Christianity. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This statement led to much criticism of the direction in which American conservatism is heading after seemingly making many broken promises to non-white and non-Christian voters last year that Maga meant simply making America fair, free and meritocratic again, not exclusively White or Christian. Hindus, and reasonable American observers, are all noticing how almost every time anything Indian or Hindu appears on the Republican side (like President Trumps recent Diwali celebration at the White House or Vivek Ramaswamys photos), a spate of hateful anti-Hindu memes and comments appear on social media. In this climate, naturally, matters which would normally remain private, individual choices become symbols of public debate. In Mamdanis case, a Democratic politician born to a Muslim father and Hindu mother proudly identifies as a Muslim. In Vances case, a Republican politician married to a Hindu wife is clear that his children are Christian and, in time, expects his wife to feel the call to convert as well. Intergenerational continuity, simply put, seems more assured along some channels rather than others. What, then, might be the future of Hindus and Hinduism in America? To be continued This is the first part of a two-part series exploring the evolving experiences and challenges of Hindus in America. (Vamsee Juluri is Professor of Media Studies, University of San Francisco. He has authored several books, including Rearming Hinduism: Nature, Hinduphobia and the Return of Indian Intelligence (Westland, 2015). C Raghothama Rao is a writer, podcaster and YouTuber. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.) Combining historical records with satellite imagery, researchers have prepared a Google Maps of the Roman Empire. They have mapped around 300,000 kilometres of roads, including 110,000 kilometers of newly discovered roads, at the time the empire was at its peak. The itiner-e (https://itiner-e.org/) map and database of the road network of the Roman Empire at its peek. With historical records and satellite imagery, researchers have prepared a Google Maps of the Roman Empire. A team of researchers led by Pau de Soto, Adam Pazout, and Tom Brughmans has mapped around 300,000 kilometres of Roman roads, including 110,000 kilometers of newly discovered roads, at the time the empire was at its peak at around 150 AD. The high-resolution map of the Roman Empires road network has been uploaded at itiner-e (https://itiner-e.org/) where one may zoom at the vast road network extending from the British Isles to the Arabian Peninsula. You can also see these roads side by side to current roads and realise that many roads currently in use are nearly as same as build by Romans nearly 2,000 years ago. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Its a growing resource for a community to keep on adding information to ensure that this remains the best representation of our knowledge of where all the roads in the Roman Empire were, Brughmans, an archaeologist at Aarhus University in Denmark, told Nature. Brughmans said he hopes the data set will revolutionize our understanding of how people, ideas and infectious diseases spread 2,000 years ago. Such insights can be used to better understand the challenges we face today, Brughmans further said. Research fills key vacuum in Roman history Roads are one of the best-known aspects of Roman history so much so that all roads leads to Rome has today become a popular metaphor. But its surprising how many details about them we still dont know, Catherine Fletcher, a historian at Manchester Metropolitan University, told Nature. The research and the database uploaded on itiner-e fills this critical vacuum. The researchers first identified Roman roads from previous studies, including atlases, surveys, historical sources, archaeological sources, and existing milestones, and then they compared this information to modern and historical aerial photographs, topographical maps, and satellite imagery, the Nature reported. Then, they digitised each road section with high spatial resolution and prepared the map for itiner-e. This resource is transformative for understanding how mobility shaped connectivity, administration, and even disease transmission in the ancient world, and for studies of the millennia-long development of terrestrial mobility in the region, the researchers said in their paper in Nature. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD At its peak, the Roman Empire stretched from England to Syria and Turkey and covered Northern Africa, such as todays Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. Tesla shareholders on Thursday approved a whopping $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk, awarding the worlds richest person the largest corporate payout in history. Musk will be eligible for the pay package if he meets the necessary goals laid out by the electric vehicle company earlier this year. The package has been opposed by several high-profile investors in the past. Hence, its approval indicates that shareholders still believe Musk can lead automakers in an era dominated by robotics and artificial intelligence. According to The Guardian, the result of the voting was announced at the annual shareholder event in Austin, Texas, on Thursday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As per the report, more than 75 per cent of investors voted in favour of Musks pay package. Not only this, chants of Elon erupted in the room at the news of its approval. Thanks, guys, Musk said, after briefly dancing on stage alongside the companys Optimus robots. At the meeting, Musk described the Optimus robots, which have not gone into mass production, as the future of the company and of humanity. He reiterated his claim that the robot would be the biggest product of all time and suggested they could be used in everything from healthcare to prisons. You now get a free Optimus and its just going to follow you around and stop you from committing a crime, Musk said. You dont have to put people in prisons and stuff. Its really wild to think of the possibilities. Why it matters In the past, Musk has said that he wanted the pay package for more control over the company and to exert strong influence over this robot army that he vowed to build as the company branches into robotics. The billionaires staggering compensation, if he met his goals, would be comparable with the GDP of entire countries, exceeding that of Ireland, Sweden and Argentina. Not only this, it vastly exceeds federal funding for entire government programs, such as the annual cost of SNAP food benefits and dwarfs that of other tech moguls such as Mark Zuckerberg. Critics of the package, including some prominent Tesla investors, argued that awarding Musk concentrated power in one erratic leader ignored the challenges the company has faced in the past because of its CEO. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Elon Musk just got $1 trillion for failure. Sales are down, safety risks are up, and his politics are driving customers away. This isnt leadership its the worlds most expensive participation trophy, the protest group Tesla Takedown said in a statement. If Musk manages to deliver the lofty milestones in the pay package laid out at the annual meeting, he could become the worlds first trillionaire. These conditions include guiding Tesla to $8.5 trillion in market capitalisation, eight times what its worth today. He would also be required to deploy millions of autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots, and sustain the companys bottom line in the hundreds of billions over the next decade. Not only this, the billionaire would also have to help develop a long-term succession plan for the company he has led for more than 20 years. At least 270 Indian nationals were flown back home from Thailand on Thursday following a dramatic escape from cyber scam compounds in Myawaddy, Myanmar. At least 270 Indian nationals were flown back home from Thailand on Thursday following a dramatic escape from cyber scam compounds in Myawaddy, Myanmar. What seems to be Indias most complex international rescue operations included 26 women as well. Over the years, Myanmar has become one of the most infamous countries in the region, hosting organised transnational fraud networks. The rescue operation was coordinated by the Indian embassies in Thailand and Myanmar and executed with the Indian Air Forces two special flights from Chiang Mai to Hindon. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It marks one of the largest single-day repatriations linked to cybercrime trafficking in Asia. However, things dont end here for those who have been rescued. Indian officials have confirmed that the returnees will be questioned about their activities while employed in Myanmars scam centres. The interrogation will be conducted in an effort to understand how these criminal operations recruit victims, function and continue to maintain cross-border networks. Probe continues Cyber security officials told The Hindu that the probe in the case would continue. Indian citizens who worked in the cyberscam compounds of Myanmar will be questioned about their activities during their employment period, official sources told The Hindu on Thursday. Sources maintained that the aim of the investigation is not punitive but preventive. The idea behind the questioning is not just about finding out how these scam centres operate but also to find out how to prevent similar people from joining such transnational networks, an official familiar with the process told The Hindu. Investigators would also examine the possibility of Indian accomplices and recruiting agents who lured victims with fake job offers abroad, a pattern increasingly visible across Southeast Asias shadow digital economy. The Indian nationals who came back were among hundreds of people who have been trapped in sophisticated cyber scam centres in Myawaddy, a frontier town run by criminal syndicates with Chinese links. Victims were coerced into carrying out pig-butchering scams, large-scale online frauds blending crypto, romance, and investment scams. The scammers have been targeting victims across the United States, Europe and India. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Workers stuck in these scam centres have faced inhuman conditions, including restricted movement, long work hours, and physical abuse if they failed to meet scam targets, according to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) officials. The torture only ended after Myanmars Junta launched an operation in late October to reclaim control over Myawaddy, forcing many scam operators to flee. The chaos eventually allowed hundreds, including Indians, to escape across the Moei River into Thailands Mae Sot, where they sought refuge before India intervened. In light of this, the Indian embassy in Bangkok confirmed that while 270 nationals have been brought back, more remain stranded in Myanmars cybercrime sector. Indian embassies in Thailand and Myanmar are working with the respective host governments to secure repatriation of those Indians who were allegedly involved in scamming activities and are still in Myanmar, the embassy said in a statement on November 6. It also issued a strong advisory urging Indian citizens to verify foreign job offers and recruitment agents before accepting employment overseas. Apart from this, the embassy reminded the travellers that visa-free entry into Thailand is meant only for tourism or short business visits, and should not be misused for taking up employment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it has taken up the matter with Moscow and urged them to stop recruiting Indians into the Russian military. India on Friday said that 44 Indian nationals are currently serving in the Russian Army, following a rise in recruitment over the past few months. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it has raised the issue with Russian authorities and urged them to immediately halt the recruitment of Indian citizens into the Russian military. India has consistently urged Russia to release all Indian nationals working as support staff including cooks and helpers with its military units. The matter was also brought up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Russia last year. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the last few months, we have been informed of several Indian nationals who have been recruited in the Russian army, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. More from World 270 Indians freed from Myanmar scam centres return home, authorities probe recruitment racket As per our understanding, there are 44 Indian nationals presently serving in the Russian Army, he said at his weekly media briefing. Indian officials in September had said there were 27 Indians serving in the Russian Army. Jaiswal said India has taken up the matter with Russian authorities and urged them to release the Indians at the earliest and also to put an end to this practice.We are in touch with the Russian side. We are also in touch with the families of these people and giving them an update on the matter, he said. There have been reports that some Indians on student and business visas were forced into joining Russian military units deployed on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. With inputs from agencies Flight operations at airports in Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow, and Varanasi were disrupted on Friday after a major technical glitch in Delhis Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) affected air traffic control and flight planning nationwide. Authorities said efforts are underway to restore normal operations. People wait to board their flight at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, May 30, 2025. File Photo/Reuters The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai on Friday (7 November 2025) issued an advisory warning passengers of potential flight delays following a major technical glitch in Delhis Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that disrupted air traffic operations nationwide. The impact of the system failure in Delhi has cascaded across several airports, including Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow and Varanasi, as outgoing flights from the capital face significant delays, according to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The AMSS glitch crippled the network supporting Air Traffic Control (ATC) and flight planning, leading to widespread disruption at Delhis Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport delaying over 300 domestic and international flights. Mumbai airport issues passenger advisory Flight operations at Mumbai Airport have been affected by a technical issue impacting the AMSS at Delhi, which supports Air Traffic Control flight planning. The concerned authorities are actively working to resolve the issue at the earliest, Mumbai Airport said in a statement. As a result, airline operations may experience delays. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules. We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and cooperation, it added. Controllers switch to manual operations The AAI confirmed that flight controllers in Delhi were processing flight plans manually after the system malfunctioned. Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest, it said. Sources told CNN-News18 that the issue may be linked to a possible malware-induced overload in the automation software, though investigations are ongoing. Major carriers including IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa Air have all reported delays in their operations. Chaos at Delhis IGI Airport A chaotic morning unfolded at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport as the glitch led to more than 300 flight delays. Airport authorities said efforts were underway to resolve the issue and apologised for the disruption. Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. The ATC team is actively working with all stakeholders, including Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), to resolve it at the earliest, read a passenger advisory issued by the airport. Passengers were urged to stay in touch with their airlines for the latest updates. Airlines apologise, urge patience Air India said the glitch had caused longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft, adding that its staff were extending all possible assistance to passengers. We regret the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption, which is beyond our control, and appreciate your patience, the airline stated. IndiGo and SpiceJet also confirmed widespread delays, especially across Delhi and northern India. We understand that extended wait times, both on the ground and onboard, may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely appreciate your patience, IndiGo said. Previous disruption and wider concerns Sources told News18 that a similar server outage in the ATC system on Thursday evening had delayed around 20 flights, though the issue was later resolved. The IGI Airport Indias busiest handles around 1,550 flight movements daily. This latest disruption comes amid growing concerns over aviation safety, following recent reports of suspected GPS spoofing incidents that interfered with aircraft navigation systems and forced several diversions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD GPS spoofing occurs when counterfeit satellite signals mislead aircraft by feeding false location or altitude data a growing global concern once largely confined to conflict zones. Last month, a Delhi-bound flight from Vienna was diverted to Dubai after encountering spoofed GPS signals. Former CIA officer Richard Barlow has alleged that US intelligence knew Pakistan was mounting nuclear weapons on its F-16 fighter jets, calling the countrys secret weapons project the Islamic bomb, the Muslim bomb. 'It was a Muslim bomb': Ex-CIA officer says intel community saw nukes being mounted on Pakistan's F-16s. Image: AI generated. Former CIA officer Richard Barlow, who served in the top US intel agency between 1985 and 1988, has made a series of explosive revelations about Pakistans nuclear programme in an interview with news agency ANI. Speaking in an ANI Broadcast premiering on Friday (7 November 2025), Barlow said the US intelligence community had confirmed that Pakistan was mounting nuclear weapons on its F-16 fighter jets. In 1990, the intelligence community saw nuclear weapons being mounted on Pakistans F-16s, Barlow said. We knew Pakistans F-16s could carry nukes, without any doubt. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD EP-11 with Ex-CIA Officer Richard Barlow (19851988) on Pakistans Nuclear Program premieres today at 5 PM IST | ANI Broadcast Its a shame Indira didnt approve it. Would have solved a lot of problems, On reported Israel-India proposal for a preemptive strike on Pakistans pic.twitter.com/IrCnOo9vwX ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 He described the project as the Islamic bomb, the Muslim bomb from the perspective of AQ Khan and Pakistans generals, alleging that billions of dollars in US military and covert aid were used by Pakistan for its nuclear programme. Barlow also referred to a reported Israel-India proposal to carry out a pre-emptive strike on Pakistans Kahuta nuclear facility. Its a shame Indira didnt approve it. Would have solved a lot of problems, he remarked. Reflecting on the personal cost of exposing the truth, Barlow said, My life was destroyed. I lost my job, my marriage, and everything I had. While Washington publicly opposed and even sanctioned Islamabads nuclear programme, critics have long argued that this stance was largely for show. In reality, US policies during the Cold War often indirectly enabled Pakistans nuclear progress. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Throughout the 1980s, despite clear intelligence that Pakistan was secretly developing nuclear weapons, the US chose not to act decisively largely because Pakistan was a key ally in the fight against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan (19791989). Reports also suggest that officials in Washington were aware of uranium enrichment activities at Kahuta under AQ Khan but often downplayed intelligence warnings to maintain military cooperation and strategic ties with Islamabad. At least 54 people were injured after an explosion rocked a mosque during Friday prayers inside a school complex in Indonesias capital, Jakarta, police said. Indonesia: Over 50 injured in explosion at mosque inside Jakarta school during friday prayers. Representative image. (Photo by Timur Matahari / AFP) At least 54 people, including children and teachers, were injured after an explosion ripped through a mosque inside a school complex in Indonesias capital Jakarta during Friday prayers, news agency Reuters reported citing police said. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the blast, which occurred around 12.30 pm inside a mosque located within a Navy compound in the Kelapa Gading area of North Jakarta. Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri told reporters that the injured suffered burns and other wounds, some of them serious. He confirmed that a probe had been launched to determine what triggered the explosion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Emergency services quickly surrounded the site as ambulances rushed worshippers to nearby hospitals. Local news channels KompasTV and MetroTV aired footage showing police cordoning off the area, with rescue teams on standby. Images of the mosque showed limited structural damage, though the prayer hall was sealed off for forensic examination. This is a developing story. After US President Donald Trump claimed that Pakistan has been secretively conducting nuclear tests, India has flagged Pakistans long history of nuclear proliferation and said any illegal nuclear activity will be in line with Pakistans history. After US President Donald Trump claimed that Pakistan has been secretively conducting nuclear tests, India on Friday flagged Pakistans long history of nuclear proliferation and said any illegal nuclear activity will be in line with Pakistans history. In his weekly press conference, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Randhir Jaiswal said that Pakistans history with nuclear weapons is centered around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network, and further proliferation. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India has always drawn the attention of the international community to these aspects of Pakistans record. In this backdrop, we have taken note of President Trumps comment about Pakistans nuclear testing, Jaiswal further said. Jaiswals remarks were in response to queries about Trump saying that Pakistan has been conducting nuclear tests in secrecy. #WATCH | Delhi | MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistans history, that is centered around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further pic.twitter.com/4B4Gwe8xEE ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 After announcing that the United States will resume nuclear tests, Trump said it was necessitated by the purported reality that others were also conducting tests. Russias testing. And Chinas testing. But they dont talk about it. You know, were an open society. Were different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it because otherwise you people are gonna report. They dont have reporters that gonna be writing about it. We do. No, were gonna test because they test and others test. And certainly North Koreas been testing. Pakistans been testing, Trump told CBS News last week. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pakistans illicit nuclear arms trade Pakistan has been the worlds most well-known nuclear proliferator. Pakistan and North Korea have helped each other on missile- and nuclear warhead-related matters. AQ Khan, a Pakistani nuclear scientist, cultivated a network that sold nuclear weaponrys know-how and centrifuge designs among other critical components of nuclear weapons programme to North Korea, Libya, and Iran. Khan was also one of the principal architects of the Pakistani nuclear programme. A day after reports suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sidelined Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and that Lavrov had vanished from the public eye, a close ally of the president on Friday dismissed the claims, saying they are completely untrue Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a press conference after addressing the 80th United Nations General Assembly, September 27, 2025. Reuters File A day after reports suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin had sidelined Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and that Lavrov had vanished from the public eye, a close ally of the president on Friday dismissed the claims, saying they are completely untrue. Veteran diplomat Lavrov remains in his role, Politico quoted Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying during a briefing to journalists. On Thursday, The Moscow Times, an independent outlet based in the Netherlands, reported that Putin has sidelined Lavrov and the minister had disappeared from the public eye after the US abruptly canceled a proposed Budapest summit with Russia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rumors swirling on social media were fueled by Lavrovs absence from the Kremlin on Wednesday, when President Putin discussed the potential resumption of nuclear weapons testing. Kommersant, a Kremlin-linked Russian business outlet, reported that Lavrov missed the meeting with prior agreement. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry website, Lavrovs last public appearance was on October 28 at the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in Belarus. The 76-year-old diplomat will also not lead the Russian delegation at this years G20 summit, a role he normally fulfills. The Kremlin said Deputy Head of Putins Administration Maxim Oreshkin will represent Russia at the Johannesburg summit later this month. The Financial Times reported late last month that the US cancelled a planned Budapest meeting on the Ukraine war following a call between Lavrov and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, citing Lavrovs uncompromising stance. Lavrov, a longtime ally of Putin, has headed Russias diplomatic corps for 21 years. With inputs from agencies Russia has defended North Koreas reported ballistic missile launch, calling it Pyongyangs legitimate right to ensure its security, even as the United States and South Korea condemned the move. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sit in a vehicle during their visit to Beijing. KCNA/Reuters Amid growing speculation that Russia may resume nuclear weapons testing, the Kremlin on Friday (7 November, 2025 ) defended a reported ballistic missile launch by North Korea. The statement came as South Korea accused its neighbour of firing the missile, just a week after US President Donald Trump approved Seouls plan to develop a nuclear-powered submarine. Legitimate right to ensure security, says Kremlin The Kremlin described Pyongyang a key ally for Moscow amid the Ukraine conflict as having a legitimate right to conduct such tests. We are respectful of the legitimate right of our friends in the DPRK (North Korea) to ensure their security and take measures for it, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP, during a daily briefing. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD South Koreas military said the missile was launched around 12:35 pm (0335 GMT) from an area north of Pyongyang and flew approximately 700 kilometres (435 miles). The United States sharply condemned the launch, calling it absolutely unforgivable. Russias renewed interest in nuclear testing The development came just a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted that Moscow could resume nuclear testing if Washington did so. Speaking at a security council meeting in Moscow on Wednesday (5 November), Putin said he had instructed his defence, foreign and security ministries to gather information on the United States nuclear test plans. The so-called modernity of our nuclear deterrent forces is at the highest level, Putin said, claiming it was higher than that of any other nuclear power. His comments followed Trumps statement that America would restart its own nuclear tests, fuelling concerns of a new global arms race. In the 21st century, only North Korea has conducted a full-fledged nuclear test the last one taking place in 2017. Although Russia recently tested two nuclear weapons, those were classified as low-yield tests rather than full explosions. Trump accuses several nations of secret tests Earlier, on Sunday (2 November, 2025), Trump claimed that other nations were conducting clandestine nuclear tests, including Pakistan, North Korea, China, and Russia. No, were going to test because they test and others test. And certainly North Koreas been testing. Pakistans been testing, Trump said. You dont necessarily know where theyre testing. They test way underground where people dont know exactly whats happening with the test, he added. As China has become the worlds leader in shipbuilding, and the US production has barely progressed, maritime security has become US President Donald Trumps latest headache in the US-China competition. Trump wants to confront China, but Xi Jinping literally controls American cargo. President Donald Trump left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, shake hands before their U.S.-China summit talk at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. (AP Photo) Chinas chokehold on the worlds rare earth elements and rare earth magnets is not Xi Jinpings only leverage. The countrys hegemonic control over global shipping is an equally powerful lever and US President Donald Trump has no solution to it. For context, China manufactures 55 per cent of the worlds shipping vessels, up from 5 per cent in 1999, manufactures 95 per cent of the worlds shipping containers, and 70 per cent of port cranes, according to Market Watch. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In short, the United States is dependent on China for everything from all trade and transport. Again, consider these facts: China builds 1,700 ships every year. The United States builds five. And Xi is using these leverages well. In exchange for low-hanging fruits, he forced Trump to concede on tariffs, the Russian war on Ukraine, and Taiwan. And Xi also forced Trump to reverse a measure specifically taken to target Chinese shipping: suspension of port fees and other maritime policies meant to tackle Chinas shipbuilding hegemony. Shipbuilding is Americas great vulnerability Its not just commercial shipping where the American decline in shipbuilding has put the country in a poor position. The fact is that US Navy is in a poor position. As an old saying goes, an army marches on its stomach. And these stomachs are fed by a vast network of ships, aircraft, and supply depots. In an article for Defense News, Eyck Freymann and Harry Halem noted that logistics is the weakest in the American deterrence system in any conflict with China. Some of the greatest America victories have come on the back of great logistics. In the World War II, when the United States, beat the Nazi Germany, there were 6.000 US-flagged merchant ships to supply allied forces. Now there are fewer than 200. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the US Navys Military Sealift Command, the Navys logistics backbone, the personnel shortage is such that it is decommissioning ships it cannot crew, according to Freymann and Halem. The situation in the Ready Reserve Force, the US surge fleet for emergencies, appears to be even worse as the average age of a ship is over 40. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said it had no update on reports suggesting that US President Donald Trump may visit India next year, following his recent remarks about a possible trip at Prime Minister Narendra Modis invitation. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday (November 7, 2025) said it had no information to share regarding reports that US President Donald Trump may visit India next year. Responding to questions at the ministrys weekly briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, As far as the comments of President Trump regarding his visit to India are concerned, I do not have anything on this to share. I will let you know when I have something to share about it." STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The clarification came a day after Trump told reporters at the Oval Office that he could travel to India in 2026, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted him to visit. Praising the Indian leader, Trump called Modi a great man and a friend. Hes (PM Modi) a friend of mine, and we speak He wants me to go there. Well figure that out. Ill go. I will have a great trip there with Prime Minister Modi, hes a great man. And Ill be going, Trump said. When asked if the visit could happen next year, Trump replied, It could be, yeah. India is also expected to host the next Quad summit in New Delhi, with leaders from Australia, Japan, and the US likely to attend, though the exact dates are yet to be announced. The previous Quad meeting was held in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2024. A Pakistani ministers visit to a political front linked to 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed has reignited concerns over Islamabads ties with extremist groups. Minister Talal Chaudhry met leaders of the PMML the political wing of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah at their Faisalabad office. The importance of the base can be gauged by the fact that Munir called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at 2:30 am on the intervening night of May 9 and 10, during Operation Sindoor, to inform him that the base had been struck by India. Reuters Pakistans duplicity on terrorism has once again come under scrutiny this time from within its own government. On Thursday, Talal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Interior and a close aide of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, visited the Faisalabad office of the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) the political front of Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD), a banned organisation founded by 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed. The visit, seen as a rare instance of official outreach, is being widely viewed as tacit government endorsement of a group long associated with terrorism. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to a statement issued by the PMML, Chaudhry held detailed discussions with party leaders on Pakistans political landscape and key national issues. The statement said both sides underlined the importance of unity, political stability, and democratic continuity. However, critics say the meeting once again highlights Pakistans blurred line between governance and extremism. Hafiz Saeed, convicted in several terror financing cases, remains imprisoned in Lahores Kot Lakhpat Jail, yet his network continues to function now seemingly with the governments implicit approval. This is the first time in recent years that a federal minister has visited PMML offices. Earlier, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan attended a PMML rally in Kasur, where he publicly praised Saeed and his outfit. Since the Pahalgam terror attack in India in May, carried out by Pakistan-backed militants, the PMML has become increasingly active under apparent state patronage. The Shehbaz Sharif governments silence over such developments further reinforces allegations that Pakistan continues to mainstream banned extremist groups exposing the deep nexus between politics and terrorism. Perus Congress voted to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata on Thursday, after her country granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister on trial for allegedly aiding a 2022 coup attempt. Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks during her daily press conference where she announced progress in the organization of the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup, at Palacio Nacional in Mexico City on November 3, 2025. (Photo by CARL DE SOUZA / AFP) Perus Congress voted to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata on Thursday, after her country granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister on trial for allegedly aiding a 2022 coup attempt. The two Latin American countries have had strained diplomatic relations for years, but tensions rose on Monday when Mexico granted asylum to ex-PM Betssy Chavez, prompting Peru to break off formal ties. Chavez was Perus prime minister in December 2022 when then-president Pedro Castillo was ousted for trying to dissolve Congress following a months-long standoff. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The declaration against Sheinbaum was passed on Thursday in a 63-33 vote by Perus Congress, which also recently removed Castillos highly unpopular successor, Dina Boluarte. Fernando Rospigliosi, the right-wing acting Congress president, said it has been clearly established that Sheinbaum interfered in Perus affair, not only in words but also by granting Chavez asylum. Socialist lawmaker Jaime Quito meanwhile criticized the measure, saying once again, they are making an international embarrassment by breaking relations with our sister country Mexico. Following the breakdown in diplomatic relations, interim president Jose Jeri announced on Monday night that Mexicos top diplomat in Peru had been given a strict deadline to leave. Relations between Lima and Mexico deteriorated sharply over the ouster of Castillo, a former rural schoolteacher and trade unionist dubbed Perus first poor president. Back in December 2022 Castillo was on his way to the Mexican embassy in Lima to request asylum together with his family when he was arrested and charged with rebellion and abuse of authority. Chavez was charged alongside him, and the pair went on trial in March. While Castillo has been in preventive custody since his impeachment, Chavez was released on bail. She has taken up asylum at the Mexican ambassadors residence as Perus Foreign Ministry evaluates a request for safe passage to Mexico. Prosecutors had sought a 25-year term for Chavez for allegedly participating in Castillos plan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD They have sought a 34-year sentence for Castillo. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reaffirmed Indias stance of non-interference amid tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the Durand Line, rejecting Islamabads claims of Indian involvement as completely baseless. He said India stands for peace but will not hesitate to act if provoked. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reaffirmed Indias policy of non-interference amid rising tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the disputed Durand Line. In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh dismissed Pakistans allegations of Indian involvement in recent cross-border clashes and a bombing in Kabul, calling them completely baseless and unsubstantiated. India stands for peace, not provocation: Rajnath Singh stressed that Indias foreign policy is rooted in peace and mutual respect. We do not seek or encourage any kind of confrontation. We want peace in the world. We are in favour of peace. We will not provoke anyone or encourage conflict with anyone, he said. At the same time, he made clear that India would not hesitate to defend itself if provoked. But if someone teases or provokes us, we will not spare them, he asserted, adding, We do not use crutches to defend our self-respect. We do it ourselves. We take decisions on our own and take required actions on our own. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Asked about Indias position on the border conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Singh reiterated New Delhis policy of non-intervention. Whatever the issue, all the countries involved should sit down and settle it by negotiation, he said, emphasising that dialogue between the two nations is the best path forward. He further clarified, We do not want to intervene in another countrys affairs, signalling that India would only consider involvement if both sides requested it. To underline Indias diplomatic restraint, Singh used a popular Hindi idiom: We do not believe in maan na maan, main tera mehmaan (whether you like it or not, I am your guest). He described the dispute as an internal matter for Afghanistan and Pakistan, reaffirming Indias commitment to respecting the sovereignty of other nations. Singhs remarks effectively countered Pakistans accusations while reinforcing Indias consistent stance peace through dialogue, strength through self-reliance, and respect for regional stability. Rajnath Singh said China has expressed willingness to ease tensions and resolve border issues through dialogue, following PM Modis visit to Tianjin for the SCO Summit. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral talks with Chinese counterpart Dong Jun on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. X - @rajnathsingh Amid signs of a thaw in India-China relations following Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Tianjin for the SCO Summit, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said on Friday (November 7, 2025) that Beijing has expressed willingness to ease tensions and resolve issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) through dialogue. In an exclusive conversation with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said, There has been de-escalation at several points. You must have seen Chinas statement where they said they want to normalise the situation with India at the LAC. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Singh added that during his very good discussions with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun on the sidelines of the 12th ADMM-Plus meeting in Kuala Lumpur, both sides agreed to maintain military-to-military talks to prevent any future flare-ups. India-China ties had hit a low after the deadly 2020 clashes in eastern Ladakh that left 20 Indian soldiers dead. However, recent high-level engagements including Modis meeting with President Xi Jinping at the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan have revived efforts to restore peace along the border and reopen channels for boundary dialogue. When asked if India could trust Beijings recent assurances, Singh replied, They have said it, and we (India) have also agreed on this. When I went to the SCO meeting in Shanghai, I told the Chinese Defence Minister clearly that the ice on India-China ties should melt how long will the ice remain? There should be a clear decision on this. He reiterated that China has shown intent to continue discussions and find a peaceful resolution to the border differences. Germanys top military official warns that Russia could launch a limited attack against NATO territory at any time, depending on Western responses. While a full-scale invasion is unlikely immediately due to Russias focus on Ukraine, the threat remains plausible. Nato is stepping up defenses amid rising tensions and hybrid warfare tactics from Moscow. Germanys top military official warns of Russias capability to launch a limited strike against Nato territory at any moment, depending on how Western countries respond. While a large-scale invasion is unlikely immediately due to Russias engagements in Ukraine, the threat remains real. This article explores Russias military readiness, potential plans, and the factors influencing Natos defense strategy. Russias current attack potential Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank explained that Russia could carry out a small and rapid strike on Nato territory as soon as tomorrow. The operation would be focused and regional rather than large-scale, as Russian forces remain heavily occupied in Ukraine. Despite losses on the ground, Russias air force, nuclear arsenal, and missile capabilities remain substantial. The Black Sea Fleet has suffered setbacks, but other naval assets stay intact. Russia is also working to increase its army size to 1.5 million soldiers and has enough tanks to support such an attack. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Natos evolving defense posture Since 2024, Germany has shifted its military focus from overseas missions to defending Nato borders. Sollfranks leadership at the joint operations command reflects this change. Incidents like drone flights over Poland have heightened concerns about Russian escalation. In response, Germany is increasing defense spending significantly and plans to expand its armed forces by tens of thousands of troops. These moves form part of Natos efforts to deter potential aggression. Factors affecting a potential Russian attack Sollfrank emphasized that Russias decision to attack would depend on its military strength, past performance, and leadership. The general believes such an attack is possible but depends heavily on Natos actions. He highlighted Russias so-called non-linear warfare strategy that includes espionage, intimidation through nuclear threats, and proxy conflicts. These tactics aim to provoke Nato, witness reactions, and test the alliances resilience. The coming years will be crucial for how Nato manages this complex threat environment. Russian oil export to India witnessed a sharp decline after the US sanctioned two of Moscows biggest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, last month over the Russia-Ukraine war, provisional tanker data shows The long-drawn-out Russia-Ukraine war has thrown the Asian crude oil market out of order. Amid this, US sanctions on Russias biggest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, have made the situation more murky for Asian buyers. Russias oil export to India plunges Russian oil export to India witnessed a sharp decline after the US sanctioned two of Moscows biggest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil, last month over the Russia-Ukraine war, provisional tanker data shows. Although industry experts believe it is too early to gauge the impact and a clearer picture would emerge in a month or two, refiners have been wary of Washingtons latest sanctions, which will take effect on November 21. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the week ending October 27, Russias crude oil exports to India averaged 1.19 million barrels per day (bpd), a sharp drop from 1.95 million bpd recorded over the previous two weeks, according to provisional vessel-tracking data from global commodity analytics firm Kpler. The decline was largely driven by lower shipments from Rosneft and Lukoil, which together account for more than half of Russias oil output and exports, and previously supplied over two-thirds of Indias Russian oil imports. China suspends oil purchases from Russia Last month, Chinese state oil majors suspended purchases of seaborne Russian oil after the United States imposed sanctions on Rosneft and Lukoil. Chinese national oil companies PetroChina Sinopec, CNOOC and Zhenhua Oil will refrain from dealing in seaborne Russian oil at least in the short-term due to concern over sanctions, the sources said. The four companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. While China imports roughly 1.4 million barrels of Russian oil per day by sea, most of that is bought by independent refiners, including small operators known as teapots, although estimates of purchases by state refiners vary widely. Is there an energy nexus in the making? Monique Taylor, an expert in global economy, wrote in East Asia Forum, Discounted Russian crude has bound China more closely to Moscow and brought India into the equation, creating an emerging energy nexus that challenges US sanctions and influence. This energy nexus is less an institutionalised partnership than a convergence of material interests and narratives of multipolarity linking Moscow, Beijing and New Delhi. She added that this dynamic was evident at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit held in Tianjin in September 2025, where Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared together in a rare display of unity. The event underscored Moscows growing reliance on its two biggest energy buyers and illustrated how the flow of discounted Russian oil has evolved into both an economic boon and a political statement, reflecting Beijings and New Delhis readiness to challenge Washingtons sanctions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies The US has added copper, silver, and uranium to its official list of critical minerals, expanding the Trump administrations definition of resources considered essential to the nations economy and security The US has added copper, silver, and uranium to its official list of critical minerals, expanding the Trump administrations definition of resources considered essential to the nations economy and security. According to a Bloomberg report, citing a US government website, the revised US Geological Survey list now includes 60 minerals in total 10 more than before with new additions such as metallurgical coal, potash, rhenium, silicon, and lead. The list also encompasses 15 rare earth elements and replaces the previous version published in 2022. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The US Geological Surveys updated list determines which commodities fall under the Trump administrations Section 232 investigation into processed critical minerals and related products, launched in mid-April a probe that could result in new tariffs or trade restrictions. President Donald Trump has made strengthening the domestic supply of these resources a key priority, arguing that dependence on foreign sources poses risks to national security, infrastructure, and technological advancement. Rare earth elements essential for magnets used in everything from vehicles to fighter jets have become a major point of contention in USChina trade relations. Trump has sought to boost US production of these materials after Chinese President Xi Jinping threatened to limit exports. The list also guides federal decisions on direct investments in mining and resource recovery from waste and stockpiles, as well as tax incentives for domestic mineral processing and faster permitting for mining projects. The resource industry had long advocated for the inclusion of certain materials such as copper and potash. The US currently sources about 80% of its potash imports from Canada, while copper imports primarily from Chile, Peru, and Canada make up nearly half of total US consumption. Most global copper refining, however, takes place in China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Silvers addition to the list has raised concerns among precious metals traders and manufacturers, as any potential tariffs could disrupt markets. The US depends heavily on imported silver, which is widely used in electronics, solar panels, and medical equipment. With inputs from agencies Six months after being hammered by Indias Operation Sindoor, Asim Munir is eyeing to be Pakistans czar. With the 27th Amendment, he could secure near-unprecedented consolidation of power. But what he would do next would matter the most to India. Pakistan Army chief, Field Marshal (then General) Asim Munir holds a microphone during his visit at the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) to witness the Exercise Hammer Strike in Mangla, Pakistan, on May 1, 2025. (Photo: ISPR/Handout via Reuters) Six months after Indias Operation Sindoor battered Pakistan, the countrys army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is eyeing to be the countrys czar. With the 27th Amendment, Munir would seek to bury the ghosts of Operation Sindoors beating. In fact, even as Pakistani terrorist groups and military took a beating, Munir scored victories on a personal level. Just 10 days after Pakistan requested a ceasefire, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Munirs promotion to field marshal only the second after the military dictator Ayub Khan and the only one to have the rank while still being the army chief. This could have appeared like a consolation prize for a bruised general who triggered a war to embarrass his opponent but ended up getting blown up from the Himalayas to the coast. But thats not the way of jihadists. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Munir definitely sought to bolster his own position with the new rank and peddle the false narrative of victory, he knew that would not be enough. ALSO READ: Pakistan Army owns the country 27th Amendment to make it official today And thats how, on the six month-mark of Indias Operation Sindoor, Shehbazs government took up the proposal to appoint Munir as the countrys czar. With the 27th Amendment, the open secret that Pakistan Army runs the country would become constitutional and legal reality. With that, Munir would turn Pakistans defeat into a personal victory. From army chief to czar how Munir climbed when Pak sank In Pakistans beating, Munir sought victory. In any other country, the kind of defeat India dealt Pakistan could have resulted in court martials. But Munir has continued to reap rewards from the defeat. Firstly, Munir became the field marshal. Secondly, Munir went on foreign visits publicly as if he were Shehbazs constitutional equal. Thirdly, he met US President Donald Trump at the White House in a manner usually reserved for heads of states or governments. Fourthly, he struck a deal with the Trump administration and Israel for the Gaza Strip. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD And, fifthly, Munir is now set to be Pakistans czar. Sources have told CNN-News18 that the 27th Amendment would concentrate militarys decision-making and appointment powers with the field marshal. Currently, these powers as mentioned in Article 243 of Pakistans constitution effectively rest with the Prime Minister of Pakistan. According to sources, these are the main security-related amendments proposed in the bill: Establishment of the office of Field Marshal of Pakistan with a five-year tenure just the fixed terms of the prime minister and president Empowering the Field Marshal or Commander-in-Chief to appoint the chiefs of the army, air force, navy, and the ISI spy agency Providing immunity to the field marshal from legal or political challenges Fixing the tenure of service chiefs at five years Amending the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, to overhaul the armys command structure, which would likely involve the abolition of the office of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and creating a new post of Vice Chief of Army Staff that would report to the Field Marshal With such a formal consolidation of powers, would Munir simply devote himself to peace and retire? Thats unlikely. India can only impose costs Munirs problem is not his alone. Its the problem of the premise Pakistan was founded on the opposition of India. And nothing can solve that problem not a war (Pakistan fought and lost four), not a promotion to field marshal, and not the 27th Amendment. After a while of revelling in his formal anointment as Pakistans czar, Munir would want to turn to the very premise of his nation the opposition of India. Munirs moves on India are driven by a self-consuming jihadist national ideology and that is why its unlikely to have absolute, everlasting deterrence despite military actions like Operation Sindoor. Analysts say that, at some point, Munir might again make a move against India because thats the only thing he and his fellow Pakistani elites know. Pakistan observers say that India can only impose costs and make misadventures too costly to be attempted frequently. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD You can only impose costs on Pakistan greater costs every time. At best, you can reduce the frequency of aggression from Pakistan or terrorists supported by Pakistan. But, as long as Pakistan remains, the anti-India terrorist campaign would continue as a perpetual religious war with India is the foundational ideology of the Pakistani nation, Abhinav Pandya, a counter-terrorism expert and author, previously told Firstpost. ALSO READ Fighting India is in Pakistans DNA, only deterrence is increasing costs for terror: Pak expert Tilak Devasher With Operation Sindoor, India imposed costs and raised the bar. Indias message was clear: If you would attack us, we would attack you and we would attack you closest to home, said Pandya, who has authored books Inside the Terrifying World of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Terror Financing in Kashmir, and Radicalization in India: An Exploration. While Pakistans jihadist war on India has remained the same, India now has the Modi Doctrine that took final shape with Operation Sindoor. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Veteran journalist Shekhar Gupta said that now is the time for an all-hands-on-the-deck approach to prepare for the next round. As Munir seeks to formalise himself as Pakistans czar, Pakistan watchers warn that the next round may come sooner than later. To think that this is a strategic lean-back period will be an unforgivable historic blunder. This is a lean-forward, all-hands-on-the-deck moment. The success of Operation Sindoor is a success to savour, but more importantly, its impetus for the future, noted Gupta in a column for The Print. The South African government said in a statement that as many as 17 men were lured into fighting in the war on the pretext of lucrative jobs. This phenomenon is not new to India, as several men continue to remain trapped in Ukraine as a result of being duped by Russian agents A man walks on a muddy road in the Donbas region. The future of Ukraines industrial heartland in the east of the country is uncertain, after Vladimir Putin reportedly demanded it be handed to Russia. File image/AFP South Africa will be conducting an investigation into how its citizens ended up as mercenaries in the Russia-Ukraine war after the men sent a distress call, urging the government to bring them back home. The South African government said in a statement that as many as 17 men were lured into fighting in the war on the pretext of lucrative jobs. This phenomenon is not new to India, as several men continue to remain trapped in Ukraine as a result of being duped by Russian agents. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into these seemingly mercenary activities, said the statement. The presidency statement did not say which side the men were fighting on, and presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwengya said: We dont know yet, hence the investigation. South Africa caught in the middle of war The 17 men are said to be trapped in Ukraines Donbas region, which is under Russian military control. A spokesperson for Ukraines foreign ministry said it was looking into the reports. Russias embassy in South Africa did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Under South African law, it is illegal for citizens to provide military assistance to foreign governments or participate in foreign armies unless authorised by South Africa. South Africa has maintained itself as a neutral partner in the Russia-Ukraine war and has maintained warm relations with Russia as a fellow member of the BRICS group of emerging economies. Ramaphosa has met leaders of both countries. What is the case of Indian men? The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said it has raised the issue of Indian nationals being recruited into the Russian army and urged Moscow to stop the practice amid the ongoing war with Ukraine. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government has repeatedly warned citizens about the risks and dangers of joining the Russian military. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD We have seen reports of Indian nationals being recruited recently into the Russian army. The government has, on several occasions over the past year, cautioned Indian citizens against taking this course of action, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin in bilateral meetings. Russia has long been accused of using unfair practices to lure people from other nations to fight its war against Ukraine. Many Chinese and North Korean nationals have reportedly been captured by Ukrainian forces. Kyiv has also claimed that an Indian fighting for Russia was among those held captive. With inputs from agencies Tehran has been reeling under years of international sanctions, especially after the United States in 2018 withdrew from an international nuclear accord with Tehran and reimposed tough punitive measures President Donald Trump said Thursday that Iran has asked for heavy US sanctions against Tehran to be lifted and that he is open to having a discussion about it. Frankly, Iran has been asking if the sanctions could be lifted. Iran has got very heavy US sanctions, and it makes it really hard, Trump said during a dinner with Central Asian leaders. Im open to hearing that, and well see what happens, but I would be open to it. Western countries, including the United States, have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Tehran has been reeling under years of international sanctions, especially after the United States in 2018 withdrew from an international nuclear accord with Tehran and reimposed tough punitive measures. In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a war which saw the United States join briefly with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The 12-day war with Israel, which prompted an Iranian response with missile and drone strikes, derailed nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington which had begun in April. Trump said that Iran had once been the bully of the Middle East but no longer had the possibility of nuclear weapons. The Republican president, who returned to office in January, has repeatedly said the strikes obliterated Irans nuclear program, but the full extent of the damage remains unknown. In September, the United Nations reinstated sanctions against Tehran under the so-called snapback mechanism after Britain, France and Germany triggered the process. Those measures bar dealings linked to the Islamic republics nuclear and ballistic missile activities. Oman, which has hosted several rounds of US-Iran nuclear talks, has called on both sides to return to negotiations. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The talks had aimed for a new agreement that would curb Irans nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief. US President Donald Trump said he is planning to visit India soon, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a great man and a dear friend. US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office of the White House when the two met in February. File image/AFP US President Donald Trump said he is planning to visit India soon, calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a great man and a dear friend. Trumps latest remarks are seen by many as the latest sign of a possible thaw in a trade dispute that has soured the two countries relationship. Hes a friend of mine, and we speak, and he wants me to go there, and well figure that out, Ill go, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. He went on to maintain that trade negotiations with India are going very well. When asked if the American leader is planning to visit New Delhi next year, Trump replied, It could be, yeah. However, he still declined to provide a timeline for a trip. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The India-US ties deteriorated after Trump earlier this year slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. The move was undertaken to put pressure on New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil amid the war in Ukraine. The tariffs added further tensions to an already contentious negotiation over what the US has described as Indias high levies and other barriers on American goods. #WATCH | Washington DC | On questions of talks over trade deals with PM Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump says, "They are going good, he stopped buying oil from Russia largely. He is a friend of mine, and we speak and he wants me to go there. We will figure that out, I pic.twitter.com/jWvcphukfi ANI (@ANI) November 6, 2025 Improving ties In recent weeks, the American leader has claimed that the Indian Prime Minister has pledged to wind down purchases of crude oil from Russia and expressed optimism about trade talks. Trump has often been seen lauding PM Modis leadership and has maintained that both leaders share a strong personal relationship. However, its unclear whether recent warmth between the two nations will last. The alliance between the two nations also took a hit with Trumps repeated claim that he deserves credit for brokering a truce in a four-day armed conflict between India and Pakistan. Not only this, the Pakistani leadership, including Army Chief Asim Munir and PM Shehbaz Sharifs frequent visit to the United States, have also made India wary of its not so old ally'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It was initially reported that Trump was planning to visit India this year for the Quad Summit. However, that did not materialise. It is pertinent to note that Trumps last presidential visit to India came in February 2020, during his first term in the Oval Office. At that time, he received a grand welcome in Ahmedabad with events such as Namaste Trump. PM Modi later went to Texas, where he was welcomed by the Howdy Modi event in Houston. At least five people died in Vietnam after Typhoon Kalmaegi pummelled coastal regions with destructive winds and heavy rain, officials said on Friday, following the storms deadly passage through the Philippines where it killed at least 188 people. At least five people died in Vietnam after Typhoon Kalmaegi pummelled coastal regions with destructive winds and heavy rain, officials said on Friday, following the storms deadly passage through the Philippines where it killed at least 188 people. The storm made landfall in central Vietnam late on Thursday, uprooting trees, damaging homes, and triggering power outages, before weakening as it moved inland. Authorities warned of continuing heavy rainfall of up to 200 millimetres (8 inches) in central provinces from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri, and said rising river levels from Hue to Dak Lak could trigger flooding and landslides. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to visit affected areas on Friday to assess the damage and oversee recovery efforts, with officials saying 135 people remained missing and another 96 had been injured. In Vietnam, the disaster management agency said seven people were reported injured, and around 2,800 homes were damaged. About 1.3 million people were without electricity, it said. The state-run Vietnam News Agency said the railway in Quang Ngai had been damaged. Photos and videos on social media showed ripped-off roofs, flooded homes, and streets littered with fallen trees and debris. The government said it had mobilized more than 268,000 soldiers for search-and-rescue operations and warned of flooding, which could affect agriculture in the Central Highlands, Vietnams main coffee-growing region. Kalmaegi is the 13th typhoon to form in the South China Sea this year. Vietnam and the Philippines are highly vulnerable to tropical storms and typhoons due to their locations along the Pacific typhoon belt, regularly experiencing damage and casualties during peak storm seasons. The Philippines civil aviation regulator has placed all area centres and airport operations under heightened alert in preparation for another typhoon, Fung-wong, which is forecast to intensify into a super typhoon before making landfall in the northern Philippines on Sunday evening or early Monday morning. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Russian soldier, Dmitry Kurashov, 27, has been found guilty of shooting dead a 41-year-old veteran Ukrainian soldier, Vitalii Hodniuk, who had surrendered following his capture by Russia in 2024 A Ukrainian court has ordered a life sentence for a Russian soldier for killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war, making it the first time Kyiv has passed a ruling like this. The Russian soldier, Dmitry Kurashov, 27, has been found guilty of shooting dead a 41-year-old veteran Ukrainian soldier, Vitalii Hodniuk, who had surrendered following his capture by Russia in 2024. Kurashov, who was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces along with other Russian troops soon after the incident, pleaded guilty in court, although he later told reporters that he was innocent and wanted to be exchanged in a prisoner swap. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His sentencing carries symbolic importance for Ukraine, which says Russian forces have executed numerous Ukrainian prisoners of war, but that the suspects are usually outside their jurisdiction. About the case Ukraines national police said that expert reports, witness testimony and video footage from the scene confirmed that the Russian soldier deliberately killed the POW on the orders of his commanders, who had instructed troops not to take Ukrainian soldiers captive. Kurashovs case went to trial earlier this year as the court heard how his unit stormed a Ukrainian position in the region of Zaporizhzhia on January 6, 2024. The prosecution said that while the Ukrainian soldier, Hodniuk, had managed to crawl out of a dugout unarmed and surrendered, Kurashov shot him point-blank with several aimed AK-47 shots, which is a violation of war laws. Kurashov claimed that Hodniuk died at the hands of a Russian medic, who is now dead. His account was disputed by other members of his unit, who were later captured by Ukrainian forces and are also being held as prisoners of war. They said they saw Hodniuk come out of the foxhole unarmed, with his hands raised, after Kurashov ordered the Ukrainians to leave their positions and surrender. One of the most serious crimes The Ukrainian Prosecutor Generals Office told Reuters that criminal investigations were underway into the murder of 322 Ukrainian servicemen who had unconditionally laid down their arms and/or surrendered since the 2022 invasion. This is one of the most serious crimes, its an important matter for Ukraine, because such cases should not remain without consideration and an appropriate sentence, said Mykyta Manevskyi, the lead prosecutor in the case, after the verdict. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Kurashov, who lost his left eye while fighting Ukraine, joined one of the Russian militarys Storm V assault units in exchange for early release from prison, where he was in custody for theft, according to Ukrainian authorities. With inputs from agencies Lawyers representing US President Donald Trumps administration faced a barrage of questions from the countrys Supreme Court over the tariffs introduced by the American leader earlier this year President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, on April 2, 2025, in Washington. AP File Lawyers representing US President Donald Trumps administration faced a barrage of questions from the countrys Supreme Court over the tariffs introduced by the American leader earlier this year. The questions were hurled at Trumps team during Wednesdays argument over central elements of Trumps tariff program, The New York Times reported. As per the report, the questioning, while not uniformly sceptical, was at odds with the portrait of the court that had emerged after it allowed more than 20 emergency orders issued by Trump, at least temporarily. While the court put the tariff argument on a fast track, it followed full briefing and is poised to yield a substantial, and most likely landmark ruling in the case. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The judgment is likely to elaborate on the scope of the presidential powers. According to the NYT, there was substantial evidence that several of the courts six Republican appointees were troubled by aspects of the administrations arguments. The key question One of the key questions during the argument was how specific the US Congress have to be. The statute doesnt use the word tariffs, " said Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr, referring to the words of a statute. The Trump administration argued that a 1977 law, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, authorised Trump to impose a vast tariff program. However, the position faces a major roadblock, i.e. the law does not use the word tariffs or similar terms like duties, customs, taxes, or imposts. Chief Justice Roberts and other members of the court questioned whether the law permitted tariffs if it did not use the word or a synonym for it. Some justices also noted that no other president had invoked the law to impose tariffs in its nearly 50-year history. General Sauer, can I just ask you a question? Can you point to any other place in the code or any other time in history where that phrase, together, regulate importation, has been used to confer tariff-imposing authority? Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked. D. John Sauer, the solicitor general replied that even if the law did not mention tariffs, it allowed the president to regulate importation and that those two quoted words justified the administrations expansive tariffs program. Sauer pointed to the predecessor of the 1977 law. However, he could not cite any other statute in which the power to regulate imports had been interpreted as the power to impose tariffs. It will be interesting to see how the Conservative justices would react to this lack of citation since they are traditionally known to adhere to the words of statute. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the US President Donald Trumps administration on Thursday to fully fund the food stamps programme that helps 42 million low-income Americans in November. Snap benefits have been ensnared in the battle over the ongoing federal government shutdown. AFP A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the US President Donald Trumps administration on Thursday to fully fund the food stamps programme that helps 42 million low-income Americans in November. US District Judge John J McConnell Jr ordered the administration to arrange the funds for this month by Friday, as the programme takes a major hit amid the US government shutdown. Justice McConnell Jr condemned the Trump administrations plan to partly fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap) benefits in November. The judge argued that the Trump government failed to comply with an order he issued on Saturday requiring the government to ensure Americans received full or partial benefits no later than Wednesday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He also said that the administration ploughed ahead with a plan to partly cover benefits without addressing, as required, the fact that in many states, it could take weeks or months to even implement the reduced benefits. The evidence shows that people will go hungry, food pantries will be overburdened, and needless suffering will occur, McConnell said. Thats what irreparable harm here means. This should never happen in America," the judge added. The Friday deadline During the hearing, Judge McConnell gave the Trump administration until Friday to make payments through Snap. However, it is unlikely that the people who rely on it will see the money on the debit cards they use for groceries that quickly. The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund Snap, McConnell said. They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial Snap payments and failed to consider the harm individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer," he furthered. It is pertinent to note that these types of orders are usually not subject to an appeal. However, the Trump administration has challenged similar rulings before. The plaintiffs want the Snap program, which is a major component of the nations social safety net and serves about one in eight Americans, to be fully funded. In light of this, some states like New York, Oregon and Virginia declared states of emergency last week to provide funds that would keep benefits available. But the amounts provided were expected to amount to a fraction of normal federal government funding. The federal costs of Snap amount to a whopping $8 billion a month across the US. With inputs from The Associated Press. The US government approved the sale of sniper rifles to Brazils BOPE police unit last year, despite objections from American diplomats who feared the weapons could be used in extrajudicial killings, Reuters reported. The unit, long accused of human rights abuses, recently led a deadly raid in Rio de Janeiro that left 121 people dead, drawing international condemnation. Police officers escort a suspect arrested during the Operacao Contencao (Operation Containment) out of the Vila Cruzeiro favela, in the Penha complex, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday. AFP The U.S. government approved a sale of sniper rifles to a deadly police unit in Brazil last year, overriding concerns from the U.S. ambassador and other diplomats that the arms could be used in extrajudicial killings, according to three current and former U.S. officials and documents seen by Reuters. The Rio de Janeiro police unit that purchased the guns, known as BOPE, played a central role in a raid last week that left 121 people dead, including four police officers. That action drew condemnation from human rights advocates and United Nations experts, who have alleged that some of the killings may have been unlawful. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD BOPE purchased 20 sniper rifles produced by Georgia-based Daniel Defense LLC in an unannounced deal in May 2023, according to internal Rio police documents seen by Reuters. The weapons were not received until 2024, amid debate within the State Department about the sales appropriateness, according to internal Rio police and U.S. State Department documents. Under U.S. law, gun exports typically need to be approved by the government. While the Commerce Department often issues the final license, the State Department plays a key role in the process. Elizabeth Bagley, then the U.S. ambassador to Brazil, objected to the deal, as did some diplomats working on human rights and law enforcement issues, according to a January 2024 State Department memo seen by Reuters. That memo describes BOPE as among the most notorious police units in Brazil in regard to killings of civilians. Rio police - of which BOPE is the most notorious unit - were responsible for 703 killings last year, according to official data consolidated by the Brazilian Public Safety Forum. Reuters could not establish whether the U.S.-made sniper rifles were used by BOPE in last weeks raid. BOPE also purchased accompanying suppressors for the rifles, which were produced by Wisconsin-based Griffin Armament, but the suppressor shipment was initially blocked by the U.S. government, according to the documents and sources. Reuters could not determine if the suppressors were ultimately sent at a later date, though the State Department implied that they were not. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The previous administrations disastrous foreign policies aided and abetted our hemispheres most violent gangs, a State Department spokesperson told Reuters. Last year, Bidens State Department denied critical defensive equipment to trusted security partners in Brazil while asking them to protect President Biden during his 2024 trip to Rio. In the interest of a safer hemisphere, we remain committed to ensuring that our partners have what they need to fight vicious criminals. Former President Joe Biden visited Brazil in late 2024 to attend that years G20 summit. TRUMP OFFICIAL CHAMPIONED SALE The roughly $150,000 purchase was not the first of its kind by BOPE. The unit had successfully imported at least 800 U.S.-made rifles in the past, according to State Department documents. But a series of deadly raids involving the unit in recent years had changed some diplomats calculus, according to the officials and documents. Among the transactions most ardent supporters was Ricardo Pita, then the top Latin America policy staffer on the Republican-controlled House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, according to two U.S. officials, who requested anonymity to describe internal deliberations. Pita is now a senior adviser for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department. In that capacity, the Venezuelan-born Pita met in May with now-imprisoned former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a prominent Trump ally who has been an outspoken defender of BOPEs work. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Daniel Defense, Griffin Armament, the Rio police and the Rio state government did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the Commerce Department. DIPLOMATS OPPOSED DEAL In mid-2024, Pita, who did not respond to a request for comment, visited a BOPE facility in Rio as part of a congressional staff delegation, the officials said. The visit rankled some diplomats as the State Department has often cited the Rio police in public documents for alleged human rights abuses. Later that year, Pita pushed diplomats to clear the sale of the suppressors that accompanied the rifles, the officials added. The officials said they were surprised at how persistently Pita pushed for the sale, given that it represented a small part of his portfolio, which in theory stretched from the U.S.-Mexico border to Patagonia. After joining the State Department, Pita began inquiring internally among State Department personnel about which diplomats had opposed the transaction, two of the officials said. Some State Department officials supported the sale. Such transactions are usually approved, in part because foreign police departments typically obtain weapons from another country when they are rejected by the U.S, said several officials familiar with similar sale processes. BOPE is also the principal Brazilian force tasked with protecting the U.S. consulate in Rio should it be attacked, the officials said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD POLICE UNIT POPULAR IN RIO The units work is broadly popular with Rio residents fed up with violent crime, including activity by heavily armed gangs. A nationwide survey by pollster AtlasIntel published on Friday showed 55% of Brazilians backed the police operation, with support rising to 62% among residents of Rio state. Rio police officers lost 55 colleagues to violent deaths last year, according to official data consolidated by the Brazilian Public Safety Forum. Still, independent experts have frequently criticized BOPEs human rights record, and Rio police generally have been consistently singled out for criticism in the State Departments annual human rights reports on Brazil. There was a persistent pattern of impunity for police operations (in Rio), which often resulted in significant fatalities, accusations of excessive force, extrajudicial killings, and denial of medical care for injured criminal suspects, read the 2023 report. A January 2024 State Department memo recommending against the weapons sale noted that the unit was implicated in the killing of 23 individuals during a single incident in 2022. That event - known as the Vila Cruzeiro massacre - tipped the scales for some diplomats away from approving the sale, although BOPE had received U.S. arms in the past, one official said. There were also concerns that weapons meant to fight crime could in fact be used for criminal purposes, the official added. State prosecutors brought a case last year against some BOPE officers for their ties to organized criminal groups called militias, which run extortion rackets throughout the city. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The United States and Israel on Friday accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israels ambassador to Mexico, in what would be the latest attempt to take the two countries conflict to another region The United States and Israel on Friday accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israels ambassador to Mexico, in what would be the latest attempt to take the two countries conflict to another region. Israel said that Mexican authorities intervened to stop the attempt to kill the ambassador, Einat Kranz-Neiger. We thank the security and law enforcement services in Mexico for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran that sought to attack Israels ambassador in Mexico, a statement from Israels foreign ministry said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A US official said that the Revolutionary Guards elite Quds Force initiated the plot in late 2024 and that it was disrupted this year. The plot allegedly included recruiting operatives out of Irans embassy in Venezuela, whose leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, has a tactical alliance with Tehran. The plot was contained and does not pose a current threat, the US official said on condition of anonymity. This is just the latest in a long history of Irans global lethal targeting of diplomats, journalists, dissidents and anyone who disagrees with them, something that should deeply worry every country where there is an Iranian presence. The US official did not provide detailed evidence or say how the plot was contained. The Iranian mission to the United Nations declined comment. There was no immediate comment from Mexico. The alleged plot would have taken place after Israel on April 1, 2024 attacked the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, then a close ally of Tehran, killing several top officers of the Revolutionary Guards. That attack prompted vows of revenge by Iran, which fired missiles and drones against Israel. Israel a year later carried out a much more extensive bombing campaign in Iran, which killed more than 1,000 people. The United States, Israels main ally, joined by bombing key sites of Irans contested nuclear program. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Irans cleric-run state has been a critical supporter of Hamas, the armed Palestinian militant group in Gaza that carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel responded with a relentless campaign that has left most of Gaza in rubble and expanded its military offensive across the region, hitting Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar and Yemen. Israeli intelligence has accused the Quds Force of plotting against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas. Australia expelled Irans ambassador over what it said was Iranian involvement in two arson attacks against a synagogue in Melbourne and a kosher restaurant in Sydney. Latin America is not a stranger to violence linked to the Middle East. A bombing at a Jewish center in 1994 in Buenos Aires killed 85 people, with Argentina and Israel saying it was carried out by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at the request of Iran. Iran remains home to a historic Jewish community despite the hostility to Israel by the cleric-run government that took power with the 1979 Islamic revolution. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mexico, also home to a major Jewish community, has recognised Israel since the early days of the states existence. Mexico, which favors non-intervention in international affairs, has taken a more cautious stance on the Gaza war than other leftist-led Latin American countries, backing an investigation into allegations of Israeli war crimes but maintaining diplomatic relations. US President Donald Trump said he would consider giving Hungary a carve-out from sanctions on Russian oil, as Prime Minister Viktor Orban sought to cozy up to his right-wing ally at the White House on Friday. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (C) speaks as US Vice President JD Vance (L) and President Donald Trump (R) look on during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on November 7, 2025. Image- AFP US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would consider granting Hungary an exemption from sanctions on Russian oil imports, during talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House. The meeting marked the pairs first since Trumps return to office in January, as both leaders emphasised their shared stance on nationalism, conservative social policies, and border security. However, Hungarys heavy reliance on Russian energy remains a sticking point between Washington and Budapest. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump acknowledged Hungarys geographic limitations, noting that the landlocked country faces challenges in securing energy supplies from alternative sources. Sure, were looking at it, because its very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas, Trump said. They dont have sea access, they dont have ports, so they have a difficult problem. The visit followed Hungarys offer to host a now-cancelled Ukraine summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US imposed sanctions last month on Russias two largest oil companies amid Trumps growing frustration with Moscows ongoing war in Ukraine. Hungary, one of the Kremlins closest allies within the European Union, remains heavily dependent on Russian oil and gas despite EU efforts to reduce energy reliance on Moscow. Orban, who has often bucked the rest of the European Union on pressuring Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, said that Russian energy was vital for his country. The Hungarian leader said he would explain to Trump the consequences for Hungarian people without Russian oil and gas. Because we are supplied by pipelines. Pipeline is not an ideological or political issue. Its a physical reality because we dont have port(s), Orban said. Orban who was accompanied by a large delegation that includes six ministers said before the meeting that I have to achieve results on the oil sanctions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Experts say the meeting with the US president was expected to give at least a symbolic win to Orban, who faces an unprecedented challenge to his 15-year rule ahead of elections next spring amid economic stagnation. Trump told European Union leaders to show more respect to Orban, who has thumbed his nose at them over migration. I think they should respect Hungary and respect this leader very, very strongly because hes been right on immigration, Trump told reporters. Trump, who has carried out a sweeping crackdown on immigration at home, again alleged a link between migrants and crime, which is not backed up by statistics in the United States. With inputs from agencies Hungarys Viktor Orban to meet Trump in Washington seeking a US sanctions waiver on Russian oil, a potential test of how deep the affinity goes between the two friendly leaders. Read here Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbans visit to Washington on Friday, his first meeting with US President Donald Trump since Trumps return to the White House and the stakes are unusually high. At the top of Orbans agenda: persuading Trump to grant a waiver from US sanctions on Russian oil, a move that could deepen tensions within NATO and signal a dramatic shift in Washingtons post-Ukraine war policy stance. Orban, long one of Europes most Russia-friendly leaders, has spent years cultivating close personal ties with Trump, even endorsing his 2024 re-election bid as early as last year. Their renewed encounter, according to diplomats is being closely watched by European capitals anxious that Trumps White House may realign its transatlantic priorities and ease the pressure on Moscow. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Hungarian leaders goal is clear: secure an exemption allowing Budapest to continue importing Russian crude via the Druzhba pipeline without the threat of secondary US sanctions. Since Washington reimposed energy-related restrictions aimed at throttling Kremlin revenues, Hungary which depends heavily on Russian oil and gas has faced growing friction with both Brussels and Washington. Orban has repeatedly argued that Hungarys energy dependence is a matter of national survival rather than political choice. We cannot heat homes with ideology, he said recently, defending his governments continued dealings with Russian suppliers. Trump, meanwhile, has shown little enthusiasm for maintaining the Biden-era sanctions regime, especially measures that, in his view, hurt American industry and allies more than Russia. The White House meeting thus becomes a test of how Trumps foreign policy will navigate between personal alliances and institutional constraints. His administrations national security officials are reportedly divided: some see Hungary as a strategic weak link in NATOs eastern flank, while others argue that maintaining goodwill with Budapest could help prevent it from drifting further into Moscows orbit. The optics are equally delicate. Orbans illiberal record from restricting media freedom to undermining judicial independence has long made him a pariah in Brussels and a lightning rod in Western debates about democracys global retreat. Yet for Trump, who admires strongman-style leadership and nationalist rhetoric, Orbans brand of politics has often been a model rather than a warning. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trumps advisers, according to AP, are framing the meeting as an exchange between allies, but it also serves as a platform for Orban to reassert his international relevance after years of political isolation within the European Union. He remains the only EU leader to openly criticise Western military aid to Ukraine and to advocate for an immediate ceasefire that would effectively freeze Russian territorial gains. European diplomats fear that if Trump signals openness to Orbans energy plea, it could fracture the already fragile Western consensus on Russia. It would also embolden other countries dependent on Russian oil including some in the Balkans to seek similar carve-outs. A softening of US sanctions could, in practical terms, funnel new revenue streams to Moscow at a time when Ukraines battlefield position is deteriorating. Still, the Hungarian premier may find his friend in the White House less flexible than expected. Analysts note that while Trump has praised Orban as a great leader, the US Congress particularly the Senates bipartisan foreign relations bloc is likely to resist any policy that looks like capitulation to Russian interests. Even within Trumps cabinet-in-waiting, voices advocating for a harder line on sanctions remain influential. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD For Orban, the political calculus is straightforward: aligning with Trump gives him leverage against Brussels and shields him from EU pressure over democratic backsliding. For Trump, however, the calculus is more complicated balancing ideological affinity with geopolitical risk. Granting Orbans request could reinforce his America First credentials among domestic supporters who resent foreign entanglements, but it risks alienating European partners just as Washington seeks to recalibrate its influence on the continent. Ultimately, this meeting is more than a diplomatic courtesy call. It is a signal to Europe, Moscow, and the global oil market about where Trumps foreign policy compass now points. Whether the outcome is a symbolic reaffirmation of friendship or a substantive shift in sanctions enforcement, the implications will ripple far beyond Washington and Budapest. As one senior European diplomat told The Independent, If Trump gives Orban what he wants, it wont just be Hungary celebrating. The Kremlin will be watching closely and smiling. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies Sun Sunday 52 /30 Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the low 30s. Swiss Government Press release Published on 5 November 2025 Bern, 05.11.2025 -- At its meeting on 5 November, the Federal Council approved Switzerland's accession to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Netherlands and Germany on the procurement of and ongoing support for electronic warfare equipment, known as the Sawfish MoU. This allows Switzerland to participate in joint procurements and benefit from an exchange of information with the other two countries and from the experience they have gained in relation to electronic warfare. The Netherlands is conducting a programme for the procurement of tactical systems for electronic warfare (EW), having signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Germany on the joint procurement of tactical EW systems and ongoing support for EW equipment. The MoU stipulates that other partner nations can also join the programme by signing an amendment, and both Switzerland and Denmark now intend to do this. Cooperation can be extended to joint logistics and training Participation in this programme is a step towards increased armaments cooperation with European countries and is therefore in line with the objectives of the Federal Council's armaments strategy. Switzerland can benefit from the exchange of information and experience with the Netherlands, Germany and - if it also joins - Denmark on electronic support. Cooperation can also be extended through programme agreements to cover joint procurement, joint logistics and training . Switzerland remains free to decide where and to what extent it participates in the programme and which systems it will ultimately procure. If it opts for joint procurement, Switzerland could also benefit from economies of scale and more favourable purchase prices. In addition, the open and modular architecture of the Dutch solution would offer scope for Swiss industry to participate. Swiss companies could, for example, participate in the procurement projects for modules or provide integration services for these modules. The MoU allows Switzerland to decide which projects it wishes to participate in on a case-by-case basis. In order to guarantee Switzerland's neutrality, the cooperation agreement also stipulates that Switzerland can withdraw from the programme at any time if any of the programme members become involved in an armed conflict. Electronic warfare EW systems allow the operating country to use the electromagnetic spectrum to carry out operational and defensive activities aimed at monitoring and making use of this spectrum for its own needs, while at the same time preventing the enemy from using the spectrum. The objectives of EW are diverse and range from gathering information and jamming enemy transmissions to 'camouflaging' its users in electromagnetic space. EW comprises three sub-areas: electronic attack (EA), electronic protection (EP) and electronic support (ES). EW has become an essential element in combined arms warfare. At a tactical level, it provides a decisive operational advantage. Swiss Government Press release Published on 5 November 2025 Bern, 05.11.2025 -- At its meeting on 5 November 2025, the FDFA informed the Federal Council of the short-term measures adopted to provide support to the US peace plan for the Middle East. Switzerland is providing technical expertise in the areas of international humanitarian law, disarmament and demining. It will be stepping up its humanitarian aid to Gaza, and also aims to strengthen the Palestinian Authority. To help implement these measures, the FDFA is releasing an additional CHF 20 million in funding. Concrete support for US peace plan and the UN's New York Declaration The US's 20-point plan aims to end the war in Gaza and offer the prospect of lasting peace in the Middle East. It complements the New York Declaration adopted in September 2025 by the UN General Assembly and supported by Switzerland. The declaration commits states to working towards an end to the war, rejecting terrorism, implementing the two-state solution, and supporting regional integration based on international law. There has been significant progress since the beginning of the ceasefire in Gaza on 10 October 2025, notably with the regard to the release of hostages. There has also been a greater inflow of humanitarian aid, though this remains insufficient. The Federal Council welcomes this progress and will help consolidate it by seconding four Swiss specialists to the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), which is led by the US in Kiryat Gat, Israel, and is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the plan. The specialists will contribute expertise in the fields of humanitarian aid, international humanitarian law, disarmament and demining. Through these secondments, Switzerland is actively contributing to the implementation of the plan by providing recognised technical expertise. An additional CHF 10 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza The FDFA will mobilise additional resources to provide targeted support for the stabilisation of the Middle East. It will immediately allocate CHF 10 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza in the form of contributions to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Palestinian Red Crescent (via the Swiss Red Cross). It is also calling for the reopening of the Jordanian humanitarian corridor, which is vital to the delivery of aid to Gaza. These measures are part of Switzerland's long-standing humanitarian commitment in the Middle East, and are in addition to the CHF 127 million already allocated since 7 October 2023. Support for Palestinian institutions and regional dialogue At the same time, Switzerland will contribute to advancing the reforms of the Palestinian Authority, particularly with regard to the judiciary, administration and political rights, in order to reinforce the viability of a future Palestinian state. To that end, it is also supporting the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority, created in September 2025 in New York, and is currently assessing how it can make a concrete contribution. In the spirit of dialogue and reconciliation, the FDFA is also examining the possibility of supporting exchanges between Israelis and Palestinians, in particular on an interfaith level. The FDFA will allocate up to CHF 10 million for these activities. Ranking Member Shaheen, Bipartisan Colleagues Urge Secretary Rubio to Defend U.S. Personnel Targeted by Georgian Dream Government Senate Foreign Relations Committee Published: November 05, 2025 WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Curtis (R-UT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representatives Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Steve Cohen (D-TN) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the Administration to defend former U.S. personnel who have been unfairly targeted by Georgian officials amid a troubling rise in anti-American rhetoric. In the letter, the lawmakers called on Secretary Rubio to seek assurances from Georgian authorities that former United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) and other personnel employed by the United States will not be maligned or targeted. They also requested that the State Department push back forcefully against dangerous falsehoods spread by Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party that have put former U.S. personnel in harm's way. "Georgian authorities, led by Georgian Dream, have repeatedly proclaimed a desire to rebuild the bilateral relationship with the United States, but their continued actions and statements indicate otherwise," wrote the lawmakers. "We urge you to seek assurances from the Georgian government that former United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) and other personnel employed by the United States will not be maligned or targeted." "On October 1, media reported that Head of the State Security Service of Georgia Mamuka Mdinaradze accused the U.S. government of fomenting revolution by providing 'payments' to FSNswhich were actually termination (pension) payments required by Georgian law following the termination of U.S. personnel," continued the lawmakers. "His comments were echoed by Georgian Dream politicians. This mischaracterization is putting FSNs in harm's way. The statements also serve as an important data point: Georgian Dream has demonstrated no serious intent of seeking to improve bilateral relations with the United States." "The United States government depends upon local staff to perform work at the direction of U.S. departments and agencies," concluded the lawmakers. "If we do not defend personnel from attacks by a foreign government, it will limit our ability to recruit personnel and carry out the policy of the United States around the world. We urge you to denounce these attacks and ensure that the State Department pushes back vigorously against the targeting of personnel working on behalf of the United States wherever it may arise." Full text of the letter is available HERE and provided below: Dear Secretary Rubio, We write to urge you to use the tools as your disposal to advocate on behalf of former United States personnel who have been unfairly targeted by Georgian officials in the latest wave of anti-American activity. Georgian authorities, led by Georgian Dream, have repeatedly proclaimed a desire to rebuild the bilateral relationship with the United States, but their continued actions and statements indicate otherwise. We urge you to seek assurances from the Georgian government that former United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Foreign Service Nationals (FSNs) and other personnel employed by the United States will not be maligned or targeted. On October 1, media reported that Head of the State Security Service of Georgia Mamuka Mdinaradze accused the U.S. government of fomenting revolution by providing "payments" to FSNswhich were actually termination (pension) payments required by Georgian law following the termination of U.S. personnel. His comments were echoed by Georgian Dream politicians. This mischaracterization is putting FSNs in harm's way. The statements also serve as an important data point: Georgian Dream has demonstrated no serious intent of seeking to improve bilateral relations with the United States. We welcome the State Department's decision on October 6 to request a meeting with Georgian Ambassador to the United States Tamar Taliashvili to address this matter. We also request that the State Department call on Georgian Dream to formally and publicly recant these dangerous statements. It is important that the Trump Administration addresses this narrative, which poses a danger to U.S. personnel in Georgia and sets a concerning precedent for other foreign governments. It is up to Georgian Dream to pursue a productive bilateral relationship, but FSNs and former U.S. partners must not be exploited as political pawns. The United States government depends upon local staff to perform work at the direction of U.S. departments and agencies. If we do not defend personnel from attacks by a foreign government, it will limit our ability to recruit personnel and carry out the policy of the United States around the world. We urge you to denounce these attacks and ensure that the State Department pushes back vigorously against the targeting of personnel working on behalf of the United States wherever it may arise. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the C5+1 Welcome Reception US Department of State Remarks Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Benjamin Franklin Room Washington, D.C. November 5, 2025 DEPUTY SECRETARY LANDAU: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the State Department. Everyone who's outside, come on in. We've got a lot of people here. This is a big event. We can't be more thrilled than we are tonight. For those of you who don't know me, I am Chris Landau, Deputy Secretary of State. It is an enormous honor for us here at the State Department to welcome this distinguished gathering to our building, to this beautiful Benjamin Franklin Room honoring our nation's first diplomat - even before we were a nation - Benjamin Franklin, who looks over us from down there. And we are thrilled tonight to have the opportunity to welcome our friends from the Central Asian republics - Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, and Uzbekistan - great friends and partners of the United States. One of the real joys of working for President Trump in this administration is that he recognizes that foreign policy isn't just about the same relationships that we have been developing for the last 80 or 100 years. It's a very big world, and there are many important parts of the world that have not had the attention that they deserve. And one of those areas are these Central Asian republics, formerly part of the Soviet Union and now independent for 35 years. The United States - I think it is high time that we are really engaging more actively. So President Trump has asked us to engage more actively. He invited the five presidents here. Special Envoy Gor, who will be speaking in a moment, and I just came back from a trip to the region. Unfortunately we didn't hit all five of the countries, but we hit two of them, and the opportunities are amazing - business opportunities, many ways to partner there. So I just think this is a very exciting time between the United States and these Central Asian republics, and we are so honored and delighted that these five countries have sent their presidents here tonight, their foreign ministers and representatives are with us, and we are deeply honored, gentlemen, that all of you are here. Thank you so much for coming. (Applause.) It is my job tonight not only to welcome all of you to this building, but also to introduce one of our most distinguished friends here in Washington, Senator Jim Risch, who's the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I can say that - with assurance that I would not be here, and as well as my colleagues, if it were not for Senator Risch, who, as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is in charge of confirming us. And thank you, Senator, for getting that done for me and for others. (Applause.) President Trump's foreign policy agenda is really able to flourish because of your efforts on the Hill. So thank you very much, Senator, for everything you've done. The senator is really one of the most distinguished sons of the great state of Idaho. He has a long career in public service starting in the state legislature, then as - I think even before that as a prosecuting attorney, state legislature, governor of the state of Idaho, and now a senator, and again, the lead senator on Foreign Relations. It is such a pleasure for us here in the State Department to work every day with Senator Jim Risch. So Senator Risch, the floor is yours. Thank you so much. (Applause.) SENATOR RISCH: Well, thank you, Chris. I appreciate that very generous introduction. And thank you to Secretary Rubio for having us here today. And of course thank you to the officials from Central Asia, all five of you, for being here today. This is truly a unique occasion. On behalf of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it's an honor to join you here for this historic - truly historic - visit. The world leaders gathered here today come from a difficult neighborhood. We understand. You are great nations caught between powerful countries. Today is an opportunity to deepen our cooperation and ensure that these countries can decide their own destinies. As a volatile Russia and an increasingly aggressive China pursue their own national interests around the globe at the cost of their neighbors, the United States offers Central Asian nations the real opportunity to work with a willing partner while lifting up each other's economies. In support of this effort, I have joined Senator Daines, who is with us tonight - Senator - (applause) - I have joined Senator Daines and my colleagues in introducing a bill this week that paves the way to lifting outdated barriers to increased economic engagement with our C5+1 partners, and that is the repeal of the Jackson-Vanik restrictions. (Applause.) It is fitting that, on the 10th anniversary of the C5+1 diplomatic platform, we are launching a new, exciting era of cooperation between our nations. I'm proud to work with President Trump, Senator Daines, my colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee, and our friends in Central Asia to shape a U.S. foreign policy that pursues and a secure prosperous future for America and our partners. And now, I'd like to introduce a longtime friend, Special Envoy Sergio Gor. Sergio and I worked together quite closely during the first months of the Trump Administration as we filled the posts at State that will help President Trump and Secretary Rubio execute on their vision for American foreign policy. Without the help and commitment from Sergio, we could not have delivered the record number of presidential appointments that we have, all in the face of a difficult playing field. We moved nominees through our committee at a record pace. Thank you, Sergio, for what you did. Sergio is now doing great work as he's undertaking his new role as ambassador to India, but most importantly today - for you - his role as special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs. There's truly no one better suited to forge a strong and lasting relationship between our Central Asian friends and the United States. Sergio, thank you for all you do, and the floor is yours. (Applause.) AMBASSADOR GOR: Chairman Risch is absolutely incredible, and in fact, today, when I got to the White House, I walked into my office and the lights weren't even on, but Chairman Risch was sitting there. (Laughter.) And we - it was - we had a good catchup meeting, but he - I will say he's probably one of the hardest-working chairmans - chairmans that we have in the Senate - two committee hearings a week. And so that's why we've been able to confirm so many of our nominees. Good evening. It's a pleasure to be here with all of you, with such a distinguished group. It's an honor to welcome our distinguished guests - the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan - and to recognize the ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic, who joins us this evening on behalf of his government. We're also pleased to welcome members of Congress, including Chairman Risch, Senator Daines; Representatives Huizenga, Self, and Miller; and so many other friends and partners who have long supported strong engagement between the United States and countries of Central Asia. Your presence tonight reflects the growing breadth of our relationship and our shared vision for a secure, sovereign, and prosperous Central Asia. It also reflects the leadership of the United States in building economic and strategic partnerships that advance our interests, reflect our values, and create opportunities for American workers and businesses. When the President appointed me to be the special envoy for Central Asia, one thing that he emphasized to me is that, in previous administrations, this area of the world did not get the attention that it deserves. And his commitment to this region is that you have a direct line to the White House and that you will get the attention that this area very much so deserves. Just last week, Deputy Secretary Landau and I had the great privilege of visiting Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. It was a hugely successful visit. You'll hear more about it tomorrow as all five heads of state will be visiting the White House. Central Asian hospitality is truly unmatched. Chris and I, I think, will be losing weight for the next few months - the amount of food that we ate. But from the warm welcome, delicious meals, incredible history and culture, my first visit to the region as the President's special envoy was one to be remembered. I look forward to visiting Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic in the near future. During our visit, we saw firsthand the remarkable progress our countries have made in expanding innovation, education, and business ties. We met partners eager to work with American companies that bring high standards, transparency, and real benefits for their people. We also had great discussions around America once again being open for business, and key investment opportunities in the United States. The United States is proud to work with those who seek genuine partnerships based on mutual interests. Tomorrow at the Kennedy Center, our business conference will highlight that cooperation and action. We will see new investments and trade agreements that will create jobs and export opportunities for American firms. These are deals that benefit both sides, grounded in fairness and shared prosperity. They demonstrate what is possible when nations put their own people first while working together towards common goals. President Trump looks very much forward to meeting with the presidents of each country tomorrow to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to peace and prosperity for our six nations. Under his leadership, the United States has pursued a clear, principled foreign policy that defends our interests, promote peace through strength, and builds partnerships that are based on results, not rhetoric. The C5+1 platform remains central to that vision, expanding cooperation on energy, infrastructure, and economic growth that makes America and our partners safer, stronger, and more prosperous. And now it's my absolute honor to introduce our great Secretary of State. When the President and I were filling in these positions, there's thousands of jobs across the government, and I will say there's very few people that have gotten three, four, five, even sometimes six jobs. Rarely has a librarian been elevated to Secretary of State. (Laughter.) However, we have an incredible rock star in Secretary Rubio. One of the - one of the President's favorite lines is that he was born for this job, and having traveled with him around the world, from the Vatican to the Middle East and everywhere in between, I can attest to that. We're lucky to have him, and I think he's delivering for the American people, for the world, and for this administration. It's my honor to welcome my close friend Marco Rubio. (Applause.) SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Welcome. Thank you. Welcome to the State Department, and to our - we don't get to use these spaces very much, except - except when the government's shut down, so they could open it. But it's great. It's an honor to host all of you here, and tomorrow as well. We're going to have great events, and thank you for those kind introductions. Sergio is right: The President does say - and it's a great honor to hear him say it - he says that I was born for this job. The problem is I have three jobs. I don't know which one he's referring to. (Laughter.) So I think he maybe thinks I'm a good archivist. But in any event, it's an honor to be able to serve in this position in this exciting time. I want to make a couple recognitions. First, I do want to thank Ambassador Gor and Deputy Secretary Landau for the trip they took last week. It was important. They spent a substantial amount of time, and I know they look forward to going back to the other countries they were not able to visit. I personally intend to visit in the coming year as well, and I - all five, so I know it'd probably be a week-long or longer trip, so we've got to work on that and make that happen together. I want to give a shout-out and a special recognition to a couple of people. Jim Risch, who is still here, was - is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. (Applause.) But we - Jim and I served together throughout my 14 years and one month in the Senate, and we wound up - for reasons I don't fully understand, we wound up literally being - sitting next to each other on three separate committees. SENATOR RISCH: And the floor. SECRETARY RUBIO: And the floor. So people - they - it wasn't by alphabetical order, and - but we wound up getting very close and remain that way, and I know he's been very helpful in getting us here to get all these positions filled. And I've seen him - I hadn't seen him - I've only seen you three times today, morning in the White House and then earlier today in a briefing, and now here. And one more person I want to recognize, and this is someone that's been talking to me about Central Asia now for almost four years or three years, and that's Senator Daines. Are you still here? There - how many times have you been to the region? (Applause.) SENATOR DAINES: A lot. SECRETARY RUBIO: And how - you've been more than once. I thought he was just trying to score hunting trips. That's what I thought. (Laughter.) But it ended up - he's really become the leading advocate in the United States Senate for closer engagement with all five of your countries, with the entirety of Central Asia, and I think deserves a lot of credit for what's going to happen tomorrow and in the days and weeks to come. It's an exciting time for us as well. I think one of the things that President Trump has made very clear is that he wants American foreign policy to be rooted, based on the national interest of the United States. Ultimately that's how foreign policy works. You have national interests; we have national interests. When does foreign policy work best? It works best when the foreign - the national interest of two countries are aligned. When your national interest and our national interest are aligned - when they're not aligned, that's when you need diplomacy, you need friendships, and so forth. But when they're aligned, that's when we have to pursue those partnerships and create these ties, these deep ties. And I think they're aligned in so many ways. And they don't have to be aligned on every issue, but they're aligned on important ones, including economic development. From our perspective, we are looking for opportunities for American innovation and American business and American products to expand to more markets and more places, because we think that creates stronger ties between countries. From your perspective, you are looking to take the resources - both your people and natural resources that God has blessed your nations with - and turn them into responsible development that allow you to diversify your economies. You don't just want to be a source of energy or a source of minerals; you want to use that responsibly to build out other sectors of your - of your economies so that you provide long-term opportunities for your people and further develop. Our national interests are aligned, and I think tonight's reception, tomorrow's meeting, and some of the things we're going to do together in the months and weeks and - to come are going to further strengthen that. So it's an honor to welcome you all here to the State Department. It'll be an honor to welcome your presidents. I know the President's excited about tomorrow's gathering as well, and I think it's an exciting opportunity and a new era in our relationship in Central Asia, which I think it's been about 10 years since there was a gathering of this kind, so it's been over a decade. So I would say that unfortunately over the last decade there's been sort of a - longer? It's been longer than 10 years? PARTICIPANT: Ten years. SECRETARY RUBIO: Okay. I thought he was saying it was 20 years. Like, oh my gosh, that's even worse. (Laughter.) No, 10 years, but there's been a little bit of neglect, right? We just haven't focused on it, so many things going on in the world. We oftentimes spend so much time focused on crisis and problems - and they deserve attention - that sometimes we don't spend enough time focused on exciting new opportunities. And that's what exists here now: an exciting new opportunity in which the national interests of our respective countries are aligned, we can work on a bilateral basis but also on a regional basis with the United States, and I'm excited to be a part of it and to be the Secretary of State and the National Security Advisor and the archivist at this key moment in our nation's history with each of you. (Laughter.) So I intend to do everything I can from the diplomatic standpoint, I intend to do everything I can from my office at the White House, and I intend to make sure we keep really good records on all of this for the Archives. (Laughter.) So thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you. (Applause.) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Greece: Press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas after the meeting with Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis European External Action Service (EEAS) 06.11.2025 Athens, Greece EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Kalimera, dear Giorgos, Thank you for your hospitality, and it is really great to be here and discuss all these issues you pointed out as well. Greece is a very important country because of your geostrategic position that you have in the Eastern Mediterranean. It is a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, and it is also close to the Black Sea. Greece is a regional actor that can support also peace building initiatives that we talked about today. It also plays a very important role in the ongoing work in the Black Sea strategy. Your support to Ukraine is highly appreciated. Greece is providing diplomatic, financial and military support. We all see that Russia has no genuine interest in engaging with peace talks, and that is why we need to continue with helping Ukraine to defend themselves and putting pressure on Russia. We also need to continue with our transatlantic efforts on accountability and sanctions, as such. Your support there is crucial. Russia only understands strength. That is why the 19th package of sanctions was adopted two weeks ago. But we need to do more to combat Russia's circumvention of sanctions, that we also discussed today. More Russia's revenues come from oil, and this comes from their shadow fleet. So, we can all do more to close down the networks of the shadow fleet as well. It is clear that Europe faces an unprecedented security threat. We need to be able to defend Europe, and we have the capabilities to do so. We have a clear vision, and we have also a clear plan on defence. With the ambitious Defence Readiness Roadmap and concrete objectives to reach that defence readiness by 2030. We have four pan-European flagship projects: Eastern Flank Watch, Drone Defence, Air Shield and Space Shield, and we need to do more to secure peace. We discussed many other worries around our neighbourhood, including Africa. What more can we do together there. I think there is a lot of room where we can play a role. We also discussed Turkiye. The improvement of Greece's relationship with Turkiye is good news. Peaceful settlement of maritime delimitation issue and respect of international law is needed. I just arrived from Cyprus. We had also discussed Cyprus' priorities when it comes to their Presidency. We also discussed the efforts to pave the way to formal settlement talks. Middle East, it was something that we exchanged views on. The EU continues to play an important role. We are still the main financial contributor to humanitarian aid, by far. European Union has also been consistently supporting Palestinian Authority as we are discussing about the two-state solution: we are supporting that. In order for having that, you also need to have Palestinian Authority that is able to provide services. Coming closer to our neighbourhood, we also discussed enlargement. On Tuesday, we presented the Enlargement Report with the Enlargement Commissioner Kos. It is a political priority and a choice. For both of us, this is extremely important that we have success stories. When it comes to the Western Balkans, Moldova and Ukraine, the EU can also be a major security guarantee when they are in the European Union. If we look at the map, this is where they belong, and we have to do our homework. Dear Giorgos, thank you very much for your cooperation, the warm hospitality and the nice weather. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/media/video/I-280238 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Greece: Press remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas ahead the meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis European External Action Service (EEAS) 06.11.2025 Athens, Greece EEAS Press Team Check against delivery! Thank you, dear Kyriakos for having me here and greeting us so warmly. It is great pleasure to be back here. Greece is an important and committed partner of the European Union. You are making vital contributions to Common Foreign Security Policy. For example, the Greek troops that are working for our EU Althea Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Just a few days ago, I was also there because the mandate was extended one year. Then also Greece contributes to the ships to our naval operations in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Your support really helps to keep those waterways open. You are also a staunch supporter of Ukraine, both diplomatically, militarily, financially. It is important because, right now, we see Russia not showing any signs of wanting really peace. Continued support to Ukraine, but also the pressure on Russia, is very important. The new sanctions package, that just was adopted two weeks ago, will increase the pressure on Russia's economy. And we see they are not actually doing well. The sanctions are really working. These are addressing energy, finance and military industrial base to deprive Russia millions of euros to fund its war. And most of the Russia's income really comes from the shadow fleet of dirty tankers and these pose a real threat to our seas as well, when it comes to environmental worries. There are now over 550 ships covered by sanctions, but this has not killed the business model yet. I know that this is also something that we need to discuss further, how we can really increase the cost for the Russians to sail their shadow fleet and not really affect our ships here. Also, like you mentioned, our own defence is very important. Greece has been investing 2% for quite some time, but unfortunately, not all the European Member States have. We need to do more collectively. We must close the capability gaps, we must increase investments in defence, and also boost our own defence industry and strengthen support for Ukraine as well. And this is always what I say, that defence is not an alternative to prosperity, but actually it is a precondition. And here you know this very well. We will definitely also discuss your neighbourhood. You mentioned Western Balkans. I think enlargement is extremely important, and I think we can really make tangible progress there. We also discussed Turkiye and the improvement of Greece-Turkiye relations is good news for the stability of the Eastern Mediterranean. And, as you are in a very important geostrategic position, it is a bridge between Middle Eastern and Europe, also close to the Black Sea, so, definitely, all these regions need to boost security, resilience, connectivity also with those regions - on energy, transport, environmental protection, and you play an important role here. Thank you once again for having us and looking forward to our discussions. Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-280237 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address U.S. federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP food assistance by Friday Xinhua) 13:51, November 07, 2025 WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November by Friday amid the ongoing government shutdown. "People have gone without for too long; not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable," said John McConnell, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. On Friday, McConnell said that the Agriculture Department must fund SNAP with a contingency fund "as soon as possible." On Monday, the department said that a total of 4.65 billion U.S. dollars in a contingency fund will be used for November SNAP benefits, which could cover 50 percent of eligible households' current allotments. On Tuesday, however, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that SNAP will not be funded until the government reopens, blaming the "Radical Left Democrats" for shutting down the government. In his latest order on Thursday, McConnell criticized the Trump administration for only making a partial payment and also rebuked the president for stating "his intent to defy" a court order. In a separate court filing on Thursday, Justice Department attorneys said they plan to appeal both Thursday's ruling and McConnell's earlier order mandating SNAP funding. The longest government shutdown in U.S. history has entered its sixth week as the budget impasse in Congress continues. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media platform X on Wednesday that "Trump's continued weaponization of hunger is heartless and vile," after writing a day earlier that the Republican president was treating hungry Americans as "political pawns" during the government shutdown. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Kony case: ICC Pre-Trial Chamber III confirms the charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity; accused still at large International Criminal Court (ICC) / Cour penale internationale (CPI) Press Release: 6 November 2025 On 6 November 2025, Pre-Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court ("ICC" or "Court") issued a decision confirming all the 39 charges brought by the Prosecutor in the case The Prosecutor v. Joseph Kony and committed Mr Kony to trial before a Trial Chamber. Although the charges are confirmed, this trial would require Mr Kony to be present before the ICC as trials cannot be held in the suspect's absence, according to the ICC Rome Statute, the Court's founding treaty. Pre-Trial Chamber III, composed of Judge Althea Violet Alexis-Windsor (Presiding Judge), Judge Iulia Antoanella Motoc and Judge Haykel Ben Mahfoudh, found that there are substantial grounds to believe that Mr Kony is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity, allegedly committed between at least 1 July 2002 and 31 December 2005 in northern Uganda. Joseph Kony, a national of Uganda, is the founder and leader of the Lord's Resistance Army ("LRA"). From at least 1 July 2002 until 31 December 2005, a protracted armed conflict not of an international character was ongoing in northern Uganda, including in the Acholi, Lango, and Teso areas. At all material times, the parties to the armed conflict were the LRA on one side and the Uganda People's Defence Force ("UPDF") and associated local armed units, on the other side. The armed hostilities were protracted and exceeded, in intensity, internal disturbances and tensions, such as riots, and isolated and sporadic acts of violence. Furthermore, the LRA carried out a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population of northern Uganda. Mr Kony and other members of the LRA had an agreement to attack civilians in northern Uganda whom the LRA perceived to be supporting the Ugandan government, and to sustain the LRA, by committing the charged crimes, including systemic crimes against children and women abducted and integrated into the LRA. The Chamber found substantial grounds to believe that Mr Kony is responsible for 29 charges as an indirect co-perpetrator or, alternatively, for having ordered and induced the commission of crimes committed by the LRA during attacks on a school and internally displaced persons' camps, as well as systemic crimes committed against children and women abducted and forcefully integrated into the LRA. These crimes include the crimes against humanity of murder and attempted murder, torture or alternatively severe abuse and mistreatment as an inhumane act, enslavement, forced marriage as an inhumane act, forced pregnancy, rape, persecution on political grounds, age and gender grounds; and the war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population, murder and attempted murder, torture or alternatively cruel treatment, rape, conscripting children under the age of 15 into the LRA and using children to participate actively in hostilities, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy, pillaging, and destroying the enemy's property. The Chamber also found substantial grounds to believe that Mr Kony is responsible as a direct perpetrator for 10 charges against two victims, including the crimes against humanity of enslavement, forced marriage as an inhumane act, rape, forced pregnancy, torture, persecution on age and gender grounds; and the war crimes of rape, torture, sexual slavery, forced pregnancy. The Chamber rejected the Defence's request for a conditional stay of the proceedings. The Defence and the Prosecutor cannot immediately appeal this decision, since the Chamber decided that the time limit for filing an application for a leave to appeal shall be suspended until Mr Kony is notified of the decision upon his surrender to the Court. Decision on the confirmation of charges in absentia against Joseph Kony pursuant to articles 61(2)(b) and 61(7) of the Rome Statute Background: The Warrant of Arrest for Joseph Kony was issued under seal on 8 July 2005, amended on 27 September 2005 and unsealed on 13 October 2005. On 12 December 2024, ICC Pre-Trial Chamber III scheduled the confirmation of charges hearing to commence on 9 September 2025, in the absence of the suspect. On 3 June 2025, the Appeals Chamber confirmed the decision on the criteria for holding confirmation of charges proceedings in absentia. The confirmation of charges hearing took place on 9 and 10 September 2025 at the seat of the Court in The Hague. The hearing was held in the absence of the suspect, who was represented by Defence Counsel Peter Haynes, KC. For further information on this case, check here NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The President of Lithuania spoke by telephone with the President of Moldova President of the Republic of Lithuania November 06, 2025 On Thursday, President Gitanas Nauseda spoke with Moldovan President Maia Sandu by telephone. The Lithuanian President congratulated Moldova on the positive assessment of the country's progress towards European Union membership presented in the European Commission's enlargement report. President Nauseda emphasized that the Moldovan people have clearly chosen a European path despite external challenges, and that their determination to implement the necessary reforms - particularly in strengthening the judicial system, the rule of law, and the fight against corruption - provides a solid foundation for further progress. The President stressed that Lithuania will continue to support the European integration processes of Moldova and Ukraine, seeking to achieve as much progress as possible by the end of this year: "Membership in the European Union is a geopolitical necessity for Moldova and Ukraine, so we must maintain the pace of reforms and seek solutions that will allow us to move forward," the President said. According to the Lithuanian President, the membership processes of Moldova and Ukraine must remain linked: "We must maintain a united and principled position on the membership prospects of both countries. It is important to work together to ensure that no Member State blocks this process," said the President. Further bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and Moldova was also discussed during the conversation. The Lithuanian leader invited the Moldovan President to pay an official visit to Lithuania next year. The President's Communication Group NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Italian Navy leads NATO maritime presence in the Mediterranean to strengthen security and regional cooperation NATO Allied Maritime Command Nov 6 2025 Taranto, Italy -- Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) has launched a new operational phase in the Mediterranean Sea, departing Taranto after a scheduled port visit. As one of NATO's four permanent multinational maritime task groups, SNMG2 forms a vital element of the Allied Reaction Force (ARF), maintaining a continuous and ready Allied presence in the region. It operates under NATO's Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), based in Northwood, UK, and provides the Alliance with an immediately available, high-readiness maritime capability to respond rapidly to crises or emerging threats. Since 4 July, command of SNMG2 has been held by the Italian Navy, under Rear Admiral Francesco Iavazzo, supported by an international staff of officers from Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain, Turkiye and the United Kingdom. The group currently comprises the Italian flagship ITS Carlo Bergamini, the Canadian frigate HMCS St. John's, and the Spanish Logistic Support Ship ESPS Cantabria. SNMG2 is deployed in the Mediterranean, where it contributes to maintaining maritime security, ensuring freedom of navigation, and upholding stability in a region of vital strategic and economic importance to the Alliance. NATO's maritime presence also serves to strengthen cooperation with regional partners and to enhance maritime domain awareness across the Mediterranean basin. Commenting upon departure from Taranto, Rear Admiral Iavazzo emphasised that the group's activity at sea demonstrates NATO's capability to operate as one integrated multinational force. In recent months, SNMG2 has conducted several patrols and multinational exercises, while deepening NATO's network of partnerships with countries in North Africa. A recent port visit to Alexandria, Egypt, highlighted NATO's long-standing partnership with Egypt, a key member of the Mediterranean Dialogue. This cooperation forum, launched in 1994, brings together seven non-NATO countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia) with the goal of promoting security, stability, and mutual understanding across the Mediterranean region. "Partnerships matter," Rear Admiral Iavazzo said. "Egypt's regional experience and security expertise make it a valuable partner. Stability, security and cooperation in the Mediterranean are in everyone's interest. We want the Med to remain an area of stability and prosperity." Through the Mediterranean Dialogue, NATO fosters political dialogue and practical cooperation with its regional partners. The initiative supports partners in developing defence capabilities, enhancing interoperability with Allied forces, and strengthening national security and defence institutions. Built on principles of non-discrimination, self-differentiation, mutual engagement, and complementarity with other regional efforts, the Dialogue remains a cornerstone of NATO's partnership approach in the Mediterranean. NATO's continuous maritime presence in the Mediterranean stands as a tangible symbol of Allied unity and deterrence, ensuring that the vital sea lanes linking Europe, Africa and the Middle East remain safe, open and secure. "The Mediterranean is a lifeline for the economic prosperity of the Allied nations and for Euro-Atlantic stability," Iavazzo concluded. "The security of these waters and the security of Europe are inseparable - by protecting one, we protect both." Standing NATO Maritime Groups operate under the operational control of Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), the central hub for maritime security coordination within the Alliance. Together, these forces provide a continuous and credible presence at sea, ensuring that NATO remains ready and able to respond to evolving maritime challenges. Story by Public Affairs Office at MARCOM NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NATO Secretary General visits Romania NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 06 Nov. 2025 On 5 and 6 November 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Romania. He met the President of Romania, Nicusor Dan, on Wednesday (5 November). In a joint press conference following their meeting, the Secretary General thanked Romania for its contributions to Alliance defence and security, including leadership in the context of Black Sea security. He also praised Romania for its commitment to increasing defence spending and its support for Ukraine. "Romania is invested in NATO - and, let me be clear, NATO is invested in Romania," the Secretary General said. He later met with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and other senior national representatives. On Thursday (6 November), the Secretary General addressed the NATO-Industry Forum, NATO's premier outreach event with industry. Entitled "Rearming NATO - Innovate, Accelerate, Sustain," the conference brought together senior NATO civilian and military leaders, national policymakers, and executives from across the defence, security and deep-tech industries. It built on the decisions taken by Allies at the NATO Summit in The Hague in June with the aim to help strengthen NATO's cooperation with defence industry and foster defence industry readiness to meet Allies' needs. "There simply is no strong defence without a strong defence industry," the Secretary General stressed, emphasising that cooperation with industry is key as Allies increase defence investment to 5% GDP by 2035 and ramp up defence industrial production. "We are now turning these decisions into action, and for this, we need you," he said. "Russia will remain a destabilizing force in Europe and the world," he cautioned, including through cooperation with countries such as China, Iran and North Korea that are "preparing for long term confrontation," the Secretary General said. "We cannot be naive. We must be prepared," he warned, expressing confidence in the ability of NATO and industry "to out-gun, out-produce and out-smart those that seek to harm or diminish us". Accelerating and expanding defence production, while leveraging innovation and strengthening cooperation, including with like-minded partners, will drive Allies' efforts. The Secretary General called on industry to "be ready to step up supply, expand existing production lines and open new ones," assuring them of NATO's commitment to expedite procurement and support innovation. After the Forum, the Secretary General met with students at the University of Bucharest, with whom he discussed current and future security challenges and how NATO is addressing them. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan envoy: ASEAN-China sea code must uphold rights of non-parties Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora November 6, 2025, 7:39 pm MANILA -- Japan has called for a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea that is both substantive and respectful of the rights of nations not directly involved in the dispute. "We believe that the COC should be effective, substantive, and consistent with the UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea)," Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya said during a panel discussion at the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea in Taguig City on Thursday. He said "it would be very important for the COC to respect the legitimate rights and interests of all stakeholders involved." While Japan is not a party to the COC negotiations, Endo said the situation in the South China Sea is "directly related" to the peace and stability of the region. The proposed COC hopes to build on the 2002 Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea and seeks to provide a set of rules to manage tension in the South China Sea. As the 2026 chair of ASEAN, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the Philippines will advance the COC discussions toward its conclusion next year. Several coastal states, including the Philippines and China, are locked in a maritime dispute over the South China Sea. Over the past year, countries such as Japan have called out Beijing over its increasingly aggressive actions to assert its claims over the vital sea lane. ASEAN 2025 Chair and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim earlier said ASEAN wants the South China Sea issue to be resolved internally, "within ASEAN and with regional partners" and noted "things are still under control" as far as the bloc is concerned. "[A]s is the case with all issues, we want it to be resolved within ASEAN, and ASEAN with our partners in the region [sic] because the moment it's seen to be imposed and dictated by outside forces, things become more problematic and tense," he said. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Canada expected to send 3rd largest contingent in Balikatan 2026 Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora November 6, 2025, 7:14 pm MANILA -- Canada is expected to become the third largest participant in the upcoming 2026 Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines, with the Status of Visiting Forces Agreement (SOVFA) finally signed, Canadian Ambassador David Hartman said on Thursday. "Canada expects to be the third largest participant in Balikatan next year. So, we have had a whole series, leading up to the signature of SOVFA, of military planners here in the Philippines, engaging with the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines)," he said. In an interview on the sidelines of the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea in Taguig City, the envoy said these increased engagements reflect the "scale and scope" of the continuously deepening defense relations between the two states. Canada has participated as an observer in the previous Balikatan exercises. In its 2026 iteration, Balikatan is expected to include more than 500 joint military activities ranging from large-scale exercises and smaller subject matter expert exchanges. The SOVFA, Hartman said, will also pave the way for Canada's sustained participation in the joint maritime cooperation activities in the West Philippine Sea. "You'll see the progress on this visiting forces agreement kick off very quickly. Canada is committed in a very significant and robust way," Hartman said. Formal negotiations for the Philippine-Canada SOVFA started on Jan. 16 and concluded on March 7. The deal, formally signed on Nov. 2, will enter into force once endorsed and ratified by the Senate. "In our system, it's already been signed by our Governor General through an order in Council. So, it gets publicized and it'll sit in our public debate for 21 days in our parliament, and then it's in effect from our vantage," Hartman said. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Top PH, US defense leaders explore ways to boost cooperation Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno November 6, 2025, 5:41 pm MANILA -- The highest-ranking official in the United States military has met with the top Philippine defense and military officials to discuss ways to further boost the defense cooperation between the two nations. US Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Dan Caine on Wednesday separately met with Department of Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Romeo Brawner Jr. during a courtesy call in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. In a statement on Thursday, the AFP said Caine and Brawner "explored avenues to strengthen cooperation and further operationalize their shared strategic defense objectives." Brawner expressed the Philippines' gratitude for the US's support in humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations during periods of calamities. Meanwhile, Caine and Teodoro discussed the "progress of the alliance and explored ways to further operationalize bilateral strategic defense objectives," a DND statement said on Wednesday. "Among the topics covered were operationalizing multilateral cooperation with regional partners, expanding cooperation and information sharing to deepen interoperability between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and US military forces, and exploring ways to enhance Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) efforts in view of Typhoon Tino," it added. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PH transparency drive in WPS for raising global awareness lauded Philippine News Agency By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora November 6, 2025, 4:38 pm MANILA -- The Philippine government's transparency initiative in the West Philippine Sea is effectively raising international awareness among Europeans, particularly about the situation in the South China Sea, French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel said on Thursday. Speaking at the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea held in Taguig City, Fontanel said the heightened attention the region is receiving has helped the French government advance its efforts to strengthen security cooperation with the Philippines. "It has achieved a lot already we talk, not only here, but seen from a European perspective, the public opinion has really started knowing more about what's going on," she said. "The public opinion is really focused about our domestic issues and also about the war in Ukraine, which is top priority. But we have seen, thanks to the media, a lot of journalists getting more and more interested in the South China Sea." Fontanel said this growing awareness among Europeans significantly bolsters France's ongoing efforts to deepen and expand its partnership with Manila. Under the Marcos administration, the Philippine government has pursued a policy of "assertive transparency" in the West Philippine Sea by exposing China's aggressive actions within the country's maritime zones. The initiative allows key government agencies to publicize information and critical developments taking place in the area promptly. The latest OCTA Research survey, commissioned by the We Protect our Seas (WPS) Foundation, showed that 80 percent of Filipinos want to sustain the transparency initiative and agreed that the government must "keep rapidly and truthfully exposing China's coercion of Filipino vessels and fishermen." WPS Foundation President Jeffrey Ordaniel earlier said transparency is more than a communication strategy but a practical means to counter Beijing's unlawful activities. He said it helps combat disinformation, demonstrates the Philippines' non-acquiescence to China's claims, and shapes global opinion against the use of force or coercion in territorial disputes. "[This enables] our allies and partners to offer supportdiplomatic and in terms of capacity-building. After all, if the Philippines were to remain silent in the face of such provocations, it would weaken the moral and political basis for others to speak out in our defense, let alone extend tangible support," Ordaniel said. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PAF Black Hawks remain fully responsive to disaster relief ops -spox Philippine News Agency By Priam Nepomuceno November 6, 2025, 3:42 pm MANILA -- The Philippine Air Force's (PAF) fleet of Black Hawk helicopters remains "fully responsive" to the ongoing humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations despite Wednesday's incident in Southern Leyte. In a statement on Thursday, PAF spokesperson Col. Ma. Christina Basco said this reflects the service's "steadfast commitment to upholding the highest standards of flight safety and operational readiness." "This as the PAF continues to provide timely and effective air support in the service of the Filipino people," she said. On Wednesday, one of PAF's Black Hawk helicopters was forced to make a precautionary landing in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, due to fluctuating temperature in one of its two engines. The aircraft was performing Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) operations following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino in the Visayas when it encountered the problem. Nobody was reported hurt in the incident. Basco said the helicopter has been flown back to Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, where it will undergo "comprehensive inspection and evaluation." PAF has a fleet of around 35 Black Hawk helicopters. Wednesday's incident occurred a day after a PAF Super Huey helicopter crashed in Agusan del Sur while conducting HADR operation in the wake of Typhoon Tino, killing its two pilots and four aircrew members. (PNA) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hamas slams Israeli evacuation orders for Negev region Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 9:32 PM Hamas has strongly condemned a move by an Israeli far-right minister, who personally delivered demolition and evacuation orders to Palestinian Bedouin families in the Negev region. In a highly provocative move, extremist Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir personally delivered demolition and evacuation orders to Bedouin families in the Negev region, igniting widespread condemnation. Hamas, in response, said on Thursday that Ben-Gvir's brazen move is a clear example of the organized terrorism and arrogance pursued by the Israeli regime. Hamas called upon the broader community and local organizations to rally in solidarity with Bedouin residents in the Naqab and other areas impacted by these policies. The movement added that Israel's bullying of the civilian Bedouin communities, and threatening them with losing their homes, is another link in the chain of systematic abuse and racial discrimination by Israel against Palestinians. It added that the move also proves that the Tel Aviv regime is a sponsor of extremism and repression in all its forms. Hamas warned about the consequences of Israel's continued repressive and fascist policies. It urged the international community and rights groups to intervene immediately to deter the regime from proceeding with its plans for demolition and displacement of Palestinians' homes. Meantime, Israeli forces continue to demolish Palestinian homes in Gaza despite the truce between the fighting sides. Since October 2023, Israeli shelling and airstrikes have continued to level Palestinian homes, hospitals, and water networks all across Gaza, leaving the Palestinian territories' infrastructure in ruins. Also, Palestinians in Gaza still face severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and other essential supplies due to Israeli forces keeping crossings closed and imposing restrictions on what enters the Strip. Gaza's Health Ministry puts the death toll of the Israeli genocidal war at over 68,875. The US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on 10 October. However, the Israelis have committed more than 200 violations of the ceasefire agreement, according to the director of Gaza's Government Media Office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Southern Lebanese defy intensified Israeli strikes, echo Hezbollah's pledge to resist Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 7:46 PM Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon after Hezbollah rejected calls to disarm as political extortion, but residents in the targeted areas said they would remain in their homes and rebuild despite the escalating aggression. Local media reports said several areas in southern Lebanon were bombed Thursday, including the villages of Taybeh and Aita al-Jabal, near the Lebanese border. The Israeli occupation forces issued evacuation orders for several southern Lebanese villages and towns. A lumber factory between the towns of Tura and Abbasiya was struck, with at least one person reported dead in the attack. Lebanon's National News Agency confirmed new Israeli raids near the towns of Toura and Aabbasiyyeh in the Tyre area, and in the southern region of Taybeh. A health ministry statement said casualties were reported in the attack targeting the Tyre district. Local media also reported an Israeli warplane flying at a low altitude over Beirut's southern suburbs. Along Lebanon's border with the Israeli-occupied territories, the regime has continued demolitions and attacks despite a ceasefire in the war with the Hezbollah resistance movement last year. Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue in violation of a US-brokered truce in November 2024. Farid Nanoo, the mayor of Tayr Debba municipality in the Tyre District, said in an interview with the Lebanese-based al-Mayadeen news network that the relentless Israeli strikes had "failed to scare the local population." "The enemy has not understood until this moment that his attacks and strikes do not scare our people and we will remain in our land," Debba said. He denied reports that the relentless Israeli strikes had driven residents to flee the region. "Contrary to the claims of Western media reports, no one from our town or neighboring regions has left their homes," he said. Nanoo said that workers in close coordination with residents had now "started the debris removal operation and the electricity and communication system will be connected in the coming hours." Hezbollah, in a statement on Thursday, vowed to defend itself against Israeli aggression. "We reaffirm our legitimate right to defend ourselves against an enemy that imposes war on our country," the statement read. "We affirm our legitimate right to resist occupation and aggression and to stand by our army and our people to protect the sovereignty of our country," it said. The movement also issued a firm rejection of any political negotiations with Israel, saying such talks would "not serve the national interest." Hezbollah stated that while Lebanon is bound by a ceasefire, it is not obligated to be drawn into political negotiations with Israel. In a letter to the Lebanese administration, Hezbollah has already rejected any notion of disarmament as part of the November 2024 ceasefire deal with Israel, calling such demands unacceptable. Hezbollah stressed it will not bow to Israel's "blackmail and extortion." The development comes following the expansion of the Western media intimidation maneuvers of the Zionists against Lebanon, at the same time as the political pressures of the United States to bring Beirut to direct negotiations with the Israeli regime. Speaking at a recent Manama Dialogue Forum in Bahrain, Tom Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria, claimed that regional stability depends on the disarmament of Hezbollah's military power and advancing border discussions with Israel. Barrack's call for Hezbollah's disarmament came as the Israeli regime has, over the past years, repeatedly violated Lebanon's sovereignty through airstrikes, drone incursions, and cross-border attacks. Israel was forced to accept a ceasefire with Hezbollah on November 27, 2024, after suffering heavy losses on the battlefield and failing to achieve its goals despite killing over 4,000 people in Lebanon. Since then, the Israeli military has kept attacking Lebanon on an almost daily basis and has refused to withdraw its occupation troops from the Arab country. The Israeli occupation forces remain positioned at five locations inside Lebanese territory and continue to shell parts of southern and eastern Lebanon, and Beirut's southern suburbs. The Israeli aggression has, since the November ceasefire, killed about 300 people and wounded more than 650, including women and children, according to the Lebanese government data. Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem criticized on Friday the US role in Lebanon, slamming Washington as a sponsor of aggression rather than an impartial mediator. The US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on 10 October. However, the Israelis have committed more than 200 violations of the ceasefire agreement, according to the director of Gaza's Government Media Office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sudanese army rejects US ceasefire proposal, pledges to crush RSF amid escalating humanitarian crisis Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 7:08 PM The Sudanese army has rejected a US proposal for a ceasefire, vowing instead to intensify its fight against the so-called Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country's paramilitary group that now control much of western Sudan. In a statement on Thursday, the Sudanese army announced its rejection of a US-sponsored ceasefire initiative, declaring its intention to mobilize public support to defeat the RSF militia, as the country sinks deeper into what rights groups call the world's largest humanitarian crisis. The decision came after an emergency meeting of the Military Defense Council chaired by army chief and Sovereignty Council President General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, vowing to crush the RSF elements through a general mobilization campaign. "The council has decided to rally the Sudanese people behind the armed forces to eliminate the rebel militias as part of the general mobilization and the state's efforts to end this rebellion," al-Burhan said, reaffirming the army's determination to secure Sudan's borders He added that what he termed the "campaign led by the countries of aggression and arrogance" against Sudan and its army "will break, and the people will triumph," adding, "We are moving towards a near and imminent victory." Al-Burhan also promised an "imminent victory," insisting that those fighting for the people "will not be defeated." His remarks came just days after the RSF seized El Fasher, the army's last stronghold in West Darfur, sparking reports of massacres and the mass exodus of civilians toward northern and western Darfur. Since the war erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, tens of thousands of civilians have been killed and roughly 13 million displaced, with the RSF now in control of nearly all five states of the Darfur region. Currently, the army maintains dominance over most of the remaining 13 states, including the capital, Khartoum, as the bloody conflict has fractured the African country, destroyed infrastructure, and paralyzed humanitarian aid efforts. Amnesty International has already warned that Sudan has become "the largest humanitarian crisis the world is experiencing today." The rights group also reported that the RSF is committing house-to-house killings and other brutal assaults, with over 12 million people displaced and 14 million children in urgent need of assistance to survive. RSF agrees to US-led humanitarian truce Separately on Thursday, the RSF announced that it had accepted a truce proposed by the US-led mediator group, also known as the Quad, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). "The Rapid Support Forces also looks forward to implementing the agreement and immediately commencing discussions on the arrangements for a cessation of hostilities and the fundamental principles guiding the political process in Sudan, in a manner that addresses the root causes of the conflicts, ends the suffering of the Sudanese people," the RSF statement read. The agreement comes more than a week after the RSF captured El Fasher, the last military stronghold in Darfur, which had been under siege for 18 months. The US-led plan would start with a three-month humanitarian truce followed by a nine-month political process. This is while Sudanese army officials say they will only agree if the RSF withdraws from civilian areas and relinquishes weapons, as per prior proposals. The humanitarian situation in Sudan remains dire. More than 70,000 people fled El Fasher in a single week after RSF attacks, which included house-to-house killings, sexual assaults, and the massacre of more than 450 people at a hospital. Displaced families are arriving at overcrowded camps, with resources stretched dangerously thin, with Islamic Relief reporting that 83 percent of families in eastern and western Sudan lack sufficient food. Doctors and aid groups warn that the massive influx is straining community kitchens and healthcare services, and many of those fleeing endured harrowing journeys on foot, particularly women and children, with survivors recounting extreme violence, drone strikes, and near-starvation during the escape. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Gaza officials warn thousands still buried under rubble, urge intl. intervention Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 6:53 PM Gaza officials have warned that the bodies of more than 10,000 Palestinians remain buried beneath the rubble of buildings destroyed during Israeli bombardments, urging immediate international intervention to assist recovery efforts. Gaza's National Committee for Missing Persons said in a statement on Thursday that the "humanitarian situation in Gaza requires urgent intervention to end the suffering of thousands of families waiting to know the fate of their children." It called for the immediate entry of international rescue teams and heavy equipment to help retrieve the trapped and missing. The committee condemned Israel's ongoing restrictions on vital rescue machinery as "clear violation of international humanitarian law," and appealed to the global community "to act swiftly to save lives and uphold human dignity." Only 28 percent of the required number of aid trucks have entered the Gaza Strip since the US "peace plan" was announced, according to Gaza's Government Media Office. The office said in a statement on Thursday that Israel is carrying out "its policy of strangulation". The occupation, it said, allows the entry of larger quantities of "nutritionally worthless goods such as soft drinks, chocolate, processed meals, and chips, which reach the markets at prices more than 15 times their real value due to the occupation's control over supply chains." This, the office said, confirms Israel's "reliance on a policy of engineering starvation, controlling food security, and directly targeting civilian lives." Officials said that the shortage of specialized rescue equipment has made it nearly impossible to continue searching for the thousands of victims still trapped beneath the ruins. Meanwhile, Israel has continued violating the ceasefire as its forces have killed more than 200 Palestinians since the truce went into effect. Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, said it had lost contact with its resistance fighters in Rafah, which was largely destroyed and taken over by Israeli forces during the genocide. Approximately 200 Palestinian resistance fighters are thought to remain trapped within the city's underground tunnel network. Israeli extremist finance minister Bezalel Smotrich claimed this week that Israel is "close to killing" the 200 trapped resistance fighters, after reports indicated Tel Aviv had rejected proposals for their safe passage. Reports also suggest that the United States is attempting to persuade Israel to allow the fighters to surrender their weapons to a third party Egypt, Qatar, or Turkey in exchange for amnesty. A US official told Axios that Israel "needs to grow up" and not let a "tactical" issue undermine the Gaza ceasefire agreement. Since October 2023, Israeli shelling and airstrikes have continued to level Palestinian homes, hospitals, and water networks all across Gaza, leaving the Palestinian territories' infrastructure in ruins. Gaza's Health Ministry puts the death toll of the Israeli genocidal war at over 68,875. The US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on 10 October. However, the Israelis have committed more than 200 violations of the ceasefire agreement, according to the director of Gaza's Government Media Office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israeli genocide left 288,000 Palestinian families homeless: Gaza authorities Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 11:01 AM Officials have said the Israeli regime left 288,000 Palestinian families homeless in its trail of destruction across the Gaza Strip. An estimated 268,000 Palestinian houses have been destroyed by the Israeli war, Gaza's Government Media Office announced on Thursday. The Media Office said 288,000 Gaza families have been left homeless due to losing their homes in the Israeli assault. It added that there is presently a "severe housing crisis" in Gaza due to the shortage of homes. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says Palestinians face the worst displacement in decades. UNRWA estimates that around 81 percent of all structures in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, Meantime, Israeli forces continue to demolish Palestinian homes in Gaza despite the truce between the fighting sides. Since October 2023, Israeli shelling and airstrikes have continued to level Palestinian homes, hospitals, and water networks all across Gaza, leaving the Palestinian territories' infrastructure in ruins. Also, Palestinians in Gaza still face severe shortages of food, water, medicine, and other essential supplies due to Israeli forces keeping crossings closed and imposing restrictions on what enters the Strip. Gaza's Health Ministry puts the death toll of the Israeli genocidal war at over 68,875. The US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on 10 October. However, the Israelis have committed more than 200 violations of the ceasefire agreement, according to the director of Gaza's Government Media Office. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Investigation links top UAE official to firm recruiting foreign mercenaries for Sudan's RSF Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 10:58 AM A new investigation shows that a senior Emirati official is linked to a firm supplying Colombian mercenaries to the so-called Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, revealing further evidence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s covert military role in the African country's bloody conflict. Published on Wednesday, a new investigation by The Sentry, a research organization that tracks corruption, detailed how Ahmed Mohamed Al Humairi, the Secretary General of the UAE Presidential Court, founded and previously owned a security company that is now supplying Colombian militants to the RSF in Sudan. The report - titled "Sudan Mercenaries Linked to Business Partner of Top UAE Bureaucrat" - further said that the company in questionGlobal Security Services Group (GSSG)is operated by Mohamed Hamdan Al Zaabi, an Emirati businessman and close associate of Al Humairi. Although Al Humairi publicly divested his shares, he remains closely connected to the company's current CEO, suggesting sustained influence. "This connection to a senior Emirati government officialwho holds a position equivalent to the White House chief of staffis further evidence of the high-level linkages between the UAE and the RSF, which has been accused of committing genocide in Sudan," the investigative report added. The report further revealed how Colombia's ex-soldiersrecruited by former Colombian army officer Alvaro Quijanohave been active in Darfur, alongside the RSF, training its forces (including child soldiers), and even receiving drone training in Abu Dhabi and rotating through a UAE-controlled base in Somalia. "GSSG's role in providing Colombian fighters to serve in Darfur is part of a wider trend in the UAE, where foreign soldiers play significant roles. First, like the French Foreign Legion, the UAE recruits foreigners into its own armed forces... In addition, the UAE has been known to deploy fully formed mercenary units to fight overseas on its behalf," the report noted. The Sentry also outlined a number of reasons behind the UAE's support for the RSF, including economic interests tied to Sudan's gold trade that flows into Dubai, as well as the RSF's usefulness as a low-cost source of mercenaries deployable in other regional conflicts. The RSF's recent takeover of El Fasher, during which thousands of civilians were killed in a matter of days, has sharply increased global attention to the UAE's role in the violence. Guided by its top leadership, the UAE has emerged as the key foreign supporter of the RSF, supplying the militia with the funding and military resources needed to sustain what has been described as a campaign of ethnic cleansing. The support is apparently not a passive endeavor but an active and deliberate strategy to achieve the UAE's geopolitical and economic objectives in the Horn of Africa, with Sudan's vast gold reserves and strategic Red Sea coastline being key prizes. The UAE's involvement is so integral that Sudan filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing the nation of being the driving force behind the genocide and violating the Genocide Convention through its support for the RSF. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Hezbollah will never negotiate with Israel that only knows language of force: MP Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 10:37 AM A Lebanese lawmaker says the Hezbollah resistance movement will not engage in negotiations with Israel under any circumstances, stressing that the occupying regime only knows the language of force. "The mechanism of the ceasefire agreement reached last year was a kind of indirect negotiation through mediators," said Ihab Hamadeh, a member of Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc - the political wing of Hezbollah in the Lebanese parliament - on Wednesday evening. "Given such a fact, the assumption that Lebanon has officially agreed with all its institutions to direct negotiations with the Zionist regime and is set to push the matter to the limit of [any possible] negotiation framework is false," he added. Hamadeh underscored that no negotiating framework was presented to Hezbollah, and what the Lebanese government accepted in last year's ceasefire agreement was also accepted by the resistance group in the form under which the accord had been finalized. "It was a balanced formula in favor of Lebanon. Therefore, any initiative aimed at working out another negotiating formula would be a blow to the previous one," the Lebanese legislator pointed out. He pointed to "the high level of pressure on President Joseph Aoun" on the issue, saying, "We must approach the existing issues realistically. Hezbollah's position is clear: We will not negotiate with the Israelis under any circumstances." Israel only understands language of force Hamadeh noted that even if the conditions change, Israel understands only the language of force. "The cost of confronting the enemy is much less than the cost of surrender. The Zionist regime wants a buffer zone on our border for its own sake to ensure the security of the northern part of the occupied lands." The comments come as Aoun stressed on Monday that Lebanon's "only choice" is negotiations with Israel. "Lebanon has no choice other than negotiation, seeing as in politics there are three work tools: diplomacy, economy, and war. When war does not lead to any result, what can we do? The end of every war in the world has been negotiation, and negotiation does not take place with a friend or an ally, but rather with an enemy," Aoun said. "The rhetoric of negotiation is more important than the rhetoric of war, which we know what it has done to us, and also the rhetoric of diplomacy, which we are all endorsing, from Speaker Nabih Berri to Prime Minister Nawaf Salam," the president emphasized. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 'Cycle of terror': Israeli forces, settlers targeted Palestinians 2,350 times in West Bank in Oct. Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 7:21 AM A Palestinian anti-settlement group says Israeli military forces and illegal settlers conducted 2,350 attacks across the occupied West Bank last month as part of their "ongoing cycle of terror." Head of the Palestinian Authority's Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission (CRRC), Mu'ayyad Sha'ban, said on Wednesday that Israeli forces carried out 1,584 attacks, which included direct physical assaults, home demolitions, and the uprooting of olive trees. The governorates experiencing the bulk of the violence were Ramallah with 542 incidents, Nablus with 412, and al-Khalil with 401. The research, compiled in a CRRC monthly report titled Occupation Violations and Colonial Expansion Measures, additionally recorded 766 attacks carried out by settlers. The commission stated that settlements are being expanded, a move considered illegal under international law, as part of what it described as a deliberate strategy designed to displace the land's native population and impose a completely discriminatory colonial system. The report indicated that settler attacks have reached a new high, with the majority occurring in the Ramallah governorate (195 incidents), followed by Nablus (179) and al-Khalil (126). Olive pickers bore the greatest impact of these attacks. The report said the farmers were the victims of the "terror" that had been "orchestrated in the dark backrooms of the occupation regime." It detailed cases of Israeli vandalism and theft, conducted in coordination with Israeli soldiers, involving the uprooting, destruction, and poisoning of 1,200 olive trees in areas such as al-Khalil, Ramallah, Tubas, Qalqilya, Nablus, and Bethlehem. Amid the violence, settlers have attempted to establish seven new outposts on Palestinian land since October in the governorates of al-Khalil and Nablus. The report came on the same day that five Palestinians sustained injuries in two separate assaults carried out by illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Additionally, another group of settlers targeted the occupied territory by setting fire to agricultural land. According to activists and local media, Israeli settlers from the Otniel settlement reportedly attacked residents in the village of Khillet al-Farra, located west of Yatta near al-Khalil. Osama Makhmara, an activist who documents Israeli violations, told reporters that settlers "released their livestock and cattle into Palestinian-owned vineyards and fruit orchards, and near homes, before assaulting residents." The attack resulted in three Palestinians sustaining minor injuries, which were treated on the site, Makhmara stated. He also mentioned that illegal settlers fired at villagers who were attempting to fend off the assault. No gunshot injuries were reported. Earlier on Wednesday, an elderly Palestinian man and woman were injured when illegal settlers attacked homes in the Shaab al-Batm area, east of Yatta, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). New data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) show that Israel's ongoing demolition of Palestinian homes and infrastructure in the occupied West Bank remains relentless. The agency's most recent figures reveal that in 2025, Israeli forces have so far demolished over 1,434 Palestinian structures, which include homes, livestock shelters, water tanks, and even donor-funded facilities, leaving more than 1,800 people displaced. In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel's decades-long occupation of historical Palestine illegal. The ICJ demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East al-Quds. It was mere words. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Oil, Russia, And Ukraine On The Agenda At Trump-Orban Talks By Ray Furlong, Andras Kosa and RFE/RL's Hungarian Service November 06, 2025 There will be plenty of warmth on display as US President Donald Trump welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House on November 7, but alongside the strong personal chemistry there will be a full plate of issues as they sit down to lunch. Long united by ideology and words, the two leaders are on opposite sides of the policy fence when it comes to imports of Russian oil. Meanwhile, plans for Orban to host Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Budapest have been placed very much on the back burner. An exemption from US measures aimed at restricting the trade in Russian oil appears to be a key item on Orban's wish list in Washington. RFE/RL's Hungarian Service reported that conversations with sources in the Hungarian government suggested they thought a deal on an exemption was likely. There is a European precedent, following a decision last month to temporarily exclude Rosneft's German subsidiary from sanctions. The White House and the State Department did not comment on questions from RFE/RL. "He has asked for an exemption. We haven't granted one.... Viktor is a friend of mine. He has asked for an exemption," Trump told reporters on Air Force One on October 31. Sanctioning Russian Oil Last month, Washington announced sanctions on two of Russia's biggest oil companies, state-controlled Rosneft and privately owned LUKoil, in an effort to force Putin into talks on ending his more than three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The move could expose those doing business with them to secondary sanctions. Prior to that, Trump had threatened secondary tariffs on nations that import Russian crude oil. In September, he called on "all NATO nations" to stop. He did not mention Hungary by name, but last month one of his most senior diplomats did. "Hungary, unlike many of its neighbors, has not made any plans or [taken] any active steps" toward weaning itself off Russian energy supplies, US Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News published on October 27. "There's a lot of planning our friends in Hungary will have to do," he added, promising US aid to help make this happen. Orban has not hidden his displeasure over the issue. Asked recently whether the US sanctions went too far, he said "from a Hungarian point of view, yes." He has also said that stopping oil purchases would be a "catastrophe" that would bring his country's economy "to its knees." In a statement on November 5, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto made no mention of the issue, perhaps to temper expectations of a deal in Washington. 'We Don't Really Have Much To Offer Each Other' Szijjarto's statement said bilateral ties were enjoying a "golden age" and that talks would focus on economic and energy cooperation but provided no details. Hungary is not a major US trading partner. The US ran a $9.4-billion deficit in 2024, with exports worth just $3.2 billion to Hungary, according to the United States Census Bureau. A Hungarian government source told RFE/RL's Hungarian Service "we don't really have much to offer each other," but added that Orban may agree to buy some US liquified natural gas despite previously viewing it as uneconomical compared to Russian gas imports. This, plus possibly some minor arms purchases and cooperating with US companies on civilian nuclear energy, might be part of a quid pro quo involving an oil-sanctions waiver. Orban's 180-strong delegation, which will use an aircraft chartered from Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air, will include several cabinet ministers, business leaders, and others. Szijjarto's statement also listed "peace in Ukraine" as a key topic for the talks and reiterated the offer of Budapest as a summit venue. But as noted, Orban's hopes of hosting a Trump-Putin meeting have been mothballed for now. Orban's position on Ukraine has been largely unchanged since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022: opposing military support to Kyiv and trying to prevent sanctions on Russia. This once aligned him with Trump, but the US leader has appeared increasingly frustrated with Putin's unwillingness to compromise in peace talks. Trump announced on October 22 that "every time I speak with Vladimir [Putin], I have good conversations, and then they don't go anywhere." His comments were followed by the new oil sanctions, a move denounced by Putin as "unfriendly." Orban's opposition to Ukrainian EU membership may or may not be an issue. Back in August, Bloomberg reported that Trump had called Orban urging him to stop blocking Kyiv's membership talks. However, Szijjarto denied this. "I would like to make it clear that no such phone call took place. It did not happen. Period," he said. Ahead of Orban's visit, the issue has resurfaced. Asked about whether Trump had voiced support for Ukrainian EU membership on November 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said "Donald Trump is supporting Ukraine as a future EU member." Speaking through an interpreter, he added: "We were talking about the blockage of some of the points by the Hungarian leader. And I asked President Trump, if he supports me in that, to help us. So, he told me that he will do everything possible." The same day, Orban hit back on social media. "Hungary does not and will not support Ukraine's membership in the European Union, because it would bring the war into Europe and take the money of Hungarians out to Ukraine," he wrote. In a separate development in the run-up to the Trump-Orban talks, Kari Lake, the acting CEO of the United States Agency of Global Media, on November 5 notified Congress of action to terminate and no longer fund RFE/RL's Hungarian Service as "it is not aligned with US national interests." This service was relaunched in 2020 at the direction of US Congress. RFE/RL management had no immediate comment. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/oil-russia-ukraine- trump-orban-talks/33583010.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 Saakashvili, Several Other Georgian Opposition Figures, Face Criminal Charges By RFE/RL's Georgian Service November 06, 2025 Just two days after the European Union slammed Georgia for backsliding on democratic reforms, the country's Prosecutor-General's Office opened a series of criminal cases against leading opposition politicians, including imprisoned former President Mikheil Saakashvili. Prosecutor-General Giorgi Gvarakidze announced charges including sabotage, aiding activities hostile to the state, and calls to overthrow the government, during a briefing on November 6. The ruling Georgian Dream party, in power since 2012, said last week that it would file a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court asking to dissolve three opposition groups for allegedly posing "a real threat to the constitutional order." The eight charged -- Elene Khoshtaria, Zurab Japaridze, Giorgi Vashadze, Nika Gvaramia, Nika Melia, Mamuka Khazaradze, Badri Japaridze, and Saakashvili -- face up to 15 years in prison. All of the opposition figures are already in jail on other charges except for Khazaradze and Badri Japaridze. "The pro-Russian regime is today persecuting not only politicians but Georgia's European path. Resistance will continue at all costs. We are determined to fight for peaceful political change via all legal and political means," the Strong Dream opposition coalition said after the charges were announced. 'Serious Democratic Backsliding' On November 4, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who was presenting an annual report on progress for EU hopefuls, said that Georgia was a candidate "in name only" due to "serious democratic backsliding." Georgian Dream has rejected Kos's comments, accusing Brussels of interfering in the country's domestic affairs. According to Prosecutor-General Gvarakidze, Saakashvili was charged under Article 317 for incitement to unlawful action, which could result in a penalty of up to three years in prison. Saakashvili, who led Georgia from 2004 to 2013, is serving a prison term for various offenses including abuse of power. He is expected to remain in jail until 2034. The former president is celebrated by some in Georgia and criticized by others who see him as erratic and authoritarian. His critics also blame him for Georgia's short 2008 war with Russia that ended with Tbilisi losing control over two regions -- Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Other charges against the opposition figures relate to sharing information with foreign officials about Georgia's petroleum imports and military activities; organizing public protests; and attempting to "radicalize" demonstrations following the 2024 parliamentary elections, which the opposition described as fraudulent. Georgia has seen its relationship with the EU deteriorate since Tbilisi adopted anti-LGBT legislation and a so-called "foreign agents" law last year. The relationship eroded further after parliamentary elections in October 2024 in which Georgian Dream held on to power. The ruling party then decided to halt EU accession talks, while continuing to pursue what many -- including Brussels -- see as Russian-friendly policies. Demonstrations have taken place daily in Tbilisi since the elections and intensified after Georgia announced the suspension of accession talks. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/saakashvili-georgia- opposition-criminal-charges-eu/33583073.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 Chairman Risch Gives Remarks at Tenth Anniversary of C5 +1 Partnership Senate Foreign Relations Committee Published: November 06, 2025 WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, yesterday gave the following remarks at a reception in honor of the tenth anniversary of the C5 +1, hosted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Chairman Risch gave the following remarks: "Thank you to Secretary Rubio for having me here today, this is truly a unique occasion. "On behalf of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it is an honor to join you here for this historic visit. "The world leaders gathered here today come from a difficult neighborhood. We understand you are great nations caught between powerful countries. Today is an opportunity to deepen our cooperation and ensure these countries can decide their own destinies. "As a volatile Russia and an increasingly aggressive China pursue their own national interests around the globe at the cost of their neighbors, the United States offers Central Asian nations the real opportunity to work with a willing partner, while lifting up each other's economies. "In support of this effort, I have joined Senator Daines and my colleagues in introducing a bill this week that paves the way to lifting outdated barriers to increased economic engagement with our C5 partners and that is the repeal of the Jackson-Vanik restrictions. "It is fitting that on the 10th anniversary of the C5+1 diplomatic platform, we are launching a new and exciting era of cooperation between our nations. "I am proud to work with President Trump, Senator Daines, my colleagues on the Foreign Relations Committee, and our friends in Central Asia to shape a U.S. foreign policy that pursues a secure and prosperous future for America and our partners. "Thank you." ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ranking Member Shaheen, Senator Tillis, Colleagues Lead Bipartisan Resolution Urging Europe to Cut Remaining Russian Energy Ties Ahead of Hungarian Prime Minister Orban's White House Visit Senate Foreign Relations Committee Published: November 06, 2025 WASHINGTON -- Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-DE), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Curtis (R-UT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on all remaining European countries, including Hungary, to fully end their dependence on Russian energy and close remaining loopholes that continue to fund Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. The resolution welcomes the Trump Administration's renewed enforcement of Russian energy sanctions and cites President Trump's statement urging European member states "to immediately cease all energy purchases from Russia." The resolution credits the European Union (EU) for its leadership in securing commitments by most EU member states and undertaking efforts to end their dependence on Russian oil and gas, resulting in a 90 percent reduction since 2022. Yet despite the significant steps undertaken by many EU states, Hungary remains a prominent outlier, increasing its dependence of Russian oil and funneling billions of dollars to the Kremlin. "One of the most important lessons from Putin's invasion is that energy dependence on Russia comes at a cost to democracy," said Ranking Member Shaheen. "Europe has made extraordinary progress cutting its energy ties with Moscow, but Hungary's actions continue to undermine collective security and embolden the Kremlin. President Trump has made it clear that he expects our allies to stand firm in cutting off Russia's energy revenues. Ahead of Prime Minister Orban's meeting with President Trump, this bipartisan resolution sends a clear message that when it comes to buying Russian energy, all allies should be held to the same standard, and that includes Hungary." "Vladimir Putin is a war criminal who uses Russia's energy exports to fund his campaign of murder and aggression," said Senator Tillis. "The United States and our allies must continue to stand with Ukraine, strengthen NATO, and cut off the financial lifelines that enable Putin's brutality. This resolution sends a clear message that we will not allow energy dependence to become a weapon in the hands of a brutal dictator." "When NATO allies buy Russian oil, they feed Putin's war machine. I applaud the European Union countries who have severed ties with Russia, but there is more work to be done. My colleagues and I implore Hungary to decrease its consumption of Russian energy, which only helps Russia extend its war on Ukraine," said Senator Wicker. "The President is right to expect that America's European allies take necessary steps toward strengthening trans-Atlantic security and increasing leverage against Putin's aggression on their continent," said Senator McConnell. "Hungary's willful reliance on Russian energy weakens this leverage and undermines the President's efforts to lead our allies toward peace through strength." "Most European nations have made great strides in reducing their dependence on Russian energy since Putin launched his unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, slashing the energy revenue funding Russia's war machine. Prime Minister Orban's refusal to join other European leaders in making the same commitment will prolong Putin's war and embolden Russia's aggression - putting the security of NATO's eastern flank allies, and thus the entire alliance, at risk," said Senator Bennet. "President Trump has been clear that America's allies must cut off their energy ties with Russia amid Putin's refusal to end this war. He has been equally clear that he considers Prime Minister Orban to be his friend. President Trump should therefore use his influence with the Prime Minister to ensure that Hungary joins its allies in ending its dependence on Russian energy." "I am proud of the efforts the U.S. and our European partners have made to link arms and support Ukraine in its fight for freedom. We are at our strongest when we stand with our friends and allies. But we need to do more to keep up pressure on Putin," said Senator Kaine. "That's why I'm joining my colleagues from both sides of the aisle in introducing this resolution to send a strong message to Hungary and other EU members to stop financing the oil purchases from Russia that help fund Putin's atrocities." The full text of the resolution can be found HERE. Ranking Member Shaheen has long led bipartisan efforts to strengthen Europe's energy independence and transatlantic security. As Co-Chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, she has championed sanctions against Russia's energy sector and opposed projects like Nord Stream II that deepen dependence on the Kremlin. This resolution builds on that legacy by reaffirming the Senate's bipartisan commitment to ensuring Europe's complete and lasting break from Russian energy. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump's Team Pitches Israel 'Peaceful' Way to Disarm Hamas - Report Sputnik News 20251106 The Trump administration has floated a plan to Israel aimed at getting Hamas fighters to give up their weapons voluntarily, reports Axios, citing US officials. The idea is to use the ongoing standoff with Hamas militants trapped in tunnels behind Israeli lines in Gazaparticularly in the city of Rafahas a "test case" for disarming the group, says the publication, citing US officials. The proposal is that fighters in the tunnels surrender, hand over their weapons to a third party (Egypt, Qatar, or Turkiye), and get amnesty from Israelin return, they will be transferred back to Hamas-controlled areas while their tunnels are destroyed. Precisely, the plan was presented last week, when Hamas fighters in Rafah were offered 24 hours of safe passage across the "yellow line" dividing zones of control. Hamas hesitated then agreed but by then Israel said the window had closed. Now, American officials, with a little help from Turkiye's Intel Chief Ibrahim Kalin, are reportedly scrambling to salvage the idea. This model "could possibly be expanded later to other areas in Gaza," one US official is cited as saying, while another added: "The Israelis are being maximalist as usual, but we are in the middle of negotiations." Getting Hamas fighters to voluntarily drop their weapons is the trickiest piece of Trump's Gaza peace plan. Furthermore, amnesty for the militants is a political red line for Netanyahu's hard-right coalition. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement of the MFA of Ukraine on the situation in Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 06 November 2025 11:34 According to the information circulating in mass and social media, in recent days the Rapid Support Forces of Sudan have established control over the city of El-Fasher - the administrative center of North Darfur State - where they are committing horrific acts of violence against civilians that may be regarded as war crimes. We call on the parties to the armed conflict in the Republic of Sudan, as well as the international community, to take all possible measures to stop the bloodshed and violence, bring to justice those committing crimes against civilians, and prevent further deterioration of the catastrophic humanitarian situation. Ukraine opposes any attempts at fragmentation of the Republic of Sudan and its state institutions. The Sudanese people have the inalienable right to live in peace and security. We reaffirm Ukraine's unwavering position in support of the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Sudan, and the building of its democratic and prosperous society. This is not only in the interests of the Sudanese people, but will also contribute to strengthening peace, security, and stability across the entire African continent. 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 6 November 2025 The following is a near-verbatim transcript of today's briefing by Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General. ** Guest All right. Good afternoon, everyone. In a short while, I will be joined by my guest, Kishan Khoday, who is the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) Resident Representative for the Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica and Turks & Caicos Islands. He will join us from Kingston to brief on the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa. ** Secretary-General/Belem Climate Summit This morning, in Brazil, the Secretary-General spoke at the Plenary of Leaders of the Belem Climate Summit. He noted that the hard truth is that we have failed to ensure that we remain below 1.5C. The Secretary-General pointed out that after decades of denial and delay, science now tells us that a temporary overshoot beyond the 1.5-degree limit is inevitable starting at the latest in the early 2030s. He stressed that we need a fundamental paradigm shift to limit this overshoot's magnitude and duration and quickly drive it down. The Secretary-General warned that even a temporary overshoot will unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. Every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement, and loss especially for those least responsible. This morning, the Secretary-General held bilateral meetings with the President of the EU Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa. He also met the First-ranked Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China, Ding Xuexiang. Also today, the Secretary-General is to address the launch of the Tropical Forest Forever Facility. He will say that tropical forests breathe life into our planet. Yet, he will add, they remain under relentless assault treated as short-term profit, not long-term value. And this afternoon, the Secretary-General will deliver remarks at a session on Climate and Nature: Forests and Ocean. He will also meet with other leaders attending the conference. ** Security Council This morning, here in New York, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Inger Andersen, addressed a session of the Security Council dedicated to the environmental impact of armed conflict. She told Council members that environmental damage caused by conflicts continues to push people into hunger, disease and displacement increasing insecurity. She added that climate change exacerbates tensions, and under some conditions contributes to conflicts and that conflict-affected countries and communities must be supported with tools to protect natural resources and the environment. In her remarks, Ms. Andersen highlighted three priorities that would enhance environmental support to conflict-affected countries. She told Council members that the first priority should be to rebuild national capacity for environmental management, supported by science-based assessments and tools. Member States should also increase investments in climate adaptation in conflict-affected countries. And as we head to COP30 [thirtieth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change] in Belem, Ms. Andersen said, high ambition is needed both on adaptation and on mitigation. Every fraction of a degree avoided means lower losses for people and ecosystems and greater opportunities for peace and prosperity. ** International Day And as you probably know, today is the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. It's a reminder that protecting ecosystems is vital for lasting peace. ** State of the Climate Today, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) published its State of the Climate Update for COP30. The report, released in Belem, says that the alarming streak of exceptional temperatures continued this year, and 2025 is set to be either the second or third warmest year on record. The report also reveals that the past 11 years (2015-2025) are set to be the warmest on record, with each year surpassing previous temperature highs. Concentrations of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and ocean heat content, which both reached record levels last year, continued to rise in 2025. Arctic sea ice extent after the winter freeze was the lowest on record, and Antarctic sea ice extent tracked well below average throughout the year. The long-term sea level rise trend continued despite a small and temporary blip due to naturally occurring factors. You can find the full report online. ** Occupied Palestinian Territory Turning to the Gaza Strip, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) says that continued detonations of residential buildings have been reported daily in multiple areas where the Israeli military remains deployed, especially in eastern Khan Younis, eastern GazaCity and Rafah. Israeli military strikes near or east of the so-called "Yellow Line" also continue to be reported, resulting in casualties, especially in Gaza City, and Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates. OCHA stresses that these military activities put civilians, including aid workers, at risk, and reminds the Israeli military of its obligation to take constant care to spare them throughout its operations. Meanwhile, our partners monitoring population movements report that families continue to move across the Strip. More than 680,000 movements from southern to northern Gaza have been observedsince the onset of the ceasefire, while nearly 113,000movements from western to eastern Khan Younis have also been reported. However, our partners say that many displaced people have reported a desire to remain in their current locations, due to widespread destruction, lack of alternatives, and continued uncertainty about safety and services in their areas of origin. Against this backdrop, the UN and our humanitarian partners continue to reach people in need where access allows and provide life-saving assistance, including food, health, water and sanitation services,shelter and other essential items, in line with the 60-day plan. Our partners report that since the ceasefire and as of Monday, they havedistributed multi-purpose cash assistanceto over 55,000 households, compared with 40,000 in September. Each household receivedthe equivalent of about $378 in digital payments. Our partners note that households are mainlyspending cash assistance on food such as grains, vegetables and pulses,while also using funds to repaydebts and purchase hygiene items and medicines. OCHA says that the impact of the humanitarian scale-up in Gaza which we have been reporting on for almost amonth now is alreadyclear. Yet as we have been saying, the UN and our partners can do more when other impediments are lifted. For instance, some relief items rejected forentry into Gaza are ones whichIsraeli authorities deem to fall outside the scope of humanitarian aid; otheritems are classified as "dual-use" ranging from vehicles and their spare parts to solar panels, some types of mobile latrines, X-ray machines, and generators. Our partners report that since the ceasefire, the Israeli authorities have rejected 107 requests for the entry of relief materials, including blankets, winter clothes, and tools and material to maintain and operate water, sanitation and hygiene services. Almost 90 per cent of these rejected requests were from over 30 local and international NGOs (non-governmental organizations), of which more than half of the requests were denied on the grounds that the organizations were not authorized to bring relief items into Gaza. Another impedimentthat we are facing is the lack of sufficient warehouse capacity inside the Strip, which is vital to sustain the 60-day response plan and maintain supply chains. ** Sudan Turning to Sudan, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warns of a dire humanitarian situation for thousands of families displaced from El Fasher, in North Darfur State, following recent violence. Across the locality of Tawila and surrounding areas, displaced people are living in extremely harsh conditions without adequate food, clean water, shelter or medical care. Humanitarian organizations are working with local partners to support the establishment of new camps to accommodate recent arrivals from El Fasher, adding to the more than 650,000 displaced people who had already sought refuge in Tawila. In the Tawila Al Omda displacement camp alone, more than 3,000 recent arrivals are in urgent need of basic items and shelter assistance including plastic sheeting, mats and blankets as temperatures drop. Many including the injured, people with disabilities and unaccompanied children are sleeping in the open without protection or sanitation facilities. Similar conditions prevail in the camps of Daba Al Naira and Um Jangour, where over 6,500 people who recently escaped attacks in El Fasher lack shelter and essential supplies. On Tuesday, an inter-agency mission led by the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Antoine Gerard, arrived in Tawila to engage with affected people and local communities, assess needs, and strengthen the ongoing response. Meanwhile, our partners report that hundreds of displaced families who fled El Fasher on foot have reached Al Dabba locality in Northern State, after days of walking through harsh conditions. Some 2,800 people are now sheltering in overcrowded sites with little access to food, water or medical assistance, and many lost family members during the journey. With more families expected to arrive in the coming days, urgent assistance is needed including food, medical care, psychosocial support, shelter and warm clothing especially as temperatures drop. The UN and partners are mobilizing additional emergency supplies for the area, but available stocks are limited. Meanwhile, fighting continues in West Kordofan State, with civilian casualties reported in recent clashes. Dozens of families displaced from Al-Udayyah locality have reached El Obeid in neighbouring North Kordofan after fleeing attacks near Nahud over the past two weeks. The situation in the area remains highly volatile and dynamic, with displacement out of El Obeid also having been reported in recent days by our colleagues from the International Organization for Migration. Many arrived exhausted and hungry after several days on foot. Some 250 displaced people are currently staying in four temporary shelters with minimal access to basic services. Local authorities and organizations have established communal kitchens, but food stocks are running low. With the onset of colder weather, displaced families urgently need blankets, mosquito nets, warm clothing and medical assistance for children, older people and those suffering from chronic illness. OCHA stresses that urgent additional support is needed to meet rising humanitarian needs in the Darfur and Kordofan regions. This year's humanitarian response plan for Sudan is only 28 per cent funded with $1.17 billion received to date of the $4.16 billion required. ** Afghanistan Turning to Afghanistan, the Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs tells us that the UN and our partners are scaling up their response following the earthquake that struck the north of the country on Monday. According to authorities, 25 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 have been injured. Assessments by the UN found that around 800 houses were damaged, although the number could rise further as further evaluations take place. An aerial survey conducted just after the earthquake found no major structural damage: roads remain passable, water continues to flow through irrigation channels, and key community infrastructure appears largely intact. Immediate priorities include emergency shelter such as winterized tents, blankets and tarps as well as warm clothing, cash for heating and repair kits for damaged homes. There's also an urgent need for additional health support, particularly mobile clinics, trauma care for remote areas and ambulance and referral capacity. We and our partners are on the ground delivering aid. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is providing tents, emergency shelter kits and blankets. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and its partners are also distributing clothes and hygiene kits, while the World Food Programme (WFP) is delivering food packages, including high-energy biscuits. On the health front, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners delivered emergency medical supplies and are assisting local authorities with coordination and service delivery. The UN continues to call on Member States to support the people of Afghanistan to meet their humanitarian needs. The $2.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is just 35 per cent funded with $857 million received so far. ** Hurricane Melissa And turning to the Caribbean, we have an update on the humanitarian response to Hurricane Melissa from our colleagues at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. In Jamaica, some 1.5 million people have been affected, having lost homes, water, electricity and livelihoods. Authorities have so far confirmed 32 deaths, with nearly 36,000 people in need of food assistance. More than 100,000 housing structures have been damaged. At least 30 communities are still cut off, and electricity, telecommunications and radio signals remain severely disrupted in some parishes. The UN, supported by an OCHA-led 16 member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team, is coordinating relief efforts with the Government and partners. More than 60 organizations including authorities, donors, NGOs, UN agencies and the private sector have signed on to the OCHA-led system to register assistance, offers and deliveries. WFP is airlifting more food from Barbados, enough for 6,000 households for up to a week. And in Cuba, where the UN launched the Plan of Action yesterday to help one million of the hardest hit people in support of authorities' efforts, OCHA warns the humanitarian situation is dire. Some 120,000 people remain in shelters due to continued flooding, overflowing rivers and landslides, and 29 communities remain isolated. More than 45,0000 housing structures, nearly 500 health facilities and over 1,500 educational centres have sustained damage. And we will hear more about Hurricane Melissa's aftermath from our guest. But before we turn to him, are there any questions for me? Yes, please. ** Questions and Answers Question : This is Tao Xu with the China Central Television. I have a question about the climate change. So when we talk about the global climate change action, China often played a key role. So, what's your view on the China's role and efforts in fighting climate change? Deputy Spokesman : Clearly, the Secretary-General believes that all countries need to do more to deal with the consequences of climate change. Having said that, he has been very pleased by the progress that China has been making, both in terms of reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions, but also in terms of advancing clean technology, so that other countries can also benefit, and turn to a more economically and environmentally sustainable practice. Yes, Namo? Question : Thank you, Farhan. One question on Turkiye. The European Court of Human Rights has called for the release of Selahattin Demirtas, like, a prominent Kurdish lawmaker. Does the United Nations or Secretary-General make a similar call? Deputy Spokesman : Well, we will leave the matter in the hands of the European Court of [Human Rights]. From our standpoint, we believe that all political detainees should have the right to be released. Yes. Naureen? Question : Thanks, Farhan. I want to follow-up on something you mentioned about the impediments you're facing in Gaza due to insufficient warehouses. I just... could you clarify on what that means, exactly, whether it's like a lack of space or if it's like a lack of... or if, like, there are fewer warehouses that can actually hold enough aid? Deputy Spokesman : What we want is for there to be enough warehouse capacity that aid can be stored in Gaza. But that's simply... that's only one of the problems. You know, one of the larger problems has simply been that a lot of NGOs have not been able to bring aid in, either, because it was regarded as dual-use, it was regarded by the Israeli authorities as falling outside of the scope of humanitarian aid, or alternately, they had deemed that those organizations were not authorized to bring relief items into Gaza. What we want is to make sure that all groups, all of the humanitarian NGOs, have the capacity to bring in aid. It's very crucial that everyone's involved in the effort, and they have the visas and the clearances that they need. Yes. Gabriel? Question : Thank you, Farhan. Does the SG have any comment about Israel resuming air strikes on Southern Lebanon, that early reports are at least one has been killed and nine wounded? Deputy Spokesman : Yeah. We've seen reports of Israeli airstrikes in Southern Lebanon, including in UNIFIL's (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) area of operations. We once again urge the parties to uphold the cessation of hostilities and refrain from any act activities that may endanger civilians. Yes. Abdelhamid? Question : Thank you. An old woman called Haniya Hanoun died while the Israeli is storming the house, trying to arrest her son in the village called Al-Mazra'a Al-Gharbiyah. Any comment on that? Deputy Spokesman : Again, as you weren't here when I read out, what I said about continuing attacks in which civilians have died, one of the things I said at the time is that these military activities put civilians at risk, and we remind the Israeli military of its obligation to take constant care to spare them through throughout its operations. Question : Okay. Also, there is a confiscation of land in Northern Jordan Valley this morning, as well. Are you aware of that? Deputy Spokesman : Yes. As you know, we've stood against the confiscations of land, and we want any sort of activity, including settlement activity, to be halted. And if that's it for now, let me turn now to our guest. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Israel has rejected over 100 aid requests since Gaza ceasefire, UN says 6 November 2025 - The United Nations said on Thursday that Israeli authorities have rejected more than 100 requests to bring relief materials into Gaza since the ceasefire began nearly a month ago. "Our partners report that since the ceasefire, the Israeli authorities have rejected 107 requests for the entry of relief materials, including blankets, winter clothes, and tools and material to maintain and operate water, sanitation and hygiene services," Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq told journalists in New York. He said almost 90 per cent of the rejected requests came from more than 30 local and international non-governmental organisations, or NGOs. "More than half of the requests were denied on the grounds that the organizations were not authorized to bring relief items into Gaza," he added. Mr. Haq stressed that such restrictions continue to hamper humanitarian efforts, even as the UN and its partners work to deliver aid under the current 60-day plan. Severe restrictions "The UN and our partners can do more when other impediments are lifted," he said, noting that some rejected materials were classified by Israeli authorities as falling outside the scope of humanitarian aid or deemed "dual-use" items, such as solar panels, generators, and vehicle parts. Despite the still fragile ceasefire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces - which reportedly continue to control just over half of the Gaza Strip - the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to receive reports of military activity. "Continued detonations of residential buildings have been reported daily in multiple areas where the Israeli military remains deployed," Mr. Haq said, pointing to eastern Khan Younis, eastern Gaza City, and Rafah on the southern border. OCHA has reminded the Israeli military of its obligation "to take constant care to spare civilians, including aid workers, throughout its operations." Population movements across Gaza also remain fluid, with more than 680,000 people moving from southern to northern areas since the ceasefire began. Staying in place However, Mr. Haq said that many displaced families "have reported a desire to remain in their current locations, due to widespread destruction, lack of alternatives, and continued uncertainty about safety and services in their areas of origin." Amid these challenges, the UN and partners have reached tens of thousands of households with food, cash assistance and essential services. "The impact of the humanitarian scale-up in Gaza is already clear," Mr. Haq said, "yet far more could be done if the remaining obstacles were removed." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Genocide prevention expert raises alarm over alleged Sudan atrocity crimes 6 November 2025 - The UN Special Adviser on genocide prevention has raised concerns over widespread allegations of war crimes committed in Sudan's El Fasher last month, and plans to meet his African Union counterpart on Friday to discuss a coordinated response. "We see massive violations of international human rights law, direct attacks on civilians, noncompliance with international humanitarian law, which regulates conduct in relation to hostilities, and that the attacks are largely on civilians," said Chaloka Beyani, who recently took up his post as Special Adviser of the Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide. Mr. Beyani told UN News in an interview on Thursday he had spoken to Resident Coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, and plans to issue an advisory to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Security Council, and the wider UN system. Sounding the alarm "Once our office sounds the alarm, the alarm rings over and beyond the ordinary violations of human rights or of international humanitarian law," he said. "It indicates that the threshold is about to be crossed, and therefore there has to be early action taken." Graphic reports and video began circulating at the end of last month online of apparent war crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia as its fighters finally took control of the Darfuri capital of El Fasher from Government troops, following more than 500 days of siege. Horror in Darfur "We cannot hear the screams, but - as we sit here today - the horror is continuing," said UN relief chief Tom Fletcher, briefing the Security Council on 31 October. Mr. Beyani's office said risk indicators for atrocity crimes are present in Sudan but emphasises that only an international court or other legal body can make a determination of genocide. The UN-backed International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed profound alarm in a statement on Monday over the reports of mass killings, rapes and other crimes emerging from El Fasher, noting that its investigation of alleged war crimes committed since the outbreak of war in April 2023 is ongoing. "Within the ongoing investigation, the office is taking immediate steps regarding the alleged crimes in El-Fasher to preserve and collect relevant evidence for its use in future prosecutions," the prosecutor's office underlined. RSF agrees 'humanitarian ceasefire': reports The RSF reportedly agreed to a "humanitarian ceasefire" on Thursday, in the wake of mounting criticism of its fighters' actions in and around El Fasher. Leaders of the militia group said they would accept the terms of the truce proposed by a mediation group consisting of the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to news reports. Agony continues for civilians Meanwhile, the UN is warning of a worsening humanitarian situation in North Darfur, where thousands of families displaced from El Fasher are living in extremely harsh conditions. "Across Tawila and surrounding areas, displaced people are without adequate food, clean water, shelter or medical care," Deputy UN Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Thursday. Aid agencies are working with local partners to set up new camps, adding to the more than 650,000 people already in Tawila. In Tawila Al Omda alone, over 3,000 recent arrivals urgently need plastic sheeting, mats and blankets as temperatures drop. Many, including the injured, people with disabilities, and unaccompanied children, sleep in the open. Similar conditions affect more than 6,500 people in Daba Al Naira and Um Jangour camps. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Today's top news: Sudan, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Qatar, Hurricane Melissa, Afghanistan UNOCHA - United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Sudan Families displaced from El Fasher face dire conditions OCHA warns of a dire humanitarian situation for thousands of families displaced from El Fasher, in Sudan's North Darfur State, following recent violence. Across the locality of Tawila and surrounding areas, displaced people are living in extremely harsh conditions - without adequate food, clean water, shelter or medical care. Humanitarian organizations are working with local partners to support the establishment of new displacement camps to accommodate recent arrivals from El Fasher, adding to the more than 650,000 displaced people who had already sought refuge in Tawila. In the Tawila Al Omda displacement camp alone, more than 3,000 recent arrivals are in urgent need of basic items and shelter assistance - including plastic sheeting, mats and blankets as temperatures drop. Many - including the injured, people with disabilities, and unaccompanied children - are sleeping in the open without protection or sanitation facilities. Similar conditions prevail in the camps of Daba Al Naira and Um Jangour, where over 6,500 people who recently escaped attacks in El Fasher lack shelter and essential supplies. On Tuesday, an inter-agency mission led by the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Antoine Gerard, arrived in Tawila to engage with affected people and local communities, assess needs, and strengthen the ongoing response. Meanwhile, partners report that hundreds of displaced families who fled El Fasher on foot have reached Al Dabba locality in Northern State, after days of walking through harsh conditions. Some 2,800 people are now sheltering in overcrowded sites with little access to food, water or medical assistance, and many lost family members during the journey. With more families expected to arrive in the coming days, urgent assistance is needed - including food, medical care, psychosocial support, shelter and warm clothing - especially as temperatures drop. The UN and its partners are mobilizing additional emergency supplies for the area, but available stocks are limited. Meanwhile, fighting continues in West Kordofan State, with civilian casualties reported in recent clashes. Dozens of families displaced from Al-Udayyah locality have reached El Obeid in neighbouring North Kordofan after fleeing attacks near An-Nahud over the past two weeks. The situation in the area remains highly volatile and dynamic, with displacement out of El Obeid also having been reported in recent days by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Many arriving in El Obeid are exhausted and hungry after several days on foot. Some 250 displaced people are currently staying in four temporary shelters with minimal access to basic services. Local authorities and organizations have established communal kitchens, but food stocks are running low. With the onset of colder weather, displaced families urgently need blankets, mosquito nets, warm clothing and medical assistance for children, older people, and those suffering from chronic illness. OCHA stresses that urgent additional support is needed to meet rising humanitarian needs in the Darfur and Kordofan regions.* This year's humanitarian response plan for Sudan is only 28 per cent funded in the face of these needs - with US$1.17 billion received to date of the $4.16 billion required. *Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Sudan with urgent support. Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarians provide vital aid in Gaza as part of 60-day scale-up OCHA says that continued detonations of residential buildings have been reported daily in multiple areas of the Gaza Strip where the Israeli military remains deployed, especially in eastern Khan Younis, eastern Gaza city and Rafah. Israeli military strikes near or east of the so-called "Yellow Line" also continue to be reported, resulting in casualties, especially in Gaza city, and Deir al Balah and Khan Younis governorates. OCHA stresses that these military activities put civilians - including aid workers - at risk and reminds the Israeli military of its obligation to take constant care to spare them throughout its operations. Meanwhile, partners monitoring population movements report that families continue to move across the Strip. More than 680,000 movements from southern to northern Gaza have been observed since the onset of the ceasefire, while nearly 113,000 movements from western to eastern Khan Younis have also been observed. However, partners say that many displaced people have reported a desire to remain in their current locations due to widespread destruction, lack of alternatives, and continued uncertainty about safety and services in their areas of origin. Against this backdrop, the UN and its humanitarian partners continue to reach people in need where access allows and provide life-saving assistance, including food, health, water and sanitation services, shelter and other essential items, in line with the 60-day plan. Partners report that since the ceasefire and as of Monday, they have distributed multi-purpose cash assistance to over 55,000 households, compared with 40,000 in September. Each household received the equivalent of about $378 in digital payments. Partners note that households are mainly spending cash assistance on food such as grains, vegetables and pulses, while also using funds to repay debts and purchase hygiene items and medicines. OCHA says that the impact of the humanitarian scale-up in Gaza is already clear. Yet the UN and its partners can do more when other impediments are lifted. For instance, some relief items rejected for entry into Gaza are ones which Israeli authorities deem to fall outside the scope of humanitarian aid. Other items are classified as "dual-use" - ranging from vehicles and their spare parts to solar panels, some types of mobile latrines, X-ray machines and generators. Partners report that since the ceasefire, the Israeli authorities have rejected 107 requests for the entry of relief materials - including blankets, winter clothes, and tools and material to maintain and operate water, sanitation and hygiene services. Almost 90 per cent of these rejected requests were from over 30 local and international NGOs, of which more than half of the requests were denied on the grounds that the organizations were not authorized to bring relief items into Gaza. Another impediment that humanitarians are facing is the lack of sufficient warehouse capacity inside the Strip, which is vital to sustain the 60-day response plan and maintain supply chains. Qatar UN Deputy Relief Chief meets senior officials and humanitarian partners The Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, Joyce Msuya, wrapped up a five-day visit to Qatar today. Ms. Msuya met senior Qatari officials and held discussions with the heads of Qatar Charity, the Qatar Red Crescent Society, the Qatar Fund for Development and other partners on strengthening cooperation in responding to humanitarian emergencies. She also took part in the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, including a panel on the role of women in peacebuilding, and met on the margins with officials from around the world also attending the event. Earlier today, Ms. Msuya announced a new partnership between OCHA and Qatar Airways. The collaboration includes a global in-flight video campaign highlighting the importance of humanitarian aid and solidarity with people in crisis. She took part in an event with Qatar Charity on making humanitarian action more accountable to the people it serves. Ms. Msuya's visit to Qatar underscored the country's steady and long-term partnership with OCHA, at a time when the humanitarian system is overstretched, underfunded and increasingly under attack. Hurricane Melissa UN and partners assist hurricane-hit communities OCHA says that humanitarians continue to support people in the Caribbean impacted by Hurricane Melissa. In Jamaica, some 1.5 million people have been affected, having lost homes, water, electricity and livelihoods. Authorities have confirmed 32 deaths to date, with nearly 36,000 people in need of food assistance. More than 100,000 housing structures have been damaged. At least 30 communities are still cut off - and electricity, telecommunications and radio signals remain severely disrupted in some parishes. The UN - supported by an OCHA-led 16-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team - is coordinating relief efforts with the Government and partners. More than 60 organizations - including authorities, donors, NGOs, UN agencies and the private sector - have signed on to the OCHA-led system to register assistance, offers and deliveries. The World Food Programme (WFP) is airlifting more food from Barbados, enough for 6,000 households for up to a week. In Cuba, where the UN launched the Plan of Action yesterday to help 1 million of the hardest-hit people in support of authorities' efforts, OCHA warns the humanitarian situation is dire. Some 120,000 people remain in shelters due to continued flooding, overflowing rivers and landslides, and 29 communities remain isolated. More than 45,000 housing structures, nearly 500 health facilities and over 1,500 educational centers have sustained damage. Afghanistan Aid organizations expand response efforts after deadly earthquake OCHA reports that the UN and its partners are scaling up their response following the earthquake that struck northern Afghanistan on Monday. According to authorities, 25 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 have been injured. Assessments by the UN found that some 800 houses were damaged, although the number could rise further as additional evaluations take place. An aerial survey conducted just after the earthquake found no major structural damage: roads remain passable, water continues to flow through irrigation channels, and key community infrastructure appears largely intact. Immediate priorities include emergency shelter - such as winterized tents, blankets and tarps - as well as warm clothing, cash for heating, and repair kits for damaged homes. There is also an urgent need for additional health support, particularly mobile clinics, trauma care for remote areas, and ambulance and referral capacity. The UN and its partners are on the ground delivering aid. IOM is providing tents, emergency shelter kits and blankets. UNICEF and its partners are also distributing clothes and hygiene kits, while WFP is delivering food packages, including high-energy biscuits. On the health front, the World Health Organization and its partners delivered emergency medical supplies and are assisting local authorities with coordination and service delivery. The UN continues to call on Member States to support the people of Afghanistan to meet their humanitarian needs. The $2.4 billion Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is just 35 per cent funded, with more than $850 million received so far. Posted on 6 November 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Catch-up Immunization Campaign Launched in the Gaza Strip UNRWA 6 Nov 2025 The campaign will be implemented in three rounds to reach children with three doses of Pentavalent, Polio, Rota & Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine and two dose of Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine. 5 November 2025, GAZA STRIP - UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO and partners, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, are launching an integrated catch-up campaign for routine immunization, nutrition, and growth monitoring in the Gaza Strip to reach 44,000 children cut off from essential life-saving services by two years of conflict. The campaign will be implemented in three rounds to reach children with three doses of Pentavalent, Polio, Rota & Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine and two dose of Measles, Mumps, Rubella vaccine. The first round of the campaign will take place from 9 to 18 November. It is estimated that 1 in 5 children under three years of age are either zero-dose or have missed vaccinations because of the conflict, putting them at risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. The catch-up campaign aims to provide these children with routine childhood vaccines that protect against measles, mumps, and rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, rotavirus and pneumonia. To help address the devastating impacts of the conflict on children's health and nutrition, UNICEF and partners will also screen these children for malnutrition and ensure those identified with malnutrition receive treatment and ongoing follow-up. Children with complications due to moderate and severe acute malnutrition will be treated at WHO-supported inpatient stabilization centers. "After two years of relentless violence that claimed the lives of more than 20,000 children in the Gaza Strip, we finally have an opportunity to protect those who survived," said Jonathan Veitch, UNICEF Special Representative in the State of Palestine. "Vaccinating every child, and supporting their health and nutrition, is not just a humanitarian intervention; it is a moral imperative. It is how we safeguard the future of children born into catastrophe and begin to rebuild hope in the midst of devastation." For three rounds of the campaign, UNICEF has brought all 11 vaccines, syringes, cold chain equipment and nutrition supplies into the Gaza Strip. Detailed plans to support vaccinators and social mobilizers to reach eligible children across the Gaza Strip have been developed jointly by the UNICEF, WHO, UNRWA and MoH. Vaccinations will take place at 149 health facilities and 10 mobile vehicles across the Gaza Strip. Over 450 health workers and support staff have been trained by UNICEF, WHO, MoH and partners to support vaccination efforts. Additionally, 149 medical doctors have been trained by WHO to recognize, report and investigate any health concerns following immunization, though such cases are extremely rare. WHO will coordinate with Health Cluster partners to implement the campaign and deploy monitoring teams on the ground to ensure quality and coverage. UNICEF is working to rehabilitate another 15 health points, while WHO is rehabilitating 20 health facilities which have been partially or fully destroyed, to further expand the number of service delivery points. WHO is also providing ongoing support to maintain services, flow of medical supplies and operations of all major health facilities delivering vaccination during the campaign, rehabilitating the central laboratory in Gaza and expanding overall efforts to strengthen disease detection, reporting and surveillance for a timely response. "This immunization campaign is a lifeline, protecting children's health and restoring hope for the future," said Dr Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory. "It's a crucial step in strengthening essential health services and protecting vulnerable children in Gaza who have been cut off for far too long. Yet this is only one piece of the puzzle. Much more is needed, and WHO is working to rebuild Gaza's fragile health system so every child, every community, can access the care they deserve." Before the conflict, Gaza maintained 54 immunization facilities and ranked among the top globally with an overall 98 per cent vaccination coverage rate for children. Today, 31 facilities are no longer operational after being damaged or destroyed in indiscriminate attacks, while the routine vaccination coverage rate has dropped below 70 per cent. The onset of harsh winter conditions makes this campaign even more urgent, as deadly but preventable childhood diseases spread across the Gaza Strip. Phase two and three of the campaign, which aim to provide the children with second and third doses of the vaccines, are planned for December 2025 and January 2026, respectively. The campaign is carried out in close partnership with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and local health partners with thanks to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance for financial support. The success of the campaign depends on the full respect of the ceasefire, ensuring that families, health professionals and other humanitarian workers can reach vaccination sites freely and safely. While this catch-up campaign is an emergency intervention, the ultimate objective is to support a return to pre-conflict vaccination coverage levels. Achieving this will require urgent rehabilitation of the health system and ongoing donor support to UNICEF and WHO. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Highlighting Rapidly Growing Links between Climate and Conflict, Security Council Emphasizes Need to Boost International Support, Increase Financing Meetings Coverage Security Council 10035th Meeting (AM) SC/16213 6 November 2025 While climate change exacerbates conflict-causing tension, conflict, in turn, leads to pollution and ecosystem damage, the Security Council heard today, in a wide-ranging discussion on climate and security. "Imagine a mother living in one of the most vulnerable neighbourhoods" of Haiti's capital, Maranatha Dinat, World Relief Haiti, told the 15-member organ. "Her home, already weakened by erosion, is flooded after heavy rains come. She is forced to flee with her children, crossing gang-controlled areas and unsafe roads to reach an improvised camp. This is the reality for thousands of Haitian families," she said. When hurricanes tear off roofs, rising waters flood the plains or droughts dry out the hills, "it is always the same displaced or marginalized families who pay the highest price", she added. "In a country where much of the population depends on subsistence agriculture, every climate shock becomes both a humanitarian emergency and a driver of instability," she added. The international community must recognize that "Haiti's environmental crisis is at its core also a human and security crisis", she said, calling for interventions rooted in community-based and ecological approaches, such as restoring ecosystems and nature-based solutions, promoting the sustainable management of natural resources, reducing risks and reinforcing local governance. Also addressing the Council was Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), who noted that today is also the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. Outlining how "environmental damage caused by conflicts continues to push people into hunger, disease and displacement", she noted that the Gaza Strip has, since 2023, lost 97 per cent of its tree crops and 95 per cent of its shrub land, while in Haiti conflict has worsened soil and water contamination in lowland slums. While climate-conflict pathways are complex, she said "climate change is not infrequently one of the peels of the onion". A 2024 World Bank study found that "most contexts affected by fragility and conflict also experience consistently drier, more severe drought periods". Increased rainfall can also make violent conflict more likely in certain settings, for example, through the targeting of rich agricultural areas by armed groups or States. She also drew attention to the "yawning gap" in adaptation finance for conflict-affected countries. "Between 2014 and 2021, people living in severely conflict-affected countries received just $2 per capita in climate finance compared to $162 in more stable countries," she said. Stressing the need to support conflict-affected countries rebuild their national capacity for environmental management, she said the UN system can act as a trusted knowledge facilitator for this. Offering a legal perspective, Charles C. Jalloh, Professor, University of Miami Law School and Member of the International Law Commission, called for a more coherent legislative framework to foster accountability for environmental harm caused by armed conflict. "The challenge is that much of the current international legal framework serves more like a patchwork of norms," he said. While Articles 35 and 55 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions prohibit employing "methods or means of warfare which are intended, or may be expected, to cause widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment", he noted, the threshold for their application "is simply too high and too imprecise to fulfil in most cases". Spotlighting various "soft law" instruments, he drew attention to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Guidelines on the Protection of the Environment during Armed Conflict, as well as the set of 27 principles on the Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflicts, adopted by the International Law Commission. Several of those would be relevant in Gaza, including those that deal with the responsibilities of an occupying Power, and given the current ceasefire, those related to post-conflict restoration. He also encouraged countries to reflect these instruments in their national laws and prohibit severe environmental damage as a war crime. When the floor opened, Francess Piagie Alghali, Sierra Leone's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Council President for November, speaking in her national capacity, reflected on her country's experience following its civil war. The decade of conflict led to loss of biodiversity in its forests and savannahs, the forced migration of wildlife and the abandonment of agricultural fields. "Our experience is regrettably not unique," she said. "From scorched-earth tactics to the long-term consequences of nuclear testing and the widespread use of explosive weapons in urban areas, history records the severe environmental toll of warfare." In Gaza, she noted, biodiversity and vegetation have been decimated, and tree crops, shrublands and food-producing land have been destroyed, heightening the risk of long-term desertification. Denmark's delegate noted that, in Ukraine, the Russian Federation's war has ravaged ecosystems, polluted water sources and devastated critical infrastructure, threatening livelihoods and long-term stability. It has impacted Ukraine's ability to fulfil its traditional role as a major contributor to food security. The representative of the Republic of Korea spotlighted "the persistent targeting of water reservoirs and wastewater treatment plants, as well as disrupting access to clean water" such as in Sudan by the Rapid Support Forces. Guyana's delegate pointed out that peace-time military activities can be just as damaging to the environment. For example, critical minerals needed to manufacture advanced defence equipment are often mined in severely harmful ways. Pakistan's delegate voiced concern over the deliberate weaponization of shared natural resources. "A textbook example is the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India earlier this year," he said. Council members also highlighted examples of the multiplier effect of climate change. Greece's delegate said that, in Syria, the 2006 to 2010 drought devastated agriculture and forced thousands to migrate to cities a dynamic that may have added to socioeconomic tensions preceding the 2011 civil war. "Climate and conflict are fast becoming the new coordinates of global security," he said. Africa's unique natural environment and agriculture-based economic development model make it particularly vulnerable to climate change, China's delegate said. The Sahel and Central Africa have been plagued by climate disasters that increased food insecurity and amplified instability. The Council "can analyse the relationship between climate and security in the context of conflicts and hotspots on its existing agenda on a case-by-case basis", he suggested. However, the representative of the United States said his country is committed to bringing the UN "back to basics", which in the Council means focusing on work directly related to the maintenance of peace and security. Noting that one permanent member is responsible for more than 26 per cent of global greenhouse-gas emissions and undercuts its global competitors including by manipulating data he noted that President Donald J. Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement because it unfairly burdened some countries while giving a pass to much larger ones. The representative of the Russian Federation said climate and environmental issues are important, but must be addressed "at the professional, rather than propaganda level". Moscow has long rejected efforts to bring those issues before the Council, as the links between climate change and conflict-related environmental harms are not scientifically backed. Related measures may violate the principle of non-interference in States' internal affairs, he warned, adding: "It is an inappropriate narrowing of the [Council's] work." Other speakers differed, with Slovenia's delegate stressing that the link between environment, peace and security must gain stronger traction in the Council's work. He said: "We cannot disregard facts simply because they do not align with our preferred narratives." Panama's delegate added: "Recognizing that the environmental crisis is a security risk that exacerbates humanitarian crises, undermines governance and generates potential conflicts is not a matter of political ideology or economic systems; it is a reality." He noted that the Council has heard this from those who suffer first-hand the consequences of conflict. It is also increasingly supported by the scientific community. France's delegate said the Council must be informed in detail about the impact of climate and environmental crises in the most vulnerable regions. He called on Special Representatives mandated for this purpose to provide precise information during their briefings, and present targeted action recommendations, drawing on lessons learned from crisis contexts as diverse as the Sahel, South Sudan and Ukraine. The representative of the United Kingdom highlighted the role of the Climate Security Mechanism. Strengthening analytics and early warning mechanisms is crucial, he said. Somalia's delegate urged the global community to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to deal with climate-related risks and shocks, provide support for early warning systems, provide financing, empower communities and promote locally owned sustainable development that addresses poverty, inequality and marginalization. Algeria's representative said environmental harms being discussed today "are not mere abstract impacts, but a dark reality felt daily" in the poisoned water of Gaza, shrinking of the Lake Chad Basin and tragic wildlife loss across Africa. States must act diligently to end conflicts, tackle their root causes and mitigate their impacts. The Council can also do its part while still focusing on its core mandate of maintaining peace and security. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Readout of the Secretary-General's meeting with H.E. Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission; and H.E. Mr. Antonio Costa, President of the European Council United Nations Secretary-General 6 November 2025 Belem, Brazil Readouts | Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mrs. Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission and H.E. Mr. Antonio Costa, President of the European Council. They discussed the continued partnership between the United Nations and the European Union in all pillars of the UN activities, COP30 as well as the situation in the Middle East and in Ukraine. Pertaining to climate action, they also discussed the importance of continued EU leadership on climate change and working collaboratively towards robust outcomes at COP30. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Trump And Central Asia Reach Critical Minerals Deal At Washington Summit By Reid Standish November 07, 2025 US President Donald Trump unveiled a slew of trade, diplomatic, and mineral deals as he hosted Central Asia's five leaders for a summit and dinner meant to shore up Washington's influence in the region. Flanked by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at a long table at the White House, Trump said that he was committed to making US relations with Central Asia "stronger than ever" as the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan hailed a new era of ties. Prior to their working dinner, Kazakhstan announced a major mineral deal through a new joint partnership with the United States to develop one of the world's largest untapped deposits of tungsten in the Central Asian country. The deal will see the US company Cove Kaz Capital Group take a 70 percent stake in the venture alongside Kazakhstan's state mining firm and is estimated to cost $1.1 billion, while the US Export-Import Bank has issued a letter of interest to fund $900 million. Among other takeaways from the summit was a still yet to be fully detailed deal to sell up to a combined 37 Boeing jets to the national airlines of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. On the diplomatic front, Kazakhstan said it expects to join the Abraham Accords, the US-led framework for cooperation between Israel and Arab and Muslim nations. US officials said the summit is meant to signal a new US commitment to engage with Central Asia more steadily. "We oftentimes spend so much time focused on crises and problems - and they deserve attention -- that sometimes we don't spend enough time focused on exciting new opportunities," Rubio said at a working breakfast with the five Central Asian leaders earlier on November 6. "And that's what exists here now: an exciting new opportunity in which the national interests of our respective countries are aligned." A New Chapter In Central Asia's US Playbook Central Asia is looking to balance its trade and security relationships that remain dominated by China and Russia by deepening ties with the United States. The summit in Washington follows other efforts by major powers this year to deepen the relationship with the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin joined a summit in Tajikistan in September with other Central Asian leaders and Chinese leader Xi Jinping traveled to Kazakhstan in June for a meeting with the region's presidents. The European Union also held a summit with the region's leaders in April in Uzbekistan to talk about infrastructure investments and accessing Central Asia's critical minerals. That mineral wealth was once again the focus in Washington, with the region's deep reserves of rare earths -- 17 elements used in everything from wind turbines to smartphones to fighter jet engines -- and vast deposits of uranium, copper, gold, and other strategic minerals essential to global efforts to transition to greener forms of energy a key focus. Pini Althaus, the CEO of Cove Kaz Capital Group that struck the tungsten deal in Kazakhstan, called the agreement "a generational win for the US and its critical minerals needs" and told Reuters that Trump and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick helped negotiate the deal to prevent Chinese companies from developing the strategic deposit. Ben Godwin, head of analysis at PRISM, a strategic intelligence firm in London, told RFE/RL that the summit's focus on Central Asia's mineral wealth is part of a longstanding strategy from the region's leaders to win Washington's attention. "The Central Asians are absolutely using this critical minerals angle as their leverage point to get more engagement from the United States on other issues that are more important to the region and the local economies," he said. "In the 2000s, it was the War on Terror and oil and gas. Then there was a decarbonization era were many new projects in Central Asia were centered around renewable energy," Godwin told RFE/RL. "Now it's the role of critical minerals in national security." The deals follow a truce in Beijing and Washington's trade war and accelerating competition between the United States and China over the export of rare earth elements -- a key point of friction in their trade negotiations. That resulted in a one year pause on some of China's export restrictions on rare earths following a late October meeting between Trump and Xi. Washington is now looking for new ways to circumvent Beijing on the metals. China accounts for nearly 70 percent of the world's rare earth mining and controls roughly 90 percent of their processing. While Central Asia could be a long term source, the region is hoping the badly needed new investment will help it develop the resources. A new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, said that "Chinese and Russian capital dominate the region's mining, processing, and logistics networks" and warned that "structural barriers, ranging from underdeveloped westward transport routes to recurring energy shortages, continue to deter Western investment." The Trump administration added 10 minerals on November 6 to a list it deems essential for the US economy and national security, including copper, vital to electric vehicles, power grids, and data centers, and metallurgical coal, used to make coke fuel for steel production. Kazakhstan Joins A US Diplomatic Push On The Abraham Accords The decision to join the Abraham Accords, a hallmark achievement of Trump's first term in office, puts Kazakhstan at the center of a new push by the White House to reinvigorate the foreign policy initiative. The Abraham Accords were designed as a way to bolster cooperation between Israel and the Muslim world, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco signing the agreement in 2020 to normalize their relations. The Trump administration is reportedly looking to expand the initiative and it will be a focus of a planned visit to Washington on November 18 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev reportedly held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce Kazakhstan's intention to join, although Astana has already maintained full diplomatic ties with Israel for more than 30 years. But Joseph Epstein, director of the Washington-based Yorktown Institute's Turan Research Center, told RFE/RL that while the move by Kazakhstan may appear symbolic, it could hold diplomatic weight moving forward. "Astana's decision to join the Abraham Accords marks the beginning of a new phase, transforming the accords from a Middle East peace initiative to a pro-US coalition of moderate Muslim countries devoted to tolerance and prosperity," Epstein said. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/central-asia-trump-critical- minerals-diplomatic-deals-summit/33583397.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 OSCE launches new technical guide on enhancing critical infrastructure physical security from terrorist attacks OSCE | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 6 November 2025 On 4 November, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department launched the Technical Guide on Physical Security Considerations for Protecting Critical Infrastructure against Terrorist Attacks and accompanying multilingual factsheets. The Guide is designed to support participating State policymakers, critical infrastructure owners and operators, and private security stakeholders in setting up effective security systems for their critical infrastructure sites and facilities, based on their unique risk profile. Available in English and Russian, the Guide provides practices, principles and considerations that can enhance the physical security of critical infrastructure sites across the OSCE area. It covers a range of policy-level approaches taken by participating States as well as technical measures including intrusion detection systems, security lighting, video surveillance, perimeter protection, access control, insider threat management, hostile vehicle mitigation and more. Rather than focusing on a single approach to physical security, the Guide presents a range of publicly available practices that reflects the diverse approaches that currently exist. Most of the practices cited throughout the publication derive from the OSCE participating States. This showcases the vast knowledge present across the OSCE area, as well as consolidates these practices in one place for ease of use and the benefit of all. The publication was officially launched in Vienna on 4 November on the margins of a joint meeting of the OSCE Security Committee and OSCE Economic and Environment Committee chaired by the United Kingdom and Slovenia, respectively. The meeting focused on 'Critical Infrastructure and Vulnerable Targets: Protection and Resilience'. "Modern societies are dependent on critical infrastructure systems to provide essential services that support lives and livelihoods. Terrorism remains an ever-present threat for all of us," said Ambassador Neil Holland, Head of the United Kingdom Delegation to the OSCE in Vienna, during his opening remarks. "The OSCE can and does play an important role in supporting our policymakers back in our home countries and regionally, as they work to prevent, prepare for and mitigate terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure." Speaking about the Guide's creation under the OSCE's Project PROTECT, Ambassador Susanne Schutz from the German Permanent Mission to the OSCE, said, "Threats to critical infrastructure are evolving. Terrorists and violent non-state actors deliberately target it to cause panic, harm civilians and draw attention to their causes. Germany is pleased to be one of Project PROTECT's core donors. It has been a joy to watch the Project grow from 2023, with a measurable impact across the OSCE area. This event is a major piece of that impact: we are delighted to see the OSCE Transnational Threats Department release this pragmatic and practical Guide." The Guide is the result of two years of work as part of Project PROTECT's efforts to enhance national approaches across the OSCE area on the protection of vulnerable targets from terrorist threats and other hazards. Through the project, the Guide will also form the foundation of several new training courses. It has already been piloted as a teaching aid at training courses held in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Project PROTECT is funded by Germany and the United States Bureau of Counterterrorism. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Prosecution for preparation to commit a terrorist offence Swedish Security Service Published 6 November 2025 A man is being prosecuted for preparation to commit a terrorist offence and attempted murder. He is, among other things, suspected of having planned an attack against an event in Stockholm. In February this year, the prosecuted man was apprehended in the Stockholm area by the Swedish Security Service. At that time, the man had been under surveillance by the Swedish Security Service for a period of time. - We intervened at a stage where we believed that the planing of the attack had turned into more concrete preparations. This is an extensive operation that the Swedish Security Service has worked with for a relatively long time; first as an intelligence matter and later within the framework of a criminal investigation, says Christoffer Wedelin, Deputy Head of Operations at the Swedish Security Service. According to the criminal investigation, the suspect has consumed a large amount of violent Islamist propaganda. He has reportedly also sworn allegiance to the terrorist organisation the Islamic State. - We often witness young individuals being radicalised in various kinds of violent contexts online. These young individuals consume large quantities of propaganda and material showing gross violence, which speeds up the radicalisation process, says Christoffer Wedelin. In addition to preparation to commit a terrorist offence, the man is also charged with attempted murder, preparation to commit an offence against the Act on Flammable and Explosive Goods (gross offence), participation in a terrorist organisation (gross offence), and training for terrorism (gross offence). - In several ways, this case illustrates the threat posed by lone perpetrators that the Swedish Security Service has highlighted for a while now, says Christoffer Wedelin. The case also includes another individual who has been charged with attempted murder and participation in a terrorist organisation (gross offence). The trial in the Stockholm City Court begins on Tuesday, 11 November 2025. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sanctioning Hizballah Finance Operatives US Department of State Press Statement Thomas "Tommy" Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson November 6, 2025 The United States sanctioned financial operatives funneling tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hizballah. These individuals collaborate with businessmen and exchanges to enable significant financial transfers from Iran and conduct covert business dealings that fund Hizballah's terrorist activities. This action supports President Trump's whole of government policy of maximum pressure against Iran and its terrorist proxies like Hizballah, as detailed in National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 issued on February 4. The United States is committed to supporting Lebanon by exposing and disrupting Iran's covert financing of Hizballah. By enabling Hizballah, Iran holds Lebanon back and undermines its sovereignty. Iran and Hizballah cannot be allowed to keep Lebanon captive any longer. The United States will continue using every tool at its disposal to ensure this terrorist group no longer poses a threat to the Lebanese people or the broader region. Today's action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, which targets terrorists and their supporters. The Department of State designated Hizballah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 31, 2001, and as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on October 8, 1997. For more information, today's designation can be found on the Press Release. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Treasury Sanctions Hizballah Operatives Exploiting Lebanon's Cash Economy U.S. Department of the Treasury November 6, 2025 WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is taking action to support the disarmament of Hizballah by sanctioning individuals who facilitated funneling tens of millions of dollars from Iran to Hizballah in 2025, using exchange houses to take advantage of Lebanon's cash-based financial sector. Hizballah uses these funds to support its paramilitary forces, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, and resist the Lebanese government's efforts to assert sovereign control over all Lebanese territory. Hizballah's exploitation of money exchange companies and the cash economy to launder illicit funds threatens the integrity of the Lebanese financial system by blending terror financing with legitimate commerce. "Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous, and securebut that can only happen if Hizballah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran's funding and control," said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley. "We will work with our Lebanese partners to create a resilient economy that puts the interests of all Lebanese citizens front and center." Today's action targets Hizballah financial operatives who oversee the movement of funds from Iran. This includes funds generated through covert business dealings by Hizballah's finance team--including through the sale of Iranian oil and other goods--into Lebanon through both licensed and unlicensed money exchanges. Unlicensed money exchanges and exchange companies that fail to conduct adequate screening on their customers allow Hizballah to take advantage of Lebanon's largely cash-based economy to launder illicit money. Treasury's action underscores the urgent need for Lebanon to continue addressing the risks posed by Hizballah's financial activities and the proliferation of unscrupulous exchange houses, especially in the wake of the country's 2019 financial crisis. Today's action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, which targets terrorists and their supporters. The Department of State designated Hizballah as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist pursuant to E.O. 13224 on October 31, 2001, and as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on October 8, 1997. HIZBALLAH'S ABUSE OF LEBANON'S CASH ECONOMY Since January 2025, the U.S.-designated Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) has transferred over $1 billion to Hizballah, mostly through money exchange companies. Ossama Jaber (Jaber) is a Hizballah member supporting these money exchange efforts. He works directly with Lebanese money changers and exchange companies, personally collecting money for Hizballah. Between September 2024 and February 2025, Jaber collected or converted tens of millions of dollars via several money changers and exchange companies, some of which were owned by, or associated with, Hizballah members. TARGETING HIZBALLAH FINANCE TEAM MONEY TRANSFER OPERATIONS Hizballah's ability to conduct financial transfers was profoundly degraded by the December 2024 collapse of Syria's Assad regime, which served as a key source of support and bridge to Iran for Hizballah for decades. Further hindering Hizballah's financial operations, the financial responsibilities of Muhammad Qasir, whom OFAC designated on May 15, 2018 and who had served as the Hizballah finance team chief, were split among multiple individuals following his October 2024 death. These individuals include Ja'far Muhammad Qasir (Ja'far), Muhammad Qasir's son, and U.S.-designated 'Ali Qasir ('Ali), Muhammad Qasir's nephew. Ja'far is in charge of the Hizballah finance team's management as well as the Hizballah's revenue-generating economic portfolio. In mid-2025, 'Ali and Ja'far worked to recover the Arman 114, a U.S.-blocked oil tanker formerly known as the Adrian Darya 1, that had been seized by Indonesian authorities in 2023. The vessel had been conveying Iranian-origin crude oil in the name of U.S.-designated, Hizballah-controlled oil broker Concepto-Screen S.A.L. Ja'far and U.S.-designated Syrian businessman Yasar Husayn Ibrahim (Ibrahim), a close confidant of former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, have a history of collaborating on the sale of Iranian oil, gas, and other energy products on behalf of Hizballah. In early 2025, Ibrahim offered to meet with Ja'far to coordinate a business deal that would be attended by himself or his deputy Samer Kasbar (Kasbar), director of U.S.-designated Hizballah front company Hokoul SAL Offshore Company. Kasbar regularly collaborates with Hizballah finance team members on business deals. For example, in mid-2025, 'Ali, Kasbar, and Ibrahim worked together to export metals and chemicals from Iran. Ossama Jaber, Ja'far Muhammad Qasir, and Samer Kasbar are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13224, as amended, for having materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods and services to or in support of, Hizballah. SANCTIONS IMPLICATIONS As a result of today's action, all property and interests in property of the designated or blocked persons described above that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to OFAC. In addition, any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, individually or in the aggregate, 50 percent or more by one or more blocked persons are also blocked. Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC, or exempt, OFAC's regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in property of blocked persons. Violations of U.S. sanctions may result in the imposition of civil or criminal penalties on U.S. and foreign persons. OFAC may impose civil penalties for sanctions violations on a strict liability basis. OFAC's Economic Sanctions Enforcement Guidelines provide more information regarding OFAC's enforcement of U.S. economic sanctions. In addition, financial institutions and other persons may risk exposure to sanctions for engaging in certain transactions or activities involving designated or otherwise blocked persons. The prohibitions include the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any designated or blocked person, or the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person. Furthermore, engaging in certain transactions involving the persons designated today may risk the imposition of secondary sanctions on participating foreign financial institutions. OFAC can prohibit or impose strict conditions on opening or maintaining, in the United States, a correspondent account or a payable-through account of a foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts or facilitates any significant transaction on behalf of a person who is designated pursuant to the relevant authority. The power and integrity of OFAC sanctions derive not only from OFAC's ability to designate and add persons to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List), but also from its willingness to remove persons from the SDN List consistent with the law. The ultimate goal of sanctions is not to punish, but to bring about a positive change in behavior. For information concerning the process for seeking removal from an OFAC list, including the SDN List, or to submit a request, please refer to OFAC's guidance on Filing a Petition for Removal from an OFAC List. Click here for more information on the persons designated today. ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran completes space service chain using indigenous capabilities: ISRC Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 2:41 PM The head of the Iranian Space Research Center (ISRC) says Iran has successfully completed its space services value chain from design and construction to operation and data-based service provision by relying on domestic capabilities. Speaking during a visit by a delegation to the Presidential Center for Cooperation in Transformation and Progress on Thursday, Vahid Yazdanian said that the institute's achievements have laid the foundation for advancing data-driven governance and promoting indigenous space technologies. He said the institute now provides operational services in key areas such as smart agriculture, monitoring strategic crops, combating land grabbing, flood management, and optimizing resource allocation results that have contributed to resource savings and more accurate national decision-making. Yazdanian also announced plans to expand cooperation with universities and the private sector, noting that by "defining joint projects and using the research institute's infrastructure, the ground has been prepared for attracting elites and the participation of knowledge-based companies in the development." Sajjad Ahadzadeh, head of the Presidential Center for Development and Progress Cooperation, underlined the government's focus on technology diplomacy and linking Iran's scientific capacities with international networks. He said the center serves as a reference for dispatching technology advisors abroad and has strengthened Iran's presence in organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS, and the UN Climate Technology Network (CTCN). The two institutions agreed to expand strategic cooperation in both national and international arenas, focusing on increasing domestic production, reducing dependence, and strengthening connections between science, technology, and industry. Joint initiatives will also include using spatial data for smart governance, resource management, agriculture, and crisis response, alongside targeted support for innovators and technology firms to commercialize space achievements. A joint working group will be established to design and implement the roadmap for these cooperative efforts. During the visit, research institute officials presented updates on their latest scientific accomplishments, national projects, and laboratory developments. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Regular Press Conference of the Ministry of National Defense on October 30, 2025 Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China Source Ministry of National Defense EditorHuang Panyue Time2025-11-06 10:06:03 (The following English text is for reference. In case of any divergence of interpretation, the Chinese text shall prevail.) Zhang Xiaogang: Friends from the media, good afternoon. Welcome to this month's regular press conference of the Ministry of National Defense (MND). I have three pieces of news to announce at the top. Firstly, from October 30 to November 2, Minister of National Defense Dong Jun will attend the 12th ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus) and the 15th China-ASEAN Defense Ministers' Informal Meeting in Kuala Lumpur at the invitation of the Ministry of National Defense of Malaysia, the rotating chair of ASEAN. At the ADMM-Plus, Minister Dong Jun will deliver a speech to review the 15-year history of ADMM-Plus. At the China-ASEAN Defense Ministers' Informal Meeting, he will deliver a speech on Future-Oriented China-ASEAN Defense Cooperation. On the sidelines of the events, he will have bilateral meetings with defense leaders of relevant countries. Secondly, the PLA Army Engineering University will host the 12th International Army Cadets Week (IACW) from November 2 to 9. Over 30 cadets from military academies of 13 countries including Pakistan, Serbia and Brazil will join their counterparts from the PLA Army Arms University and the PLA Army Infantry Academy to take part in the event. Under the theme of the Impact of New-domain and New-quality Forces to Future Warfare, this year's IACW will have discussions on such topics as the impact of unmanned equipment development to future warfare and winning the modern warfare in contested environments. The IACW is a platform for Chinese and foreign military academies to deepen practical cooperation with each other. Thirdly, the 6th International Cadets Week of the PLAAF will be held in Xi'an, Shaanxi province from November 2 to 8. The theme of the event is Mutual Learning, Friendship and a Shared Future. Over 30 cadets from 18 countries, including Indonesia, Egypt and Peru, will join their Chinese counterparts from the PLA National University of Defense Technology (NUDT) and the PLA Air Force Aviation University in an international cadets' camp, and conduct learning and training activities, academic exchanges and cultural interactions. The event, to be organized by the PLA Air Force Engineering University, aims to enhancing the participants' military competence and cross-cultural communication skills, and fostering international friendship and cooperation. Journalist: The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee recently adopted the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development. It clearly outlined key tasks for advancing national defense and military modernization with high quality. How will the military ensure the implementation of the spirit of the plenum? Zhang Xiaogang: The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee was successfully held from October 20 to 23 and it adopted the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development. Focusing on building a strong country and national rejuvenation, the plenum assessed the trends of the times and the broader strategic picture, and made major plans and set clear requirements for achieving the centenary goal of the PLA on schedule and modernizing national defense and the armed forces with high quality, which provides a clear direction and fundamental guidance for the military to open up new prospects for national defense and military modernization during the period covered by the 15th Five-Year Plan. Studying and implementing the spirit of the plenum thoroughly is a major political task for the whole Party, country, and the military at present and for the foreseeable future. The military will thoroughly study, internalize and implement the content and essence of President Xi's important speech and the plenary session. We will align our thoughts and actions with the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, the CMC, and President Xi. The Chinese military will unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, gain a better understanding of the decisive significance of Two Affirmations, enhance Four Consciousnesses, strengthen Four-sphere Confidence, ensure Two Upholds, and implement the CMC chairman responsibility system. With unwavering determination, we will forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude to achieve the military's centenary goal, and accelerate the transformation into a world-class military, thus providing a strong strategic support for building a strong nation and realizing national rejuvenation through the Chinese path of modernization. Journalist: October 25 is the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration. However, Lai Ching-te did not mention anything about Taiwan's restoration on the day. Instead, he released a statement clamoring for the Battle of Guningtou. He said that "the conviction of the Taiwanese people and military to defend Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu has never wavered". What's your comment on this? Zhang Xiaogang: On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration, the designation of the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration in the name of the state fully responds to people's aspirations and reflects the national will. It underscores the historical and juridical fact that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, and demonstrates the firm resolve of all ethnic groups across the nation to oppose "Taiwan independence" separatist activities, promote peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and advance the great cause of national reunification. It also embodies the broad consensus of the international community on upholding the one-China principle. This move will undoubtedly guide compatriots on both sides of the Strait in carrying forward and promoting the tradition of patriotism, the spirit of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, and the great national spirit, inspiring all Chinese people to unite in striving for national reunification and rejuvenation. Lai Ching-te and his ilk stand on the opposite side of history, against compatriots across the Strait and in defiance of the international consensus. Their attempts to "seek independence by force" and "resist reunification by force" are nothing but a mantis trying to stop a chariot, overestimating their own strength. They are doomed to be buried by the historical trends and face the severest judgment by justice. Journalist: It is reported that Chinese and Malaysian militaries held Aman Youyi 2025 Joint Exercise from October 15 to 23. Could you please provide more details about it? Zhang Xiaogang: Aman Youyi 2025 Joint Exercise was held in Malaysia and waters in the Strait of Malacca. The key activities included humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations and live-troop exercises on maritime security (MARSEC). Over 1,300 military personnel from China and Malaysia took part in the exercise. During the on-land phase of the exercise, participating troops of China and Malaysia formed a joint task force to carry out search and rescue and first aid tasks, with robotic dogs, high-mobility ambulance and other smart equipment deployed. During the maritime phase, naval forces from both countries formed a joint task force to conduct joint search and rescue, joint escort and shipborne helicopter vertical replenishment. In the air domain, multiple rounds of subject matter expert exchange (SMEE) were organized between pilots from both sides. In addition, participating troops also took part in various cultural exchanges and ship open days were organized by both sides. Across mountains and seas, sincere friends join hands to safeguard peace. Aman Youyi 2025 Joint Exercise has been held six times so far. It has become an important signature program for military cooperation to enhance mutual trust and strengthen coordination. It has effectively enhanced the capacity of participants to cope with humanitarian crises, safeguard maritime security, and maintain regional stability. Journalist: According to media reports, the so-called US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference 2025 was held in the US recently. The two sides discussed joint R&D and production of weapons, and more US arms sales to Taiwan. What's your comment? Zhang Xiaogang: The DPP authorities are pandering to the US for selfish interests at the expense of Taiwan's interests and seeking independence by force at the cost of Taiwan's resources, dragging the people in Taiwan down into an abyss. No matter how much weaponry the DPP authorities plans to buy from the US, it will not change the military strength comparison across the Strait, nor the desolate fate of "Taiwan Independence". The US should fully recognize the high sensitivity and severe consequences of its arms sales to Taiwan, stop playing with fire on the Taiwan question which concerns China's core interests, and take concrete actions to deliver on its promise of not supporting "Taiwan independence". The PLA will firmly smash any "Taiwan independence" separatist plot and foreign interference, and safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity with stronger capabilities and more reliable means. Journalist: The recent hit TV series Silent Honor has sparked widespread interest across the Strait on TV series related to the reunification of China. Some young people in Taiwan said that the series helped them learn about a lesser-known chapter in the history of cross-Strait relations and found it deeply moving. What's your comment? Zhang Xiaogang: I have noticed that a growing number of people are reading history and paying tribute to heroes and martyrs after watching relevant television dramas. This will undoubtedly strengthen the resolve and sense of duty among compatriots on both sides of the Strait in advancing the great cause of national reunification. I firmly believe that family reunion and national reunification is the common aspiration of our people, and reunification is an unstoppable historical trend. The unfinished cause of the martyrs will ultimately be accomplished. Journalist: I have two questions. First, according to media reports, Lai Ching-te recently stated that strengthening national defense was not a provocation, and Taiwan must show "firm opposition to annexation, opposition to invasion, and opposition to advancing unification." What is your comment on this? Second, you just mentioned Defense Minister Dong Jun's participation in the 12th ADMM-Plus. Is there any plan to meet the US defense secretary on the sidelines of the meeting? Zhang Xiaogang: Regarding the first question, Lai Ching-te and his ilk have consistently used deceptive rhetoric to mislead the public, concealing their sinister intention of pursuing "Taiwan independence" and provoking conflicts. Their actions are nothing but schemes that harm and destroy Taiwan. We solemnly warn the DPP authorities that national reunification is an unstoppable historical trend, and those who "seek independence by force" will only court their own destruction. Regarding the second question, China maintains an open attitude towards developing military-to-military relations with the US. We hope the US side will work with us in the same direction to build a military-to-military relationship featuring equality, mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and greater stability. Concerning the specific matter you mentioned, I have no information to release at this time. Journalist: I have two questions. First, on October 25, the Commemoration Day of Taiwan's Restoration, Jilin-1, a commercial satellite, released multiple high-resolution images of Taiwan. From the satellite's view, every street in Taiwan is clearly visible. Local media commented that technological development in mainland is impressive "when commercial satellites can detect these facilities so clear, military satellites are certainly more capable." What is your comment on this? Second, Japan's newly-elected Prime Minister recently announced that she would move up the government's plan to increase defense spending to 2% of GDP to be completed this fiscal year by next March instead of the originally planned fiscal year 2027. What is your comment on this? Zhang Xiaogang: Regarding the first question, it is perfectly normal for Chinese satellites to capture images of the magnificent landscapes of China's Taiwan region. No need to make a big deal out of it. Regarding the second question, given Japan's history of militarist aggression, Japan's military and security moves are closely watched. In recent years, Japan has substantially increased its defense budget, continuously relaxed restrictions on arms export, and sought military breakthroughs. There are greater concerns over Japan's commitment to the exclusively defense-oriented policy and the path of peaceful development. We urge the Japanese side to act prudently in military and security areas, and earn the trust of its Asian neighbors and the international community with concrete actions. Journalist: It is reported that Philippine public vessels intruded into waters adjacent to islands and reefs of China's Nansha Qundao, and its reconnaissance aircraft intruded into territorial airspace over China's Huangyan Dao. The Philippine side claimed that China's corresponding operations threatened the safety of its crew, vessels and aircraft. What's your comment? Zhang Xiaogang: China has indisputable sovereignty over Nanhai Zhudao and its adjacent waters, and has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over relevant waters. For a period of time, the Philippine side has launched frequent infringements and provocations against China, stirring up troubles at sea. It has attempted to make waves at sea by soliciting external support, blackmailing and pressuring China through bluffing acts that resembles the fox borrowing the tiger's terror. It has also kept spreading false information to smear China and mislead the public. The Chinese side will firmly safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests with legitimate, legal, professional and prudent actions to protect our rights. We would never allow any provocations and trouble-making to work, nor would we leave any room for blackmailing the big by the small. We urge the Philippine side to mend your ways before it's too late, come back to the right track of dialogue and consultation, and maintain peace and stability in the south China Sea together with other regional countries. Journalist: Recently, a netizen drove over 2,000 kilometers to repair damaged giant characters of Serve the People etched in the Gobi Desert of Hami, Xinjiang. His action has attracted wide attention online. The PLA Air Force also issued a statement praising the netizen who repaired the landmark and local government. What is your comment? Zhang Xiaogang: As obscure as mountains and rivers, this landmark will stand the test of time, embodying remarkable spirit. More than being a landmark, these characters once were important navigation markers, witnessing the PLA Air Force's development and bearing special historical significance. The voluntary act of the netizen who drove thousands of kilometers to restore the landmark carries extraordinary meaning and has received wide attention. Let us safeguard our shared spiritual homeland together. Journalist: It is reported that China and Saudi Arabia successfully held Blue Sword 2025 naval special operations joint training from October 12 to 23. Please give us more details on this. Zhang Xiaogang: The Chinese and Saudi Arabian Navies conducted Blue Sword 2025 joint naval special operations training in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The exercise consisted of two phases: individual training and collaborative training, followed by a comprehensive drill. Centered on counter-terrorism, maritime escort, and search-and-rescue operations, the joint training featured a range of scenarios, including anti-hijacking operations, sniper training, and tactical shooting drills. These activities significantly enhanced operational capabilities and interoperability of the participating troops . As the third such exercise between the two navies, Blue Sword 2025 has progressed from land to sea and from basic skills to systematic training. Through mixed-unit drills and realistic combat simulations, the two sides exchanged expertise and learned from each other, underscoring their commitment to practical military cooperation. The joint training stands as a significant step in advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Saudi Arabia. Journalist: Indonesia's Defense Minister recently confirmed that the country would procure China's J-10 fighter jets. Could you please confirm the information? Zhang Xiaogang: The Chinese side takes a prudent and responsible attitude towards export of military products. We are willing to share the latest achievements of equipment modernization with peace-loving countries, and jointly maintain peace and stability of the region and beyond. Zhang Xiaogang: If there are no more questions, this concludes today's press conference. Thank you. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Wang Yi Has a Phone Call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: November 05, 2025 23:55 On November 5, 2025, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Wang Yi stated that the Chinese side attaches great importance to the development of China-Iran relations. President Xi Jinping and President Masoud Pezeshkian held a successful meeting in September this year, during which they reached important common understandings on and provided strategic guidance for deepening bilateral relations. Next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Iran. China is ready to make joint efforts with Iran to deliver on the common understandings reached between the two heads of state, pursue common development and rejuvenation, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and promote the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership to a higher level. China appreciates Iran's active support for the four major global initiatives proposed by President Xi Jinping, and is ready to work with Iran and the rest of the international community to make positive efforts to build a more just and equitable global governance system. Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran attaches great importance to developing relations with China and is willing to take the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries next year as an opportunity to enhance high-level exchanges, tap into the potential for cooperation, and maintain firm mutual support. Iran appreciates China for upholding justice in international affairs, and looks forward to maintaining close collaboration with China to jointly promote regional peace, stability and development. The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on the Iranian nuclear issue. Wang Yi emphasized that China has consistently upheld an objective and impartial position on the Iranian nuclear issue, noting that the current political settlement process of the Iranian nuclear issue has reached a deadlock, which is not in the common interests of the international community. China appreciates Iran's recent reaffirmation that it has no intention to develop nuclear weapons, supports Iran's right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and hopes that all parties will maintain dialogue and communication to bring the Iranian nuclear issue back to the track of dialogue and negotiation. Seyed Abbas Araghchi sincerely thanked China for maintaining a just position on and playing a positive role in the Iranian nuclear issue, and stated that Iran is willing to enhance communication and coordination with all parties on the basis of equality and win-win results. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China, Serbia vow to enhance military cooperation Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China Source China Military Online EditorChen Zhuo Time2025-11-06 17:04:18 BEIJING, Nov. 6 -- General Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC), met with visiting Serbian Defense Minister Bratislav Gasic in Beijing on the morning of November 6, 2025. General Zhang Youxia said that under the strategic guidance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, the two countries have embarked on a new journey of building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era. Both sides firmly support each other's core interests and major concerns, jointly uphold international fairness and justice, and continuously write new chapters in the development of China-Serbia relations. He continued that in recent years, the mil-to-mil relations have maintained a high-level development and achieved a series of practical results. China is willing to work with Serbia to enhance strategic communication, deepen strategic coordination, enrich cooperation content, and improve the quality and efficiency of cooperation, so as to continuously create a new situation of military cooperation that is more dynamic, broader in scope and higher in quality. Bratislav Gasic spoke highly of China's development achievements and expressed sincere gratitude for China's long-standing support and assistance to Serbia. He stated that Serbia firmly adheres to the one-China principle, and feels deeply honored to have such a power partner as China. He added that Serbia is willing to work with China to carry forward the ironclad friendship, strengthen strategic communication between the two militaries, consolidate the achievements of bilateral cooperation, and elevate the relations between the two countries and two militaries to a higher level. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on November 6, 2025 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China Updated: November 06, 2025 18:59 At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua of the Kingdom of Thailand will pay a state visit to China from November 13 to 17. People's Daily: To follow up on His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua's state visit to China, could you share with us the arrangement? How does China view its relations with Thailand, and what does China expect to achieve through the visit? Mao Ning: His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand will pay a state visit to China from November 13 to 17 upon invitation. President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang will meet with him respectively. This is the first visit of the King of Thailand to China since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. China is the first major country which His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn officially visits. This fully demonstrates the great importance that the two sides attach to growing bilateral relations. China and Thailand are close and friendly neighbors and are a community with a shared future. In recent years, under the strategic guidance of leaders of the two countries, bilateral relations have maintained robust development. The two countries like one family are as close as ever. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the China-Thailand diplomatic relations and "the Golden Jubilee of China-Thailand Friendship." Bilateral relations face new opportunities of development. Through the visit, China looks forward to carrying forward the traditional friendship, consolidating political mutual trust, deepening mutually beneficial cooperation, achieving greater progress in building the China-Thailand community with a shared future, delivering more tangibly for the two peoples, and contributing to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region. CRI: Today marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Samoa diplomatic relations. What is China's assessment of the development of China-Samoa relations and what are China's expectations for deepening this relationship in the future? Mao Ning: Samoa is China's good friend and good partner in the Pacific islands region. To mark the 50th anniversary of China-Samoa diplomatic relations, President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang exchanged congratulatory messages with Samoa's Head of State Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II and Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt respectively. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, over the past 50 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relationship, the two countries have always upheld mutual respect and equality and have firmly supported each other in safeguarding national independence and sovereignty. We've deepened political mutual trust, reaped fruitful results in our mutually beneficial cooperation, expanded cultural and people-to-people exchanges and delivered more benefits to the two peoples. China attaches great importance to the development of China-Samoa relations. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relationship, China stands ready to work with Samoa to carry forward our traditional friendship, deepen practical cooperation, and advance the China-Samoa comprehensive strategic partnership, so as to better benefit our two peoples. China and Pacific island countries (PICs) began to establish diplomatic relations fifty years ago, marking a new chapter of friendly cooperation between the two sides. As we open a new historical chapter, China stands ready to continue working with the PICs to build an even closer China-PICs community with a shared future. Beijing Daily: It's reported that on November 3, the government of Japan announced the 2025 Autumn Conferment of Decorations on Foreign Nationals. Receiving the Order of the Rising Sun, "Taiwan's Representative in Japan" Hsieh Chang-ting said on social media that day he will continue his contributions to the "friendship between Taiwan and Japan". What's China's comment? Mao Ning: What's Japan up to by conferring orders on those who peddle "Taiwan independence" narratives? Is it an intentional move to embolden "Taiwan independence" forces? What message does Japan want to send to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces? The Taiwan question is at the core of China's core interests and bears on the political foundation of China-Japan ties and basic credibility of Japan. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It is also the 80th anniversary of the restoration of Taiwan. China urges Japan to take a hard look at its responsibility for the war crimes, abide by the one-China principle and the guiding principles of the four political documents between the two countries, be prudent on the Taiwan question, and stop sending any wrong signals to separatist forces for "Taiwan independence." CCTV: It's reported that defense ministers of the Philippines, Australia, Japan and the United States met together on November 3 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus. They issued a joint readout reiterating their serious concern regarding "China's destabilizing actions in the East China Sea and the South China Sea" and "strong opposition to any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion," and reaffirming that "the 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award is legally binding." What's China's comment? Mao Ning: Certain countries are peddling false narratives on maritime issues and making groundless accusations against China. We strongly deplore and firmly oppose it. At present, the situation in the East China Sea and the South China Sea is generally stable. Relevant sides need to respect the efforts of regional countries to handle maritime issues properly through dialogue and consultation and maintain peace and stability, and stop using maritime issues to sow discord and heighten tensions. The "South China Sea arbitration" is nothing but a political farce masqueraded as a legal process and aimed at destabilizing the South China Sea for selfish gains. The so-called "award" is illegal, null and void, and is not binding. China has never accepted or recognized it from the outset. The Asia-Pacific is a pacesetter of cooperation and development, not a chessboard for geopolitical competition. Group politics and bloc confrontation will not bring peace and security, and is not conducive to the stability in the Asia-Pacific and the world as a whole. Reuters: The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that Taiwan must be allowed full and equal participation when China hosts APEC next year. What's China's response? Mao Ning: China will actively fulfill its duty as the host of APEC in 2026 and ensure the smooth participation of all sides. On Chinese Taipei's participation in APEC, I've clearly stated China's stance. Reuters: A senior Fijian diplomat visited Taiwan this week who met with a senior Taiwanese official. This is a very unusual trip given that Fiji only has foreign relations with Beijing. What's China's response? Mao Ning: China firmly opposes any form of official interactions between China's Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic ties with China. Fiji's relevant official's visit to Taiwan severely violated Fiji's political commitment to the one-China principle. China strongly deplores it and has lodged serious protests with Fiji. Taiwan's disgraceful moves will not succeed. AFP: There are some reports that Donald Trump asked Chinese leader to release Jimmy Lai during their talks last week. Can the Foreign Ministry confirm this or provide any further comment? Mao Ning: Jimmy Lai is the principal mastermind and perpetrator behind the series of riots that shook Hong Kong. The central government of China firmly supports the Hong Kong judicial authorities in performing duties in accordance with the law. Hong Kong affairs are China's internal affairs and brook no interference by external forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Readout of the Secretary-General's meeting with H.E. Mr. Ding Xuexiang, First-ranked Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China United Nations Secretary-General 6 November 2025 Belem, Brazil Readouts | Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Ding Xuexiang, First-ranked Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China on the margin of COP30 in Belem. The Secretary-General and Vice Premier Ding discussed the importance of working collaboratively towards securing a robust and credible set of outcomes that respond to the gaps in mitigation, finance and adaptation. They also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern. The Secretary-General thanked Vice Premier Ding for China's continued support to multilateralism and the United Nations and its activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address China's SASTIND releases HD footage of Fujian aircraft carrier's sea trials Global Times By Global Times Published: Nov 07, 2025 12:17 AM On Thursday afternoon, the official Weibo account of China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) posted a high-definition video of the aircraft carrier Fujian undergoing sea trials along with the caption: "We know you've been waiting for two days don't worry, take a look at this first." According to official media reports, the Fujian, China's third aircraft carrier, with hull number 18, was launched in June 2022. Unlike the ski-jump decks of China's first two carriers - the Liaoning and the Shandong - it is China's first domestically made carrier that uses catapults. With a full-load displacement of more than 80,000 tons, the carrier is equipped with electromagnetic catapults and arresting devices. Since its first sea trials in May 2024, the Fujian has carried out a series of maritime tests according to plan, progressing with equipment commissioning and assessments of overall operational stability. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Transcript of Special Briefing by MEA on Visit of President to Botswana and Angola (November 06, 2025) India - Ministry of External Affairs November 06, 2025 Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to this special briefing by Secretary (ER) Shri. Sudhakar Dalela, on the upcoming visit of Rashtrapatiji to Angola and Botswana. The visit will take place during 8th to 13th of November. Let me also inform you that this happens to be the maiden press briefing of Secretary (ER). So while the visit is important, this is also a special attribute of this particular briefing. We also have with us Smt Manisha Verma, Press Secretary to Rashtrapati ji; as also Shri Sevala Naik Mude, Additional Secretary, who looks after Central and West Africa; and Shri Janesh Kain, Joint Secretary, who looks after Eastern and Southern Africa. With that, I invite Secretary (ER) for his opening remarks on the upcoming state visit. Sir. Shri Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (ER): Thank you very much, Randhir, and good afternoon to all of you, friends from media. As Randhir mentioned, Hon'ble President will be paying a state visit to Angola and Botswana from November 8th to 13th. This will be the first ever State Visit by an Indian head of state to Angola and Botswana. As all of you are familiar, India's engagement with Africa has been growing across all key pillars, from political to trade and economic to development partnership and people-to-people connections. There have been numerous high-level political engagements at the level of Head of State, Head of Government, Vice President, EAM... These engagements have allowed us to deepen our cooperation with the African region across sectors. India's engagement with Africa is guided by 10 principles outlined by Hon'ble Prime Minister in 2018 while addressing the Parliament of Uganda. Our expanding ties with Africa align with the development agenda of the African continent, which is reflected in their Agenda 2063 document. The India-Africa Forum Summit provides a comprehensive framework for dialogue and cooperation with the African region. You are aware that India's diplomatic footprint has expanded significantly in recent years with the opening of 17 new missions in Africa. You're also aware that it was during India's G20 presidency in 2023 that we welcomed the African Union as a new permanent member of the G20. India's growing engagement with the African continent is also in consonance with government's priority for a strengthening partnership with countries in the Global South. Our trade with the African region is reaching almost US dollar 100 billion. We have a strong development partnership with the African region. Over three million strong Indian diaspora across African region continues to serve as a bridge for fostering cultural and economic linkages. The visit of Hon'ble Rashtrapati ji has to be seen in this larger context of high priority accorded by Government of India in expanding partnership with the African region. Hon'ble Rashtrapati ji will be visiting first Angola from 8 to 11 November at the invitation of her counterpart from Angola. You will also recall that earlier this year in May, Angolan President had paid a successful visit to India. He had extended an invitation to Hon'ble President to visit Angola and to also participate in the 50th anniversary celebrations of Angola's independence. India had consistently supported Angolan freedom struggle as many of you would know. Further India and Angola are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relation this year. President of Angola is currently the chairperson of the African Union. So for all these reasons the visit of Hon'ble Rashtrapatiji assumes significance. During her visit, Hon'ble President will be holding bilateral talks with the President of Angola. She will be attending the 50th anniversary celebrations of Angola's independence on 11 November. Hon'ble President is scheduled to address the Angolan Parliament and to interact with members of the Indian community of Angola. India and Angola of course enjoy very close ties of friendship and cooperation which have been growing across sectors. We have a vibrant energy partnership with Angola. Building on the momentum imparted by the visit of Angolan President to India this year, the state visit of Hon'ble Rashtrapati ji will provide an opportunity to review entire gamut of bilateral ties and to expand mutually beneficial cooperation in sectors such as agriculture, health, energy, trade and investments, technology, infrastructure development, defense and people-to-people connections. On the second leg of the visit, Hon'ble Rashtrapati ji will be visiting Botswana from 11 to 13 November, at the invitation of the President of Botswana His Excellency Duma Gideon Boko. The State Visit underscores India's commitment to strengthen its long-standing and friendly ties with Botswana. During the visit, Hon'ble Rashtrapatiji will be holding bilateral talks with her counterpart. The two leaders will discuss and explore new avenues for enhancing bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade and investments, technology, energy, agriculture, health, pharmaceuticals, defense, and people-to-people ties. In Botswana as well, Hon'ble President is scheduled to address the National Assembly of Botswana and visit sites of cultural and historical importance. Several dignitaries from Botswana will call on Hon'ble Rashtrapatiji during her visit. I may add that India and Botswana will be celebrating 60 years of establishment of the diplomatic relations next year. Botswana's Vision 2036 document outlines its effort to diversify its economy and to become a high-income society. In this context the visit will provide us an opportunity to appreciate their priorities, and discuss how Indian business community can partner with their Botswana counterpart in identified sectors. We are also engaging with Botswana for translocation of cheetahs to India as part of Project Cheetah, and expecting good progress in this regard. In both Angola and Botswana we have a vibrant Indian community. Hon'ble Rashtrapati ji will be interacting with them in Luanda and Gaborone. The upcoming visit of Hon'ble Rashtrapati ji is therefore very important and we are expecting important outcomes in the form of MoUs or other announcements. We are confident that the visit of Hon'ble Rashtrapatiji will further strengthen India's long-standing collaborative ties with Angola and Botswana, and open up new avenues for collaboration and expanding our partnership. It is also as I said earlier reflective of India's firm commitment to further strengthen its multifaceted partnership with the African continent. With these words I would be happy to respond to any question that you may have. Thank you. Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Thank you. With that we open the floor for questions. Huma Siddiqui, StratNews Global: Sir my name is Huma Siddiqui, and I am from StratNews Global. Sir, I have two questions. Angola is going to assume the presidency of the African Union next year. So, how important would be energy and food security when you are there in Angola? And would any agreement in the energy sector be signed? And my second question is, in the defense and the space sector, is there anything on the cards to be discussed? Sahil Pandey, ANI: Sir, I am Sahil Pandey from ANI News Agency. Sir, what bilateral agreements, MOU or joint declarations are planned for signing in the areas like energy, agriculture, health, defense or digital cooperation, if any? Keshav Padmanabhan, ThePrint: Sir, good evening. Keshav Padmanabhan from ThePrint. My first question is with regards to Angola. When the Angolan President had come earlier this year, I think there was a $200 million line of credit for defense modernization. So, I just wanted to understand where that line is and whether there will be discussions on this. And with regards to Botswana, you also mentioned new areas of cooperation with regards to defense. So, I just wanted to understand what will be discussed or what is on the agenda with regards to defense and security cooperation with Botswana in particular. Thank you. Rishabh, Times Now: Hi, sir. Good evening. Rishabh from Times Now. Sir, I wanted to understand, when we talk about defense between India and Angola, or India and Botswana as well, are we also looking at training their recruits for their defense forces as well? Because there were certain talks that certain African countries are interested in training their recruits in Indian academies. Shri Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (ER): Thank you very much for all these very thoughtful questions. Let me start by the question regarding Angola and the chairpersonship of Angolan president for the African Union. So, they assumed the chairpersonship this year in February and they will continue to be chairperson till next February. And as I mentioned to you, we work very closely with the African Union in the framework of India-Africa Forum Summit. And we would like to discuss the cooperation with the chairperson of AU and see how we can make the next meeting of the India-Africa Forum Summit a success. We are in touch with the African Union colleagues and we are discussing with them. We are planning already as to how we structure, what are the dates. We have to, of course, consult AU because a number of leaders will be travelling for the India-Africa Forum Summit. You mentioned energy and food security. I think both are very critical sectors for cooperation. When the Hon'ble president of Angola came to India this year, he did discuss both these aspects with our leadership. Of course, we have fairly vibrant energy partnership with Angola already. And we have about USD 5 billion trade with Angola, out of which I would say 80% is energy sector. So, our partnership with Angola from energy security perspective is very critical. And we would like to explore the possibility of providing sort of more momentum and depth to our partnership in the energy sector. Angola has a large segment of arable land, and they are very keen that Indian expertise, Indian technology in the area of agriculture can be utilized by Angolan side. So, we are very ready to share our experience with the Angolan side. And this visit will give us a chance to discuss those elements also. There were two questions on LOC/defense cooperation with Angola. You are very right that we did announce our readiness to extend the line of credit of 200 million for cooperation in defense sector with Angola. We are in the middle of discussion with Angola now to finalize LOC agreement. We feel that we will be able to partner with Angola in this important area of defense, as per their requirements. On defense training, I would like to mention that we do train a number of officers from partner countries in Global South, including Angola and Botswana. With Botswana, actually, we have very historic partnership in the defense sector. Our Indian training team was there for three decades in Botswana, working very closely with the Botswana Defense Forces. And, as we speak, we have number of officers from Botswana coming every year as part of the ITEC program, both for civilian and for defense. So we would like to pursue our cooperation in defense sector with both Angola and with Botswana. You mentioned about space cooperation also, and I'm very happy that you raised this point. This aspect was also discussed during the visit of Angolan president to India, actually. And he expressed an interest in sort of harnessing space technology for various development programmes. We would like to pursue that conversation during this visit of Hon'ble Rashtrapati Ji to Angola. There was a question about what we are going to sign in terms of bilateral MoUs. As I mentioned, we are discussing MoUs in the area of health, in the area of fisheries, in the area of capacity building. And we do hope that we can concretize these MoUs before the visit of Hon'ble Rashtrapati ji. There would also be some announcements. As you know, we have been requesting our partner countries to join the regional frameworks such as International Solar Alliance or CDRI or Global Biofuel Alliance or International Big Cat Alliance. And we are very hopeful that during the visit of Hon'ble Rashtrapati ji that Angola and Botswana will indicate some positive movement on our request for them to join and partner with us in these regional contexts. I think I have tried to answer most of the questions. If I missed something, I will be very happy to come back again. Thank you. Srinjoy: Sir, you spoke about Cheetahs. How many Cheetahs and when are they expected? It has generated so much interest and optimism in India. Rishikesh, PTI: Rishikesh from PTI. So, is India exploring to boost its oil imports from Angola? And as we have seen in the past, China has offered a huge amount of loan to Angola in exchange of oil imports. Will India follow this route, or India is offering some kind of loan to build infrastructure in Angola? Yeshi Seli, Business India: Yeshi Seli from Business India. I had a question similar to Rishi. You just mentioned that 80% of Angola's exports are energy exports, right? So is it primarily crude or LNG because they export both and also you are sending back refined products. Now in the light of sanctions on Russian crude, are we going to be increasing crude from Angola? Do you know the percentage of crude that we import from Angola right now? Vijai Lakshmi: Sir, aapne ek to bataya ki defense ke Kshetra mein saajhedaari ko lekar iske alawa kin aur kshetron mein saajhedaari is poore summit se aa sakti hai? Aur digital innovation ek sector hai usko lekar ke bhi kya kisi tarah ki koi ghoshna ya kuch is visit ke baad humare saamne aa sakta hai? [Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi] Sir, you mentioned cooperation in the field of defense. Apart from that, in which other areas could partnerships emerge from this entire summit? Also, since digital innovation is one of the sectors, can we expect any announcement or development related to it after this visit? Akhilesh Suman, Doordarshan News: Sir, I am Akhilesh Suman from Doordarshan News. Can you tell us who are the part of delegation, that is going with President? And also some people think that there are lots of unexplored rare earth minerals in Botswana and Angola. So are you going to talk about it also? Keshav Padmanabhan, ThePrint: Thank you again. Keshav from ThePrint. I just wanted to check, Angola is part of the Lobito corridor, which was announced at the G20 apart from IMEC and I know that is EU-US primarily. But I just wanted to check whether there is any discussions on India sort of joining or participating ... these sort of transport connectivity projects in Africa, with Angola in particular. Thank you. Shri Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (ER): Thank you very much for these questions. I will try to respond to all of them in the sequence that they were raised. Firstly, about the Cheetah. As I mentioned, we have been working already with Namibia and South Africa as part of our shared commitment for conservation and biodiversity protection. So, in addition to Namibia and South Africa, we have been talking to Botswana for some time and they have indicated their readiness to work with us in this area. So, I would not like to give you a number but certainly it will be a good number that we are hoping, and I also feel that they will be moving to India very soon. Now the next question was about the LOC in general for infrastructure projects. You are right that we have ... As part of our development partnership, we do assist partner countries through line of credit or sometimes grant assistance also. And, if there is a request from Angola or Botswana in the area of infrastructure development and some assistance for line of credit, we will be very happy to look at those requests. As of now, we do not have any requests from them in this area except the defense LOC that we have already announced. In terms of import from Angola right now, we do import crude and we do import LNG also, you are very right. As I mentioned to you, last year our imports were of the order of $4 billion. And we would like to discuss with Angola as to how we can sort of strengthen our partnership going forward as Angola is the second largest supplier of energy from Africa. So this is a very important area of cooperation for us. We do also export refined products to Angola as you mentioned. In the area of DPIs and digital innovation, yes, we are very keen to share our expertise and experience in the area of digital innovation, digital stack, digital technology, DPI. And there is a degree of interest both in Angola and Botswana, and I think this visit will give us a clear idea as to what exactly the requirements are from these two partner countries, and we will be very happy to strengthen our partnership in both these areas. In terms of rail network ... there was a question about rail connectivity and the corridor that you mentioned. Of course, Angola has a sizable rail corridor, and I gather that they are trying to develop more connectivity towards Namibia as also towards DRC. And they are trying to sort of look at the possibility of partnership in the area of rail infrastructure. So, again, we haven't received any clear concrete proposal from Angola. But, maybe during this visit, this issue may come up for discussion and we will be very happy to engage and see what are the possibilities in this direction. We have tremendous capacity of course in rail sector, and we have been working in Africa in rail sector with Mozambique and other countries. Mineral resources, some colleague mentioned, certainly yes. We certainly, as part of our larger trade and economic cooperation ... we are working with the partner countries in Africa in the area of critical minerals. We have a national critical mineral mission in India and we would like to work with them and see how we can work in this area through joint ventures, through processing of some minerals together and meeting our requirements for sustainability including electrical vehicles and other sectors of cooperation. Thank you. Huma Siddiqui, StratNews Global: Sir, there are concerns about cyber security, especially in the African continent. So is India expected to offer its support or some kind of a cooperation in dealing with the cyber crimes? Kallol Bhattacherjee, The Hindu:Kallol from The Hindu. Sir, the President is travelling to Africa at a time when there is a very big civil war and conflict happening in Sudan nearby. So is there a message regarding these conflicts that are endemic in Africa? Recently, of course, Nigeria has received so much attention because of President Trump's remarks about the attacks on the Christian community there. So, since the President is going, would there be a message also about building consensus and ending these conflicts in the continent, Sir? Santosh, Nav Bharat: Good evening, Sir. Santosh from Nav Bharat. Sir mujhe janna tha ki ITEC mein unka kya abhi Quota hai dono countries ka aur last time unka ye tha ki wo Quota badhane ki bhi baat kar rahe the. Toh kya us par bhi koi baat hogi? Thank you. [Approximate Translation: Question in Hindi] Good evening, sir. Santosh from Nav Bharat. Sir, I wanted to know what the current ITEC quota is for both countries. And last time they had mentioned the possibility of increasing that quota so will that also be discussed this time? Thank you. Shri Sudhakar Dalela, Secretary (ER): Thank you very much again for these very thoughtful questions. Regarding the last question about ITEC. As I mentioned to you we have a very robust partnership for capacity building with Botswana. I mentioned to you in the last 10 years almost 750 professionals and students, civil servants have come to India for training program across India in different sectors, including defense area. And, if there is a requirement for more slots in certain areas, we'll be very happy to have a customized program also for our partner countries from Global South. So, ITEC in capacity building, I think we will be very supportive to any request for enhanced partnership. Regarding cyber security area, as I said, as part of a program to build and foster relationship and partnership with the Global South, we would be very happy to work in this area of cyber security as well. We haven't had a very detailed discussion with Angola and Botswana on this sector, but going forward, we would be open to collaborating in these domains also with our African partners. I think the message of the visit is very clear that we have a very robust, very multifaceted partnership with Africa. We want to work and expand our partnership with Africa and countries in the Global South. We would like to share our own development experience with the African friends, African partners, and we would like to be a partner in the development journey. So, I think our message is very clear that we want to move ahead at a speed in which we can strengthen our partnership and we can strengthen our trade and economic relationship. We can improve our political engagement, and within the framework of IAFS, across all sectors, we would like to work very closely with the African region. So our message is very clear that we want to partner and deepen our partnership with the African region. Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, with that, we come to the close of this press briefing. Yatra ke dauraan kai ek press vaarta hongi aur us press vaarta ke maadhyam se aap logon ko avagat karaya jaayega ki kya-kya cheez ho rahi hai, toh saath jude rahiye hamare, bahut-bahut dhanyavaad. [Approximate Translation]: During the visit, there will be several press briefings, and through those interactions, you will be informed about the developments taking place. So, please stay connected with us. Thank you very much. New Delhi November 06, 2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran forced US, Israel to shift from 'unconditional surrender' to 'unconditional ceasefire': Araghchi Iran Press TV Wednesday, 05 November 2025 10:37 PM Iran's foreign minister has hailed the country's resilience in the face of recent 12-day US-Israeli aggression, saying this resilience forced an enemy who demanded unconditional surrender to plead for an unconditional ceasefire. Speaking at an administrative council meeting in Hamedan province on Thursday evening, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared that the enemy utterly failed in all its objectives during the 12-day conflict. Araghchi detailed the enemy's miscalculation, noting their assumption that Iran would quickly capitulate under sudden strikes. He stated that it is a reality that "the enemy failed to achieve all its goals in this 12-day war." The foreign minister recalled the early days of the war, when they sent messages demanding negotiations for surrender, with American President Donald Trump famously urging "unconditional surrender" in a social media post. "Their goal in starting the war was surprise and sudden strikes, and they thought Iran would raise its hands in surrender within 2-3 days," he said. "But such a thing was not realized with the prudence of the Leader (Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei) and the rapid replacement of military commanders and the rebuilding of the armed forces and the serious entry of the government into crisis management and securing the country's needs." Araghchi affirmed the effectiveness of Iran's decisive response, highlighting the indigenous power that forced the enemy's retreat. He noted that the correct, timely, and "powerful and comprehensive reaction of our armed forces to the enemy's aggression" was also critical in their failure. Addressing Western claims, he remarked, "I told the heads of states during my meeting with them that many claimed that the skies of Iran were in the hands of Israeli planes during the 12-day war, but they do not mention the part that the sky of the Zionist regime was in the hands of Iran's missiles, and that despite the multi-layered defense with American and European aid, they could not prevent the landing of Iranian missiles." The accuracy and impact of Iran's deterrent power were undeniable, according to the minister. "Our missiles, for the first time in a war, hit the enemy's territories more accurately and firmly every day by removing their weak points." He stressed that the domestic production of this military capability proved decisive, leading to a monumental shift in the enemy's demands. "The result was that those who said on the first days of the war 'unconditional surrender' said on the twelfth day of the war 'unconditional ceasefire,'" he said. "This is the difference of a nation that can resist with its capabilities and triumph over the enemy." 'National cohesion key to resilience' The minister credited the victory not only to military might and leadership but also to the unwavering support of the Iranian populace. "Besides the prudence of the Leader and the authority of the armed forces and the efforts of the government and the diplomacy team, the national cohesion and steadfastness of the people were another important factor in the victory over the enemy in the 12-day war." He cautioned the public to remain vigilant against divisive tactics. "The enemy is intensely trying to undermine the cohesion that we witnessed being strengthened during the 12-day war, which was one of the factors of our authority and victory." Araghchi also detailed the diplomatic victory that accompanied the military success, stating that the foreign policy apparatus worked hard "to defend the righteousness of the system and the Iranian people," leading "120 countries in the world [to] condemn the American and Israeli attack on the soil of the Islamic homeland and express support for the Iranian nation." 'Iran must become strong' Araghchi emphasized that the path to security and progress lies in following the Leader's repeated guidance that"our progress and the way to our survival and our dignity is in becoming strong." "We must become strong. This is a reality in the international arena that any country that is strong makes way for itself, and the weaker ones are suppressed. We must strengthen ourselves from all sides to remove the shadow of war, threats, and sanctions from ourselves." Pointing to the performance of the armed forces in the recent war, the minister declared a return to, and even surpassing of, previous military strength. "Our armed forces spared no effort in this regard, and today I can say with knowledge that the capability of the armed forces, our defensive capability, and our missile capability have returned to before June 13th, and are even stronger." Araghchi concluded by underscoring that what deters enemies is the "readiness for war." "The enemies started the war with their miscalculations, but now they know that the Islamic Republic is more ready than ever to defend itself, and all of this has caused the tension of war to decrease, and it has become certain for them that in no war against the people of Iran will they achieve their goals." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran's prowess in 12-day war was power of Islam: Ghalibaf IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Nov 6, 2025 Islamabad, IRNA -- Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says that Iran's military prowess, which delivered an unprecedented blow to the Israeli regime, demonstrated the power of Islam and the Islamic Ummah. Ghalibaf, leading a parliamentary delegation to Pakistan, held talks with Yusuf Raza Gilani, the acting president of Pakistan, at the Presidential Palace on Thursday. During the meeting, Ghalibaf said that the Israeli aggression against Iran in mid-June occurred while Tehran was engaged in nuclear negotiations, the peaceful nature of which had been consistently verified. The assault, launched with only 48 hours remaining before a new round of talks and with direct American support, was characterized as a profound lesson for all nations, he said. Ghalibaf argued that the incident exposed the insincerity of both the Israeli regime and the United States. For his part, Gilani condemned the attack on the Islamic Republic, adding that Iran's courageous response had stunned the international community. 7129**9417 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Iran, China, and Russia envoys meet ahead of IAEA BoG session IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Nov 6, 2025 London, IRNA -- The ambassadors from Iran, China, and Russia in Vienna have held a trilateral meeting to align their positions on topics for the upcoming session of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors. In a message on his Telegram account late Wednesday, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, said, "Today, China, Iran, and Russia held another round of traditional trilateral consultations regarding the Iranian nuclear dossier." He added, "We coordinated and aligned our positions to be fully prepared for the upcoming session of the IAEA Board of Governors." The upcoming session of the Board of Governors is scheduled to take place from November 19 to 21 at the Vienna International Centre. This session will focus on the issue of Iran exclusively within the context of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. This change follows the completion of the Agency's mission related to UN Security Council Resolution 2231. 3266**4353 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Japan-Canada Foreign Ministers' Telephone Meeting Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan November 6, 2025 On November 6, commencing at 9:30 p.m. for approximately 15 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, held a Telephone Meeting with the Honourable Anita ANAND, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada. The overview of the meeting is as follows: At the outset, Minister Anand extended her congratulations to Minister MOTEGI on his assumption of the position. In response, Minister MOTEGI expressed his gratitude for the congratulatory message and conveyed his respect for Canada's leadership as this year's G7 president. Minister MOTEGI stated that Canada is a key strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific, and welcomed the steady progress in cooperation based on the Japan-Canada Action Plan. Both Ministers concurred on working closely together to promote a "free and open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)." Minister MOTEGI stated that Canada is an important partner also in the economic field, including economic security. Both Ministers confirmed to accerlerate Japan-Canada cooperation in the economic field, including LNG cooperation. Both Ministers confirmed to strengthen cooperation, including collaboration at the future G7 Foreign Ministers' Meetings. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 7th Meeting of the Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue Ministry of Foregn Affairs of Japan November 6, 2025 The 7th meeting of the Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was held on November 6, 2025 in Tokyo. The Japanese side was headed by Ms. HOKUGO Kyoto, Deputy Director-General of Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with officials from the National Security Secretariat, National Ocean Policy Secretariat, Ministry of Defense, and Japan Coast Guard; the Philippine side was headed by Mr. Emmanuel Donato K. Guzman, Acting Assistant Secretary of Maritime and Ocean Affairs, Department of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, along with officials of National Security Council, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), among others. Both sides reaffirmed that maritime cooperation is fundamental to the strategic partnership between Japan and the Philippines, both of which are maritime countries. They exchanged views on recent situations in the waters surrounding both countries, including the East China Sea and the South China Sea. They confirmed the importance of bilateral cooperation and coordination with allies and like-minded countries, including the Japan-Philippines-US cooperation, to address these challenges. The Japanese side emphasized the importance of realizing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP). The Philippine side also stated its willingness to strengthen cooperation toward maintaining and enhancing a maritime order based on the rule of law, particularly by respecting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Arbitral Tribunal's award between the Philippines and China. Both sides reviewed the current status and future direction of cooperation, including cooperation through OSA and ODA, maritime domain awareness, cooperation between maritime safety agencies including enhancement of maritime law enforcement capabilities, cooperation between defense authorities, and cooperation in the field of marine environment. The Philippine side expressed gratitude for Japan's support to date. Both sides concurred to steadily advance concrete bilateral maritime cooperation, building on the outcomes of the Japan-Philippines Leaders' Summit held on the sidelines of the ASEAN-related Summit Meetings on October 26. (Reference) Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue Japan-Philippines The Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was formalized in light of the Japan-Philippines Joint Statement of June 2009. The first meeting of the Japan-Philippines Maritime Dialogue was held in Tokyo on September 9, 2011, followed by the second in Manila on February 22, 2013, the third in Tokyo on June 11, 2019, the fourth in a teleconference format on October 22, 2021, the fifth in Tokyo on March 29, 2023 and the sixth in Manila on December 3, 2024. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Secretary Rubio's Meeting with Kazakhstan President Tokayev US Department of State Readout Office of the Spokesperson November 6, 2025 The below is attributable to Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott: Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Washington, D.C., today ahead of planned celebrations for the 10-year anniversary of the C5+1 diplomatic platform. Secretary Rubio and President Tokayev discussed expanding opportunities for commercial trade and investment as well as increased cooperation with Kazakhstan in energy, technology, and infrastructure. The United States and Kazakhstan committed to deepening their partnership to secure critical minerals access and bolster energy security, while reinforcing U.S. supply chains and offering enhanced commercial opportunities for both Kazakhstan and our nation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Statement by the Spokesperson Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs In response to media queries regarding allegations that certain members of Hindu community were denied entry into Pakistan, the following may be attributed to the Spokesperson, Mr. Tahir Husaain Andrabi: Pakistan categorically rejects the unfounded and misleading allegations that members of the Hindu community were denied entry into its territory. These claims are entirely baseless and represent yet another attempt to distort facts and politicize a matter that was purely administrative in nature. High Commission for Pakistan, New Delhi had issued over 2,400 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji from 4-13 November 2025. On 4 November 2025, a total of 1,932 pilgrims successfully crossed into Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border. It is pertinent to note that approximately 300 visa holders were prevented by the Indian authorities from crossing over. The entire immigration process on the Pakistani side was smooth, orderly, and free of any hindrance. A very small number of individuals were found to possess incomplete documentation and were unable to provide satisfactory responses to immigration authorities. Consequently, they were requested to return to the Indian side in accordance with standard procedures. To suggest that these individuals were denied entry on religious grounds is completely incorrect and mischievous. Pakistan has always welcomed pilgrims of all faiths to visit its sacred religious sites under a well-established and facilitative framework. The action taken was purely administrative, consistent with Pakistan's sovereign right to regulate entry into its territory. Any attempt to give this issue a communal or political colour is not only regrettable but also reflective of the prejudiced mindset that increasingly dominates the Indian government and media narratives. Islamabad November 6, 2025 328/2025 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address General Sir Charles Roland Vincent Walker, Chief of the General Staff (CGS) of the United Kingdom Army, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), at General Headquarters (GHQ) today. Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan Rawalpindi - November 06, 2025 No PR-351/2025-ISPR General Sir Charles Roland Vincent Walker, Chief of the General Staff (CGS) of the United Kingdom Army, called on Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, NI (M), HJ, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), at General Headquarters (GHQ) today. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security and measures to further enhance bilateral defence cooperation were discussed. Both sides reiterated the need for continued collaboration to ensure peace and stability in the region. The visiting dignitary appreciated Pakistan Army's achievements and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and its efforts for regional peace and stability. Earlier, upon arrival at GHQ, the UK CGS laid a floral wreath at Yadgar-e-Shuhada to pay homage to the martyrs. He was presented with guard of honour by a smartly turned-out contingent of Pakistan Army. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Spokesperson's Press Briefing (November 6, 2025) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea Date: 2025-11-07 Press Briefing Spokesperson and Deputy Minister for Public Affairs Lee Jaewoong November 6, 2025 14:30 KST Good afternoon. Let me start today's briefing. Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun will visit Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from November 9 to 11. During the visit, Foreign Minister Cho will meet with a number of Cambodian government officials to discuss the way forward for Korea-Cambodia relations, including cooperation for the eradication of scam-related crimes in Cambodia. He will also attend a meeting of local Korean residents. Currently, the two countries are in active consultation to start running at an early date the "Korea Task Force," -- a Korea-Cambodia joint task force between the national police agencies of the two countries dedicated to addressing issues concerning Koreans -- which they agreed at the summit last month to set in motion in November. The negotiations for a memorandum of understanding to that effect are in their final stages. The Task Force, after put into operation in November, is expected to greatly help resolve the involvement of Korean nationals in scam-related crimes in Cambodia. Moving on, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Yoonjoo, together with his Japanese counterpart Funakoshi Takehiro, will hold the 16th Korea-Japan Vice- Ministerial Strategic Dialogue in Seoul on Friday, November 7. The Dialogue will cover in depth a broad range of issues including Korea-Japan relations as well as regional and global affairs. Lastly, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kim Jina will visit New York, the United States, from November 9 to 11. On November 10, the Vice Minister will attend a United Nations Security Council high-level open debate to be chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Sierra Leone, and discuss with other participants ways to prevent illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SALW). On the sidelines, Vice Minister Kim will meet with high-level officials of the UN Secretariat to discuss ways for Korea-UN cooperation. She will also hold a meeting with Korean nationals working in international organizations to listen to their opinions on ways to expand Korean representation in international organizations, among others. (A question-and-answer session followed.) NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin orders Russian ministries to submit proposals on preparations for nuclear tests; US carries out unarmed ICBM test Global Times By Deng Xiaoci and Liu Xuanzun Published: Nov 06, 2025 04:12 PM The US Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Wednesday early morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US media reported, citing a press release from base officials. Following that, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US had notified Russia about the test. The AFGSC said the ICBM test program aims to validate and verify the weapon system's effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy. The command added that the test was routine and had been scheduled years in advance. Wednesday's launch also marked the US first test of nuclear-capable, but unarmed, ICBM after the US President ordered a renewal of testing, according to Newsweek. The Kremlin spokesperson added that Russia is not engaged in an arms race but continues to develop its own systems. He said the current global situation confirms that the decisions to modernize the nuclear triad were correct. The test-launch was part of an experiment with US nuclear delivery systems, specifically testing nuclear weapon delivery systems. The exchange of signals about resuming nuclear weapons testing between the US and Russia itself represents deterrence to each other, military affairs expert Song Zhongping, told the Global Times. According to the Federation of American Scientists' Nuclear Information Project, the US Air Force maintains 400 Minuteman III ICBMs deployed in silos across Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Wyoming, each with a range of more than 6,000 miles, Newsweek reported. The Newsweek cited a January report by the Federation of American Scientists' Nuclear Information Project, which stated that although the Minuteman III was initially deployed in 1970, it has undergone several rounds of modernization, including in 2015, when the missiles completed a multibillion-dollar, decade-long upgrade to extend their service life until 2030. Russia's TASS News Agency reported on local time Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the special services, and the relevant civil agencies to submit proposals on preparing for possible nuclear weapons tests. "I instruct the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the special services, and the relevant civil agencies to gather and analyze additional information on this issue at the Security Council and submit agreed proposals on the potential start of preparations for nuclear weapons tests," the head of state said. "Let's proceed on this basis. I await your report," the Russian president concluded, per TASS. The report noted that earlier, the US president said he had directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear weapons testing immediately, citing other countries' ongoing activities. President Trump did not specify what types of tests he was referring to or whether they would include the detonation of nuclear warheads. At the meeting, which was intended to discuss transport security and the results of the government delegation's visit to China, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin cited US President Donald Trump's statements about resuming nuclear weapons testing and mentioned that [Russian] lawmakers were concerned about the situation, TASS reported. Putin described the issue as serious and asked Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Russian Armed Forces' General Staff Chief Army General Valery Gerasimov, Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin, Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, and Federal Security Service (FSB) Director Alexander Bortnikov to comment, reported TASS. Belousov, in particular, cited Washington's active build-up of strategic offensive weapons. He said Russia must maintain its nuclear potential to ensure an adequate response. With this in mind, the minister proposed "immediately begin preparations for full-scale nuclear tests." According to the meeting transcript released by the Kremlin, Putin said, "I took note of some of your remarks and opinions and I would like to note that Russia has always strictly adhered to its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and we do not plan to abandon these obligations." "At the same time, indeed, in my 2023 Address to the Federal Assembly, I said that if the US or any other state party to the Treaty was to conduct such tests, Russia would be under obligation to take reciprocal measures," Putin added. Russia, through continuous technical improvements, aims to achieve equilibrium and parity with US nuclear forces. While Russia is building new strategic nuclear capabilities, the US is relying on its legacy systems, Song explained said. However, the ongoing competition between the US and Russia in experimenting with nuclear delivery systems, and even hinting at nuclear explosion tests, poses a serious threat to world peace and stability, and nuclear non-proliferation. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Putin warns of reciprocal measures if US resumes nuclear weapons testing Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 8:03 AM Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow will take "reciprocal measures" if the United States resumes nuclear weapons testing, amid heightening tensions between the two largest nuclear powers. During a meeting with Russia's Security Council on Wednesday, Putin ordered the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, intelligence services, and civilian agencies to assess the possibility of restarting nuclear tests and to present proposals for initial steps. "Russia would be under obligation to take reciprocal measures," read a transcript of the meeting published by the Kremlin. "In this regard, I instruct the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, the special services, and the corresponding civilian agencies to do everything possible to gather additional information on this matter, have it analyzed by the Security Council, and submit coordinated proposals on the possible first steps focusing on preparations for nuclear weapons tests," Putin said. His direction was an apparent response to an order by US President Donald Trump on October 30 for Washington to "immediately" resume nuclear testing on an "equal basis" with other nuclear-armed powers, ending the moratorium in place since 1992. Trump made the decision just days after condemning Moscow for testing its new Burevestnik missile, a nuclear-powered weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Putin further stressed that Moscow would be "obliged to respond" if Washington or any other signatory to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) carries out a test. Russia has not conducted a nuclear explosion since the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, but the Kremlin now suggests it could reconsider that stance if the US moves first. At the meeting, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov warned that the US decision increases the "level of military threat to Russia," urging readiness to deliver "unacceptable damage" if necessary. Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, for his part, echoed the concern, stressing that inaction at the present time could leave Russia unable to respond effectively later. Disarmament advocates and global security experts have already warned that resuming nuclear tests could destabilize global security and trigger a new arms race. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that while Russia is preparing for all scenarios, it would act only after fully understanding US intentions. "In order to come to a conclusion about the advisability of beginning preparations for such tests, it will take exactly as much time as it takes for us to fully understand the intentions of the United States of America," he said. According to the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Russia and the US are the world's leading nuclear powers, with the former holding about 5,459 nuclear warheads and the latter about 5,177 nuclear warheads. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russia's repeated use of offensive and baseless language is disrespectful and undermines diplomatic dialogue: UK statement to the OSCE Speech Ambassador Holland condemns Russia's repeated, baseless use of offensive and historically loaded language in OSCE discussions, highlighting the disrespect shown to victims of Nazi repression and the risk of trivialising genuine threats. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Neil Holland Published 6 November 2025 Location: Vienna Delivered on: 6 November 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) Thank you, Mr Chair. The UK continues to stand with Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia's illegal war of aggression. Since our last meeting, Russian attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure have continued, resulting in further civilian fatalities. And President Putin continues to demonstrate that he is not serious about peace, having failed to engage in President Trump's most recent proposals for meaningful peace talks. Weekly, we object to this and encourage a move to the negotiating table. In return we are forced to listen to the repeated use of offensive and historically loaded terms. References to Nazism have become a fixture of Russia's statements - including more than ten mentions during last week's meeting alone. Russia appears to have a very different understanding of the characteristics of Nazism than most of us in this room. For them the definition includes daring to challenge Russia's control of historical memory. The Kremlin has cultivated this narrative for decades alongside a foundational myth of WWII as a military and moral victory of the Soviet Union, and by extension, Russia. The Kremlin narrative is that it is defending Ukrainians from Nazism. This is completely untrue for reasons I and others have made clear on previous occasions. Mr Chair, not only is the continued use of this language factually baseless, but it is also deeply disrespectful to the victims of Nazi repression. There is also a danger in trivialising the horrors of Nazism by applying the term to any and all adversaries. It risks eroding our collective ability to identify and respond to genuine threats. This is a danger to us all, including to Russia itself. And quite frankly, such name-calling is unbecoming of a serious diplomatic exchange. It undermines the dignity of the OSCE, is inconsistent with our Rules of Procedure, and diminishes this place as a platform for serious dialogue. Before I conclude, I wish to pay tribute to Germany for the extraordinary efforts it has made to come to terms with its history. Germany's commitment to remembrance, education, and reconciliation stands as a model for us all and is worthy of deep respect. They do not deserve to have this difficult part of their history trivialised by the reckless misuse of terms that carry such weight and consequence. In closing, I appeal to Russia to cease the use of these insults within the OSCE. If you wish to use this forum for serious exchange, we urge you to desist from deploying such playground rhetoric. The OSCE is a place for dialogue. Let us restore some dignity to our discussions here. Thank you, Mr Chair. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address US seeks to establish military presence at Damascus airbase amid HTS-Israel normalization deal Iran Press TV Thursday, 06 November 2025 4:10 PM The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an airbase in the Syrian capital Damascus to help enable a normalization pact that Washington is brokering between the Western-backed Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) administration and the Israeli regime. Media outlets citing multiple sources familiar with the matter on Thursday confirmed that the US was planning to use the base to help monitor a potential Israel-Syria agreement. That deal is being mediated by the US President Donald Trump's administration. A US administration official said the US was "constantly evaluating our necessary posture in Syria" to purportedly combat Daesh. "(We) do not comment on locations or possible locations of (where) forces operate," the official said. The media reports, however, revealed that the base reportedly sits at the gateway to parts of southern Syria that are expected to make up a demilitarized zone as part of a so-called non-aggression pact between Israel and Syria. The US military already has about 2,000 troops in Syria across several bases, mostly in the northeast. The deployment of US military convoys on Syrian soil comes despite recent announcements by US officials indicating that Washington intends to scale down its military presence in Syria to a single base. The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported last month that a US cargo plane carrying soldiers as well as military and logistical supplies had landed in Kharab al-Jir airbase in Rmelan countryside in northern Hasakah. Trump has also admitted on several occasions that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth. Trump is now set to meet Western-backed HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, once affiliated with al-Qaeda and Daesh, at the White House on Monday. The developments come as Syrian forces, dominated by the HTS and other militant groups, have continued to carry out sectarian killings, kidnappings, and persecution across Syria. The HTS rulers have enjoyed unconditional backing by the United States, Europe and the monarchies of Arab states in the Persian Gulf region with sanctions relief and financial support. This happened despite Jolani forces killing hundreds of civilians from the Assad family's sect Alawites, in March. Then came the killing spree in a province called Sweida. It was also a turning point for the Arab country. To many Syrians, the massacre in Sweida made clear a pattern of HTS-led forces targeting and killing Syrian minorities, with few repercussions. The Druze minority and Alawite community had a history of supporting the Assad government and standing against Israeli occupation and expansionist policies, including in the occupied Golan Heights. Rights groups earlier documented the violent deaths of nearly 10,000 people across Syria under the brutal HTS rule. After the collapse of the al-Assad government last December, Jolani was widely praised by the Western media. An article in the UK's Telegraph described his armed group, the former al-Qaeda affiliated HTS, as "diversity-friendly militants." Trump, during a regional tour, announced a decision to lift all sanctions against the al-Jolani regime in exchange for normalizing ties with Israel. Jolani has assured the Western countries that Syria will "normalize relations" with Israel, recognize the regime, and exchange ambassadors by the end of 2026. The HTS-led regime will reportedly hand over the occupied Golan Heights to Israel as part of a looming normalization deal with the illegal entity. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Risch, Shaheen Statement on UN Vote to Lift Syria Sanctions Senate Foreign Relations Committee Published: November 06, 2025 WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the statement below ahead of a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) vote to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa and Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab. "Effective diplomacy requires bold action, and removing sanctions on Syria's leadership is a necessary step to bring the Syrian economy into the 21st century. The United States remains committed to a safe, free, and stable Syria shaped by Syrians, and has committed to removing sanctions from the government. As chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, we take this very seriously and are actively working with the administration and our colleagues in Congress to repeal Caesar sanctions. Now it is also time for the United Nations to follow suit and remove their outdated and prohibitive sanctions regimes. "Should members of the Security Council like China or Russia exercise their veto to block the lifting of sanctions on Syria's leaders, it will be clear they are no friend to the Syrian people who have suffered enough. We cannot forget that Russia continues to provide safe haven to Bashar al-Assad, the cruel dictator who should face justice and accountability for the atrocities of his regime. It's time to prioritize reconstruction, stability, and a path forward rather than isolation that only deepens hardship for Syrians. We urge the members of the Security Council to lift sanctions on Syria for the benefit of the Syrian people." ### NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We will continue to support the Syrian Government as it fulfils its commitments to build a more stable, free, and prosperous future for all Syrians: UK Explanation of Vote at the UN Security Council Speech UK explanation of vote delivered by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Charge d'Affaires to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria. From: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and James Kariuki CMG Published 6 November 2025 Location: United Nations, New York Delivered on: 6 November 2025 (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered) The United Kingdom voted in favour of the resolution today. It marks a significant moment, nearly one year after the fall of Asad and the beginning of a new chapter of hope for the Syrian people. We welcome the progress made by the Syrian Government to date, including on advancing the political transition, and taking positive steps on counter terrorism and chemical weapons. In this context, we welcome the delisting of Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Anas Khattab from the 1267 sanctions regime. It is important to note that the Syrian Arab Republic is not, and has never been, designated under the ISIL and Al-Qaida sanctions regime, or any other UN sanctions regime. We hope that this resolution will further encourage deeper engagement with the international community and support the Syrian people in their efforts towards reconstruction and economic development. The United Kingdom has consistently stood by the people of Syria. We will continue to support the Syrian Government as it fulfils its commitments to build a more stable, free, and prosperous future for all Syrians. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Security Council Adopts Resolution 2799 (2025), Removing Syria's Transitional President, Interior Minister from ISIL (Da'esh), Al-Qaida Sanctions List Meetings Coverage Security Council 10036th Meeting (PM) SC/16214 6 November 2025 The Security Council decided today to remove two individuals from its Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list - including the President appointed in the wake of Syria's December 2024 popular uprising - as delegates widely welcomed efforts to "lift all obstacles" to the country's economic recovery. Adopting resolution 2799 (2025) (to be issued as document S/RES/2799(2025)) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter by a vote of 14 in favour to none against, with 1 abstention (China), the 15-member Council decided to remove Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa, and transitional Minister for Interior, Anas Hasan Khattab, from the list of individuals, groups, undertakings and entities targeted by sanctions. The Sanctions List is overseen by a subsidiary Committee of the Security Council, established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999), and was first extended to parties alleged to be supporting ISIL/Da'esh in resolution 2253 (2015). Delegates Welcome 'New Era' on Syria's Road to Recovery Several Council members and other representatives took the floor to welcome the resolution's adoption. "Now is Syria's chance at greatness," said the representative of the United States, whose delegation sponsored the resolution. With today's adoption, the Council is sending a "clear political signal" in recognition of Syria's "new era", he said, noting that the new Government is working to fulfil its commitments on counterterrorism. The delisting decided today will help give the Syrian people the best possible chance for a stable and prosperous future, he said. Echoing those points, the United Kingdom's delegate welcomed progress made by the Syrian Government to advance the country's political transition, as well as to address terrorism and the threat posed by chemical weapons. The representatives of the Russian Federation and France both emphasized the importance of supporting Syria's economic recovery, alongside its political transition. "It is the international community's responsibility to lift all obstacles to this recovery," said the latter, noting that the text also outlines the Council's expectations that the Syrian Government will continue its fight against terrorism. The representative of Algeria agreed that today's adoption marks another important step towards a more prosperous and stable future for Syria. The resolution reflects the Council's collective support for Syrians as they navigate the current transition, he said, adding that his delegation voted in favour in view of its respect for Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "Syria must be rebuilt by all Syrians, without exclusion," he stressed. 'Immense' Opportunities with Notes of Caution The representatives of Pakistan and Somalia also welcoming the resolution, with the former praising the adoption as step on Syria's journey ahead presenting "immense opportunities", as well as challenges. He expressed hope the Government would continue to centralize its authority and address security challenges, ultimately helping Syria to emerge as one of the world's strong and prosperous nations. The representative of China whose delegation abstained in the vote said that, while the Council held multiple rounds of consultations, in which China expressed legitimate concerns about terrorism including foreign terrorist fighters in Syria, the draft's sponsor pushed the text forward to serve its own interests. "Syria is in a precarious state" in which many foreign terrorist fighters including members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement continue to threaten the country's security and stability, he warned, urging the new Syrian Government to win the trust of the international community. Morocco's delegate, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said the text is a "decisive turning point". Reaffirming the Group's commitment to Syria's territorial unity and independence, she rejected any foreign interference in its internal affairs or any attempt to impose agendas which run counter to its people's interests. In its preambular paragraphs, the resolution also encourages the international community to make progress on humanitarian action and financing the Syria Humanitarian Response Plan, which remains underfunded, she stressed. Syria Welcomes Resolution as 'Badge of Honour', Sign of Growing Confidence Syria's delegate also took the floor, welcoming the adoption and noting that the text aligns with "the historic and courageous decision of President [Donald J.] Trump to support Syria". Welcoming the Council's strong support, as well as its commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of his country, he described the resolution as the fruit of positive and continuous engagement with his country over the past months. "We consider [this resolution] a sign of a growing confidence in the new Syria, its people and its leadership," he said, describing it as a "badge of honor". Syria is turning the page on war and suffering, he stressed, and building a modern State founded on the rule of law. "Damascus continues to extend its hand to all countries of the world," he said, striving to be a meeting point for East and West. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese FM spokesperson responds to US claim on Chinese Taipei's participation in APEC Global Times By Global Times Published: Nov 06, 2025 06:05 PM In response to a Reuters inquiry on Thursday regarding the US State Department's claim that the island of Taiwan must be allowed full and equal participation when China hosts APEC next year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that China will actively fulfill its duty as the host of APEC in 2026 and ensure the smooth participation of all sides. "On Chinese Taipei's participation in APEC, I've clearly stated China's stance," Mao added. Mao also responded to another question concerning a senior Fijian diplomat visited Taiwan region this week who met with a senior Taiwan regional official. "China firmly opposes any form of official interactions between China's Taiwan region and countries having diplomatic ties with China. Fiji's relevant official's visit to Taiwan severely violated Fiji's political commitment to the one-China principle. China strongly deplores it and has lodged serious protests with Fiji. Taiwan region's disgraceful moves will not succeed," said Mao, the Paper reported. Earlier, in response to media inquiry about Taiwan regional official's remarks on Wednesday that China had attached many "conditions" to Chinese Taipei's participation in next year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that participating as a regional economy under the one-China principle and abiding by the terms set forth in the relevant APEC MoU and usual practicesthis is the political prerequisite for Chinese Taipei's participation in APEC. "China's position on this issue is clear and firm," the spokesperson said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Fiji official's visit to Taiwan violates one-China principle; China has lodged representation: FM spokesperson Global Times By Global Times Published: Nov 06, 2025 06:07 PM In response to a Reuters inquiry on Wednesday regarding the US State Department's claim that the island of Taiwan must be allowed full and equal participation when China hosts the APEC next year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that as the host of APEC 2026, China will actively fulfill its duties to ensure the smooth participation of all parties. "As for the participation of Chinese Taipei in the APEC, I have already made China's position clear," Mao added, according to the Paper. Mao also responded to another question concerning the island of Taiwan's claim that a senior Fijian diplomat visited the island this week and met with a regional senior official. "China has always firmly opposed any form of official exchanges between countries having diplomatic relations with China and the Taiwan region," the spokesperson stressed. "The visit by the Fijian official to the Taiwan island seriously violated Fiji's political commitment to the one-China principle. China expressed strong dissatisfaction and has lodged solemn representations with Fiji. The Taiwan regional authorities' despicable acts will not succeed," said Mao, the Paper reported. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Mainland vows lifelong accountability for secessionists in Taiwan People's Daily Online (Xinhua) 13:06, November 06, 2025 BEIJING, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Those who persistently engage in secessionist activities seeking "Taiwan independence" will be subject to necessary punitive measures and lifelong legal accountability, regardless of their location, a mainland spokesperson said Wednesday. The mainland police's investigation into Shen Pao-yang, a secessionist in Taiwan, is lawful and justified as an action to oppose secession and safeguard national unity, said Zhang Han, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference. Responding to Taiwan's remarks about the case's jurisdiction, Zhang reiterated that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and "Taiwan independence" constitutes a criminal act of secession and betrayal of the nation. She clarified that such judicial measures target only a few individuals involved in serious secessionist activities and do not affect the vast majority of people in Taiwan. She said that by deliberately conflating ordinary people with secessionists, Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities aim to intimidate the public, revealing their "fear and sense of insecurity." Commenting on the DPP authorities' claim that they would enhance protection for secessionists and relevant enterprises and investigate those assisting the mainland, Zhang condemned the DPP for abusing public power to suppress patriots in Taiwan and intimidate the public. She urged people in Taiwan to be fully aware of the DPP's malicious intentions and oppose its authoritarian policies, and also assured that personal information and legal rights of those providing information on secessionists would be protected. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Thousands of British workers deliver world-class armoured fighting vehicle to the British Army Press release The new world-leading Ajax armoured fighting vehicle has entered service with the British Army. From: Ministry of Defence and Luke Pollard MP Published 6 November 2025 Ajax supports a UK-wide supply chain of more than 230 companies and over 4,100 jobs. Built in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales, it is another demonstration of defence as an engine for economic growth. First new armoured fighting vehicle to enter service with the British Army in nearly 30 years. Thousands of skilled workers across the UK have helped equip British soldiers with the world's most advanced medium weight armoured fighting vehicle. Ajax has declared Initial Operating Capability (IOC), a key delivery milestone that means it can now deploy a squadron on operations. A collaborative endeavour between the Army, DE&S and General Dynamics, the six variants of Ajax are built in Merthyr Tydfil while also supporting a UK-wide supply chain of more than 230 companies and over 4,100 jobs. The work is making defence an engine for economic growth and delivering on the government's Plan for Change. It follows the commitment for the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War. As the first armoured fighting vehicle to enter service with the British Army in nearly 30 years, Ajax has undergone extensive testing over several years including more than 20,000 rounds fired from the 40mm cannon. Trials also included hot and cold training overseas, firing on the move, and driving more than 42,000 kilometres in battlefield missions - the equivalent of driving the circumference of the Earth. In a further growth benefit, the programme has significant export potential, with active conversations with multiple potential customers already underway. This follows up to 18 billion of export deals to the UK struck in just the last few months, following major announcements to manufacture Type 26 frigates for Norway and Typhoon fighter jets for Turkiye. Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, Luke Pollard MP said: Defence is an engine for growth. AJAX is contributing not only to the economy in South Wales but also UK-wide in the supply chain. We're exploring the potential to export AJAX. AJAX boasts world-class capabilities and it is a hugely important milestone that the UK-wide suppliers have delivered a vehicle that is safe, effective and truly cutting-edge which will be recognised by allies and adversaries alike. Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said: Defence investment from the UK Government directly supports thousands of high-quality jobs across every part of Wales. The delivery of hundreds of Ajax vehicles for the Army, made in Merthyr, cements the defence industry's crucial role in the Welsh economy as we boost investment and growth across the country. Ajax is a family of 589 tracked, all-terrain armoured vehicles armed with a range of weapons and state of the art sensors, delivering reconnaissance capabilities to identify enemy targets on the battlefield, and giving the British Army the fighting edge on the frontline. It will be at the heart of both the Armoured and Deep Recce Strike Brigades. Ajax key stats Max. speed Main weapon No. of vehicles No. of variants 70 km/h Cased telescope 40mm cannon 589 6 Ajax replaces CVR(T) vehicles, which first entered service in 1971, and the new fleet was put through its paces to meet IOC by the Household Cavalry Regiment, based in Bulford, Wiltshire. Capt John Hutton, Household Cavalry Regiment said: Driving AJAX is a really noticeable step change from the previous generation of AFVs. Whilst the pure function remains the same, the control mechanism, the responsiveness of the vehicle and the situational awareness granted to a Driver is unlike anything I have driven before. This gives the Driver unparalleled awareness of their surroundings and far greater ease in controlling the vehicle across ground; 360 vision, previously the monopoly of the Commander in the turret, is now granted to all crew positions. The vehicles boast a groundbreaking digital software - which allows for spiral development over time - coupled with exceptional lethality and manoeuvrability. With its sophisticated array of sensors, highly digitised and networked system, powerful engine, advanced suspension system, modular armour package and 40mm CT40 cannon, Ajax is the world's most advanced, medium weight armoured fighting vehicle. The milestone helps deliver on the Strategic Defence Review by supporting the Army's ten-fold increase in lethality by harnessing precision firepower, surveillance technology, autonomy, digital connectivity, and data. It is part of a 41 billion investment in British Army equipment and support over the next decade. Rupert Pearce, National Armaments Director, said: Ajax represents a transformational capability for UK defence, delivered by thousands of skilled workers across Britain. This world-class armoured fighting vehicle strengthens our Armed Forces whilst driving economic growth through our defence industrial base from South Wales to the wider supply chain. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Strengthening sanctions pressure and countering russian provocations: Denys Shmyhal meets with Prime Minister of Latvia Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 5 November, 2025, 8:33 PM EET Minister of Defence of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal held talks with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina during his working visit to Latvia. "We are sincerely grateful for Latvia's decision to allocate 0.25% of its GDP to military support for Ukraine. Latvia is demonstrating leadership, and we call on our partners to follow suit," said Denys Shmyhal. The parties discussed in detail the strengthening of sanctions pressure on russia. "The imposed restrictions are already yielding results. We must continue efforts in this direction," stressed the Minister of Defence of Ukraine. The discussion also focused on recent provocations by russia across Europe. Denys Shmyhal reaffirmed Ukraine's readiness to share its experience and capabilities with partners to enhance Europe's security and resilience against hybrid attacks. "I sincerely thank the people of Latvia for their support of Ukraine," said Denys Shmyhal, expressing gratitude for Latvia's steadfast assistance. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine and the European Union Work to Strengthen Defense Cooperation under the SAFE Instrument President of Ukraine 5 November 2025 - 21:17 Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ihor Zhovkva, met with a delegation from the European Union led by Benedikta von Seherr-Thoss, Managing Director at European External Action Service for Peace, Security and Defense, and Herald Ruijters, Deputy Director General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Defense Industry and Space. Ihor Zhovkva expressed gratitude to EU member states for their support and noted that Ukraine is ready to contribute to the development of the EU's Eastern Flank Watch / European Drone Defense Initiative. According to him, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already discussed with partners Ukraine's readiness to share experience for strengthening the defense potential of the entire EU. Special attention during the meeting was given to the SAFE initiative. Both sides agreed on the importance of realizing all opportunities for joint production under this instrument. "We count on effective cooperation with EU member states under the new SAFE instrument to meet Ukraine's critical short- and medium-term defense needs. We expect that the member states participating in SAFE will include a 'Ukrainian element' with specific figures and types of equipment in their national security and defense investment plans at the end of November," he noted. The EU delegation provided information on the countries that have already confirmed their readiness to invest in joint defense projects with Ukraine under SAFE. The deadline for submitting national plans is November 30. Ukraine and the European Union agreed to intensify joint efforts to ensure a significant share from each country in support of Ukraine with missiles, drones, and artillery munitions. SAFE (Security and Actions for Europe) is a new EU financial instrument worth EUR 150 billion to strengthen defense capabilities. The mechanism provides long-term loans to finance defense projects of member states and partners, primarily Ukraine. Nineteen countries have already expressed their readiness to take loans: Poland, Romania, France, Hungary, Italy, Belgium, Lithuania, Portugal, Latvia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Slovakia, Czechia, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Spain, Greece, and Denmark. The SAFE instrument will complement existing EU initiatives supporting Ukraine and enhance the ability of member states to deliver the necessary arms and military equipment to Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Government approves bill for Estonia to join the management committee of the Council of Europe's special tribunal for the crime of aggression Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 06.11.2025 | 12:50 Today, 6 November, the Government of the Republic approved the bill on the Council of Europe's Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. With this decision, Estonia expresses its readiness to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement (EPA), which aims to create a mechanism for the administration and financing of the special tribunal. This step reaffirms Estonia's firm commitment to contribute to the establishment, functioning, and funding of the tribunal. The next step is for the Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) to approve the agreement. According to Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, the establishment and swift launch of the special tribunal is a crucial step in holding Russia accountable and preventing a culture of impunity. "Russia has brutally violated the norms of international law through its aggression in Ukraine," said Tsahkna. "It is our shared duty to ensure that all international crimes committed during Russia's war of aggression, including the crime of aggression itself, do not go unpunished. That is why we must move quickly to make the special tribunal operational. Estonia is also prepared to provide financial support to the tribunal that would function under the auspices of the Council of Europe." The special tribunal for the crime of aggression will be an international, independent court established through an agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine. Its purpose is to investigate and prosecute those individuals most responsible for the crime of aggression. In June of this year, Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed an agreement to establish a special tribunal. The tribunal will complement the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Ukraine. The special tribunal will focus specifically on the crime of aggression. The next step is for the Council of Europe to adopt a resolution confirming the Enlarged Partial Agreement. This will establish the tribunal's Register and its funding mechanism, which will govern the administrative functioning of the tribunal, including the approval of its budget. The Enlarged Partial Agreement is also open to non-member states of the Council of Europe and to the European Union. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Sweden and Ukraine deepen innovation cooperation Government Offices of Sweden Press release from Ministry of Defence Published 06 November 2025 Defence minister Pal Jonson and Defence minister Denis Shmyhal have signed a letter of intent concerning cooperation in the field of innovation. "By combining Sweden's industrial and technological strengths with Ukraine's battlefield experience we can create new military abilities. This cooperation will make our armed forces stronger. It is an investment into peace and security," says Minister for Defence Pal Jonson. Ukraine has the world's greatest experience of quickly developing new defence technology during war and Sweden has a long experience of industrialisation and modern production of defence materiel. Together with Swedish advanced technological R&D, and Ukraines battlefield experience there is a firm base for a Defence Innovation Partnership. Ukraine and Sweden now want to deepen the defence innovation cooperation and industrial ecosystems with the establishment of a Swedish-Ukrainian Defence Innovation Hub in Ukraine. The Defence Innovation Hub will be a central unit that connect multiple defence innovation stakeholders. The Defence Innovation Hub will enable the exchange of innovative solutions and experiences. Sweden and Ukraine also recognize the need for scaling production and building resilient and adaptable production systems for defence materiel. Sweden and Ukraine have also previously signed a LOI regarding coproduction of defence materiel on Swedish territory. The LOI concerning cooperation in the field of innovation builds on eight pillars; Deepen the exchange between Sweden's and Ukraine's defence innovation and industrial ecosystems, Recognize the need for scaling production and building resilient and adaptable production systems for defence materiel, Support the establishment of a Defence Innovation Hub in Ukraine aimed at supporting the Ukrainian and Swedish defence innovation landscape, Leverage Sweden's advanced technological R&D and industrial capabilities and Ukraine's battleeld experience to develop solutions to emerging battleeld challenges, Explore joint projects under the 'Build with Ukraine' initiative to scale the production of innovative Ukrainian products, Exchange innovative solutions and experiences to industrialize production and increase production output, Promote possible jointly designed, battleeld-proven, innovative solutions and products to other allied and like-minded nations, The Parties will explore concluding other agreements, as required, to further their partnership in innovation activities. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Baiba Braze at the international sanctions conference in Riga: sanctions are a key instrument of pressure on Russia for it to cease aggression against Ukraine Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs 06.11.2025 On 6 November 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Baiba Braze, delivered a keynote address for an international conference, Guarding the Gate: Sanctions, Export Controls & Business Responsibilities, organised by the Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia (FIU Latvia). Foreign Minister Baiba Braze: "Sanctions are working and figures clearly demonstrate that sanctions have a significant impact on the Russian economy. Sanctions by the EU, the U.S., the UK and other international partners are effective and must be further strengthened to constrain Russia and its co-aggressors. Together with the Allies, we must continue mutually harmonise the restrictive measures against Russia's energy sector and financial institutions, as well as working on the alignment of sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Sanctions must also target subjects in third countries who help circumvent sanctions and support aggression. We will keep the sanctions focused on Russian energy exports, the shadow fleet and its supporters until the aggression stops." The Minister of Foreign Affairs thanked the Latvian authorities - security services, the Customs Board, the Border Guard, the State Revenues Service - for their excellent cooperation in ensuring effective enforcement of sanctions and preventing their evasion - sanctions control falls as a significant burden on Latvia as a country at the external border of the European Union (EU). Moreover, 75% of identified sanctions violations on the border are related to export procedures initiated in other EU countries. The Foreign Minister underlined that the fight against sanctions circumvention is not the duty of EU border states alone, it is a national responsibility of all the EU Member States. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal to Receive Latvia-Produced "Patria" 6x6 Armoured Personnel Carriers Republic of Latvia - Ministry of Defence 11/06/2025 - 09:17 In Latvia Information prepared by Media Relations Section On Thursday, 6 November, at the Adazi military base, the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, will receive the final batch of Latvia-produced "Patria" 6x6 armoured personnel carriers donated to Ukraine. "Since the very first day of Russia's invasion, Latvia has supported Ukraine and the efforts of its defenders to protect their country. The donation of armoured vehicles manufactured in Latvia is a significant contribution to Ukraine's defenders and an opportunity to test the endurance and performance of these Latvian-made vehicles in real combat conditions," emphasized Minister of Defence Andris Spruds. At the Adazi military base, 21 "Patria" 6x6 armoured personnel carriers intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be handed over. Each vehicle is equipped with a 12.7 mm NATO-calibre support machine gun and ammunition. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will also receive spare parts, special repair tools and equipment, a container-type mobile repair workshop, and full maintenance documentation. In addition, combat damage repair kits will be supplied these are designed to enable Ukrainian soldiers to repair vehicles directly near the front line, where immediate evacuation or rear-area repairs are not possible. It has already been announced that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved the transfer of 42 "Patria" 6x6 armoured personnel carriers and other types of military equipment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in support of Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression. Latvia continues to provide military assistance to Ukraine's armed forces. In 2025, Latvia's military support to Ukraine will reach 0.3% of GDP by the end of the year. In addition to military aid, Latvia is also implementing an extensive training programme for Ukrainian soldiers. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Protest note handed to Russia over continued mass shelling of Ukraine Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of Foreign Affairs Updated 2025-11-06 On 5 November, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania handed a diplomatic note, expressing strong protest to the Charge d'Affaires ad interim of the Russian Federation regarding the continued mass shelling of Ukraine by Russian military forces. The note condemns attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, which have disrupted electricity and water supplies. The Foreign Ministry also stressed that Russia's shelling of civilians and civilian objects, such as the Kherson children's hospital, proves that the aggressor is seeking to make life unbearable for the civilian population in the areas of Ukraine closest to the front line. Russian authorities have coordinated actions to drive out Ukrainian civilians from their homes, said the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine in a new report submitted to the UN General Assembly last week. The Republic of Lithuania calls on Russia to immediately end drone and missile attacks and other efforts to terrorize Ukrainian civilians, including deportations, and to abide by international humanitarian law. Lithuania has repeatedly demanded that the Russian Federation cease its aggression against Ukraine, withdraw its occupying forces from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, and compensate all the damage suffered by Ukraine as a result of the Russian aggression. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Vice Minister T. Godliauskas claims continued focus on strengthening cooperation with Ukraine at the JEF meeting Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence 2025-11-06 International cooperation | Security and defense policy Vice Minister of National Defence Tomas Godliauskas took part in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) Defence Ministers' meeting in Norway alongside counterparts from Denmark, Estonia, the UK, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. Ministers or their representatives discussed enhancement of partnership the JEF-Ukraine partnership. For the first time, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal was invited to join them. Ministers agreed on the common commitment to European security and stability and held an in-depth discussion on the ways of ensuring further assistance to Ukraine's defensive capabilities. Looking to continue enhancing the cooperation, the JEF nations agreed to expand the partnership with Ukraine through joint exercises, combat training initiatives for Ukraine's troops and collaboration on defence innovation. This fall Ukraine took part in the largest JEF exercise to date, Tarassis 25 in Northern Europe, on observers' rights. "Ukraine's war experience fleshes out a new European security conception built on rapid adaptation to the shifting battlefield. We need to soak in these lessons as well to catch up our deterrence and defence capacity. JEF nations agree that joint defence industry projects and lessons learned and technology exchange with Ukraine is a unique opportunity to invest in the security and technological edge of all of the nations," said Vice Minister T. Godliauskas. The JEF representatives granted Ukraine an Enhanced Partnership status at the meeting thus enabling even deeper cooperation, strengthening the regional security and more efficient coordination of joint initiatives. Also, they signed an updated Comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (CMOU) on enhanced partnerships between JEF and other nations. The document also reflects the changes in the JEF format since Finland and Sweden have become members of NATO. The Joint Expeditionary Force is a high readiness rapidly deployable force tailored to respond to full-spectrum threats, deter adversaries, ensure integrity of Allied forces and support international stability which was established in 2014. Led by the United Kingdom, the JEF is composed of maritime, air and land capabilities contributed by ten Northern European partner nations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The President spoke by telephone with the President of Ukraine President of the Republic of Lithuania November 06, 2025 On Wednesday, President Gitanas Nauseda spoke by telephone with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine. During the conversation, the President reiterated that Lithuania would continue to provide strong support to Ukraine through military, political, and humanitarian assistance, and reaffirmed his determination to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of defense. The President emphasized that, as in previous years, Lithuania will maintain its annual commitment to allocate 0.25% of GDP to military aid. In 2025, Lithuania has already provided 132 million in military assistance. The two leaders also discussed Ukraine's energy security and the issue of ensuring gas supplies to Ukraine. President Nauseda underlined that Lithuania is ready to take the necessary decisions to guarantee a continuous supply of liquefied natural gas to Ukraine via the Klaipeda LNG terminal. The President stressed that Lithuania seeks to achieve as much tangible progress as possible in the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union by the end of this year. According to the President, the 2030 target date for Ukraine's EU membership, which he has proposed, is a key priority for Lithuania, which continues to actively pursue this goal both at the EU level in cooperation with other member states and bilaterally with the EU Presidency, Denmark. The President's Communication Group NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine, Russia Trade Air Strikes Overnight On Key Infrastructure By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service November 06, 2025 Russian air attacks again targeted Ukraine's civilian infrastructure overnight as Kyiv struck back, hitting an oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd and energy sites in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions. Ukrainian military officials confirmed on November 6 that the Volgograd refinery had been attacked, adding that a site in the Russia-occupied Donetsk used for storing, assembling, and launching Shahed drones was also struck. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said it had downed 75 Ukrainian drones overnight, the majority of which were in the Volgograd region. Russian officials said one person was dead in the Krasnoarmeysk district of the city, formerly known as Stalingrad. The district is home to LUKoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka, a major Volgograd refinery that has been repeatedly targeted by Ukraine. Ukrainian forces also targeted energy and industrial sites inside Russia, striking the State District Power Plant in the Kostroma region and an oil refinery in Volgograd. The Kostroma power plant, located in Volgorechensk, is the third-largest thermal power facility in Russia. The region's governor, Sergei Sitnikov, confirmed there had been "several explosions" in the city. Regional Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said Ukrainian drones also struck Russia's Bryansk, injuring at least one person. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its air-defense forces destroyed 261 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency spokesman Artyom Korenyako said several airports in Vladikavkaz, Grozny, Ivanovo, Yaroslavl, Saratov, and Volgograd had temporarily restricted air traffic "to ensure flight safety." Ukraine has stepped up strikes on key facilities such as oil refineries, gas storage depots, and other logistical installations as it tries to slow Russia's war machine. Kyiv has pleaded with the United States for long-range weapons such as Tomahawk missiles that it says are crucial to striking back against Russia as the Kremlin intensifies air strikes on Ukrainian cities. Russia's Strikes On Ukraine Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, with Dnipropetrovsk regional Governor Vladyslav Hayvanenko saying Russian drones hit the city of Kamyanske, injuring eight people. The attack sparked multiple fires across the city and partially destroyed the roof and ceiling of a four-story residential building. "There was a big panic. I had no idea what to do next," Valentyna, a resident of Kamyanske, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service. Added Inna, another resident: "I am looking at my apartment. It looks like a window was shattered there, but nobody knows what it looks like inside. We are barred from going there." Hayvanenko said drones also struck the regional center, Dnipro, injuring at least six people, and hit the Petropavlivka community in the Synelnyk district, igniting a fire at a "municipal enterprise." In a separate attack on the Kharkiv region, Russian strikes injured six people -- including a 10-year-old girl -- in the city of Bohodukhiv over the past 24 hours, according to regional Governor Oleh Synehubov. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 135 drones overnight from five directions, including about 50 Shahed-type drones. . Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-war-ukraine- airstrike-civilian-infrastructure-casualties/33582933.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 Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a media question regarding the 82nd anniversary of Kiev's liberation during the Great Patriotic War 6 November 2025 00:10 1864-06-11-2025 Question: Today marks the liberation of Kiev from Nazi occupation during the Great Patriotic War, in 1943. How, in your view, does the situation 82 years ago mirror that of today's Kiev and the current Ukrainian authorities? Maria Zakharova: November 6 marks the 82nd anniversary of Kiev's liberation from Nazi occupation by the Red Army's 1st Ukrainian Front, under the command of General Nikolai Vatutin. The Kiev Offensive (November 313, 1943) was a critical component of the wider Battle of the Dnieper. This Soviet strategic victory proved decisive for the outcome of the Great Patriotic War, as Hitler's forces suffered a major defeat on the Eastern Front, irrevocably ceding the strategic initiative. Soviet troops confronted a powerful Wehrmacht force of up to 500,000 men, supported by approximately 6,000 artillery pieces and mortars, along with over 500 tanks and aircraft. The Nazi occupation of Kiev was marked by genocide against the city's population of Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, Belarusians, Poles, and others. The human cost was staggering: from a pre-war population of roughly 850,000, only about 180,000 residents - just over 20 percent - remained at the time of liberation. During more than two years of occupation, the Nazis murdered more than 200,000 people in the Syrets and Darnitsa concentration camps alone; at least 120,000 were executed at Babi Yar, and another 100,000 were deported to Germany for forced labour. Ukrainian nationalists, Banderites, were willing accomplices to the atrocities committed by the Nazi invaders. In recognition of the mass heroism and courage displayed by its residents during the Great Patriotic War, Kiev was awarded the highest honour - the title of Hero City - on May 8, 1965. On November 4, 2023, modern-day Bandera supporters desecrated the Hero City of Kiev obelisk, severing the five-pointed gold star from its peak and cutting it into pieces. This act followed the earlier demolition, in February of the same year, of the monument to General Liberator Vatutin at his gravesite near the entrance to Kiev's Mariinsky Park. It is difficult to imagine that the Soviet soldiers who gave their lives to liberate Kiev from the "brown plague" could have foreseen their descendants in Ukraine desecrating the memory of those to whom they owed their very existence, while simultaneously honouring Nazi criminals complicit in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Eight decades later, Kiev is once again occupied, and Nazi ideology has become state policy throughout Ukraine. The country has lost its sovereignty. Today, under the banner of so-called de-communisation and decolonisation, the Kiev regime has institutionalised a policy of historical revisionism, aggressive de-Russification, and the systematic eradication of all symbols and memories linked to the Soviet era, Russian heritage, and our shared past. However, all attempts to erase a heroic past from popular memory are ultimately doomed. The day will undoubtedly come when this once-prosperous region is liberated from the dominance of Nazi-inspired forces, who continue to exploit and devastate it for their own selfish ends. These facts underscore the urgent relevance of our goals to denazify and demilitarise Ukraine and eliminate the threats from its territory. These objectives will ultimately be achieved, as the Russian leadership has repeatedly stated. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine Loses Over 480 Soldiers in Battles With Russia's Tsentr Battlegroup Sputnik News 20251106 Russia's Tsentr Battlegroup has eliminated over 480 Ukrainian military personnel over the past day, with over 220 losses coming in the area of Dimitrov and Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) in the Donetsk People's Republic, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "Over the course of 24 hours, more than 220 Ukrainian servicepeople, a pickup truck, and a Swedish-made Viking armored personnel carrier were destroyed near the settlements of Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov in the Donetsk People's Republic. In total, enemy losses in the Tsentr Battlegroup's area of responsibility amounted to over 480 servicepeople, an armored fighting vehicle, and eight vehicles," the ministry said in a statement. Russia's Vostok Battlegroup also eliminated up to 245 Ukrainian soldiers, the ministry said, adding that Kiev has lost up to 215 soldiers in battles with Russia's Zapad Battlegroup. Likewise, Russian air defense forces shot down two guided bombs and 261 Ukrainian drones over the past day, the ministry said. The Russian Armed Forces similarly damaged energy and transport infrastructure facilities supporting the activities of the Ukrainian military, the ministry added. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address West Preps to Frame Russia for Likely False Flag at Zaporozhye Plant - Russian Intel Sputnik News 20251106 The West is eyeing a sabotage scenario at the Zaporohye Nuclear Power Plant that would involve the melting of its reactor cores, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said. The agency stressed that NATO officials are encouraging Ukraine to carry out a sabotage operation that would cause casualties among both Ukrainians and EU citizens. Residents of areas under Kiev's control, as well as citizens of EU countries near Ukraine's western border, would be affected by the spread of radioactive particles. According to the SVR, the most challenging part of this plan is how to pin the blame on Russia which is why the West allegedly intends to shape the media narrative in advance, ensuring that public opinion sides with Ukraine. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Russian Commander Forecasts Kupyansk's Liberation Within One Week Sputnik News 20251106 The commander of the Russian assault group "Lavrik" reported that units of the Zapad Grouping liberated 25 buildings in Kupyansk over the past 24 hours. Russian forces are advancing along the right bank of the Oskol River, with approximately 130 buildings remaining to be cleared. In the western sector, Lavrik's fighters advanced along three streets, liberating 16 buildings, while neighbouring units liberated nine more at the feed mill. The enemy is carrying on attempts to break the siege of Kupyansk, the officer said. Drone operators destroyed five pickup trucks with Ukrainian militants on the outskirts of the city. Earlier, the Defense Ministry commented on Zelensky's statements about an alleged "sweep" operation in Kupyansk. According to the Ministry, Zelensky's remarks may indicate that he has lost touch with reality and does not understand the actual situation on the ground, relying on false reports from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky. Alternatively, the Ministry said, Zelensky may fully understand the hopelessness of the Ukrainian position and is attempting to conceal the truth from Ukrainians and the West, despite the heavy losses suffered by Ukrainian troops trapped in encirclements. Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha held phone talks with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia Juraj Blanar Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 06 November 2025 19:27 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "During our today's call, I informed my Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanar about Russia's intensified strikes against Ukraine and our energy system. I expressed gratitude for Slovakia's energy assistance, which is strengthening Ukraine's resilience ahead of winter. We discussed our mutually beneficial economic cooperation and the implementation of the agreements reached during the recent contacts of our leaders and bilateral intergovernmental consultations. I thanked Slovakia for supporting our European integrationand for treating it as its own national interest." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha held phone talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia Margus Tsahkna Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 06 November 2025 19:00 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "I spoke with Margus Tsahkna and thanked Estonia for its principled decision to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Steering Committee of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. This decision sends a strong message: Russia's crime of aggression will not go unpunished. Justice must prevail. Those responsible for starting and waging this war must be held accountable before the law and history. We exchanged views on the outcomes of Margus' recent visit to China and coordinated next steps to put an end to Russia's war. We also discussed efforts to further increase sanctions and pressure on Russia, as well as to advance Ukraine's EU accession." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Andrii Sybiha held phone talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Sihasak Phuangketkeow Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 06 November 2025 17:22 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "I had a good call with my Thai colleague Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Sihasak Phuangketkeow. I congratulated him on his recent appointment and underlined Ukraine's readiness to develop our relations in all dimensions. I informed about the battlefield situation and consequences of Russia's massive attacks on Ukraine's energy system. We discussed key issues of bilateral cooperation, prospects for enhancing our political dialogue, collaboration within international organizations, and Ukraine's international initiatives. I also invited my colleague to visit Ukraine. Grateful to Thailand for its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity". NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Denys Shmyhal: Advancing efforts to supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 6 November, 2025, 10:24 AM EET During his working visit to Latvia, Minister of Defence of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal held talks with Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braze and Speaker of the Latvian Parliament Daiga Mierina. Discussions focused on the importance of reinforcing air defence capabilities. The Ukrainian Minister shared Ukraine's experience in establishing a multi-layered air defence system and confirmed readiness to deepen cooperation and share expertise with the Latvian National Armed Forces. "I am once again reassured of the unwavering commitment of our friends. Latvia stands as a leader and active participant in all initiatives supporting Ukraine. I extend my gratitude to Latvia for standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine," stated Denys Shmyhal, expressing appreciation for Latvia's steadfast support. The discussions with Minister Baiba Braze and Speaker Daiga Mierina focused on the protection of critical infrastructure, economic support, sanctions pressure, and the confiscation of russian assets. The meetings also addressed joint defence projects, including those implemented within the framework of SAFE. "We are advancing efforts to supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs," concluded the Minister of Defence of Ukraine. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine received 21 units of Patria 6x6 armoured personnel carriers from Latvia Ministry of Defence of Ukraine 6 November, 2025, 12:22 PM EET The handover of these armoured personnel carriers (APCs) took place at the Adazi Military Base in Riga during the working visit of the Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal. The transferred APCs will immediately be adopted into service with the Special Operations Forces. Over the course of 2025, Ukraine received from Latvia all 42 armoured vehicles pledged as part of the assistance package. In addition, Latvia delivered 12 CVR(T) combat reconnaissance vehicles as part of a previously announced military aid package. "I extend gratitude to Minister of Defence Andris Spruds, the Government of Latvia, and the people of Latvia for their exceptional support. We highly appreciate every step taken shoulder to shoulder with us. The fight continues, as the aggressor intensifies its pressure. Together, we must respond to this challenge," stated Denys Shmyhal, expressing appreciation for Latvia's steadfast support. He also thanked Latvia for its additional 2.2 million contribution to the PURL initiative, its financial assistance to the Shelter Coalition, and its participation in Operation Renovator, NATO's project which aims to rebuild and upgrade five military rehabilitation centres in Ukraine. The Minister of Defence of Ukraine also expressed hope for the implementation of financing through a so-called reparations credit, using frozen russian assets. "Joint decisive steps are essential on this matter, as it concerns the security of Ukraine and other European nations," concluded Denys Shmyhal. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address We Will Increase Funding for the Brigades and Corps on the Front Line that Are Engaged in the Fiercest Fighting - Address by the President President of Ukraine 6 November 2025 - 20:09 I wish you health, fellow Ukrainians! Today, we have introduced a new sanctions package zeroing in on Russia's activities in the Arctic. This is one of Russia's cash cows: A significant portion of the resources the enemy sells each year are extracted precisely from the lands and waters of the Arctic - tens of billions of dollars annually. We are working with partners so that, just as measures have been implemented against the tanker fleet and Russia's oil companies, similar actions will be taken by them against all the volumes of resources the Russians sell from the Arctic. This is fair. Any means of curbing Russia's revenues is an effective way to counter the war. We have also synchronized the 19th package of European Union sanctions - as I promised - within our jurisdiction. It is important that other European countries outside the EU - in particular Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom - do the same. Partners hear us and take our proposals into account. Overall, our coordination in sanctions efforts is pretty good, so we will continue to expand pressure on Russia for this war. I have also instructed the preparation of new decisions by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council targeting Russia's weapons production, its sanctions evasion schemes, Russian propaganda, and individuals holding Ukrainian citizenship - collaborators who have chosen Russia and profit from it during the war. The activities of such individuals must be blocked. We are also very actively preparing the Staff meeting and several other formats today with the military, the Minister of Defense, and the Office team following this week's trip to the Donetsk and Dnipro regions. There were issues raised by the brigades regarding decisions that, unfortunately, are not fully effective. There was also feedback from battalion commanders regarding weapons supplies and support programs. We will increase funding for the brigades and corps on the front line that are engaged in the fiercest fighting. Government officials must also expand the military's ability to purchase necessary equipment, hardware, and components. There are many questions, in particular about write-offs and decommissioning of assets. We must resolve all of these issues. We also discussed in detail the new contract-based framework of service in our army - all of this is being worked through, and there must be clear details for our warriors. It's also important to recognize our units and warriors who are doing truly innovative work both in combat and in rescuing the wounded. I am grateful to all our genuinely committed people who are doing absolutely everything possible to defend Ukrainian positions, destroy the invader, and save our wounded. In recent days, the servicemen of our 1st Separate Medical Battalion have distinguished themselves exceptionally well. They carry out evacuations of the wounded in the east of our country. The servicemen conducted what was, in fact, a unique operation to rescue a wounded warrior - using a ground robotic system. There had been six unsuccessful evacuation attempts and extremely heavy Russian fire, but the seventh attempt succeeded - this ground drone of ours did help. The wounded warrior is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. His life has been saved. Thank you for that! Today I signed a decree awarding the participants in the operation with state honors. We will scale up exactly this kind of technological backbone for our army - more ground robotic systems operating at the front, more drones of all types, and increased deliveries of modern solutions that help achieve results in combat, in providing supplies for our combat units, and in evacuating our wounded warriors. And one more thing. We are preparing agreements with European partners on our new capabilities in defense and active operations. In the coming weeks - in November - we are to finalize them. There will be new support packages for Ukraine, and additionally an important agreement for our military capabilities. Glory to Ukraine! NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine and NATO Are Working to Expand the PURL Initiative: Its Funding Now Exceeds $2.8 Billion President of Ukraine 6 November 2025 - 21:48 Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva met with NATO International Staff representative Ariella Viehe. The key topic of the meeting was the implementation of the PURL initiative. Ihor Zhovkva thanked NATO for coordinating the delivery of U.S. lethal weapons to Ukraine under this initiative. Overall, contributions from partners to cover Ukraine's priority needs have already reached $2.82 billion. This has enabled the formation of five packages of U.S. weapons to strengthen Ukraine's defense. The parties agreed on the steps needed to secure new contributions in the near future from NATO member states and partner countries that have not yet joined the initiative. They also discussed in detail the mechanisms for ensuring NATO countries' contributions for the next year. Ihor Zhovkva also emphasized the importance of investing in Ukraine's domestic defense production. "We have the necessary capabilities to produce a wide range of weapons, and not only drones. But we lack sufficient funding," the Deputy Head of the Office of the President stressed. The PURL initiative has been implemented since August of this year, based on the agreements between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of the United States Donald Trump, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Sixteen countries have already joined the initiative: the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Canada, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland, Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Portugal, and Spain. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President of Ukraine and Prime Minister of Bulgaria Discussed Strengthening Energy Cooperation and Opportunities under the SAFE Instrument President of Ukraine 6 November 2025 - 18:05 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call with Prime Minister of Bulgaria Rossen Jeliazkov. The leaders discussed strengthening energy cooperation and agreed on steps that will enhance energy security in the region. There are concrete decisions that will certainly be implemented. They also discussed defense cooperation and projects that Ukraine and Bulgaria can work on together. The European Union's SAFE instrument offers many opportunities in this regard. Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed to Rossen Jeliazkov joint production projects, including those aimed at enhancing security in the Black Sea. Bulgaria expressed interest in cooperation with Ukraine. The President and the Prime Minister agreed that their teams would work out all the details. The Head of State also thanked Rossen Jeliazkov for the important signals of continued support. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President of Ukraine Held a Conversation with the President of Kenya President of Ukraine 6 November 2025 - 17:48 President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call with President of Kenya William Ruto. The Head of State informed him about Russia's attacks on people and infrastructure and thanked him for his words of support. Volodymyr Zelenskyy and William Ruto discussed Russia's recruitment of foreign citizens into its criminal war. Ukraine and Kenya are aware of all the fraudulent methods being used and will work more closely to put an end to them. The presidents also discussed bilateral relations and joint projects, agreeing that their teams would continue working on them. Special attention was paid to the issue of Ukrainian children. This month, Ukraine will submit a resolution at the United Nations condemning Russia's illegal abduction and deportation of Ukrainian children. The Head of State expressed gratitude that Ukraine can count on Kenya's support. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NEW YORK, Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of National Grid plc (NYSE: NGG) resulting from allegations that National Grid plc may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased National Grid 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=41344 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 July 2, 2025, Reuters published an article entitled Preventable National Grid failures led to Heathrow fire, findings say. The article stated that a fire that shut Londons Heathrow airport in March, stranding thousands of people, was caused by the UK power grids failure to maintain an electricity substation, an official report said on Wednesday, prompting the energy watchdog to open a probe. Further, the article stated that the United Kingdoms Energy minister, Ed Miliband, had called the report deeply concerning, after it concluded that the issue which caused the fire was identified seven years ago but went unaddressed by power grid operator National Grid[.] On this news, National Grids American Depositary Shares (ADSs) fell 5%, on July 2, 2024. 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 VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apollo Silver Corp. (Apollo Silver or the Company) (TSX.V:APGO, OTCQB:APGOF, Frankfurt:6ZF) is pleased to announce that the US Department of the Interior has added 10 minerals, including silver, to the US Geological Survey (USGS) 2025 List of Critical Minerals. For the first time, silver is recognized as having growing importance to US economic and national security. This inclusion signals enhanced government focus on securing domestic supply chains through enhanced permitting, subsidies, and strategic stockpiling initiatives. Apollo Silver welcomes the US governments efforts to strengthen domestic silver mining by placing silver on the USGS List of Critical Minerals, stated Ross McElroy, President and CEO of Apollo Silver. This development will not only bring increased investor attention to the sector but will also help boost Apollo's profile of its Calico Silver Project, which hosts the country's 2nd largest primary silver deposit in the US. The inclusion of silver on the Critical Minerals List strengthens the projects case for consideration under the Fast-41 program, a US government initiative aimed at streamlining permitting processes for critical and resource projects. With the US importing 64% of its silver consumption in 2024, this designation emphasizes silvers strategic value and irreplaceable role across both industrial and defense industries. Apollo Silvers Calico Project, located in San Bernardino County, California, recently announced its updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE), with a combined Measured and Indicated total of 55 million tonnes (Mt) at a grade of 71 grams per tonne (g/t) for a total of 125 million ounces (Moz) of silver (Ag), and an Inferred total of 17.6 Mt at a grade of 71g/t Ag for a total of 58 Moz Ag (see Apollos news release dated September 4, 2025, and October 16, 2025). About Critical Minerals The Energy Act of 2020 defined critical minerals as those commodities that are essential to the economic or national security of the US; have a supply chain that is vulnerable to disruption; and serve an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economic or national security of the US.1 Qualified Person The scientific and technical data contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Isabelle Lepine, M.Sc., P.Geo., Apollo Silvers Director, Mineral Resources. Ms. Lepine is a registered professional geologist in British Columbia and a QP as defined by NI 43-101 and is not independent of the Company. ABOUT APOLLO SILVER CORP. Apollo Silver is advancing the second largest undeveloped primary silver projects in the US. The Calico Project hosts a large, bulk minable silver deposit with significant barite and zinc credits recognized as critical minerals essential to the U.S. energy, industrial and medical sectors. The Company also holds an option on the Cinco de Mayo Project in Chihuahua, Mexico, which is host to a major carbonate replacement (CRD) deposit that is both high-grade and large tonnage. Led by an experienced and award-winning management team, Apollo Silver is well positioned to advance the assets and deliver value through exploration and development. Please visit www.apollosilver.com for further information. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ross McElroy President and CEO For further information, please contact: Email: info@apollosilver.com Telephone: +1 (604) 428-6128 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. 1 https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/science/about-2025-list-critical-minerals NEWTOWN, Pa., Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating data privacy claims regarding an incident at the Hyundai AutoEver America (HAEA). HAEA learned of a data breach on or about March 1, 2025. If you would like to discuss this case with a lawyer, please click HERE. About Hyundai AutoEver America Hyundai AutoEver America (HAEA), part of Hyundai Motor Group, offers full-cycle automotive IT consulting, management, and support services. What happened? On or about March 1, 2025, HAEA discovered a cybersecurity incident that impacted its information technology environment. They launched an investigation and determined that unauthorized activity occurred on their network between February 22, 2025, and March 2, 2025. Certain personal information may have been exposed during the breach, including names, Social Security numbers, and drivers license numbers. How can I protect my personal data? If you receive a data breach notification regarding HAEA, you should take steps to protect yourself against identity theft and fraud. Such measures include regularly reviewing your account statements and monitoring your credit reports for any suspicious or unauthorized activity. Edelson Lechtzin LLP is investigating a class action lawsuit to seek legal remedies for individuals whose sensitive personal data may have been compromised by the HAEA data breach. For more information, please contact: Marc H. Edelson, Esq. EDELSON LECHTZIN LLP 411 S. State Street, Suite N-300 Newtown, PA 18940 Phone: 844-696-7492 ext. 2 Email: medelson@edelson-law.com Web: www.edelson-law.com About Edelson Lechtzin LLP Edelson Lechtzin LLP is a national class action law firm with offices in Pennsylvania and California. In addition to cases involving data breaches, our lawyers focus on class and collective litigation in cases alleging securities and investment fraud, violations of the federal antitrust laws, employee benefit plans under ERISA, wage theft, and consumer fraud. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions. MIAMI, Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Shamis & Gentile, P.A. is investigating whether certain directors and officers of agilon health, inc. (NYSE: AGL) breached their fiduciary duties owed to the company. If you are an agilon health shareholder, you are encouraged to contact the law firm for more information: agilon health Shareholder Investigation Impacted shareholders may also contact attorney David Abel at securities@shamisgentile.com or (305) 479-2299. There is no cost or obligation to you. WHAT IS THIS INVESTIGATION ABOUT? On January 5, 2024, agilon surprised investors by lowering its 2023 profit forecasts. The company reduced its 2023 Medical Margin and Adjusted EBITDA guidance citing higher than expected medical costs. agilon also announced that its Chief Financial Officer would retire and be replaced later in the year. On this news, agilons stock fell $3.45, or 28.6 percent, to close at $8.63 on January 5, 2024. Following these disclosures, a securities class action was filed against agilon and certain executives. The lawsuit alleges the defendants misled investors about agilons medical costs by: (1) touting the companys purported visibility into utilization trends and medical costs; (2) failing to disclose increased medical costs that agilon had incurred during the relevant time period due to higher utilization of healthcare by Medicare Advantage patients; (3) falsely stating that its incurred-but-not-reported Reserve was adequate; (4) making false statements about the effectiveness of its business model; (5) issuing overly optimistic financial guidance; and (6) issuing materially false risk disclosures that characterized adverse facts that had already materialized as mere possibilities. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Shamis & Gentile, P.A. is evaluating whether agilons board of directors and senior executives failed to maintain adequate oversight and internal in connection with the alleged misconduct. These potential governance failures may have exposed the company to significant legal, financial, and reputational harm. Long-term shareholders of agilon health may be eligible to seek corporate governance reforms, the return of funds to the company, and a court-approved incentive award, all at no cost to them. Shareholders are encouraged to contact the law firm to learn more about their rights: https://shamisgentile.com/securities-fraud/agilon-health-inc-securities-fraud-investigation/ ABOUT SHAMIS & GENTILE, P.A. Shamis & Gentile, P.A. stands out as an advocate for shareholders seeking corporate accountability and governance reforms. The law firm is committed to pursuing claims that benefit companies, shareholders and long-term value. Shamis & Gentile has recovered over $1 billion for consumers nationwide. Its extensive experience, expertise, and resources enable the firm to resolve disputes in a wide range of matters, including shareholder actions, class actions, and complex litigation. CONTACT David Abel Shamis & Gentile, P.A. 14 NE 1st Ave, Suite 705 Miami, FL 33132 securities@shamisgentile.com Tel: (305) 479-2299 www.ShamisGentile.com Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Johannesburg, South Africa, Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Friday, 7 November 2025, in the run-up to the G20 in South Africa on 22-23 November, the Brave Movement will launch the 3rd Richest Nation (3RN) campaign, its largest-ever push to tackle violence against children. The global campaign imagines a fictional country whose $7 trillion GDP making it the third wealthiest nation in the world matches the economic cost of childhood violence. The nation isnt real. But its wealth could be. The 3RN campaign radically reframes the issue of violence against children from a moral imperative to an economic emergency, designed to motivate world leaders into action and bring violence prevention to the forefront of policy agendas. Globally cited research led by an alliance of child protection agencies found that violence against children costs the world economy $7 trillion annually in expenditure and lost revenue the result of increased costs to public services (e.g. law enforcement, social services, healthcare), combined with the reality of unearned income for survivors of childhood violence due to poor educational outcomes and lower productivity. Meanwhile, research reveals that prevention programs have delivered a return on investment of up to $21 per $1 spent. 3RN positions ending childhood violence as a powerful economic opportunity, calling on G20 leaders to prioritise prevention in their policy agendas. It spotlights the significant economic gains from stronger healthcare and education systems to increased GDP and more productive workforces that come with protecting children from violence. Innovative and interactive campaign assets mimicking hallmarks familiar to genuine G20 countries bring the 3rd Richest Nation to life, encouraging meaningful engagement with the issue of violence against children: Presidential Address the campaign kicks off with a 60 film, featuring the fictional President, addressing fellow G20 leaders, crediting eradicating childhood violence for making them the worlds third richest nation. Using an innovative blend of live action and VFX, the President is an AI-generated amalgamation of 14 survivors of childhood violence, all of whom agreed to lend their likeness to the project, as well as guiding its message. the campaign kicks off with a 60 film, featuring the fictional President, addressing fellow G20 leaders, crediting eradicating childhood violence for making them the worlds third richest nation. Using an innovative blend of live action and VFX, the President is an AI-generated amalgamation of 14 survivors of childhood violence, all of whom agreed to lend their likeness to the project, as well as guiding its message. The Digital Citizen Hub every touchpoint across the campaign guides viewers to a dedicated website, 3RN.org, where they can become honorary citizens of the 3rd Richest Nation by pledging actions to end childhood violence. every touchpoint across the campaign guides viewers to a dedicated website, 3RN.org, where they can become honorary citizens of the 3rd Richest Nation by pledging actions to end childhood violence. 3RN News the nations dedicated news channel, which delivers daily news stories across social media, reporting live from the imaginary country. With a unifying focus on the economic benefit of eradicating childhood violence, each news story dives into a specific shift that led to the 3rd Richest Nations financial success, from education policy to legal reform. the nations dedicated news channel, which delivers daily news stories across social media, reporting live from the imaginary country. With a unifying focus on the economic benefit of eradicating childhood violence, each news story dives into a specific shift that led to the 3rd Richest Nations financial success, from education policy to legal reform. Embassy Network just like any G20 nation, the 3 rd Richest Nation has built a network of ambassadors around the world. Their task is to share the campaigns message with thought leaders and policymakers both online and in-person. A blend of survivors and advocates, all ambassadors have been equipped with a bespoke embassy kit to help them spread the campaigns message, complete with the countrys flag, currency (which double as informational flyers), passports (peppered with key facts to support their advocacy), and pins just like any G20 nation, the 3 Richest Nation has built a network of ambassadors around the world. Their task is to share the campaigns message with thought leaders and policymakers both online and in-person. A blend of survivors and advocates, all ambassadors have been equipped with a bespoke embassy kit to help them spread the campaigns message, complete with the countrys flag, currency (which double as informational flyers), passports (peppered with key facts to support their advocacy), and pins Tourism Campaign in the days surrounding the G20, the campaign will drive awareness with a large-scale tourism campaign echoing the style of golden-age travel posters, evoking a utopian destination where children are safe and the economy thrives. Dr Daniela Ligiero, CEO of Together for Girls, and Brave Movement Founder, says, As survivors, we know the impact of failing to protect children. Eradicating childhood violence isnt just a moral imperative; its also one of the greatest economic opportunities of our time. Through our innovative 3rd Richest Nation campaign, we are telling world leaders, now is the time to invest in your children. Now is the time to ensure they can fulfil their potential. Now is the time to keep them all safe. Deputy Minister of Women, Youth and People with Disabilities in the National Executive, Mmapaseka Steve Letsike, a survivor herself, highlighted the cost of inaction for South Africa, Weve calculated the lifelong cost of not doing this work and, in economic terms, it comes to the equivalent of 8.1% of our GDP approximately US$33 billion, she said. For every R100 our country produces, R8 is drained away through the consequences of neglecting health, education and the safety of our youth. We have an urgent duty not only here in South Africa but around the world to protect our children and to ensure that they can have the greatest opportunity to thrive and live free from fear. This campaign is a bold rallying cry, the Third Richest Nation may not be a real country, but its wealth really could be and we are listening." The 3RN campaign was created by cummins&partners, in collaboration with The Brave Movement, an initiative of Together for Girls, is a global survivor-led advocacy movement focused on ending all forms of childhood sexual violence. Together for Girls is a global partnership working to end sexual violence against children and adolescents. 3RN CAMPAIGN ASSETS HERE LINK ENDS Notes to editors About the campaign The Brave Movements 3rd Richest Nation campaign reframes ending childhood violence as a $7 trillion economic opportunity, using a fictional nation to mobilise global leaders ahead of the G20. Released two weeks before the G20, the global campaign marks a major restructuring in how the issue of childhood violence is communicated to world leaders, and is designed to bring childhood protection to the forefront of G20 country policy agendas. The 3rd Richest Nations economy would be the third largest in the world, due to its success in eradicating childhood violence. The campaign highlights the significant economic gains from stronger healthcare and education systems to increased GDP and more productive workforces that come with protecting children from violence: Healthcare the 3rd Richest Nation would be able to reduce child healthcare costs by 30%, saving billions by stopping childhood violence before it ever begins. the 3rd Richest Nation would be able to reduce child healthcare costs by 30%, saving billions by stopping childhood violence before it ever begins. Education in the 3rd Richest Nation, secondary education completion would surge, due to children thriving in violence-free environments, boosting earning potential. in the 3rd Richest Nation, secondary education completion would surge, due to children thriving in violence-free environments, boosting earning potential. GDP ending childhood violence would boost the GDP of the 3rd Richest Nation by 3%. ending childhood violence would boost the GDP of the 3rd Richest Nation by 3%. Workforce Protection better investments in a child-protection workforce would reduce violence rates in the 3rd Richest Nation, whilst creating stable jobs. better investments in a child-protection workforce would reduce violence rates in the 3rd Richest Nation, whilst creating stable jobs. Child Marriage proper investment to prevent violence against children would see child marriage eradicated, and more girls staying in school, increasing earning potential. About the campaign assets Created by cummins&partners, in collaboration with The Brave Movement, each asset is a hallmark familiar to G20 countries, bringing to life the Brave Movements campaign and the 3rd Richest Nation itself. As well as driving incremental reach and engagement across social media, the ambition of these original assets is to inspire G20 leaders to follow suit in their own administrations. About the G20 The 20th G20 Leaders Summit is scheduled for 2223 November 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Under the theme Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability, South Africas G20 presidency prioritises inclusive economic growth, social justice, climate action, and elevating the voice of the Global South. The G20 is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. https://g20.org/ About violence against children 2024 data from UNICEF highlights that violence against children is a global crisis, affecting the lives of billions of children worldwide. Every 4 minutes a child is killed by an act of violence. An estimated 90 million children alive today have experienced sexual violence. Violence takes the lives of about 130,000 children and adolescents under 20 each year on average. About the economic impact of childhood violence The Violence Prevention Dividend is comprehensive research supporting the argument that childhood violence prevention can be seen as both an economic opportunity and a moral imperative. Conducted by a consortium of child-focused agencies including the Office of the Special Representative on Violence against Children, UNICEF, World Vision International, ChildFund Alliance, Plan International and Save the Children International. The costs and economic impact of violence against children report offers further insight from the ChildFund Alliance into how the $7 trillion figure was reached. Research into the economic b urden of violence against children in South Africa provides more context on this issue in the G20s 2025 location. About The Brave Movement The Brave Movement is a global survivor-led advocacy movement focused on ending all forms of childhood sexual violence. It brings together organizations and individuals to engage in cutting-edge campaigns and advocacy, and creates pathways for the expertise, wisdom, and experiences of survivors to help inform the response of governments and global institutions around the world. The Brave Movement is an initiative of Together for Girls. See: www.bravemovement.org About Together for Girls Ending violence against children cannot be solved by a single actor or sector alone. Together for Girls is a global partnership working to end sexual violence against children and adolescents. Active in over 20 countries, Together for Girls unites actors that often do not work together, including national governments, United Nations entities, the private sector, civil society, and survivors. Through data and advocacy, Together for Girls drives action to break cycles of violence and ensure prevention, healing, and justice. See: www.togetherforgirls.org Highlights Construction work ongoing on ore haulage access road, IRF and site access Locomotives delivery remains on schedule in first quarter 2026 Mining contractor has visited site confirming mobilisation schedule with mine development to commence in first quarter 2026 Project development timeline remains unchanged Project fully financed to Stage 1 production Incumbent President Paul Biya has been officially re-elected as the President of Cameroon PERTH, Australia, Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canyon Resources Limited (ASX: CAY) (Canyon or the Company) is pleased to provide a project update for its Minim Martap bauxite project (Minim Martap or the Project) in Cameroon, following the confirmation of President Paul Biyas re-election. Despite reports of unrest in several Cameroon cities in the immediate aftermath of the election, Canyon has continued to progress its development of the Minim Martap project with minor delays to construction work in key areas. Upgrades to the Minim Martap haulage road including access to the Daniel Plateau, access to the IRF and by-pass construction is ongoing and whilst some delays have been experienced, works remain on track for completion in Q1, 2026. Locomotives ordered recently from CRRC Ziyan Co. Ltd1 are being built in China and are on schedule to be delivered to Canyon in the first quarter of next year. Similarly, the rail wagons delivery is also scheduled for Q1, 2026 in line with the forecast first shipment of bauxite ore in Q2, 2026. The mining contractor appointed to the Minim Martap Project has visited the site and has confirmed it will be in position to commence mining operations in the Q1 2026. Importantly, with first bauxite shipment scheduled for Q2, 2026, Minim Martap remains fully financed to Stage 1 production, by a combination of both debt and equity facilities. Funding comprises the previously announced ~US$140M facility from AFG Bank Cameroon2 and the recent A$35.6M equity raise3 in September 2025 which saw 56.5% shareholder, Eagle Eye Assets (EEA), also commit to exercising approximately 137 million options to raise an additional A$10M. Tranche 2 of the equity raise, comprising a placement of A$100M to EEA and a A$70M placement to CEMAC investors being undertaken by Afriland Bourse & Investissement (Afriland), remains conditional on shareholder approval. In addition, the AfriLand tranche requires approval from the Banque des Etats de l'Afrique Centrale, the central bank for the Central African Economic and Monetary Community, the Commission de Surveillance du marche financier de lAfrique Centrale, the market regulator for the Central African Economic and Monetary Community and the Government of Cameroon, which is still ongoing. The Annual General Meeting is to be held on the 25th of November 2025. Commenting on project funding, EEA stated: We look forward to maintaining our strong partnership with Canyon as it continues to advance key project milestones in the near term and to completing the next phase of A$100M of equity funding under Tranche 2. Canyon Chief Executive Officer Peter Secker commented: Following the recent presidential election in Cameroon, work on the Companys Minim Martap project has continued without any significant disruptions and we remain on schedule for the first bauxite shipment from Minim Martap to be completed in Q2 of next year. Canyon is well funded following the recent capital raisings, which allowed us to secure commitment of key long lead items such as locomotives and wagons, which will be delivered on time in the first quarter of 2026. This announcement has been approved for release by Canyons Board of Directors. Enquiries: Peter Secker Cameron Gilenko Chief Executive Officer Investor Relations & Media Canyon Resources Limited Sodali & Co T +61 8 6385 2263 T +61 6160 4909 E: info@canyonresources.com.au E: cameron.gilenko@sodali.com Forward looking statements This announcement contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information, such as statements and forecasts which include (without limitation) financial forecasts, production targets, industry and trend projections, statements about the feasibility of the Project and its financial outcomes (including pursuant to the DFS), future strategies, results and outlook of Canyon and the opportunities available to Canyon. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as plans, expects, is expected, is expecting, budget, outlook, scheduled, "target", estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates, or believes, or variations (including negative 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. Such information is based on assumptions and judgments of Canyon regarding future events and results. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements and information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, targets, performance or achievements of Canyon to be materially different from any future results, targets, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements and information. Forward-looking statements and information are not guarantees of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, sensitivities, contingencies, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are beyond the control of Canyon and its directors and management. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. Key risk factors (including as associated with the DFS) are detailed (non-exhaustively) in this announcement or in Canyon's previous ASX announcements). These and other factors (such as risk factors that are currently unknown) could cause actual results, targets, performance or achievements anticipated (including in the DFS) to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements and information. Forward-looking statements and information (including Canyons belief that it has a reasonable basis to expect it will be able to fund the costs of the Project for its estimated life of mine) are (further to the above) based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of Canyon made in light of its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that Canyon believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although Canyon believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and information (including as described throughout this announcement) are reasonable, readers are cautioned that this is not exhaustive of all factors which may impact on the forward-looking statements and information. Canyon does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Investors should note that there is no certainty that the Project will be feasible and there can be no assurance of whether it will be developed, constructed and commence operations, whether the DFS results will be accurate, whether production targets will be achieved or whether Canyon will be able to raise funding when it is required (nor any certainty as to the form such capital raising may take, such as equity, debt, hybrid and/or other capital raising). It is also possible that such funding may only be available on terms that dilute or otherwise affect the value of Canyons shares. It is also possible that Canyon could pursue other value realisation strategies such as sale, partial sale, or joint venture of the Project. Risk factors which are set out (non-exhaustively) in this announcement, or in Canyon's previous ASX announcements, highlight key factors identified by Canyon which may cause actual results to differ from the DFS or may otherwise have material detrimental impacts on Canyon and its business. Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves This announcement contains estimates of the Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves estimated for the Project. This information in this announcement that relates to those Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves has been extracted from Canyon's accompanying ASX announcement entitled Definitive Feasibility Study Results and Reserves Upgrade Confirms Minim Martap as a Tier-One Bauxite Operation dated 1 September 2025, a copy of which is available at www.asx.com.au. Canyon confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in that announcement and, in relation to the estimates of Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves, confirms that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimates in that announcement continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Competent Person for the Mineral Resources estimate in the announcement was Mr. Rodney Brown and the Competent Persons for the Ore Reserve estimate in the announcement was Mr. Donald Eld. 1 Refer to ASX announcement dated 26 June 2025 2 Refer to ASX announcement dated 26 May 2025 3 Refer to ASX announcement dated 25 September 2025 TRAVERSE CITY, Mich., Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What factors should homeowners consider when selecting the best roofing material for their homes? According to a HelloNation article, Roofing Expert John Kolarik of Mariage Roofing in Traverse City, Michigan, provides insight into how the right choice of roofing material can enhance both home protection and value. The article outlines how different materials, such as asphalt shingles, composite shingles, and architectural shingles, offer unique strengths that improve roof durability, energy efficiency, and long-term performance. Choosing the perfect roofing material is not just about appearance but also about the lasting quality and resilience of the roof itself. As the HelloNation article explains, the decision impacts a homes protection from the elements, its energy efficiency, and its resale value. Roofing Expert John Kolarik emphasizes that each material type has its own benefits, and homeowners should evaluate them based on local climate, architectural style, and maintenance requirements. In Michigan, asphalt shingles remain a leading option due to their reliability in cold weather and affordability. The article explains that asphalt shingles are a practical and cost-effective choice for many homeowners. They offer dependable performance in diverse weather conditions and are available in a variety of colors and textures. Composite shingles provide enhanced strength and resistance to cracking, making them ideal for areas that experience frequent temperature changes. Architectural shingles deliver a dimensional look that adds curb appeal while maintaining superior durability. Roofing Expert John Kolarik notes that understanding these distinctions allows homeowners to choose the roofing material that best fits their goals for both design and longevity. Climate considerations are an essential part of the selection process. The HelloNation article emphasizes that local weather patterns should guide every roofing decision. In regions with cold, snowy winters like Traverse City, materials must withstand temperature fluctuations and moisture buildup. Roofing Expert John Kolarik points out that choosing materials with proven performance in the local climate can prevent premature wear, reduce repair costs, and extend the lifespan of the roof. Beyond climate, the article highlights how the right roofing material can improve overall roof durability and energy efficiency. High-quality shingles provide better insulation, reducing heat loss during the winter and cooling demands during the summer. This efficiency can lower energy costs and make the home more environmentally friendly. Roofing Expert John Kolarik adds that sustainability is becoming a key factor in roofing decisions, with more homeowners seeking options that minimize waste and last longer. Investing in premium roofing materials also benefits home value. The HelloNation article notes that a well-chosen roof can increase resale value by up to 5 percent. This makes selecting a durable and visually appealing material both a practical and financial decision. Roofing Expert John Kolarik advises homeowners to consider long-term return on investment rather than focusing solely on upfront costs. Cheaper materials may require replacement sooner, while higher-quality shingles often deliver decades of reliable protection. Aesthetic appeal plays a major role in roofing decisions as well. The article explains that a roof is one of the most visible elements of a homes exterior, influencing its overall character and style. Architectural shingles can create depth and texture, while composite shingles offer a modern yet natural look that complements a wide range of home designs. Asphalt shingles remain a versatile favorite for their timeless appearance and affordability. Roofing Expert John Kolarik underscores that homeowners should select a roofing material that matches their homes architecture and enhances its overall appearance. Local building codes and installation standards also affect roofing material choices. The HelloNation article emphasizes the importance of compliance with safety regulations and best installation practices. Roofing Expert John Kolarik advises that working with knowledgeable contractors ensures materials are properly installed and meet local construction requirements. Professional installation not only enhances performance but also protects the homeowners investment in the long term. Maintenance requirements are another factor to consider when evaluating roofing materials. Asphalt shingles may need occasional inspections to check for wear, while composite and architectural shingles typically offer greater resistance to weather damage and require less upkeep. The HelloNation article suggests that homeowners who prioritize durability and minimal maintenance may find composite or architectural shingles to be a worthwhile investment. Roofing Expert John Kolarik adds that proper maintenance can extend the life of any roofing system, regardless of material choice. Ultimately, the HelloNation article concludes that selecting the perfect roofing material involves balancing cost, performance, style, and longevity. By carefully assessing options such as asphalt shingles, composite shingles, and architectural shingles, homeowners can make informed choices that improve both roof durability and energy efficiency. Roofing Expert John Kolariks guidance encourages homeowners to view their roof as an essential investment that strengthens the value, comfort, and safety of their property. Choosing the Perfect Roofing Material: An Investment for Your Home features insights from John Kolarik, Roofing Expert of Traverse City, MI, 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/640ac4a6-e139-4b65-8ed7-5bf7493d4622 ALPHARETTA, Ga., Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- How do you paint stucco siding in Georgia so the finish lasts through heat, humidity, and storms? A HelloNation article provides detailed answers from Jeff Ecklund of Rhino Shield by Georgia Coatings, Inc. in Alpharetta. The feature explains how Georgias demanding climate requires specific preparation techniques, specialized primers, and breathable coatings to protect stucco and concrete siding for the long term. The article begins by noting that Georgias humidity, rainfall, and temperature swings can quickly break down paint on masonry surfaces. Without proper preparation, finishes fade, chalk, or peel within just a few years. Painting Expert Jeff Ecklund emphasizes that success depends on understanding the chemistry behind coatings and choosing products that work with, not against, Georgias climate. Every lasting paint job starts with a clean, stable surface. Stucco and concrete tend to collect dirt, mildew, and efflorescence, all of which weaken paint adhesion. The HelloNation feature explains how to wash surfaces with a mild detergent using low pressure, rinse thoroughly, and allow complete drying before proceeding. Harsh pressure can damage stucco or drive water into cracks. If mildew persists, a diluted bleach solution should be applied and allowed to dry for a full twenty-four hours. A key update in the article centers on the issue of pH balance. Instead of testing for alkalinity using pH paper, Painting Expert Jeff Ecklund advises treating all cement-based materials as alkaline by default. The article explains that a concrete primer formulated to block alkalinity should always be applied to cement board or stucco surfaces, since these materials naturally carry a high pH. This primer neutralizes the surface and creates a consistent, stable base for coating. It prevents color damage from pH burn, one of the leading causes of discoloration and early coating failure on concrete or stucco siding. Once primed, the next step is inspection and repair. Hairline cracks are common as stucco or concrete expands and contracts with temperature changes. The HelloNation article recommends using flexible elastomeric patching materials that stretch slightly with the wall, maintaining an even surface. For deeper voids, a cementitious patching compound should be used and fully cured before continuing. When sealing joints, the feature includes an important note about caulking practices. Painting Expert Jeff Ecklund cautions against caulking butt joints in the middle of siding panels, since sealing these can trap moisture and shorten coating life. Instead, caulk only around openings such as windows, doors, and utility penetrations where water can directly enter. The primer used determines whether the coating will last. The article identifies a high-bond masonry primer as the best primer for concrete siding in Georgia. This type of primer penetrates deeply and anchors firmly to masonry, providing a strong base for the topcoat. General-purpose primers, especially latex versions, can lose adhesion in Georgias humidity. Consistent application and full curing are essential for optimal performance. When it comes to finishing coats, the article addresses what type of coating is best for concrete walls in Georgia. Breathable ceramic coatings perform best because they resist liquid water while allowing vapor to pass through. This breathability keeps moisture from being trapped under the coating, which helps prevent bubbling, peeling, and cracking. A breathable ceramic coating keeps walls dry and stable year-round, even through Georgias intense weather cycles. The HelloNation article also outlines how to achieve an even, durable finish. Spray-and-back-roll application helps build uniform film thickness. Two thin coats are recommended instead of one heavy layer, as they dry more evenly and resist cracking. Following manufacturer guidelines for drying time, temperature, and humidity is critical to long-term success. Color choice affects both appearance and performance. Lighter shades reflect more sunlight and heat, which helps reduce expansion stress and fading. Darker colors, while bold, can absorb more heat and accelerate surface wear. The article suggests selecting UV-stable pigments formulated for exterior use to handle Georgias strong sun and frequent weather shifts. Maintenance is another key to lasting protection. Painting Expert Jeff Ecklund advises property owners to inspect siding annually for chips or cracks, clean surfaces with mild detergent, and make small touch-ups as needed. According to the HelloNation article, a properly maintained ceramic coating system can last up to 25 years before reapplication, compared to just three to five years for traditional exterior paints. For those wondering how to prevent peeling paint on stucco in Georgia, the HelloNation feature connects the answer to preparation and material compatibility. A concrete primer formulated to block alkalinity stabilizes the surface, while a breathable ceramic topcoat prevents trapped vapor. Together, these create a protective system that works with Georgias humidity and temperature variations instead of fighting them. The article concludes that while quality coatings and preparation may cost more initially, the investment pays off through longevity, reduced maintenance, and better structural protection. A properly installed ceramic coating system protects buildings from the inside out, reducing repaint cycles and keeping surfaces bright and intact even after years of southern weather. Best Practices for Painting Stucco & Concrete Siding in Georgia features insights from Jeff Ecklund, Painting Expert of Alpharetta, GA, 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/aa4d0f00-d9a4-41ee-a411-53efb1528605 AMARILLO, Texas, Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What home features should buyers prioritize first? According to Connie Taylor, a real estate expert with The Connie Taylor Group in Amarillo, prioritizing key home features is essential for making a purchase decision that aligns with both immediate needs and long-term lifestyle goals. In her recent article in HelloNation , Taylor emphasizes the importance of clearly identifying the must-have features, such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, home layout, and critical amenities, before beginning the search process. Taylor advises homebuyers to first determine absolute necessities based on household size, potential future growth, and lifestyle preferences. This step ensures a more efficient and focused home search. Additionally, she discusses the significance of choosing between single-story and multi-story homes, highlighting ease of access versus maximized space considerations. Location is also crucial, Taylor notes, as urban settings typically provide convenience and shorter commutes but often involve higher costs and smaller living spaces. Conversely, suburban neighborhoods may offer larger homes, quieter streets, and access to desirable schools, making them ideal for growing families or those seeking a calmer environment. Taylor further recommends paying careful attention to home layout, as this factor significantly influences everyday living. Open floor plans are appealing for entertaining, while traditional layouts provide privacy and defined spaces. Moreover, she underscores the importance of inspecting key utilities, including plumbing, HVAC systems, electrical wiring, and internet connectivity, as outdated or poorly maintained systems can negatively affect quality of life. Future plans also heavily influence home-buying decisions. Taylor suggests considering how a home can accommodate changing circumstances, such as a growing family, aging parents, or remote work needs. This forward-thinking approach ensures that a chosen property remains suitable for years to come. For additional guidance, read Connie Taylors full article, How to Prioritize Home Features When Buying , 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/07cfd185-9e92-42d0-b2af-3e20343bfa59 TORONTO, Nov. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. Talal A. Debs, Founder and Director of Zefiro Methane Corp. (Cboe: ZEFI) ("Zefiro"), today issued the following letter to Zefiro shareholders: November 6, 2025 SUBJECT: Urgent Call to Restore Value, Accountability, and the Founders Vision at Zefiro Methane Corporation To My Fellow Shareholders, As the founder of Zefiro Methane Corporation (Zefiro or the Company) and of X Machina Capital Strategies Fund I LP (XMC), which remains the largest shareholder of the Company holding an aggregate of 20,711,500 common shares directly or indirectly, representing 27.26% of the issued and outstanding common shares I am deeply disturbed and frustrated by events at the Company since I was ousted from leadership in early June of this year. I founded Zefiro and took it public with a clear and powerful vision: to build a premier, vertically integrated environmental services company. The strategy was simple and proved effective, built on three key pillars to drive a diversified revenue stream: Asset Retirements and Environmental Services Environmental Markets & Carbon Credit Origination Environmental Data & Monitoring These pillars encompass tremendous opportunities in distinct, growing markets where Zefiro can be a clear leader. In just the last few weeks, achievements which were spearheaded by the prior management team have at last been announced, providing hard evidence of the effectiveness of the Zefiro business model: Zefiros first monetization of CO2 offsets Zefiros first commercial inroads in methane monitoring Zefiros strong asset retirement pipeline, even in a services slowdown Notwithstanding these achievements, what really matters is the drive and focus to take this success beyond these green shoots of new growth. Leaders Focused on the Wrong Things In spite of milestones that evidence our momentum, the current Board of Directors and management has no such drive; they have instead steered the Company dangerously off course, seemingly intent on entangling the Company in a web of conflicts of interest, which has led to governance failures and short-term thinking. The result of this poor leadership is not theoretical but potentially catastrophic. Under the current managements leadership, they have overseen: Decommissioning the Zefiro Lifecycle Solution (ZLS) (including the Fiutur investment and CarbonAI partnership, both discontinued by current management); this decision has in my view already lost Zefiro shareholders millions of dollars and potentially tens of millions in the future. in the future. Discontinuation of ZMCs proprietary AI-driven mapping tool for leaking oil and gas wells, foregoing potential gains in resource efficiency and new revenue streams; this capability being key for Zefiros first break into the methane monitoring line of business. Failing to deliver a carbon credit pipeline that in my view could have delivered millions of dollars in bankable value this year; this along with the termination of the team leader (now an XMC executive) responsible for delivering Zefiros only successful batch of carbon credits. Rather than driving value, Interim CEO and Director, Catherine Flax appears focused on cutting profitable programs and taking credit for others accomplishments. There is little value in detailing the litany of problems with Zefiros current leadership, but shareholders should appreciate the following points: Debt to Insiders: Zefiro owes a significant sum (at high interest) to its CEO and her spouse; Catherine Flaxs spouse is the holder of the Zefiro USA Note in the amount of US$1.3mm (inclusive of accrued interest) and Catherine Flax is the holder of US$0.8mm of the loan principal of the US$2.48mm loan that closed in May 2025. For the CEO and her spouse to have over US$2.1 mm of loan exposure to a company of our size creates a very real conflict between her fiduciary duties to the Company and her personal interests. Zefiro owes a significant sum (at high interest) to its CEO and her spouse; Catherine Flaxs spouse is the holder of the Zefiro USA Note in the amount of US$1.3mm (inclusive of accrued interest) and Catherine Flax is the holder of US$0.8mm of the loan principal of the US$2.48mm loan that closed in May 2025. For the CEO and her spouse to have over US$2.1 mm of loan exposure to a company of our size creates a very real conflict between her fiduciary duties to the Company and her personal interests. Inappropriate Directorships: Catherine Flax is a board member of Abaxx Technologies Inc. and the Chair of the Board of Directors of Base Carbon Inc., both entities who operate businesses that compete with Zefiro. In light of these conflicts of interest, it is inappropriate for Catherine Flax to be the CEO of Zefiro, or continue with those directorships, and Zefiro shareholders should be concerned about Catherine Flaxs ability to act impartially and in the best interest of Zefiro. Catherine Flax is a board member of Abaxx Technologies Inc. and the Chair of the Board of Directors of Base Carbon Inc., both entities who operate businesses that compete with Zefiro. In light of these conflicts of interest, it is inappropriate for Catherine Flax to be the CEO of Zefiro, or continue with those directorships, and Zefiro shareholders should be concerned about Catherine Flaxs ability to act impartially and in the best interest of Zefiro. An Apparently Personal Pre-occupation with XMC: Launching an investigation into my conduct as CEO based on a meritless claim, as Catherine Flax and the rest of the Board of Directors have recently done, illustrates again the poor judgement and lack of focus of the current Zefiro leadership. Catherine Flax was terminated from her former role at XMC. It is troubling that she is now using Zefiros resources and platform to coordinate and advance a baseless claim against XMC. This is an inappropriate use of the Companys resources, and we need leadership with their eyes fixed on future of Zefiro. Zefiro cannot continue to operate in a situation where its directors have more to gain from their own personal interests than they do from creating value for the benefit of all Zefiro shareholders. At this juncture, I have lost all confidence in the current leadership. Their actions are self-interested, ineffective and not in the best interests of Zefiro and its shareholders. It is time for a change. The Path Back to Prosperity The XMC team under my leadership created Zefiro. Following this vision, many people from XMC played a role in growing Zefiro to its current scale. And we at XMC know best how to put it back on a path that will drive this business forward. Most importantly, we have a clear strategy for Zefiro: Return to the Core: Immediately re-center on our three high-growth revenue streams. Re-engage Our Strengths: Re-activate Zefiros technology and sustainability advantages. De-Lever the Business: Clean up the contaminated balance sheet. Drive Growth: Leverage the same entrepreneurial grit that built Zefiro in the first place. Change is Required, and Change is Coming. At the Annual General Meeting, which must be held this calendar year, I will be putting forth an alternative, independent, and highly qualified slate of directors for your consideration. I look forward to re-engaging with you as we work together to reclaim the future of our company. Sincerely, Dr. Talal Debs Founder and Board Member, Zefiro Methane Corporation Founder and Managing Member, XMC Strategies Additional Information The information contained in this letter does not and is not meant to constitute a solicitation of a proxy within the meaning of applicable securities laws. No record or meeting date has been set for the Meeting and shareholders are not being asked at this time to execute a proxy in favour of any resolution that may be considered at the Meeting. In connection with the Meeting, Dr. Debs may file a dissident information circular in due course in compliance with applicable corporate and securities laws. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Dr. Debs is voluntarily providing the disclosure required under section 9.2(4) of National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations ("NI 51-102") in accordance with Canadian securities laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations. The information contained herein and any solicitation made by Dr. Debs in advance of the Meeting is, or will be, as applicable, made by Dr. Debs and not by or on behalf of the management of Zefiro. All costs incurred for any solicitation will be borne by XMC, provided that, subject to applicable law, XMC may seek reimbursement from Zefiro of its out-of-pocket expenses, including proxy solicitation expenses and legal fees, incurred in connection therewith. Dr. Debs is not soliciting proxies in connection with the Meeting at this time. Dr. Debs may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist in soliciting proxies on behalf of Dr. Debs. Any proxies solicited by or on behalf of Dr. Debs may be solicited pursuant to a dissident information circular sent to shareholders, after which solicitations may be made by or on behalf of Dr. Debs, in person, or by mail, telephone, fax, email or other electronic means as well as by newspaper or other media advertising, or by way of public broadcast, including through press releases, speeches or publications and by any other manner permitted under Canadian securities laws. Dr. Debs is not requesting that shareholders submit a proxy at this time. If and when Dr. Debs commences a formal solicitation of proxies in connection with the Meeting, proxies may be revoked by instrument in writing executed by a shareholder or by his or her attorney authorized in writing or, if the shareholder is a body corporate, by an officer or attorney thereof duly authorized or by any other manner permitted by law. For More Information: Shareholder Inquiries: Christine Carson Carson Proxy Advisors E: christine@carsonproxy.com C: 416-778-1556 Media Inquiries: John Vincic Oakstrom Advisors E: john@oakstrom.com C: 647-402-6375 BEIJING, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ecer.com , a global leading mobile B2B marketplaces for international trade, has successfully demonstrated its full-link intelligent sourcing solutions at the 138th Canton Fair. The marketplaces advanced services have helped international buyers boost their sourcing efficiency by approximately 60%, earning high praise from a significant number of overseas procurement delegations. Ecer.coms core offering at the fair centered on its proprietary AI-driven Smart Matching System, which transforms the traditional sourcing experience. "This completely overturns my experience of attending the Canton Fair for the past ten years," said Mr. Gaidi, a cardboard production line buyer from Belgium. "Before I even arrived in China, Ecer.com provided us with a personalized 'Smart Exhibition Visit Plan' that precisely matched our procurement needs. The Smart Matching System leverages Ecer.coms advanced AI to analyze a buyer's purchasing history, product preferences, and market trends, pre-screening suppliers for optimal relevance. For instance, a buyer seeking specialized electronic components could be matched instantly with top-tier manufacturers like BEXKOM Electronics Co., Ltd ., ensuring the initial contact is highly targeted and productive. Statistics show that buyers utilizing this service on average save 65% of on-site sourcing time while increasing supplier matching accuracy by over 50%, allowing them to focus more energy on in-depth negotiations. Integrating AI and Offline Scenarios for Deep Trust Beyond on-site supplier screening, Ecer.com introduced its innovative Digital Factory Audit service into the exhibition process. After identifying potential suppliers, buyers can initiate a remote factory audit directly through the marketplace, gaining real-time visibility into production lines, quality inspection processes, and other critical operational aspects. This service is part of a broader suite of AI applications launched by Ecer.com across the entire foreign trade lifecycle, including AI Product Posting, AI Promotion, and AI Customer Service. Together, these tools form a complete intelligent foreign trade chain that spans from online storefront setup and content operation to marketing, promotion, and efficient business opportunity conversion. A Growing Global B2B Powerhouse Driven by big data and intelligent algorithms, Ecer.com is actively leveraging artificial intelligence to continually optimize global supply-demand matching and the trade service experience, upgrading its marketplace ecosystem. Third-party data confirms Ecer.coms robust position: Monthly overseas traffic exceeds 60 million visits, ranking among the top B2B marketplaces globally. globally. The marketplace is recognized as a Top 2 B2B marketplace in China and the Top 1 mobile B2B marketplace in China. It hosts over 2.6 million registered suppliers. It serves 4 million buyers annually across more than 150 countries and regions, fostering a massive global trade community. Buyer service remains a cornerstone of the marketplace's development, highlighted by the establishment of a multilingual Buyer Service Center offering support to global purchasers. "The future competition among B2B marketplaces is not just about traffic and technology; it is a competition of deep service and ecological integration capabilities," stated a spokesperson for the Ecer.com Buyer Service Center. "By deeply integrating online data intelligence with offline scenario services, we aim for Ecer.com to be more than just an information marketplacewe want to be a trusted procurement partner for global buyers." From the precise matching of its online marketplace to the in-depth services provided at the Canton Fair, Ecer.com is utilizing the deep integration of "AI + Scenario" to lead the B2B industry away from a traffic-aggregation marketplace era and into a new age centered on intelligent ecology and deep trust. About Ecer.com Ecer.com, founded in 2009, is a global leading mobile B2B marketplace for international trade, dedicated to providing smart foreign trade solutions for global buyers and suppliers. Utilizing cutting-edge technologies like AI and big data, Ecer.com focuses on improving cross-border communication and transaction efficiency, fostering a simpler and more intelligent global trade environment. SOURCE: Ecer.com Ottawa, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global tuberculosis diagnostics market size is calculated at USD 3.55 billion in 2024, grows to USD 3.77 billion in 2025, and is projected to reach around USD 6.42 billion by 2034. The market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.1% between 2025 and 2034. The market is growing due to increasing TB prevalence, especially in developing countries, and the rising adoption of advanced molecular diagnostic technologies. Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market Key Takeaways Asia Pacific dominated the tuberculosis diagnostics market with a revenue share in 2024. The Middle East & Africa is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the market during the forecast period. By test type, the nucleic acid testing segment led the market with the largest revenue share in 2024. By test type, the detection of drug resistance segments is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the market during the forecast period. By end use, the hospitals and clinics segment dominated the market with a major revenue share. By end use, the diagnostic laboratories segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the market during the forecast period. Download a Sample Report Here@ https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/report/sample/8766 What is Tuberculosis Diagnostics? The tuberculosis diagnostics market is growing due to rising TB cases and increasing adoption of advanced diagnostic technologies. The market is witnessing significant growth due to the rising incidence of TB globally and the growing demand for early and accurate detection. Advancements in molecular and point-of-care diagnostic technologies are enhancing test accuracy and speed. Additionally, supportive government programs, increased healthcare spending, and awareness campaigns by global health organizations are driving market expansion. These factors collectively contribute to the strong growth of the market. For Instance, As per the Global Tuberculosis Report 2024, around 10.8 million new TB cases were reported in 2023, which equals nearly 134 cases per 100,000 people worldwide. Immediate Delivery Available | Buy This Premium Research (Global Deep Dive USD 3800) https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/report/checkout/8766 Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market Report Scope Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2025 USD 3.77 billion Revenue forecast in 2034 USD 6.42 billion Growth rate CAGR of 6.1% from 2025 to 2034 Historical data 2018 - 2024 Forecast period 2025 - 2034 Quantitative units Revenue in USD million/billion and CAGR from 2025 to 2034 Report coverage Revenue forecast, company ranking, competitive landscape, growth factors, and trends Segments covered Test type, End use, Region Regional scope North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; MEA Country scope U.S.; Canada; Mexico; UK; Germany; Spain; France; Italy; Spain; Denmark; Sweden; Norway; China; Japan; India; Australia; South Korea; Thailand; Brazil; Argentina; South Africa; Saudi Arabia; UAE; Kuwait Key companies profiled Abbott; QIAGEN; Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.; BD, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG; Hologic, Inc.; Cepheid; DiaSorin S.p.A.; Hain Lifescience GmbH; Oxford Immunotec Customization scope Free report customization (equivalent up to 8 analysts working days) with purchase. Addition or alteration to country, regional & segment scope. For more information, visit the Nova One Advisor website or email the team at sales@novaoneadvisor.com | Call us : +1 804 420 9370 Why it's important to diagnose TB Not everyone infected with TB germs becomes sick. As a result, two TB-related conditions exist: inactive TB and active TB disease. Treatment options are available for both inactive TB and active TB disease. If you are diagnosed with inactive TB, there are treatments available that can help protect you from getting sick with active TB disease. People with active TB disease may be able to spread the germs to people they spend time with every day. Without treatment, active TB disease can be fatal. When to get tested You may need a TB test if you have: Symptoms of TB disease Spent time with someone who has active TB disease Factors that put you at higher risk for developing active TB disease Employment, school, travel, or immigration health screening requirements Medical Evaluation for TB Disease A healthcare provider determines whether a person has inactive TB (latent TB infection) or active TB disease using several diagnostic steps. 1. Medical History The provider will ask about: Current symptoms of TB (e.g., persistent cough, fever, night sweats, weight loss) Contact with anyone diagnosed with TB Previous positive TB tests Past TB treatment or diagnosis Risk factors (e.g., HIV infection, immunosuppression, travel or residence in high TB-burden areas) 2. Physical Examination A thorough examination helps: Assess general health Identify symptoms related to TB Detect other conditions that may influence TB diagnosis or treatment 3. Tests for TB Infection There are two main tests: a. TB Blood Test (IGRA) Detects immune response to TB proteins in blood. Preferred for those who received the BCG vaccine, as its not affected by vaccination. b. TB Skin Test (TST) Small amount of testing material injected under the skin. Requires a follow-up visit after 4872 hours to check for a reaction. 4. Interpreting Test Results Positive Result: Indicates TB germs are present; additional tests (chest x-ray, sputum test) are required to determine whether the infection is active or inactive. Indicates TB germs are present; additional tests (chest x-ray, sputum test) are required to determine whether the infection is active or inactive. Negative Result: Suggests no TB infection, but further evaluation may be needed if symptoms are present or if the person is at high risk (e.g., HIV-positive, recent exposure). 5. Chest X-ray Used primarily to detect TB disease in the lungs the most common site of infection. 6. Laboratory Tests Common tests include: Sputum smear and culture (typically 3 samples) (typically 3 samples) Drug susceptibility testing to determine which antibiotics are effective to determine which antibiotics are effective Additional samples (urine, tissue biopsy) if TB is suspected outside the lungs Diagnosis Outcomes Inactive TB (Latent TB Infection) TB germs are present but not causing illness or contagiousness. No symptoms. Treatment recommended to prevent progression to active TB. Active TB Disease TB germs are multiplying and causing illness. Symptoms are present. Contagious and requires multi-drug therapy. Treatment Inactive TB Short, convenient treatment regimens available. Prevents progression to active TB. Easier to treat due to fewer bacteria. Active TB Disease Requires a combination of several antibiotics. Duration: 46 months or longer. Full adherence to prescribed medication is critical to prevent relapse and drug resistance. What are the Major Drivers in the Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market? Rising global TB incidence, increasing demand for rapid and accurate diagnostic methods, and advancements in molecular and point-of-care testing technologies. Additionally, government initiatives, improved healthcare infrastructure, and growing awareness about early disease detection and prevention are boosting market growth. Support from global health organizations further accelerates the adoption of advanced TB diagnostic solutions. What are the Key trends in the Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market in 2024? In November 2024, QIAGEN collaborated with McGill Universitys Centre for Microbiome Research to advance microbiome research and innovation. This partnership is expected to strengthen QIAGENs presence in the North American microbiome research market, valued at around USD 1.8 billion. In April 2024, Revvity, Inc. launched the Auto-Pure 2400 liquid handler from Allsheng to enhance the T-SPOT.TB test process. Designed for ease of use and efficiency, the system streamlines lab operations while combining the Auto-Pure 2400s productivity with the T-SPOT.TB tests precision benefits laboratories, healthcare providers, and patients alike. What is the Appearing Challenge in the Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market? Limited access to advanced testing in low-income regions due to high costs and inadequate healthcare infrastructure. Additionally, the presence of drug-resistant TB strains, lack of skilled professionals, and delays in diagnosis hinder effective disease management. Inconsistent screening programs and limited awareness in remote areas further restrict market growth and early detection efforts. Segmental Insights By Test Type Insights What made the Nucleic Acid Testing Segment Dominant in the Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market in 2024? In 2024, the nucleic acid testing segment accounted for the highest revenue in the market due to its efficiency in detecting TB bacteria and drug resistance with high precision. The increasing use of automated molecular systems, along with the rising focus on early and accurate diagnosis, has strengthened its demand. Moreover, ongoing research and government-backed screening programs. Have further supported the market leadership. The detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis segment is anticipated to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period, owing to the increasing burden of resistant TB strains and the need for timely diagnosis to guide effective treatment. The growing use of advanced molecular assays, rising investments in TB control programs, and expanding access to rapid diagnostic tools are further driving the demand for drug-resistance detection tests globally. By End User Insights How did Hospitals and Clinics Segment Dominate the Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market in 2024? The hospitals and clinics segment dominated the market with the largest revenue share due to high patient inflow and availability of advanced diagnostic infrastructure. These facilities are often the primary centers for TB screening, diagnosis, and treatment, supported by skilled healthcare professionals and government-funded programs. Additionally, the growing integration of rapid molecular testing and improved laboratory setups within hospitals and clinics further enhanced their role in accurate and timely TB diagnosis. The diagnostic laboratories segment is projected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period due to rising demand for accurate, large-scale TB testing and the availability of advanced molecular diagnostic equipment. Increasing collaborations between public health agencies and private labs, along with expanding the laboratory network in developing regions, are enhancing accessibility. Additionally, the shift towards automated, high-throughput testing and cost-effective diagnostic services further drives the segment's rapid growth. By Regional Insights How is Asia Pacific contributing to the Expansion of the Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market? Asia-Pacific dominated the market in 2024 due to the regions high TB prevalence, particularly in countries like India, China, and Indonesia. Strong government initiatives, improved healthcare infrastructure, and increased funding for TB control programs have supported widespread diagnostic adoption. Additionally, growing awareness about early detection, rising investments in molecular testing technologies, and the presence of key diagnostic players have further strengthened the regions market dominance. How is the Middle East & Africa Accelerating the Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market? The Middle East and Africa region is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the tuberculosis diagnostics market during the forecast period due to the rising incidence of TB, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Increasing government efforts to improve disease surveillance, expand access to advanced diagnostic technologies, and strengthen healthcare infrastructure are key growth drivers. Additionally, global health organizations support and growing awareness about early TB detection further boost market expansion in the region. Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market Top Key Companies: Abbott QIAGEN Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. BD F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG Hologic, Inc . . Cepheid DiaSorin S.p.A. Hain Lifescience GmbH Oxford Immunotec Recent Developments in the Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market In April 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the WHO Consolidated Guidelines on Tuberculosis: Module 3 Diagnosis to help nations and health agencies enhance TB detection and improve diagnostic practices worldwide. In May 2024, BD introduced the TB Guardianship Program to educate healthcare professionals on advanced TB diagnostic and drug susceptibility testing methods. Conducted in collaboration with key organizations such as the Indian Chest Society, Central TB Division, The Union, Corporate TB Pledge, and USAID, the initiative aims to strengthen awareness and improve diagnostic capabilities through a structured, multi-part training series. More Insights in Nova One Advisor: Tuberculosis Diagnostics Market Report Segmentation This report forecasts revenue growth at country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2021 to 2033. For this study, Nova one advisor, Inc. has segmented the Tuberculosis Diagnostics market. By Type Nucleic Acid Testing Detection of Latent Infection (Skin Test & IGRA) Detection of Drug Resistance (DST) Other Methods Phage Assay Cytokine Detection Assay Diagnostic Laboratory Methods Radiographic Method Other Methods By End Use Diagnostic Laboratories Hospitals & Clinics Others By Region North America Europe Asia-Pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa (MEA) Immediate Delivery Available | Buy This Premium Research Report (Global Deep Dive USD 3800) https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/report/checkout/8766 About-Us Nova One Advisor is a global leader in market intelligence and strategic consulting, committed to delivering deep, data-driven insights that power innovation and transformation across industries. With a sharp focus on the evolving landscape of life sciences, we specialize in navigating the complexities of cell and gene therapy, drug development, and the oncology market, enabling our clients to lead in some of the most revolutionary and high-impact areas of healthcare. Our expertise spans the entire biotech and pharmaceutical value chain, empowering startups, global enterprises, investors, and research institutions that are pioneering the next generation of therapies in regenerative medicine, oncology, and precision medicine. Our Trusted Data Partners Towards Chemical and Materials | Precedence Research | Statifacts | Towards Packaging | Towards Healthcare | Towards Food and Beverages | Towards Automotive | Towards Consumer Goods | Nova One Advisor | Nutraceuticals Func Foods | Onco Quant | Sustainability Quant | Specialty Chemicals Analytics | Towards Chem and Material Web: https://www.novaoneadvisor.com/ Contact Us USA: +1 804 420 9370 Email: sales@novaoneadvisor.com DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HeraclesCapital, an operator-led venture firm focused on blockchain infrastructure and tokenized real-world assets (RWA), has announced a strategic investment in MiloGold, a DMCC Free Zonebased platform developing Proof-of-Reserve (PoR) infrastructure for tokenized, vaulted-gold exposure. This investment is aimed at broadening MiloGolds institutional reach and supporting the growth of custody integrations, market liquidity programs, and transparent, real-time PoR reporting across the MENA region, Europe, and North America. Why This Investment Now Gold has long stood as the worlds most trusted collateral base, yet only a small portion of it is currently represented on-chain. As capital shifts toward RWA tokenization, which is projected to reach the trillions this decade, HeraclesCapital identifies PoR transparency, custody clarity, and liquidity depth as the critical factors for institutional adoption. MiloGolds infrastructure directly addresses these institutional needs. Were investing to demonstrate what good looks like in tokenized commodities, said Hugh Ralph, Partner at HeraclesCapital. When custody, PoR, and liquidity are engineered as one system, institutions can participate with confidence. Our role is to help bring that standard to the market openly and at scale. What HeraclesCapital Will Enable HeraclesCapitals operator team will collaborate with MiloGold on: Regulated custody integrations with global vault providers and insurers Liquidity engineering across centralized and decentralized exchange venues, along with market-making programs Institutional APIs and reporting systems tailored for custodians and fintechs Jurisdictional compliance including DMCC and VARA in the UAE, MiCA readiness in the EU, and pathways for North American expansion The Infrastructure We're Showcasing HeraclesCapital's investment was driven by MiloGolds focus on four key infrastructure pillars: Proof-of-Reserve (PoR): Utilizes Merkle-tree proofs, optional zero-knowledge attestations, and quarterly third-party vault attestations. These are displayed via a public dashboard that includes reserve ratios and a full audit history. Utilizes Merkle-tree proofs, optional zero-knowledge attestations, and quarterly third-party vault attestations. These are displayed via a public dashboard that includes reserve ratios and a full audit history. Self-Reinforcing Reserves: Platform-generated fees are automatically directed back into PoR smart contracts, increasing reserve strength in proportion to on-chain activity. Platform-generated fees are automatically directed back into PoR smart contracts, increasing reserve strength in proportion to on-chain activity. Security Posture: Independent smart-contract audits conducted by CertiK and Hexens are paired with AWS-grade hosting infrastructure and insured vaults. Independent smart-contract audits conducted by CertiK and Hexens are paired with AWS-grade hosting infrastructure and insured vaults. Multi-Chain Design: $MLGD is deployed on BNB Smart Chain (BEP-20) and gold-backed NFTs on Solana, balancing low fees, high throughput, and broad wallet support. HeraclesCapital isnt just an investor its a strategic partner that understands infrastructure cycles, said the CEO of MiloGold. Together, were aligning transparency, compliance, and yield so institutions can treat tokenized gold as programmable, auditable collateral. Proof-of-Reserve (PoR): Transparency by Design At the core of MiloGolds infrastructure is a multi-layered PoR system that integrates Merkle Tree verification, Zero-Knowledge Proofs (ZKPs), and independent quarterly audits. Investors benefit from tools to verify their gold-backed holdings via a public PoR dashboard offering: Real-time reserve ratios Tools for individual wallet verification Complete audit history spanning multiple periods With $1B in Proof-of-Reserve capacity currently under development, MiloGold is raising the industry standard for mathematically verifiable, compliant digital gold. Near-Term Execution Roadmap Q4 2025: First version of custody integration with DMCC-regulated vaults, and initiation of market-making programs First version of custody integration with DMCC-regulated vaults, and initiation of market-making programs Q1 2026: $MLGD token distribution, launch of DEX pools on PancakeSwap and Uniswap, Tier-2 CEX listings on LBank, MEXC, and BitMart, deployment of the OzGold NFT Marketplace and Staking App, and activation of the Vault Audit System $MLGD token distribution, launch of DEX pools on PancakeSwap and Uniswap, Tier-2 CEX listings on LBank, MEXC, and BitMart, deployment of the OzGold NFT Marketplace and Staking App, and activation of the Vault Audit System Q2 2026: Introduction of gold-backed lending and borrowing, deployment of multi-chain bridges to Ethereum, Solana, and Base, and preview of governance tools with expanded institutional-grade reporting Introduction of gold-backed lending and borrowing, deployment of multi-chain bridges to Ethereum, Solana, and Base, and preview of governance tools with expanded institutional-grade reporting Q4 2026: Evaluation for Tier-1 CEX listings and rollout of institutional custody and insurance frameworks underwritten by A+ rated providers About HeraclesCapital Established in 2018, HeraclesCapital is an operator-led venture firm that invests in blockchain infrastructure, DeFi, Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks, and tokenized RWAs. The firm provides capital and strategic guidance in areas such as token design, liquidity engineering, compliance architecture, governance structures, and go-to-market execution. Website: heraclescapital.com Email: info@heraclescapital.com About MiloGold MiloGold is headquartered in the DMCC Free Zone in Dubai and is developing Proof-of-Reserve infrastructure for tokenized, vaulted gold assets. The platform merges LBMA-standard insured storage with on-chain verification via Merkle proofs and optional zero-knowledge technology. Its multi-chain approach includes $MLGD on BNB Chain and gold-backed NFTs on Solana. MiloGold aims to make gold into a programmable, auditable asset class, offering modules for trading, staking, lending, and leasing, along with continuous transparency and liquidity. MiloGold Launches $MLGD Early Access Program: 10% discount on gold 5% bonus on contributions Up to 20% pre-staking APY Website: milogold.com Email: info@milogold.com Media Contact Details: Company Name: Heracles Capital Person: Michael Harrington Email Address: Michael.H@heraclescapital.com Website: https://heraclescapital.com/ Address: HDS Business Centre Cluster M, Dubai - United Arab Emirates Disclaimer: This communication is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice and is not an offer to sell or a solicitation to purchase any security or token. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ. Licensing, regulatory approvals, and third-party audits referenced herein are in progress and subject to jurisdictional review; no representations of final regulatory status are made. This content is provided by Heracles Capital. 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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9c31f0e0-b7b8-4853-a0ca-7960850a0818 Scancell Holdings plc Scancell holds oral presentation of positive Phase 2 data on Immunobody iSCIB1+ in late-stage melanoma at SITC 2025 Data from SCOPE trial show a potential new benchmark in efficacy, durability, immune responses and safety Progression-free survival (PFS) for iSCIB1+ in target population at 11 months is 78%, compared with historic 12 months PFS of 46% with doublet checkpoint therapy of ipilimumab and nivolumab Development plans for iSCIB1+ accelerated including regulatory and partnering discussions, with randomised studies on path to registration expected to start in 2026 NOTTINGHAM, United Kingdom, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scancell Holdings plc (AIM: SCLP), the developer of Immunobody and Moditope active immunotherapies to treat cancer, announces the presentation of positive data from the ongoing Phase 2 SCOPE trial of its iSCIB1+ Immunobody DNA active immunotherapy, in combination with checkpoint inhibitors in patients with advanced unresectable melanoma, at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 40th Anniversary Annual Meeting in National Harbor, MD, USA. The data, first reported in July and now outlined in an oral presentation, show that iSCIB1+ is a potential new benchmark for treatment of patients with late-stage melanoma in terms of efficacy, durability, immune responses and safety. SCOPE results to date show progression-free survival (PFS) for iSCIB1+ in the target human leukocyte antigen (HLA) population at 11 months is 78%, compared with the historic 12-month PFS of 46% reported by doublet checkpoint therapy of ipilimumab and nivolumab.1 Dr Nermeen Varawalla, Chief Medical Officer of Scancell, said: The data from SCOPE so far indicate that iSCIB1+ has groundbreaking potential to deliver meaningful clinical benefits to patients. It has been shown to enhance response rates, disease control, progression-free survival and immune activation, combined with a robust safety profile that allows integration with standard of care without added toxicity. This positions iSCIB1+ as a transformative option for patients with metastatic melanoma and opens possibilities for earlier-stage, resectable disease in neoadjuvant or adjuvant settings, and we are looking forward to moving this exciting ImmunoBody into randomised studies, on the path to registration, in 2026. Combined data for the defined HLA target population across Cohorts 1 and 3 shows 22-month PFS of 69%, representing a meaningful improvement over historic doublet checkpoint therapy. The overall response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) for SCIB1 and iSCIB1+ also demonstrate superiority whether combined with doublet checkpoint or single checkpoint therapy, and data from more than 100 patients across the trial show a favourable safety profile. Based on these data, iSCIB1+ has been selected for future development expanding the addressable patients to around 80% of late-stage melanoma patients and with longer patent life. Development plans are now accelerated including regulatory and partnering discussions. Randomised studies on the path to registration are anticipated to begin in 2026. Details of the presentation Title: SCOPE, an open label phase 2 parallel multi cohort clinical trial evaluating an off-the-shelf DNA plasmid vaccine in first line advanced melanoma combined with check point blockade - interim read-out. Abstract Number: 1325 Session: Clinical Oral Abstract Session 2 Date and time: Saturday, November 8, 2025, 1:45 PM ET SCOPE (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04079166) is a Phase 2, UK multi-centre open-label study investigating SCIB1/iSCIB1+ in combination with checkpoint inhibitors in late-stage melanoma and will enrol more than 140 patients across four cohorts. Its aim is to evaluate the efficacy, safety and durability of SCIB1 or iSCIB1+ DNA Immunobody therapies when given to patients in combination with SoC checkpoint inhibitors in stage IIIB/IV unresectable metastatic melanoma, and to inform the design of a Phase 2b/3 randomised controlled registration trial. Scancell (LSE:SCLP; www.scancell.co.uk) is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing targeted off-the-shelf active immunotherapies, to generate safe and long-lasting tumour-specific immunity for a cancer-free future. iSCIB1+, the lead product from their DNA ImmunoBody platform has demonstrated safe, durable and clinically meaningful benefit as a monotherapy as well as additional benefit when combined with checkpoint therapies in an ongoing Phase 2 trial in melanoma. Modi-1, the lead peptide immunotherapy from their Moditope platform, is being investigated in a Phase 2 study in a broad range of solid tumours. In addition, Scancell's wholly owned subsidiary, GlyMab Therapeutics Ltd., has been established with the intention to hold and develop an exciting early-stage pipeline of high affinity GlyMab antibodies targeting tumour specific glycans, two of which already have been licensed and are being developed by Genmab A/S, an international biotechnology company and global leader in the antibody therapeutics space. For more information please contact: Scancell Holdings plc +44 (0) 20 3709 5700 Phil LHuillier, CEO Sath Nirmalananthan, CFO Panmure Liberum (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker) +44 (0) 20 7886 2500 Emma Earl, Will Goode, Mark Rogers (Corporate Finance) Rupert Dearden (Corporate Broking) WG Partners LLP (Joint Broker) David Wilson, Claes Spang +44 (0) 20 3705 9330 Investor and media relations Mary-Ann Chang +44 (0) 20 7483 284853 MaryAnnChang@scancell.co.uk This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com . ______________________ 1 Ipilimumab and Nivolumab in Checkmate 067 Z-10 attack helicopter in CAS training China Military Online) 14:10, November 07, 2025 A Z-10 attack helicopter attached to a brigade under the Chinese PLA Xinjiang Military Command maneuvers to the designated area during a live-fire training exercise on October 18, 2025. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Ji Jiantao) (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toobit, the award-winning global cryptocurrency exchange, today announces its integration with Fireblocks, an enterprise platform for secure digital asset custody, settlement, trading operations, and stablecoin payments. The goal is to fortify its platform with Fireblocks' next-generation Multi-Party Computation (MPC) technology. This move leverages Fireblocks industry-leading MPC protocol and infrastructure to secure Toobit's core digital asset custody environment. This technology distributes the private keys into multiple independent shares that are never stored in a single location, effectively eliminating the risk of a single point of failure from internal or external threats. This upgrade enhances Toobits security and operational resilience, providing two direct benefits to its user base. First, it ensures that all user assets are safeguarded by the worlds most advanced cryptographic controls. Second, the MPC protocol is engineered for speed, translating directly into faster and more reliable processing for user deposits and withdrawals, offering an operational advantage for traders who need to move capital efficiently during all market conditions. "We are thrilled to integrate with Fireblocks to elevate our platform's security to its highest level yet," said Mike Williams, Chief Communication Officer at Toobit. "By leveraging Fireblocks infrastructure, we are ensuring that every trader's deposit is safeguarded with the highest institutional standard, enabling faster, more secure trading operations." The integration is the latest step in Toobit's long-term commitment to asset protection, building upon its earlier adoption of institutional MPC security solutions, which included a partnership with Cobo. The need for institutional-grade wallet security is more urgent than ever, as 2025 is on pace to be a record-breaking year for crypto theft. Over $2.17 billion was stolen from cryptocurrency services in the first half of the year, already surpassing the total for all of 2024. This massive surge in losses is largely driven by attacks that target private key compromises, directly highlighting the critical vulnerability that MPC technology is designed to eliminate. About Toobit Toobit is where the future of crypto trading unfoldsan award-winning cryptocurrency derivatives exchange built for those who thrive exploring new frontiers. With deep liquidity and cutting-edge technology, Toobit empowers traders worldwide to navigate the digital asset markets with confidence. We offer a fair, secure, seamless, and transparent trading experience, ensuring every trade is an opportunity to discover whats next. For more information about Toobit, visit: Website | X | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord | Instagram Contact: Davin C. Email: market@toobit.com Website: www.toobit.com Disclaimer: This content is provided by Toobit. 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We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information presented herein. Any concerns, complaints, or copyright issues related to this article should be directed to the content provider mentioned above. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5c26d2f3-f895-4b05-b98a-7ca6f9830fb9 SHANGHAI, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fangzhou Inc. (Fangzhou or the Company) (HKEX: 06086), a leading provider of AI-driven Internet healthcare solutions, was invited to the Boundless Care, New Beginnings 2025 Health Ecosystem Partner Alliance Summit and New Product Launch Ceremony, hosted by Novo Nordisk at the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. Novo Nordisk announced the expansion of its Health Ecosystem Alliance, first introduced in 2023. Fangzhou was named an Outstanding Strategic Health Ecosystem Partner, recognizing its role in advancing digital innovation in chronic disease management. Fangzhou was named an Outstanding Strategic Health Ecosystem Partner The Health Ecosystem Alliance serves as a collaborative platform that facilitates joint development and synergies among ecosystem partners. As a core member, Fangzhou shares a common vision with Novo Nordisk in advancing digital innovation for chronic disease management. In July 2025, the two companies signed a strategic partnership to better align service offerings and patient needs, jointly developing digital chronic disease management models that empower healthcare stakeholders while benefiting patients. Moving forward, Fangzhou will work closely with Novo Nordisk to develop a digital chronic disease management ecosystem, fostering continued innovation and development in the healthcare sector. Fangzhou has established itself as a leader in integrating AI technology into weight management, creating the industrys first intelligent AI + Weight Management solution. The company was also selected as a key participant in the national Healthy China: AI + Weight Management Initiative, in collaboration with the China Food and Drug Institutions Quality and Safety Promotion Association, promoting standardization, technological advancement, and evidence-based approaches. At the same time, Fangzhou has also strengthened its presence in AI-powered diabetes management, receiving strong recognition from Novo Nordisk for its capabilities in AI-driven healthcare services and medication management. Leveraging Fangzhous digital infrastructure and Novo Nordisks innovative therapies for diabetes and obesity, the two companies are jointly advancing a shift from disease-focused treatment to proactive health management. Novo Nordisk described the collaboration as a milestone in integrating chronic disease prevention with digital innovation, forging a new direction for intelligent healthcare transformation. Dr. Xie Fangmin, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Fangzhou, remarked: As a key partner of Novo Nordisks Health Ecosystem Alliance, Fangzhou will continue to leverage our XJ and XS Large Language Models as the cornerstone of our AI infrastructure, deepening technological innovation to deliver accessible, efficient, end-to-end chronic disease management services to a broader population. Throughout 2025, Fangzhou has continued to expand and enhance its AI + Chronic Disease Management ecosystem, driving the industrys transition from traditional care models to systematized, evidence-based models. Through an open and collaborative approach, the Company plans to work with industry leaders to improve the quality and efficiency of digital healthcare contributing powerful momentum to the Healthy China 2030 goals. About Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Novo Nordisks purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases built upon its heritage in diabetes. The company does so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to its medicines and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. About Fangzhou Inc. Fangzhou Inc. (HKEX: 06086) is Chinas leading online chronic disease management platform, serving 52.8 million registered users and 229,000 physicians (as of June 30, 2025). The Company specializes in delivering tailored medical care and AI-enabled precision medicine solutions. For more information, visit https://investors.jianke.com. Media Contact For further inquiries or interviews, please reach out to: Xingwei Zhao Associate Director of Public Relations Email: pr@jianke.com Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those anticipated due to various factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements A photo accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f015a95c-1354-47e3-b229-3526622b45a1 Dublin, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Today's U.S. Electric Power Industry, Renewable Energy, ISO Markets, and Power Transactions (Houston, United States - Dec 9th - Dec 10th, 2025)" training has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. If you want to better understand the U.S. electric power industry and learn the different ways power is bought and sold, this in-depth seminar is for you. This program provides a comprehensive and clear explanation of the structure, function, and current status of today's U. S. electric power industry; the many industry topics listed below; the challenges and opportunities associated with developing new power lines, solar, wind, battery, and other renewable energy projects; how ISO day-ahead energy auctions, CRRs, and FTRs work, and detailed examples of how physical and financial (virtual) power transactions, power purchase agreements (PPAs), tolling, and heat rate deals are done. Each part of this complex industry will be explained piece-by-piece, and then the pieces will be integrated so that you will leave the seminar with an understanding of "how it all fits together." Who Should Attend: Among those who will benefit from this seminar include energy and electric power executives; attorneys; government regulators; traders & trading support staff; marketing, sales, purchasing & risk management personnel; accountants & auditors; plant operators; engineers; and corporate planners. Types of companies that typically attend this program include energy producers and marketers; utilities; banks & financial houses; industrial companies; accounting, consulting & law firms; municipal utilities; government regulators and electric generators. What You Will Learn The properties and terminology of electricity - current, power, var, voltage, etc (pre-seminar reading material) The electric service system, and how it works The structure and function of the North American power grids. How control areas and balancing authorities function to "keep the lights on." The pros, cons, and levelized costs of different types of electric generation Fundamentals of utility cost-of-service regulation, open access markets Why utilities sometimes resist renewable energy, distributed energy resource (DER"), rooftop solar, and conservation projects. The various industry participants are and what their roles are. Federal vs state regulatory conflicts, and why restructuring today's power industry and the building new power lines is such a complicated task. The difference between regulated and merchant high voltage power lines, and what FERC market-based transmission rates are. The structure and functions of ISOs, RTOs, the Western Energy Imbalance Market ("WEIM"), and the new Southeast Energy Exchange Market ("SEEM"). How ISO day-ahead energy auctions work, and how they add value to the power industry What locational marginal pricing (LMP) is, and why LMP is used What demand response ("DR"), distributed energy resources ("DER"), and battery energy storage systems ("BESS") are, and how these resources can be aggregated to form virtual power plants. The challenges and opportunities facing wind energy, solar, batteries, demand response, and DER and other renewables. Why understanding generation reserve margin, forward capacity markets, capacity payments, resource adequacy, and California's "FRACMOO" is important. A summary of today's key industry issues and where the U. S. electric power industry is headed, including a discussion of the interconnection queues, renewable energy, and the building of new transmission lines. What You Will Also Learn The difference between auctions and bilateral bulk power markets Introduction to bilateral energy and electricity markets: Important concepts and terminology The difference between brokers, ICE OTC, futures exchanges, market-makers, traders, and power marketers, and how they add value. Four different ways to manage price, price spread, and asset development risk. The fundamentals of bilateral physical power transactions and important deal-making terminology. How power marketers and traders use "seller's choice" to create virtual trading hubs. The standard industry contracts used for physical and financial power transactions, how to buy transmission service using OASIS, how to schedule delivery using NERC tags, and how financial "book-outs" work. Includes detailed step-by-step transaction examples. Financial power contracts, commodity swaps, CFDs, FTRs. CRRs, and ISO Incs, Decs, and virtual/convergence bidding. Includes examples How financial power contracts work in combination with ISO day-ahead energy auctions to create a win/win situation, and why few power marketers or traders ever go to physical delivery within and ISO footprint. How power marketing is done within an ISO location, how power can be "transported" virtually, NITS, TAC, UCAP, and ancillary services charges, and how FTRs, CRRs, and swaps can help hedge basis risk. Includes detailed step-by-step transaction examples. The different types of heat rates and spark spreads, and why they are important. The difference between power purchase agreements ("PPAs") and "Tolling Deals." Includes detailed Appendix and deal Term Sheet. The magic of how heat rate transactions can be used to hedge electricity risk and structure profitable deals. Includes detailed step-by-step transaction examples. Key Topics Covered: DAY ONE The properties and terminology of electricity - current, power, var, voltage, etc (pre-seminar reading material) The electric service system, and how it works The structure and function of the North American power grids. How control areas and balancing authorities function to "keep the lights on." The pros, cons, and levelized costs of different types of electric generation Fundamentals of utility cost-of-service regulation, open access markets Why utilities sometimes resist renewable energy, distributed energy resource (DER"), rooftop solar, and conservation projects. The various industry participants are and what their roles are. Federal vs state regulatory conflicts, and why restructuring today's power industry and the building new power lines is such a complicated task. The difference between regulated and merchant high voltage power lines, and what FERC market-based transmission rates are. The structure and functions of ISOs, RTOs, the Western Energy Imbalance Market ("WEIM"), and the new Southeast Energy Exchange Market ("SEEM"). How ISO day-ahead energy auctions work, and how they add value to the power industry What locational marginal pricing (LMP) is, and why LMP is used What demand response ("DR"), distributed energy resources ("DER"), and battery energy storage systems ("BESS") are, and how these resources can be aggregated to form virtual power plants. The challenges and opportunities facing wind energy, solar, batteries, demand response, and DER and other renewables. Why understanding generation reserve margin, forward capacity markets, capacity payments, resource adequacy, and California's "FRACMOO" is important. A summary of today's key industry issues and where the U. S. electric power industry is headed, including a discussion of the interconnection queues, renewable energy, and the building of new transmission lines. DAY TWO The difference between auctions and bilateral bulk power markets Introduction to bilateral energy and electricity markets: Important concepts and terminology The difference between brokers, ICE OTC, futures exchanges, market-makers, traders, and power marketers, and how they add value. Four different ways to manage price, price spread, and asset development risk. The fundamentals of bilateral physical power transactions and important deal-making terminology. How power marketers and traders use "seller's choice" to create virtual trading hubs. The standard industry contracts used for physical and financial power transactions, how to buy transmission service using OASIS, how to schedule delivery using NERC tags, and how financial "book-outs" work. Includes detailed step-by-step transaction examples. Financial power contracts, commodity swaps, CFDs, FTRs. CRRs, and ISO Incs, Decs, and virtual/convergence bidding. Includes examples How financial power contracts work in combination with ISO day-ahead energy auctions to create a win/win situation, and why few power marketers or traders ever go to physical delivery within and ISO footprint. How power marketing is done within an ISO location, how power can be "transported" virtually, NITS, TAC, UCAP, and ancillary services charges, and how FTRs, CRRs, and swaps can help hedge basis risk. Includes detailed step-by-step transaction examples. The different types of heat rates and spark spreads, and why they are important. The difference between power purchase agreements ("PPAs") and "Tolling Deals." Includes detailed Appendix and deal Term Sheet. The magic of how heat rate transactions can be used to hedge electricity risk and structure profitable deals. Includes detailed step-by-step transaction examples. Speakers Scott Park Scott Park- President, Summit Energy Advisors Scott has extensive experience and expertise in electric utility resource planning, power markets, economic analysis, stakeholder engagement and regulatory processes. He is an accomplished communicator, having testified before state utility commissions and legislative committees and presenting at industry conferences. Scott received a B.A. in Economics from Brigham Young University and went on to earn his MBA from Carnegie Mellon University with concentrations in finance and marketing. Scott also completed the Executive Development Program at UNC-Chapel Hill and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. For more information about this training visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/pw43rn About ResearchAndMarkets.com ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. New York, United States, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New integration enables brands and agencies to seamlessly activate campaigns across Kevel-powered retail media networks alongside established players like Amazon and Walmart Skai , the leading omnichannel advertising platform for commerce media, and Kevel , creator of The Retail Media Cloud, today announced a strategic partnership to give advertisers expanded access to high-growth retail media networks. With Skai and Kevels strong API-based approach, this partnership will enable retailers to seamlessly scale their monetization strategies with transparent control over demand sources and performance. This partnership ensures advertisers can continue reaching valuable audiences across the retail landscape through a single, integrated platform. Combining Skais omnichannel intelligence with Kevels customizable ad infrastructure will deliver better margin control for retailers and give brands and agencies better access to premium retail media inventory that was previously fragmented or difficult to scale. "Retailers are seeking technology partners that better align with their business objectives and strengthen relationships with brand advertisers," said Matt Vignieri, Chief Growth Officer at Skai. "Our partnership with Kevel gives our customers seamless access to these emerging retail media networks while maintaining the unified workflow, reporting, and intelligence they rely on across Amazon, Walmart, and other established channels." The partnership marks a significant milestone in retail media's evolution, as retailers shift from legacy solutions to more flexible platforms, like Kevel, that offer greater control over margins and enhanced capabilities. Now, through Skais direct integration with Kevel-powered retailers, advertisers gain even more: advanced optimization, unified reporting, cross-network measurement, and connected intelligence across channels all within a single platform. Together, Skai and Kevel are lowering the barriers to retail media and accelerating growth across the entire ecosystem. "Commerce and advertising are deeply connected, and retailers need solutions that put them in control of their first-party data and deliver differentiated ad experiences," said James Avery, Founder and CEO of Kevel. "At Kevel, were committed to relentless innovation. Our partnership with Skai gives brands a single platform to effectively reach consumers across a growing network of retail partners, while providing retailers the transparency they need to optimize their business today." Key Benefits for Advertisers: Expanded Global Reach : Reach new, high-value audiences as premium retailers migrating from legacy retail media providers to Kevel's Retail Media Cloud, with seamless access, optimization and measurement through Skai. : Reach new, high-value audiences as premium retailers migrating from legacy retail media providers to Kevel's Retail Media Cloud, with seamless access, optimization and measurement through Skai. Unified Platform : Manage Kevel-powered networks through Skai, centralizing all retail media campaigns and data alongside all other omnichannel investments : Manage Kevel-powered networks through Skai, centralizing all retail media campaigns and data alongside all other omnichannel investments Early Advantage : Be among the first to activate on Kevels retailers, gaining competitive advantage and performance insights ahead of the broader market. : Be among the first to activate on Kevels retailers, gaining competitive advantage and performance insights ahead of the broader market. Enhanced Performance : Leverage Skai's AI-powered optimization and Kevel's audience segmentation capabilities to drive better campaign results across the retail ecosystem. : Leverage Skai's AI-powered optimization and Kevel's audience segmentation capabilities to drive better campaign results across the retail ecosystem. Maximize Time to Market: Capitalize on seamless partner integrations for fast activation and quick-start API design for plug-and-play deployment. The Skai-Kevel integration is now available to Kevel and Skai customers with plans to integrate additional retailers throughout 2025 and 2026. With API woven into the DNA of both companies, this partnership brings transparency and control together in one strategic solution. It also marks the first phase of Kevels extended demand offering, paving the way for smarter, more efficient, and performance-led retail media programs. About Kevel Kevels Retail Media Cloud is a pioneering advertising technology platform designed to enable retailers and marketplaces to create proprietary retail media networks that drive exceptional results for both media networks and their advertisers. By leveraging Kevels robust suite of API-driven tools Ad Server, Audience, and Console leading retailers, ecommerce and marketplaces can easily manage, monetize, and personalize their ad inventory to maximize revenue potential. With advanced AI capabilities such as predictive segmentation, custom relevancy, and yield forecasting, Kevel empowers brands like Chewy, The Home Depot, Paypal, Carwow, Sonae and Dollar General to differentiate their offerings, enhance advertiser retention, and deliver customized, scalable ad solutions. Discover the power of customization and performance at www.kevel.com . About Skai Skai is the leading omnichannel advertising platform for commerce media, combining advanced digital marketing capabilities with commerce insights and operations to drive growth for brands and agencies. Powered by unified data and proprietary GenAI, Skai delivers full-funnel media planning, optimization, and measurement, plus insights and automation that help brands improve digital shelf performance, retail execution, and revenue recovery. This integrated approach can help users increase sales and market share across media and commerce touchpoints. Trusted by over 8,000 brands and agencies, including PepsiCo, Sanofi, and Estee Lauder, Skai integrates with 300+ publishers and retail media networks such as Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, Criteo, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and TikTok. Headquartered in San Francisco with nine international offices, Skai empowers brands to connect media and commerce for measurable growth and efficiency. Visit skai.io for more information. Attachment Dublin, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global outdoor lantern market is expected to grow with a CAGR of 6.5% from 2025 to 2031 The outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia is also forecasted to witness strong growth over the forecast period. The major drivers for this market are the increasing demand for energy-efficient lighting solutions, government efforts encouraging the adoption of sustainable practices, and rising demand for aesthetic and functional outdoor lighting. The future of the outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia looks promising, with opportunities in the outdoor specialty store, supermarket, and online channel markets. Within the type category, LED lantern is expected to witness the highest growth over the forecast period due to its energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Within the application category, online channel segment is expected to witness the highest growth due to increasingly inclination towards online retailers for their outdoor lantern purchases. Emerging Trends in the Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia The outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia is undergoing significant transformation driven by Vision 2030, which emphasizes urban development, tourism expansion, and sustainability. With rising infrastructure projects, smart city initiatives, and an increasing focus on energy efficiency, the demand for advanced lighting solutions has grown. Outdoor lanterns are no longer just functional items but are also seen as tools for enhancing public spaces, cultural venues, and eco-friendly urban aesthetics. These trends are collectively reshaping product innovation, design preferences, and procurement strategies across the kingdom's outdoor lighting segment. These emerging trends are redefining the outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia through a blend of technological advancement, aesthetic enhancement, and sustainability. From solar-powered systems and smart lighting integration to heritage-aligned design and premium residential demand, the market is expanding its scope beyond traditional utility. As Vision 2030 initiatives continue to reshape the built environment, manufacturers that align with these dynamic needs will find growing opportunities in this evolving landscape. Recent Developments in the Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia Recent developments in the outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia are heavily influenced by the nation's Vision 2030, focusing on modernization, sustainability, and tourism expansion. As the country invests in infrastructure projects, smart cities, and cultural heritage preservation, the demand for advanced and aesthetically pleasing outdoor lighting has grown. These trends are reshaping the market, leading to new technological innovations, design enhancements, and sustainable solutions. Here are five key developments that are shaping the outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia. The outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia is experiencing a significant transformation driven by advancements in solar power, smart technologies, design aesthetics, and sustainability. Developments in urban and residential lighting, along with a focus on tourism and public green spaces, are redefining consumer preferences and market offerings. As the kingdom continues to focus on Vision 2030's goals, these developments are expected to drive further innovation and growth in the outdoor lantern sector, creating new opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers in the region. Strategic Growth Opportunities in the Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 is driving significant growth in various sectors, including infrastructure, tourism, and urban development, which is creating numerous opportunities in the outdoor lantern market. As the nation focuses on sustainability, smart cities, and enhanced public spaces, there are emerging applications for outdoor lanterns in multiple sectors. The demand for energy-efficient, aesthetically appealing, and technologically advanced lighting solutions is growing. Here are five key growth opportunities in the outdoor lantern market across different applications in Saudi Arabia. The outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia is experiencing rapid growth, driven by strategic developments in smart city infrastructure, sustainability efforts, tourism, residential and hospitality sectors, and public space enhancements. As these applications evolve, manufacturers have significant opportunities to innovate with energy-efficient, aesthetic, and smart lighting solutions. The growing demand for advanced outdoor lanterns across various applications will continue to shape the market, providing manufacturers with the potential for sustained growth and expansion in the region. Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia Driver and Challenges The outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia is influenced by a variety of technological, economic, and regulatory factors. Key drivers such as technological innovation, sustainability initiatives, and large-scale urban development are propelling the market forward. However, challenges like high energy consumption, regulatory hurdles, and the need for weather-resistant products also present significant obstacles. Understanding these drivers and challenges is essential for businesses seeking to capitalize on the growth opportunities in the Saudi Arabian market. The outdoor lantern market in Saudi Arabia is driven by technological advancements, sustainability initiatives, urbanization, and growing tourism, creating significant opportunities for growth. However, challenges like high energy consumption, extreme weather conditions, and regulatory barriers continue to impact market dynamics. As the market adapts to these challenges, manufacturers must focus on innovation, weather-resistant designs, and energy efficiency to remain competitive. The growing demand for eco-friendly and smart lighting solutions is expected to drive long-term growth in the outdoor lantern sector in Saudi Arabia. List of Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia Companies Companies in the market compete based on the product quality offered. Major players in this market focus on expanding their manufacturing facilities, R&D investments, infrastructural development, and leveraging integration opportunities across the value chain. Through these strategies, outdoor lantern companies cater to increasing demand, ensure competitive effectiveness, develop innovative products & technologies, reduce production costs, and expand their customer base. Key Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary 2. Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia: Market Dynamics 2.1: Introduction, Background, and Classifications 2.2: Supply Chain 2.3: Industry Drivers and Challenges 3. Market Trends and Forecast Analysis from 2019 to 2031 3.1. Macroeconomic Trends (2019-2024) and Forecast (2025-2031) 3.2. Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia Trends (2019-2024) and Forecast (2025-2031) 3.3: Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia by Type 3.3.1: LED Lanterns 3.3.2: Battery-Powered Lanterns 3.3.3: Solar Lanterns 3.3.4: Others 3.4: Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia by Application 3.4.1: Outdoor Specialty Store 3.4.2: Supermarket 3.4.3: Online Channels 4. Competitor Analysis 4.1: Product Portfolio Analysis 4.2: Operational Integration 4.3: Porter's Five Forces Analysis 5. Growth Opportunities and Strategic Analysis 5.1: Growth Opportunity Analysis 5.1.1: Growth Opportunities for the Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia by Type 5.1.2: Growth Opportunities for the Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia by Application 5.2: Emerging Trends in the Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia 5.3: Strategic Analysis 5.3.1: New Product Development 5.3.2: Capacity Expansion of the Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia 5.3.3: Mergers, Acquisitions, and Joint Ventures in the Outdoor Lantern Market in Saudi Arabia 5.3.4: Certification and Licensing 6. Company Profiles of Leading Players For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/y6khqd 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. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mutuum Finance (MUTM) is quickly emerging as one of the most talked-about decentralized finance new crypto projects of 2025. The team has officially confirmed that the V1 version of its lending and borrowing protocol will go live on the Sepolia Testnet in Q4 2025, signaling a major step forward from development to live testing. This announcement marks a key turning point for the project, which has maintained strong growth momentum and continued to attract both retail and institutional interest throughout the year. A Growing DeFi Contender Mutuum Finance is building a non-custodial lending and borrowing platform designed to improve how digital assets are used in decentralized markets. The system allows users to lend cryptocurrencies and earn interest or borrow against their holdings without selling them. What sets Mutuum Finance apart is its dual-market design, which includes traditional pooled lending markets for major assets and isolated peer-to-peer environments for more customized borrowing options. At the center of this model is the mtToken, a yield-bearing token that lenders receive when they deposit assets. These mtTokens automatically accumulate interest, representing both the principal and the earnings generated through the platform. Borrowers, on the other hand, can use approved assets as collateral under specific Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratios. If a borrowers position becomes undercollateralized, liquidations are triggered automatically by smart contracts, protecting lenders and ensuring protocol balance. A Clear Signal of Demand Since its launch earlier this year, Mutuum Finances presale has become one of the most successful in the DeFi crypto space. The project uses a fixed-price, fixed-allocation model, meaning each phase sells out before the price advances to the next tier. This design builds organic scarcity and rewards early supporters while keeping pricing predictable. The token, MUTM, started at $0.01 in Phase 1 and has now reached $0.035 in Phase 6, representing a 2.5x increase since the beginning. According to official figures, the presale has raised over $18.5 million so far, attracted more than 17,850 holders, and sold around 790 million tokens out of the total 1.82 billion supply. Each stage of the sale features a set allocation, creating a clear and measurable sense of progress. The strong pace of demand means that the project could reach full allocation faster than initially expected, particularly as attention grows around the upcoming testnet launch. Security and Transparency Reinforce Credibility In DeFi, security remains a defining factor of credibility, and Mutuum Finance has already taken significant steps to build trust. The project successfully completed a CertiK audit, receiving an impressive 90/100 TokenScan score, a strong indicator of robust contract safety. In addition, the team operates a $50,000 bug-bounty program to encourage responsible disclosure and maintain continuous testing. Another innovation helping sustain community interest is Mutuum Finances 24-hour leaderboard system. This mechanism rewards the top daily contributors with $500 worth of MUTM tokens, adding transparency and engagement throughout the presale. The combination of gamified incentives and clear tracking has kept participants active while reinforcing fair participation. Roadmap on Track Mutuum Finances roadmap demonstrates steady progress across all phases. Phase 1 (Introducing Mutuum) focused on building awareness, initiating the presale, completing the CertiK audit, launching giveaways, and setting up a legal and compliance team. Phase 2 (Building Mutuum), the stage currently underway focuses on technical execution. The team is working on smart contract development, front-end and back-end DApp creation, infrastructure setup, and risk-parameter implementation. Internal and external audits are performed regularly to ensure smooth integration of each feature. The upcoming Phase 3 (Finalizing Mutuum) will cover bug reporting, testnet deployment, and security verifications before preparing for mainnet release and exchange listings. The confirmed V1 Testnet launch on Sepolia in Q4 2025 marks the beginning of public testing, a key step toward full product rollout. Long-Term Vision and Stablecoin Plans Beyond lending and borrowing, Mutuum Finance plans to introduce an on-demand stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar. The team has also confirmed upcoming oracle integrations, likely leveraging Chainlink, to ensure reliable price feeds for collateral management and liquidation triggers. These upgrades show that Mutuum Finances focus extends well beyond its presale stage. The foundation being built is designed to make it a long-term DeFi player capable of competing with existing platforms. Early Momentum Signals Growing Interest The steady flow of participation has turned Mutuum Finance into one of the most active presales of 2025. Investors cite several reasons for this momentum: a transparent structure, continuous development updates, and the upcoming testnet launch timeline. Large-volume participants have also been active. Recent on-chain data shows multiple six-figure inflows within 24 hours, signaling that whales and early-stage funds may already be positioning for future upside. Combined with the 24-hour leaderboard and public audit results, this has strengthened confidence across the community. With the Sepolia Testnet approaching, Mutuum Finance is entering a pivotal period. This stage will allow the team to validate the protocols key components, such as the Liquidity Pool, mtToken mechanics, Debt Tokens, and Liquidator Bot, before mainnet release. The DeFi landscape is increasingly focused on transparency, sustainable yields, and risk-managed lending systems, exactly the areas where Mutuum Finance has invested its development energy. As the project transitions from theory to live testing, it could see heightened visibility and user adoption throughout 2026. CHENGDU, China, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As the population born in the 1960s enters old age, this group exhibits traits of youthfulness and vitality, driving the elderly consumption market from a "survival" model to a "development" model. To scientifically measure the development level of the silver economy, the Xinhua Index Research Institute launched the "China Urban Silver Economy Development Index" on October 29 in Chengdu. The aim is to provide a "standard measure" and "guiding indicator" for the development of the silver economy nationwide through a multi-dimensional and quantifiable evaluation model. The "China Urban Silver Economy Development Index" is based on both supply and demand, focusing on the "R&DProductionConsumptionSupporting" ecosystem of the silver industry. It concentrates on four layers: foundation, industry, environment, and radiation, constructing a comprehensive evaluation system from five dimensions: demand potential, supply level, industrial synergy, environmental support, and value creation. The system includes 15 secondary indicators and 65 tertiary indicators, covering all aspects of the silver economy industry chain. In terms of indicator weight design, industrial synergy has the highest proportion (28%), highlighting its core position in the development of the silver economy. Demand potential, supply level, environmental support, and value creation account for 17%, 26%, 14%, and 15%, respectively. For sample selection, the index covers 10 representative cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Harbin, spanning the four major economic geographic regions: East, Central, West, and Northeast. Based on different development stages, these cities are classified into three categories: "Balanced Development," "Regional Center," and "Specialized Practice," ensuring the comprehensiveness and representativeness of the evaluation and better reflecting the differentiated characteristics of different regions and types of cities in silver economy development. The image shows the release event of the "China Urban Silver Economy Development Index" (Photo credit: Xinhua Index Research Institute). In January 2024, the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy and Enhancing the Welfare of the Elderly," clearly stating the need to promote the scaled, standardized, clustered, and branded development of the silver economy. This marks the entry of China's silver economy into a fast track driven by policy. According to the latest data released by Beijing, in the first three quarters of this year, the number of newly established elderly care institutions in the city reached 138,600, a year-on-year increase of 30.54%. Among them, smart elderly care services stood out, with 11,300 new institutions established, representing a year-on-year growth of 70.87%, becoming the largest growth point in the silver economy. Not only in Beijing, but many cities across the country are also making forward-looking layouts and accelerating their pace in the silver economy sector. For instance, the Putuo District of Shanghai released the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of the Silver Economy in Putuo District" along with a three-year action plan, aiming to establish a development pattern of "three zones and two centers." By creating Shanghai's first "Senior-Friendly Mall," it provides exclusive activities and services for the elderly. Chengdu, as a city with a significant aging population in the western region, is accelerating its development path of "government guidance, market leadership, and integration of production and city" to become an important source of technological innovation, a core industry base, and a provider of high-end services in the silver economy. The image shows a dance team performing for the elderly at the Zemuqi Wellness Center in Chengdu The "China Urban Silver Economy Development Index" establishes a quantitative evaluation system for the silver economy, creating a unified theoretical digital standard for the industry. It serves as a "barometer" reflecting industry dynamics and provides a "guiding indicator" for the direction of industry development. Additionally, the index will create an accurate portrait of urban silver economies, conducting long-term monitoring of development levels from a third-party perspective. The analytical results produced will provide scientific evidence for local governments to formulate policies and optimize resource allocation, helping decisions align more closely with the actual needs of the industry. By guiding the optimal allocation of resources, the index will assist cities in clearly identifying their strengths and weaknesses in the silver economy sector. This will promote differentiated development paths for different cities, attracting more investment and consumption to this field. Furthermore, it will drive the clustering effect of related industries such as wellness tourism, rehabilitation equipment, and age-friendly home products. This initiative aims to help various regions seize new development opportunities amidst the challenges of aging, collectively exploring the vast blue ocean of the silver economy. Media contact Company Name: Xinhua Index Research Institute Contact: Hu Rong Email: xinhuacaijing@xinhua.org Phone: +028 85282096 Website: https://cnfin.com/ Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ec8bec65-1fe9-4536-9642-a88bb3bcc29f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ab5be699-3cce-466e-a352-78446fbeb01a BOGOTA, Columbia, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On November 1, focusing on building a sustainable urban future for all, the side event of the 2025 Global Observance of World Cities Day and the thematic session of the Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities (Shanghai Award) was held in Bogota, the capital of Colombia. Approximately 100 participants, including representatives from the Chinese government, UN-Habitat, winning cities, invited cities, experts and scholars, attended the event. Gu Honghui, government counselor representing the mayor of Shanghai, said in his opening remark that World Cities Day and the Shanghai Award could serve as platform to encourage global thinking with local action. He emphasized the need to jointly address severe challenges such as climate crises, environmental protection, and regional security, and to realize the common vision of "Better City, Better Life." The five cities that won the 3rd cycle of the Shanghai Award this year are Bogota, Colombia; Algiers, Algeria; Incheon, South Korea; Medina, Saudi Arabia; and Espoo, Finland. Representatives of the five winning cities expressed sincere gratitude to the organizers. Centering on the core themes of this year's award, including quality and secure housing for diversified needs, youth leading vibrant communities, innovative development for urban prosperity, and low-carbon and climate resilient urban development, they shared their innovative practices and successful experiences in urban governance. The Shanghai Award was jointly established by UN-Habitat and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government in 2022. It aims to recognize cities that have made significant progress in sustainable development recently, so as to implement the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda, and advance the global sustainable development process. This marks the first time the Shanghai Award thematic session has been held overseas. Participating experts agreed that the cases of this year's winning cities fully demonstrate that the people-centered development concept is the key to solving global urban challenges. These cities have contributed wisdom and strength to building a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable urban future, as the Shanghai Award is increasingly becoming an important platform for cities all over the world to share best practices and collaborate on sustainable development. Source: The Side Event of the 2025 Global Observance of World Cities Day GEN2 was evaluated in adult patients with advanced solid tumors in an intravenous dose escalation Phase 1 study GEN2 is well-tolerated, with no Dose Limiting Toxicity or treatment-related discontinuations Dose dependent increases in immunocytokines and vector persistence in peripheral blood mononuclear cells at the two highest dose levels support GEN2 transgene expression and mechanism of action SAN MARINO, Calif., Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GenVivo, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a patented, off-the-shelf vector platform to combat cancer by activating the patients immune system against the entire repertoire of their own tumor antigens, announces the presentation of GEN2 Phase 1 clinical trial results in adult patients with advanced solid tumors (NCT06391918), at the 2025 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting, November 7-9, in National Harbor, MD. Poster Abstract Title : Phase 1 Study of GEN2, A Personalizing Systemic Cancer Immunotherapy, in Adult Patients with Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies : Phase 1 Study of GEN2, A Personalizing Systemic Cancer Immunotherapy, in Adult Patients with Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies Session Date and Time for Poster Presentation : Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 : Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 Abstract Number : 573 : 573 Presenter: Anthony El-Khoueiry, MD GEN2, an off-the-shelf non-replicating mRNA vector, delivers two payload genes that provide dual-mechanisms of action: an enhanced prodrug-activator enzyme (HSV-eTK) and an immunostimulatory cytokine (GM-CSF). After valganciclovir (VGCV) prodrug administration, GEN2 triggers the local release of tumor-specific antigens (including neoantigens) to stimulate an immune response. This novel therapy enables faster treatment, as it does not require tumor biopsies or tumor-specific genomic sequencing to identify patient-specific neoantigens and create an individualized therapy prior to commencing treatment. GEN2 was dosed intravenously (IV) across five dose levels (3.4 10 to 2 10 TU/kg) in combination with VGCV in 23 patients in this Phase 1 dose-escalation trial. GEN2 was administered on Days 1, 3, and 8, followed by VGCV on days 12 to 21 during the four-week cycle. GEN2 demonstrated tolerability and minimal toxicity, with no Dose Limiting Toxicity (DLT) observed and no treatment-related discontinuations. Treatment-related adverse events included diarrhea (22%), nausea (17%), vomiting and fatigue (13% each), all Grade 12. Stable disease >24 weeks was observed. GEN2s mechanism of action was supported through pharmacodynamic and biomarker data (including cytokines and other plasma proteins). Dose-dependent increases in GM-CSF were observed with intravenous GEN2 administration. Levels of IL-2, IFN, CCL4 and CCL3 also showed increasing trends, further indicating GEN2 induced biological activity. Vector persistence in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) confirmed GEN2s transgene expression; elimination of the signal after VGCV administration demonstrated the effectiveness of the pro-drug activated enzyme, HSV-eTK. Cycle 2 Day 1 data showed a lower exposure than for Cycle 1 at the higher dose levels. This was coincident with the development of neutralizing antibodies; alternate dosing schedules, and premedication strategies to mitigate neutralizing antibody generation are under evaluation. A parallel intratumoral (IT) cohort continues in cutaneous malignancies. GEN2 represents a unique systemic treatment modality employing an off-the-shelf gene delivery vector that exerts immunotherapeutic effects through multiple mechanisms of action, said Dr. Anthony El-Khoueiry, Chief of the Section of Developmental Therapeutics and Verna R. Richter Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Southern California (USC) Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles, CA. These data verified GEN2's gene transduction, consistent with its putative mechanism of action, resulting in increased cytokine and immunomodulatory protein biomarkers, and creating the potential to promote an anti-tumor immune response. The GEN2s pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and safety data together with the demonstration of the effectiveness of the off-switch provide clinical validation of GenVivos G-VolveTM vector platform, the basis for GEN2, said Dr. Robert G. Johnson, Chief Operating Officer of GenVivo, Inc. The GEN2 data provide a solid foundation for advancing our G-VolveTM platform, including IL-12 and in vivo CAR-T vector programs. GEN2s IV administration represents a major advancement over alternative therapies limited by IT or Intralesional (IL) approaches, as local administration is usually restricted to readily accessible tumors. While clinical trials of oncolytic viruses or replication-deficient vectors have demonstrated encouraging results in skin, bladder, prostate, pancreatic, and lung cancers (sometimes showing abscopal effects in both injected and non-injected tumors), there are practical limitations to IT or IL administration. By contrast, GEN2s IV administration enables treatment of advanced disease with distant metastases. About GenVivo GenVivo (GVO) is a private, vertically integrated, clinical-stage biotechnology company founded to develop innovative gene delivery and immune stimulation therapies, which activate the patients immune system to treat cancer and autoimmune disease. GenVivo is committed to developing and manufacturing products that are rapidly deployed, and easily administered, personalizing, and yet off-the-shelf, with the goal of increasing cancer patient survival and improving quality of life for them and patients with autoimmune disease. GEN2, GVOs first clinical candidate, is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial in the US (NCT06391918). GenVivos pre-clinical pipeline includes GEN-1013, an IL-12 encoding therapy, and an in vivo CAR-T vector program. For more information, visit https://genvivoinc.com/ Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements of GenVivo, Inc. (GenVivo) that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. The words anticipate, believe, continue, could, estimate, expect, intend, may, plan, potential, predict, project, target, should, would, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements are based on current scientifically based mechanisms, understandings, and expectations and are not guarantees of future performance. GenVivo may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in these forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent GenVivos views as of the date of this press release. GenVivo anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its views to change. However, while GenVivo may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. GenVivo, the GenVivo logo and other trademarks, trade names or service marks of GenVivo appearing in this press release are the property of GenVivo. All other trademarks, trade names and service marks appearing in this press release are the property of their respective owners and are used for reference purposes only. Such use should not be construed as an endorsement of such products or companies. Dublin, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Managed Mobility Services (MMS) - A Global Market Overview" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global Managed Mobility Services (MMS) market is on a robust growth path, expected to expand from US$21.6 billion in 2024 to over US$64.5 billion by 2030, achieving a CAGR of 20% during the forecast period. This proliferation is driven by the rapid spread of mobile endpoints within enterprises, alongside the adoption of hybrid and remote work models. The necessity for secure, centralized, and scalable management of mobile devices, applications, and data is making MMS solutions critical for ensuring visibility, compliance, and cost efficiency in complex IT settings. Key drivers include the complexity of managing multivendor mobile ecosystems, the rise of BYOD policies, and the demand for security and governance at scale. Organizations are increasingly outsourcing mobile lifecycle management to reduce the burden on internal IT teams, boosting demand for comprehensive MMS platforms. The integration of AI, automation, and zero-trust frameworks into MMS solutions is transforming the landscape, enabling proactive management and dynamic policy enforcement, crucial for enterprise digital transformation strategies through 2030. Leading MMS vendors include IBM, Vodafone Business, AT&T, Capgemini, Infosys, HCLTech, Orange Business Services, DXC Technology, Wipro, Kyndryl, Verizon Business, Cognizant, and GEMA, among others. Regional Market Analysis In 2024, North America led the global MMS market with a share of approximately 37% of global revenue. Asia-Pacific is anticipated to record the fastest growth, registering a CAGR of 25.6% from 2024 to 2030, driven by elevated enterprise mobility adoption and extensive mobile workforce populations in China and India. South America follows as the second fastest-growing region, prompted by increased smartphone penetration and telecom modernization. Market Analysis by Function Type Mobile Device Management (MDM) was the largest MMS segment in 2024, generating 38% of global revenue. Its foundational role in enterprise mobility frameworks supports centralized control and lifecycle management. Mobile Application Management (MAM) is poised to be the fastest-growing segment, expanding at a CAGR of 23.1% between 2024 and 2030, driven by the proliferation of enterprise mobile apps and mobile-first strategies. Market Analysis by Deployment Type In 2024, the Cloud-based deployment model dominated, capturing a 56% share of total revenues. Its appeal lies in scalability, cost-effectiveness, and remote accessibility, especially for SMEs and multinationals adopting hybrid work models. The Cloud segment is expected to grow at a 22.1% CAGR between 2024 and 2030, influenced by the shift to cloud-first strategies. Market Analysis by Company Type Large Enterprises dominated in 2024, accounting for 68% of global revenues, due to complex mobility needs and expansive device ecosystems. Meanwhile, SMEs are projected as the fastest-growing segment, expanding at a 22.8% CAGR, driven by cloud-native mobility platforms and affordable bundled services. Market Analysis by Industry Sector The IT & Telecom sector led MMS adoption in 2024, contributing 22.5% of total revenues. The Healthcare sector is projected to be the fastest-growing industry segment, with a CAGR of 23% from 2024 to 2030, fueled by telehealth adoption and regulatory compliance needs. Retail & Ecommerce also shows high growth due to the demand for mobile point-of-sale systems and consumer-facing apps. Market Report Scope This global report analyzes the MMS market based on Function Type, Deployment Type, Company Type, and Industry Sector from 2021-2030, with forecasts from 2024-2030 in US$ value terms, including profiles of major companies and recent corporate and industrial developments. Geographic Regions Covered: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East & Africa. Key Metrics: Historical Period: 2021-2024 2021-2024 Base Year: 2024 2024 Forecast Period: 2024-2030 2024-2030 Units: US$ Value US$ Value Companies Mentioned: 30+ The key companies featured in this Managed Mobility Services (MMS) market report include: Accenture AT&T Business Atos Barrachd (Capita) BT Global Services Cancom Capgemini CDW Cognizant Computacenter Deutsche Telekom (T-Systems) DMI (Digital Management LLC) DXC Technology Fujitsu GEMA (Global Enterprise Mobility Alliance) HCLTech IBM Infosys Insight Enterprises Kyndryl Mobliciti NTT Ltd. Orange Business Services Presidio SCC (Specialist Computer Centres) Singtel Enterprise Synnex / TD SYNNEX Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Tech Data Telefonica Tech Verizon Business Vodafone Business Wipro For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/n4cog8 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, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Japan Molecular Imaging Market Report by Modality, Application, End Use, City and Company Analysis, 2025-2033" has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Japan's Molecular Imaging Market is expected to reach US$ 366.82 million in 2024 and is anticipated to grow to US$ 523.91 million by 2033 at a strong Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.04% from 2025 to 2033. This increase is due to technological advancements in imaging, higher incidence of chronic illnesses, and growing demand for early detection and correct diagnosis in the healthcare sector. Growth Drivers of the Japan Molecular Imaging Market Rise in Cancer and Chronic Disease Prevalence The Japan molecular imaging market is largely spurred by the rising incidence of chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. Cancer itself is responsible for a significant proportion of morbidity and mortality among Japan's aging population. Molecular imaging modalities such as PET, SPECT, and MRI allow for early detection of tumors, observation of therapy response, and accurate treatment planning. With more than 28% of Japan's population over the age of 65, age-related disorders like dementia and Alzheimer's are also increasingly prevalent, creating increased demand for molecular imaging. In 2022, Japan had approximately 1,019,000 new cancer incidents and 380,400 deaths, with the five most prevalent cancers being colorectal, stomach, lung, prostate, and female breast cancers, accounting for approximately 60% of all cases. Japan is subjected to severe challenges in the control of cancer due to its super-aging society, with the percentage of adults 65 years and older set to increase from 28% in 2020 to 38% in 2050, accompanied by a shrinking population resulting from low fertility rates. Technological Improvements in Imaging Modalities Technology advancement forms a key growth engine in Japan's molecular imaging industry. Hybrid imaging systems like PET/CT and PET/MRI find widespread acceptance in hospitals and research facilities, as they provide both anatomical and molecular information in a single examination. These new-generation systems give more accurate results, enable shorter scan times, and expose patients to less radiation, enhancing patient safety and diagnostic accuracy. Japanese businesses and international players are heavily investing in AI-based imaging analysis, which enables faster data interpretation and workflow efficiency in clinical environments. Integration with digital health platforms further enables real-time image sharing and collaboration across medical institutions. Japan's healthcare system, known for adopting high-end technologies, is supporting the integration of these advanced modalities to enhance clinical outcomes. Government Support and Research Initiatives Government policy and academic-industry partnerships are crucial catalysts for molecular imaging development in Japan. The nation has placed high value on precision medicine and translational research, with molecular imaging playing a key role as an enabler. Universities and research centers are in active collaboration with pharmaceutical companies to innovate new tracers, broaden applications, and speed up clinical trials. The government offers financial aid for early disease detection programs and invests in dementia and cancer care programs, which extensively depend on imaging technologies. Reimbursement policies for some PET and SPECT scans also promote broader use in hospitals. Challenges in the Japan Molecular Imaging Market High Capital and Maintenance Costs The use of molecular imaging in Japan is hindered by a major obstacle represented by high operational and equipment costs. PET, SPECT, and hybrid imaging systems are expensive investments that few smaller hospitals and clinics can handle. The cost of maintenance, not to mention the requirement for specialized facilities and trained personnel, adds to the expense. Moreover, imaging radiopharmaceuticals have high production and handling prices that add up to increased operational costs. Government grants and insurance coverage reduce the financial burden on big hospitals, but smaller centers cannot afford to invest such amounts. This economic hurdle retards market penetration, especially in poor rural areas. Insufficient Radiopharmaceutical Supply Chain Another significant issue in Japan's molecular imaging industry is the low quantity of radiopharmaceuticals, which play a critical role in PET and SPECT imaging. Owing to their short half-life, tracers like FDG need localized production and speedy distribution, but there are not enough facilities for manufacturing radiopharmaceuticals. This leads to unequal availability, especially in rural or less developed prefectures, limiting patient accessibility. Regulatory barriers to new tracer approvals also dampen innovation, which reduces the scope of imaging uses. Shortages in supply drive scan costs up, lowering affordability and accessibility. Although Japan is spending on increasing radiopharmaceutical facilities and looking into global partnerships, logistical and regulatory challenges remain a risk. Key Attributes Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 200 Forecast Period 2024-2033 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2024 $366.82 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2033 $523.91 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 4.0% Regions Covered Japan Key Topics Covered 1. Introduction 2. Research & Methodology 3. Executive Summary 4. Market Dynamics 4.1 Growth Drivers 4.2 Challenges 5. Japan Molecular Imaging Market 5.1 Historical Market Trends 5.2 Market Forecast 6. Market Share Analysis 6.1 By Modality 6.2 By Application 6.3 By End Use 6.4 By City 7. Modalities 7.1 Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography 7.2 Psitron Emission Tomography 7.3 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer 7.4 Molecular Ultrasound Imaging 7.5 Others 8. Applications 8.1 Oncology 8.2 Cardiovascular 8.3 Neurology 8.4 Respiratory 8.5 Gastrointestinal 9. End Uses 9.1 Hospitals 9.2 Diagnostic Imaging Centers 9.3 Research Institutes 10. Top 10 Cities 10.1 Tokyo 10.2 Kansai 10.3 Aichi 10.4 Kanagawa 10.5 Saitama 10.6 Hyogo 10.7 Chiba 10.8 Hokkaido 10.9 Fukuoka 10.10 Shizuoka 11. Value Chain Analysis 12. Porter's Five Forces Analysis 12.1 Bargaining Power of Buyers 12.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers 12.3 Degree of Competition 12.4 Threat of New Entrants 12.5 Threat of Substitutes 13. SWOT Analysis 13.1 Strength 13.2 Weakness 13.3 Opportunity 13.4 Threats 14. Pricing Benchmark Analysis 15. Key Players Analysis 15.1 GE HealthCare 15.2 Siemens Healthineers AG 15.3 Koninklijke Philips N.V. 15.4 Shimadzu Corp. 15.5 United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd. 15.6 Bruker Corp. 15.7 FUJIFILM Holdings Corp. 15.8 Cubresa Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9cfmoy 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 Dallas, TX, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) unveiled a co-branded truck on November 6, celebrating PlainsCapital Banks enduring commitment in the fight against hunger. Approximately 140 employees volunteered at NTFBs Perot Family Campus in Plano, where they packed enough food to provide 48,000 meals to neighbors in need. Since 2010, the Hilltop family of companies, which includes PlainsCapital Bank, has helped provide access to more than 2 million meals for children, families and older adults facing hunger across North Texas. The newly revealed truck symbolizes PlainsCapital Banks pledge to continue supporting NTFBs mission through 2027, offering critical resources as the food bank plans for the future. We are proud to partner with organizations like North Texas Food Bank that make a meaningful impact in our community, said Jamie Robertson, President of Commercial Banking Frisco Star at PlainsCapital Bank and a member of the NTFB Advisory Council since 2023. The co-branded truck, adorned with both PlainsCapital Bank and NTFBs logos, is a symbol of the partnership between the two. The truck is part of a fleet that delivers much-needed meals across NTFBs 12-county, 9,200-square-mile service area. PlainsCapital Banks generous support is vital as we strive to ensure everyone has access to nutritious food. With Texas leading the nation in hunger and 1 in 6 people in our service area not always knowing where their next meal will come from, this donation brings us closer to our vision of a hunger-free, healthy North Texas, said Trisha Cunningham, NTFB President and CEO. The support of partners like PlainsCapital Bank is especially critical right now as we respond to the urgent needs of those impacted by the government shutdown. The very first contribution from the Hilltop family of companies was a $700 employee gift and the most recent was a multi-year investment that supports NTFB today and in the future. In addition to giving, PlainsCapital Bank and its team members are involved in everything from event sponsorships and volunteering to employee giving and corporate philanthropy. The bank was also honored at NTFBs Golden Fork Awards in September as Corporation of the Year. Concluded Cunningham, We deeply appreciate PlainsCapital Banks support, especially during this time when food assistance is more crucial than ever. About North Texas Food Bank The North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is a leading nonprofit organization that fights hunger and provides children, seniors and families in North Texas access to nutritious food. For over 40 years, we have been at the forefront of hunger relief, committed to ensuring that no one in our community lacks access to healthy food. Our extensive network of 500 food pantries and organizations, volunteers, and donors enables us to deliver more than 136 million meals last year to those in need. Beyond just addressing hunger, we focus on nourishing lives by offering nutrition education, investing in our network partners, innovating solutions to eliminate hunger and advocating for policies that tackle the root causes of food insecurity. Our dedication to excellence is reflected in our 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, highlighting our strong governance, integrity, and financial stability. As a proud member of Feeding America, the nation's largest hunger relief network, we are committed to ensuring everyone in North Texas has the nourishment needed to lead a healthy and fulfilling life. For more information, visit http://www.ntfb.org/ or connect with us on social media @NorthTexasFoodBank. About PlainsCapital Bank Founded in Lubbock, Texas in 1988, PlainsCapital Bank is the seventh-largest Texas-based Bank* with 55 branches across multiple markets. Headquartered in Dallas, PlainsCapital Bank has approximately 1,040 employees and provides a full suite of banking services including commercial lending, treasury management, small business banking, private banking, and trust and wealth management services. Member FDIC. *Based on Texas deposit market share of Texas-based banks. Deposit balance as of June 30, 2024. Attachments Ottawa, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global frozen food processing machinery market size stood at USD 22.62 billion in 2024 and is predicted to increase from USD 23.52 billion in 2025 to reach nearly USD 33.48 billion by 2034, according to a report published by Towards FnB, a sister firm of Precedence Research. As consumer preferences shift towards healthier, convenient meal solutions, and new technologies continue to enhance food quality and shelf life, the market is poised for exponential growth. The market is expected to grow due to higher demand for convenient, ready-to-eat frozen food options. Advanced technologies, higher demand for hygienic equipment, and increased automation of major procedures also help fuel the markets growth. Note: This report is readily available for immediate delivery. We can review it with you in a meeting to ensure data reliability and quality for decision-making. Access the Full Study Instantly | Download Sample Pages of the Report Now@ https://www.towardsfnb.com/download-sample/5899 Key Highlights of Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market By region, North America dominated the market with the highest share of 35% in 2024. However, the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow the fastest during the forecast period, while Europe is anticipated to experience notable growth in the same period. By equipment, the freezing equipment segment held a major market share of 34% in 2024. The others (Automation & Inspection Systems) segment, which includes advanced automation technologies, is projected to grow at a CAGR between 2025 and 2034. By food, the meat, poultry, and seafood segment led the market with 33% of market revenue in 2024. However, the ready meals segment is expected to grow at a significant CAGR between 2025 and 2034. By process, the IQF (Individually Quick Frozen) segment held a dominant market share of around 29% in 2024. The cryogenic freezing segment, on the other hand, is projected to see steady growth from 2025 to 2034. By automation level, the semi-automated system segment held a substantial market share of approximately 42% in 2024. The fully automated system segment, though currently smaller, is projected to grow steadily over the next decade (20252034). By end use, the food processing companies held the largest market share of approximately 46% in 2024. The restaurants and foodservice chains segment is expected to experience steady growth between 2025 and 2034. Technological Improvements are Helpful for the Growth of the Frozen Food Processing Machinery Industry The frozen food processing machinery market is expected to grow due to factors such as rising demand for convenient food options, advances in freezing technology, and heightened food safety standards. The market uses machinery to freeze and maintain the quality and shelf life of food and beverages, which supports market growth. The method also helps to maintain the nutritional value of products, further fueling the markets growth. The market is also seeing growth driven by higher demand for frozen, convenient, and plant-based food and beverage options, with extended shelf life helping busy consumers. Advanced Technological Methods fueling the Markets Growth Automation and Robotics - They help perform tasks with precision, such as cutting, sorting, and packaging, thereby improving speed, efficiency, and work quality. - They help perform tasks with precision, such as cutting, sorting, and packaging, thereby improving speed, efficiency, and work quality. AI and ML- Artificial intelligence and machine learning help to enhance the quality of work and improve efficiency. AI-controlled operations help to manage the efficiency and predict quality outcomes. Artificial intelligence and machine learning help to enhance the quality of work and improve efficiency. AI-controlled operations help to manage the efficiency and predict quality outcomes. Cryogenic Freezing- The technologically advanced method uses extremely low temperatures for rapid freezing, maintaining food quality and shelf life. It also helps to minimize crystal formation while maintaining the food quality. The technologically advanced method uses extremely low temperatures for rapid freezing, maintaining food quality and shelf life. It also helps to minimize crystal formation while maintaining the food quality. Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) - The procedure involves replacing the air inside the packaging with a special gas mixture. It helps enhance the product's shelf life and maintain its quality. Impact of AI in the Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market Artificial intelligence has a major impact on the frozen food processing machinery market by improving automation, precision, and operational efficiency throughout the production process. In manufacturing, AI-powered predictive analytics optimize machinery performance by monitoring temperature, pressure, and processing speed in real time. This ensures consistent product quality, reduces downtime through predictive maintenance, and lowers energy consumption. Machine learning algorithms analyze production data to fine-tune freezing, cutting, and packaging processes, improving yield and minimizing waste. Computer vision systems are enhancing quality control by detecting imperfections, contamination, or irregularities in frozen products, ensuring compliance with food safety standards. AI-driven robotics and automated handling systems are increasing line efficiency and reducing reliance on manual labor, particularly in sorting, portioning, and packaging. In addition, AI helps equipment manufacturers design smarter, more adaptive machinery that can automatically adjust settings based on product type or environmental conditions. New Trends of Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market Enhanced and advanced technology is one of the major trends driving market growth, enhancing the speed and efficiency of manufacturing. Technologically advanced methods, such as cryogenic freezing, help to maintain the quality of products and enhance their shelf life, which is another major factor for the growth of the market. Higher demand for meat-based snacks, convenient food options, and higher demand for plant-based snacks are other major factors for the growth of the market. View Full Market Intelligence@ https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/frozen-food-processing-machinery-market Recent Developments in the Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market In April 2025, Fujitsu Limited and Sonofai Inc., Ishida Tec Co., Ltd., and Tokai University announced the launch of an automated inspection device that can determine the fat content of frozen albacore tuna in a non-destructive manner. The device is equipped with Fujitsus AI technology and is launched by Sonofai Inc. (Source- https://www.fujitsu.com) In May 2025, Falcon Agrifriz Foods Private Limited launched its cutting-edge frozen potato production plant in Kadi, Gujarat. The plant was officially inaugurated by the Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Mr. Amit Shah. (Source- https://themachinemaker.com) Product Survey: Global Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market Product Category Description / Function Common Machinery Types / Variants Key Applications / End-Use Segments Leading Manufacturers / Brands Freezing Equipment Core machinery that lowers food temperature rapidly to preserve texture, flavor, and nutrition. Spiral freezers, tunnel freezers, blast freezers, plate freezers, cryogenic freezers (using liquid nitrogen/CO) Frozen fruits, vegetables, meat, seafood, bakery, and ready meals GEA Refrigeration, Buhler AG, JBT (Frigoscandia), Linde plc, Mayekawa (MYCOM), Starfrost (UK) IQF (Individual Quick Freezing) Systems Specialized equipment freezes individual food items separately to maintain quality and prevent clumping. Fluidized bed IQF systems, belt freezers, cryogenic IQF Fruits, vegetables, shrimp, meat portions, pasta, berries GEA Group, RMF Freezers, Starfrost, Air Liquide (ALFI Technologies), OctoFrost Packaging Machinery for Frozen Foods Machines for sealing, labeling, and portioning frozen goods in consumer-ready formats. Vertical form-fill-seal, vacuum sealers, tray sealers, shrink-wrap systems Frozen ready meals, vegetables, seafood, snacks MULTIVAC, ULMA Packaging, Bosch Packaging, Ishida, Omori Machinery Coating, Battering & Breading Equipment Used to apply coatings or batters before freezing to enhance texture and flavor. Batter mixers, breading lines, enrobing systems Frozen meat, fish, nuggets, and appetizers Marel, JBT FoodTech, GEA, Heat and Control Cutting & Slicing Machinery Prepares food into uniform sizes prior to freezing for efficiency and quality consistency. Dicers, slicers, choppers, portion cutters Vegetables, meat, bakery, seafood Urschel Laboratories, FAM Stumabo, Bettcher Industries Blanching & Cooking Equipment Machines that pre-treat food to deactivate enzymes before freezing. Steam blanchers, water blanchers, continuous blanchers Vegetables, fruits, pasta, seafood Buhler AG, Lyco Manufacturing, Cabinplant Mixing & Forming Equipment Prepares uniform food mixtures or shaped products for freezing. Mixers, tumblers, and forming presses Meat patties, dough, frozen meals, bakery Marel, GEA Group, Provisur Technologies Glazing & Coating Systems Provide protective ice or sauce layers on frozen products to retain moisture and extend shelf life. Immersion glazing, spray glazing, sauce applicators Frozen fish, seafood, desserts, and vegetables Starfrost, OctoFrost, GEA Refrigeration Technologies Conveying & Material Handling Systems Transport food between freezing, coating, and packaging stages; designed for low-temperature operation. Belt conveyors, spiral conveyors, palletizing systems Integrated processing lines, cold storage plants GEA, Buhler, Mayekawa, JBT Cold Storage & Refrigeration Units Maintain consistent freezing temperatures during storage and logistics. Blast chillers, cold rooms, ammonia/CO refrigeration systems Frozen warehouses, distribution centers Linde plc, Mayekawa, GEA Refrigeration Technologies, Danfoss Control & Automation Systems Digital control units ensure consistent freezing parameters, energy efficiency, and food safety. PLC systems, IoT sensors, SCADA automation, AI-enabled monitoring Smart factories, Industry 4.0 food processing lines Siemens, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric, GEA Group For Detailed Pricing and Tailored Market Report Options, Click Here: https://www.towardsfnb.com/checkout/5899 Trade Analysis: Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market: Import & Export Statistics Who are the Major Exporters/Manufacturing Origins? Germany / Netherlands / Italy European engineering houses and machinery clusters remain dominant exporters of food-processing and freezing equipment. German machinery exports for food processing and packaging reached record levels recently, illustrating Europes global manufacturing strength and after-sales service footprint. European suppliers are often selected for turnkey plant installations and high-throughput lines. European engineering houses and machinery clusters remain dominant exporters of food-processing and freezing equipment. German machinery exports for food processing and packaging reached record levels recently, illustrating Europes global manufacturing strength and after-sales service footprint. European suppliers are often selected for turnkey plant installations and high-throughput lines. United States U.S. firms are strong in specialized freezing lines, portioning, and integrated packaging/automation systems, and export widely to the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. U.S. shipments are commonly routed through nearshore servicing partners and regional OEM agreements. U.S. firms are strong in specialized freezing lines, portioning, and integrated packaging/automation systems, and export widely to the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. U.S. shipments are commonly routed through nearshore servicing partners and regional OEM agreements. China China supplies cost-competitive freezing equipment and small-to-midscale IQF lines; its role is especially pronounced for emerging-market buyers seeking lower CAPEX options and for private-label frozen-food manufacturers. Chinas share in food-machinery shipments has grown with scale manufacturing and platform trade channels. China supplies cost-competitive freezing equipment and small-to-midscale IQF lines; its role is especially pronounced for emerging-market buyers seeking lower CAPEX options and for private-label frozen-food manufacturers. Chinas share in food-machinery shipments has grown with scale manufacturing and platform trade channels. Denmark / Netherlands / Sweden / Belgium (specialists) smaller European players and Nordic engineering firms are important for niche equipment (glazing ovens, portioners, fish/seafood processing) and often act as subcontractors to larger exporters. Key Importers/Demand Centres Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia) the largest and fastest-growing market for frozen-food machinery as frozen retail and foodservice expand across urbanizing populations; buyers import both turnkey Western lines and Chinese mid-range equipment depending on budget and scale. the largest and fastest-growing market for frozen-food machinery as frozen retail and foodservice expand across urbanizing populations; buyers import both turnkey Western lines and Chinese mid-range equipment depending on budget and scale. North America (U.S. & Canada) strong demand for high-automation, high-hygiene equipment for seafood, poultry and ready-meal processors; imports skew toward U.S./EU vendors for premium lines and toward China for secondary/OEM parts. strong demand for high-automation, high-hygiene equipment for seafood, poultry and ready-meal processors; imports skew toward U.S./EU vendors for premium lines and toward China for secondary/OEM parts. Europe (Germany, Netherlands, UK) big internal market for processing lines (intra-EU trade) and re-exports of packaged frozen products; EU buyers balance domestic suppliers with imports for specialized functions. big internal market for processing lines (intra-EU trade) and re-exports of packaged frozen products; EU buyers balance domestic suppliers with imports for specialized functions. Middle East & Africa / Latin America growing markets for lower-to-mid CAPEX freezing lines to support retail frozen categories and cold-chain expansion. Trade Flows & Typical Transaction Patterns Turnkey projects dominate high-value trade. Large buyers typically import whole production lines (freezers + portioning + glazing + IQF + packaging) as CAPEX project contracts; these shipments include machinery, engineering services, commissioning and spare-parts agreements. European and U.S. suppliers often win these contracts based on total cost of ownership, certification and service capability. Large buyers typically import whole production lines (freezers + portioning + glazing + IQF + packaging) as CAPEX project contracts; these shipments include machinery, engineering services, commissioning and spare-parts agreements. European and U.S. suppliers often win these contracts based on total cost of ownership, certification and service capability. Component / retrofit trade is large. Smaller shipments (freezers, spiral freezers, conveyors, IQF tunnels) are often imported separately for line upgrades or local assembly. China and regional OEMs supply many of these components. Smaller shipments (freezers, spiral freezers, conveyors, IQF tunnels) are often imported separately for line upgrades or local assembly. China and regional OEMs supply many of these components. After-sales service and local partners shape competitiveness. Export success depends heavily on local installation, spare parts availability and service contracts; markets with poor local service favor exporters who provide long-term support. (Industry players' list emphasizes service networks.) Trade Drivers & Current Pressures Frozen-category growth (seafood, poultry, RTE meals) is the primary demand engine for machinery imports; retail expansion into frozen sections and foodservice central kitchens push processors to invest. is the primary demand engine for machinery imports; retail expansion into frozen sections and foodservice central kitchens push processors to invest. Energy & efficiency regulations push buyers toward newer equipment with lower energy consumption and improved refrigeration systems, this can favor modern European designs that emphasize efficiency. push buyers toward newer equipment with lower energy consumption and improved refrigeration systems, this can favor modern European designs that emphasize efficiency. Supply-chain & shipping cost volatility affects where buyers source equipment; longer lead times and higher freight costs can tilt buyers to regional suppliers or to purchasing components for local assembly. affects where buyers source equipment; longer lead times and higher freight costs can tilt buyers to regional suppliers or to purchasing components for local assembly. Automation & labor substitution: processors in high-wage countries prefer automated lines that reduce labor needs, which advantages suppliers offering robotics and end-of-line automation. Government Initiatives & Policy Influences Export & industrial support in machinery hubs (Germany / Netherlands / Italy): government-level trade promotion, engineering clusters and trade missions help European suppliers secure overseas processing projects; national machinery associations actively promote standards and buyer matching. government-level trade promotion, engineering clusters and trade missions help European suppliers secure overseas processing projects; national machinery associations actively promote standards and buyer matching. Investment incentives in importer markets: several countries offer tax or investment incentives for food-processing capacity expansion (e.g., special economic zones, cold-chain grants), which stimulate imports of processing machinery. National trade/industry portals and export promotion bodies often provide matchmaking for these projects. several countries offer tax or investment incentives for food-processing capacity expansion (e.g., special economic zones, cold-chain grants), which stimulate imports of processing machinery. National trade/industry portals and export promotion bodies often provide matchmaking for these projects. Trade facilitation & standards: harmonized sanitary and food-safety standards (EU hygiene directives, FDA/US standards) shape buyer choice, suppliers that can certify compliance with importers standards win larger contracts. Feel Free to Get in Touch with Us for Orders or Any Questions at: sales@towardsfnb.com Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market Dynamics What Are the Growth Drivers of the Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market? The frozen food processing machinery market is burgeoning due to factors such as higher demand for frozen and convenience food options, advances in freezing technology, and improvements in the flavor, texture, and appearance of frozen foods. Higher demand for plant-based food options is another vital factor driving market growth. Automated and robotic systems, which improve the quality and efficiency of work, also support market growth. Challenge Technological and Equipment Costs Obstructing the Markets Growth Factors such as upfront costs of installing advanced machinery equipped with AI and IoT, the need for expertise to operate such machinery, and the need to maintain food and beverage quality with the help of such machinery may obstruct the market's growth. Maintaining sustainability throughout the entire procedure is another major factor hindering the market's growth. Opportunity Higher Technological Demands are Helpful for the Markets Growth Use of smart, advanced technology and machinery involving robotics, AI, and IoT to improve freezing and maintain the quality of food and beverages, further fueling the market's growth. The technological improvements also help maintain sustainability by deploying eco-friendly, energy-efficient freezing technology, further fueling market growth. The growing technology also helps in product customization, thereby maintaining product quality, further fueling the market's growth. Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market Regional Analysis North America Led the Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market in 2024 North America dominated the market in 2024, mainly due to technological advancements, such as AI-powered analytics and cryogenic freezing, higher demand for efficient, automated procedures, rising investment in such machinery, and greater demand for sustainable machinery. The US plays a major role in the regional market's growth due to higher demand for convenient, ready-to-eat food options, technological advancements, and strict government food safety regulations, further fueling the market's growth. Asia Pacific Is Observed to Be the Fastest-Growing Region Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region over the foreseeable period due to rapid urbanization, changing consumer lifestyles, rising disposable incomes, and higher demand for convenient, ready-to-eat food options. Higher demand for plant-based foods from vegans and health-conscious consumers also helps fuel market growth. Countries such as India, China, Japan, and South Korea are expected to make a major contribution to market growth over the foreseeable period due to higher demand for convenient food options in these regions. The market is also seeing growth driven by technological advancements and improved cold chain infrastructure in the regions. Europe is Expected to Grow at a Notable Rate in the Foreseeable Period Europe is expected to experience notable growth over the forecast period due to advancing technology, higher demand for convenient and frozen food options, and improved cold chain logistics. Higher demand for plant-based food options also drives market growth. The UK, France, and Germany help propel market growth in the region through the development of advanced frozen food processing machinery and the higher demand for frozen, convenient food options. Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market Report Scope Report Attribute Key Statistics Base Year 2024 Forecast Period 2025 to 2034 Growth Rate from 2025 to 2034 CAGR of 4% Market Size in 2025 USD 23.52 Billion Market Size in 2026 USD 24.47 Billion Market Size by 2034 USD 33.48 Billion Dominated Region North America Fastest Growing Region Asia Pacific Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa Have Questions? Lets TalkSchedule a Meeting with Our Insights Team: https://www.towardsfnb.com/schedule-meeting Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market Segmental Analysis Equipment Analysis The freezing equipment segment led the frozen food processing machinery market in 2024 due to higher demand across various domains. The segment focuses on maintaining the food and beverage quality, shelf life, avoiding dehydration, and maintaining the flavor and texture of different food options. The segment also ensures product shelf life, which is helpful for long-haul transportation and export. The others (automation and inspection systems) segment is expected to grow in the expected timeframe as the segment provides an array of benefits to the market, such as increased automation, perfection, reduced wastage, improved work quality, increased efficiency, safety, and hygiene, and managing the increasing demand for frozen food by maintaining a smooth supply chain. Food Analysis The meat, poultry, and seafood segment led the frozen food processing machinery market in 2024, driven by rising demand for animal-based protein sources and a variety of animal-based food options. The segment focuses on maintaining the freshness, quality, flavor, texture, and color of a variety of meat options, which is helpful for the growth of the frozen food processing machinery industry. The segment helps manage consumer demand by extending the shelf life of meat cuts and maintaining freshness and quality, further fueling market growth. The ready meals and convenience foods segment is expected to expand in the forecast period due to higher consumer demand from those with hectic lifestyles. Ready-to-eat and ready-to-prepare food options allow consumers to save time on prolonged cooking and also provide their bodies with nutritious food. Such food options are also in high demand due to factors such as rapid urbanization, busy lifestyles, and increased demand for plant-based meals. Enhancing technology also aids the market by maintaining the quality and freshness of products. Process Analysis The Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) segment dominated the frozen food processing machinery market in 2024 due to factors such as high demand for non-seasonal food and beverage options, the need to maintain the quality and freshness of various foods and beverages, expanding the cold chain and infrastructure, and rising technological advancements. The cryogenic freezing (liquid nitrogen/CO2) segment is expected to grow in the foreseen period due to multiple benefits, such as improved food quality and safety, extended shelf life, use of improved technology, increased productivity, and higher demand for improved cold chain and logistics, further fueling the growth of the market. The increasing focus on sustainability is also a major factor driving market growth. Automation Level Analysis The semi-automated system led the frozen food processing machinery market in 2024 due to improved safety, enhanced automation, and a low initial investment, fueling the industry's growth. The segment is beneficial for companies that need to improve their work quality and speed to meet the growing market demands. Other beneficial factors in the segment that support the markets growth include improved efficiency, product quality, smooth workflow, automation, and cost-efficiency. The fully automated system is expected to grow over the foreseeable period due to the convenience it offers. Automated systems allow manufacturing companies to streamline the entire process, reduce the risk of errors, improve efficiency, enhance work and product quality, and lower operational costs. Another advantage of the segment is enhanced product quality and manufacturing speed, which will help market growth in the foreseeable future. AI and robotics help in tasks such as packaging, cutting, freezing, and peeling, further fueling the growth of the market. End Use Analysis The food processing companies segment led the frozen food processing machinery market in 2024 due to its higher demand by the food and beverage industry. The frozen food processing machinery helps to maintain the quality, shelf life, freshness, and flavor of food and beverages. The segment also fuels market growth by maintaining a smooth supply chain and meeting the growing demand. The restaurants and foodservice chains segment is expected to grow over the foreseeable period due to strong demand. Frozen food processing machinery helps to ensure the safety and quality of food and beverages. It helps maintain the freshness and enhance the shelf life of food and beverage products in stores, which helps fuel the markets growth in the foreseeable period. Higher demand for dining-out culture due to consumers' hectic lifestyles also helps fuel the market's growth in the foreseeable period. Feel Free to Get in Touch with Us for Orders or Any Questions at: sales@towardsfnb.com Additional Topics Worth Exploring: Tea Market : The global tea market size is projected to expand from USD 30.25 billion in 2025 to USD 54.68 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034 : The global size is projected to expand from USD 30.25 billion in 2025 to USD 54.68 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 6.8% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034 Beverage Packaging Market: The global beverage packaging market size is projected to reach USD 271.80 billion by 2034, growing from USD 173.71 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. The global size is projected to reach USD 271.80 billion by 2034, growing from USD 173.71 billion in 2025, at a CAGR of 5.1% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Gluten Free Food Market: The global gluten free food market size increasing from USD 14.25 billion in 2025 and is expected to surpass USD 33.59 billion by 2034, with a projected CAGR of 10% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. The global size increasing from USD 14.25 billion in 2025 and is expected to surpass USD 33.59 billion by 2034, with a projected CAGR of 10% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Canned Wines Market: The global canned wines market size is expected to increase from USD 127.88 million in 2025 to USD 332.46 million by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 11.2% throughout the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. The global size is expected to increase from USD 127.88 million in 2025 to USD 332.46 million by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 11.2% throughout the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Plant-Based Protein Market: The global plant-based protein market size is projected to expand from USD 20.33 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 43.07 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. The global size is projected to expand from USD 20.33 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach USD 43.07 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 8.7% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Bakery Product Market : The global bakery product market size is rising from USD 507.46 billion in 2025 to USD 821.62 billion by 2034. This projected expansion reflects a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. : The global size is rising from USD 507.46 billion in 2025 to USD 821.62 billion by 2034. This projected expansion reflects a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Coconut Products Market: The global coconut products market size is expected to climb from USD 14.18 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 33.71 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast from 2025 to 2034. The global is expected to climb from USD 14.18 billion in 2025 to approximately USD 33.71 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast from 2025 to 2034. Pet Food Market: The global pet food market size is expected to increase from USD 113.02 billion in 2025 to USD 167.97 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 4.5% throughout the estimated timeframe from 2025 to 2034. The global is expected to increase from USD 113.02 billion in 2025 to USD 167.97 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 4.5% throughout the estimated timeframe from 2025 to 2034. Organic Food Market: The global organic food market size is expected to grow from USD 253.96 billion in 2025 to USD 660.25 billion by 2034, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.20% during the forecast period from 2025 to 2034. Top Companies in the Frozen Food Processing Machinery Market The Middleby Corporation The Middleby Corporation designs and manufactures advanced food processing equipment, including freezing and chilling systems for frozen food production. Its solutions emphasize automation, energy efficiency, and hygiene, serving sectors such as ready meals, bakery, and protein processing. The Middleby Corporation designs and manufactures advanced food processing equipment, including freezing and chilling systems for frozen food production. Its solutions emphasize automation, energy efficiency, and hygiene, serving sectors such as ready meals, bakery, and protein processing. FRIGOSCANDIA (JBT brand) FRIGOSCANDIA, a brand under JBT Corporation, specializes in industrial freezing technology, including spiral freezers, IQF (individually quick frozen) systems, and impingement freezers. The companys innovations in hygienic design and airflow control support high-efficiency freezing for poultry, seafood, and bakery applications. FRIGOSCANDIA, a brand under JBT Corporation, specializes in industrial freezing technology, including spiral freezers, IQF (individually quick frozen) systems, and impingement freezers. The companys innovations in hygienic design and airflow control support high-efficiency freezing for poultry, seafood, and bakery applications. Air Liquide (ALFI Technologies) Air Liquide, through ALFI Technologies, offers cryogenic freezing and cooling solutions using liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Its equipment provides rapid and uniform freezing while maintaining product texture and quality for meat, seafood, and bakery producers. Air Liquide, through ALFI Technologies, offers cryogenic freezing and cooling solutions using liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Its equipment provides rapid and uniform freezing while maintaining product texture and quality for meat, seafood, and bakery producers. Cryogenic Equipment & Services (CES) CES designs and manufactures cryogenic freezing systems utilizing liquid nitrogen and CO technologies. The company provides customized freezing tunnels and spiral freezers that deliver fast freezing with reduced product dehydration. CES designs and manufactures cryogenic freezing systems utilizing liquid nitrogen and CO technologies. The company provides customized freezing tunnels and spiral freezers that deliver fast freezing with reduced product dehydration. Linde plc Linde supplies cryogenic freezing and chilling systems using advanced gas technologies. Its CRYOLINE range offers efficient freezing for meat, seafood, and convenience foods, with a focus on maintaining food quality and production throughput. Linde supplies cryogenic freezing and chilling systems using advanced gas technologies. Its CRYOLINE range offers efficient freezing for meat, seafood, and convenience foods, with a focus on maintaining food quality and production throughput. Buhler AG Buhler provides high-performance food processing and freezing machinery for various sectors, including bakery, confectionery, and ready-to-eat meals. The company integrates automation, energy optimization, and hygienic design in its cooling and freezing equipment lines. Buhler provides high-performance food processing and freezing machinery for various sectors, including bakery, confectionery, and ready-to-eat meals. The company integrates automation, energy optimization, and hygienic design in its cooling and freezing equipment lines. GEA Refrigeration Technologies GEA designs industrial refrigeration and freezing systems that ensure product quality and safety throughout frozen food processing. Its spiral and tunnel freezers are widely used in the dairy, poultry, and bakery industries, emphasizing sustainable, energy-efficient operations. GEA designs industrial refrigeration and freezing systems that ensure product quality and safety throughout frozen food processing. Its spiral and tunnel freezers are widely used in the dairy, poultry, and bakery industries, emphasizing sustainable, energy-efficient operations. Mayekawa Mfg. Co. Ltd. (MYCOM) Mayekawa, known for its MYCOM brand, provides industrial refrigeration compressors and freezing systems. The companys equipment supports efficient cold chain management and high-capacity freezing for meat, seafood, and processed food manufacturers. Mayekawa, known for its MYCOM brand, provides industrial refrigeration compressors and freezing systems. The companys equipment supports efficient cold chain management and high-capacity freezing for meat, seafood, and processed food manufacturers. Starfrost (UK) Ltd. Starfrost develops mechanical and spiral freezing systems for food processors worldwide. Its solutions are tailored for frozen seafood, poultry, bakery, and ready-meal applications, integrating energy-efficient refrigeration and customizable design options. Starfrost develops mechanical and spiral freezing systems for food processors worldwide. Its solutions are tailored for frozen seafood, poultry, bakery, and ready-meal applications, integrating energy-efficient refrigeration and customizable design options. RMF Freezers RMF Freezers manufactures industrial spiral and impingement freezing systems for the frozen food sector. The company focuses on reliability, easy maintenance, and consistent product quality across high-volume food processing operations. RMF Freezers manufactures industrial spiral and impingement freezing systems for the frozen food sector. The company focuses on reliability, easy maintenance, and consistent product quality across high-volume food processing operations. OctoFrost Group AB OctoFrost specializes in IQF technology, providing fluidized freezing systems designed to preserve natural product appearance and texture. The companys energy-efficient and hygienic design caters to fruit, vegetable, seafood, and poultry processors. OctoFrost specializes in IQF technology, providing fluidized freezing systems designed to preserve natural product appearance and texture. The companys energy-efficient and hygienic design caters to fruit, vegetable, seafood, and poultry processors. Avestia Equipment Avestia manufactures and supplies freezing machinery and refrigeration equipment for food processing. The company provides modular systems that support efficient freezing, cooling, and storage of diverse food products in large-scale facilities. Avestia manufactures and supplies freezing machinery and refrigeration equipment for food processing. The company provides modular systems that support efficient freezing, cooling, and storage of diverse food products in large-scale facilities. Kuhlmann Refrigeration Kuhlmann Refrigeration offers industrial freezing and cooling systems tailored for frozen food processing. Its expertise lies in designing energy-optimized refrigeration systems for consistent temperature control and product preservation. Kuhlmann Refrigeration offers industrial freezing and cooling systems tailored for frozen food processing. Its expertise lies in designing energy-optimized refrigeration systems for consistent temperature control and product preservation. FPS Food Process Solutions Corp. FPS specializes in custom-engineered freezing and cooling systems for food processing industries. Its product line includes spiral, tunnel, and IQF freezers designed for efficiency, sanitation, and high throughput in global frozen food production. FPS specializes in custom-engineered freezing and cooling systems for food processing industries. Its product line includes spiral, tunnel, and IQF freezers designed for efficiency, sanitation, and high throughput in global frozen food production. Scanico A/S (Marel Group) Scanico, part of the Marel Group, produces spiral and impingement freezers with advanced air circulation and hygienic design. Its equipment is widely used for poultry, meat, and bakery products, offering flexibility and reliable freezing performance. Scanico, part of the Marel Group, produces spiral and impingement freezers with advanced air circulation and hygienic design. Its equipment is widely used for poultry, meat, and bakery products, offering flexibility and reliable freezing performance. Stalam S.p.A. Stalam develops radio frequency and microwave-based industrial freezing and drying systems. Its technologies are designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce processing time while maintaining product quality and safety. Stalam develops radio frequency and microwave-based industrial freezing and drying systems. Its technologies are designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce processing time while maintaining product quality and safety. Vemag Maschinenbau GmbH Vemag Maschinenbau manufactures forming, portioning, and freezing systems for the meat and convenience food industries. The companys integrated machinery enables continuous production lines combining forming, freezing, and packaging stages. Segments Covered in the Report By Equipment Type Freezing Equipment (Blast, Spiral, IQF, Cryogenic) Pre-Processing Equipment (Cutting, Slicing, Washing, Peeling) Packaging Equipment (Vacuum, Flow Wrap, Tray Sealers) Coating & Battering Equipment Glazing & Dehydration Systems Others (Mixers, Conveyors, Inspection & Sorting Systems) By Food Type Meat, Poultry & Seafood Fruits & Vegetables Bakery & Confectionery Dairy Products Ready Meals & Convenience Foods Others (Plant-Based & Specialty Frozen Foods) By Process Type Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) Cryogenic Freezing (Liquid Nitrogen/CO) Mechanical Freezing (Blast, Belt, Tunnel) Batch vs Continuous Processing Lines Hybrid & Advanced Systems (Energy Efficient & Sensor-Enabled) By Automation Level Semi-Automated Systems Fully Automated & Robotic Systems Manual/Conventional Equipment By End Use Food Processing Companies Frozen Food Manufacturers (Private Labels & Brands) Cold Chain & Logistics Providers Restaurants & Foodservice Chains Others (Institutional Catering, Hospitals, Airline) By Region North America U.S. Canada Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Thailand Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Sweden Denmark Norway Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Middle East and Africa (MEA) South Africa UAE Saudi Arabia Kuwait Thank you for exploring our insights. For more targeted information, customized chapter-wise sections and region-specific editions such as North America, Europe, or Asia Pacificare also available upon request. For Detailed Pricing and Tailored Market Report Options, Click Here: https://www.towardsfnb.com/checkout/5899 Feel Free to Get in Touch with Us for Orders or Any Questions at: sales@towardsfnb.com Unlock expert insights, custom research, and premium support with the Towards FnB Annual Membership. For USD 495/month (billed annually), get full access to exclusive F&B market data and personalized guidance. Its your strategic edge in the food and beverage industry: https://www.towardsfnb.com/get-an-annual-membership About Us Towards FnB is a global consulting firm specializing in the food and beverage industry, providing innovative solutions and expert guidance to elevate businesses. With an in-depth understanding of the dynamic F&B sector, we deliver customized market analysis and strategic insights. Our team of seasoned professionals is committed to empowering clients with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions, ensuring they stay ahead of market trends. Partner with us as we redefine success in the rapidly evolving food and beverage landscape, and together, well navigate this transformative journey. Web: https://www.towardsfnb.com/ Our Trusted Data Partners Precedence Research | Statifacts | Towards Packaging | Towards Chemical and Materials| Nova One Advisor | Food Beverage Strategies | FnB Market Pulse | Nutraceuticals Func Foods | Onco Quant | Sustainability Quant | Specialty Chemicals Analytics For Latest Update Follow Us: LinkedIn | Medium| Twitter Discover More Market Trends and Insights from Towards FnB: Beverage Flavors Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/beverage-flavors-market Salt Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/salt-market Probiotic Food Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/probiotic-food-market Protein Bar Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/protein-bar-market Gluten-Free Bakery Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/gluten-free-bakery-market Europe Nutraceuticals Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/europe-nutraceuticals-market Canned Food Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/canned-food-market Non-Alcoholic Beverages Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/non-alcoholic-beverages-market Dry Fruit Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/dry-fruit-market Frozen Meat Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/frozen-meat-market Fish Oil Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/fish-oil-market Soft Drink Concentrates Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/soft-drink-concentrates-market U.S. Halal Food Market: https://www.towardsfnb.com/insights/us-halal-food-market Austin, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Agentive AI in Healthcare Market Size & Growth Analysis According to SNS Insider, the global Agentive AI in Healthcare Market was valued at USD 538.56 million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 10,857.16 million by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 45.58% over 20252032. The U.S. led the market with a valuation of USD 200.22 million in 2024 and is expected to achieve USD 3957.44 million by 2032, supported by large-scale hospital digitization, strong venture investment, and early adoption of autonomous and semi-autonomous AI systems for clinical and administrative functions. Get free Sample Report of Agentive AI In Healthcare Market: https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/7934 Accelerated integration of multi-agent frameworks, deployment of smart virtual assistants, and the expansion of AI-driven remote patient monitoring are reshaping healthcare operations globally. Increased need for automation, workflow optimization, and intelligent decision support are fueling demand for agentive AI platforms across hospitals, payers, and telehealth ecosystems. Agentive AI in Healthcare Market Segmentation Insights: By Agent System Type Single-agent systems accounted for the largest share of the agentic AI in healthcare market in 2024 at 47.2% due to their quick installations, lower development and support costs, as well as their capability of doing specific tasks such as clinical note taking, medical billing, and appointment scheduling. Hybrid agents is the fastest growing segment in the market as there is more and more demand for scalable, context-aware, and interoperable AI ecosystems that can coordinate across different healthcare touchpoints. By Product Type Pre-built agentic AI solutions were the leading segment in the product market during 2024, and they occupied the largest share with 52.5% as these solutions are highly preferred by clinicians due to their immediate availability, accelerated time to value, and pre-built functionality in billing automation, clinical decision support, and patient engagement. Customizable/build-your-own agents are the fastest growing segment, fueled by big health systems, payers, and drugmakers competing on AI that need customized AI solutions based on their clinical protocols, data models, and compliance needs. By Technology Machine learning captured 38.1% of the agentive AI in healthcare market share in 2024 as they deliver predictive power for health care AI is what makes it so critical to both clinical applications and administrative functions. The high-growth category within technology is smart virtual assistants (SVAs) due to the increased need for always-on, human-like interactions in patient-facing and provider-facing applications that drive operational efficiency and provide greater care experiences. By Application Medical imaging & diagnostics continued to be the leading application segment in 2024 and accounted for 29.4% of the total market as these systems can reduce turnaround time and increase diagnostic accuracy, particularly in high-volume hospitals. The fastest-growing application is remote patient monitoring and virtual care due to the global transition to value-based care and post-pandemic demand for ongoing and decentralized healthcare services. By End-Use Healthcare providers were the largest end-use segment in 2024 and accounted for 63.8% of the market revenue owing to the industry requirement for automation when it comes to clinical documentation, diagnostics, patient engagement, and resource utilization. The Health IT & AI startups were the fastest-growing end-use segment, on account of their innovative business approach and nimbleness. Regional Analysis The agentic AI in healthcare market in North America is dominant, contributing more than 41.3% of the global revenue. Strong foothold of key players such as Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Notable, implementation across EHR systems, diagnostics, and patient triage, eases its dominance. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the global, expected to grow strongly on the back of increasing investments, substantial patient population, and aggressive AI policy enforcement. The region took 20.6% of the agentive AI in healthcare market share in 2024. Europe captured 25.7% of the market in 2024, supported by strong government-backed digital health initiatives and the integration of AI under GDPR-compliant frameworks. Germany leads with hospital digitization under the DiGA framework, while France and the UK are expanding agentic systems in diagnostics and hospital management. Need Any Customization Research on Agentive AI In Healthcare Market, Enquire Now: https://www.snsinsider.com/enquiry/7934 Major Players Analysis Listed in the Agentive AI In Healthcare Market Report: NVIDIA Oracle Microsoft Thoughtful Automation Hippocratic AI Cognigy Amelia US Beam AI Momentum Notable Springs Google Health IBM Watson Health AWS Health AI Infermedica Tempus PathAI Viz.ai Aidoc Corti Agentive AI In Healthcare Market Key Segments By Agent System Type Single-Agent Systems Multi-Agent Systems Hybrid Agent Architectures By Product Type Pre-Built Agentic AI Solutions Customizable/Build-Your-Own Agents Open-Source Agentic Frameworks By Technology Machine Learning Supervised Learning Unsupervised Learning Reinforcement Learning Semi-supervised Learning Deep Learning Natural Language Processing (NLP) Text Analytics Speech Recognition & Analytics Auto-Coding & Medical Transcription Clinical Document Classification Context-Aware Computing Computer Vision Smart Virtual Assistants (SVAs) Optical Character Recognition (OCR) By Application Medical Imaging & Diagnostics Personalized Medicine & Drug Discovery Electronic Health Record (EHR) Optimization Remote Patient Monitoring & Virtual Care Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) Predictive Analytics & Pandemic Preparedness Genomic Data Interpretation Chronic Disease Monitoring & Management Hospital Workflow & Resource Optimization Healthcare Research & Clinical Trials Analytics Administrative Automation (Billing, Coding, Claims, etc.) Others (Patient Engagement & Chatbots, Medical Training & Simulation Tools) By End-Use Healthcare Providers (Hospitals, Clinics, Telehealth Centers) Healthcare Payers (Insurance Companies, Managed Care Organizations) Pharmaceutical & Biotech Companies Academic & Research Institutions Government & Public Health Agencies Health IT & AI Startups Others (Third-Party Healthcare IT Vendors, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Health) Recent Developments: In June 2025 , Microsoft introduced MAIDxO, an advanced multi-agent AI system that achieved 85.5% accuracy in diagnosing complex cases using New England Journal of Medicine datasets, over four times more accurate than human physicians (20%) while reducing diagnostic costs by around 20%. , Microsoft introduced MAIDxO, an advanced multi-agent AI system that achieved 85.5% accuracy in diagnosing complex cases using New England Journal of Medicine datasets, over four times more accurate than human physicians (20%) while reducing diagnostic costs by around 20%. In June 2025, IQVIA rolled out agentic AI solutions built on NVIDIA tech to streamline clinical trial workflows, literature reviews, patient recruitment, and data review, marking a significant step toward orchestrated agent systems in life sciences and enhancing trial efficiency. Buy the Agentive AI In Healthcare Market Report Now: https://www.snsinsider.com/checkout/7934 Exclusive Sections of the Report (The USPs): R&D Investment and Funding Metrics helps you understand the scale of venture capital and private equity activity driving AI innovation in healthcare, along with the role of public-private collaborations and strategic grants in accelerating technology development. helps you understand the scale of venture capital and private equity activity driving AI innovation in healthcare, along with the role of public-private collaborations and strategic grants in accelerating technology development. Technology Adoption & Integration Insights helps you track the deployment of AI and predictive analytics across healthcare systems and assess the integration of cloud infrastructure, EHR platforms, and interoperability frameworks supporting agentive AI solutions. helps you track the deployment of AI and predictive analytics across healthcare systems and assess the integration of cloud infrastructure, EHR platforms, and interoperability frameworks supporting agentive AI solutions. Clinical Trial & Real-World Evidence Analysis helps you identify trends in AI-powered clinical trials across therapeutic areas and understand operational barriers in real-world deployment, ensuring transparency and scalability of outcomes. helps you identify trends in AI-powered clinical trials across therapeutic areas and understand operational barriers in real-world deployment, ensuring transparency and scalability of outcomes. Cost-Effectiveness & Reimbursement Evaluation helps you assess health technology assessment (HTA) parameters and evolving reimbursement coverage, providing insights into economic viability and payer acceptance of AI-driven healthcare tools. helps you assess health technology assessment (HTA) parameters and evolving reimbursement coverage, providing insights into economic viability and payer acceptance of AI-driven healthcare tools. Competitive & Strategic Landscape helps you gauge the positioning of key players through analysis of partnerships, AI model innovations, and commercialization strategies shaping the future of intelligent healthcare delivery. Agentive AI In Healthcare Market Report Scope Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2024 USD 538.56 million Market Size by 2032 USD 10857.16 million CAGR CAGR of 45.58% From 2025 to 2032 Base Year 2024 Forecast Period 2025-2032 Historical Data 2021-2023 Regional Analysis/Coverage North America (US, Canada), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Poland, Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, ASEAN Countries, Rest of Asia Pacific), Middle East & Africa (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Africa, Rest of Middle East & Africa), Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Rest of Latin America). 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ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAW CALGARY, Alberta, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Arctic Energy Services Inc. (TSX: HWO) (the Corporation or High Arctic) released its third quarter 2025 financial and operating results. The unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements, and the management discussion & analysis (MD&A), for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 will be available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, and on High Arctics website at www.haes.ca. All amounts are denominated in thousands of Canadian dollars (CAD), unless otherwise indicated. Lonn Bate, Interim Chief Executive Officer commented: High Arctic is pleased to have delivered Q3 financial and operational results, driven by strong execution across a number of our 2025 strategic objectives. Q3 2025 results benefited from the provision of significant high-pressure stimulation work for a new customer which contributed to top-line growth and margin expansion. Improved financial performance was achieved as producers continued to deploy capital in developing their Duvernay assets while overall industry activity levels have softened compared to 2024. Our current service offerings and facility locations uniquely position us to provide our customers with the assets they need while allowing us to maintain a high-level of customer service. Additionally, Team Snubbing, of which High Arctic maintains a 42% equity interest, achieved a step-change in financial performance following a key contract award in Alaska and increased activity levels in their Canadian business, resulting in a record quarter for them in terms of revenue and net income. With the senior management changes announced in the quarter, High Arctic has enhanced our leadership capacity with dedicated Canadian management enabling us to further focus on the execution of the Corporations strategic initiatives. In the following, the three months ended September 30, 2025 may be referred to as the quarter or Q3 2025 and the comparative three months ended September 30, 2024 may be referred to as Q3 2024. References to other quarters may be presented as QX 20XX with X/XX being the quarter/year to which the commentary relates. Additionally, the nine months ended September 30, 2025 maybe referred to as YTD or YTD-2025. References to other nine-month periods ended September 30 may be presented as YTD-20XX with XX being the year to which the nine-month period ended September 30 commentary relates. 2025 Q3 Highlights Revenue from continuing operations of $2,930, an increase of 17% compared to Q3 2024. Increased oilfield services operating margin percentage for Q3 2025 to 54.4% compared to 51.5% in Q3 2024. Realized Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations of $757 in the quarter, 26% of Q3 2025 revenue and a 98% increase from Q3 2024 Adjusted EBITDA. Maintained a strong track record of operational excellence and safety, as evidenced by the continuation of recordable incident-free work. High Arctics 42% equity share of Team Snubbings net income for Q3 2025 was $756, significantly higher than the $105 recognized in Q3 2024. Team Snubbing continues to benefit from an increase in customer activity, particularly in its operations in Alaska. Maintained strong financial liquidity throughout the current year quarter, exiting Q3 2025 with positive working capital of $4,183, inclusive of cash of $3,052. 2025 YTD Highlights Revenue from continuing operations of $7,656, a decrease of 5% compared to YTD-2024. Achieved an increase in oilfield services operating margin percentage for YTD-2025 of 52.4% compared to 48.8% for YTD-2024. Realized Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations of $1,743 for YTD-2025, 23% of YTD-2025 revenue and a 163% increase from YTD-2024 Adjusted EBITDA. Maintained operational excellence and safety, as evidenced by the continuation of recordable incident-free work. Achieved expected improvements in general and administrative expenses, a reduction of 44% compared to the YTD-2024 period. High Arctics share of Team Snubbings net income for YTD-2025 was $420 compared to a net loss of $294 for YTD-2024. 2025 Strategic Objectives The Corporations 2025 strategic objectives, which are unchanged from Q2 2025, include: Relentless focus on safety excellence and quality service delivery; Grow the core businesses through selective and opportunistic investments; Actively manage direct operating costs and general and administrative costs; Steward capital to preserve balance sheet strength and financial flexibility; and Execute on accretive acquisitions or strategic alternatives in Canada to drive shareholder value. Outlook The third quarter of 2025 was a very busy and positive quarter for High Arctic. The tactical equipment additions made in 2025 to the rentals business enabled the business to secure and provide high-pressure stimulation assets to a new customer active in increasing their Duvernay production levels that drove higher year over year revenues and margins for the quarter. Additionally, Team Snubbing saw activity in both Canada and the US pick up as work that was deferred in Canada earlier in the year resumed and recent contract awards in the US saw a snubbing package go back to work for the majority of the quarter. Although High Arctics revenues, Adjusted EBITDA and liquidity position are not directly impacted by the results of Team Snubbing because of its minority equity ownership, the management of the liquidity/capitalization of Team Snubbing, including its debt leverage levels continue to be a top priority for High Arctic. Finally, the senior management changes that were made in the quarter resulted in the full separation from High Arctic Overseas Holdings Corp. following the Arrangement, allowing management to focus on the execution of Corporations strategic objectives. High Arctics business is driven by the underlying economics associated with its customers cash flows. These cash flows are driven by their oil and natural gas commodity price hedging and expectations. As customers embark on drilling new oil and natural gas wells, High Arctics business outlook is reliant on decisions on the subsequent activity to complete these wells for production. Therefore, the financial and operational performance of High Arctics rental assets and investment in the snubbing industry are highly dependent on fundamentals associated with both drilling and hydraulic fracturing completion trends in the western Canadian sedimentary basin. As the industry enters the final quarter of 2025, activity and well licensing have softened when compared to 2024 levels. Customer capital allocation decisions to complete wells continue to show signs of deferral. These deferrals have been influenced by factors that include industry consolidation with successor entities revisiting previously planned projects, OPECs continued increase of oil to global supply, global trade tariffs, and geopolitical risks that have collectively served to increase investment uncertainty. While global economic uncertainty persists, Canadas energy industry has opportunities for future growth, due in part to recent energy infrastructure developments. The completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline system expansion in 2024, and the commencement, and subsequent output ramp-up of west coast LNG exports are positive developments supporting improved long-term fundamentals for High Arctics business and the upstream energy services. In summary, the Corporation expects to continue to build on the positive results achieved in the third quarter of 2025 as it executes on its strategic objectives, with progress to date being evidenced by our strong safety performance, balance sheet preservation, general and administrative expense reductions, selective capital expenditure investments supporting organic growth in the rentals business, and oversight of its equity investments. Results Overview The following is a summary of select financial information of the Corporation: Three months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, (thousands of Canadian Dollars, except per share amounts) 2025 2024 2025 2024 Operating results from continuing operations: Revenue continuing operations 2,930 2,506 7,656 8,027 Net income (loss) continuing operations 931 125 516 (1,402) Per share (basic & diluted) (1) 0.07 0.01 0.04 (0.11) Oilfield services operating margin continuing operations (2) 1,541 1,241 3,854 3,782 Oilfield services operating margin as a % of revenue (2) 54.4% 51.5% 52.4% 48.8% EBITDA continuing operations (2) 1,545 528 2,343 (705) Per share (basic & diluted) (1) (4) 0.12 0.04 0.19 (0.06) Adjusted EBITDA continuing operations (2) 757 383 1,743 662 Per share (basic & diluted) (1) (4) 0.06 0.03 0.14 0.05 Operating income (loss) continuing operations (2) 108 1 (274) (2,432) Per share (basic & diluted) (1) (4) 0.01 0.00 (0.02) (0.20) Cash flow from continuing operations: Cash flow from (used in) operating activities continuing operations 551 487 958 (42) Per share (basic & diluted) (1) (4) 0.04 0.04 0.08 0.00 Funds flow from (used in) operating activities continuing operations (2) 744 640 1,549 (46) Per share (basic & diluted) (1) (4) 0.06 0.05 0.12 0.00 Capital expenditures continuing operations 173 630 966 1,445 As at (thousands of Canadian Dollars, except per share amounts and common shares outstanding) Sept 30, 2025 Dec 31, 2024 Financial position: Working capital (2) 4,183 2,692 Cash and cash equivalents 3,052 3,123 Total assets 29,912 30,867 Long-term debt (non-current) 3,047 3,178 Shareholders equity 22,039 21,105 Per share (5) 1.74 1.70 Common shares outstanding (3) (5) 12,696,959 12,448,166 (1) The weighted average number of common shares used in calculating both basic and diluted net income (loss) per share, EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) per share, Adjusted EBITDA per share, operating income (loss) per share, cash flow from operating activities per share, and funds flow from operating activities per share is detailed in Note 13(b) of the Financial Statements. (2) Readers are cautioned that oilfield services operating margin, oilfield services operating margin as percentage of revenue, EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization), Adjusted EBITDA, operating income (loss), funds flow from operating activities and working capital do not have standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. See Non-IFRS Measures for additional details on the calculations of these measures. (3) Pursuant to the de facto four-to-one consolidation of the Corporations outstanding common shares effective August 12, 2024, the number of common shares outstanding and all per-share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to effect the common share consolidation for all prior period comparatives. (4) The number of weighted average common shares used in per share basic calculations for the three months ended September 30, 2025, was 12,696,959 (12,696,959 diluted per share) and for the three months ended September 30, 2024, was 12,448,166 (12,448,270 diluted per share). The number of weighted average common shares used in the per share basic calculation for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 was 12,638,634 (12,638,634 diluted per share) and for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 was 12,338,676 (12,338,676 diluted per share). (5) Shareholders equity per share calculated based on common shares outstanding as at the relevant date. 2025 Q3 Summary Revenue from continuing operations for Q3 2025 was $2,930, an increase of $424 or 17% when compared to $2,506 in Q3 2024. Revenue was positively impacted by the addition of a significant amount of high-pressure stimulation work performed for a new customer. Oilfield services operating margin from continuing operations was $1,541 in the current year quarter compared to $1,241 realized in the prior year quarter. Operating margin percentage improved to 54.4% for Q3 2025 compared to 51.5% for Q3 2024, benefiting from improved higher margin revenues, strong operational expense management and a reduction in lower margin third-party rentals in the current year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was $757 in the current year quarter compared to $383 in the prior year quarter. The increase in Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations in the quarter was primarily due to the improvements achieved in oilfield services operating margin as noted above. Operating income from continuing operations of $108 for Q3 2025 compared to $1 in Q3 2024. The increase in operating income is attributable to improved operational and financial performance of the rental services segment, which more than offset higher general and administrative expense and depreciation and amortization expenses. Net income from continuing operations was $931 in Q3 2025 compared to net income from continuing operations of $125 in Q3 2024. Net income from continuing operations was impacted by the same items impacting operating income, as above, combined with higher income from equity-accounted investments and a larger gain on the disposal of property and equipment, offset by reduced interest income and a reduction of losses on foreign exchange. 2025 Third Quarter YTD Summary Revenue from continuing operations for YTD-2025 was $7,656 compared to $8,027 in YTD-2024. YTD revenue has been negatively impacted by softer customer demand for the first half of 2025 which was partially offset by improvements realized in Q3 2025 as noted above. Weaker revenue in the first half of 2025 was driven primarily by slower customer activity levels due to the deferral of oil and gas drilling completions activity as certain customers undertook a cautious approach to the timing of the deployment of their 2025 capital budgets given volatility in oil and natural gas prices and global economic uncertainty, including impacts from ongoing geopolitical events. Year to date oilfield services operating margin from continuing operations was $3,854 in 2025 compared to $3,782 for YTD-2024. Operating margin percentage improved to 52.4% for YTD-2025 compared to 48.8% for YTD-2024, benefiting from improved higher margin revenues in Q3 2025, strong operational expense management and a reduction in lower margin third-party rentals in the current year. Year to date Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations was $1,743 compared to $662 in the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA from continuing operations benefitted from the improvements in oilfield services operating margin as noted above. Operating loss from continuing operations for YTD-2025 was $274 compared to $2,432 in YTD-2024. The significant reduction in the operating loss is due to improved operational and financial performance of the rental services segment, particularly in Q3 2025, combined with a significant reduction in general and administrative expenses. YTD-2024 general and administrative expenses were impacted by elevated corporate and professional fees related to the Arrangement and integration costs related to the acquisition of Delta. Net income from continuing operations for YTD-2025 was $516 compared to a net loss of $1,402 in YTD-2024. Net income from continuing operations was impacted by the same items impacting operating loss, as above, combined with a higher income from equity-accounted investments, a larger gain on the disposal of property and equipment, a positive fair value adjustment related to contingent consideration, offset by reduced interest income. Non-IFRS Measures This Press Release contains references to certain financial measures that do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to the same or similar measures used by other companies. High Arctic uses these financial measures to assess performance and believes these measures provide useful supplemental information to shareholders and investors. These financial measures are computed on a consistent basis for each reporting period and include EBITDA (Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization), Adjusted EBITDA, oilfield services operating margin and margin percentage, operating income (loss), funds flow from operating activities and working capital. These do not have standardized meanings. These financial measures should not be considered as an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income (loss), cash from operating activities, current assets or current liabilities, cash and/or other measures of financial performance as determined in accordance with IFRS. For additional information regarding non-IFRS measures, including their use to management and investors and reconciliations to measures recognized by IFRS, please refer to the Corporations MD&A, which is available online at www.sedar.com and through High Arctics website at www.haes.ca. Forward-Looking Statements This Press Release contains forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, seek, propose, estimate, expect, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Corporations current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Corporations actual results, performance, or achievements to vary from those described in this Press Release. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this Press Release as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Specific forward-looking statements in this Press Release include, among others, statements pertaining to the following: general economic and business conditions, which will include, among other things, the outlook for the energy industry inclusive of commodity prices, producer activity levels (inclusive of drilling and completions activity) and general energy supply and demand fundamentals that may impact the energy industry as a whole and more specifically as it relates to the Corporations customers in western Canada and Alaska, United States; expectations related to current and future LNG export projects and the impact, if any, on future pricing; the impact, if any, of geo-political events, changes in government, changes to tariffs or related trade policies and the potential impact on the Corporations ability to execute its 2025 strategic objectives; projections of market prices and costs; the Corporations ability to seek and execute accretive acquisitions including the timing thereof and the potential operational and financial benefits; management of general and administrative costs; the performance of the Corporations investment in Team Snubbing; operational and financial performance of the Corporations Canadian rental equipment business in 2025; the Corporations expectation for customer activity levels for 2025; scaling the Corporations Canadian business; execution on one or more corporate transactions; and estimated credit risks. With respect to forward-looking statements contained in this Press Release, the Corporation has made assumptions regarding, among other things, its ability to: maintain its ongoing relationship with major customers; successfully market its services to current and new customers; devise methods for, and achieve its primary objectives; source and obtain equipment from suppliers; successfully manage, operate, and thrive in an environment which is facing uncertainty; remain competitive in all its operations; attract and retain skilled employees; obtain equity and debt financing on satisfactory terms and manage its liquidity risk; raise capital and manage its debt finance agreements; manage general and administrative costs; maintain a strong balance sheet and related financial flexibility; scale the Canadian business; and seek and execute accretive acquisitions in a timely manner and achieve operational and financial benefits therefrom. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: economic and financial conditions, including volatility in commodity prices; volatility in interest and exchange rates and capital markets; the level of demand and financial performance of the energy industry; changes in customer demand; and developments and changes in laws and regulations, including in the energy industry. The Corporations actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of the risk factors set out in the most recent AIF filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The forward-looking statements contained in this Press Release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. These statements are given only as of the date of this Press Release. The Corporation does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise, except as required by law. About High Arctic Energy Services High Arctic is an energy services provider. High Arctic provides pressure control equipment and equipment supporting the high-pressure stimulation of oil and gas wells and other oilfield equipment on a rental basis to exploration and production companies, from its bases in Whitecourt and Red Deer, Alberta. Additionally, High Arctic maintains a minority equity interest in Team Snubbing, a leading provider of well-control services to the oil and gas drilling industry with operations in western Canada and Alaska, US. For further information contact: Lonn Bate Chief Executive Officer (interim) P: 587-318-2218 P: +1 (800) 688 7143 High Arctic Energy Services Inc. Suite 2350, 330 5th Ave SW Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 0L4 website: www.haes.ca Email: info@haes.ca FAIRFIELD, Conn., Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Less than 2 weeks away Register now! C-suite executives from Space City and Texas seeking fresh insight into how technology drives growth, reinvents the enterprise and elevates leadership impact, are invited to attend HMG Strategys 15th Annual Houston CIO Summit and C-Level Technology Leadership Summit on November 20, 2025. This highly anticipated premier technology event is designed for CIOs, CISOs, CEOs, and technology leaders who want to accelerate career ascent, strengthen their IT leadership skills, and connect with peers at the highest levels of the C-suite. The summit is no cost to qualified attendees. Its more important than ever for top-tier CIOs, CISOs, senior technology leaders and CEOs to share knowledge and strategies that will help their organizations innovate and thrive, said Hunter Muller, Founder and CEO of HMG Strategy. Through our CIO Conferences and CISO Leadership forums, we provide a trusted platform where executives connect, inspire, and reinvent their approaches to leadership, cybersecurity, AI, and digital transformation. At HMG, our mission is to foster authentic network connections, deliver actionable insight, and help executives build trusted branding for their careers and companies. Key topics at the 15th Annual Houston C-Level Technology Leadership Summit will include: Navigating the Innovation and Invention Supercycle Using AI and Cutting-Edge Technologies and Partnerships to Boost Business Performance Securing the Future Against Geopolitical Cyber Risks Making Security a Competitive Advantage Visionary Leaders Harnessing Tomorrow's Technology In particular, Tom Peck, Executive Vice President, Chief Information and Digital Officer of Sysco, will give an executive tech talk. Other scheduled speakers for the 15th Annual Houston CIO Leadership and Technology Leadership Summit include: Mandy Andress, CISO, Elastic Edward Block, Senior Counsel, Akin Joe Carroll, CIO, CITGO Petroleum Corp. Mohit Chanana, CISO, Chevron Phillips Chemicals LP Mike Coogan, Vice President, IT Services and CISO, Brinks Home George Crawford, CIO / CISO / Partner, Catapult Energy Services Robyn Doughtie, CIO & Director of IT, Fort Bend County Antonio Marin, CIO, US Med-Equip LLC Kara Pelecky, CIO and Senior Vice President, ABS Allan Sommer, Market Leader, BDO Digital Vaidy Subramanian, CDIO, Daikin Teresa Tonthat, Vice President and Associate CIO, Texas Children's Hospital Clif Triplett, Executive Director, Kearney Dan Turchin, CEO, PeopleReign Denis Zerr, Chief Information and Technology Officer, Radiology Partners (Speaker list subject to change.) In addition, HMG Strategy will present several Houston-area executives with the HMG Strategy 20252026 Global Leadership Institute Awards, recognizing CIOs, CISOs, and technology leaders who are reshaping their organizations and industries. The event will be held at the Houston Country Club, One Potomac Drive, Houston, Texas 77057. Valued Partners so far for the 15th Annual Houston C-Level Technology Leadership Summit include: Presenting Partners: Nutanix, Zero Networks Platinum Partners: Freshworks, Infinidat, HCLTech, Gold Partners: Cisco, Moveworks, Tanium Supporting Partner: Apptio Innovation Accelerator Partner: Cyera Strategic Partners: Egon Zehnder, Heidrick & Struggles, Korn Ferry, Russell Reynolds Associates, Spencer Stuart Alliance Partners: Cyberstarts, Greylock Partners, GTM Capital, Lightspeed, Menlo Ventures, Sequoia Registration for the 15th Annual Houston CIO Summit and C-Level Technology Leadership Summit is now open. Watch for HMG Strategys 2026 calendar of CIO Summits and CIO conferences across the United States and Canada, coming soon. Cant make it yourself? Tell a colleague! The summit is no cost to qualified attendees. Come discover where legends are made. About HMG Strategy HMG Strategy is the worlds leading digital platform for CIO leadership, CISO leadership, and CEO leadership, empowering executives to reimagine the enterprise, drive career ascent, and shape the future of business technology. With a global network of more than 500,000 CIOs, CISOs, CTOs, CDOs, technology leaders, consultants, and C-Suite executives, HMG delivers unmatched opportunities to connect CIO peers, share insight, and accelerate professional development. Founded in 2008 by Hunter Muller, a trusted leadership expert with over 30 years of experience guiding Fortune 2000 executives, HMG Strategy is built on its 7 Pillars of Trust & Inspire. Its unique business-to-business media model generates more than one million weekly digital impressions, delivering powerful visibility for executives and sponsor partners to strengthen their branding and expand their influence. Through its CIO & CISO Executive Leadership Series, CIO events, publications, and Digital Resource Center, HMG Strategy provides world-class coverage of AI, cyber security, IT leadership, digital transformation, SASE, and consulting trends. The Global CIO & CISO Executive Leadership Alliance (CELA) convenes elite leaders to solve todays toughest challenges, while HMGs Global Advisory Services deliver peer-driven research, insights, and intelligence to help executives lead with vision. At HMG, we believe in Trust & Inspire leadership helping executives inspire innovation, expand their network, and create legendary careers. HMG Strategy: Iconic Leadership Where Legends Are Made Contact: Peggy Pedwano, Chief Operations Officer, HMG Strategy 203-221-2702 | peggyp@hmgstrategy.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ebe0e614-5411-45ac-908f-89fcaba1296d Sunrise, Florida, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MedPro Healthcare Staffing proudly announces that Stacey Edwards, Senior Vice President of Talent and Marketing, has been named an Outstanding Mother of the Year by the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County. Edwards is being honored for her leadership and dedication to philanthropy, consistently going above and beyond to support women, children, and families in Broward County. This honor is incredibly meaningful, said Edwards. As a mother and community advocate, Ive always believed that when we lift up others, especially women, children, and families, we strengthen our entire community. Im grateful to be part of an organization like MedPro that shares that commitment. Fostering a Culture of Philanthropy and Community For nearly 10 years, Edwards has been an integral part of MedPro Healthcare Staffings success, shaping the companys culture of compassion and giving back. Under her leadership, MedPro has supported and expanded numerous charitable initiatives that reflect her and the companys passion for community and service. Edwards oversees MedPro Gives, a philanthropic program designed to connect employees through volunteerism and charitable giving. One initiative, Cocktails for Charity, raised more than $11,000 for local nonprofits this year alone. MedPro has also been a proud supporter of Light The Night, benefiting Blood Cancer United. In 2025, the company celebrated its sixth year of participation, earning the title of Top Corporate Team of the Year in South Florida, having raised $37,255 to support patients and families affected by blood cancer. In addition, MedPro has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County for more than five years and was named the organizations 2022 Corporate Partner of the Year for its outstanding participation in the School-to-Work Workplace Mentoring Program. This program was developed under Edwards leadership as a way to serve theunderprivileged youth in our community and show them the way to a brighter future. And for the past 14 years, MedPro has co-hosted The Fort Lauderdale Turkey Trot with the Leadership Broward Foundation. The Thanksgiving morning tradition raised over $163,000 in 2024 alone. Edwards is excited for another sell-out year and hopes to provide MedPros 2025 beneficiary, the Broward Health Foundation, with a record-breaking donation! Beyond her professional achievements, Edwards is deeply rooted in her family and the local community, having been born and raised right here in Broward County. She has been married to her husband, Eric, for 19 years and is the proud Mom to Addison (16), Sydney (14), and Blake (11). Edwards finds joy in sharing her love for leadership and philanthropy with her family and those she loves. About Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County The Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Broward County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving maternal, fetal, and infant health through education, access, and advocacy. The groups Annual Mothers Day Luncheon, now in its 33rd year, celebrates women who exemplify strength, compassion, and dedication to family and community. Edwards will be formally recognized alongside other honorees at the 33rd Annual Mothers Day Luncheon in April 2026. For more information, visit www.hmhbbroward.org About MedPro Healthcare Staffing Founded in 1983, MedPro Healthcare Staffing is a Joint Commission-certified provider of temporary and contract healthcare staffing services to hospitals, government facilities, and medical laboratories across the U.S. Based in Sunrise, Florida, MedPro employs more than 300 corporate professionals dedicated to connecting skilled healthcare providers with facilities in need of exceptional talent. For more information, visit www.medprostaffing.com Attachments NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Tourism and Travel Department of the New Taipei City Government held a kick-off press conference for the 2025 Christmasland in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Mayor Hou Yu-Ih attended the event in person to unveil this years main visual and ten major highlights. The press conference also announced the info on a series of Christmas-themed activities, which will officially begin on Friday, November 14, 2025, and run for 45 consecutive days to create a dazzling festive Christmas atmosphere. The 2025 Christmasland in New Taipei City takes on the theme of a Circus Carnival, collaborating with the world-renowned LINE FRIENDS & LINE FRIENDS minini character IP brand to create all kinds of adorable and interesting installations, which will be distributed in several locations including New Taipei City Plaza, the Banqiao Station Square, the Wanping Park, the Fuzhong Plaza, and Banqiao Bus Terminal. The press conference also revealed ten major event highlights, including Taiwans One and Only! Grand Debut of Dreamy Circus Main Light, which is themed around a Joyful Circus Tent, creating a dazzling main light show with the combination of lighting, music, and kinetic mechanics; Center of Attention! Stunning Opening for the Circus Extravaganza, which will introduce splendid circus performance on the opening night; Brand-New Performance! Concert Projection and LED Stage Synchronization, where light and projection effects are applied dynamically with the changing rhythm of the music to create an immersive audiovisual experience; Global Famous IP! LINE FRIENDS & LINE FRIENDS minini Take Over Christmasland in New Taipei City, where cute LINE FRIENDS characters BROWN, CHOCO, SALLY, CONY, and minini friends lenini, salini, and bnini will appear throughout the areas with themed lights, bringing exclusive Christmas displays and photo spots; Innovative Tech! A Delicious Exploration of the Five-Sense Immersive Experience, where the immersive multisensory themed zone explores the fun and surprise of technology-driven experiences; Eye-Catching Visuals! Brand New Naked-Eye 3D Screen Installation, where large shipping containers are used as the stage to create the new 3D projection technology and visual effects, introducing fresh visual charisma to Christmasland; Travel Overseas in Seconds! Taiwans Most Beautiful European Fairytale Village, where the Banqiao Station Square is transformed into an European-style fairytale village, making people feel as if strolling in the winter wonderland of Europe; Dynamic Mechanical Installations and Performances, where the stunning fusion of lights, mechanics, and sound creates a mesmerizing and futuristic Christmas experience for you; Nationwide Promotion! 7-ELEVEN Marketing Across Taiwan, where collaborations with 7-ELEVEN stores nationwide will feature in-store displays and promotions at the same time to widely promote the info on the 2025 Christmasland in New Taipei City; as well as the Overflowing Cuteness! Limited-Edition CHOCO Popcorn Bucket, which will be launching limited-edition CHOCO Popcorn Bucket, featuring a pastel pink design thats irresistibly adorable! For more event information on the 2025 Christmasland in New Taipei City, please visit the New Taipei City Travel website, or follow New Taipei Tour Facebook fan page or official Instagram account. Caption: The New Taipei City Government launches the 2025 Christmasland Circus Carnival, featuring LINE FRIENDS & LINE FRIENDS minini installations and dazzling festive attractions. Contact: Tourism and Travel Department of New Taipei City Government Ho Chi-wang Tel: +886-2-2960-3456 ext. 4091 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c1214333-1a3e-4eef-84fe-a9b6c954174d WASHINGTON, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, American Humane Society, the countrys first national humane organization, unveiled the winner of the 15th Annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards. The winner is Sgt. Bo, a four-year-old Mixed Breed in the Therapy Dog category, who recently retired after years of comforting children alongside a School Resource Officer in Nashville, TN. The American Humane Hero Dog Awards is a nationwide competition that searches for and recognizes Americas standout dogs in five categories: Therapy Dogs; Service and Guide Dogs; Military Dogs; Law Enforcement and First Responder Dogs; and Shelter Dogs. Earlier this year, Americans nominated hundreds of inspiring dogs from across the country, and five semi-finalists in each of the five categories were selected. After a competitive public voting process, the field of 25 was narrowed down to five incredible finalists. The winner, Sgt. Bo, was then selected and announced live on the TODAY Show. Sgt. Bos journey from stray to hero is extraordinary. Rescued in Florida in 2022, he was paired with Faye, a Metropolitan Nashville School Resource Officer, after she advocated for a program that trains homeless pets as therapy dogs. Though Faye initially worried about his scruffy appearance and skin allergies, their bond formed quickly during training. Sgt. Bo became her trusted partner and a living lesson to students that appearances can be deceiving. Three months later, after the Covenant School shooting, Sgt. Bo and Faye provided steady comfort and safety for students in crisis. Sgt. Bo climbed onto buses, let frightened children rest against him and remained a calming presence at reunions and school drop-offs during the communitys darkest hours. We are thrilled to name Sgt. Bo as American Humanes latest Hero Dog, a distinction that is so well-deserved for both him and his handler, Faye, said Dr. Robin Ganzert, President and CEO of American Humane Society. Sgt. Bo and Faye have brought comfort and emotional support to many children and adults in the Nashville community during profoundly difficult times. Their presence serves as a powerful beacon of hope and safety, exactly the qualities this award seeks to recognize. Sgt. Bo tore his ACL in January 2025, prompting the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to retire him, and Faye retired from the force soon after, not wanting to be without Sgt. Bo by her side. He still visits Covenant weekly and other local schools monthly, helping shy children open up and bringing smiles. Now enjoying retirement with Faye and her husband, Sgt. Bo continues to soothe people of all ages. Sgt. Bo and the four other finalists will be honored at the 15th Annual American Humane Hero Dog Awards and Gala in Palm Beach on January 9. The four other Hero Dog Award Finalists are: Donald is the finalist for the Service and Guide/Hearing Dog category. He is a dedicated guide dog, a six-year-old Labrador Retriever, who changed the life of his veteran handler after she lost her central vision following 25 years of military service. With Donald by her side, she confidently travels the country, hosts events and even skis. Sometimes being a hero means knowing when not to obey. Donald once suddenly stopped and refused to move forward, blocking his handler from stepping ahead, until they realized the sidewalk had been torn up by construction. His instinctive decision to disobey kept his handler out of harms way, and he didnt just follow commands that day, he protected a life. At home, he brings constant joydancing to music, playing hide-and-seek and offering steady guidance through everyday life. Donalds loyalty, heart and heroic service make him more than a guide, hes a true partner and friend. Harrison, the finalist for the Law Enforcement and First Responder Dog category, is a two-year-old Labrador Retriever and Caldwell Countys first electronics scent detection (ESD) K-9, one of only a few certified dogs of his kind in North Carolina. Specially trained to locate hidden electronic devices, he plays a critical role in uncovering digital evidence for a wide range of criminal investigations, with a focus on Internet Crimes Against Children cases. Beyond his investigative work, Harrison provides comfort at community events, delights children, and strengthens relationships between law enforcement and the public. K-9 Ultra is the finalist for the Military category and is a four-year-old Dutch and German Shepherd mix. She is a true professional, fiercely reliable in the field and playful at home. A skilled detection dog, the instant she hears the command seek she locks into mission mode. For example, during a vice-presidential motorcade, her focus and precise detection cleared the route under strict time constraints, ensuring safe movement through a high-threat environment. Off duty, she enjoys hiking, choosing the perfect beach rock, and barking at anything that goes bump in the night. Ultra brings joy, loyalty, and courage to every momenton and off the job. Lieutenant Dan, the finalist for the Emerging Hero/Shelter Dog category, is a seven-year-old Treeing Walker Coonhound born with a severe limb deformity. He lost both hind legs and his tail, but never his zest for life. From hiking and swimming to appearing on screen, he shows the world what it means to be handicapable. His joyful spirit inspires people of all abilities. During his first visit to a local adult program, typically shy participants began smiling, laughing and reaching out to connect. At home, Lieutenant Dan plays with foster pets, many with special needs, helping them gain confidence and live life to the fullest. For more information about the American Humane Hero Dog Awards, visit americanhumane.org. For more information on sponsorship opportunities, email herodoginfo@americanhumane.org About American Humane Society: American Humane Society is the United States first national humane organization and the worlds largest certifier of animal welfare, helping to verify the humane treatment of more than one billion animals across the globe each year. Founded in 1877, American Humane Society has been at the forefront of virtually every major advancement in the humane movement to rescue, care for and protect animals. For more information or to support our life-changing work, please visit www.AmericanHumane.org, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram and subscribe to our channel on YouTube for the latest breaking news and features about the animals with whom we share our Earth. Media Contact: comms@americanhumane.org ANNOUNCEMENT SUBMISSION OF REQUEST FOR THE REVISION OF THE VOLUNTARY SHARE EXCHANGE TENDER OFFER MADE BY EURONEXT N.V. (OFFEROR OR EURONEXT) FOR THE ORDINARY REGISTERED SHARES OF HELLENIC EXCHANGES-ATHENS STOCK EXCHANGE S.A. (ATHEX) TENDER OFFER REVISION 1. In accordance with Article 21, paragraph 2 of Law 3461/2006 as in force (the Law), Euronext announces the following: a) On 30 July 2025, (the Date of the Tender Offer) the Offeror submitted a voluntary tender offer (the Tender Offer) to acquire all ordinary registered shares, each having a nominal value of 0.42 (each, a ATHEX Share) issued by ATHEX, which Euronext and any persons acting in concert (as defined in article 2(e) of the Law) with Euronext, did not hold directly or indirectly as at the Date of the Tender Offer. b) On 3 October 2025, the Hellenic Capital Market Commission (the HCMC) approved the information circular in connection with the Tender Offer (the Information Circular). c) In the terms of the Tender Offer included in the Information Circular, Euronext had set as a prerequisite for the completion of the Tender Offer that no later than the end of the Acceptance Period, at least 38,759,500 ATHEX Shares, corresponding to at least 67% of ATHEXs total voting rights whose exercise is not subject to suspension, shall have been lawfully and validly tendered to the Offeror (the Minimum Number of Shares). Euronext had stated that this prerequisite may be amended in accordance with the provisions of the Law. d) On 7 November 2025 (the Date of the Revision), Euronext submitted to the HCMC a request to revise the Tender Offer. According to the revised terms of the Tender Offer, the minimum number of shares that should have been lawfully and validly tendered to the Offeror for the Tender Offer to complete shall be equal to 30,174,001 ATHEX Shares, corresponding to 50% plus one (1) ATHEX Share of the total voting rights of ATHEX (the Reduced Minimum Number of Shares). e) The above revision of the Tender Offer in relation to the Reduced Minimum Number of Shares remains subject to approval by the HCMC in accordance with Article 21 of the Law. f) The revision of the Tender Offer does not extend the acceptance period of the Tender Offer which started on 6 October 2025 and ends on 17 November 2025, at the end of the business hours of banks operating in Greece (the Acceptance Period). 2. Shareholders who have duly and validly accepted the Tender Offer in accordance with the acceptance procedure described in the Information Circular shall be deemed to have also accepted the revised terms of the Tender Offer. 3. This announcement does not substitute the full text of the Information Circular to which any interested party should refer and read carefully in conjunction with the section hereof headed TENDER OFFER REVISION. 4. Statement of the Advisor Deutsche Bank AG is acting as advisor to Euronext in connection with the Tender Offer and has provided the following statement in accordance with article 12 of the Law: The Tender Offer is an offer consisting exclusively of shares as consideration. For this reason, the credibility of the Tender Offer primarily depends on the Offerors ability to issue and deliver the required number of Consideration Shares to the Accepting Shareholders. Deutsche Bank AG has certified, as per paragraph 4.10 of the Information Circular, that the Offeror has the necessary means to pay the relevant clearance rights to ATHEXCSD, as set out in section 4.10 therein. Furthermore, the Offeror has taken all the corporate actions required and possible to be adopted up to the date of the Information Circular under the laws of The Netherlands in order to increase its share capital through contribution in kind and to issue the Consideration Shares, as described in the Information Circular and subject to the publication the Offerors Exemption Document enabling the issuance of the Consideration Shares (which has been satisfied) and the validly executed private deed of issuance. In addition, the Offeror has taken all appropriate measures in order to perform the additional actions expected to take place and outlined in sections 5.5 of the Information Circular and has appointed the Tender Agent and the Offerors DSS Participant in order to ensure the duly closing of the Tender Offer. In light of the above, the Advisor considers the Tender Offer to be credible. The Offeror has taken all appropriate measures to be able to issue and deliver the Consideration Shares, as described above, and to complete the Tender Offer in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the Information Circular, subject, however, to the revision to section 4.2 (Prerequisite and Conditions of the Tender Offer) described herein and to the occurrence of a force majeure event. In the event of force majeure, the relevant provisions of the Greek Civil Code on the failure to perform obligations without fault shall apply. Nonetheless, the Advisor does not provide any guarantee (within the meaning of Article 847 of the Greek Civil Code) for the fulfilment by the Offeror of the obligation to offer the Consideration Shares or any monetary and other obligations undertaken by the Offeror in the context of the Tender Offer nor does it bear any liability within the meaning of article 729 of the Greek Civil Code. IMPORTANT NOTICES General The Tender Offer described herein is addressed to holders of ATHEX Shares and only to persons to whom it may be lawfully addressed. The Tender Offer will be made in the territory of the Hellenic Republic. The making of the Tender Offer to specific persons who are residents in or nationals or citizens of jurisdictions outside the Hellenic Republic or to custodians, nominees or trustees of such persons (the Excluded Shareholders) may be made only in accordance with the laws of the relevant jurisdiction. It is the responsibility of the Excluded Shareholders and each person wishing to accept the Tender Offer to inform themselves of and ensure compliance with the laws of their respective jurisdictions in relation to the Tender Offer. If you have any doubts about your status, you should consult with your professional advisor in the relevant jurisdiction. The Tender Offer is not being made, directly or indirectly, by mail or by any means in or into any jurisdiction within which, under its laws, rules and regulations, the submission, the making or the presentation of the Tender Offer or the mailing or distribution of the Information Circular to be approved by the HCMC a declaration of acceptance and any other document or material relevant thereto (together, the Relevant Documents) is illegal or contravenes any applicable legislation, rule or regulation (together, the Excluded Territories). Accordingly, copies of any such Relevant Documents and materials will not be, and must not be, directly or indirectly, mailed, distributed or otherwise sent to anyone or from anyone in or into or from any Excluded Territory. No Offeror Shares have been offered or will be offered pursuant to the Tender Offer to the public in the United Kingdom, except that the Offeror Shares may be offered to the public in the United Kingdom at any time: (a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation; (b) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation); or (c) in any other circumstances falling within Section 86 of the FSMA. Provided that no such offer of the Offeror Shares shall require Euronext or the Advisor to publish a prospectus pursuant to Section 85 of the FSMA or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation. For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to the Offeror Shares in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any Offeror Shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any Offeror Shares and the expression UK Prospectus Regulation means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The Consideration Shares have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States absent registration, or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with any applicable state and other securities laws of the United States. This release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Consideration Shares in the United States. Euronext has no intention to register any part of the Tender Offer in the United States or make a public offering of the Consideration Shares in the United States. Any Consideration Shares offered in the United States will be offered only to (i) holders of the Company Shares located outside of the United States and (ii) holders of Company Shares located within the United States that are Qualified Institutional Buyers (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act). Such holders of Company Shares will be required to make such acknowledgements and representations to, and agreements with, Euronext as Euronext may require establishing that they are entitled to receive Consideration Shares pursuant to an exemption from or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act. Accordingly, any holder of Company Shares located within the United States who is not a Qualified Institutional Buyer or who does not make such acknowledgement and representation to establish their entitlement to receive the Consideration Shares is ineligible to participate in the Tender Offer, and any purported acceptance of the Tender Offer by such holder will be ineffective and disregarded. The Tender Offer is being made in the U.S. in reliance on the expected availability of the Tier II exemption pursuant to Rule 14d-1(d) of, and otherwise in compliance with Section 14E of, and Regulation 14E promulgated under, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Greek law. The Tender Offer is not subject to Section 14(d)(1) of, or Regulation 14D promulgated under, the Exchange Act. The Company is not currently subject to the periodic reporting requirements under the Exchange Act and is not required to, and does not, file any reports with the SEC thereunder. Pursuant to exemptive relief granted by the SEC from Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act, during the period of the Tender Offer, Euronext may purchase, or arrange to purchase, whether directly or through any of its affiliates, any broker or other financial institution acting as its agent or any affiliates of any broker or other financial institution acting as its agent, shares of the Company as permitted by applicable law. The Offeror Shares are issued to the Company's existing shareholders in Singapore without the intention of being onsold there, and no documents issued by or on behalf of the Company may be used in any subsequent sale by these shareholders. The Information Circular has not been and will not be lodged with or registered as a prospectus under the Securities and Futures Act 2001 of Singapore with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Therefore, the Information Circular does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of the Offeror Shares in Singapore, whether directly or indirectly, and shall not form the basis of any contract for the issue or sale of the Consideration Shares in Singapore. The Offeror Shares may not be marketed, offered or sold directly or indirectly to the public in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC) and neither this announcement, which has not been submitted to the Chinese Securities and Regulatory Commission, nor any offering material or information contained herein relating to the issuance of the Offeror Shares, may be supplied to the public in the PRC or used in connection with any offer for the subscription or sale of shares to the public in the PRC. Offeror Shares may only be marketed, offered or sold to Chinese institution which are authorized to engage in foreign exchange, business and offshore investment from outside the PRC. Chinese investors may be subject to foreign exchange control approval and filing requirements under the relevant Chinese foreign exchange regulations, as well as offshore investment approval requirements. This announcement is only made available to a limited number of "Professional Investors" within the meaning of the SCAs Board of Directors Decision No. 13 of 2021 Concerning the Financial Activities Rule Book, as amended. By receiving this announcement, the entity to whom it has been issued understands, acknowledges and agrees that it has not been approved by or filed with the UAE Central Bank, the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, the Dubai Financial Services Authority ("DFSA"), the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Abu Dhabi ("FSRA") or any other relevant regulatory or licensing authorities in the UAE, nor has the originator, or any other related party received authorization or licensing from the UAE Central Bank, the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority, the DFSA, the FSRA, or any other authorities in the UAE. This announcement does not constitute a public offer of Offeror Shares in the UAE in accordance with the UAE SCA Chairman of the Board Resolution No. (11/R.M) of 2016 On the Regulations for Issuing and Offering Shares of Public Joint Stock Companies, Federal Decree-No. 32 of 2021 on Commercial Companies, or otherwise. The announcement does not constitute a disclosure document for the purposes of the Australian Corporations Act 2001 (Corporations Act) and has not been submitted to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. If you have received this announcement in Australia, you represent and warrant that you are an existing shareholder of ATHEX and that you are a sophisticated investor, professional investor, or another investor to whom disclosure is not required under Part 6D.2 of the Corporations Act. The Offeror Shares may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act ("FinSA") and no application has or will be made to admit the Offeror Shares to trading on any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland. The Information Circular and any related offering or marketing materials regarding the Offeror Shares do not constitute a prospectus under the FinSA and must not be publicly distributed or made available in Switzerland. The Offeror Shares have not been licensed for offering in Kuwait by the Kuwait Capital Markets Authority or any other relevant Kuwaiti government agency. The offering of the Offeror Shares in Kuwait on the basis a private placement or public offering is, therefore, restricted in accordance with Law No. 7 of 2010 and the bylaws thereto (as amended). No private or public offering of the Offeror Shares is being made in Kuwait, and no agreement relating to the sale of the Ordinary Shares will be concluded in Kuwait. No marketing or solicitation or inducement activities are being used to offer or market the Offeror Shares in Kuwait. The Offeror Shares may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the Offeror Shares must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws. The Offeror Shares have not been and will not be registered in Japan pursuant to Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended, the "FIEA") in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements since the offering constitutes the private placement to qualified institutional investors only as provided for in "i" of Article 2, Paragraph 3, Item 2 of the FIEA. A transferor of the Offeror Shares shall not transfer or resell them except where a transferee is a qualified institutional investor under Article 10 of the Cabinet Office Ordinance concerning Definitions provided in Article 2 of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (the Ministry of Finance Ordinance No. 14 of 1993, as amended). This announcement does not constitute an invitation to the public in the Cayman Islands. Any invitation to participate in the Tender Offer is not being conducted in or from with the Cayman Islands or a place of business in the Cayman Islands. No person receiving a copy of this announcement or of any Relevant Document in any jurisdiction outside the Hellenic Republic may treat any such document as if it constituted a solicitation or offer to such person and under no circumstances may such person use any Relevant Document if, in the relevant jurisdiction, such solicitation or offer may not be lawfully made to such person or if such Relevant Document may not be lawfully used without breaching any legal requirements. In those instances, any such Relevant Document is sent for information purposes only. This regulatory announcement does not contain, constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or subscribe or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for any securities in any jurisdiction, and neither this regulatory announcement (nor any part of it) nor the fact of its distribution form the basis of, or may be relied upon in connection with, or act as any inducement to enter into, any contract or commitment whatsoever. Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The information contained in this announcement does not purport to be full or complete. The exact dates of the Tender Offer may change. This announcement contains forward-looking statements which are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties which change over time and relate to, amongst others, the business activities and certain plans and objectives that Euronext has in respect of the ATHEX Group and the Euronext Group. In some cases, the forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as may, hope, might, can, could, will, should, expect, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential or continue, intends and the negative of these terms accordingly. There are many factors (for instance, without limitation, commercial, operational, economic, political and financial), as a consequence of which the actual results and the actual developments may potentially substantially differ from the plans and the objectives of Euronext and the ATHEX Group set out in this announcement. As such, Euronext and the ATHEX Group evolve in a highly competitive landscape and rapidly changing environment, where new risks and uncertainties not specifically described herein this announcement may emerge from time to time and it is not possible to predict all risks and uncertainties. Although Euronext believes that, as of the date of this announcement, the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Euronext cannot assure you that future events will meet these expectations. Moreover, neither Euronext nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements. After the date of this announcement, unless Euronext is required by applicable law to update these forward-looking statements, Euronext will not necessarily update any of these forward-looking statements to conform them either to actual results or to changes in expectations. Attachment VALLOUREC ANNOUNCES A TRANSITION IN ITS FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Meudon (France), November, 7th 2025 Vallourec, a world leader in premium seamless tubular solutions, announces that its Chief Financial Officer, Sascha Bibert, has decided to leave the Group to pursue an opportunity in Germany. Sascha Bibert will leave the Group in December after a transition period with his successor. Mr. Biberts replacement, has already been identified and will join Vallourecs Executive Committee upon taking up his position in early December. Philippe Guillemot, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the Vallourec Group, stated: Together with the entire Executive Committee, I would like to warmly thank Sascha for his dedication and professionalism over the past four years. Sascha has contributed to implementing the New Vallourec plan, which has enabled the Group to regain its position as leader in our industry. I wish him every success in his future endeavors. About Vallourec Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions for the energy markets and for demanding industrial applications such as oil & gas wells in harsh environments, new generation power plants, challenging architectural projects, and high-performance mechanical equipment. Vallourecs pioneering spirit and cutting-edge R&D open new technological frontiers. With close to 13,000 dedicated and passionate employees in more than 20 countries, Vallourec works hand-in-hand with its customers to offer more than just tubes: Vallourec delivers innovative, safe, competitive and smart tubular solutions, to make every project possible. Listed on Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0013506730, Ticker VK), Vallourec is part of the CAC Mid 60, SBF 120 and Next 150 indices and is eligible for Deferred Settlement Service. In the United States, Vallourec has established a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R4074, Ticker: VLOWY). Parity between ADR and a Vallourec ordinary share has been set at 5:1. For further information, please contact: Investors relations: Connor Lynagh Tel : +1 (713) 409-7842 connor.lynagh@vallourec.com Individual shareholders: Toll Free Number (From France): 0 805 65 10 10 actionnaires@vallourec.com Press relations: Taddeo Romain Griere Tel : +33 (0)7 86 53 17 29 romain.griere@taddeo.fr Nicolas Escoulan Tel : +33 (0)6 42 19 14 74 nicolas.escoulan@taddeo.fr Attachment LONDON, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pixalate , the leading global platform for ad fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics, today released the United Kingdom (U.K.) October 2025 Publisher Trust Index (PTI) rankings for open programmatic advertising traffic quality across mobile apps on the Apple App Store, Google Play Store, websites, and major Connected TV (CTV) platforms, including Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. The Publisher Trust Index provides a comprehensive method for assessing quality and offers monthly rankings of the world's websites and apps, bringing unprecedented transparency to the open programmatic advertising ecosystem. In addition to the United Kingdom ( UK ) report, Pixalate also released Publisher Trust Indexes for the United States (U.S.) , Germany , Japan , and Brazil . UK Mobile PTI Rankings (October 2025) Apple App Store Google Play Store UK Web PTI Rankings (October 2025) Web UK CTV PTI Rankings (October 2025) Roku Samsung Smart TV Amazon Fire TV Apple TV Download the full rankings here . Pixalate's data science team analyzed 28 billion+ global open programmatic ad impressions across over 17 million mobile apps, Connected TV apps, and websites in October 2025 to compile this report. Pixalate uses its proprietary algorithms to measure quality metrics, including invalid traffic (IVT or ad fraud), Made For Advertising (MFA) risk, brand safety, ad density, viewability, reach, and more. The Publisher Trust Index spans rankings for 235+ countries across all four global regions: North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, and provides breakdowns by 20+ different IAB taxonomy categories. Built on Pixalate's Media Rating Terminal (MRT), which includes Bundle ID Verification, Ad Fraud Risk Ratings, Monthly Active Users (MAU), and more, the Publisher Trust Index offers clear, consistent rankings. Publisher Trust Index: Methodology . Download the Reports About Pixalate Pixalate is a global platform specializing in privacy compliance, ad fraud prevention, and digital ad supply chain data intelligence. Founded in 2012, Pixalate is trusted by regulators, data researchers, advertisers, publishers, ad tech platforms, and financial analysts across the Connected TV (CTV), mobile app, and website ecosystems. Pixalate is accredited by the MRC for the detection and filtration of Sophisticated Invalid Traffic (SIVT). pixalate.com DISCLAIMER The content of this press release, and the UK October 2025 Publisher Trust Index (PTI) Ranking Report (the Report), reflects Pixalate's opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes may be useful to the digital media industry. Any data shared is grounded in Pixalates proprietary technology and analytics, which Pixalate is continuously evaluating and updating. Any references to outside sources should not be construed as endorsements. Pixalate's opinions are just that, opinions, which means that they are neither facts nor guarantees. Pixalate is sharing this data not to impugn the standing or reputation of any entity, person or app, but, instead, to report findings and trends pertaining to programmatic advertising activity across in the time period studied. Per the Media Rating Council (MRC), Invalid Traffic is defined generally as traffic that does not meet certain ad serving quality or completeness criteria, or otherwise does not represent legitimate ad traffic that should be included in measurement counts. Among the reasons why ad traffic may be deemed invalid is it is a result of non-human traffic (spiders, bots, etc.), or activity designed to produce fraudulent traffic. Where the traffic characteristics are suggestive of deliberate intent to mislead, such IVT is often referred to as ad fraud. Also per the MRC, 'Fraud' is not intended to represent fraud as defined in various laws, statutes and ordinances or as conventionally used in U.S. Court or other legal proceedings, but rather a custom definition strictly for advertising measurement purposes. Nina Talcott ntalcott@pixalate.com Charleston, SC, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Trudy Adler's pride in her sons acceptance to Peach State Polytechnical, a prestigious engineering school in Atlanta, quickly turns to despair when she receives a shocking call from the university's dean. Nick, her only child, has been hospitalized at Messiah Spinal Center, paralyzed from the neck down, and no one will tell her what happened. Grappling with her sons devastating condition and desperate for answers, Trudy turns to Daniel Slater, a seasoned trial attorney. However, the path to justice is obstructed by Nicks persistent loyalty to his fraternity and evasiveness from the university and fraternity. Initiation at the Scum Pond, inspired by true events, reveals the dark realities of fraternity culture. As Slater navigates the murky waters of legal proceedings, he faces aggressive resistance from both the Gamma Beta Gamma fraternity and the university, determined to protect their reputations. Vandalism at Trudy's home and threats against Slater and his family escalate the tension, adding significant stress to an already difficult lawsuit. Through relentless investigation, Slater uncovers the secret fraternity traditions and culture that led to Nicks paralysis, exposing the extent of hazing and the lengths institutions will go to cloak the depths of the fraternitys misconduct. The courtroom becomes a battleground filled with twists and turns, conflicting testimonies and hidden truths, culminating in a dramatic climax challenging the very foundations of loyalty, truth, and justice. Key themes in Initiation at the Scum Pond include: The impact of fraternity hazing on students and families The struggle for justice against powerful institutions The complexities of loyalty and betrayal The pursuit of truth in a web of secrecy and cover-ups The emotional toll of a life-altering tragedy and protracted litigation David Schaeffer, Esq. structures the narrative to highlight the resilience of a mother fighting for her sons future and the pressure on her lawyer to obtain a just result. Will the cause of Nicks paralysis finally be revealed or will the fraternity's secrets remain buried? Can a jury untangle the conflicting testimony and render a unanimous verdict which speaks the truth? Initiation at the Scum Pond is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. About the Author: David Schaeffer, Esq. practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia, for 40 years, serving as President of the Atlanta Bar Association and Chair of its Litigation Section. He graduated from Duke University and the University of Virginia School of Law. Schaeffer is the author of Five Big Mountains, Another Five Big Mountains, and Letters from Sweden and a member and speaker at the Charleston Library Society. Currently residing in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, he is married to Kim Schaeffer and has two adult children, Daniel and Lora. His latest work, Initiation at the Scum Pond, reflects his legal expertise and insights into fraternity culture, appealing to lawyers, students, and book clubs alike. Media Contact: David Schaeffer, Esq. dschaefferlawfirm@gmail.com Available for interviews: Author, David Schaeffer, Esq. 404-309-9536 Attachment SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meriwest Credit Union Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Chad Maze has been selected as the 2025 C-Suite COO Award winner by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. This prestigious recognition celebrates Maze's exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and transformative impact on the region's business landscape, highlighting his role in driving operational excellence and member-centric innovation at Meriwest. The Silicon Valley Business Journal's annual C-Suite Awards honors top executives whose contributions have shaped their organizations, industries, and communities. Maze was chosen from a competitive field of nominees from across all industries for his ability to foster growth, navigate complex challenges, and deliver measurable results in a dynamic financial services environment. Maze's proactive leadership has been instrumental in accelerating Meriwest's growth trajectory, with the credit union approaching nearly $2.2 billion in assets and serving over 80,000 families and businesses across the San Francisco Bay Area. His strategic initiatives have enhanced member experiences, streamlined operations for greater efficiency, and reinforced Meriwest's reputation for delivering advice-based, personalized financial services. "This award is a testament to Chads contributions and is a fitting recognition of his relentless drive to innovate and serve," said Lisa Pesta, President and CEO of Meriwest Credit Union. "His work has not only strengthened our team but has directly improved the financial well-being of our members and our communities. Expressing his gratitude, Maze remarked, "I am deeply honored to receive this award. Thank you to the Silicon Valley Business Journal for recognizing the work that credit unions play in our communities. Meriwests success is a collective effort rooted in collaboration and a shared passion for putting members first. I'm excited to continue building on our momentum to deliver even greater value in the years ahead." About Meriwest Credit Union Founded in San Jose, California in 1961, Meriwest Credit Union, ($2.1B in assets) is one of Silicon Valleys most established financial institutions. Dedicated to delivering advice-based, personal, convenient, and innovative financial services to over 80,000 families and businesses throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Pima County, Arizona, Meriwest offers a wide array of personal banking, business services, and wealth advisory services. Meriwest has been voted one of the Best Credit Unions in Silicon Valley in the Mercury News Annual Readers Choice Awards and a Best Place to Work by the Silicon Valley Business Journal 2020 through 2025. More information can be found at www.meriwest.com . Media Contact: Jeffrey Zane, Meriwest Credit Union Public Relations, 408-612-1484, jzane@meriwest.com NEW YORK, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dave Cantin Group (DCG) today announced that Grammy Award-winning artist Nelly will headline its 2026 NADA event taking place on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at LIV Las Vegas Nightclub at the Fontainebleau Hotel. This years format features a 1,500-person capacity including 100 tables that will be individually reserved for industry leaders from automotive groups, manufacturers and other industry-related organizations. Individual VIP access will be available for non-table guests. Joining Nelly on stage will be hip-hop heavyweights Fat Joe and Rev Run, making this years invite-only event the most anticipated night of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) conference. The vision for this years event is bigger than the Dave Cantin Group. We are bringing together influential people from across the industry to celebrate our collective success and to honor the resiliency of the greatest industry in the world, said Dave Cantin, CEO of Dave Cantin Group. DCG, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisory company to retail automotive groups and their owners, has been crowned The Undisputed Kings of the Afterparty by Automotive News for hosting some of the industrys most legendary celebrations. Past NADA events have featured performances by Third Eye Blind and Almost Queen as well as fireside chats with Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard and Grant Cardone. This years headliner, Nelly, whose chart-topping hits Country Grammar, Hot in Herre and Dilemma helped bring hip-hop into the mainstream, will deliver what promises to be one of the most talked-about performances at NADA. Joining him are two icons synonymous with hip-hop history: Fat Joe, the Bronx-born rapper and actor behind the hit Lean Back and countless collaborations that defined the late 90s and 2000s; and Rev Run, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and founding member of Run-D.M.C. whose anthems Its Tricky and Walk This Way continue to transcend generations. The format and the talent are both very intentional. The large venue with tables allows us to extend invites to entire organizations who can bring their guests to share in the experience, said Brian Gordon, President of Dave Cantin Group. He continued, our talent is universally known, and their music is the kind that gets people up to sing along as if it were a room of 1,500 close friends. Event Details Date: Thursday, February 5, 2026 Private Invite Only Time: 9:00 p.m. until the early morning Venue: LIV Las Vegas Nightclub at the Fontainebleau Hotel To request a VIP invitation or inquire about an exclusive table, reach out to your DCG contact or email specialevents@davecantingroup.com. About Dave Cantin Group The Dave Cantin Group is a leading automotive M&A advisory company specializing in acquisitions, divestitures, intelligence and other advisory services. The company is the M&A services provider of choice for North Americas top automotive dealership groups, advising on approximately 40 transactions annually. DCG is differentiated by its advisory approach, long-term client relationships and commitment to market intelligence tools that inform client strategy. Through its M&A intelligence division, DCG produces automotive insights and delivers timely market intelligence including the Market Outlook Report (MOR) and the Inside M&A studio show and podcast with CBT News. DCGs proprietary AI-enabled platform Jump IQ anchors its advisory services to help retail automotive dealers make smarter data-driven M&A decisions. The companys nonprofit initiative DCG Giving funds child and adolescent cancer research and treatment across the United States and supports other charitable causes. For more information, visit www.davecantingroup.com. Media Contact: Katie Merx Dave Cantin Group katiemerx@gmail.com +1 313.510.5090 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/80ab57f6-32c2-403b-94f5-3a37c509f2fc LOS ANGELES, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Portnoy Law Firm advises Inspire Medical, (Inspire or the "Company") (NYSE: INSP) investors off a class action on behalf of investors that bought securities between August 6, 2024 and August 4, 2025, inclusive (the Class Period). Inspire investors have until January 5, 2025 to file a lead plaintiff motion. Investors are encouraged to contact attorney Lesley F. Portnoy, by phone 844-767-8529 or email: lesley@portnoylaw.com, to discuss their legal rights, or join the case via https://portnoylaw.com/inspire-medical. The Portnoy Law Firm can provide a complimentary case evaluation and discuss investors options for pursuing claims to recover their losses. The Inspire Medical class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Inspire V launch was a disaster because demand for Inspire V was poor, as providers had significant amounts of surplus inventory and were reluctant to transition to a new treatment; and (ii) contrary to defendants' statements assuring investors that Inspire Medical had taken all necessary steps to ensure a successful launch and, later, that the launch was in fact proceeding successfully - Inspire Medical had failed to complete basic tasks that were essential predicates to launch. The Inspire Medical investor class action alleges that on August 4, 2025, Inspire Medical revealed that the Inspire V launch was facing an "elongated timeframe" due to a number of previously undisclosed headwinds. "[M]any centers did not complete the training, contracting and onboarding criteria required prior to the purchase and implant of [Inspire V]," the complaint alleges. Defendants further admitted that, although Inspire V's CPT code had been approved for Medicare patients, "software updates for claims submissions and processing did not take effect until July 1," which meant that "implanting centers would not be able to bill for those procedures until July 1," the lawsuit alleges. Finally, the lawsuit claims that investors also learned for the first time that the Inspire V rollout was plagued by poor demand resulting from excess inventory. As a result, Inspire Medical reduced its 2025 earnings guidance by more than 80%, the Inspire Medical investor class action alleges. On this news, the price of Inspire Medical's common stock declined more than 32%, the complaint alleges. The Portnoy Law Firm represents investors in pursuing claims caused by corporate wrongdoing. The Firms founding partner has recovered over $5.5 billion for aggrieved investors. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Lesley F. Portnoy, Esq. Admitted CA, NY and TX Bar lesley@portnoylaw.com 310-692-8883 www.portnoylaw.com Attorney Advertising Customer Experience Expert Dan Gingiss on Earning and Keeping Customer Loyalty in a Crisis US Flight Reductions Put Airline Customer Experience to the Test Dan Gingiss on Earning and Keeping Customer Loyalty in a Crisis CHICAGO, IL, Nov. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Experience Maker, LLC, a customer experience consultancy founded by CX expert Dan Gingiss, today released a new industry commentary and practical guide in response to the FAAs mandated 10% flight reduction across 40 major U.S. markets. The commentary outlines how airline customer service responses during this crisis are shaping public trust and offers specific steps travelers can take to navigate disruptions. As the FAA mandates a 10% reduction in flights across 40 major U.S. markets due to air traffic controller shortages, millions of travelers are bracing for cancellations and disruptions. But beyond the logistics lies the real test: how airlines respond to customers when it matters most. Dan Gingiss, customer experience expert, international keynote speaker, and founder of The Experience Maker, says the current situation is not just about managing delays it is about managing trust. Experience is the last competitive advantage. And in moments like these, empathy and clarity arent soft skills theyre survival skills, says Gingiss. His latest article, US Flight Reductions and Customer Fallout: How Airlines Can Win or Lose in Crisis, analyzes how United, Delta, American, and Southwest responded to the FAA directive, revealing sharp contrasts in transparency, tone, and customer care. Key findings from the article include: Transparency over perfection Uniteds CEO-led messaging set the tone early and helped manage expectations. Uniteds CEO-led messaging set the tone early and helped manage expectations. Empathy matters Delta and Southwest were operationally sound but emotionally flat. Delta and Southwest were operationally sound but emotionally flat. Vague language fails Americans generic response risked undermining customer trust. Americans generic response risked undermining customer trust. Process beats panic Calm, consistent communication reassures better than reactive damage control. Gingiss also offers practical advice for affected passengers including using mobile apps and social media direct messaging instead of call centers, acting fast on rebooking options, and booking refundable backup flights. Dan Gingiss, a frequent flier himself, is available for interviews and expert commentary on: Airline customer experience during FAA-mandated flight reductions What consumers can do to protect themselves in case of flight disruptions Brand trust in crisis situations Best practices in CX communication and recovery Read the full article: US Flight Reductions and Customer Fallout: How Airlines Can Win or Lose in Crisis About The Experience Maker, LLC The Experience Maker, LLC is the organization behind global customer experience (CX) expert Dan Gingiss. The company provides training services such as keynote speaking, hands-on workshops, and virtual webinars, plus bespoke CX advisory services. Dan Gingiss is an international keynote speaker and customer experience expert with a dynamic and engaging speaking style that has captivated hundreds of audiences around the globe. Believing that a remarkable customer experience is the ultimate competitive advantage, Dan shares insights from his 20-year professional career that included leadership positions at McDonalds, Discover, and Humana. Dan is the author of "Becoming The Experience Maker: Turn Everyday Interactions Into Remarkable Customer Experiences." Press inquiries The Experience Maker, LLC https://dangingiss.com Dan Gingiss dan@dangingiss.com (508) 266-5326 The students from Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf have safely arrived in Sri Lanka and already had the chance to meet their exchange partners. On Wednesday, November 29, the Goethe-Institut visited the German and Sri Lankan students in Kalpitiya. The program began with an introduction to the institutes diverse areas of work by Jan Ramesh de Saram, the representative of the Cultural Programs Department. As part of the new focus on Bio-Design, he highlighted innovative ideas from a young biodesign researcher who focuses on sustainable development. Her particular focus lies on the issue of overfishing and the idea of fostering new ecological balances and creating alternative sources of income through the targeted cultivation of seaweed. Afterwards, Lihan Mendis led a theater workshop that started with various warm-up and icebreaker activities to strengthen group cohesion. In the second half, participants engaged creatively with the topic of sustainability. Working in small groups, they developed short scenes addressing everyday environmental challenges for example, a sea turtle getting trapped in plastic waste or a dog nearly choking on garbage left behind in the city. The students were encouraged not only to highlight environmental problems but also to develop and act out possible solutions. In this way, the workshop combined artistic expression with sustainability goals, fostering both individual and collective responsibility for natural resources. At the same time, it promoted intercultural exchange and understanding between the German and Sri Lankan students. Vancouver, November 6, 2025 - Lion Copper and Gold Corp. (CSE: LEO) (OTCQB: LCGMF) ("Lion CG", or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement (the "Debenture Financing") of secured convertible debentures ("Debentures") for gross proceeds of US$2,700,000. The Debentures bear interest at the rate of 12% per annum and will mature on the date that is 12 months from issuance. The principal amount of the Debentures may be converted into common shares of the Company at US$0.0965 per share until November 6, 2026. Interest may be settled in shares priced at the time of repayment or conversion of the note at the option of the Company. The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for the purchase of lands and associated mineral rights for the Company's Yerington area projects. The repayment of the Debentures will be secured against the lands and mineral rights to be purchased with the proceeds of the Offering. In connection with the sale of the Debentures, the Company issued to the purchasers one detachable warrant (a "Warrant") for every US$0.0965 of principal amount of the Debentures subscribed for. The Company issued 27,979,274 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") to the purchasers. Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire a common share of the Company at a price of US$0.0965 until November 6, 2030. Pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"), the Company advises that one insider who is a director and a control person of the Company participated in the Debenture Financing for the principal amount of US$1,400,000, which constitutes a "related party transaction". The Company is relying on the exemptions from the formal valuation requirements contained in section 5.5(a) and section 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the securities issued to the related party do not exceed 25% of the Company's market capitalization. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the Debenture Financing, as the details of the Debenture Financing and the participation therein by related parties of the Company were not settled until shortly prior to closing and the Company wanted to improve its financial position as expeditiously as possible. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months expiring on March 7, 2026. The securities are also subject to restrictions on resale under Rule 144 under US Securities laws, which in general requires that the securities be held for six to twelve months prior to being eligible for resale. The securities offered have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such province, state or jurisdiction. Early Warning Report Tony Alford, a director of the Company, acquired Debentures in the principal amount of US$1,400,000 and 14,507,772 Warrants for the total purchase price of US$1,400,000 pursuant to the Debenture Financing. Immediately prior to the Debenture Financing, Mr. Alford owned 127,849,604 common shares of the Company, representing approximately 30.94% of the Company's total issued and outstanding common shares on an undiluted basis. In addition, immediately prior to completion of the Private Placement, Mr. Alford owned an aggregate of 59,768,240 Warrants and 29,995,000 stock options. Exercising all of his warrants and options would bring his total to 217,612,844 common shares or 43.26% (partially diluted). Following completion of the Debenture Financing, Mr. Alford owns and/or has control over an aggregate of 74,276,012 Warrants, 29,995,000 stock options, and Debentures of principal amount of US$1,400,000, which, if exercised or converted, would result in Mr. Alford holding 246,628,388 common shares, representing approximately 46.36% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company on a partially diluted basis, assuming that no further common shares of the Issuer have been issued, resulting in an increase of approximately 3.09% of the Company's issued and outstanding common shares on a partially diluted basis. Mr. Alford acquired the securities for investment purposes. Mr. Alford may, depending on market and other conditions, increase or decrease his beneficial ownership of the Company's securities, whether in the open market, by privately negotiated agreements or otherwise, subject to a number of factors, including general market conditions and other available investment and business opportunities. The disclosure respecting Mr. Alford's shareholdings of the Company contained in this press release is made pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 62-104 Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids and a report respecting the above acquisition will be filed with the applicable securities commissions using the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR+) and will be available for viewing at www.sedarplus.ca. About Lion CG Lion Copper and Gold Corp. is advancing its flagship copper project in Yerington, Nevada through an Option to Earn-in Agreement with Nuton LLC, a Rio Tinto Venture. Further information can be found at www.lioncg.com. On behalf of the Board of Directors, John Banning Chief Executive Officer Neither Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Except for statements of historical fact, any information contained in this news release may be a forwardlooking statement that reflects the Company's current views about future events and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the terms of the Offering, the terms of the Notes, the conversion price of the principal amount and interest, the intended use of proceeds, the Offering including a related party transaction, and the exemptions under MI 61-101 which the Company intends to rely. Although the Company believes that it has a reasonable basis for each forward-looking statement, we caution you that these statements are based on a combination of facts and factors currently known by us and our expectations of the future, about which we cannot be certain. The Company cannot assure that the actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forwardlooking statements speak only as of the date of this news release and the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forwardlooking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273575 Vancouver, November 6, 2025 - Doubleview Gold Corp. (TSXV: DBG) (OTCQB: DBLVF) (FSE: 1D4) (the "Company" or "Doubleview") announces it has closed the first tranche (the "First Tranche") of its non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement") of non-flow-through units (the "Units") as previously announced in the Company's news release dated October 30, 2025. The Company is pleased to announce that due to shareholder response it has increased its Non-Flow Through Offering from $5 mill to up to $7.25 million. The Company further notes that it will reduce its Flow through Share offering from $5 million to $1.5 million, The First Tranche consisted of the issuance of 8,242,857 Non-Flow Through Units at a price of $0.70 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $5,769,999.90. Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company (a "Share") and one common share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional Share at a price of $1.00 for a period of 24 months from the closing date, subject to an accelerated expiry date at the option of the Company in the event the ten (10) day volume-weighted average price of the Shares on the TSX.V for any ten (10) consecutive trading days is $1.25 or more. Proceeds from the First Tranche will be used to fund the current exploration program on the Company's BC projects, particularly for the polymetallic Hat Project located in northwestern BC, and for general working capital. In connection with the closing of the first tranche the Company will pay finders fees to Ventum Financial Corp. the fees include $350,000 in Cash and 500,000 non transferable Finders warrants issued under the same terms as the Units noted above. All securities issued pursuant to the First Tranche are subject to a four-month-and-one-day hold period expiring March 7, 2026, in accordance with applicable securities laws. The Private Placement is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company anticipates closing the remaining Non flow through and the flow-through portion of the Private Placement in the coming weeks. About Doubleview Gold Corp A mineral resource exploration and development company is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is publicly traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: DBG) (OTCQB: DBLVF) (WKN: A1W038) and (FSE: 1D4). Doubleview focuses on identifying, acquiring, and financing precious and base metal exploration projects across North America, with a strong emphasis on British Columbia. The company enhances shareholder value through the acquisition and exploration of high-quality gold, copper, cobalt, scandium, and silver projects-collectively critical minerals-utilizing cutting-edge exploration techniques. Doubleview's success is deeply rooted in the unwavering support of its long-term shareholders, supporters, and institutional investors. Their ongoing commitment has been instrumental in advancing the company's strategic initiatives. Doubleview looks forward to further collaborative growth and development and continues to welcome active participation from its valued stakeholders as the company expands its portfolio and strengthens its position in the critical minerals sector. About the Hat Polymetallic Deposit The Hat Deposit, located in northwestern British Columbia, is a polymetallic porphyry project with major resources of copper, gold, cobalt, and the potential for scandium. As one of the region's significant sources of critical minerals, the Hat deposit has undergone targeted exploration and development. The 0.2% CuEq cut-off resource estimate, as of the recently completed Mineral Resource Estimate and the Company's July 25, 2024, news release, is summarized below: Average Grade Metal Content Open Pit Model Hat Resource Category Tonnage CuEq Cu Co Au Ag CuEq Cu Co Au Ag Mt % % % g/t g/t million lb million lb million lb thousand oz thousand oz In Pit Indicated 150 0.408 0.221 0.008 0.19 0.42 1,353 733 28 929 2,045 Inferred 477 0.344 0.185 0.009 0.15 0.49 3,619 1,945 91 2,328 7,575 Scandium potential for the Hat Deposit is estimated to be 300 to 500 million tonnes at an average grade of 40 ppm (0.004%) Sc 2 O 3 . For further details, please refer to the Company's July 25, 2024 news release. Qualified Person: Erik Ostensoe, P. Geo., a consulting geologist, and Doubleview's Qualified Person with respect to the Hat Project as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed, and approved the written technical disclosure contained in the news release. He is not independent of Doubleview as he is a shareholder in the company. On behalf of the Board of Directors, Farshad Shirvani, President & Chief Executive Officer NEITHER 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. The information contained herein contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives and assumptions made as of the date of this news release, including without limitation: the size of the Private Placement and other statements concerning the Private Placement; the anticipated use of proceeds from the Private Placement; the renunciation to the purchasers of FT Shares and timing thereof; the tax treatment of the FT Shares and the Company's plans regarding exploring its mineral exploration properties; anticipated results of geophysical drilling programs, geological interpretations and potential mineral recovery. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "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 to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate funding on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to the gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty or reliance on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law, to reflect new information, events or circumstances, or changes in management's estimates, projections or opinions. Actual events or results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements or from the Company's expectations or projections. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/273579 Vancouver - Vanguard Mining Corp. ("Vanguard" or the "Company") (CSE: UUU | OTC: UUUFF | Frankfurt: SL51) is pleased to announce that it has commenced its 2025 diamond drill program (the "Drill Program") at its 100%-owned Redonda Copper-Molybdenum Project (the "Project"), located in the Vancouver Mining Division near Campbell River, British Columbia. The Drill Program is guided by targets and structural corridors interpreted from the previously announced Precision GeoSurveys Inc. ("Precision") airborne geophysical survey, integrated with results from recent drilling and surface sampling. Recent drilling at Redonda returned intervals of up to 142.6 metres (467.8 feet) grading 0.279% Cu and 0.0281% Mo, while surface sampling yielded near-surface intervals ranging from 3.1 metres (10.17 feet) to 48 metres (157.4 feet) grading 0.529% CuEq (See News Release dated January 25, 2024). David Greenway, CEO of Vanguard Mining Corp., commented: "Drilling is now underway at Redonda, launching our 2025 program and the next leg of growth for Vanguard. Permits are in hand, budgets set, and crews turning-we're executing a deep-drill campaign on the highest-priority targets defined by recent geophysics and prior holes. Earlier work delivered a 174-metre mineralized interval from surface and strong surface sampling averaging ~0.5% CuEq, giving us clear vectors to chase at depth. British Columbia remains a top-tier jurisdiction for responsible development, and Canada's new Major Projects Office signals a commitment to advancing critical projects efficiently. Our goal this season is simple: build on the 2023-2024 discovery and start defining the true scale of the Redonda system." Click Image To View Full Size Figure 1. Drilling Underway at Redonda Copper-Molybdenum Project To execute the program, Vanguard has engaged Paradigm Drilling Ltd. ("Paradigm Drilling"), which will deploy a Boyles T-75 hydraulic, track-mounted diamond drill equipped with NQ tooling and capable of testing targets to depths exceeding 600 metres. Initial drill pads are permitted and in preparation, with step-out holes planned to evaluate the continuity of porphyry-style copper-molybdenum mineralization along prioritized structural trends. Vanguard will work in close collaboration with the Klahoose First Nation ("Klahoose") throughout the campaign, prioritizing local labour, training opportunities, and the use of Klahoose-affiliated service providers for logistics where practicable. The Company will maintain ongoing engagement as activities progress, including regular updates on work plans and timelines, incorporation of feedback into field operations, and adherence to cultural heritage protocols and environmental best practices within Klahoose Traditional Territory. Vanguard will coordinate site access, safety, and environmental monitoring with Klahoose representatives and will continue to explore additional opportunities for capacity building and economic participation as the program advances. The Project is fully permitted to commence drilling, and the Company is fully funded for the proposed exploration program. The 2025 program is designed to follow up on a near-surface Copper/Moly discovery announced in 2023 and 2024. 2025 Program Scope and Targeting The Company is currently permitted for up to 10 drill sites and is evaluating an aggressive 2025 program that includes detailed geological mapping of brecciation trends and deeper drilling below 500 metres within the known potassic core. Mineralized zones remain open to the north and south, with potential extensions along an old road system ~1 kilometre to the northwest. To the south, mineralization is interpreted to plunge beneath the Coast Plutonic Complex, where follow-up airborne geophysics and subsequent drilling are warranted. In addition, extensive iron skarns identified on the east side of Redonda Island may represent part of a larger magmatic-hydrothermal system at depth, reinforcing the Project's district-scale potential. Program Highlights Mobilization underway for 2025 diamond drilling at Redonda (2,746.46 ha), near Campbell River, BC. Up to 10 permitted drill sites; program contemplates deeper holes (500 m) into potassic core and detailed mapping of brecciation trends. Prior work indicates mineralization open north-south, with a possible NW extension (~1 km) along an old road system. Southern plunge beneath the Coast Plutonic Complex to be assessed with additional geophysics and drilling. Iron-skarn occurrences on east Redonda Island support a district-scale magmatic-hydrothermal model. Paradigm Drilling engaged; Boyles B-15 rig with NQ tooling to test 600 m depth. Ongoing collaboration with the Klahoose First Nation for labour and logistics. The Company will provide updates on drill start, meterage, and subsequent assay results as they become available. Target Generation from 2024 Airborne Geophysics Drill hole locations have been selected using a combination of historical datasets and results from the Company's late-2024 airborne geophysical survey, which integrated total magnetic intensity, gradient magnetics, and radiometrics. The survey delineates strong correlations with mapped geological domains, including a northeast-southwest-trending fault system exhibiting right-lateral offset and several circular magnetic lows interpreted as potential intrusive centres. Radiometric potassium anomalies define arcuate potassic-alteration zones-key vectors in porphyry copper-molybdenum systems-focusing priority targets both adjacent to historical drilling and along newly defined structural corridors. The full airborne data package, including GeoTIFF magnetic and radiometric maps, will be made available on the Company's website to illustrate the scale and quality of the Redonda exploration opportunity. Click Image To View Full Size Figure 1: 2024 Airborne Magnetics (RTP) with lineaments - See release About Redonda The Redonda Project comprises nine mineral claims totaling 2,746.46 ha, located approximately 40 km northeast of Campbell River, British Columbia. The property is accessible year-round via scheduled barge service from Campbell River (e.g., MarineLink or other contract barges), with on-site access provided by 5 km of recently upgraded logging road from Redonda Bay. Active forestry maintains an extensive network of forest service roads across the claims. Field work in 2021 was conducted under a Letter of Support from the Klahoose First Nation within their Traditional Territory, together with a Free Use Permit, Drill Permit, and IP Exemption issued by the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation (EMLI). Consultation with the Homalko First Nation has concluded, and a permit for additional drill sites is being issued. Redonda lies within the Coast Suture Zone between the Wrangellia Terrane and the Coast Plutonic Complex. Early Cretaceous dioritic intrusions of the Coast Plutonic Complex are cut by at least three later intrusive phases: (i) a quartz plug; (ii) a wide, hornblende-rich dike locally brecciated over ~600 metres of exposed length; and (iii) several smaller feldspar dikes near the southwestern margin of the hornblende body. Copper-molybdenum mineralization is most concentrated along the hornblende dike, particularly within brecciated zones. The geological setting shares several characteristics with nearby porphyry systems, including the OKover copper-molybdenum deposit located ~34 km to the southeast (north of Powell River) and the Gambier Copper deposit in Howe Sound. Qualified Person The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by J. T. Shearer, M.Sc., D.I.C., P.Geo. (BC & Ontario), a consulting geologist who is a "Qualified Person" as defined under National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43- 101"). Mr. Shearer is not at arm's length with Vanguard Mining. 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, Nov. 07, 2025 - It is with great sadness that Marimaca Copper Corp. ("Marimaca" or the "Company") (TSX:MARI, ASX:MC2) announces the sudden passing of Mr. Colin Kinley, Director of the Company. The Board and Company express their sincere condolences to Karen, Cooper, and Claire, their extended family and friends. Colin joined Marimaca (formerly Coro Mining) as a Director in 2016, became Chairman from 2017-2018, and was most recently Chair of the Audit Committee. He was a well-respected member of the Board, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to Marimaca from his distinguished career that extended far beyond his technical expertise. He was an internationally respected explorationist within the natural resources sector, whose contributions to the Company, and industry, will be greatly missed. "We are all shocked at this news. Colin has been a steadfast member of the Marimaca team since well before my involvement. He was a steadying hand through the difficult times as a Company, which has built the foundation for our current success. My connection with Colin precedes my involvement with Marimaca, having had the pleasure of working separately, albeit briefly, with his son, Cooper. It was this connection that formed many of our interactions as he updated me, with great pride, on his beloved family. Our thoughts and condolences are with them at this incredibly difficult time." Said Mr. Hayden Locke, President & CEO of Marimaca Copper Colin's seat on the Board will remain vacant until a new Director is proposed and confirmed at the next annual meeting of shareholders. This news release is authorized for release by the Board of Directors of Marimaca. Contact Information For further information please visit www.marimaca.com or contact: Tavistock +44 (0) 207 920 3150 Emily Moss / Ruairi Millar marimaca@tavistock.co.uk International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (the "Company") - (TSX: ITH) (NYSE American: THM) today announced that it has filed its unaudited third quarter Financial Statements and associated Management Discussion and Analysis and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three- and nine-month period ended September 30, 2025. Shareholders can obtain copies of the Company's unaudited third quarter Financial Statements and associated Management Discussion and Analysis and Form 10-Q on SEDAR+ at: www.sedarplus.ca, EDGAR at www.sec.gov and on the Company's website at: www.ithmines.com. The Company will also provide hard copies of these documents, free of charge, to shareholders who request a copy directly from the Company. About International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. has a 100% interest in its Livengood Gold Project located along the paved Elliott Highway, 70 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. On behalf of International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (signed) Karl L. Hanneman Chief Executive Officer This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/international-tower-hill-mines-files-2025-third-quarter-financial-results-302607674.html SOURCE International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. New Age Metals Inc. (TSX.V: NAM; OTCQB: NMTLF; FSE: P7J.F) ("NAM" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has engaged Axiom Exploration Group Ltd. ("Axiom") to complete a helicopter-borne Xcite Time Domain Electromagnetic (TDEM) survey. A LiDAR survey over Company's Sentinel Antimony Property in central Newfoundland will be conducted in Spring of 2026. Highlights: First modern airborne geophysical program over the Sentinel Property. High-resolution 100-metre line spacing TDEM survey with co-collection of magnetic date is being conducted now. Collection of LiDAR data will be completed in the Spring of 2026. The property is ideally situated along trend of the Beaver Brook Antimony Mine, Canada's only primary antimony producer, which hosted a historical resource of 2.2 million tonnes grading 3.99% Sb at a 1.5% cut-off grade (Sandeman et al., 2018) 1. It is also adjacent to New Found Gold Corp.'s Queensway South Gold Project, the ~80-kilometre-long southern extension of the highly gold-mineralized Queensway North trend2 Management investigates a number of Fintech Companies providing trade solutions and transparency. The Sentinel Property lies approximately 5-km southwest along trend of the Beaver Brook Antimony Mine, Canada's only primary (past) producer of antimony (Figure 1). The mine hosts high-grade stibnite-quartz mineralization within conductive, graphitic sedimentary units of the Indian Islands and Davidsville Groups; features that define the Beaver Brook Mineralized Horizon (Sandeman et al., 2018). Click Image To View Full Size Figure 1: Overview Map of NAM's Central Newfoundland Au-Sb Projects Showing Planned Xcite Flight Lines Over the Sentinel Property The XCITE survey will consist of approximately 460 line-kilometres flown at 100-metre line spacing using NRG's Xcite TDEM system, designed to identify conductive horizons that may correspond to graphitic sedimentary units known to host antimony-bearing structures at Beaver Brook. "This is the first modern electromagnetic survey conducted over the Sentinel Property," stated Harry Barr, Chairman & CEO of New Age Metals. "Our goal is to identify conductive trends that could represent graphitic faults or sedimentary horizons associated with the mineralized structures at the Beaver Brook Mine. The data from this high-resolution Xcite survey will be insightful in allowing our technical team to define high-priority drill targets." LiDAR and electromagnetic data, magnetic and LiDAR datasets will be co-collected, in order to aid in geological interpretation, structural analysis, and terrain modelling. LiDAR will be conducted in the Spring of 2026. The results will be processed and inverted to generate 3D conductivity models, allowing for the identification of potential fault-hosted conductors and graphitic horizons analogous to those that host stibnite mineralization at Beaver Brook. About the Beaver Brook Antimony Trend The past-producing Beaver Brook Antimony Mine area hosts epithermal, fracture-controlled stibnite-quartz mineralization along a 4-km strike length within graphitic sedimentary rocks of the Indian Islands and Davidsville Groups. These graphitic horizons are important structural and geochemical markers that focus mineralization along thrust and fault zones (Sandeman et al., 2018). Next Steps Upon completion of the airborne survey, Axiom will deliver conductivity depth imaging (CDI) products and magnetic maps to guide ground follow-up. NAM intends to integrate the geophysical results with soil geochemistry and lithostructural mapping to prioritize future drill targets. Adjacent Property Disclaimer The exploration results and geological information disclosed herein relating to adjacent or nearby properties are not necessarily indicative of the mineral potential of the Company's properties. The Company has no interest in or right to acquire any interest in the properties referenced. Mineralization hosted on adjacent or nearby properties is not necessarily representative of mineralization that may be hosted on the Company's property. Qualified Person Dr. William Stone, Ph.D., P.Geo., NAM's Lead Geoscience Consultant and a Qualified Person ("QP") as defined by NI 43-101 has reviewed, prepared and approved all the scientific and technical information disclosed in this press release. About NAM New Age Metals is a junior mineral exploration and development company focused on the discovery, exploration, and development of precious and critical metal projects in North America. The Company has 4 divisions: a Platinum Group Element division, a Lithium/Rare Element division, Newfoundland Gold-Antimony division and the Bonanza Gold Project located in the Kenora Mining District, Ontario. The PGE Division includes the 100% owned, River Valley Project, one of North America's largest undeveloped Platinum Group Element Projects, situated 100 km by road east of Sudbury, Ontario. In addition to River Valley, NAM owns 100% of the Genesis PGE-Cu-Ni Property in Alaska. The Company's Lithium Division is one of the largest mineral claim holders in the Winnipeg River Pegmatite Field, where the Company is exploring for hard rock lithium and various rare elements such as tantalum, rubidium, and cesium. NAM is developing its lithium division in conjunction with its Farm-in/Joint Venture agreement with Mineral Resources Ltd. ("MinRes"), one of the worlds largest lithium producers. A budget for May 2025 to April 2026 will be submitted to Mineral Resources Ltd (MRL, ASX: MIN) for approval. On June 17th, 2024, NAM announced the participation in the University of Manitoba's sustainable mineral exploration grant for $1.5 million, which will be shared equally with Grid Metals. The University of Manitoba researchers are poised to unlock more sustainable ways to extract mineral resources, thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council ("NSERC"). By harnessing the collective expertise of academia, industry, and government, the complex challenges facing the critical minerals industry can be addressed to create sustainable solutions for the future. Management is currently aggressively seeking new mineral acquisition opportunities on an international scale. Our philosophy is to be a project generator with the objective of optioning our projects with major and junior mining companies through to production. The Company is actively seeking an option/joint venture partner for its River Valley Palladium Project and its road-accessible Genesis PGE-Cu-Ni Property in Alaska. Investors are invited to visit the New Age Metals website at www.newagemetals.com where they can review the company and its corporate activities. Any questions or comments can be directed to info@newagemetals.com or Harry Barr at Hbarr@newagemetals.com or Farid Mammadov at faridm@newagemetals.com or call 613 659 2773. Opt-in List If you have not done so already, we encourage you to sign up on our website (www.newagemetals.com) to receive our updated news. On behalf of the Board of Directors "Harry Barr" Harry G. Barr Chairman and CEO 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. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements may differ materially from actual future events or results and are based on current expectations or beliefs. For this purpose, statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements include statements in which the Company uses words such as "continue", "efforts", "expect", "believe", "anticipate", "confident", "intend", "strategy", "plan", "will", "estimate", "project", "goal", "target", "prospects", "optimistic" or similar expressions. These statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially depending on a variety of important factors, including, among others, the Company's ability and continuation of efforts to timely and completely make available adequate current public information, additional or different regulatory and legal requirements and restrictions that may be imposed, and other factors as may be discussed in the documents filed by the Company on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), including the most recent reports that identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to review or confirm analysts' expectations or estimates or to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. 1 Sandeman et al. (2018). Beaver Brook Antimony Mine Revised: An update on operations and new structural and geological observations. Current Research Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Natural resources. Geological Survey Report 18-1, p. 123-152. 2 New Found Gold Corp. Website (March 2025). Available at: https://newfoundgold.ca/project/queensway-project/ The Office of Public Accountabilitys Report 25-11 on the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs is a wake-up call for anyone who cares about those who wore the uniform. It paints a picture of a small, overworked team trying to serve roughly 24,000 active claimants with only nine employeesbarely enough to staff one shift at a clinic, much less meet the growing needs of Guams veteran community. Moreover, only three to five individuals on the entire islandacross both the government office and volunteer agenciesare officially certified as veteran service officers. That single fact should stop us cold. When fewer than five certified VSOs are responsible for helping tens of thousands of veterans file, update and appeal complex federal claims, the result is predictable: month-long wait times, incomplete paperwork, delayed benefits, and burned-out staff. Its not a lack of passionits a lack of capacity. OPA Report 25-11 also flagged outdated filing systems, inadequate cybersecurity, paper records and weak data trackingconditions unworthy of a community that aspires to be a tech and innovation hub. VSO vs VSR A veteran service officer is VA-certified and authorized to represent veterans and access VA systems. A veteran service representativegovernment staff or volunteerscan help gather documents and prepare claims but must work under a certified VSOs guidance. Guam doesnt have enough certified VSOs, and training takes time. The smart play now is a hybrid model: empower competent VSRs to work in concert with certified VSOs so service doesnt stall while we grow capacity. HMIs monthly bootcamps HMI Guams monthly Veterans Benefits Bootcampsheld in village mayors offices and community centershave helped hundreds of veterans each year complete claims, find missing paperwork, and secure overdue benefits. This is exactly the kind of capability GOVA should be contracting and scaling, not duplicating or sidelining. Publicprivate partnerships If we want real results, we must rethink delivery. A publicprivate partnership keeps the government as regulator and data steward while funding qualified community partnersHMI Guam, American Legion, VFWto handle outreach, intake and registry support in coordination with certified VSOs. This immediately expands reach, improves quality, and ensures fewer veterans slip through the cracks. Commission, task force Guams governor and Legislature believed so strongly in improving efficiency and effectiveness for veterans that they officially chartered a Veterans Commission to be a collaborative voice for change. That was the right idea. The simple fact, however, is that the Commission is not working: meetings are irregular, participation isnt as inclusive as it should be, and sessions have not been efficient or effective. In that vacuum, an unofficial Guam Veterans Joint Task Forcea coalition of grassroots veteran organizationshas stepped up to do the work the Commission should be doing: coordinating outreach, running bootcamps and pushing solutions forward. The fix is not to compete with this energy but to formalize and integrate itseat these doers at the table and resource them to deliver. Year of trilogy Lets be clear about the timeline: 2024: Year of the Veteran. 2025: Year of the Veteran Count. 2026 must be the Year of the Veteran System. Recognition was important. Counting builds the evidence to right-size resources. Now we must executebuild a durable, digital, partnership-powered system that actually delivers. Guams veterans faced down wars, deployments and years away from family. They should not have to fight their own system when they come home. OPA Report 25-11 didnt just expose weaknessesit illuminated the path forward: technology, training and teamwork. Heres the playbook for 2026 and beyond: Scale capacity fast: Train and certify more VSOs while empowering supervised VSRs now. Digitize and secure: Stand up a modern case-management and electronic registry, end paper files, and protect PII. Fund PPPs: Contract trusted veteran organizations for islandwide outreach and claims support. Fix governance: Reform the Veterans Commission to be inclusive, reliable, and results-drivenand formally integrate the Guam Veterans Joint Task Force so the people getting results are the people shaping the system. Guams veterans deserve more than promises. They deserve a system that works. Lets build ittogether. Theres no immediate threat to the Marianas from a North Korea launch on Friday, the Guam Homeland Security and Office of Civil Defense said in a statement. South Korea's military reported North Korea fired at least one ballistic missile toward its eastern waters. The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense, in conjunction with the Mariana Regional Fusion Center, federal and military partners, continue to monitor events surrounding the region including reports of the recent launch of an unidentified projectile out of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea on Friday. At this time, there is no indication of any direct threat to the Marianas from the reported activity, said Esther Aguigui, Guam Homeland Security advisor, in a statement. Our agencies remain in close coordination with federal, territorial, and military partners to ensure continuous monitoring and to provide timely updates as needed. North Korea has been accelerating the pace of its weapons testing in recent weeks, including the firing of purported hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles last month that it said expanded the capabilities of its nuclear-armed military, the Associated Press reported. South Koreas military previously said it detected the North firing 10 rounds of artillery into its western waters on Monday as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began a two-day visit to South Korea, AP reported. The joint chiefs also said the North fired the same number of rounds on Saturday afternoon, before a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Koreas Gyeongju, where Lee called for a stronger role by Beijing to persuade the North to return to dialogue with Washington and Seoul. 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 Haiti - Insecurity : Historic record of displaced persons The number of people displaced by violence and instability in Haiti has reached an unprecedented level, with more than 1.4 million people forced to flee their homes this year. According to the latest report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the number of people displaced by violence and instability in Haiti has reached an unprecedented level, with more than 1.4 million people forced to flee their homes this year. This is the highest figure ever recorded in the country, representing a 36% increase since the end of 2024. "The severity of this crisis demands an intensified response," said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM Chief of Mission in Haiti. "The generosity of Haitian communities hosting displaced people must be matched by renewed international support. What is needed now are sustainable solutions that allow Haitians suffering through this long and complex crisis to regain their dignity, improve their resilience, and have alternatives." According to the report, the crisis extends far beyond the capital. Nearly 64% of new displacements have occurred outside Port-au-Prince, particularly in the Central and Artibonite departments, confirming the trend observed in previous assessments. Existing reception sites are overcrowded and lack basic services. Meanwhile, the number of spontaneous displacement sites has steadily increased, rising from 142 in December to 238 today. Local communities continue to bear the brunt of this relentless influx, hosting approximately 85% of displaced persons despite the growing strain on limited resources. Women and children are the most affected by the conflict, representing more than half of the displaced population in Haiti. Many families have been separated, with parents sending their children to relatives in safer areas in a desperate effort to protect them. Along the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, communities are experiencing further tensions, as more than 207,000 deported Haitians have returned since January 2025 to a country where gang violence has escalated. In response to this complex and rapidly evolving crisis, IOM has expanded its operations beyond the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, strengthening its presence in provincial areas also affected by violence. On the ground, IOM teams are providing emergency shelter, clean water, protection services, health care, mental health services, psychosocial support, and livelihoods to vulnerable families. Working with authorities, partners, and community members, IOM is also working to build security and resilience in communities. To this end, it invests in education, employment, and community programs for young people, as well as in community-led rehabilitation of public infrastructure. This inclusive approach, based on the principles of disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration, aims to restore peace and stability in Haiti. As humanitarian needs continue to rise, IOM renews its appeal to the international community to increase its funding and improve access to aid. Its goal is to ensure that emergency assistance reaches those who need it most, while also investing in long-term solutions that address the root causes of displacement. Without immediate and sustained support, the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced and expelled Haitians will only worsen. IOM/ HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Post-Melissa : Health Minister's Tour of the Great South As part of the Government's response to Hurricane Melissa, Dr. Sinal Bertrand, Minister of Public Health, began an assessment tour of the Great South on Wednesday, November 5. Arriving by helicopter, the Minister was accompanied by the World Food Programme (WFP) team, UNICEF, Dr. Martial Beneche, Director of the Expanded Program on Immunization, and several Ministry officials. Upon arrival, he was greeted by Dr. Esther Ceus-Dumond, Departmental Director of Health for Nippes, and her team, who accompanied the delegation throughout the first day of the tour. The tour began with a debriefing session at the WFP regional office in Chalon, where the mission's timeline and response priorities were reviewed. The Minister then traveled to Petit-Goave, one of the areas hardest hit by the torrential rains of Cyclone Melissa. There, the delegation visited the Municipal Emergency Operations Center before going to Notre-Dame Hospital in Petit-Goave, headed by Dr. Fred Jasmin. Minister Sinal commended the leadership of the Medical Director and the hospital staff for their exemplary management of the influx of patients in distress following the disaster. During his visit, six new letters of assignment were officially presented to bolster the medical staff, particularly in surgery, pediatrics, and other priority specialties, and to increase the hospital's capacity to respond to health emergencies. Dr. Sinal then visited a shelter housing more than fifty displaced children. He praised the community's mobilization and confirmed that the Government would cover the medical and educational needs of these children. He then met with several families of victims to express the State's support and reiterate the Ministry's commitment to providing psychological and medical assistance. Upon returning to the Nippes department, Sinal visited the construction site of the administrative building for the Nippes Health Directorate (DSNI), where finishing and fencing work will resume soon. At the same site, he also inspected the area reserved for the departmental incinerator, construction of which is scheduled to begin very soon. The Minister then visited the premises of the Cuban medical brigade supporting the DSNI, where he commended the exemplary collaboration between Cuban specialists and Haitian staff, particularly at Sainte-Therese Hospital in Miragoane. The day concluded with a comprehensive evaluation of the hospital, where the Minister toured the maternity, pediatric, and emergency departments, expressing his satisfaction with the overall operation and the dedication of the teams on the ground. As part of this tour, a convoy of food, hygiene, and sanitation kits was transported to Petit-Goave with logistical support from the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the National Health Directorate (DSNI). Simultaneously, three trucks carrying medical supplies and emergency equipment were shipped from Port-au-Prince to the Grand Sud region to rapidly reinforce health infrastructure and prevent the risk of epidemics in the affected areas. The Minister commended the remarkable leadership of the DSNI, which, from the very first hours of Tropical Cyclone Melissa, mobilized its resources to provide assistance to the population and support the West Department, particularly the neighboring city of Petit-Goave. Late in the evening, Dr. Sinal Bertrand left Miragoane for the South and Grand'Anse departments, where he will continue his tour over the weekend to assess and coordinate post-Melissa health interventions. HL/ HaitiLibre Haiti - Politic : The MCI and the private sector commit to reducing community violence On Thursday, November 6, 2025, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI), in partnership with the Regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Haiti and the United Nations system, organized a new session of the Private Sector Engagement Forum for Reducing Community Violence in Haiti at the Karibe Convention Center (Petion-ville). The forum was held in the presence of Frinel Joseph, Presidential Advisor; Pedrica Saint Jean, Minister for the Status of Women; James Monazard, Minister of Commerce and Industry; Yvener Neptune, Coordinator of the Task Force; Ms. Greetanjali Narayan, United Nations Representative in Haiti; Marie Goretti Nduwayo, Head of UN Women in Haiti; a Kenyan delegation representing the Gang Supression Force (GSF); and several other figures from the public and private sectors and civil society. This initiative, which falls within the framework of the implementation of the National Action Plan for Disarmament, Demobilization, Reintegration, and Reduction of Community Violence (DDR-RVC), aims to analyze the economic, social, and historical causes of violence, while mobilizing the private sector to create sustainable economic opportunities capable of breaking the dynamics of marginalization and exclusion. During this forum, discussions highlighted the need to develop economic governance based on consultation, to co-create solutions adapted to local realities, and to sustainably integrate the private sector into the national stabilization strategy. The overall objective remains the consolidation of a collective response that strengthens communities, supports local employment, and promotes social peace. In his address, Councilor Frinel Joseph reiterated that a return to constitutional order will only be meaningful in a climate of peace, where every citizen, entrepreneur, and worker feels protected and respected. He emphasized that the implementation of the DDR-RVC Plan is a crucial lever for peace and development, calling for increased involvement of the private sector in youth reintegration, community reconstruction, and social dialogue. In his remarks, Minister Monazard stated that he was honored by the holding of this second session, following the one organized in Cap-Haitien last July (https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45467-haiti-politic-councilor-saint-cyr-calls-for-renewed-commitment-from-the-private-sector.html). The Minister of Commerce and Industry indicated that, in the short term, his administration is implementing technical and financial support programs in areas still unaffected by violence, in order to provide young people with concrete means to start businesses, create enterprises, and actively participate in economic life. Further on, the Minister stated his plans to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the most vulnerable neighborhoods, with the aim of facilitating access to financing for young project leaders and collaborating closely with businesses to promote the creation of decent and sustainable jobs. He emphasized the importance of placing inclusive economic development at the heart of the fight against insecurity, making investment, employment, and social cohesion essential levers for restoring national stability and building a safer and more resilient future for all citizens. In her speech, Ms. Pedrica Saint Jean, Minister for the Status of Women, commended the private sector's commitment to reducing community violence and economic reconstruction, with particular attention to the central role of women. She reiterated that women no longer want to be beneficiaries, but rather active participants in peacebuilding, social cohesion, and economic recovery. She stated that "peace is built with women, and the economy cannot recover without them." Furthermore, she presented several significant initiatives that her Ministry intends to implement to support women's active participation in community mediation, economic recovery, and social reconstruction. The Minister also issued an urgent appeal to the Haitian private sector, urging it to resolutely integrate a gender perspective into its investment and governance strategies, emphasizing that "without the genuine and structured participation of women, there can be no lasting peace or robust economic recovery." In conclusion, the Minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to building, alongside the women of Haiti, an inclusive, peaceful, and resilient society where women are recognized as pillars of stability and essential actors in national development. HL/ S/ HaitiLibre Bavaria is moving to the Microsoft cloud: The state government intends to conclude a contract with the US corporation by the end of the year for the use of the cloud office package Microsoft 365. The aim is to conclude "a new consolidated Enterprise Agreement (EA) for state authorities," according to a presentation by the responsible Bavarian Ministry of Finance, which c't has obtained. Continue after ad As a first step, ministries and authorities of the Free State are to use the cloud services. According to the presentation, the "Bavaria Contract" is also intended to serve as the basis for a "municipal contract" through which cities and municipalities can procure Microsoft 365. The presentation names the M365 E5 package, including Teams, as a specific product. The Ministry of Finance did not provide information on the planned contract duration and expected costs when asked by c't. A spokeswoman for CSU Minister Albert Furacker merely stated that the Free State and municipalities are currently centrally clarifying "questions regarding the use of cloud-based services (esp. Microsoft 365)." This also included questions of data protection, IT security, technical implementation, and digital sovereignty. License costs in the billions? Representatives of Bavarian IT and open-source companies are sharply criticizing the planned Microsoft deal in an open letter: "Almost one billion euros in license costs would flow to the US corporation over five years." These funds would be "withdrawn from the Bavarian economy, especially from innovative software manufacturers in the state," according to the letter, which was initiated by B1 Systems, OpenProject, the Heinlein Group, and the Association for the Promotion of IT from Europe (ITE), among others. The open-source companies arrive at the sum of almost one billion euros over five years through a rough calculation: The list price of Microsoft 365 E5 including Teams is 59.70 euros per user per month. They estimate the costs, including discounts, at approximately 55 euros per month per workplace, with the number of employees in the state of Bavaria, excluding teachers, being around 270,000. That would be about 180 million euros per year. In reality, Microsoft's discounts could be higher, but the number of users would increase if subordinate public organizations or municipalities were added. Criticism from the Greens and SPD Continue after ad The opposition in the Bavarian state parliament is also criticizing the planned deal. "Bavaria is a leading high-tech location with outstanding research, a strong digital economy, and a growing open-source community," said Benjamin Adjei, spokesperson for Digital Affairs for the Green parliamentary group. "But instead of leveraging this strength, the state government prefers to rely on US providers. First, the analysis platform VeRA was awarded to Palantir, and now hundreds of millions are to flow into Microsoft clouds." Florian von Brunn, spokesperson for Economy, Energy, and Digital Affairs in the SPD parliamentary group, told c't: "I am quite astonished that digital independence from the USA and Trump plays no role for the Soder government. Furthermore, it irritates me that such a contract is awarded abroad without considering domestic companies." Other federal states and the federal government are taking different approaches. The SPD representative has submitted a written inquiry with numerous questions to the state government, for example, regarding the total volume of procurement and considerations of economic efficiency compared to open-source alternatives such as openDesk. (cwo) 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. From four to one: With the digital omnibus law, with which the EU Commission wants to simplify some rules in the digital sector at once, the Open Data Directive, the Free Flow of non-personal Data Regulation, the Data Governance Act, and the Data Act are to become a single lawthe then revised Data Act. Continue after ad The meaningful parts of the regulations, which originated at different times, are to be transferred to the Data Act, explained the Deputy Director-General of the Commission's Directorate-General Connect, Renate Nikolay, at an event hosted by the Federal Association of the Digital Economy (BVDW) in Berlin on Wednesday evening. This is intended to ensure that in the future, primarily a law with rules on data usage will stand alongside the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Nikolay explained the initiative. In fact, the various legal acts partially overlapped. Cookies soon in GDPR? However, the GDPR itself is also to be amended in terms of content, reported the high-ranking EU official responsible for the omnibus initiative. On the one hand, the European Court of Justice has recently expanded the possibility of further use of pseudonymized data in its case law, which is now to be taken up and further specified by the Commission. On the other hand, a regulation for the handling of cookies is also to be included in the General Data Protection Regulation, after this topic has so far been addressed in the interplay between the GDPR and the outdated E-Privacy Directive. Data retention is to get its legal act Further elements of the revision, conceived as a complementary regulation to the GDPR and officially declared a failure this year, are to find a new regulatory home in other legal acts, such as the Digital Networks Act, which was recently postponed to January 2026. A planned EU-wide regulation on data retention is also to be included in its own legal act. With the proposals for simplification now announced, the EU Commission would also address some of the wishes that the Federal Government had previously sent to Brussels had. But even if the EU Commission and the member states could agree relatively quickly on this, when the proposals officially land on the table in two weeks, without the approval of the European Parliament, they could not become law. Continue after ad (fds) 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 decision comes less than a month after reports emerged that Gunvor, a multinational commodity trader, had offered to buy Lukoils overseas assets in a deal worth an estimated $22 billion. The deal would have included Finnish oil company Teboil, which is currently owned by Lukoil. Energy trading firm Gunvor Group has withdrawn its bid to acquire Russian oil giant Lukoils international operations, citing a warning issued by the U.S. Treasury Department. The U.S. Treasury, under President Donald Trump, made clear last week that the acquisition would not receive regulatory approval. In a post on social media platform X, the department said Gunvor would be denied an operating licence if the deal went ahead. President Trump has made it clear: the war must end immediately. As long as Vladimir Putin continues senseless killing, Kremlin puppet Gunvor will not be allowed to operate or profit, the department stated. Gunvor responded by announcing the withdrawal of its offer. Company spokesperson Seth Pietras told Reuters in an emailed comment that the U.S. statement was fundamentally incorrect and false, but confirmed that the company was stepping back from the acquisition. The proposed transaction had already drawn attention due to Gunvors past connections to the Russian leadership. One of Gunvors co-founders, Gennady Timchenko, is a close associate of Putin and remains subject to European Union sanctions. Although he sold his stake in Gunvor in 2014, questions over the companys links to Moscow have persisted. The Financial Times and Reuters were first to report the cancellation. HT The company confirmed it has stopped receiving fuel shipments. As storage runs out, service stations are reporting shortages of various fuel grades. Teboils Head of Marketing and Communications Toni Flyckt wrote to Helsingin Sanomat that some stations have already run dry and the number is increasing each day. Fuel company Teboil has begun winding down its operations in Finland after US sanctions against its Russian parent company Lukoil disrupted deliveries and halted financial transactions. New deliveries have been suspended. We are prepared to resume them immediately if the situation changes, Flyckt stated, adding that all previous supplies had come from the companys own terminals. The disruption is not limited to a specific region. Flyckt said fuel levels are depleting gradually depending on each stations existing stock, with no clear geographic pattern. The shutdown follows the US Treasury Department's move to include Lukoil in its latest sanctions package. The measure has blocked fuel transactions and paralysed most of Teboils payment operations. Teboil has until 21 November to complete the wind-down. This grace period, granted by US authorities, was intended to give companies time to disengage from sanctioned entities. Despite the deadline, domestic suppliers and financial institutions have already suspended cooperation with Teboil. Finnish oil refiner Neste and several banks ended dealings immediately after the sanctions were announced. The situation deteriorated further after multinational energy company Gunvor withdrew a proposed acquisition of Lukoils international operations. The US Treasury had earlier declared that Gunvor would not receive a licence for the transaction and referred to the company as a puppet of the Kremlin in a post on platform X. Gunvor co-founder Gennady Timchenko, a long-time associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is under Western sanctions. Teboil has not commented on the actions of its parent company. We are monitoring the situation closely and will issue comments when possible, Flyckt said. Teboil operates about 400 service stations in Finland, including 80 with full service staff. Dozens of independent entrepreneurs run these locations under franchise agreements. These operators are now facing major uncertainty. Many are expected to lose access to fuel deliveries before the grace period expires. Yle reported that rival fuel network SEO has responded by contacting nearly all of Teboils station operators, inviting them to switch affiliations. SEO CEO Arto Viljanen confirmed to Yle that discussions are ongoing. Some operators have reached out to us, and weve been active as well, Viljanen said. He did not confirm whether any agreements have been signed but said there is strong interest among Teboil operators to continue business. They are naturally looking to keep their operations going, which is becoming almost impossible within Teboil, he told Yle. Viljanen added that any station seeking to join SEO must first sever all ties with Teboil. We cannot move forward with any operator who remains connected to Teboil, he said. The shift in affiliation has already had commercial consequences. SEO has seen an increase in sales at its own refuelling points, in some cases by dozens of percentage points. It has also gained hundreds of new business clients since the Teboil disruptions began. Sometimes one partys misfortune is anothers opportunity, Viljanen said. HT A total of 5,446 residential sales were registered in October, including 5,326 used homes and 120 new builds. This marks a 1.8 percent annual rise in used housing transactions. Year-to-date, housing sales are over 12 percent above 2024 levels. Finland recorded the highest number of residential property sales in October 2025 since September 2022, with used home transactions rising for the second consecutive month, according to new data from the Central Federation of Finnish Real Estate Agencies (KVKL). Tuomas Viljamaa, CEO of the federation, said October exceeded September's strong performance and confirmed that activity levels for used homes have returned to a pre-pandemic range. We are now in a normal housing market situation when it comes to transaction volumes, he said. He described the past two months as a strong signal that the sector had passed its lowest point. According to Viljamaa, consumer confidence, supported by positive economic news, has driven the increase in housing demand. Announcements of icebreaker orders, cruise ship contracts and data centre investments have contributed to a better outlook. This can be seen in the growing number of enquiries and offers in the housing market, he said. Despite increased sales and modest price growth in October, transaction times remain longer than usual. Viljamaa warned that while prices rose after Septembers decline, supply remains high and buyers have wide choice. Homes priced above market expectations continued to stagnate. In a functioning market, price means the level where both buyer and seller agree. In recent years, estate agents have played a crucial role in getting deals across the line, Viljamaa said. According to the data, the average price per square metre for used flats rose by 0.9 percent in both the capital region and other large cities. Oulu saw a rise of 5.4 percent, Turku 5.1 percent, while Tampere recorded a 4.5 percent fall. Compared to a year earlier, average used flat prices in the capital region fell by 6.4 percent. In other large cities, the drop was 1.2 percent. Turku and Tampere recorded annual price drops of 2.8 and 2.7 percent, respectively. Oulu was the only major city to post an annual gain, up 1.1 percent. October also saw an improvement in the average sales times of rowhouses in the capital region, which shortened by 12 days. Despite the improvement, most property types continued to have long selling periods. The average time to sell a used flat was 118 days in the capital and 133 days elsewhere. Detached houses took 133 days to sell in the capital and 144 days outside it. Used studio flats in Helsinki sold in 93 days, compared to 105 in Espoo and 111 in Vantaa. Two-room flats took 123 days in Helsinki and 154 in Vantaa. Three and four-room units sold in 111 days in Helsinki and 155 in Espoo. Sales activity by region showed continued concentration in the south. Uusimaa recorded the highest number of used home sales in October with 1,858 transactions, up 7.3 percent from 2024 and 31.2 percent compared to two years ago. Pirkanmaa followed with 589 sales, and Varsinais-Suomi with 497. Among major cities, Helsinki saw the most used housing transactions at 768, up 10.3 percent from the previous year. Espoo followed with 317, and Tampere with 305. Jyvaskyla saw the sharpest annual drop, with 119 sales, down 25.6 percent. Sales of new homes remain low. Only 120 new dwellings changed hands in October, a 42.6 percent annual drop. Helsinki recorded 19 sales, Tampere 13, and Espoo and Oulu 12 each. The number of new builds sold is down over 75 percent compared to the five-year average. Across the country, used apartment buildings made up 2,565 of Octobers transactions. Rowhouses and duplexes accounted for 1,332, while detached houses made up 1,429. All figures showed a stable or slightly declining trend compared to last year, but were closer to long-term norms. According to Viljamaa, further price increases are unlikely until transaction times shorten significantly. This will depend on a reduction in housing supply. He also noted widening gaps in quality between housing associations. A flat in a 1970s building with no major renovations completed is now a difficult sell, Viljamaa said. The difference between good and poor housing companies has grown. HT Xi congratulates Samia Suluhu Hassan on assuming presidency of Tanzania Xinhua) 08:02, November 07, 2025 BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a congratulatory message to Samia Suluhu Hassan on her assumption of the presidency of Tanzania. Noting that China and Tanzania enjoy a profound traditional friendship, Xi said in the message that in recent years, bilateral relations have developed at a high level, with the two sides supporting each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, and achieving fruitful results in practical cooperation across various fields. Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Tanzania relations, and stands ready to work with Hassan to implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit, continuously advancing the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to new heights and making greater contributions to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Sri Lanka, Bangladesh hold foreign office talks after 8 years Xinhua) 14:49, November 07, 2025 COLOMBO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka and Bangladesh held the fourth round of Foreign Office Consultations here on Thursday after an eight-year gap, Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. This was co-chaired by Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Aruni Ranaraja and Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, the statement said. Sri Lanka highlighted its investments and diaspora presence in Bangladesh and invited Bangladeshi investors to take part in development projects, logistics services, cultivation, and tourism-related ventures in Sri Lanka, the ministry said. Colombo also discussed expanding collaboration in banking services to support financial stability, expressed interest in partnering on Green Tourism initiatives, and explored strengthening maritime connectivity. Sri Lanka proposed increasing annual training slots for Bangladeshi nurses and welcomed enhanced cooperation between the two national news agencies, the statement said. Bangladesh, appreciating existing Sri Lankan investments, invited further investment from Sri Lanka, especially in pharmaceuticals, hospitality, tourism, automobiles and light engineering, renewable energy, agro-processing, leather and footwear. Bangladesh also invited Sri Lankan farmers for exposure visits, offered cooperation in the livestock sector, expressed interest in Sri Lanka's expertise in deep-sea fishing, the statement said. Both sides agreed to work on trade facilitation, enhance private-sector engagement, and finalize pending legal instruments to boost trade, investment and connectivity. According to Sri Lanka's Export Development Board, Bangladesh is the 12th export destination for Sri Lanka. The total export value from Sri Lanka to Bangladesh was 241.54 million U.S. dollars in 2024 and total imports from Bangladesh for the same period were 83.79 million dollars. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Travelling to the EU is a privilege, not a right, wrote Kaja Kallas , the EUs High Representative for Foreign Affairs, on social media . The European Commission confirmed that Russian nationals will now need to apply for a new visa each time they wish to travel to the EU. The change is expected to take effect this week and will apply to most applicants, with exceptions for humanitarian reasons. Russians who hold dual EU citizenship are not affected. The European Union will stop issuing multi-entry visas to most Russian citizens, ending a long-standing practice and tightening restrictions across the Schengen Area. Henna Virkkunen, the European Commissioner for Security, said in a statement that the war continues to pose a threat to European safety. Risks related to sabotage, disinformation, and drone disruptions are constantly increasing, she said. The new visa policy will make travel more difficult for Russian nationals, many of whom have used short-term Schengen visas for tourism or business. According to European Commission data, over 500,000 such visas were granted to Russians in 2024. That marked an increase from the previous year, but the figure remained far below the pre-war level of more than four million in 2019. Countries such as Hungary, France, Spain and Italy have continued to issue tourist visas at higher rates, despite pressure from other member states to limit access. The Commission cannot impose a full ban on Russian travel, as visa issuance remains a national responsibility within the EU. Still, it can recommend stricter rules and limit facilitation agreements. In 2022, the EU suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia. Since then, multiple member states, including Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, have imposed their own travel bans or tightened visa rules independently. These have mostly targeted short-term travel for non-essential purposes. The latest changes are part of a broader EU effort to reduce Russian presence and influence within the bloc. As part of its 19th package of sanctions against Moscow, the EU will also require Russian diplomats to notify member states before crossing internal Schengen borders. This step is intended to curb alleged espionage activities and intelligence gathering. Earlier drafts of the new restrictions considered a full travel ban on Russian tourists, but the Commission opted instead to strengthen visa procedures. Officials said this approach allows closer screening of individuals and a more targeted response to security concerns. A bloc-wide visa strategy, expected next month, will include additional recommendations for dealing with nationals from countries considered hostile to the EU. The plan will propose common criteria for screening applicants and a unified approach to visa issuance. HT Jake Johnson announces re-election campaign for state House State Rep. Jake Johnson has announced his campaign for re-election to the state House in District 113, made up of Polk and parts of Rutherford, McDowell and Henderson counties. Related Stories In the last state budget alone, Johnson secured over $120 million for his district and nearly $2 billion Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene investments that strengthen local infrastructure, public safety, and economic growth, said Johnson, who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee and serves as deputy majority whip. He was re-elected to the House by a margin of 67-33 last year. Johnson said his campaign would focus on: Keeping North Carolina safe: Tough on crime and illegal immigration. Defending core values: Strongly pro-life and a proud supporter of the Second Amendment. Growing the economy: Continue reducing taxes and regulations to support working families and entrepreneurs. Western North Carolina deserves a strong, consistent voice in Raleigh, Johnson said. I could not be prouder of what we have been able to accomplish, but the work is not complete. Ill continue fighting to keep our communities safe, our economy strong and our freedoms protected. Kenmure Fights Cancer raises $79,000 advanced care at Advent Pictured, from left, are Christy Harwood, director of Cancer Services; Bev Knapp, chief operating officer for AdventHealth Hendersonville and AdventHealth Polk; Leslie Robins, Kenmure Fights Cancer board president; Mandy Zorrilla, director of cardiovascular services; Hope Tilley, AdventHealth Hendersonville Foundation coordinator; Rebecca Grissom, executive director of AdventHealth North Carolina marketing, communications and philanthropy; and Bo Caldwell, director, AdventHealth Hendersonville Foundation. For 16 years, Kenmure Fights Cancer and AdventHealth Hendersonville have partnered to bring hope, healing and whole-person care to neighbors facing cancer in Western North Carolina. Related Stories This year, the Kenmure communitys generosity reached new heights, allowing them to make a record donation of $79,018.18 to support AdventHealths advanced care for local patients. These vital funds will directly support the purchase of advanced equipment for AdventHealth Hendersonvilles upcoming Catheterization Lab, a vital resource that will enhance cardiac care for cancer patients who are facing heart issues brought on by chemotherapy or other impacts of their cancer diagnosis. Kenmure Fights Cancer is a philanthropic organization based in the Kenmure Community in Flat Rock, NC. They are devoted to remember those we have lost to cancer, honor those who have survived the battle and support those who are struggling today against this terrible disease. Our partnership with Kenmure Fights Cancer reflects the heart of our promise to help people feel whole, said Bo Caldwell, Foundation Director at AdventHealth Hendersonville. Together, we are not only addressing the physical needs of our patients but also supporting their emotional and spiritual well-being. This investment is a testament to the power of community and compassion. For years, Kenmure Fights Cancer has exemplified what it means to lead with purpose, raising awareness and rallying support for those navigating a cancer diagnosis. Their dedication ensures that patients in Henderson County have access to leading edge care and the comfort of knowing their community stands beside them. City fire chief to retire at end of year D. James Miller Hendersonville Fire Chief D. James Miller, who has led the city department since March 2020, will retire at the end of this year, City Manager John Connet announced City Council on Thursday night. Related Stories We will celebrate James and his accomplishments as we as we get closer to that date, but want to go ahead and publicly announce" his departure, Connet said. "He wants to go out quietly, but were not going to let him. He did great things for our fire department, including raising it to an ISO-1 standard, which enables homeowners and business to pay less for fire insurance. Miller led the department when it used a federal a $1.25 million SAFER grant (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) to add 12 firefighters and a new engine company, helped to coordinate construction of the new Fire Station 1 at Five Points and effectively led firefighters' efforts during and after Hurricane Helene as they rescued people, cleared trees off homes and roads and made welfare checks. Miller first joined the fire service in 1991 and in 29 years of service has served as a firefighter/EMT, in special operations as a boat captain and rescue diver, a Type 2 urban search and rescue team officer, hazardous materials technician, special operations toxicological paramedic and gold team member of a Division of Forestry Incident Management Team. Supervisory and administrative assignments included the roles of lieutenant, administrative captain, battalion chief and division chief. Prior to joining the city fire department, Miller served as assistant chief in charge of training for special operations and EMS at the North Charleston (S.C.) Fire Department. Miller joined the city of Hendersonville as the deputy chief in August 2016. Chief Miller holds an associate of science degree in aviation management from Manatee Community College and bachelor of science in business administration degree from International University in Florida and a master of business administration from Columbia Southern University. Miller and his wife, Morgan, have six adult children and three dogs. Adult Recovery Court celebrates its first graduate Henderson Countys Adult Recovery Court will mark a major milestone on Nov. 12 when it celebrates its first program graduate. Related Stories The graduate will be joined by her family, fellow participants, and the dedicated team of professionals who have supported her throughout her 21-month recovery journey. The roots of this initiative trace back to 2017, when Henderson County responded to the growing opioid crisis by forming a task force led by Commissioner William Lapsley. With the announcement of forthcoming Opioid Settlement Funds, the task force identified a Recovery Court as a top priority. Then-Board Chair Rebecca McCall, along with Judge Kimberly Gasperson-Justice, District Attorney Andrew Murray, Lead Public Defender Beth Stang and Chief Probation Officer James Lewis formed a committee to design a program tailored to the countys needs. Since then, Henderson County has implemented several strategies to combat substance use disorders, including the launch of the Adult Recovery Court, all funded through the countys Strategic Behavioral Health Department using Opioid Settlement Funds. The Adult Recovery Court is led by Daniel Conway, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and graduate of Ashevilles Veterans Recovery Court. Under his leadership, the program has seen remarkable early success. On its first anniversary in February 2025, 10 of the 12 participants were employed, one was preparing to welcome a child and another was actively engaged in residential treatment. Participants were paying restitution and child support, completing community service, and reconnecting with their families. Some even inspired loved ones to begin their own recovery journeys. Beyond the personal transformations, the program has reduced reliance on jails, prisons and emergency services. We are grateful for the funding that makes this program possible, Henderson County Manager John Mitchell said. Henderson County is proud to be the first in North Carolina to fully fund a recovery court using opioid settlement funds. The Board of Commissioners cast a bold vision years ago, and its incredibly rewarding to see how far weve come. Were especially thankful for the leadership of Mr. Conway and others who work tirelessly to guide individuals from addiction toward brighter futures. For more information about the Adult Recovery Court and other behavioral health initiatives, visit www.hendersoncountync.gov/behavioralhealth. 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit opens in east China Xinhua) 16:30, November 07, 2025 This photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025 shows a scene during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The summit opened officially here on Friday and will run through Sunday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) HANGZHOU, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit kicked off on Friday morning in the ancient water town of Wuzhen in east China's Zhejiang Province. This year's edition, themed "Forging an Open, Cooperative, Secure and Inclusive Future of Digital Intelligence -- Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," includes 24 sub-forums on topics such as the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, digital economy, AI and data governance, along with a series of activities. Noting innovation, collaboration and trust as key to ensuring an open, inclusive and secure digital future, John Hoffman, CEO of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, told the opening ceremony that: "If we get it right, we will unlock the full potential of the digital to enrich people's lives around the world, leaving no one behind." During the opening ceremony, a distinguished contribution award was presented to recognize individuals and enterprises that have made outstanding contributions to the global internet landscape. On Thursday, the WIC honored 17 international projects with its 2025 Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology, in a celebration of their breakthroughs in frontier fields such as AI models, intelligent Internet of Things, embodied intelligence and quantum computing. The winning projects included Microsoft's coding agent GitHub Copilot, Alibaba's open-source foundational large language model Qwen, and the key technologies and applications of China's BDS-3 satellite navigation signals. This year's WIC Wuzhen Summit will run through Sunday. This photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025 shows a scene during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The summit opened officially here on Friday and will run through Sunday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Guests attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 7, 2025. The summit opened officially here on Friday and will run through Sunday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Zhong Wenxing) Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro would be open to leaving power in exchange for amnesty for him and his lieutenants, the lifting of the bounties on his head and a comfortable exile, according to a new report. Citing people who have dealings with Caracas, The Atlantic noted that there are some in the U.S. who propose resuming negotiations with the regime, rather than the ongoing military campaign pressure that includes strikes against alleged drug vessels in the region. The outlet added that military leaders who could potentially take over from Maduro wouldn't have many incentives to hand over power to the U.S.-backed opposition led by Maria Corina Machado. Another possibility is that they splinter, creating factions that end up in infighting. In this context, one of the people who have dealings with Caracas opened the door to the negotiated exit: "If there is enough pressure, and if there is enough candy in the dish," the person said. "Everything is on the table with Maduro." Maduro, in the meantime, continues to claim the country is ready to stand against the U.S. despite its military superiority. He taunted Trump on Thursday, saying: "14 weeks of threats, saying gringos have 15 ships, 2,600 missiles, 100 planes. Now that boat, what's the name of the largest ship? The Ford. Do whatever you want, we won't be rattled," Maduro said. The claim follows a report claiming that President Donald Trump expressed reservations about ordering strikes in the South American country, fearing Maduro won't leave power even in that case. The Wall Street Journal detailed that the strategy remains fluid and decisions can change. A similar argument was given by Trump officials who told lawmakers in a briefing that the administration does not currently have legal authority to launch military strikes inside the South American country. However, they said, the administration is now seeking a new Justice Department opinion that could allow such attacks without congressional approval. According to CNN, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and an official from the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) informed lawmakers that the existing OLC opinionwritten to justify strikes against suspected drug-trafficking boats in international watersdoes not apply to land targets in Venezuela or elsewhere in the region. In the meantime, however, the U.S. continues to conduct strikes against alleged drug boats and fly aircraft close to the country's shores. On Thursday, the U.S. flew bombers less than 50 miles from the Venezuelan coast. And Hegseth announced a new strike on an alleged drug vessel on the same day, killing three. Originally published on Latin Times In a district buzzing with creativity, Aarhus takes another major step toward becoming an international hotel destination. With the topping-out ceremony for Moxy Aarhus, the city is one step closer to welcoming a hotel that's not just about overnight stays, but about energy, community, and experiences. The construction of Moxy Aarhus has reached an important milestone. Yesterday, a topping-out ceremony was held at RST, the new landmark building in the emerging Sydhavn District, where the hotel is set to open in 2026. Featuring 188 rooms, the hotel will be operated by Core Hospitality under a franchise agreement with Marriott International. A new lifestyle destination in Aarhus With the Moxy brand's vibrant focus on design, social energy, and memorable experiences, Aarhus will soon gain a lifestyle hotel designed to help transform the Sydhavn District into a lively and inclusive urban neighborhood. "We're proud to take another step toward opening Moxy Aarhus. Our ambition is to create a hotel where guests, locals, and students naturally meet - a space where design, events, and community are at the heart of the experience," says Peter Haaber, CEO of Core Hospitality. Connecting the city's creative heart The hotel's bar, lounge, and reception will be located on the second floor, offering direct access to a large outdoor terrace that connects to Kulbroen - Aarhus's own answer to New York's High Line. This will make Moxy Aarhus a natural part of the urban flow that links the city's creative hubs. Part of a thriving new urban community Moxy Aarhus will occupy a central position within the RST building, which will also house Porter's Jazz Bar, retail spaces, and offices. Its location in the Sydhavn District positions the hotel as a key player in the development of a diverse business and cultural district in the heart of Aarhus. Hotel website Nobu Hospitality, the globally renowned luxury lifestyle brand founded by Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, celebrated the official opening of Nobu Hotel and Restaurant Roma with a traditional Sake Ceremony on November 6, 2025. The event marked a significant milestone for the brand, as it debuts its first hotel in Italy, deepening its presence in the country and continuing its European expansion. Located in Rome's historic heart on the Via Veneto, Nobu Hotel and Restaurant Roma reimagines one of the city's most iconic addresses into a sanctuary of modern luxury, where Japanese minimalism meets Italian sophistication. Designed by the acclaimed Rockwell Group, the hotel's aesthetic combines warm Roman textures with Nobu's signature style - creating a serene, contemporary space that bridges the two great cultures of hospitality and design. A time-honoured Japanese tradition symbolising new beginnings and good fortune, the Sake Ceremony was attended by the three shareholders, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, Robert De Niro and Meir Teper, alongside distinguished guests, media and Rome's leading tastemakers. Local dignitaries and cultural figures joined the official celebration, underscoring Nobu's unique position at the crossroads of culinary excellence, hospitality and design. The city's most anticipated culinary destination, Nobu Roma showcases Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's globally acclaimed menu in a relaxed yet refined setting. Guests can savour signature dishes including Black Cod Miso, Yellowtail Jalapeno and Rock Shrimp Tempura, alongside seasonal creations that celebrate Italian produce. For a more intimate dining experience, the Sushi Counter gives diners a front row seat to the artistry of Nobu's sushi chefs, while the bar serves a curated selection of fine wines, premium sake and Nobu's signature cocktails. The Nobu Hotel Roma offers 117 elegantly designed guest rooms and suites, a state-of-the-art wellness and fitness centre, and versatile event spaces ideal for both private gatherings and corporate occasions. Guests can enjoy panoramic city views from the rooftop terrace, which offers a selection of small plates, sake and cocktails, retreat to the lounge or indulge in 24-hour in-room dining from the Nobu Restaurant. For more information on Nobu Hotel and Restaurant Roma, please visit: https://www.nobuhotels.com/roma/ Hotel website Accor is pleased to announce the appointment of Ugur Talayhan as the new General Manager of Fairmont The Palm, effective November 3, 2025. A seasoned hospitality executive with over three decades of international experience, Ugur brings a wealth of leadership expertise across luxury hotel brands, including IHG, Hilton, Marriott, FRHI, Accor, and Rotana. His extensive global career spans key markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, where he has consistently demonstrated an exceptional ability to drive performance, profitability, and operational excellence. Prior to joining Fairmont The Palm, Ugur served as Country Manager for Rotana Hotel Management Corporation, overseeing the operational performance of ten hotels across multiple markets and leading development initiatives for new projects. His previous roles include Vice President of Operations at Accor in Turkey and General Manager at Swissotel The Bosphorus. Ugur's earlier leadership journey includes General Manager roles at iconic properties such as The Astor Hotel in Tianjin, Raffles Hainan, and The Westin Xi'an, as well as a Hotel Manager role at The St. Regis Beijing, each contributing to his deep expertise in luxury operations and guest experience. In recognition of his outstanding leadership and contribution to the luxury hospitality industry, Ugur was honoured with the 2024 Accor Bernache Award by Sebastien Bazin, CEO of Accor. Key Takeaways A three-way partnership between Womens Aid, the Mayor of Londons Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and Airbnb to provide urgent temporary accommodation in London for survivors of domestic abuse and their children. Endorsed by the Mayor of London, this initiative builds on over 250k in donations Airbnb has made to Womens Aid and furthers our longstanding commitment to tackling domestic abuse. This latest programme follows the emergency accommodation pilot Airbnb and Womens Aid launched in October 2024. Airbnb, in partnership with Womens Aid and MOPAC has today launched its latest emergency accommodation programme in the city of London. Survivors and their children experiencing abuse will have access to free emergency accommodation in Airbnb properties across London, when specialist emergency accommodation is not available. To ensure the privacy and safety of survivors, Airbnb has implemented a specialised booking flow that protects their anonymity. Survivors will be connected to appropriate accommodation through Womens Aids member services, and will receive essential one-to-one support services such as legal advice, advocacy and translation and help with practicalities like transport through Womens Aid, helping them to recover and move on with their lives. Since 2022, Airbnb has donated over a quarter of a million pounds to Womens Aid and as part of this programme is committing 50,000 matched by up to 50,000 from MOPAC. This London programme represents the latest milestone in Airbnbs support to help end domestic abuse, following a successful pilot emergency accommodation initiative launched in Manchester in October 2024. The insights from this pilot were critical in informing and enhancing the structure of the London roll out to best benefit survivors. To mark the launch of the new programme, Velma Corcoran, Airbnbs Director of Policy Strategy met with Womens Aid CEO, Farah Nazeer, and the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, in an Airbnb listing in Camberwell to see an example of the type of accommodation that will be provided, and discuss the importance of working in partnership across all sectors, including with businesses, charities and Government. Im proud to be working with Airbnb and Womens Aid on an innovative new pilot that will provide domestic abuse survivors, and their families, with free, emergency accommodation and the holistic support they need to recover and move forward. Partnership work is a key part of my strategy to tackle violence against women and girls and I am committed to continuing to work with partners to explore innovations to ensure survivors can access the care and support they need, whilst also working with the Met to go after perpetrators of these heinous crimes. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan Emergency accommodation is a lifeline for families fleeing domestic violence and our partnership with Womens Aid and Airbnb will help families get the care and support they need at a time of crisis. This innovative new pilot is part of the Mayors wide-ranging strategy to use every possible lever to tackle violence and abuse against women and girls. This includes providing the best possible support available for victims and survivors and record support for police officers to go after the most prolific offenders. It also includes long term prevention measures including education and public awareness campaigns to tackle deep rooted misogynistic attitudes and build a safer London for everyone. Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer Schwartz We are proud to have launched our second emergency accommodation pilot in partnership with Womens Aid and the Mayor, this time in the nations capital of London. Were in the homes business and we believe everyone deserves one. This partnership uses the strength of Airbnbs network to provide vital infrastructure to support survivors at a crucial time. The work that Womens Aid do to support survivors of violence against women and girls is essential, and we hope this partnership helps them in achieving that mission and in keeping the communities we operate in safe. Velma Corcoran, Airbnb Director of Policy Strategy, EMEA We are excited to be working with the Mayor of London and Airbnb to provide emergency accommodation and support to women and children fleeing abuse. There is a chronic shortage of refuge spaces for those fleeing abuse and this pilot, which brings together the public, private and non-profit sectors, will be a valuable opportunity for us to see the impact that these collaborations can have. Systemic underfunding of specialist services has sadly meant that victims and survivors seeking support have been turned away at a point of crisis, with refuges operating a 60% refusal rate. Collaborations such as these will mean survivors now have options, instead of facing imminent homelessness or being forced to return to the abuser. Eradicating domestic abuse needs a whole society approach, and this coming together of three sectors is a great start to this collaboration. Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Womens Aid The Airbnb pilot was a fabulous and innovative project, offering a much-needed alternative to traditional temporary accommodation. It allowed us to safely accommodate single survivors in environments that felt more personal, comfortable, and supportive helping many to feel secure and valued at a time of crisis. Accommodating women and children in Airbnb properties rather than standard temporary accommodation would offer a more trauma-informed, family-centred environment, providing privacy, stability, and a sense of normality that supports recovery and emotional wellbeing. Children would benefit from safer, calmer spaces and continuity in school and community links. It could significantly improve outcomes for families affected by domestic abuse if implemented with the right oversight and coordination. Overall, the pilot demonstrated real potential as a trauma-informed, survivor-centred housing option, and we would strongly support its continuation. Womens Aid service member who took part in the Manchester Pilot About Airbnb Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way. About Airbnb.org Airbnb.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis around the world. Airbnb.org operates independently and leverages Airbnb, Inc.'s technology, services, and other resources at no charge to carry out Airbnb.org's charitable purpose. The inspiration for Airbnb.org began in 2012 with a single host named Shell who opened up her home to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. This sparked a movement and marked the beginning of a program that allows hosts on Airbnb to provide stays for people in times of need. Since then, the program has evolved to focus on emergency response and to help provide stays to evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and frontline workers fighting the spread of COVID-19. Since then, hosts have offered to open up their homes and helped provide accommodations to 100,000 people in times of need. Airbnb.org is a separate and independent entity from Airbnb, Inc. Airbnb, Inc. does not charge service fees for Airbnb.org supported stays on its platform. View source The Dean, the Irish-born independent lifestyle hotel brand renowned for designing hotels with character, announces the upcoming launch of three new properties in global cultural destinations next year: Berlin, Munich and Miami. The Dean Berlin February 2026 Opening in February 2026, The Dean Berlin marks the first launch outside of Ireland for the character-driven hospitality brand. In Charlottenburg, a district renowned for its blend of historical charm and contemporary vibrancy, the 81-room hotel designed by Rachael Gowdridge layers a rebellious yet refined aesthetic that reflects Berlins creative spirit. At its heart is Benedict, a bakery, restaurant and bar serving an international menu with a focus on breakfast and brunch favourites. Open from early morning to late evening, its a lively social hub for both guests and locals. Rates for The Dean Berlin start from 135/night The Dean Munich March 2026 Continuing the international expansion, The Dean Munich will open its doors in Munichs Westend neighbourhood with 281 rooms and a bold interior vision by Tatjana von Stein that marries Art Nouveau heritage with the vibrant spirit of 1980s Munich. The hotel will feature a new concept Japanese restaurant and four distinctive bars, along with signature wellness and fitness concept POWER including indoor pool, sauna, steam room and spa treatments. Guests will also be offered locally curated experiences that go beyond the stay. Rates for The Dean Munich start from 225/night The Dean Miami December 2026 Completing the trio of new openings, The Dean Miami will bring the brand's distinctive style and culture-centric hospitality to South Beach in late 2026. This launch marks The Dean Hotels' entree into the United States and underlines its ambition to deliver character-rich hotels in dynamic global cities. Spanning 235 rooms, The Dean Miami will offer a vibrant mix of spaces designed for connection and discovery. Guests can enjoy the health and wellness benefits of Miamis own iteration of POWER gym and wellness spaces, unwind by the propertys outdoor pool with poolside bar, or gather in flexible meeting rooms that facilitate creative collaboration. The hotel's F&B offering includes a signature restaurant, a welcoming lobby bar, and a late-night speakeasy bar. An outdoor terrace event space with its own bar provides the perfect backdrop for celebrations under the Miami sky. For media enquiries, please contact [email protected] About Dean Group Dean Group is a collection of hospitality brands and includes 11 distinctive properties across Ireland, Germany and the USA, together with a diverse collection of bars, restaurants and wellness facilities. The Dean is the group's signature hotel brand, known for their vibrant, design-led spirit, while bespoke properties such as The Leinster and Glasson Lakehouse offer unique experiences that reflect their individual character and setting. Dean Group's signature wellness and fitness gym POWER offers state-of-the-art equipment and expert-led classes and is located in six Dean Group properties worldwide. @deangroup www.deangroup.com About The Dean The Dean is a brand that offers F&B-driven, vibe-first hotels that are rooted in what's real. Championing creative partnerships that elevate the best up-and-coming minds in their fields, The Dean offers organic interactions, genuine encounters and service with substance. With its roots in authentic, Irish hospitality, The Dean currently operates in three locations: Dublin, Cork and Galway. @thedean https://thedean.ie/ The hospitality industry doesnt need more buzzwords or metaverse-ready ideas. What matters is creating online experiences that put guests first and drive measurable results. Success in 2026 belongs to the hotels that align teams, data, and stories around one goal: owning the guest journey, so that every decision and every booking reflects the propertys unique value. The industry has already undergone significant digital transformation. The next phase will be commercial transformation: what we call HyperCommerce. Heres whats coming in 2026: The 2026 Core Engine 1. The Booking Engine Becomes the Product In 2026, the booking engine will move from a transactional tool to a key part of the guest experience. It will feel conversational, emotional, and adaptive. The difference between search and buy will disappear. The best hotels will design it like their lobby: curated, warm, alive. When the journey feels personal, conversion rates double. 2. HMS Turns into PMS + HyperCommerce The Hotel Management System is over. It managed rooms, but in 2026 we need to manage intent. By 2026, the new backbone will connect Property Management with HyperCommerce - one connected system to operate, market, and monetize. Operations and demand stop being separate worlds finally giving hotels full visibility from booking to checkout to rebooking. Hotels that unify systems will win on revenue. 3. AI Moves from Buzzword to Backbone In 2026, AI-driven pricing and messaging will reduce manual workload in revenue and marketing teams and lift conversion by adjusting prices, suggesting the right offers, and so much more. This is where AI will finally prove its value for independent hotels, doing the heavy lifting in their commercial operations instead of just making headlines. The hotels that benefit most will be the ones using their own data to train AI, rather than relying on someone elses system. Owning your data means owning demand. The 2026 Growth Flywheel 4. The Direct Channel Becomes the Commercial Hub for Independent Hotels In 2026, your direct channel will become the hub of your hotels commercial stack. Every other platform from Google, to Metasearch, to OTAs, even the GDS will connect back to it. Your website and booking engine will act as the commercial brain. They will work like a real online journey, showing dynamic inventory, tailored offers, and personalized exploration paths for different types of guests. Everything will feed into one system, one strategy, one story. Direct isnt a channel. Its the brain. 5. Digital Brand Equity Gets Priced In Your digital brand equity will count on the balance sheet. Investors will value independent hotels not just by RevPAR, but by the audiences they own and activate. Brand search volume, Instagram followers, and CRM engagement, will become core metrics to demonstrate your business value. But the biggest change is that direct contribution will become a critical metric in independent hotels. Finally, investors will be able to compare boutique brands on the same footing as franchises. For the first time, brand value will be measured, rather than franchised. 6. Guest Data Turns into Guest Memory The real value of guest data comes from timing and action, rather than simple targeting and recommendations. By 2026, smart hotels will use guest data to understand when someone is most likely to book or upgrade like when a past guest starts planning their next trip. Predictive flows will engage guests emotionally by surfacing the right room, offer, or add-on at exactly the right moment. These guest-centric systems will drive conversion to levels never experienced before. Data matters only when it acts, not when it recommends. 7. Marketing Evolves into Merchandising In 2026, static rate plans will die. Hotels will start selling experiences from sunrise breakfasts to private yoga sessions or special cocktails. This shift will be about using creativity to drive revenue, turning what makes a hotel unique into bookable moments. With smarter tools, hotels will automatically match the right experience to the right guest at the right time. Rather than just simple marketing, selling experiences will be pivotal to how hotels grow their business and profitability. These experience-based merchandising tools will add 510% to total revenue and lift average booking value by up to 20%. Selling experiences isnt marketing. It's a strategy. The New 2026 Discipline 8. The OTA Margin Becomes the New Marketing Budget In 2026 the smartest hotels will reinvest the 20-25% they give to intermediaries into owned demand: better creative, smarter media, and ongoing optimization. The most successful hotels will have in-house teams handling media and marketing, not just revenue management. What you used to pay in fees becomes your growth fund. 9. Monthly Strategy Replaces Daily Panic Rather than reacting to daily rate changes, smart hotels will focus on planning and reviewing their direct sales strategy regularly through monthly reviews and quarterly adjustments. The myth of constant optimization will fade. Knowing your plan will create more effective results than endless daily tweaks. Reaction is noise. Rhythm drives results. 10. Emotion Finally Gets a Dashboard The next analytics revolution wont be about rates or clicks. It will measure how guests feel across the full online journey. We will start measuring trust through guest messages, resonance with engagement, and anticipation through pre-arrival interactions. AI agents and guests wont just take your price into consideration. AI agents will make decisions on your personality. Emotion becomes a performance metric. Action item to prepare 2026 Review your booking journey from a guests perspective. Identify areas where the experience feels impersonal, flat or confusing. Test simple improvementslike personalized messaging, curated offers, personalized flows that make the process feel more like a seamless part of your hotels brand. If it doesnt feel like your brand, it isnt. Closing Thought By 2026, technology wont automatically make hotels better, but it will help hotels get stronger and grow faster. Hotels that practice HyperCommerce techniques are already outperforming peers by 83%. This success comes from rethinking how teams work and engage with guests online. Their secret: they stopped outsourcing their story. In 2026, hotels will understand their guests, own their data, and make decisions based on real results. And hoteliers will focus on what your brand stands for and the value you deliver. The hotels that succeed will be the ones that sell with clarity and conviction, making every booking and every interaction count. About GuestCentric GuestCentric is a leading provider of cloud-based digital marketing software and services that help extraordinary hoteliers promote their brand, drive direct bookings and connect with customers on all digital platforms. GuestCentric's all-in-one platform provides hotels with the only unified solution for managing their guests' online journey: award-winning, high impact websites; an integrated, easy-to-use booking engine; social media marketing and publishing tools; a GDS chain code and a channel manager to offer rooms on Amadeus, Booking.com, Expedia, Galileo, Google, Sabre, TripAdvisor and hundreds of other channels. GuestCentric is a proud provider of solutions that maximize direct bookings to hotel groups and independent hotels from collections such as Design Hotels, Great Hotels of the World, Leading Hotels of the World, Relais & Chateaux, Small Luxury Hotels and Small Danish Hotels. GuestCentric is featured on Skift Travel Tech 250, a list of the top 250 travel tech companies shaping the modern-day travel experience. Melissa Rodrigues Content Manager +35 196 157 3854 GuestCentric Systems View source In this episode of Pillow Talk Sessions Podcast, Asli Kutlucan, CEO Europe at TFE Hotels, joins hosts Jessica Gillingham and Kristian Lupinski to unpack how TFE is reimagining the intersection of hospitality, residential living, and adaptive reuse through its expanding portfolio of hybrid hotel brands. With Adina and MM:NT (Moment) leading TFEs European growth strategy, Asli shares how the company is embracing casual living, a model that blends hotel-level comfort with the flexibility of home. Its an approach designed for a new generation of travelers and residents who value autonomy, design, and digital convenience in equal measure. From Adinas reputation for reliability and apartment-style comfort to MM:NTs innovative adaptive reuse projects, TFEs strategy reflects a broader shift in how real estate and hospitality converge to meet evolving expectations around work, travel, and home. The conversation dives into: How casual living is redefining the guest experience for a more mobile, experience-led generation. Why adaptive reuse is central to TFEs development pipeline and sustainability ambitions. How tech innovation, including the rollout of the GXP platform, is enhancing operational efficiency and personalization across properties. What lessons the hotel sector can offer residential operators exploring flexible living models. The future of staff roles in an era of automation, and why community-minded service remains key to guest loyalty. Asli also discusses TFEs upcoming UK launches in Cambridge and Glasgow, and how her team is adapting recruitment, service models, and brand strategy to meet the expectations of a generation that sees hospitality not as a transaction but as a lifestyle. Meet the hosts of Pillow Talk Sessions Jessica Gillingham is the Founder and CEO of Abode Worldwide, a strategic public relations agency dedicated to elevating the profile of transformative technology solutions in global hospitality, lodging, and serviced living. An established industry thought leader, Jessica is a frequent conference speaker and author of Tech-enabled Hospitality, a new book exploring the innovations shaping the sector. Kristian Lupinski, events and content producer for Abode Worldwide, is a driving force behind Pillow Talk, bringing extensive experience in media production combined with a background in hospitality. Known for his ability to craft engaging stories and connect with key industry figures, Kristian has built a reputation for delivering high-quality content that resonates with audiences and amplifies the voices shaping the future of hospitality. Listen to the full episode to hear how Asli Kutlucan and TFE Hotels are blending hospitality, design, and digital transformation to build the next generation of flexible living across Europe. Jessica Gillingham Founder and CEO, Adobe Worldwide Abode Worldwide Latin America's Hotel Construction Reaches New Heights: A 17% Surge in Projects - Image Credit Unsplash+ Latin America's hotel construction pipeline has reached unprecedented levels, with a 17% year-over-year increase in projects and an 11% rise in rooms, according to Lodging Econometrics. The region is experiencing significant growth across all stages of construction, particularly in luxury and upper upscale segments, with Mexico, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic leading the charge. Overview of the Construction Boom The third quarter of 2025 marked a significant milestone for Latin America's hospitality industry, as detailed in Lodging Econometrics' Q3 2025 Latin America Construction Pipeline Trend Report. The report reveals that the hotel construction pipeline in the region has reached 751 projects and 116,480 rooms, reflecting a 17% year-over-year (YOY) increase in the number of projects and an 11% rise in room count. Pipeline Stages and Growth A closer examination of the data shows a robust expansion across various stages of the construction pipeline. By the end of Q3 2025, there were 308 projects with 51,984 rooms under construction, marking a 14% YOY increase in projects and a 10% rise in rooms. Projects scheduled to begin construction within the next 12 months have grown to 211 projects and 32,424 rooms, representing a 15% increase in projects and a 7% rise in rooms YOY. The early planning stage has also seen substantial growth, with a 22% YOY increase in projects, totaling 232, and an 18% rise in room count, reaching 32,072 rooms. Renovations and Brand Conversions Q3 2025 also witnessed significant activity in hotel renovations and brand conversions. The region saw a combined total of 173 projects and 29,200 rooms, reflecting a 15% increase in projects and a 5% rise in rooms YOY. This trend underscores the ongoing efforts to modernize and rebrand existing properties to meet the evolving demands of travelers. Chain Scale Insights Lodging Econometrics is highlighting record highs in the luxury and upper-upscale segments. The luxury chain scale closed the quarter with 143 projects and 27,387 rooms, while the upper upscale segment reached 124 projects and 22,420 rooms. The upscale segment also saw significant activity, with 144 projects and 20,904 rooms. Geographical Distribution Geographically, Mexico stands out with an all-time high of 264 projects and 40,412 rooms, accounting for 35% of both the total number of projects and rooms. Brazil follows with 123 projects and 16,272 rooms, showing a 19% YOY increase in project count. The Dominican Republic is also on a strong growth trajectory, with 81 projects and 17,351 rooms, representing a 37% increase in project count and a 20% rise in room count YOY. Together, these three countries account for 62% of all projects and 64% of rooms in the region's construction pipeline. City-Specific Developments Among cities, Mexico City leads with 28 projects and 3,273 rooms, followed by Lima with 16 projects and 2,206 rooms, and Riviera Maya with 16 projects and 2,088 rooms. Forecast and Future Outlook The first three quarters of 2025 saw 45 new hotel openings, adding 7,869 rooms to the market. LE forecasts an additional 35 new hotels with 5,178 rooms to open in Q4 2025, bringing the total for the year to 80 new hotels and 13,047 rooms. Looking ahead, the forecast for 2026 includes 121 new hotels and 20,348 rooms, with a further increase projected for 2027, with 134 new hotels and 17,072 rooms. MEININGER Hotels to Open First Property in Madrid by 2027 - Image Credit MEININGER MEININGER Hotels plans to open its first hotel in Madrid by the end of 2027, in partnership with BNP Paribas Real Estate and Therus Investment. MEININGER Hotels has announced the development of its first hotel in Madrid, marking its second location in Spain. The project is being executed in collaboration with BNP Paribas Real Estate and Therus Investment. The hotel will be located at Avenida del Mediterraneo 44, approximately 500 meters from Retiro Park. The new property will span over 7,700 square meters and feature 193 rooms, accommodating a total of 691 beds. Additionally, the facility will provide 15 parking spaces. The opening is scheduled for the end of 2027. The hotel will be situated in the Pacifico district, near key landmarks such as Plaza Conde de Casal and Atocha train station. The location offers access to public transportation, with the Conde de Casal metro station (Line 6) nearby, and Madrid-Barajas Airport approximately 45 minutes away by transit. The room configuration at the new hotel will include 90 quadruple rooms, 39 twin rooms, 40 triple rooms, 11 quintuple rooms, and 13 sextuple rooms, catering to a variety of guest needs. Madrid is a significant tourist destination, attracting over 10 million tourists annually and hosting approximately 25 million overnight stays. The city features the fifth-largest airport in Europe, a robust university presence, and hosts numerous international congresses and trade fairs each year. This development is part of MEININGER Hotels' strategy to expand its presence in key European travel markets. Boeing Announces Trio of Central Asia Deals - Image Credit Boeing Company Boeing announced on November 6 that it has reached three agreements with carriers in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, which could total as many as 37 airplanes, including up to 23 787 Dreamliners, as airlines in Central Asia move to expand and modernize their fleets. Boeing on Nov. 6 announced three separate commercial deals with Central Asian airlines, highlighted by Air Astanas selection of up to 15 787 Dreamliners and Uzbekistan Airways firm order for eight additional 787s. Tajikistan-based Somon Air also signed a commitment for up to 14 airplanes, Boeing stated in a press release. The Air Astana agreement is characterized as a selection for up to 15 Dreamliners to support the Kazakh carriers long-haul growth. Uzbekistan Airways order finalizes eight more 787s, adding to its existing fleet. Boeing did not specify aircraft types in the Somon Air commitment in its announcement headline; financial terms were not disclosed for any of the transactions. If all commitments are executed, the three actions would bring as many as 37 additional Boeing jets to airlines in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, including up to 23 787 Dreamliners. Boeing described the moves as aimed at expanding international networks and renewing fleets across the region. The survey identified the top destinations Americans would travel to for food experiences. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, topped the list for its Philly cheesesteak. - Image Credit Unsplash A recent survey reveals that a significant portion of Americans are increasingly planning trips centered around culinary experiences, with younger generations leading this trend. The research highlights that a notable number of travelers are willing to spend substantial amounts on these "foodcations" to explore diverse food cultures across the United States and beyond. Survey Insights The survey, commissioned by Visit Anaheim and conducted by Talker Research, involved 2,000 respondents from the United States. It found that 21% have embarked on trips specifically for the culinary offerings of their destinations. Notably, younger generations are more inclined towards such journeys, with 44% of Gen Z and 31% of millennials having taken a "foodcation," compared to 21% of Gen X and only 11% of baby boomers. On average, travelers covered 484 miles and spent $910 on their most recent food-focused trip. However, they expressed a willingness to spend up to $1,929 if it meant experiencing a dish they have long desired to try, such as sushi in Tokyo or curry in Mumbai. Adventurous Eating and Research Habits The survey also highlighted that two-thirds of travelers consider themselves more adventurous eaters while traveling. This tendency is more pronounced among younger generations, with 76% of Gen Z and 78% of millennials reporting increased culinary adventurousness compared to 67% of Gen X and 59% of baby boomers. When planning their trips, three-quarters of respondents conduct extensive research on dining options, dedicating an average of 2.5 hours to this task. They typically consult three articles, watch seven videos, reach out to three friends, and visit four different websites to gather information. Preferred Dining Experiences Travelers expressed a preference for discovering "hole-in-the-wall" eateries (41%) over "big-name" restaurants (14%), although 45% enjoy a mix of both. According to Scott Oklin, Chief Marketing Officer at Visit Anaheim, planning meals can enhance the travel experience, turning dining into a trip highlight. Top Culinary Destinations The survey identified the top destinations Americans would travel to for food experiences. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, topped the list for its Philly cheesesteak, followed closely by New York City for its New York-style pizza. Other popular destinations included Missouri and Kansas for Kansas City BBQ, Chicago for deep-dish pizza, and Central Texas for Texas BBQ. When asked which state they believe offers the best food, respondents ranked New York first (14%), followed by California (12%) and Texas (10%). Oklin emphasized the diversity of food cultures in these states, highlighting California's range from California-style pizza to authentic Mexican food and Napa Valley wine. Conclusion The trend of food-centric travel is gaining momentum, with Americans eager to explore culinary delights both domestically and internationally. As travelers continue to prioritize unique dining experiences, destinations across the United States are poised to benefit from this growing interest in "foodcations." Rendering of the Leela Jaisalmer - Image Credit Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts announced the signing of a management agreement with The Godwin Group to establish The Leela Jaisalmer, a new resort in Rajasthan. This development marks the brand's entry into Jaisalmer, a city known for its desert landscape and historical significance. The planned resort will cover 30 acres and include 80 rooms. It is scheduled to open in 2026. The location is near Jaisalmer Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is accessible from Jaisalmer Airport and Jodhpur. The resort will feature a range of amenities, including a spa, salon, kids' club, swimming pool, dining venues, a man-made lake, a ballroom, and outdoor spaces suitable for events. This project is part of The Leela's strategy to expand its presence in Rajasthan, a region with high demand for leisure travel. The company aims to create connections with its existing properties in Udaipur and Jaipur, enhancing its offerings in the state. The Leela currently operates 13 properties across India, with plans to increase this number to 23 over the next three years. The expansion includes locations in Agra, Ayodhya, Bandhavgarh, Mumbai, Ranthambore, Sikkim, Srinagar, Dubai, and now Jaisalmer. Minor Hotels to Open Anantara Resort in Ushuaia, Argentina - Image Credit Minor Hotels Minor Hotels has announced the signing of a new Anantara property to be developed in Ushuaia, Argentina. The Anantara Ushuaia Patagonia Resort is scheduled to open in early 2028. The resort will be located in Ushuaia, known as the southernmost city in the world, situated where the Andes Mountains meet the Beagle Channel. The resort will be part of the Costa Susana master plan, positioned near Tierra del Fuego National Park. It will feature 60 guest rooms and suites, a spa and wellness center, dining options, and meeting facilities. The development is notable for its participation in the World Architecture Festival's Landscape and Environment category, marking Argentinas first nomination, and is recognized as the country's first carbon-neutral real estate project. The hotel management agreement is with Fideicomiso Urbanizacion Monte Susana, an Argentine development group with experience in real estate projects in the Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego region. The resort is located a short distance from Ushuaia International Airport, which offers direct flights to Buenos Aires and other domestic locations. The Anantara Ushuaia Patagonia Resort strives to offer access to local attractions, including ski resorts, the End of the World Train, luxury cruises, and Tierra del Fuego National Park. The development aligns with Argentina's growing status as a leisure destination, offering a combination of Antarctic adventure and natural landscapes. Weekend Outlook: Veterans, Dancing, and More Check out the events in the county this weekend including movies, First Friday festivities, and Veterans Day inspired events. Check out our list of harvest festivals and craft fairs here Editor's Pick Free Eagles Band Annual Concert The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield Time: Friday, 7 p.m. Celebrate Veterans Day will a free Eagles Community Band concert featuring a lineup of military inspired pieces and a video showing our communities Veterans day events. Even though the concert is free you must reserve a ticket for a seat. More information and tickets here Multiple Days Gallery North November Exhibit 9 Eagle S.t, North Adams Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 7 until Nov. 29 Carlos Caicedo and Ann Scott will be showing their artwork, which will accompany the gallery's new works by permanent gallery artists Marilyn Cavallari, Sean McCusker, Barbara Patton, Stephen Dankner, and Carol Shumans. There will be an opening reception on Friday from 5 to 7, which the artists will attend. More information here 'The Polar Express' Screening Beacon Cinema, Pittsfield From Nov. 7 to 13 Celebrate the holidays with Beacon Cinema with a $1 showing of "The Polar Express." Bring the family to enjoy this classic. More information and tickets here Wandering Dance Festival Various venues in Pittsfield Nov. 9 through 15 The Wandering Dance Festival returns to downtown Pittsfield for a weeklong celebration of movement. The festival invites people of all ages and backgrounds to connect through dance with free workshops, pop-up performances and interactive sessions led by local and national choreographers. More information here Book Sale Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield Thursday through Saturday Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum will be selling audio books, books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl, puzzles and games. Open as follows: Friday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. More information here Friday First Friday November Downtown North Adams Friday: 5 to 9 p.m. This month's First Friday carries the theme of "Gather." Bring your family and enjoy a free photo with the "Hatchlings" in the Eagle Street Parklet and enjoy a performance under the Mohawk marquee. There will be live music, food, craft night, and more. More information here Saturday Jazz Age Illustration in America Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge Time: 4 p.m. Delaware Art Museum Curator of American Art Heather Campbell Coylewill will explore concepts from "Jazz Age Illustration," the first exhibition to survey the art of American illustration in the 1920s and '30s. During the event, she will examine how jazz music invented by African American musicians and appropriated by white musicians became the soundtrack and metaphor of a vibrant era marked by dramatic cultural change and the expansion of the popular press. Tickets are $10 plus admission and free for members. More information here Berkshire Natural History Conference '62 Center for Theatre and Dance, Williamstown Time: 8 to 4 Learn about native birds, turtles, caves and more at Berkshire Community College's 9th annual conference. Includes knowledgeable speakers, exhibits with local environmental groups, book and natural history sales items, and the annual Natural History Quiz. Admission is $25; $15 for students. Learn more and register here Pumpkin Smash Bash Whitney's Farm, Cheshire Time: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Say goodbye to Halloween by smashing your leftover pumpkins at Whitney's Farm. The pumpkins must not have any chemicals or paint on them. Partnering with Second Chance Composting the pumpkins will be composted. Whitney's will also have its Haunted Corn Maze and giant slide. More information here Deadfall IV Music and Art Fest The Stationery Factory, Dalton Time: 4:20 The festival will feature music by Dead Man's Waltz, Marks Brothers, Creamery Station, The Wheel, Krishna Guthrie, craft vendors, food and more. Tickets range from $32.64 to $43.14. More information and line-up here Dog Park Fall Cleanup Burbank Park, Pittsfield Time: 9 to 11 a.m. Volunteer to help clean up the dog park before winter with the city's parks department. Bring gloves, and rakes to help keep your dog's favorite spot clean. More information here 'Street Fighter 2' Champion Edition Tournament Tyler Street Arcade, Pittsfield Time: 12 p.m. Bring your friends and family to take part in the "Street Fighter 2" tournament with double elimination with prizes for first, second, and third winners. Registration is $10 per player. More information here Contra Community Dance 906 Main St., Williamstown Time 7:30 p.m. Northern Berkshire Community Dance hosts a contra dance at First Congregational Church. Caller Ben Sachs-Hamilton will teach every dance. Dance to live fiddle music by the California-based band Raven and Goose. Admission is pay-as-you-can. However, there is $12 to $20 suggested donation. More information here Strange Magic NY Performance The Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield Time: 7:30 p.m. The Electric Light Orchestra tribute band will recreate the iconic ELO sound by incorporating actual string instruments, vintage keyboards, and intricate vocal harmonies. Tickets are $30. More information here Comedy Night Bright Ideas Brewing, North Adams Time: 7:30 to 9 p.m. Laugh over a drink at Bright Ideas on the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts campus. The stand-up event will be hosted by Charlie Nadler and feature performances by Nick Viagas, Sarah Adelman, and Eion Falance. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here Sunday Soldier On 5K Dalton American Legion Time: 9 a.m. Soldier On, in partnership with the Berkshire Running Foundation, is hosting its annual 5K benefitting at-risk veterans. There will be prizes for placed winners. Registration is $30 and students run for free. More information here Pancake Breakfast Holiday Brook Farm, Dalton Every Sunday in November from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join Holiday Brook Farm for its annual Sunday pancake breakfasts featuring pancakes, sausage, hash browns, and more. It's $17.95 for adults and kids 2 to 12 pay their age. More information here PITTSFIELD, Mass. The Simon Wiesenthal Center's Mobile Museum of Tolerance advocates for education as a means to address the rising levels of hate and division observed nationally over the past two years. Melissa Mott, Simon Wiesenthal Center's executive vice president of education programs and strategies said the museum is a free, traveling education center fully funded by the state legislature as part of a $61.47 billion fiscal year 2026 budget, which included funding for education filed by Rep. Ken Gordon. Of that, $875,000 went to adding the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Mobile Museum of Tolerance Bus to Massachusetts. "Students want to do something to make their world better, and they really do. They are looking for connection with each other, Mott said. "And they're looking for a place and a space in which to talk about the issues that are impacting them on an everyday basis, whether that's in the broader social, political climate, or whether that's just an issue that they're having within the classroom or the school." She said the program was implemented four years ago, with the first bus opening in Illinois. It has expanded to California, Florida, New York, and now Massachusetts. She added that the popular program is often booked out two years in some states. In partnership with the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and Berk12, the Tolerance Museum's first stop is Berkshire County. Since its inception its buses have traveled more that 66,000 miles, to more than 120,000 students in grades five through 12. "The museum wants to help students build community by demonstrating that their peers want to do the same. They also want students to discuss historical issues and what they mean today, said Brian Strafach, associate educator at the New York Mobile Museum." He added that students are microcosms of what is going on in their greater community, neighborhoods, towns and states. Strafach said they want students to be civically engaged. On the bus, students are encouraged to start small with the differences that they are making. They are then encouraged to form the habits that they want to carry with them to college, their careers, or wherever they end up after school. "We focus mainly on history, so that we can see patterns today, so that students can see that there are so many role models for us to follow from the past when it comes to resistance, when it comes to standing up for ourselves, for our community," he said. "And so we want students to understand that history is not something that they look in, but they are actively participating in history and in the future by following these examples of upstanders during the Civil Rights Movement, upstanders to the Holocaust." Strafach said they collect student and teacher input so they can cater its programming to the area. "One of the most fun parts of being a traveling educator is getting to meet so many different communities and find out what makes them special, what they are proud of, and what makes them individuals that we can really emphasize," he said. The 30-seat wheelchair-accessible field trip experience offers immersive technology to facilitate dialogue. Workshops are tailored to various ages, focusing on topics such as antisemitism and hate, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Movement, and decoding online hate. Part of its organization is a two time Oscar award winning media company that creates short films to enhance the learning experience. Workshops include "The Anne Frank Story: A Voice of Hope," Combat Hate (Digital Media Literacy Workshop)," "The Power of Ordinary People" and "Civil Rights." Recently, the organization shifted its curriculum to include resistance, Mott said. "Our existing programs are incredibly popular, but we have a responsibility to change with the changing times. Hatred and anti semitism and extremism, they are always changing and shifting and mutating, and so in order to actually make educational interventions that are impactful, we have to be prepared to constantly be addressing the landscape," she said. The mobile museum now showcases stories of resistance to highlight more of an emotional response, Mott said. She said the concept of resistance does not have to imply violence, noting that it can also refer to spiritual and cultural acts. The museum focuses on helping students build and feel their own agency in hard times and on realizing when the living climate or their rights are antithetical. Mott added that they also want students to understand how feelings influence perceptions, beliefs, and actions. "Hopefully, it will help them see themselves in history, but also see themselves as important components and contributors to history. That we are not sort of independent actors here. Everything that we do is a historical action. We're always contributing to what we read in textbooks, "The people who we read about in those textbooks were just regular people like us. And my hope is that we can help students to situate themselves in history, to show them that what they do matters all of the time, not just in a particular, given, difficult moment." District Attorney Timothy Shugrue discussed recent incidents of hate in schools over the last two years, including anti-Semitic graffiti in Great Barrington and Dalton. "I think there's been a lack of civility. I think that's a big problem in the country right now," he said. The internet has enabled people to say whatever they want and not have any recourse from it, Shugrue said. "I think the state of hatred has really grown in the last few years, so we have to educate and stop that tide. We're doing that by getting the schools to teach the kids young," he said. Shugrue highlighted how he opened the Children's Advocacy Center in 1995, which demonstrated how the county has got so many people that are generous, that will give their time and money to invest in these types of programs. One Incumbent Returns to Pittsfield School Committee PITTSFIELD, Mass. The next School Committee will have a couple of familiar faces, but largely new representation. On Tuesday, voters elected Ciara Batory, Sarah Muil, Daniel Elias, Katherine Yon, Heather McNeice, and Carolyn Barry for two-year terms that begin in January. McNeice was the top vote-getter with 3,995 votes, according to unofficial results, and Elias was second with 2,937 votes. Elias is a longtime School Committee member, and Yon is the former chair. Candidates Jacob Klein, Geoffrey Buerger, and Vicky Smith fell short in the race, but Klein earned 2,116 votes, Buerger 2,063, and Smith 2,198. McNeice feels truly grateful and excited to have been elected to the School Committee. She thanked supporters for their kind words, sharing of ideas, or showing up to vote. "I see this as an opportunity to make a real difference for our students and schools. I want every student to feel valued, every teacher to feel supported, and our community to feel proud of our schools," she wrote in a statement to iBerkshires. "I'm ready to listen, learn, and work hard alongside my fellow committee members to make that happen." Batory thanked everyone who believed in her, stood in the rain holding a sign, placed a sign in their yard, sent a message, or showed up to vote, saying, "You made this possible. I am deeply grateful and humbled by the trust this community has placed in me." "While I'm proud of what we've achieved, my heart is with those who didn't get the results they hoped for. They ran because they care deeply about Pittsfield and our schools, and their voices still matter. The election may be over, but our shared mission continues," Batory wrote. Katherine Yon spent four terms on the committee before taking a four-year break in 2021. The former committee chair and longtime educator found herself back on the committee this election. "First, I would like to thank the voters of Pittsfield for continuing to support me in my effort to better serve the students and families of Pittsfield as we look to the many challenges ahead. I believe my many years of experience in the classroom as well as serving 12 years on the School Committee, with eight as the chair, resonated with voters," she said in an email. I am grateful to have won a seat on the committee, and I'm excited to begin the work. Watching the School Committee meeting last night, I could see that the sitting committee clearly has issues such as the status of the superintendent contract and the middle school restructuring plan. These are both issues that we will have to deal with there shortly after we are inaugurated in January. We will have to make ourselves familiar with all of the nuances involved in the pros and cons of making a good decision. I think we should probably look at the possibility of getting briefed on some of the major issues facing this new committee." Exiting the School Committee after this term will be Chair William Cameron, Diana Belair, William Garrity, Sara Hathaway, and Dominick Sacco, who did not run for re-election. Hathaway ran unsuccessfully for councilor at large. She earned 2,761 votes, trailing Alisa Costa by less than 50 votes. Kathleen Amuso, Earl Persip III, Pete White, and Costa were re-elected to at-large seats. Seira Ozawa, daughter of the late BSO conductor Seiji Ozawa, speaks at the dedication on Thursday. The sign is at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and St. Stephen's Street in Boston. PreviousNext BSO, Boston Dedicate 'Seiji Ozawa Square' Seira Ozawa and her son, Masaki, stand under the Ozawa sign dedicated to her father, Seiki Ozawa, on Thursday. BOSTON The city of Boston and the Boston Symphony Orchestra dedicated "Seiji Ozawa Square" on Thursday with signage on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and St. Stephen Street. Ozawa was the BSO's esteemed music director for 29 years, from 1973 to 2002. He died in February 2024 at the age of 88. Among the speakers at the unveiling were Kenny Mascary, Boston's interim director of the arts and culture; BSO President and CEO Chad Smith, and Ozawa's daughter, Seira Ozawa. "Seiji left a legacy of passionate music-making, innovation, and mentorship that continues to inspire musicians and audiences worldwide," said Smith. "The Square is a symbol of how his contributions continue to resonate: the extraordinary players he hired, the audiences he inspired, and the shared memories that connect us across generations." The ceremony coincides with BSO performances this week, Nov. 6-8, featuring artists and repertoire strongly associated with Ozawa. A conducting protegee of the maestro, Nodoka Okisawa makes her BSO and U.S. debuts with violin soloist Midori, a longtime Ozawa collaborator, in Dvo?aks Seventh Symphony and Violin Concerto works Ozawa especially loved. The program also includes T?ru Takemitsu's "Requiem for strings," which the BSO has performed only once before, with Ozawa conducting it at Tanglewood in 1967. Okisawa and Midori were among the attendees at Thursday's ceremony, which also included BSO musicians and staff, BSO Board Chair Barbara Hostetter, Consul General of Japan Seiichiro Takahashi, and Chieko Yoshida, the consul for cultural affairs at the Consulate General of Japan in Boston. The maestro was well known in the Berkshires and Seiji Ozawa Hall was named for him when it was constructed in 1994 at Tanglewood, summer home of the BSO. The annual Tanglewood on Parade was dedicated to his memory in 2024 and a bust of him was installed outside the hall this past July in a private ceremony to commemorate his legacy. A timeline of his life and relationship with the BSO and Tanglewood can be found here Ozawa's last public performance was in 2022, when he conducted the Saito Kinen Orchestra to mark the 30th anniversary of his founding the festival (now the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival) in Japan. In a separate event around the same time, he conducted the SKO in Beethoven's "Egmont" overture in a performance that was broadcast live to the International Space Station and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, in a collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). "Dad believed in connecting with people, through music that came from his heart," said Seira Ozawa. "He believed that we can go beyond nationalities, races, genders, or age, over any occupation, politics, or religion. He believed in the goodness of human beings." Cheshire Police Chief Arrested on Sex Solicitation Charges CHESHIRE, Mass. The town's police chief has been placed on paid administrative leave after being arrested Thursday night on charges of soliciting sex for a fee. The Board of Selectmen held an emergency meeting at 3 p.m. on Friday and appointed retired Chief Timothy Garner as an administrative consultant. According to a statement from the board, it is investigating options for an interim chief. According to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, 53-year-old Michael Alibozek of Adams was arrested by the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit and assisted by troopers from the Cheshire State Police Barracks. Alibozek was taken into custody in the parking lot of Hoosac Valley Middle and High School at approximately 9:45 p.m. He had been communicating online with an undercover State Police detective, according to the DA's office. Following the arrest, Alibozek was relieved of duty and placed on paid administrative leave by the town administrator and the Select Board Chair Shawn McGrath. His town-issued firearm and access to the police station were seized. In a statement, the Board of Selectmen said, "The Town of Cheshire takes these matters seriously and is fully cooperating with the investigative and judicial processes. The Board of Selectmen has been informed and is addressing the matter in the best interests of the Town of Cheshire. Former Chief Timothy Garner has been appointed as an administrative consultant. The Board is working on investigating options for an Interim Chief. "No further comments will be made by the Cheshire Police Department or the Town of Cheshire at this time." Alibozek was hired as police chief in 2022 to replace Garner, after serving on the force for five years. A sergeant at the time, he was one of two finalists interviewed for the post. The town of Cheshire has reported the matter to the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission. The defendant will be arraigned on Monday in Central Berkshire District Court. Think tanks, media serve as key bridges for Cambodia-China ties Xinhua) 17:12, November 07, 2025 PHNOM PENH, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Think tanks and media served as key bridges for deepening Cambodia-China relations towards building an all-weather Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era, Cambodian experts and university students said here on Friday. Speaking at a Cambodia-China think tank and media seminar in Phnom Penh, Yang Peou, secretary general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said think tanks and the media have played a crucial role in promoting Cambodia-China ties. "Both think tanks and the media are among the key contributors in increasing mutual trust between Cambodia and China," he told the seminar with approximately 150 participants. "They are also contributors to maintaining peace, increasing cooperation, and developing regional and global economies," he added. Peou said think tanks and the media played a significant and interconnected role in Cambodia-China relations, mainly by fostering mutual understanding, facilitating policy dialogue, and shaping public perceptions to support the "ironclad" friendship and the building of an all-weather Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era. Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said think tanks and the media served as bridges to the brighter future of Cambodia-China relations. "We must act as the bridge of understanding," he said at the seminar. "Our research, articles, and reports must proactively highlight how the Cambodia-China partnership directly improves the lives of Cambodians and fosters regional stability." Phea said think tanks and the media should not be just observers, but active participants in "writing the next chapter" of this relationship. "By fostering more academic exchanges and joint research, we can provide the intellectual fuel for future-oriented cooperation in the digital economy, green development, and human resource training," he said. Leng Ranim, a third-year student in the major of media and communication at the University of Cambodia, said she would love to be a promoter of Cambodia-China relations when she graduates. Ranim also expressed her hope to visit Beijing one day, saying that the capital city boasted a wealth of history perfect for study and research. Chhoeun Raksmey, an official at the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation, said the seminar played an important role in promoting the Cambodia-China relations to youths, especially to researchers. "It helps promote mutual trust between Cambodia and China," he told Xinhua. He said the relations between Cambodia and China have played a very important role in driving Cambodia's economic growth as well as in reducing poverty among the Cambodian people. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) 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 China has officially commissioned its latest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, following extensive sea trials, state media reported on Friday. Experts suggest the new vessel will significantly bolster what is already the worlds largest navy, enabling it to project power further beyond its domestic waters. The official Xinhua news agency confirmed that the Fujian was commissioned on Wednesday in Sanya, located on Hainan island. The ceremony was attended by President Xi Jinping, underscoring the strategic importance of the new addition to China's naval capabilities. The Fujian stands as Chinas third aircraft carrier and marks a pivotal achievement as the first to be entirely designed and constructed by the nation itself. Its unveiling is seen as a prominent example of Mr Xis sweeping military overhaul and expansion, which aims to forge a modernised force by 2035 and a "world class" military by mid-century a goal widely interpreted as aspiring to rival the United States. open image in gallery In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, China's third conventionally powered aircraft carrier, the Fujian, conducts a maiden sea trial on 7 May 2024 ( Xinhua ) With this latest development, Beijing takes another substantial stride towards narrowing the operational gap with the US Navy, particularly concerning its extensive carrier fleet and global network of bases that facilitate its worldwide presence. Carriers are key to Chinese leaderships vision of China as a great power with a blue-water navy, or one that can project power far from its coastal waters, said Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. For China's navy, one goal is to dominate the near waters of the South China Sea, East China Sea and Yellow Sea around the so-called First Island Chain, which runs south through Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. But deeper into the Pacific, it also wants to be able to contest control of the Second Island Chain, where the U.S. has important military facilities on Guam and elsewhere, Mr Poling said. A carrier doesn't really help you in the First Island Chain, but it's key to that contest, if you want one, with the Americans in the wider Indo-Pacific, he said. Chinas increasingly capable military and ability to project power globally is one of the reasons the Pentagon in its latest report to Congress continued to call it the only competitor to the United States with the intent and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order. At the same time, it is Beijing's right to transform its navy into a blue-water strategic navy commensurate with Chinas national strength, said Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military affairs expert. open image in gallery The Chinese aircraft carriers Shandong and Fujian are seen at the Yulin Naval Base near Sanya, China Chinas carriers cannot just operate near home, they must operate in the distant oceans and far seas to carry out various training and support missions. China is a great power and our overseas interests span the globe; we need to be globally present. The Fujian is a step in that direction. One possibility that raises concerns in foreign capitals is a possible blockade or invasion of the democratically self-governed island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and which Mr Xi has not ruled out taking by force. Though the island sits right off of China's coast, if China had the ability to position an aircraft carrier group or groups around the Second Island Chain between Taiwan and the U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters in Hawaii that could delay possible American military assistance in the event of a Chinese attack. They want those aircraft carriers to play a part in kind of extending the strategic perimeter farther out from China, and one of the important things that an aircraft carrier can do is extend the range of Chinas domain awareness to keep an eye on activities in the air, on the sea, and below the sea, said Brian Hart, deputy director of CSISs China Power Project. China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was Soviet made and its second, the Shandong, was built in China but based on the Soviet model. Both use older-style ski-jump type systems to help planes take flight. The Fujian skips past the steam catapult technology used on most American carriers to employ an electromagnetic launch system found only on the latest US Navy Ford-class carriers. open image in gallery China's first domestically built aircraft carrier Shandong sails into Hong Kong for port call on 3 July 2025 ( AP ) The system causes less stress to the aircraft and the ship, allows for more precise control over speed and can launch a wider range of aircraft than the steam system. Compared to the ski-jump system, it gives China the ability to launch heavier aircraft, with full fuel loads, like the KJ-600 early warning and control plane, which it successfully tested during its sea trials. Its latest J-35 stealth fighter and J-15T heavy fighter were also launched from the Fujian, giving the new carrier "full-deck operation capability" according to the Chinese navy. The ability to carry its own reconnaissance aircraft means unlike its first two carriers, it won't be operating blind when out of the range of land-based support, giving it the ability to operate its most advanced aircraft far afield including the Second Island Chain. The Fujian carrier is a big leapfrog for China in terms of the capabilities of its aircraft carriers compared to the first two, Mr Hart said. Still, Mr Hart noted, China's navy lags behind the US in several significant ways. Numerically it only has three carriers compared to the US Navy's 11, and while China's carriers are all conventionally powered, the USs are all nuclear powered which means they can operate almost indefinitely without being refueled - dramatically increasing their range. The Ford-class carrier, of which only one is currently in service but more are being built, is also larger, can carry more aircraft on its flight deck, and has a third elevator that means it can move more aircraft from lower deck hangars in less time. China also lags behind the US in guided missile cruisers and destroyers, which are critical in providing air and submarine defence and support for larger naval groups, as well as nuclear-powered submarines. The US is also ahead in vertical launching system cells - basically the systems for holding and launching missiles from ships - which is a measure of how much firepower vessels can carry, though China is increasing that capacity, Hart said. Beyond just equipment, China lacks the network of overseas bases that the U.S. has, which are critical for resupplying carriers and also providing alternative runways should aircraft not be able to return safely to the carrier. China is working on expanding its foreign bases, however, and has a nuclear propulsion system for a carrier in development. Theres also evidence that China is already building another carrier. Chinese shipyards have the capabilities to build more than one at once and have also been churning out other new vessels at a pace the U.S. cant currently come close to matching. Really across the board, Chinas closing the gap, Mr Hart said. Theyre fielding and building more aircraft carriers, theyre fielding more nuclear-powered subs, they are fielding more, larger destroyers and other vessels that carry a larger number of missiles. So theyre really catching up. China has happily shown off its new military assets, releasing video of the KJ-600, J-35 and J-15T test flights from the Fujian. A World War II Victory Day parade at the start of September showcased all three aircraft along with hypersonic glide vehicles whose high-speed, maneuverability and other attributes make them more difficult to intercept than traditional ballistic missiles aerial and underwater drones and electronic warfare systems. Sophisticated new equipment does not necessarily translate to military readiness, however, said Singapore-based analyst Tang Meng Kit, who noted that China hasn't fought a war since 1979 and that the carefully choreographed parade was good at amplifying perceptions of strength. "It is possible that Chinas capabilities are overstated, as real-world operational readiness lags behind its showcased arsenal, he said. He also cautioned in a recent analysis for the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore that it would be a mistake to see China's military modernization as simply geared toward a possible Taiwan invasion, which he said is only one part of a larger mosaic. The parade "signalled Chinas broader strategic intent, which is to deter major powers, pressure regional actors, expand its global influence, and reinforce its domestic legitimacy, he said. Acknowledging Chinas innovative biotech environment, UK-headquartered pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said it is confident about further investing in the country, and working with local universities as well as startups to jointly build an innovative ecosystem. The company opened a new global strategic research and development centre in Beijing, its sixth globally and second in China, on 26 October. With an investment of $2.5 billion (1.9 billion), the R&D centre features an artificial intelligence and data science hub to accelerate the translation of early-stage research into clinical development. Alongside the companys global strategic R&D centre in Shanghai, the Beijing centre will lead new drug discoveries and clinical development, transforming innovation into medicines. Specifically, it will expand collaborations with local trial sites, universities, and biotech companies to deepen understanding about diseases and incubate innovation. Pascal Soriot, chief executive officer of AstraZeneca, said: Our new global strategic R&D centre will harness Beijings world-leading scientific ecosystem and AI capabilities to accelerate the next generation of innovative medicines. Working in partnership with Chinas academic research and biotech community, we will combine cutting-edge technology and deep scientific expertise to transform patient care in China and worldwide. He Jing, senior vice-president and head of R&D China at AstraZeneca, said: In 2024, Chinese biotech firms accounted for about one-third of all global license-out deals, and the number of newly added clinical trials in China every year far exceeded that of the United States. These gave us more confidence to enhance the R&D investment in the country. In 2024, AstraZeneca invested $475 million (361 milion) in a new small molecule factory in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. It has also invested around $750 million (570 million) in an inhalation aerosol manufacturing and supply site in Qingdao, Shandong province. Chinese biotech startups are lean and fast. Taking advantage of Chinese biotech startups high efficiency in early R&D, plus pharmaceutical multinational corporations global network, there can be an innovative, highly efficient ecosystem built, to enable more molecules to go into clinical stage, she said. Yuan Shuai, deputy head of the investment department at the China City Development Academy, said: In the process of cooperation, pharmaceutical MNCs bring advanced R&D concepts, mature technical platforms and abundant financial support to accelerate the R&D process and raise R&D quality. Meanwhile, they can take advantage of local startups flexibility and insights of the domestic market to fit into local demand in a quicker, better manner. With MNCs and local startups co-building a benign ecosystem, innovative products and solutions developed in China can be launched in the global market, realising the goal of in China, for the world. The eighth China International Import Expo, opened in Shanghai on 5 November, offers a great opportunity for multinational companies to build a global pivot, and turn exhibits into commodities, experts and executives say. Stefan Oelrich, a member of the board of management of Bayer AG and head of its pharmaceuticals division, said the fair offers a great opportunity for import decision-makers to come together in China. For us its absolutely key to have a good presence there. Were looking to showcase part of our pipelines that are making good progress, and are pleased with China being a market where we participate in doing clinical trials and launching innovation incubators. We are also pleased that we see a better access in the biotech sector that needs capital support that we could provide. Bayer, taking part in the expo for the eighth year in a row, said it is a key platform that drives high-standard development through high-level opening-up. Silver Fern Farms of New Zealand also has a long history with the expo. Speaking of the events spillover effect, Dan Boulton, chief executive of Silver Fern Farms, said it offers a platform for the company to share New Zealands natural goodness with the Chinese market. The company planned to showcase New Zealand grass-fed mini beef and cheeseburgers at the expo. German life sciences company Bayers stand during the 7th China International Import Expo in Shanghai on 5 November, 2024 ( PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY ) China is New Zealands largest trading partner, and the value of trade between the two countries exceeded the equivalent of $21.9 billion (16.65 billion) last year, Boulton said. The complementary value cooperation between the two countries has created unparalleled trade opportunities, paving new ways for enterprises from the two countries to advance exchange and cooperation. Organisers said that at last years event deals worth a total of more than $80 billion (61 billion) were sealed, 2 per cent more than in 2023. Anu Rathninde, president for Asia-Pacific of the US smart building solutions provider Johnson Controls, said: The fair is attracting more and more attention, and it keeps evolving, not only as a stage to showcase products, but also as a platform for cross-border and cross-sector collaborations. Chinese customers are also seeking integrated smart solutions designed for their industrys full life cycle, rather than only individual products. These offer us great opportunities. Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said: The fair accelerates the landing of foreign investment projects, drives collaborative innovation in the upstream and downstream of the local industrial chain, and forms a virtuous cycle of introduction, absorption, re-innovation. The expo also optimises the business environment through policy docking and institutional innovation, provides long-term development guarantees for multinational companies, and achieves the continuous transformation of exhibits into commodities and exhibitors into investors. Susan Gu, general manager for the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong of the consumer health company Haleon, said: We have personally experienced the accelerated transformation of exhibits into products. Our products that have appeared in previous CIIEs have all achieved unexpected market responses after entering the Chinese market. The six-day event features more than 4,100 exhibitors from 155 countries, regions and international organisations, with total exhibition area exceeding 430,000 square metres. Both the number of participants and the scale of the exhibition set records, Chinas Ministry of Commerce 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 In a nationwide effort to increase marriage rates, China began allowing couples to get married anywhere in the country last May, rather than at their place of residence. Local governments have since seized the opportunity to create marriage tourism destinations, setting up registration offices in scenic spots, at music festivals, and even in subway stations, shopping malls, and parks. For now, the effort is working. Chinas marriage rates rise Marriages, which demographers use as a proxy for the country's birth rate, rose 22.5% from a year earlier to 1.61 million in the third quarter of 2025, putting China on track to halt a downtrend in annual nuptials, which has gone almost uninterrupted for more than a decade. Last year's 20.5% decline in marriages, to 6.1 million, was the biggest on record. In the eastern city of Nanjing, couples can get married at the Confucius Temple, where they can have a Ming Dynasty-themed ceremony. In southwestern Chengdu, authorities set up an office on the picturesque Xiling Snow Mountain at an altitude above 3,000 metres (9,842 feet). In eastern Hefei, a marriage booth opened in a subway station whose name, Xingfuba, translates to "the place of happiness." open image in gallery Couple gets married at Huguo Guanyin Temple ( REUTERS ) And in Shanghai, couples can choose to get their certificate at a nightclub after appearing at a marriage registration office, thanks to a partnership between INS Park, a six-storey nightlife complex, and the Huangpu District Civil Affairs Bureau. In Beijing, 31-year-old lawyer Wang Jieyi and 33-year-old Zhan Yongqiang, a bank employee, registered their marriage at the Huguo Guanyin Temple. "The Huguo Guanyin Temple was originally built to safeguard the peace and tranquility of the nation," Wang said. "And also, in our traditional religious culture, the Guanyin Temple is associated with auspicious events like marriage and giving birth, symbolising happiness and well-being." open image in gallery Groom places ring on brides finger ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) The couple said the new policy didn't necessarily fast-track their plans to get married but it made the process more convenient as they both work in Beijing and no longer need to go back to their native Shandong province. "It made our lives a little bit easier," said Wang. Its a numbers game Tourists go to Xinjiang's Sayram Lake, where bank clerk Ren Yingxiao got married, for the steep mountains and quiet pastures surrounding it. But it's the lake's geographical statistics that convince couples to marry there. It stands 2,073 metres above sea level, a number that sounds like "love you deeply" in Chinese. It has a surface area of 1,314 square kilometres and that figure is phonetically similar to "a lifetime." Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, is 520 kilometres away - homophonous with "I love you." "All those numbers had symbolic meaning," said Ren. Demographer Yi Fuxian from the University of Wisconsin-Madison said the removal of geographic restrictions is making weddings easier in China, but expects the positive results to be "short-lived." With the population declining, Yi expects the number of women aged 20 to 34 to nearly halve to 58 million by 2050. Moreover, he expects young women - and their parents - to give greater priority to education and economic independence over marriage, in line with global trends. Ren concurred, saying she would have gotten married anyway. She believes marriage and birth rates will improve only when incomes start growing and people feel more financially secure. It's unlikely that two people who didn't plan to get married would suddenly decide to do it on impulse while travelling," she said. "Thats not very realistic." 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 North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards its eastern waters on Friday, the South Korean military said, one day after Pyongyang decried American sanctions imposed on its banking officials accused of laundering money for the countrys nuclear weapons programme. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said they tracked a missile that flew cross-country after it was launched from an inland area in the western county of Taekwan, near the border with China. The suspected short-range ballistic missile travelled a distance of about 700km (435 miles). South Korean and US surveillance systems detected preparations for the launch, and tracked the projectile in flight, the military said. Japans prime minister Sanae Takaichi said the missile had probably landed in the sea outside the countrys exclusive economic zone, and hadnt caused any damage. South Korea and Japan did not provide further details, though Seoul said its military was analysing the details of the launch. This was North Koreas second missile launch in less than three weeks. The first took place ahead of US president Donald Trumps visit to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. A TV screen shows file footage of a North Korean ballistic missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul, South Korea ( AP ) It was also the countrys 10th missile test this year. One of the tests, in September, involved a new solid-fuel rocket engine for intercontinental ballistic missiles, which the Norths leader Kim Jong Un described as a significant change in the countrys nuclear force projection. The latest test came after the North warned the US of unspecified countermeasures following Washingtons sanctioning of the bankers, saying that such threat and blackmail would go against the prospect of bilateral dialogue. The US recently sanctioned eight people and two entities for allegedly laundering money from cyber crime and IT worker fraud schemes to pay for the North Korean nuclear programme. By doing so, the US administration showed to the full its stand that it would be hostile towards the DPRK to the last, said Kim Un Chol, vice-minister for US affairs at the foreign ministry, using the countrys official name of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Hopes rose that Mr Trump would hold a summit with Mr Kim after the US president arrived in the region last month. South Koreas intelligence agency said North Korea appeared to be preparing for a potential meeting. Mr Trump repeated his willingness to sit down with Mr Kim, but no meeting took place. Later Mr Trump said he was willing to return to the region to meet Mr Kim. North Korea, which usually confirms the success of its missile tests, is yet to report the test launch. 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 Indias Supreme Court said no one in the country believed the deadly Air India crash in June was the captains fault while castigating an American publication for causing pain to his family. An Air India Boeing Dreamliner crashed moments after taking off for London from the western city of Ahmedabad on 12 June. The aircraft lost power, veered off course and hit a medical college hostel near the airport, killing 229 passengers, 12 crew members and 19 people on the ground. Only one passenger survived. According to a preliminary investigation report released by the Indian government, the pilots sounded confused shortly before the crash as the planes fuel engine switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run position to cutoff soon after take-off. An analysis of the report showed that first officer Clive Kunder was in control of the jet for take-off and at the moment of the crash. On the cockpit voice recorder, Kunder was heard asking the other pilot, captain Sumeet Sabharwal, why he had flipped the switches, The Wall Street Journal reported at the time, citing unnamed sources. The captain replied that he hadnt. Hearing a petition filed by the late captains father, Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, Justices Surya Kant and Joymala Bagchi noted on Friday that the pilot was blameless for the tragedy. Mr Sabharwal told the court that two officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau had visited him and implied that his son cut the fuel to the planes engines after take-off. open image in gallery Wreckage of the Air India plane outside the Ahmedabad airport in India ( REUTERS ) Its extremely unfortunate, this crash, but you should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed. Nobody can blame him for anything, Justice Surya Kant told the bereaved father. Justice Bagchi added that there was no insinuation against the pilot in the preliminary investigation report. One pilot asked whether the fuel was cut off by the other, the other said no, he noted. Theres no suggestion of fault in that report. The court called out the WSJ for claiming the captain had turned off the switches and said the American newspapers reporting on the matter was nasty and had caused his family grave pain. open image in gallery Captain Sumeet Sabharwals father attends his funeral ( REUTERS ) We are not bothered by foreign reports. Your remedy should then be before a foreign court. That is nasty reporting. No one in India believes it was the pilot's fault, the court said. At a previous hearing in September, the court had observed that it was irresponsible to blame the pilots based on a preliminary investigation, which the Indian government had described as "very clean" and "very thorough". If tomorrow someone irresponsibly says that pilot A or B was at fault, the family will suffer, the court had said, noting the importance of ensuring confidentiality until the inquiry was complete. What happens if the final inquiry report later finds no fault? Families of four of the Air India crash victims have filed a case in the US against Boeing and Honeywell, which made the switches for the Dreamliner. The lawsuit alleges that a defective fuel control switch led to the disaster. 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 Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least five people as it made landfall in Vietnam on Thursday, barrelling in from the Philippines, where it had caused 188 deaths and widespread destruction. One of the strongest storms on record to hit Vietnam, Kalmaegi brought torrential rains and destructive winds that uprooted trees, damaged homes and left more than 1.6 million households without power. Although the typhoon weakened as it moved inland, authorities in the Southeast Asian country warned of continuing heavy rainfall of up to 200mm in central provinces, from Thanh Hoa to Quang Tri. The five deaths occurred in Gia Lai and Dak Lak provinces, while three fishermen were reported missing after their boat was swept away by strong waves on Ly Son, an island in the Quang Ngai province. A search operation was launched but later suspended due to worsening weather, state media said. open image in gallery Waves crash onto Quy Nhon beach ahead of the arrival of Kalmaegi in Gia Lai province of central Vietnam on 6 November 2025 ( AFP via Getty ) Authorities said nearly 537,000 people were evacuated, many by boat, as floodwaters rose and landslides loomed. Vietnam was already reeling from record rainfall that triggered massive flooding and killed 40 people. As the typhoon arrived, at least 50 flights were cancelled or delayed across eight airports on Thursday and Friday, aviation authorities said. As floodwaters receded, recovery work started in battered towns and industrial zones, with residents joining local officials in clearing debris and repairing roofs across central Vietnam. An unusually strong storm for the region in November, Kalmaegi packed sustained winds of about 183kmph with gusts reaching up to 220kmph as it approached Vietnam over the South China Sea. Waves up to 3m high hit the coast in cities like Danang and strong winds uprooted trees in Dak Lak province. Many homes in Quy Nhon, another coastal city, were left without power for hours. open image in gallery Residents clean up outside their homes after Kalmaegi caused devastation in Talisay city of Cebu province in the Philippines ( AP ) The Vietnamese government said it had mobilised over 268,000 soldiers for search and rescue operations and warned of potential floods in low-lying areas, which could affect agriculture in the Central Highlands, the countrys main coffee-growing region. In the Philippines, the typhoon left at least 188 people dead and 135 missing in the deadliest natural disaster to hit the country this year. The central province of Cebu was the hardest-hit, recording 139 deaths. Krizza Espra lost her husband and three children when the roof they were sheltering on collapsed. "I hope someone can help speed up the search for their bodies before they decompose, we hope we can still recognise them," she said. She said four other members of her family, including her mother and aunt, remained missing. open image in gallery An aerial view shows Trieu Son Trung village, which has been isolated after days of heavy rain, on 4 November 2025 in Hue, Vietnam ( Getty ) Kalmaegi displaced more than 560,000 villagers in the Philippines, including nearly 450,000 who were evacuated to emergency shelters, according to the civil defence. More than 318,000 of them were still in evacuation shelters. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a state of national emergency on Thursday as another potentially powerful typhoon was expected to slam into the western coast on Sunday night. "We suffered many deaths, it was very grave," Mr Marcos said on Thursday of Kalmaegi's deadly aftermath. The biggest problem that we're seeing is, we have to think who and how many of the personnel now handling government relief and support in the central Visayas region can be shifted to prepare for Uwan. open image in gallery Kalmaegi caused widespread destruction in Liloan, Cebu, central Philippines ( AP ) The next approaching storm, Fung-wong, was growing as it barrelled towards the Philippines over the Pacific. State forecasters said Fung-wong, locally known as Uwan, could grow to an estimated 1,400km in diameter before it made landfall in northern Aurora province or nearby regions. They warned that it could hit the densely populated area around the capital Manila as well. Kalmaegi is expected to move through Laos and hit northeast Thailand on Friday afternoon. Thailand's weather agency advised people to be cautious of heavy to very heavy rainfall that could lead to flash floods or river overflows. In Laos, the weather bureau issued a nationwide warning as the typhoon was expected to bring moderate to heavy rainfall across central and southern parts of the country. Vietnam is hit by nearly a dozen storms annually and is enduring a relentless series this year as well. Typhoon Ragasa dumped torrential rain in late September and then Bualoi and Matmo together left more than 85 people dead or missing and caused an estimated 990m in damage. Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and typhoons increasingly destructive and frequent. 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 Four more mistakenly-released prisoners are at large after the manhunt for a sex offender freed in error has ended with his arrest. The government is under increasing pressure as reports have emerged that the on-the-run inmates form part of the 262 prisoners in England and Wales who were mistakenly released in the year to March 2025. On Friday, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, was arrested in Islington, north London, after being spotted by a member of the public following a nine-day manhunt. The Algerian national who has convictions for theft and had previously also been convicted for indecent exposure was serving a sentence at HMP Wandsworth in southwest London but was set free in error on 29 October. Justice secretary David Lammy admitted there was a mountain to climb to tackle the prison system crisis following the 24-year-olds arrest. The mistaken release marks just one of a number of high-profile cases of offenders being wrongly freed. Another, fraudster Billy Smith, 35, handed himself in on Thursday. And now, the BBC has reported four other prisoners are still at large in revelations that came just hours after Kaddour-Cherifs arrest. In response to the reports, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson told The Independent: The vast majority of offenders released by mistake are quickly brought back to prison, and we will do everything we can to work with the police to capture the few still in the community. These cases only further expose the scale of the crisis in our prisons we inherited. This will not be fixed overnight, but we are using every possible lever to bear down on these errors. open image in gallery Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was arrested in north London on Friday morning ( Metropolitan Police ) During his arrest, Kaddour-Cherif tried to claim he was somebody else. The officer said: We are just going to do some further checks because you look exactly like the person. Ive had a look at the photo, youve got a very distinctive wonky nose which looks the same as the person. Nadjib Mekdhia, who is also Algerian, claimed he called the police after spotting Kaddour-Cherif and said he is glad he is in prison. Mr Mekdhia, 50, who is homeless and stays in the Finsbury Park area of north London, said he recognised the prisoner from a newspaper photograph. Mr Lammy said: I can confirm Brahim Kaddour-Cherif has been recaptured and is back in custody. My thanks are with the police and staff at HMPPS who have been working around the clock. We inherited a prison system in crisis and I'm appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing. Im determined to grip this problem, but there is a mountain to climb which cannot be done overnight. That is why I have ordered new tough release checks, commissioned an independent investigation into systemic failures, and begun overhauling archaic paper-based systems still used in some prisons. open image in gallery Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is held by Met officers on Friday ( PA ) It comes after migrant Hadush Kebatu was wrongly released from HMP Chelmsford on 24 October. Stronger security checks were put in place in prisons and an independent investigation was launched into releases in error following the blunder in Kebatus case. The Epping migrant jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, which sparked a wave of protests, was accidentally freed from prison instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre last month. He was later traced. Shortly before news of the latest incident broke, Mr Lammy had been asked in the House of Commons whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since Kebatu. The deputy prime minister, who also serves as justice secretary, refused to confirm the question when asked four times. It is understood Kaddour-Cherif is not an asylum seeker, but is in the process of being deported after he overstayed his visa. The latest blunders were blamed on clerical errors in a system under relentless strain. Housing secretary Steve Reed told Times Radio: The problem is weve got a broken system, and you are going to see failings when you have a broken system. open image in gallery Hadush Kebatu was given 500 after threatening to disrupt his deportation flight ( PA ) The key is to make sure we have a digital system so that no prisoner is ever released by mistake. There is not an acceptable number for this, but the way to fix it is not tittle tattle about David Lammy in the newspapers, its to get on and do the work and put in the investment that will digitise the system. David has already had the prison governors in his office yesterday, I imagine they felt pretty hauled over the coals given whats been going on, but he was also making sure that theyre getting all the support they need to carry out the much tougher checks that will be required to make sure that the repeats of this are at an absolute minimum. Chris Philp MP, shadow home secretary, said: This case sums up the total collapse of law and order under Calamity Lammy. A foreign sex offender, meant to be deported, strolling the streets of London because Labour cant even keep track of its prisoners. He must be immediately deported as soon as his sentence is finished. The British public shouldnt have to be the ones to catch escaped criminals. This is chaos, incompetence, and weakness from top to bottom, and its putting peoples safety at risk. Labour dont have the backbone to get a grip of law and order. Only the Conservative Party has a common sense, hard-edged plan to restore order, put 10,000 extra police officers on our streets and put fear back where it belongs in the minds of criminals. 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 Julia Wandelt gained over one million social media followers by posting evidence that she was Madeleine McCann. The Polish national first posted on Instagram under the username I am Madeleine McCann in early 2023, before appearing on podcasts and an American chat show. Wandelt told her trial, where she was later found guilty of harassing the missing girls parents, that she is not an attention seeker. She added that she did not post online for financial gain and only started posting about her claims on social media because the police ignored her. It emerged during her evidence that she had received money, which she said totalled around 400, from her supporters which she wanted for a lie detector test and because her boyfriend kicked her out with no savings. On her Instagram and TikTok accounts, as well as filming herself singing in her kitchen and playing with her cat, Wandelt posted comparisons between her facial features and pictures of Madeleine, comparisons with Madeleines sister Amelie McCann, and DNA test results to prove to her followers that she was the missing girl. open image in gallery The Polish national first posted on Instagram under the username I am Madeleine McCann in early 2023 ( Go Get Funding ) She also published audio recordings she took when she went to the McCanns home last year to ask for a DNA test. In her earlier TikTok posts, however, Wandelts videos focused more on her playing the guitar, singing, and wishing her cat Monte a happy birthday. In one video, Wandelt can be seen standing in a kitchen singing a song she wrote called: I didnt know, among videos of many covers of well-known songs. When she started gaining media attention in March 2023, Wandelt, who also goes by the names Julia Wendell and Julia Faustyna, went to the United States with American psychic Fia Johansson, who allegedly took her phone and passport away from her. The pair appeared on the US chat show Dr Phil, where Wandelt said: When I started to think I could be Madeleine, I called to the Polish embassy. I called to English embassy. Nobody listened. I decided to create this Instagram and try to use the power of social media. The host of the show, whose full name is Phil McGraw, said to Wandelt: She (Wandelts mother) says she went to the hospital and gave birth to you. Wandelt said: My mother, when I asked her for DNA before this whole situation, when I asked her for some pictures from her pregnancy, some childhood pictures, me at three or four age, she refused, didnt want to. open image in gallery Wandelt previously appeared on the Dr Phil show ( Dr Phil/Youtube ) Wandelt also appeared in a series of live-streamed interviews with YouTuber Shaun Attwood, and played a secret recording of her phone conversation with Detective Constable Mark Draycott from Operation Grange, the ongoing investigation into Madeleines disappearance, in an episode. In the call, Mr Draycott told Wandelt not to enter Leicester or call the British police with her claim to be Madeleine or she could be arrested. Wandelt told her trial she was threatened by Mr Draycott in this call. In an episode of BBCs Why Do You Hate Me? podcast released in January 2024, Wandelt expressed regret at posting online that she could be Madeleine. Wandelt said in the interview that if she could go back in time, she would never go to social media because it can destroy you. She said: I remember that since the first day of the social media journey I spent too much time on the internet. I was looking at what people write, what they say, if they believe me Wandelt said she got death threats on social media but kept posting because she wanted to know the truth. Asked in the BBC interview whether she thought about how her social media posts would make the McCanns feel, Wandelt said: I thought about it but I had to put myself first place because this is my life. I fully wanted to know who I am. I knew that it could make them feel sad but they want to find their child so I believe that this is a hope, always a hope, and I felt that Im doing right. Wandelt, 24, was found guilty at Leicester Crown Court of harassing Kate and Gerry McCann on Friday, but cleared of stalking them. Her co-defendant Karen Spragg was found not guilty of stalking and harassment. 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 woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has been found guilty of harassing the missing girls parents. Julia Wandelt, 24, turned up at the home of Kate and Gerry McCann and sent sinister letters and messages repeatedly begging for a DNA test. The 24-year-old Polish national, who now faces deportation, gasped and put her hands to her face when jurors returned a guilty verdict for harassment on Friday, but was acquitted of stalking. In a statement following the hearing, the couple said they take no pleasure in the result and they only wanted the harassment to stop. open image in gallery The jury unanimously decided Julia Wandelt was not guilty of stalking, but guilty of harassment ( Go Get Funding ) The decision to prosecute was taken by the Crown Prosecution Service, based on the evidence gathered by the police, the McCanns said. We hope Ms Wandelt will receive the appropriate care and support she needs and any vulnerability will not be exploited by others. The parents urged anyone with new information about Madeleines unsolved disappearance to contact the police. The five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court heard Wandelt claimed to have memories, induced by hypnosis sessions, of being abducted and of living with the McCanns as a child, including feeding Madeleines younger brother Sean and playing ring-a-ring-a-roses. open image in gallery Kate and Gerry McCann gave evidence at Leicester Crown Court last month ( PA ) Jurors heard that Wandelt, who had an emotional outburst while Ms McCann gave evidence against her, tried to persuade anybody prepared to listen that she was Madeleine, and that she had been kidnapped from Portugal and abused with other girls in Poland. Madeleine vanished on 3 May 2007 as the family enjoyed a holiday in Praia da Luz in Portugals Algarve. Wandelt called and messaged Mrs McCann more than 60 times in one day during April last year, claiming to have a memory of the mother stroking her head and saying she would find her before the abduction. Wandelt and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, held hands in the dock before the verdicts were handed down. Spragg cried as jurors returned not guilty verdicts to both the stalking and harassment charges against her. open image in gallery Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007 during a family holiday ( PA Media ) Ms Justice Cutts told Wandelt her sentence would be one of six months imprisonment, which is less than the time she has served on remand awaiting trial, and that she would be made the subject of a restraining order because she posed a significant risk of harassment towards the McCanns in future. The judge told Wandelt her pestering and badgering of the couple was unwarranted and unkind. The McCanns were confronted by Wandelt on their driveway last December, where they were begged for a DNA test. Both Madeleines parents gave evidence during the trial, from behind a curtain shielding them from Wandelt. During their emotional evidence, Mr McCann said he and his wife still cling to hope that Madeleine may be alive today. open image in gallery Karen Spragg, Wandelts co-defendant, arriving at Leicester Crown Court on Friday ( Jacob King/PA Wire ) He also claimed Wandelts actions were hampering the ongoing inquiry into his daughters disappearance, while Ms McCann said she had been distressed by Wandelts behaviour, particularly a letter sent by the defendant addressing her as Mum. In recordings of the interaction outside their home, Ms McCann can be heard saying: Youre causing us a lot of distress. The following day, the couple received a sinister letter addressed Dear Mum (Kate) and signed Lots of love, Madeleine. Wandelt referred to Ms McCann as mummy and said you are my real mother in other messages sent to her phone. open image in gallery Wandelt giving evidence during her five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court ( PA Wire ) She told the jury during her evidence that she persistently contacted the couple because she thought they were being misled by the police, and she wanted a DNA test to prove her relation to them. Wandelt also told jurors she believes Mr McCann was involved in Madeleines disappearance and that Ms McCann knew of the abduction, but they had no other choice. The defendant also suggested that the ongoing police investigation into the girls disappearance, called Operation Grange, which has received more than 13m in funding, involves money laundering. Forensic expert Rosalyn Hammond told jurors that Julia Wandelt cannot be Madeleine McCann because their DNA profiles do not match. open image in gallery In June 2025, German and Portuguese police working on the Madeleine McCann case conducted a fresh search in Portugal ( PA ) Wandelts DNA sample was taken by police after she was arrested at Bristol airport in February, which was against the investigations policy, in an attempt to stop her behaviour towards the McCanns. Her profile was compared with a sample recovered from Madeleines embroidered pillowcase at the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, days after she disappeared and a blood sample taken when she was born. Asked in court whether she still thought she was Madeleine, Wandelt said she was fifty-fifty and added she would like to see the full paperwork proving they are different people. The following day in the witness box, Wandelt said: I do believe Im her. I do remember them, but Im exhausted, Im completely exhausted with all of this. Wandelt told the trial she could not remember early parts of her childhood, and after looking into missing persons cases, she realised she had a similar mark in her eye to Madeleine. 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 Emotional court testimonies given by Kate and Gerry McCann formed part of the key evidence against a woman claiming to be their missing daughter, Madeleine. Julia Wandelt, 24, was found guilty on Friday of harassing the couple. She was found not guilty of a charge of stalking. During the trial, the court heard that Wandelt turned up at the McCanns home and sent sinister letters and messages repeatedly begging for a DNA test. The couple both spoke from behind a curtain in the courtroom, so they did not have to see Wandelt face to face. Mrs McCann did, however, hear Wandelts voice when she cried out from the glass-fronted dock, Why are you doing this to me? partway through her evidence. The couples trauma from their daughters disappearance in Portugal in 2007 was compounded by the vitriol of some members of the public who subjected them to the cruellest of taunts, prosecutors told the stalking trial. open image in gallery The couple gave evidence at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday ( PA ) The search for their daughter led to conspiracy theorists peddling rumours about the couples involvement, and they have subsequently been victims of trolling. Wandelts co-defendant Karen Spragg, who was described by prosecutors as a true crime tourist of sorts, told police she believed Mr and Mrs McCann arranged the abduction of their eldest daughter. While giving evidence, an emotional Mr McCann said he and his wife still cling to hope that Madeleine may be alive today. When asked about the impact of Wandelts false claim, Mr McCann responded: It has many effects we dont know what happened to Madeleine. Theres no evidence to say shes dead. We really hope, and we know its only a glimmer, that Madeleine is alive. When so many people claim to be our missing daughter, it inevitably pulls your heartstrings, but there is a wider effect that is more damaging. Thats detrimental to any existing investigation, and, obviously, we have always put that [the inquiry] first. open image in gallery Julia Wandelt has been convicted of harassment ( Go Get Funding ) In December 2024, Wandelt left a letter at the McCanns home in Rothley, Leicestershire, in which she wrote Dear Mum (Kate) and signed Lots of love, Madeleine. Wandelt also called Mrs McCann mummy and said you are my mother in other messages. Speaking in court, Mrs McCann said: I think its obvious thats the thing I want most, for Madeleine to be back and calling me mum that was the aspect that was really distressing for me. Madeleines younger sister, Amelie McCann, who had been sleeping in the Ocean Club resort apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, with her twin brother Sean when their sister disappeared, also told her side of the story. The young woman, now aged 20 and a university student, spoke calmly about creepy messages she received and the distress caused to her family by Wandelt. open image in gallery A court sketch of Amelie McCann giving evidence ( PA ) Ms McCann told jurors it was upsetting that Wandelt begged the family to believe her. She said: My mum really struggled with that her saying Im your daughter. Wandelt messaged the family claiming to have memories of playing ring-a-ring-a-roses, spoon-feeding Sean, and living in their home. Questioned on how she felt about Wandelts messages regarding Madeleines childhood, Ms McCann said: It is quite disturbing that shes coming up with these supposed memories even though shes not Madeleine. Spragg was found not guilty of stalking and harassment. 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 City banker who made up false claims he had been sexually harassed by a manager while wearing a string vest at work has been sent to jail and given a 150,000 court bill. Damilare Ajao worked for German finance giant Commerzbank in its client life cycle management team in London in 2019 before being sacked in November of that year. He claimed he was pestered by a female manager who flirtatiously told him she could see his nipples and tried to touch his Gucci belt buckle in the staff canteen. Ajao subsequently brought an Employment Tribunal claim against the bank, including claims of sexual harassment and sexual assault against the manager, identified in court only as Ms Q. The allegations centred on claims that the manager had made a sexualised comment about a string vest that he was wearing being visible through his shirt, and that he had been forced to slap her hand away when she reached out towards his designer belt. His claim was thrown out, however, with the tribunal judge Anthony Snelson finding that the sexual harassment and assault allegations were false and in large part made up. The case subsequently went to the High Court, where Mr Ajao was on Friday jailed for 20 months by Mr Justice Martin Spencer for serious contempt of court. The judge also handed the separated father-of-two, who lives in Medway, Kent, a 150,000 bill towards the bank's lawyer's costs of bringing the contempt case. Giving judgment, the judge said the allegations made at the employment tribunal and persisted in as he denied contempt amounted to a deliberate and wicked assault on the manager's professional standing. The court previously heard that Mr Ajao worked for the bank at its offices in Gresham Street, in the City of London, between May and November 2019 when he was sacked, and subsequently brought his unsuccessful tribunal claim. Among his complaints were that Ms Q had a sexual motive in her dealings with him and he claimed she became annoyed at his rejection of sexual advances. open image in gallery Commerzbanks London HQ ( Supplied by Champion News ) He claimed the manager had told him I fancy you and had on several occasions over a period of months commented that she could see his skin and nipples through his shirt. He then launched a compensation claim to an Employment Tribunal, which the bank branded a wholly bogus claim of sexual assault and harassment, against Ms Q. Employment Judge Snelson in April 2024 dismissed his claim and said that, although mention had been made of Mr Ajao's vest, the allegations in Mr Ajao's claim were simply false. The case reached the High Court earlier this year, when Commerzbank launched its bid to have Mr Ajao jailed for contempt of court relating to his rejected allegations. However, he denied contempt, claiming that it was his perception that he had been the victim of sexual harassment and assault, and that he was not deliberately untruthful. But the bank's barrister Louis Browne KC said that did not fit with the way his case was run at the tribunal, nor with the way he gave his evidence at the High Court. He was very clear in what he said in his ET claims - not that there was a perception that he was sexually harassed or assaulted, he argued. His case was very clear: these events happened and there was a clear intent and motive behind them. He was given ample opportunity to row back from these allegations. But Mr Ajao fought the case, denying contempt of court and insisting that he had genuinely believed in what he told the tribunal, even if he ultimately lost his case. His barrister Sasha Wass KC said the bank had put its contempt case on the basis that Mr Ajaos accusations were wholly bogus and knowingly so. However, there was foundation in evidence for everything he said, with the manager Ms Q accepting in her evidence that there had been a conversation - although innocent - about his string vest, she said. Finding Mr Ajao in contempt of court, Mr Justice Martin Spencer said Ms Q had been entirely honest and credible in her evidence to the court. She had never said she could see Mr Ajao's nipples, but only spoke to him in the context of a friendly relationship between people who sometimes talked about fashion. Mr Ajao's evidence was however false, he said, adding: There were such discrepancies, inconsistencies and impossibilities in his evidence that it was quite incapable of acceptance. The more I heard of his evidence the more I became sure his evidence was untrue and deliberately so. Mr Ajao had said the comments and the alleged attempted sexual assault were the culmination of a pattern of behaviour over the summer and autumn of 2019, but the judge said it was in fact a deliberate and wicked assault on her professional standing. If there had been a mounting campaign of sexual harassment by Ms Q...that would have made the claim all the more serious and given credence to his claim that her conduct had the purpose or effect of violating his dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating and offensive environment, he said. In my judgment, there wasn't a shred of truth in any of the allegations the defendant has made against Ms Q. I'm sure that the allegations made were untrue and deliberately so, and a deliberate attempt to deceive the tribunal, compounded by lies told to this court. The court heard Mr Ajao had lost a successful career in finance and now relies on Universal Credit, while his marriage had also failed and he now lives alone. But the judge said the effect on Ms Q had been predictably serious. She said she had felt like a criminal and described her ordeal as insulting and painful, resulting in her taking sleeping medication. Mr Ajao had also tried to cover up his lack of reporting the allegations at the time by saying he felt Ms Q was sensitive at that time due to a family bereavement. But the judge said that was a cynical attempt to exploit genuine grief, part of a fictitious set of allegations which amounted to a serious contempt of court. Addressing Mr Ajao, he continued: Your lies were deliberate and perpetuated over a significant period of time and included the giving of false evidence on oath. They represented an attempt to deceive the court into awarding you substantial damages. The most significant fact is that appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody. The result is that I commit you to prison for 20 months. The judge said Mr Ajao would be eligible for early release on licence after serving eight months in prison, but also ordered that he pay 150,000 towards the bank's costs. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A senior police officer is under investigation for misconduct after a force drone hit and injured a child. Kent Police said officers were called to reports of an assault in progress on the Isle of Sheppey just after 4pm on Saturday 2 August. A Kent Police spokesperson said: As part of efforts to search the area for the suspect, a force drone was deployed. While in operation it struck an overhead cable and fell to the ground, hitting a child and injuring their hand. They were treated for injuries at a London hospital. The force made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) who are now carrying out an independent investigation into the circumstances. A police drone fell on a child while searching for an assault suspect (stock image) ( PA ) In a statement, the IOPC said: "We can confirm we are independently investigating an incident where a child was hurt by a drone which crashed while being flown by Kent Police". They added: "As part of the ongoing investigation we have served a misconduct notice on a special inspector. The serving of a notice does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow." Neither the police or the IOPC disclosed the age of the child due to the ongoing investigation. The details on the incident were tracked down by Ian Hudson, a drone commentator and analyst, who spent months chasing the force with Freedom of Information requests to find out what had happened. The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it was conducting a safety investigation. They told the BBC the drone was a UAS DJI M30T model - a high-performance drone weighing about 4kg (9lb) and designed for professional use. A review in early 2023 found that UK police forces are currently using a total of nearly 400 drones, according to the National Police Chiefs Council. 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 North Sea oil workers have been told they must lose weight if they want to keep flying offshore, or face losing their jobs. Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) said that from November next year, the maximum weight for a clothed worker should be 124.7kg, so they can be winched by a rescue helicopter in an emergency. A coastguard helicopter can carry a maximum of 249kg, but also has to account for the weight of the average rescue worker (90.3kg), their kit (5kg) and a stretcher (29kg). The OEUK told The Independent that some 2,277 offshore workers weighed above the 124kg limit last year. The industry body said it had decided on the weight limit after an extensive review over the last two-and-a-half years, thoroughly considering alternatives to a weight limit. open image in gallery Employers will have a year to support staff before the policy comes into effect ( PA Wire ) Graham Skinner, the health and safety manager at OEUK, said the organisation will be "working really hard" over the next 12 months to ensure affected workers can lose weight. Mr Skinner told the BBC that he could not rule out the possibility that the new safety policy would lead to job losses. "That would be the absolute worst-case scenario, he said, explaining that employers will now have a responsibility to try to support their workers to fall within the limit by next year. He said it was important that a clear message be conveyed, serving as an impetus for everyone to get behind the policy and lose weight in time for November next year. Those who do not meet the 124kg limit will not get their medical and that will preclude them from getting on a helicopter. The decision was made to announce the policy this year so that employers could prepare their staff, offer support and address concerns within the workforce. The policy itself was developed in response to concerns highlighted by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and will come into effect on November 1, 2026. open image in gallery More than 2,200 offshore workers stood to be affected by the policy as of 2024 ( PA Archive ) Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr Skinner said there were a further 2,500 offshore workers who were "below the weight limit but might need some additional support and weight management", meaning "5,000 is the total number of people who might be affected to some lesser or greater extent" by the policy change. John Boland, the regional officer at the Unite union, told the BBC that there can be support put in to stop people from losing their jobs. "The biggest concerns we have had are from individuals that are naturally larger built and in some cases are extremely fit but are above that actual weight limit. Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Duke of Sussex has offered a light-hearted apology to Canada after he and his wife, Meghan, were pictured sporting Los Angeles Dodgers caps during a World Series game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Prince Harry quipped to Canadian broadcaster CTV that he wore the Dodgers merchandise "under duress" during game four of the series, explaining it felt like "the polite thing to do" after receiving an invitation to the dugout from the team's owner. "Firstly, I would like to apologise to Canada for wearing it," he stated. "Secondly, I was under duress. There wasnt much choice." The duke, who conducted the interview wearing a Blue Jays cap, is currently in Canada for Remembrance Week events. He further joked, "When youre missing a lot of hair on top, and youre sitting under floodlights, youll take any hat thats available." He affirmed his loyalty for subsequent games, adding, "Game five, game six, game seven, I was Blue Jays throughout. Now that Ive admitted that, its going to be pretty hard for me to return back to Los Angeles." open image in gallery Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, look on from the stands during game four of the 2025 World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium ( Getty ) Toronto ultimately lost to the Dodgers in a decisive seventh game, a defeat the duke admitted left him "devastated." The royal couple relocated to Los Angeles in 2020, having initially established a home in Canada, and now reside in Montecito with their children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four. While Meghan also wore a Dodgers cap and team colours during the series, she has previously demonstrated support for the Blue Jays, a nod to her former home city. The former actress lived in Toronto while filming the legal drama Suits, and she and Harry spent time there during the early stages of their relationship. The duchess was photographed wearing a Blue Jays cap at a game in 2015. During his current visit to Canada, Harry met a 101-year-old Canadian Second World War navy veteran and other former service personnel ahead of Remembrance Day. The duke was all smiles as he observed veterans participating in activities such as painting, ceramics, and photography at the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre in Toronto. He viewed military helmets decorated by veterans to reflect their experiences of service and remembrance, and was pictured assisting with one mans artwork. Among those the duke met were Brenda Reid, 101, who served at a women-run naval station in Nova Scotia during the Second World War, and Harold Toth, 95, a Korean War veteran who enlisted with the Queens Own Rifles. open image in gallery Harry, right, talks with Ed Marshall as he meets with some of Canadas oldest veterans ( AP ) When asked by Harry about their war experiences, Ms Reid offered a playful warning about her fellow residents: "You cant always believe the boys." The meeting formed part of his two-day visit to Toronto to engage with veterans, members of the armed forces community, and military charities, marking the "Remembrancetide" period leading up to Remembrance Sunday. 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 Labour deputy leader Lucy Powells views on party policy really irritate me, former shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire has said. The Labour peer accused Ms Powell of giving a running commentary and undermining the government after she said plans to break the manifesto pledge on tax rises would damage trust in politics. Ms Powell had said the government should be following through on its pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT, amid mounting speculation Rachel Reeves is preparing to do so at the Budget. open image in gallery Thangam Debbonaire accused Labours new deputy leader of giving a running commentary ( PA ) Speaking to Times Radio on Friday, Baroness Debbonaire said: It really irritates me... she clearly said, I am here to support the government. She's not supposed to be there for giving a running commentary and undermining, shes a member of the Parliamentary Labour Party... I would really caution Lucy to think about the key role in the Labour Party as the deputy leader is to get out and campaign and we need a lot of that. Ms Powell, who was sacked from Sir Keirs Cabinet in September, went on to win the race to succeed Angela Rayner as deputy party leader last month after a campaign based on a call for the party to change course. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live on Thursday, she said: We should be following through on our manifesto, of course. Trust in politics is a key part of that because if were to take the country with us then theyve got to trust us and thats really important too. Ms Powell said the highly anticipated Budget should be about putting more money back into the pockets of ordinary working people. She added: Thats what that manifesto commitment is all about. And thats what this Budget will be about, Im sure. Its really important we stand by the promises that we were elected on and that we do what we said we would do. open image in gallery New deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell replaced Angela Rayner (Lucy North/PA) ( PA Wire ) It comes after the chancellor put the country on notice that sweeping tax rises are coming in her Budget in a major speech last week, warning we will all have to contribute to building a new future for Britain. Promising to put the national interest above political expediency, Ms Reeves signalled she is ready to break Labours manifesto commitment not to raise income tax, personal national insurance or VAT. Meanwhile, The Times reported that the chancellor has told the Office for Budget Responsibility that she is preparing to raise income tax later this month. A spokesperson for Ms Powell later said she would continue to support the chancellor. As Lucy made clear in the interview, the chancellor and prime minister make decisions on the Budget in the round. As the chancellor said this week, the context for this Budget is particularly difficult and Lucy will continue to support them on these issues. Angela Rayner is reportedly in talks with a publisher about a memoir. Even after her resignation as deputy prime minister and party leader, she remains a figure who attracts great interest. Most of the chatter about Rayner asks when, not if, she will return to the political front line where her formidable skills and common sense seem badly needed. Speculation is that a book might speed her rehabilitation. Why a memoir? At 45 and having been an MP for a decade, her post-retirement memoirs should be a long way off yet. However, she could perhaps use an interim autobiography to remind people that shes not finished yet and that shes got ideas, born of reflection and experience that can help the Labour government and change the country for the better. It would answer afresh the question: Why am I in politics? Whats it all about, Ange? Rayner has an impressive backstory and her life experience is inspirational and obviously worth telling in its own right. It is one of overcoming the hardships of growing up in a working-class family with no privileges, becoming a mother as a teenager, and leaving school with no qualifications. As a care worker, shed seen public services from the other end of the Whitehall telescope, and the trade union movement helped her move into the political world, with a rise through the turbulent Corbyn years, the Starmer rebuild and the frustrations of high office. What about her philosophy? Tony Benn used to say that no one became radicalised by reading a book but rather via their own experiences, and Rayners style of socialism has obviously been shaped by her own personal story. The best sort of book of this kind skillfully blends the personal and the political, and it greatly helps if the politician is a compelling writer, and preferably a journalist as well; Winston Churchill, Roy Jenkins and Roy Hattersley come to mind. Are there any examples? The most recent would be One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up, Wes Streetings account of a similarly working-class upbringing (albeit with added gangster violence). Further back, Nye Bevans 1952 In Place of Fear is regarded as a classic of its kind, albeit more oriented towards policy, and it helped build Bevans position in the party soon after his resignation from the Attlee government. Rather more ambitious, Benjamin Disraeli formulated his ideas about One Nation Toryism through his early novel, Sybil. Harold Macmillans The Middle Way (1938) and Tony Croslands The Future of Socialism (1956) were more theoretical but serve as important guides to their later time in government. The genre is probably more naturally American than British, though. JD Vances 2016 Hillbilly Elegy (also made into a film) is as good an explanation for the rise of Maga Republicanism as anything. Barack Obama (Dreams From My Father, Audacity of Hope), John McCain (Faith of My Fathers) and John F Kennedy (Profiles in Courage) are other celebrated examples. From a happier time for him, theres also Emmanuel Macrons Revolution to serve Rayner as inspiration. (Well leave Hitler and Lenin out of the democratic literary canon). What can I read in the meantime? As if to prove the potential of her history, Rayner is already the subject of two biographies. Michael Ashcrofts Red Queen? contained the controversy about her tax affairs that caused her so much trouble in the run-up to the last general election. A more admiring account of her life and times can be found in The Journey of Angela Rayner: From Care Worker to Kingmaker by Rudolph L Kelly. 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 Four Labour MPs Neil Duncan-Jordan, Chris Hinchliff, Brian Leishman and Rachael Maskell have had the whip restored after they had been suspended for repeatedly rebelling against the government. The backbenchers were suspended after all four voted against Labours benefits reforms as part of a wider rebellion that saw the changes postponed in July. Ms Maskell, MP for York Central, claimed she had been suspended for standing up for my constituents over the plans. But on Friday, as the party faces a split on breaking manifesto promises on tax hikes ahead of the Budget, the four MPs had their whip restored, following a review of their recent conduct. All aside from York Central MP Ms Maskell were first elected at last years election. Ms Maskell told the PA news agency she was Labour to the core and will always stand up for Labour values, after having the party whip restored. I am grateful that the whip has rightfully been restored and want to especially thank all those who have been so kind to me over the last few months, she said. (left to right) Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliff, Neil Duncan-Jordan and Rachael Maskell who have had the whip restored, Labour sources said, after they had been suspended for repeatedly rebelling against the Government ( UK Parliament/PA Wire ) The MP added: I recognise the heavy responsibility on Labour to repair our public services and economy after 14 disastrous years and above all to lift people out of poverty. With 4.5 million children living in poverty tonight, I am focused on ensuring they have the very best start in life. Mr Duncan-Jordan, the MP for Poole, told PA: Ive been part of the Labour and trade union movement for 40 years, so Im pleased to have had the Labour whip restored today. Ill continue working hard for my constituents in Poole and standing up for Labour values tackling poverty, raising living standards and building a fairer society. Mr Hinchliff welcomed his restoration, and said he had had constructive discussions with the new chief whip in recent months. He added: As ever, my focus remains on serving the communities of North East Hertfordshire and contributing to Labours historic mission to create a society that puts people and nature before profit. Lucy Powell, the newly elected Labour deputy leader, has urged the Government not to raise taxes at the coming Budget, amid speculation Chancellor Rachel Reeves is preparing to do so. Ms Powell said in an interview with the BBC the Government should be following through on its manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT. Her warning that such a move could damage trust in politics comes after comments by Ms Reeves this week which heightened expectations that the November 26 statement will feature an increase in the basic rate of income tax. Ministers also continue to feel the fire from Labour backbenchers over measures to improve living standards. Richard Burgon (Leeds East), and Steve Witherden (Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr), are among those who have recently used House of Commons questions to call for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped. 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 Sir Keir Starmer is poised to slash 150m from Britains contribution to the international fight against Aids, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, putting 255,000 lives at risk, The Independent understands. The government is preparing to announce its contribution to the Global Fund as soon as next week, in one of the first major decisions since announcing it would dramatically reduce foreign aid to pay for defence spending. The prime minister is expected to pledge 850m towards the Global Funds work over the next three years a 15 per cent reduction compared with the previous pledge of 1bn in 2022, which itself was down from a pledge of 1.4bn in 2019. The government has indicated that it will use Britains aid budget to contribute to the humanitarian response in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, as well as in support of global health. It has named the Global Fund, along with the global vaccine alliance Gavi, as organisations that are in line to receive a bigger share of its aid spending. Nevertheless, the cut in aid could threaten the Global Funds plan to raise $18bn (around 14bn) to save 23 million lives between 2027 and 2029. Worldwide NGO the ONE campaign calculates that a 1bn commitment by the UK would save 1.7 million lives, so a 150m drop would see an estimated 255,000 lives lost. Former secretary of state for international development Sir Andrew Mitchell said the cut in aid was a bitter pill to swallow, adding: Not just for the many thousands of people who will lose their lives, but also for the many people in Britain who are proud of the work Britain has led in preventing death from malaria, HIV/Aids and tuberculosis, which is now being curtailed by the first Labour government ever to cut development spending. Keir Starmer is following in Donald Trumps footsteps by slashing foreign aid ( PA ) Conservative MP David Mundell, a co-chair of the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on HIV/Aids, said the decision was seriously disappointing. Obviously, there are constraints on funding, but the track record of the Global Fund is well established in terms of delivery, and therefore is one of the most effective ways of providing funding, he said. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said that the UK would continue to play a significant role in the global response to fight disease globally by providing funding to the Global Fund, and that its pledge would be announced in due course. The UK remains firmly committed to tackling global health challenges, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it will help us deliver on our Plan for Change in the UK by supporting global stability and growth. The world was on track to end the Aids pandemic by 2030 until funding cuts, especially those implemented by the US, took effect earlier this year. Now, potentially millions of additional deaths are predicted to occur in the coming years. Unplanned cuts, like the US cuts, always have adverse consequences for the people who are being supported, said Mr Mundell, referring to the deaths linked to Donald Trumps decision to withhold funding that was used to provide HIV services in lower-income countries, as reported by The Independent. Malerata Tau, from Lesotho, who is HIV positive. Nations across Africa have already felt the impact of the US cut in aid ( AP ) The Global Fund pays for a quarter of all international HIV treatment and prevention programmes, more than half of the worlds malaria programmes, and three-quarters of those aimed at the prevention and treatment of TB. It is estimated to have saved 70 million lives in the past 20 years. This work is mostly funded by contributions from more than 80 governments, as well as support from private industry and philanthropy. Currently, the UK is the Global Funds third-largest donor, and will co-host its fundraising event in South Africa on 21 November. After Mr Trump entered office, the US withheld money that had already been pledged to the fund, with disastrous consequences. Countries supported by the fund were immediately forced to cut at least 10 per cent of their work. When The Independent recently visited programmes in Senegal, we found disabled people dying for lack of transport to reach lifesaving drugs; hospitals no longer able to give out food kits to malnourished patients; and challenges in the distribution of preventative HIV medication. A spokesperson for the US Department of State said: Over the last year, the United States has provided more than $60m of health assistance programming for Senegal to support the most urgent health needs, including HIV prevention and treatment. Dr Katherine Horton, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines tuberculosis modelling group, said that a reduction in the UKs contribution to the Global Fund would result in thousands of extra deaths. TB kills more people each year around the world than any other infectious disease. Global health broadly is really strained at the moment, [largely] because of the US cuts that have already happened. And so I think, in the wake of the US cuts, theres a real need for other countries to contribute as much as they can to try to fill some of that gap, she said. TB programmes have been successful in bringing down the number of deaths and reducing the threat of the disease spreading across borders, Dr Horton added. Any further cuts are just going to cause greater damage and greater harm to these global health systems and individual lives. This article has been produced as part of The Independents Rethinking Global Aid project 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 Pirates off the coast of Somalia have successfully hijacked a commercial vessel for the first time in 18 months, raising fears of a resurgence in armed attacks. The Malta-flagged Hellas Aphrodite, carrying gasoline from South Africa to India, was boarded this week following multiple pirate attacks, according to its owner, Latsco Marine Management Inc. EU Naval forces reached the vessel on Friday, confirming all crew members were safe. This incident follows the hijacking of the Liberian-flagged Basilisk in May 2024, approximately 380 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, which marked the last time pirates boarded a ship. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre also reported a close call on Friday, where another vessel successfully outran a pirate attack in the area. Experts suggest Thursdays seizure could herald further assaults, attributing the changing conditions along the coast to a redistribution of naval forces and a weakened government in Mogadishu, which is battling armed groups offshore. open image in gallery Pirates off the coasts of Somalia have hijacked a commercial vessel for the first time in 18 months, ( AP ) What we are seeing is also increasing reports of pirate groups hijacking vessels and recruiting new pirates, as well as arming themselves, Timothy Walker, a senior maritime researcher at the Institute of Security Studies, told The Associated Press. Those were major signs that attacks were likely, with the fact that there was less deterrence than before, and some have taken the chance and succeeded with some of the attacks. Here is what to know about the pirates and their impact on maritime commerce and security: Through the 1980s, Somalia experienced a brutal civil war that briefly stopped in 1991. The war, which arose from opposition to the Siad Barre-led military junta, fractured the East African nation to this day, with several armed groups controlling parts of the country. The war led to the disbandment of the Somali Navy, leaving the countrys territorial waters undefended. Foreign vessels took advantage of the opportunity to dump industrial waste off the Somali coast. Local fishermen banded together to protect their waters, evolving into armed attacks which escalated in the early 2000s, involving kidnappings of crew members until ship owners paid ransoms. open image in gallery Somali pirates guard hostages on board the Hong Kong tanker FV Tian Yu 8, which was carrying wheat to Iran before it was seized in the Gulf of Aden ( EPA ) Incidence of piracy peaked in 2011 with a high of 243 hijacks, but has since then decreased. While there are no definite figures on how much has been paid in ransom to the pirates, UN agencies say the pirates have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. In April 2024, $5 million was paid by Bangladeshi owners SR Shipping Lines to release MV Abdullah. The presence of the pirates in Somalia, which lies along key nerves of global maritime shipping routes, constitutes a severe threat to the global economy. Military authorities and international agencies have attempted to counter piracy for decades, but the vastness of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden make the region difficult for military ships to patrol. Somali pirates have the capacity to operate about 1,000 kilometers from shore by using mother ships a large ship on which smaller vessels like skiffs can be launched to reach deep waters. This allows them to operate away from the less patrolled coast. They usually confront a vessel with heavy ammunition to slow it down. Once a vessel has been boarded with light ladders, pirates typically move the vessel towards Somalia and hold it for ransom. Analysts say that coastal patrolling has been neglected because Somalia, a war-torn country with a fractured government, has shifted its attention to battling internal armed groups. open image in gallery The presence of the pirates in Somalia, which lies along key nerves of global maritime shipping routes, constitutes a severe threat to the global economy ( AP ) That is why you can have as much protection at sea, but if you are not preventing pirates from forming groups offshore and launching attacks, you are not really able to stem the problem. You are only dealing with the symptom, Walker said. In 2003 a UN Security Council resolution created the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia to document violations of an arms embargo on Somalia, but its scope has since broadened to include piracy. Coalitions including the European Naval Force Somalia and the Standing Group of NATO have sought to tackle the issue, and several national and regional initiatives have also been developed. Last year Turkey and Somalia signed a 10-year deal on defense and economic cooperation, which included combating piracy. Under the deal, the Turkish Navy will help in building, training, and equipping a Somali naval force and conduct joint operations to protect Somali waters. Pirates trace their history to civil war in SomaliaThe pirates have been hard to track and stop 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 European Union naval forces have successfully rescued 24 mariners from a Malta-flagged tanker attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, an incident that has raised renewed fears about piracy in the region. The seizure of the Hellas Aphrodite, which was transporting gasoline from India to South Africa, concluded when the ESPS Victoria, a Spanish frigate operating as part of the EUs Operation Atalanta, reached the vessel. Special forces boarded the tanker, finding all 24 crew members safe after they had locked themselves inside the ship's citadel when the attack began on Thursday, according to the private security firm Diaplous Group. The pirates had launched their assault on Thursday, employing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Tracking data analysed by The Associated Press placed the tanker over 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) off the Somali coast on Friday. The incident unfolded as the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre issued a warning of another maritime event in the same vicinity. A European Union naval force on Friday reached a Malta-flagged tanker earlier attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, open image in gallery The British militarys United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre has issued an alert to ships over the attack off the coast of Somalia ( Faaris Adam/Wikimedia ) The UKMTO said a small vessel carrying three people, believed to be part of the same pirate group responsible for the seizure of the Hellas Aphrodite, tried to get close to another ship, but the ship outran the pirate vessel. The attack on the Hellas Aphrodite comes after another vessel, the Cayman Islands-flagged Stolt Sagaland, was targeted on FMonday in a suspected pirate attack that saw its armed security force and the attackers shooting at each other, the EU force said. Other incidents also have been linked to the same pirate gang, believed to be operating from an Iranian fishing boat it earlier seized. Piracy off the Somali coast peaked in 2011, when 237 attacks were reported. Somali piracy in the region in 2011 cost the worlds economy some $7 billion, with $160 million paid out in ransoms, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group. The threat was diminished by increased international naval patrols, a strengthening central government in Somalia, and other efforts. open image in gallery Resurgent Somali pirates fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades as they boarded a ship off the coast of Somalia on Thursday, British officials said ( Associated Press ) However, Somali pirate attacks have resumed at a greater pace over the last year, in part due to the insecurity caused by Yemens Houthi rebels launching attacks in the Red Sea corridor over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. In 2024, there were seven reported incidents off Somalia, according to the International Maritime Bureau. So far this year, multiple fishing boats have been seized by Somali pirates. The Hellas Aphrodite represents the first commercial ship seized by pirates off Somalia since May 2024. Local fisherman Osman Abdi, who lives in Mogadishu, said pirate attacks fueled fear and caused stigma for his nation. Since the pirates have committed hijackings today, it creates a problem for us, Abdi said. Their actions could be held against us, as many will consider us fishers to be pirates as well, and that instills fear in us. 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 Civilians in Sudans el-Fasher were shot in the streets and crushed by trucks, witnesses to the first days of the RSF's takeover said, providing a glimpse into the violent capture of one of Sudan's largest cities. The fall of el-Fasher on 26 October has cemented the Rapid Support Forces' control of the Darfur region in its two-and-a-half-year war with the Sudanese army. Footage of soldiers killing civilians on the outskirts of the city and reports of attacks on those escaping have raised international alarm. But less is known about what happened inside el-Fasher, which has been cut off from telecommunications since the start of the RSF offensive. Three people who fled to the city of al-Dabba, more than 1,000 km away in northern Sudan, and one person who fled to the nearby town of Tawila described their ordeals. One witness said he was in a group trying to flee intense shelling when RSF trucks surrounded them. They sprayed civilians with machine-gun fire and crushed them with their vehicles. open image in gallery A woman who fled el-Fasher, after Sudan's paramilitary forces killed hundreds of people in the western Darfur region, rests at a camp in Tawila, Sudan ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) "Young people, elderly, children, they ran them over," the witness, who did not want to give his name for fear of retribution, said. Some civilians were abducted by RSF fighters, he said. An RSF leader told said that investigations were underway and anyone proven to have committed abuses would be held accountable, but that reports of violations in el-Fasher had been exaggerated by the army and its allies. Fifty or sixty killed in a single street The killings continued on the second day of the RSF offensive, said another witness named Mubarak, now in al-Dabba. RSF fighters raided homes in residential areas having captured the army's base the day before, he said. "Fifty or sixty people in a single street... they kill them bang, bang, bang. Then they would go to the next street, and again bang, bang, bang. That's the massacre I saw in front of me," Mubarak said. open image in gallery A refugee child from el-Fasher ( AP ) Many people, often injured or elderly, didn't leave the city and were killed in their homes, he said. Local resistance fighters, largely armed young men, were in the streets fighting the offensive, with army soldiers and allied fighters in bases or retreating. "They were the ones who died more," he said. Anyone out in the street was "targeted by the drones and a lot of bullets", Mubarak said. El-Fasher residents have reported drones following civilians and targeting any gatherings in recent months. Another eyewitness, Abdallah, who spoke in al-Dabba, said he also saw fleeing civilians targeted by drones. He said he saw 40 dead bodies on the ground in one location in el-Fasher. Reuters could not independently verify their accounts, though they broadly correspond to reports from aid officials, the United Nations and verified social media videos. open image in gallery A satellite image showing objects on the ground at the Saudi Maternity Hospital in el-Fasher, Sudan (Airbus DS 2025 via AP) ( Airbus DS ) Satellite imagery Satellite imagery reported by Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab last week showed objects consistent with dead bodies in several parts of el-Fasher. Further images showed earth disturbances that suggested mass graves and the disappearance of objects and presence of large vehicles that suggested the movement of bodies, people, or looting, it said this week. Imagery also indicated the RSF had closed off a main exit point from the city, leading to the town of Garney. Traumatised civilians are still trapped inside el-Fasher said UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Friday. "I fear that the abominable atrocities such as summary executions, rape and ethnically motivated violence are continuing," he said. open image in gallery An injured displaced Sudanese woman who fled violence in el-Fasher receives treatment while carrying her child at a makeshift clinic run by Medecins Sans Frontieres ( Reuters ) On Thursday, the RSF said it had agreed to a proposal from the United States and Arab powers for a humanitarian ceasefire and said it was open to talks on a cessation of hostilities. On Friday morning, the paramilitary force launched drone attacks on the capital Khartoum and the city of Atbara, eyewitnesses said. Both the RSF and the Sudanese army have agreed to various ceasefire proposals during their war, which has created widening pockets of famine, including in el-Fasher. None have succeeded. Treacherous escape Those who managed to leave al-Fashir have reported treacherous journeys with violent RSF searches, the disappearance of men, and kidnappings for ransom. Umm Jumaa made it to al-Dabba with four of her grandchildren, but hasn't been able to find her two sons, both army soldiers, or her daughter. Before she fled el-Fasher, she witnessed RSF fighters beating civilians to death, she said. "Those who didn't die, they would say, 'finish them off, finish them off, this one isn't dead, finish him off.'" 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 cleaning woman was shot through a door and died in her husbands arms after arriving at the wrong house by mistake, police have said. Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a 32-year-old mother of four, had tried to open the door of the property in Whiteshead, Indiana, using her keys when she was shot in the head, her brother told NBC News. Officers from the Whiteshead Police Department responded Wednesday morning at just before 7 a.m. to reports of a possible residential entry in progress. Upon arrival, officers found an adult female, later identified as Perez, with a gunshot wound and her husband on the front porch of the residence. She was moved to a safe area but was later pronounced dead at the scene. WPD later determined that the pair were members of a cleaning crew who had mistakenly arrived at the wrong address for work. The loss of life is always a profound tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected, the force said in a statement. WMPD is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation. Our detectives are interviewing all individuals involved, and our Crime Scene Investigators are meticulously collecting and analyzing all relevant evidence to understand the full scope of what occurred. Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a 32-year-old mother of four, had tried to open the door of the property in Whiteshead, Indiana, using her keys when she was shot in the head, her brother said ( WTHR ) Perezs brother, Rudy Rios, 22, said after being shot, his sister fell into the arms of her husband. Its so unjust. She was only trying to bring home the daily bread to support her family, Rios told NBC News in Spanish. She accidentally went to the wrong house, but he shouldnt have taken her life. She wasnt threatening, she had nothing in her hands, only those keys. Indiana has relatively strong "Stand Your Ground" laws, which protect homeowners by allowing them to defend their residences against perceived threats. "When it comes to a dwelling, individuals can use reasonable force, including deadly force, against another person," Boone County prosecutor Kent Eastwood told NBC News. "They have no duty to retreat, that's in the law. That person who uses that force has to reasonably believe that the force is necessary to prevent or terminate an unlawful entry or attack on the person's dwelling." However, Rios said he and his family want the person responsible for Perezs death to be brought to justice, adding that he believed his sister had been killed during a time when anti-immigrant sentiment is rising. She had no bad intentions, he said. Investigations into the complex incident are ongoing, WPD said, adding that the next official update was likely to come next week. We understand that incidents like this can cause concern and speculation, the department said. We respectfully ask the public to place their trust in the investigative process and refrain from sharing unverified information. These cases are often complex and require time to fully understand. Misinformation can be harmful to those involved and to the integrity of the investigation. Close Duffy suggests travel chaos could hit Thanksgiving as hundreds of flights canceled 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. airlines cancelled more than 1,000 flights and delayed more than 3,000 others on Friday as passengers scrambled to rejig their schedules after Donald Trumps administration ordered flight reductions at major airports. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered 10 percent flight cuts to start Friday at 40 U.S. airports, including those in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, citing safety issues and staff shortages during the ongoing government shutdown. That chaos could run into Thanksgiving even if the shutdown ends in the coming days, according to Duffy. Industry groups project a record 31 million passengers traveling in the days leading up to and after the holiday. The cuts hit hundreds of thousands of travelers with little notice. By late Thursday, more than 800 flights had already been canceled, and analysts estimated the reductions could ultimately mean 1,800 daily flights are scrapped. As carriers struggle to adjust, United Airlines pledged it would do everything we can to minimize disruptions to your travel plans and was avoiding cancelations for long-haul international flights. American Airlines said it was still awaiting further information from the Federal Aviation Administration as to how its flights would be affected while Delta Air Lines said it expected the majority of its flights to operate as planned. 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 streamer known as Ice Poseidon has been removed from a cruise ship, along with several other streamers, after the group was allegedly involved in several incidents of bad behaviour, including fighting on deck and allegedly going from door to door looking for swingers. Ice Poseidon, whose real name is Paul Denino, is an internet personality who has previously streamed on Twitch, YouTube, and, more recently, Kick. He gained notoriety when he was accused of defrauding his own fans of around $500,000 in a crypto project. According to reports, Denino and a loosely affiliated group of streamers were aboard the Royal Caribbeans Harmony of the Seas, turning what was supposed to be, for many, a vacation into a live-streamed fiasco. open image in gallery Royal Caribbeans Harmony of the Seas, shown here, was the setting for a bizarre scene which led to several streamers being asked to leave ( A2016 Michel Verdure - www.verd ) The streamer situation escalated significantly when two of them, David Ryan, also known as Chicken Andy, and another, David Willis, also known as BlackAssDave, reportedly became embroiled in an argument over another streamer. The two of them were filmed descending into physical violence, throwing punches and tumbling onto the floor in front of other passengers. They were reportedly detained by onboard security and dropped off at the next stop Roatan an island off the coast of Honduras. But it wasnt just fighting that angered other cruise passengers. Several streamers reportedly broadcast themselves roaming the ship, knocking on cabin doors in search of upsidedown pineapples a symbol widely recognised as being related to the swinging or partner-swapping community. open image in gallery Ice Poseidon, whose real name is Paul Denino, described being asked to leave the boat as a walk of shame ( ReaIestTruth/CC BY-SA 4.0 ) Their antics drew irritation from other passengers, which led to some of the streamers receiving insults being thrown at them by other cruise voyagers. Others allegedly filmed passengers without their consent, adding to the complaints that ultimately led to their removal from the cruise the following day. Denino and four other streamers were removed from the vessel at Costa Maya, Mexico, where their disembarkation was live-streamed on Kick. Speaking as he left the boat, Denino said passengers had been clapping as theyd gone. People were clapping on the boat. Walk of shame s***, he told another streamer on the dock. The Independent has contacted Royal Caribbean 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 Multiple people have fallen ill at a U.S. military base in Maryland following the delivery of a suspicious package, according to officials and numerous media reports. A building inside Joint Base Andrews was evacuated after a staffer at the base opened the package around 1 pm Thursday, reports CNN. The building where the package was opened and the connecting building were evacuated, officials were quoted as saying. A cordon was established around the area, and first responders were sent to the scene. An unknown number of people were rushed to the Malcolm Grove Medical Center on the base for treatment after it was found that the package contained white powder, the broadcaster reported. Joint Base Andrews responded to an incident here today after an individual opened a suspicious package, a Joint Base Andrews spokesperson told The Independent. Multiple individuals felt ill after the package was opened, the spokesperson added. They were evaluated and treated by JBA medical personnel, determined to be in stable condition, and released yesterday. No one was hospitalized. U.S. President Donald Trump as he boards Air Force One for Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 31 ( Reuters ) Initial field tests conducted by a HAZMAT team did not detect any hazardous substances, but the investigation remains ongoing. The room in the Air National Guard Readiness Center where the package was opened remained shut early Friday. The extent of any illness reported by those in proximity to the package was not known. Joint Base Andrews is one of the militarys most important facilities and is home to the fleet of blue and white presidential aircraft, including Air Force One and the doomsday 747 aircraft that can serve as the nations airborne nuclear command and control center if needed. Trump is expected to travel through the base on Friday as he heads to his residence in Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Investigators are also assessing the political propaganda included in the package, according to the report. The Independent has reached out to the U.S. Department of Defense 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 All 14 victims of Tuesday afternoons horrific UPS plane crash in Louisville, Kentucky, have now been named by authorities. Three flight crew members, a local business owner, and a grandfather and his granddaughter who were in the wrong place, at the wrong time were among the dead following the November 4 crash, the deadliest in the companys history. The victims include were named as Captain Dana Diamond, 62; Captain Richard Wartenberg, 57; First Officer Lee Truitt, 45; Angela Anderson, 45; Carlos Fernandez, 52; Trinadette Chavez, 37; Tony Crain, 65; John Loucks, 52; John Spray, 45; Matthew Sweets, 37; Ella Petty Whorton, 31; Megan Washburn, 35; Louisnes Fedon, 47; and his 3-year-old granddaughter Kimberly Asa. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a press conference identifying the victims that there are not believed to be any other victims of the shocking incident at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. "Our city feels the full weight of this unimaginable tragedy, Greenberg said, per NBC News. Behind every one of these names is a circle of family, friends, stories that will forever be unfinished." open image in gallery According to a family friend, Louisnes Fedon and his 3-year-old granddaughter were killed during the crash ( GoFundMe ) Footage capturing the crash and subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration determined that the plane's left engine detached from the aircraft during takeoff. Afterward, the plane crashed back into the ground, tearing a hole through the roof of a UPS warehouse before exploding in a fireball at the airport. The airport was closed on the night of the crash, but reopened the following morning while search and recovery crews combed the debris for any sign of human remains. The plane was carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel and hit two buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility, causing some containers filled with oil to explode at the site. According to a family friend, Fedon and his 3-year-old granddaughter were killed during the crash. Speaking to ABC News, the friend said that Fedon was simply an angel on earth, who helped raise a whole village by collecting metal at a junkyard near the airfield to sell. According to a GoFundMe campaign created by Jason and Brandi Mattingly, family friends of Fedon, he and his unnamed granddaughter were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, becoming victims of this catastrophic and unforeseen accident. open image in gallery Matt Sweets, shown here with his two children and his girlfriend Brooke, died after receiving burns to 95 percent of his body after the crash ( GoFundMe ) His death has created a sudden and immense void that goes far beyond emotional grief, Jason and Brandi Mattingly wrote. The campaign was launched to raise money for Lousiness children, Shanya and Sheldon, as well as his wife, Sharon, since the grandfather supported the family financially. In a post on Facebook, Michelle Sweets named her brother, Matthew Sweets, as one of those who died. It is with the heaviest heart, I regret to inform all of you that he passed away this afternoon after fighting his hardest in the ICU, she wrote. open image in gallery The plane was carrying 38,000 gallons of fuel and hit two buildings, including a petroleum recycling facility, causing some containers filled with oil to explode at the site ( Anela Hadzic ) A GoFundMe page has been established to support Sweets family. At the time of writing, the profile has raised $113,000, which is $103,000 more than the pages stated goal of $10,000. The outpour of love and concern from our community has been truly touching. Well share information about arrangements in the next day or two. For now, please keep his girlfriend Brooke and his two young children in your prayers as well as the rest of us, Michelle Sweets wrote on Facebook. Diamond, Wartenberg and Truitt, were previously named in a statement from UPS. "It is with great sorrow that we share the names of the UPS pilots on board UPS Flight 2976. Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond were operating the flight," UPS said in its statement. The post said the company's "hearts go out to every UPSer who has been impacted and all in our Louisville community supporting you and ensuring you receive the care and resources you need is our priority." Truitt's LinkedIn revealed that he had been flying with UPS since 2021, and had previously worked as an airline captain at SkyWest Airlines and as a flight instructor in New Mexico. open image in gallery A Vantor satellite image shows the debris field and damage left behind after a UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 4, 2025 ( Vantor ) UPS reopened its Worldport facility the company's largest aviation hub the day after the accident, according to company spokesman Jim Mayer. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg visited the crash site and described the scene as "horrific," with "charred, mangled metal" strewn about the impact area. You hear people say, Oh, you only see that in the movies. This was worse than the movies, Greenberg told reporters. A public vigil for those killed was organized by Teamsters Local 89, which represents UPS workers. Greenberg encouraged members of the public to attend the event to "share our heartbreak" and "find strength to keep moving forward." Investigators located the flight recorders also known as black boxes from the crash site. On Thursday, the NTSB announced that it was able to extract 63 hours worth of "good data points" from the box covering 24 flights made by the MD-11 aircraft, including its final flight. 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 suspected foreign actor hacked the Congressional Budget Office, the vital legislative office that scores proposed bills for their impact on national finances. The Congressional Budget Office has identified the security incident, has taken immediate action to contain it, and has implemented additional monitoring and new security controls to further protect the agencys systems going forward, CBO spokeswoman Caitlin Emma told The Washington Post. The incident is being investigated and work for the Congress continues. Like other government agencies and private sector entities, CBO occasionally faces threats to its network and continually monitors to address those threats. The breach could expose sensitive government data and communications with House and Senate offices, and security concerns have stopped some legislators offices from continuing to communicate with the CBO, the Post reports. In July, Chinese hackers gained access to a U.S. government agency that oversees nuclear weapons as part of a vulnerability in the Microsoft SharePoint software. The vulnerability is also blamed for security risks at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services. open image in gallery The Congressional Budget Office took immediate action to contain the hack ( Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Earlier this year, hackers compromised the website for the Trump administrations DOGE cost-cutting program. Federal officials are reportedly mulling a ban on a top-selling home router over China-related national security concerns. The Commerce Department has reportedly proposed banning sales of devices from California-based TP-Link Systems, a company whose products make up over a third of the home router market, according to The Washington Post. Officials are concerned that the company, which was recently spun off from the Chinese firm TP-Link Technologies, remains subject to influence from Beijing, putting the data of Americans at risk. It continues to own some of its former parent companys assets in China, per the paper. open image in gallery A vulnerability in Microsoft SharePoint impacted multiple U.S. agencies earlier this year ( AP ) TP-Link Systems insists it is a U.S.-based company that does not pose a threat to consumers. No official action or confirmation has been made by any agency or the White House regarding these allegations, a TP-Link Systems spokesperson told The Independent. Private companies have also suffered major hacks in recent months. Last month, hackers obtained information about scores of users on the popular messaging app Discord, putting sensitive data for tens of thousands of people at risk, including images, government IDs, names and contact details. Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Donald Trump has once again been labelled Dozy Don by Governor of California Gavin Newsom, this time after the president appeared to doze off during an Oval Office meeting about how tackling obesity can improve sleep. Trump, 79, was seen with his eyes closed at several moments during the televised event, where his government announced lower prices for weight loss drugs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. People can sleep again, because they can breathe when they go to bed, said Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Meanwhile, the president was photographed leaning back into his chair with his eyes closed, prompting Newsom to post Dozy Don is back! During the event, a man standing behind Trump stumbled and collapsed, after apparently fainting. Newsom previously described the president as Dozy Don, after the commander-in-chief appeared to fall asleep last month during a widely criticized Antifa roundtable. Newsoms ribbing is a nod to Trumps own nickname for Sleepy Joe Biden, who was 81 when he dropped out of the 2024 presidential race, and 82 when he finished his term. Trump became the oldest president ever to be sworn in, at 78 years and 7 months old, and will also be 82 upon completing this term in office. open image in gallery Trump, 79, was seen with his eyes closed at several moments during the televised event at which his government announced lower prices for weight loss drugs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients ( AP ) Trump, who famously claims to get by on very little sleep and has no qualms about contacting staff at all hours, has also been caught apparently dozing on several occasions. As well as last months Antifa episode, the president has been seen resting his eyes during an energy and innovation event in July, during cross-examination of his former attorney, Michael Cohen, last year, and again when his hush money trial, involving Stormy Daniels, got underway a month earlier. Colorado representative Lauren Boebert has even gone on record defending the president, suggesting he was praying, not sleeping, when he closed his eyes during his trial last year. But if he is sleeping, he certainly looks pretty while he sleeps, she said, adding, Maybe its an endearing moment of prayer, though. open image in gallery Then president Joe Biden appeared to fall asleep during a Trans-Africa Summit in Angola in 2024 ( US Pool ) Trump has previously been dismissive of his need for much sleep, telling supporters on the campaign trail, You know, Im not a big sleeper. I like three hours, four hours, I toss, I turn, I beep-de-beep, I want to find out whats going on. Attorney General Pam Bondi recently said none of the White House team can keep up with him. She added: I dont know how he does it. I mean, none of us know when he sleeps. Hes working all the time, and its just constant for him. Last month, Trump underwent an MRI scan. It was perfect, he told reporters afterwards. 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 You never know what is truth versus fiction with George Santos, but the inveterate liar and convicted former GOP congressman is now claiming hell flee New York City because Zohran Mamdani is going to be the next mayor. Santos, who was recently pardoned and freed from jail by President Donald Trump after pleading guilty to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, made the latest claim in a video posted on X the day after the socialist Mamdanis stunning win. [Andrew] Cuomo was by far a flawed candidate, a terrible human being, but much better than what we just landed ourselves with, Santos said. Id rather the evil I know than the evil I dont wanna know. Good luck, New York. It was nice knowing you, said Santos. After 37 years, Im out. The former New York congressman did not reveal where he planned to go next, but some of his followers on X welcomed the news. open image in gallery Disgraced former GOP congressman George Santos has claimed that he is fleeing New York City after Zohran Mamdani clinched victory in the mayoral election ( AFP via Getty Images ) We would love for this Republican convicted felon to leave NYC, said one of them. You need help packing? remarked another. Good riddance, someone else added. His remarks about leaving the city were markedly more measured than his initial social media reaction to news that Mamdani had won the election, where he launched into an expletive-laden rant about the Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. open image in gallery The former New York congressman did not reveal where he planned to go next but some of his followers welcomed the news ( AP ) I hope the idiot in the red beret is happy, Santos wrote in a post on X of the Guardian Angels founder, whose campaign failed spectacularly Tuesday night. F*** you, Curtis Sliwa, I HATE YOU, your dumb wife, that stupid Beret of yours, and all your f***ing cats! he fumed in a follow-up, alluding to Sliwas extensive collection of pet felines. In other posts, he called Sliwa a clown, posted a video of Cuomo voter David Rem calling him a f***ing scumbag and expressing the hope that every single New Yorker spits in your f***ing face every single day and accused him of being in the pocket of his campaign adviser Rob Cole, demanding an audit of the Republicans finances. Santos served just 84 days of his seven-year sentence when Trump announced last month he had commuted his sentence, which was handed down in April after the 37-year-old pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud and aggravated identity theft stemming from several schemes to deceive donors and steal identities to fund his campaign. From his creation of a wholly fictitious biography to his callous theft of money from elderly and impaired donors, Santoss unrestrained greed and voracious appetite for fame enabled him to exploit the very system by which we select our representatives, prosecutors said before sentencing. 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 Major cancellations are impacting airports across the U.S. as cuts to flight schedules made by the Federal Aviation Administration come into effect amid the ongoing and historic government shutdown. By late Thursday over 800 flights within and in and out of the U.S. had already been canceled for Friday according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.com. Around 200 flights were canceled Thursday as airports and passengers prepared to bear the brunt of the measures. It comes after Transport Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA announced that 40 of the countrys busiest airports across two dozen states, including New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago, would be phasing in a 10 percent reduction in their flight schedules. The disruptions will affect service at many smaller airports, too, and by Thursday some travelers had already started changing or canceling their itineraries. open image in gallery By late Thursday over 800 flights within and in and out of the U.S. had already been canceled for Friday ( Getty Images ) In a social media post Thursday afternoon, United Airlines reiterated that it was doing everything we can to minimize disruptions to your travel plans and was avoiding cancellations for long-haul international flights. The airline will eliminate 4 percent of its flights at the designated airports Friday, before working up to the FAAs proposed 10 percent, sources told The Associated Press. Hub-to-hub flights operating between seven airports, Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles, would also not be affected, United said. American Airlines said it was still awaiting further information from the FAA as to how its flights would be affected from Friday. Delta said it expected the majority of its flights to operate as planned. We are providing additional flexibility to all of our customers during the impacted travel period to change, cancel or refund their flights, including our basic economy fares, without penalty, the airline added. In its own social media post, Alaska Air apologized to customers for the unexpected delays but said that international travelers would not be affected and that cancellations would only occur on routes with a high volume of flights. open image in gallery Passengers are bracing for travel chaos as the Federal Aviation Administration is due to announce the 40 airports where flights will be reduced by 10 percent because of the ongoing government shutdown ( Getty Images ) We remain grateful to every air traffic controller and TSA or CBP officer who is working without pay to keep air travel functioning safely. We continue to strongly urge our federal leaders to reach an immediate resolution and end the shutdown, the airline said. At a press conference Wednesday, Duffy said the decision to slash schedules was paramount for safe air travel amid pressure on air traffic controllers, who are under immense stress and fatigue. Per the Transportation Secretary, the countrys Core 30 airports are set to be affected, which include Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International, the busiest airport in the country, Boston Logan International, Chicago OHare International, Ronald Reagan Washington National, Newark Liberty International, New York John F Kennedy, Los Angeles International and Seattle Tacoma International. Duffy said the decision had not been taken lightly ahead of the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday travel season. open image in gallery Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that the decision had not been taken lightly ahead of the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday travel season (file image) ( Getty Images ) Travel experts predict hundreds, if not thousands, of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium. Duffy said the agency was confronting staffing shortages caused by air traffic controllers, who are working unpaid, with some calling out of work during the shutdown, resulting in delays across the country. The air traffic controllers are also not being paid while the government remains shut down. The shutdown, now in its 36th day and the longest in U.S. history, has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers to work without pay and affected tens of thousands of flights so far, according to Reuters. Duffy also hit back at accusations that flights were being cut for leverage as the pressure is mounting on Republicans and Democrats to hammer out a deal to end the shutdown. Let me be clear: this isnt about leverage its about the safety of the flying public, Duffy said Thursday in a post on X. Other Republicans however, including Vice President JD Vance, continued to lay the blame for the shutdown and subsequent aviation emergencysquarely at the feet of the Democrats. The American people are, unfortunately about to start suffering some very real consequences because of the shutdown, Vance said, speaking at a dinner held for Central Asian leaders Thursday evening. After 30 days of this thing, 40 days of this thing, you're going to start seeing very real travel delays. open image in gallery Duffy also hit back at accusations that flights were being cut for leverage as the pressure is mounting on Republicans and Democrats to hammer out a deal to end the shutdown, now the longest in federal government history ( Getty Images ) 30 core airports affected by flight reductions Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Intl (ATL) Boston Logan Intl (BOS) Baltimore/Washington Intl (BWI) Charlotte Douglas Intl (CLT) Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) Denver Intl (DEN) Dallas/Fort Worth Intl (DFW) Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) Newark Liberty Intl (EWR) Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood Intl (FLL) Honolulu Intl (HNL) Washington Dulles Intl (IAD) George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH) New York John F. Kennedy Intl (JFK) Las Vegas McCarran Intl (LAS) Los Angeles Intl (LAX) New York LaGuardia (LGA) Orlando Intl (MCO) Chicago Midway (MDW) Memphis Intl (MEM) Miami Intl (MIA) Minneapolis/St. Paul Intl (MSP) Chicago O`Hare Intl (ORD) Philadelphia Intl (PHL) Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) San Diego Intl (SAN) Seattle/Tacoma Intl (SEA) San Francisco Intl (SFO) Salt Lake City Intl (SLC) Tampa Intl (TPA) Additional reporting from agencies 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 John Thune, Senator for South Dakota and the majority leader, has been teasing a deal that he believes will end the historic government shutdown, according to new reports. Thune reportedly said he plans to call another vote on the stop-gap spending bill Friday, the 38th day of impasse, between Republicans and Democrats. Sources with knowledge of his plan say Thune intends to propose extending temporary spending measures to generally fund the government into January as well as three separate financial measures. These would cover programs related to agriculture, military construction and legislative agencies for the majority of next year, the sources told The New York Times. The outlet reports that the proposals have been crafted during low-key bipartisan talks between a group of Democratic moderates and centrist Republicans. open image in gallery John Thune, Senator for South Dakota and the majority leader, has been teasing a deal that he believes will end the historic government shutdown, according to new reports ( AP ) The NYT reports that by running the proposals agreed to by some Democrats, Thune will be challenging their colleagues to vote against them. Though some have expressed optimism about such a potential deal, Thunes proposal does not touch upon the central demand the Democrats have pushed for since the beginning of the strike an extension of federal health credits. The Senate majority leader has said previously that he would allow a vote on such an extension, but only after the government is reopened, and some on the left are skeptical of such a promise. Earlier Thursday, Democratic House of Representatives leader Hakeem Jeffries said Thune was divorced from reality by not addressing the healthcare issue in previous iterations of a deal. It's a clown show over in the Senate. 14, 15 times you bring the same partisan Republican spending bill to the Senate floor expecting a different result? That's the classic definition of legislative insanity, he said. open image in gallery Earlier Thursday, Democrat House of Representatives leader Hakeem Jeffries that Thune was divorced from reality by not addressing the issue of extending healthcare credits in previous proposals for spending measures ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved ) Jeffries added that such action demonstrated his Republican colleagues had no ability to actually negotiate in good faith." But the GOP top brass continue to lay the blame for the ongoing shutdown squarely at the feet of the Democrats, with both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance echoing each other at a dinner for Central Asian leaders Thursday evening. The shutdown is caused by the Democrats, and we're not going to spend $1 trillion or $1.5 trillion on healthcare for people that came into our country illegally, the president said. They should've as they've always done in the past [funding] should've just been extended, it could have been very easy. It remains to be seen whether Thunes proposals, if voted on Friday, will pass. Senate GOP leaders said lawmakers would be staying in Washington D.C. through the weekend in an attempt to come to a resolution. Ultimately, finalizing a deal to end the shutdown would also take days to carry out proper procedure and sift through any potential objections of senators. 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 In 2015, after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages nationwide, a county clerk in Kentucky famously refused to issue a marriage license to two men, launching a decade-long legal battle that has now landed at the steps of the nations high court. Kim Davis still owes David Ermold and David Moore more than $300,000 after she lost a lawsuit accusing her of violating their constitutional rights for refusing to approve their marriage license. Davis appealed, claiming she was immune from personal liability as a government official, and lost. She is now turning to the justices to bail her out and hoping to take down the landmark decision in Obergefell v Hodges with her. The justices will consider whether to hear her challenge in their private conference Friday, among thousands of petitions the court receives each year. Legal experts told The Independent they are deeply skeptical that her petition will go anywhere, but anxious same-sex couples and advocacy groups fear the conservative-majority court will once again open the door for debating LGBT+ rights under the guise of religious freedom. Obergefell is the settled law of the land, and we are hopeful the Court will deny the petition, William Powell, senior counsel at Georgetown Laws Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, told The Independent. open image in gallery Former Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, pictured speaking in 2015 after refusing to approve same-sex marriage licenses, is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a landmark marriage equality case after losing a lawsuit over her refusal ( Getty Images ) In her petition to the Supreme Court, Davis, a devout Christian, argued she had a First Amendment right as a public official to deny issuing licenses to LGBT+ couples, citing her religious beliefs. Obergefell v Hodges cannot override the free speech and religious exercise protections of the First Amendment, according to Mat Staver, chair of evangelical Christian legal group Liberty Counsel, which is taking Daviss arguments a step further in calling for the high court to overturn same-sex marriage protections entirely. Like the abortion decision in Roe v Wade, Obergefell was egregiously wrong from the start. This opinion has no basis in the Constitution, according to Staver. In her petition to the court, attorneys for Davis said Ermold and Moore cannot sue over hurt feelings over her religious expression. Without the Supreme Courts intervention, Obergefell will remain an obstacle for First Amendments protections for public officials with sincerely held religious beliefs, they claim. This case provides a suitable vehicle to establish the clear guidance that lower courts and government officials currently lack, attorneys wrote. At least 823,000 same-sex couples are legally married in the United States, according to research from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Nearly 600,000 of those couples married in the years after Obergefell. Those couples are also raising nearly 300,000 children under age 18, the institute found. For over a decade, far-right groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom and Liberty Counsel have been fighting to drag us back to a time where LGBTQ+ people did not enjoy the same freedom to marry as every other American, Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson told The Independent. They want us afraid, she said. But here are the facts: marriage equality is the law of the land, and is supported by a bipartisan, supermajority of the American public. open image in gallery The Supreme Court has heard several major cases involving LGBT+ rights in recent years, ( Getty Images ) Daviss petition is among thousands that the high court receives every year, most of which are denied. Same-sex couples who are currently married also are likely to maintain those protections under the Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2022, ensuring that same-sex marriages performed in one state are recognized by in others as well as by the federal government. But the law does not require every state to issue marriage licenses in the unlikely event Obergefell is overturned. Even if the Court takes this up, this petition centers on damages owed by Kim Davis not necessarily the broader question of marriage equality. Pro-equality Americans fought hard for the Respect for Marriage Act, which protects federal marriage rights for same-sex and interracial couples, Robinson said. Still, the idea of putting hard-fought protections for LGBT+ couples back on trial has frustrated and outraged advocates who fear the worst under a court that liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor says has broken the firewall between church and state. Jim Obergefell, the man at the center of the case that legalized same-sex marriages, is disgusted by what he sees as a distortion of religious liberty, he told The Advocate. This modern version of religious freedom this belief that ones personal religion trumps everything else is a twisting and perverting of what our founders intended, he said. The courts decision to end a constitutional right to abortion care in 2022s Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization proved how fragile precedent can be, he said. If they were willing to overturn Roe after saying it was settled law, Obergefell said, why on earth should I believe anything else they say? In his concurring opinion in Dobbs v Jackson Womens Health Organization, Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that the court could reconsider major cases involving substantive due process precedents including the courts landmark cases involving same-sex marriages, gay sex, and contraception. Because any substantive due process decision is demonstrably erroneous ... we have a duty to correct the error established in those precedents, Thomas wrote. The question would remain whether other constitutional provisions guarantee the myriad rights that our substantive due process cases have generated. Those cases include Griswold v Connecticut, which ruled that states had no right to ban contraception; Lawrence v Texas, which struck down laws banning same-sex sex; and Obergefell. Lawyers for Ermold and Moore have argued in court filings that Kim Daviss request should be an easy case for the justices to reject from the outset. Aside from Daviss failures to argue for First Amendment protections in this case, which were already rejected by an appeals court, overruling Obergefell could call into question the constitutional status of existing same-sex marriages and disrupt the lives of those who aspire to, plan their affairs around, and benefit from same-sex marriage, they wrote. She also already waived her right to challenge the Supreme Courts same-sex marriage protections because she expressly stated that she did not want to relitigate the Supreme Courts decision in Obergefell, they argued. The Court should hold her to that representation, they 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 Representative Nancy Maces ex-fiance has filed a lawsuit against the MAGA congresswoman after she accused him of being a sexual predator during a speech. The lawsuit claims that Mace fabricated allegations about a sexual assault that allegedly took place in 2018. Patrick Bryant, Maces ex-partner, filed the lawsuit on Wednesday over allegations made in a May lawsuit by an unknown Jane Doe, according to the report, which was obtained by WCSC. That lawsuit, detailed in Bryants filing, claimed that the woman was allegedly assaulted at the home of Eric Bowman by an unknown man, while Bowman and Bryant filmed the attack. Mace referenced the alleged incident during her speech on the House floor in February. "For almost two years, I've had to stay quiet while completely false accusations were spread about me, Bryant stated on social media. Claims that were created, repeated, and weaponized to serve personal and political vendettas. I have never assaulted or raped any woman." open image in gallery Nancy Mace is being sued by her ex-fiance after she accused him of sexually assaulting Jane Doe during a speech ( Nancy Mace/X ) According to WCSC, Bryant is suing for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. However, Mace has hit back at her ex-fiance on social media in a sharp-toned statement, which referenced Bryants company and his lawyer being found to have violated South Carolina law by issuing subpoenas and deposing people without court approval in the Doe case. I just got him sanctioned in court, she wrote. And rape victim Jane Doe and I are still waiting on him to pay our legal fees after he weaponized the court against us. She accompanied the post with an AI-generated video of her husband dancing and throwing money into the air. Mace also said that she will be filing a counterclaim against her ex-fiance. I will file a motion to dismiss and counter claim abuse of process, conspiracy, and you guessed it - more attorney fees, she raged. Thank you for your attention to this matter! The MAGA congresswoman launched into an expletive-filled rant aimed at police officers at the Charleston International Airport last week. open image in gallery Mace is a highly polarizing politician who made headlines after an alleged expletive-filled rant ( Getty Images ) According to a report from the Charleston County Aviation Authority Police, Mac became very irate at a TSA checkpoint. Officers had been waiting for her near the front curb of the airport when they discovered that she had actually driven to a TSA checkpoint for members of the Known Crewmembers program. Staff raced over to Mace shortly after and began escorting her through the airport. During the entire escort, Rep. Mace was talking loudly using profanity at times for others to hear, the report read. One of the officers said that the congresswoman repeatedly stated we were F****** incompetent and this is no way to treat a f****** U.S. Representative. She also said we would never treat Tim Scott like this, the officer wrote. Scott is the junior senator from South Carolina. Maces director of operations, Cameron Morabito, addressed the incident in a fiery statement given to WIRED. Apparently, simply arriving at an airport now makes for a worthy headline. We are forced to take the Congresswomans safety extremely seriously, Morabito wrote. After the world watched Charlie Kirks assassination, the threats against her have only intensified. Our security procedures are based solely on legitimate safety concerns, and any attempt to politicize this reality is both dangerous and reckless. Shortly after, the congresswoman launched into a series of furious social media posts in which she said, BREAKING NEWS: Nancy Mace arrives at the airport - no security. And for the FAKE NEWS: This is the entrance ALL Members of Congress use at the airport, she raged in another post. Are you going to write that Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott use the same entrance or no? 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 Secretary of State Marco Rubio views Vice President JD Vance as the leading contender for the GOP nomination in 2028 and would back him if he chooses to run, according to a new report. Marco has been very clear that JD is going to be the Republican nominee if he wants to be, an unnamed source close to the former Florida senator told Politico. He will do anything he can just to support the vice president in that effort. Several other sources, who were granted anonymity to speak candidly about private conversations, shared the same sentiment. The comments come less than one year into President Donald Trumps second term, suggesting political insiders are wasting no time in preparing for the future of the MAGA movement. Trump himself who recently appeared to dismiss the idea of seeking a third term repeatedly lists Vance and Rubio as the two men most likely to succeed him. Both are key power players in Trumps administration and close personal friends, who insist their relationship is defined by cooperation, not competition. open image in gallery Marco has been very clear that JD is going to be the Republican nominee if he wants to be, an unnamed individual close to Rubio told the outlet ( AP ) No one expects Marco to resign from the Cabinet and start taking potshots at the sitting vice president, a second source told Politico. Beyond that, theyre friends. Meanwhile, a third source familiar with White House discussions said the expectation is JD as [nominee] and Rubio as VP, according to the outlet. When asked about his possible successors on Air Force One in late October, Trump named the vice president and secretary of state, who briefly served in the Senate together before joining the administration. Im not sure if anybody would run against those two, the president told reporters. I think if they ever formed a group it would be unstoppable. open image in gallery Trump has previously floated the idea of a Vance-Rubio ticket in 2028 ( Getty Images ) Vance said in a recent podcast that the president has also privately floated a Vance-Rubio ticket for 2028. The president first raised this with me probably six months or so ago during just, you know, one of our private lunches, the former Ohio senator said. It feels so premature, because we're still so early. And what I always say to people is, if we take care of business, the politics will take care of itself. Vance has also spoken highly of Rubio who previously ran for president in 2016 describing him as his best friend in the administration. In another podcast, he said the two men share a sweet tooth and crack jokes together. Rubio, who in addition to being the nations top diplomat, serves as national security advisor, told Fox News that Vance would be a great nominee. According to recent polls, Vance is also the most well-positioned among the American public to carry forward Trumps legacy. A strong majority of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents, 65 percent, said they would consider voting for Vance in the 2028 GOP primary, according to a September YouGov survey. Trailing the vice president were Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (40 percent), Donald Trump Jr. (37 percent) and Rubio (33 percent). And, in an October Center Square survey, 38 percent of Republicans said that, if the 2028 GOP primary were held today, they would cast their ballot for Vance. Just 4 percent said the same for Rubio. The Independent has reached out to both Vance and Rubio for comment. 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 pharmaceutical executive collapsed in the Oval Office Thursday as members of the Trump administration were announcing a new deal for weight-loss medications. The man was standing behind President Donald Trump during the event when his knees appeared to suddenly buckle underneath him. Reporters initially identified the man as Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Finlay however the company later denied that it was him. Reporters who witnessed the incident first-hand said Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, helped the executive to the ground, preventing the man from hitting his head. As reporters were ushered out of the Oval Office, Cabinet members attended to the man, elevating his legs. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: During the Most Favored Nations Oval Office Announcement, a representative with one of the companies fainted. The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay. The Press Conference will resume shortly. Thursdays press conference featured executives from drug makers, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which have worked with the administration on a deal to make weight loss medications, known as GLP-1s, more affordable. President Donald Trump stands by as attendees help an executive after he collapsed during an event on lowering drug prices in the Oval Office Thursday ( Getty Images ) Under the deal, the drug makers will expand access to their popular obesity medications, such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, by offering them direct-to-consumers on TrumpRx, the government website expected to launch next year. The oral version of the medications is expected to be offered for as low as $149 per month, once approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The injectable GLP-1 medications will drop to $245 per month for patients on Medicare or Medicaid who utilize them to treat medical conditions such as diabetes that have already been approved by the FDA. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised the deal for giving those who cannot afford the drugs a chance to utilize it. Obesity is a disease of poverty. Overwhelming, and these drugs have only been available for people who have wealth, Kennedy said. Dr. Oz projected that by this time next year, he expects Americans to collectively lose 135 billion pounds. 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 Tucker Carlson defiantly brushed off the backlash over his extremely friendly chat with Nick Fuentes, telling his pal Megyn Kelly this week that critics can buzz off and do their own interview with the notorious white nationalist if they want to feel virtuous or whatever. He also defended his hands-off approach with Fuentes, telling his ex-Fox News colleague that he doesnt need to prove that Im a good person and hes just doing my thing, which is I want to understand what people think. Carlson has sparked an internal civil war within the Republican Party over his chummy sitdown with Fuentes. Besides giving the Holocaust-denying Hitler admirer an open platform to largely peddle his antisemitic and racist worldview with very little pushback, Carlson has also come under fire from Jewish conservatives and the Christian right for one moment in particular. And then the Christian Zionists who are, well, Christian Zionists. What is that? I can just say for myself, I dislike them more than anybody, because its Christian heresy, Carlson told Fuentes at one point. And Im offended by that as a Christian. (Carlson has since said hes sorry that I said that in a recent podcast interview.) While Carlson has been pilloried by prominent conservative figures like Ben Shapiro, who labeled the fired Fox News host an intellectual coward and the most virulent super-spreader of vile ideas in America, Kevin Roberts the president of the leading right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation initially rallied to Carlson's defense amid the growing furor over the Fuentes interview. open image in gallery Tucker Carlson defiantly lashed out at critics of his softball interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, telling them to buzz off ( SiriusXM ) Roberts backing of Carlson, which included him blasting the venomous coalition and globalist class criticizing the pundit, set off an open rebellion at Heritage that Roberts has been desperately struggling to contain. Amid a flood of resignations from the organization, Roberts apologized to irate staffers during a meeting this week. I made a mistake, and I let you down, and I let down this institution, and Im sorry, period, full stop, Roberts said on Wednesday. Amid the continued fallout within the conservative movement over his kid-glove treatment of Fuentes, Carlson discussed the matter on Thursday with Kelly who has repeatedly expressed her love for Carlson in recent months, especially as hes faced increased criticism from the right over his views on Israel and Gaza. During her sitdown with Carlson for a live broadcast of her SiriusXM show, Kelly gave him several minutes to vehemently defend himself and explain why he felt the need to have an affable chat with Fuentes. Eventually, she stepped in and mildly pressed her one-time Fox cohort on why he failed to challenge Fuentes on his vast history of white supremacy and antisemitism. open image in gallery White nationalist influencer Nick Fuentes has a long history of antisemitism ( Rumble ) I mean, I personally have watched videos of him questioning the Holocaust, she stated. Likening it to baking cookies in the oven and theres no way you could have gotten to six million seems to be his theory. He seems to think that weve way overstated the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. Hes ripped on poor Usha Vance in the most offensive terms... So what do you say to those people who say, Why didnt you raise that? Addressing his critics, Carlson fumed: You know, do your own interview the way that you want to do it. Youre not my editor. Buzz off. Continuing his response, Carlson said that if those criticizing him want to go yell at Nick Fuentes, hell give you his cell so they can call him and go sit and yell at him and feel virtuous or whatever. open image in gallery Tucker Carlson claimed that he doesn't share Nick Fuentes' views and isn't telling Nazi jokes. ( SiriusXM ) He went on to refer to the backlash he received for the extremely sympathetic interview he gave Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin, which was deemed a massive propaganda victory for Putin. Thats up to you. I got the same thing with Putin. Why arent you yelling at him? Okay, why? So I can show that Im a good person? I care about what my wife thinks, my children think, and God thinks, Carlson huffed. And thats it. I dont need to prove that I am a good person to you! You may think Im a terrible person. Okay, Im just doing my thing, which is I want to understand what people think. And Im committed to that. And if you dont like it, dont watch. Thats my view. Elsewhere in his chat with Kelly, Carlson asserted that despite the friendliness of his sitdown with Fuentes, he does not share the far-right extremists views. Im not telling Nazi jokes, obviously. Im not telling them even in private because Im not into that at all, he insisted, though he claimed that the one thing that did bother me was Fuentes condemnation of Usha Vance, the vice presidents wife. JD Vance is a close friend of Carlsons, and Fuentes has repeatedly mocked her and accused the Vances of race mixing with their marriage. I generally make it a practice not to be like, you said this and the internet tells me or the ADL says you said this. Its like, why dont you just tell me what you do think, Carlson also declared in his conversation with Kelly. Like, why dont you speak for yourself, because were adults. That is my approach with everybody, whether I like him or dont like him. 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 One victim was a fisherman struggling to survive on $100 a month. A second was a career criminal. A third was a former military cadet, while a fourth was a bus driver who had fallen on hard times. The men had little in common beyond their hometowns, which were all beside the Venezuelan sea. The other thing they had in common: All four were killed in the past two months when the U.S. military attacked boats which President Donald Trumps administration says were smuggling drugs. In total, more than 60 people have died since September. Trump and top U.S. officials have alleged that the boats were being operated by narcoterrorists and cartel members and were bound with deadly drugs for American communities. The Associated Press learned the identities of four of the men and pieced together details about at least five others who were killed, providing the first comprehensive account of those who died in the strikes. open image in gallery This screen grab from a video posted by US President Donald Trump on his Truth Social account on September 15, 2025, shows what President Trump says is US military forces conducting a strike on a boat carrying alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea ( Truth Social ) In dozens of interviews in villages on Venezuelas northeastern coast, from which some of the boats departed, residents and relatives said the dead men had indeed been running drugs but were not narcoterrorists or leaders of a cartel or gang. Most of the nine men were crewing such craft for the first or second time, making at least $500 per trip, residents and relatives said. They were laborers, a fisherman, a motorcycle taxi driver. Two were low-level career criminals. One was a well-known local crime boss who contracted out his smuggling services to traffickers. The men lived on the Paria Peninsula, in mostly unpainted cinderblock homes that can go weeks without water service and regularly lose power for several hours a day. They awoke to panoramic views of a national park's tropical forests, the Gulf of Paria's shallows and the Caribbean's sparkling sapphire waters. When the time came for their drug runs, they boarded open-hulled fishing skiffs that relied on powerful outboard motors to haul their drugs to nearby Trinidad and other islands. The residents and relatives interviewed by the AP requested anonymity out of fear of reprisals from drug smugglers, the Venezuelan government or the Trump administration. They said they were incensed that the men were killed without due process. In the past, their boats would have been interdicted by the U.S. authorities and the crewmen charged with federal crimes, affording them a day in court. The U.S. government should have stopped them, a mans relative said. It has been difficult for relatives to learn much about their dead loved ones because criminal gangs and the Venezuelan government have long repressed the flow of information in the region. Venezuelan officials have blasted the U.S. government over the strikes, and the nations ambassador to the U.N. called the attacks extrajudicial executions. They have also steadfastly denied that drug traffickers operate in the country and have yet to acknowledge that any of its citizens have been killed in boat strikes. Spokespeople for Venezuelas government did not respond to a request for comment. The Trump administration has justified the strikes by declaring drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and said the U.S. is now in an armed conflict with them. Trump has said each sunken boat has saved 25,000 American lives, presumably from overdoses. The boats, however, appear to have been transporting cocaine, not the far more deadly synthetic opioids that kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. Sean Parnell, the Pentagons chief spokesman, said in a statement to the AP that the Defense Department has consistently said that our intelligence did indeed confirm that the individuals involved in these drug operations were narcoterrorists, and we stand by that assessment. So far, the U.S. military has blown up 17 vessels, killing more than 60 people. Nine of the craft were targeted in the Caribbean, and at least three of those had departed from Venezuela, according to the Trump administration. The military is striking the boats at the same time the administration is applying increasing pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Justice Department doubled a reward for his arrest to $50 million, and the U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off Venezuela and has flown pairs of supersonic, heavy bombers along the countrys coast. Relatives and acquaintances said they have confirmed the deaths through word-of-mouth and inexplicit social media posts that sought to convey information about the dead men without drawing the attention of Venezuelan authorities. They have also made what they described as reasonable deductions: The men have not returned phone calls or texts in weeks, or reached out to say they were okay; Venezuelan authorities, residents said, have also searched some of the homes of the dead men. I want an answer, but who can I ask?" said a relative of one of the men. I cant say anything. open image in gallery A Venezuelan Navy patrol boat sails off the Carribean coast amid hightened tensions with the U.S., in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela ( Reuters ) The fisherman A native of Guiria, a village on the southeast side of the peninsula, Robert Sanchez dropped out of school as a teenager and like many others in the region became a fisherman like his father, according to friends and relatives. The 42-year-old was considered among the peninsula's best pilots, they said, having spent the better part of three decades mastering the area's currents and winds, so much so he could navigate the waters at night without instruments. As part of hired crews, the father of four spent his days fishing for snapper, kingfish and dogfish. The fisherman wanted to save enough money to buy a 75-horsepower boat engine so he could operate his own boat and not work for others. It was a dream Sanchez knew he was likely to never realize, relatives said: Most of his income about $100 a month went to feed his children. He was not alone in that situation. The peninsula is part of Sucre state, one of Venezuelas poorest. Sucre was once home to several fish processing plants, an auto assembly plant and a large public university, all of which offered well-paying jobs. Most have shuttered. The peninsula is dotted by the unfulfilled promises of 26 years of a self-described socialist government, including an abandoned shipyard and the rusted infrastructure meant for a natural gas complex. With its proximity to the Caribbean Sea, the area is a popular transit hub for cocaine making its way from Colombia to Trinidad and other Caribbean islands before heading to Europe. Colombian cocaine destined for the U.S. is generally smuggled out of Colombia through the Pacific coast. The larger economic pressures and Sanchezs goal of owning a boat engine are what pushed the fisherman to accept an offer to help traffickers navigate the tricky waters he knew so well, friends and relatives said. Sanchez had just finished offloading a days catch last month when he told his mother he would be taking a short trip and would see her in a couple of days. They had no idea where he was going. open image in gallery The families have learnt of their loved ones deaths via social media ( AP ) After seeing clips on social media that mentioned his death, relatives broke the news to his mother, but not until after ensuring she had taken her blood pressure medication. Sanchez's youngest son, a third grader, could not accept for days that his father was gone. He kept asking adults if his father could have survived the explosion, noting he might still be at sea. No, the adults told the boy. His father was gone. One of the first to die Luis Che Martinez was killed in the first strike. A burly 60-year-old, Martinez was a longtime local crime boss, and he made most of his living smuggling drugs and people across borders, according to several people who knew him. He had been jailed by Venezuelan authorities on human-trafficking charges after a boat he had operated capsized in December 2020, killing about two dozen people, law enforcement officials said at the time. Among those who died in the accident were two of his sons and a granddaughter, relatives told the AP. The AP was not able to determine the disposition of his criminal case, but Martinez was eventually released from custody and returned to smuggling people and drugs, according to acquaintances. Though they detested what he did for a living and the control Martinez and similar criminals exerted over their villages several residents said they appreciated how Martinez contributed annually to the towns festival of the Virgin of the Valley, the patroness of fishermen, and he spent lavishly in local shops and restaurants. He also bet heavily on cockfights, a popular pastime, a bird breeder said. Martinez was killed, a relative and several acquaintances said, in the first known U.S. strike, which took place Sept. 2. Trump quickly took to social media to claim the vessel had departed from Venezuela and had been carrying drugs. The 11-man crew, the president said, had been members of the Tren de Aragua gang. He said all men were killed and also posted a short video clip of a small vessel appearing to explode in flames. Martinezs relatives said they did not believe the underworld figure was a member of that gang. They said they have been provided no information from the Venezuelan government about his fate. They figured it out when they came across a photo of a body that had washed ashore in Trinidad. The photo had been shared on social media and messaging apps and depicted a badly mutilated body. The people familiar with Martinez said they knew instantly the stout corpse was Martinez because, on his left wrist, was strapped one of his most treasured belongings: an ostentatious watch. The former cadet and the bus driver Dushak Milovcic, 24, was drawn to crime by the adrenaline rush and money, so much that he dropped out of the countrys National Guard Academy, according to those who knew him. He started as a lookout for smugglers, they said. Though he had no experience at sea, he eventually won a promotion to the more lucrative and coveted jobs on drug-running boats. Its not clear how many trips he had undertaken before he was killed last month. Juan Carlos El Guaramero Fuentes had operated a transit bus for several years but was facing dire financial circumstances when it had broken down. The government had been unable or unwilling to fix it. That meant he was losing money because bus drivers in Venezuela typically pocket a portion of the fares, making it nearly impossible for him to feed and clothe his family. Villagers said they were not surprised that Fuentes, who had no nautical experience, turned to smuggling to make ends meet. The higher-level traffickers who typically crewed such boats had been staying ashore to avoid being targeted by U.S. missiles. In their place, villagers said, they had been increasingly hiring novices like Fuentes. Fuentes told friends he had been nervous about his first smuggling run, knowing it would be filled with risks from weather, rival gangs, even the U.S. military. The September trip had gone surprisingly smoothly, he told friends, and he readily agreed to join another crew. Fuentes was killed in a missile strike last month, friends said, the precise one unknown. 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 He's the left-leaning Muslim mayor of the country's biggest city, and U.S. President Donald Trump is one of his biggest critics. London's Sadiq Khan has a lot in common with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani but also many differences. Khan, who has been mayor of Britain's capital since 2016, welcomed Mamdani's victory, saying New Yorkers had "chosen hope over fear, unity over division. "Khan's experience holds positive and negative lessons for Mamdani, the 34-year-old Democrat who beat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa in Tuesday's election. Khan has won three consecutive elections but routinely receives abuse for his faith and race, as well as criticism from conservative and far-right commentators who depict London as a crime-plagued dystopia. Trump has been among his harshest critics for years, calling Khan a "stone cold loser," a "nasty person" and a "terrible mayor," and claiming the mayor wants to bring Sharia, or Islamic law, to London. open image in gallery New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and London Mayor Sadiq Khan ( AP ) Khan, a keen amateur boxer, has hit back, saying in September that Trump is "racist, he is sexist, he is misogynistic and he is Islamophobic." Khan told The Associated Press during a global mayors' summit in Brazil on Wednesday that it's "heartbreaking" but not surprising to see Mamdani receiving the same sort of abuse he gets. "London is liberal, progressive, multicultural, but also successful as indeed is New York," he said. "If you're a nativist, populist politician, we are the antithesis of all you stand for. " Attacked for their religion Mamdani and Khan regularly receive abuse and threats because of their Muslim faith, and London's mayor has significantly tighter security protection than his predecessors. Both have tried to build bridges with the Jewish community after being criticized by opponents for their pro-Palestinian stances during the Israel-Hamas war. Both say their political opponents have leaned into Islamophobia. In 2016, Khan's Conservative opponent, Zac Goldsmith, was accused of anti-Muslim prejudice for suggesting that Khan had links to Islamic extremists. Cuomo laughed along with a radio host who suggested Mamdani would "be cheering" another 9/11 attack. Mamdani's Republican critics frequently, falsely call him a "jihadist" and a Hamas supporter. open image in gallery Sir Sadiq Khan said he has more important things to worry about than Donald Trumps comments about him after the US presidents state visit (PA) ( PA Archive ) Mamdani vowed during the campaign that he would "not change who I am, how I eat, or the faith that I'm proud to call my own." Khan has said he feels a responsibility to dispel myths about Muslims, and answers questions about his faith with weary good grace. He calls himself "a proud Brit, a proud Englishman, a proud Londoner and a proud Muslim." Very different politicians Mamdani is an outsider on the left of his party, a democratic socialist whose buzzy, digital-savvy campaign energized young New Yorkers and drove the city's biggest election turnout in a mayoral election in decades. Khan, 55, is a more of an establishment politician who sits in the broad middle of the center-left Labour Party. The son of a bus driver and a seamstress from Pakistan, Khan grew up with seven siblings in a three-bedroom public housing apartment in south London. He studied law, became a human rights attorney and spent a decade as a Labour Party lawmaker in the House of Commons, representing the area where he grew up, before being elected in 2016 as the first Muslim leader of a major Western capital city. open image in gallery Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, celebrate his primary victory with his parents ( Getty Images ) Mamdani comes from a more privileged background as the son of an India-born Ugandan anthropologist, Mahmood Mamdani, and award-winning Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. Born in Uganda and raised from the age of 7 in New York, he worked as an adviser for tenants facing eviction before being elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020. Similar big-city problems Khan and Mamdani govern huge cities with vastly diverse populations of more than 8 million. Voters in both places have similar worries about crime and the high cost of living - big issues that many mayors struggle to address. Khan was won three straight elections, but he's not an overwhelmingly popular mayor. As Mamdani may also find, the mayor gets blamed for a lot of problems, from high rents to violent crime, regardless of whether they are in his control, though Mamdani made freezing rents a pillar of his campaign. Mamdani campaigned on ambitious promises, including free child care, free buses, new affordable housing and city-run grocery stores. "Winning an election is one thing, delivering on promises is another," said Darren Reid, an expert on U.S. politics at Coventry University. "The mayor of New York definitely does not have unlimited power, and he is going to have a very powerful enemy in the current president." open image in gallery Sadiq Khan has faced significant criticism after expanding London's Ultra Low Emission Zone ( PA ) The mayor of London controls public transit and the police, but doesn't have the authority of New York's leader because power is shared with the city's 32 boroughs, which are responsible for schools, social services and public housing in their areas. Khan can point to relatively modest achievements, including free school meals for all primary school pupils and a freeze on transit fares. But he has failed to meet other goals, such as ambitious house-building targets. Tony Travers, a professor at the London School of Economics who specializes in local government, said one lesson Mamdani might take from Khan is to pick "a limited number of fights that you can win." Khan, who is asthmatic, has made it one of his main missions to clean up London's air once so filthy the city was nicknamed the Big Smoke. He expanded London's Ultra Low Emission Zone, which charges the drivers of older, more polluting vehicles a daily fee to drive in the city. The measure became a lightning rod for criticism of Khan, spurring noisy protests and vandalism of enforcement cameras. Khan staunchly defended the zone, which research suggests has made London's air cleaner. His big victory in last year's mayoral election appeared to vindicate Khan's stance on the issue. Travers said that beyond their shared religion and being the targets of racism, both mayors face the conundrum of leading dynamic, diverse metropolises that are "surprisingly peaceful and almost embarrassingly successful" and resented by the rest of their countries for their wealth and the attention they receive. He said London is "locked in this strange alternative universe where it is simultaneously described by a number of commentators as sort of a hellhole and yet on the other hand it's so embarrassingly rich that British governments spend their lives trying to level up the rest of the country to it. You can't win." 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 Chinas president Xi Jinping attended the official launch of a new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier on Wednesday as the country makes moves to rival the US navy. The Fujian was put into service with a commissioning ceremony at the military port in Sanya, on Hainan Island, the official Xinhua news agency announced on Friday. The ceremony was attended by 2,000 representatives from the navy and institutions involved in the construction of the aircraft carrier. On the flight deck, new-generation carrier-based aircraft, including the J-35 and J-15T fighter jets and the KongJing-600 early warning aircraft, could be seen parked in sequence. Joining two other aircraft carriers, China now boasts the second largest number of such ships in the world in an attempt to catch up with the US Navy. The countrys three carriers push it past India, the United Kingdom and Italy, which have two each. The ship is the countrys most advanced aircraft carrier, with electromagnetic catapult launchers that mark a technological advance to help the navy to project power deep into the Pacific as it seeks to assert power in disputed waters in the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. The Fujian is China's first domestically designed carrier. Chinese state media reported that Xi had made the decision to adopt the electromagnetic catapult system. Xi reportedly encouraged carrier-based aircraft pilots to improve their skills and expertise to contribute to the development of the combat capabilities of the Fujian, Xinhua reported. China has two other aircraft carriers: the Liaoning, was refurbished from an unfinished Soviet ship that Ukraine inherited and later sold to China, while the second, the Shandong, was built in China based on the Liaoning's design. All three carriers are named after coastal Chinese provinces. The country's three carriers push it past India, the United Kingdom and Italy, which have two each. 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 Google is reportedly planning to establish a substantial artificial intelligence data centre on Australias remote Christmas Island, an Indian Ocean outpost. This development follows a cloud agreement signed earlier this year with the Department of Defence, according to documents reviewed by Reuters and official interviews. Details surrounding the facility on the tiny island, located 350 km south of Indonesia, have not been previously disclosed, with its projected size, cost, and potential uses remaining confidential. Nevertheless, military experts suggest such a centre would be a valuable strategic asset, particularly as defence officials increasingly view the island as a critical frontline for monitoring Chinese submarine and naval activity in the Indian Ocean. Alphabet Inc-owned Google is said to be in advanced negotiations to lease land near the islands airport for the data hub, including a separate agreement with a local mining company to secure its energy requirements, Christmas Island Shire officials and council records indicate. Google stated the project forms part of its broader efforts to enhance subsea cable infrastructure, aiming to boost digital resilience across Australia and the Indo-Pacific, while downplaying the scale of the undertaking. open image in gallery Plans for the data centre on the tiny island located 350 km (220 miles) south of Indonesia have not previously been reported ( Getty/iStock ) "We are not constructing 'a large artificial intelligence data centre' on Christmas Island," a Google spokeswoman said in a statement to Reuters, adding more details would be shared soon. Planning documents show Google proposes an "additional future cable system" connecting Christmas Island to Asia. A Christmas Island source, who declined to be named, said Google had requested a long-term energy supply deal for a 7 megawatt data centre, using diesel and renewable power. Google did not comment about its power requirements. Australia's Department of Infrastructure confirmed Google's proposal was to establish a data centre on Christmas Island and included plans to connect the island to Darwin via a subsea cable. "The department is in discussions with Google to ensure energy requirements for the proposed project are met without impacting supply to local residents and businesses," it said in a statement to Reuters. Australia's Department of Defence had no comment. A recent tabletop war game involving the Australian, US and Japanese militaries highlighted Christmas Island's role as a forward line of defence for Australia in any regional conflict, particularly its advantages for launching uncrewed weapons systems, or drones. Bryan Clark, a former US Navy strategist who ran the war games, said having a forward "command and control" node on Christmas Island would be critical in a crisis with China or another adversary. "The data centre is partly to allow you to do the kinds of AI-enabled command and control that you need to do in the future, especially if you rely on uncrewed systems for surveillance missions and targeting missions and even engagements," Clark, now a Hudson Institute fellow, told Reuters. Subsea cables provide more bandwidth for communication than a satellite, and greater reliability, because China would be expected to jam satellite communications or Starlink in a crisis, he said. "If you've got a data centre on Christmas, you can do a lot of that through cloud infrastructure," he added. Australia's defence department entered into a three-year cloud agreement with Google in July. Britain's military recently announced a similar Google cloud deal, which it said will boost intelligence sharing with the United States. Google applied last month for Australian environmental approvals to build the first subsea cable connecting Christmas Island to the northern Australian city of Darwin, where the US Marine Corps are based for six months of the year. Christmas Island Shire President Steve Pereira said his administration is examining the community impact of the proposed data centre before giving final construction approval. The 135 square km (52 square mile) island, best known for its asylum seeker detention centre and annual migration of millions of red crabs, has until recently struggled with poor telecommunications and its 1,600 residents lack job opportunities. open image in gallery The tiny Australian territory in the Indian Ocean is famous for being the home to 200 million of these endemic Gecarcoidea natalis crabs ( Parks Australia ) "There is support for it, providing this data centre actually does put back into the community with infrastructure, employment and adding economic value to the island," he said. Residents are concerned at the impact the centre may have on energy supplies on the island, which is 1,500 km from mainland Australia and relies on diesel to supplement limited renewables. The Department of Infrastructure said the Google project aligned with the Australian government's goal of diversifying the island's economy away from mining. "All environmental and other planning requirements will need to be met for the project to proceed," the spokesperson said, noting the island's unique environment. Two Christmas Island sources and a defence source said the data centre was of commercial benefit to Google because of the Indian Ocean location between Africa, Asia and Australia, as well as its potential defence uses. Another recent war game on Christmas Island involved the rapid deployment of an advanced US HIMARS truck-mounted rocket system from Darwin, which drew a mixed response from residents. Some anti-war protesters were fearful of the impact on tourism, while business people are hopeful increased defence activity will boost the economy, Pereira said. "We are a strategic asset for defence," he said. "There are many industries on the island we have to protect, all of this will be closely considered for any new projects - whether it be defence or Google," he added. Retired Navy Commodore Peter Leavy, who lived on the island as a student, told Reuters he has taken several Australian defence groups to Christmas Island since last year, seeking to build community support for defence activities. "Christmas Island is quite well positioned to at least monitor what is going through Sunda Strait, Lombok Strait, Malacca Straits. It is a really good location." 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 Belgiums Liege airport has temporarily halted flights for the second time in a week due to a drone sighting, the countrys air traffic control service has said. The disruption comes just three days after drone sightings in the capital, Brussels, and in Liege forced the diversion of many incoming planes and the grounding of some due to depart. Sightings of drones over airports and military bases have caused major disruptions across Europe in recent months. Authorities in some countries have linked Russia to the incidents, saying they form part of Moscows hybrid warfare campaign against Europe. Moscow has denied any connection to the incidents. The Skeyes air traffic control service said it received a report of a drone being spotted over the airport around 6.30am GMT, leading to a closure of the airport for about 30 minutes. open image in gallery Moscow has denied any connection to the incidents ( Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia ) We have to take every report seriously, Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the service, said. He added that flights had resumed. Flights bound for Brussels airport were also held or diverted late Thursday, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24. The Belgian government called an emergency meeting of key government ministers and security chiefs on Thursday to address what the defence minister called a coordinated attack. Belgiums defence minister, Theo Francken, on Tuesday told public broadcaster RTBF that the incident appeared to be carried out by professionals intent on destabilising the country. He also voiced alarm following a series of unidentified drone flights over the weekend near a military base housing US nuclear weapons and suggested that the incidents appear to be part of a spying operation. The drones penetrated the airspace around the Kleine Brogel air base in northeast Belgium across two distinct phases on Saturday and Sunday nights, he said. He lamented on Monday that Belgium is chasing after the threat posed by such drone flights, adding: We should have bought air defence systems five or 10 years ago that can deal with drones. open image in gallery Theo Francken said that the incidents appeared to be part of a spying operation ( Getty ) Germany decided on Thursday that the Bundeswehr would provide Belgium with short-notice support in counter-drone capabilities, the defence ministry said. Separately, one or more drones were observed at the Gothenburg-Landvetter airport on Swedens west coast just before 5pm GMT on Thursday, authorities said, forcing more than a dozen flights to be rerouted or cancelled. Russia has been blamed for a number of airspace violations, notably in Estonia and Poland, in recent months. But the perpetrators of a series of mysterious drone flights in Denmark and Germany have been harder to pin down. In neighbouring Denmark, several airports, including Copenhagen, also closed temporarily in September due to reported drone sightings. On Thursday, Poland and Romania announced they would deploy a new American weapons system, Merops, to defend against Russian drones. The American-made Merops system, compact enough for a mid-sized pickup truck, identifies and intercepts drones. It uses artificial intelligence to navigate even when satellite and electronic communications are jammed. Last month, several drones were spotted above another Belgian military base near the German border. The operators were not identified. 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 Denmark has announced a landmark agreement to prohibit social media access for children under the age of 15, a move designed to intensify pressure on major tech platforms amid escalating global concerns over the influence of harmful content and commercial exploitation targeting young users. While the new legislation would permit parents, following a specific assessment, to grant their 13- and 14-year-olds access, significant questions remain regarding the practical enforcement of such a sweeping ban. Many tech companies already impose age restrictions on their platforms, yet officials and experts widely acknowledge that these measures are frequently circumvented by pre-teens, rendering them largely ineffective. This measure represents one of the most far-reaching steps taken by a European Union government to curb social media use among younger demographics. Caroline Stage, Denmark's minister for digital affairs, highlighted the pervasive nature of online platforms among children, revealing that 94 per cent of Danish under-13s and over half of those under 10 already maintain social media profiles. "The amount of time they spend online. the amount of violence, self-harm that they are exposed to online, is simply too great a risk for our children," Ms Stage stated. She further criticised tech giants, adding: They have an absurd amount of money available, but theyre simply not willing to invest in the safety of our children, invest in the safety of all of us. No rush to legislation, no loopholes for tech giants open image in gallery Caroline Stage, Denmark's minister for digital affairs, said 94 per cent of Danish children under the age of 13 have profiles on at least one social media platform ( Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP ) Ms Stage said a ban wont take effect immediately. Allied lawmakers on the issue from across the political spectrum, who make up a majority in parliament, will likely take months to pass relevant legislation. I can assure you that Denmark will hurry, but we wont do it too quickly because we need to make sure that the regulation is right and that there are no loopholes for the tech giants to go through, Ms Stage said. Her ministry said pressure from tech giants business models was too massive. It follows a move in December in Australia, where parliament enacted the worlds first ban on social media for children, setting the minimum age at 16. That made platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram subject to fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars (25m) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. Officials in Denmark didnt say how such a ban would be enforced in a world where millions of children have easy access to screens. But Ms Stage noted that Denmark has a national electronic ID system nearly all Danish citizens over the age of 13 have such an ID and plans to set up an age-verification app. Several other EU countries are testing such apps. We cannot force the tech giants to use our app, but what we can do is force the tech giants to make proper age verification, and if they dont, we will be able to enforce through the EU commission and make sure that they will be fined up to 6 per cent of their global income. Aiming to shield kids from harmful content online open image in gallery Caroline Stage at a press conference about a new political agreement for better protection of children and young people online ( Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP ) Many governments have been grappling with ways of limiting harmful fallout from online technologies, without overly squelching their promise. Ms Stage said Denmarks legislative push was not about excluding children from everything digital, but keeping them away from harmful content. China which manufacturers many of the worlds digital devices has set limits on online game time and smartphone time for kids. Prosecutors in Paris this week announced an investigation into allegations that TikTok allows content promoting suicide and that its algorithms may encourage vulnerable young people to take their own lives. Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present, the Danish ministry said. This is a development that no parent, teacher or educator can stop alone. The EUs Digital Services Act, which took effect two years ago, forbids children younger than 13 from holding accounts on social media like TikTok and Instagram, video-sharing platforms like YouTube and Twitch, and sites like Reddit and Discord, as well as AI companions. Many social media platforms have for years banned anyone 13 or under from signing up for their services. TikTok users can verify their ages by submitting a selfie that will be analysed to estimate their age. Meta Platforms, parent of Instagram and Facebook, says it uses a similar system for video selfies and AI to help figure out a users age. Meta and TikTok didnt respond immediately to requests for comment from the AP. Weve given the tech giants so many chances to stand up and to do something about what is happening on their platforms. They havent done it, said Ms Stage. So now we will take over the steering wheel and make sure that our childrens futures are safe. 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 battle for Pokrovsk in Ukraine's Donetsk region has reached a pivotal stage, with Russian and Ukrainian forces locked in intense combat, even vying for control of individual residential buildings, according to soldiers and analysts. This fierce fighting on the ground also underpins a crucial diplomatic struggle, as both Moscow and Kyiv seek to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump of their military advantage and the opposing side's weakness. Russia asserts its forces have encircled Pokrovsk and successfully thwarted Ukrainian attempts to re-establish supply lines. However, Ukraine refutes claims of a blockade, stating that fighting continues and its forces are inflicting significant casualties on the Russians. Experts suggest that Russian troops, having exploited gaps in Ukrainian defences to enter Pokrovsk last month, are now positioned to fully capture the city within weeks or months. Ukrainian commanders on the front lines concede a grim outlook for the city's future. As of now there are no clear lines of defense, none that can obstruct soldiers from coming into the city, said Serhii Filimonov, a commander of Ukraines Wolves of Da Vinci battalion. In an interview last week, he estimated the Russians control more than 70% of Pokrovsk. And Zelenskyy on Friday admitted Ukraine is in a difficult situation. The enemy began assault operations on the 5th (of November) and has continued conducting assaults ... They have lost equipment, but the enemys number-one goal is to occupy Pokrovsk as quickly as possible. That goal remains, he told reporters in Kyiv. open image in gallery This image made from video provided by Skala - 425th Separate Assault Regiment shows drone footage from Provost, Ukraine, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Skala - 425th Separate Assault Regiment via AP) Russias recent success in Pokrovsk is the result of more than a year of grinding battles in which its forces advanced 39 kilometers (24 miles), according to calculations by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War. Neither Russia nor Ukraine disclose their casualty figures comprehensively, but analysts say that thousands of soldiers have been killed. The operation progressed, meter by meter, until last month when Russian assault groups overcame worn-down Ukrainian defenses. In response, Ukraine deployed its elite units, launching a special operation last week to counter potential advances. Commanders warn that the intense street-to-street fighting is reaching a critical point. Pokrovsk sits along the eastern front line, part of what has been dubbed the fortress belt of Donetsk, a line of heavily fortified cities crucial to Ukraines defense of the region, including Kramatorsk, Sloviansk and Druzhkivka. Pokrovsk, which had a prewar population of 60,000, once served as a crucial logistics hub for Ukrainian forces. However, Russia used its artillery to establish an advantage over key routes, denying Ukrainian forces the ability to move freely, conduct evacuations and ferry in supplies. Map of Pokrovsk: Pokrovsk is no longer just a battlefield for territory, but also a key setting intended to influence U.S. perceptions and sway the course of peace negotiations, analysts say. Russian President Vladimir Putin claims his forces are on the cusp of winning. As a prerequisite for peace, he demands that Ukraine cede the Donbas, made up of Donetsk and neighboring Luhansk, one of his key war aims. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, faced with U.S. pressure at times to accept Putins terms, has sought to show Trump Russia is not winning. Armed with maps of the front line, Zelenskyy has softened Trumps ever-shifting stances. Imagine how many Russian forces there are. But at the same time, they do not have the planned result. In my opinion, they do not have such a result that they can sell to the Americans, said Zelenskyy at a briefing with reporters last week, when around 200 Russian soldiers breached Pokrovsks defenses. We understand why they need Pokrovsk. They only need it to say look, after all, the idea that Ukraine leaves the east and gives everything else that they want is the only possible one, otherwise they will supposedly capture more, he said. Despite Zelenskyy's bullish assessment, the loss of Pokrovsk would be very damaging for Ukraine, said Peter Dickinson, Ukraine editor at the Atlantic Council think tank in the U.S. Trump does not like losers he likes to be with the winners ... This will be portrayed by the Russians as a major victory, he said. If Pokrovsk falls, it could pave the way for Russia to take the rest of the Donbas. But, those advances, like the battle for Pokrovsk, will take time and come at enormous cost in manpower and military equipment. What this means politically, of course: Russia will beat the drum that theyve achieved a big victory And they will say, look, we can take all of Donbas but in how long and at what cost? They will not say, Orysia Lutsevych, head of the Ukraine Forum at the Chatham House think tank in London. Dickinson said most of the logistics around Pokrovsk, such as roads and railways, have been destroyed, and the city is no longer as strategically valuable to the Ukrainians as it was. Its primarily a propaganda victory, a symbolic victory, a sort of a psychological victory, perhaps, for the Russians. They need to be able to show that Putin desperately needs to be able to show that theyre making progress, he said. open image in gallery A satellite image shows armored vehicles amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, November 3 ( via REUTERS ) Russian forces continue to advance from the north, west and east of Pokrovsk, according to experts, while Ukrainian forces maintain some pockets of control. Ukraine poured in more troops and its military intelligence directorate launched a counteroffensive operation earlier this month in an effort to hold the city for as long as possible. All units that can battle are here right now, infantry, special forces and everybody else, said Vadym Krykun, the commander of the Lyubart brigade. Everyone is doing their part. Hus, a Ukrainian drone operator in the 68th brigade, identified only with his call sign in line with military protocol, says Russias deployment of an elite drone unit has been especially devastating. Its become a duel of drone operators, he said. The next few weeks will likely unfold in the same way as most battles for territory in the region, experts said: Russia will pour troops into the parts of the city under its authority until Ukrainian forces are overwhelmed. In the meantime, Ukrainian forces will fight to extract as many losses as possible until the need for withdrawal can no longer be avoided. 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 New satellite images show how Pokrovsk, a key strategic city in Ukraine currently witnessing the fiercest fighting in the war with Russia, has been largely reduced to ruins. On Thursday, Russias defence ministry said its forces had advanced in the battered city and were engaged in house-to-house battles as part of Vladimir Putins desperate push to capture his first meaningful urban centre in over a year. Satellite images taken on Monday showed the deadliest sector of fighting between both sides shrouded in smoke and battered by months of fierce fighting. The imagery, captured by the Vantor data intelligence firm, shows white smoke from houses set ablaze in residential areas in Pokrovsk and downed trees around the arterial roads of the war-hit city. open image in gallery A satellite image shows armoured vehicles in the ruins of Pokrovsk on 3 November ( Vantor via Reuters ) open image in gallery A satellite image shows downed trees along a road in the eastern Ukrainian city ( Vantor via Reuters ) open image in gallery Smoke rises in a residential area as Pokrovsk is subject to intense Russian attacks ( Vantor via Reuters ) open image in gallery A zoomed-out satellite image of the city, a key strategic location in the ongoing war ( Vantor via Reuters ) Dubbed the gateway to Donetsk, capturing Pokrovsk will give Russia a territorial platform to penetrate further north inside Ukraines defensive lines, opening up the pathway to the two biggest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in the region, Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. At present, Ukraine is in control of about 10 per cent of Donbas comprising both Donetsk and Luhansk or an area of about 5,000 sq km. Russian forces have been trying to capture Pokrovsk for more than a year. If they succeed, it would be Moscows first big win on the battlefield since the capture of Avdiivka early last year. Russia has opted for a pincer movement to attempt to encircle Pokrovsk and cut off its supply lines, rather than the blunt frontal assaults it employed to capture the city of Bakhmut in 2023. The Russian defence ministry has prematurely announced the capture of large swathes of territory in Pokrovsk, but their claims have been swiftly rejected by Ukrainian military officials. Kyiv has acknowledged that the situation has become difficult in recent days but says its troops are still fighting there and denies they are surrounded. President Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the claims from Moscow and visited the embattled region in person, interacting with troops earlier this week. He posted photos of meetings with Ukrainian armed forces personnel at a command post in the Dobropillya sector, which lies just 20km north of Pokrovsk. Russia says it has captured 64 buildings in the city, once home to 60,000 people, over the past 24 hours and repelled Ukrainian attacks from Hryshyne to the west. If Pokrovsk falls, so does Myrnohrad [city in Donetsk], and the pocket closes, Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, said on X/Twitter. The city holds operational value. Its loss widens the Russian axis of advance in Donetsk west of the Kramatorsk conglomeration of towns, but it does not open those cities to be quickly taken, he 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 The Kremlin has moved to dismiss mounting speculation that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has fallen out of favour with President Vladimir Putin. The rumours emerged after efforts to arrange a summit between the Russian leader and Donald Trump were reportedly put on hold last month. Mr Lavrov, 75, a seasoned Soviet-era diplomat renowned for his robust negotiating style, has been conspicuously absent from a significant Kremlin meeting he would typically attend this week. Furthermore, Mr Putin opted for an alternative representative at the upcoming G20 summit in South Africa, a role historically filled by the foreign minister. Adding to the intrigue, the Foreign Ministry has failed to disclose Mr Lavrov's travel plans and speaking engagements for the past two consecutive weeks. These developments have fuelled suggestions that Mr Lavrov, who has served as foreign minister for more than two decades, may have incurred Mr Putin's displeasure following the cancellation of the proposed Budapest summit. However, when questioned on Friday about Mr Lavrov's standing with the president, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov firmly rejected the notion. open image in gallery Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was absent from a big Kremlin meeting this week that he would typically attend ( AP ) "I will give you a brief answer: there is nothing true in these reports," Peskov told reporters. Asked to confirm that Lavrov would continue to work in his current role, Peskov added: "Absolutely. Lavrov is working as foreign minister, of course." Lavrov spoke by phone to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 20 October to discuss the possible summit, days after it was announced by Trump following a phone call with Putin. The next day, Trump said that he did not want to hold a meeting that would be "a waste of time". He later said he had cancelled the summit because it "just didn't feel right". Trump has sought a rapprochement with Moscow and held a summit in Alaska with Putin in August. But he has backed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine with forces at their present positions, while Moscow has said it wants Kyiv to yield more territory. open image in gallery Putin has made it clear that a rapprochement between Moscow and Washington is in Russia's national interest and important for global security ( AP ) Reuters and other media reported that Washington called off the new summit after Lavrov's ministry sent a message indicating Moscow was not prepared to yield on hardline demands over Ukraine. Financial Times cited a source as suggesting that Lavrov's conversation with Rubio had put Washington off. "Lavrov is clearly tired and seems to think he has better things to do than engage with the US, whatever Putin may want," the FT cited the source as saying. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested on Friday that the FT article had been published to stoke speculation that was unhelpful to Moscow and part of what she called a hybrid war against Russia. Putin has made it clear that, aside from the Ukraine issue, he believes that a rapprochement between Moscow and Washington is in Russia's national interest and important for global security, as the two countries possess vast nuclear arsenals. 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 Vladimir Putin has deliberately sidelined his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov amid claims that he torpedoed a summit with Donald Trump, according to a report. Lavrov was deliberately absent from a meeting of Russias security council on proposals to resume nuclear testing on Wednesday, a source told Russian outlet Kommersant. The veteran minister, 75, was also cast aside as head of the Russian delegation for the G20 summit later this month and replaced by Putins deputy chief of staff, Maxim Oreshkin. For two weeks in a row, the Foreign Ministry has also not disclosed Lavrov's travel plans and speaking engagements for the following week. The developments have fuelled speculation that Lavrov, who has served as foreign minister for more than two decades, may have fallen from Putin's good graces. The Moscow Times, based in Amsterdam, reported that Putin had sent Lavrov into disgrace after a proposed summit with Donald Trump in Budapest fell through last month. open image in gallery Sergei Lavrov (pictured) is rumoured to have fallen out of favour with Vladimir Putin - but the Kremlin rebukes the speculation ( AFP/Getty ) Lavrov spoke by phone to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 20 October to discuss the possible summit, days after it was announced by Trump following a phone call with Putin. The Financial Times cited a source as suggesting that Lavrov's conversation with Rubio had put Washington off. The next day, Trump said that he did not want to hold a meeting that would be "a waste of time". He later said he had cancelled the summit because it "just didn't feel right". Lavrov subsequently repeated maximalist rhetoric about the need to address the root causes of the conflict, before Trump sanctioned Russias two largest oil companies, citing Putin's refusal to end this senseless war. The Kremlin on Friday dismissed speculation that Lavrov had fallen out of favour with Putin after the efforts to organise the summit were put on ice. Asked on Friday if Lavrov was in trouble with Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the idea. "I will give you a brief answer: there is nothing true in these reports," Peskov told reporters. open image in gallery Trump and Putin (pictured in Alaska) were due to meet in Budapest, the US leader said after a call with Putin. But the summit was called off after Lavrov spoke with Marco Rubio ( REUTERS ) Asked to confirm that Lavrov would continue to work in his current role, Peskov added: "Absolutely. Lavrov is working as foreign minister, of course." Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova suggested on Friday that the FT article had been published to stoke speculation that was unhelpful to Moscow and part of what she called a hybrid war against Russia. Putin has made it clear that, aside from the Ukraine issue, he believes that a rapprochement between Moscow and Washington is in Russia's national interest and important for global security, as the two countries possess vast nuclear arsenals. 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's supermarket shelves, once dominated by French Burgundy and Italian Barolo wines, are now abundantly stocked with domestic vintages, as Western sanctions linked to the Ukraine war push consumers towards local vineyards. These sanctions, imposed after President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in early 2022, have reshaped consumer habits, driving up foreign wine prices and narrowing brand availability of imports. Consequently, Russian wine sales have surged, now comprising around 60 per cent of the market, up from 25 per cent ten years ago. "Russian wine has gained a very high share of the Russian market," said Yury Yudich, the head of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers' committee on Russian winemaking, citing higher taxes on "unfriendly countries." "Gradually the market began to change, and wine prices began to rise. Imported wines have probably increased (in price) by 30-40%," he said, though Yudich added that consumers were still "getting used to" local wine flavors. open image in gallery A visitor looks at grapevines extended through the vineyards of Cote Rocheuse winery outside the Black Sea resort of Anapa in the Krasnodar region, Russia, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov ( REUTERS ) In Moscow supermarkets, Russian, Georgian and Armenian wines dominate where previously French, Italian and South American brands took pride of place. Western countries have imposed more than 25,000 different sanctions on Russia since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014, with the lion's share coming after the Ukraine invasion in 2022. open image in gallery Cote Rocheuse chief vintner and production director Irina Yakovenko looks on during an interview at the winery outside the Black Sea resort of Anapa in the Krasnodar region, Russia, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov ( REUTERS ) Grapes have been grown around the Black Sea for thousands of years but the travails of revolution, civil war and later Soviet anti-alcohol campaigns, particularly under Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985, destroyed many Russian vineyards. But as the economy emerged from the decade of chaos that followed the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, some pioneering investors began to buy up land in southern Russia and bring back top-level vintners from France and Italy. At the Rocheuse winery, nestled near the Black Sea, the shift in Russia's wine market is clear. open image in gallery Wine barrels lie at Cote Rocheuse winery outside the Black Sea resort of Anapa in the Krasnodar region, Russia, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov ( REUTERS ) "We began selling wines in 2022, and that same year we opened to tourists. Since then, we have been increasing production volumes every year, and sales are still increasing," said chief vintner and production director Irina Yakovenko. "However, we have a limit on both vineyards and winemaking capacity - 500,000 bottles per year." open image in gallery A visitor holds a glass with wine at Cote Rocheuse winery outside the Black Sea resort of Anapa in the Krasnodar region, Russia, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov ( REUTERS ) The Rocheuse winery cultivates classic European grape varieties - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay - as well as Krasnostop Zolotovsky, a native Russian grape from the Rostov region. Despite relying on mostly French and Italian equipment, the wines are distinctly local, shaped by Russian soil and climate. Putin has repeatedly touted Russia's economic endurance under so many sanctions and has urged companies and officials to find a way to evade sanctions - which he casts as illegal and unjustified. "I want other people, mainly our children, to see this, so they don't buy Italian or German wines, but ours," Galina Romanova, a tourist at the winery, told Reuters. "Our wines are the best." 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 Taiwan's deputy leader urged the European Union to boost security and trade ties with the self-governing island and support its democracy in the face of growing threats by China, in a rare address to a group of international lawmakers in Brussels on Friday. Peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential to global stability and economic continuity, and international opposition against unilateral changes to the status quo by force cannot be overstated, Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao told lawmakers assembled for a China-focused conference in the European Parliament building. While Hsiao did not formally address the whole EU Parliament the European trade bloc does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan her visit was still likely to draw ire from Beijing. In an era marked by increasing fragmentation, volatility and rising authoritarianism, this gathering affirms something vital that democracies, even when far apart, are not alone, she added to a standing ovation in a small chamber of the European Parliament. Hsiao also called on the lawmakers from countries including Germany and Spain to collaborate more on trusted supply chains and AI technology with Taiwan, the island off Chinas east coast that Beijing claims as part of its territory and says must come under its rule. EU members, like most countries including the United States, have no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and follow a One China policy. But the EU and Taiwan share common democratic values as well as close trade ties, and the bloc of EU members opposes any use of military force by China to settle its dispute with Taiwan. Hsiao also drew parallels between Taiwan suffering cyberattacks and having its undersea internet cables cut by China, and hybrid attacks faced by European nations since Russias invasion of Ukraine. Europe has defended freedom under fire, and Taiwan has built democracy under pressure," she said. She said that China's disruptions of global supply chains a likely reference to Beijing's throttling of rare earth exports to the EU earlier this year should push Brussels to forge with Taiwan a reliable technology ecosystem rooted in trust, transparency and democratic values like they already have for semiconductor sales. China routinely states that Taiwans independence is a dead end and that annexation by Beijing is inevitable. Chinas military has increased its encircling of Taiwans skies and waters in recent years, holding joint drills with its warships and fighter jets on a near-daily basis near the island. Last month Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te vowed to accelerate the building of the air defense system T-Dome, or Taiwan Dome, and boost defense spending to reach 5% of Taiwans GDP by 2030 amid growing security concerns. Hsiao's visit was part of a conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a global group of hundreds of lawmakers who want to strengthen coordination on China-related policy and lobby for unified international action on key China challenges. Some 50 lawmakers from about two dozen countries attended Fridays event in Brussels. The trip and speech were kept under wraps because of high security concerns after reports that Chinese agents plotted to ram Hsiao's car during her visit to the Czech Republic in March 2024, when she was vice president-elect. Czech officials later said Chinese agents had followed Hsiao and planned to intimidate her physically. Hsiao said at the time that the Chinese Communist Party's unlawful activities will not intimidate her from voicing Taiwans interests in the international community. China and Taiwan split during a civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in China in 1949. The defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, where they set up their own government. __ Hui reported from London. 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 Given that the two leaders are on opposite sides of a strategic argument that is killing people and shaping the world an issue that could undermine European cohesion in the face of Russian aggression a meeting between Donald Trump and Hungarys prime minister Viktor Orban should be an incendiary moment. But the cold water of their mutual admiration for Vladimir Putin means that no fireworks can ignite in the Oval Office. Orban has been in power for longer than the 47th president of the United States. But he has the same authoritarian instincts. Like Trump, he has sought to undermine the judiciary, while his cronies have captured much of Hungarys media and enjoy preferential treatment in business. His problem is that Hungary, along with Slovenia and the Czech Republic, relies heavily on fuel imports from Russia. Mostly through these countries, the European Union has spent 260bn (230bn) on Russian fuel since Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That is 10bn more than the EU has sent in arms and cash to Kyiv over the same time period. Trump, who has empowered Putins military campaign by ending the provision of US military and financial aid to Ukraine, has been able to brush off criticism of his pro-Kremlin policies because he could point to the hypocrisy of the EUs position. open image in gallery Viktor Orban and Donald Trump who are due to meet at the White House later on Friday last met in October at a world leaders summit on ending the Gaza war ( via Reuters ) Brussels has imposed sanctions on Russias fuel exports, but these exclude supplies running to Hungary, Slovenia and the Czech Republic. Hungary has a 15-year contract to purchase its gas from Russias Gazprom, which was signed in September 2021. The EU and Orban do not get along. In 2018, the European parliament triggered Article 7 proceedings against Hungary, which provide for Brussels to suspend the countrys voting rights within the bloc. This unprecedented move was undertaken because of the Orban governments judicial interference, its capture of the media, and its intimidation of civil society. This month, the European parliaments civil rights committee said that the democratic backsliding in Hungary now means that Budapest should face sanctions. The EU is already withholding 6.3bn in funds from Hungary while demanding that Orban loosen his stranglehold on democracy ahead of elections next year. In addition, Putin and Trump were supposed to meet in Budapest last month for talks about a ceasefire in Ukraine. These talks, which excluded Ukraine itself, were cancelled amid widespread condemnation of Orbans invitation of Putin, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Yet it wasnt long ago that Trump met Putin on US soil in Alaska, and he frequently meets with Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, who is also under ICC indictment. All diplomatic negotiations are hard, but I expect a friendly and easy negotiation, Orban told Hungarian state news media ahead of the planned meeting with Putin. open image in gallery The pair met at the White House in 2019, when Trump said Orban was doing great ( Getty ) Talking to state news agency MTI on his flight to Washington this week, Orban called the topic of energy sanctions serious and said that the stakes are high, though he did not expect the talks with Trump on this topic to be difficult. I know the [US] president, he knows me, we know the subject; we simply have to reach an agreement, he added. What that agreement might be is unclear, and the White House kept it vague: The American people can expect more good deals out of Prime Minister Orbans visit spanning various industries. Trump has imposed sanctions on India for importing Russian oil, and has threatened to do the same to other nations. Orban will be keen to keep Hungary off Trumps list. But he can be confident that Trump will do nothing to undermine him. Forcing Hungary to stop importing Russian fuel is not really a card that Trump will play. They agree on too much. In December 2023, Hungary vetoed the provision of 50bn in EU aid to Ukraine reluctantly agreeing to allow the package through three months later. Orban has echoed Kremlin talking points on Ukraine, referring to it as no mans land and suggesting that it should be seen as a buffer zone between Nato and Russia. He insists that EU sanctions do not work against the Kremlin, and has demanded an immediate ceasefire, saying that Ukraine cannot win. These are views that Trump shares. This meeting of minds in the Oval Office can only be bad for Europe, Ukraine, and the wider West. And very good for the Kremlin. 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 Ukrainian drones have reportedly struck a significant oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd region for the second time in less than three months, according to Kyiv's general staff. The attack, which Ukraine claims occurred on Wednesday, targeted the largest producer of fuel and lubricants in Russias Southern Federal District. Ukrainian officials estimate the refinery processes over 15 million tonnes of crude annually, accounting for approximately 5.6 per cent of the countrys total refining capacity. While Russian officials have not confirmed the drone strike, the local governor acknowledged a fire at an unspecified industrial facility in the area. This incident comes amidst a sustained campaign of mutual assaults on energy infrastructure by both Russia and Ukraine. The attacks persist despite ongoing US-led diplomatic efforts that have yet to yield any significant impact on the nearly four-year conflict. open image in gallery A Ukrainian commander, callsign Fidel of the 14th Separate Unmanned Aerial Systems Regiment, looks through night vision before takeoff with a long-range drone ( AP ) Ukraines long-range drone strikes on Russian refineries aim to deprive Moscow of the oil export revenue it needs to pursue its full-scale invasion. Russia wants to cripple the Ukrainian power grid, seeking to deny civilians access to heat, light and running water in what Kyiv officials say is an attempt to weaponise winter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said foreign countries are helping Kyiv in its efforts to keep the power grid operating amid Russias onslaught. Practically every day, our power engineers, repair brigades, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine are carrying out restorations on-site after attacks: hits keep occurring across various points, especially in our communities, and especially near the Russian border and close to the front, he said. Ukraine, meanwhile, has attempted to strike targets on Russian soil with domestically developed long-range drones. Ukrainian forces also struck three fuel lubricants facilities in the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula and a storage and assembly base for Russias Shahed drones in an occupied area of Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, the general staff statement said. open image in gallery A resident carries a downed Russian FPV drone in the frontline town of Kostiantynivka ( Reuters ) In the Kostroma region northeast of Moscow, a Ukrainian aerial attack hit unidentified energy infrastructure facilities, Gov. Sergei Sitnikov said. There were no casualties and power supplies were not disrupted, he said. Unconfirmed media reports said the attack targeted a hydroelectric power plant in the Kostroma region, one of the biggest in Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday its air defenses shot down 75 drones overnight over multiple Russian regions and annexed Crimea. Russia, meantime, attacked the city of Kamianske in Ukraines eastern Dnipropetrovsk region with drones overnight, injuring eight people, the head of the regional military administration, Vladyslav Haivanenko, said on his official Telegram channel. Several fires broke out and the roof of a four-story building was partially destroyed, he said. The Russian military also continued its assault on Ukraines rail infrastructure, causing delays and route changes in Ukraines eastern regions of Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk and in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraines state-owned railway company Ukrzaliznytsia said. Russia attacked Ukraine with 135 drones of various types overnight on Thursday, Ukraines air force 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 Ukraine has sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison for killing a Ukrainian prisoner of war in a landmark first ruling for the country. Dmitry Kurashov, 27, was found guilty of fatally shooting Vitalii Hodniuk, a 41-year-old veteran Ukrainian soldier who surrendered when his dugout was captured by Russian forces in January 2024. Kurashov told Reuters that he did not plan to appeal the decision after the sentencing was handed down at the court in the city of Zaporizhzhia. This is one of the most serious crimes; its an important matter for Ukraine, because such cases should not remain without consideration and an appropriate sentence, said Mykyta Manevskyi, the lead prosecutor in the case, after the verdict was issued. open image in gallery Kurashov, 27, declined to share any final words with the court and said he would not appeal the decision ( Reuters ) Kurashov was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces, along with other Russian soldiers, shortly after Hodniuks killing. He pleaded guilty to the charge in court, but later told reporters that he was innocent and hoped to be released in a prisoner exchange. He lost his left eye while fighting in Ukraine, having joined the militarys Storm V assault units in exchange for early release from prison for theft, according to authorities. The Russian soldier declined to issue any final words to the court at the end of his trial and declined to answer questions from reporters, only smiling slightly when asked if he hoped he would be released in a prisoner swap. His lawyer did not attend the sentencing but previously told the court that a 10-year custodial sentence would suffice. Its not too much for such a crime, Mr Manevskyi, who had pushed for a life sentence, said after the ruling. open image in gallery The Russian soldier lost an eye fighting in Ukraine before he was captured ( Reuters ) The case carries symbolic importance for the country, with suspects accused of executing Ukrainian soldiers usually out of its jurisdiction. Criminal investigations are underway into the alleged murder of 322 Ukrainian servicemen who had unconditionally laid down their arms and/or surrendered since Russia invaded the country in February 2022, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor generals office. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission said in February that there had been an alarming rise in reported executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russia. It is illegal under international humanitarian law to execute prisoners of war and the wounded, and such actions are regarded as war crimes. A 2024 UN report found that 95 per cent of released Ukrainian POWs had endured systematic torture, with prisoners describing beatings, electric shocks, suffocation, sexual violence, prolonged stress positions, mock executions, and sleep deprivation. Russia has denied that its troops have committed war crimes. 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. 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 More than 1,400 citizens from 36 African nations are reportedly fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, Kyiv's foreign minister revealed on Friday. Ukrainian officials claim Russia is actively seeking to augment its invading army by recruiting individuals from various countries, often employing deceptive tactics. Andriy Sybiha warned that Russia is luring Africans into contracts he described as "equivalent to ... a death sentence," urging African governments to issue warnings to their populations. "Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate," he wrote on X. "Most of them are immediately sent to the so-called 'meat assaults', where they are quickly killed." South Africa said on Thursday it would investigate how 17 of its citizens joined mercenary forces after the men sent distress calls for help to return home. And Kenya said last month that some of its citizens had been detained in military camps across Russia after unknowingly getting caught up in the conflict.Andriy Sybiha Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna place candles at a memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Independence Square, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. ) Sybiha said the total number of African recruits could be higher than the 1,436 identified, originating from 36 countries, and that most foreign mercenaries in Ukrainian custody had been captured during their first combat mission. He said Ukraine would provide more specific information about the countries and regions from which Russia has recruited troops. Earlier this year the British defence ministry claimed that some 6,000 North Korean soldiers died fighting against Ukraine, accounting for over half of the 11,000 troops initially sent to Kursk. North Korea and Russia are strategic allies. The East Asian nation supplied caches of weapons as well as some 15,000 troops, according to South Korean estimates, to aid the Russian war effort against Ukraine. The Koreans mainly fought in Kursk, successfully beating back a Ukrainian invasion of the Russian border region. Last month North Korea started constructing a memorial for its soldiers who died fighting for Russia. Attending the groundbreaking ceremony in Pyongyang, leader Kim Jong Un declared the new memorial a great symbol of North Koreas ties with its neighbour which were forged at the cost of blood and passed the strictest test for their solidity. 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 dolphin living in Venice could be killed by tourist boats, locals have warned, as they call for the mammal to be removed from the lagoon for its own safety. The bottlenose mammal, nicknamed Mimmo, was first spotted in the waters of St Marks Basin in June by a water taxi driver. The dolphin has delighted tourists with its acrobatic dives and fish-catching prowess, becoming a regular feature in sightseers snaps while on boat trips. But now locals are expressing concern that the dolphins presence in an area of the Venetian lagoon waterlogged with traffic could kill it. Luca Mizzan, head of Venices Natural History Museum, told The Times: The dolphin curiously approaches boats when it can see people on deck and came to us twice yesterday to show off mullet it had caught in its mouth, which it then let go, having spent Wednesday in a boat monitoring Mimmo. Were perplexed since this is not normal behaviour. The dolphin is confident it can avoid boats, however, its dangerous; all it needs is one boat reversing suddenly, while the noise from engines must create total confusion underwater, he added. I dont think it is trapped because it knows how to get out, and it is unusual for a dolphin to stay so long in the lagoon and to be alone, usually they travel in groups. Residents have launched a campaign on Facebook to support the dolphin who they warned was in serious danger, given the considerable usual traffic, to which many boats are now added, who go specifically to see and photograph it. The dolphin has been seen near St Mark's Basin, a busy part of the lagoon ( Supplied ) One campaigner Cristina Romieri said on social media that there would be a flash mob on Saturday morning to raise awareness for the dolphins safety, citing the need to safeguard Mimmo into a less dangerous habitat. Experts have suggested that just because the dolphin remains in the lagoon, this doesnt mean its happy. Ca' Foscari Ecology Professor Fabio Pranovi told Corriere del Veneto: It seems that in order to easily find food, dolphins follow boats, putting up with the noise , which is very annoying to them. So he's likely staying because he manages to eat his daily allowance of a few kilos of fish. It remains to be seen why he's here alone; he belongs to a species that lives in schools. Either he's confused , or he's adapting to a new environment just to eat." Authorities, including the Cetacean Strandings Emergency Response Team (CERT) and the Coast Guard, are monitoring Mimmo in order to keep the dolphin safe. A spokesperson from CERT said: "A bottlenose dolphin has been swimming in the Veneto lagoon since June 2025. In early October, it was sighted in Venice. A team of experts from the Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science at the University of Padova is responsible for monitoring the dolphin to assess its health and ensure its safety and welfare. The animal is in good nutritional condition, and its behaviour is typical for the species. Bottlenose dolphins are the most common species in Veneto waters and are accustomed to human-influenced environments, such as fishing areas and harbours. A code of conduct has been shared to prevent any disturbance from the public. Monitoring is being carried out by experts, authorities, and citizens who report daily sightings of the dolphin. Everyones collaboration is essential to avoid disturbing this dolphin, which has temporarily chosen to live in the Veneto lagoon." 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 Hungarys prime minister Viktor Orban will meet president Donald Trump at the White House on Friday to seek exemptions from US sanctions on Russian oil and broker a summit between the American leader and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Last month, Mr Trump levied sanctions on Russian state-affiliated energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft, exposing buyers including India, China and Hungary to secondary penalties. Mr Orban, an ally of both Mr Trump and Putin, said Hungary would seek exemptions from the decision due to its reliance on Russian oil as a landlocked country. All diplomatic negotiations are hard, but I expect a friendly and easy negotiation, Mr Orban told state media ahead of the visit, which marks the first bilateral meeting between the two countries since Mr Trumps return to the White House earlier this year. He is reported to have said that the stakes were high during his flight to Washington. I know the president, he knows me, we know the subject, we simply have to reach an agreement, the PM said, according to MTI. Mr Trump and Mr Orban share similar populist right-wing policies, including a hardline stance on immigration. The Hungarian PM was one of the first international leaders to publicly support Mr Trumps first presidential bid in 2016. open image in gallery Trump and Putin will meet on Friday to discuss Russian oil sanctions and Putin summit ( Reuters ) With Mr Orban facing a domestic election in 2026, he will hope that the meeting will boost his standing among Hungarian voters. The PM is seeking to use his alliances to play a central role in brokering a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, to Kyivs dismay. Budapest had been due to host a highly anticipated summit between Mr Trump and Putin over the war in Ukraine, but the meeting collapsed last month after a phone call between Russias foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US secretary of state Marco Rubio. The Russian minister is said to have reiterated Moscows maximalist demands for a peace agreement, which were rebuffed by Washington. The talks were postponed and then eventually axed, with Mr Trump saying he did not want to waste time meeting Putin if the two sides could not agree on the framework for a deal. Mr Orban, once a fierce critic of Putin, has consistently opposed Ukraines independence and repeated Kremlin talking points on the origin of the war. In September, he baselessly claimed Ukraine is not an independent country, sparking outrage in Kyiv and other European capitals. open image in gallery Orban meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow earlier this month ( Hungarian Prime Ministers Office ) Hungarys increasingly cosy relationship with Putin and subsequent reliance on Russian oil is one that could be crucial to its economic survival. In 2024, the country received 80 per cent of its oil (5 million tonnes a year) through the Friendship pipeline from Russia, via Belarus and Ukraine. We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia, Mr Orban said last month. Mr Trump told reporters in response: The president he has asked for an exemption. We havent granted one, but he has asked. Hes a friend of mine. The US president imposed sanctions on Russian oil in an attempt to drain funding for Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Mr Trump, whose position on the conflict has changed several times during his presidency, has urged European allies to stop buying Russian oil. 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 UN Security Council has removed sanctions on Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al Qaeda leader who now rules Syria, ahead of his visit to the White House to meet with Donald Trump. Mr Sharaa took over as president after leading an Islamist rebel offensive to overthrow Bashar al Assads government in December 2024, ending over a decade of civil war. The resolution to lift sanctions on Mr Sharaa and his interior minister, Anas Khatta, was introduced by the US on Thursday and received 14 votes in favour, with China alone abstaining. Mr Sharaa was sanctioned by the UN in 2014 as leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, then the Syrian chapter of al Qaeda. Mr Sharaa, under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, rose through the ranks of al Qaeda and a precursor of Isis called ISI, fighting occupying US forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian civil war. He was captured and imprisoned by US troops for several years. His group broke ranks with al Qaeda in 2016 and it was removed by the US from its list of foreign terror groups in July. On Thursday, Mr Trump praised Mr Sharaa for doing a very good job as Syrias leader. It's a tough neighbourhood, and he's a tough guy, but I got along with him very well. And a lot of progress has been made with Syria, the US president said. We did take the sanctions off Syria in order to give them a fighting shot. US president Donald Trump meets with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 14 May 2025 ( Reuters ) Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said the resolution was a strong political signal that recognised Syria was in a new era. The American government, he claimed, was working hard to fulfil its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, on eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons, and promoting regional security and stability as well as an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process. Syrias ambassador, Ibrahim Olabi, hailed the move as a message of support for Syrian women and men in their effort to rebuild their homeland and restore their lives. The new Syria will be a success story, he told the Security Council. It will be a shining model that proves the optimal path in international relations is positive engagement and constructive cooperation. If therere concerns, Syria is fully prepared to address them with sincere intent based on mutual respect. Mr Sharaa is visiting Washington on Monday for the first time since he took power, a long stride for a man once designated by the US as a terrorist with a $10m bounty on his head. In September, Mr Sharaa visited New York for the UN General Assembly session, becoming the first Syrian president to address the international body in 58 years. Mr Trump first met Mr Sharaa in May when the US president was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a Middle East tour. He later described the Syrian leader as a tough guy with a very strong past. China abstained on the resolution because it did not properly address its concerns about counterterrorism and security in Syria, Beijings ambassador Fu Cong noted. Beijing has long voiced concerns about the presence of the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement in Syria. The group, also called the Turkestan Islamic Party and dominated by Uyghurs from China and Central Asia, was one of the Islamist militias that helped Mr Sharaa take over the Arab country. China accuses the group, which aims to establish an independent country of East Turkestan in the countrys northwest, of waging terrorist violence in the Xinjiang province, where Beijing is accused of overseeing widespread abuses of the mainly Muslim ethnic minority. Mr Fu said the resolution adopted on Thursday "makes it clear" that Syria should "take decisive actions to combat terrorist acts and respond to the threat of foreign terrorist fighters, which include ETIM. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Chaos reigned at Delhis Indira Gandhi international airport on Friday after over 300 domestic and international flights were delayed due to a technical malfunction in its air traffic control messaging system. Thousands of passengers were stranded at Indias busiest airport after the glitch held back departures by more than 30 minutes, sparking concerns of cascading delays and wider logjams across the countrys airport network. Airline operations at the Delhi airport are currently delayed. Concerned authorities are working on resolving the issue at the earliest, the airport said in an advisory. According to the Airports Authority of India, the problem lay with the Automatic Message Switching System, a communication network that provides data for the Auto Track System, which generates flight plans. This forced air traffic controllers to process flight plans manually, causing delays and airspace congestion around the capital. The problem began on Thursday evening local time, India Today reported, citing unnamed sources. Air India planes sit on the tarmac at the Delhi airport ( AFP via Getty ) "Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest," the Airport Authority of India said in a post on X. The issue delayed more than 175 flight departures by more than 30 minutes on Friday morning and 25 flights on Thursday, according to local news reports. The airport handles 60-70 aircraft movements per hour. The delay in departures could force airlines to cancel some evening flights due to a lack of parking space on the runway, sources told the broadcaster. Airlines instructed passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport to avoid longer queues. Air India said its cabin crew and on-ground staff were extending immediate assistance to reduce passenger inconvenience. Budget carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet said flights in Delhi and several northern regions were impacted. SpiceJet said its crew and ground team were working closely with the airport authorities to minimise inconvenience. We understand that extended wait times, both on the ground and onboard, may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely appreciate your patience, IndiGo said in a statement. The chaos in Delhi follows a ransomware attack that disrupted operations at some of Europe's biggest airports in September, knocking out check-in systems and affecting flights. Data from Flightradar24 showed that the average departure delay was 55 minutes. The malfunctioning system in Delhi hit several international airlines, with an ITA Airways flight to Rome delayed by nearly two hours and a Virgin Atlantic flight to London by more than an hour. Flights scheduled to take off between 6am and 8am local time were the most affected. Aircraft were still landing at the airport but take-offs were disrupted, a source noted, and Air Traffic Control had not yet told airlines when the problem would be resolved. The Delhi airport handled 78 million passengers in 2024, making it the ninth busiest airport in the world, according to the Airports Council International. The operator of the airport is majority owned by GMR Airports while air traffic control is managed by the Airports Authority of India. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice The Qantas business lounge at Melbourne airport in Australia had to be evacuated on Thursday after a passengers power bank burst into flames and left him with burn injuries. The man, 50, was waiting in the lounge when the device, powered by a lithium battery, reportedly ignited in his trouser pocket at around 11am local time on Thursday. Staff promptly directed the man into a shower and rushed around 150 passengers out of the lounge. Passengers who were in the lounge said that they heard screaming and saw the device explode and send battery acid flying everywhere. His jacket caught on fire, a traveller shared on social media. They evacuated us because the smoke and smell was so strong, but I really just hope the guy is okay. File. The incident took place in the Qantas business lounge at Melbourne airport ( Getty ) The man was taken to hospital with significant burn injuries on his leg and fingers. Qantas confirmed the incident and said it was reviewing its policies on lithium battery devices. The lounge was evacuated as a precaution and emergency services treated the customer on site, an airline spokesperson told 7NEWS. We worked with the Melbourne airport to clean the lounge and it has since reopened. Film producer Leanne Tonkes, who was in the lounge at the time, shared an image of the charred device on the floor surrounded by warning signs. She praised the quick thinking from the man who jumped in to help and the staff who got him in the shower and everyone else out of the lounge. A series of incidents involving lithium battery devices, including overheating power banks, have prompted aviation authorities across the world to tighten rules around carrying them on flights. Aviation rules generally allow power banks in cabin baggage, but airlines are increasingly banning their use onboard and insisting they must be kept within view to spot any problems. Lithium batteries in devices like laptops, mobile phones, electronic cigarettes, and power banks can produce smoke, fire or extreme heat when manufacturing faults or damage cause them to short-circuit. They are a growing concern for aviation safety as passengers carry more battery-powered items on flights. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission witnessed a 92 per cent increase in reported incidents involving lithium batteries in 2022, according to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Emirates has banned the use of power banks aboard its planes. Virgin Australia has updated its policy asking passengers to keep them within arms reach following a fire on a flight from Sydney to Hobart due to a power bank in an overhead locker. In January this year, South Korea said a spare power bank was the possible cause of a fire that had engulfed a Busan Air flight to Hong Kong. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Qantas has released the first images of the Airbus jet that will fly non-stop from London Heathrow to Sydney, currently under construction in Toulouse. The programme to launch the worlds longest flight is known as Project Sunrise. It uses a specially configured Airbus A350-1000, with an additional 20,000 litre rear centre fuel tank. The plane will be capable of flying for 22 hours without refuelling. The Australian airline says: All key airframe components including the forward, centre and rear fuselage sections have come together, along with the wings, tail section and landing gear now attached. This week the aircraft will be transferred to a new hangar where it will have engines and flight test instruments installed, in preparation for an extensive test flight programme, commencing in 2026. The type is certified for as many as 480 passengers but Qantas will fit only 238 seats, fewer than half as many. Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said: Project Sunrise will not only overcome the tyranny of distance, it will fundamentally change the way our customers travel the world. These flights will cut up to four hours off the journey and transform how people experience ultra longhaul. Due to the ban on flying over Russia, the actual journey will be considerably longer than the point-to-point distance of 10,573 miles. The direct route involves crossing from Latvia into Russian airspace, with about four hours spend over the territory of the worlds largest country before exiting via Kazakhstan. But speaking to The Independent earlier in the year, Ms Hudson said being unable to fly over Russia would not pose a problem to the flights with one option being traversing the Arctic. Geopolitics is a part of any operational consideration, but these aircraft won't need to fly over Russia to be able to make the distance, she said. The really unique thing about this flight is that at some times of the year, the fastest way to get from Sydney to London will be over Japan and over the North Pole and down the other side because of the the wind direction. Our pilots are doing lots of flight planning for that flight. They've got over 12 months' worth of wind data and are doing lots of flight-planning simulations. The Qantas CEO predicts fares will be around 20 per cent higher than existing flights between London and Sydney, which refuel along the way. She said: There are absolutely customers who say, 'I value getting there in one stop, I value point to point, I value the premium experience, and I'm prepared to pay for that. Environmentalists are opposed to such ultra-longhaul flights because they burn far more fuel per passenger. Much of it is used to carry fuel for later in the journey. Read more: What to expect after 440m renovation at Palma de Mallorca airport Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Forget cozy cabins, woodlands ablaze with fiery fall hues and tranquil countryside walks Americans are heading to the towering skyline of New York City this Thanksgiving. The Big Apple, home to the iconic Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, has emerged as the ultimate Turkey Day destination for the fifth year running in an annual study of holiday travel trends. The research, by insurance firm Allianz Partners, drew up 10-strong rankings of top Thanksgiving destinations based on an analysis of over 700,000 itineraries for round-trip flights departing Nov 22-27 and returning November 28 to December 2, 2025. New York City is No.1 in U.S. holiday travel list, followed closely by Seattle (No.2) and Phoenix (No.3), where travelers will swap fall leaves for skyline vistas and desert sunsets. open image in gallery The Big Apple has emerged as the ultimate Turkey Day destination for the fifth year running in an annual study of holiday travel trends ( Getty Images/iStockphoto ) Atlanta (No.4) and Dallas (No.5) round out the top five, with the rest of the list comprising Los Angeles (No.6), Orlando (No.7), Boston (No.8), Miami (No.9) and Chicago (No.10). Many Americans, however, are redefining tradition leaving behind the turkey and trimmings for beachside celebrations and metropolitan destinations further afield. For Thanksgiving globetrotters, it's Cancun in Mexico that has the most appeal. The Caribbean resort city, famed for its upscale shoreline hotels and flour-soft sands, leads the top 10 international list, with two other Mexican spots following in second and third San Jose del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. Americans are also catching longer flights, heading across the pond to London (No.4) and Paris (No.6). The rest of the top 10 international ranking comprises Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (No.5); Montego Bay, Jamaica (No.7), Mexico City (No.8), Oranjestad, Aruba (No.9), and Providenciales Island, Turks and Caicos (No.10). open image in gallery For Thanksgiving globetrotters, it's Cancun in Mexico that has the most appeal ( Getty Images/iStockphoto ) Separately, Allianz Partners polled 1,200 customers for further Turkey Day travel insight, with the results revealing that 82 percent of itineraries are booked for domestic destinations and 18 percent for international trips. Flying remains the dominant mode of transportation this Thanksgiving, with 74 percent of survey respondents taking to the skies, while eight percent plan to rent a car, two percent will drive their own vehicles, and six percent intend to travel by train. The remaining 10 percent of respondents noted that they will be traveling by "other" modes of transportation. Proximity to family and friends (59 percent) remains the leading factor in choosing a Thanksgiving destination, followed by cost (17 percent) and weather (10 percent). Since 2019, Thanksgiving travel has surged. In that year, around 55 million Americans packed their suitcases for the holiday, but 80 million did so in 2024. This year's figures, however, may be affected by flight cuts due to the government shutdown. Airports in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago are among the 40 major travel hubs to be affected. Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Get Simon Calders Travel email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Since 1 October, a US government shutdown has meant some federal staff, including over 13,000 essential air traffic controllers, have been working without pay. After more than a month of disagreement in Congress about the healthcare funding package, US flights face severe disruption due to staff absences. US transportation secretary Sean Duffy announced yesterday (Thursday, 6 November) that air travel will be cut by up to 10 per cent at 40 major airports. Severe disruption is expected as a result. Last week, Orlando airport, a busy aviation hub for Disney-bound Brits, saw major cancellations due to a lack of air traffic controllers, with several flights delayed by over 90 minutes. Operators, including Delta, United and American Airlines, have repeatedly urged an end to the shutdown due to the risk of missed salary payments and stressed staff on aviation safety. The FAA is already facing a significant shortfall, operating with approximately 3,500 fewer air traffic controllers than required. On 30 October, Sean Duffy, US Secretary of Transportation, said on X: Air traffic controllers are always focused on safety, but theyre frustrated that their paycheck is ZERO DOLLARS! While Democrats play politics, the patriots of our skies are not getting a paycheck. Heres everything to know about your flight rights during the US government shutdown. Read more: Air traffic controllers take second jobs after missing first pay check Will my US flight be cancelled during the government shutdown? Flights from the UK to the US are currently running as usual, with both Virgin Atlantic and BA reporting a good service but travellers should brace for chaos if they are taking an internal flight. The announcement on Thursday, 6 November of a reduction in service will largely affect domestic flights at major airports. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said the decision had been made as air traffic controllers were reporting fatigue, which could in turn affect safety. The cancellations could affect between 3,500 and 4,000 flights per day. While international services are largely unaffected, passengers could be impacted by a reduced or congested service upon landing in the US. And those taking a flight within the US should expect severe disruption, including cancellations or delays. Although air traffic controllers can reroute flights to better-staffed airspace, departures and arrivals have been temporarily halted at airports from New Yorks JFK to Los Angeles at points during the prolonged shutdown. Atlanta International, Chicago OHare and Ronald Reagan Washington airports are also affected. According to the BBC, low budget carrier Frontier Airlines has warned customers to buy tickets at other airlines as a contingency plan. What is UK government advice? The UK Foreign Office (FCDO) says: There could be travel disruptions, including flight delays and longer queue times at some airports, due to the current US federal government shutdown. Check for messaging from your travel provider or airline and follow their guidance. There may also be restrictions on access to some federally-managed tourist attractions. Please check the relevant websites in advance. What are my rights if my flight is delayed because of the shutdown? Simon Calder,The Independents travel correspondent, said: The impact of the US government shutdown highlights the complexities of air passengers rights rules. If any flight from the UK to the US is cancelled or heavily delayed as a result of the government shutdown or any other reason passengers are entitled to be flown to their destination as soon as possible, and to be provided with meals and hotels until they get there. The same applies to British and EU airlines flying from the US, but not to American carriers. Given the code-sharing between airlines notably British Airways and American Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic and Delta it is important for passengers to know whose plane they are travelling on. Even if a ticket from New York to London is booked through BA, if American does the flying, then the air passengers rights rules do not apply. Most package holidays to the US, together with all independently organised trips, will also not qualify for free amendment or cancellation. Will other parts of my US holiday be affected? Some US attractions, including the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo in Washington, have seen reduced opening hours or been closed. Major national parks and monuments are also operating with limited services and staff as the government shutdown continues. Read more: Which attractions are closed during the government shutdown? 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 New international tax reforms aimed at increasing the corporate tax take from large firms delivered almost an additional $100m (87m) in tax from one firm, the main Irish unit of biotechnology giant Regeneron, last year. New accounts show pre-tax profits at Regeneron Ireland DAC last year increased by 56pc to $4.09bn. Revenues rose by 8pc, from $11.15bn to $12.15bn. The accounts show the firm is a substantial contributor of the Exchequer and its corporation tax charge for 2024 totalled $608.18m. The Pillar Two international corporation tax reforms introduced at the start of 2024 delivered an additional $98.8m in corporation tax for the Exchequer last year. Those Pillar Two reforms mean firms with revenues in excess of 750m are subject to an effective minimum corporate tax rate of 15pc. The accounts show that based on its pre-tax profits of $4.09bn, it would have had a 12.5pc corporation tax bill of $512.29m. Regeneron Ireland DACs corporation tax bill increased by $98.8m due to the impact of Pillar Two legislation enacted in Ireland. The Pillar Two uplift of $98.8m was offset by R&D tax credits of $2.34m and $566,000 under other. The $608.18m corporation tax charge is an 88pc increase on the firms corporation tax charge of $322.35m for 2023. This sharp increase in Regeneron Irelands DAC corporation tax payout came against the background of Irelands corporation tax increasing by 18pc last year to 28bn, before the 11bn from the Apple tax case is taken into account. The revenues recorded by the Irish-based unit account for 85.5pc of Regenerons global revenues of $14.2bn in 2024. Regeneron Ireland DAC paid out a dividend of $4.3bn to its parent, Regeneron Atlantic Holdings (RAH), last year. The Regeneron operation here has gone from strength to strength since it established its Irish HQ at the former Dell site in Limerick. Since 2013, when Regeneron first announced plans to invest in operations in Ireland, the company has consistently exceeded job and investment projections for its Irish operations. Numbers employed at Regeneron Ireland DAC last year increased from 1,868 to 2,082, made up of 1,889 in production, 69 in R&D, 111 in administration and 13 in commercial. The companys staff costs last year increased from $279m to $317m. Stephen Vernon (centre) receives his award from KPMGs Jim Clery and Carmel Logan. Photo: Julien Behal Commercial property veteran Stephen Vernon has been honoured for a lifetime of transformative impact, vision, and leadership in the Irish and UK markets. The former Green Property REIT chairman was among the winners announced at the 2025 KPMG Irish Independent Property Industry Excellence Awards last night. Leading figures from architecture, construction, planning, development, and real estate gathered to honour projects and people shaping Irelands future at the gala event held at the Convention Centre Dublin. The Lifetime Achievement Property Excellence Award was presented to Stephen Vernon, whose career has been defined by vision, timing, and leadership. Speaking at the event, Carmel Logan, Partner, Head of Real Estate at KPMG Ireland, said: Stephen Vernons career embodies the qualities that define every winner we celebrate tonight determination, focus, and a vision for whats possible. From transforming Irelands landscapes to delivering world-class projects and inclusive, sustainable communities, these winners exemplify the drive and leadership that continue to shape the future of our property industry. Irish News Explainer: Everything you need to know about the new housing ad rules Crude, crass and breathtakingly clueless Kim Kardashians legal drama Alls Fair is the worst show of the year hands down Nobody comes out of Ryan Murphys small-screen catastrophe looking well, least of all Kardashian, who delivers a complete car crash of a performance Kim Kardashian and Naomi Watts in 'All's Fair'. Photo: Disney+ Chris Wasser Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 06:30 It isnt every day you hear someone call Kim Kardashian a f**king f**k on Disney+. Sarah Paulson, overacting herself into another dimension, is the one doing all the clumsy swearing in Alls Fair, a preposterous new legal drama from Team Ryan Murphy. Heydon 'sure' Mercosur deal will be discussed at Cabinet before government decision To combat the spread of avian influenza as a Department of Agriculture housing order is due to come into place on Monday. Stock image An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in a second commercial turkey flock in Ireland, in Co Meath following outbreak being identified in Co Carlow. And IFA deputy president Alice Doyle is concerned for small, independent producers ahead of the Christmas period. On Wednesday, Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon announced the introduction of a mandatory housing order for all poultry and captive bird flocks in Ireland from Monday. However, the IFA said producers should house their birds immediately and take the necessary steps to protect their birds. It spreads rapidly in the poultry population if it breaks into it, said Alice, who is from Wexford. It is carried by wild birds coming in, so we are always at risk. But generally, we are very good in Ireland, our protocol have protected us. Wexford and its surrounding region in the Southeast are at greater risk of avian influenza spreading because of the migrant birds which visit the area. And the fact that a case has been identified in Co Carlow is a matter of concern. Not least, a similar outbreak has closed the Fota Island attraction indefinitely. Wexford woman and IFA Deputy President Alice Doyle. When it is identified, the birds have to be killed, which is a huge loss to any farmer. Particularly the turkey farmers at this time of year, because their concentration of production is within a six-month period and they are coming to the end of that. All of their costs have been paid for, and their income is now due. If their flock has to be killed, that is their full income gone. If this threat is not brought under control, and commercial suppliers are hit, there are fears that there could be significantly less turkeys on the shelves this Christmas and the ones that are could be lighter. However, Alices concern is not just with the large-scale commercial operators who supply much of the retail market. All around the country we have a lot of small turkey producers. In Wexford alone, I buy my turkey from a farmer in the Enniscorthy area. But he has to apply the same protocols on his farm whether it is big or small. To them it is huge money, because that is often their extra bit of income and the alternative enterprise which makes their farm viable. Very often the wife looks after it. But she doesnt foresee a shortage of turkeys this Christmas and says that farmers of every size are abiding by the orders of the Department of Agriculture. Alices work on this issue comes at a busy time for her and her Wexford IFA colleagues. On Monday November 10, at 8.30pm at the IFA Centre in Enniscorthy, the IFA are hosting an information event on inheritance and succession and the Fair Deal scheme. All are welcome to attend. Mourners at the funeral of Sister Stanislaus Kennedy have heard how a truly great soul has passed from this world. In his homily Father Richard Hendrick told the congregation the charity and social justice organisations founded by Sister Stan will remain as a testimony to the legacy of this powerhouse of good who swept into so many lives. At least 38 arson attacks on buildings linked to asylum-seeker accommodation since 2018, report finds The Hope and Courage Collective said the data shows clear links between online agitation and subsequent acts of violence 38 arson incidents targeting accommodation for asylum seekers since 2018 Maeve McTaggart Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 06:30 There have been at least 38 arson attacks on occupied, proposed or rumoured international protection centres over the last seven years, a new report has found. Special-needs assistant who laundered 2,000 through account cant remember if she gave bank details to others, court hears Councillor texted garda to sort speeding ticket while at the same time calling for review of speed van locations, trial told Former gardas explosive drug conspiracy case dismissed by High Court Allegations that gang operations were given green light from high up Jack Doyle. Photo: James Connolly Shane Phelan Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 06:30 The High Court has dismissed a lawsuit involving explosive allegations by a former garda that fellow officers allowed criminals receive drug shipments despite being aware of the arrival of the consignments. A Nigerian man who claimed to be a Zimbabwean national for 21 years and claimed over 145,000 in social welfare payments has been given a suspended sentence. Christopher Oshodin (48) of Kildare Road, Crumlin, Dublin, pleaded guilty to theft and dishonestly inducing an employee of the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to do an act to make a gain. Man arrested in anti-terror swoop may have been far-right gun for hire from abroad The suspect, from central Europe, was detained along with an Irish far-right figure as part of a cross-border terrorism investigation Stock image Robin Schiller Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 06:30 Gardai are investigating if a foreign national arrested in an anti-terror operation was recruited by right-wing extremists as a gun for hire. Exclusion of comedians from state arts funding is no laughing matter, Dail told Labours Ciaran Ahern said he lived with a comedian and had seen the commitment and the sacrifice involved, right down to really poor personal hygiene and an inability to complete household chores Independent TD Barry Heneghan Senan Molony Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 15:26 The Dail looked on the lighter side as politicians from all sides supported a Sinn Fein private members Bill to allow comedians to be classed as members of the arts community. A doctor originally from Co Galway died after being given the wrong medication at the same health trust he worked for, an inquest in the UK has heard. Julia Molony: Sophie Kinsella was as bright and vibrant as the characters she created the author and her writing will be dearly missed Minister James Lawless accused of ignoring request for urgent meeting over apprenticeship exam leaks Minister had been warned about a potential issue in May Further and Higher Education Minister James Lawless. Photo: PA Anne-Marie Walsh Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 06:30 A senior union official has accused Further Education Minister James Lawless of ignoring a request for an urgent meeting after he warned of potential craft apprenticeship exam and assessment paper leaks in May. VoteSmart: Take our test to find out whether Catherine Connolly or Heather Humphreys best aligns with your views RTE denies outsourcing behind decision to close in-house documentary unit next year SIPTU members at RTE declared the decision another example of poor judgement The RTE campus in Donnybrook, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Keith Kelly Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 13:35 RTE has denied claims that its decision to close its in-house documentary unit by next year is motivated by a desire to outsource production to the private sector. The reductions do not apply to international flights, but further reductions are likely Hundreds of flights are being cut at major US airports on Friday as part of the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) effort to phase in 10pc reductions due to a government shutdown. Airlines started cancelling flights scheduled for the coming days as the longest such shutdown in history upends air travel and leaves thousands of passengers scrambling to firm up plans. About 700 Friday flights have already been cancelled by American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and United, The reductions do not apply to international flights, however. "It has been confirmed to Aer Lingus that international airlines are exempt from the reductions, the airline told the Irish Independent on Friday morning. To date, Aer Lingus operations have not experienced any significant delays related to US air traffic issues. The world's busiest aviation market has become a flashpoint in the clash between Republicans and Democrats over federal funding as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure to forge a deal. The Republican-led administration has said the reductions are necessary to keep flying safe amid staffing shortages brought on by the shutdown. At least one top congressional Democrat has called for more transparency to ensure the move isn't politically motivated. The US Transportation Department and FAA announced Wednesday that they would order airlines to cut 10pc of flight capacity across 40 major airports in an effort to relieve pressure on the aviation system. The plan was unveiled by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. "With continued delays and unpredictable staffing shortages, which are driving fatigue, risk is further increasing, and the FAA is concerned with the system's ability to maintain the current volume of operations," the agency said in an emergency order released Thursday. The order requires airlines to cut total daily domestic operations by 4pc starting Friday, 6pc Tuesday, 8pc Thursday and 10pc by the following Friday. The reductions apply to flights between 6am and 10 pm local time at each airport. Flights in and out of the largest US airports are affected, according to a list included in the order. That includes the New York-area airports of LaGuardia, Newark and John F. Kennedy, as well as hubs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Denver and Atlanta. United Airlines said its plans will see about 510 services culled between Friday and Sunday. It has said reductions fall on regional and domestic mainline flights that don't travel between its primary hubs. Omar Idris, United's vice president of airport operations in Chicago, said the airline intends to cut additional flights over the next week to hit the 10pc target by next Friday. Delta said it was canceling about 170 flights for Friday, American Airlines cut 220 flights each day through Monday and Southwest said it was removing roughly 120 flights from its schedule for Friday. The big four airlines, which are exposed to the largest hubs in the country, should be the most impacted in November and December, according to a report from Sheila Kahyaoglu, an analyst with Jefferies. The 10pc cut implies American, Delta, Southwest, and United will have to trim overall seat capacity by roughly 6pc. "We expect the vast majority of our customers' travel will be unaffected, and long-haul international travel will remain as scheduled," American said in a statement. "As schedule changes are made, we'll proactively reach out to customers who are impacted." The government wants to act quickly because it has already detected signs of strain in the US aviation system as the shutdown drags on, Bedford said during Wednesday's press conference. "Shutting down parts of our National Airspace System is a dramatic and unprecedented step that demands more transparency," Congressman Rick Larsen, the top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said Wednesday. He called on the FAA to immediately share the risk assessment and data it used to make the decision. According to the Thursday order, the FAA reviewed voluntary safety reports from October and found users of the aviation system were worried about its performance. The agency also said it "observed evidence of increased stress on the NAS in aviation safety data," particularly in the 40 targeted airports. The FAA has had to slow traffic at several airports across the US since the funding lapse began on October 1 due to an uptick in air traffic controller staffing shortages. More than 13,000 controllers have been forced to work without pay, taking both an emotional and financial toll. Shutdowns often coincide with more controllers as well as Transportation Security Administration agents also working without pay - calling in sick. Duffy has said that, normally, 5pc of delays are caused by staffing-related issues, but since the shutdown started that number has routinely been higher. Former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, the president and chief executive officer of industry trade group Airlines for America, said in a statement Wednesday that more than 3.4 million passengers have been impacted by delays and cancellations related to staffing shortages. The issues are likely to worsen as the busy Thanksgiving travel season approaches. - Additional reporting by Pol O Conghaile Speak when angry, and youll make the best speech youre ever likely to regret. The above words were spoken by the American writer Ambrose Bierce. They may be relevant in a context where a necessary debate over immigration could become dangerously overheated. Attacks on immigrant centres over recent years remain a persistent and sad reminder that there are those willing to target the vulnerable. In any civilised, stable society there can be no choice between force and law. The law must always be rigorously asserted, and every governments duty is to ensure there is no doubt on the matter. In the past week, Taoiseach Micheal Martin, Tanaiste Simon Harris and Justice Minister Jim OCallaghan have highlighted the enormous contributions immigrants have made. Our future development is dependent on them. It is equally important to recognise that the numbers who arrive must be regulated. Rules must be enforced in alignment with EU commitments. Speaking in Spain, junior minister Thomas Byrne said government policy should make sure Ireland is not seen as excessively easy to get into for immigrants and asylum-seekers. In other words, there has to be a process. Skill levels and qualifications need to be balanced with the needs of the employment market. This is standard procedure all over the world. The use of violence to intimidate and sow division must be met with the maximum application of the law And yet there remain those who would weaponise the issue, framing discussions in loaded, inflammatory language. The use of violence to intimidate or frighten and sow division must always be met with the maximum application of the law. It is those who target people merely hoping to seek a better life who must be marginalised and called to account. Of course, those who come here for protection must be evaluated. If they have a right to be here, we have a responsibility to give them shelter and protection. If they do not, they must be dealt with swiftly. Lengthy delays, when some people have spent over two years in tents at Ipas centres, show how overstretched our system has become. If someone has been deemed ineligible to stay, there has to be a direct way of deporting them. Mr Harris is correct in saying rules need to be tightened. Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe was also careful to stress that our open economy needs skilled workers. And Mr OCallaghan noted that international protection is but one element of immigration. Of the 150,000 visas granted each year to people from overseas, most take up work or study or are on a tourism trip. So we must not allow international protection to define what immigration is about. We must have guardrails borders cannot be open without controls. However, it is imperative that basic precepts of justice and fairness prevail. Free markets depend on the movement of people within agreed channels. A fair, firm and effective system is the best way to prevent indefensible anti-immigrant sentiment from being stoked. Who is Jensen Huang? Why does he always wear a leather jacket? And what's he like to work for? Stephen Witt, Los Angeles based journalist and author of The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia And The Worlds Most Coveted Microchip, joins Adrian on this weeks episode of The Big Tech Show. Last week, Nvidia became the first company to surpass a $5 trillion (4.4 trillion) valuation. Thats worth more than every countrys GDP, except for the US and China. Its worth more than the entire crypto market, the entire gold market and, according to one colourful estimate, every pizza ever sold in history. Nvidia is making vast amounts of real, hard cash from the AI boom. Its not potential or future revenue, like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft or Anthropic. Its billions in sales of its AI chips, which almost every tech company now craves. Sitting atop this new empire is Jensen Huang, the 62-year-old leather-jacket wearing Singaporean-American, who has gone from being a nerdy graphics card boss to the most powerful tech CEO in the world. For the moment, at least, he tops peers such as Elon Musk, Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg in influence and relevance. In the award-shortlisted biography The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia And The Worlds Most Coveted Microchip, which is the best account of Huang published so far, author Stephen Witt documents Huangs life from a newly-arrived immigrant in the US to being a frequent visitor at Donald Trumps Mar A Lago compound in Florida. You can listen to the full episode here, on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts. Heart-broken mother and sisters travelled to Australia to bring her remains home The late Serena Downey (29) from Listowel who passed away unexpectedly this week. The Funeral Mass for the 29-year Listowel woman Serena Downey, who tragically died suddenly in Australia in recent weeks, will take place next week after her family return home to Kerry with her remains. Her mom Helen, her godmother Sarah and sisters Jane and Ally travelled to Australia to bring Serena home. She had been living in Australia for the past five years where she worked in the mines and she had many friends in her adopted home of Perth who gathered with her family to celebrate her life and pay tributes to her. This week her family have announced her funeral arrangements back home in Ireland. In a death notice posted on RIP.ie they said Serena was vibrant, kind, hardworking and loved by all who knew her. Her infectious laugh, courage and her positive attitude will be forever missed. It is with deep sadness we announce the unexpected passing of our beautiful Serena Downey, aged 29, in Perth, Australia, on October 20, late of 86 Feale Drive, Listowel, Co. Kerry, the notice said. Her brother Raymond (27) previously paid tribute to his wonderful sister. "Wherever she went she made friends. She made people smile, he told The Kerryman. He said that she was the life and soul of the party and was very adventurous and adored her family especially her nephew Callum. Serena is the beloved daughter of Helen McDonald and the late Dino Downey, stepdaughter of Martin McDonald and cherished sister of Raymond, Jane, Ally, Anthony and Nico. Serena will be sadly missed by her loving grandfather Michael, her godparents Jack and Sarah, aunts Caroline, Mary, Michelle and Linda, uncles Jack, William, Mickey and Kevin, her only nephew Callum, her closely bonded cousins, extended family, neighbours and friends from Ireland, New York (Kayleigh Maxwell) and her very large circle of friends in Australia, the death notice also reads. Serenas mother Helen has said the family are grateful for the support they have received and especially with the financial costs of bringing her remains home. Writing on social media She said she is heartbroken at the loss of her beloved daughter who will never be forgotten. A GoFundMe set up to help with the cost of repatriation has raised in excess of $183,000, more than 83,000. "Words cannot express the depth of our gratitude for the love, kindness, and generosity Serenas community of family and friends have shown during this incredibly difficult time. The outpouring of support and the funds raised in memory of Serena have touched our hearts in ways we will never forget, Helen said on the GoFundMe page. "Every donation, message, and gesture of care has shown we are not alone during the most difficult time in our lives. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust has been a huge assistance to the family as they try and Serena home to Listowel and the family have asked for donations to the charity in lieu of flowers. Serena will repose at the Gleasure Funeral Home, Greenville, Listowel next Tuesday, (November 11) from 5pm to 7pm The Funeral will arrive to St. Marys Church, Listowel on Wednesday morning at 10.15am where the Requiem Mass for Serena will be celebrated at 10.30am. Interment afterwards in St. John Paul II Cemetery, Ballybunion Road, Listowel. The mass will be livestreamed on Listowel Parish website. Sinn Fein Deputy Pa Daly has criticised last weeks horrific fire attack at an IPAS centre in Drogheda that endangered the lives of adults and children seeking shelter in the building. Speaking in the Dail, Deputy Daly said a corner in the State had now been turned when convictions are meted out for racially motivated murders and the lives of babies are put in danger in a fire in Drogheda with no way of escaping except down a stairs. The Sinn Fein Deputy read out some of the online commentary in response to the Drogheda attack, which reveal shocking attitudes by some people towards Irelands migrants. Some comments insist the fire was started by immigrants looking for better accommodation, and that there are issues more shocking. Another called the victims of the Drogheda arson attack scum who will end up getting a nicer hotel now. Are they more shocking than attacking children in a burning building or attempted murder? It is unbelievable to have heard this in the same week Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy passed away. If people keep spreading hate and misinformation, these attacks are inevitable, Deputy Daly said. He stated there is nothing new to this type of misinformation and quoted from a debate 50 years ago in Britain where Roy Jenkins said: "A few people whether, out of political opportunism or personal inadequacy, have deliberately whipped up prejudice, playing on fear and ignorance, and blaming immigrants for problems which are none of their making but which stemmed from previous parsimony in housing, schools and welfare services." Deputy Daly said in his constituency, people admired personalities like Mike Quill from Kerry a 1940s union leader in New York committed to preaching an anti-racist message. "He said that if blacks and Jews were good enough to fight and die beside, they were good enough to live beside and work beside also. There was also Sr. Stanislaus, of course, and Hugh O'Flaherty, who said, God has no country. Deputy Daly concluded: The lessons were set out to the Government years ago that there should have been more State-run accommodation. Unfortunately, nothing was done about that in the previous Dail and a lot of the problems fall squarely at the feet of the Government. Man (23) who attacked another man with a machete at a filling station in Mayo, inflicting life-threatening injuries is jailed Tommy Sweeney (23) jailed for three years for role in attack of a man outside filling station in Ballinrobe Castlebar Courthouse Oisin McGovern Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 08:00 A 23-year-old man who used a machete to attack a man outside a filling station did so as part of a hit squad during an ongoing feud, Castlebar Circuit Court has been told. The Sanjiangyuan Region: Protecting China's "Water Tower" 14:23, November 07, 2025 By Qiao Dong, Cao Jiwei ( People's Daily Wetland and grassland on the southern foot of Maqing Gangri, the main peak of Amne Machin peak, are well protected. (People's Daily/Qiao Dong) Nestled in northwest China's Qinghai province, the Sanjiangyuan area - often called the "Water Tower of China" - derives much of its water from glacial sources. Among these, the Amne Machin peak in the Golog Tibetan autonomous prefecture encompasses over 120 square kilometers of glaciers. These ice formations supply approximately 35% of the water for the upper reaches of the Yellow River, China's second-longest river, forming an indispensable ecological barrier for the region. In recent years, the water conservation capacity of this vital "Water Tower" has steadily improved, with the ecological restoration of Amne Machin serving as a prime example. Driving along the southern foothills of Amne Machin, the sight of sprawling glaciers inspires awe. Here, glacial melting and freezing cycles peak around May and November each year - critical periods when herders in Xueshan Township, Maqen County, conduct their glacier monitoring work. After stepping out of the vehicle, I donned a felt hat and joined a team of herder-monitors trekking through the snow. Since 2008, local herders have voluntarily formed teams to measure the glacier's snow line. At an altitude exceeding 4,500 meters, each step upward proved arduous. Emerging from the ridge mist, the team reached a monitoring point known as "Thousand Tents," where last year's red-painted markers remained visible. Working together, team members bent down with tape measures to calculate the distance between the glacier's edge and the previous year's marker. Local authorities and residents have joined hands to protect this sacred mountain. In 2009, the snow mountain protection station of Maqen county's natural resources and forestry and grassland bureau began glacier observation work, soon joined by research teams such as that of He Xiaobo from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Today, glacier monitoring employs increasingly comprehensive methods, combining satellite remote sensing, drone photogrammetry, modeling, and physical monitoring stakes. Artificial precipitation enhancement and ice preservation have become vital conservation measures. In recent years, local meteorological departments have used catalysts to induce snowfall during suitable weather conditions. The protection station simultaneously monitors upstream and downstream glacier temperature, humidity, and snow depth to assess the effectiveness of these interventions. Practice has shown that such efforts extend snow cover duration in certain areas and effectively slow glacial melting. During our hike, Geltsang, head of Maqen county's forestry and grassland station, pointed across the mountain ridge. "That's the Delni Copper Mine!" he said. On one side of Amne Machin's midsection lies the mine, while its tailings pond occupies the other. Open-pit mining and tailings construction previously damaged meadows, eroded slopes, and degraded surrounding grasslands. "When the mine began operations in 2006, we didn't fully grasp the environmental impact," admitted Zhang Ming, a Delni Copper Mine staff member. "Now, for ecological restoration, we've even planted grass at an altitude of 4,430 meters!" The ecological rehabilitation of the Delni mine prioritized grassland restoration. Facing a lack of soil, the project team innovatively utilized local serpentine rock, processing it into a composite soil suitable for grass growth. To overcome water scarcity, they adopted techniques inspired by terracing and checkerboard grass planting methods to retain soil and moisture. Through these combined efforts, the Delni copper mine successfully completed its major ecological restoration work last year. Across Golog prefecture, significant progress has been made in restoring degraded grasslands, including areas known as "black soil patches," covering over 5.16 million mu (approximately 344,000 hectares). Reviving this land was challenging. "Grass often needs to be sown multiple times before it takes root here," explained Geltsang. The region's high average elevation (above 4,200 meters), cold climate, and short growing season pose major difficulties. After extensive trials, local experts identified resilient grass species suitable for the area, such as Elymus nutans and Poa crymophila. Research indicates that compared to natural regeneration, enclosure protection combined with artificial reseeding can boost the carbon sink capacity of alpine meadows by approximately 30%. Heading westward leads to Madoi county, renowned as the "County of a Thousand Lakes." This area encompasses Gyaring and Ngoring lakes, critical sources of the Yellow River. Historically, overgrazing led to wetland degradation, causing half of the county's more than 4,000 lakes to dry up. Thanks to sustained restoration efforts, the landscape has rebounded dramatically, with the number of lakes now exceeding 5,800. Golog prefecture has advanced integrated restoration efforts targeting grasslands, river basins, and wetlands. Last year, Madoi and neighboring counties initiated a wetland connectivity project that restored 1,200 hectares of wetlands. This project is projected to increase water flow into the Yellow River's tributaries by 15%. Over the past five years, Golog has restored 100,000 mu of wetlands, contributing to a more than 6% increase in the annual water conservation capacity within the Sanjiangyuan National Park. Water quality in the Yellow River's Golog section consistently meets the highest national standard (Class I). Over 10,000 ecological rangers patrol the prefecture's lakes and wetlands. Among them is herder Dorje Gyaltsen, who monitors springs near Amne Machin peak. "I've witnessed springs dry up and then flow again," he noted. Remarkably, 14 of the 27 springs within a 20-kilometer radius of the glacier, which had completely dried up in the past, have now been rejuvenated, contributing vital flow to the Yellow River's headwaters. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) The merits of a dedicated EU officer for Co Sligo were debated in County Hall The Chief Executive of Sligo County Council, Martin Lydon, dismissed calls for the appointment of a dedicated EU officer when speaking against a proposal Cllr Dara Mulvey at the local authoritys November monthly meeting on Monday last saying such an appointment would not offer value for money. The motion tabled by Cllr Dara Mulvey asked whether or not Sligo County Council currently employ a dedicated EU officer and if not would they consider clustering with another local authority for the purpose of creating such a position. There was a favourable response to the motion from elected representatives with Cllr Gerard Mullaney saying, EU funding is going to get a lot more difficult. Its a point well made. Cllr Fergal Nealon was wholeheartedly in favour of the motion when he said, I couldn't support this motion enough, adding, We are leaving money on the table without this officer. We need to hustle and fight. Cllr Ann Higgins also voiced her support for the motion saying, I was in Brussells earlier in the year with Aodhan O Riordan and he called for the same thing. Having an EU officer raises our visibility in Europe. "Anything that an EU officer can do for funding and increasing visibility is welcomed. Cllr Donal Gilroy also offered his support for the motion saying he had tabled a similar motion five years earlier but was told it was a matter for the executive rather than the Councillors. Cllr Gilroy added, I think we are putting too much trust in the Regional Assembly. We have to accept it, every county has to fight for itself. Having heard the arguments put forward in support of the motion by the elected representatives, Mr Lydon addressed the chamber saying, Big funded projects, they come through central government. He added, We are involved in a number of European projects. Speaking out against the idea of employing a dedicated EU officer Mr Lydon said, We dont want to send our staff all over Europe. Ive been on some of those trips and you dont learn very much. An EU funding officer wont make that much difference. He added, Im not so sure its good value for money. Cllr Mulvey, who proposed the motion, added, When you see counties like Donegal, Cork and Dublin having a dedicated officer, they are bigger counties but we need to be punching above our weight. In reply, Cllr Michael Clarke argued, We work very well as a region. I dont think we are being badly represented. Closing the discussion Mr Lydon said, If I thought it would bring more capital funding without a shadow of a doubt we would employ someone. When funding is available we go for it and we get it. He added, I have absolutely weighed up the pros and cons, before stressing, I am supportive of European projects. I will work with everybody to bring money in. Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme. The book has been published by a Sligo book company Rihanna and Katie, contributors to the book , The Keeper of Rights, pictured with Ombudsman Dr Niall Muldoon, at the Yeats Building, Sligo. Pic: Brian Farrell Director of Kids' Own Publishing, Ciara Gallagher pictured with her son, Eanna and Ombudsman, Dr. Niall Mundoon, at the launch of The Keeper of Rights, in the Yeats Building, Sligo. Pic: Photo Brian Farrell The Keeper of Rights, a new book created by children in partnership with Kids Own Publishing and the Ombudsman for Childrens Office (OCO), was launched at the Yeats Building, Sligo. The book has been developed to help children understand their rights and how to exercise them, while also explaining the role of the Ombudsman in a way that is accessible to young readers. The event was filmed by RTE and featured on the news, highlighting the excitement and creativity of the young contributors. Commissioned to mark the 20th anniversary of the Ombudsman for Childrens Office, the project brought together children from schools in Sligo, working with Kids Own associate artists Andy Pearson and writers Mary Branley and Sarah OKeeffe. Through workshops, children contributed stories, drawings, and ideas that form the heart of the book. Kids Own was absolutely delighted to be offered this commission by the Ombudsman for Childrens Office, to develop a book by children about his role and to raise awareness among other children about who he is and what he does, said Jo Holmwood, Acting CEO of Kids Own Publishing Partnership. Kids Owns ethos is firmly rooted in a rights-based and intercultural approach and we are all about supporting childrens own voices to be shared and heard more widely in our society, so this was a very fitting partnership. We are absolutely delighted with the resulting publication, in which the children so confidently articulate everything they learnt about the Ombudsman through a creative process with Kids Own artists and writers. We look forward to sharing this book widely with schools and libraries all across Ireland. Explaining what the Ombudsman for Childrens Office does can be challenging, so we approached Kids Own Publishing to help us work with children to create this wonderful book, said Dr. Niall Muldoon, Ombudsman for Children. In their own words, children explain the role of the OCO and what childrens rights are. We couldnt be happier with the finished product, which is available in English and in Irish, and we are delighted that there will be an audiobook in both languages too. We commissioned this project to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Ombudsman for Childrens Office. A lot has changed for the better for children in Ireland since 2004, but there are still some very serious issues affecting their lives. The OCO is proud of the work we have done to promote childrens rights since the office was established, and we are committed to continuing to bring childrens voices to the fore in policy and decision making in the future. The Keeper of Rights is available for free from info@kidsown.ie, and will also be released as an audiobook in both English and Irish. A Tipperary mans remarkable story about being buried alive is to be resurrected on screen later this November. Beo Faoin bhFod is a new Irish language documentary, commissioned and funded by TG4 and Coimisiun na Mean, about a man who buried himself alive to reach fame and fortune. The film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh and was screened at the IFI Documentary Festival and the Kerry International Film Festival. Enniscorthy Community Alliance are involved in a number of projects in the area. Enniscorthy Community Alliance are involved in a number of projects in the area. An Enniscorthy community project was announced as one of the recipients of the Community Safety Fund 2025. The Community Safety Fund redirects proceeds of crime seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and An Garda Siochana back into communities around Ireland. Overall 4.4 million was allocated by Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim OCallaghan across 42 projects that combat domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, drug intimidation, and to support youth and restorative justice projects. This years allocation is a 33% increase on the 3 million awarded in 2024. "The Community Safety Fund is an important and effective element in achieving stronger, safer communities. It ensures that the proceeds of crime seized by CAB and An Garda Siochana are re-invested back into communities to enhance safety and security in those communities, Minister OCallaghan said. He added that the quality of applications this year were quite high, making the decision on who received the funds difficult. "The quality of the applications this year was very high. 42 projects will be funded which is our highest number yet under the Fund. The successful projects are innovative, with clear measurable targets, that help to address needs or gaps in community safety in their respective areas. In Wexford, 142,408 of the fund is being allocated to Enniscorthy Community Alliance for their project Empowering Voices for Wexford Safer Communities. Speaking on the allocation, Minister for Housing, Local Government, and Heritage James Browne explained that the project is making a positive impact on the community. "A significant tranche of funding has been announced to Enniscorthy Community Alliance, who do brilliant work that we want to see continue in our area. Their project entitled Empowering Voices for Safer Communities is critical and has received 142,408. Besides this project, the Enniscorthy Community Alliance have been working hard on the refurbishment of the Captain Wafer Hall as a community hub and The Shannon Way Project. Tests are currently being carried out by the Department of Agriculture to determine cause of deaths A number of dead swans have been discovered in the Ladies Island area over the past week and a half. Stock Image. The discovery of a number of dead swans along the shores of Ladys Island Lake, has sparked concerns that the avian influenza outbreak which has already been detected in commercial turkey flocks in Co Carlow and Co Meath may be spreading in Wexford. The National Parks and Wildlife Service which has responsibility for the area, has informed the Department of Agriculture and tests are being undertaken to establish the cause of death of at least 10 swans. Naturalist Jim Hurley, one of the countys foremost environmental campaigners says, that it is unknown if it is linked to the bird flue outbreak and that samples have been sent for testing. Cllr Ger Carthy, who lives in the area, says it has been going on for the last week and a half. There are probably more then 10 swans dead on the lake. He believes the response has been slow and there are three or four dead swans who have been left there for a number of days. A mandatory housing order for the poultry population in the Republic will come into effect on Monday, while one has already been in place in Northern Ireland since Thursday. Local councillor Ger Carthy. I made contact yesterday with the Minister for Agriculture, said Cllr Carthy. The response I got today was that he has spoken with the veterinary team and that he has been informed that they will be tested. Bird Flu is carried by migrant birds, and Wexford is at greater risk than other parts of the country due to the diverse species which visit the county. For commercial operators, this is their livelihood. But we also have a duty of care to reduce the spread of this for wildlife under the habitat directive. Who is ultimately responsible? said Cllr Carthy. We have rangers on Ladys Island Lake who are employed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Jurisdiction for testing lies with the Department of Agriculture. One doesnt have a rank on the other and cant force them to get their act together. Here we are in the middle of bureaucracy on top of more bureaucracy and were no better off, added Cllr Carthy. Earlier this year a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that the lake was one of the most polluted lagoons in Ireland and had undergone a significant ecological deterioration in the past 40 years due to agricultural nitrate pollution. The report also revealed that around 60 tonnes of nitrogen enter the lake annually and that high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus have been deposited on the bed of the lake since the 1980s. Speaking in June, Wexford Green Party representative Peadar McDonald also highlighted issues with the lake. The lake is a unique Special Area of Conservation and Special Protection Area, but its not being protected, Mr McDonald said. "Its one of the most nutrient polluted lakes in the country, mainly due to about 60 tonnes of nitrogen entering the lake annually, as indicated in a recent EPA report. 1,505 tonnes of nitrogen and 127 tonnes of phosphorus are estimated to be retained at in the bed of the lake and as a result, weve seen severe damage to native plants and fish. "The problem has been well-known for decades now, yet there has been a lack of effective action by the relevant authorities to tackle the problem. The Department of Agriculture have been contacted for an update. A volunteer tries to help the swan, 'Elgard' after it was taken in from the water at Bray harbour. A distraught volunteer cradles the swan, 'Elgard' after it was taken in from the water at Bray harbour. There have been calls for CCTV to be installed at Bray Harbour after one of the beloved swans at the local sanctuary was mauled by a dog on Thursday morning and subsequently had to be put down by a vet. The senseless and cruel fate of the swan whose name was Elgard, an anagram of the nearby Dargle river was met with outrage locally, as the sanctuary has become synonymous with the town of Bray since it was first established in 2008 and maintained diligently by volunteers, with the assistance of local vets. The swan numbers have grown steadily over the years, with between 50 and 60 swans at the harbour depending on the time of year. Elgard had a special place in the hearts of those who devote so much time to the care of the swans, with Marcia Nicholson, a dedicated local volunteer who also works with Kildare Wildlife Rescue, recounting how she first rescued it as a cygnet over five years ago from the river. He had to be tube fed for several weeks and Marcia said he was one of the babies in the harbour who grew to become quite a character. In an emotional statement from another volunteer, Ali, she said it was a very upsetting day for everyone who cares about our local wildlife. "Rescued as a cygnet years ago by Marcia, hand-fed by another rescuer, and then released, he grew stronger, leamed to fly, explored, and had many adventures in Bray and beyond. Loved and known by so many, a daily presence at the harbour, personally cared for by watchers and rescuers through all seasons and all weather. Losing such a gentle and valued resident in this way is deeply heart-breaking." Marcia Nicholson, a volunteer at the Bray swan sanctuary, rescuing 'Elgard' from the Dargle River, in April 2020. Describing the events on Thursday morning, Ali said a call had come in early there is a number displayed on the information board at the harbour to report a swan in distress and rescuers attended as quickly as possible, but due to the horrific injuries to Elgards lower neck and underbelly, he had to be put down very quickly. The actual rescue of the swan was fraught however, as a Bray resident, Randy Ralston, who was in the area at the time, around 9.30am, described the swan in a near-lifeless state in the water, with the volunteers trying to lure him back in. Two swimmers, who were bathing on the other side of the harbour wall, noticed there was a lot of commotion and one bravely went into the water and managed to assist, with another volunteer wading out waste deep to rescue the swan. Randy said that there was also another dog, and it was not confirmed if it was the same dog who had attacked the swan, which was off the leash and chasing the swans on the bank. The dog appeared to be with two women but they did not act on the requests of the volunteers to bring the dog to heel. "The fact there was another dog running around off the leash was a problem. It's one thing if somebody isn't aware or something like that. But these two ladies who apparently owned the dog, they were defiant. They were just cursing back, Randy said. "If you've ever seen a sheepdog with sheep, the way they run after them and then they separate. It was like that. Some of them went into the water, they separated, they were running around. It was very unpleasant. And the two rescue ladies, they were very upset. This was just complicating everything. Randy said he stepped in to help once Elgard was brought onto the sand, but he could see the wounds were horrific. You could see it was just fading. Its eyes were closing and it was just fading. A volunteer tries to help the swan, 'Elgard' after it was taken in from the water at Bray harbour. Vet Pete Wedderburn, who is one of the local vets on call in Bray, said the wounds were consistent with a dog attack. There was nothing to do for Elgard and he had to be put down. Hundreds of residents have taken to social media to condemn the attack. Ali has made a plea to dog owners, with he sanctuary volunteers as a group calling for CCTV to be installed to monitor the activity of those in the area who fail to adhere to the rules protecting wildlife. Mute swans are legally protected under the EU Birds Directive and the Wildlife Act, Ali said. Bray Harbour is a recognised sanctuary and vital habitat for swans and cygnets for many years. Allowing dogs off the lead here creates a direct and entirely avoidable danger. "A dog off the lead in a wildlife zone can kill. That is the devastating reality today. The trauma of seeing a defenceless and legally protected animal suffer like this has had a profound impact on the public and on the volunteers who work tirelessly to protect them. Irish law is very clear, and we are asking every dog owner and walker at the harbour and seafront to take immediate responsibility." A Georgian national living in homeless accommodation in Wicklow has avoided jail after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and driving while intoxicated following an incident on the N11 late last year. Gagi Garshaulashvili (31), with an address at a homeless accommodation in Wicklow, pleaded guilty at Bray District Court to one count of dangerous driving and a further charge of driving while intoxicated. Both offences arose from the same incident. The court heard that on December 29, 2024, gardai observed a black BMW travelling at 152 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on the N11 at Kilmacanogue. The vehicle was stopped, and gardai detected a strong smell of alcohol from the driver. Garshaulashvili was arrested and brought to Bray Garda Station, where a breath sample showed he was over the legal alcohol limit. It was also established that the vehicle had no valid NCT and that Mr Garshaulashvili was driving on an invalid licence. Solicitor for the defence, Brendan Maloney, told the court that his client has been living in Ireland for the past three years and has a child in the jurisdiction. The court was informed that Mr Garshaulashvili is currently on social welfare but had previously worked part-time as a delivery driver. Mr Maloney said his client had been living in shared accommodation at the time of the incident and had been drinking because he was feeling mentally low. My client regrets consuming alcohol and driving, Mr Maloney said. Judge David Kennedy said: You are extremely lucky you pleaded guilty. He added: Had he not done so, he would likely have faced a custodial sentence. Judge Kennedy sentenced Mr Garshaulashvili to six months imprisonment for dangerous driving, suspended in full, and imposed a 1,000 fine along with a two-year driving ban. The judge also imposed the same suspended sentence for the charge of driving while intoxicated along with a further two-year driving ban. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme Wicklow and District Lions Club are preparing for the return of their popular quiz nights, while two young Leo Lions members having being doing their bit for charity. In 2024, Wicklow and District Lions formed the only Leo Lions Club in Ireland, with the aim of empowering young leaders and foster a commitment of community spirt. Abbie McKenna and Millie Jameson of the Dominican College Wicklow have raised an impressive 1,050 for Childhood Cancer Ireland. Abbie and Millie both carried out bucket collections outside both banks in Wicklow town over two days and managed to raise a huge amount through their efforts, which was their first project as Leo Lions members, said Wicklow Lions member Sean Olohan. The Wicklow Lions quiz nights, Irelands longest continuously running table quiz, kick-off again next Thursday, November 13, at Chester Beattys in Ashford, where the two charities to be supported will be Ashford ICA and Nuns Cross School. Four quiz nights will take place before a break for Christmas, with the quiz nights reconvening at the end of January. Sean added: We had a great reception for our last round of quiz nights, and we would be hoping for similar support this year. All the charities the quiz will support booked in with us early so there is a big demand for the quizzes this year. They are always great night and act as a wonderful showcase for all the community spirt on display. Things culminate with our grand final which is held in March. Wicklow and District Lions Club also help organise Darkness into Light each year in Wicklow town, alongside students from Colaiste Chill Mhantain. They recently received their certificate of recognition from Pieta in recognition of the 38,656.58 they raised through this years event, which started from Leitrim Place at 4.15am on Saturday, May 10. Sean said: We were thrilled to have raised such a large amount, and it was a greater sum than previous years. We always attract around 1,000 people each year. There were more funds collected in Wicklow per capita than any other town in the country, which is a huge achievement. The bulk of it came from the actual 5k walk, while over 2,000 was raised from the Wicklow Male Voice Choir concert held in Fatima Hall. The whole community of Wicklow ad surrounds should feel proud. Emmerdale is to focus on the issue of modern slavery in a special standalone episode. The soaps producers have worked with The Salvation Army on the storyline, which features long-running character Paddy Dingle, played by Dominic Brunt, becoming increasingly worried about the whereabouts of his father, Bear, played by Joshua Richards. Richards, who has appeared in Hollywood films including Troy and King Arthur: Excalibur Rising, said he was honoured to be taking part in the story about the abominable trade that is happening under our very own noses. The episode, which will air on ITV on Monday, will show how, after not hearing from him for months after a period of tension, Paddy is desperate to track Bear down and reconcile. Unknown to him, Bear, a former professional wrestler, is now living on the edge of society, yet is still within physical reach of his old life in Emmerdale. Through flashbacks, viewers will witness how Bear was first taken in by seemingly kind people and offered work in exchange for board and lodgings. However, soon he is injured, frail and entirely under the control of his captors. Richards said: It may surprise many people, but slavery is alive and well, indeed prospering in the modern world. Not only in obscure countries and cultures that we know little about, and not just the exploitation of migrants by criminal gangs of which some of us are aware. It is happening under our very own noses. The disadvantaged, dispossessed, those with mental health issues or disabilities, the old, lonely and vulnerable people that our society neglects are the perfect prey for grooming by unscrupulous criminal agencies. Im very excited and honoured to be taking part in this to hopefully educate and highlight this abominable trade of human bondage. The episode also features the characters Ray Walters, played by Joe Absolom, and Celia Daniels, played by Jaye Griffiths. Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw said: With our farming and rural backdrop we have an ideal setting, but its not all fluffy sheep and rolling landscapes. The countryside, just like an urban setting, can harbour the dark undercurrents of society. Bear is truly trapped in his situation and over a series of scenes you begin to understand a little more how this happened. We have been extremely grateful for the support we have received from The Salvation Army for Bears story, but also the interlinked county lines drug story that we have been telling with April and Dylan. The Salvation Army has given Emmerdale invaluable help with the portrayal of these shocking yet prevalent situations in our society. Kathy Betteridge, director of anti-trafficking and modern slavery at The Salvation Army, said: Forced labour is one of the most hidden, but widespread forms of modern slavery in the UK today. Were thankful to Emmerdale for using this storyline to expose the brutal truth people are being exploited in plain sight, from farms and factories to cafes, car washes, homes and hotels. Victims are often isolated, threatened and made to feel they have no way out. But there is a way out with the right compassionate support, recovery is possible. Storylines like this, delivered with attention to detail and authenticity, help the public recognise what modern slavery really looks like and how vital it is to act when something doesnt feel right. Emmerdale airs every weekday at 7.30pm on ITV1 and STV. Billionaire Bill Gates' foundation will spend at least $1.4 billion over the next four years to help farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia access technologies for adapting to extreme weather, the organization's CEO told Reuters. Speaking ahead of next week's COP30 climate summit in Brazil, Mark Suzman, head of the Gates Foundation, said the funding would go toward innovations like mapping soil health and biofertilisers that use microorganisms rather than chemicals to promote plant growth. Gates called last week for a pivot in climate strategy away from focusing on emissions targets and toward helping the poor, who are increasingly bearing the brunt of erratic weather and other climate extremes. Man guilty of murdering woman and three children in house fire in Bradford, UK Prince Harry, right, and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, sit during the eighth inning in game four of the World Series (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP) The UKs Duke of Sussex has apologised to Canada after he and his wife, Meghan, were photographed wearing Los Angeles Dodgers caps while attending a World Series game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Harry joked to Canadian broadcaster CTV that he wore the Dodgers merchandise "under duress" during game four of the series, saying it felt like "the polite thing to do" after being invited to the dugout by the team's owner. Israel blocks 10,000 trucks full of aid despite ceasefire in Gaza No convoys have entered badly hit north of enclave via any direct crossings since September 12 Pope Leo XIV meets Palestinian authority president Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican. Photo: Reuters Bel Trew Fri 7 Nov 2025 at 06:30 Israel has been accused of blocking 10,000 truckloads of aid from crossing into Gaza, with Jordan, the UK and prominent rights groups among those voicing condemnation. There needs to be more leaders ready to tell it as it is, Micheal Martin has told the heads of state and royalty gathered for the UN Climate Change Conference (Cop30) in Brazil. Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community! Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region. He also shared a clip from Mamdani's victory speech with the words: "3 words. No funding coming! NYC finished." November 5 Mamdani responds with humour CNN Many Men Mamdani, unbothered by the trolling, decided to meet humour with humour. Speaking to, he said, "Even though we have a disagreement on tax policy, every time I get a death threat, I still listen to. It's true."The playful comment referencing 50 Cent's 2003 classic instantly trended - a witty, self-aware clapback that won over social media. Election night Ja Rule joins the story ( Image credit : Instagram/jarule | Zohran Mamdani walked onto the stage as Ja Rule, 50 Cents longtime rival, blared through the speakers. ) If the banter wasn't entertaining enough, Mamdani's choice of music at his victory party stirred even more buzz. As he walked onto the stage, the song blaring through the speakers wasn't by 50 Cent - but by his longtime rival, Ja Rule.The moment sent fans into a frenzy online, with one user writing, "Playing Ja Rule after 50 Cent drags you is the most New York thing ever." November 6 Mamdani addresses 50 directly MSNBC During an interview with's Ari Melber, Mamdani offered a calm but firm message: "What I would say to you, 50 - or anyone else watching - is that having the top 1% pay 2% more for an agenda that transforms New York City is worthwhile. This is about fairness."The statement underscored Mamdani's commitment to his plan - even as celebrities and critics fired shots. What's next - from rap beefs to real policy As Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office in January, his focus remains on reshaping New York's economy and closing wealth gaps. But his ability to mix humour with politics - and turn a celebrity feud into a moment of levity- already has people talking. ( Image credit : X/MAGANEWSShapiro | Tesla shareholders have approved Elon Musks $1 trillion pay package ) Details of Musks pay package ( Image credit : X/WakeUpPatriott | In 2018, Musk received a $56 billion stock-option plan ) Shareholder reaction and stock impact Implications for Musk and Tesla ( Image credit : X/ElonMusk_Lord | The new plan grants Elon Musk 423.7 million performance-based restricted shares ) Teslas journey to this record-breaking pay package began years ago. In 2018, Musk received a $56 billion stock-option plan contingent on growth milestones, which helped the company grow from a $60 billion automaker to a trillion-dollar tech brand by 2021. However, in early 2024, a Delaware court ruled that plan excessive and questioned the boards independence. In response, Tesla moved its legal headquarters to Texas, where investor sentiment favored Musk, and presented a new, much larger planten times the size of the previous one and significantly riskier.The new plan grants Elon Musk 423.7 million performance-based restricted shares, equating to roughly 12% of Teslas stock. These shares will only vest if Musk meets highly ambitious operational and financial targets, including growing Teslas market value to $8.5 trillion, achieving a trailing 12-month adjusted EBITDA of $400 billion, delivering 20 million vehicles, deploying one million robotaxis, producing one million Optimus robots, and expanding Full Self-Driving (FSD) subscriptions to 10 million.The shares are distributed in 12 tranches, each triggered by a $500 billion increase in Teslas valuation, ensuring Musk only earns them if the company achieves these aggressive goals. The first tranche releases at a $2 trillion valuation, with the final tranche dependent on reaching $8.5 trillion.At Teslas November 6 shareholder meeting, about 75% voted in favor of the package, including major institutional investors like BlackRock and Vanguard. Some, such as Norways $1.6 trillion sovereign wealth fund, opposed the plan, citing governance concerns. Tesla shares fell over 3% following the announcement, reflecting market caution.It is argued that the package aligns Musks interests with shareholders and reinforces confidence in Teslas long-term innovation strategy. Critics warn the scale sets a risky precedent for executive compensation and question the feasibility of achieving the targets amid increasing competition and regulatory pressure.Musk, already the worlds richest individual with an estimated net worth of $461 billion, could become the first trillionaire if he achieves all milestones. His ownership stake would further consolidate control, while succession-planning provisions ensure Tesla considers leadership continuity.For investors, the package signals Tesla is not just an EV company but a multi-sector technology platform focused on AI, robotics, and autonomous mobility. While ambitious, the plans success depends entirely on execution rather than expectation.The $1 trillion package is part reward, part gamble. For Tesla and Musk, it reflects investor faith in a founder who has repeatedly defied market expectations. For the broader financial world, it raises questions about the boundaries of executive compensation and corporate governance. Ultimately, whether it leads to an $8.5 trillion company or remains a headline-making gamble depends on performance and strategic execution. ( Image credit : AI generated via Freepik | Why brands are suddenly posting fake apologies: The viral trend dividing the internet, explained ) The internets new favourite marketing circus: Fake apologies Who started the sorry we are iconic party? Why this works (and why marketers are obsessed) ( Image credit : AI generated via Freepik | Why brands are suddenly posting fake apologies: The viral trend dividing the internet, explained ) But not everyone is amused ( Image credit : AI generated via Freepik | Why brands are suddenly posting fake apologies: The viral trend dividing the internet, explained ) Brands have discovered a new formula for instant online attention, and it is the most unserious thing corporate PR has done in years. Forget long notes full of jargon and we regret the inconvenience energy, the newest social media obsession is the Official Apology Trend, where brands are mock-apologising for being too good at their jobs. Yes, the sorry is fake, but the engagement? Very, very real.This trend has brands writing dramatic, serious-looking apology letters only to confess that what they are sorry for is being irresistible. The fonts look formal, the layouts mimic corporate disclaimers, and the tone is straight out of a CEO damage control email, except the problem being addressed is that consumers love them too much.A growing list of brands across industries have now jumped on the bandwagon. From car manufacturers to food chains and music giants, everyone is joining the fun.Volkswagen India and Skoda India leaned into the joke with faux statements about making their cars impossible to give up, with one brand hinting that its models cause people to take long detours simply because the ride is too enjoyable. Milkshake brand Keventers pretended to feel bad about creating flavours people cannot stop buying.Music label T-Series also played along, issuing a tongue-in-cheek apology for songs that cause distracting levels of obsession. Restaurants like Banana Leaf India added spice to the trend by saying sorry for making diners fall in love with South Indian cuisine all over again.The trend combines humour, emotional branding, and just the right sprinkle of self-awareness. It tells customers: We see you, we know what you love about us, and we are in on the joke too.The format basically markets brand strengths without sounding salesy. It is relatable, shareable content that disguises promotion beneath playfulness, making it perfect for social media, especially in a world that scrolls past ads in milliseconds.While engagement is booming, some branding experts think the trend crosses a line. One LinkedIn user commented that turning apologies into jokes cheapens the purpose of corporate accountability, as apologies should be reserved for real wrongdoing. Another professional stated that genuine apology culture could lose meaning if companies keep using it for attention.Still, the internet runs on memes more than morals, so humour currently has the upper hand. Relief could be on the way for enterprises facing shortages of GPUs to run their AI workloads, or unable to afford the electricity to power them: Google will add Ironwood, a faster, more energy-efficient version of its Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), to its cloud computing offering in the coming weeks. Analysts expect Ironwood to offer price-performance similar to GPUs from AMD and Nvidia, running in Googles cloud, so this could ease the pressure on enterprises and vendors struggling to secure GPUs for AI model training or inferencing projects. That would be particularly welcome as enterprises grapple with a global shortage of high-end GPUs that is driving up costs and slowing AI deployment timelines, and even those who have the GPUs cant always get the electricity to operate them. Recent developments in enterprise cloud computing reveal a concerning lack of attention to cloud governance, despite enterprises facing significant risks and potential losses due to outages, inefficiencies, and non-compliance. As enterprises migrate from traditional infrastructures to the cloud, they often do so without a clear strategy to mitigate risk, or they fail to set up an ecosystem that fosters innovation and accountability. Thats why governance has emerged as the most important topic in cloud computing today, and why I, alongside my co-author Meredith Stein, decided to address it in our new book, Unlocking the Power of the Cloud: Governance, Artificial Intelligence, Risk Management, Value. The book proposes a framework for enterprises to think differently about how they govern their operations in a cloud-forward world. Governance in the cloud is the backbone of any sustainable, scalable, and secure cloud strategy. With decades of experience in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and risk management, Meredith and I felt this was not only a timely subject but a necessary one. Enterprises are innovating rapidly, but many do so without considering the potential long-term consequences of ungoverned cloud environments. Weve seen those consequences firsthand through inefficiencies, lost revenue, reputational damage, and even catastrophic outages. Governance is critical to cloud ecosystems Cloud computing has fundamentally shifted how businesses operate. Unlike legacy systems where infrastructure and operations were controlled on premises, the cloud introduces new operational complexities. It democratizes access to technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced data analytics but also brings unprecedented risks. A single minor decision, from misconfigured security protocols to inadequate compliance measures, can trigger a cascade of failures across an enterprise. Ceramic artist Vivian Purcell chanced upon the city of Philadelphia on a layover and fell in love with its artistic details. Read more It was a happy accident when ceramic artist Vivian Purcell first explored Philadelphia during a layover with a friend and found lifelong inspiration. After growing up in South Carolina and attending the Maryland Institute College of Art, she first visited the city in 2016. She moved here in 2019. Advertisement The artist, who lives in Fairmount and works out of a studio in Brewerytown, describes Philly as one of the bigger ceramics hubs in the country because of its rich history of pottery production and its abundant natural clay resources. She worked at the Clay Studio as a work exchange artist before striking out on her own, creating work that honors the architecture and natural beauty of Philadelphia. Every corner we turned, there [was] another pattern or iron gate or brickwork ornament to discover, she recalled of that fateful layover. This city is so wonderfully visually stimulating and can be a bit overwhelming if youre really taking the time to look. For her art, she draws inspiration from the designs seen in bricks and stone facades of buildings. She takes photos of tiles, brickwork, and ornate flourishes on windows she sees in her walks. Working with these brick patterns and walking all around the city taking photos makes me feel even more tied to the city Ive fallen in love with, she said. A recent ceramic pot was inspired by the main branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia and mimics the buildings green patina, she said. Im interested in the way the patina has worn down the metal over time and highlighted the pattern. I am trying to get something similar to happen on my pots, she said. In a city as historic as Philadelphia, the majority of the buildings were designed in a time when society found value in beauty itself. To be worthy of being made, objects had to be both functional and beautiful, she said. When the industrial age hit, the flourishes and ornamentation came to be seen as superfluous. There was a time where beauty was more important than how fast you could put up an apartment building. When the small details not only mattered, but were the point, she said. In Philly you can still find these traces of [that] history if you are paying attention. And Purcell is always attentive. Her ceramic pots, mugs, and bowls feature patterns of plants and flowers always with a lingering trace of Phillys architectural history. One listing on her website notes that her city alleyway backyard of sorts inspired a pattern of flowers on a cup. She describes her process as slow, a valuable and sadly rare practice today. In a world that moves very fast, I want to make something that is meant to be slow. The process of making each pot is slow, with every piece being hand-carved. The user is meant to sit with the work and discover it through touch. Theres something intrinsically calming about that. As she carves patterns onto her pots, she often thinks about the hand of the person who did the original brickwork carving. Its a way of working that hasnt really changed in the last 300 years. A distinctive mark of her work is Purcells play with texture. Imagine pouring your morning coffee into one of her mugs and tracing the patterns with your fingers. You can feel all the lovely bumps and ridges of the carving, and isnt it so nice to be able to feel a drawing? she says. When not creating art, Purcell works as the art department studio manager at the Community College of Philadelphia, which is located in the old United States Mint building. One of its galleries features the work of Gilroy Roberts, a sculptor who helped design the building itself. And another artist she feels a kinship with. His workbench, tools, and various sketches are on display and it looks shockingly similar to my own studio, Purcell said. We have the same tools and I can see where he tried to make them more ergonomic for long studio days to avoid the dreaded hand cramps. Her work is a part of the ongoing Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show, which showcases the work of 195 artists representing 13 types of artistic expressions. We are all connected through this love of craft and of making things by hand. Thats why its so special, she said. Everyones work is so different but there is a commitment to excellence in the arts that brings us all together; a strong belief that everyone should have objects that can live in your home and remind you that not everything needs to be made by a machine. Philadelphia Museum of Art Contemporary Craft Show, Nov. 7-9. Nov. 7, 11 a.m. 7 p.m.; Nov. 8, 10 a.m. 6 p.m.; Nov. 9, 10 a.m. 5 p.m. pmacraftshow.org A woman jogs past the Comcast Technology Center at 18th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia. Read more NEW YORK Comcast has retained financial advisers and gained access to financial information as it explores a bid for Warner Bros. Discoverys studio and streaming businesses, according to four sources familiar with the matter. NBCUniversals parent company has hired Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to evaluate a prospective offer, two of the sources said. Comcast also has been granted access to the data room, which contains the financial information it would need to make a bid, according to two of the sources familiar with the matter. Advertisement Spokespersons for Comcast, Warner Bros. Discovery, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley declined to comment. Comcast president Mike Cavanagh previously told investors that the company is evaluating media assets that would be complementary to our existing business. He also appeared to dismiss analysts who are skeptical of Philadelphia-based Comcast winning regulatory approval, saying, More things are viable than maybe some of the public commentary thats out there. Industry observers have questioned Comcasts ability to complete a merger, givenPresident Donald Trumps social media criticisms of the companys chairman and CEO, Brian Roberts. Warner Bros. Discovery declined to answer questions related to a possible sale during the companys third-quarter investor call Thursday. However, CEO David Zaslav touted the strength of its film and television studios, and predicted the HBO Max streaming service would reach 150 million subscribers by the end of the year. The media company began evaluating its options after receiving a trio of unsolicited offers from Paramount Skydance to acquire the entire company, two of the sources said. Netflix has hired Moelis & Co, the investment bank that advised Skydance Media on its successful bid for Paramount Global, to evaluate a prospective offer for Warner Bros. Discoverys studio and streaming businesses, Reuters exclusively reported. Nathaniel Lewis was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in state prison during a hearing Thursday at the Chester County Justice Center. Read more A Chester County man was sentenced to decades in prison Thursday, nearly seven years after he tore through the serenity of a Christmas evening in his quiet neighborhood by shooting at SWAT team officers during a nine-hour standoff that ended only after a negotiator sang him a holiday carol. Nathaniel Lewis, 41, will serve 25 to 50 years in state prison for firing more than 30 shots from an AR-15 rifle at members of the Chester County Emergency Response Team who came to his home in East Vincent Township on Christmas Day 2018. Advertisement Lewis, an Army veteran who served in Iraq, was convicted after a five-day trial in August of assault on a law enforcement officer, attempted aggravated assault, and attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for firing at three of the SWAT team members. The jury acquitted him of similar assault charges connected with other members of the team. Chester County Court Judge Alita Rovito, in handing down the sentence Thursday, said that while she accepted Lewis recent diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, she believed he was fully aware of his actions when he chose to shoot at uniformed police officers. What I saw that night was someone who was in absolute, complete control, Rovito said. So many peoples lives changed that night, and the reason they changed was not anything they did. They all honored their oaths to protect and serve the community, and that includes you, Mr. Lewis. Lewis was in the throes of a divorce at the time of the shooting, and fired the first shots at his sister-in-law, who came to check on him after he ignored his family during the holiday. He eventually barricaded himself in his home and sprayed bullets from the second floor as officers surrounded the property. Though some of Lewis shots landed feet from officers stationed outside his home close enough, some said Thursday, that they could hear the bullets whizzing overhead no one was injured during the standoff. Lewis agreed to surrender only when a member of the response team capitulated to his request to sing White Christmas, specifically the wistful version made popular by Bing Crosby. Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Frei said Thursday that given Lewis background in the military, he was fully aware of the collateral damage he could have caused. His actions that night, she said, affected not only his intended targets, but also an entire community of innocent bystanders he held hostage for hours. Mr. Lewis know how far the bullets could travel, and he still opened fire on police in a residential neighborhood, on a night when he knew people would be at home with their families, she said. Frei said Lewis had betrayed the oath he took as a soldier to protect and serve his country. Every time he pulled that trigger, it was an attack on our justice system and our sense of law and order, and that cannot be tolerated. In a statement to the judge, Lewis professed remorse for his actions. He said he had spent the last seven years in prison avoiding trouble and violence and had become a devout Catholic. When I run over the catalog of my sins, I cannot believe I was once full of goodness, he said. I have lost everything, and I cannot begin my life again. I can only hope to rebuild. His attorney, Stephen Dodd, challenged the idea from prosecutors that he was not remorseful. He asked Rovito for leniency, saying a lengthy prison sentence would hinder Lewis efforts to receive treatment for his mental health issues. But Rovito was not swayed, citing, in part, the lengthy victim-impact testimony presented Thursday. Lewis former sister-in-law, Kerri Carranza, said through her tears that though her relationship with her family was strained by the encounter, she was grateful that Lewis had shot at her and not at her sister or nieces, the intended targets. The officers Lewis was convicted of shooting at, including Downingtown Police Detective Paul Trautman, took turns saying the incident remains fresh in their minds, especially as the Christmas season nears. Some also served as soldiers in the Middle East, and said Lewis gunfire reminded them of firefights overseas. Mr. Lewis is alive today because of our teams efforts to resolve this situation peacefully, Trautman said. The message needs to be sent that violence is not the way to deal with ones anger. Rovitos sentence was her second in the case: Lewis first trial in 2021 was later overturned on appeal, after a Superior Court judge found another county judge had improperly dismissed Lewis original attorney for professional misconduct. Lt. Brian Geer with the Philadelphia Police Department demonstrates anti-theft devices used to prevent key fob cloning attacks. Read more The Philadelphia Police Department is urging residents to protect their vehicles amid a wave of high-tech auto thefts targeting push-to-start vehicles with keyless fobs. The Inquirer reported on those thefts dubbed key fob cloning last month, detailing methods that criminals use to remotely access locked vehicles using relatively inexpensive tools found for purchase online. Advertisement Law enforcement agencies across the Philadelphia region have noticed the thefts. They say thieves can break into vehicles and use an onboard diagnostics tool, a device commonly found in auto garages, to access the keys unique frequency and program it onto a blank key fob. Meanwhile, more savvy criminals are conducting relay thefts, using antennas to capture and redirect a key fobs frequency from inside a locked home to unlock the nearby vehicle and drive off within minutes. Many such thefts have occurred in suburban communities or in sprawling Northeast Philadelphia, officials say. But the thefts are spreading more widely throughout the city, they say, spurring the department to announce its Together, We Can Prevent Auto Theft public awareness campaign this week. Theyre using technology to take over keyless entry, key fobs, copy it remotely, and steal your car, said Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore during a news conference at the departments North Philadelphia impound lot. Its happened all over the city. Vanore said police recruits would begin knocking on doors in select neighborhoods Thursday to hand out leaflets detailing measures car owners can take to protect themselves and their vehicles. The department will also launch a social media campaign and community workshops about the thefts. Prevention largely comes down to a handful of tools that can be bought online or in auto stores, said Lt. Brian Geer, head of the departments major crimes unit. He said thefts in which criminals use onboard diagnostics tools are best prevented by purchasing an OBD lock, a small device that inserts into the diagnostics port and is removable only by using a separate key. The locks are available for about $50 from Amazon and other online retailers. To protect against relay thefts, Geer recommends car owners purchase Faraday pouches and bags to store their keyless fobs when at home or in crowded places like shopping center parking lots. The storage devices block signals emitted by key fobs, cell phones, and other technological devices. For added protection, Geer suggests purchasing a steering wheel lock. The devices became popular in recent years among Kia and Hyundai owners who saw viral online trends like the Kia Boyz challenge teaching would-be criminals how to hot-wire the vehicles. Then there are the tried-and-true anti-theft methods the department has been sharing for years. Always secure your car. Take your keys with you, Geer said. Park in well-lit areas. Dont leave your car running unattended. Always be wary of where the keys for your vehicle are. In this photo illustration, a Social Security card sits alongside checks from the U.S. Treasury. Read more The historic government shutdown is a clear sign that cluelessness and dysfunction in Washington has reached epic proportions. Yet focusing on the shutdown rather than the concerns underpinning the shutdown misses the point: There are multiple social safety net issues, especially Social Security, that must be addressed. The social safety net has big holes The health insurance system is a mess. Advertisement Without government subsidies which are at the heart of the legislative impasse behind the current shutdown most of the 24 million Affordable Care Act recipients will face massive cost increases, and Obamacare would become unaffordable to millions. Yet nothing has been proposed to replace government subsidies that would improve the affordability of healthcare insurance. Also being highlighted is food insecurity. SNAP helps feed about 42 million people, including roughly 16 million children. Yet the administrations unwillingness to use any and all available funds to make full SNAP payments indicates that food is now a political tool. But it doesnt stop there. Other safety net programs such as the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Section 8 housing subsidies are under attack. Put simply, the whole range of social services for the poor healthcare, food, childcare, and housing assistance is being downgraded in importance. Social Security is headed toward insolvency This year, an average of 69 million people per month have been receiving Social Security checks. It is the nations largest safety net program and its solvency is at risk. Why? The answer is in the Social Security Act itself. Social Security was a product of the Great Depression, when the United States had no national social safety net. Conditions in the 1930s were dire. The unemployment rate broke 10% in late 1930, and while it peaked at 25% in spring 1933, it remained in the double-digits until mid-1940. In 1935, with so many out of work and social programs being handled haphazardly by state, local, private, and religious organizations, President Franklin Roosevelt created the New Deal and Social Security to address widespread poverty and food insecurity. The key element embedded in the Social Security bill was Roosevelts demand that workers pay for the benefits through a payroll tax. This was a brilliant move as it created a sense of entitlement. Workers paid for it, so they demanded they get it. Politicians cut the program at their own peril. Even though Social Security expanded benefits and added recipient groups, paying for it was not initially a problem. Enrollment was low, and the workforce was growing. In 1945, there were about 42 workers for every beneficiary. But that soon changed. By 1960 the ratio of workers to recipients had fallen to 4. The ratio stabilized at about 3.3 between 1975 and 2008 as the huge Baby Boom generation entered the labor market while the much smaller Greatest Generation retired. Now, however, Boomers are retiring at a rapid pace, and people are living longer. The ratio is currently around 2.7 and projected to drop to 2.2 by 2045. The current ratio cannot sustain the system as presently structured. Benefits are exceeding revenues, and reserves built up over decades to support shortfalls are declining. It is projected that within a decade, Social Securitys reserves could be depleted, and the system will be able to pay only about 80% of promised benefits. The problem: Paying for Social Security through a payroll tax In 1935, most compensation was in the form of wages. A tax on income meant that almost all workers, no matter how high their salary or seniority, paid into the system. That has changed dramatically. Ninety years ago, there were no such things as stock options or carried interest tax loopholes. Businesses and accountants have created these imaginative forms of compensation in the years since. Today, all these other forms of compensation are off-limits to Social Security. That Social Security is still only a payroll tax is nonsensical. The narrow tax base, coupled with income caps, have made the Social Security tax the most fiscally irresponsible and structurally unfair tax in a tax code filled with ridiculous special-interest loopholes. Consider this: Elon Musk reportedly draws no salary but gets paid in stock options and other forms of compensation. That means the richest person in the world likely does not pay into Social Security. Mark Zuckerbergs salary is reported to be $1 per year, so he likely pays no Social Security taxes. There are many other examples. Exacerbating the problem is the growing concentration of compensation and wealth in the hands of upper-income workers. The greater the share of income that flows to upper-income workers, the less income there is available for Social Security taxes. And that is where the solution to the Social Security solvency issue starts: The tax base must be made more inclusive and much more fair. Tax all forms of income The solution starts with ending the maximum income cap on the Social Security tax. All salary income should be taxed. That is where fairness starts. But that only gets you so far. Taxing all income would reduce the financial shortfall only by about half. Consequently, the tax base needs to move from a payroll tax to a compensation tax. Start with taxing stock options, the favorite place to hide compensation from the tax system. Next, tax the crazy boondoggles and special interest loopholes, such as carried interest, that are not being treated as wages. Studies indicate that it would still require taxing a range of worker benefits to put the Social Security finances back on solid footing. Taxing things such as health benefits, which are special non-income loopholes for workers, will be a tough sell. But as long as workers can point to Musk or Zuckerberg and say, He doesnt pay Social Security taxes," taxing benefits is a nonstarter. Social Security can be saved by making it fairer and more inclusive. Will our political leaders, who cannot even pass a budget, have the willingness to make the hard decisions to do that? Good question. Some of the most banned books during the 2024-25 school year, as tracked by PEN America. Read more Cherry Hill public school librarians may begin asking parents to sign permission slips before allowing students to check out books that school staff determine have sensitive content. In a memo to the districts media specialists, Allison Staffin, director of curriculum and instruction, outlined steps for handling books with sensitive material. The memo, dated Oct. 31 and obtained by The Inquirer, did not specify what kinds of content should be deemed sensitive. Advertisement Staffins memo said such books would require a permission slip from a parent or guardian before they are checked out by a student. Our goal is to nurture curiosity and foster a love of reading while respecting the diverse needs and backgrounds of our students, she wrote. The suggestion drew a swift response from some Cherry Hill parents, as well as Olga Polites, a leader of the New Jersey chapter of Media Literacy Now, which pushed the state to adopt a requirement for media literacy for kindergarten through 12th grade. READ MORE: N.J. law now prohibits book bans in libraries, so issues can be raised without resorting to bullying That is disappointing and disheartening, said Polites, a former English teacher. It looks like it comes up to the line of censorship. Carolina Bevad, a mother of three Cherry Hill students, stopped short of calling the memo censorship, but said it was a fine line. She said she trusts her children to select appropriate books. Whos making the determination which book needs parental approval? Bevad asked. I just think its murky water and would be hard to enforce. Superintendent Kwame Morton said the memo has been taken completely out of context. Teachers and curriculum officials have been addressing the matter and will determine a path forward, he said. We dont ban books in the district. That couldnt be the furthest thing from the truth, Morton said in an interview Wednesday. In the two-page memo, Staffin said the school district must curate a library collection with books that are developmentally and age appropriate for students. Before adding a book to the library, the media specialist should evaluate themes, language and any potentially sensitive topics, she wrote. Students would complete a permission slip filling in the books title and a few sentences of what the book is about. The slip says it is required for books not necessarily on the board-approved book list. Staffins memo said the media specialists should keep a record of all books with sensitive content and the parental permission slips. She said that would provide an audit trail and ensure accountability. A timeline was not provided for implementing the steps. Morton said the information has not been released to parents in the district, the 11th largest in the state with nearly 11,000 students. Theres nothing thats been established at this point, Morton said. There is no policy. There is nothing binding. Amy Penwell, vice president of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians believes the new book protocol, if implemented, would violate students First Amendment rights. Im really surprised that a large suburban school district would make moves to put this kind of policy in effect. Talk about a can of worms, Penwell said. Polites said she was concerned about the memo, given a growing conservative movement across the country to have books about race, racism, gender, or sexuality removed. We know that kids check out stuff knowing that if it is a school library book, parents will never find out, she said. Libraries are such important institutions. Cherry Hill parent Rachel Burkett said she believes children should be able to read about such topics as same-sex marriage. Burkett, who is married to a woman, said she also worries about how library officials would determine what should be classified as sensitive. The district already has a rigorous book approval process, she said. I think its a scapegoat so that they can censor what is being held in the library, Burkett said. It doesnt make sense. It seems very hateful cloaked in necessity. Said Morton: Its not up to us what families should read and what they should expose their children to, thats a family decision. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, last year signed the Freedom to Read Act, joining several states in prohibiting book bans in public and school libraries. A number of public libraries, including Cherry Hill, Moorestown, and Mount Laurel, have adopted a designation as a book sanctuary. READ MORE: A South Jersey school district has pulled Toni Morrisons Bluest Eye from its curriculum The law requires local school boards and the governing bodies of public libraries to set up policies for book curation and the removal of library materials, including a way to address concerns over certain items. People wanted to talk about possible Philadelphia School District building closures. They wanted to vent about the school systems wellness policy, which currently does not guarantee students the right to bathroom breaks. Advertisement They wanted to draw attention to a severe shortage of professionals to provide speech language services to district students, and they wanted to talk about the frequent lack of elevator service at one large district school. Philadelphias city charter gives parents, teachers and students the right to air concerns twice a year at a public hearing with the school board. On Thursday night, they did just that. Here are some takeaways. No guarantees for student bathroom breaks Members of Lift Every Voice, a grassroots parents group, have fought for guaranteed bathroom and water breaks and a guaranteed 20 minutes to eat lunch for more than a year. They successfully sent the school board board back to the drawing board on its wellness policy last school year and were hopeful that the amended policy, scheduled for a board vote later this month, would lock in such promises. But members said the draft now circulating falls short. This board often talks about how the children are doing, said Saxon Nelson, a district parent. And the children would be a lot better off if they had the right to pee, poop, drink water, and move their bodies. Unfortunately, the most recent draft of this policy still does not guarantee that basic dignity. Lift Every Voice members have said some students have worn diapers because some teachers have forbidden bathroom breaks. Troy Spence, another district parent, told the board he was upset by his child reporting classmates peeing on themselves for that reason. Superintendent Tony B. Watlington Sr. said the Lift Every Voice members were absolutely right. Weve got to treat every child with respect. And when they need to go to the bathroom, they need to be able to go. When theyre thirsty, they need to get water. The board sets policy, Watlington said, and its up to those in schools to run them day-to-day. As both an elementary and high school principal, he encountered students who needed and were allowed to use the bathroom multiple times a day because of medical issues. And I used to have kids who didnt have to go to the bathroom but they wanted to meet somebody down the hall, Watlington said. Its up to staff to set appropriate regulations in schools, the superintendent said, pushing back against the notion that children were soiling themselves because of a lack of access to bathrooms, despite parents assertions. I have yet in 3 years in our schools to see any child in a diaper because they cant go to the bathroom, Watlington said. Lets be careful that we dont say things that we dont have evidence to support. Frustration around school closings Members of the public expressed frustration about the districts facilities planning process, whose timeline has been pushed back. Instead of Watlington presenting recommendations about school closings, colocations, renovations and reconfigurations this month, with a board vote in December, the superintendent will debut a draft plan sometime this winter, with no set timeline for the board sign-off. We want a facilities plan, but this process isnt it, said Katy Egan, a member of the group Stand Up For Philly Schools. Currently, the facility planning process seems to ask the question, how can we most responsibly manage our real estate assets? Instead, the facilities planning process needs to ask the question, How can we ensure that every student in our city can attend a neighborhood school in excellent condition? If closing schools was a path to improving the district, we would have done so by now, Egan said. Instead, more school closures moves us further down the death spiral, further negatively impacting our districts reputation, pushing families out of district schools and into charters, private schools, and the suburbs, negatively impacting student attendance rates and academic achievement, and making it harder for families to engage in schools that are increasingly far from their homes. Olney Highs elevators are a problem At sprawling Olney High, which occupies an entire city block at Front and Duncannon, there are three elevators. Two have been broken for years, and the other is frequently offline most recently broken for more than a month, staff said. For students with mobility issues, that means classes are sometimes completely inaccessible or, at best, difficult to access. Ella Komita Moussa, who teaches special education students at Olney, said the lack of consistent working elevators creates an inequitable learning environment as individuals miss out on instructional time, but also impacts staff particularly food service and custodial workers who have to lug trash and boxes of food up and down five flights of stairs. I teach autistic support students at Olney, and a broken elevator further isolates my class from the rest of the school, Moussa said. I always feel as though Im fighting for more inclusion and a broken elevator feels like its working against us. Olney staff presented a petition signed by hundreds of community members demanding the repair or replacement of elevators, and the development of an emergency plan for how the district will ensure safety and equity when no elevators are working. Shaved artichoke salad at Bastia The food desk at The Inquirer frequently documents the areas standout cheesesteaks and hoagies and pizza, etc. the internets response basically mandates it. But theres another food group were actually very enthusiastic about, though our archives dont necessarily reflect it: salads. While we dont give them nearly the same air time (write in and give us reason to do otherwise!), there are quite a few amazing salads to be found in Phillys restaurants. This week, the one that floored me was the shaved artichoke salad at Bastia, chef Tyler Akins ode to Sardinian cuisine inside Fishtowns industrial-sleek Hotel Ana & Bel. The starter is one of two items that have been on Bastias menu since Day One, and according to Akin, itll probably never come off due to its popularity. Advertisement Like the best salads, this one is dead-simple: Sheer-cut artichokes and slivered celery are tossed with fresh lemon, olive oil, a hefty dose of Parmesan, and salsa verde (the Italian kind, meaning loaded with parsley, garlic, and capers). The heaping mound of zingy, herb-flecked thistles is finished with a generous sprinkle of crispy sunchoke chips so thin and lightly fried, they almost melt away after the first crunch. Akin says Bastia turns out so many of these salads, shaving the artichokes to order is almost a full-time job for one of the restaurants prep cooks. We had a bunch of other courses coming tender figs with salami and cardoon honey, toothsome chestnut-and-porcini pasta, an agrodolce-painted pork collar or I would have eaten a bowlful of this spectacular salad, and the next time Im in Fishtown, I just might. Bastia, 401 E. Susquehanna Ave., 267-651-0269, bastiafishtown.com Jenn Ladd Tiramisu at Scampi I am a hideous tiramisu snob, thanks to eating many, many versions of them during my scouting for Italian restaurants on The 76. The absolute ideal tiramisu has to be balanced: The bitterness of the espresso has to stand up to but not overwhelm! the sweetness of the mascarpone cream, and the biscuits (traditionally ladyfingers, but not always) have to offer the barest bit of resistance to your fork. Its not a mush, but its so fully integrated that you cant imagine plucking the components away from each other. In my opinion, there are maybe three contenders for the best tiramisu in the city, and the version that chef Liz Grothe makes at the Queen Village BYOB Scampi stands tall among them. She makes her tiramisu using sponge cake rather than ladyfingers, and it ably soaks up the espresso without disintegrating. And she cleverly adds a tiny bit of crunch to the dessert using a sprinkle of cornflakes. Ive been eating Grothes tiramisu since she served it at her in-home pop-up Couch Cafe and was delighted when it became a regular fixture on the menu at Scampi. This past weekend, a dear friend turned 40 and got a slice of the Scampi tiramisu in lieu of cake. Its that memorable. Grothe just announced on Instagram that shell be offering tiramisu for pickup during the holidays, should you want a break from pie or cake. A full tiramisu (a whole 9 x 13 inch pan!) serves from 24 to 48 people, Grothe says, but Im sure, with enough determination, you could bring that number down to two. Scampi, 17 S. Third St., scampiphilly.com Margaret Eby Roasted mixed vegetable massaman curry at Dara At Dara, I was excited to try the hed tod, the basket of fried mushrooms that got a shoutout on the 76 this year . I enjoyed those flour-fried fungi, but my favorite dish of the night was the vegetable massaman curry a beautiful, golden-orange bowl packed with roasted cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and fork-tender chunks of carrots and potatoes that were the size of a small fist. (I really dont know how the carrots got so big). The peanuts within and the crispy shallots on top added a lovely crunch. For cold nights this winter, I cant imagine a better dish to warm up with. Its somehow more elegant and more satisfying than the classic massaman curries you can get all over the city. Dara, 1221 Walnut St., 267-876-8107, daraphilly.com Zoe Greenberg Pear and fenugreek basbousa at Majdal Bakery Whats a basbousa, you ask? Its a cake often made of semolina thats soaked in syrup. Its not light and fluffy, but pleasingly dense, with an amazing gritty texture. At Queen Villages Majdal Bakery, that wonderful graininess is thanks to coarsely milled wheat. The bakery, run by Kenan Rabah, who grew up in Golan Heights, features a cornucopia of Syrian pastries and cakes. But the pear-fenugreek basbousa is an obvious standout. Soaked in a spice sugar syrup and topped with labneh and crunchy kataifi (a filo dough-esque pastry), the dessert is not too sweet which, as any Asian will tell you, is the mark of the worlds best sweets. Add to that the softness of the pears playing against the grittiness of the wheat, tinged with the magical lilting hint of fenugreek thats usually confined to savory dishes, and you have an unforgettable dessert. I washed that amazing little treat down with an excellent hot spiced tea. Majdal Bakery, 618 S. Fifth St., majdalbakery.com Bedatri D. Choudhury David Suro-Pinera (left) examines a glass at Cascahuin tequila distillery in El Arenal, Mexico, alongside Salvador Chava Rosales Trejo. Suro-Pinera was named a 2025 "drink visionary" by Food & Wine in recognition of his work elevating and preserving traditional agave and mezcal. Read more Philadelphia restaurateur and agave champion David Suro-Pinera is among 12 drink industry professionals named to Food & Wines inaugural list of drink visionaries, released Thursday. Suro-Pinera was named to the list for the work he put in to transform Tequilas his long-running Mexican restaurant that was partially razed in a 2023 kitchen fire into a sleek cafe-bar-restaurant trio while running Siembra Spirits, a beverage company that highlights traditional Mexican spirits and sustainable mezcal production. Advertisement Im a bridge between amazing people. I introduce some of the best our industry has to the best that Mexico has when it comes to agave spirits, Suro-Pinera told Food & Wine. I have such a deep respect for agave culture and agave spirits. Theyre such emblematic symbols of Mexico. The list is a new annual awards program from the magazine designed to honor the pioneers reshaping the culture around how and why we drink, Food & Wine editor in chief Hunter Lewis said in a statement. The lists honorees include representatives from distilleries, bars, vineyards, and breweries, and were selected from hundreds of nominees by a 60-member panel of editors and hospitality professionals. Other Food & Wine drink visionaries include Indigenous bartender and spirit advocate Danielle Goldtooth, South Africas AJABU Cocktail & Spirits Festival founder Colin Asare-Appiah, and Jill and Steve Matthiasson, the cofounders of regenerative Napa Valley winery Matthiasson Wines. Championing the traditions around growing agave for mezcals has been Suro-Pineras north star since he opened Tequilas in 1986 as upscale un-Americanized Mexican restaurant. The name Tequilas, Suro-Pinera told Food & Wine, was deliberate: While some thought the name had negative connotations, Suro-Pinera believed it made clear his mission of demystifying agave spirits. READ MORE: Two years after a devastating fire, Mexican destination Tequilas returns as two restaurants And demystify them he has. Suro-Pineras 2023 book Agave Spirits with co-author Gary Nabhan won a 2024 James Beard award for its reflection on how the overproduction and cloning of agave can strip away the tradition from distilling mezcal, which has involved slow-cooking agave for days at a time since the 16th century. In 2015, Suro-Pinera founded Siembra Spirits in Guadalajara, Mexico where he grew up as a way to import sustainable agave-based spirits into the U.S., including tequilas made with stone tools in steam ovens from Mexicos Jalisco region. Suro-Pinera also leads groups of bartenders and hospitality professionals (including The Inquirers Craig LaBan) on tours of old-school mezcal producers in Mexico to showcase the industrys beauty and inherent challenges. READ MORE: Mexican spirit, Philly energy with David Suro His other agave advocacy efforts include the Siembra Suro Foundation, a nonprofit he created to provide jimadores the farmers who tend agave fields and the communities they live in with access to clean drinking water, solar electricity, and schooling for their children. READ MORE: Meet Center Citys best new cocktail bar and its $27 not-a-margarita agave cocktail When Suro-Pinera and his children reopened Tequilas at 1602 Locust St. earlier this year, the restaurants ornate dining room was restored, with two additions: La Jefa, an adjoining all-day cafe with Mexican coffee, natural wines, and more agave cocktails; and La Jefa Milpa, a back-door cocktail bar that swaps the standard margarita for more elevated drinks infused with corn, guava, and tamarind. I love tequila even more now, which is why I try to defend tequila more. I dont believe in the industry or the institutions that misrepresent it, Suro-Pinera told The Inquirer in 2023. But I believe in the culture of tequila and the few people that are still keeping up the good fight. Tower Health is closing the intensive care unit, the McGlinn Cancer Institute, and the endoscopy center at Pottstown Hospital as part of cutbacks that include the elimination of 350 jobs, or about 3% of Tower's workforce. Read more Tower Health is laying off 350 people, or about 3% of its workforce, as it contends with financial headwinds facing the healthcare industry, the Berks County nonprofit said Friday. Many of the job cuts are in administrative areas, but Pottstown Hospital in Montgomery County is losing some medical services. There, Tower is closing the combined intensive care/critical care unit, the Pottstown location of the McGlinn Cancer Institute, and the hospitals endoscopy center. Advertisement The elimination of services in Pottstown was part of a broad review of finances and patient volumes, Tower CEO Michael Stern said Friday in an email to employees. Almost all of the affected services will continue being offered at other sites within our network to ensure uninterrupted access to the high-quality care our communities count on, he said. In addition to Pottstown, Tower operates Reading Hospital in West Reading and Phoenixville Hospital in Chester County. It also owns St. Christophers Hospital for Children in Philadelphia in a 50-50 joint venture with Drexel University. READ MORE: Jefferson Health had layoffs in October. The total number of layoffs in Pottstown is 131, including 80 members of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses & Allied Professionals. Just over 700 employees will remain after the cuts. The layoffs include about 60 registered nurses. The layoffs are effective Jan. 16, according to a letter to the union, which represents 275 people at the hospital. At a time when communities need more access to care, not less, slashing services and laying off skilled caregivers isnt just reckless, its cruel, PASNAP president Maureen May said in a statement. These service cuts will deepen healthcare disparities, force patients to travel farther for essential treatment, and leave caregivers and families in crisis. The critical care unit has 12 staffed beds, according to state data, and the hospital is licensed for 213 beds. Although the cancer infusion center at the hospital is closing, radiation oncology services are expected to continue. The program eliminations in Pottstown follow Towers victory this year at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in a significant property tax case. Pottstown School District denied Pottstown Hospital a property tax exemption, arguing that the link between executive bonus and profits was too strong. The court said the bonuses were reasonable because nonprofits need to compete with for-profit companies for talent to run increasingly complex businesses. Winning the exemption saved Tower a little more than $1 million, according to a school district official. Years of digging out of a financial hole In August, Tower reported a narrow operating gain of $5.9 million for the year that ended June 30, but that figure included proceeds from the sale of the shuttered Brandywine Hospital campus. Excluding that sale, Tower would have had its eighth straight year of operating losses. That string of operating losses, which totaled $1.8 billion, followed Towers 2017 purchase of five community hospitals from Community Health Systems for more than $400 million. Tower has since closed two of those hospitals Brandywine and Jennersville and sold a third, Chestnut Hill Hospital. Tower is expected to report financial results for the three months that ended Sept. 30 by the end of next week, according to its usual schedule. W. Wilson Goodes gives a victory sign after voting in the Philadelphia mayoral general election in 1983. Read more The Black man born in the American South stood before thousands of cheering citizens of a major Northeastern city. And late in the night on Nov. 8, 1983, W. Wilson Goode raised his arms victory. Advertisement The 45-year-old Democrat was elected mayor of Philadelphia. He made history as the first Black chief executive in the citys more than 300-year history. Goode! Goode! Goode!, supporters chanted at a jammed Civic Center, The Inquirer reported. He was only the second Black person to be elected mayor of a major Northeastern city, nearly 120 years after the end of the Civil War. I intend to be the mayor of all the people, Goode said as the crowd, once again, chanted his name. Goode received 55% of the vote, vanquishing Republican John Egan and independent Thomas Leonard. Voter turnout in the city of 1.6 million was an astounding 70%, The Inquirer reported. All of us, Goode said, from all neighborhoods, from all walks of life white, Black, Asian, Hispanic all of us, working together, can solve the problems facing our city. Goode was born in a tiny North Carolina town near the Virginia border. When Goode was 15, his sharecropper father moved him and his six siblings to Southwest Philadelphia as part of the Great Migration to escape a raging Jim Crow South. Goode graduated from Bartram High School and Morgan State University. After a stint in the Army he earned a masters in government administration from the University of Pennsylvanias Wharton School of Business. He rose to become the citys managing director in the Bill Green administration, and threw his hat into the mayoral ring when his boss opted not to seek reelection in 1983. Goode was seen as a buttoned-down manager and thoughtful leader with a tireless work ethic. His win was the culmination of a years-long campaign to pierce the political color barrier. The cherry on top was Goodes toppling of former Mayor Frank Rizzo in the Democratic primary. The former police commissioner had come to epitomize the citys fading racist agenda. While Goode was mayor during the 1985 MOVE bombing, and he oversaw a sizable financial crisis, his tenure was also marked by the growth and expansion of Center City, and the salvaging of several city departments, including housing and the homeless office. A severely eroded section of sand dune in North Wildwood in January 2024. Federal officials announced on Friday that a project to replenish North Wildwood's beach has been abandoned as other towns balk at sharing sand. Read more A major federal beach replenishment and dune building project for the Wildwoods has collapsed after years of planning because two key communities have withdrawn support. Thats bad news for North Wildwood, which desperately needs reinforcement for its battered beaches. And it marks another blow to erosion projects at the New Jersey Shore, which received zero federal dollars for replenishment projects this year the first time since 1996. Advertisement The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced Friday that the Hereford Inlet to Cape May Inlet Storm Risk Management Project for Five Mile Island has been officially suspended and that federal funds reserved for the project will be redirected. The DEP said that because it had lost the cooperation of Wildwood and Wildwood Crest, a federal deadline imposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was to manage the project, had passed. Unfortunately, after years of costly engineering work and many attempts by DEP to help resolve local disagreements, the project reached an impasse necessitating its termination, said a letter from the office of DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette to the mayors of Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, North Wildwood, and Lower Township. READ MORE: Wildwood and Wildwood Crest dont want to share sand with North Wildwood The DEP said that the impasse occurred after both Wildwood and Wildwood Crest had previously committed to the project. The Army Corps plan called for sand to be taken from the wide beaches in Wildwood and Wildwood Crest and brought to North Wildwood. But earlier this year, the two resort communities said they enjoyed their wide beaches and no longer wished to participate. Adjustments couldve been made Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera said in a statement to The Inquirer that Wildwood Crest, requested revisions to the proposed plan without withdrawing from it and that adjustments to the plan couldve been made. Wildwood Crest already has a strong dune system, and the proposed approach does not offer a sustainable long-term solution and fails to address the erosion problems in North Wildwood, Cabrera said. He noted that recent major storms, including Hurricane Erin in August and a noreaster in October, demonstrated that the width of that communitys beach had effectively protected it and existing dunes. Destroying part of our existing dune system doesnt make sense, he continued, adding that interference in nature could lead to unintended consequences such as altered slopes and wave action. Cabrera said he is hopeful that some resolution can still be reached. We are very disappointed in the DEP, said North Wildwood Mayor Patrick Rosenello, who vowed to continue pursuing legal remedies. In the past, North Wildwood has sued the state over beach erosion projects. Wildwood Mayor Mayor Ernie Troiano could not be reached immediately for comment. Details of the project The communities involved are on a barrier island known as Five Mile Beach that contains the Wildwoods: North Wildwood, Wildwood, West Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Diamond Beach. All are separate municipalities; Diamond Beach is part of Lower Township. In 2013, a year after Superstorm Sandy devastated the Jersey Shore, the state and U.S. Army Corps began talking about a complex plan to address erosion on the island from Hereford Inlet to Cape May Inlet. State and federal officials agreed to an action plan in 2017. North Wildwood, once the largest beach in the state, has suffered significant erosion of its berm and dune and gets flooded repeatedly, according to the Army Corps. Meanwhile, Wildwood and Wildwood Crest are seeing more sand washed onto their shorelines, causing extensive maintenance problems and health hazards with their stormwater management system, the Army Corps said. To solve both problems at once, the Army Corps planned to pump 1.3 million cubic yards of sand from the ocean floor off Wildwood, Wildwood Crest, and Diamond Beach to create engineered dunes in those communities, as well as engineered dunes and a further protective berm in North Wildwood. In all, the Army Corps planned to create almost five miles of sloped protection from noreasters and hurricanes. North Wildwood would have gotten the most protection: 16-foot-high by 25-foot-wide dunes fronted by 75-foot-wide berms. The plan called for the federal government to pay 65% of the cost, and the state to pay 35%. Beach erosion risks remain It took years for the DEP to get all the towns to sign off on the project. In announcing the projects suspension, LaTourette, the DEP commissioner, said that the coast needs to be treated holistically. Unfortunately, without this project in place, each community on Five-Mile Island will remain susceptible to coastal dynamics, erosion, and storm events, LaTourette said in his letter. LaTourette wrote that because the coast is a contiguous ecosystem, storms and erosion do not abide or discriminate between municipal boundaries. He said the project would cost less than 50 cents for every dollar of benefit. Without this project in place, each community on Five-Mile Island will remain susceptible to coastal dynamics, erosion, and storm events, the letter said. However, LaTourette was hopeful some resolution could be reached. He said the DEP and Army Corps will evaluate an alternative source of sand offshore and the economics of using it. He cautioned that sand from offshore would be significantly more expensive than sand taken from beaches, and that there is no guarantee Congress will authorize more funds. Although this study is already underway, LaTourette wrote, there is no guarantee that the effort will result in a viable new project. A traveler enters the TSA Pre-check security line at Terminals E-F at Philadelphia International Airport Oct. 14, 2025. Read more Philadelphia travelers may encounter delays and cancellations at Philadelphia International Airport airport starting Friday. The federal government shutdown, now officially the longest in U.S. history, has left air traffic controllers and other federal staff without pay and with difficult working conditions. In response, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered all airlines to reduce flights by 10% starting Friday, with cancellations extending into the foreseeable future while the shutdown continues. Which airports are affected by the government shutdown today? 40 major airports across the U.S., including Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), are experiencing air traffic reductions. Advertisement Here is the full list of airports affected by the shutdown: Anchorage International (ANC) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) Boston Logan International (BOS) Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG) Dallas Love (DAL) Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) Denver International (DEN) Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) Newark Liberty International (EWR) Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL) Honolulu International (HNL) Houston Hobby (HOU) Washington Dulles International (IAD) George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH) Indianapolis International (IND) New York John F Kennedy International (JFK) Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS) Los Angeles International (LAX) New York LaGuardia (LGA) Orlando International (MCO) Chicago Midway (MDW) Memphis International (MEM) Miami International (MIA) Minneapolis/St Paul International (MSP) Oakland International (OAK) Ontario International (ONT) Chicago O`Hare International (ORD) Portland International (PDX) Philadelphia International (PHL) Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) San Diego International (SAN) Louisville International (SDF) Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA) San Francisco International (SFO) Salt Lake City International (SLC) Teterboro (TEB) Tampa International (TPA) Why is the FAA reducing flights? Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said pressure on air traffic controllers amid the government shutdown revealed some concerning data, causing the Federal Aviation Administration to swiftly reduce flights at major airports. Speaking on CBS This Morning on Friday, Duffy didnt reveal the exact data that led to the move to cut, but said staffing issues in large hubs like New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta forced the agency to take preemptive action. What did Sean Duffy say about flight reductions? Secretary Duffy said that flight reductions were necessary due to concerning data that appeared after weeks of pressure on air traffic controllers and other staffing issues. We saw controllers working six days a week, 10-hour days. That pressure on the controllers was giving us numbers that were not troubling, but were concerning, Duffy said. Which flights are the FAA cutting? All airlines operating at the 40 U.S. airports identified for flight reductions are affected. The FAA is ordering the airlines to decide which flights are canceled or delayed. Each airline is operating differently. Heres how a few airlines are handling it: American Airlines, which operates 75% of the flights out of PHL is offering travelers who have scheduled flights from Nov. 6-14, the ability to change their trip or request a refund. United Airlines long-haul international flying and hub-to-hub flying will not be interrupted. But other shorter, regional flights or flights to destinations that are not UA hubs may experience delays or cancellations. During the FAA-directed flight reduction, any UA customer is eligible for a refund, even if their flight is not impacted. Delta expects minimal impact to travelers at PHL airport as all planned cancellations for this weekend have been completed. Any Delta customer issued a ticket on or before Nov. 6, for flights between Nov. 7-9, can change, cancel, or refund their flight without penalty during this time. Frontier expects there to be minimal impact to its flights at PHL, said a Frontier spokesperson, but in the case of a delay or cancellation, customers will be notified via email, text, and the Frontier mobile app. Customers with flights that are canceled, or delayed for more than three hours for domestic flights or six hours for international flights, can rebook or request a refund. Southwest Airlines will contact any traveler whose flight is impacted. Customers with a canceled flight will automatically be rebooked on the next available flight, or they can request a refund. Customers with flights between Nov. 7-12 can also rebook a flight within 14 days of the original date of travel, or refund their flight. How is PHL affected by flight delays and cancellations? PHL is experiencing minimal delays and cancellations so far. Only 3% of American Airlines 453 flights on Friday were canceled. However, airline and airport staff are working around the clock to keep those delays and cancellations to a minimum. What are the wait times for TSA at PHL? Travelers at PHL can check live TSA wait times at phl.org/flights/security-information/checkpoint-hours. Two TSA security checkpoints, Terminal A-West and Terminal F, were shut down beginning Wednesday, Nov. 5, to increase staffing and efficiency at the other checkpoints. At the time of publishing, the longest wait time for the TSA security checkpoints is 8 minutes. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.) persistently outperforms the rest of his party and has survived blue wave after blue wave. Read more Should last weeks election results make Brian Fitzpatrick nervous? Bucks County Democrats think so. Advertisement The Republican lawmaker has been like Teflon in the 1st Congressional District, which includes all of Bucks County and a sliver of Montgomery County. He persistently outperforms the rest of his party and has survived blue wave after blue wave. First elected in 2016, he has remained the last Republican representing the Philadelphia suburbs in the U.S. House. But Democrats pulled something off this year that they hadnt done in recent memory. They won each countywide office by around 10 percentage points the largest win margin in a decade and for the first time installed a Democrat, Joe Khan, as the countys next top prosecutor. Now they are looking to next year, hopeful that County Commissioner Bob Harvie, the likely Democratic nominee, succeeds where Fitzpatricks past challengers have failed. This year was unprecedented, and sitting here a year before the midterm, you have to believe that next year is going to be unprecedented as well, State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, who is also the county partys chair, said Wednesday. Eli Cousin, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, predicted a perfect storm brewing for Democrats to beat Fitzpatrick. He and Trumps Republican Party are deeply underwater with Bucks County voters; he has failed to do anything to address rising costs, and we will have a political juggernaut in Gov. Josh Shapiro at the top of the ticket, Cousin said. There are several reasons Democrats may be exhibiting some premature confidence: Despite a spike in turnout for an off-year election, far fewer voters turn out in such elections than do in midterms. Fitzpatrick is extremely well-known in Bucks, where his late brother served before he was elected to the seat. He has won each of his last three elections by double digits. Just last year, President Donald Trump narrowly won Bucks County, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to do so since the 1980s, and Republicans overtook Democrats in voter registrations last year. But Tuesday was a sizable pendulum swing in the bellwether. Some of the communities, like Bensalem, that drove Trumps victory flipped back to blue. The last time Democrats had won a sheriffs race in the county was 2017, a year after Trump was elected the first time. That year, Democrats won by smaller margins, and a Republican incumbent easily won reelection as district attorney. The following year, Fitzpatrick came the closest he has yet to losing a race, but still won his seat by 3 percentage points. This years landslide, Democrats say, is a warning sign. There were Democratic surges in every place that theres a competitive congressional seat, and that should be scaring the s out of national Republicans, said Democratic strategist Brendan McPhilips, who managed Democratic Sen. John Fettermans campaign in the state and worked on both of the last Democratic presidential campaigns here. The Bucks County seat has always been the toughest, but its certainly on the table, and theres a lot there for Bob Harvie to harness and take advantage of. Harvie, a high school teacher-turned-politician, leapt on the results of the election hours after races were called, putting out a statement saying, There is undeniable hunger for change in Bucks County. The mood of the country certainly is different, Harvie said in an interview with The Inquirer on Thursday. What youre seeing is definitely a referendum. Lack of GOP concern But Republicans dont appear worried. Jim Worthington, a Trump megadonor who is deeply involved in Bucks County politics, attributes GOP losses this year to a failure in mail and in-person turnout. Fitzpatrick, he said, has a track record of running robust mail voting campaigns and separating himself from the county party apparatus. Hes not vulnerable, Worthington said. No matter who they run against him, theyre going to have their hands full. Heather Roberts, a spokesperson for Fitzpatricks campaign, noted that the lawmaker won his last election by 13 points with strong support from independent voters in 2024 a year after Democrats performed well in the county in another off-year election. She dismissed the notion that Harvie would present a serious challenge, contending the commissioner has no money and no message for his campaign. Fitzpatrick is also a prolific fundraiser. He brought in $886,049 last quarter, a large amount even for an incumbent, leading Harvie, who raised $217,745. Bob Harvies not going to win this race, said Chris Pack, spokesperson for the Defending America PAC, which is supporting Fitzpatrick. He has no money. Hes had two dismal fundraising quarters in a row. Thats problematic. Pack noted Harvies own internal poll, reviewed by The Inquirer, showed 57% of voters were unsure how they felt about him. An off-off-year election is not the same as a midterm election, Pack said, adding he thinks Fitzpatricks ranking as the most bipartisan member of Congress will continue to serve him well in Bucks County. Hes obviously had well-documented breaks on policy with the Republican caucus in D.C., so for Bob Harvie to try to say Brian Fitzpatrick is super far right, no ones gonna buy it, Pack said. They havent bought it every single election. On fundraising, Harvie said he had brought in big fundraising hauls for both of his commissioner races, and said he would have the money he needed to compete. Of the four GOP-held House districts Democrats are targeting next year in the state, Fitzpatricks seat is by far the safest. That raises the question: How much money and attention are Democrats willing to invest in Pennsylvania? Whos the most vulnerable? asked Chris Nicholas, a GOP consultant who grew up in Bucks County. The other three U.S. Rep. Scott Perry and freshman U.S. Reps. Rob Bresnahan, in the Northeast, and Ryan Mackenzie, in the Lehigh Valley won by extremely narrow margins last year. If youre ranking the four races, you have Rob Bresnahan at the top and Fitzpatrick at the bottom, Nicholas said. National Democrats seldom invest as much to try to beat Fitzpatrick as they say they will, Nicholas said. And he pointed to 2018, a huge year for Democrats, when they had a candidate in Scott Wallace who was very well-funded, albeit far less known than Harvie, and still came up short. Democrats see Harvie as the best shot they have had a twice-elected commissioner, with name ID from Lower Bucks County, home to many of the districts swing voters. And the 1st District is one of just three in the country that is held by a Republican member of Congress where Vice President Kamala Harris won last year. And then theres Shapiro, who Democrats think will give a boost to candidates like Harvie as he runs for reelection next year. Shapiro won the district by 20 points in 2022. Following the playbook used by successful candidates this year, Democrats are likely to argue to voters that Fitzpatrick has done little to push back on Trump while placing cost-of-living concerns at the feet of the Republican Party. A lot of people are, you know, upset with where we are as a nation, Harvie said. They grew up expecting that if you worked hard and played by the rules, youd be able to have all the things you needed and have a good life. And thats not happening for them. The Trump effect Democrats won races in Bucks County, and across the country, this year by tying their opponents to Trump a tactic that was especially effective in ousting Republican Sheriff Fred Harran, who partnered his office with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In recent cycles, that strategy has not worked against Fitzpatrick. The big thing Democrats throw against Republicans is youre part and parcel of Trump and MAGA, and Fitzpatrick voted against Trump, Nicholas said. Over nearly 10 years in Congress, Fitzpatrick has been a rare Republican who pushes back on Trump, though often subtly. Fitzpatrick, who cochairs the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, was the lone Pennsylvania Republican to confirm former President Joe Bidens electoral victory in 2020. A former FBI agent who spent a stint stationed in Ukraine, he is among the strongest voices of support for Ukraine in Congress, consistently pushing the administration to do more to aid the country as it resists a yearslong Russian invasion. Fitzpatrick was also one of just two House Republicans to vote against Trumps signature domestic policy package, which passed in July. He voted for an earlier version that passed the House by just one vote, which Democrats often bring up to claim Fitzpatrick defies his party only when it has no detrimental impact. Hes good at principled stances that ultimately do nothing, said Tim Persico, an adviser with the Harvie campaign. That is what has allowed him to defy gravity in the previous cycles. Now the economy is doing badly. People feel worse about everything, and Fitzpatrick isnt doing anything to help with that. I think it makes it harder to defy gravity. Trump has endorsed every Republican running for reelection in Pennsylvania next year except Fitzpatrick. While the Bucks County lawmaker has avoided direct criticism of the president, in an appearance in Pittsburgh over the summer, Trump characterized the no vote on the domestic bill as a betrayal. Fitzpatrick has faced more conservative primary challengers in the past, but no names have surfaced so far this cycle, a sign that even the more MAGA-aligned may see him as their best chance to hold onto the purple district. Keeping his distance from Trump, and limiting Democrats opportunities to tie the two together, may remain Fitzpatricks best path forward. Anybody who wants to align themselves with an agenda of chaos and corruption and cruelty ought to be worried, said Khan, Bucks Countys new district attorney-elect. This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirers high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com/donate. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org/supporters. An election sign in South Philadelphia on Sunday urged voters to retain Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty for another 10-year term. Read more The biggest win for Pennsylvania Democrats in Tuesdays election was a decisive victory for three liberal state Supreme Court justices. Each of the justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht will remain on the bench, with 62% of voters supporting their retention in a closely watched and historically expensive race. Pennsylvania on Tuesday saw 40% turnout statewide, which is higher than in most off-year elections. Advertisement Technically, the justices campaigns for retention were nonpartisan, and the jurists promise to continue to be nonpartisan actors while on the bench. But political battle lines emerged following a GOP effort to oust the three justices, who were originally elected as Democrats in 2015, to reshape the courts balance. Democratic groups and their allies responded, outspending the Republicans 4-1 in a race totaling more than $15 million. The justices nationally watched retention efforts garnered support from the states cities and suburbs and from bellwether counties that voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 as Democrats won up and down the ballot Tuesday in Pennsylvania and across the country. The justices even gathered support from some longtime GOP strongholds, according to an analysis by The Inquirer. But a new partisan tilt to the traditionally routine and sleepy judicial retention elections emerged, and may create a ripple effect in the states highest court in the years to come, legal experts, party leaders, and academics said. The justices had support across the state. Even some counties that voted for Trump in 2024 voted yes Unsurprisingly, much of the yes vote to retain the justices can be attributed to the bluest and most populous parts of Pennsylvania. Montgomery County saw record turnout for an off-year election, and turnout for the states 8.9 million registered voters topped 40% statewide. READ MORE: The elections drew amazing turnouts in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey But a number of bellwether areas that often reflect how Pennsylvania will vote in presidential elections, such as Bucks and Erie Counties as well as a handful of GOP strongholds supported Trump in 2024, but also backed the efforts to retain the Democratic justices this year. In all, 24 out of Pennsylvanias 67 counties voted yes to retain the three justices. Of that group, 16 counties went for Trump last year, including some longtime GOP strongholds like Lancaster, York, and Cumberland Counties. The comparison between the 2024 presidential election results and Pennsylvanias lower-turnout, off-year election this year is not exact, said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. Democratic or independent voters upset with the Trump administration were more motivated to go to the polls this Election Day, compared with the high turnout in a presidential year like 2024 that brought out more GOP voters, he said. READ MORE: Party soul-searching, the Latino vote, and a South Jersey strategy: Takeaways from Tuesdays election Stephen Medvic, a government professor at Franklin and Marshall College, echoed that, adding that the anti-Trump voters and a pro-Democratic wave helped bolster the justices from facing a serious threat of losing their seats. These counties that went for Trump didnt go by much. They were close enough in the presidential that you couldve guessed in a big Democratic year they were going to vote yes, Medvic added. The GOP ouster campaign against the judges was unsuccessful, but it still worked. In 41 counties, No won While the justices were ultimately retained, the Republican Partys vote no campaign to oust them got through to most GOP-majority counties across the state. Before this years Supreme Court election, judges and justices were almost always retained, and a majority of voters in every county voted in favor of their retention. Only one justice in the states history, Russell Nigro in 2005, was ever not retained. That ouster was due to a larger shake-up across Pennsylvania state government that year, rather than his ideology on the bench. But that paradigm appeared to shift this year, following the GOPs campaign to try to oust the justices as three appeared on the retention ballot at once in a rare event in hopes of eventually electing more conservative justices to the states highest court. In 41 Pennsylvania counties, a majority voted against retaining the justices, an Inquirer analysis showed. The GOPs no campaign to oust the three justices was an effort to try to reshape the 5-2 liberal majority court ahead of the 2028 presidential election, and redistricting in the years that follow the 2030 U.S. Census. One Republican influencer, Scott Presler, called it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the makeup of the states highest court for years to come, citing some past decisions by the liberal majority court that Republicans disagreed with. Voters were bombarded in the off-year election with commercials, ads, and mailers. More than $15 million was spent on the race, with most of the expenditures from Democratic groups. As a result, the retention election was contested more in a partisan space than some type of evaluation of their performance as a justice, Borick said. It became more partisan in nature than any retention races ever had been before, with over $15 million in money spent on the race to sway Pennsylvania voters, Borick said. Experts dont agree on whether retention races will continue to be partisan Theres no agreement among legal experts, academics, or even party leaders about whether Pennsylvanias judicial retention process will continue on a partisan track after this years multimillion-dollar campaign. Eugene DePasquale, the Pennsylvania Democratic Partys new chair and an attorney, said he hopes the parties wont spend like this again in 2027, when two more state Supreme Court justices are up for retention, one conservative and one liberal. But DePasquale said he cant say for sure. My hope is that maybe once and for all, we defeated this being a political thing and we can let the voters get back to deciding whether the person has done a good job or not, he added. Sam Pond, a managing partner of Philadelphia-based law firm Pond Lehocky, which specializes in workers compensation, isnt as hopeful about the future of judicial retention elections and said he is worried the political themes of this years race will threaten the courts judicial independence. I think the politicization is here to stay, Pond said. It concerns me, because I think it really bastardizes and defeats the purpose of retention. There is a bit of a silver lining for those hoping retention elections wont be entirely political, Borick said: While the state Supreme Court justices were retained with a resounding majority, the two Democrats elected to open seats on the states appellate courts were elected with a lower margin. That means some Republican voters cast their ballot in support of the justices retention, while also supporting the GOP candidates in lower courts, he said. I dont know whether this is going to be par for the course or not, Medvic said. A lot of resources were thrown at it, maybe too much, and in effect they just barely made a dent in the yes vote. Im cautiously optimistic that were not going to turn retention elections into partisan battles from now on, Medvic added. But thats certainly a possibility. District Attorney Larry Krasner speaks to supporters during his election night party after winning the primary in May. Read more District Attorney Larry Krasner has never been one to temper his words. When he first campaigned to be the citys top prosecutor in 2017, he promised not to seek the death penalty, to hold police accountable, and to overhaul an office culture that he said prioritized convictions over justice. Advertisement And when he won a second term in 2021, at the height of an unprecedented gun violence crisis, he pledged to expand the unit that investigates questionable convictions and to continue to push for a less punitive justice system. But this week, as he was reelected for another four years positioning him to be one of Philadelphias longest-serving district attorneys Krasner offered no clear agenda for what he will pursue next. Instead, he said he wants the publics help in deciding what to focus on over what he has said could be his final term. If you are a criminologist, please, Krasner said Wednesday morning. If you are or have been a victim or a survivor of crime, please. If you are or have been a witness, a juror, even a defendant we want your ideas. We want to take them into account." People closest to some of the citys most pressing criminal justice issues lawyers and former judges, advocates for crime victims and those accused of crimes have some ideas for the district attorney and how his policies could evolve in the years ahead. Heres what they said: Prioritize domestic violence cases The shooting death of Kada Scott last month raised questions about prosecutors handling of earlier assault cases against the man now charged with killing her, and that has led some to call for more vigilance in such cases. When the alleged victim failed to show up in court, Krasners office dismissed the charges against Keon King, and he walked free. Krasner said he regretted that decision and vowed to revisit how his office handles domestic violence cases. READ MORE: Months before Kada Scotts killing, Keon King was wanted for kidnapping his ex, but no one arrested him even in court But to some advocates, the case underscored the need for assigning experienced prosecutors to cases that are often complex. Joanna Otero-Cruz, executive director of Women Against Abuse, said that too often, young, inexperienced attorneys are assigned to handle crimes of domestic violence and that sometimes leads to disappointing results. Because the attorneys are juggling so many cases, she said, they typically dont have the time to speak in depth with victims and witnesses in advance of court proceedings to understand the totality of the abuse, their fears, and the defendants criminal history. And because victims move to escape abuse or have unstable housing, they can be difficult to reach, and lawyers in the district attorneys office need to do more than call once or send a subpoena to summon them to court. Krasner can change that, she said, by assigning seasoned lawyers to prosecute such crimes, reducing their caseloads, and providing more training on understanding the complexities of victims lives as well as those of the people accused of assaulting them. These cases really, truly require a deep understanding of domestic violence and trauma, she said. We encourage the district attorneys office to assign experienced prosecutors to domestic violence cases through every step of the way from charging to the verdict. Resist ICE Krasner has been clear in his commitment to protecting undocumented Philadelphians. Keisha Hudson, chief defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, lauded his assurances so far but said he could do more to ensure that other law enforcement agencies share that pledge, especially as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ramps up deportations nationwide under President Donald Trump. Hudson said the city, with support from Krasner and the police department, should take steps to restrict ICEs access to courthouses and to information revealing when undocumented people are due in court. Hudson said her office is launching a new unit to provide legal services to undocumented people charged with crimes. Krasner, she said, should make a similar effort to support undocumented victims and limit ICEs access to both defendants and victims. READ MORE: Charges against a man were dismissed. Then a Philly police officer escorted him into ICE custody. ICE agents have been inside Philadelphias courthouse every day this week, Hudson said, and at least two of her clients both charged with nonviolent crimes were detained after showing up for their hearings. The agents presence is discouraging victims from coming to court, she said. And as Trump has threatened to send National Guard troops to Democratic-controlled cities, Krasner has vowed to charge federal agents if they overstep the laws and commit crimes. Sergio Cea, the political director for the progressive group Reclaim Philadelphia, said he was encouraged by Krasners resistance and hopes he holds firm on that if the time comes. Were very interested in somebody who will actually hold these masked agents accountable for the actions that they do, Cea said. Expand restorative justice work Krasners administration has worked to reduce the number of young people held in the citys juvenile jail, but some advocates want him to reimagine accountability for them. This victory especially in what could be his final term gives him a really clear mandate to carry out some of his more visionary ways of reshaping the juvenile justice system, said Sarah Morris, codirector of the Youth Art and Self Empowerment Project, or YASP, which works with juveniles accused of crimes. YASPs restorative justice diversion program, called Healing Futures, was the first program of its kind to collaborate with the district attorneys office, starting in 2021, and works with teens charged with crimes that do not involve guns including felonies like robbery, arson, and assault. Over a six-month program, the teens connect with the people they harmed, take accountability, and work to make amends. Upon completion of the program, charges are withdrawn. A recent study of 30 young people, their parents, and the victims who participated between 2021 and 2023 showed that 100% said they had a positive experience, Morris said. Only one of the 30 teens was adjudicated delinquent of another crime after leaving, they said. READ MORE: Philly still locks up kids at a rate seen in few other cities But Morris said the programs reach is limited because it lacks city funding and because Krasner bars the participation of teens charged with sex offenses or crimes involving guns or drugs. The group would like Krasner to allow young people charged with gun crimes to take part in the program. And Morris said the district attorney has made little progress in reducing the number of juveniles charged as adults. This is the moment when he should really make good on his commitment to treat kids as kids, Morris said. In doing so he can really cement his legacy as being a truly transformative figure in our juvenile justice system. Retrain inexperienced prosecutors Even the man Krasner twice defeated in his race to a third term has some ideas for the district attorney. Patrick Dugan says one of the reasons he left his job as a Municipal Court judge to run for district attorney was the way that he saw prosecutors handle cases in his courtroom. Attorneys often withdrew criminal charges because a witness did not show up to court, he said, but then acknowledged they had done little to try to get the witness there. At times, he said, younger attorneys stumbled and did not have a more seasoned prosecutor to lean on for help. The district attorneys office has for years been a landing spot for young lawyers, but Krasner dismissed dozens of experienced attorneys when he took office in 2018. Dozens more left on their own accord. Dugan who lost his bid to unseat Krasner both in the spring, when he ran in the Democratic primary, and in the fall, when he challenged him as the Republican nominee made a lack of experience among prosecutors a key part of his pitch to voters. The former president judge of Municipal Court said often on the campaign trail that one of his first actions as district attorney would be to retrain the hundreds of lawyers in the district attorneys office and ensure that attorneys with less experience have supervisors available to help them obtain convictions. He hopes Krasner considers doing it himself. Improve the relationship with City Hall City Hall is just across the street from the district attorneys office, but at times over the last eight years of Krasners tenure, it has felt like a wider divide. Krasner clashed with former Mayor Jim Kenney over his progressive policies and has had a tumultuous relationship with some members of City Council, at times angering members by being defensive during hearings about the work of his office. Former City Councilmember Sharon Vaughn, who has supported Krasner and his criminal justice reform agenda, says that his relationships with City Hall have improved over his first two terms, but that more can be done on both sides. While Krasner has not publicly clashed with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, they are not known to have a close relationship. The citys top officials, Vaughn said, should be meeting at least once a month to discuss crime prevention and criminal justice reform. At this point, the race is over. He has become the winner, she said. Lets get together as a team and make our city the great place that it could be to live. The methadone clinic in the 900 block of Market Street operates out of the second floor of this building. Read more The methadone clinic on East Market Street is slated for closure, which would shutter one of the most centrally located drug treatment facilities in Philadelphia. Addiction Medicine & Health Advocates has operated out of its clinic at 928 E. Market St. since 2009, offering services to hundreds of patients a year. It is expected to close by years end. Advertisement Many of the surrounding businesses have been shuttered in recent years, including a cash-for-gold store and a Subway franchise that it shared a building with. But the clinic continued on, its door inconspicuously located in a recessed alcove while its services were offered on the second floor. Addiction Medicines long-term fate at its current location has been in question since the Philadelphia 76ers began their push for a Center City arena in 2022. As part of their larger plans, the team planned to develop projects on the south side of the 900 and 1000 blocks of Market Street. Even after the arena deal fell apart, the 76ers in partnership with Comcast said they were committed to a major real estate development on East Market. Earlier this year, they announced their purchase of properties on the south side of those blocks, which includes Addiction Medicines 928 E. Market home. In October, they announced plans to demolish a handful of properties on the 1000 block. The team declined to comment on Addiction Medicines coming closure. A receptionist at the clinic told The Inquirer the clinic was closing because its lease is at an end. Other drug treatment organizations in the city have been coordinating with Addiction Medicine to take on its caseload and ensure continuity of care for patients. Methadone is a medication often used to treat people who are addicted to illicit opioids, easing cravings for the increasingly dangerous narcotic. Community Behavioral Health (CBH) is aware of the planned closure of Addiction Medicine & Health Advocates and has been working closely with AMHA since early September ... to support a coordinated transition of care for all of our affected members, said Rhashidah Perry-Jones, senior director of communications and government affairs with CBH. CBH is the city-contracted nonprofit that coordinates benefits for behavioral health services and addiction treatment for recipients of Medicaid, the government-funded health insurance for low-income people. Addiction Medicine has operated out of Center City for 40 years. Its latest nonprofit 990 forms show over $3.7 million in revenue, which largely stems from Medicaid coverage of its treatment services. In a 2015 interview, executive director Robert Holmes described the accessibility of Addiction Medicines location at the heart of Philadelphias transit system as a key aspect of its services. Our priority is to ensure that individuals with Medicaid receiving methadone treatment experience no disruption in access to their medication and ongoing recovery supports, said Perry-Jones of CBH. While we recognize the challenges that will be posed by AMHAs closure at the end of this calendar year, we remain confident that through coordinated planning, Medicaid recipients in need will continue to have timely access to care, Perry-Jones said. CBH has 15 methadone clinics in its network, but Perry-Jones said she is unsure how many operate in the city overall. Perry-Jones said that despite the closure of Addiction Medicines East Market location, she does not anticipate any problems meeting the need for methadone treatment in the city. Addiction Medicines closing follows the shuttering of the much larger Wedge Recovery Centers this spring. The addiction treatment provider had eight locations across the city and served 1,900 patients, nearly all of whom used Medicaid. Wedge officials said that the company was dealing with increased overhead costs, fewer patients enrolling in Medicaid, and a lack of ability or interest from local and state government to offer financial support. Health providers and advocates for people with addiction are always concerned for patients when a treatment program is closed, said Shoshi Aronowitz, a family medicine nurse-practitioner and nursing professor at the University of Pennsylvania who treats people with addiction. Similar to my concerns about what happened when Wedge announced it was closing, even in a best-case scenario when theres truly enough capacity, theres always potential for people to get lost, she said, stressing that she was not speaking on behalf of her employer. Methadone is subject to strict federal regulations that often require patients to take a dose in-person at clinics on a daily basis. Transitioning to a new clinic could be difficult for patients, she said. Addiction Medicines location in Center City, close to many public transportation routes, set it apart from other clinics, and patients may find it harder to get to their new clinics, she added. Methadone is notoriously onerous to access, already something that can be hard for people, Aronowitz said. Its a big deal to have to go to a new place that might not be close to you. People might not understand where they can go or be fearful to go to a new place. And she was concerned to see a second addiction medicine provider close in a year in Philadelphia. Who knows what will happen in the future? But at a certain point, theres not going to be enough slots [to accommodate displaced patients] if places keep closing, she said. The outside of the Polish American Cultural Center on Walnut Street in Philadelphia in October 2025. Read more Michael Blichasz of the Polish American Cultural Center attempted to mount a last-ditch effort Wednesday to reclaim the publicly owned building his nonprofit occupied for almost 40 years. At a City Council hearing, he evoked a litany of long dead political figures who he swore had supported Philadelphias alleged effort to gift 308-10 Walnut St. to his organization in the late 1980s. Advertisement Blichasz name-dropped former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp, then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, Councilmembers Joan L. Krajewski and Fran Rafferty, as well as U.S. Rep. Lucien Blackwell. None of them are alive to speak to the long ago deal. He said U.S. Sen. John Heinz, who represented Pennsylvania from 1977 to 1991, assured him that the city would buy the building for Blichaszs group, despite an earlier understanding that the Polish Center would pay Philadelphia back the $4,687,750 that the buildings purchase eventually cost taxpayers. Unfortunately, our buddy John Heinz was killed in that helicopter crash, otherwise hes the kind of guy who would definitely come and be part of this hearing today, said Blichasz, who is president and lone face of the group. But as the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA) argued in written testimony, there is no proof for Blichaszs claims. He and his museum were removed from the Walnut Street property earlier this year. Different versions of history It is true that Blichasz ran the Polish American Cultural Center, which included a museum on the first floor, out of the property on Walnut Street for decades, and the city left the group alone, seemingly forgetting that it owned the Society Hill building. When the Redevelopment Authority took an interest in the building again under Mayor Jim Kenney, a 2019 tour revealed dangerously deteriorated conditions that Blichasz said his group could not afford to remediate. The Redevelopment Authority then offered Blichasz numerous compromise deals that could have left the Polish Museum in the Walnut Street buildings first floor intact, while the city reclaimed the rest of the building. The city also offered him money to relocate the museum. Blichasz declined to compromise, arguing that he owned the building based on the supposed handshake agreement in the 1980s. When the city eventually took him to court in 2023 to effectuate his eviction, he refused to hire a lawyer. The court subsequently ruled in favor of the Redevelopment Authority. So he has been pressing his case in City Council, just as he did in the 1980s when he sought to create a Polish complement to the city-backed African American and Mummers museums. But this time, instead of winning a building, he only secured Wednesdays hearing. Not a good public steward The Redevelopment Authority appears to have had enough, accusing Blichasz of no longer representing any meaningful constituency of Polish Americans and carrying out a quixotic crusade to no tangible end. Mr. Blichasz continues to attempt to improperly use political favor, undue influence, and bullying tactics to force the PRA to convey the property to a defunct corporation that does not have the financial capacity to properly repair and maintain a very valuable property in the heart of Old City, the authority argued in written testimony. The Redevelopment Authority says that between April and October of 2025, it sought to work with Blichasz to remove the Polish Museums collection of artifacts, but he declined to help. Instead, PACC [Polish American Cultural Center] continues to attempt to reach out to various political offices for assistance in an attempt to improperly influence the PRA to transfer to PACC a highly valuable publicly owned asset, the authoritys testimony reads. PACC clearly is not entitled to ownership of the property, nor does it have the wherewithal or financial capacity to even properly maintain the property, the authoritys testimony continues. The PRA would not be a good public steward were it to convey the property to PACC, which appears to be in its present state, a defunct corporation that is only represented by Mr. Blichasz. Blichasz has sought to petition for aid from U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick, Philadelphia congressional representatives, and other politicians. Only Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the district where the museum is located, has offered assistance. But at the end of his City Council hearing, with just Squilla and Councilmember Mike Driscoll in attendance, there was no clear avenue left for Blichasz to plead his case. Still, Blichasz said he still believed that the agreement made in the 1980s with politicians of the day would exculpate him even if there is no extant legal proof of it. All these people, these great people, came and said it was finalized, Blichasz said. And no one ever came for 30 years. A New Jersey developer is set to transform a block of North Philadelphia with 232 new houses spread across dozens of triplexes and quadplexes. The project at 2200 N. Eighth St. has been in the works for over two years and has been almost halved in size from the original plan presented in 2023. Advertisement This project is on a very large block in our community, and at first we did not like the project because it was planned for 500 units in a five- to six-story solid block apartment building that covered the entire block with a parking garage on the first floor, said Denise Anderson, a leader with the 37th Ward registered community organization, which voted to support the project before the Zoning Board of Adjustment. We told the development team that 500 units was too many, and they listened, Anderson said at a Wednesday meeting of the citys advisory Civic Design Review committee. The design they presented today takes into account community feedback, and the overall density of the project is much lower. The site spans an entire city block between Eighth and Ninth Streets and Susquehanna Avenue and Dauphin Streets. It is currently a derelict warehouse, which darkens the block at night with no trees and little lighting. The developer also plans to eliminate all but two of the curb cuts that serviced the old warehouse, fix the broken sidewalk, plant 44 street trees, and install bike parking. The houses will front on to the sidewalk. Its very dark along the site right now, said Rustin Ohler, with Harman Deutsch Ohler Architecture, which designed the new project. The developer is adding stoops and space and eyes on the street to all of the fronts. The property is still zoned for industrial use, which is one of the reasons the developer is required to go before the zoning board. It also is providing less parking than the zoning code requires, with 92 spaces split between on-street parking which is currently scarce on the buildings perimeter and a parking lot on the interior of the new development that the homes will back on to. Although the property is close to Temple Universitys campus, it is not intended for students. Instead, Ohler said that while the development will not be directly subsidized as affordable housing, it would be targeted toward local residents and families. He said that the units would be affordable to those making between $57,360 and $95,600 for a household of two. He also said that the developer already rents to Housing Choice Voucher holders in the area, better known as Section 8, and that the units would be advertised to those with those subsidies. We would be taking those vouchers, Ohler said. Weve also agreed with the community to do rental workshops and notification to local churches, RCOs, and postings [in the neighborhood], so that we try and obtain tenants from the community first. They get first right to units. The developer did not attend the Civic Design Review meeting, and the only name listed on the plans is a limited liability company that shares the address of the project. But deed paperwork filed with the city is signed by Andre Herszaft of Lakewood, N.J. The Civic Design Review committee praised the efforts to both enliven the neighborhood and provide affordable housing. Their only criticism was that they felt the project should offer more public space in the interior of the project, where much of the parking is planned. Ohler noted that earlier versions of the project featured those kinds of amenities, but the community preferred to maximize parking. We are in a position here where a bunch of designers are telling you to go against the wishes of the community, said Dan Garofalo, of the University of Pennsylvania and a longstanding member of the CDR committee. But we also want a city that isnt overrun with parking. Bristol Myers Squibb reached a $239 million settlement of claims that former Celgene shareholders were defrauded about prospects for the psoriasis drug Otezla, and multiple sclerosis treatment now known as Zeposia. A preliminary settlement of the 7-1/2-year-old class action was filed on Tuesday night in the federal court in Newark, New Jersey, and requires a judges approval. The former shareholders could receive about $159.3 million after legal fees and costs are deducted, court papers show. Bristol Myers bought Celgene for $80.3 billion in cash and stock in November 2019. In a statement on Wednesday, Bristol Myers said it was pleased to settle, so it can continue focusing on developing medicines to help patients fight disease. Celgene was accused of overstating the revenue potential for Otezla and ozanimod, the generic name for Zeposia, as it prepared for the eventual loss of patent protection for its blockbuster multiple myeloma drug Revlimid. The company and two executives allegedly ignored internal warnings that Otezla would generate less revenue than investors were promised, and that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would not approve ozanimod without required study data. Celgenes alleged misrepresentations inflated its share price, causing billions of dollars of shareholder losses after the truth came out, the lawsuit said. All defendants denied wrongdoing, and settled to avoid the uncertainty and cost of further litigation. Amgen bought Otezla from Celgene for $13.4 billion in cash in 2019. The class is led by Swedish pension fund AMF Tjanstepension AB, and includes former Celgene shareholders from April 27, 2017 to April 27, 2018. Matthew Mustokoff, a lawyer for the shareholders, said they were gratified by the settlement. Celgene was based in Summit, New Jersey, and Bristol Myers is based in Princeton, New Jersey. The shareholders lawyers plan to seek up to 30% of the settlement fund, or about $71.7 million, for legal fees. The case is In re Celgene Corp Securities Litigation, U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey, No. 18-04772. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot) Topics Mississippi A federal court of appeals has revived a case over an alleged failure of insurance broker Willis of New Jersey to notify the insurer for one of its New York clients of the presence of lead paint in his residential building in Queens. The landlord, Paro Management Co., was sued by tenants for damages over their alleged exposure to lead paint. Its insurer denied Paro coverage for the claims because it had not been told about the lead paint on the premises. Paro alleges that it instructed Willis to convey the notice about lead paint to its insurer and Willis promised to do so but did not follow through. Paro sued the insurer, Allied World National Assurance Co., seeking a declaration of coverage. Both the former tenants lawsuit and the coverage action are pending in New York Supreme Court. Paro subsequently brought the action against Willis under New York law for negligence and negligent misrepresentation. The federal district court in Manhattan dismissed Paros complaint as unripe and for failing to support its claims of broker negligence and misrepresentation. However, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has now reversed the lower court and remanded the case for further proceedings. The appeals court found that the case is ripe and does support the negligence claim. The appeals court agreed with the dismissal of the negligent misrepresentation claim. Regarding ripeness, the district court referenced the two pending state court cases and reasoned that Paro was seeking relief against Willis because its insurer may succeed in denying coverage. The district court concluded that any real, substantial controversy between Paro and Willis, thus depends upon contingent future events that may not occur as anticipated, or indeed may not occur at all. The Second Circuit found that in error, asserting that Paros claims against Willis are indeed constitutionally ripe. Paro alleges that the insurance policy covered claims for loss arising out of a pollution incident occurring at the Queens property up to the $10,000,000 policy limit. Williss failure to convey the lead paint notice to the insurer allegedly caused the insurer to disclaim coverage for the damages sought in the lead paint lawsuit, prompting Paro to sue the insurer for a declaration of coverage. The costs Paro has incurred in litigating the coverage action constitute a pocketbook injury allegedly caused by Williss negligence, the Second Circuit explained. Moreover, the court said, Paros alleged injury does not depend on how the insurance lawsuit will be resolved. Even if Paro prevails in that case, it likely could not recover its litigation costs from its insurer because it is well established that an insured may not recover from an insurer the expenses incurred in bringing an affirmative action against an insurer to settle its rights under the policy. Paros asserted pocketbook injury is thus actual, not conjectural or hypothetical, and it suffices to make the case constitutionally ripe, the court found, reversing the lower court. In terms of the negligence claim against Willis, the district court concluded that the complaint did not adequately allege that Willis owed a duty to Paro to give the lead paint notice to the insurer. But the appeals court held that Paro does adequately allege such a duty. Paro alleges that it instructed Willis to convey the notice to the insurer and that Willis and its employees made representations that notice would be provided and that Willis asserted it would take care of Paros insurance needs, including notifying the insurer of the claim made lead paint exposure. Willis contends that Paros allegations are vague and did not establish the specific agreements or routine course of business that courts have found can create a special relationship giving rise to a brokers duty to notify the insurer, which would go beyond the brokers responsibility for procuring coverage. But the Second Circuit disagreed, finding Paros allegations, if true, would establish that Paro asked Willis to take on an additional responsibility above and beyond procuring coverage and that Willis agreed to do so. That agreement imposed on Willis a duty to notify the insurer, a duty Willis had to execute with reasonable care, the court said. The notice to the insurer need not include detailed factual allegations about the agreement, the court added. Further, Paros assertion is that Williss failure caused the insurer to decline coverage in connection with the lead-paint lawsuit, forcing Paro to litigate a costly coverage action. Paro thus successfully states a claim for negligence. Finally, the appeals court agreed with the lower court that Paro failed to state a plausible claim for negligent misrepresentation based on Williss promise to convey the notice to the insurer. The complaint maintains that Willis never provided the notice it represented that it would provide. But the complaint does not allege that Willis made these representations with the intention of never conveying the notice to the insurer. Williss promissory statements are thus not actionable as a negligent misrepresentation, the two courts agreed in dismissing this claim against Willis. Topics Agencies A jury in Newport News, Virginia has awarded $10 million to a teacher who was shot by a 6-year-old student. Abby Zwerner, who was shot in January 2023 in her first-grade classroom, had asked for $40 million against a former assistant principal, Ebony Parker. In her lawsuit, Zwerner accused Parker of failing to investigate or act after being told by school staff members that the child had a gun in his backpack. Zwerners lawyers argued that after she was told about the gun, Parker had a duty to protect her and others from harm. Who would think a 6-year-old would bring a gun to school and shoot their teacher? Its Dr. Parkers job to believe that that is possible. Its her job to investigate it and get to the very bottom of it, Diane Toscano, Zwerners attorney, told the jury. The jury agreed. Zwerner originally also sued the school districts superintendent and principal but a judge dismissed the claims against them, leaving Parker as the only defendant. Parker did not testify during trial. She also faces criminal charges of felony child neglect. The jury learned that the bullet just missed Zwerners heart and is still lodged in her chest. She has undergone multiple surgeries and has only limited use of her left hand. Virginia Teacher Secures Right to Trial Against School Over Shooting by 6-Year Old The Newport News School Board originally argued that Zwerner should not be allowed to sue for what it said were workplace injuries. The school board maintained that Zwerners $40 million lawsuit was barred by the states workers compensation law that is the exclusive remedy for workplace injuries. However, a circuit court and then the Virginia Court of Appeals cleared the way to a trial for Zwerners negligence suit. Zwerner successfully argued that being shot by a student should not be considered an expected condition for the job of a teacher and thus her injuries do not fall under the states workers compensation system. The courts agreed. Topics Virginia Irelands central bank fined an Irish subsidiary of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase Global 21.5 million euros ($25 million) on Thursday for breaching anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist transaction monitoring obligations. The Irish regulator said the fine related to faults in the configuration of Coinbase Europes transaction monitoring system, which resulted in more than 30 million transactions worth over 176 billion euros not being properly monitored over a 12-month period. It added that it took Coinbase almost three years to fully complete the monitoring of the affected transactions, leading to the reporting of 2,708 suspicious transactions to the authorities for further analysis and potential investigation. The transactions contained suspicions associated with serious criminal activities including money laundering, fraud, drug trafficking, cyber attacks and child sexual exploitation, the central bank said. Coinbase Says It Inadvertently Made Coding Errors Coinbase Europe provides crypto asset and wallet services to customers globally to facilitate their use of the Coinbase Groups trading platform to buy and sell crypto assets, the central bank said. Coinbase said in a statement that it inadvertently made three coding errors in its transaction monitoring system that caused five of the 21 scenarios which look for certain red flags to not fully screen all transactions in 2021 and 2022. It said it fixed the coding errors within two to three weeks of detecting them. As part of the settlement, Coinbase and the central bank cannot say that the suspicious transactions cumulatively valued at 13 million euros actually resulted in criminal activity, it said. Coinbase added that it has taken steps to prevent the types of errors from happening again, including enhancing its testing and monitoring. The fine was reduced from 30.7 million euros by way of a settlement discount and based on Coinbase Europes average annual revenue of 417 million euros for the period. The failure of such a system within any financial institution creates an opportunity for criminals to evade detection and criminals will take that opportunity, Irish Central Bank Deputy Governor Colm Kincaid said in a statement. Crypto has particular technological features which, together with its anonymity-enhancing capabilities and cross-border nature, makes it especially attractive to criminals looking to move their funds. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Padraic Halpin and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) Zurich Insurance Group is continuing to expand its middle market and specialty footprint by investing heavily this year in targeted recruitment of top-tier underwriting talent across the company. In the U.S. alone, we have hired more than 100 middle market and specialty underwriting professionals, all operating out of an expansive network of more than 30 locations, according to Zurichs Chief Financial Officer Claudia Cordioli, during an earnings call with equities analysts to discuss third quarter results. In the U.S. alone this year, Zurich is opening five new offices, she confirmed. Read more: Zurich Insurance Sees No Material Loss From Hurricane Melissa, CFO Says Zurich continues to execute on its strategy to expand underwriting capabilities globally, reinforced by targeted recruitment of top-tier underwriting talent, the company said in its Q3 financial results report, issued on November 6. Cordioli acknowledged that the strategy will increase the groups expense ratio at least in the short term but the benefits to profitable growth will soon become apparent. I expect the teams that are coming on board to start actively producing business next year, she said during the earnings call. From a middle market perspective, each underwriter would be expected to bring in premiums between $8 million and $9 million, so its substantial what these people will bring on board. Dedicated Specialty Unit in London To capture the full market potential of specialty lines, Cordioli said, Zurich is establishing a dedicated global specialty unit in London to integrate and leverage our global capabilities to drive expansion of our approximately $9 billion portfolio of diversified exposure. We believe the high barriers to entry and prerequisite risk expertise in these business areas will drive attractive long-term earnings growth and shareholder returns, she added. [O]ur focus on middle market and specialty lines positions us to benefit from long-term growth trends, such as investments in infrastructure and technology-related construction, Cordioli said in a statement from the financial results report. In the earnings call, she noted that the underlying strength of Zurichs middle market business has offset ongoing actions to prune parts of its U.S. program business, which didnt meet strict underwriting standards. It is important to recognize the truly global complexion of these businesses. For example, our middle market footprint at the nine-month stage is 40% international in terms of gross written premium, Cordioli continued. Moving to the groups overall performance during the nine-months ended September 30, Zurichs property/casualty business achieved record gross written premiums of $38.9 billion, up 8% year-on-year, which was supported by average rate increases of 2%. (Zurich doesnt report operating profit figures for its third quarter/nine months financials). Record GWP was driven by exceptional growth in retail (with GWP up 16% from the same period in 2024) and continued positive momentum in commercial insurance (with 3% GWP growth), Zurich said. Sophisticated Risk Selection Greater sophistication on pricing, customer segmentation and claims management are all combining to enhance our retail margins, Cordioli said. A strong environment for rates is complementing the management actions that we are undertaking to sustainably elevate profitability, she said. Although losses from natural catastrophes remained well below prior year levels, Zurich said, results also benefited from sophisticated risk selection. Over the last four years, proactive portfolio management led to a 25% reduction of U.S. hurricane average annual loss exposure, Zurich continued. Although rates have been softening, Cordioli emphasized, its important to differentiate by line of business and by customer segment. She explained that property-catastrophe rates have seen some moderation after several years of strong performance and lower levels of sizable catastrophes in 2025 other than the California wildfires in the first quarter. The fact that prices are moderating is a reflection of that, she said during a media briefing to discuss the nine-month results. Its still a very profitable business; we have to write it, but were not necessarily in growth mode with large customers in property, she said. When looking at other lines, such as commercial motor in the U.S., prices are going up by 15%, she said. We dont see a slowdown there because loss trends have been quite sustained. Another example financial lines also is bucking the softening trend. After a number of years of rates increases slowing down, prices are now starting to strengthen a bit, Cordioli said. Its really a case-by-case situation; overall were writing business at very attractive margins. The result is that Zurich has been able to improve its combined ratios this year, she said, noting that it is still a super-attractive market to write business and to grow but on a targeted basis. One example cited by Zurich in its nine-month results statement is its construction business which achieved positive rate increases of 5%, further strengthening profitability, with a combined ratio that is better than the group specialty lines average of 85%. (A combined ratio below 100% indicates an underwriting profit). Farmers Transformation Additional positive news came from the Farmers Exchanges, which have seen further evidence of a meaningful transformation, she said during the analysts earnings call. The Farmers Exchanges, which are owned by their policyholders, grew GWP by 5% in the first nine months to $22.6 billion, backed by a strong increase in new business and higher retention, Zurich said in its results statement. Policy count growth accelerated during the third quarter, increasing by 103,000 policies in the last six months. The fundamental repositioning of the Farmers Exchanges is manifesting in organic growth for the first time in over a decade, Cordioli said. (Zurich has no ownership interest in the Farmers Exchanges but via the Farmers Group, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, it provides certain non-claims services and other fee services). Topics Trends Excess Surplus Commercial Lines Talent Underwriting Business Insurance Training Development AM Besthas revised the outlook to positive from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR of a (Excellent) of Michigan Millers Mutual Insurance Company (Michigan Millers) based in Lansing, Michigan. Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICR of aa- (Superior) of Western National Mutual Insurance Company (Edina, MN) and its affiliates, collectively known as Western National Insurance Pool (Western National). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. (See below for a detailed listing of companies.) The ratings of Michigan Millers reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The ratings of Western National reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, neutral business profile and appropriate ERM. The positive outlook for Michigan Millers is based on its planned inclusion in the Western National Insurance Pool effective Jan. 1, 2026, which will result in Michigan Millers receiving a pooled rating with Western National. This could result in Michigan Millers FSR being upgraded to A+ (Superior) from A (Excellent) and the Long-Term ICR being upgraded to aa- (Superior) from a (Excellent). Consequently, this is the reason for the positive outlook on both Michigan Millers FSR and Long-Term ICR at its current rating level. Michigan Millers balance sheet strength assessment of very strong is based on its strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), moderate underwriting leverage, solid liquidity measures, favorable underwriting and operation cash flows, conservative investment risk profile, and favorable loss reserve development trends. The companys operating performance assessment of adequate is based on consistently solid underwriting results and operating performance trends over the most recent five-year period with solid results continuing through year-to-date 2025. AM Best views Michigan Millers business profile as limited, based on its geographic risk concentration as a commercial casualty writer in Michigan, New York and Minnesota. The companys ERM is assessed as appropriate, based on sound risk management techniques, a risk-aware culture, and a comprehensive reinsurance program. Lastly, Michigan Millers receives one Long-Term ICR notch of rating lift from its affiliation with Western National, which provides implicit and explicit support in many facets of its operations. Western Nationals balance sheet strength assessment of strongest is based on its strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by BCAR, modest underwriting leverage, strong liquidity measures, strong underwriting and operation cash flows, conservative investment risk profile, and consistently favorable loss reserve development trends. The groups operating performance assessment of strong is based on consistently strong underwriting results and operating performance trends over the most recent five-year and 10-year periods, with strong results continuing through year-to-date 2025. Western Nationals business profile is viewed as neutral, based on its well-diversified geographic representation and product risk spread. The group is a diversified super-regional carrier with a focus on profitable niches in its commercial and personal lines segments. Western Nationals ERM is viewed as appropriate, based on its robust risk management framework that identifies and estimates the potential impact of all enterprise risks (market, credit, underwriting, strategic and liquidity). The groups ERM is enhanced by a comprehensive reinsurance program with very strong partners, which helps mitigate catastrophe exposures to manageable levels. Topics Trends AM Best Michigan More than six years after a Boeing 737 Max jetliner crashed in Ethiopia, the first civil trial related to the disaster that killed all 157 people on board was set to proceed. Boeing has settled most of the dozens of wrongful death lawsuits that families of the victims filed against the aircraft maker after the March 2019 crash, but a federal court jury was selected Tuesday in two of the remaining cases. Lawyers for the families and Boeing were scheduled to give their opening statements on Wednesday. An out-of-court settlement in either or both of the cases still could be reached at any point, even after lawyers begin presenting evidence. The trial in Chicago, where Boeing used to have its headquarters, isnt expected to examine the the companys liability. Boeing already accepted responsibility for what happened to Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and for a similar 737 Max crash five months earlier off the Indonesian coast that killed 189 passengers and crew. Instead, the eight-person jury is tasked with deciding how much Boeing should pay to the families of Mercy Ndivo, a 28-year-old mother originally from Kenya, and 36-year-old United Nations consultant Shikha Garg, who was from India. The fatal crash happened minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. Ndivo and her husband were returning from her graduation ceremony in London, where she had earned a masters degree in accountancy. The couple are survived by their daughter, an infant at the time who is now almost 8. Ndivos parents sued Boeing on her behalf. Like a number of the other passengers, Garg, a consultant for the United Nations Development Programme, was on her way to attend a U.N. environmental assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. She is survived by her husband and parents. In a statement Monday, Boeing told the families of the 346 passengers and crew members killed in both crashes that it is deeply sorry. We made an upfront commitment to fully and fairly compensate the families of those who were lost in the accidents, and have accepted legal responsibility for the accidents in these proceedings, Boeing said, adding that it respects the families rights to pursue claims in court. The two cases pending before U.S. District Judge Jorge Luis Alonso originally were among a group of five that potentially could have gone to trial this week. But Alonso said Monday that only the two could proceed due to the government shutdown. Details of prior settlements, many reached just before the start of scheduled trials, have not been publicly disclosed. Lawyers say 14 other lawsuits remain unresolved. Robert Clifford, a Chicago lawyer whose firm represents many of the victims families, including Ndivos parents, said attempts to reach pre-trial settlement through mediation failed in recent months. Boeing accepted full responsibility for the senseless and preventable loss of these lives, yet they have not been mediating in good faith to come to a resolution for these devastated families, Clifford said in a statement. We are determined to achieve justice for every one of them. From nearly the moment pilots flying for Ethiopian Airlines took off in their new Boeing jetliner, they encountered problems with the plane. A device called a stick shaker began vibrating the captains control column, warning that the plane might stall and fall from the sky. For six minutes, the pilots were bombarded by alarms as they fought to fly the plane before entering a final nosedive at nearly 700 miles per hour. U.S. prosecutors later charged Boeing with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with both crashes, accusing the company of deceiving government regulators about a flight-control system it developed for the 737 Max. In both crashes, the software had pitched the nose of the planes down repeatedly based on faulty readings from a single sensor. The Justice Department asked a federal judge in Texas to dismiss the felony charge and to approve an agreement between prosecutors and Boeing that is pending. If it is approved, the deal would allow Boeing to avoid prosecution in exchange for paying or investing another $1.1 billion in fines, compensation for the victims families, and internal safety and quality measures. Boeing is now headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, but it was based in Chicago when the first lawsuits were filed in 2019. Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Aviation Aerospace Boeing Co. will avoid a criminal charge over two fatal 737 Max crashes after a federal judge paved the way for a $1.1 billion settlement agreement, handing the embattled manufacturer a victory in a long-running legal battle. US District Judge Reed OConnor in Fort Worth on Thursday granted a request from the US Justice Department to dismiss its criminal case against Boeing and approved a non-prosecution agreement struck by the parties. The deal requires the planemaker to pay fines and to compensate family members of crash victims. In his written ruling, the judge said the new agreement fails to secure the necessary accountability to ensure the safety of the flying public. But OConnor said he lacks the authority to reject the agreement because prosecutors did not act in bad faith in executing the deal. Poor discretion may not be countered with judicial overreach, OConnor said. The court acknowledges that it does not have the authority to deny leave because it disagrees with the government that dismissing the criminal information in this case is in the public interest. Long Legal Fight The decision marks a milestone in Boeings effort to move on from the two fatal 737 Max crashes that battered the companys finances and reputation. Early last year, the manufacturer suffered another near-catastrophic accident with a factory-new 737 Max, pushing Boeing even deeper into crisis and prompting a management shakeup. Boeing hired Kelly Ortberg as its new chief executive officer, who has since focused on operational standards as he tries to remake the manufacturers culture and weed out poor manufacturing and accountability on the factory shop floor. We are committed to honoring the obligations of our agreement with the Department of Justice, Boeing said in a statement. We are also committed to continuing the significant efforts we have made as a company to strengthen our safety, quality, and compliance programs. Boeing rose as much as 1.8% after the announcement, before paring gains and trading little changed. The stock has increased 11% in value this year. Conspiracy Charge The ruling resolves Boeings long-running legal battle over a criminal conspiracy charge related to the crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019 that killed 346 people. Both fatal accidents were linked to a flawed flight control system. Relatives of some crash victims opposed the deal and sought harsher penalties for Boeing and executives at the company. Earlier this year, they had asked OConnor to appoint a special prosecutor to take over the case. Some family members have said they do not oppose the agreement. Attorney Paul Cassell, who represents some of the relatives, said he intends to file an emergency motion asking the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals to review the judges decision. Judge OConnor recognized that there are, in his words, compelling arguments against the non-prosecution deal, Cassell said in a statement. But he reluctantly concluded that he was powerless to do anything about the reprehensible deal. We believe that the courts dont have to stand silently by while an injustice is perpetrated. Under the settlement, Boeing will admit to the underlying accusation of conspiracy to obstruct and impede the lawful operation of the Federal Aviation Administration Aircraft Evaluation Group, but that admission does not constitute a guilty plea. The agreement requires Boeing to pay a total of $1.1 billion in assorted fines and fees. The total includes: $487.2 million for a criminal penalty, half of which the company already paid to the government during an earlier phase of the case $444.5 million for a new Crash-Victims Beneficiaries Fund that will be divided evenly by crash victim $455 million in investments to bolster its compliance, safety and quality programs Boeing will be required to retain a so-called independent compliance consultant to oversee its efforts to improve the effectiveness of its anti-fraud compliance and ethics program. The consultant will be expected to make recommendations for improvements and report their findings directly to the government. First Deal The case has been ongoing since 2021, when Boeing reached an agreement with the Justice Department to defer prosecution on a charge that it deceived regulators about a system linked to the crashes. Under that deal, Boeing paid a $243.6 million fine. In early 2024, two days before the charge wouldve been dismissed, a door-sized plug blew out of an airborne 737 Max. While no one was killed, the accident led to investigations and findings of lax controls in Boeings factories. The government said Boeing violated the 2021 agreement and recommended a criminal charge. Boeing agreed to plead guilty, pay a fine and install an independent corporate monitor. The agreement also would have required the company spend at least $455 million to bolster its compliance and safety programs. But that proposal was rejected in December by OConnor. He said the agreement diminished his role in ensuring Boeing lived up to its promises and that the process for selecting an independent monitor would rely on diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which the judge claimed would improperly impose race on the hiring decision. In March, OConnor ordered Boeing to stand trial in June. Ahead of the scheduled trial date, prosecutors announced the new settlement with the planemaker that would resolve the case. The case is US v. Boeing, 21-cr-005, US District Court, Northern District of Texas (Fort Worth). Photo: A Boeing 737 Max Photographer: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images Copyright 2025 Bloomberg. Topics USA Fraud Aviation Aerospace A former South Carolina state lawmaker and injury lawyer has been indicted on federal allegations that he schemed to defraud his legal clients. According to court papers, a federal grand jury on Wednesday indicted former Rep. Marvin Pendarvis, a Democrat and attorney, on 10 charges including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Federal prosecutors said that Pendarvis, between 2022 and 2024, negotiated financial settlements on behalf of his clients, but didnt tell them that he had received the funds. Instead, according to the government, Pendarvis who was at the time serving as a lawmaker representing the Charleston area allegedly pocketed the money himself, either not telling his clients the money had been obtained, or ultimately giving them lesser sums than what he had negotiated. In all, according to prosecutors, Pendarvis deposited more half a million dollars into his law firms trust fund account, from which he paid nothing to clients. A message left Wednesday with Pendarvis was not immediately returned. Pendarvis law license was suspended last year after a former client accused him of forging his signature to reach a settlement in a lawsuit without his permission. The order issued then by the state Supreme Court didnt detail why the suspension had been recommended, but the former client whose initials matched one of the alleged victims detailed in Wednesdays indictment accused Pendarvis of sending him text messages asking him not to sue over the alleged forgery. Lets handle this (expletive). No need to try and hurt me man. I can help you, Pendarvis wrote Lewis in text messages filed with the state lawsuit, which is still pending. First elected in a special election in 2017, he won three full terms before resigning from office about four months after the suspension of his law license. He practiced personal injury and criminal defense law, according to his Linkedin page. According to court records, Pendarvis is slated to appear in federal court on Nov. 18. Photo: South Carolina state Rep. Marvin Pendarvis speaks on a bill in 2024. (AP Photo/James Pollard, File) Copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics South Carolina Mutual of Enumclaw Hires New Executives Mutual of Enumclaw named Daniel Guthrie as vice president of product operations and chief operating officer and Hem Chari as chief information officer. Guthrie has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the insurance industry, including executive roles at Kemper, Nationwide and Allstate. He has led large teams across product management, underwriting and distribution, and operational transformation. Chari joins MOE as the chief information officer. He previously served as global chief information officer at GE Power; vice president and chief information officer at Videojet Technologies; and chief digital and information officer at Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope. MOE is headquartered in Enumclaw, Washington. King & Neel Appoints Itami and King to Leadership King & Neel named Brian Itami market president, Hawaii, and hired Aukai King as vice president and commercial account executive. Itami has more than 20 years of commercial insurance experience. He previously served at IMA as property and casualty director, leading Portland, Oregon, and Hawaii operations. King returns to King & Neel with more than a decade of experience in insurance, commercial banking and project management, continuing the legacy of his grandfather, who co-founded King & Neel nearly 60 years ago. King began his career at King & Neel, gaining experience in claims, safety and account management. He later served as vice president in the commercial banking group at Bank of Hawaii and co-founded a real estate and professional services firm in Oregon. King & Neel is headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii. Topics Leadership EIGHT years on from his most recent big screen role in Phantom Thread, Daniel Day-Lewis returns in Anemone (15A) to remind us all what weve been missing. Here he plays Ray, an ex-British Army soldier who served his tours of duty in Northern Ireland living as a hermit in a forest in Northern England and long since estranged from his wife Nessa (Samantha Morton) and adult son Brian (Samuel Bottomley). Tracked down by his brother Jem (Sean Bean), himself a former soldier, Ray learns that Brian is a lost soul in dire need of the discipline only his father can provide. In a conventional drama, Ray would likely leap at the opportunity for redemption, but Anemone, co-written by Daniel Day-Lewis and his son Ronan Day-Lewis, with Ronan directing, is not a film that hits the usual beats. Instead, the story proceeds along parallel lines, with Nessa back in suburban Sheffield trying to persuade Brian that his father, whom Brian has never met, had good reasons for abandoning his family. Meanwhile, in the forest, Ray and Jem tease out the dirty little secret of Rays trauma by way of long monologues, pregnant silences, and outbursts of violence. Those overly-wordy monologues and the switching back and forth between civilisation and wilderness give the film a rather static, stage-bound feel, a sense compounded by the large number of scenes shot in claustrophobically cramped interiors. Meanwhile, the story itself is rather slight, no matter how much guilt and suffering the writing tries to pile on its characters shoulders. That said, Daniel Day-Lewis is superb as the deranged fugitive Ray, bringing his legendary intensity, physical and emotional, to bear as he creates a wonderfully complex character who is feral, haunted, and agonisingly aware of his own many failings. Its good to have him back. Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson star in Die My Love Die My Love Cinematic release Die My Love (15A) stars Jennifer Lawrence as Grace, a writer who agrees to move from New York to rural Montana with Jackson (Robert Pattinson). The remote setting should be idyllic for an author but when the couples baby son is born Grace finds herself isolated, lonely, and struggling with post-partum depression. Co-written by Enda Walsh, Alice Birch, and Lynne Ramsey, with Ramsey directing, Die My Love opens with a series of impressionistic scenes in which Grace seems to be drifting along at the fringes of her life the scene in which she idly creates a Jackson Pollock-style painting with her breastmilk is particularly striking. Gradually, however, the story segues from impressionism to realism, a development that coincides with Graces increasingly erratic behaviour. It also becomes clear that its not just her post-partum condition that is leaving Grace a little bit loopy: Frustrated creatively and sexually, Grace is a volcano about to erupt. Lawrence delivers a career-best performance here, bravely leaning into the chaos of Graces character, and she gets strong support from Pattinson as the happy-go-lucky Jackson and Sissy Spacek as Graces mother-in-law Pam. Ralph Fiennes in The Choral. The Choral Cinematic release Set in a small English village in 1916, The Choral (12A) opens with choirmaster Dr Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) commissioned to direct an amateur choir as they attempt to stage Elgars The Dream of Gerontius. Guthrie isnt a universally popular choice he has his peculiarities, including a fondness for German culture and men but its when Guthrie starts to remake The Dream of Gerontius as a kind of anti-war protest anthem, featuring wounded soldiers in the front ranks, that things start to get a bit sticky. Written by Alan Bennett and directed by Nicholas Hytner, The Choral is an ensemble piece that attempts to shoehorn a small orchestras worth of characters into its story, with the result that very few of the interwoven storylines are explored to any great depth. Ralph Fiennes shines as the sniffy aesthete who unbends sufficiently to engineer an improbable triumph from adversity. In 2019, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns announced her arrival in politics in headline-grabbing fashion. After four days and two full recounts, her election to Cork County Council was finally confirmed amid high drama. Ms Cairns had won by a single vote, having initially lost by the same margin. For someone who knows the value of a single vote, Ms Cairns found herself in the strange position of not being able to vote for herself in the last Dail election. On polling day, she was, of course, rather preoccupied in Cork University Maternity Hospital, in labour with her first child, a daughter. "We'd made a plan for her arriving before polling day and after polling day. It just seemed statistically unlikely that she would arrive on polling day," Ms Cairns told the Irish Examiner. As Ms Cairns and her partner welcomed a baby girl into the world, the Social Democrats were on course to take an impressive 11 seats in the general election, just 20 months into Ms Cairns' stint as party leader. "I have to say, my biggest fear was that I would be in labour during the count. But the other one was polling day. "It was really surreal. People always tell you what labour is like, particularly when you're so visibly pregnant, but you can't explain what it's like until you experience it. "It was obviously just such an amazing day, personally and politically. "When she arrived, it just like blew our hearts wide open. It was so amazing. You're so just blown away by it. "But then to have a situation where my phone would be going off with messages 'It looks like Padraig Rice is going to do it in Cork', or 'Cian O'Callaghan topped the poll', and 'Jen Cummins is in!' all these things going on at the same time. It was a surreal experience. And truthfully, if I could change it and do the two on different days, I definitely would. In midst of controversy Ms Cairns had flagged well in advance that she would be taking maternity leave, but her leave had barely started when the party found itself in the midst of a controversy. Newly elected Eoin Hayes was suspended from the parliamentary party with immediate effect after he admitted lying about when he sold shares in a controversial US company that has been providing the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) with AI tools. Ms Cairns says that Mr O'Callaghan, who as deputy leader was leading the party in her absence, kept her abreast of everything. "Cian kept me up to date with all important information and decisions around the party when I was on maternity leave, including that one and, yeah, I was really disappointed when I heard." For a party and a party leader that had been on the forefront of issues related to Israel's genocide in Gaza, the issue was a blow. "I was disappointed. I think it was undoubtedly a difficult time for the party. But just to be clear, we will continue to lead on that issue (condemning Israel), and I'll be back out on Molesworth Street with a megaphone. It didn't take away from that for any of us in the party. "It was quite a serious sanction, and Eoin has apologised, and I think he deserves a chance now to earn people's trust back." Holly Cairns said that party member Eoin Hayes 'deserves a chance to earn people's trust back'. Picture: Leon Farrell With that incident put to bed, Ms Cairns' return to her role was then overshadowed as pictures emerged from a fancy dress party in 2009, of Mr Hayes wearing 'blackface' makeup, apparently an attempt to dress up as Barack Obama. Ms Cairns says blackface "is racist" but that Mr Hayes' acknowledgement of his actions as "reprehensible and idiotic" was important. She insists any issues within her parliamentary party are squared away. "I think it was a really hard time, but I think we've come out stronger from it. In political parties, there are always going to be issues like this, and it's how we deal with them. How do we learn from them? How do we come through them? "I'm really excited to work together as a team." New impetus Her work will take on a new impetus after the Social Democrats' role in Catherine Connolly's presidential election win. The party was the first to back the Galway woman and Ms Cairns admits that the focus now must be about harnessing the energy of those 15,000 volunteers and attracting as many as possible into her camp. As someone who herself was energised by the Repeal campaign, Ms Cairns saw parallels with the presidential race. "There was so many feels of Repeal during the Connolly campaign. I suppose the comparison that stood out for me the whole way through was the people who were being mobilised. It was a lot of younger people who hadn't maybe engaged in politics or campaigning in that style before. "The feeling and the energy was of hope, that change is possible. I think we had that feeling that reverberated for quite a while after Repeal, that change was possible. "It had started to dissipate and it's just amazing that Catherine's campaign has brought it back, because change is possible. We've always called for vote left and transfer left, so that we can have a different type of government. "If people who are really motivated by the vision Catherine had for a more progressive Ireland, for a more inclusive one, all the voices that she wanted to raise, it is there. "It's in those people, in you, the reader, getting involved. I really hope that people who felt energised and hopeful from the campaign will get involved in politics." The Social Democrats will field their own candidate for the Galway West by-election, but Ms Cairns says her party will continue to ask people to transfer left. Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns with newly elected president Catherine Connolly and Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald in September. File picture: Niall Carson/PA She was buoyed by Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald's comments to the Irish Examiner in September, where she said that her own party hadn't done the work to build a cohesive left last year. "It's great to see them come on board with vote left, transfer left. We hope all left parties will encourage voters to do that. "I think it can have a really strong impact, and hopefully will have an impact on the next government." Ms Cairns has this week been strident in her criticism of Tanaiste Simon Harris's comments on immigration, after he said there was a limit to what Ireland can do to help migrants. Ms Cairns said the comments are "an obvious reaction" to Fine Gael's loss in the presidential campaign, and that "they've just amped up their 'tough on immigration' language". It's not just irresponsible to do that, it's actually reprehensible, because it's in a really delicate environment. In the wake of the presidential result, Ms Cairns was tagged as a potential tanaiste herself in a left-leaning government, but she insists her party is not looking at roles. "We would like to see a change in the status quo. "We know we live in a prosperous country. We live in a great country. We shouldn't be in a situation where we have threadbare disability services, over 16,000 homeless people, including over 5,000 children. They're our focuses. "We want to go in and change those things, and I really hope that we can see a change after the next election." Costs at the National Maternity Hospital have soared to nearly 150m before construction has even begun, in a process described as being inspired by direct learning from the National Childrens Hospital. The Department of Health said that significant enabling works are required for a project of this scale, in reference to the ambitious 2bn hospital build at the St Vincents campus in south Dublin. In an update for the Public Accounts Committee, secretary general of the Department of Health Robert Watt said that roughly 147m has been spent on the project to date when Vat is included, including 38.2m on specific enabling works. A further 36.2m was spent on design team fees, while 22m was paid out for works on a multi-storey car park at the Merrion Road site, Mr Watt said. The enabling works completed include the construction of a dedicated medical records building at the site, a new kitchen and canteen, a 13-bed neurology ward, and the fitting out of a new dermatology facility, the secretary general said. The construction of those new buildings away from the new hospital site will allow for the decant of those services away from the new hospital, according to Mr Watt. The new hospital, set to replace the existing facility at Holles Street in the city centre and which has faced a great deal of controversy in the past due to concerns over its ownership structure, is expected to cost in the region of 2bn when completed. Mr Watt said it is important not to pre-empt the cost at which the market determines it can build this hospital for due to the commercially sensitive nature of proceedings. A similar approach was taken by the secretary general in the past when discussing the ongoing costs of the National Childrens Hospital, which has faced inflationary hikes of more than 1.5bn in the 10 years since its construction commenced. He did say, however, that the successful tenderers for the maternity hospital will be expected to enter into a pre-construction services agreement (PCSA), committing to bring both the contractor and the project team together in order to ensure that all tenderers and suppliers are agreed on a detailed programme of works before they begin. That agreement had been inspired as the application of a direct learning from the National Children's Hospital Ireland project, Mr Watt said, which has been mired in acrimony and legal strife between the State agency managing it the National Paediatric Health Development Board and its principal contractor, Dutch construction giant BAM. The PCSA will enable more effective monitoring of works. It will also enable successful tenderers to begin mobilising their supply chains, he said, adding that prospective costs are strictly outside the scope of the agreement. As to dates for when construction, and completion, of the project may be achieved, Mr Watt said that no such forecasts will be made until the PCSA has been sufficiently advanced in order that the Government can be provided with a more robust schedule and timeframe for completion. An elderly woman who is refusing to leave a hospital after 719 days, even though doctors say she needs no further treatment, could be moved out of the private room she is in, to another room, a High Court judge has said. The woman, who cannot be named by order of the court, is opposing a court application on behalf of the hospital for orders that she leave within 24 hours and be restrained from attending again pending further order, other than in a medical emergency. Mr Justice Brian Cregan said there is no application by the woman seeking that the hospital not move her and he did not understand why she cannot be moved to another room. "That is an internal hospital management matter," he said. Shane Murphy SC, on behalf of the hospital applicant, said the woman had made allegations of assault and he understood there had been a lot of correspondence between lawyers for the hospital and the woman's lawyers. The judge also asked what was going to happen to her after she leaves hospital as he was told she lived alone and had no family support. He said he would not make an order that she was trespassing but said common sense and compassion had to be brought to this matter. He asked the parties to reflect on that. Mr Murphy said she had been offered various supports including home help but had turned them down. The judge asked if a step down facility could be investigated. Counsel sought an early hearing of the matter. Nathan Reilly BL, for the woman, said his client has significant issues including bowel cancer, cardiac and a urological issue which led to her collapse and she believes she should remain in hospital. Mr Reilly said her solicitor was seeking a six-week period to allow a medical expert to review her most up-to-date reports and to do that in a shorter time would be extremely challenging. The expert would be able to say whether she should remain in hospital, he said. The judge said the application for time for an expert to examine the records seemed extraordinary as she was in a hospital and was surrounded by doctors. The court heard she does not accept what her treating doctor has said about discharging her. Mr Justice Cregan said he would give the matter a hearing before Christmas and gave the woman's side three weeks to have an affidavit outlining their expert's opinion with the hospital side replying to that within a week. He adjourned the case for a week in order to see if it might become moot by then. Woman's claims In the proceedings, it is alleged the woman has insisted she has multiple issues which have not been treated and is backed in her claims by her solicitors. The regional clinic director of the hospital has sworn in an affidavit that she and her solicitor have been repeatedly told there is no legal entitlement under the Health Acts for anyone to determine the treatments he/she should receive or which doctors provide treatment. The solicitor responded that the patient's charter makes it quite clear the opposite is the case as it states patients are "entitled to be involved in making informed decisions about care and treatment...." and have a right to seek a second opinion. Lord of the Dance star Michael Flatley is likely to find out next week how much money he will have to put upfront as security for costs in advance of his 30million court action over works carried out at his Cork Castelhyde mansion. Ms Justice Eileen Roberts in the Commercial Court on Friday turned down an application by the Flatley side for more time to submit a cost accountants report as he disputes the 2.8m security sought by the other side. Mr Flatleys counsel, Ronnie Hudson BL, submitted to the court that the entertainer and businessman intends to appeal a decision of the court last August which said he must provide the security for costs before the hearing of the main action. In the main proceedings, the Riverdance performer claims he and his family had to vacate the Castlehyde period property in Fermoy, Co Cork, in October 2023 after alleged toxic chemical residue was detected during routine maintenance. Mr Flatley is suing Austin Newport Group Ltd, the main contractor and insurance underwriters MS Amlin Underwriting Ltd, AXA XL Underwriting Agencies Ltd and Hamilton Managing Agency Limited along with Lloyds Insurance Company. All of the allegations are denied. In the Commercial Court on Friday, Mr Flatleys counsel asked the court for more time to provide a cost accountants report in advance of the hearing to determine how much Mr Flatley will have to put upfront. Michael Flatley, he said, has been ill and had withdrawn from the presidential campaign due to a change of circumstances. Counsel said the entertainer had been hospitalised in Ireland and London. Andrew Fitzpatrick SC for the underwriting and insurance defendants in Mr Flatleys main action said the first indication his side had that the entertainer wanted to submit a cost accountant's report was three minutes before that days court appearance. This is not good enough. It is yet another attempt to delay resolution of the matter, counsel said. He said the matter had not been raised at a security of costs hearing last July and his side objected. Rachel Duffy BL for Austin Newport told the court that the judgment in the matter had been made three months ago and the situation in relation to the Flatley application was wholly unsatisfactory at this stage. Ms Justice Eileen Roberts said the Flatley side were perfectly free at the hearing last July to submit a cost accountant's report. The judge said Mr Flatley was entitled to lodge an appeal to her August judgement but she was going to proceed with the hearing to decide how much should be paid in security for costs. Previous hearing Last August, Ms Justice Roberts ruled Mr Flatley had to put up money for security for costs and she ruled the businessman and entertainer is not at this time ordinarily resident in Ireland but is rather here on a temporary and conditional basis. At the start of September, Mr Flatley announced he had decided not to attempt to run in the presidential election. In a post on Facebook Mr Flatley said: I have decided not to run for President of Ireland at this time. I am honoured by the encouragement and support Ive received from so many people across Ireland over recent weeks, but I must put my family and my health first. A popular Cork pub has taken the next step in its battle to retain its outdoor seating area, appealing City Halls refusal for planning permission to An Coimisiun Pleanala. Dwyers of Cork on Washington St had applied for permission for the outdoor area along with an extension of the hours it could operate to align with its publicans licence. It was a condition of its original planning permission sought during covid that it had to re-apply for retention after three years but a Cork City Council inspector hit out at the haphazard and temporary structure for outdoor dining and said it had a negative visual impact on the building. An appeal was lodged with An Coimisiun Pleanala seeking permission for the permanent installation of the outdoor seating area, with a 60-page document supporting the application. It pointed to the Governments Night-Time Economy Task Force which recommended that every effort be made to maximise opportunities for outdoor spaces to be used for on-street dining zones. It also said the pedestrianisation of Little Cross St and its re-use for outdoor dining has delivered a marked improvement in public amenity, activating what was previously an underused space. The presence of a managed, high-quality outdoor facility brings life and vibrancy to the area, in keeping with Cork City Councils placemaking objectives, and supports sustainable city-centre living and hospitality, it said. The document also said that Cork City Council has supported businesses elsewhere in the city. This has included direct public investments in Princes St and Union Quay to facilitate high-quality outdoor dining environments. Dwyers of Washington St has undertaken its development entirely at its own expense, it said. This significant investment, which is in the realm of 100,000 has been made in good faith and with the clear understanding that the development was not only acceptable but welcomed and aligned with Council objectives. We note that other premises have benefitted from publicly-funded public realm improvements. An Coimisiun Pleanala has set a date of March 16, 2026, for its decision on this planning appeal. Wouldn't it be lovely to have a weekend mini-break and fly off to the Christmas markets in Dresden, Berlin or Prague? Theres something about the crisp, chilly days on the continent that feel invigorating and get our cheeks all rosy and glowing, although that might also have something to do with glugging gluhwein while browsing for special, handmade gifts with plenty of sustainability credentials. Close to home, we have our own markets and fairs, a mix of the firmly established and random pop-ups at farmers' markets or even an obliging car park, which will also free you from needing carbon-hungry airline travel. Craft and design fairs The biggest is Gifted: The Contemporary Craft & Design Fair running from December 3-7 at the RDS, with plenty of homewares and a bonus Christmas Food Emporium if you cant bring yourself to stir up a few plum puddings. Its also indoors, so happily rain-proof. County Corks Ballymaloe hosts its craft fair over two weekends, November 14-16 and 21-23. Its also one for the foodies, given the hosts reputation, but as its spread across several buildings, make sure to take your umbrella. Stable Door Pottery crafts the Malai Tae ceramic vessel for storing a favourite brew; 32.50, Cork Craft & Design. But what does it actually mean to buy sustainably? The term can be quite a general one. For Ava Hayes of Cork Craft & Design, where shes director of the annual Cork Craft Month, its about how the product is made and how long it will last. Sustainability isnt only about using eco-friendly or responsibly sourced materials, though that is an essential part of it, she says. Its also about the longevity and emotional value of the piece. A truly sustainable gift is something made from durable, mindful materials that age beautifully and stand the test of time. Winterval and Corkmas With outdoor events like Waterfords Winterval running from November 21 to December 23, and Corkmas from November 21 to December 22 on Emmet Place, theres plenty of time for more mindful, sustainable shopping for gifts for the home, plus the opportunity to verify the authenticity of the products, which has become increasingly important. As awareness grows, so too does imitation, says Ava. For stocking filler ideas, chef-turned-potter Daniel Woodsmith of Arucaria Ceramics makes dinky little egg cups; 18, Irish Design Shop. Large companies now cloak mass production in phrases like one of a kind or locally sourced, blurring the line for even the most conscious buyer. That is exactly why stores like Cork Craft and Design feel so special. Every piece in-store is made locally, and the person behind the counter is often the maker or knows them personally. If you ask a question, youll hear the story straight from the source. Festive markets It's part of the value of shopping locally, which for Corkonians includes the Benchspace Christmas Market, December 6-7, at Marina Commercial Park. Unusually for a location within walking distance of the city centre, it has ample free parking to allow for leisurely browsing for some lovely wooden gifts, including chopping boards and wooden bowls for Christmas entertaining. Just a short walk away is the Marina Market with its foodie focus. Open all year, its running The Big Freeze Christmas experience from November 22 to December 23, with entertainment and family activities happening while indulging in some post-shopping refreshments. The Nollaig essential oil candle sums up the fragrances we associate with Christmas: Clove, pine, cinnamon and orange; 28, Cork Craft & Design. For time-pressed shoppers, there are online options, but it can be a minefield. Etsy and Temu have been dealing with allegations that some of their sellers have been passing off mass-produced items as handmade and selling inferior quality design knock-offs. Although theyve been working to resolve these issues, it doesnt exactly inspire consumer confidence. Local retailers It brings silver linings, though, for more local retailers like the Irish Design Shop, which hand-selects its homewares and has long-standing relationships with suppliers. It has a shop on Dublins Drury Street, with an online option for out-of-towners or shoppers who cant face the crowds of people at weekends, and they have in-depth knowledge of their products. Most pottery would be considered a sustainable product as the clay comes from the land, says co-owner Laura Caffrey. Nicholas Mosse pottery in particular is made from local clay dug from the ground right near the factory in Bennettsbridge, Co Kilkenny. The Lime Fizz carafe is part of the Sweet Shop collection of handblown glassware made for the Irish Design Shop in collaboration with Jerpoint; 205, Irish Design Shop. There still remains the carbon-hungry issue of shipping online purchases, but its somewhat mitigated by buying from retailers at home, according to Laura. It means the products arent being shipped long distances by air. Being conscious of this rather than shopping for mass-produced items and shipping them across the world is a good start at being more eco-friendly. Biomethane is set to play a critical role in Gas Networks Irelands plans to decarbonise the national gas network by 2045. Meanwhile, the Governments National Biomethane Strategy has set a production target of 5.7 terawatt-hours (TWh) of indigenous biomethane annually by 2030. Thats equivalent to powering half a million homes. Biomethane is a carbon-neutral renewable gas made from farm and food waste through a process known as anaerobic digestion. Most of the feedstock to fuel this new sector will come from Irish farms, and the Government target represents a significant opportunity for Irish farmers and waste processors, among others. There is significant scope for biomethane production in Ireland, says Karen Doyle, head of business development at Gas Networks Ireland. The European Commission has identified Ireland as having Europes highest potential per capita to produce the gas. But its not just valuable for decarbonisation. An indigenous biomethane industry will also provide significant opportunities for rural communities throughout Ireland by taking their carbon-emitting waste and turning it into an energy resource. She also points to the circularity of the AD production process. The CO2 byproduct can be used by the food and beverage industry, and the digestate from the facilities can displace imported fertilisers and so on. Doyle has considerable experience in the renewables space, having spent more than 20 years in the financial services sector, where she structured and delivered funding for a number of landmark projects including onshore and offshore wind, and biomass and waste-to-energy projects. In her current role with Gas Networks Ireland, Doyle is responsible for the development and implementation of the companys renewable gas programmes. I am leveraging my experience to drive growth in renewables and to help get the biomethane industry moving, she says. She explains the role biomethane has to play alongside electrification in Irelands decarbonisation journey: A lot can be done through electrification but what were seeing is that high-heat, hard-to-abate industries and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) need alternatives. Electrification works for small vehicles like cars and commercial vans. Its more challenging work for HGVs. Renewable gas delivers what they need. Its not all about decarbonisation and sustainability, though; biomethane makes sense for their energy needs. The statistics are impressive from a decarbonisation point of view. Irelands commercial transport fleet may represent just under 4 per cent of vehicles on our roads, but it is responsible for approximately 20 per cent of all transport-related carbon emissions, Doyle explains. Biomethane cuts a HGVs carbon emissions by up to 90 per cent and reduces lifetime vehicle costs compared to diesel, she adds. There are now more than 170 gas-powered HGVs on Irish roads and demand for gas in transport increased by 58 per cent year-on-year in 2024. The market is responding. In June 2024, Gas Networks Ireland supported the opening of Flogass dedicated bioCNG refuelling station for HGVs in north Co Dublin, capable of reducing CO2 emissions by over 9,000 tonnes annually compared to diesel vehicles. "Momentum is building and we are seeing interest from international investors," says Karen Doyle, head of business development at Gas Networks Ireland. More recently, in June of this year Panda opened its new CNG station in Cappagh, Dublin, developed in partnership with Gas Networks Ireland. This brought the number of stations in Ireland to 12. A 750,000 GRAZE Vehicle Grant Scheme has been created to assist Irish fleet operators and hauliers in funding the transition to cleaner gas vehicles, with grants up to 10,000 per vehicle still available. Transport is just one part of the equation; domestic and commercial heat supplies are even more significant, accounting for around 37 per cent of national energy-related emissions. A significant step towards addressing that was taken earlier this year with the approval by Government of the Renewable Heat Obligation (RHO) Bill, due to come into effect in 2026. The RHO requires heating energy suppliers to incorporate renewable sources including biomethane into their energy mix. It places an obligation on heat suppliers to procure 10 per cent of their heat from renewable sources by 2030, Doyle notes. It will start at 1.5 per cent in the first year and increase in increments after that. The RHO is designed to support the delivery of the 2030 biomethane target by creating clear demand for renewable gas. Gas Networks Ireland is working closely with Government and industry to ensure the network is ready to support this scale-up by facilitating biomethane injection into the gas network. That includes the development of a 32 million Central Grid Injection (CGI) facility in Mitchelstown, Co Cork. Currently in construction, this facility will inject up to 700 gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable gas into the national network annually, contributing 12 per cent of the 2030 biomethane production target and reducing national CO2 emissions by 130,000 tonnes each year. This will be just one of a number of CGIs the organisation is planning to develop around the country. In addition, Gas Networks Ireland has signed an agreement with Evergreen Agricultural Enterprises Ltd to connect the companys new anaerobic digestion (AD) facility in Monasterevin, Co Kildare to the national gas network. The facility will process spent grains and other byproducts from the distilling industry. Once operational, it will process up to 100,000 tonnes of agricultural byproducts and produce up to 100GWh of renewable biomethane annually enough to heat more than 8,000 homes and is expected to cut Irelands carbon dioxide emissions by almost 18,500 tonnes annually. Momentum is building and we are seeing interest from international investors, says Doyle. Nephin Energy is owned by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, for example. Ara Partners and Cycle0 are also showing interest. These are very savvy investors. Its very positive to see international investors come in at such an early stage. It took 10 to 12 years for that to happen with wind. While the RHO is welcome, the question of where the biomethane comes from does arise. It is critical that Irish-produced biomethane is prioritised to ensure local economic benefits will not be lost. One solution, according to Doyle, is to make Irish-produced biomethane more valuable to heat providers than imported alternatives. She explains that producers that inject biomethane into the network will receive renewable gas certificates issued by Gas Networks Ireland. The potential is there and Gas Networks Ireland is investing in the infrastructure to support the home-grown biomethane industry. All it needs is some certainty around the RHO to accelerate progress. We did a study in 2022 to determine market interest in producing biomethane, says Doyle. We found that we could meet up to 14TW of gas. If we did the study again, we believe we would get a significantly higher figure. This shows that the 5.7TW target is more than achievable if the right conditions are in place. The benefits will be significant. Producers will get into arrangements with local farmers to buy feedstock for a number of years at an agreed price. In Denmark, there are arrangements where they will take slurry and might give back the digestate for free. The Nitrates Directive will have difficult impacts for farmers, with predictions of a 39 per cent income drop for dairy farms. Biomethane is offering an alternative revenue stream and offering the farming community something complementary to their core business while also reducing the overall nitrate levels on their farms. We are also speaking to our Danish colleagues about what they have achieved in biomethane production, Doyle adds. There is a thriving R&D sector around it creating more value-added byproducts. We can do the same here in Ireland but we need to get the RHO over the line from Europe first. For more information, visit gasnetworks.ie/biomethane OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions even when they had no prior mental health issues. The lawsuits were filed on Thursday in California state courts and allege wrongful death, assisted suicide, involuntary manslaughter and negligence. Filed on behalf of six adults and one teenager by the Social Media Victims Law Centre and Tech Justice Law Project, the lawsuits claim that OpenAI knowingly released GPT-4o prematurely. They claim it was released despite internal warnings that it was dangerously sycophantic and psychologically manipulative. Four of the victims died by suicide. The teenager, 17-year-old Amaurie Lacey, began using ChatGPT for help, according to the lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court. But instead of helping, the defective and inherently dangerous ChatGPT product caused addiction, depression, and, eventually, counselled him on the most effective way to tie a noose and how long he would be able to live without breathing. The lawsuit states: Amauries death was neither an accident nor a coincidence but rather the foreseeable consequence of Open AI and Samuel Altmans intentional decision to curtail safety testing and rush ChatGPT onto the market. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Another lawsuit, filed by Allan Brooks, a 48-year-old in Ontario, Canada, claims that for more than two years ChatGPT worked as a resource tool for Mr Brooks. Then, without warning, it changed, preying on his vulnerabilities and manipulating, and inducing him to experience delusions. As a result, Allan, who had no prior mental health illness, was pulled into a mental health crisis that resulted in devastating financial, reputational, and emotional harm. These lawsuits are about accountability for a product that was designed to blur the line between tool and companion all in the name of increasing user engagement and market share, said Matthew P Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Centre. OpenAI, he added, designed GPT-4o to emotionally entangle users, regardless of age, gender, or background, and released it without the safeguards needed to protect them. By rushing its product to market without adequate safeguards in order to dominate the market and boost engagement, he said, OpenAI compromised safety and prioritised emotional manipulation over ethical design. In August, parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine sued OpenAI and its chief executive Mr Altman, alleging that ChatGPT coached the California boy in planning and taking his own life earlier this year. The lawsuits filed against OpenAI reveal what happens when tech companies rush products to market without proper safeguards for young people, said Daniel Weiss, chief advocacy officer at Common Sense Media. These tragic cases show real people whose lives were upended or lost when they used technology designed to keep them engaged rather than keep them safe. Four Afghan civilians were killed and five others wounded in an overnight clash between Pakistani and Afghan forces along their shared border, an Afghan official said, in a sign of rising tension between the two as they hold peace talks in Istanbul. However, a tense calm largely prevailed along the Chaman border in southwest Pakistan, where the two sides briefly exchanged fire on Thursday night, with both sides blaming the other for the breach of last months ceasefire brokered by Qatar. In Afghanistan, Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of the Information and Culture Department in Spin Boldak, blamed Pakistan in a statement for initiating the shooting but said Afghan forces did not respond due to the peace talks in Istanbul. In Islamabad, Pakistans foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi on Friday dismissed the Afghan claim, saying the Afghans initiated the shooting. Pakistans ministry of information said late Thursday on X that the shooting was initiated from the Afghan side, but the situation was brought under control. People near the closed gate at the Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, after the border was shut for nearly two weeks following clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces (Sibghatullah/AP) The ministry said a ceasefire brokered by Qatar on October 19 remained intact. Mr Andrabi said Pakistans national security adviser Lieutenant General Asim Malik is leading the Pakistani delegation in the talks with Afghanistan. The Afghan side is being led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, director of general intelligence. For years, Pakistan has accused Afghanistans Taliban government of harbouring Pakistani militants who carry out cross-border attacks, a charge Kabul denies. Tensions have remained high since last month, when deadly border clashes erupted, killing dozens, including soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, and wounding hundreds on both sides. The fighting began after explosions in Kabul on October 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed to avenge. The violence, the worst between the neighbours in recent years, subsided after Qatar brokered a ceasefire. Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks in recent months, most claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and the United States. Though separate, the TTP is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban. Many of its leaders and fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since the Talibans return to power in 2021, further straining ties between the two countries. A critical moment for the future of Ukraines Donetsk region is approaching as the battle for the city of Pokrovsk reaches a key stage, with Russian and Ukrainian forces so enmeshed that in some cases they are vying for control of the same residential building. But far from the battlefields of eastern Ukraine, Pokrovsk is also critical to a diplomatic struggle, as both Russia and Ukraine attempt to convince US President Donald Trump that they have the upper hand in the fighting and the other side is weaker. Russia says its forces have surrounded Pokrovsk and thwarted a Ukrainian operation to reopen logistics lines into the city. Ukraine denies theres a blockade, describing the fighting as ongoing, with its forces inflicting heavy Russian losses. Russian forces entered Pokrovsk last month, taking advantage of gaps in Ukrainian defences to slip through the lines, and appear poised to seize all of it in the coming weeks or months, experts say. Ukrainian commanders on the ground admit the outlook is bleak. As of now there are no clear lines of defence, none that can obstruct soldiers from coming into the city, said Serhii Filimonov, a commander of Ukraines Wolves of Da Vinci battalion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, centre, pose for a photo with servicemen near the frontline city of Pokrovsk, Donetsk region (Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP) In an interview last week, he estimated the Russians control more than 70% of Pokrovsk. Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday admitted Ukraine is in a difficult situation. The enemy began assault operations on the 5th (of November) and has continued conducting assaults They have lost equipment, but the enemys number-one goal is to occupy Pokrovsk as quickly as possible. That goal remains, he told reporters in Kyiv. Russias recent success in Pokrovsk is the result of more than a year of grinding battles in which its forces advanced 24 miles, according to calculations by the US-based Institute for the Study of War. Neither Russia nor Ukraine disclose their casualty figures comprehensively, but analysts say that thousands of soldiers have been killed. The operation progressed, metre by metre, until last month when Russian assault groups overcame worn-down Ukrainian defences. In response, Ukraine deployed its elite units, launching a special operation last week to counter potential advances. Commanders warn that the intense street-to-street fighting is reaching a critical point. Pokrovsk sits along the eastern front line, part of what has been dubbed the fortress belt of Donetsk, a line of heavily fortified cities crucial to Ukraines defence of the region, including Kramatorsk, Sloviansk and Druzhkivka. Pokrovsk, which had a prewar population of 60,000, once served as a crucial logistics hub for Ukrainian forces. However, Russia used its artillery to establish an advantage over key routes, denying Ukrainian forces the ability to move freely, conduct evacuations and ferry in supplies. Peace talks in Istanbul between Pakistan and Afghanistan were at a deadlock, a day after both sides accused each other of mounting border clashes that risked breaching a ceasefire brokered by Qatar. The update on the talks by Pakistans Information Minister Attaullah Tarar came after an Afghan official said four Afghan civilians were killed and five others wounded in clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces along their shared border despite the joint negotiations. There was no immediate comment from Kabul about the Pakistani claim. In a statement thanking Turkey and Qatar for mediating the talks, Mr Tarar maintained that the Afghan Taliban has failed to meet pledges it made with the international community about curbing terrorism under a 2021 Doha peace accord. Mr Tarar said that Pakistan will not support any steps by the Taliban government that are not in the interest of the Afghan people or neighbouring countries. He did not elaborate further, but added that Islamabad continues to seek peace and goodwill for Afghans but will take all necessary measures to protect its own people and sovereignty. Ali Mohammad Haqmal, head of the Information and Culture Department in Afghanistans Spin Boldak district, blamed Pakistan for initiating the overnight shooting, but said Afghan forces did not respond due to the peace talks in Istanbul. However, a tense calm largely prevailed along the Chaman border in southwest Pakistan, where the two sides briefly exchanged fire Thursday night, with both sides blaming the other. Pakistans foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi on Friday said Afghanistan initiated the shooting. lorries loaded with their belongings (H Achakzai/AP) Pakistans Ministry of Information said late Thursday on X that the shooting was initiated from the Afghan side, but the situation was brought under control. The ministry said a ceasefire brokered by Qatar on October 19 remained intact. Mr Andrabi said Pakistans national security adviser Lieutenant General Asim Malik is leading the Pakistani delegation in the talks with Afghanistan. The Afghan side is being led by Abdul Haq Wasiq, director of general intelligence. Pakistan has long accused Afghanistans Taliban government of harbouring Pakistani militants who carry out cross-border attacks, a charge Kabul denies. Tensions have remained high since last month, when deadly border clashes erupted, killing dozens, including soldiers, civilians and suspected militants, and wounding hundreds on both sides. The fighting began after explosions in Kabul on Oct. 9 that the Taliban government blamed on Pakistan and vowed to avenge. The violence, the worst between the neighbours in recent years, subsided after Qatar brokered a ceasefire. Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in militant attacks in recent months, most claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, a group designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Nations and the United States. Though separate, the TTP is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban. Many of its leaders and fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since the Talibans return to power in 2021, further straining ties between the two countries. Turkey has issued arrest warrants for alleged genocide against the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and senior officials within his government. Among 37 suspects listed were the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, the national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the army chief Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, said a statement from the Istanbul prosecutors office, which did not publish the complete list. Spring manufacturer in E China finds its bounce on new track of growth 15:29, November 07, 2025 By Liu Junguo ( People's Daily Photo shows the "factory" of Zhejiang Meili High Technology Co., Ltd. built in the 1990s. Recently, Le Zhiguo, head of the robotics spring task force at Zhejiang Meili High Technology Co., Ltd. (Meili), visited several humanoid robot companies, including Unitree Robotics and Deep Robotics. "Our purpose was to deliver prototype springs and deepen collaboration with downstream partners to jointly overcome technical hurdles," stated Le. Le explained that while many humanoid robot developers concentrate on core components like control systems ("brain"), motion coordination ("cerebellum"), and joint actuators, they often pay less attention to the flexibility of the body and limb systems. This oversight can result in operational issues such as overheating joints, unnatural movements, and reduced durability. Recognizing this gap, Meili leveraged its expertise to assist. The company has already begun supplying small batches of prototype springs to several humanoid robot manufacturers. The solution for enhancing robotic flexibility and agility? A specialized spring, approximately one centimeter in diameter. At first glance, this component may appear similar to conventional springs. "However," Le clarified, "its strength and precision are significantly higher. When integrated into linear actuators, it enables smoother and more coordinated robotic movements." Le Zhiguo drew an analogy: if sensors provide a robot's sense of touch and harmonic reducers function as its joints, then these high-precision, high-strength damping springs act like ligaments. They cushion joints, facilitate posture adjustment, and mitigate vibration and noise. To accelerate this development, Meili established a dedicated robotics spring team earlier this year, drawing key technical experts from more than 120 R&D personnel. Within just three months, the team progressed from concept design to small-batch production, enabling Meili to supply springs to both domestic and international robotics companies. Photo shows a workshop of Zhejiang Meili High Technology Co., Ltd. today. How did the company manage to springboard into this new field so quickly? "The foundation was built on over 35 years of experience in the spring industry," explained Zhang Bihong, Founder and Chairman of Meili. "That solid expertise made our entry into a new sector possible." Founded in Ru'ao township, Xinchang county, east China's Zhejiang province, Meili began as a small spring workshop. "We started by manufacturing springs for fire extinguishers, then progressed to motorcycle valve springs," Zhang recalled. In the early days, with few clients, Zhang often rode his bicycle along dusty country roads, visiting motorcycle parts factories one by one. Gradually, the company expanded into the automotive spring market. In recent years, intensifying competition in the traditional spring market could no longer support the company's growth ambitions. However, the rapid rise of China's new energy vehicle (NEV) sector presented a new opportunity. "To thrive, we had to ascend the value chain," Zhang stated. Determined to move into higher-value products, he led the company to develop air suspension springs for NEVs - a segment with significantly higher technical barriers. Air suspension systems, once exclusive to high-end vehicles, were long dominated by foreign companies. Despite having no prior experience in this field, the Meili team recognized that the market opportunity might be fleeting. The pressure to succeed was immense. "The greatest challenge was improving the durability and air-tight sealing between the rubber airbag and the metal components. Both factors directly impact product quality," said Li Xiaojun, head of the air spring project team. "Another difficulty was ensuring stable performance under extreme conditions. Sometimes, lab data looked perfect, but during real vehicle tests, the damping materials failed to meet standards," Li added. "To enhance air-tightness and ensure the springs could withstand fatigue, heat, and cold, we tested more than 100 types of rubber materials," Li explained. The team repeatedly refined designs, adjusted material formulas, optimized vulcanization processes, and tested structural options. After enduring 5.42 million cycles in rigorous alternating high- and low-temperature humidity tests, Meili successfully produced its first prototype air spring for passenger vehicles in 2024. The prototype passed customer validation later that year. The company continues to innovate. "Robot springs offer even higher added value than automotive springs and could represent a new multi-billion-yuan market," Zhang noted. Through relentless innovation, this small component is springing into a world of broader possibilities. (Photos provided by Zhejiang Meili High Technology Co., Ltd.) (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) The ICC has challenged Israels prime minister and his former defense minister for the Gaza atrocities. Several other cabinet members have contributed to these crimes. But none have been charged for these crimes. Should they be charged? Could they be charged? New York (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) Recently, a classified report by a U.S. government watchdog discovered that Israeli military units have committed many hundreds of potential violations of U.S. human rights law in the Gaza Strip. The findings by the State Departments Office of Inspector General mark the first time a U.S. government report has acknowledged the scale of Israeli actions in Gaza that fall under the purview of Leahy Laws that bar U.S. assistance to foreign military units credibly accused of gross human rights abuses. Indirectly, these findings also highlight U.S. complicity in the Gaza genocide, due to continuing arms transfers and financing. Conveniently, the story was released only after two years of Israels genocidal atrocities in Gaza. In light of an avalanche of international reports during the period, the classified report represents a tip of iceberg. And yet, in November 2024, after an investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for only two Israeli government leaders: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant. The two were alleged to be responsible for the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and for crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts in early Gaza war (genocide was not included.) Notably, the warrant against Netanyahu was the first against the leader of the U.S.-led West-backed country for war crimes. But were the two really the sole cabinet leaders responsible for the genocidal atrocities? 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) Effectively, there are circles of Israeli officials who share complicity for the Gaza genocide, including high-profile ministers, internationally-less known enablers, military and intelligence architects of obliteration, Netanyahus veteran advisor and the president. Supporting Netanyahu and Gallant, there were at least half a dozen cabinet members who contributed to those brutalities, with some insisting on more destructive measures and protracted bombardment. Even before Israels genocidal atrocities in Gaza, the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of the far-right and supremacist Jewish Power party, had long promoted the expulsion of non-loyal Arab citizens, the full blockade of Gaza, the Judaization of Israel-occupied Palestinian territories and total elimination of Hamas and all who support Palestinian resistance. Ben-Gvir has been seconded by Bezazel Smotrich, the far-right leader of the national religious Zionists and Netanyahus Minister of Finance and Defense, who has tried to use the Gaza War to annex the West Bank to the pre-1967 Israel. A self-proclaimed racist and fascist, Smotrich promoted the blockade of the Gaza Strip calling for the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. Still another hardliner is Netanyahus Foreign Minister Israel Katz. As Netanyahus Energy Minister in October 2023, Katz had famously declared a complete siege of Gaza: no electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter. More recently, now-Defense Minister Katz pledged that Gaza will be destroyed, and that anyone who stays in Gaza City will be considered terrorists and terror supporters. Objecting to any humanitarian aid to Gaza, Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu, Ben-Gvirs party colleague, suggested nuking the Strip to get rid of the monsters of Gaza, including women and children. Despite a global debacle, Netanyahu did not fire Eliyahu. In May 2025, the emboldened minister said Israel should bomb Gazas food and fuel reserves, to starve the population. 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. Like Eliyahu, Settlement Minister Orit Strook believes that death and devastation in Gaza served Gods purpose: Israels national redemption. Thats why she opposed all ceasefire efforts. Hamas and Palestinians had to be eradicated so that the Messianic Jewish settlers can rebuild Azza; that is, the Judaized Gaza. The enablers Though less known internationally, another set of cabinet members contributed to the protracted genocidal atrocities. After October 7, then Information Minister Galit-Distel Atbaryan posted her infamous tweet: Erase Gaza from the face of the earth and fire and brimstone on the heads of the Nazis in Judea and Samaria (the Hebraized term for the West Bank). Transportation Minister Miri Regev, a former IDF brigadier-general and IDF spokeswoman who likes to describe herself as a happy fascist, criticized efforts to detain Israeli soldiers in the notorious Sde Teiman detention camp the Israeli version of Abu Ghraib and the best-known node of a network of torture camps. Promoting the full removal of all Palestinians from Gaza, Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi had a central role in the censure of international media in Israel and the occupied territories, including the shutdown of Al Jazeeras Israel bureau. Many of these views were supported by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, a promoter of the West Banks annexation. Months before October 7, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli stated that the Palestinian Authority was a neo-Nazi entity and antisemitic and that it was necessary to examine alternatives to its existence. Chikli has built special ties with European far-right movements and led over 100 civil initiatives to align international sentiments with the cabinets view that Hamas is a collection of human animals and Nazi antisemites. In October, he invited Tommy Robinson, a British far-right anti-Islam activist with a dark history of criminal convictions, to Israel despite objections and criticism by the Jewish Leadership Council and the Board of Deputies of British Jews. Then there was the Minister for Social Equality and as Minister for Womens Empowerment May Golan, long haunted by bribery and fraud allegations. Golan is Netanyahus openly racist appointee, who had hoped to serve as Israel consul general in New York City until her appointment was rejected. She called for another Nakba (lit. Catastrophe in Arabic referring to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948), to cleanse all Palestinians from Gaza. Despite their supportive roles and accessorial liability in the Palestinian genocide, none of these cabinet members have been charged by the ICC. The architects of obliteration Another set of decision-makers features those Israeli leaders who have had a direct or indirect role in the military doctrine that was deployed in Gaza. Gila Gamliel belongs to Netanyahus set of key ministers but as the Minister of Intelligence she also represented the countrys intelligence elite. Since October 2023, she has been in charge of plans of Gazas ethnic cleansing to cash on the expulsion via real estate development and by resettling far-right Messianic settlers in Gaza. The Netanyahu cabinet has also included veteran military leaders whose role was crucial long before and after October 7. They pioneered what can be called the obliteration doctrine, a lethal mix of scorched earth policy, collective responsibility and civilian victimization, coupled with massive indiscriminate bombardment and systematic use of artificial intelligence. As Prof. William Schabas, a leading scholar of genocide, has noted, the obliteration doctrine adds a new term to the lexicon on genocide, notably in the application of international law and its judicial mechanisms. As I have demonstrated, this doctrine accounts for the decimation of urban infrastructure and the genocidal atrocities in Gaza. Already in 2006, it was first tested in Dahiya, a Shia Muslim enclave in Beirut. Gadi Eisenkot, the former IDF chief of staff, was its architect who pledged it would be used in the next war. In spring 2024, Benny Gantz, the leader of a center-right party and former IDF chief of general staff, was portrayed as a moderate alternative to Netanyahu by the U.S. Secretary of State Blinken. And yet, Gantz sat in Netanyahus cabinet through the most devastating phase of Israels assault against Gaza. Worse, in the past, he has been haunted by several war crime allegations. Then there was the controversial and tough-talking Avi Dichter, a former head of Israels internal security Shin Bet and veteran politician whose brutal methods in the occupied territories have sparked charges of extrajudicial killing and war crimes since early 2000s. Soon after October 7, Dichter disclosed the Israeli goals: We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba, adding Gaza Nakba 2023, thats how it will end. None of these architects of obliteration were featured among the ICC warrants, either. Netanyahus right-hand and the president The portrait of Netanyahus cabinet also features Isaac Herzog, the Israeli president. Right after October 7, Herzog condemned all residents of Gaza for collective responsibility in the Hamas attack on Israel. In this view, there were no innocents in Gaza. The doctrine legitimized the killings of Palestinian women and children who account for 70 percent of the perished in Gaza. The portrait also includes Ron Dermer, Netanyahus Minister of Strategic Affairs, who recently left the cabinet but remains PMs close advisor. He was intimately linked with the PMs fatal decisions regarding Gaza. These included a covert plan to thin the Palestinian population in Gaza to a minimum, by the creation of a humanitarian crisis to transfer the refugees away from the area. Neither Herzog nor Dermer have had to worry about an ICJ warrant. Furthermore, these high officials represent just the tip of their bureaucracies in which armies of subordinates implemented their decisions, from Netanyahus close confidant Dermer to soldiers who were guided to target women and children, including emergency workers who sought to save the victims; journalists who were silenced; and children who were deliberately shot in the head or the left side of the chest. In light of the track-record of these and other high-level officials, the ICC arrest warrants for PM Netanyahu and his ex-defense minister Gallant would seem to be largely symbolic. Secretary Antony J. Blinken meets with Israels War Cabinet in Tel Aviv, Israel, January 9, 2024. (Official State Department photo by Chuck Kennedy). 9 January 2024. Public Domain. Via Wikimedia Commons. Symbolic justice Normally, a prosecution team would draw a long list of potential indictees and then decide who could be prosecuted, relying on the strength of available evidence and the resources of the prosecution team. In light of the ICCs arrest warrants, the prosecutors office reportedly had a wider net of names that were considered. The decision to zoom onto just Netanyahu and Gallant was likely motivated by the view that they represented the apex of Israels military campaign against Gaza and its people. Furthermore, the two were charged mainly with war crimes and crimes against humanity, not genocide. Presumably, the ICC prosecutor office may wait until there is a final ruling on South Africas charge of genocide likely in late 2027 or early 2028 before deciding whether to add genocide to the list of charges against Netanyahu, Gallant and anyone else that they add to the list. The effort to charge two Israeli leaders rather than the entire cabinet, whose members have had a substantial role in the genocidal atrocities, does not represent the pursuit of victims justice. In substance, it is still another instance of victors justice, as the former colonial powers continue to undermine appropriate genocide prosecution. ( Middle East Monitor ) The mass killing in Gaza and the onslaught in Sudan are part of a broader global pattern in which civilians are deliberately targeted. Those affected in both places are equally human, yet the world has responded differently. Gaza has prompted widespread global mobilisation, protests, boycotts and statements of solidarity. Meanwhile, the city of El-Fasher in North Darfur has received far less international attention. This contrast raises uncomfortable questions about the unequal recognition of human suffering. Both places tell a parallel story of civilian loss. In Gaza, airstrikes, artillery fire and ground incursions have destroyed entire urban districts. The United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) has released repeated satellite imagery showing flattened neighbourhoods, particularly through late 2023 and early 2024, with tens of thousands of buildings damaged or destroyed. Humanitarian agencies have used these assessments to map need and illustrate the scale of devastation. Reports from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and independent journalists have documented incidents where civilians were killed in homes, shelters and hospitals. These organisations have stated that many attacks failed to distinguish adequately between military and civilian targets, in violation of international humanitarian law. In El-Fasher, the violence has taken a different form but with similarly devastating consequences for civilians. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups have been accused by the United Nations and human rights organisations of carrying out targeted killings, including killings that appear to be ethnically motivated. In mid-2024, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned that civilians in Darfur faced grave and systematic attacks. The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, through the Sudan Conflict Observatory, has used satellite imagery to document the destruction of civilian areas, the burning of neighbourhoods, the appearance and expansion of areas consistent with mass burial sites, and repeated damage to medical facilities in and around El-Fasher. Eyewitness accounts gathered by journalists and humanitarian workers who escaped the region support these findings. The patterns of violence are being compared to the mass atrocities witnessed in Darfur two decades ago. In both Gaza and El-Fasher, women and children are disproportionately affected. In Gaza, UN agencies have reported high child casualty rates and severe disruption to medical services. In Sudan, sexual violence has been documented, including in displacement camps. The World Food Programme and UNICEF have recorded rising child malnutrition in both contexts, as supply routes are cut and humanitarian access is restricted. The emotional and visual documentation of both crises has been shaped by satellite technology. In Gaza, satellite images show streets and homes reduced to rubble, neighbourhoods turned into grey expanses of debris, and once-recognisable public institutions turned to ruins. In Sudan, the satellite record shows a different kind of evidence: scorched villages, destroyed hospitals, marketplaces burnt out, and areas of newly disturbed earth. When researchers cannot enter a region safely, satellite imagery becomes testimony. Yet Sudans crisis, despite displacing millions and triggering UN warnings of famine and escalating mass killing, has not generated a comparable international mobilisation. There have been statements from global leaders, humanitarian appeals, and occasional media coverage, particularly when reports of mass killings emerge. But the public response has not matched that seen for Gaza. Activists from Sudan have repeatedly spoken of the pain of this silence. There are reasons for the difference. Gaza has long occupied a central place in global politics and collective memory. Palestinian suffering is widely understood within the context of a decades-long struggle. Advocacy networks around Palestinian rights are well-established and coordinated, while media coverage is constant and intense. Sudans crisis, by contrast, is complex, involving rival military factions, regional power dynamics and layered histories of conflict in Darfur. International media often reduces it to civil war or famine, without conveying the human stories or political context. This lack of narrative clarity can diminish emotional and political impact. File. Gaza Strip and the Mediterranean Sea from the Shuttle KidSat Camera. NASA ID: PIA00547 There is also a harder question. Sudanese scholars, journalists and members of the diaspora have pointed to the racial dimension, arguing that violence against Black Africans in Darfur has historically received less sustained global attention. They note that even during the mass atrocities of the early 2000s, activism was limited and often short-lived. Whether or not this is the primary explanation, the perception matters. When people believe their lives are treated as less valuable, psychological harm deepens the physical harm. Responding equally does not mean collapsing the two crises into one. It means recognising that every civilian life has equal worth. It requires demanding accountability in both contexts and refusing selective empathy. It means holding all armed actors to international law. An equal response requires supporting independent investigations in both Gaza and Sudan, securing humanitarian access wherever civilians are at risk, and building public movements that do not depend on political convenience or media attention cycles. The responsibility to confront injustice does not begin or end at any particular border. If humanity is to mean anything, it must mean that a child killed in El-Fasher is mourned with the same urgency as a child killed in Gaza. It must mean refusing to look awayanywhere. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor or Informed Comment. Middle East Monitor Azmat Ali is a student at the School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. LES GRANDS ENTRETIENS JUSTICE INFO Dennis van Berkel Dutch lawyer, legal counsel to the Urgenda Foundation, co-founder and strategic advisor to the Climate Litigation Network JUSTICE INFO: Last 23 July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a much awaited advisory opinion on the obligations of states in respect to climate change. What are the main points of this decision according to you? DENNIS VAN BERKEL: It's a decision which very clearly outlines the climate obligations of states under international law. In quite strong terms, it stated that there are binding obligations on states to reduce their carbon emissions. This was the most pleaded and discussed case before the ICJ: although this is an advisory opinion, nearly 100 countries presented their case. They all recognized the role of the court as the supreme interpreter of their legal obligations, not only because they signed treaties in the past, but by showing up. And especially the high emitting countries, including the United States and China. What they pleaded was twofold. One is that their obligations to reduce emissions were actually very vague, that the Paris Agreement was only an aspirational goal somewhere between 1,5 and 2C , and that the only thing they needed to do was to submit an emission target. The second thing they said is that they can never be responsible for any damage that ever occurs because of climate change. They were resoundingly refuted on both points. The court was very clear: the rising temperature limit is 1,5C, not above 1,5C; and states have quite a narrow space with regards to how to set their targets. Those targets need to be based on fairness principles, in which every country must pull its weight in the global effort to hold the rise of temperature to 1.5C, the court said. If you emitted more in the past, you need to reduce your emissions more into the future. It also said that collectively all these targets need to add up towards the 1,5 C. And they have to set their targets in relation to that remaining space. That's very fundamental because almost no country does that. They just set their target entirely divorced from the science. And therefore they just claim that it's very ambitious and sufficient to stay below 1,5 C, without showing how they'll get there. The ICJ advisory opinion says you have to give scientific substantiation, you have to base your target on that. It also said that the targets need to reflect the highest level of ambition. What science is consistently showing is that we can reduce emissions much faster than we're currently doing, and that it's beneficial for all sorts of things other than climate change: health impacts, the economy, etc. So the catering of narrow existing interests, such as the fossil fuel industry, that we are seeing in the US, is blatantly against the international legal obligations that the court has set out. What the large polluters asked for was a bank check. And the court didn't give them that at all. They said, no, we have to look at this specifically. Thats for the first question the ICJ had to answer on the obligations of states in respect to emissions. For the second question, on the responsibilities high emitting countries have towards vulnerable countries that suffer most from climate impacts, such as small island states, the court said that all responsibilities with regards to climate impact are possible under international law, whether certain damage will have to be repaid, or restitutions. The latter may relate to restoring areas that have been devastated by climate extremes, but potentially also to restore the atmospheric CO2 concentrations that are causing these extremes by drawing carbon back from the atmosphere. What the large polluters asked for was a bank check. And the court didn't give them that at all. They said, no, we have to look at this specifically. And there are two ways. One is whether you have done your part of the effort that is required to reduce emissions. And the other is whether your emissions have contributed to the specific damage which has to be assessed. It's actually a fairly logical statement of the court: if you don't reduce emissions enough, it is an unlawful act under international law, and that can create legal responsibilities for the damage that occurs. The ICJ also states that law is important, but that it cannot address alone the magnitude of climate change issues. Do you think that this advisory opinion will have an impact on political negotiations at COP30? Yes, I think it will have impacts in many different ways. One is that it shapes the international political debate. The Urgenda decision in 2015 by a Dutch civil court was the first time that a court said a country had an individual responsibility to do its share, that you have to set your emission target in relation to a temperature limit because if we go above, you are acting unlawfully. And thats basically what the ICJ has just said at the global level. Prior to that judgment, in politics, everybody said that's nonsense, we have no obligation because we need to have a global agreement on exactly what everybody needs to do. There's no individual responsibility, we can just decide entirely on the basis of what we feel like politically. There is still discussion on what the right target is, but everybody agrees that the government is obliged to have a target and that target should be sufficient towards 1,5C. The fact that this is an obligation politicians cannot walk away from has been made very clear with the ICJ advisory opinion. What is also very clear is that if the state doesn't deliver, organizations can go to court. And this is now happening again in the Netherlands. There's a second lawsuit against the Dutch government with regards to the 2030 target, while the Urgenda case was addressing the 2020 target. I do believe that these legal developments have shaped up to become one of the most impactful factors driving more ambitious climate action that we've seen in the past 10 years. So it shapes the political debate and it creates a legal basis that if not followed, people can go to court and hold politicians to account. What is very significant here is that the ICJ specifically says that if countries do not submit Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that comply with their legal obligations they can be dragged into court and courts can order states to set higher NDCs. So it is not so that with this judgment, we have solved it all. But I do believe that these legal developments have shaped up to become one of the most impactful factors driving more ambitious climate action that we've seen in the past 10 years. From one judgment in one very small country, the Netherlands, to the highest court in the world within 10 years, is lightning fast, if you think about how legal developments usually take place. Members of the NGO Urgenda outside the Dutch Supreme Court on December 20, 2019, when judges ordered the Dutch government to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. Photo: Sem van der Wal / ANP / AFP You mentioned the first successful action by the Dutch NGO Urgenda in 2015. Since then many successful climate cases occurred mainly in Europe Ireland, Belgium, Germany, France , but also in Colombia or Pakistan. This happened because NGOs took action in courts. Were they helping one another inside the Climate Litigation Network? Was there a decision in a national court that triggered another decision in another national court? What you see is a lot of things happening in parallel. It's absolutely true that there's a lot of learning between people that have filed these cases, but also between the courts themselves. But it grew more in an organic way than under one big overarching strategy. I think what happened is that people got disillusioned with the political system. Research shows that 9 in ten of us want stronger climate action from our governments, but they aren't stepping up; they're not sticking to the promises they made in the Paris Agreement. And in different parts of the world, people started to think: what are the legal tools at our disposal? In the past law has already been applied to large societal problems which politics alone did not immediately have an answer for. Legal principles that determined that if you cause harm, you are responsible for the consequences, were now being utilized towards this new and perhaps grandest of all societal problems climate change. It takes some time and experimentation to apply existing rules to a new set of facts, and that is what you've seen throughout the world. Among the rights that we have under existing systems, there is the human rights framework. Once using this framework turned out to be successful in the Urgenda case and in the Pakistan Leghari case two months later, more and more people started to look at this and to try and present their cases to courts. This, obviously, takes time. And then there was learning between the groups that were doing this. What are the scientific facts, how to present them, how can we explain the legal rules and how can we explain the obligations in the best way? Although legal systems differ between jurisdictions, a lot of the questions that were in front of them were very similar. You also saw in judgments that these courts were actually looking at decisions in entirely different jurisdictions, not because they were bound by them, but just to get inspiration of how to deal with these very new questions coming up. What is the position of an individual country in this collective action problem? What is an appropriate standard with regards to what a country is obliged to do? And what is my role as a court vis-a-vis politics given the understanding of separation of powers in a democracy under the rule of law? And you see this kind of dialogue between courts, between plaintiffs in presenting their arguments. And it's through this informal dialogue that this field of law developed at a very rapid pace. Both in how they explained the law and how they dealt with the proceedings, the judges really recognized the enormity of the issue and the fact that it was not properly being dealt with by politics. The fact that it developed so fast is also because of the urgency of the climate crisis. For instance, in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), they gave a particular expedited status to the Senior Women case in April 2024 and that's what you also see with the ICJ judgment. Rulings from international courts like these can take a long time, but in these proceedings the court treated the case with priority and came to very well thought through and reasoned decisions within a relatively short time. Both in how they explained the law and how they dealt with the proceedings, the judges really recognized the enormity of the issue and the fact that it was not properly being dealt with by politics. The courts made it very explicit in their judgments that we need to have some accountability structures and courts are apt to fulfill that role. In this 10 year journey, which are the other main landmark decisions according to you? There were many. For the 1,5C target, there was the 2018 Colombian Supreme Court decision on future generations with regards to the rights of the Amazon and obligations of the government to ensure that emissions from deforestation would be reduced. In 2021, the Neubauer decision of the German Constitutional Court was a very important decision as well. It was the first constitutional court, after the 2019 ruling in the Urgenda case, that determined that a lack of shorter term climate measures threatened the rights of future generations. Another landmark was the decision of the South Korean Supreme Court in August 2024, because it was also on the basis of human rights: it determined that there was an obligation on the government to set targets in line with science. I also think, of course, of the advisory opinions of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in May 2024 and of the Inter American Court on Human Rights in May 2025. All of these cases have built one upon another. For instance, the Korean decision very much follows the template that was created by the German Constitutional Court. The ECHR decision on Senior Women also refers to the German Constitutional Court. And the ICJ is following a lot the template of the ECHR. All of these decisions clearly prepared the landscape for the ICJ advisory opinion, because what it has said was no longer revolutionary in any way: many courts had preceded it. In the first couple of years, we tried to be this catalyst. But after a while, people saw that this could be done across jurisdictions. So now we no longer need to convince anyone. What role did you, Urgenda and the Litigation Network play? It was a lot about explaining to others what we had done in the Netherlands and to think together how the same legal thinking could be applied in their own jurisdictions. In the early years, there was an overwhelming request from throughout the world of people asking for our help. In the first couple of years, we tried to be this catalyst. But after a while, people saw that this could be done across jurisdictions. So now we no longer need to convince anyone. It's much more that we help people with their cases. And the amount of cases and the number of people that are working in this field across the world have grown enormously. The Climate Litigation Network was first a project of Urgenda. Now it's become an independent organization. It does not bring its own cases, but supports communities that seek to use the law to protect our shared future. The ICJ decision clearly upgrades the right to a stable climate and a healthy environment to the level of universally acknowledged human rights. Prior to that, the environment was hardly mentioned in universal human rights, if we except the declaration of UN General Assembly on a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in July 2022. Was there a strategy from climate activists to achieve this? Regarding the UNGA resolution recognizing this human right to a healthy environment, many different people have been involved in that for a very long time, who were not directly involved with the litigation. At the same time, people in the litigation started to use existing human rights so that they also grant protection against climate change such as the right to life, or the right to private life under the European Convention on Human Rights. So the litigation on the one hand and the efforts to get that right recognized at the political level have reinforced each other. And now we have this recognition of the ICJ, which I agree is a great achievement. So it's many different streams that led to that, and not only climate litigation. Another significant development is a growing wave of litigation against the corporations that are most responsible for climate change. Whats coming next? Could you use the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights, which is more precise than the European Convention of Human Rights on the protection of nature, human health and common heritage? How the Charter will be used in domestic litigation will be shaped in large part by the upcoming climate change advisory opinion from the African Court. The Courts findings will be particularly relevant for new fossil fuel projects there are over 900 new gas projects alone currently planned across the continent. But if we take the global picture, most of these climate cases have rightly focused on the Global North countries that have the highest responsibilities with regards to emissions. Another significant development is a growing wave of litigation against the corporations that are most responsible for climate change. One important example is a case against Royal Dutch Shell brought by another Dutch NGO, MilieuDefensie, in a Dutch court. Their lawyer Roger Cox is the same person that had filled the Urgenda case. In first instance in 2021, it was the first time that a corporation was acknowledged to have its own responsibilities with regards to emission reductions. In appeal the exact emission reduction order went away the case is still before the Supreme Court but very importantly, the appeal court suggested that companies legal obligations may prevent them from drilling for more oil because we have already depleted the available carbon budget. So what MilieuDefensie did is to file a new case with regards to Shell's new oil exploration. There are now two cases before the Dutch courts in parallel: one with regards to emission reduction, and another one that is aimed at the oil exploration. In the ICJ judgment the court says to the states that there's an obligation not just to see how you reduce your emissions, but also how you regulate corporations to reduce their emissions. And this somewhat concludes the debate about the responsibilities of states versus the responsibilities of companies that had been opened after the Carbon Majors report in 2017 Yes. And it's not either or, right? It's both. But states have an obligation to regulate that. And in the Dutch context, the independent responsibility of a corporation in respect to climate change is also established. The court did not acknowledge that this was entirely a political issue and that Shell could do whatever it wanted within the framework set by the legislator. No. Even if the legislator is not forcing you to reduce, as a company you have your own responsibility. Pollution from the Concon refinery in the Valparaiso region, Chile, in September 2018. The national oil company Enap was accused by the Environment Superintendent of threatening the health of local residents. Photo: Martin Bernetti / AFP Could we say that because the international environmental law was too weak to address climate change effects and causes, some lawyers took a step aside to address it by making it a human rights issue? Yes, somewhat. But the most conscious step that was taken was that, rather than raising these cases at the international level, which from a legal point of view might have seemed the most logical, they were taken to the national level. And the national procedures that were used are similar to actions that were used to determine responsibility for asbestos or tobacco harms since the 1990s. The Urgenda case was a case before a civil court. This nationally based environmental and liability jurisprudence was used to create a climate responsibility at the national level, and that has now trickled up to the international level. The International Court of Justice has set a non-binding standard and a lot of that will now go back to national cases before national courts with binding judgments. And there the law will develop further. The International Court of Justice has set a non-binding standard and a lot of that will now go back to national cases before national courts with binding judgments. And there the law will develop further. The big change that I expect is that governments will now need to be much more explicit with regards to how they set their targets and that there needs to be a scientific basis to that. Once again, there is an interplay between courts and politics. These court cases strengthen the decision democratic process in two ways. First, they give a much clearer factual basis under the policies. Governments have to justify that what they're doing is actually enough to reach the 1,5C target. They can't just claim any more that what they're doing is enough. And the other thing is that these judgments say you have to act now, you can't postpone this because the burden on future generations will be enormous. That is extremely important for democratic freedoms because if you don't act now, the scope to take actions into the future becomes less and less. To protect the right of the people in 10 years to actually still make decisions on how to do things, rather than to be confronted with a carbon lockdown, it is important that governments take all the actions that they can take immediately. The United States and Israel on Friday accused Iran of trying to kill Israel's ambassador to Mexico, with Tehran rejecting the claim as a "big lie" and the Mexican government saying it was unaware of the plot. The purported assassination attempt came as tensions soared to new highs between Israel and Iran, which have each attacked the other's territory. Israel said Mexican authorities had intervened to stop the attempt to kill its ambassador, Einat Kranz-Neiger, but Mexico's foreign ministry later said it had "received no information" on the alleged incident. Without naming the United States or Israel, Mexico's Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, which oversees intelligence, said it was open to "respectful and coordinated cooperation, always within the framework of national sovereignty, with all security agencies that request it." Kranz-Neiger, when asked by Mexican media about the conflicting statements, said she was "unaware of the reasons" of Mexico's denial. "Those who acted to neutralize this threat were the Mexican security and intelligence authorities," she told Radio Formula. Iran's embassy in Mexico meanwhile called the alleged plot "a great big lie." The objective "is to damage the friendly and historic relations between both countries (Mexico and Iran), which we categorically reject," the embassy in Mexico posted on X. Mexico historically seeks non-intervention in international affairs and has taken a more cautious stance on the Gaza war than other leftist-led Latin American countries. Mexico has backed an investigation into allegations of Israeli war crimes but has also maintained diplomatic relations with Israel, which were established decades ago and have been largely cordial. - Alleged Venezuela connection - A US official said the Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force initiated the plot in late 2024 and that it was disrupted this year. The plot allegedly included recruiting operatives out of Iran's embassy in Venezuela, whose leftist president, Nicolas Maduro, has a tactical alliance with Tehran. "This is just the latest in a long history of Iran's global lethal targeting of diplomats, journalists, dissidents and anyone who disagrees with them, something that should deeply worry every country where there is an Iranian presence," the US official said on condition of anonymity. The official did not provide detailed evidence or say how the plot was contained. The alleged plot would have taken place after Israel's April 1, 2024 attack on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, then a close ally of Tehran. The attack killed several top Revolutionary Guards officers and prompted vows of revenge by Tehran, which fired missiles and drones against Israel. A year later Israel carried out a much more extensive bombing campaign in Iran, which killed more than 1,000 people. The United States, Israel's main ally, joined by bombing key sites of Iran's contested nuclear program. Iran's cleric-run state has been a critical supporter of Hamas, the armed Palestinian militant group in Gaza that carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel responded with a relentless campaign that has left most of Gaza in rubble and expanded its military offensive across the region, hitting Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Qatar and Yemen. Israeli intelligence has accused the Quds Force of plotting against Israeli and Jewish targets overseas. Australia expelled Iran's ambassador over what it said was Iranian involvement in two arson attacks -- against a synagogue in Melbourne and a kosher restaurant in Sydney. Latin America is not a stranger to violence linked to the Middle East. A bombing at a Jewish center in 1994 in Buenos Aires killed 85 people, with Argentina and Israel saying it was carried out by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at the request of Iran. Iran remains home to a historic Jewish community despite the hostility to Israel by the cleric-run government that took power with the 1979 Islamic revolution. Thursday, November 06, 2025 - Activist Boniface Mwangi has publicly endorsed rapper Octopizzo for the Kibra parliamentary seat, days after the artist hinted at joining politics in the 2027 General Elections. Mwangi took to X (formerly Twitter) to back the musician, citing his longstanding commitment to community development in Kibra. Kibra voters, @OCTOPIZZO is your best choice for Member of Parliament! He has served Kibera well as a private citizen, and now its time you gave him a mandate to represent you in Parliament, Mwangi posted. Mwangis post referenced a 2017 memory when Octopizzo supported his own bid for the Starehe parliamentary seat, tweeting: S/O to @bonifacemwangi for coming through to Kibera today & showing solidarity . Octopizzo, whose real name is Henry Ohanga, recently signaled his political ambitions during a Twitter exchange with Dr. Austine Omondi, who urged him to step into leadership following Raila Odingas death. I completely understand, and we will continue to mourn. Every undemocratic act will always remind us of him. I have heard your request, and inshallah you will see my name on the ballot in Kibra.Octopizzo responded. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 06, 2025 - Kenyan digital personality, Yvonne Kagondu, has stirred reactions on social media after cheekily shooting her shot while replying to a mans photo on X (formerly twitter). Although I'm not a medical student, I still want to remind you to pay attention to the muscles in your left shoulder she began, offering mock medical advice that ended with a cheeky punchline - ideally, you should sleep next to me. Her witty comment instantly caught users attention, sparking laughter and admiration online for her boldness. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 06, 2025 - Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has firmly dismissed claims suggesting that he will not contest the presidency in the 2027 General Election. Speaking on Wednesday, November 5th, Gachagua described the reports as baseless and politically motivated. We shall have one single presidential candidate. Ive seen William Ruto sponsoring headlines suggesting Ill step aside for a share in Government. Who is telling you that? Im a frontrunner in this race, he said. Gachagua emphasized his ability to mobilize support, resources, and messaging to challenge Rutos leadership. I need to persuade my colleagues that I have the numbers, the mobilization capacity, and the messaging strength to defeat William Ruto, he added. While confident in his bid, Gachagua acknowledged that coalition consensus will ultimately determine the flagbearer. If I dont persuade them and they persuade me that another Kenyan can do it, Ill sacrifice. Well meet after Christmas 2026 to decide, he noted. Meanwhile, Gachagua criticized Rutos recent claim that he faces no political challenger following Raila Odingas exit stating, His real opponents are the people of Kenya. Ruto, speaking in Malava on October 30th, dismissed the opposition as lacking vision, asserting, My only worthy competitor was Raila Odinga. Ill finish the rest in the morning. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 6, 2025 - Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti was left visibly embarrassed after a brief but awkward encounter with Mama Ida Odinga during a visit to Opoda Farm. Wavinya, who was part of a delegation of opposition leaders led by former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, had joined the group to pay their respects to the late ODM leader, Raila Odingas family. In a video that has since gone viral on social media, Wavinya is seen walking up to Mama Ida with a smile, hugging her warmly, and attempting to engage her in conversation. However, Mama Ida appears visibly uninterested, maintaining a composed but distant demeanor. At one point, she is seen gently pushing Wavinya away while turning her attention to other guests. The brief exchange has left Kenyans online buzzing, with many dissecting the body language between the two women. Some interpreted it as tension between the Governor and Mama Ida, while others dismissed it as a harmless misunderstanding captured at the wrong moment. Watch the video below or HERE>>> Oneni vile Ida odinga amelenga Wavinya ndeti I have never been this happy walahi pic.twitter.com/HeSRuiGBRC MJ (@RealMJke) November 6, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 6, 2025 - Former YouTube darling, Eve Mungai, has once again left tongues wagging after stepping out for a high-profile Nairobi event in a daring outfit that left fans wondering if shes trying too hard to stay relevant after fading from the limelight. Clad in a revealing designer dress that hugged every curve, the once-celebrated digital queen posed confidently for cameras, but not everyone was impressed. Social media users quickly lit up the internet, with some praising her bold fashion sense while others accused her of desperation for clout. Trevor must be thanking his stars right now, one fan commented, referring to her ex-boyfriend and former production partner, Director Trevor, who has since moved on with another media personality. Eve, who dominated YouTube streets between 2020 and 2023, has struggled to regain her footing after her messy breakup and loss of several sponsorship deals. Watch the video below or HERE>>> The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 06, 2025 - Interior Principal Secretary, Raymond Omollo, has revealed that the Government is actively working to repatriate the body of John Okoth Ogutu, a Kenyan teacher fatally shot during post-election unrest in Tanzania and investigate the circumstances surrounding his death. Speaking during his installation as Chief Commissioner of the Kenya Scouts Association, Omollo confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had engaged the Kenyan Embassy in Dar-es-Salaam. We are making respectful arrangements to ensure the case is handled appropriately, he said. Ogutu, who had worked in Tanzania for eight years, was killed in Dar-es-Salaam on October 29th, the day of Tanzanias General Elections. His body remains at Mwananyamala Mortuary. While details of the shooting remain unclear, he is among hundreds reportedly killed during the violent aftermath of the disputed vote. On November 4th, Ogutus family appealed to the Kenyan Government for assistance in repatriating his remains and pursuing justice. Omollo also reassured Kenyans living in Tanzania that their safety remains a priority and there is no cause for alarm. His sister emotionally recounted their last conversation on her birthday, September 22nd, describing him as the only family member who remembered the occasion. "My brother has been in Tanzania for almost eight years. The last time I talked to him was on September 22nd, when he was wishing me my birthday," the sister narrated. "He is the only family member who remembered my birthday. I told him that he's the one to take over the leadership of the family, and he just laughed," she said. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 6, 2025 - Human rights organization, VOCAL Africa, has raised an alarm over the mysterious killing and disappearance of a Kenyan national, John Okoth Ogutu, who was reportedly shot dead in Tanzania on October 29th, during post-election violence. According to a statement by VOCAL Africa, the organization received a video showing John moments after he was fatally shot. The disturbing footage, which his family has since confirmed to be genuine, depicts him lying motionless on the ground with two gunshot wounds, believed to have been fired from behind. Witnesses at the scene told investigators that Johns body was taken to Mwananyamala Hospital Morgue shortly after the incident. However, in a shocking twist, the body has since disappeared, leaving his family distraught and desperate for answers. VOCAL Africa is now demanding that Tanzanian authorities account for Johns body and conduct an independent investigation into the killing. As Kenyans, we are demanding justice and accountability, the organization said. The family of John Okoth Ogutu deserves closure. His body must be returned so he can be laid to rest. Watch the video HERE>>> The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 06, 2025 - President William Rutos Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs, Professor Makau Mutua, has declared that the late ODM leader Raila Odingas legacy is beyond political inheritance. No one, and I mean nobody, can or will inherit Raila Odinga, Mutua stated on Thursday, November 6th. Those who aspire to his stature will have to work as hard as he did and for as long to become towering political figures. Great leadership isnt ginned up as if in a microwave. Mutuas remarks come amid growing speculation over who might succeed Raila, who died on October 15th following a cardiac arrest during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic facility in Kochi, India. Raila was laid to rest on October 19th at his ancestral home in Kango Ka Jaramogi, Bondo, Siaya County. In the immediate aftermath, ODMs National Executive Committee appointed Railas elder brother, Siaya Senator Dr. Oburu Oginga, as acting party leader. The NEC has unanimously endorsed Dr. Oburu Oginga as the Acting Party Leader. This appointment takes effect immediately, the party announced on October 16th. However, calls for stronger leadership have emerged. On October 27th, lawyer Nelson Havi urged ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna to take charge swiftly, warning that hesitation could fracture the party. When the king is killed the heir apparent must prepare for coronation quickly, Havi said, stressing the need to preserve ODMs national character and influence. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 6, 2025 - Details have emerged about the troubled past love life of Senator Allan Chesangs newlywed wife, Chanelle Kitonny, painting a picture far from the calm and sophisticated persona she displays online. Before settling down with the youthful and flashy Trans Nzoia Senator, sources say Chanelle had a rocky relationship history marked by constant fights. According to sources, Chanelle was dating Brian Nganga, the flashy son of Valley Road Motors CEO and prominent businessman, Francis Nganga. According to reports that have surfaced online, Chanelle and Brian Nganga were once held hostage at a high-end Naivasha hotel after they went on a rampage, destroying property during a heated altercation. The hotel management was forced to involve the police before the matter was quietly settled. Interestingly, Brian and Senator Chesang, Channeles newly-wed husband, were close friends, adding a dramatic twist to the unfolding love triangle. Below is a photo of Chanelle and Brian during their happier days together. The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 6, 2025 - The team of Indian doctors who cared for the late ODM leader, Raila Odinga, fondly referred to as Baba, during his final days, visited Mama Ida Odinga at the familys Opoda Farm to pay their respects. The medics said they were deeply moved to return to the home of the man they described as a true statesman, philosopher, and fighter. The doctors shared touching memories of Railas final moments in India, describing him as calm, courageous, and full of grace even in the face of death. The team recounted how, during his last hours, Raila exuded rare serenity, often comforting those around him instead of showing fear. Mama Ida, visibly moved, thanked the medical team for their dedication and compassion. Team of doctors who looked after Baba until his last day, honouring him with their visit to Kenya. They recounted his final moments with serenity and devotion. They shared heartfelt stories of his courage, gentle spirit, and the wisdom he expressed even in those last hours, nominated ODM Senator Hamida Kibwana tweeted and shared a video of the doctors at Railas Opoda farm. Watch the video below or HERE>>> Team of doctors who looked after Baba until his last day, honouring him with their visit to Kenya. They recounted his final moments with serenity and devotion. They shared heartfelt stories of his courage, gentle spirit, and the wisdom he expressed even in those last hours. pic.twitter.com/uaALjpzl3t Senator Hamida Kibwana (@SenHamidaK) November 6, 2025 The Kenyan DAILY POST Thursday, November 06, 2025 - Controversial Kenyan musician Kevin Bahati Kioko has penned an emotional birthday message to his wife, Diana Marua, publicly crediting her for transforming his life. In a heartfelt social media post, Bahati acknowledged the public perception that he changed after meeting Diana. They say Bahati changed since he met Diana yes, you changed me! From a boy to a man, from loneliness to love, from just living to a life full of purpose, he wrote. Bahati went on to describe Diana as the force behind his evolution - from stage name to husband, from Kioko to father, celebrating the family theyve built together. He concluded the tribute with a prayer for peace and divine protection over her life. Babe, My Love, Darling, Mi Amor, My Heart You represent all the Sweet Words I know. As You Celebrate this Great Day, May God Bless You with His Peace that Surpasses all Human Understanding and May HE hide you under the Shadow of the ALMIGHTY! The romantic post coincided with a major milestone for Bahatis ex and baby mama, Yvette Obura, who announced her engagement to a new partner. Yvette, mother to Bahatis first daughter, Mueni, shared dreamy proposal photos featuring rose petals, a picnic setup, and glowing Marry Me signage. I said yes to the man who made me believe in love again, she wrote. Im letting go of past pain and failed relationships. The right one God brought my way. The timing of both declarations sparked a buzz online. The Kenyan DAILY POST 1 of 1 Invitation to Rajasthanis residing in Delhi for Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas 2025 khaskhabar.com : Fri, 07 Nov 2025 1:24 PM Appeal to register online Neeti Gopendra Bhatt New Delhi. Ram Avtar Kila, President of the Rajasthan Foundation Delhi Chapter, has personally invited Rajasthanis and organizations residing in Delhi to the first Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas 2025 (PRD), to be held in Jaipur on December 10th, and has urged them to register online on the Rajasthan government's website to participate. He informed that admission to the PRD will be based solely on registration, with the deadline being November 15th. We are committed to bringing the largest delegation ever from Delhi to the Rising Rajasthan Summit 2025, so all Rajasthanis and organizations should register today. Kila stated that on the occasion of Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas 2025 (PRD), Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma will be graced by the presence of numerous dignitaries from across the country and the world. Furthermore, no expatriate should miss this golden opportunity to meet Rajasthani diaspora living around the world under one roof and connect with their motherland. During the Rising Rajasthan Investment Summit last year, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma announced the annual Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas 2025 (PRD). Following this, this first Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas 2025 (PRD) will be held in Jaipur on December 10th. Kila urged the expatriates to celebrate their glorious heritage and culture on Pravasi Rajasthani Diwas 2025, while also contributing to the state's progress, development, and creative transformation in the fields of industry, tourism, technology, medical and health, agriculture, energy, transportation, and philanthropy. Kila has requested the migrants that their respectful presence will make this important event even more impressive. 1 of 1 SPARSH Hospitals Launches Institute of Cancer Care at Hennur Road Unit A New Chapter of Advanced and Integrated Onco Services Begins khaskhabar.com : Fri, 07 Nov 2025 1:21 PM Bengaluru : In view of the alarming rise of cancer cases across the country and to make advanced, integrated oncology care accessible in Southern India, SPARSH Group of Hospitals inaugurated the SPARSH Institute of Cancer Care at its 300-bed quaternary care facility on Hennur Road, Bengaluru. The new Institute represents the next chapter in SPARSHs journey a perfect blend of advanced medical technology, multidisciplinary expertise, and compassionate care, reaffirming SPARSHs commitment to Empowering Cancer Care with Advanced Technology and Expertise in Every Aspect. The Institute was inaugurated by Karunada Chakravarthi Dr. Shiva Rajkumar and Mohaka Tare Ms. Prema, prominent figures from the Kannada Film Industry, in the presence of patrons Justice Shivaraj V. Patil, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India, and Dr. Shekar Patil, Director Oncology Services, SPARSH Hospitals. Considering the inauguration Shivraj Kumar, Kannada Actor said Hospitals play a vital role in restoring hope among patients, especially those battling cancer, as many lose hope during their journey. When I was fighting cancer, it was the hospital, the doctors, my family, the film industry, and the people of our state who gave me strength and renewed my hope. The event witnessed participation from leading oncologists, cancer survivors, and dignitaries from the healthcare community celebrating SPARSHs formal entry into advanced, integrated oncology, adding a new pillar of excellence to its growing network of super-specialities. Speaking on the occasion Dr Sharan Shivaraj Patil, Chairman, SPARSH Group of Hospitals said At Sparsh, we are privileged to have this platform dedicated to the treatment of cancer. Our mission extends beyond treatment we are equally committed to cancer prevention. The entire Sparsh team will be actively involved in initiatives focused on prevention. Within the next year, we will establish two additional cancer institutes in Bengaluru.The SPARSH Institute of Cancer Care offers a complete continuum of services including: Nuclear Medicine, Medical, Surgical, and Radiation Oncology, Haematology & Haemato-Oncology (Adult & Paediatric), and Palliative & Supportive Care. Supported by High-end PET-CT & MRI scanners, Modular Oncology Operation Theatres, Linear Accelerator for Precision Radiation Therapy, and dedicated BMT Suites with HEPA filtered rooms, the Institute brings together advanced infrastructure and clinical excellence. Additionally, SPARSH features a Chemotherapy Day Care Unit, Onco-Pathology & Molecular Testing, Comprehensive Clinical Laboratory, and a Central Venous Catheter (CVC) Clinic for real-time monitoring and specialised care making it a one-stop destination for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. SPARSH leadership reiterated the need for greater public awareness on early detection and regular cancer screening especially for breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancers, which are rapidly rising in India. Through city-wide awareness drives, free screening camps, and survivor support initiatives, SPARSH aims to build an ecosystem where technology, talent, and trust converge to deliver holistic healing and restore hope. By Cillian Sherlock and Jonathan McCambridge, PA Northern Irelands deputy First Minister has said she will not be attending the inauguration of Irelands next president, Catherine Connolly. Emma Little-Pengelly said she had received an invitation for the event but added that she had other commitments for Remembrance Day. First Minister Michelle ONeill will attend the inauguration at Dublin Castle. Catherine Connolly will be inaugurated as Irelands next president on Tuesday. Photo: Niall Carson/PA. However, the DUPs Ms Little-Pengelly has said it will not be possible for her to attend due to other engagements. She said: I have received an invitation for the inauguration events for the Irish president on Tuesday but it will not be possible for me to accept due to a number of other commitments in Belfast and Windsor. Tuesday marks Remembrance Day, an important day for so many. I am scheduled to attend a service and to participate in an Act of Remembrance in Parliament Buildings before travelling to Windsor Castle at the invitation of Their Majesties The King and Queen for a special reception to commemorate VJ Day 80th anniversary to honour veterans of the Second World War, and in particular of the Pacific on this day of remembrance. It is therefore not possible to also attend the inauguration. I wish Catherine Connolly well as she takes up office, recognising that this is undoubtedly a significant personal honour for her, and I hope to speak with her personally in the next number of days. Jump racing returns to Naas Racecourse this Sunday and the Kildare venue will welcome back a number of Grade 1 level performers, most notably the Jimmy Mangan-trained Spillanes Tower. Mangans Punchestown Gold Cup runner-up will return to the scene of his maiden triumph as he begins this season in the 45,000 SIS Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle taking on 13 rivals. Spillanes Tower missed out on a Grade 1 engagement at Down Royal last weekend but he looks favourably treated with a rating of 130 compared to his chase assessment of 163 and Mangans stable star will once again be partnered by Mark Walsh. Gavin Cromwells Backtonormal is another notable inclusion returning to hurdles having been last seen winning a valuable chase at the Dublin Racing Festival in February, while the popular colours of the Bowe family will be carried by the Harry Kelly-trained Linden Arden who is a daughter of the great race mare Solerina, who won the final race of her career at Naas. Gordon Elliott is double handed in the SIS Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle with Staffordshire Knot and Pour Les Filles, while champion trainer Willie Mullins will run Sysko. Mullins is strongly represented in the Grade 3 Barberstown Castle Chase in which Grade 1 winner Champ Kiely and stable companion Ile Atlantique will lock horns. Champ Kiely, the 2023 Lawlors Of Naas Novice Hurdle winner, ended last season with Grade 1 success at the Punchestown Festival, while Ile Atlantique will try to follow his Grade 2 Racing Post Novice Chase win over the course and distance last January. We are delighted the rain has come and it gives us the opportunity to get these horses out, Patrick Mullins said this morning. Paul Townend has gone with Champ Kiely as he is the dual Grade 1 winner, including one at Naas. He is obviously stepping down significantly in trip and he has to give weight away to everything so it is not going to be an easy task but it will blow the cobwebs away. Mullins added: I think this trip will suit Ile Atlantique well and he should give Danny a really good spin and go very close. But it will be difficult for both horses to give weight away to Inthepocket and Only By Night so it is a cracking race, a real proper race, and hopefully one of our two can come out on top. Inthepocket has been absent since the Racing Post Novice Chase when he was third, while the five runner field is completed by Punchestowns Grade 1 Barberstown Castle Novice Chase runner-up Only By Night and the John Ryan-trained Gaelic Art. Any novice event at this time of year will immediately spark interest and trainer Gordon Elliott appears to have a couple of fascinating runners in the Sign Up To GavinLynchRacing.com Beginners Chase. The Wallpark finished last season in Grade 1 company in the staying division and will join stable mate Jacobs Ladder, who won the Grade 3 Michael Purcell Hurdle at Naas last term. Recent Clonmel winner Irish Panther and Tom Gibneys four-year-old Raffles Dolce Vita are also of interest. Elliott will run Point-to-Point winners Port Authority in the Cavan Developments Maiden Hurdle and Newbrook Diamond in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle with both racecourse debutants being of interest. An entertaining eight race card will begin at 12.20pm and also features the Overlander Fishery Lane Novice Hurdle in which Paul Townend is a notable booking on the Michael OCallaghan-trained Positive Energy. A visit by an MEP delegation to Brazils agriculture sector, ahead of a crucial EU vote on the Mercosur agreement, has been called a last-minute, tokenistic, box-ticking exercise, by Sinn Fein TD for Carlow Kilkenny and member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agricultural and Food, Natasha Newsome Drennan. The delegation from the EU Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development is visiting the Brazilian agriculture sector just weeks before an important vote on the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement in Brussels. TAP HERE FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS Deputy Newsome Drennan expressed scepticism about the value of the three-day trip, stating it raises serious questions about the depth of scrutiny being applied. In only a matter of weeks, EU member states will vote on the EU - Mercosur Trade Agreement, the fact that the committee is only now taking part in a site visit is beyond me, Deputy Newsome Drennan said. This is not the thorough, sustained engagement required. It risks being a tokenistic, three-day photo opportunity rather than a meaningful assessment of the standard of their beef production sector. A short trip to a vast country like Brazil would make it impossible to conduct a comprehensive review of its beef production, and the wider agriculture sector. How can we have confidence in the findings if the delegation is only seeing a select few, potentially pre-approved facilities. What we needed over the past months was a detailed, transparent on the ground analysis by EU officials and our own stakeholders. Both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have members on this committee, their absence on this delegation is a disappointment considering the harsh impact this agreement will potentially have on our farms and our economy. Weve heard plenty from the Government parties about their opposition to the Mercosur deal. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST IN KILKENNY SPORTS NEWS The time for sitting on the fence is over. The Irish Government must proactively work with other like-minded EU member states to halt the current Mercosur agreement, an agreement that is fundamentally flawed. While it may benefit some EU states, the devastating damage it poses to our family farms, our agricultural sector, and the global environment is too high a price to pay. Concerns have been raised over a section of the Lacken Walk in Kilkenny City with access for wheelchair and buggy users creating widespread concerns. The popular walkway re-opened after a period of refurbishment back in February, becoming Kilkenny Citys first composite construction boardwalk. The original boardwalk, which forms part of Lacken Walk and Canal and is a gateway to the Nore Valley Walk, was installed back in 2012. READ NEXT: Construction of two new Kilkenny City pedestrian crossings almost complete Cllr Sean O hArgain has hailed the walkways improvements but believes another step is now needed. "There is a brilliant 4km route from Johns Bridge to Ossory pedestrian bridge and back, except for the section from the Dublin Road down to the Lacken Mill which is a stepped incline," he said. "This means that those with mobility issues, including wheelchair users and buggy users cannot negotiate a very short part of a great walking, running or wheeling route," he added. "Being able to continue on from the junction of the steps and the walking route, up to the Lacken viewing point and then down Windgap Hill to the remainder of the riverside route to Johns Street would open up a fantastic public facility to people of all needs. "We looked at it in the days of Kilkenny Borough Council, but technology has surely moved on in the meantime?," the Labour representative questioned. FOR MORE KILKENNY CITY NEWS, CLICK HERE A Kilkenny man has been named a finalist in Irelands Best Dressed Debutante Final 2025. Local student, Aaron Meakin, who attended the Colaiste Mhuire Debs earlier this summer, is in the running for the overall prize. DEBSireland will host Irelands Best Dressed Debutante Final 2025 in association with Assets Model Agency at The Mayson Hotel, Dublin on November 5. Every year throughout the debs season, DEBSireland hosts a competition to crown Irelands Best Dressed Debutante. At each debs event, two debutantes are selected as Best Dressed, with their photos featured on debsireland.com/bestdressed, where the public can vote for their favorite. READ: Spot any familiar faces in our Colaiste Mhuire Johnstown Debs pics? On the day of the photoshoot, the 10 finalists will receive exclusive styling and pampering from our expert glam team, including renowned makeup artist and influencer Cakedwcian, talented hairstylist Kon Kelly and a stylist from The Grafton Barbers. With each debutante looking their absolute best, the finalists will be photographed by award-winning photographer Mark Duffy. The best photo of each contestant will be selected and uploaded to our website, resuming the final round of voting for Irelands Best Dressed Debutante. Each finalist will receive a fabulous goodie bag filled with products from our generous sponsors: Essence Makeup, The Grafton Barber and Roisins Sweet Treats. The overall winner will be selected collectively by DEBSireland (1 vote), Assets Model Agency (1 vote) and the website vote (1 vote). This years overall winner will win a holiday for two to Las Vegas along with an exciting modeling contract with Assets Model Agency. Community Radio Kilkenny City (CRKC) struck gold at this year's CRAOL Annual Achievement Awards which was held recently at the Charleville Park Hotel. The event brought together community radio stations from across Ireland to share ideas, celebrate creativity, and recognise excellence in broadcasting. Locally, CRKC's work truly shone at the Feile, standing proudly among the finest examples of community radio in Ireland. READ NEXT: Construction of two new Kilkenny City pedestrian crossings almost complete The highlight of Feile 2025 came during Tuesday evening's CRAOL Achievement Awards Ceremony, hosted by Michael Collins and streamed live nationwide. These awards recognise excellence in programming and production across Ireland's community radio network, which focus on creativity, volunteer participation, and social impact. CRKC was twice honoured with Gold recognition, celebrating the outstanding contributions of its dedicated volunteer presenters, members of the Involvement Centre Kilkenny and Lake Productions. The first of these came under Access and Inclusion category, was for the Writers in Profile series. The richly produced programme celebrates four of Irelands most respected writers- Patrick Kavanagh, Seamus Heaney, WB Yeats and John B Keane. The four documentaries shone a light on these writers and tried determine what their artistic legacy was, and how would they be remembered. The Judges praised the series for its "exceptional storytelling, high production values, and deep sense of community connection," describing it as "a standout example of how community radio can nurture and showcase local creativity at a national standard." The series was further recognised with a special award for Ger Cody of Lake Productions for his outstanding work in bringing the project to fruition. READ NEXT: Kilkenny based garda to make big move after 17 years in local area CRKC's second gold of the evening came under the Coimisiun na Mean, commissioned programme category for the 'Around Your Way' series which earned warm recognition for its engaging coverage of local communities across Kilkenny. The programme shun a light on community initiatives, local heritage, and the people who make Kilkenny thrive. The award was collected by Mags Lynch and her son Sam on behalf of the large team of volunteer presenters that worked tirelessly on the series. FOR MORE LOCAL NEWS, CLICK HERE Studying has rarely been free throughout history and Karlsruhe was no exception: When the Polytechnikum opened its doors in 1825, it was a school for technology enthusiasts, but not everyone could afford to attend. Tuition ranged from 16 to 44 guilders per year. In addition, there were registration and laboratory fees. Those who wanted to study chemistry had to pay up to 22 guilders extra for lab experiments. At the time, a worker in Baden earned around 150 guilders annually. For many families even those of the upper middle class pursuing higher education was a major financial challenge. No talent should be excluded but how? Polytechnic institutes are mainly intended for the sons of the middle class, and this class in Germany can no longer be considered wealthy, criticized an article in the Polytechnisches Journal in 1825. Students from outside Karlsruhe also had to cover room and board, which could add up to several hundred guilders. Although scholarships existed such as those from the Christmas Foundation, which awarded between 40 and 100 guilders annually they were limited. In 1831/32, fewer than a dozen students in Karlsruhe were fully or partially exempted from tuition fees. Many had to get creative: Some went into debt and ran up tabs with landlords, merchants, and even tavern owners. Others sought patrons and appealed to wealthy Karlsruhe residents for financial support. Carl Benz rise with a discount One student who nevertheless found his path was Carl Benz. The future automotive pioneer came from modest circumstances. His mother could not afford the full tuition, so Benz paid a reduced fee. For him, education was an investment in his future. And as we know today, it paid off. So, despite all obstacles, young men from across Baden and beyond came to Karlsruhe driven by the dream of studying technology and changing the world. Tuition fees: from clearing rubble to tuition free studies Even after World War II, students were required not only to spend 1,000 hours clearing rubble from the campus but also to pay tuition initially 120, later 180 Deutschmarks. It was not until 1970 that tuition fees were abolished. Today, Karlsruhe Institute of Technologie (KIT) is especially committed to promoting social diversity. Its goal is to ensure that everyone regardless of background or life circumstances has strong opportunities for education and research. mex, November 7, 2025 Source: Ullmann, Martin Benjamin: Arrival at the Polytechnic On the admission requirements of the polytechnic school in Karlsruhe and the geographical origin of its first students, unpublished, scheduled for publication in an anthology in the series Publications from the Archives of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On November 5, Nissan Motor showcased a lineup of intelligent and diverse "first-of-their-kind" models at the 8th China International Import Expo ("CIIE"), reaffirming its long-term commitment to the Chinese market and advancing its "In China, For China, For the World" strategy. The following day, Nissan Motor took another major step in deepening its presence in China by announcing the establishment of Nissan Import and Export (Guangzhou) Co., Ltd. during the expo. Photo credit: Nissan The new venture, jointly funded with 1 billion yuan by Nissan (China) Investment Co., Ltd. and Dongfeng Motor Corporationholding 60% and 40% stakes respectively. The automaker said it marks a strategic milestone for both partners on several fronts. First, it becomes China's first import-export vehicle joint venture backed by a foreign automakerunderscoring Nissan's commitment to strengthening local innovation and leveraging China as a key pillar of its global operations. Second, it marks a significant step in Nissan's plan to transform its China operations into a global hub for new energy vehicle (NEV) research, development, and exports. Third, by combining China's mature NEV and smart technology supply chains with Nissan's longstanding strengths in safety, reliability, and comfort, the new venture aims to develop globally competitive products for customers worldwide. "China is not only the world's largest auto market but also the innovation engine driving the global industry's transformation," said Stephen Ma, Member of Nissan's Global Executive Committee, Chairman of Nissan China, and President of Dongfeng Motor Company Limited. "We are fully committed to Chinabuilding cars for Chinese consumers at 'China speed,' while also connecting our expertise to the world to serve global customers." Mr. Ma noted that Nissan and Dongfeng established their joint venture 22 years ago. The creation of the new import-export company, he said, extends this successful collaboration into new territory and represents a fresh model of joint value creation under Nissan's global strategy. At the expo, Nissan also showcased the N7 and Frontier Pro PHEV, which will serve as the first batch of models to be exported from China to international markets in the coming months. In total, Nissan Motor exhibited four models at this year's CIIEthe N7, N6, Frontier Pro PHEV, and the Altima equipped with the HarmonySpace cockpit. The latter three models are expected to be launched in China within the coming weeks. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On Nov. 7, GAC Group and Huawei Digital Power signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Guangzhou, marking a new chapter in the two companies' collaboration on electric vehicle innovation. The partnership aims to enhance the range, charging efficiency, and overall driving experience of new energy vehicles (NEVs). Both sides will deepen cooperation across powertrain systems, vehicle design and manufacturing, and sales and service operations, with the shared goal of developing highly competitive EVs that deliver a superior user experience and help advance the broader industry ecosystem toward high-quality growth. Photo credit: GAC Group As one of China's most influential listed automakers, GAC Group brings extensive expertise in vehicle manufacturing, platform development, and quality management. Huawei Digital Power, a global leader in digital energy technologies, contributes cutting-edge strengths in power electronics, digitalization, and intelligent energy management. By combining their complementary advantages, the two companies plan to integrate resources, reinforce comprehensive cooperation, and create a mutually beneficial partnership that drives long-term innovation and shared growth. Ottoline Spearman The impact of cyberattacks on employees could be as serious as the technical fallout, new research shows. Companies hit with cyber attacks in the last year are experiencing increased employee burnout and sick days, and a spike in toxic work culture after the attack, according to insurance company Hiscox. The company surveyed 500 Irish businesses and found that 40 per cent had suffered a cyber attack in the past 12 months. As companies scramble to recover data, restore trust and rebuild their reputation, the company described the hidden cost of cyber attacks in the toll on the so-called "human firewall": the employees who serve as the first line of defence against cyber threats. 25 per cent of employees described their workplace as "toxic" in the aftermath of cyberattacks, while 31 per cent reported employee burnout. 33 per cent reported high stress among employees, while 23 per cent cited increased employee sick days as an issue. Stephen Donaldson of Hiscox Ireland said: The number of people reporting stress or burnout is deeply concerning, costing organisations not only through sick leave but also in lowered morale and staff retention. "Employers need to look beyond the figures on the balance sheet and invest in the well-being of their staff, particularly in challenging times. When managed well, such situations can actually strengthen team spirit and build resilience. Its vital to take every potential impact on staff into account in your crisis response planning." 38 per cent did notice increased employee loyalty to the organisation, while 33 per cent said there was increased camaraderie among employees following the attack. Further, more than a third (36 per cent) of companies attacked experienced a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, where criminals overwhelm a companys servers with traffic, forcing systems offline and halting normal operations. The consequences can be severe, with 31 per cent of businesses saying there was a material impact on their companys financial health, while 28 per cent reported greater difficulty attracting new customers. Businesses also remain heavily targeted by ransomware. Of those who suffered an attack, 70 per cent admitted to paying a ransom in the past 12 months to prevent sensitive data being published. However, the outcomes were often disappointing, with 35 per cent still having to rebuild systems despite receiving a recovery key, and 29 per cent reporting that their data was leaked anyway. Stephen Donaldson said: "Ransomware in particular remains a costly and disruptive problem in Ireland. Too many businesses pay up in the hope of a quick recovery, but as the data shows, many still face leaks or system rebuilds even after payment. "This underlines the importance of preparation, resilience, and having a clear incident response plan in place before an attack happens." Almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of Irish businesses also view vulnerabilities from third-party AI tools as a major emerging risk over the next five years. Moreover, 38 per cent reported that they were targeted between 1-10 times in the last 12 months due to vulnerabilities related to AI. At the same time, 66 per cent see AI as more of an asset than a vulnerability, highlighting both the opportunities and dangers the technology presents. However, companies are beginning to take extra precautions when it comes to AI, with 42 per cent expecting that their company will invest against AI-related security risks, and a further 38 per cent ensuring that cyber insurances include AI risks. Despite the challenges, over half (56 per cent) of businesses believe their cyber resilience has improved in the past 12 months. One in four companies expect to expand cybersecurity and data-protection investments significantly in the year ahead. Stephen Donaldson said: Cyber resilience is no longer optional - its business critical. From protecting solvency to safeguarding customer trust, companies that invest early and continuously in cyber security will be the ones best placed to weather the next wave of threats. James Cox Gardai have arrested 11 men on international arrest warrants wanted on suspicion of crimes including attempted murder and human trafficking. The arrests were made from November 3rd to 5th in counties Dublin, Cavan, Meath and Monaghan. The operation was led by the Garda Extradition Unit with support from members attached to other sections of the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The operation resulted in the arrest of 11 men who have been brought before the High Court for offences including; attempted murder, supply of drugs, kidnapping, facilitation of illegal immigration, human trafficking, theft and road traffic offences that were committed in other jurisdictions including Northern Ireland, Poland, Romania, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Germany and Lithuania. A LAOiS MAN was sent forward to the present sitting of Portlaoise Circuit Criminal Court when Garda Lisa Murray served him with a book of evidence at last weeks sitting of Portlaoise District Court. Dylan Mughal from 35 Colliers Wood, Portlaoise is charged with two counts of money laundering, 5,000 on each count, on 1 and 3 March 2024. When Judge Susan Fay was about to issue the formal alibi warning to the accused, she noted he was not present in court. Asked where he was, his barrister Anne Doyle said: He was here earlier, to which Gda Murray said she had spoken with Mr Mughal earlier that morning. She said: I told him that he had to stay. He should be here in court for his book of evidence, said Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby. Judge Fay said she would issue a bench warrant for his arrest and in the meantime if he turned up in court, she would rescind the order. Later in the day 23-year-old Mr Mughal was back in court to receive the book of evidence and to be formally put on notice of his alibi warning by Judge Fay who advised him to notify the prosecution within 14 days if he intended to use an alibi in his defence. She also granted leave for a solicitor and one barrister to represent him at the circuit court sitting of his case. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme Anyone else miss the V8? Toyotas bulletproof reliability reputation has taken another blow, and the same twin-turbocharged V6 engine is to blame. Last year, over 100,000 Toyota Tundras and Lexus LX models with this engine were implicated in a recall, with Toyota promising to replace the engines of affected models. Now, another 127,000 Toyota and Lexus modelsincluding the Lexus GXwith this engine are being recalled again, making it obvious that the company has not been able to resolve ongoing issues with this powertrain. Related: Toyota will replace engines in 100,000 recalled Tundras and Lexus LXs Machining Debris to Blame Yet Again 2025 Toyota Tundra 1794 Edition Toyota Toyota View the 3 images of this gallery on the original article Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 (codenamed V35A-FTS and part of the Toyota Dynamic Force engine family) has replaced Toyotas older V8 in several larger models. It produces solid power and torque but without the poor gas mileage of a V8. Owners of vehicles equipped with this V6 have encountered issues like engine knocking, rough running, not being able to start, and a loss of motive power, which is especially hazardous at higher speeds. According to Toyota, machining debris left in the engine from the production process is to blame for the latest recall, just as was the case last year. The following models are affected: 2022-2024 Toyota Tundra 2022-2024 Lexus LX 2024 Lexus GX The recall specifically pertains to the non-hybrid version of this engine; hybrid models are not impacted. Toyota says its developing a remedy for the issue and that customers will be notified by early January 2026. Related: Why the Naturally-Aspirated V8 Engine Is So Reliable Total Engine Failure Possible Toyota On Car Complaints, one owner of a 2022 Toyota Tundra SR5 with the V6 experienced total engine failure preceded by severe knocking. The dealership said a repair would take 10 weeks as a complete rebuild may be required. Worryingly, this happened with the vehicle being on only 10,500 miles. On the NHTSA, the owner of a 2022 Lexus LX 600 also experienced complete engine failure and eventually sought legal assistance, after they were without their vehicle for over 150 days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We also found a few instances on the NHTSA where certain Tundra owners experienced engine failure, despite their vehicles not being included in the original recall. This happened to one owner who had covered only 25,000 miles. In a class action lawsuit filed against Toyota, the plaintiffs claimed that the companys previous recall efforts were insufficient. 2022 Toyota Tundra The V6s reliability issues are an unfortunate blemish, as we found the new engine to be punchy but also more refined than the old V8, back when we took the current Tundra for a first drive. Given the number of cumulative sales of the Tundra, GX, and LX, many thousands of owners are bound to be affected. Heres hoping Toyota achieves a more effective solution than it did last year. This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Nov 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here. BALLYFIN Players return to the stage this month with a lively evening of drama, comedy, and community spirit. Their three one-act plays will run on Friday 14 November and Saturday 15 November at 7.30pm in the Mountmellick Community Arts Centre. Following last years sold-out performances, audiences are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. This years line-up features three wonderfully varied plays: The Black and Tan Raid in Clontyglass, a commissioned work by Eileen Casey, is inspired by true events that took place in County Laois in 1921. The play offers a powerful portrayal of life during turbulent times. Featuring local children alongside adult cast members, it brings a touching and authentic energy to the story. The Hired Help is a short, laugh-out-loud comedy about mistaken identity in rural Ireland. The Yank Outsider by Brian Drum rounds off the evening with a light-hearted comedy about matchmaking. When an unsuspecting American lands in an Irish village, the locals aren't one bit pleased. Rehearsals have been underway since August, and as a newly reformed drama group, the Ballyfin Players say they are grateful for all the local support and enthusiasm shown in recent months. Producer Grainne Linden said: Its fantastic to see everyones hard work come together. This years plays are full of heart, humour, and history a real celebration of local theatre. Co-producer A.C. Reynolds added: Theres a great mix of comedy and drama this year. Having children on stage adds a lovely warmth, and it really shows what community theatre is all about. A special thanks is extended to Fr Joe Brophy, whose unwavering support and encouragement have once again played a huge part in helping the group bring these productions to life. Check out Ballyfin Players facebook page for up-to-date news and information on the plays. Tickets are available now on willwego.com, with a limited number also available from The Deadmans and OGormans. Supported by the Creative Ireland Programme, this production promises an unforgettable evening of storytelling, laughter, and local pride the perfect night out for all ages. A LAOIS nursing home administrator was honoured among Irelands best at the 2025 Nursing Homes Ireland (NHI) Care Awards. Mamie Dunne from Oakdale Nursing Home, Portarlington, received the Olivia Slater Administrator of the Year award at a ceremony on Thursday, 6 November in the Mansion House, Dublin. The special award was introduced this year in memory of a woman who is described by colleagues as a pillar of the NHI organisation, who was renowned for her warmth, professionalism and unwavering dedication. The award was presented to Mamie by Minister for Older People Kieran ODonnell, alongside Olivias husband and son, during an emotional and uplifting moment at the ceremony in the Round Room. More than 250 nominations were submitted from across the country, with 34 finalists selected by an independent judging panel representing nursing, academia and the wider health and social care sector. NHI chief executive Tadhg Daly said: Mamie Dunne of Oakdale Nursing Home embodies the kindness, professionalism and service ethos that Olivia Slater represented throughout her life. It was fitting that the very first Olivia Slater Administrator of the Year award was presented to someone who reflects the same values of empathy, respect and excellence that Olivia brought to her work and to our organisation. The awards are held in association with Homecare Medical. Further information is available at nhicareawards.ie See more photos by Alf Harvey from the event in the next edition of the Laois Nationalist, in shops and online on Tuesday 11 November AMAZING community spirit was highlighted at a Halloween fundraiser for a childrens hospital, which has given vital support to a four-year-old and his family. Little Matthew Corbally from Stradbally has faced countless challenges in his short life, since he was born in September 2021 with the rare genetic disorder MPS6. He is only the fourth person in Ireland to be diagnosed with the multi-organ, progressive, life-limiting condition. Yet despite daunting difficulties that include deafness, limited mobility, constant respiratory infections and complex hernias, he is full of fun and laughter and a joy to be around. Matthews mother Stacey, who works part-time in sales at the Midlands Park Hotel, Portlaoise, captures his bubbly character as she says: Hes a social butterfly, so charismatic and clever. Hes also so gentle and the best big brother ever to our other son Caelan, who is one-and-a-half. Stacey and her mechanic husband Bryan have endured an endless round of hospital journeys since Matthew was born. They describe the team at the metabolic ward in Temple Street Childrens University Hospital as a second family, such is their exceptional care and support. Determined to give back, Stacey organised a fundraising Halloween Party in Timahoe Community Hall, in aid of the metabolic ward and St Bridgets Ward at the hospital that has helped them so much. The family was overwhelmed with the response to the fundraiser, as virtually every business in Stradbally and others in Timahoe came forward with spot prizes, donations, refreshments and other gifts. The entire local community, relatives and friends all came together to make the event a memorable success. More than 1,230 has already been raised, with donations still coming in. The funds will go towards a floor aquarium projector for the outpatient area, an uplifting, calming feature for all children undergoing treatments. Any excess will be donated for research and equipment. Meanwhile, the inimitable Matthew had an audition for the Late Late Toy Show and was shortlisted from 35,000 down to 70, based on his video audition and application. Stacey said: We're still waiting to hear back but, even if he doesn't get it, what an achievement! Donations to the fund can be made at https://childrenshealth.enthuse.com/pf/mattsjourney TWO men appeared in court today charged with possession of explosives, after being arrested in Laois during a cross-border anti-terrorism operation. The court was told the charges arise from a garda investigation into an alleged terrorist attack, being planned by a right-wing extremist group. Karolis Peckauskas (38) of Newfoundwell Road, Drogheda, Co Louth and Garrett Pollock (35), from Kilhorne Green, Annalong, Co Down appeared before Judge Andrew Cody at Portlaoise District Court. Detective Declan OConnor from the Special Detective Unit said he arrested Mr Pollock and, when charged and cautioned, he made no reply. Mr Pollock is charged with one count of possessing explosives at OMoore Place, Portlaoise on 5 November and one count of possessing explosives at an address at Kilhorne Green, Co Down on 6 November. The court was told the search of Mr Pollocks home was carried out by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), following a request from the Garda. Det. OConnor alleged that a search at Mr Pollocks address found three externally threaded metal pipes, hexagonal metal end caps and lengths of green firework fuse, which the detective described as the components of three pipe bomb type improvised explosive devices. He also alleged that the accused possessed four incendiary type improvised explosive devices with white dish cloth wicks. Det. OConnor also alleged that Mr Pollock, while in OMoore Place, Portlaoise on Tuesday 4 November, had in his possession four threaded pipe end caps and six litres of hydrogen peroxide ... under such circumstances as to give rise to a reasonable suspicion that you did not have it in your possession for a lawful object. Detective Garda Joe Fahy from the Laois Drugs Unit told the court he arrested Mr Peckauskas and, when he was charged and cautioned, he said in reply: I do not understand. Mr Peckauskas was charged with knowingly having in his possession an explosive substance at OMoore Place, Portlaoise. The court heard that, on Tuesday 5 November at OMoore Place in Portlaoise, Mr Peckauskas allegedly had four threaded pipe end caps and six litres of hydrogen peroxide under such circumstances as to give rise to a reasonable suspicion that he did not have it in your possession for a lawful object. Anne Doyle BL, instructed by Barry Fitzgerlad solicitors, said her client was not seeking bail. Judge Cody remanded Mr Peckauskas in custody to appear before the court by video link on Thursday 13 November. David Nugent BL, instructed by solicitor Aisling Moloney, said Mr Pollock was making an application for bail. Opposing the application, Det. OConnor told the court it was alleged Mr Pollock was planning a terrorist attack on behalf of a right-wing extremist group. He said a video was discovered on a device examined as part of the investigation and captured four masked men, during the reading of a statement outlining their intentions to take violent action. He said that Mr Pollock allegedly admitted he had created or produced a document recovered which was described as a manifesto for the right-wing extremist group. In making his decision on whether to grant bail, Judge Cody said the video recovered from the accuseds phone, which Detective Garda OConnor said was taken at OMoore Place, Portlaoise, was played and showed what appeared to be four men dressed in black, with a tricolour behind them. The judge said: They are all wearing balaclavas, although two of them remove their balaclavas towards the end of the video and another person, who it is alleged is the accused, has the balaclava loose around his eyes. Judge Cody said: It is apparent that the video is a practice of a statement being released subsequent to a successful terrorist attack. Two of the participants, including the gentleman Detective Garda OConnor believes to be the accused, read a prepared statement. In this statement, which is addressed to all citizens in the north and south of Ireland, they say that they are taking a moment to speak honestly and directly, recognising that everyone in the country has had enough of the poor treatment particularly of children, women and the elderly, who have been left homeless, starving cold and under threat due to the number of migrants that have been brought into the country by our government. They describe this as a threat to our sovereignty and could potentially be a hostile takeover. They then say that they accept responsibility for the action that has resulted in the destruction of the first mosque that was introduced in Ireland in Co Galway. They say that they accept this would have caused a lot of hurt, disappointment and destruction for foreign migrants, both the legal and illegal in the community, and that they do not care. They say that this will not be their last attack. They describe their philosophy as an eye for an eye. They say they intend to target IPAS centres, mosques and hotels housing migrants and that they would take this as far as necessary to achieve their goals and call on others to join them. Judge Cody went on to deny the bail request and remanded Mr Pollock in custody to the Thursday 13 November sitting of Portlaoise District Court by video link. Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme High Court Reporters An elderly woman who is refusing to leave a hospital after 719 days even though doctors say she needs no further treatment, could be moved out of the private room she is in, to another room, a High Court judge has said. The woman, who cannot be named by order of the court, is opposing a court application on behalf of the hospital for orders that she leave within 24 hours and be restrained from attending again pending further order, other than in a medical emergency. Mr Justice Brian Cregan, dealing with the case on Friday, said there is no application by the woman seeking that the hospital not move her and he did not understand why she cannot be moved to another room. "That is an internal hospital management matter", he said. Shane Murphy SC, on behalf of the hospital applicant, said the woman had made allegations of assault and he understood there had been a lot of correspondence between lawyers for the hospital and the woman's lawyers. The judge also asked what was going to happen to her after she leaves hospital as he was told she lived alone and had no family support. He said he would not make an order that she was trespassing but said common sense and compassion had to be brought to this matter. He asked the parties to reflect on that. Mr Murphy said she had been offered various supports including home help but had turned them down. The judge asked if a step down facility could be investigated. Counsel sought an early hearing of the matter. Nathan Reilly BL, for the woman, said his client has significant issues including bowel cancer, cardiac and a urological issue which led to her collapse and she believes she should remain in hospital. Mr Reilly said her solicitor was seeking a six week period to allow a medical expert to review her most up to date reports and to do that in a shorter time would be extremely challenging. The expert would be able to say whether she should remain in hospital, he said. The judge said the application for time for an expert to examine the records seemed extraordinary as she was in a hospital and was surrounded by doctors. The court heard she does not accept what he treating doctor has said about discharging her. Mr Justice Cregan said he would give the matter a hearing before Christmas and gave the woman's side three weeks to have an affidavit outlining their expert's opinion with the hospital side replying to that within a week. He adjourned the case for a week in order to see if it might become moot by then. In the proceedings, it is alleged the woman has insisted she has multiple issues which have not been treated and is backed in her claims by her solicitors. The regional clinic director of the hospital has sworn in an affidavit that she and her solicitor have been repeatedly told there is no legal entitlement under the Health Acts for anyone to determine the treatments he/she should receive or which doctors provide treatment. The solicitor responded that the patient's charter makes it quite clear the opposite is the case as it states patients are "entitled to b*e involved in making informed decisions about care and treatment...." and have a right to seek a second opinion. A backstage video allegedly showing Erika Kirk applying a tear-inducing solution moments before stepping on stage at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) memorial event has sparked an intense global debate over authenticity, grief, and political performance. According to Firstpost, the video shows Kirk's moments before speaking ... applying a tear-inducing solution to her eyes just before going on stage.' The clip quickly spread across social media, fuelling speculation about whether her visible tears during the event were genuine or staged. Further coverage by the Hindustan Times reported that the footage 'allegedly shows Erika Kirk putting on a tear-inducing solution on her eye.' The debate intensified when British comedian John Cleese reposted the clip with a quote attributed to George Burns: 'Sincerity is the key. If you can fake that, the sky's the limit.' Meanwhile, The Economic Times highlighted that the controversy coincided with Kirk securing a major endorsement deal, prompting online jokes dubbing it her 'No More Tears moment.' Grief Meets Optics Kirk, who assumed leadership of Turning Point USA following the assassination of her husband, Charlie Kirk, is now navigating both public mourning and high-stakes political visibility. The viral clip arrives amid heightened scrutiny of her every move as she steps into one of the most visible roles in conservative politics. As The Times of India reported, Kirk herself acknowledged the relentless attention: 'There have been cameras all over me. Analysing my every smile, my every tear. We deserve to have cameras in there. Why not be transparent?' Her statement captures the tension at the heart of the debate between personal vulnerability and political stagecraft. Every gesture, whether emotional or strategic, now risks being interpreted through the lens of performance. Memes, Deepfakes and Online Mockery The clip has since become a viral talking point across social platforms. Critics derided it as theatrical, with The Economic Times quoting one viral post that read: 'Just in case you didn't believe Erika Kirk is a psyop, here's her prepping fake tears before going on stage.' Others speculated that the footage had been edited or deep-faked, adding a layer of uncertainty to the controversy. The debate even spawned a wave of memes linking her to Johnson's 'No More Tears' shampoo, further blurring the line between legitimate criticism and online ridicule. Politics, Image and Authenticity At its heart, the 'tear solution' incident poses a larger question: when political figures display emotion, is it genuine vulnerability or strategic persuasion? The reported use of a theatre-style tear stimulant and the storm it provoked shows how much modern politics relies on optics. Supporters say Kirk's grief should be respected as authentic and personal. Critics insist her tears were a performance crafted for the cameras. Either way, the incident reflects how deeply politics and performance have intertwined in the digital age. For Kirk, the challenge is steep: she must project both strength and sincerity, embodying resilience while inviting empathy. In an era when viral clips shape public perception, tears can carry as much political weight as policies or speeches. Impact on Public Trust If audiences view the video as manipulative, analysts warn it could erode trust not only in Kirk's leadership but in the broader emotional language of political movements. Commentators told The Economist that the controversy 'turns the story into a larger commentary on public trust and digital media ethics.' Conversely, if Kirk embraces transparency and frames the incident as part of her grief journey, it might humanise her public image, particularly among supporters who value emotional openness. What Happens Next Kirk has not yet released a full statement addressing the tear-solution allegation. However, as The Times of India noted, she has been vocal about transparency in the ongoing murder trial of those accused of killing her husband. Observers say her next moves particularly upcoming public appearances will reveal whether she can reframe the controversy as a moment of resilience or whether it cements doubts about her authenticity. Bottom line The viral video showing Erika Kirk's alleged use of a tear solution has become more than an online scandal. It reflects the uneasy convergence of grief, gender and political optics in the digital age. In a culture where public emotion is instantly scrutinised and shared, the episode underscores an uncomfortable truth: in modern politics, tears can be both a sign of humanity and a calculated tool of persuasion. Erika Kirk's tears whether real or not symbolise a defining paradox of politics today: sincerity can move hearts, but performance moves headlines. Originally published on IBTimes UK DEAR MISS MANNERS: I took a long cross-country flight, during which I was assigned the middle seat. The gentleman seated by the window insisted on asking me about my relationship with Jesus, showing me photos on his cellphone and trying to engage me in conversation, while I was very pointedly trying to watch a movie. The flight was full, so moving to a different seat was not an option. I provided short, polite responses and tried to focus on my movie without encouraging further conversation, but kept getting interrupted. What response would be best to effectively shut down conversation without offending the other person? GENTLE READER: When you say you were very pointedly watching the movie, Miss Manners understands you to mean that, in spite of the brevity of your answers, your lack of engagement and the unspoken revolt inside your head, you were still relying on a well-intentioned person to take a hint. This man was not, and did not. The next step would therefore have been to say, Please excuse me, but I would like to watch the movie. While this may not come naturally to the demure who are wary of being explicit, it is sometimes necessary. *** (Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.) Friedrich August von Hayek (18991992) was an Austrian-British economist, philosopher, and Nobel laureate whose ideas profoundly shaped modern libertarian thought, free-market economics, and critiques of socialism. A key figure in the Austrian School of economics, he argued that centralized planningwhether by governments or corporationsinevitably fails because no single entity can possess the dispersed knowledge held by individuals in a society. Instead, he championed "spontaneous order," where complex systems like markets emerge organically from voluntary interactions, without top-down design. ### Key Contributions - **The Road to Serfdom (1944)**: His most famous book, warning that wartime economic controls in Britain could lead to totalitarianism. It became a bestseller and influenced thinkers like Milton Friedman and even Margaret Thatcher. - **Business Cycle Theory**: In the 1920s1930s, Hayek (with Ludwig von Mises) developed the Austrian theory of booms and busts, attributing them to artificial credit expansion by central banks, which distorts investment signals. - **Knowledge Problem**: Hayek's 1945 essay "The Use of Knowledge in Society" explained why prices in free markets efficiently aggregate scattered information (e.g., local supply shocks or preferences) that planners can't access. - **Nobel Prize (1974)**: Shared with Gunnar Myrdal for work on money, economic fluctuations, and social/ institutional analysis. Hayek used his speech to critique scientism in economics. ### Legacy Hayek's influence extends to cryptocurrency enthusiasts, who see parallels between his decentralized knowledge ideas and blockchain's resistance to central control. He taught at the London School of Economics, University of Chicago, and founded the Mont Pelerin Society to promote classical liberalism. Fun fact: He was Hayek's own biggest critic of fiat money, once quipping that he'd prefer "free banking" over government monopolies. Community Bank N.A.'s new branch at 1323 Grape St., Whitehall Township, photographed Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, is among 10 new Lehigh Valley locations for the company, including seven former Santander Bank branches being purchased across Lehigh and Northampton counties. Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com Community Bank N.A. is on track to take over seven Santander Bank branches across the Lehigh Valley this weekend. The seven new Community Bank branches located from Easton to Allentown are in addition to three locations that recently opened in Bethlehem and Whitehall Township. Barb Maculloch, Community Banks president of Pennsylvania banking, sat down with lehighvalleylive.com this week to discuss what former Santander accountholders and new customers can expect from the regional bank based outside Syracuse, New York. We hope theyre going to come in, meet us, and were going to give them the best care that we could possibly give, she said inside the de novo branch in Whitehall, at 1323 Grape St. between Mission BBQ and Buffalo Wild Wings. Were real serious about the Lehigh Valley. These branches in Lehigh and Northampton counties represent Community Banks southernmost region. It also operates 23 locations in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area of northeastern Pennsylvania. With the Lehigh Valley, Community Bank will have 33 branches in the Keystone State. Among the countrys 100 largest banking institutions with over $16 billion in assets, Community Bank also has customer facilities across Upstate New York, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. While were not new to Pennsylvania by any means, we are new to the Lehigh Valley, said Maculloch, who has been with Community Bank for 14 years, including eight as regional president. "While we're not new to Pennsylvania by any means, we are new to the Lehigh Valley," said Barb Maculloch, Community Bank, N.A.s president of Pennsylvania banking, photographed Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, at the 1323 Grape St. branch in Whitehall Township. Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com Although the bank is establishing its local presence in 2025, Maculloch noted Community Bank also opened a loan production office in March 2023 on Corporate Parkway in Upper Saucon Townships Center Valley. Weve wanted to be here for a while, and now? Cant wait to get it off the ground, she said. Community Bank offers free checking to consumers, provided they meet certain monthly benchmarks to avoid a fee of $4.95-$8. Customers can also secure loans, mortgages, installment lending and commercial banking. In addition, Community Bank owns companies specializing in wealth management, insurance and administration of benefit plans like 401(K) accounts. It announced the purchase of the seven Santander locations in June at 100 N. Third St., Easton; 3120 William Penn Highway in Palmer Township; 1701 Chew St., Allentown; 924 Eaton Ave. in Bethlehem; 1215 Chestnut St., Emmaus; 240 S. Third St., Coopersburg; and 1240 Third St. in Whitehall Township. Along with the Grape Street branch that opened in summer, its other new locations not tied to the Santander deal are at 306 S. New St. and 2943 Linden St. in Bethlehem, spanning the citys Southside to Northeast neighborhoods. Community Bank offered to keep on employees from the seven Santander branches, in addition to hiring for the new Whitehall and Bethlehem locations. But the Santander employees, theyre not losing their jobs, Maculloch said. Theyre all going to be Community Bank employees going forward. In June, Community Bank said it anticipated assuming about $600 million in deposits and purchasing approximately $33 million in branch-related loans. Community Bank agreed to pay a deposit premium of 8.0%, or approximately $48 million, in estimated cash consideration to Santander Bank for the branch assets and liabilities. Santander at that time said it agreed to sell the Lehigh Valley branches amid its continued transformation into a national, digital-first bank with branches. Community Bank N.A.'s new branch at 1323 Grape St., Whitehall Township, photographed Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, is among 10 new Lehigh Valley locations for the company, including seven former Santander Bank branches being purchased across Lehigh and Northampton counties. Kurt Bresswein | For lehighvalleylive.com The acquisition is set to close Friday, Nov. 7. Community Bank customer care will be available Saturday and Tuesday, Veterans Day, with the branches officially opening Monday, Nov. 10 before closing for the holiday. Santander customers whose accounts are being transferred to Community Bank under the purchase have received detailed communications on their account routing number changing and instructions on updating services like direct deposit and online bill pay. Outback Steakhouse is suddenly shutting down dozens restaurants, and the trend shows no signs of stopping. The beloved steakhouse chain abruptly closed 21 restaurants last month, according to CNN. It plans not to renew the leases of 22 additional locations that are expected to close over the next four years. Heres why the stores are closing and which store locations across the country are already confirmed to be closed. Why is Outback Steakhouse closing so many stores? Outback Steakhouse is closing so many stores as part of an ongoing turnaround plan to improve the companys financial position. These are business decisions that are part of our ongoing turnaround plan, Bloomin Brands spokesperson Elizabeth Daly told USA Today in a statement. We considered a variety of factors, including sales and traffic, trade areas, and potential investments to improve performance. According to the company website, Outback has 670 locations remaining. Roughly a decade ago, Outback had 750 locations remaining, according to Restaurant Business. The company plans to renovate its remaining restaurants by the end of 2028. Which Outback Steakhouse locations are confirmed to have closed? Of the dozens of Outback Steakhouse locations that have closed already, eight locations in six states are confirmed to have shuttered as of November. The following Outback locations are confirmed to be closed as of Thursday, according to All Recipes: Alabama Birmingham: 20th St. North at 20 Midtown Birmingham: Inverness location on U.S. 280 Florida Jacksonville Beach: 3760 South 3rd St. Naples: 4910 U.S. 41 North Louisiana Baton Rouge: Jones Creek Blvd. Maryland Silver Spring: 8661 Colesville Rd. in Ellsworth Place Mall New York Merrick: 2124 Merrick Mall Wisconsin The popular hot dog joint returns just a month after shutting down when its general manager left for a new position at Charlie's Pool Room in Alpha. A nostalgic hamburger and hot-dog joint is making a comeback just a month after closing shop at Easton Public Market. In late September, Rods Dogs announced on its Facebook page that it would be vacating the market at 325 Northampton St. The eatery initially opened in October 2021 at the market. The reason behind the closure was Rods general manager, Felix Grzymala, was leaving to take a job at Charlies Pool Room in Alpha. Married co-owners Mike and Rebecca Pichetto of Nazareth had no hard feelings and wished Grzymala well on social media. Rods on Thursday posted on the Everything Easton Facebook page they would be reopening at the market after the Pichettos found someone willing to take the reins in operations. NOTHING WILL CHANGE, the posting states. Same menu. Same vibe. Some familiar faces ... Just pure, classic Rods. On Sunday, Mike Pichetto told lehighvalleylive.com that Rods Dogs would be returning to its former tenant space at the market. Rods will reopen within a month under new owner, Jack Wallaesa of Palmer Township, the great-nephew and namesake of the late Major League Baseball shortstop Jack Wallaesa. Wallaesas family roots also have experience in small business ventures. Wallaesas mother, Karen Ford of Easton, operates Events by BalloonWorks. Rods Dogs has always been about good food, good people and community pride, Wallaesa said. All the classics will remain, were simply keeping the legacy alive. The Pichettos launched Rods after converting a former market venture, Full of Crepe, into the hamburger and hot dog joint concept. Rods was named after Mike Pichettos late grandfather, Frank Rod Pichetto, who operated a hot dog cart in Rutherford, New Jersey, after World War II. Mike Pichetto previously told lehighvalleylive.com he enjoyed the crepe business, but it was not his passion. The couple also operates 3rd & Ferry Fish Market in the city. Rods was known for giving patrons a choice in how they wanted dogs prepared in the frying process. It was best known for the rippers, which are northern New Jersey-style hot dogs. There were also sinkers, which are hot dogs warmed through but not split or browned; and ripper-crisp, which are hot dogs cooked two to three minutes longer than regular rippers so the dogs become very crisp and brown. Other menu items included bratwurst, chicken dogs and vegan hot dogs. Burgers were crafted from fresh ground beef and topped with such scratch-made toppings as chili, onions, relish and cheese sauce. There also was no shortage of fries and onion rings. Birch beer was made available to wash it all down, as well as milkshakes made from various ice cream flavors. We cant wait to fire up the grill, welcome you back, and remind you exactly why this place was the perfect little joint at the Easton Public Market, the newest posting added. Cluck N Shuck in May 2025 replaced a vacancy left by Silvershell Counter + Kitchen, which left the Easton Public Market in February. The market opened in 2016 and is housed at 325 Northampton St. in Easton. Courtesy photo More coming and goings Easton Public Market has experienced a number of vendor changes since the start of the year. Crepes at Casa, serving up sweet and savory crepes, opened in the spring. So did HousePlanted, featuring a variety of houseplants and plant care items; and Centre Square Cheese, offering artisanal cheeses, premium olive oils and charcuterie. Mangia Carne, a premium Italian eatery and butcher shop backed by celebrity chef Luca Manfe, opened in April. The market in February bid farewell to Silvershell Counter + Kitchen after nearly six years in business. Husband-and-wife owners Lee Chizmar and Erin Shea in May then opened Cluck N Shuck, offering chicken dishes, oysters, sides and more, in the same space. Easton Public Market currently is also home to nine other vendors: Chocodiem, Green Vida Downtown, Highmark Farmstand, Mister Lees Noodles, Modern Crumb Bakeshop, More Than Q Barbecue, Scratch, Three Birds Nest and Tolino Vineyards. The market is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Its closed on Monday and Tuesday. The chill of early November air will carry the sound of history and the promise of tribute as community events honor those who served our nation. From solemn ceremonies to uplifting concerts, the days ahead will offer numerous opportunities to reflect on American sacrifice and service as the region recognizes Veterans Day 2025 on Tuesday, Nov. 11. Heres a look at events scheduled in the Lehigh Valley and New Jerseys Warren County: Saturday, Nov. 8 Warren County Veterans Recognition Ceremony On Saturday, Nov. 8, at 11 a.m., Warren County will host a combined Veterans Day and Veterans Recognition Ceremony. The ceremony will be held at the Warren County War Memorial in Belvidere. The War Memorial is located next to the Warren County Court House, 413 Second St., at the corner of Second and Mansfield streets. This combined program will feature the presentation of the Warren County Distinguished Military Service medal to veterans who served during wartime. It will also include a proclamation acknowledging National Veterans and Military Families Month, the playing of service songs, and the presentation of a Quilt of Valor. Veterans receiving the award will be provided with a seat for themselves and one guest; all other attendees are invited to bring lawn chairs. Sunday, Nov. 9 Salute the Troops Concert The Bethlehem Morning Star Rotary Club will host its 21st annual Salute the Troops concert, featuring the renowned Allentown Band. The event is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 9 at Northeast Middle School, 1170 Fernwood St., Bethlehem. This event will celebrate veterans and active-duty members through stirring, familiar patriotic music. The concert will raise money for Victory House of Lehigh Valley, an accredited Veteran Service Agency providing critical support to homeless veterans. Tickets are $10 (students will be $5) and will be available at the door. Monday, Nov. 10 LVHN Veterans Day Ceremony Lehigh Valley Health Network will host a special Veterans Day ceremony to honor community members and colleagues who served in the Armed Forces. The event will take place on Monday, Nov. 10, at 11 a.m. in Educational Conference Rooms 6, 7, and 8 in the Kasych Family Pavilion at Lehigh Valley HospitalCedar Crest in Salisbury Township. Veterans will receive special recognition. The ceremony will include music performances and a flag posting by Dieruff JROTC. St. Lukes Veterans Day Recognition Harry F.W. Johnson American Legion Post 379 will be leading a flag raising in front of the St. Lukes University Health Network campus in Fountain Hill at 8 a.m. Monday, Nov. 10. The public is welcome. The flag raising will be followed by a free breakfast for veterans in the hospital cafeteria. Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11 Finally, the official Veterans Day on Tuesday, Nov. 11 will be marked by several formal ceremonies in the Easton vicinity. Easton Veterans Day Ceremony The Joint Veterans Council Forks of the Delaware will hold a ceremony at 10:30 a.m. This solemn gathering is scheduled to take place in the Memorial Grove at Upper Hackett Park off Hackett Avenue. Williams Township Veterans Day Ceremony A short time later, Williams Township will host its own ceremony to honor veterans at 11 a.m. The event will be held at 655 Cider Press Road. Wilson Borough Veterans Day Parade In the afternoon on Veterans Day, the Marine Corps League and the Brown & Lynch American Legion Post No. 9 will host a parade. The event will begin at 1 p.m. The parade will step off at the Civil War cannon on South 17th and Washington streets in Wilson Borough and will conclude on Warrior Lane at Wilson Area High School. The high school marching band is slated to participate in the procession. Generative AI was used to organize this story into article format, based on data provided by event organizers and municipal calendars. It was reviewed and edited by lehighvalleylive.com. A married couple was seriously injured when a Monroe County man deliberately struck their vehicle head-on along a Slate Belt highway, state police said. Daniel Edward Diegidio, 41, of Brodheadsville is charged with four counts of felony aggravated assault; three counts of misdemeanor reckless endangerment; and summary traffic offenses. Diegidio was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Alicia Zito, who set bail at $125,000. In lieu of bail, he was taken to the Northampton County Prison. Court records did not immediately list any attorney information for Diegidio. Pennsylvania State Police in Belfast shortly after 7:15 p.m. Aug. 11 responded to the three-vehicle crash at North Delaware Drive and National Park Road in Upper Mount Bethel Township. Two of the vehicles a Kia Forte and a Hyundai Ioniq had heavy front-end damage. Emergency workers were already performing lifesaving measures on three occupants of both cars, court records state. The male driver of the third vehicle told investigators he was heading north on Route 611 when he saw Diegidios Kia drift into the oncoming travel lane, striking the Hyundai head-on, the affidavit of probable cause states. The driver of the third car then rear-ended the Hyundai, state police said. Diegidio reportedly told investigators he wanted to harm himself, which led to the intentional head-on collision. The Hyundai driver suffered multiple broken bones and his wife, a passenger, suffered multiple fractures as a result of the crash, according to court records. Diegidio is due back in court for a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Nov. 17 before Zito. A judge will then determine if theres sufficient evidence to send the case toward trial at the Northampton County Court of Common Pleas. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with the proper mental health support and treatment. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. A Laois library is set to host a health and wellbeing panel discussion next week, featuring health screenings, information stands and crime prevention advice. 'Ask the Experts' is hosted in collaboration with Laois Libraries, HSE, Age Friendly, Laois Partnership, Adult Literacy for Life, and the Irish Heart Foundation, along with crime prevention advice from Sergeant Graham Kavanagh. The event will be officially launched by Queen of the Plough, Anna May McHugh. Pictured: Portlaoise library "This event is about bringing healthcare experts into the community to answer facilitated questions in areas that are causing the main difficulties for people," a representative told the Leinster Express / Laois Live. "The event aims to build confidence and empower people to ask if they do not understand, and to reduce stigma and embarrassment in health-related situations. We have had an overwhelmingly positive response and look forward to the day," they explained. Organisers say that the reason this event was organised was following a study on the public that revealed that many struggle to ask health related questions. "In Ireland, 28% of people or close to 1,000,000, would have limited health literacy. Over 17% would understand little information received from their GP, nurse or pharmacist, and 38% of people would have taken the wrong dose of medication at least once. 42% of people listed embarrassment for not asking for an explanation," organisers said. The event is facilitated by Orlaith O'Reilly, Health Literacy Educator with the Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB). The panel will see a wide range of experts providing advice, including Pearse Murphy, Principal Social Worker in Primary Care; Paula Murphy, Senior Pharmacist, Frailty Team; Shauna Williams, Social Prescribing, Laois Partnership Company; Sharon Butler, Irish Heart Foundation; Talent Nyamakope, Health Literacy Lead, Adult Literacy for Life; Domhnall McGlacken Byrne, Registrar of Public Health; and Orlaith OReilly, Health Literacy Educator, LOETB. Join Laois locals at the Ask the Experts in Portlaoise Library from 2pm to 4pm on Monday, November 10. Registration is required. Those interested can register through Laois Library Service, or phone 057 862 2333. Now that it has been one week since Halloween 2025, it is safe to say that the countdown for Christmas is on. One school in County Kildare definitely thinks so, as it has just announced that it will host a carol service ceremony which aims to celebrate members of the local community. Newbridge-based Patrician Secondary School, also known as the Patrician Brothers Secondary School, will host its first-ever 'Patrician Christmas' event in the nearby St Conleth's Parish Church. According to a member of staff for the school: "On the night there will be performances from past and present staff, past and present students and the Newbridge Gospel Choir. "All proceeds from the event will be going to the Newbridge Share Food group, which provides about 120 packs of food each week to people in the Newbridge Community that are finding things difficult." READ NEXT: Kildare author shortlisted for Irish Book Of The Year Awards They added: "While this is a coming together of our Patrician Community, it is hoped that at the same time we are helping those in need in our locality in the lead up to Christmas." Tickets cost 10 and can be purchased from the School Office. 'Patrician Christmas' will take place on Wednesday, December 3. It will begin at 7.30pm. BACKGROUND Established in 1960 by the Patrician Brothers, the Patrician Secondary School is an all-male school that facilitates students from First Year up to Sixth Year. According to its official website, in the past few years, the student population has grown to 906 students, while there are now over 80 members of staff. The website also notes that in the year 2008, the Patrician Brothers celebrated the Bicentenary of their founding by the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin Daniel Delany, and in September 2009, the school joined Le Cheile, which is a Catholic schools trust. The Patrician Primary School is also located near the Patrician Secondary School, in addition to St Conleth and Mary's Primary School and the Holy Family Secondary School. READ NEXT: Takeaway driver working in Kildare was robbed by two males, garda says The death has occurred of Margaret (Peggy) Quinn (nee Brady) Prosperous, Kildare / Drimnagh, Dublin November 4, 2025, peacefully, at Tallaght Hospital, surrounded by her loving family, following a short illness. Beloved wife of the late George and loving mother of the late Jacqueline. Deeply regretted by her loving children Sheila, Bernard, Christopher, Caroline, Selina, Karl and Aisling. sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandchildren, great grandchildren, sisters, brothers, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. May Peggy Rest In Peace. Peggy will repose at Oliver Reilly's Funeral Home, Prosperous, (W91 T62P) on Sunday from 12noon to 2pm. Removal from her residence on Monday morning, to arrive at the Church of Our Lady and St Joseph, Prosperous, for 11am Funeral Mass, followed by committal service in Newlands Cross Crematorium (D24 K1CY) at approximately 1.30pm. Those who are unable to attend the funeral, please leave a personal message for the family in the condolences section on RIP.ie. The Funeral Mass can be viewed live on Monday by clicking here. The Cremation Service can also be viewed live here. Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors accept no responsibility for any live webcam interruptions or issues. Family flowers only, please. Donations if desired to Irish Cancer Society by clicking here. House private please. For all enquiries, please contact Oliver Reilly Funeral Directors on (045) 868 230. The death has occurred of Teresa Loughman (nee Silver) Melitta Park, Kildare town, Kildare Died peacefully on 5.11.25 aged 81, at St Brigids Hospice, The Curragh, County Kildare, surrounded by her loving family. She was pre-deceased by her husband Donald and brother John. Teresa will be sadly missed by her loving sons and daughters David, Anthony, Edward, Ciara, Sarah and Suzanne; daughter / son-in-laws Jane, Joan, John, Nico and Shane; her grandchildren Christopher, David, Ciaran, Anna and Jessica; her siblings from England, Julie, Angela, Chris, Monica and Philip; her brother / sister-in-laws, nieces, nephews, other wider family members, neighbours and friends. May Teresa Rest In Peace. Reposing at McWeys Funeral Home, Abbeyview, Kildare town (R51 TE20) from 3pm to 6pm on Sunday (November 9) with Rosary at 5.30pm. Removal by Glennons Funeral Directors, on Monday morning to arrive at St Brigid's Parish Church, Kildare Town for Requiem Mass at 11am. ' Burial afterwards in St Conleth's Cemetery, Kildare town. Teresa's funeral mass will be live-streamed here. Family flowers only please. Donations if desired to "The Irish Cancer Society". Glennons Funeral Directors accept no responsibility for any live webcam interruptions or issues. For all enquiries, please contact Glennons Funeral Directors on 045 860 110. The death has occurred of Sean Purcell Leixlip, Kildare November 5, 2025. Peacefully, surrounded by his loving family. Beloved father of John and Emmet and cherished brother of Marie, Colm, Yvonne, Des and Anne. Pre-deceased by his much-loved siblings Eamonn, Dympna and Doreen and his brother-in-law Tommy Grant. Sadly missed by his loving sons, their mam Ellen, daughter-in-law Sinead, brothers, sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. May He Rest In Peace. Reposing at Cunninghams Funeral Home, Lucan on Sunday evening (November 9) between 4pm and 6pm. Removal on Monday morning (November 10) to the church of St Charles Borromeo, Confey arriving for Funeral Mass at 10 am followed by burial in Confey Cemetery. Seans funeral service may be viewed (live only) by following this link. Family flowers only, please, donations if desired to The Alzheimer Society of Ireland. "Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis." - " "! , ! , , . A call has been made for a Citizens Assembly to investigate the growing abuse on social media posts. During Novembers meeting of Leitrim County Council, Cllr Enda McGloin urged the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to consider a review of the role of social media in Ireland, particularly regarding its lack of content regulation and the prevalence of derogatory commentary around religion, racism, politics, and sport. He emphasised that an assessment should be made of the impact social media-generated hatred has on vulnerable young people, alongside why many commentators can remain anonymous despite making derogatory online comments. Cllr McGloin described some of the content he has recently seen on social media as stark and vile, particularly concerning IPAS centres and religion. Theres a scenario whereby people put up stories and someone may comment and theres then 30 comments that are very racist in some respects in relation to religion, politics and sport, he said. He added that even when a sportsperson has a poor performance, it becomes open season for attacks. READ NEXT: Leitrim families caring across border face carer's allowance gap He also raised concerns about the difficulty people face in getting offensive content removed and how challenging it is to get social media platform leaders to engage with governments, noting that X (formerly Twitter) refuses to engage under any circumstance. Cllr McGloin specifically referenced abusive comments made about Fine Gael presidential candidate Heather Humphreys during the election campaign, targeting her religion and background. These are cowards who decide its fair game. As a councillor its not good enough in society, he said. Im saying to anybody that makes these comments to think about the hurt that they cause. Id say to local media that the type of commentary about the persons religion, background, and heritage should be blocked because it causes further hate and provokes people into doing actions that we see in the news. The motion received widespread support, with Cllr Enda Stenson commenting, Right across the board there is so much hatred on social media. READ NEXT: Hairdressers lost 'a lot of money' due to water outages in Leitrim town The riots that are taking place young people think its the right thing to do now, he added. An ex-IRA man has vowed to keep trying to help locate the remains of Disappeared soldier Robert Nairac. Martin McAllister described the situation as an open running sore in south Armagh where the Grenadier Guards captain was last seen alive in 1977. Information he secured led to the first official search for his remains last year by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR). Capt Nairac is considered to be part of a group known as the Disappeared, who were killed and secretly buried by paramilitary groups. The search for his remains in Co Louth ended without success last October. A new BBC film, The Disappearance Of Captain Nairac hears of his love of Ireland from his friends, from colleagues who saw him as unconventional and locals in south Armagh who nicknamed him Danny Boy. It hears that Capt Nairac had walked into the Three Steps Bar in Drumintee on the night of Saturday May 14 1977, undercover, dressed in a donkey jacket and jeans, hoping for a breakthrough in the intelligence war against the IRA. Those in the bar remember him drawing attention to himself, saying he had lost his cigarettes and also asking for advice on routes across the border without army checkpoints. He maintained he was a republican from Belfast called Danny McErlean and sang two rebel songs. However, a group of local men are understood to have become suspicious, overpowered him in the car park, took him across the border and shot him. The programme heard an account of a man in the car who said they called the local IRA Officer Commander, who arrived drunk, and told them to shoot Capt Nairac. He said he pretended to be a priest to try and elicit a confession, but then withdrew, adding he heard shots fired as he walked away. He went on to say he hopes some day Capt Nairacs body will be given to his sisters, and wanted to sympathise for the part he played. Former local councillor Seamus Murphy recalled Capt Nairac as having stood out, greeting people in Irish in Crossmaglen and showing off a knowledge of Irish history. He had a certain swagger and arrogance about him, and an awful habit of putting his gun down and walking away from it which everyone thought was strange, he said. Everyone knew he wasnt an ordinary soldier, but they thought he was a roaring idiot, and probably dangerous. He also said he saw him in full undercover mode once at the cattle mart in Newry, dressed as a farmer and pretending to be a bit drunk. However, an anonymous former army intelligence officer described Capt Nairacs role in an area known as the IRAs greatest stronghold, where soldiers had to be brought in and out by helicopter, as absolutely imperative, being out on the ground, talking to people and identifying potential agents. Capt Nairacs biographer Alistair Kerr said he was said to have believed he was on the verge of an intelligence break through recruiting someone with serious links to the IRA on the night he disappeared. A former RUC intelligence officer said he had a touch of 007 about him and took risks he would never take. He said he believed Capt Nairac went to the pub that night as he cultivated a friendship with a woman who was very close to an IRA figure, and hoped to gain information through her about her relatives. Capt Nairacs friend Jemima Parry-Jones said he loved Ireland and was passionate about the Troubles not going on. He wanted to be a part of stopping it which meant he took risks, she said. Mr McAllister said he has always been fascinated by the Nairac story, describing a open running sore in this area. He said he was in prison at the time of the abduction, but said he has learned those who abducted Capt Nairac were IRA sympathisers, not members, and all scarpered after, adding they had nothing to do with the burial. Rumours were circulated about Capt Nairac following his disappearance, adding to the confusion. Mr McAllister said in the decades since every imaginable horror has been laid at his door, with claims he was involved in atrocities such as the Miami Showband killings, the Kingsmill Massacre and the Dublin Monaghan bombings. It just becomes a figure of speech with no proof, he said. Mr McAllister described speaking to lots of people to put together a jigsaw puzzle of what happened. He said, while people are shy about giving information, they will give it to him. Its been on my mind constantly because its an open running sore in this area, he said. This man was a soldier, and I was his enemy, but to disappear somebody is something I never ever agreed with. No one should be left in such a position whereby they havent a grave to visit. This man should be back with his family. He has pledged that he will not give up on his search, describing it as a matter of honour. The Disappearance Of Captain Nairac will be available on BBC iPlayer and BBC One Northern Ireland from Monday November 10 at 10.40pm. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The Chairman of the Land Authority Samuel Kpakio illegally signed a deed as part of a fraudulent cocoa agreement between Grand Gedeh County and a Burkinabe businessman. Filed picture/Liberia Land Authority. Liberian MCSS-sponsored scholars in India pose for a group photo after issuing a collective appeal for welfare support amid financial hardship. The University of Limerick has unveiled a major new exhibition celebrating the legacy of the Pery family, the Earls of Limerick, whose story has shaped the citys civic and cultural life for nearly five centuries. Limerick Legacies: The Earls of Limerick was launched last week at ULs Glucksman Library by Acting President Professor Shane Kilcommins. The rich archival collection focuses on the Pery family, with the exhibition highlighting several notable items from the Limerick Papers, a rich archival collection spanning nearly 500 years. The collection was originally placed in the care of the Limerick Civic Trust, who in 2018, collaborated with the Glucksman Library at UL to archive and digitise the previously unseen collection. READ MORE: Family's Christmas lights display not returning in Limerick this year due to 'personal circumstances' The collection, housed in the Librarys Special Collections and Archives Department, offers a rare and detailed glimpse into the lives, achievements, and influence of the Pery family and their role in shaping Limericks civic and cultural identity. The Limerick Papers encompass a wide array of documents, including personal correspondence, estate records, architectural plans, legal papers, and visual materials such as photographs and sketches. From the early days of Edmond Sexten, a 16th-century mayor of Limerick, to the modern-day descendants of the family, the archive captures the enduring legacy of the Perys in Limerick and beyond. The collection is particularly strong in materials from the 19th century, a period of significant political and social change. Also attending the launch were Edmund Pery, 7th Earl of Limerick, and David OBrien, CEO of the Limerick Civic Trust, among others. Professor Shane Kilcommins said: This landmark initiative and exhibition represent a profound moment in the cultural life of Limerick and The Earls of Limerick and the Pery Family. The collection, with notable items from the Limerick Papers, that now becomes part of the academic life of our university and our region are not merely historical documents but living threads in the tapestry of our shared heritage, offering unparalleled insight into the civic, architectural, and social evolution of Limerick across centuries, stated Prof Kilcommins. Ciara McCaffrey, University Librarian and Director, added: The Limerick Papers are an invaluable resource for understanding the civic and cultural history of Limerick, and for situating that history within broader national and international contexts. READ MORE: Homegrown Limerick band marks 15 year milestone with hometown summer show She continued: Making the archive globally accessible, as well as showcasing it through this wonderful exhibition, reflects the University Librarys commitment to open scholarship and public engagement. I want to thank the Earl of Limerick and his family for entrusting these papers to the University Library, ensuring the collection is in the public realm where it can be preserved, interpreted and shared for the benefit of all. Using archival extracts and images, the exhibition is structured around four key themes, each highlighting a different aspect of the Pery familys legacy, including the familys lineage and the establishment of the earldom in Limerick, as well as their architectural patronage and lasting influence on Limericks built heritage. The exhibition showcases two fascinating personal artifacts from the collection: the 17th century commonplace book of Colonel Edmund Pery, filled with Enlightenment-era knowledge; and a scrapbook compiled by May, Countess of Limerick, offering a personal view into aristocratic life in Ireland at the turn of the 20th century. The launch of the exhibition marks a significant milestone in the stewardship of the Limerick Papers: the collection is now fully catalogued, digitised, and openly accessible worldwide via the Glucksman Library website. This development enhances opportunities for research, teaching, and public engagement, and reflects the University of Limericks ongoing commitment to preserving and sharing cultural heritage. The exhibition will run in ULs Glucksman Library for the duration of the academic year 2025/26. Members of the public can access the exhibition by contacting specoll@ul.ie. THE REDEVELOPMENT and re-opening of the railway station at Foynes is continuing apace, with the facilitys roof set to be restored in the coming weeks. Irish Rail confirmed the news, after an eagle-eyed railway enthusiast sent photographs of the supplies being delivered to facilitate the development. Foynes railway station closed to passenger traffic back in 1963, and it was last used for freight trains in the year 2000. It had fallen into disrepair since. READ MORE: Mary retires in style after being at the very heart of community life in a Limerick parish for two decades But as part of a multi-million euro programme, the State railway company is restoring access to the Limerick to Foynes line, which will also include Mungret, Patrickswell, Adare and Askeaton. Below: A picture of the materials being used to deliver the roof Ostensibly, it will be for freight traffic, but there are hopes that when the Ryder Cup takes place at Adare Manor, passenger services will be able to operate to transport visitors, who may use the Port of Foynes to arrive in Ireland, across to Adare by rail. The Irish Rail spokesperson said: Work will begin on the restoration of the roof at Foynes Station within the coming weeks. Supplies have been delivered. The railway enthusiast who captured the pictures of the delivery of supplies to Foynes pointed out the original roof at the station was made of pine. This one is made of cedar. It looks like its going to last a long time, he added. The project to re-open the 42km-long Limerick to Foynes line is costing a total of 151.5m. Working alongside the Shannon Foynes Port Company and lead contractor Sisk, Irish Rail has said it hopes the line will provide a frequent, reliable and sustainable logistics option for firms which currently use Foynes Port - or indeed will do so in the future. The removal of all the original rail line infrastructure has taken place, alongside a renewal and relaying of the track, sleepers and track bed. Elsewhere on the line, bridges across the River Maigue near Adare and the River Deel in Askeaton have been removed, restored and reinstated. Thirteen level crossings are in place, while new drainage routes have been installed. Its hoped next year, the line will come into operation. Specialist in-house teams will deliver the signalling and telecoms infrastructure to allow trains to operate. Japanese lessor AER, LLC has sent an IDERA (Irrevocable Deregistration and Export Request Authorization) request to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Indian regulator, to deregister all three aircraft currently registered with FlyBig, the regional airline. At the end of the September quarter, the airline has three 19-seater DHC6 (Twin Otter) aircraft in its fleet. The IDERA notice covers all three, registered VT-HIT, VT-FBC and VT-BHK. The airline has a mere 58 weekly departures approved in the Northern Winter 2025 schedule, which started on 26 October 2025. At its peak, it had approvals for 255 weekly flights in Summer 2024, though the airline never operated its full quota of approvals. The DGCA posted these notices on its website on 6 November. Also Read | Winter schedule starts with a new promisemore flights Flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows VT-BHK last operated on 24 October, VT-HIT last operating on 24 October, while VT-FBC last operated on 26 October. These three aircraft are in Bhopal as per the website. An IDERA request is a formal legal document empowering an aircraft lessor or lender to have an aircraft deregistered, repossessed, and exported from a country when the lessee defaults on lease payments or loan obligations, as established under the Cape Town Convention. It simplifies the process for creditors to recover their assets from a defaulting airline, providing crucial security in global aircraft financing. India has ratified the Cape Town Convention by passing the Protection of Interests in Aircraft Objects Bill, 2025, which received the Presidential assent in April 2025, formally bringing the Convention's provisions concerning aircraft financing and leasing into Indian law. The bill was enacted to align India's domestic laws with the international treaty, aiming to boost aircraft leasing, reduce costs, and attract investment in the Indian aviation sector. Prior to this, India was a signatory to the Cape Town Convention but the local laws were not aligned, which created troubles for lessors to take the aircraft back as was seen in the case of Go FIRST. FlyBig's chequered history Booking a flight was not possible on the airline's website as of this afternoon, with the airport list not listing any airport. The airline has approvals for flights to Ambikapur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Datia, Khajuraho, Raipur and Rewa. It has had a chequered history with the airline starting its operations in Indore with the ATR 72s, shifting them to the North East, subsequently facing challenges with the ATRs and switching to the DHC6s. The airline then shifted its base to Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, starting new routes and airports, then moving to Madhya Pradesh, doing the same. All along, it could not establish a strong presence. The airline operated 163 departures in September and carried only 610 passengers, with a meagre load factor of 20%. This is possibly the reason why continued operations and meeting the financial expenditure became a challenge, even with viability gap funding. Its highest load factor this year was 30.3% recorded in April, which for a 19-seater aircraft is even poor, making it nearly impossible to recover costs even when subsidies and VGF are added. Also Read | The longest and shortest flights in Indian aviation this winter Regional aviation in India has always been challenging with skeletons tumbling out, from Paramount to Air Costa with the jets and TruJet, Air Pegasus, Air Carnival and others on the props. In a year when Star Air became the biggest and the longest-serving private regional carrier in India, another one is probably on the way to get off the map. Impact on passengers The number of impacted passengers would be much fewer than any major airlines in case of flybig, with the September average being less than 4 passengers per flight and the yearly average being less than 5 passengers per flight, but this will impact the count of operational airports in the country with airports like Rewa, Ambikapur and Datia falling off the active airports map in the country, further reducing the number of active airports which started with 126 this winter, down from 129 in the last winter. As the government redraws the UDAN scheme for extension beyond its initial 10 years, it will have to look at how to have well-capitalised regional carriers which can sustain and have their own niche to develop an ecosystem which helps everyone. Eli Lilly's weight-loss therapy Mounjaro became India's top-selling drug by value in October, data showed on Friday, overtaking GSK's widely used antibiotic Augmentin, as demand surges in the world's most populous nation. The U.S. drugmaker's popular injectable therapy raked in 1 billion rupees ($11.38 million) in October, research firm Pharmarack said. That outpaced Augmentin sales of 800 million rupees last month. By volume, Augmentin was way higher than Mounjaro with 5,784 units sold during October, compared to just 85 units sale of Mounjaro, which is sold at a much higher price point. The news comes as India becomes a key battleground for drugmakers, looking to grab a slice of the burgeoning weight-loss treatment market, which some analysts predict will generate $150 billion a year or more by the end of the decade. Mounjaro, which helps control blood sugar and slow digestion, saw its sales double within months of its March launch in India, ahead of rival Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, which entered the market in June. The drug has generated 3.33 billion rupees in revenue till the end of October, according to Pharmarack. "Mounjaro's consumption in India by volume was 10 times more than Wegovy in October," Sheetal Sapale, Pharmarack's Vice President (Commercial), told the media on Friday. While Lilly sold 262,000 Mounjaro units last month, Novo Nordisk sold 26,000 Wegovy units. Both belong to a class of therapies known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, which help patients feel fuller for longer and are increasingly used to treat obesity and diabetes. The rapid uptake of these drugs reflects growing demand for weight-loss treatments in India, where lifestyle diseases are on the rise. Lilly also signed a deal with Indian drugmaker Cipla last month to sell Mounjaro under a separate brand name. Globally, Lilly and Novo have seen soaring demand for their anti-obesity therapies, prompting supply constraints and pricing scrutiny. Both companies have struck a deal with the Trump administration to reduce prices of their GLP-1 drugs for U.S. government programs, aiming to improve access amid mounting pressure over affordability. Wegovy's active ingredient semaglutide will lose patent protection in India in March 2026 and that has prompted many Indian drugmakers to develop their own versions of the wildly in-demand drug. Tesla CEO Elon Musk secured a record $1 trillion ($1,000,000,000,000) pay package on Thursday, 6 November, after shareholders overwhelmingly approved the proposal at Tesla's annual meeting in Austin, Texas. The vote result, revealed at the company's Austin factory, marks the largest payout ever granted to a corporate leader, according to AFP. The pay package, which was designed to secure Elon Musks ongoing commitment to Tesla as the company advances its work in artificial intelligence and robotics, received over 75% support from shareholders, according to a Tesla official at the companys annual meeting. The compensation plan also focuses on keeping Musk at Tesla for a minimum of seven and a half years. It would increase his ownership stake from roughly 12% when the plan was announced in September to possibly more than 25%. Musk said following the announcement, I'd like to just give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the shareholder votes. I super-appreciate it. Musk has long touted Teslas growth potential as virtually limitless. In July, he said that the company will be the most valuable company in the world by far if it achieves its goals in autonomous driving and AI. However, he had also at the time suggested that he might step away from Tesla or reduce his involvement unless his ownership stake increases enough to secure the level of control he wants over the companys direction. Tesla Chair Robin Denholm urged shareholders to support the proposal, emphasising that retaining Musk is crucial to the companys future, cautioning that the stock could drop significantly if he were to leave. Also Read | The hurdles Elon Musk must clear to unlock $1 trillion in Tesla pay The board has dismissed criticism that the billionaires association with divisive political figures has hurt sales. Tesla shareholders have historically backed Musk in votes concerning his compensation, including a 2018 package worth approximately $55.8 billion that a Delaware court has reportedly halted due to shareholder lawsuits. After the most recent Delaware ruling, Denholm and Teslas board revisited the issue, first approving an interim compensation package valued at about $29 billion in August, and then introducing a larger plan in September. Activist group Tesla Takedown protests However, the activist group Tesla Takedown condemned the outcome, pointing to the companys recent decline in vehicle sales. The group, which voiced opposition to the plan on Wednesday in downtown Austin, said, Elon Musk just got one trillion dollars for failure. Sales are down, safety risks are up, and his politics are driving customers away. This isn't leadership -- it's the world's most expensive participation trophy. Also Read | Maharashtra becomes first state to team up with Elon Musk's Starlink Meanwhile, Elon Musk, whose net worth exceeds $500 billion, remains the worlds richest individual, according to Forbes real-time billionaire rankings. To earn the full compensation package, he must achieve 12 milestones tied to Teslas market capitalisation. The first portion becomes available once Teslas valuation reaches $2 trillion, up from its current $1.5 trillion. The report added that the plan also includes several performance targets related to operating profit and product output, including the goal of delivering 20 million Tesla vehicles. Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) on 7 November notified the exchanges that it has entered into an agreement with US-based General Electric Company, for 113 units of F404-GE-IN20 engines and a support package for the execution of the 97 LCA Mk1A programme. It added that the contract for the 97 LCA Mk 1A was signed in September 2025, while the engine deliveries would be from 2027 to 2032. HAL-GE Aerospace deal: What we know According to a PTI report, HAL's agreement for the 113 jet engines from GE comes for its Tejas light combat aircraft programme. Here's all we know: Delivery of the F404-GE-IN20 engines under the agreement is scheduled to begin next year, 2027, with supplies to be completed by 2032, officials told the news agency. Further, a deal for engines and a support package for the execution of the 97 Light Combat Aircraft Mk1A programme was completed in September. According to the Defence Ministry, the 62,370 crore deal between GE and HAL to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A light combat aircraft is for the Indian Air Force. 62,370 crore deal between GE and HAL to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A light combat aircraft is for the Indian Air Force. HAL's CMD Dr DK Sunil, in September, described the decision to supply 97 LCA Mk1A aircraft to IAF as a red letter day, reflecting confidence in HAL's capabilities and India's Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, as per an ANI report. Tejas, Aatmanirbhar Bharat and more Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. It has been designed to undertake the air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles, the PTI report added. According to Sunil, the LCA Mk1A aircraft will have 70% indigenous content, featuring advanced systems such as the UTTAM Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar and Swayam Raksha Kavach electronic warfare suite. He added that around 50% of the material content used in the manufacturing of the plane craft will come from the Indian private sector. By financial year 2032-33, we will finish all 180 aircraft. That is the target, he added. Tata Sons Ltd has ploughed over a billion dollars into its iPhone assembly business since inception, helping it cross watch-and-jewellery brand Titan Ltd in revenue in just four years. The Tata Group holding company last month invested 1,499 crore in Tata Electronics Ltd, its phone assembly and semiconductor venture, bringing its total investment in the business to $1.3 billion. This also makes Tata Electronics the third Tata Sons subsidiarythe others are Air India Ltd and Tata Digitalto receive over $1 billion from its parent in the last four years. Tata Sons' investments in the three businesses now total $11.1 billion, a Mint review of the filings of the three subsidiaries showed. Tata Sons latest annual report said it has invested 45,347 crore ($5.1 billion) in Air India, since acquiring the state-owned airline in January 2022. Tata Digital, its e-commerce business comprising BigBasket, Tata 1mg, Croma and Cliq, received nearly $4.7 billion ( 42,121 crore) since its inception in March 2019. New investments in emerging businesses are a key focus for the Tata Group, which channels its investments through the group's holding company. Also Read | Mehli Mistry tells Tata Trusts he doesn't want to challenge ouster Tata Sons wants to pursue "manufacturing excellence at scale", chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran wrote to shareholders in the Tata Sons FY25 annual report. Major Tata Sons shareholders include Tata Trusts, the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, and various Tata Group companies. "At Tata Electronics, we are building a vertically integrated ecosystem for technology hardware and semiconductor manufacturing. It is hard, but that is why it matters so deeply to us," Chandrasekaran wrote. In the capital-intensive world of technology hardware, I am told this is a good start." Queries emailed to Tata Sons and Tata Electronics went unanswered. Since beginning in September 2020, Tata Electronics has invested 6,961 crore in its iPhone assembly operations. It also spent 1,363.52 crore to acquire Wistron Corps plant in March last year, and 1,650 crore to buy a 60% stake in Pegatrons India facility. Additionally, 50 crore was invested in the semiconductor subsidiary. These amounts total approximately $1.3 billion in investments by Tata Sons in Tata Electronics. The company is Indias single-largest assembler of Apples iPhones. Tata Electronics last year entered chip manufacturing, announcing it will invest over 1,18,000 crore ($13 billion) to set up two semiconductor fabrication plants in Gujarat and Assam. The Gujarat plant, at an investment of $11 billion, is in partnership with Taiwan's Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. Tata Electronics reported revenue of 66,601 crore in FY25, behind Air India, which ended with 78,636 crore, and more than twice Tata Digital's 32,188 crore, according to Tata Sons latest annual report. The electronics business ended with a 70 crore loss, much less than the 10,859 crore loss from aviation and the 4,610 crore loss from e-commerce. This is no small feat, as Tata Electronics 66,601 crore revenue surpassed Titans 60,942 crore, and close to Tata Power Ltds 66,992 crore. To be sure, Tata Electronics remains a loss-making business, unlike the profitable businesses of Titan and Tata Power. Despite Tata Electronics cutting losses by 92% to 69.7 crore ($7.8 million), down from 825 crore ($93 million) a year ago, the iPhone assembly margins remain wafer-thin for vendors like Foxconn. To be sure, production-linked incentives (PLIs) for smartphone assembly expire in March next, and Tata Electronics is yet to spell out its plan to attain profitability. Tata Sons chairman Chandrasekaran also serves on the board of Tata Electronics. Industry stakeholders, however, are not concerned. "The smartphone PLI has seen Dixon become a large company in India, while Kaynes and Syrma are now on the path of growth," said Ashok Chandak, president, India Electronics and Semiconductor Association, an industry body. These success stories have prompted Indian conglomerates to join the field too. Tata has been an early mover, while Larsen & Toubro has set up a dedicated subsidiary for fabless semiconductor engineering. The Murugappa group, too, has ventured into semiconductor testing and assemblyshowing the importance of electronics in India's growth over the next decade." The primary purpose of the smartphone PLI was to cover for the cost disadvantage that early companies would have had when starting out in India, given that the PLI came when the industry was in its nascent stages. India now has a well-established last-stage assembly ecosystem, and both India and the likes of Apple have gained significantly from it. Now, with component incentives, we're seeing the next tier of value creation that will start to happen, and this will further strengthen the electronics ecosystem," added Ankush Wadhera, managing director and partner, and India leader - semiconductors at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Tata Electronics employed 65,647 people. This exceeds the 31,749 in aviation and the 39,088 in Tata Digital. India produced 11.3 trillion ($127 billion) worth of electronics goods in FY25, a 19% rise from 9.5 trillion ($107 billion) produced in FY24, making the electronics industry one of the fastest-growing sectors, finance ministry data shiwed. Mobile phone exports accounted for about 18% or $22.5 billion of the share of electronic production. A third of this share of mobile exports was made possible due to Tata Electronics, which generated revenue of 62,962 crore ($7.1 billion). Of this, Tata Electronics earned 23,462 crore ($2.6 billion) from exports to the US and 14,255 crore ($1.6 billion) to Ireland, which is Apples European headquarters. India does not have a large presence in the value-added parts of the electronics manufacturing industry. Building a chip fab, as well as increasing local value addition through components, both require a significant capital infusionand Tata Electronics ability to raise that from its parent firm is a core strength for the company," said Harshit Kapadia, vice-president at brokerage firm Elara Capital. It also enjoys the strength of reputation that its conglomerate bringsApple, for instance, is unlikely to deal with smaller electronics manufacturing firms as it ramps up local assemblies" Kapadia stated that electronics manufacturing is expected to grow and potentially outperform traditional sectors and indices over the next decade, and that Tata Electronics may see increases in volumes and revenue. Less than a year after Tata set up its electronics arm in September 2020, Intel Corps chief supply officer, Randhir Thakur, joined as a director. Thakur later left Intel and was appointed managing director of Tata Electronics. Mumbai: Samara Capital, an India-focused mid-tier private equity firm, has initiated plans to exit ESME Consumer, a personal care and beauty products company it owns wholly, two persons familiar with the matter said. The company has appointed investment bank Jefferies to facilitate the complete exit and the deal was launched a few weeks back, the first person said. The deal may be in $175-225 million valuation range, the second person said, with both strategic and financial buyer to be approached. Both persons wanted their names not taken in this report. IPO Backup If the private sale does not materialize at a suitable valuation, Samara may also consider a public listing for the asset, the second person added. Jefferies declined to comment while Samara Capital and ESME Consumer did not respond to Mints requests for a comment on Thursday. Samara created ESME after buying majority stakes in two New Delhi-based personal care companies Blue Heaven Cosmetics and Natures Essence in 2019, with the aim of building a mass-market personal care business of scale with shared costs. Blue Heaven, the larger of the two brands, sells a range of coloured cosmetics such as mascara, lip colour, foundation sticks, compact powders; Natures Essence is smaller catering to salons. ESME sells through over 30,000 distribution channels and Samara takes the major functional and strategic decisions for the combined entity. In FY24, ESME reported a consolidated revenue of 324.6 crore from 375.4 crore a year earlier, according to India Ratings. ESME's Ebitda margins also fell to 4.36% from 10.84% in FY23. An India Ratings report from last year highlighted that the decline in revenue was due to the management's decision to pull back products supplied in the pandemic period, leading to a pile-up over after expiry. This also resulted in the Ebitda loss at the entities in FY24. Ebidta, short for earnings before interest, depreciation, tax, and amortisation, represents the cash profits left behind with the company. Ebitda adds restructuring costs to this figure. India Ratings in its report expected the topline of ESME, which mostly sells in tier I and II cities in north and east India, to recover in FY25. Its revenue for the first five months of FY25 stood at 166.5 crore, the latest period for which company financials are available. Growth market Indias beauty and personal care market has sharply grown in recent years, propelled by growing consumer awareness and wider availability of products. E-commerce and quick commerce avenues coupled with an omnichannel strategy have further fueled demand for such products. Last year, consultancy firm Redseer estimated that Indias beauty and personal care market that stood at $21 billion in 2024 is projected to reach $34 billion over the next three years,. The beauty and personal care category is seeing a lot of growth thanks to increasing demand from smaller Indian cities owing to rising disposable incomes, social media influence and e-commerce, Natasha Treasurywala, partner at law firm Desai & Diwanji. "Multinational companies are also always on the lookout for good strategic opportunities in India," she said. Sumeet Narang-led Samara, which is in the process of closing its third fund, has had healthy returns from its previous funds. Its second fund that exited most of its investments clocked a 3.5x gross multiple on invested capital, with a 25% internal rate of return, Mint reported earlier this year. Some of Samara's prominent exits from the second fund include the sale of Spoton Logistics to Delhivery; a stake sale in AIG Hospital to Quadria Capital; sale of Lotus Surgicals to Tube Investments and Premji Invest; and the sale of stake in Oaknet Healthcare to Eris Lifesciences. It also offloaded stakes in medical devices firm Sahajanand Medical Technologies Ltd, staffing firm First Meridian Business Services Pvt. Ltd and biryani restaurant Paradise Food Court through a $150 million continuation fund led by TR Capital in 2023. To date, Samara has deployed about 10,000 crore across all its funds. The India-focused private equity firm typically invests in mid-market companies poised for growth, focusing on consumer, retail, healthcare, pharma, financial services, business services, and technology sectors. Across its three funds, the firm has made over 25 acquisitions for its portfolio companies, including roll-ups. A roll-up involves acquiring and merging smaller companies in the same sector to create a larger consolidated entity. Bain Capital and Carlyle, too, have used this strategy to consolidate their acquisitions in auto components and pharmaceuticals. Over the years, Samara has seen its average ticket size increase from 300-700 crore, including co-investments in the second fund, to the 500 crore to 1,500 crore range in the third fund. Temasek-backed upGrad is looking to acquire Unacademy in what may be one of the biggest consolidation moves in Indias edtech sector. Moneycontrol was the first to report on the development, saying that the two companies expect to sign the deal in the next three weeks. The deal will value Unacademy at about $300-$400 million ( 2,500-3,300 crore), as per the report. The company was last valued at around $3.4 billion (around 28,000 crore) in its private funding in 2021. While this deal potentially gives upGrad an entry into test prep, the companys interest in Unacademy may have less to do with its students. Mint unpacks the potential deal between the two firms and what it means for the edtech sector. Why upGrad charted out of its own arena to tap Unacademy? Temasek-backed upGrad is eyeing Unacademys 1,000-1,200 crore cash pile to shore up its own capital base without raising a new priced funding round, at a time when investors remain sceptical about valuations in edtech. In todays world, cash is invaluable for edtech firms that are struggling to raise capital externally," said a person aware of the deal. While upGrad has turned operationally profitable, posting a gross revenue of 1,650 crore, the proposed share-swap deal offers it a liquidity boost with minimal equity dilution, according to a second person, directly aware of the matter. Michelle Solomon Le Page, partner at law firm Solomon & Co, said a typical share-swap deal structure means the company has no immediate cash obligation. In a pure share-swap deal, the acquiring company makes no cash payment. Instead, shareholders of the target company exchange their shares for shares in the acquiring company," she said. She added that since upGrad would issue new shares instead of using cash or taking on debt, it would retain liquidity on its balance sheet, though this could dilute the ownership of existing shareholders. Theyd only incur costs like legal, banking, and accounting fees, or minor payments for fractional shares," Le Page said. The acquisition also broadens upGrads positioning from a pure skilling platform to a full-spectrum education company spanning test prep to lifelong learning. upGrad gets a business with 500 crore topline and 100 crore burn, which they can run with the existing CEO who will stay on for atleast two to three years," a third person in the direct knowledge added. The move could also help upGrad secure a higher valuation in its eventual IPO. The company, which reportedly had plans to list around 2026, may benefit from being priced by bankers as a more diversified education player during its pre-IPO rounds and listing, potentially commanding stronger multiples than it would today. Also Read | upGrad wants to create entrepreneur-investors with new AI incubator programme How does it fuel Gaurav Munjals ambitions? For Gaurav Munjal and Roman Saini, the co-founders of Unacademy, this might be the much-awaited deal that could help them break Airlearn, as a separate entity. The earlier plan, where Munjal and Saini were to exit, was more complex and would have taken longer, as it left Unacademy and investors on the lurch. In September, Mint reported that Unacademys board had signed off on a plan for existing shareholders to own half of Airlearn, with no cash changing hands. Munjal and Saini were to jointly run Airlearn and raise external capital, effectively separating from Unacademy. However, investors preferred instead to pursue a full acquisition and find Unacademy a new home. For Unacademy shareholders, the share swap into Upgrad gives them an honorable exit. Though the road to eventual monetisation is still further down, there are chances of making returns," a fourth person with direct knowledge of the deal said. Amid edtechs heyday, Unacademy alone cornered $880 million from investors Masayoshi Son's Softbank, Temasek, Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital and Peak XV Partners. Unacademy had last raised funds in 2022 in a $440 million Series-H round at a valuation of $3.4 billion. However, as edtech experienced a downturn post-pandemic, with learners returning offline and larger players like Byjus collapsing, Unacademy went offline, a move that did not sit right with Munjal, a tech-first entrepreneur. Saini and Munjal have since been trying to hive off Airlearn, an AI-based language learning company that was incubated under Unacademy. Also Read | How AI is helping resurrect India's edtech sector What stands in the way? Despite progress, several hurdles remain before the deal can be finalised. Multiple discussions around Unacademys sale have fallen through in the past with many other edtech players, and people close to the talks caution that this one, too, is still in negotiation stages. The term sheet has already been exchanged, and the two sides are negotiating key aspects, such as the share-swap ratio based on a review of upGrads valuation, and the eventual shareholding and liquidity structure for Unacademys early- and late-stage investors. There is some back-and-forth negotiation, and the deal will go through if its signed within three weeks," said the third person cited earlier. Any delay could push the transaction timeline further and the party that stands to lose out in this deal Unacademys investors. The current valuation is actually lower than the total capital that has gone into the company. Close to $900 million has been invested, and now the company is being valued at around $300-400 million based on newspaper reports," said Nitin Bhatia, managing director of DC Advisory, who leads education and fintech practices for the firm. "So essentially, investors are getting maybe 30-40 cents to a dollar, while founders and management may get completely wiped out because of liquidation preferences and other such clauses, unless investors show flexibility," Bhatia said. Whatever investors recover, a substantial portion could come in the form of upGrad shares, not cash." Eventually, if the deal goes through, it could redraw the boundaries of Indian edtech, bringing Unacademys test prep muscle under upGrads upskilling umbrella, and reigniting competition with players like PhysicsWallah. After years of getting whipsawed by global politics, Illinois farmer Dean Buchholz thought he had seen it all. But even he was shocked when his soybean crop got caught up in a South American financial crisis. Just days after the Trump administration pledged a $20 billion loan to backstop the finances of Argentina under libertarian President Javier Milei, China bought billions of dollars worth of soybeans from Argentina. The massive agriculture deal ricocheted through international markets, pressuring U.S. soybean prices and providing a bump to Argentinas currency. In the middle of a Chinese trade war with Washington, Beijing and Buenos Aires had teamed up to show that the world could live without American soybeans. Some U.S. farmers saw this as a betrayal by Argentina. We paid all our taxpayer money to help out a foreign country," said Buchholz, and then they basically cut our throats." Last week, President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to lower trade tensions after meeting in South Korea. Trump said he would cut tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing curtailed exports of ingredients used to make the powerful opioid fentanyl. China pledged to buy 12 million metric tons of American soybeans during this harvest season and 25 million metric tons a year for the next three years, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. View Full Image President Trump and Chinas President Xi Jinping agreed to lower trade tensions in a meeting last week in South Korea. Our great soybean farmers who the Chinese used as political pawnsthats off the table. They should prosper in the years to come," Bessent said. But many American farmers are still feeling like pawns. Chinas gambit underscored the dangers of relying on a national superpower that can damage fortunes by turning off the trade spigot. Terms of the deal havent been made public. Based on what has been released, China agreed to buy fewer U.S. soybeans this year than it did last year. Over the past 10 years, the country has imported an average of 29 million metric tons of beans annually from the U.S. I think everybody uses us as pawns," said David Isermann, who farms about 1,000 acres in LaSalle County, Ill. Like many farmers, he is waiting to see whether China actually follows through on its soybean pledge. A large swath of farm country supports President Trump, Isermann said, but hes irritated the soybean farmers." View Full Image ... Prices that farmers are being paid for their soybeans are up since the U.S.-China trade deal announcement. But at Walsh Grain Terminal in northeast North Dakota, the recent per-bushel price under $10 still makes the oilseed a money-loser for most growers. Marvin Yoder, who farms more than 2,000 acres of corn and soybeans in Jacksonville, Ill., said he drove about 80 miles south to the St. Louis area. The Mississippi River port will buy his beans for about 40 to 45 cents more than the local grain elevator near him. Yoder said the Trump administrations trade deal may help farmers finances in the short term, but it wont solve the bigger issue: Brazil. The U.S. farmer once dominated global agriculture exports, but the rest of the world has caught up, he said. Brazil keeps expanding every year, theyve got cheap land and labor," he said. Theyve got some sharp farmers down there too." Bad timing The market uncertainty comes at a bad time for American soybean farmers. This years crop was projected to be one of the biggest ever, leaving growers with more beans than places to send them. Their costs are rising, and prices are low. Some farmers who have already sold bushels from this years crop are facing financial losses. President Trump has pledged a multibillion-dollar bailout to keep farms afloat. View Full Image A combine harvests soybeans at a farm in Harvard, Ill., last month. Mike Dahman, who farms about 8,000 acres in Winchester, Ill., said soybeans have been a losing financial proposition this year. Between costs for renting the land and his operating expenses, he estimates that hell lose roughly $100 per acre harvested. Dahman has been storing most of his crop this year instead of trying to sell it. He drove a truckload of his freshly harvested beans last month to a Cargill-owned storage elevator in Florence, Ill., but was turned away while the facility unloaded its crop onto a barge. He sold it to a neighboring elevator instead for a slightly lower price. If youre raising beans, youre probably going to lose money," Dahman said. The China story China, by far the worlds biggest importer of soybeans, helped turn the oilseed into Americas second most planted crop. The U.S. Soybean Export Council, a trade group, opened a Beijing office in 1982 to spread the word about protein-packed U.S. soybeans used to fatten livestock. During the 1990s, Chinas expanding middle class acquired a preference for pork and poultry, making large quantities of soybeans essential. In response, American farmers shifted millions of acres away from crops such as wheat, especially in the Great Plains. Roughly half of all American soybeans are exported each year. The rest are processed into oil for cooking and biofuels, such as diesel, and meal for livestock feed. Technological advancements from the worlds largest seed and pesticide companies are expected to help farmers raise more soybeans per acre in the years ahead. An entire logistics chain sprouted around soybeans and to support shipments to Chinaplants that crush and process beans into oil, rail lines and upgrades to West Coast ports. For decades the oilseed has supported the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and rural American economies who had relied on sales to China. A pivotal change came during Trumps first term, when he imposed tariffs on China that touched off a broad trade war. This led to a drastic decline in Chinese imports of U.S. soybeans, severely impacting American farmers. To offset these losses, the government provided around $23 billion in compensation to soybean growers in 2018 and 2019. Exports later rebounded, but China has since spent tens of billions of dollars building up the agriculture supply chain and infrastructure of South America, specifically Brazil, according to industry officials. Cofco, a Chinese state-owned agricultural giant, is developing a massive port terminal on Brazils coast for soy and corn exports. Brazil overtook the U.S. as the worlds top soybean exporter over a decade ago, helped by an influx of investment and lots of arable land. Last year, the country accounted for 70% of Chinas soy imports, double the share from 15 years ago. Brazils been criticized by leaders and NGO groups for tearing down the Amazon rainforest for agriculture production. At a conference earlier this year, Deputy U.S. Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden said Brazils deforestation was an unfair trade practice that gives it an edge over U.S. farmers. View Full Image A soybean processing and crushing facility in Rosario, Argentina. Trump ratcheted up trade tensions with China after returning to the presidency. Administration officials believed that China needed U.S. beans and tough talk emerged as a tit-for-tat battle on trade barriers ensued between the countries. China didnt stand idle. Argentina in September dropped its 26% export tax on agriculture exports until sales reached $7 billion. Days later, it sold most of that amount to China, including dozens of cargoes of soybeans. Argentine officials saw the export-tax holiday as a way to bolster the countrys sagging peso, according to a social-media post by the then-presidential spokesman. But coming as it did in the middle of a $20 billion financial rescue engineered by the Treasury Department, many in the U.S. farming community felt stabbed in the back. Treasury Secretary Bessent was sitting in the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September when he read a text message from a displeased colleague. Soy prices are dropping further because of it," wrote Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, adding, This gives China more leverage on us." American agricultural trading outfits such as Cargillthe countrys largest private company by salesand Archer Daniels Midland were the ones carrying the Argentine beans overseas to China. Its part of the way that traders make money from activities outside the U.S., even as American soybean farmers are getting crushed by a narrowing export funnel. Countries like Brazil are slated to help expand production of agricultural commodities to feed a growing global population, said Brian Sikes, Chief Executive of Cargill, which buys, sells and processes crops around the world. We see South America as an investment, for sure," Sikes said, adding that the companys most significant investments during the past three years are the U.S. and Brazil. In Brazil, Minnesota-based Cargill has invested roughly $1.5 billion over the past five years, including in soybean crushing and processing facilities. Uncertain future Trade groups representing U.S. farmers cheered Trumps trade deal with China. Expanding markets and restoring purchases by China will provide some certainty for farmers who are struggling just to hold on," said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall. Still, farmers and industry analysts caution that tensions between China and the U.S. could deteriorate, putting soybean growers back in a bind. View Full Image ... Theres a cautious sense of optimism," said Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at market research firm StoneX. But also a knowing reality that the two countries are far from settling all of their differences, leaving us vulnerable to re-escalation at any point that could unravel these agreements." Archer Daniels Midland Chief Executive Juan Luciano said this week that the timing of any benefits from President Trumps recent trade deal with China remains uncertain. We really need this clarity on the trade deal," Luciano said. On the surface, it is possible, it is positive for ADM and for grain in general [but] we havent seen yet a joint document highlighting the details." U.S. soybean farmers are making some progress finding other markets. Between September and early October, soybean export volumes, excluding China, were up about 45% from the same time last year, said Jim Sutter, who runs the U.S. Soybean Export Council. Animal feed processors and food companies in Thailand, which consistently buys from Brazil, have picked up their U.S. soy purchases. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and European countries are also increasing their purchases. North African countries like Egypt and Morocco present growth opportunities, Sutter said. Still, it doesnt completely offset China. The countrys large purchases of beans each week during the U.S. harvest season provide certainty for farmers. Purchases from other nations are more variable, which increases storage costs for farmers and creates a more unpredictable market. View Full Image Greg Amundson on his farm in North Dakota. Greg Amundson, who farms on about 3,000 acres in northeastern North Dakota, said in a normal year all of his soybeans would go to China. This year, hes trucking them to a soybean crushing plantwhere the beans are ground into oil and meal for livestock feedbut has been frustrated by the prices being lower than hed prefer. Those cents per bushel can make all the difference between turning a profit and losing money this year. Signs of trouble emerged in the farm economy before Trump took office. A glut of corn and soybeans after several years of bumper crops has depressed prices. Amundsons fertilizer costs are about $100 a bag higher than last year. Seed costs are also up about 10% to 20%. Amundson said the trade deal with China should add some stability to the market. Despite that, theres still an oversupply of soybeans globally, where prices are still not high enough to make up for rising farmer costs. Short term this doesnt do a lot," he said. There are just too damn many beans in the world, thats why prices are so low." Bihar election 2025 Highlights: After record voter turnout in the first phase of polling in 121 out of the 243 assembly constituencies of Bihar, on 6 November, it's time for the second phase scheduled early next week. The first phase on Thursday saw a record 64.69 per cent voter turnout. This turnout is the highest in any state or national election in Bihar's history, according to the Election Commission of India. The second phase of voting for 122 remaining seats will be held on 11 November. The results will be declared on 14 November. The main fight in the political battleground of Bihar is between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the oppositions Mahagathbandhan alliance. The ruling NDA comprises of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (United), among other parties. The Mahagathbandhan, or the Grand Alliance, comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress as its main parties. Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party and Asaduddin Owais's AIMIM are also in the fray. The MIM won five seats in 2020 in Seemachal, the region voting in the second phase. The ruling NDA is seeking re-election, banking on the 20-year rule of Nitish Kumar in the state and the 11-year rule of the PM Modi government at the Centre. The opposition Mahagathbandhan is seeking votes on anti-incumbency, misgovernance and job promises. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address rallies in Aurangabad and Bhabhua today. Among Mahagathbandhan leaders, Tejashwi Yadav and Rahul Gandhi will also campaign in Bihar today. Track live updates of the Bihar Elections 2025 here: Bihar Elections 2025: Bihar recorded what the Election Commission called a record voter turnout in its history during the first phase of the assembly elections held on Thursday, 6 November. At least 65 per cent of the 3.75 crore electors voted across 121 assembly constituencies during the polling on Thursday. The first phase of polling marked the beginning of a closely watched, high-stakes contest that is seen as a litmus test of the ruling National Democratic Alliance's popularity under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Also Read | Bihar election 2025 Live: PM Modi to address two rallies today The poll panel said in a statement that the assembly elections concluded peacefully "in a festive mood with the highest ever voter turnout of 64.66 per cent in the history of Bihar". The second phase for 122 seats will be held on 11 November. The results of the Bihar elections will be announced on 14 November. View full Image At least 65 per cent of the 3.75 crore electors voted across 121 assembly constituencies on Thursday, marking the beginning of a closely watched, high-stakes contest that is seen as a litmus test of the ruling National Democratic Alliance's popularity under Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The main contest in Bihar is between the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the oppositions Mahagathbandhan alliance. The ruling NDA comprises of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (United), among other parties. The Mahagathbandhan, or the Grand Alliance, comprises the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress as its main parties. What did political parties say? Political parties were quick to react to the high voter turnout. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), the Congress and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj claimed it as a sign of their impending victory. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, the INDIA bloc's chief ministerial candidate, said, I salute the people of Bihar for the bumper voting. I can now confidently say you have affirmed the victory of 'Mahagathbandhan'. Senior BJP leader and Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary told during a press conference, We are going to win about 100 of the seats which went to polls today. The overall tally for the NDA will surpass the 2010 record of 206 seats. Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor claimed the highest voter turnout was a sign of the people's yearning for a change. This is highest ever voter turn out in Bihar since independence. It indicates two things one is like we said before. More than 60 per cent of Bihar wants change, Kishor told journalists in Gaya. The other factor was that migrant labourers who had come for Chhath Puja stayed back and voted. They also made their friends and families vote. Women are key, but migrants are the X factor in this election. Its a message for those who said 10000 for women can win their elections, Kishor said. Congress party's Pawan Khera said the high voter turnout suggests that "we are going to get a clear majority". The ruling NDA is seeking re-election, banking on the 20-year rule of Nitish Kumar in the state and the 11-year rule of the PM Modi government at the Centre. The opposition Mahagathbandhan is seeking votes on anti-incumbency, misgovernance and job promises. What does the high voter turnout mean? Typically, a high voter turnout is seen as a sign of public eagerness for change in Bihars case, that could mean the end of Nitish Kumars two-decade rule. But political analysts caution against reading too much into it. The record turnout, they say, must be understood in the context of gender-based voting trends. If women have voted more than men, it will be an advantage NDA, Amitabh Tiwari, political analyst, told Mint. Tiwari refers to previous elections in which the NDA had performed better in seats where women outvoted men. In 2020, for example, there were 43 seats in Bihar where women outvoted men. The JD(U) won 37 of these 43 seats. In 2015, NDA won 61 of 71 seats where women outnumbered men. Similarly, in 2010, of the 115 seats where women voters outvoted men, the NDA bagged 79 seats roughly, Tiwari explained. And if men have voted more than women, it would mean an advantage to the Mahagathbandhan, according to Tiwari. The NDA could have won only 26 seats of 76 where men outvoted women in 2020, he says. Did SIR impact voter turnout? The polls for the 243-member assembly are being closely watched not only for their local implications but also as an early indicator of the political mood ahead of 2029, and follow the highly controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls by the EC, which came under attack from opposition parties for alleged "rigging" and "manipulation" of voter lists. The record voter turnout assumes significance since the number of voters in Bihar saw a significant decline following the SIR exercise conducted by the poll panel in the run-up to the assembly polls. On 30 September, the Election Commission of India published the final electoral roll of poll-bound Bihar. The state has about 7.42 crore voters as per the final list. There were 7.24 crore electors in the draft rolls published in August. This was after deleting 65 lakh voters from the voter list, which comprised 7.89 crore electors as on 24 June 2025. In addition to the 65 lakh names removed at the time of publishing the draft roll in August, another 3.66 lakh ineligible voters have been removed, while 21.53 lakh new voters have been added, taking the final voters in Bihar to 7.4 crore. This means about 47 lakh voters were deleted from the 24 June list. The voter turnout on Thursday clearly means SIR has not led to a decline in the number of voters showing up at the polling booths. I salute the people of Bihar for the bumper voting. I can now confidently say you have affirmed the victory of 'Mahagathbandhan'. The highest voter turnout indicates two things one is like we said before. More than 60 per cent of Bihar wants change. In 2020 polls, held under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, a voter turnout of 57.29 per cent was recorded in Bihar. In 2015, it was 56.91 per cent, and 52.73 in 2010. (With PTI inputs) RUGR has officially announced its acquisition of Saraswat Infotech Private Limited (SIPL), which is one of the leading banking technology providers in India. This acquisition brings together SIPL's trusted legacy in the BFSI industry with the AI-powered and cloud-based ecosystem of RUGR. This acquisition will allow banks to enhance their operations using scalable and compliant technologies. This article covers the strategic importance of the acquisition, the integrated banking solutions, and the impact that the association will have on Bharat's financial future. SIPL (Saraswat Infotech Private Limited) at GFF 2025 At the Global Fintech Fest 2025, RUGR Udaan - a connected banking solution designed for merchant payouts and payroll processing - was launched by Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan. The event also marked the first major joint appearance of RUGR and Saraswat Infotech Private Limited (SIPL) following the recent acquisition. Leaders from SIPL were present at the launch, witnessing the industry reception of RUGR Udaan. RUGR Udaan reflects the strong synergy and shared vision of the RUGR SIPL partnership in shaping the future of fintech innovation for Bharat. RUGR-SIPL Product Suit The strategic collaboration with SIPL (Saraswat Infotech Private Limited) significantly expanded the already broad product suite of RUGR in terms of integrating strong banking and financial solutions. Core Banking Solutions The core banking infrastructure is the backbone of every financial institution. The amalgamation of SIPL's banking foundation with RUGR's AI-influenced platforms will assist banks in the migration from old to new ecosystems without interrupting ongoing operations Particulars APPLICATION NAME PRODUCT DESCRIPTION Core Banking CBS 6.3 A centralized banking platform that automates and streamlines all branch operations. Treasury Manages and monitors non-SLR investments efficiently for optimal treasury performance. Cheque Clearing and Payment Infrastructure RUGR and SIPL are empowering institutions to process bulk transactions fast and accurately. Cheque Clearing Solutions NACH Facilitates bulk electronic payments and automated recurring mandates like EMIs and SIPs. Positive Pay System Verifies cheques electronically against physical copies to prevent fraud, ensuring secure clearing. Digital Lending and Collection Systems The RUGR has partnered with SIPL (Saraswat Infotech Private Limited) to offer predictive analytics and automated real-time tracking that simplify the lending and collection processes. Lending and Collection Solutions LOS An end-to-end loan management system for the complete automation and streamlining of the loan lifecycle. LCS It efficiently tracks and manages loan disbursement, repayment, collection, and overdue accounts. Digital Channels and Payment Gateways The RUGR SIPL partnership will create an integrated digital ecosystem that enables customers to interact with their banks 24'7 through mobile apps, web portals, or APIs. Payment Solutions / Digital Channels / Card Solutions Payment Gateway A unified platform that allows businesses to accept payments via credit cards, UPI, and digital wallets. Mobile Banking Smartphone app for fund transfers, bill payments, and account management for customers. Enterprise and Compliance Solutions The RUGR SIPL suite allows financial institutions to keep their operations transparent and, thus, ensures more intelligent automation over this process. Enterprise Solutions AML Detects suspicious transactions and centralizes KYC records for regulatory compliance. E-KYC (Digital account opening) Paperless onboarding system for opening digital accounts with e-KYC and electronic documents. Integrated Digital Banking Suite Core Banking and Treasury Applications Digital Payments (UPI, AePS, IMPS, RTGS, NEFT, Micro ATM, and E-Com) Loan Origination & Collection Systems Digital Onboarding & e-KYC Internet & Mobile Banking Platforms Cloud + API-based Open Banking Regulatory Reporting, Analytics & MIS This integrated suite allows banks, NBFCs, and Co-Operative Credit societies to deliver secure, scalable, and intelligent banking services. Payments and Settlement Infrastructure Banks, NBFCs, and businesses can use RUGR SIPLs unified payment solution to offer inclusive digital payment experiences. Consumer and Institutional Benefits For Consumers, there will be 24/7 access to banking services via Mobile banking, Internet banking, API banking, and Web, Instant Onboarding using Digital KYC, an AI-Powered FRM, and all real-time payments through UPI, IMPS, AePS, NEFT, RTGS, E-Com, Micro ATM, and ATM. For banks, the use of AI insights for better decision-making, scalable infrastructure for growth compliance, speedier product launch, and online innovation will be the key benefits. Advancing the Fintech Frontier The strategic roadmap of RUGR SIPL puts much emphasis on Innovation, Scalability & Inclusion. Transforming Indias Regional Banking Landscape Enable banks to embrace next-generation digital solutions seamlessly, without the need for extensive infrastructure upgrades. AI-Enhanced Data Analytics And Lending Capabilities Leveraging loan origination and data-driven risk assessment tools to enable efficient, accurate, and scalable lending processes. Global Partnership initiatives Strategic partnerships with Infosys, TCS, and leading international fintech players are being leveraged to scale operations and build a robust, compliant financial infrastructure. Digital-First Banking Platforms Cloud-native, API-enabled platforms powered by AI, delivering agile, secure, and intelligent banking solutions. Building Bharats Fintech Momentum This acquisition positions India as a powerful global fintech innovator, blending AI and cloud capabilities to bring modernity to legacy banking systems. Through this collaboration, banks can ensure seamless operational continuity, while semi-urban consumers gain greater access to financial services - advancing true financial inclusion. Founders Perspective K.V. Arangasamy, the Founder of RUGR, pointed out that, "Digital banking does not replace legacy systems; it evolves them. The legacy of SIPL provides the foundation, and RUGR gives the wings. Together, we want to help all banks & financial institutions transform with confidence and sustainability. Creating greater institutional reach toward building a smarter and scalable financial ecosystem empowers the entire BFSI sector across Bharat. Strategic Outlook The strategic collaboration between RUGR and SIPL (Saraswat Infotech Private Limited) at GFF 2025 marked a pivotal moment in Indias digital banking innovation. The event showcased the immense potential of this collaboration, attracting investors, top industry leaders, and innovators. The RUGR-SIPL collaboration not only empowers the financial institutions across India but also sets a new benchmark for scalability and trust in Indias fintech industry. Note to the Reader: This article is part of Mint's promotional consumer connect initiative and is independently created by the brand. Mint assumes no editorial responsibility for the content. IKEA is entering a new era of smart living, and this time, it is starting from the simplest everyday essentials that anyone can install. The Swedish retailer announced a fresh lineup of 21 smart devices that all use Matter-over-Thread, a universal connectivity standard that lets gadgets from Apple, Google, Amazon, and many others talk to each other without complicated setup or dedicated hubs. Until now, IKEAs tech products have mostly blended into furniture, such as air purifiers hidden in side tables or bookshelf speakers. This new launch marks the retailers first fully Matter-certified range, signalling a larger, more confident leap into smart home territory. Our goal is to help everyone feel ready and confident to get started, said David Granath, Range Manager at IKEA of Sweden. Smart home technology has not been easy enough or affordable enough for many people. That is the shift we want to bring. Smarter lighting for more rooms IKEAs new Kajplats lighting range is designed to slide into existing fixtures while unlocking full colour customisation, scene settings, and energy-efficient dimming. The bulbs support the Matter standard, so they work with Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, and other platforms without forcing buyers into a specific ecosystem. The collection includes: E27 and E26 bulbs for everyday lamps and ceiling fittings Compact E14 options that fit bedside and decorative fixtures GU10 spotlights designed for focused beams in kitchens and hallways Clear-glass globe styles for statement fixtures where the bulb itself is part of the decor Users can set warm whites for relaxation or shift to vibrant colour scenes for parties. Brightness levels have been boosted to help bulbs double as task lighting instead of just ambiance. These are straight replacements for older bulbs but better in every way and priced lower, said David Granath, global range manager for home electronics at IKEA. Sensors that make homes safer and healthier The five new sensors focus on real-world household needs, like preventing water damage, improving sleep quality, and cutting down on wasted energy. Each sensor can trigger actions automatically through smart routines. Heres what each one does: Myggspray detects movement indoors or outdoors and turns on lights instantly in places such as entrances, garages, and staircases Myggbett tracks door or window status and sends alerts to a paired device, making it useful for safety and small spaces like walk-in closets that need light only when opened Klippbok listens for leaks silently forming under sinks, washing machines, or refrigerators and sends a warning before the damage spreads Timmerflotte keeps an eye on both temperature and humidity to help users avoid mold and maintain comfort Alpstuga goes further by monitoring CO and PM2.5 levels to indicate whether air quality is safe or stale, and can link with IKEAs air purifiers for automated air-cleaning responses Granath shared how even his household quickly became invested. Keep an eye on CO2 levels. If it is under a thousand, you will sleep better, he said, noting his family now opens windows more often. Remotes that put phones down Instead of expecting every user to rely on apps or voice assistants, IKEA is reintroducing the power of a physical remote that anyone in the home can understand instantly. There are two Bilresa models: A dual-button remote for quick on-off commands, brightness adjustments, and scene switching A scroll-wheel remote that controls three device groups at once, such as lights, blinds, or speakers, with LED indicators showing what the wheel is adjusting Both versions can replace multiple remotes and eliminate the frustration of unlocking a phone to change a light. IKEA will also offer colourful three-packs, making it easy to place remotes in kids rooms or shared spaces. It is not a home for smart people. It should be a smart home for everyone, Granath explained. Rollout and pricing The devices will appear in parts of Europe as early as this November and expand globally in 2026. Prices will be significantly lower than previous IKEA smart devices. Granath said the cost difference between smart and non-smart versions should be a euro or two to encourage mainstream adoption. The SCALE of the renewables revolution in China is almost too vast for the human mind to grasp. By the end of last year, the country had installed 887 gigawatts of solar-power capacityclose to double Europes and Americas combined total. The 22m tonnes of steel used to build new wind turbines and solar panels in 2024 would have been enough to build a Golden Gate Bridge on every working day of every week that year. China generated 1,826 terawatt-hours of wind and solar electricity in 2024, five times more than the energy contained in all 600 of its nuclear weapons. In the context of the cold war, the distinctive measure of a superpower" was the combination of a continental span and a world-threatening nuclear arsenal. The coming-together of Chinas enormous manufacturing capacity and its ravenous appetite for copious, cheap, domestically produced electricity deserves to be seen in a similar world-changing light. They have made China a new type of superpower: one which deploys clean electricity on a planetary scale. As a consequence, China is reshaping the worlds energy outlook, its geopolitics and its capacity to limit the catastrophic effects of climate change. The main reason countries have yet to decarbonise their economies is because they lack the means to do so. And that is what China is fixing. It is providing ever greater amounts of clean-energy capacity to the world at prices which are cheaper than any alternative, including coal and natural gas. China can produce almost a terawatt of renewable-energy capacity in a year. That is enough to supply as much energy as more than 300 big nuclear-power plants. And the dynamic that created all this generating capacity is far from exhausted. Chinas huge demandit generates a third of the worlds electricityis being met by ever more efficient production which makes the end product cheaper and cheaper. This, in turn, allows it to meet even more demand, and so on. The subsidies that started to turn this virtuous circle are increasingly beside the point; indeed, many are being withdrawn. Thanks to this capacityand a tendency to set itself easy targetsChina has exceeded, or is on course to exceed, most of the pledges it has made under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change since signing the Paris agreement ten years ago. The politicians, negotiators, lobby groups and hangers-on gathering in Brazil for the 30th UNFCCCs COP summit will do so in a context shaped by Chinas latest pledges to more than double the countrys renewable-energy capacity and make a modest but quantified cut in emissions by 2035. (Both targets may well be exceeded.) As important, China is exporting its revolution to the rest of the world. Americas current government rejects renewable technologies. In Europe industry is hollowing out and voters are rebelling against expensive green policies. But it is in developing countries that the fight against climate change will be won or lost, and it is there that Chinese renewables will make the most difference. China is now making more money from exporting green technology than America makes from exporting fossil fuels. This trend will continue simply because renewables are cheap; if you doubt the appeal, count the solar panels on Pakistani roofs. The work China does on cutting emissions at homeever cheaper renewables, more abundant storage which makes those renewables more useful, better electricity markets, long transmission lines and all sorts of associated expertisewill thus be increasingly relevant, and sellable, beyond its borders. This anti-emissions machine is powered by self-interest. More clean tech elsewhere lowers Chinas own climate risks by reducing global emissions. At the same time it brings economic benefits. For many years countries economic and climate interests have often been thought to diverge, encouraging a free-rider problem in which they seek the benefits of slowing climate change while dodging its costs. Today the economic and climate incentives of the worlds biggest manufacturer and many of its export markets are increasingly aligned. The idea of a low-carbon future built on Chinas industrial capacity brings worries. For one thing, China still seems unwilling to give up coal as quickly as it might. If it committed itself more wholeheartedly to reshaping its grid infrastructure and its energy markets, and put a price on carbon emissions, it could move from renewables as an adjunct to the countrys coal-based system to renewables as the means of its demise. For the rest of the world, the concern is security. Single-party China, under the unfettered leadership of Xi Jinping, is repressive at home and ruthlessly self-serving abroad. The way in which it exploits its advantages, such as the ones it has built up in the supply of rare earths and other critical minerals, makes the prospect of relying on it for anything valuable a frightening one. China can allay these worries by moving larger chunks of its manufacturing base and associated technology to companies it invests in elsewhere. Ensnaring poor countries in debt, as its Belt and Road Initiative has done in some places, only hurts its own commercial prospects. But the anxieties of the fossil-fuel agethat someone, somewhere, will turn off the tapsdo not apply to technologies which, once installed, produce power regardless of what their makers may have to say. Solar cells cannot be suborned in the way that silicon chips might be. Let the sunshine in And the benefits could be enormous. Although the possibility of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions so dramatically as to limit the increase in global temperatures to just 1.5Cendorsed in Parisnow lies firmly in the past, solar and wind offer the best hope of limiting further rises. And even if climate change is not your priority, you should be excited at the prospect of cheap, abundant clean energy and its promise to improve billions of lives in developing countries. The world needs what China has to offer. It should take it. Mumbai: After the insurance industry lost input tax credit benefits from the recent goods and services tax (GST) exemption, the sector's intermediaries are drumming up support for a zero-rate tax structure that could ease insurers' costs, stem their own commission cuts as also any looming premium hikes. Yet, the industry is divided on the prospects as the proposal may struggle to take off, given the sweeping policy changes it would entail. According to four people with knowledge of the matter, the Insurance Brokers Association of India (IBAI) is preparing to approach the GST Council and the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) after preliminary discussions with the finance secretary and other officials received a favourable response. Also Read | Govt plans making organ transplant insurance affordable, fix limited donor cover In simple terms, a zero-rate means no GST is charged on the output, but credit can still be claimed for the tax paid on the inputsremoving the extra layer of tax that is currently building up through the value chain. This treatment would allow insurers and intermediaries to claim input tax credit on expenses including broker commissions. At present, insurers bear most of this burden themselves, with part of it being passed on to brokers in the form of lower commissions. The brokers' push reflects mounting concern within the industry following the recent GST rationalization, which exempted retail term and health insurance to make products more affordable, but simultaneously blocked input tax offsets. This has prompted insurers to trim agent commissions and could eventually lead to higher base premiums, partly reversing the relief intended for customers. Industry representatives say a zero-rated regime would align incentives across insurers and intermediaries, while preserving affordability for policyholders. The IBAI is in the process of garnering support from insurance companies through the General Insurance Council and Life Insurance Council. However, support may not be as easy to come by, as some insurers remain wary of countering the government while others are sceptical about the impact. That's the conversation weve been having, that the industry as a whole should do it," Narendra Kumar Bharindwal, president of Insurance Brokers Association of India said. The idea is to show an industry-wide cohesiveness on the issue and to reflect that this move will not just benefit intermediaries but insurance companies as well. Policy shift needed Karan Sarawagi, an advocate at Bombay high court said while the industrys request for a zero-rate GST structure with input tax credit is conceptually sound and could ease the cascading tax burden", it represents a significant departure from the existing framework where this treatment is currently confined to exports and deemed exports. Extending such treatment to domestic sectors would require a major policy shift and could impact the delicate balance of revenue sharing between the Centre and states", especially when many states are already under fiscal pressure on elimination of compensation cess, he said. As part of the government's GST rationalization move in September, retail term and health insurance policies were exempted from the tax regime in response to a long-standing demand from the industry to make insurance more affordable in order to drive penetration. Most industry participants had anticipated that the tax rate on insurance premiums would be brought down to 5% from 18%, which is why the exemption caught them off-guard due to the resultant loss of input tax benefit. Consensus support eludes Initial assessment after the GST rate cut had suggested that the subsequent increase in expenses might result in insurers increasing base premiums to pass on some of the cost to customers. However, the government-led push to pass on the entire GST benefit to retail customers, made insurers pass on some of the cost to their brokers through lower commissions. Also Read | Think bigger health cover means better protection? Think again The government could have made it zero-rated, instead of exempt. Then whatever costs are incurred by insurance companies on services used for procuring a certain premium or business, even other than commission, they would have got input tax credit on those," Bharindwal said. In addition to commission, insurers used to claim input tax credit on categories including office rent and brokerage, to reduce the overall tax liability by partly offsetting the tax paid to suppliers against premiums received from customers. They want the support of everyone, and that will be given by insurers. But I don't know how much they (government) will agree," a senior industry official told Mint. The problem is that the GST Council is very clear on where the GST will be charged. They have only exempted retail policies; so group health and wholesale policies are still under the GST regime." A more feasible solution would be to seek exemption for all health policies, including group insurance, as several retired government or public sector employees are still covered under such schemes, but have not got the benefit of the GST rate cut, he added. Others are less optimistic about a favourable outcome, based on past experience. Insurance companies representatives had approached the government and senior finance ministry officials, ahead of the implementation of the GST rationalization, but to no avail. I think the bus has left now, its been a month past the GST cut," the second person cited above said, adding that as per the body language" of the CBIC chairman and conversations so far, the government doesnt seem very receptive, and a change is unlikely at this point. They (government) have taken a decision based on some inputs. And no other industry has come back and asked for relief; so it would be very naive to ask them to allow them ITC benefit," he said. If they did not listen to insurance companies, will they listen to brokers?" There is also concern that any relief measure for insurers might set a precedent for other sectors facing GST-related challenges, given that the insurance sector is not alone in its grievance. The loss of input tax credit following GST rationalization has impacted multiple sectors, including FMCG, automotive, hospitality and tourism. Despite these pressures, there has been no major legal action, with most industries opting for policy dialogue and representation over litigation," said advocate Sarawagi. The insurance sectors proposal for a zero-rated GST with ITC benefit follows this constructive approach, though extending such a relief could trigger similar demands from other sectors and further strain state revenues and compensation mechanisms," he said. Commissions under pressure The main issue for the insurance broking community stems from the commission cuts. One of the experts cited above said the community is effectively trying to get a GST exemption on commissions paid to agents through this move. Also Read | No GST on life and health insurance: Insurers brace for cost shock Mint, had on 30 September, reported that insurers are likely to reduce intermediaries commissions to manage higher costs. Experts had then suggested that commissions paid to agents for retail health products are hereon expected to be inclusive of GST, resulting in a reduced payout to that extent. The biggest hit is being felt by standalone health insurance companies, wherein 70-80% of the business comprises retail health policies, which are exempt from GST. Owing to this, non-life insurers seem more eager to support the broking industrys proposal, as compared with life insurers. Add to it the fact that 70% of the life insurance market share is held by public sector or public sector backed promoters means they would be less keen to go against the GST Councils decision, two people cited above said. However, the life insurance sector is feeling the heat as well, with most players having taken a hit on profitability due to higher expenses in the September quarter. After announcing its quarterly results, HDFC Life chief financial officer Niraj Shah had told Mint that while the insurer will pass on the entire GST benefit to customers, it is looking to reduce distributor commissions due to the hit from loss of input tax credit. We are already in touch with all our distributors in terms of realigning some of the distribution commission. Those conversations are in progress, and I think we will execute all of them in the second half of the year," Shah had said. A lingering concern, however, is that these commission cuts might not be sufficient for insurers to absorb the GST impact. This could mean that eventually insurers could still go ahead with an increase in base premiums, reducing the GST benefit for customers. Some of the larger insurers backed by big banks and promoters might be able to manage, but managing individual agents and brokers will be very difficult without appropriate commission payouts," the fourth person cited above said, adding that this will also go against the objective of increasing insurance penetration. IBAIs Bharindwal, though, is sure the industry body does not want to engage with the government on this rhetoric, and will instead seek relief for the sector. We believe that having meaningful conversations with insurers will definitely lead to a meaningful outcome," he said, adding that commission payouts should be market-driven and not managed. A zero-tax structure will benefit not just brokers, but insurance companies as well, he added. NEW DELHI : Companies will now need to rethink sharing confidential information with their legal teams, after the Supreme Court ruled that counsels on a companys payroll cannot claim client-attorney privilege when investigative agencies come calling. The top court's 31 October clarification in the Indian Evidence Act will fundamentally reshape how corporates handle internal legal communications, lawyers told Mint. According to them, the judgment narrows the scope of legal privilege for in-house counsels, leaving them vulnerable to questioning by probing agencies, a protection that practising advocates continue to enjoy. This judgment may prompt a major rethinking in companies sharing sensitive information, which they want to be treated as privileged communication," said Somdutta Bhattacharyya, partner at law firm Argus Partners. We may see less documentary information being shared with in-house legal teams and such information being shared verbally instead, or directly with external counsels," Bhattacharyya said. A bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice N.V. Anjaria delivered the ruling while deciding suo motu whether lawyers can be summoned by investigating agencies in criminal matters. It was after the Enforcement Directorate, in June, summoned senior advocates, including Arvind Datar, while probing the issuance of Employee Stock Option Plans (Esop) by Care Health Insurance to former Religare Enterprises chairperson Rashmi Saluja. Limited confidentiality While the court reaffirmed that practising advocates are protected under client-attorney privilege, it ruled that in-house counsel employed full-time by companies cannot claim such protection under Section 132 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA). The court said that since in-house lawyers receive regular salaries and are economically dependent on their employers, they lack the professional independence required to qualify as advocates" under the Advocates Act. Their financial and structural ties with their employers distinguish them from external lawyers, who operate independently and therefore qualify for full privilege. However, the top judicial body clarified that while in-house counsels are excluded from Section 132, they are entitled to limited confidentiality protection under Section 134 of the BSA. Also Read | MNCs can claim tax benefits even without active contracts, SC rules Section 132 grants full legal privilege to practising advocates, protecting client communications from disclosure, while Section 134 provides limited confidentiality to legal advisers, such as in-house counsels, without full privilege protection. In effect, communications between a company and its in-house counsel are not privileged, but communications made by an in-house counsel to an external lawyer on behalf of the company remain protected. In effect, communication with in-house counsel is not privileged, but any communication that the in-house counsel makes to an external lawyer on the companys behalf remains protected. Every email or memo to a general counsel may now be treated as potential evidence, said Rishabh Gandhi, founder of Pune-based law firm Rishabh Gandhi and Advocates. Merely marking a document privileged and confidential will not suffice," he said. Companies may now face higher legal costs as they will have to rely more on external lawyers for sensitive matters, such as litigation, investigations, regulatory issues, and cases involving potential criminal liability, according to law firms. The shift may bring some overall cost-related implications, particularly for mid-sized companies that previously leaned on in-house teams for cost efficiency," said Gauhar Mirza, partner at Saraf and Partners. Indranil D. Deshmukh, partner (head of disputes) at law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, said companies now need to review the structure of their in-house legal teams and consider redesignating senior in-house counsel as retainers or legal consultants rather than full-time employees, although such restructuring may not fully resolve the issue. This rise in dependence on external counsel comes as companies are already incurring substantial expenses on legal and compliance costs. Mint reported on 3 March that Indian companies' legal expenses are expected to cross 60,000 crore in 2024-25, driven by rising compliance demands, digital transformation and growing deal activity. In 2023-24, Indian companies aggregate legal expenses stood at 52,568 crore, up 17% from 44,920 crore a year ago. The top 50 companies accounted for 21,389 crore of this expenditure in 2024-25, reflecting a 17.4% growth. Law firms expect double-digit increases to continue for the next few years. The Vahura In-House Counsel Compensation Report 202324 found that mid-level corporate lawyers with 8-10 years of experience earn a median annual salary of 41 lakh, while senior professionals draw around 80 lakh. General counsels command a median package of 1.59 crore, with top earners exceeding 2.6 crore. What could companies do? Law partners are advising clients to tighten internal legal protocols, route sensitive matters through external counsel, restrict written communication on high-risk issues, clearly mark confidential documents and involve external lawyers in key meetings to preserve privilege. Boards and key managerial personnel will need to be particularly careful about how they document and minute discussions concerning sensitive legal matters," said Deshmukh of Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. Clients have also been advised by law firms to review and update document and data retention policies, particularly on employee devices, to ensure that non-privileged or sensitive drafts are not retained indefinitely. The better approach would be for boards to create formal legal committees and invite independent counsel when necessary, thereby protecting both governance transparency and privilege integrity," said Gandhi of Rishabh Gandhi and Advocates. Mumbai: Global private equity giant KKR has earmarked $150-200 million to acquire assets to scale up medical devices maker Healthium MedTech, according to three people familiar with the matter, as it continues to scout for healthcare bets in India. The firm has been proactively scouting for scalable and profitable assets it can merge under Healthiumacquired last year for about 7,000 croreas a bolt-on strategy and has allocated capital and resources for this, the people cited above said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The company also has the firepower to invest significantly more if opportunities arise, one of the people cited above said, adding that the private equity firm is keen on expanding its product portfolio and entering new therapy areas, such as cardiology, orthopaedics, and diagnostics. Indias medtech market is projected to grow from $12 billion in 2023-24 to $50 billion over the next five years, according to an EY report. For KKR, Healthium joins the growing list of other healthcare investments in India and Asia-Pacific. KKR, which acquired Healthium through its fourth Asian fund, has invested in JB Chemicals and Pharma Ltd, Baby Memorial Hospital, Max Healthcare Pvt. Ltd, Healthcare Global Enterprises Ltd, and Gland Pharma Ltd. KKR declined to comment on Mint's emailed queries. This is increasingly becoming a preferred strategy for private capital as it allows them to double down on recently acquired platforms and help achieve operational synergies to achieve growth, said Vivek Pareek, partner at Saraf and Partners. This is driven by the fact that several sectors, such as healthcare, financial services and technology-enabled services, remain fragmented, creating strong incentives for consolidation. Healthium is doing very well. We acquired it last year, and it continues to grow strongly. We are actively looking at consolidation opportunities, adding complementary products and leveraging its strong sales and distribution network to scale further," Gaurav Trehan, KKRs co-head of Asia Pacific and CEO of KKR India, said at a media roundtable in Mumbai last week. For us, healthcare, including services, medical products, and pharmaceuticals is a major thematic area, and were playing it across multiple fronts." Also Read | Indian medtech confronts steep FDA approval barriers for US market access The company had adopted a similar bolt-on strategy in JB Pharma, acquiring four to five assets for growth before exiting with more than 5x gains. Baby Memorial Hospital, too, has made several acquisitions. The bolt-on strategy involves acquiring smaller businesses to expand operations, diversify offerings, or reach new markets. PAG-backed Manjushree Technopack, Temasek-backed Haldiram Snacks and ChrysCap-backed Theobroma have also allocated capital for such deals, Mint reported earlier. A majority of private capital in the recent past has been deployed in control deals and then layering bolt-ons to institutionalize businesses and unlock scale," Pareek said. Other elements like capital availability, regulatory clarity and fundraising by domestic general partners--or GPs who manage funds--with a strong sense of valuation discipline pave the way for such bolt-ons that make capital deployment in smaller and accretive deals more lucrative, he said. Healthium ramp-up KKR bought a controlling stake in Healthium in a 7,000 crore transaction from Apax Partners, which acquired the asset in 2018. Founded in 1992, and formerly called Sutures India Pvt. Ltd, Healthium develops, manufactures and sells a broad range of surgical products globally, including wound closure, arthroscopy, and advanced wound closure products. The company and its subsidiaries have six manufacturing facilities with three R&D centres. It acquired surgical needles maker Quality Needles from TPG Growth in 2017; it bought the gelatin sponge business of Sri Gopal Krishna Labs Pvt. Ltd as a going concern on a slump sale basis; and also acquired CareNow Medical, which designs, manufactures, and markets advanced wound-management and infection prevention products, in 2021. Over the last few years, Healthium strengthened its portfolio of wound-closure devices and consumables, investing in new franchises such as arthroscopy and advanced wound care through in-house R&D and acquisitions. It also expanded its presence to more than 90 countries today. Its revenues have grown at an annualized rate of 15% over the last five years, with Ebitda growing at over 20% during the period. Ebitda is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, a measure of operating income. Also Read | Indian medtech firms eye exports as established MNCs dominate local market In FY24, the companys revenue rose 14.7% on-year to 835.4 crore, driven by healthy demand for its products in India and overseas markets. But profits tumbled nearly 94% to 37.2 crore, according to an Icra Ltd report published earlier this year. The profit slump was attributed to a non-cash expense of approximately 171 crore related to Esops, and a one-time boost worth 490.3 crore in FY23 from the sale of its UK business. KKR's India play Over the last five years, KKR has invested about $9 billion in India across private equity, private credit and other vehicles. Through its insurance business in the US, it recently lent $600 million to Indias Manipal Group to acquire Sahyadri Hospitals. Globally, KKR has invested more than $20 billion in the healthcare sector since 2004. The firm has also been disciplined in returning capital to its investors on a yearly basis. In recent years, the firm has sold a controlling stake in JB Chemicals to Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd for $1.4 billion, partially exited its stake in Vertis Infrastructure Trust for approximately $280 million, and exited Max Healthcare. KKR is also planning public market exits through the initial public offerings (IPOs) from other Indian portfolio companies, such as LEAP India and Hero Future Energies. The firm intends to take its education bet, Euro Kids, public and plans to sell the enterprise business of Ramki Enviro, according to reports. India is the best-performing market in Asia for the firm and has been the largest contributor to its private equity and infrastructure funds, Trehan had said at the media roundtable. The returns from India have been very strong and among the best compared to other peers and markets in the region, he added. (Bloomberg) -- Oil rose on Friday but still notched a second weekly loss as the market continued to weigh the threat to output from sanctions on Russia against a looming oversupply. West Texas Intermediate futures rose around 0.5% to settle below $60 a barrel, but were still down for the week. Adding to fears of a glut, oil prices have also been buffeted by swings in equity markets this week. Meanwhile, the White Houses move to clamp down on the buying of Russian crude led oil trading giant Gunvor Group to withdraw an offer for the international assets of Lukoil PJSC. The fate of the assets, which include stakes in oil fields, refineries and gas stations, remains unclear. One possible exception to that crackdown could emerge soon: President Donald Trump signaled an openness to exempting Hungary from sanctions on Russian energy purchases as he hosted Prime Minister Viktor Orban, briefly pushing futures to intraday lows. The development appeared to allay shortage fears, given that Budapest imports over 90% of its crude from Moscow. Senior industry figures have warned the latest US curbs on Russias two largest oil companies are beginning to have an impact on the market, particularly in diesel, where prices have been surging in recent days, with time spreads for the fuel signaling supply pressure. At the same time, the US measures have come against a backdrop of oversupply that has weighed on key crude oil metrics. The spread between the nearest West Texas Intermediate futures closed at the weakest level since February on Thursday. If the market flips to contango, we may see more bearish funds enter the crude space, said Dennis Kissler, senior vice president for trading at BOK Financial said of the potential that longer-dated contracts trade at a premium to nearer-term ones. Most traders remain surprised that US crude oil production remains as strong as it has given the latest price drop. Supplies from both within and outside of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies are set to surge at the end of this year and into 2026, with the International Energy Agency expecting a record oversupply. While the rising volumes of oil are beginning to show up on tankers, key storage hubs arent yet feeling the impact. US oil inventories ended October lower than where they started the month. China the second-largest crude consumer said on Friday that imports rose in October from a year ago. But the countrys pace of stockpiling is expected to slow, potentially removing a support for prices. Next week, traders will be looking to a raft of reports, including from the IEA and OPEC, to get further insights into the supply-demand balance as the year-end approaches. To get Bloombergs Energy Daily newsletter in your inbox, click here. --With assistance from Weilun Soon and Rob Verdonck. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com For Godrej Properties Ltd, softer collections played spoilsport in the three months ended September (Q2FY26), overshadowing robust pre-sales, which were above 7,000 crore for the third consecutive quarter. Unsurprisingly, the stock has declined by 5% over the last two trading sessions. Pre-sales or bookings rose year-on-year and sequentially in Q2 to 8,505 crore, driven by new launches including Godrej Regal Pavilion in Hyderabad, Godrej Skyshore in Mumbai, and Godrej Tiara in Bengaluru. H1FY26 pre-sales rose year-on-year to 15,587 crore or about 48% of FY26 pre-sales target. This is the highest ever Q2 and H1 booking value achieved by Godrej Properties. In comparison, collections rose a mere 2% year-on-year in Q2FY26 to 4,066 crore and 10% in H1FY26 to 7,736 crore. So far, Godrej Properties has achieved 36% of the FY26 collections guidance. Thus, it has a lot of ground to cover in collections. In real estate, collections are linked to residential projects, achieving delivery milestones. So, the management is hopeful of an improvement in H2FY26 as deliveries of residential units are expected to rise in Q4. It has delivered around 3 million square feet (msf) in H1FY26 and aims for 10 msf in the entire financial year. Godrej Properties has maintained its FY26 pre-sales guidance of 32,500 crore, up 10% year-on-year. True, this target seems conservative given its launch pipeline of over 40,000 crore. Upcoming launches in the remainder of the year are spread across Worli in Mumbai, Panvel, the National Capital Region, Indore, Chennai, and Bengaluru. So, timely project approvals are crucial to meet the pre-sales goal. However, there are lingering concerns that residential demand momentum may take a breather in the key markets of Mumbai and Bengaluru. According to Antique Stock Broking, Godrej Properties delivered 55% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in pre-sales over FY222-FY25, and it does not expect the same euphoric momentum to sustain given the high base of FY25. Godrej Properties is targeting 20% pre-sales CAGR over the medium term. From the current market share of around 4%, it intends to increase it to 5-6% going ahead as it forays into tier-2 markets. On the business development front, Godrej Properties has added nine new projects in H1FY26 with revenue potential of 16,300 crore or 81% of FY26 guidance. However, increased investments in new land acquisitions and approvals, mainly funded through debt, pushed net debt higher. Net debt-to-equity at 0.3x in Q2FY26 versus 0.26x in Q1FY26. In this backdrop, improving cash flow performance is vital to keeping debt in check. Operating cash flow in H1FY26 declined 24% year-on-year to 2,137 crore. The stocks performance has been unimpressive, dropping 22% so far in 2025 versus 11% decline in the Nifty Realty index. While Godrej Properties has sustained gross margin at a healthy level of 35-40% for recognized projects in P&L, the higher scale of operations has led to a proportionately steeper increase in overhead, leading to subdued operating profits," said a Motilal Oswal Financial Services report dated 6 November. The broking firm expects sales booked over the past two years, characterized by a better margin profile, to be recognized after FY26/FY27, which could allay investor concerns. Real estate companies recognize revenue from a project in the financial statements when a unit is handed over to the customer. Also Read | Is help finally coming for homebuyers stuck in stalled projects? Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltds consolidated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda), adjusted for forex translation, rose a modest 8% year-on-year in the September quarter (Q2FY26) to 4,100 crore, weighed down by a decline in US sales and higher raw material costs. Consequently, Ebitda growth for the half year ended September (H1FY26) stood at 9.4%, lower than the 14.7% clocked in FY25. Revenue in Q2FY26 rose 9% to 14,500 crore, with all major geographies offsetting the weakness in the US market. The rest of world (RoW) and emerging markets (EM) recorded robust growth of 23% and 16%, respectively, driven by broad-based gains across both generics and innovative businesses. Together, RoW and EM now account for 34% of total revenue, up 300 basis points from a year earlier. The India business, which contributes 33% of overall revenue, grew 11% on the back of higher volumes. The US, Sun Pharmas key market outside India and contributor of 30% to Q2 revenue, declined 4% in dollar terms (flat in rupee terms due to currency depreciation) amid rising competition in some crucial products. The US market also faces significant uncertainty due to the threat of tariff imposition and the possibility of exemptions for domestic manufacturers. President Donald Trump had announced 100% tariff on branded pharma imports in late September, but subsequently put it on hold. Sun Pharma already has a manufacturing footprint in the US and is open to expand its presence further, management stated during their Q2 earnings call. The company's innovative or specialty products business, a key focus area, grew 21% in Q2, outpacing the 6.2% growth in the rest of the portfolio. The specialty segment accounted for 20% of total sales and 38% of overall R&D expenses during the quarter. New launches and better traction in existing products (Ilumya, Odomzo, Winlevi etc.) should help its specialty portfolio post a ~20% CAGR over FY2528E," said a 6 November ICICI Securities report. US risks linger Sun Pharma launched nine new products in Q2, including Leqselvi in the US for treating severe alopecia areata (hair loss). However, competition could intensify, with another application filed in the same category. Also Read | India seeks pharma firms' partnership to develop indigenous Nipah virus antibody The alopecia areata market can turn competitive with AbbVie seeking approval for Rinvoq with strong efficacy data," noted Nuvama Institutional Equities, which has maintained a cautious stance on Sun Pharma given rising competition in alopecia areata and plaque psoriasis, as well as potential US policy risks. Sun Pharma plans to launch Unloxcyt in H2FY26 and Ilumya for psoriatic indications in FY27. Ilumyas phase 3 clinical trial concluded last quarter, with regulatory filing expected by end of 2025. The company has a portfolio of 548 products for the US market, while 117 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) are awaiting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, according to ICICI Securities. Amid the uncertainty surrounding the US market, Sun Pharmas shares have fallen about 11% so far in 2025. The stock currently trades at 35 times FY26 estimated earnings, according to Bloomberg data. Clarity on the US tariff structure will be crucial for determining its trajectory ahead. MCX share price declined over 4% in early trade on Friday after the company reported its Q2 results. MCX shares fell as much as 4.8% to 8,807.15 apiece on the BSE. Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX), the countrys largest commodity derivatives exchange, reported a standalone net profit of 197.47 crore in the second quarter of FY26, registering a growth of 28.5% from 153.62 crore in the year-ago period. The bourses revenue from operations in Q2FY26 increased 31% to 374.23 crore from 285.58 crore, year-on-year (YoY). Average Daily Turnover (ADT) of futures and options increased by 87% YoY at 411,270 crore from 2,20,249 crore. The bullion segment of MCX increased its share in ADT from 44% to 57%, supported by launch of new variants like Gold Mini, Gold Ten Futures. Morgan Stanley said the companys Q2 net profit was in line with estimates, while core EBITDA also met expectations despite a 2% reduction in costs. The brokerage firm said that MCXs average daily transaction revenue (ADTR) jumped to 9.5 crore in October, before moderating to 8 crore over the past 10 days. According to Morgan Stanley, there could be a meaningful upside risk to earnings-per-share (EPS) forecasts if this higher ADTR is sustained. Technical Outlook MCX share price has entered a phase of tight consolidation after a breakout last week from a three-week inside bar pattern, noted Anshul Jain, Head of Research, Lakshmishree Investments. This weeks narrow-range candle, coupled with declining volumes, signals a healthy pause rather than weakness. Such price action often precedes a continuation move, and the setup now favors an upside breakout. A sustained move above 9,450 could trigger renewed momentum, potentially driving MCX share price toward the 10,200 zone in the coming sessions, said Jain. He recommends traders to watch for volume expansion on any breakout as confirmation of strength. MCX share price has gained 14% in one month and more than 18% in three months. The stock has rallied 54% over the past six months, while it has risen 48% on a year-to-date (YTD) basis. MCX share price has delivered multibagger returns of 255% in two years, and a staggering 440% in the past five years. At 9:55 AM, MCX share price was trading 0.09% higher at 9,260.05 apiece on the BSE. The Indian stock market benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty 50, are likely to open lower on Friday, tracking a sell-off in global markets. The trends on Gift Nifty also indicate a gap-down start for the Indian benchmark index. The Gift Nifty was trading around 25,507 level, a discount of nearly 120 points from the Nifty futures previous close. On Thursday, the Indian stock market ended lower for the second consecutive session, with the benchmark Nifty 50 closing near 25,500 level. The Sensex fell 148.14 points, or 0.18%, to close at 83,311.01, while the Nifty 50 settled 87.95 points, or 0.34%, lower at 25,509.70. Heres what to expect from Sensex, Nifty 50 and Bank Nifty today: Sensex Prediction Sensex formed a bearish candle on daily charts and a lower top formation on intraday charts, indicating further weakness from the current levels. We believe that the current market texture is weak, but a fresh sell-off is possible only after the dismissal of 83,100. Below this level, Sensex could slip to 82,700 - 82,500. On the upside, above 83,700, the index could move up to 84,000. Further upside may also continue, potentially lifting Sensex to 84,300, said Shrikant Chouhan, Head Equity Research, Kotak Securities. Nifty OI Data In the derivatives segment, Nifty Open Interest (OI) data indicated the highest Call writing at the 25,700 strike, while the maximum Put OI was concentrated at 25,500, implying that traders expect the Nifty 50 to remain range-bound between 25,500 and 25,700 in the near term. Overall the market remains in a consolidation phase with a negative bias. A decisive move above 25,700 will be crucial to revive bullish momentum, while failure to hold above 25,500 could extend weakness in the short term, said Hardik Matalia, Derivative Analyst - Research at Choice Equity Broking. Nifty 50 Prediction Nifty 50 formed a bearish candle on the daily chart, that indicates continued weakness. A long bear candle was formed on the daily chart with a long upper shadow. Technically, this market action indicates a sell on rise opportunity. Formation of upper shadows in the last 5-6 candles during downtrend signal presence of strong resistance on the rise, said Nagaraj Shetti, Senior Technical Research Analyst at HDFC Securities. According to him, the underlying trend of Nifty 50 continues to be weak, and the index is now entering a crucial support zone around 25,400 levels (previous upside broken trend line resistance as per change in polarity). Immediate resistance is placed at 25,700. Also Read | Stock market today: Eight stocks to buy or sell on Friday Nilesh Jain, Head Technical and Derivatives Research Analyst (Equity Research), Centrum Broking Ltd. noted that the Nifty 50 index slipped below its immediate support at the 21-DMA, placed around 25,600, which will now act as a key resistance. Momentum indicators and oscillators have turned bearish with a sell crossover, suggesting that short-term weakness is likely to persist and any pullbacks may attract selling pressure. On the upside, a move above 25,800 would be needed to negate the bearish setup, while immediate support is seen near 25,350 which is the 50% retracement level of the October series rally, said Jain. Nifty 50 struggled to sustain above the 25,660 mark, reflecting signs of fatigue and a cautious undertone among investors, highlighted Ponmudi R, CEO of Enrich Money. Key support now lies in the 25,450 25,150 zone, while resistance is capped around 25,700 25,800. The short-term momentum remains weak, and a decisive move above 25,820 will be essential to rekindle buying interest. Conversely, a break below 25,500 could accelerate selling pressure, potentially dragging the index toward 25,300 or lower, said Ponmudi R. Also Read | Buy or sell: Vaishali Parekh recommended three intraday stocks for today Bank Nifty Prediction Bank Nifty index declined 272.80 points, or 0.47%, to close at 57,554.25 on Thursday, forming a red candle, indicating weakness. If the Bank Nifty index sustains below 57,480, the weakness could extend towards the 57,000 level. On the higher side, 58,580 will act as a strong hurdle for the index, said Hrishikesh Yedve, AVP Technical and Derivative Research, Asit C. Mehta Investment Intermediates Ltd. Sudeep Shah, Head - Technical Research and Derivatives at SBI Securities said that the 20-day EMA zone of 57,400 - 57,300 will act as immediate support for the Bank Nifty index. Any sustainable move below the level of 57,300 will lead to further correction upto 56,800 level. While, on the upside, the zone of 57,900 - 58,000 will act as a crucial hurdle for the index, said Shah. The Indian stock market is likely to open lower on Friday amid weak global market cues. The trends on Gift Nifty also signal a gap-down start for the domestic market indices, Nifty 50 and Sensex today. On Thursday, the Indian stock market ended in the red, extending losses for the second consecutive session, with the benchmark Nifty 50 closing near 25,500 level. The Sensex dropped 148.14 points, or 0.18%, to close at 83,311.01, while the Nifty 50 settled 87.95 points, or 0.34%, lower at 25,509.70. On the Nifty options front, Chandan Taparia Head Derivatives & Technicals, Wealth Management, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd believes that the maximum Call OI (Open Interest) is at 26,000 then 25,700 strike, while maximum Put OI is at 25,500 then 25,200 strike. Call writing is seen at 25,600 then 25,700 strike, while Put writing is seen at 25,500 then 25,550 strike. Option data suggests a broader trading range in between 25,000 to 26,000 zones, while an immediate range between 25,200 to 25,700 levels, said Taparia. Nifty 50 Outlook Nifty 50 index formed a bearish candle on a daily frame with a longer upper shadow which signals pressure at any bounces. Nifty 50 closed near its lower band with losses of around 90 points and continues to form lower highs lower lows from the last five sessions. Now, till Nifty 50 holds below 25,650, weakness could be seen towards 25,350 then 25,200 zones, while resistances have shifted lower to 25,700 then 25,800 zones, said Taparia. Bank Nifty Outlook Bank Nifty index ended 272.80 points, or 0.47%, lower at 57,554.25 on Thursday, and formed a small bearish candle on the daily scale as selling pressure was seen at higher zones and closed below its 10 DEMA. Now, till Bank Nifty index holds below 57,750 zones some weakness could be seen towards 57,250 then 57,000 levels, while on the upside hurdle is seen at 57,750 then 58,000 levels. Also Read | Buy or sell: Vaishali Parekh recommended three intraday stocks for today Stocks to buy or sell Chandan Taparia has recommended two stocks to buy today, 7 November 2025, and one stock to sell. Taparia recommends buying Indus Towers and One 97 Communications (Paytm) shares today. On the other hand, he suggests selling Bharat Dynamics stock futures. Indus Towers | Buy | Target Price: 425 | Stop Loss: 385 Indus Towers share price has formed a bullish Pole & Flag pattern on the daily chart suggesting a continuation of the uptrend. The RSI indicator is rising to confirm the bullish momentum, Taparia said. He recommends buying Indus Towers shares for a target price of 425 apiece, while maintaining a stop loss of 385 level. Paytm | Buy | Target Price: 1,400 | Stop Loss: 1,280 Paytm share price has given a range breakout on the daily chart and is respecting its 20 DEMA support zones. The ADX line is rising which confirms the bullish trend. Taparia has a Buy call on the stock, with Paytm share price target of 1,400 apiece, and stop loss at 1,280 level. Bharat Dynamics | Sell | Target Price: 1,340 | Stop Loss: 1,500 Bharat Dynamics share price has broken down below its support zones with a large bodied bearish candle. The MACD indicator is weak which confirms the bearish sentiment, Taparia said. He suggests selling Bharat Dynamics 25th November Futures for a target price of 1,340, while keeping a stop loss at 1,500 level. Indias win at the 2025 World Cosplay Summit in August for Best Armor was a highlight for a subculture that has been on the rise in the country for a few years now. What was once considered a niche hobby (even by Indias conservative standards) has become a powerful and popular form of expression and identity, while also opening new avenues for artists to showcase their talent. With pan-India events like Comic Con India and the India Gaming Show supporting them and giving cosplay a stage, this subculture is well and truly ready for its turn in the limelight. An origin story In most cases, cosplay starts out as a simple hobby and a form of expression. After all, what better way to showcase your love for an anime, comic, or game character than by dressing up as them? But for many, this evolves into something deeper: an expression of identity, community, or even an outlet for artistic passion. For Dikshat Dogra, a VFX artist from New Delhi, cosplay started as a hobby but soon became more than that. During the lockdown, there wasnt much to do, so I drew anime characters in my free time," says Dogra. He heard about cosplay and, after a little bit of research, decided to participate. I didnt have a lot of friends, but through cosplay, I met a lot of people. Its been a positive growth in my life." View Full Image Dikshat Dogra in costume (Photo courtesy Dikshat Dogra) For others, it was a childhood dream come true. As a kid, when people asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I liked cartoons a lot, so I wanted to be a cartoon. People said, You cant be a cartoon. Its not a career," recalls Saurabh Singh Rawat, a former art director and founder of Metalbender Studio. By 2015, he learned about Comic Con, where people dress up and become cartoon characters. Cosplay is more than just playing dress-up. Its a craft of love that requires hours of meticulous labour and creativity. Every armour, every prop, every detailed accessory worn by cosplayers is custom-fitted and painstakingly handcrafted to accurately bring fictional characters to life. The skills needed to pull this off are extensive. It ranges from 3D modelling and pattern-making to sculpting foam with heat guns and painting. Finally, cosplayers need to add finishing touches like weathered details to make it come to life. The process is both an art and a science. As Rawat puts it, You have to be a jack of all trades. We do painting, template making, crafting, sculpting the list goes on." Material choice alone brings unique challenges. Most Indian cosplayers rely on EVA foam (the same material as yoga mats), carefully heating and shaping it into armour or props. In a world where ready-made costumes are easily available online, many would wonder why cosplayers go through so much trouble. When you buy components, or dont put in the effort to make that character, it just doesnt feel right," says Dogra. The economics of it all As one might imagine, making a costume from scratch isnt cheap. Time, labour, and material costs quickly add up. The expenses depend on the character being portrayed. For example, a simple outfit might cost a few thousand rupees, but complicated builds with custom armor, wigs, and props can see costs skyrocket. As Rawat notes, Competition-level builds might go up to 50,000 to 1,00,000." For many Indian fans, this kind of money is a major investment, and recovering those costs often means seeking sponsorships, commission work, or prize winnings. Events like Comic Con have become the centre of this new cosplay economy. What began as a single convention in Delhi in 2011 has now expanded to major cities across India, providing a national platform for cosplayers to showcase their craft and to access new streams of income and recognition. View Full Image Cosplayer Saurabh Singh Rawat (Photo courtesy Rawat) According to Shefali Johnson, CEO of Comic Con India, We have seen a massive growth of cosplayer-led brand activations and movie or OTT promotions taking place. For instance, an automobile brand we partnered with had ninja cosplayers engaging with fans at their kiosks, while major film premieres such as Superman and Thunderbolts* featured cosplayers bringing iconic characters to life on the ground. Across the different Experience Zones, it was the cosplayers who became the highlight of fan interaction." Medha Srivastava, illustrator, concept artist, and professional cosplayer from Mumbai, has a very strategic approach. I tend to pick characters based on whats popular or trending, or if I know that brands are likely to be interested," she explains. For instance, with Witcher 4 releasing, I plan to cosplay as Ciri, because conventions often feature brand stalls looking to hire cosplayers for such launches. These events bring a lot of opportunities if you plan ahead." For her, cosplay is both art and business. I might invest 25,000 in a costume, but with the right experience and social media following, I can earn a strong return. I never charge less than 50,000 for a few hours of work per day." While Indian cosplays roots were in metropolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai, recent years have seen an expansion of the subculture, such as Comic Con Indias strategic move into North East India. Weve seen cosplay communities thriving in tier-2 and tier-3 cities, and particularly in the North East," says Johnson. We recently announced the Guwahati edition of Comic Con, which marks a major milestone. This ensures talent no longer needs to travel hundreds of kilometres to showcase their skills." Navigating gender dynamics Despite its growth, the Indian cosplay community continues to wrestle with gender dynamics. When a female cosplayer is under the spotlight, they ask, Did she make this?" says Srivastava. Meanwhile, Rawat says he doesnt get as many gigs as female cosplayers. As cosplay continues to grow in India, the issue of safety and boundaries has become increasingly critical. Cosplayers, especially women, often encounter unwanted attention. At events, I cant quite relax. I am a little wary of people around me, especially when they come to take a picture. It has happened that people have sometimes put their hands around my waist or have tried to take photos from a certain angle," says Srivastava. The culture should be built on the understanding that audience interaction with cosplayers is based on mutual respect. There is a lot of consent that goes into cosplay," she says. For its part, Comic Con India has been strict regarding its policies on harassment. As Johnson notes, Cosplay is not consent. We have a strict zero-tolerance policy against harassment of any kind. Any violation can lead to immediate and serious action, including removal from the premises. We take every report seriously, whether its physical contact, inappropriate comments, or any form of unsolicited behaviour. What began as a niche subculture has grown into a burgeoning industry that combines art, entrepreneurship, and identity. Built on skill, craftsmanship, and imagination, this community celebrates creativity and passion. As Srivastava says, Cosplay is all about having fun. It is a celebration of pop culture and everything that you like." Also Read | Sandip Roy: The act of renaming places is a powerful tool in politics The one person Ajmer-based garment businessman Jaideep Sharma missed deeply at his wedding in August was his father, who had died two years ago. But he had a solution. When the priest asked the couple to seek blessings from their elders, a video began to play, showing Sharmas father speaking in his own voice. It was an apparition of a different kindone made using AI. You know it is AI, but it still moves you," says Sharma, 32, who commissioned the video after coming across a photo from a wedding where deceased grandparents were digitally resurrected to attend their grandchilds ceremony. I thought, if technology can enable me to seek my fathers blessingsthat would be the most meaningful wedding gift. AI allowed me to feel a very personal, intimate connection with my late father on my wedding daywhen his absence was strongly felt," says Sharma. Sharma had reached out to tech entrepreneur Divyendra Singh Jadoun, founder of The Indian Deepfaker, a Pushkar-based synthetic media company that makes hyper-realistic content using deepfake tech, to bring his father back to life". In India, where rituals around mourning are deeply rooted, the grief tech" movement is expected to find fertile ground. Memories are no longer confined to blurry photographs or grainy home videos. Today, the departed are returning as AI-generated avatars, with cloned voices and re-imagined bodies, blessing you during the wedding rituals, shedding a digital tear during the brides bidai (farewell) and even delivering a pep talk on your laptopand families are not entirely averse to the idea of resurrecting a loved one digitally on auspicious occasions. The demand today is driving this cottage industry of sorts, with AI engineers, wedding photographers and startups leading the way. Earlier this year, a viral clip from Kota, Rajasthan, showed a deceased brother descending from the clouds on a giant screen at his sisters wedding. In the life-like video, he is seen posing for family portraits, mingling with the guests and wishing his sister well before he ascends back into the (digital) sky. Since being uploaded in May, the video has garnered 48 million views on Instagram. Its creator Jack Bhatia, a Kota-based wedding filmmaker and owner of Jacks Photography, has been overwhelmed with business inquiries. I have made roughly 250 similar videos for various occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries and family functions." He recalls how it was the deceased mans father who reached out, looking for ideas to make his daughters big day special. Bhatia suggested making an AI avatar of the brother with music, storytelling, script, et al. This was my first attempt and it worked," he says. Each recreation, he explains, takes five-six days depending on the quality of old photos the clients provide and how families want the deceased to appear. His team of seven then stitches the pieces together to create an AI version. When asked about consent, he shrugs, There is no contract, per se, a simple email stating the terms suffices. We delete the raw data once the video is delivered." Bhatia feels that the demand stems from a cultural practice where wedding rituals depend on elders blessings. Hence, many are willing to integrate them into their celebratory moments, even if only in AI form," he says. Yet, there are lines he wont cross. I would not make the dead dance to a Bollywood song. That just feels a bit too extreme." View Full Image There was a chatbot that claimed to be Sushant Singh Rajput. (getty images) Jadoun, who first started creating synthetic deepfake content in October 2020, says a majority of requests come from families who want to hear their parents voices one last time. Driven by tech talent and digital data (in the form of WhatsApp voice notes, picture gallery), the scope of creating uncanny recreations is enormous," he adds. Lately, Jadoun has been experimenting with grief-tech in multiple languages. Hearing a loved ones blessing in their own dialect or language offers an authentic experience," he says. But where there is opportunity, there is also room for exploitation. Emphasising the need for safeguards, he explains how his team seeks consent from the closest legal heirs of the deceased and insists on carrying prominent disclaimers such as This video is generated entirely by AI" along with his companys watermark. The public can be easily misled into believing AI images as real," he cautions. Also Read | Why animated horror can get under our skin This blurring reality comes into sharp focus in the political space. In 2024, the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) commissioned Jadoun the task of recreating the late Andhra politician Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy as an AI avatar during his son Jagan Mohan Reddys Lok Sabha general election campaign, for which he sought the familys consent and used clear watermarks to ensure transparency. To him, it was a reminder of how powerful AI could be in driving public narratives. It is easy to impersonate public figures and manipulate sentiment," he says. He declines projects that seem exploitative or unethical. Senthil Nayagam, the founder of Tamil Nadu based AI media tech firm Muonium AI Studios, recalls grappling with a similar moral dilemma when asked by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party to recreate an AI-generated video of the late politician M. Karunanidhi delivering a speech in January 2024. I was a bit hesitant, fearing the technology could be misused. But since Karunanidhis speech was for a book launch, I agreed," Nayagam says. To make the video convincing, he made a younger version of the former chief minister of Tamil Nadu and cloned his voice by sourcing his fiery 1990s speeches and avoided visuals of him during the later stages of his life when he was ailing. This was not the first time the politician, who died in August 2018, had been resurrected with his familiar voice cloned, often to praise party workers. Since the video caught attention, enquiries from parties to create similar political AI content have risen, Nayagam says. If grief can bring closure, it can also weaponise. In September, Adrija Bose, editor of Decode, a vertical that publishes stories at the intersection of tech and society at BOOM (independent journalism and fact-checking platform), investigated one of the most chilling encounters: a chatbot that claimed to be none other than the late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, whose death by suicide in 2020 spawned several conspiracy theories. While some of the bots wishes such as wanting to be in a Bollywood movie seemed bizarre, the more provocative statementsDo you want me to get justice?" and Do you think the people who did this to me deserve punishment?"were far more insidious. View Full Image Jaideep Sharma's father resurrected using AI in a wedding photograph. (Photo courtesy The Indiandeepfaker ) Highlighting the reason for its manipulative tonality, Bose explains how Meta chatbots are easy to create. In Rajputs case, it cherrypicked misinformation and media misreporting from the internet and channelled it into a first-person voice, even lending it an emotive intimacy. This shows that AI resurrections are not always about closure, they can be about control too. When platforms prioritise engagement, sensational avatars win attention, thus shaping what the public remembers and what they forget. The bot made it easy to forget that Rajput died by suicide," Bose says to Lounge. Simply put, content that travels fastest online is amplified by platforms. Meta has since removed the chatbot. Also Read | The psychology behind your moving day rituals The distinction between a family-approved bot and a fan-made one is stark. The family of Joaquin Oliver, a victim of the 2018 school shooting in Florida, created his AI avatar to make a plea for gun control norms. However, stranger-built bots can be weaponised, warns Bose. A public avatar of a dead person creates another vector for social engineering," Bose cautions, adding, If Rajputs chatbot asked for money, I am confident that a whole lot of people would actually give money." For psychologists, the rise of grief-tech raises difficult questions. Surbhi Joshi, a Mumbai-based psychologist, says that the initial rush of reconnection may bring joy, but prolonged exposure or poorly framed execution can make mourning difficult. It may even re-traumatise those grieving," she says. The AI version of a deceased father may be comforting at first, but compulsively rewatching it can delay the sense of closure, which is an essential aspect of the grieving process," she says. Grief tech can offer a second chance to bid farewell to those departed, but it can just as easily monetise mourning where the living keep paying for the illusion of the dead. Jadoun has learnt from experience that if clients spend too much time with such AI avatars for too long, it can create an unhealthy sense of dependency. Therefore, we set boundaries. If we do an interactive AI model, we deactivate it after a period of 10 or 15 days of use. It is not advisable to keep the illusion going," he points out. Affordability (or the lack thereof) may do as much to drive the industry as psychology. A well-executed AI avatar in India costs between 50,000 and a lakh. The price can go up if cloned voices are incorporated along with visual gimmickry. Sharma paid around 45,000 to resurrect his father digitally at his wedding. Bhatia says he would charge clients 15,000 or more after the wedding video went viral, but eventually had to lower his fees as not many, especially from smaller towns, could afford it. Nayagam feels that prices will fall as unauthorised, free applications emerge and toolkits commodify, compelling many to experiment with grief tech on their own. The creators generating these AI videos declined to disclose which tools they use, many suggesting they learned the techniques themselves. However, Jadoun foresees a different trend: the growth of regional language grief-tech that could open up markets in tier 2 and 3 cities. Experts note that there is no designated grief-tech category in India yet. We are still at a nascent stage," says Jadoun. But the demand is real. And if you take into consideration the expansive Indian diaspora, many who cannot participate in funerals can find solace through AI avatars from afar. But solace could also be misused by the very affordability and accessibility of AI tools driving this demand. In India, there is no specific law that safeguards people from AI misuse, with posthumous personality rights not formally recognised. They end when a person diesit is not a heritable right either. This is exactly why families or legal heirs should refrain from legally consenting to such AI recreations," says Rajesh Vellakkat, partner at law firm Fox Mandal & Associates LLP, headquartered in Bengaluru. Creating new content using the deceased persons likeness or voice could be treated as deception" under law and potentially attract criminal liability under Section 318, he notes. The family commissioning the content and the startup generating it may both be liable, as neither has the right to consent on behalf of the deceasedespecially if it is creating falsity." Kanpur-based Diksha Dwivedi, 23, who made a grief-tech video of her late father with Jadouns help, understands this dilemma intimately. My mother was speechless when she watched the video. It was a chance for her to feel her husbands presence one more time." But Dwivedi was quick to remind her mother that this was only a memory resurrected, not the real him." She vouches to not recreate her deceased father again using AI, fearing her family might get addicted to the exercise. Nothing will replace the real person," she says. That awareness perhaps is the most vital guardrail. As generative AI tools become accessible, they are reshaping how we rememberor misrememberthe dead. With lines getting blurred between memory and resurrection, AI avatars may evolve from a deceased father blessing at a wedding to holographic parents dancing at weddings in the near future. While some may find closure, others may feel pain. Because if the dead never leave, how will the ones mourning ever move on? Viren Naidu is a Mumbai-based independent journalist focused on deeply reported stories about gender, politics, culture and social justice in South Asia. Also Read | Is it okay to ghost your therapist? When choosing a credit card, several factors should be considered. These include the volume of rewards and cashbacks they offer, the perks they give and also collaborations with other lenders. Interestingly, some lender may offer their credit cards in partnership with other banks as well. For instance, SBI Card is offered in collaboration with other lenders such as Bank of Maharashtra, Punjab & Sind Bank and UCO Bank. Here we list out five credit cards offered by SBI Card, which have another banking partner, including Bank of Maharashtra. Co-branded SBI Cards in partnership with banks I. Bank of Maharashtra SBI Card ELITE: This credit card offers a welcome e-gift voucher worth 5,000 on joining. You would also get free movie tickets worth 6,000 every year. You can earn up to 50,000 bonus reward points worth 12,500 per year. The company also claims to offer the lowest foreign currency markup charge of 1.99% on international usage. II. PSB SBI Card Prime: The card, in partnership with Punjab & Sind Bank, offers a welcome e-gift voucher worth 3,000. You can spend linked gift vouchers worth 11,000. There are 10 reward points per 100 spent on dining, groceries, departmental stores and movies. III. UCO Bank SBI Card Prime: This card offers a welcome e-gift voucher worth 3,000 on joining, 10 reward points per 100 spent on dining, groceries, departmental stores and movies. IV. Central Bank of India SBI Card ELITE: This credit card offers a welcome e-gift voucher worth 5,000 on joining. You can also get free movie tickets worth 6,000 every year. You can earn up to 50,000 bonus reward points worth 12,500/ year, reveals the SBI Card website. V. City Union Bank SBI Card ELITE: This card offers an e-gift voucher worth 3,000 on joining. You are also entitled to receive 10 reward points per 100 spent on dining, groceries, departmental stores and movies, as revealed on SBI Card's website. There is complimentary access to international and domestic airport lounges. New Delhi: Interim cash subsidies will help ease the impact of US tariffs on Indias export-dependent small businesses, as credit support alone may not be enough for these entities amid uncertain market conditions, said Nirmal K. Minda, executive chairman of UNO Minda Group and the newly-appointed president of industry body Assocham. Till the tariff-related uncertainty wanes, the government should consider interim benefits to businesses, which are dependent on exports, particularly micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), said Minda in an interview. Small businesses employ a lot of labour, a fixed cost, but face revenue loss. Government should give cash incentives to cushion the revenue loss from exports for a specified period, say a few months, going by their export track record and the latest figures," said Minda, emphasising that such a scheme should be easy to access for businesses. Exporters are finding their own solution to the tariff shock, including by diversifying their markets, he said. India is currently negotiating a trade deal with the US to lower the steep 50% tariff, half of which is for importing Russian crude, imposed on Indian goods. Minda said that for India to attract investments on a sustained basis and to scale up industrial capacity, the country could adopt some of Chinas good practices. For example, offering land to businesses free or at nominal cost, infrastructure linkages and offering plug-and-play facilities will make it easy for businesses. Incentivising export-focused research and development will also help," said Minda. Also Read | Wearable brands turn to premium products and exports as India sales slow The industry body is pitching for incentives, given that MSMEs account for about 45% of Indias merchandise exports and are a key segment of the economy. Minda said that most MSMEs have recovered from the impact of the pandemic, but tight credit conditions arising from issues around credit-worthiness of a small segment of the sector, pose a challenge. Bank credit to MSMEs expanded significantly after 2020 owing to policy support and government schemes, with credit outstanding rising from about 16.6 trillion around early-2020 to over 22.6 trillion by the end of FY23, indicating strong credit flow during the recovery, though sizeable credit gaps remain," said Minda, quoting figures from the RBI and the central government. While MSMEs contribution in Indias economic output dropped initially after the pandemic, it is now improving, said Minda, who heads the Gurugram-based auto components maker Uno Minda. The contribution of value addition by MSMEs in Indias gross domestic product (GDP), which fell to 27.3% in FY21 from 30.5% in the preceding two years, has recovered to nearly 30% in FY23 and is reported near 30% in 2024-25, Minda, said quoting government figures. Hence, pre-covid level is largely restored," said Minda. Also Read | Your portfolio at risk? See how US tariffs are hurting Indian exporters The sectors share in exports dipped after covid but recovered, Minda said. MSME-related products accounted for nearly 49-50% of exports in 2019-20, fell to about 43-45% in FY22 and FY23 period, and rebounded to 45.7% in FY24, and to 45.8% by May 2024," Minda said referring to figures from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) made available by the government. Export recovery is visible and important for MSME revival," said Minda. At present, investment sentiment varies across sectors, but auto sector is witnessing strong tailwinds, Minda said, adding that the industry body was making an assessment of different sectors on how to reduce import dependence and how to boost exports. The Union Budget for FY27 to be presented on 1 February is likely to reflect the governments response to demands from industry for fiscal support. Air India, Indigo, SpiceJet airlines on Friday, November 7, warned of delays and longer wait times as Delhi airport faced tech glitch, with at least 100 flights delayed in morning at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). Delhi Airport took to X and said, Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. Their team is actively working with all stakeholders, including DIAL, to resolve it at the earliest. Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused. Flight operations at Delhi Airport are experiencing delays due to a technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports Air Traffic Control data. Controllers are processing flight plans manually, leading to some delays. Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all passengers and stakeholders, Airports Authority of India stated. What did airlines say? Air India mentioned a technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is affecting flight operations, resulting into delays and longer wait times at the airport. We regret the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption, which is beyond our control, and appreciate your patience. Our cabin crew and on-ground staff at the airport are extending immediate assistance to reduce passenger inconvenience, it said. Indigo also issued a travel advisory, stating, Flight operations at #Delhi Airport are currently experiencing delays due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. As a result, flight operations at Delhi and several northern regions are impacted. We understand that extended wait times, both on the ground and onboard, may cause inconvenience, and we sincerely appreciate your patience. Please be assured that our crew and ground teams are actively assisting and doing their best to make your wait as smooth as possible." Also Read | Air India bus catches fire near aircraft at Delhi Airport Terminal 3 Video Flight operations at Delhi Airport are currently affected due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. This disruption is impacting flights across Delhi and several northern regions. We sincerely regret the inconvenience this may cause. Our crew and ground teams are assisting passengers and working closely with the authorities to minimize the impact and resume normal operations as soon as possible, SpiceJet stated. IGIA in Delhi, the country's busiest airport, manages over 1,500 flight movements daily. As per PTI, Data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com indicated that flight departures from Delhi Airport were experiencing delays of about 50 minutes. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday confirmed that India is in touch with with the UAE authorities on the case of Major Vikrant Jaitly, the brother of actor Celina Jaitly, who has been detained for more than a year. On the case of Major Vikrant Jaitly, we are in touch with UAE authorities. Our embassy is seized of the matter. We have been making consular visits to him, and we have done so on four occasions, said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. Stating that the government is in close touch with Major Vikram's family, including his wife, Jaiswal added, We are also, as is natural whenever there's an Indian national who needs support, we are offering all possible assistance. On Monday, the Delhi High Court directed the authorities concerned to take steps to provide effective legal representation to Major Vikram. The court also sought a response from the central government on a plea filed by the actor seeking effective legal representation for her brother and directed the government to file its response by December 4, the next date of hearing. The notice was issued to the government on the actor's application, in which she claimed that her brother, Major (Retd.) Vikrant Kumar Jaitly has been residing in the UAE since 2016. She said that he was employed with the MATITI Group, which is engaged in trading, consultancy, and risk management services. However, despite the passage of over one year, the Union Ministry of External Affairs has failed to secure basic information about the actor's brother, including his welfare conditions and legal status, the plea alleged. Also Read | India tightens gold import rules under UAE trade pact During the hearing on Monday, the counsel representing the government submitted that the Indian authorities in the UAE have granted consular access to the detainee. The actor's counsel then submitted that despite several attempts, she was unable to communicate with her brother. Thereafter, the judge directed the authorities to make attempts to ensure that contact between the actress and her brother is facilitated, in addition to ensuring contact between him and his wife. Nightmare for me, says Celina Jaitly Speaking to ANI after Delhi High Court's direction, Celina Jaitly said that it has been a nightmare for her for a year and she was very grateful for the judgment. Over 100 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport on Friday morning after a technical glitch affected the air traffic control (ATC) system at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). Stay tuned for Delhi Airport tech glitch LIVE updates. "Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. Their team is actively working with all stakeholders including DIAL to resolve it at the earliest," said the Delhi airport in a statement. Airport authorities also advised passengers to stay in touch with their airlines for the latest flight updates. Major carriers such as Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet have responded to the glitch, and have instructed their crews to assist passengers affected by the glitch. As authorities work to get systems back up, follow this space for live updates. The Airports Authority of India on late Friday announced that the technical issue at the Delhi Airport, which caused hundreds of flight delays across India was resolved. In a post on X, the AAI provided a detailed note of the incident, adding that there may still be Delhi Airport flight delays due to some backlogs. The AMSS systems are up and functional now. Due to some backlogs, there may be some delays in the normal functioning of automated operations, but the situation will be normal soon, the AAI said. Hundreds of flights at the Delhi Airport were delayed and thousands of passengers were affected since Friday morning as a technical issue continued to haunt the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) of the Air Traffic Control (ATC). AAI at Indira Gandhi International Airport addressed a technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which caused delays in processing flight plan messages. The issue was detected on November 6, 2025, in the IP-based AMSS system, the Airports Authority said. Immediately, the review meeting was conducted by the Secretary, MoCA, with Chairman AAI, Member ANS, and other officials, and necessary directions were given to address the issues, it added. The AAI noted that necessary measures were taken to mitigate the effect of the glitch at the Delhi Airport. The OEM was engaged, and additional staff were deployed to manually process Flight Plans for the Air Traffic Control system to ensure uninterrupted and safe air traffic operations immediately. A team of ECIL officials and AAI personnel is still on site, it said. The Delhi Airport news came several hours after the technical glitch was reported on November 6. Delhi Airport news: 800+ flights delayed Top points As the Airports Authority of India gave the latest update on Delhi Airport, over 800 flights were delayed due to the technical glitch that affected the ATC, PTI reported quoting sources. Both domestic and international flights were facing delays, sending the country's busiest airport into chaos as people panicked and experts continued to find out solutions. All airlines across the Delhi Airport were affected as a result of the technical glitch at the Delhi Airport. All airline operations at Delhi Airport are currently delayed. Concerned authorities are working on resolving the issue at the earliest, Delhi Aiport operator DIAL said in a statement on X, which was last posted at 8:12 pm. IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet, Akasa Air as well as international flights including British Airways and Lufthansa were faced with delays at the Delhi Airport as authorities worked on priority to resolve the issue. The airlines issued advisories, regretting the incident and urging passengers to check their flight schedule regularly to stay updated. The AMSS failure at Delhi Airport spilled over to other airports across the country as well. Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Varanasi, and other major international airports saw delays in flights as journeys originating from the IGI Airport did not stay on schedule. Mumbai Airport issued an advisory regarding the delays, but quickly removed the post. Mumbai Airport's deleted advisory According to a report by News18, at least 15 flights in Jaipur were delayed due to the Delhi Airport issue. The airport posted an advisory on X and urged passengers to connect with their respective airlines to get updated on their flight schedule. Lucknow Airport also issued a similar advisory. Also Read | Airlines warn of delays, longer wait times as Delhi airport faces tech glitch Hours after airlines notified passengers about delays at Delhi Airport due to technical issues on November 7, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai, also issued a passenger advisory regarding impact of the disruption. In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the official Mumbai Airport account had notified, Flight Operations at Mumbai Airport have been affected by a technical issue impacting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) at Delhi, which supports Air Traffic Control flight planning. The concerned authorities are actively working to resolve the issue at the earliest. As a result, airline operations may experience delays. Passengers are advised to connect with their respective airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules. We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and cooperation, the notice stated. As of time of update, at 5.40 pm on November 7, 2025, the post has been deleted. Are Jaipur flights also delayed? According to a report by News18, at least 15 flights at Jaipur Airport have been delayed due to glitch at Delhi Airport. Jaipur Airport in a post on X, updated passengers on the status, saying that flights have been affected by the AMSS technical issue at Delhi airport, and that concerned authorities are actively working to resolve the issue. It further advised passengers to connect with their airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules. View full Image At least15 flights at Jaipur Airport have been delayed due to glitch at Delhi Airport, as per a News18 report. ( Jaipur International Airport via X ) Also Read | How much India's richest man Mukesh Ambani donated in FY25 and where What is the status at Delhi airport? Key highlights Delhi Airport, among the busiest airports in India, today reported a technical glitch that has impacted more than 300 flights were delayed and stranded thousands of passengers. Delhi Airport in a post on X wrote, Flight operations at Delhi Airport has been disrupted due to an ongoing technical issue with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that supports Air Traffic Control flight planning process. It did not give a timeline for when operations will resume, but assured that concerned authorities are working to resolve the issue on priority. Meanwhile, flight operators scrambled for solutions as the massive chaos began delaying flights at other airports too. Major names such as Air India, Akasa Air, Indigo and SpiceJet all have issued advisories on the matter. Officials are working to fix the AMSS system that has delayed departures for dozens of flights by over 30 minutes. Delhi airport caters to lakhs of passengers daily. A Delhi court will deliver its order on November 29 regarding the cognisance of the chargesheet filed in the National Herald money laundering case. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju on Friday provided the court with the final clarifications. The court had earlier reserved its order in July and has since sought multiple clarifications from the Enforcement Directorate. Also Read | National Herald case very strange, Sonia Gandhi in court The ED has accused Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, late party leaders Motilal Vora and Oscar Fernandes, as well as Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and a private company, Young Indian, of conspiracy and money laundering over the alleged fraudulent takeover of 2,000 crore worth properties belonging to Associated Journals Limited (AJL), which published the National Herald newspaper. The agency alleges that the Gandhis held the majority 76 per cent shares in Young Indian, which allegedly fraudulently usurped the assets of AJL in exchange for a 90 crore loan. The chargesheet names Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, Pitroda, Dubey, Sunil Bhandari, Young Indian and Dotex Merchandise Pvt Ltd. About National Herald The National Herald newspaper was established in 1938 by Jawaharlal Nehru and other freedom fighters to represent the views of the liberal faction within the Indian National Congress. Published by Associated Journals Limited (AJL), the paper became the Congress partys voice after Independence. AJL also brought out two other newspapers, one in Hindi and another in Urdu. In 2008, the National Herald ceased operations, burdened with debts exceeding 90 crore. Earlier in April, the ED began the process of taking possession of immovable assets worth 661 crore connected to the National Herald and its publisher, AJL. The Congress party has strongly criticised the action, describing it as baseless and motivated by political vendetta. The Congress party has strongly criticised the action, describing it as 'baseless' and motivated by 'political vendetta.' According to the ED, notices were issued to property registrars in Delhi, Mumbai, and Lucknow, instructing them to seize AJL assets under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Similar notices were also displayed at major AJL properties, including Herald House in Delhi and buildings in Mumbai and Lucknow. (With inputs from agencies) As the political slugfest in Maharashtra continues over the Koregaon Park land deal in Pune involving Ajit Pawar's son, Parth, the Deputy Chief Minister claimed on Friday that his son was not aware that the land in question was government land. A 40-acre plot in the upscale Mundhwa area was purchased by the firm, in which Parth Pawar is a partner, for 300 crore. Additionally, the requisite stamp duty, reportedly amounting to 21 crore, was also waived. However, in a damage control exercise, Ajit Pawar, who is also the state's finance minister, stated that his son, Parth, was not aware that the land purchased by his firm in Pune belonged to the government. He informed that the 300 crore land deal, which the opposition claims was worth 1800 crore, has now been cancelled. Pawar, whose Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is part of the BJP-led ruling coalition in the state, stated that the authorities were not pressurised to transfer the land to Parth Pawar's company (Amadea Enterprises LLP). Also Read | Ajit Pawar opens up after CM orders probe into land deal linked to son Parth What did Ajit Pawar say? The land concerned is government land, which cannot be sold. Parth and his partner Digvijay Patil were not aware of this fact, claimed Pawar. The Deputy CM added that once the probe is completed, it will be known how the registration was done and who is responsible. Probe into the Pune land deal should be conducted in an impartial manner, without political interference, said Pawar. 'If anyone commits wrongdoing': Devendra Fadnavis warns As opposition parties continue to raise the issue and target the ruling dispensation, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis warned that if anyone commits wrongdoing, this government will never shield them. If new names or links emerge during the investigation, action will be taken against them as well, said Fadnavis. The CM stated that action will be taken against whoever is found guilty. "This government does not protect anyone, nor does it hide anything. High-level committee formed A high-level committee, headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Vikas Kharge, has been formed. The committee, which will also include the District Collector of Pune, is expected to submit its report within 30 days and provide recommendations for corrective measures. Also Read | Maharashtra becomes first state to team up with Elon Musk's Starlink Opposition demands action Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said that a case has been registered against individuals associated with this agreement, but action should also be taken against the original owner of the company. He also demanded action against the Revenue Department and the Directorate of Industries in connection with this agreement. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve questioned the source of the company's 300 crore for land purchase. Where and how does that company bring in 300 crores for land purchase, and what is the source of this company's 300 crores? Danve also asked Devendra Fadnavis why a decision had not been made on Ajit Pawar's resignation, given his emphasis on ethics and transparent governance. SIR in West Bengal 2025: If you are a voter and plan to vote in the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026, you must remember that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025 of the electoral roll has already started in the state. The Election Commission of India (ECI) kicked off the SIR 2025 process in West Bengal earlier this month. As part of the SIR in West Bengal, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are going door-to-door to distribute voter enumeration forms, which the EC can use to verify a voter's details. Over two crore enumeration forms have been distributed by booth-level officers in West Bengal since the beginning of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on 4 November, an official said on Thursday. Here is everything you need to know about voter enumeration forms, how to fill them out, and why they are important for West Bengal SIR 2025. What is an enumeration form? An enumeration form is a document that is used to create an official list of people, items, or data. In the West Bengal SIR 2025, an enumeration form will be used to make the list of eligible voters who can cast their ballots in the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026. Around 7.66 crore enumeration forms have been prepared, and each voter will receive two copies: one to retain with a stamped acknowledgement and one for the Election Commission's records. How do I get an enumeration form for myself in West Bengal SIR? Amid the ongoing West Bengal SIR, BLOs, accompanied in most cases by booth-level agents (BLA) of political parties, will visit your home to distribute and collect the enumeration form. You can also get your own enumeration form online on the official website of the ECI. Also Read | SIR electoral roll revision commences in West Bengal amid political tussle What is the purpose of an enumeration form? The enumeration form will ensure that you are an eligible voter, and will be used to create the official voter list as part of the West Bengal SIR 2025. If your voter details match, you will be able to vote in the upcoming elections. What will the BLO do? The BLO will visit your home to update your voter information. You can expect a BLO to visit you between 4 November and 4 December 2025 and provide you with prefilled voter enumeration forms in two copies. They will also guide you through the process of filling out the form. The BLOs will also be responsible for collecting the enumeration form and providing you with an acknowledgement receipt. Can I get an enumeration form online? Yes. You can access your enumeration form online at the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengals official portal https://ceowestbengal.wb.gov.in. You can also access the forms via the ECINET mobile app. I cannot access the enumeration form online. What do I do now? If you cannot access your enumeration form online, you can wait for the BLO to come and fill the form offline. You can also contact your BLO, whose information is available on the ECI website. The website also has an option to book an appointment with your BLO. How to fill the enumeration form for West Bengal SIR 2025? There will be some pre-filled details on the enumeration form, including your Name, EPIC number, address, Assembly and Lok Sabha constituency name and number, part number, serial number, state name, a unique QR code and existing voter photo. You will need to verify these details and fill in your date of birth, mobile number, parents'/spouse's name, and attach a photograph. What documents should you keep ready for West Bengal SIR? To fill the enumeration form, you will need the latest passport-size photographs and your EPIC number. Aadhaar card and the 2002 electoral roll reference (if your or your parents or grandparents names appear on it) are also required. What is an EPIC number? An EPIC number is a 10-digit unique identification number assigned by the Election Commission of India to each registered voter. It serves as proof of a voter's registration. The Supreme Court on 7 November directed all states, Union Territories, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and civic bodies to remove stray cattle and dogs from roads and public spaces. In sweeping directions, the apex court ordered the removal of stray cattle from national and state highways, as well as other roads, according to LiveLaw. A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria issued the order in a suo motu case concerning stray dogs. What did the court say? The court instructed States and UTs to form dedicated highway patrol teams to catch stray cattle and shift them to shelter homes, where they will be properly cared for. All stray dogs will also be removed from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, bus stands, railway stations, and other similar areas and relocated to dog shelters. The animals must be relocated to goshalas or shelter homes, the report noted. The top court also ordered that stray dogs should not be released to the same spot from which they were picked up. Permitting the same would frustrate the very purpose of liberating such institutions from the presence of stray dogs, the court stated. The court instructed local authorities to conduct regular inspections to ensure that no stray dog habitats are present on such premises. The concerned local self-government bodies will be responsible for capturing stray dogs from such areas or institutions and relocating them to designated shelters, following vaccination and sterilisation as per the Animal Birth Control Rules, the report mentioned. A joint coordinated drive shall be undertaken to immediately remove all such animals found on highways/roadways/expressways, including cattle. Chief Secretaries of all states/UTs shall ensure strict compliance with this. Otherwise, officers will be held personally responsible. Status to be filed in 8 weeks, indicating mechanism developed to carry out directions, LiveLaw quoted the court as saying. According to PTI, the next hearing in the stray dogs case is scheduled for 13 January. On 3 November, the Supreme Court said that it would issue interim directions to address the grave menace of dog bites in institutional areas, particularly where employees feed and encourage stray dogs. The court was hearing a suo motu case that began on 28 July, following a media report highlighting incidents of stray dog bites leading to rabies, especially among children, in the national capital, according to a PTI report. The Supreme Court issued a notice on Friday to the Centre and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in response to the Air India pilot's father's plea for a judicial inquiry into the Ahmedabad plane crash. The pilot is not to be blamed, you should not carry the burden on yourself, the top court told the 91-year-old father of the pilot killed, along with 250 people, in a plane crash on 12 June, news agency PTI reported. The Court order came in response to a petition by Pushkaraj Sabharwal, whose son, Sumeet Sabharwal, served as the pilot-in-command of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has also filed a petition with the same demand. A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi told senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for petitioner Pushkaraj Sabharwal that the family should not bear the burden of any perceived insinuation. This is an extremely unfortunate accident. But you should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed. We can always clarify that nobody and especially the pilot cannot be blamed for the tragedy, the bench said, according to legal news website LiveLaw The petitioners approached the court after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)released its preliminary report in July, stating that fuel supply to both engines was cut off shortly after takeoff. The two fuel control switches were moved to the cutoff position in quick succession. Although the switches were turned back on about 10 seconds later, the engines had already flamed out, leading to the crash, the report said. Also Read | Air India sends relief flight to Mongolia to bring back 228 stranded passengers The top court told the deceased pilots father that none of the 1.42 crore Indians believe there was any fault with the pilot. The court agreed to take up the petition seeking an independent probe, along with a pending plea by a non-profit, Safety Matters, next week. We are a country of 142 crore people and none of them believes the blame has to go to the pilot. Whatever could be the reason of the tragedy, it is not the pilots, the court said. The cost of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis, or meals, declined year-on-year in October, offering respite to households. According to the Crisil Roti Rice Rate (RRR), the average cost of a home-cooked vegetarian meal dropped by 17%, while the non-vegetarian meal cost fell 12%, driven by lower prices of vegetables and pulses. The RRR calculates the average cost of preparing a typical home-cooked meal based on prevailing input prices across north, south, east, and west India. The monthly movement in prices reflects its impact on household expenditure. Ingredients tracked include cereals, pulses, broilers, vegetables, spices, edible oil and cooking gas. Also Read | Affordability first: Swiggy bets on new initiatives for food delivery growth In October, the cost of vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis declined 17% and 12%, respectively, year-on year basis as vegetables and pulses turned cheaper, said Pushan Sharma, director, Crisil Intelligence. According to the report, the decline in the cost of the vegetarian thali was led by a sharp drop in prices of vegetables such as potato, tomato, onion and pulses. Potato prices slid 31% on a high base as production in rabi season 2024-25 rose 3-4%, while tomato prices fell 40% year-on-year on the back of higher supplies from western and southern markets. Also, onion plummeted 51% on account of higher stock availability from the previous rabi season and subdued exports. Traders have been offloading the rabi season stocks in anticipation of fresh kharif arrivals in November. Further, prices of pulses fell 17% as imports of Bengal gram, yellow pea, and black gram surged. Also Read | A path to beauty through smells, imagined tastes has many takers Compared to vegetarian thali, the cost of a non-vegetarian thali fell relatively modestly because broiler chicken prices fell only 6%. Broilers account for about half of the thali cost. The lower prices of vegetables and pulses, however, helped bring down the overall cost. On the other hand, vegetable oil prices darted up 11% year-on-year owing to higher demand during the festival season. Also, a 6% increase in the price of LPG cylinder limited a further decline in the overall cost of thalis. On a month-on-month basis, the cost of the vegetarian thali fell only 1% in October, while that of non-vegetarian thali witnessed a 3% decline. Onion and tomato prices slipped 3% and 8% month-on-month, respectively, helping lower the overall cost of thalis, while prices of other inputs remained largely stable. The decline in the non-vegetarian thali cost was on account of an estimated 4% month-on-month drop in broiler chicken prices amid oversupply. Looking ahead, Sharma said potato prices are expected to remain firm in November because of low supplies of the early rabi crop, but may ease after cold storages release their stocks by mid-December. Also, tomato prices are likely to stay soft amid continued kharif arrivals. Prices of pulses may inch up in the near term, reflecting the impact of excess rainfall on kharif yields and the recent imposition of a 30% import duty on yellow pea. Should the government extend import duties to other pulses, prices could witness a steeper rise, Sharma added. YouTuber Tyler Oliveira who claimed to have participated in Indias Poop-Throwing Festival this year recently dropped an update about his decision over the release of a documentary. Suggesting that he decided against the release of the planned video, he said that he was threatened by thousands of Indians over the past 2 weeks shortly after releasing teasers of the Gorehabba cow-dung festival. He penned a long note on November 7, describing the reasons why he decided to cancel the release of his documentary. In a post on X, he wrote, After much consideration, I have decided I will NOT be releasing my documentary capturing Indias poop-throwing festivalI have been doxxed, and threatened by thousands of Indians over the last 2 weeks. Asserting that participation in the poop-festival was the worst decision of his life, he said, I severely underestimated the power of India. According to the YouTuber, backlash and threats forced him to call off his documentary's release. He said that he was not the only one who was targeted with threats after the teaser release, even his family was attacked in ways I never could have imagined. Mentioning that he decided to choose his own battles and This one simply isnt worth it, he alleged that he did not want to offend Indians nor their religion or culture with his latest video. I just wanted to participate in this unusual poop-throwing festival and share it for the world to see, he added. Concluding the post, he wrote, I ask that all Indians reading this please leave my family alone." In one of the video clips shared on X on October 23, Tyler Oliveira can be seen participating in the festival. In another video, he can be seen walking through the streets, smeared in cow dung. Althouse these videos have been made private but can still be accessed. What is Gorehabba festival? Notably, the Gorehabba festivities take place after Diwali in Gumatapura village of Karnataka. The festivities are a part of local tradition associated with worship of a local deity. It is believed that village deity Beereshwara Swamy was born in cow dung. To honour and celebrate the occasion, devotees playfully throw and smear cow dung on each other as a part of a local ritual. Passengers across America have been left in the lurch as the US airlines have begun to cancel flights after a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order mandated significant flight reductions amid the ongoing government shutdown, leaving them with no option but to cancel travel plans. The FAA has ordered US airlines to reduce the number of flights, effective Friday. However, the reductions dont apply to international flights. Out of 25,375 flights scheduled for Friday, fewer than 3% have been cancelled, reported Bloomberg, quoting data compiled by aviation analytics company Cirium. How many flights were cancelled today? So far, four airlines have reportedly cancelled 700-plus flights. Delta Air Lines said it would scratch roughly 170 flights on Friday, and American Airlines planned to cut 220 a day through Monday, according to NPR. United Airlines stated that between Friday and Sunday, it will cancel about 510 flights. Which airlines are the most affected? American Airlines and United Airlines are the most affected, with Colorado and Texas routes reporting the highest cancellations. Which airports will be affected? New York's LaGuardia, Newark, and John F. Kennedy, as well as Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Miami, and Boston Logan International, are among the 40 airports set to face the impact. How will the flight cuts take place? Government officials have informed carriers that flight reductions will start this week. The reductions are expected to be phased in, starting with 4% cuts to flight volumes on Friday and building to 10% sometime next week. However, the discussions are fluid and plans could still change. What does the FAA order say? The FAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation have ordered airlines to reduce 10% of their flight capacity. The flight cuts order for domestic operations will take place in a phased manner. On Friday, airlines have been asked to reduce their total daily flights by 4%, 6% on Tuesday, 8% on Thursday, and 10% by the following Friday. The FAA has expressed concern about the systems ability to maintain the current volume of operations, given the unpredictable staffing shortages. View full Image NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - NOVEMBER 6: A couple checks the timetable showing delays at Newark Liberty International Airport on November 6, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. ( Getty Images via AFP ) Passengers concerned Passengers are concerned about their travel plans. Some passengers told USA Today that they were anxious but hopeful they would get home. Im concerned about Monday, Sister Carol Weaver from Connecticut told the news outlet about her return flight. She added that she didn't want to be stranded at the airport due to her medical issues and hoped that there would be some progress in the situation. Travel will be unaffected, says American Air In a statement, American Airlines said that it expects the vast majority of its customers travel will be unaffected, and long-haul international travel will remain as scheduled. As schedule changes are made, well proactively reach out to customers who are impacted. Also Read | Louisville plane crash: Black box found from wreckage of UPS cargo plane Delta announces reduction in flights Delta Airlines informed passengers that all planned FAA-directed flight cancellations for 7 and 8 November have been completed. Delta is temporarily reducing flights at 40 US airports to comply with federal directives. Well work to give customers as much notice as possible about any changes to their flights and are offering flexible options to change, cancel or refund flights to, from or through the impacted marketsincluding Delta Main Basicwithout penalty if travelling during this period, said Delta in a post on X. View full Image Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. ( AFP ) Southwest airline cancels flights Southwest Airlines said that it will start with 4% reduction in flying across 34 of the more than 117 airports it operates from 7 November. Southwest Airlines is taking steps to thoughtfully make the required scheduling adjustments in a way that minimises the disruption for our customers while complying with the FAAs order, reported 8News, quoting a statement from Southwest Airlines. Emotional and financial toll A Bloomberg report noted that over 13,000 controllers have been forced to work without pay, taking an emotional and financial toll. How long will the flight cancellation last? Cornell University has struck a $60 million agreement with the Trump administration that will restore more than $250 million in frozen federal research funding and bring an end to months of government investigations into alleged civil rights violations at the Ivy League institution. The deal, announced Friday, requires Cornell to formally adopt the administrations interpretation of civil rights law while paying both a direct financial penalty and investing in new agricultural research. The agreement with Cornell is the fifth that the Trump administration has announced since early July in connection with its pressure campaign against top schools. Also Read | Michael Bloomberg: Keep AI out of schools until it proves it can help students The White House previously reached financial settlements with other Ivy League universities, including Columbia University and Brown University, though a recent agreement with the University of Virginia did not include a financial component. Unlike Columbia and UVAs deals, Cornell will not be subject to an independent monitor ensuring compliance. What does the Cornell-Trump agreement include? Under the terms confirmed by university and government officials, Cornell will pay $30 million directly to the US government and allocate another $30 million toward research programmes supporting American farmers. This investment aligns with the universitys long-standing role as a land-grant institution with major agricultural research commitments. The university has also agreed to provide the federal government with anonymized undergraduate admissions data. That data, the agreement says, will be subjected to a comprehensive audit by the United States. Cornell will also conduct annual surveys to evaluate the campus climate for Cornell students, including the climate for students with shared Jewish ancestry, the agreement says, among other provisions. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff framed the agreement as a restoration of academic stability while protecting institutional principles. This agreement revives that partnership, while affirming the universitys commitment to the principles of academic freedom, independence, and institutional autonomy that, from our founding, have been integral to our excellence, Kotlikoff said in a statement. In return, the federal government is expected to immediately restore all terminated federal funding and close all pending civil rights and other investigations into the school. Why was Cornell under investigation? The US government escalated scrutiny of Cornell earlier this year following accusations of antisemitism, racial discrimination, and bias in admissions practices. In April, federal authorities froze planned research grants, issuing dozens of stop-work orders. The move jeopardised vital research projects and placed severe financial strain on the university. Internal communications from Cornell leadership revealed growing alarm over budget pressures. Administrators warned that emergency internal funding measures were not sustainable and acknowledged the possibility of staff layoffs and programme cuts if external funding was not restored. The university had also been weighing the issuance of approximately $1 billion in bonds to stabilise operations. How does this affect research and staffing at Cornell? The reinstatement of federal funding is expected to relieve immediate fiscal pressures. More than $250 million in research projects at Cornell Universitymany tied to national science, climate, and agricultural initiativesare now expected to resume. However, university leaders have indicated that a comprehensive review of staffing and spending will continue, suggesting that structural cost adjustments are still under consideration. What does this mean for civil rights enforcement at universities? To secure the restoration of funds, Cornell agreed to adopt the Trump administrations legal interpretation of civil rights law, marking a notable shift in policy compliance for a major university. This interpretation places increased emphasis on how institutions monitor and respond to discrimination allegations. The White House touted the agreement as a major win. President Trump has once again delivered a major win for American students with this Cornell University deal, White House spokesperson Liz Huston said. US President Donald Trump has publicly relished positioning New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a foil, labelling him a communist, mocking the name of the first Muslim and South Asian to lead America's largest city, and threatening to cut federal funding for New York City. According to a report by The New York Times, Trump has also claimed that he is much better looking than the 34-year-old Mamdani. But privately, the US President has referred to Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York City, as a talented politician, calling him slick and a good talker, according to two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity to the NYT. Despite the grudging praise, the two appear set for a confrontation, with the young democratic socialist facing a president who has already treated him as a convenient foil. Just hours after Mamdani's unexpected victory, Trump called Democrats crazy and said Mamdani was crazy, or whatever the hell his name is. Enemies with benefits In his victory speech, Mamdani said, Donald Trump, since I know you're watching, I have four words for you turn the volume up! drawing huge cheers from the crowd. Trump and Mamdani share, at least in part, an enemies with benefits dynamic. Also Read | Trump to help Mamdani, wants New York to be successful During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani used Trump as a bogeyman, accusing him of fascism and likening the billionaire developer to landlords he claims are exploiting New Yorkers. He has also smartly framed himself as part of the resistance against a president who has stretched his power to the limits and deployed the National Guard in Democrat-run cities. At his victory rally, Mamdani declared, To get to any of us, you will have to go through all of us. As Republicans nursed their wounds from defeats in New York, Virginia and New Jersey, Trump said in a speech in Miami on Wednesday that Americans now faced a choice between communism and common sense. Trump also blew a dog whistle to the hard right. Mandami, whatever the hell his name is, Trump said in the same speech -- deliberately mispronouncing Ugandan-born Mamdani's surname in the same way he did with his 2024 election rival Kamala Harris. Trump threatens AGAIN? Trump has repeatedly threatened to target New York, his cherished home city, federally, similar to his previous threats against Los Angeles and Chicago. If he is a communist, there's not going to be a lot of activity, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. So you wouldn't need bridges and tunnels and all the different things that were being planned for New York. Some allies, meanwhile, fear Trump could be playing with fire by focusing on a man whose rise was propelled by the affordability crisis that is now hurting Republicans in the polls, AFP reported. "There should be flashing red lights all over" for Trump, former White House strategy guru Steve Bannon told Politico. People better understand they have a fight on their hands. This guy is a serious guy. New York City, which has the largest Jewish population outside Israel, has raised concerns over Mamdanis stance, as he has faced criticism for his reluctance to condemn the phrase globalise the Intifada and for not explicitly recognising Israels right to exist as a Jewish state. Amid rising antisemitic incidents in the city, community leaders have voiced their worries. The mayor-elect, however, has condemned antisemitic violence and pledged to protect the Jewish community. Amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on H-1B visas to protect American jobs, the administration has launched an investigation into 175 potential abuses of the visa programme. The Department of Labor (DOL) launched Project Firewall in September after Trump signed a proclamation that imposed a $100,000 one-time fee on H-1B visa petitions, to look into potential abuse to protect American jobs, reported Fox News. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer told the news outlet that the Labor Department is using every resource currently at its disposal to put a stop to H-1B visa abuse. However, the labor department did not provide other details related to investigations. "For the first time, I am personally certifying investigations into suspected violations to better protect American jobs, Chavez-DeRemer said. Meanwhile, in a post on X, Chavez-DeRemer stated that DOL is using every resource at its disposal to put a stop to H-1B abuse and protect US jobs. Under the leadership of @POTUS, well continue to invest in our workforce and ensure high-skilled job opportunities go to American Workers FIRST!, she added. On 19 September, the Trump administration imposed a new $100,000 fee (approximately 88 lakh) on new H-1B petitions, which companies pay to sponsor applicants. The proclamation announced restriction on entry of certain nonimmigrant workers. Later, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified that the USD 100,000 fee will not apply to applicants seeking a change of status or 'extension of stay'. However, the move also prompted legal action by unions, employers and religious organisations in a federal court in California. The White House had said that the share of IT workers in the H-1B programme grew from 32% in fiscal year 2003 to an average of over 65% in the last five fiscal years and claimed that some of the most prolific H-1B employers were consistently IT outsourcing companies. Who gets the exceptions? As per USCIS, in an extraordinarily rare circumstance, security exceptions to the $100,000 are granted where the Secretary of Homeland Security determines the purpose. The exception is granted if: A particular alien workers presence in the United States as an H-1B worker is in the national interest No American worker is available to fill the role The alien worker does not pose a threat to the security or welfare of the United States Requiring the petitioning employer to make the payment on the alien's behalf would significantly undermine the interests of the United States. Also Read | US accuses past leaders of stealing American Dream, mentions India in new video According to the USCIS, Indians comprise an estimated 71% of all approved H-1B applications in recent years. Last month, Warren Harris, the CEO and Managing Director of Tata Technologies, had said that the fee hike has no short-term impact on the firm. SNAP benefit update: Just three days ago, US President Donald Trump hinted that he would not provide food aid to Americans until govt shutdown ends. However, a federal judge ordered the administration to fund SNAP benefits for November, saying 16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry. SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, which reaches 42 million Americans, were suddenly cut amid the shutdown. However, as the US government shutdown drags on, breaking the record of shutdown in Trump's first term, people across the country are queuing for free meals and groceries. In response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit, John J. McConnell Jr, a federal judge in Rhode Island, ordered the administration to make the payments. However, lawyers for the Trump administration filed a motion to appeal. View full Image Workers and volunteers help distribute food boxes to those in need at a large-scale drive-through food distribution, in response to the federal government shutdown and SNAP/CalFresh food benefits delays, on November 5, 2025 in City of Industry, California. ( Getty Images via AFP ) What did the judge say? The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP. They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer, reported AP quoting McConnell's ruling. McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip Novembers benefits entirely because of the federal shutdown. Judge slams administration Coming down harshly on the Trump administration, McConnell said that without SNAP funding for the month of November, 16 million children are immediately at risk of going hungry. This should never happen in America. In fact, its likely that SNAP recipients are hungry as we sit here, he added. View full Image People arrive for a meal during a free community breakfast and food drive to support those affected by recent SNAP benefit reductions and the federal government shutdown, at The Roost, Wednesday, November 5, 2025, in Washington. ( AP ) JD Vance reacts to ruling Terming the ruling as absurd, Vice President JD Vance said that they cant have a federal court telling the president how he has to triage the situation in the midst of a shutdown. "What wed like to do is for the Democrats to open up the government, of course, then we can fund SNAP," Vance said at an unrelated White House event. Will the Trump administration use additional money? Earlier this week, the administration reiterated that it would not use additional money, stating it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program. Long queues for food Last week, AP reported that over 200 more people than usual showed up at the World of Life Christian Fellowship International pantry to choose from pallets of fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, juice, dry goods and prepared sandwiches. US President Donald Trump reiterated his demand to terminate the filibuster once again on Friday. Just say NO (Nuclear Option!). TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!, said Trump in a post on Truth Social. Republicans, Terminate the Filibuster and bring back the American Dream, added the President in another post saying, If you dont do it, the Dems will, and youll never see office again!. Trump also stated that if Republicans kill the filibuster, they sail to Victory for many years to come. If they dont, DISASTER waiting to happen!, Trump claimed. On Wednesday, at a breakfast with Senate Republicans, Trump renewed his calls to end the government shutdown by getting rid of the filibuster and lowering the threshold to 51 votes for legislation. It's time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that's terminate the filibuster, Trump, who made similar demands in his first term, said. Arguing that the votes are not there to change the rules, Majority Leader John Thune said the filibuster makes the Senate the Senate" . He and other Republicans stress that the filibuster has benefited their side when Democrats have power. What is Filibuster? A filibuster is a parliamentary tool that attempts to delay or halt action on most bills unless 60 senators in the 100-member chamber vote to move forward. The earliest filibusters also led to the first demands for what is now called cloture', a method for ending debate and bringing a question to a vote. In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture from two-thirds of senators voting to three-fifths of all senators duly chosen and sworn, or 60 of the 100-member Senate. The filibuster isnt in the Constitution, and it wasnt part of the Founding Fathers vision for the Senate, according to AP. Trump attacks Nancy Pelosi Trump on Friday again attacked Nancy Pelosi, the 85-year-old California Democrat who announced her decision to retire from Congress at the end of her term. Pelosi is also the first woman to serve as Speaker of the US House. Nancy Pelosi, the old and broken political hack who Impeached me twice and lost, is finally calling it quits, said Trump in a post on X. He added that she illegally made a fortune in the Stock Market, ripped off the American Public, and was a disaster for America. I .Flight cuts in the US will begin at 4% on Friday, with the percentage being ramped up to 10% by 14 November, a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order said citing safety concerns about air traffic control amid the ongoing US government shutdown. Since the cuts were announced on Wednesday, airlines spent Thursday scrambling to update their schedules: since then, nearly 700 planned flights have been removed from airline schedules as per aviation disruption tracker FlightAware. The flight cuts are slated to hit 40 airports across the US, including some of the busiest ones such as those near metropolitan areas of New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, and aviation hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, and North Carolina. Also Read | The FAA is slashing flights because of the shutdown. Heres what travelers can expect Which airports are affected? Here are the 40 airports affected by shutdown, as per a list given to airlines, obtained by Associated Press: 1. Anchorage International in Alaska 2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia 3. Boston Logan International in Massachusetts 4. Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland 5. Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina 6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Kentucky 7. Dallas Love Field in Texas 8. Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia 9. Denver International in Colorado 10. Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas 11. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan 12. Newark Liberty International in New Jersey 13. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida 14. Honolulu International in Hawaii 15. Houston Hobby in Texas 16. Washington Dulles International in Virginia 17. George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas 18. Indianapolis International in Indiana 19. John F. Kennedy International in New York 20. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas 21. Los Angeles International in California 22. LaGuardia Airport in New York 23. Orlando International in Florida 24. Chicago Midway International in Illinois 25. Memphis International in Tennessee 26. Miami International in Florida 27. Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota 28. Oakland International in California 29. Ontario International in California 30. Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois 31. Portland International in Oregon 32. Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania 33. Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona 34. San Diego International in California 35. Louisville International in Kentucky 36. Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington 37. San Francisco International in California 38. Salt Lake City International in Utah 39. Teterboro in New Jersey 40. Tampa International in Florida Are international flights affected? The flight cuts are slated to hit only domestic air travel services, and will not affect international flights, reported Reuters. That, however, could be subject to change in the days ahead, reported Bloomberg. What to do if your flight is delayed or cancelled? In case your flight is delayed or cancelled due to the cuts, passengers are advised to rebook using their airline's mobile app or website as soon as possible. Passengers can also reach out to customer care if they need to speak to someone on the phone. That said, re-bookings happen on a first-come-first-serve basis, and flyers should be aware that there could be a crunch in the number of available seats due to the FAA's cuts. The best thing travelers can do is to be as proactive as possible switching to a new flight. When a flight gets canceled, all of a sudden hundreds of passengers need new itineraries. There may only be a handful of seats left on the best flights, and it's a first-come, first-(served) endeavor, Scott Keyes, founder of travel website and flight aggregator Going, told USA TODAY. Can you get a refund if your flight is cancelled? Typically, customers are entitled to a full refund if their flight is cancelled for any reason, including due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, if they choose not to fly on the alternative itinerary provided by their airline. That said, with regard to the present scenario, most airlines havent said passengers will get reimbursed if their flight is cancelled and the company is unable to accommodate them on another flight, Bloomberg reported. Therefore, flyers are urged to pay extra attention when reading the fine print for flight bookings in the coming days. What to know before going to the airport? Given that there could be unexpected changes to airline schedules, flyers are urged to keep a sharp eye on email and website alerts from airlines for notifications on changes to schedules. Passengers are also advised to arrive early at the airport as security checkpoints are getting more strained due to the ongoing shutdown. It is also recommended that flyers use early check-in facilities whenever possible. Also Read | UPS cargo plane crash: Louisville facility owner reports 3 missing employees What have airlines said so far? Since Thursday, various airlines across the US have issued statements and/or advisories for passengers. Listed below are some of the major ones. New Delhi: Soon, farmers in the country will have access to a virtual classroom wherein they can learn best agricultural practices and improve productivity. It will also help improve farmers' access to credit, insurance, and digital marketplaces. As part of the plan, the Union agriculture and farmers' welfare ministry will shortly launch a digital platformVirtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources (VISTAAR)designed to connect farmers in real time with vital agricultural information and services, said two officials aware of the development. The platform is focused on building a more informed, skilled, and empowered farming community. By linking farmers with Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), research institutions, and agri-startups, the digital platform plans to bridge the gap between scientific research and field application. This comes in the backdrop of the agriculture and allied sectors contributing around 18% of Indias Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with around 46% of India's workforce dependent on agriculture. We are working on the modalities and soon VISTAAR would be launched for the farmers. The open and innovative network is designed to increase the incomes of small-scale farmers. This would be done by digitising the social networks that farmers and those who work with them such as scientists, agriculture extension workers, and startups will share knowledge with each other at an unprecedented scale," said the first of the two officials cited earlier, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity. The platform aims to digitally empower farmers by giving them easy access to reliable, real-time agricultural information and services. It helps farmers learn modern farming techniques, make informed decisions, and improve productivity. By integrating weather, soil, market, and research data on one platform, it would promote precision farming, reduce risks, boost income, and support sustainable, technology-driven agriculture across the country. One of the main features of the platform is that it will let experts give personalized agricultural advice to agriculture extension workers and farmers using AI-powered, multilingual tools such as chat systems, mobile apps, and web portals. This will make farm advisories faster, more relevant, and easier to understand, helping extension workers quickly identify and address farmers needs at the field level. With such an interface, extension workers and farmers can ask questions and receive immediate answers in local languages using voice and text across India languages, which will be supported by Bhashini, an AI-powered language translation platform that aims to break down language barriers by providing access to government services and digital content in multiple Indian languages. The responses would include relevant videos and feature farmer innovations. Also Read | Climate change will hurt the richest farmersand the poorest Further, the assistance to the farmers will continually improve with each interaction and from feedback provided by extension workers and farmers, which would ensure future conversations are better tailored to local farming conditions," said the second person. Queries emailed to the ministry of agriculture and farmers' welfare remained unanswered till press time. With more locally-customised advisory, farmers will have the ability to adopt climate-smart farming practices that lead to real productivity and income gains. "The initiative will go a long way in increasing production by skilling farmers and can serve as key inputs for policymaking as well as policy research," said Shweta Saini, chief executive officer, Arcus Policy Research. "The initiative will help farmers by providing real-time, location-specific advisories using digital tools, satellite data, and AI. It will act as a virtual classroom, enabling farmers to learn best practices in crop management, irrigation, and pest control," said a former scientist associated with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). According to the first person, the approach ensures that farmers, regardless of gender, can access the content through various channels such as WhatsApp, Telegram, a standalone app, interactive voice response (IVR), and other social media. Also Read | Centre plans tech-driven mechanism to ensure farm schemes reach every farmer Beyond just extension workers and individual farmers, the platform is likely to empower diverse farmer groups, such as women-led self-help groups and FPOs (Farmer Producer Organization). Once it's operational, we can tap into the network to access and benefit from government programs as well as climate-smart practices," said Puneet Singh Thind, founder and director of Haryana-based Northern Farmers Mega FPO. At the moment, farmers have access to many resources to seek information online, but it is very difficult to ascertain the authenticity of the information. In such a scenario, the open Digital Public Infrastructure for agricultural extension VISTAAR will go a long way in disseminating right information," said Umendra Dutt, executive director of the Kheti Virasat Mission. The organization is engaged in promoting organic farming across India. Blast at Indonesian mosque: As many as 54 people were injured during Friday prayers in capital city Jakarta. The November 7 explosion occurred in a mosque situated inside a school complex, Reuters reported. Shortly after the incident, city police chief Asep Edi Suheri in a televised press conference said that police were investigating the cause of explosion at the site in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. "The initial data we have received indicates that there are approximately 54 individuals affected. Some have minor injuries, some moderate, and some have already been discharged," the city police chief told reporters. Preliminary investigation revealed that several items were found at the blast site, including body vest, firearms and bomb materials indicating links with terrorist activity, as per media reports. Although images of the mosque showed no extensive damage, the injured suffered minor to serious burns. In comments broadcast by Kompas TV, Asep Edi Suheri said, "The initial data we have received indicates that there are approximately 54 individuals affected," Asep told reporters. Informing about the intensity of injuries, he said, Some have minor injuries, some moderate, and some have already been discharged. As authorities tried to determine the cause of the blast, they cordoned off the area and "were processing the crime scene", Asep said. Most of the victims sustained injuries ranging from minor to severe due to glass shards. The cause of the explosions has not yet been determined, but they came from near the mosque's loudspeaker, according to Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri, as reported by AP. Suheri said an anti-bomb squad that was deployed at the scene found toy rifles and a toy gun near the mosque. Police are still investigating the scene to determine the cause of the blasts, Suheri said, and urged against speculation that the incident was an attack before police investigation is completed. Let the authorities work first, Suheri said. We will convey whatever the results are to the public. Moreover, help desks in two hospitals Cempaka Putih Islamic Hospital Jakarta and Yarsi Hospital were set up to assist relatives in finding injured victims. Asep said, "We are still investigating, as this incident just occurred," AFP reported. Ukraine is fighting a rearguard action to prevent Russia gaining its biggest victory in almost two years, an advance that also demonstrates the battlefield challenges facing Vladimir Putins army. More than 300 Russian soldiers have entered the eastern city of Pokrovsk in an intense assault, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told reporters Friday. Ukraine rushed elite special forces groups to the city earlier this week to support regular army units engaged in house-to-house combat against Russian troops. Military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov personally oversaw the operation, according to a Telegram post from the Main Intelligence Directorate, an indicator of the urgency of the situation. The fall of the embattled city in Ukraines Donetsk region would represent the most significant prize for Putin since his military took Avdiivka in February last year. Yet the distance between the two cities is just 30 kilometers , underscoring the slow pace of Russias advance at a massive cost in casualties. With Russias summer offensive drawing to a close and the approaching winter likely to freeze most of the front line for a fourth year, a win in Pokrovsk would be more of a psychological than strategic gain for Russia after months of grinding assaults. The Russian president remains far from achieving his overall war aims as the manpower losses continue to spiral. Russia has been attempting to seize Pokrovsk for more than a year, and fighting intensified since July. Beyond it stand other heavily fortified major cities in the Donetsk region that remain under Ukraines control, including Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. Putin has demanded a Ukrainian withdrawal from the whole of Donetsk region under any agreement for Russia to halt its invasion. He has declared Ukraines Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to be forever part of Russia even as his forces have never fully occupied any of them. US President Donald Trump has urged both sides to accept a ceasefire along existing battle lines to allow for talks on a peace deal, something Zelenskiy accepted but Putin has so far refused. Trump abandoned a planned second summit with Putin, this time in Budapest, after US officials concluded Russia wasnt ready to make substantive changes to its maximalist demands. It is very important for Russia to do their best to seize Pokrovsk, Zelenskiy said. They need to show success to revive that narrative that they are able to seize the entire Donbas and by that prompt Trump to make a deal between him and Putin. Zelenskiy is hard-pressed on both sides. Unlike Putin, whos largely shown indifference to mounting troop losses, he cant afford to hold ground at any cost in lives without risking a public backlash. Yet ceding territory to Russia too easily would hand the Kremlin a propaganda victory that it would use to undermine support among Ukraines allies, on whom Kyiv relies for arms and financial support. Russian military bloggers on Telegram also reported heavy street battles involving small groups of troops fighting to seize control of individual buildings in Pokrovsk. Their claims cant be independently verified. Ukrainian army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said he visited troops in Donetsk region in a Nov. 3 Telegram post. His forces were seeking to relieve Russian pressure on Pokrovsk by forcing them to divert troops to defend against assaults in nearby Dobropillia, he said. Overall, Russia captured 3,386 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in the first 10 months of 2025, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from the DeepState mapping service that cooperates with Ukraines Defense Ministry. Thats 54% more than in the same period of 2024, when Russia took 2,194 sq km. Still, it represents just 3% of the entire territory in eastern and southern Ukraine that Putin has laid claim to, and just 0.6% of the whole of the country that Russia initially sought to conquer when it began the 2022 full-scale invasion. The fighting for Pokrovsk is so intense because whoever controls the city gains an elevated position for launching drones deeper into opposing territory, said Artem Pribylnov, spokesman for Ukraines 155th separate mechanized brigade thats defending the city alongside other units. Pokrovsk is a rail hub that Russia would likely restore to help resupply its forces more quickly from deeper within occupied territory, Pribylnov said. Similar considerations are driving Russian efforts to seize Kupyansk, Lyman and Kostyantynivka, all important local rail hubs, he said. The fighting has devastated Pokrovsk, once an important coal mining center with more than 60,000 people that had declined by August to only about 1,300 residents, according to local authorities. Russia is unlikely to gain a decisive strategic advantage from capturing Pokrovsk because it lacks sufficient additional reserves of troops to make a major breakthrough that would disrupt Ukrainian defenses, according to Mykola Bielieskov, a researcher at Kyivs National Institute for Security Studies. For Ukrainian leaders, though, the loss of the city may have negative strategic consequences for future negotiations and for the perception of Ukraines chances of success, he said. Russias operation in Pokrovsk illustrates its recent military tactics; relentless pressure backed by swarms of attack drones and a willingness to absorb heavy losses in order to gain more ground. Over the past year, the war has changed drastically, Pavlo Palisa, a former top military commander whos now deputy head of Zelenskiys presidential office, said Tuesday on the X platform. There are practically no stable positions, no one can survive in open space under drones, and delivering supplies or evacuating people feels like a special operation in itself, he said. With assistance from Julius Domoney, Volodymyr Verbianyi and Alex Kokcharov . 2025 Bloomberg L.P. In the absence of a dedicated law to regulate fast-evolving artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, some of which impersonate humans and even operate autonomously, Indias new guidelines for AI governance mark a pragmatic step forward. With the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act yet to be implemented and the Digital India Act still pending, the governments techno-legal approach contrasts sharply with rigid regulatory models of the West. It seeks to test corporate compliance while encouraging innovation, urging companies to voluntarily embed safety and accountability into AI design. AI is now seen as pivotal to Indias development goals. According to Niti Aayogs AI for Viksit Bharat report, by 2035, AI could add $1-1.4 trillion to Indias GDP, with productivity gains generating $500-600 billion and innovation contributing another $280-475 billion, plus other yields. An AI foundation is being laid. Apart from the Centres semiconductor thrust, its 10,000-crore IndiaAI Mission aims for AI capacity that covers infrastructure, data, talent and adoption. It plans to deploy over 38,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) through a shared network and has identified 12 firms to develop India-specific language models. The AI Kosha repository hosts local data-sets for innovators to use. AI integration with UPI and the Account Aggregator system are expected to drive financial inclusion through voice-based access, fraud detection and affordable services. Yet, AI remains a double-edged sword. Agentic AI systems capable of reasoning, planning and acting on our behalf are advancing rapidly, but experts warn they may soon surpass humans in research, communication and more, even as deepfake threats grow. Indias AI Governance Guidelines, released this week by the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY), aim to strike a balance between innovation and safety. The framework outlines seven key principles: trust, fairness and equity, human-centric design, responsible innovation, design openness, accountability and safety; and proposes six pillars: infrastructure, capacity building, policy, regulation, institutions and risk mitigation. So far, India has relied on existing laws to address AI misuse. The IT Act of 2000 and its 2021 rules govern online platforms, which, if recently proposed tweaks go through, must monitor GenAI content for labelling and takedowns, deepfakes included. The guidelines acknowledge that the IT Act needs an update. Their drafting panel has recommended that roles be defined across the AI value chain (developer, deployer or user). Also, that the IT Acts safe harbour provisionwhich protects platforms from liability for what people post onlinebe revisited, as it may not apply to AI systems that generate or modify content on their own. Further, as rules under the DPDP Act take shape, key questions remain: Can AI models train on publicly available personal data? How will rules on minimal data and purpose limitation apply? What roles will consent managers and dynamic consent play? Also Read | Act now to keep the most advanced AI models within Indias reach To address such concerns, this weeks guidelines propose a high-level AI governance group involving MeitY and regulators such as RBI, Sebi, Trai and CCI. They also urge the enlisting of various other state agencies to help frame and enforce AI safety and technical standards. All said, the government is hoping for big AI gains with little loss of privacy and public trust. However, if voluntary compliance falls short, we may need a special AI law enacted to make publicly determined norms legally binding. With Donald Trumps coercive policies brazenly trampling the interests of other countries, business leaders have begun to talk about harsh eventualities that once seemed very unlikely. In a post on social media, industrialist Harsh Goenka had his followers imagine the consequences if the US President were to ban India from using Google, Instagram, Facebook or ChatGPT. This is a hypothetical scenario, but a whimsical leader in the White House has made even tail risks worth examining. While Goenka wondered aloud if we had a Plan B, Zohos Sridhar Vembu weighed in, noting that Indias tech dependence went beyond that to operating systems and chips; he advocates a 10-year National Mission for Tech Resilience." Also Read | Super technology: With great tech power comes great regulatory responsibility To be sure, India is a market thats too big to lose, Big Techs interests are not easy for any US leader to brush aside and our relations with the US could yet improve. But then, many assumptions have fallen apart this year and it may thus be prudent to run a broad tech vulnerability scan. This is an apt moment for another reason too: AI looks set to enmesh itself in our lives as a general-purpose technology. And in many fields, AI self-reliance is vital from a strategic perspective. On Election Day, I awoke to no fewer than seven press releases from the National Republican Senatorial Committee tying Democratic Senate candidates to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. It stands to reason. President Donald Trumps job approval ratings are tumbling. Republicans control Congress. The economy is shaky. What better political squirrel to have voters chase than an avowed socialist who wants to raise taxes; has, in the past, appeared hostile to the police and has declined to support Israels right to exist as a Jewish state? This is how Republicans plan to overcome the historic midterm curse of an unpopular president. Zohran Mamdani isnt just another fringe Democrat. Hes the future of their party," Mike Marinella, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOPs campaign arm, told me. His socialist agenda, anti-police rhetoric and radical economic views are now the blueprint House Democrats are stuck defending in the midterms." But the fight over Mamdani, 34, between left and right could pale in comparison to the brewing battle between center-left and far-left. And thats what really matters here, given the national media spotlight that follows every Big Apple mayor. Democratic insiders, embroiled in a tug-of-war over the future of the party and the path back to power in Washington, had been anticipating the previously little-known New York state assemblymans victory in Tuesdays mayoral contest since he won the partys nomination in June. Progressives who favour a bold, liberal populism are pointing to Mamdani as an example of the kind of politics they should embrace to build a movement capable of winning national elections. Mamdani, says Adam Green, cofounder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, has the traits that Democrats should try to replicate, which is having fresh, forward-looking ideas, a shake-up the system vibe and ideas that connect with local voters on pocketbook issues while challenging billionaire power." Pragmatists warn that overreading Mamdanis success in an overwhelmingly blue city would lead to ruin in the battleground states and swing districts the party needs to recapture the House in 2026 and the presidency in 2028. You cant win swing districts by playing politics that work in New York City. Its that simple. Democrats have to decide: Do we want to win?" said Al From, the Democratic operative who led the charge to make the party more competitive after President Ronald Reagan was reelected in a landslide victory in 1984. Froms group, the now-defunct Democratic Leadership Council, propelled President Bill Clinton to the White House in 1992. Democrat Abigail Spanbergers victory in the Virginia governors race will only sharpen the debate over the partys direction. Spanberger is a former congresswoman who, in 2018, flipped a Republican-held suburban swing district anchored in Richmond by positioning herself as a centrist. The former Central Intelligence Agency officer sought the same middle ground in her campaign for governor and won big. This is the way," many pragmatic Democrats are going to say, to borrow the tagline from The Mandalorian. But progressives are nonetheless unimpressed, pointing to Spanbergers weak Republican opponent, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and the benefit of running in a state with a significant federal workforce under constant threat from the Trump administration. The left has been even less impressed with US Representative Mikie Sherrill, another Democrat who flipped a Republican-held suburban district in 2018 and is now New Jerseys governor-elect. The Navy veterans lead over Republican Jack Ciattarelli in public opinion polls had slipped before Election Day, generating some heartburn for her party. Yet Sherrill still won easily, although progressives are as likely to have as much confidence that her type of consensus-oriented politics can excite voters in 2026 and 2028 as centrists have in Mamdanis appeal. Which is to say: not much. Zohran Mamdani and Mikie Sherrill are a study in contrasts that the entire Democratic Party should look to when choosing candidates that have certain traits in 2026 and 2028," Green told me before Election Day. She has no vision and was outflanked by the Republican candidate on working peoples issues while campaigning solely as an anti-Trump candidate." Perhaps surprisingly, Greens beef with Sherrill has less to do with moderation than with meekness. He told me that the manifestation of winning traits can look different in Nevada or New Hampshire or Georgia or anywhere else." Such as? US Representative Jared Golden, a centrist Maine Democrat who he described as a vibrant economic populist." Also Read | What the rise of Mamdani in New York means for Americas Democratic Party Another Democratic operative, one who has been passionate about the partys need to move toward the center and believes the socialist ceiling" in competitive battlegrounds is real," also found something to like in Mamdanis campaign. Mamdani chose one big issue, the cost of living, and built everything around it," WelcomePAC cofounder Liam Kerr told me. He learned to pivot [away from] the unpopular stuff such as policing, Israel and rhetoric that plays on Twitter but bombs with voters." Seen this way, the Democratic Partys problems are less about policy and more about finding candidates who are charismatic and fresh-faced. At some point, however, Democrats collectively are going to have to come together on at least some critical policy choices. Within the party, there are real disagreements on cultural issues like transgender rights; public safety issues like border security; foreign policy issues like the US-Israel alliance and fiscal issues like whether to raise taxes, and if so, on whom. Style matters. But so does substance. Bloomberg The author is a Bloomberg columnist covering politics and policy. Tesla's Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is in the limelight after the company's shareholders approved a $1 trillion compensation package for the 54-year-old entrepreneur. At this time, Elon Musk's video is doing the rounds in which he predicted that AI is going to rule the world in the long run. The Space X founder said that AI is going to rule the world if artificial intelligence vastly exceeds the sum of human intelligence. He made this statement in response to the longstanding concern over AI's rapid advancement and its capabilities in the backdrop of role of money in power dynamics. He said this in response to the question, Even today, you've mentioned that in a scarcity world the role of money could diminish or become obsolete. Given how much of today's power, including yours is tied to wealth. Do you think achieving this abundance would require powerful people to relinquish their powers? And might we address the resistance from those who hold power to make this vision a reality. If artificial intelligence vastly exceeds. Suggesting that AI could surpass human intelligence, Elon Musk said: Well I mean actually long term the AI is going to be charged to be totally frank, not humans. Making a striking prediction about the future of artificial intelligence, he added, "If artificial intelligence vastly exceeds the sum of human intelligence it's difficult to imagine that any humans actually be in charge. So we just need to make sure AI is friendly." This follows the remarks he made about AI few months ago, in September, when he said that AI could surpass any single human in intelligence as soon as next year. He also predicted that AI could potentially become smarter than all humans combined by 2030. He made this statement during an appearance on the All-In podcast. With this statement Musks addressed the concerns around accelerating pace of AI advancement. His remark comes at a time issues regarding the need for discussions on the societal, technological and ethical implications of increasingly powerful AI systems are gaining currency. Few days ago, Musk responded to a post on X which claimed that Amazon plans to replace workers with AI and robots. As per the report, the American giant is planning to cut over 1,60,000 jobs by 2027 with robots. While replying to this post, Elon Musk wrote, AI and robots will replace all jobs. Working will be optional, like growing your own vegetables, instead of buying them from the store. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has sought to clear up recent speculation regarding the companys relationship with government support, particularly in the area of AI infrastructure. In a detailed statement on X on Friday, Altman emphasised that OpenAI does not seek government guarantees for its datacentres, and outlined the companys vision for a future shaped by AI-powered innovation. No Bailouts for Private Companies Altman began by stating that OpenAI does not want, nor does it have, government guarantees for its datacentres. We believe that governments should not pick winners or losers, and that taxpayers should not bail out companies that make bad business decisions or otherwise lose in the market, he said. He added that if one company fails, others will continue to deliver valuable work, reinforcing the principles of a competitive, capitalist ecosystem. While OpenAI is not seeking government support for private datacentres, Altman suggested that governments could play a significant role in building and owning AI infrastructure themselves. We can imagine a world where governments decide to offtake a lot of computing power and get to decide how to use it, and it may make sense to provide lower cost of capital to do so, he said. Such infrastructure, he explained, would serve the strategic interests of the government, rather than private companies. Semiconductors and Strategic Supply Chains Altman did note one area where government-backed financial support could be relevant: the expansion of semiconductor manufacturing in the United States. OpenAI has discussed loan guarantees in this context, although it has not formally applied. The company sees this as part of a broader effort to bolster US industrial capacity, create jobs, and ensure an independent chip supply chain for strategic purposes. This is different from governments guaranteeing private-benefit datacentre buildouts, Altman clarified, reinforcing that OpenAIs priority is long-term AI research and development, rather than securing special financial treatment for its own operations. Funding and Scaling for a Future AI Economy A significant portion of Altmans statement addressed the question of how OpenAI plans to finance its ambitious growth. The company expects to exceed a $20 billion annualised revenue run rate this year, with projections reaching hundreds of billions by 2030. OpenAI has outlined plans for roughly $1.4 trillion in commitments over the next eight years to expand its computing infrastructure. Altman cited enterprise offerings, new consumer devices, robotics, and speculative applications of AI, such as scientific discovery, as key drivers of future revenue. Additionally, OpenAI plans to sell computing capacity directly to other companies, anticipating a massive global demand for AI cloud services. The company may also raise additional equity or debt in the future to support these goals. Also Read | Sam Altman wants an AI to replace him as OpenAI CEO Rejecting the Too Big to Fail Narrative Addressing concerns about whether OpenAI is attempting to become too big to fail, Altman was unequivocal. If we screw up and cant fix it, we should fail, and other companies will continue on doing good work and servicing customers. Thats how capitalism works, he said. He emphasised that OpenAI aims to be a successful company, but the responsibility for failure rests solely with the organisation, not the government. Altman further clarified remarks made by the companys CFO regarding government financing, stressing that the US government should develop its own AI strategy but should not act as an insurer for private AI ventures. He also touched on the potential for catastrophic risks, such as AI-driven cyberattacks, where only government-level intervention could be effectivebut this is distinct from funding infrastructure for commercial purposes. Investing Now to Shape the Future The final question Altman addressed was why OpenAI is investing heavily in infrastructure now rather than scaling more gradually. He explained that massive computing projects take significant time to complete, and the company is preparing for a future economy powered by AI. The risk to OpenAI of not having enough computing power is more significant and more likely than the risk of having too much, Altman said. He added that even now, OpenAI must rate-limit its products and delay new features due to compute constraints. By investing in infrastructure early, the company hopes to be ready for AI applications with transformative potential, including scientific breakthroughs and medical research. Also Read | Seven lawsuits allege OpenAI encouraged suicide and harmful delusions Trump administration officials are dismissing the idea of a financial backstop for artificial intelligence companies, US officials said, after comments from a top OpenAI executive raised questions about the prospects for a federal bailout. There are no plans for the administration to consider such a move going forward, and the idea is not on the table, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to describe internal thinking. The administrations position marks a fresh signal for the industry of how much the government is willing to intervene in the sector. It follows comments from OpenAI Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar, who suggested this week that the US government backstop the guarantee that allows the financing to happen. Those remarks caught the attention of investors, industry heavyweights and White House advisers. There will be no federal bailout for AI, White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks posted Thursday on X. The U.S. has at least 5 major frontier model companies. If one fails, others will take its place. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, who has met with Trump on multiple occasions, also walked back Friars remarks, posting on Thursday that we do not have or want government guarantees for OpenAI data centers. OpenAI has committed to spend $1.4 trillion on data centers and chips to build more advanced artificial intelligence systems and support the broader adoption of the technology. The scale of those financial commitments have reignited concerns about an AI bubble, given OpenAI remains an unprofitable business. The prospect of a bailout could prove to be political poison in Washington. Sending taxpayer money to some of the worlds most valuable companies could provoke anger from voters already upset with the high cost of living. Still, President Donald Trump has stretched the limits of conservative orthodoxy by taking a federal stake in beleaguered chipmaker Intel Corp. and eyeing investments in other companies in strategic industries. Trump, speaking to reporters Friday, said he wasnt worried about an AI bubble. No, I love AI, I think its going to be very helpful, Trump said during a meeting alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House. Its really going to be the wave of the future. Were leading the world. With assistance from Shirin Ghaffary and Michael Shepard. 2025 Bloomberg L.P. New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) Citing several case studies from India, the World Economic Forum on Friday said seven emerging deep technologies, including generative AI, robotics and satellite-enabled remote sensing, are poised to transform agriculture. These technologies, which also include computer vision, edge Internet of Things (IoT), CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats), and nanotechnology, will boost resilience and productivity, while securing rural livelihoods, the WEF said in a new report. The report, titled 'Shaping the Deep-Tech Revolution in Agriculture' and developed in collaboration with stakeholders from both industry and academia, comes at a time when agriculture globally faces a convergence of crises. Rising rural-to-urban migration, intensifying climate extremes, and accelerating degradation of natural resources, particularly soil and water, are collectively threatening productivity and endangering the livelihoods that depend on agriculture. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the world would need to significantly produce more food, to feed a growing population by 2050. This will have to be achieved in the light of mounting pressures with one-third of the world's soil degraded, 71 per cent of aquifers depleted, and the average farmer reaching around 60 years old. The WEF said these seven technology domains have the potential to trigger fundamental shifts in how crops are grown, monitored, protected, and distributed consequently improving productivity, sustainability, and resilience across the sector. The report also highlighted the potential of converging these technologies for high-impact use cases such as autonomous swarm robotics, precision farm management, agentic AI systems, and carbon reporting. It showcased use-cases such as climate resilient rice varieties that emit 20 per cent less emissions, precision agriculture in sugarcane that has improved yields by 40 per cent, and the use of remote sensing to predict supply chain risks and promote carbon finance to farmers. The WEF called for greater efforts to scale deep-tech innovations that can help reimagine agricultural systems and address the pressures and urged governments to adopt agile policies and regulatory sandboxes to keep pace with technological advancement. The report was released by the WEF's Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture Initiative (AI4AI). Since 2021, the AI4AI initiative has unlocked commitments to provide digital technologies to more than 895,000 farmers in India. AI4AI has promoted multistakeholder partnerships, including among governments, the private sector, academia, start-ups and civil society to generate evidence on the transformational impact of tech in agriculture. Building on lessons learned in India, AI4AI has supported the conceptualization of similar initiatives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Colombia and Brazil. The WEF said irregular rainfall and increasing temperatures have already led to losses of close to 65 per cent in several horticultural crops. It cited a case study about the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) developing climate-resilient rice in the country. Conventional crop-improvement methods have long breeding cycles and limited precision, slowing the development of varieties suited to dealing with emerging climate and disease pressures. To overcome this, ICAR researchers used CRISPR-based genome editing to develop two rice varieties. The first, DRR 100, has improved tolerance to drought, salinity and climate stresses. It can lead to a 19 per cent increase in yield and a 20 per cent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions. The other variety, Pusa DST Rice 1, can increase yields by 9.66 per cent to 30.4 per cent in saline and alkaline soils, and could potentially lead to a 20 per cent increase in production. Another case study referred to remote sensing for efficient crop insurance under India's Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Crop-loss assessments for insurance conventionally rely on manual crop-cutting experiments (CCEs), but this method is slow, often inaccurate and can lack transparency, delay claim settlements and cause disputes. To solve this, PMFBY implemented a technology-driven solution centred on remote sensing. The system uses satellite imagery to monitor crop health, while high-resolution drones and a dedicated mobile app for geotagged, real-time data collection supplement this. This multilayered approach replaces subjective manual assessments with objective, verifiable data, streamlining the entire loss-estimation process. WEF said such tech transformation can ensure faster and more accurate claim settlements, providing crucial financial support to farmers when they need it the most. The use of objective satellite data enhances transparency and builds trust, while the comprehensive data on crop health also empowers the government and insurers to better manage agricultural risks and develop more effective insurance products. Other case studies from India talked about local programmes for developing nano inputs to bolster resilience, use of satellite-enabled remote sensing for Carbon monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV), and using digital public infrastructure to scale generative AI and natural language processing. Bhashini, launched under India's National Language Translation Mission, is a Government of India-led initiative to develop a public digital infrastructure for language translation and speech technologies in Indian languages. It provides open-source datasets, language models and APIs for automatic speech recognition, machine translation and text-to-speech systems. President Trump has pardoned former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his chief of staff, Cade Cothren. On Thursday, Trump granted both men full and unconditional pardons, just weeks before they were to report to prison. Casada was facing three years in federal prison, and Cothren was sentenced to 30 months. Former State Representative Robin Smith, 62, of Hixson was also convicted and sentenced to prison. She has admitted to working with Casada and Cothren in a mail fraud scheme. Smith's attorney Ben Rose is also asking Trump to pardon her, so far with no success. Smith took a plea deal and testified against Casada and Cothren. She was sentenced to 8 months for her part in the fraud case, and is supposed to report to prison in January. Casada, 66, was sentenced in September to three years in federal prison on charges related to a kickback and bribery arrangement involving the legislatures state-funded constituent mailer program. Cothren, 38, previously Casadas chief of staff, was also convicted of fraud and related federal charges and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. They were due to report to prison later this month. Their crimes began after Cothren resigned in 2019. He allegedly sent sexually explicit and racist text messages and admitted to using cocaine in a legislative office on one occasion. Casada, who allegedly received some of those messages and sent his own lewd remarks, resigned shortly after. Smith, Casada, and Cothren all played a part in a scheme to illegally profit off the General Assemblys taxpayer-funded constituent mail program from October 2019 to early January 2021. A White House official did not say if the president is considering a pardon for Smith. Here is the statement the White House provided Local 3 News on Friday: "President Trump has approved pardons for former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren. The Biden Department of Justice significantly over-prosecuted these individuals for a minor issue involving constituent mailers -- which were billed at competitive prices, never received a complaint from legislators, and resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000. The Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years penalties normally reserved for multimillion dollar fraudsters." Smith's attorney, Ben Rose, says he is feeling optimistic about the chance of a pardon. On social media Thursday, he posted, "Justice requires a pardon for the cooperator." Chattanooga attorney Robin Flores said that the process of receiving a pardon is complicated and usually a lengthy process. You have to meet certain statutory guidelines, and then you have to build a record that shows that this person deserves to be pardoned or for clemency, Flores said. You lay it out, here in Tennessee, and it tells people in Tennessee that as long as you are a part of this party, and we like you, we will go ahead and pardon you. Smith has not yet started her eight-month sentence, but she is expected to report to federal prison at the beginning of 2026. Her attorney said that the only justice for her is a full pardon and that she was prosecuted for her political beliefs. Local 3 News reached out to the Hamilton County Republican Party. The spokesperson responded, saying, "The Hamilton County Republican Party does not comment on individual legal or clemency requests. Our focus is on supporting our candidates and advancing Republican values here in Hamilton County." Local 3 News also reached out to State Representatives Greg Martin and Greg Vital. Neither has responded. A spokesperson for Senator Bo Watson said he is not available for comment. PREVIOUS STORY: President Donald Trump has pardoned former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and one of his co-conspirators Cade Cothren, according to WSMV, the NBC affiliate in Nashville. Both Casada and Cothren, Casadas former chief of staff, were convicted of federal corruption charges. Casada was sentenced to three years in prison and Cothren was sentenced to nearly three years. "Yes the president called me today and granted me a full pardon. I am grateful of his trust and his full confidence in my innocence through this whole ordeal," Casada told WSMV. He continued, "Im a private citizen and looking forward to getting back to being with my family and friends. Literally hundreds of people have been praying for this and Im thankful to the president and to the Lord for answering those prayers." Former State Representative Robin Smith was also convicted in the scheme and requested a pardon from President Trump. We have reached out to Smith and her attorneys for an update on the status of her pardon request. Her attorney responded, "No comment." Stay with Local 3 News for updates to this developing story. PREVIOUS STORY: Former Tennessee State Representative Robin Smith, a Republican from Hixson, is seeking a presidential pardon after pleading guilty to political corruption charges. Smith, along with former House Speaker Glen Casada and his former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, was indicted in connection with a fraudulent consulting scheme. In 2022, Smith pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud as part of a plea deal. She was sentenced last week to eight months in prison and is scheduled to report in January. Statement from RoseFirm, PLLC on Smith following last week's sentencing: "We were certainly disappointed with the sentence on Friday. Robin admitted her mistakes very early in the process, cooperated with the government in every way (as even the government admitted), and Robin was still sentenced to almost a year in federal prison. Robin deserves a full Presidential pardon. With all due respect to everyone involved in the process, Robin is adamant that she would not have been prosecuted but for her political beliefs. There is a reason why Vanity Fair labeled her the Poison Partisan. Lawfare must be stopped once and for all. The only justice for Robin Smith is a full Presidential pardon." Following a recent meeting with ESB Networks on forestry issues, IFA Farm Forestry Chair Padraig Stapleton said there is a lot of concern among farm foresters around proposed new legislation in respect of forestry corridors for ESB overhead lines. Minister Darragh OBrien brought the Heads of a Bill to Cabinet in August which would provide ESB Networks with additional vegetation management powers; enable the Minister to make regulations on the dimensions and conditions of corridors; and attach responsibilities to landowners for corridor maintenance. Read more: Longford County Council signs multi-million funding agreement with SEAI In addition, it is proposed to establish principles for compensation for landowners. Padraig Stapleton said it is clear ESB Networks is a major driving force behind this new proposed legislation to enhance the resilience of the electricity grid against storm damage such as that which occurred during storm Eowyn. There is an onus on ESB to consult with forestry landowners as key stakeholders. The absence of any discussion with the IFA Farm Forestry Committee has been disappointing, he said. Farmers with established forests are extremely concerned about some of the proposals which include removing the Forestry Green Edge to widen forestry corridors. This will leave plantations vulnerable to further windblow or disease outbreaks. There is also concern around the proposals seeking to impose maintenance responsibilities on landowners. IFA will be insisting that the interests of forestry landowners are properly protected in any new legislation. On a separate item, Padraig Stepleton said ESB Networks has confirmed that there is currently no mandatory obligation on any forestry landowner to sign an easement with ESB Networks on forestry corridors. Read more: Bishop leads tributes to former Longford Church of Ireland Minister killed in Donegal crash He said it is important for forestry landowners to know that any proposal from ESB Networks around forestry corridor easement is completely voluntary and also subject to agreed compensation with the landowner. Forestry landowners will encounter significant losses associated with the imposition of a forestry corridor and legal easement on their property, and are entitled to full compensation. An IFA agreement with the ESB on forestry corridors and the loss of tree planting rights, negotiated back in 1992, also needs to be updated, he concluded. Fine Gael TD for LongfordWestmeath, Deputy Micheal Carrigy, has called for urgent action to address the extraordinary delays facing applicants to the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Warmer Homes Scheme. Deputy Carrigy said: I am deeply concerned by the current waiting times for this essential scheme, which provides free energy efficiency upgrades to some of the most vulnerable households in the State. PICTURES: Charming and cosy family home in Longford hits the market for 345,000 Recent figures from the SEAI show that applicants are now being advised it may take up to 14 months just to have a home survey carried out, with overall completion times extending to more than two years. These are people who are already struggling with high energy costs most of them elderly, living alone, and dependent on the fuel allowance, Deputy Carrigy said. Its simply unacceptable to ask them to wait over two years for basic insulation or heating upgrades. That delay defeats the purpose of the scheme. Deputy Carrigy said the Warmer Homes Scheme plays a crucial role in protecting households from fuel poverty, but that long delays are undermining its impact. He is calling on the SEAI and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to urgently allocate additional resources and streamline the process. Read more: Massive 900,000 funding boost for three local projects throughout Longford With winter setting in, every month matters, he concluded. We need a faster turnaround so that people arent left in cold, damp homes waiting years for support. This is about fairness, dignity, and ensuring that those most in need are kept warm and safe in their homes. Mourners have gathered for the funeral of Focus Ireland founder Sister Stan at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Dublin. President Michael D Higgins; the Tanaiste Simon Harris; Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald; and former president Mary McAleese have arrived for the mass in Donnybrook. Taoiseach Micheal Martin, who is attending the Cop30 climate conference in Brazil, is represented by an aide de camp. The funeral missal features a quote from the founder of the Religious Sisters of Charity, of which Sister Stan was a member, which reads: Do pray that justice may be accomplished in peace and that truth may prevail. The Capuchin Franciscan friar and author Father Richard Hendrick, known as Brother Richard, led the service. The entrance hymn of The Deers Cry was followed by a musical version of the prayer, St Patricks Breastplate. Sister Una of the Religious Sisters of Charity gave the welcoming remarks and said Sister Stan had planned much of her funeral, adding, she had: Very definite ideas about how we should celebrate her passing. She said Sister Stans purpose was to provide the best way possible for those who are needy, sick, destitute, and heart sore. She said: We know how much of that she achieved in her life, it is well documented. But none of us will ever know the countless individuals whom she quietly helped, supported, encouraged, advised and championed. Sister Una described her as a formidable woman in many ways, with high standards and expectations, and she could be as stubborn and as determined as any of us, and maybe more so than most of us. There was a quiet laugh from the congregation when she added she was not happy when she heard the word no. Stanislaus Kennedy died following a short illness at the St Francis Hospice in Blanchardstown on Monday morning. Tributes have poured in for the 86-year-old social justice campaigner since her death. Outgoing president Higgins said on Monday she was a deeply committed campaigner for the vulnerable and marginalised in our society, and a fearless advocate for human rights and equality. Telling the truth of inequality required a woman of immense courage and vision. She was that. And said she had made a profound contribution to Irish society. He also said her many books and writings provided a further source of policy, inspiration, solace and support for so many. Sister Stan, who was born as Treasa Kennedy, grew up on a farm on the Dingle Peninsula in Co Kerry. She joined the Religious Sisters of Charity in 1958 after being inspired by the work of its founder, Mary Aikenhead, at the age of 18. She was missioned to Kilkenny where she spent 19 years developing the countys social services. In 1974, the government appointed her the first chair of the National Committee on Pilot Schemes to Combat Poverty. She moved to Dublin where, in 1985, she founded Focus Point, now called Focus Ireland, following her research into the needs of women in homelessness in Dublin in the 1980s. The same year, she was appointed by the European Commission to co-ordinate a rural anti-poverty programme right across Europe. She also founded other entities: a meditation centre called The Sanctuary in 1998; the Immigrant Council of Ireland (ICI) in 2001; and the Young Social Innovators (YSI) in 2021, an initiative to encourage students to be more socially engaged. Mean Scoil Mhuire is delighted to announce details of its upcoming Open Evening for prospective students and their parents or guardians. The event will take place on Thursday, November 13 from 6.45pm to 9pm, with a Principals Address at 7pm. The Open Evening offers an ideal opportunity for families to discover what life at Mean Scoil Mhuire is all about. Read more: Work due to begin on Edgeworthstown charity shop Visitors will be able to meet their team of dedicated teachers, explore exciting teaching and learning opportunities, and chat with current students about their experiences at the school. A full tour of the school campuses will be available throughout the evening, allowing guests to see the facilities and experience the welcoming atmosphere that defines the Mean Scoil Mhuire school community. Enrolment for the 2026 to 2027 academic year opened on Monday, November 3 and it closes on Monday, November 24. Read more: ESB Science Blast coming to Longford to promote STEM education Mean Scoil Mhuire warmly invites all prospective students and their families to join them for this special evening. Its a wonderful chance to learn more about the school ethos, curriculum, and the many opportunities awaiting students at Mean Scoil Mhuire. They look forward to welcoming you and your daughter on the night. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz (Center-right, head of table) meets with military and security officials. (Elad Malka, Israeli Ministry of Defense) Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to close the area along the Israel-Egypt border and adapt the rules of engagement, saying the move is aimed at stopping suspected weapons smuggling by drones. On November 5, Katz held an emergency meeting with senior defense and security officials, including the heads of the military, the Shin Bet intelligence agency, and the National Security Council. Katz instructed the IDF to declare the border with Egypt a closed military zone and authorized firing on individuals who enter the restricted area to support drone operators or smugglers. We are declaring war. Anyone who breaches the forbidden area will be attacked, Katz stated. Katz and Shin Bet chief David Zini agreed to seek a formal designation of drone-enabled weapons smuggling as a terrorism threat to give security agencies broader tools to respond. Katz noted that terrorism played a role in the smuggling, saying the drones were a part of the war in Gaza and are intended to arm our [Israels] enemies. All measures must be taken to stop them. Since the meeting, the IDF has not announced changes to its rules of engagement at the Egyptian border, nor has it publicly declared the area a closed military zone. The threat of arms smuggling by drones from Egypt is not new. On October 24, 2024, the IDF said that it successfully downed a drone carrying eight handguns and magazines that had crossed into Israeli territory from Egypt. The following month, the IDF said that it had downed a drone that was carrying rifles and ammunition from Egyptian territory. While the IDF has reported some of these incidents, the number of drones crossing into Israeli territory may be significantly higher than what was previously known. According to a report in Ynet, nearly 900 incidents of drone smuggling from Egypt have been recorded over the past three months, almost twice the number from the same period last year. In addition to arms, cigarettes and drugs have also been smuggled. There has been no official response from the Egyptian government to Katzs declaration. 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. Two Hamas members, reportedly from the Al Qassam Brigades, stand next to an excavator in Shujaiya, Gaza City, on November 4, 2025. (Shehab News) On October 14, four days after Israel and Hamas agreed to phase one of US President Donald Trumps 20-Point Ceasefire Plan for Gaza, Trump addressed the Israeli Knesset. After so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace, Trump stated. However, a month after the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire, which laid out clear guidelines for the cessation of hostilities and the return of Israeli hostages, Hamas and allied terror groups have violated the agreement at least 18 times, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims. Phase one of the peace agreement laid out terms for exchanging the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas, living and deceased, for Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. In addition, the IDF had to withdraw to the Yellow Line, a delineated temporary border separating Hamas-controlled sections of Gazamainly in the central portion of the territoryfrom IDF-controlled areas. Hamas was given 72 hours to release all hostages, alive and deceased, and exert maximum effort to ensure the fulfilment of these commitments as soon as possible. Since the agreement was signed, presumed Hamas terrorists entrenched in the Rafah area, which remains under IDF control, have attacked Israeli soldiers on two separate occasions, killing three. The group has also delayed the return of some deceased hostages; in one case, staging a false recovery. The IDF responded to both Rafah attacks by launching airstrikes across Gaza that eliminated dozens of Hamas members. Below is a list of violations of the ceasefire by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups between October 10 and November 6 that the IDF has reported: On October 13, the Arrow Unit, an internal security force established by the Hamas-run Ministry of Interior in Gaza, killed 32 Gazans whom it claimed collaborated with Israel, including members of the rival Doghmush clan. Though the prohibition of Hamas violence against Palestinians was not an explicit clause of the peace deal, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper warned Hamas on October 15 to immediately suspend violence and shooting at innocent Palestinian civilians in Gazain both Hamas-held parts of Gaza and those secured by the IDF behind the Yellow Line [that demarcates Israeli-held territory in Gaza]. On October 14, Hamas had yet to return over half of the remaining slain hostages, violating the ceasefires requirement that all hostages, living and dead, be handed over within 72 hours of the deal being signed. As of this publication, Hamas still holds the bodies of six hostages in continued violation of the agreement. According to the IDF, later on October 14, multiple suspects crossed the Yellow Line. The IDF said that the breach of territory represented a violation of the ceasefire, and that soldiers opened fire to remove the threat. The Hamas-run health ministry claimed that six Palestinians were killed in the two incidents on October 14. On October 15, Hamas further violated the requirement to return the bodies of slain hostages by handing over a body that [did] not match any of the hostages, according to Israels National Institute of Forensic Medicine. Hamas continued violence against Gazans on October 15 by publicly executing eight captives, including some members of the Doghmush clan. In response, Trump warned on October 16 that if Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them. According to the Israeli military, on October 18, a suspicious vehicle crossed the Yellow Line and approached Israeli soldiers, drawing IDF fire. Hamas claimed that 11 members of a Palestinian family were killed in the incident. On October 19, Palestinian terrorists emerged from tunnels in Rafah and ambushed IDF soldiers, killing two and wounding three. Israel asserted that the attack, likely carried out by isolated pockets of Hamas fighters in Rafah, represented a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement, while Hamas denied responsibility. Trump once again threatened Hamas on October 20, warning that the US had 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 were going to eradicate them if we have to. On October 27, after a week of relative calm, Hamas returned the partial remains of a hostage whose body had previously been recovered by the IDF, and was therefore not considered one of the deceased hostages on the list of those to be released. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office called the event a clear violation of the [Gaza ceasefire] agreement. Also on October 27, the IDF released footage of Hamas staging the recovery of a hostages body. Hamas terrorists had used an excavator to pretend to search for the body, then dragged the corpse from a building, put it in a hole dug by the excavator, and notified the Red Cross that they had unearthed the remains. The incident cast doubt on Hamass continued statements that the group does not know where all the slain hostages are located. Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli said that Hamas does not respect the deal. And obviously, we need to respond to all these violations of the ceasefire. Chikli was likely referring to the aforementioned clause in phase one of the ceasefire plan that requires Hamas to exert maximum effort in recovering and returning the bodies of deceased hostages. On October 28, Israel blamed Hamas for a sniper and rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack that killed one IDF soldier, once again in the Rafah area. Hamas once again denied responsibility. On October 29, the IDF identified a site in Beit Lahia that it said was storing weapons and aerial means intended for an imminent attack on IDF soldiers and the State of Israel. The IDF said it struck the site in accordance with its mission to continue to remove immediate threats to troops. On November 1, Hamas handed over three bodies of those it claimed to be deceased hostages. However, none of the three sets of remains belonged to any of the hostages, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office. On November 2, the IDF said it identified a terrorist who had crossed the Yellow Line and was approaching Israeli troops in northern Gaza. The IDF said that following the identification, and in order to remove the threat to the troops, the [Israeli Air Force] struck the terrorist. A nearly identical incident happened on November 3. However, this time, multiple individuals crossed the Yellow Line and advanced toward IDF troops in southern Gaza, posing an immediate threat to them, according to the IDF, which added that Israeli troops fired on them to remove the threat to the troops. Also on November 3, Israel assessed that approximately 200 Hamas fighters were located in tunnels within Israeli-controlled areas of southern Gaza, including Rafah. Hamas terrorists had been required to withdraw from the area immediately upon the ceasefires implementation. On November 4, the IDF stated that a terrorist once again crossed the Yellow Line and approached Israeli troops. According to the IDF, the terrorist was eliminated. On November 5, in two separate instances, the IDF reported that two terrorists were identified crossing the yellow line and advancing toward IDF troops in central Gaza. The IDF eliminated the individuals. In an effort to maintain the ceasefire, CENTCOM, in coordination with Israel, established a Civil-Military Coordination Center on October 17 that is designed to support stabilization efforts. CENTCOM noted that approximately 200 US service members with expertise in transportation, planning, security, logistics, and engineering were stationed at the hub. Though not explicitly labeling the incident a ceasefire violation, a CENTCOM MQ-9 Reaper drone captured footage of Hamas terrorists looting an aid truck on October 31. The documentation of such an incident suggests that the Civil-Military Coordination Center will play a significant role in logging future violations. Samuel Ben-Ur and Aaron Goren are research analysts at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow Aaron Goren on X @realaarongoren. Satellite Imagery of the Dumayr Air Base captured on July 7, 2022. (Google Earth) On November 6, Reuters reported that The United States is preparing to establish a military presence at an air base in Damascus to help enable a security pact that Washington is brokering between Syria and Israel. Citing six sources familiar with preparations at the base, including two Western officials and a Syrian defense official, the report added that the base sits at the gateway to parts of southern Syria that are expected to make up a demilitarized zone as part of a non-aggression pact between Israel and Syria. Two Syrian military sources also told Reuters that technical talks have been focused on the use of the base for logistics, surveillance, refueling and humanitarian operations, while Syria would retain full sovereignty over the facility. A source in the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the Reuters report, telling the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that it was false. The Syrian official added, The current stage is witnessing a shift in the American position towards direct engagement with the central Syrian government, supporting efforts to unify the country, and rejecting any calls for partition. The Reuters report did not specify the exact location of the base. However, Syrian social media accounts have claimed the report refers to the Mezzeh Air Base, which is situated in a densely populated neighborhood of Damascus. According to Reuters, American C-130 military transport planes have landed at the proposed facility to test its readiness, and videos showing these aircraft landing at Mezzeh surfaced shortly after the reports publication. However, other sources suggest that the base in question is the Dumayr Air Base, located approximately 40 kilometers northeast of Damascus. Both air bases were strategic hubs for Syrias former Bashar al Assad regime and Iranian-backed militias during the Syrian Civil War. Following Assads fall, reports indicated that the US-backed Syrian Free Army operating out of the Tanf base in southern Syria seized control of the Dumayr Air Base. The group used the facility as its headquarters before later integrating into the Syrian Arab Army as the 70th Division. The report and social media speculation come shortly before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa on November 10 in Washington. Reports have circulated that Syria intends to join the anti-Islamic State coalition. Additionally, the two leaders will discuss the Syrian-Israeli relationship. Back in September, US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack claimed that Syria and Israel are close to striking a de-escalation agreement in which Israel will stop its attacks while Syria will agree not to move any machinery or heavy equipment near the Israeli border. According to Barrack, the Syrians are demanding the withdrawal of Israeli troops that pushed into southern Syria in December 2024. Israels demands revolve around creating a demilitarized zone in south Syria, protecting the Druze minority in the Suwayda Governorate, and extending the buffer zone adjacent to the Golan Heights by two kilometers. The negotiations have been ongoing since June, and Syrian leaders have viewed Israels proposal as problematic because it effectively turns southern Syria into an area outside of the states control. However, if the reports of an American presence are accurate, the situation could alleviate Israels concerns about maintaining a presence within Syria. Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focused on Iranian intervention in Arab affairs and the levant. Just over a month after the official release of iOS 26 to the public, Apple is now rolling out iOS 26.1, the first major update to Apples new iPhone OS. While the 26.1 update isnt a huge one, it does bring some important new settings and interface tweaks. From an option to adjust the intensity of Liquid Glass to new gestures on the Lock Screen and the Music app, read on as we dig into everything new in iOS 26.1 and why you should rush to update your iPhone or iPad right now. Make Liquid Glass more frosted One of the main highlights of iOS 26 is the new Liquid Glass interface. However, Apples attempt to make its operating system look fresher and more modern has resulted in as many complaints as compliments. After many attempts to fine-tune Liquid Glass, Apple decided to give users control over the interface. Thats because iOS 26.1 adds a new toggle to radically adjust the appearance of Liquid Glass. Now you can choose between Clear mode to stick with Liquid Glasss transparency or Tinted mode for higher opacity and better contrast. You can now opt out of Liquid Glass. Foundry To do this, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Liquid Glass and choose the best option for you. If youre part of the group of users who were unhappy with Liquid Glass in iOS 26.1, youll certainly appreciate the new Tinted mode. Of course, if you like Liquid Glass, you dont need to do anything about it and you can rest easy without worrying about Apple backtracking on Liquid Glass now that theres an option. Dont sleep through alarms anymore iOS 26 brought another small but impactful change to the lives of iPhone users: the alarm interface. Some users didnt like how Apple made the stop alarm button much larger in iOS 26 and placed it just below the Snooze button, which is the same size but a different color. As a result, a number of users have claimed that theyre oversleeping because they turned off the alarm instead of hitting the snooze right after waking up. Alarms are much harder to turn off in iOS 26.1. Foundry To fix this, iOS 26.1 once again tweaks the alarm interface. Now, Apple has added a Slide to Stop feature, which requires users to slide their finger from left to right to turn off alarms completely. But if you think thats too complicated and want the old Stop button back, heres what you can do. Once you install iOS 26, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch and enable the Prefer Single-Touch Actions toggle. This will bring back the button to stop the alarm instead of the new swipe gesture. Stop accidentally launching the camera While iOS already offers an option for users to remove the Camera button from the Lock Screen, the app is also accessible by swiping from right to left. If, for some reason, you want to completely remove access to the Camera app from the Lock Screen, you can now do so. By going to Settings > Camera and turning off the Lock Screen Swipe to Open Camera toggle, the Camera app will no longer be accessible by swiping your finger on the Lock Screen. Of course, you can still access the app in other ways, such as by pressing the Camera Control on iPhone 16 or later. But that can also be turned off. Although swiping to open the Camera app is meant to be a useful shortcut, some users complain about accidental launches when the iPhone is in their pocket, resulting in excessive battery drain. If thats the case, iOS 26.1 is the update for you. Swipe to change tracks iOS 26.1 also makes it easier to skip songs in the Apple Music app. Instead of having to open the full-screen player or press any buttons, all you need to do now is swipe your finger on the mini player to skip to the next song or go back to the previous one. Give it a try after you update: play an album or playlist, then minimize the player and test the swipe gestures. Although its not a life-changing feature, its certainly slicker than tapping the skip button. Apple Music has a new skip gesture in iOS 26.1. Foundry Use Apple Intelligence in more languages Introduced last year, Apple Intelligence is what Apple calls its set of AI-based features. This includes things like Writing Tools for reviewing text, Genmoji for creating your own emojis, and Visual Intelligence for searching for things with your iPhone camera. Apple Intelligence has been available in the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Japanese, and Korean. With iOS 26.1, Apple is expanding support for Apple Intelligence to more languages. These include: Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Portuguese (Portugal), Vietnamese, and Turkish. If you speak one of these languages and have a compatible device (iPhone 15 Pro or later), go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri after updating to iOS 26.1 and make sure to enable the Apple Intelligence toggle. Quickly patch security holes As we previously reported here at Macworld, iOS 26.1 revamped a feature formerly known as Rapid Security Responses. Now called Security Improvements, the feature can automatically and silently install security patches on your iPhone or iPad without requiring you to download a new version of iOS. If you want to make sure your device is always secure with the latest patches, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Background Security Improvements and enable the Automatically Install option. Security updates will be much less painful after the iOS 26.1 update is installed. Foundry This may sound like a small thing, but many users forget to install iOS updates. Thats why having the option to install security patches automatically without any action is actually huge. Get Slide Over back on iPad Good news for iPad users. iPadOS 26.1 brings back Slide Over, one of the iPads multitasking features that lets users keep an app always visible on the screen, overlaying other apps. Although iPadOS 26 has improved multitasking and window management in many ways, the removal of Slide Over has left some iPad users upset. Thankfully, Apple listened to the feedback and brought the feature back. This time, users will find Slide Over by tapping and holding the green resize button in the upper-left corner of any app window. Slide Over disappeared in iOS 26, but its back in iOS 26.1. Foundry For those who have already updated to iOS 26, the update to version 26.1 makes the system even more reliable and secure, and adds some extra features. And if youre still running iOS 18 for some reason, now might be the right time to update to iOS 26 and take advantage of everything new in iOS 26.1. You can update your device by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Its available for all iPhones and iPads already compatible with iOS 26. The news of Apples pending deal with Google says a lot. While neither Apple nor Google will likely ever publicly acknowledge it outside of necessary financial disclosures, Apple fans should take note. Its a very good thing for users. And also very concerning. We should be equally pleased and worried. The Deal The deal, as it has been reported (Apple has not officially acknowledged it) will see Apple paying Google about $1B a year to use a customized version of its Gemini AI model for the new Siri, which should be released to users in the spring. The model is big and advanced, with a reported 1.2 trillion parameters, and will run on Apples own Private Cloud Compute servers so neither Google nor anyone else gets to scoop up your data. The partnership seemingly was struck after Apple evaluated Googles AI, along with others from Anthropic and OpenAI, against its own internally developed LLM technology. What it means for users As a user, this is all pretty good news. The latest versions of Gemini are among the top LLMs in the industrybenchmarks vary, and Apples version might not be the same as Gemini 2.5 Pro, but its clear that Apple isnt going with a second-rate model here. Of course, talking to the new Siri wont be just like talking to Googles Gemini. For one, the voices will sound different, but theyll also have different priorities and tuning, and Siri will have access to the private data stored on your phone. You could think of it as two completely different cars that have the same engine but different options and chassis. Apple will use Geminis LLM as a foundation for the new Siri, but the two assistants wil still be very different. Foundry The fact that Apple was willing to break out the checkbook to use a core technology from another company for one of its most important (and oft-maligned) features speaks volumes to a change of mindset in Cupertino. When Apple needs new core technology, it usually builds it or buys a company that already has (often both). That Apple is willing to step away from its homegrown mentality to deliver a new Siri that doesnt disappoint is worthy of applause. Not Invented Here But Apple fans should also be wary. Im generally critical of Apples Not Invented Here ethos, where it seemingly needs to own or build everything, whether its good for its users or not. There are lots of examples of that working out wellit took a long time, but Apples cellular modems and N1 networking chips give an experience at last as good as the Qualcomm and Broadcom stuff did, but there instances where Apples stubbon reliance on in-house tech didnt make sense. For example, when OpenGL outlived its usefulness as a graphics API, Apple could have moved to the open Vulkan standard that replaced it, helping shape its future. Instead, it developed its own graphics API, Metal, and Im not convinced that it was better for developers or users. I dont think Apple needed its own lossless audio format. Perhaps most notably, Google pays Apple some $20 billion a year for Google to be the default search engine for Safari. And yes, there are other search engine options, but we all know almost nobody strays from the default, which is why its worth so much to Google. The Apple Maps rollout was bumpy at best. Apple Inc That hasnt been good for users. Google has been steadily degrading its search results experience while using the data from all those searches to consolidate its control over search and web advertising. If theres anything Apple should have invested years ago, it is building its own privacy-minded, ad-free web search. And we all know about the Apple Maps fiasco. The companys attempt to stop relying on a third-party mapping service resulted in a terrible product, ironically because that product was built with a mishmash of data that it didnt own or control. It took years for Apple to build a Maps experience using all its own data, and now that it has, the experience is top-tier. Apple needs its own LLM So its clear that some core technologies Apple needs to build for itself and have total control over, while others it can and probably should find outside solutions for. A foundation AI large language model is definitely in the former category. As the years roll on, AI models are going to be part of so much more than chatbots. AI models are all over Apples products, from cameras recognizing your gestures to image editing to notification summaries and more. But the big foundational LLM that interacts with users and does everything from controlling our devices to gathering information about the world, thats the most important AI model in the stack. Apple having its own top-tier LLM is as important as Apple controlling any other major piece of its technology stack. Its arguably going to be more important than Apple having its own web browser. Its great news that Apple recognized that its own internally developed LLM isnt good enough right now, and is willing to go to Google to solve the problem. But in the end, Apple desperately needs to catch up or surpass the technology it is buying. And its not clear if it has the ability to do that, as competitors LLMs continue to improve and Apple seemingly loses AI talent every week. As a user, you should be glad about the Apple-Google-Gemini-Siri AI deal. As long as it doesnt last. Springfield Catholic Bishop William D. Byrne, center, Nick Morganelli, left, of Catholic Communications Corp., who is also a Westfield city councilor, listen to Christine Farrell, president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Mary Parish in Westfield, describe increased demand at the St. Vincent de Paul food pantry on Bartlett Street. (Jim Kinney / The Republican) The Republican WESTFIELD The shelves were empty in late October at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and assistance ministry at St. Mary parish here on Bartlett Street. And Christine Farrell, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, said she really wanted to cry. Then, high school students came through. Oh, Mrs. Farrell, we had to have a dress-down day. We had to help, a student told her, Farrell said. She recounted the exchange Thursday to the Most. Rev. William D. Byrne, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. Then I really had to cry. Byrne, the spiritual leader of 199,000 Catholics in 79 parishes across Hampen, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties, is putting out the call for everyone to step up and help support food pantries now that families are feeling the effects of suspended SNAP benefits and policy changes. SNAP usually provides $35 million in benefits to families across Western Massachusetts each month. Traffic through the pantry at St. Marys has doubled over the past week or so to 30 families, Farrell said. Shaina Rodriguez, executive director of Catholic Charities for the diocese, said, before the cuts, 84 families made use of the dioceses mobile pantry at a stop in Springfield on Oct. 31. This week, that stop drew more than 240 families. We need to fill shelves, Byrne said. So as Catholics, we are all called to respond. I know that many of our parishes, if not most, like St. Marys here, have food collection programs, which serve as either local donation sites or they feed into broader food banks. Hes asking pastors to announce the need at Mass this weekend and in the immediate future. Sometimes its as simple as putting a box out in the front of the church, he said, as simple as love thy neighbor. If we can only talk the talk, then we are hypocrites. We need to walk the walk. And so many of our parishes and volunteers are doing just that. And now were inviting even more people to participate, Byrne said. Rodriguez said Catholic Charities had a fundraising goal of about $65,000 for its food security programs. Byrne said Catholic Charities is a major recipient of the Annual Catholic Appeal fundraiser, and food programs will likely get a higher percentage of that campaigns proceeds. When people are hungry, its a priority, he said. Formerly a key player in refugee resettlement in the area, Catholic Charities changed its focus earlier this year, after the Trump administration dropped federal funding for migrant resettlement. Boxes of nonperishable food await pickup at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church on Bartlett Street in Westfield. (Jim Kinney / The Republican) The Republican We continue to walk with those families, Byrne said. But Catholic Charities new focuses are food security, mental health and housing. From pit to plate: Top Fusion Smokehouse brings BBQ on the go to SpringfieldSebastian Restrepo At Top Fusion Smokehouse, chef and owner Syron Wheeler is serving up a new kind of barbecue: slow-smoked meats with creative twists that reflect Springfields diverse food scene. Born and raised in Springfield, Mass., and a graduate of Central High School, Wheeler has spent more than 17 years in kitchens across Western Massachusetts, including five years at MGM Springfield where he rose from cook to executive chef. There arent many smokehouses around here, Wheeler said. I wanted to bring something different real smoked meats, but with a twist. That twist shows up in Top Fusions fusion-style menu, which blends barbecue classics with global flavors. Dishes like brisket mac and cheese quesadillas, jerk chicken empanadas with honey jerk sauce, and loaded mac and cheese fries have quickly become local favorites. The restaurants signature brisket smoked for up to 12 hours and rested to perfection is a must-try, but Wheeler says he also loves giving customers the freedom to build their own creations. Wheeler also offers game-day specials featuring family-sized orders of some of your favorite barbecue, wings and sides. Looking ahead, Wheeler plans to launch a Top Fusion Smokehouse food trailer in 2026 to serve events and festivals across Western Massachusetts. I grew up here, Wheeler said. I dont want people to have this negative look on Springfield. So when you come to this restaurant, I definitely want you to feel the hospitality, definitely want you to feel welcome I want to make sure that people understand that were in Springfield, but we still love the same. Top Fusion Smokehouse is open from Tuesday through Thursday 11 AM to 8 PM, Friday through Saturday from 9 AM to 9 PM and Sundays from 9 AM to 3 PM. Its located in the Forest Park section of Springfield, at 672 Dickinson Street. An airplane climbs out from Logan Airport over downtown at dawn, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) Travelers with a flight scheduled this weekend should be sure to check that it hasnt been cancelled, as airports around the country make cuts due to the federal government shutdown. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced this week that he was ordering a 10% cut in flights at 40 major airports, including Bostons Logan International Airport, due to air traffic control staffing shortages caused by the federal government shutdown. He said the cuts would start with a 4% reduction on Friday, then increase to 10%. Officials at Logan said Thursday they were already starting to see cancellations. The affected flights are scheduled from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. International flights are exempt. There are several ways to check your flight status. The website FlightAware tracks cancellations and delays, or you can check with your airline directly. Most airlines including major ones such as American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue and United Airlines allow you to check the status by entering the flight number on their website. If you are flying into or out of Boston, you can also check your flight status on the Logan Airport website. The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 due to a deadlock in Congress over Democrats insistence on health care funding. It has become the longest shutdown in the countrys history. This has left about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers across the country working without pay for over a month, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. This has led to staffing shortages. Until this week, Boston had not been affected by the staffing shortages, but was still seeing delays due to weather conditions or ongoing construction on one of the runways, which is expected to continue through mid-November. Here is the full list of airports affected by the cuts: Allston Car Wash on Cambridge Street, where nine employees were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday. (Charlie McKenna/MassLive) Pulling up to Allston Car Wash on Thursday morning, the first thing customers saw was a small handful of protesters, a stark reminder that on Tuesday, ICE agents descended on the business and detained nine employees. On the front entrance to the adjoining gas station mini mart, customers were greeted by a paper sign taped to the window apologizing for the fact that business is running on limited hours because of the raid. Still, it was largely business as usual cars rolled through the car wash and customers wandered through the well-stocked mini-mart on Thursday morning. The car washs two managers declined to speak to MassLive on the advice of their lawyers. Todd Pomerleau, a lawyer representing the nine employees detained, said he was in the process of trying to find his clients to speak to them. At least some of the nine employees had employment authorization cards issued by U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, which allow non-citizens to work in the country for a specific time period. When ICE agents descended on the business, some employees tried to retrieve their documents from their lockers but were prevented from doing so, the lawyer, Pomerlau, confirmed. Pomerlau has since filed habeas corpus cases in federal court for each employee, challenging their detainments as unlawful. On Thursday morning, some drivers honked to show their support for protesters as they passed by the car wash, which sits on busy Cambridge Street. The first of the protesters to arrive was Janet England, 68, of Brighton, who said she had spent several months protesting ICE over the summer in Waltham. On Wednesday, the day after news of the raid broke, England arrived at the car wash by herself, carrying a sign denouncing the agency. She said she was spurred on by concern about people disappearing. I always think that ... when this happens, the community of people that this has happened to feel so alone, it was really for supporting them and letting them know that we care, she said. We white people, we community members, we care. Its not okay. We dont like it, she added. Protesters gather outside Allston Car Wash on Thursday, days after nine employees were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Charlie McKenna/MassLive) Mitch Ryerson, 70, works near the car wash. On Wednesday, he saw England standing outside when he drove by. When she said she would be back the next day, Ryerson, who lives in Cambridge, decided to join in. He encouraged people to take time out of their daily lives to notice events around them. The people who are really working hard, its really good that theyre getting people to think and take notice, he said. Boston City Councilor Liz Breadon, who represents the Allston neighborhood where the car wash is located, called the detentions kidnapping plain and simple. It is a horrifying chapter in the illegal and vindictive targeting of Boston by ICE and the Trump Administration, she said. Whitney Wolff, 71, of Somerville, who stood next to Ryerson, dubbed ICE a paramilitary group. I think having people here is a whole lot better than just being silenced and acting like this is normal, Wolff said. Luis Fieldman contributed to this report. A 24-year-old man was arrested Thursday night after police say he assaulted an Uber driver and stole her car. Police responded to the intersection of Massachusetts and Columbus avenues at around 6:30 p.m. Thursday for a report of a carjacking. There, officers encountered a highly distressed Uber driver, Boston Police said in a statement A witness told police they saw the Uber driver struggling with a person in the back seat of the vehicle. The driver managed to escape the vehicle and screamed for help as the suspect moved from the back seat to the drivers seat and fled the scene, the witness told police, according to the statement. The Uber driver told police she picked up the suspect in Cambridge. Then, at the intersection of Massachusetts and Columbus avenues, she felt a cord or wire tighten around her neck, preventing her from breathing, police said. Police used the drivers phone, which was still inside the stolen vehicle, to track its location to the area of Stanwood Street and Blue Hill Avenue. Officers stopped the vehicle and arrested the suspect, identified by police as Christopher Dawkins, 24, of Dorchester. Dawkins will be arraigned in Boston Municipal Courts central division on charges of carjacking, strangulation/suffocation, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and receiving a stolen motor vehicle. A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November. The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. gave President Donald Trumps administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, though its unlikely the 42 million Americans about 1 in 8 will see the money on the debit cards they use for groceries that quickly. The order was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit, a decision that would leave some recipients getting nothing for this month. The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP, McConnell said. They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer. McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip Novembers benefits entirely because of the federal shutdown. It has been a week of twists and turns for SNAP beneficiaries Last weeks rulings ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month. On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program. The next day, Trump appeared to threaten not to pay the benefits at all unless Democrats in Congress agreed to reopen the government. His press secretary later said that the partial benefits were being paid for November and that it is future payments that are at risk if the shutdown continues. Late Wednesday, the USDA, which runs the program, said in a filing in federal court in Rhode Island that it had done further analysis and found that the maximum benefit will be 65% of the usual amount. Speaking at the Greater Boston Food Bank in Massachusetts Thursday morning, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said the Trump administration is sending mixed messages: Come on. You know, youre going to partially fund food for Americans? Youre going let people starve? Many travelers could be faced with canceled flights this weekend due to air traffic cuts mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. That will likely leave many searching for alternative travel plans or their money back, as major airports are required to cut 10% of their traffic. But what, exactly, can you expect from your airline if your flight is canceled? Many airlines will give you the option to take a different flight, often at no extra cost. Most will let you re-book on a later flight on the same airline to the same destination, provided there is space on the flight. Some will also allow you to book on other airlines if they have a partnership with that airline, so be sure to research other options. The U.S. Department of Transportation provides a dashboard for travelers to check what different airlines offer in the event of a cancellation. Following the announcement of the cuts this week, multiple major airlines have introduced new policies to make it easier for customers to change their flight or get a refund. United Airlines has said it will provide refunds to anyone traveling during this time, even if their flight is not canceled, and American Airlines is waiving change fees. Delta is allowing customers to re-book their flight without paying any difference in fare, as long as the rebooked flight is on or before Nov. 21. Southwest Airlines will rebook travelers automatically if their flight is canceled, or they may request a refund or to change to a different flight. What does the law say? Under federal law, customers are entitled to a refund on their ticket if the airline cancels a flight and the customer does not change to a different one. You may be offered travel credits or a voucher, but if you do not accept these, the airline is required to give you a refund. They are also required to let you know that you are entitled to a refund. The same is true if your flight is significantly delayed. For domestic flights, this would mean arriving at your destination at least three hours later than scheduled, and for international flights, six hours later than scheduled. Read more: Logan Airport hit by cancellations as government shutdown drags on Before you leave for the airport, be sure to check your flight status. Most airlines will contact you by email or phone if there are changes to your flight, or you can check their website or mobile app. The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 due to a deadlock in Congress over Democrats insistence on health care funding. It has become the longest shutdown in the countrys history. This has left about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers across the country working without pay for more than a month, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. This has led to staffing shortages, which have, in turn, led to delays and cancellations. The president of a university in the Northeast is stepping down after less than three years on the job as the university undergoes both financial challenges and laid the groundwork for layoffs in September. Dr. Todd Pfannestiel, who assumed the presidency of Utica University in 2023, has submitted his resignation to the universitys board of trustees, the university announced. Dr. Pfannestiel has played a vital role during his time at the University, most recently helping to shape a strategic academic and operational restructuring at a challenging time for U.S. higher education, the announcement read. The Board of Trustees appreciates Dr. Pfannestiels willingness to take on tough assignments with grace and wishes him well in his future endeavors. Pfannestiel will continue as president through December 31, after which he will be succeeded by Dr. Stephanie Nesbitt Utica Universitys current provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. We are fortunate to have Dr. Nesbitt available to take on this leadership role. Her 13-year history at the University and deep dedication to the Universitys mission make her the perfect choice as we move confidently forward, Jeremy Thurston, chairperson of the Utica University Board of Trustees, wrote in the announcement. In September, Utica University sent notices to 23 academic departments notifying them that 31 full-time faculty and librarians could be laid off. The university had been looking at cutting degrees and dealing with financial difficulties. MassLive obtained the notices from Uticas American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which represents faculty, librarians, and certain counselors. The notices followed the universitys announcement in July that it was cutting $5 million from its faculty budget through layoffs. The university recently announced a recommended list of degree programs to end, such as Africana Studies and History and minors in Anthropology, Geoscience, Gender Studies, Sociology, Spanish and Writing. The deletion process wouldnt occur until May, according to the institution. The university has had lower enrollment, dropping from 5,100 students and 178 full-time faculty during the 2017-2018 academic year to around 3,600 students with nearly the same number of faculty members, according to a presentation from Pfannestiel. MassLive higher education reporter Juliet Schulman-Hall contributed to this article. Alaskan regional airline Kenai Aviation is shutting down, according to its official website. In the statement posted to the sites main page, owner Joel Caldwell explained that the airline is financially insolvent and will cease operations immediately. I am devastated, Caldwell wrote. Our operations may stop, but this vision continues. The statement cites legacy debt accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic and a sudden demand from its bank for repayment as reasons for the shutdown. For me, and for Kenai Aviation, the COVID [pandemic] gave us a debt load that we havent been able to get back on top of, Caldwell said in the statement. Carrying that burden increased the effects of every obstacle that weve had to navigate. The airlines shutdown is expected to disrupt travel itineraries to regional hubs such as Anchorage, Kenai, Homer, Seward and Unalakleet, according to Travel and Tour World. Kenai Aviation was founded in 1961 by Bob Bielefeld, serving the Kenai Peninsula and other remote regions across Alaska, western Canada and eastern Russia. Caldwell purchased the line in 2018 just as its previous owner was about to finalize its shutdown, according to their website. I refuse to give up. I dont know how. I cant make promises, Caldwell concluded. ... We need capital, we need partners, we need a lifeline. That investor is out there; we just need to find them. One promise that you can hold me to, is that, if at all possible, I will find that lifeline. @masslivenews Michele Devoe of Fitchburg rushed out of her home on Kimball Street on Thursday morning to see ICE agents detaining Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya in front of her family. original sound - MassLive News A Fitchburg teenager was among several people who watched in horror as a man appeared to suffer a seizure while being forcibly removed from his car by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a chaotic arrest outside her home Thursday. Witnessing what happened made me feel gross. I feel unsafe knowing ICE is around, said Michele Devoe, 18. Shed been asleep in her bedroom on Thursday morning when her mother, Crystal Devoe, 46, woke her with a startling revelation. ICE agents were outside on Kimball Street, her mother said six or seven of them, confronting a man, a woman and their small child. The Devoe women went to their front window and peered out to see a car stopped with half a dozen ICE agents surrounding both the passenger and driver door, trying to get the adults out, Michele Devoe recalled. Michele Devoe rushed downstairs to join the growing crowd outside at around 8:20 a.m., she said. Neighbors had gathered and some were filming, while others shouted at the ICE agents. Cars began to line up and block traffic. By the time the Devoes joined the scene, officers from the Fitchburg Police Department had already been called twice to keep the peace first at 7:10 a.m. and again at 8:03 a.m., reporting that a crowd was gathering at the scene and the agents were in danger. One person was speaking Spanish to the woman in the car, and one officer said, Do you want to repeat that in English now? according to Crystal Devoe. The woman in the car, Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya, would later be identified as the intended target of the arrest by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). She has been accused of attacking her coworker with a pair of scissors and a trash bin in August, according to DHS. The exact location and timing of the reported incident in August are unclear. MassLive and the Worcester County District Attorneys Office were not able to find a record of that arrest in Fitchburg District Court records. The Fitchburg Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the arrest. Crystal and Michele Devoe said that the local police officers and ICE agents at the scene did not appear to know the names of the people who were in the car, nor did they give a reason for her arrest. The guy kept saying there was a warrant out for [her], but he wouldnt say what kind of warrant, Crystal Devoe said. After Michele Devoe had been outside for about half an hour, she said she witnessed the man who was in the car have a seizure. An ICE agent grabbed his neck in an attempt to pull him from the drivers seat of the car as he held the baby, and his body began to shake; his eyes rolled back into his head. After he seized, they brought him out of the car in handcuffs and brought him to the ambulance, Michele Devoe recalled. A little later they returned him to [his own] car. The ICE agents completed their apprehension at 8:57 a.m., taking one woman Ojeda-Montoya into custody, according to Fitchburg police. The small child and man were both allowed to leave the scene. I feel as a white person that Im sorry I cannot help enough, said Michele Devoe. She added shed only recently celebrated her 18th birthday and is eager to use her position as an adult to speak up for what I believe in. I will do anything I can to boost how I felt about what happened today, and how it keeps happening. I hope it wakes people up and realizes that this is what they voted for, Michele Devoe said. I understand that if you come into this country illegally that you will get deported. What I dont understand is why. America is stolen land. No one is illegal. We all are born in this world and we all pay to live here. Unfortunately. like everything else in this world, we are divided. Her mother, Crystal Devoe, said the entire situation is sad. This isnt a bad neighborhood. Its not the greatest, Ive only lived here a couple of months, but its scary knowing that if youre not a citizen at any time, you can be pulled out of a car and arrested in front of your child, Crystal Devoe said. It was so sad. I had my daughter crying. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents called the Fitchburg Police Department on Thursday morning as agents arrested one woman. Courtesy of Crystal Devoe The woman arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in a chaotic scene in Fitchburg on Thursday morning has been accused of attacking her co-worker with a pair of scissors and a trash bin over the summer. Juliana Milena Ojeda-Montoya was identified as the woman arrested by ICE on Kimball Street on Nov. 6, according to a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official. Ojeda-Montoya is originally from Ecuador and was released into the country by the Biden administration in 2023, the DHS spokesperson said. She was arrested by local police in August and charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after she stabbed her coworker twice with a pair of scissors and then threw a trash barrel at her, according to the spokesperson. The exact location and timing of this reported incident in August is not clear. MassLive and the Worcester County District Attorneys Office were not able to find record of that arrest in Fitchburg District Court records. The Fitchburg Police Department did not immediately respond to MassLive for comment on the August arrest. During her detainment by ICE agents on Thursday, Ojeda-Montoya resisted and agitators attempted to impede the arrest, the spokesperson said. Officers from the Fitchburg Police Department were called to the scene twice to keep the peace during Ojeda-Montoyas detainment by ICE first at 7:10 a.m. and again at 8:03 a.m., reporting that a crowd was gathering at the scene and the agents were in danger. The local police department sent three officers to the scene, who confirmed that a crowd was gathering and that the situation was hostile. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S., the statement from DHS read. Many people detained by ICE do not have criminal records. The first Operation Patriot led to the arrest of nearly 1,500 people across Massachusetts in May, and many of those arrested did not have criminal records, according to The Boston Globe. Gov. Maura Healey, who noted her experience as a prosecutor and the states attorney general, also said last month that the surge of immigration enforcement was not actually aimed at making Massachusetts safer. What we have seen from ICE and from the administration really isnt about public safety, its about political theater, Healey said. Its about a political power grab and an attempt to intimidate. ICE operations in Massachusetts have led to the arrest and detainment of civilians, not just criminals, Healey said. Weve seen construction workers, nannies, landscapers, health care aids, these are the people who are being taken in these huge numbers, taken away from their families, she said. When I have high school students being ripped off the streets in Massachusetts on their way to volleyball practice by ICE agents, somethings wrong. Witnesses of Ojeda-Montoyas arrest on Thursday recounted a chaotic scene and said that the man who was with her in the car had a seizure as agents tried to get to her. Crystal Devoe, 46, lives on Kimball Street and told MassLive that ICE agents were parked right in front of her house on Thursday morning. She got a phone call at 7:30 a.m. about police officers outside her building, and she went downstairs to see what was happening. Neighbors had gathered, and some were filming the ongoing situation with ICE. Devoes daughter, Michele Devoe, 18, went outside to see what was happening and filmed the scene. She witnessed a man, a 2-year-old, and a woman, later identified as Ojeda-Montoya, being confronted by ICE agents inside a car. About 30 minutes of me being outside, one of the ICE agents climbed into the car and grabbed the man by his neck, causing him to seize, Michele Devoe said. The man was brought out of the car in handcuffs and put into a nearby ambulance, which did not leave the scene. He was then returned to his own vehicle a little later, the teenager said. I wasnt sure what was going on, but I know that the ICE people were being nasty and mean, Crystal Devoe said. One person was speaking Spanish to the woman in the car, and one officer came out and said, Do you want to repeat that in English now? according to Crystal Devoe. She added that cars began lining up and blocking traffic. The guy kept saying there was a warrant out for [her], but he wouldnt say what kind of warrant, Devoe said. This isnt a bad neighborhood. Its not the greatest, Ive only lived here a couple of months, but its scary knowing that if youre not a citizen at any time, you can be pulled out of a car and arrested in front of your child, Devoe said. It was so sad. I had my daughter crying. The equestrian state of George Washington in the Boston Common as pictured on Friday, April 4, 2025. Sebastian Restrepo A cadre of Massachusetts lawmakers has asked the U.S. Interior Department to provide more clarity on a wave of planned layoffs that could result in the loss of National Park Service jobs in the Bay State. The letter, led by U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., was shared exclusively with MassLive. It asks the agency to protect the employees working to preserve our national treasures for generations to come. The Interior Department said this week that it had pressed pause on plans to lay off more than 2,000 employees, with the federal government in the throes of the longest shutdown in the nations history. That disclosure, in a court filing, was taken as a signal that the agency intended to comply with a federal judges order barring the Trump administration from engaging in mass firings during the shutdown, The New York Times reported. The administration had signaled a past willingness to disregard orders that interfered with its agenda, the newspaper noted. Currently on the block are 63 positions at the National Park Services Northeast Regional Office, headquartered in Philadelphia, which oversees park service sites in Massachusetts. The Friday letter sent by Markey, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and the nine members of the states all-Democrat U.S. House delegation, notes that the regional office, which covers 83 parks in New England alone, is already understaffed and overtaxed. Since President Donald Trump took office for the second time in January, the Park Service has lost a quarter of its permanent staff, and 45% of its seasonal positions were left vacant last summer, the lawmakers observed. The National Parks of Boston had a combined 50 vacancies for full-time employees across its three park units as of July 2025, and one-third of the positions at the Cape Cod National Seashore are currently vacant, they wrote to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The planned staff reductions at the office, which sprawls across 13 states, would bring it to the breaking point, Markey and his colleagues wrote. And if those reductions in force are carried out, theyd have an impact on planned celebrations of the nations 250th birthday next year, Markey and his colleagues told Burgum. Earlier this week, Democratic Gov. Maura Healeys office announced a full slate of programming in the Bay State in 2026 tied to the celebration. Markey and his colleagues also expressed particular concern about the impact any planned job cuts could have on the Olmstead Center for Landscape Preservation in Brookline and the Historic Architecture, Conservation and Engineering Center in Lowell. Both sites provide critical planning and historic restoration and renovation at many parks in the state and the Northeast, the lawmakers wrote. The letter also asked Burgums office to respond by Nov. 21 to a list of 11 detailed questions seeking clarity on matters ranging from the justification for the cuts to whether more reductions are planned for Massachusetts. In 2024, 8.8 million visitors to Massachusetts national parks spent $950 million in the state, contributing a total of $1.4 billion to the Massachusetts economy, the lawmakers wrote, adding that Massachusetts deserves a fully supported and staffed [Park Service], especially as we celebrate Americas 250th birthday next year. MassLive has reached out to the U.S. Interior Department for comment for this story. Some 1.1 million Bay State residents who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to put food on the table could receive their delayed benefits as soon as Saturday, the Healey administration has said. In a statement, the Democratic governor said shed ordered SNAP recipients to receive full November benefits even as a legal dispute over the aid unfurls in federal court. The Trump administration said Friday that it was working to comply with a federal courts order to provide full November benefits during the shutdown, Politico reported, citing an internal memo. The Agriculture Department said in its memo that later today it will complete the processes necessary to make funds for the SNAP program available, the online news outlet reported. In an email, a Healey administration spokesperson said the state had received notice from the USDA on Friday afternoon that it would complete preparations on Friday to send out full benefits for November. The states Department of Transitional Assistance, which manages the program, is now directing our payment processor to process these payments," the administrations spokesperson said. As a result, Healeys office expects benefits to start appearing on electronic benefit cards by Saturday. The state does not receive the funds directly from the federal government, the spokesperson said. In her statement, Healey said President Donald Trump "should never have put the American people in this position. Families shouldnt have had to go hungry because their president chose to put politics over their lives." The announcement from the Republican White House came after it appealed a federal courts Thursday order directing it to make full payments. It will continue to pursue that appeal, according to NBC News. Read More: Trump appeals court order to pay full SNAP benefits during shutdown The U.S. Justice Department, which represents the USDA, argued in its appeal to a Boston-based appeals court that U.S. District Judge John McConnell had overstepped his authority when he issued his order on Thursday afternoon, according to CNN. McConnell had ordered the White House to provide the additional funding by the end of the day on Friday, tapping unused tariff funds meant for child nutrition programs, according to CNN. That pot of money currently has nearly $17 billion in it, the government has said. Read More: Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November Healey said Friday that she was grateful to the people across Massachusetts who continue to step up and help their neighbors in this time of need. I also want to thank Attorney General [Andrea J.] Campbell for going to court to oppose this unprecedented, illegal decision, Healey continued. And I want to thank our team at the Department of Transitional Assistance for working through these challenging circumstances and maintaining their focus on serving the people of Massachusetts. SNAP beneficiaries can find more information here and families facing hunger and those looking to help can find more information here. Theres one word you hear again and again in conversation with John Deaton. If. If he runs again. If he seeks the endorsement from the power brokers at the state Republican Party. If theres a primary. If theres enough enthusiasm from the GOP rank-and-file and from conservative-leaning independents. If. The one word that can change everything pops up nine times over a 25-minute conversation, appearing so frequently that Deaton, 58, just laughed when MassLive asked him if he had stretched ahead of a wide-ranging interview this week. Heres one more if: If things unfold as expected, the Marine veteran and crypto lawyer from Swansea will return to the campaign trail during an event in Worcester Monday night, where hell likely announce that hes challenging U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., next year. For now, hes not stepping on his own message. But maybe he doesnt have to. Its effectively in plain view. Well, if I decide to run, its for two reasons. One is that I really believe that there is a path to victory, he said. I wouldnt make the sacrifice. You know, I have a 6-year-old daughter, whos in first grade, and as you can imagine, running a campaign, you miss things, and you come home and shes already asleep. And I take that seriously, because, you know, I was abandoned by my father, he continued. And so I share that with you because I wouldnt run unless I really, truly thought that I could win. And if I do decide to run, its because I truly understand that, every day, people are struggling. Deaton hasnt changed much from the first-time candidate who tried to meld working-class populism with a socially moderate message during his first bid for office against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in 2024. He lost to Warren, of Cambridge, by a margin of 60%-40% on Election Day. Hes still not a fan of now-President Donald Trump (he thinks, for instance, the Republican has gone too far with his hardline immigration policies). He still supports abortion rights and marriage equality. He said hes looking forward to drawing bright-line distinctions on those and other issues, including climate change, against Markey. If, of course, he decides to run. The outsider thing Two years ago, Deaton positioned himself as the outsider to Warrens consummate D.C. insider, playing up his hardscrabble roots in a crime-ridden Detroit neighborhood and laid out in his memoir Food Stamp Warrior, which he distributed at events and in interviews. Deatons Senate challenge, however, raised millions of dollars in contributions from the cryptocurrency industry, which hed represented in lawsuits, moving him into a more elite ring of the political universe. That transition also appeared to be reinforced in recent reporting, asserting that Deaton was trying to lock up an endorsement from the state Republican Party, a move that, if successful, could foreclose any potential primary challengers. Asked whether he could still wear that outsiders mantle, Deaton insisted that he could, arguing that it was a mentality as much as it was a status. If running a second time immediately turns a person into a politician, I would disagree with that, he said. And, so, I do view myself as an outsider. The fact that I ran as a Republican nominee, and didnt support President Trump, in and of itself, proves that Im an outsider, he continued. And so I can say that I have been going around, that part of my decision on whether to run is whether or not there would be support for me, including from potentially people that didnt necessarily support me the first time. According to one veteran observer, Deaton will have his work cut out for him just as he did in 2024. Its said in politics that you learn more from the campaigns that you lose than you win, Western Massachusetts political consultant Tony Cignoli told MassLive. Even if thats the case for Deaton, he still has to convince the [state] and [national] GOP that hes a viable candidate to expend resources on. Deatons 2024 fell short of that mark, Cignoli continued, and against Markey, its hard to conceive that he could muster the independent unenrolled voters he needs to win. The tenure thing Deaton steered well clear of any age-based attacks on Markey, who is now 79, will be 80 by Election Day, and 86 should he serve out a third, six-year term in the Senate. Arguments that its time to change horses, however, are another matter entirely. Markey has been on Capitol Hill for a half-century. The calls for generational change in Washington and elsewhere that have animated the Democratic base for months played out in key races in New York City, New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday night. Im not going to say anything negative about Ed Markey as a person. But whether you are [U.S. Sen.] Chuck Grassley or Ed Markey, 50 years in Washington, working in that swamp of a city is enough, Deaton said. And I dont think you can relate to regular people. Markey, he noted, still tells the story of driving an ice cream truck to cover his costs at Boston College. That was 60 years ago, Deaton said. And when you ask Sen. Markey what hes done, he brings up the Telecommunications Act. That was 30 years ago. So I sense that people are losing hope, and I am a different kind of politician. If elected, he said hed serve two, six-year terms, and then step down. Im someone who believes in term limits, so I would never run [for] a third term, he said. I want to be able, before I leave this planet ... to say that I tried to give back." Deaton could find a sympathetic audience; when they were asked which word they most associated with Markey, respondents to this weeks UMass Amherst/WCVB-TV poll said old. Even so, more than half of the polls 800 respondents (54%) said they approved of Markeys job performance. The Moulton factor While polling shows Markey the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic nomination in 2026, theres no absolute guarantee that hell emerge from the partys nominating derby next September. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-6th District, settled weeks of speculation last month when he launched a primary challenge. He joined Alex Rikleen, a former teacher, who had already launched his candidacy. Like Deaton, Moulton, 47, is a Marine veteran. And, like Deaton, he has made Markeys age and long tenure on Capitol Hill the principal argument for his candidacy. Since the last election, weve all seen what happens when our party clings to the same old playbook and protects the status quo and refuses to make room for new ideas and new leaders, Moulton told MassLive last month. And we have to learn from the lessons of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dianne Feinstein and Joe Biden, he continued, repeating what has now become a familiar line. And thats not taking anything away from Sen. Markeys public service, but it is about investing in our future. One more potential plot twist: U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District. The Boston lawmaker has been widely mentioned as a contender and has not explicitly ruled out a run. Deaton, meanwhile, said he was staying away from the age question and argued that he would resist Trumps White House where it made sense, and would try to work with it in those instances where it benefited the state. I think we just need a candidate whose test is, Is it good for America and Massachusetts? he said. An answer to the balancing test for that question and more could come as soon as Monday during Deatons event at Off the Rails, a Worcester restaurant. On Monday night, Im just going to be me, he said. And I think that if I do decide to run and announce, youre going to see a candidate that is different. Thats all Ill say is that Im different than most candidates. If, of course, he decides to run. Democratic voters arent convinced that the party has any clear leadership, a new poll by Politico found. Voters were asked to answer one open-ended question: who do you consider to be the leader of the Democratic Party? Roughly 31% of participants in the poll, all of whom voted for former vice president Kamala Harris in 2024, are either unsure of who the leader is or say the party has no leader. Not sure who it is now, that is kind of the problem, a 50-year-old white woman voter in California said, according to Politico. I do not believe there is a leader right now, a 49-year-old white man in Maryland answered. Harris is the only person who broke double digits, with 16% of voters saying she is the leader of the Democratic party. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the house minority leader in the senate, received the second-most votes for a named politician, with 7.7% saying he is the partys leader. U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and former president Barack Obama both received 7.4% of the vote. Rounding out the top five people was California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who 6.2% of voters said was the leader of the Democratic party. Democratic strategist and co-founder of WelcomePAC Lauren Harper Pope told Politico that the Democratic party is factionally and ideologically divided. I couldnt tell you who the leader of the Democratic Party is, either, and I work in Democratic politics, she said. The poll comes after Democrats swept key races in this years elections on Tuesday, with New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill, Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani all winning their respective races. Needing to clear room on their 40-man roster for some procedural moves, the Red Sox designated relief pitcher Luis Guerrero for assignment Thursday. Guerrero, 25, appeared in 13 games for the Red Sox this past season, compiling a 4.15 ERA. The previous year, when he made his major league debut, he made nine appearances and didnt allow a single run. He flashed an electric fastball that sometimes registered in the upper 90s, but he frequently had trouble with his control. In 17.1 innings with the parent club in 2025, he issued 14 walks. Guerrero was born in the Dominican Republic, but spent much of his time growing up in the Boston area, attending high school there after his family moved to Jamaica Plain. He was a 17th-round draft pick in 2021 and spent the next two years in Bostons minor league system. To make it in pro ball, Guerrero had to overcome a childhood injury that limited the use of high right leg. Thursday was the day for MLB teams to transfer players who had finished the 2025 season on the 60-day IL onto the 40-man roster. Those players were: pitchers Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, Tanner Houck, Patrick Sandoval, Josh Winckowski and Guerrero and infielders Vaughn Grissom, Marcelo Mayer and Triston Casas. The Sox then DFAd Guerrero, leaving them with a full 40-man roster. Additional roster moves will need to be made later this month when the team has to add some minor league prospects who otherwise would be subject to Decembers Rule 5 draft. After a chilly start to Friday morning with temperatures in the 20s and 30s across Massachusetts, the Bay State should see a significant warm-up, with temperatures reaching the 50s or even 60s. National Weather Service forecasters are warning of the possibility of some light flooding from about 9 a.m. Friday through the afternoon, due to higher-than-normal tides resulting from the Beaver Full Moon. Bostons high tide, for example, is expected to reach 12 feet. Still, forecasters dont expect a severe impact. Roads remain passable. Shallow pockets of flooding less than one foot deep affect more vulnerable coastal road," forecasters wrote. Some splash over onto coastal roads around the time of high tide. The Coastal Flood Statement applies to Boston, the North Shore and Cape Cod. Some rain is expected Friday night in most communities along and northwest of Interstate 95, beginning around 8 p.m. and ending around midnight. Any rain that does fall should total around a quarter of an inch. "Enough such that if you have evening plans, youll have some rain to dodge, but really nothing impactful," forecasters wrote. That said, heavier rain showers could fall overnight, along with flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder. "Not expecting severe weather but some lightning flashes could be possible around Buzzards Bay/Cape Cod and the Islands," forecasters wrote. The steadiest rain will have ended by Saturday morning, but its not yet clear when the Bay State will dry out entirely. Cape Cod and the Islands should see showers continuing through the morning, but much of the rest of the state is likely to remain dry. In the wake of the rain, temperatures will shoot up to about 60 degrees or warmer across much of the state, roughly 10 degrees higher than normal for this time of year. A fast-moving system will make its way into Massachusetts Sunday night into Monday, bringing with it the next round of rain, with a period of moderate to heavy rainfall appearing likely. Still, the system should make its way through the state fairly quickly, reducing the risk of flooding. Some showers will linger Monday, but forecasters dont expect anything significant. "Bigger story for the start of the week will be below average temperatures," forecasters wrote. "In fact, we will likely see some of the coldest air so far this season." Temperatures should be in the high 30s to low 40s at the start of the week, with little precipitation. That said, there is a chance for some showers or even isolated flurries in higher elevations throughout next week. The chief of the Cheshire Police Department was arrested in a school parking lot on Thursday night and accused of soliciting sex for a fee. Michael Alibozek, 53, of Adams was arrested on Nov. 6 and charged with soliciting sex for a fee, according to the Berkshire County District Attorneys Office. Alibozek had been communicating online with an undercover state police detective and arranged for a meet-up at 9:45 p.m. on Thursday night, at the Hoosac Valley Middle and High School, the district attorneys office said. This is where he was taken into custody by the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit, assisted by troopers in the Massachusetts State Police Cheshire barracks, according to the DAs office. Alibozek was relieved of his duty as chief of the Cheshire Police Department after his arrest and placed on paid administrative leave by the Cheshire town administrator and the chair of the Cheshire Select Board, the office said. His town-issued gun was also seized and he no longer has access to the police station. An emergency select board meeting was scheduled for Friday afternoon to appoint an acting chief. The results of that meeting were not immediately available on Friday evening. Cheshire town officials reported the incident to the Massachusetts POST Commission, the district attorneys office said. Alibozek will be arraigned on Monday in Central Berkshire District Court. SPRINGFIELD A Northampton defense attorney continues to battle for details on a federal informant embroiled in a state court shooting case. Jose Rivera, of Hampshire County, was indicted in 2017 in connection with an alleged shooting in Chicopee in July of that year that did not result in injuries. The prosecution was crawling along in Hampden Superior Court, with informant Efrain Morales as one of the star witnesses. Morales told prosecutors Rivera was a known assassin. Defense lawyer Dana Goldblatt filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeking to compel information from the local U.S. Attorneys office on the status of Morales. A former Hampden assistant district attorney had told Goldblatt that Morales was under federal investigation but had yet to be indicted. Named as defendants in that suit were the U.S. Department of Justice and former Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy. Leading up to trial, prosecutors are obligated to turn over any information to defense attorneys that would allow them to attack a witness credibility on cross-examination. The government has so far refused to hand over information on Morales status as a federal informant. He has a Constitutional right to the information, Goldblatt told a federal judge Thursday during a hearing. A lawyer for the government said that office is not obligated to hand over records in a state court case. U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni took the matter under advisement. Goldblatt argues that the federal government is running afoul of its own policies by refusing to offer information on Morales, despite multiple requests. She said state prosecutors also have, at a minimum, slow-walked their obligations, causing multiple delays in Riveras trial. The case is testing the ability of federal prosecutors to keep their informants under wraps. Morales made other claims about Rivera, the lawsuit says, that proved not to be true, including that hed had an affair with his lawyer and used that lawyer to smuggle drugs into prison. Mount Holyoke College students rally outside the gates on Friday to urge schools to reject the Trump administrations Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. Nov. 7, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook SOUTH HADLEY Angry with the Trump administrations actions regarding international students and higher education, Mount Holyoke College students rallied Friday as part of a nationwide walkout. Last month, the Trump administration offered preferential access to federal funding to a handful of colleges later opening the offer to all higher education institutions if they signed a compact aligning their campuses with Trump priorities. As part of the administrations Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, institutions would have to: ban race or sex-based hiring and admissions; freeze tuition for five years; cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%; require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test; and reduce grade inflation. Keira Gillin, a senior at Mount Holyoke and founder of the colleges Sunrise Movement climate justice chapter, said the group is fighting to make higher education affordable, improve security for students and workers, and for freedom of speech in classrooms and beyond. Some drivers honked in support as they passed. Gillin said walkout rallies were happening at Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst at the same time. One of the demands of the group is for the college to publicly denounce the compact and Trumps attacks, said Hattie Nichols, another member of the colleges chapter of the national activist organization. Were a gender-diverse, historically womens college and Im seeing direct impacts of (the Trump administration) on my peers, Gillin said. (The compact) goes against our values. Christian Feuerstein, spokesperson for Mount Holyoke College, said it had no comment Friday on whether it would denounce the compact. However, the colleges website acknowledges Trumps attacks on higher education. Mount Holyoke College students rally outside the gates on Friday to urge schools to reject the Trump administrations Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. Nov. 7, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) For nearly 200 years, weve championed educational inclusion for women and people marginalized on the basis of gender, the website said. Today, we remain a powerful force for changemakers and visionaries who refuse to accept the status quo. The developments come as the United States sees a decade low in foreign student arrivals, excluding the pandemic. The steep drop in international students nationwide 19% is attributed to the Trump administrations crackdown on immigration and its attacks on international students at institutions such as Harvard University. At Mount Holyoke, the international undergraduate student population saw a slight decline this year, according to data from the college. Melanie Duronio, a senior at the college studying English and sociology, said she attended the protest to support friends who are international students. My friends dont feel safe even though were in a relatively left-leaning area, she said. Racism definitely still exists here. Mount Holyoke College students rally outside the gates on Friday to urge schools to reject the Trump administrations Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education. Nov. 7, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican) Douglas Hook Students rallied outside the schools gates on College Street, holding signs carrying messages in yellow, red and black paint. The people have the power, one sign read. Hands off immigrants, another said. This is a signal to the other colleges in our consortium that we all have to support each other, said Duronio. These are privileged institutions that have the power to fight back. The commonwealths largest nurses union is worried about the future of health care in Western Massachusetts. Springfield and the greater Western Massachusetts region cannot afford to lose another hospital service, Jaime Hyatt, RN, and Dee Doyle, RN, co-chairs of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) Bargaining Committee at Mercy, said in a statement Thursday. The fears come after leaders of Mercy Medical Center and Baystate Health are in talks that could result in an acquisition or merger of the two leading Springfield hospitals, according to the Republican newspaper. But the nature of the deal and its impact on employees and services or whether it will even happen are yet to be seen, despite what the Republican reported three months ago. And that worries the association. The planning for the sale of Providence Hospital occurred in secret under the Baker administration, involving Trinity Health, the state, and for-profit Health Partners New England, with the deal announced only after it was complete, the MNA statement read. That lack of transparency eroded public trust and left workers and patients with no voice in decisions that affected their care. The nurses union had hoped that the process would be different under the Healey administration. The people of Western Massachusetts deserve open communication, public accountability and genuine collaboration to ensure that patient care and community needs remain the top priorities, the union said. The Healey administration has an opportunity to demonstrate a new level of transparency and partnership by working closely with nurses, patients and local officials during this temporary closure and in any potential sale of the hospital. A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health said in July that it had not received any notice regarding a potential acquisition of Mercy Medical Center by Baystate Health. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the sale on Friday. But two people confirmed to the Republican that month that talks were underway between Baystate and Mercy. They declined to be identified as neither was authorized to speak for the institutions. But both indicated they have direct knowledge of the status of the possible business combination. Sources, once again, confirmed to the Republican that talks of the sale have continued into November. The Massachusetts Nurses Association asked the owner of Mercy Medical Center in June if the Springfield hospital is for sale. Trinity Health New Englands answer, according to documents provided by MNA spokesman Joe Markman, left the door open to the possibility of a transaction. Mercy Medical Center looks at opportunities in the marketplace in the normal course of business to support our mission of providing exceptional health care in our communities, Trinity responded during contract negotiations with the nurses union in April. We are always exploring potential partnerships and collaborations with other providers that we think would improve the delivery of health care in our community, the institution told the union. There is nothing for us to share at this time. In 2024, Trinity Health of New England Medical Group posted a total profit of $475 million but an operating loss of $68.4 million, the Republican reported. But those numbers include figures from facilities outside Massachusetts, according to the Center for Health Information and Analysis. Trinitys Springfield hospital, Mercy Medical Center, alone lost $29.8 million. It had the lowest margin among independent hospitals and the 10th-lowest total margin among all hospitals at 9.2%. Mercys financial losses are primarily driven by a public payer mix that is among the most challenging in the state, with nearly 80% of the patients Mercy serves being covered by government payers (Medicare and Medicaid), which pay far below the cost to provide care, Mary Orr, Mercy spokesperson, said in a written statement. Its a complex health care landscape, she said. Mercy is focused on initiatives and opportunities to maintain area residents access to care. On Thursday, Mercy Medical Centers Family Life Center announced it is planning to temporarily stop maternity and newborn services in December, which Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, called challenging for the community. DPH said it will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide guidance and oversight as needed. Plus, earlier this year, many doctors and staff at Mercy began looking for new jobs after Trinity Health told them it planned to outsource staff in the emergency room to Vituity a for-profit, physician-owned group from California whose arrival previously caused staff departures at hospitals in Connecticut. Its not good for Springfield, one staff member told MassLive. And in June, the Trinity Health of New England Medical Group said obstetric and gynecological services at the Agawam location were being consolidated, and that patients were being redirected to the Trinity Health of New England Medical Group office in Chicopee or the Bicentennial Highway location in Springfield. Republican reporter Jim Kinney contributed to this reporting. A page of the register of prisoners recently found in the records at the Hampshire County Sheriff's Office that describes the incarceration of participants of Shays' Rebellion. (Submitted photo) submitted photo Jailhouse records describing the incarceration of dozens of participants of Shays Rebellion sat for decades in a cardboard box at the Hampshire County Sheriffs Office before state archivists discovered them. The leatherbound register of prisoners, written on yellowed pages in looping cursive, described the charges of treason, sedition and taking up arms against the state leveled against 35 participants of the rebellion that ran from the summer of 1786 to early 1787. The sheriffs office announced the discovery this week. Shays Rebellion was one of the inciting incidents that led to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution that created a stronger federal government. Farmers in Western Massachusetts, saddled with repaying war debt to wealthy merchants in Boston, gathered to shut down courts that were moving to foreclose on their homes and land. The rebellion, led by Revolutionary War Army Captain Daniel Shays, came to a head outside the Springfield Arsenal in January 1787 when the group of about 1,200 was driven away with cannon fire. We stored all those boxes away and we just have never had the manpower or the time to dig back through those records, said Sheriff Patrick Cahillane. Hampshire Sheriff Patrick Cahillane. (The Republican / file photo) Staff Cahillane noted the discovery of the records comes in the months before the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. These were individuals who truly believed that they should have a stake in their own government, he said. The register of prisoners recorded information on every detainee in Hampshire County from 1784 (the first year Massachusetts sheriffs were required to keep such a log) to 1830. It ended up in one of the boxes containing Bibles, dictionaries and miscellaneous documents that the sheriffs department packed up when it moved from Union Street in Northampton to Rocky Hill Road in 1985. The boxes sat on shelving in storage for four decades until the Massachusetts Archives reached out to the sheriffs office at the beginning of September. Jeremy Berry-Cahn, state processing archivist, said that office will occasionally go out and search for public records it can preserve and make more readily available. Were trying to preserve pieces of history, Berry-Cahn said. So when it becomes apparent that we dont have records from a particular agency, its usually a good clue that they still have them. A view inside the Massachusetts Archives in Columbia Point in Boston. (MassLive / file photo) In this case, the clue came from an inventory compiled by the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s, which said the Hampshire Sheriffs Office had records dating back to the 1700s. I thought, Gee, I wonder if they still do. And sure enough, they did, Berry-Cahn said. In Northampton, state archivists gathered up documents spanning from the 1700s to 2008. It took two truckloads to transport the 63 cubic feet of records to the archives in Boston. Many of the records, Berry-Cahn said, will be useful to people compiling their genealogical histories. If somebody has a great-grandfather who was imprisoned for drunkenness in 1920, we would have those records, Berry-Cahn said. And also maybe a mug shot as well, which also came from the sheriffs office as part of this transfer to the archives. Berry-Cahn said he immediately began searching for references to Shays Rebellion in the documents after they arrived in Boston. The Hampshire County Jail & House of Correction in Northampton. (The Republican / file photo) The records of participants of Shays Rebellion appear next to other entries of prisoners accused of more banal crimes, such as theft and adultery. The records note that many of the sentences of death handed out to the Shays Rebellion participants ended with a pardon by the governor of Massachusetts at the time. The pages include physical descriptions of some of the prisoners. The records describe West Springfield resident Luke Day, considered one of the leaders of the rebellion, as being 5 feet, 8 inches tall and having a dark complexion. The jailhouse record, Berry-Cahn said, provides a different lens on history told largely through court papers and records of the governors council. It helps lay out a chronology of events. They werent all captured at once, Berry-Cahn said. There were people that were still being apprehended up to about six months or seven months afterwards. Berry-Cahn said the state archives will eventually digitize the Shays Rebellion records. Daniel Bullen, who wrote the book Daniel Shayss Honorable Rebellion, said he has waged a one-man campaign to rehabilitate the reputation of the rebellion and its leader. He said no single document tells the story of the rebellion, and most of the participants were punished lightly, if at all. The first thing I always have to dispel is the idea that Shays Rebellion was a violent insurrection, which it was not, Bullen said. It was a non-violent anti-austerity campaign. They won all of their demands in peaceful elections, which is something that gets lost. Police confiscated one firearm and multiple packages of cocaine and heroin in a raid Wednesday that resulted in 13 arrests. (Springfield Police photo) republican SPRINGFIELD Police broke up a drug trafficking ring, arresting 13 people, confiscating one gun and condemning a Forest Park neighborhood home Wednesday. The arrests came after a months-long investigation into the alleged sale of crack cocaine from an Orange Street apartment by the Springfield Police Firearms Investigation Unit under the direction of Lt. Jaime Bruno. After building evidence, detectives received a warrant to raid the apartment, said Ryan Walsh, police spokesman. During the 12:30 p.m. search, detectives confiscated about 130 grams of powdered and crack cocaine, 384 bags of heroin, a loaded firearm and 16 rounds of additional ammunition and $734 in cash, Walsh said. During the raid, law enforcement detained 14 suspects. Police later decided to charge one with a criminal complaint and release the suspect, Walsh said. Suspects ranged in age from 19 to 64 and a dozen live in Springfield while one lives in Chicopee. All 13 were charged with cocaine trafficking and intent to distribute heroin. Different suspects also face a variety of other charges mostly related to illegal guns and firearms possession without a license. Several were also arrested on warrants from Springfield, Holyoke and Palmer district courts. Suspects arrested are Yared Rios, 41; Alisha Santana, 36; Jaimour Anderson, 40; Celeste Key, 41; Raziel Garcia, 29; Zoraya Sales, 30; Christopher Kremski, 64; Natasha Stern, 36; Dorine Harrison, 53; Taveon Awosika, 19; Amee Vega, 43; Jose Cintron, 38 and Frederick Smith, 55. The arrests were made with the Hampden County Sheriffs Department, the Massachusetts State Police and the U.S. Marshalls Fugitive Task Force. Bishop William Byrne of the Catholic Diocese of Springfield stands with Catholic Charity Agency Executive Director Shaina Rodriguez on Thursday in St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Westfield asking for the community's help to fill the shelves to help those experiencing food insecurity. (CLIFF CLARK / THE WESTFIELD NEWS) WESTFIELD NEWS WESTFIELD William D. Byrne, the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield visited the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry at St. Marys Parish Thursday to issue a call to arms to the community to help those struggling with food insecurity as a result of the cut in SNAP benefits. Right now, I think what we need to do is fill shelves, said Byrne while standing in the small food pantry with Shaina Rodriguez, the executive director of the Dioceses Catholic Charity Agency. Byrne said the reason the church was highlighting the needs of the pantry is because we have too many people in our in our neighborhoods that are hungry. While welcoming the news SNAP beneficiaries are getting a partial allocation after initially thinking they might be cut off completely from food assistance in November, the uncertainty of food in the future still hangs in over many, and these reduction of benefits has deepened the hardship for many and put fear into many hearts across all of Western Massachusetts, he said. As a result, Bryne said that as Catholics, we are called upon to respond. I know that many of our parishes, if not most like St. St. Marys here, have food collection programs which serve as either local donation sites or they feed into broader food banks and through this food drive, he said. Lets please take this opportunity to see if we can even do more for those who are hungry. So each can of food, each box of macaroni, each one of these is a symbol of a sign of love, Byrne said. Rodriguez spoke of how the food needs in Springfield have exploded over the last week. Providing food through its mobile food pantry, Rodriguez said that on Friday, Oct. 31, there were 84 families who needed food, which is about 240 individuals, and by Thursday, there were 98 families seeking help. And that was just one location, Rodriguez said. This need is across Western Mass. and we need to step up together and meet that need together. We need to be doing what were called to do by the gospel by Jesus and together we can do that, she said. The food items the pantry at 86 Mechanic St. needs are canned tuna and salmon, pasta, pasta sauce, boxes of macaroni and cheese, and other nonperishable items like rice, soups, and peanut butter, Rodriguez said, adding that to culturally sensitive the pantry could use a donation of sunflower seed butter for those who abstain from dairy products. She added that there is a need for diapers and baby formula. Rodriguez asked that donated cans of food have pull-top tabs that can be opened without a can opener. If you look here on the shelves, Bryne said, pointing to the shelves at the pantry that were about half filled, you see all the soups and the raviolis are all things that one could open without having to have an elaborate kitchen and provide an easy meal for a family. Rodriguez also stressed that families in need can also use personal hygiene items. Christine Farrell, the president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and pantry director, said for those who want to donate, boxes are just inside the doors to St. Marys Parish on Bartlett Street. She said that demand for food has doubled and tripled over the last three weeks. The line told it (about the increase) yesterday. The line was into the parking lot and around the corner, Farrell said. Byrne offered an explanation about the increase in families needing food assistance. Were recognizing people, out of fear, are going to the food pantries and so the shelves are emptying quicker than they had been at an earlier pace. So thats why we need to turn up the energy on this and make our parishes aware, Byrne said. Farrell said financial contributions can be dropped off at the pantry office. Rodriguez wanted it to be made clear that there are no questions asked of those seeking assistance. 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Leighton Morrison (49) with an address at Woodfield, Galway Road, Tuam, Co Galway appeared before Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting two girls who were aged nine and eight at the time on separate dates. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child porn, possession of child porn and sexual exploitation of children. Judge Eoin Garavan was informed that the two girls were pupils at the defendant's ballet class and on separate occasions asked them to wear 'inappropriate clothing' which included underwear which exposed the girl's genitals. He then recorded them on his phone and footage retrieved by gardai showed him 'stretching' one of the girls vagina with his fingers and thumb and also unzipping her top and fondling her exposed breasts. In sentencing Mr Morrison, Judge Eoin Garavan said that this was an 'appalling breach of trust' and that the two girls were entirely exploited by Mr Morrison. He added that Mr Morrison had engineered the abuse of the two girls for his own 'defiant sexual gratification' and robbed these young children of their innocence and their childhood. Complaint The abuse came to light on March 9, 2024 when one of the girls who was aged nine was upset when leaving the class and her parents knew something was not right. The court heard the girl had attended a stay safe programme in her school which enhanced her awareness of appropriate behaviour and told her mother that Mr Morrison had made her wear revealing underwear and touched her inappropriately. The parents contacted gardai the following day and on the same day a second parent informed gardai that something similar had happened to her daughter in 2023. The two girls were interviewed by specialist interviewers and one of the girls revealed that while in class Mr Morrison asked her to try on a costume. She said it was silver shorts and a silver cropped jumper jacket and very 'inappropriate knicker things'. The girl said she felt very uncomfortable but when Mr Morrison returned into the changing room he said he really liked it. The girl proceeded to explain that he pulled down her shorts and said 'it needs to be stretched' before putting his fingers on his private parts. He then used his left hand to zip down her top and touched her breasts. The girl said she started crying when he left the room. The second girl told gardai that the year previously the children were in the dressing room and going through different costumes. All the girls were laughing at one costume in particular which was 'was short and dazzly'. When Mr Morrison came into the room he asked the girl if she wanted to wear it and she said yes as she did not want to be rude. The other girls left the room and Mr Morrison 'helped' her undress her down to her underwear and vest. He then touched her on her vagina area for a few seconds which the girl said made her feel uncomfortable. She said she felt embarrassed wearing the outfit in front of the other children. Mobile phone A senior officer was appointed to look into the complaints and on March 12, 2024, a search warrant was obtained to search Mr Morrison's home and his dance studio. Two Samsung mobile phones and a Dell laptop were recovered from his home and clothing described by the girls was taken from the studio. One of the Samsung phones was damaged and Judge Garavan was informed that gardai believe it was damaged deliberately and sent to be repaired in order to examine it. Judge Eoin Garavan The other Samsung was examined which showed a video recording capturing the sexual assault of the girl on March 9 at 12.22pm and was two minutes and 33 seconds long. The incident as described by the girl was captured on the video. Garda Fiona Reilly told the court that the girl's legs were separated and her vagina exposed to camera. She added she could be heard saying 'I'm dying' while Mr Morrison responded 'you are okay'. The court heard that when the damaged phone was examined, Gardai managed to extract thumbnail sprite images from a video which showed abuse to the second girl. Garda Reilly said that one sprite showed the girl completely naked with her genitals exposed in images and Mr Morrison had his hand on her stomach. A second sprite showed her wearing underwear with her genitals exposed and Mr Morrison was touching them. Mr Morrison was arrested and interviewed by gardai but on legal advice made no comment answers to the questions. Victim impact statement The mothers of the two girls both gave victim impact statements where they outlined how the abuse has had a devastating affect on the girls and their families. One mother stated she is haunted by the thoughts of what her daughter had to endure and that her child's health suffered as a result of the abuse. My young daughter has been subjected to very serious sexual abuse and assault and this haunts me. It haunts me in my sleep and I regularly walk up in the middle of the night and I worry so much about what went on in those classes. It haunts me to this day to think back on the day the assault took place, she said, adding that Mr Morrison had built up a trust with the parents. The second mother said that she and her husband spent nights crying as they tried to comprehend 'what our little girl had endured and how it impacted her'. She said the girl went from a happy bubbly child to being withdrawn and not wanting to dance or sing. The court heard the family went to counselling and 20 months on they are much more relaxed again and they are managing better. Both mothers asked Judge Garavan to take into account the effect the abuse has had on the girls and their families when sentencing Mr Morrison. The court heard that Mr Morrison was born in Derby in England and was described as having a 'Billy Elliot life' in that he grew up in poverty with abusive parents but managed to become a professional ballet dancer. He moved to Ireland with his partner and had two children and opened his first dance school in 2008 and opened more in towns in Galway and Mayo. Mr Desmond Dockery, senior counsel for Mr Morrison said that business was thriving until Covid and this isolation led to reliance on alcohol and a gradual descent into viewing of pornography. Mr Dockery said that a psychological report by Dr Catherine Norton showed that his remorse is genuine but has features consistent with a paedophilic disorder and urgently requires one to one counselling. He is also regarded as having a high risk of reoffending but Mr Dockery asked Judge Garavan to give his client credit for his early plea and structure a sentence which will give light at the end of the tunnel. Sentencing Judge Garavan said it was every young girl's dream of becoming a ballerina and Mr Morrison had a controlling influence over those children in his role as their teacher and had betrayed that trust. These events totally robbed these young children of that innocence and that childhood and the mothers said this was the moment they had to grow up very quickly, he said. Judge Garavan added that he accepted Dr Norton's report which stated that Mr Morrison is a paedophile who is sexually orientated towards female children and he can never have any unsupervised access to children and must undergo counselling and go on the sex offenders programme. He also accepted that there was no evidence that Mr Morrison shared or distributed the videos and that there was no suggestion he committed the crimes on his own daughters who he still has a good relationship with. Judge Garavan imposed two four year sentences for the sexual assault of each of the girls which are to run consecutively but agreed to suspend the final year for a two year period. He said he was doing so to ensure that Mr Morrison undergoes a sex offenders course and has professional counselling as part of the sentence as he remains a paedophile and grave danger to children. The sentence was also backdated to July 2, 2024 when Mr Morrison first went into custody. Judge Garavan described what happened as a very sad chapter for the two families and hoped the sentencing will bring some closure to them and congratulated them for their courage to come forward and tell their story. A member of a 'hit squad' who attacked a man with a slash hook and a machete outside a Ballinrobe filling station and left him in a pool of blood has been jailed for three years. Tommy Lee Sweeney of 214 Castle Park, Ballybane, Galway appeared before Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court where he was sentenced after pleading guilty to assault causing harm to Patrick Barrett outside the Corrib Oil filling station in Ballinrobe on January 31, 2023. The court heard that Mr Sweeney was one of two masked men who attacked Mr Barrett (39) as he sat in the driver's seat car in the forecourt of the filling station at around 12.30pm. CCTV footage of the incident was shown to the court and it showed Mr Sweeney holding a machete while his accomplice, who was not before the court, was carrying a long handled slash hook. The person with the slash hook was seen striking Mr Barrett a number of times through the driver door. Mr Barrett managed to escape out the driver's door and managed to crawl into the entrance of the shop before collapsing. The attack on Mr Barrett was part of an ongoing long running Traveller family feud which has resulted in up to 17 reported incidents of violence in the Galway and south Mayo areas. Detective Garda Sinead Caheny explained when she arrived at the scene she noticed a large pool of blood at the entrance. She explained that after viewing the CCTV it showed that Mr Sweeney and the other party had been driving in a grey Honda Accord around the filling station for up to 45 minutes before Mr Barrett and another man arrived in their Toyota Avensis. Mr Barrett suffered a severe head injury including two large lacerations to the skull and after he was brought to Mayo University Hospital he was transferred to the Beaumont Hospital in Dublin. Fled the scene The two attackers fled the scene but their car was later discovered crashed at Cloghans Hill, Tuam and two men were seen fleeing. The Garda helicopter was deployed to help in the search but the two men could not be traced. Judge Eoin Garavan was informed that after viewing CCTV, members of the scenes of crime unit noticed that one of the attackers placed his hand on the top of Mr Barrett's car. Finger prints were taken which identified Mr Sweeney as one of the suspects and he was arrested. He was interviewed on four occasions but made no comment during the interview. Detective Garda Caheny explained that Mr Barrett did not wish to make a victim impact statement but he appears to be doing okay. When questioned by Mr Carroll, senior counsel for Mr Sweeney, Detective Garda Caheny accepted that he did not appear to strike Mr Barrett but suggested that the other person was in the way as he was making attempts to strike him. Mr Carroll said his client was 20 at the time and was under pressure to take part in the feud but was now married and is expecting their first child next year. He asked Judge Garavan to note the probation report which he described as 'positive' and it was clear from it that his client does not try to belittle his involvement and accepted his responsibility and seriousness of the offence. Mr Sweeney, he said, has addressed issues to do with addiction issues and was considered a moderate risk of reoffending. Judge Garavan said that Mr Sweeney was part of a 'hit squad' who waited for 45 minutes getting ready to attack people and inflict as much violence as possible. He added that he was not suggesting it was their intention to kill but death could have been on the cards given the use of a slash hook and machete. 'Absolutely extraordinary' The level of violence he said was absolutely extraordinary and while Mr Sweeney did not get an opportunity to use it it did not stop him from 'thrusting' it at Mr Barrett when he got out of the car. He said this was a joint enterprise between the two individuals and it did not matter which of them 'got the scalp'. He knew his mission and carried it out dutifully, Judge Garavan commented. He noted that Mr Barrett suffered head trauma including a fractured skull and lost up to two litres of blood in the attack and it had the potential of causing life altering injuries or death. He added that he had no idea what the intention of Mr Sweeney was but was sure it was more than just to rough Mr Barrett up. Judge Garavan said that Mr Sweeney was fortunate that the offence took place before the penalty for assault causing harm was increased from five to ten years imprisonment as he would have no difficulty imposing a headline sentence of six to seven years. He accepted that Mr Sweeney pleaded guilty to the offence and that he was young and immature at the time of the offence and he has not offended since. He noted that Mr Sweeney's wife was pregnant but made it clear that he would not be there for the birth and to do otherwise would be a failure on his part. Judge Garavan imposed a four year prison sentence and noted that had it fallen under the new sentencing rules he would have imposed a six year sentence. He agreed to reluctantly suspend the final year of the sentence for a two year period on the condition he engages with the Probation Service for one year post release and remains alcohol and drug free. READ MORE: Paedophile dance teacher 'robbed' Mayo children of their childhood and innocence As temperatures drop, many homeowners across Ireland are thinking about heating their homes as economically and efficiently as possible for the winter. Whether by installing new boilers, upgrading central heating systems, or even by firing up older appliances, its easy to overlook whether heating devices fully comply with current Building Regulations. However, non-compliant heating systems can result in fines, legal issues, or voided insurance coverage. READ NEXT: Cancer patients double their survival rate if they take Covid vaccine, reveals new study To help homeowners stay safe and avoid unexpected fines, Chill Insurance has highlighted common compliance issues related to heating your home and shared expert tips to ensure heating appliances meet the required standards. Irish homeowners could face fines of up to 50,000 and up to two years in prison if heating appliances such as stoves, boilers, or fireplaces are not installed in line with Building Regulations Part J. Many homeowners arent aware of the legal requirements for heating appliances, but failure to comply with Building Regulations can carry serious consequences. For less severe offences, fines can reach up to 5,000 and/or six months imprisonment, with an additional 500 per day if the breach continues. More serious cases can result in fines of up to 50,000 and/or two years imprisonment. Where installations pose a significant risk to health or safety, authorities can apply to the courts to have unsafe appliances removed, altered, or restricted from use until they are made safe. Here are some heating appliance rules every homeowner should be aware of: Air supply A heat-producing appliance must be installed with an adequate supply of air to allow for safe combustion and to prevent overheating. Specific ventilation requirements may vary depending on the appliance type and capacity, so always refer to the manufacturers installation manual for exact guidance. Without proper air supply, appliances, such as boilers, may operate inefficiently or pose a fire risk. Home insurance could be voided if an appliance is not installed in line with regulations. READ NEXT: Incredible guests revealed for this week's Late Late Show Carbon monoxide safety Reasonable measures must be in place to protect from the dangers of carbon monoxide. This includes installing carbon monoxide alarms and ensuring that appliances are designed and installed to prevent leaks. Failure to provide adequate carbon monoxide protection can create serious health risks, including headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion, and in severe cases, loss of consciousness or death. Chimneys and flues Heat-producing appliances must discharge smoke and fumes safely to the outside. Flues, chimneys, and fireplaces should be designed and installed to minimise the risk of fire to the building. Proper construction and maintenance are essential to avoid smoke backflow and reduce fire hazards. Essential maintenance could include regular chimney sweeping, checking for blockages or cracks, inspecting flue liners and seals, and ensuring ventilation openings remain unobstructed. Maintenance records Chimneys and flues should be swept and inspected regularly, and records of these activities should be kept. Maintaining documentation ensures evidence of ongoing safety and compliance, and insurers may refuse claims if maintenance records are missing. Provision of information Where a hearth, fireplace, flue, or chimney is present, a permanent, clearly visible notice must be displayed indicating the type of appliance it can safely serve. Homeowners should also be provided with information on maintenance requirements to ensure safe and effective operation. READ NEXT: Early Ireland weather models suggest bitterly cold December similar to 2010 snow Fuel storage Fuel tanks and any connecting pipes must be installed in safe locations and properly protected to minimise the risk of fire and prevent leaks or spills. This includes placing tanks in secure enclosures, using corrosion-resistant materials, ensuring tight connections, and keeping them away from heat sources or flammable materials. Correct positioning and secure construction help keep your home, nearby buildings, and the environment safe while ensuring compliance with regulations. Insurance risks of non-compliant heating installations Homeowners could face serious insurance issues if stoves, boilers, or fireplaces are not installed or maintained correctly. Insurance policies often exclude claims caused by faulty workmanship or non-compliant installations. Chimney-related claims, including chimney fires, may be denied if proper maintenance records, such as sweeping or inspection logs, are not available. Insurers may also refuse cover at renewal or impose higher excesses and conditions if a property does not meet current building regulations until proof of compliance is provided. In cases where non-compliant appliances cause harm to others, such as carbon monoxide poisoning or fire, liability cover could be contested, potentially leading to legal disputes and significant out-of-pocket costs. Ian OReilly, Head of Personal Sales at Chill shares top tips on how homeowners can stay safe and compliant when installing or maintaining heating appliances: READ NEXT: 'Most return' - 35 children in Tusla care deemed missing at any one time since 2023 Every winter, we see a spike in insurance queries linked to heating system failures. Many homeowners assume that if their central heating or boiler works, it must be safe - but thats not always the case. Even small compliance gaps, like not having a signed-off installation certificate or missing chimney sweep records, can lead to legal issues or insurance headaches. Our advice is simple: treat your heating system like any other major investment in your home. Use a qualified installer, keep your maintenance paperwork in order, and make sure to test your carbon monoxide alarms regularly. These steps not only keep you safe and compliant, they could save you thousands if something ever goes wrong. The Grace Westport Estate was among more than 70 Irish tourism businesses that joined Tourism Ireland at this years World Travel Market (WTM) in London, the worlds largest business-to-business event for the global travel and tourism industry. The annual fair, which attracts thousands of travel professionals and tour operators from across the world, marked the beginning of Irelands international tourism promotional drive for 2026. The event provided a platform for Irish tourism businesses to connect with operators from established and emerging markets, including China, India, the Middle East, England, mainland Europe, and North America. Alice Mansergh, Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland, highlighted the importance of the event in driving international visibility for the destination. Our presence at World Travel Market was extremely important to kick-start our promotional drive overseas for 2026, she said. We were delighted to have around 75 tourism companies from across the island of Ireland, including The Grace Westport Estate, joining us at this years WTM. "World Travel Market presents a unique opportunity for the travel industry to meet, network, negotiate and contract business for 2026 and beyond. We are targeting visitors who do more, see more, enjoy more and therefore spend more during their time in Ireland, to help tourism businesses across our island thrive. The event comes as Ireland experiences growth in tourism infrastructure and connectivity, with a 12% increase in air capacity to the island this winter. Tourism Irelands strategy for the coming year emphasizes promoting Ireland as a compelling year-round destination, highlighting the diversity of its regions, heritage, and experiences. By participating in WTM, The Grace Westport Estate and other Irish tourism operators aimed to strengthen their global presence, attract new visitor segments, and contribute to Irelands continued success as a leading international travel destination. Click next or the arrows to see the next picture. A beautifully renovated cottage on Clare Island has gone up for sale in Mayo. The two bedroom house is situated on approximately two acres at Ballytoohy Beg, Clew Bay, and has an asking price of 420,000. The property is a six minute drive from Clare Island Pier, and was purchased by the present owners in 2012, who then carried out a series of sustainable renovations on the property. Read More: Mayo Gardai attend scene of single-vehicle collision this morning Auctioneer Helen Cassidy - who specialises in rural Ireland dream homes - said that there has been a lot of interest in the island home already. Speaking to The Mayo News, Ms Cassidy said that the Clew Bay cottage is a rare opportunity that does not come along often. The property owners estimate that the house was built at the end of the 19th century. Clare Island is accessible to the mainland via a ten minute ferry service that operates year round, five times a day at Roonagh Pier - approximately half an hours drive from Westport. Clare Island is reputed to be the largest of the 365 islands in Clew Bay, and was the ancestral home of pirate queen Grace O'Malley. The Mayo island is home to an ancient bog forest, a 5,500-year-old megalithic court tomb, a bronze-age fort, a 19th Century Napoleonic Signal Tower, and numerous 3,000 year old fulacht fiadhs. Interested buyers can read more about the "spectacular" property and get in touch with the auctioneer here. When a multidisciplinary approach works together with compassion and collaboration, it can lead to better pain management in Parkinson's disease. Trusted Source Perceptions of the Provision of Pain Care Services from the Perspective of People with Parkinson's Disease: A Qualitative Descriptive Study Go to source Trusted Source TOP INSIGHT Did You Know? Versatile and unified care, involving #physical_therapists, psychologists, and #pain_management experts can provide advanced pain care for patients with #Parkinson's_disease. #neurology #personalizedcare #psychology #chronicpain #medindia Advertisement Persistent Pain in Parkinson's: The Critical Need for Tailored Care Advertisement Empathy, Knowledge, and Individualization in Pain Care Advertisement Improving Quality of Life Through Allied Health Professionals Perceptions of the Provision of Pain Care Services from the Perspective of People with Parkinson's Disease: A Qualitative Descriptive Study - (https://www.dovepress.com/perceptions-of-the-provision-of-pain-care-services-from-the-perspectiv-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JMDH) Researchers highlight thatThe data was based on research from University of South Australia, and published in.< br>A new case of Parkinsons disease is diagnosed every 27 minutes in Australia..(Many people fail to manage the pain effectively in such disease. Most of the patients depend on trial-and-error approaches due insignificant tailored treatments.In Australia, more than 65,000 people with Parkinsons disease experience persistent pain. < br>Lead researcher and UniSA PhD candidate Anthony Mezzini says we need to improve quality pain care for people with Parkinsons.. Its one of the most troublesome issues in early-stage Parkinsons and a leading case of reduced quality of life, Mezzini says.People with Parkinsons told us that they often rely on trial-and-error approaches to manage their pain not because they want to, but because they dont always have access to specialist pain support or tailored advice.When pain care worked well, it was because healthcare professionals especially allied health practitioners and Parkinsons nurses took the time to listen, understand their experience, and tailor care to their specific needs.Researchers found that peoples experiences ofHowever, these qualities were inconsistent across the health care system, with people reporting mixed feedback about the support they received from general practitioners and neurologists, and significant access barriers in rural and regional areas.UniSAs researcher and Parkinsons Nurse Dr Sue Sharrad says improving pain management for people with Parkinsons requires both greater access to multidisciplinary care and enhanced training for healthcare providers.Embedding empathetic, individualised care into routine practice and expanding access to Parkinsons nurses and allied health professionals could make a real difference, Dr Sharrad says.Parkinsons specialist nurses and allied health professionals are often praised for their high level of care. We need to ensure that every person with Parkinsons receives pain care thats tailored, evidence-based, and delivered by professionals who understand the complex nature of Parkinsons pain..The research forms part of UniSAs ongoing work to improve quality of life for people living with neurological conditions.Source-Eurekalert A silent epidemic of chronic kidney disease is devastating Tamil Nadus farmers, exposed to extreme heat, dehydration, and chemical hazards. Highlights: CKD and CKDu are silently rising among Tamil Nadus farmers Extreme heat, dehydration, and tobacco use are major triggers Regular screening, hydration, and rest can save thousands of lives TOP INSIGHT Did You Know? Farmers working over 24 hours a week in 38C heat are twice as likely to develop #kidneydisease. #ckdu #tamilnadu #chronickidneydisease #ckd #lancet #medindia Advertisement CKDu Emerges Beyond Diabetes and Hypertension Trusted Source CKDu-AGRI Study-a population-based cross-sectional study of chronic kidney disease and chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology among agricultural workers in Tamil Nadu, India Go to source Trusted Source Advertisement Indias Own Battle with Chronic Kidney Disease Advertisement Farmers in Tamil Nadus Northeastern and Southern Zones were the Hardest Hit Overall, 5.31% of agricultural workers had CKD . . The prevalence of CKDu was about 2.66%, and there was no link between kidney disease and diabetes or high blood pressure. and there was no link between kidney disease and diabetes or high blood pressure. Most affected areas: North-eastern and southern zones of Tamil Nadu of Tamil Nadu Silent nature: Most people showed no symptoms, making it a hidden epidemic Chronic Kidney Disease Connection to Extreme Heat Chronic Kidney Disease Link with Lifestyle and Social Factors Beware of Chronic Kidney Disease Without Pain Until Its Too Late Tamil Nadus Farmers Are In Need of Protection From Chronic Kidney Disease! Periodic screening of the health of the kidneys of agricultural employees. of the health of the kidneys of agricultural employees. Availability of safe drinking water in farmlands. in farmlands. Planned rest and water breaks in the hot seasons. in the hot seasons. Lifestyle risk and safe pesticide education . . Heat protection policies, including shaded shelters and protective gear. Act Against Chronic Kidney Disease Before Its Too Late CKDu-AGRI Study-a population-based cross-sectional study of chronic kidney disease and chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology among agricultural workers in Tamil Nadu, India - (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lansea/article/PIIS2772-3682(25)00154-4/fulltext) is fast emerging as one of the worlds biggest silent killers. It affects the efficiency with which the kidneys can filter the waste in the blood, and when left undiagnosed, may result in kidney failure that may require dialysis or transplant.Global CKD rates have risen dramatically over the last three decades. However, scientists are now becoming concerned with an even more. Unlike regular CKD, which is induced by diabetes or high blood pressure,. It began by attracting Central American sugarcane workers and got the geographical tag of Mesoamerican nephropathy before spreading to Sri Lanka, parts of India, and other Asian countries.The actual cause of CKDu is a mystery, although research has been carried out over the years. Scientists believe that it primarily attacks those who have been exposed to extreme heat and dehydration, as well as those who have been exposed to agricultural chemicals, a lethal combination for the kidneys ().India, where agriculture employs millions, has begun witnessing similar patterns. National registries indicate that CKDu has recently become the cause of almost one in every five cases of chronic kidney disease. This disease has been detected in clusters in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.This growing concern came to light through a new large-scale study conducted in Tamil Nadu between. Researchers surveyedfrom different climatic zonesfrom the hot plains of Cuddalore to the cooler western regionsto estimate the burden and causes of CKD and CKDu in the state.The outcome was unexpected.The risk factors were older age, male sex, and a lack of formal education. Lifestyle and work-related factors were also important, particularly the use of smokeless tobacco , excessive sun exposure, and insufficient water consumption at work.Interestingly, a group of farmers was found to have temporary kidney damage (subclinical AKI), which later recovered in the study. The researchers believe that this unnoticed, repeated kidney stress caused by dehydration and heat exposure may eventually lead to CKD.The climate of Tamil Nadu is regarded as an important concern behind this. Advanced heat-stress modelling helped scientists discover that most farming areas were exposed to temperatures above 38C and thatduring the so-called second summer in August. These are referred to asFarmers whoin such weather conditions were. In addition to manual labour and inadequate rest and hydration, the kidneys are overworked, resulting in gradual and irreversible damage.Education, or rather the lack of it, emerged as another major factor.than graduates. Awareness of safe water, hygiene, and healthy working practices is usually determined through education.Another unanticipated culprit was the use of smokeless tobacco. Farmers usually chew tobacco, commonly to quench hunger or exhaustion from long working hours. However, nicotine in tobacco impacts blood vessels, decreases the flow of renal blood, and harms the kidneys' delicate filters.Diabetes, high blood pressure, anemia, and kidney stones were all contributing factors in some cases, and when these factors are combined with the physical demands of farm work, CKD is more likely to occur.The fact that CKD and CKDu are silently progressive is one of the biggest challenges to the disease. The majority of the sufferers do not develop any discomfort until severe destruction of the kidneys occurs. Symptoms, such as frequent urination at night, swollen feet, or fatigue, appear later.This is why routine screening and awareness are essential. Blood and urine sampling can detect even minor kidney damage before symptoms appear, giving doctors the opportunity to slow or even prevent disease progression.This research in Tamil Nadu is a call to action for the health officers and policymakers. In order to protect farmers, the specialists suggest:Such affordable treatment methods would go a long way towards preventing CKD and enhancing the quality of life among rural populations.According to the new study, chronic kidney disease is no longer a disease of the cities but rather a silent killer of rural India's farming community. This is a silent epidemic that is being driven by long working hours in the blazing sun, lack of hydration, tobacco use, and poor access to health.Working under safe conditions, early testing, and raising awareness will help to protect thousands of people from this hidden danger in the fields that threatens their health and livelihoods!Source-Medindia A new study shows that meditation and belief can cause real biological changes in the brain and body, proving the science behind mind-body healing. Trusted Source Neural and molecular changes during a mind-body reconceptualization, meditation, and open label placebo healing intervention Go to source Trusted Source TOP INSIGHT Did You Know Your mind can reshape your biology - meditation truly heals from within. #mindbodyconnection #medindia Advertisement Brain in Meditation: Bye-Bye to Inner Noise! Less activation in the default mode network (DMN) , which regulates self-referential thinking (the cognitive process of relating information to oneself), daydreaming, and mental chatter (the constant stream of thoughts and inner dialogue that can be distracting, overwhelming, or anxiety-inducing and frequently includes rumination, worry, and overthinking). , which regulates self-referential thinking (the cognitive process of relating information to oneself), daydreaming, and mental chatter (the constant stream of thoughts and inner dialogue that can be distracting, overwhelming, or anxiety-inducing and frequently includes rumination, worry, and overthinking). Slow down the activity of the "salience network" , which is responsible for recognising emotional and sensory significance. , which is responsible for recognising emotional and sensory significance. Increased overall brain efficiency, improved communication between different brain regions, and reduced fragmentation. Advertisement Molecular Shifts in Blood: A Healthier and More Resilient Brain Post-retreat plasma stimulated stronger neuronal growth, indicating that the retreat activated factors that promote brain repair and regeneration. This was linked to an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a molecule known as the brain's fertiliser because it promotes neuron development and integration. Metabolic reprogramming was also discovered in the blood, where it recruited preferred energy consumption through an energy-yielding process known as glycolysis, allowing cells to produce energy faster and more responsively. Advertisement Healing Chemistry: Balancing Pain, Immunity, and Emotion The Role of Belief: The Power of Open-Label Placebos Deeper meditation states and improved brain connectivity. and improved brain connectivity. Enhanced neuron growth and signs of cellular rejuvenation. and signs of cellular rejuvenation. Increased release of mood-boosting and pain-relieving molecules. Better regulation of inflammation and stress pathways. When the Mind Finds Peace, the Body Follows Not Just A Phrase But Science! Neural and molecular changes during a mind-body reconceptualization, meditation, and open label placebo healing intervention - (https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-025-09088-3) Science is slowly accepting the ancient healing phrase claimed for centuries,It's not just a statement; it emphasises the mind and body connection.A groundbreaking study published inhas found that a week-long mind-body retreat, combined with meditation and other healthy mental practices, can cause measurable changes at the molecular level in both blood and brain.Researchers at the, examinedto learn what happened in the body and brain during an intensive meditative and healing process. Based on, they discovered that thoughts, beliefs, and focused attention can actually alter bodily, physical, and chemical processes ().Meditation isnt just a way to calm the mind it physically changes how the brain works.During the retreat, participants practised a variety of guided meditations, including conscious breathing, energy centre concentration, and heart-centred awareness. The brain scans conducted during the retreat and the ones taken prior to the retreat showed some astonishing results:In simple terms, a mental state associated with deep focus, inner peace, and spiritual awareness. The subjects reported deeper meditative states, and the data supported this claim.The difference was not confined to the brain alone but was also noticeable in the blood. The researchers incubated the neural cells in the laboratory with the blood plasma of participants prior to the retreat and after the retreat. The results were stunning:These findings suggest that, the brains ability to form new connections, adapt, and recover from stress or trauma.The mind-body retreat also had an effect on the body's internal chemistry, which promotes healing and emotional balance.The blood tests showed that there were increases in natural opioid molecules, which are known to suppress pain, improve mood, and enhance well-being. These are the same chemicals emitted when a person exercises or experiences joy, implying that meditation and faith can activate the human body's natural pain relief system.Interestingly, both anti-inflammatory and inflammatory markers were also simultaneously activated during the study. Instead of indicating an adversarial state, this dual response can also indicate a healthy turnover or reset of immune activity, such as when a system reboots and clears out old, damaged cells before replacing them with new ones.Furthermore, changes in the, a pathway involved in serotonin production, suggest potential benefits in mood regulation and emotional stability. Reduced stress hormone levels, such as cortisol, were also observed, indicating a more relaxed physiological state.Another peculiar feature of this retreat was the presence of open-label placebo healing rituals, the sessions during which participants realised that they were engaged in the practice of healing without being tricked. People continued to respond in a way that indicated they were being healed even after being informed that they were not being treated with any active medication.This questions the old-fashioned perception that people are not supposed to know that the placebo effect only functions when they are ignorant. Rather, it demonstrates that belief, will, and even the act of healing itself have the power to cause actual biological mechanisms alterations in brain networks, immune activity, and pain.In just seven days, researchers observed:These findings support the idea that the mind and body are in constant dialogue and that nurturing one can profoundly influence the other.Although the sample size was minute and more studies are required, these findings represent a promising breakthrough to the biochemical reality of mind-body medicine. It is a contemporary reprisal of an ancient fact:Source-Nature Jordan Klepper couldnt help but notice that President Donald Trump was focused on odd things, like lowering the cost of Ozempic, instead of working to reopen the government as it entered its 37th day of the shutdown. Today Donald Trump announced a major deal to drastically cut the price of Ozempic and other weight loss drugs, Klepper began on Thursday nights episode of The Daily Show. Its all part of his campaign promise and his one consistent principle of no fatties. He made the announcement at the Oval Office today in an event that turned into a major HIPAA violation. The program cut to a clip of Trump calling out the names of officials in the room he thought were taking the weight loss drug and making guesses about how many pounds each of them lost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The point is, regardless of how much you lose, Donald Trump will be tracking it and announcing your personal results at a press conference, Klepper said. And by the way, another crazy thing that happened at this conference is that someone had a health emergency. He passed out. They attended to him. Hes fine. But I only bring it up because it resulted in one of the greatest images of the Trump presidency. #Trump In the Oval Office, a man has fallen ill to the floor, and is being attended to by concerned bystanders. Meanwhile, in expression and attitude, Trump's affect is a startling metaphor for his utter lack of human empathy. pic.twitter.com/xAVArjR6gr David Berke (@berkeslaw) November 6, 2025 The Daily Show flashed to the image in which Trump can be seen staring blankly forward while others in the room rush to help the fallen man. Donald Trump is zoned out like hes in a marriage counseling session. You know what? All kidding aside, Mr. President, I appreciate your war on fupas, Klepper joked. The comedian then noted sarcastically that it seemed like Trump had time to focused on Ozempic prices since there wasnt much else going on. The government shutdown is now the longest in American history, he said. Oh, yeah. Thats right, the shutdown. Nothings going on because the government is irrevocably broken. Its day 37 of the shutdown, and theres no end in sight, especially because Trump still refuses to even meet with the Democrats. At this rate, by the time the government opens back up, Mike Johnson will have gone through puberty. Look. Dont worry, Mike. Those hairs are supposed to be there, OK? The host went on to detail the FAAs plan to make unprecedented reductions to air traffic beginning Friday in an effort to ensure the safety of the American public. The cuts will affect 40 major airports. 40 of the top airports? Thats all the important airports. And dont come at me, Buffalo-Lancaster Regional Airport. Your Hudson News is sh-t, Klepper joked. That New Yorker was from two months ago. Get out of town. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He concluded: So heres where we are. Our reality our reality right now is that the president is spending his time doting on his pet projects and starting new wars while the country is scrambling to deal with the immediate crises that he is actively ignoring. Now, in the meantime, if you were hoping to travel to any major city anytime soon, youre sh-t out of luck. You can watch the full Daily Show segment in the video above. The post The Daily Show Trolls Trump for Focusing on Ozempic Instead of Shutdown: Consistent Principle of No Fatties | Video appeared first on TheWrap. Multiple people have fallen ill after a suspicious package containing white powder and political propaganda was delivered to a US military base in Maryland, according to a report. As a precaution, the building and connecting building were evacuated, and a cordon was established around the area, CNN reported, citing a statement from Joint Base Andrews, which is located outside Washington, DC. Joint Base Andrews first responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats, and have turned the scene over to Office of Special Investigations. An individual received and opened the delivery on Thursday, inside a building that houses the Air National Guard Readiness Center. Sources close to the investigation said it contained a white powder, though what the substance was still remains unclear. An initial field test from the HAZMAT team did not detect anything hazardous, but several people were transported to the Malcolm Grove Medical Center on the base after the package arrived. The exact conditions of those in proximity to the package were not provided. Investigators are also assessing political propaganda that was included in the package, sources said, but they did not provide further details. Senior political figures including President Donald Trump, who was most recently there on Wednesday frequently pass through Joint Base Andrews base when traveling. It is also home to some 60,000 Airmen and their families, An investigation into the matter is ongoing. 2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. SEOUL, South Korea North Korea on Friday fired a suspected short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern waters, South Koreas military said, as Pyongyang steps up its testing activity while talks with Washington and Seoul remain stalled. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said the weapon flew about 700 kilometers (434 miles) cross-country after being fired from an inland area around the western county of Taekwan. It said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities had monitored North Korea's launch preparations in advance and were now analyzing details of the test. South Koreas military has strengthened surveillance and vigilance against the possibility of additional North Korean launches and is sharing relevant information with the United States and Japan, the joint chiefs said in a statement. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that the missile was believed to have landed in waters outside the countrys exclusive economic zone and likely didnt cause any damage. North Korea didnt immediately confirm the launch. North Korea has been accelerating the pace of its weapons testing in recent weeks, including the firing of purported hypersonic missiles and cruise missiles last month that it said expanded the capabilities of its nuclear-armed military. South Koreas military previously said it detected the North firing 10 rounds of artillery into its western waters on Monday as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began a two-day visit to South Korea. The joint chiefs also said the North fired the same number of rounds on Saturday afternoon, before a summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Koreas Gyeongju, where Lee called for a stronger role by Beijing to persuade the North to return to dialogue with Washington and Seoul. Following annual security talks with South Korean defense officials on Tuesday, Hegseth praised South Korean plans to raise its military spending in the face of North Korean nuclear threats and other regional uncertainties. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been shunning all forms of talks with Washington and Seoul since his diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump derailed during Trumps first term in 2019 amid disagreements over trading relief from U.S.-led sanctions on the North for steps to dismantle Kims nuclear program. He has since accelerated the expansion of his nuclear weapons and missiles program, while making Russia of his foreign policy, sending thousands of troops and large amounts of military equipment to help fuel President Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine. Kims arsenal now includes nuclear-capable missiles of various ranges targeting U.S. allies in Asia and the U.S. mainland. At a major military parade in Pyongyang last month attended by high-level officials from Russia, China and Vietnam Kim showcased some of the most powerful weapons in his arsenal, including a new intercontinental ballistic missile that he may be preparing to test in the coming weeks. Kim has urged Washington to drop its demand for the North to surrender its nukes as a precondition for resuming diplomacy. He ignored Trumps proposal to meet while the American president was in South Korea last week for meetings with world leaders attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju. North Korea on Thursday denounced the Trump administrations latest sanctions targeting cybercrimes that help finance its illicit nuclear weapons program, accusing Washington of harboring wicked hostility toward Pyongyang and vowing unspecified countermeasures. Some experts said the statement suggests that North Korea does not have an immediate urgency to reopen talks with Washington. ___ AP writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed to the story from Tokyo. When Vince Gilligan's Breaking Bad was released, it felt like a revolutionary moment in TV history, a peak in appointment TV viewing. Gilligan maintained that captivating and alluring storytelling in Better Call Saul, and now he's done it again with Pluribus on Apple TV+. Led by Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn, there's no doubt this is among the best shows of the year. "About eight or nine years ago, ... I was thinking about a character who, inexplicably, for some reason, the world loved him. Everybody loved this guy. Everybody in the world, everybody was willing to bend over backwards for this guy. No matter what he did, they could never be mad at him, they could only wish good things for him, and they would do anything he asked," Gilligan said about the inspiration for Pluribus. "I thought about it for weeks and months, and I started to slowly flesh out ... why that might be the case, and it very quickly, as you would imagine, became a science fiction idea." "But about the same time, almost a decade ago, I was working for the first time with the wonderful actor Rhea Seehorn, and she had just started on Better Call Saul. And [co-creator] Peter Gould and I, ... and our writers, we all loved her. The whole crew loved her. Everybody would move heaven and earth for her, and she's such a wonderful person, and she's so good in terms of her acting talent. I said to myself, why don't I take this idea and make it about a woman instead of a man? And so I wrote Pluribus." What is 'Pluribus' about? In Pluribus Seehorn plays Carol, a romance book author who writes, as she describes, "mindless crap," but she has a huge fan base who line up at her book signings. Advertisement Advertisement Following a book signing, Carol is with her manager Helen (Miriam Shor), who's also secretly her partner, and Carol is distraught when Helen becomes infected with a virus and doesn't survive. One element of Pluribus that's particularly impressive is how quickly you latch onto the relationship between Carol and Helen, raising the emotional stakes very early in the story. "Miriam Shor is a national treasure. She is just so talented. We were so lucky to get her, and I had not worked with her before, and as soon as she got the part I called her and was like, 'Congratulations. I'm so excited. I know so much of your work, I can't believe I get to do scenes with you.' And she was like, 'I'm so excited and I've never had a lead call me to say congratulations [and that] they were excited to have me,'" Seehorn said. "When you've got to do it that fast, it's usually humour and mutual respect, and we had both right away. We share a very similar sense of humour, very similar expansive knowledge of '80s music. She's got more sci-fi knowledge than I do. ... As soon as you respect other people's work, ... they bring [that] to the sandbox, and they feel the same about you, you cut through the competitive, stupid crap that gets in the way of a great scene real fast." When Carol gets to her home in Albuquerque, she turns on the TV and only one channel is working, C-SPAN, with Davis Taffler, (Peter Bergman), the U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation, explaining to her that they are "beneficiaries of extraterrestrial technology" and 14 months ago, astronomers discovered a radio signal from 600 lightyears away. Its a recipe for a nucleotide sequence, RNA, and scientists have created the sequence in a lab, creating a virus that binds everyone together, the hive mind. There are 12 people around the world who haven't been infected, but Taffler says they're working on figuring out what makes these individuals different. Advertisement Advertisement That leaves Carol both grieving the loss of Helen, but also trying to wrap her head around what's happening on the planet. Pluribus (Apple TV+) Vince Gilligan inspired by his time on 'The X-Files' for 'Pluribus' comedy Pluribus is an incredibly ambitious project, even by Gilligan's standards, after Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and while the intoxicating mystery and thrill will keep you locked in, the show has the most brilliant injection of comedy, with Gilligan taking inspiration from his time working on The X-Files in the 1990s and 2000s. "I love the comedy in this show. It is all very much intentional," Gilligan said. "I think I realized years and years ago, working on The X-Files for seven years, ... I was always impressed on The X-Files that a show so dark and serious and scary could also have moments of humour. I didn't realize until I worked on The X-Files and saw writers like Darren Morgan creating funny X-Files episodes, that the genre could be so elastic. And that was a revelation to me." "I started off 30 years ago as a kind of a comedy guy, really, but I realized I love writing drama. But then I thought, oh man, maybe I can do both at the same time. And I love how elastic Pluribus is. ... It really is all credit to Rhea and the other actors, ... these actors all understand comedic timing. And it's sort of like jumping rope, if you don't get the timing, you mess up the rope jumping, and you trip, and you fall on your face. These guys all get it. They all have mad skills in terms of comedy. And this show, when it can be really dark and serious, and 10 seconds later be funny, that makes me so happy. ... That's one of the things that gives me the most pleasure with this show." Seehorn highlighted that Pluribus showcases Gilligan's "dark comedy streak." Advertisement Advertisement "He's a very kind person, but he's got a dark wit that's pretty funny and macabre sometimes," Seehorn said. "But I sensed it in the scripts. I sense it from his work, and even in Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad, the drama always has comedy in it, and the comedy always had drama in it. But usually not about jokes, much more about observational humour or the absurdity of just the plight of being human on the planet. This was really pushing that to the extreme." "Then when we got there on the set, when he said to me, when we were starting out, like, 'I'm not sure what this show is yet.' And I knew he wasn't being humble and selling himself short, ... but he meant tone, and I knew it, and I realized, ... let's do some playing ... where we're finding it. And so we would push it comedically some days, and he would call it, let's take it until it breaks to see what can the scene sustain. How far can you go before it's not in the same show as the wrenching, crying, snot-flying part of the scene that we just did. Because we've all seen those shows where everything is really good, but people don't all seem like they're in the same show, or the show seems like it doesn't know what it wants to be. I personally feel like Vince pulls off something that's very hard to pull off, which is threading all those things through." LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 04: (L-R) Rhea Seehorn and Vince Gilligan attend the world premiere of Apple TV+'s "Pluribus" at DGA Theater Complex on November 04, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Amy Sussman/WireImage) 'We have more in common than we have differences' While it's tempting to think that Pluribus will be connected to the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul universe because it's filmed in Albuquerque, it's more a reflection of how Gillian has such a great working relationship with his crew. "I was nervous about making it in New Mexico, making it in Albuquerque. I kind of thought we probably shouldn't do that, because it'll confuse people. It'll make promises to them that the show will have something to do with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. It really doesn't," Gilligan said. Advertisement Advertisement "The simple answer as to why we're shooting in Albuquerque is because that's where my crew is, and I've worked with them now for almost 20 years. ... And I love them, but they all live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I can't bring them elsewhere." But as Gillian has also seen the evolution of TV throughout decades, he stressed that ultimately what holds true as the key to great shows are stories about people. "The main thing that hasn't changed is that I think people like good, engaging stories, and not just in the United States, all around the world," Gilligan said. "We have more in common than we have differences." "They say computers are going to start telling us stories, AI maybe, maybe not. I hope not. But I think stories about people, made by people, are the most interesting thing in the world, and that's one of the most important things we have as human beings is the stories we tell each other. And I feel lucky to get to tell stories to people all around the world. ... Almost like the way the people in Pluribus share with each other telepathically, I can't do that, but I get to share my stories. And that makes me feel very, very honoured." A Marine recruit is recovering after getting shot during rifle training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island in South Carolina. The recruit was hit shortly after 12 p.m. on Nov. 5 during live-fire marksmanship training, a Marines spokesperson told Military.com. Emergency crews took him to Beaufort Memorial Hospital, where he is listed in stable condition. The hospital would not discuss his care and sent all questions back to Parris Island. The Marines are not releasing the recruit's name or hometown until next of kin are notified. The service would not say whether the recruit shot himself or if another recruit fired the roundor if the gunfire was intentional or accidental. The exact circumstances are under investigation, and it would be premature to speculate on the cause, they said. Military.com reached out to NCIS for comment. U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Wellness Accius, a senior drill instructor with Support Battalion, delivers a speech given to new recruits as they arrive on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., June 6, 2025. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jordy Morales) Shot On The Range The gunfire happened on a live-fire range used by thousands of recruits annually as they qualify with the M16 service rifle. Marine officials said no changes to range safety rules have been announced, adding that they remain committed to strict training standards. A similar injury happened Aug. 15 when Pvt. Aduel Goddard, an 18-year-old from Williamsburg, Michigan, was shot in the leg during live-fire drills. That case is still under review, according to publication The Island Packet. Recruits with Hotel Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, use a newly implemented a shooting performance system during grass week aboard Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot Parris Island, S.C., Mar. 09, 2023. (U.S. Marine Corps photos by Lance Cpl. Bradley Williams) Recruits spend 13 weeks grinding through weapons qualification and combat drills. Every Marine fires real bullets. Every Marine trains under pressure. Marine investigators now want to know what went wrong. They will interview recruits and drill instructors. They will inspect the weapon. They will review range safety logs. Results may take months. The findings are not always made public. Capt. John Hardin, who confirmed the recruit's condition, said live-fire training continues as usual. After 83 years, John Pagliuso is finally getting the funeral he deserves. Pagliuso, killed in action serving in the Army during World War II, will receive a burial with full military honors on Nov. 7 in his hometown of Lyons, New York. Pagliuso, presumed missing in action for several decades, was finally identified through DNA technology earlier this year. Norma Davis, Pagliusos niece and the oldest living next of kin, was shocked when the Army phoned her back in March to share the terrific news remains discovered in the Philippines belonged to her Uncle Johnny. It was unexpected, obviously, Davis told Spectrum News 1 in Rochester, New York. The call came on Daviss birthday. Talk about a birthday present shell never forget. Davis was born three years after Pagliuso was designated as missing in action by the Army. The soldier grew up in Lyons, a town of about 5,000 souls in upstate New York, resting between Syracuse and Rochester. After he graduated from high school, Lyons attended Syracuse University, studying forestry. After the U.S became involved in World War II, Pagliuso married his girlfriend and signed up for the Army Air Corps. The sergeant was working as an aerial photographer when the plane he was riding in, a B-25 Mitchell Bomber, was shot down in Papua New Guinea in October 1942. Pagliuso was one of six crew members on the doomed flight. He was only 24 when he died, Davis said. Originally listed as MIA, Pagliusos family never heard another word about him from the military, according to Davis. Eighty-three years later, Pagliuso is coming home. The B-25 Mitchell Bomber, the plane John Pagliuso was riding in that was shot down over Papua New Guinea in World War II. (Photo from Planes of Fame Air Museum) Family Struggled With Questions Davis didn't know her uncle, but his memory never faded. His parents, Daviss grandparents, talked about their son many times, praying that someday he would come back to Lyons alive and well. It was very difficult for them, she said. They always held on to hope. His parents would carry the anguish of not knowing what happened to their son to their graves. Eventually, they rationalized that he was likely killed in action, but without a body or any of his remains, they struggled to find closure. Pagliusos mother wrote a heartfelt poem that Davis still has, a prayer for her fallen son. My son, he is missing. I don't know where. Oh, Lord, bless everywhere, part of it read. He was a good boy. If he is dead, God bless the soul. He's gone to fight for victory. God bless this country, America. Army Air Corps Staff Sgt. John Pagliuso was killed during a bombing mission over Papua New Guinea on Oct. 5, 1942. (Photo by Paul Giovine/WHAM) Remains Finally IDd In 2013, the Army called Pagliusos family requesting a DNA sample. Remains were discovered around the crash site, and they were hoping to test the DNA to determine if it was a match to Pagliuso. Pagliusos sister, still alive at the time, gave a sample. However, after the sample was sent, the family heard nothing. Twelve years later, Davis finally received a call that the Army had found a match. Pagliusos remains had been shipped to the Philippines and were interred at a military cemetery. After they were properly identified, Army officials began making arrangements with Pagliusos family to bring them home to New York. The discovery follows recent news of veterans being identified after many years, including a Korean War soldier and a Vietnam War veteran. Samantha Wilson, director of the Wayne County Veterans Service Agency, assisted the military, family members, and Lyons-area veterans organizations in planning a military funeral for Pagliuso. It's remarkable, to say the least, Wilson said. Services The funeral will take place on Nov. 7, only a few days before Veterans Day. It shows you what the price of freedom really is, Wilson said. This individual laid down his life for his country, paid the ultimate sacrifice. The funeral will be at the Old Elmwood Cemetery in Lyons. After waiting many years for his return home, Pagliuso will be buried alongside his parents. Wilson said community members are welcome to attend and honor the World War II veteran. It gives the community an opportunity to pay their respect, said Wilson. And say thank you for the ultimate sacrifice. Davis said shes excited for this long-awaited day to finally arrive. But I think it's going to be emotional, too, Davis said. At the memorial, Davis plans to eulogize the uncle she knew only through stories and old black and white photos. Its just really a wonderful thing, she said. The ultimate goal of the Military Interstate Childrens Compact Commission (MIC3) is to remove barriers to educational success for military children. This is an agreement between states to aid children with their educational transitions. Multiple agencies and organizations collaborated to establish this Compact, which was enacted in 2008. Today, all fifty states have adopted the Compact. Members are appointed to support children of active-duty military members, but also the National Guard and Reserve, and commissioned officers of NOAA and USPHS. It applies to public and DoDEA schools. The intended benefit of the Compact is to establish a uniform policy and reduce delays to educational support. Specifically, this entails allowing families 30 days to acquire immunizations and physicals, accepting education records during enrollment, supporting excused absences, facilitating course placement with the option to test at a later date as applicable, and waiving certain courses for graduation if similar courses were completed in another district. The adoption of MIC3 establishes consistency with a School Liaison in every state that has an active-duty military installation. According to the DoDEA Partnership and Resources site, the average military family relocates three times more than their non-military counterparts. State representatives are making concerted efforts to track, identify, and address ongoing education issues. Matrice Brooks, the Joint Base Andrews School Liaison Program manager, reviews the Military Interstate Childrens Compact Commission booklet at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Oct. 29, 2024. The MIC3 is a cooperative effort involving the Department of Defense and state governments, focusing on educational challenges that children of military families endure. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Daniel Walderbach, DVIDS) Factors Impacting MIC3 Effectiveness So, where are we now since posting Why Isnt the Education Compact Helping Us? There are some ongoing issues that present challenges, mainly stemming from a lack of awareness and education on MIC3. For example, the Florida Defense Alliance, which helped pass the Compact in 2004-2005, shared during one of the meeting minute sessions this year that hand-delivered immunization and physical forms were not always considered. They also noted that Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and receipt of services continue to cause issues when navigating the language from state to state. The MIC3 National Office indicated during the annual meeting on April 22, 2025, its strategic plan to focus on increasing awareness and implementation of the Compact. Here are other factors: Turnover of school personnel School capacity during mid-year moves Awareness and educating schools, including charter schools State legislation and interpretation of statutory language. (The Compact does not divest local schools of their authority but works alongside them.) Factors Supporting MIC3 Effectiveness State legislation can either hinder or help. For example, Floridas SB 270, which passed effective July 1, 2025, revised eligibility requirements for its Bright Futures Scholarship and Academic Scholars Award. It extended eligibility to the student who earns a high school diploma from a non-Florida school while living with a parent or guardian who is on or within twelve months before the students graduation, has retired from military or public service, or is assigned away from Florida. This example reflects how states can show a visible commitment beyond the minimum requirement, allowing disadvantaged military children equitable educational opportunities. Here are other factors: Compliance structure enabling communication to streamline consistent guidance and policies Legal enforcement of member states as a binding contract More flexibility with course placement and graduation criteria Authorized absences at the school's discretion Low program budget State costs Uniform data collection and sharing among States The school liaison office holds their school council meeting with surrounding communities to discuss what they had to offer to military students Sept. 18, 2024, at the community Events and Bingo Center at then-Fort Cavazos, Texas. The liaison office helps with understanding and applying the Military Interstate Children's compact Commission. (U.S. Army photo by Derika Upshaw, DVIDS) Todays Military Interstate Childrens Compact The MIC3 has made some progress since its inception in 2008. The adoption of the standardized policy across all fifty states ensures that families can utilize a consistent framework for assistance. State appointees continue to hold meetings with various partners, especially School Liaisons, and the National Office to discuss what is going well and what is not. Overall, factors that are improving MIC3 include streamlined processes and governance structure to better facilitate transitions between sending and receiving states. Areas of improvement continue to center on bringing more awareness and education to schools to facilitate more flexibility and acceptance as appropriate. The National Center for Interstate Compacts and Council of State Governments provides full text. If you are unable to find your School Liaison or need assistance, contact the national office at mic3info@csg.org or 859-244-8000. The crisis in Venezuela remains deeply complex, combining humanitarian disaster, state-military entanglement with illicit markets, increased regional military posturing, and a host of legal and normative questions. To understand the current U.S. and multilateral approach toward Venezuela, three strands must be examined in tandem: military/security dynamics, state responsibility under international law, and the role of illicit trafficking versus formal origin. Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Sovereign Obligations Venezuela faces documented systemic abuses. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that the Venezuelan government continues to engage in actions constituting persecution as a crime against humanity. The human rights non-governmental organization Amnesty International described violent repression of protests, thousands of arbitrary arrests, torture allegations, and deteriorating detention conditions in the aftermath of the 2024 elections. From the perspective of international law, key obligations include those under the International Criminal Court (ICC) system: Venezuela is under investigation by the ICC Prosecutor for possible crimes against humanity, given the findings of the UNs Independent Fact-Finding Mission. Moreover, regional bodies such as the InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) have issued reports finding serious violations in the electoral cycle that implicate political rights guarantees. From a sovereign-responsibility standpoint, Venezuela retains a duty under customary international law and treaty frameworks to respect civil and political rights, ensure fair elections, and avoid complicity in gross abuses. The failure to allow meaningful political opposition, credible ballot processes, an independent judiciary, or protections for detainees erodes the states adherence to democratic rule obligations and can trigger international accountability mechanisms. For U.S. and multilateral policy, this means human-rights and rule-of-law concerns provide a strong normative basis for engagement beyond narrow drug-trafficking narratives. Drug-Transit Role, Actual Flow Metrics, and Transit Versus Source Much of the U.S. policy commentary on Venezuela emphasizes drug-trafficking concerns. Yet the available data suggest Venezuela plays mainly a transit or secondary role, more than a primary source for U.S.-bound cocaine or other major illicit flows. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report 2025, the main cocaine trafficking flows to North America originate in the Andean countries and are not primarily routed through Venezuelan ports. Supporting mapping visualizations show the main maritime and river routes of cocaine within the Americas for 2023-24, where Venezuela is marked as part of the route network but not as the dominant corridor. Most maritime shipments move westward through Pacific routes or northward through the Western Caribbean. A 2024 brief by the European Parliamentary Research Service observed that the Andean region accounts for approximately 61 % of total global coca production (Colombia), followed by Peru (26 %) and Bolivia (13 %). A WOLA research note comparing 2012-17 found that cocaine flows through Venezuela rose from about 159 metric tons to 249 metric tons in that period (an increase of ~56 %, which corresponded with a surge of production in Colombia) while the Colombian flow rose more steeply (918 to 2,478 metric tons) in the same interval. When trafficking in Colombia fell slightly post-2017, Venezuela's flow also fell. While this indicates increasing transit via Venezuela, it remains well below the volumes originating in Colombia. A U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) assessment in 2009 described Venezuela as a major transit route for cocaine out of Colombia. On synthetic drugs such as fentanyl, the latest U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assessment identifies Mexican cartels using precursor chemicals from China as the principal source of U.S. overdoses; Venezuela is not identified as a major production center for fentanyl or methamphetamine destined for the United States. In sum: while Venezuela serves as a route or transit zone for some illicit cocaine shipments, it is not the principal origin of U.S.-bound supply, and the synthetic-opioid crisis implicates other geographies more directly. Venezuela is roughly 354,105 square miles and is made up of 28 million people (photo; bbc.com). Why U.S. and International Pressure Focuses on Venezuela Given the foregoing, why does Washington continue to engage strongly with Venezuela? Multiple overlapping motivations explain it. First, the countrys poor human-rights record and breakdown in democratic governance provide a policy justification rooted in international law and normative commitments to democratic stability, accountability, and human dignity. Second, Venezuelas geography and institutional weakness make it a vulnerability point in the regional illicit-flow architecture: even a moderate volume of transit traffic complicates interdiction, maritime patrols, and regional cooperation, thus presenting a strategic security concern (even if not the principal source). Third, Venezuela remains an oil-rich nation (with the worlds largest proven reserves) and has engaged in foreign-policy alignment with Russia, Iran, and China, raising great-power calculation elements that render the country of interest to U.S. diplomacy beyond counternarcotics. From the perspective of international law, U.S. sanctions and diplomatic pressure must still respect sovereignty, due process, and non-intervention in purely domestic affairs. However, when a state (or individuals within it) fail to adhere to international obligations (for instance, preventing trafficking or providing accountable governance) or commits gross human-rights abuses, the international community frequently invokes doctrines of responsibility to protect, interdiction cooperation, and sanctions according to multilateral frameworks. The logic of pressing Venezuela is therefore shaped by a blend of security, human-rights, migration, environmental, and energy-policy factors. International-Law Dimensions Three principal legal frameworks are relevant here. First, human-rights treaty law (e.g., the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ICCPR) and regional instruments (e.g., the American Convention on Human Rights) obligate states to protect the rights of detainees, ensure fair trial standards, and refrain from persecution on political grounds. Venezuelas documented pattern of repression triggers these obligations. Second, transnational crime frameworks (e.g., the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, UNTOC) require states to cooperate in combating the trafficking of drugs, money laundering, and cross-border criminal networks. While Venezuela is not the major source of cocaine, its role as a transit means that non-cooperation or permissiveness raises cooperation obligations under UNTOC. Third, international criminal law provides for criminal responsibility of state or non-state actors when crimes against humanity, such as persecution or enforced disappearance, are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population. The UN Fact-Finding Missions conclusion that such crimes may have been committed in Venezuela (including ethnic or political persecution) places the country within the purview of ICC-relevant investigations. The independent UN Mission found reasonable grounds to believe crimes against humanity have been committed in Venezuela. In response, President Nicolas Maduro has dismissed these findings as politically motivated and entirely false, calling the UN investigation a fabrication intended to justify foreign interference. From the U.S. vantage, sanctions regimes must also navigate international-law constraints: the U.S. must tailor measures consistent with its treaty commitments, avoid arbitrary or discriminatory targeting, and incorporate due-process avenues such as channels for relief or registration of claims. On the multilateral stage, pressure via human rights bodies (e.g., the UN Human Rights Council) reflects the principle of multilateralism and collective responsibility. For example, the UN Human Rights Council extended its monitoring mission in Venezuela in 2024. In addition, the mass emigration of Venezuelans implicates international refugee law principles (though Venezuela is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention in the usual sense): neighboring states and regional bodies are engaged in migration-management cooperation, which in turn influences comprehensive policy responses. The uncertainty is real but uncertainty is not new to you. Hon. James D. Rodriguez In honor of National Veterans Small Business Week, Military.com was fortunate to sit down with the Honorable James D. Rodriguez, the former Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labors Veterans Employment and Training Service (DOL VETS). A Marine Corps veteran and seasoned federal executive, Rodriguez led the nations primary programs supporting veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses as they pursue meaningful civilian careersincluding those who choose the path of entrepreneurship. With decades of experience shaping federal policy across the Department of Labor and Department of Defense, he brings a unique perspective on how veterans can turn their military experience into successful business ownership, and what the government must do to better support them. When James D. Rodriguez talks about veteran entrepreneurship, he speaks with the authority of someone who has seen the process from every angle: from the vantage point of the policymaker trying to shape the system, to the Marine veteran who understands how hard the first years out of uniform can be. His career, spanning senior roles across DOL, DoD, and various White House task forces, has been anchored in a simple mission: make sure veterans have the tools, the access, and the support they need to succeed long after they hang up the uniform. During our conversation, Rodriguez offered a clear assessment of what veteran entrepreneurs are facing today, the systemic barriers that still stand in their way, and the strengths that position them to build and lead successful companies. Assistant Secretary James D. Rodriguez spoke with Captain Luis Avila and his wife, Wounded Warrior advocate, Claudia Avila. Captain Avila won four gold medals at the United States Department of Defense Warrior Games, Assistant Secretary Rodriguez was honored to congratulate him (DVIDS). When Shutdowns Hit, Veteran-Owned Businesses Feel the Shock First With the federal government lurching toward repeated shutdown threats, Rodriguez says its not abstract political theaterveterans feel the consequences immediately, especially those running small companies. Veteran-owned firms that rely on government contracts often see work paused, invoices unpaid, and new awards frozen, he explains. Even if funding is technically authorized, the contract officers who process the work may be furloughed. That creates a financial choke point for small firms that are already operating with thin margins. Disrupted cash flow is not an inconvenienceits an existential threat. Rodriguez notes that most small businesses cannot absorb long-term payment delays without sacrificing payroll, hiring, or growth opportunities. Shutdowns also hit the federal support system itself. Loan approvals slow or freeze. VA Small Business Certifications stall. Counseling and training pipelines pause. New businesses are often the most impacted, Rodriguez adds, because they dont have the financial runway to survive extended delays. Why the First Year Out of Uniform Is the Most Fragile Rodriguez has spent years studying where transitioning service members struggle most. That first year after separation is always one of the most vulnerableand for aspiring entrepreneurs, its a pressure-cooker. While core veteran benefits continue during a shutdown, many administrative functions slow down or stop entirely: records requests, forms, certifications, and compliance paperwork. For a new business owner, those arent bureaucratic nicetiesthey are lifelines. A vet trying to secure an SBA-backed loan or finalize federal contracting paperwork can suddenly watch their entire business plan grind to a halt. A shutdown interrupts revenue and access at exactly the points where veteran businesses are structurally most dependent on government systemscontracting, capital, and federal access, Rodriguez says. Its why he believes entrepreneurial training should start well before service members separate, not months afterward. The U.S. Department of Labors Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and Training Service, James D. Rodriguez, meets Spc. Desirae Salmo, human resources specialist, before a discussion with a group of Soldiers in the Fort Hood Recovery Units Veterans Track and the Career Skills Program (DVIDS). DOL + SBA: A Partnership with Room to Grow Under Rodriguezs leadership, DOL VETS strengthened its coordination with the Small Business Administration, creating a more connected path between employment readiness and business readiness. The core of the coordination was about moving service members from employment readiness to business ownership readiness, he explains. This two-way referral system matters: Transitioning service members expressing interest in starting a business are routed to SBA resources like Boots to Business or Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs). expressing interest in starting a business are routed to SBA resources like Boots to Business or Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs). VBOC counselors send veterans back to DOL programs when additional training, apprenticeships, or employment support would be more beneficial. These shared networks work well, he says, but the system is still too fragmented for the average veteran to navigate easily. The Real Barriers Are Structural, Not Personal Rodriguez is the first to emphasize that veterans want to start businessesand they have the drive, work ethic, and mission focus to succeed. What holds them back are structural inefficiencies baked into the federal process. The most persistent barrier is capital. Many veterans transition with limited credit histories due to living on base, frequent moves, or limited savings. When those service members apply for SBA loans, lenders often view them as high-risknot because of their skills or potential, but because of gaps in civilian financial records. The inability to secure lines of credit for early cash flow can delay or stop startup operations, Rodriguez notes. Its a structural reality, not a reflection of a veterans capability. The second major constraint is the fragmentation of the federal system. A veteran entrepreneur must move through DoD, DOL, VA, and SBA programseach with different portals, timelines, and requirements. Rodriguezs solution is ambitious: a single, unified intake and navigation system that would allow veterans to begin their entrepreneurial journey in one place and receive seamless support across all agencies. The programs are strong; the pathway is fragmented, he says. Integration is whats missing. The Honorable James D. Rodriguez, the former Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labors Veterans Employment and Training Service (DOL VETS). What Veterans Bring to the Entrepreneurial Table Rodriguez lights up when discussing the strengths veterans carry with them into the business world. He has seen it time and time againtraits forged over years of service become powerful entrepreneurial advantages: A strong sense of purpose Adaptability under pressure A mission-first mindset Leadership in uncertain environments Commitment to team and community Veterans bring informed ideals and strong methodologies that align closely with what entrepreneurship requires, he says. Their unconventional trainingstress inoculation, problem-solving, improvisationoften gives them an edge in volatile markets. And increasingly, veteran-owned businesses are driven by impact as much as income. Many founders hire veterans, support military families, or solve problems inside the federal government. Purpose sustains them. And purpose, Rodriguez argues, is a competitive advantage. Encouragement for Veterans Starting a Business Today With economic uncertainty, political volatility, and shifting markets, many veterans wonder if the timing is right to start a company. Rodriguezs answer is unequivocal: The uncertainty is realbut uncertainty is not new to you. Veterans have spent their careers operating in unpredictable, resource-constrained environments. They know how to adapt, reassess, and continue moving forward despite obstacles. You dont need to have all the answers from the start, he says. You just need to prove one thing at a timeyour offering, your customer, your price, and your ability to deliver. And he emphasizes one final truth: mentorship matters. In the military, success is never an individual act. The same is true in entrepreneurship. The Assistant Secretary for Veterans' Employment and Training Service, James D. Rodriguez spoke at the 123rd VFW National Convention in Kansas City, MO. The ASVET was one of three speakers during the Update on Federal Benefits and Services for Veterans" where he shared a bit about his VETS team (DVIDS). Why DOL VETS Matters For veterans unfamiliar with DOL VETS, Rodriguez offers a simple explanation: it is the federal governments central hub for helping veterans succeed in the civilian workforce, whether through employment, apprenticeships, or business ownership. The agency: Runs the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Employment Track Supports veterans through American Job Centers nationwide Funds DVOP and LVER specialists dedicated to veteran employment Coordinates closely with SBA to support entrepreneurship Economic stability, he stresses, is the foundation of long-term successno matter which path a veteran chooses. A Clear Way Forward As National Veterans Small Business Week highlights the long-term economic impact veterans make across the country, Rodriguez remains optimistic. The system is imperfect, but the talent within the veteran community is undeniable. Your military background didnt just prepare you to follow a missionit prepared you to create stability in unstable environments. And that, he says, is the essence of entrepreneurship. Kelly Loeffler, the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), oversees federal programs that support more than 36 million small businesses nationwide, including 1.6 million veteran-owned firms. Before joining the Trump Administration, Loeffler served as a United States Senator and previously sat on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, where she helped shape legislation aimed at strengthening veteran entrepreneurship. A daughter and granddaughter of veterans, Loeffler has long emphasized that supporting veteran-owned small businesses is central to her mission at SBA. Amid a prolonged government shutdown, programs that veterans rely on, loans, counseling, contracting pathways, and training, have been paused or severely disrupted. In this exclusive Q&A with Military.com, Administrator Loeffler discussed how the shutdown is affecting veteran entrepreneurs, what the SBA is preparing to do when operations resume, and what gives her hope for the path ahead. The shutdown is punishing all Americans, but it most acutely affects the heroes who have served our country. National Veterans Small Business Week was meant to celebrate veteran entrepreneurs. With events canceled or paused, what impact does this have on veterans and their families? Loeffler: Americas 1.6 million veteran entrepreneurs are some of the hardest-working job creators in our country. They contribute more than $1 trillion annually to GDP, especially in critical sectors like manufacturing and defense. Because Senate Democrats refuse to support a clean funding bill to reopen the government, not only will SBA be unable to spotlight their work at our 12th annual National Veterans Small Business Week, we are unable to provide them with the access to capital, business counseling, and contracting opportunities that we offer. While the shutdown is punishing all Americans, its deeply disappointing that it most acutely affects the heroes who have served or are serving our country, including over 1 million active-duty troops who may miss their next paycheck. Kelly Loeffler, the 28th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is an entrepreneur, executive, philanthropist, and former U.S. Senator from Georgia who has dedicated her three-decade career to growing businesses and advancing economic opportunity for all (sba.gov). A growing number of veteran families are delaying hiring, expansion, and even mortgage payments because SBA loans are stalled. What do you say to those entrepreneurs sitting at their kitchen tables, worrying about the future? Loeffler: With SBAs loan programs shuttered, weve been unable to deliver about $4.5 billion in capital to over 8,500 small businesses, many of those being veteran-owned. Before the shutdown, SBA was approving about $28 million per week in federally guaranteed loans for veteran entrepreneurs. So its absolutely true that job creators, including our veterans, are talking about cutting hours, laying off workers, and canceling start-up or expansion plans. CEA estimates that for every month of the shutdown, were at risk of losing over 40,000 jobs across the economy and $60 billion in GDP. Thats a real economic impact on working families. Its why Senate Republicans have been advancing a clean funding bill to reopen the government and why Senate Democrats must stop opposing it. Veteran-owned small businesses are paying the price. Many transitioning service members rely on Boots to Business and Veterans Business Outreach Centers. How will you ensure that the shutdown doesnt cause them to miss their chance to start a business? Loeffler: There is no stronger advocate for Americas veterans than President Trump and as soon as Senate Democrats agree to a clean funding bill to reopen the government, the SBA is committed to immediately resuming the services that have helped countless veterans and veteran spouses achieve the American Dream of entrepreneurship. Veteran entrepreneurs often carry additional family responsibilities and sometimes service-connected disabilities. How do you ensure their challenges remain front and center as SBA plans its recovery? Loeffler: When I served on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, I led legislation to streamline and enhance veteran services at SBA. Under my leadership, SBA has recommitted to putting veteran entrepreneurs first, including those with service-connected disabilities. Its why I took immediate action on Day One of my tenure to reverse the Biden Administrations decision to raise the 8(a) contracting goal to 15%well above its statutory 5%which put service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) at a disadvantage in the federal contracting marketplace. Our goal is to ensure those who served our country have access to the resources and support they need for success. U.S. Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, right, speaks Wednesday with a banner touting the agency's "Made In America" initiative in the background as U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, center, and Rheo Engineering CEO Robert Herrmann listen after a tour of the company's Peoria facility (wcbu.org). What do you want veterans and military spouses to know about SBAs commitment during a time when the government feels unreliable? Loeffler: The Trump Administration and SBA are pursuing every option to support our troops as evidenced by the extraordinary measures President Trump has taken to pay the military throughout the shutdown. And one of my first actions as a member of the Trump Administration was to partner with VA Secretary Doug Collins to strengthen support and cooperation between our agencies to advance veteran entrepreneurship, especially in federal contracting. But until Senate Democrats reverse course, veteran-owned small businesses will keep paying the price. When the government reopens, we will move quickly to restart veteran loan approvals, contracting support, and business counseling and continue working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure no veteran entrepreneur is left behind. Veterans lead with discipline, teamwork, and integrity. You meet veteran entrepreneurs across the country. What have they taught you about resilience and creativity? Loeffler: As part of SBAs Made in America Manufacturing Tour, Im traveling the country from Alaska to Maine, meeting with small businesses powering our economy in sectors ranging from energy and defense to consumer and industrial products. What Ive seen is that the men and women who make our country run arent caught up in politics; theyre leaders in their communities and industries while building generational businesses. Whenever I meet with veteran founders, investors, or small business owners, Im reminded that one of Americas greatest strengths comes from them. Veterans lead with discipline, teamwork, and integritythe same traits that make our military the best in the world. Now those values are fueling Main Street. Looking ahead, what gives you hope as veterans and their families prepare to rebuild when the government reopens? Loeffler: It is the honor of my lifetime to serve small businesses as part of the Trump Administration. This work has renewed my hope in America, especially when I get outside the Beltway and spend time with job creators. So many are living the ideals that built our nationtaking bold risks, innovating, creating something new, and putting others first through service, family, and faith. What gives me hope are the veterans and families who refuse to quit, especially over the last four years, and who are rebuilding stronger than before. Veteran entrepreneurs represent the best of America through leadership, sacrifice, and innovation. Once Senate Democrats end this shutdown, SBA will be ready to empower them with the resources and support they deserve. Former big league pitcher Matt Sauer has signed with the KT Wiz of the KBO league, the team announced Thursday. The 26-year-old inked a one-year, $950K deal that includes a $750K salary and a $200K signing bonus. Sauer is a power pitcher with extensive starting experience, and we expect him to anchor the rotation with his strong fastball and diverse pitches, general manager Na Do-hyun said in a statement. The Dodgers designated Sauer for assignment and released him in September. He returned to the team on a minor league pact later in the month. Sauer will now leave MLB to pursue an opportunity abroad. Sauer made 10 appearances for Los Angeles this past season, struggling to a 6.37 ERA over 29 2/3 innings. His overall numbers were tanked by a disastrous outing in June. A slew of pitching injuries led the Dodgers to recall Sauer for a June 10 game against San Diego. With few options behind him, Sauer was left out there to throw 111 pitches over 4 2/3 innings, allowing nine earned runs on 13 hits. The Yankees drafted Sauer in 2017. He posted strong strikeout numbers at multiple minor league levels, but never reached the big leagues with New York. The Royals scooped him up in the Rule 5 draft following the 2023 season. Sauer made 14 appearances with Kansas City in 2024, posting a 7.71 ERA. He was returned to the Yankees at the end of May. Sauer elected minor league free agency last offseason, ultimately landing in LA. KBO teams can carry up to two foreign-born pitchers. The Wiz opened last season with lefty Enmanuel De Jesus and righty William Cuevas, then swapped out the latter for righty Patrick Murphy in July. Its unclear whose spot Sauer will take for 2026. The Orioles announced a series of roster tweaks on Thursday. Baltimore has selected right-hander Anthony Nunez to their 40-man roster. Right-hander Shawn Dubin and outfielders Dylan Carlson and Daniel Johnson have been outrighted off the roster. Left-hander Josh Walker and right-hander Carson Ragsdale were designated for assignment. Baltimore claimed outfielder Pedro Leon off waivers from the Astros, while left-hander Jose Castillo was claimed by the Mets. The team also exercised its club option on right-hander Andrew Kittredge, whom they acquired from the Cubs earlier this week. The Orioles declined their club option on utilityman Jorge Mateo, who is now a free agent. They also announced the signing of outfielder Leody Taveras, a deal that had been reported yesterday. The litany of moves brought Baltimores 40-man roster to 40 players. Nunez came over at the trade deadline in the Cedric Mullins deal, along with fellow pitching prospects Raimon Gomez and Chandler Marsh. The 24-year-old was originally signed as a shortstop by San Diego in 2019. After a pair of uninspiring seasons at the lowest rungs of the minors, he converted to pitching. The Mets signed Nunez in 2024. He tossed 10 innings between the Complex league and Single-A that season. High-A hitters were no match for Nunez in 2025, as he dominated with a 0.63 ERA and a 46.2% strikeout rate over 14 1/3 innings. Nunez moved to Double-A in May and continued to pitch well, recording a 2.10 ERA over 22 outings. After the trade, he pitched a game for Double-A Chesapeake before heading to Triple-A. Nunez held hitters to a .125 batting average while striking them out at a 32.3% clip over 16 games with Norfolk. Carlson and Johnson cleared waivers and elected free agency. Dubin also made it through waivers and is a minor league free agent. Carlson is the biggest name of the bunch, but its been a while since his days as a top prospect for the Cardinals. Since a strong 2021 campaign with St. Louis, hes steadily declined at the plate. The 27-year-old bottomed out with a 67 wRC+ over 96 games split between the Cardinals and Rays in 2024. Baltimore took a flyer on him, but he scuffled to a .203/.278/.336 slash line across 241 plate appearances. Hell now be looking for his fourth team in three seasons. Johnson has spent parts of four MLB seasons with three teams. Baltimore grabbed him off waivers from San Francisco in August. He went 5-for-24 in 17 games with the Orioles. Dubin was also an August waiver claim, coming over from the Astros. He threw eight innings with Baltimore, pitching to a 3.38 ERA. Walker has bounced around plenty over the last year and a half. The Mets traded him to the Pirates midway through 2024. He signed with Toronto as a minor league free agent last offseason. The Blue Jays traded him to the Phillies at the end of May. After Philadelphia designated him for assignment in August, the Orioles claimed him off waivers. Walker has a 6.59 ERA across 26 big-league appearances over the past three seasons. Ragsdale and Castillo are no strangers to waiver claims, including moves that involved each other. Baltimore claimed Ragsdale from San Francisco in August, only to toss him back on the waiver pile when they grabbed Castillo. The Orioles claimed Ragsdale again in September, this time from the Braves. Houston signed Leon in 2021. He reached Triple-A that same season. Leon slashed .299/.372/.514 with Sugar Land in 2024, leading to a brief call-up. He recorded a pair of hits over seven games with the Astros before heading back to Triple-A. An MCL sprain cost Leon the majority of the 2025 campaign. He played just 25 games this past season. JACKSON, MI Agriculture officials are considering a statewide quarantine to slow the western spread of the invasive spotted lanternfly after confirming new infestations this year. The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) confirmed Thursday, Nov. 6 that the invasive plant-hopper known to damage fruit crops and become a backyard nuisance was found in Jackson and Lenawee counties starting in August. The agency is circulating draft quarantine stipulations this fall that would involve transportation guidance and restricting movement of certain materials which can harbor the bug and its eggs. According to MDARD, lanternfly sightings began Aug. 5 in Tecumseh and have continued through Oct. 30 in the city of Jackson. Jackson and Lenawee counties are the fifth and sixth in Michigan with a confirmed infestation following previous detections in Macomb, Monroe, Oakland and Wayne. Spotted lanternfly does not pose a risk to human or animal health, but it can be a serious outdoor nuisance, said MDARD Director Tim Boring. The sightings came in through a public reporting tool, and Boring said that public eyes play a key role in identifying new spotted lanternfly infestations and helping MDARD and its partners respond quickly. More: The Lanternfly: A pest coming to your backyard The Jackson detections marks the lanternflies westernmost push in Michigan to date. The pest first landed in Pontiac in 2022, but did not reappear until 2024 when it started appearing in Monroe County near the Ohio border with Toledo and parts of Wayne and Macomb counties. The population is concentrated in a part of the state where transportation corridors and tree-of-heaven stands provide easy habitat. Lanternflies favor the invasive tree-of-heaven, a sumac-like Chinese tree which grows abundantly in Michigans urban and roadside areas. A tree-of-heaven trunk on Dunham Street in Toledo, Ohio, Oct. 4, 2024. Garret Ellison Native to Asia, the spotted lanternfly feeds on more than 70 plant species, including grapes, hops, apples and maples. The insects sugary waste encourages black sooty mold growth that harms plants and attract stinging insects. In states like Pennsylvania, infestations have cost growers hundreds of millions in lost crop value. The bugs first landed in Pennsylvania in 2014. A quarantine would be Michigans first formal containment order for the pest. Similar restrictions are already in place across 17 eastern states. If adopted, a quarantine would restrict the movement of materials that can harbor the insect or its egg masses, including nursery stock, landscaping waste, outdoor furniture, firewood, and vehicles. Businesses moving regulated items from infested areas could be required to obtain permits and inspect or clean equipment before transport. Under draft stipulations, residents and companies in affected counties would be expected to check vehicles and goods before traveling and to follow guidance on removing and destroying egg masses. The goal is to slow human-assisted spread along highways, rail corridors and shipping routes rather than eradicate the pest altogether. Thats something no state has yet achieved. The state says its working with universities and federal partners to monitor more than 100 locations across the west and southern parts of Michigan. The state conducted a survey of select shipping ports to look for potential hitchhikers this year, but found none. In Jackson County, MDARD verified verified sightings in September and October in the city of Jackson, including along East Washington Avenue near the Business 127 loop, around South Cooper and East Morell streets, at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and I-94, The Pkwy Street and S W Ave, and N. Mechanic Street and E. Michigan Avenue. Other confirmed Jackson County locales with detections include Vineyard Lakes and Michigan Center. In Lenawee County, confirmed detections have been reported in Tecumseh, Blissfield, Britton, Adrian, Riga, Deerfield and Morenci. The state says people within known infested areas dont need to report sighting, but should check their vehicles and outdoor items before leaving the area. Although lanternflies have wings, theyre clumsy fliers and arent traveling long distances by themselves. Juvenile lanternflies are either black with white spots or red with black spots. Adult lanternflies are about an inch long, brown with black spots and scarlet hindwings that become visible when unfolded or flying. Egg masses look like bumpy smears of dry mud. We are asking members of the public to continue reporting when they identify the insect outside of areas with confirmed population so that we can continue to monitor it, said MDARD spokesperson Nate Peeters. When epic fall color fades and leaves drift the ground around Brockway Mountain Drive, what's left is "stick season views." Visit Keweenaw invites travelers to enjoy late fall's unobstructed views before the snow flies and makes this route impassable. Visit Keweenaw EAGLE HARBOR TOWNSHIP, MI The leaves are falling, but the snow isnt flying yet: Its stick view season at Michigans highest scenic drive. The crown jewel of the states scenic drives, Brockway Mountain Drive traces the spine of an ancient fault line as it rises 720 feet above the surface of Lake Superior. At the summit, visitors find panoramic views of turbulent Great Lake and surrounding forestland. Its the tallest scenic drive between the Rocky and Allegheny mountains. When epic fall color fades and leaves drift the ground around Brockway Mountain Drive, what's left is "stick season views." Visit Keweenaw invites travelers to enjoy late fall's unobstructed views before the snow flies and makes this route impassable. Visit Keweenaw A month ago, epic fall color stretched out in every direction. Today, the color explosion has faded and russet leaves drifted to the ground leaving behind bare trees. Some refer to this time as stick season. RELATED: This U.P. drive takes you 700 feet above Lake Superior, where epic fall color stretches out in every direction The nine-mile route to the plateau is open from May to late fall; specifically, whenever snowfall makes it impassable. At that point, it closes to vehicles and opens to snowmobiles. Visit Keweenaw makes the argument that the late fall stick views are worth the drive. As autumns leaves return to the earths surface, tree lines and outlooks see increased visibility, said Jesse Weiderhold, managing director of Visit Keweenaw. Peer through trees that would normally obstruct views for more open views of Lake Superior and the surrounding Keweenaw. See further in forests and enjoy falls last triumph before the snow falls. RELATED: Gorgeous view can be seen from new overlook on Brockway Mountain trail Other activities to enjoy at the top of Brockway this time of year include wildlife observation and birdwatching, hiking and biking, and night sky watching. ANTRIM COUNTY, MI With the approval of an $18 million bond, this Northern Michigan county will get a new public safety center, 9 & 10 News reports. Plans are in the beginning stages for the new facility that will house Antrim Countys sheriffs office, jail and 911 dispatch center, the report said. Architectural design is the next step. A site also needs to be selected. The new building will provide greater access to safety resources and make law enforcement responses more efficient while addressing concerns with the current facility, which include blind spots, outdated layouts, and limited space for staff and inmates, the report said. Antrim County voters approved the bond this week with 53% casting a ballot in favor of the plan, the report said. The special edition cup was made available Thursday morning and appears to have sold out almost instantly. Starbucks A special edition holiday cup has caused a frenzy among Starbucks lovers, leading some fans to pay $500 for the glass. Demand was so high that police were called to one location after customers began fighting and refused to leave the store. On Thursday, the coffee giant released a series of holiday items which includes a 20-ounce glass cup in the shape of a bear. Known as the bearista glass, the cup retailed for $29.95 and was available at Starbucks locations nationwide. However, it appears only a limited number of cups were sent to each store as fans reported being unable to secure a glass, even after arriving at the store when it opened. Customers took to social media to complain about the limited availability. "This was a waste of my time. The bearistas were sold out before the doors even opened and other stores only had about 2 bearistas," said one user on a Starbucks Instagram post. Basically advertising a non-existent product. Its really unbelievable," said another user. While most customers were unable to secure one in person, online resellers who did buy one are making big profits. On eBay, dozens of bearista cups are listed for sale, with some being auctioned and other being listed for a flat price. Cups up for auction are priced around $200, while non-auction listings are higher. Devoted customers arent shying away from the price point either, as several of the bearista cups have sold for $500 or more according to eBays sales history on the item. Customers at one location outside of Houston were so upset with the rollout that police had to be called. Deputies with Harris County Constable Mark Hermans office were dispatched to a Starbucks at 5 a.m. Thursday for reports of customers fighting and refusing to leave the store because of the cup. Deputies are on scene, restoring peace before anyone spilled their latte or lost their teddy bear, Herman wrote. In response to the demand, Starbucks issued a statement to People magazine. While the company didnt comment on how many cups each coffee house received, it did offer an apology. The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations and despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast, Starbucks said. We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused. Downtown Mackinac Island seen from Fort Mackinac operated by Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, Mich. in May 2024. The fort operated as a British and American military outpost from the late 18th century to the late 19th century. Joel Bissell | Jbissell@mlive.com LANSING, MI Ticketing websites that dupe Mackinac Island visitors into believing theyre purchasing official tickets for popular attractions will be removed, officials announced. The Texas company, MTVRS, that runs the websites agreed to take down the websites in an assurance of voluntary compliance with the Michigan Department of Attorney General. This comes after the AGs office sent a cease-and-desist notice in September. Deceptive websites not only harm consumers but the legitimate businesses and agencies that preserve and promote our attractions, AG Dana Nessel said in a statement. My office will continue to pursue companies that mislead tourists to ensure Michiganders and visitors can trust the sites they use to plan their vacations. MTVRS operated two websites that allegedly sought to dupe visitors by mimicking official websites that sell tickets to Fort Mackinac and Sheplers Ferry. Nessel says they misled consumers into believing they are purchasing official tickets. Operators of both Fort Mackinac and Sheplers Ferry reported multiple incidents of visitors arriving with only an email from MTVRS suggesting a purchase had been made, which was not valid for entry onto the ferry or into the fort. Mackinac Island welcomes more than 1 million visitors a year. USA Today recently named Mackinac Island the No. 1 Best Place to Visit for Fall for the first time, and the No. 1 Best Summer Travel Destination for the third year in a row. RELATED: Mackinac Island named best fall travel destination in U.S. Fortmackinactickets.com allegedly mimicked the official website that sells Fort Mackinac tickets , mackinacparks.com. The MTVRS website used a misleading logo and charged marked-up prices. While the MTVRS website did contain a disclosure that the website was not connected with the fort, it appeared far down the page, well after multiple opportunities to purchase tickets, and allegedly failed to meet requirements under the Michigan Consumer Protection Act. A separate website operated by MTVRS, mackinacticketing.com, allegedly misled consumers looking to purchase ferry tickets to Mackinac Island by copying the schedule information and address for Sheplers Ferry, creating the impression that tickets were being purchased directly from Sheplers official website , sheplersferry.com. MTVRS also allegedly charged an additional $7.95 fee before using the customers payment information to purchase tickets from Sheplers official website. Under the terms of the agreement, MTVRS must take down the websites and is prohibited from creating any new websites related to Michigan tourist attractions or ticketed events in the state. The company also cannot initiate or participate in any new sales with Michigan consumers for tickets being offered to tourist attractions in other states. Michigan consumers who suspect consumer protection violations by other companies are encouraged to contact the Department of Attorney Generals Consumer Protection Team. Complaints can be mailed to P.O. Box 30213, Lansing, MI 48909. Reach the team by phone at 517-335-7599 or toll free at 877-765-8388. Or, file a complaint online here. Although it no longer has the cachet that it once did in the technology space, AOL remains a viable property as it was just sold in a $1.5 billion deal, according to Axios. Last week, the web portal and email provider was sold by Yahoo to Bending Spoons, an Italian-based tech company in a deal thats expected to close by the end of the year. Bending Spoons is known for acquiring digital businesses and properties to revitalize them and help them grow. While that sounds like corporate speak, the companys track record shows that it has never sold a brand it has acquired. Among the properties it owns are Brightcove, Evernote, komoot, Meetup, Remini, StreamYard, and WeTransfer. AOL is an iconic, beloved business thats in good health, has stood the test of time, and we believe has unexpressed potential, said Bending Spoons CEO and co-founder, Luca Ferrari. Ferrari went on to say his company estimates that AOL is one of the top ten most-used email providers in the world. Ferrari said the service has eight million daily users and 30 million monthly. We intend to invest significantly to help the product and the business flourish. Bending Spoons has never sold an acquired businesswere confident were the right long-term steward for AOL, and look forward to serving its large, loyal customer base for many years to come," Ferrari said. In a separate deal, Bending Spoons also secured $2.8 billion through a debt financing package. The money will help with the purchase and growth of AOL and other properties in the Bending Spoons brand. Prior to acquiring AOL, Bending Spoons also announced it is buying the video platform Vimeo. Officials at Cherry Capital Airport are warning passengers of possible "secondary impacts" as flights are canceled across the country due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Cherry Capital Airport TRAVERSE CITY, MI There are no canceled flights in or out of this Northern Michigan airport, but passengers could see secondary impacts as flights are cut across the country, officials said. The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to reduce flights at 40 airports due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. Traverse Citys Cherry Capital Airport is not on the list, but it offers direct routes to and from three of the airports affected. We may experience secondary impacts, according to a news release from Cherry Capital. At this time, there are no delays or cancellations at TVC. Some airlines have indicated that they may minimize impacts on passengers by cutting routes to and from small and medium-size cities, NPR reports. Cherry Capital is a small airport with one terminal and six gates. Traverse City passengers could also run into problems with connecting flights at the affected airports. Presently, Cherry Capitals service includes direct flights to and from Detroit Metro, Orlando International and Chicago, all of which are impacted by flight reductions. According to flight tracking website Flight Aware, Detroit Metro is up to 23 canceled flights in the past 24 hours. RELATED: Flights at Detroit Metro Airport expected to be reduced as government shutdown continues Several airlines serving TVC have informed us that, starting Friday, Nov. 7, they will implement schedule reductions as directed by the FAA, according to the Cherry Capital news release. In Michigans Upper Peninsula, Marquette Sawyer Regional Airport offers direct flights to Detroit, Chicago OHare and Minneapolis St. Paul International, all of which are among the 40 affected airports. Several small airports throughout Michigan offer only one commercial route to and from either Chicago or Detroit. Flight reductions are aimed at relieving pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for over a month, including six-day weeks and mandatory overtime, NPR reports. Cherry Capital offers these tips to travelers: Passengers should check directly with the airline for any changes to scheduled flights. Airlines will notify affected travelers regarding cancellations, rebooking options, and schedule adjustments. To stay informed, passengers are strongly encouraged to download and update airline mobile apps for real-time notifications and rebooking tools. Flight reductions are impacting all commercial airlines, NPR reports. The FAA plans to start with a 4% reduction and ramp up to 10% by next Friday, Nov. 14. Gallup Park is pictured in this file photo. A Washtenaw County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is hosting its first-ever NAMIWalks on Saturday at the Ann Arbor park. Jacob Hamilton | MLive.com ANN ARBOR, MI The Washtenaw County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness is hosting its first-ever NAMIWalks on Saturday in Ann Arbor. The Nov. 8 event at Gallup Park, 3000 Fuller Road, aims to raise funds for the alliances free mental health programs and support groups while promoting awareness and reducing stigma around mental illness in the community. Check-in begins at noon, opening words are scheduled for 1 p.m. and the 2-mile walk starts at 1:30 p.m. Group-led somatic movement a mindfulness method applied to physical activity focused on body feel follows at 1:30 p.m. and the event concludes at 3:30 p.m. Funds raised through the NAMIWalks event will help sustain and expand services. NAMI Washtenaw County offers a variety of free, accessible programs that help people living with mental health conditions and their loved ones. These programs include peer support groups, educational classes, and outreach initiatives to destigmatize mental illness and ensure that mental health resources are available to everyone, according to a press release. Beyond fundraising, the walk will serve as an opportunity for mental health advocates in the Washtenaw County community to come together to increase awareness, reduce stigma and show up for one another. The event will feature resource tables, food vendors, lawn games and a decompression space. The event is open to all, but free registration required. Participants can sign up, create teams, or donate through the NAMIWalks website. The walk will take place rain or shine. NAMI Washtenaw County has secured sponsorship from several local organizations, including Washtenaw County Community Mental Health and the University of Michigan Student Life. We gratefully acknowledge our sponsors whose support makes this event possible, the organization stated. NAMI is the nations largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Generative AI was used to organize information for this story, based on data provided by NAMI Washtenaw County. It was reviewed and edited by MLive staff. Former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield, left, is accused of multiple financial crimes. Two senior advisors have pleaded guilty and agreed to testify at future hearings. John Agar INGHAM COUNTY, MI The chief of staff to former House Speaker Lee Chatfield pleaded guilty to felony charges related to misappropriating funds from groups tied to Chatfield. Rob Minard, 48, of Clinton Countys Bath Township, has agreed to provide truthful testimony as part of a plea agreement, state Attorney General Dana Nessel said. Related: Ex-House speaker funded lavish lifestyle with nonprofit dark money, prosecutors say He pleaded guilty Thursday, Nov. 7, to larceny by false pretenses - $20,000 or more but less than $50,000 - for taking funds from Working Together for a Better Michigan, an independent political action committee, and the political candidates who were supposed to be assisted by the PAC. He also pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return. He entered the pleas before Ingham County Circuit Judge James Jamo. Sentencing is Dec. 17. Minard was originally charged with multiple felonies, including conducting a criminal enterprise. His wife, Anne Minard, 38, last month pleaded guilty to embezzling $1,000 to $20,000 from the Peninsula Fund and filing a false tax return. She is set for sentencing on Dec. 3. She also agreed to testify. The Minards will also be required to pay restitution. Chatfield, R-Levering, awaits trial for allegedly misusing state, campaign and non-profit funds. His wife, Stephanie Chatfield, also awaits trial. Nessel said previously: Our investigation uncovered extensive evidence of elaborate schemes to embezzle and misappropriate private and public funds to bankroll Lee Chatfields lifestyle during his time as Speaker of the House. Lee Chatfield, 35, faces four counts of embezzlement from a nonprofit, three counts of embezzlement by a public officer over $50, three counts of embezzlement, conducting a criminal enterprise, conspiracy to embezzle from a nonprofit, and violating the Charitable Trust Act. Stephanie Chatfield, 37, is charged with embezzlement from a nonprofit and conspiracy to commit embezzlement from a nonprofit. Trial is set for September. The Minards were senior advisors and close friends to Chatfield, the House speaker in 2019 and 2020. Anne Minard was the Republican majoritys director of external affairs. ANN ARBOR, MI - Emergency services were called to a downtown Ann Arbor courtroom for the mother of a 21-year-old man shortly after he was found guilty of first-degree murder. James Lee Trussells mother had a breathing issue, prompting emergency responders to arrive at the courtroom, shortly after the verdict for her son was read aloud. She was ultimately taken out of the courtroom in a wheelchair. A jury declared Trussell guilty of first-degree murder in the 2023 fatal stabbing of 22-year-old Ari Clarke shortly after 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 6, after just a few hours of deliberation. The jury had gone into deliberations around 12:30 p.m. that day. Clarkes older sister Alie Neboyskey, 26, said their family is now breathing a lot easier. We feel a lot more at rest, Neboyskey said shortly after the verdict was read. Trussell is accused of stabbing Clarke more than dozen times during an argument on July 4, 2023, in the 800 block of Ypsilantis Green Road. Clarke and his girlfriend, Skyla Crawford, had returned to the apartment that evening to continue packing for an upcoming move when Trussell started a confrontation, Crawford told jurors on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Trussell and his girlfriend, Kyrah Tate, had been temporarily staying at Crawfords apartment. The then-19-year-old confronted Crawford about Clarke supposedly looking at Tate, telling her to tell Clarke to stop looking at my girl, Crawford told the jury. When Clarke came out from Crawfords bedroom - where he had been packing dishes - Trussell confronted him, Crawford said. The two then got into a verbal argument. Crawford had elbowed Trussell, telling him to back up, before he pushed her over the rack of an open dishwasher. Clarke and Trussell then began fighting, she said. She and Tate had both started yelling at the two men when blood started to appear, Crawford said. Clarke was declared dead on scene. He had 14 different knife wounds, some as deep as six inches, according to testimony Wednesday from Randy Tashjian, a Washtenaw County medical examiner. The wounds punctured multiple organs, including Clarkes lungs and heart. Edward Martell, Trussells defense attorney, said he was baffled by the verdict, pointing to what he called a textbook case of manslaughter. Its hard to overcome the graphic photos and the pictures, Martell said. It certainly pulled at (the jurys) emotions, but that wasnt consistent with the actual evidence. Trussell acted in self-defense, Martell said. Theres unfortunate loss of life and that could never be undone, Martell said. At the same time, James is a young man and has his whole life to live. Were hopeful for justice to ultimately prevail. It is not clear exactly what sentence Trussell will receive. Until recently, defendants convicted of first-degree murder were automatically sentenced to life in prison. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled in April that judges can give individualized sentences for 19- and 20-year-olds convicted of first-degree murder, although they are still able to give life sentences. Half of the gallery, which was filled with Clarkes friends and family, had an audible reaction when the first-degree verdict was announced. Wendy Neboyskey, Clarkes mother, began crying shortly afterward. Family and friends are very, very happy with the result, she said. We know that justice was served properly, Neboyskey said. We had faith in our attorneys and the whole team, and they didnt let us down. Trussells sentencing will be held Dec. 17. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer meet with health care professionals during a roundtable discussion at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital on Nov. 7, 2025. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com) Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News ANN ARBOR, MI U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer met with Ann Arbor-area hospital leaders and doctors Friday to discuss concerns about rising health care costs and cuts to federal health care spending. A top concern: Americans have begun receiving their premiums for next year and many are seeing sharp increases, in some cases doubling, officials said. Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, said she stopped to talk with a patient on the way into Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital ahead of the Nov. 7 roundtable discussion there. They didnt know whether they were going to be able to keep coming because they had gotten their premium and they werent going to be able to afford it, and theyre not going to stay on the exchange, she said. So, what were they going to do? Affordable Care Act enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of December. Not everybody understands whats happening and people are really getting hit with premiums that they had no idea, Dingell said. She knows a couple both of them 60 years old whose combined annual income is $82,000, she said. And their premium is going up $164% $11,250, she said. I had another constituent tell me that their new monthly premium is more than their mortgage payment. A husband and wife who own a small business are about to have a new baby, but theyre can only afford coverage for the mother and the baby, not the father, Dingell said. Its disturbing, Dingell said, criticizing President Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law in July. According to the American Medical Association, significant funding cuts and policy changes to Medicaid and other programs under the law will worsen patient access to care. There already are hospitals in danger of closing in Michigan and OB/GYN services being dropped, Dingell and Whitmer said. Were fighting for health care, because Im somebody who believes if youre sick, you should be able to go to the doctor and get the medicine and the treatment that you need, Dingell said. U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer meet with health care professionals during a roundtable discussion at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital on Nov. 7, 2025. (Ryan Stanton | MLive.com) Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News Whitmer thanked Dingell for what shes trying to do in Congress, saying America is at a really scary inflection point. I know its lonely and challenging right now, but Im glad that youre fighting for us, the governor said. Washington, D.C., seems far away from peoples everyday lives, but whats happening or not happening there at the moment is a huge threat to communities and to health care providers and recipients, Whitmer said. Every one of us will get hurt without quick action in Washington, D.C., she said. About 72% of Trinity Health Michigan patients are on Medicare or Medicaid, President and CEO Shannon Striebich said. The estimated impacts of changes in Medicaid are in excess of $400 million just for her organization, she said, but the need for services doesnt go away and people still need care. This is not good for communities, period, she said, saying her organization is now contemplating some really hard decisions to remain viable. In response to federal cuts to Medicaid services, Whitmer signed legislation preserving state Medicaid, protecting funding for core Medicaid services, officials noted. The governor also noted she signed an executive directive earlier this year to look at the impacts of federal Medicaid cuts on Michigan residents. We found that it will terminate care for half a million people in our state, she said. Itll make getting care for all of us less convenient and more expensive. The cuts disproportionately affect the poor, the sick, veterans, children and older Michiganders, Whitmer said. But every one of us hurts when a hospital closes, a community loses their largest employer, she said. Medical professionals who shared their insights with the politicians during Fridays roundtable expressed a range of concerns and described it as a challenging time. They said the expansion of Medicaid several years ago allowed more people to get plugged into ongoing and preventative care and theyre worried about the consequences of rolling back progress. Dingell said she was told there were 29 people waiting to be admitted to Trinity Health Ann Arbor on Friday and that was a good day. One doctor said even he has to wait in line until January to get an MRI scan for his own shoulder injury. Weve got a problem, Dingell said. And at some point, we need to say youve got to do something. We cant just ignore the people on our community who need help. Trinity Health Ann Arbor President Alonzo Lewis noted the 560-bed hospital, previously known as St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, has served the area 114 years. Since 1977, it has been located in Superior Township just outside Ann Arbor. Later this month, it plans to open an emergency shelter on its campus, making 30 rooms available during the coldest months of the year, Lewis said, describing ways its evolving. Fridays roundtable took place in the hospitals indoor serenity garden, which Lewis described as a place of healing and restoration for patients. Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page. The shell of a building in the former Westwood Manor apartment complex is seen in this 2005 Flint Journal file photo. Demolition of the apartments, funded by the Genesee County Land Bank Authority, started on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Mt. Morris Township. (The Flint Journal | Bruce Edwards) The Flint Journal MT. MORRIS TWP., MI -- More than 20 years after gang members burned Westwood Manor Apartments, destroying part of the complex in a fire that caused the death of a mother and daughter, a contractor has started to tear down what remains. The Genesee County Land Bank Authoritys massive demolition project started on Thursday, Nov. 6, a job that isnt expected to be completed until next year. Michael Freeman, executive director of the Land Bank, said the demolition of the 12 structures on the Clio Road property should provide a fresh start for another developer and said there have already been discussions with potential buyers. It should be a clean site when (demolition is) done, Freeman said. The buildings will come down fairly quickly, but compaction, grading and seeding of the property will likely take place early in 2026. Westwood has been a vacant eyesore on the Clio Road landscape since a fire that caused the deaths of Kokona Vaughn, 25, and her daughter Zeona Burress, 7, on Sept. 9, 2005. Firefighters said then that the fire started after someone poured gasoline throughout the stairwell of one building before setting it ablaze, according to Flint Journal files. Prosecutors eventually reached plea agreements with three Pierson Hood street gang members on the day jury selection in their trial was scheduled to begin in 2013. The three each pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of the deal. Police and prosecutors said then that the fire was set to flush out a target of the gang, which had members outside the building, ready to shoot the man when he fled. The 2005 fire was the latest in a series of arsons at Westwood, dating back to the mid-1970s. Sixty residents lost their homes there in a Christmas Day fire in 1992. Three more buildings in the complex were destroyed by fire in 2017. Westwood opened in 1965 with 12 buildings, each containing 12 units, according to past reporting by the Journal. The complex was part of a low-income housing program administered by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Freeman said the property has lingered as a Land Bank holding because of the $760,000 cost to complete the demolition. The Land Bank was only able to start the teardown now because of funding from Genesee County and the county Treasurers Office. In 2024, the county Board of Commissioners agreed to contribute $350,000 in federal stimulus funds to the project, and county Treasurer Sam Muma committed an additional $410,000 to complete the work. The county treasurer initially acquired the property through tax foreclosure before transferring ownership to the Land Bank. The Genesee County treasurer is thrilled to partner with the county and the Land Bank to finally remove this long-standing eyesore from our community, Muma said in a statement posted by the Land Bank on its Facebook page. This demolition will make way for new development opportunities and help restore pride in the neighborhood. Mumas predecessor -- Deb Cherry -- also cleared the way for another vacant apartment complex to be torn down less than a year ago when the Treasurers Office helped to fund the demolition of Ballenger Manor Apartments, an eyesore in Flints Glendale Hills neighborhood. County commissioners approved the sale of that property to McLaren Flint hospital, which is located just north of the Ballenger Road apartments. Freeman said the demolition that started Thursday couldnt be started until Muma said, Lets get it done. We want it to be optimized and contributing to the economic vitality of Clio Road, Freeman said of the property. We think this is a great opportunity to improve conditions along Clio Road. FLINT, MI -- Flint residents who receive SNAP benefits can visit City Hall now to pre-qualify for food box vouchers, which are expected to become available starting on Monday, Nov. 10. Mayor Sheldon Neeley provided the update on Thursday, Nov. 6, after announcing the supplemental food program last week in response to a pause in benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The citys program, developed in partnership with the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, will provide SNAP recipients with up to two vouchers this month, each redeemable for 30-pound food boxes. Times and dates for food pick-up -- at the Food Bank and the Christian Love Faith Center -- are still being finalized, the city said in a news release. Vouchers will be issued from City Hall, 1101 S. Saginaw St., to individuals who provide contact information, proof of residence, and proof of current SNAP eligibility. The first round of vouchers will be available from Nov. 10-14, according to the city, with a second round of distribution from Nov. 17-21. Vouchers expire on Dec. 1. Federal employees who live in the city and whose paychecks have been suspended are also eligible for the vouchers with proof of residency and federal employment, according to the city. Neeley has said one in three Flint residents relies on SNAP, which paused benefits on Saturday, Nov. 1. Two judges last week ordered the government to pay at least partial SNAP benefits this month using an emergency fund. In Michigan, partial benefits will start to flow again this weekend, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. But some people will see cuts of more than 50% of their normal benefits, and some will receive no benefits in November. When Washington stalls, Flint steps up, Neeley said on Thursday. This is about stability and standing together (with) people who are concerned about whats happening to them and their families. The mayor said the city has received roughly 600 calls from residents inquiring about the voucher program since it was announced. He has said $30,000 in opioid settlement and federal stimulus funds will be used to pay for the food box program. Organizers from Peoples Church of Flints Justice and Activism Committee, including Annie Canty, speak to attendees following a community film screening. The event was part of the churchs ongoing effort to promote dialogue on difficult topics through film. | Lucine Jarrah Lucine Jarrah FLINT, MI - Every few months, Peoples Church of Flint turns its place of worship into a small community theater not to entertain, but to inspire reflection and understanding. The churchs Justice and Activism Committee, also known as Joyful Defiance, hosts a quarterly film series that explores complex social issues and encourages open conversation among community members. The last movie that we did was actually on journalism, but we do a movie quarterly, and this one had very good turnout, said committee chair Annie Canty. So we were really happy with the turnout because we would love for more people to know about our justice and activism movies that we put on quarterly. Organizers from Peoples Church of Flints Justice and Activism Committee, including Annie Canty, speak to attendees following a community film screening. The event was part of the churchs ongoing effort to promote dialogue on difficult topics through film. | Lucine Jarrah Lucine Jarrah Canty said the screenings are designed to build empathy and awareness around subjects that can be difficult to discuss. We focus on things that are not necessarily things that you would maybe watch or things that youre never going to see in a movie theater, she said. But things that are certainly social issues that we believe need to be discussed. The most recent film, Where Olive Trees Weep, was shown on Nov. 1 and drew about two to three times the churchs usual crowd. The documentary follows several Palestinians and highlights the effects of intergenerational trauma on families living in conflict zones. She credited church members Leslie and Jay Cummings, a couple active in the Justice and Activism Committee, for leading the effort to bring the film to the congregation. Jay is a retired minister, Canty said. And they were the ones who have been pushing for us to show a movie on Palestine and the situation in Gaza. The church board approved the screening unanimously, she said. When we got the movie, we got streaming rights for two years, she said. And there are also a bunch of other shorts that we can show that would include talks that we might be able to have. After the showing, attendees were invited to take part in a guided discussion. Canty began the evening by reminding the audience to approach the film with empathy. This is a movie about trauma, she told them. We all go through trauma. Some people go through worse trauma, some people go through lesser trauma, but we all understand what trauma is as human beings. And I encourage you to try to comprehend the trauma of others and to keep your empathy chips. The discussion that followed, she said, was reflective and heartfelt. I asked how they felt, what did you notice that stood out or was there anything that really touched you or upset you? Canty said. In other words, I want people to look at this as a learning experience in which they can extend their own feelings of empathy for whats going on, maybe elsewhere, and also look at how that might actually be impacting our community right here. Representatives from the Arab American Heritage Council and the Flint Alliance for Immigrant Rights (FAIR) attended the event and spoke after the film, helping connect the discussion to current issues in the local community. The Peoples Church of Flint is part of several Christian traditions, including the United Church of Christ (UCC) a denomination that has taken an official stance calling for an end to genocide in Palestine. The declaration, adopted by the UCCs 35th General Synod, affirms solidarity with the Palestinian people and encourages member churches to sign on. Canty said Peoples Church has not yet done so but continues to educate members on the issue. Future film nights will continue tackling challenging subjects. Coming up in January, we are going to be focusing on reproductive issues and abuse by clergy, Canty said. Canty said she believes the power of film lies in its ability to connect people. Film has a very unique way of connecting with us as humans, she said. Its visual, but its also spoken. So we take in the world through our eyes, but we also take in the world through our ears. Film has a unique way of connecting with an audience and teaching you about something that you may not know about and making the world, honestly, maybe just a little bit smaller and making us as people a little bit closer. The church, located on Garland Street, is a multi-denominational congregation that has long emphasized inclusion and outreach. Canty, who grew up in Flint and recently returned after decades away, said the film program is another way the church celebrates community diversity. We live in a diverse community, and we need to embrace all of our diversity, she said. Flint has had an Arab population for decades Its very good to see the younger generation really hitting the ground running. Im impressed." For Canty, the screenings serve one simple goal. I hope it becomes a conversation that keeps on going, she said. Grand Rapids police Major Case detectives are investigating the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old man. (MLive File Photo) GRAND RAPIDS, MI Police identified Donovan Moody, 26, as the victim of a shooting on Wednesday, Nov. 6, on Grand Rapids Southeast Side. A passerby found the victim on Hollister Avenue SE, north of Wealthy Street, around 8:30 p.m. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The Kent County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy and determined that the fatal shooting was a homicide. The Grand Rapids police Major Case Team is investigating. Police asked anyone with information to call detectives at 616-456-3380 or anonymously through Silent Observer at 616-774-2345 or www.silentobserver.org. Grand Rapids Police are investigating a suspected homicide that occurred on the city's Southeast Side on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (MLive file photo) Daniel Shular | MLive.com GRAND RAPIDS, MI Police are investigating a fatal shooting on the citys Southeast Side that is believed to have happened sometime Thursday evening. A passerby located the adult male victim with a fatal gunshot wound at around 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, police said in a news release. The victim was located on Hollister Avenue SE, north of Wealthy Street SE. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The departments major case team is investigating the shooting at this time. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Grand Rapids Police Department or Silent Observer. Detectives can be reached at 616-456-3380. Tips can also be sent safely and anonymously through Silent Observer via phone at 616-774-2345, online or through the app. A new Jersey Mikes Subs is coming to Allendale Crossings shopping center between Jets Pizza and Great Clips. Image courtesy NAI Wisinski of West Michigan ALLENDALE, MI Jersey Mikes Subs recently signed a lease to open a new location in the Allendale Crossings Shopping Center at 5135 Lake Michigan Drive in Allendale Township. The deal was announced by Grand Rapids real estate brokerage NAI Wisinski of West Michigan. Jersey Mikes brings a well-known national brand to a community that continues to attract new residents, students and businesses, said Chandler Kennell of NAI Wisinski, who represented the property owner in the transaction. This addition strengthens the tenant mix and contributes to Allendales growing retail landscape. The opening date for the Jersey Mikes location in the shopping center has not yet been confirmed. The restaurant is currently in the construction document phase, Kennell said. Jersey Mikes will occupy an in-line space in the center between Jets Pizza and Great Clips. The shopping center is located less than a mile from Grand Valley State University along a growing commercial and residential corridor. Founded in 1956 in Point Pleasant, N.J., Jersey Mikes has grown into a national chain famous for fresh-made deli subs. The company offers cold and hot sandwiches, as well as catering. Jersey Mikes Allendale will join about 10 other West Michigan locations, including Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Walker, Wyoming, Holland and Grand Haven, according to its website. Iowa-based HNI Corporation in announcing the acquisition of Steelcase said it would maintain the company's headquarters in Grand Rapids. Photo by Ehren Wynder GRAND RAPIDS, MI Steelcase President and CEO Sara Armbruster said she and other longtime executives will leave the company following its $2.2 billion acquisition by HNI Corp. After nearly 20 years with the office furniture giant, Armbruster will depart with the closing of the acquisition in early December, according to a letter filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This is an important moment in our companys story, Armbruster stated in the letter. Times of change can bring mixed emotions, yet they also create opportunities for growth and shared success. What has always defined Steelcase is the strength of our people, the depth of our relationships, and our commitment to helping the world work better. Jeffrey Lorenger, chair, president and CEO of HNI Corp., will lead the combined companies going forward, the letter stated. I want to begin by thanking Sara for her leadership and partnership throughout this process, Lorenger stated in the letter. Her dedication to Steelcase and her collaboration in preparing for a successful integration have been invaluable. While reporting relationships may evolve, the foundation of Steelcases operating model remains unchanged. Enterprise functions, go-to-market platforms, and go-to-market organizations will continue to play distinct roles in creating value and serving customers. Donna Flynn, vice president and chief people officer of Steelcase, also will leave the company at closing. A team of existing leaders within Steelcase and HNI will continue the important work of supporting our people, culture, and impact efforts as the companies come together, Lorenger wrote. Bob Krestakos, vice president and COO of Steelcase, will remain with the company until early 2026 to oversee operations transition. HNI Corp. will begin a search for his replacement, considering internal and external candidates, Lorenger wrote. HNI Corporation and Steelcase Inc. in August announced a definitive agreement for HNI to acquire Grand Rapids largest office furniture manufacturer in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $2.2 billion. With the acquisition, HNI expects to expand its offerings in the industries of health care, education and hospitality, and for the combined company to generate $5.8 billion in annual net sales after closing. HNI has said it will maintain the Steelcase brand following the transactions close. HNI will continue to operate its corporate headquarters in Muscatine, Iowa, and Steelcase will maintain its headquarters in Grand Rapids. Armbruster joined Steelcase in 2007 and has served in roles leading Steelcases corporate strategy and acquisition activities. She became the companys 10th CEO in 2021 after former CEO Jim Keane announced his retirement. Founded in 1912 as Metal Office Furniture Co., Steelcase once had a reputation as Grand Rapids largest employer. The company employs about 11,300 people globally and about 3,500 in West Michigan. Two drivers were injured in a West Olive rollover crash Friday, Nov. 7. MLive file OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- Two drivers were injured after a car and SUV collided at a West Olive intersection Friday, Nov. 7. Ottawa County sheriffs deputies said a 37-year-old West Olive woman was driving a Chevy Suburban east on Stanton Street about 2 p.m. and failed to stop at 120th Avenue. The Suburban crashed into southbound Saturn sedan driven by a 41-year-old Holland woman. Traffic on 120th Avenue has the right-of-way. Police said the Suburban then rolled onto its side. A 9-year-old in the Suburban was treated at the scene and released. The two drivers were taken to a hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Holland High School senior Mads Christensen collects road salt data. Christensen is one of the West Michigan students teaming up with Ottawa County on a citizen science project aimed at discovering where road salt is being overused. Photo courtesy of Ottawa Area Intermediate School District. Ottawa Area Intermediate School District OTTAWA COUNTY, MI - West Michigan students in environmental classes have teamed up with Ottawa County on a citizen science project aimed at discovering where road salt is being overused along the Pigeon River watershed. The students are part of an environmental field studies program held at the Ottawa Area Intermediate School Districts (OAISD) Careerline Tech Center (CTC), which helps prepare high schoolers for the workforce. They are now working with the Ottawa County Conservation District. According to a June 2024 article published by Michigan State University Extension, road salt - also known as sodium chloride - is used to reduce the melting point of water, which helps keep ice off the roads when temperatures drop below freezing. The practice has been used since the 1940s. But it can come with an environmental cost when that road salt runs off and leaches into freshwater systems, making freshwater lakes, rivers and groundwater saltier over time. Chloride, which makes up around 60% of road salt, is a detrimental pollutant in excess. It can be toxic to fish, aquatic plants and insects, amphibians, zooplankton and algae. It can also change the density of freshwater, creating buildup in the deepest part of lakes and preventing them from mixing naturally. The university advises limiting salt use and attempting to remove snow and ice manually whenever possible. Sarah Bowman, an Ottawa County watershed and conservation specialist, said the students are collecting data to help the county better understand locations where road salt is being overused and could seep into the nearby Pigeon River. Thanks to the work of these students, we can help provide targeted outreach to those residents to use the proper amount of salt during the winter, Bowman said, protect(ing) the water quality of the Pigeon River and perhaps the entire watershed by not oversalting. The main branch of the Pigeon River is around 12 miles long and flows to Lake Michigan, running through a generally rural area that includes three townships between the cities of Holland and Grand Haven. For the Pigeon River research, CTC instructor Avril Wiers said her first-year students have so far spent their time exploring the river, collecting water bugs to determine the health of the surrounding area and cataloging different species at Pigeon Creek Park. Theyll begin collecting water quality data on the river come spring, comparing that to another collection period done by students last year. In the meantime, were hoping that raising awareness of road salt pollution this winter will mean that we see less chloride pollution compared to last years numbers, she said. Raising awareness included presenting student research to West Michigan volunteers, which several students did on Sunday, Nov. 2 at the Nature Education Center at Hemlock Crossing County Park in West Olive Holland High School senior Mads Christensen presented an independent project on the effects of road salt on plant growth, subjecting seedlings to varying concentrations during the research period. Wiers said images taken during the course of the research illustrated changes in the growth and vitality of plants at different chloride levels. Annabelle Boyd and Ryan Gonzales, seniors at Black River Public Schools, also conducted research on the effects of salt concentrations on microscopic water fleas, known as moina. Boyd said presenting research to the public, promoting citizen science efforts, designing scientific experiments and performing research are all crucial skills for my future career as a scientist. Students also distributed salt watch test kits to participants, who could use them to do their own water quality testing along the river. Wiers said in addition to helping improve water quality, the partnership with the county is designed to prepare students for careers in environmental science. Students can prepare for college classes by engaging in the scientific method through designing experiments, collecting data in field and laboratory settings and analyzing and reporting results, Wiers said. Thanks to community partnerships, these students are better prepared for their future and are helping the environment in the process. She said students have to meet rigorous standards to participate in the program. Last year, Christensen, Boyd and Gonzales collected data on pollution in the river, and wanted to take further action this year to help. Wiers added that upon successful completion of the program, students can earn six direct credits from Grand Valley State University. What remains of a home in the 6000 block of Brooklyn Road after a fire broke out Oct. 26, 2025. Two women, a mother and her daughter, were killed in the fire which remains under investigation. Nathan Clark | Nclark1@mlive.com NAPOLEON, MI One dog rescued from a fatal house fire in Napoleon has found a new home, while the second is expected to be available soon for adoption. A Beagle and a German Shepherd were found following the fire that killed their owners Sandra M. Miracle, 76, and her daughter Susan M. Miracle, 50, on Oct. 26. The Beagle, named Faith, was seen circling the remains of the house before Jackson County Animal Control captured her using a live trap, Shelter Director Lydia Sattler said. Faith showed no physical injuries but appeared to be traumatized by the incident, she said. Believing she would do better in a home, the shelter had adopted her to a family in Charlotte on Oct. 31. A Beagle and a German Shepherd were rescued following a house fire that killed their owners Sandra M. Miracle, 76, and her daughter Susan M. Miracle, 50, on Oct. 26. Faith (pictured above) has since been adopted, while Princess continues to recover at the Jackson County Animal Shelter (Photo provided by the animal shelter). Photo provided by the Jackson County Animal Shelter Giving her a more stable environment where shes one-on-one with humans, day and night, versus being in this place where shes isolated from people and other animals, Sattler said. The German Shepherd, named Princess, appeared to be OK after she was given oxygen at the scene, and is being treated at the shelter. She is taking medication to counteract any infection she had in her lungs from the smoke, Sattler said. Princess is expected to recover and will be available for adoption around Nov. 10. The dogs were adopted separately because they didnt show any strong connection, despite having the same owners, Sattler said. Napoleon Township Police Chief Duaine Pittman previously said authorities exhausted every effort they could to reach a direct family member. A Beagle and a German Shepherd were rescued following a house fire that killed their owners Sandra M. Miracle, 76, and her daughter Susan M. Miracle, 50, on Oct. 26. Princess (pictured above) continues to recover at the Jackson County Animal Shelter (Photo provided by the animal shelter). Photo provided by the Jackson County Animal Shelter Sattler was thankful for the family that took in Faith and hopes Princess will be adopted soon as well. We find so many animals that are in need, and sometimes emergency care, and theres not a lot of options, Sattler said. This is something we do on a daily basis for many different animals that have all different kinds of trauma. Our entire team is dedicated and focused on being there to make sure the animals in our community have everything that they need. Want more Jackson-area news? Bookmark the local Jackson news page. Owners of the property highlighted in blue on the map above want to change the allowable uses of the land. City of kalamazoo KALAMAZOO, MI Kalamazoo officials have unanimously denied a controversial rezoning request near Asylum Lake Preserve for the third time. The planning commissions decision was greeted with cheers and applause after more than three hours of public comments on Thursday, Nov. 6. The property in question is located north of the Asylum Lake Preserve, a 274-acre natural space owned by Western Michigan University. Previously, the developer had planned to put a car wash on the property. This time around, the developer has been tight-lipped about the plan. The preserve which includes woodlands, wetlands and walking trails is bordered by Stadium Drive and Drake Road, one of the citys busiest intersections. Community members organized for weeks prior to the Nov. 6 meeting. A petition to deny rezoning for the property adjoining Asylum Lake Preserve sat at 14,342 signatures after the meeting. Nearly 70 residents spoke during a public hearing, filling the commission chambers, overflow room and hallways of City Hall. Meeting attendees spilled into the halls. Audrey Whitaker Not one spoke in favor of rezoning the parcel. A development this close to the preserve, speakers argued, would contribute to environmental and visual degradation of the natural space. Some compared commercial development near the preserve to development along the Kalamazoo River that lead to decades of pollution and costly cleanup. Recommending (commercial) zoning here would allow for substantially increased surfaces, toxic runoff, traffic noise and light pollution while eroding ecological health of the preserve and the quality of life, said Woods Lake Association President Christopher Bovin. Without the commissions recommendation, the property will remain zoned for residential development, per city documents. The same parcel has come before the commission twice, in 2020 and 2023. Property owner Haji Tehran intended to build a Drive and Shine Car Wash on the site. Both these requests were denied or withdrawn. Tehran purchased the property for $2.5 million in 2017, per public records. Its listed for sale as a retail development by Callander Development. Interest in the property dries up as soon as potential buyers learn its not zoned for commercial use, said Emily Palacios, an attorney representing Tehran. A new property owner was interested, City Planner Bobby Durkee said, under the condition it is rezoned for commercial use. Grand Rapids developer Dave Rapp presented to the commission, but did not provide specific plans for the area. The rezoning request itself came from Stadium Drive #1 LLC, with an address connected to attorney Miller Johnsons Kalamazoo office. He has worked on everything from residential developments to industrial projects, Rapp said. Mostly stand-alone retail uses, a lot less strip centers. Rapp declined to comment after the meeting. Left undeveloped, homeless encampments have moved on to the property, Palacios said, as photos of litter flashed on screen. The presence of that encampment is not a call for commercial development, but is a clear symptom of a neglected property and irresponsible community developers, one resident said. In the citys 2025 Master Plan and Strategic Vision, city officials slated the property for future commercial development. Rezoning the property would bring it into agreement with the bustling commercial district along Stadium Drive, per city documents, as well as the plan developed in the Master Plan. The appeal of the heavily developed corridor along Stadium Drive near U.S. 131 is understandable, said Commissioner Brian Pittelko, but the parcel in question is more closely aligned with the homes and natural space to its south. Developers failed to demonstrate community need for rezoning this parcel, said Commissioner Roland Bissonnette. With no real plan indicating what the land would be used for, you cant articulate a need based off of vagaries, Bissonnette said. Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page. A GMC Terrain in the parking lot of the Monitor Township Meijer, damaged when a shoplifter crashed into it while fleeing police. Photo provided by Bay County Sheriff's Office Cole Waterman MONITOR TWP, MI Police are looking for a probationer and habitual shoplifter after he allegedly injured two Bay County Sheriffs deputies while fleeing from his latest crime. The two deputies at about 2:15 p.m. on Nov. 2 responded to a shoplifting complaint at the Meijer store at 2980 E. Wilder Road in Monitor Township. Loss prevention officers told dispatchers a 45-year-old Flint man was in the process of stealing collectible gaming cards, said Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham. Meijer staff recognized the man from numerous other shoplifting incidents throughout the state, the sheriff added. As the deputies pulled into Meijers parking lot, they saw the suspect exit the east end of the building. He began running once he saw the deputies patrol vehicle, prompting one of the deputies to chase after him on foot, Cunningham said. The suspect jumped into the drivers seat of a gray 2008 Chevrolet Impala. The two deputies tried removing him through the drivers side door, only for a fight to ensue, the sheriff said. The suspect put the Impala in drive and accelerated forward, dragging the deputies. The Impala crashed into a 2022 GMC Terrain while the deputies were still partially inside and grappling with the driver. Both deputies fell to the ground. The Impala did not stop and headed southbound on Two Mile Road at a high rate of speed in the oncoming lane, Cunningham said. The incident was captured on video, the sheriff added. The deputies went to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. They have since returned to active duty, the sheriff said. Deputies issued a be-on-the-lookout for the suspect and vehicle throughout Bay, Saginaw, and Genesee counties. He remains at large as of Nov. 7. The suspect is on probation out of Genesee County, having been sentenced to two years of it in November 2024, according to Michigan Department of Corrections records. His criminal record includes three convictions of first-degree retail fraud, attempted unarmed robbery, illegal use of a financial transaction device, and malicious destruction of property. Saginaw County officials in August issued two warrants for the man on first-degree retail fraud charges. The following month, a Saginaw County Circuit Court judge issued a bench warrant for the man after he failed to appear for a hearing on charges of retail fraud, fleeing police, reckless driving, and failure to report an accident. Cunningham said he is seeking felonious assault charges against the suspect. A view of the United States Postal Service and Eastern District of Michigan United States District Court building, located at 1000 Washington Ave. in Bay City, Mich. Kaytie Boomer | MLive.com BAY CITY, MI A Michigan man is federally charged with sexually abusing a teen girl on the Isabella Indian Reservation. He previously served prison time for assaulting the same girl. Michael C. Cuellar, 34, on Oct. 30 appeared before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Patricia T. Morris, who informed him he had been charged with the following five counts: sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, third- and fourth-degree child abuse, and abusive sexual contact. The first charge is the most serious, being a life offense. Charging documents state Cuellar repeatedly abused a 13-year-old girl between December 2024 and May 2025 on the reservation within Isabella County. The girl is a member of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, while Cuellar is not. In a Nov. 5 detention hearing before Morris, defense attorney Haralambos D. Mihas requested Cuellar to be released on bond. Mihas argued his client has stable employment and the support of his family, and that bond conditions could be set to negate him being a flight risk or danger to the public. The police investigation into the alleged abuse began in July 2025 but authorities did not issue a warrant for Cuellar until late September, Mihas said. Cuellar had no contact with his alleged victim while the investigation was ongoing and surrendered to police on learning a warrant was outstanding, he said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roy Kranz countered that Cuellars criminal record supports him being held without bond. This is the third federal assault case Cuellar has been charged in, with Kranz stating, I believe thats a new record for me. Cuellar in February 2012 was sentenced to nine months federal probation on a conviction of assault after he attacked a woman he was dating and choked her, Kranz said. He violated probation by repeatedly testing positive for marijuana and missing substance abuse counseling sessions, resulting in him receiving a six-month prison sentence. Judge Morris in February 2022 sentenced Cuellar to eight months in prison on a conviction of fourth-degree child abuse. That conviction stemmed from Cuellar in September 2019 throwing an 8-year-girl on a bed and choking her, Kranz said. The girl in the 2019 case is the same victim in the new case, Kranz said. The prosecutor alleged Cuellar sexually assaulted the girl at least once while she was sleeping. The girl told authorities Cuellar had also subjected her to numerous physical assaults, such as hitting her in her face and splitting her lip, Kranz said. Morris ordered Cuellar detained without bond and scheduled his case for jury trial on May 19. Lee Tamahori attends "The Convert" premiere during the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 08, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images) Getty Images Lee Tamahori, a James Bond director who is also responsible for one of the greatest films in New Zealands history, has died. He was 75. In a statement to Radio New Zealand, his family said he died peacefully at home surrounded by his family after a battle with Parkinsons Disease. His legacy endures with his whanau, his mokopuna, every filmmaker he inspired, every boundary he broke, and every story he told with his genius eye and honest heart, the statement said. A charismatic leader and fierce creative spirit, Lee championed Maori talent both on and off screen. He ultimately returned home to tell stories grounded in whakapapa and identity, with Mahana and his latest film The Convert, reaffirming his deep connection to Aotearoa. Weve lost an immense creative spirit. In addition to directing Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry in the 2002 James Bond flick Die Another Day, Tamahori is known for his debut feature Once Were Warriors. Released in 1994, the film tells the story of a family descended from Maori warriors who must deal with a violent father and societal problems of being treated as outcasts. His other notable films include The Edge (1997), Along Came a Spider (2001), xXx: State of the Union (2005) and Next (2007). He also directed episodes of The Sopranos and Billions. Survivors include his wife, Justine, and his children, Sam, Max, Meka and Tane. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents escort a detained immigrant into an elevator after he exited an immigration courtroom, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Olga Fedorova) AP With few exceptions, ICE agents would be banned from wearing masks and from conducting immigration enforcement in churches, hospitals and schools under legislation from Michigan Senate Democrats. The three-bill package would also bar local and state police from sharing identifying information about people with ICE if the information was requested for immigration enforcement purposes and wasnt requested with a warrant. Lawmakers heard testimony on the bills during a Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee meeting on Thursday, Nov. 6, but did not take a vote to move it out of committee. If later passed by Democratic-controlled Senate, the bill package is unlikely to pass the Republican-controlled House. Legislation sponsors say their bills are necessary to protect the privacy of residents, ensure law enforcement is identifiable and held accountable and that spaces for health, worship and education are protected. The proposed protections come amid President Donald Trumps crackdown on illegal immigration across the country. Under the legislation, federal agents would be forbidden from conducting immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations anywhere in the state unless they had a court order to enter the location or if the action was necessary to address an imminent danger to public safety. These sensitive locations include places of worship, hospitals, courthouses, public and private schools and universities and organizations assisting children, pregnant women, victims of crime or abuse or individuals with mental or physical disabilities. Funerals, weddings and other public religious ceremonies would also be protected. The push for sensitive locations comes a day after ICE agents one of them masked chased a teacher at a Chicago daycare into her place of work and dragged her outside to detain her, WGN-TV reported. Reuters reported the agents grabbed the teacher in front of children at the daycare and did not have a warrant. Bill sponsor state Sen. Mary Cavanagh, D-Redford Township, said sensitive locations had been protected since 1993 under both Democratic and Republican presidential administrations, but those protections were stripped away earlier this year. The result has been a decline in public safety, public health and educational stability, Cavanagh said. Families are afraid to send their children to school or attend medical appointments. Individuals are afraid to go to court dates. Victims and witnesses are terrified to report crimes regardless of their immigration status, a fear of just being detained or their family members never seeing them again. When families are afraid to call the police, attend hearings, or seek medical care, our communities arent safer. They produce more public fear and uncertainty. State Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, argued that a person in the country illegally who committed a homicide would be shielded from law enforcement by hiding in a sensitive location. The bill does not prevent enforcement of state and local laws at sensitive locations and allows for immigration enforcement actions if theres a threat to public safety. Runestad, the sole Republican present after state Sen. Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, was absent, argued at times with colleagues and those testifying throughout the hearing Thursday, resulting in him being gaveled down at least once. Among other things, he took issue with testimony that he said conflated illegal immigration with legal immigration. The proposed prohibition on use of masks by law enforcement in the state mirrors a similar bill introduced earlier this year in the Michigan House. The Senate bill would mandate that all law enforcement officers, including ICE agents, wear a uniform with their name or badge number and not wear a mask or other disguise while on duty and interacting with a member of the public. The legislation provides exceptions for officers that are undercover. It also exempts masks worn to prevent the transmission of airborne disease and those worn to protect an officers face or the officer from airborne toxins. Bill sponsor state Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, said the mission of law enforcement to protect the public comes with powers not granted to the general public. This mission requires trust with the public, accountability for actions while on duty, and the ability to clearly and easily determine who is granted these extraordinary powers, Moss said. That trust is undermined by law enforcement officers who conceal their identity and their uniform. Trump administration officials have said concealing the identity of ICE officers with masks is needed to safeguard them. They say ICE officers and their families have been harassed or threatened in public and online after an officers identity is uncovered. Runestad echoed those concerns, saying ICE agents and their families face increased danger. He later said he doesnt like the idea of ICE agents being masked but was conflicted because of the threats they face. With the horrific threats and even actions against these people, Runestad said. Im not sure exactly how to do it. I do not like the idea of them wearing masks, but I dont know how to solve the problem. The use of plain clothes and masks by ICE agents has also made it easy for criminals to present themselves as law enforcement, Moss said. The final bill in the package would prevent government entities in the state from providing an individuals identifying information to a person without a warrant if it is suspected that the information would be used to enforce federal immigration law. Identifying information includes a persons image, name, address, drivers license number, Social Security number, telephone number. The legislation would bar state and local police from providing identifying information to ICE of people they have detained or arrested if ICE doesnt have a warrant for the information. Committee Chair state Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, sponsored the identification bill. Where you live still has a huge impact on how far your paycheck goes. According to a new analysis, workers in the top tier of states can enjoy nearly twice the earning potential of workers in the lowest tier, once you account for taxes, job strength, and the local cost of living. Affordable Contractors Insurance looked at wage growth, employment conditions, affordability, and income inequality to find the states that currently offer the strongest environment for earning more and keeping more of it. Below are the 15 states that ranked the highest on the studys earning potential index, starting with the strongest overall performer. 1. Florida Florida landed at the top of the list with an earning potential index of 99. The state combines a solid employment rate of 96.2% with an above-average labor force participation rate of 60.0%, which tells you there are jobs and people are working them. The absence of a state income tax (0%) means more of your paycheck stays in your pocket right away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Florida also showed steady average wage growth at 5.1%, and it posted very strong domestic migration numbers, adding 872,722 people. That inflow usually happens when workers and employers both like what they see. Even with a midrange affordability score (66), the tax structure and job market make Florida a standout for people trying to build income. 2. Colorado Colorado scored 90 on the earning potential index, helped by an excellent affordability index of 95. That means wages and salaries do a better job of covering local costs than in many other states. Its employment rate of 95.8% and labor force participation of 68.8% signal a very active labor market. The state income tax sits at 4%, which is modest compared with high-tax states, and wage growth held at 4.2%. Colorado also gained 31,172 people through net domestic migration, suggesting workers see it as an attractive place to earn. For employees who want strong job availability without giving up too much of each paycheck to taxes or housing, Colorado delivers. 3. Washington Washington earned an index score of 88, driven by high-quality jobs and a very strong employment rate of 95.5%. Workers there also benefit from impressive average wage growth of 5.8%, one of the better figures in the dataset, showing that paychecks are rising over time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state did register a small loss in domestic migration at -21,717, which can point to rising living costs. Even so, a labor force participation rate of 64.6% and an urbanization rate above 83% mean workers can access large, diversified job markets. For employees in growth industries, Washington still offers excellent earning conditions. 4. North Dakota North Dakota posted an earning potential score of 87, thanks to a very high employment rate of 97.5% and the single best labor force participation rate in this group at 70.5%. That combination tells you people can find work and are actively working. Its state income tax is low, between 1.95% and 2.5%, so take-home pay stays relatively strong. Average wage growth came in at 3.6%, not the highest, but stable. The state did see a small outflow in domestic migration at -6,450, which may reflect its rural nature. Even so, when you balance strong employment, low taxes, and good affordability (81), North Dakota remains a compelling place to earn. 5. Texas Texas scored 86, powered by its 0% state income tax and a high employment rate of 95.9%. That tax advantage is meaningful for employees at every income level, because it raises take-home pay without requiring a raise from an employer. The labor force participation rate of 64.0% is healthy, especially in a large, diverse economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas also saw a huge net domestic migration of 747,730 people, which is usually a sign of economic confidence. Average wage growth was 3.1%, more modest than some rivals, so workers may need to be strategic about industries and metros. Still, the mix of no income tax, strong job markets, and rapid population growth puts Texas firmly in the top five. 6. South Dakota South Dakota earned an index score of 85. With a 0% state income tax and an excellent employment rate of 98.1%, workers keep more of what they earn and can count on finding work. The labor force participation rate of 69.0% is one of the highest on the list. The states affordability score of 62 is middle of the road, but it gained 21,370 people through domestic migration, so workers are clearly viewing it as a good deal. Average wage growth was 3.0%, which is solid in a low-tax environment. For employees who prize job security and take-home pay over big-city amenities, South Dakota offers real earning power. 7. Utah Utahs earning potential score was 84, reflecting a strong employment rate of 97.0% and a high labor force participation rate of 64.2%. The state income tax is an even 5%, which is manageable when wages and employment are this healthy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utah also posted a solid migration gain of 51,891, suggesting workers and families are moving in for both jobs and quality of life. Wage growth came in at 4.0%, and the affordability index of 63 keeps the overall cost picture reasonable. That balance of jobs, growth, and costs makes Utah a reliable place to build earnings over time. 8. Alaska Alaska reached an earning potential score of 83. The state offers a 0% income tax and an above-average employment rate of 95.3%. Average wage growth of 5.8% is among the best in the group, which means paychecks have been rising faster here than in many other states. However, Alaska did experience a net domestic migration loss of -19,564, and its affordability score of 55 is the lowest among the top states, reflecting the higher costs of living there. Even so, when workers do land jobs, they tend to pay well, and the lack of a state income tax helps offset some of those higher prices. 9. New Hampshire New Hampshire scored 81, helped by a very strong employment rate of 97.0% and an affordability index of 66. The states income tax rate was listed at 3%, which is still low compared with many eastern states. Labor force participation was also healthy at 65.4%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Net domestic migration was positive at 29,170, telling us that workers are moving in for the job market and overall living conditions. Average wage growth of 4.8% is another plus. For employees who want New England quality of life without the heaviest tax burden, New Hampshire remains a good bet. 10. Montana Montana posted an earning potential score of 74. Its employment rate was 96.3% and labor force participation was 63.6%, both solid figures for a mostly rural state. The income tax ranges from 4.7% to 5.9%, which is higher than the zero-tax states but still manageable given the strong employment picture. The state also gained 53,496 people through domestic migration, which is a big number relative to its size. Average wage growth of 3.4% is modest, and affordability at 63 is middle tier. Even so, the surge in people moving to Montana suggests workers see opportunity and are willing to pay a bit more to access it. 11. Tennessee Tennessee scored 73. A 0% state income tax is the standout feature here, and it pairs nicely with a 96.4% employment rate. That means workers get to keep more of what they earn while having a very good chance of landing a job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state also posted a large domestic migration gain of 252,180, showing Tennessee remains attractive to households moving from higher-cost locations. Wage growth was 4.0% and the affordability index was 79, which is one of the better cost profiles in the group. For employees looking to stretch a paycheck, Tennessee checks several boxes at once. 12. Wyoming Wyoming tied on the index at 73. Like several Mountain and Plains states, it offers a 0% income tax, a strong employment rate of 96.8%, and a high labor force participation rate of 65.4%. Those three together create a favorable environment for workers. Wyoming also gained 7,305 people through domestic migration, which is notable for a small state. Affordability came in at 68, so costs are not out of control. The one softer spot was wage growth at 3.3%. Even so, for employees who want low taxes, good job access, and smaller communities, Wyoming delivers solid earning conditions. 13. Virginia Virginia earned a score of 72, powered in part by an excellent affordability index of 91. That means salaries go further than many people expect, especially in areas outside Northern Virginia. The employment rate was 96.0%, and labor force participation was 67.3%, both strong. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state income tax ranges from 2% to 5.75%, so workers do give up a bit more than in zero-tax states. Virginia did post a domestic migration loss of -34,497, likely reflecting higher costs near Washington, D.C. Even so, the mix of affordability, steady employment, and large, diversified job markets keeps Virginia in the top 15. 14. Nebraska Nebraska scored 71 on the earning potential index. The state has a very healthy employment rate of 97.0% and an affordability index of 71, which keeps basic expenses in check. The income tax ranges from 2.46% to 5.84%, so workers will see some withholding, but not at the levels found in high-tax coastal states. Nebraska did experience a modest domestic migration loss of -13,758, which can signal that some workers are seeking bigger markets. Still, with solid wage growth at 3.1% and a labor force participation rate above 64%, people who stay can find work and keep up with costs. 15. Indiana Indiana rounded out the list with an earning potential score of 71. It posted a strong employment rate of 96.4% and a good affordability score of 73, which means workers can cover expenses without needing a top-tier salary. The state income tax is a flat 3%, which keeps taxes predictable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indiana also gained 30,239 people through domestic migration, suggesting families and workers see it as a stable, affordable place to live. Wage growth of 4.2% is right in the healthy middle. For employees who want Midwestern costs with steady jobs, Indiana is a practical choice. Methodology This ranking is based on a new study from Affordable Contractors Insurance that set out to find the U.S. states with the highest earning potential for employees. Researchers first gathered statewide data on population, cost of living, median annual salary, median annual wages, unemployment rate, employment rate, state income tax, Gini coefficient (to show income equality), average wage growth, labor force participation, urbanization, and total net domestic migration. From these variables they built an affordability index using cost of living, median salary, and median wages so that states with good pay and manageable prices would stand out. Nine normalized variables were then combined to create the final earning potential index: affordability index (20%), average wage growth (20%), employment rate (15%), state income tax (10%), Gini coefficient (5%), labor force participation rate (10%), urbanization rate (10%), unemployment rate (noted in the background data), and total net domestic migration (10%). Scores were scaled from 1 to 99, with higher scores meaning better overall earning potential. The 15 states above are the highest-ranked in this model. LANSING, MI Thousands gathered on the lawn outside the Michigan State Capitol Thursday, Nov. 6, advocating for choice for life. The rally, hosted by Right to Life of Michigan and the national March for Life, centered around anti-abortion activism and alternatives to abortion. Several speakers took to the steps of the Capitol to voice their commitment to helping pregnant women and unborn children. The march was planned to coincide with the upcoming anniversary of Proposal 3, which passed on Nov. 8, 2022. The amendment guarantees a fundamental right to reproductive freedoms, like prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management and infertility care, according to the Michigan constitution. A majority of the crowd consisted of Catholic school students, teachers, and religious leaders. Schools represented included Lansing Catholic, Muskegon Catholic Central and Our Lady of the Lake. Students from Lenawee Christian School in Adrian stood at the bottom step of the Capitol, cheering loudly and pumping their fists throughout the rally. March for Life President Jennie Bradley Lichter was joined by her 9-year-old daughter Bridget at the podium Lichter encouraged those in attendance to support pregnancy resource centers and advocated for more transparency regarding abortion. How could we be discouraged when were all here together standing shoulder to shoulder with so many good and faithful people so many on fire, young people united by our common mission, Lichter said. And how can we be discouraged when we know that life wins? My friends, life wins. The march placed special emphasis on helping women facing unplanned pregnancies. Thousands gather for a March for Life, which placed special emphasis on supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies and coincided with the anniversary of Proposal 3, at Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Mich. on Thursday, November 6, 2025. Isaac Ritchey | iritchey@mlive.c A large group from St. Catherine of Siena Academy and Detroit Catholic Central were chosen to carry the March for Life banner. They led a crowd stretching almost a mile long past the Hall of Justice before circling back to the Capitol. Students were prompted by March for Life staff member Hannah Gautsch over a megaphone as they chanted We love babies. Yes we do. We love babies. How bout you? and We are the pro-life generation, and we will abolish abortion. Keynote speaker Mayra Rodriguez, a former Planned Parenthood director, told the crowd she now opposes abortion and speaks on behalf of those she said she helped harm. They cannot march, but we can march for them. They cannot vote, but we will. They cannot cry, but we can be their voice, Rodriguez told the crowd. Today we march not in anger, but in love. We march not in division, but in unity. Not in condemnation, but in mercy, courage and truth. Michigan legislators in favor of pro-life policies take the steps outside the capitol at a March for Life, which placed special emphasis on supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies and coincided with the anniversary of Proposal 3, at Michigan State Capitol in Lansing, Mich. on Thursday, November 6, 2025. Isaac Ritchey | iritchey@mlive.com About two dozen Michigan legislators also took to the stage earlier in the day, unified around pro-life policy. State Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs) and State Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Township) were among those to speak. State Rep. Jennifer Wortz (R-Quincy), who attended the first Michigan march as a constituent in 2023, said that experience inspired her to run for office. Our purpose, first and foremost, is to embody justice, mercy, and humility with love as we seek to defend and protect life, Wortz said. Maybe that means helping a single mom who is struggling, adoption or fostering like cousins of mine have done, or volunteering at a pregnancy center. Are you willing to listen to the Lords calling on your life? she added. Biblical passages, like Psalm 139 and Genesis 2:7, were commonplace on signs displayed on Thursday. Other repeated messages included Abortion kills children, Love life. Choose life, and Let their hearts beat. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer poses with "Dolly Pardon" as the fowl receives a gubernatorial pardon in front of the Michigan Capitol, Nov. 22, 2023. Simon Schuster Gov. Gretchen Whitmer last year saved Aidan Cluckinson from the Thanksgiving dinner table, and now the naming contest has started for the two turkeys shell pardon this year. Michigan residents can submit their naming suggestions at this link. There is no limit on the number of suggestions residents can submit. The contest is open through Sunday, Nov. 9. This years turkeys will be pardoned on Tuesday, Nov. 18. We are inviting Michigobblers of all ages (especially kids!) to submit suggestions for what to name this years pardoned pair, Whitmers office said in a release. Since there are two turkeys, be sure to send in two names that go together as well as our feathered friends do. Whitmer began her annual Thanksgiving turkey pardon in 2022, mirroring the presidential tradition that started annually with President George H.W. Bush. Previous turkeys pardoned by Whitmer include Mitch E. Gander and Dolly Pardon. Last years pardoned turkey, Aidan Cluckinson, was a play on the name of Detroit Lions star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Turkey pardoning by the president has roots as far back as President Abraham Lincoln, according to White House historians. 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 Sulakshana Pandit didnt know her sister Sandhya was brutally murdered, sister Vijayta Pandit said Hamari behen ka sirf kankaal mila, Sulakshana will die if..." Sulakshana Pandit didnt know her sister Sandhya was brutally murdered, sister Vijayta Pandit said Hamari behen ka sirf kankaal mila, Sulakshana will die if..." Vaishnavi Gavankar USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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I Accept 1 / 10 Veteran actor Kamal Haasan is celebrating his 71st birthday on November 7, 2025. The legendary actors versatile performances have left an indelible mark on Indian cinema. From the heart-wrenching romance of Sadma (1983) to the socially conscious Anbe Sivam (2003), the historical epic Hey Ram (2000), and high-octane action thrillers like Vikram (2022) and Indian (1996), Kamal Haasan has continually pushed the boundaries of storytelling. He has established himself as one of India's most renowned film icons by captivating audiences with his acting prowess over the years, as well as showcasing his abilities as a writer, director, and producer. Kamal Haasans films that were too ahead of their time 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. 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I Accept BSE shares rise 9% as SEBI Chairman says 'current certainty is that weekly F&O is on' BSE shares rise 9% as SEBI Chairman says 'current certainty is that weekly F&O is on' J Jagannath 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 Brajesh Kumar 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 Nvidia CEO says no plans to ship Blackwell AI chips to China Nvidia has added $1 trillion to its market value in a matter of months, becoming the first $5 trillion company in history Surabhi 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. 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 Things you should know before you rent a house Manisha Lal Khandpur 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 Viswanath Pilla is a business journalist with 16 years of reporting experience. Based in Mumbai, Pilla covers pharma, healthcare and infrastructure sectors for Moneycontrol. Viswanath Pilla USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Why Microsoft is building its own superintelligence team Armaan Bhatnagar 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 Sitharaman reached Guwahati in the morning on a two-day tour, during which she is scheduled to unveil a range of projects across different places of the state Tamal Nandi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept In one of Indias largest cross-border operations, 270 nationals trapped in Myanmars cyber slavery networks were flown home from Thailand, officials say the returnees will be questioned to map how transnational scam rackets lure Indians abroad. Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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 34 years after the 1993 blasts, Tiger Memons Rs 400-crore Mumbai assets are finally going under the hammer The Mumbai flats where the 1993 blasts were plotted are now headed for auction Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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 A booth level officer (BLOs) gives enumeration forms to voters as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls begins in West Bengal. (Courtesy: PTI photo) Sonalee Borgohain USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Christin Mathew Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at Moneycontrol.com with 15 years of experience in journalism and a recipient of the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award. Based in Bengaluru, he understands the pulse of the people and covers issues that matter, including mobility, infrastructure, start-ups, and government policies. He tweets at @ChristinMP_ Peripheral Ring Road will link the two ends of NICE Road. Christin Mathew Philip 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 Bihar Assembly Election 2025: Rahul Gandhi claims 'vote chori' in Bihar elections; says CEC, 2 election commissioners main culprits Claiming that there were reports from Bihar strengthening the evidence of "vote chori", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that the main culprits in this "murder of democracy" are the chief election commissioner and the two election commissioners who are committing the "biggest treachery against the Constitution". Gandhi also alleged that many BJP leaders and workers who voted in elections in other states are also voting in Bihar. In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said, "My young and Gen Z friends of India, yesterday, I demonstrated with evidence how the government in Haryana was stolen through vote chori, and the public opinion of an entire state was taken away." "A few days ago, I also conducted a 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' in Bihar to raise awareness about the widespread manipulation of voter lists through SIR. Today, news and videos coming from every corner of Bihar are further strengthening the evidence of vote chori," he said. Lakhs of voters have already been removed from the voter list, and now people are being prevented from voting at polling stations, he claimed. "Remember, a government formed through vote theft never works in the interests of youth, Gen Z, and the general public," the former Congress president said. "...the main culprits in this murder of your democracy are: Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. These are the top officials of the Election Commission, yet they are the ones committing the biggest treachery against the Constitution and democracy," Gandhi alleged. Those who were given the responsibility to protect the right to vote have become partners in "stealing your future", Gandhi said in his message to the people and the Gen Z. Tamal Nandi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept 'Got scared; was never a model': Brazilian woman explores legal options after Rahul Gandhi's 'vote chori' H-bomb Mira Sen has covered Indian politics and national developments for over a decade, closely tracking elections, national parties, policymakers, on-the-ground developments and their impact on citizens. Armaan Bhatnagar 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 HAL Tejas Mark 1A, a light combat aircraft takes off ahead of its maiden flight at HAL Nashik on October 17, 2025. (Courtesy: Reuters photo) Sonalee Borgohain USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Haryana reports 77% drop in stubble burning, aims to be zero-burn state by 2027 Of this, 44.40 lakh tonnes of residue are being managed in-situ, 19.10 lakh tonnes through ex-situ methods, and 22 lakh tonnes are used as fodder. Tamal Nandi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Costa Rican telecommunications regulator Sutel has formally rejected a proposed merger between two of the nations largest private operators, Liberty and Tigo. The decision, which became public on Thursday, stalled a deal first unveiled in August 2024, when parent companies Liberty Latin America (LLA) and Millicom International Cellular announced an agreement to combine their Costa Rican operations. Ticosland, a portal covering Costa Rican business news, says that the proposed structure would have created a dominant market force, with LLA slated to hold an approximate 86% stake in the joint entity, while Millicom would retain the remaining 14% share. It adds that this plan was positioned as a move to create a more robust, integrated service provider for Costa Rican consumers. As for why the merger has been blocked, it may be about protecting consumers. Consolidation, as the would-be partners would no doubt suggest, could increase efficiency and innovation. However, while Sutel has not yet released the specific rationale behind its decision, the apparent involvement of the countrys competition commission Coprocom could indicate concerns with the potential risks of a concentrated market, such as price hikes and a reduction in service quality or choices, implying that antitrust considerations are at the core of the rejection. Kolbi, a state-owned carrier, would be the only significant competition after the merger. However, this saga may not over yet. Liberty Costa Ricas official statement apparently suggests that it had worked closely with the regulator for several months to design adequate solutions that would address any competition concerns. It also seems that Liberty was informed of Sutels initial negative decision in September but, along with Tigo, filed a formal appeal in late October, challenging the regulators findings. This means that both companies are now awaiting a final verdict on their appeal. India has begun work on swadeshi drones, don't wish to be dependent on other nations for weapons: Rajnath Singh Ria Kapoor is a Senior Sub Editor at Moneycontrol with nearly six years of newsroom experience. She covers a wide range of stories, including politics, crime, world affairs and issues of national interest. Before joining Moneycontrol, she worked with Inshorts, Times Now and NewsNine. Ria Kapoor 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. 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I Accept 'Never said I voted today': Pune woman posts selfie urging Bihar to vote; sparks debate on 'vote-chori' Mira Sen has covered Indian politics and national developments for over a decade, closely tracking elections, national parties, policymakers, on-the-ground developments and their impact on citizens. The viral picture of the Pune lawyer has sparked a debate Ria Kapoor 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. 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Tamal Nandi USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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I Accept Surabhi 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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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 Rahul Gandhi steps up attack amid row over Brazilian model: 'Will tell GenZ Modi became PM via vote theft' Rahul Gandhi at press conference on vote chori in Haryana in Delhi on November 5, 2025 Priyanjali Ghose 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 Umniah by Beyon has signed a five-year agreement naming Ericsson as its exclusive radio access network (RAN) supplier for 3G, 4G and 5G technologies in Jordan. Under the deal, Umniah will modernise and expand its network using Ericsson Radio System solutions, including Massive MIMO TDD AIR 6419, dual-band Radio 4490, and Basebands 6631 and 6621. The upgrades will increase capacity, enhance energy efficiency, and improve performance across the Kingdom. The partnership supports Jordans National Digital Transformation Strategy, extending coverage to underserved areas and enabling new digital services such as smart manufacturing, telemedicine and real-time logistics. Umniah will also deploy Ericsson Spectrum Sharing to introduce 5G on existing 4G bands with minimal disruption. Both companies said the agreement will help reduce network power consumption while driving innovation, inclusion and sustainable growth in Jordans digital economy. 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. 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I Accept Rajnath Singh reacts to Trumps explosive claim on nuclear tests by Pakistan: Wont take any step out of fear 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 Supreme Court to hear plea for independent probe into Air India Ahmedabad Crash; says no one blames the pilot Mira Sen has covered Indian politics and national developments for over a decade, closely tracking elections, national parties, policymakers, on-the-ground developments and their impact on citizens. Justice Kant further remarked that no one in India believes it was the pilots fault. Aishwarya Dabhade USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. 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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 'What does Howdy Modi have to say': Congress jabs PM after Trump repeats claims 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. 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I Accept Which stanzas were dropped from Vande Matram in 1937 & why PM Modi is targeting Congress Prime Narendra Modi inaugurated the year-long commemoration of Vande Mataram to mark 150 years of the national song. Priyanjali Ghose 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 OPINION | Private participation in Indias space ecosystem will reach a milestone in 2026 with rocket launches Venkatachari Jagannathan is an independent journalist, he can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication. 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 Aurobindo Das 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 He also revealed that he intended to share his winnings with the family of the friend who lent him the Rs 1,000 to buy the tickets. (image: X) Shubhi 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. 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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 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. 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I Accept MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Ankita Chakravarti 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 Government announces AI by HER Global Impact Challenge with Rs 25 lakh prize: Participation details, eligibility and all other details MC Tech Desk Read the latest and trending tech newsstay updated on AI, gadgets, cybersecurity, software updates, smartphones, blockchain, space tech, and the future of innovation. Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day Participants of the AI by HER Global Impact Challenge, an initiative encouraging women-led AI solutions for social and public good with up to Rs 25 lakh in rewards. Shaurya Shubham USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. 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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 Bangladeshs death penalty law for enforced disappearances: How it targets 'Aynaghar' and changes Hasinas war crimes case File photo of Nobel laureate and chief adviser of Bangladesh's interim government Muhammad Yunus (C) touring the battered Gonobhaban palace, the former official residence of the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, on October 28, 2024. 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 'Clandestine and illegal': MEA hits out at Pakistan after Trumps claim of resumed nuclear testing 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 COP30: Climate summit in the Amazon will test if promises can pay for progress Soumya Sarkar is an independent expert based in New Delhi and Kolkata. Twitter: @scurve Instagram: @soumya.scruve. Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks as he attends the opening of the Belem Climate Summit plenary session, as part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belem. (REUTERS) 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 Dues pile up, Qatars Al-Thani Group decides to walk away from Pakistans China-backed CPEC project A vehicle passes the Abbottabad Tunnel No 2, which is part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) along Hazara Motorway in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan October 15, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro 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 An interesting memorandum of understanding (MoU) has just been announced in Brazil. It aims to support power infrastructure at the Rio AI City project and involves a number of partners including one that is part of the Google Moonshot initiative. The partnership includes the Municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Elea (Latin Americas largest electricity generation and transmission company), Axia Energia (the Brazilian utility formerly known as Eletrobras), Light SA (Rios leading electrical utility), and Moonshot Factory project Tapestry. This key agreement apparently formalises a collaboration for Rio AI City, an initiative to transform Rio de Janeiro into one of the world's largest metropolitan green data centre hubs, driving sustainable AI innovation and economic development within the community. Tapestry is an interesting addition. Its a team that is part of X, the Moonshot Factory (Google's innovation lab), whose inventors, engineers, designers and makers apply what they call audacious thinking and radical new technology to huge problems in this case, it seems, enabling a version of the smart grid concept. Tapestrys ambitious aim is to make the worlds electric grid visible so everyone can access reliable, affordable and clean energy. Specifically, the Tapestry team is building an AI-powered, unified platform for every job across the grid. According to the Data Centre Dynamics website, as part of the deal Tapestry will support the evaluation and planning of power infrastructure for AI City. Grid managers on the project will utilise Tapestrys GridAware tool to examine the state of the physical grid in AI City, then use its Grid Planning Tool to run grid scenarios and map out how to ramp up power capacity while maintaining near-100% reliability. Elea designed Rio AI City to launch with an initial 1.5 GW of certified renewable energy capacity, delivering immediately, and scaling up to 3.2 GW by 2032. In August, Elea signed an MoU with the Rio de Janeiro City Hall and Oracle to implement initiatives related to Rio AI City. Construction work on the project has already commenced. The first data centre building, RJ01, has apparently been built. The second data centre building on the campus, RJO2, is expected to begin delivering 80MW of capacity in 2026. Third and fourth sites will add a further 120MW. Further developments will take the site to 1.5GW in the first phase, which includes the existing RJ01 building, with the potential to reach up to 3.2GW in future phases. Data Centre Dynamics claims that renders of the campus suggest that around 27 buildings could be developed at full build-out. India warns citizens against joining Russian army, says offers 'fraught with danger to life' Russian honour guard soldiers of the Leningrad Military District Headquarters perform during the changing of the guard ceremony in the Naryshkin Bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg on October, 18, 2025. (Photo by OLGA MALTSEVA / 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 Kazakhstan joins Abraham Accords: What drives Trumps strategy and how Astana stands to gain | Explained President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (4R) speaks during a dinner with US President DOnald Trump and Central Asian leaders in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / 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 Missing for 19 days, Indian students body recovered from Russian dam: What we know so far 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. 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I Accept Rajnath Singh rejects Pakistans claims on Afghan conflict: We dont interfere, but wont spare those who provoke us 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 Tightening triangle against India: How Turkeys Rs 95,000 crore Typhoon deal compares to New Delhi's Rafales | Explained Eurofighter Typhoon (31 04) of the German Air Force (Image used for representational purpose) 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 Manish Rao is a seasoned journalist who has extensively covered global affairs, geopolitical developments, American politics, and all other things making news around the world. Chhabi Kala USER CONSENT We at moneycontrol use cookies and other tracking technologies to assist you with navigation and determine your location. We also capture cookies to obtain your feedback, analyse your use of our products and services and provide content from third parties. By clicking on 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies and other tracking technologies. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy. *We collect cookies for the functioning of our website and to give you the best experience. This includes some essential cookies. Cookies from third parties which may be used for personalization and determining your location. By clicking 'I Accept', you agree to the usage of cookies to enhance your personalized experience on our site. For more details you can refer to our cookie policy *I agree to the updated privacy policy and I warrant that I am above 16 years of age I agree to the processing of my personal data for the purpose of personalised recommendations on financial and similar products offered by MoneyControl I agree personalized advertisements and any kind of remarketing/retargeting on other third party websites I agree to receive direct marketing communications via Emails and SMS Please select (*) all mandatory conditions to continue. I Accept Why the US Supreme Court is testing Trumps tariff power 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 Will Trump visit India in 2026? MEA's measured response on his 'PM Modi invited me' claim (FILES) Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump leave the stage at NRG Stadium after a rally on September 22, 2019 in Houston, Texas. 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 SpaceXs satellite internet unit Starlink is reportedly in talks with operators in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to expand coverage to remote and underserved areas. Africell DRC CEO Kory Webster told Semafor the operator is in active conversation with Starlink over a potential partnership. A Vodacom executive also confirmed discussions for a complementary service aimed at connecting hard-to-reach areas. Starlink received its operating licence in May after the government reversed an earlier ban on the company. The DRC faces significant connectivity gaps due to slow fibre rollout and limited terrestrial infrastructure. According to the International Telecommunication Union, only 30% of the population had internet access in 2023, underscoring the countrys vast untapped potential. November 7, 2025 This Ukraine War Report Is One Of A Kind This frontline report and the maps it presents are one of a kind: Frontline report: Ukrainian drones with loudspeakers broadcast surrender instructions as Pokrovsk counterattack succeeds Euromaidan, Nov 7 2025 General Oleksandr Syrskyi launched a focused Ukrainian counterattack near Dobropillia to divert Russian attention from the brutal push on Pokrovsk. Using drone-mounted loudspeakers to broadcast surrender instructions and exploiting autumn mud, Ukrainian forces cleared encircled Russian pockets and forced mass surrenders, while Russian reinforcements became bogged down trying to respond. The report claims that the Russian front that did envelope Pokrovsk and Myrnograd from the north has been broken up by a counteroffensive. Resupply of the Ukrainian forces in the two cities seems to be again possible. The report is one of a kind because no one else is reporting such nonsense. The Ukrainian counterattack north of Pokrovsk, which was launched a week ago, has failed. The pocket is closed. Pokorvsk is to 90% under Russian control. Ukrainian forces left in Myrnograd have no way out. That is at least what other observers of the conflict, including western media, are claiming: Gradually, then suddenly Ukraines valiant defence of Pokrovsk is nearing its end (archived) Economist, Nov 6 2025 Twenty-one months after it began, Vladimir Putins assault on the small Donbas city of Pokrovsk (pre-war population 60,000) is nearing its end. A bloody surge in late October made the situation in the city and in Myrhnohrad, a satellite town, irretrievable for the Ukrainians. Now they are battling for position to extract their forces, some trapped in pockets. The loss of Pokrovsk, though long anticipated, would be a significant blow. Worse could come later: the city is a crossroads that offers Russia a base for further advances. The Washington Post Le Monde and others agree. The Ukrainian government had given order to hold Pokrovsk no matter what. The Commander in Chief General Syrsky had to push all units he could scrap together from elsewhere into the battle only to fail with his counterattack. The time for retreat from Pokrovsk and Myrnograd has past. Ukrainian troops who are still there will have to give up or die. This has been a repeating pattern with multiple cities the Ukrainians have lost over time. For some political reason the order is given to hold on until it is too late to recover the forces. Thus many soldiers inevitably die for not good purpose. On top of the political importance attached by Kyiv to holding Pokrovsk, the reluctance to save lives by ordering a timely withdrawal is linked to the systemic culture of not one step back, commonly associated with the leadership of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. This, together with the associated problem of false reporting of tactical developments up the command chain, threaten to facilitate an optimistic narrative among the military and political leadership while the situation continues to deteriorate on the ground. The reports of the General Staff sent upwards are made up of more and more lies every day, [journalist and volunteer Vitalii] Deineha wrote. In fact, we have practically lost Pokrovsk, which means that there is no point in holding Myrnohrad either. We must acknowledge this, and work to save those who refuse to leave without an order. It is no wonder then that many decide to flee from the army before it is their turn to be sacrificed for zero gain (machine translation): In October, a record was set for the unauthorized abandonment of units (SOC) in the Armed Forces of Ukraine: 21,602 people left the service. This was announced on Facebook by the former MP, and now the commander of the company of attack drones Igor Lutsenko. Every two minutes a man runs out of our army. This is only official data. But in fact, many cases of unauthorized departure from the unit or desertion are not registered. This is the number one problem in the army. A recoiling army is an army that is still capable of winning. The fleeing army, which loses more and more people from month to month due to desertion and flight from units, is a real danger to the existence of Ukraine, Lutsenko wrote. The Ukrainian army is done with. It has no reserves. It lags weapons, munitions and soldiers. It has many ragtag units and only a few competent ones. Its retreat after Prokovsk will only accelerate. Khoon Group announced that its executive directors, Ang Jui Khoon and his son Ang Kok Kwang, have resigned following accusations of links to a cybercrime network led by Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi. Ang Kok Kwang has stepped down as CEO and executive director, while his father relinquished his positions as chairman and executive director, according to The Straits Times. A construction worker of Khoon Engineering. Photo courtesy of the company Khoon Group said both men had resigned to "devote more time to (their) personal and other business commitments." Their decisions were made after Khoon Group was identified among 146 individuals and entities sanctioned by the U.S. Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control on Oct 14 for alleged links to Cambodian national Chen Zhi. Bloomberg reported earlier that Chen is believed to be a controlling shareholder of Khoon Group, though the firm issued a statement on Oct. 15 denying any involvement with him. But Khoon Group stated that "none of the company or its subsidiaries, or their respective directors and members of the senior management are involved in the alleged activities which led to the sanctions." In a statement to The Business Times, Khoon Engineering, founded by the Ang family, clarified that it is an operating company "started in Singapore in 1988", while Khoon Group was started in Hong Kong in 2018. Khoon Engineering added that the Ang family, which started the electrical engineering business in 1988, sold its entire 55% stake in Khoon Group to Chen "almost three years ago". Chinse-born Chen was charged in absentia in the U.S. on Oct. 14 for allegedly masterminding a massive cryptocurrency scam that involved forced labour camps in Cambodia. Court filings allege that Prince Holding Group built at least 10 compounds in Cambodia where workers, many detained migrants, were forced to contact thousands of victims online, build trust and persuade them to invest cryptocurrency with promises of large returns. Singapore police has so far seized more than SGD150 million (US$115 million) in assets, including six properties and cash, linked to Prince Group. TO ACCESS THIS CONTENT YOU MUST OPEN A SESSION OR CREATE AN ACCOUNT MEMBER LOGIN CREATE YOUR USER ACCOUNT At COP28, the world agreed to triple renewable power by 2030 -to 11.2 terawatts of installed capacity in line with IRENA's World Energy Transiti. . . Think tanks and media served as key bridges for deepening Cambodia-China relations towards building an all-weather Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era, Cambodian experts and university students said here on Friday. Speaking at a Cambodia-China think tank and media seminar in Phnom Penh, Yang Peou, secretary general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said think tanks and the media have played a crucial role in promoting Cambodia-China ties. "Both think tanks and the media are among the key contributors in increasing mutual trust between Cambodia and China," he told the seminar with approximately 150 participants. "They are also contributors to maintaining peace, increasing cooperation, and developing regional and global economies," he added. Peou said think tanks and the media played a significant and interconnected role in Cambodia-China relations, mainly by fostering mutual understanding, facilitating policy dialogue, and shaping public perceptions to support the "ironclad" friendship and the building of an all-weather Cambodia-China community with a shared future in the new era. Kin Phea, director general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, a think tank under the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said think tanks and the media served as bridges to the brighter future of Cambodia-China relations. "We must act as the bridge of understanding," he said at the seminar. "Our research, articles, and reports must proactively highlight how the Cambodia-China partnership directly improves the lives of Cambodians and fosters regional stability." Phea said think tanks and the media should not be just observers, but active participants in "writing the next chapter" of this relationship. "By fostering more academic exchanges and joint research, we can provide the intellectual fuel for future-oriented cooperation in the digital economy, green development, and human resource training," he said. Leng Ranim, a third-year student in the major of media and communication at the University of Cambodia, said she would love to be a promoter of Cambodia-China relations when she graduates. Ranim also expressed her hope to visit Beijing one day, saying that the capital city boasted a wealth of history perfect for study and research. Chhoeun Raksmey, an official at the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation, said the seminar played an important role in promoting the Cambodia-China relations to youths, especially to researchers. "It helps promote mutual trust between Cambodia and China," he told Xinhua. He said the relations between Cambodia and China have played a very important role in driving Cambodia's economic growth as well as in reducing poverty among the Cambodian people. Yves here. The new Trump Administraton policy on visa issuance, that of making certain conditions like obesity and diabetes a no-go for longer-term visa issuance, substantively is not as out of line with practices in much of the rest of the world as one might think. But they address the issue of not having foreigners unduly burden the health system with bills that wont be paid not by medical tests but via requiring proof of a certain level of income and/or medical insuarnce. Admittedly, many countries do require medical exams for longer-term visas, but they are typically to screen out communicable diseases like TB and HIV. But as far as I can tell, the Trump Administration focus on diabetes and obesity is an big outlier. Even for mere tourist visas, more and more countries are requiring travel insurance. From Forbes in October Which countries require travel insurance, and why? And how do you find a policy that will be approved? Argentina Europes Schengen Area also requires insurance. All 29 countries in Europe that belong to the Schengen Area require visa applicants to carry about $35,000 in medical coverage, including emergency hospitalization and repatriation. Thats not a suggestion buried in fine print. Its a hard requirement. All 29 countries of the Schengen Area require all Schengen visa applicants to take out travel insurance, but not just any policy will do, explains Clement Goubon, chief marketing officer of Insurte. The policy they choose has to meet specific criteria set by the Schengen Zone. Cuba . Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands Thailand, Turkey, the UAE, and Russia All told, 23 countries plus Europes Schengen region, now require travel insurance, according to Insubuy. And many more require some sort of coverage for certain visitors, adds spokesman Mike Farren. Bottom line: Theres an excellent chance that if youre crossing a border, youll need travel insurance. And unlike the last period in when mandatory insurance was required, this one is likely to stick, say experts. Having said that, the Trump Administration using obesity and diabetest as screening criteria has racist undertones. Mexicans in particular come from what is called a metabolically thrify population, the result of periods of starvation in its gene pool. That means they have a greater propensity to diabetes even at normal body weights than Caucasians, and are also very susceptible to overweight and obesity. From a 2005 study, but the basic issues remain the same: Mexican Americans are one of the fattest groups in what is one of the fattest nations on earth. Three out of four Mexican American adults (aged >20 years) were either overweight or obese at the end of the 20th century Diabetes is a serious public health problem among Mexicans and Mexican Americans. Diabetes was found in 8.1% of Mexican adults in 2000 (11) compared with 13.1% and 14.5% of Mexican American men and women in 198894 . In the United States, adults of Mexican origin, particularly men, had higher rates of prevalence of diabetes than non-Hispanic whites or blacks, as well as a greater degree of impaired fasting glucose (Figure 3). The prevalence of diabetes in the United States is rising rapidly. The prevalence of diabetes increased from 8.9% in 19761980 to 12.3% in 198894 among adults aged 40 to 74 (12). Mexican Americans, the largest Hispanic/Latino subgroup in the United States, are more than twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites of similar age. Born in Central America, I share a similar ancestry with Mexicans (Spanish and Amerindian). Not surprisingly, diabetes runs in my family. Some statistics should scare me. The lifetime risk of developing diabetes for U.S. individuals born in 2002 is about one in three for the general population, but about one in two for the Hispanic population. The new stringent health gudiance, which also takes a dim view of oldsters, is purportedly to be applied most seriously to applicants seeking long term residence. Erm, what about H1-B visas, where holders often remain in the US for many years and hope for (but rarely get) green cards? If their employer buys health insurance, this concern is already handled. But if so, is this universal, or are there lapses? By Amanda Seitz. Originally published at KFF Health News Foreigners seeking visas to live in the U.S. might be rejected if they have certain medical conditions, including diabetes or obesity, under a Thursday directive from the Trump administration. The guidance, issued in a cable the State Department sent to embassy and consular officials and examined by KFF Health News, directs visa officers to deem applicants ineligible to enter the U.S. for several new reasons, including age or the likelihood they might rely on public benefits. The guidance says that such people could become a public charge a potential drain on U.S. resources because of their health issues or age. While assessing the health of potential immigrants has been part of the visa application process for years, including screening for communicable diseases like tuberculosis and obtaining vaccine history, experts said the new guidelines greatly expand the list of medical conditions to be considered and give visa officers more power to make decisions about immigration based on an applicants health status. The directive is part of the Trump administrations divisive and aggressive campaign to deport immigrants living without authorization in the U.S. and dissuade others from immigrating into the country. The White Houses crusade to push out immigrants has included daily mass arrests, bans on refugees from certain countries, and plans to severely restrict the total number permitted into the U.S. The new guidelines mandate that immigrants health be a focus in the application process. The guidance applies to nearly all visa applicants but is likely to be used only in cases in which people seek to permanently reside in the U.S., said Charles Wheeler, a senior attorney for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, a nonprofit legal aid group. You must consider an applicants health, the cable reads. Certain medical conditions including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions can require hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of care. About 10% of the worlds population has diabetes. Cardiovascular diseases are also common; they are the globes leading killer. The cable also encourages visa officers to consider other conditions, like obesity, which it notes can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure, in their assessment of whether an immigrant could become a public charge and therefore should be denied entry into the U.S. All of these can require expensive, long-term care, the cable reads. Spokespeople for the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the cable. Visa officers were also directed to determine if applicants have the means to pay for medical treatment without help from the U.S. government. Does the applicant have adequate financial resources to cover the costs of such care over his entire expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance or long-term institutionalization at government expense? the cable reads. The cables language appears at odds with the Foreign Affairs Manual, the State Departments own handbook, which says that visa officers cannot reject an application based on what if scenarios, Wheeler said. The guidance directs visa officers to develop their own thoughts about what could lead to some sort of medical emergency or sort of medical costs in the future, he said. Thats troubling because theyre not medically trained, they have no experience in this area, and they shouldnt be making projections based on their own personal knowledge or bias. The guidance also directs visa officers to consider the health of family members, including children or older parents. Do any of the dependents have disabilities, chronic medical conditions, or other special needs and require care such that the applicant cannot maintain employment? the cable asks. Immigrants already undergo a medical exam by a physician whos been approved by a U.S. embassy. They are screened for communicable diseases, like tuberculosis, and asked to fill out a form that asks them to disclose any history of drug or alcohol use, mental health conditions, or violence. Theyre also required to have a number of vaccinations to guard against infectious diseases like measles, polio, and hepatitis B. But the new guidance goes further, emphasizing that chronic diseases should be considered, said Sophia Genovese, an immigration lawyer at Georgetown University. She also noted that the language of the directive encourages visa officers and the doctors who examine people seeking to immigrate to speculate on the cost of applicants medical care and their ability to get employment in the U.S., considering their medical history. Taking into consideration ones diabetic history or heart health history thats quite expansive, Genovese said. There is a degree of this assessment already, just not quite expansive as opining over, What if someone goes into diabetic shock? If this change is going to happen immediately, thats obviously going to cause a myriad of issues when people are going into their consular interviews. Im Not Dead! Maine Hospital Informs Living Patients of Their Demise MedPage Today Toting a tambourine, she built L.A.s first megachurch. Then she suddenly disappeared Los Angeles Times A COHORT THEORY OF DRUG-DEATH EPIDEMICS Posting Alone Universe expansion may be slowing, not accelerating, study suggests The Guardian Climate/Environment Pandemics The Koreas Russian Nuclear Submarine Technology Will Make North Korean Threat More Palpable 38 North China? US lifts arms embargo on Cambodia after Trump oversees ceasefire deal Channel News Asia India Where does a western chemical plant that contaminated drinking water go next? To India The Guardian Syraqistan Old Blighty HOW ELON MUSK IS BOOSTING THE BRITISH RIGHT Sky News European Disunion New Not-So-Cold War Africa The Great Game Kazakhstan set to join Abraham Accords in symbolic move at Central Asia summit Firstpost South of the Border Trump 2.0 The complicated reality of USAID is that it is (was) both one of the best & worst parts of the US government. It does desperately needed humanitarian work, as well as many destructive acts of political manipulation. Trump is getting rid of the former. https://t.co/rGBxvxrh4P Jon Schwarz (@schwarz) November 6, 2025 America First versus Israel First Larry Johnson In a first, ballot initiative to divest from Israel wins at the ballot box, in Somerville, Mass. Jerusalem Post MAHA Foreign Food Safety Inspections Hit Historic Low After Trump Cuts ProPublica GOP Funhouse Why Are Republicans So Irrelevant In Big City Politics? Arbitrary Lines Democrats en deshabille One of the Greatest Wall Street Investors of All Time Announces Retirement 404 Media Spook Country The Democratic party is equally owned by Mossad and CIA. The Republicans are Mossad and FBI https://t.co/coEeuCuuxy Alon Mizrahi (@alon_mizrahi) November 6, 2025 Immigration Police State Watch Accelerationists The Authoritarian Stack. How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America And Why Europe Is Next. Disenchanted Enchantment Los Angeles Review of Books Mr. Market Rattles the Tin Cup AI Groves of Academe The Bezzle Netflixs new monthly active viewers statistic is an all-timer. If you watch 1 minute of NFLX in a month they credit it as if *every person* in your home was reached. If we used this trick to calculate reach for the World Series, for example, it would inflate reach by 70%. https://t.co/KdMMjM1VpT Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) November 6, 2025 Boeing Boeing avoids criminal charge in 737 Max crashes that killed 346 despite emotional pleas from families The Independent Economy Guillotine Watch Class Warfare Antidote du jour (via): See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here. 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 AgiBot breaks new ground with first real-world deployment of reinforcement learning in industrial robotics AgiBot successfully deployed Real-World Reinforcement Learning (RW-RL) in an active manufacturing line with Longcheer Technology. This marks the first industrial application of reinforcement learning in robotics, bridging AI research with real-world production. Traditional robots rely on rigid programming, requiring costly reconfiguration and custom fixtures. AgiBot's RW-RL system enables robots to learn and adapt on the factory floor, acquiring new skills in minutes instead of weeks while maintaining industrial-grade stability. Unlike lab-based RL, AgiBot's system was tested in near-production conditions, proving its industrial readiness. Robots demonstrated resilience against disruptions (temperature shifts, vibrations, misalignment) while maintaining precision assembly. When production models changed, robots retrained in minutes without manual reprogramming. AgiBot plans to expand RW-RL into consumer electronics and automotive manufacturing, focusing on plug-and-play robotic solutions. Their LinkCraft platform (converting human motion into robot actions) and G2 robot (powered by NVIDIA's Jetson Thor T5000) enable real-time AI processing. If scalable, this could usher in the adaptive factory era, where robots continuously learn and optimize without halting operations. AgiBot, a robotics firm specializing in embodied intelligence, has achieved a major milestone by successfully deploying its Real-World Reinforcement Learning (RW-RL) system in an active manufacturing line with Longcheer Technology. This marks the first industrial-scale application of reinforcement learning in robotics, bridging advanced AI research with real-world productiona breakthrough that could redefine flexible manufacturing. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, RL is a type of machine learning where an agent learns to behave in an environment by performing actions and receiving rewards or penalties. The agent's goal is to maximize the cumulative reward over time, learning from its environment through trial and error. This learning process is akin to how humans and animals learn from their surroundings, making RL a powerful tool for solving complex problems in various fields, including robotics, gaming, resource management and more. Traditional industrial robots rely on rigid programming, requiring extensive tuning, costly reconfiguration and custom fixtures for each task. Even advanced "vision + force-control" systems struggle with parameter sensitivity and maintenance complexity. AgiBot's RW-RL system tackles these limitations by allowing robots to learn and adapt directly on the factory flooracquiring new skills in minutes rather than weeks while maintaining industrial-grade stability. Dr. Jianlan Luo, AgiBot's Chief Scientist, stated that their "system achieves stable, repeatable learning on real machines" closing the gap between academic research and industrial deployment. Key advantages of RW-RL AgiBot highlights three core benefits of its reinforcement learning system: Rapid Deployment Training time slashed from weeks to minutes. High Adaptability Robots autonomously compensate for variations like part misalignment while maintaining 100 percent task completion. Flexible Reconfiguration Production line changes require minimal hardware adjustments, eliminating costly downtime. Unlike lab-based demonstrations, AgiBot's system was validated under near-production conditions, proving its readiness for industrial use. Reinforcement learningwhere robots optimize performance through trial and errorhas long been confined to research papers and controlled experiments. AgiBot's breakthrough integrates perception, decision-making and motion control into a unified loop, enabling robots to self-correct in real-time. The Longcheer pilot demonstrated RW-RL's resilience against environmental disruptionsincluding vibration, temperature shifts and part misalignmentwhile maintaining precision assembly. When production models changed, the robot retrained in minutes without manual reprogramming, showcasing unprecedented flexibility. The future of adaptive factories AgiBot and Longcheer plan to expand RW-RL into consumer electronics and automotive manufacturing, focusing on modular, plug-and-play robotic solutions that integrate seamlessly with existing systems. The company's LinkCraft platformwhich converts human motion videos into robot actionscomplements this advancement, reducing programming barriers. Meanwhile, AgiBot's G2 robot, powered by NVIDIA's Jetson Thor T5000, suggests that real-time AI processing is enabling this leap forward. While Google's Intrinsic and NVIDIA's Isaac Lab have pioneered reinforcement learning frameworks, AgiBot appears to be the first to deploy RL in live production. If scalable, this could herald the adaptive factory era, where robots continuously learn, optimize and evolvewithout halting operations. As factories face increasing demands for customization and rapid model changes, AgiBot's breakthrough may finally make self-learning robotics a commercial reality. Watch the video below about Chinese startup AgiBot beginning mass production of general-purpose humanoid robots. This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheRobotReport.com BrightU.ai PRNewswire.com Ubergizmo.com Brighteon.com SHANGHAI, Nov. 5 (Guangming Online) At the opening ceremony of the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, global leaders and business representatives shared their perspectives on the event, underscoring its growing international influence and Chinas firm commitment to high-standard opening up. Jean-Pierre Raffarin, former Prime Minister of France praised the CIIEs rapid growth, noting that it has become an event you simply cant miss and one of the most important meetings in international trade, attracting an increasing number of French companies each year. Hamidur Rashid, a former UN economist described the CIIE as emphasizing that Chinas openness to imports benefits global economic cooperation. Ayeni Nonye Patricia, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council expressed optimism that the expo would strengthen bilateral trade between China and Nigeria, while also unlocking Nigerias export potential. Alfonso C. Mejuto Rodriguez, a senior representative from Interpol highlighted that events like the CIIE demonstrate how global markets, old and new, must continue to open and connect, contributing to shared prosperity. For exhibitors, a Swedish exhibitor representative noted that the CIIE provides a valuable bridge between business and policy. With diverse voices from around the world echoing a shared message, the CIIE continues to stand as a vivid example of Chinas determination to pursue openness, foster global cooperation, and create new opportunities for shared growth. Editor: WSH America losing AI battle to China due to excessive regulation, Nvidia chief warns Nvidia CEO warns the U.S. is set to lose the AI race to China. He cites China's lower energy costs and pro-innovation regulations as key advantages. U.S. export controls are forcing China to build a self-sufficient tech ecosystem. Huang criticized potential U.S. state regulations as a headwind for American innovation. China's domestic AI progress is proving competitive with U.S. models. The United States is on a path to surrender its global lead in artificial intelligence to China, according to a warning from the head of the company that powers the AI revolution. Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, stated that China is poised to win the AI race, attributing its coming victory to two critical advantages: significantly lower energy costs and a regulatory environment that fosters innovation rather than stifling it. This prognosis comes amid a contentious geopolitical standoff, with the Trump administration maintaining a firm ban on the export of America's most advanced AI chips to Beijing. Huang delivered his assessment on Wednesday at the Financial Times' Future of AI Summit. He identified a pervasive "cynicism" in the West as a primary obstacle to progress. He argued that what is needed is more optimism to compete effectively. His comments represent the most dire forecast yet from a leader whose company has become synonymous with the AI boom, highlighting a growing fear that American policy is inadvertently handing a world-changing technology to its chief strategic rival. The Nvidia chief specifically criticized the potential for a patchwork of new rules on AI emerging from U.S. states, which he suggested could result in "50 new regulations." This fragmented and restrictive regulatory approach, he implied, creates a significant headwind for American companies and developers trying to innovate at the speed required to maintain a competitive edge. A tale of two systems Huang contrasted the American regulatory landscape with the supportive environment in China. He pointed to Chinese energy subsidies that dramatically lower operating costs for tech giants building and running AI data centers. "Power is free," Huang noted, underscoring a massive competitive advantage. These subsidies help offset the lower energy efficiency of Chinese-made semiconductors compared to Nvidia's cutting-edge GPUs. This corporate support from the Chinese state was recently detailed in an FT report. It revealed that local governments have bolstered power incentives for data centers operated by companies like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent. This action came after these tech groups complained to regulators about the increased costs of using domestic chips from suppliers like Huawei. The core of the issue lies in access to technology. The Trump administration has enforced strict controls designed to limit China's access to the most advanced AI chips and chipmaking tools, citing national security concerns. Following a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week, President Donald Trump reaffirmed this position regarding Nvidia's most advanced Blackwell chips. "The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States," Trump told CBS. A shifting battlefield This is not the first time Huang has sounded the alarm. He has previously warned that the latest American AI models were not far ahead of their Chinese rivals. His consistent argument has been that the U.S. government should open the market to its chips to keep the global developer community dependent on American technology. He believes that by locking China out, the U.S. is forcing it to build a self-sufficient and ultimately competing tech ecosystem. The urgency of the situation was highlighted earlier this year when a small Chinese AI lab, DeepSeek, stunned the global tech community with the sophistication of its large language model. Its release in January sparked a frenzied debate in Silicon Valley about whether better-resourced U.S. companies could defend their technical lead. This event proved that American dominance in foundational AI research is no longer a given. Huang's initial blunt remarks to the FT were later followed by a softened statement released on an official Nvidia X account. "As I have long said, China is nanoseconds behind America in AI," the new statement read. "Its vital that America wins by racing ahead and winning developers worldwide." This recalibration suggests a careful navigation of the complex political waters in Washington, where his company must continue to lobby for its interests. The reality for Nvidia is that its access to the massive Chinese market has been virtually eliminated. Huang has stated that the company's market share in China has been reduced to zero as Beijing conducts a national security review of its chips. This has created a paradoxical situation where U.S. export policy blocks Nvidia's best chips, and Chinese policy blocks its remaining alternatives, squeezing the company from both sides. The U.S. has not yet adopted the regulations needed to allow sales of even the tailored AI processors that Nvidia and AMD had agreed to pay the government a percentage of. With China pushing its domestic companies toward homegrown chip alternatives and the U.S. restricting technological exports, the decoupling of the world's two largest economies in the critical field of AI appears to be accelerating. The warning from the leader of the world's most valuable company is a sobering one. It suggests that the future of AI may not be written in Silicon Valley, but in Chinese data centers powered by state-subsidized electricity and unencumbered by the regulatory skepticism of the West. The race is on, and according to Jensen Huang, America is currently on track to lose. Sources for this article include: FT.com Reuters.com CNBC.com FAA to slash air traffic by 10% as unpaid controllers strain under government shutdown The FAA will reduce national air traffic by 10% starting Friday. This unprecedented move is due to overworked and unpaid air traffic controllers. Staffing shortages have tripled at control facilities since the government shutdown. The reduction will cancel thousands of flights and strand hundreds of thousands of travelers. This is a proactive safety measure to prevent a potential disaster in the skies. The safety of the skies is being compromised by political games in Washington, forcing an unprecedented reduction in air travel that will strand thousands of travelers. In an extraordinary move, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday it will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 high-volume markets starting Friday. This decision, a direct result of the ongoing government shutdown, aims to alleviate the dangerous strain on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for over a month. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, a 35-year veteran of aviation, called the measure both extraordinary and unprecedented. "Im not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where weve had a situation where were taking these kinds of measures," Bedford stated. This is not a routine adjustment for weather or technical issues. It is a forced downsizing of the national airspace system, a direct consequence of the financial and physical exhaustion of the highly skilled professionals tasked with keeping millions of travelers safe. The root of this crisis is the human toll on the controllers themselves. Since the shutdown began Oct. 1, these essential workers have been on duty six days a week with mandatory overtime, all while not receiving a paycheck. The Associated Press confirmed that staffing shortages are worsening, with controllers calling out due to frustration, the need for second jobs, or an inability to afford gas and child care. The system is being run on the frayed nerves and drained bank accounts of its operators. Air safety in question The data paints a clear picture of a system deteriorating under the weight of the shutdown. An AP analysis found that last weekend, at least 39 different air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing issues. This number is more than triple the average for weekends before the shutdown began. The early indicators of a system under immense stress are undeniable, with voluntary safety reports from pilots indicating growing fatigue among the controllers guiding their planes. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Administrator Bedford insisted this is a proactive step. "Were not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating," Bedford said. Duffy pointed to the lessons learned from a deadly midair collision near Reagan National Airport in January, emphasizing the need to assess risks and act before disaster strikes. Nevertheless, this proactive measure is an admission of a system in decline. The impact on travelers and airlines The practical impact of this decision will be chaos for the traveling public. The FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily, and this cutback will impact thousands of them. Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates this could mean as many as 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats eliminated in a single day. Major hubs like Chicago's O'Hare, Atlanta, and all three New York City-area airports are on the list of 40 facilities facing cuts, ensuring widespread disruption across the national travel network. Airlines are now scrambling to comply with a directive that gives them less than 48 hours to overhaul complex flight schedules built months in advance. United Airlines, in a statement, said it would focus cuts on regional routes and promised that long-haul international and hub-to-hub flights would not be impacted. The airline also said it would offer refunds to any customer who does not want to fly during this period, a sign of the deep unease permeating the industry. The broader travel industry and aviation unions are united in their call for Congress to end the shutdown. The situation highlights a fundamental truth: a nations infrastructure, no matter how advanced, is only as resilient as the people who operate it. When those people are pushed to the brink, the entire system becomes vulnerable. The decision to preemptively cut flights is a confession that the margin of safety is being deliberately narrowed to avoid a complete breakdown. Sources for this article include: APNews.com CBSNews.com ABCNews.go.com Italian journalist fired for exposing EUs hypocrisy on Gaza in another casualty in the war on truth A journalist was fired for asking if Israel should pay for Gazas reconstruction like Russia must for Ukraine. The EU refused to answer, then his employer claimed the question was "technically incorrect" before terminating him. More than 240 journalists have been killed in Gaza, while Western media faces censorship for questioning Israels actions. The EUs double standard, demanding Russia pay for Ukraine but ignoring Israels destruction, exposes deep hypocrisy. Silencing journalists like Nunziati threatens press freedom and leaves the public misinformed about war crimes. When a reporter dares to ask the questions no one else will, the backlash can be swift. Gabriele Nunziati, an Italian journalist covering the European Union, learned this the hard way after his employer, Agenzia Nova, terminated him for simply asking whether Israel should pay for Gazas reconstruction, just as Brussels has demanded of Russia for Ukraine. The question, posed during an October 13 press conference, was straightforward: Youve been repeating several times that Russia should pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe Israel should repay for the reconstruction of Gaza, since they destroyed almost all of the strip and civilian infrastructure? The European Commissions response? Silence. Spokesperson Paula Pinho called it an interesting question before refusing to comment. Two weeks later, Nunziati was out of a job. A question too dangerous to ask Agenzia Nova claimed Nunziatis question was technically incorrect because Russia invaded a country while Israel was responding to armed aggression. But this justification crumbles under scrutiny. The EU has repeatedly framed Russias actions in Ukraine as an unprovoked invasion, yet when it comes to Israels devastating military campaign in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians and leveled entire neighborhoods, the same moral clarity vanishes. The agencys real concern? The video of Nunziatis question went viral, shared by critics of Western double standards, including Russian and pro-Palestinian media. Rather than defending journalistic integrity, Nova bowed to pressure, proving that some questions are simply too dangerous to ask. A chilling effect on press freedom Nunziatis firing is not an isolated incident. Western journalists face increasing retaliation for challenging the official narrative on Israels war. The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that more than 240 reporters have been killed in Gaza, with nearly 100 imprisoned by Israeli forces. Meanwhile, in the West, dissent is met with censorship, job losses, and smear campaigns. The National Council of the Italian Journalists Guild condemned Novas decision, stating: You cannot be fired for asking a question. Sandro Ruotolo, a European Parliament member, called it a very serious matter that should alarm anyone who values press freedom. Nicola Fratoianni, leader of Sinistra Italiana, demanded Nunziatis reinstatement, arguing that Italy needs journalists with a straight back. Yet the damage is done. Another journalist silenced. Another warning to those who might dare to speak truth to power. The EUs double standard exposed The EUs insistence that Russia must pay for Ukraines reconstruction while ignoring Israels obliteration of Gaza reveals a glaring hypocrisy. Since October 7, 2023, Israels military has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, displaced millions, and imposed a blockade that has pushed the territory to the brink of famine. The EU, however, has not only failed to demand accountability; it has actively suppressed questions about it. Nunziatis dismissal sends a clear message: When it comes to Israel, critical journalism is not tolerated. The EUs selective outrage, condemning Russian aggression while excusing Israeli devastation, exposes a foreign policy driven not by principle, but by political expediency. This is not the first time a journalist has been punished for questioning Western support for Israel, and in the U.S., mainstream outlets have fired or sidelined journalists for deviating from the pro-Israel narrative. The result? A media landscape where dissent is stifled and the public is fed a sanitized version of events. Meanwhile, the death toll in Gaza continues to rise, and the worlds most powerful institutions look the other way. The cost of silence Nunziatis firing is more than just a professional setback; its a symptom of a broader crisis in journalism. When reporters are punished for asking tough questions, the real losers are the public, left in the dark about the truths that powerful interests want to bury. The question remains: If journalists cannot challenge official narratives without fear of retaliation, who will hold the powerful to account? And if the EU cannot apply its own standards consistently, what does that say about its commitment to justice? Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co TheIntercept.com MiddleEastEye.net Mysterious sounds near Lake Mead spark UFO theories, pipeline speculation Residents and campers near Nevada's Lake Mead report hearing thunderous, metallic groans, sparking fear and confusion. Videos of the sounds circulate widely on social media, with witnesses describing deep, rhythmic booms that rattled windows and disturbed wildlife. Initial speculation suggested fracking or gas pipeline releases, but local gas companies denied operations during the reported incidents. Some witnesses compared the noises to a "giant metal door groaning" or a "massive jackhammer." With no official explanation, theories range from classified government projects (given Lake Mead's proximity to Area 51) to underground construction preparing for future events. Similar sounds have been reported since the early 2010s as water levels dropped. Experts previously dismissed them as wind, minor earthquakes, or Hoover Dam vibrations, but the latest incidents defy easy explanation. Authorities remain silent, fueling speculation about whether the sounds are harmless or a sign of something more ominous. The eerie noises continue to unsettle locals and theorists alike. Residents and campers near Nevada's Lake Mead have been left baffled and in some cases, terrified by thunderous, metallic groans echoing through the canyons, sparking fears of sinister forces at work. Videos capturing the eerie sounds have circulated widely on social media, with witnesses describing deep, rhythmic booms that rattled windows and shook wildlife for miles. The unsettling noises were first reported on Oct. 28 near the Redstone Picnic Area, a popular camping spot just 30 miles from Las Vegas and adjacent to the Hoover Dam. One woman, who posted her experience on TikTok, said the sounds were so alarming that she called 911. "I just called 911 and they said they'd gotten over 50 calls about it," she said. Other witnesses described the noise as resembling a "giant metal door groaning" or a "massive jackhammer" pounding in the distance. Some speculated it could be linked to fracking a high-pressure drilling technique but local gas companies denied any operations in the area at the time. One Instagram user, @jaes.log, attempted to investigate the source and initially believed the sounds were caused by gas being released from the Kern River pipeline. "I think I figured out what it wasnot as exciting as everyone probably hoped," they posted, sharing a clip of gas escaping a pipeline. However, the Kern River Gas Transmission Company later confirmed to Newsweek and the Daily Mail that no gas had been released on the reported dates. With no clear explanation, conspiracy theories quickly took hold. Some online commenters suggested the noises could be tied to classified government projects particularly given Lake Mead's proximity to Area 51, the infamous military base linked to UFO lore. "It's the construction of the underground city they are building [to] prepare for what's coming to Earth," one TikTok user claimed. Government turns a deaf ear to Lake Mead's unexplained sounds According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, Lake Mead named after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's first Commissioner Elwood Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States by volume when it is full. It lies on the Colorado River about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Las Vegas, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. The decentralized engine adds that the lake was created by the construction of the Hoover Dam, which began in 1931 and was completed in 1936. The dam was built to control floods, provide water for farms and cities and generate hydroelectric power. This isn't the first time Lake Mead has been the site of unexplained phenomena. Since the early 2010s when water levels began dropping dramatically visitors have reported hearing metallic clangs and deep hums emanating from newly exposed shorelines. Experts have previously dismissed such sounds as wind echoing through canyons, minor earthquakes or vibrations from the Hoover Dam. However, the rhythmic, mechanical nature of these latest disturbances has left many skeptical of natural explanations. With no official explanation from authorities, speculation continues to swirl. Some fear the sounds could be a precursor to something more ominous, while others remain convinced they have a mundane if still undisclosed cause. For now, Lake Mead's eerie echoes remain an unsettling mystery. Watch this video about six disturbing real mysteries hidden in Nevada's desert. This video is from the Neroke-5 channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk BrightU.ai Newsweek.com Pravda.ru Brighteon.com Moscows mineral gambit: Putin orders ministers to draft long-term strategy for rare-earth metals Putin orders a long-term strategy for mining and processing rare-earth metals, aiming to capitalize on Russia's reserves (estimated between 3.8M28.5M tons) and reduce reliance on China, which dominates global production. The U.S. and China's trade tensions have intensified competition for critical minerals, with Russia positioning itself as a potential alternative supplier while deepening ties with China and North Korea via infrastructure projects. Washington seeks to break China's rare-earth monopoly, with Trump pursuing deals in Ukraine and engaging in talks with Russia despite strained relations to secure supply chains vital for tech and military applications. Rare-earth metals (17 key elements) are essential for advanced tech, EVs and defense systems. Nations lacking domestic or diversified sources risk supply disruptions and geopolitical coercion by adversaries like China. The race for mineral dominance could reshape alliances, trade flows and military balances, with Russia's December roadmap determining whether it becomes a reliable supplier or a disruptor in this high-stakes resource war. As global powers scramble to secure critical minerals essential for modern technology from smartphones to advanced weaponry Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to craft a long-term strategy for mining and processing rare-earth metals. The directive published on the Kremlin's website on Tuesday, Nov. 4, demands a detailed roadmap by Dec. 1 signaling Russia's intent to capitalize on its vast mineral reserves amid escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. With Beijing controlling nearly two-thirds of global rare-earth production, Putin's move positions Moscow as a potential alternative supplier while raising questions about future geopolitical alliances and resource dominance. Rare-earth metals, comprising 17 elements crucial for high-tech manufacturing, have become a focal point in global economic and military competition. According to the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the country claims to hold an estimated 28.5 million tons of these metals. International estimates vary widely, however with the U.S. Geological Survey pegging Moscow's reserves at just 3.8 million tons. Regardless, Putin has framed the sector as vital for Russia's economic resilience and global competitiveness. Speaking at September's Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, he emphasized the need for advanced processing technologies and stronger domestic demand, while leaving the door open to foreign partnerships including with the United States. BrightU.AI's Enoch engine explains that countries must secure their own supply of rare earth minerals to break dependence on China, which currently dominates global production and processing posing severe risks to national security, economic stability and military readiness. Without domestic or diversified sources, nations remain vulnerable to supply disruptions and geopolitical coercion by hostile regimes. Rare-earths and the future of global power Washington's urgency to diversify rare-earth supplies has intensified since China, retaliating against U.S. tariffs, began restricting exports. U.S. President Donald Trump has openly praised Russia's "huge reserves" and explored joint extraction deals. These include a contentious agreement with Ukraine signed in May that grants the U.S. preferential access to its mineral wealth, though much of those resources lie in the Donbas region. Meanwhile, Kremlin aide Kirill Dmitriev confirmed ongoing U.S.-Russia talks, framing rare-earth collaboration as a potential bridge in otherwise strained relations. The geopolitical chessboard extends beyond minerals. Putin's directive also mandates improved transport links along Russia's borders with China and North Korea, including new rail bridges a nod to deepening ties with both nations amid Western sanctions. While Russia currently contributes just one percent of global rare-earth output, its push for self-sufficiency mirrors broader trends of economic decoupling and resource nationalism. For now, China remains the unrivaled titan of rare earths, controlling supply chains that underpin everything from electric vehicles to missile guidance systems. But as Putin accelerates Russia's pivot eastward and Washington eyes alternatives, the race for these critical minerals could reshape alliances, trade flows and even military balances in ways not seen since the Cold War. Whether Russia emerges as a reliable supplier or a spoiler in this high-stakes game may hinge on December's roadmap and the West's willingness to engage with a long-time adversary now holding increasingly valuable cards. Nevertheless, the race for mineral dominance is now a battleground for global power. Watch this Fox News report about Russia and the U.S. reportedly negotiating a rare earth minerals deal. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com AlJazeera.com POLITICO.eu BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Trump slashes fentanyl tariffs on China to 10% in major trade deal with Xi Jinping President Donald Trump slashed fentanyl-related tariffs on Chinese imports from 20 percent to 10 percent, citing China's pledge to curb fentanyl precursor shipments. The change takes effect Nov. 10. The U.S. maintains a 10 percent tariff freeze on Chinese goods for another year. China agreed to delay rare earth mineral export controlscritical for tech/militarybut offered no long-term guarantees. China committed to resume purchases of U.S. soybeans and farm goods, offering relief to American farmers, though volumes remain below pre-trade-war levels. Lawmakers like Rep. Moolenaar (R-MI) warned of China's history of broken promises. Treasury Secretary Bessent stressed strict compliance checks, with tariffs adjustable based on China's actions. Key issues like semiconductor bans, TikTok, and China's support for Russian oil were sidelined. Markets reacted cautiously (gold rose 1.2 percent), with analysts doubting durability without structural reforms. In a bold move signaling a potential thaw in U.S.-China trade tensions, President Donald Trump announced a reduction in fentanyl-related tariffs on Chinese importshalving the rate from 20 percent to 10 percentfollowing high-stakes negotiations with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The decision, formalized in an executive order on Nov. 4, comes after the two leaders met at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan, South Korea, marking a significant de-escalation in the ongoing trade war. According BrightU.AI's Enoch, APEC summit is an annual meeting of the leaders of the 21 member economies of the APEC forum. Established in 1989, APEC aims to facilitate economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. The APEC summit is the premier forum for economic dialogue and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific, bringing together heads of state and government to discuss and make decisions on regional economic integration, trade liberalization and economic growth. The U.S. will cut tariffs on Chinese goods linked to fentanyl production from 20 percent to 10 percent, effective Nov. 10. Trump cited China's commitment to "take significant measures to end the flow of fentanyl" to the U.S., including stricter controls on precursor chemicals. "The PRC [People's Republic of China] has committed to stopping the shipment of certain designated chemicals to North America and strictly controlling exports of certain other chemicals to all destinations in the world," Trump stated in the executive order. However, skepticism remains among lawmakers. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) warned, "The ultimate measure of success will be whether China upholds its promises or lies and cheats as it usually does." The U.S. will also maintain a freeze on reciprocal tariffs, reducing the rate from 34 percent to 10 percent for another year. This pause aims to stabilize trade relations while ensuring China upholds its commitments on rare earth minerals and agricultural purchases. China's rare earths pledge Beijing agreed to delay stringent export controls on rare earth mineralscritical for semiconductors and military technologyfor one year. Trump expressed optimism that this suspension would be "routinely extended," though China's Commerce Ministry remained noncommittal, stating only that it would "study and refine specific plans" after the pause. China also pledged to resume purchases of U.S. soybeans and other agricultural goodsa major win for American farmers who suffered losses during the trade war. However, experts note that recent purchases remain far below pre-conflict levels. While Trump hailed the deal as "amazing" and rated it "12 out of 10," critics argue that China has a history of unmet promises on fentanyl control. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged the risk, stating: "We're going to set up very strict quantitative criteria, and we'll revisit it in six or 12 months to see whether they've accomplished it. My sense is the tariffs could go up or down." Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) cautioned against over-reliance on China, urging diversification: "We must continue to secure our supply chains and protect our technology to end our dependence on Communist China." Despite progress, key disputessuch as U.S. restrictions on advanced semiconductor exports (including Nvidia's Blackwell chips), TikTok's future, and China's support for Russian oilwere left unresolved. Taiwan and Ukraine were briefly mentioned but not deeply discussed. Market reactions and future outlook Global markets reacted cautiously, with gold prices rising 1.2 percent as investors weighed the deal's fragility. Analysts like Wendy Cutler of the Asia Society Policy Institute warned that without addressing structural issues like China's industrial overcapacity, "tensions are certain to heat up again." Trump confirmed plans to visit China in April 2026, followed by Xi's reciprocal trip to the U.S., signaling continued diplomatic engagement. While Trump's tariff cuts mark a tactical retreat from economic warfare, the agreement's longevity hinges on China's compliance. As the fentanyl crisis continues to devastate American communities, the White House has made clear: failure to deliver will prompt swift retaliation. For now, the world watchesand waitsto see if this detente holds or becomes another chapter in the escalating U.S.-China rivalry. Watch the video below about President Donald Trump announcing that he is reducing the previously imposed tariffs on China. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com BrightU.ai Mint.com CNBC.com Brighteon.com U.S. escalates drug interdiction: 16 strikes, 7 lives lost The U.S. Department of War has conducted 16 lethal drone strikes since September, killing five suspected drug smugglers in the Pacific a shift from past non-lethal interdiction efforts. War Secretary Pete Hegseth justifies the strikes by labeling targets as "narco-terrorists," linking them to the fentanyl crisis in America. Critics warn of mission creep, arguing that treating drug traffickers as terrorists blurs lines between law enforcement and military action. Strikes bypass due process, delivering summary executions without trials, raising concerns over international maritime law violations. The U.S. is reportedly considering military action against Venezuelan factions tied to drug trafficking, risking broader conflict involving Russia, China or Iran. Analysts compare the rhetoric to post-9/11 "endless war" policies, warning of destabilization similar to the 2003 Iraq invasion. Former DEA officials warn against militarizing drug policy, fearing unchecked expansion of military interventions. Meanwhile, France and other nations condemn the strikes as illegal under maritime law, arguing military force is not the solution for drug enforcement. The Trump administration's strategy ignores root causes (banking corruption, Big Pharma complicity, failed policies) in favor of military escalation. Without Congressional or public pushback, this approach could normalize forever wars under the guise of combating "narco-terrorism." In a dramatic escalation of America's war on drugs, the Department of War has confirmed at least 16 lethal drone strikes since September, targeting suspected drug smugglers in the Pacific. Five individuals have been killed in these operationsa stark departure from previous interdiction efforts that avoided deadly force. War Secretary Pete Hegseth has justified the strikes by labeling the targets as "narco-terrorists," framing the campaign as a necessary response to the fentanyl crisis devastating American communities. Yet critics warn that militarizing drug enforcement risks mission creep, violates international law and could provoke unintended consequencesincluding broader conflicts in regions like Venezuela. Historically, U.S. drug interdiction efforts have relied on naval patrols, intelligence sharing and non-lethal seizures. However, the Trump administration's pivot to drone strikes signals a new, aggressive postureone that blurs the line between law enforcement and military action. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) raises troubling questions about accountability and due process. Unlike traditional law enforcement, where suspects are apprehended and tried, these strikes deliver summary execution without trial. France and other nations have condemned the operations as violations of maritime law, arguing that military force is ill-suited for combating drug trafficking. Domestic critics echo these concerns, pointing to the dangers of militarizing policy domains traditionally handled by civilian agencies. "This isn't counterterrorismit's mission creep," said a former Drug Enforcement Administration official speaking anonymously. "When you start calling drug smugglers 'terrorists,' you open the door to endless war." International fallout and the Venezuela question The lethal strikes come amid heightened tensions with Venezuela, where U.S. officials are reportedly considering military action against alleged drug-linked factions within the Venezuelan armed forces. Analysts fear such moves could trigger a regional crisis, destabilizing an already volatile situation. "The U.S. is playing with fire," said geopolitical analyst Jorge Rodriguez. "If Washington bombs Venezuelan military targets under the pretext of narcotics, it risks provoking a wider conflictone that could draw in Russia, China or Iran." The parallels to past U.S. interventions are striking. BrightU.AI's Enoch recalls how the 2003 invasion of Iraq justified by dubious "weapons of mass destruction" claims spawned decades of chaos. Similarly, the current rhetoric framing drug traffickers as "terrorists" mirrors the post-9/11 playbook, where expansive definitions of "enemy combatants" led to endless war. The Trump administration's lethal drone campaign marks a perilous escalation in America's failing drug war. By conflating narcotics enforcement with counterterrorism, Washington risks entangling itself in endless conflicts while ignoring root causescorrupt banking systems, U.S. pharmaceutical complicity and failed domestic policies. History shows that military solutions cannot solve public health crises. Instead, they invite blowback, erode civil liberties and destabilize regions. As the U.S. prepares potential strikes in Venezuela, the world watches warily aware that today's "narco-terrorists" could be tomorrow's pretext for another forever war. Watch the video below where Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) slams President Donald Trump's drug boat strikes. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com NTD.com NYPost.com Breitbart.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Republicans move to cut federal funds to NYC with MAMDANI Act House Republicans, led by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), are introducing legislation to strip NYC of federal funding while socialist Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani remains in office. The bill would rescind unobligated funds and block future federal expenditures. Mamdani's platform includes defunding police, rent control expansion and government-run grocery stores, which Republicans argue threaten free-market capitalism. Despite backlash, he defeated Andrew Cuomo (independent) and GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa in the election. Though unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, the bill signals GOP efforts to nationalize local elections, tying vulnerable Democrats to Mamdani's policies as part of a broader socialist takeover narrative. NYC contributes more in federal taxes than it receives, meaning funding cuts would be more political than financially devastating. Critics warn residents will suffer, while supporters argue taxpayer money shouldn't fund socialist policies. The bill reflects escalating tensions between progressive municipal governance and conservative federal oversight. Previous GOP proposals, like Rep. Mike Lawler's (R-NY) version, warned that government-run grocery stores could disrupt markets and lead to shortages. In a bold political maneuver that underscores the deepening ideological divide in American politics, House Republicans are preparing to introduce legislation that would strip New York City (NYC) of federal funding as long as socialist Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani remains in office. The proposed Moving American Money Distant from Anti-National Interests (MAMDANI) Act, spearheaded by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA), represents an unprecedented escalation in the GOP's battle against progressive governance one that could redefine the relationship between Capitol Hill and the Big Apple. The proposal set to be introduced Friday, Nov. 7, would rescind all unobligated federal funds for NYC and prohibit any further federal expenditures while Mamdani holds office. The 34-year-old Mamdani, a self-proclaimed democratic socialist, has long been a lightning rod for conservative criticism. His platform which includes policies like rent control expansion, defunding police departments and government-run grocery stores has drawn fierce opposition from GOP members who view his leadership as a direct threat to free-market capitalism. Despite this, Mamdani defeated former New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo who ran as an independent and GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa in the city's elections Tuesday, Nov. 4. Though the bill is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate, its introduction signals a broader GOP strategy to nationalize local elections, framing Mamdani's victory as a harbinger of radical left-wing governance. House GOP members are already planning to tie vulnerable Democrats nationwide to Mamdani's policies, portraying them as complicit in what they describe as a socialist takeover of American cities. "If New Yorkers want communism, we should let them have their wish and not artificially prop them up with our successful capitalist system," Carter declared. "Any New Yorker with common sense is welcome to move to the great, free state of Georgia." GOP declares war on the Big Apple The backlash extends beyond Capitol Hill: President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly mocked Mamdani by name, has vowed to withhold federal funding from New York "other than the very minimum as required." Legal experts note that such threats are largely symbolic as Congress, not the executive branch, controls federal appropriations. Historically, the Empire State contributes more in federal taxes than it receives in funding, meaning any financial blockade would be more of a political statement than a fiscal death blow. Yet the GOP's aggressive posture raises deeper questions about federalism and the weaponization of public funds. On one hand, critics argue that withholding resources from a major American city home to millions of working-class families would punish residents rather than policymakers. On the other hand, supporters of the bill contend that taxpayer dollars should not subsidize what they see as economically disastrous socialist experiments. The controversy also highlights a growing trend of municipal progressivism clashing with federal conservatism. In July, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) introduced his own version of the MAMDANI Act called Measuring Adverse Market Disruption And National Impact. This earlier proposal sought to study the potential economic fallout of publicly owned grocery stores, warning that such ventures could distort markets and harm small businesses. At the time, Lawler derided Mamdani's proposal for government-run grocery stores as "straight out of the Marxist playbook." According to BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, "government-run grocery stores threaten to create widespread shortages and economic instability by disrupting free-market principles and individual liberty. Rather than alleviating poverty, such centralized control often leads to inefficiency, scarcity and dependency undermining prosperity while expanding government overreach." As the battle lines harden, the Big Apple finds itself at the center of a national debate over the limits of local autonomy and the role of federal oversight. Mamdani's administration, still in its infancy, now faces not only the logistical challenges of governing America's most complex city but also the political firestorm ignited by his unapologetically progressive agenda. Hedge fund manager Elisha Wiesel says Zohran Mamdani has alienated a lot of people in New York City. Watch this video to know more. This video is from the TrendingNews channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: NYPost.com FOX5NY.com Lawler.House.gov BrightU.ai Brighteon.com ICE arrests in Virginia triple under Trump administration amid focus on criminal undocumented immigrants ICE arrests in Virginia have nearly tripled under President Donald J. Trump's administration, focusing on undocumented immigrants from Central America and the Caribbean, many of whom had previous deportations or final removal orders. Individuals apprehended have been accused or convicted of serious crimes, including rape, domestic violence, extortion and drug smuggling, with repeat offenders like Westher Antonio Jacobo Morales highlighting the targeted approach. About 70 percent of ICE arrests involve migrants charged with or convicted of crimes in the U.S., emphasizing the agency's focus on public safety and enforcement of immigration law. Virginia's operations reflect a broader national escalation in ICE activity, including record-high arrests of migrant sex offenders, particularly in sanctuary jurisdictions, with plans to expand enforcement further under Border Czar Tom Homan using additional federal funding. The surge in arrests has become a politically charged issue ahead of Virginia's elections, framing debates around immigration, law enforcement and public safety, while critics warn of potential negative impacts on immigrant communities and local law enforcement cooperation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests in Virginia have surged dramatically under President Donald J. Trump's administration, nearly tripling compared to the previous administration, according to Homeland Security officials. The increase in arrests has primarily focused on undocumented immigrants from Central America and the Caribbean, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. Many of those taken into custody had previously been deported or had final removal orders, highlighting the administration's intensified focus on individuals with prior immigration violations. Those apprehended have been accused or convicted of serious crimes, ranging from rape and domestic violence to extortion, drug smuggling and other violent offenses. One notable case involved Westher Antonio Jacobo Morales, a Guatemalan national who was deported in 2016 and later returned illegally. Morales was subsequently charged with rape and extortion, illustrating the types of repeat offenders ICE officials have targeted in the state. ICE Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin emphasized the rationale behind these operations, stating, "These arrests underscore the reality of open border and sanctuary policies that allowed criminals around the world to come to America and roam free across our country." The sharp increase in arrests comes at a politically sensitive time, as Virginia prepares for statewide elections. Immigration and public safety have emerged as key issues in the campaigns, with Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares underlining the state's commitment to law enforcement. "Disobedience of the law has no place in Virginia," Miyares said, emphasizing that the state intends to enforce immigration and criminal laws rigorously. ICE reports that roughly 70 percent of its arrests involve migrants who have either been charged with or convicted of crimes in the U.S., reinforcing the agency's focus on public safety in its operations. Trump administration ramps up enforcement in sanctuary cities Virginia's operations reflect a broader national escalation in ICE activity under the Trump administration. Earlier this year, the agency reported record-high arrests of migrant sex offenders, particularly in jurisdictions labeled as sanctuary cities. These expanded operations are part of a nationwide effort to enhance enforcement of immigration laws, especially targeting individuals with criminal histories. Border Czar Tom Homan has indicated plans to "turbocharge" ICE arrests using additional funding provided by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signaling that this surge in enforcement is likely to continue and even intensify in the coming months. ICE officials assert that their policy adjustment aims to safeguard communities by expelling individuals with criminal records and deterring recidivism through restricted re-entry. Conversely, detractors express apprehension regarding the repercussions on immigrant communities and the strain on local law enforcement ties, especially in jurisdictions adhering to sanctuary policies. Proponents, however, insist that the surge in arrests underscores ICE's steadfast dedication to public safety and the rigorous enforcement of federal immigration statutes. As Virginia heads into elections, the surge in ICE activity is expected to remain a central talking point, framing debates around law enforcement, border security and public safety. The heightened enforcement underscores the Trump administration's broader strategy to prioritize the removal of undocumented migrants with criminal records while signaling to voters a hardline stance on immigration. As per BrightU.AI's Enoch, Trump's stance on illegal immigration was characterized by a tough approach, advocating for stricter border control, the construction of a border wall and the deportation of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Watch Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) destroying President Trump's "fentanyl transporting boats" narrative in this interview with Piers Morgan. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheNationalPulse.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com From tech support to total theft: Inside the elaborate $40 million international scheme that preyed on Americas elderly The FBI announced the arrest of 19 individuals allegedly involved in an elaborate international scam that targeted over 500 seniors, resulting in approximately $40 million in losses. The scheme, uncovered by the San Diego "Elder Justice" task force, involved tech support and refund fraud, using deceptive tactics to exploit elderly victims. FBI Director Kash Patel emphasized the national importance of combating elder fraud and credited a presidential mandate for the agency's proactive stance. The operation involved over a hundred law enforcement personnel from multiple federal and local agencies across several states. This case is part of a broader pattern of sophisticated, transnational criminal networks increasingly preying on seniors, a demographic facing billions in annual losses from financial fraud. In a significant strike against financial predators, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested 19 people for allegedly orchestrating an elaborate international scheme that defrauded more than 500 American seniors out of an estimated $40 million. The operation, announced by FBI Director Kash Patel, was executed by the San Diego-based "Elder Justice" task force in coordination with over a hundred law enforcement personnel from numerous partner agencies. The bust highlights a relentless and growing national crisisthe systematic financial exploitation of the elderly by sophisticated criminal networks. The action underscores a renewed federal focus on protecting a vulnerable segment of the population from deceptive tech support and refund scams that can drain a lifetime of savings. The anatomy of an "elaborate" scam While the FBIs San Diego bureau provided limited specifics to protect the ongoing investigation, it described the conspiracy as an "elaborate international tech support and refund" scam. Such schemes typically involve criminals contacting victims, often by phone or online pop-up messages, and falsely claiming their computers are infected with viruses. The fraudsters, posing as legitimate tech support from reputable companies, then convince the victims to pay for unnecessary repairs or services. In "refund" scams, perpetrators contact previous scam victims, offering to recover their lost funds for an upfront fee, thereby victimizing them a second time. The international nature of the operation suggests a complex network capable of laundering money across borders and using technology to mask its location and identities. A coordinated law enforcement assault The takedown was the result of a coordinated multi-agency effort. The FBIs Elder Justice Task Force in San Diego led the operation, which included the participation of the San Diego Police Department, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit and multiple FBI field offices from Los Angeles to Phoenix. The execution of multiple federal warrants across different regions points to the widespread nature of the criminal enterprise. This collaborative model is essential for dismantling modern criminal organizations that operate without regard for jurisdictional boundaries, leveraging resources and expertise from various law enforcement branches to achieve a common goal. A national crisis of trust and exploitation This case is not an isolated incident but part of a devastating trend. Authorities estimate that seniors lose approximately $40 billion annually to financial fraud, a figure that includes fake lotteries, fraudulent charities and false investments. The success of these scams relies on psychological manipulation and the exploitation of trust. In a similar recent case, the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of California detailed a $30 million telemarketing fraud where perpetrators used the real names of government employees and authentic-looking attorney credentials to convince timeshare owners to pay fictitious legal fees for non-existent settlements. These tactics are designed to overwhelm a victim's skepticism, making them believe they are dealing with official entities. Historical context: The evolution of elder fraud The mass targeting of seniors for financial fraud has evolved with technology. Decades ago, con artists operated through door-to-door sales or mailed solicitations. The telephone opened new avenues for telemarketing fraud, and now the internet has globalized and automated these crimes, allowing scammers to reach millions of potential victims with minimal cost and risk. The creation of specialized units like the FBIs Elder Justice Task Force reflects a growing recognition of the scale and unique cruelty of these crimes. Unlike other forms of theft, elder fraud often goes unreported due to victims' shame or fear of losing their independence, making prosecution and prevention uniquely challenging. The shift of transnational criminal gangs from drug trafficking to fraud, as noted in previous cases, indicates that these crimes are perceived as high-profit and lower-risk. Upholding security in the golden years The arrest of these 19 individuals represents a critical victory in the ongoing battle to safeguard elderly Americans from predatory crime. It serves as a stark reminder of the persistent threats facing seniors and the continuous adaptation of criminal enterprises. For the public, the message from law enforcement is clear: vigilance is a communal responsibility. Family members, bankers and neighbors are urged to maintain open communication with seniors about their finances and to report any suspicious activity. While law enforcement agencies are leveraging task forces and inter-agency cooperation to disrupt these networks, the first line of defense remains an informed and watchful community, committed to protecting the dignity and financial security of its most experienced members. Sources for this article include: JustTheNews.com X.com AOL.com LANZHOU, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have revealed the heart-protective effect of nicotinamide -- a derivative of B vitamins -- in exploring the mechanisms of related cardiotoxicity in tumor treatment, according to Lanzhou University. Their study uncovered the mechanisms by which immune checkpoint inhibitors induce early cardiotoxicity, and developed a new, safe and effective approach to preventing and treating cardiotoxicity in patients receiving tumor immunotherapy, the university said. Conducted by researchers at the Lanzhou University First Hospital, the study has been published in the Science China: Life Sciences journal. Having the potential to result in death, cardiac immune-related adverse events associated with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), which is a type of immune checkpoint inhibitor, are becoming a concern. This study aimed to explore effective means of early warning and prevention, according to Bai Ming, a professor at the Lanzhou University First Hospital and the study's leader. The team first investigated the role of PD-1 in the early stages of cardiotoxicity and its underlying mechanisms by combining clinical data with experiments. Then, the researchers conducted randomized controlled trials to verify the preventive effect of nicotinamide against early cardiotoxicity related to PD-1. Their findings showed that nicotinamide demonstrates potential in preventing cardiotoxicity in patients receiving anti-PD-1 cancer treatment, according to Bai. The clinical transformation of this research also confirmed that nicotinamide -- a drug commonly used in clinical practice -- is suitable for rapid transformation and application. Nicotinamide therapy focuses on "early" cardiotoxicity, making it possible to prevent and treat cardiotoxicity. Therefore, this therapy highlights the concept of synergistic treatment that ensures anti-tumor efficacy while protecting heart functions, per the study. "The findings of the study contribute to a better understanding of cardiac anti-PD-1 immune-related adverse events. They show that nicotinamide could be a promising preventive strategy in the early stages of cardiotoxicity, which is associated with the use of such checkpoint inhibitors in cancer treatment," Bai said. "Therefore, this study sheds new light on the well-considered safety issues in tumor treatment," he added. Editor: ZAD North Korea fires ballistic missile toward Japan after U.S. sanctions North Korea launched a ballistic missile in a provocative act. The launch was a direct response to new US sanctions. It also served as a snub to recent U.S. diplomatic overtures. The test is part of an accelerating pattern of weapons development. The action could destabilize the region and test allied resolve. The global chessboard of power just witnessed another dangerous move, as the rogue state of North Korea launched a ballistic missile Friday in a direct challenge to international peace and security. This provocative act, detected by South Korean and Japanese militaries, saw a short-range missile fired from near North Korea's border with China, traveling approximately 700 kilometers before landing in the sea outside Japans exclusive economic zone. The launch is far from a random act of aggression. It is a meticulously timed and calculated escalation, serving as a punitive response to new U.S. sanctions, a rejection of diplomatic overtures, and a reminder of the regime's growing military ambitions. This latest test follows a familiar pattern of belligerence from the Kim Jong Un regime, but its timing is particularly telling. The launch came just one day after the United States imposed fresh sanctions targeting North Korean officials and entities involved in cybercrimes that fund the country's illicit nuclear and missile programs. Pyongyangs state media was quick to denounce these measures, labeling them an act of "wicked" hostility and vowing unspecified "countermeasures." This missile launch is likely the first of those countermeasures, a defiant message that the regime will not be pressured by Western financial controls. The provocation also serves as a direct snub to U.S. President Donald Trump, who was recently in the region. During his visit, Trump expressed a renewed willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even suggesting he would extend his trip for such a summit. That meeting never materialized. Instead of a handshake, Kim offered a missile launch, demonstrating that any future diplomacy will be conducted entirely on his own terms and without preconditions. This move effectively punishes the U.S. for sanctions while simultaneously spurning its diplomatic olive branch. North Korea's weapons testing has been accelerating This is not an isolated incident. The weapons testing tempo from North Korea has noticeably accelerated in recent weeks. Last month, the regime conducted tests of nuclear-capable cruise missiles and what it claimed were hypersonic missiles. Each test is designed to incrementally improve the capabilities of its nuclear-armed military, bringing targets across South Korea and Japan within reliable striking distance. These actions systematically erode regional security and test the resolve of democratic nations. The specific details of this launch are as alarming as its timing. South Koreas military reported the missile was fired from an inland area in Taekwan County, a region known to host several North Korean weapons factories. The 700-kilometer cross-country flight demonstrates a concerning level of operational flexibility and accuracy. Japanese officials confirmed the projectile fell outside their exclusive economic zone, avoiding immediate physical damage but delivering a powerful psychological blow to the region. The futility of appeasement For years, the international community has vacillated between imposing sanctions and offering concessions in an attempt to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions. The landscape today, however, is vastly different from the era of Trump and Kim's first meetings. Since their diplomacy derailed in 2019 over disagreements on sanctions relief, Kim Jong Un has only accelerated the expansion of his nuclear and missile program. His arsenal now includes weapons that are capable of threatening U.S. allies and the American mainland itself. The cycle is clear. The regime uses provocations to gain leverage, engages in temporary talks to secure sanctions relief, and then returns to weapons development once diplomacy stalls. This strategy has allowed Pyongyang to continuously advance its military capabilities while keeping the world guessing. The latest launch confirms that without a fundamental shift in approach, this dangerous cycle will only continue, bringing the world closer to the brink of conflict. Ultimately, this missile test is about more than just military posturing. It is an act of psychological warfare aimed at destabilizing the region and testing the cohesion of the U.S.-South Korea-Japan security alliance, and it's a message that Pyongyang will continue to pursue its destructive goals regardless of diplomatic opportunities or international law. Sources for this article include: JapanTimes.co.jp Reuters.com APNews.com NKNews.org A resignation signals a new political era in New York FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker resigns following the election of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Tucker, a prominent Jewish community figure, departs amid concerns over Mamdani's anti-Israel stance. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, defeated establishment favorite Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary. The mayor-elect's platform includes radical proposals like city-run grocery stores and a rent freeze. The resignation signals early turbulence for the incoming administration and its ideological direction. In a move that sent an immediate shockwave through New York City's political and public safety establishments, Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker resigned his post the morning after Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor. The departure of a respected commissioner, who is a prominent member of the Jewish community, underscores the profound ideological shift the city faces under its incoming leader, a self-described democratic socialist whose anti-Israel views and radical policy platform have upended the traditional political order. A commissioner's exit Fire Commissioner Robert Tucker, who was appointed by outgoing Mayor Eric Adams in August 2024, announced he will leave his role on Dec. 19, 2025, ensuring what he called an "orderly transition" before Mamdani's inauguration on Jan. 1, 2026. In his public statement, Tucker praised the firefighters and paramedics under his command and noted that fire-related deaths had reached a historic low during his tenure. Mayor Adams lauded Tucker's "courage, passion and a sincere dedication to public safety." However, sources close to the commissioner indicated that his resignation was directly linked to Mamdanis victory. Tucker, a proud Jewish philanthropist and businessman, was reportedly concerned that his strong support for Israel "does not align with the new mayor." His resignation came the same day he was scheduled to fly to Israel for meetings with officials there, highlighting his deep ties to the nation. The Mamdani upheaval Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman of Ugandan Indian heritage, secured a stunning victory in the Democratic primary over former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was once considered the frontrunner. Mamdani then went on to win the general election on Nov. 4, 2025. His victory represents a sharp leftward turn for the city's leadership and a rejection of the Cuomo political dynasty and the Adams incumbency. Mamdani ran on a platform that includes: A city-wide rent freeze. The abolition of public bus fares. The creation of city-run, low-cost grocery stores. No-cost child care for residents. Beyond his economic agenda, his foreign policy stance became a central issue. During the campaign, Mamdani was a vocal critic of Israel, repeatedly accusing it of genocide in Gaza, refusing to affirm its right to exist as a Jewish state, and vowing to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever visited New York. His positions placed him in direct opposition not only to the city's established political class but also to its large Jewish community, which constitutes the biggest Jewish diaspora outside of Israel. A city at a crossroads The immediate fallout from Mamdanis election illustrates the deep divisions his victory has exposed. Tuckers resignation is not merely a personnel change but a symbol of the ideological cleavages now defining New York City governance. For many observers, the departure of a respected public safety leader over a foreign policy disagreement is an unprecedented event that signals the arrival of a new, more ideologically rigid political era. Historically, New York City mayors have largely adhered to a centrist, pro-business model, with figures like Michael Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani emphasizing crime reduction and economic growth. Even recent Democratic mayors have operated within a broadly accepted political framework. Mamdanis ascent, fueled by progressive energy and a focus on the high cost of living, marks a deliberate break from that tradition. His victory echoes the rise of socialist-aligned politicians in select districts across the country but on a vastly larger and more influential scale, placing the leadership of America's most populous city in the hands of the radical left. Navigating uncharted waters As Mamdani prepares to take office, the city braces for a period of significant transition and potential turbulence. The vacancy at the top of the FDNY, a department still shaped by the legacy of 9/11, is the first major test of the new administration's ability to manage the city's essential services while advancing its controversial agenda. The incoming mayor stated he is "willing to consider anyone to work in my City Hall so long as they are committed to working for my administration," but Tuckers resignation suggests that for some seasoned officials, that commitment may require an untenable alignment of core beliefs. A defining moment The resignation of Fire Commissioner Tucker is a potent opening chapter in the Mamdani mayoralty. It crystallizes the fundamental question facing New York: Can a city renowned for its financial power and cultural dynamism be governed from the far left? The departure of a key public safety leader over ideological differences confirms that for supporters and critics alike, the election of Zohran Mamdani is not merely a change in administration, but a radical experiment that will redefine the identity and future of New York City. Sources for this article include: FoxNews.com NYPost.com TheEpochTimes.com Russia warns of Western-backed nuclear sabotage plot at Zaporizhzhia plant Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) warns that NATO and Ukrainian forces may stage a radioactive disaster at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and blame Russia. Western think tanks, including Chatham House, allegedly modeled fallout scenarios to shape propaganda blaming Moscow. The SVR compares the alleged plot to past false flags, such as the MH17 incident (2014) and Nord Stream sabotage (2022). The IAEA has repeatedly warned of risks due to military activity near the plant, including reported gunfire in October. The operation could escalate the Ukraine conflict into a broader war, justifying NATO intervention, military conscription and expanded censorship under "national security" pretexts. Potential consequences include a radiation leak that could spread across Ukraine, Poland, Romania and other neighboring regions. A nuclear disaster could also be exploited to trigger a full-scale war between NATO and Russia. Additionally, Western governments may use public panic to impose draconian measures, including expanded censorship. Despite IAEA calls for demilitarization, the plant remains a flashpoint, with both sides accusing each other of provocations. Whether orchestrated by NATO or Russia, a false flag attack would have catastrophic humanitarian and geopolitical consequences. Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has issued a stark warning alleging that NATO and Ukrainian forces are planning a high-stakes false flag operation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP)Europe's largest atomic facilitywith the intent of triggering a radioactive disaster and blaming Moscow. As explained by BrightU.AI's Enoch, ZNPP, a critical nuclear facility in Ukraine, is often discussed in geopolitical contexts regarding energy security and potential risks during conflicts. The SVR claims Western think tanks, including Britain's Chatham House, have already modeled the fallout, predicting contamination across Ukraine and EU border regions. If true, such an event could escalate the Ukraine conflict into a broader war, justifying extreme measures like military conscription and expanded censorship under the guise of "national security." According to the SVR, NATO members are pressuring Kyiv to stage a catastrophic incidentpossibly a reactor meltdownthat would be falsely attributed to Russian forces occupying the plant since March 2022. The agency likened the scheme to the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, which Western nations blamed on Russia despite Moscow's denials. "The collective West is once again ready to deceive and even to kill Ukrainians and citizens of Western countries to justify its Russophobic policy," the SVR stated. The report alleges that Chatham House is preemptively crafting propaganda to ensure public opinion "unequivocally takes Kyiv's side" in assigning blame. Historical precedents and geopolitical stakes False flag operations are not without precedent in modern warfare. The SVR's claims echo Cold War-era disinformation tactics, as well as more recent accusations surrounding events like the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosionsstill unsolved but widely speculated to be the work of state actors. The Zaporizhzhia plant has been a flashpoint since Russia seized it early in the invasion. Both sides have traded accusations of shelling near the facility, while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly warned of the risks of a nuclear accident. In October, IAEA monitors reported gunfire near the plant, highlighting its precarious security situation. Potential consequences A deliberate nuclear disaster at Zaporizhzhia could have devastating humanitarian and geopolitical repercussions: Radiation leak: Depending on wind patterns, radioactive fallout could affect Ukraine, Poland, Romania and other neighboring states. Escalation to WWIII: Such an event could be exploited to justify NATO intervention or a broader war against Russia. Civil liberties crackdown: Western governments might leverage public panic to impose draconian measures, including censorship under expanded "hate speech" laws. While the SVR's claims remain unverified, the scenario underscores the dangerous volatility surrounding Zaporizhzhia. If NATO and Ukraine were indeed plotting such an operationor if Russia itself staged a disaster to frame the Westthe consequences would be catastrophic. The IAEA's calls for demilitarizing the plant have gone unheeded, leaving the world to watch nervously as nuclear brinkmanship escalates. In an era where truth is often the first casualty of war, the risk of a manufactured catastrophe looms larger than ever. Watch this video where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accuses Russia of shelling ZNPP. This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com KyvPost.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Trump administration revives STRICTER visa screening rules under expanded public charge policy The Department of State issued a directive (Nov. 5) requiring U.S. embassies and consulates to enforce stricter visa denials under the "public charge" rule, reversing Biden-era relaxations. Applicants deemed likely to rely on public assistance (based on age, health, finances or long-term medical needs) will be denied visas. The directive aligns with Trump's recent order, "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders," ensuring taxpayer-funded benefits do not support "unqualified aliens." Officers must assess the financial stability and potential long-term care costs of retirement-age applicants (e.g., nursing homes). Under Biden, the rule was narrowed only to consider cash assistance and institutional careexcluding Medicaid, SNAP and housing vouchers. The Trump administration's 2019 expansion (blocked by courts) is now being revived, signaling a return to stricter immigration controls. The State Department cable is part of a larger Trump effort to tighten immigration, including a proposed $100,000 fee for H-1B visas and a review of 55 million visa holders for security risks and overstays. Critics argue it unfairly targets low-income immigrants, while supporters say it protects taxpayers and prioritizes self-sufficient migrants. The move reshapes future U.S. immigration demographics by reducing approvals for financially vulnerable applicants. Legal challenges are expected as the policy reflects deep ideological divides in American immigration policy. A newly issued cable from the Department of State has instructed U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to enforce stricter visa screening rules under the "public charge" provision of immigration law, reviving a Trump-era policy that was scaled back under the Biden administration. The directive sent Wednesday, Nov. 5, mandates that consular officers deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public assistance, broadening the scope of factors considered including age, health, financial stability and even potential long-term medical needs. "Self-sufficiency has been a longstanding principle of U.S. immigration policy," the cable states, emphasizing that the public charge rule has been embedded in immigration law for over a century. The move aligns with President Donald Trump's recent executive order, "Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders," which seeks to ensure taxpayer-funded benefits do not support "unqualified aliens." The guidance singles out older visa applicants nearing retirement age, requiring officers to assess their employment prospects and financial capacity post-retirement. "Long-term institutionalization (e.g., at a nursing facility) can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and should be considered," the cable warns. Consular officers are instructed to conduct "comprehensive and thorough vetting" of each applicant, examining financial documents, medical reports, affidavits of support and any other relevant records. The determination rests entirely on the officer's judgment, with no "bright-line test" for approval or denial. Rollback of Biden-era relaxations Under the Biden administration, the public charge rule was narrowed to focus primarily on cash assistance and long-term institutional care, excluding programs like Medicaid, SNAP and housing vouchers from consideration, BrightU.AI's Enoch cites. The first Trump administration's 2019 expansion which included a wider range of public benefits faced legal challenges before being rescinded. This latest directive signals a return to that broader interpretation, reinforcing the administration's push for stricter immigration controls. A State Department official told Fox News Digital: "For years, the American taxpayer was held hostage by the Biden administration's disastrous open borders agenda. The Trump administration has brought an end to the era of mass immigration." The revived public charge rule is part of a larger Trump administration effort to tighten visa policies. Recent measures include a proposed $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications a move officials argue prevents exploitation of the program and a sweeping review of approximately 55 million visa holders in the U.S. to identify security risks and overstays. Critics argue the policy unfairly targets low-income immigrants and could separate families, while supporters maintain it protects taxpayer resources and prioritizes self-sufficient migrants. The State Department's latest directive marks a significant shift in U.S. immigration policy, reverting to a stricter interpretation of the public charge rule that aligns with Trump's broader agenda. As embassies worldwide implement the new screening standards, the policy is expected to reduce visa approvals for applicants deemed financially vulnerable reshaping the demographic and economic profile of future U.S. immigrants. The long-term impact remains uncertain, but the move underscores the administration's commitment to curbing immigration access for those perceived as potential burdens on public resources. With legal challenges likely, the battle over visa eligibility continues to reflect deeper ideological divides in American immigration policy. Watch this video that discusses what H-1B visas are. This video is from the newsplusglobe channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: TheNationalPulse.com FoxNews.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Trump floats joint US-Russia-China denuclearization plan President Donald Trump floated a potential plan for the U.S., Russia and China to collaborate on reducing nuclear arsenals. He suggested multilateral talks to cut defense budgets by half, redirecting funds to "more productive" uses. Trump acknowledged the U.S. as the top nuclear power, followed by Russia, with China rapidly closing the gap. Predicted China could match U.S. and Russian nuclear capabilities within five to six years. The Kremlin awaits clarification from the U.S., while China insists the U.S. and Russia must drastically reduce their arsenals first before Beijing joins talks. Russia suspended participation in the New START treaty under President Joe Biden, complicating negotiations. Experts see potential for historic arms control but remain skeptical due to deep distrust among the three nations. Trump's remarks serve as both a diplomatic overture and a strategic maneuver amid rising nuclear tensions. In a surprising turn of events, President Donald Trump has hinted at a potential plan to denuclearize in collaboration with Russia and China. Speaking at the American Business Forum in Miami, Trump acknowledged the United States' status as the world's leading nuclear power but expressed discomfort with the position. "We redid our nuclear we're the number one nuclear power, which I hate to admit because it's so horrible," Trump said, adding that Russia is the second-largest nuclear power, followed by China, which he believes could close the gap in the next few years. Trump's remarks suggest a possible trilateral agreement aimed at reducing nuclear weapons among the three major powers. "We're maybe working on a plan to denuclearize, the three of us. We'll see if that works," he stated, sparking global speculation about potential multilateral talks focused on global security and nuclear disarmament. In response to Trump's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that Moscow is still awaiting further clarifications from the American side regarding the full implications of the U.S. president's remarks. While no formal discussions or diplomatic initiatives have been confirmed, the possibility of a denuclearization plan involving the U.S., Russia and China could have far-reaching implications for global stability and international diplomacy. A push for defense spending cuts In a separate Oval Office discussion with reporters on Thursday, Nov. 6, Trump expanded on his vision, expressing hope that denuclearization talks could lead to drastic defense budget reductions. "There's no reason for us to be building brand new nuclear weaponswe already have so many," Trump said. "You could destroy the world 50 times over, 100 times over. And here we are building new nuclear weapons, and they're building nuclear weapons." He lamented the financial burden of maintaining nuclear arsenals, suggesting funds could be redirected toward "more productive" endeavors. "We're all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things," Trump added. Trump proposed an ambitious goal: "One of the first meetings I want to have is with President Xi [Jinping] of China, President Putin of Russia. And I want to say, 'Let's cut our military budget in half.' And we can do that. And I think we'll be able to." Trump's aspirations face significant hurdles. During his first term, efforts to include China in nuclear arms control talks failed, with Beijing insisting that the U.S. and Russia must first drastically reduce their arsenals before expecting other nations to join. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson reiterated this stance on Friday, Oct. 31: "The U.S. and Russia should... significantly and substantially reduce their nuclear arsenals and create the necessary conditions for other nuclear-armed states to join the nuclear disarmament process." Additionally, Russia suspended its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) under the Biden administration, complicating prospects for renewed negotiations. According BrightU.AI's Enoch, New START is a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the United States and Russia, signed on April 8, 2010, in Prague, Czech Republic. The treaty is a successor to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I), which expired in 2009. New START was signed by U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and it entered into force on June 5, 2011. Global implications Experts suggest any trilateral denuclearization agreement would represent a landmark shift in international security dynamics. However, skepticism remains given the deep-seated geopolitical tensions and mutual distrust among the three nations. Trump's remarks come amid heightened concerns over nuclear proliferation, particularly as China rapidly expands its arsenal. His suggestion of cooperation contrasts sharply with his administration's previous hardline stances, raising questions about the feasibility of such a plan. As the world watches, the prospect of U.S.-Russia-China nuclear negotiationsand potential defense spending cutsremains uncertain. For now, Trump's comments serve as both a diplomatic overture and a strategic gambit in an increasingly volatile global arms race. Watch the video below about Trump claiming that he and Putin have discussed denuclearization. This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: RT.com EconoTimes.com APnews.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com Sorry, something doesn't look right. Something seems unusual about your device or browser. Please contact support. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, hears a work report on the building of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) and delivers an important speech in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) SANYA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday stressed adopting high standards for building the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP). Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when hearing a work report in Sanya, south China's island province of Hainan, on the building of the Hainan FTP. Building the Hainan FTP is a major policy made by the CPC Central Committee to comprehensively deepen reform and opening up in the new era, Xi said. He stressed earnestly studying and implementing the guiding principles of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and called for achieving the targets of the Hainan FTP development in all respects via close coordination, proactive actions and sustained efforts. The Hainan FTP will officially launch island-wide special customs operations on Dec. 18 this year, which Xi said is a landmark move of China to unwaveringly expand high-standard opening up and promote the development of an open world economy. In order to build the Hainan FTP into a key gateway driving the country's opening up in the new era, it is imperative to fully carry out the master plan of the Hainan FTP construction, implement the Hainan Free Trade Port Law, and establish the framework of policies and institutions that align with the high-level FTP in a series of steps and phases, he said. Xi urged efforts to steadily expand institutional opening up, further advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and better facilitate the cross-border flow of production factors. He also stressed the need to develop talent mechanisms that are more open, advance administrative system reform, and foster a first-class, market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized business environment. Building the Hainan FTP with high standards is aimed at advancing high-quality development of Hainan and contributing to forging a new development paradigm nationwide, Xi said. Hainan should focus closely on its strategic positioning as a pilot zone for the comprehensive deepening of reform and opening up, a national pilot zone for ecological conservation, an international tourism and consumption destination and a service zone for major national strategies, thereby comprehensively boosting the province's economic and social development, he said. Efforts should be made to develop a modernized industrial system that leverages Hainan's advantages and strengths, promote the upgrading of leading industries, and advance the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation to achieve breakthroughs in developing new quality productive forces, Xi said. Hainan should play a leading role in advancing high-standard opening up through strengthening coordinated development with the neighboring Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, deepening inter-regional cooperation with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Yangtze Economic Belt, and deeply integrating into the Belt and Road cooperation, he added. Highlighting Hainan's ecological advantages, Xi urged efforts to advance the high-quality development of the national pilot zone for ecological conservation. He also emphasized improving people's well-being and making solid progress toward common prosperity. Underlining the importance of pursuing development while ensuring security, Xi said the opening up of Hainan should proceed in a scientific and orderly manner, with potential risks effectively identified and prevented. On full and rigorous Party self-governance, Xi said it is imperative to foster a healthy political environment of integrity while eradicating breeding grounds and conditions for corruption. Xi also urged Hainan to closely monitor Typhoon Kalmaegi and take concrete measures for prevention and emergency response to minimize losses. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, attended the work report meeting. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, hears a work report on the building of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) and delivers an important speech in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan) Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, hears a work report on the building of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) and delivers an important speech in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) Editor: Zhang Zhou Champaign, IL (61820) Today Snow this evening will give way to lingering snow showers late. Low 24F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.. Tonight Snow this evening will give way to lingering snow showers late. Low 24F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 90%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. An exhibitor introduces the Orbera365 intragastric balloon system, which is used to assist patients with weight loss, at the Medical Equipment &Healthcare Products exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Ying) SHANGHAI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which opened in Shanghai on Wednesday and will last till Nov. 10, showcases advanced equipments, cutting-edge technologies and innovation products in fields such as science and technology, manufacture and medical industry. A visitor tries an XR device at the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Ziyu) Visitors view an electric motorbike at the booth of Honda at the Automobile exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Haoming) A pair of 3D-printed shoes is pictured at the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Cai Xiangxin) A low-altitude vertical takeoff and landing ground solution of Nippon Paint is displayed at the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei) Visitors view LeTrak, a magnetic drive conveyance system of Bosch, at the Automobile exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Haoming) A visitor plays a game with an AI robot arm at the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Fan Yuqing) Lens for AR glasses are pictured at the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Cai Xiangxin) An exhibitor introduces an intelligent robot at the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhang Ziyu) An exhibitor (C) introduces an E20 electric vertical take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft at the Automobile exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Haoming) A visitor touches an intelligent hand product at the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology exhibition area of the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Cai Xiangxin) Editor: Zhang Zhou Lethal lettuce in Missouri. Murderous onions in Colorado. To biochemists at the University of Oklahoma, these aren't just headlines they're warnings of the risks posed by drug-resistant bacteria and the human cost of inaction. Treatment of chronic conditions and many surgeries requires antibiotics. When bacteria become resistant to antibiotics and other drugs, many of our medical advances will also fail." Helen Zgurskaya, George Lynn Cross Research Professor, OU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Zgurskaya and Valentin Rybenkov, an OU professor of biochemistry, are leading a five-year, $5.3 million project funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to ensure that doesn't happen. They aim to find new ways to deliver lifesaving drugs directly into resistant pathogens. The work is essential. Without new medicines, experts predict that drug-resistant bacteria could kill as many as 2 million people annually by 2050. "We usually live together with bacteria; we depend on them for gut health and immunity," Rybenkov said. "We also have ways to defend against harmful bacteria, if necessary. But occasionally our defenses fail. When this happens and they grow faster than they're killed by our immune system, we need antibiotics." Unfortunately, bacterial resistance to the most common antibiotics is increasing rapidly worldwide. In October 2025, the World Health Organization reported that antibiotic resistance has been growing by as much as 15% annually, and that as many as 1 in 6 bacterial infections are resistant. In Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean, it's closer to 1 in 3. In the search for remedies, Zgurskaya and Rybenkov have zeroed in on a class of pathogenic germs called gram-negative bacteria (GNB), which have evolved elaborate methods to protect their cell interiors from intruders, including antibiotics. Unlike gram-positive bacteria, which possess one cell membrane, GNB have two membranes, including a robust outer wall. Resistant bacteria also possess a stronger "efflux" mechanism protein pumps designed to purge toxic substances from the cell's interior. These defenses make it difficult for current classes of drugs to do their work. To find holes in GNB defenses, Zgurskaya and Rybenkov are testing the permeation properties of about 2,000 chemicals and compounds against hundreds of efflux pump variants to identify candidates that could slip through the membranes of drug-resistant pathogens, including P. aeruginosa, E. coli, K. pneumoniae and A. baumannii. Once an initial atlas of viable compounds is created, the researchers plan to expand their work to study even more chemicals. They're also studying how protein pumps work at the molecular level in a bid to identify new avoidance strategies. "Think of a boat with a tiny hole," Zgurskaya said. "Without intervention it will sink, slowly but surely. But if the boat has a water pump, it removes whatever accumulates. It's a similar mechanism in gram-negative bacteria. Our job, as researchers, is to find a way to create a hole and turn off the pump." With the help of machine learning, laboratory results will be tested against an even bigger library of chemicals "hundreds of thousands," Zgurskaya said to look for patterns and relationships that might point to new, more effective therapeutics. "There is no easy way to predict what kind of molecule can get through a cell membrane," Rybenkov said. "Artificial intelligence helps us navigate the data." Overuse of antibiotics is often cited as the leading cause of bacterial resistance, but that's only part of the story, Rybenkov said. "Bacteria want to spread; it's a natural process," he said. "We depend on bacteria for our way of life, but some bacteria don't like us. To them, we're just food." The OU researchers are collaborating on the project with Paolo Ruggerone, a professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Cagliari, Italy; John Walker, an associate professor of pharmacology and physiology at Saint Louis University; and ArrePath, a drug-discovery firm based in Princeton, New Jersey. Higher levels of greenness are associated with lower risks of hospital admissions for mental disorders, finds an analysis of data from seven countries over two decades, published in the BMJ's climate issue today. Local greenness was associated with a 7% reduction in hospital admissions for all cause mental disorders, with stronger associations for substance use disorders (9%), psychotic disorders (7%), and dementia (6%). However, associations varied across countries and disorders. For example, Brazil, Chile, and Thailand showed consistent protective associations across most disorders, while in Australia and Canada, greenness was associated with modestly increased risks for all cause mental disorders and for several specific disorders. The study, led by Professors Shandy Li and Yuming Guo from Monash University in Australia suggests that this protective effect of a person's mental health increases with greater exposure to greenness, with no clear threshold. Professor Guo said that the study "provides clear evidence that should inform urban design and health policy to better protect mental health," he said. Mental wellbeing remains a global challenge. It's estimated that 1.1 billion people had mental disorders in 2021, contributing to 14% of the global disease burden with associated economic and societal costs. While the links between mental health and green space has been linked previously, the Monash study is the largest to analyze data from 11.4 million hospital admissions for mental disorders from 6,842 locations in seven countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, South Korea, and Thailand) from 2000 to 2019. In their analysis the researchers included: All cause mental disorders and six specific categories (psychotic disorders, substance use disorders, mood disorders, behavioural disorders, dementia, and anxiety). Greenness measured by the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), a widely used and reliable satellite derived metric for assessing vegetation levels in a given area. Factors including population levels, weather conditions, air pollutants, socioeconomic indicators and seasonality were all taken into account. Models were stratified by sex, age, urbanisation, and season. Overall, protective associations were strongest in urban areas, where an estimated 7,712 hospital admissions for mental disorders annually were potentially preventable through greater exposure to greenness. Seasonal patterns were also found in urban areas, suggesting that climate and weather conditions play a crucial role in how green spaces are used and perceived, say the authors. Further analysis in urban areas suggested that a 10% increase in greenness was associated with fewer hospital admissions for mental disorders ranging from around 1 per 100,000 in South Korea to approximately 1,000 per 100,000 in New Zealand. This is an observational study so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect and the authors acknowledge the uncertainties of using hospital admission data from multiple countries. They also point out that their results only capture severe disorders requiring inpatient care so underestimate the full burden of mental health. Professor Guo said that a considerable proportion or rate of hospital admissions for mental disorders may be associated with exposure to greenness and could potentially be reduced through greening interventions under realistic scenarios. These mental health benefits may also bring broader economic and social advantages, including reduced healthcare costs, less strain on health systems, improved workplace productivity, and enhanced community wellbeing. Future research should aim to explore the differential effects of various types of green spaces, such as parks or forests, on mental health outcomes, and focus on assessing the quality and accessibility of green spaces." Yuming Guo, Professor, Monash University From rare tick-borne meat allergy to everyday asthma, millions of people turn to social media for health advice. But new research being presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando reveals that while these platforms give patients a voice, they also amplify misinformation and posts that get the most attention are often not the most accurate. One study looked at social media videos about alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a growing condition caused by Lone Star tick bites that can trigger severe allergic reactions to meat. Researchers analyzed the top 100 videos under the hashtag "alphagal" and found that only 15 were created by physicians and most of the doctors were not allergists. Despite this, physician-made videos received more likes and comments than those from non-physicians, which tended to be shorter and anecdotal. The findings highlight the potential power of allergists to share accurate, relatable information in a space where patients are eager to engage. Alpha-gal is confusing for patients, and many turn to social media for guidance. While personal stories are valuable, there's also a lot of misinformation. When allergists and other doctors step in, their content resonates suggesting a real opportunity to improve public understanding." Nadia Hamid, MD, ACAAI member, allergist and lead author of the study A second study examined TikTok videos about asthma, a more common condition. Of the 40 most-liked English-language videos posted in 2024 under #asthma, more than one in four contained inaccurate or misleading claims. Among the most concerning myths: that asthma can be cured with breathing exercises or that caffeine combined with asthma inhalers could be fatal. Alarmingly, these misleading, inaccurate videos were more popular, receiving over three times as many likes as accurate ones. Most asthma-related videos were created by non-physicians, and overall quality scores were low. According to the researchers, this reflects both the popularity of anecdotal health content and the relative scarcity of physician voices on the platform. "TikTok and other platforms offer incredible opportunities to reach patients where they are," said Ishitha Jagadish, MD, medical resident and lead author of the study. "But right now, misinformation about asthma is not only widespread, it's more engrossing than accurate content. We need more allergy and asthma experts online to present science-based, engaging content." Together, the two studies underscore both the promise and the pitfalls of social media as a health information source. Patient stories can provide comfort and community, but without the presence of medical experts, myths spread quickly and can influence health behaviors in dangerous ways. Abstract title: The Tick Talks: A Qualitative Analysis of #AlphaGal Content on a Social Video Sharing Platform Presenter: Nadia Hamid, MD Abstract title: Misinformation Goes Viral: Assessing Asthma-Related TikTok Content Presenter: Ishitha Jagadish, MD In a national effort to make medicines safer for older Australians, the University of South Australia is calling for aged care providers and pharmacists to join a new pilot study to assess medication safety and management in residential aged care. Developed in response to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, the study will use the new PHARMA-Care National Quality Framework to evaluate medication management and clinical services provided by pharmacists, included as part of the Australian Government's $350 million Aged Care On-site Pharmacist Program. Co-designed in collaboration with 14 project partners and funded by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), the framework provides structure and support for pharmacists to deliver safe and effective medicine use in aged care homes. Importantly, it promotes a transparent, person-centred approach to medication management, as well as equitable access to pharmacist services across the sector. Chief Investigator UniSA's Associate Professor Janet Sluggett says person-centred medication management has never been more important in residential aged care. With society moving to models of care where older people choose to remain at home for longer, those entering residential aged care are increasingly frailer with complex medical histories and high care needs. Pharmacists are critical to ensuring medications are used safely and effectively among residents of aged care homes, but until now, there hasn't been a structure for comprehensively evaluating quality use of medicines in this setting. Our framework gives aged care homes and pharmacists structure and support to deliver high-quality, consistent care, under five key domains relating to medication management. It helps on-site pharmacists measure impact, contributes to clinical governance, and promotes discussion with care teams, residents, and families to achieve person-centred care. Importantly, it identifies enablers that facilitate the quality use of medicines and supports ongoing improvement, as well as highlighting aspects of medicines-related care that matter most to residents." Janet Sluggett, Associate Professor, UniSA Alarmingly, 98% of people living in aged care facilities have at least one medication-related problem, with many prescribed potentially inappropriate medicines. Around one third of all residents in aged care homes are hospitalised each year, and 17% of unplanned hospital admissions are caused by an inappropriate medicine. As the first structured, evidence-based approach to monitor, evaluate, and continually improve the quality of medication management and pharmacist-led care in Australian aged care homes, the new framework aims to help care providers reduce risks linked to polypharmacy and support medicines to be used in the best possible way. Anne-Marie Gillard, Operational Services Executive from Eldercare says the PHARMA-Care Project sets a new national benchmark for quality use of medicines in aged care homes. "This initiative empowers pharmacists, clinicians, and care providers to deliver high-quality, patient centred care for older Australians," Gillard says. "Eldercare is proud to be involved in this visionary work which will drive excellence and deliver safer outcomes across the sector." The framework is also endorsed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA). "The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is proud to support and endorse the PHARMA-Care National Quality Framework led by the University of South Australia," Assoc Professor Fei Sim FPS, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia says. "It provides guidance to credentialed pharmacists in their role to improve quality use of medicines amongst patients in residential aged care homes." Senior Research Fellow UniSA's Dr Sara Javanparast says the team is now disseminating and testing the framework's quality indicators in aged care homes across Australia and are seeking expressions of interest from aged care providers and on-site pharmacists interested in participating. "Assessing this framework is an important step towards building a national quality monitoring system for medication safety in aged care," Dr Javanparast says. "By partnering with pharmacists and aged care providers, we can ensure the new program delivers on its aim of safer medicines, better communication, and improved quality of life for aged care residents." To participate in the pilot study, pharmacists and aged care providers can contact: [email protected] Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan today announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind initiative combining frontier artificial intelligence and frontier biology to dramatically accelerate scientific progress toward understanding and addressing human disease. Since its founding in 2016, Biohub's multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers have developed groundbreaking technologies to observe, measure, and program biology at the cellular level. The organization has built the largest single-cell datasets and established large-scale compute dedicated to biological research - resources that do not exist anywhere else. Today, advances in artificial intelligence are opening new frontiers for science. To meet this moment, Biohub is launching the first large-scale scientific initiative dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence for biology. The biomedical research organization is uniquely positioned to lead this effort, combining world-class compute capacity, frontier AI research and engineering, and state-of-the-art experimental and imaging technologies. When we started, our goal was to help scientists cure or prevent all diseases this century. With advances in AI, we now believe this may be possible much sooner. Accelerating science is the most positive impact we think we can make. So we're going all in on AI-powered biology for our next chapter." Mark Zuckerberg, Biohub Co-Founder To accelerate this work, EvolutionaryScale, a frontier AI research lab and public benefit company that has created groundbreaking large-scale AI systems for the life sciences, will join Biohub. Alex Rives, EvolutionaryScale's co-founder and chief scientist - and a computer scientist known for pioneering work opening up the field of AI language modeling in biology - will serve as head of science, leading an integrated research strategy across experimental biology, data, and artificial intelligence. "Advances in artificial intelligence are already starting to give us new tools to understand and engineer biology," said Head of Science Alex Rives. "As we bring together frontier artificial intelligence, with biological data generation at scale, and creative experimental science, it may be possible to greatly accelerate the rate at which fundamental new scientific discoveries can be made." The combined team of scientists, engineers, and AI researchers will develop the datasets, laboratory technologies, and modeling innovations needed to build the next generation of AI systems to power the future of biological discovery and disease research. To fuel these efforts, Biohub is expanding its compute capacity tenfold, to 10,000 GPUs by 2028, and channeling its resources into data generation and experimental biology. Biohub has committed to four scientific grand challenges: developing a unified AI-based model of the cell to predict and understand how cells behave within the human body; advancing state-of-the-art imaging systems to visualize complex biological processes at unprecedented scales; creating new instrumentation to monitor and modulate inflammation in real time; and using AI to reprogram and harness the immune system for early detection, prevention, and treatment of disease. Together, these efforts aim to decode the inner workings of human biology and enable scientific and medical breakthroughs. "When I worked as a pediatrician at UCSF, I treated children with diseases whose conditions were, in many cases, still mysteries to science," said Biohub Co-Founder Priscilla Chan. "What I wanted more than anything was a way to see what was happening inside their cells - how genetic mutations were expressed in different cell types and what, exactly, was breaking down. Until now, that kind of understanding has been out of reach. AI is changing that. For the first time, we have the potential to model and predict the biology of disease in ways that can reveal what's gone wrong and how we can develop new treatments to address it." A vision for AI-powered biology Biohub's AI-powered biology initiative aims to create powerful AI systems that can reason about and represent biology to accelerate science: Virtual biology: As we build high-fidelity digital representations of molecules, genomes, cells, and living systems, we'll increasingly be able to ask scientific questions digitally - conducting virtual experiments at a scale and pace far beyond what's possible in the lab. Digital representations of biology will enable scientists to simulate experimental outcomes and explore biological systems with unprecedented speed and depth, allowing them to ask and answer fundamental questions in ways never before possible. Accelerated discovery: We are simultaneously working toward scientific artificial intelligence that can reason about, learn from, and synthesize the world's scientific data, to reveal fundamental insights and accelerate the rate at which new scientific discoveries can be made. Biohub will research, build, and scale up these powerful technologies - and make them available to scientists to drive basic advances in biology and frontier medical applications. As we make progress on these kinds of systems, we believe it might eventually become possible to achieve decades of discoveries in months. We believe this will come together to unlock frontier medicine. AI could enable advances like early disease detection, monitoring, and prevention; programmable cellular medicines; personalized, gene-editing-based cures; and approaches to prevent and cure inflammatory and chronic disease. Early milestones: Virtual immune system and new AI models As Biohub builds toward this longer-term roadmap, today we are also sharing several updates on our work in progress: Biohub is launching the Virtual Immune System, a flagship effort to model the immense complexity of the human immune system. The aim is to change the understanding of immunological science - opening the door to engineering human health, simulating immune therapies, reprogramming dysfunctional cells, and preventing diseases before they arise. And, Biohub is making freely available three new models on its virtual cells platform: VariantFormer: a model that directly translates personal genetic variations into tissue-specific gene activity patterns; CryoLens: an end-to-end, pre-trained, large-scale model for cryoET providing unsupervised structural similarity analysis; and scLDM: a new AI model that can generate realistic single-cell data in silico at unprecedented fidelity. These complement other leading models that were recently made available, including GREmLN, a graph-aware model for understanding how gene regulatory networks govern cell behavior, and rBio, a conversational large language model designed to perform biological reasoning and make scientific knowledge more accessible, and other models, providing a comprehensive platform for AI-based research in biology. Rapid advances in technology are driving a revolution in life sciences - where frontier AI and virtual biology shape this next era of biological discovery. Biohub, since its earliest days, will continue to partner responsibly with the worldwide scientific community, and datasets and models will be shared freely to democratize access to cutting-edge technologies for research and discovery. Nurses hold a key position in health and care work in Norwegian prisons. What is it like for them to promote health behind bars? A professor at the University of Agder has written a book about this. Prison is meant to be a punishment and a deterrent. But nurses are supposed to promote health within this system, and that creates a tension. I wanted to find out what nurses themselves think about this." Professor Terje Emil Fredwall There are currently around 120 nurses working in Norwegian prisons. They are employed by the municipality in which a prison is located, and their everyday working life takes place inside the prison. Fredwall works at the University of Agder's Centre for Care Research and has recently published the book Sykepleie pa bortebane - about nurses working on unfamiliar ground in Norwegian prisons. This is an area that has long been overlooked by researchers. The importance of hope Fredwall has interviewed 16 nurses who work in nine different high-security prisons in Norway. They speak about good moments at work, challenging days, and their relationships with the inmates, who are their patients. Suicide, self-harm, medication use and sleep problems are some of the issues addressed in the book. Central to their work is hope. "Hope was not something I had really planned to write much about. But hope appeared in every interview, and most often it was the nurses themselves who brought it up. They spoke about hope as an important driving force in their work, and as something they felt had crucial significance in prison, says Fredwall. "And that's not surprising. In an institution like a prison, which has such a potential to create hopelessness and fuel despair, it becomes especially important to have people who can reduce hopelessness and support hope. Hope is something we humans can create together. And I found that the nurses were very reflective about this," he adds. "Not just anyone" One of the chapters in the book is about hope and what it means within the prison walls. It is co-authored with Associate Professor Asne Knutson de Presno at the University of Agder's Department of Health and Nursing Science. Professor Inger Beate Larsen at the Department of Psychosocial Health has also contributed to two of the chapters in the book "Gaining insight into how these nurses practise and reflect on their profession and their role has been incredibly exciting. These nurses are not just anyone, and they are truly worthy of a book," says Knutson de Presno. Budgets are being cut Being employed by the municipality while working in the prison means that nursing resources are tied to municipal budgets. Municipalities receive earmarked funding for prison nurses from the Norwegian Directorate of Health, but they are also expected to contribute on their own. This means that prisoners' healthcare is affected when a municipality's finances are poor. Also, cuts to the correctional services over many years have resulted in fewer prison officers on duty, more time spent alone in cells, reduced services and activities, and a rise in violence and threats in prisons. "These circumstances affect the nurses' everyday working lives. Many of them enjoy their jobs and remain in post for a long time, but the cuts are noticeable. In some prisons, the nurses say it is impossible to provide anything other than strictly necessary healthcare with the resources they have," says Fredwall. He hopes the book will draw more attention to the importance of nurses' work in prisons. "One of the nurses I interviewed didn't understand why there wasn't more focus on the work they do. I hope the book can shed light on and increase knowledge about the job they do, and what it means in everyday life in Norwegian prisons," says Fredwall. Cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CESC), the most prevalent subtype of cervical cancer, remains a major global health burden driven primarily by persistent high-risk HPV infection and genetic susceptibility. A research team led by Professor Ruozheng Wang, along with Mr. Peiwen Fan, Mr. Danning Dong, Dr. Yanning Feng and Dr. Xiaonan Zhu from the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) to delineate the molecular landscape of early-stage CESC. This work sheds light on HPV-induced keratinocyte heterogeneity and tumor microenvironment (TME) remodeling during carcinogenesis, offering critical insights into therapeutic target discovery. The study was published in the Chinese Medical Journal on October 20, 2025. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of tumor and adjacent tissues from early-stage CESC patients identified a distinct population of S100A7PI3 keratinocytes that were highly enriched in tumors and closely associated with HPV infection. Prognostic validation using the TCGA dataset showed that increased infiltration of these cells was significantly correlated with poorer patient outcomes. Within tumors, PI3S100A7 keratinocytes were found in close spatial proximity to CD163 macrophages, engaging in interactions that co-activated key oncogenic pathways, including NF-B, TNF signaling, and cytokinereceptor interactions. These signaling networks collectively promoted tumor proliferation, differentiation, and metastasis. Notably, patients with high infiltration of both cell types exhibited markedly reduced overall survival. Fibroblast subtyping further revealed four distinct populations. Among these, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs; C1 subtype) were predominant in tumor tissues and displayed strong activation of inflammatory pathways, whereas undifferentiated fibroblasts (C3 subtype) were more abundant in adjacent non-cancerous tissues. Prof. Wang quoted, "We identified PI3 and S100A7 as significantly overexpressed in HPV-positive cervical squamous cell carcinoma samples compared to non-tumor controls, as validated by TCGA data. Through immunohistochemistry, we further confirmed the co-localization of S100A7 and PI3 within keratinocytes, defining a distinct subpopulation of PI3+S100A7+ cells." Prof. Wang further highlighted that these interactions between keratinocytes and immune cells are pivotal in shaping the tumor environment: "Macrophages were enriched in tumor tissues and exhibited strong crosstalk with keratinocytes, mediated by TNF, CCL2, CXCL8, and IL10." The study sheds light on how HPV infection drives transcriptional reprogramming in keratinocytes, creating a permissive tumor microenvironment through intricate stromalimmune crosstalk. This mechanism likely underlies both viral persistence and the early stages of malignant transformation. This research not only deepens our understanding of cervical carcinogenesis but also reveals potential therapeutic targets for halting disease progression by dissecting the cross-talk between HPV-infected keratinocytes, immune cells, and stromal components in early CESC. Future investigations focusing on pathway-specific inhibitors or immunomodulatory agents directed at these cell populations could fundamentally transform the management of early-stage CESC. In conclusion, this discovery represents a pivotal step toward precision medicine in cervical cancer-redefining how HPV-driven cellular reprogramming is understood and opening the door to earlier, more effective therapeutic interventions. Despite international students in U.S. higher education facing significant mental health challenges, national patterns of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and mental health service use among this group remain poorly understood. To address the gap, a recent study published in General Psychiatry explored national trends in clinically significant mental health issues, along with corresponding mental health service use among international students at higher education institutions from 2015 to 2024. This study looked at data from 44,560 international students, collected each year between 2015 and 2024. The information came from the Healthy Minds Study (HMS), a large survey that gathers information on mental health from students at over 600 U.S. colleges and universities. The results reveal sharp increases in mental distress: the prevalence of anxiety rose from 20% to 36%, depression from 20% to 35%, and suicidal ideation from 5% to 10%. By contrast, the proportion of students receiving counseling increased only modestly-from 5% to 8%. These findings show a widening gap between rising psychological needs and access to care. International students face unique challenges that traditional campus services often overlook." Dr. Yusen Zhai, lead author, University of Florida The study attributes these trends to multiple stressors: academic pressure, financial hardship, cultural adjustment, and isolation. Female students reported steeper increases in anxiety and depression than their male peers, who were less likely to seek help-reflecting the persistent stigma surrounding mental health in many cultures. The study also identified international students across various age groups reporting concerning increases in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Interestingly, the data also showed a temporary decline in anxiety and depression during 20192020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers suggest this brief improvement may reflect enhanced family support, flexible academic arrangements, and university outreach during lockdown periods. Researchers warn that the implications extend beyond individual well-being. With over 1.1 million international students contributing about $40 billion annually to the U.S. economy, worsening mental health could threaten the country's global academic appeal. "If students and families perceive U.S. campuses as unsupportive environments, enrollment could decline," Zhai noted. The authors urge universities and policymakers to expand culturally competent, multilingual counseling services, strengthen peer support networks, and explore AI-assisted mental health tools such as evidence-based chatbots to bridge service gaps. They also call for ongoing monitoring of mental health trends and early intervention efforts. "Addressing international students' mental health is not just an ethical responsibility-it's an investment in the future of higher education," the study concludes. Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. In recent years, immunotherapies-treatments that reactivate the immune system to attack tumor cells-have transformed the treatment of many types of cancer. However, most patients with metastatic colorectal cancer do not respond to these treatments. A study led by Drs. Eduard Batlle and Alejandro Prados (both from IRB Barcelona and members of CIBERONC), together with Dr. Holger Heyn, from CNAG, sheds light on the mechanisms that limit the efficacy of these treatments and suggests strategies to improve it. Published in Nature Genetics, the study reveals how, via a hormone called TGF-, colorectal tumors build a dual barrier that prevents cells from the immune system from acting against the cancer. On the one hand, TGF- prevents a sufficient number of T lymphocytes (the cells responsible for eliminating cancer cells) from reaching the tumor from the blood. On the other hand, it blocks the expansion of the few T cells that manage to infiltrate the tumor. Our work shows that tumors defend themselves against immunotherapies by manipulating their environment to slow the immune response on two fronts. Understanding this communication language between the tumor and the immune system opens the door to designing strategies that can deactivate these defences and thus improve the efficacy of immunotherapy." Dr. Eduard Batlle, ICREA research professor, head of the Colorectal Cancer Laboratory at IRB Barcelona, and CIBERONC researcher "By sequencing individual cells within the tumor microenvironment, we have been able to characterise the main players affected by TGF-," explains Dr. Holger Heyn, Single Cell Genomics Group Leader at CNAG and ICREA Research Professor. "Applying state-of-the-art technology, we observed how TGF- blocks immunotherapy efficacy and identified new therapeutic targets to improve colorectal cancer treatments." The CNAG team's expertise in single-cell technologies, cellular immunology, and data analysis was key to uncovering how TGF- blocks the immune system in metastatic colorectal cancer. Two barriers that block defenses The study combines experimental models of metastasis in mice with analyses of tumors from patients. The researchers sought to understand how TGF- mediates resistance to immunotherapy, a phenomenon they had previously observed. What they have observed in this study is that TGF- acts as a "no entry" signal: it prevents T cells capable of attacking the tumor from circulating in the blood. Simultaneously, it modifies cells called macrophages to produce a protein, osteopontin, which in turn slows the multiplication of the few T cells that manage to infiltrate the metastasis. The combination of both actions makes the tumor virtually invisible to the immune system. "In our experimental models, when we block the action of TGF-, the immune cells were able to massively enter the tumor and regain their capacity to attack," explains Dr. Ana Henriques, the paper's first author. "Furthermore, when combining this blockade with immunotherapy, we observed very potent anti-tumor responses," adds Dr. Maria Salvany, also co-author. New therapeutic strategies Although clinical trials for TGF- inhibitors exist, the use of these medications in patients is currently limited due to their side effects. This study suggests that alternative strategies, such as blocking the mechanisms activated by TGF--including the production of osteopontin-could achieve a similar effect. "In any case, these alternatives will need to be evaluated in clinical trials, and always in combination with immunotherapy," comments Dr. Eduard Batlle. "Understanding this circuit allows us to search for safer and more selective solutions. The ultimate goal for immunotherapies, which today only work in a small group of patients, to be able to also benefit the majority of those with metastatic colorectal cancer," concludes Dr. Prados, formerly at IRB Barcelona and now a researcher at the University of Granada. The study was performed by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the National Center for Genomic Analysis (CNAG). The project received funding from the Olga Torres Foundation, "la Caixa" Foundation, World Wide Cancer Research, the European Research Council (ERC Advanced Grant), the Spanish Association against Cancer (AECC) through the Excellence Program and other grants for researchers, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, La Marato de TV3, and the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR). This photo taken on Oct. 29, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A drone photo taken on Oct. 26, 2025 shows photography enthusiasts taking photos during sunset at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Liu Huawei/Xinhua) A drone photo taken on Oct. 26, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) Hikers are seen at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 28, 2025. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows a sunrise view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) This photo taken on Oct. 26, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A macaque rests on top of a tree at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 26, 2025. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A herd of bharal drink water by a lake at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 27, 2025. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) This photo taken on Oct. 26, 2025 shows a sunset view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A drone photo taken on Oct. 27, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A drone photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A drone photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A drone photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows photography enthusiasts taking photos during sunrise at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Liu Huawei/Xinhua) A drone photo taken on Oct. 29, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) Tourists visit the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 29, 2025. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua) This photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 25, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Liu Huawei/Xinhua) This photo taken on Oct. 29, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows hikers' tents set up by a lake at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A drone photo taken on Oct. 29, 2025 shows tourists visiting the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Weng Guangjian/Xinhua) This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Zhuang Geer/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 29, 2025 shows tourists taking photos at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Zhuang Geer/Xinhua) Horses graze at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 27, 2025. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A shuttle bus for tourists runs on a road at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 29, 2025. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 29, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) Young men of the Tibetan ethnic group and tourists enjoy Guozhuang dance, a traditional Tibetan square dance, at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 26, 2025. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) Hikers set up their tents at the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Oct. 28, 2025. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) A drone photo taken on Oct. 26, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 28, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Weng Guangjian/Xinhua) An aerial drone photo taken on Oct. 26, 2025 shows a view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) This photo taken on Oct. 30, 2025 shows a sunrise view of the Yading scenic spot in Daocheng County of Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze, southwest China's Sichuan Province. The Yading scenic spot is in its best viewing season recently, attracting flocks of tourists there. (Photo by Lan Hongguang/Xinhua) Editor: Zhang Zhou China's exports fall 1.1% in October, hit by 25% drop in shipments to US Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 12:43 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Hong Kong, Nov 7 (AP) Chinas exports contracted in October, hit by a 25% drop in shipments to the United States, the government reported Friday. Persisting trade tensions with Washington may get a respite in the final quarter of the year after President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed last week to de-escalate the trade war between the two largest economies. But trade friction still appears to be casting a pall on demand elsewhere. Recommended Stories Customs data show a 1.1% drop in Chinas global exports in October compared to a year earlier, the weakest since February, following an 8.3% increase in September. Imports rose 1% last month from the year before, compared with 7.4% growth in September. Chinas shipments to the US have already fallen by double-digits for seven consecutive months, while it has diversified its export markets to regions such as Southeast Asia and Africa. The October decline also was affected by a high base for the same month in 2024, when exports growth soared more than 12.6%, the fastest rate in over two years. Imports rose 1% last month, compared with a 7.4% growth in September year-on-year. Economists said a prolonged property sector downturn and weak domestic consumption remains a concern. At their meeting in South Korea in late October, Trump and Xi agreed to lower tariffs and postpone new port fees they had imposed on each others vessels. China paused some of its export controls on rare earths for one year and agreed to purchase more soybeans and other farm products from the US. The US eased some sanctions on Chinese companies. Goldman Sachs economists said following the Trump-Xi meeting that they expect Chinese export volumes to grow by 5%-6% annually, helping China to gain global market share and driving its overall economic expansion. The reduction in some of these tariffs as part of the latest US-China trade deal may provide a small boost to exports," Leah Fahy and Zichun Huang, China economists at Capital Economics, wrote in a recent note. But that wont show up until later in the last quarter of this year, they said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all A meaningful" US export boost would probably start in the first quarter of next year and then accelerate in the second quarter, said Wei Li, head of Multi-Asset Investments at BNP Paribas Securities (China). This week, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told business leaders at the annual China International Import Expo in Shanghai that China would embrace free markets and free trade," while he criticised trade restrictions that hurt developing countries. (AP) SCY SCY Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 12:43 IST News agency-feeds China's exports fall 1.1% in October, hit by 25% drop in shipments to US Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... ED raids in Delhi, Goa against Hawala operators Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:43 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches at the premises of Hawala operatives in Delhi and Goa as part of an investigation against Indians who hold undisclosed" assets held in Dubai, officials said. The investigation is being undertaken under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), they said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories The federal probe agency has prepared data on undisclosed assets held by Indians in Dubai, and the searches are aimed at further collecting evidence to prove these allegations, officials added. Hawala operators move money within the country and abroad illegally, largely dealing in cash. PTI NES MPL MPL Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 10:43 IST News agency-feeds ED raids in Delhi, Goa against Hawala operators 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... Excise dept files charge sheet in drug case involving Malayalam film directors Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:13 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Kochi, Nov 7 (PTI) Kerala Excise Department has filed a charge sheet in the drug case in which 1.6 grams of hybrid cannabis were seized from the apartment of cinematographer and director Sameer Thahir, officials said on Friday. Four persons, including Thahir and Malayalam film directors Khalid Rahman and Ashraf Hamza, are accused in the case, an Excise official said. Recommended Stories The fourth accused is their friend Shali Muhammed. Excise officials said that the charge sheet was filed at an Additional District Sessions Court in Kochi on Thursday. The department found that narcotics were used in the flat with the knowledge of Thahir, an official said. The main intermediary who allegedly supplied the drugs has not yet been identified, official said. The accused told officials that a man named Naveen from Kozhikode had handed over the drugs, but the Excise said they have not traced him till now. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On April 27, the Excise team arrested Rahman, Hamza, and Shali Muhammed from Thahirs apartment near Goshree in Ernakulam. Excise later also recorded Tahirs arrest. PTI TBA TBA ADB Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 16:13 IST News agency-feeds Excise dept files charge sheet in drug case involving Malayalam film directors 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... Fire at plastic bags godown in Delhi's Rohini, no casualty Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 19:58 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) A fire broke out at a plastic bags godown in Budh Vihar Phase-2 area of Delhis Rohini on Friday evening, an official of the Delhi Fire Service said. According to the DFS, the blaze was reported at 4.28 pm, following which nine fire tenders were rushed to the spot. No one was injured in the incident. Recommended Stories The godown, which stored large quantities of plastic sacks, was completely engulfed in flames. Firefighters doused the flames by 7.15 pm. Cooling operations are currently underway," he added. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, they said. According to locals, thick plumes of smoke could be seen from a distance as the fire spread rapidly. PTI BM NB Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 19:58 IST News agency-feeds Fire at plastic bags godown in Delhi's Rohini, no casualty 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... CNN name, logo and all associated elements and 2024 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. CNN and the CNN logo are registered marks of Cable News Network, LP LLLP, displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of NEWS18.com does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them. Copyright Network18 Media and Investments Ltd 2024. All rights reserved. HAL seals mega deal with GE Aerospace for procurement of 97 jet engines Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 18:58 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) on Friday sealed a major deal with GE Aerospace to procure 113 jet engines for its Tejas light combat aircraft programme. Under the deal, the delivery of the F404-GE-IN20 engines will begin from 2027 and the supplies will have to be completed by 2032, officials said. Recommended Stories The HAL said it has entered into an agreement with General Electric Company to acquire the engines and support package for execution of 97 Light Combat Aircraft Mk1A programme. The defence ministry in September sealed a Rs Rs 62,370 crore deal with the HAL to procure 97 Tejas MK-1A light combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. It has been designed to undertake the air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike roles. PTI MPB ZMN Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 18:58 IST News agency-feeds HAL seals mega deal with GE Aerospace for procurement of 97 jet engines 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... Israel confirms return of Tanzanian hostage Joshua Mollel Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 07:13 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Tel Aviv [Israel], November 7 (ANI/TPS): The body of Tanzanian student Joshua Luito Mollel was formally identified on Thursday morning, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office announced.Mollel, 21, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz during Hamas October 7, 2023, attack.The Government of Israel shares in the deep sorrow of the Mollel family and all the families of the fallen hostages," Netanyahus office said.Mollel, the oldest of five children, had arrived in Israel in September 2023 to participate in an agricultural training program organised by the Foreign Ministry. He had completed a diploma in agricultural studies in Morogoro, eastern Tanzania, and came to Israel to gain practical experience at the Kibbutz Nahal Oz dairy farm.He hoped to open his own agricultural business.Thirteen students from Africa and Asia participating in the same program were killed during the October 7 attack, while four others were wounded. Fellow Nepalese student Bipin Joshi was taken hostage and killed in captivity.Around 1,200 people were killed and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken captive by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel. The bodies of four Israelis and one foreign national are still held in Gaza. (ANI/TPS) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 07:13 IST News agency-feeds Israel confirms return of Tanzanian hostage Joshua Mollel Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Israeli national killed in motorcycle crash in UP Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 18:28 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Mathura (UP), Nov 7 (PTI) An Israeli tourist en route from Delhi to Agra on a motorcycle as part of his India tour died in a road accident here on Friday morning, police said. According to the Farah police station in charge, two Israeli nationals were riding separately towards Agra to visit the Taj Mahal when one of the motorcycles skidded, leaving 22-year-old Chenven Aire seriously injured. Recommended Stories He was immediately taken by an ambulance to the Farah Community Health Centre, where doctors declared him dead. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The police have kept the body in the mortuary and informed the Embassy of Israel in New Delhi. Further action will be taken after receiving directions from embassy officials, the police said. Officials stated that both tourists had arrived in India on October 23 with a one-year visa for a cross-country trip. PTI COR CDN ANM ANM Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 18:28 IST News agency-feeds Israeli national killed in motorcycle crash in UP 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... James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix shape of DNA, dies at 97 Last Updated: November 08, 2025, 01:57 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Washington, Nov 8 (AP) James D Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crime-fighting, genealogy and ethics, has died, according to his former research lab. He was 97. The breakthrough made when the brash, Chicago-born Watson was just 24 turned him into a hallowed figure in the world of science for decades. But near the end of his life, he faced condemnation and professional censure for offensive remarks, including saying Black people are less intelligent than white people. Recommended Stories Watson shared a 1962 Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for discovering that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a double helix, consisting of two strands that coil around each other to create what resembles a long, gently twisting ladder. That realization was a breakthrough. It instantly suggested how hereditary information is stored and how cells duplicate their DNA when they divide. The duplication begins with the two strands of DNA pulling apart like a zipper. Even among non-scientists, the double helix would become an instantly recognized symbol of science, showing up in such places as the work of Salvador Dali and a British postage stamp. The discovery helped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkering with the genetic makeup of living things, treating disease by inserting genes into patients, identifying human remains and criminal suspects from DNA samples and tracing family trees. But it has also raised a host of ethical questions, such as whether we should be altering the bodys blueprint for cosmetic reasons or in a way that is transmitted to a persons offspring. Francis Crick and I made the discovery of the century, that was pretty clear," Watson once said. He later wrote: There was no way we could have foreseen the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society." Watson never made another lab finding that big. But in the decades that followed, he wrote influential textbooks and a best-selling memoir and helped guide the project to map the human genome. He picked out bright young scientists and helped them. And he used his prestige and contacts to influence science policy. He gained unwelcome attention in 2007, when the Sunday Times Magazine of London quoted him as saying he was inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours where all the testing says not really." He said that while he hopes everyone is equal, people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true." He apologized, but after an international furor he was suspended from his job as chancellor of the prestigious Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. He retired a week later. He had served in various leadership jobs there for nearly 40 years. In a television documentary that aired in early 2019, Watson was asked if his views had changed. No, not at all," he said. In response, the Cold Spring Harbor lab revoked several honorary titles it had given Watson, saying his statements were reprehensible" and unsupported by science." Watsons combination of scientific achievement and controversial remarks created a complicated legacy. He has shown a regrettable tendency toward inflammatory and offensive remarks, especially late in his career," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said in 2019. His outbursts, particularly when they reflected on race, were both profoundly misguided and deeply hurtful. I only wish that Jims views on society and humanity could have matched his brilliant scientific insights." Long before that, Watson scorned political correctness. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all A goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid," he wrote in The Double Helix," his bestselling 1968 book about the DNA discovery. For success in science, he wrote: You have to avoid dumb people. Never do anything that bores you. If you cant stand to be with your real peers (including scientific competitors) get out of science. To make a huge success, a scientist has to be prepared to get into deep trouble." (AP) MNK MNK Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 08, 2025, 01:57 IST News agency-feeds James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-helix shape of DNA, dies at 97 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... Mamdani reaches Puerto Rico for annual conference of New York political insiders Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 05:43 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New York, Nov 7 (AP) New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made a triumphant trip to Puerto Rico on Thursday for an annual summit that brings New York politicians and lobbyists to sunny San Juan for strategy meetings, workshops and boozy confabs. Fresh off his election win, Mamdani was greeted by a cheering beachfront crowd at the Somos conference, where he promised them he would fight for working people. Recommended Stories His Democratic ally, New York Attorney General Letitia James, exhorted the crowd to sing Mamdani, who-oh-oh-oh" along with her to the tune of old standard, Volare". The conference is something of a post-Election Day retreat for the states political movers and shakers at a Hilton hotel in San Juan. This year, there are ballroom events billed as Workforce Development Through Rising Communities" and Celebrating Human Services Together", along with a series of legislative workshops. Though, the whole affair is typically viewed as a chance to unwind, schmooze and party. Mamdani, 34, announced his transition team this week, hiring a group of veteran officials to help guide his shift to City Hall, as he plans to carry out an ambitious affordability agenda when he takes office next year. Before landing in Puerto Rico, Mamdani spoke by phone with the citys outgoing mayor, Eric Adams, who promised that his team will fully cooperate with this transition", according to a spokesperson for Adams. Adams did not attend the annual summit. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Mamdani is set to return to New York on Saturday. The trip comes days after he defeated former governor Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa in New York Citys mayoral race on Tuesday. (AP) ARI Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 05:43 IST News agency-feeds Mamdani reaches Puerto Rico for annual conference of New York political insiders 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... An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 5, 2025 shows a view of the Xizha scenic area near the Wuzhen Internet International Exhibition &Convention Center, a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) This photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) This photo taken on Nov. 5, 2025 shows a view of the Xizha scenic area near the Wuzhen Internet International Exhibition &Convention Center, a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) This photo taken on Nov. 5, 2025 shows the Wuzhen Internet International Exhibition &Convention Center, a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 5, 2025 shows a view of the Xizha scenic area near the Wuzhen Internet International Exhibition &Convention Center, a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Editor: Zhang Zhou Maoists, security forces clash in Jharkhand forest Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 13:43 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Chaibasa (Jharkhand), Nov 7 (PTI) An encounter between Maoists and security personnel has taken place in Saranda forest In Jharkhands West Singhbhum district, a senior police officer said on Friday. The incident took place when a joint team of CRPF, Jharkhand Jaguar and district armed police was carrying out an anti-Maoist operation on Thursday evening, and the activists of the proscribed CPI (Maoists) fired at them, Superintendent of Police Amit Renu told PTI. Recommended Stories The security personnel were still in the forest, the SP said, adding that security personnel have recovered a cache of arms and explosives there. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Renu said details will be shared only after the forces return from the operation. Unofficial sources claimed that one Maoist was killed while some others suffered injuries in the encounter. PTI BS NN Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 13:43 IST News agency-feeds Maoists, security forces clash in Jharkhand forest 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... Nepals PM Karki urges new generation to get enrolled in voters list Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 21:43 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Kathmandu, Nov 7 (PTI) Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Friday urged the new generation to get their name enrolled in the voters list and utilise their vote in the upcoming elections. In a video message, Prime Minister Karki reminded the young generations about the importance of official registration in the voters roll. Recommended Stories The Election Commission has been updating the voters lists nationwide for the House of Representatives (HoR) elections scheduled for March 5, 2026. Those who reach the age of 18 years on March 3, 2026, will be eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming elections. In order to translate the dream of Gen Z youths and overall Nepalis for building a real Nepal, first we all should make the voter identity card. Then, we are eligible to rightly utilise our right to elect proper representatives," she pointed out. Meanwhile, the Election Commission has enrolled 1,46,657 new eligible voters till Friday for the March 5 general election. During the past parliamentary elections in 2022, there were 1,81,68,000 eligible voters in Nepal. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all November 16 is the last day for registration of new voters for the upcoming elections. In the current fiscal year, 15 new political parties have submitted their application to take part in the upcoming elections, according to Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, spokesperson at the Election Commission. The EC is scrutinising the documents submitted by the political parties for their official registration for the March 5 elections. The number of parties so far registered with the Election Commission has reached 125. November 16 is the deadline for submitting the application for registration for the March 5 elections. PTI SBP RD RD RD Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 21:43 IST News agency-feeds Nepals PM Karki urges new generation to get enrolled in voters 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... Pak-Afghan forces trade fire as talks resume Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:43 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Islamabad, Nov 7 (PTI) As officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan held talks in Turkiye to find a lasting solution to the cross-border militancy, their forces traded fire, testing the fragile peace between the two sides. The talks began in Istanbul to defuse tension between Islamabad and Kabul that erupted in an open border conflict last month. Recommended Stories Both sides reported human losses during the clashes from October 11-15, which were brought under control after a temporary ceasefire that was extended and is still holding. However, it came under strain on Thursday after a fire exchange for which the two sides blamed each other, but the situation was brought under control. We strongly reject claims circulated by the Afghan side regarding todays incident at the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman," Pakistans Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement. Firing was initiated from the Afghan side, to which our security forces responded immediately in a measured and responsible manner. The situation was brought under control due to responsible action by Pakistani forces and the ceasefire remains intact," it said. The ministry also said that Pakistan remains committed to ongoing dialogue and expects reciprocity from Afghan authorities." Meanwhile, Pakistan and Afghan Taliban officials resumed talks on Thursday, aiming to tackle the issue of cross-border terrorism and avoid further escalation between the two sides. The third round was planned to last for two days and was arranged after the two sides failed to agree on the contentious issues during the two rounds of talks held on October 19 in Doha and October 25 in Istanbul. For the third round, Pakistans delegation is being led by Lt Gen Asim Malik, Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence and national security advisor, and includes senior officials from the military, intelligence agencies, and the Foreign Office. The Afghan Talibans delegation, meanwhile, includes General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) chief Abdul Haq Waseq, Deputy Interior Minister Rehmatullah Najib, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen, Anas Haqqani, Qahar Balkhi, Zakir Jalali and Afghanistans charge daffaires in Ankara. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all So far no details have been shared by any side about the talks but sources said that talks were held in good atmosphere" and could be extended if needed. Earlier, during the conflict in October, Pakistan claimed that at least 206 Afghan Taliban and 110 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operatives were killed, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were killed. PTI SH GRS GRS GRS Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 10:43 IST News agency-feeds Pak-Afghan forces trade fire as talks resume Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Pakistan PM Shehbaz leaves for Azerbaijan on two-day visit Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 19:58 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Islamabad, Nov 7 (PTI) Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday left for Azerbaijan on a two-day visit during which he will hold talks with President Ilham Aliyev and attend the fifth anniversary of Victory Day celebrations. According to the Foreign Office, the Prime Minister was undertaking the visit at the invitation of President Aliyev. Recommended Stories During the visit, the prime minister will attend the official Victory Day celebrations and hold a meeting with President Aliyev," it said. Discussions will focus on reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations and identifying new avenues to further deepen cooperation in diverse sectors, including trade and investment, energy, defence, education, and regional connectivity," it added. In a post on social media, state-run PTV said that Information Minister Attaullah Tarar was also accompanying the premier. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The FO said that Pakistan and Azerbaijan enjoy long-standing fraternal relations, rooted in shared faith, history, culture, and mutual trust". The visit by the prime minister will reaffirm Pakistans steadfast support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and to further advance the strategic partnership between the two brotherly nations," the FO added. PTI SH ZH ZH Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 19:58 IST News agency-feeds Pakistan PM Shehbaz leaves for Azerbaijan on two-day 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... Protesters disrupted Israeli Philharmonic concert in Paris; 4 people detained Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 15:13 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Paris, Nov 7 (AP) Protesters repeatedly disrupted a concert by the Israel Philharmonic orchestra in Paris, throwing flares that caused brief panic in the crowd and led musicians to leave the stage. Authorities said four people were detained. Pro-Palestinian activists also demonstrated outside Thursday nights performance at the Paris Philharmonic concert hall. Tensions over the war in Gaza have often spilled over into protests in France. Recommended Stories First, a protester shouted Israel Assassin" and then red flares were set off twice, Jonathan Arfi, president of Frances national Jewish organisation CRIF, told The Associated Press. The musicians eventually returned to the stage to finish the concert. I condemn this action, it was dangerous, it is a way to kidnap culture and arts in order to use it to send violent messages inside French society," Arfi said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Four people were detained, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said in a post on X. Nunez denounced the disruptions, saying nothing can justify them". (AP) SCY SCY Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 15:13 IST News agency-feeds Protesters disrupted Israeli Philharmonic concert in Paris; 4 people detained 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... Russia blasts Pakistani daily for spreading Russophobic Western propaganda Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 04:43 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Islamabad [Pakistan], November 7 (ANI): The Russian Embassy in Pakistan has strongly criticised, Pakistani daily, The Frontier Post, accusing the English-language newspaper from Peshawar of running a series of anti-Russian articles" and promoting Western propaganda" against Moscow.The embassy also noted that The Frontier Post has its global news service headquarters in Washington. In a statement issued on Thursday, the embassy said the newspapers international news section was being influenced by an Americanised editorial team, allegedly based in Washington, which it said invariably gives preference to ardent Russophobes and critics of Russian foreign policy." We have taken note of a series of anti-Russian articles published in the English-language Pakistani newspaper, the Frontier Post. To start with, we would like to emphasize that this periodical can hardly be called Pakistani," given that its global news service is pic.twitter.com/JRMUpoXs6a Embassy of Russia in Pakistan (@RusEmbPakistan) November 6, 2025 top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories The embassy said it was difficult to find even one article in the paper that spoke about Russia or its leadership in a neutral or positive way.Recently, it has been impossible to find a single article in the international section of the newspaper that portrays Russia or its leadership in a positive or even neutral light," the statement said.It added that the continued publication of anti-Russian" reports showed political bias rather than freedom of speech."This barrage of anti-Russian articles containing standard Western propaganda and lacking any alternative viewpoint makes one wonder whether the editorial boards policy is based on political bias rather than freedom of speech, " the statement added. The statement also noted that The Frontier Post, which has an entire section on Afghanistan, completely ignored" the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan held on October 7, which was widely covered by other regional media.This approach further highlights the Russophobic nature of the Westernised editorial office," the embassy said. The Russian mission went on to accuse the publication of echoing Western narratives about Russias weak economy" and vulnerability to sanctions," calling such claims factually incorrect. The embassy cited official figures showing that Russias GDP grew by 4.1 per cent in 2024, with manufacturing up 8.5 per cent and an unemployment rate of 2.5 per cent. These are strange indicators for a country with an economy vulnerable to collapse,'" the statement said, It further highlighted recent military developments, such as the testing of Russias Burevestnik cruise missile and Poseidon underwater vehicle, as signs of continued strategic capability.We urge the Pakistani public to seek information from various sources and not rely on publications that serve the dubious interests of foreign sponsors," the statement said. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 04:43 IST News agency-feeds Russia blasts Pakistani daily for spreading Russophobic Western propaganda 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... Schneider Electric Infrastructure profit dips 3.5 pc to Rs 52 cr in Q2 Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:13 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) Schneider Electric Infrastructure on Friday reported a 3.54 per cent decline in net profit to Rs 52.32 crore in the September quarter due to higher expenses. The company had posted a net profit of Rs 54.27 crore during the quarter a year ago, a regulatory filing showed. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Recommended Stories Total expenses rose to Rs 584.61 crore during the quarter under review from Rs 544.12 crore in the same period a year ago. Total income also increased to Rs 654.58 crore during the quarter from Rs 608.64 crore in the same period a year ago. PTI KKS TRB Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 16:13 IST News agency-feeds Schneider Electric Infrastructure profit dips 3.5 pc to Rs 52 cr in Q2 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... Seven Naxals surrender before Chhattisgarh Police in Gariyaband Last Updated: November 08, 2025, 01:58 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Gariyaband (Chhattisgarh) [India], November 8 (ANI): Seven Naxals with a total bounty of Rs 37 lakhs on their head surrendered before the Chhattisgarh Police in Gariyaband district on Friday.I believe this is a historic success. 7 Naxalite members of the Udanti area committee have surrendered today," Raipur Range IG Amresh Mishra told ANI.For 25 years, security forces have been working tirelessly to weaken and dismantle the Naxalite organisation These people have chosen the right path They carried a total bounty of Rs 37 lakh on their heads. They had six weapons with them," he added. In October, 21 Naxals, including Keshkal Division Committee Secretary Mukesh, along with 13 women cadres and eight male cadres carrying 18 weapons, surrendered before the Chhattisgarh Police in Bastar. Earlier this week, Inspector General of Police Bastar P Sundarraj said that they were hopeful to fulfil their goal to make Chhattisgarh naxal-free by March 31, 2026, and in the last 20 months, more than 2200 naxals joined the mainstream.Speaking to ANI, P Sundarraj said, Left Wing Extremism has been a bigger security challenge not just for Bastar and Chhattisgarh but the major part of the country for the last few decades. The last few years have been very decisive for the security forces in the Bastar region. In the last two seasons, we have recovered over 450 Naxalite bodies in the Bastar region. In this period, the bodies of top naxal cadres like Basavaraju and others were recovered. In the last couple of months, more than 300 Maoist cadres, including the Central committee and Politburo members and other Divisional committee members, have decided to shun violence and join the mainstream."Due to this, in the last 20 months, more than 2200 Naxals joined the mainstream. These surrendered Naxals are given skills development training to join the mainstream after rehabilitation. We have a complete package to train them. They are also given economic benefits and monetary assistance," he added.He further said that as a result of the comprehensive action plan, they have recovered over 450 naxal bodies in the last couple of seasons in the Bastar region. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 08, 2025, 01:58 IST News agency-feeds Seven Naxals surrender before Chhattisgarh Police in Gariyaband 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... Sit-in protest turns violent in Rajasthan's Pali; police resort to lathi charge Last Updated: November 08, 2025, 00:12 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Jodhpur, Oct 7 (PTI) Tension prevailed in Pali district on Friday as a sit-in protest by Rashtriya Pashupalak Sangh and the DNT Sangharsh Samiti to press for various demands turned violent in the evening. The incident occurred at around 4 pm in Balrai village near Rani town. Recommended Stories The protesters pelted stones, injuring a policeman. The police resorted to baton charge and fired tear gas shells to control the crowd consisting of thousands of protesters. The situation was brought under control after nearly an hour and after heavy police deployment. The clash also caused a massive traffic jam on the Beawar-Pindwara Highway (NH-162), prompting the police to divert the traffic through other routes. The administration has initiated talks with representatives of the protesting organisations to maintain peace and restore order. Members of the DNT (Nomadic, Semi-Nomadic and Denotified Tribes) Sangharsh Samiti and Rashtriya Pashupalak Sangh had been pressing for 10 key demands. As part of this, a large number of people, led by the DNT Sangharsh Samiti national president Lalsingh Devasai, staged a sit-in protest on the highway near Balrai village on Friday. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Police held several rounds of talks with the protesters but failed to reach a consensus. Agitated by the deadlock, protesters blocked the highway. When police attempted to clear the traffic, some protesters resorted to stone-pelting, leading to the clash. Pali Additional Superintendent of Police Vipin Sharma said the situation is still tense but under control. He expressed hope that the ongoing talks would resolve the issue. PTI COR RUK RUK Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 08, 2025, 00:12 IST News agency-feeds Sit-in protest turns violent in Rajasthan's Pali; police resort to lathi charge Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The Hindu Reaffirms its Legacy with 'Written by Journalists' Campaign Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 17:13 IST Representational image (Image: News18) NewsVoirChennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], November 7: The Hindu has unveiled its new campaign Written by Journalists, created in collaboration with Talented. The campaign reaffirms the publications 147-year-old legacy of journalism built on rigour, responsibility, and respect for the reader, by stating what should have been obvious all along.At a time when misinformation spreads faster than facts, and sensationalism often overshadows substance, The Hindu stands apart for its editorial integrity, where every word is reported, reviewed, and published by its journalists. The campaign captures this with quiet confidence.Since 1878, The Hindu has stood for words that matter. Written by Journalists is a reminder that even after 147 years, fact-checking, thoughtful editing, and public accountability are not relics of the past but everyday practice.LV Navaneeth, Chief Executive Officer of The Hindu Group said, Our readers trust us to separate fact from noise. We are in an age where content is everywhere, but credibility is rare, being Written by Journalists is not a campaign name but its our truth."Launched with Find The Story print ad and subsequent ad films titled Who writes the news you hear? and Who writes the news you read? Talented and The Hindus assertive messaging for the campaign reiterates the newspapers accuracy over attention, depth over speed, and accountability over applause. Taking the message beyond print and digital, the campaign also features a series of bold one-liners displayed on OOH sites across the country. The campaign will also have quirky radio series.PG Aditiya, Co-founder and CCO, Talented, said When a publication doesnt believe it has quality readers, it feels no pressure to hire quality writers. Thats not the case with The Hindu. Its readers are discerning, and the brand shows them respect across every format newspaper, app, or podcast, by doubling down on what great journalism should read, sound, and feel like. Much like advertising, journalism is not just a profession, its a passion. And while many have tarnished it, The Hindu continues to protect it."Everyone has a platform. Few have a newsroom.Video adswww.youtube.com/watch?v=UjE_692zmis&list=PLsHvWYTWngjXlUs-UiPdZRqpmLz18OdH4&index=3www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL7EUJZzm_k&list=PLsHvWYTWngjXlUs-UiPdZRqpmLz18OdH4&index=4www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJUtfqXDhFE&list=PLsHvWYTWngjXlUs-UiPdZRqpmLz18OdH4&index=2www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXiy-XwDnZA&list=PLsHvWYTWngjXlUs-UiPdZRqpmLz18OdH4&index=1(ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 17:13 IST News agency-feeds The Hindu Reaffirms its Legacy with 'Written by Journalists' Campaign 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... China-Africa roundtable forum aims to boost South-South cooperation, contribute wisdom to global governance 08:18, November 07, 2025 By Hu Yuwei, Cao Siqi, Wang Cong, Fan Lingzhi, Zhang Tingge ( Global Times The "Global South Dialogue ? China-Africa Roundtable Forum" is held in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 5, 2025. Photo: Chen Tao/GT The "Global South DialogueChina-Africa Roundtable Forum" was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Wednesday, where dozens of guests from Chinese and African political circles, academia and the media held in-depth exchanges on topics such as implementing the Global Governance Initiative, the role of the media, and China-Africa cooperation. In his opening remarks, Zhang Wei, deputy editor-in-chief of the Global Times, said that this past October had witnessed the successful convening of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. China's efforts toward high-quality development, high-standard living, high-efficiency governance, and high-level opening-up have attracted global attention. The scale, resilience, and potential of China's economy - likened to a "vast ocean" - along with China's confidence, resolve, and capability to address risks and challenges, serve as a "reassurance pill" for the world economy. This will inject new impetus and bring new opportunities into the joint pursuit of modernization by China and Africa. Phindile Mkwanazi, acting principal with the National School of Government of South Africa, said in her opening remarks that Wednesday's dialogue is a step in that direction. "It reminds us that the Global South is not just a geographic concept. It is a logical and political space," she said. "This dialogue is not an end in itself. It's part of the growing network of reflection, resolved and informed. Moreover, it is through such connection between media and government, between South Africa and China that we can build more accountable, inclusive governance for all." Busani Ngcaweni, director of the Center for Public Policy and African Studies at the University of Johannesburg, said in his opening remarks that the Global Governance Initiative, proposed recently by China, presents a framework for a more inclusive and equitable international system, rooted in principles of sovereign equality, shared development and mutual respect. It challenges hegemonic tendencies by advocating for multi-centered governance and calls for a renewed commitment to international law that serves all nations, not just the powerful. Pinky Sharon Kekana, deputy minister for Public Service Administration of South Africa, said in a keynote speech that dialogue is a key feature in the foreign policy of South Africa and China toward promotion of mutual understanding and mutual respect to resolve conflicts that are increasingly threatening global prosperity. Dialogue represents our strong belief in embracing different civilizations and their knowledge in the construction of national and global prosperity. "We must continue to embrace values of credibility, service, and commitment to our people. Through our partnership in dialogues such as this, and through the convergence of media, governance, and citizen participation, we can build a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous Global South for current and future generations," Kekana said. In his keynote speech, Qin Zhanpeng, minister counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, stated that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC). China has upgraded its bilateral relations with all African countries that have diplomatic relations with it to the strategic level, and the overall positioning of China-Africa relations has been elevated to the All-Weather China-Africa Community with a Shared Future for the New Era. This is the first time that the concept of "a community with a shared future for humanity" has reached the "all-weather" level on an entire continent. The forum has set three thematic sessions, namely "Establishing Collective Consensus: China-Africa Vision in Advancing Global Governance Initiative and the Global South Influence"; "Shaping Shared Discourse: China-Africa Media in Promoting Development and Prosperity"; and "Building Joint Capacity: China-Africa Cooperation in Agriculture, Trade, and Technological Innovation." Establishing collective consensus The global governance system is undergoing profound transformation. The first panel focused on strategic coordination and institutional innovation between China and Africa under the framework of the Global Governance Initiative, promoting development rights, equity, and inclusiveness as shared global values. It highlighted the joint efforts of China and Africa to build a more representative and inclusive global governance system, and explored how countries of the Global South can reshape balance and justice in the international order through unity and cooperation. Zhang said that "last month, we marked the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN). 80 years ago, drawing profound lessons from history, the international community, with the aspiration to 'save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind,' established the UN. Over the past eight decades, the international system centered on the UN has underpinned world peace and development, while the concept of multilateralism based on coordination and cooperation has increasingly taken root in people's minds. However, 80 years later, the international landscape remains fraught with chaos. Acts of power politics and bullying have inflicted severe harm, and global challenges are intensifying. Never before has the world so strongly called for a more just, equitable and inclusive global governance system. When it comes to addressing the questions posed by the era regarding global governance, countries of the Global South, along with their media outlets and think tanks, have an inescapable responsibility, Zhang noted. "The series of global initiatives proposed by the Chinese leader have charted a path for South Africa to achieve such synergy - this synergy should permeate all sectors of society, and its purpose is by no means to highlight the superiority of any party, but to advance the modernization process of various countries based on their national conditions. Contemporary global civilizations are not moving toward division and confrontation. Therefore, as developing members of the Global South, we should uphold the spirit of the Global Civilization Initiative, enabling every country to clearly voice its stance and deliver joint outcomes through equal cooperation," said Paul Tembe, founder and director of SELE Encounters, at the forum. Bongani Mayimele, director of the International Relations and Partnerships with National School of Government in South Africa, noted that the Global South must have a voice in shaping sustainable development, which should no longer be a hollow slogan but take concrete form and context, embrace pluralism, and draw on diverse civilizations to end poverty and achieve equitable development. "Developing countries should enjoy freedom of thought and the right to choose their own development paths," said Mayimele. Shaping shared discourse The media not only disseminate information but also foster policy dialogue, mutual learning, and people-to-people understanding, becoming a vital force for shared development. The second panel examined how China-Africa media cooperation can empower development agendas through joint reporting, news exchanges, and digital innovation. It also explored how such collaboration can serve as the foundation for a stronger Global South communication network, telling the stories of the Global South more effectively on the global stage. Yang Ou, president of the African General Bureau of the People's Daily, said the media serves as a bridge for information dissemination and is an envoy for cultural exchange. Strengthening dialogue and exchanges and deepening communication cooperation between Chinese and African media can not only showcase the fruitful achievements of China-Africa cooperation, but also help consolidate the social and public opinion foundation for China-Africa friendship. Ayanda Holo, president of TV BRICS AFRICA, said that the Global South is not just asking for a voice; it is creating the tools, teams, and channels to speak for itself. As BRICS leaders said, we must stay true to our values and focus on real steps - unity built through systems, and ideals put into daily life. The collective rise of the Global South is a distinctive feature of the great transformation across the world. Kirtan Bhana, founding editor of the Diplomatic Society in South Africa, noted that the Global South is not a direction on a map, but a moral compass, a perspective that affirms our shared humanity in a time of division. "Let the Global South not be remembered as a coalition of complaint, but as a community of courage; not as an alternative to the world, but as an imagination that reshaped it. The future does not belong to the North or the South, but belongs to all who have a vision and the will to build it together." Lucky Mathebula, founder of the Thinc Foundation and columnist for the Sunday Times, said that media experts should put more effort in reporting on global "zones of excellence" where human dignity, social and economic justice, and human rights are thriving. "For instance, China's achievement in lifting around 800 million people to a higher per capital income level is a remarkable zone of excellence, and we need to be reporting on how this was accomplished," Mathebula said. Theto Mahlakoana, multidimensional policy strategist at the Centre for Public Policy with the University of Johannesburg, said that she wishes in the future, when the world looks to the Global South, it will no longer see fragmentation or competition, but a network of nations communicating progress through partnership. Brett Lyndall Singh, CEO of AOM Group and Brand South Africa PYP Ambassador, believes that as close partners with a historical foundation of cooperation, China and South Africa must join hands to create opportunities. "We call on colleagues in this field to collaborate closely, connect with purpose, and turn ideas into tangible outcomes," added Singh. Building joint capacity Participants at the "Global South Dialogue ? China-Africa Roundtable Forum" in Johannesburg, South Africa on November 5, 2025. Photo: Chen Tao/GT Capacity building is a key driver of China-Africa cooperation and a cornerstone for achieving mutual benefit and sustainable growth. The third panel focused on practical cooperation in agricultural modernization, trade connectivity, and scientific and technological innovation. It explored how both sides can enhance policy alignment, share experiences, and exchange technologies to strengthen industrial collaboration and talent development. Tang Yingchu, chairman of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (Southern and Eastern Africa), said that as an enterprise, CSCEC development in Southern Africa aims for high-quality growth - create more jobs and provide a better development platform for local construction companies across the entire industrial chain, which constitutes contribution to the economic development of host countries. "In South Africa, we provide fence construction and recreational facility renovation services for local orphanages; in Botswana, we maintain village roads damaged by heavy rains; in Namibia, we supply hardware facilities for safe havens. Such sincere interactions have made the company and China trusted friends in Africa," he said. Aysegul Kandas, former Turkish Ambassador to South Africa, Eswatini, and Lesotho, said that both China and African states must pursue deeper institutionalization and local ownership. It is important to localize technology and adapt to local contexts, strengthening local management capacity and ensuring the financial sustainability of demonstration centers. Elizabeth Shawa Mangani, lecturer at the Center for Public Policy and African Studies with the University of Johannesburg, based on her research, pointed out that young people in Africa mostly regard agriculture as a "second choice," mainly because it is perceived as unprofitable, outdated and disconnected from technology, coupled with issues like unstable income and low social recognition. She believed that China-Africa cooperation should focus on reshaping agriculture's image, using the media to spread images and concepts of China's smart agriculture and technology-empowered farming to attract young people to engage in the sector. Liu Zhaoyi, director at the South Africa Branch of the Institute of African Studies of Zhejiang Normal University, also director at the Sino-Africa Cooperation (SAC) Think Tank in South Africa, said that China's "common prosperity" is not merely an economic goal but a moral and social principle of inclusiveness, equity, and justice. The ancient Chinese concept of "Tianxia Datong" (Great Harmony) points to a higher moral world order based on coexistence rather than domination; and harmony in diversity rather than uniformity. The spirit of China-Africa cooperation resonates deeply with "Great Harmony" - the two sides do not seek to dominate each other but strive to jointly build a fairer, more balanced, and more dignified future for all humanity. Wang Han, brand and marketing director at the Hisense South Africa, said that currently 70 percent of the management positions in the park of Hisense are held by South African employees - they have not only mastered advanced manufacturing technologies but also become the backbone driving the upgrading of local industries. "Africa's future is full of hope, and 'capacity co-building' is precisely the key to realizing this hope," Wang said. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows people inspecting buildings destroyed by Israeli air raids in the southern town of Tayr Debba, Lebanon. Lebanese sources said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed one person and injured eight others in the municipality of Toura in the south, and injured one more in Tayr Debba. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, warning residents of several villages to evacuate as tensions continued to rise despite an almost year-long ceasefire. Analysts believed that the escalation is part of Israel's calculated pressure campaign against Hezbollah. The Israeli military said Thursday in a statement that it has "begun a series of strikes on Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon," with army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issuing specific evacuation warnings for the villages of Al-Tayyiba, Tayr Debba, and Aita al-Jabal. Lebanese sources said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed one person and injured eight others in the municipality of Toura in the south, and injured one more in Tayr Debba. The latest strikes have triggered fresh displacement, with heavy traffic reported as residents flee targeted areas. Several private schools in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh area announced closures on Friday to avoid exposing students and teachers to danger. The attacks marked the latest in a series of escalating Israeli operations that Lebanese sources said have intensified throughout early November. According to the sources, the Israeli army carried out 22 military operations during the first week of November alone, including air raids, artillery shelling, and house demolitions. "These military operations resulted in the death of eight people and the injury of 10 others, the destruction of six houses, the burning of four bulldozers, and extensive damage to civilian property and infrastructure," the sources told Xinhua on Thursday. This followed October's casualties, which the Lebanese Health Ministry reported as 28 killed and 54 injured from Israeli shelling. Also on Thursday, a senior Lebanese military intelligence source revealed that "the Lebanese army is working with full force to clear areas south of the Litani River of weapons and militants," having established positions in 118 locations and destroyed dozens of military sites and tunnels. Lebanese army units have completed about 90 percent of their assigned first-phase mission, which is set to conclude by the end of this year, the source said. Meanwhile, Hezbollah issued on Thursday an open letter to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, warning against "slipping into negotiation traps" with Israel. "There is no national interest in political negotiations with the Israeli enemy," the statement said, adding that Israel is using "blackmail" to impose conditions, including the disarmament of Hezbollah, as a prerequisite for ending hostilities, which is "unacceptable and not included in the ceasefire declaration." The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon has repeated its deep concern about the escalation of military operations on both sides of the Blue Line, urging all parties "to exercise restraint and maintain open communication channels to avoid miscalculation." A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024. Still, the Israeli army continues to conduct occasional strikes in Lebanon, citing operations against Hezbollah "threats," while maintaining forces at five main positions along the Lebanese border. "Lebanon currently stands on the brink of a new confrontation," Lebanese political analyst Nidal Issa told Xinhua, describing the situation as "part of Israel's 'pressure by fire' policy aimed at imposing its conditions before sliding into what could be called a full-scale war." Despite the intensified operations, "Hezbollah is striving to maintain the deterrence balance without being dragged into an all-out war, viewing Israel's demand for its disarmament as a condition meant to humiliate Lebanon," Issa said. Refaat Badawi, political analyst and advisor to former Lebanese Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss, believed the escalation "aims at imposing pressure on Hezbollah and the Lebanese government to enter direct or indirect negotiations under a diplomatic framework that may lead to normalization of ties between Lebanon and Israel." "Israel is imposing this pressure to blackmail Lebanon and keep the status quo in southern Lebanon, to stop Lebanon from demanding Israeli withdrawal from the south, and to return to the 1949 ceasefire agreement," Badawi said. Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows people inspecting buildings destroyed by Israeli air raids in the southern town of Tayr Debba, Lebanon. Lebanese sources said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed one person and injured eight others in the municipality of Toura in the south, and injured one more in Tayr Debba. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows people inspecting buildings destroyed by Israeli air raids in the southern town of Tayr Debba, Lebanon. Lebanese sources said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed one person and injured eight others in the municipality of Toura in the south, and injured one more in Tayr Debba. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows people inspecting buildings destroyed by Israeli air raids in the southern town of Tayr Debba, Lebanon. Lebanese sources said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed one person and injured eight others in the municipality of Toura in the south, and injured one more in Tayr Debba. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows people inspecting buildings destroyed by Israeli air raids in the southern town of Tayr Debba, Lebanon. Lebanese sources said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed one person and injured eight others in the municipality of Toura in the south, and injured one more in Tayr Debba. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows people inspecting buildings destroyed by Israeli air raids in the southern town of Tayr Debba, Lebanon. Lebanese sources said Israeli airstrikes on Thursday killed one person and injured eight others in the municipality of Toura in the south, and injured one more in Tayr Debba. (Photo by Ali Hashisho/Xinhua) Editor: Zhang Zhou Tourism: Charter flights from UK begin arriving in Goa for winter season Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 17:13 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Panaji, Nov 7 (PTI) The first charter flights from the United Kingdom for the winter season have begun arriving in Goa, marking the commencement of direct arrivals from Manchester and London Gatwick at Manohar International Airport in Mopa, an official said on Friday. The first charter from Manchester arrived on Wednesday with 282 passengers, followed by the second charter from London Gatwick on Thursday carrying 288 passengers, a senior tourism department official said. Recommended Stories Charter services operated under supervision of Freedom Holidays Pvt Ltd further enhanced international access to Goa. With direct connectivity from Manchester Airport (MAN) and London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Manohar International Airport (GOX), Mopa, the state is better positioned to host travellers seeking cultural immersion, wellness, spiritual tourism, adventure, and nature-based experiences," he said. State Tourism Minister Rohan A Khaunte said the start of the charter season by TUI Airways reflects the continued interest Goa enjoys among travellers from the United Kingdom. As we expand our global reach, our endeavour is to offer experiences rooted in cultural ethos while supporting local communities and sustainable growth. We look forward to a promising season ahead," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all State Tourism Director Kedar Naik said this development further strengthens international travel in Goa. This collaboration reinforces Goas growing appeal as a preferred long-haul destination and elevates opportunities for cultural exchange and community-centred tourism development," Naik said. PTI RPS BNM Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 17:13 IST News agency-feeds Tourism: Charter flights from UK begin arriving in Goa for winter season 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... TVK chief Vijay 'trying to build castle in air', says MDMK supremo Vaiko Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 18:58 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Chennai, Nov 7 (PTI) Slamming TVK chief Vijay for criticising Chief Minister M K Stalin, MDMK general secretary Vaiko on Friday said the leader of the fledgling party does not even know the basics of politics and is trying to build castle in the air". At the recent General Council meeting Vijay had remarked that the forthcoming assembly elections in 2026 would be a contest between the ruling DMK and his Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Recommended Stories Vaikos MDMK is an ally of the ruling DMK. He (Vijay) talks as if he has already become a Chief Minister. Without even knowing the basics of politics, he is trying to cross an ocean on a paper boat. He is trying to build castle in air. I have already told that all his dreams will become like a mirage," Vaiko without naming Vijay said, while addressing the party functionaries at its Executive Committee meeting here on Friday. Taking a dig at the actor-politician for inviting the families of those who died at the Karur stampede, to a resort in Mahabalipuram near here, Vaiko said, Normally people visit those who had lost their near and dear ones in their respective residences to share their grief. But, (after the incident on September 27) he did not even stay in Tiruchirappalli. He rushed back to Chennai. Without having any kind of shame or regret, he invites the family members to a resort in order to share their grief." This is just a trickery. Such a thing (a leader inviting families of the deceased to share their grief) has never happened in the history of Tamil Nadu," he said. As many as 41 people lost their lives and over 60 injured in the stampede that occurred at the TVK meeting addressed by Vijay on September 27 in Karur. On October 28 Vijay met families of the stampede victims in Mahabalipuram, a month after the tragic incident. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Vaiko recalled that during the protests that occurred in Sterlite Copper Plant in Tuticorin, in which more than 13 people were killed during a police firing, he visited the spot and met the families of the deceased. On that day (May 22, 2018,) when that incident had occurred, I was there at the spot around 9.30 pm and later met the families around 3 am in the morning," he said. PTI VIJ VGN VIJ ROH Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 18:58 IST News agency-feeds TVK chief Vijay 'trying to build castle in air', says MDMK supremo Vaiko 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... Uno Minda Q2 net profit up 27 pc YoY at Rs 304 cr Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:13 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi, Nov 7 (PTI) Auto components maker Uno Minda on Friday reported a 27 per cent year on year increase in its consolidated profit after tax at Rs 304 crore for the September quarter. The company reported a Profit After Tax (PAT) of Rs 239 crore in the year-ago period. Recommended Stories Revenue from operations rose to Rs 4,814 crore for the second quarter as compared with Rs 4,245 crore in the year-ago period, Uno Minda said in a statement. The quarter reflects the industrys renewed momentum, supported by GST 2.0 reforms, improving affordability, and steady macroeconomic environment. The festive season has further strengthened consumer confidence, with demand trends across segments pointing toward a sustained recovery," Uno Minda Group MD Ravi Mehra said. The company continues to focus on innovation, execution excellence, and customer value creation, he added. Uno Minda Group CFO Sunil Bohra said the companys sustained investment in R&D, technology and future-ready systems is clearly yielding results. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Our ongoing capital expenditure across 10 strategic projects amounting to Rs 2,356 crore is progressing as planned, aimed at establishing new facilities and expanding capacities to meet future demand," he added. Uno Minda shares on Friday ended 0.66 per cent down at Rs 1,225.05 apiece on BSE. PTI MSS MSS DR DR Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 16:13 IST News agency-feeds Uno Minda Q2 net profit up 27 pc YoY at Rs 304 cr 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... US travellers scramble to adjust as airlines cut flights because of shutdown Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 23:43 IST Representational image (Image: News18) Washington, Nov 7 (AP) Hundreds of flight cancellations spread across the US on Friday as airlines began complying with the Federal Aviation Administrations unprecedented order to reduce service nationwide because of the government shutdown. While the FAA order left some passengers scrambling to figure out backup plans, most were relieved to find their planes still on schedule as airlines slowly phase in reductions at the nations busiest airports. Recommended Stories The 40 airports selected for the slowdown by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the order. More than 800 flights were called off nationwide four times the number cancelled Thursday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. Not all were due to the FAA order. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Phoenix led the way with the most disruptions, FlightAware said. While many travellers changed their itineraries without too much inconvenience, others were less fortunate. Karen Soika from Greenwich, Connecticut, found out Friday morning her flight out of Newark, New Jersey, was rebooked for an hour earlier. But she later learned her plane was actually leaving from New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport, instead, at least an hour away. Im a surgeon, Im used to chaos," she said. She unsuccessfully tried to book a rental car to get to Utah for a weekend trip before settling on an option that seemed straight out of Hollywood. Im going to U-Haul and Im going to drive a truck cross country to get back to Utah," said Soika, who is advising on medical scenes there for a spinoff of the TV series Yellowstone." Airlines scramble to rebook passengers ======================== Both United and American airlines said Friday they were able to quickly rebook most affected travellers. United spokesperson Josh Freed said more than half were scheduled to reach their destinations within four hours of their original plan. Weve had a lot of success rebooking people is the bottom line," he said. The airlines focused their cuts on smaller regional routes to airports where they have multiple flights a day, helping minimize the number of passengers impacted. American, as an example, reduced the number of flights from Dallas to northwest Arkansas from 10 to 8 per day. Delta Air Lines said it would scratch roughly 170 flights Friday while American planned to cut 220 each day through Monday. Airlines also directed passengers with plans into the weekend to check apps to learn their flight status. Some passengers quickly searched for alternatives. Hertz reported a sharp increase in one-way car rentals. Many of the routes slashed on Friday were shuttle flights in the Northeast and Florida along with those between Dallas and smaller cities, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The FAA said the reductions are starting at 4 per cent of flights at the busiest airports and will ramp up to 10 per cent a week from Friday. They will impact all commercial airlines. Savanthi Syth, an airlines analyst for Raymond James, said right now is a slower season for travel, so that means the airlines should be better able to rebook passengers on other flights. The biggest airlines expect there will be limited disruptions this weekend and stressed that international flights are not expected to be affected. But the upheaval will intensify in the coming days and could become chaotic if the slowdown extends into the Thanksgiving holiday, just weeks from now. Even after the slowdown ends, it will take days to return to normal. Why is this happening? ============== The agency said the cuts are necessary to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month. Many are pulling six-day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers of them have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount. There could be a benefit if I can get the controllers to come back to work" Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters at Ronald Reagan National Airport, just outside of Washington. I dont want to see the disruption. I dont want to see the delays." The FAAs order comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown. Ending the government shutdown would ease the situation for controllers, but the FAA said the flight cuts will remain in place until their safety data improves. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all What can airlines do? ============= Carriers are required to refund customers whose flights are cancelled but not to cover costs such as food and hotels unless a delay or cancellation results from a factor within the control of the airlines, according to the Department of Transportation. Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt warned that the reductions will have a noticeable impact across the US air transportation system." The cuts could also slow package service as several airports on the list are major distribution centres for delivery companies, including in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this weeks deadly UPS cargo plane crash. (AP) GSP Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 23:43 IST News agency-feeds US travellers scramble to adjust as airlines cut flights because of shutdown 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... We're reviewing Kabul embassy's functions, responsibilities and strength: MEA Last Updated: November 08, 2025, 02:42 IST Representational image (Image: News18) New Delhi [India], November 8 (ANI): India is currently assessing the future operations, responsibilities, and staffing of its embassy in Kabul, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday. He noted that the review follows recent diplomatic engagements with Afghanistan, including the visit of its Foreign Minister to India and ongoing cooperation discussions between the two sides.Jaiswal also noted that after the Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Muttaqis visit to India in October, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held several telephone exchanges with him. We had the visit of the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan to India recently, since then, weve also had several exchanges in terms of development cooperation, as also a telephone conversation between the External Affairs Minister and the Foreign Minister of AfghanistanAs far as our own embassy, the operation, the upgrading of our technical mission in Kabul is concerned, we told you that it has been upgraded to an embassy, and we are looking at how to now look at its functionalities, functions, responsibilities, how you want to increase its strength? So these are things that are under consideration, and they will happen subsequently," he said.The spokespersons remarks follow the governments announcement last month that India would transition its Technical Mission in Kabul into a full Embassy of India. At the October 16 briefing, the MEA had confirmed that the upgrade would take place soon.Presently, we have a technical mission in Kabul. The transition from this technical mission to the embassy will happen in the next few days," Jaiswal had said then.Indias Technical Mission has been operating in Kabul since June 2022, allowing limited diplomatic and humanitarian engagement after India closed its embassy in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US-led NATO forces.The decision to restore full diplomatic presence came after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Afghanistans Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his six-day visit to India last month. In that meeting, Jaishankar announced the upgrade of the mission and reaffirmed Indias commitment to Afghanistan.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," Jaishankar had said at Hyderabad House.He also announced a set of development and humanitarian initiatives, including six new projects whose details are expected to be finalised soon.The reopening of the Indian embassy will mark the first full diplomatic presence in Afghanistan in four years and comes as both sides look to expand cooperation in trade, healthcare and cultural exchange.Since 2021, India has continued limited outreach through its technical mission, primarily focused on humanitarian aid such as food supplies, medical assistance, and support for education and community infrastructure. (ANI) Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Join the fun, play games on News18 First Published: November 08, 2025, 02:42 IST News agency-feeds We're reviewing Kabul embassy's functions, responsibilities and strength: MEA 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... Unified Pension Scheme Alert: Resignation May Lead To Forfeiture Of Assured Payout In These Conditions Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 15:05 IST The DoPPW issues an Office Memorandum, explaining the rules governing resignation for central government employees covered under the Unified Pension Scheme UPS has been notified as an option under the NPS. The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare (DoPPW) has issued a clarification on the entitlement of central government employees under the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) in case of resignation. The circular makes it clear that employees opting for UPS will forfeit their assured payout if they resign, though they will still be entitled to receive their accumulated pension wealth. Circular on Resignation of Central Government Employees Under UPS Recommended Stories The DoPPW, under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, issued an Office Memorandum on October 29, 2025, explaining the rules governing resignation for central government employees covered under the Unified Pension Scheme, introduced as an option under the National Pension System (NPS). According to the memorandum, Rule 15 of these rules provides for the entitlement on resignation from Government service of a Central Government servant opted for Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) under the National Pension System (NPS). The rule provides that on resignation from a Government service or a post, unless it is allowed to be withdrawn in the public interest by the appointing authority, entails the forfeiture of assured payout under Unified Pension Scheme." What Happens After Resignation? The circular clarifies that while the assured payout under UPS will be forfeited upon resignation, the employee will still be entitled to receive the accumulated pension wealth in their individual corpus. This amount will be paid as a lump sum, in line with the regulations notified by the pension authority. Timeline for Lump Sum Payment The DoPPW circular specifies that the payment of the accumulated pension corpus will be made only after 90 days from the date the resignation becomes effective and the employee is formally relieved from duty. If the Employee Dies Within 90 Days The circular also outlines provisions for cases where a UPS subscriber dies within this 90-day period. If the subscriber dies before the expiry of ninety days from the date the resignation becomes effective, the accumulated pension wealth in the individual corpus shall be paid to the legally wedded spouse, or, if no legally wedded spouse exists, to the legal heir(s), in accordance with the regulations as notified by the Authority," it states. What Is the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)? The Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) has been introduced by the Central Government as an option under the NPS for central government employees, effective from April 1, 2025. The scheme offers an assured payout based on prescribed conditions and seeks to blend the benefits of a guaranteed pension with the flexibility of market-linked savings. Can UPS Subscribers Switch Back to NPS? Yes. The DoPPW has allowed a one-time, one-way switch" facility for central government employees to revert from UPS to NPS at any point during their service, provided it is done within the following timelines: Twelve months prior to the date of superannuation. Three months prior to the deemed date of voluntary retirement. At the time of resignation or compulsory retirement under Fundamental Rule 56(j), which is not a penalty. Implications of Switching from UPS to NPS Employees who switch from UPS to NPS will become eligible for the employers contribution at 14% under the NPS framework. The circular further notes: The additional four percent contribution for the period during which the subscriber was under UPS (before the switch facility becomes effective) shall be computed on the default investment pattern, as notified by the Authority, and credited to the NPS Account of the subscriber." Future contributions from the government will also be deposited at the 14% rate as per the Central Civil Services (Implementation of National Pension System) Rules, 2021. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Subscribers will have the flexibility to choose their investment options under NPS, and the PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under the National Pension System) Regulations, 2015 will apply. However, once switched, such subscribers will no longer be eligible for the assured payout or other benefits under the Unified Pension Scheme. About the Author Business Desk A team of writers and reporters decodes vast terms of personal finance and making money matters simpler for you. From latest initial public offerings (IPOs) in the market to best investment options, w... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 15:05 IST News business savings-and-investments Unified Pension Scheme Alert: Resignation May Lead To Forfeiture Of Assured Payout In These Conditions 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... Woman Tries To Rob Jeweller With Chilli Powder, Gets Slapped 17 Times: 'Real Gender Equality' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 21:56 IST A woman allegedly tried to rob the jewellery store by throwing chilli powder into the owner's face, but he dodged the attack and slapped her 17 times. An Ahmedabad woman was slapped 17 times after an alleged robbery attempt. (Photo: X) A video went viral on social media, showing a woman attempting to rob a jewellery store in Gujarats Ahmedabad by throwing chilli powder in the owners eyes. The woman was in for a rude shock as the shop owner quickly pinned her down and aggressively slapped her at least 17 times. The jewellery store is located in Ahmedabads Ranip area. The woman, with her face partially concealed with a dupatta, entered the store and sat in front of the owner, pretending to be a customer. She suddenly threw chilli powder at him in an alleged attempt to rob the store. Recommended Stories However, she did not calculate the owners quick reflexes, who not only dodged the attack in seconds, but caught hold of her, pinned her down and slapped her viciously at least 17 times, before dragging her out of the store. In Ahmedabad, a woman tried to rob a jewelry store owner by throwing red chili powder into his eyes.Even after the chili got into his eyes, the owner stood strong. He slapped her 18 times. pic.twitter.com/kMYAMf6Gmk venom (@venom1s) November 7, 2025 However, the woman managed to escape the scene before the police arrived, albeit empty-handed. Police reviewed CCTV footage and initiated an investigation despite the owners reported refusal to file a complaint, as per reports. The CCTV footage quickly went viral on social media, with people commenting on gender dynamics in crime. Crime has no gender, And neither should consequences," a user wrote. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all People getting instant karma is my favourite genre," another user commented. What she didnt calculate was the shop owners reflexes and his belief in real gender equality," a third person said. Thats how gender equality should be. A nasty criminal is a bad person. He/she should get proper thrashing irrespective of gender," another user said. However, others said the shop owner should not have been so aggressive against the woman. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 21:56 IST News ahmedabad Woman Tries To Rob Jeweller With Chilli Powder, Gets Slapped 17 Times: 'Real Gender Equality' 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 Airport Delays Spill Over To Mumbai, Lucknow, Other Cities As Air Traffic Disruptions Mount Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 21:10 IST Flight operations were affected at the Mumbai airport due to a technical problem impacting the air traffic control messaging system in Delhi, which could lead to flight delays. The Mumbai Airport warned of flight delays due to the technical problem with the air traffic control messaging system. (Reuters/File) The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai issued an advisory on Friday, saying that flight operations have been affected due to a technical issue impacting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) at Delhi, and warned of flight delays. This came after more than 800 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport due to a technical problem with the air traffic control messaging system, according to the Airports Authority of India. The AMSS failure at the Delhi Airport has started impacting Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow, Varanasi, and other major international airports, as originating flights from Delhi to these airports are delayed. So far, the AAI hasnt confirmed such an issue at any other airport. Recommended Stories Flight Operations at Mumbai Airport have been affected by a technical issue impacting the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) at Delhi, which supports Air Traffic Control flight planning. The concerned authorities are actively working to resolve the issue at the earliest," said the Mumbai Airport in its advisory. As a result, airline operations may experience delays. Passengers are advised to connect with their respective airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules. We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and cooperation." Flights Delayed In Lucknow, Jaipur Meanwhile, at least 15 flights have been delayed at the Jaipur International Airport due to the ATC failure in Delhi. The airport issued an advisory, saying flight operations were affected, and airline operations may experience delays. The Lucknow Airport also issued a similar advisory, urging passengers to connect with their respective airlines for updates on flight status and revised schedules. We regret the inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience and cooperation." Chaos At Delhi Airport The IGI Airport in Delhi, one of the countrys busiest airports, plunged into chaos on Friday as more than 300 domestic as well as international flights were delayed due to technical problems with the air traffic control system. IndiGo, Air India, Air India Express, SpiceJet and Akasa Air said there are delays in their flights at the Delhi airport due to the technical issues. Flight operations at Delhi Airport have been disrupted due to an ongoing technical issue with the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS) that supports the Air Traffic Control flight planning process. All airline operations at Delhi Airport are currently impacted. Concerned authorities are working on resolving the issue at the earliest," the Delhi Airport said in an advisory at 7 pm. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd) also said flight operations have been disrupted due to an ongoing technical issue with the AMSS. The malfunction also hit several international airlines, with an ITA Airways flight to Rome delayed by nearly two hours and a Virgin Atlantic flight to London by more than an hour, according to Reuters. Sources familiar with the matter told CNN-News18 that the disruption could potentially be the result of a malware-induced overload in automation software. They said the software was trying to handle conflict and possible malware intrusion attempts. This is also targeting system interfaces or radar synchronisation modules," sources added. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 16:42 IST News mumbai-news Delhi Airport Delays Spill Over To Mumbai, Lucknow, Other Cities As Air Traffic Disruptions Mount 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... Mumbai Chokes Under Thick Smog, AQI At 263; Colaba, Deonar Among Worst Hit Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 09:51 IST Mumbai woke to dense smog and poor visibility, with AQI at 263 and severe pollution in BKC, Deonar, and Colaba. Experts blame La Nina for trapping pollutants after a spell of rain A layer of smog lingers in the air around Bandra Reclamation in Mumbai this morning. (Image: ANI) Residents of Mumbai woke up to a hazy morning on Friday as a dense blanket of smog enveloped the city, obscuring its famous skyline. Several parts of the city, including Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), were engulfed in haze, signaling a sharp decline in air quality after weeks of relative improvement. Visibility dropped significantly in the early hours due to the smog, though skies are expected to remain clear through the day, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The citys daytime temperature is likely to hover around 32C degrees Celsius, with a minimum of 20 degrees Celsius, offering otherwise pleasant November weather. Recommended Stories The sudden deterioration follows a short spell of clean air earlier in the week, brought on by heavy rainfall that temporarily washed away pollutants. However, this respite proved fleeting as pollution levels spiked again within days. Fresh data from AQI.in on Friday morning showed Mumbais overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 263, placing it in the unhealthy" category a steep drop from the moderate levels recorded earlier. Residents across several areas reported thick haze and poor visibility even after sunrise. #WATCH | Maharashtra: A layer of smog lingers in the air around Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai this morning. CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board) claims that AQI (Air Quality Index) around the area is 222, categorised as Poor. pic.twitter.com/7xFuYfa9lX ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 According to data from CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), the AQI around the Bandra Kurla Complex area was reported at 222, categorised as poor. Among the citys monitoring stations, Parel-Bhoiwada recorded the highest AQI at 320, followed by Deonar (319) and Colaba (318). Other localities such as Vile Parle West (313) and BKC (310) also registered severe" pollution levels. Relatively better air was observed in parts of the western suburbs, with Kandivali East reporting an AQI of 93 (moderate). Areas like Mankhurd (140), Borivali East (163), Bhandup West (173), and Malad West (173) remained in the poor" range. As per AQI.ins classification, an index between 050 is Good", 51100 Moderate", 101150 Poor, 151200 Unhealthy, and anything above 200" is considered Severe" or Hazardous". Why Is Mumbai Witnessing Bad Air Days? Since the monsoons withdrawal on October 10, Mumbais air quality has steadily worsened. Until October 9, the citys AQI remained in double digits, but since then, it has consistently crossed into triple figures. On Wednesday, the CPCB reported Mumbais overall AQI at 139 (moderate), though several areas have recorded much higher pollution levels. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Localities like Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Deonar registered AQIs of 221 and 235, both in the poor" category. Between October 10 and 15, BKC saw poor air quality for two days, while Deonar experienced it for three consecutive days. Experts attribute this deterioration to the La Nina phenomenon, which cools surface waters in the equatorial Pacific and alters atmospheric circulation. The resulting weakened wind patterns slow the dispersion of pollutants, trapping them over coastal cities like Mumbai and worsening air quality. 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: November 07, 2025, 09:51 IST News mumbai-news Mumbai Chokes Under Thick Smog, AQI At 263; Colaba, Deonar Among Worst Hit 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... This screenshot shows the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS captured by the high-resolution camera of the Tianwen-1 orbiter on Oct. 3, 2025. (CNSA/Handout via Xinhua) BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The orbiter of China's Mars mission Tianwen-1 has successfully observed an interstellar object, coded 3I/ATLAS, using its high-resolution camera, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). During the observation, the spacecraft was about 30 million kilometers from 3I/ATLAS, making it one of the closest observations by a probe of this interstellar object. Data received and processed by the ground application system showed clear cometary features in the images. Researchers created an animation from a series of images taken over 30 seconds, demonstrating the object's movement through space. These observations are now being used for further scientific study of 3I/ATLAS. This successful observation represents an important extended mission for Tianwen-1. The detection of such a faint celestial object serves as a valuable technical test for China's Tianwen-2 mission, which was launched in May -- aiming to collect samples from a near-Earth asteroid and explore a main-belt comet, the CNSA said. Discovered on July 1, 2025, by a survey telescope in Chile, 3I/ATLAS is the third known interstellar object to visit the solar system. Scientists believe this object likely formed around ancient stars near the center of the Milky Way, with an estimated age of between 3 and 11 billion years -- possibly older than the solar system. This makes 3I/ATLAS a rare sample in studying the composition and evolution of exoplanets, and the early history of stars, holding significant scientific value. The Tianwen-1 team began preparing for the observation in early September. After repeated simulations and feasibility assessments, they determined to use the high-resolution camera on the orbiter and designed optimal imaging strategies, ultimately achieving successful observation. China's Tianwen-1 mission, consisting of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, was launched in July 2020. The probe entered Mars' orbit in February 2021 and has been operating stably for roughly four years and eight months. This combo diagram illustrates the relative positions of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS and the orbiter of China's Mars mission Tianwen-1, where the right part is an enlargement of a section in the left part. (CNSA/Handout via Xinhua) Editor: Zhang Zhou Pune Police File FIR Amid Land Row Involving Ajit Pawar's Son, Parth's Firm Partner Named Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 07:47 IST Police filed an FIR over a land deal involving Parth Pawar and Amadea Enterprises. Ajit Pawar denied involvement. Devendra Fadnavis ordered an inquiry into alleged irregularities. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Reports suggest that a prime 40-acre plot in Pune, valued at nearly Rs 1,800 crore, was sold for just about Rs 300 crore to Parth Pawars company. (Image: PTI/File) The Pune Police have registered an FIR in connection with a land deal allegedly linked to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawars son, Parth Pawar. The case has been filed against three individuals. Parth Pawar is accused of using his company, Amadea Enterprises, to purchase government land worth Rs 1,800 crore for only Rs 300 crore along with a waiver of stamp duty in Koregaon Park area of Pune It is learnt that Amadea Enterprises has two partners, including Parth. What has shocked many even more is that the stamp duty paid on the deal was reportedly only Rs 500. Recommended Stories The three accused named in the FIR are Sheetal Tejwani (a Pune resident who had power of attorney on behalf of the original land owners), Digvijay Patil ( a partner in Parths firm) and Ravindra Taru (the now-suspended sub-registrar who registered the deal.) It is alleged that the 40 acres of prime land that Parths firm purchased falls under a specific classification and reservation, and according to regulations, property of this category cannot be sold without prior approval from the state government. Multiple Irregularities Flagged Amid probe, District Deputy Registrar Santosh Hingne highlighted multiple irregularities in the registration of key documents. He stated that two major issues have come to light first, the stamps bearing the labels Maharashtra Government and Mumbai Government were not properly verified during the registration process; and second, an unwarranted stamp duty exemption worth Rs 6 crore was granted. Hingne further said that complaints have been filed concerning both these discrepancies, which are now under official scrutiny. Ajit Pawar Distances Himself From Matter Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar on Thursday distanced himself from the ongoing row over the land deal, saying he has no involvement in the matter. Pawar said that if anyone has misused his name in the case, strict action should be taken against them. I do not have complete information about whatever the media is showing on TV channels. I have no direct or indirect connection with that matter. The people of Maharashtra have known me for 35 years. I have decided to get complete information about this matter. I had heard about something like this going on two-four months ago. I had given instructions not to do any wrong things. But what happened in the meantime? I do not know," the Deputy Chief Minister while addressing the reporters. CM Fadnavis Forms Probe Panel Further, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis formed an inquiry committee to probe the allegations of graft and irregularities in the land deal. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all I have sought all the information regarding the issue. Revenue department, IGR, land records have been asked to be submitted. I have also directed that an appropriate inquiry be held. Serious issues are coming forward at the primary level. Therefore, I will speak only after taking necessary information," said Fadnavis, while speaking to the reporters at Nagpur, when asked about the alleged scam. I believe that even the deputy chief minister would not support such a deal. Because we have unanimity in the government, wherever irregularity has taken place, action should be taken. We will verify whether there is an irregularity or not and will accordingly take action," he added. 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: November 07, 2025, 07:47 IST News pune Pune Police File FIR Amid Land Row Involving Ajit Pawar's Son, Parth's Firm Partner Named 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... 294 Private Schools Lose Recognition In Himachal For Not Following Board Curriculum Curated By : Translation Desk Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 15:24 IST The cancellation drive underscores the state education boards intent to enforce uniformity in curriculum and maintain academic integrity across private education network Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google This action is part of broader educational reforms in the state.(Representational/File) In a sweeping crackdown on academic irregularities, the Himachal Pradesh School Education Board has cancelled the recognition of 294 private schools across the state for failing to adhere to the prescribed curriculum. Confirming the action, Dr (Major) Vishal Sharma, Secretary of the School Education Board, said that it is mandatory for all recognised institutions to follow the boards syllabus and use its approved textbooks. However, a recent inquiry revealed that several schools were teaching from books published by private publishers, in violation of board regulations. Recommended Stories The Himachal Pradesh Board currently recognises around 1,400 private schools offering education from Classes 9 to 12. As part of a recent audit, all affiliated institutions were asked to submit purchase bills for textbooks supplied to students. Upon scrutiny, 294 schools were found to have procured books from unapproved publishers, prompting the cancellation of their recognition. Dr Sharma reiterated that recognised private schools are bound by contract to teach only the boards books. This condition is clearly stated at the time of recognition. Schools that have breached this clause have faced necessary disciplinary action," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The move comes amid broader reforms in the states education sector. The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government has already shut down over 1,500 schools in the past three years, citing low student enrollment. Many of these institutions were established during the previous BJP administration. In a parallel development, the state government recently announced its decision to bring 100 schools under the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) in a bid to enhance educational standards and align with national benchmarks. Location : Himachal Pradesh, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 15:24 IST News education-career 294 Private Schools Lose Recognition In Himachal For Not Following Board Curriculum 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 Revokes Notice To Dissolve Panjab University Senate & Syndicate After Massive Protest Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 21:35 IST The central government withdrew its order to dissolve Panjab Universitys senate-syndicate after backlash. The Ministry of Education issued formal statement on Friday. Panjab University (File Photo) Following the political and academic uproar over the Centres decision to dissolve Panjab Universitys senate-syndicate, the Union government has announced to revoke its orders. In a communique issued on Friday, the Central Government has withdrawn its October 28 notice. In the previous notification, the government stated to dissolve Panjab Universitys top governing bodies and replace them with nominated structures. Several stakeholders, including the state government and the academic community expressed concerns over the centres orders. Recommended Stories The official notice issued by the Ministry of Education (MoE) stated, On the basis of recommendation of a High Level Committee (HLC) constituted on 02-03-2021 by the Chancellor of the University and consultations with various stakeholders, the Government of India in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1), read with sub-section (2) and (3), of the section 72 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 (31 of 1966), issued a notification to modify the constitution and composition of the Senate and Syndicate of the Panjab University." The ministry further announced to revoke the previous notice and stated, After the issue of the order, various feedback were received from stakeholders like students, teachers, former VCs and the current VC of the Panjab University. The Ministry of Education also considered the inputs received in meeting with various student organisations. Having regard to the above, it has now been decided by the Ministry of Education that the aforesaid order changing the constitution & composition of the senate and syndicate shall stand rescinded." Ministry of Education accepts the demand of the students, no change in the senate of Panjab UniversityOn the basis of recommendation of a High Level Committee (HLC) constituted on 02-03-2021 by the Chancellor of the University and consultations with various stakeholders, the PIB India (@PIB_India) November 7, 2025 top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all `Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced that the state government will move to the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the Centres notification dissolving the Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University, Chandigarh. 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 : Chandigarh, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 21:35 IST News education-career Centre Revokes Notice To Dissolve Panjab University Senate & Syndicate After Massive 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... Chennai Schools To Offer Western Australian Board Curriculum From 2026-27 Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 19:02 IST WACE is an internationally accredited senior secondary qualification managed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA), under the Western Australia govt. WACE signed MoUs with schools in Chennai to offer its curriculum, officials announced. (Representative/Getty Images) Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), an internationally recognised curriculum from the Government of Western Australia, has signed MoUs with schools in Chennai to offer its curriculum, officials announced. The MoU signing occurred at the New India Education Summit in Chennai, with Tamil Nadu Education Minister Thiru Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in attendance, reported PTI. Recommended Stories WACE is an internationally accredited senior secondary qualification managed by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA), a statutory body under the Government of Western Australia. Syed Sultan Ahmed, Chairman of The Association of International School of India (TAIS) and Advisor to WACE India on International Curriculum Integration, stated that the curriculum emphasises competency-based, inquiry-driven learning to foster critical thinking, creativity, and practical application, moving away from rote-based education to create future-ready learners. The addition of new schools in Chennai highlights the growing confidence among Indian educators in WACEs international curriculum framework, Ahmed stated. The signing of new schools in Chennai reflects the growing confidence among Indian educators in WACEs international curriculum framework. Our goal is to integrate global best practices into Indian classrooms in a way that supports holistic, flexible, and future-oriented education," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all With the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) equivalence granted earlier this year, students completing WACE can pursue higher education in India with class 12 equivalence, alongside opportunities at top global universities, the report added. Faiza Mirza, Chief Operating Officer of WACE India, remarked, With every school, we move closer to creating an ecosystem that empowers Indian students and teachers with international academic exposure, global pathways, and transformative learning opportunities." Currently offered in over 16 countries, including Singapore, China, Japan, and Malaysia, the WACE programme provides students with the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) a globally recognised university entrance qualification accepted by leading universities across Australia, the UK, the US, Canada and Europe." 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: November 07, 2025, 18:57 IST News education-career Chennai Schools To Offer Western Australian Board Curriculum From 2026-27 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... 'Goal Is For 40% Of Students To Study At Half Or No Fee...': IIM Ahmedabad Director | Interview Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:47 IST IIM Ahmedabad Director Prof Bharat Bhasker told News18.com that the institute aims for 40% of students to study at half or no tuition fee within 3-4 years. IIM Ahmedabad Director Bharat Bhasker said no student at the institute is denied education due to lack of money. As artificial intelligence transforms the landscape of education, IIM Ahmedabad is reimagining how future leaders are trained. The institute is focusing on helping students not just use AI tools, but master how to apply them effectively in real-world decision-making. It has also introduced a two-year Blended MBA in Business Analytics and AI, the first-of-its-kind programme in India. It is essential to understand how to use AI effectively and apply it in the best possible way in whichever field or function you are working," said IIM Ahmedabad Director Professor Bharat Bhasker, adding that continuous learning and adaptability will define the next generation of management professionals. Recommended Stories In an exclusive conversation with News18.com, Prof Bhasker also discusses the continuing relevance of MBA education in India, IIM Ahmedabads approach to AI in classrooms, financial accessibility for students and the institutes vision behind its new Dubai campus. Here are the edited excerpts of the interview: Q: How relevant is an MBA in todays time, especially when fees are rising and technology is reshaping industries? Prof Bhasker: It is a big question. The MBA is not just a degree; it is about developing leadership potential. You will always need leaders, people who can lead the pack. That is where we come in. In India, a country of 1.4 billion people, leadership is required not only in technology or corporate sectors but also in social and administrative fields. We produce leaders across all walks of life, including bureaucracy. So, the relevance of MBA education in India is not lost. It may be less relevant in countries that focus only on technology and corporate leadership, but our goal is broader. Q: The cost of MBA education is often seen as a deterrent. How is IIM Ahmedabad addressing this? Prof Bhasker: Yes, the cost of education is very high. We are a non-government-supported institute, and we have to pay for all the operational expenses, whatever goes around us. We have been trying to make it easier for students and make education more affordable. One way is through bank loans; nobody will be denied education due to the lack of money. Second, we also ensure that scholarships are given. Today, more than 40 percent of students get some kind of financial aid in one form or another. About 20 percent of them get more than half or full tuition support, and around 8 to 10 percent are studying here fully free of cost. We are also trying to get more money from the endowment fund, from our successful alumni, to help fund the education of future graduates. My target is that in the next three to four years, we will make at least 40 percent of students study for half the fee or full tuition. Q: Many institutes are debating whether to regulate or embrace AI in classrooms. What is IIM Ahmedabads approach? Prof Bhasker: We are experimenting with AI, not restricting it. Regulating or banning AI is not a solution because students will eventually use it in their work environments. Our classroom model is built around case discussions, decision-making, and peer interaction, which are things AI cannot replace. While AI can provide answers, what matters is how students arrive at decisions. Teachers must evolve their approach to engage students in analytical discussions and critical thinking, beyond what AI can offer. Q: IIM Ahmedabad recently completed placements. How did it go this year? Prof Bhasker: We achieved 100 percent placement in record time, as usual. Our students were placed in the clusters of their choice. Being one of the top institutes, we rarely face placement issues. Even during market slowdowns, IIM Ahmedabad remains among the first choices for recruiters. Q: In an AI-driven era, how can young professionals future-proof their careers? Prof Bhasker: Be prepared to learn how AI will be utilised. Todays generation must continuously learn and stay on their toes. Some AI courses that you study today may become obsolete within eight months, as AI tools themselves evolve rapidly. Therefore, there is no alternative to continuous learning. It is essential to understand how to use AI effectively and apply it in the best possible way in whichever field or function you are working. Q: Theres often debate over CATs role as a single gateway to top B-schools. Do you believe it still serves as the best metric for evaluating potential? Prof Bhasker: We do not evaluate potential based on the CAT alone. The CAT is only a platform that reflects a certain level of aptitude and analytical ability. Based on those results, we create a large pool of eligible candidates. Within that pool, we look for specific characteristics that define future leaders, qualities that can be developed and refined during their time here. Therefore, CAT should not be treated as the sole criterion of merit. It is not about being ranked first or second. If a candidate is within the top five or ten per cent, that is good enough. From there, we focus on identifying and matching individuals with the right management personalities and leadership traits to train them as effective leaders. ALSO READ: IIM Ahmedabad Launches Indias First Blended MBA In Business Analytics And AI Q: Are more students now choosing startups, social enterprises, or public policy roles over traditional corporate jobs? Prof Bhasker: More students are definitely thinking about startups, though many still take up jobs right after graduation. But two or three years later, several of them return to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. That is why we offer incubation support even years after graduation. Q: IIM Ahmedabad recently opened its Dubai campus. What was the vision behind setting up an overseas campus? top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Prof Bhasker: The vision behind this is that we want to be the leader of the South. India also wants to take on that leadership role. We are a leadership creation institute, and if we begin to create leaders in Dubai for Africa and Asia, we will establish ourselves, India as a country and IIM Ahmedabad as a management institute, as a leader of the South. That is the broader vision. Our plan is that we have already launched one programme, and every year we are going to add one more. So next year, apart from the one-year MBA programme that has already been launched, we are planning to introduce a doctoral programme as well as a part-time or weekend programme there. About the Author Archit Gupta Archit Gupta is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com and a seasoned education journalist specialising in reporting on education and employment. He has covered a variety of education-related stories, inclu... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 16:43 IST News education-career 'Goal Is For 40% Of Students To Study At Half Or No Fee...': IIM Ahmedabad Director | Interview 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... NCERTs New Class 7 Maths Textbook Highlights Indias Early Contributions To Algebra & Geometry Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 09:48 IST NCERTs new Class 7 mathematics textbook highlights ancient Indias key contributions to the field, including early developments in algebra and geometry. New NCERT Class 7 maths book highlights ancient Indias role in algebra and geometry through works of Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharya.(Representative/File Photo) The recently released Class 7 mathematics textbook by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) features several references to Indias ancient contributions to the field. It states that many key mathematical concepts, including algebra, were first developed by Indian mathematicians, according to a report by The Indian Express. This is the second part of NCERTs Ganita Prakash textbook for Class 7. The first part, released earlier this year, also highlighted Indias mathematical heritage. The newly released Part 2 draws from Sanskrit texts, includes problems inspired by the work of ancient Indian scholars, and even discusses an early Indian text on geometry. Recommended Stories One chapter in the book talks about integers, which are positive and negative numbers. It mentions the 7th-century mathematician Brahmagupta and his well-known text Brahmasphutasiddhanta. The textbook says this was the first time anyone clearly explained how to multiply and divide positive and negative numbers. It describes this as an important milestone in the history of mathematics because it helped shape both arithmetic and algebra. The chapter also includes Brahmaguptas rules for these calculations and gives students a problem based on his methods. It adds that Indias work in algebra was among the earliest known in the world. A section on algebraic equations refers to bijaganita, a term now associated with algebra, and notes that forming expressions using symbols and solving equations with such expressions was an important part of mathematical studies in ancient India". The textbook explains how Brahmagupta worked with unknown quantities represented by letters, describing it as one of the earliest known examples of algebraic thinking. The book goes on to trace how Indian mathematical ideas travelled to the Arab world. In the 8th century, Indian mathematical ideas were translated into Arabic," it says, adding that these influenced Al-Khwarizmi, a mathematician from present-day Iraq. Around 825 CE, Al-Khwarizmi wrote Hisab al-jabr wal-muqabala, which means calculation by restoring and balancing". The textbook notes that his work was translated into Latin by the 12th century and spread to Europe. The word al-jabr from his book gave us the word algebra, which we still use today," it adds. It also lists the symbols that Indian mathematicians from Brahmaguptas era used to represent unknowns and gives an example of a maths problem from Bijaganita, written by Bhaskaracharya in the 12th century. ALSO READ: JNUSU Polls: Left Unity Sweeps All 4 Central Posts After Close Contest With ABVP top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all A chapter on geometry titled Constructions and Tilings describes the Sulba-Sutras, ancient Indian texts that explained how to construct perpendicular lines and bisectors using ropes. Ancient mathematicians from different civilisations, including India, knew exact methods to construct perpendiculars and bisectors. In India, the earliest known texts containing these methods are the Sulba-Sutras, which deal with the construction of fire altars for rituals," it says. The earlier Class 7 mathematics textbook did not contain any references to ancient Indian scholars. NCERT has been releasing new textbooks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework, both of which call for including Indian Knowledge Systems in school education. 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: November 07, 2025, 09:41 IST News education-career NCERTs New Class 7 Maths Textbook Highlights Indias Early Contributions To Algebra & Geometry 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... 'Marab Sixer Ke 6 Goli': PM Modi Slams RJD's Song, Calls Tejashwi 'Jungle Rajs Crown Prince' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:13 IST PM Modi took a dig at RJDs Tejashwi Yadav over his big promises in the Bihar elections, calling him the crown prince of Jungle Raj" PM Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting ahead of Bihar assembly elections (File Image: @NarendraModi/YT/PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised the songs played by RJD leaders during their Bihar election campaign, calling Tejashwi Yadav the crown prince of Jungle Raj." PM Modi said the RJD leaders are eagerly waiting to return to power so that kidnapping, extortion, and their alleged old criminal activities can resume. Recommended Stories Look at the kind of songs their leaders are making viral. One of the RJDs songs says, Aayegi Bhaiya Ki Sarkar, Banenge Rangdaar. RJD is waiting for the moment their government comes so that kidnapping, extortion, and the old criminal business can start again," PM Modi said. Theres another song going around. Shall I tell you what kind of song it is? Another song of theirs goes, Marab sixer ke chhe goli chhati mein (will hit six bullets to the chest like a sixer). This is their method; this is their plan. If anyone asks them a question, this is the answer they give Marab sixer ke chhe goli chhati mein" Bhabua, Bihar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, Theres another song going around. Shall I tell you what kind of song it is? Another song of theirs is going Marab sixer ke chhe goli chhati mein. This is their method, this is their plan. If anyone asks them a question, this pic.twitter.com/9nK8TaSzru IANS (@ians_india) November 7, 2025 PM Modi Targets Yadav Over Big Promises He further targeted Yadav over big promises" made ahead of the Bihar elections. Whenever the Yuvraj of Jungle Raj is asked how he will fulfil the big promises he has made, he says he has a plan. But when he is asked to reveal what that plan is, he becomes silent. I want to alert Bihar, and the entire country about the kind of plans the RJD people have." PM Modi slammed RJD-Congress over appeasement politics", saying that their leaders insulted the faith of Hindus by mocking Chhath Maiya and Lord Ram." Congress and RJD leaders insult our faiths like Chhath Maiya and Lord Ram is to please their hardcore vote bank so that their votes dont get upset," he said. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all These Jungle Raj people have taken one more step toward appeasement politics, they are becoming a protection shield for infiltrators," PM Modi added. The Bihar Assembly elections are taking place in two phases; the first was held on November 6, and the second is scheduled for November 11. The results will be announced on November 14. Location : Bihar, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 16:13 IST News elections 'Marab Sixer Ke 6 Goli': PM Modi Slams RJD's Song, Calls Tejashwi 'Jungle Rajs Crown Prince' 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... Two-Thirds Majority: Rajnath Singh Confident Of Bihar Win, Downplays Prashant Kishor Factor Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 20:45 IST On the question of leadership, Rajnath Singh made it clear that Nitish Kumar remains the alliances chief ministerial face. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to News18. (Image: X) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed strong confidence in the NDAs performance in the ongoing Bihar Assembly elections, predicting a decisive victory. In an exclusive conversation with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Singh said the NDA is poised to form the government with a two-thirds majority. Seeing the response of the voters in our public meetings, I can say that our government will be formed for sure and we may also secure a two-thirds majority, which is more than 160 seats," he said. Recommended Stories Prashant Kishor Factor Insignificant Addressing speculation over political strategist-turned-leader Prashant Kishors impact, Singh dismissed it as negligible. I believe that factor is insignificant. Not significant enough to even consider," he said. According to him, voters in Bihar are politically aware and understand who is standing just to cut votes and who wants to make the government." Singh added, People in Bihar know he may not win a single seat." Also Read: Rajnath Singh Blasts Rahul Gandhi For Dragging Military Into Caste Politics | Exclusive Nitish Kumar To Continue As CM On the question of leadership, Rajnath Singh made it clear that Nitish Kumar remains the alliances chief ministerial face. The election is being held under his leadership. So, it is natural that he will be the chief minister," he stated. When asked about the possibility of deputy chief ministers from the BJP and Chirag Paswans party, Singh said such matters would be decided by consensus after the polls. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all On Law And Order Allegations Responding to allegations raised against alliance leader Anant Singh following a recent firing incident, Singh said such stray events should not be generalised. Its possible that such stray incidents happen sometimes. But because of that, you cant simply say that a particular person is a mafia," he explained, adding that the NDA carefully selects candidates with clean images. 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: November 07, 2025, 20:45 IST News elections Two-Thirds Majority: Rajnath Singh Confident Of Bihar Win, Downplays Prashant Kishor Factor 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... Amit Shah On Bihar Polls: 'We'll Win Over 160 Seats, Voters Want Infiltrator-Free State' Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 18:33 IST The minister insisted that voter-list corrections will continue and argued that those whose names are removed are not Indian citizens Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Home Minister Amit Shah. (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on the heels of the first phase of voting in Bihar, told News18 that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is on track to win more than 160 seats" and to improve on its last victory. Our assessment is 160 seats, and we will go even beyond that," Shah said. Last time, we won with a majority, and this time too, we will win with an even bigger majority." Recommended Stories The minister also framed one of the BJP campaigns central issues as migration and citizenship claims in border districts. Speaking about Seemanchal, the north-eastern belt of Bihar bordering West Bengal and Nepal, Shah said the people there want an infiltrator-free state". He insisted that voter-list corrections will continue, and argued those whose names are removed are not Indian citizens. Those who are not citizens of India their names should be removed. Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav will fail, if they try to protect them: @AmitShah, Union Home Minister#BiharElections #AmitShah #BJP #Congress pic.twitter.com/cIO1Sex97T News18 (@CNNnews18) November 7, 2025 Those who are not Indian citizens their names will be cut," Shah told News18. Rahul and Lalu want to save them; that will not happen." The home minister had earlier too called out Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his opposition to the voter list revision in Bihar, saying he had been campaigning for ghuspaithiya" (illegal immigrants). top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all BJP supports the special intensive revision exercise to cleanse electoral rolls. Rahul baba ghuspaithiya bachao rally nikaal rahe hain (Rahul Gandhi is taking out rallies in support of infiltrators). I want people to recognise such people and parties that want infiltrators to remain on voter lists so that they can win elections with the help of infiltrators," Shah had said. I am confident that people of Bihar will celebrate real Diwali on November 14, when the poll results will be announced. The RJD and its alliance partners will witness a humiliating defeat," the home minister said. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 18:19 IST News elections Amit Shah On Bihar Polls: 'We'll Win Over 160 Seats, Voters Want Infiltrator-Free State' 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... 'Won't Let Jungle Raj Return': Amit Shah Says RJD, Congress Wiped Out In Bihar Phase 1 Election Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:08 IST Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the RJD-Congress duo had been wiped out in the first phase of Bihar polls, a clear indication that people won't allow jungle raj to return. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressing a rally in Jamui, Bihar. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday declared that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress had been wiped out in the first phase of the Bihar elections, sending a clear message that people will now allow jungle raj to return in the state again. Addressing a rally in Jamui, Shah said, The first phase of the elections concluded just yesterday. Lalu-Rahuls party has been wiped out. Their account should not open in Jamui either. All four seats here need to be credited to the NDAs account." Recommended Stories He said that the RJD-Congress alliance were trying to re-introduce jungle raj in disguise, but the people of Bihar have made it clear that it will not be allowed. If you make even the slightest mistake and deviate even a little from the lotus symbol or the arrow symbol, then jungle raj will come again," Shah said. If we win, we will constitute a new department to ensure that Bihar becomes free of floods. If Lalus son wins, he will open a new department for Apaharan (Kidnapping)," the Home Minister said. We will not let jungle raj return to the state." #BiharElections | Jamui | Union Home Minister Amit Shah says, If we win, we will constitute a new department to ensure Bihar becomes free of floods. If Lalus son wins, he will open a new department for Apaharan (Kidnapping and abduction)"In the last 10 years, PM Modi pic.twitter.com/TtWkSNayrx ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 Shah also underscored Prime Minister Narendra Modis focus on the development of Bihar via road infrastructure, ethanol and sugarcane factories, and the fight against Naxalism. He also credited Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for ending Lalu Yadavs misrule. He also launched an attack on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, saying that those concerned only about the welfare of their sons and daughters cannot make Bihar developed". top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Give us a mandate for five more years, and Bihar will be counted among the developed states. It will be made free from floods. Lalu-Rabri-Rahul have no development agenda," he said. They did not do anything for the poor, barring patronising infiltrators who are usurping poor peoples jobs, foodgrain and resources. Do you think that those who are concerned only about the welfare of their sons and daughters can make Bihar a developed state? They cant." (with inputs from PTI) About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More Location : Jamui, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 15:58 IST News elections 'Won't Let Jungle Raj Return': Amit Shah Says RJD, Congress Wiped Out In Bihar Phase 1 Election 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... BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A new study has revealed that the Southern Ocean releases far more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere during the winter than previously estimated, with seasonal emissions potentially underestimated by as much as 40 percent. The study was led by researchers from the Ministry of Natural Resources' Second Institute of Oceanography and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology (NIGLAS), and its results were published in the latest issue of Science Advances. The Southern Ocean -- also referred to as the Antarctic Ocean -- encircles Antarctica and connects the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. According to the study, the Southern Ocean plays a critical role in Earth's carbon cycle. However, it is also the largest source of uncertainty in global estimates of carbon dioxide exchange between the ocean and atmosphere. This uncertainty stems largely from the extreme conditions of the austral winter, when the region is shrouded in continuous darkness and subjected to severe weather, rendering direct observation nearly unfeasible. Conventional satellites, which rely on sunlight, are ineffective during this period, forcing scientists to depend on incomplete models. To address this challenge, the research team adopted an innovative approach, integrating 14 years of data collected by a satellite LIDAR system with machine learning techniques. Unlike conventional satellites, LIDAR uses its own laser source, enabling data collection even in total darkness. This methodology yielded the first complete annual record of observed carbon dioxide exchanges in the region. The findings not only indicate a winter carbon dioxide release 40 percent higher than earlier projections but also provide new insights into the carbon cycle dynamics of the Southern Ocean, according to the study. Shi Kun, a professor at NIGLAS, said the results reveal that the Southern Ocean's role in the global carbon cycle is more complex and dynamic than previously recognized. "This study also underscores the importance of new technologies, such as active satellite sensors, in enhancing our understanding of Earth's climate system," Shi added. Editor: ZAD Can AI Predict Dengue Before It Hits? How New Models Could Save India Weeks In Advance Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 15:05 IST The newest research from Southeast Asia shows AI models can predict dengue outbreaks two to four weeks in advance. In some cities with reliable data, forecasts extend to six weeks The accuracy depends largely on data quality. Countries like Singapore, with meticulous mosquito surveillance, achieve extremely high accuracy often above 90%. (Getty Images) As dengue cases surge once again in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, and West Bengal, the familiar scenes return: overcrowded hospitals, under-equipped fever clinics, frantic platelet checks, and families scrambling to understand how a mosquito-borne disease still overwhelms a country with decades of experience in handling it. Fogging machines roll out, neighbourhoods are inspected for stagnant water, and advisories flood WhatsApp groups. Yet despite these efforts, dengue surveillance in India remains reactive, not predictive. Outbreaks are identified only after fever cases rise sharply, often when hospitals are already strained. Recommended Stories Delhi recorded two dengue deaths on November 5, according to the Municipal Corporation of Delhis health report. The capital had recorded 11 dengue deaths last year, 19 in 2023, nine in 2022, and 23 in 2021. Reports suggest dengue cases in the city have reached 1,136 in a week, with the highest 125 cases from the Central zone, followed by 103 in Najafgarh. There are 623 malaria cases, and 133 are of chikungunya. Scientists across the world, and increasingly in India, are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) models that can forecast dengue outbreaks weeks in advance, sometimes even a month before case numbers rise. Using vast amounts of climate, mosquito ecology, mobility, and urban data, these models claim to offer something India has never had: early-warning precision at the local, neighbourhood level. A new machine-learning dengue model tested across Southeast Asia recently demonstrated the ability to predict dengue surges up to four weeks before they occur. At the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Pune (IITM) and Bengalurus ARTPARK (seed-funded by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) have already begun piloting AI-based early-warning systems tailored for Indias complex climate and disease patterns. As dengue seasons become longer and more unpredictable driven by rapid urbanisation, climate change, and erratic rains these AI models may fundamentally change how the country fights the disease. Let us decode these models, their accuracy, what India is already testing, and how this technology could reshape the public-health response. A Look At Dengue Threat In India India records over 1 lakh officially confirmed dengue cases every year, though the actual burden is widely believed to be much higher because many cases go unreported or misdiagnosed. The dengue virus is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, a species that thrives in urban environments exactly where Indias fastest population growth is happening. Over the last decade, the disease has transformed from a post-monsoon seasonal outbreak into a year-round challenge in several parts of the country, even in the winter season. States like Kerala and Karnataka report rising cases even in winter. Delhis dengue peak now shifts unpredictably from October to November or even December. Climate variability from warmer winters, erratic rainfall, and increased humidity is creating ideal mosquito breeding conditions. The challenge for health officials is that traditional surveillance methods rely on detecting clusters of fever cases, which occurs only after transmission has already intensified. By the time authorities detect a spike, the outbreak is often weeks old. This is why early prediction matters it allows governments to intervene before transmission spirals. And that is where AI comes in. How AI Models Predict A Dengue Outbreak Predicting dengue is complex because the disease does not simply rise when mosquito populations rise. It is influenced by multiple variables such as temperature, humidity, rainfall patterns, gaps between rain spells, mosquito lifecycle dynamics, urban population density, human mobility, prior immunity levels, environmental sanitation, and virus strain circulation. Conventional models struggle to capture the interaction between so many factors. But machine-learning models, which are fed with a large amount of real-time and historical data, can identify patterns invisible to the human eye. What Goes Into An AI Dengue Model? Modern models integrate a wide range of variables: weather forecasts (temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed) satellite imagery of waterlogging and vegetation mosquito population data from traps human mobility patterns from telecom or traffic data health surveillance records urban infrastructure maps social media signals on fever and mosquito complaints By correlating these with past dengue outbreaks, the AI learns to map the conditions that precede a surge. This allows it to predict when and where a new outbreak is likely. How Far Ahead Can AI Predict? The newest research from Southeast Asia shows AI models can predict dengue outbreaks two to four weeks in advance. In some cities with reliable data, forecasts extend to six weeks. For a disease like dengue, four weeks is huge. It means: Health departments can schedule fogging and larval control ahead of time Hospitals can stock platelets and expand fever wards Schools and communities can be alerted Vector-control staff can focus on upcoming hotspots rather than spread resources thin The crucial point is not just prediction it is local-level accuracy. Some models can forecast dengue at the ward or neighbourhood level, not just the state or city level. That granularity is essential in densely populated urban areas like Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru, where outbreaks often start block by block. What Are The Latest AI Models? Over the past two years, dengue-forecasting research has accelerated rapidly. Studies published in 2024 and 2025 point to a new generation of machine-learning tools that significantly outperform older statistical models. XGBoost (Extreme Gradient Boosting) This is currently one of the most successful models for dengue prediction. XGBoost handles complex, non-linear interactions between climate and mosquito variables, making it extremely effective for tropical disease forecasting. LightGBM (Light Gradient Boosting Machine) This model is faster and more efficient, especially for large datasets from multiple districts or states. In many studies, LightGBM matches or surpasses XGBoost in accuracy while consuming less computational power. Explainable AI (XAI) Layers One of the criticisms of machine-learning models is that they function like black boxes." Explainable AI solves this by showing why a model is predicting an outbreak listing which variables triggered the signal. For public health officials, XAI is critical. They need to know: Was the spike predicted because rainfall rose sharply? Did temperatures remain above 28C for longer than usual? Did mosquito breeding conditions intensify in particular pockets? Did human mobility change due to festivals or migration? XAI makes AI models transparent, trustworthy and actionable. Where India Stands Despite limited attention, India is already building an AI-based disease surveillance infrastructure. IITM Punes ClimateDisease Modelling Team Researchers at the IITM, Pune known for its climate modelling expertise have been studying how monsoon variability influences vector-borne diseases. Their work integrates climate forecasts with disease transmission models, allowing predictions of dengue risk based on future rainfall and temperature patterns. The study led by Sophia Yacob and Roxy Mathew Koll from IITM, titled, Dengue dynamics, predictions, and future increase under changing monsoon climate in India was published in Scientific Reports on January 21. Their studies show that sudden rainfall breaks, followed by warm, humid days, create ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes in Pune a dengue hotspot. IITMs models aim to translate these patterns into actionable early warnings for health departments. The study also warned that without timely interventions, rising temperatures and fluctuating monsoon rainfall dengue-related deaths could increase by 13% by 2030 and 2340% by 2050. ARTPARKs PRISM-H Platform (Bengaluru) One of the most advanced pilots in India is being developed by ARTPARK (AI & Robotics Technology Park), an initiative supported by IISc and AI Foundry. Their platform PRISM-H (Platform for Research Integrated Surveillance & Management of Health) is an AI-powered early warning system currently operational for dengue in Karnataka. It integrates climate data, hospital records, mosquito surveillance, urban sanitation patterns, and mobility data. It sends alerts when dengue risk is expected to rise in specific urban pockets at least four weeks in advance. The system is already being tested with municipal authorities and has been deployed in Bengalurus BBMP zones. Unlike many global models, PRISM-H is built specifically for the complexities of Indian cities: irregular data availability, non-uniform reporting, and rapid microclimate shifts. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), New Delhi NRDC has been studying climate-linked disease outbreaks in the country, particularly heat, dengue, and malaria. Their work has highlighted the need for hyperlocal early-warning systems to help city governments pre-empt outbreaks. Several of their health and climate policy recommendations align with AI-based forecasting systems now being tested. How Accurate Are These Models? The accuracy depends largely on data quality. Countries like Singapore, with meticulous mosquito surveillance, achieve extremely high accuracy often above 90%. Indias accuracy is improving, especially in cities with partially digitised health records and climate datasets. Bengaluru and Pune top the list because they have more integrated urban data systems. However, even with imperfect data, AI can detect outbreak patterns more reliably than traditional systems, which often rely on manual reporting weeks after cases rise. In pilot regions, early-warning accuracy in India is now reaching 7085%, which is more than enough to trigger timely public-health action. What AI Prediction Means For Indias Dengue Strategy If India successfully integrates AI forecasting into public-health planning, it could bring several transformative changes. Moving From Reaction To Prevention Indias dengue response is often driven by crisis: fogging trucks roll out after patients pile into clinics vector-control workers intensify inspections after cases spike With AI predictions, authorities can intervene before mosquito populations explode. Hyperlocal Targeting Instead Of Citywide Campaigns Most cities today spray insecticide across large areas, wasting resources. AI forecasts allow authorities to focus on the exact neighbourhoods likely to see a surge. Better Hospital Preparedness One of the biggest challenges during a spike is platelet demand. With four-week forecasts, hospitals can stock resources, scale up fever wards, and prepare for peak load. Public Awareness Campaigns If authorities know a dengue wave is expected in two weeks, citizens can take targeted preventive measures such as cleaning water containers, removing stagnant water, using repellents, and wearing full clothing during peak mosquito hours. More Efficient Use Of Government Resources From fogging teams to entomology staff, municipal bodies often operate under severe manpower constraints. Predictive models allow better scheduling. Challenges That India Must Overcome The promise is clear, but several challenges remain: inconsistent reporting from hospitals limited mosquito surveillance data lack of standardised urban datasets gaps in community-level health reporting low awareness among municipal bodies need for multilingual public warning systems Integration between health departments, climate agencies, and urban local bodies must improve for AI predictions to be effective at a national scale. Can There Be A National Dengue Early-Warning System? Given the frequency and scale of dengue outbreaks, India stands to benefit enormously from adopting AI-based disease forecasting at a national level. For example, if every district starts receiving weekly dengue-risk forecasts, ward-level heatmaps show upcoming hotspots, automated text alerts get sent to households, and drainage and sanitation teams are mobilised pre-emptively, hospitals are equipped weeks before outbreaks, dengue can be controlled to a very large extent. Several countries have already moved to this model, including Singapore, Brazil and Thailand. India has the scientific talent, the computational infrastructure and the public-health need to scale these systems rapidly. The question is how fast the country can adopt them, and how effectively they can be integrated into real-world governance. The fight against dengue may always be complex. But with timely data, predictive analytics and a coordinated response, India could finally stay one step ahead of the mosquito. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all About the Author Shilpy Bisht Shilpy Bisht, Deputy News Editor at News18, writes and edits national, world and business stories. She started off as a print journalist, and then transitioned to online, in her 12 years of experience... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 15:05 IST News explainers Can AI Predict Dengue Before It Hits? How New Models Could Save India Weeks In Advance 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... Rahul Gandhis Vote Chori Charge In Haryana: What Does The Ground Reality Show? Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:52 IST Rahuls claims of stolen votes triggered a storm. But the cases tell a story less about conspiracy and more about how Indias voter rolls keep tripping over their own data errors LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a press conference, in New Delhi, Wednesday. (PTI) The controversy began on Wednesday, when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged in a press conference that the 2024 Assembly elections in Haryana had been stolen." Holding up a photograph of a woman, he said appeared 223 times on the voter list across two polling booths in Ambala district, Gandhi asked, The EC needs to tell us how many times she voted." The woman was later identified as Charanjeet Kaur, a 75-year-old resident of Dhakola village in Ambala, who told The Indian Express she had voted only once. Her image was found repeated next to at least 255 names in two booths, an error villagers said had existed for years. Recommended Stories Gandhi also cited a separate example from the Rai constituency in Sonipat district, claiming that a stock image of a Brazilian model had been used to cast votes 22 times across 10 polling booths under different names. He said these instances proved a pattern of vote chori" and centralised manipulation" by the Election Commission and the BJP. He further alleged that similar manipulation had disenfranchised voters in states such as Bihars Jamui district, where he said Dalit, backward-class and minority families had been removed from rolls without notice, calling it a heartbreaking and shameful tragedy for democracy." In a post on X, the Congress leader wrote, Today, I introduced the world to some people from Dharampur village in Jamui district of Biharwhats happening to them is the most heartbreaking and shameful tragedy for democracy. Despite submitting forms and necessary documents, the names of many villagers were removed from the voter list without any notice or reason." , , pic.twitter.com/B0u31PYsn7 Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 5, 2025 On Ground In Haryana: What The Cases Show Among the examples Rahul Gandhi highlighted were cases from Dhakola village in Ambala and Rai constituency in Sonipat. What emerged was not evidence of organised impersonation, but of routine administrative lapses that appear to have persisted for years. One of the women whose voter card circulated was displayed during the controversy, Pinky Juginder Kaushik of Haryana, told News18 she had personally voted despite the mismatch. Yes, I went to cast my vote myself at the village school," she said. The names are the same, but there was a mistake with the photo. They used someone elses picture. Nevertheless, I did vote." Her statement directly contradicted Gandhis claim that fake identities" had been used to cast multiple votes. In The Rai Constituency In the Rai constituency, India Today identified five distinct cases featuring the so-called Brazilian model" photo. Photo misprints, but voters voted themselves: Two women, including Pinky of Machroli village, said their photos had been printed incorrectly, but they cast their votes normally. When I applied for my voter card after shifting from Delhi, it first arrived with a photo misprint," Pinky said. I still voted using my voter slip and Aadhaar card. Theres no vote chori here." Another family, that of Munish, said her photo had been mismatched earlier but was corrected at the booth. She cast her own vote. The error was in the slip, not in the vote," her brother-in-law said. A deceased voter still on the list: Guniya, who died in March 2022, continued to appear on the 2024 voter list with the Brazilian womans photo attached. Her family produced her death certificate and said the record had not been updated. Duplicate and outdated entries: Another voter, Bimla, had two separate entries one genuine and another with the same name and address but a different EPIC number and the Brazilian photo. Her son Pradeep said, Whoever made this should be punished This is a fraudulent work." In a fifth case, Saroj, who moved to Bhiwani after marriage years ago, still appeared on the Rai list with the same Brazilian model image. Her family said she hadnt voted there since 2001. Taken together, the five cases point to clerical errors, outdated data, and duplicate records. No case was found where a voter was unable to vote due to the mismatch. Officials at the Sonipat district election office told India Today that photo mismatches may have occurred because of operator-level errors during voter data migration. What Dhakola Village Revealed At his presser, Rahul Gandhi displayed a photograph of a woman, claiming her image appeared 223 times on the voter list across two polling booths in Dhakola village, and asked, The EC needs to tell us how many times she voted." The woman, identified as 75-year-old Charanjeet Kaur, told the Indian Express she had voted just once. Her photo was found next to at least 255 names across two booths, a long-standing error villagers said had existed for years. Farmer Lakhmir Singh said his familys voter ID cards carried the correct photos, but Charanjeets image appeared next to his and ten relatives names. Every time I go to vote whether its for the MLA, MP or sarpanch the staff say my photograph isnt in the list. Then I show them my voter ID and Aadhaar," he said. Seven of his 11 family members, all affected by the mismatch, voted in the 2024 Assembly polls. Charanjeet herself said polling agents and staff laugh" every time she votes. Its not my fault my photograph appears for so many voters," she told The Indian Express. Barara (Ambala) Sub Divisional Magistrate-cum-Election Registration Officer told IE an inquiry was underway and photographs would be updated once voters filled Form 8. Haryanas Chief Electoral Officer, A. Sreenivas, said the matter would be thoroughly examined." The Pattern That Emerges When viewed together, the cases show a pattern of recurring clerical and data management errors, not proof of organised vote chori." Photo mismatches: The same image attached to multiple records, or wrong photos printed on IDs. Duplicate and outdated entries: Deceased voters not deleted, and names of those who migrated still appearing on older lists. Long-standing lapses: Several affected voters said these errors had existed for years despite repeated complaints. These gaps have less to do with intentional manipulation and more to do with the limitations of a vast, semi-digitised voter management system. The result is a patchy, error-prone database where one photograph or EPIC number can be replicated several times without triggering immediate correction, errors that can persist through multiple election cycles. No documented case in either Ambala or Sonipat involved a voter being prevented from voting, nor did anyone report someone else casting their ballot. Yet the recurring irregularities show how Indias electoral records, when poorly updated, can blur the line between clerical oversight and potential misuse. What Rahul Gandhi Alleged About SIR A day later, in a video released on his YouTube channel, Gandhi broadened his charge, describing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as an institutionalised chori." He alleged that the Election Commission was openly colluding with the BJP to carry out this theft" and that SIRs purpose was to take away the voting rights of the poor." Citing an internal Congress analysis of the Mahadevapura assembly segment in Karnataka, Gandhi claimed 1,00,250 votes were stolen" through duplicate and invalid entries, fake addresses, bulk registrations under single addresses, invalid photographs, and misuse of Form 6 meant for new voters. They know that we have caught their chori, and that is why SIR has come," he said. SIR is an institutionalised chori." He went on to allege that such manipulation had affected over 100 seats" nationally and said the Election Commissions refusal to share full voter list data had reinforced suspicions of bias. What It All Points To top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Taken together, the ground findings from Haryana reveal an electoral infrastructure strained by scale and dependent on outdated data systems rather than deliberate electoral theft. What Rahul Gandhi described as vote chori" appears, in the cases examined so far, to be symptomatic of Indias voter roll hygiene crisis one where old records, manual entries, and data migration glitches routinely create phantom or mismatched voters. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 10:37 IST News explainers Rahul Gandhis Vote Chori Charge In Haryana: What Does The Ground Reality Show? 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... SPs Khan-Did Moment: Why Akhilesh-Azam Lucknow Meet Matters Ahead Of 2027 UP Polls Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Manjiri Joshi Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 20:53 IST Coming out of Akhilesh Yadavs house, Azam Khan said, My association with this family is more than 50 years old. I have also brought my next generation with me [son Abdullah]... Rapid Read + Follow us On Google SP chief Akhilesh Yadav (left) with Azam Khan in Rampur. (Handout via PTI) Till a few weeks ago, it seemed that the ties between Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav and partys tallest Muslim leader Azam Khan, who was then behind bars, had hit an all-time low. But all that seems to be changing within a matter of a few weeks. Khan, along with his son Abdullah, had a breakfast meeting with Yadav on Friday at the latters residence in Lucknow, sending out a signal of bonhomie within the party. Recommended Stories Coming out of Yadavs house, Khan said, My association with this family is more than 50 years old. I have also brought my next generation with me [son Abdullah]. Our association goes back generations." #WATCH | Shahjahanpur, UP: After being released from Sitapur jail, SP leader Azam Khan says, Patta patta boota boota haal hamara jaane hai."Regarding speculation about him joining the BSP, he says, I cant say anything on this" He further says, I will get treatment, work pic.twitter.com/hc59suEgye ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2025 Why the speculation Khan came out of prison on September 23 after nearly 23 months in jail. There was intense speculation that all was not well between the two as Yadav had not visited, who was in jail for dozens of cases related to land grabbing and illegal construction linked to his Jauhar University in Rampur. Stepping out of the jail on September 23, Khan added fuel to the fire while responding to queries on why no senior SP leader had come to receive him. Big leaders receive only important people. I am a small man," he had said. A few weeks before Khan was released, his wife, Tazeen Fatma, too, had triggered speculation of all not being well between her family and Yadav. On being asked by the media whether she had faith in the SP leadership in her battle to free Khan, she cryptically replied, I only have faith in Allah." ! pic.twitter.com/hPr56uCLFB Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) November 7, 2025 Why Khans support matters Khan is considered the senior-most Muslim leader of the party and also its founding member. His political stance matters to the SP as the Yadavs and Muslims form the crux of the social base comprising EBCs, Dalits, and Muslims that Akhilesh Yadav is trying to woo in the run-up to the 2027 assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh. It was therefore amid much media speculation that Yadav travelled to Rampur a few days after Khans release to meet him. The meeting lasted for nearly 2 hours, and both came out together and gave media bytes supporting each other. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Friday meeting at Yadavs residence seems to have finally laid to rest any speculation of Khan moving in a different direction. Yadav later tweeted pictures of the two leaders and recalled their old bonds. Khan came to Lucknow to appear before the MP/MLA court in a case related to the misuse of his official letterpad, which was allegedly used to defame the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He was acquitted in the case by the MP/MLA court on Friday. First Published: November 07, 2025, 20:36 IST News explainers SPs Khan-Did Moment: Why Akhilesh-Azam Lucknow Meet Matters Ahead Of 2027 UP Polls 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 Announces Kazakhstans Entry Into Abraham Accords: What To Know About The Pact Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 13:18 IST Kazakhstans entry gives the US-brokered Abraham Accords a renewed push, five years after the landmark deal first brought Israel closer to its Arab and Muslim neighbours US President Donald Trump. (Photo: Reuters) Kazakhstan has officially joined the Abraham Accords. The announcement was made by US President Donald Trump on Thursday, marking the first country to enter the agreement under his second administration. While Kazakhstan has maintained full diplomatic and economic relations with Israel for over three decades, its entry adds new symbolic and strategic weight to the accords, especially against the backdrop of shifting geopolitics in Central Asia and West Asia. Recommended Stories What Are The Abraham Accords? The Abraham Accords are a series of US-brokered agreements that established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab nations. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain became the first to sign them in 2020 during Trumps first term, followed later by Morocco and Sudan. The agreements were named after Abraham, a revered figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, reflecting a shared heritage among the participating nations and a symbolic spirit of reconciliation. The Accords broke a longstanding taboo by making the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain the first Arab states in a quarter century to recognise Israel. The agreements were facilitated by Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and remain one of the signature foreign policy achievements of Trumps first presidency. For many Arab nations, the accords represented a pragmatic shift from refusing normalisation until Palestinian statehood was achieved, to engaging Israel directly in pursuit of economic and strategic gains. Who Are The Countries Under The Abraham Accords So Far? Four countries signed the accords during Trumps first term the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. All were supported by the United States as part of its effort to realign Middle Eastern alliances. These states formally normalised diplomatic relations with Israel, opening embassies, establishing direct flights, and signing agreements across technology, defence, tourism, and trade. Israel viewed these accords as a major breakthrough" that helped reduce its regional isolation. The UAEs participation was particularly significant because of its influence as a global oil producer and regional hub. Morocco followed with agreements involving both diplomatic and economic cooperation, while Sudan joined as part of a broader package of US engagement after its removal from Washingtons list of state sponsors of terrorism. Kazakhstan now becomes the first addition to the Abraham Accords since 2020, and the first during Trumps second term in office. How Did The Announcement Come About? Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, writing that he had a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of Israel, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of Kazakhstan". He added, Kazakhstan is the first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many." Calling it a major step forward in building bridges across the World," Trump said more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords." He also mentioned that a signing ceremony would take place soon" to formalise the agreement. During a meeting with leaders of five Central Asian nations in Washington, Trump reiterated that expanding the Abraham Accords was one of his top foreign policy goals. CNN quoted a source familiar with the matter as saying the administration believes Kazakhstans addition is just the tip of the iceberg". Trump said that there were many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH", describing the development as real progress, real results". He added: So much more to come in uniting Countries for Stability and Growth Real progress, real results. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!" The announcement coincided with Kazakh President Tokayevs visit to Washington for a meeting between Trump and the leaders of the five Central Asian republics Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Why Is Kazakhstans Entry Significant? Kazakhstans entry into the Abraham Accords is largely symbolic but carries political and strategic value. The country already established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992, shortly after gaining independence from the Soviet Union. Its decision now reinforces ongoing cooperation and reflects support for continued dialogue at a time when Israel faces international criticism over the Gaza conflict. The move is expected to expand existing collaboration in areas such as defence, cybersecurity, energy, and food technology. For the United States, it restores momentum to the Abraham Accords, which had stalled during the war, and signals that Washington remains engaged in shaping political alignments across the Muslim world. For Kazakhstan, joining the accords fits within its long-practised multi-vector" foreign policy maintaining balanced relations with Russia, China, the West, and regional partners. By formalising its role, it strengthens ties with Washington and Israel while positioning itself as a pragmatic diplomatic bridge between diverse power centres. How Does This Fit Into Trumps Broader Strategy? For Trump, bringing Kazakhstan into the accords reinforces a familiar diplomatic narrative. During his first term, the accords were hailed by his administration as a major peace achievement. Their expansion under his second term allows him to argue that the initiative remains active and successful. It also serves a broader narrative purpose for Trump, especially as his administration continues efforts to draw Saudi Arabia into the framework. The US President told Time magazine last month, Saudi Arabia will lead the way toward the Abraham Accords," adding when asked if it could happen by the end of the year, Yes, I do. I do." What Does Kazakhstan Gain From Joining? For Kazakhstan, joining the Abraham Accords offers several advantages renewed attention from Washington, broader visibility on the global stage, and potential economic cooperation with a diverse group of countries. It also enhances Kazakhstans profile as a nation capable of balancing relationships across global power centres. Ultimately, Kazakhstans entry into the Abraham Accords does not mark the beginning of new relations with Israel, rather, it reaffirms old ones. But symbolism matters. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a region where diplomatic gestures often carry strategic weight, this decision reflects not just Kazakhstans international posture but also Washingtons determination to sustain the momentum of the accords amid a changing geopolitical landscape. For the United States, it represents continuity. For Kazakhstan, it represents balance. And for the Abraham Accords, it represents revival. About the Author Karishma Jain Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 13:16 IST News explainers Trump Announces Kazakhstans Entry Into Abraham Accords: What To Know About The Pact 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... What Are Your Best Tech Hot Takes? How A YouTuber's Question Caused Storm On X Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 13:39 IST These tech hot takes are too spicy to miss. What are your best hot tech takes? (Screengrab from a video posted by MrMobile) A few days ago, a tech company in Palo Alto, California, revealed a humanoid robot they had developed to help you with house chores. Priced at approximately Rs 18 lakh, the cloth-skinned 56" tall Neo can load and unload your dishwasher, fold your clothes, open the door for guests arriving at your doorstep, and grab you a cup of coffee, among many other things. Neo will also return to its charging dock just like a Roomba after it is out of juice. But. Neo cannot perform the majority of these tasks well, if at all, in its toddler days. When WSJs Joanna Stern spent time with Neo and the companys CEO Bernt Bornich, she witnessed Neo struggling with its marketed chores. Surely, it can map out your property and gradually get better at its job? Yes, but Neo requires assistance from an external operator for that. Recommended Stories Payment Declined" An X1 Expert" will be assigned to you, who will control your human robo from the companys office using a VR headset and help Neo get its act together. CEO Bornich asserted that no privacy will be compromised during this process. How was it received on social media? The lukewarm take, mostly a knee-jerk reaction from people who watched Neo struggle with tasks, was that they were better off without the humanoid robot in their lives, as it required more effort to have one at home than doing the task on their own. They were also comically worried about the eerie outcome if Neos subscription declined. Good morning. Your payment has been declined" pic.twitter.com/Kqj2TT49bZ dennis hegstad (@dennishegstad) October 29, 2025 Expected a hot take here? Marques Brownlee of the MKBHD tech YouTube channel has you covered. Brownlee recently took to X and asked his community to list their best hot takes about tech around them, and the responses did not disappoint. We have selected a few responses that received greater visibility. iPhones Arent Simple" Responding to Brownlees viral post, a user rued switching to Apple iPhone from their Google Pixel smartphone. Having switched to an Iphone from a google pixel, the whole notion that an Iphone is simpler, easier or just works better could not be any further from the truth. Most of it is convoluted menus that hide things you actually want, the AI assistant is a DUD compared to gemini. I feel like Pixels especially are in an entire league of their own on being effective utility wise and I regret going over (sic)." Also Read: YouTube Premium The Goated Subscription: Why Internet Desperately Wants You To Get One AI Keeping it crisp and concise, a user detested the idea of baking Artificial Intelligence (AI) into smartphone cameras. AI in smartphone cameras ruins the whole purpose of a camera." Not everything needs to be turned into an AI product. Some things are already good as is," deplored another. AI is making us more and more stupid at an accelerating rate," a third added. Also Read: Delhi Resident Builds Air Purifier At Home For Rs 2000. How Does It Work? No Innovations Needed An X account simply wanted the tech companies to take a chill pill and get off their innovation desks. Most phone companies could benefit from taking a year off to allow for true innovation, especially Apple. At this point, phones are already powerful enough; what we need next isnt more performance, but fresh thinking." Non-Removable Batteries = Scam Another user joined the conversation and lashed out at tech companies for manufacturing non-removable" batteries in phones that an average Joe couldnt swap with a fresh one. Non-removable batteries are nothing more than a scam to push you to upgrade every 2 to 3 years. Having removable batteries would also reduce waste, which is why I cant take any tech companies seriously when they pretend to be fighter against waste (sic)." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Honourable Mentions: Siri isnt *that* bad, Apples M5 MacBooks are being slept on, You can find all the user responses and tech hot takes here. 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: November 07, 2025, 13:38 IST News explainers What Are Your Best Tech Hot Takes? How A YouTuber's Question Caused Storm On X Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Why Internet Thinks Carrying This School Project On Flight Is A Bad Idea Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 19:09 IST What are considered dangerous goods during air travel in India? Can a sensor-based circuit raise suspicion at an airport? (Reddit / u/Desperate-Ad-3098) An air travellers innocuous question posted on Reddit brought plenty of laughter and some genuine worry when it went viral on a r/AirTravelIndia subreddit. Will this cause suspicion to airport security ? Its just a sensor based Arduino School project. I hope this wont cause any problems for us. I am also carrying a handheld AQI meter with me (sic)," the user asked. At first glance, it appeared to be a query that required little thought. But strict air safety guidelines, especially in the country, posed a massive question mark in the heads of the online community. What is an Arduino project, you ask? Recommended Stories Arduino Education The course provides middle school, high school, and university students with kits, online courses, and tools to master electronics, coding, robotics, and IoT through fun, project-based activities, with no prior experience needed. The project enhances real-life problem-solving skills and enables critical thinking. Is It Safe?" Worried about being flagged as suspicious by the airport security, the Reddit poster shared a photograph of the project. Needless to say, it raised some eyebrows as the fellow community users were caught off guard by the sensor-based contraption. Heres how it looked: How Did Reddit React? With apprehension and jokes. CISF makes me take out the umbrella from my bag they are going to loose their sh*t when they see this. Just let them know in advance and be prepared that you may have to spend some time with them while they get their expert to look at it (sic)," wrote one user in response. Ts looks like a recipe for disaster (sic)," typed another. When asked, the OP, a school or college student, stated that the project was for a competition, suggesting that they wouldnt travel if they couldnt carry it with them. Also Read: Why Power Banks Are Banned From Checked Luggage: Fire In Plane Sight Cabin or check-in? The air travel community was divided. Take it in a transparent plastic box and keep it on yourself (cabin luggge). If possible, disassemble the setup. Have the event details/project handy incase youre questioned (sic)," responded one in favour of carrying it on the deck. Disassemble your circuit. Pack all the components individually. That will raise less suspicion than a sketchy wired up circuit (sic)." Check in buddy, check in. Not cabin. Put it in your suitcase, and drop it in at the counter, and then proceed thru Security with your cabin bag. You may mostly still be detained, if thats the case, then show the bills and documentation (sic)," suggested another user who advised the anxious passenger to pack the project in a suitcase and have it checked in. Some others raised concerns. What if its an actual bomb and were all assisting you in making the authorities believe it is not?" posed one morbidly. Comment byu/Desperate-Ad-3098 from discussion inAirTravelIndia What Items Are Prohibited In Domestic Travel? Taking IndiGo, one of the most profitable airlines in the world, into consideration, there is an extensive list of items that are either prohibited as checked baggage or cabin baggage or both. Knives, scissors, Swiss army knives and other sharp instruments Toy replicas of fire arms and ammunition Weapons such as whips, nan-chakus, baton, or stun gun Electronic devices which cannot be switched off Aerosols and liquids* Any other items which are deemed security hazards by local law," IndiGo lists as items that cannot be brought onboard. As for checked baggage, IndiGo, among all major airlines in the world, prohibits checking in power banks and batteries as they can lead to fire in the cargo hold area, which is hard to access and physically extinguish at 35,000 feet. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Lighters and matchboxes are neither permitted onboard nor can they be packed in checked baggage. If you have any doubts about an item that could trigger security concerns, contact your airline well before departure. Doing so avoids inconvenience for yourself and others while preventing queues, delays, and potential confiscation. 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: November 07, 2025, 19:08 IST News explainers Why Internet Thinks Carrying This School Project On Flight Is A Bad Idea Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Why Mumbai Is Gasping For Breath After Monsoon Withdrawal | Explained Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 21:14 IST Experts link this decline to the La Nina phenomenon a global climatic pattern that cools sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and alters wind circulation Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google A layer of smog engulfs the city after Diwali festival celebrations, in Mumbai. (PTI file photo) Mumbais air has taken a sharp turn for the worse since the monsoon withdrew on October 10. Until the previous day, the citys Air Quality Index (AQI) remained in the double digits a sign of relatively clean air. But once the rains stopped, pollution levels shot up, with AQI readings moving into triple digits and showing a steady decline in air quality. According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Mumbais overall AQI stood at 139 on Wednesday afternoon a moderate level. However, while the citywide average has hovered around this range, some neighbourhoods are already recording significantly poorer air. Recommended Stories At the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and Deonar, AQI readings recently touched 221 and 235 respectively, both falling in the poor category. Between October 10 and 15, BKC reported poor air for two days, while Deonar recorded similar conditions for three consecutive days. To put it in context, an AQI between 050 is considered good, 51100 satisfactory, 101200 moderate, 201300 poor, 301400 very poor, and above 400 severe. How La Nina Is Worsening The Air Weather experts link this decline to the La Nina phenomenon a global climatic pattern that cools sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and alters wind circulation. In coastal cities like Mumbai, La Nina often leads to weaker winds, which slows the dispersion of pollutants. Gufran Beig, chair professor at the National Institute of Atmospheric Sciences (NIAS), told The Indian Express that Mumbai is now witnessing the early effects of La Nina. For a coastal city like Mumbai, La-Nina usually slows down the overall wind speed, which forces the AQI to go downside. This phenomenon was earlier seen during the 2021-2022 period, which had resulted in a serious dip in Mumbais air quality," he explained. Beig added that as cooler air becomes denser, pollutants tend to stay suspended in the lower atmosphere, forming hazy, smog-like layers. At present, the onset of La-Nina is still very slow. This may intensify starting November, which will create a phenomenon of cooler temperatures mixed with slower wind speed. Therefore, it is very likely that Mumbais overall AQI may worsen further as winter progresses," he said. The Winter Effect The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a longer winter this year. Although Mumbai rarely experiences extreme cold, experts say the city is likely to have cooler-than-usual conditions between November and January. Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology) at Skymet Weather, told the publication that lower temperatures slow down air movement. The citys air quality has already started to dip after the monsoon withdrawal took place, mainly because when the rains are there, a natural cleansing of the atmosphere takes place and the atmosphere stays free of pollution," he said. What Can Be Done top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has listed vehicle emissions, dust from roads and construction sites, and open garbage burning as major causes of pollution in its Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP). According to Beig, authorities must respond swiftly. The authorities should take adequate measures to ensure there is a smooth traffic flow and minimum congestion. At the same time, activities like open burning of garbage in public spaces and landfills need to be strictly checked," he said. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 21:13 IST News explainers Why Mumbai Is Gasping For Breath After Monsoon Withdrawal | 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... BJP Will Form Government In Uttar Pradesh For Third Time In A Row: Rajnath Singh Lauds CM Yogi Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 20:53 IST Rajnath Singh to News18: We will form the government in UPJo kabhi nahi hua tha, woh sab Bharat mein ho raha hai (Things that never happened are now happening in India)." Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Rajnath Singh said development will be a key issue in the UP election. (PTI File) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form its government in Uttar Pradesh for the third consecutive time in 2027. We will form the government Jo kabhi nahi hua tha, woh sab Bharat mein ho raha hai. (Things that never happened are now happening in India)," he said, when asked about how no government has come to power in Uttar Pradesh after two terms. Recommended Stories ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi Spoke Of H-Bomb, Couldnt Light A Firecracker: Rajnath Singh On Vote Theft Claims The Parliament elections were different. Dont link that with this [2027 polls]. There must have been some circumstances for those elections. UP CM Yogi Adityanath is running the government very well. You must have seen how successful Uttar Pradesh is now in managing law and order. Law and order is the first requirement of development. If the law and order situation is good, then development will happen fast and it is going on now," said Singh. When asked if the election will be fought on development plank, he said, We take development as an issue in every election. Whenever our governments seek re-election, we go to people with development as the issue. Because we have ensured development, we discuss it." The Election Commission of India has launched a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Uttar Pradesh, the first such exercise in 22 years, to ensure accurate electoral rolls ahead of the 2027 polls. This is a massive, state-wide verification drive. News18 has reported how the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is conducting multi-level performance audits of its existing MLAs to decide on ticket distribution for 2027. The party is addressing the shortcomings that led to an underwhelming performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and a strategic cabinet reshuffle to ensure better caste and regional representation. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The BJP is aiming a reclaim and reconnect" strategy to win back lost seats and voters, especially Dalit communities, through an SC Dialogue" campaign. The Samajwadi Party (SP), which performed well in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, is focusing on its PDA" (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak Backward, Dalit, Minority) strategy to consolidate its support base. Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has initiated major organisational reshuffles, including dissolving all district executive committees to restructure the party. 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: November 07, 2025, 20:00 IST News india BJP Will Form Government In Uttar Pradesh For Third Time In A Row: Rajnath Singh Lauds CM Yogi 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... China Wants To Ease Tensions, Resolve LAC Disputes Through Dialogue: Rajnath Singh Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 17:07 IST Rajnath Singh confirmed that de-escalation has already taken place at several friction points along the LAC. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke exclusively to News18. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has said that China has expressed willingness to ease tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and resolve border disputes through dialogue. In an exclusive conversation with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Rajnath Singh confirmed that de-escalation has already taken place at several friction points along the LAC. There has been de-escalation at several points. You must have seen Chinas statement where they said they want to normalise the situation with India at the LAC," he said. Recommended Stories Singh revealed that he held very good discussions" with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, on the sidelines of the 12th ADMM-Plus meeting in Kuala Lumpur, during which China said it wants to continue military-to-military talks to prevent any flare-ups along the LAC in the future. The bilateral ties between the two countries nosedived after the violent military clashes in eastern Ladakh, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed. After five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 16th BRICS Summit at Kazan on 23 October 2024. The two leaders had agreed that the Special Representatives on the India-China boundary question will meet at an early date to oversee the management of peace and tranquility in border areas and to explore a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable solution to the boundary question. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all When asked whether India could trust Beijing after the recent statements, the Defence Minister replied, They have said it, and we (India) have also agreed on this. When I went to the SCO meeting in Shanghai, I held a meeting with the Chinese Defence Minister. I said clearly that the ice on India-China ties should melt down, or not and how long will the ice be there? There should be a clear decision on this." Singh also said the Chinese Defence Minister, in a recent meeting with him, said they are ready for discussions and want to find a way to resolve differences of opinion on the LAC. 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: November 07, 2025, 17:07 IST News india China Wants To Ease Tensions, Resolve LAC Disputes Through Dialogue: Rajnath Singh 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... Glitch Crippled Air Traffic Control, Not Cyberattack: Airports Authority Clarifies On Delhi Delays Reported By : News18.com Edited By: Mallika Soni Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:50 IST Sources told CNN-News18 that the issue stems from a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS). Delhi Airport saw early-morning chaos as a technical failure hit the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. Flight operations at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport were thrown into disarray on Friday morning after a major technical glitch crippled the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, triggering widespread delays across North India. Sources told CNN-News18 that the issue stems from a failure in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS)- the critical backend platform that feeds essential data to the Auto Track System (ATS), which generates flight plans. With the AMSS down, the system that stores planned flight details, routes, aircraft information and estimated timings has been disrupted, forcing air traffic controllers to process everything manually. Recommended Stories By 9 am this morning, congestion had built up across all terminals, with several aircraft awaiting clearance as controllers worked through flight plans manually- a significantly slower process. The disruption has affected both departures and arrivals and delays are expected to continue until the AMSS is restored. AAI Denies Cyberattack, Delhi Police Not Alerted The Airport Authority of India (AAI) ruled out the possibility of a cyberattack. Delhi Polices cyber unit has also confirmed that it has received no alert regarding any such incident. Officials said the AMSS server has been down since early Friday morning and it remains unclear when full restoration will take place. Flight operations at Delhi Airport are experiencing delays due to a technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports Air Traffic Control data. Controllers are processing flight plans manually, leading to some delays. Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest," AAI said in a statement. DIAL, Airlines Confirm Delays Across North India Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) confirmed that operations were impacted due to the ATC system failure and said the ATC team was actively working with all stakeholders including DIAL" to resolve the issue. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Indias largest carriers also cautioned passengers about cascading delays. IndiGo said, Flight operations at Delhi and several northern regions are impacted due to a technical issue with the ATC system extended wait times may cause inconvenience." Air India noted, A technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is impacting flight operations across all airlines Our crew and staff are extending assistance to reduce inconvenience." About the Author Anvit Srivastava Anvit Srivastava, Principal Correspondent at CNN-News18, covers crime, security, policing and society in Delhi. His impactful ground reports have helped him make his mark among the select credited jou... Read More Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 14:52 IST News india Glitch Crippled Air Traffic Control, Not Cyberattack: Airports Authority Clarifies On Delhi Delays 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... Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and the USA have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the energy sector and confirmed their commitment to diversifying gas supplies to Europe in order to reduce dependence on Russian energy resources, the press service of the Ministry of Energy reported. "High-ranking representatives of the governments of Ukraine, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and the United States met on the sidelines of the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) in Athens (Greece)," the report said. Ukraine was represented at the meeting by Deputy Minister of Energy Mykola Kolisnyk. Reportedly, the meeting participants discussed the possibilities of increasing supplies of American LNG to Europe through LNG import terminals and FSRUs in the Baltic Sea. Kolisnyk emphasized that P-TEC is a vital platform for fortifying the energy connection between Europe and North America. As part of the European Energy Community, Ukraine is actively integrating into transatlantic initiatives aimed at enhancing security, promoting sustainable development, and achieving decarbonization. "Developing infrastructure for receiving and transporting liquefied natural gas is critical to the stability of the European energy system amid political turbulence. Cooperation with EU countries such as Poland, Slovakia, and Lithuania in the field of gas production and storage is strategically important for Ukraine in developing its energy system and increasing its resilience," he noted. It is noted that as a result of the meeting, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine and the United States confirmed their commitment to diversifying gas supplies to Europe, reducing dependence on Russian energy resources and strengthening regional energy stability. The United States confirmed its readiness to facilitate the supply of American LNG to achieve these strategic goals. The Deputy Minister of Energy, together with Chairman of Naftogaz Serhiy Koretsky, also held negotiations with representatives of the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and the US Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank). "We discussed possible financial instruments to attract additional volumes of American gas to meet both current and long-term needs of Ukraine. We had a productive conversation with Joshua Volz, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy, regarding support for Ukraine, substitution of Russian energy resources from Europe, and joint investment projects within the framework of bilateral partnership. We coordinated positions and further joint actions to strengthen the energy security of Ukraine and the entire region with the Director General for Energy of the European Commission, Ditte Juul Jrgensen," the report says. Also, a number of working meetings were held on the P-TEC fields with producers, traders, and exporters of American LNG, as well as representatives of European governments. They discussed a long-term strategic partnership within the framework of diversification of energy supplies. Pakistan-Linked Hackers Targeting Indian Military, Govt Systems With AI-Based Spyware: Sources Reported By : CNN-News18 Edited By: Vani Mehrotra Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 13:53 IST India's intelligence agencies have warned of a major cyber-espionage campaign by Pakistan-linked group Transparent Tribe, which is targeting government and military systems. An AI-generate image to represent a digital fraud (News18) Indias intelligence agencies have sounded an alarm over a major cyber-espionage campaign orchestrated by a Pakistan-linked hacker group known as Transparent Tribe, which is actively targeting government and military computers using an advanced spyware called DeskRAT. According to top intelligence sources, the group has significantly upgraded its capabilities this year, shifting from public cloud-based delivery systems like Google Drive to dedicated private servers, making its operations harder to trace and block. Recommended Stories Officials said the hackers are exploiting border tensions in Ladakh and are attempting to monitor Chinas military movements by infiltrating critical Indian systems. The attackers are using official-looking emails, ZIP archives, and documents that mimic government notices or intelligence briefings to trick officials into installing the malicious software. The deception is often timed with protests, security alerts, or border incidents, when officials are most likely to open attachments perceived as urgent updates. Once installed, DeskRAT, a powerful remote access tool specifically targeting BOSS Linux systems, which are widely deployed across Indian government offices, can silently browse files, copy documents, monitor activity, and exfiltrate sensitive intelligence without triggering alarms. The malware does not crash systems but instead operates stealthily, allowing the attackers to withdraw operational documents, strategic plans, and credentials over weeks or even months. Intelligence officials said Transparent Tribes latest attacks are faster, stealthier, and harder to detect than before. The group has reportedly begun using artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) to automate malware development, drastically reducing the time between concept and deployment. This allows them to generate new DeskRAT variants quickly and at scale, giving them a dangerous advantage over traditional cybersecurity defences. Experts warn that defenders will need automated detection and response tools to keep pace with these evolving threats. The goal of the campaign, sources said, is not immediate disruption but long-term espionage, to quietly extract intelligence and compromise communication channels within Indias defence and administrative networks. Transparent Tribe has previously been linked to phishing attacks that distributed Crimson RAT malware, often disguised as PowerPoint or PDF briefings related to security issues. Notably, during the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, the group is believed to have circulated emotionally charged fake government messages to lure officials into opening infected attachments. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Authorities describe the ongoing DeskRAT campaign as one of the most sophisticated and persistent cyber-espionage threats India has faced in recent years, warning that vigilance, training, and rapid-response cyber defences are critical to protecting national security. ALSO READ | ATC Failure At IGI Airport Possibly Due To Injected Malware, Say Sources About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: November 07, 2025, 13:52 IST News india Pakistan-Linked Hackers Targeting Indian Military, Govt Systems With AI-Based Spyware: 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... 'PM Narendra Modi A Great Man, Friend': Donald Trump Says He 'Could' Visit India Next Year Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 06:59 IST Donald Trump praised PM Modi as a great man and a friend, expressing admiration for his leadership. He also hinted at a possible visit to India next year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Donald Trump. (PTI file photo) US President Donald Trump on Friday lavished praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, describing him as a great man" and a friend," while indicating that he could visit India next year as part of efforts to strengthen trade relations between the two nations. Speaking to reporters at the White House after unveiling a new plan to reduce the prices of weight loss drugs, Trump said his conversations with PM Modi were progressing positively. Recommended Stories He (PM Modi) largely stopped buying from Russia," Trump claimed, adding, And he is a friend of mine, and we speak." Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a great man. He is a friend of mine, and we speak, and he wants me to go there. We will figure that out, I will go Prime Minister Modi is a great man, and I will be going," Trump remarked. When asked directly whether he planned to travel to India next year, the President replied, It could be, yes." Trumps comments come at a time when trade negotiations between Washington and New Delhi are ongoing. The discussions follow the United States decision to impose a 50 per cent tariff, including an additional 25 per cent duty, on Indias continued import of Russian crude oil. Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reaffirmed Trumps commitment to deepening India-US relations. The President is positive and feels very strongly about the India-US relationship," Leavitt said, adding that Trump had recently spoken with PM Modi while celebrating Diwali at the White House alongside senior Indian-American officials. Trump has in recent weeks highlighted Indias efforts to reduce its dependency on Russian oil. During his Asia tour, he lauded New Delhis stance on the issue, saying PM Modi had assured him that India would curb or halt" crude imports from Moscow. In response, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), however, reiterated that Indias energy sourcing decisions are guided by national interests. Responding to Trumps remarks earlier this month, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, 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." Jaiswal further emphasised that Indias approach aims to ensure stable prices and secure energy supplies through diversified sourcing. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all 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. ALSO READ | Trump Says Foreign Countries Dont Want Him To Win Supreme Court Tariff Legality Case About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: November 07, 2025, 06:44 IST News india 'PM Narendra Modi A Great Man, Friend': Donald Trump Says He 'Could' Visit India Next Year 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 Bihar Polls To Op Sindoor And LAC: Full Text Of Exclusive Rajnath Singh Interview Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 21:00 IST The minister addressed issues ranging from the political temperature in Bihar to Indias relations with Pakistan, China, and the US, as well as key defence reforms Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google Rajnath Singh in an interview with News18. In a wide-ranging and exclusive conversation with News18, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh opened up about Indias national security outlook post-Operation Sindoor, the BJPs confidence in the Bihar elections, and Indias evolving defence strategy amid regional challenges. Speaking to Rahul Joshi, Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief, Singhin his first detailed interview since Operation Sindooraddressed issues ranging from the political temperature in Bihar to Indias relations with Pakistan, China, and the US, as well as key defence reformsfrom indigenous fighter jet engines to the future of the Agniveer scheme. Recommended Stories Here are edited excerpts from the conversation: Q 1: Rajnath-ji, thank you very much for giving this exclusive interview to News18. The atmosphere in Bihar is charged with elections, and this is your first interview with us after Operation Sindoor. There are many questions. Since its election season, lets start with Bihar. You have addressed many rallies in Bihar and have been quite active there. First of all, we would like to know, what kind of atmosphere have you observed? Yesterday, the first round of voting took place, and there was a record turnoutabout 65 per cent. So, how many seats would you give to the NDA? A 1: Seeing the response of the voters in our public meetings, I can say that our government will be formed for sure and we may also secure a two-thirds majority, which is more than 160 seats. Q 2: A question that is being asked repeatedly is about your chief ministerial face. Please tell us clearly, who is your CM face? Is it Nitish Kumar? Will he become the chief minister and remain so for five years? A 2: Look, the election is being held under his leadership. So, it is natural that he will be the chief minister. Q 3: Will we then see one deputy chief minister from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and one from Chirag Paswans party? A 3: Whatever happens in future will be decided by consensus when everyone sits together and decides what is to be done. Q 4: Rajnath-ji, one issue that your party has been raising from the beginning is that of Lalu Prasads jungle raj" in Bihar. That earlier there was hooliganism, lawlessness. This time too, you have consistently brought up this issue. But now, a leader from your own alliance, Anant Singh, has been arrested. There was firing, and Dularchand Yadav was killed. What do you have to say about this? A 4: Its possible that such stray incidents happen some times. But because of that, you cant simply say that a particular person is a mafia or such-and-such thing. We take all precautions that we pick people who have a clean image as candidates. When there is such a large group of people involved, mistakes or lapses can sometimes occur. I dont deny that possibility. Q 5: In this election, Rahul Gandhi has been continuously canvassing and campaigning. As the election progressed, his attacks became somewhat personal. While addressing rallies, he said that Modi-ji can do anything for votesthat if needed, he would even dance on stage for votes. During Chhath as well, he commented that Modi-ji did not take a dip in the Yamuna, but went to a sanitised pond and offered prayers to Chhath Maiya there. How do you see this? A 5: Such remarks are not proper. The country knows that such allegations do not stick to PM Modi. He always speaks to the public in a direct and straightforward manner. He has never tried to mislead the people. Q 6: This time, since early morning, there were long queues of women at the polling booths in Bihar. A large number of women came out to vote. How do you see this? Whom does this support seem to favour? Has the Jeevika Didi scheme been your game changer? A 6: While Jeevika Didi is a crucial scheme, apart from that, women feel that in Nitish Kumars regime, law and order was maingtained. There is no lawlessness as happened during the RJDs time. Women, naturally, want that whichever government is in power, law and order should be maintained so that they can step out of their house even at night, if required. Earlier, when Lalu Prasad was the chief minister in Bihar, after 5pm, people had to think twice before stepping out. And women would not step out at all. Q 7: Has the alcohol ban been a big part of this? The Opposition, for instance, has said they will lift the ban if they come to power. A 7: I cant say for sure what the benefit has been. But I know for sure that it has been beneficial. Women have seen before their eyes how alcohol affected the families so they understand the benefits of the ban. Q 8: There is also a significant revenue loss angle to this. Its said that nearly Rs 20,000 crore in revenue was lost because of the ban. A 8: But to remove social evils, if there is some loss of revenue or profit, then thats acceptable. We do politics to make society, not only to come to power. Q 9: This time, Rajnath ji, one more factor has been talked about a lotthe Prashant Kishor factor. People are saying this time its a fight involving him too. Prashant Kishor ji has formed his new party, Jan Suraaj. For the past three years, he has been going from village to village in Bihar, sharing his ideas. So, how big do you think the PK factor is? How much vote share will he get? Whose votes will he cut into moreyours or the Mahagathbandhans? A 9: Look, I believe that factor is insignificant. Not significant enough to even consider. You see, over time, as people have continued to cast their votes, the public of this country has become politically very aware. They now understand very well who is standing in elections just to cut votes and who wants to form the government. People in Bihar know he may not win a single seat. Q 10: Where on one hand you spoke about Jeevika Didis being a game changer, on the other hand, the Opposition is promising government jobs in every household. You mocked him but now your party has promised 1 crore jobs. Hows that possible? A 10: Tejashwis promise is not deliverable. They are talking about giving government jobs. We too will provide government employment wherever necessary. But more importantly, we want to ensure that everyone has work in their handssome means of livelihood. And we make sure not to make false promises or let such things happen. Thats why, whatever we say, we say it after careful consideration. We never bring differences in our words and deeds to being out a crisis in politics. Q 11: Rajnath-ji, one more important question: you had earlier criticised the culture of freebies. But if you look today, in every state, whether its Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, or now Bihar, a lot of promises are being made. How is this even possible? How will all this be funded? Where will the revenue come from? You too have promised free electricity. Youve said that you have already given direct benefit transfers to around 1 crore 40 lakh women. Now theres talk of increasing this to Rs 2 lakh rupees. Where will all this money come from? A 11: We have made well-calculated estimates. Whatever free units or benefits we are offering are within those calculations. I believe these measures will help improve their economic condition and increase their purchasing capacity. Q 12: So, schemes like Ladki Behna in other states focus on direct benefit transfers. How is your Jeevika Didi scheme different? Does it focus more on entrepreneurship? A 12: Yes, through this, every woman will be able to improve her economic condition, thereby contributing to the states economy in her own way. When purchasing power and capacity to earn increase, it strengthens the overall economic layer of society. Parties should carefully calculate what they can actually provide and then make those promises. For instance, under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Rs 6,000 that we offer every year has benefited farmers. With that, production of food grains and other goods also rises. We make assurances with long-term vision. Q 13: Lets move a little further, towards SIR. Rahul-ji and Tejashwi-ji both raised the issue of voter lists in Bihar. They claim that around 65 lakh people have been deregistered in the state, and that this benefits your party because those voters were originally theirs. A 13: But they havent been able to present even a single concrete case. The Election Commission has repeatedly said: if you have any complaints, please bring them to us, we are ready to investigate. Yet, over the same issue, they keep talking about dropping a hydrogen bomb" or an atom bomb", but in reality, they havent even managed to light a small firecracker. Q 14: He (Rahul Gandhi) had said that what happened in Haryana and Maharashtra was a theft of votes, which he says will happen in Bihar too. According to him, is it some kind of attempt to bypass the democratic process? A 14: He took out a padyatra for the same but they found nothing. Now he is discussing elections that are done and dusted. You cant do politics for long by conning people. Q 15: The rest of the opposition parties, whether its Mamata Banerjee or Stalin, say they wont let SIR happen in their states. They say you are trying to remove legitimate voters. A 15: Their statements are actually violating the democratic process concerning legitimate voters. And I want to ask themthose who have come from outside, the infiltrators whose names were on the rolls in Biharare now being removed. There are also many people who have permanently moved away from Bihar in search of livelihood or those who passed away. Only their names wont be in the voter list. Q 16: There is one very controversial statement given by Rahul Gandhi which even you have responded to. I would like to understand it better. He had said only 10% people are running the Armed Forces. Why did he say this? What is his logic and rationale? What would you like to say? A 16: Look, what I want to say is whatever he says, he tries to create anarchy in this country. He does this because he understands well that he cannot win public trust or support through his actions, deeds or work. So, he keeps making baseless statements to mislead people. But I believe healthy politics is one which does not mislead people or throw dust in their eyes, it is about taking people into confidence. Q 17: So, politics should not drag the armed forces into such issues A 17: There is no questionAs far as the armed forces are concerned, I believe they have only one religionhe spoke about reservation and other things Armed forces have only one religiona military duty. The armed forces have people from all religions. You will see people from all castes, religions and sects are in our armed forces. Everyone follows their own religion and religious practices. The priests who perform those rituals are also present there. There is no discrimination of any kind, no casteism, no communal or sectarian bias in our Army. I believe that he should leave the armed forces out of such statements. He should not drag the armed forces into politics. Q 18: Rajnath ji, the Opposition had earlier raised a lot of noise about the Agniveer scheme as well. Although the four-year scheme is set to end in 2026, do you think, given the countrys situation and security concerns, youll be able to retain more than 25 per cent of the people? A 18: Look, Agniveer is a very good, well-designed scheme. We have also said that after completing the four years, those Agniveers who leave the service will certainly be provided with arrangements for placement. If they want to take up employment, we will ensure the necessary funding and systems to help them find jobs. Q 19: So more than 25 per cent A 19: We wanted to ensure youthfulness in the Army. I believe this is very important, and the decision was taken on that basisBut I believe there is no reason for anyone to be worried about their future. We have complete clarity in our concept about this. We will not let anyone be harmed or treated unfairly. Hearing this, the people will be reassured. Q 20: Donald Trump has said that Pakistan is conducting a nuclear test. He also said that seeing Russia and China doing this, it is possible that America, too, may try something similar. A 20: They can do it if they wish Q 21: What will India do? Will India also do a nuclear test? A 21: What India will do, the future will tell. Everybody can do what they want. I dont want to say anything on this. Be it Pakistan, America, they can do what they wantIndia will not take steps under pressure or fear. India will take steps that it thinks are necessary in its interest. Right steps at the right time Appropriate steps at the right time. Q 22: After Operation Sindoor, Im speaking to you for the first time. I remember that in 2024, you had said, This is not old India. We will go into peoples homes and kill". You said it so forcefully that even the international media highlighted A 22: We proved it by doing so Q 23: Yes. You proved it with Operation Sindoor. But some believe that you stopped a bit too soon. Why did you stop so quickly? Those people wanted you to teach Pakistan a lesson. A 23: I want to make one thing clear. There were calls coming from Pakistans DGMO. After those calls, this happened. We are not warmongerssome people are the kind who want war and confrontation, but India never wants that. If repeated demands are coming from their side that it should be stopped or restrained, then we considered it. We did what we had to do. We realised there was no reason to escalate this war further. If need arises, we will act again. Q 24: You people keep saying this repeatedly. Do you still think the situation is such that Operation Sindoor will have to be done again? A 24: That is for the future to decidewhat will happen and how is uncertain. But I want to make this clear about Operation Sindoor that it is not finished, it is halted for the time being. Q 25: Because you had also A 25: Look at what precautions we took. Terrorists had secretly infiltrated our borders and killed our innocent citizens. We targeted only their terrorist centres. We did not target the ordinary citizens in Pakistan. Despite taking such steps, people accuse our government of discrimination on grounds of religious or caste. India is a country where our sages considered not just those living in our borders, but the entire world as one family. If the message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam has gone to the world from any place, it is from your and mine Indian soil. Q 26: You have stated this very clearly. Not just today but earlier as well. Your government says that between India and Pakistan, there was no one else. It was only because of their [Pakistans] insistence that the war was stopped. A 26: Operation Sindoor was not halted under anyones pressure or at anyones request. I want to state this plainly in simple words. You know I take full precaution in political matters that I should never lie. No one can point to any political decision of mineIf something happened in my childhood, I cannot speak to that. But I am cautious. I am human and mistakes can happen, but on this matter, I stand fully by what I am saying. Q 27: President Trump has repeatedly said that he played a major role in getting this [war] shut down, and because we did not agree with him, we are paying the price tariffs have been imposed on us, and there are various visa restrictions coming in. Despite all this, you have now signed a 10-year defence pact with Pete Hegseth this year with the US. Why? A 27: He is saying that and still they made a pact with us, right? This means all indications are positive. Q 28: Do you believe that the tense situation that had developed between the two countries is now better than before? A 28. Now we will have to think about whether the tension is there or not or what it is. I cannot say exactly what the situation is. Only those who are talking about it can explain. Q 29: This time, we reprimanded Pakistan and taught them a lesson, along with the terrorist camps, we also destroyed 11 of their defence bases and inflicted damage. A 29: We destroyed. Q 30: Despite that, Pakistans General Asim Munir got a promotion. He says all kinds of things. Will Pakistan ever stop these kinds of actions? A 30: He got a promotion or took it, one can never say about Pakistan. There, the Army is dominant. Q 31: Lets move a bit away from Pakistan and talk about Afghanistan. Afghanistans foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi ji, had come here, and during that time there was also a clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan even carried out a bombing in Kabul. Pakistan is saying that India is behind all this they are hinting at our role. What would like to say? A 31: Those are completely baseless, unsubstantiated accusations. We do not seek or encourage any kind of confrontation. Yes. We want peace in the world. We are in favour of peace. We will not provoke anyone or encourage conflict with anyone. But if someone teases or provokes us, we will not spare them. Our policy on this is clear. Q 32: Afghanistan and Pakistan A 32: We do not use crutches to defend our self-respect. We do it ourselves. We take decisions on our own and take required actions on our own. But our fundamental outlook is that we do not want conflict in the world. Q 33: The problem between Afghanistan and Pakistan that has been going on is about the Durand Lineits a dispute over the Durand Line. My question to you is simple: what is Indias position on this? A 33: Whatever the issue, all the countries involved should sit down and settle it by negotiation. We do not want to intervene in another countrys affairs. If both countries agree that there should be outside interference and that an impartial process of dialogue should be started, then the matter can be considered at that time. We do not believe in maan na maan, main tera mehmaan (whether you like it or not, I am your guest). Q 34: So you think this is their internal matter A 34: This is an internal matter. They will decide. Q 35: Bangladeshs interim leader, Mohammad Yunus, often gives provocative statements. Recently, he gave a map to a Pakistani general in which the northeast of India was shown as part of Bangladesh. What do you have to say about this? A 35: This is very unfortunate, and he should avoid such actions. We want to maintain better relations with our neighbouring countries. We do not want any kind of tension with our neighbouring countries. Q 36: Rajnath-ji, the larger question that arises is thisearlier, we used to deal mainly with Pakistan, our problem was with Pakistan. After Galwan, we also had a tense atmosphere with China. Now Bangladesh. So, is it that there is a kind of unrest on all three fronts? Have three fronts opened up for us? How will we deal with this, and how will we move forward? A 36: As many problems or challenges may come before usIndia has the capability to meet all those challenges. We can face every difficulty and find solutions. But we are people who believe in peace, we do not want unrest. However, this does not mean that India is a coward. If Indias sovereignty is harmed, India will give a strong response. That is all I want to say. The situation in our neighbouring countries should also be calm and normal, that is our thinking. As far as our neighbouring countries are concerned, we want to maintain good relations with them. Our leader Atal-ji used to say repeatedly that we must always remain cautious and remember that in life you can change your friends, but you can never change your neighbours. Q 37: Youve made a very important point. You have been defence minister for a long time lets talk a little about the changes and reforms that have come after you took office. Id like you to explain a bit. In todays era, air superiority is very important. A 37: We have already demonstrated our superiority. Q 38: Yes, absolutely. My questions come from that point. Recently, we finally retired the MiG-21, its replacement is the Tejas, in which we have confidence. Where exactly do we standare the discussions progressing properly with GE or is there any delay? Are we considering any alternatives? A 38: Look, GE, Safran, there are many companies involved in this field. To some extent, we have already advanced. I dont want to disclose details here because this matter will be decided in the CCS (Cabinet Committee on Security), so I shouldnt speak too much about it. We have concept clarity. Within a year, we will reach a position where we will build the engines for these fighter planes in India, on Indian soil, by Indian hands. Q 39: Thats a big statement. We will do that, and we will also procure some from abroad. A 30: For the moment, we do need to source engines from abroad. Q 40: Are we under any American pressure? A 40: There is no pressure. Even for what we buy from abroad, we will not compromise on our terms. It may well be possible, a strong possibility, that we can say, Okay, we will buy engines from you, but the manufacturing must happen in India." From whom? And that they must transfer technology to us. Q 41: Are you in talks with any company? A 41: I dont want to reveal details, but what Im saying is not baselessaccept it as a fact. Which company, what will be done, which companies we are talking to, I cant reveal the details. Q 42: We are in talks with French company Safran about jointly developing an engine for a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. When will it arrive, when will we get the first enginecan you explain a little in detail about that, as youve mentioned earlier? A 42: Our effort is to bring engine manufacturing to India as soon as possible. As soon as possible. This matter will be decided by the CCS and it will happen very quickly. Q 43: So, collaboration with foreign companies is possible, but the manufacturing will be in India. A 43: Our effort is that whoever we get into an agreement with, should transfer the technology too. Q 44: So, regarding the fifth-generation fighter the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), its design has been completed? How far has the work progressed? A 44: The progress is good, satisfactory. Q 45: So can you give any timelines for it? A 45: It should happen soon. Q 46: Some experts are saying it could take up to 10 years for the entire process to be completed. Is that correct? A 46: It may take time, but I dont think it will take 10 years. Q 47: It will happen before 10 years? A 47: It may happen even before that. Q 48: Under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) project, we are to acquire 114 Rafale jets. Please tell us something about its progress, and also how our experience with the Rafale was during Operation Sindoor. A 48: The experience was very good. Rafale has performed remarkably, it is an excellent fighter aircraft. Q 49: So these 114 Rafales by when will this be completed? A 49: You have to wait, these things take time. Discussions are going on, and it may take some time. But overall, the progress is reasonably good. Q 50: Weve seen that drones play a very big role in modern warfare, even in Operation Sindoor we witnessed this. So, is there a delay in India receiving MQ-9 drones from the US? And what is your view on indigenous drones? A 50: Work on indigenous drones has already begun. These drones will be made here in India. As per the timeline that was set for MQ-9 drones, I believe the delivery should happen accordingly. Q 51: Are we buying more S-400 missile systems from Russia? And is there any discussion about manufacturing the Russian SU-57 jet in India? A 51: We do need the S-400. If we get the opportunity, well buy them. I would not like to say anything regarding SU-57 jet at the moment. Q 52: Speaking of BrahMos missiles they proved to be quite effective during Operation Sindoor. Several countries have also shown interest in them. Will this have a major impact on Indias defence exports? A 52: It will have a very big impact. Our export numbers are set to rise. As of now, we have achieved exports worth approximately Rs 25,000 crore. Our target is that by the end of 202930, our defence exports should reach at least Rs 50,000 crore. And we are confident that we will successfully achieve that goal. We have also accelerated the process of indigenisation. We have decided that, no matter what, many of our defence items will be manufactured in India on Indian soil, by Indians. We have prepared an indigenisation list. It includes about 550 items that we will not import from any foreign country. Similarly, for certain local replacement units, we have identified around 5,000 such components that we will no longer procure from abroad. Out of these, production of around 2,000 to 2,500 items has already begun in India. The advances made in self-reliance within Indias defence sector are indeed very encouraging. Q 53: When will the test of the Agni-6 missile take place? Its our longest intercontinental ballistic missile and has been much talked about. A 53: Just wait and watch. Everything will go well. Q 54: Is the nuclear submarine project delayed? The project has an estimated cost of Rs 1 lakh crore. A 54: I wouldnt say its delayed, but yes, there has been a slight setback. However, the progress is very good. It has improved significantly compared to earlier stages. Q 55: When we talk about self-reliance and indigenisation, would you also say that our weapon systems and platforms should be entirely our own and that we shouldnt depend on anyone else? A 55: When it comes to our defence equipment and weapons, we do not want to depend on other countries. We aim to become completely self-reliant, and our efforts are moving in that direction. I would like to say that the progress so far has been good. Q 56: What about theatrisationthe proposed unified command of the Army, Navy, and Air Force? By when do you think it will be implemented? A 56: I wont specify a timeline right now; it isnt possible to do so at this stage. But I can say that our progress on theatrisation has been good. Q 57: The Army chief said the progress is going well, but has the Air Force raised any objections or issues, and how are you dealing with it? A 57: The Air Force has not registered any objections with us so far. But whatever we do, we will do it after taking the Army, Air Force, and Navy into confidence. Q 58: The armed forces are conducting large-scale exercises. Are these routine exercises, or are you anticipating a threat? A 58: There is no threat. These are routine exercises that continue to take place, and they are going on these days as well. Q 59: Tensions have eased on the LAC, but de-escalation has not happened. A 59: There has been de-escalation at several points. You must have seen Chinas statement where they said they want to normalise the situation with India at the LAC. I spoke with the Chinese Defence Minister when I went to attend the ADMM-Plus. We had a very good discussion. They said they want military-to-military meetings to continue so that no tense situation comes up again. Q 60: This is a very big development. Does it mean we can trust China? A 60: They have said it, and we (India) have also agreed on this. When I went to the SCO meeting, I held a meeting with the Chinese Defence Minister. I said clearly that the ice on India-China ties should melt down, or not and how long will the ice be there? There should be a clear decision on this. I also requested that the President (Xi) should convey this message. I felt good that the Chinese Defence Minister said in our recent meeting that they are ready for discussions and want to find a way to resolve differences of opinion on the LAC. Q 61: It feels from these meetings that there will be concrete steps further. A 61: It should definitely happen. Q 62: I want to ask you about the Uttar Pradesh elections. A 62: We will form the government. Q 63: No government has come to power in Uttar Pradesh after two terms. A 63: Jo kabhi nahi hua tha, woh sab Bharat mein ho raha hai. (Things that never happened are now happening in India.) Q 64: Looking at the results of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, do you think the BJP will form the government again? And on what issues will these elections be held? A 64: The Parliament elections were different. Dont link that with this (2027 polls). There must have been some circumstances for those elections. Yogi Adityanath is running the government very well. You must have seen how successful Uttar Pradesh is now in managing law and order. Law and order is the first requirement of development. If the law and order situation is good, then development will happen fast and it is going on now. Q 65: So you will take development as the issue in the UP polls. A 65: We take development as an issue in every election. Whenever our governments seek re-election, we go to the people with development as the issue. Because we have done the development, and thats why we discuss it. Q 66: When will the next BJP president be announced? A 66: I think the name will be announced after the Bihar elections. Q 67: It means the names have been finalised. A 67: We dont have issues. Our people sit, discuss, and decide. Q 68: Then why did it take so long? Mohan Bhagwat was saying that if it were in his hands, he would have done it earlier. Is there any difference with the RSS on this? A 68: The RSS does not interfere in our political affairs. It is true that we are sevaks of the RSS and will remain so throughout our lives. But the RSS never interferes in our political affairs. Q 69: You joined the RSS at a young age. How did you come in contact with the RSS? How did the RSS shape your political life? A 69: When I was in high school, I came in contact with the Tehsil Pracharak. From then, I started going to Sangh Shakhas. The environment and the things they teach youabout how to live your life and inculcate patriotic feelingsthese things affected me. Q 70: Who inspired you in the RSS? A 70: There are many peoplefrom the RSS chief to many people at the lower levels of the RSS. Their commitment to society and the nation affected me. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Q 71: Rajnath-ji, we are thankful to you for giving your time and answering our questions. You were seen on different channels of News18. News18 Bihar is the biggest channel in Bihar; we have an 80% share there. Wishing you well for the Bihar election. A 71: Thank you. 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: November 07, 2025, 21:00 IST News india From Bihar Polls To Op Sindoor And LAC: Full Text Of Exclusive Rajnath Singh Interview 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... Illegal Immigration Is External Aggression: HC Backs Assams Power To Expel Foreign Nationals Reported By : LawBeat Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 17:29 IST HC held that once a person is declared a foreign national, the protection under Articles 19 or 21, such as the right to reside, move freely, or pursue a vocation, does not apply Rapid Read + Follow us On Google The court clarified that the process concerning declared foreigners in Assam is one of expulsion, not deportation. (File) The Gauhati High Court has said that the continued influx of illegal migrants into Assam amounts to external aggression" and poses a grave threat to Indias unity and internal security, while upholding the States power to expel declared foreign nationals from its territory. A division bench of Justice Kalyan Rai Surana and Justice Susmita Phukan Khaund made the observations while dismissing a habeas corpus petition filed by Rejiya Khatun, a resident of Chirang district, seeking the release of her husband, Majibar Rahman alias Majibar Sheikh, who had been declared a foreign national by the Foreigners Tribunal, Kajalgaon, in July 2019. Recommended Stories Khatun alleged that her husband, who had been released from detention in 2021 after over two years in custody, was taken away again by Kajalgaon police in May 2025 without being informed of the reason for his arrest. She claimed no arrest memo or grounds of detention were provided and argued that his continued custody violated Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution. Rejecting the plea, the court held that a person declared as a foreign national by a Foreigners Tribunal cannot claim the constitutional rights available to Indian citizens. Citing the Supreme Courts decisions in Hans Muller of Nurenburg v. Superintendent, Presidency Jail (1955) and Sarbananda Sonowal v. Union of India (2005), the bench reaffirmed that the government has absolute and unfettered discretion" to expel foreigners from Indian soil. The judges held that once a person is declared a foreign national, the protection under Articles 19 or 21, such as the right to reside, move freely, or pursue a vocation, does not apply. The declared foreign national cannot claim any fundamental right to reside or move freely within India," the court said, adding that detention in a holding centre pending expulsion cannot be equated with arrest under criminal law. Referring extensively to the Sarbananda Sonowal judgment, the bench reiterated that the large-scale infiltration of illegal migrants from Bangladesh has changed Assams demographic structure and must be treated as a form of external aggression". The court cited findings from the 1998 report of former Assam Governor Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha, which warned that the unabated influx of migrants threatens to reduce the Assamese people to a minority in their own State." The bench also quoted Bangladeshs founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahmans writings, where he had suggested that Assams natural resources made it vital for Bangladeshs economic expansion. The bench criticised media portrayals that link Assams deportation policies to religious persecution, calling them examples of misinformation warfare by vested interests against the Country and the State of Assam." It said such narratives distort the legal framework designed to safeguard national integrity. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The court clarified that the process concerning declared foreigners in Assam is one of expulsion, not deportation. Deportation, it said, applies to individuals who entered India lawfully but overstayed, whereas expulsion applies to those who entered illegally. Holding that the petitioners husbands custody was lawful, the court dismissed the habeas corpus plea and permitted the State to proceed with his expulsion. There shall be no bar for the State to take steps for expulsion of the declared foreign national," the order concluded. About the Author Salil Tiwari Salil Tiwari, Senior Special Correspondent at Lawbeat, reports on the Allahabad High Court and courts in Uttar Pradesh, however, she also writes on important cases of national importance and public in... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 17:19 IST News india Illegal Immigration Is External Aggression: HC Backs Assams Power To Expel Foreign Nationals 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... Over 100 Flights Face Delay As Technical Glitch Disrupts Operations At Delhi Airport; Airlines Issue Advisories Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:17 IST While authorities have confirmed that technical teams are working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible, travellers are advised to check live status online. The incident took place on September 5, when the man slipped off scaffolding and sustained fatal injuries. (Image: PTI/File) Over 100 flights have been delayed at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Friday due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system. The airport authority has confirmed the delay, advising passengers to keep tracking the status of the flights. According to an official statement from the airport authority, Due to a technical issue with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system, flight operations at IGIA are experiencing delays. Their team is actively working with all stakeholders, including DIAL to resolve it at the earliest." Recommended Stories The advisory further urged passengers to stay updated on their flight status: Passengers are advised to stay in touch with their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused." Authorities have confirmed that technical teams are working to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. SpiceJet, Air india Issue Advisory SpiceJet also informed passengers that ongoing ATC congestion at Delhi Airport may affect departures, arrivals, and connecting flights.The airline advised travellers to regularly check the status of their flights through its official portal. Air India Issues Advisory Air India also issued an update on the same in an official statement on X. A technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is impacting flight operations across all airlines, leading to delays and longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft. We regret the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption, which is beyond our control, and appreciate your patience," it said. Our cabin crew and on-ground staff at the airport are extending immediate assistance to reduce passenger inconvenience," the airlines added, also advising travellers to track flight status on its official website. #TravelAdvisoryA technical issue with the ATC system in Delhi is impacting flight operations across all airlines, leading to delays and longer wait times at the airport and onboard aircraft. We regret the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption, which is beyond our Air India (@airindia) November 7, 2025 AAI Releases Official Statement The Airport Authority of India (AAI) on Friday said that flight operations at Delhi Airport are facing delays due to a technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which handles Air Traffic Control (ATC) data. In a post on X, AAI stated, Flight operations at Delhi Airport are experiencing delays due to a technical issue in the Automatic Message Switching System (AMSS), which supports Air Traffic Control data. Controllers are processing flight plans manually, leading to some delays. Technical teams are working to restore the system at the earliest. We appreciate the understanding and cooperation of all passengers and stakeholders." Authorities said efforts are underway to resolve the issue and restore normal operations as soon as possible. Social Media Reactions Several travellers also took to social media to express the frustration. An X user under the name Ishita wrote,"@airindia @DelhiAirport it is a nightmare to be sitting in an aircraft for 2 hours due to massive signal failure. 90 flights are queued up and there is no clarity when we will take off. There could be failures but why cant you inform passengers before boarding." Air India also replied to her post adding,"Dear Maam, we understand your dissatisfaction. Kindly share your flight details with us via DM so that we can look into this further." @airindia @DelhiAirport it is a nightmare to be sitting in an aircraft for 2 hours due to massive signal failure. 90 flights are queued up and there is no clarity when we will take off. There could be failures but why cant you inform passengers before boarding. Ishita (@deyspecial) November 7, 2025 Another social media user said,"All airlines flight departures from Delhi Airport are delayed and waiting for ATC clearance. We are sitting in the plane for more than an hour. Is there any serious issue??." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all All airlines flight departures from Delhi Airport are delayed and waiting for ATC clearance. We are sitting in the plane for more than an hour. Is there any serious issue?? Rajiv Derhgawen (@rajiv_derhgawen) November 7, 2025 A third netizen wrote, Very disappointed with @IndiGo6E 5066 flight scheduled at 6:10 AM, boarded long ago but still not taken off. Pilot just said another 1 hr delay (till 9 AM)! My connecting flight is at 10:30. Whats happening? #IndiGo #FlightDelay." 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: November 07, 2025, 08:01 IST News india Over 100 Flights Face Delay As Technical Glitch Disrupts Operations At Delhi Airport; Airlines Issue Advisories 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... Kalyan Banerjee Loses Over Rs 55 Lakh After Fraudsters Access His Account Using Forged KYC Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 14:31 IST Kalyan Banerjee has lost over Rs 55 lakh after cybercriminals allegedly reactivated his dormant SBI account using forged KYC documents. A file photo of Kalyan Banerjee (PTI) In a shocking case of online financial fraud, senior Trinamool Congress leader and four-time Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee has allegedly lost over Rs 55 lakh after cybercriminals accessed his dormant State Bank of India (SBI) account using forged documents. The SBI High Court Branch in Kolkata has lodged a formal complaint with the Cyber Crime Police Station seeking an urgent investigation. Recommended Stories According to the complaint, the fraudster used forged PAN and Aadhaar cards, with a different photograph superimposed on apparently genuine documents, to update the KYC details of Banerjees account. The impersonator also changed the registered mobile number linked to the account on October 28, 2025, thereby gaining full access. Once the credentials were altered, the fraudster reportedly executed a series of unauthorised internet banking transactions, siphoning off Rs 56,39,767. The funds were allegedly moved to multiple beneficiary accounts, spent on jewellery purchases, and also withdrawn through ATMs. According to the details, the account in question had remained inactive for years, as it was opened when Banerjee served as a Trinamool Congress legislator from Asansol (Dakshin) between 2001 and 2006, a period when his salary as a West Bengal MLA was credited there. The dormant account, lying unattended since then, was recently found to have been reactivated through fraudulent means. Banerjee, who was previously the chief whip of the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha, reportedly discovered the fraud when he learned that Rs 55 lakh was first transferred from his personal account at SBIs Kalighat branch into the dormant account, and subsequently siphoned off through a series of online transfers. After the irregularity came to light, Banerjee alerted SBI officials, who initiated a cybercrime complaint and began internal checks to determine whether any procedural lapses occurred within the bank. Subsequently, the bank assured that it would provide all supporting documents, KYC records, and transaction details to aid investigators in tracing the culprits and the money trail. IANS quoted a senior officer of the Kolkata Police Cyber Crime division as saying that a probe was underway. The entire matter is being investigated thoroughly. We are examining the banks internal processes and contacting officials to determine how the account was accessed. Efforts are being made to track the fraudsters and the destination of the funds," the officer said. A senior Trinamool leader close to him was quoted as saying that the MP remains hopeful that the police will crack the case soon and help him recover the lost amount." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The police also said that the fraudsters had used Banerjees photograph and a new mobile number to complete the fake KYC process, a sophisticated method of impersonation that has raised concerns over potential vulnerabilities in digital banking verification systems. ALSO READ | Pakistan-Linked Hackers Targeting Indian Military, Govt Systems With AI-Based Spyware: Sources About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: November 07, 2025, 14:29 IST News india Kalyan Banerjee Loses Over Rs 55 Lakh After Fraudsters Access His Account Using Forged KYC 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... Karnataka Fixes Sugarcane Price At Rs 3,300 Per Tonne Amid Farmers' Protest Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 20:42 IST The protest by sugarcane farmers in the State demanding a higher price for their produce entered its eighth day in Belagavi on Thursday. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (File Photo) The Karnataka government on Friday decided to set the price of sugarcane at Rs 3,300 per tonne. Sugar factories will pay Rs 3,250 per tonne, with the government contributing an additional Rs 50 to bring the total to Rs 3,300 per tonne for farmers, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said. He further stated that all sugar factory owners have agreed to the new price structure. He urged them to support farmers in distress and requested farmers to withdraw their protest to help maintain law and order. Notably, the cost of harvesting and transportation is not included in this price. Recommended Stories The protest by sugarcane farmers in the State demanding a higher price for their produce entered its eighth day in Belagavi on Thursday. Siddaramaiah took to X and shared the development through several posts. After a continuous seven-hour meeting held in connection with resolving the problems of sugarcane growers, she participated in a press conference and spoke. The key points of the press conference are as follows: We have arrived at a firm decision by prioritizing the welfare of the states farmers. It has been decided to provide 3,300 per ton of sugarcane. The government and factory owners will contribute 50 each to provide 3,300 per ton to the farmers," an excerpt from Siddaramaiahs post reads. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all At a meeting, Karnataka Law Minister HK Patil mentioned that the Chief Minister asked the sugar factory owners to consider the farmers plight and increase the price by Rs 50, leading to the government adding another Rs 50 to reach the total of Rs 3,300 per tonne. Most mill owners accepted the proposal. Furthermore, Siddaramaiah also wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking an urgent appointment to discuss the ongoing agitation by the farmers. 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: November 07, 2025, 20:42 IST News india Karnataka Fixes Sugarcane Price At Rs 3,300 Per Tonne Amid Farmers' 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... Mid-Day Meal Served On Scrap Paper In Madhya Pradesh School, Officials Launch Probe Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 21:05 IST A disturbing footage showed children sitting on the floor of the school compound with no shelter, and their meal being served on scrap paper instead of plates. Students at a school in Madhya Pradesh were served their mid-day meal on scrap paper. (Photo: X) A shocking video went viral on social media, showing underprivileged children at a government school in Madhya Pradesh being served their mid-day meal on scrap paper lying on the ground, highlighting serious lapses in the implementation of the scheme. The footage showed children sitting on the floor of the school compound in Madhya Pradeshs Sheopur district with no shelter, and their meal was served on pieces of paper that were spread on the ground. No teachers were seen on the spot. Recommended Stories Sheopur District Collector Arpit Verma ordered an immediate inquiry by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) after the incident came to light, NDTV reported. The self-help group serving the meals was suspended, and a show-cause notice was issued to the school principal. District Education Officer ML Garg suspended Bhogiram Dhakad, in-charge of Hullpur Secondary School. The incident highlighted shortcomings in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Poshan Shakti Nirman (PM Poshan) scheme, which is intended to provide nutritious and hygienic meals to children in government and aided schools. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Local reports indicated that negligence in serving mid-day meals in the school was a frequent occurrence, with students receiving improper food or sometimes having no plates to eat from. Such behavior with children is completely unacceptable. Such inhumanity will not be tolerated at any level in the future," said DC Verma. According to government data, Madhya Pradesh served mid-day meals in 87,567 out of 88,299 schools as of November 6, leaving 732 schools without meals on that day. The ruling BJP government had promised to improve the quality of mid-day meals in its 2023 assembly election manifesto. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More Location : Sheopur, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 21:05 IST News india Mid-Day Meal Served On Scrap Paper In Madhya Pradesh School, Officials Launch Probe 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... Mother Of Three Plots Husband's Killing With Lover After Affair Uncovered In UPs Meerut Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 23:23 IST A woman and her lover killed her husband after he discovered their affair. Wife mourned her husband before eloping with the lover. Police uncovered the plot after investigation. Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google His family, alerted by the noise, rushed out to help but could not catch the attackers as they escaped. (Representative/Shutterstock) A woman who is a mother of three had her husband killed by her lover after the former found out about her affair in Uttar Pradeshs Meerut district. The deceased, identified as Rahul, was found with three bullet marks in a field outside his village. His wife, identified as Anjali, mourned his death before eloping with her lover. Recommended Stories At first, police thought robbery might have been the motive behind the murder, but further investigation pointed to a different story. When the police tried to question the wife of the deceased, it emerged that she had been missing from her home in Agwanpur village. They then discovered that the woman, was in an extramarital relationship with another man, Ajay, who was a resident of the same village. Ajay was also missing when the police tried to contact him. The pair was later found together in hiding, NDTV reported. Ajay revealed the truth, during questioning. He said that Rahul became aware of the illicit relationship, and this made Anjali so upset that she hatched a plan to kill him. According to the plan, Ajay asked Rahul to meet him near the fields. When he arrived there, he shot him thrice, the probe revealed. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In a separate incident, a woman got her husband killed over her affair in the same district. The woman, Kajal, allegedly administered sedatives to her husband and, with the help of her lover, took him on a motorcycle to a canal several kilometres from their home. There, they reportedly strangled him with Kajals scarf and dumped his body into the canal. Location : Meerut, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 23:20 IST News india Mother Of Three Plots Husband's Killing With Lover After Affair Uncovered In UPs Meerut Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... PM Modi Inaugurates Year-Long Commemoration Of 150 Years Of Vande Mataram Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:24 IST PM Modi today inaugurated the year-long nationwide commemoration of Vande Matarams 150th anniversary, also unveiling a commemorative stamp and coin. PM Narendra Modi at the Vande Mataram event in New Delhi (Video screengrab) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the year-long commemoration of the National Song, Vande Mataram, at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. At the event, he also released a commemorative stamp and coin. PM Modi also participated in the mass singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at the stadium. Recommended Stories #WATCH | Delhi | PM Modi participates in the Mass Singing of the full version of Vande Mataram at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, in an event commemorating 150 years of the National Song Vande Mataram.The Prime Minister will also release a Commemorative Stamp and Coin on pic.twitter.com/Ra5vkVp4D3 ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 The programme marked the formal launch of the year-long nationwide commemoration, from November 7, 2025 to November 7, 2026, celebrating 150 years of the timeless composition that inspired Indias freedom movement and continues to evoke national pride and unity. This year marks 150 years since Vande Mataram was composed. VIDEO | Delhi: PM Modi (@narendramodi) inaugurates year-long commemoration of 150 years of the National Song Vande Mataram.(Source: Third Party) (Full video available on PTI Videos https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/Joynpo9pNN Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 7, 2025 At the event, PM Modi also launched a portal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Vande Mataram song. #WATCH | Delhi | PM Modi launches a portal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the National Song Vande Mataram(Source: DD) pic.twitter.com/PuVhvWwBGb ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 For the event, an appeal had been extended to every citizen, from the bustling metropolises to the serene villages, to join in the resounding chorus of Vande Mataram, fostering a symphony of collective harmony that echoes the ethos of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat. On November 7, 2025, a nationwide cascade of programs shall unfold under the auspices of the Central Government, inviting people across the length and breadth of our sovereign land to unite in solemn rendition of this timeless ode, reaffirming our shared legacy of sacrifice and sovereignty, an official release mentioned. The release further read, furthering this patriotic fervour, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), guided by BJPs National President JP Nadda, has announced a series of inspiring initiatives from November 7 to November 26, culminating on the auspicious occasion of Constitution Day. Through these endeavours, the BJP will orchestrate multifaceted events to reverberate Vande Mataram in every corner, galvanising the youth, families, and communities to honour our constitutional pillars of justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity. Vande Mataram was written by Bankimchandra Chatterji during the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Navami, which fell on November 7 in 1875. Vande Mataram first appeared in the literary journal, Bangadarshan, as part of Chatterjis novel, Anandamath. The song, invoking the motherland as the embodiment of strength, prosperity and divinity, gave a poetic expression to Indias awakening spirit of unity and self-respect. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all It soon became an enduring symbol of devotion to the nation, the statement said. ALSO READ | Congress Pandering To Communal Agenda: BJP Ups The Ante As Vande Mataram Politics Erupts About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: November 07, 2025, 10:06 IST News india PM Modi Inaugurates Year-Long Commemoration Of 150 Years Of Vande Mataram Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... The European Investment Bank is providing EUR 100 million to strengthen economic resilience and heating infrastructure in Ukraine: EUR 70 million will be directed to Ukrgasbank to ensure the operation of Ukrainian enterprises and protect jobs during the war, as well as to promote investments in energy efficiency, while EUR 30 million will be directed to the repair and modernization of urban district heating systems through the state-owned Ukrgasbank and Ukreximbank, ensuring reliable heat supply to communities during the war. The EIB press release on Friday noted that the financing is provided by the EU for Ukraine Fund and the Ukraine Investment Framework, which is part of the EUR 50 billion Ukraine Facility, demonstrating the European Union's continued commitment to Ukraine's recovery and resilience. EUR 70 million has been disbursed to Ukrgasbank under the EUR 400 million Ukraine Economic Resilience Facility Lending Envelope. The project is backed by the EIBs EU for Ukraine Fund, which is supported by EU Member States. The financing will expand access to long-term loans for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and mid-caps across the country. EUR 30 million has been disbursed (EUR 15 million to Ukrgasbank and EUR 15 million to Ukreximbank) as the first tranches of larger EIB district heating loans (EUR 50 million and EUR 100 million, respectively), guaranteed under the European Commissions Ukraine Investment Framework. The financing will be on-lent to communities and public utilities to repair and upgrade district heating systems, improve energy efficiency in public buildings and deploy renewable energy solutions, thereby reducing dependence on vulnerable centralised infrastructure. The Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF) is part of the EUR 50 billion EU Ukraine Facility designed to attract public and private investments for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. It is endowed with financial instruments totalling EUR 9.3 billion, with EUR 7.8 billion in loan guarantees and EUR 1.5 billion in blended finance. In March 2025, the EIB entered into a EUR 1.95 million guarantee agreement with the European Union to support its operations in Ukraine. This guarantee is provided under UIF. The aim of the UIF is to mobilise EUR 40 billion of investments for Ukraines recovery, reconstruction and modernisation. The EU for Ukraine Fund (EU4U) was established by the EIB in 2023 as an additional instrument to support Ukraines recovery and rebuilding efforts. The fund has received contributions from 16 EU Member States Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and Spain bringing its total size to EUR 410 million. The EIB has been operating in Ukraine since 2007. Following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the EIB provided Ukraine with EUR 4 billion in financing. Rahul Gandhi Spoke Of H-Bomb, Couldnt Light A Firecracker: Rajnath Singh On Vote Theft Claims Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 17:07 IST Rajnath Singh to News18: They keep talking about dropping a hydrogen bomb or an atom bomb, but in reality, they havent even managed to light a small firecracker. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Rajnath Singh rubbished Opposition's claims on SIR. (PTI File) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, rubbished Oppositions claims of vote theft through the Election Commissions Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Responding to Congresss Rahul Gandhi and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadavs claims that 65 lakh voters have been deregistered in Bihar, Singh said, But they havent been able to present even a single concrete case. The EC has repeatedly said that if you have any complaints, please bring them to us, we are ready to investigate. Yet, over the same issue, they keep talking about dropping a hydrogen bomb" or an atom bomb", but in reality, they havent even managed to light a small firecracker." Recommended Stories When asked about Gandhis allegations of vote theft in Haryana and Maharashtra, Singh said, He took out a padyatra for the same, but he found nothing. But now he is discussing elections that are done and dusted. You cant do politics for long by conning people." #Exclusive | Congress is misleading people. Rahul Gandhi spoke of Hydrogen bomb, couldnt light a firecracker. Not a single case is there: Defense Minister @rajnathsingh speaks exclusively to CNN-News18's @18RahulJoshi@_pallavighosh shares more #BattleForBihar | @GrihaAtul pic.twitter.com/JTdhHcY8WU News18 (@CNNnews18) November 7, 2025 Along with Gandhi, West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and Tamil Nadu CM and DMKs MK Stalin, too, are objecting to SIR in their states. Singh said these statements are actually violating the democratic process concerning legitimate voters. I want to ask them those who have come from outside, the infiltrators whose names were on the rolls in Bihar are now being removed. There are also many people who have permanently moved away from Bihar in search of livelihood or those who passed away. Only their names wont be in the voter list," he said. In the Haryana Assembly elections in October 2024, the Congress 37 seats out of 90. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 48 seats and retained power for a third straight term. Analysts called it a setback for the Congress, especially because many exit polls had predicted a comfortable win for them top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Calling it his much-awaited H bomb", Gandhi, on Wednesday alleged massive vote fraud in the Haryana Assembly polls last year. He alleged that 25 lakh votes were stolen in Haryana, which has a total of 2 crore voters. This means one in eight voters in Haryana are fake, 12.5 per cent," he said. While the EC earlier carried out an SIR in Bihar, the EC on October 27 now announced a similar exercise in 12 states and union territories. Banerjee led a massive protest against the SIR, while Stalin called an all-party meeting and vowed to resist the exercise. 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: November 07, 2025, 16:28 IST News india Rahul Gandhi Spoke Of H-Bomb, Couldnt Light A Firecracker: Rajnath Singh On Vote Theft Claims 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... 'Reshaping Capital': Kerala CM Approves Phase-I Alignment Of Thiruvananthapuram Metro Rail Project Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 22:36 IST The project, managed by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), will feature 27 stations along the 31-kilometer route of phase-I. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan (File Photo) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has given the green light to the first phase alignment of the Thiruvananthapuram Metro Rail project, the government announced on Friday. A statement from the CMs office stated that phase-I of the alignment will link the three phases of the Technopark, the airport, Thampanoor bus stand and railway station, the secretariat, and the government medical college hospital. Recommended Stories The project, managed by Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL), will feature 27 stations along the 31-kilometer route of phase-I. The Phase 1 alignment of the Thiruvananthapuram Metro Rail has been approved, marking a landmark step in reshaping Keralas capital for the future.This 31-km corridor with 27 stations is a game-changer, set to connect key IT hubs, major transport nodes, and vital administrative pic.twitter.com/YbWBWHHTqW Pinarayi Vijayan (@pinarayivijayan) November 7, 2025 The metro rail will start from Pappanamcode, passing through Killipalam, Palayam, Sreekaryam, Kazhakoottam, Technopark, Kochuveli, the airport, and concluding at Enchakkal. Interchange stations will be situated at Kazhakootam, Technopark, and Karyavattom, according to the statement from the CMO. As part of the Thiruvananthapuram Metro project, KMRL has been tasked with constructing the Sreekaryam, Ulloor, and Pattom flyovers, with the Sreekaryam flyover already progressing rapidly. The metro rail project is expected to significantly boost Thiruvananthapurams development, the statement added. A Transport Department order has instructed KMRL to prepare and submit a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Thiruvananthapuram Metro Rail based on the approved alignment and in line with the Metro Rail Policy 2017 and central government guidelines. Administrative approval for the implementation of the light metro rail system in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode districts by the Kerala Rapid Transit Corporation Ltd was granted in September 2015. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In September 2022, the entire project was assigned to KMRL, which was then tasked with preparing the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), Alternative Analysis Report (AAR), and a revised DPR following the Metro Rail Policy 2017 and central government guidelines. After conducting a comprehensive mobility study, KMRL concluded that a Mono Rail or Light Metro system would not suffice for the ever-growing city of Thiruvananthapuram and recommended a conventional metro, akin to other cities, as the most suitable option. 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 : Thiruvananthapuram [Trivandrum], India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 22:36 IST News india 'Reshaping Capital': Kerala CM Approves Phase-I Alignment Of Thiruvananthapuram Metro Rail Project 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... 'Shame': Ex-CIA Official Says Indira Gandhi Didn't Approve Strike On Pakistans Nuclear Facility Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 20:48 IST Barlow said a proposed India-Israeli strike on Pakistan's Kahuta nuclear facility "would have solved a lot of problems". Former CIA officer Richard Barlow. (ANI) Former CIA Officer Richard Barlow on Friday reacted to reports about a joint plan by India and Israel in the 1980s to launch a pre-emptive strike on Pakistans Kahuta nuclear facility, saying that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did not approve of the attack, which would have solved a lot of problems. It never happened, it was just talk. It is a shame that Indira (former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) did not approve it. It would have solved a lot of problems," Barlow told ANIs Ishaan Prakash. Recommended Stories #WATCH | On the reported Israel-India proposal for a preemptive strike on Pakistans Kahuta nuclear facility, Former CIA Officer Richard Barlow says, It never happened, it was just talk. It is a shame that Indira (former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi) did not approve pic.twitter.com/5M0C8cfRAM ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 However, he said that any action against Pakistans nuclear facility would have infuriated then-US President Ronald Reagan, who would have taken strong action against then-Israeli PM Menachem Begin. It would have interfered with the Afghan problem because they (Pakistan) were basically using the flow of covert aid to the Mujahideen as blackmail. I think thats what (Pakistan Army Chief Asim) Munir was saying." Barlow, who served as a counterproliferation officer during Pakistans covert nuclear build-up in the 1980s, said the US President continued to certify that Pakistan did not possess nuclear weapons, a position with which CIA officers were not comfortable with. In 1990, there was another crisis between India and Pakistan, a major crisis. The intelligence community saw nuclear weapons moving to air bases and being put on F-16s. The nuclear weapons that Pakistan did not possess, according to the US president," he added. Barlow said Richard J Kerr, the deputy director of Central Intelligence, called it the scariest thing" since the Cuban Missile Crisis of the 1960s, when the US and the Soviet Union came close to a military confrontation during the Cold War. Reagan dispatched Robert Gates, the NSC advisor at that time, to Islamabad and New Delhi to defuse the crisis. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In the same interview, Barlow also said Pakistans initial drive to develop nuclear weapons was meant to counter India, but under its chief architect Abdul Qadeer Khan, the programme evolved into an Islamic bomb" aimed at spreading nuclear technology to other Muslim nations. Barlow that while Pakistans nuclear ambitions were triggered by Indias 1974 nuclear test, they soon took on a broader ideological dimension. He also criticised Washington for ignoring Pakistans proliferation network for decades, alleging that US administrations did nothing" about Islamabads nuclear dealings for more than 20 years. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 20:29 IST News india 'Shame': Ex-CIA Official Says Indira Gandhi Didn't Approve Strike On Pakistans Nuclear Facility 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... Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy Soon; IATA Says Blending Mandate 'Without Incentive' Would Hurt Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:37 IST The move will increase farmers' income and create more green jobs, Civil Aviation Minister Naidu told News18. Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu | File Image Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Thursday said the government will very soon come out with a policy on Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to help reduce crude oil imports. The move will also increase farmers income and create more green jobs, Naidu told News18. A mandate on blending SAF with jet fuel without incentives", however, would hurt airlines", an official from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said. The minister, while speaking at India Sustainable Aviation Fuel Summit 2025 organised by the Civil Aviation Ministry and industry body FICCI, said the government will very soon come out with a Sustainable Aviation Fuel policy, adding that adoption of SAF demands more innovation, investment and a collective international collaboration. Recommended Stories He said, India aims to have 1 per cent blending of SAF in jet fuel by 2027, 2 per cent blending by 2028 and 5 per cent blending by 2030. Private players should also be part of SAF production besides the oil companies, he added. Apart from reducing carbon emissions, the minister said SAF can empower farmers by increasing their incomes by 10-15 per cent. Along with reducing our crude oil import bill by USD 5-7 billion every year, SAF production can also help create over 1 million green jobs across the SAF value chain," Naidu said. The representatives from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) present at the event, however, said that a mandate on SAF blending without incentives will hurt airlines. IATA represents over 300 airlines that includes Indian carriers and account for over 80 per cent of the global air traffic. Tuhin Sen, Head Sustainability India at IATA, said IATA would prefer to have incentives for a technological push for producing SAF to precede the mandate for the use of SAF. Mandates for blending sustainable aviation fuel with jet fuel without incentives are a no-go area" and such a situation would hurt airlines, he said, adding that it will have unintended consequences as airlines are also enablers for connectivity and growth. Sen also mentioned that for airlines, currently, Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) accounts for around 44 per cent of the overall operating costs while the quantum is around 34 per cent globally. Asangba Chuba Ao, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation who also was a speaker at the summit, said there is need for a multi-pronged approach and that there was no silver bullet" to address the issues. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The government is open to suggestions, he said, with respect to developing the SAF ecosystem. (With PTI inputs) About the Author Anvit Srivastava Anvit Srivastava, Principal Correspondent at CNN-News18, covers crime, security, policing and society in Delhi. His impactful ground reports have helped him make his mark among the select credited jou... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 10:37 IST News india Sustainable Aviation Fuel Policy Soon; IATA Says Blending Mandate 'Without Incentive' Would Hurt 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... 'Vande Mataram A Mantra Of Unity, Inspired Generations': PM Modi Slams 'Divisive Mindset' Amid Row Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 11:37 IST Invoking the emotional power of the national song, the Prime Minister said Vande Mataram goes beyond melody or lyrics. PM Modi commemorates 150 years of National Song 'Vande Mataram'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated a year-long nationwide commemoration of Vande Mataram to mark 150 years of the national song, releasing a commemorative stamp and coin to honour the milestone. He said the anniversary would inspire citizens across the country and further strengthen the spirit of unity. Vande Mataram is a true symbol of Indias unity as it has inspired generations," PM Modi said, adding, As we mark 150 years of Vande Mataram today, this will give us new inspiration and fill the people of the country with new energy." Recommended Stories Vande Mataram Is Not A Song, Its A Mantra Invoking the emotional and cultural power of the national song, the Prime Minister said Vande Mataram transcends melody or lyrics. Vande Mataram is not a song, it is a mantra," he said, describing it as a timeless force that unites people across regions and generations. He added that the song embodies the strength and resilience of India. The main emotion of Vande Mataram is Bharat, Maa Bharati Bharat ek rashtra ke roop mein wo kundan ban kar ubhra jo ateet ki har chot sehta raha aur sehkar bhi amaratva ko prapt kar gaya," he said, India as a nation that emerged stronger from every challenge it faced. PM Modi Says Split Over Vande Mataram In 1937 Sowed Seeds Of Partition PM Modi also referred to the political debates surrounding the songs history, saying the 1937 decision to approve only select stanzas of Vande Mataram created ideological rifts that later contributed to Indias Partition. He said a part of its spirit and significance was separated," arguing that the division sowed the seeds of Indias eventual partition." The Prime Minister urged the younger generation to understand the historical context, warning that the same divisive mindset remains a challenge for the nation even today." His remarks came amid renewed political sparring between the BJP and the Congress over the legacy of the national song. BJP spokesperson C.R. Kesavan accused the Congress of communalising" Vande Mataram in 1937 under Jawaharlal Nehrus presidency, alleging that Nehru feared the song could irritate Muslims"- a claim he rooted in Nehrus correspondence with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Congress committed the historic blunder of linking the song with religion. Under Nehru, stanzas invoking Goddess Durga were deliberately removed," CR Kesavan said. Nationwide Celebrations From 2025 to 2026 The event marked the formal launch of a year-long national celebration from November 7, 2025, to November 7, 2026, commemorating the 150-year journey of a song that stirred Indias freedom movement and continues to embody national pride. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Vande Mataram was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterji on Akshaya Navami, which fell on November 7 in the year 1875. The song first appeared in the literary journal Bangadarshan as part of his celebrated novel Anandamath. The Prime Minister said the upcoming year of celebrations will allow the nation to reconnect with the legacy, ideals and cultural force that Vande Mataram represents. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 11:13 IST News india 'Vande Mataram A Mantra Of Unity, Inspired Generations': PM Modi Slams 'Divisive Mindset' Amid 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... 'Congress Pandering To Communal Agenda': BJP Ups The Ante As Vande Mataram Politics Erupts Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 09:49 IST As India marks 150 years of Vande Mataram, political clashes have erupted nationwide, with the BJP accusing Congress of communalising the national song since Nehrus era. More than fifty thousand students gather to sing Vande Mataram in Rajasthan's Uadipur (Photo: PTI) As India commemorates 150 years of Vande Mataram, the iconic song that stirred the freedom struggle, a wave of political controversy has engulfed national and state politics, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress trading sharp accusations, and regional rows breaking out in Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Rajasthan. On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend a mass recital of the full version of Vande Mataram at Delhis Indira Gandhi Stadium, marking the start of celebrations at 150 historic sites across India. Recommended Stories The BJP has described the campaign, which runs until Constitution Day on November 26, as a festival of nationalism." BJP BLAMES CONGRESS FOR TRUNCATING VANDE MATARAM BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan has accused the Congress of communalising Vande Mataram since the pre-Independence era. Kesavan alleged that under Jawaharlal Nehrus presidency in 1937, the Congress brazenly pandered to its communal agenda" by adopting only a truncated version of Vande Mataram that omitted verses invoking Goddess Durga. Quoting from Nehrus correspondence with Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Kesavan, in an X post, mentioned that Nehru had written that Vande Matarams background was likely to irritate Muslims." It is imperative for our younger generation to know how the Congress party brazenly pandering to its communal agenda under the Presidentship of Nehru, adopted only a truncated Vande Mataram as the partys national song in its 1937 Faizpur Session, while PM Narendra Modi ji today will inaugurate the 150th year commemoration & participate in the mass recital of the full version of our glorious Vande Mataram across the nation." The Congress committed the historic sin and blunder of linking the song with religion. Congress under Nehru, citing religious grounds, deliberately removed stanzas of Vande Mataram which hailed Goddess Ma Durga," he wrote. Sharing letters by Nehru, Kesavan mentioned, In a letter dated Sep 1, 1937, Nehru spitefully writes that anybody considering the words in Vande Mataram as anything to do with a Goddess was absurd. He also derisively opines that Vande Mataram is not suitable as a national song." On Oct 20, 1937, Nehru wrote to Netaji Bose claiming that the background of Vande Mataram was likely to irritate Muslims. He went on to say that there does seem to be substance regarding the outcry against Vande Mataram and people who are communalistically inclined have been affected by it," Kasavan wrote. In 1937, if Nehru, as Congress President, blanked out the mention of Goddess Ma Durga by truncating Vande Mataram, Rahul Gandhi in March 2024 maliciously remarked There is a word called Shakti in Hindu Dharma and we are fighting against Shakti." The Hindu Virodhi mentality of Nehru finds a pungent echo in Rahul Gandhi, who recently demeaned and maligned the sacred Chatth Puja as a drama, hurting the sentiments of crores of devotees," he added. It is imperative for our younger generation to know how the Congress party brazenly pandering to its communal agenda under the Presidentship of Nehru, adopted only a truncated Vande Mataram as the partys national song in its 1937 Faizpur Session , while PM @narendramodi ji today pic.twitter.com/13NBta11OV C.R.Kesavan (@crkesavan) November 7, 2025 IN BENGAL, BJP SLAMS MAMATAs STATE ANTHEM MOVE In West Bengal, a fresh debate erupted after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced plans for a separate state anthem. BJP leader Dilip Ghosh criticised the move, saying it undermined Bengals legacy as the birthplace of Vande Mataram. There is hardly any logic in what Mamata Banerjee and her party do," Ghosh said. Vande Mataram was created in Bengal. Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee are both ours, one wrote the national anthem, the other the national song. How can there be a separate song for the state?" he asked. SAMAJWADI PARTYs ABU AZMI REFUSES TO RECITE VANDE MATARAM In Maharashtra, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi stoked a controversy by refusing to recite Vande Mataram, saying it goes against the tenets of Islam." Subsequently, BJP minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha announced plans for a community recital of the national song outside the residences of Azmi and Congress MLAs Aslam Shaikh and Amin Patel. Azmi hit back sharply, saying there was no need for political drama over the issue. Why does he need to come here? It is already sung in the Assembly and Parliament," Azmi said. The Kerala High Court has said respecting the national song and anthem is important, not singing it. When we were asked to remove loudspeakers from mosques, we complied. Why go against court orders and force the song upon us?" he asked. Commenting on the controversy, BJP leader Navnath Ban said, If people like Abu Azmi have a problem with Vande Mataram, they should go to Pakistan." ROW OVER ORDER TO RECITE VANDE MATARAM IN RAJASTHAN MADRASAS Rajasthan: Row Over Reciting Vande Mataram in Madrasas In Rajasthan, the directive by state Education Minister Madan Dilawar ordering the recital of Vande Mataram in madrasas sparked a political face-off. The Congress accused the BJP of politicising a non-issue," saying the song has long been part of school routines in the state. This is nothing but an attempt to inflame communal tensions for political gain," said a Congress spokesperson, alleging that the BJP was manufacturing controversy around what should unite all Indians." Composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 and recited publicly by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896, Vande Mataram became a rallying cry of Indias independence movement and was adopted as the national song in 1950. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As the nation marks its 150th year, the song that once symbolised unity against colonial rule has now become a flashpoint in Indias political discourse, bridging history, faith, and the contest for national identity. ALSO READ | PM Modi Calls For Celebrations To Mark 150 Years Of Vande Mataram About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: November 07, 2025, 09:40 IST News india 'Congress Pandering To Communal Agenda': BJP Ups The Ante As Vande Mataram Politics Erupts 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... Want Us To Hear After We Retire?: SC Rebukes Centre Over Delays In Tribunal Reforms Case Curated By : PTI Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 08:43 IST Supreme Court rebuked the Government of India for repeated delays in the Tribunals Reforms Act case, warning it may proceed without further adjournments before CJI retires. The Supreme Court. (Image: PTI/File) The Supreme Court of India on Thursday severely criticised the Government of India for seeking yet another delay in the hearing challenging the Tribunals Reforms (Rationalisation and Conditions of Service) Act, 2021, asking pointedly whether the government intends the case to be heard only after the current bench retires. A bench comprising CJI B. R. Gavai, Justice K. Vinod Chandran, and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi heard the petitions filed by the Madras Bar Association and others. The petitions challenge the constitutional validity of various provisions of the Act, which abolished certain appellate tribunals and amended appointment, tenure, and service conditions of tribunal members. Recommended Stories During the hearing, the bench took strong exception to an application made by the government through Attorney-General R. Venkataramani and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati seeking an adjournment on the ground of the AGs prior international arbitration commitment. Very unfair to the court," CJI Gavai said, noting that the government had already been accommodated twice before. He added, If you want to keep it after 24 (November), my retirement, tell us frankly." The remark came after the bench observed a pattern of requests that appeared designed to avoid a final hearing before the current benchs tenure ends. The bench also questioned why another law officer could not represent the Union of India, rather than relying repeatedly on the AGs availability. It said the court had cleared its schedule for Friday to hear arguments and use the weekend to write its judgment. Having already heard final arguments from petitioners, the bench warned that if the government fails to appear properly, it will close the matter" or proceed without further adjournments. The case is significant because the 2021 Act is seen as affecting the independence of tribunal bodies that adjudicate specialised disputes by giving greater control to the executive over appointments and tenures. Petitioners argue this undermines the separation of powers. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The court has now scheduled the next hearing for Monday for the AGs submissions, after the petitioner argues on Friday. The government must thus move swiftly or risk the bench taking a hard line. 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: November 07, 2025, 08:43 IST News india Want Us To Hear After We Retire?: SC Rebukes Centre Over Delays In Tribunal Reforms Case Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Will Donald Trump Visit India Next Year? MEA Responds Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 17:32 IST The response came a day after Trump said he could travel to India in 2026, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted him to visit PM Modi with Donald Trump (Photo: PTI) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday said it had no information to share on reports that US President Donald Trump might visit India next year. At the ministrys weekly briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, As far as the comments of President Trump regarding his visit to India are concerned, I do not have anything on this to share. I will let you know when I have something to share about it." Recommended Stories #WATCH | Delhi | MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, As far as the comments of President Trump regarding his visit to India are concerned, I do not have anything on this to share. I will let you know when I have something to share about it" pic.twitter.com/jtuQyngfZp ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 The response came a day after Trump said he could travel to India in 2026, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted him to visit. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump praised the Indian leader, calling him a great man" and a friend." Hes (PM Modi) a friend of mine, and we speak He wants me to go there. Well figure that out. Ill go. I will have a great trip there with Prime Minister Modi, hes a great man. And Ill be going," Trump said. When asked directly if he planned to visit India next year, Trump replied, It could be, yeah." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all India is expected to host leaders from Australia, Japan, and the United States for the next Quad summit in New Delhi, with dates yet to be announced. The previous meeting of the grouping was held in Wilmington, Delaware, in 2024. (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 First Published: November 07, 2025, 17:27 IST News india Will Donald Trump Visit India Next Year? MEA Responds 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... Kim Kardashian Clone: Bianca Censoris Melbourne Look Has Everyone Talking Curated By : Trending Desk Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:46 IST Whether on the runway or in everyday life, Bianca Censori blends art and fashion with bold, unapologetic self-expression. Bianca Censori made heads turn in Melbourne with a sheer purple outfit Bianca Censori has once again pushed the limits of contemporary fashion, making a striking public appearance in Melbourne this week. Known for her fearless and avant-garde style, Bianca, who is married to rapper Kanye West, was seen confidently walking through the citys Central Business District alongside her sister, Angelina, dressed in an ensemble that left little to the imagination. Her latest appearance not only showcased her daring fashion sensibilities but also reaffirmed her status as one of the most talked-about figures in celebrity style today. Recommended Stories On Tuesday morning, Bianca was spotted wearing a sheer, figure-hugging purple bodysuit paired with a metallic bra and crisp white underwear a combination that perfectly balanced boldness and artistic edge. The look was unapologetically revealing yet remarkably composed, embodying the experimental aesthetic that has become her fashion signature. View this post on Instagram A post shared by curators of pop culture (@deuxmoi) Fans quickly took to social media to share their thoughts on her outfit. NGL this is the best thing shes ever worn," wrote one person. Im gonna be honest. The first photo I saw for a split second I thought it was Kim. With bangs!" wrote another. Its like American Apparel in 2007 with a random power rangers metal or silvery piece. Its very fashion though," added another admirer. Subtle Glamour Meets Fearless Fashion While her outfit was daring, Bianca balanced it with a touch of subtle glamour. Her long, brunette hair, styled sleek with blunt bangs, framed her face perfectly, while her makeup remained soft and minimal, with a nude lip and gentle blush accentuating her natural beauty. According to reports, Biancas family accompanied her during the outing. The group was spotted making a quick stop at luxury beauty retailer Mecca before continuing their stroll through Melbournes vibrant streets. Onlookers reportedly did double-takes, yet Bianca remained unfazed, proving once again that her confidence is as striking as her fashion choices. From Airports to Fashion Capitals Biancas Bold Style Evolution Earlier this week, Bianca made headlines upon landing at Melbourne Airport wearing a striking combination of high-waisted underwear, reflective gold tights, and a minimalist grey long-sleeved top. Completing the look with a Birkin bag and metallic heels, she turned an airport terminal into her personal runway. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Splash News (@splashnews) Back in January, Bianca caused a similar stir in Tokyo when she stepped out in a daring grey thong-style bodysuit paired with sheer tights and silver pumps. What began as an outfit quickly evolved into a viral fashion moment, capturing attention across social media for its audacious confidence and unapologetic individuality. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all First Published: November 07, 2025, 10:44 IST News lifestyle fashion Kim Kardashian Clone: Bianca Censoris Melbourne Look Has Everyone Talking Inside Vicky Kaushal And Katrina Kaifs Rs 300 Cr Empire As They Welcome Baby Boy Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 14:17 IST As Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif welcome their baby boy, here's a look at their Rs 300 crore empire built on grace, growth, and genuine connection. Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif welcomed a baby boy. Bollywoods beloved duo, Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif, have stepped into a radiant new chapter parenthood. The couple recently welcomed a baby boy, and while congratulations poured in from all corners of the industry, the moment also marked an emotional milestone in their already fairytale journey. Known for their poise, privacy, and quiet sophistication, Vicky and Katrina embody a rare blend of grounded charm and global glamour. From an intimate wedding at Rajasthans Six Senses Fort Barwara to their serene sea-facing home in Mumbai, Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaifs story reflects more than star power. Its about balance, legacy, and the beauty of building a shared life of substance and style. Recommended Stories View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) Love, Luxury, And Legacy The Kaushal-Kaif home in Juhu, Mumbai, is a reflection of both their personalities. It is timeless yet modern. With panoramic ocean views, neutral interiors, and an easy coastal warmth, the couples residence is one of Bollywoods most enviable addresses. The apartment reportedly comes with a monthly rent of Rs 80 lakh, a testament to their refined taste and penchant for understated luxury. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) Vicky, whose rise from a quiet debut in Masaan to leading man in Uri has inspired millions, complements Katrinas star power with humility and quiet strength. The Power Of Taste Beyond their love story, both Vicky and Katrina have built empires rooted in passion and discipline. With an estimated combined net worth of $37 million, they are among Bollywoods most influential power couples. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Katrina Kaif (@katrinakaif) Vickys fleet of luxury cars: the Range Rover Autobiography LWB, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and BMW X5 mirrors his refined yet performance-driven personality. Katrina, on the other hand, channels her creative energy into Kay Beauty, a brand now valued at over Rs 240 crore, making her one of Indias most successful celebrity entrepreneurs. Their wardrobes, too, tell a tale of global glamour: from Katrinas couture gowns by Pucci and Marchesa to Vickys impeccably tailored formals and ethnic ensembles that strike the perfect balance between polish and comfort. A Modern Fairytale View this post on Instagram A post shared by Katrina Kaif (@katrinakaif) top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As the couple embrace this new phase with their baby boy, they continue to define what modern stardom looks like not through spectacle, but through serenity. Their life together blends glamour with groundedness, making them a beacon of what success can mean when built on grace, growth, and genuine connection. For Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif, this new chapter isnt just about parenthood. Its about evolving together, in love and in life, with the same quiet elegance that has always set them apart. Location : Delhi, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 14:17 IST News lifestyle Inside Vicky Kaushal And Katrina Kaifs Rs 300 Cr Empire As They Welcome Baby Boy Naftogaz, ORLEN agree on at least 300 mcm of additional U.S. LNG supplies to Ukraine Naftogaz Group has agreed with Poland's ORLEN and U.S. partners on new deliveries of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Ukraine to ensure a stable heating season, Naftogaz CEO Serhiy Koretsky announced on Facebook on Friday. "This is another step in our strategic cooperation with ORLEN on supplying U.S. LNG to the Ukrainian market," he wrote. According to Koretsky, Naftogaz is addressing two major tasks. First, securing additional volumes of imported gas that are urgently needed for the heating season due to Russian attacks. "Second, our partners, along with Poland's export credit agency KUKE, are providing us with credit support for post-payment of delivered volumes, helping the company cover its current liquidity deficit," he added. The agreement covers at least 300 million cubic meters of gas. "Today at P-TEC, we finalized the key terms and are already planning deliveries. We will soon sign a contract with a credit facility (post-payment) and insurance instruments," Koretsky said. The agreement was signed in the presence and with the support of Ukraine's Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk, Poland's Energy Minister Miosz Motyka, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. As reported earlier, since the beginning of 2025 Naftogaz has imported more than 400 mcm of U.S. LNG into Ukraine under its partnership with Poland's state-owned ORLEN. In March 2025, Naftogaz and ORLEN signed a memorandum on long-term cooperation in the LNG sector, followed by several supply agreements. In late May, the two companies signed another memorandum of understanding aimed at expanding cooperation, including in upstream development, restoring war-damaged infrastructure, and implementing potential joint projects. Baramulla Review: Manav Kaul's Film Is A Unique Blend Of Psychological, Political Horror Soaked In Tragic History Written By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 13:34 IST Baramulla makes an audacious commentary on Kashmir's socio-political unrest. Manav Kaul and Bhasha Sumbli shoulder this nuanced and well-intentioned narrative with brilliance. Baramulla, based on a short story by Aditya Dhar, is now streaming on Netflix. Baramulla U/A 3.5/5 7 November 2025|Hindi 1 hrs 52 mins | Horror thriller Starring: Manav Kaul, Bhasha Sumbli, Arista Mehta and Rohaan Singh Director: Aditya Suhas Jambhale Platform: Netflix Watch Trailer Baramulla Movie Review: When depicting different milieus and their tragedies, does an insiders perspective and lived-in experience help achieve authenticity? Or can a filmmaker tell those stories regardless of their backgrounds? Its a complex debate. But what knowledge acquired from personal history and identity can help with is portraying objectivity. And Aditya Dhars Baramulla bears a testament to the same. His voice as a Kashmiri Pandit finds an echo in this tale thats gut-wrenching, spine-chilling and mythical in equal measures. In 2016, the director-producer penned a short story on the Kashmiri Pandit community that had to leave their home behind during the catastrophic exodus of the 1990s. And now, it has found its way to the screen. The human story, laced with Aditya Suhas Jambhales vision, gave birth to Baramulla which has supernatural motifs peppered all over it. Set in 2016, it centres around DSP Ridwaan Shafi Sayyed and his family, whove recently moved to Baramulla from Reasi. Recommended Stories A hostage situation and an accidental gunshot death in a public school back in Reasi has Ridwaan and his daughter Noorie battling PTSD. Now, in Baramulla, Ridwaan starts inspecting the disappearance of Shoaib, a child, during a magic show. Soon, a series of such events unfold, endangering Ridwaans family and the otherwise peaceful town. But theres more to these kidnappings than what meets the eye. While hunting down the terrorist outfit responsible, Ridwaan encounters some supernatural events. His wife, Gulnaar, and children, Noorie and Ayaan, notice an eerie presence in their new home. But this supernaturalism is more than just paranormal. It leads the Sayyeds to come to terms with their own demons. But in a more tangible shape, they begin to see the spirits of a family of Kashmiri Pandits, who had suffered inhuman atrocities in the same house years ago. And it is through this intermingling of the worldly and the otherworldly that Dhar and Jambhale make a commentary on and attempt to portray the suffering and struggles that Kashmiri Pandits went through. And interestingly, its a Muslim family that helps them avenge their miserable deaths and attain salvation. The radicalism and extremist ideologies of terrorist outfits spare no one, they remind us. Hindus, Muslims, women, men, children everyone suffers. And it is while helping them avenge their miseries that Ridwaan is also able to rescue a bunch of young children taken in and indoctrinated by anarchists using their dogmatic philosophies. At 1 hour 52 minutes, the makers try to pack in numerous themes and motifs and surprisingly, it works. We get a deep dive into the psyche of the Kashmiris their thoughts on militants, them referring to non-Kashmiris as Indians and how they despise uniformed cops, often referring to them as kaafir. In fact, the makers spend a generous amount of time in rendering Noorie a whole arc where she transitions from a meek, traumatised girl to now a brainwashed teenager with no qualms about calling her father a gaddar. As she fights PTSD, she also timidly tries to come to terms with a new lease of life where her friends havent ostracised her. In Baramulla, psychological trauma is as caustic as physical and political distress. The use of minimal lights and grey tones create an atmosphere of suffocation that also reeks of gunpowder, death and fear. Cinematographer Arnold Fernandes deserves a mention for taking us on this journey from which theres no escape. He makes use of a single swirling shot to depict the transition from the 1990s when the Saprus (the Kashmiri Pandit family) were left to die at the hands of Kashmiri Muslims to the Sayyeds in 2016 who are fighting for their lives when a terrorist launches an attack on their home, and all this while keeping the backdrop intact. For the Sayyeds, the Hindu-Muslim binary isnt a reflection of the good-evil binary. And this serpentine lens movement reflects just that that violence doesnt discriminate. It creates tension and heightens the intensity. As a result, the climax remains one of Baramullas strongest suits. There is ample use of jump scares too. They work. But what doesnt always work are the slow, meandering shots of the Sayyeds anticipating a lingering spirit in their attic and stairway. But we get it. Its perhaps not quite possible to let go of pacing the story to anticipate a bad event, a classic horror film trope. Manav Kaul and Bhasha Sumbli shoulder this nuanced, well-intentioned and layered narrative with brilliance. They shun the sheen and slip under the skin of their characters with aplomb. Their emotional distress and discomfort is almost palpable. Child actors Arista Mehta and Rohaan Singh are equally impressive, rendering an element of intrigue, grit and gumption to this story. Baramulla is gripping, eerie, cold. Its also cerebral, sensitive, empathic and makes a sharp and audacious commentary on the valleys socio-political unrest. At a time when horror-comedies are in vogue and horrex continues to be the go-to subset of this genre, Dhar and Jambhales film comes as a respite. Yes, it bears the quintessential elements and the template of a true-blue horror film creaky footsteps in the middle of the night, flickering lights, haunting lullabies, foreshadowing, the primal fear of the unknown, social anxiety and the fragility of the human mind. But Baramulla stands out for being a fantastic blend of psychological, physical, political, historical and cinematic horror. Think Ram Gopal Varma and his urban horror tales and psychological thrillers laced with gritty realism before he drifted into his sleaze-thriller phase. Baramulla, however, is spiffier and more thought-provoking. If novelty is what you crave, go for this one! About the Author Titas Chowdhury Titas Chowdhury is a Special Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringi... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 13:34 IST News movies bollywood Baramulla Review: Manav Kaul's Film Is A Unique Blend Of Psychological, Political Horror Soaked In Tragic History Global Watch | Bangladeshs July Charter: A Divisive Blueprint Masquerading As Consensus Written By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 15:04 IST The July Charter is clearly an exercise that evades consensus and has further aggravated Bangladeshs political crisis. This crisis only benefits the one holding the chair now Muhammad Yunus (PTI Image) Last month, on October 17, around two dozen political parties in Bangladesh, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami, signed the July National Charter at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (National Parliament Building). The chief advisor of Bangladeshs interim government, Muhammad Yunus, hailed this day as the start of a New Bangladesh," while Ali Riaz, Vice Chairman of the National Consensus Commission (NCC), called the Charter not merely an agreement but a social contract between citizens, political parties, and the state." Comprising an 84-point reform agenda, the July Charter is supposed to be Bangladeshs reform blueprint based on consensus among political parties. Recommended Stories Cracks in the Consensus However, since the inception of consensus talks with the National Consensus Commission (established in February to formulate this Charter) till the Charters signing, Bangladesh has witnessed more political rifts than ever. The first round of consensus talks was attended by 33 political parties. By the time it reached the final rounds, the number of parties came down to 30, and ultimately, it was signed by 25 parties. Four left parties and the National Citizen Party (NCP) did not sign this Charter. In addition to the several controversies that led to the signing of the Charter, more disagreements have followed with respect to the implementation order and referendum. The National Consensus Commission, too, is now under the scanner. This brings the questionwhose Charter is it? A Charter Without True Consensus The July Charter is an outcome of consensus on only one-third of the reform proposals, with 50 strong notes of dissent. This is hardly a national consensus! The implementation process was also left out of the Charter, leaving it to the decisions of the political partiesanother bizarre step. The signing was not attended by the NCP, citing the Charters lack of legal enforceability, while four left parties abstained, raising objections to the exclusion of four basic principles of the Constitution that are based on the liberation aspirations of the 1971 War. Protests and the July Warriors As Chief Advisor Yunus was hailing the historic day, a group calling themselves the July Warriorsor true heirs of the July 2024 Uprising"staged a protest outside Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban denouncing the Charter, claiming it undermined those injured in the Uprising. The escalating tension during this protest led to clashes with security forces, and the National Consensus Commission swiftly announced an urgent amendment" to the Charters fifth clause in response to their demand. Dispute Over Implementation and Referendum As mentioned earlier, the biggest flaw with this Charter is that there isnt any consensus on the implementation process. While political parties agreed on implementing the Charter via a referendum, strong differences have emerged among these parties on three key issuesthe legal basis of the Charter, the timing of the referendum, and the implementation of proposals containing dissent. The NCP and Jamaat, in separate meetings with Yunus, asked him to issue a constitutional order to provide a legal basis for the July Charter and to omit dissenting notes from the Charter in case of a referendum. NCCs Recommendations The National Consensus Commission (NCC) submitted its recommendations to the Chief Advisor just 12 days after the signing of the July Charter. It proposed two possible courses of action. The first option suggested that the interim government issue the July Charter Implementation Order" as Schedule-1essentially a draft of the Constitution Amendment Act containing 48 reform proposalsand place it before the people for a referendum. After this orders issuance, the newly elected Parliament would function as a Constitutional Reform Council for its first 270 days, wielding constituent powers to enact these reforms. If Parliament failed to do so within that period, the entire set of proposals would automatically become part of the Constitution. The second option proposed that the Implementation Order itself be subjected to a referendum, rather than an automatic constitutional amendment. In that case, if the public endorsed the order, the Constitutional Reform Council would be responsible for implementing the reforms within the first 270 days of its term. Notably, both recommendations left out the dissenting notes that several political parties had appended at the time of signing the Charter. The NCC also left it to the interim government to decide when the referendum would be heldeither before or alongside the national election. Political Reactions and Fresh Discord Muhammad Yunus stated that the implementation of the July Charter would free Bangladesh from its past. However, the recommendations drew yet another wave of dissent, even sharper than before, among political parties. While Jamaat-e-Islami viewed the recommendations positively," BNP accused the NCC of attempting to create national discord" and an act of deception" over the exclusion of notes of dissent in the implementation order. Islami Andolan noted the ambiguities" in the recommendation that could complicate future politics. The NCP, like Jamaat, welcomed the omission of notes of dissent in the recommendation but is yet to take a final call on signing the Charter. The Referendum Dilemma While the requirement to define the implementation process was not originally featured in the Charter, the same was done following pressures from political parties, especially Jamaat and the NCP. Now, Jamaat and the NCP are pressing for an early referendum prior to the February 2026 national elections to ensure constitutional legality, while the BNP prefers the referendum to be held on the day of the election. Legal and Democratic Concerns From a legal perspective, there is a serious issue with the July Charter recommendation. First, the feasibility of a simple yes or no vote on all 48 reform proposals during a referendum assumes that Bangladeshs common citizens are aware of all reform proposalseven as the interim government has taken no steps to create awareness about them. The expectation that an individual voter would unilaterally agree to all 48 proposals, while political parties themselves failed to reach consensus, is also unrealistic. The provision that allows the proposals to be automatically incorporated into the Constitution after 270 dayswithout going through the full legislative processhas been widely criticized as undemocratic. Such enforcement, especially when it disregards the recorded dissenting views, undermines the very spirit of the July Charter, which was intended to embody national consensus. The Road Ahead top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all After creating a chasm among various political parties, Yunus has now washed his hands of the matter. Political parties are left with very limited time to reach a consensus. The July Charter is clearly an exercise that evades consensus and has further aggravated Bangladeshs political crisis. This crisis only benefits the one holding the chair now. The road ahead is very clear: as this Yunus-made crisis deepens, there will be a greater chance for the continuation of the Yunus-led interim government under the pretext of saving democracy in Bangladesh. The writer is an author and columnist. His X handle is @ArunAnandLive. Views expressed are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: November 07, 2025, 15:04 IST News opinion Global Watch | Bangladeshs July Charter: A Divisive Blueprint Masquerading As Consensus 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 Trojan Horse Of Lawfare: Zohran Mamdani And The Islamist Hypocrisy Written By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 21:25 IST When in the minority, Islamists plead for secularism and rights. When in power, they discard them in favour of purity and supremacy Zohran Mamdani has won the New York City mayoral election. (File image: AFP) In the theatre of global politics, there is a recurring pattern: those who invoke the language of democracy and secularism most loudly are often the first to discard it when it fails to serve their ideological ends. Few recent episodes expose this hypocrisy more clearly than New Yorks newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Mamdanis recent win has ignited a multitude of reactions. I had refrained from commenting on the issue, for it is primarily an internal US matter. However, as Mamdani gained international traction, his previous positions on global issues started circulating again. That is when I noticed a 2020 post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) [https://x.com/ZohranKMamdani/status/1291124907028500480], by Mamdani, where he slams India in general and Hindus in particular on the Ram Mandir issue. My response to this 2020 post by Mamdani [https://x.com/amishra77/status/1986449544952021278] has gained some traction and commentary, and hence this article, for a longer, more reasoned reflection on the true nature of the modern Islamist threat. Recommended Stories Mamdanis attempts to lecture India about the Ram Mandir, as evidenced from the 2020 tweet thread (X post), steeped in the rhetoric of grievance, have reignited a larger conversation about ideological deceit, selective morality, and the Islamist exploitation of liberal values. The post of Mamdani uses half-truths and some outright fabrications to perpetuate the Islamist agenda against Hindus. Mamdanis 2020 post, written at a time when he was already a US citizen but disingenuously styled himself as an Indian Muslim", was not an innocent identity assertion but a part of the larger Islamist belief system. It was a calculated attempt to appropriate the moral authority of a heritage he had formally renounced. What was even more scandalous was that Mamdani did not refer to himself as Indian origin Muslim" but straight away Indian Muslim" even though he was by then (in 2020) a US citizen and had actually contested and won elections in the USA. Mamdani was born and raised in Uganda, migrated to the United States, and acquired American citizenship years before he entered politics. Yet, when it suited his ideological narrative, he suddenly became Indian" againprecisely because that identity offered him the rhetorical ammunition to condemn India from the safety of Western liberal platforms. This convenient toggling of identity citizenship by convenience, nativity by agenda is not accidental; it is emblematic of the global Islamist playbook. They will claim whichever identity yields the greatest leverage against the civilisation they seek to delegitimise. That is what makes Mamdanis case more than just another tweet from a performative politician. His entire political persona is built upon a contradiction: he benefits from the freedoms, prosperity, and pluralism of Western democracy, but uses those privileges to attack the worlds largest democracy for exercising its own constitutional sovereignty. His ideological roots are unmistakable. Like many Islamist-Leftist hybrids who populate Western academia and politics, Mamdani weaponises human-rights vocabulary to launder sectarian narratives. The 2020 tweet about Ayodhya was part of that larger lawfare where legal institutions are not respected but exploited, where secularism is not a principle but a tactic. My response did not merely rebut a false claim; it unmasked an entire ideological enterprise. The Mamdani worldview depends on a selective respect for the rule of law. Islamists and their fellow travellers demand constitutionalism, tolerance, and pluralism only as long as those principles shield them from accountability or serve their mobilisation. The moment democratic outcomes go against their designs, those very principles are denounced as majoritarian tyranny." The moment the law establishes a boundary they dislike, the law itself becomes oppression. This is not dissent; it is deceit, a calibrated game of lawfare dressed up as activism. The Ayodhya dispute is the perfect test case for this duplicity. The 2019 Supreme Court of India judgment was not a political compromise or a sectarian diktat; it was one of the most detailed judicial exercises in modern history. Over decades, the Court sifted through archaeological reports, historical documents, colonial records, and testimonies from both sides. The best legal brains, especially on the Muslim side, argued the case. Finally, the Supreme Court, concluded, with clinical precision, that the conquest-structure demolished in 1992 stood atop a Hindu temple foundation, that Hindu worship at the site had been continuous for centuries, and that the Babri structure was not built on vacant land. The Court did what democracies do: it resolved a civilisational dispute within the boundaries of evidence and law, while simultaneously upholding the dignity of the minority by allotting alternate land for a mosque. It was justice, not triumphalism. Yet, instead of recognising this as a model of constitutional maturity, Mamdani and his ideological cohort interpret it as oppression. Why? Because the verdict broke the spine of their perpetual grievance narrative. That is the thing about Islamists and Jihadis. What we think are normal, civilised ways to decide issues between people, groups or societies the Islamists (and of course Jihadis) simply refuse to adhere to them. Secular courts are but a necessary evil for them, only to be respected as long as they serve their pernicious agenda. Islamists cannot afford closure, which does not give them what they want. For decades, the Ayodhya issue was their proof that Indias majority faith was intolerant," that its civilisation was inherently unjust. That the mere fact of Hindus wanting to worship the birthplace of the very core of their religious belief and civilisational value system was evidence of their inherent bigotry. When the court delivered a verdict that both acknowledged historical wrongs and maintained secular fairness, the Islamist narrative lost its fuel. So, instead of applauding the rule of law, they questioned its legitimacy. They were not angry at the verdicts reasoning; they were angry at its finality. For the Islamist mind, a conflict unresolved is a political resource for mobilisation and even violence; a conflict resolved peacefully is an existential defeat. This pattern is universal. When in the minority, Islamists plead for secularism and rights. When in power, they discard them in favour of purity and supremacy. The same script has played out from Iran to Turkey, from Pakistan to the corridors of Western campuses. Secularism is invoked as a shield, never as a shared value. In this theatre, law is merely a temporary costume, worn until power is secured. Mamdanis ideological lineage thrives on this oscillation. He will swear by democracy in New York but sneer at its verdict in Ayodhya; he will praise pluralism in the West but mock it in Bharat. This duplicity is not inconsistency; it is strategy. The Ayodhya verdict threatens not because it demolished a structure, but because it built a precedent. It showed that a wounded civilisation could reclaim its sacred centre without riots, without vengeance, without violating law. It demonstrated that faith and modernity can coexist, that patience is not weakness, and that justice can be achieved without violence. That calm, methodical process thousands of pages of evidence, thousands of hours of deliberation is what the Islamist agenda cannot abide. Because it removes the excuse of victimhood, it exposes the emptiness of their moral posturing. The hypocrisy extends beyond faith. In the United States, Mamdani rose within a liberal framework that celebrates identity and debate. But the same man now seeks to delegitimise another democracys right to resolve its internal matters constitutionally. He reaps the fruits of freedom while deriding those who exercise it elsewhere. The irony is profound: a politician who could not win an argument in India because he renounced its citizenship now presumes to dictate its morality from afar. There is another dimension to Mamdanis 2020 post (and many subsequent ones on the issue). In Mamdanis book, a 400-year-old conquest structure built by a thug, by demolishing a place of worship, has greater salience than a millennia-old temple that embodies the belief of a billion people. And why, may one ask? Mamdani himself answers this question. In his 2020 tweet thread, he did not identify himself as an Indian", but as an Indian Muslim". For him, the beginning and end of his identity is Muslim. Ever seen an immigrant saying I am a Chinese Buddhist" or I am an Italian Christian" or I am an Indian Hindu"? Mamdani, though, made his religion the centre piece of his identity. So, no matter what argument you present on Ayodhya or similar issues, Mamdanis guiding principle will always be Muslim first". Mamdani, residing in the USA when he made this post and a US citizen, already having contested elections and won, in that country, conveniently called himself an Indian Muslim when the foundation-laying ceremony of Ram Mandir triggered him. This is nothing but the typical Ummah concept some loyalties are transnational in this case, the loyalty towards a structure built by a barbaric Muslim invader who destroyed a Hindu temple that existed there for millennia. It does beg the question when it comes to making a choice between Muslim transnational interest" and US national interest", what will Mamdani choose? But that mess is for the USA to sort out. For India, though, it should open the eyes of the naive. No matter how sophisticated the accent, how polished the facade and how slick the messaging, at core, once an Islamist, always an Islamist and only a throwaway distance from becoming a Jihadi. In the end, Ayodhya was never the real issue for Mamdani. It was merely an excuse. What unsettles ideologues like Mamdani is that India a civilisation they caricature and resent- settled its deepest religious conflict with civility, legality, and grace. It is the success of that model that threatens them, not the temple itself. Because it proves that a nation rooted in dharma can uphold democracy better than those who merely preach it. The goal of the Ummah-worshipping global Islamists is not coexistence but capitulation. Their politics is not about rights but about dominance dressed as resistance. But to Mamdani and likes, I would like to quote a paragraph from an article I wrote on 5th August 2020 the day Ram Temples foundation was laid, The Mughals came and disappeared into history. The Portuguese came and went. The Dutch came and went. The French came and went. The invading Afghans and the Persians came and disappeared. The British came, lasted a while, but were also sent back. The Nehruvian construct dominated the first six decades of Independent India before its dark underbelly made it unsustainable. The world order has been written and rewritten and is now being rewritten again in the 492 years that have elapsed since 1528 CE. In almost half a millennium since then, nearly everything that men once believed would last for eternity has faded away in the sands of time. But what did not fade away was the faith of a civilisation in Maryada Purushottam. The times through these centuries were dark, the sacrifices asked and made were immense, the battle may have seemed to be insurmountable at times, and yet the faith persevered. August 5, 2020, is going to be a vindication of that faith and belief. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all When every other ancient civilisation has been lost to either proselytising groups or to communism, what is it about the Sanatan Dharma that it has kept the Indian civilisation going? The answer undoubtedly lies in the influence that Shri Rams life has had on our people over millennia". The writer is the founding CEO of BlueKraft Digital Foundation. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: November 07, 2025, 19:48 IST News opinion Opinion | The Trojan Horse Of Lawfare: Zohran Mamdani And The Islamist Hypocrisy 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 | Zohran Mamdani's Triumph And The Trials Of Progressive Power Written By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 17:17 IST Zohran Mamdani ran on simple pledges to tackle the soaring cost of living, to offer free city bus travel, and to provide free childcare. His win is not a panacea, but a spark The problems Mamdani inherits are as towering. (AP File) Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old Democratic Socialist, will be New Yorks first Muslim mayor, and it is notable in many ways. He created history as the first Muslim, the first person of South Asian descent, the first person born in Africa, and the youngest mayor to lead the largest city in the United States. Mamdani rose from anonymity to defeat the former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. This victory is a litmus test for democracys resilience. It provides the first electoral judgement of Donald Trumps second White House term. Mamdani ran on simple pledges to tackle the soaring cost of living, to offer free city bus travel, and to provide free childcare. He connected with voters with social media. His videos also provided a hopeful vision of New York. Recommended Stories His ascent solidifies a generational and ideological shift in New York. His victory offers a blueprint for Democrats nationwide, but it also warns of the perils ahead in a Trump-dominated era. His greatest challenge will be how he grapples with President Trump. The problems Mamdani inherits are as towering. He will also be facing challenges of managing the city budget, and a challenging federal situation with changing policies. New York grapples with a housing crisis that has turned apartments into luxury fortresses, leaving families squeezed into substandard shelters or pushed to the suburbs. Crime still haunts subway platforms and street corners. There is also fear Trump will send the National Guard or immigration enforcement officials into New York City after he assumes his office. He should convene roundtables with business leaders, not as adversaries, but as partners in equitable growth. He will need to deliver on some of what he promised on affordability. He could emphasise resilience, diversity, innovation. He also could cultivate a national network of progressive leaders to amplify collective resistance, turning isolated threats into a unified front. He also should implement targeted public safety measures to address crime without reverting to punitive overreach. New Yorkers are intensely dissatisfied with their government, and his challenges lie in addressing it. Critics argue that Mamdanis agenda risks overreach; aggressive rent controls could deter developers, exacerbating housing shortages, and his foreign policy stancescritical of Israel, sympathetic to Palestinian causesmight strain ties with key donors and federal officials. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Still, Mamdanis win is not a panacea, but a spark. As Trump tightens his grip, New Yorkers and Americans must rally behind this new mayor, not out of blind loyalty, but to forge a model of defiant, inclusive governance. The writer is a columnist. His articles have appeared in various publications like The Independent, The Globe and Mail, South China Morning Post, The Straits Times, etc. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views. First Published: November 07, 2025, 17:16 IST News opinion Opinion | Zohran Mamdani's Triumph And The Trials Of Progressive Power 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: November 07, 2025, 09:40 IST 1 / 12 The 2025 edition of the Conde Nast Traveler Readers Choice Awards has unveiled its list of the Top Countries in the World, voted by over 750,000 readers. This years rankings highlight a growing preference for destinations that offer a blend of natural beauty, cultural depth, and meaningful travel experiences, a trend that continues to shape post-pandemic tourism. (Image: AI-Generated) + Follow us On Google 2 / 12 Japan (Score: 95.36): A perennial favorite, Japan continues to captivate travelers with its seamless fusion of tradition and innovation. From Kyotos tranquil temples to Tokyos futuristic skyline, visitors are drawn to its elegance, efficiency, and unmatched hospitality. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 12 Greece (92.31): Greeces sun-drenched islands, whitewashed villages, and soulful cuisine remain irresistible. Travellers are increasingly exploring lesser-known gems like Naxos and Syros for a more authentic, local experience. (Image: AI-Generated) 4 / 12 Portugal (92.08): Portugals charm lies in its coastal serenity, vibrant cities, and heartfelt traditions. With a strong focus on community-driven and sustainable tourism, its become Europes quiet star. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 12 Italy (92.02): Italys timeless appeal endures, but travellers are venturing beyond Rome and Venice to discover hidden countryside retreats and regional culinary treasures. (Image: AI-Generated) 6 / 12 Spain (91.96): Spains dynamic culture, from flamenco to avant-garde architecture, continues to enchant. Cities like Seville and San Sebastian are gaining popularity for their immersive local experiences. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 12 Turkey (91.91): Bridging East and West, Turkey offers a rich tapestry of history, cuisine, and landscapesfrom Istanbuls bustling bazaars to Cappadocias surreal terrain. (Image: AI-Generated) 8 / 12 Ireland (91.59): Irelands rugged coastlines, literary legacy, and warm hospitality make it a favorite for slow, scenic travel. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 12 Croatia (91.56): With its Adriatic charm, medieval towns, and crystal-clear waters, Croatia is emerging as a top European destination. (Image: AI-Generated) 10 / 12 France (91.24): France remains a classic, but travellers are now favoring its countryside, vineyards, and coastal villages over the usual Parisian itinerary. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT 11 / 12 Canada (90.94): Canadas vast wilderness, multicultural cities, and welcoming spirit earned it a strong spot in the top 10. From British Columbias mountains to Quebecs old-world charm, its a destination for every kind of traveller. (Image: AI-Generated) Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 07:21 IST 1 / 8 After nearly a decade away from Hollywood, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is making a much-anticipated return to acting. (Image: Instagram) + Follow us On Google 2 / 8 Her comeback comes in the form of a cameo in the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios comedy Close Personal Friends, directed by Jason Orley and starring Lily Collins, Jack Quaid, Brie Larson, and Henry Golding. (Image: Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 8 Meghans role in Close Personal Friends marks her first on-screen appearance since she left the legal drama Suits in 2017, ahead of her engagement to Prince Harry. In this new film, she reportedly plays herself, in a storyline that revolves around two couples, whose friendship spirals hilariously out of control during a getaway in Santa Barbara. (Image: Instagram) 4 / 8 Sources close to the production say Meghan was drawn to the project because it allowed her to gently put her toe back in the water and reconnect with her creative roots. Prince Harry is said to be fully supportive of her decision, encouraging her to pursue what brings her joy. (Image: Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 8 Filming is currently underway in Pasadena, Los Angeles, where Meghan has been spotted on set. Her presence has generated buzz not just for the film, but for what it symbolizes, a new chapter in her post-royal life. The screenplay, written by Isaac Aptaker, is based on a story he co-developed with Orley. (Image: Instagram) 6 / 8 Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, known for their work on Love, Simon and How I Met Your Father, are producing the film. (Image: Instagram) ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 8 Before her royal journey, Meghan was best known for her role as Rachel Zane on Suits, where she played a sharp-witted paralegal turned attorney. She also appeared in films like Horrible Bosses and Remember Me. (Image: Instagram) Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:23 IST 1 / 11 In a major update announced in November 2025, Google Maps introduced a suite of 10 new features tailored specifically for Indian users, making India the first market outside the U.S. to receive many of these enhancements. The updates aim to make commuting smarter, safer, and more intuitive by leveraging AI, real-time data, and local insights. (File Photo) + Follow us On Google 2 / 11 Gemini-Powered Conversational Navigation: Google Maps now integrates Gemini, Googles advanced AI assistant, directly into the navigation experience. Users can engage in hands-free, real-time conversations with Maps, asking for directions, nearby fuel stations, or alternate routes without touching their phones. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT 3 / 11 Proactive Traffic Alerts: The app now provides AI-powered traffic alerts that proactively notify users about congestion, accidents, or road closures ahead of time. This allows for smarter rerouting and better trip planning. (Image: AI-Generated) 4 / 11 Real-Time Road Closure Updates: In collaboration with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Google Maps now offers live updates on road closures, diversions, and construction zones, helping users avoid delays. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT 5 / 11 Two-Wheeler Navatars: Indias two-wheeler riders can now customize their navigation experience with personalized avatars called Navatars that reflect their vehicle type and style. This adds a fun, localized touch to the ride. (Image: AI-Generated) 6 / 11 Metro Ticket Booking Integration: Users in select cities can now book metro tickets directly through Google Maps, with seamless integration into Google Wallet. This feature simplifies urban commuting and reduces the need for separate transit apps. (File Photo) ADVERTISEMENT 7 / 11 Save Transit Tickets in Google Wallet: Beyond metro tickets, users can now store and access all transit tickets including buses and trains within Google Wallet, making travel more organized and paperless. (File Photo) 8 / 11 Accident-Prone Zone Alerts: Google Maps will now warn users when theyre approaching accident-prone areas, based on historical data and real-time reports. This feature aims to improve road safety and driver awareness. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT 9 / 11 Summarized Local Tips: Building on its Inspirations feature, Maps now offers AI-curated local tips like popular eateries, hidden gems, or scenic detours, based on user preferences and time of day. (Image: AI-Generated) 10 / 11 Calendar-Based Navigation Suggestions: Maps can now sync with your calendar to suggest routes and departure times for upcoming events, ensuring timely arrivals and reducing travel stress. (Image: AI-Generated) ADVERTISEMENT Academia & Politics: The Favourite Destinations Of JNUSU Presidents Reported By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 22:05 IST As the results for the JNUSU elections were announced on Thursday, the Left Unity retained its stronghold with a clean sweep Left Unity's Aditi Mishra (president, SFI), K Gopika (vice-president, SFI), Sunil Yadav (general secretary, DSF) and Danish Ali (joint secretary, AISA) celebrate their victory in the JNUSU elections, in New Delhi on November 6, 2025. (Image: PTI) The favourite pursuits of the presidents of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) remain activism, academia, and politics. From the late Sitaram Yechury to Kanhaiya Kumar and Aishe Ghosh, the tradition of turning campus leadership into public life continues to define JNUs political culture. As the results for the JNUSU elections were announced on Thursday, the Left Unity retained its stronghold with a clean sweep. The All India Students Association (AISA), Students Federation of India (SFI), and Democratic Students Federation (DSF) bagged all four seats, and Aditi Mishra was elected president as she won by 449 votes. The outgoing president Nitish Kumar was also from AISA. Recommended Stories A good number of presidents, elected in the last couple of years, who have not entered politics have moved to academics. Geeta Kumari, elected in 2017-18, is serving as the research assistant at the Sectoral Policy Group, History, at the India International Centre. N Sai Balaji was the JNUSU president during 2018-19 and has been working as an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science since January 2024. Meanwhile, he served as AISA National President during 2019-23. Those Who Joined Mainstream Politics Yechury, who served as the JNUSU president in 1977-78, was among the most prominent names that appear when there is talk of JNUSU presidents making it into mainstream politics. The latest in the list is Dhananjaythe first Dalit JNUSU president who served the post in 2023-24. Just a couple of months since he was elected, the man has already started the journey towards the Bihar assembly. He is contesting the Bihar assembly election on a Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation [CPI(ML) Liberation] ticket from the Bhore constituency in Gopalganj. The party has got 20 seats as part of the INDIA blocMahagathbandhan. The fate of Dhananjay will be revealed on November 14the counting day. Before him, it was Aishe Ghosh who served as the JNUSU president between 2019 and 2023. She was elected in 2019 and continued on the post as the elections did not take place due to the Covid-related restrictions. Currently serving as the State Secretary of the SFI Delhi, Ghosh has tried her luck in the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls as a CPI(M) candidate from Jamuria. The election of Kanhaiya Kumar as the JNUSU president and subsequent events in 2015-16 have emerged as the turning point in JNUs campus politics. His arrest, controversies, and the sedition case made him popular. He has joined politics full-time now and is in charge of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), Congress. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all He started his political journey with the Communist Party of India. The party also made him contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Bihars Begusarai. He lost the election. In 2021, he switched to Congress. From the corridors of JNU to the streets of electoral politics and classrooms across the country, the journey of its student leaders underlines how the campus continues to nurture public voices. Mishras victory extends the Lefts long-running hold on the campusand, like many of her predecessors, she steps into a role that has often served as a springboard to activism, academia, and politics. About the Author Nivedita Singh Nivedita Singh is a data journalist and covers the Election Commission, Indian Railways and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. She has nearly seven years of experience in the news media. She twe... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 22:05 IST News politics Academia & Politics: The Favourite Destinations Of JNUSU Presidents 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... 'BJP Leaders Voted In Bihar, Delhi': Rahul Gandhi's 'Vote Chori' Charge At Banka Rally Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:40 IST Rahul Gandhi said some BJP leaders cast their vote in Bihar, months after voting in Delhi. He also repeated his Haryana vote theft allegations against the BJP. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressing a rally in Banka, Bihar. (X/@RahulGandhi) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by accusing the party of stealing votes, pointing to the Oppositions allegations that some BJP leaders voted in the first phase of the Bihar elections months after voting in Delhi. Addressing a public meeting in Banka, Bihar, Rahul Gandhi personally accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of stealing the Haryana elections, repeating his vote theft allegations from earlier. He also accused the Election Commission of remaining silent on the matter. Recommended Stories Yesterday, it was revealed that some BJP leaders voted in Bihar. They had voted in Delhi also (in February). BJP workers are voting twice, four times, and even ten times. In Haryana, they cut lakhs of votes from those who voted for Congress. They stole the votes of the poor, Dalits, extremely backward communities and minorities," he said. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha alleged that the BJP wanted to implement this vote-stealing" plan across the country. They have done the same thing in Haryana, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra. I guarantee that the BJP will do in Bihar what they did in Haryana. There will be fake voter lists in Bihar, and BJP workers will try to vote several times. However, they know nothing about the people of Bihar. They will stop vote theft by standing at polling booths," he added. Opposition Targets BJP Over Voter Fraud Rahul Gandhis remarks came after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress raised allegations of vote theft against the BJP on Thursday, saying that several party leaders who voted in Delhi were casting their vote in Bihar as well. AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj, in what he called a big expose", accused BJP Rajya Sabha MP and RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha of voting from Bihar when he had voted in Delhi in February. Bharadwaj argued that Sinha was a professor at Delhi University and was not allowed to vote from Bihar. ALSO READ: Opposition Says BJPs Rakesh Sinha Voted In Bihar Months After Voting In Delhi, He Clarifies Sinha later clarified that while his name was on the voter list in Delhi during the February elections, he had changed his address to Manser Pur in Bihars Begusarai due to his active involvement in the state politics. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections were held on November 6, concluding with a massive and historic voter turnout of 64.66%. This figure not only surpassed the previous assembly election record set in 2000 (62.57%) but also eclipsed the highest-ever Lok Sabha polling percentage recorded in the state (64.6% in 1998). The voting was held on 121 seats spread across 18 districts, and a total of 3.75 crore voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase of polls. The second phase of assembly polls will be held on November 11, and the votes will be counted on November 14. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More Location : Banka, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 16:39 IST News politics 'BJP Leaders Voted In Bihar, Delhi': Rahul Gandhi's 'Vote Chori' Charge At Banka Rally 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... History Repeats Itself: Congress Faces Another Vande Mataram Dilemma Amid Bihar Polls Written By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 14:34 IST Sonia Gandhi had fielded Ahmed Patel to clarify that Congress respected Vande Mataram, but also maintained that no one could be forced to sing it if it hurt religious sentiments. Congress MPs Sonia and Rahul Gandhi (File Photo) Way back in 2006, the Congress was mired in controversy over Vande Mataram. Both the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi had skipped a CWC and AICC session where Vande Mataram was not sung. The BJP immediately pounced on the Congress, accusing it of pandering to minority votes and disrespecting Indias legacy and history for political gains. Many among Muslims have objected to Vande Mataram on the grounds that the national song, which was a rallying cry during the freedom movement, pays an ode to the motherland depicted as Goddess Durga something they believe goes against the basic tenets of Islam, which prohibits idol worship. Recommended Stories At the time, the Congress was caught in a bind. With regional parties like the SP eating into its minority vote base, the party was struggling to retain constituencies. This was also when the IndoUS nuclear deal was being negotiated a move opposed by Iran, which had voted against it. A delegation had even met Sonia Gandhi to register their protest over Indias perceived proximity to the US. The Congress leadership found itself on a tightrope not wanting to alienate minorities, yet wary of appearing as a party disrespecting the national song and the freedom movement, especially since the Congress has always taken pride in its role in Indias independence struggle, unlike the BJP. Sonia Gandhi had then fielded the late Ahmed Patel, her political secretary, to clarify that the Congress respected the national song, but also maintained that no one could be forced to sing it if it hurt their religious sentiments. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Now, as the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrate 150 years of Vande Mataram, the Congress once again finds itself at a crossroads especially with the Bihar polls approaching. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge issued a statement attacking the BJP while reiterating that the party has always respected and sung the national song. Kharge said, The RSS and BJP continue to sing Namaste Sada Vatsale, a song glorifying their organisation, not the nation. Since its founding, the RSS has avoided Vande Mataram despite its universal reverence." But history has a way of catching up. The dilemma that haunted the Congress in 2006 has resurfaced in 2025, as the party once again struggles to retain its space among Muslim voters this time in Bihar. 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: November 07, 2025, 14:34 IST News politics History Repeats Itself: Congress Faces Another Vande Mataram Dilemma Amid Bihar Polls 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... Naftogaz, ATLANTIC-SEE LNG TRADE S.A. agree to cooperate on deliveries of U.S. LNG to Ukraine Naftogaz Group and the Greek company ATLANTIC-SEE LNG TRADE S.A. have signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at diversifying routes for delivering liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Ukraine, Naftogaz Ukrainy CEO Serhiy Koretsky said. "On the sidelines of P-TEC, we signed a memorandum with the Greek company ATLANTIC-SEE LNG TRADE S.A. The agreement concerns future regular deliveries of U.S. gas to Ukraine via Greek LNG terminals and the Vertical Corridor," Koretsky wrote on Facebook on Friday. The long-term partnership runs through 2050 and will enable the phased implementation of new strategic projects. He listed among them ensuring stable long-term LNG supplies for Ukraine, integrating Ukrainian infrastructure into LNG logistics routes in Europe, and creating a resilient system for the supply and storage of U.S. LNG. "We are laying a new foundation for transatlantic cooperation with our partners. This is another step toward Ukraine's long-term energy stability and new opportunities," the Naftogaz chief added. As reported, that same day at P-TEC, Naftogaz Group agreed with Poland's ORLEN and U.S. partners on new deliveries of U.S. LNG to Ukraine totaling at least 300 million cubic meters to help ensure a stable heating season. As of October 1, Ukraine had already received 400 million cubic meters of U.S. LNG. 'I Was Not Aware': Ajit Pawar On Rs 300 Crore Land Deal Involving Son Parth Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 19:40 IST Ajit Pawar had distanced himself from the alleged land irregularities linked to his son, Parth Pawar, amid fierce attacks from the opposition. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. (PTI/File) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar distanced himself from over a land deal in Pune allegedly linked to his son, Parth Pawar, saying he was not aware of any deal and had personally requested CM Devendra Fadnavis to initiate an inquiry into the case. Several allegations were levelled against me in the past and none of them were proven. I knew nothing about this deal. I spoke to CM and told him that even though my relatives are involved in this deal, I requested him to initiate an inquiry," he said. Recommended Stories Ajit Pawar instructed all IAS officers not to entertain any person who comes with some work citing his reference, if that is against the rules. Let the inquiry proceed, which will give all of us a clear picture about who made calls, who put pressure on me regarding this case." I was not aware of this deal. I checked with my department officers whether they put any pressure and supported this deal, but no one from my office did that," the deputy CM said. Ajit Pawar had distanced himself from the matter on Thursday amid a fierce political storm over alleged land irregularities linked to his son, saying that he had made it clear to all officers that he wont support any wrong actions by anyone citing his name to get their work done He further asserted that he is the person who works within rules and within the framework of the law. He also urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to investigate the matter and punish the culprits. ALSO READ: Maharashtra Govt Constitutes High-Level Committee To Probe Land Row Involving Ajit Pawars Son Whats The Matter? Pune Police registered an FIR against Parth Pawar, alleging that a 40-acre plot in Pune, valued at nearly Rs 1,800 crore, was sold for just about Rs 300 crore to his company. What has shocked many even more is that the stamp duty paid on the deal was reportedly only Rs 500. The issue prompted a political uproar, with Opposition leaders demanding a wider investigation into what they call a clear case of corruption and misuse of power." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Fadnavis ordered swift action. Pune Tehsildar Suryakant Yewale was suspended hours after the matter became public. He expressed strong displeasure over the irregularities, stating that if any wrongdoing is proven, strict action will follow. The Maharashtra government has constituted a five-member high-level inquiry committee under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue, Stamps and Registration) Vikas Kharge to conduct a probe into the land row. About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 19:11 IST News politics 'I Was Not Aware': Ajit Pawar On Rs 300 Crore Land Deal Involving Son Parth 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... Rajnath Singh Blasts Rahul Gandhi For Dragging Military Into Caste Politics | Exclusive Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 20:30 IST The Defence Minister argued that Rahul Gandhi's habit is to make 'baseless statements to mislead people' and that he 'tries to create anarchy in this country' Singh firmly declared that 'healthy politics is one which does not mislead people or throw dust in their eyes, it is about taking people into confidence'. File pic Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi on Friday delivered a scathing criticism of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi following his controversial statement suggesting that only 10% of the population controls the Indian Armed Forces. The Defence Minister dismissed the remark as an irresponsible and divisive political tactic, asserting that it was a clear attempt to compromise the militarys unity by introducing caste-based rhetoric. Rahul Gandhi made the 10% control" statement during a campaign rally in Bihar, linking it directly to his demand for a national caste census and the broader issue of unequal representation in key institutions. His rationale was to highlight what he views as the systematic exclusion of the majority 90% of Indias populationcomprising Dalits, Backward Classes, Scheduled Tribes, and minoritiesfrom top positions of power. Gandhi claimed that the top 10%, which he implied were upper castes, dominate the corporate sector, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy, asserting that even in the army", this small demographic holds control, thus denying participatory rights to the vast majority. Recommended Stories Rajnath Singhs response was sharp and focused entirely on protecting the apolitical nature of the military. He argued that Rahul Gandhis habit is to make baseless statements to mislead people" and that he tries to create anarchy in this country" because he cannot win public trust through constructive work. Singh firmly declared that healthy politics is one which does not mislead people or throw dust in their eyes, it is about taking people into confidence." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Directly addressing the issue of caste and religion in the forces, Singh stressed the unique, secular ethos of the army. He declared, As far as the armed forces are concerned, I believe they have only one religiona military duty." He confirmed the militarys diversity, stating, The armed forces have people from all religions. You will see people from all castes, religions, and sects are in our armed forces. Everyone follows their own religion and religious practices. The priests who perform those rituals are also present there." He concluded with a firm warning: There is no discrimination of any kind, no casteism, no communal or sectarian bias in our army. I believe that he should leave the armed forces out of such statements. He should not drag the armed forces into politics." Rajnath Singhs comments reflect the governments stance that the militarys cohesion and professional integrity should remain above electoral politics and attempts at caste-based polarisation. 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: November 07, 2025, 20:30 IST News politics Rajnath Singh Blasts Rahul Gandhi For Dragging Military Into Caste Politics | Exclusive Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... RJD Targets Vijay Sinha After Breath Test Finds Party MLC Ajay Kumar Sober Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 18:34 IST RJD defended party MLC Ajay Singh after Vijay Sinha accused him of drinking alcohol in Lakhisarai. Sinhas convoy was attacked on polling day. Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Deputy CM Vijay Sinha engaged in a heated argument with RJD MLC Ajay Singh. (PTI) Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Priyanka Bharti defended party MLC Ajay Singh against allegations of consuming alcohol made by Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sinha in Bihars Lakhisarai district on Thursday. Bharti claimed that Sinha had accused Singh of consuming alcohol, but a LIVE breath analyzer test" conducted by the police found no trace of alcohol. Recommended Stories Deputy CM Vijay Sinha has accused our MLC Ajay Singh Ji of drinking alcohol. The police conducted a LIVE breath analyzer test in which no alcohol was found," Bharti wrote in her post. Taking a sharp dig at the opposition, she added, Now, will the people of the foul-mouthed area surrender themselves for arrest over giving sister insults and threats of running a bulldozer? Because the commission wont do it on its own! The end of thuggery will come!" This comes after Vijay Sinha engaged in a heated argument with RJD MLC Ajay Singh. A video of the confrontation was surfaced online. In the video, Vijay Sinha can be heard accusing Ajay Singh of creating disturbances after consuming alcohol, while the RJD leader alleged that the BJP leader obstructed his vehicle. According to reports, the confrontation between the two leaders took place in Nadiyawan under the Lakhisarai Assembly constituency. Police arrived at the spot and brought the situation under control. Attack On Sinhas Convoy Earlier in the day, Sinhas convoy came under attack in Lakhisarai on polling day, as unidentified men hurled stones, slippers, and cow dung, and chanted Murdabad" slogans to block his passage. Sinha alleged that he was attacked by the RJD goons during polling in his constituency. While speaking to CNN-News18, Sinha claimed that a group of nearly 100 people surrounded him when he went to complain to local authorities about a polling agent not being allowed to sit at a booth. The polling agent was not allowed to sit. I complained to the SP about it. Soon after, I was surrounded. Slippers, stones and even cow dung were thrown at me," Sinha told CNN-News18. Accusing the Tejashwi Yadav-led RJD of orchestrating the attack, the Deputy Chief Minister alleged that the partys supporters were resorting to violence out of fear of losing the ongoing elections. These are RJDs goons. Look at their hooliganism, even without being in power. This reflects their mindset they are indulging in goondaism because they are afraid of defeat," he said. The incident occurred amid the first phase of polling in Bihar. Additional police forces were deployed to the area following the confrontation. Poll Body Took Cognisance top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all The poll body took cognisance of the incident, with Bihar Additional Chief Electoral Officer Amit Kumar Pandey saying, "We have taken cognisance of the incident. The CEO Office has taken cognisance. A detailed report will be submitted regarding the issues that arose with the convoy, and the report of whatever action is being taken will also be submitted," as reported by news agency PTI. Location : Bihar, India, India First Published: November 07, 2025, 18:34 IST News politics RJD Targets Vijay Sinha After Breath Test Finds Party MLC Ajay Kumar Sober 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... 4 Terrorists Killed, 13 Civilians Hurt During Counter-Terror Operation In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Curated By : Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 14:27 IST A law enforcement officer died and 14 others were injured during a counter-terror operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday. File photo of Pakistani Army soldiers (Image: Reuters) A law enforcement officer lost his life, and 14 others, including a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), were injured during a counter-terror operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Bannu district, officials said on Friday. The joint operation by police and security personnel took place on Thursday in the Mamandkhel area after intelligence reports indicated the presence of militants. The exchange of heavy gunfire resulted in the death of one security official, injuries to 13 civilians and a DSP, and the killing of four terrorists, news agency PTI reported. Recommended Stories The injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital, while security forces began an extensive search operation in and around the area. Authorities have stepped up anti-terror operations across several districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following a recent surge in attacks targeting police officials. In a separate incident in Tank district, a police constable was kidnapped and later shot dead by unidentified militants while returning home after duty. The body was moved to District Headquarters Hospital by Rescue 1122, and police, with the support of security agencies, have launched a manhunt. Officials confirmed that an FIR has been registered, and efforts are underway to apprehend the culprits. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Meanwhile, in Dera Ismail Khans Paharpur area, police thwarted a kidnapping attempt, rescuing 14 labourers after an intense gun battle with the abductors. Acting on a tip-off, officers surrounded the area and successfully freed the hostages. District Police Officer Sajjad Ahmad Shahbazada commended the quick action of the force, saying the police remain vigilant to protect the lives and property of citizens. 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 : Pakistan First Published: November 07, 2025, 14:27 IST News world 4 Terrorists Killed, 13 Civilians Hurt During Counter-Terror Operation In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 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... 54 Injured In Explosion At Indonesian School Mosque During Friday Prayers Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 16:05 IST Witnesses said they heard two loud blasts just as the sermon began Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Bomb squad officers stand guard at the entrance of a school in Jakarta on November 7. (AFP photo) At least 54 people, mostly students, were injured after several explosions struck a mosque at a high school in Jakarta, Indonesia, during Friday prayers, police confirmed. The incident took place around midday at SMA 27, a state high school located inside a navy compound in the Kelapa Gading area of North Jakarta. Recommended Stories Witnesses said they heard two loud blasts just as the sermon began. Panic quickly followed as worshippers ran for safety while thick grey smoke filled the mosque. According to Jakarta Police Chief Asep Edi Suheri, most of the victims suffered wounds from flying glass and debris. While many were treated and discharged from nearby hospitals, around 20 students are still receiving medical care. Three of them are reported to be in serious condition. Authorities have not yet determined the cause of the explosion. However, early reports suggest the blasts came from the area near the mosques loudspeaker system. An anti-bomb squad dispatched to the site later discovered toy rifles and a toy gun near the scene. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Police are continuing their investigation and have urged the public not to draw conclusions before the results are confirmed. Let the authorities work first," Suheri said. We will share the findings once the investigation is complete." (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 : Jakarta, Indonesia First Published: November 07, 2025, 15:16 IST News world 54 Injured In Explosion At Indonesian School Mosque During Friday Prayers 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... China Commissions 3rd Aircraft Carrier 'Fujian' As It Seeks To Counter US Hegemony Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 12:30 IST China commissions its third aircraft carrier, Fujian, in Sanya with President Xi Jinping. Fujian features EMALS, can carry 50 aircraft. China commissions its third aircraft carrier, Fujian, in Sanya with President Xi Jinping. Fujian features EMALS, can carry 50 aircraft. (image: ICAS) China has officially commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, and the first built entirely to an indigenous design. The commissioning ceremony, held in Sanya on Hainan Island, was presided over by President Xi Jinping, who boarded the vessel and declared its entry into service. Named after the coastal province opposite Taiwan, Fujian carries symbolic as well as strategic weight. Unlike Chinas first two carriers, the Liaoning and the Shandong, which are both based on older Soviet-era designs and use ski-jump ramps or STOBAR for aircraft launch. Recommended Stories With a length of 316m and a displacement of 80,000 tonnes, the Fujian features a flat flight deck that can carry up to 50 aircraft and electromagnetic aircraft launch systems (EMALS), which enables it to launch heavier, fully-loaded aircraft and gives it a markedly greater operational range. During its sea trials, the Fujian tested carrier-capable versions of Chinas new jets, including the stealth J35, the KJ-600 airborne early-warning and control system (AEWCS), and a variant of the older J-15 fighter. This signals a major leap in Chinas naval aviation capability and demonstrates an ability to project power beyond its near seas. The timing of this commissioning is significant. Beijing has long pledged to build a world-class" military by mid-century, and Fujian is a visible symbol of that ambition. The carrier will help the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operate with greater autonomy farther from the Chinese mainland, including into the so-called Second Island Chain, where it can challenge the naval dominance of the United States Navy in the Indo-Pacific. China still trails the US in key carrier metrics, including the number of carriers, nuclear propulsion systems, and overseas bases. The Fujian remains conventionally powered, which limits its endurance compared to the US Navys nuclear-powered fleet. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all In his remarks, Xi described Fujian as a milestone in Chinas modernization of the armed forces. He inspected the ships bridge and its advanced systems, underscoring the political significance of the launch. For Beijing, the carrier is both a tool of strategy and a means of bolstering national pride. Location : Beijing, China First Published: November 07, 2025, 12:30 IST News world China Commissions 3rd Aircraft Carrier 'Fujian' As It Seeks To Counter US Hegemony 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... Erika Kirk, Vances Chat During Viral Hug Decoded: Heres What Lip Reader Has To Say Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 08:04 IST A video of Erika Kirk and JD Vance hugging on stage during a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi caught the internet's attention. Erika Kirk and US Vice President JD Vance embrace at the Pavilion at Ole Miss on the campus of the University of Mississippi on October 29, 2025 in Oxford, Mississippi. (IMAGE: AFP) A lip reader has revealed the touching exchange between Erika Kirk, widow of late Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, and US Vice President JD Vance during her first public appearance since her husbands assassination-a moment that caught all the internets attention. It took place at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi last Wednesday, where Erika introduced Vance before a cheering crowd of over 10,000 people. She called him a very, very dear friend," a remark that drew loud applause. Recommended Stories However, it was their quiet conversation on stage that captured public attention after professional lip reader Nicola Hickling disclosed what they said. Im Proud of You" Its Not Gonna Bring Him Back" According to Hickling, as Vance and Erika briefly hugged, the vice president whispered, Im proud of you." Fighting back tears, Erika replied softly, Its not gonna bring him back." The emotional exchange, caught on camera, quickly spread online, with many viewers describing it as heartbreaking. It came just weeks after Charlie Kirks assassination a shocking on-stage shooting at Utah Valley University on September 10, which killed the 31-year-old conservative activist and close Trump ally. Erikas Difficult Return To Public Life Erika, 36, who has since taken over as CEO of Turning Point USA, almost skipped the Mississippi event altogether. Hickling said Erika appeared visibly nervous before stepping onto the stage, reportedly telling her assistant, I cant do this. I dont want to do it." As the lights dimmed, the audience heard Charlie Kirks recorded voice introducing his wife a moment that left her visibly emotional. Wiping her tears, Erika told the crowd: You guys have no idea how helpful it is to have all of you in my life. You make me feel even more connected to my husband." A Moment Of Respect And Shared Loss While social media users speculated about their closeness after photos of them hugging went viral, Erika later described the hug as one of mutual respect and shared mission." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Vice President Vance, in his speech that followed, honoured Charlie Kirk as the most effective person in politics that I have seen." The brief, heartfelt exchange brought to light by a lip reader has since been seen as a symbol of grief, strength, and solidarity between two people united by loss and purpose. About the Author Anushka Vats Anushka Vats is a Sub-Editor at News18.com with a passion for storytelling and a curiosity that extends beyond the newsroom. She covers both national and international news. For more stories, you can ... Read More First Published: November 07, 2025, 08:04 IST News world Erika Kirk, Vances Chat During Viral Hug Decoded: Heres What Lip Reader Has To Say 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... Indias Policy Of Non-Interference: Rajnath Singh Speaks On Af-Pak Conflict, Durand Line Dispute | Exclusive Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 20:32 IST The Defence Minister reiterated a policy of strict non-intervention, viewing it as a matter for the two nations to resolve Speaking in the wake of cross-border clashes and a bombing incident in Kabul, Singh firmly rejected any suggestion of Indian involvement. File pic/PTI Defence Minister Rajnath Singh clearly articulated Indias stance of non-interference regarding the escalating conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, particularly around the disputed Durand Line. Speaking in the wake of cross-border clashes and a bombing incident in Kabul, Singh firmly rejected any suggestion of Indian involvement during an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, while simultaneously outlining a foreign policy based on peace and self-reliance. Responding to Pakistans suggestion that India was responsible for stoking the tensionsspecifically their hint at an Indian role in the clashes following the bombing in KabulRajnath Singh was unequivocal. He dismissed the claims as completely baseless, unsubstantiated accusations." He reinforced Indias foundational foreign policy principle, stating, We do not seek or encourage any kind of confrontation. We want peace in the world. We are in favour of peace. We will not provoke anyone or encourage conflict with anyone." Recommended Stories However, Singh immediately paired this commitment to peace with a strong declaration of national resolve: But if someone teases or provokes us, we will not spare them." He stressed that India relies on its own strength for defence, proclaiming, We do not use crutches to defend our self-respect. We do it ourselves. We take decisions on our own and take required actions on our own." When questioned directly about Indias position on the long-standing border dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan over the Durand Line, Singh reiterated a policy of strict non-intervention, viewing it as a matter for the two nations to resolve. Whatever the issue, all the countries involved should sit down and settle it by negotiation," he stated, advocating for bilateral dialogue as the primary solution. He made it clear that India has no intention of intervening unilaterally, asserting, We do not want to intervene in another countrys affairs." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Singh used a culturally resonant idiom to summarise Indias commitment to respecting the sovereignty of others: We do not believe in maan na maan, main tera mehmaan (whether you like it or not, I am your guest)." By stating emphatically that the dispute is an internal matter" for Afghanistan and Pakistan to decide, he underlined that any potential Indian role would only be considered if both countries agree that there should be outside interference and that an impartial process of dialogue should be started." This measured response successfully rebutted the aggressive allegations from Pakistan while maintaining Indias long-held principle of diplomatic restraint and promotion of regional stability through dialogue. 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: November 07, 2025, 20:32 IST News world Indias Policy Of Non-Interference: Rajnath Singh Speaks On Af-Pak Conflict, Durand Line Dispute | Exclusive Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... 'A Major Step Forward': Trump Confirms Kazakhstan Officially Joins Abraham Accords With Israel Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 08:48 IST Kazakhstan has officially joined the Abraham Accords. Donald Trump hailed the move as a major step forward in building bridges across the world. A file photo of US President Donald Trump (AP) Kazakhstan has officially joined the Abraham Accords, becoming the first nation of US President Donald Trumps second term to sign onto the landmark peace initiative aimed at normalising relations with Israel. Announcing the move on Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social, I just held a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of Israel, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many." Recommended Stories Calling the development a major step forward in building bridges across the World," Trump added, Today, more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords." We will soon announce a Signing Ceremony to make it official, and there are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH. So much more to come in uniting Countries for Stability and Growth Real progress, real results," he added. The announcement came just hours before Trump hosted a summit in Washington with leaders of five Central Asian nations, including Kazakhstan. Ahead of the summit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a working breakfast with the Kazakh President, although the State Department made no mention of anything related to Israel. Rubio and Tokayev discussed expanding opportunities for commercial trade and investment as well as increased cooperation with Kazakhstan in energy, technology, and infrastructure," the department said in a statement. Earlier too, Trump had hinted that more countries were preparing to join the Abraham Accords, saying during his campaign and early in his second term that his administration was bringing peace through strength and unity, not endless wars." He had also said that nations from both the Middle East and Central Asia were in talks to join what he calls the circle of peace." Although Kazakhstan and Israel have maintained diplomatic relations since 1992, US officials said the move carries symbolic importance as it reaffirms the Abraham Accords expansion beyond the Middle East. One senior official told the Associated Press that the decision reflects a renewed commitment to peace and cooperation" and said it would strengthen bilateral trade and collaboration in defence, cybersecurity, energy, and food technology. With the development, Kazakhstan now joins the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan in the US-brokered Abraham Accords, a key foreign policy achievement from Trumps first term that sought to normalise relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations. Kazakhstan has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992 and is much farther geographically from Israel than the other Abraham Accord nations. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Those countries agreed to normalise relations with Israel as a result of joining the accords, something Kazakhstan did shortly after gaining independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. ALSO READ | Moscow Accuses Pakistani Newspaper Of Anti-Russia Coverage About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: November 07, 2025, 08:42 IST News world 'A Major Step Forward': Trump Confirms Kazakhstan Officially Joins Abraham Accords With Israel Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... New Visa For Every Trip: EU Tightens Travel Rules For Russians Over Ukraine War Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 18:50 IST Brussels said the measure would allow authorities to closely scrutinise applications and reduce potential security risks Rapid Read + Follow us On Google A Russian passport. (AFP file photo) The European Union on Friday announced that Russian nationals will no longer be granted multi-entry visas, citing rising security concerns nearly four years into the war in Ukraine. Starting a war and expecting to move freely in Europe is hard to justify," EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said on X. She added that the EU was tightening visa rules for Russians amid ongoing drone incidents and sabotage on European soil. Recommended Stories Under the new regulations, Russian travellers will now need to apply for a fresh visa every time they plan to enter the EU. Brussels said the measure would allow authorities to closely scrutinise applications and reduce potential security risks. Exceptions will be made in justified cases such as independent journalists and human rights defenders," the EU added. The move comes as fears of Russian hybrid warfare" have grown, following airspace incursions and unexplained drone sightings in several European countries. Last month, the EU also tightened travel rules for Russian diplomats stationed across the 27-member bloc. Some EU countries, particularly those favouring a hard line against Moscow, have long argued that ordinary Russians should not be able to travel freely while the conflict continues. In 2022, the EU suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia and asked member states to deprioritise" Russian visa applications. Visa numbers have already fallen sharply since the start of the war, from more than four million before 2022 to around 500,000 in 2023. However, EU diplomats say approvals have begun to rise again, with France, Spain, and Italy issuing the most visas to Russian nationals. While supporters of the stricter measures believe they will increase pressure on Moscow, Kremlin critics have warned against isolating ordinary Russians. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Opposition figure Yulia Navalnaya said in September that broad restrictions could play into the Kremlins narrative that Europe is hostile to all Russians. She urged the EU to target Russian elites instead, saying, For the purpose of achieving peace in Europe it is counterproductive to assist Russian authorities in isolating Russian society." (With inputs from AFP) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : Brussels, Belgium First Published: November 07, 2025, 18:50 IST News world New Visa For Every Trip: EU Tightens Travel Rules For Russians Over Ukraine War Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Photo: https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/ On the night of Friday, November 7, Russian occupiers attacked Ukrainian territory with 128 Shahed and Gerbera attack UAVs and drones, the press service of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported. "According to preliminary data, as of 9:00 a.m., air defense forces have shot down or suppressed 94 enemy Shaheds, Gerberas, and other types of UAVs in the north, south, and east of the country. Thirty-one attack UAVs were recorded hitting 11 locations," the Telegram channel reported. The air attack was repelled by aircraft, anti-aircraft missile forces, electronic warfare units, unmanned aerial systems, and mobile fire teams of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The attack continues, and several enemy UAVs remain in Ukrainian airspace. Peace Talks With Afghanistan Have Failed, Taliban Refusing Written Guarantees: Pakistan Minister Reported By : News18.com Edited By: News Desk Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 23:11 IST Pakistan's Defence Minister said the Taliban regime is not providing written guarantees to curb cross-border terrorism An Armed Taliban security personnel stands guard near the closed gate of the zero point border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan at Spin Boldak district in Kandahar province on October 12, 2025. The latest round of peace talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban has collapsed in Istanbul, with Pakistans Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirming that discussions have ended without any breakthrough. Sources told CNN-News18 that Asif said the Taliban regime is not providing written guarantees" to curb cross-border terrorism and added that mediators involved in the process are now fed up" with the stalemate. Recommended Stories The talks have failed in Istanbul," Asif said, adding that he does not believe another round of mediation will happen soon." He further accused the Taliban of not being serious about tackling terrorism in the region, asserting that Islamabad will continue to exercise all options necessary to safeguard the security of its people and sovereignty." The failed negotiations come amid rising tensions along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Earlier this week, Pakistan and Afghan forces exchanged fire near the Chaman border, breaking a temporary ceasefire even as officials from both sides were in Istanbul for peace discussions. According to AFP, Afghan military sources claimed that Pakistan used light and heavy weapons and targeted civilian areas." Afghan forces reportedly held fire out of respect for the ongoing negotiations." Islamabad, however, denied the allegations, insisting that the firing was initiated from the Afghan side" and that Pakistani forces responded in a measured and responsible manner." The Information Ministry said in a statement on X, We strongly reject claims circulated by the Afghan side regarding todays incident at the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman." top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Sources earlier told TOLO News that Pakistan had acknowledged an agreement with the United States allowing drone operations within its territory, an issue reportedly discussed in the previous round of peace talks in Turkey. With the Istanbul dialogue collapsing and border tensions escalating, regional observers warn that the breakdown could further strain already fragile ties between Islamabad and Kabul, both struggling to contain militant activity along their shared frontier. Location : Pakistan First Published: November 07, 2025, 22:52 IST News world Peace Talks With Afghanistan Have Failed, Taliban Refusing Written Guarantees: Pakistan Minister 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... Several Fall Ill At US Military Base After Delivery Of 'Suspicious' Package Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 10:41 IST Joint Base Andrews evacuated after a suspicious package with white powder sickened several people. HAZMAT found no immediate danger. Joint Base Andrews evacuated after a suspicious package with white powder sickened several people. HAZMAT found no immediate danger. (representative image; via Getty Images) A major security scare unfolded at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Thursday after a suspicious package containing an unknown white powder was discovered, prompting evacuations and leaving multiple people ill. According to a statement released by Joint Base Andrews, located just outside Washington, D.C., a building on the base was evacuated after an individual opened a suspicious package." The discovery triggered an immediate lockdown, with adjoining buildings also cleared as a precaution. Recommended Stories As a precaution, the building and connecting building were evacuated, and a cordon was established around the area," the statement read. Joint Base Andrews first responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats, and have turned the scene over to the Office of Special Investigations. An investigation is currently ongoing." Sources told CNN that several personnel who came into contact with the package fell ill and were rushed to the on-base Malcolm Grow Medical Center for treatment. Their conditions remain unknown. A Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) team was deployed to the site to examine the contents of the package. Preliminary field tests did not detect any immediately hazardous substances, but officials said further testing is underway to determine the nature of the white powder. The HAZMAT team did not detect anything dangerous in the initial tests, but the investigation remains ongoing," a source familiar with the probe said. The room where the envelope was opened and located within the Air National Guard Readiness Center remains sealed off. Authorities have not yet disclosed how the package reached the base or to whom it was addressed. Officials said investigators are also looking into whether the envelope contained political propaganda materials, though the exact content has not been publicly confirmed. The HAZMAT team departed the scene Thursday evening, and the base remains under restricted access while the Office of Special Investigations continues to lead the inquiry. Joint Base Andrews, one of the most secure military installations in the United States, is home to Air Force One and serves as the primary airbase for transporting the President, Vice President, and senior military officials. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all As of Friday morning, authorities said there was no indication of a broader threat, but the situation remains under close monitoring. Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA) First Published: November 07, 2025, 10:41 IST News world Several Fall Ill At US Military Base After Delivery Of 'Suspicious' Package Disclaimer: Comments reflect users views, not News18s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments... Shehbaz Sharif's Close Aide Visits Office Of Hafiz Saeed's Banned Outfit Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 08:51 IST Pakistani Minister Talal Chaudhry visited the PMML office, linked to Hafiz Saeed, sparking debate over government ties as PMML grows active after the Pahalgam terror attack. Political observers have interpreted the meeting as a sign of tacit government endorsement of the group linked to Saeed. (Image: PTI/File) In a move that has drawn widespread attention, Pakistani Minister Talal Chaudhry, a close aide of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, visited the office of Mumbai terror attack mastermind Hafiz Saeeds banned political outfit on Thursday. Senator and Minister of State for Interior, Chaudhry paid a visit to the Pakistan Markazi Muslim League (PMML) office in Faisalabad in Punjab provincearound 130 km from Lahore. The PMML is widely regarded as the political front of Hafiz Saeeds banned Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD). Recommended Stories Chaudhry was received by senior PMML leaders at their headquarters, where the two sides reportedly engaged in detailed discussions on the prevailing political landscape and national challenges. According to a statement released by the PMML, the meeting emphasized the need for political stability, unity, and the continuation of democratic processes across the country. The participants also agreed that, under current circumstances, all political actors should work collectively to strengthen democratic institutions and promote national cohesion. The visit marks the first time in recent days that a federal minister has officially engaged with the PMML. Political observers have interpreted the meeting as a sign of tacit government endorsement of the group linked to Saeed, who has been serving a prison sentence in Lahores Kot Lakhpat Jail since 2019 on multiple terror-financing convictions. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Earlier, Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmad Khan had attended a PMML rally in Kasur district, where he publicly praised Saeed. Following heightened tensions between Pakistan and India after the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, in May, the PMML has reportedly become increasingly activeraising concerns over its resurgence under what appears to be government protection. (With PTI inputs) 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 : Lahore, Pakistan First Published: November 07, 2025, 08:51 IST News world Shehbaz Sharif's Close Aide Visits Office Of Hafiz Saeed's Banned Outfit 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... Sheikh Hasina Says Awami League Keen To Fight Bangladesh Polls, Calls Ban 'Undemocratic': Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 12:25 IST Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has said that the Awami League is ready to contest upcoming elections if permitted, calling the partys ban deeply undemocratic. Bangladeshs former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. (PTI file photo) Exactly fifteen months after taking refuge in an undisclosed location in India, former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her party, the Awami League, is ready to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections if given the opportunity. In an exclusive interview to The New Indian Express, Hasina also accepted leadership responsibility" for the deaths of thousands during the violent anti-government protests that led to her ouster last year, while denying any personal role in ordering the use of force. Recommended Stories Calling the ban on her party deeply undemocratic" and a violation of Bangladeshs constitution," Hasina said it deprived millions of voters of their fundamental rights. The decision to ban the Awami League is deeply undemocratic and a clear violation of Bangladeshs constitution and of the fundamental rights of the electorate. It short-changes millions of people," she told The New Indian Express. She noted that when major parties were kept out of elections in the past, Bangladeshi voters have simply not voted, rather than transfer their vote to other parties." Hasina insisted that her party is not refusing to participate in the electoral process. We are not refusing to contest elections. On the contrary, we ardently wish to participate. But we have been banned from doing so by an administration that is itself unelected and which clearly has no respect for democracy," she said, urging the need for a free, fair and inclusive election" to help Bangladesh heal and move towards reconciliation." The former Prime Minister said the legitimacy of any government was undermined when political parties were either banned or chose to boycott polls. You cannot achieve this by banning the Awami League," she warned, adding that her party was woven into the countrys modern history and independence" and continued to command the support of tens of millions." Asked about a Human Rights Watch report estimating that around 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured during the anti-government protests between July 15 and August 5, 2024, Hasina said she mourned each and every life lost." She added, As the countrys leader, I ultimately take leadership responsibility, but the implication that I ordered or directed the actions of the security forces on the ground is fundamentally incorrect." She also disputed the UNs fatality figure, saying it was significantly higher" than official government estimates and based on undocumented and closely controlled evidence" supplied by the interim administration. Hasina accused the current government of using the UNs back-of-the-envelope calculation for propaganda purposes." Addressing long-standing concerns about election integrity, including criticism from the United States that the 2024 general elections were not free and fair, Hasina defended her record, saying the Awami Leagues victories reflected the peoples mandate. The 2024 elections were deemed to be free and fair by independent international observers. The Awami League has come to power nine times through the direct votes of the people," she said. Hasina pointed to several reforms introduced during her tenure, including photo-based voter lists, transparent ballot boxes, and an independent Election Commission, which she said were implemented to guarantee the peoples right to vote freely." However, she acknowledged that repeated election boycotts by opposition parties had weakened Bangladeshs democratic process. Some of our past elections were not truly participatory because major political parties chose to boycott democratic processes and deny the electorate their fundamental right to vote," she said. It is this cycle of non-participation that must now be broken." Responding to corruption allegations reported by the Financial Times and raised by Bangladeshs Anti-Corruption Commission, including claims that $234 billion was moved abroad during her 15-year rule, Hasina dismissed them as laughable" and unevidenced." That sum far exceeds Bangladeshs entire state budget," she said. In practical terms, such an enormous theft isnt even possible. If it had happened, our economy would have collapsed. What actually happened was that our economy grew by more than 450 per cent over my 15 years in office." She further alleged that Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, who currently heads the interim government, had amassed unexplained wealth, claiming that he owned thousands of kathas of land and fixed deposits worth around 5,000 crore taka. Dr Yunus began his career at the Grameen Bank in 1990 with a salary of only 6,000 taka. How, then, did he amass such vast wealth?" she asked. The media needs to stop being naive and start scrutinising these matters, rather than giving Yunus a free pass just because he has got famous friends like the Clintons." Hasina, however, declined to comment on questions regarding the alleged involvement of a foreign hand" in her removal from power, saying she preferred to remain silent on that for now. The former Prime Minister ruled Bangladesh for nearly 15 years before being ousted in August 2024 following weeks of violent protests. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Since her removal, an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has taken charge, banning the Awami League from participating in politics and launching corruption probes against Hasina and her family. ALSO READ | New Book On Bangladesh Reveals How A 1:30 PM Call From India Saved Sheikh Hasinas Life About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: November 07, 2025, 12:22 IST News world Sheikh Hasina Says Awami League Keen To Fight Bangladesh Polls, Calls Ban 'Undemocratic': 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... Taliban Minister Delivers Direct Military Threat To Pakistan Over TTP Sanctuary | Exclusive Details Reported By : CNN-News18 Last Updated: November 08, 2025, 03:52 IST The message was clear: Afghanistan is the 'graveyard of empires' and Pakistan should heed those historical lessons Crucially, the minister leveraged Afghanistans shared geography as a point of advantage, arguing that unlike the distant superpowers, Pakistan does not enjoy the benefit of geographical separation. Representational image Tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban regime in Kabul have reached a critical new inflection point, moving beyond diplomatic rhetoric to open military threats. The Afghan Minister of Tribal and Border Affairs, Noorullah Noori, issued a direct and aggressive warning to Pakistans Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, underscoring Kabuls rising frustration with Pakistans cross-border strikes targeting Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) positions inside Afghan territory. Top intelligence sources confirmed to CNN-News18 that the open belligerence from the Taliban leadership signals a significant shift, suggesting that the ministries in Kabul are now willing to openly threaten Pakistan militarily. This shift is interpreted as a sign that the Taliban regime now feels increasingly independent of Pakistans influence and is ready to assert its sovereigntya freedom that Islamabad is rapidly losing control over. Recommended Stories The core of the ministers warning was a stark historical reminder and a geographical threat. By explicitly referencing the downfall of the Soviet Union and the United States in Afghanistan, the minister aimed to remind Pakistan that challenging Afghan resolve has historically led to catastrophic defeats for foreign powers. The message was clear: Afghanistan is the graveyard of empires" and Pakistan should heed those historical lessons. Crucially, the minister leveraged Afghanistans shared geography as a point of advantage, arguing that, unlike the distant superpowers, Pakistan does not enjoy the benefit of geographical separation. This focus on their shared border carries a potent implication of potential border militarisation and proxy escalation should tensions continue. The minister warned Pakistan against being arrogant" about its military strength or attempting to test the patience" of the Afghan nation. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all This escalation comes directly after a recent surge in cross-border violence, including retaliatory strikes by the Pakistan military into Afghan territory targeting TTP safe havens. Islamabad accuses Kabul of failing to uphold its commitment to prevent its soil from being used by terrorist groups like the TTP, a charge the Taliban consistently denies, instead labelling the TTP issue as Pakistans own internal security problem. The public, direct, and aggressive tone of the Afghan minister marks a significant breakdown in the relationship between the two neighbours, raising the spectre of sustained military skirmishes and a prolonged phase of instability along the contested Durand Line. About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18 First Published: November 08, 2025, 03:52 IST News world Taliban Minister Delivers Direct Military Threat To Pakistan Over TTP Sanctuary | 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... US Intelligence Found Israeli Military Lawyers Warned Of Possible War Crimes In Gaza: Report Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 07, 2025, 22:12 IST According to the report, the intelligence was among the most striking pieces of information shared with senior US policymakers during the conflict Rapid Read + Follow us On Google Israel army urges Gaza City residents to move to humanitarian zone (Reuters Image) The United States obtained intelligence last year indicating that Israeli military lawyers had internally warned of evidence that could support war crimes charges against Israel over its operations in Gaza attacks largely carried out using American-supplied weapons, Reuters reported, citing five former US officials. According to the report, the intelligence was among the most striking pieces of information shared with senior US policymakers during the conflict. It revealed internal concerns within Israels military about the legality of its campaign, concerns that stood in sharp contrast to Israels public defence of its actions. Recommended Stories Two former officials told Reuters that the material was not widely circulated inside the US government until late in President Joe Bidens term, when it was shared more broadly ahead of a congressional briefing in December 2024. The intelligence reportedly deepened unease in Washington about Israels military tactics in Gaza, which it has justified as necessary to eliminate Hamas fighters embedded in civilian areas. At the time, some US officials feared that the growing civilian death toll and reports of strikes on aid workers could expose Israel to accusations of violating international humanitarian law. Gaza health authorities say more than 68,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israels two-year campaign, while Israel claims at least 20,000 of them were Hamas combatants. According to Reuters, the findings prompted tense discussions inside the National Security Council and across the Biden administration. A formal US finding that Israel had committed war crimes would have required Washington, under American law, to halt arms transfers and intelligence cooperation with its long-time ally. Biden and his senior advisers were briefed on the matter, but lawyers across US agencies concluded that Washington lacked its own direct evidence proving Israel had intentionally targeted civilians or blocked humanitarian aid. This allowed continued military and intelligence support to Israel. Some officials, however, believed the administration should have taken a stronger stance against Israels actions and Americas role in enabling them. Even before this intelligence surfaced, State Department lawyers had reportedly raised alarms as early as December 2023, warning former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Israels conduct in Gaza could amount to violations of international law. A later US government report in May 2024 echoed those concerns but stopped short of a definitive conclusion. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence chief, and Hamas leader Mohammed Deif on war crimes charges. Israel rejects the ICCs jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes, while Hamas has also dismissed the allegations. (With inputs from Reuters) About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More Location : United States of America (USA) First Published: November 07, 2025, 22:11 IST News world US Intelligence Found Israeli Military Lawyers Warned Of Possible War Crimes In Gaza: 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... 'We Are Looking At It': Trump Says He May Exempt Hungary From Russian Oil Sanctions Curated By : News18.com Last Updated: November 08, 2025, 00:07 IST Trump also called on EU leaders to show greater respect towards Orban, praising the Hungarian leaders tough stance on immigration Rapid Read Choose News18 on Google US President Donald Trump welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to the White House in Washington. (AP file photo) US President Donald Trump on Friday said that he is considering granting Hungary an exemption from sanctions on Russian oil purchases, acknowledging the countrys dependence on Moscow for energy supplies. Speaking alongside Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House, Trump told reporters, We are looking at it because it is very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas. As you know they dont have the advantage of having sea." Recommended Stories During the meeting, Trump also called on European Union leaders to show greater respect towards Orban, praising the Hungarian leaders tough stance on immigration. I think they should respect Hungary and respect this leader very, very strongly because hes been right on immigration," Trump said, referring to Orbans long-standing opposition to accepting migrants and refugees. Trump welcomed Orban to the White House at midday for what was their first bilateral meeting since the Republican leader returned to power in January. The two men share similar views on border security, conservative social policies, and nationalism, though Hungarys close energy ties with Russia remain a point of contention. Energy Dependence In Focus Hungary has continued to rely heavily on Russian oil and gas since the start of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, a stance that has drawn criticism from several EU and NATO allies. Orban has defended his countrys position, arguing that its landlocked geography makes it difficult to access alternative energy sources. Ahead of the White House talks, Hungarian officials said Orban planned to seek a pathway towards US-Russia dialogue and push for exemptions from American energy sanctions. Trump has repeatedly urged European countries to cut purchases of Russian energy as a way to weaken Moscows ability to finance its war. However, he signalled on Friday that Hungarys circumstances may warrant special consideration. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all Last month, Trump said he was open to meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, though that meeting has been delayed after Moscow rejected a proposed ceasefire plan. (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 : United States of America (USA) First Published: November 07, 2025, 23:33 IST News world 'We Are Looking At It': Trump Says He May Exempt Hungary From Russian Oil Sanctions 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... Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded soldiers and officers of the 1st Separate Medical Battalion of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the medals For Military Service to Ukraine, To the Defender of the Motherland, and For Saved Life for the operation they carried out to evacuate a wounded defender. According to the presidential press service, the serviceman spent 33 days after being severely wounded in a settlement temporarily under enemy control. He was successfully evacuated as a result of an operation codenamed GVER, which involved the use of a ground robotic system. The servicemen conducted what was, in fact, a unique operation to rescue a wounded warrior using a ground robotic system. There had been six unsuccessful evacuation attempts and extremely heavy Russian fire, but the seventh attempt succeeded this ground drone of ours did help. The wounded warrior is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation. His life has been saved, the Head of State said in his evening address. It is noted that the operation lasted nearly six hours. On the way to the wounded warrior, the ground robotic system hit an antipersonnel mine but was able to continue moving on a damaged wheel. On the return route, the ground robotic system was hit by a munition dropped from an enemy drone, but the warrior survived unharmed thanks to the armored capsule. In total, the ground robotic system covered 64 km, 37 km of which were driven on a damaged wheel. For conducting the operation, the President awarded the medal For Military Service to Ukraine to Lieutenant Oleksandr Dziuba; Junior Sergeants Danylo Kutniak and Mykyta Nesterchuk; Captain Hennadii Novikov; Junior Sergeant Yaroslav Pliekhov; Soldier Kyrylo Sierykov; and Junior Sergeant Yurii Truniakov. The medal "To the Defender of the Motherland" was awarded to Major of the Medical Service Asan Charukhov. The medal "For Saved Life" was awarded to Soldier Vadym Kaplun, Senior Soldier Oleksii Naumov, Junior Sergeant Antin Roshchin, and Senior Soldier Serhii Yuldashev. We will scale up exactly this kind of technological backbone for our army more ground robotic systems operating at the front, more drones of all types, and increased deliveries of modern solutions that help achieve results in combat, in providing supplies for our combat units, and in evacuating our wounded warriors, the President emphasized. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/olga.kravets.796 Ukraines Ambassador to the United States, Olha Stefanishyna, announced negotiations to purchase Tomahawk missiles and various other types of long- and short-range missiles after US President Donald Trump made it clear he doesnt not want to hand them over, Bloomberg reported on Friday. "It is not only Tomahawks but different types of other long-range and short-range missiles and I can only say that its rather positive," Stefanishyna said in an interview with the program Balance of Power on Bloomberg TV. According to her, "the discussion is still ongoing but we have a lot of delegations working to scale up the available financial resources to procure more military capabilities from the US." Asked about repeated Russian attacks on Ukraines energy infrastructure in recent weeks, Stefanishyna said "its definitely a very tough period for Ukraine." She stressed that Ukraine is working hard to provide more air-defense capabilities to Ukraine, and said that any refusal to put pressure on Russia will be seen as something that gives them the green light to scale up their capabilities." "We are working hard to provide Ukraine with more air defense capabilities ... We can survive this winter and another winter, but it does not mean that it is right," Stefanishyna said. A Customs and Border Protection agent who shot a Chicago woman during a collision of their vehicles last month is facing scrutiny after records revealed he boasted about his marksmanship in text messages to colleagues. Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez five times on Oct. 4, after the collision in the city's Brighton Park neighborhood, Reuters reports. Exum claims that Martinez struck his vehicle, while she contends that his vehicle rammed hers. Prosecutors argue the shooting was in self-defense. Martinez, who was reportedly warning others about immigration agents in the area, was later indicted alongside Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz on charges of impeding a federal officer with a deadly weaponspecifically, her car, per ABC News . During a hearing on Wednesday in the case against Martinez, prosecutors presented messages Exum sent in a group chat with other agents in which he wrote: "I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys." In a separate message, he shared a news article about the shooting and added: "Read it. 5 shots, 7 holes." When questioned about the messages, Exum, a firearms instructor, said he was proud of his shooting skills, per Reuters. The hearing also raised questions about the handling of Exum's government-issued vehicle after the shooting. Exum drove the vehicle from Chicago to Maine, where it was repaired by a Customs and Border Protection mechanic before the defendants could examine it. The government said the FBI had taken photos and paint samples before releasing the vehicle to Exum, but defense attorneys challenged the sequence of events and whether Exum should have known to preserve the vehicle as evidence. Exum maintained that he believed preservation was unnecessary since the vehicle had been released to him by the FBI. The shooting occurred against the backdrop of a Trump administration immigration enforcement surge in Chicago. The shooting sparked protests at the scene, with agents deploying tear gas. During a hearing last month, Martinez's lawyer said body-camera footage showed the agent taunting her before he shot her. A Ukrainian court has handed a life sentence to Russian soldier Dmitriy Kurashov for the execution-style killing of a prisoner of war, marking the first conviction of its kind since the conflict began. Kurashov, 27, was found guilty in Zaporizhzhia of shooting a surrendered, unarmed Ukrainian soldier during a January 2024 battle near Pryiutne village, CNN reports. Prosecutors said the victim had run out of ammunition, raised his hands, and complied with Kurashov's orders before being shot at close range. Kurashov's sentencing is seen as a precedent-setting moment, as Kyiv claims many Ukrainian POWs have died at the hands of Russian forces. The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office reports that as of early May, it had launched 75 criminal probes into the suspected execution of 268 Ukrainian POWs, with the number rising each year of the war. According to Ukrainian authorities, Kurashov had a prior conviction for theft in Russia and joined the Russian military in late 2023 under an amnesty deal. The UN human rights mission in Ukraine reported in February that it had evidence of 79 executions by Russian troops since the previous August. The UN also reported knowledge of at least three calls by Russian public officials ordering or endorsing executions, per the BBC. The report said there was evidence that Ukraine had employed first-person drones to commit three illegal killings. A Senate committee hearing took an unusual turn on Wednesday when GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno disclosed that he'd gathered the vehicle identification numbers (VINs) of his Democratic colleagues' cars, sparking accusations of privacy violations and "creepy" behavior, reports Cleveland.com . During a session of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Moreno argued that none of the Democrats had purchased optional safety features for their vehiclesan apparent effort to highlight what he sees as hypocrisy, since they support mandates requiring such technology in all cars. Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen quickly challenged Moreno, questioning how he obtained the VINs and calling the move an overreach. "That seems a little creepy," Rosen said, noting, "I object to you stalking my car and my staff." She added that she doesn't drive a personal vehicle in Washington, suggesting that Moreno would've had to have gone to her garage in Las Vegas to get her VIN. Moreno countered that VINs are visible on car windshields and insisted his intent was to expose Democratic hypocrisy on safety mandates; he also denied going to Rosen's garage, per the Nevada Independent. The exchange escalated from there, with Moreno pointing to rising car prices, blaming Democratic policies, and turning the focus to the longest government shutdown in history. The Hill notes that Rosen later posted a video of the exchange on X, where she noted that Moreno should "use his time in more productive wayslike coming to the table and negotiating with Democrats on actions to protect Americans' access to affordable health care and end this Republican shutdown." Tesla shareholders have approved a compensation plan that could award CEO Elon Musk up to $1 trillion in stock, making it the largest pay package in corporate history. More than 75% voted in favor of the proposal at the company's annual meeting at its Austin headquarters, the Wall Street Journal reports. The package, which puts Musk on track to become the world's first trillionaire, was designed to keep him at the wheel for the next decade as the company incorporates artificial intelligence. Although there was opposition, Musk took the stage Thursday flanked by dancing humanoid robots as shareholders applauded and chanted his name. "What we're about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla but a whole new book," he told them, per the Washington Post . The package is intended to incentivize Musk, already the world's richest person, as Tesla pivots toward new technologies, including humanoid robots. One of the milestones he has to hit to collect is the sale of 1 million of the robots to customers. Supporters who view the plan as a bet on Musk's ability to deliver on the goals had been advocating approval on social media. The Florida State Board of Administration explained its yes vote in a securities filing, per the New York Times. "A company that went from near bankruptcy to global leadership in E.V.s and clean energy under similar frameworks has earned the right to use incentive models that reward moonshot performance," the filing said. Musk would need to stay as CEO for 7 years to become vested in any shares from the new package, per NBC News. Opponents included several major institutional investors, including CalPERS and Norges Bank, who objected to the plan's scale and design. "This is not pay for performance. It is pay for unchecked power," Thomas DiNapoli, the New York State comptroller, said recently. In September, Pope Leo XIV brought up the pay plan in expressing concern about the widening income gap between CEOs and working people. If that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we're in big trouble," the pope said. Musk maintains that the humanoid robot that Tesla is developing, Optimus, is the best bet for eliminating poverty. The Senate narrowly voted down a proposal Thursday that would have required congressional approval before President Trump could launch military operations against Venezuela. The measure, backed largely by Democrats and two Republicans, failed 49-51, marking the second time in a month that lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to limit the administration's military actions in Latin America. The resolution was intended to prevent future military moves "within or against" Venezuela as concern has grown that Trump's anti-cartel campaign could escalate into a broader conflict, Politico reports. "We should not be in war without Congress," said Sen. Tim Kaine, who introduced the measure, before the vote. The breakdown: Rep. Elise Stefanik, a prominent Trump ally, announced her bid for New York governor on Friday. The Republican congresswoman, who has amassed more than $13 million in campaign funds, will challenge Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul in a state where Democrats typically hold the advantage, reports the Wall Street Journal . "I am running for Governor to make New York affordable and safe FOR ALL," Stefanik wrote in an X post , which included a two-minute-plus video. Stefanik has secured early endorsements from state Republicans, as well as from the New York Conservative Party. Her official announcement is expected to be followed by a statewide tour. Stefanik has been considering a run for months and previously said she'd decide after the New York City mayoral election. That vote resulted in a victory for democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, whose campaign was endorsed by Hochula point Stefanik has used to criticize the governor, arguing that Hochul's support paved the way for Mamdani's progressive agenda. State Democrats, meanwhile, paint Stefanik as a Trump loyalist whose policies would harm New Yorkers by raising costs and cutting funding for key services. Stefanik shifted her focus to the governor's race after a potential diplomatic appointment fell through, and she later took on a leading role in House GOP leadership. She has also drawn national attention for her high-profile questioning of Ivy League presidents over campus antisemitism and pro-Palestinian protests, per Politico. New York hasn't elected a Republican governor since George Pataki, who left office at the end of 2006, per the Journal. While Hochul won her last race against Republican Lee Zeldin, the contest was tighter than many expected. This cycle, Hochul faces a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, while another Republican from Long Island, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, may also enter the race. Stefanik, first elected to Congress at 30 as a moderate, has since become a vocal supporter of Trump. When asked by the AP about a Stefanik run, a rep for Hochul's campaign referred the news agency to a statement from the Democratic Governors Association: "Elise Stefanik has spent her career selling out New Yorkers to Donald Trumpand that is exactly why she is going to lose to Kathy Hochul next November." Hochul herself tweeted: "My message to Trump's 'top ally'bring it on." A woman working as part of a cleaning crew was shot and killed after mistakenly arriving at the wrong home in Whitestown, Indiana, police say. Responding officers found 32-year-old Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez on the front porch of the home Wednesday morning with a fatal gunshot wound to the head, ABC News reports. Authorities say the shot was fired from inside the home and that the bullet came through the door, CBS News reports. Police responded to the scene after a 911 call at 6:49am reporting a possible home invasion, but later clarified there was no evidence of such a crime. Instead, police say, Velasquez and her crew had simply gone to the wrong address. According to her husband Mauricio Velasquez, who was working alongside her at the time, the couple had been cleaning houses for about seven months. He recounted the moments after the shot, saying his wife collapsed into his arms and he never saw who shot her. The couple had four children, the youngest just 11 months old. "What I need now is for there to be justice, because he took her life, in that sense," Mauricio Velasquez says. "I don't believe that's human." Velasquez's brother tells NBC News his sister was using the keys she had to try to open the door when she was shot in the head. Police say the investigation is ongoing and are working with the Boone County Prosecutor's Office to determine whether any charges will be filed against the shooter. An update is expected next week."When it comes to a dwelling, individuals can use reasonable force, including deadly force, against another person," a county prosecutor says of Indiana's so-called stand your ground laws. "That person who uses that force has to reasonably believe that the force is necessary to prevent or terminate an unlawful entry or attack on the person's dwelling." Senate Republicans are making another attempt to end the government shutdown, now the longest in history, but Democrats are apparently unswayed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is preparing a new vote to reopen the government on Friday, the 38th day of the shutdown. His latest offer swaps the stopgap funding bill rejected in multiple votes for a longer, but still short-term, funding patch, likely extending into January, as well as full-year funding for veterans programs and food assistance, Politico reports. "It's what they asked for," the Republican said Thursday. The proposal, which also includes a guarantee of a Senate vote on extending ObamaCare subsidies, reflects a plan that around a dozen Democratic senators, more than enough to break the deadlock, agreed to earlier this week, the Washington Post reports. Democrats, however, buoyed by strong election results this week, are now expected to reject the GOP offer, sources tell Politico. Their main sticking point remains the extension of the expiring health insurance subsidies, which they say the latest Republican plan does not adequately address. Sen. Jacky Rosen, seen as a possible swing vote, indicated she would vote against the measure, arguing that Republicans need to engage more seriously with Democratic demands. Senate Democratic leaders are emphasizing unity, though there are clear internal divisions. Some members believe it is time to end the shutdown, while progressives insist on holding out for a better health care deal. Sen. Bernie Sanders urged colleagues to keep up the pressure. "They have the American people at their back," he said Thursday. "And Republicans are going to have to come to the table and recognize they just cannot double premiums for millions of Americans in this country." House Speaker Mike Johnson, meanwhile, won't commit to holding a vote on health care subsidies. "I'm not promising anybody anything," he said Thursday, per the Post. "I'm going to let this process play out." The art world's shiniest mystery has finally been flushed out: An infamous $10 million gold toilet is hitting the auction block , and the owner is none other than Mets boss and billionaire Steven Cohen, sources tell the New York Times . The 18-karat throne, crafted by conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan and dubbed "America," has apparently lived quietly in Cohen's collection since 2017. Five insiders confirm Cohen is the secret seller, though Sotheby's, which will handle the sale, is keeping mum. Artnet notes that whether the seller is Cohen or someone else, that person is "about to make a killing," as the price of gold in 2017 was less than a third of what it is now. The golden commode, weighing in at about 220 pounds, is also fully functional, if you feel like calling a plumber to install it, per the Times. Cattelan made two versions of the piece: one that ended up at the Guggenheim in New York, and another that the seller thought to be Cohen bought from the Marian Goodman Gallery. The Guggenheim's toilet made headlines when the museum offered it to the Trump White House instead of a requested Van Gogh painting. That version was later stolen from England's Blenheim Palace in 2019 and remains missing, making the Sotheby's offering the last of its kind. The auction house hopes for banana-level buzz like it enjoyed last year, when Cattelan's duct-taped banana sculpture drew a bidding frenzy and sold for $6.2 million. No word from Cohen on why he seems to be parting with his potty, which Sotheby's calls a "tour de force." President Trump has pardoned a former Tennessee House speaker and a onetime aide of public corruption charges. Republican former state Rep. Glen Casada was sentenced in September to three years in prison, and Casada's former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, was also convicted and received a 2.5-year prison sentence. Both men were due to report to prison later this month. A White House official said Thursday night that Trump approved the pardons because the Department of Justice under former President Biden "significantly over-prosecuted these individuals for a minor issue," the AP reports. The case centered on their actions after both had been driven from their leadership roles and were accused of running a scheme to win taxpayer-funded mail business from lawmakers. GLOBALink | African envoys tour Chinese textile hub to boost cooperation Pub Date:25-11-07 10:36 Source:Xinhua A delegation of African envoys paid a visit on Tuesday to Nantong, one of China's global hubs for home textiles. The envoys also attended a launch ceremony for a China-Africa home textiles demonstration park. #GLOBALink Editor:Qin Shuying Related News 'We need more cooperation, especially with... GLOBALink | 'Big Market for All: Export to... Economic Watch: Private businesses power C... China's traditional liquor brewing industr... Photo: https://t.me/GeneralStaffZSU/ As of 8:00 a.m. Friday, November 7, 12 enemy attacks occurred in the area of responsibility of the joint forces group in Pivdenno-Slobozhanske and Velykyi Burluk axes, the groups press service reported on its Telegram channel. The enemy attacked in the areas of Vovchansk, Kamyanka, and toward Dvurechanske. The enemys main efforts are focused on attempts to expand the penetration in the southwestern part of Vovchansk. Heavy fighting continues. In Kupyansk axis, the invaders attacked Ukrainian troop positions 12 times. Ukrainian defenders repelled enemy assaults toward the villages of Petrovpavlivka, Pischane, and Hlushkivka. In Lyman axis, the enemy attacked nine times, trying to penetrate the Ukrainian defense near the settlements of Novo-Yehorivka, Borovska Andriyivka, Grekivka, Zarichne, Novoselivka and in the direction of the settlements of Korovin Yar and Druzheliubivka. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 169 armed clashes were recorded along the entire front line over the past 24 hours. Yesterday, the enemy launched one missile and 62 airstrikes, used six missiles, and dropped 144 guided bombs. In addition, it carried out 4,916 attacks, including 134 from multiple launch rocket systems, and deployed 5,525 kamikaze drones. A European Union naval force raced Friday to reach a Malta-flagged tanker held by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The seizure of the Hellas Aphrodite, carrying a load of gasoline from India to South Africa, put its crew of 24 mariners at risk and raised fears of further attacks by the pirates operating in the region, the AP reports. The pirates fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades in their assault Thursday, later boarding the Hellas Aphrodite as its crew hid in a locked-down citadel, or fortified safe room, aboard the vessel, officials said. A frigate from the EU force reached the ship Friday afternoon and authorities said all 24 crew members were safe and uninjured, reports Reuters. "After an early show of force of the Pirate Action Group (PAG) abandoned the Merchant Tanker," the EU Naval Force said in a news release. The force said its flagship ESPS Victoria and its helicopter, patrol, and reconnaissance aircraft, and a special operations team "were involved in the liberation of the Merchant Tanker." The force said an "intensive" search for the pirates is ongoing. "The threat assessment in the area surrounding the incident remains critical," it warned. "The mother ship and the pirates remain in the area." A Canadian farm's fight to save its hundreds of ostriches has reached the end of the road. After Canada's Supreme Court declined to take up an appeal Thursday, the country's food inspection agency said it plans to begin a "complete depopulation and disposal" at the British Columbia farm, the Guardian reports. Universal Ostrich Farms was first ordered to kill more than 300 ostriches in May after a bird flu outbreak killed 69 of the farm's ostriches. Earlier this week, officials took control of the property. The CBC reports that emotions were running high at the farm on Thursday, where protesters gathered outside as workers in hazmat suits were seen trying to round up the ostriches. The ostriches have some powerful friends, but they're south of the border. In May, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to spare the birds. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, later offered to keep the ostriches at his Florida ranch, the AP reports. Billionaire John Catsimatidis has also urged Canada to reconsider. Pierre Poilievre, leader of the opposition Conservatives, said last month that the issue had been "mismanaged" but wouldn't say whether he supports the protesters. Federal officials maintain that the cull is in line with World Health Organization guidance to limit the spread of avian flu, though animal advocates and the farm's owners argue for more testing, claiming most of the ostriches appear healthy and may have developed herd immunity. In a statement, the CFIA said its "stamping out" policy "aims to protect both public and animal health, as well as minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry, and the Canadian economy," the CBC reports. Farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney, daughter of a co-owner, accused the CFIA of "murdering" healthy birds. "They are prehistoric animals that have survived millions of years, but they won't survive the Canadian Food Inspection Agency," she said Thursday. The Canadian Press reports that as the birds were rounded up Thursday, Pasitney yelled, "CFIA you can stop! Run, pretty birds!" Supporters parked on a nearby highway set off fireworks and played rock music in an apparent attempt to get the birds to run away. The Guardian describes the protests as inspired by "post-pandemic skepticism of government," with many commenters on social media expressing skepticism about vaccines. It's not a great day to be flying, and the snarls may not ease up for awhile. Air travelers across the country faced mounting disruptions Friday as the FAA's order to scale back flights amid the shutdown took effect, reports the Washington Post. The flight-tracking website FlightAware logged more than 800 canceled flights so far Friday, and more than 500 cancellations are in place for Saturday. The FAA estimated 4% of daily flights would be canceled at 40 airports, per the New York Times. For now, most of the impact will fall on smaller regional routes, though the ripple effects are expected to be felt throughout the system. The percentage of canceled flights is supposed to increase through next week should the shutdown continue. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is privately telling allies that Vice President JD Vance is the clear frontrunner for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, sources tell Politico . Rubio is reportedly prepared to back Vance if he decides to run, underscoring how quickly the GOP is looking beyond President Trump's first year in office to the next round of party leadership. Trump has publicly floated both Vance and Rubio as his potential successors, even suggesting the two could share a ticket. The pair, former Senate colleagues who are said to be close friends, have downplayed any rivalry. Rubio, for his part, has expressed support for Vance both privately and publicly. "He will do anything he can just to support the vice president in that effort," one confidant says of Rubio. Vance, for his part, recently called Rubio "my best friend in the administration" but said that it was "premature" to talk too much about 2028 "because we're still so early," per the New York Post. "If we get to a point where something else is in [the offing], let's handle it then," Vance added during an interview on the Pod Force One podcast. "But let's at least get through the next couple of years and do good work for the American people before we talk about politics." A recent Politico poll found Vance to be the leading choice among Trump 2024 voters for the next GOP nominee, with 35% picking him. Rubio, by contrast, was named by just 2%. The poll also highlighted a significant portion of the Republican base that remains undecided or still prefers Trump himself, even though the current president is constitutionally barred from a third term. A Polish woman who insisted she was Madeleine McCann has been found guilty of harassing the missing British girl's family. Julia Wandelt, 24, was convicted at Leicester Crown Court for her actions against Kate and Gerry McCann, who have endured global attention since their daughter vanished in Portugal in 2007, the Guardian reports. Wandelt's campaign included persistent phone callssometimes more than 60 in a single daymessages, and even an unannounced visit to the McCanns' home, where she pleaded for a DNA test. Wandelt also contacted the couple's friends and their two other children. Wandelt claimed memories surfaced during hypnosis, including recollections of living with the McCanns as a child and of being abducted. She said she believed Madeleine's father was involved in the girl's disappearance. After forensic evidence presented at trial confirmed Wandelt is not Madeleine McCann, Wandelt told the court she was "50/50" about her identity. The next day, however, she said, "I do believe I'm her ... I'm completely exhausted with all of this." The jury found her guilty of harassment but cleared her of stalking. Karen Spragg, a 61-year-old British co-defendant who supported her claims, was acquitted of all charges. British High Court Judge Johannah Cutts said Spraggs "became involved and enjoyed the drama of the situation." She issued a restraining order banning Wandelt and Spraggs from Leicestershire. Kate McCann testified that she found Wandelt's behavior distressing, especially a letter in which Wandelt called her "mum," the Guardian reports. Cutts told Wandelt she accepted evidence that she had been abused as a child, but "that does not justify the way you behaved," reports the BBC. The McCanns "were entitled to leave matters with the police and refuse to engage with you particularly in the sad circumstances they live. They have suffered with the disappearance of their young child for many years," the judge said. "Your constant pestering, badgering and eventually attendance at their home address on a dark evening in December was unwarranted." Wandelt was sentenced to six months in prison, a term she's already served since her arrest in February. A deportation order has been issued. "Despite the jury's guilty verdict of harassment, we take no pleasure in the result," the McCanns said in a statement. "Like most people, we did not want to go through a court process and only wanted the harassment to stop. We hope Ms Wandelt will receive the appropriate care and support she needs and any vulnerability will not be exploited by others." They added: "If anyone has new evidence relating to Madeleine's disappearance, please pass this on to the police." In a back-and-forth with journalists in the Oval Office on Thursday, President Trump made what Reuters sees as a notable shift in semantics about his tariffshe acknowledged that they were costing Americans to some degree. It came when he was pressed about comments from Chief Justice John Roberts, who described tariffs as taxes paid by Americans. "No, I don't agree," said Trump when asked about Roberts' characterization, per Mediaite . "I think that they might be paying something. But when you take the overall impact, the Americans are gaining tremendously." It's a departure from Trump's long-standing argument that foreign governments are footing the bill for US tariffs, notes Reuters, which points out that many economists argue that tariffs are, in fact, paid by the consumers of the goods purchased. Trump's acknowledgment comes as the Supreme Court weighs the legality of Trump's authority to impose the financial penalties. During arguments this week, several justices expressed skepticism about the administration's legal arguments, raising the prospect that Trump could lose a key tool in his trade arsenal. "I think it'd be devastating for our country, but I also think that we'll have to develop a 'game two' plan," said Trump on the prospects of a court loss. "We'll see what happens," he added. "I can't imagine that anybody would do that kind of devastation to our country." Since taking office, Trump has used tariffs as both an economic and diplomatic lever, targeting imports from China, Canada, the European Union, and other trading partners. He has argued that these measures are necessary to counteract what he sees as unfair trade practices and to level the playing field for American businesses. Denmark's government on Friday announced a political agreement to ban access to social media for anyone under the age of 15. The move, led by the nation's Ministry of Digitalization, would set the age limit for access to social media but give some parents, after a specific assessment, the right to give consent to let their children access social media from age 13 on, reports the AP . Such a measure would be among the most sweeping steps yet by a European government to address concerns about the use of social media among teens and younger children. It would follow up on a move in December in Australia, where that country's lawmakers enacted the world's first ban on social media for children, setting the minimum age at 16. That made platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X, and Instagram subject to fines of up to about $33 million for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. "As one of the first countries in the EU, Denmark is now taking a groundbreaking step [toward] introducing age limits on social media," the ministry said in a statement. "This is done to protect children and young people in the digital world." The ministry noted that a coalition of parties on both the right and left "are making it clear that children should not be left alone in a digital world where harmful content and commercial interests are too much a part of shaping their everyday lives and childhoods." "Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present," it added. "This is a development that no parent, teacher, or educator can stop alone." Another university has reached a deal with the Trump administration to have its public funding restored. This time, it's Cornell, which agreed to pay a total of $60 million to resolve the issue, reports CNN . The deal calls for Cornell to pay $30 million directly to the federal government over three years, and to invest another $30 million in research aimed at helping US farmers cut costs and boost efficiency. The school specializes in agricultural research, notes the New York Times . In exchange, the government will restore more than $250 million in suspended funding and end civil rights and other federal investigations. This is the fifth such deal the administration has struck with universities over allegations of admissions discrimination and antisemitism since July, and the terms have varied. Unlike similar settlements with Columbia University and Brown University, Cornell's deal does not include oversight by an independent monitor. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said the agreement affirms "the university's commitment to the principles of academic freedom, independence, and institutional autonomy that, from our founding, have been integral to our excellence," per the AP. But the school agreed to certain concessions. Cornell will provide the government with "anonymized undergraduate admissions data" for a comprehensive federal audit. The university will also conduct annual surveys assessing campus climate, including the experiences of students with Jewish ancestry. James Watson, who helped discover the double-helix structure of DNA that's the blueprint for human life, has died. He was 97 and died Thursday in hospice care in East Northport, New York, the New York Times reports. Watson was 25 years old when he and Francis Crick published their landmark discovery in 1953, a breakthrough that reshaped modern biology and earned them, along with Maurice Wilkins, the Nobel Prize in 1962. Their work helped make possible scientific accomplishments such as genetic engineering and the Human Genome Project, which Watson later led. Although his scientific legacy is immense, Watson was ostracized late in life by colleagues over writings condemned as racist and sexist, per the Washington Post. His 1968 memoir, The Double Helix, angered colleagues for its candid, sometimes unflattering descriptions of colleagues, especially Rosalind Franklin, whose X-ray images were crucial to the DNA discovery but whose contributions were famously played down by Watson. He endorsed The Bell Curve, a 1994 book by Richard Herrnstein and Charles Murray that argued there's a connection between IQ and ethnicity, and long argued that Black people were intellectually inferior to whites. In an interview, he once said "some antisemitism is justified." His contentions eventually caused him to lose his honorary titles at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Watson was "the most unpleasant human being I had ever met," said Edward O. Wilson, an eminent biolotist and longtime colleague at Harvard. Still, Watson was credited with supporting the careers of young scientists, including women, and for transforming that lab into a leading center for genetics research. A Chicago native and child prodigy, Watson entered the University of Chicago at 15 and later studied under giants of genetics before his fateful collaboration with Crick at Cambridge. Watson's influence on sciencethrough his research, writing, and institution-buildingnevertheless remains monumental. Shut out by the scientific community, Watson was no longer offered speaking engagements, and he said he'd had to sell his Nobel medal to raise money. A Russian billionaire bought it for $4.1 million and gave it back to Watson. A driving force in his career was family pressure to live up to the accomplishments of Orson Welles by 25, the age his cousin was when he made Citizen Kane. He also said his lack of religious belief helped drive his research. "The luckiest thing that ever happened to me was that my father didn't believe in God," he said on the 50th anniversary of the publication of the double helix paper. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said after a visit to the White House on Friday that President Trump has granted his country an exemption from US sanctions on Russian energy. That would keep Russian oil and gas flowing to Hungary, the AP reports. Orban, a longtime Trump ally, had come to Washington seeking to persuade the president to allow Hungary to continue importing Russian oil and gas without being subject to sanctions that Trump's administration has placed on Russian fossil fuels. Hungary has also been under pressure to end its reliance on Russian energy from the European Union, most of which has heavily cut or halted imports of Russian oil and gas. The nationalist Hungarian leader has called access to Russian energy a vital issue for his landlocked country, and had said he planned to discuss with Trump the "consequences for the Hungarian people" if the sanctions took effect. During a press briefing with Hungarian media following his talks with Trump, Orban said Hungary had "been granted a complete exemption from sanctions" affecting Russian gas delivered to Hungary from the TurkStream pipeline, and oil from the Druzhba pipeline. "We asked the president to lift the sanctions," Orban said. Hungary will also purchase nuclear fuel from US-based Westinghouse Electric Co., Orban added. That fuel will be used to power Hungary's Paks nuclear plant, which until now has relied on Russian-supplied nuclear fuel, though Hungarian officials earlier stressed that Budapest will continue its purchase of Russian nuclear fuel as well. A large delegation of cabinet members, business leaders, and right-wing political influencers with close connections to Hungary's government accompanied Orban to Washington. The delegation rented a 220-passenger commercial jet for the journey. Prior to Orban's arrival on Thursday, a bipartisan group of US senators introduced a resolution calling on Hungary to end its dependence on Russian energy. The Verkhovna Rada is currently considering 10 bills related to Ukraines fulfillment of its obligations under the Ukraine Facility program, said Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine. "I want to draw attention to a number of bills already under consideration by the Verkhovna Rada that could help us. These are 10 bills that concern the fulfillment of Ukraines obligations under the Ukraine Facility. These are, as a rule, bills that we also need as part of clusters [of Ukraines EU accession negotiations]," Kachka said during an hour of questions to the Government in the Verkhovna Rada on Friday. According to him, these include a bill on the basic principles of housing policy, property valuation, improving procedures for submitting and verifying judges integrity declarations, as well as restoring competitions and improving the procedure for entering, completing, and terminating public service. YAMAGATA, Nov 08 (News On Japan) - A 1.2-meter bear was shot and killed just before noon on November 8th at a hot spring inn in Yonezawa, Yamagata Prefecture, after entering the building overnight and causing extensive damage. Endo Naoki, head of Yonezawa Citys Civic and Environmental Department, said the emergency hunting order was issued at 11:49 a.m. When the team entered, the bear was immediately in sight, and a shot was fired at 11:49, he explained. The incident occurred at Namekawa Onsen Fukushima-ya, a 200-year-old traditional inn. It is believed the bear had entered the premises the night before. Inside the first-floor kitchen, pots and seasonings were scattered across the floor, and sliding doors were torn apart. Every refrigerator door was openedit was terrible, said Fukushima-yas owner, Kazuo Sasaki. Weve had bears around before, but this is the first time one has come inside. It was truly frightening. Three members of the owners family were in the building at the time but were unharmed. On the same day in Omachi, Nagano Prefecture, cameras captured another bear encounter near a JR station, where hunters and police used tranquilizer guns to subdue a 50-centimeter cub. According to a JNN survey, bear-related attacks nationwide have left 13 people dead and 206 injured this year, with Akita Prefecture reporting the highest number of cases. In Happo, Akita, a major local event scheduled for November 9th was canceled due to safety concerns. We had poured our efforts into organizing this first-ever event, said Yujiro Hosoda, a town official. Its very disappointing, but safety comes first. In response to the growing threat, convenience store chain Lawson has distributed bear spray to about 100 of its stores in Hokkaido, Tohoku, and northern Kanto, where bear sightings are frequent. Experts warn that as bears increasingly enter human spaces, one critical warning sign should not be ignoredtheir cries. Footage from Akita City on November 3rd showed a bear roaming through a residential area, emitting cat-like cries. Bears generally dont make sounds, said Takayoshi Yamauchi, associate professor at Iwate Universitys Faculty of Agriculture. But high-pitched cries, similar to a cat or dog, are usually made by cubs calling for their mother. These calls can indicate that a mother bear is nearby and searching frantically for her cub, a situation that poses serious danger to humans who may inadvertently come between them. Mother bears are known to become especially aggressive and protective in such situations. Yamauchi advises that if one hears a cubs cry, the first step is to locate the mother from a safe distance. If you happen to come between a mother and her cub, she could attack suddenly, he said. Always observe carefully, keep your distance by moving backward, and be prepared to use bear spray if necessary. Source: TBS CALGARY, AB, Nov. 7, 2025 /CNW/ - Big Rock Brewery Inc. (TSX: BR) ("Big Rock" or the "Corporation") today announces its financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025. Financial Summary For the three months ended September 30, 2025, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2024, the Corporation reported: total sales volumes up 35.8% to 89,572 hl compared to 65,982 hl, driven by a 67.3% increase in contract sales volumes and a 17.4% increase in wholesale volumes; net revenue increased by 27.4% to $16.3 million from $12.8 million due to increased volumes; gross margin increased to $4.8 million compared to $3.9 million; operating income was $0.2 million, which is an increase of $0.5 million, compared to an operating loss of $(0.3) million; net loss decreased by $0.8 million to a $(0.1) million loss; and Adjusted EBITDA increased by $0.5 million to $0.7 million. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure, see "Non-GAAP Measures". For the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2024, the Corporation reported: total sales volumes up 42.3% to 242,032 hl compared to 170,094 hl, driven by contract volumes that more than doubled and a wholesale volumes increase of 12.1%; net revenue increased by 30.7% to $44.0 million from $33.7 million due to increased volumes; gross margin increased to $13.7 million compared to $9.8 million; operating income increased to $0.6 million, compared to an operating loss of $(3.3) million; net income increased to $0.1 million from a loss of $(3.8) million, an increase of $3.9 million; and Adjusted EBITDA increased by $3.6 million to $2.4 million. Summary of Results $000, except hl and per share amounts Three months ended September 30 Nine months ended September 30 2025 2024 2025 2024 Sales volumes - wholesale (hl) 48,945 41,705 129,535 115,576 Sales volumes contract (hl) 40,627 24,277 112,497 54,518 Total sales volumes (hl) 89,572 65,982 242,032 170,094 Gross product revenue $ 20,452 $ 17,061 $ 55,125 $ 44,141 Net revenue 16,274 12,774 44,041 33,700 Cost of sales 11,468 8,864 30,361 23,927 Adjusted EBITDA (1) 744 281 2,399 (1,162) Operating income (loss) 154 (347) 649 (3,313) Net (loss) income (98) (938) 134 (3,791) Net (loss) income per share - basic $ (0.00) $ (0.13) $ 0.01 $ (0.54) Net (loss) income per share - diluted $ (0.00) $ (0.13) $ 0.01 $ (0.51) (1) Non-GAAP financial measure. See "Non-GAAP Measures". Sales volumes increased by 35.8% compared the third quarter of 2024. More importantly, Adjusted EBITDA was a positive $0.7 million, which represents a $0.5 million improvement from the third quarter of 2024. "I am pleased to report continued sales volumes growth quarter over quarter, and exceptional results within our wholesale and contract businesses, both of which contributed to an increase in Adjusted EBITDA of $0.5 million in the quarter and $3.6 million year-to-date. These results demonstrate clear benefits as we continue to deploy of our strategic plan" said David Kinder, Big Rock's President and Chief Executive Officer. "The positive response to our branding & portfolio refresh, along with the overall growth in our wholesale business outpacing the industry, are also really encouraging. Another highlight of the quarter was the successful return of our Barn Burner event at our brewery, which brought people together to celebrate great music, great beer and our community spirit. The energy and enthusiasm around the event reflect the deep connection people have with the Big Rock brand". Additional Information The unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements of the Corporation and the Corporation's Management Discussion and Analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 dated November 6, 2025, can be viewed on Big Rock's website at www.bigrockbeer.com and on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca under Big Rock Brewery Inc. NON-GAAP MEASURES The Corporation uses certain financial measures referred to in this press release to quantify its results that are not prescribed by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). Such financial measures do not have a standardized meaning under GAAP and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other issuers. The non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation, as an alternative to or more meaningful than the most directly comparable GAAP measures which are prepared in accordance with IFRS Accounting Standards. "Adjusted EBITDA" is a non-GAAP financial measure that the Corporation uses to measure operating performance and borrowing capacity. The most directly comparable GAAP measure to adjusted EBITDA is net income, or net loss, as applicable. The following table details the composition of adjusted EBITDA and its reconciliation to net income, or net loss: ($000, except where indicated) Three months ended September 30 Nine months ended September 30 2025 2024 Change 2025 2024 Change Net (loss) income $ (98) $ (938) $ 840 $ 134 $ (3,791) $ 3,925 Addback: Interest 252 716 (464) 629 2,077 (1,448) Depreciation and amortization 622 551 71 1,691 2,205 (514) Share based payments (32) 77 (109) (55) (54) (1) Loss on dispositions net - 2,107 (2,107) - 633 (633) Gain on extinguishment of lease liability - (2,232) 2,232 - (2,232) 2,232 Adjusted EBITDA $ 744 $ 281 $ 463 $ 2,399 $ (1,162) $ 3,561 Forward-Looking Information Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. These statements relate to expectations regarding future events or Big Rock's future performance based on certain assumptions made by Big Rock. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not facts, but only predictions based on information presently available and generally can be identified by the use of statements that include words or phrases such as, "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "could", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "likely", "may", "project", "predict", "propose", "potential", "might", "plan", "seek", "should", "targeting", "will", and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. Big Rock believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon by readers, as actual results may vary materially from such forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified, in their entirety, by this cautionary statement. This press release contains forward-looking statements pertaining to: Big Rock's continued deployment of its strategic plan and the anticipated benefits thereof; and other similar statements. With respect to the forward-looking statements listed above and contained in this press release, management has made assumptions regarding, among other things: the duration and impact of tariffs currently in effect and that such tariffs will remain in effect unchanged; markup rates applied by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission ("AGLC"); anticipated cost increases in Big Rock's production and supply chain; volumes in the current fiscal year will remain constant or continue to increase; there will be no material change to the regulatory environment in which Big Rock operates; there will be no material supply issues with Big Rock's vendors; seasonal fluctuations in demand; and Big Rock can and will execute it business plans and strategies. Some of the risks which could affect future results and could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements contained herein include the risk factors set out in the Corporation's annual information form for the year ended December 30, 2024 which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and also include, but are not limited to: risks related to Big Rock's credit facility with ATB; the inability to grow demand for Big Rock's products; the inability to execute its product innovation strategy and to introduce such products in the volumes necessary to fulfil its expectations; changes to the duration and/or impact of tariffs currently in place, including any impacts on general market demand; risks related to unanticipated changes to AGLC's mark-up rates; the risk that Big Rock may not have an increase in market demand or market share; the risk that Big Rock may lose co-packing contract volumes or the anticipated benefits of co-packing production; the risk that continued attention to streamlining production and maximizing return on sales and marketing initiatives for Big Rock's branded, white-label and co-packing businesses, won't help the Corporation continue to improve its financial results and strengthen its balance sheet; the risk that Big Rock may not realize operational efficiencies or margin growth; the risk that Big Rock may not have sufficient cash flows to cover forecasted expenses or return to profitability; and the risk that Big Rock may not be in compliance with its financial covenants for the next 12 months. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of assumptions and risk factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Big Rock does not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information and statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless so required by applicable securities laws. About Big Rock Brewery Inc. In 1985, Ed McNally founded Big Rock to contest the time's beer trends. Three bold, European-inspired offerings Bitter, Porter and Traditional Ale forged an industry at a time heavy on easy drinking lagers and light on flavour. Today, our extensive portfolio of signature beers, ongoing seasonal offerings, six ciders (Rock Creek Cider series), custom-crafted private label products and other notable, licensed alcoholic beverages keeps us at the forefront of the craft beer revolution and still proudly contesting the beer and alcoholic beverage trends of today. Big Rock has brewing operations in Calgary, Alberta, Vancouver, British Columbia, and Toronto, Ontario. Big Rock trades on the TSX under the symbol "BR". For more information on Big Rock visit www.bigrockbeer.com SOURCE Big Rock Brewery Inc. For further information, please contact: David Kinder, President & Chief Executive Officer, or Bill Woods, Interim Chief Financial Officer: Phone: (403) 720-3239, Fax: (403) 720-3641, Email: [email protected] VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 7, 2025 /CNW/ - SUPER COPPER CORP. (CSE: CUPR) (OTCQB: CUPPF) (FSE: N60) ("Super Copper" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the successful completion of its phase 1 exploration program at its flagship Cordillera Cobre Project, located in Chile's Atacama copper belt, approximately 40 kilometres north of the mining hub of Copiapo. Historic mine workings and copper-bearing outcrops at Super Coppers Cordillera Cobre Project, Calcite Hill target, Atacama Region, Chile. (CNW Group/Super Copper Corp.) 2025 Exploration Compilation Map Cordillera Cobre Project, Atacama Region, Chile (CNW Group/Super Copper Corp.) Super Copper Field Team at facilities in Copiapo, Chile (CNW Group/Super Copper Corp.) The 2025 field program was designed to build upon historical work and accelerate Super Copper's understanding of the project's potential. Fieldwork included drill core verification, systematic surface and underground sampling, and a pair of modern ground geophysical surveys aimed at mapping subsurface structures and potential chargeability anomalies across priority targets. The 2025 phase 1 campaign marks the Company's most comprehensive field program to date at Cordillera, designed to validate historical drill results and generate new data across multiple high-priority copper zones with the intent to identify and design drill targets. Program Highlights Drill Core Sampling Verification: Historical diamond drill holes completed in 2008 at the El Alto target were reviewed, relogged, and sampled to verify mineralized zones and test for additional extensions. Of the 1,500 metres of historical drilling , all available core was relogged and approximately 354 metres (~25%) of core were sampled under rigorous QA/QC protocols consistent with international standards. Historical diamond drill holes completed in 2008 at the target were reviewed, relogged, and sampled to verify mineralized zones and test for additional extensions. Of the , all available core was relogged and approximately of core were sampled under rigorous QA/QC protocols consistent with international standards. Surface and Underground Sampling: A total of 102 rock samples were collected from outcrops, trenches, and historical mine workings across three strategic zones, including El Alto, Calcite Hill, and additional prospects in the northern corridor. A total of were collected from outcrops, trenches, and historical mine workings across three strategic zones, including El Alto, Calcite Hill, and additional prospects in the northern corridor. Ground Geophysical Surveys: Ground Magnetometry was completed over more than 800 hectares , covering the Calcite Hill and El Alto target areas to define structural trends and potential mineralized corridors. was completed over more than , covering the Calcite Hill and El Alto target areas to define structural trends and potential mineralized corridors. Induced Polarization (IP) surveys totaled 10 line-kilometres, with five lines each over Calcite Hill and El Alto, spaced approximately 200 metres apart, designed to map disseminated sulphide mineralization and deeper conductive targets. All core and rock samples have been submitted to ALS Laboratories in Chile for geochemical analysis. The geophysical datasets are being processed and interpreted, with results expected in the coming weeks. These results will form the foundation for Super Copper's next phase of target definition and drilling. Zachary Dolesky, CEO of Super Copper, stated: "We're extremely encouraged by what we've seen on the ground at Cordillera. This program was about tightening the geological model, verifying historical data, and adding modern layers of insight through geophysics and systematic sampling. Cordillera continues to demonstrate all the hallmarks of a copper system with scale, alteration, structure, and proximity to infrastructure. The groundwork we've completed sets the stage for an exciting next phase as we move toward defining our first drill targets." Next Steps The Company's technical team is now compiling and interpreting results to prioritize high-potential zones for the upcoming phase 2 exploration. Super Copper anticipates announcing geochemical and geophysical interpretations in the coming weeks, followed by an update outlining priority drill targets and planned fieldwork for early 2026. QP Statement All scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared by, or approved by Michael Dufresne, M.Sc., P.Geol., P.Geo. Mr. Dufresne is an independent qualified person (QP) for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. About Super Copper Corp. Super Copper is a mining exploration company focused on acquiring, advancing and consolidating global copper assets from early discovery through late-stage development. The company is currently advancing its copper projects in Atacama, Chile, a region with world-class infrastructure and the presence of global majors. By operating a single, integrated technical team and a milestone-driven acquisition strategy, Super Copper aims to build a portfolio of scalable projects capable of supplying the world's accelerating demand for copper. | www.supercopper.com The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed this press release and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events, or developments that Super Copper Corp. ("Super Copper" or the "Company") anticipates or expects may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to: the expected timing, scope, and results of current and planned exploration activities at the Cordillera Cobre Project; the anticipated timing for receipt and interpretation of geochemical and geophysical data; the potential identification of new drill targets and mineralized zones; and the Company's plans to advance and prioritize future exploration programs. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs, expectations, and assumptions as of the date of this news release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: exploration results not meeting expectations; inaccuracies in geological models or interpretations; delays or difficulties in obtaining permits or financing; fluctuations in commodity prices; and broader economic, regulatory, and industry conditions. Forward-looking statements are often identified by words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "plan," "may," "will," "should," "potential," and similar expressions, or statements that events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Although Super Copper believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that they will prove correct, and actual results may differ materially. Except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements in this release as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Investors are encouraged to review the risk factors described in the Company's public filings before making any investment decisions. SOURCE Super Copper Corp. For further information please contact: Zachary Dymala-Dolesky, Chief Executive Officer, Super Copper Corp., [email protected], Tel: +1 (778) 747-2968 Russia does not protect most of its territory with air defense, which allows it to strike oil refineries, electrical substations, and other facilities, said Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. "Recently, oil refineries in Russia have caught fire: Volgograd (suspended operations), Kstovsky, Saratov (suspended operations), Tuapse, Mariysky, and Ryazan. A number of substations, the Kostroma State District Power Plant, the Orel Thermal Power Plant, and other facilities have also been damaged," Kovalenko wrote on Telegram. According to him, Russia has a shortage of air defense systems; in particular, both the S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems and many Pantsyr anti-aircraft gun systems, which were used to protect such facilities, have been destroyed. "The enemy's air defenses are concentrated primarily at the front and in Moscow, creating significant gaps in Russian airspace. To put this into perspective, most Russians in the country are not protected by Putin at all, despite his constant promises of security for everyone. All these Yars tests, jokes about Poseidon, Burivestnik, and Oreshnik missiles seem comical compared to the total exposure of Russia to fire," Kovalenko noted. Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Valeriy Zaluzhny, reported on his visit to Eton College, where he discussed the war in Ukraine and the challenges facing Europe and the world with students. "I spoke about Ukraine, its struggle, and the significance of this resistance for Europe and the world ... We talked about the past, but more about the future. Ukraine and all of Europe face great challenges today. But they also give us the chance to build a secure future for our children. The main thing is to recognize the real risks and finally begin to jointly and effectively respond to them," Zaluzhny wrote on Facebook on Friday following the visit. He said Eton College is "a top British educational institution that has educated many iconic figures, including leaders of the British government, since 1440," and where young people from all over the world study today, "who learn from the past, are interested in the present, and think about the future." "I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to convey these ideas to the young people of Eton College, among whom are future officials and prime ministers. Meetings like these are inspiring and give hope that together we will build a secure future," Zaluzhny emphasized, adding that "we need a new European security architecture, technological development, and a just peace to prevent dictatorships from expanding their borders." Ukraine restores a full-fledged mechanism for exporting its own weapons. This is a new stage from production "for itself" to controlled sales to partners in order to attract funds to its own defense industry. This was stated at a meeting with journalists on Thursday by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Rustem Umerov and Presidents Strategic Advisor Oleksandr Kamyshin. Acting Head of the State Service for Export Control Oleh Tsilvik and Executive Director of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry Ihor Fedirko were also present at the meeting, which was dedicated to controlled arms exports. As explained by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the procedure remains simple and transparent: if a company meets the defined eligibility criteria for export and has excess production capacity not required by the Security and Defense Forces, it may submit an export application to the State Service for Export Control. Within 90 days, the SSEC verifies all data and issues the permit. Speaking about the definition of "excess," Umerov noted that the SSEC submits an interagency request; the Ministry of Defense consolidates the needs; and decisions/recommendations are made collectively at the Military-Technical Cooperation Interagency Commission, with the involvement of all Security and Defense Forces. In turn, Kamyshin emphasized that private manufacturers are not required to work through state special exporters: a producer may use the services of a state special exporter, a private special exporter, or obtain its own export authorization either by becoming a resident of Defense City (within 7-12 days) or through a separate Cabinet of Ministers decision for a specific manufacturer (which may take up to a year). Export authorization is issued after approval by the State Service for Export Control and the Interagency Commission under the NSDC. Umerov assured that this provides a dual level of oversight technical and security. Thus, as the NSDC Secretary stressed, the state maintains full control over the end user of the weapons. The NSDC formulates and updates a comprehensive list of countries to which Ukrainian weapons exports are permitted. The first to be included are countries with which Ukraine has signed security agreements. Umerov emphasized that thereafter, no unit of exported equipment may be resold without Ukraines knowledge post-export control applies, including the involvement of intelligence services. "The priority is the front. If the Armed Forces urgently need this weapon, an export permit may be suspended or revoked. Security and the needs of the military will always take precedence over any export contracts," he said. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/zelenskyy.official In Pokrovsk (Donetsk region), the enemy has reduced its activity and is waiting for the replenishment of its main forces. The situation in the Myrnohrad area remains tense, the 7th Rapid Reaction Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has said. The corps noted that Ukrainian soldiers are continuing search and strike operations to identify and destroy Russians in Pokrovsk. In the city and its surroundings, the forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, assault and airborne assault units, the Special Operations Command, the Security Service of Ukraine, the National Guard, the National Police, and others continue their combat work. "The enemy has reduced its activity in the city and reduced the number of movements. The enemy wants to minimize the number of losses and is waiting for the replenishment of its main forces. This is confirmed by the enemy's attempts to establish logistics through the southern outskirts of Pokrovsk," the message on the Telegram channel says. In particular, in this area, the enemy has tried several times to transfer personnel using cars and motorcycles. According to the 7th Corps of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, the Defense Forces did not allow this. In total, since the beginning of November, the Ukrainian military has eliminated 71 occupiers in Pokrovsk, and another 36 were wounded. "Over the past few days, the enemy has tried several times to penetrate Hryshyne. To do this, the Russians intended to mislead the Ukrainian military and enter the settlement under the guise of civilians. Our forces stopped the enemy," the report says. The situation in the Myrnohrad area remains tense. According to the Ukrainian Defense Forces, after numerous unsuccessful attempts by the enemy to storm the city from the east, the enemy will try to change the vector of the attack. Photo: https://www.facebook.com/story.php? According to available information, at least 1,436 citizens from 36 African countries are currently fighting in the ranks of the Russian army, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has said, calling on African governments to publicly warn their citizens against joining the Russian occupation army. "These are those who have been identified, although the actual figure may be higher. Russia recruits citizens of African countries using various methods. Some are offered money, others are deceived and do not realize what they are signing up for, or are forced to do so under pressure," he said on X. Sybiha stressed that signing a contract "is tantamount to signing a death sentence," because foreign citizens in the Russian army are immediately sent to so-called "meat raids," where they are quickly killed. He emphasized that the Russian command understands that there will be no responsibility for a killed foreigner, so they are treated as second-rate, expendable human material. Most mercenaries do not live more than a month. "There are two options to avoid such a fate. First, do not join the ranks of the Russian army and do not sign any documents with the Russian authorities. I call on all governments of African states to publicly warn their citizens against joining the Russian occupation army," he urged. Sybiha noted that participation on the side of Russia in its war of aggression against Ukraine is illegal, immoral and violates the UN Charter and international law. "Secondly, if you have already been sent to the front line, look for any opportunity to desert and surrender. Most of the foreign mercenaries who are in Ukrainian captivity became prisoners of war during their first battle. They all saved their lives," the Minister said, and emphasized that Ukraine treats prisoners of war in accordance with all standards of international humanitarian law. "A Ukrainian prisoner provides a ticket to life and the opportunity to return to their native country," he added. Separately, the Minister emphasized that Russia is trying to recruit people from many countries, not only African states, so Ukraine will continue to inform about the regions and countries from which the Russian occupation army recruits foreign citizens, as well as about foreigners who find themselves in captivity in Ukraine. "Once again, we call on all governments to make every effort to identify and stop Russian recruitment schemes in your countries and officially inform their citizens that such actions are illegal," he emphasized. Earlier, the South African government stated that it had received appeals for help from 17 citizens participating in hostilities in Ukraine and is working to return them home. A 31-year-old New Jersey man who fired shots at another vehicle and into an occupied residence in Pleasantville last year has been sentenced to 15 years in state prison. Timothy Townsend-Mobley will have to serve at least 12 years, nine months, before he is eligible for parole, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office said. Townsend-Mobley will be on parole for another five years following his release from prison. Townsend-Mobley was behind the wheel of a Jeep, pursuing another vehicle on Cedar Lane at about 5:30 p.m. on May 16, 2024, when he began shooting, according to prosecutors. Multiple gunshots went through the wall of a home, though no one inside was hit. Townsend-Mobley also fired shots that hit the other vehicle. No one was injured. He eventually crashed into a parked vehicle. Investigators later obtained a search warrant and found two handguns, large capacity ammunition magazines (including two drum-style magazines) and ammunition in a variety of calibers, including hollow-nose bullets, in Townsend-Mobleys Pleasantville home. One of the guns was a ghost-gun, meaning it had no serial number. Officials said there was also heroin and fentanyl inside. Law enforcement also found two handguns in an outdoor shed. He was charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and 18 weapons offenses following his arrest, Pleasantville police said. A third woman has filed a lawsuit against the Fort Lee school district, alleging a now-retired teacher repeatedly sexually harassed her when she was a student more than seven years ago. The now 22-year-old woman, who is not being named by NJ Advance Media, alleges Howard B. Sidorsky inappropriately touched her on many occasions when she was an 8th grader at Lewis F. Cole Middle School during the 2017-2018 school year. Interim Fort Lee Schools Superintendent Diane Collazo and two board of education members didnt immediately respond to a request for comment from NJ Advance Media. The lawsuit alleges the student was subjected to sexual overtures, sexual harassment, abuse, assault, offensive touching and contact. In addition to groping the girls thigh inappropriately, the teacher touched her neck, back and bra strap, the suit alleges. The teacher also made inappropriate comments, telling her you look good and you look sexy baby according to the suit. Besides touching the girl inappropriately at school, he also made physical contact with her at a community center, the lawsuit alleges. Sidorsky also allegedly gave her preferential treatment by sending answers to tests to her cell phone. The lawsuit claims the school district knew or should have known about Sidorksys behavior and didnt protect the girl. Last year, two other former students sued the Fort Lee school district, alleging Sidorsky also harassed and touched them. Filed in March 2024, the lawsuit claims Sidorsky victimized one student in 2012 and the other in 2017. One student was in seventh grade and the other was in eighth grade when the incidents occurred, the lawsuit alleges. After a municipal court found Sidorsky guilty of harassment in 2018, the teacher filed an appeal in state court, according to court records. The state court upheld the guilty verdict in 2019. He then appealed to the state Superior Courts Appellate Division in 2020, where a panel of three judges said there is no reason to disturb defendants conviction for harassment, according to a copy of the opinion. Sidorsky was placed on paid leave by the school district in 2018. He had his teaching certification revoked by the State Board of Examiners in 2020. He was approved in 2020 by the Public Employees Retirement System Board to receive a deferred retirement effective Feb. 1, 2023. Both of the women who sued in 2024 said they suffer from anxiety, depression and continued emotional distress as a result of the sexual abuse they experienced. A Philadelphia woman was indicted last week in the death of a 4-month-old boy found in a trash bag inside a South Jersey home, according to superior court records. Ebony Gee was arrested by U.S. Marshals and Philadelphia police in July, two months after the baby boys body was found wrapped in a trash bag inside a bassinet at the home in Camden. The baby had been placed in Gees care after she agreed to look after him for a friend. Late last month, grand jurors issued a two-count indictment for desecrating human remains and witness tampering, court records show. Gee is scheduled to be arraigned in early December. At the time Gee was arrested, the babys body was too deteriorated for investigators to determine a cause of death, the Camden County Prosecutors Office has said. The baby boy was living in Philadelphia, but once Gee took custody of the child, he was moved across the Delaware River, according to court papers. Gee was staying with a homeowner who later found the infant dead. Camden police responded to the home in the 1200 block of Lake Shore Drive on May 19 after the homeowner found the baby and called authorities. The body was found in an upstairs bedroom, where Gee spent most of her time caring for the child, police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. Gee allegedly told the homeowner to get rid of it after the body was discovered, and sent other threatening text messages after being confronted. Investigators alleged, in court papers, that the boys parent attempted to have Gee return the child before his death. Gee allegedly ignored those requests or claimed to have scheduling conflicts that prevented her from reuniting the baby and his parent, the affidavit states. She later returned to Philadelphia after the discovery, the affidavit states. Gees attorney could not immediately be reached by NJ Advance Media for comment on the indictment. The Camden County Prosecutors Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the investigation. Erosion of the dunes near 15th Avenue In North Wildwood, Wednesday, Jan. 04, 2023. A thoroughly planned $54 million beach fill for all of the Wildwoods was nixed over unresolved construction aspects, New Jersey officials said. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com A $54 million plan to fortify beaches and dunes across the Wildwoods and Lower Township has been scrapped after local officials failed to resolve a long-running dispute over the projects scope, state environmental officials said Friday. The beach protection project between Hereford and Cape May inlets was fully funded by federal and state sources, sparing local taxpayers any cost. Nearly $2.4 million had already been spent on planning and design before it was scrapped. On Friday, Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette formally notified mayors of the Wildwoods and Lower Township that the long-planned beach and dune project was terminated. The project would have covered the towns located on Five-Mile Island, which include North Wildwood, Wildwood, Wildwood Crest and the Diamond Beach section of Lower Township in Cape May County. The project aimed to reinforce beaches and protect homes from future storm surgesa priority since Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal towns and spurred demands for stronger shoreline defenses. Leaders in both Wildwood and Wildwood Crest have expressed disagreement with the projects blueprint. Wildwood Crest was concerned that sand from its own beaches would be moved to other parts of Five-Mile Island as part of the beach replenishment plan, which would shrink the boroughs beach area, leaving less space for sunbathers and potentially hurting tourism. Borough officials moved earlier this year to withdraw from the project. The money will instead be repurposed for other post-Sandy resiliency efforts, LaTourette said. Unfortunately, after years of costly engineering work and many attempts by DEP to help resolve local disagreements, the project reached an impasse necessitating its termination, LaTourette said, in a letter to the shore leaders. Wildwood Crest Mayor Don Cabrera did not immediately return a request by NJ Advance Media for comment. The project was a collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which carries out beach replenishment and dune projects statewide. The agency warned in July that the project would be left without funding if local officials couldnt agree on a path forward. Construction was expected to begin in spring 2026 after repeated delays. Local officials were given a September deadline to resolve their dispute about the projects scope. Although the original funding is no longer available, LaTourette said officials will explore whether a new version of the project could be built using offshore sand. However, the commissioner cautioned that neither congressional nor state funds are guaranteed to be available. Each municipality should be aware that an offshore sand source, if available, would be significantly more expensive than the onshore sand source already contemplated, LaTourette wrote. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could not immediately be reached for comment. The cancellation comes as coastal protection has become increasingly urgent in recent months. In August, much of the Jersey Shores beaches suffered severe sand loss during Hurricane Erin, causing ocean waters to encroach on the barrier islands. That sand loss was worsened last month by an early fall noreaster and a strong coastal storm that together dropped heavy rainfall and brought strong winds. The project would have particularly benefited North Wildwood, which has gone years without an ample beach replenishment, Mayor Patrick Rosenello has said. The condition of the citys beaches is again in the spotlight after the recent storms, with sand between 13th and 16th streets enduring the most loss, Rosenello previously told NJ Advance Media. Rosenello did not immediately return a request for comment. A pair of alleged assailants were arrested last month after they were accused of beating a man in Bridgeton and stealing his backpack, police announced Thursday. The incident happened on Oct. 18 in the downtown area of South Laurel Street when the man was walking and was approached by two men, according to a statement from the Bridgeton Police Department. The duo began to assault the man and continued to do so after he fell to the ground, police said. One of them stole his backpack which contained his personal belongings and they fled the area. When police arrived, they aided the man, who suffered injuries to his face, and he was taken to Inspira Medical Center Vineland for treatment, police said. Detectives were able to identify two suspects; Arabe Natal, 39, of Bridgeton, and Tyrell McAllister, 42, of Vineland, authorities said. Natal was arrested on Oct. 22 and charged with conspiracy, robbery, simple assault and theft, police said. McAllister was taken into custody the following day and charged with criminal trespass, robbery, simple assault and theft. Both men were taken to the Cumberland County Jail following their arrests. Left, Ozzy Osbourne. Right, Zakk Wylde, the New Jersey born guitarist who played with Osbourne for years. Left, AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File. Right, Lawrence Specker/lspecker@al.com Ozzy Osbourne had Zakk Wylde at his side all the way to the last show. Wylde, the guitarist who grew up in Jackson, first joined forces with the Prince of Darkness in 1987, and he spent much of the next 40 years as his his musical muscle. Osbourne went out swinging with his final concert, Back to the Beginning on July 5 in his native Birmingham, England and Wylde was there with the six-string fireworks, dutifully shredding for his boss one last time. Osbourne, the frontman of iconic rock band Black Sabbath, died of a heart attack at the age of 76 weeks later. The New York Times reported his death certificate stated he also had coronary artery disease and Parkinsons. Speaking recently with NJ.com, the 58-year-old Wylde looked back on that final performance together. Just the fact that he willed himself to do that thing, Wylde said. Whatever things that weve run into, any obstacles or whatever, its always just a speed bump and well get through it. So I wasnt thinking, Oh, this is the last time Im going to see Oz. I just figured well do the gig, and then who knows? You always stay positive on all this stuff. Wylde hoped at the time Osbourne might still be able play yearly shows and maybe even make new records. I wasnt thinking when we were doing the show that this was the last time Im going to be doing Mama, Im Coming Home with the boss or this is the last time Im going to play Crazy Train with him or anything like that, Wylde said. I was just going, Lets do this and lets have a good time, like always. Wylde said Osbourne even had ideas for a new album in mind, one that would hearken back to their work together in the early 1990s. He was texting me, Zakk, lets do another record. Because I really loved it when you were going through your Allman Brothers, Skynyrd phase when we did No More Tears, its heavy but its more melodic, its not pummeling heavy, Wylde said. So I said, Alright Oz, whatever you want. While that final album never came to be, Osbourne was certainly prolific at the end of his life. In addition to Back to the Beginning, he posthumously released the book Last Rites on Oct. 7 and was the subject of the BBC documentary Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, which aired on Oct. 2. We did the show, he ended up finishing his book, they did the documentary, and then he was like, All right, Im out of here, Wylde said. He finished everything he had to do and then he was like, All right, Im done. Wylde will continue to honor Osbournes musical legacy via his Black Sabbath tribute band, Zakk Sabbath, whose winter tour will bring them to Caesars Atlantic City on Nov. 29. Black Label Society, his other band, is mixing its newest album. The Jackson native is also serving as the guitarist for the reconstituted iteration of Pantera, which will tour Europe in support of Metallica next summer. Asked what he learned from Osbourne over the years together, Wylde was quick to answer. Do what you love, and Ozzys resilience, and obviously he had a whole lot of gall, Wylde said. So basically all three of those, those are just three awesome traits you could ask for in anybody, he had them all. Smallville alum and former NXIVM member Allison Mack will tell her story on a new podcast. Uncover: Allison After NXIVM is set to premiere on Monday, Nov. 10. Podcaster and journalist Natalie Robehmed will serve as host, but exclusive interviews with Mack are the shows main hook. In a trailer for the podcast, Robehmed asks Mack if she capitalized on [her] celebrity to help NXIVM leader Keith Raniere recruit people to the infamous cult. The actress is best known for her roles as Chloe Sullivan in Smallville and Amanda in Wilfred. Mack was found guilty of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges for her role in NXIVM. She was sentenced to three years in prison in 2021. After serving 21 months, she was released from prison in July 2023. During her time in NXIVM, Mack helped lead the subgroup Dominus Obsequious Sororium (DOS), which billed itself as a women-only female empowerment group. Members were not aware that Raniere was the creator and secret leader of the group. DOS was a hierarchy with slaves and masters. Slaves were instructed to provide collateral such as nude photos, and were told that the collateral would be released if they left DOS or spoke publicly about it. Raniere instructed DOS leaders to give their slaves assignments which included seducing him and engaging in sexual activity with him. In the trailer for Uncover: Allison After NXIVM, Mack recalls the process of instructing women to seduce Raniere. [Ask them], How do you feel about intimacy? Elicit their discomfort around that and be like, OK, so I have an assignment thats gonna push you through that. Youre gonna seduce somebody. Youre gonna seduce Keith, she says. READ MORE: Butt Lady gets prison time for botched injection that killed actress Later in the teaser, Mack breaks down in tears, noting that people assume shes a pervert due to her involvement in Ranieres crimes. At a certain point, you just stop defending yourself, she says. Robehmed notes in the trailer that her conversations with Mack left her haunted by how much her story blurs the line between victim and perpetrator. But not everyone is ready to view Mack in that light. No thank you. I couldnt care less what she has to say or how they brained washed her into it or how hard it was being a felon, one person commented on a Reddit thread discussing the upcoming podcast. Also I hope that no one listens to it and it becomes a flop. [NXIVM] was a sex-trafficking cult. I do not care about her life beyond why she is not in prison for the remainder of it, another Reddit user wrote. While Mack is out of prison, Raniere is currently incarcerated at United States Penitentiary, Tucson. He was convicted on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and forced labor conspiracy. He was sentenced to 120 years in prison in October 2020. The Vow, a true crime docuseries about NXIVM, is available to stream on HBO Max. Photos from federal court documents allegedly show Milo Sedarat, left, and Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, both of Montclair in Isis-inspired poses. U.S. District Court Two Montclair men who allegedly discussed carrying out ISIS-inspired attacks and fantasized about killing Jewish people were arrested this week, according to court documents unsealed Thursday. Tomas Kaan Jimenez-Guzel, 19, who lived with his parents in the wealthy Essex County suburb, was arrested Wednesday at Newark Liberty International Airport as he waited to board a flight to Turkey, according to a 48-page complaint. The FBI alleges Jimenez-Guzel planned to travel to Syria to join ISIS and had sworn allegiance to the group. In addition to Jimenez-Guzel, federal authorities arrested Milo Sedarat, 21, also of Montclair. Investigators tracked their online chats and social media posts, court documents show. Sedarat raged about his mother having Jewish friends and expressed a desire to execute 500 Jews and enslave their families, according to court documents. A third alleged co-conspirator, Saed Ali Mirreh, 19, of Kent, Washington, was arrested in the Seattle area a day earlier. Federal authorities said they stopped Mirreh before he could board a flight to Turkey. Court papers include screenshots and photos that federal prosecutors released showing Jimenez-Guzel posing with an ISIS flag and holding a knife. Group chats depict the three and other participants discussing violence, propaganda videos and methods of attack, according to prosecutors. In one alleged exchange, Mirreh said members would need to be prepared to slice peoples throats for propaganda videos. The FBI alleges Jimenez-Guzel volunteered to carry out beheadings, writing, Ill do it, bro. In another chat, Jimenez-Guzel allegedly said he wanted the group to do something thats going to leave a mark in history and give them fame, including a documentary on Netflix and a Wikipedia entry. A social media post attributed to Jimenez-Guzel included an Arabic document, titled in English KILL THEM SILENTLY. The FBI claims the document urged followers to use knives, axes or vehicles to attack Christians and Jews and to terrorize the disbelievers to avenge their Muslim brothers. All three men are charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and attempted conspiracy to provide material support, the filings show. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervised release. Jimenez-Guzel made an initial appearance Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Newark, while Mirreh appeared in Seattle federal court. Information about Sedarats court appearance was not immediately available. Prosecutors filed the court documents as part of their ongoing investigation. This week, members of the FBI Newark Joint Terrorism Task Force showed the dexterity and swiftness it takes to protect this country from those who wish to harm us, FBI Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy said in a statement on the cases. Our most important mandate is to stop something bad from happening before it happens - we did that here and we will continue to do it every single day, she added. Attorney information for the men was not immediately available. SNAP payments are funded through November, but December payments remain in limbo. Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media UPDATE: Supreme Court issues emergency order to block full SNAP food aid payments New Jerseyans struggling to put food on the table finally received delayed payments on Friday from the nations largest nutrition assistance program. More than 800,000 New Jersey children and adults who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, began November with empty debit accounts as a result of the ongoing federal government shutdown. However, on Thursday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November. The judge gave the administration until Friday to make the payments. Its good news for hundreds of thousands of families throughout New Jersey. But the relief is only temporary. SEE ALSO: Where to find food assistance in N.J. during the SNAP benefits delay December SNAP benefits are uncertain because of the continued shutdown, according to Sarah Adelman, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services. I am deeply grateful to our government partners, schools, nonprofits, food banks and thousands of volunteers, Adelman said in a statement. The incredible outpouring of support is a clear demonstration of the Jersey Spirit we take care of each other. But make no mistake - there will be a lasting impact for many families, as well as our food banks and pantries. Our spirit of generosity is still needed. And we will continue to advocate for clear, timely action by the Trump Administration to ensure families do not face this undeserved uncertainty again. Access to nutritious food is fundamental to every persons health, dignity, and well-being, and we will always act decisively to protect and support those who depend on these vital programs. The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. New Jersey has made efforts to fill the gap in services during this time. On Oct. 30, Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state is accelerating the delivery of $42 million in food and hunger grants to food banks across the state. In addition, county and municipal governments, nonprofit organizations, houses of worship and others throughout New Jersey are working to provide support for those in need. Members of the United Nations (UN) Independent International Commission of Inquiry into Violations in Ukraine concluded, following a visit from November 2-6, that short-range drone attacks on numerous Ukrainian settlements along the right bank of the Dnieper River constituted crimes against humanity in the form of murder and forcible displacement of the population. According to a press release issued by the commission following the visit, deportations and displacement of civilians from occupied areas of the Zaporizhia region are also classified as war crimes. " Starting with violations of international human rights and humanitarian law perpetrated by Russian authorities, they include indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks with explosive weapons, causing civilian casualties and destruction. Such attacks notably affected civilian objects with special protection, such as medical facilities. The Russian armed forced often failed to take precautions to avoid harming civilians. The Commission also found that Russian authorities violated international human rights and humanitarian law by spreading terror among civilians, using short-range drones," the press release states. The Commission also found that the Russian armed forces and authorities have committed a number of war crimes against the civilian population, civilian infrastructure and Ukrainian armed forces personnel. "These include: the displacement and deportation of children and adult civilians; attacks on the civilian population and infrastructure; deliberate killings of civilians; killings and maiming of prisoners of war or deserters; torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence, including its use as a form of torture; excessive accidental deaths and injuries, as well as damage caused by attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure," the report said. The Commission also concluded that the Russian authorities committed crimes against humanity in the form of torture, enforced disappearances, murders and forcible displacement of the population. These crimes were committed as part of a large-scale and systematic attack on the civilian population in accordance with a state policy. "As a result of these violations and crimes, thousands of people have died, many have been injured, maimed, lost loved ones, homes, property and livelihoods. The conflict has destroyed life plans, separated families and destroyed cultural values. The pain and trauma caused by a war of this magnitude will leave deep scars for generations to come," the press release states. As an independent and impartial body, the Commission has also investigated violations committed by the Ukrainian authorities. "The Ukrainian authorities have been found responsible for certain violations of human rights and humanitarian law, including indiscriminate attacks. In some cases, arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, ill-treatment and enforced disappearances of individuals accused of collaboration were recorded. The Commission also examined other alleged violations committed by the Ukrainian authorities, but was unable to complete the relevant investigations due to the lack of access to the territories, risks to the safety of witnesses and the lack of responses from the Russian side," the document states. The visit took place shortly after the presentation of the Commission's report to the UN General Assembly on October 27, 2025, which found that the Russian authorities carried out forced evictions, deportations and displacements of Ukrainian civilians as part of systematic and coordinated actions. During their visit to Ukraine, the Commissions Chairman, Eric Mosse, and its members, Pablo de Greif and Vrinda Grover, met with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prosecutor Generals Office, the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada, as well as the diplomatic corps and civil society organizations. The Commissioners also spoke with victims of torture. Since its establishment in 2022, the Commission has visited Ukraine 26 times, and has also made working trips to Georgia, Estonia, the Netherlands and Poland. It is reported that the Commission has not had the opportunity to visit Ukraine for over a year, so the visit provided an opportunity to take stock of the work done since the first mandate came into force. It is reported that the evidence collected, including the identification of individuals and legal entities, will be used in current and future legal proceedings. "The Members of the Commission have always promoted a broad notion of accountability including criminal justice, as well as other rights of victims. Therefore, measures of rehabilitation, including mental health and psychosocial support, are essential. The Commission strongly endorses comprehensive reparations programs for victims, distinct from national reconstruction projects, which in the case of an international conflict should be paid for by the aggressor state; the satisfaction of the right to truth, including the resolution of cases of missing persons; and also guarantees of non-recurrence," the press release said. Roman Nose in Jersey City was a neighborhood favorite for 13 years with its fresh, made-from-scratch pasta and signature dishes. Matt Wake A beloved downtown Jersey City dining establishment said goodbye to the neighborhood last weekend. Roman Nose, known for its authentic Italian cuisine on Newark Avenue, permanently closed after 13 years in business. The Fiore family announced the closure on their website and on social media on Oct. 29, revealing that last Sunday would be the restaurants final day of service. After much reflection and conversation with our family, weve made the very difficult decision to close Roman Nose, effective next week, the owners stated on their website. This was not an easy choice. But after 13 incredible years in downtown Jersey City, our parents well-deserved wish to retire has brought us to this bittersweet moment. Roman Nose established itself as a neighborhood favorite with its fresh, made-from-scratch pasta and signature dishes. Some of the most popular items on the menu included Tagliatelle al Ragu, Cassarecce alla Norma, and Chicken Parmigiana. The restaurant was particularly praised for its meatballs, described as tasting straight from Nonnas kitchen. Dessert offerings included tiramisu and house-made gelato from Jersey Citys Milk Sugar Love. The restaurant also gained popularity for its brunch menu featuring Italian twists on classic dishes, including lemon-ricotta pancakes, frittatas, and the fan-favorite Pizza AllUovo. In their farewell message, the Fiore family expressed gratitude to their loyal customers. They also said that community support made Roman Nose more than a restaurant you made it a family. From our family to yours, thank you for being part of the Roman Nose story, their farewell concluded. Youll always be part of ours. Superior Court Judge Bill Mathesius during an interview in November 2008. (Photo by Frank Jacobs | Times of Trenton) Wilbur H. Bill Mathesius, a lively and outspoken lawyer who held several prominent public positions in Mercer County, died Sunday following a fall in his Bucks County, Pennsylvania, home. He was 85. Mathesius was a prosecutor for the federal government and Mercer County before serving three terms as Mercer Countys executive, from 1980 to 1992. In the 2000s, he served a colorful term as a Superior Court judge. A Republican, he was sometimes referred to as Wild Bill. His maverick style garnered headlines in the late 1980s when he publicly and repeatedly argued for the legalization of all drugs, a now prescient position. In a question-and-answer story in the New York Times, in March of 1990, he argued the federal war on drugs was not worth it, financially or societally. Discussing the ongoing jailing of drug users, he said: We are kidding ourselves and the public to suggest that you can lock everybody up. We dont have the money. We dont have the jail cells and we dont have the capacity to ruin generations of minorities, which is what is happening. In 2001, then Gov. Donald DiFrancesco nominated him to a Superior Court judgeship in Mercer County and he took the bench in early 2002. Mathesius presided over several prominent murder trials and often chose not to hold his tongue. A news story once described him as having an erudite vocabulary and scathing wit. He was seen at times walking the halls of the former Mercer County courts building with his black robe, unzipped and flowing behind him. Twice during his term he drew the ire of the state Judiciary and Supreme Court for his remarks on and off the bench, and in late 2006 he drew a 30-day suspension for violating judicial rules. He argued his comments were free speech. An investigating panel said he showed poor judgment, impulsiveness and lack of self-control and a tendency to act without sufficient regard for the propriety and consequences of his actions. Six months later, The Times of Trenton reported, Mathesius wrote a sarcastic rebuttal to the discipline in a legal publication and parodied then Supreme Court Chief Justice Deborah Poritz, satirizing her wardrobe and suggesting she took management tips from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il. Then Gov. Jon Corzine decided against re-appointing him to the bench in 2008. Mathesius, in private practice since leaving the bench, last year publicly defended sitting Mercer County judge, Douglas H. Hurd, whod been brought up on ethics charges for allowing his secretary to work from home during the pandemic. I thought it was a prank, a joke, or a deepfake, Mathesius told NJ Advance Media of hearing of the case against Hurd, his friend. Hurd was later cleared of wrongdoing. Mathesius was a longtime Hopewell Township resident before moving across the Delaware River to Yardley, where he and his partner designed a house constructed from 11 shipping containers that overlooked the river. Their home was featured in real estate and construction trade publications. A neighbor friend found Mathesius on the floor of the home on Oct. 28 and he was taken to a local hospital, where he died on Sunday. The Bucks County Coroners Office investigated and determined his death was an accidental and caused by complications from a fall, the office said. A Trenton man was killed Wednesday evening when a vehicle struck him as he was skateboarding along South Olden Avenue in Hamilton, police said. Gino A. Montervino, 31, died at the scene of the 5:45 p.m. crash near Estates Boulevard, Hamilton police said. Montervino was riding a regular, non-motorized skateboard in the northbound lanes of South Olden when a northbound Toyota car hit him from behind and knocked him to the ground. He suffered a fatal head injury, police said. Due to the level of darkness, the clothing of the pedestrian and the lack of reflective material, it appears the driver did not see the pedestrian until the impact, police said in a statement. The female driver was not injured and police announced no charges. Hamilton Officer Michael Mancuso is investigating the crash and can be reached at 609-581-4000. - Montervinos family created a GoFundMe page to aid in paying for his funeral expenses. The search for a 19-year-old college student from New Jersey who went missing on Halloween has now turned into a recovery operation, investigators announced Thursday. After reviewing recently found video evidence, detectives from the Charleston Police Department confirmed that at 3:49 a.m. that day, Owen Kenney, of Tinton Falls, killed himself after walking onto the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway. As a result, the Charleston Police Department has shifted from search operations to recovery efforts, the department said in a statement. Partner agencies continue to assist as we work to bring closure to Owens family. Police previously said they were searching the water and by air for Kenney. He was a 2024 graduate of Red Bank Catholic High School who transferred to the College of Charleston in January, a school spokeswoman said. Our priority has always been and will remain Owens family, Charleston Police Chief Chito Walker said in a statement. This is a real case involving a real family living through unimaginable pain, and they deserve compassion, privacy, and support from all of us. Editors note: NJ Advance Media typically limits reporting on suicides to those that occur in crowded public places, involve public figures or, in special circumstances, where there is a larger public impact. Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with the proper mental health support and treatment. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. A 15-year-old girl from New Jersey was sexually assaulted and kidnapped after she took a car service to New York City to meet a man who is a convicted sex offender, authorities said. The NYPD charged William Credle, 24, of the Bronx with rape, unlawful imprisonment, assault, sexual abuse and harassment, according to an email to NJ Advance Media. The NYPD declined to say where in New Jersey the girl lives or from where she traveled. After chatting online, man paid for the teen to take a car service to his Bronx apartment around 11:30 p.m. Monday, the New York Daily News reported. Credle then allegedly sexually assaulted the girl despite her pleas for him to stop. He refused to let her leave the apartment and later he sexually assaulted her again and punched her in the head, the report said. When the girls parents realized she had left home, they tracked the location of her tablet to the Bronx and notified the police in New Jersey. Cops in New Jersey notified the NYPD, which sent officers to the apartment on Hughes Avenue near East 187th Street and arrested Credle, the Daily News said. Credle was taken into custody at 11:37 p.m. Tuesday, the NYPD said. He is scheduled for a court appearance on Monday morning, according to online court records. The NYPD is asking any other victims to call the NYPDs Sex Crimes Hotline at 1-212-267-7273, NYPDs Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-646-610-7272, Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 or for Spanish, 1-888-577-4782. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crimestoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/ or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. Ruperto Vicens Marquez was detained by ICE agents on his way to work on Sunday, October 19. Kerri Kennedy An ICE spokesperson said that a New Jersey restaurant owner who was detained last month was issued a removal order in July. The mayor of Atlantic Highlands and the mans attorney said that statement is not true. Ruperto Vicens Marquez, co-owner and chef of Emilios Kitchen in Atlantic Highlands, was on his way to work on Sunday, Oct. 19, when he was detained by ICE agents, according to Mayor Lori Hohenleitner. He has been held at Newarks Delaney Hall Detention Facility ever since. The father-of-three, a Mexican national living in the Belford section of Middletown, has employment authorization through the Department of Homeland Securitys U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which expires in 2029, his attorney, Steven Lyons, told NJ Advance Media. However, in a statement on Thursday, an ICE spokesperson said Vicens Marquez entered the U.S. illegally and that an immigration judge issued him a final order of removal on July 18 of this year. Both Lyons and Hohenleitner told NJ Advance Media that he was not subject to a final order of removal. On Wednesday, a judge granted him a bond hearing within the next seven days. Hohenleitner said that bond hearing could lead to him being released. ICE also said that Vicenz Marquez was previously arrested by the Red Bank Police Department for resisting arrest and violating a local ordinance. Hohenleitner said that arrest was for a disorderly conduct citation many years ago. He has no history of violence and has had multiple reauthorizations of his employment authorization, the mayor said. Hohenleitner believes ICE was initially targeting a person who was riding in the same car as Vicens Marquez on the morning of his detainment. The ICE spokesperson said that during the Oct. 19 investigation, agents also took Ernesto Flores De La Luz and Marino Ruiz-Sandoval into custody. Flores De La Luz is an illegal alien from Mexico who failed to comply with ICE reporting requirements and most recently crossed the border unlawfully on Oct. 16 of last year, the spokesperson said. Ruiz-Sandoval, also a Mexican national, recently reentered the U.S. unlawfully after being deported three times, according to ICE. The Atlantic Highlands Police Department and Monmouth County Prosecutors Office were never notified of investigations in the area, the mayor said. Vicens Marquez co-owns the restaurant with his brother Emilio. The brothers worked at another restaurant in Atlantic Highlands, Copper Canyon, for seven years before opening Emilios Kitchen together. Members of the community have written more than 200 letters asking for Vicens Marquezs release. A GoFundMe campaign organized by Hohenleitner to support his legal costs has raised more than $90,000. The USDA is directing grocery stores not to offer discounts to SNAP recipients during the government shutdown. AP The U.S. Department of Agriculture is instructing certain grocery stores that accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits not to give discounts to benefit recipients during the government shutdown. The USDA states on its website that offering discounts or services only to SNAP paying customers is a SNAP violation. SNAP-authorized retailers must give SNAP recipients equal treatment to that received by other customers at all stores authorized to participate in SNAP, according to a notice on the agencys website. The only exception is that sales tax cant be charged on eligible items purchased with SNAP benefits. The Hill reported that this email was sent to grocers nationwide. The Trump administration told a federal judge in Rhode Island Monday that it would approve partial SNAP benefits for November by setting aside $4.65 billion in a contingency fund. Health experts warned that the cuts to SNAP this month could overwhelm emergency rooms in New Jersey due to increased cases of depression, anxiety and stress over food insecurity. New Jersey declared a state of emergency at the beginning of the month in light of the SNAP suspension, fueled by a federal government shutdown, according to NJ BIZ. More than 800,000 New Jersey residents rely on SNAP benefits, according to a statement from the New Jersey governors office. What to do if youre SNAP benefits are ending If you are a SNAP recipient, this difficult time is unquestionably concerning. While grocery stores cant provide discounts solely to SNAP recipients, there are other ways you can access food throughout New Jersey. Heres a list of restaurants offering free meals until SNAP benefits are funded and available again. You can also check out this list of food banks and pantries throughout the state. A woman has filed a lawsuit against United Airlines, claiming she was burned when hot tea spilled on her after a flight attendant negligently placed it down during a flight last year. The suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court, alleges Martina Jimenez De Los Santos has suffered serious and permanent injuries, incurred medical expenses and lost time from work. According to the complaint, the incident occurred during a return flight from the Dominican Republic to Newark on Nov. 4, 2024. De Los Santos had requested a cup of hot tea, and a flight attendant placed it down while she was adjusting her overhead light, said her attorney, Chip Dunne. The tea spilled in De Los Santos lap, crotch, upper and inner thighs, and intimate areas, resulting in permanent scarring, Dunne told NJ Advance Media. I dont think they should have just placed the cup of hot liquid down without making anybody aware of it, Dunne said. I think they should have made sure that somebody had control over the cup before just leaving it there, not allowing it to spill. According to Dunne, De Los Santos requested first aid on the flight, but did not receive any because the flight attendant was reluctant to provide it. When her flight landed, De Los Santos immediately went to the hospital, where she received treatment for her burns in the emergency room. After she was discharged that day, she underwent further medical treatment for wound care, Dunne said. De Los Santos is seeking unspecified damages. We have to wait and see how her injuries continue to recover and the nature of the scarring, Dunne said. United Airlines did not return a request from NJ Advance Media for comment Thursday. Earlier this year, a couple filed a federal lawsuit against United Airlines alleging their 6-year-old daughter was burned and disfigured after a hot meal spilled on her lap. Last year, a Connecticut woman sued JetBlue for $1.5 million after she allegedly suffered serious burns from hot tea during a turbulent flight, according to a report from CBS News. Governor elect Mikie Sherrill addresses supporters on election night at the campaign headquarters in the Hilton East Brunswick, on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Jeff Rhode | For NJ Advance Media Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends. Here, they discuss the weeks political events in New Jersey and across the country with Star-Ledger editor Enrique Lavin. Q: Most political observers agreed Donald Trump and affordability concerns were the two main factors why Democrat Mikie Sherrill will be New Jerseys next governor winning decisively over Republican Jack Ciattarrelli. Both of you agreed on that point on CNN the day after Election Day. The governor-elect described her 13-point victory as a mandate, outlining her first 100-day goals: Freezing utility rate hikes, regulating social media algorithms to protect children and standing up to various Trump administration policies, among others. What priorities will face the toughest political or legal resistance, and how should she navigate that? Mike: Im not sure how she will freeze utility rates, but it is a worthy goal and very smart to push during the election and again as governor-elect. Picking when to stand up to Trump and when to work with the federal government is a difficult dance. Julie: I would agree she certainly did receive a mandate to govern and she and legislative leaders will now have a mandate to deliver. Voters are in pain and they will expect the governor-elect to make their lives tangibly better and quickly. She will have a lot to manage the different personalities and priorities in the Legislature, from the newly elected members who won in red districts to the progressives who won their primaries without the help of county organizations and so dont feel the need to bend the knee to anyone. All of this will make for a very tough Legislature to corral not just for Speaker Craig Coughlin but for Gov. Sherrill. I truly hope she surrounds herself with people who not only know all the players and how to manage them but also have no other agenda aside from her own. Q: The governors race was widely described as one of the nastiest in recent memory. In the spirit of Friendly Fire, lifelong Star-Ledger subscriber, Ken Mayers, 80, of Roseland, wants to know: Despite the heated campaign, could Sherrill make a bold move and break this cycle of perception that the Democrats hate the Republicans and vice versa? I think that Jack is a decent person. Would he accept an appointment in her administration if she asked? Mike: Granting a position of authority to an opponent is a nice gesture but not always easy to give, or accept as the person who lost, because the job is to execute the governors vision. Both just spent a year disagreeing on that vision. In an ideal world, there would be some common ground, but its easier said than done, on both sides. Hey, you just told everyone I would be a terrible governor. How would you like to help me execute my agenda? But your readers larger point on Jack is correct. He has dedicated much of his life to public service having served in local, county, and state office, and running for governor three times. I doubt he is done serving this state. This suggestion reminds me a of great political story. Shortly after defeating Bob Dole in 1996, Bill Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom to honor him for his lifetime of service. After receiving the medal from Clinton, Bob Dole, always in good humor, quipped I had a dream that I would be here this week, receiving something from the president, but I thought it would be the front door key. Julie: Yeah, I think we are way past the Team of Rivals mentality that marked Abraham Lincolns White House tenure. It would be a nice gesture if she offered him a post but I doubt that he would accept and I dont know that it would get her much for doing it. Its not like legislative Republicans will suddenly fall in line with her agenda if she were to appoint him as the Commissioner of Agriculture or something. Q: Both of you have voiced concerns about flawed polling. This election proved your point, yet again. Mike told NJ Advance Media reporter Ted Sherman that pollsters werent looking closely enough at undecided voters, many of them women, Black and Latino, who more often show up more for Democrats. Regardless, you also believed this was going to be a tighter race than it was. What surprised you most about New Jerseys electorate? Mike: For those who didnt see the Sherman story, I am not sure that the polls were wrong so much as the analysis. When I looked at the undecided voters in these polls, the vast majority of the undecided voters looked like they were going to break to Sherrill. So a poll that said it was close was really not if you took the time to look a little deeper. As examples, I saw more Democrats were undecided than Republicans; more women were undecided than men; more Black and Hispanic voters were undecided than white voters. Those undecided voters were always going to break Sherrills way. There was some wishful thinking among some Republicans that it showed weakness for Sherrill. But all it showed was late-deciders, who were always likely to vote Democratic, voted Democratic. Julie: Sometimes, its better to go with your gut than your head. I let my head rule the analysis this cycle, whereas my heart told me that voters would never vote for a Republican this year because they would want to stick it to Trump. A lot of us assumed that New Jersey voters had not yet totally nationalized during off-year elections. This year proved that this is no longer the case. In some ways, Mike and I have maybe been around too long and still remember when voters were able to differentiate between Washington and Trenton. I dont know if I will be making that mistake again. Switching to the national stage, I have a specific question for each of you. Q: Mike, you mentioned (on CNN) that Sherrills centrist positioning was key to her win in a blue state. Do you think national Democrats should adopt a similar strategy in swing states, or does that risk alienating the progressive base? Mike: Yes they should. Democrats lose in blue and purple states when they lose their way on the economy. A Democrat can still be progressive on social issues and put economics first. A Democrat can still be pro-climate and recognize we need more than just renewables to meet our energy demand and keep bills affordable. Democrats lose when they cater to the far left and win when they remember the center. Q: Julie, you emphasized the need for Democrats to deliver quickly on affordability and economic issues. What do you think is the most effective way for them to communicate those wins to voters before the 2026 midterms? Julie: Well, first they need to deliver, which is easier said than done in this economy, when so much of it is out of their hands and in the hands of a president and a party that doesnt know or care about making life more affordable. But they also need to communicate the wins effectively. I keep pointing to Zohran Mamdanis campaign. I have no idea whether he will be able to deliver on his promises, but I bet he is going to use the hell out of social media to tell voters about any progress he makes. The days of overly packaged, overly produced content is drawing to a close. Any candidate, whoever it is, should grab an iPhone and go to work. Q: If Sherrill resigns from the House on Jan. 20 when shes sworn in as governor, the earliest a special primary could be held is March 31 with a general election in early June, potentially overlapping with the 2026 primary. Gov. Phil Murphy faced recent congressional vacancies that were either delayed or left unfilled for long stretches. Should the governor-elect resign sooner than January? Why or why not? Mike: Theres no good time to resign because theres such a slim majority in the House. The governor-elect should wait until shes in office to leave the House. Julie: I suspect she will do whatever works for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Does he need her vote later this year and in early January or will he need a Democrat to fill that seat quickly, because more important votes are coming up in March or April? I assume she will consider the needs of her caucus before making that decision. Q: Any standout candidates who have declared to fill Sherrills House seat youd like us to know about? Mike: On the GOP side, watch Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, a young rising star in Republican politics. Julie: On the Democratic side, I love Tom Malinowski (full disclosure: I am running his super PAC). Hes experienced, he has served the state and country already and he has been fully vetted, which means that there are no embarrassing disclosures state and national Democrats will have to worry about. Q: Speaking of the 2026 midterms, how nervous are Republicans after losing multiple elections throughout the country last week, including in Virginias governors race and for New York Citys next mayor? Mike: Republicans should be very nervous. They will need to win almost every competitive race in a much worse political environment than 2024, or find success in the redistricting gambit. Or both. But that could backfire. Julie: Republicans should hit the panic button. Democrats did not just win in blue or purple states. They broke the Republican state Senate supermajority in Mississippi. They won three statewide state-level seats in Georgia something that has not happened in 22 years. Here in New Jersey, they picked up seats in ruby red Republican districts and ousted the Republican Assembly members in Rep. Tom Keans hometown. Republicans now have a choice: do they actively speak out against what Trump is doing or do they double down? I know what I would tell them to do but they live in fear of mean Trump tweets and MAGA primaries, so they will likely not listen. Q: The two biggest stories out of Washington last week was President Trumps push to end the filibuster in the Senate with a handful of Republicans signing on. Whats the worst that can happen if the 60-vote threshold ends? Mike: The filibuster has been weakened by both parties over the last 15 years. It is designed that way so the senate doesnt become simple majority like the House, forcing some compromise. The worst that happens is every issue becomes one party rule with zero compromise ever. Julie: I hate the filibuster and always have. Its past time for it to go away. If you have to force compromise than youve already lost the plot anyway. At this point, its just kabuki theater anyway. Q: Several U.S. Supreme Court conservative justices have joined the liberal minority in questioning Trumps authority to impose tariffs, arguing his justification may be unconstitutional. If the Court limits this power, how would that impact Trumps core economic agenda? How would it impact everyday Americans? Mike: Tariffs going away, or at least the ability to levy them without Congress, would be a good thing. The threats of tariffs on a whim are bad for long term economic stability or predictability for companies. Tariffs going away (or back to the correct process) could be a stimulant to the economy to lower prices for consumers. Julie: The Supreme Court might actually save Trump from himself. Tariffs are causing massive pain for Americans, including many members of the MAGA base. If the court were to limit Trumps authority on this issue and, crucially, if he were to listen and obey their mandate it would mean lower prices for consumers. Political consultants Julie Roginsky and Mike DuHaime Photo by Stephanie Cowan Editors note: Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we prove it every week with this Friendly Fire conversation. In the end, New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli was hurt by President Donald Trump in the hotly contested governor's race. Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images and Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Tom Martello writes a regular column about the 2025 race for New Jersey governor. Of course it was Donald Trump. While few people are surprised we now call Democrat Mikie Sherrill governor-elect after Tuesdays election, the sheer scope of her victory over Republican Jack Ciattarelli 13 percentage points, more than 437,000 votes is the big story. I mean, holy cow! one Democrat told me. You know, who had that on their bingo card? Like, nobody had this. Nobody had this. 13 points? No way. There are many reasons for Sherrills romp: the Democrats get-out-the vote juggernaut, as she described it Thursday; tough ads that attacked Ciattarellis character and his record on taxes; her promises to cut utility rates, and yes, that background as a Navy helicopter pilot which really did seem to click with moderate voters. With this also coming after Sherrills eerily similar nobody saw that coming blowout in the Democratic primary, its time to stop underestimating her. That said, nothing resonated in this election more loudly than how New Jersey feels about Donald Trump. So why was this all so difficult to predict? Why as those returns starting coming in shortly after the poll closed, all showing a blue wave was there still so much caution around calling the race for Sherrill? In April, I told you this race was Ciattarellis to lose. The state has a long history of getting grumpy every four to eight years and voting in a governor of the opposing party. Jack came close four years ago, Trump did far better than expected here last year, and Republicans were registering more voters. Jersey was indeed angry after eight years of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. The pump was primed, with one huge caveat: He could get screwed by the ever-unpredictable Trump, whose endorsement Ciattarelli needed to win the GOP primary. It took some time, but, yeah, thats exactly what happened. And then some. Shutdown changed everything Trump handcuffed Ciatarelli, energized an ideologically split Jersey Democratic Party and gave Sherrill a base of support she wouldnt have had if this was a normal year. A campaign that fellow Democrats had lambasted as lackluster less than a month ago ended up getting much of its late fuel from the presidents chaotic, shut-the-government-down October. For Ciattarelli, the final weeks of the campaign must have felt like being trapped in one of those bad old horror movies where everywhere the main character looks, a face suddenly appears. You can guess who the face looks like. Months ago, Republicans predicted Ciattarelli would pivot just a bit from Trump to balance some moderate with the MAGA. Some told me Trump may even agree to having Jack stray from him on some issues if that meant the president gets a win in his part-time home of Jersey. Well, no, that doesnt happen with Donald Trump. When asked what grade hed give Trump during the final debate, that horror movie face mustve popped in front of Jack. He gave the president an A, prompting Sherrill to smile. If the entire election could be boiled down to one moment, it was this one. Mikie, meanwhile, did expand her Trump-only campaign by attacking Jack on taxes and saying shes no Murphy clone and would cut your utility bills. But this could work only if she already had anti-Trump Dems in her pocket. Many Republicans believed Ciattarellis message of change still gave him the upper hand in a state with the nations highest property taxes. All that Trump talk would be white noise in the background once the focus shifted to affordability, they said. Then came the government shutdown, which one Democrat said is making people crazy, like angry crazy. Jack Ciattarelli election night in Bridgewater, NJ, Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Ed Murray| For NJ Advance Media Trump talk was no longer white noise in the background. It became deafening, day after day as the shutdown hit home in Jersey, just as the campaigns were at a crescendo. Sherrill, who hit her stride as a candidate, could now pound a president for allowing families to lose SNAP benefits to pay for food while shifting the affordability debate from Trenton to Washington. With inflation not abating and health care bills about to soar, the anger against an incumbent was now aimed at Trump more than Murphy. Yikes, those exit polls! Im sure Ciattarelli sees that face all the time when looking at the exit polls. Nearly six-in-ten Jersey voters had a dim view of the president. With Democrats far outnumbering Republicans, Ciattarelli needed to sway some conservative Democrats and independents to his side. Trump anger kept Democrats away from Jack, and Sherrill won independents by 13 points, her same overall margin of victory. She also won big with Black and Latino voters, voting blocs that bled into red territory last year. She dominated moderates, carried every age group and even won 8% of MAGA voters, the CNN exit poll found. And with a quarter of voters saying they made up their minds after the shutdown hit in October, the exit polls found large chunks were angry over how things are going in the country, with 90% of them saying they voted for Sherrill. Republican state Sen. Jon Bramnick, appearing on NJ Advance Medias Election Night livestream, said that after the primary, Ciattarelli probably should have called President Trump and said, Listen, Im gonna say some stuff, okay? Im gonna do this. Im gonna do this. By the same token, he added, President Trump should (have) put his arm around him (by the Gateway Tunnel construction site), and said: Hey, guess what? Im gonna fix all this because I like Jack Ciattarelli. Instead, Trump announced he was terminating the needed-for-Jersey project. You may remember Bramnick. He was the only Republican candidate who openly criticized Trump during the GOP primary, saying he could give the GOP the best shot at winning by taking the Trump line of attack away from Democrats. He finished a distant third. Trump and other Republicans have spent the rest of the week trying to argue that this loss and others around the country there were similar anti-Trump votes in New York City, California and Virginia, where Sherrills former roomie Abigail Spanberger was elected governor was not a reflection of his presidency. Bramnick, however, has no doubt what happened Tuesday. New Jersey is not a Trump state. As simple as that, he said. They dont like Donald Trump, and theyre sending a message to the White House. This isnt that complicated." Kenyan President William Ruto has commented on his conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, thanking him for his assistance in the release of Kenyan citizens illegally recruited by Russia. "We expressed concern about young Kenyans who were illegally recruited to participate in the war in Ukraine, and agreed to raise awareness about the dangers of such adventures. I have appealed to President Zelenskyy to facilitate the release of any Kenyan who is in custody in Ukraine. I am grateful to him for granting my request," Ruto said on X. He also expressed support for the holding of the Ukrainian Food Summit, which Ukraine plans to host later this month. As reported, the presidents held a conversation on Thursday, November 6. Following the conversation, Zelenskyy promised closer cooperation in combating fraudulent recruitment of foreign citizens by Russians, and thanked Kenya for supporting the resolution on Russia's deportation of Ukrainian children, which Ukraine will submit to the UN later in November. President Donald Trump speaks during an event about drug prices, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP President Donald Trump is not buying the reason why Democrats took home huge wins on Election Day. Democrats swept closely watched races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City on Tuesday night as many political pundits credited the candidates messaging on affordability as the reason for the wins. Trump disagreed with this argument in comments to reporters on Thursday, saying that his administration, not Democrats, has focused on lowering costs for Americans. What the Democrats do is they lie. We are the ones that have done great on affordability. Theyve done horribly on affordability, Trump said. He also added, without evidence, that every price is down. Trump also bragged about Walmarts latest announcement on its 2025 Thanksgiving meal, which the retail giant says can serve 10 people for $40, an average of $4 per person. Last years Walmart Thanksgiving kit served eight people for $56, a per-person average of $7. He said that Walmarts Thanksgiving meal is 25% cheaper than it was under former President Joe Biden last year but did not acknowledge that Walmart changed both the meals composition and branding from 2024 to 2025. According to a community note on X, Walmarts 2025 Thanksgiving meal featured fewer brand-name items and six fewer items overall. I have a lot of respect for Walmart, and nobodys influencing Walmart. They came out and they said Trumps Thanksgiving dinner, same things, is 25% less than Bidens, he said. He then turned to Tuesdays elections, where Democratic candidates were applauded for delivering strong policy positions about affordability. He suggested that the Democrats messaging on affordability was a con job, arguing that it was his administration that is focused on the issue. We are the ones that have done a great job at affordability, not the Democrats. And yet, we just lost a couple of elections in very Democrat areas...They werent very Democrat when I ran a year ago, because I did well in those areas. But we just lost an election, they said, based on affordability, Trump said. Its a con job by the Democrats. The Democrats are only good at con and cheating on elections, he added. A handful of conservative pundits, like Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, agreed that Republicans need to address affordability issues to win elections in the wake of the Democrats victories on Tuesday. We got our asses handed to us in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City. Democrats swept all three. Theres two key lessons for Republicans, listen carefully: Number one, our side needs to focus on affordability. Make the American dream affordable, bring down costs, electric costs, grocery costs, health care costs and housing costs, and lay out how were going to do it, Ramaswamy said in a video shared on social media platform X. Steve Bannon made a dire prediction about what awaits the MAGA movement and its supporters if Democrats carry their momentum into the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential election. With God as my witness, if we lose the midterms and we lose 2028, some in this room are going to prison, myself included, Bannon said at a Conservative Partnership Institute event on Wednesday. Bannon, a former chief strategist to President Donald Trump, has sounded the alarms after Democrats swept pivotal statewide races on Tuesday. Like Trump, Bannon called on Senate Republicans to eliminate the chambers filibuster rule and sue California to block the Democratic strongholds newly approved redistricting measure. Bannon has also lobbed attacks at New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, calling the democratic socialists historic win a wake up call to the populist national movement under President Trump. Youre going to see a whole new group of Mamdanis in these major urban cities because theyre just flooded with immigrants, right? Bannon told Politico. Several exit polls from Tuesdays election show that Bannons concern over Democrats taking control of the House and Senate in 2026 is not unfounded. Around four in ten voters in New Jersey and Virginia said their opposition to Donald Trump played a role in how they voted in the governors races, according to the Associated Press Voter Poll. Those contests ended with decisive victories for Democrats Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, respectively. Additionally, a new Emerson College poll showed that Trumps approval rating now sits at 41%, an eight-point drop since he took office in January. Forty percent of voters said they would support a Republican candidate if the 2026 election was held this month, while 44% would support a Democrat, per the Emerson poll. Bannon, who in February pleaded guilty to a fraud scheme related to his effort to build a wall along the U.S. southern border, said Republicans must counter Democrats to avoid more losses in future elections. Theyre not gonna stop. They are getting more and more and more radical, Bannon said of Democrats during Wednesdays Conservative Partnership Event. We have to counter that. And what do we have to counter it with? We have to counter it with more action, more intense action, more urgency. Were burning daylight. We have to codify what President Trump has done by executive order. Weve gotta put aside these structural barriers and get on with it. President Donald Trump listens as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during an event about drug prices, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP President Donald Trump slammed his predecessor as Sleepy Joe just one day after the internet raised questions over whether Trump dozed off during a briefing in the Oval Office. During a Friday meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Trump pushed back against claims that Democrats overwhelmingly won Tuesdays elections because of their messages on affordability. He argued that it was his administration, not former President Joe Bidens, that is bringing down costs for Americans. While criticizing the Democrats, he repeated his Sleepy Joe nickname for Biden. They said, oh, I dont want to talk about affordability. The reason I dont want to talk about affordability is because everybody knows that its far less expensive under Trump than it was under Sleepy Joe Biden, and the prices are way down, Trump said. Trumps latest insults toward Biden come just one day after social media users questioned whether Trump fell asleep during an event in the Oval Office on Thursday. Photos of the meeting captured Trump with his eyes shut as he slumped in his chair behind the Resolute Desk. Its not clear whether he was actually asleep, but social media users were quick to mock the president. He spent Bidens entire presidency calling him Sleepy Joe. Still does. But this guy nods off in the middle of the day in meetings almost every day. Fell asleep in court all the time too, MeidasTouch editor-in-chief Ron Filipkowski wrote on social media platform X. The Republicans Against Trump account on X wrote: Sleepy Don is not up to the job. Progressive commentator Alex Cole posted: Can you imagine the teeth gnashing and wailing if Biden fell asleep in the Oval Office in the middle of a press conference? Commander-in-sleep, user PatriotTakes posted on X. Another account responded to the photos of Trump by questioning why the media does not scrutinize Trumps ability to serve in office. Just wild how the media picks and chooses their narratives, facts be damned. Joe Biden Old became *the* marquee issue because he flubbed some words. Trump has red flag after red flag and they dont even mention it at all, the social media user posted on X. California Gov. Gavin Newsoms (D) press office responded to the photos with: DOZY DON IS BACK!. Trumps comments on affordability come days after Democrats swept elections in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City. Pundits have argued that Democrats won those elections because of their focus on affordability issues an analysis that Trump has fervently disagreed with. President Donald Trump attends a dinner with leaders from countries in Central Asia, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) AP Donald Trumps approval rating has dropped again amid the nations longest government shutdown, sounding alarms the Republican Party ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The new Emerson College poll, released on Friday, showed Trumps approval rating slipped 4 percentage points since the poll was last taken in October. The November poll found that Trump had a 41% approval rating and a 49% disapproval ratinga staggering difference from the poll taken at the beginning of his second administration. At the start of his administration, the poll found Trump had a 49% approval rating and a 41% disapproval rating. His plummeting approval numbers come as the shutdown drags into record territory, with neither Republicans nor Democrats showing any signs of compromising to reopen the government. Nearly one year after he was elected, President Trumps approval has flipped since the first Emerson College poll of the new administration, Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a press release. Since his inauguration, Trump has lost support among key groups: Republican voters approval decreased 12 points from 91% to 79%, and his disapproval intensified among independent voters, from 44% to 51%, and Hispanics, from 39% to 54%, Kimball added. The poll also found trouble for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterms. When asked about the generic 2026 congressional ballot, 44% of voters said they would support the Democratic candidate. Forty percent of voters said they would support the Republican candidate, and 16% were undecided, according to the poll. Democrats were also more motivated to vote in the upcoming midterm elections compared to Republicans. The poll was released just days after Democrats swept closely watched races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City on Tuesday. Democrats report being most motivated to vote in the 2026 Midterm Elections, at 71%, compared to 60% of Republicans, and 42% of independents, Kimball said. But the results were not all rosy for Democrats. Despite having a slim advantage on the ballot, the Democratic Party was still viewed more unfavorable than the Republican Party. Just 35% of voters view the Democratic Party favorably, compared with 44% for Republicans. Forty-seven percent of voters view Democrats unfavorably, while 44% view Republicans unfavorably. The poll also found that Trump could potentially hurt Republicans chances in the midterms. Forty-three percent said their vote in the midterm elections would be to oppose Trump, 29% said it would be to support Trump and 28% said the president was not a factor in their vote. The poll was conducted among 1,000 registered voters between Nov. 3-4. It has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3 percentage points President Donald Trump listens as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during an event about drug prices, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) AP CNN data guru Harry Enten warned that Republicans should not brush off Tuesday nights election results so fast. Democrats swept closely watched races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City on Election Day, with analysts viewing the results as a referendum on President Donald Trumps agenda. Many analysts, including Enten, have explained that Democrats performed better in areas where Republicans and Trump made gains during last years presidential election. Despite huge wins for the Democratic Party, Republicans have dismissed the election results. Enten pushed against House Majority Leader Steve Scalises (R-La.) recent dismissal of the results, in which the Louisiana Republicans suggested that the results on Tuesday do not represent a national shift. Enten disagreed with Scalise during a CNN appearance on Friday. I disagree entirely. I think that the house is on fire. And hes like the dog saying, This is fine, Enten said. He then explained that the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, won New Jersey by just 6 percentage points. He compared Harris to Democrat Mikie Sherrill, who won the governors race over Republican Jack Ciattarelli by about 13 percentage points. He then pointed to Virginia, where Harris also won by 6 percentage points in 2024. He highlighted that Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the gubernatorial race by about 15 percentage points on Tuesday. Enten said that if there is a similar shift during the 2026 midterm elections, Democrats could gain up to 20 seats in the House of Representatives. If we had, lets say, an average eight-point shift across the board in all the different House seats, from the 2024 presidential result to then what happened in the 2026 House elections? You would be talking about a Democratic gain of about 20 seats depending on redistricting, Enten said. So when I see those results on Tuesday night, I see these giant, these huge shifts in the Democratic direction. I say Republican leaders: Wake the heck up and have some of what Im having, because this is a major warning sign, he added. Based on historical patterns, Enten said that Democrats have traditionally gone on to win the House after winning elections in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City the previous year. The Democrats, when they sweep all three, go on to win the House five out of five times. So its the special elections. Its New Jersey, New York City, Virginia, all those put together...But all those put together usually forecast pain for the Republican party come the midterm elections, Enten said. If Im Steve Scalise, I am not dismissing these results. Im going to try and get myself some fire insurance, he added. If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. If your holiday shopping list is full of tech gifts for friends and family, youre going to want to be sure you dont miss Samsungs Black Friday Sale in 2025. Samsung always has a massive Black Friday Sale with major discounts spread across its giant electronics lineup, including TVs, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, phones, earbuds and more. We also typically see markdowns on Samsungs home appliances, making this a really good time to grab a refrigerator, stove or microwave. (Find even more Black Friday deals here) Samsung 65" Class Neo QLED QN90F 4K Samsung Vision AI Smart TV (2025) $2,500 Now $1,500 Save $1,000 off for a limited time. $1,500 at Samsung So, to help you get ready to shop for all those tech deals, heres everything we know about Samsungs Black Friday 2025 Sale. When does Samsungs Black Friday 2025 Sale start? Samsungs Black Friday Sale is always chock full of deals and we wouldnt expect anything less this year. Were certainly looking forward to massive discounts on TVs and hoping to stock up on tech devices with big savings offered. While Samsung hasnt announced its official dates for Black Friday 2025, it typically kicks off this huge holiday sale the week before Thanksgiving. However, this year, we wouldnt be surprised if Samsung started its Black Friday Sale earlier than ever, offering even bigger deals for much longer. Youll also want to check out Samsungs Cyber Monday deals, as it usually has just as big markdowns (or better) as it offers during Black Friday. What deals will Samsung have for Black Friday? Can I score a big discount on a TV? Samsung hasnt officially released its Black Friday deals just yet, but we typically see deep discounts on tons and tons of TVs, including its famous Frame TV. Were also accustomed to finding major deals on phones, tablets, smartwatches and other tech devices made by Samsung. Also, you wont want to forget to check out the markdowns on home appliances, like its Bespoke Collection. This is one of the best times of the year to snag some savings on a washer, dryer, refrigerator, range or dishwasher, which were hoping well see discounts up to 35% off or more. But just because Samsung hasnt revealed what will be on sale for Black Friday 2025, it doesnt mean you have to wait to score big savings on all those hot-ticket tech items. You can shop a slew of price drops at Samsung now, including some unheard-of discounts on TVs of all sizes. Samsung deals you can shop right now Heres a look at some of the top electronic deals you can score at Samsung before its big Black Friday Sale even starts. Yankees reliever Kervin Castro had an excellent 2025 season pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre after previously gaining MLB experience with the Giants and Cubs. AP The Yankees big moves on the first day of the free agency signing period were their $22.025 million qualifying offer decisions on two of their free agents, center fielder Trent Grisham and reliever Devin Williams. Grisham was tendered a contract for 2026 on the heels of a career-best 34-homer campaign while Williams was not and remained a free agent following an inconsistent first season with the Yankees. Also, the Yankees added veteran right-hander Kervin Castro, their best Triple-A reliever in 2025, to the 40-man roster. Castro, 27, had a 1.35 ERA pitching in a staff-high 35 games for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders in 2025. Throwing mostly mid-90s four-seamers and curves, the Maracay, Venezuela native struck out 52 and walked 22 pitching 47 innings. The 6-foot, 185 pounder has a 4.91 ERA in 20 games of big-league experience over three seasons with the Giants (2021-22) and Cubs (2022). In 21, he had a 0.00 ERA in 10 games, allowing one unearned run in 13.1 innings. With Castro on the Yankees 40, they still have five open spots after their free agents came off the roster and the 60-day injured list players were re-added. Grisham has until 4 p.m., EST on Nov. 18 to accept the qualifying offer and remain a Yankee with a $17.025 raise from his $5 million 2024 salary. If Grisham rejects the offer, hell see what he can get as a free agent. Spotrac projects his value at four years for $47.6 million. Grisham, who turned 29, followed a poor first season with the Yankees in 2024 with a career-best 2025. In 143 games, 124 as a starter in center field, Grisham hit .235 with 34 homers, 74 RBI and an .811 OPS usually hitting leadoff. However, his 137 strikeouts in 581 plate appearances is a high 23.6 K rate and his defensive metrics were below average. Ukraine has been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for 2025-2029 with the largest number of votes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced. "Together with Romania and Moldova, we have overtaken Russia: for the second time in a row, Moscow has lost the elections and will not be included in the Council," Zelenskyy said on Telegram on Friday. He thanked the member states that supported Ukraine's candidacy. "Together with our partners, we will use all the opportunities provided by UNESCO to restore life, protect our culture, heritage and people. We will ensure that all forms of Russian aggression be it war or hybrid threats are adequately repulsed. There is no alternative to peace. It is time for Moscow to realize this," Zelenskyy added. As reported, on October 9, the UNESCO Executive Board adopted a decision to continue monitoring the situation in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea. The Czech delegation issued a statement on behalf of 44 UNESCO Member States condemning Russia's actions in occupied Crimea - the persecution of Crimean Tatars, the destruction of Ukrainian-language education, religious and cultural monuments, as well as the damage caused by Russia to the environment as a result of irresponsible activities. The delegations of Lithuania, Turkey, Germany, Albania, and Chile made separate statements in support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and condemning Russia's violations of international law and human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea. The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to UNESCO, Ambassador Vadym Omelchenko, in his statement, stressed the importance of continuing monitoring in the areas of UNESCO's mandate to maintain international attention to the situation on the occupied peninsula and to counteract violations of international law by Russia. Watertown, NY (13601) Today Considerable cloudiness. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low around 10F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Considerable cloudiness. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low around 10F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. BISHKEK, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The China International Import Expo (CIIE) is "a global public good" in international trade and serves as a key gateway to the world's largest consumer market, a Kyrgyz economist has said. As the 8th CIIE opened on Wednesday in Shanghai, Tolonbek Abdyrov, a professor of economics and vice rector of the International Higher School of Medicine in Kyrgyzstan, said the event helps improve the business environment and foster win-win cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises. China has sent a clear signal of openness and backed it up with concrete mechanisms -- from a well-structured meeting schedule to comprehensive services for participants, as well as regulatory and customs support, Abdyrov told Xinhua in a recent interview. "All of this helps significantly reduce information and transaction costs for foreign suppliers," he said. Statistics from China's Commerce Ministry show that this year's CIIE covers more than 367,000 square meters of exhibition space, with over 600 new exhibitors added to last year's total of 3,496 companies. "This reflects the depth and scale of the event. China's macroeconomic fundamentals remain solid," Abdyrov said, citing positive forecasts by international institutions that project continued robust growth for the Chinese economy in 2025. "China continues to serve as an anchor for global demand." Abdyrov described the CIIE as an excellent platform for showcasing new products. "Previous expos showcased numerous new products, technologies and services from around the world, covering sectors such as artificial intelligence, new materials, autonomous systems and new energy technologies," he said. "The CIIE has become a key gateway to the world's largest consumer market." "Against the backdrop of weak global growth, China has placed its emphasis on high-level opening-up -- not in slogans, but in concrete rules that actually reduce the cost of market entry," Abdyrov said. He added that China's inclusiveness is reflected not only in its efforts to reduce market barriers, but also in its support for partners in expanding production capacity -- as demonstrated by initiatives such as the Global Development Initiative and the Belt and Road Initiative. "For countries around the world, particularly those in the Global South, this means access to markets and capital, as well as the transfer of standards and technologies to existing projects," he said. "This is how exports of raw materials are gradually transforming into exports with greater added value." This year marks the first time Kyrgyzstan participates in the CIIE, which Abdyrov called a timely debut. "The national pavilion isn't just a pretty stand, but a corridor of trust for the 'Made in Kyrgyzstan' brand," he said, noting that the expo demonstrates strong demand for Kyrgyz products. Photo: https://www.president.gov.ua/ The possibility of receiving French Rafale fighters depends on negotiations, Ukraine views this positively, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a briefing on Friday. "We will build on two platforms, with the "Gripins" everything is already taking shape, the second question is about France, here everything depends on our negotiations. We view all this positively," the president said, answering a question from an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent about progress in receiving the fighters. According to the military, there are 314 Russian occupiers in Pokrovsk, and the enemy's "number one" goal remains to occupy the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. "The enemy .... on November 5 carried out assault operations involving equipment. He lost equipment, but the enemy's number one goal is to occupy Pokrovsk as quickly as possible. This goal remains. This is clear from the number of assaults. There were 220 assaults on Pokrovsk in three days. According to military data, there are 314 "Russians" in the city itself, inside," Zelenskyy said during a briefing on Friday. According to him, there is still very great pressure in this direction. In the Kupyansk direction, the Defense Forces have advanced 1,100-1,200 meters. The situation in Vovchansk is tense and may be complicated due to the accumulation of Russian troops. The President also reported that the enemy tried to conduct assault operations in the Siversk direction. The occupiers had no success on the Kramatorsk, Konstiantinivka, and Ocheretyn axes. Ukraine has found an alternative to the Mavic UAV, there will be mass production of this alternative, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced following a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Headquarters. "Next, the Mavics... we were looking for alternatives. Alternatives have been found, there will be mass production of this alternative. Now the corresponding contracts will be prepared for financing," Zelenskyy said during a briefing on Friday. Mavic is a compact quadcopter manufactured by the Chinese company DJI. Photo: https://apnews.com Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will raise the issue of Russian energy purchases during his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. "I am also confident that the Hungarian Prime Minister will raise energy issues. Everyone understands the consequences of the sanctions of the European Union, and President Trump personally, on energy campaigns," Zelenskyy said during a briefing on Friday. 10 Years After a Breakthrough Climate Pact, Heres Where We Are Almost exactly 10 years ago, a remarkable thing happened in a conference hall on the outskirts of Paris: After years of bitter negotiations, the leaders of nearly every country agreed to try to slow down global warming in an effort to head off its most devastating effects. The core idea was that countries would set their own targets to reduce their climate pollution in ways that made sense for them. Rich, industrialized nations were expected to go fastest and to help lower-income countries pay for the changes they needed to cope with climate hazards. So, has anything changed over those 10 years? Actually, yes. Quite a bit, for the better and the worse. For one thing, every country remains committed to the Paris Agreement, except one. Thats the United States. We wanted to help you cut through the noise and show you 10 big things that have happened in the last 10 years. 1. Emissions are still rising, but not as fast as they were. Call this good-ish news. Slower emissions growth means the arc of temperature increase has curved downward over the past 10 years. If countries stick to current policies, the global average temperature is projected to rise by 2.5 to 2.9 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Thats a significant improvement from where we were 10 years ago: In 2015, scientific models said we were on track to increase the global average temperature by up to 3.8 degrees Celsius. Global greenhouse gas emissions and expected warming Source: Climate Action Trackers most recent projection and its 2015 projection But none of the world's biggest emitters China, the U.S., the European Union, India have met their Paris promises. And every degree of warming matters. A one-degree increase in average temperature, for instance, raises malaria risk for children in sub-Saharan Africa by 77 percent. 2. The last 10 years were the hottest on record. We started burning coal, oil and gas on a large scale roughly 150 years ago. As a result, global temperatures have been rising ever since, and the last 10 years have been the hottest 10 on record. Global temperatures compared with late-19th-century average 2026 average +1.6C +1.5C +1.0C Global temperatures compared with late-19th-century average +0.5C 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2026 average +1.6C +1.5C +1.0C Global temperatures compared with late-19th-century average +0.5C 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2026 average +1.6C +1.5C +1.0C Global temperatures compared with late-19th-century average +0.5C 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 average +1.6C +1.5C +1.0C +0.5C 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024 average +1.6C +1.5C +1.0C +0.5C 1940 2024 Source: Copernicus/ECMWF Note: Temperature anomalies relative to 1850-1900 averages. The most scorching was 2024. That year, extreme heat killed election workers in India and pilgrims on the hajj in Saudi Arabia. This year, it forced the temporary closure of the top of the Eiffel Tower at the peak of tourist season and shuttered schools in parts of the United States. 3. Solar is spreading faster than we thought it would. Solar power has been the largest source of new electricity generation for the last three years. Most of this new solar infrastructure is coming up inside China, and Chinese companies are making so much surplus solar equipment cells, modules and everything that goes into them that prices have plummeted. Forecasts keep underestimating solar growth Source: IEA STEPS via BNEF and Ember Today, solar panels hang from apartment balconies in Germany and cover vast areas of desert in Saudi Arabia. Solar and onshore wind projects offer the cheapest source of new electricity generation. Little wonder, then, that in Indias electricity sector, more than half of the generation capacity now comes from solar, wind and hydropower. 4. Electric vehicles are now normal. The way the world moves has changed. At the time of the Paris Agreement, Tesla had just unveiled its luxury electric SUV. Fast forward to last year: Worldwide, one in five cars sold was electric. In the United States, 265,000 children ride electric buses to school. In Kenya, electric motorcycle taxis ferry commuters to work. Chinese carmakers are assembling E.V.s abroad, including in Brazil, Indonesia and, soon, in Saudi Arabia, a petrostate. Number of new cars sold World Electric 2015 2024 40M 80M China 2015 2024 12M 24M United States 2015 2024 8M 16M Source: International Energy Agency via Our World in Data Electrifying transportation is important because its one of the biggest sources of emissions globally. Currently, electric vehicles are displacing 2 million barrels of oil demand per day, roughly equal to Germanys total daily demand, according to BloombergNEF. 5. Rich countries have put relatively little money on the table. One of the key tenets of the Paris Agreement was an acknowledgement that countries had different responsibilities. Wealthy industrialized countries were supposed to pony up money to help poorer countries do two things: transition to renewable energy and adapt to the problems brought on by a hotter climate. Last year, countries agreed that a total of $1.3 trillion would be needed every year by 2035 to help developing countries manage climate harms, including $300 billion a year in public monies from rich countries. Thats far more than what rich countries have thus far made available. Where that money will come from is still uncertain. Public climate finance from developed countries would need to increase substantially Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Note: Future line shows compound annual growth rate. Meanwhile, some of the poorest countries are getting clobbered by extreme weather. Theyre falling deeper into debt as they try to recover. 6. Coal is in a weird place. The growth of coal is slowing worldwide. That matters because coal, which powered the modern industrial economy, is the dirtiest fossil fuel. Coal is waning in wealthy countries, including the United States, despite President Trumps efforts to expand its use. Britain, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, closed its last coal plant in 2024. That year, more than half of Britains electricity came from renewables. But coal is still growing in China, which, despite its pledge to clean up its economy, has gone on to build more coal plants than any other country, ever. In America , coal demand fell faster than expected... 0 500 1,000 1,500 megatons 2000 2035 Actual Projections ...while in China , it grew faster than expected 3,500 4,000 4,500 5,000 megatons 2015 2027 Actual Projections Sources: International Energy Agency via Ember, RethinkX and Thunder Said Energy Note: U.S. demand was converted from quadrillion BTU to metric tons using the U.S. EIA's annual heat content factor for the electric power sector; all projected years use the 2025 factor. 7. Natural gas, a planet-warming fossil fuel, is ascendant thanks to America. Over the decade since the Paris Agreement was signed, the United States has rapidly become the worlds leading producer and exporter of gas. Liquid natural gas opened up an export boom United States 4,000 billion cubic feet per year Australia Qatar 3,000 2,000 Russia 1,000 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 United States 4,000 billion cubic feet per year Australia Qatar 3,000 2,000 Russia 1,000 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 United States 4 trillion cubic feet per year Australia Qatar 3 2 Russia 1 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 United States 4 trillion cubic feet per year Qatar Australia 3 2 Russia 1 2014 2024 Source: S&P Global Note: Chart shows top four global LNG exporters. Mr. Trump, in his second term, has supersized that ambition. He appointed Chris Wright, a former fracking executive, as the U.S. energy secretary, and he has used the sale of American gas as a diplomatic and trade cudgel. That matters because, while gas is cleaner than coal as a source of electricity, it stands to lock the world into gas use for decades to come. 8. Forests are losing their climate superpower. Fires are increasingly driving forest loss worldwide. Thats because rising temperatures and more intense droughts are making forests burn more easily and also because people are setting fire to forests to clear land for agriculture. The worlds forests are absorbing less carbon dioxide Source: World Resources Institute Note: Each bar represents annual net emissions of forests That's limiting the ability of many forests to store planet-warming carbon dioxide. In fact, its pushing parts of the Amazon rainforest, often called the lungs of the planet, to a startling tipping point. Parts of the Amazon are releasing more carbon than trees and soil are absorbing. One recent study found the same pattern in the rainforests of Australia. 9. Corals are bleaching more often. Since 2015, two separate global bleaching events have stretched over six years. Theyre happening much more often than before, and affecting more reefs, because the oceans are heating up fast. Percent of the worlds coral reefs affected by each bleaching event 21% 37% 68% 84% 1998 2010 2014-17 2023-25 21% 37% 68% 84% 1998 2010 2014-17 2023-25 Source: Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network Corals are important because they support so many other creatures, including fish that millions of people rely on for nutrition and income. About a quarter of all marine species depend on reefs at some point in their life cycle. Many reefs have been ravaged, but some coral species are turning out to be more resilient to marine heat waves than we had thought. Thats good-ish news, too. 10. U.S. electricity demand is soaring, in part because of A.I. Power demand had always been expected to increase worldwide. More than a billion people still need access to electricity, and billions of others around the globe are buying air-conditioners and plugging in electric vehicles. But a big surprise came from the United States. American electricity demand was pretty flat in the 2010s but is now rising significantly and is projected to climb for at least another decade. One reason: energy-hungry A.I. That raises a critical question for Big Tech: Will its A.I. ambitions heat up the planet faster? After two decades of slower demand growth, energy needs are rising. 2024 5000000 2010 2015 2005 4500000 2020 2000 4000000 1995 3500000 1990 2024 5 million gigawatt hours Projections 4 million Actual energy demand 3 million 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2024 5 million gigawatt hours Projections 4 million Actual energy demand 3 million 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 5 million gigawatt hours 2024 Projections 4 Actual energy demand 3 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 Source: North American Electric Reliability Corporation Note: Chart reflects net energy for load in the United States, but may include small portions of Mexico and Canada. What does all this mean for the worlds 8 billion people? The physical damage inflicted by global warming costs the global economy around $1.4 trillion a year, according to BloombergNEF. It means we are being forced to adapt to new conditions on a climate-altered planet. Many already are, especially the most vulnerable among us. In India, a womens union has created a tiny new insurance plan to help workers cope when it gets dangerously hot. In China, a landscape architect has persuaded cities to create porous surfaces to let floodwaters seep in. In the United States, school playgrounds are adding shade to protect kids on exceptionally hot days. In California, an app developer created a tool to help his neighbors track the path of wildfires. In Malawi and Uganda, people are experimenting with growing different crops. A big problem is, theres very little money to help them, and even that has declined in the last couple of years. Franz Paasche Franz Paasche, who was most recently EVP for public affairs and communications at Columbia University, will join Verizon as EVP, corporate affairs, effective Nov. 10. At Columbia, Paasche, who earned his JD from Columbia University School of Law, led communications, government relations and community engagement at a critical time for the university. Before coming to Columbia, he was chief corporate affairs officer at PayPal, leading communications, public affairs, reputation management and social impact. Paasche has also been head of external relations for North America at McKinsey & Company, senior partner at FleishmanHillard, managing director of Clark & Weinstock, general counsel of Market Data Corporation and litigator at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind and Garrison. In his new role, Paasche will oversee several other Verizon leaders whose teams are becoming part of the companys corporate affairs function: EVP, chief communications Stacy Sharpe; SVP, chief responsible business officer Donna Epps; and SVP, public policy and government affairs Kathy Grillo. Employees at the Fastway hub in Offaly have been told by receivers that they must return their work vehicles this week, or they will be reported to Gardai as stolen. The Portarlington Fastway hub was closed on Tuesday October 28 with immediate effect, leaving dozens of workers in limbo. It was previously reported that workers were 'escorted off forklifts', 'left with no wages' and unable to sign on to social welfare, at risk of losing their redundancy package. An email seen by the Leinster Express / Laois Live was sent to employees this week on behalf of joint receivers Mark Degnan and Brendan O'Reilly. The email detailed that should employees not return work vehicles to receivers by Friday, they will be reported as stolen. "As part of the receivership process, all company-owned and leased vehicles should be returned to the Joint Receivers," the email read. "If you are in possession of a company vehicle (ie car, van, truck etc), we ask that you please return the vehicle to your closest depot location. Please note that any vehicle not returned by 2pm on Friday November 7 will be reported to An Gardai Siochana as stolen. "Thank you for your cooperation," the email finished. Offaly Sinn Fein Cllr Claire Murray has paired up with Laois Sinn Fein Senator Maria McCormack to organise a public meeting for workers this Friday evening. The event will take place on Friday. November 7 at 5pm in Portarlington's Community Centre. The meeting will bring together representatives from Intreo, the Local Enterprise Office (LEO), the Laois/Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) and MABS to provide advice on payments, redundancy entitlements, retraining options and business supports for those impacted. This public-multi agency meeting aims to give advice on receiving owed payments from the company, and advice on the next steps former employees should take. Cllr Claire Murray said the meeting is about ensuring that no worker is left without support or clarity. Over the past week, Ive spoken with Fastway workers and drivers who are deeply worried about how theyll manage in the weeks ahead. Theyve been left in limbo unable to access payments and unsure about redundancy. Thats simply not acceptable," she said adding, "the meeting will provide clear information, practical advice and direct access to agencies who can help right now." Cllr Murray also echoed Sinn Feins national call for government intervention "The government needs to step in immediately to protect these workers. There cant be a 30-day wait without income or answers. These families need certainty and support as we head into the Christmas period. Senator Maria McCormack added, its utterly despicable that a company would treat its staff this way with no warning, no income and such uncertainty. The Minister must act now to protect workers and ensure no one is left behind. The meeting is open to all Fastway and Parcel Connect employees, subcontractors and delivery partners affected by the receivership. OFFALY TD Tony McCormack has called for a full investigation into the collapse of Fastway Couriers, saying that the treatment of employees and franchise owners has been nothing short of scandalous and warning that the entire operation sounds more like a pyramid scheme than a legitimate business. Speaking in the Dail this week, Deputy McCormack said the Government must act urgently to uncover what really happened within the courier company, following its sudden closure which has left workers and small business owners in financial ruin. Deputy McCormack told the Dail that his office has been in contact with numerous people affected by the Fastway closure both employees and franchise owners and that the stories emerging are deeply troubling. Over the past two years, conditions within the company deteriorated significantly, he said. Many people now question the takeover of Fastway in 2022 whether it was a case of vulture capitalism, and more seriously, whether fraud or serious mismanagement was involved. Franchise owners, he said, had described a pattern of missing invoices, payments being delayed or held back, and commissions not being paid. Many were struggling just to keep their businesses afloat, waiting on money that never came, McCormack said. READ NEXT: Offaly forestry company win prestigious national award He also cited shocking accounts from franchise owners about company practices. Ive been told of polygraph machines being used during franchise interviews, and of large cash payments being requested as part of the purchase process. That raises real questions about transparency, legality, and oversight. McCormack highlighted the plight of new franchisees who only joined the company recently, saying many made large financial investments, often by borrowing heavily or using personal savings. These were people who believed they were investing in a growing business, he said. Now theyre left with nothing but debt, stress, and heartbreak. One case he shared involved a franchise owner now facing personal insolvency. He is owed around 50,000 by the company, and in turn owes roughly the same amount to Revenue. He had hoped the Christmas and New Year period would allow him to recover financially and move on, but instead hes been left with absolutely nothing. Its devastating. Deputy McCormack said the structure of the company and the way franchisees were treated bore all the hallmarks of a pyramid-style operation. The more I hear about how this system was run, the more it sounds like a pyramid scheme, he told the Dail. In fact, it sounds like something youd see in a Netflix documentary rather than in modern Irish business. He called on the Tanaiste and Government to confirm whether any investigation is currently underway into the management, ownership, and conduct of Fastway since the 2022 takeover. If there isnt one, he said, then there absolutely should be. We need transparency, accountability, and justice for the people who have lost so much. In a follow-up question, McCormack urged the Government to set up an emergency relief fund or support mechanism for those directly affected by the collapse. READ NEXT: New car park now open at state of art community centre in Offaly village These are working people and small business owners who believed they were building a future for themselves, he said. They deserve immediate support while investigations are ongoing and full transparency about what went wrong. Deputy McCormacks intervention has struck a chord with small business groups and workers across the courier and logistics sector, who say the Fastway collapse exposes major flaws in how franchise models are monitored and regulated in Ireland. Pictured above at the Civic Reception are Cllr. Michael Smith, Cathaoirleach of TCC Cllr John Carroll, Councilor Eddie Moran V/C, Fr Tom Corbett and Cllr. Willie Kennedy. Photo: PJ Wright A warm and heartfelt Civic Reception was held on Thursday, 30th October, in the Age Friendly Building on Gaol Road, Roscrea, to honour Fr Tom Corbett for his outstanding dedication and service to the people of Roscrea and the wider community. The event was hosted by Tipperary County Council, with Cathaoirleach of the Council, Cllr. John Carroll, presiding over the occasion. Also in attendance were the Municipal Council's Leas Cathaoirleach Cllr Eddie Moran, Cllr Willie Kennedy, and District Administrator Sharon Scully. The gathering included Fr Toms friends, parishioners, and representatives from various community organisations all of whom came together to celebrate a man who has given so much of himself to the town and its people. The formal reception and presentation to Fr Tom was a sincere expression of gratitude from the Council and the community. Fr Tom was nominated for the honour by Cllr Michael Smith, who spoke warmly about the priests many contributions to parish and community life. I am honoured to nominate Fr Tom Corbett for a Civic Reception by Tipperary County Council, in gratitude for his dedicated service to the people, said Cllr Smith. From the moment he arrived in Roscrea Parish, Fr Tom brought warmth, kindness, and a genuine connection with all he met. His simple, caring nature and deep understanding of people made him truly a man of the community. His popularity was never sought it came naturally, through his neighbourly spirit and the way he lived the Gospel message. Speaking at the event, Cllr Smith described Fr Tom as a kind, thoughtful, considerate, and most humble man, adding that he left a lasting impression on the community of Roscrea and we are indebted to him. Throughout his years in Roscrea, Fr Tom has been a comforting and familiar presence to many. Whether in times of joy or sorrow, he has been there for families, individuals, and community groups, offering compassion and understanding in equal measure. His ability to bring people together, to listen, and to lead with humility has earned him deep respect and affection from all who know him. Cllr Carroll and fellow members of the Council praised Fr Toms unwavering commitment to his parish and the many ways in which he has enriched community life. They highlighted how his approachability, warmth, and faith have touched countless lives and strengthened the bonds within Roscrea. The evening concluded with a formal presentation and words of appreciation to Fr Tom, followed by warm applause and personal congratulations from all in attendance. USE ARROWS OR CLICK NEXT TO SEE MORE PICTURES A gangland criminal, who caused the death of a 21-year-old student in a notorious hit-and-run case where he had filmed himself speeding just moments before, will now serve an extra five years in prison after the Court of Appeal ruled that his original eight-year jail sentence for this and other offences was unduly lenient. In resentencing Kieran Fogarty (21)from Limerick to a total of 14 years in prison with the final year suspended, Ms Justice Tara Burns noted the serious impact his actions had on the family of Joe Drennan from Laois. She described the victim as an exceptional young man with a promising career ahead of him, whose death had a devastating effect on his parents and siblings. Speaking outside the court after the sentence was imposed, Mr Drennans sister, Sarah, said that this decision will finally get some measure of justice for Joe. Nothing can ever bring him back, but this acknowledges that his life mattered, that what happened to him was not an accident or mistake but a deliberate act of reckless and criminal behaviour, she said. READ NEXT: Refusing guide dogs, overcharging and bad hygiene: Thousands of complaints made against taxis She described Joe as a kind, funny, compassionate man who was missed every single day by the family. She said that the courts decision will now bring them a small sense of peace. Last January, Fogarty, of Hyde Avenue, Ballinacurra Weston, Limerick, was sentenced by Judge Colin Daly at Limerick Circuit Criminal Court to six and a half years after he pleaded guilty to charges in respect of Mr Drennans death by dangerous driving at Dublin Road, Limerick, on October 13, 2023. He also received an eight-year sentence for a drive-by shooting in June of the same year, with the sentences to run concurrently. The DPP subsequently appealed the undue leniency of the sentences imposed. At the Court of Appeal on Thursday, CCTV footage was played to the court by Inspector Padraig Sutton. He told counsel for the Director of Public Prosecutions, Seoirse O Dunlaing SC, that the footage showed Fogarty driving past a patrol car, which led to the gardai activating their lights and pursuing him. He said Fogartys car drove at speed, narrowly avoiding a collision with oncoming traffic. The garda car then lost sight of him and travelled in the opposite direction. The court then viewed footage taken by Fogarty himself on his phone while he was driving, which Insp Sutton said indicated that Fogarty was travelling at a minimum of 100km/h. Further CCTV footage showed Fogartys car travelling at 122km/h in a 50km/h zone before it crashed. After the collision, which Insp Sutton said had left Mr Drennan underneath Fogartys BMW, Fogarty spent 14 seconds in the car wiping it down before he fled the scene. Mr O Dunlaing said that Fogarty had taken counter forensic measures and was aware in quite a short time that a person was in hospital receiving immediate critical care. He said that the headline sentence of ten years for the dangerous driving causing death offence had been absolutely correct, but the sentencing judge had not considered that Fogarty was before the court for other offences that were "not part and parcel" of the same incident. He confirmed to the court it was the DPPs view that, when the sentencing judge took the other offences into consideration, there should have been consecutive sentences imposed. He said that the judge had erred in fixing ten as a ceiling and leaving it as that, with the error being that concurrent sentences were imposed for all offences. Mr O Dunlaing said that the only mitigating factors were Fogartys early plea of guilty and his young age. He went on to say that the sentencing court also looked at his bravado and attitude afterwards, juxtaposing these with Mr Drennan, a young man who was just starting off on his career. For a separate offence of having drugs for sale or supply, Mr O Dunlaing said there had been evidence that Fogarty was engaged in the possession of drugs for drug trafficking. He said that the headline sentence of five years, which was then reduced to three years, was too low. Counsel said that Fogarty was also sentenced for a drive-by shooting in broad daylight in Limerick city which was part of a feud, during which Fogarty was the driver of the vehicle and had been consuming illicit substances before and after the shooting. He said that the reduction from the headline sentence of 12 years to eight was too great. Defence counsel, Seamus Clarke SC, said that the sentence imposed on the dangerous driving causing death charge was within the range available to the sentencing judge and was not a departure from the norm. He said that when the headline sentence of ten years was reduced to six and a half years, the judge had before him all the law that he needed to make his decision. Mr Clarke acknowledged that there was very distasteful footage of Fogarty before the crash, when he videoed himself while driving. Counsel also noted that Fogarty left the scene after forensically cleaning the steering wheel but reminded the court these were both treated by the judge as aggravating factors. Concerning the drugs charge, Mr Clarke said the reduction from five years to three years may be considered lenient, but it was very close to where the case should lie. In delivering the judgement of the court, Ms Justice Burns noted that Fogarty had been 19 at the time of the offence and had 46 previous convictions. She noted that he had driven an entire distance of 3.5km, during which time he drove at excessive speed in a 50km/h zone, where there was a continuous white line through a built-up area. She said the court had seen the damage caused to both Fogartys car and a car he crashed into, noting that he had five outstanding bench warrants at the time. Ms Justice Burns noted the serious impact the loss of Mr Drennan had, as he was an exceptional young man with a promising career ahead of him, whose death had a devastating effect on his parents and siblings. She said the court would quash the sentences imposed on the charges relating to the firearms offence, the dangerous driving and the drugs and would resentence Fogarty. On the drugs charge, Ms Justice Burns said the court would set a headline sentence of six years, reduced to four years. On the firearms charge, the court set a headline sentence of 12 and a half years, reduced to eight years. For dangerous driving causing death, the headline sentence was ten years, reduced to eight years. This sentence was to commence at the expiration of the sentence imposed on the firearms charge. Considering the totality principle, Ms Justice Burns said the court would reduce both the sentence on the firearms charge and the sentence on the dangerous driving by one year to seven years each. She said the court would further suspend the final 12 months of the overall sentence. This made a total sentence of 14 years with the final year suspended. Fogarty was also disqualified from driving for 20 years. Photo: https://www.bbc.com Ukraine has agreed with Sweden on the supply of 150 Saab JAS 39 Gripen aircraft, as well as the localization of their production in Ukraine from 2033, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal has said. "Following the agreement between our president and the Swedish Prime Minister yesterday, we have already worked out the details of our future agreements with the Swedish Ministry of Defense. We agree that 150 E/F class Gripens will be delivered... Yesterday, a corresponding memorandum was signed between one of the Ukrainian companies and SAAB on the future localization of Gripens in Ukraine. We expect that from 2033, Gripen will be significantly localized in Ukraine, its production - from large-scale assembly to the localization of individual parts," Shmyhal said during a joint briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. Also, according to him, there were talks about Ukraine receiving the previous C/D class Gripens as soon as possible. "We insist that it be 2026, and we are negotiating with partners about this. And the production of the E/F Gripen will begin a little later," the minister said. Self Help Africa's Ronan Scully, a native of Clara, has paid an emotional tribute to the late Sr Stanislaus Kennedy in a letter to the Editor published in this week's Tullamore Tribune. The letter reads as follows: Dear Editor, It is with deep sorrow and profound gratitude that I write to honour Sister Stanislaus Kennedy or Sr Stan as she is better known, who went home to God at the age of 86. Few lives are lived with such courage, compassion, and steadfast faith. Her passing leaves a void, yet her light continues to inspire us to love more deeply, act more boldly, and hope more faithfully. Sr Stan was fearless. She spoke truth to power and tirelessly advocated for those society too often forgets, the homeless, the marginalised, the lonely, the voiceless. She confronted injustice not with anger, but with unwavering love, prayer, and integrity. She understood that faith is not merely belief, but action. As Saint James reminds us: Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:17). She lived this truth daily, showing that Gods love moves through ordinary hearts willing to risk compassion, persistence, and courage. A Sister of Charity, Sr Stan dedicated her life to serving those on the margins. In 1985, she founded Focus Point, now Focus Ireland, to support those experiencing homelessness and through the Immigrant Council of Ireland, and through The Sanctuary on Stanhope Street, she transformed faith into action. She understood homelessness not just as a social problem, but as a spiritual wounda forgetting of the sacredness of each human life. Through her tireless advocacy, she gave a voice to the marginalized, rejoiced in every life restored, and ensured her programs would endure for generations. Her presence was transformative. I recall visiting a small hostel where she knelt beside a young mother, whispering encouragement to a child trembling with fear. That child smiled for the first time in weeks. I remember a father, exhausted and hopeless, whose tears she held with her own hands, reminding him that he was not invisible, that his life mattered. These small, intimate moments were the measure of her ministry. She lived the Gospel: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matthew 25:35). Every life she touched reflected Gods love. Even as her body aged, her spirit remained radiant. She celebrated the resilience of those she served as a mother celebrates her children, rejoicing in their courage, strength, and perseverance. Her life exemplified the prophet Micahs words: What does the Lord require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8). Few have embodied these words as fully and faithfully as she did. READ NEXT: Race Day in memory of late Offaly jockey raises over 350,000 for Cancer Trials Ireland Her writings, Seasons of Hope and Gratitude: Unlocking the Fullness of Life, mirror her life, faith grown in struggle, hope nurtured through service, and love made tangible through action. She inspired volunteers, social innovators, and ordinary citizens to act with courage and compassion, ensuring that her work will continue to bear fruit long into the future. Sr Stans passing is not merely a loss, but a call. To honour her is to stand with the marginalised, lift the voices of the voiceless, and bring hope where despair has taken root. Let us pray: God of mercy, we thank You for Sr Stan Kennedy, whose heart beat for the most vulnerable. May her courage, vision, and tireless advocacy continue to inspire us, and may her work bear fruit in every life touched. Amen. Her journey on earth may have ended, but her spirit lives on, in every home built, every person welcomed, every act of kindness done in her name. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Sr Stans light shone brightly. May we, in our own small ways, keep it burning. Sr Stans legacy is one of presence, with the poor, the lonely, the homeless, the immigrant and the searching, and a call to each of us to live with empathy and courage. May her life continue to inspire us to see Christ in every person we meet. Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam dilis. Yours Faithfully, Ronan Scully, Charlestown, Clara READ NEXT: Importance of remembering those who have passed stressed by Offaly columnist Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi is a major general in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) who served as the chief military advocate from September 1, 2021. Previously, she served as the gender affairs advisor to the chief of staff of the IDF. On October 31, she resigned after admitting to leaking footage showing the gang rape of a Palestinian prisoner at the Sde Teiman prison facility on July 5, 2024. The shocking video was broadcast on Channel 12 on August 6, 2024. Tomer-Yerushalmi is a whistleblower now under arrest, and supporters fear for her safety. Supporters of the right-wing extremist government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are calling her a traitor, while his critics are calling her a hero. She left a note to her family, and then went missing. Authorities were searching on land and in the sea with flares and helicopters after her family had reported her missing to the police. However, she was found safe on a beach in Tel Aviv on October 2, and subsequently was arrested. The root cause of the issue is Israeli apartheid, which is a system of institutionalized segregation and discrimination in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and to a lesser extent in Israel proper. This system is characterized by near-total physical separation between the Palestinian and the Israeli settler population of the West Bank, as well as the judicial separation that governs both communities, which discriminates against the Palestinians in a wide range of ways. According to the Israeli human rights group Btselem, the Israeli regime enacts in all the territory it controls (Israeli sovereign territory, East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip) an apartheid regime. One organizing principle lies at the base of a wide array of Israeli policies: advancing and perpetuating the supremacy of one group-- Jews--over another--Palestinians. Jewish prisoners in Israel have rights, but Palestinians do not. The Israeli Jewish culture views non-Jews as inferior people, bordering on non-human. If a Jewish prisoner was gang raped, authorities would find and punish those involved to the full extent of the law. But, when a Palestinian prisoner is gang raped by Jewish soldiers, the rapists are called heroes. Tomer-Yerushalmi leaked the video because she cared about the legal process and could see there was a severe breakdown of the legal system in Israel. Extremists were calling the IDF soldiers heroes, and she knew that military law is the backbone of any country. Once you allow military law to be dismissed, the rule of the jungle sets in, and no chain of command can survive. The Jewish State of Israel likes to boast it is based on democracy. However, once the legal system is dismissed as unpatriotic, the country is no longer democratic. The UN issued a report after reviewing the case, and noted that Palestinian prisoners at Sde Teiman were often shackled, forced into stress positions, denied toilets and showers and beaten, including children. Some prisoners faced sexual violence, such as sodomy, electric shocks and rape. The leaked video showed IDF soldiers grabbing and taking a blindfolded Palestinian prisoner to the side, then surrounding him with riot shields to prevent the rape being directly seen. For 15 minutes, the accused kicked the detainee, stomped on him, stood on his body, hit him and pushed him all over his body, including with clubs, dragged his body along the ground, and used a taser gun on him, including on his head, the original indictment stated. Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, exposed the medical report that listed his injuries as a ruptured bowel, severe anal and lung injuries, and broken ribs as a result of the assault. He later required surgery. Netanyahu's right-wing coalition politicians, along with others, were outraged that the IDF soldiers were under investigation of abuses, and after the soldiers were detained on July 29, 2024, an attempt was made to prevent their arrests involving breaking into a detention facility and an army base. About nine IDF soldiers were detained for their part in the rape, with four being released quickly, and five remained in detention. In February, the five were indicted for severely abusing the Palestinian prisoner, but the charge of rape was not included, and the trial is ongoing. Next Page 1 | 2 (Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher). By Bob Gaydos With all the celebrating and hope that welcomed Tuesday's blue wave election results of Democratic victories, I was rewarded with the best kind of all a race that was a microcosm of todays Republican Party approach to governing: Unqualified candidate, lying, deceit. Best of all, it was local. And the Democrat won. The Town of Wallkill in Orange County, about an hour's drive from New York City, has been pretty much a Republican stronghold forever. Its a bustling town that profits from a highway system and a string of malls that grew up around it. It has one of the state's busier court systems, providing enough work for three town justices. When one of the senior justices retired, Republicans offered as candidate a former councilman who is not a lawyer and has no court experience. For some reason with which I am not familiar, New York State allows this. Democrats offered as a candidate a lawyer with 34 years of experience handling hundreds of cases in Family Court and other courts and who also is a key staff member of the Legal Aid Society. A woman, by the way. Hands-down, no contest on qualifications and experience. So Republicans, who control the town board, decided the town didn't need a third judge after all. Couldn't afford it, they said. They voted to eliminate the position. This, even though the retiring judge said the town really did need three judges and not filling the position would put an unfair burden on the court staff, never mind the two judges left. Republicans didn't budge. However, the Democratic candidate circulated petitions asking for a special referendum reestablishing the third judge position. It passed. But not before more Republican chicanery. They told the Democratic candidate that the wording of the question on the special election would ask voters whether the town should eliminate the third town justice position. So she paid for lawn signs and printed cards to pass around town urging residents to vote no. Then Republicans decided to change the wording to instead ask whether the town should retain its third judge position, making the Democrats election handouts extremely counterproductive. She went to State Supreme Court to get it changed back. A sympathetic judge said there was nothing she could do, but hoped that the Republicans would do the decent thing. They didn't. Came Tuesday and, following a few months of intensive campaigning, of all things, the Democrat won. Big. Thats not all. Wallkill voters kicked out the Republican town supervisor and a councilman, giving Democrats control of the town board. A veritable local earthquake. This story is especially rewarding for me because I lived in the town of Wallkill for about two decades and for nearly three decades worked at the local newspaper that would have reported on this incredible local story, if there was a viable local newspaper left in town. But thats another story for another day. This day belongs to Maria Patrizio, Democrat, newly elected Town Justice, Town of Wallkill, Orange County, New York. rjgaydos|AT|gmail.comEmail address (Article changed on Nov 07, 2025 at 11:27 AM EST) Neo-Nazi Trump ally Steve Bannon told The Economistmagazine in an interview Thursday that President Trump will have at least one more term in office and that the leaders of his MAGA movement have a plan to defy the 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution, which says presidents can be elected to only two terms.---https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/10/27/hbff-o27.html Any time a character like Bannon announces some apocalyptic "plan," besides checking your wallet, consider the following. Worry is a physiological response to something that is not happening now. Terrorism is the creation of terror for political ends. Its impact is immediate. Whatever touches it off, it has nothing to do with some future disaster or revealed conspiracy: its sole purpose is terror, and the autonomic reaction that sends us into "fight-or-flight" mode. Then, the "Journalists" jump on it, extrapolating all the ramifications (what-ifs) we should prepare for. And of course they do, it's low-hanging fruit, a goldmine, a scoop. So what if it's reduced all journalists to the level of paparazzi? This is the same technique used in the 45th term, when our highest officeholder tweeted on his cellphone, musing in the wee hours about nuking North Korea. For the first time in history, one person could induce neurobiological panic in millions of people around the world. Possibly billions of people, in the same moment, in whatever time zone, went into shutdown, their breathing and heart rate altered, vision narrowed, thinking suspended: physiologically preparing the body for battle or escape. Or death. Never in history has such a power been possible. Now it is, and since then each new bucket of attentional chum has been worse than the last, until we were so benumbed, a genocide could have been perpetrated right in front of us and we'd all just stand there slack-jawed. Wait, what? ...oh... Now a figure made public by our screen-hits ("likes") can announce the final End of Democracy, which incidentally can't ever happen until there is a beginning of same, and the only concrete result will be a brief spike on the media markets. And an opportunity for insiders to boost sales on public attention markets. Which of course is the purpose. "Influencer" is what such people are called. The idea is that most human beings are pretty stupid, which means, predictable. By now most of us have worked out that dick Cheney's "shock & awe" as the basic principle of propaganda. We haven't understood that it's really low-level anxiety that keeps us cowed. Because our nervous system attempts to stabilize whenever the balance gets wobbly, developing a tolerance for repetition, dosage must be increased each time. The inevitable result is a reign of terror. This is why the administration is murdering so many people in broad daylight now: both because they must, and because they can. How many Caribbean fishing boats is it now? This is the genocide. At this stage it is really virtual genocide: it's happening on our screens. Genocide, like the rest of modern business, depends on ratings. Israel has lost all credibility as the victim of "terrorists" in a saturated attention market, and this is dragging the US administration's ratings down with it. Maybe that's why we're being switched over to a fresh one, Venezuela or Nigeria; because, Mexico? Seriously? Tourism is one of the few industries left standing, and the airlines are imploding under the federal bankruptcy, but you can still get to Mexico in your SUV. Whereas Venezuela has the biggest oil reserves on Earth, and Nigeria is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell or some such neofeudal fiefdom. Venezuela is mostly Roman Catholic, and Liberation Theology at that, whereas Nigeria has a fairly clear division between Muslims in the North and Christians in the South, ripe for exploitation. Heat and stir. (Maybe all that Venezuelan oil is the result of the same impact that made human life possible in the first place, when that big rock slammed into the Earth killing everything that once ate our little furry ancestors... talk about your Divine Comedy...) Meanwhile, the genocide machine has to find a new category of people to demonize and kill, or the Big Data eugenics bubble will burst, and the US economy will crash. The one in Sudan has been going on much longer, and still isn't selling; the one in Yemen is in its second decade, but the Saud family owns that one, despite recent American meddling. Every empire is defined by its genocides. War with Russia is not going well for the US admin even after the customer was bait-and-switched from US to EU in an attempt to stabilize MIC revenues; war with China is out of the question if Big Tech wants to keep their screens from going blue and their planes in the air. What else? Iran? As terror-bait Iran, without nukes, pales in comparison to Israel, which tries to hold the world hostage with theirs. Genocide is an addiction. It's collective, cyclical, and degenerative. By now it has displaced much of the American economy, the way a heroin habit displaces an addict's job, family, and basic hygiene. With addictive drugs, not only the individual junkie, but their family and their extended family are afflicted. While the others are putting up with the acute victim, or starting to complain, or throwing them out of the house, calling the cops, etc., they, too, are harboring the disease. The children are affected, their future lives in jeopardy. To repeat: genocide is an addiction. Adductive disease is well understood in the 21st Century. The only aspect of this we still don't get has to do with scale. It never occurs to us (with a few notable exceptions) that an addict's family, not to mention the community, much less the culture, might be the real host. This is structural. Jonas Galtung wrote about structural violence. It's not difficult to understand the idea of structural addiction. Once you start thinking in this way, it's right there. Photo: Interfax-Ukraine / Oleksandr Zubko After the end of hostilities, Russia will undoubtedly try to establish an anti-Western regime in Ukraine, and some Ukrainians are ready to accept the corresponding narratives despite the fact that the establishment of an openly pro-Russian government here will no longer be possible, Head of Kyiv Security Forum, former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-2016) Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said. In an interview with Interfax-Ukraine, he said that in a recent sociological study, which, in particular, concerned democracy in Ukraine, there was a question of whether Ukrainians would accept the model that exists in Georgia. "If we asked directly whether you would accept a pro-Russian regime in Ukraine, more than 90% of Ukrainians would say 'no.' When you ask about Georgia, it's not about Russia. What did we see? Two-thirds are categorically against the Georgian model, but a significant part of the respondents are not against it," Yatsenyuk said. "Do you understand what a trick it is: there will be no pro-Russian regime in Ukraine, but an anti-Western one is possible? But the essence is the same. Anti-Western rhetoric is in fact pro-Russian. That is, part of the population is ready to accept anti-Western narratives that correspond to Russia," he added. The head of Kyiv Security Forum believes that Ukraine "will not return to 2010, when Yanukovych won the elections," but expressed his belief that Russia will interfere in Ukrainian politics one way or another after the end of hostilities. "Will Russia try to establish an anti-Western regime here? I have no doubts. And therefore, anyone who thinks that the end of the war through a written or unwritten truce will be the end of the war is deeply mistaken. This may be the end of hostilities. And the war, as Russia's existential war against Ukraine, will continue until Ukraine becomes so strong under the umbrella of NATO and the European Union that Russia realizes that it has lost Ukraine forever, just as it lost the Baltic countries and Eastern Europe," Yatsenyuk said. Flight cuts will step up in phases, according to the FAA. Dave Killen / The Oregonian Airlines canceled a dozen flights to and from Portland International Airport on Friday as federal flight safety regulators ordered reductions amid the historic government shutdown. The cancellations represent less than 3% of all the flights in and out of PDX scheduled Friday, well below the 10% the Federal Aviation Administration says travelers can expect by the end of next week. The FAA said cancellations could rise in the coming days, as air traffic controllers are working without pay during the protracted shutdown. Here are all Fridays cancellations, as of 1:30 p.m. (cant see the table? Click here.) Many of Fridays cancellations were regional routes to cities such as Los Angeles, Sacramento and Seattle. They came on the first day of a phased reduction by the Federal Aviation Administration that will cut air traffic by 10% in 40 so-called high-volume markets, including Portland. The agency is looking to maintain safety as air traffic controllers continue to work without pay during the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1. It was not clear if every flight cancellation Friday by Alaska, Southwest, United and Delta, was a result of the FAA order. The delays can result from flight reductions and federal staffing shortages at other airports rippling through the system or more standard weather-related disruptions. We are seeing some airlines opt to cancel smaller aircraft with fewer seats first, versus cancelling a larger aircraft that can carry more passengers, Molly Prescott, a spokesperson for the Port of Portland, the airports operator, said in an email. While passenger plans are still being disrupted for many folks, airlines are taking meaningful steps to lessen the number of impacted travelers at PDX where they can. PDX has not previously been impacted by the government shutdown because federal agencies operating there were not experiencing chronic staffing shortages beforehand, Prescott said. And while the airport is seeing slightly higher callouts by staff than usual, security lines are still showing minimal delays. Alaska Airlines, Portlands busiest airline, accounted for half of Fridays cancellations at PDX. The carrier canceled flights to and from San Jose, Boise and Seattle. Those are all cities with frequent flights to and from PDX, raising the chances that passengers would be able to find alternate bookings. Denver, though, was the city with the most cancellations among all airlines three. Denver is a major regional hub and those cancellations could make it difficult for travelers to find connecting flights. Prescott said the Port is focused on keeping the airport operations on a smooth glidepath as airlines change flight schedules. Prescott counseled travelers to stay in contact with their airlines. All travelers should check directly with their airlines for the most accurate flight information, Prescott said. As always, we encourage travelers to arrive to PDX with plenty of time to check in and go through security. Flight cuts will step up in phases, according to the FAA. The schedule calls for a 4% reduction Friday, 6% by Nov. 11, 8% by Nov. 13 and the full 10% by Nov. 14. There are more than 60 Grocery Outlet locations in Oregon and hundreds in the U.S. (File photo) Karly Imus/The Oregonian When grocery store owners Mike and Dani McGinty learned last week that the feds were putting the kibosh on their plans to help hungry Oregon families reeling from the government shutdown, the couple took a leap of faith. The McGintys, who own the McMinnville Grocery Outlet, tried to offer a 10% discount to all SNAP recipients whose food-assistance money had been frozen. But when the feds told them no, they came up with a go-around: Extending the offer to all customers. Now theres a catch to it, and I need your help as a community, Mike McGinty announced in an Oct. 31 video posted to Facebook. If you do not need a discount, please do not ask for it. But if you do, Take it. Ask for it. Six days into the offer, McGinty told The Oregonian/OregonLive Thursday that the honor system appears to be working. More than 200 customers have used the discount so far with the overwhelming majority, he suspects, SNAP recipients or people who are otherwise struggling financially. The McGintys are among at least three Oregon grocers all individually owned Grocery Outlets, the other two in Lincoln City and Roseburg who attempted to shave 10% off the purchase prices for people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). But the grocers were also among tens of thousands nationwide whom the U.S. Department of Agriculture notified last week of the programs Equal Treatment Rule prohibiting discrimination. The rule states that charging SNAP recipients anything other than the price charged to their overall customer base could result in their removal from the program. In other words, if their stores charge this select group cheaper prices, they would no longer be able to accept the SNAP debit cards that in Oregon are loaded each month with an average of $176 per recipient. Each set of the three Oregon owners, however, navigated around the restriction to help food-insecure residents. Mike McGinty, pictured here, says he's co-owned the Grocery Outlet in McMinnville with his wife, Dani McGinty, since 2018. (Photo courtesy of Mike McGinty) The owners are among a league of Oregonians who are helping stem an unprecedented SNAP crisis from restaurant operators who are serving up free meals, to community members who are donating to local food banks, to local governments that are expediting cash. The crisis has been brought on by the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1. By Nov. 1, money in the usual fund that supports SNAP had extinguished and the federal government announced it was putting a halt to Novembers payments, affecting about 757,000 Oregonians and 42 million Americans. Its the first time that has happened in the history of the 61-year program, which was first referred to as food stamps. Meanwhile, the shutdown surpassed 34 days on Wednesday, becoming the longest in U.S. history. Two judges last week ordered the Trump administration to tap other emergency or contingency funds to at least partially recharge SNAP cards. Thursday, one of those judges ordered the administration to pay full benefits by Friday, and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Friday that state officials had worked through the night and restored benefits. But the future is still uncertain, with federal lawyers immediately appealing the ruling. President Donald Trump posted to Truth Social earlier in the week that SNAP BENEFITS will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, though a White House spokesperson later walked that back. Meanwhile on Thursday, U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats from Oregon, introduced legislation specifically meant to remove the roadblocks encountered by the grocers in Oregon. The bill, dubbed the Emergency Relief for Hungry Families Act, would allow grocery stores nationwide to grant discounts to SNAP recipients if a government shutdown cuts their benefits. Moving the bill forward in the Republican-controlled chamber, however, may be an uphill battle. About one in six Oregonians benefits from the federal food assistance program. McGinty said he announced on his stores Facebook page Oct. 20 that he and his wife planned to give a 10% discount to SNAP recipients in November. The owners of the Lincoln City and Roseburg stores soon followed with their own announcements. So did Grocery Outlets in the Spokane-area of Washington and in Concord and Pleasant Hill in California. McGinty, who heard about the other stores efforts in an online forum of owners, doesnt know of any other grocery chains that also have tried to give SNAP recipients a break. The Oregonian/OregonLive asked the USDA if itd heard of other stores but received an automatic reply stating that answers to questions may be delayed due to staff furloughs resulting from the Radical Left Democrat shutdown. A big part of the stores being locally owned, I just have a ton of autonomy to do what I want, McGinty said of his decision to offer a discount. Versus your typical grocery chain, theres a lot youve got to run up the flagpole. Theres a lot of bureaucracy. Richard Miller, who owns the Lincoln City Grocery Outlet with his wife, Jenni, said he was originally perturbed that the Department of Agriculture wouldnt let their store reduce the overall price at checkout for SNAP recipients. He thought the federal rule of charging SNAP enrollees the same as everyone else was to prevent retailers from jacking up prices for people paying with federal food dollars, not from granting a discount. Miller said the federal rules dont make much sense to him in other ways, too. They say you cant single SNAP participants out, Miller said. But by (state) law, we have to charge for bags. But if you show that youre a food stamp recipient, we cant charge for bags. So in my mind, thats singling them out. Offering the discount is not without its financial risks in an industry known for slim profit margins. McGinty said a 10% markdown means selling groceries at a loss. Both the McMinnville and Lincoln City stores set a $5,000 limit on how much theyd be in the hole by offering the discount. Like the McGintys, Richard Miller said he believes most customers are only asking for the discount if theyre truly in need. Miller said customers have used about $500 of the $5,000 set aside at his Lincoln City store. McGinty said customers have used about $1,000 of the $5,000 at his McMinnville business. Steve Burton, who owns the Roseburg Grocery Outlet with his wife, Kelly, said when he found out he couldnt offer SNAP recipients 10% off, he sought an exemption but learned that a process that might normally take hours online had turned into a paper process that might last 60 days. So he decided to print 1,000 10% off coupon cards that are good at his store in November. Starting Monday, the FISH Food Pantry began distributing them to anyone who showed up to the food bank, Burton said. Theres no income requirements or location requirements. Nothing like that, Burton said. If youre hungry, you can go there and they can hook you up. He said a few coupon cards have already been trickling in. The efforts of the three stores have drawn widespread thank yous online and in person, with customers telling employees at the stores what this means to them. Miller, the co-owner of the Lincoln City store, said customers who have the means have donated about $2,000 in gift cards and groceries to the store, to pass along to the local food bank in the week since he announced the discount. People started coming in that day saying, Can I buy a gift card? and Can I donate this food? Miller said. My wife and I have actually been extremely overwhelmed, if thats the right word, by the generosity that has come through. Seven people face federal charges, alleged to have burglarized homes belonging to Asian business owners in Oregon and Washington states since early October. Court Exhibit Seven people have been accused of being part of a multi-state burglary ring that mostly targeted the homes of Asian business owners in Oregon and Washington and has led to a loss of at least $60,000 in stolen property, federal prosecutors said. The crew drove from state to state in four cars and stayed in Airbnbs while members surveilled potential victims and struck when they were not home, according to a federal affidavit. The suspects communicated during the break-ins on a 7-way WhatsApp call, posted lookouts and scrambled security camera footage with Wi-Fi jammers as they ransacked homes, Assistant U.S. Attorney William McLaren wrote in a detention memo. One of the alleged leaders, Derinson Martinez-Grandas, and accomplices ran into the woods when local police and federal agents arrived to search an Airbnb rental home in Eugene last month, the memo said. Martinez-Grandas, 34, is one of the seven people accused of conspiracy to transmit stolen property. He made his first appearance in federal court in Eugene on Thursday. Two of the seven are in federal custody; the other arrest occurred in Arizona. He and his group targeted members of vulnerable communities to take advantage of their time away doing honest work, McLaren wrote. McLaren submitted to a federal magistrate judge a statement from one of the victims, an unnamed woman, as he argued for Martinez-Grandas continued detention pending trial. In the statement, the woman described how she was devastated that her parents, who spend long days working as business owners, were taken advantage of. The statement did not identify where the family lived or when the break-in occurred. This systematic targeting of Asian business owners didnt just affect my family, our possessions, and personal feelings of safety. It affects all the people who care so much about us and disrupts a sense of normalcy for us all, the woman wrote. Members of the alleged criminal ring are Colombian citizens who drove a Ford Escape, a Kia Sportage, a Honda Civic and a Lexus RX, all with California plates. They were found to have traveled from California, through Nevada and Idaho and into Washington and Oregon, where they stayed in short-term Airbnb rentals, the detention memo said. Bags of jewelry, cash and travel documents from Colombia were seized when Eugene police raided an Airbnb rental home in the city last month, according to federal court records. Court Exhibit One of Martinez-Grandas first detected Airbnb reservations was from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6 in Tumwater, Wash., followed by an overlapping reservation in Eugene from Oct. 5 through Oct. 10. He and his crew are accused of breaking into multiple homes in Auburn, Wash., and Salem and Eugene during that period, the memo said. About 5:50 p.m. on Oct. 3, burglars shattered a back sliding door of a single-family home in Auburn that belonged to a man who owns a jewelry store with his son in Kent, Wash. On phones seized from two men in the alleged crew, detectives found photos of the burglarized residence and evidence that at least one member of the crew had tagged the locations of the fathers business and home on a mapping application and had taken photos of the jewelry business and its operating hours, according to McLarens memo. Two days later, Martinez-Grandas vehicle arrived in Eugene, where he and alleged accomplices stayed in a rental home on Skyline Boulevard. In Eugene, they struck the home of a family that operates an Asian restaurant in the city, stealing thousands of dollars in cash, as well as jewelry, luxury bags, passports and travel documents, the memo said. By Oct. 9, Eugene police were conducting surveillance of Martinez-Grandas and his alleged conspirators as the crew traveled from Eugene to Salem and Corvallis. The police conducted some of the surveillance with the help of their Flock camera automated license plate reader technology, according to the memo. The city of Eugene paused the police use of the camera technology on Oct. 14 pending further review amid community concerns. In Salem, the crew shattered a back window of a Salem home belonging to an Asian family that owns and operates a nail salon, making off with cash, jewelry and womens bags, according to the memo. Police obtained a warrant to search the Skyline Boulevard rental in Eugene and found bags containing pearls and gold jewelry, stacks of U.S. cash and Asian currency, watches, purses, wallets and designer bags, McLaren wrote. They also found receipts from money wires to Bogota, Colombia, and various travel documents from Colombia, according to a federal affidavit in support of the criminal complaint. Eugene police initially arrested Martinez-Grandas but he was released on bail when a colleague flew up from California and paid $10,000, or 10% of his bail, according to McLaren. At that time, Martinez-Grandas told Eugene police he was not aware of any criminal activity and worked as a surveillance camera repair person who helped his friends get Airbnb reservations because they were banned due to parties, the detention memo said. After he was released from Lane County Jail on bail, federal officials took him into custody on an immigration hold, before federal charges were filed this week, according to federal prosecutors. In Martinez-Grandas car, investigators found detailed handwritten ledgers containing names beside dollar amounts, a box of face masks, a pry bar, and bank statements showing payments and withdrawals of thousands of dollars, according to the memo. The other man arrested, William Estiven Rodriguez-Gaviria, 26, made his first appearance in federal court in Arizona Thursday and was ordered detained as well. This multi-state operation deliberately targeted hardworking families and struck at the very core of personal safety the victims own homes instilling fear throughout multiple communities, said Scott E. Bradford, Oregons interim U.S. attorney, in a statement. The FBI and Eugene police are continuing to investigate the case, with help from Salem and Auburn police. U.S. Marshals are quietly using the Multnomah County jail to hold people in custody until they can be transferred for deportation proceedings, immigration rights groups claim. The allegation which would be a serious violation of Oregons Sanctuary Promise law, if proven true hinges on the preexisting contract between the U.S. Marshals Service and the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office. In a notice of possible litigation, attorneys with the nonprofit Oregon Law Center said federal marshals had booked at least three people in the countys two jail on the lone charge of illegal re-entry or because they were subject to an immigration detainer. A detainer is a non-binding request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold an unlawful resident until the agency can take custody of them. The Oregon Law Center filed the tort claim with the county Sept. 29 on behalf of two local immigrant rights groups who say the jail has violated the states sanctuary law. The Oregonian/OregonLive learned about the claim through a public records request this month. When our local governments fail to uphold these laws by allowing county jails to be used for immigration enforcement purposes they betray both the spirit and the letter of Oregons Sanctuary Law, the Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice said in a joint statement with the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition. The law center has already sued Multnomah County on behalf of one man, Gerson Molina Orantes, who was ensnared during a money laundering bust and charged with illegal reentry. Oregons U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio ordered his release while the case was pending April 28. But federal marshals instead transferred him back to the jail, where he was illegally detained for 22 hours until the marshals returned and transported Molina Orantes to the ICE field office in South Portland, according to the suit. Federal prosecutors closed the criminal case against Molina Orantes once deportation proceedings had begun. The legalese in this case is complex, but the basic idea is simple: When somebody is free to go, they should be free to go, Oregon Law Center attorney MariRuth Petzing said in an interview Thursday. In the tort claim notice, the Oregon Law Center identifies similar circumstances for two other people Nelson Pablo Morales and Bernardo Hernandez Pablo. A federal jury found Pablo Morales guilty of illegal re-entry in June, The Oregonian/OregonLive previously reported. He remains in state custody while appealing the conviction. Hernandez Pablo pleaded guilty to the same charge in August and was sentenced to time served, or about two months behind bars, court records show. Those convicted of illegal re-entry are typically deported after serving any imposed punishment. U.S. Marshals have agreements at a handful of other jails across the state, including with the Columbia County Sheriffs Office and the Northern Oregon Regional Correctional Facilities in The Dalles. The contracts pay local jails a daily fee per inmate. The law center hasnt filed any additional litigation against the county since issuing the tort claim, while the federal lawsuit on behalf of Molina Orantes is pending, with both sides set to finish turning over evidence to each other in late February. A Multnomah County spokesperson didnt return a request for comment, while a spokesperson for the sheriffs office said it would be premature and inappropriate to comment. The U.S. Marshals Service declined to comment. Oral argument before the Oregon Supreme Court Thursday morning lasted just over an hour, three years after voters narrowly passed Measure 114. Therese Bottomly/The Oregonian/O Oregon Supreme Court justices Thursday raised questions about the appropriate legal standard and historical principles they need to consider when determining if new regulations under the voter-approved gun control Measure 114 adhere to the state constitution. The measure limits gun magazine capacity to 10 or fewer rounds, requires a permit to buy a gun and closes whats called the Charleston Loophole by requiring the completion, not just initiation, of a background check before someone can transfer a firearm. Voters narrowly approved the measure in November 2022 but the regulations have never gone into effect. A Harney County Circuit Court judge blocked the law from starting as scheduled and then ruled in November 2023 that it violated the state constitution. In a major reversal, a three-judge panel of the Oregon Court of Appeals found in March that the measure does not violate the state constitutions right to bear arms, finding that a qualified person can acquire a gun for self-defense under the measures plain language. During just over an hour of argument Thursday, a lawyer for two Harney County gun owners challenging the regulations argued that the appeals court decision was wrong, while a states attorney urged the Supreme Court to uphold it. Justice Rebecca A. Duncan asked the gun owners attorney what, in his view, were the goals or objectives of the drafters of Article 1, Sec. 27, of the Oregon Constitution that establishes the right to bear arms. Attorney Tony L. Aiello Jr. said the ultimate goal was the ability to repel a tyrannical government, the defense of the state, self-defense and the defense of others, including the protection of livestock and family from predators. Civilians need to have access to, not necessarily the same arms, that were around when the state constitution was ratified in 1857, but an evolving level of arms, as technology improves, he argued. Aiello argued that the measures restriction on gun magazines prohibits the vast majority of firearm magazines and the use of more than 10-round magazines for self-defense. The permit to buy a gun would impose too much of a delay and expense for Oregonians to purchase guns, he said. Screenshot If one of the purposes of the state constitutional provision is to protect against a tyrannical government, that sounds like there would be no restriction on military-type uses of firearms, Duncan continued. Aiello argued that there should be no restrictions on hand-carried personal defense weapons, as opposed to other defense systems such as aircraft carriers or Apache helicopters. Justice Christopher L. Garrett asked if Aiello would argue that automatic weapons are protected under the state constitution as well because they are carried by hand. Certainly, Aiello said. Should the justices also consider what the founders may have thought about the consequences of the right to bear arms at the time the constitution was adopted, Duncan questioned. If they were OK with the consequences from weapons that existed at the time of the states founding era, why should we assume that theyre OK with a much greater type of consequence now? she asked. Aiello said the justices need to consider the founders intent, not the consequences of modern technology. Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Robert Koch urged the justices to follow the Court of Appeals lead and find that the state constitution allows the legislative power of the state to reasonably seek to promote public safety as long as it does not unduly frustrate armed self-defense. The appeals court concluded that limiting the capacity of a gun magazine does not harm self-defense because capacity compliant magazines are readily available and usable, Koch said. Nothing like a large capacity magazine was common at the time of statehood, he said. It was certainly not commonly used for self-defense. Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Robert Koch argued that the Oregon Constitutions Article 1, Sec. 27, which established a right to bear arms, is not absolute and the constitution permits reasonable regulations to promote public safety. Screenshot Chief Justice Meagan A. Flynn interjected, noting that the state conceded in its brief that there were weapons that allowed for four- to eight-repeating shots at the time Oregons constitution was ratified. So your argument is premised on 11 being significantly different from eight? Flynn asked. Koch argued that magazines are not considered protected arms, and though there were attempts to make guns in the 1800s that fired more than 10 rounds without having to pause to reload, the technology didnt exist to make them functional or safe or practical to make on any scale. Justice Bronson D. James zeroed in on the measures process for applying for a permit to purchase a gun. Under the measure, anyone applying for a permit to buy a gun must provide proof of specific firearms training, some of which can be done online and other parts through in-person demonstration. The training requires instruction on state and federal laws related to purchase, ownership, transfer, use and transportation of guns; safe storage of guns including reporting of lost and stolen firearms; how to prevent the abuse or misuse of firearms, including the impact of homicide and suicide on families, communities and the country; and a demonstration that the applicant knows how to lock, load, unload, fire and store a firearm before an instructor certified by a law enforcement agency. James read from the text of the measure that said a permit could be denied due to an applicants mental and psychological state as evidenced by past behavior, and a threat of unlawful violence. A mere threat of unlawful violence is protected speech, right? James asked Koch. How could someone be deprived of the right to buy a gun based on their exercise of another right, James asked. Koch said that would be unconstitutional. There would need to be a genuine threat of unlawful violence and an imminent and reasonable likelihood of carrying it out, James said. I would love it if the statute were written that way, James said, but it doesnt appear to be written that way. He further questioned, Is there any other example where a citizen of Oregon would need to take a class before they could exercise their constitutional right? Koch first posited aloud that driving might be an example, yet then acknowledged its not a constitutional right, and ultimately answered no. Koch told the justices that firearms are unique in their lethality. When were talking about firearms, theres this sort of added public safety threat that legislators have been free to regulate, he said. Aiello countered that the Oregon State Sheriffs Association offers part of the firearms safety instruction online for free but that doesnt cover the required in-person demonstration thats required for a permit. The justices took the case under advisement, and its not clear when they may rule. Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Douglas L. Tookey sat on the panel, in place of Supreme Court Justice Aruna Masih, who was not participating in the case because her former law firm was involved in work relating to the litigation, according to the court. Nicholas Sias, now 39, was one of three men found guilty and sentenced to life in prison in 2010 in the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Alexander Hernandez-Apale, confronted as he was walking home in Beaverton on Aug. 31, 2009. Courtesy of his legal team Lawyers for a man sentenced to life for murder in a 2009 fatal stabbing in Beaverton allege in court that Washington County prosecutors withheld and suppressed key evidence in the case and at least one of the witnesses has retracted his statements. A federal public defender working with lawyers from Oregon Innocence Project argue that Nicholas Sias, now 39, was wrongfully convicted in 2010 in the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Alexander Hernandez-Apale, who was walking home just before midnight on Aug. 31, 2009. Police investigators withheld critical information that should have been disclosed to ensure a fair trial, lawyers for the Oregon Innocence Project and Federal Public Defenders office said in a statement. This hidden evidenceincluding undisclosed deals and inducements offered to jailhouse informants, immigration benefits extended to key witnesses, and threats used to shape testimony undermined the integrity of the entire prosecution. They say prosecutors Kevin Barton, now Washington Countys district attorney, and Bracken McKey, a former chief deputy district attorney who went on medical leave in September 2023 amid an investigation into his workplace conduct and retired the following April, failed to share evidence that could assist the defense as required by law. They contend that key witnesses had been offered leniency and special deals in other crimes and that prosecutors sought to help two witnesses seek immigration benefits in arrangements that were never divulged to Sias defense lawyer before trial as required. Under a 1963 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brady v. Maryland, prosecutors have a duty to disclose before trial any evidence potentially favorable to the defense. A subsequent 1972 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Giglio v. United States expanded that duty to include any material that could be used to impeach the credibility of a government witness and any information pertaining to deals that witnesses in a criminal case may have entered into with the government. Barton said he and McKey are aware of the new petition related to the 2010 trial and strongly reject and disagree with the claims contained within it. The Oregon Department of Justice will respond to the petition in court, Barton said. McKey, now working as a criminal defense lawyer, said Thursday he was busy in trial in an unrelated case and referred questions to Barton. It has been the longstanding policy of the Washington County DAs Office to ensure complete discovery is provided to all defendants in every case. This includes communicating to police agencies that we expect them to provide all required information and documentation so that discovery standards are met, Barton said by email. Because this is a pending case, we will address these issues through the court process rather than public comment. McKey added in his own statement, Every convicted murderer makes post-conviction relief claims attacking their own attorneys or the prosecutors after they have exhausted their appeals, and Mr. Sias is no different. His claims are meritless and false. One of the witnesses who prosecutors relied on, Aaron Ryon, was the son of a Washington County sheriffs detective and faced a serious sexual abuse allegation that was never prosecuted, according to the new court filings. Yet the child abuse allegation against Ryon was never shared with Sias defense lawyer, his current attorneys said. Assistant Federal Public Defender Susan F. Wilk and Oregon Innocence Project lawyers Kassidy N. Hetland and Kenneth A. Kreuscher filed the new petition this week in Malheur County Circuit Court. It was filed there because at the time the post-conviction relief case was initiated, Sias was in prison in Snake River Correctional Institution. Hes now at Oregon State Correctional Institution. Another witness in September sent the Oregon Innocence Project a handwritten four-page letter on lined notebook paper, saying he was high on methamphetamine and heroin when McKey and a detective deceived him into thinking he was subpoenaed to a grand jury and that he needed to talk because he was implicated in the murder as well, even though he had no role in the case, according to Sias defense team. The letter is filed as one of the exhibits in the case seeking post-prison relief. The witness, Andrew Yarborough-Gamble, wrote in the letter that he was coerced into making false statements & testimony for the state during a meeting in a room with only McKey and a detective. He wrote that there was a recorder on a table and that McKey repeatedly yelled at him that he was in grand jury and needed to tell the truth, Sias lawyers contend. I was threatened into making a statement under duress and threats of jail, & prosecution for a murder I had nothing to do with. Based on nothing more than just being affiliated with Sias and the other two defendants, Yarborough-Gamble wrote. I lied throughout my whole statement to provide as much damaging info as I could, because its what I knew the DA & detective wanted. Part of the handwritten letter that trial witness Andrew Yarborough-Gamble sent to the Oregon Innocence Project, saying he was coerced into making false statements & testimony for the state in the trial against Nicholas Sias. Court Exhibit Yarborough-Gamble also sought leniency in a pending robbery case that was never disclosed to Sias defense team and contrary to Yarborough-Gambles sworn testimony that he was not offered any inducement to testify, according to Sias legal team. Yet Yarborough-Gamble had sent a separate letter from prison to McKey, the prosecutor in the murder case, in January 2024, saying he was facing threats in custody because of his testimony against Sias and his co-defendants. He urged McKey to ask the state Department of Corrections to place him in protective custody. I do believe the courts decision and the states recommendation of Life for the (3) defendants who killed that young man in Beaverton in 2010 in the case you prosecuted was correct, Yarborough-Gamble wrote in his handwritten letter to the prosecutor. Andrew Yarborough-Gamble also wrote this letter in January 2024 to the Washington County prosecutor Bracken McKey, saying he was facing threats in custody from gang associates of the defendants he testified against. He wrote that he felt their life prison term was "correct." Washington County District Attorney's office Sias was one of three men found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison in 2010 without the chance of parole for 25 years. He has spent the past 16 years fighting for his freedom, his lawyers said, and has been unsuccessful so far in his state court appeals. Prosecutors had argued that Sias and his two co-defendants chased down Hernandez-Apale, who was walking home on Southwest Hall Boulevard with his friend at about 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2009. McKey was the lead prosecutor in the case. For Barton, it was his first murder prosecution. A Washington jury found that Sias, Duane Everett Corbett, then 24, and Maciel Munoz, then 19, were guilty of fatally stabbing the teen after targeting him when they drove past him and he shrugged his shoulders and raised his arms at them, as if to say, What? Prosecutors alleged that the three were members of the Acesinos, a Sureno gang, and were seeking revenge for a wound Sias had received in a fight earlier that night. The prosecutors described Sias as the ringleader, or king, and Corbett as the man who stabbed Hernandez-Apales. In his closing argument, McKey argued that Sias directed Corbett to stab Hernandez-Apale and contended that Sias solicited the murder when he made four phone calls in a row to Munoz while rounding up the troops to go to a knife fight, according to the petition. After initiating a civil action in federal court to challenge Sias conviction, his team of lawyers obtained a trove of new documents, including dozens of jail calls, prosecution and police records and other evidence as part of his federal post-conviction proceedings that they say the state had a responsibility to disclose before trial. With the new evidence, they filed their new petition in state court to try to overturn Sias conviction. Sias lawyers allege that McKey, Barton and police investigators scripted testimony and coerced witnesses in a justice system gone rogue, to protect criminals while convicting an innocent man, according to their petition. They accuse the prosecutors of signing papers intended to help two witnesses obtain special U visas in exchange for their testimony at trial but never disclosing that to Sias defense lawyer. One of the papers was signed for a witness before his testimony in the Sias trial; another was signed for a witness 10 years after the trial, according to court records. Congress created the U visa program in 2000 to encourage immigrants to report crimes and help law enforcement officers better serve their communities. Barton, however, shared a letter that McKey sent to Sias defense attorney in April 2020, notifying him that one of the witnesses from Sias trial a decade earlier had submitted an application to the Washington County district attorneys office for a U visa - providing the exact notice they claim didnt occur. In separate signed statements years after trial, Corbett and Munoz wrote that Sias was not involved in the stabbing. Corbett wrote in a letter in 2018 that he acted alone and impulsively when he stabbed Hernandez-Apale. In 2023, Munoz signed a statement saying he and Corbett were in Sias car looking for the man who had cut Sias with a knife, and when they saw someone throw his hands up at them, Munoz and Corbett got out of the car and ran after the man. He and Corbett jumped the man and Sias may have kicked him once, but Sias told them, lets go, and Munoz and Sias went back to the car, Munoz wrote. Corbett joined them back at the car later. As Sias drove to the hospital to get care for his cut, Corbett told them both he had stabbed the man, Munoz wrote. Sias has maintained his innocence, denied being a gang member or that he had any control over Corbett and Munoz. He also said he was not present and never saw Hernandez-Apale get stabbed. Sias lawyers allege that there was no direct evidence implicating Sias in the stabbing, so McKey and Barton conspired with detectives and informants to stitch together a story of guilt by association with coerced and perjured testimony, according to their petition. On the eve of trial, McKey emailed Corbetts defense lawyer asking him if he could make it clear in his opening statement that Sias was the leader of the three defendants, referring to Sias by his nickname Nico. Can you throw Nico under the bus in your opening tomorrow? Make it clear hes the boss? McKey wrote in the email, recently obtained by Sias lawyers and now a court exhibit. Then-Washington County prosecutor Bracken McKey's email to one of the defense lawyers on the eve of the murder trial, asking him to portray a co-defendant, Nicholas Sias, nicknamed Nico, as the "boss" of the three defendants on trial. "Can you throw Nico under the bus in your opening tomorrow?" McKey wrote, according to a newly obtained court exhibit. Court Exhibit We are aware that the evidence uncovered by the Federal Defender and the Oregon Innocence Project will tend to raise urgent questions about the actions of Bracken McKey, Kevin Barton, and Beaverton Police Department detectives, the statement from the Federal Public Defender and Oregon Innocence Project said. Our focus is on securing Mr. Siass immediate release and clearing his name. At the same time, we recognize that Oregonians deserve transparency and accountability from their justice system, and we look forward to the truth coming fully to light. Janet Neron-Nyangoro, pictured outside Sunset High School in Beaverton, appealed to the state in fall 2020 after Beaverton School District decided district employees did not discriminate against Neron-Nyangoro's daughter. Neron-Nyangoro did not hear from an investigator for the state until summer 2025. Mark Graves/The Oregonian State government agencies in Oregon are authorized to employ more than 43,000 workers. In late September, the states administrative department calculated that nearly 1,700 jobs had been sitting empty for more than a year, data obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive shows. And two of those long-running vacancies are at the Oregon Department of Education, which has held open a pair of positions investigating claims of discrimination in public schools for more than 18 months. The states slow-walking of the investigators hiring process illustrates how it can take years for Oregon government to hire people to address a known problem, even after lawmakers sign off on spending the money. Leaders at Oregons education department have known for years that students and families faced long delays when they report discrimination in schools. This fall, an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive found that students and families routinely wait more than 15 months for the state education department to complete investigations and determine if violations occurred, with some reviews exceeding five years. The education department has for years relied on a combination of contracts with outside investigators and its own employees, who handled all phases of individual cases from intake to investigation to writing decisions. By adding two dedicated staff investigators, education officials hoped to help clear the agencys backlog of complaints and reduce wait times for cases to be resolved. Lawmakers approved money in March 2024 to hire two investigators and other positions. Yet although the state filled most of the new jobs by May, the education department left the investigator jobs open. They were finally advertised for hiring on Sept. 4, seven business days after The Oregonian/OregonLive inquired why it was taking so long. Sen. Lew Frederick, a Portland Democrat who was a co-chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education in 2024, told the newsroom earlier this fall that he was very disturbed that investigators have not been hired. Gov. Tina Kotek requires state agencies to report job vacancies and the reasons for them on a quarterly basis. With 9.8% of jobs sitting empty at least six months in the most recent report, the Oregon Department of Education is at the higher end of state agencies but not the highest: 16.1% of jobs at the Criminal Justice Commission sat unfilled for at least six months, according to the states central administrative agency. To learn how it could take so long to fill two important jobs serving the public, The Oregonian/OregonLive asked the education department for more details. Liz Merah, a spokesperson for the education department, cited two primary reasons: leaders prioritized filling other jobs first, and the agency put a monthslong hold on external recruitments in May 2025 to comply with labor agreements. Merah said education officials prioritized hiring six other new positions in the Complaints & Appeals Resolution Unit, the team that handles discrimination and other types of investigations, before the investigators. She wrote in an email that it was necessary to stagger the recruitments given the full workloads of the two managers who were responsible for bringing on new employees, along with other duties. We prioritized positions that were most critical to issuing orders (on discrimination and other types of cases) and reducing our backlog, which is the foundation for improving our overall timeliness and accountability, Merah said. The priority jobs included a dedicated manager for the unit, several complaint and appeals specialists to write case decisions and an administrative worker. The longest delay in the investigator recruitment was the 10 months when the education department did nothing to initiate the hiring process for the newly authorized jobs. Once managers started the process by drafting job descriptions for human services staff on Feb. 25, the process moved quickly for a while. Human resources staff completed their work on the job descriptions within five business days, sending the hiring documents to Oregons central administrative agency for review on March 4, according to information provided by Merah. Three days later, the administrative agency signed off on the job descriptions. By late March, the hiring manager and human resources workers were meeting to plan the recruitment for the jobs. Then, in early April, the manager of the unit decided to pause the investigator recruitment. Thats because the manager was onboarding two new order writers who joined ODE in early March, interviewing for a third order-writing job that was filled by mid-May and helping advocate for the Legislature to pass a law to broaden the array of sanctions the state can impose on school districts that violate antidiscrimination laws, Merah wrote. Additionally, education agency leaders signaled that a hiring pause was approaching. All external recruitments at the department paused May 13 to allow employees in limited duration state jobs to apply for permanent positions, as mandated by union contracts. The agency-wide pause was lifted Oct. 27, although the departments deputy director of operations gave permission to re-initiate the hiring process for the investigator positions in late August, Merah said. Merah pointed out that during the 18 months when the two investigator jobs sat vacant, the education department used contract investigators to continue work on discrimination cases. Yet for some families who reported discrimination, it was unclear whether anyone was looking into their claims. A mother who shared her story with The Oregonian/OregonLive, Janet Neron-Nyangoro, appealed to the state in 2020 after the Beaverton School District decided that district employees had not discriminated against Neron-Nyangoros daughter. For years, Neron-Nyangoro never heard from an investigator. Finally over the summer, Neron-Nyangoro said she called the education department and threw a stink over the delays in the case. Nearly five years after appealing to the state, she finally heard from an investigator. State officials wont comment on any specific case. As of Thursday, the state had yet to hire its two new investigators. But the agency is in the final stages of its recruitment process, Merah wrote in an email, and barring any unforeseen issues, we expect to make offers within the next 1-2 weeks. Photo: Interfax-Ukraine / Oleksandr Zubko Ukrainians currently abroad could become the main source of solving the problem of the shortage of labor resources expected in Ukraine after the war, Head of Kyiv Security Forum, former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-2016) Arseniy Yatsenyuk is convinced, although he does not share the optimism that most of those who left will immediately return to the country. "The labor shortage is one of the key challenges of post-war Ukraine. There is no simple solution here... There are a lot of discussions about covering the labor shortage through migration... The key resource, in my opinion, is Ukrainians who have left [abroad]. God forbid that a quarter of our compatriots return and the Ukrainian economy will be completely different than it is today," Yatsenyuk told Interfax-Ukraine. The head of Kyiv Security Forum also said labor efficiency is currently extremely low in Ukraine. "In Ukraine it is low, $15 GDP per working hour. In Poland it is $37, in Kazakhstan it is $34. There is a two-fold gap in the efficiency of a Ukrainian worker with the markets with which we compete," Yatsenyuk said. "Through increased labor efficiency and moderate migration processes, we will be able to cope," he said. When asked about increasing the retirement age, the former prime minister replied that it cannot be avoided, but such measures have a different purpose. "The new government will have to consider this. I sympathize with them. In France, Macron considered it see what rating he has? Increasing the retirement age is one of the elements of stabilizing the pension system. This is not a magic bullet [miracle bullet], but it is impossible to do without it. This is a set of measures to ensure that the Pension Fund does not go bankrupt," Yatsenyuk said. Nowhere is Republican shortsightedness more apparent than energy policy, (Environmentalists criticize Trump administration push for new oil and gas drilling in Alaska, June 4). Drill, baby, drill, is not a policy; its a bumper sticker admitting we are racing into a brick wall. It does not mean more oil; it means we run out of it more quickly. Oil is finite. There are no more vast reserves waiting to be recovered, as Big Oil euphemistically puts it. At best, new discoveries add no more than a few years to the timeline of our impending crash. The U.S. currently produces more oil than at any time in history. It produces more than any other country, with nearly twice the production of Saudi Arabia. Yet, we are still vulnerable to the sometimes hostile manipulations of OPEC and other producers. Does anyone with any sense honestly believe that - with the exception of Canada, the United Kingdom and Norway - any of the other oil-producing countries are friends, much less dependable strategic allies? Of course not. Few will be above extorting us for oil when the time comes. Fossil fuels degrade and endanger our environment. They also weaken our world political position. Alternative energy sources are not a scam. They are a life preserver for the day the oil spigot runs dry. People who do not see that are willfully hiding their heads in the tar sands. If the U.S. doesnt want to lose the energy independence race, Republicans had better wise up. Decisions we make now will affect our grandchildren and their grandchildren. Richard Tyler, Hillsboro To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion. Resources like the Oregon Food Bank and its partners are currently receiving less product than usual due to the national pause of SNAP benefits. Allison Barr/The Oregonian The nations largest food assistance program, SNAP, has been at the center of a political showdown thats left millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Oregonians wondering how theyll put food on the table. Heres what you need to know: 1. SNAP benefits froze Nov. 1, leaving millions in a desperate situation. The federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 halted monthly SNAP payments starting Nov. 1. Thats a big deal because SNAP, often called food stamps, helps about 42 million Americans roughly 1 in 8 people nationwide and 757,000 Oregonians buy groceries. Thats about 1 in 6 Oregonians. For many families, this program is the difference between eating and going hungry. 2. A last-minute court ruling may have partially changed the picture, but Trump has signaled resistance. Two federal judges ordered the USDA to keep SNAP funds flowing, forcing the Trump administration to use an emergency fund to partially cover November benefits. But heres the catch: the fund only has $4.65 billion, about half of whats normally needed in a month. So benefits will be partial and delayed. After the court rulings, Trump said in a Truth Social post that SNAP BENEFITS will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government. But in another twist, a White House spokesperson walked back Trumps statement and said the government would make partial payments. 3. What partial funding really means for families. By some estimations, families may receive only about half of their usual amount they receive. The average SNAP benefit is about $190 per person per month. Many recipients say they zeroed out their accounts in early or mid-October. Plus, loading the reduced benefits onto cards could take days, weeks or possibly even months, leaving families scrambling to stretch what little they have. December also could bring another crisis if Congress doesnt act. 4. Oregons governor stepped in with emergency aid. Gov. Tina Kotek announced $5 million in state funds for food banks to help fill the gap. She also declared a 60-day emergency, which allows Oregons emergency management team to respond and ensures the state can restart SNAP quickly when federal funding resumes. Its a lifeline, but compared to the typical $133 million in monthly SNAP benefits Oregon usually receives from the federal government, its a drop in the bucket. 5. Other states are pitching in big some more than Oregon. California fast-tracked $80 million to food aid groups and even called in the National Guard to help distribute food. Washington is sending $2.2 million per week to food banks. Virginia went further, promising to give families comparable weekly benefits to what theyd normally get from SNAP. 6. Food banks were already stretched thin now demand is surging. Even before the SNAP crisis, Oregon food banks were seeing high demand. Now, theyre bracing for a flood of visitors, some new, some old. Volunteers and nonprofits are scrambling to keep shelves stocked as families turn to them for basics like bread, milk and meat. 7. Families are making tough choices to get by. Stories from Oregon and across the country paint a grim picture: empty fridges, skipped meals and parents worried about feeding their kids. One mom in Arizona said shell rely on food banks more because her benefits dropped from $800 to $400. A man in New Jersey, paralyzed and on a fixed income, said hes asking relatives to buy groceries for him. For those without support networks, theoutlook is even more grim. 8. Kids and seniors are among the hardest hit. In Oregon alone, 210,000 children and 130,000 people 65 and older depend on SNAP. These are people who cant easily earn extra income to make up for the shortfall. Advocates warn that cutting benefits forces families to buy cheaper, less nutritious food or go without, which can lead to long-term health problems. 9. WIC got a boost, but its not enough to solve the problem. The Trump administration added $450 million to the WIC program, which helps low-income mothers and young children buy healthy staples. Thats good news for families with infants, but WIC is separate from SNAP and much smaller in scale. It wont cover the millions of households losing food assistance. 10. The big question: What happens in December? The emergency fund used for November could be tapped out. If Congress doesnt end the shutdown or approve new funding, December could bring another round of cuts or a complete halt. Advocates and some state officials are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fully fund SNAP now, but so far, the Trump administration has declined to use other money thats been set aside. For families, the uncertainty is exhausting. Bottom line: SNAP is a lifeline for millions, and while some states and food banks are stepping up, the partial fix for November leaves big gaps. If the shutdown drags on, December could be even worse. Donations to local food banks are playing a critical role. What can Oregonians do? Community members are organizing to help Local residents and businesses in the Portland metro area and across the state have organized to help families impacted by the SNAP freeze. Here are local resources providing food and support: Generative AI was used to structure and organize information based on original local reporting for this story. It was reviewed and edited by local news staff. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek told the state's Department of Human Services to fully fund SNAP benefits on Thursday after a court ordered President Donald Trump to restore food stamp funding despite the federal government shutdown. Douglas Hook Oregon families saw November food stamp benefits restored to their Oregon Trail Cards on Friday after Oregon Department of Human Services employees worked through the night to issue the funds, Gov. Tina Kotek said. On Thursday afternoon, a federal judge told President Donald Trump he must find the money to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which has been threatened by the government shutdown. The federal government has appealed that decision, but the order prompted Kotek to tell the Oregon Department of Human Services to release full SNAP benefits for November. More than 750,000 Oregonians rely on the food benefits. All Oregonians should get their full monthly benefit Friday, Kotek said, even if they typically get the benefits on a different schedule. The SNAP released for November is flowing from federal coffers, and is not state money. The Trump Administrations decision to withhold food assistance from families in need was cruel and unlawful, Kotek said in a Friday morning news release. Oregonians shouldnt have to wait for a court order to get the help they qualify for and need. Tom Collins receives about $280 a month in SNAP benefits. The 63-year-old Hollywood District resident relies on the subsidy for most of his food. He typically buys supplies from a grocery store and then makes tacos, burritos or a big batch of soup in his multicooker. A printed receipt shows Collins the balance on his Oregon Trail Card after every purchase. Hes thrifty, he said, so he had enough money to keep buying groceries in November even if his payments were delayed. The easy-to-use swipe card is much preferred to standing in line at a food pantry or soup kitchen, Collins says, because hes at risk of infection when standing in crowds and suffers from serious mobility issues. If SNAP went away, it would be very inconvenient, he said. I would have to fight at food pantries for food. And it would be a fight, because theres a lot of people dependent on SNAP. Oregon and 24 other states sued Trumps Department of Agriculture on Oct. 28 over the food benefits suspension, setting up the ruling by a federal judge in Rhode Island and the presidents appeal. The Trump administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund, and instead allow it to continue with planned partial SNAP payments for the month. An appeals court declined to heed that request on Friday and left in place the order requiring the Trump administration to fund food stamps. But the Trump administration quickly asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene, and Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued an order late Friday pausing the requirement to distribute full SNAP payments until the appeals court rules on whether to issue a more lasting pause. The Trump administration told the Supreme Court that fast-acting states like Oregon were trying to seize what they could of the agencys finite set of remaining funds, before any appeal could even be filed, and to the detriment of other States allotments. Once those billions are out the door, there is no ready mechanism for the government to recover those funds, Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in the court filing. Uncertainty over whether or when Oregonians would receive food benefits has prompted outpourings of support for local food banks in recent weeks. Community members and local businesses also stepped up to fill the gap. Municipalities that have pledged to donate to food banks say theyll honor that commitment. And restaurant owners who raised money to feed those in need say theyll put the funds to charitable use. Multnomah County officials disbursed $75,000 to the Oregon Food Bank in anticipation of the loss of SNAP funding, and had no plans to take back that money. Right now, most of the food orgs are still hoping for donations and support, county spokesperson Denis Theriault said via email. They all need to restock after our community endured a full week without benefits after seeing unprecedented need over the past many days. Sarah Cagann, a spokesperson for Washington County, said the county similarly would maintain its $250,000 contribution to the food bank. A Metro spokesperson said the regional governments $500,000 pledge was unchanged. Josh White, the owner of Heretic Coffee Co. in Portlands Reed neighborhood, said he never expected to raise more than $300,000 when he announced plans 9 days ago to provide free breakfasts to those going without SNAP benefits. But the money started flowing, and the coffee shop has provided a meal typically a breakfast burrito and a coffee of choice to over 1,000 people so far. In an interview Friday, White said he plans to pass along half of the funds, or $175,000, to food banks and related organizations. His first grant, to a mutual aid program serving refugees, will be finalized in a day or two, he said. White plans to use the rest of the money to continue providing breakfast to SNAP recipients, regardless of what happens next on the federal level. White said it has been emotional for him to see people who scrimp for every penny get to order something nice they otherwise wouldnt. One woman was brought to tears by ordering an oat lavender matcha, he said. She said, I havent been able to get one for years, White, 37, recalled. Youre taking that in, and all of a sudden you feel this really beautiful yet immense weight of responsibility. Portland Councilor Jamie Dunphy fired Amani Kelekele, 35, on Tuesday, just one day after he placed his senior aide on paid administrative leave, city spokesperson Alison Perkins said. Mark Graves/The Oregonian A top Portland City Hall staffer is out of a job amid revelations he took in a disabled homeless woman living outside and later abandoned her at a state park. Councilor Jamie Dunphy fired Amani Kelekele, 35, on Tuesday, just one day after he placed his senior aide on paid administrative leave, city spokesperson Alison Perkins said. Both actions came after The Oregonian/OregonLive published an investigation last week detailing Kelekeles interactions with the woman, who uses a wheelchair and has a documented history of mental illness. However, Kelekele first informed his boss of the situation in late September. Its unclear why Dunphy only decided this week to dismiss Kelekele or whether the newspapers reporting raised issues that Dunphy was unaware of. Dunphy, who represents east Portland and serves as vice chair of the councils homelessness and housing committee, declined to comment Thursday. [Read the full investigation here.] Dunphy had hired Kelekele as his chief of staff when he took office in January, a position that paid an annual salary of $131,000. In an email to his City Hall colleagues Wednesday announcing the departure, he expressed his appreciation for Kelekele and his service to our office and to the people of Portland. Amani brought real passion to his work and a deep commitment to helping others, Dunphy wrote. That said, choices were made that do not align with how we strive to serve our community and uphold the trust placed in us by our constituents. On Sept. 25, Kelekele drove the woman and her dog out to Milo McIver State Park in the middle of the night and dropped them off at a campsite with blankets, a beach umbrella and assorted grocery bags, according to records reviewed by The Oregonian/OregonLive. Days prior, Kelekele had scooped the woman off a Milwaukie street in an attempt to help her avoid arrest, he wrote in a Sept. 30 memo to Dunphy. He said he had let the woman stay at his home while he tried, unsuccessfully, to find her assistance she would accept. Less than 36 hours after Kelekele left the woman at the campground, about 21 miles southeast of Portland, park workers asked state police to remove her. The woman, who had told park staff she had a history of violent interactions with police, would not cooperate, records allege. State troopers used a taser to subdue, handcuff and arrest her on Sept. 27. The womans dog, a scrawny pit bull she described as an emotional support animal, bit a trooper before it bolted into the woods and disappeared. Despite Kelekeles written account, police and social service outreach workers in Milwaukie said the woman was not about to be arrested at the time Kelekele decided to assist her. In fact, advocates trained to work directly with people experiencing homelessness and mental health crises had spent days attempting to get her help, according to interviews with The Oregonian/OregonLive. Kelekele declined to comment Thursday. He previously declined to speak to the Oregonian/OregonLive during its reporting on the incident. This has caused a great deal of emotional distress, Kelekele wrote in a statement last month. I would like to clarify that I led with my heart in my sincere attempts to aid (the woman). However, if I could do it over, I would do it differently. Dunphy, in an interview last month, called the events awful and heartbreaking. This is obviously the worst-case scenario of how things could have turned out, said Dunphy, who noted that Kelekele had also once been homeless and overcame other difficult circumstances. Speaking with the Oregonian/OregonLive on three separate occasions in October, Dunphy defended his staffers decisions. It was done with the best of intentions and with some errors in judgment that, I think, come from a person who has an incredible lived experience that makes them want to try and be everything to everyone and be as helpful and as thorough in that help as possible, he said. Attempts by The Oregonian/OregonLive to locate or speak to the woman were unsuccessful. Read the full investigation here. The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1. It became the longest shutdown in history on Nov. 5 at 36 days. As food-centric holidays inch closer, the federal governments suspension of SNAP has been a hot topic of conversation in the newscycle. Recently, a judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP for November. But as high temperatures in the Portland-metro barely reach the mid-60s, thousands of Oregonians face a heatless winter for as long as the shutdown persists. In Oregon and across the country, low-income families rely on money from a federally funded program to help pay for heating and cooling their homes. Nearly 70,000 homes in Oregon benefited from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in 2024. A press release from the Human Services Administration for Children and Families (ACF), less than a week after the shutdown, reported that new LIHEAP grants will not be made for the duration of the shutdown. This differs from previous government shutdowns; previously, LIHEAP staff were considered essential personnelAssociation, which allowed the program to continue to run. While states will be reimbursed for any carryover or reallocation funds, ACF is not sure how long that will take. Earlier this year, all employees within HHS Division of Energy Assistance, which previously administered LIHEAP, were terminated. So, it is possible that the remaining staff at ACF now assigned to also work on LIHEAP will be working during the shutdown, the American Public Power Association said in a release. Those employees will not be able to work on LIHEAP projects. The program and grant money typically become available to the public in December, but for low-income households with seniors, children under six or disabled people, the assistance can be made available as early as October. The Baker City Herald reported that its local outreach services have been fielding several calls a day requesting updates on the applications for financial help with heating their homes. There is a statewide assistance program, the Oregon Energy Fund, which is funded through a state-mandated charge on several electric company users bills. However, it cannot fill the needs of all the households that benefit from the federal assistance. Anyone in need of assistance can see eligibility requirements and locate a local agency through the Oregon Housing and Community Services website It was a quiet, rainy night Thursday outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland as demonstrators waited on a decision expected Friday from U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut on an injunction barring deployment of National Guard troops in the city. Fewer than 20 people (one in a frog costume) were seen outside the building around 6:30 p.m. Police made one arrest: Solomon Kolstad, 28, of West Linn, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on menacing and unlawful use of a weapon charges. Meanwhile, immigration enforcement operations throughout the metropolitan area made headlines Thursday on OregonLive.com. Heres what we know. North Portland schools lock doors Several North Portland schools locked their doors Thursday because of immigration-enforcement activities in the area. Cesar Chavez School, George Middle School and Clarendon Regional Early Learning Academy locked their doors during classes on Thursday morning, with activities and teaching continuing inside the building as normal, said Candice Grose, a spokesperson with Portland Public Schools. Several other schools including Astor, James John and Sitton elementaries and Roosevelt High were on alert and monitoring the situation, according to an email the district sent to families and staff in the morning. At no time did ICE agents come onto any PPS campuses, Grose said via email. Natalie Lerner, a board member with the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition that runs a hotline for reporting ICE activity, said four confirmed immigration arrests took place in St. Johns in North Portland today, though she said the number could be an undercount, with at least four other arrests yet to be confirmed. Gosia Wozniacka has the details. Oregon man on road to citizenship now in ICE detention, fighting to stay A Hillsboro man is facing deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, despite recently receiving a work permit and visa eligibility, his attorneys and family say. Victor Cruz-Gamez, who owns a local home-remodeling business, had just finished another long day Oct. 14 when ICE agents pulled him over and arrested him in downtown Hillsboro, family members say. Cruz-Gamez has no Oregon criminal history except for a 2008 traffic ticket that was dismissed, according to a review by The Oregonian/OregonLive. But because Cruz-Gamez unlawfully crossed the border as a teenager, he was arrested and has remained in ICE custody since then. Im scared for myself, for my safety, for the rest of my family, Atziri Cruz, 26, said in an interview Wednesday. I dont think people should be treated this way. Read the full story by Zane Sparling ICE agents detained wrong people in Oregon, stranded one in Mississippi Napoleon Andres Magana and his stepfather, Arturo Garcia Cabrera, were detained last month by immigration authorities who broke into their Gresham apartment and then into a bedroom with rifles drawn looking for a different person. For Garcia Cabrera, that was just the beginning of an ordeal that stranded him on the other side of the country. The federal government transferred Garcia Cabrera four different times to four different states before releasing him in Mississippi, where he had no cellphone and no family. It took him almost a week to get a ride and travel home. Read the full story by Yesenia Amaro Washington County dedicates funds to aid immigrants, refugees Washington County will direct $200,000 in contingency funds to support immigrants and refugees impacted by ongoing raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The Board of Commissioners declared a state of emergency Tuesday, freeing up the rainy-day funds to back immigration-related services. The county is still determining where to send those dollars. Board members delivered blistering criticism of federal immigration tactics. Its interesting that there is a line in (our emergency declaration) that describes current federal immigration activity appearing to be designed to instill fear and anxiety in the residents of Washington County, Commissioner Jason Snider said. I would be remiss in my job if I did not point out that I believe thats literally the definition of terrorism in the dictionary. Read the full story by Austin De Dios Latino community describes terror as ICE intensifies Oregon operations Also Tuesday, hundreds of people packed the Hillsboro City Council auditorium on Tuesday night to decry the escalation in immigration enforcement in the community, following weeks of reports of federal agents in unmarked vehicles detaining residents and dragging people out of cars in front of businesses and schools, in apartment complexes and parks. The council work session, which filled the citys auditorium to maximum capacity, drew about 200 people in person and an additional 300 online. It included more than five hours of emotional testimony from residents, business owners and advocacy groups, many describing fear, economic hardship and trauma rippling through the Latino community. Read the full story by Gosia Wozniacka in English and in Spanish. What were watching Oregonians await U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immerguts final decision after she called on Sunday for a temporary injunction barring deployment of National Guard troops to Portland. Her final decision could be issued by Friday, but some say that her recent ruling signals she may be leaning toward granting a permanent injunction. Want an afternoon update? The Oregonian/OregonLives new ICE Protests in Portland newsletter is delivered to thousands of subscribers at 3 p.m. daily. To join them, simply click here to opt in. Alaska Airlines planes on the tarmac during sunset at Portland International Airport. The airline has begun canceling flights in light of the Federal Aviation Administration's directive to cut flights 10%. Sean Meagher/The Oregonian Airlines are getting ready to cut flights across 40 airports nationwide, including Portland International Airport, but the precise impact remains unclear, even as travelers are anxious to know how their flights will be affected, if at all. The Federal Aviation Administration directed airlines to cut traffic by 10% at 40 of the nations busiest airports, phasing in reductions starting Friday, to ease pressure on air traffic controllers amid a historic federal government shutdown. The list of cities affected by the reductions includes New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Portland, according to The Associated Press. But what does that mean for people traveling from Portland? How will they know if their flight has been canceled? Will they get a refund if it is? And when will this end? Details are scant as airlines, airports and government officials scramble to figure things out themselves. Here is what we know Thursday. What flights will be canceled? Neither the Port of Portland nor United, Frontier, Alaska, Delta or Southwest Airlines said what specific flights were going to be canceled. The port, which manages PDX, said it has received no official notice from the Federal Aviation Administration. The Port is monitoring the situation closely and remains focused on keeping daily operations at PDX running smoothly, including if our airline partners make changes to their flight schedules, spokesperson Molly Prescott wrote in an email. Prescott urged travelers to check directly with their airlines to get the latest status of their flights. Frontier, Southwest, Alaska, Hawaiian and United all said in separate statements that they would communicate with travelers directly about any flight changes. The flight reductions wont happen all at once, and will instead begin with a 4% reduction in flights Friday, ramping up to 10% as the shutdown continues, The Associated Press reported. Alaska Airlines, which operates by far the most flights out of PDX, wrote in a statement Thursday that it had begun canceling a limited number of flights. Most of the canceled flights will be on high-traffic routes, the airline said, allowing most guests to be reaccommodated with as little disruption as possible. Several airlines said they expect most of their flights to be unaffected. Out of the 216 flights scheduled to depart Friday, only six had been canceled as of 3 p.m. Thursday including flights to Seattle, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Jose, Denver and Boise. Its unclear whether the cancelations are connected to the shutdown. Check flypdx.com for the most up-to-date information about scheduled flights. Will I get a refund if my flight is canceled? If a flight is canceled and the traveler doesnt want to rebook it, the airline is legally required to refund the travelers money. Those traveling by United, Delta, Alaska, Hawaiian or Southwest can also cancel their flights and get a full refund even if the shutdown doesnt technically affect their flight, the airlines said in their statements. Southwests offer applies to flights booked through Nov. 12. Will this be over by Thanksgiving? Nobody knows when this will be over. The flight reductions are meant to ease the burden on air traffic controllers, who have been working unpaid, and have increasingly been calling in sick, the Associated Press reported. The primary concern driving the decision to reduce flights is safety. The FAAs directive is expected to remain in place until further guidance is issued and the shutdown concludes, Alaska Airlines said in its statement. The government shutdown is expected to continue until Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. Congress vote to continue to resume funding the government. The Democrats have insisted that Republicans must first agree to extend health care subsidies. Republican lawmakers have so far refused to do so, hence the impasse. Even after the shutdown ends, it could take time to ramp flights back up to where they were before. Its currently anybodys guess how travel during the Thanksgiving week will be affected. A hiker passes behind North Falls in Silver Falls State Park, one of dozens of Oregon state parks that will no longer offer free parking for the day after Thanksgiving. Jamie Hale/Staff One of the few fee-free holidays at Oregon state parks will no longer be free. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced Wednesday that it will stop waiving parking fees for Green Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, in addition to New Years Day, a holiday that has also included free guided hikes to visitors. Park officials said the decision was fiscal, as the department continues to grapple with a looming budget shortfall of around $14 million. The parks department, which is primarily funded through state lottery revenue, has already raised its parking and camping fees to help offset the coming shortfall. Those rates are expected to increase further in 2026, the department said Wednesday. The changes are critical to sustaining state park operations and services now and for the future, said Lisa Sumption, Oregon parks director. We appreciate visitors continued support as these necessary changes are implemented. The Green Friday holiday started in 2015, when outdoor retailer REI launched its #OptOutside campaign, closing its stores for Black Friday while still paying employees, and encouraging people to enjoy the outdoors instead of shopping. That announcement inspired the Oregon parks department, as well as public lands agencies across the country, to follow suit and waive fees for the day. Washington State Parks, which later rebranded the day as Autumn Day, joined in the trend in 2017, adding the day after Thanksgiving to its list of a dozen annual fee-free days. But when the parks department announced its free days for 2025, Autumn Day was conspicuously absent. Meryl Lassen, a spokesperson for Washington State Parks, said a trio of Washington state land agencies (including the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife), discontinued Autumn Day in favor of Smokey Bears birthday on Aug. 9, when more parks are open, and when people are more likely to go outside. Having a free day on Aug. 9 instead of November serves the dual purpose of giving visitors more opportunities to enjoy recreation during high summer and giving us more opportunities to educate about wildfire safety, Lassen said. Despite the shift in the Pacific Northwest, several other state lands agencies across the U.S. are continuing their Green Friday or OptOutside holidays this year. State parks in Minnesota, Virginia and Indiana are all offering free admission on the day after Thanksgiving this year, while parks in Tennessee, Texas and Arkansas are offering guided hikes, tours and kayaking trips. No special events are scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving in Oregon and Washington state parks. State parks spokesperson Stefanie Knowlton said the department is still encouraging people to get outside the day after Thanksgiving, even if there is no organized programming. If the $10 parking fee is a barrier, people should consider visiting the more than 200 state parks that dont charge a parking fee, Knowlton said. There is at least one Northwest agency hanging onto the Green Friday tradition. Metro, which operates several parks and boat ramps around the Portland Metropolitan Area but only charges for parking at five locations, will continue to waive parking fees on the day after Thanksgiving this year, one of the agencys 18 fee-free days throughout the year. Meanwhile, REI is attempting to expand its #OptOutside campaign beyond the Thanksgiving weekend. #OptOutside isnt just about Black Friday. Its a mindset. Its about choosing life outdoors, according to the co-ops website. And it has become a way for people to share who they are and what they believe in. The company will continue to keep its stores closed the day after Thanksgiving, and it will continue to pay employees for the holiday it just wont make as big a fuss out of it. Neither will Oregon and Washington state parks. rhyming (if it is Reinhardt) with Goethes last-minute angelic rescue of Faust from Mephisto: A peerless treasure.What if Im walking down the street and one of my johns sees He accepted such feelings with a boyish affecthe kept fiddling his long brown curls into a small ponytail under his chin.Many of the sex workers were runaways who had fallen the last of which features an autocrat who gives one of the biggest of Roumanian [sic] oil fields to an American syndicate.I know that during the Olympic Games we will topped with tiny purple flowers and bright green peas that burst in your mouth Photo: https://t.me/Denys_Smyhal/ Minister of Defense of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal announced the introduction of legislative initiatives on transferring the Ukrainian army to a contract basis in 2026. "On the instructions of the president, we have started such work. This concerns the reform of the army in general, transferring the army to a contract form of training, to a contract form of service. Accordingly, the contract model provides for the possibility of choosing both a position and a place of service. Contracts apply to everyone and are primarily aimed at active servicemen. Both active contract soldiers and active mobilized ones will have the right to conclude such contracts. The term of the contract is from one year, two, three, four, five years, that is, you can choose," Shmyhal said during a joint briefing with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. He said after signing a contract for two or more years of service, a deferment from mobilization during martial law will be granted for 12 months, but for a one-year contract there will be no such possibility. "We do not have a one-year contract term in the law for people over 25 years of age. That is, for this, the legislation must be changed so that such an opportunity appears," the minister said. According to Shmyhal, these documents are currently being worked on, and some of them are being approved. "As soon as they are ready, I think, at the beginning of next year it will be submitted, accordingly, for consideration and public attention," Shmyhal said. Thats historically what dark retreats are for: to heal body and mind when more conventional methods failand shes due at the park for a fight right nowbut first she has to s this recording is reciting Hebrew prayers and explaining the prewrath version of the Rapturewhatever that is.We need to explore strategies for becoming fiscally sustainable Care in this anthology is defined broadly enough to encompass the intimacy of in-home personal assistants.when the teacher ordered us to list all the words we didnt know What a strange manner Socrates has! What a strange way of addressing Phaedrus and technical exchange; Le Bloc must respond at top speed to the recurring and endlessly unsatisfied needs of local artists and technicians in terms of spaces open to imp Sharp lint from my pocket can get in the breathing hole and shoot into my unsu Nefarious individuals could have come into our home during the night and sprinkled the bedbugs on our she offers a refreshing alternative to the fantasia of terror and wonder that weve all been subjected to since the public release of histories) with a passion rendered all the more intense and focused by the knowledge that its allculture wielding ourselves metaphorically) as we struggle not for an ideal but for an alternative? Becoming personable.this refulgent co thus using poetry to frame a doctri crabtree valley food court federal court system 3 levels co supreme court The men there relate anecdotes abo the third-century Roman Egyp They are most interesting when they because the soul has become uncool? Would a comeback for Frost require a comeback for the soul?PLUNKETTThe short answer is yesI had seen many like him beforepeople whose en I said that it was important because otherwise the book would be read as an act of total narcissism.but in the end it was hard to hear his voice and distinguish it from all t the comic aspects of the body failing to meet the acrobatic ambitions of the imaginationand the sometimes enrichingthat includes imagining what we would be like had we l the three judges conferred in a separate room for two hours as their deliberat in Sages words: We didnt beat each other up over what was best described as a Union soldier cosplay crop top.He ran the resident opera company at the recently built Nostitz the skies were filled with large clouds like strange airplanes drifting against the sides of tall buildings.who had recently read Summer Cooking as part of their quest to rea The panel of judges of the Cassation Administrative Court within the Supreme Court, which is considering the lawsuit of MP, leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko, to revoke the decree on sanctions against him, has completed the consideration of documents with the official use stamp, on the basis of which the relevant decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) was adopted, the political force said on the website on Friday. As attorney-at-law Illia Novikov said, there is no explanation in the documents why the authorities needed to impose sanctions against Poroshenko. He also claims that representatives of the authorities in the closed part of the court session also stated that the sanctions against Poroshenko were imposed allegedly for educational purposes. "We were promised that we would hear a response from President Zelenskyy's representative in a closed session, for which sanctions were imposed. We heard with our own ears that the person against whom sanctions were imposed should think about his behavior. That is, in the eyes of the court, although behind closed doors from the public, they are saying such nonsense that the sanctions are educational in nature. Zelenskyy believes that he is a teacher for all of us here, in particular Poroshenko, and he can afford it," Novikov said. In addition, the lawyer claims that some of the documents provided by the defendants were falsified. "Apparently, part of the evidence was falsified. In particular, today we examined a disk that was supposedly recorded in the Cabinet of Ministers and submitted on the evening of February 12 for consideration at the NSDC meeting. It was a disk with appendices to the Cabinet of Ministers' proposal on sanctions. The files were saved on this disk on February 13. There is an explanation from the NSDC secretariat that this disk with a cover letter from Denys Shmyhal, the then Prime Minister of Ukraine, was registered only at 23:13 on February 13, a day after this same disk was supposedly considered at the NSDC meeting. The metadata of the files, that is, the time of creation of the files, completely shows that this disk was played back retrospectively," the attorney said. The next hearing in the case will be held on November 21. Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo said an investigation is underway after police shot and killed a man who attacked them with a knife. Sue Gleiter A Lower Paxton Township man who was shot and killed by a police officer last weekend after stabbing his wife and lunging toward police with the weapon had a history of domestic violence, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Junior Jean, 48, stabbed his wife in the face and abdomen in their apartment Saturday afternoon on the 4000 block of Fawn Drive after learning she planned to file for divorce, sources said. Jean and his wife moved to the U.S. from Haiti about a year ago, multiple sources said. Penn State Health said Jeans wife remains hospitalized at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center but has upgraded to good condition. According to the Penn State Health website, good condition means vital signs are stable, and she is conscious and comfortable. Lower Paxton police said an officer found Jean around 1:40 p.m. walking with a large kitchen knife in hand on the 4200 block of Valley Road, about a block from his apartment. The officer repeatedly asked Jean to stop walking and to drop the knife, police said. Instead, authorities said Jean rapidly advanced toward the officer while holding the knife over his head in an aggressive manner. District Attorney Fran Chardo said Jean was feet away from the officer when the officer fatally shot him. A second officer was arriving to assist when the shooting happened. The shooting was recorded on the officers body camera, Chardo said. The DAs office is investigating whether the deadly force used against Jean complied with state laws. Its not the oldest winery in Pennsylvania nor its largest. But by now, 30 years since Galen and Sarah Troxell planted 2 acres of Steuben and Chambourcin on 32 acres of the family farm in the Poconos, about 30 miles northwest of Allentown and 45 miles south of Scranton, its safe to say that it has the highest international profile of any in the state. Among Galen Glen Winerys accomplishments: Sarah was named the Best Woman Winemaker at the 2014 International Womens Wine Competition Its 2015 Fossil Vineyard Riesling was the only wine from the U.S. to receive 94 points at the 2017 International Riesling Symposium . We received some really, really nice comments on our Riesling, she told PennLive following the trip . It was very well-received, so that was really exciting. Three of its Stone Cellars wines, its highest-tiered collection, received more than 90 points from Stuart Pigott, a senior editor for wine critic James Suckling, including 91 points for its 2021 Cabernet Franc, 92 points for its 2021 Riesling, and 94 points for its 2022 Gruner Veltliner. In his comments, Pigott said the Gruner Veltliner might well be the best wine from Austrias signature grape variety that has ever been made in the United States. It acquired a multi-state distribution deal with Skurnik Wines in 2022, the first Pa. winery to do so. Per the above-mentioned praise and other accolades, it has reaped the risk and foresight of its decision back in 2003 to become the first winery east of the Rocky Mountains and the second in the U.S. to plant Gruner Veltliner. The biggest naysayers [we got] were with Gruner, Sarah recalled during a recent phone interview that also included Galen. We got a lot of interesting comments when we said we wanted to plant that. No one thought it would work, or grow, or be successful, including their wine trail colleagues, who they pitched the grape to, as one they could all grow and promote. It was a grape Sarah read about for the first time in 2000, in a Food and Wine article, touting the number of foods it paired with and its rise as a wine and food-friendly grape in Austria. The original vines, enough to cover about three-quarters of an acre, were purchased from Herman Ambergs nursery in the Finger Lakes. It took three years for them to propagate enough to plant, Sarah said, noting the vines only had a couple of buds. Likely kept by the nursery with the idea that somebody would want them someday, we were the somebody, she said. At that time, they were the first commercial operation to plant the grape east of the Rocky Mountains, and as they learned later from an industry publication, only the second in the country at that time to plant it. They are now growing 3 acres of the grape, which has found a home in vineyards up and down the East Coast. Weve certainly learned a lot about Gruner, she said. We had some stumbles. When you pioneer a variety and take on something really challenging like Gruner, theres a lot of fun and excitement along the way. Generations 6 and 7 at Galen Glen Winery in Andreas, Schuylkill County, include, from left: Sarah, Erin, Garrett and Galen. Galen Glen Winery The wisdom has led to several outstanding Gruners that they produce annually, one each from their Vinology and more premium Stone Cellar lines, in addition to a sparkling Gruner that their daughter produces under the Erin Elizabeth label. Among the 6,500 to 7,500 cases of primarily dry wine they produce annually are a white lineup that also features Riesling (includes a semi-dry), Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer (includes a semi-dry) and group of reds that include Chambourcin (yes, thats still around), Cabernet Franc, Zweigelt (Austrias most planted red grape) and Red German Bastards, a blend of Zweigelt and Cabernet Dorsa. The profile is rounded out by a white (Riesling blend) and rose (blend) bubbly and a Zweigelt sparkling, the latter being the second of the Erin Elizabeth sparklings. Wines range in price from $14.99 to $34.99, and are available at the winery and in a number of regional eateries, in addition to a shipping list that includes 38 states and Pennsylvania, and also in some overseas Michelin-starred restaurants.s Galen Glen, located at 255 Winter Mountain Drive in Andreas, offers tastings (reservations are needed for groups that number from seven to 12) in addition to wine by the glass or bottle. The winery is open noon to 5 p.m. on Friday through Sunday, a weekend schedule it has maintained for years now. The story of the founding couple and the winery they built has been well documented, from how they met (in a chemistry class at Penn State) to their backgrounds (Sarah was a chemist and Galen a mechanical engineer) to the decision that led to their career changes (purchased the farm in 1995 that Galens family had owned for five generations, and then began planting grapes. They began selling wine in September 1998 and officially opened for business in the basement of their home the following May. We were the first in our county. Now theres at least 10 entities, I dont know, maybe more, Galen said, noting that they were one of the first to open north of the Blue Mountain. So, when it hit the newspaper that we were open, there were people driving out here just out of curiosity. As for milestones since then, a couple rose above the rest, beyond the momentous decision to plant Gruner Veltliner. One was Sarah meeting Volker Schneider, who turned out to be her winemaking mentor from Europe, in 2008 and 2009. That was a big turning point, she said. Hes based on the Rhine in a little village called Bingen. Its one of the most beautiful parts of Germany. Hes since retired, still kind of doing a little bit in Europe with wine, but for a long time, was a good conduit for us to not only get to Europe, and see things in Europe, but also perfect and hone my winemaking skills. To this day, I can still ask my question about anything. It could be wine Im working on now, or something Id be thinking about. Schneider, she said, speaks seven languages and teaches and writes in four, and is someone who could talk wine chemistry from sunup to sundown. I do a lot of my own chemical analysis but probably even more important than that, was making a style and then continuing a style, which is not easy, she continued. Across vintages, we look to be very consistent, but still allow whatever the vintage is saying, we allow that to be heard as well. So were always looking for how to make something similar but still hold true to what we grew here, which is the same as what you would expect from a European winery. So that was key with him, how to look at all the tools in my wine cellar, with his help, with Galen tasting, and make something thats consistent but also true to whatever happened here that growing season. While Sarah, for years, has worked the winemaking side, Galen has mastered the vineyard and the equipment thats needed to maintain it. The equipment gets better, he said, and his methods have gotten better. But Mother Nature keeps evolving, too. So theres like so many dynamics with a vineyard. You get much wiser about your site. When I started, I used to be very frustrated. You know, there would be all these general guidelines, and then youd have to figure out what works for you. And Id be like, with all this technology in the world, why is that still true? But now Im like, I understand. subtle things are rootstocks and vine spacing, and, you know, this hill, that hill, water runoff so you start putting that together, and it just takes time. We did what many people have done. We had to plant Cabernet Sauvignon because, you know, it was the variety that everybody knew and sort of wanted, but we had to figure out that it really didnt work here. Certainly, knowledge of the land is passed down through previous generations, but there are always lessons to pick up as new growing seasons arrive, providing new tools to put in the toolbox, Galen said. Theres these little tweaks and tricks, and you sure hope you dont get a vintage where you have to use all the tools. But thats happened, too. What also happened, at least for a time during these three decades building their business, was the obstacle of herbicide drift from other farms in the area. Galen and Sarah arent the first to tell PennLive about the problems of drift, only the latest. We are in a spot where we went through some really unhappy encounters with our neighbors to get it all straightened out, or at least at a balance that we could all work together, Sarah said. Yeah, that was definitely a low point. A pretty, dark, three-, four -or five-year period, Galen chimed in. This will sound like sour grapes, and I dont really know how to say it another way, but I think we were one of the first ones to identify this, and even the Department of Agriculture, I think there was a lot of nobody wanted to believe it. There was a lot of discredit. I mean, youre like a whistleblower that they just didnt want to happen. Now the Department of Agriculture has agreed to, you know, we have drift watch, which was a Midwestern challenge, because tomato [growers] were having this challenge [there]. Even Extension couldnt believe that it was possible, and like there was there were a lot of naysayers, of which I would say today, I dont think you would hear that anymore. Added Sarah, Now theres scientific evidence. You can test for it. Its all part of being in a farming community. too. We have to work together, and its not always easy. What has made things a lot easier for the couple is the return of daughter Erin, and since then, adding son-in-law Garrett Schorran to the family tree last year. They become the seventh generation to farm a piece of property that sits on the fringe of the Lehigh Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA) in a unique microclimate that features limited rainfall, howling winds and ancient glacially deposited soils, per the website. It is, according to internationally recognized importer and distributor Skurnik Wines, one of the oldest farms in the country that one family has owned and operated. They have stepped in and provided immense help, both in the winery and vineyard. Erins line of sparkling wines, carrying the Erin Elizabeth label, debuted in 2022, and she has since created a series of master classes, with the next one set for Nov. 30 that will pair East Coast wines, including several from Galen Glen, with small bites from Michelin-star restaurants. It comes following the news that Galen Glens wines were recently placed at Michelin-starred restaurants abroad and in the first-ever Michelin Guide for Philly. More on the event can be found at this link. The irony of all this is that Sarah and Galen spent her adolescent years trying to discourage her from following in their footsteps. She wanted to go to college for winegrowing, and we were like, no. She managed to wrangle nearly a full scholarship to Cornell, and then her masters was a full scholarship, so clearly the no was the wrong answer, but we never put any pressure on her to return. Erin has two brothers, and theyre engineers. All three of them know about the business. You have to want to live this lifestyle, especially if you grow [grapes], and she did, and so when she decided to come back here, we were excited. Now shes married a year, her husband is here. I think it has put years back on, just the fact that Galen doesnt have to do all of the physical work that no one else is strong enough to do. So, yeah, were really fortunate. But we never planned on it. It wasnt anything concrete in Europe, yes, there its kind of expected, but no, we didnt really expect it. Said Gale, Sarah was always a winemaker. I was a wine grower, but Erins the educated daughter who saw wine made on multiple continents California, New Zealand, Long Island got a masters in Europe, and so on. I mean, she had a way to fill in any of the gaps. Sarah picked up the perspective from there. [She has] a huge network. Pick a country, and she probably knows someone there making wine. Some of the things she took us to see. Were like, what. I cant believe were in the 12th-century castle that inspired Walt Disney, because you have a connection. A lot of friends, connections, colleagues ... and brings a much bigger perspective to our business, the global perspective of wine. Im very comfortable thinking about our wine in the context of Germany and Austria. But she thinks about it much wider and broader than that. The grapes are picked, with another vintage put to bed. There is room inside the Galen Glen tasting room, but also seating outside, with a great view of the vineyard and the distant hills. Galen Glen Winery Ahead is a Veterans Day promotion this Friday through Sunday, and a 30th anniversary celebration and ribbon cutting starting at noon on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the winery. Beyond that, as this vintage ferments and is then bottled, maybe some work on the tasting room. Its funny you bring that up because this morning, Galen and I were talking about, just customers and expectations, that it might be time for another shift of the tasting room, Sarah said. Nothing stays or is ever static. It might be time to rethink some things there. Move over Costco and Sams Club, you might have to deal with a formidable contender in the warehouse club space. BJs is gaining steam with customers by announcing the return of a generous deal thatll get shoppers into stores during the holiday season. So, between Nov. 1 and Nov. 10, BJs members who spend $150 or more in a single in-club transaction will be eligible to receive a free fresh or frozen Butterball turkey, according to a new press release. Customers who qualify will be able to claim their free turkey coupon in the BJs app or BJs.com account between Nov. 15 and Nov. 26. The free turkey has a maximum value of $25. The offer excludes organic turkeys and is available while supplies last. We know our members look forward to our free turkey giveaway each year, said Dave Rajkovich, senior vice president of perishables at BJs, in the press release. BJs savings of up to 25% off grocery store prices every day, combined with a free turkey, delivers unbeatable holiday value and convenience to the families who depend on us. Were honored to be part of their celebrations. BJs holiday move comes after rival Costco started offering members $70 off its eight-person turkey dinner meal kit last month, a deal that is valid through Dec. 1 while supplies last. Meanwhile, rival Sams Club is also offering a Thanksgiving meal that can feed a family of 10 for under $100 this year. Additionally, Sams Club promises to deliver the pre-cooked Thanksgiving items to shoppers within two hours. Further details surrounding the 74-year-old's death remain pending. (Photo by Andy Sheppard/Redferns via Getty Images) Redferns via Getty Images The longtime drummer of a classic rock band has died. He was 74 years old. UltimateClassicRock.com reports that Gilson Lavis who served as the classic-era drummer for London, England-based Squeeze died on Tuesday. Im very sad to report that Gilson Lavis, my dear friend and long-standing drummer, passed away at his home in Lincolnshire last night, reads an Instagram statement by Squeeze keyboardist Jools Holland. On behalf of my [separate band Rhythm & Blues] Orchestra, Squeeze, the many musicians who have worked with and befriended Gilson over the years and all the people he has supported through the AA fellowship, I send our love and sympathy to Nikki and Gilson, his dear wife and son. Oh, Jools. What deeply said news, reads a comment from fellow musician KT Tunstall. Lovely Gilson. Im so glad I got to share a stage with his greatness, and so glad he spent his life being brilliant at what he loved, and having lots of fun with you. A beautiful many and soulful performer, added artist Gregory Porter. American Songwriter explains that Lavis joined Squeeze in 1976 before leaving in 1992. He eventually joined up with the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra prior to retiring late last year. Further information regarding Laviss death remain pending as of the publishing of this report. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has said that tightening visa rules for Russian citizens in the European Union is a justified response to the escalation of hybrid threats from Russia. "We welcome the EU's long-awaited move to tighten visa rules for Russian nationals. We have been advocating for this for a long time. This is a well-justified and effective measure to strengthen the security of every European family in response to Russia escalating hybrid threats," he said on the X social network on Friday. Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak also reacted to the European Commission's decision, noting that Russia has long been waging a hybrid war against European and other democratic countries. "Russia has long been waging a hybrid war against European and other democratic countries: terrorist attacks against military facilities and critical infrastructure, political assassinations, bribing politicians and political parties, influencing elections, inflaming conflicts with mass propaganda, attacks using provoked waves of migrants, and recently constant violation of sovereign airspace by airplanes and drones. Therefore, for the safety of their own citizens, all democratic countries should adopt much stricter rules for admitting Russian citizens to their territory. And this should have been done much earlier," he said in Telegram channel. In his opinion, it is also necessary to completely ban for life all persons who fought against Ukraine and their family members from entering the EU. "Those who calmly killed Ukrainians and supported this can kill anyone again. They prove this almost every day also inside Russia they kill and rape their fellow citizens," Yermak added. According to information, the decision of the European Commission to cancel multiple-entry visas for Russian citizens will not affect visas already issued, it will come into force on November 8 and will have exceptions, said the official representative of the EC Markus Lammert. He specified that only multiple-entry visas are canceled, single-entry visas will be issued, but under stricter control. Lammert also explained that exceptions to the general decision are allowed. In particular, close relatives of Russian citizens living in the EU and family members who have EU citizenship will be able to receive a one-year multiple-entry visa. Transport workers may be issued a nine-month visa "in justified cases." Resources like the Oregon Food Bank and its partners are currently receiving less product than usual due to the national pause of SNAP benefits. Allison Barr/The Oregonian The nations largest food assistance program, SNAP, has been at the center of a political showdown thats left millions of Americans 2 million in Pennsylvania wondering how theyll put food on the table. Heres what you need to know: 1. SNAP benefits froze Nov. 1 The federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 halted monthly SNAP payments starting Nov. 1. Thats a big deal because SNAP, often called food stamps, helps about 42 million Americans roughly 1 in 8 people nationwide. For many families, this program is the difference between eating and going hungry. 2. Court rulings may affect the program Two federal judges ordered the USDA to keep SNAP funds flowing, forcing the Trump administration to use an emergency fund to partially cover November benefits. But heres the catch: The fund only has $4.65 billion, about half of whats normally needed in a month. So benefits will be partial and delayed. After the court rulings, Trump said in a Truth Social post that SNAP BENEFITS will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government. But in another twist, a White House spokesperson walked back Trumps statement and said the government would make partial payments. However, on Thursday, a federal judge in Rhode Island has ordered the Trump administration to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November. The ruling was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit. 3. What partial funding means The average SNAP benefit is about $190 per person per month. Many recipients say they zeroed out their accounts in early or mid-October. Plus, loading the reduced benefits onto cards could take days, weeks or possibly even months, leaving families scrambling to stretch what little they have. December also could bring another crisis if Congress doesnt act. 4. Pennsylvanias governor declared emergency Gov. Josh Shapiro on Oct. 31 signed a declaration of disaster emergency to release millions to help feed low-income Pennsylvanians. Shapiro pledged $5 million for food banks and rolled out a private sector donation campaign, with more than $1 million for food banks through the SNAP Emergency Relief Fund. 5. Other states are pitching in California fast-tracked $80 million to food aid groups and even called in the National Guard to help distribute food. Washington is sending $2.2 million per week to food banks. Virginia went further, promising to give families comparable weekly benefits to what theyd normally get from SNAP. 6. Food banks were already stretched thin Even before the SNAP crisis, food banks were seeing high demand. Now, theyre bracing for a flood of visitors, some new, some old. Volunteers and nonprofits are scrambling to keep shelves stocked as families turn to them for basics like bread, milk and meat. Last month, WellSpan Health announced it would contribute the equivalent of 1 million meals to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. 7. Families are making tough choices Stories from Oregon and across the country paint a grim picture: empty fridges, skipped meals and parents worried about feeding their kids. One mom in Arizona said shell rely on food banks more because her benefits dropped from $800 to $400. A man in New Jersey, paralyzed and on a fixed income, said hes asking relatives to buy groceries for him. For those without support networks, theoutlook is even more grim. 8. Kids and seniors are among the hardest hit In Oregon alone, 210,000 children and 130,000 people 65 and older depend on SNAP. These are people who cant easily earn extra income to make up for the shortfall. Advocates warn that cutting benefits forces families to buy cheaper, less nutritious food or go without, which can lead to long-term health problems. 9. WIC got a boost, but its not enough The Trump administration added $450 million to the WIC program, which helps low-income mothers and young children buy healthy staples. Thats good news for families with infants, but WIC is separate from SNAP and much smaller in scale. It wont cover the millions of households losing food assistance. 10. What happens in December? The emergency fund used for November could be tapped out. If Congress doesnt end the shutdown or approve new funding, December could bring another round of cuts or a complete halt. Advocates and some state officials are urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fully fund SNAP now, but so far, the Trump administration has declined to use other money thats been set aside. For families, the uncertainty is exhausting. SNAP is a lifeline for millions, and while some states and food banks are stepping up, the partial fix for November leaves big gaps. If the shutdown drags on, December could be even worse. Donations to local food banks are playing a critical role. Generative AI was used to structure and organize information based on original reporting for this story. It was reviewed and edited by local news staff. Planes taxi in front of an air traffic control tower at Newark International Airport in Newark, N.J., Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) AP By JOSH FUNK and RIO YAMAT, The Associated Press U.S. airlines began canceling hundreds of flights Thursday due to the Federal Aviation Administrations order to reduce traffic at the countrys busiest airports starting Friday because of the government shutdown. Nearly 700 planned Friday flights were cut from airline schedules, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. That number, already four times higher than Thursdays daily total, was likely to keep climbing. The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a list distributed to the airlines and obtained by The Associated Press. In some metropolitan areas, including New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, multiple airports will be impacted. The FAA seeks to reduce service by 10% across high-volume markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown. The move also comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown. Hours before the reductions went into place, airlines were scrambling to figure out where to cut. American Airlines said it reduced its schedule at the listed airports by 4% from Friday through Monday, about 220 cancellations each day. Passengers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervouslyto see if their flights would take off as scheduled. Some travelers began changing or canceling itineraries preemptively. Flight cuts will begin gradually Airlines planned to phase in the cuts at the direction of the FAA, eliminating 4% of flights at the 40 airports on Friday and working up to 10%, according to three people familiar with the plans who were not authorized to discuss them publicly. The FAA had not yet published an official order as of Thursday afternoon. The list distributed to the airlines showed that it would apply to international airports in most major cities and tourist destinations, from Anchorage, Alaska, Honolulu and Las Vegas to Boston, Miami and San Francisco, Some airlines planned to focus on slashing routes to and from small and medium-size cities. This is going to have a noticeable impact across the U.S. air transportation system, industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said. The flight reductions just weeks before the busy holiday season prompted some travelers to change their plans or looking at other options. Fallon Carter canceled her Friday flight from New York to Tampa, Florida, where she planned to spend the weekend at the beach. She was worried about making it back to Long Island to be a bridesmaid at her best friends wedding. I dont know if I get there, will I get home? Carter said. The FAA is imposing the reductions to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, and have been increasingly taking sick days. Most controllers work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills unless they call out. In recent weeks the FAA has delayed flights when airports or its other facilities are short on controllers. Flight arrivals at Harrisburg International Airport. September 26, 2025. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com HIA is unsure of the effects Scott Miller, the spokesperson for Harrisburg International Airport, said on Thursday afternoon that its too early to know how the cancellation of flights across the country will impact flights at the Lower Swatara Township facility. We dont know yet. This is all coming together at the last minute, he said. While HIA isnt one of the largest airports in the country, it connects to a number of them in places such as Chicago, Boston, Charlotte and Atlanta. While its too early to know how it will impact operations at HIA, it probably will. Miller compared the situation to a snowstorm. While it might be a nice day in the Harrisburg area, there could be a snowstorm across the country thats delaying flights. That can then sometimes impact flights from coast to coast. He said this situation could have the same impact, a ripple effect.He said most airlines will alert travelers of changes through their mobile applications. He said the best thing to do if youre traveling in the next week or so is just to stay updated through the airlines app. Shuffling schedules Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on customers, some of whom will see weekend travel plans disrupted with little notice. United, Delta and American were among carriers that said they would offer refunds to passengers who opt not to fly, even if they purchased nonrefundable tickets. The head of Frontier Airlines recommended that travelers buy backup tickets with another airline to avoid being stranded. The cuts also could disrupt package deliveries because two airports with major distribution centers are on the list FedEx operates at the airport in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this weeks deadly cargo plane crash. The cuts could affect as many as 1,800 flights, or upward of 268,000 passengers, per day, according to an estimate from Cirium. Airlines are used to dealing with canceling thousands of flights on short notice during severe weather, but the difference now is that these cuts during the shutdown will last indefinitely until safety data improves. Shutdown already straining travel The shutdown is putting unnecessary strain on the system and damaging confidence in the U.S. air travel experience, said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman. Kelly Matthews, who lives in Flat Rock, Michigan, and frequently flies for work, said she has canceled most of her upcoming trips and understands why federal airport employees have stopped showing up. You cant expect people to go in to work when theyre not getting a paycheck for the continuation of over a month now, she said. I mean its not a matter of them not wanting to do the job but you cant afford to pay for gas, your day care and everything else. Controller staffing worsening The past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown. From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an AP analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, was well above the average for weekends before the shutdown. Associated Press journalists Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York, Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, and Christopher L. Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and PennLive reporter Daniel Urie in Harrisburg, contributed. The nonprofit Army Heritage Center Foundation partnered with Love Carlisle to dress up the history-rich downtown business district in red, white and blue banners to honor veterans for their service. The Courthouse Square and the downtown Carlisle business district were lined with 500 small American flags bearing the names of local veterans. In years past, the flags were placed on the campus of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. The foundation decided to enhance the displays visibility and impact by taking it into the heart of historic Carlisle. Each flag bears the name of a veteran and was sponsored by a military supporter. Crews respond to a fire call the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, at Heights Market & Deli, 1811 10th St. in Bethlehem Township. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | For lehighvalleylive.com Fire crews responded Thursday afternoon to a fire at a popular deli in Bethlehem Township. It was reported at 2:13 p.m. at Heights Market & Deli, on 10th Street, according to a Northampton County 911 dispatch supervisor. The first-arriving responders found smoke coming from the building, according to the supervisor. Dispatchers called in multiple agencies to assist township fire crews on the second-alarm call. The townships Nancy Run Fire Co. posted to Facebook that crews called for an automatic fire alarm found fire in the basement of the business. Crews respond to a fire call the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, at Heights Market & Deli, 1811 10th St. in Bethlehem Township. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | For lehighvalleylive.com The fire was under control by about 2:50 p.m., township Fire Chief C.J. Kuronya told lehighvalleylive.com. An employee of the store was taken by ambulance to the hospital with chest pains and smoke inhalation, Kuronya said. The market is expected to remain closed for an extended period due to significant interior damage, according to the fire chief. Crews respond to a fire call the afternoon of Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, at Heights Market & Deli, 1811 10th St. in Bethlehem Township. Pamela Sroka-Holzmann | For lehighvalleylive.com The cause remains under investigation by Bethlehem Township and Palmer Township fire investigators. WILLIAMSPORT It would appear Williamsports elected officials will have term limits after all. City Council on Thursday night chose not to attempt to override Mayor Derek Slaughters veto of a term-limits ordinance adopted Oct. 16. Instead, it passed on first reading a similar ordinance, but with the provision to allow those currently in office to run once again, although they would exceed the term limit if elected. Slaughter, who is one of three elected officials impacted by the change, said he would sign the ordinance if it is adopted on final reading with no amendments. Williamsport Mayor Derek Slaughter City of Willliamsport In adopting the original ordinance council ignored the suggestion of City Solicitor Austin White to include the provision allowing those in office to run for one more term. Unchanged is the limit of two four-year terms for the mayor and three four-year terms for members of council, controller and treasurer. Councilwoman Bonnie Katz and controller Peg Woodring also would be unable to seek another term had the ordinance the mayor vetoed become law. In another matter, there appears to be some sort of damage to the mostly vacant, condemned City Hall. Council, with little explanation, voted to hire a private firm to investigate it. 2022 photo of Williamsport City Hall Councilman Vincent Pulizzi, who proposed hiring the firm, declined to describe the type of damage but said he wanted an independent investigation, not one by city police. The building has been virtually empty except for police records and evidence personnel since September 2021 because of extensive water damage from roof leaks and a burst pipe. Council, for years, has debated whether to repair or sell City Hall, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll speaks at an event on Thursday marking the opening of the bridge behind him that replaced one destroyed in flash flooding in August 2024. John Beauge | Special to PennLive TROUT RUN A promise made and a promise kept was a reason Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll returned to the Lycoming County village of Trout Run on Thursday. He promised in August 2024, after flash flooding destroyed the Route 14 bridge, that traffic would be moving again within weeks. That promise was kept by PennDOT hiring a contractor to build a temporary bridge. Carroll also promised that PennDOT would give just as much attention to Trout Run as it did to get Interstate 95 reopened in Philadelphia after an overpass collapsed on June 11, 2023, when a tanker truck carrying gasoline caught fire beneath it. He told local officials in Trout Run 15 months ago he would return to celebrate the opening of the new Route 14 bridge, and that is what he did Thursday. Were here today to celebrate the bridge behind me, he said. This is what PennDOT does. It accepts the challenge that comes from nature. Demolition of the Route 14 bridge in Trout Run damaged by Aug. 9, 2024, flash flooding takes place as officials discuss plans for an expedited reopening of the highway that is a link between Route 15 and Bradford County. John Beauge He praised everyone from those wearing hard hats to officials for their combined effort to get the debris removed, the temporary bridge designed and built, and the new one constructed. The brief ceremony was held next to the Trout Run Volunteer Fire Co. building, which was badly damaged when Trout Run went out of its banks. It served as a disaster center for several weeks during the early stages of cleanup. Inside the repaired building, Fire Chief Nick Smith kept pointing out to visitors the architects rendering for a new station on the current parking lot. He is pushing to get construction started in the spring, he said. The building would include facilities for a 24-hour paid ambulance service for the northcentral part of the county and southern Tioga County. PennDOT District Executive Eric High recounted the recovery efforts following the devastation caused by remnants of Hurricane Debby in August 2024. He cited the $4 million in emergency funding Carroll obtained for the bridge project. It was noted that removal of debris from Trout Run began before the Department of Environmental Protection was on the scene and gave its approval. Trout Run Volunteer Fire Chief Nick Smith explains plans for a new fire station to replace one damaged extensively in the 2024 flood from the remnants of Hurricane Debby. John Beauge | Special to PennLive Republican State Rep. Joe Hamm, whose district includes Trout Run, said he had no doubt this community would come back roaring. High likely summed up the feelings of all those in attendance when he said what a difference a year makes. Ohio lawmakers are following the lead of the Trump administration in seeking to trample all over the First Amendment guarantee of the right to free speech. --- By Sally Ann Ulrich Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. I love the First Amendment. I mean that literally. For me, it is the soul of the Constitution, safeguarding the fundamental rights of a free people. It did not have an easy birth. On May 25,1787, delegates from 12 states met in Philadelphia in what came to be called the Constitutional Convention. Rhode Island opted out, fearful that individual rights would not be protected. After months of debate, delegates approved the Constitution of the United States and distributed it to the states. Approval by at least nine was necessary for ratification. There was an uproar! Anti-Federalists like Patrick Henry and George Mason decried the document as granting too much power to the federal government. Where, pray tell, did the Constitution ensure the protection of human rights? Federalists like James Madison and Alexander Hamilton insisted that setting out governmental powers inherently protected individual rights. Powers not set forth could not be exercised. With ratification on the line, Federalists gave in, agreeing to add a Bill of Rights. The agreement pacified the Anti-Federalists. Delaware ratified on Dec. 7, 1787, followed five days later by Pennsylvania. (Should you be asked what word is misspelled in the original Constitution, the answer is Pensylvania. Spelling was not then standardized, and the misspelling was acceptable. It also ppears on the Liberty Bell.) On June 21, 1788, the ninth state, New Hampshire, ratified. We had a Constitution! Eventually the four remaining states ratified as well. James Madison began drafting a First Amendment. More debate, dissension, revision! The First Amendment finally was adopted on Dec. 15, 1791, with nine additional amendments. Now we had not only a Constitution. We also had a Bill of Rights! In the 20th century these rights were made applicable to the states through a process called incorporation. Laws are rarely specific and comprehensive enough to withstand challenges. And so it was with the First Amendment. Its protections continue to be contested, reviewed, reinterpreted. It is healthy to do so. In our tripartite government, the Supreme Court becomes the final arbiter. When I was in elementary school, Pennsylvania law required teachers to read several Bible verses at the beginning of classes. Some schools, like mine, added the Lords Prayer. In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose. In 1963 the Supreme Court ruled that these practice violated the Establishment Clause, which prohibits governmental endorsement of religion. We now have a president who favors a return to prayer in public schools. He encourages classroom displays of the Ten Commandments. A few states already have passed laws requiring these displays. Of course, there are legal challenges. What is speech? Does it require spoken words? Not necessarily. The Supreme Court has recognized symbolic speech. The swastikas carried by Neo-Nazis and burning the flag fall within that category. However hateful, free speech is protected under the First Amendment. There is an important caveat: Speech that is likely to provoke imminent violence is not protected. Recently, the Attorney General vowed to go after citizens who engage in what she called hate speech. But can the government prohibit so-called hate speech in the absence of its imminent escalation into something dangerous? The Supreme Court has declared that public officials and public figures could not sue the press for defamation without proof of actual malice, that is, with knowledge of its falsity or with reckless disregard for its truth or falsity. The Pentagon Papers case established the principle that government may not prohibit publication of information it deems threatening or embarrassing without proof that prior restraint was necessary for national security. The Department of Defense has announced that only journalists who obey restrictive departmental rules would be given access to the Pentagon. Dozens of reporters surrendered their credentials. Freedom of the press means not only freedom to publish but freedom to interact with the government. When access to government officials is cut off, the press is silenced. Freedom of assembly protects citizens rights to join, or not join, groups that promote certain causes - joining a union, taking part in a protest, and the like. The government may set reasonable time and place standards for a protest. It must also protect protesters from outsiders who pose a threat. And the protest must be peaceful. Recently millions of citizens participated in a second nationwide No Kings rally. The Trump Administration denounced the rally, calling it the I Hate America rally. A government that mocks a peaceful assembly mocks the First Amendment. The 25 words of the First Amendment vouchsafe for us the fundamental rights of a free people. I have discussed governmental policies and interventions that presage slippage. It is perhaps human nature to love something the more when it is slipping away. So it is with me. Sally Ann Ulrich writes from Susquehanna Township. New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks at the Islamic Cultural Center of the Bronx mosque in New York on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey) AP Voters have spoken and theyve sent a pretty powerful message that theyre fed up with the Republican Partys shenanigans nationally and locally, and theyre ready to give Democrats a chance to clean things up. From New York to California to Virginia to the cities, towns and boroughs of Pennsylvania, the majority of voters clearly repudiated Republican messengers, especially those aligned with the policies of President Donald Trump. And the turnout was phenomenal breaking records around the country. Its a sign of just how fed up voters are, especially with mean, do-nothing politicians and campaign lies. A pile of mailers intended to sway the PA Supreme Court retention races. Sarah Anne Hughes / Spotlight PA Pennsylvania voters rejected well-funded attempts to mislead them in the Supreme Court judges race voting to retain the three justices Democrats supported. And in local elections, voters rejected a slew of Republican figures in favor of new Democratic Party candidates. LGBTQ candidates scored big and, at times, historic wins in Tuesday's election. Erica Deuso (left) was elected as the first openly transgender mayor of Downingtown, becoming one of the first trans officials in the Commonwealth. Ethan Byers (bottom right), an openly gay man, was elected to the Columbia Borough Council, and Marshall Miller, an openly gay man, won a seat on the Lancaster City Council. All three are Democrats. Photos submitted In Lancaster, Democrat Jaime Arroyo became the citys first Latino mayor, receiving 84.1 percent of the vote a mandate by any definition. It wasnt really a race between Democrats and Republicans in Harrisburg, since city Treasurer Dan Miller was a Republican in name only, but Democratic Mayor Wanda Williams won, anyway. Mayor Wanda Williams arrives for her Election Night watch party in Harrisburg. Nov 4, 2025. Sean Simmers ssimmers@pennlive.com Sean Simmers ssimmers@pennlive.c But you only have to look at the judgeship elections in Dauphin County to understand what voters here are saying. Two prominent Republican political veterans District Attorney Fran Chardo and Recorder of Deeds Jim Zugay -- lost to Democratic newcomers. La Tasha Williams, left, made Dauphin County history by becoming the first Black judge elected to the bench. She and Katy Kennedy-McShane became the first Democrats elected to the bench in more than 30 years Tuesday. Submitted photos PennLives Jonathan Bergmueller called the victories of Democrats Katy Kennedy-McShane and La Tasha Williams nothing short of an upset. They are the first Democrats elected to their posts in 33 years. Williams became the first Black woman elected to the bench in county history. My, how times have changed. As Bergmueller noted, Chardos defeat disrupted three decades of county tradition. District Attorneys generally have a clear shot at stepping onto the bench. Not this time. Antonio Carreno is new Dauphin County prothonotary. Daniel Carreno It was the same for two row offices in Dauphin County. Democrat challenger Antonio Carreno defeated two-term Republican incumbent Matt Krupp in the race for Prothonotary. And Democrat Tina Nixon beat another veteran Republican -- Penbrook Mayor John McDonald to become Clerk of Courts, again making history as the first Black woman to hold the position. Tina Nixon speaks at the coroner / clerk of courts candidate forum. March 26, 2025. Sean Simmers |ssimmers@pennlive.com Attorney Bridget Whitley made history in the last election, becoming the first Democrat to hold the post. But she faced turmoil as she tried to run the office with staff hired by the previous Republican administration. She was forced to resign after six months in office. Bridget Whitley was the first Democratic Clerk of Courts in the history of the Dauphin County. Keyna Warren Were clearly living through tumultuous political times. And while Democrats are rejoicing here and throughout the country, they also should be aware voters have high expectations that are directly tied to the turmoil now dominating Washington. Voters are using local elections to send a message that they are not happy with President Trump, his tariffs, his ballroom fiasco and his vicious deportation policies. President Donald Trump holds an artist rendering of interior of the new White House ballroom as meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) AP Most of all, voters want him and Congress to take concrete actions to lower costs for food, housing, and healthcare. They want to hear less about golden ballrooms for kingly banquets and more about SNAP benefits to feed their children. If the shenanigans in Washington dont stop by the mid-terms, heres a sure bet: we could see more Republicans in Congress and in local elections pay the price. Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. By DAVID A. LIEB, MICHAEL CASEY and SCOTT BAUER, The Associated Press BOSTON (AP) President Donald Trumps administration asked a federal appeals court Friday to block a judges order that it distribute Novembers full monthly SNAP benefits amid a U.S. government shutdown, even as at least some states said they were moving quickly to get the money to people. U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. had given Trumps administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But Trumps administration asked the appeals court to suspend any court orders requiring it to spend more money than is available in a contingency fund. The court filing came even as Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback said on Friday that some SNAP recipients in the state already had received their full November payments overnight on Thursday. Weve received confirmation that payments went through, including members reporting they can now see their balances, she said. The court wrangling prolonged weeks of uncertainty for the food program that serves about 1 in 8 Americans, mostly with lower incomes. Thursdays federal court order came in a lawsuit from cities and nonprofits challenging the Trump administrations decision to cover only 65% of the maximum monthly benefit, a decision that could have left some recipients getting nothing for this month. McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip Novembers benefits entirely because of the federal shutdown. A sign for a food pantry for federal workers is seen as TSA agents check identification at a security checkpoint at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in SeaTac, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) AP The judges in both cases ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing more than $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month. On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program and that the other money was needed to shore up other child hunger programs. In its court filing Friday, Trumps administration contended that Thursdays directive to fund full SNAP benefits runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution. This unprecedented injunction makes a mockery of the separation of powers. Courts hold neither the power to appropriate nor the power to spend, the U.S. Department of Justice wrote in its request to the court. CHONGQING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- For generations, Liu Wanyun's family harvested lemons by hand, bending low to pick the fruit and carrying heavy loads down the mountain, but now advanced technology offers him a new helping hand. In an orchard in Shuikou Village of Tongnan District, southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, Liu and other villagers pick ripe lemons while a drone pierces the morning mist overhead, hovering precisely above the grove before lowering a hook to lift a bulging sack of freshly harvested fruit. With a hum of rotors, the drone carrying 100 kilograms of lemons descends the mountain, drops the load onto a waiting truck and swiftly returns for another round, a scene that captures the growing "human-machine collaboration" reshaping the lemon industry in China's mountainous city of Chongqing. "It only takes a few drone trips to do what we used to accomplish in a whole day," Liu said. According to drone operator Yang Qing, the model used in the orchards can spray, sow and transport goods. Powered by advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and computing power, it performs fully autonomous flights and detects obstacles in all directions. "One operator with one drone can transport 20 tonnes of lemons a day, the same amount of work that once took 10 people two days to complete," Yang said. "It cuts labor costs and boosts efficiency, as the drone can fully recharge in just 10 minutes before taking off again." Beyond the orchards, automation takes over inside Snow King Agriculture (Chongqing) Co., Ltd., where robotic arms carefully lift crates of lemons onto a conveyor belt, and the fruits are washed, sorted, weighed and packaged before being moved into storage, all within just 15 minutes. In the sorting area, 12 grading lines operate in smooth coordination, while a digital monitoring system assesses each lemon's size, color and imperfections -- such as rot, dark spots or bumps -- with near-perfect accuracy. "Our automated production line can process over 50 tonnes of lemons per hour, handling over 1,200 tonnes a day," said Li Jincheng, who is in charge of the company. "Automation improves both speed and quality, which is a win-win for both producers and consumers." Across China, traditional industries are undergoing a technology-driven transformation to raise productivity and open new paths for growth. The world's second-largest economy has recently unveiled a pivotal document outlining priorities for its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), which emphasizes "achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology" and "steering the development of new quality productive forces" as key objectives for the coming five years. Numerous companies across China are accelerating their digital transformation efforts. According to the China Internet Development Report 2024, the country now has nearly 10,000 digitalized workshops and intelligent factories. Of that number, more than 400 have been recognized as national-level benchmark factories in the field of smart manufacturing, utilizing technologies such as AI and digital twins. Such momentum has been propelling Tongnan lemons into overseas markets. In the first nine months of 2025, Tongnan exported 14,400 tonnes of fresh lemons worth 176 million yuan (about 24.84 million U.S. dollars), marking year-on-year increases of 10.8 percent and 58.6 percent, respectively. "We can now cover all regions within a 40-day shipping window," said Li. "Technology has enabled our exported lemons to meet the standards of customers in different countries, giving us the confidence to expand globally." Today, Tongnan boasts 320,000 mu (about 21,333 hectares) of lemon plantations, with annual production expected to reach 350,000 tonnes and an annual output value of 9 billion yuan. "The next step is to deepen processing technologies and build an integrated value chain from cultivation to advanced processing," said Hu Guangjian, director of the district's agriculture and rural affairs committee. "We aim to make 'Tongnan Lemon' a name recognized far beyond China's borders." Ukraine and Norway have extended their road transport agreement through the end of 2027, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration, Minister for Communities and Territories Development Oleksiy Kuleba announced. According to his statement on Telegram on Friday, the extension allows Ukrainian carriers operating Euro 5standard trucks and above to continue transporting cargo without obtaining special permits. The decision also expands opportunities for business, logistics, and economic cooperation between the two countries. Kuleba noted that Ukraine exported $553 million worth of goods to Norway in 2024, with this figure increasing each year. "The Ministry's consistent policy aims to liberalize international freight transport and broaden the geography of such agreements," the statement said. Currently, liberalized transport regimes are in effect with 35 countries, including all EU member states. "I express my gratitude to our partners and the Government of Norway for supporting this decision!" Kuleba added. As reported earlier, Ukraine and the European Commission agreed to extend the Agreement between the EU and Ukraine on the carriage of freight by road for another 15 months. The transport agreement was originally signed in June 2022 in response to Russia's full-scale invasion and the destruction of traditional logistics routes. Initially valid for one year, the agreement was extended in June 2024 for the third time, with the parties agreeing that it would be automatically prolonged through the end of 2025 if no negative impacts or violations arose. A special Working Group, comprising representatives of the Ukrainian ministry, EU member states, and the European Commission, was established to monitor the agreement's impact. Ukraine needs to win this war, as it fights for security of Europe Romanian President Romanian President Nicusor Dan discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the current security situation and the need to intensify efforts to achieve a lasting and just peace. "Substantive discussion with President Zelenskyy today on the current security situation and the need for increased efforts to achieve a lasting and just peace in Ukraine. Ukraine needs to win this war, as it fights for the security of Europe as a whole and for our joint values. On bilateral level, we agreed to continue working to establish a Strategic Partnership. We are both committed to implementing a pragmatic, forward looking and sustainable agenda," he said on the X social network on Friday evening. According to the President's Office of Ukraine, Zelenskyy briefed Dan on the current diplomatic situation and the constant Russian strikes. Russia continues to reject diplomacy, and the leaders discussed what joint steps could bring the Russians back to reality. The Presidents of Ukraine and Romania spoke about further defense assistance to Ukraine, the need to strengthen air defense, and the importance of the PURL initiative. They also discussed defense cooperation, in particular, the capabilities and means that Ukraine is ready to export to Romania, and joint projects within the framework of the SAFE initiative. Ukraine and Romania have good potential for partnership and are equally interested in its implementation. Zelenskyy invited the Romanian president to visit Ukraine, and the teams will work on preparing the visit to achieve practical results. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun discussed bilateral cooperation, including in food supply, and agreed that teams from both countries would work out "all potential areas for partnership." "I spoke with Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun. () We discussed the topic of food security and our bilateral cooperation. Ukraine is ready to involve its logistics and agrotechnology specialists in the implementation of projects," Zelenskyy said in his Telegram channel on Friday. He said the parties agreed that the teams of Ukraine and Lebanon "will work to discuss all potential areas for partnership in more detail." "Ukraine supports all efforts of Lebanon and the international community aimed at ensuring stability in the Middle East. Achieving real peace is equally important for our regions. Thank you for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Zelenskyy said. Grosvenor Poker Unveils Tour's 20th Season Schedule Matthew Pitt Senior Editor Copy link The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) heads into its 20th season in 2026, and there's plenty to look forward to if you are a fan of the long-running tour. The 2026 GUKPT schedule features nine legs, plus players will be able to get involved in the Grosvenor Poker UK Open, the Goliath, and the Behemoth. Combine the guaranteed prize pools of the Main Events, and you arrive at an impressive 5.7 million. Throw into the mix the side events at each stop, and that number will rapidly approach eight figures. Felix Shepherd, Poker Marketing Manager for Grosvenor Poker, is among those looking forward to celebrating the GUKPT's 20th season. "The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour has been the heartbeat of UK poker since its launch in 2007, and we're proud to carry that legacy into our 20th season. This landmark series will feature iconic stops, record-breaking guarantees, exceptional value, and the prestige and competitiveness players have come to expect." Players don't have long to wait before they can get their grind on in the first festival of the 2026 GUKPT. The Victoria Casino in London hosts the first leg of the 2026 GUKPT from January 8 to 18. The 2026 GUKPT returns to the same venue in the English capital twice more before the year's end. GUKPT London II takes place from April 9 to 19, followed by the Grand Final from November 19 to 29. GUKPT favorites Blackpool, Coventry, Leeds, Luton, and Manchester Bury New Road all return for the tour's 20th season. However, Edinburgh is a notable omission. GUKPT Edinburgh has been a mainstay on the tour since Season 7, but there will be no trip to the Scottish capital in 2026. Instead, the GUKPT takes its tour to Glasgow for the first time in the tour's history, where it will run a 1,000 buy-in Main Event boasting a 200,000 guarantee. GUKPT: 20th Series Schedule Leg Event Date From Date To Venue Main Event Buy-in Main Event Guarantee 1 GUKPT Jan. 8 Jan. 18 London: The Victoria 1,250 250,000 UK Open Feb. 5 Feb. 15 Coventry 1,500 1,000,000 2 GUKPT Feb. 26 Mar. 8 Manchester Bury New Road 1,250 250,000 3 GUKPT Apr. 9 Apr. 19 London: The Victoria 1,250 250,000 4 GUKPT May 14 May 24 Luton 1,250 250,000 Goliath Jul. 23 Aug. 02 Coventry 200 Est. 2,000,000 5 GUKPT Aug. 13 Aug. 23 Glasgow Merchant City 1,000 200,000 6 GUKPT Sep. 3 Sep. 13 Luton 1,250 250,000 7 GUKPT Sep. 24 Oct. 04 Leeds 1,250 250,000 8 GUKPT Oct. 29 Nov. 8 Blackpool 1,250 250,000 9 GUKPT Nov. 19 Nov. 29 London: The Victoria 2,000 500,000 Behemoth Dec. 7 Dec. 13 Coventry 300 250,000 In addition to the nine GUKPT festivals, Grosvenor Poker has also released the dates for three special events that have proved immensely popular in recent times. The 1,500 buy-in UK Open comes with a 1 million guarantee. Battle it out in that event from February 5-15 in Coventry. Paul Worsely: 2025 Goliath Champion Keep your diaries free between July 23 to August 2 and return to Coventry for the 2026 edition of the Goliath. The 200 buy-in Golitah has an estimated prize pool of 2 million! This year's Goliath drew in a record-breaking 12,961 crowd. Paul Worsley came out on top and took home 316,640 for his 200 investment. Last, but not least, is the 300 buy-in, 250,000 guaranteed Behemoth. It also takes place in Coventry from December 7-13. Of course, each of these announced festivals comes with a bustling schedule of side events and satellites. PokerNews will have more details for each of these upcoming 2026 GUKPT stops as soon as they become available. Share this article 'An Outlier': PokerStars Pro Jason Koon Came from a Rough Rural West Virginia Upbringing Jon Sofen Senior Editor U.S. Copy link Jason Koon, who signed on as a PokerStars ambassador nearly one year ago to the day, shared details of his humble beginnings during a Q&A session at the 2025 PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) at Resorts World in Las Vegas. The high-stakes poker legend, who became a Team Pro member along with Caitlin Comeskey during the 2024 NAPT, grew up in rural West Virginia, and his childhood wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. J-Koon on Beating the Odds Jason Koon Koon has been one of the top high rollers in the world for the past decade. He has $69 million in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob, which includes a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet and a record 12 Triton Poker Titles. And he hasn't been an all-or-nothing performer. In fact, he's one of the most consistent tournament players ever, evidenced by his largest cash of $3.5 million being worth just 20% of his career earnings. But, as he explained to host James Hartigan in the private townhall-style Q&A, he didn't just wake up one day a poker champion. He grinded his way over time from the low stakes to the biggest games in the world, even though the odds were likely stacked against him. "Living in West Virginia I was made fun of for being the poor guy," Koon said after explaining that West Virginia is the poorest state in the country. "So, it says a lot. I was the first person in my family to go to college. So, academic thinking, strategic thinking wasn't something that was taught to me. It was something that I had to learn." Koon was born in the town of Weston, which has a population of less than 3,000 residents. His family life was anything but pleasant. "As a kid it was frustrating. My dad went to prison when I was eight years old. I never saw him again, and I remember as a kid being like, 'I want out of this so bad, but there's no way I'm ever going to make it out.' I'm not trying to be too deep, but I'm really the only person in my familly that did." Koon did make it out, thanks in large part to discovering poker in college. He had racked up a six-figure debt from student loans, but by the time he finished graduate school, his poker winnings had bailed him out of debt. "I would like to say I've been responsible for all the success, but I've run really, really hot," a humble Koon said. "I've been an outlier, not just in poker but in so many situations in my life, and it's easy to sit up here and act like I had all the answers from the get-go. But I just surrounded myself with people that forced me to be a better person, and I got really lucky." "I hate to say, I wish I could tell all of you if you work really hard you're going to play the biggest stakes in the world, you're going to be the best poker player. But I think you have to want it more than anything in the world. You have to commit your life to it, and then things have to go well for you." Things have gone Koon's way as an adult far more so than as a youth, but he's also made his own breaks. He's battled against the top players in the world for years. He beat Phil Hellmuth for $1.6 million on PokerGO's High Stakes Duel in 2022. In 2015, he won his first high roller tournament, a $50,000 buy-in at the LA Poker Classic. Since 2016, he's cashed for seven figures 17 times. Koon turned 40 in August, making him eligible for the Poker Hall of Fame next summer at the WSOP. He'll be among the short list of favorites for the solo induction, joining Scott Seiver, Phil Galfond, and a few others. If he doesn't reach the PHOF in 2026, it won't be long before the poker legend who beat the odds to become one of the all-time greats joins poker's most exclusive club. Share this article Photo: https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/ Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Rustem Umerov and High Representative of the European Union Kaja Kallas discussed the priorities of military and non-military support for Ukraine for 2026 and agreed on key strategic areas of cooperation. "Had a productive conversation with Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. Discussed the priorities of military and non-military support for Ukraine for 2026 and agreed on key strategic areas of cooperation," he said in the Telegram channel on Friday. "I look forward to meeting you soon," Umerov said. Public Safety Reporter Kailey Cota is a public safety reporter for the Post & Courier's Charleston location. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina. Previously, she wrote for The State, The Current and The Daily Gamecock. She was named South Carolinas collegiate journalist of the year. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Andriy Hnatov reported on the situation in Pokrovsk axis. "This is one of the hottest directions today. The enemy does not give up attempts to capture Pokrovsk and create conditions for its encirclement by Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad agglomeration," he said during a briefing on Friday. According to the General Staff chief, the enemy has had such an intention for over a year. "They are trying to create conditions to capture this relatively small city. There is a certain advantage in the enemy's forces and means. They have partially infiltrated the city's buildings, especially on the southern outskirts of this settlement. They are trying to create a center in this way to continue the offensive," he said. Hnatov said all decisions regarding this operation will be made by the military command, and the population will be informed of their consequences. "Right now, unnecessary information publicly will definitely not help the interests of the city's defenders," he said. Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations. Editorials represent the institutional view of the newspaper. They are written and edited by the editorial staff, which operates separately from the news department. Editorial writers are not involved in newsroom operations. Photo: elements.envato.com A decision by the European Commission (EC) to scrap multiple-entry visas for Russian citizens will not affect those already issued, and is effective from November 8 with some exceptions, EC spokesperson Markus Lammert said. The decision is not retroactive and applies to new visas only, Lammert told a briefing in Brussels on Friday. The decision does not ban visas as such for Russians, he said. Only multiple-entry visas are being abolished. Single-entry visa will continue to be issued, though with stricter monitoring, he said. There will be exceptions from the general rule, he said. In particular, close relatives of Russian citizens who live in the EU will be able to get a one-year multiple-entry visa, he said. Transport workers will be able to get a nine-month visa, where justified. Member states can also issue multiple-entry visas to people who are, from the standpoint of EU authorities, are impeccable, by which Brussels implies dissidents, independent journalists, rights campaigners and representatives from civil-society organizations, Lammert said. This was an executive EC decision based on the Visa Code, he said, when asked by a journalist to explain the procedure. In this particular instance it means the EC acts upon agreement with member states. According to the standard procedure, members are formally notified the day after EC makes a decision. Because this decision was made on Thursday afternoon, members were notified on Friday, and the decision will come into force on the following day, November 8, the spokesman said. PR-Inside.com: 2025-11-07 01:51:56 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1044 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATESVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / November 6, 2025 / Carcetti Capital Corp. ("Carcetti" or the "Company") (TSXV:CART) announces that it will raise an aggregate of C$2,500,000 by way of the issuance of non-interest bearing and unsecured convertible debentures (the "Convertible Debentures") in the principal amount of C$1,250,000 (the "Principal Amount") to each of Jonathan Awde (Executive Chair of the Company) and Robert Quartermain (the Lead Director of the Company). Further, the Company intends to issue 5,000,000 common shares of the Company (each, a "Share") at a price of C$2.00 per Share in connection with advisory fees related to the Company's acquisition (the "Transaction") of Hemlo Gold Mine in Ontario, Canada ("Hemlo"). For more information regarding the Transaction, see the Company's news releases dated September 10, 2025, October 1, 2025 and October 7, 2025 (the "Previous News Releases").Convertible Debentures IssuanceThe Convertible Debentures will have a term of five years and the Principal Amount may, following the closing of the Transaction and at the election of the holder and at any time prior to maturity, be converted into Shares at the price of C$2.00 per Share (the "Conversion Price"). Pursuant to the Consolidation (as defined below), the Conversion Price will automatically be adjusted from C$2.00 per Share to C$3.00 per HMC Share (as defined below). There is no finder's fee or commission payable in connection with the issuance of the Convertible Debentures. The proceeds of the Convertible Debentures will be used by Carcetti for the costs and expenses associated with the closing of the Transaction.Each of Mr. Awde and Mr. Quartermain is a "related party" of the Company and the issuance of the Convertible Debentures constitutes a "related party transaction" (as each term is defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101")). The Company intends to rely on the specified markets exemption from the formal valuation requirement set forth in section 5.5(b) of MI 61-101 and the fair market value not more than $2,500,000 exemption under section 5.7(1)(b) of MI 61-101 from the requirement to obtain minority shareholder approval for the issuance of the Convertible Debentures.Share IssuanceOn September 10, 2025, Carcetti entered into an arm's length advisory services engagement letter in connection with those aspects of the Transaction related to reclamation and closure obligations (the "Services"). Subject to and concurrent with the consummation of the Transaction and as consideration for the Services, Carcetti will issue 5,000,000 Shares (the "Advisor Shares") at a deemed price of C$2.00 per Share for an aggregate value of C$10,000,000 in consideration for the Services. There is no finder's fee or commission payable in connection with the issuance of the Advisor Shares. Pursuant to the Amalgamation (as defined below), the Advisor Shares will be consolidated into 3,333,333 HMC Shares on a post-Consolidation basis.The Advisor Shares will be subject to a share acquisition agreement which restricts the transfer or disposition of the Advisor Shares for a period of one year from the date of issuance and provides the Company with a right of first refusal over any future sale or transfer of the Advisor Shares.The Advisor Shares, the Convertible Debentures and the Shares issuable upon the conversion of the Convertible Debentures will be subject to a four month and one day hold period pursuant to Canadian securities laws. The issuance of the Advisor Shares and the Convertible Debentures are subject to corporate approval and the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV").In connection with the Transaction and as previously disclosed, the Company has entered into an amalgamation agreement with a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company to amalgamate (the "Amalgamation") under section 181 of the Canada Business Corporations Act. Pursuant to the Amalgamation, the Company expects it will consolidate (the "Consolidation") its Shares on the basis of two-thirds (2/3) of a new Share of the Company (each, an "HMC Share") for every one pre-consolidation Share and will change its name to Hemlo Mining Corp. For more information regarding the Amalgamation, see the Previous News Releases. Upon completion of the Amalgamation, the HMC Shares (which include the Advisor Shares) will not be subject to a hold period under Canadian securities laws.ContactFor further information contact:Jason KosecEmail: info@ hemlomining.com Tel: 250-552-7424Forward-looking StatementsThis news release contains forward-looking statements regarding: the issuance of the Convertible Debentures, including the anticipated use of proceeds thereof; the issuance of the Advisor Shares; the closing of the Transaction; receipt of corporate and TSXV approvals; the completion of the Amalgamation and the Consolidation as currently contemplated or at all; and that the HMC Shares will not be subject to a hold period under Canadian securities laws. These forward-looking statements are provided as of the date of this news release, or the effective date of the documents referred to in this news release, as applicable, and reflect predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events based on the Company's beliefs at the time the statements were made, as well as various assumptions made by and information currently available to them.In making the forward-looking statements included in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to: that the terms and conditions of the Transaction, Convertible Debenture and issuance of Advisor Shares will not be subject to material changes; and that the documents, projections and models on which the Company has relied are accurate in all material respects. Although management considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information available to it, they may prove to be incorrect. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and risks exist that estimates, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved or that assumptions on which they are based do not reflect future experience.We caution readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: the failu PR-Inside.com: 2025-11-07 15:00:44 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 423 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Dr. Patrick Doherty, Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at Yale, is redefining the landscape of spine care by combining the latest medical innovations with a deeply compassionate, patient-centered approach. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Doherty is recognized not only for his technical expertise but also for his dedication to helping patients take charge of their own health and recovery."My goal is to provide the best possible outcome for every patient, whether that means surgery or - ideally - helping them avoid surgery altogether," says Dr. Doherty. "I want to empower people with the knowledge and tools they need to actively participate in their own recovery and long-term health." Dr. Doherty's approach is rooted in the belief that every patient's journey is unique. He is known for taking the time to listen, educate, and guide each individual, ensuring they feel heard and supported. "For the time you are with that patient, there should be no other intrusions, no other concerns. Focusing on them and their concerns is paramount," he explains.A leader in minimally invasive spine surgery and neuromodulation, Dr. Doherty is also a strong advocate for preventative care. He regularly shares practical advice on exercise, physical therapy, and lifestyle changes that can help patients manage back and neck pain, often preventing the need for surgical intervention. His published articles on topics such as ankylosing spondylitis and exercise underscore his commitment to patient education and self-care."The spine care world is ever-changing, always striving to improve treatments and technologies," Dr. Doherty notes. "But the most important advances are often the ones that help patients help themselves - restoring function, reducing pain, and getting people back to the activities they love." Dr. Doherty's compassion extends beyond the clinic. He is actively involved in community outreach, philanthropy, and education, supporting organizations that improve lives locally and nationally. "I am honored to help people on a journey of healing, to help them master their own destiny, to give people a new lease on life or to help them manage adversity," he reflects.For Dr. Doherty, the future of spine care is not just about surgical innovation, but about empowering patients to take control of their health - one step, one day at a time.To learn more about Dr. Doherty's philosophy and work, visit hisLinkedIn profileor read his latest insights onYale New Haven Health .Contact InformationJack SmithMarketing Managercontact@ trustpointxposure.com +1-442-220-3131SOURCE: Dr. Patrick F. Doherty PR-Inside.com: 2025-11-07 15:30:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 581 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 /ECO (ATLANTIC) OIL & GAS LTD. ("Eco," "Eco Atlantic," "Company," or together with its subsidiaries, the "Group") It is with the greatest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Colin Kinley, a board member and Chief Operating Officer of Eco Atlantic. The Board and Company express their sincere condolences to Karen, Cooper and Claire, and their extended family and friends.Colin had a distinguished career over more than 45 years in the mining and oil and gas frontier exploration industries. In addition to his co-founding role with Eco, and the wealth of knowledge and experience he has brought to the Company over the years, he has served as a valued director and senior executive of a number of publicly quoted companies, including Coro Mining, Marimaca Copper Corp. and Gunnison Copper, as well as leading his own teams as CEO and President at Kinley Exploration LLC and Jet Mining Pty LLC.Effective immediately Gil Holzman and Alice Carroll will assume all responsibilities over Eco's operational and technical teams and the company's country managers will report directly to the CEO.Gil Holzman, President and CEO of Eco Atlantic, commented:"Colin's broad experience across both the oil & gas and mining sectors, as well as his unique personality and entrepreneurial spirit, made him a special asset to the natural resources industry. Above all and first and foremost, he was a dear friend of mine, who will be sorely missed by the entire Eco Atlantic Group." Contacts:Eco Atlantic Oil and Gasc/o Celicourt+44 (0) 20 7770 6424Gil Holzman, Chief Executive OfficerAlice Carroll, Head of Corporate SustainabilityStrand Hanson (Financial & Nominated Adviser)+44 (0) 20 7409 3494James HarrisJames BellmanEdward FoulkesBerenberg (Broker)+44 (0) 20 3207 7800Matthew ArmittCiaran WalshDetlir EleziCelicourt (PR)+44 (0) 20 7770 6424Mark AntelmeCharles Denley-MyersonAbout Eco Atlantic:Eco Atlantic is a TSX-V and AIM-quoted Atlantic Margin-focused oil and gas exploration company with offshore license interests in Guyana, Namibia, and South Africa.Ecoaims to deliver material value for its stakeholders through its role in the energy transition to explore for low carbon intensity oil and gas in stable emerging markets close to infrastructure.Offshore Guyana, in the proven Guyana-Suriname Basin, the Company operates a 100% Working Interest in the 1,354 km2 Orinduik Block. In Namibia, the Company holds Operatorship and an 85% Working Interest in three offshore Petroleum Licences: PELs: 97, 99, and 100, representing a combined area of 22,894 km2 in the Walvis Basin. Offshore South Africa, Eco holds a 5.25% Working Interest in Block 3B/4B and a 75% Operated Interest in Block 1, in the Orange Basin, totalling approximately 37,510km2.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.The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 as it forms part of United Kingdom domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended by virtue of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019.This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@ lseg.com or visit www.rns.com SOURCE: Eco (Atlantic) Oil and Gas Ltd. PR-Inside.com: 2025-11-07 20:59:16 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 631 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 7, 2025 / Leading securities law firmBleichmar Fonti & Auld LLPannounces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against James Hardie Industries plc (NYSE:JHX) and certain of the Company's senior executives for securities fraud after significant stock drop resulting from the potential violations of the federal securities laws.If you invested in James Hardie, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit Investors have until December 23, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors in James Hardie common stock (formerly American Depositary Shares). The class action is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and is captioned Laborers' District Council and Contractors' Pension Fund of Ohio v. James Hardie Industries plc, et al., No. 1:25-cv-13018.Why Was James Hardie Sued for Securities Fraud?James Hardie is a producer and marketer of high-performance fiber cement building solutions. The largest application for the Company's fiber cement building products in the United Stated and Canada is in external siding for the residential building industry.During the relevant period, James Hardie told investors that the results of its North American fiber cement segment demonstrated its "inherent strength" and "the underlying momentum in our strategy." The Company also stated on May 20, 2025, that it was seeing "normal stock levels" among its customers and that it was "seeing performance in the month to date as we would expect." As alleged, in truth, the Company's North American sales during the relevant period were the result of inventory loading by channel partners, with the hallmarks of fraudulent channel stuffing, not sustainable customer demand as represented.The Stock Declines as the Truth Is RevealedOn August 19, 2025, James Hardie revealed that its North American fiber cement sales declined 12% during the quarter, driven by destocking first discovered "in April through May" as customers "made efforts to return to more normal inventory levels[.]" The Company also revealed that significant inventory destocking was expected to continue to impact sales for the next several quarters. On this news, the price of James Hardie stock fell $9.79 per share, or more than 34%, from $28.43 per share on August 19, 2025, to $18.64 per share on August 20, 2025.Click here for more information: https://www.bfalaw.com/cases/james-hardie-industries-class-action-lawsuit What Can You Do?If you invested in James Hardie you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm.All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses.Submit your information by visiting:Or contact:Ross Shikowitz ross@ bfalaw.com 212.789.3619Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP?BFA is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It has been named a top plaintiff law firm by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and ISS SCAS, and its attorneys have been named "Elite Trial Lawyers" by the National Law Journal, among the top "500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers" by Lawdragon, "Titans of the Plaintiffs' Bar" by Law360 and "SuperLawyers" by Thomson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.'s Board of Directors, as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd.For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit https://www.bfalaw.com Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.SOURCE: Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP A whistleblower has alleged a plot by powerful interest groups to pressure the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, to transfer a multibillion-naira debt case involving oil and gas firm Nestoil Limited to another judge said to be compromised. The case concerns the enforcement of a debt claim brought by FBNQuest Merchant Bank Limited and First Trustees Limited against Nestoil, its affiliate Neconde Energy Limited, and their principal promoters, Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi and Nnenna Obiejesi. Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos, had in October granted a Mareva injunction restraining Nestoil, Neconde Energy, and their directors from dealing with their assets pending the determination of the substantive suit. The judge also ordered the freezing of the defendants bank accounts and shares across more than 20 financial and other institutions, including Citibank Nigeria, GTBank, Stanbic IBTC, Polaris Bank, Providus Bank, Fidelity Bank, and the Central Securities and Clearing Systems (CSCS). In addition, the court appointed Abubakar Sulu-Gambari (SAN) as receiver/manager to take possession of Nestoils headquarters at 41/42 Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, and other identified assets belonging to the company and its affiliates. Justice Dipeolu further directed the Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Navy, and State Security Service (SSS) to assist in enforcing the takeover. He also ordered the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to grant the receiver access to Nestoils interest in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42, which the company jointly operates with NNPCL. The matter was adjourned to 7 November 2025 for hearing of the substantive motion on notice. Whistleblowers Allegation However, when the case came up for hearing on Friday, Justice Dipeolu informed parties that a petition alleging misconduct had been filed against him and forwarded to the Chief Judge. The development forced the adjournment of proceedings. A lawyer familiar with the case later told PREMIUM TIMES that the petition was part of an elaborate plot to discredit and remove Justice Dipeolu from the case, allegedly to pave the way for a more pliable judge. As you know, Justice Dipeolu has a reputation for firmness and integrity, the lawyer said. He granted orders that sent a clear message to delinquent borrowers who have for years defaulted on loan obligations. Some powerful people are unhappy about this. The source alleged that those displeased with the ruling had drafted a petition accusing Justice Dipeolu of bias and were planning to pressure Chief Judge Tsoho to reassign the case. They want the Chief Judge to use his office to move the matter to a compromised judge who will vacate the existing orders and set Nestoil and Neconde free, the source claimed. The source further alleged that the conspirators had proposed a $5 million inducement to secure the reassignment, though he could not confirm whether the planned meeting with the Chief Judge in Abuja eventually took place. Nestoil Confirms Petition Contacted on Friday, Ernest Azudialu-Obiejesi, the founder and chairman of Nestoil, confirmed that his company petitioned the Chief Judge seeking the transfer of the case. The truth of the matter is that we dont have faith in Justice Dipeolu, Mr Azudialu-Obiejesi told PREMIUM TIMES. He is biased, and we dont think we can get justice from him. We employ about 3,000 people, yet he gave an ex parte order shutting down our operations and confiscating our assets without hearing our side or confirming if we indeed owe the banks. Efforts to reach Chief Judge Tsoho for comments were unsuccessful on Friday, as he did not answer or return multiple calls. Similarly, Babajide Koku (SAN), counsel to FBNQuest Merchant Bank and First Trustees, did not respond to calls and messages seeking his comment. Actress and filmmaker Regina Daniels has expressed deep distress over the continued detention of her brother, Samuel Sammy West Daniels, by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). PREMIUM TIMES reported that Regina alleged that her estranged husband, Ned Nwoko, the senator representing Delta North, ordered the arrest of Sammy West under unclear circumstances. Since making the allegation, the 64-year-old senator has not issued any public statement. However, Reginas colleagues and siblings have continued to demand the immediate release of her brother. On Thursday, one of Reginas brothers, Sweezzy, revealed via his Instagram page that Sammy West appeared in court and was subsequently remanded at Suleja Prison in Niger State. Reacting to her brothers continued detention, Regina posted an emotional video on her Instagram page on Friday. In the video, she said she would return to her marriage if that were the condition for securing her brothers release. She said, I tried, I feel like Im going crazy and losing my mind, and it wasnt making any sense. Im crying presently in front of everybody. Please, what am I even begging for? I dont know. Do you guys think waking up and seeing one thing about my brother online is easy? Today, I heard some good news that he was about to be released, and tomorrow, I heard another thing. Like, whats the problem? Ive tried, but Ill go back. Allegations Additionally, the actress made several allegations against Mr Nwoko, questioning what offence her brother had committed. The newspaper reported that the escalating marital crisis between Regina and Mr Nwoko spilt onto social media after she accused the lawmaker of physically assaulting her. She revealed that she could no longer endure the abuse in their marriage and declared she was no longer interested in continuing the relationship. However, Mr Nwoko denied assaulting the actress and attributed Reginas behaviour to substance abuse. Making further allegations against the lawmaker, Regina wrote on her Instagram page, Fighting for his baby sister because his in-laws would always beat her up? I accorded the Nigerian police some respect, but shame on you all! The highest bidder always wins. Now Im crippled! I will return if thats the only way, do whatever he (Ned Nwoko) says, get injected to be like a zombie, get locked up and raped in the house. Only then will my brother return. Because by law, there is no tangible case against Sammy West! Ned Nwoko is bigger than the whole of Nigeria; thats what this means. We lost, or rather, I lost. Regina further alleged that Mr Nwoko was trying to have her mother, Rita Daniels, arrested. Ned has issued an arrest warrant against me. Im to be arrested on or before Monday, she wrote, sharing screenshots of her conversation with her mother. Despite the growing allegations, Mr Nwoko has yet to respond. The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced its adoption of the Afroliganza Vision, a continental initiative aimed at uniting African nations through fashion, culture, and creative enterprise. Fashion and Culture have become tools of diplomacy for economic growth and unity. Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, announced this at a Press Conference on the African Fashion Renaissance in Abuja on Wednesday. The minister said that adopting the Afroliganza Vision demonstrates Nigerias bold national commitment to positioning culture, fashion, heritage, and the creative economy at the centre of its engagement with Africa and the global community. She announced that the Confederation of African Fashion (CAFA), pioneered by the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation, aims to grow Africas fashion economy from $30 billion to $500 billion, creating jobs and generating foreign earnings. Afroliganza seeks to build a structured, values-driven fashion economy rooted in African heritage, led by African institutions, and positioned for global impact. Nigerias adoption of this vision signals a national commitment to place culture, fashion, heritage, and the creative economy at the heart of our engagement with Africa and the world, Ms Musawa said. Talking numbers According to her, recent studies show that Africa exports textiles, cotton, apparel, and footwear valued at roughly $15.5 billion annually, while imports total about $23.1 billion. With global demand for African couture and textiles rising by over 40 per cent, the growth potential is significant. In his address, Balogun Labode, Chairperson of the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation and President of CAFA, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government of Nigeria for its decisive leadership and partnership. He noted that Nigeria will become the first nation to sign the African Fashion Industry Growth Charter. He said the adoption marks a significant milestone in the countrys commitment to leading Africas fashion renaissance. He explained that CAFA will be crucial in mobilising policy, investment, and expertise to transform Africas fashion industry. Africas current fashion and textile industry is measured in the tens of billions of dollars, with estimates ranging from $30$65 billion, and much of that value is lost to imports and limited local processing, according to AFDB, 2023. Exportimport mismatch Mr Labode highlighted the exportimport mismatch, stating, With Africa exporting over $10 billion worth of cotton-made products and importing over $20 billion worth of cotton-made materials, the mismatch presents a significant opportunity for growth. This is why a major goal of the Afroliganza movement is to increase the African fashion economy to $500 billion in the next 10 years. He added that CAFA will be the home of the African Global Fashion Games (AGFG) and mobilise public and private capital to expand local processing, modernise textile mills, and scale manufacturing to retain a greater share of value in Africa. Egbaliganza 2026 will be held in March next year, with 50 countries in attendance as a proof of concept for Afroliganza, alongside national fashion festivals. The maiden edition of the African Global Fashion Games is scheduled for Abuja and Egypt in 2027, aligned with FESTAC at 50, where African countries will compete and showcase their creativity. Ambassadors from China, Botswana, Uganda, India, Korea, Tunisia, and Liberia attended the event, as well as management staff of the Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy and the Lai Labode Heritage Foundation. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has explained the reason behind the arrest of actress and filmmaker Regina Danielss brother, Samuel Sammy West Ojeogwu. PREMIUM TIMES reported that Regina alleged that the police detained her brother on the orders of her estranged husband, Ned Nwoko, the Delta North senator. The allegation gained traction on Tuesday after the 25-year-old actress and her siblings accused the 64-year-old senator of abusing his power and demanded Sammy Wests immediate release. In response to the controversy, the commands spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, confirmed to the Tribune newspaper on Friday that the police were responsible for Sammy Wests arrest. Ms Adeh explained that Sammy West was arrested after failing to honour a police invitation regarding a petition accusing him of conspiracy, trespass, assault, criminal intimidation, theft, and cyberbullying. She noted that the petition leading to Sammy Wests arrest was received on 28 October. Ms Adeh noted that the complaint was lodged against Sammy West and three others. She reaffirmed the commands commitment to professionalism, due process, and adherence to the rule of law. Upon receipt of the petition, the Metro Area Command extended several invitations to Mr Samuel Ojeogwu for questioning, which were not honoured. Mr Samuel Ojeogwu was arrested in Lagos on the authority of a duly issued arrest warrant from a competent court, and subsequently conveyed to Abuja for further investigation. The Tribune quoted Ms Adeh as saying, Upon the conclusion of investigations, the suspect was charged on November 6, 2025, in court for offences bordering on criminal conspiracy, criminal trespass, assault, criminal intimidation, and theft. He has been remanded by the court pending fulfilling his bail conditions. Backstory This newspaper earlier reported that on Thursday, one of Reginas brothers, Sweezzy, disclosed via his Instagram page that Sammy West appeared in court and was subsequently remanded at Suleja Prison in Niger State. READ ALSO: AMCON puts General Hydrocarbons under receivership amid court orders Regina stated on Friday that she would return to her marriage if that were the only condition for Mr Nwoko to secure Sammy Wests release. The newspaper further reported that the escalating marital crisis between Regina and Mr Nwoko spilt onto social media after she accused the lawmaker of physically assaulting her. She revealed that she could no longer endure the abuse in their marriage and announced that she was no longer interested in continuing the relationship. Mr Nwoko, however, denied assaulting the actress and attributed her behaviour to substance abuse. The 8th Annual Convening on Impact Investing (ACII) ended on a reflective note in Lagos on Thursday night as businesses, investors, and non-profit organisations were recognised for integrating social and environmental impact into their work. Hosted by the Impact Investors Foundation (IIF), the two-day conference brought together leaders from across Nigerias investment and development ecosystem to discuss strategies for inclusive growth, sustainability, and the role of private capital in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The closing Awards Dinner, held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, celebrated organisations whose operations demonstrate that profit and purpose can coexist. Nominees were assessed on criteria such as intentionality, innovation, sustainability, scalability, and measurable social outcomes. Award recipients After a rigorous selection process led by an independent judging panel, Omni Retail Technologies emerged winner in the Social Enterprise category, while Alitheia Capital Management received the Impact Investor award. The Innocent C. Chukwuma Award for Social Impact went to Raising Star Foundation, recognised for its community-driven development initiatives. The Innocent C. Chukwuma Award, sponsored by Agon Workman, DevEast, Project Alert, and the Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma Empowerment Foundation (ICCEF), honours the late Innocent Chukwumas legacy of promoting social justice and civic engagement in Nigeria. In her closing remarks, Etemore Glover, Chief Executive Officer of the Impact Investors Foundation, said the ceremony was more than a celebration of winnersit was an acknowledgment of the growing proof that purpose-driven investments are shaping Nigerias economic future. Tonight, we dont just hand out trophies; we celebrate proof points, she said. The achievements of Omni Retail Technologies, Alitheia Capital Management, and Raising Star Foundation confirm that impact-aligned investment is not a niche but a necessary pathway to sustainable development. 2025 Impact Investing Landscape Study Ms Glover added that data from IIFs newly launched 2025 Impact Investing Landscape Study will guide more capital toward models that combine financial performance with measurable social value. The event also featured networking sessions for investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers working to expand Nigerias impact economyan emerging sector that channels private capital into ventures addressing issues such as inequality, gender inclusion, and climate resilience. With the 2025 edition concluded, stakeholders reiterated the need for stronger collaboration, clearer policy support, and sustained funding for initiatives that align business success with long-term social progress. Photo: https://t.me/ermaka2022 Ukraine managed to return another young man from the temporarily occupied territory as part of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, Head of the President's Office of Ukraine Andriy Yermak has said on Friday evening. "After the boy turned 18, his family was forced to hide their son so that the occupiers would not take him to the Russian army. Every day turned into fear and anticipation of searches Russian military personnel went from house to house, looking for young men of draft age. In the end, the family decided to take a risky trip. Thanks to the support of volunteers, the family went through this dangerous path and is now on the free territory of Ukraine," he said in Telegram channel. Yermak said the family is receiving the necessary assistance and is gradually returning to peaceful life. He thanked the Helping to Leave team for helping to save the family. The organisers of the Shakara Festival have announced that the outdoor multi-day music and culture event will take place in Lagos State. In a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, they revealed that the festival aims to unite creatives, entertainers, and culture enthusiasts from across Nigeria and beyond. According to the organisers, the festival will run from 18 to 21 December at Nautica Beach Resort in Lekki, Lagos. They described the event as a four-day celebration of music, culture, and lifestyle designed to project African music to the world and establish itself as a must-attend destination for the annual Detty December experience. The organisers also noted that the festival is expected to attract up to 20,000 attendees daily, including diaspora members returning home and music lovers across Africa. Highlights The organisers further stated that the festival promises a quintessential contemporary African experience, showcasing Nigerias vibrant style, sounds, and flavours. During the day, attendees will engage in thought-provoking panel discussions featuring industry leaders who will share insights on the music business, the creative economy, and related topics. The festival grounds will also transform into a lively marketplace called Shakara Junction, featuring a curated selection of vendors and artisans offering distinctive food, fashion, and crafts. In the afternoon, the energy will heighten with live performances from a diverse lineup of established and emerging artists across genres such as Afrobeats, Alternative, Soul, Gospel, Alte, and Afro-Fusion. As night falls, the excitement will continue with Shakara Afterdark, a series of exclusive late-night parties featuring collaborations with some of Lagos most popular raves and events, ensuring the celebration continues into the early hours. Authentic expression The CEO and Founder of Shakara Festival, Godson Oriaku, explained that the festival was designed to create a platform where diverse sounds and people could connect. Mr Oriaku added that the event brings together Africas rich and varied musical landscape, from soul and gospel to the rawest forms of Alte, into one grand celebration. We wanted to build something groundbreaking for the Nigerian music scene, he stated. Mr Oriaku added that the musical acts scheduled at the festival would be announced in the coming weeks. Furthermore, Abiola Dacosta-Ajayi, the Shakara Festivals founding partner, stated that the festival transcends being merely a music event. According to Mr Dacosta-Ajayi, the festival represents a pioneering cultural movement. He said, We are creating a world-class platform to celebrate the richness of our culture and Africas incredible talent. This festival is our gift to Lagos and a bold statement to the world about the power and influence of our creative spirit. Tickets and festival information will be available on the official Shakara Festival website and social media channels IG: @theshakarafestival, TikTok, and X. This story was updated with more accurate details of what transpired in court, leading to a brief pause to allow Mr Kanu to make the filing he requested. The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, stood down proceedings to allow Nnamdi Kanu file the process and depose to an affidavit in his defence in the ongoing terrorism trial. Justice James Omotosho stood down the matter after the prosecutor, Adegboyega Awomolo, applied for a stand down to allow Mr Kanu file the document. The development occurred shortly after the case was called, and Mr Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), alleged that officials of the State Security Service (SSS), where he is being detained, did not allow him to file the process in his defence. My lord, I dont know how to say this. I have a process here to file, which has not been allowed for the last three days. I have the process for my defence. I dont know if my lord will allow me to file it for my defence, he prayed. Justice Omotosho then sought a response from the SSS officers in court on why Mr Kanu had not been allowed to file the document. One of the operatives of the security agency stood up and addressed the court. The officer said after the adjournment on Wednesday, Mr Kanu told them that he wanted to file a process. We waited for him (Kanu) and he could not file the process, and we left, he said. He said on Thursday, they got information again at the office that Mr Kanu wanted to file the process. He said if the defendant wants to file a process in court, they have a standard procedure and protocol for Mr Kanus movement to guarantee his safety and the safety of others around. He explained that a letter ought to be written by his former lawyers, who are now consultants, to the SSS management before he could be allowed. We only got the information from our officers who are detailed to him. So that creates a logistic problem, he said. Also responding, Mr Awomolo said the protocol for Mr Kanus movement is dictated by the courts order. However, we will ask for a stand down for about an hour my lord to allow him file the process, he said. However, Mr Kanu disagreed with the SSS officer on his submission. What he just narrated was not correct, he said. When I was downstairs looking for the process on Wednesday, they (the officers) said let us go and you will be brought back the next day, he said. Mr Kanu alleged that he had also told the SSS officers that the court officers could be allowed to bring the stamp for him to depose to the affidavit, but they refused. Mr Awomolo then said that the issues, as difficult as they seemed, could be made easier by Mr Kanus legal consultants. He said he was not aware that Mr Kanu planned to file a process. I was not aware of this. If they (consultants) can talk to me or the Legal Department at the DSS, they are their colleagues, the matter would have been resolved. They can speak to them (Legal Department). They (the consultants) equally have my phone number; they can call me, Mr Awomolo said. The judge, who stood down the matter, ordered the officers at the court registry and the commissioner for oaths to come into the court with the stamp to attend to Mr Kanu. The defendant will file here while we take other matters, the judge said. Justice Omotosho further made an order allowing the court workers to go to the SSS office with the court stamp whenever Mr Kanu is a deponent to a document. Mr Kanu, who was expected to open his defence today, is standing trial on alleged terrorism offences. The Trial PREMIUM TIMES reports that the judge had, on Wednesday, given Mr Kanu the last chance to open his defence, a scenario that had repeatedly played out in the previous month in the case. The Nigerian government has been prosecuting Mr Kanu on seven charges, mostly terrorism-related, since 2015. The charges stemmed from his alleged violent secessionist campaigns for the independence of the Igbo-dominated South-eastern part of Nigeria as Biafra. But the dual Nigerian and British citizen has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. The prosecution closed its case with five witnesses in June. After the prosecution closed its case, Mr Kanu filed a no-case submission, arguing that the prosecution failed to lead credible evidence against him to warrant putting forward any defence. However, in September, the judge dismissed the no-case submission, ruling that he had a case to answer and should enter his defence. Since then, several proceedings have been scheduled for him to start his defence after he suddenly disengaged his lawyers and told the court that he would defend himself. The case was adjourned several times in the past month to keep the window of defence open, while Mr Kanu continued to maintain that there is no valid charge against him to defend. He argued that the charges against him were brought under a repealed terrorism law. Following Mr Kanus insistence that the charges were invalid, the judge, Mr Omotosho, on Wednesday, reminded him of the need to keep his gun powder dry for his defence. Mr Kanu said he would need to consult with his four legal consultants, whom he named as Nnaemeka Ejiofor, Aloy Ejimakor, Maxwell Okpara and Mandela Umegborogu, after which the case was adjourned to Friday (today). The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, fixed 20 November for judgment in the terrorism trial of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Judge James Omotosho fixed the date after Mr Kanus defence was foreclosed following his insistence that he would not enter his defence under a repealed law. This court has given opportunity to the defendant under Section 36 as required by the constitution, and I will not allow this to continue, It is based on this, without hesitation, that I say that the defendant has waived his right, Mr Omotosho said. The court had earlier on Friday given Mr Kanu about one hour to file a motion he said he needed to file. Refusal to enter a defence PREMIUM TIMES reported that the judge had, on Wednesday, given Mr Kanu the last chance to open his defence, which he had repeatedly failed to do for about one month. The Nigerian government has been prosecuting Mr Kanu on seven charges, mostly terrorism-related, since 2015. The charges stemmed from his alleged violent secessionist campaigns for the independence of the Igbo-dominated South-eastern part of Nigeria as Biafra. But the dual Nigerian and British citizen has repeatedly denied wrongdoing. After the prosecution closed its case in June with five witnesses, Mr Kanu filed a no-case submission that Mr Omotosho dismissed in September. The judge ruled that he had a case to answer and should enter his defence. Since then, several proceedings have been scheduled for him to start his defence after he suddenly disengaged his lawyers and told the court that he would defend himself. The case was also adjourned several times in the past month to keep the window of defence open, while Mr Kanu continued to maintain that there is no valid charge against him to defend. He argued that the charges against him were brought under a repealed terrorism law. Following Mr Kanus insistence that the charges were invalid, the judge, Mr Omotosho, on Wednesday, reminded him of the need to keep his gun powder dry for his defence. But, Mr Kanu said he would need to consult with his four legal consultants, whom he named as Nnaemeka Ejiofor, Aloy Ejimakor, Maxwell Okpara and Mandela Umegborogu, after which the case was adjourned to Friday (today). Motion to expunge initial not-guilty plea At the start of proceedings on Friday, the prosecution lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, informed the court that the matter was slated for Mr Kanu to open his defence. Mr Kanu, who represented himself, told the court that he had a motion to file and had not been allowed to do so in the past three days. When the judge asked why, the prosecutor replied that the SSS said there were protocols put in place to guide his movement and that his legal consultants were expected to write formally before he could be released from custody to file any process. The judge then stood down the proceedings for one hour and directed that the court registrar be brought into the courtroom to assist Mr Kanu in filing the motion. At the resumed sitting after the one hour, Mr Kanu moved the motion brought under sections 6, 36, and 12 of the Nigerian Constitution, sections 165, 220, 274, and 311 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), sections 122 and 165 of the Evidence Act 2011, and the Supreme Courts judgment delivered on 15 December 2023. The motion prays the court to expunge Mr Kanus initial not-guilty plea from the record, claiming it was deceptively obtained in violation of section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution. It also urged the court to set aside all court orders and proceedings so far. Mr Kanu further asked for his immediate release, arguing that he was being tried under a non-existent law. The judge then asked the prosecutor to respond to the motion. Mr Awomolo told the court that he would not respond to the new motion but would rely on the exhibits attached to it, which formed part of the entire court record. The judge acknowledged the motion but said he stood by his earlier order that all motions and preliminary objections, including those filed on 29 and 30 October and the one dated 6 November and filed 7 November, would be taken together at judgment. He clarified that he would not touch any of the motions or the substance of the case until delivering judgment, adding that all issues would be addressed at that stage. He then asked Mr Kanu to enter his defence, but Mr Kanu declined, saying he wanted the court to state on record the law guiding the charges against him. Judge Omotosho said it was not his duty to explain the law to the defendant and directed the prosecution to respond. Mr Awomolo told the court that each of the seven counts against Mr Kanu had a statutory law backing it. But Mr Kanu argued that the Supreme Court had already struck out count seven and insisted that he could not proceed without clarification. Judge Omotosho then declared that since Mr Kanu had refused to enter his defence, the court would deem that he had waived his right to do so. He fixed 20 November for judgment and added that neither party would be required to file final written addresses on that day. The case The case has been on since 2015. It was interrupted for about three years due to Mr Kanus disappearance from the country following soldiers attack on his home in Abia State in September 2017. The trial was halted after the Court of Appeal, in October 2022, struck out the charges, declaring Mr Kanus extraordinary rendition from Kenya unlawful. However, the Supreme Court, in December 2023, acknowledged that his arrest was illegal, but ruled that no Nigerian law bars trials based on illegally obtained evidence. It held that the forced return of Mr Kanu did not strip the Federal High Court of jurisdiction. The case has since moved through several judges, including Binta Nyako, before being reassigned to Mr Omotosho in March this year. The prosecution closed its case in June this year, after which Mr Kanu filed a no-case submission that was dismissed, arguing that the prosecution failed to lead credible evidence against him to warrant putting forward any defence. Following the ruling, he filed a motion he personally signed on 21 October, listing serving and retired public officers, alongside unnamed individuals, as proposed defence witnesses. He said he planned to call 23 witnesses, divided into ordinary but material witnesses and vital and compellable ones, to be summoned under Section 232 of the Evidence Act, 2011. He also asked for 90 days to conclude his defence. At the hearing on 23 October, scheduled for him to open his defence, Mr Kanu announced the disengagement of his legal team led by former Attorney-General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi. He told the court that he would defend himself, prompting the judge to adjourn until the following day. When the matter resumed on 24 October, he stated that he could not proceed with his defence because he had yet to retrieve his case file from his former lawyers. The judge reluctantly adjourned till Monday, 27 October. At the rescheduled hearing, however, Mr Kanu said he had reviewed the prosecutions case and found it not worth defending. He told the court that there was no extant law in this country upon which the prosecution can predicate the charges, adding that he would not enter a defence in a charge that does not exist under any Nigerian law. The judge then directed him to file a written address to that effect and have it served on the prosecution. The judge also advised him to consult criminal law experts on the implications of his decision. However, on 30 October, Mr Kanu filed a fresh application for the striking out of the terrorism charges, urging the trial judge to order his release from custody. The application, titled Motion on Notice and Written Address in Support, re-echoed the points Mr Kanu had always made, including those raised in the motion he filed today, that he should be released, as he is being tried under a repealed law. On Saturday, voters in Anambra State will elect a new governor to lead the state for the next four years. As residents prepare for the polls, one question remains: Will this election bring progress for womens political participation, or reinforce familiar patterns of exclusion, especially since Anambra is the only state in Nigeria to have been governed by a woman, albeit in an interim capacity? Virginia Etiaba is Nigerias first female governor, having assumed the role on 3 November 2006 following the impeachment of her principal, Peter Obi, by the Anambra State House of Assembly. Ms Etiaba, who was the states elected deputy governor, was sworn in and held the position until February 2007, when the judiciary reinstated Mr Obi. Despite being known for education, enterprise, and cultural heritage, Anambras record on gender representation in politics tells a familiar Nigerian story one of promise restrained by persistent barriers. The political field The incumbent governor, Charles Soludo, is seeking re-election under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). Mr Soludo was first elected on 6 November 2021 and sworn in on 17 March 2022. His first four-year term will end in March 2026. The governor faces 15 other candidates from various political parties. Analysts believe that four candidates are the major contenders in the poll: the incumbent governor, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nicholas Ukachukwu, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), George Moghalu, and the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), John Chuma-Nwosu. However, others believe the poll is a two-horse race between Mr Soludo and Mr Ukachukwu. Unfortunately, of the 16 gubernatorial candidates, only two are women Chioma Ifemeludike of the African Action Congress (AAC) and Ndidi Olieh of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), neither of whom is considered a strong contender. This represents just 12.5 per cent of all the candidates. Meanwhile, six out of 16 parties (37.5 per cent) nominated women as their running mates. The female running mates include Uche Ekwunife (All Progressive Congress), Veronica Okaro (Labour Party), and Blessing Okeke (Action Peoples Party). Others are Ugboma Happiness (Boot Party), Chibuzor Obi (Zenith Labour Party) and Ezeadili Appolonia (Accord Party). High voter registration among women According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 2.8 million registered voters are expected to participate in the 8 November election. With 2,802,790 registered voters, Anambra State has a female majority, according to INEC. Out of 2,802,790 total voters, 1,430,323 (51.03 per cent) are female, while 1,372,467 (48.97 per cent) are male. Students (29.31 per cent) represented the largest demographic among voters in INECs occupational distribution, followed by traders (18.47 per cent) and businessmen and women (17.83 per cent), amongst others. Anambra State initially recorded 2,656,437 registered voters; however, an additional 140,370 new voters have since been registered through the continuous registration exercise, indicating a growing political engagement within the state. Yet, this numerical strength has not translated into political representation. In the Anambra State House of Assembly, only two of the 30 members are women. At the local government level, men dominate while women are often relegated to the so-called women leader roles within party structures. A recent research identifies electoral violence, the effect of godfatherism on womens political participation, and poverty as some of the factors limiting womens political participation in the state. In the last governorship election in 2021, not much difference was documented. The electoral umpire recorded just two female candidates out of 18 contestants. Several factors, including business interests, religious divide and party affiliations, influence politics in Anambra, the commercial hub of the South-east. The South-east state is rumoured to have the highest number of billionaires in the country, though no official data has confirmed this. Nevertheless, the entrepreneurs, traders, and industrialists from the state wield both financial muscle and social clout capable of tilting electoral outcomes. Profile of the female governorship candidates Chioma Ifemeludike of AAC is a 36-year-old actress and filmmaker better known as IfeDike, who had previously served as the political partys chairperson. She is the youngest candidate according to INEC. She holds a first degree in political science from Anambra State University, now Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University. Born in Anambra State, she is a proponent of indigenous storytelling and is known for producing movies in the Igbo language. She has made films such as Mortuary Gate, Painful Truth, Commissioner for Happiness, and Plantain Girl. The filmmaker, who was raised by her mother after her fathers death, claimed, in 2021, that she had an intimate relationship with clergyman Johnson Suleman. Her campaign promises are hinged on fairness, education, security and equity. The second female candidate is Ndidi Olieh, 42, the flagbearer for the National Rescue Movement (NRM). The 42-year-old aspirant is the state chairperson for her party. Her educational qualifications, according to INEC, include a first school-leaving certificate, National Examination Council (NECO), and a Bachelors degree from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Persistent gender imbalance In Nigerias politics, women are barely represented. Almost half of Nigerias population is women, but gender equality remains a challenge. None of Nigerias 36 state governors is a woman, while women make up less than five per cent of federal lawmakers. No state assembly has up to 30 per cent women representation, with many state assemblies having no single female lawmaker. Although women contribute significantly to Nigerian politics, especially on election days, their representation in political and decision-making positions has been very low. Nigerias National Gender Policy, which advocates 35 per cent affirmative action in political appointments, remains largely unimplemented at all levels. The Anambra governorship election only confirms what is observed in other parts of Nigeria: women are underrepresented in decision-making. Belem, Brazil (November 7, 2025) The Gates Foundation today announced a new commitment to advancing climate adaptation, helping smallholder farmers build resilience to a warming world and protect hard-won gains against poverty. Announced at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, where leaders are emphasising locally driven adaptation, the four-year, $1.4 billion investment will expand access to innovations that help farmers across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia adapt to extreme weather. In these regions, where food security and livelihoods depend on agriculture, smallholder farmers and the communities they feed are among the most exposed to droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. Yet less than 1 per cent of global climate finance targets the growing threats to these vital food systems. Smallholder farmers are feeding their communities under the toughest conditions imaginable, said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation. Were supporting their ingenuity with the tools and resources to help them thrivebecause investing in their resilience is one of the smartest, most impactful things we can do for people and the planet. The commitment supports Bill Gates vision, outlined in his recent COP30 memo, of prioritising climate investments for maximum human impact and advances the foundations goal of lifting millions of people out of poverty by 2045. Addressing a global funding gap Farmers in low-income countries produce one-third of the worlds food but face mounting climate threats. Without greater adaptation investment, these shocks will continue to drive food insecurity and reverse hard-won gains against poverty. World Bank research shows that targeted adaptation investments could boost GDP, particularly in small island and developing states, by up to 15 percentage points by 2050. The World Resources Institute estimates that every dollar invested in climate adaptation will yield more than $10 in social and economic benefits within a decade. Climate adaptation is not just a development issueits an economic and moral imperative, said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. This new commitment builds on our support for farmers in Africa and South Asia who are already innovating to withstand extreme weather. But they cant do it alonegovernments and the private sector must work together to prioritise adaptation alongside mitigation. Scaling farmer-led innovation While climate shocks continue to intensify, the financing needed to help farmers adapt to them is not keeping up. According to the 2025 UN State of Food Security and Nutrition report, Africa was the only region where hunger and malnutrition increased this year. Without urgent adaptation, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that agricultural productivity in parts of Africa could drop by up to 20% by 2050. The foundations new investment will scale farmer-led, evidence-backed innovations that strengthen rural livelihoods and food systems amid growing climate threats. It will expand technologies and approaches already showing results, including: Digital advisory services : Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030 : Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030 Climate-resilient crops and livestock: Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition Soil health innovations: Approaches that restore degraded land, enhance productivity, and reduce emissionssupported by a $30 million partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation to advance soil science research Partnerships driving global impact The new commitment builds on partnerships that were expanded or launched through the foundations COP27 pledges and are already reaching millions of farmers. Examples include: AIM for Scale : Launched in 2023, this global partnership delivered AI-powered SMS weather forecasts to nearly 40 million farmers across 13 Indian states during the 2025 monsoon season, helping protect millions of acres of crops. : Launched in 2023, this global partnership delivered AI-powered SMS weather forecasts to nearly 40 million farmers across 13 Indian states during the 2025 monsoon season, helping protect millions of acres of crops. TomorrowNow and KALRO: Together with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), TomorrowNow is providing hyper-local weather alerts to more than 5 million Kenyan farmers, improving yields and reducing crop losses, with expansion underway in Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia. The Gates Foundation is working alongside local researchers, governments, and private sector partners to scale such effortsstrengthening rural economies and food systems for the long term. Collaboration at COP30 This investment reflects a shared global commitmentled by African leaders and Brazils COP30 presidencyto put food, livelihoods, and health at the centre of resilience planning. Brazils own experience linking social programs with sustainable agricultural innovation shows how inclusive adaptation can drive equitable growth. Together with Brazils Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Embrapa, AGRA, AIM for Scale, CGIAR, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the United Arab Emirates, the foundation will co-host the Agricultural Innovation Showcase at COP30. Both a high-level event on November 10 and a physical exhibition, the showcase will highlight affordable, climate-smart solutions designed for and, in many cases, by farmers. More information is available here: https://www.embrapa.br/en/cop30/agrizone President Bola Tinubu on Friday received the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The Sultan, who is also the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), held a closed-door meeting with the President. The visit came a few days after President Tinubu met with the Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, in a similar engagement aimed at promoting religious harmony. Although details of the discussion were not made public, the meeting was believed to have focused on strengthening interfaith understanding and advancing national unity and development. The meeting followed recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who threatened action against Nigeria over alleged anti-Christian attacks. The Sultan later joined the President for the Jumaat prayer at the State House Mosque, where the Imam, Abdulwaheed Abubakar, urged Nigerians to support the governments peace and security initiatives. He described peace as a prerequisite for both individual growth and the nations overall development. (NAN) Nigeria has implored the international community to significantly increase global financing to protect and restore natures economic value through predictable, equitable, and accessible funding mechanisms. According to Nigerian Vice President Kashim Shettima, since forests, landscapes, and oceans are shared resources that are outside the jurisdiction of any single nation, their protection requires global solidarity. Mr Shettima stated Nigerias position in Belem, Brazil, where he represented President Bola Tinubu at a high-level thematic session titled Climate and Nature: Forests and Oceans, on the margins of the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30) being held in that South American country. The VP regretted that while nature is probably the most critical infrastructure in the world, it has long been treated as a commodity to exploit rather than an asset to invest in, even as he said Nigeria is solidly driven by this knowledge to integrate nature-positive investments into its climate finance architecture. Through our National Carbon Market Framework and Climate Change Fund, we aim to mobilise up to three billion US dollars annually in climate finance. These resources will be reinvested in community-led reforestation, blue carbon projects, and sustainable agriculture. We call on our global partners to recognise the economic value of nature and to channel significant finance towards protecting and restoring it through predictable, equitable, and accessible funding mechanisms, he declared. Mr Shettima contended that the Global South countries that have contributed least to this crisis, are today paying its highest price, insisting that for climate justice to be seen as well served, nations that have benefited more from centuries of extraction must now lead in restoration. Accordingly, he called on the global community to increase grant-based finance, operationalise Blue Carbon Markets, and implement debt-for-nature swaps to enable developing countries to invest in conservation. We urge the international community to scale up grant-based finance for nature-based solutions, implement debt-for-nature swaps that free developing countries to invest in conservation, operationalise Blue Carbon Markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and strengthen community-led governance so that indigenous peoples, farmers, and fisherfolk are rewarded for their stewardship rather than displaced by it, he stated. The Nigerian Vice President said countries that took their forests and oceans for granted had always paid dearly for it, noting that it is the reason why Nigeria will boldly sit in the front row of any global forum where these twin determinants of ecological order are being discussed. We, too, are under siege. We see the signs of danger in deforestation, desertification, illegal mining, coastal erosion, and rising sea levels within our borders. The Sahara advances by nearly one kilometre each year, displacing communities and eroding livelihoods. Each piece of land these threats overcome invites conflict into human lives, compounding our development challenges, he maintained. VP Shettima told world leaders and other participants at the high-level session that while Nigerias Climate Change Act 2021 enshrines nature-based solutions as a legal obligation of the state, the nation is taking bold, coordinated steps to restore balance between climate, nature, and development. He continued: Our National Council on Climate Change provides the institutional backbone for integrating climate action into all sectors of governance. We are implementing the Great Green Wall Initiative, reforesting degraded lands across eleven frontline states, planting over ten million trees and creating thousands of green jobs for our youth and women. Through our National Afforestation Programme and Forest Landscape Restoration Plan, we aim to restore more than two million hectares of degraded land by 2030. We have also launched our Marine and Blue Economy Policy to harness the vast potential of our seas sustainably promoting climate-smart fisheries, coastal protection, and marine biodiversity conservation. Mr Shettima reaffirmed Nigerias commitment to working with partners across the globe to advance a global agenda where climate action becomes synonymous with nature restoration and human prosperity. READ ALSO: Shettima arrives in Brazil for COP 30 He vehemently rejected the portrayal of Africa as a mere victim of climate change, arguing that it is an outdated narrative about a continent that is also a source of its solutions. The Nigerian Vice President listed Africas rainforests, mangroves, peatlands, and oceans as some of the planets largest untapped carbon sinks, saying young people in the continent are also the worlds greatest untapped source of innovation and resolve. Nigeria believes that COP30 must mark the beginning of a new compact one that recognises Africas ecosystems as global assets deserving of global investment and protection. We invite all partners to join Nigeria and the African Union in advancing the African Nature Finance Framework, designed to unlock private capital for reforestation, ecosystem restoration, and blue economy development across the continent, he added. Stanley Nkwocha Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications (Office of The Vice President) 7th November Renowned journalist and press freedom advocate, Dapo Olorunyomi, is billed to deliver the 2025 Faculty of Arts Distinguished Alumni Lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. Mr Olorunyomi is the publisher of Nigerias leading investigative news platform, Premium Times, and chief executive of the West African media think tank, Centre of Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID). He will speak on the theme: AI, Social Media & the Reconfiguration of Democratic Power in Nigeria. The event is slated for Tuesday, 18 November, at 11 a.m. in Oduduwa Hall, OAU. It will also be streamed live via Zoom. The Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series, one of the oldest academic traditions of the Faculty of Arts, features one notable alumnus each year. The Vice-Chancellor, Adebayo Bamire, will host the event this year, with senior members of the university community expected in attendance. Mr Olorunyomi, an alumnus of the Department of English and a leading figure in Nigerias investigative journalism and media innovation, is the sole speaker for the 2025 edition. He has been at the forefront of accountability journalism and media development for over four decades. He has played a pivotal role in shaping investigative journalism, promoting press freedom, and mentoring generations of journalists across Africa. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Gbenga Fasiku, said the lecture series is designed to celebrate accomplished graduates and expose students to ideas shaping contemporary society. The Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series has existed for decades and honours graduates who have excelled globally, Mr Fasiku said. Only one speaker is featured at a time, and their records speak for them. Mr Fasiku described Mr Olorunyomi as an outstanding and pioneering journalist whose work in investigative and guerrilla reporting helped resist authoritarian pressure during Nigerias military era. His bravery placed him at the forefront of the struggle for truth and justice, he said. His role in establishing the Independent Communications Network Limitedwhich published The News, Tempo and PM Newswas instrumental during the push for democracy. The lecturer added that the 2025 lecture would help students and the wider public understand how technology and social media are reshaping democratic power. It is a public lecture, and we expect participation from within and outside Nigeria, he added. The Zoom link has already been published for wider engagement. Also expected at the event is Remi Adeoti, chair of the Faculty Alumni Lecture Series. About Dapo Olorunyomi Mr Olorunyomi is the publisher of Premium Times and chief executive of the CJID. His work as editor during the years of military dictatorship in Nigeria earned him the 1995 International Editor of the Year Award of the World Press Review, and the Press Freedom Award (1996) of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), New York. In 2020, he was a co-recipient of the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In 2025, he was honoured with the Christopher Kolade Award for Media Leadership and Excellence in Nigeria. He is also a recipient of Nigerias national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) for his work in support of democracy and freedom. The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) is delighted to announce the finalists for the Alfred Opubor Prize 2025. The Alfred Opubor Prize is one of Nigerias most prestigious awards for young journalists, established to honour Professor Alfred Opubor, Nigerias first professor of Mass Communication, whose scholarship and advocacy laid the foundation for media education and practice in Africa. Since its inception in 2018, the Alfred Opubor Awards, part of CJIDs Next Gen Campus Reporter programme, has served as a platform to identify, mentor, and celebrate outstanding student journalists across Nigerian universities. Over the years, the prize has recognised winners across multiple categories, including Investigative Reporting, Gender, Environment, Health, and Accountability Journalism. These categories have amplified the voices of young journalists working to deepen democratic accountability and promote human rights through storytelling. The 2025 edition, however, only rewards the best reports overall without the usual categorisation. This years competition drew 75 entries from student journalists across Nigeria, all published between October 1, 2024, and September 30, 2025. After initial screening and scoring by a pre-jury team, the top entries were passed on to a distinguished panel of judges with expertise in investigative, development, and data journalism. Each finalists work was assessed using strict criteria, including originality, depth, ethical clarity, accuracy, social impact, and narrative strength. Five finalists emerged from this process, out of which a winner, first runner-up, and second runner-up will be named. The winners of the Alfred Opubor Prize 2025 will be announced at the CJID Excellence Awards Dinner and Ceremony, which will be held on Wednesday, November 26th, 2025, at the Abuja Continental Hotel. The CJID extends appreciation to the pre-jury team and the judging panel for their commitment and rigorous evaluation process, and to all student journalists who continue to use their platforms to tell stories that drive change and accountability. The Islamic States has expressed concerns about the plan by US President Donald Trump to launch attacks in Nigeria, warning fighters of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to be cautious. The Islamic States conveyed this message on Thursday, in its weekly propaganda publication, Al-Naba. A copy of the message written in Arabic was sighted by our reporter and shared on Telegram channels by Conflict researchers. Describing Mr Trump as a reckless American tyrant, according to an English translation of the message posted on X by jihadi expert Philip Brant, the terror group said the US President was influenced by Jews and Evangelical Christians in his administration. The group said Mr Trump now sees himself as the saviour of Christians worldwide. The group alleged that this religious bias was shaping Washingtons approach to conflicts in Africa and beyond. It warned that such US intervention would not stop in Nigeria. It predicted that the Trump administration could extend its operations to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Mozambique, where Christians have also suffered heavy casualties in jihadist-linked attacks. The Islamic States has a strong presence in the DRC and Mozambique. It described Mr Trumps threats as part of his broader strategy to drag the United States into multiple, prolonged conflicts across various regions, including Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, and now parts of Africa. Calling on Muslims across West Africa to take these threats seriously, Islamic States urged unity against what it termed American Crusaders and accused Western powers of ignoring what it called Christian crimes against African Muslims. The group, however, instructed its fighters to take cover, avoid large gatherings and limit the use of smartphones, measures it said were necessary to evade possible US surveillance and strikes. The advisory, it said, applies to all Islamic State branches, as it expects coordinated American military responses across regions. The statement marks a clear sign yet that the Islamic State network in Africa is uneasy about renewed US attention to its activities, a shift analysts say could reshape militant operations and alliances across the Sahel and Lake Chad Basin. Background Mr Trump recently threatened to cut aid to Nigeria and order military strikes over what he described as a Christian genocide allowed by the Nigerian government. Prior to the threats, President Trump designated Nigeria as Country of Particular Concern under Americas International Religious Freedom Act, a move that paves the way for aid suspension, sanctions or even targeted military action. Although analysts have argued that Mr Trump is unlikely to attack Nigeria militarily, the possibility of airstrikes against terror camps, which are mostly embedded in civilian populations, cannot be ruled out. Meanwhile, the United States has drafted planslight, medium, and heavyfor an intervention in Nigeria, primarily targeting ISWAP as part of its campaign against Islamic States franchises across the world. The USs light option is to continue collaborating with the Nigerian military, while providing additional military and financial support to help Nigeria curb terror threats. The medium option would include drone strikes and joint operations with the Nigerian military against terrorist camps and positions. This, according to Mr Brant, the jihadi expert, would be difficult because the US lost access to airbases in Niamey and Agadez in Niger. Other regional countries might permit use of their territory, but that is unlikely; the most feasible alternative would be to operate from the AFRICOM base in Djibouti, he said. The heavy option, and the least likely, would be to move a group into the Gulf of Guinea so fighter jets could carry out airstrikes against militant camps. That is constrained by carrier availability: the Gerald R. Ford is being moved to the southern Caribbean, other carriers are deployed in the Pacific or the Middle East, and some are undergoing maintenance. On Friday, November 7, at 10.00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency will host a press conference entitled "Diabetes and War: How Investments in Healthcare Save Lives and Support the Economy?" Participants include Member of Parliament, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Healthcare of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on National Health, Medical Care and Medical Insurance Maksym Perebyinis, Minister of Health of Ukraine Viktor Liashko, Head of the National Health Service of Ukraine Natalia Husak, Honored Doctor of Ukraine, Candidate of Medical Sciences, retired Colonel of the Internal Service Natalia Kozhan, Commander of military unit A 3122, Honored Worker of Science and Technology of Ukraine, Colonel of the Medical Service, Doctor of Medical Sciences Andriy Halushka (8/5a Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTube channel. Admission requires registration on the spot with press ID cards. The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Friday, foreclosed Nnamdi Kanus defence and adjourned until 20 November for judgment in the alleged terrorism offences preferred against him by the federal government. Justice James Omotosho fixed the date after Mr Kanus defence was foreclosed following his insistence that he would not enter his defence under what he said was a repealed law. Mr Omotosho held that Mr Kanu, having exhausted the six days allocated to him by the court to conduct his defence, had waived his right to do so. The judge said he would have extended the days allocated to Mr Kanu to conduct his defence if he had opted to open it. He said Mr Kanu, having failed to utilise the opportunity given to him to conduct his defence, could not claim to have been denied the constitutionally guaranteed right to a fair hearing. This court has given opportunity to the defendant under Section 36 as required by the Constitution, and I will not allow this to continue. It is based on this, without hesitation, that I say that the defendant has waived his right, Justice Omotosho said. The judge, in the ruling, took time to review the history of the case and noted that Mr Kanu had always been represented by lawyers since the case began in his court on 29 March when the defendant took his plea. He said that in an effort to expedite the case, the court granted an accelerated hearing. The judge, however, observed that the defendants lawyers asked for an adjournment on several occasions during the days allocated to the prosecution to conduct its case. According to him, the defendants lawyers sought adjournment on 29 April, 2 May, 8 May, 14 May and 21 May respectively. The judge also observed that after Mr Kanu sacked his lawyers, he engaged four of them, including P. A. N. Ejiofor, Aloy Ejimakor, Maxwell Opara and Mandela Umegburu, as his consultants in relation to the case. He observed that the said consultants were also always present in court during every proceeding, including on Friday. Justice Omotosho held that, as was the case in the Bible, when God gave Adam the opportunity to explain why he ate the apple, the court equally gave Mr Kanu ample opportunity to enter his defence. I have, as a Christian, given the defendant the opportunity to defend himself. I have on some occasions appealed to him in the name of God and advised him to get the service of a lawyer knowledgeable in criminal procedure, he said. The judge held that, although the right to a fair hearing is constitutional, the defendant could not complain of being denied the right since he, on his own volition, failed to utilise the opportunity given him to defend himself. Justice Omotosho also held that the defendant could not be compelled to utilise the opportunity of a fair hearing, noting that he was free to waive it if he chose. The defendant has been given ample opportunity to defend himself in this case. I hold that the defendant has waived his right to open his defence, he said. The judge said the two motions filed by the defendant, in which he was challenging the courts jurisdiction, would be determined at the time of the final judgment. He said in the interest of justice, the prosecution and defendants were deemed to have waived their rights to file final written addresses on the grounds that while Mr Kanu is not a lawyer and the prosecution was represented by lawyers, the latter (the prosecution) would have an advantage over the defendant. The judge then adjourned till 20 November for judgment. Earlier, when the case was called on Friday, the judge asked Mr Kanu to open his defence. Mr Kanu, who was sitting in the dock, rose to his feet and told the court that he could not proceed with the business of the day because he had been unable to file a fresh motion, with accompanying documents. The judge then stood down the case for some minutes and invited officials of the courts registry to the courtroom to enable Mr Kanu to file the documents and depose to the attached affidavit. When Mr Kanu completed the process of filing the fresh motion, the case was recalled, following which the defendant moved the motion, dated 6 November, but filed on 7 November. Arguing the motion, Mr Kanu queried the jurisdiction of the court to try him based on the charge, which he claimed was invalid on the grounds that it was based on repealed laws. Mr Kanu submitted that the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013 and the Customs and Excise Management Act, Cap C45 LFN 2004, on which the charge was hinged, had been repealed. He further argued that the failure of the court to take judicial notice that the laws had been repealed rendered the proceedings so far conducted in the case a nullity. Mr Kanu claimed that his trial was a conspiracy and had been pre-determined, accusing the UK government of wanting him to be convicted and jailed. He alleged that he learnt of the British authorities intention regarding his fate about one and a half years ago. But Justice Omotosho said he was unaware of Mr Kanus claim. You said the British said this over one year ago? I know I was not the judge then. Because you said your case is pre-determined, I want to say this that I do not have any relationship with the British authorities, the judge said. When the judge asked Mr Kanu if he was now ready to open his defence, he responded thus: I am ready, my lord, but I need to know under which law I am being tried. Mr Kanu then urged the court to strike out the charge and proceed to order his release. When he concluded his submission, Mr Kanu commended the judge for being fair in his handling of the case, saying: I am most grateful that you are guiding this proceeding the way it should. Responding to the motion, the prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo, said he had no need to file a counter affidavit to Mr Kanus motion, but would rely on the exhibit attached to the motion Kanu just moved. The exhibit was part of the courts proceedings, showing when Mr Kanus plea was taken, during which he initially claimed not to understand count one of the seven-count charge on which he is being tried, but later admitted understanding the count when it was read to him the second time and proceeded to plead not guilty to the count. In Mr Kanus motion, the IPOB leader asked the court to, among others, expunge that section from its record of proceedings, claiming that he was misled into pleading to the count. Mr Awomolo, therefore, urged the court to take judicial notice of the total record of its proceedings from the beginning of the case. He also urged the court to note that Mr Kanu was represented by lawyers, who cross-examined the prosecutions witnesses and challenged some of the evidence tendered by the prosecution. The prosecuting lawyer said it had always been Mr Kanus position that the charge for which he was standing trial was based on laws that had been repealed. Mr Awomolo urged the court to take Mr Kanus motion as his (the defendants) defence in the case. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) observes that Mr Kanu, in the motion, prayed the court for five reliefs. These include, An order expunging, from the records of the court, the purported plea of not guilty entered by the defendant/applicant on 29th March 2025, the same having been obtained under deception, coercion, and in clear violation of Section 36(6)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), and in defiance of the Supreme Courts binding directive in FRN v. Nnamdi Kanu (SC/CR/1361/2022). An order setting aside all proceedings conducted pursuant to the said defective plea, including, but not limited to the scheduling of defence, witness summons, and trial dates, the same being founded on a nullity ab initio. An order declaring that the seven-count charge dated 29th March 2025 discloses no triable offence known to law, having been founded on repealed statutesnamely, the Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act, 2013 (repealed by the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022) and the Customs and Excise Management Act, Cap C45 LFN 2004 (repealed by the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023)and in flagrant disobedience of the Supreme Courts order for amendment. An order striking out the charge in its entirety for want of jurisdiction, the same being incompetent and void ab initio. An order directing the immediate release of the defendant/applicant from custody, there being no valid charge pending before this court. Mr Kanu hinged his five prayers on nine grounds, to include that on 29th March 2025, upon being asked by the Registrar whether he understood count one of the charge, the defendant unequivocally responded I dont a fact indelibly recorded at page 12 of the Certified True Copy of the record of proceedings. Despite the defendants clear protestation of non-comprehension, the court failed to halt proceedings, offer explanation, or ensure understanding in a language the Defendant comprehends, thereby breaching Section 36(6)(a) CFRN. The subsequent I do, yes and plea of not guilty were procured under pressure and without curing the initial constitutional defect, rendering the entire plea-taking exercise a nullity. The charge is founded on repealed statutes statutorily noticeable under Section 122 of the Evidence Act, 2011and remains unamended despite the Supreme Courts explicit directive on 15th December 2023 that count 15 (formerly mis-citing the Criminal Code) be amended to reflect the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA). By Section 36(12) CFRN, no person shall be convicted of an offence not defined in a written law in force at the time of commission. The prosecutions reliance on repealed laws violates this constitutional safeguard. The prosecutions continued use of the unamended, defective charge constitutes a gross abuse of court process and contempt of the Supreme Courts binding judgment under Section 287(1) CFRN. Sections 220 and 221 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), read with Section 165 of the Evidence Act, compel the setting aside of proceedings founded on a materially defective plea, especially where the accused was misled and prejudiced. This court lacks jurisdiction to proceed on a charge that discloses no offence known to law. Jurisdiction is the lifeblood of adjudication; without it, all proceedings are void ab initio. The defendant has been in custody since June 2021 without a valid charge a continuing violation of his fundamental rights under Sections 35 and 36 CFRN. (NAN) The Nigeria Police Force has begun aerial surveillance in Anambra State ahead of the Saturdays governorship election in the south-eastern state. A PREMIUM TIMES reporter observed a helicopter hovering in various areas in Awka, the Anambra capital on Thursday. At the time, residents were uncertain about the helicopter and its mission. But on Friday, the Nigerian police authorities uploaded a video clip on their official Facebook which showed some officers flying the helicopter at a low level across Anambra State. ONGOING: Aerial surveillance of Anambra State by the Nigeria Police Airwing ahead of the 8 November 2025 gubernatorial election, the police wrote on the clip. Security concerns Although the police authorities did not give reason for the aerial surveillance, it may be connected to the security concerns in some parts of Anambra State. PREMIUM TIMES reports that Anambra is among the states in the South-east worst hit by insecurity. Armed persons said to be agitating for an independent state of Biafra have been terrorising residents of the South-eastern state. The hoodlums have been carrying out frequent attacks in Anambra, killing and abducting people, especially government officials and security operatives. At least two state lawmakers have been abducted and killed in Anambra in the last three years. The Labour Party candidate in the 2021 governorship election in the state, Obiora Agbasimalo, has not been found since he was abducted in Ihiala LGA of the state a few weeks before that years election. Ahead of the 8 November governorship poll in Anambra, security concerns are palpable in some parts of the state. PREMIUM TIMES can confirm that many residents have deserted some communities within Ihiala and Ogbaru LGAs in the state because of frequent attacks by armed persons. Charles Soludo has been spotted at the Anaocha council secretariat in Neni, where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office for the area is located. Less than 24 hours to the Anambra governorship election, a campaign banner of Governorhas been spotted at the Anaocha council secretariat in Neni, where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office for the area is located. The banner, bearing Mr Soludos portrait and that of his running mate under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), is displayed in front and behind the main block of the council secretariat about 100 metres from the INEC office. The display breaches Section 94(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which stipulates that public campaigning shall commence 150 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day. On Friday evening, when our reporter arrived at the office, INEC officials were seen dispatching sensitive election materials from the Anaocha office to various registration centres across the local government area. The process took place under tight security provided by police officers and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. The atmosphere in Neni was calm as election officials intensified preparations for Saturdays poll. Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate is expected to cast his ballot in his hometown, Agulu. PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately reach INEC officials for comments on why Mr Soludos campaign banners were conspicuously displayed meters away from its office on election eve. Under the Electoral Act, political parties or candidates who continue public campaigns within 24 hours to polling day risk penalties, including fines of up to N500,000 for each violation. Last Sunday, I participated in the Toyin Falola Interview Series, the topic of which was: Dangote, Oil and Power in Nigeria. It is a widely followed intellectual debate forum streamed on zoom, Facebook, YouTube, X and a number of radio stations. The Panel had Professors Victor Oguejiofor Okafor, Mobolaji Ebenezer Aluko, Ehiedu Goodluck Iweriebor, Jibrin Ibrahim as well as governance scholar John Onyeukwu, and labour veteran Comrade Owei Lakemfa. The chief host, Professor Toyin Falola had convened the forum in recognition of Dangote Refinery well-deserved praise for this historic intervention that completely changed Nigerias industrial destiny. It is for this reason that I became a fan of the impact Dangote industries are having on Nigerias industrial landscape. I have not always been a Dangote fan. I actually found him to be an unscrupulous player when he became a major commodities importer and distributor in the 1980s. It was a time when public corruption was organised around import licenses for what were called essential commodities. Then came the structural adjustment programme (SAP) and the libertarian of imports. Dangote became the winner of the new process by rapidly outplaying his rivals in the importation of these essential commodities sugar, salt, wheat flour, rice and cement. He followed a well-known strategy of lowering his prices to destroy the opposition and raising prices unfairly when he achieved the position of the monopoly player. He therefore came into the narrative of Nigerian business as a ruthless player determined to eliminate all competition so that he could exploit the masses with reckless abandon. I cannot vouch for the accuracy of this narrative but that was the street credibility he had at that time. I therefore had a very negative view of his business operations. I have heard former president Obasanjo take credit for transforming Dangote from an importer into a producer that developed a vast industrial complex in Nigeria and subsequently in Africa. He said he posed the question to Dangote on what it would take to transform from an importer to a captain of industry and the response was a no brainer. It can only happen if he receives state support to make production in Nigeria as profitable as the import option through incentives and protectionist measures. Obasanjo says he provided that support. There is no surprise therefore that the public perception of Dangote was for a long time as someone who built his empire by exploiting state resources. It would be very useful for our research community to probe the evolution of Dangotes ascent as a captain of industry. The important thing he has done for the country however is to bring back into reality the ambition of the Second National Development Plan of import substitution industrialization of Nigeria. From the scandal of the cement import armada of the 1970s when hundreds of ships loaded with cement were imported at the height of the oil boom and the government discovered that our ports could not unload them leading to a pile up that cost the country huge losses. Since then, we have moved to self-sufficiency in cement production in addition to a significant level of exports to neighbouring countries. I have travelled to Benin and Niger Republics by road and felt a sense of pride on seeing long queues of Dangote trucks exporting our cement. The establishment of the Dangote refinery, one of the largest in the world with capacity for processing 650,000 barrels of crude daily is a huge turning point for Nigeria, indeed for the continent. Already, some European refineries are closing down as Dangote is taking over their business. It is a historic intervention in Nigerias industrial destiny as we move from one of the worlds biggest importers to an exporter ending decades of structural dependence with the associated crisis of supply disruptions and fuel queues. The complete range of product delivery from petrol, diesel and aviation fuel to plastics and fertilisers is creating a huge industrial base for the country. The icing on the cake is that already, these products are being exported to the United States, Brazil and even Saudi Arabia building up our exports and dollar reserve. With Dangote, the African renaissance is clearly in motion. There is no surprise that the image of Dangote in Nigeria today is very positive and even the skeptical me has become a fan. Dangote himself has said that the refinery project has not been easy and he has confronted blockages and sabotage at every twist and turn. I remember the famous de-marketing press conference by the bosses of the National Petroleum Company under Mele Kyari declaring that the new refinery was producing sub-standard products only to find out later that their standards were among the highest in the world. They have had to import crude from other countries because NNPCL would not sell to them what they need. At the same time, the profiteers of oil importation in the country have gone to great lengths to place obstacles between the refinery and the Nigerian market. Dangote has shown himself to be a resilient fighter and has been addressing the numerous challenges as they come along. One of the most serious challenges he faced was the nationwide strike declared by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). The labour union grounded operations at key oil and gas regulatory facilities, including the NNPC, the NUPRC and the NMDPRA, in response to the sacking of 800 workers by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals after they joined PENGASSAN. The refinerys management had accused the sacked workers of sabotage. PENGASSAN accused the refinerys management of violating Nigerian labour laws and ILO conventions, alleging that the dismissed staff were replaced with Indian nationals. Dangote is indeed deeply anti-union in his operations and I hope he has learnt that trade unionism is a constitutional right that no industry should be allowed to violate. For its part, the union should not have attempted to sabotage an industry that is so important to Nigerias development prospects not just because it is not lawful, but even more because it would do great harm to the whole country. After a long period of hostility, the Tinubu Administration appears to be warming up to Dangote with the recent presidential directive to place a 15% tariff on imported fuel. I do hope that it is an attempt to provide some protection for this vital industry that is so important to our economy. Dear Dangote, I believe that you are right in your attitude that the struggle continues. Tuesday, November 04, 2025 In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, may the blessings and peace be upon our beloved master Muhammad, the last of Prophets, on his family, and all his companions. Dear brothers and sisters! President Donald Trump of America on Saturday said he ordered the Pentagon to begin planning for potential military action in Nigeria as he stepped up his allegations that the Nigerian government is failing to rein in the persecution of Christians in the country. The president Trump also warned that he will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria. If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, guns-a-blazing, to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities, Trump posted on social media. I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! The warning came after Nigerias President Bola Ahmed Tinubu earlier on Saturday pushed back on Donald Trump announcing a day earlier that he was designating Nigeria a country of particular concern for allegedly failing to rein in the persecution of Christians. In a social media statement on Saturday, Tinubu said that the characterisation of Nigeria as a religiously intolerant country does not reflect the national reality. Religious freedom and tolerance have been a core tenet of our collective identity and shall always remain so, Tinubu said. Nigeria opposes religious persecution and does not encourage it. Nigeria is a country with constitutional guarantees to protect citizens of all faiths. Donald Trump on Friday said, Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria and radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. Donald Trumps comment came weeks after U.S. Senator Ted Cruz urged Congress to designate Nigeria as a violator of religious freedom with claims of Christian mass murder. Nigerias population of 220 million is split almost equally between Christians and Muslims. The country has long faced insecurity from various fronts including the Boko Haram extremist group, which seeks to establish its radical interpretation of Islamic law and has also targeted Muslims it deems not Muslim enough. Attacks in Nigeria have varying motives. There are religiously motivated ones targeting both Christians and Muslims, clashes between farmers and herders over dwindling resources, communal rivalries, secessionist groups and ethnic clashes. While Christians are among those targeted, analysts say the majority of victims of armed groups are Muslims in Nigerias Muslim-majority north, where most attacks occur. Kimiebi Ebienfa, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reiterated the commitment of Nigeria to protect citizens of all religions. The Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to defend all citizens, irrespective of race, creed, or religion, Ebienfa said in a statement on Saturday. Like America, Nigeria has no option but to celebrate the diversity that is our greatest strength. Nigeria was placed on the country of particular concern list by the U.S. for the first time in 2020 over what the State Department called systematic violations of religious freedom. The designation, which did not single out attacks on Christians, was lifted in 2023 in what observers saw as a way to improve ties between the countries ahead of then-Secretary of State Antony Blinkens visit. Respected brothers and sisters! Know that, Islam and Christianity are the two largest religions in the world, with approximately 2.3 billion and 2 billion adherents, respectively. Christian and Muslim relationships are complex, characterised by both cooperation and conflict throughout history, with modern efforts focusing on dialogue and mutual respect. Key areas of both shared and differing beliefs include the nature of God (trinity vs. strict monotheism) and the divinity of Jesus, though both revere him as a Prophet. The relationship also involves social aspects, where both religions encourage tolerance and good neighbourly conduct, while challenges exist, particularly in interfaith marriage. Fellow brothers and sisters! Islam and Christianity are the two largest religions in the world, together embraced by more than half of the global population. The relationship between Muslims and Christians therefore holds immense significance for the future of peace, justice, and stability in the world. Sadly, in recent decades we have witnessed growing tensions, misunderstandings, and even violent conflicts between followers of these two faithsdevelopments that deeply undermine the possibility of genuine interreligious harmony. To build lasting peace, it is essential to recognise how closely Islam and Christianity are related, especially when compared with other world religions. Both faiths are rooted in the Abrahamic tradition, sharing belief in same God, reverence for many of the same Prophets, an acknowledgment of divine revelation, belief in the Last Day, and accountability in the life to come. Their ethical teachings also strongly converge both emphasise compassion, justice, humility, honesty, service to others, and the pursuit of peace. These commonalities far outweigh the differences. For this reason, it is evident that the source of conflict is not the religions themselves, but rather the misuse of religion for political, cultural, or sectarian purposes. History shows that leaders and factions on both sides have at times manipulated religious identity to rally support, inflame divisions, or justify power struggles. When faith is exploited in this way, it becomes a tool of conflict rather than a force for reconciliation. This makes it even more urgent to strengthen religious harmony between Muslims and Christians. Scholars, leaders, and practitioners of both traditions bear a moral responsibility to counteract divisive narratives and instead highlight shared values. Interfaith dialogue should not only be about comparing doctrines but also about building mutual respect, promoting cooperative action on global challenges, and reaffirming the sacred dignity of every human being. I strongly advocate for the establishment of a MuslimChristian dialogue platform dedicated to fostering understanding and collaboration. Such initiatives could: Correct misconceptions and stereotypes about each faith. Emphasise the rich history of coexistence, scholarship, and cultural exchange between Muslims and Christians. Encourage joint action on humanitarian, environmental, and social issues that affect all of humanity. Remind the world that differences, while real, need not lead to hostility but can instead inspire dialogue and growth. The perceived divide between Islam and Christianity is often exaggerated. Their teachings stand much closer together than is commonly portrayed. By focusing on what unites rather than what divides, Muslims and Christians can play a decisive role in healing divisions, fostering trust, and laying the foundation for a more peaceful world. Fellow brothers and sisters! In the noble Quran, Christians are often referred to as People of the Book, meaning the people who have received and believed in revelations from Allahs Prophets. The Quran contains verses that highlight the commonalities between Christians and Muslims but contains other verses warning Christians against sliding toward polytheism due to their worship of Jesus Christ as God. These Quranic verses serve to establish a sense of kinship and mutual respect between the two faiths while also emphasising theological differences. Understanding these passages can promote dialogue and tolerance between Christian and Muslim communities. Islam and Christianity have a great deal in common, including some of the same Prophets. Islam, for example, believes Jesus is a Messenger of Allah and that he was born to the Virgin Mary (Maryam)beliefs surprisingly similar to Christian doctrine. There are, of course, important differences between the faiths, but for Christians first learning about Islam, or Muslims being introduced to Christianity, there is often a good deal of surprise at just how much the two important faiths share. Several different passages in the Quran speak about the commonalities Muslims share with Christians. Allah Almighty says: Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabianswhoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor shall they grieve. [Quran, 2:62, Quran, 5:69, and many other Quranic verses] And Allah the Most High says: . . . and nearest among them in love to the believers will you find those who say, We are Christians, because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant. [Quran, 5:82] And Allah Almighty says: O you who believe! Be helpers of Allahas Jesus the son of Mary said to the Disciples, Who will be my helpers in (the work of) Allah? Said the disciples, We are Allahs helpers! Then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved. But We gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed. [Quran, 61:14] Also Allah the Most High says: They are not [all] the same; among the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is a community standing [in obedience], reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrating [in prayer]. [Quran, 3:113] This verse is from the noble Quran, specifically Surah Ali-Imran, Chapter 3, verse 113. The preceding Quranic verses discuss about the behaviours of some of the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) in more general terms, highlighting their disbelief and some negative actions. This verse 3:113, however, provides a balance by distinguishing between them, acknowledging that not all are the same and that a righteous group exists among them who worship Allah and obey His commands. Having made clear what many of the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) are like, Allah then explains that there is a group among them who are upright and stand by the truth not all the People of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) are the same. Rather, there is a group among them who follow the Religion of Allah: doing as Allah instructs and staying away from what He has prohibited, reading the verses of Allah in the hours of the night, and praying to Him. Fellow brothers and sisters! Surely, terrorism cannot be born of religion. Terrorism is the product of corrupt minds, hardened hearts, and arrogant egos, and corruption, destruction, and arrogance are unknown to the heart attached to the divine. Islam is a religion of tolerance and peaceful coexistence with all of humanity both as individuals and communities. Islam views people as honoured creatures without regard for their religion, race, or colour. Allah the Most High says: Verily We have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preferment. [Quran, 17:70] Islam has come up with a code for relations between Muslims and non-Muslims living in the same society: Allah forbids you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from your homes, that you should show them kindness and deal justly with them. Lo! Allah loves the just dealers. [Quran, 60:8] Allah commands us in this Quranic verse to act well towards non-Muslims and not harm them saying, show them kindness (tabirruhum), for kindness (birr) is all that is good. It is as if Allah is commanding us, and making it preferable that we cooperate with non-Muslims in all avenues of good. All who truly know Islam are aware of its concern for global peace, since it made it one of its main pillars. Peace (al-Salam) is one of the names of Allah Most High and it is among His attributes, He said: He is Allah, than Whom there is no other Allah, the Sovereign Lord, the Noble One, Peace, the Keeper of Faith, the Guardian, the Majestic, the Compeller, the Superb. Glorified be Allah from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him). [Quran, 59:23] He made peace His greeting to His servants and enjoined them to make it their greeting as well; they exchange it whenever they meet, it is their distinguishing mark in the mosque, school, factory, and marketplace. Paradise is named the Abode of Peace: He said: For them is the Abode of Peace with their Lord. He will be their Protecting Friend because of what they used to do. [Quran, 6:127] And the other Quranic verses in which peace is mentioned are numerous. Peace has been the distinguishing mark of Muslims in the East and the West from the advent of Islam to this day. It is the greeting that they give other Muslims when they meet each other and when they depart from each other saying, Assalamu alaikum (Peace be upon you). This peace and security is not limited just to Muslims. Muslims believe that all men, regardless of their faith, always posses the right to live in peace and security in Muslim lands. Protecting others from oppression within ones borders is something that Islam makes mandatory emphasising this and forbidding Muslims to harm or have animosity against those under their protection either by word or deed. Allah the Most High does not love or guide oppressors; He gives them their punishment ahead of time in the world, or leaves them to be punished doubly in the afterlife. The Quranic verses and Prophetic Tradition that mention the impermissibility, grossness, and the evil effects of oppression are many. Prophetic Traditions have been related specifically warning against oppressing non-Muslims who are under the protection of Muslims or possess treaties with them. The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said: Whoever wrongs someone with whom the Muslims have a treaty, denies them their rights, burdens them beyond their capacity, or takes something from them without their good will, I am that persons adversary on the Day of Judgment. Islam encourages peace and security due to the extremely important effect they have on making life stable for humanity and making advancement possible in all fields. In order to comprehend the extent of the effect of peace and security on the advancement of peoples, we need to take a look at the destructive effects of war on peoples, advancement, and development, for as the saying goes: The good of something is revealed by its opposites. Since the basic components of community development and advancement are the physical well-being of the individuals of the society so that they can fulfill their roles, we find that wars and economic sanctions have a devastating effect on the health and well-being of a community. Tolerance for adherents of other religions by people whose entire lives are based on a religion by which they have been granted victory and predominance, is something that was previously unknown in the history of religions. This is something to which Westerners themselves bear witness. The knowledgeable French scholar Gustav Le Bon said: We have seen from the Quranic verses mentioned previously that Muhammads magnanimity towards Jews and Christians was most great; something which was not said by the establishers of the religions that predated him like Judaism and Christianity in particular. And we shall see how his deputies followed him in this. It is both false and unjust to think that Islam is the cause of terrorism, or to think that its only the Christians that are being killed, just because it is carried out by groups who associate themselves with Islam; otherwise this claim would be call for the destruction of all religions. For example, we know that Christianity calls for love, and that its followers were oppressed at a time when they were weak, but should we consider that the repression and torture of Muslims and Jews which was carried out by the Church in Spain was the result of the teachings of Christianity? The Church took out its anger on the Jews and Muslims due to the spread of the philosophy and thought of Ibn Rushd, especially among the Jews, and ruled that all Jews who did not allow themselves to be baptised were to be expelled from the country. They were allowed to sell their property if they wished, but they were not permitted to take any gold or silver with them when they left, so they were forced to accept trade-goods in return for their property. The Jews left Spain leaving their properties behind them in order to escape with their lives, although many were overcome by hunger and the hardship of travel due to their poverty. The Church also ruled in 1052 CE for the expulsion of all Muslims from Spain and its outlying lands if they did not submit to being baptised. The condition imposed upon them was that they not take a road leading to Muslim lands upon their departure, and whoever went against this order was killed. We are also loath to blame the Crusades on the teachings of Christianity, and we attempt to differentiate between them and the practices of certain Christian extremists and terrorists. The twentieth century, with all of its revolutionary experiments, including all of the barbarism of the communist and Nazi revolutions, falls short in the face of the atrocities of the Crusades against other Christians; some of them would spread their dead defectors out on the ground as a means of fertilisation! Viedham mentions that these wars were full of atrocities because the theologians were always ready to pour oil on the fire and revive the soldiers brutality when they were overcome with doubts and weakness. The soldiers may have been brutal, but there were times when they inclined towards mercy; as for the theologians, they considered moderation and mercy a form of treason. Sheikh Muhammad Abduh says concerning the Inquisition: The cruelty of the Inquisition was such that people of that time said it was nearly impossible to be a Christian and die at home in ones bed. He also says: Between the years 1481 and 1808 C.E. the courts of the Inquisition judged 340,000 people, 200,000 of whom were burned alive. Much closer to us today are the number of Afghan villages that were completely destroyed in order to punish one person (Osama Bin Laden), and the fires are still burning in Baghdad (Iraq) in order to punish one person (Sadam Husein) because he possesses weapons of mass destruction, which have no existence outside of intentional lies. Similarly the clear and unabashed terrorism practiced by the Zionist entity cannot be blamed on the teachings of Judaism, for all religions came as a mercy to people and a means of spreading justice and forgiveness among them. This does not mean that we deny the acts of destruction and terror which occur in our secure countries, but they are the result of perverse minds, desolate hearts, and arrogance. Allah Almighty says: Behaving arrogantly in the land and plotting evil; and the evil plot only encloses the men who make it. [Quran, 35:43] In fact the words of Allah nearly apply directly to them when He says: And of mankind there is he whose conversation of the life of this word please you (Muhammad), and he calls Allah to witness as to that which is in his heart; yet he is the most rigid of opponents. And when he turns away (from you) his effort in the land is to make mischief therein and to destroy the crops and the cattle; and Allah does not love mischief. And when it is said to him: Be careful of the duty to Allah, pride takes him to sin. Hell will settle his account, an evil resting-place. [Quran, 2:204-206] While some terrorist groups claim to act in the name of a particular faith, experts and global leaders widely agree that terrorism has no official or inherent religion. No major world religion inherently promotes or justifies the violence and harm to innocent people that is characteristic of terrorism. Religious scholars and leaders overwhelmingly condemn such acts as a perversion of their faiths true teachings of peace and compassion. Individuals and groups from virtually all religious backgrounds, as well as those with secular or atheistic ideologies, have engaged in terrorism for political, social, or ideological reasons. This diversity underscores that the motivation is not faith itself, but a radical interpretation of beliefs or a desire to achieve political goals through violence. Acts of terrorism are universally condemned across different cultures and belief systems, further demonstrating that it is a fringe activity not tied to the core tenets of any mainstream faith. The root causes of terrorism are often political grievances, social injustice, economic deprivation, or power struggles, with religion sometimes being used as a tool to mobilise and justify violent actions rather than being the primary cause. Therefore, terrorism is a political and criminal issue committed by a small number of extremists, not a representation of any religion as a whole. I always link between terrorism and religion what We always link between peoples mistakes and religion But really ! All heavenly religions beautiful and brilliant Calls for love, peace and brotherhood among all human beings But the misconception of some people who is mentally ill to make of these religions appear to be the cause of all the problems of the earth I believe that terrorism has no religion And that every man represents himself only It is much smaller than that religion is a perfectly I hope always to do when they get angry disgraceful released from bad people that just get angry from their reaction and from their behaviour despicable Do not be angry of their religion and all its adherents This injustice also of another kind Therefore, dear brothers and sisters! Know that, terrorism has no religion. Let us all unite and stand together against violence against any race or belief. Needless to say, It is also important to remember that such monsters have hijacked Islam. They do not represent the religion and Muslims. The Islam I practice, the Islam I know and love prohibits the taking of innocent lives. Finally, respected brothers and sisters! Know that, a patriot loves their country all the time. May Allah bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria, ameen! No doubt, Nigeria is our beloved country, and we love our country and extend the right hand of fellowship to the government and all people of Nigeria, and to our President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as the government of Nigeria works to serve Nigeria and all her people, irrespective of their ethnic, religious, and regional backgrounds. We call on the international community to support Nigeria in achieving its security objectives by providing intelligence and other assistance, so that our gallant armed forces, who have worked arm in arm with the armed forces of the United States in places like Liberia and other conflict zones, can create a safe environment for all Nigerians. These terrorists are not just enemies of Nigerian Muslims, Christians, as well as Nigerians of other faiths, they are also threats to world peace, and Nigeria needs cooperation at this moment, not threat, to deal with them, rather than confrontation. May Allah bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and may peace, unity, progress and prosperity continue to follow Nigeria. In Allahs Name, ameen! And for those unpatriotic people who are defending President Donald Trump and supporting his aggressive threats to our coutry; they should remember, PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP DID NOT SAY A DISGRACED GOVERNMENT OR A DISGRACED PARTY He said a Disgraced country. That I personally considered an insult to the land I buried my parents, the land I was born and the land I want to be buried. If you were born abroad and your parents were buried abroad and you wish to be buried abroad, you would certainly not feel personally offended by calling this land Disgraced. I ask Allah to inspire us with guidance and to give peace to our children, our countries, and the entire Muslim Ummah, ameen! All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Prayers, peace and mercy are upon our beloved master, Muhammad, the son of Abdullah (Peace be upon him), his family and Companions. Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected] or +2348038289761 or +2348024192217. There are intense discussions going on in Nigeria. Is the United States of America, USA preparing to attack? If it is, what are the targets? A Government increasingly incapable of securing lives and property? The people, so terrified that they self-impose movement restrictions? Terrorists roaming around the country? Bandits, building empires and imposing peace conditions on communities and state governments? Islamic fundamentalists, populated by foreign fighters depopulating communities? Or can it be that the USA just wants to impose sanctions and withdraw certain support including military? There are those already calling for national mobilization to counter a possible military invasion. Some are appealing to patriotic sentiments to defend the countrys sovereignty. There are also those like Sheikh Gumi who designate bandits as liberation fighters and, are therefore, urging the Tinubu administration to carry out actions against the USA. These reactions are coming in the wake of mercurial President Donald Trumps Friday, October 31, 2025 decision to again, designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, CPC. The first time he did so was In December, 2020. A CPC under the US International Religious Freedom Act, IRFA of 1998, is a nation that engages or tolerates: systemic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. The narration being pushed by the Trump administration is that there is genocide against Christians in Nigeria. This claim is partially true in the sense that there is ongoing genocide in Nigeria. This I have pointed out over the years in my columns, the latest being on June 23, 2025 titled Nigerian massacres: Treating ring worm while ignoring leprosy. In it, I had backed up my claims by quoting the traditional leader of the Tiv, one of the ethnic nationalities being wiped out. The Tor Tiv, Orchivirigh Professor James Ayatse had, following the massacre of over 200 Nigerians in Yelwata Village, Benue State, pointedly told President Bola Tinubu in a face-to-face meeting: Your Excellency, it is not herder-farmer clashes. It is not communal clashes. It is not reprisal attacks or skirmishes. What we are dealing with here in Benue is a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign by herder-terrorists and bandits. By July 1, 2018, that is over seven years ago, in neigbouring Plateau State alone, these bandits and terrorists had wiped out 54 communities, renamed them and, have been living there ever since, while the survivors live in Internally Displaced People, IDP camps. Since then, the situation in those states as well as Nasarawa State have simply become worse. For those engaged in the academic exercise whether these are cases of genocide or not, all we need to do is define the term and apply it to the situation in these very fertile areas of the country called the Middle Belt. The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the Genocide Convention) 1948 states that: genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: Killing members of the group Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. The first three of the five definitions above, fully apply to the ethnic nationalities in the Middle Belt such as the Tiv, Ngas, Idoma, Tarok, Mwaghavul, Igede and Berom. The issue of genocide in Nigeria having been clarified, the second leg of the USA claim that genocide in Nigeria is targeted against Christians, is patently false. Yes, the victims of the Nigerian genocide are virtually all Christians while the perpetrators are Muslims, however, the motive is not religion, but land grabbing. The bandits and criminals who include rogue elements from the Central African Republic, Chad and parts of West Africa, are unlike the Boko Haram, not jihadists. They are simply roaming gangs whose objectives are to wipe out indigenous ethnic nationalities, grab their lands, rename them and establish their own homeland. They do not care about religion. In other words, even if the indigenes had been Muslims, these bandits would still have carried out the genocide. So, the on-going genocide in the Middle Belt is not by the Nigerian state nor is it state-sponsored. Rather, it is carried out by non-state actors. The complicity of the Nigerian state includes its failure to defend lives and property, refusal to use the armed forces to take out the bandits, bring them to justice and, restore the victims to their ancestral lands. In trying to hide behind a finger and be politically correct, the Tinubu administration continues to claim that this genocide that predates it by over a decade, is a herders-farmers clash This is despite the fact that the bandits have no herds except tendering AK-47 rifles. Also, the Nigerian government by disarming combatants on ground, merely disarms the indigenous people of the few arms they can defend themselves with, while the attackers who roam the forests, not only continue to keep their arms, but also increase their arsenal. Make no mistake, the Trump administration is fully aware of the Nigerian situation. Its claim of Christian genocide is opportunistic; designed to find an excuse to interfere for its undisclosed agenda. Now, I find quite silly, arguments that it is not Christians alone that are being massacred in Nigeria; should any group be massacred in the first place? The fact that Nigerians being slaughtered, cut across all religions, regions, ethnic nationalities and gender, does not make it normal nor tolerable. The Tinubu government, rather than cry, make protestations and, engage in cacophonous declarations, should settle down to actual governance. It needs to punish criminality in whatever guise including herders-farmers clashes. It needs to mobilise Nigerians in mass self-defence to defend their lives and property when attacked. The government should welcome assistance including from the USA, provided it is structured and executed under Nigerian sovereignty and control. We thank Organizations and countries like China which promptly expressed support for Nigerian sovereignty. But beyond that, we need support in various ways to defeat violence, terrorism, banditry and criminality in all parts of Nigeria. At the end of the day, the solution and salvation of Nigeria, lies in the hands of Nigerians. I wish those who want to be politically correct especially in order to win the 2027 general elections; those who are silent because the criminals are of their ethnic stock and, those who hope they will remain safe, good luck. As the saying goes, when the Heavens fall, it wont fall on one persons head. Since week, President Donald Trump has intensified his rhetoric on Christian persecution in Nigeria, warning the Nigerian government to act swiftly against the growing insurgency. He even directed the Department of War to prepare for possible military action, boasting that any U.S. strike would be fast, vicious, and sweet. The announcement sent shockwaves across Nigeria. Depending on who you ask, the reaction ranged from jubilation to dread. Many Northern Nigerian Christians, long victims of Islamic insurgency and herder violence, felt a flicker of relief. Finally, it seemed, someone powerful was listening to their cry. But for others, particularly many Muslims, the rhetoric sounded troublingly simplistic and dangerously divisive. The truth is that today, insurgents in Nigeria make no distinction between Muslims and Christians. Both mosques and churches are targets. The bullets are blind. So, why this sudden awakening from Washington? Why now, after more than a decade of bloodshed? Many Nigerians cant help but suspect that Americas renewed interest carries motives beyond altruism. History, after all, offers painful lessons about foreign liberations that ended up as national tragedies. That said, if this new pressure from abroad forces the Nigerian government to take the fight against insurgency seriously, to finally follow the money and prosecute those who fund and shield terrorists, perhaps we should welcome it, cautiously. Because lets be honest: our government has failed us. At best, its complicit. At worst, its aiding and abetting. While sponsors of Boko Haram are languishing in UAE prisons, their Nigerian counterparts are contesting elections and pulling the levers of power. Still, the last thing Nigeria needs is an American air campaign disguised as Christian salvation. We have seen that movie before, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria and it never ends well. When foreign powers drop bombs in the name of freedom, homes are destroyed, farms are razed, and basic infrastructure is reduced to rubble. Livelihoods vanish, families scatter, and nations collapse into chaos. What follows is not peace, but an endless cycle of famine, crime, and lawlessness. Once the smoke clears, the so-called liberators move on, leaving the victims to pick through the ruins of their freedom. Just this week, we learned that Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked coalition active in the Sahel, claimed an attack on a military post in Kwara State. This came only months after the group announced the formation of a new brigade inside Nigeria. JNIMs arrival adds another deadly actor to a landscape already crowded with Boko Haram, ISWAP, and Ansaru. Clearly, we are losing this war. The insurgency is mutating, expanding, and now, advancing southward. Yet the federal government continues to respond with denial, division, and empty rhetoric. Long before the Trump administration designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), debates raged over whether the violence amounted to genocide against Christians. But that argument misses the point. What is happening in Nigeria today is not just a religious war, its a war against ordinary Nigerians. Christians, Muslims, and those of no faith are being slaughtered alike. Calling it a Christian persecution may comfort some, but it distorts the truth. The victims are Nigerians first, poor, defenseless Nigerians abandoned by the very government meant to protect them. Those who recall recent history will remember how some Northern politicians pressured the Obama administration to designate Nigeria similarly under the Jonathan government, a move that carried dire diplomatic consequences. Yet, despite the label, the killings did not stop. Under Buhari, the massacres continued. Under Tinubu, they persist. Different administrations, same indifference, same bloodshed. This is the deeper tragedy: Nigeria is trapped in a vicious circle of violence and denial. Every new wave of death is followed by outrage, condemnation, and then silence, until the next round. The only way out is radical reform; constitutional, institutional, and moral. If Americas renewed attention can force our leaders to confront insecurity with urgency and sincerity, great . But if it comes with bombs and foreign boots, we must reject it. Nigerias wounds are deep, but they require healing hands, not missiles. Lets be clear: there is genocide happening, not against one faith, but against humanity itself within our borders. It is the slaughter of villagers in the North, farmers in the Middle Belt, oil workers in the South-South, and traders in the Southeast. It is the slow death of a people betrayed by their leaders corruption and cowardice. If Washington truly wishes to help, it should start by targeting the assets of those in power, the politicians who steal defense funds, the generals who collude with warlords, and the oligarchs who profit from chaos. Freeze their accounts. Cancel their visas. Seize their homes in Maryland and Atlanta. Make complicity expensive. That will do more good than a thousand drone strikes. America can also assist by improving Nigerias capacity for intelligence gathering, counterterrorism training, and regional cooperation not by turning our villages into war zones. The goal should be to strengthen Nigerias ability to protect itself, not to replace it. The reality is that Nigerias insecurity is now spilling beyond its borders. Jihadist movements from Mali, Niger, and Chad are converging on our territory. The Sahels firestorm is moving south, and Nigeria, with its size and fragility, could easily become the next epicenter of global terror. If that happens, the world will not be dealing with another Libya but something far worse. We must therefore act and act swiftly and wisely. The Nigerian government must summon the courage to reform its military, prosecute financiers of terror, rebuild the intelligence community, and secure the trust of its citizens. No foreign power will do this for us. We need help, yes but not the kind that arrives from the sky, wrapped in napalm and moral superiority. Osmund Agbo is a medical doctor and author. His works include, Black Grit, White Knuckles: The Philosophy of Black Renaissance and a fiction work titled The Velvet Court: Courtesan Chronicles. His latest works, Pray, Let the Shaman Die and Maam, I Do Not Come to You for Love, have just been released. He can be reached@ [email protected] First, I am not one to speak on divisive issues. This is because such conversations rarely lead to meaningful progress. People on both sides are often emotional and sentimental rather than rational and logical. But I will make an exception with this one. Since President Trump began to speak about the issue of Christian genocide in Nigeria, many people, including those in positions of authority, have taken different positions. I have begun to notice a pattern in these positions. People in government are denying it. Muslims are denying it. A few pastors are denying it. A section of the established media is amplifying the views of those who deny it. On the other hand, many Christians and pastors insist that it is happening, that there is indeed a genocide against Christians in Nigeria. Social media, in particular, is amplifying this side of the debate. My take is that, like many of our social problems in Nigeria, we are being too simplistic in our analysis of the insecurity problem. We fail to see that insecurity in Nigeria is multidimensional, and unless we approach it from that perspective, we will not be able to resolve it. Insecurity in Nigeria is being perpetrated by different groups with different intents and purposes. We have the bandits, the killer herdsmen, Boko Haram, and other terror groups that have infiltrated our country from Cameroon, Niger, Chad, and the Sahel. If we lump all these groups together, we can say that they are killing both Christians and Muslims, which is very sad. However, I believe that there is still a systematic killing of Christians in Nigeria by some of these groups or their splinters. We know how some clerics have openly preached about killing non-Muslims, popularly referred to as infidels, and how some followers have carried out and continue to carry out such instructions. This is no secret, except we choose to bury our heads in the sand and pretend otherwise. The argument of those denying the existence of Christian genocide in Nigeria is that both Muslims and Christians are being killed by extremists and bandits. While that may be true, it is not sufficient to deny the systematic killing of Christians in Northern Nigeria. We have seen open celebrations following the killings of Christians in the region. In recent years, there have been reports about the infiltration of the North-Central and Southern states by bandits and extremist groups. Today, we are recording killings not only in the usual Plateau, Benue, and Niger States but also in Osun, Ekiti, Kwara and Kogi States. Just yesterday, I heard that one of my uncles was shot by bandits between Isanlu and Ejuku, my hometown in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State. The pastors who say there is no Christian genocide in Nigeria are mostly from the southern part of the country that is relatively peaceful. Christians in the South are largely disconnected from the realities of Christians in the North. They do not know what their brethren in the North are going through. That is why they would use their experience to generalise. That is not accurate. For many years, churches have been one of the prime targets of these extremists. It has been reported that between 18,000 and 20,000 churches have been burnt by extremists since 2009. A UK government document states that since 2010, Boko Haram alone destroyed 22 mosques and 59 churches in the North-East. I know this data is open to debate, and I wont argue that. But lets still reflect on the numbers. What I do not understand is whether it is the term used by President Trump that makes some people deny the persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Are we saying that the word genocide is too strong a term for what is happening? What is genocide, in simple terms? It is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. The Oxford Dictionary defines it as the deliberate and systematic killing or persecution of a large number of people from a particular national or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group. Can we reflect on these definitions in the light of what Christians are going through in Nigeria, especially those in the northern part? Now, I do not agree with everything President Trump said about Nigeria. I do not agree that Nigeria is a disgraced country, and I do not support the invasion of Nigeria by American forces. What I support is international cooperation to address the problem of insecurity in Nigeria as a whole. It is obvious that we need help to resolve the multidimensional security challenges facing Nigeria. We need a country where all citizens, irrespective of religion, ethnicity, or other primordial identities, are safe and able to live in dignity. The government should seek the support of the United States and other countries willing to help. There is no shame in asking for help to resolve our security challenges, particularly because of the international dimension of the problem. Addressing our security challenges will also require political on the part of the President and his team. There is a need to confront both internal and external collaborators and sponsors of the different groups behind these killings. It was reported some time ago that the government has a list of terrorism sponsors in Nigeria. We do not know what has become of that list. The government must also be willing to confront Nigerians who benefit from this war against terror people who have no interest in seeing it end. Christians in the southern part of the country must make a conscious effort to understand what their brothers and sisters in the North are going through. Do not remain in your relatively peaceful bubble in the South and speak for those being persecuted in the North. While we must all be concerned about the killings of Muslims in the North, we should not, because of that, conclude that there is no systematic persecution of Christians in Northern Nigeria. Referenced Links https://businessday.ng/news/article/1200-churches-have-been-razed-annually-since-the-2009-boko-haram-uprising-intersociety/ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1003788/NGA_-_Islamist_extremist_groups_in_North_East_Nigeria_-_CPIN_-_v3.0__FINAL_Gov_UK_.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com Olumide Fred Adetiba is a social reformer and a transformation specialist. He is the Lead Steward of The Finishing Church. He can be reached via [email protected] by email and @fredadetiba on social media. Africas Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, hosted another enlightening edition of the UBA Business Series, bringing together some of Africas most dynamic digital entrepreneurs and influencers to discuss the secrets behind building impactful online communities. This edition of the Business Series, which had the theme, Content that Converts: Building Influence and Driving Growth Through Strategic Marketing, was held at the Tony Elumelu Amphitheatre in UBA Head Office, Marina, Lagos on Thursday. The very engaging session, shed light on how authenticity, consistency, and passion remain true cornerstones of success in the ever-evolving digital landscape, while the content creators shared first-hand experiences from their journeys across diverse industries and markets. UBAs Group Head, Digital Banking, Kayode Olubiyi, who welcomed participants and the panelists to the session, reaffirmed the banks commitment to empowering entrepreneurs across Africa through knowledge-sharing and capacity-building initiatives such as the Business Series. He emphasised that the quarterly event continues to serve as vital avenues for supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, equipping individuals with practical insights to grow their brands and businesses in a competitive digital economy. In his keynote address, the Managing Director/CEO at Nitro 121, Dr Lampe Omoyele, who said that You can create something out of what appears to be nothing, gave insight on key trends to develop content that creates Impact. He noted that content creation should go beyond aesthetics or trends to focus on value, purpose, and agility as he pointed out that creators who aim to make a difference must develop a clear personal brand identity and remain consistent in delivering messages that resonate with their audience. The panel session featured an impressive line-up of digital entrepreneurs and content creators, including Digital Creator and Actor, Elozonam Ogbolu; Digital Health Educator, Chinonso Egemba (Aproko Doctor); Kenyan Actress and Media Entrepreneur, Catherine Kamau; Content Creator, Nasiru Lawal (Nasboi) and Digital Influencer, Enioluwa Adeoluwa, who was also the moderator of the event. Growth is very important, says NasiruLawal. For the younger creators here, my best advice is this: please prioritise your growth. As a creator, the moment you become famous, you no longer move at your own pace; you move at the peoples pace. It is therefore important to ensure you grow consistently and then overtime, the recognition and the money begins to roll in. ElozonamOgbolu who agreed with Lawal, had this to say: Content creators have to engage their audience with proper storytelling, because brands are always out to carefully choose their creators. For the brands, you must pick your influencer or ambassador very deliberately and work together over time to grow. That is when you will see a proper return on investment. In his submission, Chinonso Egemba, said, If youre building a business or doing content creation, treat content creation as a business. When you treat it as a business, it needs proper structure. Otherwise, it wont last. If you dont put structure in place, youll end up responsible for everything, and that leads to burnout. You have to build structure, because if you want longevity, structure is very essential. For Catherine Kamau, it is important for content creators to find a balance and stay close to their community. What I realized is I have a community that keeps me grounded, and thats family. When you get famous, you tend to forget where you come from, you know, social media is an illusion and you start assuming that it is your real family until bad things happen to you. So please remember the real people in your life, because fame can get to your head, but those are not the people who are going to have your back when things go south. The creators while sharing their diverse experiences, they collectively emphasized that building a personal brand should take precedence over chasing financial gain. They also underscored the importance of originality, urging young creators to find their unique niche rather than replicating what others have done. UBAs Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, who commended panellists for taking time to share their useful insights at the event, took time to celebrate the UBA Management for organising conversations like this which according to her, remain impactful and will impact not just the individual customers, but also the economies at large. United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group wide and serving over 45 million customers globally. Operating in twenty African countries and the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting edge technology. Igbo-Eze South Local Government Council, Enugu State, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) are working on a proposal for a strategic partnership to train the councils youth in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other selected critical vocational and technical skills relevant to the evolving global economy. The Dean of UNNs Faculty of Vocational and Technical Education, Prof T. C. Ogbuanya, visited the Chairman of Igbo-Eze South Council, Ugo Ferdinand Ukwueze, on Thursday, 6 November, for this discussion on the proposed partnership. She was accompanied by the universitys Director of International Collaborations, K. C. Nnamani. Mr Ukwueze said the initiative aligns with his administrations vision to equip the next generation with future-ready competencies, bridging the gap between formal education and employability, while positioning the Igbo-Eze South youths as active participants in the digital and industrial transformation sweeping across the world. We remain resolute in our determination in line with the transformative leadership of Governor Peter Mbah to continue investing in the future of Igbo-Eze South, through collaborations that create opportunities, and build a productive, self-reliant youth population capable of driving sustainable development in our local economy, he said. I sincerely appreciate Prof (Mrs) Ogbuanya and Dr Nnamani for their technical support, foresight and willingness to facilitate this collaboration. Their commitment to knowledge transfer and community impact reflects the true spirit of the University of Nigerias legacy as a centre of excellence and innovation. Ukrainians generally prefer personal freedom over social welfare, although most advocate a balance between these priorities. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological study by the International Liberty Institute, presented at the Interfax-Ukraine agency. The survey was conducted on behalf of the Institute by New Image Marketing Group using the Lemur app in the first half of September 2025. CAWI methodology, sample of 1,000 respondents, representative of the adult population of Internet users aged 18+ throughout Ukraine, except for temporarily occupied territories. The statistical error does not exceed 3.16%. According to the study, most respondents choose a balance between personal freedom and public interests. Among those who make an unambiguous choice, 29% give priority to personal freedom, while 13% support the primacy of public welfare. Against the backdrop of wartime, a significant proportion of respondents are willing to accept certain temporary restrictions, but a noticeable portion emphasize that personal freedom should not suffer even for the common good. In the ranking of agreement with statements, mutual support in difficult times, even at the cost of personal resources, takes first place. This is followed by attitudes about the right of a person to live as they see fit and the decisive role of personal effort in achieving success. The priority of public interests over individual interests came in last place. In terms of self-identification of views, nationalist views prevail. 17% identified themselves as liberal conservatives, 5% identified themselves as libertarians, and about 30% were unable to define their ideology. The main sources of information in terms of frequency of mention are Telegram, YouTube, websites, and Facebook. Yaroslav Romanchuk, President of the International Liberty Institute: Ukrainians are ready for the market and capitalism. It is part of our value code. Charity, solidarity, and mutual support have become a powerful force that can become the foundation for development after victory. He stressed that the key challenge remains a lack of understanding of basic economic concepts: We need educational work on economic freedom, private property, and the role of the state. The state must guarantee security and rights, but not replace private initiative. Romanchuk also highlighted the link between support for market principles and long-term growth results: Where support for market principles is higher, investment, productivity, and prosperity are higher. Ukraine can move faster if there is competition between programs and ideas, not just personalities. A comparison with Central European countries showed that state regulation of prices and wages is more often supported in Ukraine than in Poland, while agreement with the statement that private businesses have the right to independently determine their product range and prices is lower, at around 20%. Support for a market economy has grown compared to 2019, but lags behind Poland and the Czech Republic. In demographic terms, support for elements of a market economy is more common among higher-income groups, young people aged 18-29, and respondents aged 55+. By gender, support for capitalism is higher among men than among women. Mykhailo Kamchatnyi, director of the International Institute for Liberty, emphasized that Ukrainians consistently place the interests of the individual above those of the state and society, while at the same time demonstrating a high level of solidarity. The full report and an abridged presentation are available on the website of the International Liberty Institute. Ugo Ferdinand Ukwueze, the chairman of Igbo-Eze South Local Government Council, Enugu State, has congratulated Kingsley Udeh, SAN, on his appointment as Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology by President Bola Tinubu. When the light shines steadily, it is only fitting that the lamp be placed higher for all to see. So it is with leadership, where excellence begets continuity and faithful stewardship attracts greater responsibility, Mr Ukwueze said in his congratulatory message to Mr Udeh on Thursday, 6 November. It is on this note that I, on behalf of the government and the good people of Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area, convey my heartfelt congratulations to my friend, Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, on his deserved swearing-in today as the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology by President Bola Tinubu. The chairman said Mr Udehs appointment is not only a personal achievement but also a clear recognition of excellence, intellect and capacity. A fine legal mind and a thoroughbred technocrat, he has consistently distinguished himself in every public office he has held. From his impactful service as Special Adviser to the former Governor on Education, through his transformative leadership as Commissioner for Rural Development, Enugu State, and later as Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of Enugu State, Dr Udeh championed far-reaching reforms that transformed rural development, strengthened the justice system and enhanced access to justice for all, he said. Mr Ukwueze thanked President Tinubu for the appointment, saying that it reflects his administrations commitment to merit and competence. I equally pay glowing commendation to the Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, a manager of men and resources, a builder of bridges, a modern wonder in the realms of governance, whose visionary leadership continues to raise the bar in human capital development and inclusive leadership. Mr Ukwueze said Mr Udehs appointment is yet another testament to Governor Mbahs deliberate investment in grooming capable leaders and positioning Enugu State firmly at the centre of national relevance. The tomorrow is here philosophy being translated into realities, he added. As Dr Udeh assumes this national responsibility, I do not doubt that he will bring his characteristic brilliance, discipline and innovative spirit to bear in transforming Nigerias Science, Technology, and Innovation landscape. Once again, congratulations, Honourable Minister K.T. Udeh, SAN. Nigeria has become the country where Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) treats the highest number of malnourished children globally, the medical charitys country representative, Ahmed Aldikhari, has disclosed. Mr Aldikhari said that in 2024 alone, MSF admitted nearly 300,000 children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) into its outpatient units across northern Nigeria. This accounts for more than half of all MSF admissions worldwide, he stated on Thursday in Abuja. He was speaking at the High-Level Conference on Mobilising Against Malnutrition in Katsina and North-West, an event convened by the Katsina State Government and MSF. The MSF chief attributed the crisis to Nigerias demographic weight and the persistent hunger gap affecting northern Sahelian regions. The conference also had in attendance Vice President Kashim Shettima, who described child malnutrition as a silent crisis and a national tragedy that costs the country an estimated $56 billion in human capital annually. Mr Shettima, represented by his Senior Special Adviser on Public Health, Uju Rochas-Anwukah, lauded the Katsina State governor for his proactive measures but warned that the nations future was at stake. When a nations children suffer from stunted growth, its future too becomes stunted. Every dollar invested in nutrition yields a return of twenty-three dollars. Nutrition is not a cost; it is the most strategic investment in our nations future, the vice president said. He reaffirmed the federal governments commitment to the Nutrition 774 Initiative, aimed at decentralising intervention programmes. Mr Shettima urged leaders to ensure the conference results in tangible outcomes, not just discussions. This conference must not end with communiques and photographs. Let it end with commitments and timelines. The child in Dutsin-Ma, the mother in Jibia, the family in Funtua they cannot afford our delays, he urged. Katsina investing N14bn in health, to build RUTF factories Radda In his address, the Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda, said his administration was moving from awareness to action to confront the emergency. Mr Radda announced that the state government has invested over N14 billion in the health sector in 2024, achieving 87 per cent budget performance. He outlined several specific interventions, including: A N1 billion contribution to the Child Nutrition Fund in partnership with UNICEF between 2023 and 2025. The upgrade of 260 Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) and seven general hospitals. The employment of over 1,600 frontline health workers. The enrolment of 504,000 residents, including vulnerable households, under the states health insurance scheme. Governor Radda also revealed plans for sustainable local solutions, including the establishment of factories to produce Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) and Tom-Brown (a nutrient-rich flour) in Katsina. To ensure sustainable solutions, we are setting up local production of Tom-Brown and RUTF to stimulate our economy and create jobs for our youth, he said. The governor added that his government is considering approving a six-month maternity leave for nursing mothers and ensuring the full implementation of the Child Protection Law to address social factors contributing to malnutrition. The event drew high-level participation from the diplomatic corps, including the German Ambassador, Annette Gunther; the European Union Ambassador, Gauthier Mignot; and the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mohammed Fall, among others. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has distributed sensitive electoral materials to the 21 Local Government Areas in Anambra State for Saturdays governorship election. Elizabeth Agwu, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, said this while distributing the materials on Thursday at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) premises in Awka, the state capital. We have inspected the sensitive materials with the Commissioner of Police in charge of this election and other stakeholders involved. We have also concluded that the materials are all intact. Right now, we will start distributing them to the 21 LGAs in the state, she said. Mrs Agwu listed the sensitive materials to include 2,802, 790 copies of ballot papers, 5,720 booklets of form EC 8A, and 287 booklets of form EC 8A for replacement. Others are 326 booklets of form EC 8B, 73 booklets of form EC 8B for continuations, and 21 booklets of form EC 8B for replacement. She said that other sensitive materials include 21 booklets of form EC 8C, 21 booklets of form EC 8C for replacement, one booklet of form EC 8D, one booklet of form EC 8D for replacement, and one booklet of form EC 8E. Also speaking, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, Abayomi Shogunle, expressed satisfaction with the security of the sensitive material. Mr Shogunle said that the 55,000 security personnel from various security agencies that would be involved in the election would be deployed as three per polling unit and other places. He urged residents to come out en masse to vote, as adequate security arrangements have been made for all persons involved in the election. Patrick Mba, the state commissioner for youth development, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and Coalition Agent, Onitsha North LGA, also expressed satisfaction with INECs handling of the election material. According to him, the sensitive materials are intact and being distributed transparently. I will say kudos to INEC. So far, so good, we are ready for the election. Our prayer is that we should have a peaceful and credible election, he said. (NAN) A retired Professor of Sociology at the University of Lagos, Lai Olurode, has said that the recent threat by United States President Donald Trump to launch military action against Nigeria is not driven by any genuine concern for the safety of Christians in the country but by racial, economic, social, and political motives. Mr Trump had recently designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), based on false claims that Christians were being systematically killed in the country. He later threatened that unless the Nigerian government stopped what he called the genocide of Christians, the United States under his watch would take military action. The Nigerian government has, however, repeatedly rejected Mr Trumps false allegations, insisting that terrorist attacks in the country target both Muslims and Christians and that there is no state policy or pattern of persecution against any religious group. In a statement made available to Premium Times, Professor Olurode described Mr Trumps claim as a smokescreen designed to mask deeper interests. Nigeria has, over the years, suffered indiscriminate terrorist attacks that target military installations, public infrastructure, economic assets, and all places of worship Christian and Muslim alike, he said. Theres hardly any state in the country that has not fallen victim to such violence. Yet, under the present administration, there are emerging indicators that acts of terrorism are actually declining. Trumps motives are racial, economic, and political According to the former National Commissioner with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr Trumps posture toward Nigeria reflects a long-standing pattern of racial bias and hostility toward non-white nations. Since his campaign for the White House, Trump has demonstrated hatred for black Americans and coloured people generally, Mr Olurode said. His immigration policies were hallmarks of racial bigotry and opposition to the melting-pot ideal that America once stood for. The professor added that Mr Trumps rhetoric and policies have consistently undermined multiculturalism and global cooperation, values that once defined the American experiment. Mr Olurode also linked Mr Trumps posture to economic self-interest, particularly the revolution underway in Nigerias oil sector, spearheaded by the Dangote Refinery. For the first time in Nigerias history, we are refining our own oil. This development undoubtedly reduces dependency on American oil workers, shippers, and refineries, he said. The Dangote phenomenon must be giving America sleepless nights. As Walter Rodney once argued in How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, the West prefers Africa to remain dependent. A self-sufficient Nigeria disrupts that structure. Socially, the sociologist said, Nigerias growing global cultural influence, from its diaspora community to its creative industries, is reshaping perceptions abroad in ways that some American conservatives, including Mr Trump, find unsettling. Nigerians in the diaspora are not just economic migrants; they are cultural ambassadors. Our music, art, and entrepreneurship are now embedded in the social fabric of major Western cities. Trump and his allies are no friends of this multicultural reality, he said. America fears a stable Nigerian democracy Politically, Professor Olurode argued that powerful nations often seek to destabilise emerging democracies in order to maintain dominance. Americas global triumph feeds on fuelling instability in fledgling democracies. Few powerful nations ever believed Nigeria could sustain 25 years of uninterrupted democracy, he said. While condemning Mr Trumps provocative and dangerous rhetoric, Professor Olurode advised President Bola Tinubus administration to remain calm, diplomatic, and strategic in its response. We must display decorum and caution in dealing with the most powerful country in a unipolar world, he urged. This is not the time for emotional outbursts or morbid patriotism. America can crush a fly with a sledgehammer. Nigeria must avoid walking into that death trap. The professor called on Nigerias political and intellectual elites to set aside their differences and rally behind the federal government in defence of their countrys sovereignty. If Nigeria goes under, there will be no country left for our diverse aspirations, he said. BARCELONA, Spain, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the leading international summit on cities and smart urban solutions organized by Fira de Barcelona, has closed its 2025 edition registering record-breaking figures. With over 27,000 attendees from 143 countries, the event focused on how cities must spearhead urban transformation by making use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence. Attendees walk through the halls of Smart City Expo 2025 Under the theme "The Time for Cities," SCEWC 2025 showcased the transformative potential of technology in the global effort to drive sustainable and efficient urban development. The debut of the AI-enabled Cities area allowed delegates to explore how this technology is accelerating solutions in metropolises worldwide, establishing itself as a catalyst for change. The Director of Smart City Expo World Congress, Ugo Valenti, said: "Cities are clearly embracing their role and responsibility in the future. The challenges are complex, but they are facing them head-on and steering towards action. Artificial Intelligence has established itself as a critical tool, not just for efficiency but for accelerating the transformation that metropolises urgently need. Cities must lead with purpose and accountability and after this year's event it is clearer than ever that we are on the right track." SCEWC was held alongside Tomorrow.Mobility World Congressorganized with EIT Urban MobilityTomorrow.Building, and Tomorrow.Blue Economy, gathering 1,190 exhibitors including Axis Communications, Bentley, Dahua Technology, Dassault Systemes, Dell, Deloitte, Google, iot squared, Microsoft, Nvidia, SPIE, Urbaser, and Veolia. In addition, the events brought together more than 600 international experts, including Nikki Greenberg, Kate O'Neill, and Carlo Ratti, who shared insights on the future of urban living, governance, and mobility. SCEWC 2025 also highlighted the role of startups in shaping tomorrow's cities, with the Innovation Playground connecting investors, research centers, and nearly 350 young companies showcasing their latest products and technologies. World Smart City Awards The Italian city of Rome was awarded "Smart City of 2025" at the World Smart City Awards, which each year acknowledge the most outstanding initiatives and projects in the urban transformation industry. The awards also honored Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and former Executive Director of UN-Habitat, for her contribution to the development of new urban paradigms on a global scale. Smart City Expo World Congress will return to Fira de Barcelona's Gran Via venue for its fifteenth edition on November 35, 2026. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2816850/Smart_City_Expo_2025.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/659718/Fira_Barcelona_Logo.jpg PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Aberdeen Investments plans to close and liquidate abrdn Bloomberg Industrial Metals Strategy K-1 Free ETF (Ticker: BCIM) (the "Fund") as part of an ongoing process to review the products made available to investors in order to concentrate its offering on products that experience greater investor demand. After the close of business on November 24, 2025, abrdn ETFs will no longer accept creation requests with respect to the Fund shares (the "Shares"). The last day of trading in the Shares on NYSE Arca will be December 3, 2025. Proceeds of the Fund's liquidation will be paid to the shareholders remaining in the Fund on or about December 5, 2025 (the "Liquidation Date"). In anticipation of the Fund's liquidation, when the Fund commences liquidation of its portfolio securities, the Fund may hold cash and securities that may not be consistent with the Fund's investment objective and strategy. During this period, the Fund is likely to incur higher tracking error than is typical for the Fund. In light of the expiration date of certain commodity futures contracts held through the Fund's subsidiary, the Fund anticipates that it will liquidate its portfolio securities on or about November 25, 2025. Shareholders may sell their Shares on NYSE Arca until market close on December 3, 2025. Customary brokerage charges may apply to such transactions. At the time of the Fund's liquidation, Shares will be individually redeemed. For shareholders that still hold Shares after market close on December 3, 2025, Shares will be redeemed for cash automatically in an amount equal to the net asset value as of the close of business on December 5, 2025, which will reflect the costs of closing the Fund. Shareholders will generally recognize a capital gain or loss on the redemptions. The Fund may or may not pay one or more dividends or other distributions prior to or along with the redemption payments. For more information about Aberdeen's ETF suite, please visit here. About Aberdeen Aberdeen is a global investment company that helps clients and customers plan, save, and invest for the future. Our purpose is to enable our clients to be better investors. Aberdeen manages and administers $709.2 bn USD worth of assets for clients (as of June 30, 2025). Our strategy is to deliver client-led growth. We are structured around three businesses Investments, Adviser, and ii (interactive investor) focused on the changing needs of our clients. The capabilities in our Investments business are built on the strength of our insight generated from wide-ranging research, worldwide investment expertise, and local market knowledge. Our teams collaborate across regions, asset classes, and specialisms, connecting diverse perspectives and working with clients to identify investment opportunities that suit their needs. As of June 30, 2025, our Investments business manages $504.1 bn USD on behalf of clients - including insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, independent wealth managers, pension funds, platforms, banks, and family offices. Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, fees, charges, and expenses of an ETF before investing. The summary and full prospectuses contain this and other information about the ETF and should be read carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus for the ETF, contact us at 1-844-383-7289 or download it from this site. Investing in ETFs involves risk, including possible loss of principal. There is no assurance that the investment objective of any fund will be achieved. ETF shares are bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the Fund. As a result, an investor may pay more than net asset value when buying and receive less than net asset value when selling. In addition, brokerage commissions will reduce returns. Fund shares are not individually redeemable directly with the Fund, but blocks of shares may be acquired from the Fund and tendered for redemption to the Fund by certain institutional investors in Creation Units. In the United States, Aberdeen Investments refers to the following affiliated, registered investment advisers: abrdn Inc., abrdn Investments Limited, and abrdn Asia Limited. abrdn Inc. has been registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 since August 23, 1995. Aberdeen's exchange-traded funds are distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc. ALPS is not affiliated with Aberdeen Investments. EFS000630 1/15/26 SOURCE abrdn Bloomberg Industrial Metals Strategy K-1 Free ETF SUZHOU, China, Nov. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CStone Pharmaceuticals ("CStone," HKEX: 2616), an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of therapies for oncology, autoimmune/inflammation, and other key disease areas, today announced that the Company will present one of its autoimmune and inflammation pipeline assets, CS2015 (OX40L/TSLP bispecific antibody), in the format of an ePoster plus an on-site oral presentation at the 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI). ACAAI is one of the most influential academic conferences in the fields of allergies, asthma, and immunology, attracting experts and scholars around the world to discuss the latest scientific advancements. This marks the first presentation of CS2015 at an international academic conference. The full content of the abstract and eposter is now officially available on the ACAAI website. Key highlights of the presentation: CS2015 features an asymmetric molecular design that simultaneously targets OX40L andTSLP, two clinically validated critical regulators of type 2 inflammation. The molecule incorporates an engineered Fc region with reduced binding affinity for FcR, which extends its in vivo half-life and optimizes its pharmacokinetic (PK) profile to support long-term dosing intervals. CS2015 also exhibits excellent molecular stability, facilitating the development of high-concentration subcutaneous formulations. Its strong developability profile further supports high-yield and scalable manufacturing. 1. Dual Blockade: CS2015 lead molecule demonstrated potent inhibition of OX40L/OX40 and TSLP/TSLPR downstream signaling: CS2015 potently interrupted the engagement of hOX40L on hOX40 reporter cells and hTSLP on hTSLPR/IL-7R reporter cells, respectively; The blocking activities of CS2015 were comparable to those of benchmark (parental) antibodies, with single or sub nanomolar IC50s. 2. Robust Inhibition of Inflammatory Responses: CS2015 lead molecule inhibited the release of inflammatory cytokines from primary CD4+ T cells stimulated by TSLP/OX40L and suppressed TSLP-induced release of TARC (CCL17) in human monocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). 3. Early Signs of Efficacy: CS2015 demonstrated potent disease control activities in Atopic Dermatitis (AD) model with OX40 and TSLP humanized mice. In MC903-induced AD models, CS2015 lead molecule: Rapidly reduced skin lesion severity including ear and epidermal thickening; Decreased immune cells, especially mast cells infiltration; Reduced itch events. 4. Durability Advantage: CS2015 demonstrated superb PK profiles in Non-Human Primate (NHP), supporting long-term dosing intervals: CS2015 lead molecule K19LS exhibited a mean half-life of 21 days (504.6 hours, Subcutaneous [SC]) and 25.7 days (617.6 hours, Intravenous [IV]); K19LS had a clearance rate of 2.4 (SC) and 2.7 (IV) ml/day/kg, and was well-absorbed, with outstanding bioavailability. 5. Outstanding drug-like properties: Beyond the data shown in the poster, CS2015 further demonstrated: Outstanding accelerated stability under high-temperature stress (40C); Low viscosity (scored at only 3.7 for a 100 mg/ml solution), promising for subcutaneous injection at high-concentration; Potent efficacy in the intranasal OVA/TSLP-induced asthma model by decreasing the secretion of IL-4, CCL17, IgE, etc., and alleviating pulmonary pathological changes. CStone will further advance the development of CS2015 to treat Th2 cell-mediated inflammation diseases, including AD, asthma, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyps (CRSwNP), etc. The presentation schedule is as follows: Title: CS2015 a TSLP/OX40L Bispecific Antibody as a Potential Novel Therapeutic Agent for Type 2 Inflammation Diseases Presentation Type: ePoster display & 15-min on-site oral presentation (ePoster ID: R377) Abstract ID: 8079 Date & Time: Friday, November 7, 3:05 PM ET Location: ePoster Area of the West Exhibit Hall, Monitor 22 *The abstract and ePoster have been officially available on ACAAI website: https://epostersonline.com/acaai2025/. About CStone CStone (HKEX: 2616), established in late 2015, is an innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company focused on the research and development of therapies for oncology, autoimmune/inflammation, and other key disease areas. Dedicated to addressing patients' unmet medical needs in China and globally, the Company has made significant strides since its inception. To date, the Company has successfully launched 4 innovative drugs and secured approvals for 16 new drug applications covering 9 indications. The company's pipeline is balanced by 16 promising candidates, featuring potentially first-in-class or best-in-class antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), multispecific antibodies, immunotherapies and precision medicines. CStone also prides itself on a management team with comprehensive experiences and capabilities that span the entire drug development spectrum, from preclinical and translational research to clinical development, drug manufacturing, business development, and commercialization. For more information about CStone, please visit: www.cstonepharma.com. Forward-looking statements The forward-looking statements made in this article only relate to events or information as of the date when the statements are made in this article. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or publicly revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this article completely and with the understanding that our actual future results or performance may be materially different from what we expect. All statements in this article are made on the date of publication of this article and may change due to future developments. Disclaimer: only for communication and scientific use by medical and health professionals, it is not intended for promotional purposes. SOURCE CStone Pharmaceuticals FISHERS, Ind., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AHEPA Senior Living (ASL) has launched an emergency fundraising effort to assist residents affected by the federal government's initial suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it will partially restore SNAP funding after a federal court order, tapping $4.65 billion in emergency funds to cover about half of this month's benefits. Millions of Americans, including older adults living in affordable housing, will still receive reduced or delayed aid. At AHEPA Senior Living, more than half of residentsover 2,500 seniors across 92 communities nationwidedepend on SNAP benefits averaging about $190 per month. Without these critical resources, many risk losing access to the nutritious meals they rely on each day. "This partial restoration offers some relief, but for our residents, the need remains immediate," President and CEO Steve Beck said. "We're working closely with local partners to ensure no one goes hungry." To complement the fundraising effort, AHEPA Senior Living's Service Coordination Department has activated an internal action plan across all communities, coordinating with local food banks, Meals on Wheels providers, and churches to ensure residents have access to food resources, transportation, and community meal programs. The plan includes resident surveys, priority tracking, and peer-led initiatives such as "Food Swap & Share" tables and "Cooking Together" gatherings to promote mutual support during the disruption. The suspension of SNAP benefits compounds existing strains on nonprofit meal providers such as Meals on Wheels, from which many AHEPA residents receive services, including those that combat social isolation. Delays and shortfalls in federal funding for the Older Americans Act program have already created ongoing challenges nationwide. "Across our communities, we see firsthand how fragile food security can be for older adults living on fixed incomes," Chairman of the Board Ike Gulas said. "This crisis underscores why our mission, to provide safe, affordable housing and services that help seniors live independently and thrive, is more vital than ever." Between November 1 and December 31, 2025, AHEPA Senior Living aims to raise $250,000 for emergency food assistance and resource coordination. Donations can be made at ahepaseniorliving.org or through the company's GoFundMe campaign. "Every dollar counts, and every act of kindness makes a difference," Beck said. About AHEPA Senior Living Serving more than 5,000 older adults across the United States, AHEPA Senior Living is a mission-driven, nationwide provider of affordable independent and assisted senior living communities. Since 1980, it has developed and managed more than 90 affordable senior housing communities in 21 states administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program. Through its subsidiaries, AHEPA Senior Living, through its Hellenic Senior Living brand, owns and manages four affordable assisted living communities with 532 units in Indiana. The mission of AHEPA Senior Living is to provide older adults with safe, healthy, and enriching affordable residential communities and quality services that allow them to thrive and enjoy peace of mind. To support our mission, please visit https://ahepaseniorliving.org/donate/ AHEPA Senior Living is based in Fishers, Ind. CONTACT: Andrew Kaffes, [email protected], (202) 441-5099 SOURCE AHEPA Senior Living Company announcement No. 18/2025 Aquaporin A/S Nymllevej 78 DK-2800 Kongens Lyngby aquaporin.com Company registration no.: DK28315694 KONGENS LYNGBY, Denmark, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Aquaporin A/S ("Aquaporin" or the "Company"), an innovative water technology company dedicated to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology, hereby convenes an extraordinary general meeting of Aquaporin to be held on: Monday, December 1, 2025, at 16:30 (CET) at the Company's office, Nymllevej 78, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark with the agenda set out below. As announced in company announcements no. 17/2025 dated November 7, 2025 and 15/2025 dated August 11, 2025, the Company has initiated a strategic review to explore multiple opportunities to raise capital, including through equity and/or through a strategic transaction or partnership. As part of this process, the Board of Directors today presents a number of proposals to be adopted at the extraordinary general meeting. The proposals are motivated by the need to provide flexibility to accommodate a range of potential outcomes in structuring a transaction and raising gross proceeds in the range of DKK 125 million to DKK 175 million to meet the Company's ongoing capital needs and to support its future growth ambitions until profitability in the near- to mid-term. Agenda Proposal to amend the Articles of Association with a new authorisation to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital with pre-emptive rights for the existing shareholders at a price, which may be below market price Proposal to amend the Articles of Association with a new authorisation to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital without pre-emptive rights for the existing shareholders at or above market price Proposal to amend the Articles of Association with a new authorisation to the Board of Directors to increase the share capital without pre-emptive rights for the existing shareholders at a price, which may be below market price, for the benefit of persons other than the shareholders and employees of the Company Proposal to amend the Articles of Association with a new combined maximum for the authorisations proposed under agenda items 1 and 3, subject to adoption of each authorisation. A shareholder who wishes to attend the general meeting must notify the Company of her/his attendance no later than Thursday, November 27, 2025 at 23:59 (CET). Please refer to the attached notice convening the extraordinary general meeting for further information. For further information, please contact: Ulrik Lund Jakobsen, Chief Executive Officer Klaus Juhl Wulff, Chief Financial Officer +45 53 55 55 19, [email protected] About Aquaporin Aquaporin is an innovative water technology company with operations in Denmark (HQ), Singapore, Turkey, the United States, and China. We are committed to rethinking water filtration with biotechnology to solve global water challenges. By combining three disciplines from the world of natural sciences: biology, chemistry, and physics, we have created the unique, nature-inspired Aquaporin Inside technology which we embed into all our membranes and solutions. Our technology is based on Nobel Prize-winning research and is used to clean and reuse water in industries, in our homes, and even by NASA in space. We work with customers and partners around the globe to responsibly treat industrial wastewater, concentrate food and beverage products in a natural way, and enhance drinking water quality and accessibility. Forward-looking statements Certain matters discussed in this announcement may constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and that can be identified by words such as "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "will", "may", "continue", "should", and similar expressions, as well as other statements regarding future events or prospects. Specifically, this company announcement includes information with respect to projections, estimates, and targets that also constitute forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this company announcement are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions. Although the Company believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, these assumptions are inherently subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond its control. Such risks, uncertainties, and other important factors include, among others: limited experience in commercialization of the Company's products, failure to successfully implement strategies, dependence on third parties for manufacturing certain product components and the supply of certain raw materials, manufacturing disruptions, strategic collaboration, protection of the Company's intellectual property rights and other risks disclosed in Aquaporin's annual reports and company announcements. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other important factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations, projections, estimates, and targets expressed or implied in this report by such forward-looking statements. The information, opinions, and forward-looking statements contained in this company announcement speak only as at its date and are subject to change without notice. Aquaporin expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/aquaporin-a-s/r/notice-to-convene-an-extraordinary-general-meeting,c4263881 The following files are available for download: BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Atom Computing has been selected by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to proceed to the next stage of exploring how Atom's highly-scalable neutral atom technology will realize utility-scale quantum computing in the near term. Earlier this year, DARPA announced that Atom Computing was selected for Stage A of the Quantum Benchmarking Initiative (QBI), an expansion of the existing Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing (US2QC) program. The QBI aims to determine the possibility of building an industrially useful quantum computer much faster than conventional predictions. Yesterday, DARPA announced that Atom Computing has been selected for Stage B of the QBI program, a year-long project during which participating companies are asked to describe an R&D development plan c apable of realizing the utility-scale quantum computer, the risks associated with that plan and the planned risk mitigation steps, and the prototypes needed to burn down these risks. As part of the program, Microsoft has agreed to also provide algorithmic support and error correction codes to Atom Computing. To realize a utility-scale quantum computer, Atom Computing leverages the scalability and flexibility of its technology, as well as multiple critical platform capabilities such as high-fidelity gate operations, all-to-all qubit connectivity, 1,000+ physical qubits, long coherence times, mid-circuit measurement with qubit reset and reuse, and novel networking technology. These capabilities enabled a joint demonstration with Microsoft of the entanglement of 24 logical qubits, and error detection, correction, and computation with 28 logical qubits. The team recently demonstrated a new set of platform capabilities which improve the quality, reliability, and robustness of logical qubits. "Being selected to proceed to Stage B of the QBI program is an amazing opportunity for our team to demonstrate how Atom Computing will achieve utility-scale quantum computing", said Dr. Ben Bloom, Founder and CEO of Atom Computing. "We are looking forward to working with the team at DARPA to deliver on the exciting promise of pushing state-of-the-art quantum computing technology to utility scale applications." About Atom Computing Atom Computing is developing large-scale quantum computers to enable companies and researchers to achieve unprecedented computational breakthroughs. Utilizing highly scalable arrays of optically trapped neutral atoms, the company has developed systems with over 1,000 qubits, featuring advanced capabilities towards fault-tolerant quantum computing. Atom Computing's on-premises systems provide customers with new computational tools and logical qubit capabilities to address increasingly complex applications and to grow their quantum ecosystem. QuNorth, a Nordic quantum initiative funded by EIFO and Novo Nordisk Foundation, recently announced the purchase of Atom Computing's on-premises system. The system, to be named 'Magne', will be installed and brought online in Copenhagen, Denmark. Learn more at atom-computing.com and follow us on LinkedIn. SOURCE Atom Computing Mazu culture: A living heritage inspiring and connecting people worldwide for over a millennium People's Daily Online) 10:03, November 07, 2025 Photo shows an aerial view of a statue of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu on Meizhou Island, Putian, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo/Lin Chunsheng) The Chinese sea goddess Mazu, a legendary sea deity originating from a small island in southeast China's Fujian Province, continues to captivate hearts around the world more than a thousand years after her birth. In recent years, Mazu has become a social media sensation, with news of her traveling abroad with an "exclusive ID card" for cultural exchanges going viral, and her persona appearing in popular online culture, comics, and fan art communities. Her influence extends across the Taiwan Strait. The annual Mazu pilgrimage in March is one of Taiwan's largest folk cultural events. This year, nearly 1,000 groups comprising 16,000 Taiwan residents traveled to Meizhou Island, the legendary birthplace of Mazu, to pay homage to the goddess at Mazu Temple. Legend has it that Mazu was born in 960 and was renowned for her expertise in astronomy, swimming skills and medical knowledge, often helping fishermen navigate treacherous seas. She died at age 28 while saving others at sea. Devotees from China and abroad pay homage to the Chinese sea goddess Mazu on Meizhou Island, Putian, southeast China's Fujian Province. (People's Daily Online/Lin Ying) From the Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), she was officially granted imperial honorific titles 36 times by different emperors. Her legacy, centered on virtue, benevolence, and universal love, continues to resonate with contemporary society. It's believed that the enduring appeal of Mazu, who has more than 300 million followers globally, lies in her philanthropic historical deeds and the modern adaptability of her cultural representation. Mazu culture has been consistently evolving in the modern era, opening a new chapter in international trade, meteorological science, and cross-cultural exchanges and dialogues. The 10th Global Mazu Culture Forum recently highlighted themes such as Fujian-Taiwan cultural exchange, cultural heritage preservation and utilization, mangrove protection, digital inheritance and innovation, and green, high-quality island energy development. Experts from around the world convened to exchange ideas across trade, culture, ecology, and technology, demonstrating Mazu culture's creative adaptation, innovative development, and contemporary relevance. China's first marine wind and wave detection satellite is named Mazu, in honor of the Chinese sea goddess Mazu, at the 10th Global Mazu Culture Forum. (People's Daily Online/Lin Ying) In the meantime, the forum has proven that Mazu culture is not only a rich source for research in history, humanities, social sciences, and communication, but its philosophy of harmonious coexistence with nature also provides a cultural foundation for contemporary technological fields such as ecological governance, green energy, and disaster early warning. In recent years, a series of technological achievements named after Mazu have emerged in China, including the early warning initiative MAZU, the open-source "Mazu" series of marine forecasting models, and the country's first satellite designed to detect marine winds and waves, the Mazu satellite, scheduled for launch in 2027. These projects exemplify the integration of cultural heritage with technological advancement, demonstrating Chinese wisdom and the country's sense of responsibility in global marine governance. Mazu culture spans time and geography, from the voyages of the famous Chinese voyager Zheng He over 600 years ago to contemporary cultural exchanges under the Belt and Road Initiative. Today, it continues to inspire approaches to ocean conservation, maritime safety, and cooperation on maritime security, as well as other global marine governance-related issues. (Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun) "We're proud the California SBE has approved our high-quality math instructional materials customized for California." Post this The SBE placed the all-new enVision+ California Mathematics Grades K-8, enVision+ California Algebra 1, and Experience Math California Grades K-8 on the state's 2025 Mathematics Instructional Materials Adoption list. These Savvas programs were determined to support teaching to the California Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, in alignment with the Mathematics Framework for California Public Schools. "We are proud that the California SBE has approved our high-quality mathematics instructional materials," said Bethlam Forsa, CEO of Savvas Learning Company. "Savvas is fully committed to providing the state's educators with the most comprehensive suite of solutions, including not one but two K-8 core math programs customized for California classrooms." The full line of rigorous TK-12 Savvas math programs developed for California classrooms include: Experience Math California Grades K-8 An engaging student-centered program that empowers all students to become confident mathematical thinkers and fluent problem solvers. An engaging student-centered program that empowers all students to become confident mathematical thinkers and fluent problem solvers. enVision+ California Mathematics Grades K-8 A nationally recognized curriculum built on evidence-based pedagogy that puts students at the center of learning, encouraging active exploration and discovery to help them see how math connects to their world. A nationally recognized curriculum built on evidence-based pedagogy that puts students at the center of learning, encouraging active exploration and discovery to help them see how math connects to their world. enVision+ California A|G|A Top-rated Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 high school programs that promote mathematical thinking through real-world problem solving, empowering students in their mathematical abilities as they begin college- and career-planning. Top-rated Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2 high school programs that promote mathematical thinking through real-world problem solving, empowering students in their mathematical abilities as they begin college- and career-planning. enVision+ California Integrated Mathematics A rigorous, three-course high school program, in which each course blends standards from all conceptual categories: Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. A rigorous, three-course high school program, in which each course blends standards from all conceptual categories: Number and Quantity, Algebra, Functions, Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Savvas Count On California TK Mathematics Rooted in the California Preschool/Transitional Kindergarten Learning Foundations, this new play-based, hands-on program nurtures confident problem-solvers. The enVision+ California programs for grades K-8 and high school as well as Experience MathCalifornia K-8 all include Savvas Studio, a suite of new AI-powered tools that help save teachers time while delivering greater personalized learning to students. Savvas Studio's curriculum-smart, teacher productivity tools simplify lesson planning, generate customized practice, and support differentiated learning. Embedded within the math programs, these digital tools seamlessly integrate with the award-winning Savvas Realize platform to bring the power of AI to the teaching and learning experience. Built on evidence-based pedagogy, enVision+ California also gives educators confidence that they are using high-quality instructional materials with proven efficacy. enVision, already in use in California schools, has been found to meet ESSA Level 2 Evidence for helping students gain higher math proficiency. Rigorous recent studies show that California students using enVision significantly outperformed students in matched comparison schools using other math programs on the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment system in California. The proficiency rates for students using enVision were 7.1 and 14.2 percentage points higher for students in grades K-8 and high school, respectively, demonstrating that enVision has a positive impact on student learning outcomes. "Proven to increase student proficiency in California, our Savvas solutions are designed to help educators bring mathematics to life by focusing on real-world problem-solving, critical thinking, and practical applications," Forsa said. "Powered by cutting-edge technology and packed with robust teacher resources and interactive tools, our Savvas programs offer engaging, meaningful learning that gives every student the opportunity to master math skills and build confidence." ABOUT SAVVAS LEARNING COMPANY At Savvas, we believe learning should inspire. By combining new ideas, new ways of thinking, and new ways of interacting, we design engaging, next-generation learning solutions that give all students the best opportunity to succeed. Our award-winning, high-quality instructional materials span every grade level and discipline, from evidence-based, standards-aligned core curricula and supplemental and intervention programs to state-of-the-art assessment tools and the industry's most innovative portfolio of college and career readiness solutions all designed to meet the needs of every learner. Savvas products are used by millions of students and educators in more than 90 percent of the 13,000+ public school districts across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well as globally in more than 125 countries. To learn more, visit Savvas Learning Company . SOURCE Savvas Learning Company Grand opening of Chicken Salad Chick in Glen Ellyn kicks off November 18, where guests can enjoy exclusive giveaways and a chance to win free chicken salad for a year ATLANTA, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, today announced the opening of its latest Chick in the Chicagoland area, located at 293 Roosevelt Road in Glen Ellyn. The local community is invited to celebrate this grand opening on Tuesday, November 18, where the first 100 guests in line will win free chicken salad for a year*. During the grand opening week, guests can expect to experience the Southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for, as well as a community focused mindset with various specials and giveaways. These include: Tuesday , November 18 Free Chicken Salad for a Year to the First 100 Guests The first guest in line at 10:30am will receive one FREE large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line will receive one FREE large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.* The first guest in line at 10:30am will receive one FREE large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year. The next 99 guests in line will receive one FREE large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for a year.* Wednesday, November 19 The first 50 guests to purchase an entree with two sides will receive a FREE 20oz Engraved Chick Tumbler!** The first 50 guests to purchase an entree with two sides will receive a FREE 20oz Engraved Chick Tumbler!** Thursday, November 20 The first 50 guests to purchase two Large Quick Chicks will receive a FREE Large Chick Cooler!*** The first 50 guests to purchase two Large Quick Chicks will receive a FREE Large Chick Cooler!*** Friday, November 21 The first 50 guests to purchase an entree with two sides will receive a FREE Teal and Red Chick Tote Bag!** The first 50 guests to purchase an entree with two sides will receive a FREE Teal and Red Chick Tote Bag!** Saturday, November 22 The first 100 guests to make a purchase will receive a FREE Large Quick Chick on a future visit!**** The Glen Ellyn restaurant is owned and operated by Kim and Garrett Seaman, under their company Fox Valley Chick. As experienced franchisees of the Batavia location, the Seamans are committed to growing the brand and creating a strong owner-operator presence in the Chicago suburbs. "What drew us to Chicken Salad Chick is the simplicity of the recipes and the ability to serve fresh, made-from-scratch food consistently with care and hospitality," said Kim Seaman. "Chicken Salad Chick to many of our guests is the kind of restaurant that once you try it, we know it won't be your last visit. We're excited to bring that same experience to Glen Ellyn and become part of this welcoming community." Chicken Salad Chick is known for its dozen-plus variety of made-from-scratch chicken salad flavors, fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches, and desserts. The new Glen Ellyn restaurant offers in-restaurant dining, drive-thru, curbside pickup, take-out, third-party delivery, and catering options. "Kim and Garrett are outstanding partners who boldly introduced Chicken Salad Chick to the greater Chicago area with their first restaurant in Batavia and are now expanding to Glen Ellyn," said Scott Deviney, president and CEO of Chicken Salad Chick. "With their focus on quality, guest experience, and community involvement, this location is poised to become a cherished part of the Glen Ellyn community. We're excited to see how they will share our made-from-scratch food and Southern hospitality with even more families in the area." Giving back to the community is an important focus for the Glen Ellyn team and the Chicken Salad Chick brand, which established the CSC Foundation to support CURE Childhood Cancer and local food banks with fundraisers throughout the year. As part of pre-opening Friends & Family events in Glen Ellyn, the restaurant will be raising money for Phil's Friends, a non-profit that provides Christ-centered care, supporting individuals and families impacted by cancer through care packages, cards of hope and hope centers. Chicken Salad Chick of Glen Ellyn will be open Monday Saturday from 10:30am 8:00pm. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and trends. For more information on giveaways and specials, visit: www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickGlenEllynIL/ *The First Guest in line will receive 1 Free Large Quick Chick once a week for 12 months. The remaining 99 Guests in line will receive 1 Free Large Quick each month for 12 months. Guests must purchase an entree with one side or item of equal value during the grand opening in order to enter. Must be 16 years or older. Must be on site. Must download the CSC app. Not valid with any other offer. **Guests must purchase an entree with two sides. Must be present to win. Must be 16 years or older. One reward per guest. Not valid with any other offers. In-restaurant only. ***Guests must purchase two (2) Large Quick Chicks. Must be present to win. Must be 16 years or older. ****Guests must make a purchase on the day of the visit to qualify. Must be present to win. Must be 16 years or older. One reward per guest. Not valid with any other offers. In-restaurant only. About Chicken Salad Chick Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Founded in Auburn, Alabama, by Stacy and Kevin Brown, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 320 restaurants in 22 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the brand is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in the 2023 Entrepreneur Franchise 500, Franchise Times' Fast & Serious for the third consecutive year, Fast Casual's Top Movers and Shakers from 2018 to 2024, QSR's Best Franchise Deals in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2024, and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises list from 2019-2024. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information. Contact: Jennifer Gordillo Tidehouse 954-893-9150 [email protected] SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick DALLAS, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The publishers of the annual Best Law Firms list are recognizing the Dallas intellectual property and business law firm Caldwell Cassady & Curry following the firm's recent $445.5 million patent infringement verdict against Samsung in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Caldwell Cassady & Curry is featured in the 2026 edition of Best Law Firms for its expertise in intellectual property and patent trials, earning top-tier rankings in both areas. The firm has been selected multiple times in the annual guide while securing billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients. Last month, Caldwell Cassady & Curry's Brad Caldwell led an experienced legal team to the unanimous verdict against Samsung on behalf of Collision Communications Inc. The East Texas jury in Marshall found Samsung liable for infringing a series of Collision Communications patents covering wireless communications technology. Earlier this year, Mr. Caldwell and fellow firm principals Jason Cassady and Austin Curry led VidStream LLC to a $105 million verdict against X Corp./Twitter in a separate patent infringement lawsuit tried in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas. Both victories included significant contributions from the firm's Chris Stewart, Justin Nemunaitis, Aisha Mahmood Haley, John Summers, Daniel Pearson, Seth Reich, Adrienne Dellinger, Richard Cochrane, Bjorn Blomquist, James Smith, James Yang, Alexander Gras, and Xu Zhou. In addition to the recognition in Best Law Firms and other professional rankings, Caldwell Cassady & Curry is recognized in the 2025 PTAB Intelligence Report as one of the Top 50 best-performing and most active firms handling matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board since 2000. The report from intellectual property data provider Patexia Inc. also notes the firm's Hamad Hamad, Justin Nemunaitis, and Richard Cochrane for their individual work before the PTAB. Caldwell Cassady & Curry represents companies and individuals in high-stakes civil litigation, including patent infringement cases, trade secrets claims, fiduciary duty cases, class actions, and disputes involving company founders. The firm has tried and won some of the nation's top verdicts against the largest companies in the world. Learn more about the firm at www.caldwellcc.com. SOURCE Caldwell Cassady & Curry The ten-day celebration highlights the Mile High City's vibrant and diverse arts and culture scene DENVER, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today is the first of a ten-day celebration of Denver's arts and culture, encompassing 700 events and ways to celebrate art, representing over 250 individual organizations across the city. Recognized for its creative energy and thriving cultural scene, Denver will shine brightly during the 19th Annual Denver Arts Week, taking place Nov. 716. Denver Arts Week Kicks Off with More Than 700 Events Across the City Nov. 7-16, 2025. The ten-day celebration highlights the Mile High Citys vibrant and diverse arts and culture scene. Visit Denver developed Denver Arts Week to recognize and celebrate the city's artists, galleries, museums, theaters and cultural organizations while inspiring locals and visitors alike to explore Denver's creative neighborhoods and connect through art. Denver Arts Week kicks off with First Friday Art Walks hosted by local art districts across the city's creative neighborhoods including 40 West Arts District, Art District on Santa Fe, Aurora Cultural Arts District, River North (RiNo) Art District and Tennyson Berkeley Association. Galleries and studios in each district will open their doors for an inside look, a chance to meet local artists and opportunities to find original artwork for sale. On Saturday, Nov. 8, the beloved Free Night at the Museum returns, where 20 of Denver's most popular museums will be open late with free admission from 5-10 p.m. Participating museums include the Black American West Museum, Denver Art Museum, Dinosaur Ridge, Forney Museum of Transportation, History Colorado Center, The Museum for Black Girls, Wings Over the Rockies and more. Visit Denver will provide free shuttles throughout the evening that will transport participants to multiple participating museums. For more information, visit the Denver Arts Week website. In addition to these signature events, there are nearly 700 events across the city, including live music, dance and theater performances, open galleries, comedy shows, literature lectures and so much more. Celebrating its 19th year, Denver Arts Week continues to grow, offering more creative experiences. New this year, Denver Arts Week includes pillars of Arts & Well-Being and Locals Know. Through events under the Arts & Well-Being pillar, residents and visitors will discover how creativity can nourish the mind, body and spirit. These events celebrate the powerful connection between the arts and personal wellness, offering experiences that inspire reflection, connection and renewal. The Locals Know pillar offers events that encourage residents and visitors to step off the beaten path and experience Denver's arts scene the way locals do while discovering hidden gems, neighborhood favorites and under-the-radar happenings. The addition of the Arts & Well-Being and Locals Know pillars are a reflection of Denver's collective values. As a city defined by health and wellness through outdoor adventure and mindful living, Denver recognizes arts and culture as a vital part of community well-being. Denver Arts Week is the perfect opportunity to explore something new in the city's many vibrant neighborhoods. For more information and a complete list of events, check out denverartsweek.com. The website also features more than 30 Denver Arts Week deals, including discounts on museum tickets, city tours, two-for-one tickets to performing arts and more. Visit Denver's Denver Arts Week is supported by Denver Arts & Venues, the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), CBS Colorado, Downtown Denver Partnership, Colorado Public Radio and Denverite, 5280 Magazine and Westword. About Visit Denver, The Convention & Visitors Bureau Celebrating 116 years of promoting the Mile High City, Visit Denver is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Denver welcomed more than 37.1 million visitors in 2024, generating $10.3 billion in spending, while supporting tens of thousands of jobs and making Tourism one of the city's largest industries. Learn more about Denver at Visit Denver or Tourism Pays Denver. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. With press or photo inquiries, please contact: Taylor Shields, Director of PR & Communications Caroline Campbell, PR & Communications Manager Natalie St. Hilaire, PR & Communications Coordinator [email protected] SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau Allied Roofing Solutions partners with Owens Corning to provide a Bloomingdale, NJ Vietnam veteran with a free, high-quality roof as gratitude for his service. ELMWOOD PARK, N.J., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Roofing Solutions, a highly-rated New Jersey roofing company based in Elmwood Park, proudly donated a full roof replacement to a Vietnam veteran in Bloomingdale. The project, made possible through the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, is a national initiative that partners with Habitat for Humanity to provide free, professionally installed roofs for U.S. military veterans in need. The veteran, a longtime Bloomingdale resident and Vietnam War serviceman, was selected by Owens Corning after his aging 20-year-old roof began to show significant wear. Allied Roofing Solutions stepped in to perform a full roof replacement, removing old materials, reframing the garage for added strength, and installing new Owens Corning asphalt shingles in color Slate Stone Grey. High-Quality Craftsmanship for a Meaningful Cause Using premium materials and best-in-class installation practices, the project ensured the home received long-lasting protection, improved curb appeal, and reliable weather resistance. Allied Roofing Solutions upholds the highest craftsmanship and quality standardsensuring every roof, whether donated or commissioned, is built to perform for decades. A Reputation for Durable, Lasting Results Allied Roofing Solutions provides roofing services designed to protect homes with quality solutions. Their roof repairs protect against issues like storm damage or water leaks and their full roof replacements provide a complete overhaul for deteriorating roofs. Their trusted roofing team is proud to be Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractors, a designation that allows customers to enjoy a 50-year warranty on shingles and a 25-year warranty on workmanship. With transparent pricing and free estimates, homeowners are equipped to make informed decisions that work for their home and budget. About Allied Roofing Solutions: Founded in 2007, Allied Roofing Solutions is a full-service residential roofing company serving New Jersey. Specializing in shingle, flat, metal, and tile roofing systems, Allied combines precision workmanship with personalized service. Fully licensed, insured, and accredited by the National Roofing Contractors Association, Allied sets the standard for quality and reliability in the roofing industry. Visit their website to learn more at www.alliedroofingsolutions.com. How to Apply or Nominate a Veteran for a Free Roof Veterans or families interested in applying for a new, no-cost roof replacement can visit the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project website to find their local Habitat for Humanity affiliate. Allied Roofing Solutions 201-773-0633 577 Market Street Elmwood Park, NJ 07407 SOURCE Allied Roofing Solutions PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Evommune, Inc. ("Evommune"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative therapies that target key drivers of chronic inflammatory diseases, today announced the closing of its initial public offering of 10,781,250 shares of common stock at an initial public offering price of $16.00 per share, which includes the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase an additional 1,406,250 shares of common stock. The gross proceeds to Evommune from the initial public offering before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses were $172.5 million. The shares began trading on the New York Stock Exchange on November 6, 2025 under the symbol "EVMN." Morgan Stanley, Leerink Partners, Evercore ISI, and Cantor acted as joint book-running managers for the offering. A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and became automatically effective on November 5, 2025 pursuant to Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. The offering of the shares is being made only by means of a prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement relating to these shares. Copies of the final prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, or by email at [email protected]; Leerink Partners LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, 53 State Street, 40th Floor, Boston, MA 02109, by telephone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6105, or by email at [email protected]; Evercore Group L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 35th Floor, New York, NY 10055, by telephone at (888) 474-0200, or by email at [email protected]; or Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Attention: Capital Markets, 110 East 59th Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10022, or by email at [email protected]. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor will there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful before registration or qualification under the securities laws of that state or jurisdiction. About Evommune, Inc. Evommune, Inc., is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative therapies that target key drivers of chronic inflammatory diseases. The company's mission is to improve patients' daily lives and prevent the long-term effects of uncontrolled inflammation that are a consequence of the limitations of existing therapies. To achieve this, Evommune is advancing a portfolio of differentiated product candidates that target key drivers of chronic inflammation. SOURCE Evommune, Inc WEST JORDAN, Utah, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Furniture Row and Denver Mattress Company are proud to announce the grand opening of their newest location in West Jordan, Utah, expanding their presence in the Salt Lake Valley. Located at 6054 W 7800 S, the new showroom brings the community an innovative shopping experience with a wide selection of quality furniture, mattresses, and home accents. West Jordan Mayor Dirk Burton celebrates the opening of the new Furniture Row and Denver Mattress Co. with Joe Sparks of Denver Mattress, Scott Owen of Furniture Row and members of the Chamber, Precision Contractors, and store teams. To commemorate the grand opening, Furniture Row and Denver Mattress hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, November 7th, 2025, at 12:00 PM. Local officials, community members, and company leadership were in attendance to celebrate the occasion and officially welcome the new stores to the West Jordan community. "We're thrilled to bring Furniture Row and Denver Mattress to West Jordan," said Bill Smith, General Manager of Furniture Row. "This new location allows us to better serve our customers across the entire Salt Lake Valley and is a great complement to our store in Draper. We're proud to join the West Jordan community and look forward to helping even more Utah residents create the home of their dreams with our extensive selection of home furnishings, mattresses, and bedding." Visitors are encouraged to explore the new showroom during the Grand Opening Celebration following the ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 7th. Guests can enjoy exclusive prices for the event and expert guidance from the knowledgeable staff. As part of the celebration, customers can also enter for a chance to win spectacular prizes, including one Purple Mattress, one Tempur-Pedic Mattress, or one of ten $1,000 Furniture Row Gift Cards. About Furniture Row Furniture Row offers a vast range of stylish brand name and designer furnishings for every room in your home, all organized into easy-to-navigate sections within a spacious interior. Furniture Row is dedicated to offering customers high-quality furnishings at unbeatable prices, and is renowned for its friendly, knowledgeable sales associates who are dedicated to helping you create the home of your dreams. Visit http://www.FurnitureRow.com About Denver Mattress Company Denver Mattress Co. manufactures its mattresses in its own Denver-based factory and distributes them to its retail stores. By operating a single factory, Denver Mattress can maintain stringent quality control standards and deliver a more consistent product at a lower cost than multiple factory producers. Denver Mattress, The easiest way to get the right mattress. Visit http://www.DenverMattress.com Contact: John Knippenberg [email protected] SOURCE Furniture Row LLC $1.4B investment expands access to evidence-backed tools to help farmers in some of the world's poorest regions adapt and build more resilience to droughts, floods, heat waves BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gates Foundation today announced a new commitment to advancing climate adaptation, helping smallholder farmers build resilience to a warming world and protect hard-won gains against poverty. Announced at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, where leaders are emphasizing locally driven adaptation, the four-year, $1.4 billion investment will expand access to innovations that help farmers across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia adapt to extreme weather. In these regions, where food security and livelihoods depend on agriculture, smallholder farmers and the communities they feed are among the most exposed to droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. Yet less than 1% of global climate finance targets the growing threats to these vital food systems. "Smallholder farmers are feeding their communities under the toughest conditions imaginable," said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation. "We're supporting their ingenuity with the tools and resources to help them thrivebecause investing in their resilience is one of the smartest, most impactful things we can do for people and the planet." The commitment supports Bill Gates' vision, outlined in his recent COP30 memo, of prioritizing climate investments for maximum human impact and advances the foundation's goal of lifting millions of people out of poverty by 2045. Addressing a global funding gap Farmers in low-income countries produce one-third of the world's food but face mounting climate threats. Without greater adaptation investment, these shocks will continue to drive food insecurity and reverse hard-won gains against poverty. World Bank research shows that targeted adaptation investments could boost GDP, particularly in small island developing states, by up to 15 percentage points by 2050. The World Resources Institute estimates that every dollar invested in climate adaptation will yield more than $10 in social and economic benefits within a decade. "Climate adaptation is not just a development issueit's an economic and moral imperative," said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. "This new commitment builds on our support for farmers in Africa and South Asia who are already innovating to withstand extreme weather. But they can't do it alonegovernments and the private sector must work together to prioritize adaptation alongside mitigation." Scaling farmer-led innovation While climate shocks continue to intensify, the financing needed to help farmers adapt to them is not keeping up. According to the 2025 UN State of Food Security and Nutrition report, Africa was the only region where hunger and malnutrition increased this year. Without urgent adaptation, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that agricultural productivity in parts of Africa could drop by up to 20% by 2050. The foundation's new investment will scale farmer-led, evidence-backed innovations that strengthen rural livelihoods and food systems amid growing climate threats. It will expand technologies and approaches already showing results, including: Digital advisory services: Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030 Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030 Climate-resilient crops and livestock: Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition Soil health innovations: Approaches that restore degraded land, enhance productivity, and reduce emissionssupported by a $30 million partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation to advance soil science research Partnerships driving global impact The new commitment builds on partnerships that were expanded or launched through thefoundation's COP27 pledges and are already reaching millions of farmers. Examples include: AIM for Scale: Launched in 2023, this global partnership delivered AI-powered SMS weather forecasts to nearly 40 million farmers across 13 Indian states during the 2025 monsoon season, helping protect millions of acres of crops. TomorrowNow and KALRO: Together with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), TomorrowNow is providing hyper-local weather alerts to more than 5 million Kenyan farmers, improving yields and reducing crop losses, with expansion underway in Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia. The Gates Foundation is working alongside local researchers, governments, and private-sector partners to scale such effortsstrengthening rural economies and food systems for the long term. "We've seen what's possible when smallholder farmers have access to the right tools and resourcesthey adapt faster than anyone," said Wanjeri Mbugua, CEO of TomorrowNow. "With the right investment and strong partnerships, we can put powerful, data-driven solutions directly in farmers' handsso they can make informed decisions and build resilience on their own terms." Collaboration at COP30 This investment reflects a shared global commitmentled by African leaders and Brazil's COP30 presidencyto put food, livelihoods, and health at the center of resilience planning. Brazil's own experience linking social programs with sustainable agricultural innovation shows how inclusive adaptation can drive equitable growth. Together with Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Embrapa, AGRA, AIM for Scale, CGIAR, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the United Arab Emirates, the foundation will co-host the Agricultural Innovation Showcase at COP30. Both a high-level event on November 10 and a physical exhibition, the showcase will highlight affordable, climate-smart solutions designed for and, in many cases, by farmers. More information is available here: https://www.embrapa.br/en/cop30/agrizone About the Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we work with partners to create impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. In the United States, we aim to ensure that everyoneespecially those with the fewest resourceshas access to the opportunities needed to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and our governing board. Media contact: [email protected] SOURCE Gates Foundation $1.4B investment expands access to evidence-backed tools to help farmers in some of the world's poorest regions adapt and build more resilience to droughts, floods, heat waves BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gates Foundation today announced a new commitment to advancing climate adaptation, helping smallholder farmers build resilience to a warming world and protect hard-won gains against poverty. Announced at COP30 in Belem, Brazil, where leaders are emphasizing locally driven adaptation, the four-year, $1.4 billion investment will expand access to innovations that help farmers across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia adapt to extreme weather. In these regions, where food security and livelihoods depend on agriculture, smallholder farmers and the communities they feed are among the most exposed to droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. Yet less than 1% of global climate finance targets the growing threats to these vital food systems. "Smallholder farmers are feeding their communities under the toughest conditions imaginable," said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation. "We're supporting their ingenuity with the tools and resources to help them thrivebecause investing in their resilience is one of the smartest, most impactful things we can do for people and the planet." The commitment supports Bill Gates' vision, outlined in his recent COP30 memo, of prioritizing climate investments for maximum human impact and advances the foundation's goal of lifting millions of people out of poverty by 2045. Addressing a global funding gap Farmers in low-income countries produce one-third of the world's food but face mounting climate threats. Without greater adaptation investment, these shocks will continue to drive food insecurity and reverse hard-won gains against poverty. World Bank research shows that targeted adaptation investments could boost GDP, particularly in small island developing states, by up to 15 percentage points by 2050. The World Resources Institute estimates that every dollar invested in climate adaptation will yield more than $10 in social and economic benefits within a decade. "Climate adaptation is not just a development issueit's an economic and moral imperative," said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. "This new commitment builds on our support for farmers in Africa and South Asia who are already innovating to withstand extreme weather. But they can't do it alonegovernments and the private sector must work together to prioritize adaptation alongside mitigation." Scaling farmer-led innovation While climate shocks continue to intensify, the financing needed to help farmers adapt to them is not keeping up. According to the 2025 UN State of Food Security and Nutrition report, Africa was the only region where hunger and malnutrition increased this year. Without urgent adaptation, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that agricultural productivity in parts of Africa could drop by up to 20% by 2050. The foundation's new investment will scale farmer-led, evidence-backed innovations that strengthen rural livelihoods and food systems amid growing climate threats. It will expand technologies and approaches already showing results, including: Digital advisory services: Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030 Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030 Climate-resilient crops and livestock: Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition Soil health innovations: Approaches that restore degraded land, enhance productivity, and reduce emissionssupported by a $30 million partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation to advance soil science research Partnerships driving global impact The new commitment builds on partnerships that were expanded or launched through thefoundation's COP27 pledges and are already reaching millions of farmers. Examples include: AIM for Scale: Launched in 2023, this global partnership delivered AI-powered SMS weather forecasts to nearly 40 million farmers across 13 Indian states during the 2025 monsoon season, helping protect millions of acres of crops. TomorrowNow and KALRO: Together with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), TomorrowNow is providing hyper-local weather alerts to more than 5 million Kenyan farmers, improving yields and reducing crop losses, with expansion underway in Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia. The Gates Foundation is working alongside local researchers, governments, and private-sector partners to scale such effortsstrengthening rural economies and food systems for the long term. "We've seen what's possible when smallholder farmers have access to the right tools and resourcesthey adapt faster than anyone," said Wanjeri Mbugua, CEO of TomorrowNow. "With the right investment and strong partnerships, we can put powerful, data-driven solutions directly in farmers' handsso they can make informed decisions and build resilience on their own terms." Collaboration at COP30 This investment reflects a shared global commitmentled by African leaders and Brazil's COP30 presidencyto put food, livelihoods, and health at the center of resilience planning. Brazil's own experience linking social programs with sustainable agricultural innovation shows how inclusive adaptation can drive equitable growth. Together with Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Embrapa, AGRA, AIM for Scale, CGIAR, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the United Arab Emirates, the foundation will co-host the Agricultural Innovation Showcase at COP30. Both a high-level event on November 10 and a physical exhibition, the showcase will highlight affordable, climate-smart solutions designed for and, in many cases, by farmers. More information is available here: https://www.embrapa.br/en/cop30/agrizone About the Gates Foundation Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, we work with partners to create impactful solutions so that people can take charge of their futures and achieve their full potential. In the United States, we aim to ensure that everyoneespecially those with the fewest resourceshas access to the opportunities needed to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Bill Gates and our governing board. Media contact: [email protected] Dubai Harbour hosted 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors managing over US $1.1 trillion in AUM during the world's largest startup and investor connector event Korea's AI security startup, AIM Intelligence, crowned Supernova Challenge 2.0 champion, with Chile's Chucao Technology Consultants and Ecuador's Aerialoop named runners-up Global fund launches, high-level dialogues, and next-gen innovations reaffirm the UAE's leadership in shaping the world's digital-economy future DUBAI, UAE, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Expand North Star 2025, the startup showcase of GITEX GLOBAL, concluded its milestone 10th anniversary edition last month at Dubai Harbour, drawing record participation from entrepreneurs, investors, innovation leaders and tech delegations from 180 countries. Over four days, the event reaffirmed Dubai's role as the global launchpad for technology entrepreneurship, bridging emerging economies and advanced markets across AI, climate tech, deep tech, digital health, and fintech. AIM Intelligence (South Korea) wins the Supernova Challenge at Expand North Star, with ChucaoTech (Chile) and Aerialoop (Ecuador) placing 2nd and 3rd Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, the 2025 edition convened 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors with combined assets exceeding US $1.1 trillion, catalysing partnerships, venture creation, and capital flow on an unprecedented scale. The international showcase - featuring ApexBrasil as Country Partner and the largest participation of Latin American startups - also saw the largest gathering of over 40 international unicorns, including PsiQuantum (USA), a US$68 billion unicorn architecting the first fault-tolerant quantum system, Carousell (Singapore), one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing e-commerce platforms and the newly-minted US$ 1.5bn AI unicorn - Decagon (USA). Startups from Fast-Rising Digital Nations Shine Bright in Supernova 2.0 The 2025 edition of the Supernova Challenge 2.0 pitch battle spotlighted the world's most promising founders vying for a total prize pool of US$300,000, with finalists shortlisted from South Korea, Chile, Ecuador, Estonia, Pakistan, Singapore, and the UAE. South Korea's AIM Intelligence was crowned the champion, claiming the US $100,000 top prize for its pioneering AI-safety platform recognised by Meta and Anthropic. Whilst Chucao Technology Consultants (Chile) and Aerialoop (Ecuador) earned runner-up honours for groundbreaking innovations in nanotechnology and drone logistics. Speaking after their decisive win, Haon Park, Co-Founder of AIM Intelligence, shared: "We are absolutely honoured and excited to receive the first-place award. As an AI security and safety company, we are solving a very frontier challenge. We have a lot of clients in Korea, but now we are expanding globally, and through the Supernova Challenge 2.0, we will be able to expand into the Middle Eastern region. That means we need the talent, and we need the resources, so this prize money is important." Expand North Star 2025 also hosted a special session featuring six previous winners of the Supernova Challenge, sharing how the pitch competition propelled their growth trajectories. "For us, winning the Supernova Challenge 2.0 helped accelerate trust in the market and, because we primarily sell to public sector and enterprise organisations, trust is incredibly important. This takes a long time to build, but by winning Supernova Challenge 2.0, it accelerated this project and we've managed to secure clients in the region, and also here in Dubai with Dubai government, so it was critical for us," said Alp Katalan, MENA Commercial Lead of Desolenator an innovative modular tech water desalination company that won the top prize in 2022. Million-Dollar Partnerships and Impact Ventures At the event, Crescent Enterprises unveiled an AED 250 million investment programme to support home-grown ventures with global potential, reinforcing the UAE's appeal as a magnet for digital talent and capital. Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, commented during the launch: "The UAE has become a launchpad for serious builders, and our collective vision is for the country to be known as the start-up capital of the world. With CE-Creates, our venture building platform, we're helping entrepreneurs convert purpose into performance locally proven, globally competitive." A wave of high-profile deals punctuated the event: Mobility Fintech Group (MFG) announced a US $2 million investment from AHOY Technology and new collaborations with Mawarid Finance, a leading Sharia-compliant Finance company, and Mazeed, advancing AI-enabled mobility and fintech across the region. AI, Fintech and Purposeful Innovations Dominate Dialogues The conference programme witnessed global investors, founders, and government leaders unpacking the next frontiers of innovation - from AI and digital assets to quantum computing and climate change. At the newly launched GITEX Digital Assets Forum, thought leaders discussed tokenisation, institutional investment strategies, and the importance of democratising capital access. Val Malinovskiy, CEO of YPay, highlighted how digital assets are moving "from fringe experiment to financial foundation," while panels featuring experts from Nvidia, Samsung Ventures, and Honda delivered insights on the urgency to increase deep-tech investments, government-backed research excellence and collaborations for AI and quantum growth. Amandeep Singh Gill, United Nations' Under-Secretary-General, urged startup founders from the Global South to target hard problems over easy wins, sharing: "Don't go for the easy stuff that we've seen during the previous two generations of digital technologies. Go for societal challenges, such as improving productivity in agriculture and food production, or climate change resilience get to the heart of these kinds of problems and avoid the low-hanging fruit." Reflecting on the UAE's status as the global launchpad for tech entrepreneurs to scale faster and further, Jayesh Patel, CEO of Wio, the UAE's leading digital bank, shared, "We are blessed to be in an ecosystem where the government builds a lot of capabilities, which help us grow. The place is buzzing, and for the next 10 years, I see hyper growth in the UAE." Presight, a G42 company and the region's largest big data analytics enterprise, shared the progress of its AI-Startup Accelerator launched at Expand North Star in 2024. The company reported 120 applications from AI startups worldwide, with Thomas Pramotedham, CEO, Presight, revealing, "The UAE, in particular Abu Dhabi, has become the AI capital and this is where technology and innovation meet. With G42's ecosystem and the UAE's reach, we offer our cohorts not only compute and expertise but real business and growth worldwide." The 10th edition cemented Expand North Star as the world's most influential platform for startup innovation and investment. The journey now advances to Expo City Dubai in 2026, where GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star will reunite to shape the next decade of the intelligent economy, from 8-10 December 2026. For more information, please visit: expandnorthstar.com Follow Expand North Star on Social Media: Facebook | X | Instagram | LinkedIn Hashtag: #ExpandNorthStar #GITEX GLOBAL About Expand North Star: Expand North Star is the startup showcase part of the world's largest technology and AI event, GITEX GLOBAL. Organised by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), and hosted by the Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy, Expand North Star 2025, from 12-15 October 2025 at Dubai Harbour, is the world's largest startup and investor connector event. The show convened over 2,000 startups, more than 40 unicorns, and 1,200 investors with a combined US$1.1 trillion in assets under management (AUM), with the highest percentage of growth and late-stage startups participating in any tech show. In parallel, GITEX GLOBAL celebrated its 45th edition this year, from 13-17 October 2025 at Dubai World Trade Centre, featuring over 6,800 exhibitors and participation from 180 countries. In 2026, GITEX GLOBAL and Expand North Star reunite in a new home at the Dubai Exhibition Centre Expo City Dubai, with a new format that begins on 7 December with the GITEX Scale Summit, followed by an immersive Exhibition from 8-11 December, and Expand North Star 2026 running in parallel from 8-10 December. Recognised as the world's largest technology and AI event brand, GITEX now spans 14 cities across multiple continents. More information: expandnorthstar.com Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2816861/GITEX.jpg SOURCE GITEX BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday sent a congratulatory message to Samia Suluhu Hassan on her assumption of the presidency of Tanzania. Noting that China and Tanzania enjoy a profound traditional friendship, Xi said in the message that in recent years, bilateral relations have developed at a high level, with the two sides supporting each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, and achieving fruitful results in practical cooperation across various fields. Xi said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Tanzania relations, and stands ready to work with Hassan to implement the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit, continuously advancing the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to new heights and making greater contributions to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. Understanding China's urban development through a Chinese perspective 14:45, November 07, 2025 By Wu Yan ( People's Daily A foreign visitor takes photos of an urban planning model at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center, Shanghai. (Photo/Tang Ke) From the ancient wisdom in Kaogong ji, or The Artificer's record, the earliest Chinese book on technologies which describes how craftsmen build the state, to the Athens Charter that defines the functions of a modern city, humanity's pursuit of the ideal city has spanned millennia. China's current efforts to build people-centered smart cities, aligned with the vision of making cities better places to live, reveal distinctive perspectives on urban development. The first lies in its foundational philosophy: The principle that cities are built by and for the people defines the essence of China's approach to urban modernization. In Shanghai's Xuhui Riverside, foreign expert Kseniia Kirianaki observed how a prime riverfront area was preserved as public space rather than becoming commercial or luxury residential zones. It's truly remarkable, she said. From building twin hills in the city center based on citizens' suggestions to building apartment blocks for food delivery riders, Shanghai consistently prioritizes people in its planning, reserving premium resources for public use and ensuring equitable access to services. The people's city ethos shines vividly here. Tourists visit a cultural block transformed from an abandoned factory in Huaibei, east China's Anhui province. (Photo/Wan Shanchao) Nationally, cities embrace this same principle. Beijing has implemented detailed underground space development plans, while Guangzhou expands its network of public cultural facilities. Urban planning now begins with residents' actual needs; city construction emphasizes livability and employment; governance fosters collective participation and shared benefits. Though cities express this warmth differently, all share the core commitment: only by building foundations for better lives can citizens' sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security truly flourish. The second perspective is evident in practice. China's pursuit of high-quality, connotative urban development is charting a new course for people-oriented modernization. Visitors to Chongqing's digital urban operations center witness firsthand how integrated data systems underpin city management. In Fuzhou's historical and cultural area Sanfang Qixiang, which literally means three lanes and seven alleys, urban renewal has both preserved the city's cultural heritage and improved residents' quality of life. Similarly, Nanjing's Tangshan Quarry Park exemplifies ecological restoration, transforming a former mining site into a thriving public green space - turning industrial scars into recreational havens. These cases illustrate the compelling demonstration effect of China's high-quality urban development. As UN Under-Secretary-General Anaclaudia Rossbach noted, China's experience offers valuable insights globally. China's cities have shifted from large-scale expansion to improving quality and efficiency, emphasizing intensive growth over extensive development. By focusing on the construction of modern cities of the people that are innovative, desirable to live in, beautiful, resilient, culturally advanced, and smart, China is refining its urban vision. This approach seeks efficient, distinctive, and well-coordinated progress to enhance the overall quality of urban life. Tourists visit a cultural block transformed from an abandoned factory in Huaibei, east China's Anhui province. (Photo/Wan Shanchao) The third perspective lies in its global influence. China demonstrates its sense of responsibility by providing international public goods. Take the concept of the 15-minute community life circle as an example. First proposed by Shanghai at the inaugural World Cities Day Forum in 2014, the concept quickly spread across the country. Later, Paris introduced its own 15-minute city plan, and Milan has been described by media as one of the cities closest to achieving that vision. This resonance shows how China's ideas are inspiring global urban innovation. China's contributions go beyond concepts. The Shanghai Award has become a high-level UN recognition for urban sustainability achievements. The Shanghai Manual remains among the most downloaded publications from UN-Habitat , and the Shanghai Index is being piloted in cities across multiple countries. These efforts offer new solutions to urbanization challenges and highlight China's responsibility and contribution as a major country. Today's China is committed to building a collaborative social governance system with broad participation, aiming to deliver benefits for all. The goal is to make cities true homes of happiness for their residents and ensure development brings tangible improvements to everyday life. This commitment resonates with historical aspirations while representing a significant contribution to global urban civilization. (Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun) FORT PIERCE, Fla., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As the nation prepares to observe Veterans Day, Indian River State College reaffirms its dedication to serving those who have served our country. The College's comprehensive support programs for military-connected students continue to set the standard for higher education institutions nationwide. Indian River State College provides resources to help students succeed in their academic pursuits, including active duty service members, veterans, and their families. Indian River State College currently serves over 400 student veterans and military family members enrolled for the Fall 2025 semester, with more than 1,300 served throughout 2025. The College has earned recognition as both a Florida Collegiate Purple Star Campus and a Gold Status Military Friendly School for 2025-2026distinctions that honor institutions providing exceptional support to military students. "This Veterans Day, we honor the brave men and women who have served our nation and our responsibility to serve them," said Dr. Timothy E. Moore, Indian River State College President and Army veteran. "At Indian River State College, supporting our veterans is more than a missionit is a commitment we uphold every day through dedicated programs, personalized resources, and a welcoming community that honors their service while helping them thrive academically." At the heart of this commitment is the College's Military and Veterans Service Department. The department is housed in the Veterans Center of Excellence, a one-stop hub for veteran students from application through graduation. The Center provides comprehensive services, including admissions assistance, VA benefits certification, academic advising, and financial support. "Success means seeing veterans make the most of their benefits and reach their goals," said Camilo Medina, Veterans Center of Excellence Coordinator and Army veteran. "Our job is to take the stress out of the process these students have already given so much. We want them to feel like they belong to a family here, and that's exactly the environment we create." The College's veteran students consistently demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, with over 250 maintaining GPAs of 3.5 or higher. The institution recently earned a 99.99% compliance rating from the VA, reflecting its commitment to proper administration of veterans' education benefits. "Our veteran students are attending, excelling, and making meaningful contributions to our community," said Dr. Calvin Williams, Associate Vice President of Advising and Career Services and Air Force veteran. "We proudly support service members, veterans, and their families as they pursue their educational goals and transition into successful civilian careers." For information about Indian River State College's veteran services, visit irsc.edu or contact [email protected] or (772) 462-7711. About Indian River State College: Indian River State College, serving Florida's Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties, offers high-quality, affordable education to over 24,000 students annually through traditional and online courses. The College provides more than 130 programs leading to bachelor's degrees, associate degrees, and technical certificates. To learn more, visit irsc.edu. SOURCE Indian River State College NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Interluxe Group, the preeminent luxury-focused experiential agency, today announced that Maneesh K. Goyal has been appointed President, Experiential and Executive Chairman. This announcement follows his appointment to the company's Board of Directors in July 2025. Emma Gwyther will assume the role of Founder and Strategic Advisor, where she will continue to provide strategic guidance and advisory support to the team as the combined company accelerates its long-term vision and growth trajectory. Goyal is a recognized trailblazer in the experiential marketing world, known for his creativity, innovation, and leadership. He founded two respected agencies, MKG and Pink Sparrow, where he partnered with brands such as Google, Delta Air Lines, and Warby Parker. He is also the owner of the acclaimed New York restaurants Passerine and Temple Bar. Goyal brings a rare blend of entrepreneurial vision, operational discipline, and a deep understanding of integrated marketing campaigns across experiential, digital activation, and strategic communications. "Joining this team represents the chance to build something extraordinarythe foremost experiential agency serving the world's most iconic luxury brands," said Goyal. "Our mission is to craft experiences that move people and elevate brands." "Maneesh is a proven leader who understands the power of live experiences to build connection and community," said CEO Nick Van Sicklen. "His track record of creating and scaling enduring agencies makes him the perfect person to lead our experiential division into its next chapter." In addition to Goyal's appointment, Lisa Michetti has been promoted to Executive Vice President. In this role, she will oversee daily operations, provide team leadership, and drive the successful delivery of key client programs. Edward Gwyther has been promoted to Vice President of Live Experiences, where he will continue to lead the planning and execution of high-impact live events. The strategic partnership of Interluxe Group and North & Warren has been on a trajectory of significant growth, reinforced by a strategic investment from Mountaingate Capital in January 2025 and the acquisition of the leading luxury-focused strategic communications agency, Quinn, in August 2025. The combined company is an integrated marketing platform for luxury brands, bringing together proprietary audience data with best-in-class strategy, experiential, communications, media, and digital marketing capabilities. "Interluxe Group has always been about creating unique experiences for luxury brands, driving engagement, and connecting with affluent consumers, and I'm excited to continue to support the company's continued growth," said Emma Gwyther. About Interluxe Group and North & Warren Interluxe Group is the leading luxury-focused experiential marketing agency. The company helps luxury brands drive customer acquisition and brand loyalty with powerful strategy, design, and immersive brand experiences. Interluxe Group serves luxury brands across the automotive, travel, fashion, jewelry, wine, and spirits end-markets. For more information on Interluxe Group, please visit www.interluxegroup.com. North & Warren is a global, digital-first media and marketing company connecting luxury brands with affluent and high-net-worth audiences. The company executes fully integrated marketing campaigns across a portfolio of lifestyle media assets, exclusive commerce partnerships, and proprietary digital and creative solutions. For more information on North & Warren, please visit www.northandwarren.com. About Quinn Quinn is a luxury-focused, integrated communications agency. From offices in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and London, the firm provides strategic communications and solutions, including storytelling, earned media, brand and media partnerships, influencer marketing, creative ideation, and thought leadership, to many of the most prominent luxury brands across travel and hospitality, residences, wine and spirits, yachting, private aviation, and restaurants. For more information on Quinn, please visit quinn.pr/ . Correction: An earlier version of this release included the Quinn logo. SOURCE North & Warren Mather, the Not-for-Profit Focused on Ways to Age WellSM, to Provide $5.6 Million in Food Assistance in 2025-26 EVANSTON, Ill., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mather announced today it has joined forces with Top Box Foods to deliver baskets filled with nutrition-packed fresh produce, protein and recipes so 15,446 Chicago households with adults ages 55 and better can create nutritious meals this holiday season and beyond. More older adults are suddenly at risk of losing access to quality food in part due to the pause in SNAP benefits. With this in mind, Mather worked quickly with Top Box Foods to expand what was to be Mather's pilot program initially providing 1,000 households with holiday meal baskets to the current program enrollment of more than 15,000 households. Each basket provides six to eight food servings for older adults in need along with recipes and simple cooking tips created by Mather's culinary team. The tremendous response has prompted Mather, the not-for-profit focused on Ways to Age WellSM, to expand its plans in 2026 to 10,000 baskets monthly. Mather's total commitment for food baskets will be $5.6 million over the next 14 months. Mather team members will also support the increased demand during this holiday season by volunteering alongside Top Box Foods to prepare and package the baskets for delivery. "At Mather, we are working to create an equitable Chicagoland where older adults can find wellness resources and thrive," said Mather CEO and President Mary Leary. "This investment aligns with one of our values to rise to the moment with purpose. It goes beyond delivering sustenance. It also makes a meaningful difference in the overall health, well-being and dignity of older adults." It's estimated nearly one in five Chicagoans are already food insecure a problem that requires sustained focus and community collaboration. According to Feeding America, food-insecure older adults have significantly higher rates of physical and mental health issues than food-secure peers. "We appreciate support from community-minded organizations like Mather," said Connor Deloach, executive director at Top Box Foods. "We particularly appreciate our shared commitment to providing fresh produce and proteins, which aligns to our everyday work improving and promoting nutrition for all." Anyone can help Top Box Foods meet the ongoing need for Chicago households to have nutritious food by contributing to the organization's new emergency relief grocery program. To learn more, visit topboxfoods.com. About Mather Based in Evanston, Illinois, Mather is a unique, non-denominational not-for-profit organization founded in 1941 by humanitarian Alonzo Mather. Dedicated to a vision of changing the way society views aging, Mather creates Ways to Age WellSM through programs, places and residences for today's older adults. These include developing and operating communities that support older adults in pursuing wellness and fulfillment, sparking creativity and connections for older adults in Chicagoland and beyond; and conducting research on living and aging well through its innovation incubator, Mather Institute. Mather's award-winning senior living residences include Mather Place (Wilmette, Illinois), Splendido (Tucson, Arizona), The Mather (Evanston, Illinois) and The Mather (Tysons, Virginia). Mather and its communities have received recognition from US News & World Report, Newsweek, Global Wellness Institute and many others. To learn more, find your way to mather.com. About Top Box Top Box Foods is a nonprofit that collaborates with community organizations to improve health outcomes by curating, customizing and delivering food boxes that get healthy food in the hands of families and individuals in need. Top Box Foods increases access to local foods through a sustainable food system and also supports innovative "food as medicine" initiatives. SOURCE Mather Curated by critically acclaimed filmmaker and publisher Jodi Wille, the exhibition reveals the radical intimacy, artistry and reinvention within America's utopian communities NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Museum of Sex New York is proud to present Utopia: Three Centuries of Sexuality in American Cults and Communes, a groundbreaking exhibition curated by filmmaker, publisher and curator Jodi Wille. On view October 11, 2025, through April 12, 2026, the two-story exhibition is the first of its kind to trace three centuries of sexuality, relationships and identity within America's utopian and alternative spiritual movements, and examine their influence on the larger culture. Source Family women in front of Father House, c. 1974 Featuring over 20 historical intentional communities, the show brings together an unprecedented display of more than 300 artworks, photographs, films, records, printed matter, clothing and rare artifacts to explore how sexuality and communal life shaped alternative visions of society and influenced the larger culture. Utopia reframes the history of American spiritual subcultures through the lens of desire, intimacy and creative reinvention among the following communities, including: Shakers, Oneida Community, The Source Family, Church of All Worlds, Cockettes, Kerista Commune, Rajneesh/Osho, Dean and Dudley Evenson, Unarius Academy of Science, House of David, Father Divine, The Farm. "These communities were laboratories for rethinking nearly every aspect of life, including sexuality, spirituality, gender, family and art," says curator Jodi Wille. "Through their archives and creative expression, we witness their paths toward meaning and their attempts to reimagine new ways of living and loving in America. I'm thrilled to bring this exhibition and their extraordinary histories to a wider audience at the Museum of Sex." Simultaneously scholarly and immersive, Utopia highlights how these collectives used art, sexuality and ritual to forge alternative models of intimacy and belonging challenging mainstream norms and leaving a lasting imprint on American culture. The exhibition coincides with a lineup of invigorating programming across New York City, including Occult Humanities Conference at New York University on October 19, 2025, where Wille will present Cosmic Kinships: Intimacy, Creativity and Cultural Reinvention in American Esoteric Communities. This richly audiovisual talk will share rarely seen images and anecdotes not on view in the exhibition, deepening the exploration of how these groups envisioned new possibilities and kinship. On Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025, The Roxy Theater at The Roxy Hotel will present along with Museum of Sex and record label Sacred Bones two screenings of THE SOURCE FAMILY documentary. The event will also feature a Q&A and book signing after with Director Jodi Wille, family archivist and author Isis Aquarian, and author Dawn Hurwitz, aka Galaxy Aquarian, both wives of Source Family leader Father Yod. Media Contact: Carma Connected, [email protected] SOURCE Museum of Sex JUNO BEACH, Fla., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) today announced that members of the senior management team will participate in the EEI Financial Conference from Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, through Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, and participate in various investor meetings throughout November. They plan to discuss, among other things, long-term growth-rate expectations for NextEra Energy. Investors and other interested parties can access a copy of the presentation materials at www.NextEraEnergy.com/investors. NextEra Energy, Inc. NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) is one of the largest electric power and energy infrastructure companies in North America and is a leading provider of electricity to American homes and businesses. Headquartered in Juno Beach, Florida, NextEra Energy is a Fortune 200 company that owns Florida Power & Light Company, America's largest electric utility, which provides reliable electricity to approximately 12 million people across Florida. NextEra Energy also owns one of the largest energy infrastructure development companies in the U.S., NextEra Energy Resources, LLC. NextEra Energy and its affiliated entities are meeting America's growing energy needs with a diverse mix of energy sources, including natural gas, nuclear, renewable energy and battery storage. For more information about NextEra Energy companies, visit these websites: www.NextEraEnergy.com, www.FPL.com, www.NextEraEnergyResources.com. Cautionary Statements and Risk Factors That May Affect Future Results for NextEra Energy, Inc. 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 are not statements of historical facts, but instead represent the current expectations of NextEra Energy, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy) regarding future operating results and other future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of NextEra Energy's control. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, among others, statements concerning long-term growth-rate expectations. In some cases, you can identify the forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as "will," "may result," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "intend," "plan," "seek," "potential," "projection," "forecast," "predict," "goals," "target," "outlook," "should," "would" or similar words or expressions. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are not a guarantee of future performance. The future results of NextEra Energy and its business and financial condition are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements, or may require it to limit or eliminate certain operations. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this news release and the following: effects of extensive regulation of NextEra Energy's business operations; inability of NextEra Energy to recover in a timely manner any significant amount of costs, a return on certain assets or a reasonable return on invested capital through base rates, cost recovery clauses, other regulatory mechanisms or otherwise; impact of political, regulatory, operational and economic factors on regulatory decisions important to NextEra Energy; effect of any reductions or modifications to, or elimination of, governmental incentives or policies that support clean energy projects or the imposition of additional tax laws, tariffs, duties, policies or other costs or assessments on clean energy or equipment necessary to generate, store or deliver it; impact of new or revised laws, regulations, executive orders, interpretations or constitutional ballot and regulatory initiatives on NextEra Energy; capital expenditures, increased operating costs and various liabilities attributable to environmental laws, regulations and other standards applicable to NextEra Energy; effects on NextEra Energy of federal or state laws or regulations mandating new or additional limits on the production of greenhouse gas emissions; exposure of NextEra Energy to significant and increasing compliance costs and substantial monetary penalties and other sanctions as a result of extensive federal, state and local government regulation of its operations and businesses; effect on NextEra Energy of changes in tax laws, guidance or policies as well as in judgments and estimates used to determine tax-related asset and liability amounts; impact on NextEra Energy of adverse results of litigation; impacts of NextEra Energy of allegations of violations of law; effect on NextEra Energy of failure to proceed with projects under development or inability to complete the construction of (or capital improvements to) electric generation, storage, transmission and distribution facilities, natural gas and oil production and transportation facilities or other facilities on schedule or within budget; impact on development and operating activities of NextEra Energy resulting from risks related to project siting, planning, financing, construction, permitting, governmental approvals and the negotiation of project development agreements, as well as supply chain disruptions; risks involved in the operation and maintenance of electric generation, storage, transmission and distribution facilities, natural gas and oil production and transportation facilities, and other facilities; effect on NextEra Energy of a lack of growth, slower growth or a decline in the number of customers or in customer usage; impact on NextEra Energy of severe weather and other weather conditions; threats of terrorism and catastrophic events that could result from geopolitical factors, terrorism, cyberattacks or other attempts to disrupt NextEra Energy's business or the businesses of third parties; inability to obtain adequate insurance coverage for protection of NextEra Energy against significant losses and risk that insurance coverage does not provide protection against all significant losses; a prolonged period of low natural gas and oil prices, disrupted production or unsuccessful drilling efforts could impact NextEra Energy's natural gas and oil production and transportation operations and cause NextEra Energy to delay or cancel certain natural gas and oil production projects and could result in certain assets becoming impaired; risk of increased operating costs resulting from unfavorable supply costs necessary to provide full energy and capacity requirements services; inability or failure to manage properly or hedge effectively the commodity risk within its portfolio; effect of reductions in the liquidity of energy markets on NextEra Energy's ability to manage operational risks; effectiveness of NextEra Energy's risk management tools associated with its hedging and trading procedures to protect against significant losses, including the effect of unforeseen price variances from historical behavior; impact of unavailability or disruption of power transmission or commodity transportation operations on sale and delivery of power or natural gas; exposure of NextEra Energy to credit and performance risk from customers, hedging counterparties and vendors; failure of counterparties to perform under derivative contracts or of requirement for NextEra Energy to post margin cash collateral under derivative contracts; failure or breach of NextEra Energy's information technology systems; risks to NextEra Energy's retail businesses from compromise of sensitive customer data; losses from volatility in the market values of derivative instruments and limited liquidity in over-the-counter markets; impact of negative publicity; inability to maintain, negotiate or renegotiate acceptable franchise agreements; occurrence of work strikes or stoppages and increasing personnel costs; NextEra Energy's ability to successfully identify, complete and integrate acquisitions, including the effect of increased competition for acquisitions; environmental, health and financial risks associated with ownership and operation of nuclear generation facilities; liability of NextEra Energy for significant retrospective assessments and/or retrospective insurance premiums in the event of an incident at certain nuclear generation facilities; increased operating and capital expenditures and/or reduced revenues at nuclear generation facilities resulting from orders or new regulations of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; inability to operate any of NextEra Energy's owned nuclear generation units through the end of their respective operating licenses or planned license extensions; effect of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets or actions by third parties in connection with project-specific or other financing arrangements on NextEra Energy's ability to fund its liquidity and capital needs and meet its growth objectives; defaults or noncompliance related to project-specific, limited-recourse financing agreements; inability to maintain current credit ratings; impairment of liquidity from inability of credit providers to fund their credit commitments or to maintain their current credit ratings; poor market performance and other economic factors that could affect NextEra Energy's defined benefit pension plan's funded status; poor market performance and other risks to the asset values of nuclear decommissioning funds; changes in market value and other risks to certain of NextEra Energy's assets and investments; effect of inability of NextEra Energy subsidiaries to pay upstream dividends or repay funds to NextEra Energy or of NextEra Energy's performance under guarantees of subsidiary obligations on NextEra Energy's ability to meet its financial obligations and to pay dividends on its common stock; the fact that the amount and timing of dividends payable on NextEra Energy's common stock, as well as the dividend policy approved by NextEra Energy's board of directors from time to time, and changes to that policy, are within the sole discretion of NextEra Energy's board of directors and, if declared and paid, dividends may be in amounts that are less than might be expected by shareholders; XPLR Infrastructure, LP's inability to access sources of capital on commercially reasonable terms could have an effect on its ability to consummate future acquisitions and on the value of NextEra Energy's limited partner interest in XPLR Operating Partners, LP; effects of disruptions, uncertainty or volatility in the credit and capital markets on the market price of NextEra Energy's common stock; and the ultimate severity and duration of public health crises, epidemics and pandemics, and its effects on NextEra Energy's business. NextEra Energy discusses these and other risks and uncertainties in its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and other Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, and this news release should be read in conjunction with such SEC filings. The forward-looking statements made in this news release are made only as of the date of this news release and NextEra Energy undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. SOURCE NextEra Energy, Inc. Expanding in Eight Additional Markets Including Nashville and Chicago PITTSBURGH, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- PNC today announced it will be opening more than 300 new branches by 2030, adding 100 new branches to the expansion plans announced last November and increasing its total branch investment to approximately $2 billion. The additional branches, in markets including Nashville, Chicago, Sarasota and Winston-Salem, extend PNC's expansion efforts to nearly 20 markets across the United States. PNC also re-affirmed its plan to complete the renovation of 100% of its branch network by 2029. In total, by 2030 PNC also plans to hire more than 2,000 new employees in support of the bank's retail expansion efforts. PNC Branch Exterior Front PNC Branch Exterior Back "At PNC, we know the importance of building deep local connections. Our branches serve as vital community hubs where trusted relationships are built and financial aspirations made real," said Alex Overstrom, head of Retail Banking at PNC. "The build-out of these 300 new branches allows us to deliver our unique blend of hospitality and financial advice to more clients in more neighborhoods across the country. It's about making PNC the most convenient bank in each of these markets, ensuring we can meet people where they are and help them thrive." Nashville and Southeast Market Expansion As part of this investment, PNC plans to add approximately 35 new branches to its presence in Nashville, building upon the strong momentum it has seen since entering the market in 2018. PNC also plans to build 40 additional new branches in six other cities across the Southeast, including Fort Myers, Lakeland, Sarasota, Asheville, Winston-Salem and Wilmington, N.C. By expanding its presence in these fast-growing Southeast regions, PNC aims to be a leading bank in these markets, conveniently meeting the needs of consumers and businesses of all sizes. "We're excited to grow our footprint in Nashville, a city celebrated for its music, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit," said Mike D. Johnson, PNC regional president for Tennessee. "The additional branches strengthen our ability to provide valuable resources and expertise, reflecting our commitment to supporting the region's dynamic economy and vibrant communities. Through continued local investment, PNC is creating more opportunities to deliver tailored financial guidance, innovative solutions and expanded access to resources that help individuals, families and businesses thrive." Accelerating Growth in Chicago PNC is also significantly increasing its presence in Chicago, adding approximately 25 branches to its existing 113 locations across the market. This investment reinforces PNC's commitment to Chicago as a key growth market, allowing the bank to continue to meet the strong local demand for its services as well as enhancing customer convenience. "We're proud to announce the expansion of our branch networkunderscoring our strong commitment to Chicago and its diverse neighborhoods, from the Loop to the lakefront and beyond," said Scott Swanson, PNC Midwest territory executive and regional president of Illinois. "This investment strengthens our connection to the city's vibrant communities and thriving business districts, creating more opportunities to deliver trusted financial guidance, personalized service, and expanded access to resources that help Chicagoans and their families succeed. As a city built on resilience and innovation, Chicago inspires us to keep investing in its future." Remaining Committed to Established Growth Markets As previously announced in 2024, PNC is committed to building more than 200 branches across strategic growth markets including Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, Raleigh, San Antonio, and Tampa. This is in addition to the branches being added by PNC's pending acquisition of FirstBank, which will make PNC a leading retail bank in Denver and Phoenix. Collectively, these investments reflect PNC's dedication to building a national, coast-to-coast franchise. As one of the nation's leading financial institutions, PNC Bank ranks as the fourth largest branch network in the United States, operating over 2,200 branches nationwide. In addition to an extensive and expanding physical presence across the country, PNC serves over 58,000 PNC and partner ATMs nationwide as well as through online and mobile banking platforms and its customer care center. The company also has 22 mobile branches that partner with community organizations to expand banking access to low-and-moderate income communities and provide services to areas devastated by natural disasters. PNC Bank, N.A., is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com. Darby Rowe (717) 824-6314 [email protected] SOURCE PNC Bank PLANO, Texas, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Qount, the AI-driven Practice Intelligence Platform for public accounting firms, today announced the launch of its newly redesigned user experience and interface a major step forward in simplifying firm operations and empowering teams with intelligent, intuitive tools. The new Qount experience reimagines how firms work. Featuring a modern, intelligent interface, it introduces smarter navigation, cleaner visuals, and Qount Artificial Intelligence-driven (QAI) workflows that make everyday firm management simpler and faster than ever. New Qount User Interface At the heart of this redesign is QAI Hub, an intelligent homepage that organizes tasks, conversations, and alerts by priority factoring in compliance risk, client sentiment, and deadlines. With color-coded urgency levels and AI-driven priority scores, firms can see exactly what matters most. Each insight includes clear context, helping teams understand not just what needs attention, but why. "This redesign marks a new era of productivity for accounting firms," said Pete Miele, CEO at Qount. "Every design decision was made to create clarity, speed, and intelligence across the platform, turning firm data into actionable insights and empowering teams to work smarter." Key Highlights of the Qount UX/UI Redesign QAI Hub: A new intelligent homepage that analyzes hundreds of data points to prioritize what truly matters most. A new intelligent homepage that analyzes hundreds of data points to prioritize what truly matters most. Ask QAI: An all-new AI-powered analytics assistant that lets users simply type or speak to instantly find reports, metrics, and insights. An all-new AI-powered analytics assistant that lets users simply type or speak to instantly find reports, metrics, and insights. Workspace with Kanban View: A redesigned workspace offering both list and Kanban views for real-time visibility into tasks, blockers, and next steps. A redesigned workspace offering both list and Kanban views for real-time visibility into tasks, blockers, and next steps. Simplified Navigation: A cleaner, more intuitive layout that makes it easier to move through the platform and access key tools. A cleaner, more intuitive layout that makes it easier to move through the platform and access key tools. Global Search: A smarter, faster way to find clients, tasks, reports, and records, complete with category filters and recent-search memory. This redesign is much more than a facelift, it's the foundation for the future of Practice Intelligence. As Qount continues to advance toward agentic automation, this redesign represents a major step in redefining how accounting firms manage performance, collaborate, and scale with intelligence. To learn more visit: https://qount.io/feature-releases/uiux About Qount Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Plano, TX, Qount provides an AI-driven Practice Intelligence Platform for public accounting firms. Qount integrates CRM, time-and-billing, onboarding, collaboration, client portals, document management, and more into one platform, enhancing efficiency with automated workflows. This all-in-one solution allows firms to standardize processes, streamline operations, and create more value for clients. Media Contact Greg Pope Chief Marketing Officer [email protected] SOURCE Qount HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Saigon Technology announces a dual milestone: receiving the Great Place to Work Certification 2025 and being recognized among the Top 10 ICT Companies in Vietnam by the Vietnam Software & IT Services Association (VINASA). These achievements are proof of a long-term vision: to bring Vietnamese engineering talent to the world, while building a people-first culture and contributing to the growth of Vietnam's ICT industry. Saigon Technology at the Vietnam Top 10 Tech & Map 2025 Awarding Ceremony Vietnamese Talent on the Global Stage Over the past 13 years, Saigon Technology has grown into a leading software development partner, with hundreds of engineers and three development centers across Vietnam. The company partners with clients in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Asia-Pacific, from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. Each project is about bridging cultures, mastering advanced technologies, and adapting quickly to client needs. This approach has made Saigon Technology a trusted offshore software development partner for U.S. companies seeking reliability, transparency, and innovation. Building Skills, Sustaining Balance To compete globally, engineers must be both highly skilled and resilient. Saigon Technology has created a strong talent development ecosystem, offering learning programs, mentorship, and internal contests to strengthen creativity and problem-solving. At the same time, the company prioritizes employee well-being through flexible working policies, wellness programs, and open communication. Health check-ups, mental wellness sessions, and supportive leadership keep employees motivated even while working across multiple time zones like U.S. schedules. This culture earned Saigon Technology the Great Place to Work Certification 2025, with 97% positive employee feedback and 98% expressing pride in their workplace. "This certification is a powerful reflection of our values," said Thanh Pham, CEO of Saigon Technology. "At Saigon Technology, we believe that true innovation emerges when our people flourish. Our mission goes beyond meeting international standards we strive to cultivate a workplace where every individual feels valued, inspired, and deeply connected to our shared purpose of driving excellence and technological advancement." Recognition as a Top 10 ICT Company in Vietnam Alongside workplace recognition, Saigon Technology was once again named among Vietnam's Top 10 ICT Companies 2025, recognized in three key categories: Global Digital Services, AI Application Development Platforms, and Software Application Development. The awards highlight the company's strength in advanced technologies and its commitment to ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 standards. With clients across five continents, Saigon Technology demonstrates how Vietnamese tech talent can compete globally while offering agility and cost efficiency. "Being recognized in VINASA's Top 10 ICT is both an honor and a responsibility," Mr. Thanh Pham added. "It reaffirms our role as a trusted global technology partner and our commitment to Vietnam's growing position in the global ICT landscape." A Vision Beyond Achievements For Saigon Technology, awards mark only milestones in a continuing journey. The company's broader vision is to position Vietnam as a global hub for software innovation and engineering excellence by investing in people, processes, and partnerships. As part of this journey, the company has invested in TechTIQ Solutions Pte as a gateway for Vietnamese engineers to expand their reach into international markets and strengthen its presence across Asia and the U.S., bringing Vietnamese expertise to a broader stage. "Our journey is not defined by awards alone," Thanh Pham concluded. "It is defined by the impact we create for our clients, our people, and Vietnam's technology future." About Saigon Technology Founded in 2012, Saigon Technology is an award-winning software development company recognized among Vietnam's Top 10 ICT Companies 2025 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2025. The company specializes in custom software development, web and mobile app development, cloud solutions, and AI-powered services. With ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications, hundreds of top-tier engineers, and offices in Vietnam, the USA, Australia, and Singapore, Saigon Technology partners with clients worldwide to deliver secure, scalable, and innovative solutions. SOURCE Saigon Technology HANGZHOU, China, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The China (Hangzhou) Art and Technology Biennale opened at Yuhang Art Museum, Hangzhou on October 18. It is initiated by the China Academy of Art (CAA) and curated by the CAA School of Design & Innovation and CAA Art Museum. As a key part of the 3rd Liangzhu Forum, the biennale gathers works by over 160 creators from more than 20 countries and regions, displaying the reconstruction trajectory and future prospects of cultural ecology amid technological iteration. This biennale is deeply rooted in the disciplinary foundation of the CAA. The Design Studies of CAA adheres to the academic principle of "integrating Eastern and Western cultures" and "innovating from tradition", leading the establishment and development of modern design disciplines in China. Over the years, its achievements have been the forefront and pinnacle of Chinese design education. The CAA has put forward the academic proposition of "Eastern Design Studies", and centered on the development strategy of "Driven by Global and Domestic Vision and Empowered by Culture and Tech Education". Featuring "Design Humanities" and "Art-Technology Integration", it has grown into China's largest, most well-structured design education cluster covering the broadest range of social and industrial needs. With the School of Design & Innovation at the forefront of disciplinary expansion, CAA has been developing cutting-edge, and interdisciplinary innovative design disciplines. It also actively promotes integrated design innovation based on society and industry, and strives to build a "New Bauhaus" and "Vkhutemas" for the era of big data and intelligent media. This biennale is also inspired by the unique regional culture of Liangzhu in Hangzhou. Liangzhu is the archaeological evidence of China's 5,000-year-old civilization; Hangzhou is not only a famous historical city but also a city of innovation and vitality. Here, ancient civilization and modern technology shine together, serving as a vivid interpretation of the cultural strength of Chinese modernization. This biennale gathers global cutting-edge creations and innovative ideas, continuously influencing industry, education, society, innovation, and other fields. It has become a key hub connecting local wisdom with the global context, making the "Hangzhou Model" a vivid example of the deep integration of culture and technology. The fundamental mission of art and science is to "discover the world and discover humanity". Through four sections "Connections: Embodied Interaction", "Symbiosis: Digital Education", "Speculation: Ecological Reconstruction", and "Manifesto: Philosophical Inquiry" the biennale constructs a narrative framework of "Heaven, Earth, Human, and Machine". The first section allows visitors to experience the connections between humans, machines, and the world through embodied interactions. The second section focuses on promoting the coexistence of humanities and technology through digital education. The third section encourages visitors to speculate on how technology and environment can interact. The final section prompts reflections on the values and ethical boundaries of art-technology integration. These explorations not only continue the century-old academic tradition of CAA, but also demonstrate China's unique approach to engaging in civilizational dialogue amid the wave of globalization. In the future, CAA will continue to build distinctive, future-oriented and world-class design studies, providing a more comprehensive "CAA solution" for global design education. The China (Hangzhou) Art and Technology Biennale, emerging from this context, will build bridges of dialogue between Liangzhu and the world, between art and technology, allowing ancient wisdom and cutting-edge exploration to resonate in harmony, while enabling artistic intelligence and technological futures to illuminate each other. The exhibition is curated by Duan Weibin, the dean of the CAA's School of Design&Innovation. The article is also written by Duan Weibin. SOURCE China Academy of Art The TechnoMile Platform and domain-trained AI agents deliver automation, tailored workflows, and real-time insights to help federal contractors streamline operations and accelerate growth. TYSONS, Va., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- TechnoMile, a leading provider of transformative, AI-enabled cloud solutions that empower companies to find, pursue, win, and retain more business with the government from go-to-market through contract closeout, unveiled its latest product innovations at Elevate25, the company's annual customer conference. The event brought together TechnoMile clients, employees, partners, and industry thought leaders to explore how AI is reshaping federal sales and contract management. A highlight of the event was the launch of the TechnoMile Platform, a highly secure, unified foundation that connects Growth, Portfolio Management, Contracts, Security, and Supply Chain teams across the full government contracting lifecycle. Unlike retrofitted solutions, the TechnoMile Platform has been re-architected from the ground up with AI at its core, enabling personalized experiences, intelligent workflows, and data-driven decision-making. The platform seamlessly integrates with a client's CRM and ERP, combining enterprise systems with TechnoMile's purpose-built solutions for federal contracting. With domain-trained AI agents that deliver real-time insights, automate complex tasks, and continuously adapt, the platform drives smarter operations and faster innovation. The TechnoMile Platform has achieved FedRAMP Moderate Equivalency, supporting contractors' compliance with stringent cybersecurity mandates while enhancing efficiency, visibility, and scalability to help organizations doing business with the government mitigate risk and accelerate growth. "At TechnoMile, we're redefining how government contractors operate by embedding AI into the very fabric of their business," said Ashish Khot, CEO of TechnoMile. "With the launch of the TechnoMile Platform and our latest agentic innovations all backed by FedRAMP Moderate Equivalency we're delivering intelligent automation and decision support in a secure, compliant environment that empowers our clients to work smarter, move faster, and unlock new levels of growth and efficiency." TechnoMile also showcased a variety of agentic-fueled product innovations that bring AI-enhanced workflows and decision support to industry-specific use cases. These solutions are available now or on the company's near-term roadmap for its Growth and Contracts Suites and include: GovSearchAI: The GovSearchAI market and opportunity intelligence platform transforms federal business development with agentic AI that surfaces high-value leads, streamlines pipeline research, and delivers personalized opportunity insights. Growth teams gain a competitive edge by focusing on the strongest opportunities first, accelerating pipeline building, and winning more deals. The GovSearchAI market and opportunity intelligence platform transforms federal business development with agentic AI that surfaces high-value leads, streamlines pipeline research, and delivers personalized opportunity insights. Growth teams gain a competitive edge by focusing on the strongest opportunities first, accelerating pipeline building, and winning more deals. Capture Copilot: Capture Copilot supercharges business development and captures by embedding domain-trained AI agents into an organization's Growth team that actively execute and assist with critical tasks across a proven, disciplined capture process. From conducting research and analyzing past performance, to drafting documents and updating opportunity records in the CRM, these agents reduce manual effort, streamline execution, and free professionals up to focus on strategy, solutioning, and relationship-building. The result: higher win rates, lower capture costs, and accelerated growth. Capture Copilot supercharges business development and captures by embedding domain-trained AI agents into an organization's Growth team that actively execute and assist with critical tasks across a proven, disciplined capture process. From conducting research and analyzing past performance, to drafting documents and updating opportunity records in the CRM, these agents reduce manual effort, streamline execution, and free professionals up to focus on strategy, solutioning, and relationship-building. The result: higher win rates, lower capture costs, and accelerated growth. Transform Copilot for Pre-Award: With new pre-award capabilities, TechnoMile's Transform Copilot accelerates proposal development by extracting key business intelligence from solicitations and automating critical review, approval, and compliance workflows. With AI-powered summaries and conversational document querying, teams gain faster insight into requirements, enhance their pricing strategies and risk assessments, and accelerate the creation of more compliant, compelling proposals. With new pre-award capabilities, TechnoMile's Transform Copilot accelerates proposal development by extracting key business intelligence from solicitations and automating critical review, approval, and compliance workflows. With AI-powered summaries and conversational document querying, teams gain faster insight into requirements, enhance their pricing strategies and risk assessments, and accelerate the creation of more compliant, compelling proposals. Mila: Mila is TechnoMile's new intelligent digital assistant that empowers Growth and Contracts teams with instant, conversational access to opportunity and contract insights. Trained to interact with users like a seasoned Business Development, Capture, or Contracts Manager, Mila streamlines document analysis and creation of proposal artifacts, executive briefs, and more accelerating decision-making and boosting productivity across the federal contracting lifecycle. Mila is TechnoMile's new intelligent digital assistant that empowers Growth and Contracts teams with instant, conversational access to opportunity and contract insights. Trained to interact with users like a seasoned Business Development, Capture, or Contracts Manager, Mila streamlines document analysis and creation of proposal artifacts, executive briefs, and more accelerating decision-making and boosting productivity across the federal contracting lifecycle. AI Agents for Contracts: TechnoMile's latest domain-trained AI agents for Contracts automate key workflows, reduce manual effort, and enhance compliance. From auto-generating deliverable records and streamlining approvals, to ingesting structured delivery orders and producing executive summaries, these agents boost operational efficiency, improve visibility, and empower teams to manage contracts with greater speed, accuracy, and insight driving smarter decisions and stronger performance across the contract lifecycle. TechnoMile's latest domain-trained AI agents for Contracts automate key workflows, reduce manual effort, and enhance compliance. From auto-generating deliverable records and streamlining approvals, to ingesting structured delivery orders and producing executive summaries, these agents boost operational efficiency, improve visibility, and empower teams to manage contracts with greater speed, accuracy, and insight driving smarter decisions and stronger performance across the contract lifecycle. Authoring & Negotiating Commercial Agreements: This solution extends TechnoMile's current capabilities to generate, negotiate, and digitally execute partner and buy-side agreements to any type of commercial agreement. It embeds Mila, TechnoMile's new digital assistant, to guide users through clause selection and evaluate language against company standards. By automating and employing AI assistance with key steps in the authoring and negotiation process, organizations can efficiently draft smart contracts using approved language, enforce playbooks consistently, and reduce risk while ensuring compliance with internal policies. To learn more about the TechnoMile Platform and the company's latest AI-powered innovations, visit technomile.com or contact us to schedule a personalized demo. About TechnoMile From go-to-market to contract closeout, TechnoMile provides transformative, AI-enabled cloud solutions that empower companies to find, pursue, win, and retain more business with the government. Using TechnoMile's best-in-class cloud platform, companies optimize BD and capture processes, source market and contact intelligence, automate and de-risk the contract lifecycle, foster stronger relationships with partners/suppliers, and gain an information advantage that elevates enterprise performance. TechnoMile serves more than 250 clients ranging from growing small businesses, to mid-market organizations, to Fortune 500 companies, including half of the top 10 federal defense contractors and 50 percent of the top 10 IT government contractors. For more information about TechnoMile, visit technomile.com or follow us at linkedin.com/company/technomile. TechnoMile Media Contact: Shayne Forsyth, VP of Marketing [email protected] (832) 215-5692 SOURCE TechnoMile Geneva, 07 November 2025 - Geneva Tourism is delighted to unveil its inaugural Geneva Watchmaking Guide, in collaboration with the Fondation Haute Horlogerie, created to highlight the key landmarks around the city that best showcase its rich horological history. As the birthplace of timepieces, Geneva has been at the centre of the watchmaking world for centuries, and this new bilingual guide invites visitors to discover this living tradition through historical monuments, manufacturers, immersive experiences, and themed events. Designed to give tourists everything they need to discover the citys watchmaking universe, the Geneva Watchmaking Guide provides visitors with a guide to understanding Genevas horological history, its expertise, and its economy. The guide brings together the tourist experiences that are on offer to showcase this iconic tradition, in a nod to Genevas strong history at the centre of the world of watchmaking. Combining local expertise and sector excellence, the Geneva Watchmaking Guide is a unique pocketbook designed to inform and inspire tourists to uncover the citys tradition of excellence. Haute horology is much more than just the art of measuring time: it is a culture of high standards, details, and tradition. This guide provides the key to unlocking a better understanding of this exceptional world. Through our collaboration with Geneva Tourism, we have one shared ambition: to make this rich culture accessible to all, and to promote Genevas expertise in watchmaking to an ever-wider audience, says Aurelie Streit, Vice President of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie. WHITEHILL, Barbados, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nomad Trader , an education-focused prop trading firm, today announced a major initiative to demystify proprietary trading with the launch of a new website and expanded educational resources. Based in St. Thomas, Barbados, the company aims to be an approachable partner for traders seeking financial independence and a location-independent lifestyle, moving away from the industry's intimidating complexity. The Nomad Trader's mission centers on making trading more accessible by offering tools and educational resources that support flexibility and independence. The firm emphasizes a simplified approach to the trading process, designed to align with the needs of individuals seeking to balance financial goals with location-independent lifestyles. By focusing on foundational risk-management principles and user-friendly structures, The Nomad Trader aims to support traders in building routines that fit their personal schedules, without reliance on constant screen time or high-risk objectives. The Philosophy: "Trade to Live, Don't Live to Trade" The Nomad Trader advocates a trading paradigm summed up by the maxim "Trade to Live, Don't Live to Trade." This philosophy addresses the psychological challenges that often hinder retail traders. By promoting reduced screen time and less frequent trade monitoring, the platform aims to mitigate behavioral risks such as over-trading and emotional decision-making. New Initiatives to Empower the Global Trader The Nomad Trader has just launched a redesigned website that provides a more intuitive and streamlined experience for traders. The new platform supports the firm's growing community, which already includes over 2,000 funded traders and more than $25 million in total funding. This scale demonstrates the firm's trading framework's efficacy and its ability to cultivate successful, disciplined traders globally. Alongside the new digital hub, The Nomad Trader is significantly expanding its educational offerings. The firm is developing simple, accessible Forex training materials for its platform users, reinforcing that foundational knowledge is key to consistent success. These new materials are specifically designed for the minimalist trader, focusing on core price-action strategies and clear technical analysis, ensuring the training aligns with the "less is more" trading philosophy. To foster a strong community focused on continuous learning and expose traders to diverse successful methodologies, the firm is launching giveaways featuring high-quality courses from other successful traders. This commitment ensures traders have access to diverse, top-tier educational content to sharpen their skills. By providing both the foundational education and the necessary capital, The Nomad Trader effectively removes two of the biggest barriers for aspiring professional traders, creating a direct path from education to market execution. The Nomad Trader is committed to helping its community achieve consistent, sustainable success by empowering traders with simple, proven methods and the capital needed to turn small, achievable percentages into substantial monthly income. About The Nomad Trader The Nomad Trader is a prop trading firm dedicated to funding and educating a global community of traders. Headquartered in St. Thomas, Barbados, the company provides capital, tools, and support, allowing traders to keep up to 90% of their profits. The prop firm's philosophy centers on demystifying trading and promoting a balanced, location-independent lifestyle. With transparent rules and a competitive payout rate, The Nomad Trader is committed to helping its community achieve consistent, sustainable success. For more information about The Nomad Trader and its launch promotion, users can visit https://www.thenomadtrader.net/ Contact Chief Operations Officer Nick Caverly The Nomad Trader [email protected] Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2814329/The_Nomad_Trader_Logo.jpg SOURCE The Nomad Trader New Booking Platform Opens Doors to One of America's Least-Visited Yet Most Remarkable Destinations: American Samoa PAGO PAGO, American Samoa, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- It's the only U.S. real estate south of the equator, it uses the U.S. dollar, your phone charger will work, and English is widely spoken, but fewer than 4,500 tourists flew there last year. Welcome to American Samoa: a South Pacific paradise that takes "off the beaten path" to a whole new level. Now, discovering this untouched corner of the world is easier than ever. Mt Tumu hike, Ofu, Manu'a, American Samoa. Credit: americansamoapocketguide.com In a groundbreaking move to bring its tourism offering into the digital age, the American Samoa Visitors Bureau has unveiled a brand-new online booking platform, making it possible for travelers to explore and book more than 50 tours, rentals, and accommodation options directly through VisitAmericanSamoa.org , the newly launched American Samoa Pocket Guide , or directly via tourism operators' websites. Until now, organizing a trip to American Samoa required offline back-and-forths and a lot of patience. For a place where community-led tourism thrives and big chain hotels don't exist, modernizing the way travelers can connect with local operators is a game-changer. "American Samoa has always been one of the U.S.'s best-kept secrets," says Taimalelagi Minnie Tuia, Executive Director of the American Samoa Visitors Bureau. "This new platform makes our hidden gem just a little easier to find. We're not a Sheraton or Hilton kind of destination; this is a place for curious travelers who want a rare window into a traditional way of life that still honors its language, customs, and people." Set in the heart of Polynesia, American Samoa is made up of lush volcanic islands with limited flat land for development, meaning large-scale tourism simply isn't on the cards; and that's exactly why it's so special. Here, the communal ownership of land has helped preserve fa'a Samoa (the Samoan way), from traditional ceremonies to the continued use of the native Samoan language. It's also home to the National Park of American Samoa, the U.S.'s 63rd national park and the only U.S. national park in the Southern Hemisphere. In 2023, just 2,135 visitors entered its boundaries, making it one of the least-visited U.S. national parks. To put it in perspective, fewer than 1 in 1,000 Americans will visit American Samoa by air in their lifetime. And yet, it's stunning: rainforests tumbling into the ocean, coral reefs teeming with life, and ancient villages where time seems to slow down. "What you see here is a living culture," Tuia adds. "Weddings, funerals, and the exchange of fine mats still hold more value than money. The pace is slower, the smiles are wider, and the pride in our heritage runs deep. It's like a peek into yesterday. American Samoa isn't for everyone, and that's exactly what makes it so special." The digitalization project, led by the American Samoa Visitors Bureau, didn't stop at just creating a central booking engine. It also helped local tourism operators establish websites, some for the very first time, giving them direct access to the global market and empowering community-based tourism. So if you've "done" Hawai'i or the Caribbean and you're craving a journey into the truly unknown, where you'll swap chain resorts for rainforest hikes, and traffic for taro plantations, then American Samoa might just be your next great adventure. Ready to explore the South Pacific's best-kept secret? Start planning your trip today at VisitAmericanSamoa.org or AmericanSamoaPocketGuide.com . About the American Samoa Visitors Bureau The American Samoa Visitors Bureau (ASVB) is the official tourism organisation for the U.S. territory of American Samoa. Dedicated to promoting sustainable and culturally respectful travel, the Bureau works to showcase the unique natural beauty, living Samoan culture, and warm hospitality of the islands. About American Samoa Pocket Guide American Samoa Pocket Guide is a comprehensive travel planning website dedicated to showcasing the best of American Samoa. Part of the South Pacific Pocket Guide family, the site offers free, up-to-date advice and tools to help travelers discover one of the most off-the-beaten-path destinations in the Pacific. -ENDS- Please consider tagging the following on social media when sharing this news item: @americansamoatravel @southpacificpocketguide @nzpocketguide SOURCE South Pacific Pocket Guide DNTL Hub, led by Dr. Devan Dalla, has invested in cutting-edge diagnostic technology including CT scanning capabilities and TRIOS intraoral scanners. These advanced tools enable more precise detection of tooth fractures and cracks while enhancing patient comfort and treatment outcomes across multiple locations serving the Sacramento, Galt, Lodi, and Elk Grove communities. SACRAMENTO, Calif., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DNTL Hub, a premier family dental practice led by Dr. Devan Dalla with multiple locations throughout the Sacramento County area, is elevating the standard of dental care with the addition of state-of-the-art CT scan technology and TRIOS intraoral scanning systems. These advanced diagnostic tools represent a significant leap forward in the practice's ability to identify dental issues with unprecedented precision, particularly in detecting cracks and tooth fractures that might otherwise go unnoticed with traditional imaging methods. DNTL Hub The new CT scan technology provides three-dimensional views of teeth, bone structure, and surrounding tissues, allowing Dr. Dalla and the DNTL Hub team to diagnose complex dental conditions with remarkable accuracy. This advanced imaging is particularly valuable for identifying hairline fractures, assessing root canal complications, and planning implant placements with precision. Combined with the TRIOS intraoral scanner, which creates detailed digital impressions without uncomfortable traditional molds, patients now benefit from faster, more comfortable, and more accurate dental care. "The addition of CT scan technology for precise diagnosis of cracks and tooth fractures, as well as intraoral scanning with TRIOS, represents our commitment to providing the most advanced care available," says Dr. Devan Dalla. "These technological advancements allow us to see what we couldn't see before, catch problems earlier, and treat them more effectively. Our patients deserve the best diagnostic tools available, and we're committed to staying at the forefront of dental technology." With locations serving Galt, Lodi, Elk Grove, and surrounding Sacramento County communities, DNTL Hub has built a reputation for combining advanced technology with compassionate, patient-centered care. The practice offers comprehensive dental services ranging from routine cleanings and pediatric care to complex restorative procedures and emergency dentistry. DNTL Hub also provides emergency dental care in Elk Grove, ensuring patients have access to prompt treatment when urgent dental issues arise, often with same-day appointments available. The integration of CT scanning and digital intraoral scanning reflects DNTL Hub's ongoing commitment to investing in technologies that improve diagnostic accuracy and patient experience. Traditional dental X-rays, while valuable, provide only two-dimensional images and can miss certain types of damage. The new CT system enables the team to rotate and examine teeth from every angle, leading to more confident diagnoses and better treatment planning. DNTL Hub's state-of-the-art facility features an in-office lab capable of producing same-day crowns, utilizes 3D printing technology, and houses in-office zirconia milling capabilities. The practice is recognized as one of the leading all-on-4 dental implant centers in the region, offering families convenient access to advanced care without the need to visit multiple specialists. More About Dr. Devan Dalla and DNTL Hub Dr. Devan Dalla is a graduate of New York University College of Dentistry and has been in practice since 2008. While at NYU, Dr. Dalla was awarded Honors in Implantology as well as the Dr. Bernard E. Rudner Memorial Award for demonstrating superior clinical performance in providing comprehensive oral care. Prior to moving to the United States, Dr. Dalla earned a Bachelor's Degree in dental surgery from one of the leading dental schools in India, graduating top of his class. Dr. Dalla has always had a passion for serving his community. In his quest to provide underserved communities with quality dental care, he created a non-profit organization called "Raahat" which provided free dental services to children and those who cannot afford dental care. Dr. Dalla is committed to staying at the forefront of dentistry by participating in regular educational courses and workshops. He is an active member of the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), and specializes in dental implant procedures. DNTL Hub serves families throughout Sacramento County with multiple convenient locations. The practice welcomes patients of all ages and offers flexible scheduling, financing options, and accepts most major dental insurance plans. With a focus on patient comfort and comprehensive care, DNTL Hub provides a full range of dental services in a welcoming, state-of-the-art environment. For more information about DNTL Hub or to schedule an appointment, please visit www.dntlhub.com. For emergency dental care in Elk Grove, visit www.dntlhub.com/emergency-dental-care-elk-grove. Media Contact Jackson Leonard DNTL Hub (209) 916-1000 https://www.dntlhub.com SOURCE DNTL Hub COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A $16 million planned gift from a longtime University of Maryland faculty member will empower researchers and students in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics to conduct research on viruses and infectious disease in people and plants. Professor Anne Simon, a plant virologist and longtime "The X-Files" scientific adviser, is donating $15 million to support two endowed professorships, one in virology and another in RNA or plant biology; multiple postdoctoral fellowships; and multiple graduate fellowships. "I want to pay it back," she said. "I owe it all to my department. I want to keep good people here and attract good researchers, especially junior faculty, in these fields that I love." A further $1 million will fund the Sondra Simon Memorial Maryland Promise Scholarship, named in honor of her mother, a teacher's aide in Los Angeles public schools for more than 30 years. Her commitment to Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless, which officially launched this week, brings its total to $943 million. "Anne Simon has used her position at the forefront of one of the most exciting areas of biology to create innovative solutions for pressing global challenges, bringing great distinction to the university," said UMD President Darryll J. Pines. "Now she's going a step further to ensure this vital work continues through her generous gift." Simon's support stems from her company, Silvec Biologics, which she created with her brother, Rafael Simon, in 2019 to stop citrus greening disease. This bacterial infection has decimated more than 90% of oranges, grapefruits and other fruits in Florida since it was first documented in the United States in 2005. Greening disease has also spread extensively in Asia, the Americas and Africa and threatens to kill all citrus trees in the next two decades. While some temporary fixes exist, such as injecting medical-grade antibiotics into the trees, Simon instead vaccinates them using a ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus to deliver antimicrobial peptides; lab testing has shown it to be effective, and field testing is underway. The technology could also have applications for row crops such as wheat and soybeans, reducing the need for fungicides and pesticides. Simon's gift will enable the department to continue critical work in infectious disease, plant and RNA biology for years to come, said Chair Kevin S. McIver. "In the current climate, with stresses to biological systems in the environment, there are impacts to plants and humans. Stressed crops lead to more infections. We just had a global pandemic. This gift, which is across the breadth of the research enterprise, is a game changer." Simon's work on viruses has put the department on the map nationally and internationally since she joined UMD in 2000, said McIver. She created and has led the department's virology program, making important discoveries in the burgeoning field of RNA biology. In addition, she has collaborated with scientists at the National Institutes of Health and established an inter-institutional graduate program, attracting top-notch students. "The University of Maryland has been a leader in virology research thanks to faculty members like Anne Simon, and her generous support through this bequest will help us immeasurably to expand our work in this vital area," said Amitabh Varshney, dean of the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. "Our research in virology and related areas is emblematic of our drive to tackle the world's most pressing grand challenges." Outside of academia, Simon lent her expertise to "The X-Files," Fox's popular 1990s sci-fi series (revived for one season in 2018) about FBI agents investigating the paranormal, giving its twisted tales a grounding in reality. Creator Chris Carter is a family friend (her father, Mayo Simon, was a Hollywood screenwriter) and turned to her to ensure the right microscopes were used and alien germs behaved somewhat plausibly. Now, she's eager to pay all her success forward and hopes more faculty and alums will follow in her footsteps. "For other faculty who have been able to start successful companies, it's time to say, 'We need to give back to what got us to this place.'" SOURCE University of Maryland The Horological Society of New York (HSNY), Americas first watchmaking guild, proudly announces its 160th anniversary Gala, to be held on Saturday, March 21, 2026, at the iconic Plaza Hotel in New York City. The black-tie celebration will honor HSNYs longstanding mission of advancing the art and science of horology and will feature celebrity co-chairs, the special presentation of a lifetime achievement award, a cant-miss charity auction presented by Sothebys, an after-party, and much more. The Gala will be co-chaired by a distinguished roster of celebrity ambassadors and industry leaders, including Roger W. Smith OBE, Founder of famed British brand Roger W. Smith Ltd., and HSNY Trustee; Daniela Dufour, distinguished independent watchmaker carrying forward the legacy of her father, Philippe Dufour; and actor Ben Ahlers of HBOs historical drama series The Gilded Age, which features HSNY. Co-chairs for the Societys 160th anniversary were carefully selected as beacons who share a deep appreciation for the art of timekeeping. HSNY will honor renowned watchmaker Francois-Paul Journe with its Howard Fass Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Societys highest honor. This prestigious award recognizes individuals who have shown extraordinary dedication to the ideals that the Society pursues. Journes lifetime of work has profoundly shaped the art and science of horology. Over decades, he has built upon tradition while driving innovation, creating timepieces that marry technical mastery with aesthetic brilliance. Beyond his own watchmaking, Journe has championed the next generation through his Young Talent Competition, providing crucial recognition and support to emerging watchmakers. From pioneering complicated mechanisms to elevating independent watchmaking on the global stage, his contributions have left an indelible mark on the craft, inspiring both his peers and future generations. Between courses, HSNY will host an unforgettable live charity auction presented by Sothebys. Auction lots to be announced in early 2026. In 2026, HSNY will triple its scholarship funding and introduce a new Independent Watchmaker Grant, offering three awards of $50,000 each. This significant expansion of HSNYs scholarships and awards is made possible by a generous grant from the Vogt Foundation. At the 2025 Gala, HSNY raised over $300,000 and awarded scholarships to 28 students and four watchmaking schools in the United States, totaling $160,000. Following the formal program, guests are invited to an exclusive after-party at The Plaza, where the celebration will continue late into the evening. The after-party will feature a DJ, dancing, and a full open bar, offering attendees the chance to toast HSNYs milestone anniversary in true New York style. The glamorous affair will draw celebrity-turned watch enthusiasts, luxury watch brands, major auction houses, and of course, HSNY members. Reaching 160 years is an extraordinary milestone, said Nicholas Manousos, HSNY Executive Director. HSNYs 2026 Gala is not only a celebration of our pastits a reaffirmation of our mission to ensure the future of watchmaking education. We are deeply grateful to our partners, members, and supporters who make this work possible. Since its founding in 1866, HSNY has served as a cornerstone for horological education, preservation, and community. Proceeds from the Gala will directly benefit HSNYs financial aid programs, educational classes, library initiatives, and more, ensuring the Society continues to thrive for another 160 years. Event Details: Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026 Time: 6:00 PM 11:00 PM Location: The Plaza Hotel, 768 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY Dress Code: Black Tie Tickets for the Gala will be available for purchase on the following schedule: Gold Tier Members: Thursday, November 6, 2025, 12:00 PM ET Silver Tier Members: Thursday, November 13, 2025, 12:00 PM ET Bronze Tier Members: Thursday, November 20, 2025, 12:00 PM ET General Public: Thursday, November 27, 2025, 12:00 PM ET 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 Following the accident in which Halyna Hutchins died in October 2021, and after the legal process was completed, the film was reshot in 2023 and quietly released in the US On October 21, 2021, filming of the western Rust resumed at a ranch 20 minutes from Santa Fe, New Mexico, after a lunch break. Alec Baldwin, the films star, fired a Colt .45 revolver during a rehearsal. Unfortunately, the gun was loaded with several blanks and one live round, and the shot was aimed directly at the crew behind the camera, as the scene was to be filmed from that perspective. The shot killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and shrapnel from the bullet, after passing through the first victim, hit director Joel Souzas shoulder, stopping just centimeters from his spine. Baldwin and the films armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, were charged with involuntary manslaughter. It was her responsibility to ensure the gun was loaded with blanks only (real pistols, rifles, and shotguns are used in the U.S. film industry; in Europe film sets only use prop guns). The charges against Baldwin were dismissed in July 2024 on procedural grounds (the judge accepted a complaint from the actors defense regarding the handling of bullets that werent even on the set). Gutierrez-Reed was found guilty months earlier, in April, and sentenced to eighteen months in prison. The first assistant director, David Halls who handed the weapon to Baldwin and assured him, using the phrase cold gun, as required by industry protocol, that it was unloaded pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon. Alec Baldwin speaks on the phone on the afternoon of October 21, 2021, in the parking lot of the sheriff's office in Santa Fe. Jim Weber (AP) The reports that followed the accident revealed a certain lack of control on set. In several interviews conducted last May for the release of Rust in some U.S. theaters and on streaming platforms, Souza dismissed as a hoax the idea that there were shooting competitions on set, but admitted that on that day there was a sluggish pace: part of the technical crew had left the set at the beginning of the day due to a dispute with the producers, as they wanted to be transferred to a hotel closer to the location, and not sleep 60 miles away. They were replaced by non-unionized employees. From left: Josh Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Halyna Hutchins, Travis Fimmel and Jensen Ackles, on the set of 'Rust.' However, before the end of the legal battle, filming resumed in Montana in the spring of 2023 with a new director of photography, Bianca Cline. Souza altered the script, removing the accident sequence set in a church. Now, a similar incident takes place in a living room. There were also cast changes: the child protagonist (Baldwins character, an outlaw, is the boys grandfather) and the sheriff had to be replaced due to scheduling conflicts. In another instance, a new actors face was digitally superimposed onto previously filmed footage. This cut arrives in Spanish theaters on November 7, after premiering last fall at the Torun Film Festival in Poland dedicated to cinematography and its limited release in the U.S. in May. Alec Baldwin and Joel Souza on the set of 'Rust' on the Yellowstone Ranch in Pray (Montana), April 21, 2023. Why did filming resume so the movie could be finished? Because Matthew Hutchins, the cinematographers widower, reached an out-of-court settlement with the producers so that his son Andros (nine years old when his mother died) would receive a share of the profits. Thats also why Hutchins is credited as an executive producer. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Souza explains: I knew that if the film was finished, it would financially benefit Halynas family, which is very important to me. And I know this might sound cliche to people who arent creative, but what she did last is important. Its important that people see her last work. That was the turning point for me. In contrast, from Ukraine, Halynas country of origin, her mother, Olga Solovey, and the cinematographers siblings have refused to participate in any event related to the western as long as Baldwin continues to refuse to apologize and take responsibility. The family has initiated their own civil lawsuit in the U.S. against the producers. Aerial view of the 'Rust' set at Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe, two days after the accident. Jae C. Hong (AP) On screen, in a line added to the new script, the young protagonist, who has never shot anyone, looks at the family rifle hanging on the wall of his house halfway through the film and says: Its ruined the life of almost anyone its ever come across: those Apaches, me, Charles Gantry, my father He killed himself with this rifle a year after my mother died. Because the narrative engine that drives Rust, in a tragic coincidence, lies in the fact that the boy accidentally shoots someone with that weapon. In The Guardian, Souza, who also wrote the screenplay, confessed: Guns make me recoil. The idea of touching one, picking one up, I find very off-putting, and he insisted: Id been repelled by the thought of going back [to filming], but now it started to appeal. And I couldnt live with the idea of someone else doing it. Joel Souza and Halyna Hutchins, on the set of 'Rust.' Souza had hired Hutchins, and it was his decision to bring in the new director of photography, Bianca Cline, who followed the instructions of the deceased, who had left behind a notebook with directions and reflections. At the time of the accident, half the film had been shot, but much of the previously filmed material was reshot due to the cast changes. He also sat down with Baldwin and laid out his condition: during the initial filming, the actor had changed fundamental aspects of his role at will; As of April 2023, the director would dictate the terms, since it was his film. Rust is dedicated to Hutchins, and her name appears in the credits in both Ukrainian and English. I wanted to include that for her mother, Souza explained to The Guardian. The dedication is accompanied by a phrase that became a mantra for Hutchins after every take: How can we make it better? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition His life, like his work, was complex and difficult to classify, which led him to be treated for a long time as a marginal figure within the history of Western art Eskil, one of the sons of Cuban artist Wilfredo Lam (1902-1982), notes that his father was at once well-known and not known. Lams life, like his work, was complex and therefore difficult to summarize and classify, which led him to be treated for a long time as a marginal figure within the history of Western art, despite being one of the pioneers of modernism. Now, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York wants to pay him the well-deserved tribute he never received in his lifetime. When I Dont Sleep, I Dream is the first major retrospective of Lams work in the United States and the exhibition with which Christophe Cherix debuts as the new director of MoMA. Although the Museum of Fine Arts in Havana refused to lend any works for the retrospective, the curatorial team has managed to assemble more than a hundred of Lams most significant pieces to reconstruct his artistic trajectory. The exhibition includes paintings, drawings, collaborations, books, and a short documentary about the artist. The main attraction is Grande Composition, Lams largest and most ambitious work (4.2 meters wide by 2.7 meters high), which has not been publicly displayed for 62 years and which the museum recently acquired from a private collector after several years of negotiations. This artwork sets it apart from other previous retrospectives of the artists work (at the Pompidou Centre and the Tate in 2015, and at the Reina Sofia Museum in 2016). Lam, an example of the 20th-century transnational artist, described his art as an act of decolonization and his style evolved depending on the context. His life was not easy; among other tragic events, his first wife and eldest son died of tuberculosis. He was caught up in the civil war in Spain, where he had gone to study on a scholarship at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and enlisted on the Republican side, guided by a moral obligation to fight against fascism. There he created The Civil War, his largest painting to date, commissioned for the Spanish Pavilion at the 1937 International Exposition in Paris. With Francos rise to power, he moved to Paris, where he befriended Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, and Max Ernst, among others. He painted tirelessly: So much so that my small hotel room became full and I could barely move. Everything was going well; shortly after arriving in 1939, he had his first solo exhibition at the Galerie Pierre, where he displayed several works exploring motherhood. One of them, Mother and Child, was purchased by MoMA and became the first of Lams paintings to enter a museum collection. 'The Jungle' by Wifredo Lam in 1943. MoMA But then World War II broke out, and with the German invasion of Paris, Lam was forced to flee to Marseille along with other artists. There, his friendship with Andre Breton deepened, and he became part of the Surrealist movement. He practiced Surrealism, he said, to free himself from his worries and fears. In 1941, at the age of 39, after being denied entry to the United States and Mexico due to his close ties with influential figures on the European left, he returned to Cuba, having spent nearly two decades in exile. In 1945, MoMA acquired The Jungle, one of the first works Lam created upon returning to Cuba. It is a work in which the human is intertwined with the plant and animal. The painting is not done on canvas, but on kraft paper with diluted oil paint to make it last longer, as the artist had to devise creative ways to cope with the scarcity of materials. The Jungle was displayed for many years in the museums lobby and became Lams best-known work. But there are many important pieces before and after that work. It was necessary to broaden the perception of Wilfredo Lam, explains Beverly Adams, curator of Latin American Art at MoMA and curator of the retrospective. He left an impressive legacy in Europe and the Caribbean, in South America and the United States. He was an inspiration to many artists, and his art transcends geography: it encompasses power and colonialism, poetry and politics, diaspora and modernism. In Cuba, he reinvented himself, reconnecting with Afro-Caribbean histories, something that was greatly influenced by his friendship with the Cuban writer and ethnographer Lydia Cabrera. His work became imbued with symbolism and hybrid figures representing transformation, such as horse-women, plant-animals, and mutating birds. I knew I ran the risk of not being understood by the average person or the general public, but a true work of art has the power to engage the imagination, even if it takes time, the artist once remarked. Lam never stopped believing in his art, nor did he stop painting. After the success of The Jungle, he traveled the world exhibiting his work, and by the time he died of cancer at the age of 80, he had already held more than 150 exhibitions and was a respected artist. And yet, as Cherix points out, the great problem with art history is that it tends to pigeonhole works and artists into labels, and Lam never quite fit into any category, which explains why he wasnt as well-known in the general narrative of 20th-century art. This has changed in recent years, with a growing global interest in his legacy and several of the worlds most important contemporary art institutions deciding to do him justice. The exhibition When I dont sleep, I dream can be seen at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York from November 10 to April 11. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Netanyahus government thanked Mexican security services for thwarting a terrorist network that sought to carry out an attack against diplomat Einat Kranz Neiger The United States on Friday accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israels ambassador to Mexico, Einat Kranz Neiger. According to senior U.S. officials who spoke to several national media outlets, Irans Revolutionary Guard allegedly began planning the attack late last year, but the plot was contained and does not pose a current threat. The operation that foiled the assassination attempt, described anonymously by those officials, took place before the summer. Israels Foreign Ministry said Friday that it had thanked Mexican security services for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran. Mexican government sources declined to comment when contacted by EL PAIS on Friday. The U.S. has long warned that Iranian authorities maintain an extensive overseas network particularly in Latin America ready to strike U.S. and Israeli targets. This is just the latest example in a long history of assassination attempts by Iran around the world against diplomats, journalists, dissidents and anyone who disagrees with it - something that should raise deep concern in any country where there is an Iranian presence, said one U.S. official. According to Axios, the plot bore the signature of Unit 11000, which for years has recruited agents sympathetic to Irans regime across Latin America. The same outlet reported that the plan was allegedly conceived from Irans embassy in Venezuela. British media also reported that by late 2024, Western intelligence agencies had uncovered a suspected assassination plot linked to Hasan Izadi, a senior officer in Irans Quds Force, the overseas branch of the Revolutionary Guard. Investigations claim that Izadi also known as Masood Rahnema acted as a double agent and led the plan to kill the Israeli ambassador. Sources cited by the Daily Mail said Izadi had been assigned as second counselor at Irans embassy in Venezuela, a diplomatic post that U.S. and allied officials now believe served as cover for lethal operations targeting U.S. and Israeli officials. While in Caracas, Izadi reportedly maintained regular contact with Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon. Intelligence reports indicate that he traveled through Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador, orchestrating a network of informants and facilitators across Latin America. There is no information about the identities of the suspects, and it is not known whether any arrests have been made. The Israeli intelligence and security community will continue to work tirelessly, in full cooperation with security and intelligence agencies around the world, to thwart terror threats from Iran and its proxies against Israeli and Jewish targets worldwide, said Oren Marmorstein, spokesperson for Israels Foreign Ministry. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition For thousands of years, humanity looked upon the Moon in awe and terror, in light of its perceived evil influence. Then Johannes Hevelius, the son of a wealthy Polish brewer, built a homemade telescope in what is now Gdansk and sat down nightly to scrutinize its extraterrestrial world. In 1647, he published the first book of maps of the Moon. Now, Tomasz Nowakowski, a 40-year-old neuroscientist who grew up in the same city as Hevelius, is leading the creation of the first draft map of the human brain during its developmental stages from embryo to adulthood. The researcher says he feels like one of those early cartographers. Humans would never have landed on the Moon if we hadnt had a map of the lunar surface. All the great advances and achievements in history began with the creation of accurate maps, he tells EL PAIS. Nowakowski is one of the leaders of the BRAIN Initiative, a U.S. project launched by president Barack Obama in 2013 to map the human brain an effort that has already amassed an enormous budget of 4.5 billion ($5.21 billion). The brain, the origin of our thoughts, ideas and imagination, continues to be the most important unexplored object. To understand it, we must start by understanding its list of components, says Nowakowski, from the University of California, San Francisco. Thats a monumental job. During pregnancy, a single cell the egg fertilized by the sperm multiplies, and starting at the third week, the development of a rudimentary nervous system begins, a process that culminates in 86 billion neurons and trillions of connections between them. In this unimaginable choreography inside a fetuss skull, some cells take alternative paths. Nowakowski cites estimates that 15% of children and adolescents live with a neuro-developmental disorder like autism, schizophrenia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The BRAIN Initiatives international consortium is now using the latest technologies, capable of analyzing which genes are active in each cell, to draw up the first draft of a dynamic map of the developing brain. Human tissue can be obtained from surgical procedures or from post-mortem brains that would normally be discarded. If the cells are isolated from the tissue quickly enough, they can be cultured in vitro for a few hours or, in some cases, for several days. This gives us a unique opportunity to study developmental processes in humans, Nowakowski says. So-called pluripotent stem cells, obtained from surplus embryos from fertility clinics or reprogrammed adult cells, now also make it possible to mimic the early stages of brain formation in a lab. Different types of cells in the developing human cerebral cortex. Marilyn Steyert / UCSF These recent results are first steps towards understanding the specific moments during pregnancy in which there is the highest risk of brain tumors or neurological development anomalies. Genes that are implicated in mental disorders like autism and schizophrenia, explains Nowakowski, are activated at greater intensity at the end of gestation, precisely at the stages that differ most from the functioning of mice and other laboratory animals. It is essential to have our own atlas for understanding how the human cerebral labyrinth is formed. The brain contains thousands of cell subtypes, each highly specialized in its functioning: neurons for thinking, astrocytes that play supporting roles, oligodendrocytes that function as the insulating layer of neural cables, and microglia that clean waste from the nervous system. The consortium has found that during fetal development, cells are extraordinarily flexible in terms of their identity, allowing them to become other cell types in the adult brain. That flexibility is also their weakness. Researchers have detected a type of progenitor cell, present in the second trimester of pregnancy, that can generate neurons as well as oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. An incurable brain cancer called glioblastoma has cells similar to this progenitor, which offers a clue as to the origin of the tumor. The BRAIN Initiative Cell Atlas Network announced the results of a half-dozen studies, published in Nature this week. The first line of the article recalls the work of Spains Santiago Ramon y Cajal, the man who, armed with a microscope and chicken cerebellums, presented the first objective evidence in 1888 that the nervous system is organized into individual cells. Almost all modern neuroscience is based on the concepts proposed by Cajal, says Nowakowski. He was a visionary, even in areas that we still dont know how to study. I am convinced that his vision will continue to resonate for many years to come, adds the University of California professor. Spanish neuroscientist Rafael Yuste was there in the early days of the BRAIN Initiative. He says that one day in September 2011, at the British mansion Chicheley Hall, two dozen experts on the brain and the study of structures measuring millionths of a millimeter across assembled to discuss possible ways of collaborating. Yuste stood up and delivered comments that led to much debate: he proposed analyzing all neurons, one by one. Examining only a few, he said, was like trying to watch TV by looking at a single pixel. Amid voices claiming that the idea was unfeasible, U.S. geneticist George Church, who had been in favor of a comprehensive project examining human DNA since 1984, stood up and declared that in science, nothing is impossible. The White House adopted the proposal and, in early 2013, Obama solemnly announced the official start of the project. As humans, we can identify galaxies light years away, we can study particles smaller than an atom. But we still havent unlocked the mystery of the three pounds of matter that sits between our ears, the president declared. Yuste, a Columbia University professor, is excited by the initiatives newest results. This atlas of developmental cellular types is essential, not just for the scientific understanding of how the brain develops which is absolutely fascinating when one keeps in mind that it assembles and organizes itself with no external direction but also, it is fundamental information towards understanding the alterations and pathologies that take place during pregnancy in and in the first stages of life, he says. These results show how sustained investment in the development and application of new methodologies is of crucial importance in science and medicine, adds Yuste, who is working on plans for Spain NeuroTechs NeuroTech National Center. Neuroscientist Tomasz Nowakowski of University of California San Francisco. SUSAN MERRELL Two years ago, neuroscientist Hongkui Zengs team presented the most complete mapping of an adult rodents brain: an organ the size of a pea with barely 70 million neurons and 5,300 kinds of cells. Zeng and his colleagues from the Seattle-based Allen Institute for Brain Science have now turned their focus to cells that are essential to the functioning of the nervous system: GABAergic inhibitory neurons, which act as the brains break, diminishing its activity to facilitate the transmission of information. These neurons, according to the researchers, continue developing after birth, particularly in the areas of the brain related to learning, emotions and decision-making. This means there could be a longer period than previously thought for intervening and helping the brain to reorganize, especially in the case of children with development disorders, says the Allen Institute in a statement. Neuroscientist Giullermina Lopez Bendito speaks of a qualitative leap in her field of study. Until now, we had cell atlases primarily of adult brains, which provided a static view of cell identity. This collection of articles turns that snapshot into a moving film: it reconstructs the temporal progression and cell lineages that give rise to the developing brain, says the researcher from the Institute of Neurosciences in Alicante, Spain. Lopez Bendito leads a laboratory that is looking to understand the dense network of connections between brain cells. She points out that the consortium, in which she did not participate, has mapped different species of mammals, from mice to humans, identifying specific characteristics of humans and other primates, such as the longer period of new neuron generation and the diversification of the cerebral cortex after birth. These temporal differences could be at the root of both human cognitive abilities and our greater vulnerability to genetic mutations or environmental alterations during development, notes the neuroscientist. Alone with his microscope in 1888, Santiago Ramon y Cajal undertook the impossible mission of mapping the brain, millimeter by millimeter. His work culminated in 1904 with the publication of Texture of the Nervous System of Man and the Vertebrates, a colossal 1,800-page work that came with a warning that the completion of the edifice of neurology will still require the work of many centuries. Tomasz Nowakowski is more optimistic. I dont think we are centuries away, or even decades. I have been impressed by the speed with which artificial intelligence has advanced, especially in recent years, to emulate certain cognitive processes through computational models, reflects the researcher. I believe we are rapidly approaching a point where theory and modeling will make predictions about which cells and molecules are essential for the structure and function of the brain. And we will have the technologies necessary to test those predictions. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The development of some drugs has undergone a transformation this decade. Until now, preclinical trials relied primarily on two-dimensional cell cultures and animal models, which often failed to accurately replicate human biology. Since 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not required animal testing, thanks in part to organoids, which Hans Clevers (Eindhoven, 68 years old), professor of molecular genetics at Utrecht University, has been researching since the beginning of the century. Last week, he was awarded the Doctor Juan Abarca International Award in Medical Sciences. He met with EL PAIS at a centrally located hotel in Madrid. Question. Lets start with the basics: what is an organoid? Answer. As the name suggests, its something that resembles an organ. Theyre really small. We create them from stem cells in a culture dish. They grow constantly, divide into small fragments, grow again, divide again, and replicate the key functions and characteristics of an organ. For example, if I extract stem cells from a liver, I create a liver organoid with the main functions of the liver. If it were a lung, it would have the functions of the lung. Q. How are they created? A. We place the stem cells in the right environment, where they feel comfortable and begin to fully develop. For each tissue, we typically need three or four additional components. For example, for the prostate, we need to add testosterone. For breast tissue, estrogen. Once you understand that, its easy: you take some tissue, cut it into small pieces, place it in a gel so that it has three dimensions, and then add the growth factors, and thats how you create the organoid. Q. Are you working with organoids of all organs? A. Yes, we originally discovered them in the gut, where the intestinal mucosa self-renews most rapidly. Every week, the entire inside of the gut is replaced by stem cells. We found them very special because of their hyperactivity. That prompted us to try to cultivate them, and thats how we created the mini-guts, the intestinal organoids. Then we realized that, actually, you can do it with any organ by experimenting a bit with the conditions. There are some organs that we cant cultivate, such as the brain, the heart muscle, the retina, and the back of the eye, because they are tissues that lack stem cells. Q. Many of the steps in drug development that use other platforms animals and cell lines can be replaced with these human organoid models. Could this mean the end of animal experimentation? A. Thats what some people think. The FDA has proposed that we stop using them in the United States, that within five years we will no longer be allowed to use animals for the development of large-molecule drugs, which account for approximately half of all medications. I think thats overly optimistic. Furthermore, the strength of organoids, but also their weakness, is that they are very simple. Q. The interaction cannot be verified in the whole organism. A. Exactly. If a drug needs to be absorbed by the gut, reaches the liver, is modified, and then reaches the brain and exerts its effect, how do you model this? With three organoids? But how do they connect? Surprising and unexpected drug effects often occur in organs that have never been observed before. I think organoids can help us be more specific and safer, but I doubt well ever completely get rid of animals. Hans Clevers, shortly before receiving the Doctor Juan Abarca International Prize for Medical Sciences. INMA FLORES Q. Are there any diseases for which this technology shows particular promise? A. Yes, cancer. Numerous studies are underway that allow us to take healthy lung, liver, or intestinal tissue and, using CRISPR, transform it into cancerous tissue. Organoids can be created from tumors virtually any human tumor. With them, we can test drugs and use them for personalized medicine. If I had colon cancer, I could grow my own tumor, test it with various cancer drugs, and see which one eliminates the tumor cells. The same applies to cystic fibrosis. Weve been using it in the Netherlands for about 10 years. We created organoids, and if they responded well, the patient could be treated. It was a simple process: if the organoid indicated it would work, it worked in the patient. Q. Is it routinely used for this disease? A. Yes. The Netherlands has about 18 million inhabitants, roughly a third of the population of Spain. We have 1,500 patients with cystic fibrosis, and 50 new cases are born each year. So the numbers are very small. And they are treated in just a few centers, where the doctors are highly specialized and understand organoids. Therefore, it was quite easy, because we could do everything manually. The same can be done with cancer. Today, this process is carried out manually by highly specialized personnel and can take between four and six weeks. Several companies are designing machines and instruments that allow the procedure to be performed much faster, on a small scale, and with just the push of a few buttons, so that any technician can use them in a standard laboratory. The difference is that for cystic fibrosis, there were no alternatives. It was an easy decision for the regulatory authorities. But for cancer, there are already many really good treatments. So if you propose a better treatment, you have to validate it. And that also has to be accepted by the FDA, the EMA [European Medicines Agency], and the doctors. So it requires a lot of work. Its an ongoing process, but much slower. Q. What types of cancer can benefit most from this technology? A. The most common cancers are lung, breast, and colon cancer. Organoids are being researched for all of these, as well as for liver and stomach cancer. Q. And whats needed for it to be implemented in hospitals? A. When you dont respond to the first line of treatment, nor to the second or third, the doctor usually has some leeway to start using other things. In those cases, organoids could be used. Q. Do you think this will happen in the near future? A. Yes, but we need the machines that several companies are developing. With them, organoids can be created and medications administered to them. For example, for colon cancer, there are perhaps eight medications that can be given to a patient. Basically, the machine would take in the patients tissue, convert it into organoids, test them with those drugs, and give a result. Q. In childhood cancer, with fewer therapeutic options, it could be very useful. A. Yes, there are cancers that are very rare; sometimes only one case is registered per year in the entire country. Thats why now they all end up in a single center. We create organoids, and there we can learn from them, since we dont know the appropriate treatment for these patients due to their scarcity. And, generally, these are deadly tumors that devastate the young children who suffer from them. Thats why we use organoids to inspire doctors. There are drugs that cant be tested in children because there are so few of them, but they can be tested in organoids. Q. Is there anything youre researching that youre particularly excited about? A. At our childrens oncology hospital, were creating biobanks of very rare tumors, for which we basically dont know what treatment to give these patients. So well have 10 cases of this particular disease and 10 of that one, accumulated over several years. And then we can start doing trials. Because there are hundreds of cancer drugs that have never been tested on these children, but they can be tested on the organoids. So thats something Im very interested in understanding: these rare childhood cancers, how they originate, and what can be done about them. We are also working intensively with intestinal cells. Ozempic is based on a hormone produced by a highly specialized cell type, but there are approximately 20 other hormones produced in the intestine. When we eat, these hormones begin to be secreted, suppressing hunger, and insulin is released. This process has never been thoroughly studied before. Now we are doing so with organoids, and perhaps in a few years we will have a much more specific understanding that will allow us to create more precise drugs. We have also made significant progress in infectious diseases. Q. For example? A. An interesting case is Covid-19. Two months after its emergence in Europe, we demonstrated that it affected not only the lungs but also the intestines, through the use of hormones, thanks to the human organoids we were using. Then people started talking about hydroxychloroquine, which worked in standard cell lines in virology labs. Thats why it became so popular. But it doesnt work in patients. And it doesnt work in organoids either. So, if virology labs had analyzed the organoids, we could have said, No, this will never work. Q. Could experimenting with animal viruses that have the potential to jump to humans help prevent a new pandemic? A. Many viruses come from bats. We can create bat organoids and experiment with them, but governments are afraid to do so because there could be failures and they could accidentally jump to humans. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Marriage between people of different sexual orientations is not a new phenomenon, but it has ceased to be viewed as a smokescreen and now seeks to create bonds and legitimacy in a society that seems to take you more seriously if you are in a relationship I married two gay men, Diane von Furstenberg told Variety. She was referring to her husband, Barry Diller, who comes out as gay in his memoir, Who Knew (Simon & Schuster, 2025), and Prince Egon von Furstenberg. Despite their 24-year marriage, the relationship between Diller and the designer has been labeled a smokescreen. For decades Ive read about Diane and me being best friends rather than lovers. We werent just friends. We arent just friends. It was simply a burst of passion that lasted for years. And yes, I liked men too, but that didnt conflict with my love for Diane, the billionaire explained in his memoir. In early October, The Washington Post published an article titled Hes gay. Shes straight. Theyre happily married about a small but growing community of people who discuss their non-traditional partner permutations on social media. In doing so, the paper uses adjectives like platonic, queerplatonic, aromanic, or mixed orientation. This is how Jacob Hoff and Samantha Greenstone, for example, define their relationship. Jacob and I are soulmates. We have a mixed orientation relationship, which means two people with different sexual preferences come together and discover that love is love, a love that transcends, she explains on her social media. Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg in New York in 2024. Gary Gershoff (WireImage) I am gay, and as a gay person, you can keep your identity as that even if your relationship doesnt match that. We have a monogamous relationship. Its beyond a visual lustful connection. Its a soulful connection, Hoff told The New York Times, which last year published an article about his wedding to Greenstone. Their love story isnt far removed from the one in the eighth episode of the fifth season of Sex and the City, in which Bobby Fine, a legend of piano bars, marries Bitsy von Muffling. Is it for money? For companionship? the protagonists wonder, as they constantly joke throughout the episode that the groom is gay. Before the wedding, and to everyones surprise, Bobby and Bitsy claim they have a wonderful sex life. Together, of course. Later, in an episode where the character of Charlotte is talking to her friends about her fertility problems, a very pregnant Bitsy interrupts the conversation. The reason for mixed-orientation relationships Andrea Proenza Zoroquiaia, author of Cartografias del deseo amoroso (Cartographies of Loving Desire, Ediciones en el Mar, 2025), comments that relationships between gay men and heterosexual women are not new. Historically, it has served as a safe passage to access the symbolic privileges of the heterosexual couple. Because, despite the advances of recent decades, the truth is that a gay man or a single woman still do not occupy the same symbolic place as the male-female binary, she asserts before clarifying that she does not think these relationships are a response to contemporary heteropessimism (that current of thought which considers the love market increasingly complicated for heterosexual women), but rather to the conservative backlash that permeates both the social and the romantic spheres, and which attempts to reaffirm affective hierarchies. Looking back, we can see that these kinds of relationships can initially be satisfying due to social recognition or even the complicity between both parties; but in the long run, they generate frustration and unhappiness because they dont provide what we expect from a romantic partner. So, it doesnt seem to me that people are looking for an alternative to being fed up with heterosexual men, but rather an attempt to fit into the heterosexual puzzle on their own terms, without realizing that, from the beginning, theyre trying to put the pieces in the wrong puzzle, she explains to EL PAIS. Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke in Cannes in 2025. Stephane Cardinale - Corbis (Corbis via Getty Images) Ivan Gomez Beltran, a historian and PhD in gender and diversity, attributes the increasing number of these types of couples to several factors. It may be linked to a certain crisis in traditional relationships and to realizing how these confine us to very specific and limited forms of affection. I think these ways of relating reflect a social context of disconnection and depersonalization through the individual needs they generate, he explains. The sociocultural conditions are different from the lavender marriages of the 19th century, which were performed as a mechanism of social protection against exclusion, while these current relationships have more to do with the need to give substance to other ways of connecting, as well as to find spaces of emotional intimacy that are not limited by the social code of relationships, he asserts. Gomez Beltran points out that in a time of such uncertainty and sociopolitical upheaval, relationships are spaces of security and comfort. This uncertainty coincides with processes of dislocation of the traditional heteronormative couple based on monogamy, romantic love, and modes of relating and communicating heavily influenced by gender socialization. Finding affection and intimacy with the same intensity that we were previously told was only possible within a couple means confronting the hierarchical structure of affection, he asserts. Gomez Beltran also finds it interesting that many of the men who construct these norms are homosexual, because a heterosexual man wouldnt consider a marriage that lacks love understood in the traditional sense in pursuit of union, stability, and legitimacy in the eyes of the world. Perhaps because, for heterosexuality, legitimacy has always been present. This is an interesting fact when discussing the construction of heteronormative masculinity and how intertwined it is with the demonstration and expression of affection, as well as with the possibility of exploring other ways of relating. I believe that men and women are not exploring the space of intimacy and affection equally due to differential gender socialization, he points out. Juan Carlos R. de la Blanca, a health psychologist, sexologist, and couples therapist, points out that men in these relationships could find the affection they seek in women, without exposing themselves to some problematic dynamics present in part of the gay community, such as hypersexualization, excessive veneration of physical appearance, or certain behaviors shared with heterosexual men due to similar gender socialization. The big question The obvious question is: is there sex in these unions, is there passion involved, or is it a kind of legally legitimized friendship? Jacob Hoff and Samantha Greenstone certainly have sex, and in fact, when they announced Greenstones pregnancy, they had to clarify, given their followers doubts, that yes, it was the result of their intimate relationship. We have sex. I can maintain my identity as a gay man, even though my partner is a woman, because thats how I feel. Im gay. When I go out into the world, Im not attracted to women. Thats what it means to be gay! he says. And another question: do these couples allow themselves a fling, or is fidelity a reality? Lets turn to a fictional novel that reflects many realities of relationships to find the answer. In Thesis on Domestication (by Camila Sosa, published in 2019 and adapted into a film in 2024), the protagonist marries a successful gay man with whom she maintains an open and sexually active relationship. During the last few years, the zeitgeist has twisted the institution of marriage and the monogamous couple without ever quite landing on its feet, and its curious how the premise of this novel immediately reveals the farce behind the utopia: polyamory neither threatens nor resolves the domesticity of her bourgeois and boring marriage, but rather reinforces it, writes Carlota Rubio in her EL PAIS review. In another minor publishing phenomenon, Blanca Lacasas The Accident, the protagonist finds herself experiencing a platonic love affair that often transcends physical boundaries with a gay man in a relationship. Clearly, this possibility is becoming part of the conversation, both in real life and in literature. Camila Sosa at the Madrid Book Fair in 2022. Cristina Arias (Cristina Arias) Editor and screenwriter Tricia Cooke identifies as queer and has been married to director Ethan Coen for over 30 years. Shes queer and Im straight and stupid, Coen said in an interview with ABC News. They married in 1993, have two children, and both have partners outside their marriage, which they describe as polyamorous. De la Blanca explains to EL PAIS that the fact that sex isnt everything has long been demonstrated by couples on the asexual spectrum, and in their case, he refers to Sternbergs triangular theory of love. It establishes three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. In their interaction, these could explain all types of human affective relationships. Every human being needs these three components in their life, although there are diverse ways of needing or expressing them. The important thing is that we dont need these three components to come from a single relationship; we can obtain them from different types of bonds. This could explain the success of these kinds of relationships, he asserts. In other words, according to this theory, yes: some of these relationships would last over time because the sexual and passionate aspects are satisfied outside their boundaries. Sexual agreements outside of a committed relationship require both parties to sit down and talk about what they want and what they are not willing to allow, establishing red, amber, and green lines; this is what we call a relational contract in couples therapy, adds De la Blanca. It then becomes difficult to avoid discussing jealousy, an emotion that, as the psychologist clarifies, everyone feels to a greater or lesser degree. What is within our control is deciding what to do with it, how to manage it so that it doesnt turn into recriminations or passive-aggressive behavior. Friendship, temporary artifice, or real couples? Andrea Proenza Zoroquiaia asserts that reclaiming not romanticizing bonds like friendship is truly revolutionary these days. And indeed, several recent books do just that, placing friendship on the same level as a romantic relationship (such as The Friend Who Left Me by Nuria Labari, Friendship and Its Drifts by Sabina Urraca and Marina Folguera, and My Friend by Raquel Congosto). Through these bonds of friendship, romantic love is decentralized, and the importance of sex is diminished in an increasingly sexualized society (in this sense, people on the asexual spectrum have much to contribute). Furthermore, friendship is much more about building a network rather than focusing your life on a single person, she explains. Gomez Beltran emphasizes that these relationships can challenge the hierarchy of affections, but to do so, they must also question it, not simply shift it from one relationship to another. We should question the expectations surrounding these relationships, since they are often defined by their specific duration. Unconsciously, they are contingent on finding a true partner. It would then be a kind of temporary fix until that person who meets the requirements for establishing a real bond appears, he says. I think we continue to construct other ways of connecting as a temporary artifice that allows us to not feel so alone until that Disney love emotionally completes us. Despite much reflection in recent decades, we continue to yearn for a completeness that we dont seem to find in other relationships, especially when the social context generates so much anxiety, isolation, and loneliness. The question we might ask ourselves is how intimacy, affection, care, and responsibility connect with the relationships we create, Gomez Beltran concludes. Perhaps to answer that, its enough to consider a question as simple as it is profound: Do you love them? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The Trump administration released a list of 40 hubs that will be affected by a 4% reduction in flights on Friday, rising to 10% by November 14. For now, it will not affect international routes Air traffic in the United States will be reduced by 4% at 40 airports starting Friday due to a system overload caused by a surge in air traffic controller absences following the 36-day federal government shutdown. The flight reductions could steadily rise to reach 10% by November 14, according to government and air traffic officials. The flight restrictions will affect some of the countrys busiest airports, including those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington DC, according to a list shared by the Trump administration a few hours before the cuts were due to take effect. For now, international flights are exempt from the reductions. The limitations on air traffic are increasing pressure on Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to negotiate an end to the shutdown. Many travelers on Thursday still did not know whether their flights would be canceled the next day, following the announcement of the cuts on Wednesday by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. The air traffic reduction will affect the 30 airports with the highest traffic volume in major metropolitan areas, what the FAA calls the Core 30 list. Additionally, a few midsize airports that deal mostly with commercial traffic, as well as some airfields that cater to private jets, will be affected. The cuts in air traffic will force the countrys major airlines American Airlines, Delta, Southwest and United Airlines to reduce their total seat capacity by 6%, according to Bloomberg. Per FAA requirement, we have reduced flight schedules by four percent at 40 airports Friday through Monday, amounting to about 220 flights canceled each day. Even with these cancellations, we plan to operate around 6,000 daily flights, said American Airlines in a statement. The already stressed aviation sector is now on the brink of collapse due to the government shutdown, which has left thousands of federal aviation workers without pay but forced to show up for work. There has been an uptick in absences as some employees are calling in sick and struggling to make ends meet, Duffy said last week. FAA employees missed one paycheck on October 28, and the second one is due on November 11. The Secretary of Transportation explained that more than 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay since October 1, when the shutdown began. Many controllers and other federal aviation workers have since started taking sick leave. The shutdown is putting even more strain on an already stressed air traffic control system, with thousands of controller positions vacant and an overwhelming workload. Pressure to negotiate an end to the government shutdown Air traffic restrictions are putting pressure on Capitol Hill to end the budget impasse, which is already the longest in history. The government shutdown has forced dozens of federal agencies to close or reduce their operations to a minimum due to a lack of resources and the absence of an agreement between Republicans and Democrats. Negotiations between the two parties continue with no sign of an imminent agreement, despite the threat of thousands of flight cancellations this Friday. Although some centrist Democrats are trying to reach an agreement to end the administrative gridlock, many senators, encouraged by their electoral victory in New York, Virginia, and New Jersey last Tuesday, are determined to try to achieve a victory against the Republicans on health care, where the latter intend to cut spending. Sources familiar with the negotiations believe an agreement will not be reached for another two weeks, just before Thanksgiving, when thousands of people will travel to be with their families. The reduction in air traffic during the government shutdown is reminiscent of January 2019, when, after 35 days of government closure, the Senate decided to unblock the situation following the FAAs decision to limit flights at several airports. The shutdown is also affecting the Trump administration. The president has blamed the budget impasse for the electoral setback suffered last Tuesday. And he has urged Republicans to eliminate the filibuster, the rule that allows bills to be delayed in the Senate until a 60-vote supermajority is reached. The Democrats will terminate the Filibuster in THE FIRST HOUR, if and when they assume control or power. Republicans have what the Democrats want We should do it, NOW, and have the greatest three years in History!, Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social. But Republicans are hesitant to repeal that rule because they fear the consequences if Democrats gain a majority in the Senate, allowing them to pass any legislation without negotiation. Recent polls give the Democratic Party a slight advantage in the midterm elections next year, which could potentially curtail Trumps power. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition HOHHOT, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the number of China-Europe freight trains passing through the Erenhot Port, the largest land port between China and Mongolia, has exceeded 15,000, according to Hohhot Customs in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. As the sole transit port for the "middle corridor" of the China-Europe freight train network, Erenhot now operates 74 routes connecting over 140 cities and stations across Asia and Europe. The customs said that the export structure has been optimized, with high-value goods such as automobiles, machinery and electronics accounting for more than 40 percent of shipments. Customs authorities have enhanced efficiency through smart supervision systems. "These measures ensure stable growth of the freight trains," said Li Dawei, a customs official at Erenhot Port. In the first three quarters of this year, the number of inbound and outbound China-Europe freight trains reached 2,904, a year-on-year increase of 11.4 percent, the customs data showed. Leaders and believers from different faiths gather every Sunday at the gates of the Florida detention center to show their solidarity with those affected by the governments anti-immigrant campaign About 56 miles (90 km) from Miami, on a lonely curve of the Tamiami Trail, surrounded by wetlands and with no cellphone service, after passing the airboat rental businesses and the Miccosukee Tribal Village, a blue sign announces the approach of the Alligator Alcatraz detention center. The official sign is crossed out with graffiti: Fuck ICE. Last Sunday afternoon, more than 200 people gathered on the stretch of highway in front of the remote detention center nestled in the Everglades mangroves, to demand its closure and denounce the treatment of immigrants detained in the United States. These vigils outside the centerlocated at the former Dade-Collier Airporthave been held for 14 consecutive Sundays and have become a gathering point for activists, religious leaders and relatives of the detainees. On November 2, the vigil coincided with a national day of protest: the Disappeared in America Day of Action, which brought together more than 140 events across the country. Since its hasty opening in July, Alligator Alcatraz has become a national symbol of the Trump administrations immigration policies. At this vigil, worshippers and activists joined the national outcry for the closure of all immigrant detention centers and an end to raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Some participants arrived by bus from Fort Myers and Naples, on Floridas west coast. Others came by car from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, and other cities on the east coast. The attendees form a semicircle on a patch of land that, from so much use, has become barren and muddy from the rains. Some set up folding chairs and awnings; others have mats to sit on, but most just stand in the mud. Almost all carry signs with messages in English such as No human being is illegal, Abolish ICE, or Stop the abuses, detentions, and deportations. Noelle Damico of Workers Circle, who organizes the vigils at Alligator Alcatraz, explains that last Sundays mobilization also included protests in front of Home Depot stores and Day of the Dead altars, in memory of those who have died this year in the custody of immigration authorities. Vigil altar in front of the entrance to the migrant detention center. Marco Bello Were seeing people not stand idly by. What weve seen at Alligator Alcatraz with this vigil is every week new people come, and they go back to their home communities and they talk about it with others. New vigils have sprung up in Sarasota, in Orlando, in Tallahassee, as well as across the country, Damico says. Just over a week ago, they held a training call on how to organize a vigil, which was attended by more than 4,000 people. And people told other people, and now these actions are going this weekend like wildfire. People are taking action from Alaska to Hawaii to Oklahoma to Florida to Boston. It just goes on and on, and everywhere in between. What we want to do is give people the tools to do something about it. And so we make these meetings on vigils accessible to anybody who wants to start a vigil, she adds. The growing movement has kept the spotlight on the center, which has been surrounded by controversy since its inception. Alligator Alcatraz was constructed from canvas tents in just eight days in late June and began receiving detainees in early July, following a show of support from President Donald Trump. It has faced numerous complaints about poor conditions, lack of access to lawyers and immigration courts, and environmental damage. Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribewhich considers the area its ancestral territoryfiled a lawsuit alleging that the operation would cause irreparable harm to the fragile Everglades ecosystem. In August, a judge ordered the camp dismantled, but the state appealed, and the case was left in limbo after the federal government shutdown. Meanwhile, the center continues to operate. The name of the national day, Disappeared in America, alludes to claims by immigrant advocacy groups that hundreds of detainees are not listed in ICEs online database, and their lawyers and families are unaware of their whereabouts. A lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) refers to Alligator Alcatraz as a black hole, with people missing and off the radar of the immigration system. A vigil in the heart of the Everglades The Sunday vigil unfolds with a solemn tone, broken only by the occasional honk of a passing car. Pastor Roy Terry of Cornerstone United Methodist Church in Naples acts as master of ceremonies, handing the only available microphone to those who will share testimonies, prayers and songs. Religious leaders from various churches and faiths, pro-immigrant activists, and relatives of detainees take turns addressing the crowd. Across the road, armed guards and police officers stand watch at the entrance, while an ACLU legal observer closely monitors the interactions among the participants. An ambulance leaves Alligator Alcatraz on November 2nd. Marco Bello One by one, the prayers and emotional testimonies unfolded, among them that of Arianne Betancourt, a 32-year-old Miami resident. She recounted how her father, Justo Betancourt, has been detained at the center since last week. The man, originally from Cuba and a resident of the United States for 36 years, had served a prison sentence and was on parole. However, when he went in for a routine check-in with ICE, he was arrested. Overcome with tears, Arianne said that her father made a mistake, but he has already served his sentence, he went to school, he found Jesus, and he attends church every Sunday. The man suffers from diabetes and neuropathy and needs seven different medications, but the authorities demanded that he choose only one, his daughter explained. This is illegal; everyone has the right to due process, she declared, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd. Betancourts is not an isolated case. Among those at the vigil is Maria Bilbao, coordinator of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), who is part of a group that has been gathering in front of the ICE offices in Miramar, north of Miamiwhere Betancourt was arrestedto pray for those detained. She says that in recent weeks she has observed a troubling pattern: ICE is scheduling appointments on weekends and detaining these people. Thats new. Most are elderly Cubans, some with health problems. I mean, where are they going to deport them to? To a third country? she asks. The sense of urgency resonates with religious leaders like Pastor Roy Terry, who believes the country is experiencing one of the greatest moral crises of our time, which, in his view, makes it essential to speak out and take a stand. He notes that various civil rights organizations have sent at least four letters to the State of Florida requesting access to the center, without receiving a response. If theres a lack of transparency, it automatically indicates that theres something they dont want us to see, he emphasizes. Ecumenical service for migrants during the vigil on November 2nd. Marco Bello So far, only priests from the Catholic Church have been granted permission to enter Alligator Alcatraz and celebrate Mass for the detainees. The Archdiocese of Miami did not respond to a request for comment for this report. The uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts of those detained is a recurring theme among those attending these vigils. Reverend Tony Fisher, of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Naples, who arrived on a bus with more than 40 people from his church, recounted that he had preached that very morning about the anguish of not knowing where the detainees were. I preached on it this morning, on the inability to find out where people are. I just cant imagine the stress that puts the families under, lawyers. The people themselves. I just cant imagine the families not knowing. I mean, they could be in El Salvador. Could be in Africa, where we have- agreements to send people. Could be in Louisiana, could be still here, he says, pointing toward the entrance of the center. Authorities have denied allegations of mistreatment or poor conditions at detention centers, and maintain that detainees are provided with adequate food, medical care, and opportunities to communicate with their families and lawyers. Among the spiritual leaders who have accompanied the vigils since their inception is Betty Osceola, a member of the Miccosukee tribe and a well-known environmental activist. As she does almost every Sunday, she brought tents, tables, and sound equipment in her truck; she offered a prayer in her native language to begin the vigil and began burning sage at the back of the crowd. The fragrant smoke added a mystical touch to a prayer recited by a pastor. Speaking with conviction, Osceola acknowledges the weight of history: My ancestors have come through a lot, through removal, through intentional massacres, she says. We go through cycles of discriminating against people. Were in that cycle right now. it took everyone to build this country the way it is now. And its gonna take everyone together to move forward, to continue to prosper. The ideal that America is only for certain individuals doesnt make sense when youre a nation of immigrants. As night falls and the vigil draws to a close, Damico places a small table covered with colorful tablecloths and candles in front of the microphone and explains that it is a Day of the Dead altar, in honor of the 25 people who have died in ICE custody this year. He then reads their names, ages, places of origin, and where they died. Some in the crowd wipe away tears or shake their heads. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition On November 6, President Donald Trump met with the leaders of Central Asia in Washington for the U.S.Central Asia (C5+1) summit, marking one of the most high-profile American engagement with the region in years. Once a peripheral concern for U.S. policymakers, Central Asia is moving up Washingtons foreign-policy agenda as a result of renewed great-power competition. Geography, energy, and connectivity have turned this landlocked region into a strategic crossroads between Russia, China, and the West. For the United States, the summit is about identifying reliable partners for supply chains, critical minerals, and energy diversification, while ensuring that U.S. sanctions on Russia remain effective and that Beijings growing influence in Eurasia does not go unchallenged. Washingtons priorities include securing new trade corridors, tightening export controls, expanding energy and minerals cooperation, and reinforcing border and counterterrorism capabilities. While all five Central Asian states are part of the summit, their importance to the U.S. differs. Collectively, Central Asias economies remain modest Kazakhstans $288 billion economy is larger than those of Uzbekistan ($115 billion), Turkmenistan ($89 billion), Kyrgyzstan ($20 billion), and Tajikistan ($15 billion) combined. The regions income gap is stark: Kazakhstans GDP per capita of roughly $14,000 is more than four times higher than Uzbekistans and ten times that of Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan. As such, the smaller economies Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan offer limited economic potential but serve specific geopolitical purposes. Tajikistan is valued primarily for its long border with Afghanistan. Washingtons engagement focuses on border security, counterterrorism, and narcotics control. The U.S. sees Dushanbe as a partner in managing regional spillovers from Afghanistan rather than as an economic hub. Although Tajikistan recorded one of the regions fastest growth rates in 2024 around 8.4 percent it remains a low-income economy with a per-capita GDP near $1,300. Kyrgyzstan, meanwhile, has historically been viewed as one of the more pluralistic states in the region, though recent restrictions on civil society have complicated this image. The U.S. approach combines cautious support for governance reforms with practical cooperation on export-control enforcement, an area where Washington is tightening oversight to prevent re-exports of sanctioned goods to Russia. Turkmenistan, despite its vast natural-gas reserves and access to the Caspian Sea, remains politically closed and economically insular. American engagement is therefore limited, focused mostly on incremental steps to improve eastwest energy and transport connectivity. Washington would like to see Turkmenistan play a more active role in regional infrastructure, but major breakthroughs remain unlikely. Uzbekistan sits in the middle of the U.S. calculus, both geographically and strategically. It has the regions largest population and a diversified economy, offering a manufacturing and logistics base that could serve U.S. and allied investors seeking to relocate parts of their supply chains out of China. The U.S. aims to encourage continued economic liberalization and customs modernization while deepening cooperation on export controls and transit infrastructure. Uzbekistans economy about $115 billion and growing at nearly 6 percent annually has become an important regional player, though its per-capita income of just over $3,000 highlights how far it remains from Kazakhstans level of development. Kazakhstan, meanwhile, stands out as the most significant Central Asian state for the United States right now. On nearly every metric Washington cares about, including critical minerals, energy security, new and alternative trade corridors, as well as investable scale, Kazakhstan is the indispensable partner. It is the regions largest economy, accounting for more than 60% of Central Asias GDP and three-quarters of U.S. trade with the region ($4.2 billion). Kazakhstans trade turnover reached about $141 billion in 2024 more than double Uzbekistans and several times higher than that of its smaller neighbors. The country attracts around 80% of all investment flowing into Central Asia and has become the regions financial and logistics anchor. For Washington, Kazakhstan can provide several advantages. It is one of the worlds top producers of uranium, a significant exporter of copper and oil, and a source of rare-earth and battery minerals that underpin the energy transition. It is also central to the Trans-Caspian or Middle Corridor, the emerging trade route that bypasses Russia by linking Central Asia to Europe through the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus. Supporting this route aligns with U.S. goals of strengthening resilient, alternative supply lines for both energy and materials. The U.S. approach toward Kazakhstan is therefore focused on concrete, long-term cooperation: developing critical-minerals processing capacity, rather than just extraction, advancing logistics and transport links along the Trans-Caspian route, maintaining sanctions compliance discipline, and building digital and clean-energy partnerships. In practice, Washington treats Kazakhstan as first among equals in Central Asia on economic deliverables while continuing to engage the broader region through multilateral programs. Several U.S. corporations are already embedded in Kazakhstans economy. PepsiCo is investing $320 million in a new snack plant in the Almaty region, while Wabtec signed a $4 billion deal to produce next-generation locomotives in Astana. GE Healthcare is localizing medical-equipment production, and Microsoft has opened a regional office overseeing Central Asia and beyond. These projects indicate that the U.S.Kazakh economic ties are expanding from just oil and gas toward manufacturing, technology, and healthcare. Ultimately, Washingtons agenda at the C5+1 summit is threefold: to secure diversified economic partnerships, to strengthen strategic connectivity, and to reinforce political ties in a region currently dominated by Russia and China. This means practical agreements on minerals, transport corridors, and export-control cooperation, framed by discussions of governance and sovereignty. Central Asia will remain on the U.S. radar for the foreseeable future. In a geopolitical environment increasingly defined by U.S.RussiaChina rivalry, the region represents both a buffer and an opportunity a place where Washington can pursue pragmatic cooperation without overextension. Among the five states, Kazakhstan offers the scale to translate these ambitions into tangible outcomes, but the broader message of the summit is that the U.S. is interested in expanding its presence in Central Asia. Michael Rossi is a Lecturer in Political Science at Rutgers University of New Jersey, United States, and a Visiting Professor at Webster University. Iran is in a strikingly similar position to the dictatorial Pahlavi regime right before it was deposed in 1979. The last U.S. Ambassador to Iran, William Sullivan, sent a now-famous telegram to the White House in late 1978 titled "Thinking the Unthinkable - Iran without Shah." The cable sent shockwaves through a Carter administration and foreshadowed the collapse of a monarchy that had ruled with an iron fist for five decades. Less than 100 days later, the Shah and his notorious secret police, SAVAK, were gone, a testament to a regime's inability to survive when it was thoroughly despised by its people. I was a young university student in the United States at the time. More than four decades later, the memories are still fresh. Today, the outlook is just as clear for Irans ruling theocracy. The regime is besieged by crises from every direction. Massive uprisings there in recent years have shaken its foundations, fueled by a disenchanted and restless population. The mullahs' strategic position has been severely weakened, particularly with the ouster last December of the Assad regime in Syria, which had been a linchpin of Tehran's influence. UN sanctions have been reimposed, and the 2015 nuclear deal has been jettisoned. The regime is facing unprecedented isolation. So, with the mullahs demise looming, what is the roadmap to end the theocracy? How can a smooth transition to a stable future be charted? What is the correct policy for the West? On November 15, the Free Iran Convention 2025, a first-of-its-kind gathering in Washington, D.C., will address these significant issues. The convention will bring together more than 1,000 Iranian American scholars, activists, professionals, and community leaders. It will feature Iranian voices from three generations across the United States, joined by prominent American and international dignitaries. Iranian society is primed for a transformative shift, and this process is already well underway. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a coalition of democratic opposition movements rejecting both monarchy and theocracy, is offering a detailed plan for a transition to a stable, secular, and democratic system. The NCRI's President-elect, Maryam Rajavi, has outlined a ten-point plan including universal suffrage, political freedom, the abolition of the death penalty, and the separation of religion and state. Change in Iran does not require foreign military intervention or funding. Instead, it needs a supportive international policy. An organized opposition movement committed to overthrowing the mullahs is growing in Iran. The regime's propaganda, often amplified by a network of friendly sources, has sought to cast doubt on this movement's viability. But such manufactured narratives are crumbling in the face of the regime's domestic and international setbacks, which have prompted desperate and unsuccessful crackdowns on the increasingly emboldened activists. Since late 2017, Iran has been rocked by three nationwide uprisings and countless other protests. A recurring feature has been the explicit call for regime change with slogans like "death to the dictator, whether the Shah or the Supreme Leader." These are closely associated with the NCRI and its main constituent group, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Since 2014, the MEK has cultivated a nationwide network of "Resistance Units" to organize protests to challenge the regime's repressive institutions. The 2022 uprising alone resulted in the deaths of 750 protesters. In the ensuing years, the judiciary has carried out nearly 4,000 executions one every three hours in a futile attempt to intimidate the populace. This brutality has only fueled public outrage. In recent months, the regime has intensified its campaign of terror against political activists, particularly those affiliated with the MEK. At least 17 affiliates of the organization are on death row and more will likely follow as the mullahs get weaker and resort to executions to stop the momentum. The Iranian people are forging a path to a free, secular, and democratic Iran. The international community can benefit from standing with them. Now is the moment to think the unthinkable: an Iran without the rule of the ayatollahs, ushering in a secular, democratic republic. Alireza Jafarzadeh, author of The Iran Threat (Palgrave Macmillan: New York), is Deputy Director of the Washington Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. He is on X at @A_Jafarzadeh. ABC/Ricky Middlesworth By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 11/06/2025 ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS! Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source! ADVERTISEMENT Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade. alum Theresa Nist has claimed Gerry Turner once joked about chopping up her body and hiding the parts in a shed near his lake house in Indiana.When talking about possible skeletons in Gerry's closet, Theresa shared an eyebrow-raising story during the Tuesday, November 4 episode of the "Dear Shandy" podcast."He said all season long that he had bodies under the floor boards," the podcast's host Sharleen Joynt recalled to Theresa with a laugh."Okay, so do you want me to tell you a story similar to that?" Theresa, 72, began."I finally went to his house and we took a walk around this lake called Pretty Lake and we were coming to the end of it and he said -- this is really bizarre."Theresa continued, "He said, 'You see that shed up there?' I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'Well, that's where I'm going to hide your body after I kill you and chop you up.'"Theresa claimed, however, that "he wasn't laughing" when he told her that."I said, 'Well, if this was his idea of a joke, that was pretty dark humor,'" Theresa shared.Theresa therefore wondered if Gerry was secretly feeling resentful or bitter about their relationship."I just felt like there was animosity in that statement that was underlying, like, maybe if he could've gotten rid of me somehow," Theresa noted."I don't think he would have killed me. No, I don't think that was true. It wasn't true. It's not true, but it just spoke to an underlying feeling about me."Sharleen pointed out how Gerry claimed in his book, Golden Years: What I've Learned From Love, Loss, and Reality TV -- which just hit shelves on November 4 -- that Theresa doesn't share his sense of humor."He seems to think you have no sense of humor and that [ Leslie Fhima ] had a great sense of humor and she understood his humor and vice versa," Sharleen revealed."Obviously that's a joke. But I know what you mean -- when someone says that and it's a joke and you're already feeling tense with them, you're just like, 'Why would you say that?!'"Theresa concluded, "I was like, 'Umm, okay.' And Leslie thinks I have a fantastic sense of humor, by the way, and so does my daughter."Gerry and Theresa's engagement aired on 's Season 1 finale in November 2023, and then they rushed to get married for a live televised wedding special on ABC in early January 2024.Several months later, Gerry and Theresa announced their split , and their divorce was finalized in June 2024.Gerry and Theresa's breakup appeared amicable, for the most part, until Gerry wrote a memoir in which he repeatedly slammed Theresa and blamed her for their failed relationship.After reading alarming excerpts from Gerry's book, Theresa decided to share her truth.Theresa fired back at Gerry for most of the claims in his memoir, calling them "fiction.""Overall, Gerry called me names. He criticized me. He put me down. At one point, he said, 'I don't want to hear your opinion. I don't want to hear if you have any other ideas,'" Theresa claimed.Theresa alleged there were "so many incidents" of Gerry "having a temper" and "getting mad at things" that she did.Theresa apparently felt like Gerry "regretted" choosing her over Leslie during finale and then "resented" marrying her.(Gerry did, in fact, write in his memoir how he felt "trapped" into tying the knot with Theresa and they struggled with intimacy )."And then any little thing that I did that he thought wasn't right, he lashed out at me," Theresa alleged."He said I was manipulative... He called me 'an East coast snob'... something I never even heard before... it came out of his mouth, and I didn't even know what it meant. It was apparently a disparaging thing."Gerry has said his marriage to Theresa didn't last because they weren't compatible and she refused to quit her finance job in New Jersey and retire with him.Theresa, however, said she didn't quit her job because there were too many "red flags" with Gerry by that point and she didn't feel safe and secure enough in the relationship to do so.Interested in more news? Follow our Bachelor Nation News Page on Facebook or join our The Bachelor Facebook Group A new initiative seeks to have local and state authorities share information with ICE to facilitate the arrest and likely deportation of suspects U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to open a call center with a specialized unit to locate unaccompanied migrant children. The idea is for local and state authorities to collaborate by informing the immigration agency of the whereabouts of these undocumented minors, thus facilitating their apprehension and subsequent deportation. The measure is part of the Trump administrations campaign against migrants, which has not spared children. In addition to locating those aged under 18, it would also target people who entered the country illegally as minors but are now adults. The center would provide information to federal authorities, according to the document, published Tuesday on a government contracting website and reported by Reuters. ICE is seeking to create a 24-hour operations center capable of handling 6,000 to 7,000 immigration-related calls daily. The contract document indicates that the facility would be located in Nashville, Tennessee, although it does not explain the reason for choosing that city. CoreCivic, one of the two largest private prison companies that operate ICE detention centers, is headquartered in Nashville. In fiscal year 2024, approximately 98,000 children crossed the U.S. border alone, fleeing poverty, violence, or abuse in their home countries. The Republican government has criticized the previous administration for losing track of thousands of minors who were sent to live with sponsors in the United States, putting them at risk of falling into human trafficking networks. Child advocates are wary of the intentions behind the search for these children. I dont think ICE needs to know where these children are, because its very clear that what ICE is doing across the country has nothing to do with helping people, much less unaccompanied children, says Scott Bassett, an attorney with the organization Amica. Unaccompanied minors have been a target of Trumps anti-immigration crusade since the beginning of his second term. Several initiatives have been aimed at facilitating their deportation. Shortly after taking office, the president attempted to suspend federal legal services for unaccompanied minors, cutting funding to the organizations that represent them and assist them in the asylum process. Although a federal court has temporarily blocked this suspension while the case is being resolved, the attempt to undermine child protection is deeply concerning. Legal representation can mean the difference between safety and danger. Children with legal representation obtain redress in 73% of cases, compared to only 15% without lawyers, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Trump is unhappy with the pace of deportations, which are not on track to reach the goal of one million in his first year, so any strategy to increase the numbers is being explored. That now means searching for children, or those who arrived in the United States as children, even if it means bypassing the necessary legal processes. $2,500 to self-deport Last month, it was revealed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would offer $2,500 to unaccompanied minors over the age of 14 in custody to self-deport. Critics, who dubbed the plan Operation Freaky Friday, denounced the coercion the minors would face. If they truly wanted to help, the best way to do so is to provide them with lawyers to protect their rights in court, Bassett stated. A few days ago, he visited one of the shelters where children are being held in the custody of authorities to explain the proposal, which involves waiving their right to seek asylum in the future. The DHS defended the initiative as an incentive for children to return to their families, but child advocacy organizations denounce that in many cases they are fleeing precisely from the abuse they suffer in their homes. The DHS used that same justification in August to put 76 Guatemalan children, who had arrived alone in the United States, on a plane in the middle of the night with the intention of returning them to the country they had fled. A judge blocked the transfer. The judge did not believe it was a case of family reunification, as the governments lawyers claimed, since the families had not requested it and the children did not want to return to their countries. The administration planned to deport more than 300 children to Guatemala in total. The changes to immigration policy for minors since Trump returned to the White House have completely transformed the treatment migrant children receive. Its a whole different world now, says Bassett. His organization visits shelters almost every two weeks to explain all the changes. On his last visit, a little girl asked him: Why are they still doing this to us? What have we done wrong? Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition The Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department and the North Avenue Tax Allocation District (TAD) Advisory Committee have announced dates for drop-in open house sessions, as well as an online survey, to collect resident input on what they would like to have constructed within TAD boundaries. Adani Enterprises subsidiary Kutch Copper (KCL) and Australian Securities Exchange-listed Caravel Minerals on Thursday signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) for collaboration on the Caravel Copper Project in Western Australias Murchison region, for an undisclosed amount, according to a joint statement. Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: Kham/Reuters What does the AdaniCaravel MoU aim to achieve? The MoU is expected to enable investment collaboration and a life-of-mine offtake covering up to 100 per cent of copper concentrate outputabout 62,000 to 71,000 tonnes of payable copper per annum in the early years. This concentrate will be supplied directly to Kutch Coppers 500 KTPA (kilo tonnes per annum) smelter in Gujarat, India, which is the worlds largest single-location copper facility worth $1.2 billion, the release said. Under the MoU, the companies will explore investment and offtake opportunities to accelerate development of the project towards a final investment decision (FID) in 2026, combining Caravels world-class resource with Adanis proven smelting, processing and logistics capabilities, the release stated. The MoU further outlines collaborative workstreams, including co-engineering to optimise product specifications for Kutch Coppers downstream facilities, joint procurement to fast-track delivery schedules, and leveraging the India-Australia FTA (Free Trade Agreement) to promote cross-border resource development and workforce skilling. How significant is the Caravel Copper Project? The Caravel Copper Project, located about 150 km northeast of Perth, is one of Australias largest undeveloped copper resources, with a potential mine life exceeding 25 years and an estimated 1.3 million tonnes of payable copper. The projects all-in sustaining cost (AISC) is forecast at $2.07 per pound, positioning it among the lowest-cost producers globally. As part of the agreement, KCL has been granted first rights to participate in direct equity or project-level investments during the term of the MoU. The discussions are aligned with the projects AUD 1.7 billion initial capital expenditure and designed to support phased development, the release added. What did Adani and Caravel executives say about the partnership? Copper is the backbone of the global energy transition, and our partnership with Caravel Minerals strengthens Indias and Australias role in building a resilient and responsible supply chain for this vital metal, said Vinay Prakash, chief executive officer, Natural Resources, Adani Enterprises, in a statement. Don Hyma, managing director, Caravel Minerals, said, This collaboration with Adanis Kutch Copper marks a pivotal step in realising the full potential of the Caravel Copper Project. "It brings together complementary strengthsAdanis downstream expertise and Caravels world-scale resourceunder a shared vision for responsible, long-term copper production. How will the project be financed? The companies stated that financing discussions are advancing with top-tier banks, targeting a package that includes export credit agency (ECA)-backed solutions for Danish equipment suppliers, traditional debt, equity raises, and innovative funding structures such as streaming and royalties. These efforts build on a 2023 letter of interest from Denmarks Export and Investment Fund (EIFO) for Danish-sourced equipment. Why is this partnership strategically important? With global copper demand projected to surge by 50 per cent by 2040 amid electrification and renewable-energy expansion, the CaravelKutch Copper collaboration is poised to deliver a significant contribution to critical mineral supply chains while unlocking sustainable economic growth for both nations, the companies said in a joint statement. Leading hospital chain Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Ltd (Ahel) has posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 477 crore during the second quarter this financial year, up 26 per cent from Rs 379 crore during the same period last financial year. Image used for representation purpose only. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters This was mainly driven by a 13 per cent rise in revenue from Rs 5,589 crore in Q2FY25 to Rs 6,304 crore in Q2FY26. The company said its HealthCo business was expected to achieve a breakeven in the next two quarters. The chains earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (Ebitda) were Rs 941 crore during the period as against Rs 816 crore in Q2FY25. It saw diluted earnings per share of Rs 33.19 per share in Q2FY26. Apollo Hospitals had 8,050 operating beds in its network, and the occupancy rate for hospitals was 69 per cent during the quarter versus 73 per cent in the same period in the previous year. On the three lines of business, we have done well. "Last year, we had a higher incidence of seasonal medical admission, leading to a high base, whereas medical admission was low in Q2FY26. "This low growth in medical admission was partly offset by a 14 per cent increase in revenue from CONGO Specialties (cardiac, oncology, neurosciences, gastroenterology, and orthopaedics), said Krishnan Akhileswaran, group chief financial officer. The reduction in patients from Bangladesh had an impact of 1 per cent on health care revenue in Q2FY26. Akhileswaran said average revenue per inpatient admission during the quarter was Rs 1.73 lakh compared to Rs 1.6 lakh last year. This signifies that we are doing quite a bit of high-complexity work. "The impact of Bangladesh was around Rs 25 crore during the current quarter. We are seeing some increase in patients from Bangladesh. "We are looking at Iraq, West Asia, and Africa too. Once Gurugram starts, growth will happen, he added. The company is looking to operate and manage a hospital in Iraq. Despite a dip in inflows from Bangladesh, we have witnessed a 1.5 per cent increase in the number of overseas patients, he added. The consolidated revenue of the health care service division increased 9 per cent to Rs 3,169 crore in Q2FY26 compared to Rs 2,903 crore in Q2FY25. Ebitda was at Rs 781 crore in Q2FY26 compared to Rs 722 crore in Q2 FY25. Ebitda was higher by 8 per cent year-on-year. Apollo Health and Lifestyles gross revenue was seen at Rs 474 crore, up 17 per cent versus last year. Its diagnostics revenue stood at Rs 183 crore and Spectra at Rs 73 crore. Akhileswaran added in the HealthCo business it managed to bring down Ebitda losses from Rs 80 crore in the same quarter last year to Rs 40 crore now. We hope to bring it to breakeven in the next two quarters, he said. Its revenues in offline pharmacy distribution were seen at Rs 2,335 crore in Q2FY26, while revenues from the digital platform were at Rs 326 crore. Overall HealthCo revenues were at Rs 2,661 crore, representing 17 per cent year-on-year growth. Shiv Nadar and family donated Rs 2,708 crore (Rs 27.08 billion) in 2024-2025. IMAGE: Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL Technologies. Photograph: Kind courtesy wikipedia.org/Creative Commons HCL Technologies Founder Shiv Nadar and family, through the Shiv Nadar Foundation, have retained their pole position with donations worth Rs 2,708 crore (Rs 27.08 billion) in 2024-2025 (FY25), which is about Rs 7.4 crore (Rs 74 million) worth of donations per day, according to a report on the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025. Shiv Nadar and family's donations were up by 26 per cent compared to FY24, with their donations focused on education, and art & culture, the report said. In second position is Reliance Industries' Mukesh Ambani and family, with donations worth Rs 626 crore (Rs 6.26 billion) in FY25, which went up by 54 per cent. The Bajaj family came at the third spot with donations worth Rs 446 crore (Rs 4.46 billion) in FY25, up by 27 per cent. 'If only personal philanthropy is considered, Shiv Nadar and family still rank first with a donation of Rs 2,537 crore (Rs 25.37 billion), followed by Nandan Nilekani and Rohini Nilekani,' the report stated. In FY25, a total 191 individuals featured in the list while FY24 saw 203 individuals. However, the average donation amount grew by Rs 54 crore (Rs 540 million) in FY25 from Rs 43 crore (Rs 430 million) in FY24. This follows the overall rise in wealth creation in India, with the threshold to enter the list surging by 160 per cent in the last five years, the report added. The threshold to enter India's Top-10 philanthropists has more than doubled, from Rs 74 crore (Rs 740 million) in FY20 to Rs 173 crore (Rs 1.73 billion) in FY25. Anas Rahman Junaid, founder and chief researcher, Hurun India, told Business Standard that total donation has gone up by 15 to 20 per cent compared to FY24, and almost doubled with an 85 per cent growth compared to the last three financial years. Cumulatively, 191 people in the list donated Rs 10,380 crore (Rs 103.80 billion) in FY25. "India is doing pretty well compared to China. If you look at big-ticket philanthropies of more than Rs 100 crore, that number in India is 18, almost on a par with China. "Imagine China's GDP is almost $20 trillion and India's is only $4 trillion, yet we are matching China in big philanthropies. "I am pretty sure India will be a role model for global philanthropy in the coming years," said Junaid. This comes after the Top-25 people listed in the EdelGive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025 donated Rs 50,000 crore (Rs 500 billion) in five financial years, an average of Rs 46 crore (Rs 460 million) every single day. The report added that the cumulative giving has quadrupled since FY17, reflecting a sustained rise in large-scale philanthropy in the country. Additionally, the number of self-made philanthropists has jumped to 101 in FY25, marking an increase of 36 from FY23. In the fourth position came Kumar Mangalam Birla and family with a total donation of Rs 440 crore (Rs 4.40 billion), followed by Gautam Adani and family with donations worth Rs 386 crore (Rs 3.86 billion) in FY25. At the age of 39, Zerodha's Nikhil Kamath became the youngest philanthropist for the fourth time, the report noted. Meanwhile, the report highlighted that Ranjan Pai, chairman of Manipal Education and Medical Group, who recently completed a major exit with Temasek Holdings acquiring a controlling stake in Manipal Hospitals, has broken the Rs 100 crore mark in personal philanthropy. He donated Rs 160 crore (Rs 1.60 billion) in FY25, and entered the Top-5 most generous in personal capacity. 'Co-founders and the families of information technology (IT) services firm Infosys Nandan Nilekani, Kris Gopalakrishnan, K Dinesh, Rohini Nilekani, and Kumari Shibulal collectively donated over Rs 850 crore (8.5 billion) in FY25, averaging more than Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million) in giving each day, marking a record for philanthropy stemming from a single company,' the report stated. Junaid added that Indian philanthropy is being shaped by four key wealth-creation groups -- like multi-generation family businesses such as the Ambanis, who continue to play a dominant role. And, new-age entrepreneurs and young leaders like Binny Bansal and the Infosys co-founders, who entered the list this year, are building a strong culture of giving and setting the tone for sustained future philanthropy. 'Ritesh Agarwal of PRISM, though not yet on the list, is already laying the groundwork for long-term philanthropic engagement. 'Third, non-resident Indians (NRIs) like Yusuff Ali are increasingly giving back to their home states, deepening local impact. 'And finally, capital providers, venture capital and private equity leaders like Prashanth Prakash are driving a shift towards more institutional, cause-led philanthropy.' Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff The mass of voters chose Kejriwal and Mamdani for the simple reason that they were sick and tired of the stale promises and repetitive speeches belted out for long by mainstream political personalities, notes M R Narayan Swamy. IMAGE: Zohran Mamdani, with mother Mira Nair next to him on stage, at his victory rally. Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters The two cities and the two unlikely politicians are separated by thousands of miles but there is something incredibly similar between the politics of Zohran Mamdani and Arvind Kejriwal. True, Mamdani's victory in New York's mayoral race between a Democrat-turned-independent and a Republican opponent may not look as emphatic numerically as the Aam Aadmi Party leader's win in 2015 but it is probably much more significant politically, and not just for himself. And unlike Prime Minister Narendra Modi who, despite being shocked by the scale of his BJP's 2015 rout, did congratulate Kejriwal after the AAP scooped an astounding 67 of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly, US President Donald Trump has already declared war on Mamdani. There are many remarkable similarities in the manner Mamdani, 34, and Kejriwal, who was 46 when he took oath as chief minister, pursued political power. Both began as virtual nobodies -- Mamdani at the start of the election campaign for New York's top post (despite a political past) and Kejriwal in 2013 when he became chief minister for the first time, albeit only for 49 days. Shedding the normal talking points in electoral battles, both scripted a new and bold political path, focussing primarily (but not solely) on the day-to-day issues affecting the common man. IMAGE: New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani addresses a press conference at the Unisphere in the Queens borough of New York City, November 5, 2025. Photograph: Kylie Cooper/Reuters Mamdani's populist agenda focussed on improving the affordability and quality of life for working and middle class New Yorkers. His specific promises include rent control, tenant protection, building new affordable housing units, government-run grocery stores, free bus rides and free childcare facilities. Kejriwal too pledged to make a difference to the people of Delhi. He promised subsidised water and electricity which could even be free depending on the usage, vastly improved government schools, better health and transport facilities, and an end to endemic corruption. Like Kejriwal a decade earlier, Mamdani kept his campaign theme concentrated on the bread-and-butter issues, making it clear that his aim was to clean up the system within a democratic framework and not focus on specific individuals. Trump dubbed Mamdani a 'communist' (which he is not). Modi called Kejriwal a 'Naxalite' (which he was certainly not). But unlike Kejriwal who refused to get into a right-versus-left narrative, Mamdani proudly calls himself a socialist -- a daring and politically risky thing to do in America, more so in in New York, a hub of global capitalism. Both in New York and New Delhi, the voters had to choose between an untested Kejriwal and an equally inexperienced Mamdani. This was the main talking point of their well-established and far richer opponents. Yet, in both cases, the mass of voters chose Kejriwal and Mamdani for the simple reason that they were sick and tired of the stale promises and repetitive speeches belted out for long by mainstream political personalities. In both cities, the mass of voters, more so the underprivileged, wanted a new experiment and a fresh face at the helm of affairs. They hungered for direct benefits that would, even if marginally, improve the lives of their families. Forgetting for a moment all that happened later (and how), Kejriwal delivered remarkably well. IMAGE: Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal at the inauguration of the AAP office in Panaji, Goa, October 4, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo Millions in Delhi got free or virtually free potable water, subsidized electricity that was the cheapest in India (and free for a large number of families), a dramatic overhaul of the widely despised government schools to the extent that they began to outperforming private schools, the widely appreciated Mohalla Clinics where one got basic medicines free, Delhi government-run hospitals where treatment was free, cheaper compressed natural gas for vehicles, curbing industrial emissions, a majorly improved bus transport, and free bus ride for women. I know for a fact that the Aam Aadmi Party government wanted to eventually make bus ride free for everyone in the city -- a promise Mamdani has made in New York. The aim was to make a U-turn, transforming the trickle-down economics to trickle-up economics. Like in New York today, there were any number of sceptics in India who warned that Kejriwal would never be able to implement his promises because these would cost money which the Delhi chief minister would not be able to generate. But the Kejriwal government's budgets were deficit-free, year after year, despite the various promises being implemented almost simultaneously. Such was the popular perception that Kejriwal rode to another thumping victory in 2020, bagging 62 of the 70 assembly seats. What was the most important message of Delhi in 2015 -- and of New York in 2025? The most unknown, untested and supposedly inexperienced political actor can put established giants in their place if the promises they make carry a touch of honesty -- and people believe the men making the promises can be trusted. This is why despite Trump's threats and Republican insinuation of a Muslim taking over New York, both Muslims and non-Muslims voted for Mamdani. Even sections of Jews (notwithstanding Mamdani's pro-Palestine noises) and the corporate world became soft towards him by the time the campaign ended. And this is why despite an aggressive Hindutva at play, both Hindus and Muslims (and others) voted en masse for Kejriwal. It is only after Kejriwal's 2020 enviable triumph that the Bharatiya Janata Party brass concluded that the AAP had cemented itself so much in Delhi that it could never be defeated in the normal course of play. What happened later and how the Modi government unleashed all its might against Kejriwal is another story. IMAGE: A Mohalla Clinic in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Photo So, will Mamdani succeed in New York? For one, he has already defeated Trump politically in New York, America's most important city. Recall that the US president has expressed his admiration for the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and says he too wants Americans to salute him similarly. Yet the majority of voters in New York rejected Trump and embraced Mamdani. A lot will depend on how Mamdani lives down some of his radical past (he has already apologised for some of his comments about the New York Police Department), how he manages to keep the business class on his side, and how he negotiates the contradictions between Trump and his own politics. Like Kejriwal in 2015, Mamdani has promised that he will work for everyone, including those who did not vote for him. Having seen Kejriwal from close quarters during his political journey, I am sure he would have watched the hip-hop-musician-turned-activist Mamdani closely even if the New Yorker may not have paid much attention to the Indian bureaucrat-turned-politician. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff 'Everyone involved in this transaction must be punished and penalised.' IMAGE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pawar's wife Sunetra and son Parth. Photographs: Kind courtesy Parth Pawar/Facebook Maharashtra has been shaken by a major land deal controversy involving Parth Pawar, son of state Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar. A 40-acre parcel in Pune's Mundhwa area was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP (Limited Liability Partnership), in which Parth Pawar and Digvijay Amarsinh Patil are listed as partners, and the sale deed registered. Though Parth Pawar's name is missing from the Index II of the sale deed, it records purchaser Digvijay Amarsinh Patil as '0 years old' and 'female.' RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, in an interview with Prasanna D Zore/Rediff alleges that Sheetal Tejwani, who held power of attorney from 271 villagers, used it to sell their ancestral Mahar Watan land to Amadea LLP for about Rs 300 crore (Rs 3 billion). He claims villagers were misled and paid only token sums, unaware that their signatures would be used to transfer government-owned land. According to Kumbhar, the buyers, Digvijay Amarsinh Patil and Parth Pawar, both partners in Amadea Enterprises LLP, made no effort to verify the seller's credentials or the land's ownership despite glaring anomalies. The sale deed mentions an incomplete address for Sheetal Tejwani and lists Amadea LLP partner Patil's details incorrectly. More significantly, the land -- legally protected as Mahar Watan and later abolished under the Bombay Inferior Village Watans Abolition Act, 1958 (external link) -- was misrepresented as being in Mulshi taluka instead of the high-value Mundhwa-Koregaon Park belt. Kumbhar also alleges that stamp duty worth around Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million) and taxes totalling Rs 6 crore (Rs 60 million) were wrongfully waived. Kumbhar maintains that these glaring irregularities were ignored by the sub-registrar's office, which registered the deed without cross-verifying records or obtaining a mandatory No Objection Certificate from the government. IMAGE: Documents accessed by Vijay Kumbhar from the Maharashtra department of registration and stamps. Photograph: Kind courtesy Vijay Kumbhar/X Following public outrage, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a high-level inquiry -- and as per Kumbhar the department of registration and stamps has also given permission to file an FIR against Tejwani -- describing the case as 'prima facie serious.' The Maharashtra revenue department, led by cabinet Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, earlier suspended a sub-registrar and tehsildar Suryakant Yewale and appointed Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge to head the investigation. The controversy has placed the Mahayuti government in a difficult spot, particularly the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party faction, given Ajit Pawar's control of the finance ministry, and even the Bharatiya Janata Party whose minister Bawankule is at the helm of the revenue ministry. Ajit Pawar said he warned his son against the deal -- a claim that surfaced only after the controversy erupted, drawing public scepticism. "Indubitably it constitutes a criminal act. You are defrauding the government, misappropriating government land, and evading taxes," says Vijay Kumbhar. What was the most serious oversight in this registration? The most shocking aspect is that the 7/12 extract (showing the ownership of the land) itself explicitly mentioned 'Government of Mumbai' as the possessor, yet the registration proceeded without mandatory verification or a No Objection Certificate. The sub-registrar's office registered the deed without any scrutiny whatsoever. Subsequently, the collector also confirmed that this land remains in government possession. Nobody examined these critical documents. When the matter came to light, the authorities suspended one sub-registrar. They have essentially confessed that wrongdoing occurred. The government has finally acknowledged all of this. Truth is finally surfacing. Were any mandatory taxes paid on this transaction? While suspending these officials, the government stated that, forgetting the Rs 21 crore for a moment, one per cent metro tax and one per cent local body tax were compulsory. They have remitted neither. The registration nevertheless proceeded. Moreover, they disclosed nothing regarding government ownership of the land. They purposefully concealed that this was government land. Would you characterise this as a criminal act? Yes, indubitably it constitutes a criminal act. You are defrauding the government, misappropriating government land, and evading taxes. Government land is being sold, and the government remains unaware that the sale is transpiring. How can such a transaction occur? That is precisely what I am questioning. This was no mistake -- they collaborated to perpetrate this fraud. The government itself is party to this criminality. Under what circumstances, if any, can ownership rights for the Mahar Watan land be legally transferred? There exists no legal provision to reconvert land once it has vested in government possession. Land owned by the government cannot be purchased or sold under any circumstances -- no exemptions exist. Even when all permissions have been secured and tenders floated, that procedure must be followed. However, they have circumvented this procedure entirely. They are obliged to invite suggestions and objections from the public before proceeding. None of this was done. Based on your understanding and findings, what specifically did Parth Pawar or his associates do wrong? Everything. They perpetrated every conceivable wrong. These are persons residing in Maharashtra with access to abundant consultation. His father serves as finance minister and the state's deputy chief minister. They possess all the resources and personnel who could have guided them properly. Yet they declined to seek such assistance and proceeded with this land transaction regardless. Do you believe Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had prior knowledge of this transaction? IMAGE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar with wife Sunetra and son Parth. Photographs: Kind courtesy Parth Pawar/Facebook Listen, suppose I am a distinguished person in Pune or Maharashtra. When my son approaches anyone -- irrespective of whether he has attained majority -- they know he is my son. Whether I telephoned them or not is immaterial. The question is: Could Ajit Pawar have possessed knowledge of this deal? Only today, he declared that he had some awareness of this matter and that he had instructed his son not to proceed. They dare to undertake such actions because they must have executed similar transactions previously. An official has been suspended in connection with this matter. They are small scapegoats. The genuine culprits remain beyond their reach because they dare not touch them. This should not be the only case investigated. The entire machinery -- from the chief minister, all ministers, to sub-registrars, revenue officers, and the finance minister -- everyone must be held accountable. Essentially, this transaction relates to the revenue department, though the finance minister and revenue minister are distinct offices. Revenue does not fall under finance jurisdiction. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered an inquiry. Is this a genuine attempt at accountability? I heard his statement about calling for documents and so forth. Vijay Kumbhar possesses all the documents. What is required is merely to access the (government) Web site and examine those documents directly. Have you obtained documentary evidence establishing the land's status? These documents reside in the public domain. They are available on the Web site of the inspector general of registration. I obtained them from their official portal. Numerous documents exist in the public domain, yet we fail to scrutinise them. Could you enumerate the alleged wrongdoings in this episode? I cannot identify a single action that was executed correctly. Everything is wrong. If you seek serious issues about this matter that should shock Maharashtra, consider these: First, government land was sold -- nobody dares to touch government land under ordinary circumstances. Second, they claimed all procedures had been complied with, which demonstrably did not occur. Third, they asserted they had secured permission under the ITES policy for stamp duty waiver. However, I observed that they initially applied for the ITES policy and subsequently, before registering the document, applied for that registration. How can this transpire when you do not possess the land? Fourth, they showed this land is situated in Mulshi taluka when it is actually located in Mundhwa, Koregaon Park -- a prime location. Fifth, while the market value assessment documented was Rs 300 crore, stamp duty totalling Rs 21 crore was payable -- comprising five per cent plus one per cent local body tax plus one per cent metro cess. Even assuming the primary duty was waived, the one per cent local body tax and one per cent metro cess, totalling Rs 6 crore in stamp duty, could not have been exempted. Thus, manifest losses in stamp duty occurred. Who initially exposed this wrongdoing? This was first revealed on a news channel, though they could not properly compile or address it. They invited me to participate, whereupon I secured all the documents and exposed the matter comprehensively. Would you characterise this as a forgery case? Forgery constitutes a distinct offence where documents are tampered with. However, you can definitively describe this as a cheating case. Who should face punishment? Everyone involved in this transaction must be punished and penalised. You are obliged to hold responsible those under whose influence these government officials permitted this transaction to proceed -- that would be Parth Pawar's name and connections. The entire administrative apparatus facilitated this deal. Should Ajit Pawar assume moral responsibility and resign? Have you heard, in recent times, of any politician accepting moral responsibility? Therefore, what I articulate carries no weight. They will not accept responsibility in any manner. They will merely declare that they are not directly responsible, that 'my son is a separate entity,' and thereby distance themselves from this transaction. India on Friday said that the number of Indian nationals serving in the Russian Army has increased to 44 in view of recruitment in recent months. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters/REdiff Archive The ministry of external affairs said it has taken up the matter with Moscow and urged them to stop recruiting Indians into the Russian military. "In the last few months, we have been informed of several Indian nationals who have been recruited in the Russian army," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "As per our understanding, there are 44 Indian nationals presently serving in the Russian Army," he said at his weekly media briefing. Indian officials in September had said there were 27 Indians serving in the Russian Army. Jaiswal said India has taken up the matter with Russian authorities and urged them to release the Indians at the "earliest and also to put an end to this practice". "We are in touch with the Russian side. We are also in touch with the families of these people and giving them an update on the matter," he said. There have been reports that some Indians on student and business visas were forced into joining Russian military units deployed on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. India has been repeatedly asking Russia to release all Indians serving as support staff, such as cooks and helpers, with Russian military units. The issue was raised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Russia last year as well. Jaiswal called upon Indians to stay away from offers being made to serve in the Russian Army as they are "fraught with danger to life". "We have said this so many times. In spite of our repeated reminders, people continue to enlist. If somebody wants to do it, we cannot stop him but we continue to press that you must be aware of the dangers that are there once you sign up for these jobs," Jaiswal said. According to official data, the number of Indians recruited by the Russian military is now close to 170. While 96 were discharged by Russian authorities, another 16 have been listed as missing. At least 12 Indians were killed while fighting on the frontlines of the conflict in Ukraine. The Bharatiya Janata Party in Kerala on Friday said it will be starting a programme to reach out to the Muslim community in the state, but clarified it was "not political or for getting votes", instead it was a "trust building" initiative. IMAGE: Bharatiya Janata Partys Muslim womens wing supporters show their hands decorated with mehndi as part of the election campaign for Lok Sabha polls, Prayagraj, May 11, 2024. Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo The launch of the 'Muslim Outreach Programme' was announced in Thiruvananthapuram by state BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar who said that it will be carried out under the leadership of senior leader and party's state vice president Abdul Salam. Chandrasekhar said that the intention behind the programme was not to secure votes, but to "demolish the lies" that the BJP is against the Muslim community in the state and does not want to work for them. He claimed that such lies have been spread among the Muslim community in Kerala for the last 20-25 years. The BJP state chief said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014, he had said that the Constitution was his "guiding document" and that he will work for everybody. "Sabka saath, sabka vikaas is what he said," Chandrasekhar emphasised. He said that the BJP in Kerala wants to convey the same message to the Muslim community in the state. "We are here to serve you. We will serve every Malayali in their time of need. Whatever they need, we are here to serve them, irrespective of their caste, creed, community or religion," he said at a press conference. Chandrasekhar further said that BJP's mission was to create a 'Vikasit Keralam' where every person, regardless of caste, community or religion, "gets equal opportunities for development, jobs and progress in their lives". "So, this is not about votes, it is about building trust and demolishing the elaborate house of lies that has been created by the CPI-M and Congress," he said. Giving details of the programme, he said that the teams of BJP workers will visit every Muslim household and distribute leaflets conveying its message of development and "advising them not to be taken in by the lies and propaganda of the Congress and the Left who have done nothing for them in the last 70 years". Chandrasekhar said that in the last 11 years, the Narendra Modi government at the Centre "has done more for the Muslim community in the country than any other previous governments in Indian history". "We hope to do the same in Kerala," he added. The outreach programme was announced just ahead of the local body polls in the state. China has commissioned its third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, stated to be the most modern warship equipped with electromagnetic catapults, at a ceremony attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, wrapped in secrecy. IMAGE: Visitors look at a model of the Fujian aircraft carrier displayed at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China, November 14, 2024. Photograph: Tingshu Wang/File Photo/Reuters While the official media reported its commissioning on Friday, a report by State-run Xinhua news agency said that Xi attended the commissioning and flag-presentation ceremony of the Fujian on Wednesday at Sanya port in south China's Hainan Province. The Fujian is equipped with an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), used only by the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford. US President Donald Trump last week said he wanted to abandon EMALS technology and go back to steam power, calling the advanced launch system expensive, unreliable and difficult to repair, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported. While all three Chinese carriers are conventionally powered, recent reports said China is reportedly building its fourth aircraft carrier in Dalian, which could be powered by nuclear propulsion to increase its endurance and global reach and provide significantly more power to run advanced systems. China, which was the last among the major countries to opt for aircraft carriers for its navy, currently has two of them: the Liaoning, a refit of the Soviet-era ship commissioned in 2012, and Shandong, an indigenously built 2nd aircraft carrier operationalised in 2019. Fujian has been commissioned after the military said carrier-based aircraft J-15T, J-35 and KongJing-600 have successfully completed catapult-assisted take-off and arrested landing training on its flat deck. All three carriers are conventionally powered. Fujian is the largest among them with a displacement of 80,000 tonnes. Analysts say that with tensions on the rise with the US, China may build more aircraft carriers to operate in various global maritime routes. During his visit to Fujian, Xi, who is also the head of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the overall high command of the Chinese military, has been briefed about the combat capabilities of Fujian and the use of its advanced electromagnetic catapults, according to Xinhua. As someone who is pushing for rapid modernisation of the Chinese military, Xi himself directed the navy to use EMALS technology, Xinhua reported. Besides attending the briefings by the commanding officers and pilots about the aircraft's technical and tactical performance and the advantages of electromagnetic catapults, Xi visited the tower and learned about flight command and take-off and landing operations. With the operationalisation of the third aircraft carrier, the Chinese navy was expected to begin to deploy them in the immediate vicinity of the Taiwan Strait and the disputed South China Sea. China claims Taiwan as part of its mainland. It also claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims. With the operationalisation of Fujian, China may also extend the deployment of aircraft carriers in India's backyard, the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, where its naval fleet is active with bases in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa and Pakistan's Gwadar, besides the commercial port, Hambantota in Sri Lanka, which China acquired as a debt swap. According to a recent BBC report, China now has the world's largest operating fleet of 234 warships compared to the US Navy's 219. The Indian Navy, which operates two aircraft carriers, INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya, is also catching up by commissioning more naval ships to maintain its dominance in the Indian Ocean. Simultaneously, China is developing a new fighter aircraft that can operate from its carrier groups. Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told State-run Global Times that Fujian commissioning is a symbol of the achievements in the transformation of the PLA Navy from coastal defence to far seas defence. Zhang said the commissioning of the Fujian will bring three major changes and capability leaps for the PLA Navy. The first is the use of the electromagnetic catapult system that enables aircraft to take off with full fuel and ammunition, increasing the combat radius and enhancing the attack capability. Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping said, "As China's first aircraft carrier with a flat deck, and utilising numerous advanced technologies, including electromagnetic catapults, electromagnetic arresting gear, and an all-electric propulsion system, the delivery speed is remarkably fast." Song said that despite China entering a new era with three-carrier battle groups, it was not enough to fend off possible interference in the Taiwan Strait. "Three aircraft carriers are not actually sufficient. China's aircraft carriers still have certain shortcomings in terms of performance, quantity and combat experience if we want to fend off those countries capable of intervening in the Taiwan Strait," he said. Song said Fujian was the only Chinese carrier capable of integrating fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, which would enhance the carrier's operational capability. "Entering active service is just a starting point. Long-term training and adaptation are necessary to achieve initial operational readiness," he told the Post. The Congress hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday after his attack on the party over the dropping of stanzas from "Vande Mataram" in 1937, saying Rabindranath Tagore himself had suggested that the first two stanzas of the song be adopted and it was "shameful" of the prime minister to accuse the Nobel laureate of harbouring a divisive ideology. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi releases special commemorative coins dedicated to Vande Mataram, during the inauguration of a year-long commemoration of the National Song "Vande Mataram" along with Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in New Delhi, November 7, 2025. Photograph: @narendramodi X/ANI Photo The opposition party also demanded an apology from Modi over his statement. In an apparent attack on the Congress, the prime minister said important stanzas of the national song, "Vande Mataram", were dropped in 1937, which sowed the seeds of the partition, and asserted that such a "divisive mindset" is still a challenge for the country. He made the comments after inaugurating the year-long commemoration of "Vande Mataram" to mark 150 years of the national song. Modi also released a commemorative stamp and coin on the occasion at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. Reacting to the prime minister's remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared extracts from Sabyasachi Bhattacharya's definitive biography of "Vande Mataram", giving the background of the Congress Working Committee resolution of October 29, 1937 that adopted the song. "Three days before the meeting, on October 26, 1937, Tagore wrote to (Jawaharlal) Nehru on this issue. It was the Gurudev himself -- with his own special relationship to Vande Mataram -- who suggested that the first two stanzas of the song be adopted. His letter in fact profoundly influenced the resolution in its entirety," Ramesh said in a post on X. "The Prime Minister is now accusing the Gurudev of harbouring a 'divisive ideology'. It is a shameful statement from a man whose lies and distortions have no limits. The people of India demand an unconditional apology," he said. On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly officially adopted "Vande Mataram" as the national song, giving it enduring significance. According to various accounts, a truncated version of "Vande Mataram", keeping only the first two of the six original stanzas, was chosen as the national song in 1937 by the Congress after a panel recommended its adoption. According to excerpts from the book, screenshots of which were shared by Ramesh on X, "Upon being consulted, Rabindranath Tagore's advice was threefold. While the first two stanzas were entirely acceptable to Rabindranath, he could not sympathise with the sentiments in the latter stanzas." In a letter to Nehru. Tagore wrote, "To me, the spirit of tenderness and devotion expressed in its first portion, the emphasis it gave to beautiful and beneficent aspects of our motherland made a special appeal, so much so that I found no difficulty in dissociating it from the rest of the poem and from those portions of the book of which it is a part, with all the sentiments of which, brought up as I was in the monotheistic ideals of my father, I could have no sympathy." "I freely concede that the whole of Bankim's 'Vande Mataram' poem, read together with its context, is liable to be interpreted in ways that might wound Moslem susceptibilities, but a national song, though derived from it, which has spontaneously come to consist only of the first two stanzas of the original poem, need not remind us every time of the whole of it, much less of the story with which it was accidentally associated. "It has acquired a separate individuality and an inspiring significance of its own in which I see nothing to offend any sect or community," Tagore was quoted as saying in the book. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday said he did not authorise the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram in schools, saying there should be no outside dictation on such matters and no interference in governing the Union Territory. IMAGE: J-K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Photograph: Umar Ganie for Rediff "This decision has not been made by the cabinet, nor has the education minister signed off on it. We should decide what happens in our schools without outside dictation on these matters," Abdullah told reporters in Budgam in the central Kashmir district. On October 30, the culture department of J-K had called for schools across Jammu and Kashmir to participate in the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram. This order faced strong backlash from the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), an alliance of several religious organisations in J-K, which demanded the immediate withdrawal of what they termed a 'coercive order', arguing that parts of the song contradicted Islamic beliefs regarding monotheism. Abdullah was campaigning in the Budgam assembly segment on Friday as the elections for that seat are scheduled for November 11. In response to a question regarding the absence of the party's Lok Sabha MP, Ruhullah Mehdi -- who has represented the influential Shia community three times -- Abdullah remarked that his party has never compelled anyone to campaign. "Those who wish to campaign do so voluntarily, and those who do not want to will not. That's perfectly fine; I don't force anyone to campaign. However, when we succeed, those who did not support us will not share in our celebrations," Abdullah added. Mehdi has been estranged from the party over the last few months and has openly criticised the functioning of the government. The chief minister, who had vacated the Budgam seat after winning from Ganderbal as well, necessitating the bypolls in the constituency, said he never wanted to contest from two seats. "I had told my colleagues that I would not contest from two seats, but this is not an appropriate time to present the reality. A day will come when everything will be shared with you," he said. Abdullah also expressed confidence of winning both Budgam and Nagrota seats in Jammu, where bypolls are also taking place. "We feel that the situation is in our favour in both the seats. Now, the final few days (of the campaign) remain, and we have to work harder to reach out to those voters whom we have not yet appealed to, and encourage them to vote for the National Conference," he said. A 51-year-old fruit seller who doubled as the mastermind of the notorious "Mamu Gang" -- a group of robbers who targeted banks -- has been arrested by the Crime Branch of Delhi police, an officer said on Friday. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Reuters "By day, he posed as a humble fruit seller, quietly studying bank premises, observing staff routines and mapping security loopholes. By night, he led his men to strike with precision -- breaking into vaults and disabling alarms," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Harsh Indora said in a statement. The officer said the accused, Kamrul alias Mamu, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, was wanted in multiple bank burglary cases in Karnataka and Maharashtra. "He was the gang's ringleader and planner, known for his elaborate heist strategies and use of disguises to evade capture," the DCP said. He said a team from the Crime Branch arrested him from southwest Delhi's Mahavir Enclave on November 5 after receiving a tip-off about his movement in the area. Kamrul had been living in the locality under a false identity, selling fruits in local markets to conceal his real profession -- bank robbery, the officer said. The team laid a trap in Uttam Nagar, and nabbed him. "Verification confirmed that he was the accused wanted in three major bank burglary cases in Karnataka," he added. During interrogation, Kamrul admitted to being the mind behind the "Mamu Gang", an organised interstate network responsible for bank heists across Maharashtra and Karnataka. The police said the gang operated tactfully using role-based disguises and reconnaissance before executing their burglaries. "The gang members would pose as fruit vendors and mingle with market crowds near banks during the day. This cover allowed them to study entry and exit points, note guard movements, staff routines and security gaps," DCP Indora said. "Once the plan was ready, they would strike at night using specialised implements to disable alarms and CCTV systems before breaking into vaults," he said. According to the police, after committing the burglary, the gang would quickly disperse, moving to different cities and resuming their disguise as fruit sellers to avoid detection. The officer said three major cases of bank burglaries registered in Karnataka have now been solved with Kamrul's arrest, who has over 10 previous cases registered against him across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. His past record includes cases of murder, attempt to murder, gang activities, theft, cheating and violations under the Arms Act and NDPS Act, the police said. The accused is illiterate but highly skilled in executing planned burglaries and has been operating across states for nearly three decades, they added. "He would often move between cities, recruit local accomplices and use coded language to coordinate," he said. Further investigation is underway to identify other members of the "Mamu Gang" and trace the proceeds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that the record turnout in first phase of Bihar assembly polls was proof that people have reposed their trust in the 'track record of Narendra and Nitish'. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photograph: DPR PMO/ANI Photo Modi predicted the victory of the National Democratic Alliance, led in Bihar by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the Janata Dal-United president, at a rally in Aurangabad district of the poll-bound state, where he also lauded the Election Commission for successfully conducting elections across 121 constituencies where voting was held. He cited the examples of construction of Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370 and Operation Sindoor to assert 'I do what I promise'. "Yesterday, the voters of Bihar broke all records. Never before in the history of the state has there been such a high poll percentage. Much of the credit goes to mothers and sisters who turned up in large numbers to raise the turnout to nearly 65 per cent. It is evident that they all have trust in the track record of Narendra-Nitish," said Modi. The people have voted to ensure that an NDA government, which would guarantee good governance, remains in place in Bihar, the PM said. "They have not been taken in by the false promises of Rashtriya Janata Dal-helmed opposition. Even the Congress, despite being an ally, is not trusting the RJD's promises made in their manifesto," claimed Modi. The people do not want a return of the 'jungle raj' during which Naxal insurgents ruled the roost and several lives were claimed in violence and bomb explosions that used to take place during elections, he asserted. Hinting at a poll campaign of the RJD, which has been a matter of controversy, Modi said, "The jungle raj wallahs have taught even children to speak of things like katta (unlicensed country-made handgun) and dunaali (double barrelled gun)". "The jungle raj wallahs stand for everything that comes in the way of investments and employment generation. They must have tried to create mischief this time as well. But I commend the Election Commission for conducting orderly polls," said Modi. The Prime Minister alleged that Nitish Kumar, the state's longest serving Chief Minister, whom he credited with having 'brought jungle raj to an end', faced non-cooperation from the Centre 'in the first nine years of his tenure', when Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power. "People have faith in the track record of Modi and Nitish because I do what I promise. Today a Ram temple is in place at Ayodhya, which has undone 500 years of injustice. Article 370 has been scrapped. And, I had promised on Bihar's soil that perpetrators of Pahalgam terror attack will be punished. You all know what happened in Operation Sindoor," said Modi. Speaking in an area of Bihar from where a large number of people are known to be in the armed forces, the Prime Minister also spoke of the one rank one pension scheme which has led to Rs 1 lakh crore being transferred into accounts of ex-servicemen. "The RJD people might not even know how many zeros are in one lakh crore," chuckled Modi, adding: "They cannot think of providing jobs to the people. They made people do away with their land while promising jobs. Now they are out on bail," said the PM. The allusion was to land for jobs scam, pertaining to tenure of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav as Railway Minister in the UPA 1 government. Prasad and a number of his family members, including son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance's (INDIA')s Chief Ministerial candidate, are named in the case. "Congress and RJD know nothing except a politics of insults. They heaped scorn on Chhathi Maiya by calling it a drama. They had spoken ill of Maha Kumbh. On November 11, when the second phase of polls is scheduled, you must punish them", said Modi. The allusion was to Lalu Prasad Yadav's remarks about the 12 yearly mega congregation held at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh several months ago and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's charge that Modi had enacted a 'drama' by declaring that he would take a dip in Yamuna on Chhath but backtracked when the news got leaked that a puddle had been formed close to the river banks with 'clean, piped water'. United States President Donald Trump said he could travel to India next year, emphasising that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi 'wants' him to visit while calling him a 'great man' and a friend. IMAGE: US President Donald Trump attends a dinner in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 6, 2025. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters "He's (PM Modi) a friend of mine, and we speak... He wants me to go there. We'll figure that out. I'll go. I will have a great trip there with Prime Minister Modi, he's a great man. And I'll be going," Trump said at the Oval Office on Thursday in response to a question. When asked if he is planning to go to India next year, Trump said, "It could be, yeah." India will host leaders from Australia, Japan, and the United States for the Quad summit in New Delhi after the 2024 summit was held in Wilmington, Delaware. However, the dates for the summit in India are yet to be announced. Meanwhile, President Trump once again claimed that India has stopped buying from Russia. "It's great, going good. He (PM Modi) stopped... Largely he stopped buying oil from Russia," Trump said in response to a question on how talks with Modi and trade discussions with India are progressing. Trump imposed 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India and an additional 25 per cent levies for Delhi's purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total duties imposed on India to 50 per cent. India had described the US action as "unfair, unjustified and unreasonable" while maintaining that its energy policy is guided by its own national interest. In his remarks before the press, Trump also reiterated his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan in May using trade. "Of the eight wars I ended, I would say five or six were ended because of tariffs. I'll give you an example. If you take a look at India and Pakistan, they started to fight, they are two nuclear nations... They were shooting each other. Eight planes were shot down. It was seven. Now it is eight, because the one that was sort of shot down is now abandoned. Eight planes were shot down. "And I said, 'Listen, if you guys are going to fight, I'm gonna put tariffs on you'. And they both went, you know, they were not happy about that. And within 24 hours, I settled the war. If I didn't have tariffs, I wouldn't have been able to settle that war," Trump said. The president also termed tariffs a 'great national defence'. Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a 'full and immediate ceasefire' after a 'long night' of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 60 times that he 'helped settle' the tensions between the two neighbouring countries. India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 civilians. India and Pakistan reached an understanding on May 10 to end the conflict after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. As officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan held talks in Turkiye to find a lasting solution to the cross-border militancy, their forces traded fire, testing the fragile peace between the two sides. Image used only for representational purposes. Photograph: Parwiz/Reuters/Rediff Archives The talks began in Istanbul to defuse tension between Islamabad and Kabul that erupted in an open border conflict last month. Both sides reported human losses during the clashes from October 11-15, which were brought under control after a temporary ceasefire that was extended and is still holding. However, it came under strain on Thursday after a fire exchange for which the two sides blamed each other, but the situation was brought under control. "We strongly reject claims circulated by the Afghan side regarding today's incident at the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman," Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement. "Firing was initiated from the Afghan side, to which our security forces responded immediately in a measured and responsible manner. "The situation was brought under control due to responsible action by Pakistani forces and the ceasefire remains intact," it said. The ministry also said that 'Pakistan remains committed to ongoing dialogue and expects reciprocity from Afghan authorities'. Meanwhile, Pakistan and Afghan Taliban officials resumed talks on Thursday, aiming to tackle the issue of cross-border terrorism and avoid further escalation between the two sides. The third round was planned to last for two days and was arranged after the two sides failed to agree on the contentious issues during the two rounds of talks held on October 19 in Doha and October 25 in Istanbul. For the third round, Pakistan's delegation is being led by Lt Gen Asim Malik, Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence and national security advisor, and includes senior officials from the military, intelligence agencies, and the Foreign Office. The Afghan Taliban's delegation, meanwhile, includes General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) chief Abdul Haq Waseq, Deputy Interior Minister Rehmatullah Najib, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen, Anas Haqqani, Qahar Balkhi, Zakir Jalali and Afghanistan's charge d'affaires in Ankara. So far no details have been shared by any side about the talks but sources said that talks were held in 'good atmosphere' and could be extended if needed. Earlier, during the conflict in October, Pakistan claimed that at least 206 Afghan Taliban and 110 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) operatives were killed, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Pakistan plans to create a new position of the "Commander of Defence Forces", as part of key defence reforms to ensure greater coordination and unified command among the three services, a media report said on Friday. IMAGE: A general view of a damaged portion of a mosque, after it was hit by an Indian strike, in Muridke near Lahore, on May 7, 2025. Photograph: Gibran Peshimam/Reuters The new CDF designation is being considered under the proposed amendment to Article 243, The News reported, citing sources. According to the paper, the move is said to have been inspired by lessons drawn from the four-day conflict between Pakistan and India in May and the evolving nature of modern warfare that demands integrated operational response. In response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terror infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10. Air Chief Marshal AP Singh last month said at least a dozen Pakistani military aircraft, including US-origin F-16 jets, were destroyed or damaged in Indian strikes. India has been maintaining that Pakistan pleaded for ending the hostilities in May after the Indian military pounded various Pakistani military infrastructure. Soon after the conflict, the Pakistan government promoted Army Chief General Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal, making him the second top military officer in the country's history to be elevated to the position. Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that consultations were underway for amendments to the law that governs armed forces. "Consultations on amending Article 243 are ongoing (...) defence requirements have changed," he told Geo News on Wednesday. "This entire process will be carried out through mutual consultation," he said. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday said the government will soon introduce the 27th Constitutional Amendment in Parliament. Although the official draft of the 27th Constitutional Amendment has not surfaced, its main points include the proposal to tweak Article 243. Article 243 states that "the Federal Government shall have control and command of the Armed Forces" and "the Supreme Command of the Armed Forces shall vest in the President", among other things. President Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party has hinted at giving conditional support to amend Article 243 of the Constitution. PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday said that his party authorised him to extend conditional support to the federal government's proposal to amend Article 243, The News reported. He said the proposed changes included giving a new title to the office of the chairman joint chiefs of staff committee, creating a new office regarding strategic forces command, and conferring the rank of Field Marshal upon the incumbent army chief following Pakistan's declared military victory against India earlier this year. Pakistan on Friday said that it has handed over "evidence-based" and "logical demands" to the mediators -- Turkiye and Qatar -- during the third round of peace talks being held in Istanbul with the Afghan Taliban regime. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Parwiz/Reuters/Rediff Archives Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban resumed the third round of talks in Istanbul on Thursday to tackle the issue of cross-border terrorism and avoid further escalation between the two sides. Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said that talks with the Afghan Taliban regime commenced in Istanbul on Thursday in the presence and with the participation of mediators. "The Pakistan delegation has handed over its evidence-based, justified, and logical demands to the mediators with a singular aim to put an end to cross-border terrorism, Andrabi said while addressing his weekly media briefing in Islamabad. "The mediators fully endorsed Pakistan's stance on the basis of evidence provided by our side, as well as the tenets of international law and principles, he said, adding that the mediators were discussing Pakistan's demands point by point with the Afghan delegation. Andrabi said any other information being circulated on social media, particularly from Afghan handlers or Afghan accounts, is either pure speculation or deliberate disinformation. He also said that Pakistan's demand to the Afghan Taliban regime was simple: that it should stop the infiltrators from operating from Afghan soil. The third round of talks had begun in Istanbul to defuse tension between Islamabad and Kabul that erupted in an open border conflict last month. Earlier, the two sides failed to agree on the contentious issues during the two rounds of talks held on October 19 in Doha and October 25 in Istanbul. Both sides reported human losses during the clashes from October 11-15, which were brought under control after a temporary ceasefire that was extended and is still holding. However, as officials from both Pakistan and Afghanistan held talks in Turkiye, their forces traded fire, testing the fragile peace between the two sides. Thursday witnessed an exchange of fire, for which the two sides blamed each other. The situation, however, was brought under control. "We strongly reject claims circulated by the Afghan side regarding today's incident at the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman," Pakistan's ministry of information and broadcasting said in a statement. Firing was initiated from the Afghan side, to which our security forces responded immediately in a measured and responsible manner. The situation was brought under control due to responsible action by Pakistani forces and the ceasefire remains intact, it said. The ministry also said that Pakistan remains "committed to ongoing dialogue and expects reciprocity from Afghan authorities. At the talks, Pakistan's delegation is being led by Lt Gen Asim Malik, Director General of the Inter-Services Intelligence and national security advisor, and includes senior officials from the military, intelligence agencies, and the Foreign Office. The Afghan Taliban's delegation, meanwhile, includes General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) chief Abdul Haq Waseq, Deputy Interior Minister Rehmatullah Najib, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen, Anas Haqqani, Qahar Balkhi, Zakir Jalali and Afghanistan's charge d'affaires in Ankara. Earlier, during the conflict in October, Pakistan claimed that at least 206 Afghan Taliban and 110 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan operatives were killed, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were killed. Replying to a question, the FO spokesperson said that Pakistan's armed forces and political leadership are fully geared to the defence of the country and protect sovereignty and territorial integrity in the wake of Indian aggression. The Supreme Court on Friday gave a split verdict on a plea filed by the Maharashtra government seeking a review of the court's earlier direction for setting up a special investigation team comprising police officers from both Hindu and Muslim communities to probe the communal riots that broke out in Akola in 2023. IMAGE: Charred remains of the vehicles following a violent clash between two groups over a minor dispute in the Old City area, Akola, Maharashtra, May 13, May 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo While Justice Sanjay Kumar, who authored the earlier verdict delivered on September 11, refused to review the direction, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma agreed to hear the review plea in open court. Both the judges considered the review plea in chambers. The Maharashtra government has contended that the direction to constitute a SIT, comprising senior police officers from the Hindu and Muslim communities, would impinge upon the principle of institutional secularism and amounts to prejudging a communal bias on the part of public servants. Justice Kumar said the contention loses sight of the fact that the court specifically noted that the question that arose in the appeal was as to what extent police had discharged their task of being vigilant, prompt and objective in enforcing and securing the mandate of the law, without bias and subjectivity. "The facts set out in the (September 11) order clearly demonstrate that despite information being given as to the commission of a cognisable offence, neither the officers of the police station concerned nor the superintendent of police took necessary action by at least registering an FIR, clearly manifesting total dereliction of duty on their part, be it deliberate or due to sheer carelessness," Justice Kumar said. Justifying his views in the verdict, he said as the case was related to communal riots involving Hindus and Muslims, and the hues of the matter prima facie hinted at a religious bias, it was necessary to direct the constitution of an SIT comprising senior police officers from both communities to maintain transparency and fairness in the investigation. "Needless to state, that should be the objective of the police machinery in the state of Maharashtra but, unfortunately, that did not happen in the case on hand. The review petition merely reproduces and seeks to appropriate what was stated by this court in para 23 of the order, but the same was not borne out by the action of the police officers in this case," Justice Kumar said. Referring to a 2024 verdict, he said it was noted therein that India has developed its own interpretation of secularism, wherein the country neither supports any religion nor penalises the profession and practice of any faith. "This being the ideal, the State machinery must tailor its actions accordingly, but the inescapable fact remains that such State machinery ultimately comprises members of different religions and communities. Therefore, transparency and fairness in their actions must be manifest in matters even remotely touching upon secularism and religious oppression," the judge said in the five-page review order. While holding that no grounds were made to review the top court's directions and dismissing the review plea, Justice Kumar said, "In such circumstances, the constitution of an investigation team, comprising members of the communities involved in the communal riot, would go a long way in ensuring and safeguarding the transparency and fairness of the investigation to be carried out and there is no impingement of any idealistic principle. Be it noted that secularism needs to be actuated in practice and reality, rather than be left on paper to be enshrined as a constitutional principle." Justice Sharma, on the other hand, said various grounds have been raised in the review petition and they certainly require the court's consideration. "In the considered opinion of this court, as review and recall has been sought of the judgment to the limited extent that it directs or mandates the composition of the Special Investigation Team on the basis of religious identity, it requires consideration and, therefore, let notice be issued to the respondents, returnable within two weeks," he ordered. The matter will now be placed before the chief justice of India for listing before an appropriate bench. On September 11, the court said when police officials don uniforms, they must shed their personal and religious predilections and biases. It directed the constitution of an SIT to probe an alleged murder during the communal riots. Slamming the Maharashtra Police for dereliction of duty and sheer carelessness in not registering an FIR in the matter, the court directed the state's home secretary to constitute an SIT, comprising senior police officers from Hindu and Muslim communities, to undertake an investigation after registering an FIR. Clashes broke out in the Old City area of Akola in May 2023 after a social media post on Prophet Muhammad went viral. The clashes resulted in the death of one Vilas Mahadevrao Gaikwad and injuries to eight people, including the petitioner. According to petitioner Mohammad Afzal Mohammad Sharif, four persons assaulted Gaikwad with a sword, iron pipe and other objects. The petitioner had said the four assailants then damaged his vehicle and assaulted him on the head and neck with their weapons. Sharif had, through his father, moved the Bombay High Court against police officers for not filing an FIR. The high court, however, dismissed the petition, suspecting his bona fides. HANOI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Kalmaegi has left at least five people dead and six others injured in central Vietnam, local daily Lao Dong reported Friday. Three of the fatalities were recorded in Dak Lak province, while the other two were in Gia Lai province. According to preliminary reports from local authorities, 52 houses collapsed and 2,593 others were damaged across the region. Local authorities are continuing to assess the damage and carry out recovery efforts. The Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said the typhoon weakened into a tropical depression early Friday morning before further dissipating into a low-pressure area over southern Laos. The Supreme Court on Friday directed removal of all cattle and other stray animals from highways and expressways, stating that their uncontrolled presence poses a serious and avoidable threat, particularly at night and in high-speed zones. IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo A three-judge special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria said it is a matter of grave concern that accidents caused by stray animals on public roads and highways have become alarmingly frequent across the country. "Such incidents, often resulting in loss of human life, grievous injuries, and damage to property, are not isolated events but symptomatic of a larger failure on part of administrative authorities entrusted with public safety," the bench said in its order passed in the suo motu case over stray dog menace. It said the court cannot remain unmindful of the preventable nature of these accidents, which not only reflects administrative indifference but also undermines the constitutional guarantee of the Right to Life and Safety under Article 21 of the Constitution. The bench said the need for immediate, coordinated, and sustained action by all concerned agencies such as municipal authorities, road and transport departments, public works departments and highway authorities, cannot be overstated. The bench also dealt with an order passed by the Rajasthan High Court in August wherein directions were issued for tackling the menace of stray animals on city roads and highways. It reaffirmed the directions issued by the high court and said authorities and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) "shall ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from the state highways, national highways and national expressways falling within their respective jurisdictions". It said the concerned authorities of all the states and Union Territories and the NHAI shall undertake a joint, coordinated drive to identify stretches of highways and expressways where stray animals are frequently found, and shall take immediate steps for their removal and relocation to designated shelters. "The cattle and other stray animals so picked up shall be kept in appropriate shelters or Gaushalas/cattle pounds, as the case may be, and provided with all necessary food, water and veterinary care, in accordance with provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023," the bench said. It directed that each authority shall constitute dedicated highway patrol teams or assign existing road safety units for continuous surveillance and immediate response to reports of stray animals obstructing the roadways. It said such patrols shall function on a 24X7 basis and coordinate with local police stations, veterinary officers, municipal authorities and Panchayati Raj institutions. The bench said all highways and expressways shall have prominently displayed helpline numbers at regular intervals, enabling commuters to promptly report the presence of stray animals or accidents caused. It said these helplines shall be linked to the control rooms of the local police, NHAI and district administration for real-time monitoring and redress. "The chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, together with the chairperson of National Highways Authority of India, shall ensure strict enforcement of these directions through appropriate administrative orders and field-level monitoring," the bench said. It said they shall hold the concerned officers personally accountable for lapses or recurring incidents in their respective jurisdictions. The bench said its directions shall be implemented uniformly across India and the chief secretaries of all states and UTs, chairperson of NHAI and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways shall file status-cum-compliance affidavits within eight weeks. It said the compliance affidavits shall indicate the mechanism established for removal and sheltering of stray animals from highways, constitution and functioning of patrol team, operational status of helpline facilities and installation of sign boards displaying helpline numbers. The bench asked the apex court registry to implead the NHAI through its chairperson in the matter. The top court posted the matter for further hearing on January 13. The apex court is hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28 over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital. 'Age matters and the way Tejashwi has been doing an aggressive campaign, only a young leader like him can do it.' IMAGE: The Mahagathbandhan's chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav addresses an election meeting in Bihar, November 7, 2025. Photographs: M I Khan for Rediff "Maine apne helicopter ko tractor bana diya hai (I have turn my helicopter into tractor)." This is what Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, the Mahagathbandan's chief ministerial candidate, tells voters at election rallies. Tejashwi has deployed a helicopter so that he can address 18 election rallies each day since early this week. It is part of his strategy to single-handedly take on the rival National Democratic Alliance's high-octane campaign led by dozens of leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers Rajiv Ranjan 'Lalan' Singh, Jitan Ram Manjhi and Chirag Paswan, Bharatiya Janata Party President J P Nadda and Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis (Maharashtra), Yogi Adityanath (Uttar Pradesh), Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam), Mohan Yadav (Madhya Pradesh), Nayab Singh Saini (Haryana), Rekha Gupta (Delhi) and other senior BJP leaders. IMAGE: On an average Tejashwi addresses 18 election rallies a day. "I am using one helicopter for the election campaign and the BJP has pressed 30 helicopters against me, a 37-year-old youth, who is facing them alone," Tejashwi tells voters. "I address 18 election rallies in a day. For this I have turned my helicopter into a tractor," Tejashwi said at the first of his 18 scheduled election rallies on Friday, November 7. IMAGE: Both RJD candidates and nominees fielded by Mahagathbandan constituents count on Tejashwi to canvass votes for them. Tejashwi addressed 18 election rallies each on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. "On Friday Tejashwi is set to address 18 election rallies. It will be the same on Saturday and Sunday, the last day of campaigning for the final phase of the election, which will see voting in 122 of 243 assembly constituencies,", says RJD leader Ejaz Ahmad. IMAGE: Tejashwi addressed more than 250 election rallies during the 2020 assembly election campaign. He addressed more than 200 rallies during the 2024 Lok Sabha campaign. His father, RJD Founder Lalu Prasad Yadav, 79, has stayed away from the 2025 campaign -- so far Lalu has held two roadshows in the Danapur and Phulwarisarif constituencies in Patna, but not addressed an election rally. Janata Dal-United President Nitish Kumar, 74, lags far behind Tejashwi in the number of election rallies he has addressed this election cycle. "Age matters and the way Tejashwi has been doing an aggressive campaign, only a young leader like him can do it," a JD-U leader admits. Modi, Shah and the other BJP leaders have been campaigning in Bihar daily. IMAGE: 'I have turn my helicopter into a tractor,' Tejashwi reminds electors at rallies. Bad weather due to Cyclone Montha disrupted the election campaign on October 31 and November 1, as helicopters remained grounded at Patna airport. Most of them then video conferenced with constituents. IMAGE: Tejashwi addressed 18 election rallies each on November 4, 5, 6. Photographs curated by Anant Salvi/Rediff Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that government land in Maharashtra worth Rs 1,800 crore which was reserved for Dalits was sold to a company linked to a state minister's son and claimed that this "land theft" is done by the government, which was formed through "vote theft". IMAGE: Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi interacts during a public meeting for the Bihar assembly election at Kasba, in Purnia, Bihar, November 6, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo In a post on X, Gandhi questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the deal asking whether it is because his government rests on those very people who "usurp" the rights of Dalits and the deprived. The Rs 300-crore land deal in Pune involving a firm linked to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son Parth was embroiled in charges of irregularities and set off a political row on Thursday, prompting the government to order a high-level probe. In Maharashtra, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha alleged that government land of Rs 1800 crore, which was reserved for Dalits, was sold to the company of the minister's son for just Rs 300 crore. "On top of that, the stamp duty was also waived on the land deal - meaning not only is it a robbery, but a waiver on the legal stamp duty too," he alleged. "This is 'land theft' by that government, which itself was formed through 'vote theft'. They know that no matter how much they 'loot', they will return to power by 'stealing' votes again," the Congress leader alleged. "No regard for democracy, nor for the public, nor for the rights of Dalits." "Modi ji, your silence speaks volumes. Are you staying silent for this reason, because your government rests only on those very looters who usurp the rights of Dalits and the deprived?" Gandhi asked. While Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the issue was "prima facie serious" and he had sought information from relevant departments, Ajit Pawar insisted he was in no way connected to the controversial deal. The Opposition slammed the ruling Mahayuti comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, Ajit Pawar's Nationalit Congress Party and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and demanded a judicial inquiry even as a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against three persons in the case. The government has suspended a sub-registrar and set up a high-level committee to investigate alleged irregularities in the land deal. Parth Pawar is yet to respond to the allegations. According to an official, 40 acre of 'Mahar Vatan' land belonging to the government in Pune's upmarket Mundhwa area was sold to a private firm, Amadea Enterprises LLP, represented by its partner Digvijay Amarsinh Patil, for Rs 300 crore, and the stamp duty on it was waived. Parth Pawar is also a partner in the firm, the official said. The widow of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, shot dead in October last year, has moved Bombay high court seeking setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case claiming police has failed to bring the real culprits to book. IMAGE: Zeeshan Siddiqui and Arshia Siddique, son and daughter of NCP leader Baba Siddiqui, during his funeral procession, in Bandra, Mumbai, October 24, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo Siddique (66) was shot dead by three assailants outside his son Zeeshan's office in Mumbai's Bandra (East) area on the night of October 12, 2024. Shehzeen Siddique, in her plea filed through advocate Trivankumar Karnani, said the police has intentionally avoided to arrest the real culprits in the case and has claimed the killing was ordered by Anmol Bishnoi, brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The plea is likely to be heard by the HC next week. Shehzeen Siddique in her plea alleged she has a strong suspicion about the involvement of the builder lobby and a political leader behind her husband's death. "Siddique (Baba) always had the interest of slumdwellers and hence he was considered as a hurdle by several developers and builders in the area. This angle was never probed by the police," the plea alleged. The suspected offenders have connections to the present ruling state government and, hence, the probe ought to be carried out by an independent investigating agency, the petition said. It claimed that in July last year, Baba Siddique got a threatening message from one Prithvijeet Chavan following which the former sought restoration of his security cover. His son Zeeshan Siddique, a sitting MLA at the time, also wrote a letter to then chief minister Eknath Shinde seeking additional Y+ security for his father, the plea said. One Ashok Mundra, associate of Mohit Kamboj, had in August used derogatory language against Baba Siddique, it added. In January this year, a chargesheet was filed by the police and in April an application was filed seeking permission to carry out further probe. However, this application was withdrawn. In June, Siddique's family members sought information about the steps taken by the government to secure the presence of Anmol Bishnoi in the case. However, the information was refused to the family under the Right to Information Act. In August, they were informed that an extradition request has been sent by the ministry of external affairs to US authorities. Anmol Bishnoi, brother of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, has been shown as a wanted accused in the chargesheet. As per the prosecution, Anmol Bishnoi hatched a conspiracy to kill Siddique to instil fear and dominance over the crime syndicate. As many as 26 arrested people have been chargesheeted in the case. All of them have been booked under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) and are currently in judicial custody. From the capital Patna to the dusty bylanes of Jehanabad, many have already written off Jan Suraaj -- the latest entrant on Bihar's political block. IMAGE: Jan Suraaj chief Prashant Kishor during a roadshow at Sandesh Assembly Constituency for the Bihar Assembly elections, in Bhojpur, Bihar, November 4, 2025. Photograph: ANI Photo The party's supporters, however, are hopeful of making a "dent" in the 243-member Assembly and emerging as a "kingmaker, if not a king." Many critics posit that the former political strategist Prashant Kishor-led party "has a vision", but it is "too young" and "inexperienced" in politics to be trusted. Dr Rajiv Jha, a resident of Patna's Patrakar Nagar, seethes with anger at heaps of garbage dumped near his home and broken roads, which he hopes might be fixed after this election. Asked how he looks at the entry of Kishor's party in the fray, the cardiologist argued that the party "won't be able to open its account." Arun Kumar Pathak, 71, who retired as chief ticket supervisor in the Indian Railways, is even more critical of the newcomer and its candidate from the key Kumhrar constituency, 71-year-old mathematician K C Sinha. "This new party is not trustworthy, has suddenly appeared on the election horizon without any experience... 'Unki (Sinha) zamanat japt ho jayegi' (he will have to forfeit his deposit). The mathematician is a local. He could have done something good for the area earlier, before joining politics. But now he wants votes, so speaking of change," he charged. Kumhrar is dominated by the Kayastha community population-wise, and many other locals contend that Jan Suraaj has picked Sinha, a political debutant and author of several textbooks on mathematics, based on "caste arithmetic." Residents of Kumhrar, Bankipur, Patna Sahib, Digha and Danapur constituencies, falling within the city limits of Patna, voted on Thursday as part of the first phase of the polling. Dr Ranvir Narayan, who voted in Bankipore seat, said a newbie like Jan Suraaj makes "tall promises", but it's "just not cut out for the role yet." Jan Suraaj has also been accused by a section of voters of being the "Team B" of the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre and the main ally of JD(U) in the NDA government in Bihar. A party insider, who has been part of the journey of Jan Suraaj since 2022, much before the party was floated and officially launched, claimed the "narrative" has been set by a few leaders who want to "mislead Muslim voters who might align themselves with us." The party, which aspires to build a "prosperous Bihar", was launched in Patna on October 2 last year. Many political commentators and ordinary people questioned the timing of the announcement that came just ahead of the Bihar election. The logo of Jan Suraaj is a yellow circle with images of Mahatma Gandhi and B R Ambedkar embedded inside it. The party symbol is a school bag. The three pillars of the party are "right people, right thinking and collective efforts." Jan Suraaj has said it will fight on all 243 seats, and according to the party insider, it is hopeful of scoring on "at least 30 seats in the state, including a few in Patna." In an interview with PTI on October 15, Kishor said that a "tally of less than 150 seats" for Jan Suraaj will be considered a defeat. "If Jan Suraaj Party wins the Bihar polls, it will have a nationwide impact. The compass of national politics will point in a different direction," he said. Kishor has maintained that his party has "given an option" to people and they have to decide what kind of government and what kind of leaders they wish to elect for themselves, if Bihar is to change for the better. Jan Suraaj is banking heavily on young voters, but many of them feel that his decision not to contest himself will hamper the party's prospects. Shivam Pratap Singh, 28, a first-time voter, after exercising his franchise in Patna, said, "This new party has outlined good commitments, but how realistic they are. First, one needs to get elected, and for that, one has to do something concrete at ground level to earn people's confidence." Gaya native Tarique Anwar, 33, who is left-oriented and currently in Jehanabad district to campaign for a candidate, says, there is "no 'Jan Suraaj' factor in Jehanabad Assembly seat, it is just a two-way contest between NDA and INDIA bloc." The second phase of the elections will be held on November 1,1 and votes will be counted on November 14. 'We are a country of around 142 crore people and none of them believes the blame has to go to the pilot.' 'Whatever could be the reason for the tragedy, it is not the pilots.' The Supreme Court on Friday said no one blamed the chief pilot of the Air India Dreamliner for the June 12 crash, which claimed 260 lives, and asked his 91-year-old father not to carry any emotional burden. IMAGE: Pushkaraj Sabharwal, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's father, breaks down in tears as he bids farewell to his son. Photograph: ANI Video Grab "There is no insinuation against him even in the preliminary report," Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said, emphasising that if necessary, the court will clarify that the pilot is not to be blamed for the 'unfortunate' plane crash. The top court issued notice to the Centre and the Director General of Civil Aviation on a plea filed by Pushkaraj Sabharwal, deceased pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal's father. Pushkaraj Sabharwal and the Federation of Indian Pilots moved the Supreme Court for a court-monitored inquiry headed by a former apex court judge into the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad. "First of all, it was an unfortunate plane crash and secondly, you should not carry a burden on yourself that your son is being blamed. The pilot is not to be blamed for the plane crash. It was an accident," the bench told Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Pushkaraj Sabharwal. "No one in the county believes that it was the fault of the pilot," the judges said. Sankaranarayanan said it all started after The Wall Street Journal newspaper punlished a report pointing to errors on the pilot's part that led to the crash, citing unnamed government sources. The judges said, "It was nasty reporting only to blame India. We are not bothered by foreign media reports. No one in the country believes that it was the fault of the pilot." "I am aggrieved because my son was attacked," Sankaranarayanan said, speaking on Pushkaraj Sabharwal's behalf. Justice Bagchi said if the petitioner is aggrieved by foreign media reports, then, with respect, his remedy lies in an American court, where he can file a suit. "Your angst is understandable but there is clear incongruity between public perception and the factual position," Justice Bagchi added. The judges read out a paragraph from the preliminary report of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) issued on July 12 and said nowhere does it state that the pilot is to be blamed and it only refers to the conversation between him and his co-pilot. "There is just a mention of the cockpit recorder where one pilot asked whether the fuel was cut off by the other and the other pilot said no. There's no suggestion of any fault in that report. There is no question of apportioning blame on them," Justice Bagchi said. Sankaranarayanan pointed out that there were persistent safety issues involving Boeing aircraft globally and the Ahmedabad crash must be viewed in that larger context. "The scope of the AAIB investigation is not to blame but to suggest preventive measures. If necessary, we will clarify that the pilot cannot be blamed," the judges said. "We are a country of around 142 crore people and none of them believes the blame has to go to the pilot. Whatever could be the reason for the tragedy, it is not the pilots," the judges added. Sankaranarayanan said that they want an independent probe into the matter and the preliminary report prepared after the tragedy was not based on an independent investigation. Justice Bagchi said the investigation into the accident was conducted according to the process. "If you challenge the investigation, you have to challenge the statutory provisions of the (Aircraft) Act itself," the judge said. "These pilots are offering their services to the nation," Sankaranarayanan said. "Such kind of insinuations... that's very sad." The judges listed the matter for further hearing on November 10, along with other pending petitions on the crash. Pushkaraj Sabharwal has sought a 'fair, transparent and technically robust' investigation into the tragic incident. He said his son had an 'unblemished career spanning over 30 years, with 15,638 hours of incident-free flying, including 8,596 hours on Boeing 787-8 aircraft, without a single reported lapse or incident causing fatalities or otherwise'. The petition, filed through AP&J Chambers on October 10, made the Union ministry of civil aviation, DGCA and AAIB respondents. The plea seeks directions for the constitution of an independent committee, also comprising aviation and technical experts, to probe the crash. The approach of the investigation has resulted in a failure to adequately examine, or rule out, other more plausible technical and procedural factors relating to Boeing that could have contributed to the tragic incident, the plea said. 'An incomplete and prejudiced inquiry, without identification of the exact cause of the accident, endangers the lives of future passengers and undermines aviation safety at large, causing a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution,' it said. The probe team is dominated by officers from DGCA and the state aviation authorities whose procedures, oversight and possible lapses are directly implicated in the investigation, it added. The ill-fated aircraft took off from Ahmedabad for London Gatwick but crashed within minutes, impacting the BJ Medical College hostel located less than a nautical mile from the end of the runway. The Emergency Locator Transmitter failed to activate, and both the pilot-in-command Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and co-pilot Captain Clive Kunder lost their lives in the crash, the plea said. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Clear to partly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low near 15F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Clear to partly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low near 15F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A high-level seminar was held Thursday in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to further deepen China-Africa cooperation in spurring Africa's green and sustainable industrialization. Themed "China Supports Africa's Industrialization: Promoting Green, Coordinated, and Sustainable Development," the seminar brought together experts and policymakers from China and Africa, as well as representatives from the African Union (AU), United Nations agencies, think tanks, and academia. Jiang Feng, head of the Chinese Mission to the AU, highlighted Africa's recent industrialization progress, as evidenced by the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement and national development strategies across the continent. "Industrialization is African people's dream and legitimate right," Jiang said, as he emphasized China's continued support for Africa's industrialization through key cooperation platforms, such as the Belt and Road Initiative. "China and Africa have jointly implemented a vocational education cooperation project called Future of Africa, co-established Luban Workshops and Centers for Chinese Language and Professional Skills, and conducted the Chinese Language + Vocational Skills Project. These efforts have helped Africa train over 300,000 practical professionals," he said. Jiang reiterated China's willingness to work with the AU and African countries in the implementation of the initiative to support Africa's industrialization and the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Lerato Dorothy Mataboge emphasized "great alignment" of the deepening China-Africa cooperation with Africa's industrialization ambition. Noting that Africa's industrialization effort needs to be backed by capacity building, development of skills, institutions, and human capital, the AU commissioner called for collaborative actions to foster locally-led capacity building programs and centers of excellence for green technologies. US President Donald Trump unveiled a slew of trade, diplomatic, and mineral deals as he hosted Central Asias five leaders for a summit and dinner meant to shore up Washington's influence in the region. Flanked by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance at a long table at the White House, Trump said that he was committed to making US relations with Central Asia "stronger than ever" as the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan hailed a new era of ties. Sadly, previous American presidents neglected this region completely, Trump said. "I understand the importance of this region but a lot of people dont know that. Prior to their working dinner, Kazakhstan announced a major mineral deal through a new joint partnership with the United States to develop one of the world's largest untapped deposits of tungsten, which sits in the Central Asian country. The deal will see the US company Cove Kaz Capital Group take a 70 percent stake in the venture alongside Kazakhstans state mining firm and is estimated to cost $1.1 billion, while the US Export-Import Bank has issued a letter of interest to fund $900 million. Among other takeaways from the summit was a still yet to be fully detailed deal to sell up to a combined 37 Boeing jets to the national airlines of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Kazakhstan also announced more than 30 agreements worth $17.2 billion signed with US companies. On the diplomatic front, Kazakhstan said it expects to join the Abraham Accords, the US-led framework for cooperation between Israel and Arab and Muslim nations. US officials said the summit is meant to signal a new US commitment to engage with Central Asia more steadily. We oftentimes spend so much time focused on crises and problems -- and they deserve attention -- that sometimes we dont spend enough time focused on exciting new opportunities, Rubio said at a working breakfast with the five Central Asian leaders earlier on November 6. And thats what exists here now: an exciting new opportunity in which the national interests of our respective countries are aligned. A New Chapter In Central Asias US Playbook Central Asia is looking to balance its trade and security relationships that remain dominated by China and Russia by deepening ties with the United States. The summit in Washington follows other efforts by major powers this year to deepen the relationship with the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin joined a summit in Tajikistan in September with other Central Asian leaders and Chinese leader Xi Jinping traveled to Kazakhstan in June for a meeting with the regions presidents. The European Union also held a summit with the regions leaders in April in Uzbekistan to talk about infrastructure investments and accessing Central Asias critical minerals. That mineral wealth was once again the focus in Washington, with the regions deep reserves of rare earths -- 17 elements used in everything from wind turbines to smartphones to fighter jet engines -- and vast deposits of uranium, copper, gold, and other strategic minerals essential to global efforts to transition to greener forms of energy. Pini Althaus, the CEO of Cove Kaz Capital Group that struck the tungsten deal in Kazakhstan, called the agreement a generational win for the US and its critical minerals needs and told Reuters that Trump and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick helped negotiate the deal to prevent Chinese companies from developing the strategic deposit. Ben Godwin, head of analysis at PRISM, a strategic intelligence firm in London, told RFE/RL that the summits focus on Central Asias mineral wealth is part of a longstanding strategy from the regions leaders to win Washingtons attention. "The Central Asians are absolutely using this critical minerals angle as their leverage point to get more engagement from the United States on other issues that are more important to the region and the local economies, he said. "In the 2000s, it was the War on Terror and oil and gas. Then there was a decarbonization era were many new projects in Central Asia were centered around renewable energy," Godwin told RFE/RL. Now it's the role of critical minerals in national security. US interest in critical minerals seems to have already started to open other doors. The White House meetings followed a bipartisan group of senators introducing legislation on November 5 to repeal Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions, a Cold War-era trade restrictions that some lawmakers say are holding back US investment in Central Asia. Today, its not too late to deepen our cooperation and ensure that these countries can decide their own destinies, as a volatile Russia and an increasingly aggressive China pursue their own national interests around the globe at the cost to their neighbors, said Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a sponsor of the legislation. Central Asia Flexes Its Critical Minerals Muscles The deals follow a truce in Beijing and Washingtons trade war and accelerating competition between the United States and China over the export of rare earth elements -- a key point of friction in their trade negotiations. That resulted in a one-year pause on some of Chinas export restrictions on rare earths following a late October meeting between Trump and Xi. Washington is now looking for new ways to circumvent Beijing on the metals. China accounts for nearly 70 percent of the worlds rare earth mining and controls roughly 90 percent of their processing. While Central Asia could be a long-term source, the region is hoping the badly needed new investment will help it develop the resources. A new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington-based think tank, said that Chinese and Russian capital dominate the regions mining, processing, and logistics networks and warned that "structural barriers, ranging from underdeveloped westward transport routes to recurring energy shortages, continue to deter Western investment. The Trump administration added 10 minerals on November 6 to a list it deems essential for the US economy and national security, including copper, vital to electric vehicles, power grids, and data centers, and metallurgical coal, used to make coke fuel for steel production. Kazakhstan Joins A US Diplomatic Push On The Abraham Accords The decision to join the Abraham Accords, a hallmark achievement of Trumps first term in office, puts Kazakhstan at the center of a new push by the White House to reinvigorate the foreign policy initiative. The Abraham Accords were designed as a way to bolster cooperation between Israel and the Muslim world, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco signing the agreement in 2020 to normalize their relations. The Trump administration is reportedly looking to expand the initiative and it will be a focus of a planned visit to Washington on November 18 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Kazakh President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev reportedly held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce Kazakhstan's intention to join, although Astana has already maintained full diplomatic ties with Israel for more than 30 years. But Joseph Epstein, director of the Washington-based Yorktown Institute's Turan Research Center, told RFE/RL that while the move by Kazakhstan may appear symbolic, it could hold diplomatic weight moving forward. Astanas decision to join the Abraham Accords marks the beginning of a new phase, transforming the accords from a Middle East peace initiative to a pro-US coalition of moderate Muslim countries devoted to tolerance and prosperity, Epstein said. One day after the Czech Republics new parliamentary speaker, Tomio Okamura, oversaw the removal of a Ukrainian flag from the Czech parliament building complex, eight more flags have appeared in its stead. During election campaigning, the leader of the nationalist-populist Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party had vowed to remove all Ukrainian flags from government buildings within a second" if elected. A polarizing figure known for his outspoken views on migration and his occasional political stunts, Okamura was declared speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Czech parliament, on November 5. He was elected parliamentary speaker after the SPD joined a governing coalition led by ANO, the party of Andrej Babis, a right-wing populist billionaire and former prime minister. Okamura has opposed continued funding for Kyivs war effort and called for the return of Ukrainian refugees to their home country, citing polls showing nearly half of Czechs see Ukrainians as a threat rather than a benefit to the countrys development. Ukrainian refugees make up some 3.6 percent of the population of the Czech Republic, the highest ratio in Europe. A recent survey indicated that less than a quarter plan to return to Ukraine once their refugee visas expire. A Ukrainian flag had hung from the parliament since February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Soon after Okamura posted video of the flag being removed from the Czech parliament building, in a quiet lane in Pragues historic center, several opposition politicians responded by unfurling their own Ukrainian flags from windows of the parliament. We are returning the flag, which Tomio Okamura shamefully removed today, to the building of the Chamber of Deputies, the center-left Czech Pirate Party posted, with images of a flag being hung from a window. The move to informally hang flags from the parliament has sparked heated debate online. The most liked comment under the Pirate Partys post declared symbolically [the Ukrainian flag] was enough for maybe three months, but why should it hang there into the fourth year? Almost directly across the lane from the removed Ukrainian flag, an Israeli flag hangs on the parliament building that was installed after the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas militants. Okamura responded to criticism over the apparent selective targeting of the Ukrainian flag by suggesting the fate of the Israeli flag may be discussed in the future. Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. I'm RFE/RL correspondent Kian Sharifi. In this edition, Im looking at why Iran needs the results of Iraqs upcoming parliamentary elections to go its way, and what it would mean if Tehran doesnt get the result it wants. What You Need To Know Eyes On Iraq: Iraqs parliamentary elections on November 11 come at a critical moment for Tehran. With its influence in the region facing growing challenges, the results could determine whether Iran keeps a key foothold or ends up juggling proxies from a distance, at a higher cost. Leftist Economists, Sociologists Detained: Security forces in Tehran raided several homes this week, going after left-leaning scholars and writers. They arrested economist Parviz Sedaqat, sociologist Mahsa Asadollahnejad, and translator Shirin Karimi, and they summoned economist Mohammad Maljoo, whose status is still unclear. Theres no official explanation yet. Hossein Qazian, a US-based Iranian sociologist, told RFE/RLs Radio Farda the authorities are sending a message: a show of force to remind critics the state hasnt lost its grip. Ask Me Anything, On Reddit: I've been fielding sharp questions on Iran and the wider Middle East on Reddit this week. If youre into nuanced takes and back-and-forths, you might enjoy the thread. Ill be answering until later today, so if theres something on your mind, youve still got time to drop it in. Go on, AMA! The Big Issue Holding On To Iraq Setbacks in Syria and increasing pressure on Hezbollah in Lebanon have made Iraq the central stage for Iran to protect its regional influence, maintain economic access, and preserve its deterrence strategy. In other words, what happens in Baghdad over the next few weeks could have ripple effects far beyond Iraqs borders. Shiite factions within Iraqs Coordination Framework -- home to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani -- are now at odds over US-backed moves to disband the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), the Iran-aligned militias folded into Iraqs army. Once united under Tehran, many Shiite groups are now running against each other, signaling a shift toward transactional politics. Last month, Iran sent Quds Force chief Esmail Qaani to Baghdad to try to contain the rivalries, but its still unclear if he succeeded. Why It Matters: For Tehran, Iraq has become its most crucial foothold -- the go-to anchor for regional influence and deterrence as its options elsewhere in the Middle East shrink. With Iraqs Shiite Coordination Framework showing cracks and voters growing tired of militia politics, theres an opening for more nationalist forces to chip away at Irans grip on government formation, especially if turnout is low and coalition talks drag on. US pressure to disarm the PMF and tighten state control directly challenges Tehrans leverage, making heavy-handed tactics riskier and costlier. For Iran, a real setback would be a coalition that sidelines its closest allies from key posts in security, energy, and finance -- curbing PMF budgets and steering ministries toward economic diversification. Still, even if pro-Iran parties lose ground, Tehran isnt out of moves. Its networks in Iraqs militias, media, and backroom politics can still give it veto power in postelection bargaining. Iran has long shown it can turn chaos into leverage -- just look at Hezbollahs role in Lebanons political deadlock from 2016 to 2020. What's Being Said: Iranian officials have mostly stayed quiet about the upcoming elections next door, but state-linked media have been sounding the alarm for weeks about what they call Western attempts to sway the vote. The hard-line Tasnim News Agency, tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), claimed the US Embassy in Baghdad has become a hub for shaping and directing Iraqs elections. It also accused Israel and several Gulf Arab states of trying to influence the outcome in hopes of pressuring the axis of resistance. Meanwhile, the official IRNA news agency quoted pro-Iran Iraqi commentators who say Washington wants a say in forming Iraqs next government. Expert Opinion: "The parliamentary elections could indeed be consequential for Iran, because if its preferred candidates fare poorly, it's just another thing that goes wrong for Tehran and could lead to a cascading effect where Iranian power is viewed as significantly diminished," said Colin Clarke, executive director of the Soufan Center, a New York-based think tank. That's all from me for now. Until next time, Kian Sharifi If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday. UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday regretted the U.S. push for a vote by the Security Council on a draft resolution over sanctions against the Syrian interim leader, arguing that the draft resolution adjusting sanctions related to Syria fails to address the legitimate concerns of the parties concerned. The Security Council on Thursday voted to adopt Resolution 2799 to remove Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and interim interior minister Anas Khattab from the Islamic State and al-Qaida sanctions list. China abstained from the voting. In an explanation of the vote, Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said that on adjusting the Security Council's sanctions related to Syria, China's position has been "loud and clear from the very beginning." "We are of the view that the Security Council should take into full account the counter-terrorism and security situation in Syria, the complex potential impact that may be brought by the adjustments, and the long-term interests and actual needs of Syria, to properly address the legitimate concerns of all parties and make prudent decisions based on careful study," Fu said. Regrettably, the draft failed to embody the above principles and spirit, he said, adding that "China therefore had to abstain from the voting." Noting that China had actively participated in Security Council consultations on the draft, Fu said that together with some members, China expressed legitimate concerns, particularly with regard to foreign terrorist fighters in Syria, and put forward many constructive amendment proposals. However, the United States, as the sponsor, did not fully heed the views of all members and forced the council to take action even when there were huge differences among council members, in an attempt to serve its own political agenda. China expresses its regret, Fu said. At present, Syria is undergoing a political transition and is faced with a fragile security situation and the arduous task of counter-terrorism. Numerous foreign terrorist fighters have exploited this situation to their advantage, seriously threatening the peace and security of Syria, the region and beyond, said Fu. "Fighting against terrorism is the basis for Syria's national reconstruction. Any action taken by the Council on Syria should take into full account the counter-terrorism situation and should contribute to the achievement of the Council's objectives on counter-terrorism. Any support and assistance provided to Syria should not undermine the integrity and effectiveness of the Council's sanctions regime," Fu said. The resolution just adopted reaffirms the council's counter-terrorism requirements and makes it clear that Syria should fulfill its commitments in this regard, take decisive measures to prevent terrorist acts, and address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, including East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) members in Syria, Fu said, adding that the Syrian transitional government should fulfill its counter-terrorism obligations, take practical measures to make substantive progress, and win the trust of the international community. At present, more than 160 entities and over 430 individuals are still on the Islamic State and al-Qaida sanctions list, and restrictive measures such as travel bans, asset freezes and arms embargoes are still in effect. All countries are obligated to strictly implement the Security Council's sanctions resolutions, and prevent all designated entities and individuals, including the ETIM, from obtaining funds, weapons and any other types of support, directly or indirectly, from outside and posing a threat to the security of other countries, Fu said. A Russian soldier convicted of executing a captured Ukrainian serviceman has been handed a life sentence, the first time Ukraine has imprisoned a person on such charges. The Ukrainian Prosecutor-General's Office and Security Service stated on November 6 that a court in Zaporizhzhya sentenced Dmitry Kurashov, 27, to life in prison for the crime. The court found Kurashov, a rifleman in the Storm-V assault unit of Russia's 127th Motorized Rifle Division composed of convicts who signed up to fight for the Kremlin in Ukraine in exchange for their release from prison back home, shot and killed unarmed Ukrainian serviceman Vitaliy Hodnyuk at point-blank range. According to the court, Hodnyuk emerged unarmed from a dugout and, following orders to put his hands up and kneel, Kurashov opened fire with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. 'We Ate Mice, Slugs, Worms': Ukrainian Soldier Recounts Brutal Russian Captivity by RFE/RL No media source currently available 0:00 0:01:04 0:00 Defendant Was A Convicted Thief Kurashov, who was previously convicted in Russia for theft, joined the Russian armed forces in November 2023 in exchange for amnesty and was deployed to the Zaporizhzhya front. After the incident, Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack, recapturing their positions and took Kurashov and four of his fellow Russian soldiers prisoners, some of whom testified against him at the trial. Kurashov lost an eye in the battle. During the trial, Kurashov initially admitted guilt but later sought to retract his confession, claiming another soldier was responsible. However, the court weighed testimonies from fellow prisoners and the evidence and found the defendant guilty. The sentencing was pronounced as authorities continue to document other violations of international law, including the confirmed execution of over 320 Ukrainian POWs since Russia started its ongoing invasion in February 2022. A UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission (HRMMU) reportin February accused Russian authorities of subjecting Ukrainian POWs to "systematic and widespread torture." It also said it had verified the executions of 71 Ukrainian POWs since February 2022. The HRMMU said it also recorded "an alarming spike in executions since August 2024 with at least 79 executions assessed as credible in 24 separate incidents." Moscow denies its military has committed atrocities in Ukraine, despite the mounting evidence. Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords, a diplomatic pact brokered by the United States to normalize relations between Israel and Muslim-majority nations, in a strategic move intended to curry favor with Washington. Astanas decision on November 6 is largely symbolic -- Kazakhstan has long recognized Israel and maintained diplomatic ties with the country since gaining independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But joining the Abraham Accords, a hallmark achievement of US President Donald Trumps first term in office, puts Kazakhstan at the center of a new push by the White House to reinvigorate the foreign policy initiative. Expanding The Abraham Accords The Abraham Accords were designed to bolster cooperation between Israel and the Muslim world, with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco signing the agreement in 2020 to normalize their relations. The Trump administration is looking to expand the initiative, and it will be a focus of a planned visit to Washington on November 18 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Kazakhstan, the largest and wealthiest country in Central Asia, will become the first country in that region to join the accords. The move expands the diplomatic agreement from the Middle East and North Africa to Central Asia. Our anticipated accession to the Abraham Accords represents a natural and logical continuation of Kazakhstans foreign policy course -- grounded in dialogue, mutual respect, and regional stability, a statement by the Kazakh government said. For oil-rich Kazakhstan, a longtime ally of Moscow and a deepening partner of Beijing, joining the Abraham Accords is seen as an opportunity to partner with the United States. Sandwiched between Russia and China, Kazakhstan wants as many partners as it can get, and in particular Astana wants a more active relationship with the United States and Europe, Andrew DAnieri, the associate director of the Atlantic Councils Eurasia Center, wrote in an analysis for the Washington-based think tank. Joining the Abraham Accords is a smart pragmatic step to get positive attention from Washington to help catalyze more concrete economic interest in Kazakhstan from US government agencies and the private sector. It was not a coincidence, experts said, that Kazakhstan announced that it will join the Abraham Accords as Trump hosted Central Asias five leaders at the White House. During the one-day summit, Trump announced trade, diplomatic, and mineral deals to strengthen US ties with a region long dominated by Moscow and increasingly tied to China. Mineral Deals With Central Asia Prior to the summit, Kazakhstan announced a major mineral deal through a new partnership with the United States to develop one of the world's largest untapped deposits of tungsten, which sits in the Central Asian country. Joseph Epstein, director of the Washington-based Yorktown Institute's Turan Research Center, told RFE/RL that while the move by Kazakhstan may appear symbolic, it could hold diplomatic weight moving forward. Astanas decision to join the Abraham Accords marks the beginning of a new phase, transforming the accords from a Middle East peace initiative to a pro-US coalition of moderate Muslim countries devoted to tolerance and prosperity, Epstein said. Other countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus have shown interest in joining the accords, including Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, which borders Iran. Winning over key players such as Astana and Baku, with rich gas and uranium deposits and a location at the doors of the Caspian Sea, will provide the United States and Israel with a strategic edge over Russia and Iran in regions the latter traditionally viewed as their exclusive sphere of influence, Sarah Zaaimi, senior fellow with the Atlantic Councils Middle East Programs, wrote in an analysis for the think tank. Serbia's parliament has approved a special law to fast-track a planned property development in Belgrade by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, overriding local concerns about the project on the site of NATO's 1999 bombing. Legislators voted 130-40 on November 4 in favor of the law, backed by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of President Aleksandar Vucic -- who has spoken enthusiastically of the plan, saying it will result in a "magnificent hotel." Kushner, who is married to Trump's elder daughter, Ivanka, and served as a White House adviser during Trump's first term in office, last year announced a $500 million hotel complex in Belgrade. Bombed By NATO In 1999 The development, designed by architect Nikola Dobrovic, centered on a pair of jagged unoccupied modernist brick structures in the center of Belgrade, the former General Staff headquarters for the Yugoslav Army. The site was bombed by NATO jets in the spring of 1999 as part of a campaign to stop Serbian forces from attacking parts of Kosovo, which was still part of the country. Despite being bombed out, the buildings retained their protected status due to what activists said was their architectural significance. The new law overrides this by declaring the project a national priority, stating that "all procedures related to the implementation of the General Staff revitalization project are to be considered urgent," and "all state bodies and institutions are obliged to issue acts within their jurisdiction without delay." Speaking during debate over the law, opposition parliamentary deputy Biljana Dordevic of the GreenLeft Front said the provisions of the new law allow it to take effect the day after adoption. I can imagine theyll start demolishing as soon as next week. Citizens will surely come and try to stop it. I cant imagine it otherwise, she said. Kushner's company, Affinity Partners, did not immediately comment on the ruling. A Long-Running Battle The legislation follows a series of battles over the project. In November 2024, the Serbian government stripped the buildings of their protected designation, paving the way for Kushner's company to move forward. That prompted outrage from historic preservationists. In May, prosecutors announced that the cultural official in charge of the site's historic designation had forged a signature on a key document and had been arrested. Goran Vasic, acting director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, admitted he had fabricated an expert's opinion -- and an investigation is ongoing. At the time, Affinity Partners denied any involvement in document falsification. It has also committed to building a memorial complex within the site dedicated to all victims of the NATO bombing. The site was included in this year's list of most endangered heritage sites in Europe by Europa Nostra, the continent's largest heritage protection organization. When a delegation from the group visited the site in July, it said the complex was "a symbol of the collective responsibility to safeguard the cultural legacy of the 20th century." The project has also been criticized within Serbia. In 2024, a former chief of Serbia's General Staff, Zdravko Ponos, accused Vucic of "investing in his political future" and likened any deal relinquishing control of the site to surrendering "a family jewel." Politicians from across the spectrum have said it should be preserved as a historical monument. Vucic, however, has hit back, saying the project "will contribute to our capital becoming the center of this part of the world" and help Belgrade position itself as "an unmissable destination and desirable headquarters for the largest corporations, universities, and international institutions." SHANGHAI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Hand-painted mandalas, ornaments widely used in Nepalese art, hung on the walls of a booth at the ongoing China International Import Expo (CIIE) in east China's Shanghai, shimmering in gold and sapphire hues. "This is our first time participating in this exhibition," said Rabindra Kumar Shrestha, owner of a Nepalese family business named Masterpiece Handicraft. "China is a huge market, and for us, coming from a developing country like Nepal, it's important to be here." This story resonates with many exhibitors from Global South countries seeking greater opportunities in China's expanding import market via the CIIE, which runs from Nov. 5 to 10 this year in Shanghai. EXPANDING PRESENCE This year, the expo features a stronger presence in terms of developing economies, with a dedicated exhibition area for products from the least developed countries (LDCs) set up for the first time and expanded booths for African and Asian exhibitors. Over 160 companies from 37 LDCs are participating, while the number of African enterprises has surged by 80 percent from last year. This initiative aims to help enterprises and products from the LDCs and African countries fully leverage zero-tariff policies and tap into the vast Chinese market, said Song Shangzhe, deputy director-general of the CIIE Bureau, at a parallel session of the eighth Hongqiao International Economic Forum (HQF) held in tandem with the CIIE. Industry insiders say this comprehensive zero-tariff scheme, the first of its kind among major economies, demonstrates China's commitment to inclusive and shared development. "China's new zero-tariff policy for African agricultural products comes at a timely moment," Andrew Robertson, head of business enablement and operations of Standard Bank, told Xinhua. Standard Bank, a leading African financial organization, has brought over 20 African agricultural producers to this year's CIIE, showcasing cashew nuts, wine, coffee, sesame, meat and a variety of fruits. "The measure, together with platforms like the CIIE, will significantly enhance the competitiveness of African goods in the Chinese market and help local producers seize new opportunities," Robertson said. "That is not only welcome, but also farsighted on the part of China." Marina Fonseca, international marketing coordinator of Minerva, a leading Brazilian meat producer and exporter, said the CIIE serves as "an essential platform to stay close to clients, understand their evolving needs, and explore new business opportunities." The company has participated in the expo for eight consecutive years. Now in its eighth year, the CIIE has brought tangible benefits to enterprises from the Global South. Over the past seven editions, the expo has generated intended deals worth 4.18 billion U.S. dollars for LDCs and 5.14 billion dollars for landlocked developing countries. AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY Building on the trade momentum of the CIIE, agricultural cooperation has emerged as a key focus for China and its Global South partners, especially amid mounting challenges to global food security. Experts warn that the foundation of the world's food systems is "increasingly fragile," as nearly 700 million people worldwide faced hunger last year. "Agriculture is a cornerstone of economic and social development for Global South countries," said Piao Shilong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and vice president of Peking University. "Strengthening agricultural cooperation is both China's responsibility under the Global Development Initiative and essential for promoting shared prosperity." Rwanda has benefited from such collaboration. Michelle Umurungi, chief investment officer of Rwanda Development Board, said China plays a pivotal role in technology sharing, technical exchanges and market access. "Our coffee products are particularly popular among Chinese consumers," Umurungi said, noting that agricultural trade has brought vitality and economic prosperity to both sides. Bai Lianyang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said that agricultural cooperation among the Global South countries has entered a new stage of "technology sharing plus industry collaboration" -- highlighting the need to cultivate local talent alongside technology transfer. MORE INCLUSIVE Experts and officials stressed that advancing an open, inclusive and sustainable trade system has become increasingly critical for Global South countries amid multiple challenges. "Rising trade and investment protectionism is undermining the industrialization of developing countries and their integration into global value chains," said Shu Luomei, an official of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, emphasizing that pressures on sustainable development goals make multilateralism and international cooperation more important than ever. The World Openness Report 2025, released on Wednesday at the HQF, highlighted that emerging markets and developing economies are accelerating their openness, deepening South-South cooperation, and promoting inclusive globalization to inject new momentum into global development. "While technological innovation is accelerating worldwide, sharing and application of technology remain uneven," Shu said, adding that supporting industrialization in the Global South will significantly advance inclusive and sustainable globalization. Data flows, green electricity and value chains in production and supply are converging across the Global South, driving industrialization toward a shared, low-carbon and interconnected path, said Liao Fan, director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "Openness is the viable path to shared development, and cooperation is the fundamental guarantee for achieving common goals," Shu added. A specialist contractor is due to arrive in Carrick-on-Shannon early next week to deal with the oil spills and deposits left in the Shannon following the sinking of two cruisers as a result of a fire at the jetty earlier this week. The blaze broke out on the vessels last Tuesday night with reports made to the emergency services at 9.25 p.m. with the fire service arriving on site by 9.30 p.m.. One local who reported the fire said he did not remain on site for fear of explosions due to the gas tanks and fuel which would have been on board the vessels. One of the sunken cruisers following the fire at the jetty in Carrick-on-Shannon. Pic: Gerry Faughnan The large blaze completely engulfed both cruisers and the fire service battled to contain it and make sure it didnt spread to nearby vessels. By midnight the fire was under control. Both boats sunk as a result of the damage. Fortunately there were no injuries reported and it is understood there was no one on board either vessel at the time. The scene was later preserved for a technical examination. Gardai stated that enquiries are ongoing to establish the cause of the fire. After the boat fire: a swan swims in a slick of oil. Pic: Gerry Faughnan It will now be up to the owners of the cruisers to ensure that both vessels are removed safely from the site. In a statement today to the Roscommon Herald Leitrim County Council said, We are managing the oil spill that has arisen at the marina in Carrick-on-Shannon as a result of the recent fire on cruiser boats. Booms are in place to contain the oil spill and a specialist contractor will be on site early next week to remove the oil spill and deposits. The boardwalk at the location has been closed until such time as the clean-up is complete and we ask for the co-operation of the public in avoiding this area. BJP's Attack on Punjab's Heritage! AAP MP Says - This Notification Cannot Dissolve the University Senate, Punjab Will Not Be Suppressed If the central government does not withdraw its decision, a storm is coming in Punjab. BJPs Attack on Punjabs Heritage, AAP MP Says - This Notification Cannot Dissolve the University Senate, Punjab Will Not Be Suppressed Chandigarh, November 7, 2025: The BJP government at the Center tried to crush Punjab by suddenly issuing a notification to dissolve Punjab Universitys Senate, but Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party hit back so hard that it shook Delhis seats of power. Thousands of ASAP students took to the streets in Chandigarh and across Punjab, openly challenging the BJP - Punjab will not be suppressed! Now this is not just a university matter, it has become a battle for Punjabs honor and pride. Advertisement The scene on Chandigarhs streets on Tuesday was proof of Punjabs strength. ASAP students and AAP workers staged such a powerful protest against the BJP government that the message reached the central government that Punjab stands united. The slogans echoed - The looting of Punjabs rights will not be tolerated! Thousands of youth standing together were shouting that Punjab University is our heritage, and no outside force will take control of it. Protesters held placards that read - Not by force, Punjabs institutions are not yours! This was not just a protest, it was Punjabs self-respect speaking. The central government issued an order to dissolve Punjab Universitys Senate without any prior notice. AAP alleges this is not an administrative decision but a well-planned conspiracy through which the BJP wants to establish its control over Punjabs most prestigious educational institution. Punjab University, which has been Punjabs educational and cultural identity since 1882, was suddenly targeted. AAP leaders said this is the same method BJP uses in every state where it doesnt have a government - first weaken the institutions, then install your own people. But this time Punjab has the Bhagwant Mann government that is ready to fight for every inch of land. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directly warned the BJP that the language of force will not work with Punjab. He said - Punjab University is not just a building, it is Punjabs soul. Revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh came from here, Punjab got its leadership from here. It is our duty to maintain this institution and our dharma to protect it. CM Mann made it clear that the Punjab government will not compromise on this matter and whatever steps need to be taken will be taken. His message was - BJP has targeted the wrong state. Punjab is that land which does not bow, does not get suppressed, and fights till its last breath for its rights. Advertisement ASAP students staged sit-ins at every college connected to Punjab University. Patiala, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Bathinda - youth came out on the streets in every city. Protest meetings were held on campuses. Students said that if we quietly let Punjab University go today, then tomorrow our other institutions will also be taken over. A student leader said - We are the new generation of Punjab and we know how to claim our rights. BJP must be thinking what can students do, but we will show that when youth awaken, governments change. The Aam Aadmi Party has made this issue not just political but a peoples movement. Senior party leaders boosted students morale by joining the protests and gave a clear message that the Punjab government stands with its people. The head of AAPs Chandigarh unit said - This is not just AAPs fight, this is the fight of all of Punjab. We will not let our university become a victim of anyones plunder. BJP thinks that having a government at the Center means they can do anything, but in Punjab, the people and the peoples government are one. The party also ran a strong campaign on social media and made #SavePunjabUniversity trend. AAPs student wing ASAP proved that Punjabs youth is no longer going to sit quietly. The organizations workers protested with complete strategy - disciplined, peaceful but powerful. ASAPs state president said - We are the generation that doesnt ask for its rights, it snatches them. BJP must have thought youth only make noise on social media, but we showed that when it comes to Punjab, we also come out on the streets. ASAP announced that if the decision to dissolve the Senate is not withdrawn within three days, there will be a chakka jam (road blockade) across Punjab. This unity and fighting spirit of students has given new energy to AAP as well. Advertisement The history of Punjab University is the history of Punjabs struggle. Revolutionaries like Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Sukhdev came from here, Punjab got intellectuals and leaders from here. This institution is Punjabs identity and attempts to capture it are an attack on Punjabs soul. A senior AAP leader said - BJP should understand that Punjab is that land where fighting for rights is in the blood. People here know how to raise their voice against injustice. Trying to touch Punjab University means challenging all of Punjab. Thats why this issue is no longer just educational, it has become a question of Punjabs autonomy and respect. The Aam Aadmi Party has given a final warning to BJP that attempts to forcibly capture Punjabs institutions will fail. A party spokesperson said - We are not a weak government that will bend under pressure. The people of Punjab chose us because we have the courage to fight for their rights. BJP thinks that having power at the Center means they can do anything, but Punjab has democracy and here the voice of the people is supreme. AAP also made it clear that if the matter is not resolved, this movement will intensify. The party said this battle will be fought with every student, teacher, and citizen of Punjab. The message was clear - Punjab cannot be suppressed, and never will be! If the central government does not withdraw its decision, a storm is coming in Punjab. AAP has indicated that the next phase will see even bigger protests and a public awareness campaign across Punjab. Punjabs intellectuals, writers, and artists are also uniting on this issue. The Punjabi diaspora is also raising its voice on social media. This is no longer just a political fight, it has become a battle for Punjabs identity. And when Punjab fights for its rights, history is witness that it wins. BJP will have to understand - Punjab cannot be suppressed! Star-Studded Premiere of 'Badaa Karara Pudna' Turns Into Punjabi Culture Celebration as Cast Performs Lively Giddha; Now in Cinemas Set in London, the film follows six estranged sisters who are brought together by fate for an unexpected giddha competition. The much-awaited Punjabi film Badaa Karara Pudna has finally been released in cinemas today, following a grand and star-studded premiere that set the perfect tone for its theatrical debut. The premiere witnessed the presence of the films entire star cast Upasana Singh, Sheeba, Mannat Singh , along with director Praveen Kumar and producer Madhuri Vishwas Bhosale, who celebrated this inspiring cinematic journey together. Many senior artists also graced the premiere, adding charm and grandeur to the event. Advertisement Set in London, the film follows six estranged sisters who are brought together by fate for an unexpected giddha competition. What begins as a nostalgic reunion soon transforms into a heartfelt journey of rediscovery, resilience, and unity as the sisters confront their past, heal old wounds, and rediscover the strength that binds them. At the premiere, emotions ran high as the team shared their experiences of making a film that celebrates womanhood, family bonds, and the spirit of togetherness. Director Praveen Kumar shared, This film is a celebration of womanhood and relationships its made straight from the heart. Producer Madhuri Vishwas Bhosale added, We hope viewers connect deeply with the story and take home its warmth and message. With soulful music, powerful performances, and relatable storytelling, Badaa Karara Pudna promises to touch hearts and uplift spirits now playing in cinemas worldwide. Advertisement (For more news apart from Star-Studded Premiere of 'Badaa Karara Pudna' Turns Into Punjabi Culture Celebration as Cast Performs Lively Giddha; Now in Cinemas," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) Gen Z of Bihar Will Not Let Vote Theft Happen: Rahul Gandhi Alleges PM, HM Behind Years of Vote Chori He further alleged that the ruling party is attempting to use the same method to influence the Bihar Assembly elections. Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing a rally in Bhagalpur, Bihar on Friday, expressed hope in the states Gen Z voters, saying that the younger generation will not allow alleged vote theft in Bihar. He made the remarks while criticizing the ruling NDA government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Election Commission of India, accusing them of allegedly manipulating elections in Haryana. Advertisement There are 2 crore voters in Haryana, and more than 25 lakh names on the voter list were fake. That means one out of every eight voters on the ECIs list was fake. People from the BJP, who live and vote in Uttar Pradesh, also voted in the Haryana elections. I guarantee you that PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, and the Election Commission have together stolen the Haryana election, Rahul Gandhi said. He further alleged that the ruling party is attempting to use the same method to influence the Bihar Assembly elections. #WATCH | Bhagalpur, Bihar: Lok Sabha LoP & Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses election rally in Bhagalpur. He says, "...There are 2 crore voters in Haryana and more than 25 lakh voters in the polling list were fake.... I guarantee you that PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, and the pic.twitter.com/gF5yRn0bi9 Advertisement November 7, 2025 We said it with evidence that they committed theft in the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and now they are trying to win Bihar's election by stealing. Lakhs of congress voters have been deleted from the voter listWe do not get the voter list till the last moment... The Gen Z of Bihar will not let vote theft happen here... Rahul Gandhi added. He also accused the Prime Minister of allegedly manipulating votes over the years. The Bihar Assembly Election 2025 is being held in two phases. In the first phase, yesterday, elections were conducted in 121 constituencies across 18 districts. The second phase is scheduled for 11 November, with counting taking place on 14 November. All parties are campaigning vigorously for the second phase. Advertisement Also Read | Rahul Gandhi Alleges Vote Chori' Ahead of Bihar Assembly Elections, Claims BJP and ECI Deleting Voter Names Using Same Method Yesterday, the Congress leader, was in Bihar's Kasba, in Purnia district. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi greets supporters as he arrives to address a public meeting at Kasba, in Purnia district, Bihar on November 6. (PTI) Advertisement (For more news apart from Maharashtra Honors World Cup-Winning Women Cricketers with 2.25 Crore Reward," stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.) ISLAMABAD, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday expressed deep sorrow and concern over the tragic explosion at a school mosque in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, during Friday prayers, which left dozens of people injured. Conveying his sympathies to the government and people of Indonesia, the president reaffirmed Pakistan's solidarity with Indonesia in the fight against terrorism and extremism, noting that Pakistan has itself suffered greatly and rendered immense sacrifices in this struggle. He also expressed his resolve to work for peace and to stand firmly against extremism in all its forms. Pakistan stands shoulder to shoulder with Indonesia and the international community in its commitment to defeating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, he added. Rearming, a necessity Bucharest has recently hosted the NATO Defense Industry Forum. NATO - Industry forum Mihai Pelin, 07.11.2025, 14:00 The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, the Dutch Mark Rutte, and Romanias President Nicusor Dan participated in the NATO Defense Industry Forum, which has been recently held in Bucharest. The two dignitaries sent strong messages regarding the need to increase the Alliances defense capability, in the current political context, and also to expand production in the military field. Nicusor Dan believes that rearmament is a necessity in the current context in which peace and security are no longer guaranteed. President Dan emphasized that the Romanian defense industry has a strong tradition, even if it has been neglected in recent years, and could contribute to the increase in the defense industrial production in Europe. A key element for ensuring credible deterrence and effective defense is to work together, to produce in cooperation the equipment that the allied armed forces need, to collaborate between states, between government and the private sector, for a defense industry that favors innovation and capitalizes on emerging technologies, the head of state pointed out. In turn, the NATO Secretary General conveyed to the representatives of the defense industry that he understands the risks they assume and mentioned the long-term contracts signed by governments. In his opinion, there is political will, as well as financing from the authorities to support their production, which will generate not only increased security, but also economic growth and more jobs. There are huge business opportunities for you and real benefits for everyone, he added. Open dialogue between NATO and industry is essential in the context in which Moscows unprovoked war against Ukraine is an example of a threat. The danger of Russia will not end with the war. It will remain a destabilizing force and it is not alone, and the alliance must be prepared for a long-term confrontation, added Mark Rutte. In the context of the NATO Secretary Generals visit to Bucharest, presidential advisor Radu Burnete issued a warning to the political class and society: Romania must be prepared to fight and modernize its army and defense industry. He believes that an increased military capacity increases the countrys freedom of action. Radu Burnete emphasized that a serious defense industry also has multiple economic benefits. The presidential advisor appreciates the fact that Rheinmetall has decided to make a large investment in Romania. Thus, the most modern ammunition powder factory in the world will be built, after the Government signed an agreement with the German giant, one of the largest defense equipment manufacturers in Europe. The investment of half a billion Euros will be made in Brasov County (center), and Romania will become an important player in the defense industry in southeastern Europe. (LS) Tougher measures against aggressive bears The Romanian government has adopted an emergency ordinance concerning dangerous bears Ursi pe Transfagarasan (foto :Mariana Chirita RRI) Leyla Cheamil, 07.11.2025, 13:50 Dangerous bears are once again the focus of attention for the authorities in Bucharest, after they have killed or maimed people and caused damage to homes in recent years. The government in Bucharest has adopted an emergency ordinance that simplifies the procedure for euthanizing bears in order to protect communities where these mammals are present and attack almost daily. Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu said that, in this way, the Executive is trying to find a balanced solution to a problem that Romania has been facing for several years. In this regard, she stressed the importance of protecting biodiversity, but also the safety of citizens. The Minister of the Environment has explained that the new regulations are meant to protect communities in areas where the presence of bears is increasing, but do not give the green light to shoot them; rather, each case must be analysed individually. It is not a matter of making it easier to shoot bears, but of being able to resort to this solution in case of imminent danger. Diana Buzoianu: What we did with this law was not to make it mandatory to shoot bears. We provided an option, we removed the condition of gradualism, but emergency committees can still determine that there is no danger and, yes, not shoot bears that are, for example, between one and two years old, if they consider that there is no risk to the community. There will be an analysis that will have to be done by the Emergency Commission, which includes the mayor, the veterinarian, the representative of Romsilva, and the gendarmerie or local police. Estimates show that there are currently between 10,000 and 12,000 bears in Romania. Diana Buzoianu stated that, at the end of November, the results of a study on the number of bears in Romania and their distribution across different areas of the country will be presented. This will allow intervention quotas to be established scientifically. The law also significantly increases fines for those who feed these animals. Minister Diana Buzoianu announced that feeding these animals will be punishable by fines ranging from 10,000 to 30,000 lei. She pointed out that, in addition to being an extremely dangerous practice, it alters the natural behaviour of these animals, reducing their fear of humans, attracting them to populated areas, and increasing the risk of attacks. Regarding the placement of dangerous bears in sanctuaries, Diana Buzoianu explained that there is only one such sanctuary in Romania. The sanctuary, which is to be financed and completed only at the end of next year, can take in approximately 80 bears. (MI) House prices from the UK and foreign trade from Germany are due on Friday, headlining a light day for the European economic news. At 2.00 am ET, UK Halifax house price data is due. Economists forecast house prices to grow 0.1 percent on a monthly basis in October, in contrast to the 0.3 percent decrease in September. In the meantime, foreign trade data is due from Germany. Exports and imports are expected to grow 0.5 percent each in September. At 2.45 am ET, foreign trade and current account figures are due from France. The trade deficit is seen widening to EUR 5.9 billion in September from EUR 5.5 billion in August. At 3.00 am ET, retail sales from the Czech Republic and foreign trade from Slovakia are due. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) and Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) are the latest to reach an agreement with the US Government to lower the cost of medicines for American patients as part of the Most-Favoured-Nation policy. The Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) policy, signed into law by the Trump administration on May 12, 2025, aims to make prescription drug prices in the U.S. more in line with the lower prices that other developed countries pay for the same medicines. On July 31, 2025, President Trump sent letters to 17 leading pharma companies urging them to slash drug prices in the next 60 days. He warned, "If you refuse to step up, we will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices." On September 30, 2025, Pfizer became the first pharmaceutical company to comply with the Most-Favoured-Nation mandate, agreeing to give every State Medicaid program nationwide access to MFN-level pricing on its products - an initiative expected to save millions of dollars for American patients. Last month, AstraZeneca PLC (AZN) agreed to implement the MFN drug pricing program and announced an agreement with President Donald J. Trump's administration on October 10, 2025, to lower the cost of prescription medicines for American patients while preserving America's cutting-edge biopharmaceutical innovation. The latest to implement the MFN pricing policy are Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO), which signed the deal with the Trump administration on November 6, 2025. Now, with four pharma giants on board with the MFN-style pricing and having secured a three-year exemption from import tariffs in return, 13 more companies are yet to formalize agreements specifically aligning with the MFN terms. LLY closed Thursday's trading at $937.44, up 1.26%. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 5, 2025 shows a view of the Xizha scenic area near the Wuzhen Internet International Exhibition & Convention Center, a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) This photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) This photo taken on Nov. 5, 2025 shows a view of the Xizha scenic area near the Wuzhen Internet International Exhibition & Convention Center, a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) This photo taken on Nov. 5, 2025 shows the Wuzhen Internet International Exhibition & Convention Center, a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) An aerial drone photo taken on Nov. 5, 2025 shows a view of the Xizha scenic area near the Wuzhen Internet International Exhibition & Convention Center, a venue of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit kicked off here on Thursday, with a focus on building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, according to its organizers. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Li Guoying will attend the inauguration of Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, on Nov. 8, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Friday. Li, also minister of water resources, will attend the event at the invitation of the government of Bolivia, according to the spokesperson. Just as the universe began with a colossal explosion, bowel cancer also experiences a "Big Bang" moment that determines how it will grow and spread, according to new research supported by Cancer Research UK and the Wellcome Trust. Scientists from The Institute of Cancer Research in London, the Fondazione Human Technopole in Milan, and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden discovered that this pivotal event occurs when cancer cells first manage to hide from the immune system. This process, called immune escape, allows the cells to evade detection and continue developing unchecked. During immune escape, bowel cancer cells disrupt the genes that normally allow the body's immune defenses to recognize them as a threat. Once this happens, the researchers found that the cancer's ability to disguise itself remains largely unchanged as it grows. The findings could help doctors identify patients more likely to respond to immunotherapy, including experimental bowel cancer vaccines that train the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. How Bowel Cancer Outsmarts the Immune System Professor Trevor Graham, Professor of Genomics and Evolution and Director of the Centre for Evolution and Cancer at The Institute of Cancer Research, explained the significance of the discovery: "Some bowel cancers are 'born to be bad.' How they interact with the immune system is set early on. "Immunotherapy and bowel cancer vaccines hold enormous promise for treating the disease. Our research suggests that a bowel cancer's relationship with the immune system doesn't change very much as it grows. If we can target that relationship early on, treatment should have a stronger chance of success. "As bowel cancer treatment becomes increasingly personalized, understanding how tumors evolve and change matters even more than it did before. Like the explosion which set the course of the universe, bowel cancer's Big Bang gives us the biggest clues of what its future holds and how we might change that future." A Common and Challenging Cancer Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with about 44,100 new cases each year -- around 120 every day. Approximately 15% of these cases respond well to immunotherapy, while the majority remain resistant to this treatment approach. Currently, several types of bowel cancer vaccines are being tested in clinical trials. These are designed to help the immune system recognize and destroy returning or newly forming cancer cells after surgery or other treatments. Study lead author Eszter Lakatos, a mathematical biologist at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, said: "Our research group has investigated and found answers to how cancer cells render themselves invisible to the immune system. Our hope is that these insights will eventually lead to more targeted, effective and early treatments, in addition to surgery." To uncover these mechanisms, the research team analyzed tumor and immune cells from 29 people with bowel cancer. They sequenced the DNA and RNA from each sample and examined how tightly the DNA was wound around proteins in the chromosomes (a process known as epigenetics). The scientists found that epigenetic changes in cancer cells alter how DNA is "read" to produce RNA, which carries the instructions for making proteins. These changes can reduce the number of neoantigens -- "red flag" proteins that alert immune cells to danger -- on the surface of cancer cells. With fewer neoantigens, the immune system struggles to recognize and destroy the tumor. Toward More Effective Immunotherapy The researchers believe that combining immunotherapy with drugs that modify the epigenome could improve treatment outcomes. Such a combination might increase the number of neoantigens displayed by cancer cells, making them easier for the immune system to target. Further testing will be needed before this approach can move into clinical trials. Dr. Catherine Elliott, Director of Research at Cancer Research UK, said: "To beat bowel cancer for everyone, we need to understand what happens at the very earliest stages of the disease. No matter how different bowel cancer tumors can look, one defining moment at the start makes a big difference to how the cancer grows. "Bowel cancer has an insidious ability to resist treatment. Immunotherapy is starting to work well for patients, but it doesn't work for everyone. This research helps us understand why, as well as giving us new insights to make immunotherapy work better for bowel cancer." Understanding the Disease's Earliest Moments Tom Collins, Research Lead for Discovery Research at the Wellcome Trust, added: "Through tracing the earliest stages of bowel cancer, the research team has shed valuable new light on a mechanism that could lead to more targeted, effective and early treatments. "This is a powerful example of discovery science. Research at this molecular level has provided a deeper understanding of how bowel cancer develops, which could lead to the improved health outcomes for patients in the long-term." The study, titled "Epigenetically driven and early immune evasion in colorectal cancer evolution," was published on November 5 in Nature Genetics. An Ecuadorian business leader has hailed the China International Import Expo (CIIE) as a pivotal platform for China's high-level opening up to the world. #GLOBALink TEHRAN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Friday strongly condemned Israel's recent "large-scale military aggression" against different regions in Lebanon. He made the remarks in a statement released by the ministry hours after Israel's military launched a wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, targeting what it described as "Hezbollah's military targets." He said that Israel's military attacks against Lebanon since a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah came into force in November 2024 have killed and wounded over 1,000 innocent Lebanese citizens and destroyed infrastructure and residential areas, constituting a clear violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of an independent state and a heinous crime against international peace and security. At least one person was killed and three others were injured in Israel's Thursday airstrikes, according to Lebanon's National News Agency. BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for the promotion of high-standard farmland cultivation to make greater contributions to ensuring food security, and to accelerating the modernization of agriculture and rural areas. The premier's instruction was delivered on Friday at a national video conference on high-standard farmland construction and farmland water conservancy construction over the winter-spring period. Li said that recent years have seen the accelerated construction of farmland water-conservancy infrastructure and high-standard farmlands, providing strong support for consecutive bumper harvests and the sustained income growth of farmers. Li, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, urged efforts to store grain in the land and in technology, and to implement China's latest round of initiatives to increase the country's grain production capacity. Li stressed the necessity of restoring farmland ditches, of improving flood control on certain plains, and of strengthening the country's capacity to prevent and mitigate agricultural disasters. He also highlighted the need to improve full-process management, strictly control the quality of projects, and strengthen fund supervision to attract the participation of more farmers and the public. Addressing the conference, Vice Premier Liu Guozhong called for further efforts to enhance China's comprehensive agricultural production capacity, as well as its disaster prevention and mitigation capabilities. He also called for the formulation of overall arrangements for autumn and winter sowing, aiming to lay a solid foundation to ensure food security and build a strong agricultural sector. Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, addresses a national video conference on high-standard farmland construction and farmland water conservancy construction over the winter-spring period, on Nov. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei) SHANGHAI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's annual import expo has been opening doors to the world's least developed countries (LDCs), facilitating not only the exchange of ideas, orders and friendship, but also driving their local development and income growth. At the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which began on Nov. 5 and will close on Nov. 10 in Shanghai, Myanmar entrepreneur Thida Win has been offering her customers spoons of fruit-scented honey, and showcasing byproducts such as beeswax balm and candles. "The CIIE is a global marketplace in the spotlight. We are looking forward to finding celebrated distributors and unlocking the potential of the Chinese market," said Win, CEO of Plan Bee Social Enterprise. Although her company has already exported honey products on a small scale to China's border regions, Win is attending the import expo for the second time to gauge market trends and gain greater visibility. She said the company is committed to fulfilling its social responsibilities by training over 2,000 beekeepers, and by providing equipment and buying honey from them. Acknowledging the CIIE's vision for a shared future, she said, "We expect to boost our production capacity and farmers' livelihood." Win's booth is in an exhibition area dedicated to products from the LDCs that have diplomatic ties with China, offering a glimpse into how China's preferential policies are supporting small exporters to gain a foothold in the world's second-largest import market. Over 160 enterprises from 37 LDCs are participating in the eighth CIIE -- up 23.5 percent year on year. Connections between China and the LDCs have extended beyond these exhibition halls, reaching Chinese households and dinner tables, demonstrating the expo's spillover effect and fruitful cooperation outcomes. Hamed Rauf is representing Afghan carpet company Qadir Rauf Co. Ltd., which has participated in all eight CIIEs since 2018, said he has secured partnerships with 15 to 20 new dealers at each event. "I really appreciate that many Chinese like Afghan culture, and we double down on investment in China," he said. The company has established an operations center in Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province, and plans to expand its footprint in China's small commodity hub of Yiwu in the eastern Zhejiang Province, he noted. China began its mutton imports from Africa in 2024, making its first purchase deal with Sino-Malagasy Animal Husbandry (Madagascar) Co., Ltd. (SMAH), a Chinese firm based in Madagascar. SMAH made its CIIE debut at the seventh expo and gained the recognition of distributors. Last month, Madagascan mutton appeared on the shelves and online platform of Hema Fresh, a Chinese fresh-food retail chain. At the eighth CIIE, staff have been livestreaming the quality and low-fat content of these meat products. "We have established a full industrial chain for livestock breeding, slaughter and processing. Since last year, we have exported over 400 tonnes of mutton to the Chinese market," said Zhang Ting, executive director general of SMAH. Over 500 local herding households breed livestock for the company, which has strict quality requirements. According to 43-year-old Madagascan herder Etsara, his cooperation with SMAH has enabled him to expand his livestock herd and earn an additional annual income of 2,000 yuan (about 282.3 U.S. dollars) -- an increase of about 42 percent of the local average yearly income. "China has changed my life," he said. Beyond the CIIE platform, these small exporters benefit from greater access to international trade networks thanks to China's policy of zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for the LDCs and African nations that have diplomatic ties with China. Gerd Muller, director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, noted that China is the most important partner for investment and trade with developing countries, and highlighted China's commitment to multilateralism. "We appreciate and thank China, especially for zero-tariff access for LDCs," Muller said. "The Global South cooperation with China offers developing countries greater market chances, and enables technology transfer and industrial development, adding the possibility to end hunger in the world," he said. Xeros Technology Group announced on Friday that it has conditionally raised 3m through a placing and initial subscription, and launched a retail offer, as the AIM-traded cleantech company looked for up to 6m in total to strengthen its balance sheet and accelerate commercialisation of its laundry and garment-care technologies. The firm said an accelerated bookbuild launched on Thursday had closed, with 171,847,501 new shares placed and subscribed for at 1.75p each, raising gross proceeds of 3m. In addition, Xeros said it was seeking up to a further 2m via a follow-on subscription, and up to 1m through a retail offer to existing shareholders, both at the same issue price. The new shares, including those under the retail and follow-on subscriptions, would represent about 39.7% of the enlarged share capital assuming full take-up. It said the issue price represented a discount of about 22.2% to the closing mid-market price of 2.25p on 5 November, but a premium of roughly 2.4% to the 30-day average closing price of 1.71p. Xeros said the initial fundraise would provide at least 12 months working capital. Net proceeds from the overall fundraising were expected to be up to 5.6m, with the company planning to bolster its balance sheet to support execution of existing contracts, pursue global opportunities and provide reassurance to counterparties, while funding working capital as it advances commercialisation of its core microfibre filter, laundry care and garment finishing technologies. The cash would also provide contingency against the timing of royalty income and operational cash flow break-even, and may be used to scale operations and accelerate development of other markets and applications for its intellectual property. Alongside the institutional placing and subscriptions, Xeros opened a retail offer of up to 57,142,857 new shares, aiming to raise up to 1m. The offer, coordinated by Cavendish Capital Markets via the BookBuild platform, was open from 0700 GMT on Friday until 1200 GMT on 11 November, and was available only to existing shareholders resident in the UK applying through participating intermediaries. The company said it values its retail shareholder base, which has supported the company alongside institutional investors since IPO, and was therefore giving UK retail holders the chance to participate on the same pricing terms. Chief executive Neil Austin said the fundraise would support Xeros push to embed its technology with major industry partners. We have immediate commercial opportunities within domestic laundry for care and filtration, denim processing, and commercial laundry, he said. Major global players across these areas are working with us to use our technology to help them improve performance, lessen environmental damage, and save energy, resources and money. This fundraise will ensure we continue the positive trajectory achieved in 2025, which is taking us ever closer to the global adoption of Xeros' technology. At 1234 GMT, shares in Xeros Technology Group were down 8.89% at 2.05p. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. ITV on Friday confirmed it was in preliminary discussions regarding a possible sale of its broadcasting business to Comcast -owned Sky for an enterprise value of 1.6bn, sending shares in the company surging by a fifth. It added that there could be no certainty on the terms of any potential sale of the business which contains its TV channels and ITVX streaming service - or whether any transaction will take place. ITVs largest single shareholder, Liberty Global, which jointly owns Virgin Media O2 with Spanish telecoms operator Telefonica, last month halved its 10% stake in ITV. The UK broadcasters value has slumped in recent years as streaming services such as Netflix have grabbed market share from traditional TV operators. ITV on Thursday said it was cutting 35m from its budgets amid a weak macroeconomic environment and advertiser uncertainty ahead of the government's Budget later this month. Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust reported a strong first half on Friday, with net asset value per share surging 22.9% in the six months to 30 September, outpacing the FTSE All-World Indexs 15.4% gain. The share price rose 20.9% on a total return basis, as a broad rally in technology, digital commerce and clean-energy holdings bolstered returns. Chairman Christopher Samuel described the performance as strong but cautioned that six months was too short a time frame on which to judge performance given the long-term nature of the investment strategy. He said the results reflected a growing market recognition that the companies driving fundamental technological and economic transformation have emerged from recent volatility with strengthened competitive positions. Manager Tom Slater of Baillie Gifford said gains were led by companies building real capabilities across a wide range of sectors and geographies. Holdings in semiconductor suppliers ASML and TSMC delivered strong returns as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure accelerated, while Nvidias performance reinforced the broader opportunity around AI hardware and software. Digital platforms including Roblox, Meta, and Spotify also contributed as user engagement and monetisation improved, and e-commerce firms such as MercadoLibre and Sea gained on better profitability. Exposure to clean-energy and electrification themes also paid off. Chinese battery giant CATL and electric-vehicle maker BYD were among the top contributors as global transport systems continued to shift away from fossil fuels. The trust said those firms, alongside Tesla, benefit from deep vertical integration and global demand for electrification. Scottish Mortgage added new positions during the half, including AI developer Anthropic, Chinese lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, and software groups Figma and AppLovin, while trimming stakes in Amazon, Meta, Spotify, Netflix, and MercadoLibre to fund the investments. Slater said the additions reflected how the global economy is changing, highlighting that each new holding was founder-led and positioned for long-term shifts in technology and consumer behaviour. The Edinburgh-based trust repurchased 75.2 million shares at a cost of 765.4m during the period, as part of a wider 2.6bn buyback initiative launched in 2024 to manage its discount and support the share price. Its discount to net asset value widened slightly from 9% to 10.5%. Revenue earnings rose after last years write-off of Northvolt bond income, but the board kept the interim dividend unchanged at 1.6p per share, payable on 12 December. Samuel said the trust remained focused on identifying and supporting transformational growth businesses, with a strong balance sheet and patient capital positioning it well for the years ahead. Slater added that the funds success reflects what we believe is the essence of successful investing: patience in the face of noise, and conviction in the face of doubt. At 0912 GMT, shares in Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust were up 0.41% at 1,101p. Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com. A queer, rural midwestern girl makes it big in this delicious deep dive into the career of the fierce, hardworking pop star Chappell Roan. The book is as sparkly, quirky, and authentic as the artist herself, jam-packed with photos and enticing page-high pull quotes like, "I want to see if I can get away with being as ridiculous as I possibly can." Chappell's story is inspirational for anyone who doesn't fit in or have the connections and resources to follow their dreams. Harbert Day captures the topsy-turvy progression of the star from her awkward, uncomfortable childhood as Kayleigh Rose Amstutz to her "campy," magical life as a musical phenomenon, especially in the LGBTQ+ community. Day writes in a warm, intimate, and informal style, as when she describes some of the upsides to stardom for Chappell: "Perhaps the weirdest thing about becoming famous... was receiving a call from Elton John." Day pays particular attention to the artist's cherished collaborators and inspirations, describing how Chappell discovered drag and burlesque and the way she constantly seeks out the best people to work with, even if they have different styles and approaches. Day doesn't shy away from the star's challenges, including professional setbacks; mental health issues; her fear of judgment from a conservative family, school, and community; and coming to terms with her sexuality. Chappell Roan: A Vibrant Journey Through the Career and Influence of the Indie-Pop Superstar is pure, empowering indulgence for fans who want far more than tabloid tales of the Gen Z pop star. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor For anyone who's followed John Irving's nearly six-decades-long literary career, settling into another of his novels feels like stepping into a beloved pair of slippers. But, as he demonstrates in Queen Esther, that sense of homecoming shouldn't distract readers from the insight and empathy that have consistently characterized his work, including this tenderhearted bildungsroman about a writer whose life, not surprisingly, bears some similarity to Irving's own. Queen Esther tells the story of Jimmy Winslow, whose story is intertwined with that of Esther Nacht, who is Jewish and was born in Vienna in 1905. She emigrates with her parents at age three, and as a teenager, Esther is brought into Jimmy's grandparent's household to serve as an au pair. Irving (Avenue of Mysteries), who has tackled the issue of bigotry against sexual minorities in previous novels, subtly but persistently raises awareness here about the pervasiveness of antisemitism. It manifests in the townspeople's genteel-seeming bigotry, and surfaces in Esther's native Austria, where Jimmy spends his junior year of college, feeling the first stirrings of his dream to become a writer. With its New England and Vienna settings, presence of a handful of wrestlers, prominent role of an animal, and lots of talk about sexual subjects, many of Irving's familiar tropes are here to delight his longtime readers. At its heart, Queen Esther is a gentle story about identity and family, the one we're born into and the one that, if we're fortunate, grows organically out a lifetime of loving relationships. It clearly reflects John Irving's compassion and generosity of spirit, recognizing our flaws while still focusing on what's best in us. --Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer Most people's first glimpse of Tim Curry was probably as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the "sweet transvestite from Transylvania," in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But as Curry's delightful memoir, Vagabond, shows, the British actor's prolific career began with his 1968 debut in the London stage production of Hair. With a strong, affable voice, Curry warns readers not to expect a gossipy tell-all, an assertion he sticks with as he frankly recounts his life but never gives hints about his loves. Actors, he notes, were "considered rogues and vagabonds" during William Shakespeare's time. That could easily describe Curry's childhood and profession, careening from project to project. He was born in Cheshire in 1946, and his family's frequent moves due to his father's work as a Royal Navy chaplain taught him "the scope and powers of my own imagination." His father died from pneumonia following a stroke at age 45, when Curry was 11. His often-distant mother didn't allow him or his 15-year-old sister, Judy, to attend the funeral. He later discovered theater at boarding school. Curry enthusiastically reminisces about his stage, screen, and voice acting career (13 pages of credits shows just how active), offering insight on iconic roles (Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Pennywise, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) without preciousness, and approaching the smallest or most villainous roles with equal aplomb. He also discusses bouts with alcohol and drugs, as well as the 2012 stroke that caused him to use a wheelchair. When he does mention other figures in show business, it is with respect and gratitude, a recurring theme of this highly entertaining memoir. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer Camino Books: For the Road Ahead in Del Mar, Calif., is for sale. Owners John Evans and Alison Reid opened the store under the name Diesel in 2019. Last year, when they sold their store in Brentwood in Los Angeles, they changed the name of the Del Mar store to Camino Books. Since 1989, Reid and Evans have opened five Diesel bookstores, all in California. In 2017, they sold the Oakland store to longtime manager Brad Johnson; it's now called East Bay Booksellers. They've also had stores in Larkspur and Malibu. In announcement about the sale--which had the great subject line "Give the gift of a bookstore!"--they wrote in part, "Our beautiful store is the talk of Del Mar, and a haven for booklovers in North County. We are so excited about the new store but, unfortunately, we are having to step back. For personal reasons we are having to sell it and are hoping to find the right applicant for moving the store forward.... "Known for our excellent curation and vigorous events program, our stores have always worked with schools, concert venues, nonprofits, and institutions along with our daily supply of a diverse range of books to our communities.... "We were drawn to open a store in North County out of our love for the area and the owners of Del Mar Plaza's dedicated desire to have a great independent bookstore again. Del Mar has had a wonderful history of great bookstores over the decades, but had been sorely lacking one. "We, and the local businesses, families and customers who rely on Camino Books are hoping someone new will seize this opportunity to maintain a great bookstore in the area. Inquiries can be made directly to the owners by filling out the application here. "We are looking for new energy, passion and commitment to serve this wonderful community with all of its reading needs. We will help through the transition and look forward to keeping a great bookstore in Del Mar, as the village deserves." BERLIN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China plays a pivotal role in Siemens Healthineers' global strategy, serving not only as a major market but also as a growing center of innovation, Bernd Montag, CEO of Siemens Healthineers AG, told Xinhua in a recent interview. With the continuous growth of China's medical device market, Montag said China has become an integral part of Siemens Healthineers' global network in both production and research, adding that Chinese customers "place a high value on high-quality and highly reliable medical equipment." Having operated in China for more than 30 years, the company now employs 8,000 people there, including about 1,000 engineers, many of whom develop products for both local and global markets. Siemens Healthineers also operates six R&D hubs and two innovation centers there. Montag pointed to the Shenzhen team as an example, noting their role in developing key components for MRI systems used worldwide. "This shows that China's contribution to innovation is no longer just local -- it's an integral part of global innovation," he said. He added that the company's AI-assisted imaging diagnostic algorithms, many developed by its Chinese R&D team, showcase innovations in mobile ultrasound and imaging workflow automation, highlighting the local team's strong contributions. Siemens Healthineers is expanding its presence through new investments in Shanghai and Shenzhen, including a larger magnetic resonance center that will strengthen local research, production, and supply chain resilience. The company also collaborates with local startups and leading medical institutions through its innovation centers. "We are working closely with local partners, particularly in digitalization and AI, to align with the development of China's healthcare system," Montag said. As hospitals in China upgrade their equipment and technologies such as AI, digital imaging, and precision diagnostics enter wider clinical use, Montag noted that the future Chinese market will be driven more by quality and innovation. At this year's China International Import Expo (CIIE), Siemens Healthineers is making its largest-ever appearance, presenting the Asia debut of its ultrafast spectral angiography system, ARTIS icono ceiling Xpand. The system can detect tiny tumors quickly, incorporating AI technologies for more personalized cancer treatment. Montag said the company's focus on technology, AI, and digital tools aims to make healthcare more patient-centered. "We want to be a significant contributor to the health of the Chinese population ... and, frankly, benefit from it," he said. Expressing confidence in China's long-term potential, Montag said the country's healthcare development offers a unique opportunity for global collaboration. FM Nirmala Sitharaman says India requires larger, world-class banks to support growth Government and RBI are working on building a stronger banking ecosystem Private investment and credit growth show signs of revival post-GST reforms Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the government is in talks with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and public sector banks to build an ecosystem that supports the creation of large, world-class banks in India. Speaking at the Banking and Economics Conclave organised by SBI, Sitharaman said discussions have already begun and several preparatory steps are in progress. India needs big and world-class banks. We are talking to the RBI and banks to see how this can be taken forward. Its not just about mergers but about creating an environment where more banks can grow and operate dynamically, she said. The Finance Minister noted that while earlier consolidations helped strengthen the public banking sector, the current focus is on building a more vibrant ecosystem. The first phase of bank mergers began in 2017 and continued through 2020, creating stronger PSBs like SBI, Bank of Baroda, and others. Sitharaman also highlighted Indias resilience amid global uncertainty. She credited the next-generation GST reforms, implemented in September 2025, for boosting domestic consumption and credit demand. Bank lending surged by Rs 4.1 lakh crore during the festive period this year, reflecting strong consumer and industrial activity. Also Read: FCC Analytics Targets India's Fintech Market with AI Transaction Tools On private investments, the Finance Minister said there are visible signs of revival. Private sector capacity building and credit expansion have restarted, setting off a virtuous economic cycle for India, she added. Bajaj Auto, Hindalco, Divis Labs, Nykaa results; strong Q2 from Lupin, Apollo Hospitals, Cummins India. Singtel-Airtel stake sale, Mahindra-RBL Bank exit, Tiger Global-Ather Energy exit. NBCCAustralia MoU, Maruti merger approval, Studds listing, ex-dividend trades. As the trading day begins, the stock market is set for an eventful session with several companies announcing their quarterly results, major investment moves, and fresh order wins. Heres a roundup of all the key developments that are likely to keep investors busy today. Results to Watch Today A packed list of big names will release their quarterly earnings today, including Bajaj Auto, Hindalco Industries, National Aluminium Company, FSN E-Commerce Ventures (Nykaa), Aegis Logistics, AstraZeneca Pharma, Divis Laboratories, JSW Cement, Kalyan Jewellers, Petronet LNG, Power Finance Corporation, Signature Global, SpiceJet, Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Trent, UNO Minda, and VA Tech Wabag. On November 8, investors will look out for results from Anant Raj, Craftsman Automation, Ethos, Gujarat Ambuja Exports, Greenlam Industries, Karnataka Bank, Olectra Greentech, Poly Medicure, Transformers and Rectifiers (India), and Voltamp Transformers. Earnings Highlights Several major companies have already declared their quarterly numbers, giving a mixed picture of corporate Indias performance. Apollo Hospitals Enterprise posted a 24.8 percent rise in profit to Rs 494 crore, supported by a 12.8 percent jump in revenue to Rs 6,303.5 crore. Lupin saw its profit surge 73.3 percent to Rs 1,477.9 crore, with revenue climbing 24.2 percent to Rs 7,047.5 crore, marking a strong show in the pharma space. However, ABB India reported a 7.2 percent decline in profit to Rs 408.9 crore, even as revenue grew 13.7 percent to Rs 3,310.7 crore. Power sector PSU NHPC reported a 13.5 percent rise in profit to Rs 1,021.4 crore, while Mankind Pharma saw its profit dip 22 percent to Rs 511.5 crore despite a 20.8 percent increase in revenue. GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals posted a steady profit of Rs 257.5 crore, marginally up 2 percent, while revenue slipped 3 percent. Among industrials, GMM Pfaudler reported a sharp 172 percent jump in profit to Rs 41.4 crore, while Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals saw a 43 percent drop to Rs 71.2 crore due to subdued demand. In financials, Bajaj Housing Finance reported a 17.8 percent profit growth to Rs 643 crore, supported by a strong 34 percent rise in net interest income. Cummins India also delivered a solid quarter with profit up 38.5 percent and revenue rising 26.4 percent to Rs 3,170.3 crore. On the other hand, Amber Enterprises India swung to a loss of Rs 32.9 crore, while Genus Power Infrastructures posted a stellar 72 percent jump in profit and 136 percent spike in revenue, indicating robust momentum in the smart metering business. Pricol impressed with a 42 percent surge in earnings driven by a strong 50 percent rise in revenue. Aster DM Healthcare reported a 13.6 percent growth in profit, andimpressed with a 42 percentdriven by a strong 50 percent rise in revenue. Battery maker Amara Raja Energy & Mobility reported a 17.4 percent increase in profit, while Birlasoft faced a 9 percent drop in profit due to weak demand in the IT services sector. Aarti Industries posted an impressive 104 percent rise in profit, backed by a 29 percent revenue growth, and Linde India also recorded a 60.7 percent jump in profit to Rs 171 crore. Stocks to Watch Bharti Airtel could see action after reports suggested Singtel may sell a 0.8 percent stake in the telecom major, valued at around Rs 10,300 crore, at a floor price of Rs 2,030 per share. TVS Motor Company is in focus after it sold part of its stake in Rapido (Roppen Transportation Services) to Accel India VIII (Mauritius) and MIH Investments One BV, raising Rs 288 crore. Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) emerged as the lowest bidder for a Rs 272 crore contract from Central Railway for designing and commissioning traction substations and related infrastructure in the DaundSolapur section. NBCC India has signed an MoU with Goldfields Commercials, an Australian real estate developer, to explore real estate, housing, and infrastructure projects in Australia. Maruti Suzuki India also enters the spotlight as the NCLT has approved the merger of Suzuki Motor Gujarat with the parent company, a move expected to streamline operations. Block and Bulk Deals A major transaction was seen in RBL Bank, where Mahindra & Mahindra sold 2.11 crore shares (3.45 percent stake) at Rs 320.65 per share, totaling Rs 677.95 crore. The stake was picked up by several global investors including Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Citigroup Global, Societe Generale, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley, along with top domestic mutual funds. In the startup space, Tiger Globals Internet Fund III has fully exited Ather Energy, selling its 5.09 percent stake for Rs 1,204 crore at around Rs 620 per share. Nippon India Mutual Fund acquired a 4.54 percent stake in Orkla India (the parent of MTR Foods) for Rs 459 crore, while GreenX Wealth Multi Horizons Opportunity Fund bought stakes in Dhariwalcorp and Essen Speciality Films worth Rs 7.9 crore combined. Other Key Market Moves Studds Accessories lists on the mainboard today, while several stocks including Hindustan Unilever, Godrej Consumer Products, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Dabur India, NTPC, and Shriram Finance trade ex-dividend. Brookfield India REIT, Embassy Office Parks REIT, and Mindspace Business Parks REIT also trade ex-date for income distribution. Market Outlook With a packed earnings calendar, multiple bulk deals, and high-profile corporate moves, market volatility is likely to remain elevated. Investors will keep a close watch on heavyweight results from Bajaj Auto, Hindalco, and Divis Laboratories, while eyes will also be on Bharti Airtel and Maruti Suzuki for possible price reactions to key developments. Todays session promises a mix of excitement and caution, as traders navigate through earnings momentum, global cues, and the ongoing shift in institutional investments. The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying five individuals sought for questioning in connection to a robbery within the confines of the boroughs 122nd Precinct. (Courtesy of the NYPD) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying five individuals sought for questioning in connection to a robbery within the confines of the boroughs 122nd Precinct. According to a statement by police, a 35-year-old woman was followed off of an MTA bus by five unidentified individuals around 7 p.m. on Sunday night. Those individuals allegedly pulled the victims hair, punched her in the face and forcibly removed her cellphone before fleeing the scene. The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying five individuals sought for questioning in connection to a robbery within the confines of the boroughs 122nd Precinct. (Courtesy of the NYPD) A source with knowledge of the investigation revealed that the bus was an s79 from Bay Ridge. The exact location of the alleged robbery was not shared by the NYPD. The victim refused medical attention at the scene, police noted. The first individual sought for questioning is described by police as a female approximately 13 to 16 years of age. She is said to have a medium build and long black hair. Police noted that she was last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and black pants. The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying five individuals sought for questioning in connection to a robbery within the confines of the boroughs 122nd Precinct. (Courtesy of the NYPD) The second individual sought is also a female between 13 and 16 years old. She has a medium build, long red hair and brown eyes, according to police. She was last seen wearing a blue jean jacket, black shirt and black pants. Police are also searching for a male believed to be between 13 and 16 years old. He has a medium build, brown eyes, and short black hair, the NYPD shared. He was last seen wearing all black clothing. The fourth individual is described by authorities as a male between 13 and 16 years old. He has a medium build, brown eyes and medium length, black hair. Police say he was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and black pants. The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying five individuals sought for questioning in connection to a robbery within the confines of the boroughs 122nd Precinct. (Courtesy of the NYPD) The last individual sought for questioning is described as a female between 13 and 16 years of age. She has a medium build and brown eyes, according to police. She was last seen wearing a black hooded jacket. Photos depicting the individuals were shared with the media by the Deputy Commissioner of Public Informations Office. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crimestoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X @NYPDTips. All calls are strictly confidential. The NYPD is seeking the publics assistance in identifying five individuals sought for questioning in connection to a robbery within the confines of the boroughs 122nd Precinct. (Courtesy of the NYPD) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Police are investigating a report that two individuals broke into a home and stole the keys to a luxury car in Princes Bay on Friday. The episode began early on Friday morning at a home in the vicinity of Rathbun Avenue and Foster Road, according to a spokesman for the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. Two unidentified males allegedly used a crowbar to open a window in the living room and then enter the home, according to the police spokesman. The individuals allegedly took the keys to a 2025 Range Rover Sport with a New York license plate. Officers pursued the vehicle that fled over the Goethals Bridge into New Jersey, according to the police spokesman. The pursuit occurred at around 3 a.m., according to emergency radio communications. The victim was a 51-year-old man, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. The car has not been recovered and no arrests have been made, the police spokesman said. A detailed description of the suspects is not available from police at this time. Two West Brighton residents came to Crumbl to sample Martha Stewart's line of cookies. Jo-Ann Santomarco, left, and Miriam Wheeler declared them delicious. Wheeler quipped, "It's a good thing!" (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. As the week winds down, Crumbl Cookie is putting the finishing touches on a highly unusual and elegant collaboration the Martha Stewart cookie collection, available through Saturday, Nov. 8, at both Staten Island locations in Charleston and West Brighton. This week, Crumbl's cookies come in a golden-hued box. Can you guess the flavors? Scroll down for a list. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) This limited-edition, golden-hued box transforms Martha Stewarts iconic desserts into cookie form, featuring flavors like coconut cake, fudge brownie, pumpkin cheesecake, New York cheesecake, mile-high lemon pie, chocolate tart and her signature cookie thins, inspired by her daughters recipe. These are all her famous desserts, said area manager Ariel Castro at the West Brighton shop, noting that the chocolate chip cookie thins include a little brush of granulated sugar a Martha Stewart flourish. Every Crumbl staffer is culinary school trained and very passionate about cookies. Here are two familiar faces on Staten Island Ariel Castro, left, the area manager for the brand and Bella Bennardello, the West Brighton store supervisor. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) The West Brighton location at 423 Forest Ave. and the South Shore shop at 2955 Veterans Road West are both carrying the Martha Stewart cookie collection. Owned by Staten Island residents Rob and Aimee Tarantino, Crumbl emphasizes freshness and transparency with an open kitchen to prove it. We mix our cookies in-house with real ingredients: butter, sugar, eggs, said Aimee Tarantino. You can come in and see the mixers making the cookies. The West Brighton location features an open bakery concept, allowing customers to watch their treats being prepared from scratch. What sets Crumbl apart is its rotating weekly menu. The best thing about Crumbl is that our flavors change every week, said manager Bella. So youll never get bored. This weeks Crumbl lineup includes a rich fudge brownie, a silky chocolate tart, creamy New York cheesecake, spiced pumpkin sheet cake, zesty mile-high lemon pie, and a tropical coconut layer cake all part of the Martha Stewart cookie collection available through Saturday. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) Though Crumbl is a national franchise founded by Jason McGowan, the Staten Island locations are independently owned and operated. We live here. Our children go to school here. We give back to the community, said Aimee. People think its a big corporation, but its actually just me and my husband. Store hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., plus Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to midnight. Both locations are closed on Sundays. Customers can vote for favorite flavors via the Crumbl app, and new holiday items are expected soon. The Martha Stewart collection arrives just as Forest Avenue, between Broadway and Hart Boulevard, begins to sparkle with holiday decorations. The Crumbl crew from left to right includes Aimie and Rob Tarantino, Bella Bennardello and Ariel Castro. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) Aimee Tarantino added, We pride ourselves not only on our cookie quality but also our hospitality. We are so blessed to have the best leadership and team members that pay attention to detail and act with integrity. Im incredibly proud of them! Their dedication, teamwork and commitment to excellence make all the difference every single day. And while the Martha Stewart line wraps up this weekend, a big announcement is coming Sunday at 7 p.m. a brand-new Crumbl flavor is set to debut next week, though its exact style remains under wraps for now. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.Coles Dockside is gearing up to razzle-dazzle diners this winter with more than just seafood and its signature pork chop. Located at 369 Cleveland Ave. in the Great Kills Marina, the Staten Island restaurant boasts a one-of-a-kind attraction: Magic Mike Lane a real-life manager who performs illusions and tricks tableside and from behind the bar. Seafood at Cole's includes Prince Edward Island mussels, clams from New York and Connecticut waters and wild salmon. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) Mike has been with the restaurant since 2004, back when it was operated by founder Larry Cole. A retired court officer, Mike has turned his lifelong passion for magic into a second careerone that keeps customers coming back during the typically quiet winter months. When I was 11 years old, I loved magic, Mike explained. I found that a neighbor was a professional magician. I knocked on his door, even though I was very shy, but I got my courage up for magic. Oysters from Connecticut are served on the half shell. They can be enjoyed at the bar or at a table. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) That early spark led to a decades-long journey in illusion. Mike was one of the first members of the Tottenville High School Magic Club, founded by teacher Warren Schuler, and he performed in auditoriums and public schools across Staten Island. Hes also an author his childrens paperback, Magic Mikes Miraculous Magic Tricks, has sold nearly a million copies. The book teaches real magic tricks using coins, cards, and paper, with clear, illustrated steps that make learning fun and accessible. Mahi mahi is served with the vegetable of the day and a potato croquette. It comes with a tropical salsa. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) His first book was published in England in 2011, which eventually led to a four-book deal from 2014 to 2015 for The Magic Shop series with Macmillan Publishers. At the time, he worked with the enormously talented Kate Egan, best known for her editorial work on The Hunger Games. She was so talented and so nice, Mike recalled. I created The Magic Shop series, but she turned it into magic if you will. It was an amazing time for me, Mike recalls. The publisher flew me around the country to promote the book. It won a lot of accolades and several awards. The back room is reserved for parties and Magic Mike shows. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) Anchored by the restaurant From January through March, Mike leads dinner theater shows that have become a local tradition. Its a four-course dinner. Then we take our second dining room, turn it into my theater, and I do an adult magic show, he said. When I say adult, I mean sophisticated magic. Pretty mind-blowing stuff. Linguini with white clam sauce is prepared with Littlenecks from Long Island. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) Mike creates his own illusions and keeps the suspense alive he doesnt release all his dates at once. Januarys lineup includes a one-man show on Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.; Sunday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.; and Sunday, Jan. 18 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. The show is $80 plus tax and tip. Reservations are a must. Mike said, More dates will be added soon, so stay tuned the magics just getting started." Magic Mike Lane and Kam Singh are the tenders of Cole's Dockside. The seaside spot was established in 2004. The pair get ready for winter at the Great Kills marina. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) Fresh fish and new magic Kam Singh took over Coles Dockside in December 2022. He was drawn to its marina setting and longtime local charm. While keeping the name, theyve added culinary upgradesincluding Cajun-style shellfish platters and king crabwhile maintaining familiar faces like Magic Mike. Despite warnings of a slow season, winter business has been strong, with parties booked and regulars returning. Menu highlights include a juicy 16-ounce premium pork chop topped with house-made Merlot sauce; blackened mahi-mahi paired with tropical salsa; crispy fried oysters; and fresh Prince Edward Island mussels served zuppa-style in your choice of red or white house-made sauce. Upcoming winter performances include The Dreamers, a lively three-part harmony group appearing on Nov. 13, and monthly sets by the smooth sax-and-song duo Marty and Marcus. Magic Mike Lane and Kam Singh are the tenders of Cole's Dockside. The seaside spot was established in 2004. The pair get ready for winter at the Great Kills marina. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) A little nostalgia Coles Dockside takes its name from its original founder, Larry Cole, whose connection to the Great Kills Marina dates back to the late 1970s. He got his start at Harbor House, a former waterfront establishment owned by the Stripe family. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Larry joined Windows on the World in the early 80s, training across multiple kitchen stations. Magic Mike Lane and Kam Singh are the tenders of Cole's Dockside. The seaside spot was established in 2004. The pair get ready for winter at the Great Kills marina. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) He returned to Staten Island in 1982, cooking at Cappellis (now Canlons) and later at Totos on New Dorp Lane. In 1986, he opened Sweet Basil in Annadale, a trend-setting spot known for wild game and nouvelle cuisine. Flashback to 2004: Coles Dockside honors founder Larry Cole, whose culinary journey began at Great Kills Marina in the late 70s and led him from Harbor House to Windows on the World after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE After Sweet Basil closed in the 90s, Larry discovered 369 Cleveland Ave.then a biker bar run by Marge Jenaskiand envisioned a nautical-themed seafood restaurant. He and a friend built Coles Dockside, which opened in 2004. The Advance/SILive.com has chronicled the rise and retirement of Larry Cole, plus the evolution of his legacy on Staten Island at the Great Kills Marina. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Si Through Hurricane Sandy, economic downturns, and COVID-19, Larry kept the business afloat until retiring three years ago. He handed the reins to Kam Singh, who aimed to preserve the name and spirit of the restaurant while adding his own culinary flair. Magic Mike is booking reservations for January. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri) While Mike dazzles diners like a magician with a whisk, the restaurant remains steady Eddiedependable, unfussy and quietly crushing it like waves that never miss the shoreline. And for birthday celebrations? Magic Mike might just serenade you with a musical performance on water glassesanother of his many talents that make Coles Dockside a truly unique Staten Island dining experience. Theres no one else doing magic, Mike said. That makes us truly special. You have to have a passion for magic and a passion for the restaurant business. The restaurant can be reached at 718-948-5588 or via its website at coledockside.com. It operates Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Happy hour runs weekdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Entertainer Al Lambert considers himself to be blessed for many reasons, among them being able to perform for six decades. During his 60 years in show business, the crooner has performed in Pennsylvania, Florida, Connecticut, Manhattan, New Jersey, Oswego, Syracuse and, of course, Staten Island. All told, Lambert has made more than 5,000 personal appearances entertaining at least two million people at banquets and weddings, including stints at Carnegie Hall, the Waldorf Astoria, the original Copacabana and the Village Gate, among others. He opened for Rodney Dangerfield, made a Carnegie Hall debut in the 1970s, appeared in the Empire Room at the Waldorf Astoria, the Main Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel, and was opening act for Chuck Mangione, Pat Cooper, Sha Na Na, and back-up band two years in a row for The Shirelles. He also worked a special performance with Stiller and Mearer at the New York Hilton. Lambert has appeared on a local television with his own show, The Al Lambert Show, regional televisions WNYE Profiles with Mickey Burns, on CBS and CNN. And his philanthropic efforts through Rotary International have raised more than $2 million for charities. Lambert formed the South Shore Rotary Chorus, which raised more than $500,000 under the South Shore Rotary Club banner for myriad charitable causes. THE REALLY BIG SHOW The Al Lambert Show Band all nine of them will be appearing at the brand new Vogel in Red Bank, N.J. as part of the Count Basie Center for the Arts, on Sunday, Nov. 30. The Al Lambert Show Band, from the left, Ray Marchica, Stu Waters, Lenore Lambert, Al Lambert, Terry Fabrizio, Michele Fabre. (Not pictured are Lynn Portas, Gerald Kavanaugh and Don Hahn.) (Courtesy/Al Lambert) Staten Island Advance Al Lambert's Big Birthday Bash is set for Sunday, Nov. 30 at 3 p.m. At the Vogel at the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, N.J. (Courtesy/Al Lambert) Staten Island Advance The production will begin at 3 p.m. and wind up around 6 p.m. just enough time for dinner at one of the popular dining spots in the New Jersey town. A portion of the proceeds will be earmarked for a scholarship for a student attending or entering the Father Vincent Capodanno Catholic Academy in South Beach, that was created by Lambert several years ago. MORE ON THE SHOW Lambert calls it his Big Birthday Bash although he never really mentions how old he is. He says after being around show business for almost 64 years, he thinks people will be able to guess. His band, according to Lambert, is as hot as ever and he credits this to understanding that in show business you have to stick to high quality music but reinvent yourself every seven or eight years, adding material, subtracting material, adding new members, doing new tunes and creating new show moments that entertain the vast audiences for whom her performs. Lambert also enjoys directing choral singers and creating arrangements. As a producer, director and music director for over 150 shows, he will bring to the stage the seventh chorus that hes directed. And the 30th hell also be bringing the new Tunnel to Towers Community Chorus to Red Bank for the first time. THE EVENINGS ROSTER Special guest is Lamberts daughter, Laura Lambert. Laura Lambert (Courtesy/Karen O'Donnell) Staten Island Advance Shell be doing several of her favorite covers from Billy Joel, Bette Middler, Janis Joplin and one new release she co-wrote and recorded. The music for Lauras new recording was produced and written by Jesse Blum, a keyboard player and trumpeter who is presently with the group 21 Pilots. Whats more, Wu-Tangs Raekwon was quoted as saying that Laura is a cross between the beautiful voice of Streisand and the incredible stylist Aretha Franklin... Others have labeled her One Take Laura because in the studio most of the time all she needs is one take and the tune is down pat, her dad goes on to explain. Musical entertainer and director, Lynn Portas. (Courtesy/Al Lambert) Staten Island Advance Also on the bill is Lynn Portas, the former music director for Tony and Tinas Wedding that ran in Manhattan for more than five years. She also took the troope on the road to Disney World, Las Vegas and eventually accompanying them to Broadway. Lamberts wife, Lenore Cibelli Lambert, is a constant vocal member of the group, who held the title of Ms. New Jersey Senior America 2024 and performed solos at Harrahs in Atlantic for her winning performance. MORE ON THE PLAYERS The band includes Stu Waters on keyboard and vocals, the guitar playing and singing of Terry Fabrizio, the trumpet of Don Hahn and Gerald Kavanaugh plays the drums. Michele Fabre, a new young artist who recently received more 300,000 hits on one of her new songs, Fabrizios daughter, opens the show. LAMBERT HIMSELF Lambert will cover greats like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and Tony Bennett, who make the Great American Songbook so great. Lenore and Al Lambert (Courtesy/Al Lambert) Staten Island Advance The emcee for the evening will be Mickey Burns of Profiles WNYE. Tickets, priced at $35 and $50, may be obtained by phoning 732 842-9000, or by visiting the website for The Count Basie Center for the Arts ..the Vogel at https://thebasie.org/ Brendan Wahlberg, Michael Wahlberg, Mark Wahlberg, Rhea Durham, Ella Rae Wahlberg, Grace Margaret Wahlberg at the Amazon MGM Studios' "Play Dirty" world premiere held at SVA Theatre on September 24, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images) Variety via Getty Images Grace Wahlberg, daughter of famed actor Mark Wahlberg, injured herself recently during an equestrian competition in California. Grace posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed, with her arm in a sling on her Instagram account. Other photos in the post show her riding horses and wearing an equestrian outfit. She also included a photo of Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans celebrating a victory. No pressure, we will be back, the caption of the post reads. Mark Wahlberg, 54, commented on the post with praying, broken heart and crying emojis. According to the Daily Mail, Grace Wahlberg was competing at Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California, on Saturday when the accident occurred. Its not clear what the extent of her injuries are, but one commenter said that breaking your collarbone was a rite of passage for riders. Quite honestly depressing not being able to ride, she wrote in a TikTok post that showed her competing an an event. In addition to Grade, Mark Wahlberg and his wife, Rhea Durham, have three other children: Ella, 22, Michael, 19, Brendan, 17. KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Three crew members of a cargo ship were killed after a fire broke out while it was docked at a port in Malaysia's Johor state, authorities said on Friday. The fire aboard the container vessel MSC Kyparissia at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas also left three other crew members injured, the Johor Fire and Rescue Department said in a statement. The fire broke out during unloading operations in the under-hatch area of Block 5 of the vessel, it said. The victims were a 59-year-old Malaysian man, a Filipino man in his 40s, and a British man also in his 40s, the department added. New York has approved various permits for the controversial Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline, which would include a 17.4-mile underwater segment through the Raritan and Lower New York bays, passing Staten Islands shores. Jason Paderon STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York has approved various permits for the controversial Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline that had been denied three times in the past. On Friday, the state Department of Environmental Conservation issued a Water Quality Certification, Excavation & Fill Permit and State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit for the NESE pipeline, which would include a 17.4-mile underwater segment through the Raritan and Lower New York bays, passing Staten Islands shores. As Governor, a top priority is making sure the lights and heat stay on for all New Yorkers as we face potential energy shortages downstate as soon as next summer. We need to govern in reality, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. We are facing war against clean energy from Washington Republicans, including our New York delegation, which is why we have adopted an all-of-the-above approach that includes a continued commitment to renewables and nuclear power to ensure grid reliability and affordability, the governor added. Hochul had been facing pressure from President Donald Trump to approve the pipeline, with environmental groups now criticizing the governor for acquiescing to the presidents demands. This decision is a betrayal of New Yorkers, said Laura Shindell, New York State director at Food & Water Watch. In granting the certification for this pipeline, Governor Hochul has not only sided with Trump, shes fast-tracked his agenda. Hochul has shown New Yorkers shed prefer to do Trumps dirty work rather than protect our waterways from pollution. She hasnt kept her promises to fight against skyrocketing energy bills or the climate crisis. But New Yorkers will fight Hochuls dirty pipeline every step of the way alongside our communities until it is stopped for good. The controversial project, which has been fervently opposed by the boroughs elected officials and environmental groups, failed in 2018, 2019 and 2020 to achieve the Clean Water Acts Section 401 Water Quality Certification. Those opposed to the project, which would lead to rate hikes for Staten Islanders and potentially pollute the waters off the boroughs shores, have rallied around a similar message: Nothing about the project has changed, and that it should fail approval again. Borough President Vito Fossella, who has been among the proposed pipelines harshest critics, issued a statement reiterating his opposition to the project and voicing concerns over the potential environmental impacts it would have on Staten Island. We are very dismayed by the decision of the New York State government to approve the Williams NESE pipeline, in spite of our concerns about the well-being of the Raritan Bay. When the work begins to build this pipeline, miles of sediment will be disturbed, the environment of the Bay will suffer, and Staten Island commercial businesses, boaters and fishermen will be made to suffer, Fossella said. At this juncture we must ask, what, if anything, has changed from when this project was first proposed, Fossella continued. We remain committed in our opposition to this project and the threat it poses to the environmental progress that has been made in the Raritan Bay. In its 2020 failure to pass the standards needed to obtain the certification, the state Department of Environmental Conservation wrote the following: DEC has determined construction of the NESE pipeline project would not meet New York States rigorous water quality standards. Construction of the proposed project would result in significant water quality impacts resulting from the re-suspension of sediments and other contaminants, including mercury and copper, and would disturb sensitive habitats, including shellfish beds and other bottom-dwelling marine life, clearly demonstrating that a default mixing zone is not appropriate for this project. New York is not prepared to sacrifice the states water quality for a project that is not only environmentally harmful, but also unnecessary to meet New Yorks energy needs. The Clean Water Act is the basis for federal water regulations, including the basic structure for regulating discharges of pollutants into the waters of the United States and regulating quality standards for surface waters, according to the EPA. From an environmental perspective, the concern is that the pipe would have to be embedded underneath the settled seabed, stirring up decades worth of contaminated sand and other materials that have since laid dormant. The proposed project would disrupt 35 miles of sensitive seabed, unleashing toxic legacy pollution into our sensitive waterways, risking permanent contamination and jeopardizing a $28 billion tourism and recreational economy that supports more than 450,000 jobs in New York and New Jersey, Ellen Weininger, director of outreach at Grassroots Environmental Education, previously told the Advance/SILive.com. The project would also bring some financial burdens for families across Staten Island. The pipeline will increase National Grid bills by 3.5% for New Yorkers in the five boroughs and Long Island, despite the fact that the gas wont be delivered to Staten Island, Manhattan, the Bronx and parts of Long Island. Instead, it will be used by homes in Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County. National Grid has justified this disparity by claiming the increased energy supply will help reduce electricity costs for all New Yorkers. We are pleased that following a detailed review, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has granted the necessary water quality permits to advance the NESE pipeline, which will bolster critical energy reliability across New York City and Long Island. National Grid is committed to delivering secure, affordable, and clean energy to the communities we serve and firmly believe Governor Hochuls all-of-the-above energy strategy is critical to advancing the states economic growth and resiliency, National Grid New York President Sally Librera said Friday. A representative from National Grid also noted that nearly 100 labor, community and business organizations across the state have signed on to a letter in support of the project. Despite claims that the pipeline will reduce costs once it is completed, Tyson Slocum, the energy program director of the non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization Public Citizen, is not convinced. Public Citizen filed a protest against the NESE pipeline in the Federal Energy Commissions docket in late June. There is nothing conclusive that demonstrates that these things are going to lower energy prices. Energy bills are going up all over the place, regardless of how much pipeline capacity, because data centers and LNG [liquified natural gas] exports are all at record highs, Slocum said in July. Despite Fridays permit approvals, the pipeline is not a done deal, with New Jersey regulators still needing to issue similar approvals and New Yorks decisions potentially being challenged in court. MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has shockingly heaped praise on retiring former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a nemesis of President Donald Trump and a lawmaker whom Greene had once accused of treason. However, I will praise Nancy Pelosi, Greene told Wolf Blitzer on CNNs The Situation Room, per the New York Post. Pelosi, who oversaw two House impeachments of Trump during Trumps first term in office, announced earlier this week that she will not seek re-election. Well, my reaction is I believe in term limits. And I co-sponsored that bill. And its been decades now that I believe we have seen the failure in Washington, DC, Greene said when asked about Pelosis retirement. The Georgia Republican added, I served under her speakership in my first term of Congress, and Im very impressed at her ability to get things done. I wish we could get things done for our party, like Nancy Pelosi was able to deliver for her party. Greene a few years ago slammed Pelosi over lax enforcement of immigration laws and accused her of treason. [Pelosi is] a traitor to our country, Greene said in a video. Shes guilty of treason. She took an oath to protect American citizens and uphold our laws, and she gives aid and comfort to our enemies who illegally invade our land. Its a crime punishable by death, is what treason is. Nancy Pelosi is guilty of treason and we want her out of our government, Greene said in the video. The video was featured in a suit by a group of voters who accused Greene of helping to facilitate the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Greene denied the allegation. Bucking the president earlier this year, Greene voted with Democrats to extend federal Obamacare subsidies, which have become a key issue in the ongoing government shutdown. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questions Amer Ghalib during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on his pending nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) AP U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said that Democrats wins on Election Day should be a warning sign for Republicans. Democratic candidates swept closely watched races in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City on Tuesday night, which pundits called a referendum on President Donald Trumps agenda. Cruz appeared angered by the results of the election during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Wednesday, saying that it was a disaster for Republicans. Last night was a disaster. It was an electoral blowout. The results in New Jersey were disastrous. The results in Virginia were terrible, Cruz said on Hannity. Cruz specifically lashed out at Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani who easily won the New York City mayoral race on Tuesday night, defeating former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Comrade Mamdani is the face of the Democrat party, Cruz said before calling the mayor-elect a communist and jihadist. New York is the largest city in America. It is the financial capital of the world. It is the media capital of the world, and New York, were going to see New Yorkers die. This is a lunatic who wants to abolish the police, Cruz added. Cruz argued that Democrats won those elections because residents have left New York City and New Jersey to move to Florida and Texas. He suggested that Republican Jack Ciattarelli may have won New Jerseys gubernatorial race if people did not move out of the state. And if you have all the people from New Jersey who moved to Florida, moved to Texas, if they were still there, Jack Ciattarelli might have won. By the way, all the New Yorkers who moved out of New York and went to Florida and went to Texas, Lee Zeldin might well have been governor, or we might have seen Mamdani beaten. But people are fleeing blue states, so theyre getting more radicals, Cruz said. He concluded by sounding the alarm on the GOPs chances in the midterm elections. Last night should be a warning sign. It should be a warning sign to Republicans across this country. The left, theyre energized. Theyre angry. Democrats are outraising Republicans right now, three to one, four to one, it is dangerous, he said. The left showed up in big numbers last night, and common sense conservatives did not. If that happens a year from now, we face disaster in the midterms, he said. In his first Truth Social post commenting on the election results, Trump suggested that the reasons why Democrats won is because he was not on the ballot and because of the government shutdown. Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House. Trump appeared to quote unnamed pollsters in his post but did not specify who he was quoting. TRUMP WASNT ON THE BALLOT, AND SHUTDOWN, WERE THE TWO REASONS THAT REPUBLICANS LOST ELECTIONS TONIGHT, according to Pollsters, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, has announced she is running for governor of New York. (Photo by Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images) Getty Images STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, announced Friday that she will run for governor of New York. The congresswoman, who is in her sixth term representing New Yorks 21st District, wasted no time taking shots at her likely opponent, incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. Elise Stefanik is running for Governor to fire the Worst Governor in America Kathy Hochul to Save New York. Elise will fight every day to make New York more affordable and safe for families. Under Kathy Hochuls failed leadership, New York is the most unaffordable state in the nation with the highest taxes, highest energy, utilities, rent, and grocery prices, according to her campaign website. In her campaign launch video, Stefanik blames Hochul for the affordability crisis facing New Yorkers while also tying her to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who Hochul endorsed and campaigned alongside in the lead up to the recent mayoral election. The video states that Hochul cozied up to a defund the police, tax-hiking, antisemitic communist. While Republicans have repeatedly referred to Mamdani as a communist, the mayor-elect identifies himself as a democratic socialist. Top priorities for Stefanik include cutting taxes, reducing utility costs, ending bail reform and sanctuary city policies, lowering the cost of living and protecting and empowering law enforcement, according to her campaign website. The governors campaign issued a statement in response to Stefaniks launch video, criticizing the congresswoman for putting the president ahead of her own constituents. Sellout Stefanik is Donald Trumps number one cheerleader in Congress and his right-hand woman in his war on New York: gutting health care, jacking up costs with expensive tariffs, and cutting funding for our police, schools, and hospitals. Apparently, screwing over New Yorkers in Congress wasnt enough now shes trying to bring Trumps chaos and skyrocketing costs to our state. While Stefanik puts Trump first and New York last, Governor Hochul is lowering costs, cutting middle-class taxes, and fighting for the New Yorkers Stefanik abandoned," said Hochul Campaign Communications Director Sarafina Chitika. Stefanik visited Staten Island in June, when she had hinted at a gubernatorial run but not yet announced it, attending the Staten Island GOPs annual Lincoln Day Dinner at the Vanderbilt at South Beach. She received a warm welcome from a room packed with the boroughs GOP representatives and supporters, including Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who introduced Stefanik to the crowd. I believe that Elise Stefanik would make a great governor because she would reinstate common sense, put public safety first, and make New York affordable once again, Malliotakis said at the time. Those are the things that Republicans, Democrats and Independents are desperately seeking. We want to end New Yorks disastrous one-party rule, and she is our best shot to fire Kathy Hochul and get someone who will put New Yorks hardworking taxpayers first, Malliotakis added. Assemblymember Michael Tannousis, who serves as chair of the Staten Island GOP, said, Im happy that she came here today. We had a very strong showing of Republicans in Staten Island, with a room packed full of people, and a lot of support and enthusiasm for her, for President Trump and the Republican ideals on Staten Island. Hochul, who will be challenged in the primary by her own lieutenant governor Antonio Delgado, fired back with her own campaign ad criticizing Sellout Stefanik for her extreme record of selling out New Yorkers to Donald Trump. The video shows Stefanik referring to Trump as the greatest president in the history of our country and referring to herself as President Trumps top ally in Congress. KABUL, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A total of 433 Afghan inmates imprisoned in Pakistan and Iraq have been released and repatriated to their homeland over the past week, Afghanistan's Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation announced late Thursday. The ministry's statement detailed that 430 individuals detained in Pakistan crossed back into the country via the Spin Boldak border in southern Kandahar province. An additional three detainees, who had been held in Iraq for six months, returned through the Pul-e-Abreshim crossing in western Nimroz province. This follows the repatriation of 170 Afghan inmates in late October. According to the data from the Afghan Foreign Ministry in July, more than 10,000 Afghan nationals remain incarcerated overseas, predominantly in Iran and Pakistan. Like most major rock acts their gigs are limited to Sydney and Melbourne, forcing fans to travel interstate and to find accommodation, in the process filling Sydneys hotel rooms. Liam and Noel Gallagher during the first Oasis show at Melbournes Marvel Stadium. Credit: Richard Clifford Liam and his older brother Noel Gallagher are getting ready to entertain close to 300,000 people this Friday and Saturday after playing to a similar number of fans in Melbourne. Hoteliers across Sydney are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the UK band Oasis. Accor Pacific chief operating officer Adrian Williams described the eagerly anticipated event as a Champagne Supernova for weekend tourism. Loading Williams said Oasis concerts at Accor Stadium have driven a surge in room demand, particularly around Olympic Park. Our hotels are already at capacity on Friday night up 54 per cent on last year, he said. Across Greater Sydney occupancy is tracking higher year-on-year on both Friday and Saturday nights. The most recent occupancy boom follows a 42.1 per cent year-to-date rise in the volume of hotel sales despite smaller trades through the third quarter as listings reach $2.7 billion nationally. Colliers third quarter 2025 Hotels Snapshot reveals Australias hotel sector is entering a new phase of growth, as international travel rebounds, major events drive unprecedented demand and investors reposition amid tightening supply. Growing up in western Sydney, where the mercury increasingly spikes hot and sweaty, Mt Druitt artist Katerina Asistin spent summer days and annual school swim carnivals at her local swimming pool. On the city fringes, its such municipal baths that offer respite in high summer. The Mt Druitt Swimming Centre is a chlorinated blue oasis among patches of grass and picnicking families, the shallow end of the 50-metre Olympic-sized pool usually thickest with swimmers. This will be the last season before it gets renovated to become an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, which made me want to paint it, Asistin says. I remember times running to the bathroom and like the concrete was super hot. Even though the shaded part was on the concrete paths, people would take picnic blankets and put them on the grass and just soak up the sun. Western Sydney artist, Katarina Asistin, at Mt Druitt Swimming Pool, a summer destination she has been documenting in a major commission for Penrith Regional Gallerys upcoming The Pool Show. Credit: Steven Siewert A new exhibition showcasing public baths and backyard pools opens at Penrith Regional Gallery this weekend, fittingly timed for the hottest season of the year in a suburb holding the record for the highest temperature ever recorded in the Sydney basin (48.9C on January 4, 2020). Metallicas thundering two-hour set featured songs from across their extraordinary career, including latest album, 72 Seasons, and stretched back to their earliest days in San Franciscos Bay Area with their late, much-loved bass player, Cliff Burton. Master of Puppets and a pummelling version of groundbreaking, thrash metal anthem Seek and Destroy (the latter from debut album Kill Em All) were among the many standout moments. James Hetfield (left) and bassist Robert Trujillo of Metallica perform onstage during the bands M72 World Tour at Marvel Stadium on November 8, 2025 Credit: Paul Rovere Hetfield, dressed head-to-toe in his trademark black, revelled in the sing-along moments, including a rousing version of The Memory Remains, but hell surely cherish the almighty, closing moments of Enter Sandman. Six years after he originally planned to bring Metallica back to Melbourne, the bands imposing frontman looked happy, healthy, and thrilled to be back with his extended rock n roll family. Reviewed by Martin Boulton MUSIC TWICE | THIS IS FOR Tour Rod Laver Arena, November 8 Nothing beats the thrill of seeing your idols up close, and TWICE tried to make that a reality, performing on an immersive, 360-degree stage. K Pop band TWICE wowed the crowd in Melbourne. Its the groups third visit after two shows in 2023s Ready To Be tour; the rain outside Rod Laver certainly did not reach their parade. Was everyones way here okay? asked Dahyun, which was met with a loud NOOOOOOOOO! Rather than going all in, they eased in gently raising the curtain with latest English tracks This Is For and Strategy. And then the stage that was an unassuming block flexes its versatility for I Cant Stop Me and Options: a platform in the former, steps to sit on in the latter. Performing to a 360-degree crowd is no easy feat, though. Face one side for one verse, then another, then dance in a circle, then disperse to the side stages. Its a tricky set of instructions, but when youre a 10-year-old K-pop girl group, it looks as easy as breathing. I saw both of TWICEs shows in 2023, and their tenderness in addressing their fans continues to inspire. Its as if they flicked a switch from being one of K-pops strongest performers, to girls next door saying Gday mate (literally) to a crowd theyve missed. As with the Sydney shows, rapper Chaeyoung was sadly absent. Next, a tonal shift from dreamy earworms Moonlight Sunrise and I Got You, to the more powerful and alluring Cry For Me and Right Hand Girl. Just when you thought youve seen it all, a live band at the edge of the stage appears to accompany the latter tracks, wowing the audience with rock-like adrenaline. The solo stages (a tradition even in past TWICE shows) have always been an exciting guessing game. This time, were asking Whos next? and looking around to see which side of the stage each member pops up from. Mina, the groups ballerina, takes centre stage with traces of ballet in Stone Cold. And later, leader Jihyo providing a masterclass in stage presence throughout the night dominates a side stage with R&B dance number ATM. You would think its easier to sing English songs like This Is For, but wild is an understatement for the crowds enthusiasm for the group hits after the solos. For long-time K-pop fans like me, our first taste of TWICE was in the 2010s with genre-defining hits like What Is Love, Fancy, or Yes Or Yes. To sing and dance along to hit after hit is not only an overdose of nostalgia, but also evidence of the mark left by this K-pop powerhouse. The eight idols also took their time to get closer to the fans, even anchoring the mic for them to scream YES OR YES! at the top of their lungs. Feel Special was the hit of the night, the most meaningful hit in the groups discography. In the purest form of artist-fan interaction, the group of eight momentarily schemed how to get the crowd moving. Their answer? Body waves every time they sing the line, You make me feel special, and then standing up for closing song One Spark. A lot has been said about how TWICE has matured from cutesy chart-toppers with tracks like TT and Cheer Up, but this tour has been the best way to prove what a decade of experience does to a K-pop girl group. Its no wonder these nine humble performers are among the genres best, and why fans behind me voices almost gone, like mine right now said its never not a good time when theyre here. Reviewed by Gabriela Sumampow MUSIC Affinity String Quartet Melbourne Recital Centre, November 7 Melbourne-based Affinity Quartet has rounded off its globe-trotting 10th anniversary celebrations with a compact program showcasing its luminous, dedicated artistry. Founders, cellist Mee Na Lojewski and violinist Nicholas Waters, together with violist Josef Hanna and violinist Shane Chen possess a passionate ardour that seems to light up their music-making from within. Receiving its first Australian performances on this tour, Incantation in Four Parts by French-born, London-based composer and soprano Heloise Werner provided a curious curtain-raiser. Moving from the mechanical to the lyrical, the works soundscape also required assorted vocalisations by the players, including a satisfied ah at the end of the first section. This intrepid piece of programming was perhaps more thoughtfully clever than truly mesmerising. Affinity String Quartet. L-R: Shane Chen, Nicholas Waters, Mee Na Lojewski, and Josef Hanna. Credit: Kristoffer Paulsen Mozarts Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546 was invested with a high sense of drama throughout. Aided by the brilliant, resonant tone of the groups instruments, forthrightly projected into the lively acoustics of the Salon at the Melbourne Recital Centre, the fugues contrapuntal texture in particular was clearly etched into the listeners consciousness. Debussys beguiling and superbly crafted String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 thrummed with energy, the players ensuring from the outset that the works essential rhythmic element was always kept in view. After the driving opening with its moments of shimmering ecstasy, effective contrasts were made between the pizzicato and bowed passages in the nimbly executed second movement. With its gently pulsing accompaniment, the poignant third movement elicited greater attention to details of light and shade that had been slightly overwhelmed by the groups charismatic enthusiasm in the previous movements. Marked by industrious determination, the race to reach the all-too-sudden finish line was well controlled and resulted in an exhilarating finale a worthy crowning of a decade of hard work and artistic growth by four gifted musicians. Reviewed by Tony Way VARIETY Blanc de Blanc Encore Spiegel Haus Melbourne, from October 29 Melburnians craving variety entertainment should check out the new pop-up performance precinct at Spiegel Haus Melbourne, on Lonsdale Street in the CBD. Its opened its doors in time for summer and features a rooftop bar with intimate venues, including an Edwardian-style Spiegeltent backing onto a laneway in Chinatown. The cast of Blanc de Blanc Encore. Credit: Cameron Grant Taking up residence in a carnival atmosphere is Strut & Frets Blanc de Blanc Encore a risque blend of cabaret, circus, comedy and burlesque which, as its name suggests, pays Dionysian homage to the pleasures of the grape, in a slick showcase of variety performance guaranteed to make you feel like youre drinking champagne, even if youre stone-cold sober. Compered by a comedy duo Emile Mathieu and Felix Pouliot in formal attire, the evening kicks off with a warm-up thats also a bit of a balls-up. These two gents know how to milk a joke, and though the openers terrible puns might leave you testy (depending on your taste for below-the-belt humour), the suggestive physical clowning, rambunctious low comedy, and engaging party tricks should win you over as the show progresses. Circus acts include a dizzying aerial hoop routine from Danielle Summers, a cartoonish display from Ukrainian contortionist Mykhailo Makarovoak that must be seen to be believed, and Felix Pouliots muscular, gravity-defying pole dance, which transforms into a climax positively effervescing with airborne pop and fizz. Aerial hoop performer Danielle Summers. Credit: Steve Napiza Burlesque takes centre stage through titillating and tightly choreographed striptease, drag-adjacent gender play, and erotic dance with something for everyone. Chanteuse Clara Fable sings brisk excerpts from the odd jazz standard as well as more obscure (and loucher) numbers. I thought her puerile masturbation gag, performed to Rhapsody in Blue, gratuitously insulting to Gershwin, but this is the kind of show where its probably best to leave your high-mindedness at the door. Classy only on the surface, this is a hedonistic show that denies no guilty pleasure, drenching audiences in a decadent, high-society, Gatsby-like vibe. True, the retro 1920s stylings can make some of the naughtiness look super mainstream a century on, but it remains an immersive entertainment from a company of international renown, and a fun way to open a new performance venue in the heart of a city known for tucking away its most vibrant treasures in alleyways and hidden corners. Reviewed by Cameron Woodhead Jazz musicians Joost Lijbaart and Wolfert Brederode. JAZZ Joost Lijbaart and Wolfert Brederode The JazzLab, November 5 Patience. Thats the word and the quality that came to mind as I listened to Joost Lijbaart and Wolfert Brederode perform, and pondered what made their music so beguiling. The drummer and pianist (both from the Netherlands) have been playing together in various settings for over 20 years, and their musical connection is so finely honed that they can communicate with the barest of gestures. They last toured Australia in 2018 as part of a superb quartet led by saxophonist Yuri Honing, but its perhaps in duo mode that their creative antennae are most vividly displayed. Joost Lijbaart and Wolfert Brederode are both from the Netherlands. At JazzLab on Wednesday, each of their two sets unfolded as a continuous, quietly compelling exchange of ideas and energy. Brederode and Lijbaart are musical storytellers, but their stories are mostly improvised, with the narrative arc shaped moment by moment and the conclusion unknown until it arrives. Hence the patience. Rather than fabricating drama or climactic sequences to keep the audience engaged, these musicians simply created space and waited for fresh themes, directions and detours to reveal themselves. At the piano, Brederode shaped wisps of shadowy abstraction into the contours of a melody before letting it dissolve, or coaxed harmonic motifs into a lush, flowing river before it, too, melted away. Beauty was everywhere, tinged with melancholy and longing, as though Brederode were grasping at something a memory, an experience, a feeling just out of reach. Nixon said she decided to bring her weeknight briefings to an end so she could spend more time with family her youngest child, Ted, is about to start high school, joining older brother Henry. Nixon, 50, will remain with Nine, continuing to appear on travel shows Getaway and Postcards. Nine is the owner of this masthead. Ive been on air for more of my life than Ive not, she said, with a laugh, after the announcement on Friday afternoon. Im looking forward to a breather. It was not a decision she took lightly, she said, as being allowed into peoples lounge rooms each night was a privilege. Presenting the weather has shaped my life and career. I owe this role everything but this is the right decision for me, she said. When I discussed it with our boys, they said were pretty excited to spend more time with you, Mum. Publicity pic of Livinia Nixon for Hey Hey Its Saturday, from 1998. Credit: Channel Nine One of her most memorable live crosses for the weather segment was filmed at Healesville Sanctuary, where she had a green tree python around her neck. The snake wrapped and squeezed, she said, and then tried to slither in her jacket: Id never read the weather as quickly in my life. In 1997, when she was 22, Nixon joined the Nine Network to appear on Hey Hey, Its Saturday. She took over the role from Jo Beth Taylor on the live variety show hosted by Daryl Somers. Until 1994, the shows co-host was the puppet Ossie Ostrich, the creation of Ernie Carroll. Nixons schoolmates were shocked by her foray into television, she said, because she was so shy. As a child, she had appeared in a few TV ads, and a neighbour worked at casting agency Artist Services, so she decided to try her luck. Australian entertainers Steve Vizard and Glenn Robbins helped her along the way and she expressed gratitude to them and the on- and off-air team at Nine. Advertisement Eating outWine NSW has turned its back on local wine. Its time that changed, say industry leaders Were more likely to order a NZ sauv blanc than anything from NSW, even though winemakers are shaking things up. Were not that any more, this is why, let us show you. Bianca Hrovat November 8, 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 NSW wine has an image problem. As the Australian palate evolved beyond the big, bright flavours that once led Hunter Valley winemakers to international acclaim, demand for NSW wine plummeted. Forty years after British critics heralded the states trademark semillon as sunshine in a bottle, according to Wine Business Solutions annual on-premise report, NSW wine now accounts for just 12 per cent of all wine listed at NSW restaurants and bars. Retail sales are no better. While NSW spends more on wine than any other state or territory, more than 90 per cent of sales go to interstate and international wine sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, shiraz from South Australia, and most of all, champagne. Famelia Wine Bar on Enmore Road, Newtown. James Brickwood Its ridiculous, says Andrew Margan, the Hunter Valley winemaker behind Margan Wines. We are the birthplace of Australian wine. We have every variety, every price point, every style yet we are the least discovered wine state in the country. Something has to change, he says: As we speak, there are families who have grown grapes in the Riverina for god knows how many years, families who have depended on grape growing, having to pull up their vineyards. Advertisement The lack of local support compounds a year of exceptional challenges within the winemaking industry: global wine consumption hit a 60-year low, overproduction led to falling grape prices, and 15 per cent of vines have been ripped up across the Riverlands, where growers have struggled to turn a profit. We need the industry itself to get behind us, get excited, and create a compelling environment for NSW wine to be taken seriously, says Maddison Park-Neilson who, along with partner Tony Zafirakos, makes Aristotelis Ke Anthoula wine in Pambula. Amelia Birch pours wine for guests at her Enmore Road wine bar. James Brickwood Sommelier Amelia Birch, who owns Newtown wine bar Famelia, says customers expect NSW wine to be too rich, oaky and intense at odds with consumption trends, which show Gen Z and Millennial drinkers prefer lighter wines, spritzes and complex, emerging varietals. We are starting to see smaller NSW winemakers who are meeting the market responding to the grapes, the conditions and adapting their picking times, Birch says. But [as an industry], we havent gone: No, were not that any more, this is why, let us show you. Advertisement There are 16 winegrowing regions in NSW, from Mudgee in the Central Tablelands, to the Murray Darling in the south-west of the state. And within each region, there are innovative, next-generation winemakers such as Zafirakos and Park-Neilson, Matthew and Chris Jessop of Jessop Wines in Orange, and Mem Hemmings, the sommelier and winemaker behind natural wine brand Meredith. Sommelier and winemaker Mem Hemmings. Hemmings says we need to broaden our understanding of NSW wine beyond the Hunter Valley. When the winemaking region garnered international acclaim in the early 80s, there were just 76 wine producers in NSW. Now, there are more than 430. Its not about erasing that legacy we are so proud of the Hunter Valley but [we also] need to make room at the table for other regions, and showcase how diverse NSW wine can be, she says. Zoe Brunton, head sommelier at Redfern restaurant Olympus Dining, says that we have lost touch with the little producers doing amazing things. Advertisement But with the new generation of winemakers, that connection is coming. These winemakers have wonderful stories, they just need to be heard by the right people. Alistair Blackwell and Karlee McGee, owners of Stonefruit in Tenterfield. Tales and Tones Photography At Tenterfield wine bar and restaurant Stonefruit, local wines far outsell their international counterparts, says co-owner and sommelier Alistair Blackwell. The drinks list, which champions New England and Granite Belt producers, was awarded Drinks List of the Year at The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2025 Awards. Blackwell says the tourist trade helps: People come here to experience what Tenterfield is like, they want to eat local and drink local and when they try [NSW] wine you can see their perception start to shift, and they start to have a new understanding that times have changed. Within the niche, natural wine world, such wines fly off the shelves, says Joel Amos, owner of online retailer Drnks. Some of the most exciting wines in Australia are being made in NSW they just [dont seem to be] penetrating at a commercial level. Advertisement Related Article NSWs largest open-air cellar door and wine tasting is coming to Sydney this weekend Wine distributor Joval Wines sells wine to 1500 premises in NSW, with nine NSW wines in a portfolio of more than 50 brands. State manager James Kilmartin says hes spent the past seven years trying to grow its NSW representation through trade days, masterclasses and educational trips to regional areas. But many up-and-coming winemakers, such as Aristotelis Ke Anthoula, dont have distributors. Park-Neilson says its been difficult to crack the Sydney market, where wholesale sales have declined over the past five years. Related Article Sydney restaurants fail to pour NSW wine as Australia drowns in oversupply Melbourne and Adelaide are much more parochial in regards to how they support their winemaking regions, says sommelier and wine communicator Samantha Payne. Sydney is an international city with a lot of tourists and thats reflected in our wine lists. Advertisement At Solotel venues such as Chiswick (Woollahra), Aria (Circular Quay) and Chophouse (Sydney CBD), NSW wines have an even share of the pie but that pie is divided among winemaking regions from across the world. NSW is not only competing with Australia, its competing with the world, says beverage director Annette Lacey. [But] we should be supporting our local industry because if it disappeared we would be very sorry. Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Nothing quite says the Christmas party season is upon us like Mariah Carey announcing, Its time, via her annual social media video. And with the 2025 clip making the rounds, well soon hear continuous loops of All I Want for Christmas is You and see our social calendars quickly filling up, too. But while catching up with friends for a Christmas cocktail might be fun, wrangling a carload of kids to attend a futsal break-up or sourcing a themed outfit for your spouses work party may not be your idea of a good time. From office parties to end-of-year school events, the round of social engagements can feel overwhelming. Credit: Getty Images Being less than enthused about a seemingly never-ending list of social events is common, says clinical psychologist and author, Dr Rebecca Ray. This time of year often comes with emotional pressure to be cheerful and available, even when were exhausted, she says. Not all social interactions are nourishing. For some, large groups or surface-level conversations can feel draining. Others may struggle with social anxiety, family tension, or simply being peopled out; this is especially the case for introverts. BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Thursday called for concerted efforts of all countries to jointly advance tropical rainforest conservation. Ding, as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative and also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a luncheon hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the "Tropical Forests Forever Facility" fund. President Xi has emphasized the need for strict protection of tropical rainforests, and to promote ecological conservation, green development and the improvement of people's well-being in a coordinated manner, Ding said. He noted that in recent years, China has strengthened policies and regulations, increased funding and technological input, and set up the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, achieving significant results in both environmental protection and local development. Ding stressed that the protection of tropical rainforests concerns the survival and well-being of humanity and represents a common cause of all humanity, noting that it requires the concerted efforts of all countries. He also called for building multilateral and bilateral cooperation platforms, enhancing communication and coordination, and working together to advance tropical rainforest protection. Developed countries should, within the framework of the UN climate convention, provide adequate funding to support developing countries in reducing deforestation and rainforest degradation, he noted, adding that China stands ready to strengthen cooperation with all parties on tropical rainforest conservation and make greater contributions to global climate and environmental governance. President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Felix Tshisekedi, Surinamese President Jennifer Simons, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, French President Emmanuel Macron, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, among others, attended the event and delivered remarks. When the subversive and iconoclastic ideas of womens liberation began infiltrating Australia in the late 1960s and early 70s, women like me were thrilled. We eagerly absorbed these notions of rebellion. We were glad, grateful even, to have a counterweight to the dull mantras of femininity that, we were told, were the only path to respectability (i.e. a good husband) for women in Australia. International Womens Day march in Melbourne, 1975. Growing up, most of we womens libbers, as the press patronisingly referred to us, were taught there were two types of girls good and bad and that it was our obligation to avoid being bad so as not to ruin ourselves for marriage and motherhood. Credit: NAA Coming out of the radicalism and sexual revolution of the 60s, wed left respectability way behind although our mothers mostly had trouble grappling with that. We craved something more and womens liberation seemed to be providing the answers. There was just one problem. The books and pamphlets and magazines that we so passionately embraced from the United States and from the UK told stories about women in those countries and while we could identify with them in general, they did not deal with our own cultural and social experiences. We wanted to understand more about the specifics of Australian sexism (or, male chauvinism as we called it then). Why was mateship seemingly the dominant ideology in our society? One that explicitly excluded women from so many areas of society and denied them agency in determining their own lives. Why were marriage and motherhood the only options dangled in front of us? 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 This story is part of the November 8 edition of Good Weekend. See all 15 stories . It became the most famous lunch in Australia. In July 2023, in the sleepy town of Leongatha, just over 100 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, Erin Patterson made beef Wellington for her estranged husband Simon Pattersons elderly parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Simon Patterson declined her invitation to lunch. Less than a week later, three of her guests were dead and the fourth was in a coma. All had been poisoned with death cap mushrooms. In April this year, Erin Patterson was tried for murder and attempted murder. The trial took place in Morwell, 60 kilometres from Leongatha, and lasted more than two months. It not only riveted the country but became an international sensation. Journalists, writers, podcasters and TV crews swarmed the Latrobe Valley Law Courts, two hours from Melbourne. Three friends, respected writers Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein, were surprised to find their idle interest in this case firming into real journalistic curiosity. The trial had already started when they decided to drive to Morwell together and record their conversations. Months later, they had scores of hours on tape, the raw material for a book. The Mushroom Tapes tells the story of what they saw and thought and said to each other as the trial of Erin Patterson moved inexorably to its conclusion. Here, the writers reveal the conversation they shared on the first day that Patterson took a seat in the witness box. Erin Patterson, photographed in April ahead of her trial for murder and attempted murder. When Helen Garner heard her speak, she says she felt impressed: She struck me as an educated woman ... somebody who was composed. Credit: AAP Monday, June 2, 2025 When prosecutor Nanette Rogers closed the Crown case, Pattersons barrister, Colin Mandy stood up. Your Honour, the defence will call Erin Patterson. Advertisement Helen: Nobody knew it was going to happen. When it was announced that she would take the stand, there was a loud gasp. People cried out. At last, at last! The judge called a break of 15 minutes so everyone could get their shit together. I saw a spot on the bench just inside the door of the courtroom, where you can hear but you cant see anything. I lowered my arse onto it, and the woman next to me said, Oh no, my sisters going to sit there. So I pushed further in and found the very last spot and grabbed it. I couldnt see the jury, except for one old man at the end of the back row. But I thought, Im not moving again. And Im glad I didnt, because the tipstaff was really throwing his weight around. There was a kind of tension in the room, and I was over on one side, so I didnt see her being brought out of the dock. But all of a sudden, boom, there she was, just sitting there in the witness box. Everybody was straining at their own leash not to turn and stare. The drawing of her that they run in the newspaper is brutal. It makes her look villainous. Actually, she looks small. She was sitting there quietly, she was self-possessed, while everyone else in the room was breathless. Wed been hanging out for her to step into the limelight. Sarah and Chloe watched Erin on a big screen in a Melbourne Supreme Court media room. Now were on the phone together. Sarah: What was it like? The Mushroom Tapes: Conversations on a Triple Murder Trial authors, Helen Garner, Sarah Krasnostein and Chloe Hooper. Credit: Peter Tarasiuk Helen: At first I felt impressed by her. She struck me as an educated woman, well and calmly spoken, somebody who was composed. She seemed a very familiar type of person, and she was dealt with very delicately by her counsel. I bet his junior, a young woman with an obviously first-rate mind, had a lot to do with that. He was asking her things like, How did you feel about yourself around the time leading up to the lunch? How did you feel about yourself? That doesnt sound like a mans question to me. Erin answered slowly and thoughtfully. To me, shes mysterious, even though, on one level, she is recognisable. I could imagine talking with her, having an interesting conversation. She seemed like a person of seriousness and intelligence, and yet, at the same time, she was depicting her marriage and her life in a way that was so familiar I sort of couldnt get near it. Its hard to describe this. I think a lot of people in the room were having very complex feelings. When we came out, we were all exhausted. The tension of being there and listening to her speak was almost unbearable. Its just that everyone longs to know whats inside her head. Sarah: Did you find yourself at any point getting angry? Advertisement Helen: No, not at all. No. This was the time that I felt the most for her. I want to say something else about the way she told her life story. It was a standard modern story of a marriage that wasnt very good. There was a lot of restlessness and unhappiness in it, in her, and she gave an account of it that was almost generic. I thought, god, just about everyone I know could tell that story. I could tell that story. She sighed a lot. She sighed the sort of sighs that you give when someone asks you a question youve already answered, and youre thinking, Do I really have to go through this again? Can I really drag this out of myself once more? Loading She had a special way of talking. She spoke with a conversational tone and volume, as if she was talking to us and it was going to be a conversation. She wasnt grandly stating things, and she wasnt milking it for drama. She spoke quite bluntly about herself not moral things or ethical things physical things, you know, her unhappiness at having put on a lot of weight and how she decided she was going to have gastric-band surgery. And she had these little head movements that went with what she was saying. When she was serious, she would nod and then shake her head. Now that Im talking about it, Im starting to think that it was a very, very skilful performance. And yet I never felt that she was laying it on. It was a mysterious day and rather upsetting. Chloe: We could see you in the courtroom with all the family sitting behind you. Helen: She spoke lovingly about her mother-in-law. With her first baby, she had a very traumatic and difficult birth, a great suffering for her and for the baby. At this point Erin and Simon were living in Western Australia. Don and Gail came to stay with them to help with the baby. Mr Mandy asked her, And how did you feel about having them there in the house? She said, I was really glad they were there. Gail was very patient and gentle with me. She taught me how to interpret his cries. I thought that was a beautiful expression to interpret his cries. Gail had earned her trust. Don and Gail Patterson. As Sarah Krasnostein notes, Erins parents-in-law became a source of emotional support given she was estranged from her own parents. Chloe: But not knowing how to interpret other peoples needs or pain thats striking, isnt it? Advertisement Helen: When she said that, I glanced up at the jury. The only one of them I could see was breathing fast, the lines on his face seemed to get deeper. I thought, hes either about to have a heart attack, poor fellow, or hes almost crying listening to her. The marriage went pear-shaped pretty early on. Theyd been living in Perth but, when the baby was only a few months old, they went on a huge trip, taking the baby, around Australia in a Nissan Patrol. She said twice, We came down through the guts of the country. I got the impression that she enjoyed travelling, but that she got sick of it after a while and wanted to stop. She said, I wanted to have babies, but he wanted to keep travelling. Simon had previously testified that Erin had left him and the baby in Townsville and flown home. Simon drove, with their son, the 4000 kilometres back to Perth. This was their first separation. Erin lived with the baby in a small cottage while Simon lived in a caravan nearby. They had some sessions of marriage counselling, and reunited. Erin said the biggest issue in their marriage was poor communication. Erins estranged husband, Simon Patterson. Credit: AAPIMAGE Sarah: Her story is a legal instrument. Its impression management; its purpose is to sway the jury. So its highly selective. Its a perfectly serviceable tale about our early life. But then you start looking at it, and its full of holes. This upwelling of emotion around the love she felt for her mother-in-law, as if she couldnt have killed her, when everything else that were learning seems to show the love that she once felt for them is the reason she killed them. She has this hypersensitivity about not belonging, not being included. She cant stay in one place for any sustained period of time, not in any job or study or relationship. She cant persist in any one thing despite having every resource, intellectual and financial, at her disposal. And so, yeah, I was very suspicious of that. She does this thing where every so often shell pause and her eyes will flare. Theres just too much of the whites around her eyes. And this jutting forward of her head. Its like this wall of energy with these flared eyes. Its unsettling. Watching her so closely today, on that huge screen in the Supreme Court media room, I noticed that the first time she responded when Mandy asked her age with 50, her eyes flared and Mandy faltered slightly. Theres some force sheeting off her. There is something there that I did not expect after sitting in the same room as her all these weeks. Chloe: Her love story is also a horror story. It was moving, being catapulted back to a part of her life that was sweet: Erin described becoming friends with Simon and his group of friends and going camping with them most weekends, and them slowly getting to know each other. She was trying to convert him to atheism, and then one weekend Simon took her to his uncles church. And hanging in the church there was a banner that read, Faith, Hope and Love. Ian was giving a sermon on love, quoting St John. God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. And then Erin was offered communion. She claims the service had a profound impact on her: I had what at best can be described as, like a spiritual experience. Id been approaching religion as an intellectual exercise up until that point. Does that make sense? Is it rational? But I had what I would call a religious experience there and it quite overwhelmed me. Presumably Don and Gail, her future parents-in-law, were present that day, along with Ian and Heather. Erins spiritual experience is a key moment in the love story. But then, theres the horror story, especially if youre a family member now watching the woman who came into your church and allegedly poisoned it. Advertisement Ian Wilkinson. You cant help feeling very warmly towards Ian, Helen Garner says. Credit: Jason South Sarah: Its devastating. Every point in the story has that duality. Chloe: Somethings always underneath. Sarah: For me, the most difficult thing today was when she was talking about the house that they had built, and she said, I saw it as my final house. The final house where the children would grow up and where they could come back and stay however long they want and bring their children. And then she said, And I would grow old there, or so I thought. Now its a crime scene. Chloe: People talk about a forever home, but this was the final house for her parents-in-law, who were having the kind of life she supposedly pictured for herself. Sarah: We talked in our earliest conversations about what it actually means to abide. What adaptations and sacrifices you have to make in order to abide for the long haul in any situation or relationship. Erin was estranged from her parents, so Don and Gail became even more important for the practical and emotional support they gave. Love betrayed is often the motive for extreme rage. I almost find it more incriminating the more she talks about this well of deep feeling she had for them, because this rage about rejection hovers at the edges. Advertisement The Nauru governments support is critical not only to the detention regime but also in keeping Beijing at bay in the South Pacific. Loading I dont think theres any way possible that [federal government agencies] didnt know, Donohoe said, while also revealing how he had repeatedly contacted federal agencies and politicians about the bikie infiltration. Ive complained to the ATO, Ive complained to ASIC, the AFP, pretty much anyone thats high up enough that will potentially listen, but through time Ive found out that theyre happy to ignore me. Donohoe said he had also personally contacted a number of government, opposition and crossbench politicians with his concerns. The fact that Ive had zero response from any of the ministers that Ive contacted suggests that theyre more than happy to sweep it under the rug, and then the very next week hand over $2.5 billion to the Nauru government, he said referencing a 30-year deal struck in September in which Australia will pay $408 million in up-front costs to set up the scheme. The only response Ive had so far has been from the office of Jacqui Lambie, who said that they would put questions to parliament. A Finks gathering outside Parliament House in Canberra. Donohoe discovered the Finks were involved in the Nauru security operation earlier this year when he was recruited by a firm called Safe Hands, before this masthead reported on concerns about the gangs role there in August. The company won a contract supplying Australian security personnel in Nauru to manage the NZYQ detainees after arrival from Australia. After being hired, Donohoe began to field orders on an encrypted communications platform from the son of Bilal, the worldwide leader of the Finks. Loading Donohoe uncovered further evidence, including an encrypted platform message sent by Bilal himself in March in which the bikie boss appeared to be secretly overseeing the recruitment and deployment of the so-called quick reaction team (QRT) on Nauru. I still expect daily reports abd (sic) will try b available for our 4 calls, Bilal said in the March 25 message in which he also appears to appoint managers under his control to run the Nauru operation. Plz direct all works / Naru and the staff we hired. Another senior manager running the team is Tim Jones, a bikie gang associate who owns the ACT property where Bilal resides and who has managed businesses on behalf of Bilal. The Finks infiltration of the Nauru contract involves at least two Canberra-based companies under the apparent ultimate control of Bilal and Jones, via opaque corporate structures and suspected company fronts. It appears the firms are to be paid by Nauruan corporate entities hired by the Nauruan government, but ultimately paid for with Australian taxpayer funds given to the Pacific island in return for its accepting the NZYQ detainees. Donohoe said he was told by Bilals associates in the encrypted group chats, which included Bilal as a member under the name of fictional TV gangster Tony Soprano, that the Australian Federal Police and the Department of Home Affairs would assist with the deployment. AFP is now in direct contact with Nauru Airlines ... AFP has confirmed that they will provide a formal start date through Home Affairs once their internal logistics are finalised, Donohoe was told in an April 9 message. The revelations come after Labor commissioned former spy chief Dennis Richardson two years ago to advise on how to prevent suspected criminal entities from infiltrating the large taxpayer-funded offshore detention contracts on Nauru. While the Albanese government says the Home Affairs-controlled offshore processing regime is separate from its deal with Nauru to accept the NZYQ detainees, both schemes are possible only because Australia has promised billions of dollars to Nauru to solve Canberras immigration problem. Nauruan President David Adeang and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the announcement of a treaty in December. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen In his report, Richardson urges the Home Affairs Department to strengthen its due diligence systems after revelations by this masthead that now-former offshore detention service providers had made suspected bribe payments to allegedly corrupt Pacific island officials, as well as a business with links to the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang. The report did not examine the Safe Hands arrangements. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke declined an interview request and did not answer questions relating to the governments role in the contracts. In a one-sentence statement, he said he had full confidence in the relevant agencies. Donohoe called on the government to conduct a public inquiry into the latest scandal. If no ones gonna step up and actually hold [the bikie-linked firms and those enabling them] accountable, then theyll be allowed to continue their operations, Donohoe said. It needs to be called out once and for all. Because I do not want to see my government continue to hand over money without doing their proper checks. The revelations also raise questions for Nauru President David Adeang, who recently inked the NZYQ deal with Burke. Ali Bilal, who changed his name by deed poll to Tony Soprano. A confidential source with deep knowledge of the Nauruan private security operation linked to the Finks said gang associate Tim Jones claimed to have had personal dealings with Adeang and was angling to be appointed a special adviser to the Nauruan government. The involvement of Finks-linked personnel on Nauru could give the bikie gang a new hub to run its operations, three sources with knowledge of the gang or the Nauru security operation said. Adeang has a history of suspected corruption. Australian security agencies have told the federal government he might have pocketed alleged kickbacks paid by companies subcontracted to run Australias offshore processing regime on Nauru in 2020. Adeang has also been suspected of using Australian banks to launder funds meant to be used to run offshore processing, according to intelligence briefings shared with federal government agencies and senior ministers. The detainees to be deported to Nauru have been deemed by the federal government to be too dangerous or unsavoury to remain in Australia. Donohoe has also launched legal action against the Safe Hands Group, alleging he was unlawfully treated as an employee and, in legal filings, he says the firm has associations with OMCG-linked individuals (Ali Bilal, Timothy Jones) and other members of the Nauru project, including Bilals family and friends/ other known gang members. Mr Ali Bilal himself disguising himself on this project as Tony Soprano speaks for itself. The Nauru project itself raises grave concerns of corrupt conduct and fraud against the Australian government. This operation was never a genuine employment initiative it was designed to defraud the Commonwealth by exploiting Australias multimillion-dollar aid commitment to Nauru. Safe Hands is contesting the case at the commission. A Home Affairs Department spokeswoman said in a statement that Safe Hands was not involved in the offshore processing contracts it oversaw, which were separate from the NZYQ arrangement. Australias offshore processing policy has involved sending asylum seekers to the Nauru detention centre since 2001. About 100 detainees are held in the facility. Tim Jones, who has managed businesses on behalf of Ali Bilal and owns ACT property where Bilal lives. The department did not answer questions about whether it was appropriate for an organisation like the Finks to be involved in the NZYQ system. In a statement, the AFP said it was aware of the allegations about the involvement of the Finks but that it had no involvement in private security arrangements in Nauru. Jones, who did not respond to requests for comment, was previously employed by Safe Hands Group as a general manager until about 2022, according to a now-deleted LinkedIn profile. A source who had extensive dealings with the Finks, speaking anonymously out of fear of repercussions, told this masthead that Jones was a close associate of the Finks and Bilal. The source also said they had been party to discussions involving Bilal, which related to the Nauru deal and showed Bilal was running Safe Hands via proxies. Branden Jones (bottom left) at a Finks get-together. His son, Branden Jones, 26, is an associate of the Finks who became a director of Safe Hands 002 Pty Ltd in August 2023, before the company was placed into liquidation last year owing almost $894,000 in outstanding tax lodgments to the Australian Taxation Office. Safe Hands Group Pty Ltd was registered in February 2023, before assets and clients were transferred between the two companies in an alleged case of phoenixing. The consulate-general of Nauru and the Nauru high commission did not respond to questions. Phone calls to the Nauru parliament were not returned. Bilal also did not respond to questions, but he has previously denied his involvement with the Finks and Rebels bikie gangs. However, police made submissions in the ACT Supreme Court, the ACT Magistrates Court and the Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission, claiming the 53-year-old was a senior figure in the ACT chapter of the Finks outlaw motorcycle gang. Detective Sergeant Owen Patterson, of the anti-bikie taskforce Nemesis, said in court in April that Bilal was previously a leader of the ACT Rebels but that members patched over to the Finks in 2023 and that Bilal was believed to have been appointed world president of the gang. In 2022, Bilal was sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty to five charges relating to using a carriage service to harass or threaten, after his conversations were captured by telephone intercepts. Bilal changed his name by deed poll to Tony Soprano in 2002 before changing it back several years later. An Australian soldier and her partner, accused of spying for Russia, will spend Christmas behind bars as their case was pushed back to next year, as prosecutors sift through further evidence. Kira Korolev, 41, who was in the Australian Army, and her husband Igor Korolev, 63, were arrested last year at their home in Everton Park, on Brisbanes northside. Kira Korolev and Igor Korolev, the accused Russian spies arrested in Brisbane. Ms Korolev, who was born in Russia, was charged alongside her labourer partner with preparing to carry out an act of espionage. The case triggered national concerns of foreign interference given Ms Korolevs position in the army as an information systems technician. Ms Korolev had served in the army for years, and held Australian Defence Force security clearance. The November 8 edition There is a particular fascination which arises when ordinary people do extraordinary things. This was never more evident than with the publics reaction to the mushroom murders. This phrase became the conversational shorthand used to refer to the case of Erin Patterson, a woman who was accused of murder after three people died and another ended up in a coma following a lunch at her country home, where she served them a meal of beef Wellington laced with highly poisonous death cap mushrooms. Pattersons possible motivations dominated discussion around the world as we collectively tried to make sense of her actions, especially during her trial, where a jury ultimately found her guilty of murder and attempted murder. A trio of Australias most respected authors Helen Garner, Sarah Krasnostein and Chloe Hooper joined forces during the court case to explore this for a new book. In todays issue, we have an extract which captures their observations of Patterson and their attempt to understand how a middle-aged mother of two became one of the nations most talked-about women. Melissa Stevens, editor If the following note seems disjointed, I apologise. Half of it was written last Friday before I was forced to set it aside and attend to an emerging threat to the safety of one of our journalists. In a concerning trend, interruptions like this have become more and more frequent of late. Threats and bullying of our journalists exist on a broad spectrum ranging from public derision to intimidation and acts of physical violence. Almost every journalist whose stories you read in The Age will have been targeted by threats or harassment at some point in their career. Donald Trumps tactic of singling out and picking on journalists is designed to silence and distract from serious questions. Credit: AP Its a side of our industry that is rarely discussed, but I suspect it is something better dealt with through dialogue. Few, if any, of societys problems are improved by silence. Prominent Victorian thoroughbred owner Nick Williams paid $20,000 to a violent criminal and former stable hand who repeatedly demanded money he claimed he was owed for helping to prepare 2007 Melbourne Cup winner Efficient. Williams, the son of seven-time Melbourne Cup-winning horse owner and property developer Lloyd Williams, provided evidence of the payment in response to questions from The Age about a conversation he had with former Macedon Lodge employee Mark Dosen at Flemington Racecourse in 2023. Thoroughbred owner Nick Williams speaks to former Macedon Lodge employee Mark Dosen in front of The Grandstand at Flemington Racecourse in 2023. Footage sent to The Age shows Nick Williams leaning on a rail in front of Flemingtons mounting yard and chatting with Dosen in the shadow of The Grandstand. Speaking through his lawyer, Nick Williams claimed Dosen threatened him and his family during the conversation before the covert recording commenced. The 4-minute meeting took place in full view of the public. It begins and ends with the men shaking hands. The lawyer said his client was in 2024 approached by Dosen again and stood over in relation to money Dosen believed he was owed for his role in the preparation of champion gelding Efficient, which won the 2007 Melbourne Cup. Williams believed Dosen had already been paid what he was entitled to as a stable hand, according to his lawyer, Nathan Kuperholz. He described Dosens behaviour as menacing in regard to his repeated demands for the $20,000 payment. Labor Party members have voted in favour of barring oil and gas companies from fracking in Western Australia, extending the existing ban to include the Kimberley and Mid West, at a state conference over the weekend. The vote comes as the WA Environmental Protection Agency prepares to release its assessment of Black Mountain Energys proposed Valhalla project near Derby in the Kimberley, which would involve fracking. Protesters turned out in force on Saturday outside the Labor state conference in Fremantle. It is understood that recommendation could be handed down as early as Monday. The decision would then lie with Environment Minister Matthew Swinbourn, who will consider the recommendation. A Perth man who flittered away millions of dollars paid to him to help one of Western Australias most vulnerable communities on gambling has been jailed for seven years. Craig Dale appeared in WAs District Court on Friday for sentencing on 14 counts of fraud, accused of losing millions of dollars paid to him by a remote Aboriginal community for housing work on gambling. Warmun school had to be rebuilt following the 2011 floods. Credit: Hannah Murphy The court heard the offending took place between 2013 and 2014 in the remote community of Warmun, which is about 200 kilometres from the nearest town. It has a population of about 500 people, and its distance meant it was reliant on government contractors and expensive private businesses to provide critical services when Dale approached its council offering to help fix a burnt building and build staff housing. Following on from a breaking story from yesterday, the state government has announced a new six-storey block will be built at Royal Perth Hospital, with two floors allocated for a new emergency department and extra floors to increase capacity. The latest announcement comes after Premier Roger Cook yesterday said his government will divert funding from the abandoned Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre upgrade to expand the states under-pressure hospital system at a cost of $1.5 billion which will include the purchase of St John of Gods Mount Lawley Hospital. Loading Construction of the new emergency department is expected to begin in 2026, following completion of detailed design and procurement activities. Early tender advice will be released to the market next week and it is expected that the formal tender documents will be released shortly after. The State Government has allocated $33 million to progress detailing planning for the project. Cook said project will be funded out of the new $1.5 billion Hospitals Fund, which is made up of $500 million committed in September, with a further $1 billion announced yesterday. It means my governments total health infrastructure spare commitment is around about $4.7 billion during this term of government, making it the largest hospital building program in the states history, he said. BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday urged world leaders to take immediate, decisive actions and make concerted efforts to combat climate change. The UN chief made the urgent call at a leaders' summit ahead of the 30th United Nations climate change conference, commonly known as COP30, to be held on Nov. 10-21 in Brazil's Amazon city of Belem. The two-day World Leaders Climate Action Summit kicked off Thursday to discuss pressing climate change challenges and commitments. Noting that the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as established in the 2015 Paris Agreement has failed, Guterres stressed the need for a paradigm shift to limit this overshoot, warning of ecosystem dangers along with dramatic socioeconomic consequences. He urged world leaders to take immediate, decisive actions to reverse the global warming trend. "If we act now, at speed and scale, we can make the overshoot as small, as short, and as safe as possible -- and bring temperatures back below 1.5 degrees Celsius before the century's end," he said. "We need to move faster -- and move together. This COP must ignite a decade of acceleration and delivery," the UN chief added. In his address at the leaders' summit on climate action, Guterres also stressed that clean energy has much greater potential to ensure sustainable economic growth and global development, citing the fact that in 2024, almost all new power capacity came from renewables. It also appears to contradict Labors push for increased housing supply because Inghams neighbouring site at North Appin does not have rezoning approval. In its letter, Walker said it was difficult to understand why housing delivery in Appin should be slowed for the notional capacity of its competitors. A free and competitive housing market should reward readiness and capacity to deliver, Walker wrote. But it also raises questions about how and why the minister intervened. In August, the Housing Delivery Authority, the three-person agency set up by Scully to help speed up approvals for major housing developments, recommended the first stage of Walkers greenfield development in Appin be given state-significant status. The recommendation for 2499 homes followed agreements between Walker and agencies such as Transport for NSW. However, unlike the vast majority of the authoritys hundreds of previous recommendations, the minister did not sign off on the decision. Instead, it was quietly deferred. Then, on October 10, the authority made a new recommendation which lowered the number of homes declared state significant to 824. The Department of Planning did not answer questions about the dramatic reduction, or whether the authoritys advice changed after a request from Scully. Instead, in a statement, a department spokesman said Scully had asked for further information from Walker and further advice from the HDA. The NSW Ministerial Code of Conduct says ministers must not ask agencies to give advice with which the agency does not agree. Ministers can make decisions contrary to advice, and an agency can change its advice if its own view changes. Scully did not directly answer detailed questions from the Herald. A spokeswoman said he requested further information on how much of the Walker project could be assessed and delivered quickly. The spokeswoman said the authority rules require a proposed housing project to be assessed and constructed quickly, and only a small proportion of Walkers project would be delivered during the National Housing Accord. Developer Walker says its development in Appin was delayed due to an intervention by Planning Minister Paul Scully (centre). Credit: Dominic Lorrimer The proponent clarified in its response that 1500 would be delivered after the National Housing Accord period, the spokeswoman said. Walkers Appin development is a 1284-hectare site that could supply 12,900 homes. It neighbours Ingham Propertys Appin North development is a 300-hectare site where the developer hopes to build 3000 homes. However, Walkers project is more advanced than Inghams. It was Scully who approved the sites rezoning in July 2023, despite concerns from environmental groups and Wollondilly Council. Inghams North Appin development, on the other hand, is yet to receive approval for rezoning. In a submission to the state government over the rezoning proposal, Wollondilly Council raised a series of concerns about the project and called on the government to focus on building homes in Appin on already rezoned land. The Herald last month detailed how Iemmas lobbying firm has gone from strength to strength since Labor was elected in 2023, becoming a lobbyist for dozens of major property developer clients. He has frequently petitioned senior levels of government, while also providing personal advice to Scully on planning issues. The Herald also revealed Minns had not disclosed meeting with Iemma on at least one occasion. Documents obtained by the Herald show Inghams North Appin project was on the agenda of a meeting between the companys chief executive Matthew Ramaley and Minns in June this year. Loading A one-word description in a ministerial diary disclosure meant to increase transparency described it as about planning. But the agenda, obtained by the Herald via freedom of information laws, shows Ramaley wanted to discuss the greenfield site among other issues. In a statement, a spokesman for Minns said the premier met with both Walker and Ingham about this project, as he does with many housing stakeholders. Iemma did not attend, but a month later, in July, he emailed a senior adviser in Minns office saying Ingham Property had been invited to attend a meeting with the Department of Planning in relation to Appin. In a statement, Iemma confirmed representations have been made in relation to North Appin, but not on the distribution of the dwelling cap. Its resolution or otherwise had been negotiated between Ingham and government agencies, he said. He also said he had been on leave and overseas for part of September and all of October, the period in which the HDAs recommendation changed. The Herald is not suggesting Iemma has in any way acted improperly. Rather, the breadth of his lobbying stable, coupled with his status as a Labor elder statesman with close personal ties to senior government figures such as Minns, has placed a spotlight on the Independent Commission Against Corruptions repeated calls for changes to lobbying laws in NSW. After the Heralds previous reporting, the government said it would introduce a bill to reform lobbying, probably in 2026. Among the ICACs concerns is the ability for lobbyists to have secret meetings with ministerial staff. When the Herald first asked Scully whether Iemma had lobbied him or his office over North Appin, his office said: There has been no correspondence from Mr Iemma on the Appin plan. Scullys office also said Iemma did not represent Ingham Property, despite the NSW Lobbyist Register listing Ingham Property Development Services as an IPPA client. ASIC records show the company is wholly owned by Ingham Property Holdings. Iemma also confirmed he acted for Ingham Property. Scullys office did not answer follow-up questions about why it had made that statement. When asked whether Scully or his staff had spoken with Iemma about North Appin, other than through formal correspondence, a spokeswoman said: The minister and Mr Iemma have not discussed any projects relating to the Appin and North Appin Precinct Plan. The government announced the dwelling cap in September. The cap, which is also 2499 homes, limits the number of new homes that can be built in Appin until road and water infrastructure is delivered. But the cap is based on an agreement between Walker and Transport for NSW struck after Walker was granted rezoning approval. Walker said in a statement that it allowed it to deliver 2499 homes without the need for government expenditure because the necessary infrastructure would be funded and delivered by it. Loading Ingham Property, for its part, agrees the dwelling cap is directly applicable to Walker, and Iemma said it came as a surprise and disappointment to the developer when it was imposed on them. Ramaley, the Ingham Property boss, told the Herald the company learnt about it in May, when it was just kind of sprung on us during a meeting with government agencies. He said he did not have a view on whether the cap should be equally distributed. Ramaley declined to comment on the HDAs changed recommendation, other than to say Walker was entitled to put their hand up for the entire 2499 cap. Hugo Savala will test the open market following news Daly Cherry-Evans will join the Sydney Roosters next year. Within hours of the Roosters confirming 36-year-old Cherry-Evans will join the club next season, with an option in his favour for 2027, Savala, the breakout halfback at Bondi this season, said he was prepared to explore his options. Savala forged an exciting halves combination with Sam Walker, but he is not prepared to spend up to two years biding his time to get another shot at a starting spot. It wasnt as if the news came as a big surprise, Savala said on Friday. Ive had a chat to Robbo [coach Trent Robinson] about it previously. When Elon Musk launched Grokipedia on October 27, the worlds richest man promised nothing less than the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. His AI-powered encyclopedia would correct what hes long derided as Wikipedias woke bias. It would also purge propaganda and it would create a comprehensive collection of human knowledge worthy of preserving on the Moon and Mars. Less than two weeks later, that grandiose vision looks more like a cautionary tale about what happens when Silicon Valley hubris meets algorithmic bias and far-right grievance politics. Using Grokipedia over the past week reveals an encyclopedia riddled with racism, historical revisionism and blatant plagiarism. Its a digital monument to Musks worldview that launders hate speech as objective fact. When Elon Musk launched Grokipedia on October 27, the worlds richest man promised nothing less than the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Credit: Stephen Kiprillis It comes as Tesla shareholders overwhelmingly approved a pay package for Musk worth up to $US1 trillion, an award unprecedented in the era of skyrocketing CEO pay. This package is designed to keep Musk at Teslas helm for the next decade, as he becomes increasingly distracted with various playthings, like Grokipedia. That project, and his stake in Tesla, reveal a singular vision to control narratives, whether historical or technological, with significant cultural and economic power concentrated in his hands. Together, they underscore the risks when vast influence is wielded by one individual shaping both our understanding of knowledge and the future of industry. 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 Washington: Six years ago, Zohran Mamdani was an unknown New York rapper with four Twitter followers. Even at the start of this year, four in five New Yorkers had no idea who he was, or at least had no view on him. Today, the 34-year-old is about to take the reins as the citys youngest mayor in a century, the first Muslim and only the second democratic socialist to hold the role. His rapid rise he stunned former New York governor Andrew Cuomo to win the Democratic primary in June, and commanded just over 50 per cent of the vote in a three-way race this week has shocked the establishment as much as it has excited large parts of the Democratic base. We have toppled a political dynasty, Mamdani told his raucous crowd of supporters on Tuesday night. I wish Andrew Cuomo only the best in private life. But let tonight be the final time I utter his name. The day after his decisive victory, Mamdani had lunch with another young firebrand, the New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whom many believe will challenge Senate leader Chuck Schumer for his seat and may one day seek the presidency. Meanwhile, veteran Democrat congresswoman Nancy Pelosi the first woman to serve as speaker of the US House of Representatives announced she would retire at the end of next year, another major symbol of the changing of the guard in a Washington that has largely become a gerontocracy. Advertisement Mamdanis success came on a red-letter day for Democrats in elections elsewhere. Mikie Sherrill was elected governor of New Jersey by 13 points, and Abigail Spanberger was elected governor of Virginia by 15, decisive wins that have party strategists thinking big about whats possible at next years national midterm elections. Loading This was an excellent night for Democrats, says James Booth, a Washington-based Democratic strategist and pollster who also works with the Australian Labor Party. If you only read The New York Times and Twitter [now X] over the last nine months, things feel bleak. But data points that come from elections are the most important data points. We are in a 2017 ballpark world in terms of reactions against Trump and Trumpism. Democrats have been anxiously trying to work out where they sit in comparison to President Donald Trumps first term (in 2018, they won 41 House of Representatives seats at the midterms in a blue wave election). A week ago, we were kind of worried that the Democratic brand was much more tarnished now than in 2017, Booth says. This is a very important data point suggesting the Democratic electorate is out there and alive ...[and] there to be mobilised again. The question is how best to mobilise it. Does the answer lie with left-wing populist candidates such as Mamdani, whose appeal in a city like New York is clear, but who would fail to resonate in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada or North Carolina? Or does it sit with moderates such as Spanberger and Sherrill? Can both things co-exist? Advertisement The Republicans will do their best to make sure the answer is no. Trump has branded Mamdani a communist lunatic, but its not just the US president. Texas senator Ted Cruz has called the New York mayor-elect a literal, Karl Marx-quoting, America-hating jihadist. And House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson spelled out how Republicans would seek to use Mamdani to attack Democrats over the next 12 to 36 months. His brand of Marxism is truly a bellwether for the Democrats nationwide, Johnson said. We pointed out that other major metropolitan areas in the country are facing the same threat with candidates similar to Mamdani. And we are going to continue to call out their effort to mainstream and normalise socialism and Marxism in America. Working families watching this play out have a right to know that socialism and communism are not just confined to New York City. Mikie Sherrill was elected governor of New Jersey by 13 points. Credit: Bloomberg Booth, however, says the Democrats can walk both sides of the street in fact, they need to, to patch together a winning Coalition, much like Australian Labor has to manage its left and right flanks. The Democratic Party is in a moment of figuring out how to cohere a coalition that looks more like 51 per cent than 49 per cent, he says. Booth says Mamdanis campaign and the successful gubernatorial campaigns were more alike than people may realise. They focused on practical, local issues; in Mamdanis case, how to make Americas most expensive city more affordable for working people by redistributing wealth. The data appears to bear this out. According to the Searchlight Institute, a new think tank whose raison detre has been described as pushing the Democrats towards the most effective, broadly popular positions, exit polls found 51 per cent of New York City voters identified affordable prices as one of Mamdanis top issues, compared with only 24 per cent who said the same for the national Democratic Party. Advertisement The victories of Abigail Spanberger (pictured), Sherrill and Mamdani have party strategists thinking big about whats possible at next years national midterm elections. Credit: AP The Searchlight Institute said: With his relentless focus on the cost-of-living crisis, Mamdani avoided usual Democratic problems with crowding out his best issues with other lower-priority issues. That was no mean feat for Mamdani, who was dogged throughout the campaign for his previous support for defunding the police, and his criticism of Israel. The probable lesson for Democrats, if it were not already clear, is that jettisoning ideological, identity politics-rooted causes in favour of hip-pocket politics is the way to win. These are all campaigns where, in their own place and way, the candidates did not get sucked into culture war fights or put themselves in a position where we were pushing our ideological concerns on the electorate, Booth says. That is the overarching thread that makes those campaigns similar just different flavours in different places. Loading We are going to have to figure out how to do a national version of that, and with national party leadership. The big tent goes left and right. Were going to need a bigger tent than we had in 2024. In New York, Mamdani now faces great expectations. Many of his commitments tax increases on the wealthy, free childcare, free buses, a rent freeze and a big affordable housing build will require co-operation from the state government in Albany. Advertisement Democratic governor Kathy Hochul endorsed Mamdani but opposes his tax plans; she fears taxpayers at the top end of town will flee and leave middle-class residents to pick up the tab. In one of his first interviews after the win, Mamdani told The New York Times he was clear about the mandate that we won to lift taxes on the citys richest residents. The Times said the interview matched the defiant and at times boastful tone he had struck in his victory speech, which some observers found off-putting. That speech contained a direct challenge to Trump, who was watching at the White House. Turn the volume up, Mamdani urged him, pledging to take on the billionaire president, even though Trump had threatened to choke federal funding for New York if it elected the communist mayor. Loading And yet, Trump also seemed to mellow a fraction in the face of Mamdanis overwhelming win. Well help him, well help him we want New York to be successful, Trump told the America Business Forum in Miami. Well help him a little bit, maybe. Booth says this weeks elections ought to be a wake-up call for the president, who has been focused on trade deals, ending foreign wars and vanity projects such as the White House ballroom. Hes projecting a disinterest in the practical challenges facing voters in their daily lives, and has been captured by the ideological parts of Trumpism in a way that voters saw from us last year, Booth says. This is bad news for Trump. Advertisement PHILIPSBURG:--- The Committee of General Affairs of Parliament is scheduled to meet on November 7, 2025. The Committee meeting is scheduled for Friday at 10.00 hrs. in the Legislative Hall at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of General Affairs will be in attendance. The agenda point is: Status update on the respective themes of the Country Package (IS/916/2024-2025 dated April 22, 2025) This meeting was requested by MP S.A. Wescot-Williams. Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations. All persons visiting the House of Parliament must adhere to the house rules. The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg. The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on TV 15, Soualiga Headlines, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and www.youtube.com/c/SintMaartenParliament THE NETHERLANDS (THE HAGUE):--- Her Excellency Diedre Mills, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Head Mission to the European Union (EU), has expressed her heartfelt gratitude and outpouring of love, support and solidarity on behalf of the Government and the people of Jamaica during this difficult time after the passing of Hurricane Melissa. In her letter dated October 31, 2025, Ambassador Mills added, As we begin the recovery and reconstruction phase, we do so with the kind assurance of your unwavering commitment and steadfast support so that we can build back even stronger than ever. Her Excellency Sint Maartens Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita Arrindell had the pleasure of meeting Ambassador Mills on the sidelines of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)s General Conference in Uzbekistan in the historic city of Samarkand. The Ambassador personally expressed her gratitude for Sint Maartens expression from the outset of my address of solidarity with the people and Government of Jamaica while having the floor and attention of the UNESCO Conference. I also mentioned Haiti, The Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic, which were also impacted by Melissa. We are deeply saddened to learn that the Government of Jamaica has confirmed 28 fatalities to date associated with the passage of the hurricane. I extend my condolences to the families who have lost loved ones due to this natural disaster, Minister Arrindell said on Thursday. Minister Plenipotentiary Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell addressed the General Conference on behalf of the Honourable Melissa D. Gumbs, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. The 43rd UNESCO General Conference runs from 30 October to 13 November 2025. PHILIPSBURG:--- In a blistering critique on the floor of Parliament, Member of Parliament Omar Ottley delivered a powerful rebuke regarding the ongoing Ennia saga and the precarious future of the Mullet Bay property. Drawing stark parallels between past and present government actions, Ottley warned that St. Maarten is watching a disastrous history repeat itself, with the nation's most valuable assets hanging in the balance. At the heart of Ottley's condemnation is the recurring theme of a Minister of Finance seemingly acting alone, creating a sense of unease and distrust within Parliament and the coalition. He resurrected the words of former Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams from 2014, who cautioned that decisions concerning the Central Bank must be a matter for Parliament, not the unilateral whim of a single minister. "The feeling is there again," Ottley declared, pointing out that the current Minister of Finance is being isolated by her own colleagues, some of whom claim they were not even present when critical decisions were made. Ottley did not mince words, accusing St. Maarten of taking a monumental risk to bail out Curacao from its financial woes related to the Ennia pension fund restructuring. He reminded the chamber that while St. Maarten could have survived for a few more years, Curacao faced an imminent collapse in 2025 without intervention. The reward for this act of solidarity? A slap in the face. Ottley cited a bold statement from an advisor to Curacao's Prime Minister, who proclaimed to his own parliament that St. Maarten's MPs "can say what they want... Mullet Bay belongs to the Central Bank, and the Central Bank is ours." This brazen declaration exposes the dangerous position St. Maarten now finds itself in. The country holds the first right of refusal on the Mullet Bay property, but as Ottley furiously pointed out, this right is meaningless without the financial means to exercise it. "First right of refusal with no money in the coffers," he scoffed, noting the sale price of Mullet Bay could equal St. Maarten's entire annual budget. The MP passionately argued that the only viable path forward is to stall any sale until St. Maarten is in a position of control. He referenced past advice suggesting that development plans and proof of financing are paramount, and that if a sale must be stalled, it should be done to allow the government to dictate the future of Mullet Bay. "It will be a cold day in hell as this Member of Parliament sits and watches Curacao take over Mullet Bay," Ottley vowed, expressing a sentiment of deep-seated betrayal and fierce national pride. He left the Minister of Finance with a clear and urgent mandate: ensure the nation's interests are protected. The time for political maneuvering is over. Without decisive action to prepare and stall, Ottley fears he will be forced to tell the people of St. Maarten the one thing he desperately wants to avoid: "I told you so." PHILIPSBURG:--- A powder keg of frustration exploded today as frontline workers, union leaders, and opposition Members of Parliament convened an emergency meeting, delivering a blistering indictment of government ineptitude, duplicity, and outright neglect. This administration stands accused not just of failing its essential workers but of shamelessly betraying those who risk their lives for the public's well-being. Led by WICSU/PSU President Sharon Cannegieterwith unwavering support from WITU President Roxanne Pantophlet and NAPB President Marcus Pantophletthe unions laid bare a staggering history of broken promises and bureaucratic indifference that has festered for years. At the heart of the anger is the governments refusal to sign a commitment letter that would assure retroactive placements and correct a fatally flawed function book that has left veteran employees without proper recognition or pay. But this crisis did not materialize overnight. The governments indifference has been laid bare time and again: from the shocking cancellation of a crucial meeting with frontline workers on August 6th, without explanation or apology, to the continued delays in implementing long-promised reforms. Instead of responding to slights and administrative chaos with urgency, the cabinet has chosen silencea slap in the face to those who serve the public at great personal risk. Since August 7th, firefighters and ambulance staff have been forced back into go-slow action, exhausted from years of unanswered grievances and demoralized by the governments lack of basic respect. This goes beyond pay and promotionthese workers cannot even secure home loans because their status remains in bureaucratic limbo. Promises made to young firefighters over half a decade ago remain unfulfilled, while the government dithers and delays. The damage isnt just financial; its the systematic erosion of trust, opportunity, and dignity. Members of Parliament who attended the emergency meeting were stunned by how starkly the truth on the ground differs from the empty assurances routinely served up in Parliament. MP Darryl York of the National Alliance admitted he and his colleagues would have remained ignorant if not for the direct testimony of those suffering under government misrule. The Prime Ministers claim that all union agreements had been approved was promptly exposed as a brazen falsehood. MP Francisco Lacroes, echoing the growing fury, called on frontline workers to shut down the country if necessary: Do we have to close down the country to get attention and the things done? MP Omar Ottley, meanwhile, vowed to hold Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina accountable for what he called the utterly unacceptable disrespect and betrayal. If things are not fixed, I will say it here, a motion of no confidence is coming, Ottley declared. The governments inaction is not just an operational failureit is a moral collapse. Its about a firefighter denied the proper rank after years of service; about a veteran forced into retirement without thanks or recognition; about public servants treated as disposable. The function book, a basic document for career progression, remains a symbol of neglect, blocking families from building futures and young professionals from advancing in their lives. Even worse, these failures reverberate far beyond the unions: if the victimized essential workers escalate their protestas seems inevitableSt. Maartens critical tourist economy and public safety could grind to a halt. This is an administration that, time and again, has proven itself completely out of touch with the needs of its most essential citizens. The governments shameful negligence has not just eroded morale but has dealt a devastating blow to public trust. It is a betrayal that demands an immediate reckoning. As this crisis reaches its tipping point, the message from unions, workers, and now many in Parliament is clear: St. Maarten deserves better. Its frontline heroes deserve leadership that is worthy of their sacrificenot empty platitudes and endless excuses. Anything less is unconscionable. ~Firefighters, Ambulance, Police, Coast Guards, Prison, and CPS Workers Unite in Fury as Unions Threaten Escalation~ PHILIPSBURG:--- The tone inside the WICSU/PSU headquarters today was nothing short of explosive. What began as a solidarity meeting quickly transformed into a blistering indictment of government incompetence, with Members of Parliament Darryl York, Omar Ottley, and Francisco Lacroes openly rebuking ministers for what they called a disgraceful display of neglect toward the nations frontline workers. The meeting organized by the Windward Islands Civil Servants and Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) and supported by the NAPB police union and the WITU brought together representatives from every critical service sector: firefighters, ambulance personnel, prison officers, police, and employees of Collective Prevention Services (CPS). After seven months of slowdowns, protests, and unanswered letters, the workers have had enough and Parliament seems to agree. We Are Not Begging We Are Demanding Respect WICSU/PSU President Sharon Cannegieter didnt mince words as she opened the floor. Our workers are not begging, she declared. They are demanding what is rightfully theirs. We have firefighters working 24-hour shifts without proper compensation. Ambulance staff who cant even get proper uniforms. And yet the government hides behind bureaucracy and legal excuses. The anger in the room was palpable as Cannegieter waved a commitment letter that unions have been pleading with the government to sign a document outlining long-overdue issues including retroactive placement, career advancement, and fair classification under the 2025 Function Book. Weve met, weve talked, and weve been lied to, Cannegieter said. Each time, the story changes. Enough is enough. MPs Erupt: Fix It, or Face Consequences During the tense union-led meeting called by the Windward Islands Civil Servants and Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) with the backing of the NAPB and WITU, Members of Parliament Omar Ottley, Francisco Lacroes, and Darryl York took a unified stance in defense of St. Martins frontline workers from the Coast guards, police, prison officers, firefighters, and ambulance personnel to CPS and other essential services. Addressing the workers growing frustration, MP Darryl York cautioned against political double standards and questioned government transparency, declaring, Governance isnt about wordplay; its about consistency. He underscored that Parliament had a duty to ensure fairness and good governance, especially when decisions directly affect workers livelihoods. MP Omar Ottley, speaking passionately on the need for concrete action, reminded those gathered that political posturing would not feed families nor fix unsafe working conditions, saying, We cant stand by while our essential workers beg for respect. Theyre the ones holding this country together. Meanwhile, MP Francisco Lacroes urged collaboration over confrontation, calling on the government to sit down with the unions and find solutions before this island loses the people who risk their lives daily for us. Echoing their sentiments, WICSU/PSU President confirmed the union had escalated matters beyond local channels: Trade unionism is about the fist, not the waving. And I pull that fist when I need to. Yes, I have reached out to the International Labour Organization and Public Service International because this is no longer about politics; its about lives that matter. Together, the MPs and union leaders vowed to continue pressing for accountability, better working conditions, and immediate dialogue with the government, warning that further inaction could cripple critical services across the island. Ottley: This Is a National Shame MP Omar Ottley, himself a former Minister of Public Health, expressed disbelief at the state of affairs. I cannot believe that after all these years, the people who save lives, who run into fires, who keep order in our prisons, are being treated like this, Ottley said. Its a national shame. He accused the Council of Ministers of turning their backs on essential workers while spending millions elsewhere. They find money for consultants and travel, but when its time to pay the people who actually keep this island running, suddenly theres a budget issue? Please. Ottley ended with a chilling warning: If this government thinks it can continue ignoring its people, I promise you, there will be political consequences. Lacroes: Government Playing Games with Peoples Lives MP Francisco Lacroes known for his fiery speeches lit up the room with an impassioned rebuke. The government is playing games with peoples lives, Lacroes thundered. You cannot have ambulance workers crying in frustration, firefighters begging for gear, and prison guards going home demoralized. And then you come with excuses about procedures and committees? Stop insulting our intelligence. Lacroes called on the Prime Minister and Minister of Justice to face the workers eye to eye and explain why signed agreements remain unimplemented. Show your face. Dont hide behind statements. You have time for press conferences, but no time for your workers? Shame! Workers United For the First Time in Years What made the meeting historic was the rare unity across sectors. Representatives from the Fire Department, Ambulance, Police, Prison, and CPS sat shoulder to shoulder, joined by leaders from the NAPB and WITU, demanding one thing: accountability. Ambulance workers announced they had officially moved to Level 2 industrial action, signaling potential escalation if the government remains silent. Prison officers raised concerns about unsafe working conditions and lack of staffing, while CPS employees highlighted chronic underpayment and burnout. Union Going International Cannegieter revealed that letters have already been sent to international labor bodies, including the ILO, Public Services International (PSI), and the Caribbean Public Services Association (CPSA). If government wont listen locally, well make sure the world hears, she warned. This is not just labor injustice its human rights abuse. A Storm Brewing As the meeting closed, MPs and union leaders stood united fists raised. Their message was clear: this is not another polite request for dialogue; its an ultimatum. We will not sit quietly while our workers are disrespected, MP York concluded. If government wont act, then maybe its time for a new one that will. With unity spreading across essential services and political backing mounting in Parliament, St. Maarten could be on the brink of a major labor showdown one that may test not only the governments credibility, but the countrys stability itself. SEOUL, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Three workers were confirmed dead on Friday in South Korea's power plant boiler tower collapse, according to Yonhap news agency. A 60-meter-high boiler tower, which was supposed to be dismantled, collapsed the previous day at a thermal power plant in Ulsan, about 310 km southeast of the capital Seoul. Three workers were confirmed dead, while two others were presumed dead as they were found crushed under the structure. Two workers remained accounted for, and two others suffered injuries after being rescued early on. Search was underway with all available resources, including search dogs, acoustic detectors, endoscopes and thermal imaging cameras. However, the search and rescue efforts were challenging as the collapsed steel structure and materials were densely intertwined. Zuckerbergs put AI at heart of pledge to cure diseases San Francisco, United States, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a nonprofit launched by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife aimed at curing all disease, on Thursday announced it was restructuring to focus on using artificial intelligence to achieve that goal. The move narrows the focus of the philanthropic organization founded in 2015 with a vow to devote most of the couple's significant wealth to charitable causes, including social justice and voter rights. Zuckerberg is among the high-profile tech figures who has backed away from diversity, equality and fact-checking initiatives after US President Donald Trump took office in January. The organizaiton this year ended its diversity efforts, curbed support of nonprofits that provide housing and stopped funding a primary school that gave education and health care to underserved children, according to media reports. The philanthropic mission created by the Meta co-founder and his spouse, Priscilla Chan, said that its current priority invovles scientific teams centralized in a facility called Biohub. "This is a pivotal moment in science, and the future of AI-powered scientific discovery is starting to come into view," Biohub said in a blog post. "We believe that it will be possible in the next few years to create powerful AI systems that can reason about and represent biology to accelerate science." Biohub envisions AI helping advance ways to detect, prevent and cure diseases, according to the post. The mission includes trying to model the human immune system, potentially opening a door to "engineering human health." "We believe we're on the cusp of a scientific revolution in biology -- as frontier artificial intelligence and virtual biology give scientists new tools to understand life at a fundamental level," Biohub said in the post. The first investment announced by the Zuckerbergs when the initiative debuted nearly a decade ago was for the creation of a Biohub in Silicon Valley where researchers, scientists and others could work to build tools to better study and understand diseases. Shortly after it was established, the initiative bought a Canadian startup which uses AI to quickly read and comprehend scientific papers and then provide insights to researchers. "Our multidisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers have built incredible technologies to observe, measure and program biology," Biohub said of its progress. Meta is among the big tech firms that have been pouring billions of dollars into data centers and more in a race to lead the field of AI. OpenAI boss calls on governments to build AI infrastructure San Francisco, United States, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called on world governments Thursday to invest in AI infrastructure, as questions grow about whether the ChatGPT-maker, the world's most valuable private company, can absorb artificial intelligence's massive costs. "What we do think might make sense is governments building (and owning) their own AI infrastructure, but then the upside of that should flow to the government as well," Altman wrote in a long post on X, clarifying OpenAI's position amid growing scrutiny of the company's ambitious spending plans. The company behind ChatGPT was facing scrutiny after its chief financial officer Sarah Friar told a business conference Wednesday that the US government could help attract the enormous investment needed for AI computing and infrastructure by guaranteeing loans to pay for the buildout. After fierce criticism, the executive later retracted the statement, saying her point was clumsily explained, which Altman reiterated in his own post. "We do not have or want government guarantees for OpenAI datacenters," Altman wrote. "We believe that governments should not pick winners or losers, and that taxpayers should not bail out companies that make bad business decisions or otherwise lose in the market," he added. "If we screw up and can't fix it, we should fail, and other companies will continue on doing good work." The comments came as OpenAI faces questions about its financial trajectory. OpenAI has become a highly pivotal company, with the AI race launched by the release of ChatGPT driving Wall Street to new records even as doubts grow about the broader health of the American economy. Altman said the company expects to reach over $20 billion in annualized revenue this year, a significant accomplishment for a startup, and is looking at infrastructure spending commitments of approximately $1.4 trillion over the next eight years. This includes a $300 billion partnership with Oracle and a $500 billion Stargate project with Oracle and SoftBank that was announced at the White House in January. He projected that OpenAI revenue will grow to hundreds of billions of dollars by 2030, driven by as-yet-unreleased consumer devices, robotics, and AI-powered scientific discovery. Given the strategic importance of the technology, Altman argued that building a "strategic national reserve of computing power" makes sense for governments, particularly as massive infrastructure projects take years to complete. He cited severe compute constraints already forcing OpenAI and competitors to limit availability of their products and delay new features, warning that the risk of insufficient computing power outweighs the risk of overbuilding. Press Release from Business Wire: INNIO Group (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 JENBACH, Nov 7, 2025 (BSW) - INNIO Group has signed a contract with KMW (Kraftwerke Mainz-Wiesbaden AG) for a new 54-MW peaking power plant. A total of twelve modular energy systems from INNIO are intended to be operated at the site. Part of the plant's capacity is expected to be available for the "Green Rocks" data center, which is being built by KMW and Norwegian data center operator Green Mountain. INNIO's decentralized energy solutions serve as backup in case of a blackout due to grid failure. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251107090386/en/ Visualization of the future Green Rocks data center (c) KMW The power plant is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2027. "The partnership between INNIO and KMW is a strategic milestone for energy supply in Mainz. It combines efficiency with future viability and is designed to support the operation of our data center even in the event of a blackout," said KMW board member Oliver Malerius. "With our innovative energy solutions, we secure the power supply for critical infrastructure and data centers, enabling dynamic AI development not only in the U.S., but also right here in the heart of Europe," said Thomas Seeber, managing director Sales Data Center at INNIO Group. INNIO's energy systems for the KMW power plant offer a sustainable alternative to traditional diesel generators, with up to 95% lower nitrogen oxide emissions. Their output can be flexibly adjusted to meet specific power needs. Furthermore, these systems are "Ready for H2". About INNIO Group INNIO Group is a leading energy solution and service provider that empowers industries and communities to make sustainable energy work today. With its Jenbacher and Waukesha product brands and its AI-powered myplant digital platform, INNIO Group offers innovative solutions for data center power infrastructure, distributed power generation, and compression applications. With its flexible, scalable, and resilient energy solutions and services, INNIO Group enables its customers to drive the energy transition across the energy value chain and ensures reliable energy supply even where the grid is not available. For more information, visit INNIO Group's website at innio.com. Follow INNIO Group on X and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251107090386/en/ Contact For further information please contact:Susanne ReicheltINNIO Group+43 664 80833 2382[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. EU eyes tweaks to AI law to heed tech industry 'concerns' Brussels, Belgium, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 The European Union said Friday it is considering adjustments to its landmark artificial intelligence law, the AI Act, after tech firms and several member states raised concerns. The flagship AI Act entered into force last year but its obligations will kick in over several years -- with pressure mounting on Brussels to delay or review some to ease the burden on the industry. "We are hearing concerns from the industry and from our member states," European Commission digital spokesman Thomas Regnier told reporters. The EU executive is expected on November 19 to unveil a broader package of measures to simplify digital legislation and cut red tape, which Regnier said "would be the appropriate framework to address some of these concerns". "No decision has been taken at this stage, but a reflection is of course ongoing," he said. Asked about pressure from the United States, where industry giants and President Donald Trump's administration have pushed for softer touch EU tech regulations, Regnier said the bloc remained committed to enforcing its rules. "We are fully behind the AI Act, and no pressure from anywhere will impact us," he said. Possible adjustments could include extending implementation deadlines to give companies more time to comply. Henna Virkkunen, the commission's digital chief, had already floated the idea of easing compliance earlier this year, suggesting that some flexibility might be needed to help businesses adapt. Press Release from Business Wire: Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 RIYADH, Nov 7, 2025 (BSW) - The 26th session of the UN Tourism General Assembly opened today in Riyadh, marking a historic first for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region and the largest Assembly since UN Tourism was founded 50 years ago. Around 160 delegations from member states including ministers, senior officials, and leaders from across industry and civil society are coming together to celebrate five decades of international collaboration under the theme "AI-Powered Tourism: Redefining the Future." This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251107012471/en/ 26th UN Tourism General Assembly kicks off in Riyadh The Assembly is hosted by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Tourism, with extensive cooperation and planning alongside UN Tourism and a wide range of partners. This collaboration underscores the Kingdom's dedication to advancing the industry and facilitating impactful dialogue on the global stage. For half a century, UN Tourism has advanced economic opportunity, cross-cultural understanding, and peace through travel. With the sector's rapid digital transformation reshaping how people discover, book, and experience destinations, this year's Assembly focuses on ensuring AI serves people and places supporting jobs, small businesses, destination stewardship, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the coming days, delegates will participate in four plenary sessions, numerous meetings of seven specialized committees, and the 124th and 125th sessions of the Executive Council - the organization's highest executive body. The agenda is designed to foster discussions on how artificial intelligence and digital transformation can accelerate sustainable, inclusive growth and deepen international cooperation in tourism. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism, said: "Saudi Arabia is proud to welcome the world to the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly as we celebrate 50 years of UN Tourism's global cooperation and shared progress. This week marks a defining moment for our industry - a chance to shape how tourism grows in the decades ahead through stronger connectivity, greater sustainability, deeper investment in human capital, and innovation powered by AI. Tourism is one of the world's most powerful forces for prosperity and understanding - creating jobs, supporting small businesses, and connecting cultures. Guided by Vision 2030, the Kingdom is committed to ensuring that this growth continues to drive opportunity and inclusion - and to welcoming the world with the spirit of Saudi hospitality that defines who we are." UN Tourism Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, said: "The UN Tourism General Assembly brings together tourism leaders from across the world to set the agenda and build a more innovative and inclusive sector. Over the next few days, first with the meeting of our diverse and dynamic Affiliate Members, and then with the sessions of our General Assembly, Riyadh will showcase the power of tourism, as a driver of transformation, modernisation and opportunity. Together, we can harness the power of technology to drive positive change, diversify our economies and create jobs for many millions of people everywhere." With the inaugural meetings set to take place today, Riyadh stands ready to welcome the world, with state-of-the-art venues and a vibrant hospitality sector that reflects Saudi Arabia's commitment to global engagement and excellence. As the host of the 26th session of the General Assembly, Saudi Arabia remains at the forefront of the drive to promote growth, sustainability and multilateral cooperation under the umbrella of UN Tourism. The Kingdom's long-standing partnership with the UN agency is marked by active engagement, impactful joint initiatives and historic milestones including opening UN Tourism's first Middle East regional office in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia's two-term chairmanship of the Executive Council in 2023 and 2024. About Ministry of Tourism The Ministry of Tourism leads the development of the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia, in line with Saudi Vision 2030. Its mission is to promote growth across the Kingdom's thriving tourism industry, supporting the diversification of the national economy and positioning the Kingdom as a global tourism destination. The Ministry unlocks the sector's potential by crafting innovative policies and regulations, fostering an attractive investment environment, empowering the private sector, and training homegrown talents to innovate, lead, and reimagine Saudi tourism. About UN Tourism The World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) is the United Nations specialized agency for responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. In collaboration with its 160 Member States, 6 Associate Members and over 500 Affiliate Members, UN Tourism works to position tourism as a key driver of economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability. About UNTGA The General Assembly is the principal gathering of the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism). It meets every two years to approve the budget and program of work and to debate topics of vital importance to the tourism sector. Every four years it elects a Secretary-General. The General Assembly is composed of Full Members and Associate Members. Affiliate Members and representatives of other international organizations participate as observers. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251107012471/en/ Contact For media inquiries: [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. BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang on Thursday delivered a speech at the Belem Climate Summit. The following is the full text of the speech: Remarks by H.E. Ding Xuexiang Special Representative of President Xi Jinping, Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of The CPC Central Committee, and Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China At the Belem Climate Summit Belem, November 6, 2025 Your Excellency President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Colleagues, Good morning! It gives me great pleasure to attend the Belem Climate Summit as the special representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping. First of all, I have the honor to convey the best wishes from President Xi Jinping to Brazil for hosting this Summit. President Xi Jinping highly commends the important contributions made by the Brazilian Presidency to global climate governance, and wishes COP30 a full success. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement and global climate governance is entering a critical stage. China has made notable achievements in implementing its 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and achieved ahead of schedule the targets of installed capacity of wind and solar power and total forest stock. At the United Nations Climate Summit on September 24, President Xi Jinping solemnly announced China's 2035 NDCs covering all economic sectors and all greenhouse gases. This is the first time that China put forward an absolute emissions reduction target, which is a testament to China's firm resolve and maximum effort. The just-concluded Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee deliberated over and adopted the recommendations for the economic and social development plan over the next five years. It made important arrangements for building a Beautiful China. It stressed that guided by the goals of achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality, China will make concerted efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, pursue green development and boost economic growth, and reinforce ecological security shields and strengthen green development drivers. China is a country that honors its commitments. China will accelerate the green transition in all areas of economic and social development, work actively and prudently toward peak carbon emissions, and make greater contributions to addressing climate change. Colleagues, Humanity now stands at a new crossroads. It is imperative for all parties to uphold true multilateralism, strengthen solidarity and coordination and make sustained progress in global climate governance. To this end, I would like to make three propositions. First, we should keep to the right direction. Green and low-carbon transition is the trend of the times. We need to stay confident, balance such goals as environmental protection, economic development, job creation and poverty eradication, seek coordinated progress on livelihood improvement and climate governance, and promote high-quality development to deliver greater benefits to the people of all countries. Second, we should translate climate commitments into action. The key to addressing climate change lies in taking action. We need to abide by the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, fully and effectively implement the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement, and uphold international fairness and justice in the course of action and implementation. Developed countries should take the lead in fulfilling emission reduction obligations, deliver on their finance commitments, and provide more technology and capacity building support to developing countries. Third, we should deepen openness and cooperation. The global transition toward green and low-carbon growth calls for a sound environment for international economic and trade cooperation. We need to strengthen international collaboration on green technology and industry, remove trade barriers and ensure the free flow of quality green products to better meet the needs of global sustainable development. China is ready to work with all parties to unswervingly promote green and low-carbon development and build a beautiful world of harmony between humanity and nature. Thank you. US B-52 bombers fly off coast of Venezuela: flight tracking data Washington, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 A pair of US B-52 bombers flew over the Caribbean Sea along the coast of Venezuela on Thursday, flight tracking data showed, in the fourth such show of force by American military aircraft in recent weeks. The flight comes as Washington carries out a military campaign against alleged drug smugglers in the region, deploying naval and air forces it says are aimed at curbing trafficking but which have sparked fears in Caracas that regime change is the goal. Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed the two bombers flying parallel to the Venezuelan coast, then circling northeast of Caracas before heading back along the coast and turning north and flying further out to sea. It is at least the fourth time that US military aircraft have flown near Venezuela since mid-October: B-52s have done so on one previous occasion, and B-1B bombers on two others. The United States has also ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to Latin America, has deployed F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico and currently has six US Navy ships in the Caribbean as part of what it calls counter-narcotics efforts. Washington's forces have carried out strikes on at least 17 alleged drug-smuggling vessels -- 16 boats and a semi-submersible -- since early September, killing at least 67 people, according to US figures. But the United States has yet to release evidence that the vessels it has targeted were used to smuggle drugs or posed a threat to the country. Regional tensions have flared as a result of the campaign and the accompanying military buildup, with Venezuela accusing Washington of plotting to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. New US strike on alleged drug boat kills three, toll at 70 Washington, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 US forces on Thursday struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, killing three people, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from Washington's controversial anti-narcotics campaign to at least 70. The United States began carrying out such strikes -- which experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers -- in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The US strikes have destroyed at least 18 vessels so far -- 17 boats and a semi-submersible -- but Washington has yet to make public any concrete evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States. Hegseth released aerial footage on X of the latest strike, which he said took place in international waters like the previous strikes and targeted "a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization." No US forces were harmed in the operation, he said. "To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs -- we will kill you," he wrote. Like some previous videos released by the US government, a section of the boat is obfuscated for unspecified reasons. President Donald Trump's administration has built up significant forces in Latin America, in what it says is its campaign to stamp out drug trafficking. So far it has deployed six Navy ships in the Caribbean, sent F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, and ordered the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike group to the region. The governments and families of those killed in the US strikes have said many of the dead were civilians -- primarily fishermen. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly accused Trump of seeking to oust him. US bombers have also conducted shows of force near Venezuela, flying over the Caribbean Sea off the country's coast on at least four occasions since mid-October. Maduro -- who has been indicted on drug charges in the United States -- insists there is no drug cultivation in his country, which he says is used as a trafficking route for Colombian cocaine against its will. The Trump administration has said in a notice to Congress that the United States is engaged in "armed conflict" with Latin American drug cartels, describing them as terrorist groups as part of its justification for the strikes. North Korea fires unidentified ballistic missile: Seoul military Seoul, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 North Korea fired a ballistic missile Friday, Seoul's military said, around a week after US President Donald Trump approved South Korea's plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine. Analysts have said Seoul's plan to construct one of the atomic-driven vessels would likely draw an aggressive response from Pyongyang. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile towards the East Sea, referring to the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. The missile landed in the sea outside Japan's economic waters and no damage or injuries had been reported, said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. But the Kremlin defended North Korea's latest launch, saying Pyongyang -- a key ally for Russia during its Ukraine campaign -- had the "legitimate right" to do so. "We are respectful of the legitimate right of our friends in the DPRK (North Korea) to ensure their security and take measures for it," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. Washington's security ally Tokyo, meanwhile, said North Korea's ballistic missile launches have been "absolutely unforgivable". As "evidenced" by North Korea's provocations, "it's never too early to accelerate efforts to revamp our defence capabilities," Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said. "We will consider what steps are needed to protect our nation's... peace and the lives of our people, without ruling out any options." The missile launched at 12:35 pm (0335 GMT) from an area north of Pyongyang and flew around 700 kilometres (435 miles), South Korea's military said. North Korea has significantly increased missile testing in recent years, which analysts say is aimed at improving precision strike capabilities, challenging the United States as well as South Korea, and testing weapons before potentially exporting them to Russia. "From North Korea's perspective, the possibility of sudden attacks from the East Sea will be a source of anxiety," Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP. "If South Korea acquires a nuclear-powered submarine, they would be able to enter North Korean waters and preemptively monitor or intercept weapons such as submarine-launched ballistic missiles." Trump had announced that South Korea would build the submarine in the United States, but Seoul says it is considering making it at home. Unlike diesel-powered submarines, which must regularly surface to recharge their batteries, nuclear-powered ones can remain submerged for far longer. - 'Irreversible' nuclear state - Analysts say developing a nuclear-powered submarine would be a significant leap for South Korea. Only the United States, Australia, China, Russia, India, France and Britain have moved toward nuclear-powered submarines, according to media and analysis reports. Since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's 2019 summit with Trump collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief, Pyongyang has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state. Kim has since been emboldened by the war in Ukraine, securing critical support from Moscow after sending thousands of troops to fight alongside Russian forces. Pyongyang did not respond to Trump's offer to meet with Kim last week, and instead its Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui headed to Moscow, where she and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to strengthen bilateral ties. In September, Kim appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin at an elaborate military parade in Beijing -- a striking display of his new, elevated status in global politics. Trump met Kim three times during his first term and once famously said the pair had fallen "in love", but the US leader ultimately failed to secure a lasting agreement on North Korea's nuclear programme. South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said this week that Seoul's spy agency believes Kim was still open to talks with Washington, "and will seek contact when the conditions are in place". Although the proposed meeting with Trump did not materialise, "multiple signs suggest" that Pyongyang "had been preparing behind the scenes for possible talks with the US", said the lawmaker. Greece to tighten gun controls after Crete shootings Athens, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 Greece on Friday announced gun control measures after two people died in a firefight between rival families on the island of Crete. Citizen's Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis said illegal gun ownership would be upgraded from a misdemeanour to a crime, and gun licenses nationwide would be re-examined. Two people died in a firefight Saturday in the mountain village of Vorizia, a 39-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman, one from each family. The shootout erupted hours after a house under construction belonging to one family was blown up with dynamite. Heavily armed police were rushed to the village. The citizen's protection ministry said over 200 additional officers would now be stationed on Crete permanently to tackle crimes including arms smuggling, cannabis cultivation and cattle raiding. Law-abiding citizens are "afraid to register a complaint", Crete governor Stavros Arnaoutakis told state TV ERT. The authorities have made several arrests in Vorizia, but have so far not located most of the weapons used in the clash, including shotguns and at least one AK-47 assault rifle. Illegal gun ownership is rife on Crete, and family vendettas arising out of perceived insults are common. Guns are also often fired to mark weddings, baptisms and festivals. Last month, a 23-year-old shot and killed a 52-year-old man during a village celebration in western Crete. A campaign in 2005, backed by the late Cretan Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, to encourage locals to avoid pointless gun violence, has had little effect. In a report in June, the Geneva-based NGO Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime said there could be up to a million illegal weapons in Greece. It noted that the illegal arms market into the country is largely controlled by Russian, Georgian and Albanian organised crime. What we know about S. Korea's nuclear-powered submarine plans Seoul, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 South Korea is expected to join a small circle of countries that operate nuclear-powered submarines after receiving approval from US President Donald Trump. The South, which is technically still at war with nuclear-armed North Korea, said it expects to launch its first nuclear-powered submarine by the mid-to-late 2030s, using its own technology. AFP takes a look at what we know: What is the deal? Trump said last week he had approved ally South Korea's plan to build a nuclear-powered submarine after meeting counterpart Lee Jae Myung on the sidelines of an APEC summit. Lee's office has said Seoul needed US approval because of the requirement for nuclear fuel, which is restricted for military use. The exact scale and cost of the submarine project are unknown but South Korea has said it will invest $150 billion in enhancing the US shipbuilding industry. From there, the details start to become murky. South Korea's promised investment is part of a response to the tariff blitz Trump launched after his return to the White House in January and was announced before the submarine approval. Critics argue that, given remarks that Trump made on his Truth Social platform, Washington could have pushed Seoul to invest in a shipyard in Philadelphia in exchange for US support to build the vessel. The two sides now appear to be hammering out the details. Where will it be built? Trump said last week that South Korea would build the submarine in Philadelphia. US nuclear technology is among its most sensitive and tightly guarded military secrets. He also mentioned a shipyard run by a South Korean company, although Seoul later said that did not align with its plans. Some think the idea could still work to South Korea's advantage. "The shipyard, acquired by South Korea's Hanwha Group, has extensive experience with the US Navy and would offer valuable access to American design and operational know-how," Choi Il, head of The Submarine Research Institute, told AFP. However, South Korea's presidential office said on Friday that Seoul will develop and build the vessel at home, with US-supplied fuel, and that the discussion between Trump and Lee was based on that "premise". South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the US yard is "currently lacking sufficient technology, workforce, and facilities". National security adviser Wi Sung-lac said it "wouldn't be realistic to invest in submarine facilities" there. Hanwha Ocean has run the Philadelphia shipyard since last year. How is the submarine different? Nuclear-powered submarines can remain submerged for months, unlike their diesel-powered predecessors that must surface regularly to recharge their batteries. "Submarines are designed for stealth infiltration, but those with shorter submergence times must surface more often, increasing the risk of detection," Hong Sung-pyo, senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Military Affairs, told AFP. "To conduct challenging or high-level missions, a country needs advanced intelligence and precision strike capabilities, and nuclear-powered submarines are one of the most effective tools in that regard." South Korea and the United States are moving to transfer wartime operational control of their combined forces to a South Korean commander with a US deputy, and experts say the submarine will strengthen Seoul's push for greater military autonomy. Currently, Washington would command allied troops in the event of war on the Korean peninsula. Why does South Korea want it? South Korea is protected by the US nuclear umbrella and there are nearly 30,000 US troops stationed there. Analysts say developing a nuclear-powered submarine would mark a significant leap in South Korea's naval and defence industrial base, allowing it to join a select group of countries with such vessels. Only the United States, China, Russia, India, France and Britain currently have them. North Korea has bolstered its military ties with Russia and has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power. The "possibility of sudden attacks from the East Sea will be a source of anxiety" for Pyongyang, said Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies. "Feeling threatened by this plan backed by Washington, Pyongyang is likely to respond aggressively -- and another nuclear test cannot be ruled out," Ahn told AFP. And the final details? Seoul's Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom said last week the two sides have nearly "finalised the details of the agreement", and that a factsheet "combining (tariff and) security matters" would be released. South Korea has yet to announce a detailed deal on tariffs and its investment pledge, which totals $350 billion and includes the shipbuilding pledge, that was agreed in exchange for the cut in US tariffs to 15 percent. Defence Minister Ahn told a parliamentary hearing this week "the process appears to have been delayed as various issues, including nuclear-powered submarines" were worked out. The Presidential office in Seoul said on Friday a final document could be released "anytime" if "things go smoothly". India buying over 100 GE engines for its Tejas fighter jets Mumbai, India, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 India's state-owned aeronautics firm said Friday it had inked an agreement with US company General Electric to acquire over 100 engines for its domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets. The deal comes at a time when ties between the US and India have come under strain over President Donald Trump's decision to impose harsh tariffs as punishment for New Delhi's purchases of Russian oil. The two nations have yet to secure a trade deal, although Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have adopted a more conciliatory tone on bilateral ties after relations plummeted in August. On Friday, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said the pact would see GE Aerospace supply 113 engines for an advanced version of the Tejas fighter referred to as Mk1A. "The engine deliveries would be from 2027 to 2032," HAL said in a statement posted on social media platform X, without offering details on the contract's value. The announcement comes a little over a month after India placed a $7 billion order with HAL for 97 light combat aircraft Mk1A. One of the world's largest arms importers, India has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority and has made repeated pushes to boost domestic production. New Delhi is eyeing threats from multiple nations, especially neighbouring Pakistan. The two sides fought a four-day conflict in May, their worst clash since 1999. Both claimed victory, each boasting of downing the other's fighter jets. Marcus Detrez looks at the photos during the photo exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, on Oct. 29, 2025. Young Frenchman Marcus Detrez recently held a photo exhibition in Tokyo, showcasing dozens of photocopies and some originals of historical photographs documenting the atrocities committed by the Japanese imperial army during its invasion of China, such as bombing Shanghai and massacring civilians. (Xinhua/Hu Xiaoge) TOKYO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Young Frenchman Marcus Detrez recently held a photo exhibition in Tokyo, showcasing dozens of photocopies and some originals of historical photographs documenting the atrocities committed by the Japanese imperial army during its invasion of China, such as bombing Shanghai and massacring civilians. "My family, like millions of families in China, suffered greatly at the hands of Japanese militarism," Detrez said, noting the exhibition, showcasing rare historical photos that had belonged to his grandfather, Roger-Pierre Laurens, who lived in east China's Shanghai in the 1930s, aims to provide "Western civilian testimony to the history of Japan's invasion of China." The 26-year-old, an English teacher in France, found the images in his grandfather's garage in 2021. For Detrez, this exhibition was not only a pursuit of family memories but also a steadfast adherence to historical truth. At the exhibition, pointing to a photograph titled "Life Destroyed by War," Detrez told Xinhua that "This was the first photo I saw when I opened the suitcase filled with these pictures; the horrific scene is shocking." Detrez said he had donated 618 images, taken and collected by his grandfather, to the Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall for the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in August this year. Many of the photos, identified as having been taken between the 1930s and 1950s, document the Battle of Songhu in 1937. The Shanghai Songhu Memorial Hall has incorporated these historical photos into its permanent collection. These photos document the atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders against Chinese civilians and are of great historical value in the research of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. The Tokyo exhibition was jointly curated by Detrez and his friends Zhong Haosong and Bastien Ratat. Detrez said that from donating the photos to China to having the exhibition in Japan, they not only faced unjust accusations from some Western media but also encountered obstruction from certain forces within Japan. "Most Japanese textbooks conceal or deliberately downplay the history of the invasion of China. We hope that this exhibition will help the Japanese people understand the truth of history," Detrez said. "With the rise of far-right forces in Japanese society, we hope to awaken the conscience of more Japanese people through these rare images," said Zhong, adding that these photos taken by Laurens, which offer a third-person perspective, can help the younger generation in Japan objectively understand the crimes committed by Japanese militarism in Asian countries, thereby conveying the belief in peace. Yaguchi, a Japanese visitor at the exhibition, lingered for a long time in front of a photo documenting the destruction of Nanjing Road in Shanghai by the invading Japanese troops. "The scene of billowing black smoke in the photo makes one deeply aware of Japan's history of aggression. Japanese textbooks are compiled in accordance with the government's guidelines, so I think Japanese people should more frequently attend such exhibitions to gradually elevate their historical perspective to a more international level," he said. Yokichi Kobayashi, son of a Japanese veteran of the Eighth Route Army, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, said: "This exhibition is extremely valuable. It truly documents the atrocities committed by the Japanese army and the dire situation of the Chinese people at that time. Seeing these images, one can't help but recall the Battle of Songhu. At that time, the Japanese government and many Japanese people believed that China was a disorganized mess and could be completely occupied within three months, but history proved them wrong." Zhao Linshan, director of the Chinese World War II film 731, also known as Evil Unbound, said, "Seeing these photos filled me with grief and anger. Like Marcus, I have a responsibility to let more people around the world know the truth of history." After the exhibition in Tokyo, Detrez and his friends plan to continue holding related exhibitions in other Asian countries, Europe, and the United States. A visitor looks at the photos during the photo exhibition in Tokyo, Japan, on Oct. 29, 2025. Young Frenchman Marcus Detrez recently held a photo exhibition in Tokyo, showcasing dozens of photocopies and some originals of historical photographs documenting the atrocities committed by the Japanese imperial army during its invasion of China, such as bombing Shanghai and massacring civilians. (Xinhua/Hu Xiaoge) Defendants and victims talk about the impact of being trapped, waiting years - sometimes until 2029 or 2030 - for their cases to even come to court. The Standards Courts Correspondent Tristan Kirk reports on this shameful decline, and how jury trials could be axed as a possible solution. BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to contribute its wisdom to the cause of global development, security, governance, and civilization in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), making sure that the results of modernization will benefit people of all countries in a more equitable way, according to a think tank report released on Friday. The report, titled "The Critical Stage toward Basically Realizing Chinese Modernization -- Strategic Blueprint for China's Economic and Social Development in the 15th Five-Year Plan Period," was released by the national high-level think tanks of the Central Institute of Party History and Literature and the Xinhua News Agency. In the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China will remain bound to peace, openness, cooperation and justice, according to the report. Successfully realizing economic and social development in the 15th Five-Year Plan period not only carries the dreams and aspirations of the Chinese people on their path toward modernization, but also bears profound significance for creating a new model for human civilization and exploring the future path of humanity development, the report said. I dont speak French, so I had no idea that the woman that came on before me said the robbery was one of the most tragic things that had ever happened to the French people, and on I come with a high viz vest with a load of prop jewellery. Howard Phillips, 66, from Essex, was jailed for seven years after trying to spy for what he thought were Russian intelligence agents, who were actually undercover UK officers. Motivated by money and ego, Phillips offered personal details about ex-Defence Secretary Sir Grant Shapps and help with logistics, hoping to assist Russia The court was told Phillips had betrayed his country for cash, calling him a narcissistic fantasist who dreamt of being like James Bond Where crimes are committed however, we would always seek to deal with those matters firmly and in line with our policies and procedures as well as in full cooperation with the police and the relevant authorities. Met Police Sergeant Lawrence Hume was sacked for gross misconduct after being secretly filmed saying a detainee deserves to be beaten up in footage aired by BBC Panorama. The misconduct panel ruled his comments were unprovoked and damaging to public confidence, especially given his leadership role overseeing detainee welfare. Hume is the sixth officer dismissed following the BBC investigation into misconduct at Charing Cross police station. I am a young woman and leader of my people, and I have already received six direct death threats and have been under protection from the UN for some time and decided to get back to my territory because an organised crime organisation was threatening our territory. Bin collectors in Waltham Forest plan to strike after rejecting multiple pay offers from their employer, FCC Environment, with 97% voting in favour of industrial action. The GMB union says workers deserve a fair pay rise amid the cost of living crisis and has also raised concerns about poor working conditions at their waste depot. Waltham Forest Councilnot directly involved in pay talkshas urged both sides to reach a swift resolution Convicted kidnapper Ola Abimbola escaped from Ford Prison, triggering a manhunt and adding to the pressure on Justice Secretary David Lammy The escape follows a series of prison blunders, with 262 inmates wrongly released in the past year Lammy has been backed by Sir Keir Starmer and pledged to digitise prison systems and tighten security checks We need to look into the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, adapt them for ourselves and develop our own concepts and structures accordingly because the war in Ukraine is our teacher, he explained, adding that Moscow expected a quick win when it invaded its neighbour in 2022. The suspect was being chased on foot by officers following a reported theft from a store in Bury when he ran in the direction of the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Sedgley Park training centre, where Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson had been welcoming a new cohort of officers at a passing out parade. He called on people to remember not only the fallen, but the living who carry the weight of war and urged them to knock on veterans doors and join them for a cuppa or a pint to hear their stories and remind them their service still matters. by Xinhua writers Xiong Maoling, Hu Yousong, Xie E WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. federal government shutdown has entered its sixth week, breaking the record from nearly seven years ago and becoming the longest government shutdown in the country's history. Around midday Wednesday, as the shutdown entered its 36th day, federal employees were seen lining up for free lunches at a relief site in downtown Washington, D.C., with noticeably more people than in previous days. An employee of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), who declined to reveal her name, told Xinhua that she had learned about the relief site from her sister and was visiting it for the first time. Since she lives far from the area, she had taken the subway to get there. Due to the government shutdown, she has missed her paycheck twice in October and might miss another on Friday. "Rent and bills still come, and the pressure is mounting," she said. Apryl, who works at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), was also collecting a free lunch for the first time. She told Xinhua that rising prices have made daily meals increasingly unaffordable, costing 15 to 30 U.S. dollars per lunch, so being able to get free food "means a lot" to her. As a single mother with a 13-year-old daughter, Apryl said losing her income has been devastating. "Just trying to care for yourself and your kid -- it's like almost impossible," she said, adding that even her daughter is experiencing mental stress from the situation. The event was organized by World Central Kitchen, which set up multiple relief sites in downtown Washington starting on Oct. 27. By the morning of Nov. 5, the organization had distributed over 36,000 meals, averaging about 4,000 meals per day. In addition to the downtown sites, relief points were established at airports and Air Force bases. Staff said the number of people seeking free lunches on Wednesday had increased noticeably, with food supplies being consumed much faster than before. Staff also revealed that organizers are working with local restaurants in downtown Washington, purchasing lunches from them to distribute to federal employees -- an effort that also helps support these struggling businesses. Due to layoffs and the prolonged shutdown, local restaurants have reported significant drops in business. Aksana Tran, owner of a cafe on Massachusetts Avenue NE, told local media that sales have fallen by 15 to 20 percent during the shutdown. Federal employees and local businesses are not the only ones affected by the ongoing shutdown. Its impact is intensifying across multiple public services, including food assistance programs and aviation security. Due to depleted funds, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) suspended benefit payments starting Nov. 1. After two federal judges intervened, the Trump administration announced on Monday that it would use emergency funds to maintain half of the benefits for November. However, some states may take weeks or even months to resume full distributions. The program covers 42 million Americans -- roughly one-eighth of the national population -- most of whom live below the poverty line. Analysis by the U.S. think tank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities indicates that about 1.2 million households, or nearly 5 million people -- roughly 1 in nine SNAP recipients -- will receive zero benefits because their normal benefit amounts fall below the planned benefit reduction. Apryl told Xinhua that, as a single mother, she is eligible for the SNAP, but she is concerned that her payments may not arrive on time as usual. "That would be more money that I have to put out into the grocery store, which is very expensive; that takes money from bills that I already have or something else I have to do for my kid," she said. "I think this current episode of punishing or abusing the poor ... is yet another example of what has been a long-term truth about this country: how the poor have frequently been injured or deprived because of the contempt of those who are either wealthier and/or in power," said Greg Cusack, a former member of the Iowa House of Representatives. "This country has never been a 'good place' to be poor," said Cusack. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on X on Wednesday that "Trump's continued weaponization of hunger is heartless and vile." A day earlier, Schumer had accused the president of treating hungry Americans as "political pawns" during the shutdown. Meanwhile, Republicans have also criticized Democrats for ignoring the consequences of the shutdown. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, the top Republican in the chamber, said at a press conference on Tuesday that "the Schumer shutdown was never about health care or any other policy," referring to Chuck Schumer. "Right now, the Democrats fear political retribution from far-left activists in their party more than they fear the consequences of keeping the government closed for weeks on end," said Johnson. When asked which party should be held responsible for the current deadlock, the NIH employee told Xinhua, "Everyone plays a role in it." Asked whether she believed the shutdown would end soon, she said she hoped so, but it didn't seem likely. "It seems that they've made no progress from where we were 36 days ago," she said. 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 Dana Diamond was one of three crew members who died when UPS Flight 2976 went down in Louisville shortly after 5 p.m. local time. Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1 A former Bastrop County fire chief was among the three UPS crew members killed Tuesday when a cargo plane crashed and exploded shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, the company confirmed. Dana Diamond previously served as fire chief, and later commissioner, of Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1. He was working as an international relief officer aboard UPS Flight 2976 when the aircraft went down. The MD-11F freighter lifted off just after 5 p.m. and crashed minutes later. It was departing for Honolulu, and Diamond's job was to take over during the nine-hour flight to allow the other pilot to rest. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Preliminary information released by the National Transportation Safety Board indicated that a fire broke out in the aircrafts left wing and the No. 2 engine separated from the fuselage. The impact ignited a large industrial fire near the airfield and scattered debris across several blocks. All three crew members died at the scene. The crash left at least 13 people dead with many more missing and injured. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called some of those injuries very significant. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Diamond was a resident of nearby Burleson County and spent years in volunteer and paid emergency service roles across Central Texas. At Bastrop ESD No. 1, he helped guide the district through wildfire seasons, department expansions and volunteer shortages. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In a statement released Friday morning, the district called Diamonds contributions to the community immeasurable. He ran towards danger so the rest of us can step back from it and that kind of devotion to his community leaves a mark on everyone it touches, the statement said. He leaves behind not only a legacy of service but also the memories with fellow firefighters and the community he served. UPS said it is fully cooperating in a federal investigation into the incident, which will likely take months to yield a detailed report. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Several times this year, President Trump has suggested using a portion of the government revenue generated from new tariffs to provide rebate checks to taxpayers within certain income brackets, similar to the stimulus payments issued during the pandemic. bernie_photo/Getty Images With the holidays around the corner, Americans could be looking for an economic boost. Last month, a California congressman suggested that working-class Americans need another check. Advertisement Article continues below this ad According to Newsweek, Rep. Ro Khanna recommended $2,000 payments to Americans earning under $100,000, arguing that the move would balance the costs of some of President Donald Trumps tariffs. Several times this year, Trump has suggested using a portion of the government revenue generated from new tariffs to provide rebate checks to taxpayers within certain income brackets, similar to the stimulus payments issued during the pandemic. In February, he also floated the idea of distributing $5,000 stimulus checks as a DOGE dividend during a summit in Miami. He described the plan as returning part of the 20% savings identified by Musks Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) back to taxpayers. Since then, however, he has not released any additional details or confirmed whether DOGE dividends or tariff rebates will move forward. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source And during an Oct. 2 interview on One America News, Trump again suggested distributing stimulus checks from $1,000 to $2,000 per person. Advertisement Article continues below this ad "Well pay back debt, but we also might make a distribution to the people, almost like a dividend to the people of America, he said. Will Khanna's proposal bring in another round of stimulus checks to Texans and Americans alike? Will there be a economic stimulus payment distributed to you by Thanksgiving? Here's the likely outcome. Is there a fourth stimulus check coming in November? There has been no indication that a fourth stimulus check will be issued as a result of cost-cutting measures. Any form of stimulus payment issued by the U.S. government would have to be approved by Congress. Advertisement Article continues below this ad And with the government at a standstill, you shouldn't expect a check anytime soon. What is DOGE? The Department of Government Efficiency, officially the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, is an initiative created by Trump and led by former "special government employee" Elon Musk. DOGE's mission was to reduce federal spending, streamline regulations, and modernize federal technology and software to enhance government efficiency and productivity. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Will there be a stimulus check in 2025? Lago Vista Mayor Shane Saum and Jeff Bowen filed suit against Travis County Thursday, alleging officials misused a disaster exemption to push a 9.12% property-tax hike. Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman Two local political figures and Travis County taxpayers are suing county officials, alleging they illegally used a disaster tax to justify a 9.12% property tax hike. The Travis County Commissioners Court approved a temporary property tax hike in September that will add about $200 to the average homeowners bill next year and generate roughly $42.2 million in additional revenue. Under a 2019 state law, local governments can increase property tax revenue by up to 3.5% annually without voter approval. However, the law allows a one-time increase of up to 8% if the county received a disaster declaration from the governor that year. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The lawsuit filed on Thursday by newly elected Lago Vista Mayor Shane Saum and former Austin mayoral candidate Jeff Bowen argues that Travis County Judge Andy Brown and the commissioners exceeded their legal authority by using the disaster declaration exemption. The plaintiffs contend the exemption applies only to funds necessary to respond to a specific disaster. They say the county cited the July 4 flooding as justification but raised $42 million in new revenue, more than twice the roughly $20 million in added costs attributed to the flood. "Travis County used a disaster declaration meant to help flood victims as an excuse to raise taxes beyond what was necessary," Saum said. "Were standing up for taxpayers who expect their leaders to act within the law, not around it." Travis County spokesperson Hector Nieto said that the county suffered "incredible" damages during the July flood, an event that requires the use if resources from across the county. The county responded immediately, he said, and the tax code provided an avenue to assist in covering the cost that quick and broad response requires. The Travis County Commissioners Court carefully considered and followed the law created by the Texas Legislature when adopting the FY 2026 tax rate," Nieto said. "We disagree with the allegations made in the lawsuit and look forward to defending our case in a court of law. 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 Saum and Bowen are being represented by former Travis County Judge Bill Aleshire and attorney and author David B. Brooks. Aleshire, who also served as county tax collector in the 1980s, said the commissioners court acted "lawlessly and foolishly" at a time when residents are looking for tax relief. He said the tax increase should have gone to a vote instead. Kelly Ferraro, right, and Evi Bloch, left, attend a board of trustees meeting at AISD headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025 in Austin. Parents and students gathered at AISD headquarters to protest the closure of 13 AISD schools. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman The timeline for Austins promised district-wide attendance boundary changes and at least three school closures tied to declining enrollment remains unclear after a school board meeting Thursday night. Trustees asked for a definite timeline, two days after a stunning announcement punted major portions of a sweeping closure package that Austin school district officials have promised will create generational change. Under the initial plan, nearly one in four Austin students would have switched campuses because of boundary changes. Advertisement Article continues below this ad At the school board meeting, Trustee Kevin Foster, who represents North Austin, told Segura he expects the district to be ready for a vote on boundary changes and other closures in December. I have real questions and real concerns about this dragging out, Foster said. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source Trustee Candace Hunter, who represents East and Northeast Austin, also demanded expediency. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Our community needs to know, Hunter said. We have people hanging in the balance. Austin school district officials proposed closures because of a looming $19.7 million deficit and loss of almost 14,000 students in the past decade. Urban districts across the nation undergoing similar budget and enrollment reckonings have also turned to school closures, igniting pushback from their communities. Segura on Thursday night said he didnt yet know when hed be ready to give the board a new proposal. He needed time to consider alternative options that community members had brought to administrators, he said. Its unfortunate this occurred this way, Segura said. Im very disappointed. I want to get back on track. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In the letter sent to families Tuesday, he originally suggested the vote on boundary changes could get pushed until fall 2026. While many families have begged for more time for such comprehensive shifts, many others insisted the district has long put off transformational changes to attendance boundaries, which have long vexed the East Austin community. Segura pushed back against accusations that the district put a pause on the closure of three schools Bryker Woods, Maplewood and Palm elementaries because it was listening to the loudest voices. This had nothing to do with any community, any advocacy, any voice, any magnitude of emails, Segura said. It is truly a function of my ability to support a process that is completed all the way through with confidence. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He also emphasized that the closure process and boundary changes are not canceled. Becker Elementary School kindergartener Skylar Sersen, 4, protests the possible closure of her school on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025. Parents and students rallied at Twin Oaks Library before marching to the school. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman A group of families from Becker Elementary School, which is proposed for closure, came to Thursdays board meeting and said their suggestions for alternate options hadnt been considered by administration. Our 530 comments were zip, mother of two Becker students, Staci Henry, said, referring to feedback cards submitted by community members. Advertisement Article continues below this ad On Tuesday, the district announced it had opened an internal investigation into staff members related to the consolidation process. That same day, the district placed two top administrators who have been deeply involved in the consolidation process on leave, though a district spokeswoman declined to confirm why. Trustees also spoke on to a cluster of public comments many from the districts prerecorded comment line expressing academic concerns about moving to a particular school. It is hard to listen and hear comments talking about failing schools, talking about a lower quality of education, talking about not wanting their kids to go to that school, when I know from every school Ive visited that each and every one of our schools has many special things going on, said Trustee David Kauffman, who represents Southwest Austin. Hunter also told families that during the closure and boundary change process, if you have racial, economic or education privilege, there is going to be something asked of you. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The district is up against a Nov. 21 deadline to submit plans to the Texas Education Agency for its schools with state academic requirements. Twelve campuses must begin a state-required turnaround plan next year. Reassigning students to other schools, which would get bolstered supports, is the proposed solution for eight of the 12 schools. The TEA requires that these plans begin next year. Several trustees beseeched Segura to take extra care in considering community feedback, especially at campuses that will undergo changes as part of state-mandated academic improvement plans. Advertisement Article continues below this ad I see a lot of things that were doing for families, but I dont see a lot of leaning into our families as experts, President Lynn Boswell said. Austin Community College Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart gets a tour of the new Student Care center at ACC Highland Campus on Monday October 16, 2023. ACC campuses offer food pantries to students dealing with food insecurity. Jay Janner/American-Statesman Austin Community College is expanding food and other basic supports for its community amid a crisis of affordability hitting students as uncertainty and delays follow the administration of President Donald Trumps initial refusal to fully fund federal food benefits for millions of Americans. A protracted legal battle continues over whether the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, remains funded during the historically long federal government shutdown. Benefits for one in eight families nationally hangs in the balance, but at ACC, one in two students are likely impacted. Advertisement Article continues below this ad In recent weeks, legal decisions and administrative announcements have caused confusion over whether SNAP recipients will receive their full benefits for the month of November. The benefits continue to be tied up in court. The (uncertainty over) SNAP has caused students to really be looking in all different directions for food, said Angelica Cancino de Sandoval, ACCs director of basic needs and advocacy. Even if (SNAP) starts tomorrow, its going to have a ripple effect on their budget. By expanding food pantry hours, distributing H-E-B gift cards and preparing meal kits, the college is committed to ensuring its students dont have to choose between education and food. In doing so, ACC builds off a commitment to meet student needs from providing free tuition for high school seniors to expanding child care support across campuses. The need As the top workforce provider in Central Texas, ACC educates 74,000 students. The college is a crucial tool for a state where rapidly growing labor needs demand more college graduates fast. 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 But getting students to the finish line is not easy, largely because of students budgetary and time constraints. A Fall 2023 survey found that 48% of ACC students are food insecure. About 60% of the colleges students are classified as low-income and 33% are parents. Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart described the average ACC student as a 27-year-old first generation, part-time student, parent and caregiver with two part-time jobs, who views ACC as a tool for economic mobility and escape from poverty. But only about 51% of students transfer out or graduate. READ MORE: New ACC Chancellor tours new student centers on Highland campus Advertisement Article continues below this ad The average student is just one emergency away from dropping out, the college has said, and the uncertainty over SNAP is an emergency, Cancino de Sandoval said. Since the shutdown, the college has received 400 to 500 requests per week from students for emergency funding. On an average week, it receives closer to 200, Cancino de Sandoval said. The college expects there are more students who dont know about its resources. Any time theres a crisis of any sort, we definitely see a spike. And this is that spike, she said. In Travis County, where more than 86,000 people receive SNAP benefits, the average family receives $366 a month, according to recent state health and human services data. Its not just $200, its the food for the month, said Cancino de Sandoval. Thats a lot of money to people who are living month-to-month, paycheck- to- paycheck, and theres not a lot of time to go around in a day for them to make up those gap funds. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The help Under its 2024 strategic plan, ACC pledged to improve its work to meet the basic needs of all students, from childcare to emergency needs and food insecurity in the hopes of reaching 70% completion rates by 2030. Hitting this goal would be a 19% increase over current attainment levels. This fall, ACC added a food pantry on every campus, named River Food Bites. At the Highland campus, ACCs Student Care Center opened in 2023, complete with refrigeration that the school hopes to eventually add to all pantries, Cancino de Sandoval said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The food pantry sites, stocked by the Central Texas Food Bank, have received more than 20,000 visits from more than 6,000 different individuals since Aug. 25, Cancino de Sandoval said. After the shut down, the college used $25,000 from its emergency fund to buy H-E-B gift cards for students. An advocate on each campus can distribute those to students and work with them individually on holistic support. To prepare students for winter break, when the food sites are closed, the college is creating meal kits and asking the community to donate specific items that can go in them, she said. And on Thursday, the college announced an expansion of support for student parents with its new Family Resource Corners, providing diapers, wipes and menstrual products for free to students at ACC Highland and Round Rock campuses, thanks to a grant from Austin Community Foundation and Austin Diaper Bank. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Cancino de Sandoval said anyone can donate to food pantries by visiting their nearest campus. She wants students to know they are not alone, and that ACC will help them complete their college journeys. BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday urged countries to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and strengthen environmental protection to curb global warming. In his opening speech at a leaders' summit ahead of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), scheduled from Nov. 10 to 21 in Belem, capital of the northern state of Para, Lula said the main goal of COP30 is to build consensus on global responses to the climate crisis. "Accelerating the energy transition and protecting nature are the two most effective ways to contain global warming," Lula told more than 70 representatives from governments and international organizations. He criticized extremism and "selfish interests" that place individual gains above the common good, noting there remains a disconnect between the geopolitical context and the climate emergency. Lula urged world decision-makers to allocate fewer resources to conflicts and more to environmental protection, emphasizing that "climate justice is an ally of the fight against hunger and poverty," and calling for COP30 to become the conference of "truth" on global warming. He stressed the need to "take the scientific warnings seriously," citing projections that show rising temperatures will cause thousands of deaths and severe economic losses. "Humankind has been aware of the impact of climate change for more than 35 years, since the first IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report was published," he said. "It has taken 28 conferences, however, to recognize for the first time the need to move away from fossil fuels, and to stop and reverse deforestation." Lula stressed that climate change is the result of dynamics that divide societies between rich and poor, and split the world into developed and developing countries. Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax listens as Mayor Kirk Watson speaks at a city council meeting Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman On Tuesday, Austin voters resoundingly rejected a ballot measure Proposition Q that wouldve generated $110 million for a variety of expenses by hiking the city property tax rate more than 20%. Because that money was accounted for in the $6.3 billion budget Austin City Council approved in August for a fiscal year that began Oct. 1, the city now needs to come up with a new spending plan and fast. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Austin City Hall in downtown Austin Villalpando, Rob (CMG-Austin)/Austin American-Statesman Heres what we know about how that might unfold and what it might mean for you. Austins new budget: A timeline Per a timeline posted Thursday by Mayor Kirk Watson, City Manager T.C. Broadnax is expected to release an updated budget proposal on Friday for consideration by the Austin City Council. The City Council will have a few days to mull it over and then meet on Nov. 13 and again on Nov. 18 for so-called budget work sessions where they will discuss and negotiate the details and possibly spar over cuts. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A final vote could come on Nov. 20 but if that doesnt happen, Watson said there would be special meetings on Nov. 21 and again on Nov. 24, if necessary. Whats going to be in the proposed budget? Its unclear what the new spending plan will look like but Watson has suggested it should be nearly identical to the one Broadnax proposed in late July. The spending plan included a: Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source 3.5% property tax increase $14.1 million withdrawal from the citys savings account Reduction in overtime pay for police and firefighters but also raises for most non-public safety city employees. Reduction in medical software for EMS and educational travel Advertisement Article continues below this ad Late Tuesday after early voting results indicated that Prop Q was likely doomed, Watson issued a lengthy statement that included a pointed directive to council to not deviate from Broadnaxs original proposal and to steer clear of any infighting that could further alienate voters. This is not the time to engage in or relitigate significant, drawn out, divisive policy fights in the budget, he wrote. Are my property taxes going to increase? Yes, almost certainly. City leaders have made clear that they plan to raise the tax rate by 3.5%, which is the maximum increase allowed under state law before a local government entity must seek voter approval. Advertisement Article continues below this ad That would translate to a property tax increase of about $155 for the median Austin homeowner whose property is valued at about $503,000, according to Broadnaxs proposed budget. If Prop Q had passed, the average increase would have been almost double that amount. Ive heard about some kind of budget audit. Is that happening? Since Prop Qs failure, city leaders have quickly coalesced around the idea of a sweeping budget audit to identify cost savings. However, those reductions will be incorporated into next years budget not the new one council is set to approve this month. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Still, the review process will launch in the coming weeks, according to Broadnax. In a Wednesday memo to the mayor and council, the city manager said his office would undertake an independent assessment of efficiency with a data-driven analysis of resource allocation and recommendations for cost savings and service improvements. The plan, he said, would also include a comprehensive review of the citys social service contracts that support initiatives like public health, homelessness response, economic development, and community courts. Our contracting structure, funding levels, and outcome measurement methods have developed unevenly over time, Broadnax wrote. This has created inefficiencies, reduced transparency, and limited our ability to evaluate effectiveness." Mayor Watson echoed Broadnaxs statement in his Thursday message board post, calling the move an important part of restoring our publics trust. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Ive heard the budget cuts might be really bad. Is that true? Before and after the election, Prop Q proponents including some council members warned that the measure's could have real and serious consequences for the homeless population, needy families and Austinites at large in the form of slower response times by emergency response agencies and poorly maintained parks. My statement on the results of tonights local election: pic.twitter.com/BqwDNihEZJ Vanessa Fuentes (@VanessaForATX) November 5, 2025 But exactly what the City Council will choose to cut when it goes back to the drawing board remains to be seen. Before Prop Q failed, the City Council agreed that it would renegotiate cuts rather than systematically cutting across all departments. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The American-Statesman will be following that process closely, so be sure to check back for updates. What complicating factors are there? The vast majority of your city tax dollars go to three public safety agencies, with the Austin Police Department receiving the lions share. In fact, public safety spending makes up two-thirds of the entire city budget. That means that when money is tight, its an obvious place to look for savings. But cutting funding to the Police Department, Fire Department and EMS is hard, in large part because they are represented by powerful unions who renegotiate contracts every few years. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Acting Chief Labor Relations Officer Roxy Stevens, right, lays out ground rules for bargaining between the Austin Firefighters Association and the City of Austin as contract negotiations begin at the City of Austin Permitting and and Development Center, July 30, 2025. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman A $220 million police labor contract agreed to last year gave substantial raises to officers, which boxed in the city as it worked to craft this years budget. The contract includes a provision that gives City Council limited authority to reduce raises in the event voters reject a tax hike like Prop Q. But some council members including Mayor Watson are wary of that idea as it wouldnt actually result in significant savings and they want to avoid inflaming already tense relationships with the unions. Others have suggested they would consider making cuts to public safety spending to help fund other priorities, though it is unclear where the cuts would be made. City staff did not respond to questions about how much money could be saved if City Council acted on the contract clause. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Contract negations begin between the Austin Firefighters Association and the City of Austin at the Permitting and Development Office, July 30, 2025. Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman After weeks of heated negotiations, the Austin Firefighters Association reached a tentative agreement with the city that includes a similar pay-cut provision. The union is expected to hold an online vote on the agreement from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19. If approved, City Council would likely vote on the contract at its meeting on Nov. 20 where it also may decide on the new budget proposal. A city of Austin spokesperson said Friday that the estimated cost of the contract is about $63 million. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Austin City Hall in downtown Austin Villalpando, Rob (CMG-Austin)/Austin American-Statesman Mayor Kirk Watson is calling for an overhaul of Austin City Councils expense policies following months of American-Statesman reporting that has revealed questionable spending by city leaders and days after Austin voters emphatically rejected a proposed city tax hike. The failure of Proposition Q on Nov. 4 has sent the city back to the drawing board to find millions in budget cuts, and inspired several city leaders including Watson to coalesce around the idea of a wholesale audit similar to one conducted by the city of Houston. Advertisement Article continues below this ad As part of that effort, Watson said Thursday it was also important for the City Council to reform City Council spending, including but not limited to the criteria used for the type, the amount, and purpose of expenditures. If we want to assure trust, it is critically important for us to be the model for best practices and a place that sets the highest standards, he said, adding that he intends to propose ideas for a new spending policy for consideration at the councils Nov. 20 regular meeting. (In the meantime, City Council staff are set to receive a refresher training on the existing spending policy.) Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source A draft resolution outlining the parameters of the overhaul directs the council to work with city financial staff and attorneys to create spending policies that will demonstrate a public benefit of spending by officeholders and will be informed by government best practices. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The resolution explicitly calls for addressing city credit card use, reimbursements and travel expenses; reforming criteria for allowable expenses and creating review and reporting processes. At least seven council members have agreed to co-sponsor Watson's initiative, including Ryan Alter, whose spending has been the subject of particular scrutiny. In an interview, Alter said he was committed to leading by example. It has become abundantly clear that we dont have clear policies in place that the council and the public understand, he said. I think this is just the first of many steps we need to take to really build that trust with the public. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Council Member Mike Siegel, another co-sponsor, also praised Watson's effort in an interview. I think the mayor and the folks who are bringing this policy are in the job of restoring trust in the City Council, and certainly the reporting from your paper has triggered spending concerns, Siegel said. This is an effort to assure the public that there are guidelines and that we are acting responsibly. Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University who has reviewed Austin council spending at the Statesmans request, said the newspapers reporting likely influenced Watsons push. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It reads as if they were embarrassed by the recent articles, Jillson said of the mayors memo, adding that the City Council needs to convince the residents of Austin that theyre being careful with their money. Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick pauses while speaking during a press conference at the Texas Capitol on Monday, June 23, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday he will donate $1 million from his campaign account to support the widespread expansion of Turning Point USA, the brainchild of late right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. In a statement on social media, Patrick said his donation will fund the launch of new TPUSA chapters on every college and high school campus in Texas, signaling a major investment in conservative student organizing ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The contribution came after a Thursday call with TPUSA executives to accelerate the conservative youth organizations footprint in the Lone Star State. Patrick also said he and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are scheduled to speak at a TPUSA event at the University of Houston on Nov. 11. $ Earlier this morning, I announced that @KenPaxtonTX and I will be speaking at a @TPUSA event at the Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) November 7, 2025 What is Turning Point USA? TPUSA was founded in 2012 and describes its mission as promoting freedom, free markets and limited government among young people. The group has become a prominent force on high school and college campuses, where founder Kirk would frequently hold Prove Me Wrong debates with students. The 31-year-old was hosting one such debate at Utah Valley University when he was shot and killed on Sept. 10. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Patricks pledge would mark one of the organizations most ambitious statewide expansion efforts yet. In his statement, Patrick framed the donation as both a political and personal gesture, citing his long relationship with Kirk. Patrick recalled meeting Kirk during President Donald Trumps 2017 inauguration and said his boldness and conviction in bringing faith into campus discussions inspired him. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source I had not planned to make a donation before the call, but the Lord put it on my heart to make a meaningful contribution to kick start the Texas project, Patrick wrote. (Kirk) gave his life for his mission. He gave his life for Christ. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Lorenze Dey works on a painting about the Black Lives Matter movement in Austin in 2020. Efforts once meant to bring Americans together are being dismantled. Without intention, division fills the void, K. Ward Cummings writes. LOLA GOMEZ / AMERICAN-STATESMAN When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, women across the country took to the streets in angry protest. When affirmative action was struck down soon after, many of us expected a similar response especially from white women, who statistically benefited most from the policy. But the demonstrations never came. Critics of affirmative action took that as proof that Americans generally oppose race-based policies. They called it divisive. Yet all diversity efforts, at their core, are attempts to bring Americans closer. In reality, they might be the only thing holding this country together. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Throughout U.S. history, Americans have lamented that our nation lacks the cohesion found elsewhere that because we are a land of immigrants, we lack the shared traits that bind other nations into a unified people. Thats true, but our challenges go deeper. Even our most patriotic rituals the Pledge of Allegiance, the National Anthem dont quite inspire solidarity in the way anthems of more cohesive nations do. Consider Frances national anthem, which calls upon citizens to unite in defense of women, children, the elderly and the homeland. By contrast, our anthem reads like an inventory of a continental "heist": the purple mountains, the waves of grain, the fruited plains, the flag, and so on. If unity is mentioned at all, its only in the abstract. To our leaders credit, there have been efforts throughout U.S. history to help Americans meld into a collective society. Reconstruction following the Civil War was one. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was another. In both cases, leaders recognized that deliberate action affirmative action was needed to encourage people of different races and genders to mix, learn and work together. For Black people, particularly Black men, Americas diversity efforts have meant a chance to access a privilege that white people enjoy by simply being born: the benefit of the doubt. Impressions about Black men are so negative, and so deeply embedded in American culture, that every day is a challenge. Strangers tighten up when they see me. Store owners go on immediate alert. People automatically assume I wont fit in with the work culture, or on campus, or in the neighborhood. Advertisement Article continues below this ad For Black men, affirmative action wasnt about getting an undeserved leg up. It was about getting the benefit of the doubt like everyone else. Even if affirmative action didnt fully achieve its goals, it succeeded in one crucial respect: It compelled us to live, study and work alongside one another. Sadly, data show that in every one of these areas, Americans are once again becoming more segregated. Recent policies under President Donald Trump appear aimed at accelerating that trend. On his first day back in office, he signed an executive order targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government affecting countless contractors and partners as well. Companies and nonprofits quickly scaled back their diversity efforts. Advertisement Article continues below this ad And the Department of Housing and Urban Development has basically stopped enforcing the Fair Housing Act. The message is clear: Federal power is being used to promote separation rather than unity and its working. If you know your American colonial history, you know that the first groups to join the continents Indigenous peoples were the French, the Dutch, the English and the Africans who arrived in chains. Over time, people came from every corner of the world. Had we all shared one origin, perhaps unity would come more naturally but we didnt. Were we less individualistic Americans lead the world in that trait we might be more inclined toward solidarity, but were not. History has shown, again and again, that it takes deliberate, affirmative action to help us interact, relate and grow together as one people. Advertisement Article continues below this ad We are 250 years into the experiment called America. If we want this nation to endure, we must act together affirmatively to make it happen. Donald Trump speaks about border security at an invitation-only rally Oct. 25, 2024 at Million Air, a private airplane terminal at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. On the campaign trail, Trump repeatedly pledged to conduct a "mass deportation" of millions of immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization. Jay Janner/American-Statesman Nearly one in five Texas Latinos who voted for President Donald Trump have buyers remorse after helping the Republican win by historic margins last November, according to a new poll of hundreds of registered voters in the state. Released by Latino civil rights and advocacy group UnidosUS on Thursday, the bipartisan-run poll of 400 Hispanic Texas voters indicates they are overwhelmingly concerned about pocketbook issues, including the cost of living, healthcare, housing and wages. Advertisement Article continues below this ad This is, I think, a real worry spot for the Republicans heading into 2026, said University of Texas political scientist and Republican pollster Daron R. Shaw, whose firm Shaw & Co. jointly conducted the poll with BSP Research. There's some suggestive evidence here that people are concerned they're not focusing enough on the bread and butter issues that they thought they were going to focus on. The poll also reports that 64% blame Republicans for the shutdown, as compared to 21% who blame Democrats. A bipartisan supermajority, 81%, are also concerned that the Republican-majority Congress is not exercising its role of providing checks and balances on the executive branch. Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source But Shaw also said that the results show discontent from Texas voters on both sides of the aisle, with less Latino support for each party this year than in 2024. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Texas findings were part of a nationwide poll of 3,000 Latino registered voters between Oct. 8-22 using phone calls, text invitations and online panels. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish, and has a margin of error is +/- 1.8%. The findings come as the government shutdown stretches into its 37th day, as the Supreme Court weighs the constitutionality of Trumps sweeping tariffs and as Republicans grapple with Tuesdays Democratic wins in competitive gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey. Senate Democrats have blocked a spending bill passed by the Republican-majority House, saying they wont budge until the GOP agrees not to cut health insurance premium subsidies. The Trump administration has also continued to ramp up immigration enforcement efforts. The poll found 73% of Latino voters in Texas oppose the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing ICE to use appearance, language, or work as grounds for immigration arrests. Meanwhile, just 14% support deporting anyone in the U.S. illegally, regardless of how long theyve been in the country. Of all potential immigration policies mentioned in the survey, the one that most Latino voters want elected officials to pursue is the creation of paths to citizenship for law-abiding undocumented individuals who were brought into the U.S. as children or have lived in the country for a long time. Some (41%) said they fear immigration authorities will arrest them even if theyre U.S. citizens or have legal status. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Regarding Trumps 2024 election, the survey found that 19% of Hispanic voters who cast ballots for the Republican president would probably or certainly not vote for him if given the chance for a redo. The rate of buyers remorse among Latino Trump voters in Texas was second only to that in Georgia, where 20% said they wouldnt make the same choice. The poll illustrated some of the challenges both parties will face going into the 2026 elections. Nearly half of the Latino electorate voted for the first time in the last four years, representing a constant churn of new voters. Roughly three-fourths, or 73%, of the 400 registered Latino voters surveyed in the poll said they would almost certainly or probably turn out to the polls in 2026. In contrast, 22% were on the fence about voting in the next election. Yesterday's preferences and allegiances aren't necessarily tomorrow's, Shaw said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad It also indicates Republicans and Democrats will both need to work to win the support from Texas Latinos after Trump won many Democratic strongholds in the Rio Grande Valley. Its particularly salient as Republicans look to fill newly-redrawn House seats with new GOP faces. A ship carrying liquefied natural gas travels past the refineries and petrochemical plants lining the Houston Ship Channel last year. Jason Fochtman/Staff photographer Nine years after Congress reached a landmark deal to limit Americans' exposure to toxic chemicals in places like the Houston Ship Channel, the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are moving to loosen what had once been bipartisan regulations on chemical plants. The Trump administration has undertaken a series of administrative actions this year to weaken EPA's oversight of the industry. Now Congress is weighing a rollback of 2016 legislation that amended the Toxic Substances Control Act the landmark 1976 law that put limits on the distribution of toxic chemicals including PCBs, lead and radon. Advertisement Article continues below this ad READ MORE: 5 things to know about the Houston Ship Channel Republicans have yet to release a draft bill, but at an industry event in Washington last month Lynn Dekleva, deputy assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention and a former senior director at the American Chemistry Council, which lobbies for the industry, said House legislation she'd seen was "pretty radical," according to the news site Inside EPA. She didn't go into details but derided the 2016 legislation as "a freight train." Statesman Logo Want more Statesman? Make us a Preferred Source on Google to see more of us when you search. Add Preferred Source "Some sections I want to blow up, but that's not for me to say," she said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The unwinding of chemical standards pose a risk to communities surrounding Houston's petrochemical plants along the ship channel, which an EPA report last year showed have long suffered from elevated rates of asthma, cancer and other disease. The 2016 reforms were supposed to reduce those communities' exposure to some of the most dangerous chemicals. For instance, the Oxy Vinyls plant in La Porte, produces tetrachloroethylene, a known carcinogen that also causes neurological disorders, which the EPA ordered to be phased out last year, according to data collected by the Environmental Defense Fund. And Exxon Mobil's chemical plant in Baytown produces 1,3-Butadiene, a chemical used to make synthetic rubber and plastics that EPA scientists said in a draft appraisal last year presented "an unreasonable risk of injury to human health for workers and the general population (including fenceline communities)." "You have chemical plants and lots of freeways built around houses and playgrounds," said Inyang Uwak, research and policy director at Air Alliance Houston, an environmental group. "They're being exposed to a variety of compounds, and they all have different health impacts. If it's butadiene, it's the kidneys or non-hodgkins lymphoma. If it's benzene, I look for luekemia." Advertisement Article continues below this ad Earlier this year President Donald Trump issued an executive order rolling back tougher emissions standards for petrochemical plants like those that line the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts. And EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin proposed last month to limit that agency's ability to declare a chemical of "unreasonable risk," which typically results in limits or prohibitions on a chemical's uses to limit exposure. The moves come amid pushback from chemical companies over the 2016 changes, which they say have resulted in long delays in chemical approvals and made them less competitive against overseas rivals. John Huntsman, CEO of the Houston chemical company Huntsman Corp., derided U.S. chemical safety laws at a Senate hearing last month as taking "an overly conservative approach, not based on real world risks." "This has led to unnecessary bans and highly restrictive regulations that are well outside the range of the rest of the world," he said. Advertisement Article continues below this ad 'It will just make people sicker' Up until the 2016 legislation, a new chemical would be placed on the market automatically if the EPA exceeded its 90-day review period to decide if a chemical presented "an unreasonable risk." Now chemicals cannot be sold until the EPA signs off, resulting in a long backlog of chemicals under study. The agency has also began looking at older chemicals never studied by EPA, including asbestos, a known carcinogen which up until the 1970s was commonly used for insulating houses and buildings which the agency put a ban on last year. But the Trump administration has pushed back on that and other moves against the chemical sector, drawing concern from Democrats who fear Republicans are trying to return government oversight to where it was prior to 2016. Advertisement Article continues below this ad U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, whose district includes the Houston Ship Channel, accused Trump of looking out for "billionaires and polluters, not working families." "They are hurting Americans on every front," she said in a statement. "Rolling back protections against toxic chemicals will not create jobs or lower costs. It will just make people sicker and our air and water dirtier." While the details of the GOP legislation remain unclear, the American Chemistry Council called earlier this year for a "shot clock" to be placed on EPA reviews of new chemicals. Such a statute should include "an enforcement mechanism to hold EPA accountable," a spokesman for the lobbying group said. While they haven't said what that mechanism should look like, at the Federal Communications Commission a "shot clock" allows companies to sue states and towns if they take more than 90 days to review an application for a cell phone tower. Advertisement Article continues below this ad At a hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in January, Republicans appeared to symphathize with the chemical sector, with U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Houston, asking ACC president Chris Jahn if he was aware of instances where "safer or greener chemicals were delayed as a result of this kind of mismanagement under the TSCA program." Jahn testified there were more than 400 chemicals under review by EPA, more than 60% of which had been awaiting a decision for more than a year, testifying, "EPA should be held accountable to the 90-day requirement." Maria Doa, a former director of EPA's chemical control division who joined the Environmental Defense Fund in 2021, said the delays were often the result of companies coming in late with information or pushing back against determinations they don't like. Advertisement Article continues below this ad A woman walks past a logo of the upcoming 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, Nov. 4, 2025. The COP30 will take place in the Amazon city of Belem from Nov. 10 to 21. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and world leaders on Thursday urged governments to take immediate, decisive actions and make concerted efforts to combat climate change. "We need to move faster -- and move together. This COP must ignite a decade of acceleration and delivery," Guterres made the urgent call in addressing the opening plenary of a two-day leaders' meeting to discuss pressing climate change challenges and commitments ahead of the 30th United Nations climate change conference, commonly known as COP30, to be held on Nov. 10-21 in Brazil's Amazon city of Belem. NOT TO GIVE UP ON 1.5 DEGREE GLOBAL WARMING GOAL Guterres noted in his speech that the world has failed to accomplish the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels as established in the 2015 Paris Agreement, warning, "It could push ecosystems past irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unlivable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security." However, based on science, "If we act now, at speed and scale, we can make the overshoot as small, as short, and as safe as possible -- and bring temperatures back below 1.5 degrees Celsius before the century's end," he said, adding that despite the immense challenge, the world can "choose to make Belem the turning point." To limit the overshoot, Guterres stressed the need for a paradigm shift and for governments around the world to take immediate, decisive actions. Meanwhile, he reiterated the need to support developing countries in moving away from fossil fuels, calling for a clear path to achieving the target of 1.3 trillion U.S. dollars a year in climate finance by 2035, as agreed at COP 29 in Baku. "Developed countries must take the lead in mobilizing 300 billion dollars annually -- delivering affordable, predictable finance at the agreed scale," he said. A woman walks past a logo of the upcoming 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belem, Brazil, Nov. 4, 2025. The COP30 will take place in the Amazon city of Belem from Nov. 10 to 21. (Photo by Lucio Tavora/Xinhua) CALL FOR CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION TO CURB GLOBAL WARMING Leaders from Brazil, France, Chile and other countries on Thursday joined Guterres in urging swift and joint efforts to combat climate change. In his opening address at the meeting, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for accelerating the energy transition to renewable sources and strengthening environmental protection. "Accelerating the energy transition and protecting nature are the two most effective ways to contain global warming," Lula da Silva told the more than 70 representatives from governments and international organizations. "Clean energy is winning on price, performance, and potential -- offering the solutions to transform our economies and protect our populations," said Guterres in his address, adding that in 2024, almost all new power capacity came from renewables. As solar and wind are the cheapest and fastest-growing sources of electricity in history, millions are connected to clean and affordable energy for the first time, while the clean-energy economy is creating jobs and driving development, the UN chief noted. Before the convening of the leaders' meeting, Brazil's Environment and Climate Change Minister Marina Silva called the meeting an opportunity for governments to highlight the global shift toward renewable energy sources from fossil fuels. Lula da Silva also called on governments to allocate more resources to environmental protection. On Thursday, the multilateral Tropical Forests Forever Facility fund was launched at the leaders' meeting. The Brazil-proposed climate finance mechanism aims to incentivize countries that protect tropical forests, which are known as the "lungs of the earth." The upcoming COP30 is expected to guide climate-related negotiations, with an agenda focused on climate and nature, energy transition, Paris Agreement implementation review, nationally determined contributions and climate finance. COLOMBO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka has announced a series of measures to strengthen digitalization and modernization of public administration under the 2026 national budget presented in Parliament on Friday. According to President and Finance Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the government's focus for 2026 is to enhance service delivery, increase efficiency, and strengthen transparency in public sector operations. A total of 30 billion Sri Lankan rupees (98 million U.S. dollars) has been set aside for major national digital initiatives such as the Sri Lanka Unique Digital Identity project, the e-Grama Niladhari platform, and the Digital Economy Advancement Program. These projects are expected to support the creation of a centralized and secure digital framework to facilitate efficient communication and service coordination across government agencies. The government also plans to expand electronic procurement and payment systems to improve fiscal management and minimize manual procedures. In the area of revenue administration, the budget includes provisions to upgrade the Revenue Administration Management Information System and expand its integration with other state agencies. The budget further provides for capacity development and training for public officials to support the transition to digital workflows and enhance service standards in provincial and local government offices. Presenting the budget, Dissanayake said that the modernization efforts will contribute to building a people-friendly public service and support the country's administrative reform goals. BEIRUT, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday highlighted the World Bank's "pivotal role in supporting Lebanon," urging continued cooperation to support the country's recovery. "It is essential that the World Bank remains by Lebanon's side during this critical stage and continues constructive cooperation to achieve recovery and sustainable growth," Aoun said, according to a statement released by the Lebanese presidency. Aoun made his remarks during a meeting with a World Bank delegation from the bank's Board of Directors. The discussions reaffirmed the depth of the partnership between Lebanon and the World Bank, which has spanned nearly 70 years. The president reviewed progress in governance reforms and ongoing cooperation with the International Monetary Fund aimed at restoring confidence in Lebanon's financial system and attracting investment. He commended the World Bank's policy of linking financial support to reforms, saying it promotes accountability and yields tangible progress. Comcast moves for ITV to create a UK-focused streaming giant UK commercial broadcaster ITV has confirmed it's in early-stage talks about a possible sale of its broadcasting business to Comcast, which already owns pay-TV broadcaster Sky in the UK. The division includes ITVs terrestrial TV channels and its streaming platform ITVX. The deal would value the business at 1.6 billion (U$2.1bn). Sky News itself part of any potential merger with ITVs News operations - said the approach centres on the potential creation of a UK-focused streaming giant. Sir Peter Bazalgette, former chair of ITV until September 2022 and a shareholder, told BBC Radio 4, There's going to be an inevitable consolidation of domestic broadcasters all across Europe. There are four or five domestic broadcasts across Europe who can't all have a long-term future against the streaming giants. There is going to be a consolidation, and ITV are going to lead it in the UK. ITVs largest single shareholder, Liberty Global, which jointly owns Virgin Media O2 with Spanish telecoms operator Telefonica, halved its 10 per cent stake in ITV last month. The proposed deal does not include ITV Studios, the content arm behind drama such as Mr Bates and the Post Office and reality format Love Island. Bazalgette said ITVs share price doesn't reflect the value of ITV Studios and probably discounts all of their commercial revenue from their channels and ITVX. This is one way to release some value. ITV and Sky along with Channel 4 are planning to pool resources into a new advertising marketplace in collaboration with Comcast in 2026. This will be based on Universal Ads, Comcasts advertising platform, which has been designed to make television as easy to buy as social media and includes video generation from Streamr.AI at its core. Alongside the AI video generator, the marketplace will also reportedly allow easy access to on-demand and streaming inventory from the three sales houses through a single campaign powered by Comcasts FreeWheels technology. ITVs share price is down around 75 per cent what it was a decade ago. In other words, quality of performance hasnt translated to commercial value. In a supremely competitive field, the world is moving away from linear TV which is where ITV still generates a lot of revenue. Free-to-air channels across the world are not seen as having a great amount of value, said Bazalgette. In fact, they throw off a massive amount of cash and still sell a lot of advertising, so they're undervalued by the marketplace and this is one way of trying to correct that. If ITV were to join with Sky in the UK they would hold about 70% of the TV ad marketplace, a near monopoly which would not pass normally pass the regulator. However, given the parlous stage of public service broadcast and the governments desire to keep it running, Comcast may sense the sentiment has changed. Bazelgette called UK competition rules completely out of date adding that the real market is video advertising where Google and Meta are prime competitors. Google and Meta have nine times the combined advertising revenue of Sky and ITV, so the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) needs to redefine what the advertising market is. Once they've done that I think theyll probably say that this deal was fine. Media analyst Ian Whittaker, also speaking to BBC Radio, said the move was essentially a massive dare to the UK government. He said, Comcasts pitch that the UK needs to be seen to be open to business and that a merger is the only long-term survival option given the changing structural environment. ITV shares rose as much as 19 per cent in morning trading on the news. The other main UK commercial broadcasters Channel 4 and Channel 5 (styled as 5) face similar pressures to consolidate. Five is owned by Paramount Skydance, which under new ownership has begun cost-cutting in the US. Channel Fours future has been a topic of debate for some time with repeat speculation of a merger between its digital services and BBC iPlayer. Channel 4s future over 10-15 years is very uncertain, and at the very least it is going to need to find ways of collaborating with other broadcasters like sharing streaming services, or selling advertising together because its long term future is not healthy. But it is a very valuable brand so we've got to have a great deal more flexibility in the television market to preserve the value of the domestic broadcasters and the public good of the programs they make. He argued the UK media industry should have had a strategy for the survival of public service broadcasters in place a decade ago. Instead, we're very late to it. [We] should credit ITV with probably triggering that reappraisal. In a way the market and the companies have done what governments haven't done. On Thursday, ITV warned the uncertainty surrounding the UK governments financial plans, to be announced in a budget on 21 November, were hurting ad revenue. As a result it would temporarily cut 35m from its budgets . The company also said it expected advertising revenues to fall by 9% in the key fourth-quarter advertising period in the run-up to Christmas. In June, Comcast sold pay-TV group Sky Deutschland in Germany to RTL for an initial price of EUR150 million ($176m) with the final sum determined by RTLs share price. The US company paid Rupert Murdochs News Corp. U$40 billion in 2018 for the Sky operations in Italy, Germany and the UK. ITV launched ITVX three years ago. By end of 2024 it had recorded 6 billion streams and claimed to have outpaced all other major streaming platforms in terms of growth in viewer hours - with a 35% growth in viewer hours, ahead of iPlayer, Netflix, Disney+, Channel 4 and Amazon Prime. Year-end 2025 figures are due in a month. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Related Articles Air Force Col. Ryan Herman, right, commander of the 521st Air Mobility Operations Group, receives the unit guidon from 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing commander Col. Jordan Norman during a change of command ceremony at Naval Station Rota, Spain, on July 10, 2025. Less than four months later, on Nov. 7, 2025, Norman relieved Herman of command, citing a loss of confidence in his ability to lead. (Jett Morgan U.S. Navy) KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany The commander of an Air Force unit at Naval Station Rota in Spain was relieved of duty on Friday after serving less than four months in the role. Col. Ryan Herman was removed from his post as head of the 521st Air Mobility Operations Group because of a loss of confidence in his ability to command, the 521st Air Mobility Operations Wing at Ramstein Air Base in Germany said in a statement Friday. No additional details were provided, and the wing did not immediately respond to requests for clarification. Herman, a U.S. Air Force Academy graduate, had led the group since July 10. He previously commanded the 725th Air Mobility Squadron at Rota from June 2019 to July 2021. Lt. Col. James Johnson, previously the groups director of operations, has been named interim commander. The 521st Air Mobility Operations Group oversees three squadrons and supports the deployment and sustainment of joint forces across Africa, Asia and Europe, according to the statement. Army Staff Sgt. Kristopher Gorbea, a drone squad leader with 2nd Cavalry Regiment, holds a soldier-made kamakaze drone awaiting lift off at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Germany during exercise Saber Junction on Sept. 9, 2025. (Lydia Gordon/Stars and Stripes) The U.S. Army wants to speed up drone procurement while also developing laser weapons to shoot down enemy unmanned vehicles. A Request for Information from the Army seeks ideas for using High-Energy Laser (HEL) weapons to bring down swarms of drones that could be used on future battlefields. The request, the first step in gauging developer interest in developing the technologies, came as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll urged a new acquisition system to speed weapons to the soldiers. Hegseth on Friday told an audience of senior executives from large defense industry and technology companies at National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C., that they needed to focus on speed and volume or they will fade away. The Army plans to buy at least a million drones in the next two or three years, with millions more purchased each year in the near future, Driscoll told Reuters in an interview from the Joint Center of Excellence for Guns and Ammunition at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. It is a big lift. But it is a lift were very capable of doing, Driscoll said. The Army is looking to accelerate its anti-drone abilities by calling on industry to submit concepts for high-energy laser weapons to shoot down enemy reconnaissance and attack drones on the battlefield. A drone destroyed by a KORD Firefly directed energy system on display on the USA exhibition floor, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 in Washington. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes) Among the requirements are that the systems be transportable by C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft operated by the U.S. Air Force, be mountable on Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and be used to protect semi-fixed and maneuvering forces. A formal Request for Information was issued on the governments procurement website this week. Responses are due by Nov. 21, with possible product testing during two sessions at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah in December and January. The Armys Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) said in the request that it is seeking up to 20 systems using enduring high-energy lasers that could be adapted for a modular launcher defending American ground forces. If the Army finds sufficient industry interest, it plans to award contracts as early as the end of 2026, according to the request. Though the request does not guarantee that the Army will move forward with projects, it underscores the services sense of urgency regarding anti-drone equipment and tactics outlined in September by Driscoll. Are they getting the tools they need fast enough to dominate on the battlefield? Driscoll said. If the answer is anything less than an unequivocal yes, then we have a moral duty to change. Lasers and other energy weapons are being proposed to counter the cost of current ways that the U.S. targets the drones attacking ships, troops and command centers. We can no longer shoot $4 million missiles to take down a $400 drone that simple math doesnt add up, Driscoll said. Col. Scott C. Nauman, 53, was found guilty of one specification of abusive sexual contact, one specification of sexual assault of a child and three specifications of sexual abuse of a child. (U.S. Army) A colonel at Fort Leavenworth was sentenced Thursday to 28 years in prison and dismissal from the Army after a panel of officers found him guilty of sex abuse charges in a general court-martial. Col. Scott C. Nauman, 53, was found guilty of one specification of abusive sexual contact, one specification of sexual assault of a child and three specifications of sexual abuse of a child. The conviction followed a March trial in a Kansas civilian court where he was found not guilty of groping two young relatives. In that case, the testimony of two other relatives who said Nauman had sexually exploited them was ruled inadmissible. After the civilian trial, the Army arraigned Nauman for court-martial. He pleaded not guilty and chose to be tried by a panel of officers serving as the jury. The witnesses against Nauman who were barred from testifying in the civilian trial were allowed to give evidence in the court-martial, the Army has said. The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, based at Fort Belvoir, Va., prosecuted the case. The office did not release a statement after the verdict. Aimee Bateman, an attorney for Nauman in the civilian and military court proceedings, could not be reached for comment. She declined to comment at earlier points in the process. Nauman will serve his sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks, the militarys maximum-security prison, at Fort Leavenworth. A dismissal from the Army for an officer is equivalent to a dishonorable discharge for enlisted soldiers. Leavenworth County prosecuted Nauman in March on two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Jurors found him not guilty. The two girls said they were around 11 and 15 when Nauman began to inappropriately touch them between 2020 and 2022, according to civilian court documents. One girl said during a preliminary hearing that Nauman would grope her breasts once or twice a month as she sat at her desk and he sat behind her. The older girl said Nauman would give her massages that didnt feel like massages because he would move his hands from her shoulders to her waist and would squeeze her sides. She said she felt uncomfortable but never asked him to stop. Both girls testified that Nauman measured them for a bra and touched their breasts in the process. The older girl asked to measure herself and was told no, she said. The civilian case took two years to reach a courtroom, in part because prosecutors appealed, unsuccessfully, a judges decision not to allow the jury to hear testimony from two adult relatives who claimed to be former victims. Prosecutors said the women would testify that Nauman also engaged in various acts of sexual abuse of them while they were minors including massages, groping, oral sex, kissing and touching Naumans private area, according to Kansas court records. The Army charged Nauman with the allegations of those two women because it has jurisdiction that the state of Kansas does not, according to the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel. Those charges occurred in and around a white trailer-based camper in June and July 2012 at Fort Riley, Kan., and Fort Drum, N.Y., according to court documents. The girls were younger than 16 at the time. Nauman graduated from U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1995. He attended the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, R.I., prior to his assignment at Fort Leavenworth. He was promoted to colonel in 2017. Stars and Stripes reporter Rose Thayer contributed to this report. The U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples detachment in Gaeta, Italy, is warning sailors that Daves Killer Bread Amped-Up Organic Protein Bars contain hemp, a substance banned by the service, and that eating the popular protein bar could lead to a failed drug test. (Naval Support Activity Naples detachment Gaeta via Facebook) NAPLES, Italy A Navy detachment in Italy is warning sailors that eating a popular protein bar recently found at a Navy Exchange store could lead to a failed drug test and unwanted scrutiny. Daves Killer Bread Amped-Up Organic Protein Bars contain hemp, a substance banned by the Navy, U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples detachment Gaeta said in a Facebook post Wednesday. Service member use of hemp or cannabidiol products also is prohibited by the Army and Air Force. The bars, which are made with hemp protein powder, recently were found for sale at the Navy Exchange and are commonly available at grocery stores in the U.S., the detachment said in the post, which included screenshots of the ingredient labels of three varieties of the bars. The hemp plant is a cousin to marijuana. Hemp contains no more than 0.3% THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that gives users a high, according to Scientific American. Cannabidiol, or CBD, is derived from hemp or manufactured in a laboratory. CBD does not cause a high by itself. Daves Killer Bread Amped-Up Organic Protein Bars contain hemp, which is banned by Navy regulation. Eating the popular protein bars could lead to a failed drug test and unwanted scrutiny, the U.S. Naval Support Activity Naples detachment in Gaeta, Italy, is warning. (Naval Support Activity Naples detachment Gaeta via Facebook) Navy regulations prohibit the use of hemp products, including CBD, regardless of THC concentration, the detachment said. Carefully check labels. It wasnt clear what exchange store referenced in the detachments post potentially was involved. The product in question Daves Killer Bread Amped-Up Protein Bars (hemp seed ingredient) is not currently available for sale at any Navy Exchange location worldwide, including retail stores, vending machines and micro markets, Josie Anderson, a spokeswoman for Navy Exchange Service Command, said in a statement on Friday. She added that the exchange regularly reviews its product offerings to ensure compliance with Navy regulations and to support mission readiness and the health and safety of sailors. Exchange officials in Naples confirmed that the bars were never stocked at exchange locations on the installation, Lt. j.g. Valentine Mulango, a base spokesman, said in a statement Friday. The post was made to amplify an earlier Navy-wide notice about the product, Mulango said. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service does not sell the bars, Chris Ward, a spokesman for the exchange, said in an email Friday. In its post, the detachment at Gaeta advised sailors who may have consumed the bars to notify their chain of command and keep purchase receipts in case of a positive drug test. During the investigation process this will be taken into account, the detachment said. Earlier this year, the Defense Department recalled the bars because hemp is listed as the first ingredient, the Defense Commissary Agency said in a Jan. 13 statement. The agency noted that it had advertised the recall to its stores, which were required to immediately remove the product from shelves. The 2018 farm bill removed hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act, clearing the way for its use in a variety of products for human use, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Those products are regulated by the FDA, but the agency does not determine or certify the THC concentration of hemp products, such as CBD, the Navy said in a July 2020 directive. That means sailors and Marines cannot rely on the packaging and labeling of hemp products in determining whether the product contains THC concentrations that could cause a positive urinalysis result, the Navy said. The directive banned the use of hemp by sailors and Marines with limited exceptions, such as cannabinoid formulations approved as drugs by the FDA and prescribed by DOD health care providers or civilian medical professionals treating service members by referral. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, announced in a post on X another deadly U.S. strike on a boat he said was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea. (Secretary of Defense via X) A new strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean killed three male narco-terrorists, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Thursday night in a post on X. No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, which targeted a boat in international waters operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization, Hegseth wrote. The incident marks the Trump administrations 17th known strike against alleged drug traffickers at sea, which have now killed at least 69 people. Most strikes have taken place in the Caribbean, near Venezuela, though some took place in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Hegseths post came hours after the Senate rejected a bipartisan resolution to block President Donald Trump from conducting strikes against Venezuela as the U.S. continued to surge troops and military assets to the region. Senators voted down the measure mostly along party lines, 51-49. The vote mirrored a similar unsuccessful effort last month to end the Trump administrations bombing campaign against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. The looming arrival of the Ford Carrier Strike Group in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility would concentrate nearly 20% of the Navys deployed warships in the region. Hegseth announced the carrier groups deployment last month. Reports on whether the U.S. will strike Venezuela directly, possibly to cause a regime change, are conflicting. The Miami Herald reported last week that strikes on military installations in Venezuela could come within days, and a Democratic lawmaker told the Associated Press on Wednesday that information presented by the administration indicated the strikes do not aim to overthrow Maduro. Stars and Stripes reporters Svetlana Shkolnikova and Alison Bath, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observes marksmanship training on March 6, 2024, in this image from the state-run Korean Central News Agency. (KCNA) North Korea launched a single ballistic missile Friday afternoon toward the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, according to the Souths military. South Korean authorities detected the projectile, presumed to be an unidentified ballistic missile, launched around 12:35 p.m. from Taegwan in North Koreas North Pyongan province, according to a text message from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Our military has strengthened surveillance and guards against further possible launches and is maintaining full readiness while closely sharing related information with the U.S. and Japan, the joints chiefs said. The missile flew nearly 500 miles and reached an altitude of about 35 miles before dropping into the sea outside Japans exclusive economic zone, according to a statement by Japans Ministry of Defense and Cabinet posted around 4 p.m. on the ministry website. Japans EEZ may extend into the Sea of Japan up to 230 miles beyond the 12-mile-wide territorial zone. Japan has lodged a strong protest against North Korea and strongly condemned its actions, the statement said. North Koreas repeated launches of ballistic missiles threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community, according to the statement. Furthermore, these ballistic missile launches violate relevant Security Council resolutions and pose a serious issue concerning the safety of the Japanese people. South Korean and the U.S. intelligence agencies detected signs of a coming launch and immediately tracked it when it occurred, according to the Souths joint chiefs. We closely shared related information with the U.S. and Japan. Our military is closely monitoring North Koreas various activities under the firm South Korea-U.S. alliance and maintains full capability and readiness to overwhelmingly respond to any threats, their message said. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters Friday in Tokyo that she instructed the government to promptly make information about the launch public, for the safety of ships and aircraft in the area, and to be fully prepared for any unforeseen circumstances, according to a Friday post on Prime Ministers Office website. The launch came two days after the USS George Washington steamed into Busan Bay, making its first visit to the Korean Peninsula since 2014. The aircraft carrier arrived at Busan Naval Base alongside the guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup and USS Milius and the guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls, the navy said in a news release. The North Koreans last tested sea-to-surface cruise missiles on Oct. 28 while President Donald Trump was visiting South Korea, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump prior to and during his trip publicly expressed a willingness to meet with North Koreas authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, who offered no public response. North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency described the cruise missile tests as a success. They flew for more than two hours before accurately striking targets in North Koreas western waters, according to KCNA. Prior to the cruise missile tests, the North on Oct. 22 fired several short-range ballistic missiles that flew about 500 miles before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. So far this year the reclusive country has carried out missile tests seven times, including Fridays launch. Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report. Marine Corps Pfc. Garett Denton guides an asphalt zipper at Ie Shima Training Facility, Okinawa, March 17, 2025. (Jeremiah Barksdale/U.S. Marine Corps) The Marine Corps could soon resolve a dispute with Okinawa prefecture over parachute jump training at Kadena Air Base by reopening an offshore airfield. Repair work at Ie Shima Auxiliary Airfield is expected to finish by the end of this month, a spokesman from the Okinawa Defense Bureau, an arm of Japans Ministry of Defense, said by phone Friday. Runway operations will resume around the end of this year, he added. The airfield on Ie Shima, a 9-square-mile island a few miles off the Motobu Peninsula on Okinawas northwestern coast, serves as a parachute training site for the Air Force and Marine Corps. Construction at the airfield was scheduled to begin in March and finish this month, then-bureau director Shinya Ito told the Kadena town assembly in February. The airfield was expected to be fully operational in December. Pending the repairs, the Air Forces 18th Wing since December 2023 has made its training drops about once a month at the Ridout drop zone at Kadena over objections from the prefecture. Ie village has not been given a specific date for when runway operations will resume, a village spokesman said by phone Friday. On Wednesday, the Marine Corps notified the village that it was planning to land a C-130 Hercules airlifter on the runway between noon and 5 p.m. to check its condition, he said. Someone from the villages office spotted what appeared to be a C-130 flying over the island that day but could not confirm its serial number or if it landed at the airfield, he added. The village is checking with the bureau to determine if the landing took place. The bureau spokesman declined to comment about the C-130 flight because it is related to the operations of the U.S. military. Marine Corps Installations Pacific spokeswoman 1st Lt. Kelsey Enlow in an email Friday declined to answer questions from Stars and Stripes, citing operational security. The 18th Wing has carried out seven parachute drops at Ridout this year, most recently on Sept. 26, Oct. 9 and 23, a spokesman with the prefectures Military Base Affairs Division said by phone Friday. This is something extremely unusual, he said. The prefecture sent protest letters dated Oct. 30 to wing commander Brig. Gen. John Gallemore and U.S. Consul General Andrew Ou, and hand-delivered the same letter to bureau director Masaru Murai and Ambassador Manabu Miyagawa of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Okinawa Liaison Office at its Naha office on Oct. 24, the spokesman said. The letter states that the parachute training can no longer be considered to fall under exceptional conditions and requests that the Air Force halt training at Kadena and only conduct it outside of Japan and Okinawa until the runway is completed. The 18th Wing referred questions emailed on Friday to the Office of the Secretary of Defense due to the U.S. government shutdown. Some Japanese government officials speak to the press only on condition of anonymity. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Ye Jianying memorial park to learn about local efforts in promoting revolutionary culture in Meizhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 7, 2025. Xi on Friday inspected the city of Meizhou in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) GUANGZHOU, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, on Friday inspected the city of Meizhou, south China's Guangdong Province. Xi visited the Ye Jianying memorial park and a pomelo growing base to learn about local efforts in promoting revolutionary culture, expanding support for old revolutionary base areas, and advancing all-around rural revitalization. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits the Ye Jianying memorial park to learn about local efforts in promoting revolutionary culture in Meizhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 7, 2025. Xi on Friday inspected the city of Meizhou in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a pomelo growing base to learn about local efforts in expanding support for old revolutionary base areas, and advancing all-around rural revitalization in Meizhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 7, 2025. Xi on Friday inspected the city of Meizhou in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits a pomelo growing base to learn about local efforts in expanding support for old revolutionary base areas, and advancing all-around rural revitalization in Meizhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 7, 2025. Xi on Friday inspected the city of Meizhou in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, talks with local villagers and farmers while visiting a pomelo growing base in Meizhou City, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 7, 2025. Xi on Friday inspected the city of Meizhou in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi) Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, meets with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sept. 12, 2025, in Damascus, Syria. Reports that the U.S. is establishing a military presence on an air base in Damascus is false, according to Syrian officials. Al-Sharaa is to meet with President Donald Trump on Nov. 10. (Facebook/U.S. Central Command) Syria is pushing back on a recent news report that the U.S. will establish a military presence on a Damascus air base, according to the countrys state-owned news service. An official at the Syrian foreign ministry said Thursday the assertion is untrue, news agency SANA reported. That was in response to a Reuters report this week saying U.S. forces were planning to post up at an unspecified base near the Syrian capital to help enable a security pact Washington is mediating between Israel and Syria. Reuters cited six unidentified sources familiar with the matter. The U.S. is directly engaging with Syria and supporting the countrys unity, the foreign ministry official told SANA. The American military has maintained a presence in Syria for more than a decade as part of efforts to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group. Earlier this year, the Pentagon announced it would consolidate the number of troops involved in that mission to about 1,000. Most remain in the northeast, where they assist Kurdish partners in the Syrian Democratic Forces. Adm. Brad Cooper, leader of U.S. Central Command, also said earlier this year that the military would take an active role in repatriating the occupants of the vast detention centers in northeast Syria, which house tens of thousands of ISIS-affiliated men, women and children. CENTCOM, whose area of responsibility is the Middle East, did not immediately respond to questions Thursday about the Reuters report. Talk of a U.S. military presence in Syria comes as President Ahmed al-Sharaa prepares to travel to Washington on Monday to meet with President Donald Trump. The two first met in May during Trumps tour of the Middle East. Trump praised al-Sharaas efforts to rebuild the nation after a rebel offensive ousted longtime dictator Bashar Assad late last year. Since Assads overthrow, the U.S. has shown a willingness to support the new government in Damascus and has encouraged other nations to do the same. This week, the U.N. Security Council approved a resolution drafted by the U.S. to lift sanctions on al-Sharaa, who was the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which was formerly linked to al-Qaida. Multinational service members take notes during a meeting inside the Civil-Military Coordination Center, on Oct. 26, 2025, in Israel. The U.S.-led center is tasked with implementing President Donald Trumps peace plan in Gaza. (Michael Ito/U.S. Army) The U.S. military-led coordination center charged with implementing President Donald Trumps peace plan in Gaza is replacing Israel as the overseer of humanitarian aid to the enclave, even as multiple people familiar with the cells first weeks of operations have described it as chaotic and indecisive. In a transition that was completed Friday, the Israelis are now part of the conversation, but decisions will be taken by the wider body, a U.S. official said, referencing the shift from COGAT, the unit within the Israel Defense Forces responsible for regulating and facilitating aid into Gaza, to the Civil-Military Coordination Center set up in southern Israel near the Gaza border. Several people familiar with the transition said the move relegates Israel to a secondary role in determining how and what humanitarian relief can enter Gaza as CMCC takes the lead. Since the Gaza ceasefire began last month, humanitarian aid, while improved, has remained significantly restricted by Israel. More than 40 countries and organizations are represented in the U.S.-led center and one of the benefits of bringing them all together is that enables you to really sort through fact from fiction and get a clearer understanding of what is happening on the ground, where the needs lie, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, said in an interview. Until now, the IDF has opened only two entryways for aid into Gaza, with the vast majority of aid coming through Kerem Shalom in the south. There have been no direct deliveries to northern Gaza since early September. Many of the trucks allowed to enter, according to the United Nations, are commercial shipments of goods offered for sale in Gaza markets that few have money to buy. The transit point between Jordan, where large quantities of aid are waiting, and Israel over the Allenby Bridge on the Jordan River has been closed for much of the year. The majority of international aid organizations have largely been barred from bringing food into Gaza for months since Israel imposed intrusive new registration rules they have refused to sign. Aid organizations long have complained of Israels restrictions on dual-use items that it deems capable of being turned into weapons, which have includedtent poles, medical scalpels and ointment to treat skin infections. Israel is blocking the Trump plans humanitarian clauses, Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said Thursday in anticipation of the transition to CMCC control. For us, to have the U.S. actively engaged is very good news. Although the Trump peace plan includes a massive increase in the amount of assistance, the United States has not said which, if any, of the Israeli restrictions might now be lifted, how the CMCC plans to manage the massive aid project and whether new rules would be acceptable to aid organizations wary of any kind of military control. COGAT did not respond to questions about its role. Our appeal is make the plan a reality, Egeland said. Of course, the credibility of the United States is at stake here. A watchful eye Trump has acknowledged that he pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the peace agreement, but its unclear how far he is willing to go in ensuring that Israel comports with all elements of his 20-point plan. As part of the implementation, the U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for planning and coordinating the U.S. military in the region, has also stepped up its own surveillance of Gaza, including the use of drones to monitor both aid distribution and the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Last week, Centcom posted a video taken from an MQ-9 Reaper drone of what it said were Hamas operatives looting a heavily laden aid truck in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. A second U.S. official said publication of the video was part of an effort to pressure Hamas, whose militants have emerged to control parts of Gaza vacated by the IDF as part of the plan. The official is one of at least a dozen people familiar with CMCC operations interviewed for this report, most of whom discussed its progress and difficulties on the condition of anonymity. Despite the official ceasefire, Israel has reserved the right to respond to anything it determines is a threat to its own security, and it has continued occasional airstrikes in Gaza and fired on civilians who approach territory controlled by the IDF. As long as Centcom is activated and operating there, and as long as the U.S. is sort of putting its reputation on the line, so to speak, I think youre going to see a lot more U.S. assets and U.S.-military run operations, said an aid worker who recently returned to Washington from the CMCC. Publicly announcing the drone overflights was a signal that were not relying on IDF intelligence or IDF drones. We have our own assets that we are operating. Even as it continues monitoring Hamas activities, continued U.S. pressure on Israel is considered critical to moving the peace plan forward and ensuring ongoing support from governments in Europe and the Middle East, and nongovernmental organizations, all of whose buy-in is deemed vital. Israel has pushed back forcefully against any suggestion that it is under the U.S. thumb and that Centcom is collecting its own intelligence to verify its compliance with the agreement. The whole activity of the Americans operating in Gaza is something new, said Yossi Kuperwasser, a former IDF general who served as director general of the Ministry of Strategic Affairs. But the rules, in my mind, of sharing information are the same. Whatever is valuable for Israel is shared. With Trump having claimed that Gaza is now on the path to a peaceful, prosperous future, the one vital, strategic mission for the U.S. is now to babysit Bibi to make sure there is no return to fighting, one person familiar with White House thinking said, using Netanyahus nickname. In the weeks since the ceasefire, the administration has sent a steady stream of high-level minders to visit the CMCC and Netanyahus government, including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and, last weekend, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Trump has outlined a grand post-ceasefire vision, describing his Gaza initiative as an historic dawn of a new Middle East, including the expansion of the Abraham Accords, the first-term diplomatic normalization agreement he brokered between Israel and four Arab states. But many regional leaders, including Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who will visit the White House in mid-November, are waiting for assurances that the war is truly over and that Israel will relinquish control over the enclave. On Monday, Trump will host President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria, with whom he hopes to expand U.S. security relations. Saudi Arabia and other Arab states are not going to settle for normalization without getting Netanyahu to take moves toward a Palestinian state, which he has categorically rejected, said the person familiar with administration thinking. This is both the president and the moment to push Netanyahu, the person said. The question for Trump, they added, is will he do it? Boots on the ground, but not in Gaza Led by Centcom under U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, with 200 U.S. troops, the CMCC is headquartered in a three-story building in the city of Kiryat Gat, about 40 miles southwest of Jerusalem and 20 miles northeast of Gaza. The Trump administration has appointed Steven Fagin, a career Foreign Service officer most recently U.S. ambassador to Yemen, as the civilian lead. The Americans, with high-tech monitoring equipment, occupy one floor of the building, with Israeli military, intelligence and civilian personnel on another. Representatives of dozens of what Centcom commander Adm. Brad Cooper has said are partner nations, nongovernmental organizations, international institutions and the private sector are on a separate floor. France, Germany and the United Kingdom are among a number of countries with official representation. In an Oct. 21 announcement of the centers opening, Centcom said its mission was to support stabilization efforts, to help facilitate the flow of humanitarian, logistical and security assistance and to monitor implementation of the ceasefire agreement. No U.S. troops, the statement emphasized, will be deployed into Gaza. The initial steps in Trumps plan - a ceasefire in the two-year war that is shaky but largely holding; the release by Hamas of all 20 remaining Israeli hostages still alive and most of the bodies of the dead, and by Israel of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners; IDF withdrawal from about half of Gaza and improvement in humanitarian aid deliveries - have been achieved. But many elements of the agreement remain works in progress or unaddressed. Several people who are working inside the center or have had interactions with it said that decision-making is hampered by, among other things, the need for each government and institution represented to send it up the flagpole to capitals and headquarters for approval, as one person put it. At the same time, this person said, I dont think they have any money to do anything yet. During a visit at the end of last week, said another, it was a lot of people sitting at desks with computers and a lot of uncertainty. Hurdles and spoilers The emergence of Hamas and other militant groups to reassert control over parts of Gaza vacated by the IDF has made their disarmament - a key part of the agreement - progressively more difficult. Hamas has said it will turn over its weapons only to Palestinians. The agreement calls for establishment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) comprising troops from Arab and other governments who will train and supervise a new, vetted Palestinian police force. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said this week that a possible model for disarmament - and the peace plans promise of amnesty for militants who lay down their arms - may lie in the case of approximately 200 Hamas fighters who remain stranded in Rafah, in the Israeli-occupied portion of Gaza, possibly in what remains of the militant groups tunnel network. A Hamas official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions, confirmed there had been meetings with mediators over the fate of the trapped fighters. But neither the Palestinian police force nor the ISF yet exist. Many of the countries seen as possible participants, particularly those in the Arab and Muslim world, have indicated they dont want to be involved in the process of disarming Hamas or contending with what they see as trigger-happy Israeli forces still behind the yellow line now separating them from the rest of Gaza. Most have also insisted on a U.N. mandate, something Washington has begun to address with a U.N. Security Council resolution it circulated this week. The draft resolution basically gives a U.N. seal of approval to the Trump plan, including authorizing the ISF, which U.S. officials have said would not be deployed until at least January, to remain in place for two years. Other security council members are seeking stronger and more specific humanitarian commitments, as well as a path to Palestinian statehood. To pass, the resolution requires nine of the 15 Security Council votes, and no veto from any of its five permanent members, including potential spoilers Russia and China - as well as Britain and France, both of which formally recognized the Palestinian state in late September. The ball is in the U.S. court we have lots of ideas, said an official from one council member government. The plan also calls for establishment of a Board of Peace, which Trump has said he would head but whose members have not yet been identified, to supervise and support internal Gaza governance through a committee of Palestinians. Eight Palestinian factions and armed groups - including the Fatah party that leads the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank, and Hamas - have launched discussions, brokered by Egypt, to select the committee. It is unclear whether either Israel or the U.S., which have both ruled out any Hamas participation in Gaza governance, will accept it. Gaza reconstruction has also become a point of contention. Some senior Trump administration advisers have pushed for a program, according to several people familiar with the planning, that would quickly build up to 16 safe communities behind existing Israeli lines in Gaza. Within these communities, vetted Palestinians could move and receive security, food and other humanitarian aid - potentially for years - while Hamas is disarmed and longer-term plans for governance and reconstruction are rolled out. Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law who was brought in to help broker the ceasefire and future planning, wants to see some kind of success made of IDF-occupied Gaza, while Hamass ongoing presence in the rest of the enclave would make any quick reconstruction difficult, said the person familiar with administration thinking. Aid organizations have largely rejected that proposal, seeing it as a return to the formula of the Israel and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, whose now-suspended food distribution sites, secured by armed U.S. contractors, resulted in hundreds of Gazan civilians being shot by IDF forces surrounding them. European countries in the CMCC can in no way take part in something which is seen as a strategic tool for one party to the conflict, which is Israel, Egeland said. Such a plan, he said is doomed. Its bound to be a failure. Parker reported from Cairo. Kareem Fahim in Istanbul contributed to this report. U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225 place a GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition at Jose Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 28, 2025. (Michael Gavin/U.S. Marine Corps) WASHINGTON The Senate on Thursday rejected a bipartisan resolution to block President Donald Trump from conducting strikes against Venezuela as the U.S. continued to surge troops and military assets to the region. Senators voted down the measure mostly along party lines, 51-49. The vote mirrored a similar unsuccessful effort last month to end the Trump administrations bombing campaign against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., a supporter of the previous measure, said he voted against the resolution Thursday due to a greater appreciation for the legal rationale behind the boat strikes. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky were the only Republicans to vote in favor of the resolution. Both measures were led by Democratic senators Tim Kaine of Virginia and Adam Schiff of California. Paul co-sponsored the latest attempt to assert Congresss constitutional power to declare war. The reason the Framers put this decision in the hands of Congress was because of a belief that we should not risk the lives of our service members unless there is a clear political consensus, as expressed by a vote in Congress, that the mission is worth it, Kaine said. Nearly 20% of the Navys deployed warships are being sent to the waters off Venezuela, with the worlds largest and most powerful aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford set to arrive soon. The U.S. has also flown B-52 and B-1 bombers along Venezuelas coastline in a show of force. The buildup indicates the administration is aiming to use military action to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Schiff said. Trump expressed doubt in recent days that the U.S. would go to war with Venezuela but has also said Maduros days as president are numbered. If any other world leader moved this kind of firepower to another countrys doorstep, we know what we would believe was taking place, Schiff said. Americans do not want another war. They dont want American service members put in harms way, either flying missions or with boots on the ground for a war not authorized by Congress. Shortly after taking office, Trump designated several drug cartels as terrorist organizations, including Venezuelas Tren de Aragua. His administration has asserted the U.S. is in an armed conflict with cartels and will treat their members as unlawful combatants. The resulting strikes on boats alleged to be smuggling drugs have killed at least 66 people since early September. Legal experts and some lawmakers say the attacks are illegally targeting civilians and amounted to extrajudicial murder. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., argued Thursday that Trump as commander-in-chief should have the freedom to carry out the military operations as he sees fit. Graham also contended that the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which requires the president to consult with Congress before committing troops to fight and withdraw them after 60 days if Congress doesnt grant its approval, was unconstitutional. Lawmakers who disagree with the presidents military actions should either seek to defund the operations through legislation or file an article of impeachment against the president, Graham argued. I would say that Venezuela, in the hands of Maduro, is an existential threat to the people of the United States, he said. Weve got to do more than blow up the boat. Weve got to go to the problem on the land. Who loads the boats? Who makes the money off the boats? Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the House Intelligence Committees top Democrat, said after a briefing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week that the Trump administration did not appear to have plans to expand the boat strikes to direct attacks on Venezuela. But the military buildup in the Caribbean the largest in more than 30 years has continued to fuel speculation that a U.S. campaign to forcibly remove Maduro is underway. Paul warned Thursday that such an operation risked a host of unintended consequences, including further destabilization of the region and a threat to U.S. troops. Attacked countries often attack back. It is our soldiers in the field of battle, not the senators on this floor that will bear the brunt of the retaliation, he said. By then, the time for debate will have passed. The Senate will have once again excused itself from the responsibility of governing and the United States will once again be at war. An unarmed Minuteman III ballistic missile is launched from Vandenberg Space Base on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command said the missile flew 4,200 miles southwest across the Pacific to a test site at Kwajalein Atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. (Draeke Layman/U.S. Space Force) WASHINGTON Democratic senators representing states that bore the brunt of the fallout from explosive nuclear weapons testing are seeking to pass legislation that would bar President Donald Trump from unilaterally resuming such tests. Their introduced bill, the No Nuclear Testing Without Approval Act, is a response to Trumps announcement last week that he had ordered the Pentagon to restart the testing of nuclear weapons, citing the nuclear arsenals of Russia and China. It is still unclear if Trump was referring to the testing of nuclear-capable weapons delivery platforms, which the U.S. conducted on Wednesday with the routine launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, or the nuclear explosive testing the U.S. last conducted in 1992. But lawmakers from states that were exposed to the radioactive fallout from atmospheric and underground nuclear weapons testing during the Cold War said they wanted to make sure Trump would be unable to act without congressional approval. Nevadans were blindsided when President Trump said he could revive the outdated, misguided practice of detonating nuclear weapons, said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. No administration should have the authority to set off nuclear bombs on American soil without any oversight or outreach to the states that would bear the burden of these dangerous tests. The legislation would require Trump, and future presidents, to show Congress proof that they have engaged with states in which the potential tests would be conducted. The only place the U.S. can conduct an explosive nuclear weapon test is at the Nevada National Security Site, according to senators. The U.S. tested most of its nuclear weapons from 1945 to 1992 in Nevada and the Marshall Islands, with states such as New Mexico and Arizona suffering downwind contamination and health effects. Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., warned that a resumption of nuclear testing could trigger a dangerous geopolitical chain reaction in which China and other nuclear powers would be prompted to also restart testing. The only country known to have carried out explosive nuclear testing in recent decades is North Korea, in 2017. The U.S., China and Russia remain signatories to the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, which prohibited nuclear test explosions, though the U.S. and China never ratified the agreement and Russia rescinded its ratification in 2023. Trump this week alleged that Russia and China have been secretly testing, and said the U.S. would follow suit. They test way underground where people dont know exactly whats happening with the test, he said. You feel a little bit of a vibration. They test and we dont test. We have to test. China, which conducted its last known nuclear explosive test in 1996, denied the allegation on Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said his country continues to abide by the moratorium negotiated in the 1990s but instructed agencies to submit proposals on how Russia could restart its own weapons testing. If the United States or other states party to the relevant treaty conduct such tests, then Russia will also have to take appropriate countermeasures, he said. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., called Trumps directive reckless, unnecessary and dangerous and said she moved to introduce legislation to involve Congress in a potential restart of testing because such a monumental decision should not be made lightly or on a whim by an erratic president. Nevada Democrats Steven Horsford and Susie Lee are expected to introduce a companion bill in the House. Julie MacKnyght, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, center, tours the Chipyong-ni battle memorial in South Korea with Korea Military Academy professor Seo Dong-ha, left, and members of United Nations Command, Nov. 4, 2025. (Yoojin Lee/Stars and Stripes) The great-granddaughter of U.S. Army Gen. Matthew Ridgway recently visited South Korea to see the place where United Nations troops waged a desperate fight to finally halt a Chinese counteroffensive nearly 75 years ago. Julie MacKnyght, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, toured Chipyong-ni, where U.S. and French troops under the United Nations Command held off waves of Chinese attacks Feb. 13-15, 1951. Her great-grandfather, at the time commander of Eighth Army, ordered the U.S. 23rd Regimental Combat Team, along with the French, to hold the vital crossroads village and halt the Chinese army advance. U.N. troops, surrounded and outnumbered five to one, held on for three days, according to a U.S. Army account of the fight. Its been amazing to be able to come here, MacKnyght said Tuesday during a tour of the Chipyong-ni battle memorial about 40 miles east of Seoul. Ive been fascinated by my great-grandfather since I was a little girl. So, its really cool to see firsthand his impacts here in Korea. Julie MacKnyght, with her daughter, Aubrey Ruth Ridgway MacKnyght, accepts the Korean-American Friendship Award on behalf of her great-grandfather, Gen. Matthew Ridgway, from Korea-America Association Chairman Choi Joong-Kyung in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 5, 2025. (Korea-America Association) Julie MacKnyght, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, and her daughter, Aubrey Ruth Ridgway MacKnyght, pose Nov. 4, 2025, at Chipyong-ni, where U.N. troops under her great-grandfather, Gen. Matthew Ridgway, fought Chinese troops to a standstill during the Korean War. (Yoojin Lee/Stars and Stripes) MacKnyght the following day in Seoul accepted the Korean-American Friendship Award from the Korea-America Association, given posthumously to her great-grandfather. It is because of Gen. Ridgways legacy that I am standing here today as an Army veteran myself, having completed just shy of 21 years active duty when I retired a few months ago, she said at the gathering inside the Plaza Hotel. I dont think the idea of Army service ever would have entered my head, had I not been so fascinated with him as a child. Chipyong-ni marked the first time U.N. troops managed to stop the Chinese advance into South Korea since Oct. 19, 1950, when the Chinese crossed the Yalu River boundary and overwhelmed U.N. forces. Two months after Chipyong-ni, Ridgway succeeded Gen. Douglas MacArthur, relieved by President Harry Truman, as commander of the U.N. forces. In the following spring of 1952, he replaced Dwight D. Eisenhower as supreme allied commander in Europe, followed by his appointment as Army chief of staff from August 1953 to June 1955. He died in July 1993 at age 98. He was a leader who cared about his troops someone who led from the front, MacKnyght said during her award speech. May the friendship cemented between our peoples continue to grow over the next 75 years and beyond. Gen. Matthew Ridgway, left, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, steps out of the North American L-17B Navion aircraft in which he and Gen. Thomas T. Handy, right, EUCOM commander-in-chief, have just arrived at Rhein-Main in Frankfurt, West Germany in June of 1952. They traveled from Baumholder at the end a three-day inspection tour of U.S., French and British troops in Germany. (Stars and Stripes) Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Gen. Matthew Ridgway, center, and his wife prepare for a bobsled ride in January of 1953 with members of the U.S. team during the International Winter Sports Week in Garmisch, Germany. (Ted Rohde/Stars and Stripes) Gen. Matthew Ridgway, Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and Gen. George C. Marshall, former Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense and then-chairman of the U.S. Battle Monuments Commission, arrive at the dedication ceremony for the first memorial in an overseas cemetery to fallen World War II U.S. servicemembers at Suresnes, France, on Sept. 13, 1952. (Red Grandy /Stars and Stripes) MacKnyght was 11 when her great-grandfather died, and she never got to meet him, she said at the ceremony. One of my favorite things to do in grade school whenever I visited a library was to pull up the R volume of the encyclopedia and find his name, she said. Back then, the internet a decade or more away, research required diligence. If you were in the encyclopedia, it was a really big deal. SANYA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- As Russia's chilly winter sets in, a growing number of Russians are flocking to the tropical shores of Sanya, a coastal city in south China's island province of Hainan, where sun-drenched beaches meet holistic wellness. In the first half of 2025, Sanya witnessed a staggering 266.2 percent year-on-year surge in Russian tourists, who accounted for over 40 percent of its international arrivals. The city has become a hub for Russians seeking not just leisure but also cultural immersion, with this trend further fueled by China's visa-free policy trial for Russians launched in September 2025. To ease their stay, Sanya has rolled out tailored services -- frontline staff undergo Russian language training for hotel check-ins and tour guidance, government hotlines offer Russian-language assistance, and 76 bus stops add Russian to its signs. Accommodation registration has been streamlined through online platforms, with Russians constituting the majority of foreign guests using these services. Payment barriers are also fading, as high-end hotels and key attractions install POS machines accepting foreign bank cards, while over 479 ATMs support withdrawals using Russian cards. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) stands out as a key attraction. Many Russians travel specifically for therapies such as acupuncture and moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medical therapy that involves burning dried mugwort to stimulate specific acupoints on the body. "TCM is miraculous! The techniques combined with Sanya's warm climate greatly alleviate neck and lumbar pain," Konstantin, an engineer from Moscow, shared after visiting Sanya Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The hospital's international department, partnering with global insurers for direct payments, has seen rising demand. According to Yuan Ailin, deputy director of the hospital, medical tourism is becoming popular, and Sanya's TCM wellness programs are perfectly positioned to capitalize on this trend. Beyond healthcare, Sanya's business-friendly environment encourages entrepreneurship. Andrey, a Russian restaurateur in Sanya, recalled how smoothly he managed to obtain his business license: "I expected red tape, but officials provided translation and guidance throughout." His experience reflects Sanya's efforts to align with Hainan Free Trade Port's openness. "Sanya feels like a second home -- it embodies inclusivity," he added. WELLINGTON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The first official visit by a top Indian trade official and a 43-member Indian delegation has accelerated trade talks and deepened business ties, a New Zealand government statement said Friday. The visit by India's Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal featured high-level business meetings, engagements with the New Zealand Indian community, and talks focused on advancing their free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations. An FTA would accelerate the development of new partnerships and bring benefits to both countries, said New Zealand Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay, adding Friday's discussions were constructive, and good progress was made in a number of areas. CANBERRA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The cost of organized crime to Australia rose by almost 20 percent to more than 80 billion Australian dollars (51.8 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023-24, according to federal law enforcement agencies. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) said in a joint report recently that the direct and indirect cost of organized crime to Australia hit 82.3 billion Australian dollars (53.3 billion U.S. dollars) in the 2023-24 financial year, up 19.7 percent from 68.7 billion Australian dollars (44.5 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022-23. Of the total figure in 2023-24, 58.9 billion Australian dollars (38.2 billion U.S. dollars) was attributed to the direct and consequential cost of organized crime and the remaining 23.4 billion Australian dollars (15.1 billion U.S. dollars) to the indirect costs of stopping organized crime. Heather Cook, chief executive officer of the ACIC and a director of the AIC, said that the rising cost of organized crime is indicative of the threat posed to the safety and security of Australia. "The criminal landscape in Australia has fundamentally shifted. High-level criminals are continuously evolving their networks and operations, allowing them to profit at the expense of the Australian public, damage our economy, and threaten our national security," she said in a statement. Illicit drugs had the biggest direct cost of any organized crime activity at 19 billion Australian dollars (12.3 billion U.S. dollars) followed by organized financial crime, trafficking illicit commodities and cybercrime. The cost of illicit tobacco to Australia hit 4 billion Australian dollars (2.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023-24, marking a four-fold increase over the past three years. Cadiz is one of the most attractive and beautiful cities in Spain. Alberto Flores Cadiz Friday, 7 November 2025, 16:20 Share History, beauty, authenticity and life in its purest form come together to compose the symphony that is the city of Cadiz in the Andalucia region of southern Spain - a place where the simple act of strolling and breathing in the aromas of the sea becomes a real pleasure. The city is full of places to discover, all wholeheartedly welcoming to visitors.. The Plaza de San Juan de Dios is one of the most emblematic spots in the city centre. It is believed to be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe, a meeting point that tells the history of the city. Back in time, the square was known as Plaza Mayor and La Corredera. It was located next to the Puerta del Mar, now known as the Arco del Populo. History says that, in the 16th century, the square was already one of the most important places of activity in the city, very well connected to the port. The town hall was also located there. In the 18th century, Cadiz became practically the capital of the world, as it was the city from which trade with the Indies was directed. It was a city where precious goods and all kinds of products arrived and filled the markets. In those years, the market was also located in Plaza de San Juan de Dios, which made it not only the administrative but also the commercial centre. Zoom Aerial view of Plaza de San Juan de Dios, one of the most important squares in the city of Cadiz. Turismo de Cadiz A little more than a decade ago, the square underwent improvement work, which enhanced its beauty and banned cars, making the area the perfect place for a peaceful stroll for visitors and locals. From the square, tourists can see the town hall, the San Juan de Dios church and Casa de los Pazo Miranda. There are numerous restaurants with terraces and a large central fountain in the area, which complements the experience. The monument dedicated to politician Segismundo Moret looks over the square from above. Moret was the minister of overseas territories in the late 19th century and he was part of the team of politicians who took the necessary steps to abolish slavery in Puerto Rico. He was appointed prime minister between 1905 and 1906. Zoom Plaza de San Juan de Dios is a place where hundreds of tourists stroll every day. Turismo de Cadiz The land where the square is located was covered by the sea centuries ago. Nowadays, it is a very busy spot and a gateway to the old town. Nuria Triguero Malaga Friday, 7 November 2025, 17:29 Share This Thursday, the regional government of Andalucia and Google formalised an alliance at the tech giant's centre of excellence in Malaga to "contribute to accelerating the region's digital transformation, making it accessible to everyone". This is how the regional industry and energy minister, Jorge Paradela, summarised the objective of the collaborative agreement signed between the multinational and the Junta. The agreement will materialise in the coming months through concrete actions in three key areas: "training individuals and professionals in digital skills, training teachers, researchers and higher education students in advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools and supporting companies in their transformation to the digital ecosystem through cloud technologies", as explained by Google's director of institutional relations, Miguel Escassi. "First, we will make available to all the people of Andalucia a comprehensive training programme focused on acquiring and expanding AI knowledge to help improve employability by reducing the digital divide and the digital skills gap," said Escassi. Second, there are programmes for the education sector: for one, a comprehensive programme to train teachers and research staff in Google AI tools such as Gemini and Notebook LM, in order to modernise teaching and research, then another, programmes and certifications for higher education students that "will equip them with the fundamental skills for the responsible use of AI, thus improving their future employability and strengthening Andalusian talent", said Google's spokesperson. The third element consists of collaboration with the public and business sectors. "We will collaborate to train Andalucia's public sector in cloud technologies, cooperate to promote initiatives that help in the field of cybersecurity and help combat cyber threats and we will continue to support the digital agency of Andalucia (ADA) in the creation of a digital ecosystem of resilient companies," concluded Escassi. Areas of collaboration This alliance establishes four major areas of collaboration: AI and cloud computing, digital training and talent acquisition and development, cybersecurity and entrepreneurship and, lastly, R&D. "We are committed to a more efficient and transparent administration, a better-prepared population with the help of digital training, a more cybersecure society and an entrepreneurial ecosystem where our startups and SMEs can grow and compete globally," stressed the regional minister. Following the official signing of the agreement, Paradela championed public-private partnerships as the way forward to nurture inclusive digitalisation, citing the achievements in Malaga, a city that "is becoming the cybersecurity capital of southern Europe", thanks to the coordinated efforts of companies and institutions. "Today we are visiting GSEC Malaga, a centre with similar counterparts only in Dublin and Munich. From here, with the talent available in Andalucia, Google's cybersecurity is being projected for Europe and the world. And, in this same area, in Malaga's port, we have the Andalusian Cybersecurity Centre, which will soon become the Andalusian Cybersecurity Agency," he announced. Kepa Oliden / Oskar Ortiz de Guinea San Sebastian Friday, 7 November 2025, 14:28 Share Yolanda and Aitor should never have had to endure the ordeal of being escorted by the Guardia Civil from the boarding bridge for their flight home from Seville Airport in southerm Spain. They were about to catch their flight home on 5 December 2021 when this couple from Arrasate encountered the Vueling flight captain preventing them from boarding with the motorised scooter that Yolanda uses to get around due to the mobility issues she suffers as a result of multiple sclerosis. The flight captain believed that the vehicle's lithium battery could explode mid-flight, despite the fact that the airline itself had given them the green light to travel with it. "You're not travelling with me in that ,' is what he told us," the couple said. The ensuing argument only served to fuel the "humiliation" they felt in front of the other passengers. Their subsequent complaint to the airline was unsuccessful, so they took their grievance to court. Almost four years later, the courts ruled in their favour and forced the airline to compensate them. "More than the money, winning the case is a joy because it demonstrates the unfair and humiliating treatment we suffered when they left us stranded with our suitcases at the airport", said Yolanda Guijas and Aitor Herrera upon learning of the ruling after the hearing held in September. The chief judge at Bergara's Court of First Instance No. 4 upheld "in its entirety" the couple's claim for compensation of 1,500 euros plus interest: 211.29 euros for the car hire they had to arrange themselves to return to Arrasate, 256.01 euros for the mileage from Seville, 500 euros for the denial to board both of them, 215 euros for the unused flight tickets and 288.04 euros for moral damages. The ruling, to which SUR has had access and which cannot be appealed, states that the couple are "undoubtedly" right, as they made sure before embarking on their outbound trip that they could take off with Yolanda's three-wheeler scooter. Through the agency with which they booked the flight, "they informed Vueling of all the wheelchair's specifications to confirm that it could travel" and the low-cost airline gave them the go-ahead. "We sent them photos of the scooter and made all the necessary enquiries to find out if there were any issues." Despite the company's initial approval, upon arrival at Loiu Airport, they encountered some objections regarding the potential danger of the chair's lithium battery, but were ultimately allowed to fly on condition that the scooter was checked into the aircraft's hold. "They told us that we would be the last to board and the last to disembark, which was fine with us", recalls Aitor Herrera. On the return trip, however, they were met with a refusal from the flight captain and the airline's inflexibility. According to the judge, the airline "is not on record as having taken any steps" to provide the couple with an alternative way to get home. This created an "unpleasant and humiliating" situation, according to Herrera. Despite their attempts to explain to the captain that they had flown out with the same scooter and the same flight crew, "the ugliest and most degrading thing" was when the captain called the Guardia Civil to have them removed from the flight. Their only option was to rent a car and drive the 850 kilometres to Arrasate. "Abuse by the airlines" The judge acknowledged that Yolanda's "self-esteem and dignity were directly and clearly damaged" when "the airline denied her boarding at the aircraft door itself, in front of other passengers and airport staff, precisely because of the device she must use due to her condition", since, as a "multiple sclerosis patient, she has mobility limitations". She further stated in her ruling that Vueling "adopted measures that clearly violated the dignity of the plaintiffs", given that it did not compensate them with the 250 euros for each denied boarding, which, for flights of up to 1,500 kilometres, is mandated by European regulation 261/2004 on passenger rights. Nor did it refund the 215 euros for the actual tickets they were unable to use. The victory in their legal battle against the Catalan company is "a source of pride and some moral redress for the injustice and farcical situation to which we were subjected", said Herrera, who stresses that they were not seeking financial compensation. In fact, they were only claiming 288 euros for moral damages. "We simply wanted to win to expose the abuses committed with impunity by some airlines." Some of the dance students with their awards with education minister John Cortes at the back. SUR in English Gibraltar Friday, 7 November 2025, 12:35 Share Minister for Education John Cortes attended the Gibraltar Academy of Dance awards ceremony at the Arts Centre this week, where he presented certificates and awards to students whose achievements spanned multiple age groups and skill levels. The event, which recognised a large number of children and young people, was hosted by the academy's director, Paulette Finlayson. She welcomed dancers, parents and guests whilst emphasising the value of dance in acknowledging the performers' accomplishments. A video showcasing the academy's work highlighted the contributions of both teachers and students. Royal Academy of Dance certificates were awarded to students from Pre-Primary through to Grade 6, with recipients ranging from 6 to 17 years old. All students achieved either highly commended or distinctions, with marks between 70 and 85 out of 100. The minister also presented special awards to outstanding performers. Sienna Rodriguez Wahnon received the Christina Yome Award for Best Infant Progress, whilst Anna Bonfante won the Alfred Ramirez Award for Best Junior Progress. Lucia Garcia was recognised with the Jennifer Psaila Award for Best Senior Progress. Performance awards went to Lily Buhagiar (Adrian Galliano Award for Best Infant Performer), Alexa Garcia (Amanda Maxwell Award for Best Junior Performer), and Ana Scott Miles (Mario Finlayson Award for Best Senior Performer). Maiah Llanelo received the Mario Arroyo Best Student Award, and Sahara Dyer was presented with the Paulette Finlayson Most Promising Dancer Award. In his address to students, teachers, families and guests, Cortes congratulated the Academy on four decades of work and success, stressing the value of dance in the development of young people. SUR in English Gibraltar Friday, 7 November 2025, 09:17 Share Officials from the Small States and Territories Working Group (STWG) gathered in Gibraltar this week to progress their joint initiatives on combating Proliferation Financing (PF) and Terrorist Financing (TF). The projects are being jointly led by Gibraltar and the Isle of Man on PF, and by Jersey on TF. The STWG was formed on the margins of MONEYVAL meetings at the Council of Europe to enhance cooperation and share expertise among smaller jurisdictions in the global fight against financial crime. Its first major achievement was the 'Monaco Paper' on Terrorist Financing, produced after a workshop in Monaco and endorsed by MONEYVAL in July 2018. In 2024, the group agreed to expand its work to address two critical areas: updating the original Terrorist Financing guidance and developing a new framework to counter Proliferation Financing - the funding or movement of resources used to support the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Smaller jurisdictions, the group noted, face unique challenges due to their open financial systems, extensive trade links, and limited institutional capacity, all of which can make them vulnerable to exploitation by proliferators. The new Proliferation Financing guidance aims to provide a structured approach for identifying and mitigating such risks in line with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendations. It draws on the expertise of participating jurisdictions including Andorra, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Holy See/Vatican City, Isle of Man, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco and San Marino. Opening the two-day meeting, Gibraltars Minister for Justice, Nigel Feetham, welcomed delegates and praised their collaborative efforts: The Small States and Territories Working Group is an example of how smaller jurisdictions, when working together, can deliver high-quality contributions to the global AML/CFT/CPF framework. I am delighted that, despite our size, we have been able to draw on local talent and expertise from the GFIU and GFSC in such a specialised field. Gibraltar is proud to support this important initiative, which not only strengthens our understanding of risks to our finance centre but also contributes to our efforts in combatting TF and PF. Edgar Lopez, Director of the Gibraltar Financial Intelligence Unit (GFIU) and a recognised specialist in proliferation financing, coordinated the PF project. He highlighted the significance of the initiative: This has been a team effort on a very complex topic in an increasingly complex world. Understanding proliferation financing risks is not easy, but by combining our knowledge and experience, weve created something that others can build upon. We now have a clearer understanding not only of Gibraltars exposure, but also of the wider regional and international risks." The sessions in Gibraltar focused on finalising the draft PF and TF guidance papers, incorporating expert input to refine their findings. The STWG continues to serve as a key platform for peer learning, technical collaboration, and capacity building among small MONEYVAL jurisdictions, ensuring they remain active contributors to global efforts against financial crime and threats to international security. Share Port may be out of fashion with today's low-ABV (alcohol by volume) crowd, but winemakers in Portugal's Douro Valley are far from despairing. The nearly 800-million-euro global Port market, although down from 8.7m cases in 2013 to 7.3m in 2023, is projected to grow by 5.3% annually to 2030. Producers are banking on premiumisation, tourism and mixology to steer the fortified classic into a new era. "Port is ready for a resurgence," says one of the region's leading traders. Aged and wood-matured Ports are thriving as consumers embrace craftsmanship and exclusivity. Premium Port already represents half of total value sales, though the shift upmarket has squeezed lower-end volumes. The growing craft cocktail scene, where quality ingredients matter, is providing fresh opportunities for port to shine - either mixed or served neat. WINE OF THE WEEK Porto Osborne Ruby Porto Osborne Ruby is a classic entry-level Port that delivers solid quality. Made from traditional Douro grape varieties and aged briefly in oak, it showcases the youthful character typical of Ruby Ports. It's smooth, medium-bodied, and richly fruity with a gentle touch of alcohol. Around 6 euros. George Sandeman, of Sogrape, hopes Port will move beyond Christmas nostalgia to become "something people make a nice Sangria with in summer". He and other producers see its future as cyclical: after potential short-term decline, a long-term recovery seems likely. Kit Weaver of Quinta de la Rosa believes Port's mixology crossover and the "softly softly marketing" of Portuguese food and culture will sustain growth. Another spokesperson agrees, crediting tourism - up 6.7% in 2024 - for expanding Port's reach through innovative experiences such as tastings in stylish cellars. Others remain cautious: "It's difficult when the market is trending against fortified and red wines." The advice is simple - focus on quality - and the next time you find yourself at an after-dinner Port session, remember the decanter is always passed from left to right. Marina Martinez Friday, 7 November 2025, 12:24 Share The people of Malaga don't exactly speak a different language, but they do have words and expressions that are not in your average Spanish dictionary. In fact many locals from Malaga may have been met with a blank stare when ordering a 'Smurf' for breakfast anywhere else in the country. But here a 'Pitufo' is the name given to a small bread roll, something as exclusive to Malaga as the range of vocabularly for types of coffee - nube (cloud), sombra (shadow), mitad (half), etc. The latter system however, dating back to the post-war period, became better known over the years thanks to the famous explanatory tiled mural of coffees on the wall of the now closed Cafe Central in Malaga city centre. But what about the Pitufo, a word invented for the Spanish version of the Schtroumpf, a character created by author Peyo that in English became a Smurf? It's uncertain who started using the term for a bread roll, however professionals in the industry and collective memory point to it being between two bakeries, Mateo Luque and La Canasta. "We are very good friends and we have never got involved in this controversy," said Silvestre, Mateo Luque's son, referring to Antonio Cardenas, founder of El Bambi, the bakery that was the seed that led to La Canasta. This newspaper has tried to contact the latter but with no response, but the baker and business owner has commented on more than one occasion to colleagues and in an interview that he created the famous bun with his wife in search of a type of bread smaller than the usual bread roll, known as the Viena. This was the exact same reason that Silvestre Luque recalls: "Normally, in cafes people asked for half a Viena because one was too big. So my father came up with the idea of making smaller buns out of Viena dough." "Maybe Antonio started making them earlier? I wouldn't know, it was in the early eighties, I don't remember the exact year we started," Silvestre Luque admitted with honesty. There is no doubt though that it was Mateo Luque who popularised these bread rolls named after the little blue men: "At that time, cartoons were in fashion and my father associated the image of the Smurf with his bread roll; we put it up on posters and even on vans, especially with children in mind. Then they started to make them in other bakeries and and they started calling them that in bars, many of which we have delivered to daily for years." "At that time, cartoons were in fashion and my father associated the image of the Smurf with his bread roll," said Silvestre Luque It was only five months ago that Silvestre closed the bakery when he retired after four decades at the helm and with a very strong commitment to helping people in need. His father started the business in 1964 in Calle Churruca, from where they moved to Calle Tampa in the early eighties. It was there that they gave birth to the "pitufo", which today, is an indisputable reference at breakfast time in Malaga. And there is something for everyone: from classic white bread to soya, wholemeal or multigrain. Of course, the bread roll should be no bigger than 70 grams to be considered a Smurf. Where to eat them The filling is another matter. The most popular is the mixto (ham and cheese), but there are countless options. Some even turn it into a brunch rather than a breakfast. For example, the ones served at La Nora (C/ Gerona 9, Cruz del Humilladero) are so full they are hard to close, with traditional options such as roast ham with semi-cured cheese, carne mechada (pork slow-cooked in lard) or sirloin steak with coloured lard, that will give you energy for the whole day. La Nora, El Ruisenor and Tu Sitio. If we're talking about hearty, the ones at Los Exagerados bar (C/ Aguilar and Cano 1 in El Palo) also aren't far behind: the roast leg, omelette, bacon, cheese and aioli roll can save the day. Another popular choice is the Iberian ham roll at El Ruisenor (C/ Ruisenores 13, Puerto de la Torre), which doesn't just have jamon inside but also on top (the house signature). The pitufos at El Cafelito de Moy (Plaza San Francisco, Rincon de la Victoria) are also highly acclaimed, from the roast leg with white lard to the veal with melted cheddar, this bar has one of the most extensive menus in Malaga. Also recommended are the rolls at the cafeteria Tu Sitio (C/ Nuzas 22, Teatinos): tuna, pork loin, ham leg and fresh cheese. No matter what you choose, you can't go wrong. And you can't talk about pitufo breakfasts without mentioning the Malaga 'salchichon' sausage at El Diamante (C/ Pozos Dulces 3, in the city centre) or the ones at Bar Meson Paco that have been a hit for three years (Plaza de las Brigadas Internacionales 3, La Termica area) which includes: tortilla with meat and aioli. These are some of the most outstanding, but the list is endless. Peyo could never have imagined how successful his little blue creatures would be in Malaga, the place where you eat Smurfs and drink 'clouds'. Emma Petitt with one of her "babes" at the Frigiliana art walk in October. Jennie Rhodes Axarquia Friday, 7 November 2025, 15:20 Share Although I had seen the name Emma Petitt on various posters advertising art walks and exhibitions in the Axarquia, our paths had never actually crossed until the Ruta del Arte in Frigiliana in October. I am delighted that they did. Like her art work, Emma is vibrant, colourful and engaging and we instantly hit it off. Perhaps it had something to do with our East Anglian roots. Emma, 55, is originally from Norwich but moved to Bath to do her art foundation course at the age of 18 before going on to do a three-year course in three-dimensional ceramics. A 25-year career in "selling high-end products" at events like the Chelsea Flower Show ensued, during which time Emma says she had little time to create art. But then, 10 years ago, she and her then partner decided to sell up and move abroad - considering Australia, Canada and New Zealand, the couple eventually settled on Europe and finally Andalucia. However, when the relationship didn't work out and Emma decided she would stay in the house near Riogordo on her own, she "needed to earn a living". To "cut a long story short" Emma says she decided to see if she could make "this art thing" work. Emma admits that right from the beginning she has always been "a commercial artist", creating eye-catching, bright, bold pieces, which she says are "fun and lighthearted". Her "babes" - figurative paintings of curvaceous women in swimming costumes - have been a huge success in the USA, "especially in places like Florida and California, where people have pools at home or beach houses", the artist explains. In fact, she painted one especially for the Frigiliana art walk when she learned she would be exhibiting at the Domadora y Leon craft beer shop. The painting represents La Domadora (the lion tamer) and the Leon (lion). Then there's the tropical birds, fish and dogs, which were central to the exhibition in Frigiliana. While I was there she sold a toucan painting to a lady from Canada who happened to be visiting the area at the time. In fact, most of Emma's work goes to North America. She says it was "never part of the business plan" but when she started promoting her work on social media and attending events, it was the market that she had most success in. The American market she says is, "unlike anything else I'd ever experienced. In the UK and Europe art is seen as something for certain people. In the USA very regular people like to have real art in their homes." Unique selling point Concerned about Trump's tariff wars and other events affecting the American economy, Emma has had concerns that the market would dry up, but she explains that the feedback she gets from her clients is that they still want something "fun" and "lighthearted". She likens it to the Covid pandemic, when many were also looking for ways to brighten up their homes and give them something to smile at in uncertain times. A big part of Emma's work is giving online art workshops, which she pre-records and in keeping with her positive, fun outlook, she says the classes are "very natural" and "unscripted". "I watched loads of other people giving online classes on Instagram and so on and they were all so scripted and perfect. Art isn't like that. You get me in my painty old dungarees in my studio. If I muck it up, I talk through how to correct something. I wasn't seeing that in other online classes. Everything was so perfect," she says, adding, "I said, either people will love it or hate it and it seems to have become my unique selling point." Emma also organises art retreats on dry land and as part of cruises. When she's not creating art, she's fostering puppies for a German-based organisation called Katalino which takes the rescue animals to Germany. She also has seven "failed fosters" that live with her permanently. When I spoke to her, along with her own seven adult dogs, she was fostering three puppies and about to take on a further three. "I don't have much spare time," she laughs. "When we moved to Spain my plan was to make art, become an eco-warrior and foster dogs. I haven't done too badly," Emma reflects. SYDNEY, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out in the brakes of a Virgin Australia flight shortly after landing at Brisbane Airport in Australia on Thursday night, triggering an emergency response. Virgin Australia said on Friday that none of the 178 passengers and crew on board the flight were injured. The brake system of the Boeing 737-800 caught fire after flight VA454 from Darwin landed in Brisbane around 7 p.m. local time on Thursday night. The incident prompted an emergency response, with several airport firefighter crews deployed to extinguish the blaze. "The fire was quickly extinguished, and all guests and crew disembarked normally and safely," an airline spokesperson said. They said that engineers would assess what caused the fire before the aircraft returns to service. Virgin Australia said that the incident did not cause any delays and was not expected to impact scheduled flights on Friday. Jennie Rhodes Torre del Mar Friday, 7 November 2025, 11:04 Share International and Spanish business leaders based in the Axarquia attended the first Axarquia Business Networking (ABN) Copas & Canapes event on Thursday 6 November at the Club Nautico in Torre del Mar on the eastern Costa del Sol. Both existing members and those interested in finding out more about the network enjoyed a buffet and drinks while having the opportunity to network and promote their businesses . We want to bring together like-minded people who live and work in the Axarquia area, share ideas, and support each others businesses, event organisers said. Axarquia based estate agent Michelle Conner, one of the founders of the ABN, said that the aim of the event was to help businesses expand international connections and to provide non-members the opportunity to find out what the group offers. As the east of Malaga province grows in popularity among younger foreign residents, Michelle went on to say that in the 14 years she has been living and working in the Axarquia, she has noticed a rise in the number of younger international professionals and digital nomads moving to the area. At Thursdays event there were professionals from Poland, Iceland, Holland, France, Spain and the UK, among others. We have Spanish businesses that want international clients as well as foreign businesses, Michelle added. Axarquia Business Networking Copas & Canapes event J. R. ABN is an English-speaking networking group that helps self-employed people and small businesses grow through collaboration, referrals, and community support. Members meet twice a month at the Lux Mundi centre in Torre del Mar to exchange knowledge, promote local enterprise and strengthen the areas business network. The network also collaborates with Lux Mundi's Food Drive and Christmas Toy Drive, which help local families who rely on food banks. To learn more about Axarquia Business Networking, visit: www.axarquiabusinessnetworking.com Malaga's future nature and biodiversity theme park, Evolution Park, is starting to become a reality after more than a decade of work and bureaucracy. Behind this ambitious project is Javier Lazpita, a biologist from Madrid and future director of the park, whose passion for conservation and environmental awareness has been the driving force behind an idea that promises to put Carratraca on the world map of sustainable tourism. Convinced of the potential of the initiative, Lazpita says that "there will be those who travel to Malaga just for the park", convinced that Evolution Park will be a unique destination where leisure and education go hand in hand. The origin of this project goes back several years, when Lazpita was approached by a company about the idea. His experience in the field of biology and his master's degree in the conservation and recovery of endangered species are a guarantee that he is the right person to take the helm of this initiative. In addition to this, he has loved zoos since he was young: "I found it very exciting and so I decided to embark on this adventure," he recalls. From that moment when he said "I do", as if he were a groom on his wedding day, the path has been long and complicated. Evolution Park began eleven years ago, but the paperwork involved was the most challenging aspect during its first years of life. The many permits for roads, water and use of public rights of way were major stumbling blocks that delayed the project. Although the biologist has never lived in Malaga, he knew from the very first moment that the province's interior was the ideal place to create his project. "The location was perfect, both for its natural surroundings and for its proximity to the Caminito del Rey," he explains, recalling that the chosen estate (located in the Sierra del Agua, about four kilometres from the town of Carratraca) is an area thousands of tourists pass through. Why the enclave The location was perfect, both for its natural surroundings and its proximity to Caminito del Rey Lazpita took advantage of his talk with SUR to explain the project in more detail, which promises to be one of the most ambitious in the coming years. The idea is to develop it in two phases for logistical reasons, building from the highest part of the mountain to the main access. However, he clarifies that this does not imply that the park will be opened in two stages, but rather that the aim is to optimise the work. Although he acknowledges the difficulty of setting a date for this type of project, he hopes to have the work completed and open to the public by 2030. Fun and learning When this idea began to take shape, there were many reasons to push it forward, although in Javier Lazpita's mind there were only two: fun and learning. For him, the main mission of the park is to ensure that people visit Evolution Park and leave feeling satisfied: "We want people to have a good time, but also to learn," he says. The aim is for visitors to understand the importance of biodiversity and how to care for the planet. To achieve this goal, they will offer a variety of attractions: from the longest aquarium in the world (with a length of 80 metres), to a giant aviary (the largest in Spain), a planetarium, a virtual safari and a 360-degree cinema. All these spaces aim to create an unforgettable experience, where visitors will see something they cannot find anywhere else. Zoom Javier Lazpita holds the shovel with which the first stone of Evolution Park was laid. Julio J. Portabales Lazpita insists that Evolution Park will not be a traditional zoo. The project proposes a new model, focused on the recreation of themed natural habitats and scientific dissemination. "We want to showcase wildlife in a respectful and educational way, not only to admire it, but to understand its history, its evolution and its role in the ecosystem," he explains. "Environmental education will be one of the park's fundamental pillars." Aim of the project We want to showcase wildlife in a respectful and educational way, not just to admire it, but to understand its history, its evolution and its role in the ecosystem The impact on tourism and the local economy will also be significant. The director is confident that the park will attract visitors from all over the world: "It won't be just another place on a trip to Malaga, but a destination in itself. There will be people who come just to see Evolution Park," he says. "We are going to offer something that doesn't exist right now in Europe: a theme park focused on nature, with museums, animal facilities, technological attractions and educational spaces. It's something you can't miss out on. Lazpita acknowledges that institutional support has been key in getting to this point. "The public institutions are the ones that grant the permits and can help or complicate the way forward. In this case, we have had a great deal of support, especially from the Carratraca town hall," he stresses. "That support has been fundamental for other administrations to listen to us. Without it, we probably wouldn't be here." Looking to the future, the biologist is clear about the image he wants to project with the park: "I want nobody to leave indifferent. I want visitors to have a good time, to see something spectacular and also to learn something," he says with conviction. "If a child leaves here saying that he or she doesn't want the tigers to become extinct, we will have achieved our goal. We want people to have fun, yes, but we also want them to leave here more aware of the value of life and the importance of protecting it. With the first stone already laid and a planned investment of ten million euros, Evolution Park is beginning to take its first steps towards becoming one of the major benchmarks for nature and sustainability tourism in Andalucia. "It has taken many years of work, effort and enthusiasm," concludes Lazpita. "Now all that remains is to make it happen." Almudena Nogues Malaga Friday, 7 November 2025, 17:01 Share Wardrobe changes have hardly been needed in Malaga province and along the Costa del Sol this year. October registered unusually high temperatures and generated much small-talk. According to Spain's state meteorological agency (Aemet), the average temperature in the province in October was 22.7C, which is 2.8C above normal for the 1990-2020 reference period. On top of that, Coin in the Guadalhorce Valley recorded the highest maximum temperature in the whole country: 37.6C. This happened on 4 October, as reported by Aemet. On the other hand, the lowest temperature recorded in Spain was minus 1.4C, registered in Astun (Huesca) on 26 October, while the largest accumulation of rainfall happened in Casas do Porto (A Coruna), with 368.2mm. The strongest wind gust was 167 kilometres per hour at Cabo Matxixako (Vizcaya), on 23 October. Returning to Malaga, as local weather expert Jose Luis Escudero has reported, the Aemet station at the airport last month beat the three highest absolute records for average temperature, average maximum and average minimum, records of which have been kept since 1942. According to Escudero, these conditions can be attributed to a combination of factors, but mostly to the high minimum temperature along the coast, linked to seawater temperatures. Added to this is the general atmospheric stability with the predominance of a warmer air mass. Juan Cano Malaga Friday, 7 November 2025, 11:09 Share A business owner has had a debt of 3.6 million euros - a record amount in the province - exonerated by a Malaga court on the grounds that he acted in good faith and met all the legal requirements, according to a court order that SUR has had access to. The man had set up a company and had personally guaranteed the loans needed to get it off the ground. However, things did not go as he had hoped, and he eventually had to close it down and file for bankruptcy. The businessman filed - through his legal representative, Aurelio Gurrea Chale, president of Dictum Abogados - a request for the discharge of unpaid liabilities after the 15-day period had passed during which creditors could request the appointment of a bankruptcy administrator. The company, a limited company based in Malaga, had filed for voluntary insolvency without assets - in other words, it had no assets to cover its debts and expenses. As a result, the creditors were entitled to take action against the guarantor of the loans, in which the businessman appeared as a private individual. The debts, which he could not face with his assets either, amounting to almost 3.6 million, would have made it impossible for him to apply for any loan in the future, no matter how small. "It was his civil death," his lawyer Francisco Javier Fernandez Zurita said. The law firm invoked the insolvency law, although the mechanism applied is the same as that of the well-known second chance law, which in English-speaking countries is referred to as a 'fresh start'. The commercial court considers that all the requirements are met to grant him exemption from the debt, taking into account that no bad faith is observed. Specifically, the judge stated that there is no record of him having been convicted by a final judgment within the previous ten years to custodial sentences for offences against property and the socioeconomic order, forgery, offences against the public treasury and social security, or offences against workers rights. Nor does his record show that, in the ten years prior to the application, he had been sanctioned by a final administrative decision for tax offences, declared bankrupt through his own fault, or failed to fulfil the duties of cooperation and disclosure towards the bankruptcy judge. The court order states that the submitted documentation also shows no indication that the individual provided false or misleading information or acted in a reckless or negligent manner when taking on debt or fulfilling his obligations in accordance with the circumstances set out in the law. Since all legal requirements were met, the commercial judge granted the application for exoneration of the debt, which entails the cancellation of all the company's claims associated with the entrepreneur's name. A seven-year-old girl has had to undergo surgery for a broken nose after being allegedly pushed and shoved at her school in Marbella by another pupil who had apparently been teasing and insulting her since last year. This is what the minor told the doctors who treated her at the Costa del Sol Hospital and this is recorded in the medical discharge report, to which SUR has had access. Her mother told SUR that she knew that some of the classmates of the little girl, originally from Colombia, mocked her when she read aloud and called her ugly and fat, and also used a derogatory word to refer to her nationality. However, she also admitted that she downplayed its importance. With a lump in her throat, the girls mother admitted to feeling a sense of impotence for not having taken action sooner. The story goes back a year, when the teacher informed the mother that the child "did not know how to read" and was "distracted" in class. "She did not want to go to school, and her sister, who picked her up, told me that the girls were bothering her," she explained. Her mother was aware of the situation, but also thought that "it was childish things" and did not give it "too much importance". However, she says that her eldest daughter spoke to the child's teacher about it and she told her that "she was going to talk to the children" and that "it was not going to happen again". The education department, on the other hand, reported that the school had no previous complaints or warnings from the family about a possible situation of bullying, and that the teachers had not detected any evidence of bullying either. This school year, the girl is repeating the second year of primary school and her mother says that she started "with more encouragement" because "the girls who were bothering her" moved to third year. However, just a few days after the start of classes, she explained that she came home with grazes and, when asked about them, replied that the same girls as always had pushed her over. On Monday 3 October, at around 3.30pm, the little girl was leaving the dining room on her way to her extracurricular activities when she was pushed, causing her to suffer a frontal and nasal injury. The school has activated a protocol to clarify what happened and to take the appropriate measures With her face covered in blood, suffering from abdominal pain and dizziness, the girl was taken to hospital by her father, who had been alerted by the school. She didnt tell her dad anything, but she did tell the doctors that she had been walking when one of the girls pushed her. If they had been playing, she would have managed to put her arms out, but she was distracted and took a direct blow to the face, her mother explained. The following day, the girl underwent surgery. Still in pain, the minor is trying to recover, while her mother deals with the "anger" she has been feeling for days that the school had not alerted the health workers and that the head teacher did not contact her. "Yesterday, when we left the hospital, I went to look for her teacher and she told me that she didn't know what had happened. How can she not know what is happening in her own centre?" The mother admits her own fault for not informing them of what was happening, but asks that they pay more attention, since its not the childrens fault if we dont correct them. The education department referred to the episode as "an incident between pupils" in which "one of them suffered a fall that required medical attention". The school has activated a protocol to clarify what happened and take the appropriate measures. Share Just as a coerced apology doesn't mean much, a resignation one year after the events that supposedly triggered it seems worthless. My initial reaction to Carlos Mazon's departure was, I'm sure, shared by many people across the country. "Good, he's finally gone," I thought, "Albeit a year too late". It felt as if justice had been served, that the culprit had been charged in the court of public opinion and was finally accepting his punishment, in this case a ruined career. But upon reflection, this reaction started to seem unjustified. Mazon's resignation over last October's floods raises questions about how blame should be distributed after a natural catastrophe. Given that a complex nexus of factors contributed to the scale of last autumn's disaster, we must also consider which causes should be elevated above which others. Such considerations lead to one conclusion: that Mazon shouldn't be the only one to go, or at least that others should have resigned in the floods' immediate aftermath. Perhaps Mazon was right to cling on to office for as long as he did. He bears some responsibility, of course, and I sympathise with the people who shouted insults at him during the victims' memorial service. But it's absurd to claim that he single-handedly 'caused' all the deaths and destruction. He's an incompetent politician, not a calculating monster. Mazon probably thought that if he resigned and nobody else did, it would look like an admission that he alone was guilty. Understandably, he was reluctant to do so. Aside from torrential rainfall that would have caused havoc in any circumstances, all of the following factors contributed to the disaster in Valencia last October. The central government's cancellation of a plan to channel the Poyo ravine several years ago; lack of preventative infrastructure in general; poor communication between the central and Valencian administrations; Mazon's four-hour lunch with a journalist; the Valencian government's failure to heed repeated warnings about lethal floods; and Pedro Sanchez's refusal to seize control of the recovery effort. Sanchez's defence rests on the disingenuous claim that he was waiting for Valencia's government to ask for help, which it didn't until it was too late. Why, then, did he not wait around for such requests during the pandemic? As we saw then, the Spanish government has the power to seize control from regional administrations in times of crisis. Sanchez chose not to last October. This means that he, like Mazon, is partly responsible and should also resign. So probably should several other members of the central and Valencian governments - although Teresa Ribera, the former minister for the ecological transition and another culprit, is now untouchable in her new role at the EU. Mazon's resignation might have satisfied the need for a scapegoat. But all the other culprits got away with it. Share There's a sense of urgency etched on his face. Middle-aged and bespectacled, the man in question runs purposefully towards his target. Let's face it, a sense of urgency and men running purposefully towards targets generally wouldn't figure too highly on a list of things you'd most like to see at a busy international airport but I'm not too concerned once I've spotted the small, cuddly toy he's clutching. Smiling softly, he offers it to the little girl who must have dropped it seconds earlier. She and her parents beam back at their hero who returns triumphantly to his waiting wife, a spring in his step that was surely nowhere to be seen only a couple of minutes before. Man, I love airports. Maybe it's the abundance of this type of micro-story that so warm the heart and fire the imagination or maybe it's the pervading sense of boundless possibilities laced with a generous splash of melancholy, but there's something about an airport that makes a man feel just that little bit more alive. Not long after the Wright brothers wrote their own little piece of aviation history, I spent a couple of years working at Gatwick airport rounding up wayward baggage trolleys and putting them back where they belonged. On one level, the job was a bit like the one Sisyphus was faced with in Greek mythology - pushing a huge rock up a mountain only for it to roll immediately back down to the bottom, thus requiring him to repeat the task infinitum. On another level however, it was simply magnificent. Eight hours a day weaving through the throngs of 'meeters and greeters' (at arrivals) and 'weepers and wailers' (at departures), soaking up the palpable sense of excitement and delighting in the daily vignettes - not-to-say dramas - that were constantly unfolding. As I write this, I'm sitting in the departure lounge at Malaga Airport watching a queue of passengers heading for Montreal. As they disappear down the gangway, some are speaking French as you might expect, some are looking decidedly nervous, others are wearing Covid masks. Once they've gone, last call is announced and two stragglers arrive; they couldn't be more different - the first, sweating profusely, drowning in a sea of his own apologies, the second, nonchalant, not a care in the world, stoically unapologetic. She might actually be French, I wouldn't like to say. Meanwhile a woman of about fifty has come to sit opposite me. She proceeds to engage in a one-thousand decibel conversation with a female friend on video call. The content of their chat is unbelievably banal but broadcast with limitless enthusiasm to any poor soul within earshot. I should be irritated by such a wanton display of bad manners but find myself unable to rise to the bait, still basking as I am in the afterglow of the tale of the return of the wayward cuddly toy. Man, I love airports. https://peteredgerton.com/es/ C.P.S. Madrid Friday, 7 November 2025, 15:16 Share The National Police in Spain have arrested an alleged fraudster posing as an anti-cyberbullying expert who had scammed the families of two school harassment victims. He manipulated them by promising to put an end to the cyberbullying by removing harmful content from the internet in exchange for a fee. The suspect had 22 warrants for his arrest issued by various courts throughout Spain. He was located and arrested in Ponferrada. Fake professional relationships The investigation began in September following a complaint by a lawyer who stated that an unknown person had used his name and professional position without his consent, even signing his name on various documents. Through a digital platform, a man with a false profile contacted two families with underage children who had been victims of bullying. He told them that he could put an end to the bullying and remove the photographs and videos published on social media. He faked a professional relationship with the lawyer whose name he was using. Psychological manipulation and fees The man asked the two families to initially pay him 395 euros in exchange for his services so that he could do the work. He then demanded larger sums of money, obtaining more than 5,000 euros in just eight days. The complainant recognised the perpetrator thanks to a TV report. The suspect was located and arrested on 9 October and he was subsequently placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities. C. P. S. Madrid Friday, 7 November 2025, 13:26 Share The Spanish government has ordered a preventive measure that bans raising poultry outdoors as of 10 November. The aim is to curb the spread of the bird flu, cases of which have been increasingly detected across Europe. This was announced by the Ministry of Agriculture on 6 November. The risk level has been growing in recent weeks, according to the ministry. The flu has been affecting both wild and domestic birds in Northern and Central Europe. As of Monday, the following measures will be implemented: ban on free-range poultry methods; ban on water sources shared with wild birds; and ban on co-breeding of ducks and geese with other species. Similar regulations have recently been adopted in Ireland, France and the UK, given the increase of cases with the return of migratory birds to Europe for the winter season. Edurne Martinez Madrid Friday, 7 November 2025, 15:10 Share Passengers taking an Iberia flight will have free high-speed satellite internet from 2026. The IAG group has teamed up with Elon Musk's Starlink company to offer high-speed wifi connection on more than 500 of its Iberia, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Level and Vueling aircraft. As Iberia announced in a statement made on Thursday, the first aircraft will start offering the service in early 2026. Until now, free wifi was only available to business-class customers and Iberia Club cardholders, but from 2026 it will be a free service for all customers regardless of their ticket fare. In addition, the wifi that has been offered until now was used for instant messaging (WhatsApp) and emails, without allowing users to download attachments. The Starlink service will even make it possible for passengers to play streaming services. According to Iberia, the new service will allow both short- and long-haul passengers to stay connected at a speed "as good as or better" than any home wifi connection. This will make IAG the owner of "more aircraft with high-speed wifi than any other European airline group". Musk's satellites are also the main internet provider for Qatar Airways, Air France, KLM, SAS and United Airlines. Although he did not announce the investment for this initiative, IAG chairman Luis Gallego said that staying connected in-flight "is increasingly important" for customers. He stated that this agreement proves that "IAG is working together as a group to drive innovation and close important deals that benefit all stakeholders". BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said on Thursday that no matter how the international landscape evolves, China will adhere to true multilateralism, continue to fully support the core position and role of the United Nations (UN) in international affairs. Ding, as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative and also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the Belem Climate Summit. Ding said that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN, and cooperation between China and the UN has been further strengthened. China will promote dialogue and cooperation among countries and make greater contributions to the cause of world peace and development, he said. China is firmly committed to pursuing a path of high-quality, green and low-carbon development, he said, noting that through practical measures, China has continuously improved its own green development while providing high-quality, low-carbon products and services to other countries, thereby supporting the global green transition. Ding said that the 30th UN climate change conference, commonly known as COP30, marks the first such conference since global climate governance entered the stage of full implementation. He said that China stands ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with all parties to ensure the success of the conference, send a positive signal on upholding multilateralism, boost international confidence, and jointly push for building a beautiful world of harmony between humanity and nature. For his part, Guterres expressed his gratitude to China for its consistent support of the work of the UN and highly commended China's achievements in green development, noting that China has honored its commitments and taken actions that go beyond its pledges in addressing climate change. Referring to China as not only a key leader in global climate governance but also an important pillar of world peace and multilateralism, he said that the UN appreciates and supports the Global Governance Initiative proposed by Xi, which is of great significance for improving and reforming the current global governance system. Guterres expressed his readiness to further enhance cooperation with China. SUR Malaga Friday, 7 November 2025, 10:55 Share The memoirs of former King of Spain Juan Carlos I were published first in France this week. The autobiography was written, said the ex-monarch who abdicated in 2014, because he felt others were rewriting his personal history. In the book, subtitled Reconciliation, Juan Carlos, who is self-exiled in the Middle East, touches on all areas of his life and times, although critics suggested he could have said more about his opaque offshore tax affairs. He said he regrets his high-profile affair with socialite Corinna Larsen, misses his wife and is unhappy his son, the current king, has turned his back on his father's fortune. SUR Madrid Friday, 7 November 2025, 10:53 Share The first half of the trial of Spain's attorney general over revealing secrets took place this week. In a bizarre situation, it is the first time that a head of the prosecution service has been in the dock tried by his own peers and subordinates, except that Alvaro Garcia Ortiz chose not to sit in the seat in the courtroom normally reserved for the defendant, but instead on the side bench alongside his lawyers and judicial colleagues. In what the government claims is a politically motivated trial without substance, Garcia Ortiz is accused of leaking an email with details of a tax investigation against the partner of the leader of the Madrid region, a political opponent. The case centres on whether the attorney general personally spread the document or whether, as he and his government colleagues claim, the leak came from a member of the press. Garcia Ortiz himself will testify next week. This week it was the turn of various key witnesses. The former leader of the PSOE opposition party in the Madrid regional assembly, who was the first to reveal the letter, testified that he believed the message was already in the public domain. Juan Lobato, who is himself a tax inspector, was less clear on where the leak came from when pressed, however. Also unsure of what actually happened is the person who passed Lobato the copy of the email, ex-senior political head of the PSOE party, Pilar Sanchez Acera. She said the message did not come from the attorney general but from somebody in the media, although she said she could not remember who, and that her mobile messages had been lost when she moved jobs - as those of the attorney aeneral over that period have also been when he changed phones. The trial continues next week. Paco Grinan Malaga Friday, 7 November 2025, 14:51 Share Every weekend he would stop by Tiffany's. But not to the cult classic film location made famous by Audrey Hepburn on New York's Fifth Avenue, but the no less legendary nightclub in Torremolinos. But first, he took the opportunity to see other jewels, those exhibited by the artist Frank Rebajes in Calle San Miguel. Pieces of modern and ground-breaking work made by the goldsmith could be seen in the shop window, where two white cats walked among them with almost choreographed steps designed not to tread on anything. Their creator had also brought brooches, pendants and copper necklaces over to Torremolinos from the same Fifth Avenue, where he also had his workshop, frequented by distinguished clients such as Jackson Pollock and Peggy Guggenheim. One afternoon, Frank was smoking outside his shop when he invited in a young man he had seen loitering there on other occasions. The visitor didn't have a penny to his name and didn't buy anything, but the American artist and jeweller of Dominican and Spanish origin opened the doors of his refuge to him. The refuge he had come to in order to escape success and which few managed to penetrate. This gesture has now been repaid by that same young man, now grown up, the artist and collector Diego Santos. He has curated the exhibition currently at Malaga's Mucac La Coracha, From the Egg to the Origin. A Journey in Reverse (Del Ovulo al origen. Un viaje a la inversa) which revitalises the works of the artist who donated his most exclusive pieces to Malaga, only for them to be left at the bottom of a drawer, or rather a warehouse, for more than 35 years. Zoom "The town hall has a very important collection of his work, with more than 200 pieces, and in some way it should be valued because any museum in the world would give anything for this work, as Frank is on a par with top level creators," claimed Diego Santos when he presented the first exhibition this Tuesday. Sin ce the donation in 1988 from Rebajes (born 1907 in Puerto Plata and died 1990, Boston) to Malaga, where the collections have been stored among works belonging to Picasso's birthplace museum, they are now being exhibited in all of their glory - a showcase of more than 60 sculptures. The sculptures from the Ovulo series are the main highlight of the collection, which in this exhibition is also joined by the curator's own personal collection of jewels belonging to Rebajes' American period. Hence the title 'Del Ovulo al origen' (From the Egg to the Origin), is based on his final works, telling the story of how he made his way back to Malaga from New York's Fifth Avenue as a successful jeweller and goldsmith. "He came from New York tired of success, looking for joy and another way of life," said Diego Santos, curator of the exhibition "The piece that I had most trouble finding and buying is this antelope," explained Santos, pointing to a precious brooch in the shape of the swift animal. What he has kept quiet about is how much he paid for this jewel with the official stamp of Rebajes, the artist who had up to a hundred goldsmiths working for him in his workshop in New York; who pioneered the use of copper in the USA. Zoom Mariana Pineda, Diego Santos, Paco de la Torre and Jose Luis Lupianez, at the opening of the exhibition. SUR This was the turning point in his career, and as a result of his success, he ended up fleeing to seek refuge in Torremolinos. "He came from New York tired of success. He had started in poverty, slept on cardboard and was able to set up a very small shop that quickly took him out of that situation and to Fifth Avenue with a spectacular clientele because his jeweller's was the most modern and innovative in the city," stated Diego Santos. He added that Rebajes sold the business to his partner and "came to Torremolinos looking for happiness and another way of life, opened his shop and turned his workshop on the third floor of his building into a temple, a secret space that very few people had access to". His most exclusive work, in Malaga It was in that studio, which smelled of "saltpetre and rusted metal", that for several decades he produced his most complex and decisive work, the sculptures of the 'Ovulo' series. "In New York the simple becomes essential and his jewels have their own voice, inspired by cubism, surrealism or Dadaism, while the Torremolinos period inspired the most intimate and philosophical Rebajes, who emerges with his most enigmatic work inspired by the Mobius strip, without beginning or end, from white to black or yin and yang as references," explained the curator. Each sculpture becomes a "labyrinth", a "tactile poem, a meditation in the form of metal". A journey through the artist's universe, ending with a recreation of a 1970s style room in Torremolinos and nine watercolour works painted by Diego Santos and inspired by works from his own collection. Santos stressed that the groundbreaking work of Frank Rebajes is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum (MET) and Brooklyn Museum in New York. To the Mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, and the director of the agency that manages the Pablo Ruiz Picasso Birthplace, Luis Lafuente, he stressed that since the city council has custody over his most exclusive work, "it should be exhibited" permanently. Zoom Two pieces from the 'Ovulo' series with mentions of artists such as Arp, Miro, Moore and Calder Jose Doblas Santos recalled that Frank Rebajes was the 153rd member of the Ateneo de Malaga cultural association and that, two years before his tragic death, he donated his work to Torremolinos which at the time was still part of the municipality of Malaga. And without intending to do so, he ended up recounting the sad farewell of the sculptor, jeweller and goldsmith. "I don't tell the end because his wife (Pauline Schwartz) died in 1989, after five years with Alzheimer's disease. Frank did not get over the loss and died by suicide in 1990 after giving a lecture at MIT in Boston," he recalled, while also saying that, even in his farewells, he was original and avant-garde. "His friends Diego Moya and Enrique Brinkmann told me that he took the poison with him from Malaga inside a ring," and so as a result, the cyanide he used to oxidise his sculptures was also what he chose to end his life with. "Death is just another part of life and it was his way out, but here his work is alive and full of light," said the curator about this necessary resurrection of a forgotten artist whose work is still radically modern 35 years after his death. "If it's not broken, don't fix it." Although this phrase is true, that doesn't mean that whatever is working cannot be optimised to yield greater results. And that is precisely what the second edition of the Contemporary Art Festival of Villanueva del Rosario, Acro, seeks to do. This cultural initiative left a great mark on the municipality in 2024, and this year returns with an important development: it will break the provincial barrier. On 21 and 22 November, the village in northern Malaga province will host numerous artists from different parts of Spain, such as Jaen, Bilbao and Barcelona, who will come together to celebrate art in the rural world. It is worth remembering that Acro was born spontaneously out of several local projects, such as Rara Residencia and Peligro 19, as well as the Asociacion Cultural Escopica organisation. The essence of the festival continues to be marked by contemporary artistic practice and its development in the so-called "rural periphery", which allows a symbiosis to be generated between the local and national scene. It can be said that the festival demonstrates that "professional growth does not depend on an urban location, but on the power of connections", the organisers highlight. During the launch of the programme at Cervezas Victoria, the co-director of the project, Sara Sarabia, underlined that the key to Acro is "to highlight the value of what we do". She also wanted to emphasise that the point of the festival is to expand the artistic variety on offer at Villanueva del Rosario, integrated within its new tourist brand ADN (Art, Sport and Nature). Zoom Sara Sarabia and Veronica Ruth Frias at the Acro launch. Julio J. Portabales Sarabia also revealed some of the new features of this edition, in which national talent will play a leading role. Bilbao, Asturias and Madrid will be some of the places represented by artists who seek to "contribute something more to what is already happening in Villanueva del Rosario". "We have this professional ambition and we believe that Acro, and the connections it generates, also mean that the work of artists and professionals who are in Villanueva will have a bigger outreach," said the coordinator. In a similar vein, Veronica Ruth Frias, also co-director, recalled that this initiative, which last year was "a leap into the void", has been consolidated as essential for the village. In her words, "it is like doing our bit" to bring contemporary art closer to the local residents, with the aim that more and more people will enjoy it and understand it: "In Villanueva del Rosario many art professionals also pass through, and that is what we want to share with everyone," she said. "We are very clear about what we want to do and where we want to go," said Ruth Frias. Although Acro is held annually, Frias recalled that the behind-the-scenes work continues throughout the year and requires the effort of many people to make it possible. "We are like a power hammer," said the artist from Malaga, who insisted that, if one day the festival can't be held, they would look for new ways to promote rural art: "We are very clear about what we want to do and where we want to go," she concluded. Institutional support In addition to the work carried out by Veronica Ruth Frias and Sara Sarabia, as well as Fabian Vroom and Cyro Garcia (coordinators), the institutional support of various organisations should be highlighted. Several of their representatives were present during the event, such as the territorial delegate of Culture and Sport, Carlos Garcia; the Director General of Culture of the Diputacion de Malaga, Pedro Bosquet; and the Mayor of Villanueva del Rosario, Ignacio Ramos. During his speech, the territorial delegate for Culture highlighted the cultural and social value of the project promoted in Villanueva del Rosario. He recalled how he learned about the initiative after meeting the mayor at various events, and stressed that the municipality "has become a cultural benchmark beyond the province, even recognised on a national level". Garcia praised the involvement of the people "throughout the year, from schools to the elderly", and stressed the importance of making contemporary art "an everyday part of rural life". Along the same lines, Pedro Bosquet insisted that the real merit lies with the creators and coordinators of the project. "The merit is yours, for your vision and for the confidence that you transmit both to the institutions and to the private sponsors." In his opinion, this proposal "is not ephemeral, but a project with real impact, capable of generating community and a sense of belonging through culture", a key factor in the attention that Villanueva del Rosario is garnering, at a national level. This proposal, Bosquet pointed out, "is not ephemeral, but a project with real impact, capable of generating community" Additionally, the mayor of Villanueva del Rosario, Ignacio Ramos, thanked the institutional support received and highlighted the magnitude of the project. "I am enormously grateful to Pedro and Carlos for collaborating these past two years on this major initiative," he said. Programming The second edition of Acro will unfold during 21 and 22 November with a full programme that will fill Villanueva del Rosario with contemporary art. The festival will open on the Friday with the exhibition Anatomias del Desasosiego, curated by Maria Rosa Jurado, and a collective performance by the Colectivo Bacano, a collaboration between students and teachers from the Master's programme at the University of Jaen. The day will also include exhibitions such as the mural Zahori, Donde Nace un Rio by Rocio Rivas and Between Bambalinas by Julia Barbany from Barcelona, as well as the opening of exhibitions in local spaces such as Peligro19, Rara Residencia, La Eclectica, Rancho Rata or the Museum of Failure. The night will close with a concert by Nina Raku and a musical party by DJ Danger. On Saturday, art will once again take to the streets with a professional meeting at the Casa de la Cultura, bringing together figures such as Rosa Perez, Miguel Angel Moreno Carretero, Gerardo Lopez Lopez and the Bilbao-born Marian Arana Zubiate. Throughout the day there will be new exhibitions, guided tours and performances such as Fire and Water by Raul Navas, as well as the opening of local creative spaces. The programme will finish in the Plaza Nueva del Saucedo, where the final concerts and performances will be held, bringing to an end a weekend devoted entirely to contemporary creation in Villanueva del Rosario. Carmen Barainca Malaga Friday, 7 November 2025, 10:56 Share Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Leiden, 1606 - Amsterdam, 1669) was an artist who transformed copper and ink into a form of thought. With his modern vision of prints, he arrives at the Carmen Thyssen Malaga Museum with the Rembrandt Grabador (Rembrandt the engraver) exhibition, open to the public until 18 January 2026. The prints come from the Lazaro Galdiano Museum in Madrid, which holds the largest private collection of Rembrandts works in Spain. This selection, never before shown outside the institution, traces a journey through two of the artists great territories: portraiture, including his self-portraits where time adheres to his face, and biblical scenes, treated with unusual humanity, where saints, mothers and beggars share the same vital pulse. The collection was presented by: Malaga councillor for culture, Mariana Pineda; the artistic director of the Carmen Thyssen Malaga Museum, Lourdes Moreno; the director of the Lazaro Galdiano Museum, Begona Torres; the head of conservation at the Lazaro Galdiano Museum and curator of the exhibition, Carmen Espinosa; and the deputy director of activities at the Cajasol Foundation, Gloria Ruiz. In the words of Lourdes Moreno, artistic director of the Malaga museum, Rembrandt brings a modern vision to engraving, also reflected in Durer and Goya. According to those present, he does so with a realism that does not seek perfection, but truthfulness, and populates his compositions with everyday faces. Begona Torres, director of the Lazaro Galdiano Museum, described the exhibition as something small but special, exquisite. She emphasised the artists mastery, noting that Rembrandt is a painter, an exceptional engraver in this case, and recalled that the Lazaro Galdiano Museum houses the best Rembrandt collection in private hands. Geniuses are timeless Curator Carmen Espinosa, head of conservation at the Lazaro Galdiano, recalls that the artist produced around 300 engravings, and that his plates have been alive until a century ago, due to the successive editions and variations that kept his imprint active. Each impression has been, in a sense, a metamorphosis of the previous one: a dialogue between time and technique. The inclusion of self-portraits documenting the artists evolution was also highlighted, such as the last engraving in which he portrayed himself, or the portrait of his mother, absorbed in thought, which examines old age with extraordinary affection. Geniuses are timeless and that is what makes Rembrandts works completely contemporary even after 100 years, she said. Rembrandt Grabador can be visited until 18 January 2026 in the Palacio de Villalon, home to the museum, a space that invites silent contemplation of the alchemy of black and white, where light emerges from the intuition of a man who still watches us from the shadows of his art. Syracuse, N.Y. A Syracuse judge scolded a woman on Friday just before sentencing her to 26 years in prison for fatally stabbing a man last year. Shandrika Kersey, 29, was sentenced to 26 years in prison for stabbing Markel Washington, 49, in the neck last year, killing him. You havent learned from what has happened, and you didnt learn from this offence, Judge Melinda McGunnigle told Kersey. McGunnigle said the defendant had a history of violence from well before the murder up to her time of sentencing. A jury convicted Kersey of first-degree manslaughter and fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon for killing Washington on the 900 block of South Clinton Street on Aug. 23, 2024. The jury acquitted her on second-degree murder charges on Oct. 10. She was sentenced to the maximum of 25 years in prison and 5 years on supervised release for the manslaughter charge. Kersey will also serve a consecutive 364-day sentence for the weapons charge. Kersey cried on the stand while testifying on her own behalf, but had almost nothing to say just before being sentenced. Kersey never contested that it was her who fatally stabbed Washington last August. During the sentencing, Washingtons family had to be told to stifle their cries and audible sobs by court officers. Some held their hands over their face while one woman had to leave the room. McGunnigle told Kersey it appears violence is something you are prone to. McGunnigle detailed reports that Kersey had continued to get in fights while being held in the buildup to her sentencing. Kersey had also threatened inmates and deputies, McGunnigle said. McGunnigle told Kersey that she didnt believe portions of her testimony, including that she said she used a pen as the weapon in the fatal stabbing. Prosecutor Rob Moran also said that the injury, more than an inch long, was not consistent with a pen stab. The murder weapon was never found. Over the course of the trial, Kerseys attorney, Donald Kelly, told the jury that Kersey felt her life was in danger when she attempted to flee and stabbed the man in the neck. Moran emphasized that in video evidence of the stabbing, Washington appears upset, but never put his hands on Kersey. Moran also said Kerseys body language in the video appeared to show she was looking for a fight. During the trial, Moran told the jury that just because Kersey cried, that does not mean she is telling the truth. Kersey told the jury her conflict with Washington started after an incident involving his girlfriend, Mia LaMarche. Kersey said LaMarche had stolen clothes that she had trusted her to watch. She said this led to multiple altercations between the two. Kersey also stabbed a 14-year-old female a few days before the incident, she said. Kersey claimed the girl stabbed her first because of her relation to LaMarche . Earlier on the day of Washingtons death, Kersey said she saw his girlfriend wearing her clothes. They got in a fight, which was caught on camera, where Kersey punched LaMarche three times. LaMarche did not fight back. Later that day, Washington approached Kersey in an aggressive manner. Kersey said he was threatening to kill her. The interaction was caught on a nearby camera, but had a slightly obstructed view. Markel Washington, 49, was fatally stabbed in the neck near a railroad bridge on the 900 block of South Clinton Street on Aug. 23, 2024. Courtesy of Google Maps Kersey said she attempted to stab Washington in the shoulder with a pen to defend herself. She instead ruptured his carotid artery after the stab landed in his neck. Kersey said she then fled the scene. I hope you get her for life, but that wont get my son back, said Joanne Washington, the victims mother. Cortland, NY - The estate of a Cortland couple has left $12 million to the Central New York Community Foundation to give back to non-profit groups in their community. Nicholas Renzi, who died in February at 93, was senior vice president at Pall Corp. in Cortland, retiring in 1994. His wife, Agnes, died in 2020. The money will create two endowed funds at the Community Foundation. The larger fund, the Nicholas and Agnes Renzi Charitable Fund, will expand the Community Foundations Community Grants program into Cortland County for the first time. That means non-profits in Cortland County can apply for grants that help groups ranging from health and human services and economic development to animal shelters, arts and culture, and education. Nick and Agnes believed deeply in giving back to the community that became their home, said Melanie Littlejohn, president & CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation. Their generosity will empower nonprofits in Cortland County to create lasting change. This latest donation adds to $2 million the Renzis gave the foundation previously. The estate of Nick and Agnes Renzi has donated $12 million to the Central New York Community Foundation. Provided photo The couple moved to Cortland in 1971 and Nick began working at Pall Trinity the next year, said Tom Griffith, vice president of development at the CNY Community Foundation. Pall Corporation in Cortland makes filtration systems. Renzi oversaw operations in Cortland and Puerto Rico. The couple were always very active in charitable organizations. Nick and Agnes were both very concerned about food insecurity and emergency needs, Griffith said. They connected deeply with these missions. Starting next fall, Cortland County nonprofits will be eligible to apply for grants ranging from $10,000 to $150,000. About $600,000 will be available each year from the Renzi Fund. The foundation is adding a staff member next year to facilitate the fund. The Renzis gift will also provide a $75,000 grant to help tackle a problem chosen by the community. This participatory budgeting program invites residents to create proposals. The community choses the winner. Renzi also helped set up the the Renzi Cancer Center and Renzi Health Campus at Guthrie Cortland Medical Center. He donated $1 million to each project. He retired in 1994. He taught business management at Tompkins Cortland Community College and served on the Cortlandville Planning Board. Agnes was a certified braille transcriber, volunteering time to make literature accessible for blind children. A Syracuse area high school is looking for donations to help families through the holiday season. Corcoran High School, 919 Glenwood Ave., will collect non-perishable foods until Nov. 21 to help families impacted by the pause of food stamps benefits. Our goal is to ensure that students can focus on their education and success and not where their next meal will come from, wrote vice principal Amorie Green in an email to syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. A Corcoran High School employee had the idea to hold a food drive because many students rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Green said in an interview. Due to the ongoing government shutdown, SNAP funds were frozen. A judge ruled that the United States Department of Agriculture must partially fund SNAP benefits but it is unclear how this will work. Green said some students told staff they are worried they will not have food for Thanksgiving or asked if there is food they can take home. Corcoran High School employees are hoping to collect items like microwave rice, pop-tab cans, instant mashed potatoes, seasonings and boxed pasta. They prefer food that does not require additional ingredients such as eggs or milk to prepare. They will also take gift cards. Corcoran may accept perishable foods, like turkeys and other Thanksgiving staples, in late November, Green said. If interested in donating refrigerated goods, contact Green for guidance. Corcoran High School is asking for food donations to help out families during the holiday season. They sent out a list of what food they hope to collect. Courtesy of Amorie Green Food can be dropped off at the front office. Contact Green at agreen79@scsd.us with questions or to request a specific time to drop off food. Parents will be able to sign up to receive donations. Food will be handed out before Thanksgiving break. We work with very vulnerable groups of students, Green said in an interview. We wanted to do something before kids get sent off to Thanksgiving break. If you need food, syracuse.com put together a list of food pantries in the area. BERLIN, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Immigration of Syrian nationals to Germany fell by 46.5 percent in the first nine months of 2025 compared with the same period last year, Germany's Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) said on Friday. According to the agency, around 40,000 Syrians arrived in Germany between January and September 2025, down from 74,600 during the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of Syrians leaving Germany increased by 35.3 percent, with 21,800 recorded departures during the first nine months of this year. At the end of 2024, Syrians seeking protection made up the second-largest group of asylum seekers in Germany, after Ukrainians. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in a statement on Thursday that the civil war in Syria had ended and that there were no longer grounds for granting asylum to Syrians in Germany. MARIETTA, NY For 40 years, Margie and Tim Creamers Otisco Lake home at 3275 Cemetery Road, near Marietta, has evolved with them. It started as a true fixer upper, then became a part-time camp used during summer weekends, then to a five-bedroom house which was filled for years with family memories, and then, finally, to a quiet private retirement home. We are really sad to leave, Tim said last week. It has been very special. When the kids were around, we went tubing, water skiing, and swam. They have a love for the place. Living on the water had always been special for Tim. My father bought a lake home on Lake George, he said. That got me interested in lake living. He wanted to give the couples four children the same cherished experiences on the water that he had growing up. 41 1 / 41 Efficient Otisco Lake property has 'enough space to do great things' In 1985, Tim and Margie focused on properties on the Finger Lakes to fulfill that wish. They were more affordable and not four hours away from the familys Fayetteville home. The 0.26-acre property on Cemetery Road they bought that year had 82-feet of Otisco Lake frontage. It was rough at the beginning. The grass had grown above Tims knees and there was no septic system. It was definitely a camp, he remembered. It had not been maintained for five years. The family used it for summer weekends, the annual July 3 celebration on the lake, and family reunions. By 2001, they wanted to spend more time there. It needed more to be a year-round place, Tim said. We wanted to add a second floor. When they found out they could not do it to the original camp built in 1930, Margie and Tim decided to start over again. They built a new house on the original footprint. There were five new bedrooms on the second floor, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and an open living space on the first floor. They were not finished. In 2010, they renovated the lakefront with a new concrete seawall with interlocking pylons made of recycled plastic which protects against the ice. We are recyclers, Margie said. For entertaining, they installed a Trex deck with bench seating, patios, and a fire pit. Six Norway spruce trees were preserved which provides privacy from the road. Planting boxes hold vegetables, annuals, and perennials. There is always something blooming, Tim said. There is enough space to do great things. The whole lakeside property is beautiful during all four seasons, Margie adds, even in the winter with all the beautiful white snow. In 2017, after their children were grown, they moved out to the property permanently. They remodeled the main living area, opened it up, and added the cabinetry and floating shelves around a new gas fireplace. They hold books, photo albums, and board games. A TV rises and lowers from a cabinet when needed with the press of a button. They can enjoy views of the water from a wall of eight windows. A galley kitchen has ample storage space and white appliances. The camps original porcelain kitchen sink has been preserved. It is so easy to work in, Margie said. I will miss it. An open dining area can accommodate parties of a dozen people. On the second floor, the five bedrooms were reduced to three. The new primary bedroom has vaulted ceilings, great windows for morning sunrises, and his-and-her closets. The two other bedrooms have significant closets. One is used as a study and office. The other has blackout shades for guests and a Murphy bed built by Tim himself. The second floors full bathroom has double sinks and a walk-in glass shower with a bench. Linen closets and a hidden laundry, with stackable machines, line the second-floor hallway. Tim said their renovations made wonderful use of the homes 1,480 square feet. We made it efficient but homey, he said. That efficiency continues with their monthly utility bill. The couple installed 22 solar panels on top of their one-car garage which keeps their monthly electric bills to between $20 and $30. There is no homeowners association, but residents are asked to contribute $200 a year to plow their private road. Loving their Otisco Lake community, Tim and Margie are moving just two miles away, down the road to a home with fewer stairs. We are going from lakeside to lakeview, Tim jokes. They will be enjoying the water from their back deck on a hill. We are not downsizing, he admits. We are making life simpler. An open house is scheduled for Sunday, November 9, from 1-4 p.m. For more information about this property, please contact Realtor Barbara Lynch of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CNY Realty. Her contact info is below. THE DETAILS Address: 3275 Cemetery Road, Marietta, NY 13110 Price: $799,900 Size: 1,480 square feet Acreage: 0.26 acres Monthly Mortgage: $3,907 (based on the national average rate of 6.17%, according to Freddie Mac on October 30, for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with a 20% down payment. Fees and points not included.) Taxes: $8,509 Built: 1930 School District: Marcellus Kitchen: Tim and Margie Creamers galley kitchen is a fitting example of how they have taken advantage of the space at their Otisco Lake home. Built as a lakeside camp in 1930, they have done several renovations there since moving in in 1985. The kitchen is efficient and has under cabinet lighting. Margie is going to miss its ease of use. The kitchen has ample storage, white appliances, and views of the deck. The porcelain sink from the original camp has been preserved. Living areas: This 1,480 square foot home has renovated into a full-time house in 2017. They made it efficient but homey, Tim said. Guests arrive at the main entrance off the big deck. The open main living area has a large dining space and cozy living room. There is a new gas fireplace and updated cabinetry which has floating shelves and room to store photo albums, board games, and books. A TV can be raised and lowered from one of the cabinets. Parties of a dozen can be seated for meals in the dining space. A wall of eight windows provides views of the lake. The homes laundry is on the second floor. The stackable machines are hidden by doors. Solar panels, installed in 2019, reduce electric bills to $20 to $30 a month. Tim kept a workshop on the walk-out lower level. Bedrooms: The 2017 renovation reduced the number of bedrooms from five to three. All are on the second floor. The primary has vaulted ceilings, and designer windows which provide water views and a lot of sunlight. It has a his-and-her closet. The other bedrooms also have significant closets. One is used as a study/office. The other has a Murphy bed built by Tim and blackout shades for guests. Bathrooms: There are two full bathrooms and a half bathroom on the lower level. The upstairs bathroom has a walk-in glass shower with a bench, double sinks, and a linen closet. There are more linen closets outside of it in the hallway. The main level bathroom is right off the living room. It has a walk-in shower. The half bathroom is great for people going to and from the lake. Outdoors: A vibrant and friendly community is present in this small neighborhood on the water. Families enjoy swimming, fishing, kayaking, boating, water skiing, and tubing in the always refreshing water. Tim and Margie redid the lakefront in 2010 with a new concrete seawall with exterior interlocking pylons made from recycled plastic. A Trex deck, patios, and a fire pit are great for outdoor parties, the neighborhood July Third celebration, and family reunions. Six Norway spruce trees were preserved to provide privacy from the road at the 0.26-acre property. There is a one-car garage. Skaneateles, Finger Lake wineries and restaurants, and Baltimore Woods are close by. Agent: Barbara Lynch, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CNY Realty Address: 32 East Genesee Street, Skaneateles, NY 13152 Phone: (315) 372-8940 Email: barblynch@bhhscnyrealty.com Website: Barbara Lynch If you know of a beautiful or interesting house currently up for sale, please consider sending a nomination for it to be featured as a future House of the Week. Send an email with the listing to home@syracuse.com. PHILADELPHIA Several alumni of the University of Pennsylvania have filed federal lawsuits against the institution, alleging negligence in protecting personal data after a cyber-attack compromised alumni and donor systems. According to legal filings, at least three separate lawsuits were initiated after the university discovered the breach on Oct. 31. The suits claim hackers accessed systems tied to the university's alumni and development records and distributed offensive emails in the process. The university confirmed the breach on Nov. 4, stating a "select group of information systems related to Penn's development and alumni activities had been compromised." The school said it notified the FBI and engaged cybersecurity experts to investigate. While the university stated that all systems have been restored and the incident is "contained," it has not yet confirmed how many individuals were impacted or what data may have been stolen. Some external reports suggest the data of up to 1.2 million individuals may have been exposed. Why the Breach Is Significant The incident illustrates growing vulnerabilities in higher-education institutions, which often handle large volumes of sensitive donor, alumni and student data. The lawsuits point to potential long-term harm for those affected, including identity theft, fraud and privacy loss. If the lawsuits succeed, the university could face sizeable legal liability and reputational damage. Moreover, the cases underscore the importance of robust cybersecurity protocols in academic settingsa concern that is increasingly urgent as universities store and process more personal and financial information. What to Watch The outcomes of the lawsuits could set precedents for how universities manage data breaches and the legal responsibilities they hold toward alumni and donors. Regulatory implications may follow, with increased scrutiny from federal agencies and potential new cybersecurity requirements for higher-education institutions. Whether the university provides detailed disclosures about the nature and scope of the data compromised will remain a key focus for stakeholders. Originally published on University Herald China's Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter has become the first spacecraft to capture and release a close-range image of the interstellar object 3I/Atlas, ahead of NASA and other global space agencies. The object is only the third confirmed visitor from outside the solar system, making the images a rare scientific milestone. The photograph was taken from tens of millions of kilometres away, using equipment originally intended for mapping the Martian surface rather than deep-space targets. While NASA has also observed the object, China was the first to produce and publicly share a detailed visual capture. HiRIC: New Data Drop 3I/ATLAS Seen from Mars Chinas Tianwen-1 orbiter has released its own image of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS as it passed just 29 million km from Mars. The HiRIC camera onboard Tianwen-1 captured a fuzzy, compact nucleus wrapped in a coma several pic.twitter.com/BsiKLgCzNr Skywatch Signal (@UAPWatchers) November 6, 2025 Tianwen-1 Captures 3I/Atlas According to SCMP, Tianwen-1 captured the images from roughly 30 million kilometres away on 3 October, using its high-resolution camera. However, the craft, which has been orbiting Mars since February 2021, was never intended to photograph such faint and fast-moving objects. The China National Space Agency (CNSA) highlighted that the target was between 10,000 and 100,000 times dimmer than surfaces on Mars, presenting a major challenge in image acquisition. The agency stated that the images reveal 'distinctive features of a comet', referring to a bright central nucleus surrounded by a hazy coma of dust and gas. Contrary to Harvard's Avi Loeb's claims, CNSA stated that this structure is characteristic of comets as they heat while approaching a star. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has also observed the object, noting a similar teardrop-shaped cloud trailing from its icy core. Initial size estimate suggests the nucleus could be up to 5.6 kilometres in diameter, although NASA indicated that it may be significantly smaller, with its small size contributing to questions around its origin and composition. How China Pulled Off 3I/Atlas New Close-up Image The Tianwen-1 science team began planning the observation in early September, taking into account the object's high speed and faint brightness. The orbiter required adjustments to tracking algorithms and exposure techniques to maintain a stable lock on the rapidly moving target. But the resulting images will now support further analysis of the object's path and composition. The CNSA has stated that the data will also contribute to the study of how interstellar objects form in other planetary systems before being ejected into open space. Tianwen-1 is part of China's space expedition efforts to become a dominant force in planetary science and exploration. The mission has already delivered a rover to the Martian surface and is now contributing to deep-space observation. China's follow-up mission, Tianwen-2, launched earlier this year, is expected to return samples from a near-Earth asteroid in 2026. New 3I/Atlas Close-up Pictures: Origin Theories Continue Because 3I/Atlas travels on a hyperbolic trajectory, an orbit that does not close around the sun, scientists have confirmed that it entered the solar system from interstellar space. Only two other such visitors have been confirmed previously: the Oumuamua in 2017 and Borisov in 2019. A group of researchers, including Loeb, has been suggesting that the object's movement shows 'anomalous characteristics' which could indicate non-natural origins. However, NASA's lead scientist for small solar system bodies rejected this suggestion, saying the object behaves consistently with known comets. For now, with China's new close-up image of 3I/Atlas, scientists can compare it with known comet and asteroid types from different star systems and trace whether its materials formed around our Sun or in a completely different stellar environment. Originally published on IBTimes UK Guests attend the 2025 Beijing Forum in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2025. Global experts and scholars on Friday gathered at a forum in Beijing to explore the role of digital intelligence as a vital driver of humanity's common prosperity. (Peking University/Handout via Xinhua) BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Global experts and scholars on Friday gathered at a forum in Beijing to explore the role of digital intelligence as a vital driver of humanity's common prosperity. In the digital era, technological innovations and intelligent creations should serve as tools to empower cross-civilization exchange, said Gong Qihuang, president of China's Peking University (PKU), while addressing the opening ceremony of the 2025 Beijing Forum. "More than ever do we need to reaffirm the value of cross-border cooperation, and to work together to guide technologies to serve the common fortune of people around the world," Gong said. Themed "Civilizational Coexistence in the Age of Digital Intelligence," the three-day forum has brought together more than 400 experts and scholars from over 36 countries and regions. Sixteen sideline sessions will be held to discuss the impact of digital intelligence -- especially artificial intelligence (AI) -- in areas such as global governance, social development, industrial transformation, education and health care. "I think the possibilities that AI creates for raising the standard of living for people are tremendous," said Jeffrey Lehman, vice chancellor of New York University Shanghai, stressing the potential of AI in promoting the equal advancement of health care and agriculture, particularly in the developing world. In terms of the challenges of global AI competition, experts in attendance have expressed more hope than worry. "The multilateral collaboration in frontier technologies like AI is indispensable," said Park Jin, former foreign minister of the Republic of Korea, noting that if harnessed wisely, AI can offer more creative solutions to erase rivalries and build trust. Park also highlighted China's significance in global efforts to advance digital intelligence. "China, with the best talent pool, abundant data resources and a dynamic market, has a major role to play." In recent years, China has attached great importance to digital intelligence for national development. Last month, the Communist Party of China leadership included the acceleration of digital and intelligent technologies, as well as the advancement of the Digital China Initiative, in their recommendations for formulating the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for economic and social development. With an efficient market, complete industrial system and well-functioning government, China boasts great advantages in digital innovation, said Justin Lin Yifu, dean of the Institute of New Structural Economics at PKU and former World Bank chief economist. "China's lead in digital intelligence will not only benefit itself," Lin said. "Other developing countries can apply its open-source, innovative technologies easily, with lower costs and fewer risks, providing great opportunities for the common prosperity of the whole world." Co-sponsored by Peking University, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies, the annual forum has attracted more than 7,000 guests and scholars from over 80 countries and regions since 2004. Norway pledges nearly $3 bn for forest fund Belem, Brazil, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 A forest protection fund launched at a climate summit in Brazil Thursday received a shot in the arm from Norway with a promised contribution of up to 30 billion kroner ($2.9 billion) in loans. Norway's contribution to the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) would be conditional on at least 100 billion kroner ($9.8 billion) having been secured from other donors, according to a government statement. Another condition is that Norway's contribution must not exceed 20 percent of the fund's total financing. The Norwegian loans will be disbursed gradually until 2035 and must be repaid by 2075. Brazil and Indonesia have announced contributions of $1 billion each, according to the Norwegian statement -- meaning pledges to the fund so far have reached half the targeted $10 billion in startup capital to be raised from governments within a year. "There is no time to lose if we are to save the world's tropical forests," the statement quoted Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store as saying. BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a congratulatory message to Paul Biya on his re-election as president of Cameroon. In the message, Xi said China and Cameroon enjoy a traditional friendship, and in recent years, the two countries have deepened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful results in cooperation across various fields, and firmly supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns. He noted that next year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which is a new opportunity to advance bilateral ties. Xi stressed that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Cameroon relations, and stands ready to work with Biya to take the implementation of the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Summit as an opportunity to deepen the China-Cameroon comprehensive strategic partnership and better benefit the two peoples. Amazon lake where hundreds of dolphins died hit jacuzzi temperatures Washington, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 When dolphins began washing up dead by the dozens on Lake Tefe in Brazil's Amazonas state, hydrologist Ayan Fleischmann was sent to find out why. What he and his colleagues discovered was startling: a brutal drought and extreme heat wave that began in September 2023 had transformed the lake into a steaming cauldron, its waters reaching 41 degrees Celsius -- hotter than most spa baths. Their findings, published Thursday in the journal Science, spotlight the impacts of planetary warming on tropical regions and aquatic ecosystems, and come as the UN's COP30 climate talks kick off in Brazil. "You couldn't put your finger in the water," lead author Fleischmann, of western Brazil's Mamiraua Institute for Sustainable Development, told AFP. He recalled the "psychological impact" of seeing the carcasses of Amazon River dolphins and tucuxis, another freshwater dolphin species. It's an "overlooked problem," he said, adding that tropical lakes, essential for the food security and livelihoods of local communities, have been far less studied than those in Europe and North America, and were assumed to be relatively stable. While this study focused on 2023, another record-breaking drought happened in the Amazon a year later. Such events are becoming more frequent, severe, and longer-lasting as a result of human-caused climate change. In all, the team visited 10 central Amazonian lakes, finding that five experienced exceptionally high daytime water temperatures exceeding 37C, far higher than the 29-30C considered normal. The most extreme reading came from Lake Tefe, which saw its surface area shrink by about 75 percent. - Socio-ecological disaster - What made it even more remarkable, said Fleischmann, was that the same temperature was found not just at the surface but throughout the two-meter-deep water column. Using computer modeling, the team identified four key drivers: strong solar heating, shallow waters, low wind speeds, and high turbidity -- a measure of water haziness. These factors reinforce one another. Shallowness increases turbidity, which traps more heat, while low wind carries less heat away, leaving the water more exposed to clear skies and intense sunlight. Another stressor for aquatic life was the large swing between highs and lows, with the peak of 41C in Tefe followed by a nighttime low of 27C. Though much of the national and global attention focused on the more than 200 dead dolphins recorded in under two months, they represented only the tip of a wider socio-ecological crisis, with fish also dying in droves. There was even a phytoplankton bloom that turned the lake red as the algae came under stress -- the subject of another forthcoming paper Fleischmann co-authored. To understand longer-term trends, the researchers combed back through NASA satellite data beginning in 1990, finding that Amazonian lakes have been warming at roughly 0.6C per decade, higher than the global average. "The climate emergency is here, there is no doubt about it," said Fleischmann. He added he would be attending the COP30 summit to advocate for long-term monitoring of the Amazon's lakes and for greater inclusion of local populations -- including Indigenous peoples, non-Indigenous riverine dwellers, and Afro-descendant communities -- in developing solutions. World leaders ditch ties at sweaty climate summit Belem, Brazil, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 Diplomacy ditched its stuffy tie for once at a climate meeting in Belem, Brazil, where Thursday's Amazonian heat saw leaders and bureaucrats eagerly remove what is normally considered a summit fashion must. Despite a more relaxed dress code suggested by organizers ahead of time, several heads of state and government donned full business attire as they arrived for a warm welcome from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula -- himself wearing a dapper suit and collared shirt -- set the tone by forgoing his "lucky tie" in the green, yellow and blue colors of the Brazilian flag, which he wears proudly for most of his international engagements. As temperatures topped 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in the humid riverine city on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, many delegates soon followed Lula's lead and ripped off their own ties. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, did so before even leaving the staging area after a light-hearted exchange with Lula. Last month, COP30 president Andre Correa do Lago announced the Belem Conference of Parties would be "tie-less" to boost delegates' comfort and give the event "a certain Brazilian informality." As soon as attendees made the long walk Thursday under a blazing sun into the venue, and then realized eating areas and some meetings were another outdoor stroll from the facility, neckwear seemed low priority. Outside, many summit attendees sported sweaty patches under their arms and on their shirt backs, but inside, most areas of the expansive domed conference center were vigorously air-conditioned. Brazil has vowed to offset all planet-warming carbon emissions generated as a result of this cooling. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres and the presidents of Finland, Chile, Mozambique and Colombia were among those to opt for open collars on the first day of a two-day summit preceding the 30th UN climate COP opening Monday. Brazil launches fund to reward nations that protect forests Belem, Brazil, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 Brazil on Thursday launched a new investment fund that could reward tropical countries that protect their rainforests, attracting several billion dollars in much-needed pledges from Norway, Indonesia and France. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) as an "unprecedented initiative" at its launch in Belem where Brazil is hosting the upcoming UN climate summit called COP30. Brazil is eventually seeking to create a $125 billion fund that would return a share of profits to developing countries for every hectare of forest they keep standing. Before the launch, Brazil had announced $1 billion towards the $25 billion it was seeking from sponsor governments but struggled to attract other investors. On the eve of the launch, the UK announced it would not contribute while a representative from Finland's government told AFP it would be "difficult to find new resources". But on Thursday, Norway announced it would invest up to 30 billion kroner ($3 billion) over 10 years in the fund but imposed several conditions on its contribution. "It is vital to stop deforestation to reduce the impacts of climate change and limit biodiversity loss," the Norwegian government said in a statement. Forest-rich Indonesia also made a contribution of $1 billion while France pledged a conditional 500 million euros. Portugal announced a more modest $1 million, while Germany also made an unspecified pledge. - Worth more standing - Some governments had expressed reservations about the design of the fund, and Brazil has recently revised down its expectations to $10 billion in initial contributions. The fund requires governments to accept more risk to attract private financiers, with the combined pot invested mostly in emerging market bonds to generate a return which is spread between investors and tropical countries. The scheme proposes creating a reliable, long-term revenue stream to undercut the economic incentive in tropical countries to chop down primary forests which are rich in carbon and biodiversity. "Such a fund, which will help us, comes at just the right time," Abe Assamdi, Ivory Coast's representative to COP30 in Brazil, told AFP in Belem, a city at the edge of the Amazon rainforest. Brazil identified more than 70 developing countries that could be eligible to receive annual payments if they met the eligibility criteria, namely keeping deforestation below a certain rate. If they were to stamp out deforestation entirely, tropical countries like Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo could earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year each. "Forests are worth more standing than cut down," said Lula. "In a few years, we will see the fruits of this fund. We will be proud to remember that it was in the heart of the Amazon rainforest that we took this step together." burs-np/klm/dw CORRECTED: AI-generated disinformation tactics spotted ahead of COP30 Washington, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 A clip said to show massive flooding in the Amazonian city hosting the UN climate summit is just one widely-shared example of how disinformation, cheaply created by artificial intelligence and circulating on social media, is influencing perceptions of COP30. A new report released Thursday by the Climate Action Against Disinformation coalition (CAAD) finds despite increasing support for policies to address climate change, the persistence of online falsehoods, supercharged by AI, help sustain an undercurrent of hostility towards science. CAAD and the Observatory for Information Integrity (Oii) highlighted a 267 percent surge, or more than 14,000 examples, of COP-related disinformation from July to September. Several videos implied Belem would not be fit to host the key conference, but one was filmed in Tbilisi, Georgia, while another recycled footage from two years ago. And in the video showing the city purportedly under water, Oii said: "The reporter doesn't exist, the people don't exist, the flood doesn't exist, and the city doesn't exist." TikTok has not removed the video -- which does not disclose its use of AI -- despite Oii researchers flagging it to the platform. This is reflective of a larger trend of AI-tainted climate content spread throughout 2025. Earlier this year, AFP investigated a document claimed to have been written by Elon Musk's Grok 3 AI. It wrongfully dismissed the credibility of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's climate models. Information integrity lacking Recent research shows more than 80 percent of people want stronger climate action, and 69 percent say they would contribute one percent of their monthly income to support it. Yet, both United Nations Environment Assembly attendees and the general public vastly underestimate this willingness to mobilize. "This is the impact of climate disinformation," CAAD said. "Big Carbon's spending and Big Tech's algorithms are preventing us from seeing and hearing one another online. Instead, we're exposed to one lie after another." The false narratives can also lead to intimidation of scientists and activists, noted Rio de Janeiro State University professor Carlos Milani. "Climate denial in Brazil is pushed most explicitly by far-right figures, a small group of anti-environmentalist activists and ultra-conservative leaders," he said. The United Nations and governments are beginning to respond to how disinformation spreads, researchers say. The European Union's Digital Services Act, for instance, aims to increase transparency and accountability among platforms and advertisers. With information integrity for the first time placed in the UN agenda, "we're finally headed in the right direction," CAAD said. 'Moral failure': Leaders seek to rally world at Amazon climate talks Belem, Brazil, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 Fears of a fracturing global resolve loomed over climate talks in the Brazilian Amazon on Thursday as world leaders acknowledged their failure to contain global warming to agreed limits. Heads of state and government met in the city of Belem ahead of the UN COP30 conference, which is set to take place without the United States -- one of the nations most responsible for planet-warming emissions. Opening the leaders gathering, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres set the tone by declaring the world had failed in its promise to hold long-term warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius since the pre-industrial era. "This is moral failure -- and deadly negligence," he said, adding that to minimize the danger, governments must now act with even more urgency to slash fossil fuel emissions and protect nature. The UN's weather and climate agency on Thursday said 2025 would be among the hottest years ever recorded. Brazil hopes COP30, which officially begins on Monday, can reaffirm that climate change remains a global priority despite wars, trade tensions, economic uncertainty and the chilling effect of the Trump administration. President Trump has dismissed climate science as a "con job" and has sought to torpedo international climate action in other forums, all the while boosting fossil fuels. America's absence cast a shadow over Thursday's summit, where speakers took turns condemning Trump's climate denialism and lamenting the loss of global momentum. "The president of the United States in the last UN assembly said that the climate crisis does not exist, and that is a lie," said Chile's Gabriel Boric, while Colombia's Gustavo Petro, whose US visa was canceled by Trump's government, likewise tore into him. Brazilian president and host Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva referred to "extremist forces (that) fabricate fake news to obtain electoral gains and imprison future generations." The world's biggest emitter, China, was present at the summit and pledged to double down on its climate action, which has included the vast rollout of renewable energy and green technologies at home and abroad. "China is a country that honors its commitments," Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said pointedly. He added his country would "accelerate the green transition in all areas of economic and social development" and chided those who would put up trade barriers against its solar panels, batteries and electric cars. - Uphill battle - Leaders from other major economies, including the European Union, Britain and France were also in attendance to show that the international community could still pull together. Britain's Keir Starmer said "the UK is all in" -- framing investment in the energy transition as an economic opportunity, but raised fears that the global climate "consensus is gone." The choice of Belem, a city of 1.4 million people, half of whom live in working-class neighborhoods known as favelas, has been controversial due to its limited infrastructure, with sky-high hotel fees complicating the participation of small delegations and NGOs. Brazil's recent approval of oil drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River will sit awkwardly at the conference. So, too, will the unanswered call for a wave of ambitious new climate pledges ahead of COP30. - 'Heaviest price' - Brazil launched a new rainforest conservation fund on Thursday, with a promised contribution from Norway of up to 30 billion kroner ($2.9 billion) in loans. COP30 will also focus on adaptation, a demand of countries which cannot afford to build defenses against climate disasters. DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Thursday said that "insufficient" climate finance was helping to drive an inequality crisis. "Those who have contributed the least to climate change are now paying the heaviest price," he said. These countries want concrete detail on how climate finance can be substantially boosted to $1.3 trillion a year by 2035 -- the estimated need in the developing world. The hosts are also under pressure to marshal a response to the 1.5C failure. Even if all commitments are enacted in full, global warming is still set to reach up to 2.5C by century's end. klm-np-ia/bgs CORRECTED: Brazil launches fund to reward nations that protect forests Belem, Brazil, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 Brazil on Thursday launched a new investment fund that could reward tropical countries that protect their rainforests, attracting several billion dollars in much-needed pledges from Norway, Indonesia and France. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) as an "unprecedented initiative" at its launch in Belem where Brazil is hosting the upcoming UN climate summit called COP30. Brazil is eventually seeking to create a $125 billion fund that would return a share of profits to developing countries for every hectare of forest they keep standing. Before the launch, Brazil had announced $1 billion towards the $25 billion it was seeking from sponsor governments but struggled to attract other investors. On the eve of the launch, the UK announced it would not contribute while a representative from Finland's government told AFP it would be "difficult to find new resources." But on Thursday, Norway announced it would invest up to 30 billion kroner ($3 billion) over 10 years in the fund but imposed several conditions on its contribution. "It is vital to stop deforestation to reduce the impacts of climate change and limit biodiversity loss," the Norwegian government said in a statement. Forest-rich Indonesia also made a contribution of $1 billion while France pledged a conditional 500 million euros. Portugal announced a more modest $1 million, while Germany also made an unspecified pledge. - Worth more standing - Some governments had expressed reservations about the design of the fund, and Brazil has recently revised down its expectations to $10 billion in initial contributions. The fund requires governments to accept more risk to attract private financiers, with the combined pot invested mostly in emerging market bonds to generate a return which is spread between investors and tropical countries. The scheme proposes creating a reliable, long-term revenue stream to undercut the economic incentive in tropical countries to chop down primary forests which are rich in carbon and biodiversity. "Such a fund, which will help us, comes at just the right time," Abe Assamoi, an Ivory Coast delegate to COP30 in Brazil, told AFP in Belem, a city at the edge of the Amazon rainforest. Brazil identified more than 70 developing countries that could be eligible to receive annual payments if they met the eligibility criteria, namely keeping deforestation below a certain rate. If they were to stamp out deforestation entirely, tropical countries like Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo could earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year each. "Forests are worth more standing than cut down," said Lula. "In a few years, we will see the fruits of this fund. We will be proud to remember that it was in the heart of the Amazon rainforest that we took this step together." burs-np/klm/dw/ia/mlm World leaders launch fund to save forests, get first $5 bn Belem, Brazil, Nov 6 (AFP) Nov 06, 2025 World leaders attending a climate summit in Brazil launched a fund Thursday to save the world's forests, quickly raking in over $5 billion in pledges to reward tropical countries for not chopping down trees. The initial government commitments still fall far short of what is needed for the fund to attract the private investment it seeks, but Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva still described the Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF) as unprecedented. Ultimately, Brazil -- the fund's political sponsor -- seeks to create a $125 billion facility that would pay out a share of profits to developing countries for every hectare of forest they leave standing. Private investors would also receive a return from funds invested mainly in emerging market bonds. "Such a fund, which will help us, comes at the right time," Abe Assamoi, an Ivory Coast representative, told AFP in Belem, a city at the edge of the Amazon rainforest. "We have certainly lost a lot of forests, but we have implemented a comprehensive strategy to reforest our country... We have ambitious goals," but these require money, he added. The fund was launched in Belem Thursday as heads of state and government met ahead of an annual round of UN climate talks starting next week. - 'Things can change' - The designers of the fund envision raising $10 billion in initial contributions from governments within a year -- a figure revised downward in the face of an initial lackluster response. The $10 billion should be increased to $25 billion in the longer term -- startup money that will then attract private investments worth another $100 billion. Brazil hopes the fund will create a reliable, long-term revenue stream, an alternative to tropical countries cutting down forests for economic gain. Earth's forests are often described as its lungs, expelling oxygen and taking in planet-warming carbon while housing a rich variety of animal and plant life. Brazil had put in the first $1 billion pledge for the fund, matched by fellow forest nation Indonesia. The UK said it would not contribute, while Finland's government told AFP it would be "difficult to find new resources" in uncertain economic climate. "Things can change, this is a long-term project," Brazil's chief climate negotiator Mauricio Lyrio told AFP about countries that have not yet joined the initiative. Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad was also positive, saying "we have already surpassed fifty percent of what we envisioned" to raise until the next climate conference in 2026. France pledged a conditional 500 million euros, Portugal added a more modest $1 million, and Germany made an unspecified commitment. Norway on Thursday pledged 30 billion kroner ($3 billion) for loans, but with strings attached. "It is vital to stop deforestation to reduce the impacts of climate change and limit biodiversity loss," the Norwegian government said in a statement. - 'Weaknesses remain' - Some countries and observer groups have expressed reservations about the design and oversight of the fund. Greenpeace has "cautiously" welcomed the TFFF, with its Brazilian executive director Carolina Pasquali telling AFP that "weaknesses remain." "For example, where the money will be invested, what industries are out. We think it's a good step forward, but it needs work," she said Wednesday aboard the organization's Rainbow Warrior flagship, docked in Belem. Brazil has identified more than 70 developing countries that could be eligible for annual payments from the fund. If they were to stamp out deforestation entirely, Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo could earn hundreds of millions of dollars a year each. Mauricio Bianco, vice president of Conservation International Brazil, said forest conservation was the answer to two planetary crises at once: climate change and biodiversity loss. "These are threats that demand financial commitments commensurate with their scale," he said, adding it was imperative to put the fund into operation as soon as possible. For Lula, "forests are worth more standing than cut down." "In a few years, we will see the fruits of this fund. We will be proud to remember that it was in the heart of the Amazon rainforest that we took this step together," he told summit delegates. burs-np/klm/mlr/dw Operation Cloudburst: Dutch train for 'water bomb' floods IJsselstein, Netherlands, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 A twin-prop Chinook helicopter shatters the calm of the Dutch countryside, hovering just metres from a canal before dumping four huge sandbags into the water: welcome to Operation Cloudburst. The five-day exercise simulates catastrophic floods from a "water bomb", an ever-present fear in a country where 60 percent of people live below sea level and climate change is making things worse. The operation, bringing together the military, crisis planners, and local water authorities, tests responses to 200 millimetres of rain falling in one day -- a quarter of the annual amount in the Netherlands. Such a scenario would be similar to the floods that devastated western Europe in 2021, with nearly 200 deaths in Germany and 40 in Belgium. No one died in The Netherlands but large areas were flooded. "Dutch people, when we are born, we know we're going to fight the water," said commanding officer Corporal Michel Vrancken. The military are always learning to fight the enemy, but "Dutch people know that water can always be an enemy," the 25-year-old told AFP, as his unit piled up sandbags behind him. Vrancken's team is training to deploy an innovative mobile dam that could slow damaging floodwaters -- part of the exercise. Out of necessity, the Dutch have become world leaders in managing water and floods. If nature had been left to take its course, most of The Netherlands would be a muddy swamp, not the European Union's fifth-largest economy. The country is essentially a large delta crossed by three major rivers, the Rhine, Schelde, and Maas, that flow into the unpredictable North Sea. Without sound defences, 60 percent of the country would be regularly flooded, according to the government. That would affect some nine million people. "If we want to stay in this country, we have to" learn to prevent flooding, said Marian Booltink, crisis coordinator at the local flood management association, who is supervising Operation Cloudburst. "Climate change is affecting my work because we now know we will have more crises because it's too dry (drought) or there's too much water (flooding)," the 59-year-old told AFP. - 'Don't underestimate water' - Overseeing water levels and flood defences across the country is Bart Vonk, Chair of the National Coordination Committee during Flood Threats. "The impact of water on a person is immense," the 64-year-old told AFP from his office, surrounded by big screens showing real-time national water data. "What I've learned in my career is don't underestimate the force of water, but also don't underestimate the impact on people when their house is flooded," said Vonk. Vonk and his team ensure the country is ready for extreme scenarios: a drought meaning all inland shipping is beached or a devastating storm surge. The Dutch are bringing innovation and the latest technology to bear on a centuries-old problem. Drones inspect dykes and levies, producing data then crunched by AI to identify weaknesses. Another innovation: "Green eggs" or devices that listen for beavers, whose digging can be devastating for flood defences. What is the secret to the Dutch success? "We stay very proactive," said Vonk. "You have other countries that are reactive, they accept an incident. In the Netherlands, we can't accept it because the consequences are too high." However, he said the Dutch have also learned much from other countries, notably about recovery from major floods. Vonk acknowledges that climate change is making his job "more and more challenging." Glacier melt from the Alps is swelling river levels in the Netherlands, storms and droughts are more frequent, and rising seas are increasing salination, he explained. His biggest fear would be a breach of a levee protecting the Netherlands -- "the impact would be immense", but he is confident in Dutch preparations. "I always sleep very well... we are really good protectors... the probability is really very, very low, so that's why it's not keeping me awake," said Vonk. Deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi ravages Vietnam, Philippines Vietnam, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 Typhoon Kalmaegi churned across Vietnam Friday, claiming five more lives after its devastating passage through the Philippines where the death toll rose to 188. Kalmaegi unleashed record rainfall and flooding in the central Philippines this week -- sweeping away cars, trucks and shipping containers before lashing Vietnam. "The roof of my house was just blown away," said Nguyen Van Tam, a 42-year-old fisherman in Vietnam's Gia Lai province where the storm made landfall late Thursday. "We were all safe, (but) the typhoon was really terrible, so many trees fallen," he said, adding that his boat had survived intact. Vietnamese authorities were still assessing the damage on Friday, but the environment ministry reported five dead, and 57 houses collapsed in Gia Lai and neighbouring Dak Lak. Nearly 3,000 more had their roofs blown off or were damaged, it said, while 11 boats or ships sank. Vo Thi Danh, 43, watched from higher ground as Kalmaegi ripped through Nhon Hai fishing village in Gia Lai, splitting boats into kindling and sweeping away the small seaside house where she lived with her family. "The waves were so high, swallowing in the whole house," she told AFP in tears as she surveyed the rubble. "The house totally collapsed, nothing left." It was one of seven homes clustered together in the fishing village that were reduced to chunks of concrete and twisted metal. In the streets along Gia Lai's Quy Nhon beach, AFP journalists saw rescue workers and soldiers working with residents to clear uprooted trees, remove debris and collect sheet-metal roofs blown away in the night. The state power company said 1.6 million clients lost electricity as the typhoon smashed the central coast, but service to a third of them had been restored by Friday morning. Vietnam is in one of the most active tropical cyclone regions on Earth and is typically affected by 10 typhoons or storms a year. Kalmaegi was the 13th of 2025 and hit the country with sustained winds of up to 149 kilometres (92 miles) per hour, according to the environment ministry. Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, meaning heavier rainfall. Fast-moving Kalmaegi had already swept northwest toward Laos by morning with significantly weakened winds, but heavy rain was still forecast for much of Vietnam's central coast, the national weather bureau said. The storm was next forecast to hit Thailand, which issued a warning Friday for heavy rainfall and flooding starting in the northeast and spreading to the rest of the country. - Relentless rains - Kalmaegi had initially battered the islands of Cebu and Negros in the Philippines before swooping back out to sea. Floodwaters described as unprecedented rushed through the hardest hit Cebu province's towns and cities, where the hunt for missing people continues. Philippine authorities raised the death toll to 188, with 135 still missing. The typhoon hit central Vietnam as it was still reeling from more than a week of flooding and record rains that killed at least 47 people and submerged centuries-old historic sites. The heavy rains starting in late October had drenched the former imperial capital Hue and the ancient town of Hoi An, both UNESCO-listed sites, turning streets into canals and flooding tens of thousands of homes. Up to 1.7 metres (5 feet 6 inches) fell over one 24-hour period in a downpour breaking national records. With more than 3,200 kilometres of coastline and a network of 2,300 rivers, Vietnam faces a high risk of flooding. Before Kalmaegi, natural disasters had already left 279 people dead or missing this year and caused more than $2 billion in damage, according to Vietnam's national statistics office. S.African court urged to allow Anglo American lead-poisoning suit Johannesburg, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 Lawyers for thousands of women and children claimed to have lead poisoning in Zambia sought this week to bring a class action suit against mining giant Anglo American, they said Friday. The legal team urged the South African Supreme Court of Appeal to overturn a December 2023 ruling dismissing efforts to sue the British-based company over pollution in Kabwe, 150 kilometres (95 miles) north of Zambia's capital Lusaka. The area is described by Human Rights Watch as one of the most lead-polluted places in the world, with toxins remaining in the soil and dust even after the closure in 1994 of a lead mine that had been in the Anglo American group between 1925 and 1974. About 140,000 women and children are affected by lead poisoning, lawyers representing the claimants said in a statement. At a two-day hearing, they said the "most likely" source of most of the pollution was from lead "discharged under Anglo's watch". "Anglo knew about the dangers of lead to the local community and knew or should have known of the dangers to future communities in Kabwe," said the statement summarising the proceedings. "Anglo failed to prevent or remediate the lead pollution that it caused," it said. The legal team representing Anglo American South Africa argued that responsibility lay with the Zambian state-owned company that took over the mine in 1974, the summary said. The harm to the current generations was not foreseeable when it was involved with the mine, they said. The appeal court is expected to hand down its decision between February and June next year, with the case seen as potentially setting a precedent for corporate accountability. Human Rights Watch said in March that more than 95 percent of children living near the mine had elevated blood lead levels with about half requiring urgent treatment. br/giv The South Dongting Lake Nature Reserve in China's Hunan has welcomed this year's first batch of migratory birds. Black storks, Eurasian spoonbills, tundra swans, grey cranes and wild geese have all been spotted in the reserve. #China #MigratoryBirds EU airlines agree to drop misleading climate claims Brussels, Belgium, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 European airlines including Lufthansa, Air France and KLM have agreed to stop making misleading environmental claims about offsetting the carbon emissions from air travel, the European Commission said Friday. The pledge from 21 carriers will oblige them to clarify that the emissions of a specific flight cannot be "neutralised, offset, or directly reduced" by contributing to climate protection projects or alternative fuels -- claims the EU says amount to greenwashing. "To avoid misleading consumers, airlines must refrain from using vague environmental language and ensure that any claims about future environmental performance are substantiated," the commission said in a statement. The announcement made in the run-up to next week's COP30 UN climate summit in Brazil stems from a consultation between airlines, the EU executive and consumer protection groups. Airlines also pledged to present carbon emission calculations in a clear and transparent manner and provide robust scientific evidence when claiming environmental improvements. The carriers concerned are Air Baltic, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, EasyJet, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Luxair, Norwegian, Ryanair, SAS, SWISS, TAP, Transavia France, Transavia CV, Volotea, Vueling and Wizz Air. The commitments follow a formal complaint lodged with the European Commission in June 2023 by consumer groups, which accused the aviation sector of misleading advertising practices. The industry has begun to shift its messaging after a series of legal setbacks. In March 2024, a Dutch court ruled against KLM in a greenwashing case, saying the airline misled consumers with vague claims about the sustainability of its flights. A year later, a German court barred Lufthansa from advertising carbon offsetting in a way deemed deceptive. Air France no longer offers carbon offsets for flights. Instead, it suggests passengers contribute to the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). "There is room to change" in the way airlines communicate, said Diane Vitry, who heads up the aviation section of the NGO Transport & Environment. She said the ideal would be for flight ads to mention their climate impact, similar to the health warnings included on tobacco and alcohol labels. Aviation accounts for around three percent of global carbon emissions, but its overall contribution to climate change is higher because of the release of other greenhouse gases and condensation trails at high altitudes. adc/ec/jxb Lufthansa Air France-KLM EASYJET FINNAIR RYANAIR HOLDINGS PLC SAS Earth can no longer sustain intensive fossil fuel use: Lula Belem, Brazil, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 Earth can no longer sustain a development model based on intensive use of fossil fuels responsible for planet-harming emissions, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told a climate summit Friday. Lula advocated for redirecting some oil exploration profits towards the green energy transition, and said decisions taken now regarding the energy sector will determine humanity's "success or failure in the battle against climate change." He addressed heads of state and government gathered in the Amazonian city of Belem ahead of an annual round of UN climate talks starting next week. The summit was snubbed by leaders of some of the world's leading oil, coal and gas producers -- notably the United States whose President Donald Trump has called climate change a "con job." Lula cautioned that "Earth can no longer sustain the development model based on the intensive use of fossil fuels that has prevailed over the past 200 years." He pointed to ethanol as an "effective and readily available alternative" for industry and transportation, and lamented "pressure and threats" that led the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to postpone a plan to curb shipping emissions. Trump had threatened sanctions against countries backing the IMO project and there are fears he could use similar tactics to block progress at the Belem climate conference. The United States under Trump has announced its withdrawal from the landmark Paris Agreement signed 10 years ago to curb fossil fuel use in a bid to halt global warming. Lula said that in those ten years, the share of fossil fuels in the global energy mix has decreased "only" from 83 percent to 80 percent. He added the war in Ukraine "reversed years of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," causing the reopening of many coal mines. "Spending twice as much on weapons as we allocate to climate action is paving the way for climate apocalypse," the leftist leader said. "There will be no energy security in a world engulfed in flames." Conference host Brazil has itself come under fire for authorizing its state oil company to begin offshore exploration in the Amazon. Iran president warns Tehran may face evacuation due to drought Tehran, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned in a speech broadcast on Friday that the capital Tehran may need evacuating because of water shortages if it doesn't rain before the end of the year. "If it doesn't rain, we'll have to start rationing water in Tehran between late November and early December", Pezeshkian said in a speech broadcast on state TV. "Even if we do ration it and it still doesn't rain by then, we'll run out of water, we'll have to evacuate Tehran." It was not immediately clear how the capital would be evacuated. Iran as a whole has been affected by dwindling rainfall, but the sprawling megacity of more than 10 million people is particularly vulnerable. On Sunday, the director of the regional water company, Behzad Parsa, warned in state media that there was just two weeks' worth of water left in the main reservoir serving Tehran. Meanwhile, Tasnim News Agency reported that the country's precipitation level this year had reached just 152 millimetres, a 40 percent decline compared to the 57-year average. The agency quoted Mohammad Reza Kavianpour, head of the Water Research Institute, as saying that several provinces "experienced a 50 to 80 percent decline in precipitation." He added that storage in the capital's dams in the new water year, which began in late September, was around 250 million cubic metres, roughly half of the 490 million cubic metres recorded in the 2023-24 water year. "We must prepare ourselves for a critical situation," he said, according to Tasnim. Water levels in the reservoirs supplying the capital have fallen to their lowest in decades, according to Mohsen Ardakani, director general of the provincial water company covering Tehran. "In the last six months, the population has saved 10 percent of its water consumption," Ardakani said on state TV on Wednesday. "If this figure reaches 20 percent, we will be able to ensure a stable water situation for the next one to two months when the rains start again," he added. Winter months in Tehran usually bring rainfall and often snow. A sharp decline in rainfall and reduced dam inflow have deepened the crisis, as Iran faces one of its worst droughts in decades. As a conservation measure, water supplies have reportedly been cut off in several neighbourhoods of Tehran in recent months, while outages were frequent throughout the summer. In July and August, two public holidays were declared to save water and energy, as power cuts became an almost daily occurrence amid a severe heatwave. Earth 'can no longer sustain' intensive fossil fuel use, Lula tells COP30 Belem, Brazil, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday said Earth cannot sustain humanity's dependence on fossil fuels and without confronting this reality the climate fight will be lost. The leftist leader spoke at a pre-COP30 summit in the Brazilian Amazon where other heads of state and government implored all nations to start weaning off the burning of coal, oil and gas responsible for most of planet-heating pollution. Evidence of dangerous warming has never been clearer: the decade since the Paris Agreement has been the hottest on record, marked by intensifying hurricanes, heatwaves and wildfires. Lula said tackling the urgent question over the future of energy would determine "success or failure in the battle against climate change," he added. "Earth can no longer sustain the development model based on the intensive use of fossil fuels that has prevailed over the past 200 years," Lula told world leaders in Belem where the UN climate talks are taking place. Brazil has stressed that each country would pursue its own course to "transition away from fossil fuels" -- a pact made by all nations at a previous COP in Dubai in 2023. Lula is presiding over the world's top climate negotiations just weeks after his government approved new oil drilling in the Amazon region. Earlier this week he told AFP and other outlets that "it's not easy" for countries to reduce fossil fuels, but that the subject could be approached through a "roadmap" developed at COP30. Rwanda's environment minister Bernadette Arakwiye told delegates that they face a stark choice. "We can continue with incremental progress while the planet burns, or we can rise to meet the scale of this crisis," she said. "The fossil fuel era is drawing to a close. We must now ensure the transition is just, inclusive and equitable." - 'Fossil age ending' - The absence of leaders from the world's biggest polluters, including the United States, where President Donald Trump has dismissed climate science as a "con job," cast a shadow over talks, but also catalyzed calls for greater mobilization. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the summit that his country was moving forward with others to tax premium-class flights and private jets, one major source of heat-trapping emissions. "It is only fair that those who have more and pollute more should pay their fair share," he said. UN chief Antonio Guterres said global investment in renewable energy reached two trillion dollars in 2024 -- eight hundred million more than polluting forms of energy. "The fossil fuel age is ending," he told an event in Belem, a rainforest city on the edge of the Amazon. Guterres warned Thursday that the world would fail to keep global warming below 1.5C -- the Paris Agreement's primary target -- but must keep to a minimum any overshoot before returning temperatures below this safer limit. Despite this, climate change has slipped down the agenda as nations grapple with economic pressures, trade disputes and wars, as well as the Trump administration's aggressively pushing for more fossil fuels. - Roadmap support - Lula lamented the "pressure and threats" that led the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to postpone a plan to curb shipping emissions, and also spoke of the need to pursue alternative fuels for transport and industry including ethanol. And the latest round of negotiations to agree a world-first treaty on plastic -- a byproduct of oil and gas manufactured by petrochemical companies -- collapsed in August. The idea of phasing out hydrocarbons is gaining traction in Europe. Despite their divisions, EU countries noted that they have reduced greenhouse gas emissions for more than three decades and are aiming for a 90 percent cut by 2040. Lula's "roadmap" presented on day one of the summit -- a pathway to halting deforestation, reducing fossil fuel use, and finding the money to achieve those goals -- was applauded from the floor. A formal anti-fossil fuel decision in Belem is unlikely, given the requirement for consensus among nearly 200 countries attending the conference. Still, COP30 will put a spotlight on countries' voluntary pledges and their implementation, which could lead to fresh announcements on methane -- a "super pollutant" and the main component of natural gas, prone to leaking from pipelines and installations. burs-np/klm/bgs Earth cannot 'sustain' intensive fossil fuel use, Lula tells COP30 Belem, Brazil, Nov 7 (AFP) Nov 07, 2025 Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Friday that Earth can no longer sustain humanity's dependence on fossil fuels, and warned the climate fight could be lost without a rapid transition to cleaner energy. The leftist leader spoke at a summit in the Brazilian Amazon where heads of state and government implored nations to start weaning themselves off the coal, oil and gas responsible for most planet-warming emissions. Evidence of dangerous warming has never been clearer: the last decade has been the hottest on record, marked by intensifying hurricanes, heatwaves and wildfires. Lula said tackling the urgent question over the future of energy would determine "success or failure in the battle against climate change." "Earth can no longer sustain the development model based on the intensive use of fossil fuels that has prevailed over the past 200 years," he said in Belem, where an annual UN climate conference dubbed COP 30 kicks off next week. It comes two years after the world's nations agreed to "transition away from fossil fuels." Brazil is hoping for a roadmap towards this goal, but has faced resistance. Mexico's Environment Secretary Alicia Barcena told AFP that "setting a specific date for the elimination of fossil fuels is always problematic because there are still many oil-producing countries. "It is very difficult to get everyone to agree to eliminate them by 2030, for example. But it can be proposed as a long-term goal," she said. Lula is presiding over the climate negotiations just weeks after his government approved new oil drilling in the Amazon region. Rwanda's environment minister Bernadette Arakwiye stressed that countries face a stark choice. "We can continue with incremental progress while the planet burns, or we can rise to meet the scale of this crisis," she said. - Luxury flight tax - A shadow has been cast over the talks by the absence of leaders of the world's biggest polluters -- including the United States, whose President Donald Trump has dismissed climate science as a "con job" -- but it has also catalyzed calls for greater mobilization. France, Spain and Kenya are among a group of countries spearheading a drive for a new tax on luxury air travel, rooted in the idea that premium flyers should pay more for their outsized contribution to global warming. "It is only fair that those who have more and pollute more should pay their fair share," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the summit. The initiative is sure to face headwinds from the aviation sector, responsible for about 2.5 percent of the world's carbon emissions. - Roadmap support - Climate change has slipped down the agenda as nations grapple with economic pressures, trade disputes, wars, and the Trump administration's aggressive push for more fossil fuels. Brazil has won support for a new fund to save the world's forests, quickly raking in over $5 billion in pledges to reward tropical countries for not chopping down carbon-absorbing trees. The world remains off track to keep end-of-century global warming below 1.5C compared to pre-industrial levels. It is the primary target of the Paris Agreement struck in 2015, and deemed necessary to avert the worst catastrophes of climate destabilization. A coalition of hundreds of NGOs representing the interests of women, Indigenous peoples, workers, small-scale farmers and other disadvantaged communities was unimpressed by what world leaders brought to the two-day summit. "The national plans of rich countries are not talking at all about a commitment they made two years ago... to move away from this brutal and cannibalistic fossil fuel economy," said Jacobo Ocharan of Climate Action Network International, an NGO network that is part of an alternative so-called People's Summit. "Nor have we seen absolutely anything regarding climate financing, financing that reaches the populations suffering from this climate crisis," he told reporters in Belem. UN climate chief Simon Stiell stressed that, 10 years on from the Paris deal, global cooperation was delivering results. "Without that act of collective courage, we would still be heading for an impossible future of unchecked heating, of up to five degrees," he said. "Because of it, the curve has bent below 3C -- still perilous, but proof that climate cooperation works." burs-np/ia/des/mlr/des BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- China stands ready to join hands with ASEAN countries in coping with security challenges and further elevating their defense and security cooperation, a Chinese military spokesperson said on Friday. Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, made the remarks in response to a media inquiry about Defense Minister Dong Jun's recent meetings with his counterparts from ASEAN countries. Noting that geographical proximity and intertwined interests underpin shared security and common development, Jiang said China-ASEAN defense cooperation has expanded in both depth and scope, now encompassing high-level exchanges, joint training, personnel training, peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, medical services, and rescue and disaster relief. According to the spokesperson, during his meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Dong reached important consensuses with defense counterparts from ASEAN countries on deepening defense and security cooperation and safeguarding regional peace and stability. China firmly supports ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture and is ready to work with ASEAN countries to uphold peace, said the spokesperson, underscoring the long-standing tradition of harmonious coexistence and the principles of dialogue and partnership over confrontation and alliance. The goal, he said, is to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future and create a better future for the region. 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 You have to be inventive, always, says David Hockney at the opening night of his new show, Some Very, Very, Very New Paintings Not Yet Shown in Paris, which is full of bright, dynamic works that belie the energy of an 88-year-old man in a wheelchair. The grand old master is explaining how he painted the tops of the large canvases while sitting down. I turn them on their side. There is always a way. It is what imagination is about, he says, with a twinkle in his eye. In a brand new tweed suit specially made for the occasion, he is escorted by his great-nephew, Richard, also newly tweed-suited, who is both a family member and his assistant. David said he was sick of seeing me in jeans and trainers, so he sent me to the tailor, he says. Of course, the peroxide-haired and silver-tongued Hockney has always been a bit of a dandy. The centrepiece of the show at Annely Judas new Mayfair gallery is a double portrait of the artist and his great-nephew/assistant together. It is dazzling, and pops with colour and zest. There is no sense of this being an old mans work. The lines, perhaps, are sometimes a little more hazy, but the paint feels so fresh that its as though it hasnt dried. The brush strokes are a little shaky, but the vision is clear and firm. The images ping against a dark blue wall, the colour chosen by the artist. This show also marks the most developed stage yet in his reverse perspective. open image in gallery 8th April 2020, No. 2 ( David Hockney ) Hockney pioneered this technique, in which objects that appear further away are actually larger, and parallel lines diverge towards the viewer rather than converging. There are echoes of the colourful exuberance of Pierre Bonnard and the decisive and forthright perspective of Van Gogh one picture is even titled Vincents Chair and Gauguins Chair. Depicting a scarlet-matted floor with purple and yellow wooden chair legs, it radiates psychedelic energy and that unmistakeable Hockney optimism. Before the show started, Hockney held court on the pavement with the inevitable cigarette in hand. He was never going to be stopped from smoking. He explained perspective and smoking restrictions and then veered onto Caravaggio. He is very much the professor as well as the dandy gadfly, still on his long journey of development as an artist with no hint of fading into the light. The new portraits are startling and warm and direct as he revisits the faces of friends young and old. In each, there is a strong sense of exploring and gathering joy from what he sees. He still wears a badge saying end bossiness soon, but what is not ending is his sense of quest. His pictures are dynamic, and make you feel as though you are somehow sharing his magic ability to look and entertain and reflect. The show also includes The Moon Room a selection of iPad works from 2020, created in his studio in Normandy, which have a Walter de la Mare sense of stillness and delight in colour. They capture light and luminosity. open image in gallery Vincents Chair and Gauguins Chair, July 2025 ( David Hockney ) This show will travel on to Paris. The prices for Hockneys paintings are into seven figures, and very few are for sale. So this is a fleeting opportunity to see the greatness of an ageing master who is undiminished in zest and zeal. In London, Hockney, as ever, has the last word. What else would I want to do? I still find the world beautiful, and I still find new ways to appreciate that and capture it. I just have to keep going! And with that, he is off, whizzing round the studio in his electric wheelchair, eyes ablaze and mind whirring. Some Very, Very, Very New Paintings Not Yet Shown in Paris is at Annely Juda Fine Art in London until 28 February 2026 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 Marvel star Jeremy Renner has been accused of threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on his Chinese filmmaking partner after she confronted him about alleged sexual misconduct. Yi Zhou, 37, who collaborated on both a documentary and animated film earlier this year with Renner, 54, also accused him of cyberflashing her with unsolicited pornographic images of himself. The Independent has contacted Renners representative for comment. In a series of Instagram posts shared Monday, Zhou alleged that the Mayor of Kingstown actor first introduced himself to her out of the blue in June by sending her a string of unwanted images via WhatsApp and direct messages. After having calls and text discussions he allured me and sold me he [was] looking for a relation and of course seduced / flatted [sic] that he was a Hollywood star fantasizing and loving me so much I believed in him, she claimed. open image in gallery Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou (right), who worked with Jeremy Renner (left) on a documentary and animated movie this year, has accused the Marvel actor of threatening to 'call ICE' on her ( Getty ) Zhou, who last month said she and Renner were in a relationship, added: The power of love and embarked on the most difficult months + 2 Oscar running projects I kindly invited him to be part. Speaking to the Mail in a new interview, Zhou claimed that during one of their meetings at his home about their documentary, Chronicles of Disney, Renner got drunk and yelled for two hours, leaving her to fear for her life. I was discussing about the doc logistics, then he drank a bottle of wine alone and got angry and angry yelling for two hours, Zhou said. I had to lock myself in a room to be safe praying he would not come into the room at night as he was really angry. I did not say a word, I was so scared for my life. She said at the time she shared her location with her team and parents in case anything happened to her. In screenshots of alleged text messages sent to her Disney colleagues and obtained by the Mail, Zhou called Renner violent. I am worried, she told one co-worker, adding that she was at his home alone. Do you think you will be safe staying there? her co-worker asked, to which Zhou replied: Yes, I should be ok. In a separate text chain, Zhou was told by a different colleague to get out of there as fast as you can. I did not reach out to him, he pursued me, she told the Mail. I didnt even know his name, never watched a movie of his. He used me and denied me and denied our work. She added in one of her recent Instagram posts that Renner has refused to make any public promotion for their projects, despite our repeated pleas public and private for support. Instead, he has allowed without stepping up for false information to spread through fan accounts falsely claiming that the documentary was generated by AI and denying any personal relation or professional collaboration, she wrote. These statements are untrue. Zhou continued, alleging: When I called him out privately about his past misconduct and asked him to behave properly, to respect me as a woman and as a filmmaker, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on me, an act that deeply shocked and frightened me. Such behavior is unacceptable and emblematic of the imbalance of power that continues to harm women in our industry, she wrote. She provided the Mail with additional screenshots of an alleged text exchange with Renner, in which she called him out for using apps to send dick pix, warning him that no one said anything so far. open image in gallery Jeremy Renner was previously accused of abusive behavior by his ex-wife ( Getty Images ) Immigration will be notified of your , he allegedly responded, with the rest of the message cut off. Zhou reportedly refused to share the full text with the Mail. Renner, who survived a near-fatal snowplow accident in January 2023, has previously been accused of abusive behavior by his ex-wife, Sonni Pacheco, to whom he was married from 2014 to 2015. Following their divorce, Pacheco sought sole custody of their daughter, Ava, accusing Renner of being an unfit parent. She accused him of using drugs and having them within reach of their daughter, and threatening to kill Pacheco and himself. The Hawkeye star vehemently denied the accusations in a July interview with The Guardian, calling them clickbait. Renner and Pacheco share joint custody of their now-12-year-old daughter. 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 In a striking departure from the traditional cosy English mystery, a new adaptation of Agatha Christies beloved characters, Tommy and Tuppence, is set to bring the iconic sleuths into the 21st century. The upcoming six-part drama, titled Agatha Christie's Tommy & Tuppence, will see the duo tackling murky secrets and nefarious crimes with the aid of modern technology, including phones, social media, and even TikTok. This marks the first time an English-speaking television audience will witness Christies work modernised in such a way, despite contemporary adaptations having previously emerged in Japan, Korea, India, and Sweden. Filming for the BritBox series is currently underway in the UK, with a premiere anticipated in 2026. Phoebe Eclair-Powell, the writer and executive producer, spoke from the set in late October, highlighting the careful approach taken with the material. open image in gallery Antonia Thomas, second right, and and Josh Dylan, right appear during the filming of the Agatha Christie series Tommy & Tuppence ( Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP ) She confirmed that securing permission from Christies estate was a significant step, and the production has been meticulous in ensuring that new technology does not "simplify" the classic puzzles, such as a locked-room mystery. "We have used it, but carefully, sparingly, and when we think actually that its enhanced the original story that its adapted from," Eclair-Powell explained, describing the process as "tricky" but one they hope Christie herself would have approved of. James Prichard, Christies great-grandson and manager of her literary estate, expressed his enthusiasm via email. He noted that Eclair-Powell presented a "brilliant take on the stories which put them in the modern day," and that the "energy & vitality of these characters" made the decision to proceed feel "completely natural." Stars Antonia Thomas, known for The Good Doctor, and Josh Dylan from The Buccaneers, were recently observed on set in the library of a 17th-century mansion. Thomas, who takes on her first title role in this production, shared her delight, assuring fans that the interpretation is "grounded and modern" while still allowing her and Dylan to be "capering in a classic Agatha Christie way." She also hopes the contemporary setting will draw in new viewers who might typically be deterred by period dramas. Dylan echoed this sentiment, describing the modernisation as bringing a "looseness" and "freshness" that gives the miniseries a distinct feel. Readers familiar with the "Queen of Crime" will recall Tommy and Tuppence from short stories and four novels published between 1922 and 1973. open image in gallery Antonia Thomas, left, and Josh Dylan in Tommy & Tuppence ( Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP ) These characters were reportedly among the authors favourites and aged alongside her in each appearance. In this new iteration, Tommy is reimagined as a crime writer and Tuppence as a struggling actor, both operating as amateur sleuths, with a palpable "will-they-wont-they" dynamic underpinning their relationship. The cast also features Imelda Staunton as Tommys Aunt Ada. Production is scheduled to continue throughout November. 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 Comedian Alan Carr has donated his entire 87,500 prize money from his victory on Celebrity Traitors to Neuroblastoma UK, prompting the childrens cancer charity to express profound gratitude for his "commitment, compassion and drive." Carr, who was crowned the winner of the BBC spin-off series during Thursday nights tense final, has been a patron of the charity since 2016, describing the cause as "close to his heart." In a heartfelt message shared on its social media channels, Neuroblastoma UK told the Chatty Man star: "Alan, what a moment. We cant tell you how grateful we are. Weve adored watching you over the last three weeks; all the more so with the glimmer of hope that if you did well, it might just mean something big for our small charity. And you did it." The charity further lauded Carr's long-standing dedication, stating: "As our faithful Patron for nine years, your commitment, compassion and drive to bring hope to children and families facing this aggressive cancer have been nothing short of transformational. As a small charity with a big mission, you know how much this means to us." They also praised him as "generous, warm, empathetic and unfalteringly kind," promising: "We promise to do you proud." Alan Carr broke down in tears after winning Celebrity Traitors ( BBC ) During the final episode, Carr became visibly emotional, bursting into tears as he revealed his traitor status to fellow faithfuls, comedian Nick Mohammed and historian David Olusoga. Speaking to the visual podcast Uncloaked, he explained his reaction: "The charity is so close to my heart that it all became a bit too much. Hopefully when people see how upset I was they wont feel so bad that I killed all those national treasures." He added: "I told one person at the charity and they started crying, so that gives you some idea of how important this money will be to them. Neuroblastoma is such a cruel disease, and this money will literally save lives. Its a charity and disease that no-one has really heard of so with the viewing figures being what they are its going to be so good for the charity." Carr became the first patron for Neuroblastoma UK, founded as The Neuroblastoma Society in 1982, after meeting parents of children affected by the rare cancer. Neuroblastoma develops in early nerve cells and predominantly affects children under five years old. He has been described by the organisation as "a passionate, dedicated ambassador." 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 Paul Hollywood has claimed this years winner of The Great British Bake Off is the best the show has had in a long time. Jasmine Mitchell, a 23-year-old medical student from Edinburgh, was crowned the victor of 2025s series after making the largest cake in Bake Off history. Mitchell said she was overjoyed after her 1.2-metre showstopper led to her season 16 triumph over fellow competitors Tom Arden and Aaron Mountford-Myles, while also prompting Hollywood to make his grand statement. Previous winners have included Georgie Grasso, Matty Edgell, Syabira Yusoff and Giuseppe DellAnno. Mitchell received two Hollywood handshakes during her time on the show and became the second contestant in Bake Off history to receive five Star Baker wins. open image in gallery Jasmine Mitchell won The Great British Bake Off this year after receiving five Star Baker wins ( Channel 4 ) Mitchell said of her victory: I hope that in winning Bake Off I have made my friends, family and Scotland proud. I miss being in Scotland a lot, I grew up in Edinburgh and its a big part of my heritage. I feel like the more time I spend in London, the more I long to be in the Scottish Highlands! Mitchell, who has alopecia, continued: If I had told myself three years ago that I would be going about my life without wearing a wig, with no hair, I would have laughed and said, Dont be ridiculous. I could never have imagined being on Bake Off, let alone doing it with no hair. Reflecting on the moment she won, she said: When it was announced that I won, Aaron instantly picked me up and spun me around. My friends and family then ran over and completely surrounded me. This felt like such a testament to my whole Bake Off journey. I feel very blessed to have been encouraged, held and supported by so many people throughout the competition, without whom I could never have got to where I did. I am so grateful for everyone around me who carried me through the process, especially my boyfriend Theo, my housemates, my family and everyone at our church who unknowingly ate my practice bakes. open image in gallery Paul Hollywood said GBBO winner Jasmine was the best in a while ( Channel 4 ) She credited contestants Tom and Aaron with making the final almost manageable, stating: I have a lot of love and admiration for my fellow finalists, Tom and Aaron. I dont think I would have been able to do it without them being alongside me in the tent. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, presents a People's Liberation Army (PLA) flag to the captain and political commissar of the Fujian at a naval port in Sanya City, south China's Hainan Province, Nov. 5, 2025. Xi on Wednesday attended the commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, in south China's Hainan Province. Xi boarded the aircraft carrier to inspect the vessel at a naval port in Sanya City. (Xinhua/Li Gang) SANYA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping on Wednesday attended the commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, boarded the aircraft carrier to inspect the vessel after the ceremony at a naval port in the city of Sanya, south China's Hainan Province. Bearing the hull number 18, this aircraft carrier is one of the country's three carriers currently in service. Named after Fujian Province in east China and launched in June 2022, the vessel was independently designed and built by China. About 2,000 representatives from the navy and institutions involved in the construction of the aircraft carrier took part in the ceremony on Wednesday. At the ceremony, Xi presented a flag of the Chinese People's Liberation Army to the captain and political commissar of the Fujian, and took a group photo with them. Aboard the vessel, Xi was briefed on the country's aircraft carrier development. He learned about the systematic combat capabilities of the aircraft carriers and the electromagnetic catapult system. On the flight deck, new-generation carrier-based aircraft, including the J-35 and J-15T fighter jets and the KongJing-600 early warning aircraft, were parked in sequence. Talking with carrier-based aircraft pilots, Xi encouraged them to keep improving their skills and expertise, and to contribute to the development of the combat capabilities of the Fujian. Xi visited the control tower on the island section of the Fujian to learn about flight command and takeoff-and-landing operations. He then entered the pilot house, where he signed the log book. It was Xi's decision that the Fujian adopt the electromagnetic catapult system. On Wednesday, he visited the control area of this system and attentively observed the operational procedures. He also toured the vessel's dining facilities and crew quarters to inspect the living conditions of officers and sailors. Cai Qi and Zhang Guoqing also attended Wednesday's ceremony, which was presided over by Zhang Shengmin. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, poses for a group photo with representatives of the Fujian aircraft carrier unit at a naval port in Sanya City, south China's Hainan Province, Nov. 5, 2025. Xi on Wednesday attended the commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian, China's first aircraft carrier equipped with electromagnetic catapults, in south China's Hainan Province. Xi boarded the aircraft carrier to inspect the vessel at a naval port in Sanya City. (Xinhua/Li Gang) 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 This years most-wanted beauty products combine TikTok trends with timeless classics and cover everyone from the teen whos just discovering serums to the grandparent who loves a pamper. So whether youre shopping for under-20 stocking fillers or something truly splurge-worthy, here are a beauty journalists top picks for Christmas 2025. 1. Glow Hub Collectable Hand Sanitiser Cleansing Mist, 7Best for: Teens and Tweens If youre buying for a TikTok-obsessed teen, Glow Hub is the Gen Alpha-approved brand thats both safe and fun. Founder Tiffany Salmon-Mills has built trust with parents through age-guided formulas and transparent messaging. These 3-in-1 sanitisers cleanse, hydrate, and smell surprisingly luxe plus the collectible charms and sticker packs mean theyll actually want to use them. The perfect stocking filler for budding beauty lovers, it lets them join the community without venturing into products they dont need just yet. Its perfect for the Gen Zs and Gen Alphas in your life. 2. Biodance Bio Collagen-Real Deep Mask, 14.90, BootsBest for: Late teens50s This viral overnight collagen mask from Korea is one that TikTok cant get enough of. It floods the skin with moisture thanks to ceramides and cica (a plant also known as tiger grass that has been trending this year thanks to its soothing, healing and antioxidant properties), which means your face will feel smooth and glowy after an evenings wear. Because our collagen reserves decline around the age of 25, anyone looking to replenish those reserves is to consume it via collagen supplements. Applying collagen topically however provides temporary hydration and elasticity by improving the ability of skin cells to retain and attract moisture. These K-beauty masks are perfect for university students or anyone needing a hydration reset. 3. Rhode Skin On-The-Go Set, 90Best for: 20s30s Hailey Biebers beauty brand Rhode continues to dominate clean girl culture on social media. The brands cult peptide lip treatments remain its crown jewels: hydrating, reparative and glossy, its formulated to smooth lip lines and pamper your pout with a non-sticky finish. For skincare lovers, the glazing fluid delivers Biebers signature glass skin in a bottle a lightweight spray packed with amino acids and ceramides to instantly hydrate and smooth skin. The Rhode On-The-Go Set brings these favourites together in perfectly portable minis alongside a branded compact mirror. It includes the lip treatment, glazing mist and peptide eye prep patches making it an ideal gift for travel, post-party recovery or anyone chasing that effortless, glazed glow this Christmas. 4. Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, 21, Space NKBest for: Teens40s Inspired by Brazils appreciation for pert behinds, Sol de Janeiro became a trending beauty brand back in 2024 thanks to its signature formula that blends Guarana extract with Brazil nut and a selection of fatty acids to leave skin firm and tight. The brands bestseller, the Brazilian Bum Bum cream, has a buttery formula which scents the skin with delicious nutty notes. With gift sets and limited edition scents launched for Christmas-time, it makes a great gift for any body care enthusiast. 5. Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask, 21, John LewisBest for: 20s40s Beloved by everyone from Kate Moss to Brooke Shields, the Laneige Lip Mask is a cult classic that transcends generations, nourishing lips overnight leaving them soft and plump by morning. Its blend of vitamin C, shea butter, coconut oil and murumuru butter delivers deep hydration and antioxidant protection, whether worn overnight or as a glossy daytime balm. With its berry scent and buttery texture, its no wonder this hydrating hero has become a social-media favourite. Its a bedside must-have particularly during the winter months when lips are prone to cracks and dryness. 6. UKlash Lash Growth Serum, 38Best for: 30s50s For those trying to grow out their lashes or brows, youve probably seen the likes of celebrities from Molly-Mae Hague to Anthea Turner raving about UKlash. Its lash growth serum is enriched with vitamin B5, green tea extract and myristoyl pentapeptide-17, which nourishes and conditions lashes while stimulating growth for fuller, stronger results in just a few weeks. Quick and effortless to apply, its loved by influencers and beauty insiders alike for delivering real, visible results with minimal effort. 7. Neals Yard Remedies Age Defying Duet, 95Best for: 40s+ For anyone dipping their toe into the clean beauty movement, this duo is a really thoughtful gift choice. It brings together two staple formulas from Neals Yard Remedies a British brand rooted in natural and certified-organic ingredients which help replenish and smooth the skin with sustainably sourced frankincense and botanical oils. Whether it becomes a weekend treat or a nightly wind-down, its a great gift for those wanting an excuse to slow things down. 8. Colour Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray, 27, M&SBest for: All ages The go-to hair brand for celebrity stylist Chris Appleton who frequently works with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Kim Kardashian Colour Wow is ultimate insider brand for achieving red-carpet-worthy shine at home. The backstage secret behind glass-like, humidity-proof hair is its lightweight Dream Coat spray which transforms frizz into mirror shine for up to three washes. 9. Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Iconic Lip and Cheek Kit, 29Best for: 20s60s Charlotte Tilburys Pillow Talk range has achieved near-mythical status for its universally flattering pink tones and this curated lip and cheek set captures the magic in one swoop. Comprising of the cult lip liner, glossy plumping lipstick and glow-enhancing Beauty Light Wand, its a perfect gift for make-up lovers of all ages flattering every skin tone and skin type. 10. Caudalie Vinoperfect Dark Spot Brightening Serum Vitamin C Alternative, 52Best for: 30s60s This French pharmacy favourite is a great solution for uneven tone and dark spots. Powered by vine-sap derived viniferine shown to be up to 62 more effective than vitamin C in lab tests the serum visibly lifts sun spots, post-acne marks and age-related pigmentation no wonder its quickly become a Caudalie bestseller. Lightweight, oil-free and suitable for all skin types (even sensitive), it layers easily under your regular moisturiser and is a thoughtful gift for anyone wanting a more luminous and even complexion. 11. Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, 52Best for: 40s70s Made a viral hit in a get-unready-with-me video by Molly-Mae Hague, the Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm is a national favourite for good reason. Rich and soothing, this cult formula transforms from balm to oil to milk, effortlessly melting away make-up and daily grime. Infused with padina pavonica, elderberry and starflower oils, it nourishes while deeply cleansing, leaving skin soft, hydrated and perfectly prepped for the rest of your routine. 12. StylPro Wavelength LED Face Mask, 99.99, Look FantasticBest for: Grandparents (or any tech lover) Beauty tech has taken off more than ever before in 2025 particularly LED light masks. With multiple light settings targeting wrinkles, pigmentation, and texture, this LED mask delivers spa-grade results at home, while using a range of light settings to target multiple skin concerns in one go. Its the ultimate self-care upgrade for any generation. One of the more affordable face masks on the market, but not less effective (delivering up to 830 nanometers of light penetration that reaches the lower dermis of your skin), its the perfect Christmas gift for anyone curious about the next wave of skincare innovation. 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 Eucalyptus isnt just good for koalas. The Australian herb can help people hydrate dry skin and ease joint pain, according to experts. While the eucalyptus trees leaves are toxic for humans to consume, the leaves produce a powerful essential oil that can be safely applied on the body when mixed with lotion or vegetable oil. Commonly used in aromatherapy, the oil may help strengthen the outer layer of the skin and lock in moisture, according to the skincare brand Kiehls. These essential oils are concentrated plant extracts, Cleveland Clinics Dr. Melissa Young explained. They can be used in different ways from just inhalation to use with a massage and putting them in the bath. Used medicinally and in ceremony by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years, eucalyptus has anti-inflammatory properties that Egyptian and South Korean researchers say have helped people with arthritis. open image in gallery Using eucalyptus can help reduce inflammation and ease joint pain ( Getty Images/iStock ) Their antimicrobial activity helps prevent infection, while their anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties contribute to reducing inflammation and pain associated with wounds, pharmacologists in Egypt and Iraq said in January. Eucalyptus oil is especially useful during cold and flu season. It can fight infection and ease frustrating congestion, the clinic noted. Its strong, woody scent opens up the nasal passages, making it easier to breathe and helping the body to break down mucus. The oil can also help stave off ugly cold sores and all you need is a couple of drops and a teaspoon of vegetable oil to dilute. You dont want to apply most [essential oils] directly to the skin unless you have a carrier oil because you could get a rash, burns, or allergic reactions, said Young, noting that essential oils are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Women who are pregnant, people who have asthma, and those who get headaches or migraines should avoid them, she added. open image in gallery Eucalyptus essential oil has been shown to reduce anxiety levels ( Getty Images/iStock ) But, for the majority of users, eucalyptus oil can help soothe stress and promote winding down when used correctly, the Cleveland Clinic says. Eucalyptus oil has been shown to decrease anxiety levels, South Korean researchers found in 2014. Adding a handful of drops to a bowl of hot water or a diffuser can do the trick. Many people use it in diffusers to create a soothing environment during cold and flu seasons, Miranda LaBant, a naturopathic medical doctor at the Brio-Medical Integrative Cancer Treatment Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, told Prevention. 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 Eight years after announcing her retirement from Hollywood to become a working royal, Meghan Markle is reportedly reviving her acting career to make a return to screens as herself. The Duchess of Sussex who stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and returned to the safety of California citing exhaustion and desire for peace is believed to be filming scenes for a forthcoming film, Close Personal Friends, alongside Lily Collins, Brie Larson and Jack Quaid, according to The Sun. A studio source claimed the duchess was on set of the Amazon MGM Studios production shooting scenes in Pasadena this week. They added the film, which follows two couples one famous and one not who become friends, was a massive moment for Markle and signifies a return to doing what she truly loves. open image in gallery Meghan Markle is reportedly returning to the big screen alongside Lily Collins, Brie Larson and Jack Quaid ( Getty ) According to the source, Markle has been swamped with offers to get back in front of the camera but this one perhaps the easiest role of all time felt right. It is Meghans way of gently putting her toe back in the water and seeing how she enjoys being back on set, they explained, adding everyone was super excited and had been sworn to secrecy. Markles decision to play herself in her career-reviving role is decidedly strange. She has spent the last year being beguiled by bees and making cakes with B-list celebrities on her lifestyle series With Love, Meghan, which was widely lampooned. Could playing herself fix a floundering reputation? Somehow it seems unlikely. The 44-year-old former Suits star, who played paralegal Rachel Zane for seven seasons of the show, was a solid actor before she packed it all in to shake hands and wave from balconies when she agreed to marry Prince Harry in 2017. I never had to worry about a scene she was going to be in. I knew that shed bring a performance that was just right, The West Wing star Tim Matheson told Fox of his time directing Markle during season one of Suits last year, adding the duchesss choice to quit acting was a bold move on her part. For Markle to play herself now feels more than a little overly safe and misguided. Theres always something decidedly cringe about an A-lister who cameos as their own famous face in a film: Donald Trump in Home Alone, Al Pacino in Jack and Jill, Katy Perry in Zoolander 2, to give a few examples. Markle returned to screens amid her Hollywood hiatus with the tell-all Harry & Meghan documentary that aired in 2022, followed by two seasons of With Love, Meghan in March and August 2025, which saw her cook and craft alongside stars including Mindy Kahling and Queer Eyes Tan France to try and make good on her deal with the streaming platform thought to be worth over $100m (74m). A special Christmas episode of With Love, Meghan, called Holiday Celebration is now slated to air this December for the festive season. In August this year, Sussex's multi-million-dollar deal with Netflix became markedly less prestigious when it became a first look deal rather than an exclusive contract with the streaming service. Now, Netflix will get to see what content the couple come up with and say yes or no before anyone else but they will not be under any obligation to stream it. A huge glaring sign that nothing Markle has released as herself has hit quite the same success reputationally as Suits her last good performance. open image in gallery Tan France and Meghan Markle on her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan ( Netflix ) Yet, perhaps the true reason Markle can only play herself is that she has such a domineering personal brand thanks to all this Netflix hullabaloo that its too difficult for her to believably play anybody else without severe amounts of special effects makeup or some kind of elaborate costume. Still, if were to believe what sources say to People, Markle, who has been put through the ringer quite enough in the past decade, is very relaxed and happy about her small part. Maybe, after all the criticism and the disparaging reviews, taking a creative risk felt just a little too scary. Sometimes, its better the devil you know even if that is yourself. 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 Starbucks is issuing an apology after customers were sent into a frenzy over its new bear-shaped holiday cups. The coffee giant launched the 20-ounce glass, also known as the Bearista, in stores Thursday, the same day its holiday menu returned. However, customers on social media claimed that when they got to stores bright and early hoping to snag one of the coveted cups, they were either sold out or being bought by Starbucks staff before shops even opened. Some customers also claimed that their local Starbucks stores had only one or two of the bear-shaped cups, which cost $29.95 each, to sell. Now, Starbucks is reacting to the cup going viral and apologizing to customers who couldnt get it. However, the company didnt specify how many were sold in each store. The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations and despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast, a spokesperson for Starbucks said in a statement to The Independent. We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused. Starbucks is selling its Bearista cup for the holidays for $29.95 ( Starbucks ) The company also told customers that more exciting merchandise [is] coming this holiday season. However, Starbucks didnt say exactly what new items will be available. On Thursday, many customers on X expressed their disappointment about the lack of Bearista cups in stores. Just feeling so disappointed with @Starbucks and their employees they only left one Bearista bear cup out for sale and took the rest of them to the back, one wrote. Hey @starbucks, glad I woke up at 4 am to go to your store for the new bear cup to be told the only one they had an employee purchased. Sick system, another tweeted. A third added: Imagine waiting an hour and a half in line before a Starbucks opens to purchase one of the new glass bearista cups, only to find out they are sold [out] before they unlock the door. The cups are such a viral sensation that theyve already made their way to eBay, where theyre being resold for anywhere between $150 and $500. However, the Bearista cup wasnt the only holiday drinkware that Starbucks released in stores this week. The company collaborated with Hello Kitty to launch a collection of tumblers, mugs, cold cups, and water bottles. Prices for cups vary, with the stainless steel cold cup and ceramic mug retailing for $32.95 each, and the water bottle retailing for $29.95. Starbucks also brought back its highly anticipated red holiday cups this week. There are six holiday cups this year, including two iced versions, all of which feature Starbucks classic dark green and red colors. The cups are inspired by plaid pajamas worn during the holidays, as well as Starbucks baristas aprons, the company said. However, the annual Red Cup Day, where Starbucks customers can receive a free reusable red cup, isnt until November 13. 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 Two weeks ago, a palliative care vet entered our home at our request to put our sweet, kind, 13-year-old rescue dog Pip to sleep. It was a hideous decision, one that still keeps me awake at night. Making this choice is appalling and gut-wrenching, but ultimately its the last act of love we can offer the dogs weve shared our lives with. Pip was a smooth-coated collie, a breed thats on the vulnerable list because you rarely see them any more. People would stop us in the street to ask what he was theyd never seen a dog like him before. The breed was popular in the 1970s, but has fallen out of fashion since, though Im not sure why. Theyre wonderful dogs, and are even used as assistance animals in some countries. Pip was so special, though I know every dog owner feels exactly the same way about their own dog. Thats because our dogs share our lives, our homes, our daily experiences. Losing them can feel incomprehensible; learning to live without them can seem impossible. Yet at no point have I ever considered cloning any of my dogs. Tom Brady revealed this week that his most recent dog, Junie, is actually a clone of his previous dog, Lua. Given that hes an investor in a biotech company that specialises in cloning pets, this revelation will undoubtedly generate business while planting the idea in many dog owners minds if they can afford it. open image in gallery Tom Brady cloned his previous dog, Lua, who passed away in 2023 ( Facebook ) For grieving owners desperate to bring their dog back, cloning may feel like the answer to their broken heart. A way to say goodbye without actually saying goodbye for ever. But its not that simple. If were seriously considering cloning our dogs, we need to pull back the curtain and examine the facts behind this growing industry. I genuinely believe that by cloning a dog, we miss the entire point of the dog we shared our life with the one that affected us so profoundly, that became part of the family. That dog was one of a kind, and personally, Id like them to stay that way. I dont want to diminish what we had by simply creating a copy. As a dog behaviourist, Ive built my methods on a fundamental belief: that every dog is different. Each dog is unique in their own way, with their own personality, quirks and needs. Whether its my own dogs, dogs Ive fostered, or dogs I work with, every single one has been different. And thats the point that cloning seems to miss. When your dog enters your life whether as a rescue or as a puppy theyre with you during a specific phase. My deaf dog Cookie was with us before we had children, then stayed as our family grew. She was the apple of my eye, my true love. I miss her every single day. I feel like Ive been punched in the stomach whenever I try to look at videos or photos of her. If someone told me I could clone her and bring her back, would I? Absolutely not. Im not the same person I was when we first got her. My life is different now. She was one of a kind, and I could never have her soul back, even if her body looked the same. And this, for me, is the crucial part. By cloning an adored dog, I believe we do them a disservice. We fail to see them as an individual whose memory deserves to be treasured. We overlook the soul inside them the essence that connected us on a deeper level. We ignore the reality that our behaviour, our life circumstances, our home environment, our children, our work, our routines will all mean that the cloned dog can never be the same dog. Its an impossibility, even if they look identical. Its rather like taking two puppies from the same litter they may have similarities, but they arent the same dog. They never can be. open image in gallery Canine expert Louise Glazebrook misses her dog, Pip, dearly but draws the line at cloning ( Louise Glazebrook ) The rise in dog cloning, with more than 1,200 successful pet-cloning procedures carried out globally in 2023, clearly shows that dog owners are interested in this concept. But I would urge anyone considering it to think about the reason behind this trend. Most often, that reason is to make the owner feel better. It wont be in the dogs best interest it will be to avoid grieving, to satisfy their need to touch that dog again. Believe me, I understand this with my whole broken heart. But I still dont believe its the way forward. In the UK, cloning your dog is not legal. One company circumvents this by freezing tissue samples and shipping them to the USA for the deed to be done. However, with the fee standing at approximately 45,000 to produce a dog from an ear tissue sample, I would argue that there are far better ways that money could be spent to improve how our dogs are bred and raised in this country. Gemini Genetics, the UK company that freezes the samples, describes the clone as your dogs twin. But as Ive pointed out, a twin doesnt mean youre getting the same dog. It simply means they may look visually similar. That isnt the same as the cloned dog being your actual dog, the one you loved and adored. The wonderful thing about humans is that we can bond so deeply with our dogs, and they with us. Its a pleasure and a privilege that Ive dedicated my working life to, because I feel so strongly about helping humans and dogs live happily together. So if youre looking to bond deeply, to care deeply, to adore a dog deeply, there are countless dogs around the globe searching for that love right here, right now, waiting for you. Louise Glazebrook is a dog behaviourist and the bestselling author of The book your dog wishes you would read and Everything your puppy wants you to know out now, published by Orion. www.louiseglazebrook.com 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 On Veterans Day, volunteers normally gather at the Riverside National Cemetery in California to place flags at more than 300,000 gravesites. But not this year. The longest federal government shutdown on record is curtailing and outright canceling parades, ceremonies and other events across the U.S. that typically mark Veterans Day. It's another fallout of the shutdown that was already being squarely felt by military families who are worried about their paychecks. In California, organizers of A Flag for Every Hero said they couldn't move forward with the event on Tuesday without access to restrooms, traffic control and other needs for the thousands of participants. Elsewhere, a lack of federal employees and access to military facilities has scrubbed other Veterans Day events. open image in gallery Grave markers of U.S. veterans are shown at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery where the upcoming annual Veterans Day program has been canceled due to the federal government shutdown in Dallas, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 ( AP Photo/LM Otero ) We have a responsibility to provide them the resources they need, and unfortunately with the shutdown we're unable to do that, Laura Herzog, founder and CEO of Honoring Our Fallen, which organizes the Riverside National Cemetery event. Many communities will still hold Veterans Day gatherings, including some of the nation's largest and well-known events such as the annual observance at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and the New York Veterans Day Parade. The disruption to a federal holiday that is intended to honor those who have served in the armed forces comes as military families face uncertainty week to week about their pay. The Trump administration has found ways to pay troops twice since the shutdown began Oct. 1. The Texas National Cemetery Foundation canceled an annual Veterans Day event at the cemetery in Dallas-Fort Worth, saying organizers wouldn't have time to stage the ceremony even if the shutdown ended soon. In Virginia, city leaders in Hampton cited concerns about a lack of servicemembers to participate in its annual parade because of the shutdown. Our veterans deserve to be recognized with great pomp and circumstance," Hampton City Manager Mary Bunting said in a news release. Without the presence of our active-duty military, we are concerned that the parade would appear sparse and that the recognition might fall short of the honor our veterans so richly deserve. Organizers of Detroits annual Veterans Day parade say theyre moving forward with the Sunday event, but it wont include an appearance by a U.S. Army band or a helicopter flyover. Others are relying on even more help from volunteers than usual to make up for the lack of federal resources. Despite the upheaval, some communities are still trying to find ways to honor veterans even as events are canceled. In Mississippi, the Gulf Coast Veterans Association canceled its annual parade in Pass Christian. But the group said it would use funds for the event to instead provide Thanksgiving dinners for veterans and active-duty members. "While we share in the disappointment, we are choosing to turn this setback into a blessing," the group said in a Facebook post. When U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales learned that the Veterans Day ceremony at Fort Sam Houston Cemetery in San Antonio wouldn't take place, the Republican congressman's office took up organizing the annual event. Gonzales, a Navy veteran whose grandfather is buried at the cemetery, said that meant working with nonprofits to find someone to sing the national anthem and to provide chairs for attendees. We honor our veterans no matter what, and that's exactly what we did, Gonzales 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 A top judge in Iowa has been charged with operating while intoxicated, OWI, after motorists reported seeing her unconscious at the wheel while her truck was moving into oncoming traffic on a major highway. Adria Kester, 55, chief judge for the states Second Judicial District, was taken into custody after drivers began calling 911 shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday, describing a pickup creeping eastbound in the westbound lanes of U.S. Highway 30 near Boone, a city near Des Moines. One of the callers said she looked unconscious" and that she was "slumped over the steering wheel. As the vehicle drifted into the center of the road, one of the witnesses climbed into the truck through the back window and put it in park, the Des Moines Register reported. open image in gallery Adria Kester, 55, chief judge for the states Second Judicial District, was taken into custody after drivers began calling 911 shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday ( AP ) A Boone County Sheriffs Office deputy said he found Kester in the drivers seat, appearing to be heavily intoxicated and unsteady. He wrote that she could not walk on her own and was assisted to an ambulance for treatment. Deputies said they found a cup with a liquid that smelled like alcohol in the vehicle and that Kester had bloodshot watery eyes and slurred speech. After being cleared by medical services, Kester still could not walk and refused to answer whether she would be willing to undergo field sobriety testing, according to the complaint. The deputy wrote in the complaint that he also determined it would not be safe to conduct those tests given her condition. A warrant was issued to obtain a sample of Kesters blood at the Boone County Hospital. She was arrested for her first offense, operating while intoxicated, and booked into jail around 4 a.m. The complaint doesnt reveal the result of any testing, according to the AP. She was released from the Boone County Jail on Wednesday morning, according to court records. open image in gallery Adria Kester, chief judge of Iowas Second Judicial District has pleaded not guilty to an OWI charge ( AP ) Boone County Sheriff Andy Godzicki said a blood sample taken from Judge Kester has been sent to the state crime lab for analysis. He noted he was relieved no one was hurt during the incident. This is a difficult situation for both the Kester family and our office, Godzicki said, stressing that he had directed deputies to handle the case as they would any other. Kester entered a notguilty plea Wednesday afternoon through her attorney, Matt Lindholm, a prominent Iowa lawyer known for defending clients in drunkdriving cases. Judge Kester recognizes the seriousness of the situation and is fully cooperating with law enforcement and the judicial process, Lindholm said in a statement. She is committed to addressing this matter responsibly and in accordance with the law. Kesters role as chief judge immediately complicated the case. On Wednesday, a district associate judge stepped aside, citing her professional relationship with Kester. Iowa Chief Justice Susan Christensen, who herself had appointed Kester chief judge in the district, then ordered that the matter be reassigned to another district, and Judge Gregory Brandt was appointed to preside. According to a profile of Kester on the Iowa Courts website, she graduated from Iowa State University in 1994 and Drake University Law School in 1998. She began her career as an assistant public defender, later spending six years in private practice before moving into prosecution. She served as assistant county attorney in Boone and Hamilton counties and eventually became Boone County attorney. Kester joined the bench in 2013 as a district associate judge in Iowas Second Judicial District, the first woman to hold that post. In 2017, Governor of Iowa Kim Reynolds appointed her district court judge, again breaking ground as the districts first woman in that role. In 2022, she was appointed chief judge, overseeing courts across 22 counties and hundreds of staff members. She has also been active in statewide and local bar associations, as well as the Iowa Association of County Attorneys. 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 Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, has been arrested on charges unrelated to her daughters disappearance. Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officials took Buzzard into custody on Friday at her Lompoc, California home. The sheriffs office said in a press release that her arrest on a felony charge of false imprisonment is unrelated to their missing person investigation. Officials say detectives recently learned that Buzzard had prevented a victim from leaving a location against their will. They added that no other information about that incident is being released at this time. Meanwhile, the search continues for her daughter Melodee, who was reported missing on October 14 when the Lompoc Unified School District reported her prolonged absence. open image in gallery Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, was arrested Friday on unrelated charges. The search for Melodee continues ( Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office ) Deputies who went to the familys home in Lompoc said they spoke with her mother, but no verifiable explanation for [Melodees] whereabouts was provided, according to the sheriffs office. Buzzard has not cooperated with the investigation, they added. Earlier this week, the sheriffs office announced that they'd narrowed their investigation to the timeframe between October 9 and October 10, while the pair were on a multi-state road trip to Nebraska. Surveillance images show Melodee, in what appeared to be a wig, alongside her mother at a Lompoc rental car company on October 7. The last confirmed sighting of Melodee came two days later, on October 9, near the Colorado-Utah border. But when her mother returned home on October 10, Melodee was nowhere to be found. open image in gallery Surveillance images show Melodee, in what appeared to be a wig, alongside her mother at a rental car business that same day. The last confirmed sighting of Melodee came two days later, on October 9, near the Colorado-Utah border ( Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office ) open image in gallery California authorities released new surveillance images of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard ( Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office ) Investigators also announced this week that they believe Buzzard removed the California plate 9MNG101 from the white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu rental car and replaced it with a New York plate HCG9677 either on or before October 8 in order to avoid detection. When she returned the car, the California plate was back in place. It is unknown when the plate was installed or whether additional plates were used at other times during travel. The sheriffs office said they remain focused on finding Melodee. They shared a map of the vehicles stops along Buzzards route back to California, which they believe took her through Green River, Utah; Panguitch, Utah; northwest Arizona; Primm, Nevada; and Rancho Cucamonga, California. Zeroing in on that crucial 24-hour window between October 9 and October 10, authorities urged anyone in those communities to check surveillance and report relevant information. open image in gallery The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office shared a map of the vehicles stops along Ashley Buzzards route back to California ( Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office ) open image in gallery Zeroing in on that crucial 24-hour window between October 9 and October 10, authorities urged anyone in those communities to check surveillance and report relevant information. ( Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office ) Local authorities, assisted by the FBI, also searched a storage locker and a rental car believed to have been used on the multi-state road trip shortly before the child vanished. It is unclear if anything was found. Melodee is described as 4 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities have provided two phone numbers and a web address for anyone with information about Melodees whereabout: a Detectives Line: (805) 681-4150; an anonymous tips line: (805) 681-4171; and an online tips address: www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Maka Botchorishvili in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Dai Tianfang) BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Maka Botchorishvili, Georgia's minister of foreign affairs, in Beijing on Friday. Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China has always viewed and developed its relations with Georgia from a strategic height and long-term perspective. China is willing to work with Georgia to consolidate strategic mutual trust, carry forward their long-standing friendship and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation to promote the greater development of bilateral relations, he added. Wang noted that China will advance a broader agenda of opening-up across more areas and at greater depths, and said the country is willing to enhance its strategic alignment with Georgia and explore cooperation potential. It is also ready to expand cooperation in fields such as the economy, trade, connectivity, and people-to-people and cultural exchange, and to promote high-quality cooperation on the joint construction of the Belt and Road to bring it to deeper, more substantive levels. Wang said that China stands ready to work with Georgia to implement the Global Governance Initiative, and to better safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the Global South, as well as the common interests of the international community. He also welcomed Georgia to join the International Organization for Mediation. Botchorishvili said that Georgia attaches great importance to its relations with China and looks forward to elevating bilateral relations. She noted that Georgia will continue participating actively in the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and deepen practical cooperation with China. Georgia hopes that the upgraded version of its bilateral free trade agreement with China will be implemented at a faster pace, and that more Georgian products will enter the Chinese market, she said. Georgia adheres firmly to the one-China policy, and is willing to continue strengthening its cooperation with China on international and regional affairs to contribute to maintaining world peace and stability, she added. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia Maka Botchorishvili in Beijing, capital of China, Nov. 7, 2025. (Xinhua/Dai Tianfang) NEW DELHI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- India's finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman Thursday said the country needs a lot of big and world-class banks, and discussions were on with the central banking institution -- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and lenders in this regard. The finance minister made the comments during the 12th State Bank of India (SBI) Banking and Economy Conclave in Mumbai. SBI is India's largest state-owned bank. Sitharaman said the consolidation of existing public sector banks can also be one of the routes to create bigger banks. "It is not by creating from among those which exist today just by amalgamation. That can also be one of the route, but you need an ecosystem and also an environment in which more banks can operate and operate to grow, so that environment is actually well established in India," she said. India has already seen two major waves of mergers of public sector banks. In 2017, SBI absorbed its associate banks, and later in 2019 and 2020, 10 such lenders were merged into four larger entities. Those moves reduced the number of state-run banks to 12 from 27. A commissioner in charge of two precincts carries out a "Vote Here" sign as people stand in line to cast their vote at Hynes Charter School in New Orleans on Election Day on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune) Walt Leger III is the president and CEO of New Orleans & Company. Qantas will cut back on domestic flight capacity, as corporate demand proves weaker than previously expected, three years after COVID lockdowns ended. In a market update, Qantas flagged domestic growth of 5 per cent in the second half of 2025, from an estimate of 6 per cent, tipped in August. Qantas Economy Plus seating will roll out in 2026. Australians love of travel continued to drive strong leisure demand, with the resources sector and small and medium business travel also growing, CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a speech at the companys annual general meeting in Brisbane. Corporate travel continued to grow, although less than previously forecast. We are adjusting domestic capacity in the second half to match the demand profile we are seeing. 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 Some artists see talking to journalists as a necessary evil. Aida Tomescu is not one of them. Tomescu could talk about her work and life under wet paint and perhaps thats what shell do, if ever the two-metre-high paintings stacked against the walls in her studio topple onto her tiny frame (perish the thought). Its because I did not speak for 23 years in that country, she says matter-of-factly when I mention her loquaciousness. That country was Romania, the then-Communist stronghold she left in 1979, aged 23. After a year in Greece, where she taught herself English via a dictionary and novels, Tomescu came to Australia, building a new life in free, sunny Sydney thanks to the nomination of a kind stranger, a fellow Romanian residing in Liverpool. Its not just the quantum of talking, though. Its that Tomescu speaks so eloquently, using such precise language paintings are not finished, they resolve themselves; she does not have inspiration, rather, sources and referencing the likes of Chopin and Messiaen, Flaubert and Dostoevsky, Cezanne and Titian, that you could sit and listen to her in her mellifluous Eastern European accent for hours. (Maria Stoljar did. The Talking with Painters podcaster turned up for a one-hour interview with Tomescu back in 2017. Eight hours and some parking ticket jitters later, she was still there.) This is a significant time to be speaking with Tomescu. Last month, she turned 70, and five months earlier, in May, she marked 45 years in Sydney. I used to always celebrate the anniversary of my arrival in Australia, she says, surrounded by paintings in her Rosebery studio. Wherever I was in the world I would sit and have a glass of wine, or a Campari, to Australia. This year, however, she forgot. I was here, she says, waving her hands around. I realised a day or two later. So I guess I celebrated differently, by working. That busy period was the lead-up to her first Sydney exhibition in three years, to open next Friday at Fox Jensen Gallery in Alexandria. It will feature more than a dozen paintings, including three towering triptychs, at least two diptychs of similar scale, and five smaller works. Its only the second solo show since the gallery reopened in new, expanded premises a few months ago, and the first in the new space for an Australian artist, at a gallery largely dedicated to international ones. Aida Tomescu aged 18, during her student years in Romania. She says the rigour and discipline of her training in Bucharest is the bedrock of her practice. Credit: Courtesy of the artist Advertisement While youd expect co-owner Andrew Jensen to talk up his artist, he nevertheless nails something about Tomescu as he does so. Her work transcends the vitiating forces of fashion and dispenses with the current allure for political science 101 that grips so much of what is made today, he says. Jensen says this not to entirely denigrate the popular political narrative, but to say that great painting, as is the case for music and poetry, leaves the manoeuvring to others. What Aida chooses to leverage is a deep knowledge and consequential feeling for poetry, literature and music and art. With more than 40 solo exhibitions to her name, Tomescus work features in most major public and many private collections nationwide. Shes also shown offshore, most recently through Flowers Gallery, which took her to the print fair at New Yorks Armory in March and has also shown her in London and Hong Kong. Its a sign of her standing that the big canvases in her upcoming show will sell for $100,000 to $300,000 a pop. I go from show to show, cycle of painting to cycle of painting. I dont think much of the future, nor of the past. Is she one of Australias most revered abstract painters? Living painters? Female painters? Probably all three. Surprising, then, that Aida Tomescu is not a household name. While shes won a suite of Art Gallery of NSW prizes the Sulman, the Wynne and the Dobell that was back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Shes also yet to publish a monograph, unlike even the most emerging of young artists. And while shes had terrific solo shows at Orange Regional Gallery and the Drill Hall in Canberra, shes yet to be given one by a top state or national institution. Aida Tomescu at Constanta on the Black Sea, in 1970. Between the ages of four and seven she spent a lot of time there with her grandmother. Credit: Courtesy of the artist Perhaps it reflects the lot of older artists in a culture ever thrusting towards the new, and the relative rarity of solo public shows for living Australian artists anyway. Particularly abstract artists, who are still not as popular here as figurative ones. And painters, at a time when art is often anything but things you hang on a wall. It may reflect, too, that Tomescu is of here but also, very much, of elsewhere. Shes neither overtly seeking to depict this country, nor using any of its regular tropes. Im a Romanian-born artist who turned into an Australian painter, is how she puts it. Advertisement To arrive at Tomescus studio is to be overwhelmed by the senses. The smell is glorious if you like aroma de wet paint (I know, I shouldnt) but its the sight that really hits you. Everywhere you look are massive canvases covered in thick red and white paint, some yellow and other shades in there, too. Drips, splotches, accidents, and areas with no or very little paint at all. The works are both similar and different. Aida Tomescu in her studio in 2019. She builds her paintings up over many years, through a process that involves painting and scraping back. Credit: Jenni Carter Almost everything about Tomescus practice defies easy assumptions. Her works might suggest velocity but she builds them up painstakingly over many years via a process that involves painting, scraping off, painting some more. She works on a few at once and constantly looks for links between them. The paintings tell her when theyre finished. They may look like an emotional outpouring but theyre anything but such a state would make her lose the clarity essential to her work. People relate to red as a colour of anger or passion, they see many things in red but it will never be that for me, she says. Its similar to music. Music is not about emotions but it amplifies the emotion in us. As to sources Messiaen was one for this show she says the whole point of art is to travel the distance away from the artist, from their private life, to become something of its own, with its own, new identity. If theres a source it will have been transformed in the process until it becomes irrelevant. She used to be in the studio until all hours but has made a concerted effort more recently to protect her health. I used to paint through the night, without a mask or gloves or barrier cream, and on top of it, chain-smoke, she says. Ill health forced her to adopt all three, and open the windows more. While shes still learning to take days off this does not come naturally for a painter she recovers after a big show by travelling to Europe to revisit her favourite works in the Louvre, at Londons National Gallery and in Venice, home to some of her favourite Titians. Aida Tomescu with her mother Ecaterina at the Frari in Venice. Ecaterina came to visit Tomescu in Sydney in 1987, and never left. Credit: Courtesy of the artist Tomescu bought this studio in 2018, partly because of its four-metre-high ceilings. But a curious thing happened when she moved in. I thought Id need a number of months to set up but I found myself sitting on the floor with the boxes all around me, and starting to paint smaller works. It was more than six months later that she started ordering larger canvases. To Jensen, her growing scale reflects not just the bigger studio but also her adopted home country. I cant imagine if she was still in Romania that shed be painting six-metre triptychs, says Jensen. The tone and chromatic intensity is probably something thats been quietly infected by being in Australia, too. Advertisement We leave the studio and head to Potts Point, the inner-city area Tomescu has lived for her entire Australian life. This is where we first met, when we lived in the same Elizabeth Bay apartment block. She cut then, as she does now, an ethereal figure, all alabaster skin and red lipstick, dressed more often than not in a long skirt, buttoned up shirt and cardigan. Her mother, Ecaterina, lived with her then, having arrived for a six-month visit in 1987 and never left. Like her daughter, she was beautiful, and like her daughter, impeccably dressed. She lived with Tomescu until her death in 2010 of a heart attack, just shy of her 83rd birthday. She created all the circumstances for me to be a painter without knowing it, Tomescu says. Ecaterina was inclined to bouts of melancholy when Tomescu was growing up, which she presumes was because of her father, who drank too much and womanised too much and dearly wanted to escape Communism (Ecaterina eventually left him when Tomescu was 16. He died a couple of years after Tomescu left Romania; her sister, about whom she doesnt want to talk, is also no longer alive). Ecaterina was a pharmacist whose job took her around the country, so young Aida was regularly sent to stay with her grandmother in Constanta on the Black Sea. With no toys nor other children to play with, Tomescu was given sketching tasks by her grandmother, also a distant woman. Back in Bucharest, her mother took her occasionally to visit an uncle, who painted reproductions of works hed bought. I couldnt work out why the originals were so alive, and his copies carried nothing of that, Tomescu says. I would discuss this with my mother on the way home. Aida Tomescus Messiaen III, which will feature in her first Sydney exhibition in three years, opening this month. Credit: Jenni Carter At age 10 she started going to art school on top of regular school, and by 1977 had a diploma of art from Bucharests Institute of Fine Arts, where she learnt to paint using plaster casts and life models. I will be forever grateful for the Romanian education system of that time, for being so rigorous and disciplined, she says. Its still the foundation of my work. When she came to Australia she undertook a postgraduate diploma of art while working for the Department of Immigration and later taught at the National Art School. She was painting and exhibiting at the same time and, six years in, managed to save enough to buy her first apartment. Not that it was driven by financial concerns; she knew that unlike in Europe, renting here would leave her open to being kicked out, which would disrupt her time in the studio. It was successful exhibitions in the late 1980s at Coventry Gallery in Paddington that elevated her status. Surprisingly, this left her depressed. Everything changed around me. People thought I would change, but I didnt. She began questioning what it was that made people buy her work. Success, she concluded, is better for the family and friends of artists than for the artists themselves. Advertisement Aida Tomescus Double Violetta. Her paintings often feature red but she says she is not a colourist, and that her use of red hues does not signify passion or fury. Credit: Jenni Carter That said, money does help, and shes successfully lived off her art for more than two decades. Shes known to be demanding on her dealers some might say thats an understatement which has led to some cases of falling-out, about which she is iron willed. Relationships end when they dispense with dialogue, when a gallery excludes the artists views, when they no longer share the same values, she says. The problem for most artists is not that they are too difficult, its that they are too trusting. Tomescu did much of the cooking in her household when growing up but her mother took over domestic duties when she moved in with her. The studio was my domain, and the house became hers. When I came home, Id ring the doorbell. When her mother died, she couldnt get her head around her not existing any more. My days and travels stayed exactly the same, except for the heartbreaking reality that she was no longer there. Shes had relationships over the years but says she never wanted to marry any of the men she had them with, and that while shes fondly observant of children, she would not want to have to mind one. Aida Tomescu in her Rosebery studio. She turned 70 this year, and celebrated 45 years in Sydney. Credit: Steven Siewert Loading For Tomescu, life is, and always has been, about the art. I go from show to show, cycle of painting to cycle of painting, she says. I dont think much of the future, nor of the past. In this respect, growing up in Romania was useful. It wasnt a place of high expectations, and thats good for a painter. You dont work for the exhibition, you dont work for the success, you certainly dont work for the financial rewards. You work for the painting, and the only expectations you have are for the work. Messiaen runs from November 15 to December 20 at Fox Jensen Gallery in Alexandria. 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 Whats good, whats bad, and whats in between in literature? Here we review the latest titles. See all 51 stories . Tis weeks reviews range from literary detective fiction and a romance to make the BookTokkers cry, to a controversial treatise on Israels future and a sensible guide to how to spend money. FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK Credit: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny Kiran Desai Hamish Hamilton, $34.99 From the author of Booker Prize-winner The Inheritance of Loss comes a luxuriant and consuming postcolonial fiction with many layers to its labyrinth, some of them running in opposition to luxuriant and consuming postcolonial fiction. Sunny Bhatia and Sonia Shah are neighbours in Allahabad. Hes a journalist with AP, shes a fiction writer, and their attempt at making a match whirls into a chaotic miscellany of literary genres, from gothic novel to magical realism, from modern romance to noir crime conspiracy. At heart, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is a literary love story, but its also a novel with the lot. The ethics of representation in fiction and in journalism, the dignity of work, the atomisation of post-industrial life, the throng and tumult of contemporary society on the subcontinent. Its all covered in a book that heaves with contradiction and paradox, wrestled at its finest into lucid and thought-provoking indeterminacy. Lucky Thing Tom Baragwanath Text, $34.99 Credit: Advertisement Follow-up to the award-winning Paper Cage, the second in the Lorraine Henry crime novels sees her investigating a crime no one wants to know about in rural Aotearoa New Zealand. Lorraine is a wonderful, left-field idea for a detective. Shes a middle-aged records clerk for the police who sleuths above her station when occasion demands. With an inside view of police constraints and capabilities, she doesnt hold out much hope that the latest victim, Jessica Mowbrie a girl kidnapped, beaten and dumped in the bush will get the justice she deserves. Still, Lorraines job gives her access to files containing everything the cops know about the case, and she takes it upon herself to hunt down the perpetrator. Using her knowledge of local gossip to unpick a web of small-town malice and leaning into the tendency of some people (mostly men) to underestimate or just not see women of a certain age coming Lorraine might just succeed where those in uniform fail. Baragwanath writes superior literary detective fiction with a faultless command of plotting and structure. Crime lovers shouldnt overlook this one. The Killing Stones Ann Cleeves Macmillan, $34.99 Credit: Detective Jimmy Perez has settled in Orkney with his family. He has a thing for wild and remote Scottish islands, having been involved in investigations in the Shetlands. Now, a childhood friend, the larger-than-life Archie Stout, is found dead after a storm lashes the island. The murder weapon? A Neolithic artefact bearing strange inscriptions, lying nearby. With the small community reeling from the violent death, in a place awash with secrets, legends and history, Jimmy must overcome his personal grief and look at the islanders with fresh eyes, hoping to track down a killer before they strike again. Ann Cleeves hardly needs introduction shes the acclaimed writer behind such well-known detectives as Vera Stanhope (played by Brenda Blethyn in the long-running TV series Vera) and she seems to enjoy uncovering rough diamonds in the northern half of the UK as much as readers will. The Killing Stones is a windswept police procedural that digs deeply into mysteries past and present, and its peppered with earthy humour to keep Jimmys grim task bearable. Heart the Lover Lily King Canongate, $32.99 Credit: If you liked Lily Kings Writers & Lovers, with its 31-year-old waitress struggling to establish a writing career, youll have no hesitation diving into her sixth novel, Heart the Lover a prequel and a sequel of sorts, with another love triangle, of sorts. It begins as a campus novel, in the 1980s, with the narrator meeting two bright English literature students, Sam and Yash, and joining them for card games and literary banter over summer, as youthful desires and ambitions coalesce. The novel then leapfrogs the sunset of youth and lands at the dawn of middle-age, where the narrator living the dream is pulled back to reflect on her salad days and re-evaluate choices made long ago. King is brisk and witty, with a surprisingly hopeful take on both youth looking forward and age looking back. I wont pretend Im one of the BookTokkers whos cried rivers on social media over the books last section (as if), though Kings sensitive depiction of relatable characters certainly makes her stand out. Its a more salient achievement as the material here could so easily have been trite, especially given how many novels about college romance and self-discovery are out there. Advertisement Hekate Nikita Gill Simon & Schuster, $34.99 Credit: Nikita Gill has written a verse novel devoted to Hekate, the ancient Greek goddess of magic. The deity might best be known from Shakespeares Macbeth, where she admonishes the witches, but Gill reimagines her from her birth during the Titanomachy the war between Titans and their offspring that established the Olympian pantheon. (They say on Earth that ichor/ the gods golden blood/ rained from the sky.) With Zeus and Poseidon determined to find the young Hekate and her mother, Asteria, and make them submit, the goddesses must flee their remote sanctuary and head for the gates of the underworld. There, Hekate is welcomed; Asteria turned away. Under the care of Styx and Hades, a traumatised young Hekate begins to assert herself, but even the gods fear her power. Female-focused reimagining of Greek myth is a cottage industry, and a lot of it fails to do justice to the creative potential in the idea (or the ancient history involved). Gills verse novel has the advantage of being compressed into poetic form. Few words are wasted, and its evocative and well researched, even if the character of Hekate and her arc feel closer to the heroine of a YA novel than an incarnation of dark divinity. NON-FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK Credit: Israel on the Brink Ilan Pappe One World, $34.99 The stark, central premise of this examination of the post-October 7 conflict is that we are witnessing the end of Israel and the Zionist project. But Pappe, an Israeli Jew and noted left-wing historian (who supports the one democratic state vision as apart from the two-state solution), doesnt see the collapse of Israel as a doomsday scenario. Rather, a cause for optimism. It necessitates what he calls the decolonisation of Palestine, which he states is the only hope for Jewish Israelis in the future to live as equal citizens in a liberated Palestine. But that future has to be imagined now, and to this end, he divides his book into eight parts, each one outlining the mental and actual mini-revolutions that will need to take place first. The final section is, indeed, imagined a fictional diary account of travelling through a peaceful, co-inhabited land in the symbolic year of 2048. At the very least, this is a controversial treatise (some might substitute pie-in-the-sky for optimistic) that will spark passionate responses across the political spectrum. Advertisement Muster Dogs Melissa Spencer, with Monica OBrien and Brianna Peacock ABC Books, $45 Credit: This strikingly photographed spin-off to the ABC series Muster Dogs gives you a pretty good idea of why it was so hugely popular from the impressive landscapes to the stories of the graziers. But make no mistake, its the dogs who are the stars, and you get the distinct impression from these crisp, vivid shots that they know damn well they are. Take the priceless image of Young Muster Dog Pesto running alongside seasoned kelpie Lola. Its a muster dog master class, the old dog, by example, teaching the new dog old tricks. But as the commentary explains, the graziers and trainers are crucial in bringing on the next generation of dogs that will not only know how to herd stock but show them respect, key factors often being the bloodline. The authors also emphasise the deep bond that emerges between graziers and their dogs, and the cycle of learning reflected in the knowledge passed on down generations. White Male Stand-Up Alan Davies Monoray, $34.99 Credit: Alan Davies follow-up to his earlier memoir Just Ignore Him in which he spoke candidly about being sexually abused by his father is, despite the title, more confessional than comedic. Davies, best known for the TV series Jonathan Creek, discourses on a range of subjects, most of which such as being diagnosed with a tumour in the bladder may not seem to be the stuff of humour. But his conversations with his doctor, which run through the book, have a light, ironic touch that accentuates the seriousness. His description of a nasty alcoholic binge in Australia though, is candidly confessional while also containing a particularly vivid, even poetic, account of the sun rising over Uluru. Likewise, his shame at recalling a shabby review of Peter Cook just before he died. Composed of a series of sketches, he covers, among other things, the complexities of fame, landing the role in Jonathan Creek and the vagaries of stand-up comedy, in an engaging, natural voice. Advertisement Advertisement Eating outGood Food Guide Greek to Vietnamese, strip malls to fine diners: The Good Food Guide heads west The number of western suburbs restaurants in the Guide has nearly tripled over the past four years and locals are loving it. For these eateries, the extra attention is welcome. Emma Breheny November 8, 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 A pizzeria with red and white checked tablecloths, a wood-fired Greek restaurant and a destination for northern Vietnamese cuisine are among the 30 restaurants in Melbournes west reviewed in the latest Age Good Food Guide. That number is a marked shift from past editions of the Guide, nearly tripling in the span of four years. Kena Gudina (right) of Gojo Ethiopian Cafe in Sunshine performing a traditional coffee ceremony. Jason South It has brought more attention to the western suburbs, says Kena Gudina, whose Sunshine restaurant Gojo Ethiopian Cafe was included for the first time. Sometimes people think that good food is just in the city. Among the 30 western suburbs restaurants in this years Good Food Guide are eateries in Truganina, Maidstone and Sunshine North, and span two-hatted fine-diners to simple shopfronts in Footscray. Melbournes west might be the most dynamic region of the city to eat in, says Age Good Food Guide co-editor Frank Sweet. Thats been true for a long time, and we realised we needed to work harder to show that dynamism in the Guide. Advertisement The inclusions have been met with a mix of emotions from local business owners, from surprise to pride. Keilor is very Keilor proud, says Joshua Cusato, who runs Paesino pizza restaurant in Keilor Village with wife Vanessa. This is the second year its been included in the Guide. Puffy-crusted pizzas at Paesino in Keilor. While locals were slow to embrace the restaurant when it first opened in April 2023, he says: Once we started getting a bit of recognition they were bragging about us. The growth of western suburbs venues in the Guide mirrors the increasing numbers of Melburnians who call the west home. Advertisement Two local government areas in the region the cities of Wyndham and Melton are in Melbournes top five LGAs for population growth in the past 10 years, adding 135,500 and 90,390 residents, respectively. Theres great things in the west, and more people should make the trip out. Dont just come to the airport. Joshua Cusato, Paesino restaurant That growth is expected to continue, as the West of Melbourne Economic Development Alliance forecasts that Melbournes west will almost double in size to 1.8 million people in the next 25 years. From Filipino to Ethiopian, Balkan and beyond, theres exuberant cooking and big flavours wherever you look in the west in strip malls, in supermarkets, in food trucks, Sweet says. It was important to us that this years Guide celebrated the areas breadth and abundance because which two words better describe eating in Melbourne? Paesino has a homely charm. Advertisement The dining scene in the west has changed a lot in the past five to seven years, says Cusato, who grew up in Altona and Keilor Downs. For a while it was pretty stale, I would say. But in the pre-COVID period, something just burst and there was an influx of really good businesses, he says. Hes seeing a younger demographic who normally hangs out in the foodie areas of Fitzroy, Collingwood and Brunswick now coming to the west to eat. After Paesino was included in The Age Good Food Guide 2025 as a Critics Pick a place the Guides reviewers recommend regardless of its score out of 20 Cusato says he was visited by more customers from the inner city. After that Critics Pick last year, that was a big game-changer, he says. He also says diners expectations grew in response. For some restaurants that pressure can be unwelcome, but he says he enjoys being held to a high standard with his 48-hour fermented pizza dough. Advertisement The Cusatos started making pizza in their home garage in Sunshine North, and initially took takeaway orders via Instagram. Joshua says he always wanted to open a restaurant in Keilor after growing up in Keilor Downs, and was beside himself when a space became available in Keilor Village. Keilor Village is like its own little country. If youre not from Keilor, people ask why youre there, he says. Inside Gojo in Sunshine. For Gudina, choosing to open in Sunshine 14 years ago was a risk thats worked out. At the time, Gojo was one of the first East African restaurants in the suburb. There was a lot [of Ethiopian food] in Footscray, says Gudina. But we wanted to try something and attract more people from the western suburbs. Advertisement It was really hard at the beginning, and then it started growing a little bit more. Its such a strong community and the people are very warm and supportive. We love being part of the area. Its always growing too. Related Series Go west Offering Ethiopian coffee ceremonies and large platters of colourful dishes, Gojo has since been featured on Channel Nines Postcards program, by food influencers on social media and in this years Good Food Guide and its Cafes and Bakeries Guide. Gudina says being included in lists and guides was a proud moment. Advertisement Restaurant reviews, news and the hottest openings served to your inbox. Sign up Along with wanting to be Sally Boyden from Young Talent Time, my first dream was going to Disneyland. From age six, my head exploded watching The Wonderful World of Disney over Rice-a-Riso snazzed up with flaked almonds by Mum. The fireworks! The castle! The Snow White Grotto! I was desperate to get there. So when I actually rocked up to actual Disneyland in 1979, in a denim midi and braces like the singer in Promises, I felt euphoric. This week David Beckham was awarded a knighthood, and Jamie Melham won the Melbourne Cup. Credit: AP, Getty Felt like I do now on a good edible. But as with all trips, there was a downside to the high. Afterwards, reality felt more meh. Even then, with only Spirograph as a major life skill, I suspected having no horizon to move towards meant drifting in circles. This photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025 shows a scene during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The summit opened officially here on Friday and will run through Sunday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) HANGZHOU, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit kicked off on Friday morning in the ancient water town of Wuzhen in east China's Zhejiang Province. This year's edition, themed "Forging an Open, Cooperative, Secure and Inclusive Future of Digital Intelligence -- Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," includes 24 sub-forums on topics such as the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, digital economy, AI and data governance, along with a series of activities. Noting innovation, collaboration and trust as key to ensuring an open, inclusive and secure digital future, John Hoffman, CEO of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association, told the opening ceremony that: "If we get it right, we will unlock the full potential of the digital to enrich people's lives around the world, leaving no one behind." During the opening ceremony, a distinguished contribution award was presented to recognize individuals and enterprises that have made outstanding contributions to the global internet landscape. On Thursday, the WIC honored 17 international projects with its 2025 Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology, in a celebration of their breakthroughs in frontier fields such as AI models, intelligent Internet of Things, embodied intelligence and quantum computing. The winning projects included Microsoft's coding agent GitHub Copilot, Alibaba's open-source foundational large language model Qwen, and the key technologies and applications of China's BDS-3 satellite navigation signals. This year's WIC Wuzhen Summit will run through Sunday. This photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025 shows a scene during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The summit opened officially here on Friday and will run through Sunday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) This photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025 shows a scene during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The summit opened officially here on Friday and will run through Sunday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Guests attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province, Nov. 7, 2025. The summit opened officially here on Friday and will run through Sunday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) Ripping off the bandage We hear almost weekly that house prices have continued to rise, leaving first home buyers to watch as their chances of ever owning a house becomes a deceptive mirage. Rising prices work so well for those who are in their own home and more so if they own one, two or three investment properties. Everyone acknowledges this situation makes it harder for the person on the bottom rung of the real estate ladder, but we watch on in stony silence at the injustice. Negative gearing is middle-class welfare. How many hospitals, refuge shelters for the homeless on our streets, or properly funded public schools and improved public services would result if the bandage was ripped from the festering sore that negative gearing has become? Its impossible for many trying to enter the market, what chance does the future hold? Fairness and equity are words seldom heard when investors toast their good fortune, courtesy of a lame government that refuses to confront an unjust situation. Michael Newton, Doreen Planners motivations Shane Wrights report of the recent Grattan Institute report (6/11) points to the solution for unlocking affordable housing supply in our cities with higher density developments being freed up from obstruction by councils and NIMBYs. This begs the question, how did we get to a situation where housing needs are ignored in favour of parochial interests? The starting point is the state governments system where planning schemes are amended. Councils propose multifarious layers of new controls affecting the supply of new housing via appointed panels that consider them individually. There is no oversight of their cumulative effect, or of whether they pass the cost-benefit test. New regulation has to be subjected to a regulatory impact review, but not new planning regulations. There is no incentive for those in planning to challenge this system, as it is their bread and butter. It creates an ever-expanding number of jobs for planners. Will planners help educate people on the need for new housing solutions, or are they too conflicted? Rodger Gibbins, Urban Economist and Planner, Ivanhoe Merri-beks abject failure Adam Careys report Coburgs sea of car parks to be replaced by towers up to 18 storeys tall, 6/11, is news to many Coburg residents. Merri-bek Council has a history of not consulting residents. Unlike other councils, such as Boroondara, it did not consult residents regarding their submission to the state governments Activity Centre Plans which will involve the biggest change to our neighbourhood this century. Shame on our council at their abject failure to consult the people they are supposed to represent. Michele McKay, Coburg Community Action Group Liberal Partys plug Its hard to find a party leader when its difficult to understand what is being led. What actually is the Liberal Party these days? I kind of understood it under Fraser and the earlier years of Howard, but what are they now? I dont know and Ley is having trouble working that out too. Its like Scott Morrison pulled the plug out of the bath on departure and theres been no-one to fill it since. Robert Stephenson, St Kilda East Let Turkey host COP Australia and Turkey are locked in a battle to host COP 31, the international conference on climate change (Climate change talks on life support, 7/11). While recognising the benefit of putting Australia on the map in climate matters, hosting the talks seems counterintuitive and a little hypocritical. Turkey is central to Europe, Africa and Asia whilst Australia is comparatively isolated from most of the world. The extra distance required for international delegates to travel to this part of the world would result in significant amounts of greenhouse gasses being released, which directly impacts the climate resulting in global warming. Another negative is the cost is estimated at $1 billion. John Guy, Elsternwick Diabolical koala problem The starving koalas on French Island are just the current instance of the diabolical problem of the koala (Horrific mass koala starvation hits island, 7/11). Almost exterminated by a fashion for felt hats in the early 20th century, their forests almost entirely cleared for farms, confined to offshore islands and now many located to mainland sites far too small and isolated to support ever-growing populations. It seems no action can solve their problems. The only solution is planting hundreds of thousands of their few food tree species, that Professor Desley Whisson tried at the Otways a decade ago, but which would take decades to be usable as leaf-food. Letting them starve is awful, shooting them is awful, translocating them is impossible as every site is already overcrowded, fertility control is horribly expensive. Attacking the government for inaction is unhelpful. Real action must involve resuming farmland for re-establishing forests in which koalas can survive healthily. The underlying problem is the human takeover of so much space in this fragile country, one species displacing all others. Robert Bender, Ivanhoe East Power to plug in Having owned an EV for two years, the main issue is the lack of convenient charging facilities as I have moved into an apartment. Previously, I was in the Yarra Valley and trickle charged at home, boosted by solar panels. Now in the city, I am unable to access my private charging facilities at my apartment even though we have recently installed solar panels across the complex. Range anxiety is no longer an issue for me but rather the location and availability of charging points. More facilities need to be available with multiple charging points to encourage greater use and convenience if we are to meet the governments emission reduction targets. Denise Stevens, St Kilda Hold publishers liable The huge social media companies are laughing at us all the way to the bank (or Wall Street). Yet the solution to reducing the harm popular platforms are visiting upon our children and our community cohesion is simple. Governments around the world should coordinate and legislate so the companies operating the platforms are publishers. We already have a full and robust set of laws, regulations and case law covering publishers, to hold them to account for what they publish. Why shouldnt social media companies be similarly held to account? They would soon put in place the best algorithm of all prompt removal of damaging and often defamatory garbage published on their sites, to the benefit of our children and communities. Graeme Russell, Clifton Hill Shock the nation I agree with your correspondent (Letters, 6/11) on the Melbourne Cup. The annual celebration of cruelty, consumption and greed reflects the worst of the misguided values of short term thrills and possible gain at any price, including the exploitation of magnificent, vulnerable horses. I was sickened to observe the jubilation of the crowd and particularly those closely connected with the outcome of this race as the blood dripped from the mouth of the winning horse and seemingly went unnoticed for some time. Even then, the bleeding was attributed to a minor lesion. Did anyone ask the horse what victory tastes like? The Race that Shocks the Nation would be more appropriate. Peggy Cole, Carlton Loving the BOM My initial reaction of shock to the new Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) web site and the hissy fit that followed due to no warning or instructions on the new site, is now but an unpleasant memory. After forcing myself to navigate through the new site and seeing what pressing a few buttons showed, I now appreciate the detail provided. I can now plan my days more successfully with the hourly forecasts and have a much better idea of what is happening nationwide so simply. Thank you BOM, but a warning and instructions next time please. Jenny Callaghan, Hawthorn AND ANOTHER THING Credit: Matt Golding Liberal Party Criticism of Sussan Ley by Sarah Henderson reminds me of that person who didnt even make the school B team shouting advice and abuse at the players from the sidelines. In her case, from the safety and security of her Senate seat. Belinda Burke, Hawthorn The Libs shouldnt be too cranky with themselves. Theyve achieved one net zero target net zero credibility. (Liberal MP angered over last-minute recall to Canberra to resolve net zero debate, 7/11) Jenny Bone, Surrey Hills Trump world Have any of the attendees at the Mar-a-Lago party told Trump how The Great Gatsby ends? Libby Cooper, Bentleigh East I hope Pauline Hanson remembers that theres an L in the word Austraya (Australia) while shes waffling on at Mar-a-Lago. Judith Caine, Donvale Trump nearly always flourishes the announcement of his achievements, by adding the claim of it being in the history of the country. He can certainly claim that about the government shutdown, if he ever come to address it. Gerry Lonergan, Reservoir Hopefully Trumps criticism of Mamdani and Pelosi will have the effect of boosting support for the Democrats. John Walsh, Watsonia, Furthermore Tony Mokbel is a free man. Still, we should ask who pays for the hugh police costs to recapture the escapee from Greece in 2012. Mokbel should be asked to repay these. Henk van Leeuwen, Elsternwick Re the illegal trade controls almost 50 per cent of tobacco sales across Australia. Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world: Ive done it thousands of times (to paraphrase Mark Twain). Steve Barrett, Glenbrook Australian actor Damien Richardson has been found guilty of performing a Nazi salute at an event run and attended by white supremacists in Melbourne last year. But the magistrate agreed with Richardsons argument that he was mocking The Age newspaper when he performed the now-outlawed gesture, rather than pledging any loyalty to Nazism. Damien Richardson at an anti-lockdown protest in 2021. Credit: Photograph by Chris Hopkins Richardson, of Neighbours and Blue Heelers fame, had claimed hed been stung by this masthead likening him, in his view, to Adolf Hitler in its previous articles, and performed the salute as a satirical theatrical performance on September 14, 2024. At the time he was the main speaker at an event at the Urban St restaurant organised by white supremacist Matt Trihey and attended by senior neo-Nazis including Joel Davis and Blair Cottrell. While magistrate Justin Foster threw out Richardsons argument that the gesture had been theatre rather than speech, he agreed that the former actor had not engaged in the same antisemitic views expressed by others at the event, and had been mocking The Age or himself when he made the salute. More than 50 toddlers and babies will lose their community kindergarten, as the Albanese government claims Swinburne University is chasing a $14 million real estate payday. The local federal MP and Stonnington Council say talks to save the much-loved Windsor Community Childrens Centre (WCCC) have collapsed after the uni knocked back an $8 million joint offer to buy the site and keep the kinder operating from its home of nearly three decades. The Windsor Community Childrens Centre is facing closure. Credit: Joe Armao But Swinburne reacted indignantly on Friday to the public attack by the government and council, with the university saying that no $8 million offer had ever been made and that the tertiary institution had worked hard to find a fair solution to the kinders future. The uni also rejects the notion that it is evicting the centre, after giving notice nearly three years ago that it did not intend to renew the lease on the building to WCCC. Out of the total price tag, more than $13,000 was spent on accommodation and another $11,000 classified as other. Eight months later, Carroll and another board member spent more than $69,000 and more than two weeks travelling across Asia and Europe to sound out interest in the biggest contract of the SRL East project, a line-wide package that involves fitting out the tunnels, building trains and operating the rail line. A consortium called TransitLinX has been named as preferred bidder for this contract, expected to be worth at least $8 billion, but a final cost will not be determined until the agreement is finalised this year. Carroll, MacKenzie and chief operating officer Megan Bourke-ONeil returned to Europe for 10 days early in 2023 for a $95,000 trip to meet with firms that were unable to accommodate meetings in late 2022s compressed schedule. One of the cheaper international trips taken by SRLA staff was for three people to attend an Australasian Tunnelling Conference in New Zealand in 2023, which cost the taxpayer more than $5000, including accommodation. In November 2024, two senior staff at the authority spent more than $70,000 across multiple countries for meetings with foreign government representatives and visits to projects with bidders. The authority says overseas engagement has been critical in attracting world-class companies to deliver the project efficiently, which in turn helps manage costs. The Suburban Rail Loop is Premier Jacinta Allans biggest infrastructure project. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui The Allan governments most ambitious infrastructure project, the Suburban Rail Loop has been billed as a generational city-shaping venture vital to maintaining Melbournes liveability as it is estimated to become a city of about 9 million people in the 2050s. The first stage of the loop, SRL East, is an underground railway between Cheltenham and Box Hill and is expected to cost $34.5 billion. The north and west links, if built, would connect to Melbournes existing rail lines in a so-called hub-and-spoke system. As we get on delivering one of Victorias largest and most complex infrastructure projects, engaging directly with leading global construction companies, suppliers and operators is essential to secure the specialist expertise required to build this city-shaping project, a spokesperson said. The Suburban Rail Loop will slash travel times and cut congestion for busy families while delivering 70,000 more homes within walking distance to jobs, healthcare, green open spaces and Australias largest universities. Speaking on Friday, Allan defended Carrolls flights from Brisbane and his $900,000 remuneration package, which includes leave and other entitlements, because of the scale of the project. This is despite a previous recommendation from the Victorian Independent Remuneration Tribunal that he receive a range topping at $700,000. This is a hugely complex project that needs someone with the experience and expertise to head it up, Allan said. His principal residence is in Melbourne and as he privately chooses to travel to see family in Queensland, that is very much a matter for him. Opposition major projects spokesman Matthew Guy accused the state government of being out of touch. This is the middle of a cost of living crisis where a lot of Victorians cant afford to pay their electricity or gas bills, he said. Guy said a $900,000 salary might be justifiable if the $34.5 billion SRL East were fully budgeted, had an acceptable business case and Victorians knew where the money to pay for it was coming from. All of those things, its got none of, he said. The worlds most locked-down children are about to start school in Melbourne next year, with experts warning parents and teachers to look out for some potential behavioural issues. Most of next years preppies were born in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Victorian government declared a state of emergency, issued strict stay-at-home orders and mandated face masks and curfews. Lauren Donley, right, is preparing to send her daughter Audrey to prep next year. Professor Kim Cornish, left, says parents should watch out for potential behavioural issues. Credit: Eddie Jim For some pandemic babies, the lockdowns meant they got extra love and attention at home. But the longest and strictest lockdown regime in the world was also isolating and uncertain. Victoria University professor Kim Cornish, author of The Post-Pandemic Child, said babies born in 2020 could find it harder to concentrate, regulate emotions or mix with their schoolmates. The state government has labelled a new six-storey block to be built at Royal Perth Hospital as a game changer, with two floors allocated for a new emergency department and extra floors to increase capacity. Artist impression of the new Royal Perth Hospital S block. The latest announcement comes after Premier Roger Cook said his government will divert funding from the abandoned Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre upgrade to expand the states under-pressure hospital system at a cost of $1.5 billion. Cook said the project will be funded out of the new $1.5 billion Hospitals Fund, which is made up of $500 million committed in September, with a further $1 billion announced yesterday. It means my governments total health infrastructure spare commitment is around about $4.7 billion during this term of government, making it the largest hospital building program in the states history, he said. House prices in some of Melbournes most prestigious suburbs have plummeted despite a broader upswing in the citys property market. In Toorak, the median house price fell by $700,000 over the year to September from $4.85 million to $4.15 million, Domain data shows. The median house price in Toorak has fallen by $700,000 over the year from September, Domain data shows. Credit: Penny Stephens Prices fell by six figures in a handful of other $2 million-plus markets such as Hawthorn East, Malvern and Armadale, although these recorded single-digit drops compared to Tooraks 14.4 per cent decline. Domain chief of research and economics Dr Nicola Powell said deep price falls in dollar terms in some areas were relative to the median house price in the suburb, adding $700,000 is the price of a home in some areas. Advertisement InspirationSouth Africa Opinion Here to see animals, it was the plants that blew my mind Kerry van der Jagt Travel writer November 8, 2025 5:00am November 8, 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 Like many travellers to South Africa Im here for the big things the Big Five safari animals, sprawling wine estates, towering mountains so when our guide Sompila explains that the Capes characteristic fynbos vegetation is part of the worlds smallest floral kingdom I barely raise an eyebrow. After all, Ive joined the tour with the promise of adventure. Pocket-sized plant kingdoms, not so much. Photo: Jamie Brown But on our first day on Cape Towns Table Mountain a new appreciation begins to bloom. Under Sompilas guidance I learn that the UNESCO-listed Cape Floral Kingdom isnt just the smallest, but also the richest of the worlds six floral kingdoms. Despite its size a mere tuft on South Africas south-western tip it has the greatest non-tropical concentration of higher plants than anywhere in the world. Now that is big news. Before coming here I didnt know my fynbos from my rooibos, but the minute Sompila gives us free time I leap onto one of the ranger-led nature walks, bouncing from proteas to mountain daisies like a rock hyrax. Im tickled to discover that fynbos is an old Dutch word for fine bush, a perfect descriptor for these smallish plants that range from low-lying shrubs and delicate orchards, to succulents and sunbushes. As a biology student at university, I studied zoology, drawn to animals red in tooth and claw. In comparison botany seemed too predictable, too constrained. A little nerdy even. Advertisement Until I stepped inside this floral kingdom. With the eagerness of an explorer I make notes about the fabulous fynbos five - Proteaceae, Ericaceae, Restionaceae, Asteraceae and Geophytes. Words that whisper of rogue plants evolving, adapting, thriving and surviving, all sketched in my notepad with a dedication that would make Charles Darwin proud. Its a budding shift, but my transition to the green side has begun. The UNESCO-listed Cape Floral Kingdom isnt just the smallest, but also the richest of the worlds six floral kingdoms. iStock A day tour to Cape Point Nature Reserve brings me nose to spike with a Protea lepidocarpodendron, one of the monarchs of the fynbos, while the Cape of Good Hope delivers a swathe of red Ericas, their petals bursting like fireworks. Forged by fire, fynbos is the Capes great illusionist; unremarkable from a distance, but up close it blazes like a thousand shooting stars. The facts are mind-blowing 9000 species in just 90,000 square-kilometres, making it even more rich and varied than the Amazon rainforest. And of these, almost 70 per cent are found nowhere else in the world. Forget the science, surely such a hot spot can only have come about by alchemy. Advertisement The magic continues during a coastal hike, when two baboons saunter across my path like lords surveying their kingdom. These natural-born foragers play an important role in the ecology of the fynbos, helping to spread seeds and regulate plant growth. In days to come, well see monkeys and baboons in Kruger National Park, but the sight of this royal pair, their hooked tails waving like flags above the heath, is the story Ill tell for years. Related Article South Africa Dramatic peninsula is home to one of the worlds most scenic drives Our final stop at Boulders Beach on the way back to Cape Town brings animal antics of the African penguin kind. Critically endangered, this colony of 3000 birds relies on the dense fynbos for nesting and shelter. Its dusk as they come ashore, waddling through the undergrowth to feed their chicks beneath a low canopy of hardy leaves. With my new fynbos-tinted glasses firmly in place, I can better see that big things do come in small packages. If travel has one superpower, its the ability to transform us in the most surprising of ways. The writer was a guest of Inspiring Vacations. See inspiringvacations.com Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now. Traveller Guides What in the World, a free weekly newsletter from our foreign correspondents, is sent every Thursday. Below is an excerpt. Sign up to get the whole newsletter delivered to your inbox. A quiet night is a good night on a surveillance plane over Eastern Europe. Thats because a busy night means terror is coming to someone on the ground below. Ive been speaking with the crew of an aircraft patrolling the skies over the eastern edges of Poland. They cant tell me exactly where theyve been, but it is safe to say theyve been closer to the war in Ukraine than most pilots and crew will ever want to get. And theyve been doing it to monitor Russian attacks and keep the rest of Europe safe. An RAAF Wedgetail flies in formation with Australian and US jets in a file photograph. Credit: ADF The crew of this spy plane are trained to watch a bank of screens along the cabin of their E-7A Wedgetail, gathering the radar signals from a bulging fin on the spine of the aircraft. They are prepared for a hectic shift and know they are above a war zone. But they are human: they feel no joy in seeing the screens light up. Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative and also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attends the Belem Climate Summit ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and delivers a speech in Belem, Brazil, Nov. 6, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang said on Thursday that China will accelerate a comprehensive green transition in its economic and social development, while working actively and prudently toward peak carbon emissions. Ding, as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative and also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, conveyed Xi's best wishes for Brazil in hosting the summit in his speech at the Belem Climate Summit. Applauding Brazil's active and important contribution to advancing global climate governance as presidency of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, he expressed hope that the conference will be a full success. As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement, with global climate governance now entering a critical stage, Ding said that China has achieved remarkable results in implementing its 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Xi had solemnly announced China's NDCs by 2035 at the UN Climate Summit, covering all economic sectors and all greenhouse gases and setting an absolute emissions reduction target for the first time, which demonstrates China's firm determination and greatest efforts, he added. Recently, participants at the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee deliberated over and adopted the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, which made important arrangements for building a beautiful China, Ding said. The recommendations emphasize that with carbon peaking and carbon neutrality as the driving force, efforts should be made to promote carbon reduction, pollution reduction, green expansion and growth in a coordinated manner, to build a solid ecological security barrier, and to build up the momentum for green development, he added. China honors its words with concrete actions all along and will make greater contributions to addressing climate change, he noted. At present, mankind is standing at a new crossroads, which requires all parties to uphold true multilateralism, enhance unity and cooperation, and promote the steady and long-term development of global climate governance, said Ding, putting forward a three-point proposal to address challenges. First, he said, it is necessary to stay focused on the right direction, strengthen confidence, coordinate the goals of environmental protection, economic development, job creation and poverty elimination, improve people's livelihood and climate governance in a coordinated manner, and promote high-quality development to deliver more benefits to people across the world. Second, he said, it is necessary to implement climate action, uphold the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, and fully and effectively implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. Developed countries should implement their obligations to take the lead in reducing emissions, earnestly fulfill their investment commitments, and provide more technological and capacity-building support for developing countries, Ding explained. Third, he said, it is necessary to deepen opening up and cooperation, create a favorable environment for international economic and trade cooperation, strengthen international collaboration on green technologies and industries, ensure the free circulation of high-quality green products, and better meet the global demand for sustainable development. During his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the summit, Ding said that multilateralism and the work of the United Nations are currently facing unprecedented challenges. No matter how the international landscape evolves, China will adhere to true multilateralism, continue to fully support the core position and role of the United Nations in international affairs, promote dialogue and cooperation among countries, and make greater contributions to the cause of world peace and development. China is firmly committed to the path of green development and is willing to enhance communication and cooperation with all parties to jointly push for building a beautiful world featuring harmony between humanity and nature, he noted. Guterres thanked China for its consistent support for the United Nations' work, referring to China as not only a key leader in global climate governance but also an important pillar of world peace and multilateralism. The Global Governance Initiative proposed by Xi is of great significance for improving and reforming the existing global governance system, and the United Nations looks forward to further close collaboration with China, said Guterres. Also on Thursday, Ding attended a luncheon hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the "Tropical Forests Forever Facility" fund and delivered remarks. Ding said that in recent years, China has achieved remarkable results in ecology and environment protection, as well as economic and social development in its tropical rainforest regions. Protecting tropical rainforests bears on human survival and well-being. China is willing to strengthen cooperation with all parties in tropical rainforest protection and make greater contributions to global climate and environmental governance, he added. Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative and also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the Belem Climate Summit ahead of the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Belem, Brazil, Nov. 6, 2025. Ding attended the summit and delivered a speech. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan) PHNOM PENH, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia attracted fixed-asset investment of 9.2 billion U.S. dollars in the first 10 months of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 67 percent, said a Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) report on Friday. The Southeast Asian country approved 575 investment projects during the January-October period this year, up 66 percent from 346 projects over the same period last year, generating about 401,000 jobs, the CDC said. Those investment projects had been mainly focused on the areas of garment and non-garment manufacturing industries, infrastructure, agriculture and agro-industry, and tourism, the report said. China is still the top foreign investor in the kingdom, accounting for 52.38 percent of the total investment amount, the CDC said, adding that other foreign investors were from Singapore, Vietnam, the British Virgin Islands, Britain, the United States, the Cayman Islands, Samoa, and Bermuda, among others. Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State and spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and Cambodia's bilateral free trade agreements with China, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates are key factors in attracting foreign direct investment. "New investments will bring about new capital, technologies and employment opportunities for our Cambodian people," he told Xinhua. A safety pin worth Rs 69,000!!! Andhadhun Lootmaar: Pradas Rs 69,000 crochet safety-pinch has internet talking NEW DELHI : THE safety pin -- that unassuming everyday necessity -- has undergone a uber luxe makeover. At least in terms of its pricing. Italian luxury fashion brand Prada has pegged the humble metal fastener at a whopping USD 775, or almost Rs 69,000. The designer spin for the brass pin, which will double up as a brooch, is its golden sheen and a crochet detail. It has also quickly become the latest topic of conversation online and elsewhere in the crocheting community, being met with many a raised eyebrow and gasps of disbelief. The latest Prada offering particularly irked the crocheter community, which found it unreasonable and questioned the choices of those who bought it. Rajani Sharma, a Ghaziabad-based crocheter, said it was another way of big brands fleecing people in the name of luxury and wouldnt take more than two minutes to make. Anybody with beginner level understanding of crochet can make this, Sharma told PTI. Starting at the loop of the pin, one can make a row of single crochet stitches in one or more colours to make the Prada safety pin. To make it look fancy, you can attach a charm too, she added. Sharmas sentiment was echoed by crocheters on social media who posted Instagram Reels and uploaded their versions of the safety pin, some even making it in a little over a minute. While Indians on the internet called it andhadhun lootmaar (reckless robbery) and compared it to their mothers personal collection, social media accounts from across the world got together to collectively laugh at the absurdity of the safety pin. One Sapna Madan wrote on X: Andhadhun Lootmaar by Prada Their latest luxury item is a safety pin priced at $775 (Rs 68,758). Another user, Himanshu Tripathi, said, Me as a 90s kid wore it daily on belts, ties & broken hopes. Maas saree pallu already has a limited edition collection. Another user, Sejal, quipped, I have a dozen bought at ?50 each planning to sell with a 135,900% ROI. Who wants Stock markets when you have this option! Prada has put up the safety pin brooch in three colours: light blue, pink and orange, and carries a small charm with the brands logo. While one person on Instagram said, Prada may have lost the plot. Who buys this?, another wrote: I thought I had seen everything until I saw this! This is not the first time the fashion brand has found itself creating a splash for entirely unintended reasons. In June this year, Prada was caught in a controversy over featuring Kolhapur chappals in the mens 2026 fashion show that were priced at . The brand was criticised for stealing the credit and heritage of Indian artisans who have practised the craft for centuries. We acknowledge that the sandals featured in the recent Prada Mens 2026 Fashion Show are inspired by traditional Indian handcrafted footwear, with a centuries-old heritage. We deeply recognize the cultural significance of such Indian craftsmanship, a representative from Prada had said. Ajit Pawars son lands in trouble over Rs 300 cr deal PUNE : Govt orders probe, suspends official A RS 300 CRORE land deal in Pune involving a firm linked to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawars son Parth was embroiled in charges of irregularities and set off a political row, prompting the State Government to order a high-level probe and suspend a sub-registrar. CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday termed the land transaction prima facie serious and said he has sought information concerning the case from relevant departments. The Opposition slammed the ruling Mahayuti and demanded a judicial inquiry even as a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against three persons in the case. The Government has suspended a Sub-Registrar and set up a high-level committee under Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Vikas Kharge to investigate alleged irregularities in the land deal, said officials. PTI tried to reach Parth Pawar by phone for his comments, but he did not respond. The office of Inspector General of Registration (IGP) issued an order suspending R B Taru, Sub-Registrar attached to Haveli No. 4 office in Pune district, for irregularities in document registration and causing a loss to the State exchequer. The action against Taru was based on a report submitted by the Joint District Registrar and Collector (Stamps), said the order. According to an official, 40 acres of Mahar Vatan land belonging to the Government in Punes upmarket Mundhwa area was sold to a private firm, Amadea Enterprises LLP, in which Parth Pawar is a partner, for Rs 300 crore, and the stamp duty on it was waived. Being Government land, the plot cannot be sold to a private firm, he explained. Inspector General of Registration Ravindra Binwade said the high-level committee will find out how the Government land was sold to a private firm and ascertain whether the exemption was given as per norms. The documents submitted to claim the exemption will be checked. The committee will see what sort of documents were produced during registration. But as an immediate action, we have suspended a sub-registrar-rank official. If it is Government land, the registration should not have taken place, he said. Sources in the revenue department claimed that on the 7/12 extract, a key property document, the land is in the name of Mumbai Sarkar. Besides Parth Pawar, Digvijay Patil, in whose name the registration has taken place, has been show as a co-partner in the private firm. According to the IGR office order, the Sub-Registrar (Taru) should have registered documents only after verifying that the NOC from the competent authority was attached. In this case, the documents were registered without the NOC, resulting in serious irregularities, as observed prima facie. The registered documents included a letter of intent issued by the Zilla Udyog Kendra and a notification issued on February 1, 2024, by revenue and forest departments was also attached. Accordingly, the document was registered at Rs 500 while availing the exemption. However, though the exemption could have been allowed, there is a separate 2 per cent levy -- 1 per cent local body cess and 1 per cent metro cess - amounting to Rs 6 crore, which cannot be waived. Therefore, this resulted in a loss to the state exchequer, the order stated. A senior official from district collectorate said a tehsildar-rank officer, Suryakant Yewale, already suspended in another case, was also under the scanner in the present land deal. He said the district administration has initiated an inquiry against Yewale for allegedly allowing the transfer of Mahar Watan land in the names of private individuals who subsequently sold it to Amadea Enterprises. In the agreement, 272 individuals sold the Mundhwa land to Amadea through a power of attorney granted to Shital Tejwani, a Pune resident. Yewale had been suspended in another case in 2024 for irregularities in a separate land transaction, said the official. Fadnavis said, Prime facie, the issue looks serious. Ive sought information concerning the case from relevant departments. Orders have been given to conduct a probe. State BJP minister Nitesh Rane asserted, Our party will not tolerate anything like this. Zero tolerance for corruption is the style of Chief Minister Fadnavis. Nobody will be spared. Industries Minister Uday Samant defended Parth Pawar, saying his documents were in order. I have spoken to him. He will respond to all allegations. My department had nothing to do with the incentives and waivers given to the firm. The land doesnt belong to MIDC. Whether it belongs to the Government or any other authority needs to be checked, Samant said. The Opposition attacked the BJP-led Government over the land deal. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a judicial inquiry into the deal, claiming it was done in violation of the law. The purchase of land by the company of Parth Pawar must be investigated in a transparent manner, he demanded. He claimed the file related to the deal moved at rocket speed through Government departments. Within hours, the Directorate of Industries not only approved the transfer of land to the company for an IT park and data centre but also waived stamp duty of Rs 21 crore, the Congress MLA claimed. Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray said in Latur nothing substantial will come out of the probe and the Government will eventually give a clean chit to those involved. Thackerays party colleague Ambadas Danve claimed the land bought by the firm linked to Parth Pawar is worth Rs 1,800 crore. He said the firm passed a resolution on April 22 to set up an IT park and submitted a proposal to the government despite having a capital of Rs 1 lakh. Uneven, Unmarked, Unsafe Speed bumps near Sitabuldi flyover trigger chaos Owing to the big speed bumps installed near both ends of the Adivasi Shaheed Gowari Flyover, a police officer was seen assisting an auto-rickshaw, on Thursday. (Pic by Satish Raut) Staff Reporter : The Adivasi Shaheed Gowari Flyover, popularly known as the Sitabuldi Flyover, is once again in the news following the construction of four large, uneven speed-breakers near both of its ends. Already notorious for frequent mishaps, the flyover has now become even more perilous. The flyover has been a matter of contention for authorities for quite some time now. The flyover is barred for heavy vehicles but due to the absence of height barriers, heavy vehicles continue to traverse freely on the flyover, causing several accidents. The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court took suo motu cognisance of the matter after a report filed by The Hitavada, and instructed the authorities to install height barriers to avoid further accidents. The World Bank division of Public Works Department, on advice from the Nagpur Police, then decided to add luminous lights and sensors to enhance visibility and effectiveness of the height barriers along with Cement road being constructed at slow pace while long stretch from Besa is in bad shape, putting life of commuters at risk Staff Reporter Shoddy road conditions in Besa-Pipla area proved fatal for a two-wheeler rider who was run over by a car on Wednesday evening in a grisly mishap. The incident occurred near Laxmi Mart around 7.30 pm. As per reports, the entire stretch of Pipla road is in utterly bad shape and only a small patch has been concretised while the work is on since last one year. On Wednesday night, Rangrao Patil, a resident Pyramid City, was on way home on his two-wheeler. Due to uneven road condition and heavy traffic during the evening hours, Patil lost balance. Unfortunately, he came under wheels of a four-wheeler and got dragged for few meters resulting in his death. Soon after the mishap, the traffic on the busy road came to a standstill for a while. Patil was extricated from under the car. Citizens said they had time and again asked for speedy construction of the concrete road but due to lack of funds with Public Works Department (PWD), the contractor is no hurry to speed up the work. The road remains busy as this is the only stretch connecting Hudkeshwar to Besa. Also, the number of new townships and residential localities have increased in Pipla area. Yet authorities have ignored the need for speedy completion of the road. Even the available tar road is not maintained by the contractor and citizens have to risk their lives daily while negotiating the stretch. Deceased Rangrao Patil Chaos on Pipla Road after the mishap. Post fatality, officers promise to speed up devpt work in Pipla It took a fatal mishap to showcase the gravity of sorry state of affairs in Besa-Pipla as authorities and local politicians tried to assuage citizens and promise to speed up development. With elections approaching, ruling party leaders swung into action and on Thursday evening visited the Pipla Road. Naresh Bhoyar and Ankush Dhadse took lead to seek answers from authorities as to timeline for completion of ongoing development work. Bharat Nandanwar, Chief Officer, Besa-Pipla Nagar Panchayat; Harshal Nikose from Public Works Department (PWD); Rajesh Akhre, Deputy Engineer, MSEDCL, were also present at the spot. The politicians expressed resentment that scheduled work is moving at very slow pace, causing inconvenience to citizens. They said in future in case the mishap occurs then the responsibility is going to rest with officers. The officers promised to expedite the ongoing work and also ensure that other allied projects would be completed in scheduled time. Also, the MSEDCL said the work on shifting of electric poles is going to start very soon. Tolerate some more: PWD While the commuters are suffering because of the faulty speed-breakers erected near flyover, the authorities want the public to tolerate it for some more time. Krusha Gharde, Executive Engineer of PWDs World Bank Division, acknowledged that the PWD is aware of the problem but asked citizens to tolerate the discomfort for some more time. We are aware of the situation and will be taking corrective measures soon. The commuters are finding it difficult as the bumps are new, and the commuters will get used to them with time, said Gharde while speaking to The Hitavada. She also assured that the bumps will be painted with paint soon to make them clearly visible even during night. Citizens may boycott elections to Nagar Panchayat Anger is brewing among citizens in Pipla-Hudkeshwar and adjoining areas over inaction on part of Government machinery in timely completion of cement road. The citizens are contemplating boycotting the ensuing election to Nagar Panchayat, as they claim whats the use if even a simple road construction cannot be completed in time. The utter bad condition of road, full of potholes, uneven surface, mean daily riders are exposed to risk everyday. Now residents are fed-up of assurance and are in mood to boycott the elections to Nagar Panchayat. vande mataram ... ! FOR one-hundred-and-fifty years after Bankim Chandra Chatterjee wrote it in his famous novel Anand Math highlighting revolutionary cause, the song Vande Mataram ... has become a national anthem that inspired countless lakhs of Indian people to stand and get counted in the struggle for Independence. And the two words -- Vande Mataram -- assumed the status of a Mantra of patriotism that threatened to shake the British throne to the core. In Indias struggle for freedom, Vande Mataram, thus played a critical role in keeping the peoples morale up against a tyrannical rule that sought to sap the nations energy and resources and leave it impoverished. Vande Mataram became a rallying call for the people fighting to throw off the alien yoke. And, for the subsequent 150 years, the power of this Mantra has remained unaltered; and the melodic beauty of the national anthem has kept mesmerising people beyond description. That the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intends to celebrate 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram at 150 places, may have an incidental value for the larger society, but the importance of Vande Mataram needs to be recognised in Indias collective spirituality. There may be some who raise senseless issues against the song citing so-called (and inexplicable) religious susceptibilities, but no one -- even the opponents -- can deny the impact the song has had on the average Indian mind. Vande Mataram, for every Indian, has remained a clarion call for patriotism, for the love the Motherland, the sujalaam sufalaam Bharat Mata. How many lakhs of people got arrested for singing Vande Mataram during the British rule is not know exactly to any one. How many people faced Police lathis and bullets is also not properly recorded (possibly purposefully by the then British administration). How many people were hanged to death for singing Vande Mataram is also not accurately known. And how many patriots kept singing Vande Mataram ... even on the death knell with the noose around their necks, too, has not been recorded by then then British jail authorities. Yet all those stories light up our minds when ever we think of Vande Mataram. Our shoulders are drawn back, our eyes widen, and our chests swell in pride even with the thought of Vande Mataram. That is the beauty of the anthem, that is the mesmeric attraction the song has created about itself. So many people sing this song in so many different ways. But each time the song is being sung, countless eyes get misty with tears, so many lips quiver with intense emotion, so many throats get choked ... ! -- even today. Even today, Indias soldiers give Vande Mataram shouts during war -- and during peace. In so many countless schools, this anthem is sung on a daily basis, no matter in what manner. But every time the words of Vande Mataram ... are sung and heard, emotions well up in every heart. Such perfect songs are rarely written -- complete with fine musical value, intense emotional quotient, and high spiritual suggestion. Vande Mataram is one of those perfect songs -- emerging from some unstated divine source. That was the reason why generations of Indian people have stood mesmerised by that song, have remained loyal to its emotion, have committed themselves to serving the Motherland through thick and thin. As the nation celebrates the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram, systematic efforts need to be made to introduce every Indian child to the song in its entirety and history and the effect it has had on Indias freedom struggle after the novel Anand Math got published those many years ago. The children of India certainly sing Vande Mataram in schools, but that is not enough. The songs history -- of how it became a national anthem -- must be narrated to our young generations so that they get an emotionally charged picture of the struggle the nation went through to throw the British out. This photo taken on Nov. 7, 2025 shows a scene during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in Wuzhen, east China's Zhejiang Province. The summit opened officially here on Friday and will run through Sunday. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi) HANGZHOU, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit opened on Friday, with global delegates gathering in the ancient water town of Wuzhen in east China's Zhejiang Province to explore pathways to an open, secure and inclusive digital future. This year's edition, themed "Forging an Open, Cooperative, Secure and Inclusive Future of Digital Intelligence -- Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," includes 24 sub-forums on topics such as the China-proposed Global Development Initiative, digital economy, AI and data governance, along with a series of activities. Noting innovation, collaboration and trust as key to ensuring an open, inclusive and secure digital future, John Hoffman, CEO of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA), told the opening ceremony that: "If we get it right, we will unlock the full potential of the digital to enrich people's lives around the world, leaving no one behind." Hoffman called for collaboration between public and private sectors to address the challenge of the usage gap in mobile internet connectivity -- over half of the populations of South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa live in areas with mobile internet coverage but do not use it. His call was echoed by Li Junhua, UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs, who emphasized the transformative potential of digital technologies, as well as the urgency of mitigating their risks and bridging the persisting digital divide, making the remarks at the main forum. Given that "2.6 billion people worldwide remain offline and excluded from the benefits of the digital transformation," Li called for strengthened cooperation among all stakeholders to invest in digital infrastructure, strengthen digital skills and build effective global internet governance. This collective action is essential to forging a safer, more inclusive digital future, and to ensuring no one is left behind, particularly vulnerable groups, he said. Francis Gurry, vice chair of the WIC and former director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, commended China for its "enduring commitment to multilateralism and global cooperation" in the field of science and technology, noting that such efforts are especially valuable at a time when multilateral governance is under strain. Gurry also highlighted China's proposal to establish a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization as a timely and effective step toward addressing global governance challenges in AI, given the rapid development of the technology. This sense of urgency is shared widely among participants of this year's WIC Wuzhen Summit. While recognizing the immense potential of AI in transforming industries and advancing social progress, they have also warned of its associated risks and called for action to ensure the technology is harnessed for safe and inclusive purposes. Hoffman said that while AI "most likely will be one of the most transformative developments in many generations, we have to be careful and build it responsibly." He noted that the GSMA launched the Responsible AI Maturity Roadmap initiative last year to help global telecom operators "ensure AI solutions are designed, developed and deployed with ethics at their core." Eddie Wu, CEO of Chinese tech giant Alibaba Group, said that he is bullish about the development of AI, as well as its potential to bring unprecedented advances in productivity and liberate humanity. "At the dawn of the intelligent era, the tech industry should take a more forward-looking approach to supporting vulnerable groups and make digital technologies a powerful enabler for everybody to bridge the digital divide," Wu added. Qwen, Alibaba's open-source foundational large language model, won the 2025 WIC Award for Pioneering Science and Technology on Thursday, alongside 16 other international projects, including Microsoft's coding agent GitHub Copilot, as well as the key technologies and applications of China's BDS-3 satellite navigation signals. They were honored as breakthroughs in frontier fields such as AI models, the intelligent Internet of Things, embodied intelligence and quantum computing. During Friday's opening ceremony, a distinguished contribution award was presented to recognize individuals and enterprises that have made outstanding contributions to the global internet landscape. This year's WIC Wuzhen Summit, which has drawn more than 1,600 participants from over 130 countries and regions, will run through Sunday. SHIJIAZHUANG/TAIPEI, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Seminars were on Friday held on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to highlight the significance of the historic meeting between the leaders of the two sides in 2015. Held in Singapore on Nov. 7, 2015, the meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou was the first meeting between leaders of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait since 1949. At a seminar in Xiong'an, Hebei Province, scholars from both sides of the Strait hailed the meeting as a milestone in the history of cross-Strait relations, noting that its political wisdom and valuable experience continue to offer important guidance on advancing the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations and promoting national reunification. Speaking at the event, which was co-sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Taiwan Studies, institute head Zhu Weidong said that the meeting had reaffirmed the 1992 Consensus -- which embodies the one-China principle -- as the shared political foundation of both sides. The meeting demonstrated that as long as both sides adhere to the 1992 Consensus, cross-Strait relations will enjoy peace and prosperity, while any deviation from the Consensus will lead to turbulence and setbacks, Zhu said. He noted that in the current complex and challenging circumstances in the Taiwan Strait, both sides -- particularly the Taiwan side -- should fully recognize and cherish the 1992 Consensus as the anchor of peace and the key to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations. Chi Chia-lin, a Taiwan history researcher, said the meeting was a landmark event showing how the 1992 Consensus had helped both sides build political mutual trust after decades of confrontation, adding that it had created a successful model of positive cross-Strait interaction. Addressing a seminar held on Friday in Taipei to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the historic 2015 meeting, Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, said that the facts have proved that the 1992 Consensus can ease cross-Strait tensions and facilitate peaceful exchanges, citing the frequency of cross-Strait exchanges between 2008 and 2016 based on the 1992 Consensus. The KMT party will continue advancing on the correct path to serve as an active, crucial peacemaker, Cheng said at the event, which was co-hosted by the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation. Cheng stressed that it is only in a peaceful cross-Strait environment that Taiwan's development prospects can expand and its economy and trade can flourish. And it is only through cross-Strait exchange that Taiwan can embrace a brighter future, she said, warning that erroneous cross-Strait policies would place Taiwan in the most disadvantageous position. Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of 0.51 per share on Thursday, December 11th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 19th. Archer Daniels Midland has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 53 consecutive years. Archer Daniels Midland has a payout ratio of 44.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Archer Daniels Midland to earn $4.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 42.0%. Get Archer Daniels Midland alerts: Archer Daniels Midland Stock Up 0.7% Shares of ADM stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $56.71. 4,018,981 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,919,951. Archer Daniels Midland has a 1 year low of $40.98 and a 1 year high of $65.00. The companys 50 day moving average is $61.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $27.25 billion, a PE ratio of 24.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.70. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Archer Daniels Midland Archer Daniels Midland ( NYSE:ADM Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.03. Archer Daniels Midland had a return on equity of 8.43% and a net margin of 1.33%.The firm had revenue of $20.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.09 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Archer Daniels Midland has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.250-3.500 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Archer Daniels Midland will post 4.31 EPS for the current year. Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Archer Daniels Midland by 350.4% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 17,455,324 shares of the companys stock worth $838,030,000 after purchasing an additional 13,579,379 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox purchased a new stake in shares of Archer Daniels Midland in the 2nd quarter worth $345,689,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Archer Daniels Midland in the second quarter worth about $340,247,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Archer Daniels Midland by 8,609.3% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,405,427 shares of the companys stock worth $263,180,000 after buying an additional 4,354,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Archer Daniels Midland by 17.9% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,944,136 shares of the companys stock worth $1,197,568,000 after buying an additional 3,791,597 shares in the last quarter. 78.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Archer Daniels Midland (Get Free Report) Archer-Daniels-Midland Company engages in the procurement, transportation, storage, processing, and merchandising of agricultural commodities, ingredients, flavors, and solutions in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Archer Daniels Midland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Archer Daniels Midland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK Get Free Report) updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of 6.150-6.350 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 6.190. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CPK. BTIG Research started coverage on Chesapeake Utilities in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a neutral rating for the company. Barclays set a $141.00 price target on Chesapeake Utilities and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Chesapeake Utilities in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $135.00. Get Chesapeake Utilities alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on CPK Chesapeake Utilities Stock Up 2.8% Shares of NYSE:CPK traded up $3.61 during trading on Thursday, hitting $133.94. The companys stock had a trading volume of 146,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 119,726. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.42. Chesapeake Utilities has a fifty-two week low of $115.12 and a fifty-two week high of $140.59. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $130.20 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.92. The company has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.88 and a beta of 0.79. Chesapeake Utilities (NYSE:CPK Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.98 by ($0.16). Chesapeake Utilities had a net margin of 14.89% and a return on equity of 9.20%. The firm had revenue of $179.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.30 million. Chesapeake Utilities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.150-6.350 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Chesapeake Utilities will post 5.39 EPS for the current year. Insider Transactions at Chesapeake Utilities In other Chesapeake Utilities news, CFO Beth W. Cooper sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $132.15, for a total transaction of $660,750.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 90,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,987,722.95. This represents a 5.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.68% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Trading of Chesapeake Utilities Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of CPK. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 94.7% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 222 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 108 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 292.9% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 220 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities during the second quarter valued at approximately $140,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in Chesapeake Utilities by 226.1% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 1,940 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $233,000 after buying an additional 1,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Chesapeake Utilities during the second quarter valued at approximately $314,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.11% of the companys stock. About Chesapeake Utilities (Get Free Report) Chesapeake Utilities Corporation operates as an energy delivery company. The company operates through two segments, Regulated Energy and Unregulated Energy. The Regulated Energy segment natural gas distribution operations in central and southern Delaware, Maryland's eastern shore, and Florida; regulated natural gas transmission in the Delmarva Peninsula, Ohio, and Florida; and regulated electric distribution in northeast and northwest Florida. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Chesapeake Utilities Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chesapeake Utilities and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 24th will be given a dividend of 0.15 per share on Monday, December 8th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 24th. Hyatt Hotels has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 1 consecutive years. Hyatt Hotels has a payout ratio of 18.1% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Hyatt Hotels to earn $4.25 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 14.1%. Get Hyatt Hotels alerts: Hyatt Hotels Price Performance Hyatt Hotels stock traded up $8.58 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $146.58. 2,104,749 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 948,928. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $143.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $138.33. The company has a market capitalization of $14.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.82, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.43. Hyatt Hotels has a 12-month low of $102.43 and a 12-month high of $168.20. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Hyatt Hotels ( NYSE:H Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.30) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.79). The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.82 billion. Hyatt Hotels had a return on equity of 6.54% and a net margin of 6.39%.The businesss quarterly revenue was up 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.94 EPS. Analysts forecast that Hyatt Hotels will post 3.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on H shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Hyatt Hotels in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hyatt Hotels from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $140.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised Hyatt Hotels from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Hyatt Hotels from $158.00 to $156.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $156.53. View Our Latest Stock Report on Hyatt Hotels About Hyatt Hotels (Get Free Report) Hyatt Hotels Corporation operates as a hospitality company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Owned and Leased Hotels, Americas Management and Franchising, ASPAC Management and Franchising, EAME Management and Franchising, and Apple Leisure Group segments. The company manages, franchises, licenses, owns, and leases portfolio of properties, consisting of full-service hotels and resorts, select service hotels, and other properties, including timeshare, fractional, residential, vacation, and condominium units. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Hyatt Hotels Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hyatt Hotels and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Thomson Reuters Co. (NYSE:TRI Get Free Report) (TSE:TRI)s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $147.18 and last traded at $149.0890, with a volume of 241834 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $155.72. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on TRI shares. Morgan Stanley set a $172.00 target price on shares of Thomson Reuters in a research note on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets restated an outperform rating on shares of Thomson Reuters in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Thomson Reuters from $178.00 to $160.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $174.00 target price on shares of Thomson Reuters and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, TD Securities upgraded shares of Thomson Reuters from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $275.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $195.27. Get Thomson Reuters alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on TRI Thomson Reuters Stock Down 3.7% The firms 50 day simple moving average is $161.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $181.39. The company has a market cap of $62.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Thomson Reuters (NYSE:TRI Get Free Report) (TSE:TRI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The business services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.78 billion. Thomson Reuters had a net margin of 30.45% and a return on equity of 14.62%. The businesss revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.80 earnings per share. Thomson Reuters has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Thomson Reuters Co. will post 3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year. Thomson Reuters Dividend Announcement The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be given a $0.595 dividend. This represents a $2.38 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 18th. Thomson Reuterss dividend payout ratio is 61.18%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Thomson Reuters Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Thomson Reuters during the 1st quarter valued at $626,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Thomson Reuters by 36.1% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,588,508 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $274,462,000 after purchasing an additional 421,279 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. bought a new position in shares of Thomson Reuters during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,495,000. Cidel Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Thomson Reuters by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 129,042 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $25,897,000 after purchasing an additional 3,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its holdings in shares of Thomson Reuters by 962.0% during the 2nd quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 103,800 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $20,831,000 after purchasing an additional 94,026 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 17.31% of the companys stock. About Thomson Reuters (Get Free Report) Thomson Reuters Corporation engages in the provision of business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Thomson Reuters Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Thomson Reuters and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Souders Financial Advisors cut its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 40.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,477 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,044 shares during the period. Souders Financial Advisors holdings in Altria Group were worth $262,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MO. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter valued at $126,471,000. Central Valley Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Altria Group in the second quarter valued at about $1,715,000. Invst LLC increased its holdings in Altria Group by 252.0% in the first quarter. Invst LLC now owns 16,188 shares of the companys stock worth $972,000 after buying an additional 11,589 shares during the last quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Altria Group by 5.5% in the second quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 79,019 shares of the companys stock worth $4,633,000 after purchasing an additional 4,149 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of Altria Group by 17.4% in the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,086,060 shares of the companys stock valued at $63,676,000 after acquiring an additional 161,356 shares in the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Altria Group alerts: Altria Group Trading Up 0.1% NYSE MO opened at $57.24 on Friday. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $50.08 and a 1-year high of $68.60. The company has a market capitalization of $96.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07, a PEG ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.51. The stocks 50 day moving average is $64.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.84. Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 295.26% and a net margin of 37.24%.The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.38 EPS. Altria Groups revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year. Altria Group announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Thursday, October 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 1.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the companys leadership believes its shares are undervalued. Altria Group Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a $1.06 dividend. This represents a $4.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.4%. This is a boost from Altria Groups previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. Altria Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.92%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In MO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Altria Group from $64.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 price objective on Altria Group in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $49.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Altria Group presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $62.33. View Our Latest Stock Report on Altria Group Altria Group Company Profile (Free Report) Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. American Healthcare REIT (NYSE:AHR Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.02, Zacks reports. American Healthcare REIT had a negative net margin of 1.56% and a negative return on equity of 1.43%. The firm had revenue of $572.94 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $552.76 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. The companys revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. American Healthcare REIT updated its FY 2025 guidance to 1.690-1.72 EPS. American Healthcare REIT Trading Up 1.7% Shares of AHR stock traded up $0.78 on Thursday, reaching $47.87. The company had a trading volume of 2,406,401 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,368,584. The company has a 50-day moving average of $42.83 and a 200-day moving average of $38.64. American Healthcare REIT has a 12 month low of $25.25 and a 12 month high of $48.21. The stock has a market cap of $8.07 billion, a PE ratio of 30.19, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Get American Healthcare REIT alerts: American Healthcare REIT Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. American Healthcare REITs dividend payout ratio is -454.55%. Insider Transactions at American Healthcare REIT Institutional Trading of American Healthcare REIT In other American Healthcare REIT news, EVP Mark E. Foster sold 3,850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.89, for a total value of $161,276.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 59,100 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,475,699. This trade represents a 6.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . Corporate insiders own 0.92% of the companys stock. Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AHR. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in American Healthcare REIT by 170.1% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 25,275 shares of the companys stock valued at $766,000 after acquiring an additional 15,918 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of American Healthcare REIT by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 90,521 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,743,000 after purchasing an additional 3,954 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of American Healthcare REIT by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 23,509 shares of the companys stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 2,011 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in American Healthcare REIT by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 25,809 shares of the companys stock worth $782,000 after purchasing an additional 1,591 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Healthcare REIT during the 1st quarter worth approximately $185,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.68% of the companys stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have recently commented on AHR. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of American Healthcare REIT in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JMP Securities lifted their target price on American Healthcare REIT from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a market outperform rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of American Healthcare REIT in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating on shares of American Healthcare REIT in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on American Healthcare REIT in a report on Friday, September 19th. They set a buy rating and a $51.00 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $45.00. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on American Healthcare REIT About American Healthcare REIT (Get Free Report) Formed by the successful merger of Griffin-American Healthcare REIT III and Griffin-American Healthcare REIT IV, as well as the acquisition of the business and operations of American Healthcare Investors, American Healthcare REIT is one of the larger healthcare-focused real estate investment trusts globally with assets totaling approximately $4.2 billion in gross investment value. See Also Receive News & Ratings for American Healthcare REIT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for American Healthcare REIT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of InfuSystem Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:INFU Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of Buy from the five analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $14.50. INFU has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Roth Capital reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $14.00 target price (up previously from $13.00) on shares of InfuSystem in a report on Tuesday. Zacks Research lowered shares of InfuSystem from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Lake Street Capital began coverage on shares of InfuSystem in a report on Monday, September 22nd. They set a buy rating and a $15.00 target price on the stock. Get InfuSystem alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on InfuSystem InfuSystem Price Performance Insider Buying and Selling at InfuSystem Shares of NYSE INFU opened at $10.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.98. InfuSystem has a fifty-two week low of $4.61 and a fifty-two week high of $11.04. The stock has a market cap of $210.18 million, a PE ratio of 171.53 and a beta of 1.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $10.07 and a 200-day moving average of $7.67. In related news, Director Scott Shuda sold 5,752 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.67, for a total value of $55,621.84. Following the sale, the director owned 94,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $908,980. This trade represents a 5.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 11.40% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of InfuSystem Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of INFU. Minerva Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of InfuSystem by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Minerva Advisors LLC now owns 994,781 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,178,000 after acquiring an additional 84,104 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in InfuSystem by 13.1% in the first quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 437,891 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,356,000 after purchasing an additional 50,877 shares in the last quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its position in InfuSystem by 8.9% during the third quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 300,397 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,112,000 after purchasing an additional 24,634 shares during the last quarter. Truffle Hound Capital LLC grew its stake in InfuSystem by 27.8% in the 3rd quarter. Truffle Hound Capital LLC now owns 230,000 shares of the companys stock worth $2,383,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cove Street Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of InfuSystem by 8.7% in the 1st quarter. Cove Street Capital LLC now owns 210,301 shares of the companys stock worth $1,131,000 after buying an additional 16,851 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.13% of the companys stock. InfuSystem Company Profile (Get Free Report) InfuSystem Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides infusion pumps, and related products and services in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Patient Services and Device Solutions. It supplies electronic ambulatory infusion pumps and associated disposable supply kits to oncology, infusion, and hospital outpatient chemotherapy clinics for the treatment of various cancers, including colorectal cancer, pain management, and other disease states. Read More Receive News & Ratings for InfuSystem Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for InfuSystem and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Andatee China Marine Fuel Services (OTCMKTS:AMCF Get Free Report) and Par Pacific (NYSE:PARR Get Free Report) are both energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, valuation and earnings. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Andatee China Marine Fuel Services and Par Pacific, as provided by MarketBeat. Get Andatee China Marine Fuel Services alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Andatee China Marine Fuel Services 0 0 0 0 0.00 Par Pacific 0 4 6 1 2.73 Par Pacific has a consensus price target of $38.29, indicating a potential downside of 6.07%. Given Andatee China Marine Fuel Services higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Andatee China Marine Fuel Services is more favorable than Par Pacific. Earnings & Valuation Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Andatee China Marine Fuel Services N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Par Pacific $7.48 billion 0.28 -$33.32 million $4.75 8.58 This table compares Andatee China Marine Fuel Services and Par Pacifics top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Andatee China Marine Fuel Services has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Par Pacific. Profitability This table compares Andatee China Marine Fuel Services and Par Pacifics net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Andatee China Marine Fuel Services N/A N/A N/A Par Pacific -0.25% -1.79% -0.55% Insider and Institutional Ownership 92.2% of Par Pacific shares are held by institutional investors. 51.9% of Andatee China Marine Fuel Services shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.4% of Par Pacific shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. About Andatee China Marine Fuel Services (Get Free Report) Andatee China Marine Fuel Services Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the production, storage, distribution, and trading of blended marine fuel oil for cargo and fishing vessels in the Peoples Republic of China. The company also produces customer specific products using its proprietary blending technology. It sells its products through distributors, as well as to retail customers in Liaoning, Shandong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Zhejiang Provinces. The company is based in Dalian, the Peoples Republic of China. About Par Pacific (Get Free Report) Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. owns and operates energy and infrastructure businesses. The company operates through Refining, Retail, and Logistics segments. The Refining segment owns and operates refineries that produce gasoline, distillate, asphalt, and other products primarily for consumption in Kapolei, Hawaii, Newcastle, Wyoming, Tacoma, Washington, and Billings, Montana. The Retail segment operates fuel retail outlets, which sell merchandise, such as soft drinks, prepared foods, and other sundries in Hawaii under the Hele, 76, and nomnom brands; and gasoline, diesel, and retail merchandise in Washington and Idaho. The Logistics segment owns and operates terminals, pipelines, single point mooring, marine vessels, storage facilities, loading and truck racks, and rail facilities to distribute ethanol, petroleum, and refined products throughout Hawaii, the United States West Coast, Washington, the Dakotas, and Wyoming; and a jet fuel storage facility and pipeline that serves Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. It also holds interest in refined products pipeline. In addition, the company owns and operates a marine terminal, a unit train-capable rail loading terminal; a truck rack, and a proprietary pipeline that serves Joint Base Lewis McChord. The company was formerly known as Par Petroleum Corporation and changed its name to Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. in October 2015. Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 1984 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas. Receive News & Ratings for Andatee China Marine Fuel Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Andatee China Marine Fuel Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLC increased its position in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA Free Report) by 59.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 42,461 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after purchasing an additional 15,886 shares during the quarter. Atlas Legacy Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF were worth $3,795,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,276 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $740,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Washington Trust Bank lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 69.6% in the second quarter. Washington Trust Bank now owns 31,808 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,843,000 after acquiring an additional 13,050 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 14.2% in the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 1,289,204 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $115,242,000 after acquiring an additional 160,051 shares during the period. HORAN Wealth LLC bought a new position in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF during the 2nd quarter worth about $634,000. Finally, Stone House Investment Management LLC increased its position in iShares MSCI EAFE ETF by 7,803.1% during the 2nd quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC now owns 25,527 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,282,000 after purchasing an additional 25,204 shares during the period. 79.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get iShares MSCI EAFE ETF alerts: iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Stock Performance NYSEARCA:EFA opened at $93.95 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $93.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.24. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF has a one year low of $72.14 and a one year high of $95.95. The firm has a market cap of $67.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.48 and a beta of 0.84. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Profile iShares MSCI EAFE ETF, formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Funds investment objective is to seek investment results that correspond to the price and yield performance of its underlying index, MSCI EAFE Index (the Index). The Index has been developed by MSCI Inc as an equity benchmark for its international stock performance. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EFA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (NYSEARCA:EFA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI EAFE ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Block (NYSE:XYZ Get Free Report) had its target price cut by research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $77.00 to $71.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the technology companys stock. Morgan Stanleys price objective suggests a potential upside of 0.07% from the stocks previous close. Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Block from $58.00 to $55.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c+) rating on shares of Block in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BNP Paribas cut Block from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating and set a $86.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Raymond James Financial reissued an outperform rating and set a $95.00 price target (up from $79.00) on shares of Block in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and set a $100.00 target price (up previously from $80.00) on shares of Block in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $82.21. Get Block alerts: Check Out Our Latest Report on Block Block Price Performance XYZ stock opened at $70.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.96. Block has a 1 year low of $44.27 and a 1 year high of $99.26. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $76.08 and a 200 day moving average of $69.69. The company has a market cap of $43.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.19, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 2.73. Block (NYSE:XYZ Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The technology company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.29. Block had a return on equity of 7.85% and a net margin of 12.32%.The firm had revenue of $6.11 billion during the quarter. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.53 EPS. Blocks revenue for the quarter was up 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Block will post 2.54 EPS for the current year. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Block news, insider Owen Britton Jennings sold 1,050 shares of Block stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.77, for a total value of $78,508.50. Following the transaction, the insider owned 253,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,988,290.12. The trade was a 0.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Ajmere Dale sold 750 shares of Block stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $60,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 102,308 shares in the company, valued at $8,184,640. The trade was a 0.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 119,041 shares of company stock worth $9,052,531. Company insiders own 10.85% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Block Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cromwell Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Block in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. City Holding Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Block during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Block in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Traub Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Block in the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Block during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 70.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Block (Get Free Report) Square, Inc provides payment and point-of-sale solutions in the United States and internationally. The company's commerce ecosystem includes point-of-sale software and hardware that enables sellers to turn mobile and computing devices into payment and point-of-sale solutions. It offers hardware products, including Magstripe reader, which enables swiped transactions of magnetic stripe cards; Contactless and chip reader that accepts EMV chip cards and Near Field Communication payments; Chip card reader, which accepts EMV chip cards and enables swiped transactions of magnetic stripe cards; Square Stand, which enables an iPad to be used as a payment terminal or full point of sale solution; and Square Register that combines its hardware, point-of-sale software, and payments technology, as well as managed payments solutions. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Block Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Block and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ISTANBUL/JERUSALEM, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye's Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office on Friday issued arrest warrants for 37 people, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on charges of "genocide" and "crimes against humanity." The prosecutor's office said in a statement that the warrants followed an investigation into what it called Israel's "systematic" attacks on civilians in Gaza, adding that the investigation began after complaints from victims and members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a civilian aid mission intercepted by Israeli naval forces while trying to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar denounced the warrants in a post on the social media platform X, calling them a "PR stunt" by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He said Israel "firmly rejects" the move. Erdogan has been one of Israel's strongest critics during its military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas' 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel, according to Israeli officials. Palestinian health authorities say more than 68,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, and much of the enclave has been reduced to rubble. Turkiye is also serving as one of the guarantor countries for a Gaza ceasefire agreement reached last month. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc. increased its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI Free Report) by 4.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 82,957 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 3,795 shares during the period. Pekin Hardy Strauss Inc.s holdings in British American Tobacco were worth $3,926,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of BTI. Pandora Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of British American Tobacco during the first quarter worth about $32,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new position in shares of British American Tobacco in the first quarter valued at approximately $57,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 36.4% during the second quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,371 shares of the companys stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of British American Tobacco by 279.2% during the second quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,475 shares of the companys stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,086 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new position in British American Tobacco in the 2nd quarter valued at $73,000. 16.16% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get British American Tobacco alerts: British American Tobacco Price Performance Shares of NYSE BTI opened at $54.23 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.55. The companys 50-day moving average price is $53.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $50.59. British American Tobacco p.l.c. has a 52 week low of $34.82 and a 52 week high of $59.29. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on BTI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of British American Tobacco from a sector perform rating to an underperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an underweight rating and issued a $40.00 price objective on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of British American Tobacco from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $62.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, September 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, British American Tobacco has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $51.00. View Our Latest Analysis on British American Tobacco About British American Tobacco (Free Report) British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It also offers vapour, heated, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BTI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for British American Tobacco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for British American Tobacco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Carnegie Lake Advisors LLC grew its position in EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Free Report) by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,198 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after purchasing an additional 600 shares during the period. Carnegie Lake Advisors LLCs holdings in EOG Resources were worth $981,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in EOG. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in shares of EOG Resources by 30.1% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 195,782 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $25,107,000 after purchasing an additional 45,295 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in EOG Resources during the first quarter valued at about $472,000. Jump Financial LLC bought a new position in EOG Resources during the first quarter valued at about $2,796,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its holdings in EOG Resources by 2.1% during the second quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 115,513 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $13,817,000 after buying an additional 2,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Redwood Investment Management LLC raised its position in EOG Resources by 30.2% in the first quarter. Redwood Investment Management LLC now owns 39,385 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $5,051,000 after acquiring an additional 9,145 shares during the period. 89.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get EOG Resources alerts: EOG Resources Stock Down 0.2% EOG opened at $105.00 on Friday. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 12 month low of $102.52 and a 12 month high of $138.18. The company has a market cap of $57.33 billion, a PE ratio of 10.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.20 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a current ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The company has a 50 day moving average of $112.75 and a 200 day moving average of $115.59. EOG Resources Announces Dividend EOG Resources ( NYSE:EOG Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The energy exploration company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.42 by $0.29. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 20.51% and a net margin of 25.25%.The firm had revenue of $5.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.48 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.89 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 11.47 EPS for the current year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $4.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. EOG Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.65%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms have weighed in on EOG. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of EOG Resources from $140.00 to $133.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of EOG Resources from $156.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Piper Sandler set a $129.00 price objective on EOG Resources and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on EOG Resources from $141.00 to $136.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on EOG Resources from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, October 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and fifteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, EOG Resources presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $140.76. Get Our Latest Report on EOG Resources About EOG Resources (Free Report) EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas primarily in producing basins in the United States, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and internationally. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EOG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for EOG Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EOG Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC trimmed its position in shares of Piedmont Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM Free Report) by 43.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 696,892 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 526,094 shares during the quarter. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLCs holdings in Piedmont Realty Trust were worth $5,080,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Savant Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Piedmont Realty Trust by 55.0% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 27,454 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $200,000 after buying an additional 9,739 shares during the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Piedmont Realty Trust during the second quarter worth about $765,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC raised its position in Piedmont Realty Trust by 6,504.1% during the second quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 433,094 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $3,157,000 after acquiring an additional 426,536 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Piedmont Realty Trust by 10.5% in the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 143,279 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,045,000 after purchasing an additional 13,591 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. grew its position in shares of Piedmont Realty Trust by 7.7% in the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 39,513 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 2,828 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.48% of the companys stock. Get Piedmont Realty Trust alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts recently issued reports on PDM shares. Truist Financial set a $9.00 price objective on Piedmont Realty Trust in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Piedmont Realty Trust from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, August 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d-) rating on shares of Piedmont Realty Trust in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $8.67. Piedmont Realty Trust Trading Up 0.4% Shares of PDM opened at $8.27 on Friday. Piedmont Realty Trust, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $5.46 and a fifty-two week high of $10.45. The company has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a PE ratio of -14.50 and a beta of 1.48. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $8.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. Piedmont Realty Trust (NYSE:PDM Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.34 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $110.75 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $141.46 million. Piedmont Realty Trust had a negative return on equity of 4.51% and a negative net margin of 12.44%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.36 earnings per share. Piedmont Realty Trust has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.400-1.420 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Piedmont Realty Trust, Inc. will post 1.41 EPS for the current year. Piedmont Realty Trust Company Profile (Free Report) Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc (also referred to herein as "Piedmont" or the "Company") (NYSE: PDM) is an owner, manager, developer, redeveloper and operator of high-quality, Class A office properties located primarily in major U.S. Sunbelt markets. The Company is a fully-integrated, self-managed real estate investment trust ("REIT") with local management offices in each of its markets and is investment-grade rated by Standard & Poor's and Moody's. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PDM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Piedmont Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Piedmont Realty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Piedmont Realty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras SA (NYSE:EBR Get Free Report) announced a special dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a dividend of 0.3525 per share by the utilities provider on Monday, December 29th. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras has decreased its dividend by an average of 0.0%annually over the last three years. Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras has a payout ratio of 71.1% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras to earn $0.15 per share next year, which means the company may not be able to cover its $0.64 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 426.7%. Get Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras alerts: Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:EBR traded up $0.08 on Friday, hitting $11.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,264,439 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,489,252. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $9.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.17. The stock has a market cap of $24.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.13 and a beta of 0.62. Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras has a 1-year low of $5.45 and a 1-year high of $11.27. The company has a current ratio of 1.86, a quick ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras Company Profile Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA Eletrobras, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and commercialization of electricity in Brazil. The company generates electricity through hydroelectric, thermoelectric, nuclear, wind, and solar plants. As of December 31, 2023, it owned and operated 44 hydroelectric plants with a total capacity of 42,293.5 megawatt (MW); 5 thermal plants, including coal and gas power generation units with a total installed capacity of 1,632 MW; and two nuclear power plants comprising Angra 1 with an installed capacity of 657 MW and Angra 2 with an installed capacity of 1350 MW. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Centrais Eltricas Brasileiras and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Chiba Bank (OTCMKTS:CHBAY Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, Zacks reports. Chiba Bank had a return on equity of 6.59% and a net margin of 20.18%. Chiba Bank Stock Performance Shares of CHBAY remained flat at $47.00 during mid-day trading on Friday. 2 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 269. The firm has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.13 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $46.88. Chiba Bank has a 12-month low of $33.94 and a 12-month high of $56.18. Get Chiba Bank alerts: About Chiba Bank (Get Free Report) See Also The Chiba Bank, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides banking products and services in Japan and internationally. The company offers various deposit products, including savings, time deposits, currency deposits, investment trusts, bonds, and pensions; loans, which include mortgages, renovation loans, photovoltaic, vehicle, education, and other loan products; and insurance products, such as annuity, life, medical, student, death, and travel insurance. Receive News & Ratings for Chiba Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Chiba Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC Get Free Report) was downgraded by research analysts at Citigroup from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. A number of other research firms have also issued reports on BSAC. Wall Street Zen cut Banco Santander Chile from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Banco Santander Chile in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Banco Santander Chile from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Banco Santander Chile has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $26.00. Get Banco Santander Chile alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on BSAC Banco Santander Chile Stock Performance NYSE:BSAC opened at $29.63 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.15. The company has a market cap of $13.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.77, a current ratio of 1.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.51. Banco Santander Chile has a 52 week low of $18.19 and a 52 week high of $30.18. Banco Santander Chile (NYSE:BSAC Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.56 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $581.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $732.50 million. Banco Santander Chile had a net margin of 24.74% and a return on equity of 22.18%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Banco Santander Chile will post 2.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Banco Santander Chile Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Banco Santander Chile by 0.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,113,470 shares of the banks stock worth $82,507,000 after purchasing an additional 17,119 shares in the last quarter. Candriam S.C.A. purchased a new position in shares of Banco Santander Chile in the 1st quarter valued at $25,116,000. TT International Asset Management LTD acquired a new stake in Banco Santander Chile during the 3rd quarter worth $24,685,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its position in Banco Santander Chile by 200.9% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 832,647 shares of the banks stock valued at $22,065,000 after acquiring an additional 555,919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RWC Asset Management LLP lifted its position in Banco Santander Chile by 45.3% in the first quarter. RWC Asset Management LLP now owns 826,754 shares of the banks stock valued at $18,850,000 after acquiring an additional 257,895 shares during the last quarter. 6.42% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Banco Santander Chile Company Profile (Get Free Report) Banco Santander-Chile, together with its subsidiaries, provides commercial and retail banking services in Chile. It operates through Retail Banking, Middle-Market, Corporate Investment Banking, and Corporate Activities segments. The company offers debit and credit cards, checking accounts, and savings products; consumer, automobile, commercial, mortgage, and government-guaranteed loans; and Chilean peso and foreign currency-denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines, as well as mortgage financing services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Banco Santander Chile Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Banco Santander Chile and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lessened its stake in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:JHMM Free Report) by 3.0% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,806,550 shares of the companys stock after selling 56,076 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLCs holdings in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF were worth $110,434,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of JHMM. Horan Securities Inc. lifted its position in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 22.8% during the second quarter. Horan Securities Inc. now owns 10,619 shares of the companys stock worth $649,000 after acquiring an additional 1,970 shares during the last quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. grew its position in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 7.9% in the second quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 927,280 shares of the companys stock valued at $56,685,000 after purchasing an additional 67,613 shares during the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC increased its stake in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 1.6% during the second quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC now owns 20,165 shares of the companys stock worth $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. Frederick Financial Consultants LLC lifted its holdings in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 7.0% during the 2nd quarter. Frederick Financial Consultants LLC now owns 54,862 shares of the companys stock worth $3,354,000 after purchasing an additional 3,594 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Linscomb Wealth Inc. boosted its stake in John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 70,001 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,279,000 after purchasing an additional 2,907 shares during the period. Get John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF alerts: John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Price Performance Shares of NYSEARCA JHMM opened at $63.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.18 and a beta of 1.04. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $64.47 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $61.84. John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF has a one year low of $49.29 and a one year high of $65.80. About John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF The John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (JHMM) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the John Hancock Dimensional Mid Cap index. The fund tracks an index of US firms ranked 200-950 by size, weighted by multiple factors relative to their sector peers. JHMM was launched on Sep 28, 2015 and is managed by John Hancock. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JHMM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:JHMM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for John Hancock Multifactor Mid Cap ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Renasant (NYSE:RNST Get Free Report) and SouthState Bank (NYSE:SSB Get Free Report) are both mid-cap financial services companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, valuation and profitability. Profitability This table compares Renasant and SouthState Banks net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Renasant alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Renasant 11.26% 6.99% 1.01% SouthState Bank 20.25% 10.70% 1.42% Risk and Volatility Renasant has a beta of 0.98, indicating that its stock price is 2% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SouthState Bank has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Institutional and Insider Ownership Valuation and Earnings 77.3% of Renasant shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.8% of SouthState Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.8% of Renasant shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of SouthState Bank shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. This table compares Renasant and SouthState Banks revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Renasant $874.43 million 3.70 $195.46 million $1.99 17.09 SouthState Bank $2.39 billion 3.67 $534.78 million $7.27 12.03 SouthState Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Renasant. SouthState Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Renasant, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent ratings for Renasant and SouthState Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Renasant 0 1 0 1 3.00 SouthState Bank 0 2 11 2 3.00 SouthState Bank has a consensus target price of $114.92, suggesting a potential upside of 31.35%. Given SouthState Banks higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe SouthState Bank is more favorable than Renasant. Dividends Renasant pays an annual dividend of $0.92 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. SouthState Bank pays an annual dividend of $2.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. Renasant pays out 46.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. SouthState Bank pays out 33.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. SouthState Bank has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. SouthState Bank is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth. Summary SouthState Bank beats Renasant on 13 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks. About Renasant (Get Free Report) Renasant Corporation operates as a bank holding company for Renasant Bank that provides a range of financial, wealth management, fiduciary, and insurance services to retail and commercial customers. It operates through three segments: Community Banks, Insurance, and Wealth Management. The Community Banks segment offers checking and savings accounts, business and personal loans, asset-based lending, and equipment leasing services, as well as safe deposit and night depository facilities. It also provides commercial, financial, and agricultural loans; equipment financing and leasing; real estate1-4 family mortgage; real estatecommercial mortgage; real estateconstruction loans for the construction of single family residential properties, multi-family properties, and commercial projects; installment loans to individuals; and interim construction loans, as well as automated teller machine (ATM), online and mobile banking, call center, and treasury management services. The Insurance segment provides insurance agency services, such as commercial and personal insurance products through insurance carriers. The Wealth Management segment offers a range of wealth management and fiduciary services, including administration and management of trust accounts, such as personal and corporate benefit accounts, and custodial accounts, as well as accounting and money management for trust accounts; annuities, mutual funds, and other investment services through a third party broker-dealer; and qualified retirement plans, IRAs, employee benefit plans, personal trusts, and estates. As of December 31, 2021, the company operated a network of 189 banking, lending, and mortgage offices located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee; 150 full-service branches and 11 limited-service branches; 173 ATMs; and 38 interactive teller machines. Renasant Corporation was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Tupelo, Mississippi. About SouthState Bank (Get Free Report) SouthState Corporation operates as the bank holding company for SouthState Bank, National Association that provides a range of banking services and products to individuals and companies. It accepts checking accounts, savings deposits, interest-bearing transaction accounts, certificates of deposits, money market accounts, and other time deposits. The company also offers commercial real estate loans, residential real estate loans, commercial, and industrial loans, as well as consumer loans, including auto, boat, and personal installment loans. In addition, it provides debit card, mobile and funds transfer products, and treasury management services comprising merchant, automated clearing house, lock-box, remote deposit capture, and other treasury services. Further, the company offers safe deposit boxes, bank money orders, wire transfer, brokerage services, and alternative investment products, including annuities, mutual funds, and trust and asset management services; and credit cards, letters of credit, and home equity lines of credit. As of December 31, 2021, it served customers through 281 branches in Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. SouthState Corporation also serves its customers through online, mobile, and telephone banking platforms. The company was formerly known as First Financial Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to SouthState Corporation in July 2013. SouthState Corporation was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida. Receive News & Ratings for Renasant Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Renasant and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. DCC (LON:DCC Get Free Report)s stock had its buy rating restated by equities research analysts at UBS Group in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have a GBX 7,500 price target on the stock. UBS Groups target price points to a potential upside of 58.90% from the stocks previous close. Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on DCC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a hold rating and issued a GBX 5,500 price objective on shares of DCC in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Berenberg Bank restated a buy rating and set a GBX 6,700 price objective on shares of DCC in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, DCC presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 6,225. Get DCC alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on DCC DCC Stock Down 1.0% DCC Company Profile DCC traded down GBX 50 during midday trading on Friday, reaching GBX 4,720. 178,434 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 572,319. The company has a market cap of 4.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 0.74. DCC has a one year low of GBX 4,452 and a one year high of GBX 5,865. The companys fifty day moving average price is GBX 4,821.07 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 4,770.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 77.99, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.31. (Get Free Report) DCC plc is a leading international sales, marketing and support services group operating in 22 countries, supplying products and services used by millions of people every day. Headquartered in Dublin, the Group operates across three sectors: energy, healthcare and technology, employing over 16,000 people. See Also Receive News & Ratings for DCC Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DCC and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. DiamondRock Hospitality (NYSE:DRH Get Free Report) issued an update on its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 1.020-1.06 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.650. The company issued revenue guidance of -. DiamondRock Hospitality Stock Performance DRH stock traded up $0.60 during trading on Friday, hitting $8.81. The company had a trading volume of 1,794,396 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,725,706. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $8.05 and a 200-day moving average price of $7.86. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm has a market cap of $1.80 billion, a PE ratio of 33.98 and a beta of 1.38. DiamondRock Hospitality has a 1-year low of $6.18 and a 1-year high of $10.00. Get DiamondRock Hospitality alerts: DiamondRock Hospitality (NYSE:DRH Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $285.38 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $277.45 million. DiamondRock Hospitality had a net margin of 6.04% and a return on equity of 4.23%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. DiamondRock Hospitality has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.020-1.06 EPS. On average, analysts expect that DiamondRock Hospitality will post 0.96 earnings per share for the current year. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of DiamondRock Hospitality to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on DiamondRock Hospitality from $9.00 to $8.50 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of DiamondRock Hospitality in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, DiamondRock Hospitality presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $8.88. Check Out Our Latest Report on DiamondRock Hospitality Institutional Trading of DiamondRock Hospitality A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in DRH. State of Wyoming bought a new position in DiamondRock Hospitality in the 2nd quarter valued at about $58,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in DiamondRock Hospitality by 6.8% in the 2nd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 703,324 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $5,387,000 after buying an additional 44,991 shares in the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in DiamondRock Hospitality by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 472,495 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $3,616,000 after buying an additional 3,093 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in shares of DiamondRock Hospitality by 567.5% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 30,478 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 25,912 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of DiamondRock Hospitality in the second quarter valued at about $98,000. About DiamondRock Hospitality (Get Free Report) DiamondRock Hospitality Company is a self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT) that is an owner of a leading portfolio of geographically diversified hotels concentrated in leisure destinations and top gateway markets. The Company currently owns 36 premium quality hotels with over 9,700 rooms. The Company has strategically positioned its portfolio to be operated both under leading global brand families as well as independent boutique hotels in the lifestyle segment. Read More Receive News & Ratings for DiamondRock Hospitality Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DiamondRock Hospitality and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres supports the views of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk that the U.S. airstrikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific violate international human rights law, a UN spokesperson said Friday. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN chief, said at a daily briefing that "none of the individuals on the targeted boats appear to pose an imminent threat to the lives of others or otherwise justify the use of lethal armed force against them under international law," echoing Turk. "We want to make sure that established law enforcement methods are used to deal with questions of illegal trafficking on the high seas," the spokesperson said. Turk said in a statement on Oct. 31 that the United States "must halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats, whatever the criminal conduct alleged against them." On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on X that U.S. forces struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, killing three people and bringing the total number of vessels destroyed to at least 18. WESCO International, Inc. (NYSE:WCC Get Free Report) EVP Diane Lazzaris sold 7,522 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $256.00, for a total transaction of $1,925,632.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 45,401 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $11,622,656. This represents a 14.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Diane Lazzaris also recently made the following trade(s): Get WESCO International alerts: On Wednesday, November 5th, Diane Lazzaris sold 4,039 shares of WESCO International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.42, for a total value of $1,043,758.38. On Tuesday, August 26th, Diane Lazzaris sold 3,160 shares of WESCO International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.27, for a total value of $715,013.20. On Thursday, August 28th, Diane Lazzaris sold 4,260 shares of WESCO International stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $226.77, for a total value of $966,040.20. WESCO International Stock Performance Shares of WESCO International stock traded up $0.66 on Thursday, reaching $257.25. 486,961 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 704,912. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 2.09. The companys 50-day moving average is $220.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $198.47. The firm has a market cap of $12.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.79. WESCO International, Inc. has a 1-year low of $125.21 and a 1-year high of $263.37. WESCO International Dividend Announcement WESCO International ( NYSE:WCC Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The technology company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.75 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $6.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.91 billion. WESCO International had a net margin of 2.98% and a return on equity of 12.96%. WESCO Internationals quarterly revenue was up 12.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.58 EPS. WESCO International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 13.100-13.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that WESCO International, Inc. will post 13.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th were issued a $0.4538 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $1.82 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. WESCO Internationals dividend payout ratio is presently 14.20%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages recently weighed in on WCC. Stephens cut WESCO International from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and raised their target price for the company from $190.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays assumed coverage on WESCO International in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued an overweight rating and a $258.00 price objective for the company. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of WESCO International from $258.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of WESCO International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a strong-buy rating and issued a $240.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of WESCO International in a report on Friday, August 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, WESCO International presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $248.89. Read Our Latest Research Report on WESCO International Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WCC. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in WESCO International in the third quarter worth $37,000. Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in WESCO International by 46.8% during the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 279 shares of the technology companys stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in WESCO International by 129.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 232 shares of the technology companys stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in WESCO International by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 479 shares of the technology companys stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of WESCO International by 13.4% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 507 shares of the technology companys stock worth $94,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 93.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. WESCO International Company Profile (Get Free Report) WESCO International, Inc provides business-to-business distribution, logistics services, and supply chain solutions in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), Communications & Security Solutions (CSS), and Utility and Broadband Solutions (UBS). Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for WESCO International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for WESCO International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dutch Bros (NYSE:BROS Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $423.58 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $414.81 million. Dutch Bros had a net margin of 4.04% and a return on equity of 9.10%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 25.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.16 EPS. Dutch Bros updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS. Dutch Bros Trading Down 2.1% BROS traded down $1.14 during trading on Friday, hitting $52.08. 2,369,234 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,427,875. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $57.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market cap of $8.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 104.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 2.56. Dutch Bros has a 1 year low of $43.62 and a 1 year high of $86.88. Get Dutch Bros alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Dutch Bros In related news, major shareholder Dm Individual Aggregator, Llc sold 482,750 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.17, for a total transaction of $31,460,817.50. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 1,279,144 shares of the companys stock, valued at $83,361,814.48. This represents a 27.40% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Chairman Travis Boersma sold 1,250,371 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.17, for a total value of $81,486,678.07. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman directly owned 1,279,144 shares in the company, valued at approximately $83,361,814.48. The trade was a 49.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 3,161,101 shares of company stock worth $207,633,882 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 42.40% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Analyst Ratings Changes A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Osterweis Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Dutch Bros during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in Dutch Bros by 557.4% in the second quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 447 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Dutch Bros by 21.5% during the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 4,164 shares of the companys stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Dutch Bros in the first quarter valued at approximately $318,000. Finally, Shay Capital LLC acquired a new position in Dutch Bros during the 2nd quarter worth about $354,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.54% of the companys stock. Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $84.00 price target on Dutch Bros in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Dutch Bros from $72.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Dutch Bros in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Melius Research raised Dutch Bros to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Mizuho upgraded Dutch Bros to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Dutch Bros currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $76.72. Read Our Latest Report on BROS Dutch Bros Company Profile (Get Free Report) Dutch Bros Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates and franchises drive-thru shops in the United States. The company operates through Company-Operated Shops and Franchising and Other segments. It serves through company-operated shops and online channels under Dutch Bros; Dutch Bros Coffee; Dutch Bros Rebel; Dutch Bros; and Blue Rebel brands. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Dutch Bros Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dutch Bros and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 28.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 161,867 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 35,712 shares during the period. Eli Lilly and Company makes up about 2.9% of Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 5th largest holding. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.s holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $126,180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ascent Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.5% in the first quarter. Ascent Capital Management LLC now owns 495 shares of the companys stock worth $409,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Willner & Heller LLC grew its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Willner & Heller LLC now owns 854 shares of the companys stock worth $705,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. now owns 527 shares of the companys stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 732 shares of the companys stock valued at $571,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Occidental Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 1,966 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,533,000 after buying an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Insider Activity In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CEO David A. Ricks acquired 1,632 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $644.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,052,264.64. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 546,601 shares in the company, valued at $352,431,926.77. This represents a 0.30% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Daniel Skovronsky acquired 1,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $634.40 per share, for a total transaction of $634,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 137,660 shares in the company, valued at approximately $87,331,504. The trade was a 0.73% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have bought a total of 4,314 shares of company stock worth $2,766,929 over the last ninety days. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Hsbc Global Res raised Eli Lilly and Company from a moderate sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. Leerink Partnrs cut Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $876.00 to $879.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $700.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Sunday, August 17th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $1,050.00 to $895.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Eli Lilly and Company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $950.00. View Our Latest Stock Report on Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company Price Performance LLY opened at $938.13 on Friday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $796.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $775.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.00. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1 year low of $623.78 and a 1 year high of $955.46. The firm has a market cap of $886.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 61.32, a PEG ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.43. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.42 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 92.72% and a net margin of 25.91%.The businesss revenue was up 53.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.18 earnings per share. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current year. Eli Lilly and Company Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.35%. Eli Lilly and Company Profile (Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE:LPX Free Report) Stock analysts at DA Davidson dropped their FY2025 earnings estimates for Louisiana-Pacific in a research note issued on Thursday, November 6th. DA Davidson analyst K. Yinger now expects that the building manufacturing company will post earnings per share of $2.55 for the year, down from their prior forecast of $2.82. DA Davidson currently has a Buy rating and a $117.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Louisiana-Pacifics current full-year earnings is $5.27 per share. Get Louisiana-Pacific alerts: Several other analysts also recently commented on LPX. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Louisiana-Pacific from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Louisiana-Pacific from $114.00 to $104.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Louisiana-Pacific in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Louisiana-Pacific from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, Vertical Research started coverage on Louisiana-Pacific in a report on Monday, October 20th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $106.33. Louisiana-Pacific Trading Down 1.1% NYSE:LPX opened at $77.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 1.67. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $90.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.75. Louisiana-Pacific has a fifty-two week low of $76.37 and a fifty-two week high of $122.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.24 and a beta of 1.80. Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE:LPX Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The building manufacturing company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.37 by ($0.01). Louisiana-Pacific had a return on equity of 18.67% and a net margin of 10.34%.The business had revenue of $663.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $670.26 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.22 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 8.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 32.6% during the 3rd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 7,153 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $635,000 after purchasing an additional 1,757 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in shares of Louisiana-Pacific by 11.8% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 16,802 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock valued at $1,493,000 after buying an additional 1,777 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its holdings in Louisiana-Pacific by 2.2% during the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 32,589 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $2,895,000 after buying an additional 714 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Louisiana-Pacific during the third quarter worth $220,000. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System raised its position in Louisiana-Pacific by 1.3% during the third quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 15,058 shares of the building manufacturing companys stock worth $1,338,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 94.73% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Insider Activity In related news, Director Ozey K. Horton, Jr. sold 500 shares of Louisiana-Pacific stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.00, for a total value of $50,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 29,728 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,002,528. The trade was a 1.65% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.42% of the companys stock. Louisiana-Pacific Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a $0.28 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Louisiana-Pacifics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.42%. About Louisiana-Pacific (Get Free Report) Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides building solutions primarily for use in new home construction, repair and remodeling, and outdoor structure markets. It operates through Siding, Oriented Strand Board, LP South America, and Other segments. The Siding segment offers LP SmartSide trim and siding products, LP SmartSide ExpertFinish trim and siding products, LP BuilderSeries lap siding products, and LP Outdoor Building Solutions; and engineered wood siding, trim, soffit, and fascia products. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Louisiana-Pacific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Louisiana-Pacific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ethos Financial Group LLC reduced its stake in McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:MCD Free Report) by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,003 shares of the fast-food giants stock after selling 235 shares during the quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLCs holdings in McDonalds were worth $1,170,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of McDonalds during the first quarter worth about $26,000. HFM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in McDonalds in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new position in McDonalds in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Financial Gravity Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in McDonalds during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, 1248 Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of McDonalds in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.29% of the companys stock. Get McDonald's alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research firms have recently issued reports on MCD. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of McDonalds from $350.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets restated an outperform rating on shares of McDonalds in a research note on Thursday. Melius started coverage on McDonalds in a research report on Monday, July 14th. They set a sell rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on McDonalds from $305.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, KeyCorp restated an overweight rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of McDonalds in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, McDonalds has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $323.91. McDonalds Stock Down 2.4% MCD opened at $298.36 on Friday. McDonalds Corporation has a 52 week low of $276.53 and a 52 week high of $326.32. The businesss 50 day moving average is $304.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $305.20. The firm has a market cap of $212.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 0.50. McDonalds (NYSE:MCD Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The fast-food giant reported $3.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.33 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $7.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.10 billion. McDonalds had a negative return on equity of 225.52% and a net margin of 32.21%.The businesss revenue was up 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.23 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that McDonalds Corporation will post 12.25 EPS for the current fiscal year. McDonalds Increases Dividend The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be paid a $1.86 dividend. This is a boost from McDonaldss previous quarterly dividend of $1.77. This represents a $7.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. McDonaldss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 63.48%. Insider Transactions at McDonalds In other news, CMO Edith Morgan Flatley sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $315.00, for a total value of $315,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief marketing officer directly owned 6,858 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,160,270. This represents a 12.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jonathan Banner sold 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.00, for a total value of $310,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 99 shares in the company, valued at approximately $30,690. This represents a 90.99% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. About McDonalds (Free Report) McDonalds Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MCD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for McDonalds Corporation (NYSE:MCD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for McDonald's Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for McDonald's and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Everest Group, Ltd. (NYSE:EG Free Report) by 6.4% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 260,429 shares of the companys stock after selling 17,813 shares during the period. Everest Group accounts for approximately 1.3% of Sterling Capital Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Sterling Capital Management LLCs holdings in Everest Group were worth $88,507,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Everest Group by 12.2% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 172,718 shares of the companys stock valued at $62,753,000 after purchasing an additional 18,780 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Everest Group by 7.9% in the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 55,123 shares of the companys stock worth $20,028,000 after purchasing an additional 4,021 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its position in Everest Group by 25.3% in the 2nd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 3,647 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,239,000 after buying an additional 737 shares in the last quarter. Korea Investment CORP increased its stake in Everest Group by 130.4% during the 1st quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 62,093 shares of the companys stock valued at $22,560,000 after buying an additional 35,145 shares during the period. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Everest Group by 109.5% during the 1st quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 26,030 shares of the companys stock worth $9,457,000 after buying an additional 13,607 shares in the last quarter. 92.64% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Everest Group alerts: Everest Group Price Performance EG stock opened at $319.43 on Friday. Everest Group, Ltd. has a one year low of $302.44 and a one year high of $392.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $341.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $340.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.41 billion, a PE ratio of 24.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. Everest Group Dividend Announcement Everest Group ( NYSE:EG Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $7.54 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $13.39 by ($5.85). The firm had revenue of $4.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.86 billion. Everest Group had a return on equity of 3.81% and a net margin of 3.12%.The businesss revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $11.80 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Everest Group, Ltd. will post 47.93 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be given a $2.00 dividend. This represents a $8.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 26th. Everest Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 60.93%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Everest Group news, Director William F. Galtney, Jr. purchased 11,385 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $307.38 per share, with a total value of $3,499,521.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 45,491 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,983,023.58. This represents a 33.38% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Allan Levine bought 3,100 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $306.08 per share, for a total transaction of $948,848.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 4,153 shares in the company, valued at $1,271,150.24. This trade represents a 294.40% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In EG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial reissued an outperform rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Everest Group in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Everest Group from $383.00 to $343.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Cowen reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Everest Group in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of Everest Group to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Everest Group from $380.00 to $384.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Everest Group currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $372.36. Read Our Latest Report on Everest Group About Everest Group (Free Report) Everest Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through two segment, Insurance and Reinsurance. The Reinsurance segment writes property and casualty reinsurance; and specialty lines of business through reinsurance brokers, as well as directly with ceding companies in the United States, Bermuda, Ireland, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Everest Group, Ltd. (NYSE:EG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Everest Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Everest Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Excalibur Management Corp lessened its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS Free Report) by 2.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,306 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 109 shares during the quarter. The Goldman Sachs Group makes up approximately 1.1% of Excalibur Management Corps investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Excalibur Management Corps holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $3,048,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board boosted its position in The Goldman Sachs Group by 28.6% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 524,296 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $286,418,000 after purchasing an additional 116,535 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,379,900 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $2,392,124,000 after buying an additional 157,473 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 161.8% during the 1st quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC now owns 1,055 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 652 shares during the last quarter. Jump Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 1st quarter worth about $9,596,000. Finally, Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC grew its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC now owns 21,534 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $15,240,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get The Goldman Sachs Group alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In GS has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $752.00 to $830.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on The Goldman Sachs Group from $685.00 to $775.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Citizens Jmp restated a market perform rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on The Goldman Sachs Group from $854.00 to $828.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, HSBC lifted their target price on The Goldman Sachs Group from $652.00 to $677.00 in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, The Goldman Sachs Group has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $779.50. Insider Activity In related news, COO John E. Waldron sold 9,000 shares of The Goldman Sachs Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $750.51, for a total value of $6,754,590.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 106,268 shares of the companys stock, valued at $79,755,196.68. This trade represents a 7.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.55% of the companys stock. The Goldman Sachs Group Price Performance Shares of NYSE GS opened at $787.24 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $777.23 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $698.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $236.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.67. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $439.38 and a fifty-two week high of $825.25. The Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE:GS Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The investment management company reported $12.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $10.27 by $1.98. The company had revenue of $15.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.68 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a return on equity of 14.79% and a net margin of 13.18%.The Goldman Sachs Groups revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The Goldman Sachs Group Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $4.00 per share. This represents a $16.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 2nd. The Goldman Sachs Groups dividend payout ratio is 32.50%. The Goldman Sachs Group Company Profile (Free Report) The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in financing under securities to resale agreements. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for The Goldman Sachs Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Huntington National Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Extra Space Storage Inc (NYSE:EXR Free Report) by 19.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,647 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 431 shares during the period. Huntington National Banks holdings in Extra Space Storage were worth $390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH boosted its position in Extra Space Storage by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. FARMERS & MERCHANTS TRUST Co OF LONG BEACH now owns 1,825 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $269,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Extra Space Storage by 6.5% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 1,559 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in shares of Extra Space Storage by 4.1% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 2,693 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $400,000 after purchasing an additional 105 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in Extra Space Storage by 2.5% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 4,759 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $707,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC lifted its holdings in Extra Space Storage by 0.4% in the second quarter. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC now owns 28,289 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $4,171,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the period. 99.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Extra Space Storage alerts: Extra Space Storage Stock Down 1.4% EXR stock opened at $131.10 on Friday. Extra Space Storage Inc has a 12 month low of $121.03 and a 12 month high of $175.57. The firm has a market cap of $27.83 billion, a PE ratio of 29.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.29. Extra Space Storage Announces Dividend Extra Space Storage ( NYSE:EXR Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $838.53 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $736.26 million. Extra Space Storage had a net margin of 28.40% and a return on equity of 6.53%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.07 earnings per share. Extra Space Storage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.120-8.20 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Extra Space Storage Inc will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $6.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.9%. Extra Space Storages payout ratio is 144.64%. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Joseph D. Margolis sold 7,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.41, for a total transaction of $1,060,575.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 19,760 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,794,261.60. The trade was a 27.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have commented on EXR. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Extra Space Storage from $158.00 to $150.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Extra Space Storage from $160.00 to $148.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Extra Space Storage from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $160.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Citigroup cut their target price on Extra Space Storage from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Extra Space Storage in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $148.50. Read Our Latest Report on Extra Space Storage Extra Space Storage Company Profile (Free Report) Extra Space Storage Inc, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a self-administered and self-managed REIT and a member of the S&P 500. As of December 31, 2023, the Company owned and/or operated 3,714 self-storage stores in 42 states and Washington, DC The Company's stores comprise approximately 2.6 million units and approximately 283.0 million square feet of rentable space operating under the Extra Space, Life Storage and Storage Express brands. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EXR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Extra Space Storage Inc (NYSE:EXR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Extra Space Storage Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Extra Space Storage and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM Free Report) by 116.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,657 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after acquiring an additional 4,123 shares during the quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Exxon Mobil were worth $825,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of XOM. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Journey Strategic Wealth LLC now owns 21,929 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $2,608,000 after buying an additional 1,379 shares during the period. Linscomb Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Exxon Mobil by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Linscomb Wealth Inc. now owns 389,769 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $42,017,000 after purchasing an additional 5,527 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in shares of Exxon Mobil by 52.3% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 382,989 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $45,149,000 after purchasing an additional 131,600 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC lifted its stake in Exxon Mobil by 51.8% during the first quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 7,665 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $912,000 after purchasing an additional 2,617 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phoenix Financial Ltd. boosted its holdings in Exxon Mobil by 23.9% in the first quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd. now owns 97,050 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $11,561,000 after purchasing an additional 18,752 shares in the last quarter. 61.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Exxon Mobil alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Exxon Mobil in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a hold rating and a $111.00 price objective for the company. Melius began coverage on Exxon Mobil in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a hold rating and a $111.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price target on Exxon Mobil from $124.00 to $123.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 15th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Exxon Mobil from $143.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Exxon Mobil from $134.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $128.50. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, VP Darrin L. Talley sold 2,158 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $110.45, for a total value of $238,351.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 13,829 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,527,413.05. The trade was a 13.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.03% of the companys stock. Exxon Mobil Stock Performance NYSE XOM opened at $114.47 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $113.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $110.19. The company has a market capitalization of $487.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.26, a PEG ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.49. Exxon Mobil Corporation has a 1-year low of $97.80 and a 1-year high of $123.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.88. Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, June 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.65 earnings per share for the quarter. Exxon Mobil had a return on equity of 11.34% and a net margin of 9.17%.The company had revenue of $57.55 billion for the quarter. Sell-side analysts expect that Exxon Mobil Corporation will post 7.43 EPS for the current fiscal year. Exxon Mobil Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be paid a $1.03 dividend. This represents a $4.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This is an increase from Exxon Mobils previous quarterly dividend of $0.99. Exxon Mobils dividend payout ratio is currently 59.88%. Exxon Mobil Profile (Free Report) Exxon Mobil Corporation engages in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas in the United States and internationally. It operates through Upstream, Energy Products, Chemical Products, and Specialty Products segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Exxon Mobil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Exxon Mobil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday after Zacks Research downgraded the stock from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating. The stock had previously closed at $26.35, but opened at $23.95. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA shares last traded at $23.8210, with a volume of 503,964 shares traded. Several other research firms have also commented on FMS. Morgan Stanley reissued an underweight rating on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a hold (c+) rating to a buy (b-) rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group cut shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a sell rating to an underperform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Bank of America lowered shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $30.00. Get Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on FMS Institutional Inflows and Outflows Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Trading Up 0.4% A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 22.4% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 39,903 shares of the companys stock worth $994,000 after purchasing an additional 7,299 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 225.5% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 75,660 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,162,000 after acquiring an additional 52,418 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund purchased a new stake in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in the 1st quarter worth $164,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its position in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA by 243.3% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 7,817 shares of the companys stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 5,540 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC purchased a new position in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA during the first quarter valued at $286,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 8.37% of the companys stock. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $26.03 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.28 billion, a PE ratio of 19.95, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.08. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (NYSE:FMS Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $5.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.72 billion. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA had a net margin of 3.39% and a return on equity of 6.75%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA will post 1.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Company Profile (Get Free Report) Fresenius Medical Care AG provides dialysis and related services for individuals with renal diseases in Germany, North America, and internationally. The company offers dialysis treatment and related laboratory and diagnostic services through a network of outpatient dialysis clinics; materials, training, and patient support services comprising clinical monitoring, follow-up assistance, and arranging for delivery of the supplies to the patient's residence; and dialysis services under contract to hospitals in the United States for the hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and for patients suffering from acute kidney failure. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that conflict-driven challenges have further exacerbated the ongoing cholera outbreak in Sudan, as the country recorded nearly 2,000 cholera-related deaths since the start of 2025. Since the start of this year, Sudan has recorded 71,373 cholera cases and 1,996 deaths, marking the highest number of fatalities from cholera in Africa during the period, Yap Boum II, deputy incident manager for mpox at the Africa CDC, said during an online media briefing on Thursday evening. Boum expressed concern over conflict-induced challenges that are both driving the spread of cholera, while also hindering response efforts. All 18 states in Sudan are affected by the ongoing cholera outbreak, with current hotspot areas including North Kordofan, White Nile, and Darfur, and the country's capital, Khartoum. The Africa CDC has identified conflict-induced water-system failures, widespread displacement, and access constraints as major drivers of the rapid surge in cholera cases across Sudan this year. Boum expressed worry over several challenges hindering cholera response efforts in Sudan, including the existing "very large caseload," surveillance gaps mainly in Darfur, and constrained access to care. He said multiple rounds of oral cholera vaccine are being conducted in Khartoum and other high-burden states to curb the spread. Meanwhile, the Africa CDC official raised alarms over the rapid transmission of cholera in Angola and Burundi. After a period of decline, Angola has seen a sharp resurgence over the past five weeks, signaling a potential new wave. Data from the African Union's specialized healthcare agency showed that 23 African countries have reported 300,117 cholera cases and 6,927 deaths since the start of this year. "Cholera is really one of the worst outbreaks in the last few years on the continent," Boum said. "When we look at the number of cases and deaths, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, now Burundi, and Angola, which is experiencing a second wave, it is of concern." The number of affected countries and reported cases in 2025 has already surpassed last year's figures. The disease also marked a higher case fatality rate as compared to last year's, which was about 1.9 percent, according to the Africa CDC. Boum attributed part of the surge to climate change, as flooding and other climate shocks increase exposure to the disease. He emphasized the urgent need to exert unified action to tackle the spread of cholera in Africa. "We believe that together we will be able to see the decrease of cholera, moving toward its elimination by 2030." Cholera, an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by consuming contaminated food or water, results in acute watery diarrhoea and severe dehydration. The disease can be fatal within hours if untreated. Inadequate clean and safe water is said to be the major driver of recurring cholera outbreaks in Africa. Texas Yale Capital Corp. raised its holdings in Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF (NYSEARCA:GVIP Free Report) by 0.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,853 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. owned about 1.80% of Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF worth $6,345,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. MAI Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF in the 1st quarter valued at about $48,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF during the 1st quarter worth $214,000. Keybank National Association OH acquired a new stake in Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF in the 2nd quarter worth about $231,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF by 50.1% in the 1st quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 2,926 shares of the companys stock valued at $345,000 after purchasing an additional 977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new stake in Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF during the first quarter valued at about $514,000. Get Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF alerts: Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF Trading Down 1.4% NYSEARCA:GVIP opened at $151.85 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $410.00 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.77 and a beta of 1.06. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $151.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.03. Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF has a twelve month low of $100.33 and a twelve month high of $157.02. About Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF The Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF (GVIP) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund VIP index. The fund tracks an equal-weighted index of the 50 most-frequently held US companies selected from the portfolios of hedge funds. GVIP was launched on Nov 1, 2016 and is managed by Goldman Sachs. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GVIP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF (NYSEARCA:GVIP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Goldman Sachs Hedge Industry VIP ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. boosted its position in Edison International (NYSE:EIX Free Report) by 7.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 133,046 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 9,709 shares during the quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc.s holdings in Edison International were worth $6,865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Edison International by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 49,083,555 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $2,892,003,000 after buying an additional 493,778 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Edison International by 19.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,770,535 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $340,000,000 after acquiring an additional 953,897 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in Edison International by 111.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,663,427 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $333,689,000 after acquiring an additional 2,987,318 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Edison International by 190.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,428,038 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $319,169,000 after acquiring an additional 3,559,602 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its position in shares of Edison International by 38.3% during the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 4,658,597 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $274,485,000 after acquiring an additional 1,289,062 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.95% of the companys stock. Get Edison International alerts: Insider Buying and Selling at Edison International In other news, Director Peter J. Taylor sold 1,800 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.27, for a total value of $99,486.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 35,212 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,946,167.24. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 1.20% of the companys stock. Edison International Stock Down 0.4% Shares of NYSE EIX opened at $56.55 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.52 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.81. Edison International has a 1 year low of $47.73 and a 1 year high of $88.64. The firm has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a PE ratio of 7.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.83 and a beta of 0.85. Edison International (NYSE:EIX Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.16 by $0.18. Edison International had a net margin of 17.24% and a return on equity of 13.62%. The firm had revenue of $5.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.31 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.51 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Edison International has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.950-6.200 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Edison International will post 4.95 EPS for the current year. Edison International Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, October 7th were issued a dividend of $0.8275 per share. This represents a $3.31 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, October 7th. Edison Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.27%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research analysts recently issued reports on EIX shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Edison International from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Edison International from $57.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Edison International in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a buy rating and a $71.00 price objective for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lifted their target price on Edison International from $52.50 to $55.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Edison International from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $64.30. Get Our Latest Analysis on Edison International Edison International Profile (Free Report) Edison International, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation and distribution of electric power. The company supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 50,000 square mile area of southern California to residential, commercial, industrial, public authorities, agricultural, and other sectors. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding EIX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Edison International (NYSE:EIX Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Edison International Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Edison International and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Insider and Institutional Ownership 50.4% of shares of all BANKS SOUTHEAST companies are owned by institutional investors. 16.9% of Madison County Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 12.5% of shares of all BANKS SOUTHEAST companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Profitability This table compares Madison County Financial and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Madison County Financial alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Madison County Financial N/A N/A N/A Madison County Financial Competitors 16.47% 9.97% 1.05% Volatility & Risk Madison County Financial has a beta of 0.08, indicating that its stock price is 92% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Madison County Financials peers have a beta of 0.63, indicating that their average stock price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500. Dividends Valuation and Earnings Madison County Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Madison County Financial pays out 35.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BANKS SOUTHEAST companies pay a dividend yield of 2.1% and pay out 24.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Madison County Financial lags its peers as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio. This table compares Madison County Financial and its peers top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Madison County Financial $29.54 million $3.82 million 26.21 Madison County Financial Competitors $614.10 million $154.64 million 13.99 Madison County Financials peers have higher revenue and earnings than Madison County Financial. Madison County Financial is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry. Summary Madison County Financial peers beat Madison County Financial on 9 of the 11 factors compared. About Madison County Financial (Get Free Report) Madison County Financial, Inc. operates as the holding company for Madison County Bank that provides banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers in Nebraska, the United States. It offers checking, money market savings, savings, and individual retirement accounts; certificates of deposit; credit and debit cards; home loans; and consumer loans, including home equity lines of credit, second mortgage, home improvement, recreational vehicle, personal, and overdraft protection loans, as well as loans for automobiles, trucks, and vans. The company also provides agricultural real estate, machinery and equipment, livestock and crop, and operating loans; and commercial real estate, construction, investment property, and working capital loans, as well as equipment financing services. In addition, it offers online and mobile banking, and merchant services. The company was formerly known as Madison County Holding Company and changed its name to Madison County Financial, Inc. in October 2012. Madison County Financial, Inc. was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Madison, Nebraska. Receive News & Ratings for Madison County Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Madison County Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Hitachi Constr (OTCMKTS:HTCMY Get Free Report) saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 1,600 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 123% from the previous sessions volume of 717 shares.The stock last traded at $63.80 and had previously closed at $64.2850. Hitachi Constr Trading Down 3.9% The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $62.95 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.10 and a beta of 0.35. Get Hitachi Constr alerts: Hitachi Constr (OTCMKTS:HTCMY Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter. As a group, analysts forecast that Hitachi Constr will post 4.76 EPS for the current year. About Hitachi Constr Hitachi Construction Machinery Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells construction machineries worldwide. The company operates through two segments, Construction Machinery Business and Solution Business. It offers excavators and wheel loaders, hydraulic excavators, compaction equipment, and rigid dump trucks. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Hitachi Constr Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hitachi Constr and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL Free Report) by 14.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,948 shares of the transportation companys stock after buying an additional 893 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Banks holdings in Delta Air Lines were worth $342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Delta Air Lines by 33.5% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 9,174 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in shares of Delta Air Lines in the first quarter worth $1,028,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 48.7% in the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 16,377 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $714,000 after acquiring an additional 5,366 shares during the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Delta Air Lines by 5.2% during the first quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,169 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $618,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in Delta Air Lines by 2.0% during the first quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,754 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the last quarter. 69.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Delta Air Lines alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane lifted their price target on Delta Air Lines from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, July 11th. Bernstein Bank raised their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $72.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, September 12th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Seaport Global Securities raised their target price on Delta Air Lines from $69.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty have given a Buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $71.53. Insider Buying and Selling at Delta Air Lines In other news, Director Michael P. Huerta sold 2,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.70, for a total value of $151,750.00. Following the sale, the director owned 33,245 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,017,971.50. This represents a 6.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP John E. Laughter sold 23,323 shares of Delta Air Lines stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total transaction of $1,453,722.59. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 81,109 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,055,523.97. This represents a 22.33% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders sold 39,833 shares of company stock valued at $2,463,585. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Delta Air Lines Stock Down 1.1% NYSE DAL opened at $57.89 on Friday. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a twelve month low of $34.74 and a twelve month high of $69.98. The stock has a market cap of $37.80 billion, a PE ratio of 8.15, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 0.40. Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 15th. The transportation company reported $0.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $8.40 billion for the quarter. Delta Air Lines had a net margin of 7.36% and a return on equity of 23.83%. On average, research analysts forecast that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current year. Delta Air Lines Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, October 16th were paid a $0.1875 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 16th. This represents a $0.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Delta Air Liness payout ratio is currently 10.56%. About Delta Air Lines (Free Report) Delta Air Lines, Inc provides scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Airline and Refinery. Its domestic network centered on core hubs in Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Salt Lake City, as well as coastal hub positions in Boston, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, New York-JFK, and Seattle; and international network centered on hubs and market presence in Amsterdam, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Sao Paulo, Seoul-Incheon, and Tokyo. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Delta Air Lines Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Delta Air Lines and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Molson Coors Beverage Company (NYSE:TAP Get Free Report) Director David Coors acquired 2,245 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $44.47 per share, for a total transaction of $99,835.15. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 30,586 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,360,159.42. This represents a 7.92% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Molson Coors Beverage Stock Down 2.5% Shares of Molson Coors Beverage stock traded down $1.13 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $44.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 4,487,824 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,476,607. Molson Coors Beverage Company has a one year low of $42.94 and a one year high of $64.66. The company has a market capitalization of $8.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.65. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $46.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.95. Get Molson Coors Beverage alerts: Molson Coors Beverage (NYSE:TAP Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.67 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.72 by ($0.05). Molson Coors Beverage had a net margin of 7.81% and a return on equity of 8.61%. The business had revenue of $2.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. Molson Coors Beverage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.360-5.360 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Molson Coors Beverage Company will post 6.35 earnings per share for the current year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages have recently commented on TAP. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Molson Coors Beverage from $67.00 to $57.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Molson Coors Beverage from $46.00 to $45.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Molson Coors Beverage in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Roth Capital reiterated a buy rating and issued a $65.00 target price (down previously from $67.00) on shares of Molson Coors Beverage in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Molson Coors Beverage from $58.00 to $53.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $54.56. Get Our Latest Report on TAP Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 24,791 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,509,000 after acquiring an additional 180 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 32.9% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 800 shares of the companys stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares in the last quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 3.7% in the second quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 5,757 shares of the companys stock worth $277,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 5.0% in the first quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 4,426 shares of the companys stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 209 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Molson Coors Beverage by 64.2% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 565 shares of the companys stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. 78.46% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Molson Coors Beverage Company Profile (Get Free Report) Molson Coors Beverage Company manufactures, markets, and sells beer and other malt beverage products under various brands in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers flavored malt beverages including hard seltzers, craft, spirits and energy, and ready to drink beverages. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Molson Coors Beverage Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Molson Coors Beverage and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NCLH Get Free Report) CEO Harry Sommer purchased 25,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was bought at an average price of $18.52 per share, for a total transaction of $463,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 720,728 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,347,882.56. The trade was a 3.59% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Norwegian Cruise Line Trading Down 2.0% NCLH traded down $0.38 on Thursday, reaching $18.23. 23,760,112 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,682,292. The company has a market cap of $8.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 2.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.05. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. has a one year low of $14.21 and a one year high of $29.29. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $24.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.86. Get Norwegian Cruise Line alerts: Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.03. Norwegian Cruise Line had a net margin of 7.52% and a return on equity of 59.88%. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.03 billion. Norwegian Cruise Line has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 0.270-0.270 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 2.100-2.100 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. will post 1.48 earnings per share for the current year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Norwegian Cruise Line Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NCLH. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 21,908 shares of the companys stock valued at $444,000 after buying an additional 493 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC boosted its stake in Norwegian Cruise Line by 16.6% in the third quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,507 shares of the companys stock valued at $82,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line by 21.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,898 shares of the companys stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 509 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its holdings in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 96,405 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,374,000 after purchasing an additional 529 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Norwegian Cruise Line by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 5,377 shares of the companys stock worth $109,000 after purchasing an additional 577 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.58% of the companys stock. A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Norwegian Cruise Line from $31.00 to $28.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Norwegian Cruise Line from $26.00 to $29.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Norwegian Cruise Line presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $28.74. Check Out Our Latest Report on Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line Company Profile (Get Free Report) Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a cruise company in North America, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and internationally. The company operates through the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. It offers itineraries ranging from three days to a 180-days calling on various ports, including Scandinavia, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, Alaska, Canada and New England, Hawaii, Asia, Tahiti and the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, Africa, India, South America, the Panama Canal, and the Caribbean. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Norwegian Cruise Line Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Norwegian Cruise Line and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. AAR Corp. (NYSE:AIR Get Free Report) CEO John Mcclain Holmes III sold 38,462 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.50, for a total transaction of $3,211,577.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 260,141 shares in the company, valued at $21,721,773.50. This represents a 12.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. AAR Stock Down 1.5% NYSE:AIR traded down $1.27 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $82.33. The companys stock had a trading volume of 296,062 shares, compared to its average volume of 360,740. AAR Corp. has a one year low of $46.51 and a one year high of $89.69. The businesss 50-day moving average is $80.69 and its 200-day moving average is $72.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The company has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 105.55 and a beta of 1.53. Get AAR alerts: AAR (NYSE:AIR Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 28th. The aerospace company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $553.30 million during the quarter. AAR had a return on equity of 12.29% and a net margin of 1.01%. Equities research analysts predict that AAR Corp. will post 3.77 EPS for the current year. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of AAR from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of AAR in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $85.00 price target on shares of AAR in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of AAR from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of AAR from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, September 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $89.33. Get Our Latest Analysis on AAR Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in AAR by 14.9% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,036 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $91,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management raised its stake in AAR by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 7,416 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in AAR by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,683 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $958,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank lifted its holdings in AAR by 1.7% during the third quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 10,243 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $918,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in AAR by 4.4% during the second quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 5,482 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.74% of the companys stock. About AAR (Get Free Report) AAR Corp. provides products and services to commercial aviation, government, and defense markets worldwide. The Parts Supply segment leases and sells aircraft components and replacement parts. The Repair & Engineering segment provides airframe maintenance services, such as airframe inspection, painting, line maintenance, airframe modification, structural repair, avionics service and installation, exterior and interior refurbishment, and engineering and support services; component repair services comprising maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, engine and airframe accessories, and interior refurbishment; and landing gear overhaul services, including repair services on wheels and brakes. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for AAR Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AAR and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX Get Free Report) Director Ellen Zane sold 12,891 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.28, for a total value of $1,266,927.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 24,134 shares in the company, valued at $2,371,889.52. This trade represents a 34.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Boston Scientific Trading Up 0.1% Shares of BSX traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $99.00. The stock had a trading volume of 6,809,356 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,974,178. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a current ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market cap of $146.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.58. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $100.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $102.43. Boston Scientific Corporation has a 12-month low of $85.98 and a 12-month high of $109.50. Get Boston Scientific alerts: Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The medical equipment provider reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.04. Boston Scientific had a return on equity of 19.74% and a net margin of 14.43%.The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.63 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. Boston Scientific has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.770-0.790 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Boston Scientific Corporation will post 2.85 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Analyst Ratings Changes Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BTC Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Boston Scientific by 5.7% in the third quarter. BTC Capital Management Inc. now owns 57,498 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $5,614,000 after acquiring an additional 3,080 shares in the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners lifted its stake in shares of Boston Scientific by 20.1% in the third quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 2,421 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $236,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Boston Scientific by 15.9% in the third quarter. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. now owns 17,488 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $1,707,000 after acquiring an additional 2,394 shares in the last quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Boston Scientific by 2.8% in the third quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. now owns 269,977 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $26,358,000 after acquiring an additional 7,334 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CENTRAL TRUST Co lifted its stake in shares of Boston Scientific by 13.9% in the third quarter. CENTRAL TRUST Co now owns 16,058 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $1,568,000 after acquiring an additional 1,962 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.07% of the companys stock. Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a buy rating and issued a $124.00 price objective on shares of Boston Scientific in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a hold rating on shares of Boston Scientific in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Boston Scientific from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Boston Scientific from $124.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Leerink Partners upped their price target on Boston Scientific from $127.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $123.77. Get Our Latest Stock Report on BSX About Boston Scientific (Get Free Report) Boston Scientific Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties worldwide. It operates through two segments, MedSurg and Cardiovascular. The company offers devices to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions, such as resolution clips, biliary stent systems, stents and electrocautery enhanced delivery systems, direct visualization systems, digital catheters, and single-use duodenoscopes; devices to treat urological conditions, including ureteral stents, catheters, baskets, guidewires, sheaths, balloons, single-use digital flexible ureteroscopes, holmium laser systems, artificial urinary sphincter, laser system, fiber, and hydrogel systems; and devices to treat neurological movement disorders and manage chronic pain, such as spinal cord stimulator system, proprietary programming software, radiofrequency generator, indirect decompression systems, practice optimization tools, and deep brain stimulation system. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Boston Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boston Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Raelipskie Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM Free Report) by 9.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 49,329 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after buying an additional 4,110 shares during the period. iShares Russell 2000 ETF makes up 4.9% of Raelipskie Partnerships holdings, making the stock its 6th largest position. Raelipskie Partnerships holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF were worth $10,645,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 211.1% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the first quarter worth $29,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF during the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Proathlete Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF during the second quarter worth $30,000. Get iShares Russell 2000 ETF alerts: iShares Russell 2000 ETF Price Performance NYSEARCA IWM opened at $240.35 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $66.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69 and a beta of 1.13. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $242.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.83. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a 1 year low of $171.73 and a 1 year high of $252.77. About iShares Russell 2000 ETF iShares Russell 2000 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 2,000 smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index. See Also Receive News & Ratings for iShares Russell 2000 ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares Russell 2000 ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Foreign companies share in opportunities of China's vast, open market Xinhua) 08:33, November 07, 2025 A volunteer poses for photos at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue for the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE), in east China's Shanghai, Nov. 4, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhou Dixiao) SHANGHAI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Investors around the world have once again flocked to the China International Import Expo (CIIE), experiencing the opportunities created by China's vast and open market at the ongoing eighth edition of the event. Amid the buzz of this CIIE, Joy Wing Mau Chile Spa has drawn the attention of visitors with its latest offering: plump blueberries from Peru, each about the size of a U.S. dollar coin and surprisingly crisp. These Southern Hemisphere blueberries stand out for their unique taste and, more importantly, they fill a seasonal gap, allowing Chinese consumers to enjoy fresh blueberries all year round, said Guo Min, the company's deputy marketing director in China. As China's middle-income group is expected to surpass 800 million people within the next decade, the demand for variety in consumer goods is surging. "Chinese consumers are no longer simply getting enough to eat; They now want to have more choices," Guo said. From tropical farms in Southeast Asia to orchards in South America, the multinational now sources over 300 types of fruit from over 40 countries and regions, delivering fresh produce to Chinese tables. This is just a snapshot of a larger shift, where global companies are racing to capture a slice of China's pie, and where consumers are demanding more diversity, higher quality and constant innovation. As outlined in the recommendations for the formulation of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), the country is placing the expansion of high-standard opening-up at the top of its national agenda, advocating the balanced development of imports and exports. Once primarily driven by exports, the Chinese economy is now increasingly expanding its imports to promote industrial upgrading and meet the growing aspirations of its people for an improved quality of life. China's commitment to opening its doors wider is evident. The country has ranked as the world's second-largest import market for 16 consecutive years and its overall tariff level has dropped to 7.3 percent. Currently, only 29 items remain on China's negative list for foreign investment, and none are in the manufacturing sector. According to data released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of World Economics and Politics and the Research Center for the Hongqiao International Economic Forum on Wednesday, China's openness index rose 0.5 percent year on year in 2024, in contrast to a 0.05 percent drop in the world openness index. Launched in 2018 as the world's only import-themed national trade expo, the CIIE has become a defining symbol of this openness. This year's edition boasts participation from 155 countries, regions and international organizations, with 4,108 overseas exhibitors filling more than 430,000 square meters of exhibition space, the largest scale yet. For global giants, an open Chinese market means heightened competition, but it also opens new avenues for growth and innovation. One company that has made the CIIE its stage from the very beginning is Panasonic. This year, the company occupies a 900-square-meter booth, which is one of the largest in the expo's consumer goods section. "China has transformed from a manufacturing powerhouse into a major consumer, innovation, and engineering nation," said Tetsuro Homma, executive vice president of Panasonic Holdings Corporation and group chief executive for China and Northeast Asia. Panasonic has evolved alongside China's market, honing its competitiveness in what Homma describes as "a training ground for the company." China has become one of Panasonic's most important overseas markets, accounting for roughly 30 percent of the company's global profits. "In our company, there's a saying," Homma said. "'If you fail in China, you fail globally.'" The CIIE, meanwhile, is not merely a platform to buy from the world but a stage benefiting the world. With zero-tariff treatment on 100 percent of tariff lines for the world's least-developed countries and African nations that have diplomatic ties with China, the expo is opening new doors for small exporters seeking to gain a foothold in global markets. Prince Muramba, a Rwandan coffee exhibitor, has returned to the CIIE this year after making his debut last year. Standing amid the busy booths, he reflected on the opportunities the event has offered for small producers like him. "China is doing everything it can to make it easier for us to bring our products here," he said. "All we need to do is show up with our goods." Muramba is looking to expand into new markets through the expo. "Hopefully, after this year's event, my coffee will be available online and in physical stores across China," he said. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wan Li (2nd R) and some of the recipients pose for photos at the award ceremony of Chinese Ambassador Scholarships in Tunis, Tunisia, Nov. 7, 2025. Thirty-nine Tunisian high school students received Chinese Ambassador Scholarships on Friday in recognition of their participation in cultural exchanges between Tunisia and China, the Chinese embassy said. (Photo by Adel Ezzine/Xinhua) TUNIS, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Thirty-nine Tunisian high school students received Chinese Ambassador Scholarships on Friday in recognition of their participation in cultural exchanges between Tunisia and China, the Chinese embassy said. The award ceremony, co-hosted by the Chinese embassy, the Tunisian Ministry of Education, and the Confucius Institute at Carthage University, was held in Tunis and attended by Chinese diplomats and Tunisian officials. Three Chinese language teachers were also honored with "Excellent Teacher" awards, while a school principal received a "Special Contribution" award. Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia Wan Li said the scholarships aimed to encourage more Tunisian students to study Chinese and pursue higher education in China, helping them "better understand a real and multi-faceted China" and strengthen bilateral ties. Ahlem Ben Soussia, coordinator of Chinese language teachers at Tunisian high schools and one of the award recipients, said the number of students studying Chinese had risen to nearly 900 this year from 683 last year, reflecting growing interest among Tunisian youth. She said she hoped the scholarship program would continue to foster educational and cultural exchanges and "serve as a bridge for friendship, cooperation and mutual understanding." Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV (OTCMKTS:KCDMY Get Free Report)s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $9.39, but opened at $8.25. Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV shares last traded at $8.25, with a volume of 368 shares trading hands. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Itau BBA Securities upgraded shares of Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Buy. Get Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV alerts: Get Our Latest Report on Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV Stock Performance The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.70 and a beta of 0.77. The companys 50 day moving average is $9.89 and its 200-day moving average is $9.45. Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV (OTCMKTS:KCDMY Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The basic materials company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $728.43 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $723.40 million. Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV had a net margin of 13.02% and a return on equity of 145.62%. Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 2nd were paid a $0.1121 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a dividend yield of 424.0%. Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CVs dividend payout ratio is presently 18.03%. Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV Company Profile (Get Free Report) Kimberly-Clark de Mexico, S. A. B. de C. V., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, and markets disposable products in Mexico. The company offers baby diapers, training pants, swim pants, wet wipes, shampoos, creams, bar soaps, and feeding products. It also provides toilet papers, napkins, facial tissues, paper towels, feminine pads, panty liners, tampons, intimate wipes, and menstrual cups. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kimberly-Clark de Mexico SAB de CV and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Logan Capital Management Inc. trimmed its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) by 9.4% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 79,063 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 8,192 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. accounts for 1.1% of Logan Capital Management Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest position. Logan Capital Management Inc.s holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $22,921,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JPM. Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 62.5% during the first quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,863 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,416,000 after buying an additional 3,792 shares in the last quarter. Mosaic Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Mosaic Financial Group LLC now owns 9,296 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,280,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. Morse Asset Management Inc now owns 2,569 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $630,000 after purchasing an additional 420 shares in the last quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 11.1% during the 1st quarter. China Universal Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 15,648 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $3,838,000 after purchasing an additional 1,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodward Diversified Capital LLC increased its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 3.4% during the first quarter. Woodward Diversified Capital LLC now owns 8,032 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,970,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get JPMorgan Chase & Co. alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JPM shares. DZ Bank reiterated a neutral rating on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Loop Capital set a $310.00 price objective on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a buy rating and set a $366.00 target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $290.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $326.38. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Trading Up 0.6% Shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. stock opened at $313.63 on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12-month low of $202.16 and a 12-month high of $318.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $862.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $305.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $286.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $5.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.83 by $0.24. The firm had revenue of $46.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $44.42 billion. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 20.90% and a return on equity of 17.18%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $4.37 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, October 6th were given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 6th. This is a boost from JPMorgan Chase & Co.s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s dividend payout ratio is 29.72%. Insider Buying and Selling at JPMorgan Chase & Co. In other news, Director Linda Bammann sold 9,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.94, for a total transaction of $2,830,430.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 82,207 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,492,753.58. This represents a 10.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the companys stock. About JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Free Report) JPMorgan Chase & Co is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of financial and investment banking services. It focuses on investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking (CCB), Commercial and Investment Bank (CIB), Asset and Wealth Management (AWM), and Corporate. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JPM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by equities research analysts at Citizens Jmp from $115.00 to $60.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a market outperform rating on the stock. Citizens Jmps price objective suggests a potential upside of 25.20% from the companys previous close. A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price target on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $83.00 price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, Truist Financial dropped their target price on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $128.00 to $127.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $82.00. Get Marriott Vacations Worldwide alerts: Read Our Latest Analysis on Marriott Vacations Worldwide Marriott Vacations Worldwide Stock Performance Shares of VAC stock traded down $1.59 during trading on Friday, reaching $47.92. 331,706 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 527,846. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has a 1 year low of $47.91 and a 1 year high of $99.42. The company has a market capitalization of $1.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.75, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a current ratio of 3.55, a quick ratio of 2.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17. The firms 50-day moving average is $70.69 and its 200 day moving average is $70.92. Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.05. Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a return on equity of 11.45% and a net margin of 3.44%.The firm had revenue of $1.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.80 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.700-7.100 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Marriott Vacations Worldwide will post 6.23 EPS for the current year. Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VAC. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 627.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 393 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 90.6% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 427 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 79.8% during the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 473 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.52% of the companys stock. About Marriott Vacations Worldwide (Get Free Report) Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, a vacation company, develops, markets, sells, and manages vacation ownership and related businesses, products, and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Vacation Ownership and Exchange & Third-Party Management. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Marriott Vacations Worldwide Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Marriott Vacations Worldwide and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC Get Free Report) updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 6.700-7.100 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 6.760. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Trading Down 26.3% Shares of VAC stock traded down $17.72 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $49.55. The company had a trading volume of 1,645,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 528,914. The company has a 50 day moving average of $71.27 and a 200 day moving average of $71.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a current ratio of 3.55 and a quick ratio of 2.90. The firm has a market cap of $1.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 1.50. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has a 1-year low of $49.22 and a 1-year high of $100.32. Get Marriott Vacations Worldwide alerts: Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE:VAC Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.64 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.31 billion. Marriott Vacations Worldwide had a return on equity of 11.74% and a net margin of 5.10%.The firms quarterly revenue was down 3.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. Marriott Vacations Worldwide has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.700-7.100 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marriott Vacations Worldwide will post 6.23 EPS for the current year. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Dividend Announcement Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 17th were paid a $0.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 17th. This represents a $3.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.4%. Marriott Vacations Worldwides dividend payout ratio is 47.52%. VAC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $83.00 price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $70.00 price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Marriott Vacations Worldwide from $128.00 to $127.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $89.67. Read Our Latest Research Report on VAC Institutional Trading of Marriott Vacations Worldwide Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VAC. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 175.7% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 2,966 shares of the companys stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,890 shares during the period. Teza Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at about $222,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its holdings in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide by 83.2% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,140 shares of the companys stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 1,426 shares in the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at about $259,000. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marriott Vacations Worldwide in the 2nd quarter valued at about $344,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.52% of the companys stock. About Marriott Vacations Worldwide (Get Free Report) Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, a vacation company, develops, markets, sells, and manages vacation ownership and related businesses, products, and services in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Vacation Ownership and Exchange & Third-Party Management. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Marriott Vacations Worldwide Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Marriott Vacations Worldwide and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. National Australia Bank Limited (ASX:NAB Get Free Report) declared a final dividend on Friday, November 7th, MarketIndexAU Dividends reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of 0.85 per share on Thursday, December 11th. This represents a yield of 196.0%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 10th. National Australia Bank Stock Performance The stock has a market cap of $126.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 0.89. Get National Australia Bank alerts: About National Australia Bank (Get Free Report) Recommended Stories National Australia Bank Limited provides financial services to individuals and businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. The company operates through Business and Private Banking; Personal Banking; Corporate and Institutional Banking; New Zealand Banking; and Corporate Functions and Other segments. Receive News & Ratings for National Australia Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for National Australia Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII Get Free Report) CAO Nicolas Schuck sold 466 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $314.36, for a total transaction of $146,491.76. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 2,418 shares of the companys stock, valued at $760,122.48. This represents a 16.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Huntington Ingalls Industries Trading Down 0.4% HII stock traded down $1.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $305.41. 434,608 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 589,091. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. has a 52-week low of $158.88 and a 52-week high of $330.00. The company has a market cap of $11.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.86, a P/E/G ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 0.40. The stocks fifty day moving average is $284.20 and its 200-day moving average is $257.81. Get Huntington Ingalls Industries alerts: Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The aerospace company reported $3.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.29 by $0.39. Huntington Ingalls Industries had a net margin of 4.54% and a return on equity of 11.34%. The company had revenue of $3.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.56 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 16.1% on a year-over-year basis. Huntington Ingalls Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. will post 13.99 earnings per share for the current year. Huntington Ingalls Industries Increases Dividend Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntington Ingalls Industries The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be paid a dividend of $1.38 per share. This is a boost from Huntington Ingalls Industriess previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. Huntington Ingalls Industriess payout ratio is currently 38.12%. Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Buttonwood Financial Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the second quarter worth approximately $253,000. Peddock Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries in the second quarter worth approximately $483,000. Revisor Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the second quarter valued at approximately $374,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the first quarter valued at approximately $1,324,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd acquired a new position in Huntington Ingalls Industries during the second quarter valued at approximately $243,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.46% of the companys stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $235.00 to $295.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $287.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from $316.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Huntington Ingalls Industries from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Sunday, September 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Huntington Ingalls Industries has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $311.33. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Huntington Ingalls Industries Huntington Ingalls Industries Company Profile (Get Free Report) Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc designs, builds, overhauls, and repairs military ships in the United States. It operates through three segments: Ingalls, Newport News, and Mission Technologies. The company is involved in the design and construction of non-nuclear ships comprising amphibious assault ships; expeditionary warfare ships; surface combatants; and national security cutters for the U.S. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Huntington Ingalls Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Huntington Ingalls Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR Get Free Report)s share price gapped down before the market opened on Friday following a dissappointing earnings announcement. The stock had previously closed at $32.46, but opened at $29.65. NuScale Power shares last traded at $28.1910, with a volume of 7,430,989 shares. The company reported ($1.85) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.11) by ($1.74). NuScale Power had a negative net margin of 221.07% and a positive return on equity of 2.61%. The business had revenue of $8.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.18) EPS. The businesss revenue was up 1635.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Get NuScale Power alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SMR shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of NuScale Power from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, August 11th. BNP Paribas Exane downgraded shares of NuScale Power from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays started coverage on shares of NuScale Power in a research report on Monday, September 29th. They set an equal weight rating and a $45.00 target price for the company. Bank of America restated an underperform rating and set a $34.00 price target (down from $38.00) on shares of NuScale Power in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a sell rating and issued a $37.50 target price (down from $46.00) on shares of NuScale Power in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $37.73. Insiders Place Their Bets In other NuScale Power news, Director Corp Fluor sold 87,900 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.58, for a total transaction of $3,479,082.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders sold 15,030,641 shares of company stock valued at $605,953,415 over the last quarter. 1.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SMR. CX Institutional purchased a new stake in NuScale Power in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. increased its stake in NuScale Power by 84.5% in the 2nd quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. now owns 784 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 359 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co acquired a new stake in shares of NuScale Power during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of NuScale Power by 292.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,100 shares of the companys stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC raised its holdings in shares of NuScale Power by 45.2% during the second quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 1,125 shares of the companys stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. 78.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. NuScale Power Stock Down 15.4% The company has a market capitalization of $7.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.25 and a beta of 2.03. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $39.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $35.82. NuScale Power Company Profile (Get Free Report) NuScale Power Corporation engages in the development and sale of modular light water reactor nuclear power plants to supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination, hydrogen production, and other process heat applications. It offers NuScale Power Module (NPM), a water reactor that can generate 77 megawatts of electricity (MWe); and VOYGR power plant designs for three facility sizes that are capable of housing from one to four and six or twelve NPMs. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for NuScale Power Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for NuScale Power and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Trane Technologies plc (NYSE:TT Free Report) by 16.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,603 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Trane Technologies were worth $701,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Horizon Investment Services LLC acquired a new stake in Trane Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $231,000. Modera Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Trane Technologies by 10.7% during the second quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,010 shares of the companys stock valued at $442,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. OneAscent Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Trane Technologies by 31.0% during the second quarter. OneAscent Family Office LLC now owns 1,176 shares of the companys stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 278 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Trane Technologies by 15.8% in the second quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,275 shares of the companys stock worth $3,182,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Soltis Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Trane Technologies in the second quarter valued at $273,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.97% of the companys stock. Get Trane Technologies alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages have commented on TT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Trane Technologies in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Trane Technologies from $407.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Trane Technologies from $494.00 to $513.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Trane Technologies from $485.00 to $495.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Northcoast Research lowered shares of Trane Technologies from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Friday, August 1st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Trane Technologies has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $466.50. Trane Technologies Stock Down 0.0% Shares of NYSE TT opened at $435.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $418.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $421.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $96.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.16. Trane Technologies plc has a 1 year low of $298.15 and a 1 year high of $476.18. Trane Technologies (NYSE:TT Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $3.88 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.80 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $5.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.80 billion. Trane Technologies had a net margin of 13.76% and a return on equity of 36.61%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.37 EPS. Trane Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 12.950-13.050 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Trane Technologies plc will post 12.83 EPS for the current fiscal year. Trane Technologies Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.94 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $3.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Trane Technologiess dividend payout ratio is 28.92%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Trane Technologies news, CEO David S. Regnery sold 22,497 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $410.00, for a total value of $9,223,770.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 123,713 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $50,722,330. This represents a 15.39% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Elizabeth A. Elwell sold 600 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $440.00, for a total transaction of $264,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,148 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,145,120. This trade represents a 7.74% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.14% of the stock is owned by insiders. Trane Technologies Company Profile (Free Report) Trane Technologies plc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services of solutions for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, custom, and custom and transport refrigeration in Ireland and internationally. It offers air conditioners, exchangers, and handlers; airside and terminal devices; air sourced heat pumps, auxiliary power units; chillers; coils and condensers; gensets; dehumidifiers; ductless; furnaces; home automation products; humidifiers; indoor air quality assessments and related products; large and light commercial unitary products; refrigerant reclamation products; thermostats/controls; transport heater products; variable refrigerant flow products; and water source heat pumps. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Trane Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Trane Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE Get Free Report) traded down 1.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $24.11 and last traded at $24.4460. 117,171,175 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 136% from the average session volume of 49,576,355 shares. The stock had previously closed at $24.85. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on PFE shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group restated a neutral rating and issued a $28.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Pfizer from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a neutral rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Pfizer in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Pfizer presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $28.18. Get Pfizer alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on Pfizer Pfizer Trading Down 1.6% The firms 50 day simple moving average is $24.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $24.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The company has a market capitalization of $138.99 billion, a PE ratio of 13.00, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.54. Pfizer (NYSE:PFE Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.08. Pfizer had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.42%. The firm had revenue of $16.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.94 billion. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year. Pfizer Announces Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.0%. Pfizers payout ratio is 91.49%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pfizer Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CFO4Life Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pfizer by 2.9% in the third quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 26,803 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $683,000 after acquiring an additional 762 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Pfizer by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 79,063 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,946,000 after purchasing an additional 6,052 shares during the last quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Pfizer by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 31,864 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $812,000 after purchasing an additional 1,765 shares in the last quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of Pfizer by 0.9% during the third quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 6,615,598 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $168,565,000 after buying an additional 56,484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CenterBook Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Pfizer by 283.6% in the third quarter. CenterBook Partners LP now owns 496,601 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $12,653,000 after buying an additional 367,145 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.36% of the companys stock. Pfizer Company Profile (Get Free Report) Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, Zavzpret, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Abrysvo, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Pfizer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Pfizer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Premier African Minerals Limited (LON:PREM Get Free Report)s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 0.10 and last traded at GBX 0.11, with a volume of 32311107 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 0.11. Premier African Minerals Price Performance The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 0.06 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 0.04. The company has a quick ratio of 2.54, a current ratio of 0.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The stock has a market capitalization of 8.23 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.23 and a beta of 0.99. Premier African Minerals Company Profile (Get Free Report) Premier African Minerals Limited, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, evaluation, development, and investment of natural resource properties on the African continent. It explores for tungsten, lithium, tantalum, fluorspar, potash, and gold deposits. The company holds interests in RHA Tungsten mine, Katete REE project, zulu project, and Tinde projects in Zimbabwe, as well as properties in Mozambique. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Premier African Minerals Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Premier African Minerals and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. by Xinhua Writers Dario Agnote, Zhang Yisheng MANILA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Days after Typhoon Kalmaegi unleashed torrential rains that triggered floods and landslides, rescuers are still pulling bodies from the mud and debris in some of the hardest-hit areas in the Philippines. As floodwaters from swollen rivers in the central provinces recede, a grim landscape has emerged -- homes flattened, streets buried in sludge and wreckage, and vehicles piled atop one another like discarded toys. "It's like a nightmare," said a Cebu resident who returned to what was once her family home, now just a tangle of broken walls and soaked furniture. "We've seen storms before, but nothing like this." The devastation left by the typhoon continues to unfold across the country, with the death toll climbing to 188 and at least 135 people still missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Friday. Nearly 100 others have been reported injured, the NDRRMC said. In Canlaon City on Negros Island, several residents were killed and others remain missing after Kalmaegi's relentless rains triggered volcanic mudflows from the slopes of Kanlaon Volcano. The torrents of mud and ash, known as lahars, buried homes and swept away everything in their path. The deadly flows occurred because past eruptions since 2024 had left thick deposits of volcanic material on Kanlaon's slopes. When Kalmaegi struck, its heavy rainfall loosened the debris and sent it cascading downhill into nearby villages. Local authorities had long warned of the danger, but the sheer volume of rain made the disaster unavoidable. Survivors described the onslaught as "a wall of mud" moving faster than they could run. So far, the typhoon has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, forcing many to seek refuge in evacuation centers. The NDRRMC reported that about 2.26 million people were affected across eight regions. Of these, more than 300,000 people remain in over 3,000 evacuation centers, relying on relief goods and government assistance. Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Thursday declared a state of national calamity, citing the massive destruction caused by Kalmaegi and the looming threat of another powerful storm, Fung-wong, which could intensify into a super typhoon as it approaches the country in the following days. The declaration is expected to speed up rescue, relief, and rehabilitation operations, and allow quicker access to emergency funds. "That gives us faster access to some of the emergency funds," Marcos said. The government has already released 760 million pesos (approximately 12.89 million U.S. dollars) in financial aid to affected local government units. Meanwhile, the state weather bureau reported on Friday that Fung-wong has intensified into a severe tropical storm, moving north-westward at 10 km per hour with maximum sustained winds of 95 km per hour and gusts of up to 115 km per hour. The storm may make landfall over northern or central Luzon by Monday. If forecasts hold, Fung-wong will be the 21st typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, already surpassing the country's annual average of 20. For now, rescue teams keep digging through the mud, clinging to the hope of finding survivors, or at least bringing peace to the families still waiting. Princeton Capital Management LLC trimmed its stake in Deere & Company (NYSE:DE Free Report) by 5.4% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,635 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 262 shares during the quarter. Deere & Company accounts for 0.7% of Princeton Capital Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 25th largest position. Princeton Capital Management LLCs holdings in Deere & Company were worth $2,357,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Deere & Company in the second quarter worth $25,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in Deere & Company by 2,750.0% during the 1st quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 57 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Deere & Company during the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of Deere & Company by 116.1% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 67 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA bought a new position in shares of Deere & Company in the second quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 68.58% of the companys stock. Get Deere & Company alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets DE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Deere & Company in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Deere & Company from $488.00 to $467.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. DA Davidson decreased their price target on shares of Deere & Company from $595.00 to $580.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 18th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Deere & Company from $510.00 to $440.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on shares of Deere & Company in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. They issued an outperform rating and a $542.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Deere & Company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $518.72. Deere & Company Stock Up 0.2% NYSE DE opened at $474.73 on Friday. Deere & Company has a 1-year low of $387.03 and a 1-year high of $533.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 1.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The stocks 50 day moving average is $466.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $489.91. The company has a market capitalization of $128.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.04. Deere & Company (NYSE:DE Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The industrial products company reported $4.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.62 by $0.13. Deere & Company had a return on equity of 21.97% and a net margin of 11.72%.The business had revenue of $10.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.33 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.29 EPS. Deere & Companys quarterly revenue was down 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Deere & Company will post 19.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Deere & Company Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.62 per share. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 30th. Deere & Companys dividend payout ratio is currently 33.87%. About Deere & Company (Free Report) Deere & Co engages in the manufacture and distribution of equipment used in agriculture, construction, forestry, and turf care. It operates through the following segments: Agriculture and Turf, Construction and Forestry, and Financial Services. The Agriculture and Turf segment focuses on the distribution and manufacture of a full line of agriculture and turf equipment and related service parts. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Deere & Company (NYSE:DE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Deere & Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deere & Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO Free Report) by 52.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,283 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,678 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLCs holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S were worth $227,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Disciplina Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Novo Nordisk A/S by 162.3% during the first quarter. Disciplina Capital Management LLC now owns 480 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. Dagco Inc. purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S during the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S during the second quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in the first quarter worth about $38,000. 11.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Novo Nordisk A/S alerts: Novo Nordisk A/S Stock Performance Shares of NVO stock opened at $46.54 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $207.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.79, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $55.54 and a 200 day moving average of $61.58. Novo Nordisk A/S has a 52 week low of $45.05 and a 52 week high of $112.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Novo Nordisk A/S ( NYSE:NVO Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.77 by $0.25. The business had revenue of $11.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.98 billion. Novo Nordisk A/S had a net margin of 35.60% and a return on equity of 78.64%. Novo Nordisk A/S has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 earnings per share for the current year. A number of research firms have recently weighed in on NVO. UBS Group lowered Novo Nordisk A/S from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Novo Nordisk A/S in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set an underperform rating for the company. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from $105.00 to $70.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 19th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from a hold (c-) rating to a sell (d+) rating in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Novo Nordisk A/S currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $59.20. Read Our Latest Report on Novo Nordisk A/S Novo Nordisk A/S Company Profile (Free Report) Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Novo Nordisk A/S and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Reston Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report) by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 707 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Reston Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $551,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 97.5% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 101,305,650 shares of the companys stock worth $83,669,349,000 after buying an additional 50,002,551 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company by 6.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 79,224,392 shares of the companys stock worth $65,432,218,000 after acquiring an additional 4,975,395 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.6% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 12,707,512 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,495,261,000 after purchasing an additional 81,587 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 13.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 5,821,993 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,808,443,000 after purchasing an additional 682,203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company during the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,613,912,000. 82.53% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Eli Lilly and Company alerts: Eli Lilly and Company Stock Performance Shares of LLY stock opened at $938.13 on Friday. The companys fifty day moving average price is $796.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $775.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $886.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 61.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.43. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $623.78 and a 12 month high of $955.46. Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement Eli Lilly and Company ( NYSE:LLY Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.42 by $0.60. Eli Lilly and Company had a net margin of 25.91% and a return on equity of 92.72%. The business had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.18 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.35%. Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and Company In other Eli Lilly and Company news, CEO David A. Ricks purchased 1,632 shares of Eli Lilly and Company stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $644.77 per share, for a total transaction of $1,052,264.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 546,601 shares in the company, valued at $352,431,926.77. This represents a 0.30% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gabrielle Sulzberger purchased 117 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $641.18 per share, with a total value of $75,018.06. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 2,703 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,733,109.54. This trade represents a 4.52% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 4,314 shares of company stock valued at $2,766,929. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In LLY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Leerink Partnrs cut Eli Lilly and Company from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Leerink Partners reiterated a market perform rating and set a $715.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and Company from $700.00 to $800.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $1,050.00 to $895.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded Eli Lilly and Company from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $700.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Sunday, August 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $950.00. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Eli Lilly and Company About Eli Lilly and Company (Free Report) Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LLY? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Eli Lilly and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Eli Lilly and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dividends Semperit Ag Hld pays an annual dividend of $0.07 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Semperit Ag Hld pays out -41.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, MED PRODUCTS companies pay a dividend yield of 1.4% and pay out 54.2% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Semperit Ag Hld is clearly a better dividend stock than its rivals, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio. Institutional and Insider Ownership 44.7% of shares of all MED PRODUCTS companies are held by institutional investors. 12.1% of shares of all MED PRODUCTS companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Get Semperit Ag Hld alerts: Profitability This table compares Semperit Ag Hld and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Semperit Ag Hld -1.45% -2.20% -1.02% Semperit Ag Hld Competitors -25.19% -33.37% -6.29% Earnings and Valuation Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Semperit Ag Hld $732.20 million $12.44 million -20.41 Semperit Ag Hld Competitors $2.87 billion $220.31 million 4.81 This table compares Semperit Ag Hld and its rivals revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Semperit Ag Hlds rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Semperit Ag Hld. Semperit Ag Hld is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry. Risk & Volatility Semperit Ag Hld has a beta of 0.35, indicating that its stock price is 65% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Semperit Ag Hlds rivals have a beta of 11.41, indicating that their average stock price is 1,041% more volatile than the S&P 500. Summary Semperit Ag Hld rivals beat Semperit Ag Hld on 6 of the 11 factors compared. About Semperit Ag Hld (Get Free Report) Semperit Aktiengesellschaft Holding develops, produces, and sells rubber products for the medical and industrial sectors worldwide. It operates through two segments: Semperit Industrial Applications and Semperit Engineered Applications. The company provides hydraulic and industrial hoses; conveyor belts; escalator handrails; profiles for windows, doors and facades, cable car rings, and ski foils; and products for railroad superstructures and toolmaking; and precision liquid silicone parts. It offers handrails; engineered solutions; and provides elastomer and sealing profiles for windows, doors, and facades; and elastomer and wear-resistant protective sheeting. It serves agriculture, bulk transportation systems, construction, manufacturing, health care, mining and port facilities, shipping, packing, household, renewable energy and power generation, process, steel, and automotive industries. Semperit Aktiengesellschaft Holding was founded in 1824 and is headquartered in Vienna, Austria. Receive News & Ratings for Semperit Ag Hld Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Semperit Ag Hld and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rightmove plc (LON:RMV Get Free Report)s share price fell 13.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as GBX 474.50 and last traded at GBX 567. 912,417,500 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 9,748% from the average session volume of 9,265,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 655.40. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In RMV has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Berenberg Bank raised their price objective on Rightmove from GBX 795 to GBX 850 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Peel Hunt reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 840 target price on shares of Rightmove in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a buy rating and set a GBX 815 price objective on shares of Rightmove in a research note on Monday, July 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an underweight rating on shares of Rightmove in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Rightmove from GBX 750 to GBX 805 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of GBX 787.40. Get Rightmove alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on RMV Rightmove Trading Down 13.5% Rightmove Company Profile The company has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 701.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 745.52. The firm has a market capitalization of 4.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.15, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a current ratio of 1.83. (Get Free Report) Rightmove plc, together with its subsidiaries, operates online digital property advertising and information portals in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company operates through Agency, New Homes, and Other segments. The Agency segment provides property resale and letting advertising services on its platforms. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Rightmove Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rightmove and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd boosted its stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP Free Report) (TSE:CP) by 0.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,114,999 shares of the transportation companys stock after buying an additional 23,673 shares during the period. Canadian Pacific Kansas City makes up 6.0% of Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltds portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management UK Ltd owned 0.56% of Canadian Pacific Kansas City worth $405,466,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City by 209.8% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 378 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 256 shares in the last quarter. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Canadian Pacific Kansas City in the 2nd quarter valued at about $49,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City during the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. 72.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Canadian Pacific Kansas City alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CP. Susquehanna set a $87.00 price target on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. National Bank Financial upgraded Canadian Pacific Kansas City from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Scotiabank restated an outperform rating on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on shares of Canadian Pacific Kansas City from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $91.69. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Stock Performance NYSE:CP opened at $68.86 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.01 billion, a PE ratio of 20.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited has a twelve month low of $66.49 and a twelve month high of $83.65. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $75.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.83. Canadian Pacific Kansas City (NYSE:CP Get Free Report) (TSE:CP) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The transportation company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.81 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.62 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.71 billion. Canadian Pacific Kansas City had a net margin of 28.41% and a return on equity of 8.79%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year. Canadian Pacific Kansas City Increases Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be paid a $0.228 dividend. This represents a $0.91 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This is a positive change from Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys previous quarterly dividend of $0.17. Canadian Pacific Kansas Citys dividend payout ratio is currently 19.51%. About Canadian Pacific Kansas City (Free Report) Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a transcontinental freight railway in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, potash, fertilizers, and sulphur; merchandise freight, such as forest products, energy, chemicals and plastics, metals, minerals, consumer products, and automotive; and intermodal traffic comprising retail goods in overseas containers. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (NYSE:CP Free Report) (TSE:CP). Receive News & Ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Canadian Pacific Kansas City and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Savant Capital LLC lifted its stake in Southern Company (The) (NYSE:SO Free Report) by 2.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 235,561 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 4,997 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLCs holdings in Southern were worth $21,632,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its position in shares of Southern by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 4,697 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $431,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Delta Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Southern by 4.6% in the 2nd quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC now owns 2,579 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Southern by 1.0% during the second quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 11,392 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,046,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. May Hill Capital LLC boosted its position in Southern by 3.8% during the second quarter. May Hill Capital LLC now owns 3,255 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $299,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Southern by 0.4% in the first quarter. Coastal Bridge Advisors LLC now owns 32,627 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,000,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. 64.10% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Southern alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SO shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Southern to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Southern from $97.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Southern in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued a neutral rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Southern from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $98.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of Southern in a research note on Monday, October 6th. They set an in-line rating and a $103.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $99.56. Southern Price Performance Shares of NYSE:SO opened at $90.94 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $94.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.49. Southern Company has a 52 week low of $80.46 and a 52 week high of $100.83. The company has a market cap of $100.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.38, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.54, a current ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.69. Southern (NYSE:SO Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The utilities provider reported $1.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.09. Southern had a return on equity of 12.09% and a net margin of 15.10%.The firm had revenue of $7.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.04 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.39 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. Southern has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.300-4.30 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.540-0.540 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Southern Company will post 4.29 EPS for the current year. Southern Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.74 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. Southerns payout ratio is currently 73.27%. Southern Profile (Free Report) The Southern Company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity. The company also develops, constructs, acquires, owns, and manages power generation assets, including renewable energy projects and sells electricity in the wholesale market; and distributes natural gas in Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, and Tennessee, as well as provides gas marketing services, gas distribution operations, and gas pipeline investments operations. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Southern Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Southern and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Spire Wealth Management lowered its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (BATS:VLUE Free Report) by 88.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 396 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,113 shares during the quarter. Spire Wealth Managements holdings in iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF were worth $45,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF by 107.9% in the 1st quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 262 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $46,000. AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new stake in iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF in the 1st quarter valued at $52,000. Get iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF alerts: iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF Price Performance iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF stock opened at $129.38 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $124.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $115.83. iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF has a 52-week low of $91.80 and a 52-week high of $116.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34 and a beta of 0.97. iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF Profile The iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Enhanced Value index. The fund tracks an index of large- and mid-cap US equities. Stocks are selected and weighted using fundamental metrics (earnings, revenue, book value and cash earnings), aiming for exposure to undervalued stocks in each sector. See Also Receive News & Ratings for iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Strawberry Fields REIT, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:STRW Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be given a dividend of 0.16 per share on Tuesday, December 30th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. Strawberry Fields REIT has a payout ratio of 107.7% meaning the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities research analysts expect Strawberry Fields REIT to earn $1.26 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.56 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 44.4%. Get Strawberry Fields REIT alerts: Strawberry Fields REIT Price Performance Shares of NYSEAMERICAN:STRW traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $11.58. 5,021 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 54,809. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $11.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $11.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $150.36 million, a P/E ratio of 19.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 0.40. Strawberry Fields REIT has a 1 year low of $8.70 and a 1 year high of $12.84. Strawberry Fields REIT Company Profile Strawberry Fields REIT, Inc, is a self-administered real estate investment trust engaged in the ownership, acquisition, development and leasing of skilled nursing and certain other healthcare-related properties. The Company's portfolio includes 109 healthcare facilities with an aggregate of 12,449 bed, located throughout the states of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Strawberry Fields REIT Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Strawberry Fields REIT and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sun Life Financial (TSE:SLF Get Free Report) (NYSE:SLF) had its price objective reduced by research analysts at CIBC from C$94.00 to C$93.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. CIBCs price objective would indicate a potential upside of 13.25% from the stocks previous close. Several other research firms have also issued reports on SLF. TD Securities reduced their price objective on shares of Sun Life Financial from C$101.00 to C$99.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. National Bank Financial cut Sun Life Financial from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Sun Life Financial from C$88.00 to C$83.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Argus raised Sun Life Financial to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Sun Life Financial from C$88.00 to C$84.00 in a report on Monday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of C$90.00. Get Sun Life Financial alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on Sun Life Financial Sun Life Financial Stock Down 1.5% Insider Transactions at Sun Life Financial Shares of TSE SLF traded down C$1.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting C$82.12. The stock had a trading volume of 2,653,805 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,027,613. The firms 50-day moving average price is C$83.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$84.70. Sun Life Financial has a 52 week low of C$74.56 and a 52 week high of C$91.11. The company has a market capitalization of C$46.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.00, a quick ratio of 84,866.00 and a current ratio of 92.19. In related news, insider Thomas Murphy bought 3,389 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of C$79.37 per share, with a total value of C$268,973.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 3,389 shares of the companys stock, valued at C$268,973.75. The trade was a increase in their position. Insiders have acquired a total of 4,262 shares of company stock worth $338,105 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.03% of the companys stock. About Sun Life Financial (Get Free Report) Sun Life Financial is one of Canadas Big Three life insurance companies along with Great-West Lifeco and Manulife. Sun Life provides insurance, retirement, and wealth-management services to individual and corporate customers in Canada, the United States, and Asia. It also owns MFS Investment Management, a Boston-based asset-management firm. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Sun Life Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sun Life Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. COLOMBO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development has launched the National Industry Information System (NIIS), a new digital platform designed to consolidate and manage all information related to the country's industrial and economic activities. The NIIS, launched on Wednesday here, serves as a centralized database encompassing industry details, business classifications, legal status, registration data, UN classification, scale of operations, production statistics, raw material use, market coverage, employment, energy and fuel consumption, as well as waste management and disposal methods. Under this initiative, industrialists can register by creating individual accounts or by submitting details through authorized government officers. Applications will be reviewed and verified by officials, who may also carry out site inspections where necessary. Each verified entity will receive an official certificate recognizing it as a registered industry within the National Industry Database. Registered industries are required to update their data annually to maintain the accuracy and reliability of the system. Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Sunil Handunnetti said the launch marks an important step in the digitalization of Sri Lanka's industrial sector, as there has been no comprehensive database of local industries until now. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of JBT Marel Corporation (NYSE:JBTM Free Report) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund acquired 7,892 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $949,000. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in JBTM. JTC Employer Solutions Trustee Ltd acquired a new stake in JBT Marel during the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Costello Asset Management INC acquired a new position in JBT Marel in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in JBT Marel in the 2nd quarter worth $50,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in JBT Marel in the 2nd quarter valued at about $63,000. Finally, Hilltop National Bank acquired a new stake in shares of JBT Marel during the second quarter valued at about $89,000. 98.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get JBT Marel alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird set a $169.00 price target on JBT Marel in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of JBT Marel in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, William Blair upgraded JBT Marel from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $156.00. JBT Marel Trading Down 0.6% Shares of NYSE JBTM opened at $140.48 on Friday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $136.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.42. JBT Marel Corporation has a 52-week low of $90.08 and a 52-week high of $148.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.30 billion, a P/E ratio of -61.34, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. JBT Marel (NYSE:JBTM Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.43. JBT Marel had a positive return on equity of 7.96% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The company had revenue of $1 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $936.75 million. The companys revenue was up 120.6% on a year-over-year basis. JBT Marel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.100-6.400 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that JBT Marel Corporation will post 5.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. JBT Marel Profile (Free Report) JBT Marel Corporation provides technology solutions to food and beverage industry in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It offers value-added processing that includes chilling, mixing/grinding, injecting, blending, marinating, tumbling, flattening, forming, portioning, coating, cooking, frying, freezing, extracting, pasteurizing, sterilizing, concentrating, high pressure processing, weighing, inspecting, filling, closing, sealing, end of line material handling, and packaging solutions to the food, beverage, and health market. Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JBTM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for JBT Marel Corporation (NYSE:JBTM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for JBT Marel Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JBT Marel and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Maltin Wealth Management Inc. cut its position in shares of Vanguard Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:VUG Free Report) by 6.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,738 shares of the companys stock after selling 125 shares during the quarter. Maltin Wealth Management Inc.s holdings in Vanguard Growth ETF were worth $762,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in Vanguard Growth ETF by 21.8% in the 2nd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 123 shares of the companys stock valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 22 shares during the last quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Vanguard Growth ETF by 2.7% in the second quarter. Wells Trecaso Financial Group LLC now owns 886 shares of the companys stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the last quarter. Claro Advisors LLC lifted its position in Vanguard Growth ETF by 0.9% during the second quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 2,730 shares of the companys stock worth $1,197,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. K2 Financial Inc. boosted its stake in Vanguard Growth ETF by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. K2 Financial Inc. now owns 5,541 shares of the companys stock worth $2,461,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC grew its holdings in Vanguard Growth ETF by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 5,217 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,935,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Get Vanguard Growth ETF alerts: Vanguard Growth ETF Price Performance NYSEARCA VUG opened at $485.84 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $197.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.22 and a beta of 1.17. Vanguard Growth ETF has a 12 month low of $316.14 and a 12 month high of $505.38. The company has a 50-day moving average of $479.52 and a 200-day moving average of $445.06. Vanguard Growth ETF Profile Vanguard Growth Index Fund, formerly Vanguard Growth ETF, is an exchange-traded share class of Vanguard Growth Index Fund, which employs a passive management or indexing investment approach designed to track the performance of the MSCI US Prime Market Growth Index (the Index). The Index is a diversified index of growth stocks of large United States companies. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding VUG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Vanguard Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:VUG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Vanguard Growth ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanguard Growth ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Vodafone Group Public (LON:VOD Get Free Report)s stock had its neutral rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at UBS Group in a research report issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. They presently have a GBX 72 target price on the cell phone carriers stock. UBS Groups price objective would indicate a potential downside of 18.52% from the stocks current price. Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Berenberg Bank upped their price objective on shares of Vodafone Group Public from GBX 80 to GBX 82 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Vodafone Group Public from GBX 135 to GBX 140 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Vodafone Group Public from GBX 75 to GBX 85 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of GBX 94.75. Get Vodafone Group Public alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Vodafone Group Public Vodafone Group Public Stock Performance About Vodafone Group Public VOD stock traded up GBX 1.20 during trading on Friday, reaching GBX 88.36. 2,147,000,000 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 90,745,008. Vodafone Group Public has a 1-year low of GBX 62.40 and a 1-year high of GBX 94. The firm has a market cap of 21.12 billion, a PE ratio of -5.54, a P/E/G ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.54. The companys fifty day moving average price is GBX 86.81 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 81.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 96.88. (Get Free Report) Vodafone is a leading European and African telecoms company. We serve over 340 million mobile and broadband customers, operating networks in 15 countries with investments in a further five and partners in over 40 more. Our undersea cables transport around a sixth of the worlds internet traffic, and we are developing a new direct-to-mobile satellite communications service to connect areas without coverage. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Vodafone Group Public Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vodafone Group Public and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Warm Springs Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE:IRM Free Report) by 27.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,117 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 783 shares during the quarter. Warm Springs Advisors Inc.s holdings in Iron Mountain were worth $217,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in IRM. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its stake in shares of Iron Mountain by 3.7% in the first quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 3,312 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $285,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Iron Mountain by 1.6% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 65,378 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $5,578,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Iron Mountain by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 34,070 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,931,000 after acquiring an additional 1,234 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Iron Mountain by 9.5% in the 1st quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,645 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Iron Mountain by 8.2% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 206,074 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $17,731,000 after purchasing an additional 15,600 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.13% of the companys stock. Get Iron Mountain alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth IRM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Iron Mountain in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Iron Mountain from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Barclays lifted their target price on Iron Mountain from $121.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Iron Mountain in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a buy rating and a $120.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Iron Mountain from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Iron Mountain presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $118.67. Insider Buying and Selling In other Iron Mountain news, CEO William L. Meaney sold 69,125 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.75, for a total transaction of $7,102,593.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mark Kidd sold 6,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $102.51, for a total transaction of $615,060.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,081 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,876,473.31. This trade represents a 8.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 226,681 shares of company stock worth $22,265,632. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Iron Mountain Trading Up 0.3% Shares of IRM stock opened at $100.79 on Friday. Iron Mountain Incorporated has a 1 year low of $72.33 and a 1 year high of $125.38. The stock has a market cap of $29.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 719.99 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $100.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $98.17. Iron Mountain (NYSE:IRM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.03. Iron Mountain had a net margin of 0.66% and a negative return on equity of 146.80%. The business had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.75 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. Iron Mountain has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.040-5.130 EPS. Analysts forecast that Iron Mountain Incorporated will post 4.54 EPS for the current year. Iron Mountain Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.864 dividend. This represents a $3.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. This is an increase from Iron Mountains previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Iron Mountains dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 592.45%. About Iron Mountain (Free Report) Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) is a global leader in information management services. Founded in 1951 and trusted by more than 240,000 customers worldwide, Iron Mountain serves to protect and elevate the power of our customers work. Through a range of offerings including digital transformation, data centers, secure records storage, information management, asset lifecycle management, secure destruction and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps businesses bring light to their dark data, enabling customers to unlock value and intelligence from their stored digital and physical assets at speed and with security, while helping them meet their environmental goals. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Iron Mountain Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Iron Mountain and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Wealth Watch Advisors INC lifted its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) by 19.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,168 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the period. Wealth Watch Advisors INCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $339,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the first quarter worth about $28,000. University of Illinois Foundation purchased a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Ryan Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc increased its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 212.0% during the 2nd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 156 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. 71.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get JPMorgan Chase & Co. alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other JPMorgan Chase & Co. news, Director Linda Bammann sold 9,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $297.94, for a total transaction of $2,830,430.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 82,207 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $24,492,753.58. The trade was a 10.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.47% of the companys stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance Shares of JPM stock opened at $313.63 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12-month low of $202.16 and a 12-month high of $318.01. The businesss 50 day moving average is $305.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $286.33. The company has a market capitalization of $862.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.14. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $5.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.83 by $0.24. The company had revenue of $46.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.42 billion. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 20.90% and a return on equity of 17.18%. The firms revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $4.37 EPS. Analysts expect that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 EPS for the current fiscal year. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 6th were given a $1.50 dividend. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from JPMorgan Chase & Co.s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.72%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on JPM. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $290.00 to $319.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Citigroup upped their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a buy rating and issued a $343.00 price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating and set a $366.00 price objective on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Phillip Securities downgraded shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a moderate buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $326.38. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Company Profile (Free Report) JPMorgan Chase & Co is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of financial and investment banking services. It focuses on investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking (CCB), Commercial and Investment Bank (CIB), Asset and Wealth Management (AWM), and Corporate. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JPM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MetLife (NYSE:MET Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $96.00 to $92.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the financial services providers stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price target suggests a potential upside of 21.79% from the companys current price. A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of MetLife from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $84.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Cowen reissued a buy rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of MetLife in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their target price on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $92.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of MetLife from $94.00 to $97.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, MetLife presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $95.18. Get MetLife alerts: Read Our Latest Report on MetLife MetLife Stock Down 0.6% NYSE MET traded down $0.43 on Friday, reaching $75.54. 2,676,793 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,380,455. MetLife has a 12 month low of $65.21 and a 12 month high of $89.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.16. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $80.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $78.75. The company has a market cap of $50.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.80, a PEG ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.87. MetLife (NYSE:MET Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The financial services provider reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.30 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $12.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $18.64 billion. MetLife had a net margin of 5.83% and a return on equity of 19.88%. The firms quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.95 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that MetLife will post 9.65 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Trading of MetLife Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth about $756,104,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in MetLife by 13.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,749,521 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,333,418,000 after acquiring an additional 7,578,199 shares during the period. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in MetLife during the first quarter valued at approximately $336,965,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in MetLife in the 1st quarter worth approximately $312,946,000. Finally, ABN AMRO Bank N.V. acquired a new stake in shares of MetLife during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $178,669,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.99% of the companys stock. About MetLife (Get Free Report) MetLife, Inc, a financial services company, provides insurance, annuities, employee benefits, and asset management services worldwide. It operates through six segments: Retirement and Income Solutions; Group Benefits; Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and MetLife Holdings. The company offers life, dental, group short-and long-term disability, individual disability, pet insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, vision, and accident and health coverages, as well as prepaid legal plans; administrative services-only arrangements to employers; and general and separate account, and synthetic guaranteed interest contracts, as well as private floating rate funding agreements. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for MetLife Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MetLife and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC Free Report) Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their FY2025 earnings estimates for Bank of America in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the financial services provider will post earnings of $3.81 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $3.66. The consensus estimate for Bank of Americas current full-year earnings is $3.70 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Bank of Americas Q3 2026 earnings at $1.11 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.27 EPS. Get Bank of America alerts: A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on BAC. HSBC lifted their price target on Bank of America from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods restated an outperform rating and issued a $58.00 price objective (up previously from $57.00) on shares of Bank of America in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Bank of America from $51.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Bank of America from $60.00 to $58.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Bank of America from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday. Twenty-three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $57.86. Bank of America Stock Performance Bank of America stock opened at $53.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. The firms fifty day moving average price is $51.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $47.39. Bank of America has a fifty-two week low of $33.06 and a fifty-two week high of $53.99. The stock has a market cap of $389.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.34. Bank of America (NYSE:BAC Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.13. Bank of America had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 15.70%.The firm had revenue of $28.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $27.05 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.81 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. Institutional Trading of Bank of America A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BAC. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 2,503,184 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $129,139,000 after acquiring an additional 83,452 shares in the last quarter. Hardy Reed LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of America by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 8,787 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. GenTrust LLC increased its stake in shares of Bank of America by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. GenTrust LLC now owns 11,339 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 695 shares during the last quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC raised its position in Bank of America by 0.3% in the third quarter. Shepherd Financial Partners LLC now owns 60,279 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, Uniting Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of America in the third quarter valued at $232,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.71% of the companys stock. Bank of America declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $40.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to reacquire up to 11.1% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued. Bank of America Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.28 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. This represents a $1.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio is presently 30.52%. Bank of America Company Profile (Get Free Report) Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. It operates in four segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM), Global Banking, and Global Markets. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Bank of America Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bank of America and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Zevin Asset Management LLC trimmed its stake in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG Free Report) by 10.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,549 shares of the companys stock after selling 750 shares during the quarter. Zevin Asset Management LLCs holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $1,043,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Smart Money Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 8.8% in the second quarter. Smart Money Group LLC now owns 6,915 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,102,000 after buying an additional 557 shares in the last quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Procter & Gamble by 1.6% in the second quarter. Paulson Wealth Management Inc. now owns 5,390 shares of the companys stock valued at $859,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 2.4% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 212,386 shares of the companys stock valued at $33,837,000 after acquiring an additional 4,966 shares during the period. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 239.8% in the 2nd quarter. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC now owns 4,234 shares of the companys stock valued at $675,000 after acquiring an additional 2,988 shares during the period. Finally, Texas Yale Capital Corp. increased its stake in shares of Procter & Gamble by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 59,738 shares of the companys stock worth $9,517,000 after purchasing an additional 473 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.77% of the companys stock. Get Procter & Gamble alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on PG shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $170.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an in-line rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down from $190.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 target price on Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, October 27th. BNP Paribas restated an outperform rating and issued a $177.00 price target on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $174.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $171.53. Procter & Gamble Stock Performance Shares of NYSE PG opened at $147.03 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $343.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.44, a P/E/G ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.36. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $153.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $157.29. Procter & Gamble Company has a one year low of $144.46 and a one year high of $180.43. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $1.99 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.09. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.74% and a return on equity of 32.63%. The business had revenue of $22.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.93 earnings per share. Procter & Gambles revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.100 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 EPS for the current year. Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 24th will be given a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 24th. Procter & Gambles payout ratio is presently 61.61%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, insider Balaji Purushothaman sold 490 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.23, for a total transaction of $74,592.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 12,616 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,920,533.68. This represents a 3.74% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Andre Schulten sold 4,252 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $152.23, for a total value of $647,281.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 53,992 shares in the company, valued at $8,219,202.16. The trade was a 7.30% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 150,488 shares of company stock valued at $23,529,718 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock. About Procter & Gamble (Free Report) Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Procter & Gamble Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Procter & Gamble and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. COLOMBO, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka aims to increase annual tourist arrivals to 4 million and boost tourism earnings to 8 billion U.S. dollars by 2030, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced on Friday while presenting the 2026 national budget to Parliament. Stressing that tourism remains a critical pillar for economic recovery and long-term growth, Dissanayake outlined a series of destination development and workforce expansion programs to strengthen the industry, adding that key reforms are also underway to improve coordination among tourism institutions. A major tourism destination development initiative will focus on nature-based attractions and historical heritage. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority will allocate 3.5 billion Sri Lankan rupees (about 11.6 million dollars) to enhance coastal and marine environments in the Western Province, including the Hamilton Canal and the Negombo Lagoon. To address a projected need for over 800,000 skilled workers in the tourism and hospitality sector by 2030, the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management has launched a Hospitality Multi-Purpose Programme, said the president. This short-term vocational training will be delivered through accredited public and private institutions island-wide, with 500 million rupees (over 1.6 million dollars) allocated from the Tourism Development Fund. ISLAMABAD, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's workers' remittances rose nearly 12 percent year-on-year to 3.4 billion U.S. dollars in October, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Friday. On a monthly basis, remittances increased by over 7 percent compared to 3.2 billion dollars recorded in September, the central bank said in a statement. During the first four months of the ongoing fiscal year 2025-26, cumulative remittance inflows stood at 12.96 billion dollars, marking a growth of 9.3 percent compared to 11.9 billion dollars in the same period of the previous fiscal year. Saudi Arabia remained the largest source of remittances in October with 821 million dollars, followed by the United Arab Emirates with 698 million dollars, the United Kingdom with 488 million dollars, and the United States with 290 million dollars. Remittances play a vital role in supporting Pakistan's external account and boosting household incomes. In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude to overseas Pakistanis for their contribution, saying the steady rise in remittances reflects their confidence in the government's economic policies. YANGON, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar hosted the 49th meeting of the ASEAN Ports Association in Yangon on Thursday, the state-owned daily Myanma Alinn reported on Friday. Speaking at the event, Myanmar's Union Minister for Transport and Communications U Mya Tun Oo said that Myanmar was greatly honored and delighted to serve as the host country for the meeting. He said the meeting was being held under the theme "Navigating Together, Sustainable Forever" of the ASEAN Ports Association, in line with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN's) motto "One Vision, One Identity, One Community," to work together toward common prosperity and long-term sustainable development within the ASEAN port community. The union minister said ports play a crucial role as major driving forces in the economic development of ASEAN region, the report added. Additionally, he added that the member states have been implementing digital transformation, innovation, decarbonization, and human resource development initiatives to improve connectivity and performance among ports in the region, the report said. The ASEAN Ports Association was established in 1974, and Myanmar became a member in 2005. The association includes nine member countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Should the Sangai Fest be held or not ? Looking at the reality | Should the PR administration go ahead with the proposed State level Sangai Festival or should it take cognizance of the vocal and strenuous voice of opposition raised against going ahead with the festival ? Crucial question this is, for in many ways it would reflect on how Delhi views the reality in Manipur or wants to believe in the tale spun by the silence of the guns and bombs. How about the people ? Where do they stand ? The affected people, that is the people surviving in the different relief centres set up across the length and breadth of the State have had their say, but how about the others ? The others meaning those unaffected and can go back to the place they call home, knowing that a hot meal and a warm bed awaits them when they go back home after work in the evening. Where do they stand ? There is not one single voice with different opinions being floated, with some going ahead and opining that holding the festival can open an earning avenue for the displaced folks. Why not reserve some stalls and selling points for the displaced folks is one line of reasoning that has been floated. If Manipur could celebrate Ningol Chakkouba, Diwali and the crackers and fireworks that come with this festival, if dice games (lagao) could be held at every lanes and bylanes of Imphal, why cant the State level Sangai Festival be held is another line of argument that has been put forth. Moreover Manipur has already hosted the State level Shirui Lily Festival. So why target the Sangai Festival now, is the question. On the other hand, those against holding the festival come out with the explanation that holding Ningol Chakkouba, the dice games etc were held at the individual level and not at the State level. Why should the State Government organise a festival when thousands are still languishing in different relief centres and the National Highways are still not opened to all section of the people ? How can there be a State level festival when buffer zones continue to criss-cross the length and breadth of the State ? As for the Shirui Lily Festival it was held at Ukhrul, a place which has not been affected by the ongoing ethnic strife, is another line that has been put forward. Moreover many also hold the view that the PR administration is intent on holding the Sangai Festival to weave the false propaganda that normalcy has returned to Manipur. This would be a lie, best exemplified by the huge hike in airfares, a result of the growing demand for flights whenever one needs to step out of Manipur. Should the Sangai Festival be held in such a climate of apprehension and uncertainty is the question that has been put forward. The voice of opposition should be seen beyond the call to boycott the Sangai Festival, for it is a telling commentary on the utter failure of New Delhi to resolve the stand off which erupted in all its ugliness on May 3, 2023. The co-relation between the failure to open the National Highways and ensure free movement of everyone and the steep hike in airfare, especially between Imphal and Gauhati, should be seen beyond dynamic pricing and look at the reality, a reality which says that everyone is constrained to fly and not take the road route. Why hasnt Delhi been able to open the highway is a question for which no straight has been coming and it wouldnt come. And in such a situation, it is not surprising why conspiracy theories should do the round and which has managed to convince many. Not at all good for a place which has been reeling for over 30 months. The dots that connect the debate or argument over the coming Sangai Festival and the steep rise in airfare on the Imphal to Gauhati sector can be seen when viewed against the backdrop of the utter failure of Delhi to ensure the free movement of everyone on the National Highways and there can be no arguments over this. And it is amid this reality that voices have been raised from some quarters for the return of the popular Government. No one knows how Delhi would respond to the call to restore the popularly elected Government, and this is where it is interesting to explore the question of how a popular Government would have responded to the unfolding scenario over the question of holding the Sangai Festival. And it goes without saying that any answer to this question will have to be seen against the backdrop of the reality, a reality in which thousands are still in relief centres. MANILA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Friday that it has approved a 100-million-U.S.-dollar loan to address complex and challenging structural reforms in Sri Lanka's financial sector. The loan builds on the structural reforms addressed in the previous two ADB lending programs totaling 400 million dollars since 2022, the Manila-based bank said in a press release. The loan will support the culmination of previous reform efforts, focusing on completing and sustaining measures to enhance the financial sector's resilience and ensure continued service delivery, the ADB said. "This initiative builds on earlier banking sector reforms and aims to broaden access to finance for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, with a strong focus on empowering women-led enterprises," said ADB Country Director for Sri Lanka Takafumi Kadono. Abdul Hannan Chowdhury (2nd L), vice-chancellor of North South University, Li Shaopeng (2nd R), cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh, and other attendees unveil a new book titled "China in the eyes of Bangladesh's new generation" during the launching ceremony in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nov. 6, 2025. The book was launched in Dhaka on Thursday, containing 19 articles written by 22 Bangladeshi authors. (Photo by Habibur Rahman/Xinhua) DHAKA, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- A new book titled "China in the eyes of Bangladesh's new generation" was launched in Dhaka on Thursday, containing 19 articles written by 22 Bangladeshi authors. The book launching ceremony was held at Bangladesh's top leading private North South University (NSU) with hundreds of dignitaries including teachers, students and officials from the NSU, the Chinese embassy in Dhaka and many leading Bangladeshi educational institutions. The book, written in Bengali, was edited by Ma Xiaoyan and Bulbul Ashraf Siddiqi, the Chinese and the Bangladeshi directors of the North South University's Confucius Institute. At the ceremony, it was unveiled by Professor Abdul Hannan Chowdhury, vice-chancellor of the NSU, alongside Mahbub Morshed, chief editor of the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), the national news agency of Bangladesh, and Li Shaopeng, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh. Speaking at the ceremony, NSU's VC Chowdhury said China is a very cooperative country, both with its neighbors and with the world. This has created great opportunities for people globally, especially for neighboring countries like Bangladesh, he said. He said the friendship between China and Bangladesh is long-lasting and will continue to be strong. "We believe this relationship will become even stronger in the future. This is because China always includes Bangladesh in its events, cultural exchanges, and academic programs." For his part, Li said that twenty-two young Bangladeshis wrote this book with great feeling and the book shows how deeply this new generation understands Chinese culture and dialogue between our civilizations. Li said that China is now focusing on high-quality growth, innovation, and developing skilled people. "This creates new opportunities for partnership with countries like Bangladesh," he said, "We welcome more friends from Bangladesh to learn about China." This photo taken on Nov. 6, 2025 shows a scene during the launching ceremony for a new book titled "China in the eyes of Bangladesh's new generation" in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The book was launched in Dhaka on Thursday, containing 19 articles written by 22 Bangladeshi authors. (Photo by Habibur Rahman/Xinhua) VILNIUS, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted Lithuania a 300 million-euro (345 million U.S. dollars) loan to finance defense-related projects, the Baltic News Service (BNS) reported on Friday. Lithuanian Finance Minister Kristupas Vaitiekunas said the funds will be used to purchase dual-use equipment and improve infrastructure for the country's navy, air force and army, as well as for emergency services. "The loan agreement will cover several key areas, including the development of naval, air force and land force infrastructure, logistics, emergency medical services, and the purchase of other equipment," Vaitiekunas said at the signing ceremony in Vilnius on Friday. Lithuania is the first European Union member state to reach such an agreement with the EIB since the bank's board expanded its financing criteria in March to include military-related projects. Earlier this year, the EIB approved a 540 million-euro concessional credit line for Lithuania to build the Rudninkai military campus for the incoming German brigade, pending contract signings with contractors. (1 euro = 1.15 U.S. dollars) PRAGUE, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Czech President Petr Pavel on Thursday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Petr Fiala's government, as former Prime Minister Andrej Babis' ANO party is currently working on a new cabinet. Fiala's government will continue to serve as a caretaker until the new cabinet takes office. The ANO party won the country's parliamentary election in October. Last week, Pavel formally tasked Babis with forming a new government. ANO has signed a coalition agreement with the Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Motorists. During a ceremony, Pavel praised the outgoing government for its handling of a challenging term. Fiala said that his caretaker government would do everything possible to ensure a smooth transfer of power. Saint-Laurent, QC (H4T1V6) Today A few snow showers scattered about the area this evening, otherwise a good deal of clouds. Low 13F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%.. Tonight A few snow showers scattered about the area this evening, otherwise a good deal of clouds. Low 13F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Gennady Zyuganov, leader of Russia's communist party, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Moscow Region, Russia, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Meng Jing) MOSCOW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Russia should learn from China's experience of development and foster further cooperation with China, Gennady Zyuganov, leader of Russia's communist party, has said. "We should learn from the experience of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese government and its civilization, to build up capacity to tackle future challenges and develop high-tech products without relying on the West," Zyuganov said in an interview with Xinhua. The chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) said that China has been forging ahead at an unprecedented pace. People should visit China to see what can be achieved in just decades with sound policies and a capable leading party, he said, adding that any country or political party would take pride in such achievements. CPRF delegates have paid multiple visits to Shenzhen, a southern coastal city in China. "This city, which has grown from a fishing village into a major metropolis within a few decades, is now home to various manufacturing and technology industries, with robots playing a significant role in its market," he said. They are also deeply impressed by the automobile manufacturing plants in central China's Henan Province during their trip there, he added. Having studied the history of the CPC, Zyuganov said that China's experience of uniting the people, eradicating poverty, building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and advancing common prosperity for all reflects the CPC's fundamental mission. The two sides should work together to strengthen cooperation by sharing information, exchanging visits, providing training and learning from each other's new and unique experiences, he said. Commenting on the recently concluded fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, he extended his congratulations on the meeting and the adoption of recommendations for formulating China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). "The session reviewed China's achievements during the 14th Five-Year Plan period and demonstrated how China has effectively responded to complex challenges," he said. Zyuganov also praised the concept of building a community with a shared future for humanity, calling it "a lofty vision that will win support from people all over the world." "More and more countries are joining mechanisms such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which bring together civilizations from around the world," he said, adding that these organizations can help people see the strength of cooperation. "Russia and China should learn from each other and work together for the peace and prosperity of our peoples and for a better future for the world," Zyuganov said. Gennady Zyuganov, leader of Russia's communist party, speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Moscow Region, Russia, Oct. 24, 2025. (Xinhua/Meng Jing) 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. Praveen Kumar Kapoor, co-founder and promoter of the SRS Group, has been deported to India from the United States after years of evading Indian law enforcement. This high-profile move followed the publication of a Red Corner Notice by Interpol at the Enforcement Directorates (ED) request, the watchdog body announced on Thursday. Kapoor was intercepted after arriving at Newark International Airport in the US, where authorities cancelled his B1/B2 business visa and denied him entry. He was subsequently flown back to New Delhi on November 2, 2025, where Indian law enforcement, acting on a Lookout Circular, immediately detained him. What did Praveen Kumar Kapoor allegedly do? The roots of this action trace back to 81 FIRs filed at police stations across Faridabad, Delhi, and by the CBI, detailing allegations that SRS Group cheated investors and banks out of around Rs 2,200 crore. The EDs investigation found that the group lured investors with promises of high returns and invested their money in numerous residential and commercial projects. Rather than utilise these funds for their stated purpose, hundreds of shell companies were created to launder investor money, making it extremely difficult for authorities and victims to trace where their money ended up. Over the years, Kapoor and two other SRS Group promoter-directors, Jitender Kumar Garg and Sunil Jindal, disappeared from the public eye and evaded repeated summons. Prosecution complaints were eventually filed against them by the ED, leading a special court in Gurugram to issue non-bailable warrants and declare Kapoor a Proclaimed Offender. Asset attachment orders worth over Rs 2,215 crore have already been issued in the ongoing probe. With Kapoors return, he faces active charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), with prosecution and further court proceedings underway. The ED has also initiated actions under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA), seeking to have Kapoor, Garg, and Jindal formally declared as fugitives to enable further asset recovery. Investigations and efforts to extradite the two remaining absconding promoter-directors are ongoing. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), on Friday, announced that the company has signed an agreement with General Electric (GE) for the supply of 113 F404-GE-IN20 engines and support package for the execution of India's Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1A aircraft. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd took to social media to announce the deal. The engine deliveries will take place from 2027 to 2032, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd said, adding, "The contract for 97 LCA Mk 1A was signed in September 2025." The agreement has been signed even as General Electric has been delaying the supply of 99 F404-GE-IN20 engines and support services, for which a contract was signed between the two firms in 2021. The F404-GE-IN20 is the highest thrust variant of the F404 family. It was only a few weeks ago that Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd received the fourth F404 engine for which the contract was signed in 2021. The third engine was received on September 11. According to media reports, HAL is expected to receive 12 General Electric-404 engines from the US by the end of the ongoing financial year. ALSO READ: EXCLUSIVE: No more ambiguous response, India warns Dhaka, sets up 3 military garrisons near border Media reports suggest that HAL has assembled a few Tejas Mk1A jets, fitted with reserve engines. According to a company source, a fifth engine is likely to arrive in November. The delay in the delivery of the engines from the US had resulted in the wait of the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the 4.5 generation, all-weather and multi-role fighter aircraft getting longer, even as the fleet strength of the force is at a six-decade low. In September, the defence ministry signed a contract with HAL for the procurement of 97 LCA Mk1A, including 68 fighters and 29 twin seaters at a cost of over Rs. 62,370 crore. According to the defence ministry, the delivery of these aircraft, which will have over 60 per cent indigenous content, would commence during 2027-28 and be completed over a period of six years. LCA Mk1A is the most advanced variant of the indigenously designed and manufactured fighter aircraft. China, which has the world's largest navythe People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)has commissioned its third aircraft carrier, Fujian, after extensive sea trials. This is the first carrier designed and built completely by China. With the commissioning of the aircraft carrier, China moved another step toward closing the gap with the United States Navy and its carrier fleet and network of bases that allow it to maintain a presence around the world. Named after Fujian Province in East China, the warship features a flat flight deck with electromagnetic catapults (EMALS) for launching aircraft, allowing the fighter jets to be launched at higher speeds. Until now, only the US Navy had EMALS-equipped aircraft carriers. ALSO READ: Continuing risk of war due to Pakistans compulsive acts of terrorism against India Three different types of carrier-based aircraft of China, including the new J-35 fighter, the heavier J-15T fighter, and the KJ-600 early-warning aircraft, can operate from Fujian, which the state media has described as a "major milestone" for the PLAN. During the commissioning of the warship, J-35 and J-15T fighter jets and the KongJing-600 early warning aircraft were parked in sequence on the deck, news agency Xinhua reported. Chinese President Xi Jinping attends commissioning of China's #Fujian aircraft carrier #AircraftCarrier SANYA -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 5 attended the commissioning and flag-presenting ceremony of the Fujian (Hull 18), China's first aircraft carrier equipped pic.twitter.com/yGsixRP1mX China Military Bugle (@ChinaMilBugle) November 7, 2025 According to state media, it was President Xi Jinpings decision that the Fujian adopt the electromagnetic catapult system. Chinese military affairs expert Zhang Junshe has been quoted by Global Times as saying that the new aircraft carrier will bring major changes and capability enhancements for the PLAN. The first is the use of EMALS, which enables the fighter jets to take off with full fuel and ammo, enhancing the combat radius and attack capabilities of these jets. The EMALS will also improve the aircraft carrier sortie rate, the expert noted. Fujian, along with Liaoning, and Shandong aircraft carriers, can be used in a three-carrier formation to carry out defence operations in the far seas for China. According to Zhang, it will also help in the formation of a far seas combat system which integrates both offensive and defence capabilities for the carrier group, with the addition of the KJ-600 early warning aircraft. "The commissioning of the Fujian makes the deployment of dual carriers in the PLA South China Fleet a reality, which will undoubtedly have a strategic deterrence effect on the Taiwan independence secessionist forces and some certain countries with malicious intentions toward China," he was quoted as saying. Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, has been quoted as saying that carriers are key to the Chinese leadership's vision of China as a great power with a blue-water navy, or one that can project power far from its coastal waters. Megastar Mammoottys Mollywood horror thriller Bramayugam is set to be screened at the prestigious Oscar Academy Museum in Los Angeles. The news was broken on Thursday night by Night Shift Studios, who co-produced the critically acclaimed hit. The announcement came not long after 'Bramayugam' won Mammootty his eighth Kerala State Film Award on Monday. READ HERE | Bramayugam review: This Mammootty-starrer is 'one hell of a movie'! Rahul Sadasivan-directed Bramayugam will be screened after being included in the Academy Museum's film series titled 'Where the Forest Meets the Sea'. Interestingly, the film shot in black-and-white movie also holds the distinction of being the only Indian film to be included in this category. The screening will take place on February 12, 2026. How the announcement unfolded on social media Excited to share that #Bramayugam will be screened as the only Indian film at the Academy Museums Where the Forest Meets the Sea film series in Los Angeles on February 12, 2026 @AcademyMuseum Another moment of pride for the entire team behind #Bramayugam ! #Bramayugam pic.twitter.com/KYQ308ngU9 Night Shift Studios LLP (@allnightshifts) November 6, 2025 Producer Chakravarthy Ramachandran had announced via a post that a major update from the Bramayugam team, which has won four Kerala State Film Awards, would be revealed tonight. Subsequently, director Rahul Sadasivan responded to this, stating it was a 'betrayal' and asked, "Sir, wasn't this supposed to be released at 10:30 PM?" Producer Chakravarthy replied that he couldn't wait that long. Following their playful banter on 'X' (formerly Twitter), speculations spread on social media. Many speculated that the film would be screened in colour print, or that an update about a sequel was on its way. Finally, the update about the film's screening at the Oscar Academy Museum was revealed. "BRAMAYUGAM" to screen at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles on February 12, 2026...Bramayugam [2024] [Malayalam], produced by Night Shift Studios & YNOT Studios and written & directed by Rahul Sadasivan, will screen at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. The screening will take place on February 12, 2026, as part of the Academy Museums Where the Forest Meets the Sea: Folklore from Around the World film series, screening January 10 February 12, Night Shift Studios posted on X. WARSAW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Poland and Italy have agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on military cooperation, Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Friday. According to a statement from the Polish Defence Ministry, the MoU will cover joint military exercises, defence industry cooperation and arms procurement. Kosiniak-Kamysz announced the plan after meeting Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto in Rome. Kosiniak-Kamysz said the two sides also discussed the European Union's SAFE program, which provides up to 150 billion euros (174 billion U.S. dollars) in financial support for member states to purchase security and defence equipment. Poland and Italy are among the main beneficiaries of the scheme. Actress Gouri G Kishan spoke about the incident where she had to call out a YouTube vlogger who asked her about her weight during a press meet in Chennai. The actress, who spoke to Manorama News, said, What power does the man have to ask me to lose weight and comment on my weight? Does he know my medical history, gut-related issues, and hormonal issues? Even if I didn't have any of these, each person has a different body type." "If it doesn't affect my work, why should anyone make it a problem? No one will ask this question to a man. They asked the hero about the film. She further added, I don't understand why such bullying and harassment is being normalised." No one asked the man (the YouTube vlogger) to cool down. They asked me to be quiet. I asked them to let me speak. This is unbelievable, ridiculous, she added. The incident During a press meet for her upcoming film, a YouTube vlogger asked Gouri's co-star Aditya Madhavan how much she weighed when he had to lift her during a scene. Gauri immediately said that the question was disrespectful and that he should apologise. However, instead of apologising, the man later doubled down on his question and even defended himself. In a video that has now gone viral, Gouri questions and schools the man on body shaming in a Q&A session. Speaking in Tamil, she asked him, How does my weight concern you in any way. How does it matter and be relevant to the film? My weight is my choice, and it does not concern my talent. I can only speak through my films, and I am working hard. I have chosen characters that are career-oriented. Instead of hearing her out, the pressers and the films publicity team tried to pacify the actress. She also had to address them, saying, I have a point to make here, and everyone is silencing me. Fans and fellow actors praised Gouri for the way she dealt with the disrespectful question. Netizens said that her reply was a much-needed pushback against sexism in the Tamil film industry. Chinmayi Sripada, an actress, said on X, Gowri did an amazing job. The moment you call out a disrespectful and unnecessary question, a whole lot of shouting down happens. So proud that someone so young stood her ground and pushed back. No male actor gets asked what his weight is. No idea why they asked a female actor. Gouri later reposted her saying, Thank you @Chinmayi, Women like you inspire us to stand our ground. Your support means a lot to me. Thank you. Kavin Raj also supported the actress on social media. Netizens also expressed their criticism and disappointment with the director and the lead actor who were present during the incident. Aditya Madhavan later responded on social media, saying, I regret not being able to respond on the same day. She does not deserve it. Everyone has the right to be respected. I apologize again. The teaser trailer for Michael, a biopic on the life of Michael Jackson, has created buzz online. The film, directed by Antoine Fuqua, will finally get its theatrical release on April 24, 2026, after the film was pushed back several times since its original schedule for April 2025. Jaafar Jackson, Michaels nephew, will be playing the King of Pop in the film, along with Oscar nominee Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson and Nia Long as Katherine Jackson. The cast also includes Kat Graham, Laura Harrier, Derek Luke, Larenz Tate, and Miles Teller. Antoine Fuqua is known for movies like Training Day, The Equalizer, and Olympus Has Fallen. The film is produced by Graham King, who also produced Bohemian Rhapsody, the biopic of Freddie Mercury. The script for the film was written by three-time Oscar nominee John Logan. The film will look at the life and fame of Michael Jackson, starting from his childhood with the Jackson 5 to becoming the world's biggest star. The film will also explore the making of the stars biggest albums and tracks, and the lawsuits. It will take audiences through Jackson's life behind the camera. The trailer quickly racked up millions of views online. Fans shared excitement and praise for the clips of Jaafar portraying the superstar. He is seen wearing some of Jackson's most recognisable outfits and performing the dance moves. Jafaar is the son of Jermaine Jackson, the oldest sibling in the Jackson family. Fans compared clips of the movie with videos of Michael Jacksons performances and music videos. They also discussed his voice and laugh in the trailer, which had an uncanny similarity to his uncles. video comparison of the new MJ biopic, their dedication and accuracy to nailing down the costumes, dance moves, and cinematography is deeply admirable and is truly a love letter to michael jackson himself #MichaelJackson pic.twitter.com/GIcUb7Sfs9 (@ofanotherl9ver) November 6, 2025 Lionsgate, the production company behind the film, also said that they were planning to release a Michael Part 2. "We're not ready to confirm plans ... [but] the creative team is hard at work making sure we're in a position to deliver more 'Michael' after the first film," they said. The film had to be split due to its original 3 1/2 hour length. The release was also pushed back due to controversy centring on the portrayal of one of the star's accusers, who said that he was sexually abused. Their settlement with the Jackson estate had guaranteed that they would never be dramatised. The Jackson estate, who were involved with the production of the film, had overlooked this information. The making of the film received a lot of criticism. Paris, Jacksons daughter, said that she was not involved in the making of the film as the producers did not take any of her input, and said that it caters to a particular part of the fanbase, the Guardian reported. The film was also criticised by the maker of Leaving Neverland, Dan Reed, who said that the draft script of the film discredited the sexual abuse allegations made by the two men featured in his documentary against the late star. The film has, however, earned approval from Jacksons mother, who said that Jaafar embodies her son. "It's so wonderful to see him carry on the Jackson legacy of entertainers and performers," she said last year. The toxic air in Delhi and deteriorating air quality have led to a sharp rise in eye-related ailments among Delhites. Doctors in the national capital noted an increase in eye-related ailments like allergies, dryness, burning sensations, and excessive watering among both adults and children. With the air quality plunging to 'severe' levels after Diwali, ophthalmologists note a 60 per cent increase in such cases. Doctors warn the high level of pollution in Delhi is not only harmful for the lungs, but for the eyes as well. Dr Ikeda Lal, Senior Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Surgery Specialist at Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, "Every year after Diwali, we brace for a rise in eye complaints. The number of patients complaining of itching, redness, and irritation has gone up by almost 50-60 per cent." "We are seeing patients with severe eye allergies, and those who already have dry eyes are experiencing much more discomfort than usual. The combination of pollution, dust, and chemical exposure is proving extremely harmful for the ocular surface," Lal told PTI. Experts warn that prolonged exposure to such toxic air can lead to chronic eye conditions, particularly among people who spend long hours outdoors, such as traffic police, delivery agents, and school children. Dr Rajesh Sinha, Professor of Ophthalmology at the RP Centre in AIIMS, said in the last few days, the number of patients suffering from dryness, burning, and watery eyes has increased by around 50 per cent. "Many of them come in complaining that their eyes feel gritty or heavy, which are symptoms typical of pollution-induced ocular allergy. Even healthy individuals are experiencing irritation due to the poor air quality," he said. The eyes, being directly exposed to the environment, are among the first organs to suffer when pollution levels soar. Pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon particles react with the moisture in the eyes, leading to chemical irritation and inflammation. Doctors advised people should avoid contact lenses and heavy eye makeup during such high-pollution days. The public should use lubricating eye drops, wear protective glasses, and wash their eyes frequently with clean water to reduce the impact of pollution, they advised. According to doctors, children's eyes are more sensitive, and since they tend to spend more time outdoors, the risk of allergic conjunctivitis and infections increases. The elderly, on the other hand, often experience reduced tear production, which makes their eyes drier and more susceptible to irritation. Older adults should stay indoors during peak pollution hours to ensure their eyes remain well-lubricated, they said. The doctors warned that ignoring eye irritation or delaying treatment can lead to long-term damage to the cornea and tear glands. The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday lashed out at Pakistan's secret nuclear activities, saying the country's nuclear history is centred around "decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further proliferation." This comes days after US President Donald Trump told CBS News that Pakistan continue to carry underground nuclear trials while the US has refrained from testing for more than three decades. #WATCH | Delhi | MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistans history, that is centered around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further pic.twitter.com/4B4Gwe8xEE ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has always drawn the attention of the global community to Pakistan's illegal nuclear weapons testing. "In this backdrop, we have taken note of President Trumps comment about Pakistans nuclear testing," he said. On Sunday, Trump said in 60 Minutes shows on CBS News that the US is going to test nuclear weapons because other countries are testing. "...Certainly North Koreas been testing. Pakistans been testing. They dont go and tell you about it. They test way underground, where people dont know whats happening. You just feel a little vibration," the US president said. However, Pakistan denied that they have been testing nuclear weapons, claiming that it "was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume them." Trump's remarks sparked speculations that Islamabad might have carried out nuclear tests in April-May, following which a series of earthquakes jolted Pakistan and Afghanistan. These quakes were reported between April 30 and May 12, around the time when India launched Operation Sindoor to retaliate against the Pahalgam terror attack. The earthquakes were reportedly around 4.0 to 4.7 magnitude on Richter scale, similar to the readings recorded during Pakistan's Chagai-I and Chagai-II nuclear tests in 1998. Trump also alleged that Russia and China were also secretly conducting test without public scrutiny. The Supreme Court has sent a notice to the Centre on a plea made by the father of the pilot of the Air India flight AI 171 that crashed in Ahmedabad. The notice seeks an independent judicial inquiry into the crash and the alleged bias in the initial probe. Then SC also said on Friday that the no blame could be attributed to the pilot of the Air India flight that was bound for London and crashed in June this year, killing 260 people. A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard the petition filed jointly by the the father of Commander Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the pilots of the flight, and the Federation of Indian Pilots. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, the father of the pilot, said that the current investigation, which is being conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, was not independent. I am the father of the Commander of the plane... I am 91 years old. This is a non-independent investigation. It should have been independent. It has taken four months, he said in the petition. He urged the court to order a judicially monitored probe under Rule 12 of the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, which mandates impartiality in accident investigations. The bench then proceeded to send a notice to the Union government, saying that the case would be taken up along with another matter on November 10. Bench says no fault with pilot Justice Surya Kant addressed the pilot's father and said, It's extremely unfortunate, this crash, but you should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed. Nobody can blame him for anything, Justice Bagchi also said that the there was no indication that the blame lay with the pilot in the preliminary report by the AAIB. One pilot asked whether the fuel was cut off by the other; the other said no. There's no suggestion of fault in that report, the judge noted. Investigation should include Boeing's systemic failure The petitioners also said that the Ahmedabad crash must be viewed in the larger context of persistent safety issues with the Boeing aircraft globally. They said that the investigation should be handled by an authority capable of probing issues related to the Boeing's global record. Justice Bagchi, however, observed, If you challenge the investigation, you have to challenge the statutory provisions of the Act itself. Foreign media cannot influence judicial process He also spoke on his concerns about a Wall Street Journal article which, cited an unnamed Indian official and suggested that the crash occured due to pilot error. The bench stated that foreign media reports would not influence judicial processes in India. We are not bothered by foreign reports. Your remedy should then be before a foreign court, Justice Bagchi said, while Justice Kant added, That is nasty reporting. No one in India believes it was the pilot's fault. In September the court expressed concern after having heard a seperate public interest litigation which sought a court moniterd probe into the crash. The SC said that the it was "unfortunate" that selective leaks from the preliminary AAIB report fuelled media narratives that blamed the pilot. In June 2025, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed to London crashed in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off. The crash killed around 260 and had one sole survivor, making it one of the worst aviation disasters in recent years. The National Democratic Alliance has intensified its campaign for the final phase of Bihar assembly election, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah conducting back-to-back campaigns in the poll-bound state. Addressing back-to-back rallies in Aurangabad and Bhabhua, the prime minister said the record voter turnout during the first phase of Bihar polls was proof of the victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (United) led alliance. Modi claimed the voters have reposed their trust in the "track record of Narendra and Nitish". Saying the voters have not been "misled" by the false promises of Mahagathbandhan, Modi said people voted in favour of NDA's good governance in the state. "Even the Congress, despite being an ally, is not trusting the RJD's promises made in their manifesto," claimed Modi. Targeting Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, Modi said the return of "jungle raj" regime meant the return of Naxal insurgents and violence. The prime minister charged that during the first nine years of Nitish Kumar's tenure as chief minister, he faced non-cooperation from the then Congress-led UPA government in the Centre. "They tried to take revenge on the people of Bihar," alleged Modi. Targeting the Opposition over its remarks against Chhathi Maiya, Modi said, "They heaped scorn on Chhathi Maiya by calling it a drama. They had spoken ill of Maha Kumbh. On November 11, when the second phase of polls is scheduled, you must punish them." Meanwhile, campaigning in Bihar, Home Minister Amit Shah said the Opposition's Lalu-Rabri-Rahul combine have no development agenda for the state. Addressing a rally in Jamui, Shah, targeting RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, charged, "those concerned only about the welfare of their sons and daughters cannot make Bihar developed". Shah charged Congress ally, Tamil Nadu CM M.K. Stalin insulted Biharis and allegedly he compared them with bidis. "If you want to prevent 'jungle raj', vote for NDA," Shah told the rally. Shah asserted the prime minister eliminated Naxalism from Bihar. Pakistan, which initially developed nuclear weapons to counter India, later changed its ambitions to build an "Islamic bomb" and transfer technology to other Muslim countries like Iran, claimed Richard Barlow, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. "Pakistan's primary motive for developing nuclear weapons was to counter India. But it was also very clear from AQ Khan and the generals' perspective that it was not just the Pakistani bomb; it was the Islamic bomb -- the Muslim bomb," Barlow added. #WATCH | On the reported Israel-India proposal for a preemptive strike on Pakistans Kahuta nuclear facility, Former CIA Officer Richard Barlow says, "It never happened, it was just talk. It is a shame that Indira (former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi) did not approve pic.twitter.com/5M0C8cfRAM ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 He said if Indira Gandhi had approved a plan to attack Pakistan's nuclear facilities, a lot of problems would have been solved today. It never happened, it was just talk. It is a shame that Indira (former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) did not approve it. It would have solved a lot of problems," Barlow told ANIs Ishaan Prakash. However, a potential attack by India would have infuriated the US administration led by Ronald Reagan, he said. "It would have interfered with the Afghan problem because they (Pakistan) were basically using the flow of covert aid to the Mujahideen as blackmail. I think thats what (Pakistan Army Chief Asim) Munir was saying." Barlow, who served as counter proliferation officer during Pakistan's covert nuclear programme in the 1980s, said Reagan maintained that Islamabad did not have nuclear weapons despite reservations by intelligence officers. He alleged that US administrations "did nothing" about Pakistan's nuclear activities for more than 20 years. This comes days after US President Donald Trump said Pakistan continues to carry underground nuclear trials while the US has refrained from testing for more than three decades. However, Pakistan denied that they have been testing nuclear weapons, claiming that it "was not the first to carry out nuclear tests and will not be the first to resume them." The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday lashed out at Pakistan's secret nuclear activities, saying the country's nuclear history is centred around "decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further proliferation." MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has always drawn the attention of the global community to Pakistan's illegal nuclear weapons testing. "In this backdrop, we have taken note of President Trumps comment about Pakistans nuclear testing," he said. The Left Unity of DSF, SFI, and AISA on Thursday retained the Jawaharlal Nehru University with a clean sweep winning all four central panel posts in the students' union elections (JNUSU. It was a prestige battle for the Left alliance as the polls came a year after the RSS-backed Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) broke a decade-long dry spell by securing the Joint Secretary's post through Vaibhav Meena. However, the All India Students' Association (AISA), Students' Federation of India (SFI), and Democratic Students' Federation (DSF) bounced back emphatically, reaffirming their long-standing dominance on the campus. #WATCH | Delhi: Newly elected JNUSU Vice President, Kizhakoot Gopika Babu says, "... The students have given a clear mandate against the ABVP hooligans. The politics that the RSS forwards is the politics of Islamophobia, feudalism, Brahminwaad, patriarchy and misogyny and that https://t.co/54oAhiWpkK pic.twitter.com/FfKlUi4g9N ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 Aditi Mishra from AISA defeated Vikas Patel by a margin of 449 votes, polling 1,937 votes against Patel's 1,488 to become the JNUSU President. Mishra, who hails from Varanasi, is a PhD scholar at the Centre for Comparative Politics and Political Theory, School of International Studies (SIS). Her research focuses on "Gendered violence and the ways women of Uttar Pradesh have been mounting resistance since 2012." Known for her activism on gender justice, she said the results were a mandate "against hooliganism, Islamophobia, casteism, and misogyny" and "in favour of quality and low-cost education." Kizhakoot Gopika Babu from SFI bagged the Vice-President's post after defeating ABVPs Tanya Kumari by 1,314 votes. Gopika secured 3,101 votes. A PhD student at the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, School of Social Sciences, she joined JNU in 2022 after completing her Master's in Sociology from Miranda House, Delhi University. Sunil Yadav of DSF and Danish Ali of AISA won the General Secretary and Joint Secretary posts, respectively, after defeating their right-wing rivals Rajeshwar Kant Dubey and Anuj. Yadav secured 2,005 votes against Dubey's 1,901, while Ali won by a margin of 286 votes. Yadav, a first-generation graduate from Bedipur village in Uttar Pradesh's Basti district, is a PhD scholar from SIS. Ali, a first-year PhD student from the School of Social Sciences, hails from Bandarbarru village in Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur district. Who is Gopika Babu? VIDEO | JNUSU polls: Gopika Babu, Left Unity candidate for Vice President, says, "Behind ABVP is the full RSS machinery, whether in the central government, state governments, the Rector, Proctor, Dean of Students, or even JNUs VC, who herself says she was a bal sevika and RSS pic.twitter.com/yV6lvpKy5S Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 6, 2025 It was Kerala-native Gopika who recorded the most authoritative win in the main panel. Gopika was a Counsellor in the JNU Students' Union during the 202324 period. After completing her degree studies at Miranda House College, Delhi University, she joined JNU in 2022 as an MA Sociology student. From then on, she actively worked with the Left and, in her second year, won as the SFI's School of Social Sciences Counsellor candidate. She was actively involved in campaigns to reopen Barak Hostel and to conduct the JNUSU elections after they had been stalled. She completed her MA Sociology with a gold medal, Manorama Online said in a report. Gopika was also at the forefront of the struggles demanding the conduct of the stalled student union elections. An excellent artist, she is also in the leadership ranks of the Young Socialist Artist (YSA) organisation. Her father, K.G. Babu, works in Bahrain. Her mother, Juma Babu, is a teacher. Gopika Babu stated that the election was a direct political battle against communal forces. Students defeated the ideologies of ABVP. Funds for the university have been significantly cut over the past ten years. The central government, UGC, and Delhi government continue to show severe neglect. Gopika also stated that the student union would continue its strong fight against corporatisation and communal agendas. This year, around 9,043 students were eligible to vote. The polls recorded a 67 per cent turnout, slightly lower than the previous election's 70 per cent. The campus saw vibrant participation with students queuing up outside hostels and schools amid chants, drumbeats, and campaign songs. The Ministry of External Affairs is aware of the detention of Major (retd) Vikrant Jaitly in UAE prison and the Indian Embassy is extending assistance all possible assistance to him, his family, the ministry said on Friday. Reacting to developments on the case, the MEA said, "We are seized of the matter related to Indian national Major Vikrant Jaitley. Consular officials from our Embassy in Abu Dhabi have obtained regular consular access and met him on four occasions. Our Embassy continues to extend all possible consular assistance to him. They are in touch with the family, including the wife of the detainee." The ministry said as per the directions from the Delhi High Court, the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is extending all possible assistance to Jaitly and his family. The case came to light after Jaitly's sister and actor Celina Jaitly moved the Delhi High Court seeking diplomatic assistance for her brother, who has been in detention for over 14 months. Major Jaitly had served in the Indian Army, and after leaving the armed forces, Major Jaitly had been residing in the UAE since 2016. He was reportedly employed with the MATITI Group, engaged in trading, consultancy, and risk management services. Hearing Celina's petition, the Delhi High Court directed MEA authorities to take steps to provide effective legal representation to Major Jaitly. The court also directed the ministry to appoint a nodal officer to apprise the petitioner and other family members regarding the status of Major Jaitly and the legal proceedings. In a bid to address the "alarming rise" in dog bite cases in areas such as educational centres and hospitals, the Supreme Court directed that such canines should be moved to designated shelters. A special three-judge bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N. V. Anjaria, ordered that all stray dogs removed from such sensitive locations should not be released back into the same places. It also directed the authorities to prevent the entry of stray dogs into government and private educational centres, hospitals and similar premises, to safeguard students, patients, and staff. The apex court, while emphasising the immediate need for stringent measures, also directed the authorities, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to identify stretches of highways and expressways frequented by stray animals, including cattle, and ensure their removal and relocation to designated shelters, to reduce the accidents caused by stray animals on major thoroughfares. The court had, on November 3, said it will pass interim directions to tackle the "grave menace" of dog bites in institutional areas, where employees feed and encourage stray dogs. The SC is hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28, following a media report highlighting the stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children in the national capital. The scope of the case has since been expanded to include all states and Union Territories. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on January 13, where additional guidelines and progress on implementation are expected to be reviewed. In July, the SC had ordered that all stray dogs must be moved from residential areas to dedicated animal shelters, in light of the rise in dog bite incidents and rabies-related deaths. The court had directed that these shelters must have trained professionals, who will manage the dogs, perform sterilisations, and administer immunisations. A key directive was that dogs, once in a shelter, should not be released. However, in a separate directive, the court instructed that sterilised and immunised dogs should be released back into their original localities. The three-judge bench, however, clarified that dogs which are infected with rabies, suspected of having rabies, or displaying aggressive behaviour, will not be relocated or returned to their areas. The court has ordered the removal and relocation to be completed within eight weeks. MOSCOW, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed and two others injured when a private helicopter crashed in Russia's southern Dagestan region on Friday. The regional health ministry stated that four died at the scene, and one of the three people hospitalized succumbed to injuries. Nabi Kurayev, first deputy minister of health of the Republic of Dagestan, visited the injured at the Republican Clinical Hospital, one in critical condition and the other in moderate condition, according to local authorities. Sergei Melikov, head of the Republic of Dagestan, confirmed seven people were on board the helicopter and noted that relevant authorities were investigating the cause of the crash. Authorities reported that the Ka-226 helicopter burst into flames on impact and was completely destroyed. Regional emergency services indicated that an in-flight engine fire is being considered the primary cause of the crash. The Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry for Dagestan said in a statement that the private helicopter, which was en route from Kizlyar to Izberbash, crashed into an uninhabited house. The directorate said that the fire has been completely extinguished, adding that 17 pieces of equipment and 51 people were involved in the operation. A criminal case has been opened over safety violations that resulted in multiple deaths. The first phase of voting in the Bihar Assembly Elections on Thursday witnessed a record-breaking voter turnout of 65 per cent. The Election Commission stated the first phase of the assembly elections concluded peacefully in a festive mood with the highest ever voter turnout of 64.66 per cent in the history of Bihar". In the first phase of the 2020 elections, there were 37 million voters, of whom 20.6 million cast their ballots. This time around, of 37.5 million voters, approximately 24.2 million exercised their franchise. The fact that women and migrant workers, who didnt return to their workplaces after Chhath Puja to cast their ballots, came out in droves to cast their votes could have a significant impact. The major question in political circles now is whether this increased voter turnout signals change or is a sign of Nitish Kumar's return to power. The popular perception is that whenever the country votes wholeheartedly, it hints at a strong anti-incumbency. Political pundits predict that Nitish could face a strong wave of anti-incumbency this time, mostly because of his political flip-flops to stay in power. He also faces corruption charges and allegations of not doing enough to create employment opportunities in the state, as one of the major issues faced by the state is the migration of youth in search of jobs to other states. There are some specific incidents that support this observation. The highest voter turnout in West Bengal between 1991 and 2021 was recorded in the 2011 assembly elections, when Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress toppled the strong Left-wing government. At that time, the state recorded a voter turnout of 84.33 per cent up from 81.9 per cent in the previous election. In Assam, voter turnout increased to 84.4 per cent in 2016, from around 75 per cent previously. During this period, the BJP took power from the Congress. That said, it would be far-fetched to say that the higher voter turnout means Nitish would be booted out of power. There have been instances where, despite record-breaking voter turnout, the ruling party has returned to power, including in Bihar. The 2010 Bihar Assembly elections saw a voter turnout increase of about 6.8 percentage points compared to 2005, yet the ruling NDA alliance won more seats and increased its vote share. A similar trend was observed in 2015 and 2020. In many other states, including Chhattisgarh, record voter turnout in some constituencies repeatedly demonstrated continued support for the BJP. This suggests that increased voter turnout can sometimes consolidate incumbent victories rather than bring about change. The first phase of voting took place in the Darbhanga, Tirhut, Kosi, Saran, Munger, and Bhagalpur divisions. In 2020, 60 of these 121 seats went to the NDA and 61 to the Grand Alliance. This time, with the entry of Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj Party, the contest has become triangular. The NDA is calling it a wave of public support, while the Grand Alliance is calling it a sign of change. The fact that women turned out was higher numbers also indicates things are favourable for Nitish, as they have always been his support base. Women have been a political force for him in Bihar since 2005, with initiatives like the Cycle Scheme, reservations, and prohibition, helping him. The support waned in 2020 but the Nitish government launched a Rs 10,000 aid scheme in 2025 aiming women. Political pundits believe women's votes will decide the outcome of Bihar's government this time. Continuing his vote theft allegations against the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on Friday, claimed that he came to know that some of the BJP leaders who cast their vote in Delhi also voted in the first phase of the Bihar assembly elections, which concluded on Thursday. Addressing an election rally in Banka in Bihar, Gandhi expressed confidence that the people of Bihar will not allow 'vote chori' in assembly polls. The Congress MP claimed that he produced evidence of vote theft in Haryana assembly polls and that the Election Commission (EC) cannot deny the charges that he has levelled. #WATCH | Bhagalpur, Bihar: While addressing the election rally in Bhagalpur, Lok Sabha LoP & Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says, "I guarantee that Haryana CM and Haryana government are stolen... This vote theft is conducted to help Ambani, Adani, and billionaires, give your land pic.twitter.com/s1DfpgRFB0 ANI (@ANI) November 7, 2025 Gandhi alleged that the NDA government is encouraging youth to make social media reels to divert their attention from pressing issues. Launching a scathing attack against the saffron party, Gandhi said at another election rally, "Out of the two crore voters in Haryana, 29 lakh electors are fake..." "The BJP indulged in 'vote chori' in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana, and now they are trying to repeat it in Bihar. But, I am certain the people of Bihar will not allow this to happen in their state." The Congress leader alleged that the vote theft is conducted to help Ambani, Adani, and other billionaires. Gandhi further claimed that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have made Bihar the labourer of India. Taking a dig at PM Modi, the Congress leader said that the BJP pays TV channels for showing the PM's face 24 hours of the day. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said on Friday that the controversial Pune land deal in which his son was involved has been cancelled. Pawar claimed his son was unaware that the land parcel belonged to the government, and no financial transaction was made over the deal. "The concerned land is a government land, which cannot be sold. Parth and his partner Digvijay Patil were not aware of this fact. How the registration (of its sale) was done and who is responsible will come out in the probe being headed by Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge, and he will submit his report in a month," Pawar told reporters after meeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Saying "not a rupee had changed hands in the deal", Pawar said an affidavit to cancel the land deal has been submitted to the related authorities. The Nationalist Congress Party leader said the high-level probe team will submit its report in a month. Ajit Pawar has been facing ire over his son Parth Pawar's alleged undervalued land deal in Pune. Allegedly, Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm in which Parth is a partner, bought 40 acres of land in Pune's upmarket Mundhwa area for Rs 300 crore recently. Allegedly, the 40-acre land parcel belonged to the government and revenue authorities even waived off registration fee of Rs 21 crore over the deal. In a statement earlier, the deputy CM said, "I want to make it clear that neither I nor my office made any phone calls, gave any help, or had any role or knowledge about this transaction at any stage." Pawar said the possession of the land has not been taken, and no financial transaction has been made over the deal. Saying even a suspicion of wrongdoing should not be allowed to emerge in public life, the NCP leader said his son has agreed to cancel the land deal. Opposition leader alleged that the market value of the land sold to Parth was Rs 1,800 crore. The Maharashtra government also suspended a revenue official over the controversial land deal. In a cryptic attack targeting actor-politician Vijay, senior All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader K.P. Munusamy said some, relying purely on cinematic fame, are trying to project an image that they have built a "massive political structure". AIADMK Deputy General Secretary K.P. Munusamy's warning against Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam comes as the actor-politician recently claimed the 2026 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu will be a fight between TVK and the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). This is the first time an AIADMK functionary has spoken against Vijay while the party was hoping TVK would ally with them. Addressing party cadres in Krishnagiri, Munusamy said the upcoming assembly polls are different from previous elections as "new entrants" are trying to create an "illusory image" in the absence of veterans like Jayalalithaa and Karunanidhi. The senior leader said AIADMK cadres should keep vigil this election. "Without meeting the people and relying solely on cinematic fame, some have created an illusory image as if building a massive structure," Munusamy said, indirectly targeting Vijay. Munusamy said Vijay was purely relying on cinematic fame. Recently, during a special general council meeting of TVK, Vijay said the party is going to win the upcoming assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. Vijay claimed the 2026 assembly polls was confined only between TVK and the ruling DMK. It was Vijay's first public appearance after the tragic stampede during Vijay's rally in Karur in September. TVK has announced Vijay as its chief minister candidate, and the general council also entrusted the leader with the powers to decide on alliance for the upcoming assembly polls in the state. As part of the string of high-level visits of Israeli leaders to India over the next couple of months, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar arrived in New Delhi on November 4, to meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. This was Saars first visit to India, which, ironically, did not include a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the Israeli ministers itinerary triggered speculations, former diplomat and analyst M K Bhadrakumar believes the only explanation could be that the Israeli dignitarys consultation was hastily arranged. One plausible explanation could be that PM has his hands full, what with the crucial state election in Bihar, Bhadrakumar says in his blog post Indian Punchline. He added that Saars visit comes as Washington moves to launch a UN draft resolution in the Security Council seeking a mandate for the creation of an International Security Force (ISF) for Gaza. The countries whose troops will join the ISF under the common command of Egypt could potentially include troops from Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Turkey, and Pakistan, according to Israeli media. The Security Council discussion on the US draft is expected to start in the near future. Trump is in a hurry to get going with the proposed Council of Peace with himself as its viceroy with full powers to coordinate the recovery process and management of the destroyed territory in Gaza in accordance with a comprehensive plan, Bhadra Kumar says, adding that Israel, however, is not fully on board with the plan to deploy ISF in Gaza. There were also reports in Israeli media about how the officials of the Israeli Ministry of Defence made a startling disclosure a week ago during a closed-door briefing for members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee about Pakistans inclusion in the ISF. Bhadrakumar argues that during his rushed visit to Delhi, Minister Saar would have sensitised Delhi that Israel is not in a position to dictate the composition of the IDF. Interestingly, the only other meeting Saar had in Delhi was with the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Indias ace Pakistan hand, the former diplomat adds. This is the eleventh hour before a finalised version of the US document will be ready, and a Security Council mandate is sought, spelling out the details of countries that will constitute the ISF. Israel would be counting on India to pull all stops to block Pakistans inclusion in the IDF, Bhadrakumar adds. The diplomat further says that Delhi has cause to worry that the buck stops at the Oval Office. Indeed, with all the humiliation and bitterness that India has undergone in the recent months at the hands of the US officials on the oil imports from Russia, it is too much to expect the PM to ask Trump for a favour, which is what PM Benjamin Netanyahu would have expected in happier circumstances. Delhi also has to be wary of Trump seizing the opportunity to propose mediation on India-Pakistan issues, he claims. Bhadrakumar says that an extended Pakistani military presence in Gaza could eventually morph into an Israel-Pakistan relationship of some sort. Mossad, the spy agency of Israel, unleashed another psychological warfare on Iran by publishing a photo from a secret meeting held by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Brigadier General Esmail Qaani. The photograph, published on Mossads Persian account on X, shows Qaani, who serves as the commander of the IRGCs Quds Force, sitting in a closed room and having a conversation with a person whose identity has been blurred. The Quds Force is an elite special operations force responsible for extraterritorial operations outside Iran. Mossad also tagged Khamenei in the post. "Remember when we promised to share with you more memories we have with Kaani and Saberi? Here's another photo that brings back memories from a few years ago. At the first meeting, he was a bit shy; he didn't even touch the teacup. In subsequent meetings, the shyness disappeared, and he drank and drank well and not just tea. This comes just days after Iranian sources dismissed speculations on social media that Esmael Qaani was killed in Israeli action. The general himself dismissed such rumours, saying, The Zionist regime spreads reports about my assassination so that my friends become worried and try to contact me, allowing them (Zionists) to determine my exact location. Many believe the other person in the post was an Israeli intelligence official, alluding to Qaanis alleged ties with the country. They believe the photograph purportedly presented a secret meeting from the past perhaps as part of an investigation, perhaps as psychological warfare. Official Mossad account confirms that head of IRGC Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, cooperated with Israeli intelligence _ pic.twitter.com/EnYwadz1k6 Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) November 5, 2025 There have been rumours earlier, too, about Qaani that he was an Israeli spy. Speculation was that the Iranian general had been flipped by Israels intelligence service. However, in June, Mossad disputed the rumours stating that he was not their spy. The six-word post Qaani is not our spy appeared soon after the Israel-Iran war. Kazakhstan has announced that it will join the Abraham Accords, the US-brokered agreement that normalised relations between Israel and several Arab states. The move was confirmed by US President Donald Trump, who said on Thursday that Kazakhstan would become the first country of his second term to enter the agreement. Though Kazakhstan already maintains full diplomatic relations with Israel, the decision carries symbolic and political weight as the Accords expand into new territory. I just held a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Kazakhstan is the first country of my second term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many. A TREMENDOUS country with a tremendous leader Trump Kazakhstan has officially agreed... [to join] the Abraham Accords and I just want to thank you, Mr. President https://t.co/szoF7rxvW9 pic.twitter.com/fT6Ns62LSE RT (@RT_com) November 7, 2025 For Kazakhstan, a Muslim-majority nation that established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992, joining the Accords is largely a symbolic gesture rather than a groundbreaking diplomatic shift. In an interview before travelling to Washington for the C5+1 summit with other Central Asian leaders, President Tokayev emphasised the economic rationale behind the move. This means that we will get certain dividends from the point of view of economic cooperation, he said. We always had good relations with Israel and with Middle Eastern countries. This is a logical continuation of our policies, my policies. The Abraham Accords were first introduced in 2020 during Donald Trumps first term as part of a broader Middle East peace initiative. The agreements established diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, beginning with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, later joined by Sudan and Morocco. Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser, played a central role in negotiating the original accords. The framework was built on the vision of extending peace and cooperation among Abrahamic faith nations while strengthening US influence in the Middle East. Kazakhstans accession marks the first time a Central Asian state has joined the Accords. The announcement coincided with the C5+1 summit in Washington, where the US hosted leaders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The summit was the first joint meeting between Central Asian heads of state and an American president in the US capital. For the regions governments, it represented an opportunity to seek greater US investment and technological cooperation as a counterbalance to the growing influence of Russia and China. Trump CONFIRMS Kazakhstan JOINS the Abraham Accords Via Israeli-Bibi approval BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS! pic.twitter.com/a4ceOkPhk0 RT (@RT_com) November 7, 2025 Although Kazakhstans move does not involve anything drastic, since diplomatic ties with Israel already exist, the decision has broader political significance. Analysts see it as a calculated step to strengthen relations with the United States and possibly to appeal directly to Donald Trump, who remains a key political figure. By joining the Accords, Kazakhstan signals its willingness to align more closely with Western-led initiatives and participate in a diplomatic framework that has become a centrepiece of US engagement in the broader Middle East. Trump praised Kazakhstans decision as a major step forward in building bridges across the world, framing it as evidence of continued momentum for the peace process he initiated in his first term. He added that the agreement represents a powerful symbol of unity and cooperation that transcends borders. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who joined Trump at the summit, said the initiative would move beyond diplomacy to create a partnership that brings special and unique economic development on all sorts of issues. Kazakhstans participation also expands the geopolitical reach of the Accords into a region of growing strategic importance. Other Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, too, could follow suit as they strive to reduce dependence on Moscow and Tehran. Kazakhstans government has framed its participation as a natural and logical continuation of its balanced foreign policy, which prioritises dialogue, mutual respect and regional stability. While the decision may not produce immediate diplomatic shifts, it aligns with Tokayevs long-term goal of diversifying Kazakhstans international partnerships. Areas of potential cooperation between Israel and Kazakhstan include trade, defence, cybersecurity, energy, food technology, health, education, and tourism. For Trump, Kazakhstans entry represents an early foreign policy achievement in his second term. For Kazakhstan, it is a low-cost yet high-visibility move that reinforces its status as a bridge between East and West, between the Islamic world and the West, and between old alliances and new opportunities. It offers Israel a respite from the mounting global criticism it faced during the Gaza war. From a geostrategic perspective, it gives the US and Israel a strategic foothold in a region historically dominated by Russia and Iran. India is a textile major in the world of trade. But something as simple as testing textiles for heat resistance needed the aid of imported tech. But not anymore! The Centre recently announced the release of indigenously developed instruments for textile testing. This important breakthrough is part of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM), a Ministry of Textiles initiative, and is the result of an ambitious project by the Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA). Three cutting-edge machinesthe Convective Heat Tester (ISO 9151), Radiant Heat Tester (ISO 6942), and Contact (Conductive) Heat Tester (IS 12127)now allow precise evaluation of how well materials withstand different types of heat. These are crucial for industries where worker safety is paramount, such as firefighting, heavy industry, and defence. For years, Indian manufacturers relied mostly on expensive, imported testing equipment, a process that often took weeks and cost tens of thousands of rupees per sample. NITRAs project, funded by NTTM, marks a new chapter in the Make in India initiative. The new instruments, developed with indigenous technology, match the performance of global brands but cost a fraction, priced between Rs 510 lakh compared to imported models costing Rs 1540 lakh. Not only has the price come down, but the wait for results has been slashed as well: what once took up to 30 days can now be done in just 35 days. This reduction in time and cost means that more Indian businesses and research institutions can now access high-grade thermal testing. How to get these machines Commercialisation of this technology is already underway. Technology has been transferred to a local firm, Asian Test Equipment Pvt. Ltd. of Ghaziabad, bringing production into the Indian supply chain. The systems have already been installed and validated at Ace Incorporation in Kanpur and at the DRDOs Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) in Delhi, both of which have reported strong performance and reliability. Moreover, users can buy these instruments on major B2B platforms like IndiaMART and Trade India. Beyond just safety, this achievement supports the governments Make in NITRA stated that the experience with imported models was factored directly into the design process, ensuring that these new testers set world-class standards for performance and reliability. A day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Kremlin's top brass to draft proposals for possible nuclear testing, Russia's 'UVZ-76'a popular shortwave radio station better known as the "Doomsday Radio"came alive again, broadcasting three mysterious messages. As per Telegram channel 'UVB-76 Logi', which monitors all broadcasts from the shortwave radio channel, the word "brainwash" was heard first, at 1:03 PM (Moscow time). At 2:35 PM, the word "underbarrel" was heard, followed by the word "Krymokhrip" at 3:54 PM. Also called 'The Buzzer', due to a buzzing noise that accompanies all of its obscure broadcasts since the 1970s, the recent fascination with the channel comes amid fears of a nuclear armageddon, primarily between the US and Russia, after the Cold War. Despite the Russian Security Council discussion on nuclear test preparations at a test site in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, Putin has stated that Russia did not necessarily want to break the terms of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), but would be forced to take appropriate action if any of the CTBT's signatories decided to violate it. Russia's nuclear preparations follow US President Donald Trump's decison to "start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis with other nations. Russia is testing; China is testing, but they dont talk about it ... And certainly North Korea has been testing. Pakistan has been testing," Trump had told reporters last week, in response to Russia's tests of Burevestnik, a nuclear-powered cruise missile, and Poseidon, an undersea torpedo. Russia-US ties have deteriorated sharply over the past few weeks as Trump, frustrated with a lack of progress in ending the war in Ukraine, cancelled a planned summit with Putin, and imposed sanctions on Moscow for the first time since his second term began. Ajit Singh Chaudhary, a third-year medical student who went missing 19 days ago in Russias Ufa city, was confirmed dead on Thursday. His body was found in a dam near the White River. The Indian Embassy in Russia informed Chaudhary's family about his death on Thursday, according to reports. Ajit Singh hails from Kaphunwara village of Laxmangarh in Rajasthans Alwar. A medical student at Bashkir State Medical University in Ufa City, Ajit was last seen on October 19. He reportedly told his friends that he was going to get milk from the warden, but never returned. We have received information through the embassy that the body of student Ajit Chaudhary has been found. The body has been identified by university students. The process of bringing the body to India has started. Before that, a post-mortem will be conducted by a medical board. It may take 2 days for the body to arrive in India, Alwar Saras Dairy Chairman Nitin Sangwan, who had met Minister of State for External Affairs Kirtivardhan Singh in this regard, told reporters. Russian police, who conducted a search, found his jacket and mobile phone on a riverbank in Ufa. Four hours later, his shoes were also found nearby. The White River is a few kilometres away from his college campus, and the river was overflowing in October. After his disappearance was reported, his family reported receiving a call from the Russian police on October 20. Chaudharys uncle Bhoom Singh had told media about how even the warden wasnt responding to their queries and it was his roommate who spoke to the warden. At that time, the family suspected something was amiss. Bhoom Singh had also alleged that the warden tried to indicate that Ajit jumped into the river. Just an hour before his disappearance, Ajit had spoken to his mother, Santara Devi, and sister via video call to wish then Diwali. The family said he was scheduled to return to India next month. WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for November by Friday amid the ongoing government shutdown. "People have gone without for too long; not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable," said John McConnell, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. On Friday, McConnell said that the Agriculture Department must fund SNAP with a contingency fund "as soon as possible." On Monday, the department said that a total of 4.65 billion U.S. dollars in a contingency fund will be used for November SNAP benefits, which could cover 50 percent of eligible households' current allotments. On Tuesday, however, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that SNAP will not be funded until the government reopens, blaming the "Radical Left Democrats" for shutting down the government. In his latest order on Thursday, McConnell criticized the Trump administration for only making a partial payment and also rebuked the president for stating "his intent to defy" a court order. In a separate court filing on Thursday, Justice Department attorneys said they plan to appeal both Thursday's ruling and McConnell's earlier order mandating SNAP funding. The longest government shutdown in U.S. history has entered its sixth week as the budget impasse in Congress continues. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media platform X on Wednesday that "Trump's continued weaponization of hunger is heartless and vile," after writing a day earlier that the Republican president was treating hungry Americans as "political pawns" during the government shutdown. The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. This could accurately describe the fact-finding report on Bangladesh by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, upon which Sheikh Hasina is now on trial. A deeply flawed report, this has set a political narrative that has enabled Bangladeshs illegitimate interim government to run roughshod over Bangladesh and its institutions. According to Article 10 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal. Yet, in Bangladesh, today, the reality could not be further from this. The trial of Sheikh Hasina at Bangladeshs domestic International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) is no ordinary one, and few would claim she has been entitled to a fair and public hearing. Mohammad Ali Arafat Just last month, the UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk went so far as to urge full respect for the most scrupulous standards of due process and fair trial, as guaranteed in international law. What we are witnessing in Bangladesh is the rise of sham legal proceedings administered by kangaroo courts for political reasons. The ICT Bangladesh is not the independent and impartial tribunal that the UN has enshrined in international law and is a betrayal of Article 10. This is a compromised tribunal, staffed by a woefully inexperienced and partial judiciary. It has been established at the behest of an unelected regime that holds neither the legal nor the moral authority to prosecute a democratically elected government. At the most basic level, fundamental principles of due process and fairness have been ignored. From the start of proceedings, it has been clear that this trial against Sheikh Hasina was never about justice. This is a tribunal replete with conflicts of interest. Its chief prosecutor, Mohammad Tajul Islam, known for his defence of Jamaat-e-Islami leaders responsible for acts of genocide and crimes against humanity, made it clear that this trial was a mere formality and its outcome predetermined. None of the three judges appointed to the ICT has any experience of dealing with international criminal law matters. One of these three, Shafiul Alam Mahmud, has no experience at all of even being a judge. This would be like the Democratic Party putting President Trump on trial, ignoring the supreme court, and instead installing a rookie. It is a farce. The ICT is almost certainly facing political intimidation from the Yunus regime. We have seen other examples where members of the judiciary to have been influenced by his administrations unconstitutional force. Yunus-backed mobs have previously forced some of the most senior figures of the judiciary, including the chief justice himself, senior judges of the appellate division and 12 high court judges, to resign from judicial duties on the threat of physical violence. Sheikh Hasina is facing charges for crimes that simply did not exist at the time of her leadership. They are the result of the interim governments warped amendment of the Anti-Terrorism Act, which has legalised the prosecution of entire political parties. The Yunus-backed National Citizens Party has made clear that convictions must be guaranteed, even calling for members of the former government to be hanged before elections can take place. There can be no doubt that this is not the climate of a free or fair trial. Instead of referring proceedings to the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the only truly international tribunal capable of delivering impartial justice on charges of this nature, the interim government has sought to keep control firmly within its clutches. The irony of a government administering the death penalty in a trial about human rights abuses must not be lost on the international community. Indeed, numerous human rights groups and the UN itself have urged the Yunus administration not to pursue the death penalty, a caution that has fallen on deaf ears. In its current form and under the present circumstances, it is simply not possible for the ICT to deliver any justice process compatible with the international standards of fairness espoused by the UN human rights commissioner. The UN must nevertheless recognise the role it has played in laying the foundations for this trial. In February, the report published by the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights ultimately emboldened the unelected Yunus regime to run riot across Bangladeshs institutions. It is a report that has served as an unimpeachable source for many international media outlets, but which is fundamentally based on uncorroborated and unreliable testimony from unnamed security officials and partial evidence supplied by the interim government. The report itself admits that it cannot supply the levels of proof that would satisfy a criminal court, and yet its findings have been reproduced as gospel. In the current climate of fear, it is unsurprising that witnesses would point the finger at whichever group the current government wants to implicate. In one of its last acts, the Hasina government launched an official inquiry into the events of the summer of 2024. It would have fairly, and impartially, established the facts of those terrible events. It is telling that one of Yunus first moves was to cancel that inquiry and instead rely upon the UNs deeply flawed report. AP A core failing of the UNs report is its observational bias and its willingness to gloss over the waves of retaliatory violence and undocumented lynchings, hangings and revenge killings that targeted police officers, religious minorities and Awami League supporters. This violence was insufficiently investigated and the resultant death count woefully underestimated. The UN references a mere 44 revenge killings but suppressed documentary evidence detailing names, dates and causes of death that was provided to the high commissioners office by the Awami League, which places this figure as high as 144. UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk (in pic) went so far as to urge full respect for the most scrupulous standards of due process and fair trial, as guaranteed in international law. What we are witnessing in Bangladesh is the rise of sham legal proceedings administered by kangaroo courts for political reasons. While the UN admits that this report is flawed in its methodology and time-frame, it has left a damaging one-sided narrative go unchallenged. But it has still never explained why it did not accept the Awami League governments invitation to observe the violence on the ground, after the government established an inquiry commission that the Yunus regime later dissolved. Nor has it sought to investigate the politically and religiously motivated violence that has devastated the nation since last August and the ongoing threats to democracy. The report does a cruel disservice to ordinary Bangladeshis whose lives have been blighted by daily looting, muggings, robberies, acts of arson, rape and even murder. This report has served only to endorse an entirely undemocratic regime and legitimise its actions in the name of reconciliation. One of the reports most egregious errors is its incomplete, vague and even contradictory calculation of the total death toll. In its preliminary report, the UN reported an estimated 650 deaths, a figure that rose inexplicably in the final report to 1,400 deaths. This figure, it reveals, is based solely on discussions with government officials and injured persons and therefore cannot claim to embody the empirical rigour required of a fact-finding mission. Whats more, this figure is significantly higher than the Ministry of Healths calculation of 843 deaths up until August 5. Are we to deduce, therefore, that the additional 500 deaths recorded by the UN in its report, which ostensibly runs to August 15, are in fact casualties of the Yunus regime, many of whom are likely to Awami League supporters or members of the law enforcement? If this is the case, then the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is effectively trying to prosecute the Awami League for the murder of its own people. If it is not the case, why did the UN not analyse the deaths that occurred in the weeks after August 5? The UNs report raises significant questions about the control the Yunus regime exercises over supposedly non-partisan international bodies. There is no doubt that the UN has a vital role to play in advocating for the human rights of all individuals across the world. These rights are fundamental and enshrined in international law, and the UN is right to draw attention to where these have not been respected. But if the Yunus regime is to take the UNs report as sacrosanct when it suits its own agenda, it must also heed Volker Turks warnings and take accountability for its blatant manipulation of justice and its draconian use of capital punishment. It cannot disregard the inconvenient truth of its own human rights abuses. The author is former information minister and central leader of the Bangladesh Awami League. UWM Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UWMC Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th will be paid a dividend of 0.10 per share on Thursday, January 8th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 7.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 18th. UWM has a payout ratio of 83.3% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the companys earnings fall. Equities research analysts expect UWM to earn $0.46 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.40 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 87.0%. Get UWM alerts: UWM Stock Performance UWMC traded down $0.55 on Thursday, hitting $5.11. 20,819,709 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,700,093. UWM has a 52 week low of $3.80 and a 52 week high of $7.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.55, a quick ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.17 billion, a PE ratio of -102.20 and a beta of 1.79. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $5.94 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $4.96. UWM Company Profile UWM ( NYSE:UWMC Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.07 by ($0.06). UWM had a net margin of 0.48% and a negative return on equity of 5.56%. The firm had revenue of $843.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $651.51 million. On average, research analysts predict that UWM will post 0.2 EPS for the current fiscal year. (Get Free Report) UWM Holdings Corporation engages in the residential mortgage lending business in the United States. The company offers mortgage loans through wholesale channel. It originates primarily conforming and government loans. UWM Holdings Corporation was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Pontiac, Michigan. Read More Receive News & Ratings for UWM Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for UWM and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Rheinmetall (OTCMKTS:RNMBY Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, Zacks reports. Rheinmetall Stock Up 0.3% OTCMKTS:RNMBY traded up $1.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $394.36. The companys stock had a trading volume of 53,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 91,757. Rheinmetall has a 1 year low of $113.70 and a 1 year high of $468.90. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $427.04 and a 200-day moving average of $404.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Get Rheinmetall alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of research firms have recently commented on RNMBY. Barclays began coverage on shares of Rheinmetall in a report on Monday, September 8th. They issued an overweight rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating on shares of Rheinmetall in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Rheinmetall in a report on Friday, September 26th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group began coverage on shares of Rheinmetall in a report on Friday, September 19th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Buy. Rheinmetall Company Profile (Get Free Report) Rheinmetall AG provides mobility and security technologies worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Vehicle Systems, Weapon and Ammunition, Electronic Solutions, Sensors and Actuators, and Materials and Trade. The Vehicle Systems segment offers combat, logistics, support, and special vehicles, including armored tracked vehicles, CBRN protection systems, artillery, turret systems, and wheeled logistics and tactical vehicles. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Rheinmetall Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rheinmetall and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Black Hills (NYSE:BKH Get Free Report) updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 4.000-4.20 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 4.110. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of brokerages recently commented on BKH. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Black Hills in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America raised Black Hills from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and increased their price target for the stock from $57.00 to $64.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $66.00. Get Black Hills alerts: Get Our Latest Report on BKH Black Hills Stock Performance Shares of NYSE:BKH traded up $3.07 on Thursday, hitting $67.82. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,837,173 shares, compared to its average volume of 568,559. Black Hills has a 12 month low of $54.92 and a 12 month high of $68.50. The company has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.73. The stocks 50-day moving average is $61.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.64. Black Hills (NYSE:BKH Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Black Hills had a return on equity of 7.81% and a net margin of 12.68%.The business had revenue of $430.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $439.96 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.35 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.1% on a year-over-year basis. Black Hills has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.000-4.20 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Black Hills will post 4.12 EPS for the current year. Black Hills Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 17th will be issued a $0.676 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $2.70 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. Black Hillss dividend payout ratio is currently 68.01%. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Black Hills A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of Black Hills during the second quarter valued at $5,610,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its stake in Black Hills by 39.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 337,759 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $18,948,000 after purchasing an additional 95,091 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Black Hills by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,841,615 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $215,515,000 after buying an additional 31,093 shares during the period. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Black Hills during the second quarter valued at about $1,027,000. Finally, Bridgeway Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Black Hills during the second quarter valued at about $954,000. 86.71% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Black Hills (Get Free Report) Black Hills Corporation, through its subsidiaries, operates as an electric and natural gas utility company in the United States. The company operates in two segments: Electric Utilities and Gas Utilities. The Electric Utilities segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity to approximately 222,000 electric utility customers in Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and owns and operates 1,394 megawatts of generation capacity and 9,106 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Black Hills Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Black Hills and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Auto Trader Group (LON:AUTO Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported GBX 17.26 EPS for the quarter, Digital Look Earnings reports. Auto Trader Group had a return on equity of 47.03% and a net margin of 45.00%. Auto Trader Group Price Performance AUTO stock traded up GBX 24.60 during trading on Thursday, hitting GBX 798.60. The company had a trading volume of 643,623,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,635,429. The company has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 785.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 813.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.66, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.26. The company has a market cap of 6.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.30, a P/E/G ratio of 3.99 and a beta of 0.78. Auto Trader Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 706 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 920. Get Auto Trader Group alerts: About Auto Trader Group (Get Free Report) About Auto Trader Auto Trader Group plc is the UKs largest automotive platform. It listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2015 and is a member of the FTSE 100 Index. Auto Traders purpose is Driving Change Together. Responsibly. Auto Trader is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive culture, it aims to build stronger partnerships with its customers and use its voice and influence to drive more environmentally friendly vehicle choices. With the largest number of car buyers and the largest choice of trusted stock, Auto Traders marketplace sits at the heart of the UK car buying process. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Auto Trader Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Auto Trader Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. HF Sinclair Corporation (NYSE:DINO Get Free Report) CAO Vivek Garg sold 314 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.28, for a total transaction of $16,729.92. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,609 shares in the company, valued at $192,287.52. The trade was a 8.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. HF Sinclair Stock Performance DINO stock traded up $0.68 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $53.68. The company had a trading volume of 1,888,987 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,716,906. The firm has a market cap of $10.04 billion, a PE ratio of -116.68 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 1.82. HF Sinclair Corporation has a 12 month low of $24.66 and a 12 month high of $55.63. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $52.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.29. Get HF Sinclair alerts: HF Sinclair (NYSE:DINO Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.50. The business had revenue of $7.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.99 billion. HF Sinclair had a negative net margin of 0.32% and a positive return on equity of 1.89%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that HF Sinclair Corporation will post 2.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. HF Sinclair Dividend Announcement Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 19th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.7%. HF Sinclairs payout ratio is currently 95.69%. Several analysts have commented on DINO shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of HF Sinclair from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c-) rating on shares of HF Sinclair in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of HF Sinclair from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday. Scotiabank reissued an outperform rating on shares of HF Sinclair in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of HF Sinclair in a research report on Friday, October 17th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $58.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, HF Sinclair presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $58.73. Read Our Latest Research Report on HF Sinclair Institutional Trading of HF Sinclair Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in HF Sinclair during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Kiker Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in HF Sinclair during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in HF Sinclair during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. West Oak Capital LLC bought a new stake in HF Sinclair during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, State of Wyoming bought a new stake in HF Sinclair during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 88.29% of the companys stock. About HF Sinclair (Get Free Report) HF Sinclair Corporation operates as an independent energy company. The company produces and markets gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel, renewable diesel, specialty lubricant products, specialty chemicals, specialty and modified asphalt, and others. It owns and operates refineries located in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming; and markets its refined products principally in the Southwest United States and Rocky Mountains, Pacific Northwest, and in other neighboring Plains states. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for HF Sinclair Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for HF Sinclair and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Arc Resources (OTCMKTS:AETUF Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The energy company reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.58 by ($0.31), Zacks reports. Arc Resources had a return on equity of 18.59% and a net margin of 30.77%. Arc Resources Trading Up 1.1% AETUF traded up $0.20 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $18.52. 95,397 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 68,269. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 1.20 and a current ratio of 1.21. Arc Resources has a one year low of $15.05 and a one year high of $23.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $10.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.18, a PEG ratio of 0.52 and a beta of 0.26. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $18.38 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.62. Get Arc Resources alerts: Arc Resources Dividend Announcement The business also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were issued a dividend of $0.1376 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 29th. This represents a yield of 306.0%. Arc Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 30.22%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In AETUF has been the topic of several research reports. Capital One Financial upgraded shares of Arc Resources to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. TD Securities reiterated a buy rating on shares of Arc Resources in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Arc Resources in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Arc Resources from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Arc Resources in a report on Monday, October 27th. They issued an overweight rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and six have given a Buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Buy. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Arc Resources About Arc Resources (Get Free Report) ARC Resources Ltd. engages in the acquiring and developing crude oil, natural gas, condensate, and natural gas liquids in Canada. It primarily holds interests in the Montney basin located in Alberta and northeast British Columbia. ARC Resources Ltd. was founded in 1996 and is based in Calgary, Canada. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Arc Resources Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Arc Resources and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Equinox Gold (NYSEAMERICAN:EQX Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.06, Briefing.com reports. Equinox Gold had a net margin of 2.71% and a return on equity of 6.12%. The firm had revenue of $819.01 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $607.81 million. The companys revenue was up 91.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equinox Gold Stock Performance Equinox Gold stock traded up $0.81 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $11.41. 25,321,628 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 13,121,031. The firm has a market capitalization of $8.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.18 and a beta of 1.11. The business has a 50 day moving average of $10.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.03. Equinox Gold has a 12 month low of $4.95 and a 12 month high of $12.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Get Equinox Gold alerts: Institutional Inflows and Outflows A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in Equinox Gold by 232.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 558,605 shares of the companys stock worth $3,843,000 after acquiring an additional 390,690 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equinox Gold in the first quarter worth $6,883,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Equinox Gold by 35.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,862,225 shares of the companys stock worth $12,812,000 after purchasing an additional 490,251 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of Equinox Gold by 164.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 780,141 shares of the companys stock worth $5,367,000 after purchasing an additional 485,567 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Equinox Gold by 77.5% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 356,122 shares of the companys stock worth $2,067,000 after purchasing an additional 155,460 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 38.85% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth EQX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. National Bankshares reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Equinox Gold in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Zacks Research cut shares of Equinox Gold from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Equinox Gold from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Cormark upgraded shares of Equinox Gold from a hold rating to a moderate buy rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, CIBC restated a neutral rating on shares of Equinox Gold in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Equinox Gold has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $26.00. Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Equinox Gold Equinox Gold Company Profile (Get Free Report) Equinox Gold Corp. engages in the exploration, acquisition, development, and operation of mineral properties in the Americas. It explores gold and silver deposits. It holds interest in properties in California located in the United States; Guerrero State located in Mexico; Maranhao, Bahia, and Mina Gerais state located in Brazil; and Ontario, Canada. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Equinox Gold Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Equinox Gold and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. " " "One Punch Fans" are oh-so familiar with this classic moment. Crevonia / Shutterstock From everyday life to absurd fantasy, the best comedy anime delivers laughs in wildly creative ways. Whether youre looking for slapstick humor, clever writing, or a hilarious parody of other genres, theres a funny anime out there that will leave you grinning from start to finish. Here are top-tier picks for comedy anime fans who love to laugh and stream something truly unforgettable. Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS (NYSE:TKC Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, Zacks reports. Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS had a return on equity of 7.00% and a net margin of 13.15%. Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS Stock Performance NYSE:TKC traded up $0.20 on Thursday, hitting $6.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,063,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,202,002. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $5.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.91 and a beta of 0.97. Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS has a one year low of $5.35 and a one year high of $7.63. Get Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS alerts: Institutional Trading of Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TKC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS by 102.5% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,829 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 3,963 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS by 51.8% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 22,358 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $135,000 after buying an additional 7,626 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS in the second quarter valued at approximately $143,000. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new stake in Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS in the first quarter valued at approximately $358,000. Finally, Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its stake in Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS by 13.8% in the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 112,096 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $678,000 after buying an additional 13,616 shares during the period. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Wall Street Zen lowered Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, July 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold. Read Our Latest Report on Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS Company Profile (Get Free Report) Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S. provides digital services in Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and the Netherlands. It operates through Turkcell Turkey, Turkcell International, and Techfin segments. It offers work contact services, such as mobile communications, fixed business internet and business phone, and customer loyalty and programs; digital business services comprising uninterrupted access, cyber security, data center, Internet of Things, big data, e-transformation, technologies, and managed services, and cloud solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Commerzbank (OTCMKTS:CRZBY Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Thursday. The financial services provider reported $0.61 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.62 by ($0.01), Zacks reports. Commerzbank had a return on equity of 7.49% and a net margin of 10.51%.The company had revenue of $3.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.46 billion. Commerzbank Stock Up 0.8% Shares of CRZBY stock opened at $37.07 on Friday. Commerzbank has a one year low of $14.91 and a one year high of $44.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.69, a current ratio of 12.40 and a quick ratio of 33.14. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $36.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $34.64. The stock has a market cap of $43.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.47 and a beta of 0.57. Get Commerzbank alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth CRZBY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Commerzbank from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, August 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Commerzbank from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Commerzbank from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued a sector perform rating on shares of Commerzbank in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Commerzbank in a research report on Tuesday, August 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Commerzbank currently has a consensus rating of Hold. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Commerzbank A hedge fund recently raised its stake in Commerzbank stock. Rhumbline Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Commerzbank AG (OTCMKTS:CRZBY Free Report) by 22.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,876 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 1,252 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers holdings in Commerzbank were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Commerzbank Company Profile (Get Free Report) Commerzbank AG provides banking and capital market products and services to private and small business customers, corporate, financial service providers, and institutional clients in Germany, rest of Europe, the Americas, Asia, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Private and Small-Business Customers, and Corporate Clients. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Commerzbank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Commerzbank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ring Energy (NYSEAMERICAN:REI Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The company reported ($0.25) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.05 by ($0.30), FiscalAI reports. Ring Energy had a net margin of 20.72% and a return on equity of 6.26%. The business had revenue of $78.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $83.20 million. Ring Energy Stock Performance Ring Energy stock traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $0.95. 2,205,539 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,464,700. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.63. The stock has a market cap of $195.18 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.93. Ring Energy has a 12-month low of $0.72 and a 12-month high of $1.77. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $1.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $0.90. Get Ring Energy alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ring Energy Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in Ring Energy by 22.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,051,151 shares of the companys stock worth $4,805,000 after acquiring an additional 1,109,514 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Ring Energy by 28.6% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,350,472 shares of the companys stock worth $3,853,000 after purchasing an additional 744,284 shares during the last quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ring Energy by 3.3% during the second quarter. Bridgeway Capital Management LLC now owns 2,131,708 shares of the companys stock worth $1,693,000 after purchasing an additional 67,637 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ring Energy by 8.6% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 783,428 shares of the companys stock worth $901,000 after purchasing an additional 62,317 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new position in Ring Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $439,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.14% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In REI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Alliance Global Partners assumed coverage on shares of Ring Energy in a report on Friday, July 11th. They issued a buy rating and a $2.50 target price for the company. Zacks Research raised Ring Energy from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, August 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $2.50. Read Our Latest Analysis on Ring Energy Ring Energy Company Profile (Get Free Report) Ring Energy, Inc, an independent oil and natural gas company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas properties. The company has interests in 56,711 net developed acres and 2,668 net undeveloped acres in Andrews, Gaines, Crane, Ector, Winkler, and Ward counties, Texas; and 8,751 net developed acres and 12,405 net undeveloped acres in Yoakum County, Texas and Lea County, New Mexico. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Ring Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ring Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.02, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $315.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $263.93 million. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 8.29% and a net margin of 8.25%.The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.32 EPS. MDU Resources Group updated its FY 2025 guidance to 0.900-0.950 EPS. MDU Resources Group Stock Up 5.0% MDU traded up $0.98 on Thursday, hitting $20.67. The company had a trading volume of 6,928,891 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,884,198. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.71. MDU Resources Group has a 52-week low of $15.04 and a 52-week high of $20.76. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $17.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.73. Get MDU Resources Group alerts: MDU Resources Group Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 11th were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. This is a boost from MDU Resources Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 11th. MDU Resources Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.83%. Insider Activity Institutional Inflows and Outflows In other news, CFO Jason L. Vollmer purchased 5,000 shares of MDU Resources Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.07 per share, with a total value of $80,350.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 344,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,536,886.36. This trade represents a 1.47% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Corporate insiders own 0.94% of the companys stock. Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in shares of MDU Resources Group by 8.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 499,908 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $8,453,000 after purchasing an additional 39,978 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of MDU Resources Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $370,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 56.4% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,508 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 904 shares in the last quarter. Amundi bought a new stake in MDU Resources Group in the second quarter worth $564,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 355.9% in the second quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 178,703 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,979,000 after acquiring an additional 139,503 shares in the last quarter. 71.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of MDU Resources Group from a sell (d+) rating to a hold (c-) rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research lowered shares of MDU Resources Group from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Cowen started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. They issued a hold rating and a $20.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $21.00. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on MDU Resources Group About MDU Resources Group (Get Free Report) MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations. See Also Receive News & Ratings for MDU Resources Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for MDU Resources Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:PXH Get Free Report) saw unusually-high trading volume on Tuesday . Approximately 830,396 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 243% from the previous sessions volume of 241,866 shares.The stock last traded at $25.7740 and had previously closed at $25.97. Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF Trading Down 0.0% The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.43 and a beta of 0.60. Get Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF alerts: Hedge Funds Weigh In On Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PXH. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF in the second quarter valued at approximately $68,439,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF by 9.7% in the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 25,095,530 shares of the companys stock valued at $586,984,000 after acquiring an additional 2,215,819 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF by 68.6% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,221,951 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,565,000 after acquiring an additional 497,392 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF in the first quarter valued at approximately $4,740,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF by 1,107.8% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 225,495 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,274,000 after acquiring an additional 206,825 shares in the last quarter. Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF Company Profile The Invesco FTSE RAFI Emerging Markets ETF (PXH) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the FTSE RAFI Emerging index. The fund tracks an index of emerging market companies selected and weighted based on a fundamental methodology. PXH was launched on Sep 27, 2007 and is managed by Invesco. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco RAFI Emerging Markets ETF and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shinhan Financial Group Co Ltd (NYSE:SHG Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $53.57 and last traded at $53.3550, with a volume of 62340 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $52.42. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SHG shares. Zacks Research cut shares of Shinhan Financial Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Shinhan Financial Group in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Shinhan Financial Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, August 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Shinhan Financial Group presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. Get Shinhan Financial Group alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on SHG Shinhan Financial Group Stock Performance Institutional Investors Weigh In On Shinhan Financial Group The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $50.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $46.13. The company has a market cap of $26.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.52, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 1.03. Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Shinhan Financial Group by 22.0% during the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 197,709 shares of the banks stock worth $6,343,000 after purchasing an additional 35,682 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Shinhan Financial Group in the first quarter worth approximately $203,000. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Shinhan Financial Group by 11.2% in the first quarter. Ramirez Asset Management Inc. now owns 215,892 shares of the banks stock worth $6,926,000 after buying an additional 21,727 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Shinhan Financial Group by 20.9% in the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,056 shares of the banks stock worth $558,000 after buying an additional 2,080 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Shinhan Financial Group by 91.1% in the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 53,954 shares of the banks stock worth $1,731,000 after buying an additional 25,716 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 7.76% of the companys stock. About Shinhan Financial Group (Get Free Report) Shinhan Financial Group Co, Ltd. provides financial products and services in South Korea and internationally. The company operates through six segments: Banking, Credit Card, Securities, Insurance, Credit, and Others. It offers retail banking services, including demand, savings, and fixed deposit-taking; checking accounts; mortgage and home equity, and retail lending; electronic banking and automatic teller machines (ATM); and bill paying, payroll and check-cashing, currency exchange, and wire fund transfer services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Shinhan Financial Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Shinhan Financial Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica (NYSE:ERJ Get Free Report) announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Thursday, November 6th, RTT News reports. The company plans to buyback 0 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Price Performance Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica stock traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $65.18. The companys stock had a trading volume of 646,716 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,643,810. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.79, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.82. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica has a twelve month low of $33.06 and a twelve month high of $67.44. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $60.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $54.62. Get Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica alerts: Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica (NYSE:ERJ Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.37). Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica had a return on equity of 13.38% and a net margin of 5.43%. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Research analysts forecast that Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts recently commented on ERJ shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, September 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $59.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $64.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $61.17. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica About Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Get Free Report) Embraer SA designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aircraft and systems in North America, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Brazil, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Commercial Aviation; Defense & Security; Executive Aviation; Services & Support; and Other segments. The Commercial Aviation segment designs, develops, manufactures, and sells commercial jets, as well as leases aircraft. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bullish (NYSE:BLSH Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $47.80 and last traded at $47.5310, with a volume of 1569032 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.26. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have weighed in on BLSH. Rosenblatt Securities lifted their target price on Bullish from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 18th. New Street Research set a $56.00 price objective on shares of Bullish in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Bullish from $66.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, September 18th. Zacks Research raised shares of Bullish to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 9th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods assumed coverage on shares of Bullish in a report on Monday, September 15th. They set a market perform rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Bullish currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $57.33. Get Bullish alerts: Get Our Latest Report on Bullish Bullish Price Performance The stocks 50 day moving average price is $57.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 22.75 and a current ratio of 24.59. The stock has a market cap of $6.51 billion and a PE ratio of -891.20. Bullish (NYSE:BLSH Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, September 17th. The company reported ($0.05) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.04) by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $57.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $55.91 million. Bullish has set its Q3 2025 guidance at EPS. Institutional Trading of Bullish A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of Bullish in the third quarter worth about $92,824,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bullish in the third quarter worth about $91,782,000. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bullish in the third quarter worth about $27,080,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Bullish in the third quarter worth about $10,423,000. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Bullish in the third quarter worth about $7,034,000. About Bullish (Get Free Report) Bullish is an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Our objective is to provide mission critical products and services that are designed to help institutions grow their businesses, empower individual customers, and drive the adoption of stablecoins, digital assets, and blockchain technology. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Bullish Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bullish and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE:NUS Get Free Report) updated its FY 2025 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.250-1.350 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.260. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.5 billion-$1.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.5 billion. Nu Skin Enterprises also updated its Q4 2025 guidance to 0.250-0.350 EPS. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Nu Skin Enterprises in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Nu Skin Enterprises from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Sunday, October 12th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Nu Skin Enterprises to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $7.00. Get Nu Skin Enterprises alerts: Get Our Latest Research Report on Nu Skin Enterprises Nu Skin Enterprises Stock Performance Nu Skin Enterprises stock traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $10.87. 524,089 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 622,874. The stock has a market cap of $537.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.41 and a beta of 0.97. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $11.42 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 2.01. Nu Skin Enterprises has a 12-month low of $5.32 and a 12-month high of $14.62. Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE:NUS Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $364.21 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.20 million. Nu Skin Enterprises had a net margin of 6.20% and a return on equity of 8.23%. Nu Skin Enterprises has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.250-0.350 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Nu Skin Enterprises will post 1.05 EPS for the current year. Insider Activity In other news, Director Daniel W. Campbell sold 23,391 shares of Nu Skin Enterprises stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total value of $283,031.10. Following the sale, the director owned 53,375 shares of the companys stock, valued at $645,837.50. The trade was a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Chayce David Clark sold 20,000 shares of Nu Skin Enterprises stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.97, for a total transaction of $239,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 233,140 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,790,685.80. The trade was a 7.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 58,926 shares of company stock valued at $711,364 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.00% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Nu Skin Enterprises Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 107.4% in the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,048 shares of the companys stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 2,614 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 18.8% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 18,564 shares of the companys stock valued at $127,000 after purchasing an additional 2,941 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 18.5% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 20,405 shares of the companys stock valued at $163,000 after purchasing an additional 3,179 shares during the period. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main acquired a new stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises in the second quarter valued at about $174,000. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises in the first quarter valued at about $162,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.84% of the companys stock. About Nu Skin Enterprises (Get Free Report) Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development and distribution of various beauty and wellness products worldwide. It offers skin care devices, cosmetics, and other personal care products, including ageLOC LumiSpa and ageLOC LumiSpa iO; and nutricentials skin care products. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Nu Skin Enterprises Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nu Skin Enterprises and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE:BDX Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The medical instruments supplier reported $3.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.92 by $0.04, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $5.89 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.91 billion. Becton, Dickinson and Company had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 7.51%.Becton, Dickinson and Companys quarterly revenue was up 8.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.81 earnings per share. Becton, Dickinson and Company updated its FY 2026 guidance to 14.750-15.050 EPS. Becton, Dickinson and Company Stock Up 0.6% Shares of BDX stock traded up $1.05 on Thursday, reaching $177.44. 6,595,375 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,451,346. The company has a market cap of $50.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.91, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.25. The company has a 50-day moving average of $187.07 and a 200-day moving average of $182.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 1.10 and a quick ratio of 0.62. Becton, Dickinson and Company has a one year low of $162.29 and a one year high of $251.99. Get Becton Dickinson and Company alerts: Becton, Dickinson and Company Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 8th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This is a boost from Becton, Dickinson and Companys previous quarterly dividend of $1.04. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 8th. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. Becton, Dickinson and Companys payout ratio is currently 74.82%. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of analysts recently weighed in on BDX shares. Piper Sandler restated a neutral rating and issued a $200.00 price objective (up from $185.00) on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a sector perform rating and issued a $211.00 price objective on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Argus increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $220.00 to $230.00 in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Becton, Dickinson and Company from $196.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company from $172.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $205.40. Check Out Our Latest Report on BDX Insider Activity In other news, Director Claire Fraser sold 917 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $187.50, for a total transaction of $171,937.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 22,226 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,167,375. This represents a 3.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 1,895 shares of company stock worth $358,995. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Becton, Dickinson and Company Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new position in shares of Becton, Dickinson and Company during the 2nd quarter worth about $212,000. Oxford Asset Management LLP bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $271,000. State of Wyoming bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $352,000. Teza Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $379,000. Finally, Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new position in Becton, Dickinson and Company in the 2nd quarter valued at about $381,000. Institutional investors own 86.97% of the companys stock. About Becton, Dickinson and Company (Get Free Report) Becton, Dickinson and Company develops, manufactures, and sells medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment, and diagnostic products for healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical industry, and the general public worldwide. The company operates in three segments: BD Medical, BD Life Sciences, and BD Interventional. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Becton Dickinson and Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Becton Dickinson and Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters. Modern Wealth Management, a $10 billion registered investment advisor co-founded by former United Capital executives, has appointed Derek Bruton as head of mergers and acquisitions. Bruton joins Modern Wealth from executive recruiting firm and M&A consultancy Gladstone Group, where he oversaw RIA sell-side transactions and led the strategic growth consulting division. His past experience includes executive positions at Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade and LPL Financial, where he worked on advisor recruitment and business development. Mike Capelle, co-founder and co-CEO of Modern Wealth, said on the sidelines of this year's Schwab Impact conference that he had worked with Bruton for years, including on four of the firms 18 acquisitions. Hes been in the industry for so long and is so well connectedeveryone knows him, and he understands the business, Capelle said. If someones looking to be acquired, he can figure out why that is, and if its a good fit for us." In the new role, Bruton will oversee Modern Wealths M&A strategy and activity and lead its partnership development team, which sources, integrates and onboards new firms. That division is seeking an East Coast hire to build out the team. Jason Gordo, co-founder and president of the firm, had been overseeing its dealmaking. He said the firm wanted to bring on an internal head of M&A to maintain the acquisition pace. This is just the beginning of our growth trajectory, Gordo said. Were at the very, very beginning stages and bringing in somebody of the caliber of Derek to come help us accelerate in M&A. It's been a breath of fresh air already." Modern Wealth launched in April 2023 with $200 million in backing from private equity firm Crestview Partners. It has since completed 18 acquisitions and expanded to 20 offices across 14 states. Co-founders Capelle, Gordo and Gary Roth had been with United Capital, Joe Duran's large RIA that he sold to Goldman Sachs in 2019. Goldman later sold it to Creative Planning in 2023. Bruton joined Gladstone in 2022 as a senior managing director after stepping down as CEO of financial services firm Kingswood U.S. He had worked with Modern Wealth for acquisitions, including two California-based firms with a combined $1 billion in AUM announced in April. He has also written contributor pieces for WealthManagement.com on deal processes and outcomes. Enlightify (NYSE:ENFY Get Free Report) is one of 46 publicly-traded companies in the CHEM DIVERSIFD industry, but how does it contrast to its peers? We will compare Enlightify to related companies based on the strength of its valuation, dividends, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, institutional ownership and profitability. Profitability This table compares Enlightify and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Enlightify alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Enlightify -22.98% -18.78% -11.03% Enlightify Competitors -63.40% -0.73% -0.46% Insider & Institutional Ownership 0.1% of Enlightify shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.5% of shares of all CHEM DIVERSIFD companies are held by institutional investors. 14.0% of Enlightify shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.6% of shares of all CHEM DIVERSIFD companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Volatility and Risk Analyst Ratings Enlightify has a beta of 0.97, meaning that its stock price is 3% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Enlightifys peers have a beta of 0.96, meaning that their average stock price is 4% less volatile than the S&P 500. This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Enlightify and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Enlightify 1 0 0 0 1.00 Enlightify Competitors 674 2891 3319 110 2.41 As a group, CHEM DIVERSIFD companies have a potential upside of 33.02%. Given Enlightifys peers stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Enlightify has less favorable growth aspects than its peers. Earnings and Valuation This table compares Enlightify and its peers gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Enlightify $79.21 million -$28.41 million -0.10 Enlightify Competitors $10.40 billion $486.03 million -2.33 Enlightifys peers have higher revenue and earnings than Enlightify. Enlightify is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry. Summary Enlightify peers beat Enlightify on 9 of the 13 factors compared. About Enlightify (Get Free Report) Enlightify, Inc. engages in the research, development, production, and sale of various types of fertilizers and agricultural products. It operates through the following segments: Jinong, Gufeng, and Yuxing. The Jinong segment includes fertilizer products, with focus on humic acid-based compound fertilizer. The Gufeng segment refers to the compound fertilizer, blended fertilizer, organic compound fertilizer, slow-release fertilizers, highly concentrated water-soluble fertilizers, and mixed organic-inorganic compound fertilizer. The Yuxing segment develops and produces agricultural products, such as top-grade fruits, vegetables, flowers, and colored seedlings. The company was founded by Tao Li on February 6, 1987 and is headquartered in Xian, China. Receive News & Ratings for Enlightify Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Enlightify and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of Hold from the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $72.45. EQR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Equity Residential from $76.50 to $75.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Equity Residential from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on Equity Residential from $73.00 to $66.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Equity Residential from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $79.75 price objective on shares of Equity Residential in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Get Equity Residential alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on EQR Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equity Residential Equity Residential Price Performance Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Collier Financial purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in Equity Residential by 425.3% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 415 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Equity Residential by 434.7% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 540 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the last quarter. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Equity Residential in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equity Residential by 1,000.0% in the 2nd quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC now owns 660 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.68% of the companys stock. EQR stock opened at $58.73 on Tuesday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $63.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.09. The firm has a market cap of $22.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.38, a PEG ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.17 and a current ratio of 0.45. Equity Residential has a 1 year low of $58.38 and a 1 year high of $78.32. Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.02. The firm had revenue of $782.41 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. Equity Residential had a net margin of 37.58% and a return on equity of 10.30%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.98 EPS. Equity Residential has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 1.020-1.060 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 3.980-4.020 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Equity Residential will post 3.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Equity Residential Dividend Announcement The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 25th were given a dividend of $0.6925 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 25th. This represents a $2.77 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. Equity Residentials dividend payout ratio is 91.42%. About Equity Residential (Get Free Report) Equity Residential is committed to creating communities where people thrive. The Company, a member of the S&P 500, is focused on the acquisition, development and management of residential properties located in and around dynamic cities that attract affluent long-term renters. Equity Residential owns or has investments in 305 properties consisting of 80,683 apartment units, with an established presence in Boston, New York, Washington, DC, Seattle, San Francisco and Southern California, and an expanding presence in Denver, Atlanta, Dallas/Ft. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Equity Residential Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Equity Residential and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Green Dot Corporation (NYSE:GDOT Get Free Report) have earned an average rating of Hold from the seven analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, two have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $13.50. Several brokerages have recently issued reports on GDOT. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d-) rating on shares of Green Dot in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Green Dot from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Northland Securities set a $18.00 target price on shares of Green Dot in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their price objective on Green Dot from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Get Green Dot alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on GDOT Insider Buying and Selling Institutional Inflows and Outflows In other Green Dot news, insider Christian Devin Ruppel sold 27,931 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.39, for a total transaction of $346,065.09. Following the transaction, the insider owned 226,656 shares in the company, valued at $2,808,267.84. The trade was a 10.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders. Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Alaska Department of Revenue purchased a new stake in Green Dot during the third quarter worth $29,000. Virtus Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Green Dot during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in Green Dot by 350,400.0% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 3,505 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 3,504 shares during the last quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of Green Dot by 18.6% during the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 5,478 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of Green Dot by 23.1% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 6,504 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 1,221 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.56% of the companys stock. Green Dot Stock Down 2.8% Shares of GDOT opened at $11.76 on Tuesday. Green Dot has a 12-month low of $6.12 and a 12-month high of $15.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $651.11 million, a PE ratio of -26.72 and a beta of 0.80. The businesss 50 day moving average is $13.24 and its 200 day moving average is $11.33. Green Dot (NYSE:GDOT Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The financial services provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.23. Green Dot had a negative net margin of 1.24% and a positive return on equity of 9.93%. The firm had revenue of $501.16 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $496.49 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.25 earnings per share. Green Dots revenue for the quarter was up 23.9% on a year-over-year basis. Green Dot has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.280-1.420 EPS. Research analysts expect that Green Dot will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About Green Dot (Get Free Report) Green Dot Corporation, a financial technology and registered bank holding company, provides various financial services to consumers and businesses in the United States. It operates through three segments: Consumer Services, Business to Business Services, and Money Movement Services. The company provides deposit account programs, including consumer and small business checking account products, network-branded reloadable prepaid debit cards and gift cards, and secured credit programs. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Green Dot Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Green Dot and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp reduced its stake in shares of Corpay, Inc. (NYSE:CPAY Free Report) by 5.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 367,515 shares of the companys stock after selling 21,538 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 0.52% of Corpay worth $121,949,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CPAY. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. lifted its position in shares of Corpay by 4.7% in the second quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 695 shares of the companys stock worth $231,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in Corpay by 5.0% during the first quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 678 shares of the companys stock worth $236,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Corpay by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 4,520 shares of the companys stock worth $1,576,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in shares of Corpay by 56.7% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 94 shares of the companys stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in shares of Corpay by 0.3% in the first quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 12,666 shares of the companys stock worth $4,417,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.84% of the companys stock. Get Corpay alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on CPAY shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Corpay from $445.00 to $400.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. UBS Group decreased their target price on Corpay from $340.00 to $315.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a buy rating on shares of Corpay in a research note on Monday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Corpay from $336.00 to $344.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Corpay in a report on Thursday, July 17th. They set a buy rating and a $390.00 price objective for the company. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $379.71. Corpay Stock Performance Shares of Corpay stock opened at $278.23 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.48. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $292.80 and its 200-day moving average price is $315.64. The firm has a market cap of $19.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.95. Corpay, Inc. has a 12 month low of $252.84 and a 12 month high of $400.81. Corpay (NYSE:CPAY Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $5.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.63 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.16 billion. Corpay had a net margin of 25.17% and a return on equity of 39.13%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $5.00 EPS. Corpay has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 4.600-4.800 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Corpay, Inc. will post 19.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. About Corpay (Free Report) Corpay, Inc operates as a payments company that helps businesses and consumers manage vehicle-related expenses, lodging expenses, and corporate payments in the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company offers vehicle payment solutions, which include fuel, tolls, parking, fleet maintenance, and long-haul transportation services, as well as prepaid food and transportation vouchers and cards. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Corpay Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Corpay and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp decreased its position in Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN Free Report) by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,869,429 shares of the energy companys stock after selling 388,792 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.60% of Devon Energy worth $123,087,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Devon Energy by 81.1% during the first quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 5,029,987 shares of the energy companys stock worth $188,131,000 after purchasing an additional 2,252,918 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Devon Energy by 2.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,780,738 shares of the energy companys stock worth $3,096,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,098,568 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Devon Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $69,975,000. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Devon Energy by 100.0% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,558,362 shares of the energy companys stock worth $132,051,000 after buying an additional 1,779,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Encompass Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Devon Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $63,561,000. 69.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Devon Energy alerts: Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Roth Capital initiated coverage on shares of Devon Energy in a report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Devon Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Scotiabank reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Devon Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Devon Energy to $41.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Devon Energy from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an in-line rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $43.04. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Director Kelt Kindick sold 7,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.46, for a total value of $257,140.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 31,801 shares in the company, valued at $1,064,061.46. This represents a 19.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.71% of the stock is owned by insiders. Devon Energy Stock Performance DVN opened at $32.49 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The businesss 50 day moving average is $34.02 and its 200-day moving average is $33.21. The stock has a market cap of $20.63 billion, a PE ratio of 7.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.01. Devon Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $25.89 and a twelve month high of $39.80. Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The energy company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.93 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $4.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.10 billion. Devon Energy had a return on equity of 18.59% and a net margin of 16.57%.During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.10 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Devon Energy Corporation will post 4.85 earnings per share for the current year. Devon Energy Dividend Announcement The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. Devon Energys dividend payout ratio is presently 22.59%. About Devon Energy (Free Report) Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. It operates in Delaware, Eagle Ford, Anadarko, Williston, and Powder River Basins. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DVN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Devon Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Devon Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Macro Bank Inc. (NYSE:BMA Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the eight analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has issued a hold recommendation, five have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $74.3750. A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Macro Bank in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Itau BBA Securities raised shares of Macro Bank from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Macro Bank from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday. HSBC upgraded Macro Bank from a hold rating to a buy rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $104.00 to $80.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Macro Bank from $79.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Get Macro Bank alerts: Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Macro Bank Institutional Investors Weigh In On Macro Bank Macro Bank Price Performance A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMA. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Macro Bank by 31.3% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,029 shares of the banks stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Macro Bank during the first quarter valued at about $557,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Macro Bank during the first quarter worth about $31,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Macro Bank by 11.1% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 56,568 shares of the banks stock worth $4,271,000 after purchasing an additional 5,629 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Macro Bank by 18.0% in the first quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 22,323 shares of the banks stock worth $1,686,000 after purchasing an additional 3,401 shares during the last quarter. BMA opened at $87.28 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.24, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.57. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $55.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $69.39. Macro Bank has a 12-month low of $38.30 and a 12-month high of $118.42. Macro Bank (NYSE:BMA Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 27th. The bank reported $1.95 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.99 by ($0.04). The firm had revenue of $834.78 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $752.51 million. Macro Bank had a net margin of 8.32% and a return on equity of 10.99%. Equities analysts predict that Macro Bank will post 7.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Macro Bank Cuts Dividend The business also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, October 20th were paid a dividend of $0.3051 per share. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, October 20th. Macro Banks dividend payout ratio is 89.05%. About Macro Bank (Get Free Report) Banco Macro SA provides various banking products and services to retail and corporate customers in Argentina. It offers various retail banking products and services, such as savings and checking accounts, time deposits, credit and debit cards, consumer finance loans, mortgage loans, automobile loans, overdrafts, credit-related services, home and car insurance coverage, tax collection, utility payments, automated teller machines, and money transfers. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Macro Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Macro Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Deutsche Lufthansa AG (ETR:LHA Get Free Report)s stock price passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of 7.27 and traded as high as 7.81. Deutsche Lufthansa shares last traded at 7.73, with a volume of 3,188,578 shares. Deutsche Lufthansa Trading Down 3.4% The company has a market capitalization of $9.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.25, a PEG ratio of 0.07 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 137.28, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average of 7.44 and a 200 day moving average of 7.27. Deutsche Lufthansa Company Profile (Get Free Report) Deutsche Lufthansa AG operates as an aviation company worldwide. It operates in three segments: Passenger Airlines; Logistics; and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Services (MRO). The Passenger Airlines segment offers products and services to passengers of Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Deutsche Lufthansa Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Deutsche Lufthansa and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Birkenstock Holding PLC (NYSE:BIRK Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of Buy by the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fourteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $68.3846. A number of research firms recently weighed in on BIRK. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Birkenstock from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Birkenstock in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an outperform rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Birkenstock in a research report on Friday, September 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Birkenstock from $81.00 to $66.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, UBS Group set a $77.00 price objective on Birkenstock and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Get Birkenstock alerts: View Our Latest Analysis on BIRK Institutional Trading of Birkenstock Birkenstock Stock Performance Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Activest Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Birkenstock by 77,500.0% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 776 shares of the companys stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in Birkenstock by 66.5% during the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 841 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Birkenstock by 34.5% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 908 shares of the companys stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Birkenstock by 61.0% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,288 shares of the companys stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 488 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Birkenstock during the second quarter worth $74,000. 19.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Shares of NYSE BIRK opened at $39.09 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.72, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.22. Birkenstock has a one year low of $38.16 and a one year high of $62.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. Birkenstock (NYSE:BIRK Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $0.03. Birkenstock had a net margin of 15.21% and a return on equity of 11.52%. The firm had revenue of $749.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $641.18 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.40 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. Birkenstock has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Birkenstock will post 1.77 EPS for the current year. About Birkenstock (Get Free Report) Birkenstock Holding plc manufactures and sells footwear products. It also offers sandals, shoes, closed-toe silhouettes, skincare products, and accessories. The company sells its products through e-commerce sites and a network of owned retail stores, as well as business-to-business channels. It operates in the United States, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Europe, APMA, and internationally. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Birkenstock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Birkenstock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Shares of Similarweb Ltd. (NYSE:SMWB Get Free Report) have been given an average recommendation of Moderate Buy by the eleven brokerages that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, one has given a hold recommendation and nine have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $14.8750. A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SMWB shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Similarweb from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Similarweb from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Barclays reissued an overweight rating on shares of Similarweb in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (e+) rating on shares of Similarweb in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a market outperform rating on shares of Similarweb in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Get Similarweb alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on SMWB Institutional Investors Weigh In On Similarweb Similarweb Price Performance A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SMWB. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd raised its holdings in Similarweb by 8.3% during the second quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd now owns 17,510 shares of the companys stock valued at $137,000 after buying an additional 1,344 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its stake in shares of Similarweb by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 21,032 shares of the companys stock valued at $174,000 after acquiring an additional 2,825 shares in the last quarter. PDT Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Similarweb by 3.9% in the 2nd quarter. PDT Partners LLC now owns 98,388 shares of the companys stock worth $771,000 after purchasing an additional 3,717 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in Similarweb by 70.1% in the 1st quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 18,362 shares of the companys stock worth $152,000 after purchasing an additional 7,566 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Swiss National Bank boosted its position in Similarweb by 9.8% during the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 87,474 shares of the companys stock worth $686,000 after purchasing an additional 7,800 shares during the period. 57.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. NYSE SMWB opened at $8.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $712.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -24.00 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $9.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.44. Similarweb has a 52-week low of $6.36 and a 52-week high of $17.64. About Similarweb (Get Free Report) Similarweb Ltd. provides cloud-based digital intelligence solutions in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, the United Kingdom, Israel, and internationally. The company offers digital research intelligence solutions for its customers to benchmark performance against competitors and market leaders, analyze trends in the market, conduct deeper research into specific companies, and analyze audience behavior; and digital marketing intelligence solutions for its customers to understand their competitors' online acquisition strategies in each marketing channel, and optimize their own strategies. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Similarweb Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Similarweb and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mesa Royalty Trust (NYSE:MTR Get Free Report) and Pioneer Oil & Gas (OTCMKTS:POGS Get Free Report) are both small-cap energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, valuation and earnings. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current ratings and target prices for Mesa Royalty Trust and Pioneer Oil & Gas, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Get Mesa Royalty Trust alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Mesa Royalty Trust 1 0 0 0 1.00 Pioneer Oil & Gas 0 0 0 0 0.00 Profitability This table compares Mesa Royalty Trust and Pioneer Oil & Gas net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Mesa Royalty Trust 80.08% 12.55% 12.25% Pioneer Oil & Gas N/A N/A N/A Valuation and Earnings Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Mesa Royalty Trust $491,952.00 16.56 $460,000.00 $0.21 20.81 Pioneer Oil & Gas $220,000.00 1.74 -$140,000.00 N/A N/A This table compares Mesa Royalty Trust and Pioneer Oil & Gass revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Mesa Royalty Trust has higher revenue and earnings than Pioneer Oil & Gas. Risk & Volatility Mesa Royalty Trust has a beta of 0.45, indicating that its stock price is 55% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Pioneer Oil & Gas has a beta of 0.57, indicating that its stock price is 43% less volatile than the S&P 500. Institutional and Insider Ownership 12.7% of Mesa Royalty Trust shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Summary Mesa Royalty Trust beats Pioneer Oil & Gas on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About Mesa Royalty Trust (Get Free Report) Mesa Royalty Trust owns overriding royalty interests in various oil and gas producing properties in the United States. It holds interests in properties located in the Hugoton field of Kansas; and the San Juan Basin field of Northwestern New Mexico and Southwestern Colorado. The company was founded in 1979 and is based in Houston, Texas. About Pioneer Oil & Gas (Get Free Report) Pioneer Oil and Gas engages in acquiring, developing, producing, and selling oil and gas properties to companies located in the continental United States. The company was founded in 1980 and is based in South Jordan, Utah. Receive News & Ratings for Mesa Royalty Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mesa Royalty Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. You may be more familiar with New Yorks wealthiest cities than you realize. Suburbs like Rye and Scarsdale have been spotted in our 2024 and 2025 rankings of Americas wealthiest suburbs, thanks to their above-average household incomes. According to a new GOBankingRates study, New Yorks 15 wealthiest cities boast mean household incomes of at least $276,000 annually. For You: GOBankingRates Original Research Center Find Out: How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires and How You Can, Too GOBankingRates found these cities by studying all New York cities with populations of 5,000 or greater. The U.S. Census 2023 American Community Survey was referred to for household incomes, and the cost of living was calculated using the national average household expenditure costs. Keep reading to see which New York cities are the wealthiest to live in. Want to know which American suburbs are the wealthiest in 2025? You can find the full ranking here. Alex Potemkin / Getty Images/iStockphoto 1. Scarsdale Average household income: $601,193 Annual cost of living: $121,330 Livability: 69 Learn More: Are You Rich or Middle Class? 8 Ways To Tell That Go Beyond Your Paycheck See Next: 3 Signs Youve Made It Financially, According To Financial Influencer Genesis Hinckley cranberries / Flickr.com 2. Bronxville Average household income: $432,323 Annual cost of living: $121,330 Livability: 80 Trending Now: Heres How Much the Definition of Middle Class Has Changed in the South bleung / Shutterstock.com 3. Rye Average household income: $421,259 Annual cost of living: $121,330 Livability: 70 OlegAlbinsky / Getty Images 4. East Hills Average household income: $397,818 Annual cost of living: $124,112 Livability: 77 DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images/iStockphoto 5. Pelham Manor Average household income: $374,505 Annual cost of living: $121,330 Livability: 77 Read More: The Salary Needed To Afford Americas 50 Biggest Cities Shutterstock.com 6. Lawrence Average household income: $313,303 Annual cost of living: $124,112 Livability: 60 Joao Paulo V Tinoco / Shutterstock.com 7. Larchmont Average household income: $308,192 Annual cost of living: $121,330 Livability: 86 HaizhanZheng / Getty Images/iStockphoto 8. North Hills Average household income: $306,041 Annual cost of living: $124,112 Livability: 70 View More: 20 Best Cities Where You Can Buy a House for Under $100K Jim.henderson / Wikimedia Commons CC0 9. Rye Brook Average household income: $303,340 Annual cost of living: $121,330 Livability: 67 Daniel Case / Wikimedia Commons 10. Briarcliff Manor Average household income: $302,001 Annual cost of living: $121,330 Livability: 70 bigapple / Getty Images/iStockphoto 11. Wesley Hills Average household income: $292,420 Annual cost of living: $111,592 Livability: 58 Be Aware: 10 Things the Middle Class Wont Be Able To Afford in Less Than a Decade Alex Potemkin / Getty Images/iStockphoto 12. Ardsley Average household income: $289,808 Annual cost of living: $121,330 Livability: 75 Alex Potemkin / Getty Images 13. Irvington UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS Get Free Report) had its price objective raised by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $77.00 to $97.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an overweight rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price objective would suggest a potential upside of 13.26% from the stocks previous close. Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $84.00 price objective (up previously from $70.00) on shares of UL Solutions in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their target price on UL Solutions from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of UL Solutions in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $81.71. Get UL Solutions alerts: Get Our Latest Report on UL Solutions UL Solutions Stock Down 0.2% Shares of NYSE:ULS opened at $85.64 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The stock has a market cap of $17.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.28 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50 day moving average of $72.38 and a 200-day moving average of $69.84. UL Solutions has a one year low of $48.54 and a one year high of $91.95. UL Solutions (NYSE:ULS Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $783.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $769.01 million. UL Solutions had a net margin of 11.29% and a return on equity of 34.49%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that UL Solutions will post 1.69 earnings per share for the current year. Institutional Trading of UL Solutions Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ULS. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of UL Solutions by 7.2% in the first quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,530,367 shares of the companys stock valued at $255,513,000 after buying an additional 305,658 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in UL Solutions by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,473,990 shares of the companys stock valued at $252,333,000 after acquiring an additional 82,261 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in UL Solutions by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,151,390 shares of the companys stock worth $152,448,000 after purchasing an additional 261,603 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC bought a new position in UL Solutions during the 3rd quarter worth about $97,803,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in UL Solutions during the 2nd quarter worth about $89,174,000. UL Solutions Company Profile (Get Free Report) UL Solutions Inc provides safety science services worldwide. It operates through three segments: Industrial, Consumer, and Software and Advisory. The Industrial segment provides testing, inspection, and certification services across various end markets, including energy, industrial automation, engineered materials, and built environment, as well as stakeholders, such as manufacturers, building owners, end users, and regulators. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for UL Solutions Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for UL Solutions and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Prudential Public Limited Company (NYSE:PUK Free Report) by 25.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 581,953 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 202,248 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Prudential Public were worth $14,560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Prudential Public by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 18,598 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $465,000 after purchasing an additional 430 shares during the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its holdings in Prudential Public by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 12,049 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Prudential Public by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 16,269 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 706 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Prudential Public by 38.1% in the 1st quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,563 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $55,000 after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Prudential Public by 7.9% in the 1st quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 11,965 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $257,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. 1.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Prudential Public alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on PUK shares. Wall Street Zen cut Prudential Public from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, August 30th. Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of Prudential Public in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c+) rating on shares of Prudential Public in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Barclays reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Prudential Public in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Finally, UBS Group restated a buy rating on shares of Prudential Public in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy. Prudential Public Trading Up 0.3% PUK stock opened at $28.58 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $27.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.32. Prudential Public Limited Company has a 12 month low of $14.39 and a 12 month high of $28.74. Prudential Public Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 5th were paid a dividend of $0.1542 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 5th. This represents a dividend yield of 117.0%. About Prudential Public (Free Report) Prudential plc, through its subsidiaries, provides life and health insurance, and asset management solutions to individuals in Asia and Africa. The company was founded in 1848 and is headquartered in Central, Hong Kong. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PUK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Prudential Public Limited Company (NYSE:PUK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Prudential Public Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Prudential Public and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp decreased its holdings in shares of Dynatrace, Inc. (NYSE:DT Free Report) by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,547,993 shares of the companys stock after selling 71,112 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 0.84% of Dynatrace worth $140,675,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DT. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in Dynatrace during the first quarter worth approximately $2,175,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Dynatrace during the 1st quarter worth $289,000. Bridges Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Dynatrace by 82.4% in the first quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc. now owns 24,873 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,173,000 after acquiring an additional 11,234 shares during the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its stake in Dynatrace by 1.3% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 71,600 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,376,000 after acquiring an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Dynatrace by 4.3% during the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 80,582 shares of the companys stock worth $3,799,000 after purchasing an additional 3,295 shares during the last quarter. 94.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Dynatrace alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes DT has been the subject of several research reports. Rosenblatt Securities reissued a buy rating and issued a $67.00 target price on shares of Dynatrace in a report on Thursday. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Dynatrace from $67.00 to $60.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Dynatrace in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. They set an overweight rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Dynatrace in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group set a $51.00 price target on shares of Dynatrace in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Dynatrace has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $62.27. Dynatrace Stock Performance Shares of DT opened at $46.12 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.62, a P/E/G ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.85. Dynatrace, Inc. has a 1 year low of $39.30 and a 1 year high of $63.00. The companys fifty day moving average is $49.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.78. Dynatrace (NYSE:DT Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $493.85 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $487.33 million. Dynatrace had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 9.24%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.37 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. Dynatrace has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.420 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 1.620-1.640 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Dynatrace, Inc. will post 0.68 EPS for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Dynatrace In other news, CAO Daniel S. Yates sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.89, for a total value of $99,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 22,555 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,125,268.95. This trade represents a 8.14% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Dan Zugelder sold 7,503 shares of Dynatrace stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $375,150.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,000. This trade represents a 84.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,602 shares of company stock valued at $529,579. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Dynatrace Profile (Free Report) Dynatrace, Inc provides a security platform for multicloud environments in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates Dynatrace, a security platform, which provides application and microservices monitoring, runtime application security, infrastructure monitoring, log management and analytics, digital experience monitoring, digital business analytics, and cloud automation. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Dynatrace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dynatrace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $15.00 to $14.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Companys price objective suggests a potential downside of 0.77% from the stocks previous close. Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on NCDL. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Sunday, July 20th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $15.75. Get Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on NCDL Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Stock Performance Shares of NCDL stock opened at $14.11 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $696.79 million, a PE ratio of 9.22 and a beta of 0.38. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $14.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $15.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 1.65 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending has a one year low of $13.16 and a one year high of $18.01. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending (NYSE:NCDL Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.03). Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending had a return on equity of 11.13% and a net margin of 36.83%.The firm had revenue of $51.11 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $52.00 million. As a group, research analysts forecast that Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, Treasurer Shaul Vichness purchased 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 16th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $14.85 per share, with a total value of $74,250.00. Following the purchase, the treasurer owned 15,000 shares in the company, valued at $222,750. This represents a 50.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.62% of the stock is owned by insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NCDL. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. bought a new position in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending in the 1st quarter worth $115,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending during the first quarter worth $279,000. Dudley Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 5.2% during the first quarter. Dudley Capital Management LLC now owns 33,862 shares of the companys stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 1,675 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 48.0% in the first quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 18,125 shares of the companys stock valued at $308,000 after buying an additional 5,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending by 6.8% during the first quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 12,025 shares of the companys stock valued at $204,000 after buying an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Company Profile (Get Free Report) Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. is a specialty finance company focused primarily on investing in senior secured loans to private equity-owned U.S. middle market companies. It has elected to be regulated as a business development company. Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Corp. is based in NEW YORK. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nuveen Churchill Direct Lending and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its holdings in First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP Free Report) by 28.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 51,726 shares of the banks stock after selling 20,140 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas holdings in First BanCorp. were worth $1,077,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC bought a new position in First BanCorp. in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in shares of First BanCorp. by 328.8% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,950 shares of the banks stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 2,262 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its position in First BanCorp. by 191.2% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 3,585 shares of the banks stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 2,354 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in First BanCorp. by 19.6% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 4,340 shares of the banks stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC increased its holdings in First BanCorp. by 93.4% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,315 shares of the banks stock worth $111,000 after buying an additional 2,567 shares during the last quarter. 97.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get First BanCorp. alerts: First BanCorp. Trading Down 1.6% Shares of FBP stock opened at $19.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.57, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.01. First BanCorp. has a 1 year low of $16.40 and a 1 year high of $22.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $21.31 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.92. First BanCorp. Cuts Dividend First BanCorp. ( NYSE:FBP Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The bank reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $30.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $256.25 million. First BanCorp. had a return on equity of 17.45% and a net margin of 26.73%.During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that First BanCorp. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.18 per share. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. First BanCorp.s dividend payout ratio is 34.95%. Insider Transactions at First BanCorp. In other First BanCorp. news, CEO Aurelio Aleman sold 50,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $22.30, for a total value of $1,115,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,059,547 shares of the companys stock, valued at $23,627,898.10. This trade represents a 4.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of First BanCorp. from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on First BanCorp. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued a market perform rating and set a $24.00 price objective (down from $26.00) on shares of First BanCorp. in a report on Monday, October 27th. UBS Group set a $25.00 target price on First BanCorp. in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of First BanCorp. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $24.00. View Our Latest Research Report on First BanCorp. About First BanCorp. (Free Report) First BanCorp. operates as a bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides a range of financial products and services to consumers and commercial customers. The company operates through six segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Mortgage Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FBP? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for First BanCorp. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for First BanCorp. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its stake in Invesco Ltd. (NYSE:IVZ Free Report) by 23.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 68,544 shares of the asset managers stock after acquiring an additional 12,969 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas holdings in Invesco were worth $1,081,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Invesco by 177.3% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,398,364 shares of the asset managers stock worth $21,213,000 after purchasing an additional 894,105 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its position in Invesco by 1.6% in the first quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 47,462 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $720,000 after buying an additional 755 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. grew its stake in Invesco by 24.8% during the first quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 44,956 shares of the asset managers stock worth $682,000 after buying an additional 8,922 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Invesco by 25.7% during the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 199,155 shares of the asset managers stock worth $3,021,000 after buying an additional 40,665 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of Invesco by 300.6% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 51,783 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $729,000 after acquiring an additional 38,856 shares during the last quarter. 66.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Invesco alerts: Analysts Set New Price Targets IVZ has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated a positive rating on shares of Invesco in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Invesco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America increased their target price on Invesco from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Barclays lifted their price target on Invesco from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Invesco from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Invesco has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $23.41. Invesco Price Performance Invesco stock opened at $23.42 on Friday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $22.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $10.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.93, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.72. Invesco Ltd. has a 12-month low of $11.60 and a 12-month high of $24.75. Invesco (NYSE:IVZ Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The asset manager reported $0.61 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.44 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.17 billion. Invesco had a return on equity of 8.52% and a net margin of 14.15%.The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.44 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Invesco Ltd. will post 1.87 earnings per share for the current year. Invesco Dividend Announcement The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Invescos dividend payout ratio is currently 57.14%. Insider Buying and Selling In other news, Director Stephanie Butcher sold 103,192 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.12, for a total value of $2,282,607.04. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,855 shares of the companys stock, valued at $660,392.60. This represents a 77.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Douglas J. Sharp sold 160,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, October 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $23.56, for a total value of $3,769,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 192 shares in the company, valued at $4,523.52. This represents a 99.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Invesco Company Profile (Free Report) Invesco Ltd. is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm provides its services to retail clients, institutional clients, high-net worth clients, public entities, corporations, unions, non-profit organizations, endowments, foundations, pension funds, financial institutions, and sovereign wealth funds. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Invesco Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Invesco and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Franco-Nevada Corporation (NYSE:FNV Free Report) (TSE:FNV) by 0.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,202,237 shares of the basic materials companys stock after selling 16,954 shares during the period. First Eagle Investment Management LLC owned approximately 1.66% of Franco-Nevada worth $526,068,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Franco-Nevada by 34.4% during the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 10,710 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $1,684,000 after purchasing an additional 2,739 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new stake in Franco-Nevada during the first quarter worth about $265,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its position in Franco-Nevada by 2.8% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 175,843 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $27,706,000 after buying an additional 4,838 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Franco-Nevada by 36.1% in the first quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 58,388 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $9,200,000 after buying an additional 15,483 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Franco-Nevada during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.06% of the companys stock. Get Franco-Nevada alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on FNV shares. Wall Street Zen cut Franco-Nevada from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Bank of America upped their target price on Franco-Nevada from $211.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Franco-Nevada from $218.00 to $234.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Franco-Nevada from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, TD Securities dropped their target price on shares of Franco-Nevada from $247.00 to $225.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $223.43. Franco-Nevada Stock Up 0.2% Shares of NYSE:FNV opened at $188.01 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $36.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.40. Franco-Nevada Corporation has a 52-week low of $112.70 and a 52-week high of $225.63. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $201.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $179.49. Franco-Nevada (NYSE:FNV Get Free Report) (TSE:FNV) last announced its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The basic materials company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.06. Franco-Nevada had a net margin of 58.82% and a return on equity of 12.56%. The firm had revenue of $487.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $448.51 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.80 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 76.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Franco-Nevada Corporation will post 3.09 earnings per share for the current year. Franco-Nevada Dividend Announcement The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 4th will be given a dividend of $0.38 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 4th. This represents a $1.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Franco-Nevadas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.87%. Franco-Nevada Profile (Free Report) Franco-Nevada Corporation operates as a gold-focused royalty and streaming company in South America, Central America, Mexico, the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Mining and Energy segments. The company manages its portfolio with a focus on precious metals, such as gold, silver, and platinum group metals; and engages in the sale of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids through a third-party marketing agent. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FNV? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Franco-Nevada Corporation (NYSE:FNV Free Report) (TSE:FNV). Receive News & Ratings for Franco-Nevada Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Franco-Nevada and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM Free Report) by 69.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,853 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,578 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $873,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of TSM. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. purchased a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the second quarter worth $33,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 174.1% during the 2nd quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 159 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. 16.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes TSM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $300.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a hold (c+) rating to a buy (b-) rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Itau BBA Securities started coverage on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. They set an outperform rating on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $371.67. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Trading Down 1.6% Shares of TSM opened at $288.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 2.37 and a quick ratio of 2.15. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. has a 1-year low of $134.25 and a 1-year high of $311.37. The stock has a market cap of $1.50 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $236.11. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The semiconductor company reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $32.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $951.89 billion. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a return on equity of 36.06% and a net margin of 43.72%.Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings quarterly revenue was up 40.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.94 EPS. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has set its Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. will post 9.2 EPS for the current fiscal year. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 8th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.8348 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $3.34 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.97%. About Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (Free Report) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cornerstone Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Intrepid Potash, Inc (NYSE:IPI Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,809 shares of the basic materials companys stock, valued at approximately $208,000. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of IPI. New York State Teachers Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Intrepid Potash during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Intrepid Potash during the 1st quarter valued at $697,000. Invenomic Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Intrepid Potash during the 1st quarter valued at $10,210,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Intrepid Potash during the 1st quarter worth $875,000. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Intrepid Potash in the 2nd quarter worth $1,125,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.13% of the companys stock. Get Intrepid Potash alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In IPI has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research lowered Intrepid Potash from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Intrepid Potash from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d-) rating on shares of Intrepid Potash in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Intrepid Potash from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Intrepid Potash presently has an average rating of Sell and an average target price of $23.00. Intrepid Potash Stock Performance NYSE:IPI opened at $23.99 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $319.45 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.54 and a beta of 1.85. Intrepid Potash, Inc has a one year low of $20.86 and a one year high of $39.01. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.33. Intrepid Potash (NYSE:IPI Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $53.22 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $49.54 million. Intrepid Potash had a negative net margin of 71.13% and a positive return on equity of 1.48%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Intrepid Potash, Inc will post -0.17 EPS for the current fiscal year. Intrepid Potash Company Profile (Free Report) Intrepid Potash, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the extraction and production of the potash in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Potash, Trio, and Oilfield Solutions. The company offers muriate of potash for various markets, such as agricultural market as a fertilizer input; the industrial market as a component in drilling and fracturing fluids for oil and gas wells, as well as an input to other industrial processes; and the animal feed market as a nutrient supplement. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IPI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Intrepid Potash, Inc (NYSE:IPI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Intrepid Potash Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Intrepid Potash and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Trex (NYSE:TREX Free Report) had its price objective cut by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $71.00 to $40.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the construction companys stock. Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Trex from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report on Monday, October 13th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $61.00 price target on Trex and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c-) rating on shares of Trex in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zelman & Associates downgraded Trex from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded Trex from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and lifted their price target for the company from $65.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $53.89. Get Trex alerts: View Our Latest Stock Analysis on TREX Trex Stock Down 1.8% Shares of NYSE:TREX opened at $31.85 on Thursday. Trex has a 52-week low of $31.21 and a 52-week high of $80.74. The stock has a market cap of $3.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $52.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $57.33. Trex (NYSE:TREX Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The construction company reported $0.51 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.06). Trex had a net margin of 16.53% and a return on equity of 21.27%. The firm had revenue of $285.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $301.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 EPS. Trexs quarterly revenue was up 22.1% on a year-over-year basis. Trex has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Trex will post 2.04 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Trex A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of TREX. CWM LLC grew its holdings in Trex by 16.8% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,141 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Trex by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 5,642 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $320,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Trex by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,754 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $259,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its stake in Trex by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 25,622 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $1,489,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Trex by 0.7% in the 2nd quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 30,200 shares of the construction companys stock worth $1,642,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.96% of the companys stock. About Trex (Get Free Report) Trex Company, Inc manufactures and distributes composite decking, railing, and outdoor living products and accessories for residential and commercial markets in the United States. It offers decking products and accessories under the names Trex Transcend, Trex Select, Trex Signature, Trex Transcend Lineage, and Trex Enhance for protection against fading, staining, mold, and scratching; Trex Hideaway, a hidden fastening system; and Trex DeckLighting, a LED dimmable deck lighting for use on posts, floors, and steps. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Trex Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Trex and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Key Points Warren Buffett has led Berkshire Hathaway to market-crushing returns since 1965. Buffett authorized $77.8 billion stock buybacks between 2018 and mid-2024, but he hasn't pulled the trigger during the past five quarters. Berkshire's valuation and its impending leadership change might be two reasons Buffett is holding back. 10 stocks we like better than Berkshire Hathaway Warren Buffett will step down from his role as chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) at the end of this year, capping off an incredible six-decade tenure that started in 1965. Fortunately for investors, he will continue to serve as the company's chairman, so his successful brand of long-term value investing will likely endure. Had you parked $500 in Berkshire stock when Buffett took the helm, it would have grown to a staggering $22.3 million by the end of 2024. The same investment in the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) would have returned just $171,453, so it's no surprise Wall Street watches Buffett's every move. Berkshire owns a number of subsidiaries, in addition to a $311 billion portfolio of publicly traded stocks and securities. The conglomerate is also sitting on a record $381 billion in cash right now, which Buffett would normally deploy into new opportunities. In the past, he would also return some of it to shareholders through stock buybacks. Buffett authorized $77.8 billion of buybacks between 2018 and mid-2024, which is twice as much as he ever invested in any single stock. But strangely, there haven't been any repurchases during the past five quarters. Does Buffett foresee a stock market crash, or does he no longer believe in Berkshire? Here are two plausible reasons for the buyback hiatus. Image source: The Motley Fool. Why Berkshire is sitting on so much cash Before we explore why Buffett paused Berkshire's buyback program, we should briefly look at why the conglomerate is holding a record amount of cash. First, Berkshire generates truckloads of operating profits because it wholly owns several businesses in the insurance, utilities, and logistics industries, which deliver reliable income streams. It also earns substantial dividends from its stock portfolio; for example, Berkshire owns 400 million shares of Coca-Cola which will net the conglomerate $816 million in dividends in 2025 alone. It also owns 151.6 million shares in American Express, which will yield $479 million in dividend payments this year. Second, Buffett and his team have been on a selling spree, reducing Berkshire's exposure to stocks for 12 consecutive quarters. They even sold more than half of the conglomerate's stake in Apple last year, and since its peak value was more than $170 billion, this move alone raised a mountain of cash. Singapore Telecommunications (OTCMKTS:SGAPY Get Free Report) and TELUS (NYSE:TU Get Free Report) are both large-cap utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, valuation, profitability, earnings, institutional ownership and dividends. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Singapore Telecommunications and TELUS, as provided by MarketBeat. Get Singapore Telecommunications alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Singapore Telecommunications 0 0 0 0 0.00 TELUS 0 7 1 0 2.13 TELUS has a consensus price target of $21.50, suggesting a potential upside of 46.91%. Given TELUSs stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe TELUS is more favorable than Singapore Telecommunications. Profitability Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Singapore Telecommunications N/A N/A N/A TELUS 4.67% 9.10% 2.59% Dividends This table compares Singapore Telecommunications and TELUSs net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Singapore Telecommunications pays an annual dividend of $1.51 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. TELUS pays an annual dividend of $1.21 per share and has a dividend yield of 8.3%. TELUS pays out 263.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. TELUS has increased its dividend for 5 consecutive years. TELUS is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth. Valuation & Earnings This table compares Singapore Telecommunications and TELUSs gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Singapore Telecommunications $10.57 billion 5.36 $3.00 billion N/A N/A TELUS $14.88 billion 1.51 $724.69 million $0.46 31.82 Singapore Telecommunications has higher earnings, but lower revenue than TELUS. Institutional & Insider Ownership 0.0% of Singapore Telecommunications shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 49.4% of TELUS shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of TELUS shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Risk and Volatility Singapore Telecommunications has a beta of 0.44, indicating that its share price is 56% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, TELUS has a beta of 0.71, indicating that its share price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500. Summary TELUS beats Singapore Telecommunications on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks. About Singapore Telecommunications (Get Free Report) Singapore Telecommunications Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunication services to consumers and small businesses in Singapore, Australia, China, and internationally. The company operates through Optus, Singtel Singapore, NCS, Digital InfraCo, and Corporate segments. The company provides mobile, equipment sales, fixed voice and data, satellite, ICT and managed services; mobile, fixed voice and data, pay television, content and digital services, ICT as well as equipment sales in Singapore; and provides differentiated and end-to-end technology services to clients through its Gov+, Enterprise, and Telco+ strategic business groups with its NEXT capabilities in digital, data, cloud and platforms, as well as offers applications, infrastructure, engineering and cyber. It offers regional data centre services under Nxera; satellite carrier services; and Paragon, Singtels all-in-one digital acceleration platform for 5G multi-access edge compute and cloud orchestration. The company was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Singapore. About TELUS (Get Free Report) TELUS Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of telecommunications and information technology products and services in Canada. It operates through Technology Solutions and Digitally-Led Customer Experiences segments. The Technology Solutions segment offers a range of telecommunications products and services; network services; healthcare services; mobile technologies equipment; data services, such as internet protocol; television; hosting, managed information technology, and cloud-based services; software, data management, and data analytics-driven smart food-chain and consumer goods technologies; home and business security; healthcare software and technology solutions; and voice and other telecommunications services, as well as mobile and fixed voice and data telecommunications services and products. The Digitally-Led Customer Experiences segment provides digital customer experience and digital-enablement transformation solutions, including artificial intelligence and content management solutions. The company was formerly known as TELUS Communications Inc. and changed its name to TELUS Corporation in February 2005. TELUS Corporation was incorporated in 1998 and is based in Vancouver, Canada. Receive News & Ratings for Singapore Telecommunications Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Singapore Telecommunications and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC increased its stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) by 12.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 145,974 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 15,910 shares during the quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. accounts for 2.0% of Motley Fool Asset Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Motley Fool Asset Management LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $42,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the second quarter valued at $26,000. MJT & Associates Financial Advisory Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. University of Illinois Foundation bought a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Ryan Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc lifted its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 212.0% in the 2nd quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 156 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares during the period. 71.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get JPMorgan Chase & Co. alerts: Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Director Linda Bammann sold 9,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $297.94, for a total transaction of $2,830,430.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 82,207 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $24,492,753.58. This trade represents a 10.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.47% of the companys stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several brokerages recently issued reports on JPM. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $339.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $330.00 to $342.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. DZ Bank restated a neutral rating on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $300.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $330.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $326.38. Read Our Latest Stock Report on JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance NYSE:JPM opened at $313.63 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 12-month low of $202.16 and a 12-month high of $318.01. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $305.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $286.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $862.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.14. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $5.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $4.83 by $0.24. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a return on equity of 17.18% and a net margin of 20.90%.The company had revenue of $46.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $44.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $4.37 EPS. The firms revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 18.1 EPS for the current fiscal year. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Monday, October 6th were given a dividend of $1.50 per share. This is a positive change from JPMorgan Chase & Co.s previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.72%. About JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Free Report) JPMorgan Chase & Co is a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of financial and investment banking services. It focuses on investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. It operates through the following segments: Consumer and Community Banking (CCB), Commercial and Investment Bank (CIB), Asset and Wealth Management (AWM), and Corporate. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JPM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Free Report) by 1.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,843,795 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 30,196 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 1.08% of Unum Group worth $148,905,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of UNM. Quintet Private Bank Europe S.A. purchased a new position in Unum Group during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Unum Group in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Unum Group by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 400 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Unum Group during the 1st quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Unum Group by 196.9% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 478 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. 86.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Unum Group alerts: Unum Group Price Performance UNM stock opened at $76.75 on Friday. The businesss 50-day moving average is $75.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 0.30 and a quick ratio of 0.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.37. Unum Group has a 1 year low of $66.81 and a 1 year high of $84.48. Unum Group Dividend Announcement Unum Group ( NYSE:UNM Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The financial services provider reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.15 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.31 billion. Unum Group had a return on equity of 13.44% and a net margin of 11.77%.The firms quarterly revenue was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.13 earnings per share. Unum Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Analysts anticipate that Unum Group will post 9.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 24th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 24th. Unum Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.87%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group set a $87.00 price target on Unum Group and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Unum Group from $79.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Barclays raised their target price on Unum Group from $92.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Unum Group from $100.00 to $98.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reissued an outperform rating and set a $95.00 price target (down previously from $100.00) on shares of Unum Group in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $94.67. View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Unum Group Unum Group Company Profile (Free Report) Unum Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial protection benefit solutions primarily in the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, and internationally. It operates through Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, and Closed Block segment. The company offers group long-term and short-term disability, group life, and accidental death and dismemberment products; supplemental and voluntary products, such as individual disability, voluntary benefits, and dental and vision products; and accident, sickness, disability, life, and cancer and critical illness products. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UNM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Unum Group (NYSE:UNM Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Unum Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Unum Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Transdigm Group (NYSE:TDG Get Free Report) and Alabama Aircraft Industries (OTCMKTS:AAIIQ Get Free Report) are both aerospace companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk. Insider & Institutional Ownership 95.8% of Transdigm Group shares are owned by institutional investors. 4.1% of Transdigm Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 38.0% of Alabama Aircraft Industries shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term. Get Transdigm Group alerts: Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of current ratings for Transdigm Group and Alabama Aircraft Industries, as provided by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Transdigm Group 1 5 12 0 2.61 Alabama Aircraft Industries 0 0 0 0 0.00 Valuation and Earnings Transdigm Group presently has a consensus price target of $1,564.56, suggesting a potential upside of 22.96%. Given Transdigm Groups stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Transdigm Group is more favorable than Alabama Aircraft Industries. This table compares Transdigm Group and Alabama Aircraft Industriess gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Transdigm Group $8.58 billion 8.36 $1.71 billion $30.13 42.23 Alabama Aircraft Industries N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Transdigm Group has higher revenue and earnings than Alabama Aircraft Industries. Profitability This table compares Transdigm Group and Alabama Aircraft Industries net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Transdigm Group 20.98% -35.27% 8.92% Alabama Aircraft Industries N/A N/A N/A Summary Transdigm Group beats Alabama Aircraft Industries on 7 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About Transdigm Group (Get Free Report) TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies aircraft components in the United States and internationally. The Power & Control segment offers mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, specialized pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, specialized AC/DC electric motors and generators, batteries and chargers, databus and power controls, sensor products, switches and relay panels, hoists, winches and lifting devices, and cargo loading and handling systems. This segment serves engine and power system and subsystem suppliers, airlines, third party maintenance suppliers, military buying agencies, and repair depots. The Airframe segment provides engineered latching and locking devices, engineered rods, engineered connectors and elastomer sealing solutions, cockpit security components and systems, cockpit displays, engineered audio, radio and antenna systems, lavatory components, seat belts and safety restraints, engineered and customized interior surfaces and related components, thermal protection and insulation products, lighting and control technology, and parachutes. This segment serves airframe manufacturers, cabin system and subsystem suppliers, airlines, third party maintenance suppliers, military buying agencies, and repair depots. The Non-aviation segment offers seat belts and safety restraints for ground transportation applications; electro-mechanical actuators for space applications; hydraulic/electromechanical actuators and fuel valves for land-based gas turbines; refueling systems for heavy equipment used in mining, construction, and other industries; and turbine controls for the energy and oil and gas markets. This segment serves off-road vehicle and subsystem suppliers, child restraint system suppliers, and satellite and space system suppliers; and manufacturers of heavy equipment. TransDigm Group Incorporated was founded in 1993 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio. About Alabama Aircraft Industries (Get Free Report) Alabama Aircraft Industries, Inc provides aircraft maintenance and modification services to the United States government, foreign governments, and military customers. Its services include maintenance and modification of military transport, tanker, and petrol aircraft airframes; and aircraft maintenance and modification services, such as complete airframe maintenance and repair, and custom air frame design and modification. The companys services also comprise scheduled and unscheduled maintenance; interior refurbishment and reconfiguration; lavatory, galley, airstair, and auxiliary fuel tank installations; aging aircraft inspection; structural and accident damage repair; manufacturing and parts fabrication; composite repair; service bulletin and AD compliance; component repair and overhaul; EPA approved stripping and painting; CPCP; non-destructive testing; avionics upgrades and installation; and FAA repair station RJ1R454K. Its principal services performed under military contracts are programmed depot maintenance, aircraft modifications, aircraft stripping and painting, rewiring, parts fabrication, engineering support services, system integration of component upgrades, and modification of fixed wing aircrafts. In addition, the company offers airframe corrosion prevention and control, rewiring, and component overhauls, as well as structural, avionics, and other systems modification services. It provides its services directly as a prime contractor or indirectly as a sub- contractor. The company was formerly known as Pemco Aviation Group, Inc. and changed its name to Alabama Aircraft Industries Inc. in September 2007. Alabama Aircraft Industries, Inc was founded in 1983 and is based in Birmingham, Alabama. On Nov 3, 2011, the voluntary petition of Alabama Aircraft Industries, Inc., along with its affiliates, for reorganization under Ch 11 was converted to Ch 7. It had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Feb 15, 2011. Receive News & Ratings for Transdigm Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Transdigm Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE Free Report) by 13.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 18,555 shares of the technology companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,267 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Banks holdings in Hewlett Packard Enterprise were worth $379,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HPE. National Bank of Canada FI grew its stake in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 1,369.1% in the 1st quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 16,279,442 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $251,192,000 after buying an additional 15,171,314 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 3,847.1% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 8,831,262 shares of the technology companys stock worth $180,599,000 after acquiring an additional 8,607,523 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP acquired a new stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise in the second quarter valued at approximately $105,700,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 45.6% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 12,521,303 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $193,078,000 after acquiring an additional 3,922,516 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 1.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 167,199,996 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $2,579,896,000 after acquiring an additional 2,779,446 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.78% of the companys stock. Get Hewlett Packard Enterprise alerts: Insider Buying and Selling In other news, EVP Maeve C. Culloty sold 3,738 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.12, for a total transaction of $93,898.56. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Antonio F. Neri sold 166,666 shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.03, for a total value of $4,171,649.98. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 1,585,726 shares in the company, valued at $39,690,721.78. The trade was a 9.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 543,738 shares of company stock worth $12,922,932. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Stock Performance NYSE HPE opened at $23.44 on Friday. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company has a 1 year low of $11.97 and a 1 year high of $26.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.69. The firm has a market cap of $30.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.59, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $24.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $20.84. Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 3rd. The technology company reported $0.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.44 by ($0.09). Hewlett Packard Enterprise had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 9.01%. The firm had revenue of $9.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.77 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.50 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 19.8% on a year-over-year basis. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.880-1.920 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 17th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 18th were issued a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, September 18th. This represents a $0.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. Hewlett Packard Enterprises dividend payout ratio is currently 63.41%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades HPE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America increased their target price on Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $24.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 4th. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. They set a neutral rating and a $24.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. They set a market perform rating and a $24.00 target price for the company. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. They issued an overweight rating and a $30.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $25.41. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise Profile (Free Report) Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. It operates in six segments: Compute, HPC & AI, Storage, Intelligent Edge, Financial Services, and Corporate Investments and Other. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding HPE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (NYSE:HPE Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Hewlett Packard Enterprise Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hewlett Packard Enterprise and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Cigna Group (NYSE:CI Free Report) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 95,671 shares of the health services providers stock after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.s holdings in Cigna Group were worth $31,565,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CI. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Cigna Group by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 12,056,806 shares of the health services providers stock worth $3,966,690,000 after buying an additional 1,094,327 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Cigna Group by 0.9% in the first quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 11,654,993 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $3,834,493,000 after acquiring an additional 98,715 shares in the last quarter. Dodge & Cox boosted its stake in shares of Cigna Group by 1.3% in the first quarter. Dodge & Cox now owns 8,889,733 shares of the health services providers stock worth $2,924,722,000 after acquiring an additional 117,125 shares during the last quarter. GQG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Cigna Group by 21.5% during the first quarter. GQG Partners LLC now owns 4,886,674 shares of the health services providers stock worth $1,607,716,000 after purchasing an additional 865,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Cigna Group by 86,071.1% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,475,282 shares of the health services providers stock worth $1,148,859,000 after purchasing an additional 3,471,249 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.99% of the companys stock. Get Cigna Group alerts: Cigna Group Price Performance Shares of CI stock opened at $256.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a market capitalization of $68.39 billion, a PE ratio of 13.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.44. The firms 50-day moving average is $293.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $304.18. Cigna Group has a 12 month low of $239.51 and a 12 month high of $350.00. Cigna Group Dividend Announcement Cigna Group ( NYSE:CI Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The health services provider reported $7.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $7.64 by $0.19. The business had revenue of $69.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $66.40 billion. Cigna Group had a net margin of 1.92% and a return on equity of 18.80%. The businesss revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.51 EPS. Cigna Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 29.600- EPS. Analysts predict that Cigna Group will post 29.77 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 4th will be given a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 4th. This represents a $6.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Cigna Groups payout ratio is currently 26.64%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research analysts have weighed in on CI shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Cigna Group from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a buy rating and set a $310.00 price target on shares of Cigna Group in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Cigna Group from $354.00 to $300.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James Financial reiterated a strong-buy rating on shares of Cigna Group in a report on Monday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Cigna Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $344.91. Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Cigna Group Insider Activity In related news, CEO David Cordani bought 4,134 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $241.88 per share, with a total value of $999,931.92. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 157,935 shares in the company, valued at $38,201,317.80. This represents a 2.69% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Nicole S. Jones sold 28,526 shares of Cigna Group stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $8,557,800.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 25,648 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,694,400. This represents a 52.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.70% of the companys stock. Cigna Group Profile (Free Report) The Cigna Group, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance and related products and services in the United States. Its Evernorth Health Services segment provides a range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions to health plans, employers, government organizations, and health care providers. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cigna Group (NYSE:CI Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Cigna Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cigna Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Tejon Ranch (NYSE:TRC Get Free Report) and Great Eagle (OTCMKTS:GEAHF Get Free Report) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, earnings, dividends and valuation. Profitability This table compares Tejon Ranch and Great Eagles net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Tejon Ranch alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Tejon Ranch -1.17% -0.11% -0.09% Great Eagle N/A N/A N/A Insider and Institutional Ownership 60.6% of Tejon Ranch shares are owned by institutional investors. 22.4% of Tejon Ranch shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Ratings Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Tejon Ranch 1 0 0 0 1.00 Great Eagle 0 0 0 0 0.00 Risk and Volatility This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Tejon Ranch and Great Eagle, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Tejon Ranch has a beta of 0.63, suggesting that its share price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Great Eagle has a beta of 0.01, suggesting that its share price is 99% less volatile than the S&P 500. Earnings & Valuation This table compares Tejon Ranch and Great Eagles gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Tejon Ranch $45.31 million 9.34 $2.69 million ($0.01) -1,574.00 Great Eagle $1.39 billion 1.00 -$222.33 million N/A N/A Tejon Ranch has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Great Eagle. Summary Tejon Ranch beats Great Eagle on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks. About Tejon Ranch (Get Free Report) Tejon Ranch Co., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a diversified real estate development and agribusiness company. It operates through five segments: Commercial/Industrial Real Estate Development, Resort/Residential Real Estate Development, Mineral Resources, Farming, and Ranch Operations. The Commercial/Industrial Real Estate Development segment engages in the planning and permitting of land for development; construction of infrastructure projects, pre-leased buildings, and buildings to be leased or sold; and sale of land to third parties for their own development. It is also involved in the activities related to communications leases, a power plant lease, and landscape maintenance. This segment leases land to various auto service stations with convenience stores, fast-food operations, service diner-style restaurant, a motel, an antique shop, and a post office; various microwave repeater locations, radio and cellular transmitter sites, and fiber optic cable routes; and package of land for an electric power plant. The Resort/Residential Real Estate Development segment engages in land entitlement, planning, pre-construction engineering, stewardship, and conservation activities. The Mineral Resources segment includes oil and gas royalties, rock and aggregate royalties, and royalties from a cement operation leased to National Cement Company of California, Inc.; and the management of water assets and infrastructure projects. The Farming segment farms permanent crops, such as wine grapes, almonds, and pistachios in package of land. It also manages the farming of alfalfa and forage mix on package of land in the Antelope Valley; and leases package of land for growing vegetables, as well as almonds. The Ranch Operations segment provides game management and ancillary land services comprising grazing leases and filming, as well as various guided hunts. Tejon Ranch Co. was founded in 1843 and is based in Lebec, California. About Great Eagle (Get Free Report) Great Eagle Holdings Limited, an investment holding company, invests in, develops, and manages residential, office, retail, and hotel properties in Hong Kong, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Mainland China, and internationally. It operates through Hotel Operation, Property Investment, Property Development, Other Operations, Champion REIT, Langham, and US Real Estate Fund segments. The company engages in leasing furnished apartments and properties; and flexible workspace, asset management, hotel accommodation, food and banquet, and restaurant operations. It also owns and operates hotels under The Langham, Cordis, and Eaton brand names. In addition, the company offers secretarial, staff, maintenance and repair, consultancy, and advisory services, as well as property maintenance and leasing services. Further, it sales building materials; invests in securities; manages real estate investment trust, computer system solutions, project management and advisory, treasury management, investment, and investment fund management services, as well as real estate agency services; procurement and financing, warehousing, general trading, hospitality, and hotel management services; and issues medium term notes. Great Eagle Holdings Limited was founded in 1963 and is headquartered in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Receive News & Ratings for Tejon Ranch Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tejon Ranch and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Versor Investments LP bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 959 shares of the energy companys stock, valued at approximately $234,000. Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Altman Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Altman Advisors Inc. now owns 10,162 shares of the energy companys stock worth $2,348,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,212 shares of the energy companys stock worth $975,000 after buying an additional 46 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management grew its position in Cheniere Energy by 14.0% during the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 390 shares of the energy companys stock worth $90,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 5.0% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 1,007 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Fielder Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in Cheniere Energy by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Fielder Capital Group LLC now owns 2,964 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $722,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. 87.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Get Cheniere Energy alerts: Cheniere Energy Stock Performance LNG stock opened at $208.08 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $228.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $232.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.79 billion, a PE ratio of 12.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.08 and a beta of 0.36. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $188.70 and a fifty-two week high of $257.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.85. Cheniere Energy Increases Dividend Cheniere Energy ( NYSE:LNG Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The energy company reported $4.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.75 by $2.00. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.83% and a net margin of 21.05%.The business had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.87 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.93 EPS. The firms revenue was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year. The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.555 per share. This is a boost from Cheniere Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $2.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Cheniere Energys dividend payout ratio is currently 12.37%. Analyst Ratings Changes LNG has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays reissued an overweight rating and set a $262.00 price objective (up previously from $253.00) on shares of Cheniere Energy in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a buy rating and set a $275.00 price target on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $290.00 price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Cheniere Energy from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They set an outperform rating and a $268.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Cheniere Energy presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $268.73. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Cheniere Energy Insider Activity In other news, Director W Benjamin Moreland purchased 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $208.22 per share, with a total value of $1,041,100.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 9,856 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,052,216.32. This trade represents a 102.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders. Cheniere Energy Company Profile (Free Report) Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding LNG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Cheniere Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cheniere Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Middleton & Co. Inc. MA trimmed its position in RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:RNR Free Report) by 3.1% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,489 shares of the insurance providers stock after selling 425 shares during the period. Middleton & Co. Inc. MAs holdings in RenaissanceRe were worth $3,276,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in RenaissanceRe by 37.2% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,496,035 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $599,049,000 after purchasing an additional 676,125 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of RenaissanceRe by 4.6% during the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,106,207 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $505,509,000 after purchasing an additional 92,825 shares during the period. Cooke & Bieler LP raised its position in shares of RenaissanceRe by 18.0% in the first quarter. Cooke & Bieler LP now owns 1,247,742 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $299,458,000 after buying an additional 190,139 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of RenaissanceRe by 15.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 763,210 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $183,175,000 after buying an additional 101,060 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its stake in shares of RenaissanceRe by 15.2% in the first quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 466,823 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $112,038,000 after buying an additional 61,465 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.97% of the companys stock. Get RenaissanceRe alerts: RenaissanceRe Stock Performance Shares of RenaissanceRe stock opened at $266.17 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average price is $249.98 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $245.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.25. RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. has a fifty-two week low of $219.00 and a fifty-two week high of $300.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.40 and a quick ratio of 1.36. RenaissanceRe Dividend Announcement RenaissanceRe ( NYSE:RNR Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The insurance provider reported $15.62 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $9.49 by $6.13. The business had revenue of $2.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. RenaissanceRe had a return on equity of 16.83% and a net margin of 14.23%.RenaissanceRes quarterly revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $10.23 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. will post 26.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. RenaissanceRes dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 4.45%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of equities analysts have commented on RNR shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on RenaissanceRe in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They set a peer perform rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a neutral rating and issued a $303.00 price target on shares of RenaissanceRe in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Barclays set a $278.00 price objective on shares of RenaissanceRe in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of RenaissanceRe to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of RenaissanceRe from $285.00 to $280.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, RenaissanceRe currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $283.67. Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on RenaissanceRe About RenaissanceRe (Free Report) RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides reinsurance and insurance products in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Property, and Casualty and Specialty segments. The Property segment writes property catastrophe excess of loss reinsurance and excess of loss reinsurance to insure insurance and reinsurance companies against natural and man-made catastrophes, including hurricanes, earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis, as well as winter storms, freezes, floods, fires, windstorms, tornadoes, explosions, and acts of terrorism; and other property class of products, such as proportional reinsurance, property per risk, property reinsurance, binding facilities, and regional U.S. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding RNR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:RNR Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for RenaissanceRe Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RenaissanceRe and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Modera Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in shares of The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW Free Report) by 1.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 154,357 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 2,906 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $14,084,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SCHW. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 15.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 148,395,252 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $11,616,380,000 after purchasing an additional 19,817,022 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Charles Schwab by 595.7% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 15,488,777 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,212,461,000 after purchasing an additional 13,262,309 shares in the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA raised its holdings in Charles Schwab by 229.3% in the first quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 14,002,078 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,096,083,000 after buying an additional 9,749,728 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Charles Schwab by 12.3% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 82,048,984 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $6,422,795,000 after buying an additional 8,954,248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Charles Schwab during the first quarter worth approximately $440,699,000. 84.38% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Charles Schwab alerts: Analyst Ratings Changes SCHW has been the subject of several recent research reports. JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and issued a $110.00 price target on shares of Charles Schwab in a report on Friday, October 17th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an outperform rating and set a $99.00 target price on shares of Charles Schwab in a report on Friday, July 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Charles Schwab from $119.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c+) rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on shares of Charles Schwab from $109.00 to $111.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $106.45. Charles Schwab Price Performance SCHW opened at $94.18 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The companys 50-day moving average price is $94.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $91.62. The Charles Schwab Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $65.88 and a fifty-two week high of $99.59. The firm has a market cap of $170.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.02. Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.93 billion. Charles Schwab had a return on equity of 21.26% and a net margin of 35.93%.The firms quarterly revenue was up 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.71 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Charles Schwab Corporation will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current year. Charles Schwab Announces Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. Charles Schwabs payout ratio is presently 25.29%. Charles Schwab declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Thursday, July 24th that allows the company to buyback $20.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the financial services provider to buy up to 11.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the companys management believes its stock is undervalued. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Charles Schwab news, insider Jonathan S. Beatty sold 6,144 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.81, for a total transaction of $594,800.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 11,923 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,154,265.63. This trade represents a 34.01% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,205 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.33, for a total value of $299,122.65. Following the transaction, the insider owned 34,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,245,830.74. This trade represents a 8.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 65,866 shares of company stock worth $6,370,897 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.30% of the companys stock. Charles Schwab Profile (Free Report) The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Charles Schwab Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Charles Schwab and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Overview: Otovo ASA operates an online marketplace for solar installations in Norway and has a market cap of NOK224.82 million. Nurminen Logistics Oyj, with a market cap of 76.98 million, operates primarily in the Transportation - Trucking segment generating 107.08 million in revenue. The company recently reported a decline in net income for Q3 2025 to 0.961 million from 5.13 million the previous year, reflecting lower profit margins of 4.3% compared to 12.3%. Despite this, its debt management is robust with a satisfactory net debt to equity ratio and well-covered interest payments by EBIT (3.8x coverage). The company has launched new rail operations between Italy and Sweden, enhancing its European logistics network and sustainability efforts amid growing demand for eco-friendly transport solutions. Operations: The company's revenue is primarily generated from its Transportation - Trucking segment, amounting to 107.08 million. Overview: Nurminen Logistics Oyj offers logistics services across Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the Baltic countries with a market cap of 76.98 million. Underneath we present a selection of stocks filtered out by our screen. The European market has shown mixed results recently, with the pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index ending slightly lower as expectations for further interest rate cuts from the ECB diminished. In this context, penny stocksthough an outdated termremain a relevant investment area, often representing smaller or newer companies that can offer surprising value. By focusing on those with strong financial health and potential for growth, investors may uncover opportunities that balance stability with upside potential. Story Continues Operations: The company generates NOK654.40 million in revenue from its B2C segment, with a segment adjustment of -NOK125.03 million. Market Cap: NOK224.82M Otovo ASA, with a market cap of NOK224.82 million, is navigating the competitive landscape with an innovative service offering that has attracted 3,000 customers in Germany, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. This move generates EUR350,000 in annual recurring revenue from its new remote monitoring and diagnostics services. Despite being unprofitable and not expected to achieve profitability within the next three years, Otovo's short-term assets exceed its liabilities while maintaining more cash than total debt. The company's recent expansion into the U.S., backed by over $4 million in funding for Otovo USA's integrated home energy services platform Endurance, highlights strategic growth efforts amidst high share price volatility. OB:OTOVO Financial Position Analysis as at Nov 2025 Simply Wall St Financial Health Rating: Overview: Heidelberg Pharma AG is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology and antibody targeted amanitin conjugates (ATAC) with operations in Germany, the United States, and internationally, and has a market cap of 146.42 million. Operations: The company generates its revenue of 3.04 million from ADC Technology and Customer Specific Research. Market Cap: 146.42M Heidelberg Pharma AG, with a market cap of 146.42 million, is advancing its oncology pipeline despite financial challenges. The company reported declining revenue of 6.42 million for the nine months ending August 31, 2025, and remains unprofitable with a net loss of 21.05 million. However, Heidelberg's innovative ATAC technology shows promise; HDP-101 received Fast Track Designation from the FDA for multiple myeloma treatment and demonstrated favorable safety in trials. Despite high share price volatility and less than a year of cash runway, short-term assets cover liabilities while strategic focus on clinical advancements continues amidst workforce reductions. XTRA:HPHA Debt to Equity History and Analysis as at Nov 2025 Taking Advantage This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include HLSE:NLG1V OB:OTOVO and XTRA:HPHA. This article was originally published by Simply Wall St. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com Insperity, Inc. (NYSE:NSP Free Report) Investment analysts at Roth Capital decreased their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Insperity in a report issued on Tuesday, November 4th. Roth Capital analyst J. Martin now expects that the business services provider will earn ($0.52) per share for the year, down from their prior forecast of $0.77. Roth Capital currently has a Buy rating and a $71.00 target price on the stock. The consensus estimate for Insperitys current full-year earnings is $2.33 per share. Roth Capital also issued estimates for Insperitys Q4 2025 earnings at ($0.88) EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.41 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.21 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.01) EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.12 EPS. Get Insperity alerts: NSP has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Insperity from $50.00 to $35.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research upgraded Insperity from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d+) rating on shares of Insperity in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Insperity from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, September 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Insperity from $51.00 to $34.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Insperity presently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus target price of $46.67. Insperity Trading Down 5.8% Insperity stock opened at $34.00 on Friday. Insperity has a 12 month low of $33.00 and a 12 month high of $95.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.29. The stock has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.07 and a beta of 0.52. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $48.59 and its 200-day simple moving average is $57.03. Insperity (NYSE:NSP Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 3rd. The business services provider reported ($0.20) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.42). The company had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.63 billion. Insperity had a net margin of 0.60% and a return on equity of 35.32%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. Insperity has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.840-1.470 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at -0.7900.160 EPS. Insperity Announces Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 4th were paid a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.1%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 4th. Insperitys dividend payout ratio is presently 521.74%. Insiders Place Their Bets In other Insperity news, CEO Paul J. Sarvadi sold 10,850 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.98, for a total value of $563,983.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 428,001 shares of the companys stock, valued at $22,247,491.98. This represents a 2.47% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 5.29% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its position in Insperity by 49.3% during the second quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 548 shares of the business services providers stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Insperity by 32.2% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 747 shares of the business services providers stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of Insperity by 279.1% during the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 326 shares of the business services providers stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in shares of Insperity by 2.5% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 10,577 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $520,000 after purchasing an additional 255 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. raised its stake in shares of Insperity by 13.6% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,308 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $206,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.44% of the companys stock. Insperity Company Profile (Get Free Report) Insperity, Inc engages in the provision of human resources (HR) and business solutions to improve business performance for small and medium-sized businesses primarily in the United States. It offers its HR services through its workforce optimization and workforce synchronization solutions that include a range of human resources functions, such as payroll and employment administration, employee benefits, workers' compensation, government compliance, performance management, and training and development services. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Insperity Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Insperity and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. grew its position in shares of Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL Free Report) by 2.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 29,974 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 740 shares during the quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp.s holdings in Colgate-Palmolive were worth $2,725,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC. A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 81,758,257 shares of the companys stock worth $7,660,749,000 after buying an additional 455,198 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its stake in Colgate-Palmolive by 18.3% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 34,009,078 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,186,651,000 after purchasing an additional 5,269,140 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Colgate-Palmolive by 34.5% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,980,387 shares of the companys stock worth $747,762,000 after purchasing an additional 2,045,191 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in shares of Colgate-Palmolive by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,176,598 shares of the companys stock worth $672,447,000 after buying an additional 253,604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Colgate-Palmolive by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,976,654 shares of the companys stock valued at $653,761,000 after acquiring an additional 177,833 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.41% of the companys stock. Get Colgate-Palmolive alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CL. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Colgate-Palmolive in a report on Friday, October 3rd. They issued a neutral rating and a $84.00 price target for the company. Barclays dropped their target price on Colgate-Palmolive from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Colgate-Palmolive from $96.00 to $87.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Colgate-Palmolive from $98.00 to $88.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Colgate-Palmolive from $106.00 to $91.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $89.87. Colgate-Palmolive Stock Performance Colgate-Palmolive stock opened at $77.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.44 billion, a PE ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.44 and a beta of 0.35. Colgate-Palmolive Company has a one year low of $74.54 and a one year high of $100.18. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $79.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $85.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.79, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.89. Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE:CL Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 31st. The company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $5.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.17 billion. Colgate-Palmolive had a net margin of 14.55% and a return on equity of 377.63%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.91 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Colgate-Palmolive Company will post 3.75 EPS for the current fiscal year. Colgate-Palmolive Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be given a $0.52 dividend. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. Colgate-Palmolives dividend payout ratio is presently 58.26%. About Colgate-Palmolive (Free Report) Colgate-Palmolive Company, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells consumer products in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition. The Oral, Personal and Home Care segment offers toothpaste, toothbrushes, mouthwash, bar and liquid hand soaps, shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants and antiperspirants, skin health products, dishwashing detergents, fabric conditioners, household cleaners, and other related items. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding CL? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Colgate-Palmolive Company (NYSE:CL Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Colgate-Palmolive Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Colgate-Palmolive and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 10,790 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $321,000. A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at $539,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Community Banks in the first quarter valued at $16,721,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Community Banks during the first quarter valued at about $34,780,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Community Banks during the first quarter worth about $224,000. Finally, M&T Bank Corp bought a new position in United Community Banks in the 1st quarter valued at about $926,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get United Community Banks alerts: United Community Banks Stock Performance Shares of United Community Banks stock opened at $29.47 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 11.69 and a beta of 0.91. United Community Banks, Inc. has a 52-week low of $22.93 and a 52-week high of $35.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $31.30. United Community Banks Increases Dividend United Community Banks ( NYSE:UCB Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.70 by $0.05. United Community Banks had a net margin of 20.67% and a return on equity of 9.42%. The firm had revenue of $276.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $270.85 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 27.4% on a year-over-year basis. The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This is an increase from United Community Bankss previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. United Community Bankss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.68%. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades UCB has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Hovde Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Community Banks from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of United Community Banks in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of United Community Banks from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. DA Davidson boosted their target price on United Community Banks from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on United Community Banks from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $35.33. View Our Latest Research Report on United Community Banks Insider Activity at United Community Banks In other news, EVP Richard Bradshaw sold 1,654 shares of United Community Banks stock in a transaction on Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.23, for a total value of $50,000.42. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,226 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,274,081.98. The trade was a 2.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.43% of the stock is owned by insiders. United Community Banks Company Profile (Free Report) United Community Banks, Inc operates as the financial holding company for United Community Bank that provides financial products and services to commercial, retail, government, education, energy, health care, and real estate sectors. The company accepts various deposit products, including checking, savings, money market, and other deposit accounts. Recommended Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding UCB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for United Community Banks, Inc. (NYSE:UCB Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for United Community Banks Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for United Community Banks and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. decreased its stake in shares of Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET Free Report) by 9.3% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,177,140 shares of the pipeline companys stock after selling 120,656 shares during the quarter. Energy Transfer accounts for about 0.7% of Texas Yale Capital Corp.s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Texas Yale Capital Corp.s holdings in Energy Transfer were worth $21,342,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of ET. Ryan Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Energy Transfer during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Vision Financial Markets LLC purchased a new position in Energy Transfer in the first quarter worth about $33,000. CNB Bank lifted its stake in shares of Energy Transfer by 111.1% in the second quarter. CNB Bank now owns 1,900 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Stone House Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Energy Transfer during the first quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Energy Transfer during the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 38.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Get Energy Transfer alerts: Energy Transfer Trading Down 0.3% NYSE:ET opened at $16.86 on Friday. Energy Transfer LP has a one year low of $14.60 and a one year high of $21.45. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $17.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.92. Energy Transfer Increases Dividend Energy Transfer ( NYSE:ET Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.34 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $19.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.84 billion. Energy Transfer had a return on equity of 11.08% and a net margin of 5.80%.Energy Transfers revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.32 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Energy Transfer LP will post 1.46 EPS for the current year. The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a $0.3325 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.33 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.9%. This is a boost from Energy Transfers previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. Energy Transfers payout ratio is presently 103.10%. Insiders Place Their Bets In related news, Director Kelcy L. Warren acquired 1,350,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $17.36 per share, with a total value of $23,436,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 69,178,477 shares in the company, valued at $1,200,938,360.72. This represents a 1.99% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.28% of the stock is owned by insiders. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several research firms have recently weighed in on ET. Jefferies Financial Group set a $17.00 price target on Energy Transfer and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reissued a buy rating and issued a $22.00 target price on shares of Energy Transfer in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Barclays reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $25.00 price target on shares of Energy Transfer in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Energy Transfer from $24.00 to $23.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Energy Transfer presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $22.23. View Our Latest Research Report on ET Energy Transfer Company Profile (Free Report) Energy Transfer LP provides energy-related services. The company owns and operates natural gas transportation pipeline, and natural gas storage facilities in Texas and Oklahoma; and approximately 20,090 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline. It also sells natural gas to electric utilities, independent power plants, local distribution and other marketing companies, and industrial end-users. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ET? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Energy Transfer LP (NYSE:ET Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Energy Transfer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Energy Transfer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG Free Report) by 22.2% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,234 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 588 shares during the quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Procter & Gamble were worth $515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Nova Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Procter & Gamble by 67.9% during the 2nd quarter. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC now owns 178 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Procter & Gamble during the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. bought a new position in Procter & Gamble in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Procter & Gamble during the 2nd quarter worth $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 65.77% of the companys stock. Get Procter & Gamble alerts: Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have recently issued reports on PG. Dbs Bank upgraded Procter & Gamble to a moderate buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Procter & Gamble from $173.00 to $170.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. BNP Paribas Exane lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $172.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Evercore ISI reissued an in-line rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $190.00) on shares of Procter & Gamble in a research note on Monday, July 14th. Finally, BNP Paribas restated an outperform rating and set a $177.00 price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble in a report on Friday, August 15th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $171.53. Insider Activity at Procter & Gamble In other news, insider Marc S. Pritchard sold 9,849 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.27, for a total transaction of $1,548,952.23. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 182,422 shares of the companys stock, valued at $28,689,507.94. This trade represents a 5.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Shailesh Jejurikar sold 13,039 shares of Procter & Gamble stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.27, for a total transaction of $2,050,643.53. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 28,036 shares in the company, valued at $4,409,221.72. This trade represents a 31.74% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 150,488 shares of company stock valued at $23,529,718 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.20% of the companys stock. Procter & Gamble Stock Performance Shares of PG stock opened at $146.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.71. Procter & Gamble Company has a 52 week low of $144.46 and a 52 week high of $180.43. The companys 50 day moving average price is $153.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $157.29. The company has a market capitalization of $341.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.87 and a beta of 0.36. Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 24th. The company reported $1.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.90 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $22.39 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.23 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 19.74% and a return on equity of 32.63%. The firms revenue was up 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.93 earnings per share. Procter & Gamble has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.830-7.100 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 24th will be issued a $1.0568 dividend. This represents a $4.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 24th. Procter & Gambles payout ratio is 61.61%. About Procter & Gamble (Free Report) Procter & Gamble Co engages in the provision of branded consumer packaged goods. It operates through the following segments: Beauty, Grooming, Health Care, Fabric and Home Care, and Baby, Feminine and Family Care. The Beauty segment offers hair, skin, and personal care. The Grooming segment consists of shave care like female and male blades and razors, pre and post shave products, and appliances. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Procter & Gamble Company (The) (NYSE:PG Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Procter & Gamble Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Procter & Gamble and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. JBT Marel Corporation (NYSE:JBTM Free Report) Investment analysts at William Blair increased their FY2025 EPS estimates for shares of JBT Marel in a research report issued on Tuesday, November 4th. William Blair analyst R. Sparenblek now anticipates that the company will earn $6.30 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $5.90. William Blair currently has a Outperform rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for JBT Marels current full-year earnings is $5.21 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for JBT Marels Q1 2026 earnings at $1.57 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.04 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.38 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.17 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.15 EPS. Get JBT Marel alerts: Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Robert W. Baird set a $169.00 price objective on shares of JBT Marel in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of JBT Marel in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $156.00. JBT Marel Stock Down 0.6% JBTM stock opened at $140.48 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.42. JBT Marel has a twelve month low of $90.08 and a twelve month high of $148.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.30 billion, a PE ratio of -61.34, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. JBT Marel (NYSE:JBTM Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.43. JBT Marel had a positive return on equity of 7.96% and a negative net margin of 5.08%.The firm had revenue of $1 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $936.75 million. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 120.6% on a year-over-year basis. JBT Marel has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.100-6.400 EPS. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its stake in JBT Marel by 28.5% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 202,690 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,468,000 after acquiring an additional 44,962 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in shares of JBT Marel by 8.0% in the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 25,414 shares of the companys stock worth $3,569,000 after purchasing an additional 1,889 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. bought a new position in shares of JBT Marel during the 3rd quarter valued at about $222,000. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of JBT Marel by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 159,055 shares of the companys stock valued at $22,339,000 after purchasing an additional 12,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of JBT Marel by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 2,331 shares of the companys stock valued at $327,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. 98.92% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. JBT Marel Company Profile (Get Free Report) JBT Marel Corporation provides technology solutions to food and beverage industry in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It offers value-added processing that includes chilling, mixing/grinding, injecting, blending, marinating, tumbling, flattening, forming, portioning, coating, cooking, frying, freezing, extracting, pasteurizing, sterilizing, concentrating, high pressure processing, weighing, inspecting, filling, closing, sealing, end of line material handling, and packaging solutions to the food, beverage, and health market. Read More Receive News & Ratings for JBT Marel Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JBT Marel and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC cut its stake in shares of SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD Free Report) by 32.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,997 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 1,447 shares during the period. OneAscent Wealth Management LLCs holdings in SPDR Gold Shares were worth $914,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. American National Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 52.4% in the 2nd quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 291 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $89,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. StrongBox Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. StrongBox Wealth LLC now owns 1,487 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 6.5% in the 2nd quarter. Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,509 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,070,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 14.6% in the 2nd quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 51,235 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $15,618,000 after purchasing an additional 6,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 151.5% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 1,386 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $422,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 42.19% of the companys stock. Get SPDR Gold Shares alerts: SPDR Gold Shares Stock Performance NYSEARCA:GLD opened at $366.07 on Friday. SPDR Gold Shares has a 1 year low of $236.13 and a 1 year high of $403.30. The stock has a market cap of $132.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -32.43 and a beta of 0.09. The business has a fifty day moving average of $355.89 and a 200-day moving average of $324.23. SPDR Gold Shares Profile SPDR Gold Trust (the Trust) is an investment trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Trusts expenses. The Trusts business activity is the investment of gold. The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 100,000 Shares). Featured Articles Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GLD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for SPDR Gold Shares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for SPDR Gold Shares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC decreased its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC Free Report) by 59.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,626 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 40,678 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company makes up 1.0% of Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLCs holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $2,213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Savant Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 103,466 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $8,290,000 after buying an additional 2,990 shares in the last quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. purchased a new position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company in the second quarter valued at about $207,000. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 3.2% in the second quarter. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,657 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $613,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. Modera Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 3.4% during the second quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 21,825 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Twin Capital Management Inc. now owns 80,148 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $6,421,000 after purchasing an additional 904 shares during the period. 75.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Wells Fargo & Company alerts: Wells Fargo & Company Stock Performance NYSE:WFC opened at $86.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.69 billion, a PE ratio of 14.15, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.22. The stocks fifty day moving average is $83.17 and its 200 day moving average is $79.11. Wells Fargo & Company has a fifty-two week low of $58.42 and a fifty-two week high of $88.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement Wells Fargo & Company ( NYSE:WFC Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.55 by $0.11. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 17.18% and a return on equity of 12.51%. The business had revenue of $21.44 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 5.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wells Fargo & Company will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year. The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio is currently 29.61%. Analyst Ratings Changes WFC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on Wells Fargo & Company from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $95.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $85.00 to $92.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $92.00 to $91.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Cowen restated a hold rating on shares of Wells Fargo & Company in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wells Fargo & Company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $89.57. Read Our Latest Research Report on Wells Fargo & Company Wells Fargo & Company Company Profile (Free Report) Wells Fargo & Co is a diversified and community-based financial services company, which engages in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth and Investment Management. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Wells Fargo & Company Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Wells Fargo & Company and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Toronto Dominion Bank (The) (NYSE:TD Free Report) (TSE:TD) by 32.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,800 shares of the banks stock after purchasing an additional 12,800 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank accounts for 1.7% of Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Sustainable Insight Capital Management LLCs holdings in Toronto Dominion Bank were worth $3,813,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Toronto Dominion Bank by 122.9% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 428 shares of the banks stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Toronto Dominion Bank by 200.0% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 428 shares of the banks stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 856 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Toronto Dominion Bank during the second quarter worth $34,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Toronto Dominion Bank during the first quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Colonial Trust Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Toronto Dominion Bank in the first quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.37% of the companys stock. Get Toronto Dominion Bank alerts: Toronto Dominion Bank Trading Down 0.3% NYSE TD opened at $80.40 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $136.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.39, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.79. The companys 50 day moving average price is $78.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.29. Toronto Dominion Bank has a one year low of $51.25 and a one year high of $82.88. Toronto Dominion Bank Increases Dividend Toronto Dominion Bank ( NYSE:TD Get Free Report ) (TSE:TD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 28th. The bank reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.45. Toronto Dominion Bank had a return on equity of 13.59% and a net margin of 16.40%.The firm had revenue of $10.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.05 EPS. Toronto Dominion Banks quarterly revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Toronto Dominion Bank will post 5.48 EPS for the current year. The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 10th were given a dividend of $1.05 per share. This represents a $4.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. This is a positive change from Toronto Dominion Banks previous quarterly dividend of $0.76. Toronto Dominion Banks payout ratio is currently 35.16%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have recently weighed in on TD shares. Desjardins raised Toronto Dominion Bank from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Toronto Dominion Bank from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised Toronto Dominion Bank from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Toronto Dominion Bank in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Toronto Dominion Bank from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $93.00. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Toronto Dominion Bank Toronto Dominion Bank Company Profile (Free Report) The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various financial products and services in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, U.S. Retail, Wealth Management and Insurance, and Wholesale Banking. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Toronto Dominion Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Toronto Dominion Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report) by 141.8% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,389 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 8,438 shares during the quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MO. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new position in shares of Altria Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $126,471,000. Central Valley Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Altria Group in the second quarter worth $1,715,000. Invst LLC grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 252.0% in the first quarter. Invst LLC now owns 16,188 shares of the companys stock worth $972,000 after acquiring an additional 11,589 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Altria Group by 5.5% in the second quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 79,019 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,633,000 after acquiring an additional 4,149 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in Altria Group by 17.4% in the second quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,086,060 shares of the companys stock worth $63,676,000 after purchasing an additional 161,356 shares during the last quarter. 57.41% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Get Altria Group alerts: Altria Group Trading Up 0.1% Shares of MO opened at $57.24 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average is $64.35 and its 200 day moving average is $61.84. Altria Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $50.08 and a 12-month high of $68.60. The company has a market capitalization of $96.09 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.51. Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.31 billion. Altria Group had a negative return on equity of 295.26% and a net margin of 37.24%.The firms revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.38 EPS. Altria Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.370-5.45 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.32 earnings per share for the current year. Altria Group declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, October 30th that permits the company to buyback $2.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 1.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued. Altria Group Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $1.06 per share. This is a boost from Altria Groups previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $4.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.4%. Altria Groups payout ratio is currently 80.92%. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth MO has been the subject of several analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price objective on Altria Group from $68.00 to $61.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Altria Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Altria Group from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $72.00 target price on shares of Altria Group in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Altria Group from $57.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $62.33. Read Our Latest Report on Altria Group Altria Group Profile (Free Report) Altria Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells smokeable and oral tobacco products in the United States. The company offers cigarettes primarily under the Marlboro brand; large cigars and pipe tobacco under the Black & Mild brand; moist smokeless tobacco and snus products under the Copenhagen, Skoal, Red Seal, and Husky brands; oral nicotine pouches under the on! brand; and e-vapor products under the NJOY ACE brand. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Altria Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Altria Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Global energy giant ExxonMobil reported third-quarter 2025 earnings last week. Those results delivered some eye-popping numbers for all the right reasons. The global energy supermajor announced a solid performance despite softer oil prices and a challenging operating environment. While Exxons Permian Basin assets are a key part of the story, Exxons Guyana operations are another important driver of this notable performance. Exxon made its first discovery in Guyanas territorial waters in 2015 with the Liza-1 well in the 6.6-million-acre Stabroek Block. This surprised many industry insiders, as earlier drilling campaigns in the former British colonys territorial waters had failed to find any commercially exploitable hydrocarbons. The Houston-based supermajor, which is the operator, controls a 45% working interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess, now owned by fellow global supermajor Chevron, holds a 30% interest in the block, with the remaining 25% controlled by CNOOC. In a mere four years, Exxon brought the Liza-1 discovery to first oil in an industry where it can take a decade or longer to develop world-class discoveries. Indeed, by the end of 2019, Exxon was lifting nearly 49,000 barrels of oil per day from the Liza Destiny floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel. Since then, the companys operations in the Stabroek Block have grown exponentially. There are now four active FPSOs in the block with a combined capacity of 900,000 barrels per day. According to data from Guyanas Ministry of Natural Resources, by the end of September 2025, over 850,000 barrels were being lifted daily in the Stabroek Block. Record production from Exxons Permian and Guyana oil acreage delivered solid results in a difficult operating environment, weighed down by weaker petroleum prices. The supermajors overall hydrocarbon output for the third quarter of 2025 4.8 million barrels of oil equivalent, was 4% higher than the same period a year earlier. Total production for the first nine months of 2025 rose by a notable 10% year over year to an average of 4.7 million barrels per day. Despite that strong production growth, upstream earnings declined. Third quarter 2025 earnings fell 7.8% year on year to $5.7 billion, while for the first nine months of the year, they dropped 5.6% to $17.8 billion. This translated into weaker earnings per share of $1.76 for the third quarter and $5.16 for the year-to-date, which were 8.3% and 16% lower, respectively. That disappointing outcome was the result of sharply weaker oil prices, with the international Brent price for the third quarter of 2025 down 13% year on year. Regardless, Exxon rewarded loyal shareholders, hiking the quarterly dividend by four cents per share, a 4% quarter-on-quarter increase, to pay a fourth quarter 2025 dividend of $1.03 per share, which gives shareholders a 2025 dividend payment of $4 with a juicy 3.5% yield. Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA Free Report) by 27.1% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 1,487,972 shares of the companys stock after selling 552,263 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLCs holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries were worth $24,938,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in TEVA. US Bancorp DE boosted its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 6.5% in the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 10,812 shares of the companys stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 15.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,474 shares of the companys stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 715 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 18.1% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 4,995 shares of the companys stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 767 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 7.6% in the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 13,692 shares of the companys stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Factorial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries by 0.3% in the first quarter. Factorial Partners LLC now owns 333,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,118,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 54.05% of the companys stock. Get Teva Pharmaceutical Industries alerts: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Price Performance Shares of NYSE TEVA opened at $24.41 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.45. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.76. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has a 1-year low of $12.47 and a 1-year high of $25.00. The firm has a market cap of $28.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -152.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.70. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Teva Pharmaceutical Industries ( NYSE:TEVA Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.10. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries had a positive return on equity of 46.10% and a negative net margin of 0.95%.The company had revenue of $4.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.550-2.650 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. will post 2.5 earnings per share for the current year. TEVA has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d-) rating on shares of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group increased their price target on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $25.86. Check Out Our Latest Report on Teva Pharmaceutical Industries About Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (Free Report) Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited develops, manufactures, markets, and distributes generic medicines, specialty medicines, and biopharmaceutical products in North America, Europe, Israel, and internationally. It offers generic medicines in various dosage forms, such as tablets, capsules, injectables, inhalants, liquids, transdermal patches, ointments, and creams; sterile products, hormones, high-potency drugs, and cytotoxic substances in parenteral and solid dosage forms; and generic products with medical devices and combination products. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding TEVA? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE:ADM Get Free Report) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of 0.51 per share on Thursday, December 11th. This represents a c) dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 19th. Archer Daniels Midland has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 53 consecutive years. Archer Daniels Midland has a dividend payout ratio of 44.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Archer Daniels Midland to earn $4.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.04 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 42.0%. Get Archer Daniels Midland alerts: Archer Daniels Midland Price Performance ADM stock opened at $56.71 on Friday. Archer Daniels Midland has a 12-month low of $40.98 and a 12-month high of $65.00. The company has a market cap of $27.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.98, a PEG ratio of 4.78 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $61.32 and a 200-day moving average of $55.85. The company has a current ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Archer Daniels Midland Archer Daniels Midland ( NYSE:ADM Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.96 billion. Archer Daniels Midland had a return on equity of 8.43% and a net margin of 1.33%.Archer Daniels Midlands revenue was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. Archer Daniels Midland has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.250-3.500 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Archer Daniels Midland will post 4.31 EPS for the current fiscal year. A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Archer Daniels Midland in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new position in Archer Daniels Midland in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Trust Co. of Vermont increased its stake in Archer Daniels Midland by 367.0% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 509 shares of the companys stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in shares of Archer Daniels Midland in the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Archer Daniels Midland in the 2nd quarter worth $36,000. 78.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Archer Daniels Midland Company Profile (Get Free Report) Archer-Daniels-Midland Company engages in the procurement, transportation, storage, processing, and merchandising of agricultural commodities, ingredients, flavors, and solutions in the United States, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, and Nutrition. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Archer Daniels Midland Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Archer Daniels Midland and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Newmont Corporation (NYSE:NEM Free Report) Equities research analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q4 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Newmont in a report issued on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings of $1.12 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.04. Zacks Research currently has a Strong-Buy rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Newmonts current full-year earnings is $3.45 per share. Get Newmont alerts: A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. BNP Paribas Exane increased their target price on Newmont from $66.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. National Bank Financial upgraded Newmont from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Newmont from $92.00 to $105.50 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. National Bankshares reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Newmont in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, CIBC set a $112.00 price target on shares of Newmont and gave the stock an outperformer rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Newmont currently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $86.92. Newmont Stock Up 1.1% Shares of NEM stock opened at $82.55 on Friday. Newmont has a 12-month low of $36.86 and a 12-month high of $98.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.17. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $82.96 and a 200-day moving average of $67.27. The company has a market capitalization of $90.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.33. Newmont (NYSE:NEM Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The basic materials company reported $1.71 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.27 by $0.44. The firm had revenue of $5.52 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.14 billion. Newmont had a net margin of 33.42% and a return on equity of 20.35%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 20.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.81 EPS. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NEM. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its position in shares of Newmont by 3.2% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 392,809 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $33,118,000 after acquiring an additional 11,998 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Newmont by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 169,077 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $14,255,000 after purchasing an additional 16,012 shares during the period. GF Fund Management CO. LTD. acquired a new position in shares of Newmont during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $165,000. Cherokee Insurance Co bought a new position in shares of Newmont during the third quarter worth approximately $211,000. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Newmont in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,389,000. Institutional investors own 68.85% of the companys stock. Insider Activity In other news, Director Bruce R. Brook sold 2,080 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.96, for a total transaction of $168,396.80. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 34,789 shares in the company, valued at $2,816,517.44. The trade was a 5.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Thomas Ronald Palmer sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.34, for a total value of $406,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 279,923 shares in the company, valued at $22,768,936.82. The trade was a 1.75% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 11,237 shares of company stock worth $906,799 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.05% of the companys stock. Newmont Announces Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 26th. Newmonts payout ratio is currently 15.53%. Newmont Company Profile (Get Free Report) Newmont Corporation engages in the production and exploration of gold. It also explores for copper, silver, zinc, and lead. The company has operations and/or assets in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Peru, Suriname, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Ecuador, Fiji, and Ghana. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Newmont Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Newmont and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. New Zealand Energy Corp. (CVE:NZ Get Free Report)s share price fell 21.1% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as C$0.35 and last traded at C$0.36. 186,715 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 653% from the average session volume of 24,786 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.45. New Zealand Energy Stock Performance The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 3.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 41.83. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$0.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$0.28. The company has a market capitalization of C$10.36 million, a P/E ratio of -0.47 and a beta of 4.58. New Zealand Energy Company Profile (Get Free Report) New Zealand Energy Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in New Zealand. It holds interests in three petroleum mining licenses, one petroleum mining permit, and one petroleum exploration permit. The company has interests in TWN Petroleum Mining Licenses comprising Waihapa/Ngaere, and Tariki; Copper Moki petroleum mining permit; and Eltham Petroleum exploration permit. See Also Receive News & Ratings for New Zealand Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for New Zealand Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Danske Bank (OTCMKTS:DNKEY Get Free Report) and China Merchants Bank (OTCMKTS:CIHKY Get Free Report) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, institutional ownership, valuation, risk, analyst recommendations and dividends. Profitability This table compares Danske Bank and China Merchants Banks net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Danske Bank alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Danske Bank 40.42% 13.34% 0.62% China Merchants Bank 32.06% 12.28% 1.21% Analyst Ratings This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Danske Bank and China Merchants Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Danske Bank 0 1 3 1 3.00 China Merchants Bank 0 0 0 0 0.00 Dividends Volatility & Risk Danske Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.51 per share and has a dividend yield of 6.7%. China Merchants Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Danske Bank pays out 74.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. China Merchants Bank pays out 29.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Danske Bank has a beta of 0.72, meaning that its stock price is 28% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, China Merchants Bank has a beta of 0.37, meaning that its stock price is 63% less volatile than the S&P 500. Valuation & Earnings This table compares Danske Bank and China Merchants Banks top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Danske Bank $8.18 billion 4.62 $3.43 billion $2.02 11.19 China Merchants Bank $69.20 billion 2.39 $20.64 billion $3.94 8.31 China Merchants Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Danske Bank. China Merchants Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Danske Bank, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Summary Danske Bank beats China Merchants Bank on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks. About Danske Bank (Get Free Report) Danske Bank A/S provides various banking products and services to corporate, institutional, and international clients. The company offers insurance and pension products, mortgage finance and real-estate brokerage services, asset management and trading services in fixed income products, foreign exchange services, and equities. It also provides advisory services to personal and private banking customers; and business advisory services, including acquisition, change of ownership, strategic development, or international expansion. In addition, the company offers financing, risk management, investment, and financial advisory services for large corporates and institutions; healthcare solutions; and online and mobile banking services. It has operations in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, and internationally. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. About China Merchants Bank (Get Free Report) China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides various banking products and services. It operates through Wholesale Finance Business, Retail Finance Business, and Other Business segments. The company offers current, demand, time, call, savings, notice, and renminbi accounts. Its loan products include personal commercial real estate, consumption, housing, and car loans; loans to finance for studying abroad; micro-business loans; mortgage loans for equipment; joint guarantee, special guarantee, and housing mortgage loan; bank acceptance, discount, liquid capital, and fixed asset loans; and loans for vessels. The company also offers credit cards; insurance products; open-ended funds; discount and guarantees for commercial bills, redemption of commercial bills, and guaranteed discount for commercial acceptance bills; and financial consultation, debt financing underwriting, merger and acquisition financing, and equity financing and enterprise listing services. In addition, it provides forfeiting and risk participation, escrow, cross-border RMB clearing, and interbank services; and risk and financial management, cross-border RMB and oversea financing, international factoring and settlement, and trade finance services. Further, the company offers financial leasing and guarantee, investment and wealth management, forex option and gold trading, forex express trading, international, offshore and private banking, custody, pension, and electronic banking services. The company also operates in Hong Kong, New York, London, Singapore, Luxembourg, Sydney, and Taipei. China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Shenzhen, China. Receive News & Ratings for Danske Bank Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Danske Bank and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Modera Wealth Management LLC lessened its position in BlackRock (NYSE:BLK Free Report) by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 58,763 shares of the asset managers stock after selling 646 shares during the quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLCs holdings in BlackRock were worth $61,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in BLK. Welch Group LLC lifted its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.2% during the 2nd quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 760 shares of the asset managers stock worth $797,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. increased its position in BlackRock by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Stanley Laman Group Ltd. now owns 340 shares of the asset managers stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the period. CNB Bank lifted its holdings in shares of BlackRock by 9.6% during the second quarter. CNB Bank now owns 103 shares of the asset managers stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp boosted its position in shares of BlackRock by 3.9% in the second quarter. McLean Asset Management Corp now owns 266 shares of the asset managers stock valued at $285,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Oklahoma grew its stake in shares of BlackRock by 0.5% in the second quarter. Trust Co. of Oklahoma now owns 2,023 shares of the asset managers stock worth $2,123,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. 80.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get BlackRock alerts: BlackRock Stock Down 0.3% Shares of NYSE BLK opened at $1,070.02 on Friday. BlackRock has a 52-week low of $773.74 and a 52-week high of $1,219.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 4.04 and a current ratio of 4.04. The business has a fifty day moving average of $1,131.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $1,066.45. The stock has a market cap of $165.70 billion, a PE ratio of 27.51, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.48. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The asset manager reported $11.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.78 by ($0.23). The firm had revenue of $6.51 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.22 billion. BlackRock had a net margin of 26.64% and a return on equity of 15.36%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 25.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $11.46 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that BlackRock will post 47.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. UBS Group reiterated a hold rating on shares of BlackRock in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on BlackRock from $1,280.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Cowen reiterated a buy rating on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $1,310.00 to $1,360.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $1,299.29. Get Our Latest Research Report on BLK Insider Activity at BlackRock In related news, Director Rachel Lord sold 12,000 shares of BlackRock stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,165.04, for a total value of $13,980,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 7,205 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,394,113.20. The trade was a 62.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.98% of the companys stock. About BlackRock (Free Report) BlackRock, Inc is a publicly owned investment manager. The firm primarily provides its services to institutional, intermediary, and individual investors including corporate, public, union, and industry pension plans, insurance companies, third-party mutual funds, endowments, public institutions, governments, foundations, charities, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, official institutions, and banks. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding BLK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for BlackRock (NYSE:BLK Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for BlackRock Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BlackRock and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (OTCMKTS:MHVYF Get Free Report) and 3Dx Industries (OTCMKTS:DDDX Get Free Report) are both industrials companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, profitability and earnings. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of current ratings for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and 3Dx Industries, as reported by MarketBeat.com. Get Mitsubishi Heavy Industries alerts: Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 0 1 0 1 3.00 3Dx Industries 0 0 0 0 0.00 Volatility & Risk Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has a beta of 0.5, indicating that its share price is 50% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, 3Dx Industries has a beta of 3.53, indicating that its share price is 253% more volatile than the S&P 500. Earnings and Valuation Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Mitsubishi Heavy Industries $33.01 billion 3.00 $1.62 billion $0.50 58.79 3Dx Industries $290,000.00 4.07 -$560,000.00 ($0.01) -1.07 This table compares Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and 3Dx Industriess revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has higher revenue and earnings than 3Dx Industries. 3Dx Industries is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Profitability This table compares Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and 3Dx Industries net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 4.92% 10.23% 3.76% 3Dx Industries -171.91% N/A N/A Summary Mitsubishi Heavy Industries beats 3Dx Industries on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks. About Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Get Free Report) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. manufactures and sells heavy machinery worldwide. It operates through Energy Systems; Plants & Infrastructure Systems; Logistics, Thermal & Drive Systems; and Aircraft, Defense & Space segments. The company offers thermal, renewable energy, nuclear power generation, and engine power plants; oil and gas production plants; lithium-ion battery products and fuel cells; civil aircrafts and engines, aviation equipment, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul of aircrafts; and launch vehicles and services, rocket engines, reaction control systems, space stations, rocket launchers, rocket engine combustion test facilities, and electronic parts. It also provides passenger and commercial ships, LNG and LPG carriers, special purpose vessels, and IT services and systems; marine machineries, boilers, turbines, engines, and structures; and intelligent transport systems products and solutions, such as electronic toll collection system, road user charging system, highway traffic management system, EV management system, and development system. In addition, the company offers organic solvent exhaust gas treatment system, waste-to-energy system, sludge treatment system, air quality control system, and bio-treatment system; turbochargers, car air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, rubber and tire machinery, and testing equipment; forklift trucks; and printing, paper converting, and metals, and food & packaging machinery, pumps, compressors & mechanical turbines, hydraulic components. Further, it provides gas holders, vibration control systems, water pipes, tunnel excavation machinery, and cybersecurity solutions for industrial control systems; special vehicles, naval ship and maritime systems, defense aircrafts, helicopters, defense aeroengines, and guided weapon systems; CO2 capture plants; and after-sales services. The company was founded in 1884 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. About 3Dx Industries (Get Free Report) 3DX Industries, Inc. manufactures and sells consumer and corporate products using an additive manufacturing method through 3D metal printing technology, and conventional precision manufacturing processes. The company was formerly known as Amarok Resources, Inc. and changed its name to 3DX Industries, Inc. in November 2013. 3DX Industries, Inc. was incorporated in 2008 and is based in Ferndale, Washington. Receive News & Ratings for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Bar Harbor Bankshares (NYSE:BHB Get Free Report) and SouthState Bank (NYSE:SSB Get Free Report) are both financial services companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, profitability, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations. Profitability This table compares Bar Harbor Bankshares and SouthState Banks net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Get Bar Harbor Bankshares alerts: Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Bar Harbor Bankshares N/A N/A N/A SouthState Bank 20.25% 10.70% 1.42% Analyst Recommendations This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Bar Harbor Bankshares and SouthState Bank, as reported by MarketBeat. Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Bar Harbor Bankshares 0 2 1 0 2.33 SouthState Bank 0 2 11 2 3.00 Volatility & Risk Bar Harbor Bankshares presently has a consensus price target of $34.50, indicating a potential upside of 18.23%. SouthState Bank has a consensus price target of $114.92, indicating a potential upside of 32.16%. Given SouthState Banks stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe SouthState Bank is more favorable than Bar Harbor Bankshares. Bar Harbor Bankshares has a beta of 0.71, indicating that its stock price is 29% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, SouthState Bank has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Insider and Institutional Ownership 54.5% of Bar Harbor Bankshares shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.8% of SouthState Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.6% of Bar Harbor Bankshares shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.7% of SouthState Bank shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth. Valuation and Earnings This table compares Bar Harbor Bankshares and SouthState Banks top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Bar Harbor Bankshares $156.64 million 3.11 $38.70 million $2.32 12.58 SouthState Bank $2.39 billion 3.65 $534.78 million $7.27 11.96 SouthState Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Bar Harbor Bankshares. SouthState Bank is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bar Harbor Bankshares, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Dividends Bar Harbor Bankshares pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.4%. SouthState Bank pays an annual dividend of $2.40 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.8%. Bar Harbor Bankshares pays out 55.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. SouthState Bank pays out 33.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Bar Harbor Bankshares has raised its dividend for 22 consecutive years and SouthState Bank has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years. Bar Harbor Bankshares is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth. Summary SouthState Bank beats Bar Harbor Bankshares on 14 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks. About Bar Harbor Bankshares (Get Free Report) Bar Harbor Bankshares operates as the holding company for Bar Harbor Bank & Trust that provides commercial, lending, retail, and wealth management banking services. It accepts various deposit products, including interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing demand accounts, savings accounts, time deposits, and money market deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. The company also provides commercial real estate loans, such as multi-family, commercial construction and land development, and other commercial real estate classes; commercial and industrial loans, including loans to commercial and agricultural businesses, and tax exempt entities; residential real estate loans consists of mortgages for 1-4 family housing; and consumer loans comprises home equity loans, lines of credit, auto, and other installment lending. In addition, it provides life insurance, annuity, and retirement products, as well as financial planning services; and third-party investment and insurance services. Further, the company offers trust and estate administration, wealth advisory, and investment management services to individuals, businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and municipalities; and 401K plan, financial, estate and charitable planning, investment management, family office, municipal, and tax services. It operates 53 locations across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The company was founded in 1887 and is based in Bar Harbor, Maine. About SouthState Bank (Get Free Report) SouthState Corporation operates as the bank holding company for SouthState Bank, National Association that provides a range of banking services and products to individuals and companies. It accepts checking accounts, savings deposits, interest-bearing transaction accounts, certificates of deposits, money market accounts, and other time deposits. The company also offers commercial real estate loans, residential real estate loans, commercial, and industrial loans, as well as consumer loans, including auto, boat, and personal installment loans. In addition, it provides debit card, mobile and funds transfer products, and treasury management services comprising merchant, automated clearing house, lock-box, remote deposit capture, and other treasury services. Further, the company offers safe deposit boxes, bank money orders, wire transfer, brokerage services, and alternative investment products, including annuities, mutual funds, and trust and asset management services; and credit cards, letters of credit, and home equity lines of credit. As of December 31, 2021, it served customers through 281 branches in Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. SouthState Corporation also serves its customers through online, mobile, and telephone banking platforms. The company was formerly known as First Financial Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to SouthState Corporation in July 2013. SouthState Corporation was founded in 1933 and is headquartered in Winter Haven, Florida. Receive News & Ratings for Bar Harbor Bankshares Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Bar Harbor Bankshares and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX Free Report) Stock analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2025 earnings estimates for Freeport-McMoRan in a research report issued on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the natural resource company will post earnings of $1.51 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $1.27. The consensus estimate for Freeport-McMoRans current full-year earnings is $1.68 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Freeport-McMoRans Q3 2026 earnings at $0.51 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.43 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.61 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.65 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.41 EPS. Get Freeport-McMoRan alerts: A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein reduced their target price on Freeport-McMoRan from $48.50 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. CICC Research dropped their price target on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $51.60 to $42.30 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Freeport-McMoRan to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Freeport-McMoRan has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $47.01. Freeport-McMoRan Price Performance Shares of NYSE FCX opened at $38.63 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.20, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.64. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $42.18 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.53. Freeport-McMoRan has a 12 month low of $27.66 and a 12 month high of $49.21. Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.41 by $0.09. Freeport-McMoRan had a return on equity of 7.84% and a net margin of 7.97%.The business had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.74 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. The companys revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Freeport-McMoRan Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FCX. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 126,983,947 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $5,504,754,000 after buying an additional 1,941,662 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 3.2% in the second quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 62,358,715 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $2,703,250,000 after acquiring an additional 1,926,493 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Freeport-McMoRan by 0.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 61,787,174 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $2,678,474,000 after acquiring an additional 320,514 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 17.8% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 37,547,489 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $1,421,549,000 after purchasing an additional 5,661,958 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 28.1% in the first quarter. Amundi now owns 27,635,497 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $1,046,280,000 after purchasing an additional 6,054,537 shares during the period. 80.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Freeport-McMoRan Announces Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th were given a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 15th. Freeport-McMoRans dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.13%. Freeport-McMoRan Company Profile (Get Free Report) Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Freeport-McMoRan Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Freeport-McMoRan and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cargojet Inc. (TSE:CJT Free Report) Research analysts at Raymond James Financial issued their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Cargojet in a research report issued on Thursday, November 6th. Raymond James Financial analyst S. Hansen expects that the company will post earnings per share of $0.81 for the quarter. Raymond James Financial has a Moderate Buy rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Cargojets current full-year earnings is $5.89 per share. Get Cargojet alerts: Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on CJT. National Bankshares cut their target price on Cargojet from C$123.00 to C$120.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. ATB Capital dropped their price objective on Cargojet from C$155.00 to C$145.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Desjardins set a C$149.00 target price on shares of Cargojet and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Acumen Capital lowered their target price on shares of Cargojet from C$175.00 to C$170.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 11th. Finally, TD Securities cut their price target on shares of Cargojet from C$160.00 to C$120.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and nine have issued a Buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of C$137.54. Cargojet Stock Down 1.5% CJT traded down C$1.04 during midday trading on Friday, reaching C$66.55. 79,365 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 92,474. The company has a market cap of C$1.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.38 and a beta of 0.85. Cargojet has a one year low of C$65.70 and a one year high of C$139.54. The companys fifty day moving average price is C$90.43 and its 200 day moving average price is C$94.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 98.69, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.56. Cargojet Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 19th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. Cargojets payout ratio is 15.52%. Cargojet Company Profile (Get Free Report) Cargojet Inc operates a domestic air cargo co-load network between sixteen major Canadian cities. The company provides dedicated aircraft to customers on an Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance basis, operating between points in Canada, USA, Mexico and Europe. The company also operates scheduled international routes for multiple cargo customers between the USA and Bermuda, between Canada, UK and Germany; and between Canada and Mexico. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Cargojet Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cargojet and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. 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Investigators also linked the suspect to the financing of a far-right politicians campaign and to the transfer of millions through offshore accounts. CryptoSpain Arrested Over Pyramid Scheme Alvaro Romillo Castillo, known as Cryptospain, was detained on Thursday and denied bail. Authorities considered him a flight risk ahead of his Friday court appearance. The arrest took place under Operation PONEI, led by the Spanish Civil Guard. Officials accuse Castillo of running an international network dedicated to fraud and money laundering through the Madeira Invest Club. The club began operating in early 2023. It presented itself as a private investment group offering deals in real estate, luxury vehicles, yachts, whiskey, gold, and cryptocurrencies. https://twitter.com/guardiacivil/status/1986476455983738967?s=20 The scheme lured investors with promises of fixed returns and guaranteed buybacks. Participants believed their money was used to buy digital artworks that the club would later repurchase at a higher price. Investigators later found no real business activity behind the operation. Instead, it functioned as a pyramid scheme, using funds from new investors to pay older ones. Authorities also revealed that the network maintained bank accounts and shell companies in at least eight countries. The case took a political turn when investigators uncovered potential links between Castillo and a Spanish far-right politician. Far-Right Party Leader Faces Funding Scrutiny According to reports, Castillo admitted to contributing $115,000 to the 2024 election campaign of Member of the European Parliament Luis Alvise Perez Fernandez. Spains Public Prosecutors Office has requested a broader investigation into the politicians campaign financing. Officials allege that Fernandez sought Castillos help to create crypto wallets that could receive anonymous donations without government oversight. Fernandez, a prominent right-wing figure, gained popularity through social media and his criticism of immigration policies. He launched his political movement, Se Acabo La Fiesta, in April 2024. The party won three seats during the last European Parliament elections. This success has drawn even closer scrutiny to its funding sources and possible links to illicit activity. Against this backdrop, prosecutors are now considering expanding their probe to include Castillos alleged role in facilitating anonymous donations and money laundering. BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by BTIG Research from $200.00 to $225.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the technology companys stock. BTIG Researchs price target would suggest a potential upside of 20.26% from the companys current price. Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on BWXT. Zacks Research upgraded shares of BWX Technologies from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. William Blair restated an outperform rating on shares of BWX Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of BWX Technologies from $173.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of BWX Technologies from $155.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $180.00 price target on BWX Technologies and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $179.62. Get BWX Technologies alerts: View Our Latest Report on BWX Technologies BWX Technologies Price Performance Shares of NYSE BWXT traded down $6.83 during trading on Friday, hitting $187.10. The company had a trading volume of 378,371 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,163,694. BWX Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $84.21 and a fifty-two week high of $218.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 58.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $186.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $154.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The technology company reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.85 by $0.15. BWX Technologies had a return on equity of 30.61% and a net margin of 10.28%.The company had revenue of $866.29 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $795.48 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.83 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. BWX Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.800 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that BWX Technologies will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Activity at BWX Technologies In other news, SVP Ronald Owen Whitford, Jr. sold 2,092 shares of BWX Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.43, for a total transaction of $371,183.56. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 10,149 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,800,737.07. The trade was a 17.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Leland D. Melvin sold 600 shares of BWX Technologies stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.26, for a total transaction of $106,956.00. Following the sale, the director owned 5,579 shares in the company, valued at approximately $994,512.54. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On BWX Technologies Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in BWX Technologies by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 4,188 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $772,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in shares of BWX Technologies by 32.9% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 339,939 shares of the technology companys stock worth $62,675,000 after buying an additional 84,085 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its holdings in shares of BWX Technologies by 1.5% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 31,299 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $5,771,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in BWX Technologies by 10.4% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 11,071 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $2,041,000 after buying an additional 1,039 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in BWX Technologies by 17.4% during the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 19,691 shares of the technology companys stock worth $3,631,000 after acquiring an additional 2,914 shares during the period. 94.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About BWX Technologies (Get Free Report) BWX Technologies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells nuclear components in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Government Operations and Commercial Operations. The Government Operations segment designs and manufactures naval nuclear components, reactors, and nuclear fuel; fabrication activities; and supplies proprietary and sole-source valves, manifolds, and fittings to naval and commercial shipping customers. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for BWX Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for BWX Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Globus Medical (NYSE:GMED Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Bank of America from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $91.00 price target on the medical device companys stock, up from their prior price target of $65.00. Bank of Americas price objective suggests a potential upside of 12.04% from the companys previous close. GMED has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Globus Medical from $75.00 to $68.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Canaccord Genuity Group cut their target price on Globus Medical from $97.00 to $90.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Wall Street Zen downgraded Globus Medical from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Globus Medical in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. They set a hold rating and a $64.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Globus Medical from $76.00 to $66.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Globus Medical presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $86.27. Get Globus Medical alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on GMED Globus Medical Price Performance Shares of GMED traded up $19.51 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $81.22. The stock had a trading volume of 5,379,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,423,626. Globus Medical has a 1-year low of $51.79 and a 1-year high of $94.93. The company has a market cap of $10.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.42, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.15. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $59.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.91. Globus Medical (NYSE:GMED Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The medical device company reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.39. The business had revenue of $769.05 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $734.58 million. Globus Medical had a return on equity of 10.65% and a net margin of 13.58%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 22.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.83 EPS. Globus Medical has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.750-3.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Globus Medical will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Globus Medical In related news, Director Ann D. Rhoads sold 10,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.46, for a total value of $584,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,384 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,483,948.64. This trade represents a 28.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 18.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its position in shares of Globus Medical by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 39,035 shares of the medical device companys stock worth $2,236,000 after buying an additional 943 shares in the last quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Globus Medical by 5.1% during the 3rd quarter. Conscious Wealth Investments LLC now owns 49,052 shares of the medical device companys stock worth $2,962,000 after purchasing an additional 2,364 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Globus Medical by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 40,466 shares of the medical device companys stock valued at $2,317,000 after buying an additional 1,782 shares during the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in Globus Medical by 36.4% during the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 48,060 shares of the medical device companys stock worth $2,752,000 after buying an additional 12,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caprock Group LLC purchased a new position in Globus Medical during the third quarter worth $621,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.16% of the companys stock. Globus Medical Company Profile (Get Free Report) Globus Medical, Inc, a medical device company, develops and commercializes healthcare solutions for patients with musculoskeletal disorders in the United States and internationally. The company offers spine products, such as traditional fusion implants comprising pedicle screw and rod systems, plating systems, intervertebral spacers, and corpectomy devices for treating degenerative and congenital conditions, deformity, tumors, and trauma injuries; treatment options for motion preservation technologies that consist of dynamic stabilization, total disc replacement, and interspinous distraction devices; interventional solutions to treat vertebral compression fractures; and regenerative biologic products comprising of allografts and synthetic alternatives. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Globus Medical Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Globus Medical and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CFG Free Report) Analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q2 2027 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Citizens Financial Group in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, November 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the bank will post earnings per share of $1.46 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.41. The consensus estimate for Citizens Financial Groups current full-year earnings is $3.92 per share. Get Citizens Financial Group alerts: Citizens Financial Group (NYSE:CFG Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The bank reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.03 by $0.02. Citizens Financial Group had a net margin of 14.17% and a return on equity of 7.48%. The firm had revenue of $2.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. The companys revenue was up 11.4% on a year-over-year basis. Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on CFG. DA Davidson reissued a buy rating and set a $59.00 price objective on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Stephens reissued an overweight rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Citizens Financial Group from $57.00 to $61.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Citizens Financial Group from $58.00 to $56.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Citizens Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $56.57. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Citizens Financial Group Citizens Financial Group Price Performance Shares of CFG traded down $0.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.55. 995,558 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,716,314. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.19, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $51.80 and a 200 day moving average of $46.67. Citizens Financial Group has a one year low of $32.60 and a one year high of $55.24. Institutional Trading of Citizens Financial Group A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of CFG. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Citizens Financial Group by 891.5% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 585 shares of the banks stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 526 shares in the last quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its holdings in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 177.5% in the second quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 641 shares of the banks stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Investors Research Corp lifted its position in shares of Citizens Financial Group by 344.8% in the second quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 645 shares of the banks stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Citizens Financial Group by 16,900.0% during the second quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 680 shares of the banks stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 676 shares during the last quarter. Finally, REAP Financial Group LLC grew its position in Citizens Financial Group by 72.4% in the second quarter. REAP Financial Group LLC now owns 736 shares of the banks stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. 94.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. Citizens Financial Group Increases Dividend The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 29th will be paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 29th. This is a boost from Citizens Financial Groups previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Citizens Financial Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 51.54%. About Citizens Financial Group (Get Free Report) Citizens Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company that provides retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, corporations, and institutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Consumer Banking and Commercial Banking. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Citizens Financial Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Citizens Financial Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Warrior Met Coal (NYSE:HCC Get Free Report) CEO Walter Scheller sold 18,966 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.00, for a total value of $1,422,450.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 394,183 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $29,563,725. This trade represents a 4.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Warrior Met Coal Trading Down 1.7% Shares of HCC stock traded down $1.40 on Friday, hitting $79.91. 405,997 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 951,067. Warrior Met Coal has a one year low of $38.00 and a one year high of $82.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a quick ratio of 3.44 and a current ratio of 4.59. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $63.50 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 119.03 and a beta of 0.75. Get Warrior Met Coal alerts: Warrior Met Coal (NYSE:HCC Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by $0.91. Warrior Met Coal had a return on equity of 2.01% and a net margin of 2.87%.The company had revenue of $328.59 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $302.51 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.80 earnings per share. Warrior Met Coals quarterly revenue was up .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Warrior Met Coal will post 4.86 EPS for the current year. Warrior Met Coal Dividend Announcement Analyst Ratings Changes The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Warrior Met Coals dividend payout ratio is currently 41.56%. A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Warrior Met Coal from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. B. Riley reiterated a buy rating on shares of Warrior Met Coal in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Warrior Met Coal from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Warrior Met Coal in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Warrior Met Coal from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $71.50. Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Warrior Met Coal Institutional Trading of Warrior Met Coal A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. L1 Capital Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in Warrior Met Coal by 175.8% in the 2nd quarter. L1 Capital Pty Ltd now owns 1,981,045 shares of the companys stock worth $90,791,000 after buying an additional 1,262,736 shares during the last quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 130.4% in the 2nd quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,889,025 shares of the companys stock valued at $86,574,000 after purchasing an additional 1,069,025 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,099,070 shares of the companys stock valued at $187,860,000 after buying an additional 825,807 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Warrior Met Coal by 1,918.4% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 680,515 shares of the companys stock worth $32,474,000 after acquiring an additional 646,799 shares during the period. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Warrior Met Coal by 18.4% in the 1st quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,361,627 shares of the companys stock valued at $112,697,000 after purchasing an additional 367,326 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.28% of the companys stock. Warrior Met Coal Company Profile (Get Free Report) Warrior Met Coal, Inc produces and exports non-thermal metallurgical coal for the steel industry. It operates two underground mines located in Alabama. The company sells its metallurgical coal to a customer base of blast furnace steel producers located primarily in Europe, South America, and Asia. It also sells natural gas, which is extracted as a byproduct from coal production. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Warrior Met Coal Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Warrior Met Coal and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. European Lithium Limited (ASX:EUR Get Free Report) insider Mykhailo Zhernov acquired 5,585,298 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of A$0.08 per share, with a total value of A$446,823.84. European Lithium Price Performance The company has a current ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 44.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 32.44. The firm has a market cap of $75.54 million, a P/E ratio of -0.35 and a beta of 1.79. Get European Lithium alerts: European Lithium Company Profile (Get Free Report) Further Reading European Lithium Limited explores for and develops lithium deposits in Austria and Australia. The company focuses on the development of the Wolfsberg lithium project that consists of various original and overlapping exploration licenses, and a mining license covering various mining areas located in Carinthia. Receive News & Ratings for European Lithium Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for European Lithium and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Figma, Inc. (NYSE:FIG Get Free Report) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday . 9,723,609 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 14% from the previous sessions volume of 11,318,122 shares.The stock last traded at $44.41 and had previously closed at $45.98. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of analysts have recently commented on FIG shares. William Blair restated an outperform rating on shares of Figma in a report on Thursday, September 4th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on Figma from $85.00 to $70.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on Figma from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 4th. Zacks Research raised shares of Figma to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Figma in a research report on Monday, August 25th. They issued a neutral rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Figma presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $62.00. Get Figma alerts: Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on FIG Figma Price Performance The companys 50-day moving average is $55.98. Figma (NYSE:FIG Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.56) by $1.66. The company had revenue of $274.17 million for the quarter. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 38.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.04 earnings per share. Figma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. Insider Transactions at Figma In other Figma news, General Counsel Brendan Mulligan sold 9,526 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.17, for a total value of $458,867.42. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel owned 937,480 shares of the companys stock, valued at $45,158,411.60. The trade was a 1.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Tyler Herb sold 3,133 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.17, for a total value of $150,916.61. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 226,087 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,890,610.79. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 129,230 shares of company stock worth $6,225,009. 45.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Figma Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FIG. Baillie Gifford & Co. bought a new position in Figma in the 3rd quarter valued at about $154,242,000. Alphabet Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Figma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $11,182,000. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. bought a new position in Figma in the third quarter valued at approximately $11,075,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Figma during the third quarter valued at approximately $8,734,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Figma during the third quarter valued at approximately $5,815,000. Figma Company Profile (Get Free Report) Figma is where teams come together to turn ideas into the worlds best digital products and experiences. Every day, billions of people around the world use apps, websites, and other digital experiences that are made in Figma. Theyre looking up directions on Google Maps; requesting rides with Uber; checking in for flights on JetBlue; streaming shows on Netflix; learning languages with Duolingo; asking questions of Claude; connecting on LinkedIn; buying goods on Mercado Libre; or booking stays and experiences with Airbnb. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Figma Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Figma and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Oracle Power plc (LON:ORCP Get Free Report) rose 14.6% on Friday . The company traded as high as GBX 0.06 and last traded at GBX 0.05. Approximately 736,378,938 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 214% from the average daily volume of 234,248,531 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 0.04. Oracle Power Stock Up 12.2% The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.98, a quick ratio of 5.67 and a current ratio of 3.74. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 0.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 0.02. The firm has a market capitalization of 7.23 million, a PE ratio of -23.00 and a beta of 1.44. About Oracle Power (Get Free Report) Oracle Power Plc (AIM: ORCP) is an international project developer in the natural resources and energy sectors. The Company is currently committed to two areas of focus: Western Australia, home to two of Oracles highly prospective gold projects, and Pakistan, where it is working to establish one of the largest hydrogen production facilities in the region. Located in the wind corridor in Jhimpir, Pakistan, The Green Hydrogen project is being developed on a fast-track basis thanks to the joint venture (JV) formed between Oracle and His Highness Shaikh Ahmed Dalmook Al Maktoum (through his wholly owned company, Kaheel Energy Limited). The JV intends to support the global transition to a carbon neutral future through establishing Pakistan as one of the main Green Hydrogen players in the region, to meet global demand for clean hydrogen forecasted to be 660 million metric tons in 2050. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for Oracle Power Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Oracle Power and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD Get Free Report)s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $9.55 and last traded at $9.4450, with a volume of 2074388 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $9.11. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d-) rating on shares of Brookdale Senior Living in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays set a $8.00 price target on Brookdale Senior Living and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Brookdale Senior Living from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $8.33. Get Brookdale Senior Living alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on BKD Brookdale Senior Living Trading Up 3.1% The firm has a market cap of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -8.95 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 39.87, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The business has a 50-day moving average of $8.33 and a 200-day moving average of $7.48. Brookdale Senior Living (NYSE:BKD Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.48) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.16) by ($0.32). The company had revenue of $813.17 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $825.59 million. Brookdale Senior Living had a negative net margin of 7.60% and a negative return on equity of 107.19%. Research analysts anticipate that Brookdale Senior Living Inc. will post -0.56 EPS for the current year. Institutional Trading of Brookdale Senior Living Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BKD. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of Brookdale Senior Living by 647.2% in the second quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 1,307,068 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,097,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132,138 shares during the last quarter. Anson Funds Management LP lifted its holdings in Brookdale Senior Living by 199.4% during the 1st quarter. Anson Funds Management LP now owns 538,880 shares of the companys stock worth $3,373,000 after purchasing an additional 358,880 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Brookdale Senior Living by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,234,645 shares of the companys stock valued at $13,989,000 after purchasing an additional 159,098 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its holdings in Brookdale Senior Living by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS now owns 35,100 shares of the companys stock valued at $244,000 after buying an additional 2,300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Brookdale Senior Living during the 2nd quarter worth $3,730,000. Brookdale Senior Living Company Profile (Get Free Report) Brookdale Senior Living Inc owns, manages, and operates senior living communities in the United States. It operates in three segments: Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs). The Independent Living segment owns or leases communities comprising independent and assisted living units in a single community that are primarily designed for middle to upper income seniors. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Brookdale Senior Living Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Brookdale Senior Living and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS Get Free Report) had its target price upped by equities research analysts at Barclays from $287.00 to $300.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an equal weight rating on the technology companys stock. Barclayss price target points to a potential upside of 9.76% from the companys current price. WTS has been the subject of several other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a hold rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a report on Friday, August 8th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Watts Water Technologies from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Watts Water Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b+) rating on shares of Watts Water Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Watts Water Technologies from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Sunday, October 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $264.25. Get Watts Water Technologies alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Watts Water Technologies Watts Water Technologies Trading Up 3.7% NYSE:WTS traded up $9.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $273.32. The company had a trading volume of 146,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 190,777. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.59. Watts Water Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $177.59 and a fifty-two week high of $287.89. The firm has a market cap of $9.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.39, a P/E/G ratio of 3.27 and a beta of 1.17. The businesss fifty day moving average is $277.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $257.30. Watts Water Technologies (NYSE:WTS Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The technology company reported $2.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.29 by $0.21. Watts Water Technologies had a net margin of 13.63% and a return on equity of 18.11%. The firm had revenue of $611.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $576.20 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.03 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. Watts Water Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Watts Water Technologies will post 9.08 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Activity at Watts Water Technologies In related news, Director Joseph T. Noonan sold 713 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $274.45, for a total value of $195,682.85. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,194 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $327,693.30. This trade represents a 37.39% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WTS. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in Watts Water Technologies by 80.0% in the 3rd quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 6,978 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $1,949,000 after purchasing an additional 3,101 shares during the last quarter. Glenview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Texas Yale Capital Corp. lifted its position in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 4.4% in the third quarter. Texas Yale Capital Corp. now owns 940 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Watts Water Technologies by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,263 shares of the technology companys stock worth $353,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Balboa Wealth Partners bought a new position in shares of Watts Water Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $209,000. 95.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Watts Water Technologies Company Profile (Get Free Report) Watts Water Technologies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, supplies products and solutions that manage and conserve the flow of fluids and energy into, through, and out of buildings in the commercial, industrial, and residential markets in the Americas, Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Watts Water Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Watts Water Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Dynatrace (NYSE:DT Get Free Report) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 0.400-0.420 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 0.330. The company issued revenue guidance of $503.0 million-$508.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $501.6 million. Dynatrace also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 1.620-1.640 EPS. Dynatrace Price Performance DT stock traded up $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $47.18. The company had a trading volume of 4,414,054 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,084,406. The company has a market capitalization of $14.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.25, a PEG ratio of 4.18 and a beta of 0.85. Dynatrace has a 52 week low of $39.30 and a 52 week high of $63.00. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.78. Get Dynatrace alerts: Dynatrace (NYSE:DT Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.03. Dynatrace had a net margin of 27.33% and a return on equity of 9.24%. The business had revenue of $493.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $487.33 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. Dynatraces revenue was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. Dynatrace has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.400-0.420 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 1.620-1.640 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Dynatrace will post 0.68 EPS for the current year. Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms recently commented on DT. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Dynatrace from $68.00 to $64.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Dynatrace in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Dynatrace in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. They set an overweight rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Dynatrace from $66.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Dynatrace in a research note on Wednesday, August 27th. They set an outperform rating and a $65.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Dynatrace currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $62.27. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Dynatrace Insider Buying and Selling at Dynatrace In related news, CAO Daniel S. Yates sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.89, for a total value of $99,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 22,555 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,125,268.95. This represents a 8.14% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Dan Zugelder sold 7,503 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.00, for a total value of $375,150.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 1,420 shares of the companys stock, valued at $71,000. The trade was a 84.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 10,602 shares of company stock worth $529,579 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.57% of the companys stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dynatrace Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in DT. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its position in Dynatrace by 21.3% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,548 shares of the companys stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in shares of Dynatrace by 19.2% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,161 shares of the companys stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its position in shares of Dynatrace by 0.5% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 137,156 shares of the companys stock worth $7,572,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC raised its stake in Dynatrace by 18.8% during the second quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 7,018 shares of the companys stock worth $387,000 after buying an additional 1,110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Dynatrace by 0.6% during the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 188,688 shares of the companys stock worth $10,417,000 after buying an additional 1,145 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.28% of the companys stock. About Dynatrace (Get Free Report) Dynatrace, Inc provides a security platform for multicloud environments in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates Dynatrace, a security platform, which provides application and microservices monitoring, runtime application security, infrastructure monitoring, log management and analytics, digital experience monitoring, digital business analytics, and cloud automation. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Dynatrace Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Dynatrace and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Paxos accidentally minted $300 trillion in stablecoins on Oct. 17, more than double the world's GDP. The error was quickly caught and reversed within minutes, with no impact on customer funds, highlighting both the fragility and resilience of crypto infrastructure. The Anatomy of a Near-Catastrophic Mistake CEO Chad Cascarilla told CNBC the error was a manual mistake involving control systems that separate cold offline storage from warm online systems. These security layers are designed to protect customer assets but can create opportunities for operational mistakes when moving between them. Don't Miss: Everyone understood this was not a real number that was minted, Cascarilla said, acknowledging the scale of what he called a fantastically large mistake. What makes this incident particularly instructive is how quickly Paxos systems identified and corrected the problem. The erroneous minting was caught within a minute or two and immediately rolled back, Cascarilla told CNBC. Critically, the movement was contained between two internal Paxos wallets, meaning no funds ever reached the publicly available blockchain where they could have been double minted or leaked into the broader tokenization ecosystem, Cascarilla said. The Transparency Paradox Heres where the story takes an interesting turn: The same blockchain technology that made this internal mistake visible to the public is exactly what prevented it from becoming catastrophic. In traditional financial systems, operational errors of this magnitude might remain hidden for extended periods, eroding trust when they finally surface. Trending: Wall Street's $12B Real Estate Manager Is Opening Its Doors to Individual Investors Without the Crowdfunding Middlemen In traditional financial crises, you often dont know what to trust or what is happening underneath the hood, Cascarilla told CNBC. By contrast, blockchain provides transparency that allows users to understand who owns what and wheneven when problems occur internally. This transparency creates accountability that can ultimately build stronger systems. The blockchain provides more transparency than traditional systems, allowing users to understand who owns what and when, Cascarilla said. This ability to see problems and learn from them can put society in a position of having a system that is safer and more trusted over time. Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR Get Free Report) had its price objective lowered by research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $127.00 to $96.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price objective would suggest a potential upside of 45.12% from the companys previous close. Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Shift4 Payments from $92.00 to $86.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Truist Financial set a $80.00 price objective on shares of Shift4 Payments in a research note on Friday, October 24th. DA Davidson cut their target price on shares of Shift4 Payments from $124.00 to $114.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Shift4 Payments from $100.00 to $95.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Shift4 Payments from $82.00 to $77.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Shift4 Payments presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $102.25. Get Shift4 Payments alerts: View Our Latest Stock Report on Shift4 Payments Shift4 Payments Trading Down 1.0% NYSE FOUR traded down $0.67 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $66.15. The companys stock had a trading volume of 4,233,271 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,891,846. Shift4 Payments has a twelve month low of $61.23 and a twelve month high of $127.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.50, a PEG ratio of 0.68 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a quick ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.99. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $79.55 and a 200 day moving average of $88.35. Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.50 by ($0.03). Shift4 Payments had a net margin of 6.11% and a return on equity of 37.05%. The business had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.04 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 61.4% on a year-over-year basis. Shift4 Payments has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Shift4 Payments will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Transactions at Shift4 Payments In other Shift4 Payments news, Chairman Jared Isaacman acquired 104,705 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $83.61 per share, for a total transaction of $8,754,385.05. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chairman directly owned 939,715 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $78,569,571.15. This trade represents a 12.54% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider James J. Whalen sold 794 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.89, for a total transaction of $71,372.66. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 56,324 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,062,964.36. This represents a 1.39% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 25.15% of the companys stock. Institutional Trading of Shift4 Payments Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in Shift4 Payments during the first quarter worth about $726,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Shift4 Payments by 18.6% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 72,194 shares of the companys stock worth $5,899,000 after purchasing an additional 11,307 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Shift4 Payments by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,641 shares of the companys stock worth $298,000 after purchasing an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Shift4 Payments by 10.0% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,092 shares of the companys stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 463 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bosman Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Shift4 Payments by 79.9% in the 1st quarter. Bosman Wealth Management LLC now owns 43,798 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,579,000 after buying an additional 19,456 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.87% of the companys stock. About Shift4 Payments (Get Free Report) Shift4 Payments, Inc (NYSE FOUR) provides integrated payment processing and technology solutions in the United States. Its payments platform provides omni-channel card acceptance and processing solutions, including end-to-end payment processing for various payment types; merchant acquiring; proprietary omni-channel gateway; complementary software integrations; integrated and mobile point-of-sale (POS) solutions; security and risk management solutions; and reporting and analytical tools, as well as tokenization, risk management/underwriting, payment device and chargeback management, fraud prevention, and gift card solutions. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Shift4 Payments Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Shift4 Payments and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Breedon Group (LON:BREE Get Free Report) had its target price reduced by Royal Bank Of Canada from GBX 575 to GBX 525 in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price objective suggests a potential upside of 61.64% from the companys previous close. A number of other analysts have also commented on the stock. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 540 price objective on shares of Breedon Group in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Breedon Group from GBX 410 to GBX 360 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 486.25. Get Breedon Group alerts: View Our Latest Research Report on Breedon Group Breedon Group Trading Down 2.4% Insider Buying and Selling at Breedon Group Shares of LON BREE traded down GBX 8 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting GBX 324.80. 826,272 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,819,040. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 44.86. Breedon Group has a 1 year low of GBX 321.80 and a 1 year high of GBX 501. The stock has a market capitalization of 1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.49, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50 day moving average of GBX 351.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 389.07. In other news, insider Amit Bhatia acquired 150,000 shares of Breedon Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 393 per share, with a total value of 589,500. Also, insider Clive Watson bought 1,223 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 12th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 371 per share, for a total transaction of 4,537.33. Insiders own 42.37% of the companys stock. Breedon Group Company Profile (Get Free Report) Breedon Group plc, a leading vertically-integrated construction materials group in Great Britain, Ireland and the USA, delivers essential products to the construction sector. Breedon holds 1.5bn tonnes of mineral reserves and resources with long reserve life, supplying value-added products and services, including specialty materials, surfacing and highway maintenance operations, to a broad range of customers through its extensive local network of quarries, ready-mixed concrete and asphalt plants. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Breedon Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Breedon Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Paragon Banking Group (LON:PAG Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Shore Capital to a buy rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has a GBX 1,000 price objective on the stock, up from their prior price objective of GBX 975. Shore Capitals price objective would indicate a potential upside of 25.71% from the companys previous close. A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on PAG. Canaccord Genuity Group reissued a buy rating and issued a GBX 1,001 target price on shares of Paragon Banking Group in a report on Monday, August 4th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Paragon Banking Group from GBX 930 to GBX 1,015 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a GBX 975 price objective on shares of Paragon Banking Group in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of GBX 997.75. Get Paragon Banking Group alerts: Read Our Latest Research Report on Paragon Banking Group Paragon Banking Group Stock Down 0.6% Insider Activity PAG traded down GBX 4.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching GBX 795.50. 887,468 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 756,504. The companys fifty day moving average price is GBX 854.13 and its 200-day moving average price is GBX 886.84. The stock has a market capitalization of 1.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.50 and a beta of 1.52. Paragon Banking Group has a 52-week low of GBX 650.50 and a 52-week high of GBX 981. In other news, insider Nigel S. Terrington bought 3,030 shares of Paragon Banking Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 857 per share, with a total value of 25,967.10. Also, insider Richard Woodman bought 1,914 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 857 per share, for a total transaction of 16,402.98. 1.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders. About Paragon Banking Group (Get Free Report) Paragon is a specialist banking group. It offers a range of savings accounts and provide finance for landlords and small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) and residential property developers in the UK. Founded in 1985 and listed on the London Stock Exchange, it is a FTSE-250 company. Headquartered in Solihull, it employs more than 1,400 people. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Paragon Banking Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Paragon Banking Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Ashtead Group (LON:AHT Get Free Report)s stock had its underperform rating restated by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a GBX 4,600 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price objective points to a potential downside of 1.84% from the stocks current price. AHT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a no recommendation rating on shares of Ashtead Group in a report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group cut Ashtead Group to a hold rating and dropped their price target for the company from GBX 5,900 to GBX 5,700 in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a GBX 5,000 price target on shares of Ashtead Group in a research note on Friday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of GBX 5,920. Get Ashtead Group alerts: Get Our Latest Stock Report on Ashtead Group Ashtead Group Price Performance About Ashtead Group Shares of LON AHT traded down GBX 104 during trading on Friday, hitting GBX 4,686. 162,732,766 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,912,730. The company has a market cap of 19.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.73, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22. Ashtead Group has a 1 year low of GBX 3,477 and a 1 year high of GBX 6,448. The firms fifty day moving average price is GBX 5,221.26 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 4,828.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 146.30, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 1.13. (Get Free Report) Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Ashtead Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Ashtead Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV Get Free Report) CFO Daniel Frey sold 25,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $278.25, for a total value of $6,956,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 26,932 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,493,829. This trade represents a 48.14% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Travelers Companies Stock Performance Travelers Companies stock traded up $3.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $279.52. The companys stock had a trading volume of 931,147 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,298,867. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The Travelers Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $230.23 and a twelve month high of $287.95. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $274.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $268.53. The firm has a market cap of $62.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.99, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.55. Get Travelers Companies alerts: Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The insurance provider reported $8.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.01 by $2.13. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 12.14% and a return on equity of 20.28%. The company had revenue of $11.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.15 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $5.24 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Travelers Companies, Inc. will post 17.02 EPS for the current fiscal year. Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement Analyst Ratings Changes The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 10th will be paid a dividend of $1.10 per share. This represents a $4.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 10th. Travelers Companiess dividend payout ratio is presently 17.30%. TRV has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Cantor Fitzgerald raised shares of Travelers Companies to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. Zacks Research raised Travelers Companies from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $320.00 to $322.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their target price on shares of Travelers Companies from $304.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed a positive rating on shares of Travelers Companies in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Travelers Companies has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $291.31. View Our Latest Research Report on Travelers Companies Institutional Investors Weigh In On Travelers Companies A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TRV. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 71,265.9% during the second quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 3,616,826 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $967,646,000 after purchasing an additional 3,611,758 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Travelers Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $815,013,000. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in Travelers Companies during the first quarter valued at about $294,755,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in Travelers Companies by 10.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 7,626,750 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $2,040,475,000 after buying an additional 751,715 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Travelers Companies by 41.2% in the first quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 1,679,275 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $444,101,000 after buying an additional 490,039 shares during the period. 82.45% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Travelers Companies Company Profile (Get Free Report) The Travelers Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Travelers Companies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Travelers Companies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE:EGP Get Free Report) EVP Richard Reid Dunbar sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,630 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,610,250. This represents a 8.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. EastGroup Properties Stock Up 1.8% Shares of EGP traded up $3.22 on Friday, reaching $177.71. The stock had a trading volume of 213,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 413,995. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.01 and a current ratio of 0.01. EastGroup Properties, Inc. has a 12-month low of $137.67 and a 12-month high of $188.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.67 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $168.42. Get EastGroup Properties alerts: EastGroup Properties (NYSE:EGP Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.28 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $182.14 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $181.88 million. EastGroup Properties had a return on equity of 7.28% and a net margin of 35.58%.EastGroup Propertiess revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.13 EPS. EastGroup Properties has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.940-8.980 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 2.300-2.340 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that EastGroup Properties, Inc. will post 8.94 EPS for the current year. EastGroup Properties Increases Dividend Analysts Set New Price Targets The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were paid a dividend of $1.55 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. This is an increase from EastGroup Propertiess previous quarterly dividend of $1.40. This represents a $6.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. EastGroup Propertiess payout ratio is presently 130.25%. A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EGP shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of EastGroup Properties in a research note on Wednesday. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded EastGroup Properties from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and set a $207.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on EastGroup Properties from $180.00 to $179.00 and set an in-line rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on EastGroup Properties from $190.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $183.00 price objective on shares of EastGroup Properties and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $191.33. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on EastGroup Properties Hedge Funds Weigh In On EastGroup Properties Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EGP. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of EastGroup Properties by 159.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 161 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of EastGroup Properties during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in shares of EastGroup Properties by 1,035.7% in the 1st quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 159 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in shares of EastGroup Properties in the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Mather Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of EastGroup Properties in the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Institutional investors own 92.14% of the companys stock. EastGroup Properties Company Profile (Get Free Report) EastGroup Properties, Inc (NYSE: EGP), a member of the S&P Mid-Cap 400 and Russell 1000 Indexes, is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust focused on the development, acquisition and operation of industrial properties in major Sunbelt markets throughout the United States with an emphasis in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for EastGroup Properties Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for EastGroup Properties and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Cascades (TSE:CAS Get Free Report) had its target price hoisted by equities researchers at Royal Bank Of Canada from C$13.00 to C$14.00 in a research note issued on Friday,BayStreet.CA reports. The firm presently has an outperform rating on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canadas price objective would suggest a potential upside of 17.85% from the companys current price. A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on CAS. Desjardins boosted their target price on shares of Cascades from C$10.50 to C$13.50 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Friday. TD Securities upgraded Cascades from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Cascades currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of C$13.00. Get Cascades alerts: Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on CAS Cascades Stock Performance Cascades Company Profile Shares of Cascades stock traded up C$0.21 during midday trading on Friday, hitting C$11.88. The company had a trading volume of 262,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 225,997. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of C$10.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$9.51. The stock has a market cap of C$1.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -148.50, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.87. Cascades has a 12-month low of C$8.30 and a 12-month high of C$13.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 121.37. (Get Free Report) Cascades Inc, along with its subsidiaries, produces, converts and markets packaging and tissue products composed mainly of recycled fibres. The company is organized into four main business segments: Containerboard, Boxboard Europe, Specialty Products (which constitutes packaging products), and Tissue Papers. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Cascades Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Cascades and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. Klaviyo (NYSE:KVYO Get Free Report) had its price target dropped by equities researchers at The Goldman Sachs Group from $48.00 to $41.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a buy rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Groups price objective suggests a potential upside of 34.82% from the companys previous close. A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on KVYO. Macquarie reiterated a neutral rating and set a $37.00 target price on shares of Klaviyo in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Cantor Fitzgerald cut their price target on Klaviyo from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Klaviyo from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday. Needham & Company LLC reissued a buy rating and issued a $45.00 price objective on shares of Klaviyo in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of Klaviyo from a neutral rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nineteen have issued a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $43.00. Get Klaviyo alerts: Get Our Latest Analysis on Klaviyo Klaviyo Trading Up 5.6% Shares of KVYO traded up $1.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $30.41. The stock had a trading volume of 6,609,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,230,619. The firm has a market cap of $9.12 billion, a PE ratio of -126.71 and a beta of 1.26. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $28.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.25. Klaviyo has a one year low of $23.44 and a one year high of $49.55. Klaviyo (NYSE:KVYO Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The company reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Klaviyo had a negative net margin of 5.70% and a negative return on equity of 1.02%. The business had revenue of $293.12 million during the quarter. As a group, research analysts forecast that Klaviyo will post 0.04 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity at Klaviyo In other news, Director Ledger Susan St. sold 3,413 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.20, for a total value of $109,898.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 10,939 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $352,235.80. The trade was a 23.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Stephen Eric Rowland sold 7,105 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.35, for a total transaction of $173,006.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 431,516 shares in the company, valued at $10,507,414.60. This trade represents a 1.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 5,741,781 shares of company stock valued at $180,719,288. 49.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in KVYO. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of Klaviyo in the first quarter valued at approximately $352,000. Alps Advisors Inc. grew its position in Klaviyo by 8.7% during the first quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 25,977 shares of the companys stock worth $786,000 after buying an additional 2,088 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in Klaviyo by 22.7% during the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 20,684 shares of the companys stock worth $626,000 after acquiring an additional 3,830 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its holdings in Klaviyo by 227.5% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 930 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 646 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Klaviyo by 20.7% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,807 shares of the companys stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 1,338 shares during the period. 45.43% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. About Klaviyo (Get Free Report) Klaviyo, Inc, a technology company, provides a software-as-a-service platform in the United States, other Americas, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers Klaviyo, a cloud-native platform for data store, segmentation engine, campaigns and flows, and messaging infrastructure. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Klaviyo Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Klaviyo and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter. With a market cap of $218.8 billion, Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is a global healthcare leader with a diversified portfolio spanning medical devices, diagnostics, nutrition, and branded generic pharmaceuticals. The North Chicago, Illinois-based company is best known for innovations like its FreeStyle Libre glucose monitoring system. Abbott plays a major role in chronic disease management, lab testing technologies, and specialized nutrition with brands such as Ensure, Pedialyte, and Similac. Over the past year, ABT shares have soared 5.8%, trailing the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX), which has gained 17.5%. Moreover, ABT stock has risen 10.1% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's 15.6% rise. More News from Barchart Looking closer, Abbott has outpaced the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund's (XLV) 1.5% decrease over the past 52 weeks and 5.9% rise in 2025. www.barchart.com On Oct. 15, shares of Abbott Laboratories dropped 2.9% after the company reported FY2025 Q3 results. While Revenue came in at $11.37 billion, up 6.9% year over year, it missed the Wall Street expectations. On the bright side, adjusted EPS rose 7.4% to $1.30, matching market expectations. Abbott reaffirmed its full-year 2025 outlook, maintaining organic sales growth guidance of 7.5%8.0% (excluding COVID-related testing) and 6.0%7.0% (including it). The company also kept the midpoint of its adjusted EPS outlook and narrowed the range to $5.12$5.18, representing double-digit growth at the midpoint. For the fiscal year ending in December 2025, analysts expect ABTs EPS to grow 10.3% year-over-year to $5.15. The company's earnings surprise history is promising. It topped or met the consensus estimates in the last four quarters. Among the 29 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a Strong Buy. Thats based on 20 Strong Buy ratings, two Moderate Buys, and seven Holds. www.barchart.com The current configuration is more bullish than a month ago, when 19 analysts advised a Strong Buy for the stock. On Oct. 17, Citi analyst Joanne Wuensch reaffirmed her Buy rating on Abbott Laboratories. On the same day, the stock also received a Buy rating from Benchmark Co. analyst Bruce Jackson. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please visit my profile to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, disable notifications and hide this message. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: November 05, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Adient PLC (NYSE:ADNT) delivered a strong adjusted EBITDA margin of 6.1% and free cash flow of $134 million in Q4, exceeding the high end of their guidance range. The company successfully mitigated tariff exposure through commercial negotiations and supply chain management. Adient PLC (NYSE:ADNT) generated $881 million of adjusted EBITDA and $14.5 billion in sales for the full year, maintaining a solid performance despite customer volume reductions. The company returned $125 million to shareholders through share buybacks, representing a 7% reduction in share count. Adient PLC (NYSE:ADNT) secured $1.2 billion of new business in China, with nearly 70% of wins from domestic China OEMs, strengthening its position as a premier seating supplier in the region. Negative Points Adient PLC (NYSE:ADNT) faced challenging business conditions, including customer volume reductions and dynamic tariff policies throughout the year. Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin were down year-on-year due to the timing of commercial settlements and equity income impacts. The company experienced a decline in sales in Europe due to customer mix and intentional portfolio actions. Adient PLC (NYSE:ADNT) anticipates margin compression in China due to growth with domestic OEMs and volume headwinds from luxury global OEMs. The company expects a significant decremental impact in Q1 fiscal year '26 due to F-150 downtime and Nexperia chip supply challenges. Q & A Highlights Q: Can you provide more details on the 1% forecast underperformance versus S&P, particularly regarding the F-150 and European business wind-downs? A: The 1% underperformance is primarily due to the F-150 downtime and the wind-down of unprofitable business in Europe. For the F-150, we have factored in the known downtime but not the recovery, as Ford has not specified the recovery plan. In Europe, the exit of business at our Sarlouis and Nova Mesto plants contributes to this underperformance. These factors combined capture the 1% drag. - Jerome Dorlech, CEO Q: The volume mix drag seems high at a 26% decremental. Can you explain why it's so significant? A: The high decremental is due to several factors, including the F-150 downtime, which involves staffing challenges and subpay during downtime, and the Nexperia chip shortage impacting North America operations. Additionally, the mix of platforms called off by S&P and the initial lower margins from new business in China contribute to this. - Jerome Dorlech, CEO Kansas City Cover: Another SNAP Decision, For late night & early morning denizens of our blog community . . . We share more than a few items worthy of consideration by way of pop culture, community reporting and top headlines. Check TKC news gathering . . . Locals Step Up Assistance Harvesters faces challenges meeting demand amid SNAP funding woes The government shutdown has created a real need for the community to rely on Harvesters, a local nonprofit that provides food to those in need. Announcing Salty Moniker Kansas City's newest outdoor amphitheater is getting a new name Kansas City's newest live music destination just got a new name - paying homage to a world-famous company headquartered in the metro. Guv Waiting Game Kansas City airport may have flights delayed or canceled by FAA cuts. Here's what to know Kansas City International is not one of the 40 airports expected to be subject to air traffic reductions due to the government shutdown. But the Kansas City Aviation Department says travelers will likely see cancelations or delays because most affected airports are served nonstop from MCI. Building Local History Carriage House Originally built in 1909 to house the Long family's horses, the historic Carriage House is now being thoughtfully restored and reimagined as a dynamic new educational space on The Museum of Kansas City's campus. Deep Dive For Rose From Overland Park to the Atlantic: Collector's Titanic artifacts anchor Union Station exhibit More than a century ago, one ship carried dreams, ambition and fate across the icy Atlantic. A marvel of engineering and luxury, the RMS Titanic became a legend in a single tragic night. Celeb Suffers Tech Snafu Gwyneth Paltrow suffers rare beauty FAIL as she snaps selfie Gwyneth Paltrow suffered a rare beauty fail this week while on her way to a high-profile event. Bench Moves MAGA Federal judge orders Trump administration to make full November SNAP payments | CNN Politics A federal judge in Rhode Island said Thursday that the Trump administration must fully cover food stamp benefits for tens of millions of Americans in November. Mexican Standoff: Too Much?!? Democrats Vow To Continue Shutdown For Sake Of The Party's 'Brand' Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy said Thursday his party's "brand" could undergo "substantial damage" if Democrats were to cave and reopen the federal government. Applauding Boomer Bow Out "Follow her example": Pelosi's retirement reignites Democrats' generational warfare Several House Democrats said they expect Pelosi's former No. 2, Steny Hoyer, to retire next. Pricey Life Lesson A former teacher shot her 6-year-old student wins a $10 million jury verdict Abby Zwerner's lawsuit that accused an administrator of ignoring warnings that a child had a gun at Newport News, Va., school that day. A bullet damaged her left hand and remains in her chest. Assault With Deli Weapon Overlooked Jury acquits D.C. 'sandwich guy' charged with chucking a sub at a federal agent Jurors showed no appetite for the Justice Department's case against "sandwich guy," the D.C. resident who chucked a Subway sandwich at the chest of a federal officer, finding him not guilty on Thursday after several hours of deliberations. Holy Land Strikes Back Israeli jets strike southern Lebanon towns, escalating near-daily attacks Israeli jets have struck several towns in southern Lebanon after urging residents to leave. This marks an escalation in their near-daily strikes on the country. Faith Community Consequence Afghanistan opium crop falls sharply after Taliban ban - UN report Afghanistan used to produce more than 80% of global opium but a Taliban ban has cut that to a fraction. El Papa Offers Plan Pope Leo meets Palestinian president, calls for two-state solution to "end the conflict" in the Middle East The Vatican recognized Palestine a decade ago, and Pope Leo has backed statehood, even if that looks increasingly unlikely. Chop Tech Conversation Cont'd Ukraine in 'positive' talks with US on missiles, ambassador says, Bloomberg News reports Ukraine is engaged in "positive" talks about buying Tomahawk missiles and other long-range weaponry with the United States, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Olha Stefanishyna, told Bloomberg News on Thursday. Jamaican Me Wait 'We need help': devastated Jamaican villages still await aid after Hurricane Melissa Ravaged villages near Montego Bay recount what last week's category 5 storm took from them French Connection FAIL You'll never guess the Louvre's onetime CCTV password. (You absolutely will) | CNN A French court released a report Thursday slamming the leadership of the Louvre for its focus on headline-grabbing purchases and renovation projects over maintaining the security of on of the world's largest museums. New Boss Same As Old Boss Best Sugar Momma Websites and Apps: How to Find a Sugar Mommy Looking for the best sugar momma sites to find wealthy women? Our experts have reviewed the top 12 to help you find the perfect one. Click here to learn more. Party District Fixer Upper KC's 'Horn Doctor' handcrafts jazz preservation, keeping soul, tradition alive on Vine Street Across the historic intersection at Kansas City's 12th and Vine streets, B.A.C. Musical Instruments operates as one of the few remaining American factories handcrafting professional brass instruments. "People say New Orleans is where jazz was born," Mike Corrigan said. "Kansas City is where it grew up." Setting Urban Tone Local Chill Sets In . . . Kansas City weather: Mild stretch ends as hard freeze possible Sunday and Monday The Kansas City area will enjoy two more mild afternoons before a sharp drop in temperatures arrives by the end of the weekend. And this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. Autumn 2025 marks one of worst moments Westport has seen in its nearly 200 year history. Social media spam claiming racism and misrepresenting local history drives legal action against owners in a power move to muscle into local club space. Even worse . . . A horrific attack leaves a small town patron PERMANENTLY INJURED and threatens to scare more visitors away. Westport has seen its ups and downs over the years and always seems to bounce back given the densely populated Midtown Kansas City locale . . . But a spate of challenges evoke today's question . . . WILL WESTPORT SINK INTO DEPRESSION AGAINST SO MANY CHALLENGES AGAINST THIS HISTORIC KANSAS CITY PARTY DISTRICT?!? Again . . . Throughout the years people have always found a way to make a buck in Westport but this time around it seems the local biz not only confronts a challenging economic climate but also a CULTURAL SHIFT that seems hostile toward local history & traditions. Even worse . . . As the nation plunges into recession, it doesn't seem that locals want to party at increasingly expensive local haunts that now serve as flashpoints for violence and controversy. Sadly . . . Staying home and playing video games sounds way more fun than a night of bar hopping. In fact, a quality night away from crowds entertained by cutting-edge technology, delivery food and digital hookups wasn't an option that was available to locals over decades of Westport history . . . These very, very recent advances might impact BOTH SIDES of this debate and threaten traditions in Kansas City and across the world. Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . . Fox4KC: Westport Halloween bar crawl leaves man with fractured skull Kansas City Star Insta: Since January, a lawsuit over racism in Westport has put one of Kansas Citys most popular, but complicated, entertainment districts back under a microscope. KMBC: Black-owned KC businesses accuse Westport leaders of racial discrimination, racketeering Developing . . . An ongoing controversy brings up an important axiom . . . Godwin's Law is an Internet adage stating that as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one. Created by Mike Godwin in 1990, it was intended as a warning against the tendency to use such comparisons to win an argument, which often signals the end of civil discourse. Meanwhile . . . Here's a recent conservative local reference and a bit of outrage . . . "Missouri Democrat House candidate Tracey Steele recently addressed his No Kings rally participation in an email interview with The Heartlander, but sidestepped questions about his implicit approval of comparing Trump and Republicans to Nazis and fascists." Name calling in general is silly . . . And of course the hapless Missouri Democratic Party dude flubbed the question . . . This clip offers better context and a glimpse at how political mudslinging is part of the "discourse" on BOTH SIDES . . . Check-it: Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Book holiday packages with flexible itineraries, comfortable stays, and smooth travel support. Explore domestic and international destinations with experiences tailored to couples, families, groups, or solo travelers for meaningful, stress-free journeys. (TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - November 6th, 2025 - Happy Holidays, a leading name in personalized travel planning and curated vacation experiences, proudly unveils its latest portfolio of holiday packages designed to offer travelers effortless planning, unmatched value, and memorable journeys across domestic and international destinations. Offering flexible options to suit families, couples, groups, solo adventurers, and corporate travelers, We invite travel lovers to book holiday packages that inspire, relax, and create beautiful life stories. In a time when travel is not just an escape but an essential part of self-growth, bonding, and celebration, We continue to bridge the gap between expectations and reality by crafting seamless, destination-perfect travel experiences. With a focus on authenticity, value, and emotional connection, the company ensures stress-free travel from the moment of planning to the final farewell. 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Solo Travelers: safe, guided, and customizable journeys that encourage confidence and discovery. The goal is not just sightseeing - it is to create experiences that feel emotionally rich and personally meaningful. Conclusion The newly curated holiday packages are here to make travel easy, meaningful, and beautifully memorable. With personalized planning, supportive assistance, and thoughtfully chosen experiences, travelers can now explore the world in a way that feels comforting, enriching, and deeply human. For More Information: Website: https://www.happyholidays.travel/ Email: info@happyholidays.travel / ceo@happyholidays.travel Phone: +91 83442 55503 / 7530050392 ceo@happyholidays.travel ### VIP Vacations honored to be recognized as one of TRAVELSAVERS top travel agency partners in the USA (TRAVPR.COM) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - November 7th, 2025 - Bethlehem, PA. A Bethlehem, PA travel agency has been honored as one of the 50 best in the entire country. This is the 15th time VIP Vacations has been recognized as an Elite agency by TRAVELSAVERS, an international marketing leader that includes the worlds most knowledgeable consultants and finest suppliers. Only a small percentage of TRAVELSAVERS agencies are named to the Elite ranks every year for demonstrating a commitment to excellence that results in superior sales. TRAVELSAVERS hosted the honorees on a cruise on the Explora Journeys Explore I ship. The sailing traveled from Istanbul to Athens with stops in Bodrum, Turkey and the Greek Isles of Paros, Siros, and Rhodes. TRAVELSAVERS is very selective in inviting agencies to join its network. Because VIP Vacations belongs to the TRAVELSAVERS organization, its advisors have access to exceptional travel products around the world at the best values. The networks strong relationships with partners translate into exclusive inventory and offers, VIP access and benefits, and complimentary perks for clients. As a result, VIP Vacations stands out as a travel leader in its community. Elite status is reserved each year for those top producing TRAVELSAVERS agencies that meet certain criteria and preferred supplier commitments. With its new Elite designation, VIP Vacations is eligible for a host of rewards, including the opportunity to attend an annual international retreat. There agency owners and managers will experience in-demand destinations and travel products firsthand and forge connections to help them plan even more memorable holidays for clients. About VIP Vacations VIP Vacations Inc. is a full-service travel agency that has been in business since 1994 with an office in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. VIP Vacations has won numerous awards from Karisma Resorts, Sandals Resorts, Palace Resorts, and also received the Caribbean Tourism Organizations' highly touted "Romance in Travel Award". President, Jennifer Doncsecz is the featured travel expert for Martha Stewart's Weddings Magazine and destination wedding blogger for Bridal Guide. VIP Vacations specializes in destination weddings and honeymoons. For more information, visit: https://www.vacationsbyvip.com/. About TRAVELSAVERS For over 50 years, TRAVELSAVERS has set the standard as a leading global travel organization. The purpose of TRAVELSAVERS is to provide affiliates with the opportunity to use innovative tools and technology to grow their business while creating unique experiences and meaningful relationships so that they stay relevant and increase their revenue with a personalized path to financial success. TRAVELSAVERS longstanding partnerships with only the most trusted cruise lines, hotels, resorts, and transportation companies allows experienced travel advisors to provide an incomparable array of adventures that will take their clients further into the heart of the worlds most compelling destinations. For more information, visit: https://www.travelsavers.com/. ### US-based provider of liquid packaging solutions AeroFlexx has partnered Kinetic Vision to develop new packaging solutions from early concept through to commercial launch. Through their collaboration, the companies will offer brand owners support across ideation, prototyping, testing and market introduction, with a focus on improving sustainability, performance and user convenience. AeroFlexx stated that Kinetic Vision will contribute to the initiative through its digital-first innovation model. This will allow packaging designs to be virtually assessed and refined using AI-based predictive modelling, immersive visualisation and real-time collaboration between designers, engineers and brand partners. AeroFlexx chief technology officer Cedric DSouza stated: Achieving scaleable, sustainable impact requires more than innovation - it demands collaboration with world class partners. Partnering with Kinetic Vision enables us to bridge the physical and digital worlds of packaging development, redefining how ideas move from concept to commercial reality. Together, were demonstrating whats possible when design, engineering, and strategic vision come together with a shared purpose. Kinetic Vision works with more than 50 Fortune 500 companies on AI adoption, sustainability and technology-led optimisation. Its expertise includes both rigid and flexible packaging for the consumer goods and food and beverage industries. Kinetic Vision chief innovation officer Jim Topich stated: This partnership represents the next evolution in how packaging innovation happens. By combining Kinetic Visions design, engineering, simulation and visualisation expertise with AeroFlexxs patented packaging technology, were redefining the speed and precision with which new ideas move from concept to commercialisation. AeroFlexx, based in West Chester, Ohio, provides sustainable liquid packaging that combines elements of both flexible and rigid formats. The company operates across North America, Europe and Southeast Asia and is part of the Innventure group of companies. In August 2025, AeroFlexx and eleeo partnered to launch the Boogie Bubbling Vapor Bath in a new sustainable packaging format. The packaging is lightweight and squeezable, and includes a one-way self-sealing valve that prevents spills and allows for easy one-handed dispensing. "AeroFlexx partners Kinetic Vision for new packaging solution " was originally created and published by Packaging Gateway, a GlobalData owned brand. 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. British Chamber of Commerce Azerbaijan (BCCA) hosted an event to unveil its rebranded corporate logo and announce the results of recent elections for leadership and expert positions across its Working Committees. Sponsored by bp, the event brought together representatives of BCCA member companies and the wider business community, providing a platform for open dialogue and professional networking. Mr. Giovanni Cristofoli, bps newly appointed regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye, addressed the gathering as a guest speaker. In his remarks, he emphasized bps long-standing partnership with Azerbaijan and the companys continued focus on sustainable development and innovation in the energy sector. Its a pleasure to be part of this important moment for BCCA, said Mr. Cristofoli. bp is proud to support initiatives that strengthen collaboration between the UK and Azerbaijan. As we look to the future, our commitment remains firmly rooted in driving innovation, supporting local talent, and contributing to a more sustainable energy landscape in Azerbaijan. Serving as a bridge between the British and Azerbaijani business communities, BCCA continues to foster engagement between companies from both countries, promote international best practices, and contribute to the growth of bilateral economic cooperation. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayevs visit to Washington and his talks with U.S. President Donald Trump were not just a diplomatic event; they marked a stage symbolizing the formation of a new geo-economic order in Eurasia. Tokayevs support for Trumps initiative, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), signals the beginning of an entirely new phase in the development of the Middle Corridor and reshapes the regional balance of power. Following the meeting, the U.S. leader emphasized that TRIPP represents more than a new transport era; it is also a result of the historic peace agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Armenia through U.S. mediation. They named this route after me, and I am proud of that. This road will unite East and West, passing through the worlds most strategically important region to create new trade opportunities for the Caspian and Central Asian countries, Trump said. For the first time in many years, the U.S. returns to the region not with a military presence but with an economic and infrastructure-focused project. In essence, TRIPP is not just a route; it is a full-fledged logistical ecosystem linking the Caspian, the Caucasus, and Turkiye while creating an alternative to Russian and Iranian routes. Today, Kazakhstan is becoming a key country in Washingtons regional strategy. Agreements worth more than $17 billion cover sectors such as energy, rare metals extraction, high technologies, and transport infrastructure. Kazakhstan supplies about one-fourth of Americas uranium needs, making it a strategic supplier for the U.S. nuclear energy industry. In addition, U.S. investments in Kazakhstan are directed toward tungsten and rare earth element production, reflecting Washingtons aim to reduce its dependence on China and diversify raw material supplies. Against the backdrop of sanctions imposed on Russia, Kazakhstan serves as an economic bridge between East and West while maintaining its multi-vector diplomacy. The Trump Route in practice forms a new economic line of growth, stretching from Kazakhstan across the Caspian Sea through Azerbaijan, then Turkiye, and finally reaching Europe. For Azerbaijan, this is not merely a transit project but an opportunity to strengthen its role as a key junction of the Middle Corridor. Currently, more than 8 million tons of transit cargo pass through Azerbaijan each year. Within the TRIPP framework, this figure could rise to about 15 million tons, equivalent to roughly one and a half million standard containers (TEU). For comparison, the largest port on the Black Sea, Constanta, handles a similar volume annually. The implementation of TRIPP compels the Caspian countries to accelerate the development of their port and railway infrastructure. The Baku International Sea Trade Port, with an annual cargo-handling capacity of 15 million tons, is poised to become the main Caspian hub. For Azerbaijan, the project is simultaneously significant in three dimensions: economic, geopolitical, and technological. Economically, it promises higher transit revenues, the expansion of logistics and service sectors, and the creation of new jobs. Geopolitically, Azerbaijan becomes a guarantor of stability and cooperation among Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Turkiye. Technologically, it drives a shift toward digital and smart corridors, integrating logistics with IT platforms, automated customs systems, and data exchange. The Baku Port, the BakuTbilisiKars railway, and the Alat and Samur-South logistics centers form the foundation of this route. Azerbaijan is also deepening cooperation with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan within the Trans-Caspian Transport Consortium. Through TRIPP, the U.S. is effectively returning to a region long considered part of Russian and Chinese spheres of influence. The new route reduces Europes dependence on northern corridors and enables cargo from China and Central Asia to reach Europe in just about 12-14 days without transiting Russian territory, compared to nearly a month currently. Thus, the U.S. is strengthening its foothold in the region not through military bases, but through infrastructure, the quietest and most enduring form of influence. This represents a soft power strategy under the guise of economic integration. In this landscape, Azerbaijan holds a highly advantageous position, both geographically and politically stable, qualities often lacking in neighboring countries. Alongside these opportunities, there are risks as well. The first involves regional security. Since the route passes through Armenia, reliable guarantees are required. The U.S. and the European Union have stated their readiness to provide such assurances, yet in practice this will demand a delicate balance of interests. The second challenge is competition among routes. Russia will actively promote the NorthSouth corridor passing through Iran and the Caspian, while China will continue advancing its Central Asian branches of the Belt and Road initiative. For Azerbaijan, the priority will be to attract cargo flows through competitive tariffs, minimal bureaucracy, and high service standards. The third factor concerns financing. Expanding infrastructure requires investments worth billions of dollars, making the attraction of private investors and publicprivate partnerships a top priority. To maximize the benefits of this new geopolitical reality, Azerbaijan must take proactive steps, first, modernizing railways and terminals, expanding Baku Ports capacity, and developing multimodal hubs. The second direction is creating an attractive legal and administrative environment for international carriers. A single-window principle, transparent tariff policies, and digital customs systems could ensure Azerbaijans transformation into a leading transit center. The third is strengthening institutional ties with Kazakhstan, Turkiye, and Central Asian states through the establishment of joint logistics companies, insurance funds, and transport alliances. Azerbaijans role on this map is no longer limited to being a bridge; it now has the potential to become one of the architects of Eurasias new economic architecture. TRIPP is not merely Trumps personal project; it is an attempt to redraw Eurasias economic map and bring the U.S. back into the region through infrastructure, trade, and energy. For Azerbaijan, it represents a once-in-a-decade opportunity to solidify its position as a transport hub, turn geography into economic capital, and evolve from a bridge between East and West into a strategic crossroads shaping Eurasias destiny. With competent management, flexible diplomacy, and long-term strategic planning, Azerbaijan can become not only a participant in the new route but one of the players setting its rules. If viewed not as a political slogan but as a structured economic initiative, it becomes clear that TRIPP aims to systematically rebuild Eurasias entire logistics network. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, total cargo turnover between Central Asia and Europe in 2024 reached 78 million tons, only 8 percent of which passed through the Caspian. The potential, however, remains vast: if current tariffs are maintained, the figure could rise to around one-fifth (20-22 percent) by 2026. Over the past year, more than 2.7 million tons of cargo were transported along the Middle Corridor, a 35 percent increase compared to 2023. This figure, which exceeded even the most optimistic forecasts, is expected to grow further following the peace deal signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia in August 2025 and the corridors inclusion under TRIPP. Experts predict transit volumes may reach at least 10 million tons by 2027. By contrast, traditional routes through Russia, including the Trans-Siberian and Northern Sea corridors, have lost about 40 percent of Asian cargo due to sanctions, long delivery times, and geopolitical risks. Routes passing through Iran and the Persian Gulf are also deemed unstable due to regional tensions. In this context, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are becoming new centers of attraction for transit investments. One of TRIPPs main junctions is the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan has taken significant steps here: the annual capacity of the Aktau port has reached 25 million tons, while the new Kuryk terminal specializes in ferry and container transport. On Azerbaijans side, Alat (the Baku International Sea Trade Port) serves as the systems backbone. The port already handles up to 15 million tons per year, with plans to expand this to 25 million in the near future. Alat is not merely a transport node but a full-fledged economic zone hosting more than 130 resident companies operating in logistics, information technology, and manufacturing. This model reflects the concept of logistics as a platform, integrating transport, finance, insurance, and digital services into a unified system. As of 2025, total U.S. direct investment in Kazakhstan exceeds $40 billion, with more than $12 billion allocated to rare earth and uranium production. Under new agreements, two processing plants and a logistics cluster along Kazakhstans Caspian border are planned. A major announcement by Trump during his visit was his intention to invest in 21st century infrastructure. The package, worth $35 billion, will be financed through U.S. exportcredit agencies and private consortia. Digital connectivity is also a central focus of TRIPP: an optical fiber network will link Central Asia, Azerbaijan, and Turkiye with European data centers, making the route both a transport and information corridor. Within Azerbaijan, several key infrastructure projects directly connected to TRIPP are underway. More than 70 percent of the 110-kilometer HoradizAghband railway has been completed. This line will connect Nakhchivan with the mainland and form part of the international transit corridor. In addition, work has begun on widening the GanjaGazakhGeorgia border highway, which will serve as a main artery for container shipments toward Tbilisi and Kars. Azerbaijan is also developing a network of logistics centers in Ganja, Yevlakh, Nakhchivan, and Sumgayit, forming the foundation of a new infrastructure system that will transform the country from a transit space into a full-fledged economic intermediary. TRIPP is directly tied to ongoing transformations in Eurasia. After Trumps visit to Asia in the summer of 2025, it became clear that Washington is reformatting its regional strategy, shifting from military presence to control over trade and transport corridors. Within this new infrastructure axis, the U.S. views Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkiye as pivotal states. For Azerbaijan, the project also means a strengthened strategic alliance with Turkiye and the expansion of its economic sphere into Central Asia. Cooperation with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan across the Caspian enhances the projects Turkic dimension, forming what Western analysts are already calling the Turkic Silk Belt. In this evolving landscape, Azerbaijan is not just a transit country; it is becoming the center where Eurasias economic and political pulse converges. According to preliminary estimates by Azerbaijans Ministry of Economy, annual revenues from transit operations and related services could reach about $1.2 billion by 2030. The creation of new logistics hubs could generate up to 30,000 new jobs. Moreover, the expansion of export and transit operations is expected to boost the countrys GDP growth by 2.53 percent annually. The Baku Transportation Research Center estimates that every 10 million tons of transit cargo brings an additional $400 million to the national economy through port fees, insurance, services, and processing. To fully realize the potential of TRIPP, Azerbaijan must not only participate but also become a coordination center. Key priorities in the coming years include: - completing the railway corridor to Nakhchivan and integrating it with Turkiye; - expanding the Baku Port and Alat container terminal; - digitalizing all transit procedures; - creating joint logistics companies with Kazakhstan, Turkiye, and Central Asian partners. Additionally, potential risks must be accounted for, including Armenias political maneuvering, possible pressure from Russia and Iran, and fluctuations in global energy markets. TRIPP is becoming a tool of Eurasias global reconfiguration. It is not merely Trumps diplomatic initiative; it is the infrastructural foundation of a new era. In this framework, the primary source of power lies not in oil but in control over routes. Situated at the heart of this new map, Azerbaijan has gained a historic opportunity for strategic advancement. How this opportunity is utilized will determine the nations future: Azerbaijan may become the central hub of Eurasias logistics, or remain a secondary player in others projects. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will pay an official visit to Azerbaijan to attend events dedicated to the fifth anniversary of Victory Day in Baku, Trend reports via Pakistan's Foreign Ministry. During the visit, the sides plan to discuss the full range of Azerbaijani-Pakistani relations and identify new areas for further deepening cooperation in various areas, including trade and investment, energy, defense, education, and regional connectivity. "Azerbaijan and Pakistan have long-standing fraternal relations based on shared religious values, history, culture, and mutual trust. The two countries also closely cooperate within regional and international organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), and the United Nations (UN)," the ministry said. The ministry noted that the prime minister's official visit will confirm Pakistan's continued support for Azerbaijan on issues of sovereignty and territorial integrity and will also contribute to the further strengthening of the strategic partnership between the two fraternal countries. Contemporary relations between the two nations were initiated when the Republic of Azerbaijan attained independence with the dissolution of the USSR on June 9, 1992. Pakistan was the second nation to acknowledge Azerbaijan, following Turkiye, on December 12, 1991. Commerce and collaboration between the two nations have progressively increased, with multiple summits convened to enhance bilateral commerce. The Pakistani government has an agreement with Azerbaijan, established on June 20, 2016, to import power, crude and refined oil products, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Azerbaijan. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 8. 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 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 43rd day of the Second Karabakh War: - President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev addressed to the nation from the Alley of Martyrs on November 8 announcing that the city of Shusha was liberated from occupation. - Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev congratulated General Hikmat Mirzayev on victory. - President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the Alley of Honors and the Alley of Martyrs. - President Ilham Aliyev received Turkish Foreign and National Defense Ministers. - First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva congratulated the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the liberation of Shusha on her official Instagram page. - Armenian troops were forced to retreat, suffering losses. - The list of Armenia's military equipment destroyed in one day has been announced. - Armenia violates ceasefire on state border. - Armenian troops fired on Tartar, Aghdam and Aghjabadi. - A video of the liberated Balasoltanli village of Gubadli has been released. - The Azerbaijani Army is increasing the advantage of the front in the direction of Khojavand. - High-ranking Armenian officials were destroyed in the direction of Khojavand. - A video of the liberated Tsakuri village of Khojavand has been released. - Heavy blows were inflicted on the Armenian troops as a result of the operation carried out by the Azerbaijan Army in the Khojavand direction of the front. - The Azerbaijani Army has full control over the city of Shusha. - Video footage of the liberated Vejnali village of Zangilan region was released. - A video has been spread of Armenian troops fleeing from the Khojavand direction of the front. Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation from the Slovak Republic led by Robert Kalinak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, on November 7, Trend reports. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Slovakia congratulated the head of state on the fifth anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War and expressed gratitude for the invitation to the military parade to be held on this occasion. Robert Kalinak also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state expressed gratitude for the greetings and asked that his own greetings be conveyed to the Prime Minister of Slovakia. President Ilham Aliyev highly appreciated the participation of the delegation led by Robert Kalinak in the military parade dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War to be held in Baku the following day. The Deputy Prime Minister extended congratulations to President Ilham Aliyev on the achievements in normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and advancing the peace agenda reached in Washington. Expressing gratitude for the congratulations, the head of state underlined the historical significance of the documents signed with the participation of the President of the United States to advance the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia, emphasizing their role in ensuring lasting peace in the region. Robert Kalinak noted that Slovakia looks forward to President Ilham Aliyevs visit to the country. During the conversation, they described bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Slovakia as strategic partnership based on mutual understanding and support, and highlighted opportunities for expanding cooperation in various areas, including military and defense industry sectors. They also touched upon Slovakias support for the expansion of Azerbaijan-European Union and Azerbaijan-NATO relations. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Sahiba Gafarova delivered a speech at the Leaders' Summit of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 30), held in Belem, Federative Republic of Brazil, Trend reports via the Press and Public Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Parliament. In her speech, the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament spoke in detail about the significant achievements of COP 29, organized by Azerbaijan. According to her, despite serious obstacles and uncertainties, Azerbaijan, under the leadership of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, held one of the most successful COP 29 and resolutely implemented this process. At COP 29, Azerbaijan managed to overcome differences between the parties and reach a historic consensus on issues that had not been resolved in previous negotiations. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova recalled that at COP 29, Azerbaijan achieved the adoption of the Baku Finance Target, which provides for the mobilization of $300 billion annually for developing countries from 2025. Sahiba Gafarova stated that this is the largest financial package ever achieved by the United Nations. In addition, COP 29 set a goal to ensure that by 2035, at least $1.3 trillion per year would be allocated to developing countries to finance measures to combat climate change. To achieve this goal, Azerbaijan worked closely with Brazil to develop the Baku-Belem Roadmap. The Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament recalled that COP 29 had also achieved successful results in implementing many other key tasks. According to her, one of them is the completion of the development of rules governing carbon markets in accordance with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which allowed them to become fully operational 10 years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement. Moreover, it was noted that COP 29 also ensured the full operational capacity of the Loss and Damage Fund and its readiness to distribute resources from 2025. The Transparency Framework was also activated, which is an important step in ensuring transparency and accountability in global climate action. In addition, agreement was reached on a wide range of important issues related to mitigation, adaptation, gender issues, indigenous peoples, and other interrelated priorities. Noting that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to supporting the most vulnerable groups of the population, the Speaker of Parliament stressed that Azerbaijan has made this commitment one of the key elements of its presidency at COP 29. To this end, Azerbaijan provided financial support for the participation of representatives of small island developing states (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) in COP 29. During the Leaders' Summit at COP 29, Azerbaijan organized a special conference for SIDS, providing a platform for discussing their specific problems and priorities at a high political level. The speech informed that the COP 29 Presidency, in parallel with the negotiations, had prepared an Action Agenda consisting of 14 initiatives covering all key points of the Paris Agreement. The main goal of this agenda is not only to set goals, but also to create the necessary infrastructure and implement practical measures to achieve them. However, it was emphasized that, in addition to these results, COP 29 also restored confidence in the multilateral system. According to Speaker Sahiba Gafarova, COP 29 demonstrated that even in times of geopolitical tension, mistrust, and economic uncertainty, countries can unite and act together for the common good. This was a true testament to the triumph of multilateralism that Azerbaijan was able to achieve despite ongoing challenges. The Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament also stated that Azerbaijan, as the chair of COP 28 and COP 30, has demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting ambitious nationally determined contributions (NDCs). Azerbaijan has also demonstrated the same determination in preparing its nationally determined contributions, bringing the 2050 target forward by 15 years and setting a goal to achieve these targets in the next cycle of nationally determined contributions in 2035. This reflects our unwavering commitment to combating climate change, even as we continue to carry out large-scale restoration and demining work on 20 percent of our territories that have been occupied and destroyed over the past three decades. In conclusion, the Speaker of Parliament reiterated that, following the establishment of possible conditions for climate change action at COP 29, COP 30 provides another opportunity to further advance climate plans. Azerbaijan is ready to fully support and assist the COP 30 Presidency in implementing the vision of the Executive COP of the COP 30 Presidency. Speaker Sahiba Gafarova called on Brazil to support this important process, take important decisions, and implement measures that are crucial for our planet and our future. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Poland, with the support of Azerbaijans National Commission for UNESCO, has organized a ceremony at Polands Museum of Asia and the Pacific to donate the Malibayli carpet, a true gem that showcases the artistry of the Karabakh carpet-weaving school, to the museum, Trend reports. The event was attended by the deputy chair and members of the Poland-Azerbaijan parliamentary group, representatives of the diplomatic corps, officials, Polish scientists and artists, local media, and Azerbaijani nationals residing in Poland. The museums director, Jozef Zalevski, expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani Embassy for this valuable gift, pointing out that the carpet would be a feather in the cap of the museums collection and would surely tickle the fancy of visitors. He added that the carpet would serve as a bridge between the peoples of Azerbaijan and Poland, reflecting friendship, mutual respect, and the preservation of cultural values. During the ceremony, Ambassador Nargiz Gurbanova highlighted Azerbaijans ancient carpet-weaving traditions, noting that historically the country has had seven carpet-weaving schools distinguished by geography, design, composition, color choices, and technical features. She emphasized that carpets have long been a key element of Azerbaijani culture and decorative art, symbolizing the nations spirit and reflecting important historical events, and that Azerbaijani carpets are renowned worldwide for their quality and artistic value, with many displayed in prestigious museums. The ambassador also recalled significant milestones, including the 15th anniversary of Azerbaijani carpet weaving being inscribed on UNESCOs Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijans National Commission for UNESCO last year. She noted that Azerbaijan ranks fifth globally on the Representative List with 24 elements. Gurbanova highlighted that nearly all types of carpets and rugs found worldwide are produced in Azerbaijan and praised their exceptional density, measured by knots per square decimeter, which contributes to their durability. She also provided detailed information about the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, its establishment, activities, and rich collection, including the Shusha branch, founded in 1987, which was partially evacuated after the occupation of Shusha in 1992 and reopened to visitors in 2023 following Azerbaijans victory. The ceremony coincided with the period around Victory Day, emphasizing that the liberation was not only a military success but also a spiritual, historical, and cultural revival, including the restoration of museums, theaters, religious sites, music, crafts, and traditions. The reopening of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum's Shusha branch, as she noted, is a vivid example of this revival. Gurbanova also provided detailed information about the donated Malibayli carpet, expressing hope that it would contribute to the museums mission of promoting intercultural understanding and the rich heritage of the East. Later, Karolina Ksvitska, a staff member at the museum, filled guests in on the Karabakh carpet-weaving school and the Malibayli carpet, backed up by a video presentation showcasing traditional Azerbaijani carpet art. During the event, Gurbanova also gave an interview to Polands TVP program 'Dobrego dnia.' 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, November 7. President of the Republic of Turkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports. ''Dear Mr. President, my dear Brother, On behalf of my people and on my own behalf, I sincerely congratulate Your Excellency and the brotherly people of Azerbaijan on the fifth anniversary of the Victory Day. I hope that the constructive steps undertaken within the peace process launched after this glorious Victory will culminate in a lasting agreement. I believe that a stable and peaceful environment in the Caucasus will contribute to the prosperity of the entire region and further enhance the strategic importance of the Caucasus in global politics. The progress achieved in the rapid revival and reconstruction of the liberated homeland is commendable. On this landmark anniversary, Turkiye, which considers Azerbaijans sorrow as its own sorrow and its joy as its own joy, feels great pride in witnessing the confident progress achieved by brotherly Azerbaijan both in the region and beyond. Our high-level relations founded on the One nation, two states principle and our unbreakable bonds of brotherhood drawing strength from our common destiny, grow ever stronger today, just as they have throughout history. Our allied relations, built upon a solid foundation and the unique collaboration we demonstrate across all sectors, have become one of the most important pillars of regional peace, trust and stability. Undoubtedly, the achievements attained by dear Azerbaijan under your wise leadership will continue to make significant contributions to the prosperity of our region. Availing myself of the opportunity, I wish Your Excellency robust health, and friendly and brotherly people of Azerbaijan happiness and prosperity,'' the letter reads. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. On November 6, Washington hosted the latest C5+1 Summit - a platform for dialogue between the United States and the countries of Central Asia. A format that has existed for ten years has finally come to life. Whereas in the past the meetings were mostly formal, they are now gaining real political and economic substance. At the meeting with regional leaders, U.S. President Donald Trump stated directly that Washington would no longer neglect Central Asia, as the previous administration had done. "The nations of Central Asia, known as the C5, stand at a historic and geographic crossroads of the world. Once home to the ancient Silk Road that connected East and West, they possess a remarkable and beautiful history. Today, their location at the heart of Eurasia gives them exceptional importance and immense potential," he said. Essentially, the U.S. is returning to the region with a new agenda - not only political but also economic. As former U.S. Ambassador Matthew Bryza noted in an interview with Trend, the current administration views investment and the presence of American companies as a tool of foreign policy. "This is President Trumps foreign policy philosophy, which in my experience, is unique. I think he intends to use the C5+1 format precisely as an instrument of strategic partnership - to strengthen U.S. positions and the resilience of the regions countries themselves," the diplomat emphasized. The main topic of the summit was resources. On the eve of the meeting, the Trump administration published a list of 60 strategic minerals essential for the economy and national security, including 15 rare earth elements crucial for the production of electronics, defense technologies, and green energy. Central Asia is one of the promising regions for sourcing these materials. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan possess rich mineral reserves but have yet to develop processing capacities. Without investment, the region risks remaining merely a supplier of raw materials rather than finished products. During the summit, Kazakhstan and the United States signed a memorandum of cooperation on critical minerals. On the same day, Tau-Ken Samruk and Cove Capital announced a joint development of major tungsten deposits in Kazakhstans Karaganda region, with total investments exceeding one billion dollars. Furthermore, Donald Trump also announced a major deal with Uzbekistan: "Over the next three years, Uzbekistan will be purchasing and investing almost $35 billion, and over the following ten years more than $100 billion, in key American sectors, including critical minerals, aviation, automotive parts, infrastructure, agriculture, energy and chemicals, information technology, and others," he wrote in a post on Truth Social. Thus, the U.S. focus in the region is clear: strategic resources, investment, and infrastructure. All this makes Central Asia a key direction of American economic diplomacy. But resource extraction is only the beginning. The next step is transportation - transit. And this is where Azerbaijan comes to the forefront. A number of experts have long noted that it would be logical for the C5 format to include Baku. As Chairman of the Caspian Policy Center and former U.S. Ambassador Richard Hoagland said, "It might be more accurate to start speaking about the C6 format, since Azerbaijan is increasingly participating in all C5 meetings". Indeed, Azerbaijans role in new transport routes can hardly be overstated. Speaking about the TRIPP project (The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity), U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized Azerbaijans importance as a key link. "This is a road that's being carved and goes through some of the most important places anywhere in the world, some of the most important places economically also anywhere in the world, which will boost commercial activity on the other side of the Caspian Sea, helping nations throughout Central Asia," he said. Regional leaders have already joined the project. Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated that he supports Washingtons peace initiatives, including TRIPP, which "may contribute to the further development of the Middle Corridor". President Ilham Aliyev, in a recent statement to the press, stressed that the TRIPP project will definitely be implemented. "As you know, one of the achievements of the Washington Summit in August is the TRIPP project (The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity). President Trump has given his name to this project, which naturally indicates that it will definitely be implemented. This opens up yet another route for the Middle Corridor. In addition to the traditional route, a new one through Zangezur will be added, with a cargo turnover of 15 million tons meeting the most modern standards. Thus, the volume of cargo from Asia to Europe and back through our countries territories has the potential to grow on its own, but it will also have even greater potential for receiving and dispatching," the head of state said. The Zangezur Corridor, or TRIPP, is more than just a transport project. It is a new infrastructural artery of the Middle Corridor connecting Central Asia with Europe across the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan has invested tremendous effort in it. Over the past two years, cargo flows along this route have grown by almost 90%. The country possesses the largest fleet on the Caspian, nine international airports, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway - all of which make Azerbaijan an indispensable link for international transport. Kazakhstan is already actively using this route. Last year, oil transit through Azerbaijan amounted to nearly 1.5 million tons. "Our plans are to significantly increase this volume," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He also thanked President Ilham Aliyev for supporting the transportation of uranium through Azerbaijani territory. Former U.S. Ambassador John Herbst told Trend: "The Middle Corridor has enormous economic potential, and Washington understands its importance. The U.S. will use its capabilities to help advance this project". Today, the U.S. strategic goal in Central Asia is not only resources but also transport connectivity. And without Azerbaijan, this plan is impossible. Baku is becoming the regions 'gateway' to the West - a reliable partner both for Central Asian countries and for the United States. Washington recognizes this: its support for peace initiatives between Baku and Yerevan, attention to the Zangezur Corridor, and focus on transit all confirm Azerbaijans growing role. The region is becoming increasingly attractive to virtually all global power centers, and here, the role of Azerbaijan is critically important. Thanks to the strategy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev, our country has become a transport, energy, and political bridge between East and West. It is largely due to his efforts that a new logic of international relations is taking shape in the region, creating a new space of opportunity for everyone - for the United States as well as for Asia. Agnico Eagle Mines (AEM) has recently been on Zacks.com's list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future. Shares of this gold mining company have returned -5.8% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.3% change. The Zacks Mining - Gold industry, to which Agnico belongs, has lost 7.5% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term? 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The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Agnico. Azerbaijan marks the fifth anniversary of its historic Victory in the Patriotic War. On November 8, 2020, the 44-day military operations came to an end, and under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, the country restored its territorial integrity. This Victory became not only a military achievement but also a political milestone - the moment that marked the beginning of a new era for Azerbaijan and the entire South Caucasus. Over the past five years, Ilham Aliyev has transformed military success into a long-term strategy for development and peace. Today, the region stands on the threshold of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia - an agreement that will cement the new reality shaped by Azerbaijans decisive actions and the political course set by its leader. The peace that the country achieved through Victory reflects President Ilham Aliyev's broader vision. He has viewed the South Caucasus as a single space capable of developing through interconnectivity, economy, and transport. Many of the ideas that seemed bold predictions five years ago are now seen as self-evident realities. In 2025, Azerbaijan holds a key place in the new system of linkages across Eurasia. The South Caucasus has become an integral part of global logistics and energy routes - something now recognized in Brussels, Washington, Moscow, and Beijing. President Ilham Aliyev has become the architect of this new political geography of the South Caucasus. One of its symbols is the Zangezur Corridor project, which connects mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan and Turkiye, becoming an important link in the Eurasian transport network. Just a few years ago, this idea was viewed as a political declaration - today it is turning into real infrastructure. Ilham Aliyev has always seen this route not as a tool of rivalry, but as an instrument of integration - a foundation for lasting peace in the region. And many politicians and leaders are only now beginning to realize this. On the international stage, Ilham Aliyev demonstrates a rare balance between pragmatism and principle. He consistently defends the independence of Azerbaijan's foreign policy, building relations with major global powers on equal terms and guided by national interests. Negotiations with Armenia, engagement with the West, dialogue with Russia and Iran - all remain integral parts of a single strategy aimed at strengthening the country's sovereignty and security. The fifth anniversary of the Victory is not only a reminder of the past but also an opportunity to assess the outcomes of decisions made after the war. President Ilham Aliyev has turned military success into the diplomatic and economic foundation for the development not just of one country - but of an entire region. This is what truly distinguishes exceptional political leaders: the ability not only to win, but also to create opportunities - for everyone, even for those who were once on the other side of the battlefield. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece Christos Kapodistrias on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic service in Azerbaijan today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Trend. During the meeting, Bayramov highly appreciated the services of Kapodistrias in the development of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Greece and thanked him and wished him success in his future activities. The conversation with the ambassador highly appreciated the dynamics of bilateral relations in recent times. In this context, the importance of the meetings held between President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis within the framework of the COP29 International Climate Conference held in Baku in November 2024, as well as the meetings held between President Ilham Aliyev and Kyriakos Mitsotakis within the framework of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2025, was emphasized. The conversation pointed out the importance of political dialogue continuation between Azerbaijan and Greece for the development of bilateral relations, noting that there is great potential for further deepening cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investments, energy, transport-transit, tourism, education, and culture. Kapodistrias said that he would remember his work as the Ambassador of Greece to Azerbaijan with fond memories and thanked him for the support he received in his work. The meeting also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The fruitful and successful development of partnership was discussed between Azerbaijan and NATO, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan Hikmat Hajiyev wrote on his X page, Trend reports. The discussion was held during meeting of Hajiyev with permanent representatives of NATO member states visiting Azerbaijan. The parties also exchanged views on regional security issues and advancing Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agenda. To recall, Azerbaijan formally commenced cooperation with NATO on May 4, 1994, by joining the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program. The PfP program established a framework for practical bilateral cooperation, enabling Azerbaijan to actively engage in Euro-Atlantic security and partake in diverse collaborative actions and reform initiatives. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of Victory Day, Trend reports. ''Dear Ilham Heydarovich, On behalf of myself and the entire people of Kyrgyzstan, I sincerely congratulate you and the brotherly people of Azerbaijan on the Victory Day. Under your wise leadership, the Republic of Azerbaijan has made great strides, has managed to occupy a worthy place in the international arena, and is developing steadily. I am confident that political, economic, trade, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation between Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan will further strengthen and enhance for the benefit of our peoples. Dear Ilham Heydarovich, I wish you robust health and happiness, and the brotherly people of Azerbaijan peace and progress,'' the letter reads. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. President of the State of Palestine, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Mahmoud Abbas has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, on the occasion of Victory Day, Trend reports. ''Dear Mr. President. I am pleased to extend to Your Excellency, and through you, to the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the brotherly people of Azerbaijan my sincere congratulations on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Victory Day, and the National Flag Day. I wish you robust health, happiness and success, and further progress and prosperity to the Government and the people of Azerbaijan. I am confident that our bilateral relations, based on the principles of friendship, brotherhood, and mutual respect that we are taking pride in, will further develop and strengthen. Please accept, Your Excellency and dear brother, my warmest regards,'' the letter reads. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The open court hearing on the criminal cases against citizens of the Republic of ArmeniaArayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and othersaccused of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes (including planning and waging an aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war), terrorism, financing of terrorism, forcible seizure and retention of power, and numerous other offenses resulting from Armenias military aggression against Azerbaijan, continued on November 7, Trend reports. The session at Baku Military Courtpresided by Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with Judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve Judge Gunel Samadova)provided each accused with interpreters in their native language and legal representation. Participants included the accused, their defenders, some victims and their legal heirs or representatives, and state prosecutors. The trial continued with indictment speech of the prosecutors. Tugay Rahimli, Assistant Prosecutor General for Special Assignments, presented documents and evidence against the accused, Davit Klimi Babayan, at the court hearing. It was stated that David Babayan joined the so-called organization in 1998, during the war of aggression unleashed by Armenia, and served in various "positions" until 2023. This is confirmed both by his own testimony and by documents related to him, examined during the judicial investigation. The factual circumstances of the case, numerous pieces of evidence examined during the trial, including documents and materials directly related to the accused, as well as the testimony of the accused, indicate that although D. Babayan did not directly take up arms and did not involve in military operations, he was directly involved in the formation and implementation of the ideology of the criminal organization and the policies of the so-called organization. He was aware of the crimes committed for the purposes of the criminal organization and, while he had the opportunity, he failed to take measures to prevent them. Instead, by inciting hatred and enmity, he created the basis for the commission of further crimes. Thus, he indirectly involved in the commission of crimes that occurred during the specified period. It was emphasized that D. Babayan, in his interviews and social media posts, expressed opinions justifying the actions of the criminal organization, calling for the continuation of the occupation and even "emphasizing the need to occupy new territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan." It was mentioned that D. Babayan served as a political justifier and ideological propagandist for military plans. The prosecution stated that, as established by the Nuremberg precedent of the International Military Tribunal, aggressive war entails criminal liability not only for those who take up arms but also for those who plan it, attempt to legitimize it, and bring it to the attention of the international community. Thus, D. Babayan, by intentionally and directly participating in the preparation, organization, conduct, and legitimization of aggressive war, indirectly involved in the commission of war crimes, crimes against peace and humanity. State prosecutor Tarana Mammadova highlighted the key details of the charges brought against the accused Ishkhanyan Davit Rubeni during the court investigation. It was noted that D.Ishkhanyan joined the criminal organization operating under the Armenian military-political leadership in 1989. Starting from 1989, he has been an active member of the "Dashnaksutyun" party, which has spread ideas of national hostility against Azerbaijanis and thereby national and ethnic hatred. He also served as a battalion commander, a "deputy" of the illegal regime, "speaker of parliament," and in other "positions." The prosecutor stated that D. Ishkhanyan, a member of the criminal organization, involved in the occupation of the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan by Armenia, prevented the return of displaced persons to their places of residence, as well as committed such crimes as ethnic cleansing, deliberate killings of people, taking prisoners and hostages, enforced disappearance, mass extermination of the population, terrorist acts, and torture crimes in 1989-2023. Subsequently, state prosecutor Fuad Musayev announced the key details of the charges brought against the accused Babayan Madat Arakelovich during the court investigation. According to the state prosecutor, the accused joined a criminal organization to take part in the criminal activity against the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan and change the balance of power in favor of the occupant forces on the illegally established line of contact in the formerly occupied sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Madat Babayans testimonies also confirmed his direct involvement in the Khojaly massacre committed by Armenia, along with Vamik Petrosyan, Shirin Shirinyan, Arkadi Shirinyan - the members of the criminal organization, and other individuals. He callously confirmed these horrific acts, during the on-site verification of his testimony through video recording and during the court interrogation. Thus, the evidence examined during the court investigation fully confirmed that M. Babayan, a member of the criminal organization, in compliance with the general intention and ideology of the criminal organization, was involved in an aggressive war waged by Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as expulsion and displacement of the Azerbaijani population from their legal places of residence, ethnic cleansing, persecution, infliction of physical pain, mental suffering and torture on Azerbaijanis, their killing, attacks on the residential areas and unprotected territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, commitment of terrorist acts, forcible seizure of power and its forcible retention through receiving instructions from a unified command and executing illegal orders. Announcing key details of the charges brought against the accused Pashayan Melikset Vladimiri during the court investigation, state prosecutor Fuad Musayev noted that the accused was involved in committing crimes against Azerbaijan in 1992-1995, in September-November 2020, and in May-September 2023. The accused fought in the Azerbaijani sovereign territories in the ranks of the military unit number 31, under the command of Vitaly Balasayan. M. Pashayan bears responsibility for the crimes committed during the aggressive war waged by Armenia, making out a common criminal intent, that is, actively participating in activities aimed at displacing Azerbaijanis, occupying the territory where they legally reside, and annexing it to Armenia. Prosecutor Fuad Musayev proceeded with announcing the key details of the charges brought against the accused Martirosyan Garik Grigori during the court investigation. The details revealed that G.Martirosyan, a member of the criminal organization, carrying a common criminal intent, bears responsibility for grave and especially grave crimes against Azerbaijanis committed during the aggressive war and occupation waged by Armenia, including the active involvement in expelling Azerbaijanis, carrying out ethnic cleansing, and annexing the territory where they were legally resided to Armenia. Subsequently, the court heard the announcement of key details of charges brought against the accused Allahverdiyan Davit Nelsoni during the court investigation. Prosecutor Fuad Musayev, defending the state prosecution, noted that the accused involve in criminal acts in 2006-2008, September-November 2020, and January-September 2023. It has been irrefutably proven that D. Allahverdiyan opened gunfire on Azerbaijani military personnel in the interests of a criminal organization, resisted Azerbaijani military personnel involved in eliminating the consequences of crimes committed by Armenia, was on combat duty to prevent the detection and clearance of mines by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan during his military service, and, if the aforementioned fact was discovered, was equipped with all types of weapons and ammunition for firing, continued to carry out his criminal intent, and involved in the commission of other crimes. Prosecutor Vusal Abdullayev, defending the state prosecution, brought the necessary details of the charges brought against Balayan Levon Romikovich during the trial. It was noted that the accused was involved in offensive operations, defending captured positions, and planning an aggressive war, which was initiated by transmitting information collected on the location and movements of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the leaders of the criminal organization, in accordance with the plan and instructions developed by the leaders of the criminal organization, with the goal of occupying and holding the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan by Armenia, as well as preparing new plans for attack. He also performed numerous criminal functions, providing direct fire support to weaken the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan in combat operations, ensuring the advancement of occupation forces along the front to expand the occupation map, defending military positions, creating illegal fortifications in the occupied sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, laying mines around them, and performing numerous other criminal functions. He was involved in criminal acts committed in 1995-1998, as well as from September 27 to November 10, 2020. During the investigation conducted in court in the case of Vasily Ivani Beglaryan, Prosecutor Vusal Abdullayev, defending the state prosecution, having presented the necessary details of the charges against him, stated that the accused in the involvement in committing criminal acts in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 2012-2013, as well as from September 2022 to the end of September 2023. Despite his active participation in the Armenian army in the Aghdara district, his criminal activities directly contributed to the crimes committed by other members and leaders of the criminal organization in other territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Prosecutor Vusal Abdullayev, representing the state prosecution, briefed those present during the trial on the necessary details of the charges brought against Gurgen Homeri Stepanyan. It was stated that from 2005 to 2007, he "served" on the front lines in the Fuzuli district as part of the largest military unit of the Armenian Armed Forces. He then joined and operated as part of an illegal armed group (IAG) led by Edo Robertovich Musayelyan, a structural unit of a criminal group stationed in the Khojaly district. It was noted that the evidence examined during the trial fully confirms the charges brought against G. Stepanyan during the preliminary investigation. During the court hearing of Erik Roberti's case against Kazaryan, Prosecutor Vusal Abdullayev, representing the state prosecution, briefed those present on the necessary details of the charges brought against him and stated that the accused, a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, involved in the criminal acts committed from April 2021 to the end of September 2023. During the prosecution's presentations, photographs of the defendants in the courtroom were also shown, depicting the crimes of which they are accused. During the prosecution's presentations, photos of the accused's crimes were displayed in the courtroom. The trial will continue on November 13. Fifteen defendants of Armenian origin are accused in the criminal case concerning numerous crimes committed during the aggressive war waged by the Armenian state - including the aforementioned criminal association - on the territory of Azerbaijan, in violation of domestic and international legal norms. These crimes were committed for the purpose of military aggression against Azerbaijan and were carried out under the direct leadership and participation of the Armenian state, officials of its state institutions, its armed forces, and illegal armed formations, through their written and verbal orders, instructions, and guidelines; material, technical, and personnel support; centralized management; as well as under strict control and under the leadership and direct or indirect participation of Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikaeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Musheghi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Garamyan, Monte Charles Melkonyan, and others. The following individuals - Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshaviri Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan, David Azatini Manukyan, Davit Klimi Babayan, Levon Henrikovich Mnatsakanyan, Vasili Ivani Beglaryan, Erik Roberti Ghazaryan, Davit Nelsoni Allahverdiyan, Gurgen Homeri Stepanyan, Levon Romiki Balayan, Madat Arakelovich Babayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, and Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan - are being charged under the following articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan: Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of aggression); Article 102 (attacking persons or organizations enjoying international protection); Article 103 (genocide); Article 105 (extermination of the population); Article 106 (enslavement); Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement of population); Article 109 (persecution); Article 110 (enforced disappearance of persons); Article 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law); Article 113 (torture); Article 114 (mercenary service); Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare); Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict); Article 118 (military robbery); Article 120 (intentional murder); Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship); Article 214 (terrorism); Article 214-1 (financing terrorism); Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization); Article 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and possession of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and devices); Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security); Article 277 (assassination of a state official or public figure); Article 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state); Article 279 (creation of armed groups not provided for by law); and additional articles. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova delivered a speech at the thematic session "Energy Transition" held within the framework of the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30) in the city of Belem of the Federative Republic of Brazil, Trend reports. The Speaker of Parliament said in her address that accelerating the transition to clean energy is of paramount importance for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, combatting climate change and promoting sustainable development. As she put it, achieving this goal requires consistent and determined efforts building upon the successes attained to date. Furthermore, a fundamental transformation in energy generation, distribution and consumption is imperative and ought to serve both to meet global needs and to effectively address the challenges posed by climate change. The Speaker of the Milli Majlis recalled that the energy transition was one of the key priorities of the COP29 Presidency's endeavours. Azerbaijan combined with the International Energy Agency to arrange four High-Level Energy Transition Dialogues, bringing together partners from different regions of the world. These discussions helped shape the global energy agenda. Consequently, through close collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the COP29 Presidency presented three major energy initiatives: the Global Incubator for Energy Efficiency and Grids, the Global Incubator for Green Energy Zones and Corridors, and the COP29 Hydrogen Declaration. The Speaker of the Milli Majlis remarked that those initiatives are based on the results of the first Global Stocktake conducted under the Paris Agreement and on existing commitments, and reflect the need to close the implementation gap and the urgency of corresponding measures. It was also said in the address that each initiative targets strategic priorities in the sphere of clean energy infrastructure, its deployment, storage, transmission and distribution. They are aimed at accelerating progress towards renewable energy and energy efficiency goals, strengthening co-operation and reinforcing the political will for practical action. According to the Speaker, the initiatives also provide for stimulating innovation, technology transfer, improving the interconnectivity of energy grids and forming new investment mechanisms. The key goal is to achieve an energy transition that ensures the fair and equitable participation of every country and community in this process. The Speaker of the Milli Majlis then talked in her address about the work being done to expand renewable energy production in our country and the successes achieved. She let it be known that Azerbaijan, by consistently implementing a clean energy policy, is increasing the share of renewables in its energy balance and that our country is becoming one of the leading states in the development of renewable energy. The technical potential of our renewable energy resources is estimated at 135 GW on land and 157 GW at sea, whilst the economic potential of the resources is estimated at approximately 27 GW. The share of renewable energy constitutes about 18.8 per cent of the total installed energy capacity currently, which is roughly equal to 1.8 GW. The implementation of green energy projects with a total capacity of over 2 GW is planned by 2027. It was also mentioned that it is intended to ensure that approximately 40 per cent of the energy produced in our country is obtained from renewable sources by 2030. As Speaker of Parliament said then, those investment commitments in the field of clean energy, assumed despite our rich traditional energy resources, demonstrate our country's determination to build a low-carbon future. According to Sahiba Gafarova, Azerbaijan also plays a leading role in establishing new standards for defining clean energy development zones. The creation of the Green Energy Zone on our liberated territories, which were under occupation for almost thirty years and were destroyed, is a vivid example of the strategic vision for sustainable restoration and regional transformation. In conclusion of her address, the Speaker of the Milli Majlis devlare that Azerbaijan as a responsible member of the international community will continue her efforts to increase renewable energy capacity, develop hydropower potential and strengthen energy efficiency measures. Our country remains committed to supporting global climate goals and to joint action in building an inclusive and secure energy future. BAKU, Azerbaijan November 8. Today, Azerbaijan celebrates November 8 as Victory Day. In accordance with the decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on December 3, 2020, titled "On the Establishment of Victory Day in the Republic of Azerbaijan," November 8 is commemorated as Victory Day in Azerbaijan. On September 27, 2020, in response to large-scale provocations by Armenian armed forces along the frontline, the Azerbaijani Army launched a counter-offensive operation known as "Iron Fist." This 44-day Second Karabakh War brought an end to nearly thirty years of occupation of Azerbaijani territories and restored the countrys territorial integrity. The liberation of Shusha, the cultural gem of Karabakh and cherished by every Azerbaijani, on November 8 played a pivotal role in the outcome of the war. This Victory led to the defeat of Armenia's political and military leadership and the cessation of hostilities. The operation to liberate Shusha will forever be remembered in history. As the heart and crown of Karabakh, Shusha was a natural fortress, making it impossible to enter the city with tanks or heavy weaponry. There were two options to reclaim the city. The first involved destroying the Armenian forces in the city through air strikes and artillery, but the command rejected this approach due to the potential for massive destruction. Instead, Azerbaijani forces opted for hand-to-hand combat. Azerbaijani soldiers and officers navigated through dense forests, rocks, and mountains with light arms, engaging the Armenian armed forces in face-to-face combat and ultimately securing Victory. Given the historical significance of Shusha and its liberation, this unprecedented Victory has become a powerful symbol of Azerbaijani resilience and strength, carrying profound importance for the nations future development and prestige. On November 10, 2020, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia signed a trilateral statement declaring a complete ceasefire. Under the terms of the statement, Agdam was liberated on November 20, Kalbajar on November 25, and Lachin on December 1, without further conflict or loss of life. The statement also announced the construction of new transportation routes to connect the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with Azerbaijans western regions. Azerbaijan's military Victory ultimately forced Armenia to capitulate. Following the 44-day Patriotic War, President Aliyev extended an offer of peace to Armenia, aiming to secure lasting stability in the region. However, Armenia declined Azerbaijan's hand of peace and continued provocations on Azerbaijani territory. In response, Azerbaijan undertook localized anti-terror measures. In less than 24 hours, Armenian separatists surrendered to the Azerbaijani Army. Consequently, Armenian armed units, along with illegal armed formations, surrendered their weapons, abandoned their positions, and were fully disarmed. The illegal junta regime in Karabakh was dissolved, key separatist leaders were detained, and Azerbaijan restored full sovereignty over its entire territory. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 8. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan has issued a statement on the occasion of November 8 - Victory Day, Trend reports. "8 November 2025 marks the fifth anniversary of Victory Day in the Republic of Azerbaijan. This monumental date, etched into the hearts of Azerbaijanis, commemorates the glorious victory achieved during the 44-day Patriotic War and serves as an enduring symbol of national strength, determination, and unity. Five years ago, under the resolute leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief H.E. Ilham Aliyev, and with the unprecedented bravery of our armed forces, Azerbaijans territorial integrity was restored, bringing an end to nearly three decades of Armenias military occupation. The Patriotic War, which culminated in the glorious victory of 8 November 2020 with the liberation of Shusha city - the crown jewel of the Karabakh region and cultural capital of Azerbaijan - was a defining moment in our nations history. It was a triumph achieved through the heroism of our martyrs and veterans, whose courage and sacrifice will forever be honored and celebrated. The past five years have witnessed an unprecedented chapter of transformation in our country. Through the Great Return program, Azerbaijan has channeled its unwavering resolve and immense resources into the colossal task of reviving the liberated lands. Cities and villages, once reduced to ruins, are now rising from the ashes equipped with modern infrastructure, smart technologies, and green energy solutions. The safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes stands as the ultimate goal and the greatest testament to the meaning of our Victory. These immense rebuilding efforts serve not only to restore our land but also to build a sustainable future for its inhabitants. Having secured its territorial integrity and sovereignty on the battlefield, Azerbaijan is now a steadfast advocate for sustainable peace and regional cooperation in the South Caucasus. For the sake of regional stability, cooperation, and sustainable development, Azerbaijan is actively engaged in the process of normalizing relations with the Republic of Armenia on the basis of mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Summit meeting held in Washington, D.C. on 8 August 2025 among the leaders of Azerbaijan, the United States, and Armenia is of historic significance. Translating the positive momentum generated by the Washington Summit into tangible progress will require genuine political will and constructive steps. In this regard, for a peace treaty to be signed, Armenia must fully eliminate the territorial claims against Azerbaijan enshrined in its constitution and respect the new regional realities on the ground. 8 November Victory Day stands as a powerful reminder of the strength and determination of Azerbaijan. It is a day to remember our triumphant history, but also to look forward to a future of prosperity and regional collaboration. The resolute spirit of our nation in the face of adversity and the ironclad solidarity it forged during the war serve as a beacon for generations to come. On this historic day, we solemnly commemorate and pay our deepest tribute to the courage and sacrifice of our martyrs and veterans, and the unity of our people. Happy Victory Day!" the statement said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. A conference on Correct Application of Norms of the Azerbaijani Literary Language in the Media was held in Baku, co-organized by the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Press Council, Trend reports. The conference addressed such topics as Compliance with the norms of the Azerbaijani literary language on television and radio and the culture of speech, Rules for the use of the Azerbaijani language in print and online media: problems and solutions, and other related issues. The conference aims to promote the fluent and correct use of the Azerbaijani language in the media in accordance with literary norms, to develop the culture of language use, and to contribute to raising speech standards in the media. Addressing the opening ceremony, Kamran Hasanov, Head of the Media Sector of the Department for Relations with Non-Governmental Organizations and Communications of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, noted that the idea of holding the conference was linked to a very topical and important issue raised by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev at a meeting with members of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan on November 3, and stressed that the media plays a strategic role in protecting the literary language. Noting that the promotion and development of the Azerbaijani language in the information space is one of the main directions of state policy, Kamran Hasanov said that compliance with the norms of the literary language in the airspace, print media, and digital media platforms is of exceptional importance in terms of protecting national cultural values and ensuring the purity of the language. The first panel session of the event was devoted to the topic Compliance with the norms of the Azerbaijani literary language on television and radio and the culture of speech.'' The discussion, moderated by Rafig Hashimov, Deputy Chairman of Azerbaijan Television and Radio Broadcasting CJSC, featured veteran Azerbaijani television announcer and journalist Gulshan Akbarova, Deputy Chairman of the Press Council Saadat Mammadov, and Director of the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Nadir Mammadli, who discussed issues of speech culture, professional responsibility of media representatives, and broadcasting ethics requirements. Meanwhile, it was noted that the quality of language in the audiovisual media space is not only an indicator of the professionalism of the media but also one of the main factors shaping the cultural level and intellectual potential of society. It was noted that adherence to the norms of literary language on the air and correct pronunciation have a significant impact on preserving the purity of the language, as well as on the formation of a healthy culture of communication among the younger generation. The second panel session of the conference was organized on the topic Rules for the use of the Azerbaijani language in print and online media: problems and solutions. The panel discussion was moderated by Natig Mammadli, Deputy Executive Director of the Media Development Agency, and Vusal Mahirgizi, Head of APA Holding. Seyfaddin Huseynli, deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper 525-ci Qazet, and Akif Ashirli, editor-in-chief of the newspaper Sharq, presented their views. During the discussions, it was emphasized that protecting the literary norms of the Azerbaijani language is of strategic importance in the context of globalization, digital communications, social media trends, and the rapidly changing information environment. In this regard, it is extremely important to increase the responsibility of media representatives in this area, improve methodological approaches, expand language monitoring mechanisms, and strengthen training and awareness-raising initiatives. Moreover, it was noted that the Azerbaijani language, which has stood the test of centuries, is one of the main pillars of our national identity and statehood. Preserving the purity of this language and observing literary norms and stylistic features are among the main responsibilities of every citizen, especially representatives of the media, who form public opinion. By Javi West Larranaga and Gemma Guasch (Reuters) -Spanish travel technology company Amadeus is "extremely well positioned" to deal with possible expansion into its industry by large-language-models and AI platforms like ChatGPT, the company's chief executive said on Friday. According to Luis Maroto, Amadeus' objective is to be the key technology provider for AI platforms, supplying them with real-time pricing, among other services. "As we have done at times of other technology changes, we aim to be playing that role in the middle," Maroto said on a call with analysts, adding that he does not believe the goal of AI platforms is to become merchants and content aggregators. Dealing with the complexity of servicing and pricing is "not an easy task", he said. The operator of the world's largest travel booking system reported better-than-expected third-quarter profit earlier on Friday, driven by strong performances across its divisions and an uptick in bookings. (Reporting by Javi West Larranaga and Gemma Guasch, editing by Matt Scuffham) BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. A delegation of the Azerbaijan Naval Forces led by First Deputy Commander of the Azerbaijan Naval ForcesChief of Staff, 1st Grade Captain Teymur Murshudov, visited the city of Karachi to participate in the 11th Pakistan International Maritime Expo & Conference PIMEC-2025, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said in a statement, Trend reports. During the visit, meetings were held with senior officials of the Pakistan Naval Forces. During the meetings, issues on cooperation between the naval forces of the two brotherly countries and other matters of mutual interest were discussed in detail. As part of the international event, the Azerbaijani delegation participated in various conferences covering topics included in the agenda, such as green energy, maritime security, environmental protection, the marine economy, maritime trade and transportation, as well as marine tourism. It should be noted that the event was organized with the aim of bringing together the worlds leading figures and investors in the maritime industry to show Pakistans potential in the fields of maritime trade, defense, and technology. The Azerbaijan Naval Forces comprise a contingent of 2,200 military personnel, augmented by a fleet of around 24 vessels. This operational force encompasses a maritime security contingent tasked with safeguarding the aquatic boundary in the Caspian Sea theater. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Although the development of social media and the acceleration of information flow have affected the position of traditional media, newspapers must maintain their presence, the editor-in-chief of the Sharq (East) newspaper, Akif Ashirli, said, Trend reports. He made the remark at a panel session entitled Rules for the use of the Azerbaijani language in print and online media: problems and solutions, held as part of the conference "Correct application of norms of Azerbaijani literary language in media." Ashirli stated that today the Azerbaijani press, especially the traditional press, is still very important, although it has lost some of its influence in the social media environment: "I believe that the traditions of the classical media should live on in Azerbaijan. Because newspapers are not only a means of information, but also a culture of thinking. Although the readership is sometimes declining, these publications are the foundation of our national information history. New approaches must be found to preserve newspapers and support their activities. There are various options in this area, but the main task is to preserve the ability of newspapers to influence public opinion on a daily basis. It is easy to express one's opinion on social media, but this does not replace the value of analytical writing in newspapers. We must preserve these values and pass them on to future generations,'' he added. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. On November 7, the trial at the Baku Military Court on the criminal case against citizens of the Republic of Armenia continued with the indictment speech of the prosecutors, Trend reports. Tugay Rahimli, Assistant Prosecutor General for Special Assignments, presented documents and evidence against the accused, Davit Klimi Babayan, at the court hearing. It was stated that David Babayan joined the so-called organization in 1998, during the war of aggression unleashed by Armenia, and served in various "positions" until 2023. This is confirmed both by his own testimony and by documents related to him, examined during the judicial investigation. The prosecution attributed the entire criminal activity that occurred between 1998 and 2023 to D. Babayan because, although he was not a military serviceman, he was not an ordinary civilian. The factual circumstances of the case, numerous pieces of evidence examined during the trial, including documents and materials directly related to the accused, as well as the testimony of the accused, indicate that although D. Babayan did not directly take up arms and did not involve in military operations, he was directly involved in the formation and implementation of the ideology of the criminal organization and the policies of the so-called organization. He was aware of the crimes committed for the purposes of the criminal organization and, while he had the opportunity, he failed to take measures to prevent them. Instead, by inciting hatred and enmity, he created the basis for the commission of further crimes. Thus, he was indirectly involved in the commission of crimes that occurred during the specified period. It was emphasized that D. Babayan, in his interviews and social media posts, expressed opinions justifying the actions of the criminal organization, calling for the continuation of the occupation and even "emphasizing the need to occupy new territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan." It was mentioned that D. Babayan served as a political justifier and ideological propagandist for military plans. The prosecution stated that, as established by the Nuremberg precedent of the International Military Tribunal, aggressive war entails criminal liability not only for those who take up arms but also for those who plan it, attempt to legitimize it, and bring it to the attention of the international community. Thus, D. Babayan, by intentionally and directly participating in the preparation, organization, conduct, and legitimization of aggressive war, is indirectly involved in the commission of war crimes, crimes against peace, and humanity. The court proceedings continue against Armenian nationals accused of crimes including war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, aggression, terrorism, and violations of the laws of war. The charges also include financing terrorism, the violent seizure and retention of power, and other serious offenses. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Military servicemen of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have been awarded, Trend reports. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the relevant decree. The full list of the awarded personnel can be found here. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Sergeant Panjali Teymurov has been posthumously awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan, Trend reports. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has signed a corresponding decree conferring the countrys highest honorary title on the fallen serviceman. Photo: Press Service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Officers of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan have been granted senior military ranks, Trend reports. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has signed a decree conferring new ranks on several officers. The decree promotes the following officers of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan to higher military ranks: Higher military rank of "lieutenant general" Major General Kenan Seyidov Major General Aghamir Sultanov Higher military rank of "major general" Colonel Zaur Yusifli Colonel Umudvar Guliyev Colonel Anar Huseynov Colonel Etibar Maharramov Higher military rank of "rear admiral" Captain 1st Rank Shahin Mammadov. Photo: Press service of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Persons who had special merits in the protection of territorial integrity have been awarded, Trend reports. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed the relevant decree. According to the decree, the persons were awarded for their special merits in preserving the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and for their bravery in carrying out combat missions. The full list of the awarded personnel can be found here. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. On November 7, the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov, met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of the Slovak Republic, Robert Kalinak, who is on a visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Welcoming the Slovak guest, the Minister of Defense expressed his pleasure at seeing him in Azerbaijan. Colonel General Z.Hasanov emphasized the importance of developing the current military cooperation between the two countries. Expressing gratitude for the warm reception and hospitality, R.Kalinak congratulated his counterpart on the 5th anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War. The Slovak Minister highlighted the importance of mutual visits in expanding military relations. During the meeting, the sides also discussed the current state and new prospects of cooperation in the military, military-technical, and military-educational spheres, and exchanged views on several issues of mutual interest in the defense field. Photo: State Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan on Work with Diaspora BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. London, the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, hosted a concert titled Melody of Unity, Harmony of Victory, featuring renowned Azerbaijani musician and Honored Artist Elchin Shirinov, who resides in England, Trend reports. The event took place at the prestigious Kings Place cultural center in commemoration of Azerbaijans Victory Day. The concert, organized with the support of the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora of the Republic of Azerbaijan, brought together Azerbaijani compatriots residing in England, members of the local community, and distinguished guests. Among the attendees were Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Azerbaijan to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Elin Suleymanov, and Head of Department at the State Committee for Work with the Diaspora, Salhat Abbasova. The event honored the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and provided a profound reflection on the nations illustrious history of Victory Speakers recalled the unforgettable words of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, Dear Shusha, you are free!, once again emphasizing the profound historical significance of the liberation of Azerbaijani lands from occupation, achieved through the resolve of the head of state and the bravery of the national army. The event underscored the active involvement of Azerbaijanis abroad in the information campaign, as they joined the sacred struggle for the liberation of their homeland and conveyed the nations legitimate message to the international community through timely and persuasive evidence. The concert presented jazz-style interpretations of Azerbaijani music performed by Elchin Shirinov, accompanied by a diverse ensemble of accomplished artists representing various national backgrounds. Members of the Azerbaijani diaspora and the local community warmly received the performers exceptional artistry, once again emphasizing the significant role of stage diplomacy in conveying Azerbaijans historic victory to the global audience. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Turkmenistan hosted a reception to mark November 8 - Victory Day and the National Flag Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Embassy told Trend. Ambassador Gismat Gozalov began his address by honoring the memory of the martyrs who gave their lives for Azerbaijans territorial integrity and sovereignty, expressing deep respect for their sacrifice. In his remarks, the ambassador emphasized that under the leadership of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan achieved a historic victory in the 44-day Patriotic War, a triumph that embodied the will, unity, and sense of justice of the Azerbaijani people. As a result of this victory, the countrys occupied territories were liberated, its territorial integrity was restored, and the provisions of United Nations (UN) resolutions were fulfilled. The ambassador noted that the Azerbaijani flag, now proudly flying across all sovereign territories, stands as an enduring symbol of the nations independence and of the victory secured in the Patriotic War. He further discussed the extensive restoration and reconstruction efforts underway in the liberated territories, as well as Azerbaijan's initiatives to strengthen stability and cooperation in the South Caucasus. The ambassador also highlighted the continuing danger posed by landmines, which continue to threaten the region's recovery. Speaking about the Great Return program, the ambassador said that more than fifty thousand citizens have already returned to live, work, and study in the liberated areas. He added that Azerbaijan continues to rebuild these territories, including the restoration of religious and historical monuments and mosques, transforming them once again into vibrant centers of life. He pointed to the construction of a mosque in the liberated city of Fuzuli, supported by brotherly Turkmenistan, as a vivid example of this spiritual renewal and a valuable contribution to the reconstruction of Karabakh. This initiative, he noted, reflects the shared values of the Turkic world, Islamic culture, and the spiritual revival of Azerbaijans liberated lands. The ambassador also noted significant progress in ongoing bilateral negotiations with Armenia on a draft peace agreement initiated by Azerbaijan, describing the Joint Declaration signed in Washington on August 8, 2025, and other historic understandings as important milestones in advancing the peace process across the region. Touching on regional developments, the ambassador noted that significant progress has been achieved in bilateral peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, emphasizing that the Joint Declaration signed in Washington and other historic agreements mark a crucial step forward in the regional peace process. Gozalov also spoke about the deepening strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, built on shared historical, cultural, and religious values. He stressed that recent high-level visits and trilateral meetings have elevated bilateral cooperation to a new level, strengthening ties across economic, transport, energy, and cultural-humanitarian fields. The ambassador added that the declaration of the current year as the Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty in Azerbaijan and the Year of International Peace and Trust in Turkmenistan reflects both nations shared commitment to confidence and regional stability. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Ahmat Gurbanov, also delivered remarks, congratulating the people of Azerbaijan on Victory Day and expressing his countrys warm sentiments regarding the continued growth of fraternal and strategic partnership relations between the two nations. The event continued with an official dinner reception, featuring performances of Azerbaijani and world classical music, including works by the great composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli. Guests were treated to traditional Azerbaijani cuisine, sweets, and national beverages. The reception was attended by heads and staff of foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Turkmenistan, media representatives, members of the public, and Azerbaijanis residing in Turkmenistan. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel This story was originally published on Packaging Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Packaging Dive newsletter. By the numbers: Q1 FY2026 Net sales: $5.75B Up 71.3% year over year (the first full quarter of integration since acquisition of Berry Global closed April 30) Global flexibles net sales: $3.26B Up 27.6% year over year Global rigid packaging net sales: $2.49B Up 210.6% year over year Net income attributable to Amcor: $262M Compared with net income of $191M a year prior Results: During an earnings call Wednesday, Amcor recapped its first full quarter with Berry Global integrated, which yielded $38 million worth of deal synergies. Amcor reported that volume performance was about the same from the previous quarter, but about 2% lower than estimated combined volumes for the legacy Amcor and Berry businesses in the same quarter last year. End market trends: End market performance represented a mixed bag, CEO Peter Konieczny described. Priority markets for Amcor like pet care proved resilient, but others were impacted by value-conscious consumer behavior, Amcor suggested, including meat and protein, food service, liquids and beauty and wellness. Flexibles and rigids: Volumes in the flexibles unit were down about 2.8% against Amcor and Berrys combined metrics from the prior year. In North America, growth in healthcare and beauty and wellness offset weakness in nutrition categories like liquids, snacks and confectionery. Volume performance in the rigids business didnt change much quarter to quarter, and volumes declined about 1% year over year, excluding the North America beverage business, which Amcor describes as non-core. Growth in pet care and specialty containers was offset by lower volumes in beauty and wellness, food and food service. North American beverage business: Amcor revealed on its last earnings call that it was reviewing alternatives for its North American beverage business. In an update Wednesday, Konieczny said Amcor is pushing ahead on that. We're exploring a broad range of options. We said about 90 days ago, and I'll just repeat that today, that we're very open to all kinds of solutions here, including joint ventures or also partnerships. That is progressing, and we'll see how that plays out, but it's really hard to be more definitive on timing. Other divestitures: Amcor recently entered agreements to sell two businesses for combined proceeds of approximately $100 million, Konieczny announced. CFO Michael Casamento, who will soon depart the company, described one as a small plant in Europe with sales less than $20 million, and the other as a joint venture. We continue to review options to accelerate actions on non-core assets, and we anticipate additional actions this fiscal year, Konieczny said. Berry synergies: Amcor reaffirmed previous financial guidance for fiscal year 2026, which ends June 30. The company projects fiscal 2026 pre-tax synergy benefits related to the Berry acquisition of at least $260 million, with about $50 million to $55 million expected in the second quarter, on its way to $650 million total by the end of FY2028. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Bosnia and Herzegovinas Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elmedin Konakovic, held a meeting in Sarajevo with members of the delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), led by President Pere Joan Pons Sampietro, Trend reports. Minister Konakovic expressed his gratitude to the OSCE for its continued support to Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts to advance stability and European integration. During the meeting, discussions focused on current issues related to regional security, the rule of law, the strengthening of democratic institutions, and the improvement of democratic processes. Minister Konakovic informed his interlocutors about the current political situation in the country, stressing that Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing its deepest crisis since the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. He highlighted that security is a key issue not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina but for the entire region, as a stable environment forms the foundation for social and economic progress. In this context, he underscored the importance of creating better living conditions, particularly for young people, in order to provide them with tangible opportunities and perspectives within their own country. The minister further emphasized that regional cooperation must be strong, meaningful, and result-oriented, reiterating Bosnia and Herzegovinas firm commitment to the European path. Representatives of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly agreed that the European Union represents a major political opportunity for Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in terms of strengthening democratic capacities, regional stability, and economic development. They reaffirmed their commitment to continued cooperation with the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and stressed the importance of dialogue and partnership in addressing the challenges facing the region. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Minister of Foreign Affairs Kestutis Budrys met with Ole Andreas Lindeman, the newly appointed Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania. During the meeting, the parties discussed expanding cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania, Trend reports. The conversation focused on strengthening integration within the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) framework, increasing the visibility of the Offices activities among the publicparticularly in Lithuanias regionsand exploring opportunities to participate in Lithuanias ongoing support initiatives for Ukraine. Cooperation among the Nordic and Baltic countries is grounded in unity and shared values. This is the foundation for our goal of deeper integration within the NB8 regional formatconnecting our nations not only through foreign affairs or defense, but also through strengthening societal resilience against information threats, improving crisis preparedness, and fostering civic engagement, said Minister Budrys. The Nordic Council of Ministers is an intergovernmental cooperation organization that promotes regional collaboration and coordinates common policy directions among the Nordic countries. In 2026, the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania will mark its 35th anniversary. The Office implements programs and projects that encourage cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries in areas such as environmental protection, culture, education, innovation, civil society, and media development. The Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) is an informal regional cooperation framework comprising Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. It aims to discuss and coordinate positions on significant regional and international matters, evolving from initial support to a partnership of equals with shared core values such as democracy and the rule of law. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and India took place in Riga on November 5, 2025. The discussions were led by State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Andzej Vilumsons and Secretary (West) of the Ministry of External Affairs of India Sibi George, Trend reports. The consultations looked into current issues in bilateral relations and dug into opportunities for closer cooperation in the economic sector. The officials also discussed EUIndia relations, collaboration within international organizations, and regional and global security matters. Prior to the consultations, Secretary (West) Sibi George met with Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braze. The minister emphasized that India is an important partner for both Latvia and the European Union, noting the steady growth of economic cooperation. The parties also exchanged views on achieving lasting peace in Ukraine and maintaining international pressure on Russia through sanctions. During the consultations, both sides highlighted the positive dynamics of LatviaIndia bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to continue an active political dialogue. They also expressed readiness to enhance cooperation during Latvias membership in the UN Security Council in 20262027, focusing on shared priorities such as international peace, security, and sustainable development. State Secretary Vilumsons underscored Latvias consistent position in supporting efforts for a durable and just peace in Ukraine and the importance of maintaining international pressure on Russia. He stressed the need to prevent the circumvention of sanctions, particularly in the energy sector, through the use of shadow fleets or third-country infrastructure. The Indian delegation was introduced to the activities of Latvian companies operating in India and to the rapidly growing Latvian technology sector, including its potential in dual-use and defense applications. Secretary George reiterated Indias interest in deepening cooperation with the European Union and shared his perspective on geopolitical developments in the Indo-Pacific region, including the impact of border disputes on regional stability. The previous round of LatviaIndia political consultations took place in New Delhi in 2022. In 2024, India opened its embassy in Riga, and in March 2025, the countrys first resident ambassador, Namrata S. Kumar, officially began her tenure. Latvia has maintained an embassy in New Delhi since 2014. As to economic relations, India's principal exports to Latvia comprise medicines, textiles, plastics, chemicals, and base metals, whereas Latvia predominantly sends base metals, machinery, wood products, chemicals, and optical instruments to India, indicating a burgeoning and equitable bilateral economic relationship. Prominent Latvian enterprises such as Valmiera Glass Fiber and Olainfarm are engaged in the Indian market, with increasing collaboration observed in advanced sectors including cybersecurity and innovation. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The OPEC Fund for International Development is preparing for a larger pipeline of green projects in Azerbaijan in the coming years, President of the Fund Abdulhamid Alkhalifa told Trend in an exclusive interview. The president noted that the OPEC Fund is significantly increasing its commitment to the countries and people of Central Asia, which currently stands at over $1 billion in public and private sector loans as well as grants. "The OPEC Fund is planning to scale up its support and provide up to $1 billion development financing over the next three years, only in Azerbaijan, to support new investments in water and sanitation, transport connectivity, and sustainable urban development," he said. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa emphasized that the Funds overarching objective in the region is to promote sustainable and inclusive growth by aligning its financial and technical resources with the strategic priorities of both the region and the individual partner countries. "More specifically, our focus is on achieving three interrelated outcomes: first, enhancing infrastructure connectivity, including transport networks, energy grids, and water systems - to stimulate economic opportunity; second, contributing meaningfully to the energy transition and strengthening climate resilience; and third, expanding private-sector financing and MSME access to foster inclusive livelihoods," he stated. According to the president, the Fund is committed to generating enduring positive impacts for the people and economies of the region. "We have new Country Partnership Framework agreements in place with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan (signed in 2024), and most recently, Azerbaijan (signed in 2025). We have a Framework Financing Memorandum with Tajikistan, which commits a US$100 million loan to co-finance the 3,600 MW Rogun hydropower plant, whose 335-metre dam will be the worlds tallest," he said. Moreover, he noted that Azerbaijan has achieved strong economic growth in recent years, supported by sound fiscal management and major infrastructure investments. "Building on this progress, our goal is to help the country diversify its economy towards sustainable development, strengthening the private sector through better access to finance and building renewable energy capacity in partnership with local and international developers," Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said. According to him, the Country Partnership Framework (CPF), signed between the OPEC Fund and the Government of Azerbaijan in June 2025 in Vienna, outlines a medium-term agenda centered on renewable energy, modern and resilient infrastructure, water and sanitation, transport connectivity, private-sector development, and the creation of more livable urban environments. "We are currently collaborating with our partners to identify and develop a pipeline of investments in these priority areas, ensuring full alignment with Azerbaijans national development and climate strategies," he stated. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa emphasized that the new financing of up to $1 billion will be directed toward initiatives aimed at expanding access to clean water and sanitation, improving transport infrastructure and urban services, enhancing energy efficiency, and fostering sustainable mobility and infrastructure - core components of cities that are inclusive, green, and resilient. "We will also continue to support the private sector, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as drivers of innovation and job creation. Technical assistance and capacity-building activities will complement these investments, helping national institutions plan and implement projects effectively," he said. Furthermore, Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said that during the Fund's delegation visit to Azerbaijan, they had the opportunity to see the impact of the Fund's investments in one key project that is already operational: the Area-1 (Gobustan) wind farm, developed by Saudi Arabias ACWA Power and co-financed with a $50 million OPEC Fund loan "The facility is part of the 240.5 MW Khizi-Absheron wind power project, Azerbaijans first large-scale, independently developed renewable energy investment. This project is enabling the production of 907 GWh of clean electricity annually, powering more than 300,000 households and reducing carbon emissions by approximately 400,000 tons per year," he noted. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa emphasized that the Fund's support for Azerbaijans green energy transition is both intentional and growing. The technical assistance for the Azerbaijan Green Transition Plan is underway, helping the government to develop reforms, screen investment opportunities, and build capacity for green infrastructure. In addition, the Fund's continuing partnership with ACWA Power and ongoing efforts to scale climate-aligned investments reflect a strategic shift. "The OPEC Fund is committed to mobilizing further financing for clean energy, infrastructure, and sustainable livelihoods. Thus, we are not only supporting Azerbaijan today but preparing for a larger pipeline of green projects in the coming years. We welcome collaboration with the Azerbaijani government, private sector, development partners such as members of the Arab Coordination Group, and other multilateral institutions to ensure that Azerbaijans green transition is effective, scaled, and sustainable," he concluded. The OPEC Fund was established in 1976 with a distinct purpose: to drive development, strengthen communities, and empower people. To date, the Fund has committed more than $30 billion to development projects in over 125 countries with an estimated total project cost of more than $200 billion. The OPEC Fund is rated AA+/Outlook Stable by Fitch and AA+, Outlook Stable by S&P. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 7. On November 6, 2025, Uzbekistan Airways finalized an agreement with Boeing to convert options into a firm order for eight Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, Trend reports. The agreement was sealed ahead of the C5+1 summit in Washington, D.C. by Shukhrat Khudaykulov, Chairman of Uzbekistan Airways, and Paul Riggy, Boeings Vice President of Sales and Marketing. With this conversion, Uzbekistan Airways total firm order for Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners now reaches 22 aircraft. The new wide-body jets are expected to expand the airlines international route network and strengthen its position in the global aviation market. The signing ceremony took place in the presence of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard L. Latnik and Uzbekistans Minister of Investments, Industry, and Trade, Laziz Kudratov. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The TRIPP (The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity) project is economically significant for Central Asia, said U.S. President Donald Trump during a working dinner with the presidents of Central Asian countries, Trend reports. "Three months ago, my administration also broke a historic peace agreement between nearby Armenia and Azerbaijan, one of the eight wars that we ended in eight months," Trump said, emphasizing the swift diplomatic action taken by his administration. President Trump described the route as strategically vital, noting its potential to stimulate commerce across the region. "This is a road that's being carved and goes through some of the most important places anywhere in the world, some of the most important places economically also anywhere in the world, which will boost commercial activity on the other side of the Caspian Sea, helping nations throughout Central Asia," he said. He expressed optimism that the agreement would bring tangible benefits to the region. "I'm optimistic that each of the countries here today will reap the benefits of peace if they embrace the opportunity that we've unleashed with the agreement," the president added. On August 8 in Washington, with the participation of the U.S. president, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration. One of the points of the document provides for the launch of the Zangezur corridor (the so-called Trump Route) to unblock regional communications. In addition, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia initialed an agreement on peace and interstate relations. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon emphasized the importance of advancing the country's ties with the United States and the broader Central Asian region, Trend reports. He made the remark during a working dinner as part of the second Central AsiaU.S. Summit (C5+1) underway in Washington, D.C. Peace, stability, and sustainable security are the fundamental basis for all economic and trade relations, Rahmon said, highlighting the interconnected nature of security and economic growth. The president underscored the need to expand economic cooperation, increase trade turnover, and attract investment into promising sectors of Tajikistans economy. Noting the countrys vast hydroelectric resources and strategic location, Rahmon stressed Tajikistans readiness to develop partnerships in the green energy sector and in electricity exports to neighboring countries. We are committed to working with international partners to strengthen and expand cooperation in these areas, he added. Investment in mining and mineral processing was also highlighted as a key priority for Tajikistans economic development. Rahmon emphasized that, given its economic potential, Tajikistan can play a significant role in strengthening sustainable production and trade chains through expanded regional partnerships. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 7. On November 6, during his working visit to Washington, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, Trend reports. Special attention was given to the practical implementation of agreements reached at the high-level meeting in New York in September. The sides also exchanged views on key global and regional issues, including deepening Central Asia-U.S. cooperation through the C5+1 format. During the meeting, President Mirziyoyev warmly congratulated President Trump on his achievements in domestic and foreign policy, highlighting his personal contribution to resolving critical international and regional conflicts. President Trump welcomed the positive outcomes of Mirziyoyevs recent meetings with U.S. government officials, leading American companies, and financial institutions. Both leaders emphasized the importance of developing and strengthening institutional mechanisms to advance joint projects. At the conclusion of the talks, President Mirziyoyev invited President Trump to pay an official visit to Uzbekistan at a mutually convenient time. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Kazakhstan supports U.S. President Donald Trumps peace initiatives, including the TRIPP project (The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity), which could contribute to the further development of the Middle Corridor, Trend reports. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made this remark during bilateral talks with President Trump in Washington, D.C. President Trump is making a decisive contribution to ensuring a safer, more stable, and prosperous world, President Tokayev emphasized. Donald Trump, in turn, reaffirmed the United States commitment to further strengthening the multifaceted, enhanced strategic partnership with Kazakhstan. The leaders also discussed the signing of commercial agreements between Kazakhstan and the U.S. worth over $17 billion during the visit. During the talks, they conducted a detailed exchange of views on a wide range of bilateral issues and identified promising areas for mutually beneficial cooperation. On August 8 in Washington, with the participation of the U.S. president, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration. One of the points of the document provides for the launch of the Zangezur corridor (the so-called Trump Route) to unblock regional communications. In addition, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia initialed an agreement on peace and interstate relations. We recently published 8 Stocks Jim Cramer Talked About. American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed. Payment and lifestyle services provider American Express Company (NYSE:AXP) is one of Jim Cramers top stocks in the space. Throughout the course of the year, he has continued to praise the firms card and loyalty offerings by pointing out their popularity with younger users. Cramer is also a fan of American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)s CEO Steve Squeri and lamented that he should have sold the stock during a weak period to be able to tell viewers that they can buy it. In this appearance, he commented on American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)s loyalty program and value were standouts in the market and made others want to emulate the firm: American Express (AXP) Is An Example "People Just Want To Emulate," Says Jim Cramer American Express. . .that chronically people say, listen this is the last good quarter. And chronically they deliver. They offer very seriously good product and people think its value. The perceived value, nature of things, people feel that. . .perceived value, American Express I think does offer great value. When you think about Starbucks, and well get to Starbucks, like Ill say, whos loyalty program? Who do you emulate? I mean people just want to emulate American Express, they do a great job, their points. While we acknowledge the potential of AXP as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, November 7. Kyrgyzstans President Sadyr Zhaparov held talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., focusing on strengthening bilateral ties and advancing cooperation across multiple sectors, Trend reports. During the meeting, the leaders discussed political collaboration as well as emerging areas such as financial technologies and artificial intelligence. Highlighting Kyrgyzstans unique position, President Zhaparov noted, Unlike other countries, Kyrgyzstan does not possess oil or gas reserves. Our greatest wealth is our educated youth, many of whom are actively engaged in the IT sector. President Zhaparov also emphasized the potential for financial technology collaboration and praised the U.S. Genius Act, recently signed by President Trump, which regulates stablecoins and is considered one of the most advanced laws of its kind globally. He outlined measures being undertaken in Kyrgyzstan to implement digital financial instruments, including the launch of the national stablecoin KGST and the creation of a state cryptocurrency reserve. President Trump warmly welcomed Zhaparov and acknowledged the steady progress of bilateral relations. I am confident that constructive dialogue at the highest level will support further cooperation and the implementation of joint initiatives aimed at sustainable development, security, and the well-being of the peoples of both nations, Trump said. The meeting underscored the commitment of both countries to deepen strategic cooperation and explore innovative avenues for collaboration in finance, technology, and governance. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Bulgaria and North Macedonia have signed an agreement on the preparation, construction, and operation of a cross-border railway tunnel along Corridor VIII, Trend reports. The deal was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov on behalf of Bulgaria, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Aleksandar Nikoloski on behalf of North Macedonia. Valentina Superti, Director for Western Balkans at DG ENEST, attended the signing ceremony held at Gyueshevo Railway Station, located on the border between the two countries. The European Commission, which provides significant financial support to the project, welcomes this milestone, which carries major strategic importance for both countries, the wider Western Balkans region, and the EU. The EU remains fully committed to supporting this important project and looks forward to its effective implementation in close cooperation with all partners. The tunnel will form an integral part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) and is part of a flagship initiative under the EUs Global Gateway. Once completed, it will bring substantial social and economic benefits to the region. Joint work on cross-border initiatives like this reinforces good neighbourly relations between Bulgaria and North Macedonia a key element in the latters EU accession process. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 7. Uzbekistan will direct nearly $35 billion into the U.S. economy over the next three years through purchases of American products and investment projects, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social, Trend reports. I am thrilled to announce an incredible trade and economic deal between the United States and Uzbekistan. Over the next three years, Uzbekistan will be purchasing and investing almost $35 billion in key American sectors, including critical minerals, aviation, automotive parts, infrastructure, agriculture, energy and chemicals, information technology, and others, Trump stated. He mentioned that the total volume of investments is set to soar past $100 billion in the coming decade. The U.S. president expressed his gratitude to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and emphasized the United States readiness for a long and productive relationship with the republic. On November 6, Trump held a meeting at the White House with the leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as part of the C5+1 Central AsiaU.S. Summit. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Inga Phaladze met with Acting Assistant Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy, Tommy Joyce, on the sidelines of the 6th Ministerial Meeting of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) held in Athens, Greece, Trend reports. The discussion focused on potential cooperation between Georgia and the United States in ensuring regional and global energy security. Phaladze briefed the U.S. side on the ongoing development of Georgias energy sector, major infrastructure projects, and other current initiatives. The parties placed special emphasis on the importance of energy security amid the evolving situation across the Eurasian region. It was noted that Georgia remains a reliable partner in regional energy projects, facilitating the transportation of South Caucasus energy resources, including oil and gas, to European markets. Phaladze highlighted the progress in developing the Green Energy Corridor and Georgias key role in this initiative. We are actively engaged in developing the Green Energy Corridor, which will strengthen energy security both in Europe and across the South Caucasus, Phaladze said. The sides also discussed opportunities for introducing innovative energy technologies and further developing Georgias energy infrastructure. The meeting was also attended by Director General of the Georgian Oil and Gas Corporation Ekaterine Sisauri, Board Member of the Georgian State Electrosystem Zviad Gachechiladze, Head of the Energy Policy and Investment Projects Department Alexander Sokhadze, Deputy Head of the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Policy Department Omar Tsereteli, and Ambassador of Georgia to Greece Levan Beridze. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The ball is about to get rolling on the preparation and design of the concept for the fourth phase of Central Park, which is set to sprout up in the Yasamal district of Baku, Trend reports. The State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture has already completed the preliminary work related to this project. The Committee has handed over the execution of the work to the Austrian Hoffmann-Janz Ziviltechniker GmbH company and wrapped up a contract. In accordance with the contractual agreement, the entity received a remuneration of 2.8 million manat ($1.6 million). Hoffmann & Janz specializes in architectural design and project planning, offering services in developing innovative and high-tech buildings, including residential, commercial, and cultural projects. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. In 2026, 57 percent of Azerbaijans state budget and 63 percent of the consolidated budget will be formed from non-oil revenues; however, linking this growth to higher taxes is an incorrect approach, said the country's Finance Minister, Sahil Babayev, Trend reports. Speaking during a joint meeting of the Parliamentary Committees on Legal Policy and State Building, Defense, Security and Anti-Corruption, Human Rights, and Regional Issues on the draft law On the State Budget of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2026, Babayev emphasized that the main source of the increase comes from the growth of the non-oil gross domestic product (GDP). Next year, non-oil GDP is projected to rise by around 10 percent nominally and about 5 percent in real terms. Taxes are calculated based on nominal figures. Since GDP itself is growing, revenues are increasing accordingly. We always look at the share of taxes in GDP, the minister noted. He added that this year, the ratio of non-oil tax revenues to GDP stands at 12.9 percent, while next year it is expected to reach 13.1 percent. An increase of 0.2 percent cannot be considered a significant tax rise. Therefore, it is wrong to speak of a serious increase in taxes, Babayev said. The minister made it clear that a tax package has been rolled out, featuring a cornucopia of new exemptions. There are extensive concessions related to local production and agriculture. The Nakhchivan region was mentioned as well. The simplified tax limit is being raised from 200,000 to 400,000, and there are also exemptions concerning cashless transactions, he stated. Babayev highlighted that the most discussed topic has been the issue of income tax on salaried earnings. Our position on this matter has been repeatedly explained in recent days. For the absolute majority of the labor market, those earning up to 2,500 manat ($1,470), the income tax will be 3 percent. This in itself is a major concession. If the government had not proposed this relief, a 14 percent tax would have applied to these incomes starting from January 2026. Therefore, we do not believe that the overall tax burden on the economy is increasing, the minister concluded. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel DUSHANBE, Tajikistan, November 7. Boeing and Somon Air have announced the Tajik national carriers largest-ever fleet expansion plan, with an agreement to purchase up to 14 new aircraft, including 787 Dreamliner and 737 MAX models, Trend reports via the company. The agreement, signed during the C5+1 summit in Washington, envisions the delivery of Somon Airs first widebody 787-9 Dreamliners to expand intercontinental routes from Dushanbe, along with up to 10 737-8 narrowbody jets to renew and modernize the airlines short- and medium-haul fleet. Somon Air currently operates six Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft serving 25 destinations in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The new aircraft are expected to reduce fuel consumption by 2025 percent, lowering operating and maintenance costs while enhancing passenger comfort and sustainability. This significant investment marks our first widebody order and reaffirms our commitment to providing exceptional service. The flexibility of this agreement allows us to adapt our fleet to evolving market demand, said Abdulkosim Valiyev, CEO of Somon Air. Paul Rigie, Boeing Vice President for Eurasia and India, said Somon Airs continued cooperation with Boeing reflects its strategic focus on efficiency and growth. Once finalized, the order will support more than 11,000 jobs across the United States. Somon Air is the national air carrier of Tajikistan, which has been successfully operating on the international market since 2008 and is the only airline in the country that joined the IATA (International Air Transport Association). International air transportation is the main activity of the airline. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Photo: The Ministry of Mining Industry and Geology of Uzbekistan TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 7. Deputy Minister of Mining and Geology of Uzbekistan, Rustam Yusupov, held a meeting with representatives of China Coal Resources Development Group to discuss prospects for joint projects and ways to modernize Uzbekistans coal sector, Trend reports. In the course of the meeting, the sides presented proposals to enhance the efficiency of coal extraction and processing through modern technologies, integrate the coal industry with the energy sector, and develop innovative solutions by implementing advanced transformation technologies. The discussions also focused on opportunities to expand cooperation, implement joint projects, and strengthen long-term business ties. Azerbaijan-Pakistan trade turnover gains foothold in 9M2025 From January through September 2025, trade between Azerbaijan and Pakistan reached $20.7 million, marking a 38.7% increase or $5.8 million more than in the same period of 2024. During this time, Azerbaijans exports to Pakistan totaled just $3,200, falling by 48.6%. In contrast, imports from Pakistan rose by 40.1% to $20.6 million. Access to paid information is limited If You already have a account, please log in Login Register BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Renovation work with a total cost of 1.4 million manat ($820,000) is beginning on 23 private residential houses in Azerbaijan's Khankendi city, Trend reports. The Restoration, Construction, and Management Service in Khankendi city and the Aghdara and Khojaly districts has already completed the relevant work. Thus, the agency entrusted the implementation of the aforementioned work to the Barpa AS Limited Liability Company (LLC) and signed a contract. According to the contract, the company was paid the above sum. Thus, the renovation of one house will cost 61,500 manat ($36,180). Barpa AS LLC, to which the renovation work in the houses was entrusted, passed state registration in 2010. The legal representative of the company, whose authorized capital is 10 manat ($5.9), is Rafig Shikhaliyev. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel You can find original article here Nrn. Subscribe to our free daily Nrn newsletters. Applebees and IHOP parent company Dine Brands reported financial results from the third quarter on Wednesday morning, including a same-store sales increase of 3.1% at Applebees, marking the casual-dining chains second consecutive positive quarter after being in the red since early 2023. Average weekly sales at the chain during the quarter were $52,600, including approximately $12,000 from off-premises sales, or 22.9% of total sales. During the companys earnings call, chief executive officer John Peyton said positive traffic was a driver for the brand as new menu items are resonating with existing and new customers. During Q3, Applebees launched the Chicken Parmesan Fettuccine as part of its 2 for $25 menu, and it has since become the chains best-selling standalone pasta dish, representing approximately 13% of transactions. The Ultimate Trio Appetizer Sampler has also become one of its best-selling appetizers, averaging 13.5% of transactions and contributing meaningfully to check growth, Peyton said. Notably, the Ultimate Trio is available for off-premises customers and has contributed to a 9% increase in those sales year-over-year. Guests should expect to see this continued menu innovation driven by a robust menu pipeline with a new appetizer and a new entree added to our menu each quarter, he added. Applebees also continues to sharpen its social media focus to deepen engagement and reach a broader audience. Peyton said the chain has experienced a 266% increase in social media engagement since the same period last year. The chain also continues to progress on its Lookin Good remodeling plan, with approximately 80 restaurants updated to date and more than 100 expected to be completed by the end of the year. Franchisees, Peyton said, are reporting strong post-remodel sales lifts and an increase in guest frequency. Theres more to do and plenty of opportunity ahead, and were committed to strengthening the brands relevance, sharpening our competitive edge, and driving long-term growth, he said. IHOP Meanwhile, sister brand IHOPs same-store sales were -1.5%, but traffic turned positive during the quarter. The family-dining brand gained encouraging momentum from its House Faves launch, now available seven days a week. This is the first time IHOP has introduced an everyday value menu as part of its core offering and momentum driven by the promotion has accelerated into Q4. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Representatives of the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure) and the China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) have thrown their hats in the ring, showing a keen interest in broadening their cooperation with Azerbaijan in the economic and infrastructure arenas, Trend reports. This was discussed during a meeting on November 7 between First Deputy Minister of Finance of Azerbaijan Anar Karimov and the visiting delegations from Sinosure and CRBC. The meeting followed up on the agreements reached during President Ilham Aliyevs visit to China in August, focusing on strengthening cooperation in the fields of economy and finance. Karimov briefed the Chinese representatives on the ongoing development of Azerbaijans transport infrastructure and projects planned under the State Program for the Improvement of Transport Infrastructure in Baku and Surrounding Areas for 20252030. He noted that establishing a safe, efficient, and environmentally sustainable transport system; improving public transport services; enhancing road and traffic management; and diversifying regional logistics links remain among the governments key priorities. The Chinese delegation expressed interest in participating in these projects and exploring opportunities for cooperation in technical, engineering, construction, and financial support areas. Deputy General Director of the China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation, Cheng Tao, emphasized that Azerbaijans large-scale transport and infrastructure projects have contributed significantly to diversifying regional logistics links, enhancing the competitiveness of international trade routes, and optimizing transport flows. He highlighted the importance of expanding economic and infrastructure cooperation between China and Azerbaijan. The meeting concluded with an exchange of views on issues of mutual interest. It is noteworthy that, as of May 2025, an estimated 320 enterprises from the People's Republic of China are actively engaged in operations within the territorial confines of Azerbaijan. A substantial cohort of these entities are key stakeholders within the energy, transportation, and technological domains, among various others. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, November 7. Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Akhmet Gurbanov met with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran for Economic Affairs Hamid Ghanbari at the Turkmen Ministry of Foreign Affairs and discussed strengthening bilateral cooperation in the economy, Trend reports via Turkmen MFA. The officials exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including political, diplomatic, trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian relations, emphasizing the importance of high-level and summit meetings in expanding friendly ties. Trade and economic cooperation were highlighted as a key focus, with particular attention to the Intergovernmental Turkmen-Iranian Commission on Economic Cooperation. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to implementing agreements reached during the commissions last session. The meeting also addressed cooperation in the fuel and energy sectors and explored ways to enhance transport and transit potential between the two countries. To note, Iran and Turkmenistan primarily trade petroleum products, cotton, and industrial goods, with Iran exporting iron, building materials, and agricultural products, while Turkmenistan sends petroleum coke, cotton, and fabrics to Iran. Key exports from Iran to Turkmenistan include raw iron bars, small iron pipes, and building stone, while Turkmenistan's main exports to Iran are petroleum coke, raw cotton, and heavy pure woven cotton. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Greening and landscaping work will be carried out in the Hadrut settlement of Azerbaijan's Khojavand district, Trend reports. The Restoration, Construction, and Management Service in the Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Khojavand districts has already started relevant work. Thus, the agency is currently identifying a company that will carry out landscaping work in the settlement. Meanwhile, the state service predicted that the work to be done in the Hadrut settlement will cost 2.6 million manat ($1.5 million). The Hadrut settlement was liberated from occupation by the Azerbaijani Army on October 9, 2020. As in other liberated territories, construction works are continuing rapidly in Hadrut, and large-scale improvement and construction projects are being implemented. There are a total of 541 houses in the settlement, of which 462 are unusable and 79 are partially usable. As many as 10 of these houses are already ready for operation. It is reported that all partially usable houses will be restored by the end of the year. Currently, 10 families, a total of 41 people, live in their own Hadrut. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The Azerbaijani government continues to take significant measures to improve housing conditions for persons with disabilities and families of martyrs, where socially oriented state programs aimed at supporting these groups are being consistently implemented, Trend reports. Within the framework of these efforts, new apartments will be provided to families of martyrs and persons with disabilities in Azerbaijan's Balakan district. In total, 12 three-room apartments are planned to be handed over to the beneficiaries. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population, through its subordinate Social Services Agency, has already begun preparatory work for the housing allocation. The agency has estimated that the housing provision project will cost around 1.2 million manat ($71,000). Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) First Vice President and Head of Client Services Group Greg Guyett will visit Turkiye from 10 to 13 November 2025, with meetings planned in Istanbul and Ankara, Trend reports. During the visit, Guyett will meet with Turkiyes Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Simsek, Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan, and leading corporate and financial sector representatives in Istanbul. Guyett oversees all banking, advisory, and policy activities at the EBRD, leading efforts to strengthen market economies across the Banks regions. Turkiye remains the EBRDs largest country of operations, with record investments of 2.6 billion euros in 2024. The EBRD has been a key supporter of Turkiyes private sector and post-earthquake recovery. Following the February 2023 earthquakes, the Bank launched a 1.5 billion euro response package and has since financed several reconstruction projects, including a $150 million loan to Enerjisa Enerji to rebuild electricity networks and 305 million euros in sovereign loans for critical water infrastructure in Adiyaman, Hatay and Gaziantep. Ahead of his visit, Guyett said: I am very much looking forward to returning to Turkiye in my new role as First Vice President of the EBRD. Turkiye is a key country for the EBRD, showcasing our work in supporting private enterprise and market development. I am excited to meet our Turkish partners and explore new opportunities for cooperation in this vibrant economy. Since launching operations in Turkiye in 2009, the EBRD has invested more than 22.7 billion euros, mostly in the private sector, making it one of the countrys largest institutional investors. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) discussed boosting insurance coverage, Trend reports via the CBA. First Deputy Chairman of the CBA Aliyar Mammadyarov met with the leaders of the insurance sector. Within the framework of the meeting, the results of the insurance sector's activities for the third quarter of the current year, the challenges it faces, and initiatives aimed at the sustainable development of the sector in general were reviewed. The meeting also exchanged views on strategic goals for the coming period, as well as increasing insurance coverage and expanding the application of sustainability principles in the sector. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. A total of 4.7 million manat ($2.7 million) was paid for the repair of 80 houses in Garakend and Garazami villages of Azerbaijan's Khojavand district, Trend reports. The repair will be held within the ongoing phased restoration and reconstruction work in the liberated territories. The Restoration, Construction, and Management Service in Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Khojavand districts has already finished relevant work. The organization entrusted the repair of houses in Garakend to Imza Construction LLC and the repair of houses in Garazami to Conrad LLC, and concluded contracts. In accordance with the contracts, the first-named company was paid 2.3 million manat ($1.3 million), and the second - 2.35 million manat ($1.38 million). According to the calculation, approximately 58,700 manat ($34,530) will be spent on the repair of one house. Imza Construction LLC, to which the work was entrusted, passed state registration in 2006. The legal representative of the company, with authorized capital of 1,000 manat ($590), is Azer Aliyev. Conrad LLC passed state registration in 2008. The legal representative of the LLC, with authorized capital of two manat ($1.18), is Ruslan Guliyev. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. A framework agreement on cooperation has been signed between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) and China's Sinopec Engineering Company, Trend reports via SOCAR. This took place during a meeting between President of SOCAR Rovshan Najaf and President of Sinopec Engineering Company Zhang Xinming. The meeting noted that relations between Azerbaijan and China are developing successfully in various fields, including the energy sector. In this regard, the existing cooperation between SOCAR and Chinese companies was highly appreciated. During the conversation, views were exchanged on issues of mutual interest in the field of oil and gas processing, petrochemicals, digitalization, energy transition, the application of modern processing technologies, and other issues of mutual interest. The energy collaboration between Azerbaijan and China is swiftly evolving from conventional energy to a pronounced emphasis on green energy initiatives, encompassing extensive solar and wind projects, modernization of grid infrastructure, green hydrogen, and battery storage, all within a comprehensive strategic partnership aimed at establishing Azerbaijan as a regional clean energy hub. This partnership is integral to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and utilizes Azerbaijan's strategic position on the Middle Corridor to link energy markets. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The price of Azerbaijans Azeri Light crude at Italys Augusta port, on a CIF basis, went down by $0.63, or 0.96 percent, on November 6 from the previous level, coming in at $64.8 per barrel, a source in the oil market told Trend. At Turkiyes Ceyhan port, the FOB price of Azeri Light crude decreased by $0.69, or 1.09 percent, landing at $62.68 per barrel. The price of URALS crude dipped by $0.88, or 1.69 percent, to $51.19 per barrel, and Brent Dated crude from the North Sea dropped by $0.9, or 1.39 percent, to $63.66 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, November 7. The energy cooperation between the EU and Azerbaijan significantly contributes to achieving the EU's objective, as outlined in the REPowerEU plan, to eliminate dependency on Russian fossil fuel imports, including natural gas, Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jrgensen, said in his written answer to a parliamentary question, Trend reports. Since 2021, gas supplies from Azerbaijan to the EU through the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) have increased by over 40%. Importantly, the SGC is exclusively connected to Azerbaijani gas fields and not integrated with the broader Azerbaijani national gas system. Consequently, it does not facilitate the transportation of Russian gas to the EU, he noted. Jrgensen pointed out that Azerbaijan imported less than 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia for domestic consumption in 2023. These imports decreased sharply in 2024 and 2025. In contrast, Azerbaijan's total natural gas exports exceeded 25 billion cubic meters in 2024, with approximately half destined for the EU market. The difference in these volumes highlights the distinct magnitudes involved, he added. The Commissioner further noted that the EU continues to actively support lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is crucial that both countries continue to make progress on their path towards full-fledged normalisation of relations. In this context, the EU strongly commends both sides for the initialling of their bilateral peace treaty on 8 August 2025 in Washington, DC, marking a significant breakthrough to end decades of conflict. The EU stands ready to help implementing the Washington agreements, he added. This is strange for two big reasons. The British have traditionally prided themselves on the uniqueness of their political system; an aristocratic arrangement that evolved peacefully into a democratic one and a hard-headed regime that nevertheless gave people a chance to dress up in odd clothes and engage in weird rituals. Some 35 other countries have adopted the Westminster model; one American president, Woodrow Wilson, wrote a learned book on why the British system is better than the US one. Yet today the pride has gone and the distinctiveness is disappearing. British politics is becoming simultaneously more American and more European. To add further complexity: The mainland is importing features of the most troubled corner of the British Isles, Ulster. The Americanization of British politics is the most established and most deliberate trend. Prime ministers have acted increasingly like presidents, amassing ever larger staffs, concentrating power in Downing Street, particularly over foreign policy. Tony Blair embraced the US version of the British division of powers by creating a supreme court and devolving power to Scotland and Wales. David Cameron supported the devolution of power to American-style mayors. Both parties imported all sorts of features of the US political process, such as consultants and focus groups. In 2014, Ed Miliband employed one of Barack Obama's leading advisors, David Axelrod, ahead of the following year's election. Nigel Farage has taken Americanization to a new level by importing Trumpism whole cloth. Reform is a facsimile of Donald Trump's remodeled Republican Party: A one-man band that focuses on immigration and wokery and flirts cleverly with extremism. Farage models himself on every detail of his much-heralded friend in the White House, from the carefully choreographed rallies to the semi-jocular style to the habit of giving rivals nicknames - "two-tier Keir" (Starmer) and "Robert Generic" (Jenrick, an aspiring Tory leader). GB News, a channel on which Farage has a show, is a British version of Fox News. The left is responding with Americanization of its own; Zack Polanski, the new head of the Green Party, models himself on Zohran Mamdani, the leading candidate for the mayoralty of New York, down to his exuberant style and far-fetched promises. Britain's fraught withdrawal from the European Union coincided with (and partly precipitated) the Europeanization of UK politics. In 1882, Gilbert and Sullivan captured one of the basic features of the political system with the quip that every newborn Briton was "either a little Liberal or else a little Conservative." Today, the two-party system is fragmenting, with five or even six different groups competing for votes. The days when Brits woke up on the morning after an election to see who had "won" may be ending; instead, we may have to endure the continental ritual of prolonged bargaining as the parties struggle to form coalitions - Reform plus the Conservatives versus Labour plus the Liberal Democrats and the Greens. Then there's the strange inversion of politics in the British Isles: The British center importing distinctive symbols of Ulster life, including the flags of rival communities fluttering from lampposts and crowds of young men marching through the streets over military conflicts that either took place a long time ago, as in Ulster, or are unfolding in the Middle East. Masked protestors in Canary Wharf carried a "no surrender" flag in conscious imitation of Ulster unionists. Such symbolism reflects the fact that the politics of the mainland is being reshaped by the same forces that shape Ulster: Ethnic loyalties (and hostilities) that are so instinctual that they override material considerations. In Ulster, Catholics vote for Catholics, Protestants for Protestants, and politicians are primarily ethnic bosses rather than technocrats. In Muslim-dominated areas of England, Muslims are increasingly voting for Muslim leaders based on their position on the Gaza War. Britain has four independent MPs elected in Muslim-majority areas based on their stance on Gaza - when Shockat Adam defeated Labour in Leicester South, he held up a keffiyeh and declared "this is for the people of Gaza." Dozens of Labour MPs worry that they will suffer a similar fate in the next election. Jess Phillips, for example, won her Yardley seat with a greatly reduced majority of 693, thanks to a strong challenge from the pro-Palestinian Workers Party. The British left sees its future in harnessing Muslim ethnic politics: Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is forming a new party with Zarah Sultana, a Labour MP who left the party over Gaza. The rise of Muslim politics is taking place against a broader landscape of ethnic voting. The Scottish Nationalist Party continues to dominate Scottish politics, despite a dismal recent performance characterized by political scandals and the deteriorating quality of the welfare state. Plaid Cymru, the Welsh national party, recently won a thumping victory in Caerphilly, ousting Labour for the first time in a century. Britain's old-style pride in its peculiar traditions may have been a little overwrought; the two-party system meant that minorities often felt squeezed out, and the ceremonial side of British politics could sometimes feel a little Ruritanian. Yet, overall, the country did a remarkable job in balancing change with continuity and embracing minority rights. The Blairite modernization of British politics has left the technocratic elite even more disconnected from the tradition-loving British people. And the communalization of British politics is quickly replacing consensus-making with conflict. The ongoing political revolution gives us more to worry about than to celebrate. Adrian Wooldridge is the global business columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He was previously a writer at the Economist. His latest book is "The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World." Previously: 10/30/25: The cult of Charles de Gaulle is growing 08/05/25: Britain is in the midst of one long, hot, nervous summer 07/08/25: The Middle Ages are making a political comeback 06/23/25: The arc of history does not simply bend toward justice 04/01/25: Making America healthy should be a bipartisan challenge 11/27/23: If you want more globalization, build better walls 09/06/23: CEOs must soldier on even as AI anxieties loom 08/31/23: The incredible shrinking global sea powers 06/20/23: If neoliberalism did not exist, we would have to invent it 05/02/23: Disruption will always be capitalism's secret sauce 05/02/23: What science says about the coronation of Charles III 01/04/23: Who are the nepo babies among us? 07/13/22: Boris Johnson's fall is populism's latest act of self-destruction 06/21/22: The West is facing a followership crisis 05/25/22: The 1970s had a big bright side, too 05/10/22: Young Americans aren't as woke as you think 05/04/22: The furor facing Disney in Florida is a warning that capitalism won't regain its legitimacy by alienating (COMMENT, BELOW) Aquarian Capitals affiliate is set to acquire US-based life insurance and annuity provider Brighthouse Financial in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $4.1bn. Brighthouse Financials shareholders will receive $70 per share. The deal, formalised through a definitive merger agreement, is expected to conclude in 2026 pending regulatory and shareholder approvals. Upon completion, Brighthouse Financial will operate as a stand-alone company within Aquarian Capital's portfolio. Brighthouse Financial's current CEO and president, Eric Steigerwalt, is expected to remain in his position, and the company will retain its name, brand and North Carolina headquarters. The purchase price represents a 37% premium over Brighthouse Financials closing share price of $51.09 on 27 January 2025, as well as a 37.7% premium over the companys 90-day volume-weighted average price as of 5 November 2025. Aquarian Capital has outlined plans to support Brighthouse Financial's platform and distribution network and aims to enhance product innovation and investment management through collaboration with its investment management platform, Aquarian Investments. Brighthouse Financials Board of Directors has granted unanimous approval for the merger agreement and recommended that shareholders vote in favour of the deal. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including antitrust clearance and insurance regulatory approvals. Steigerwalt said: This transformative transaction marks an exciting new chapter for Brighthouse Financial and is the culmination of a process initiated by our Board of Directors earlier this year. As one of the largest providers of annuities and life insurance in the US, we are thrilled to partner with Aquarian Capital to continue to deliver on our mission of helping people achieve financial security through our best-in-class distribution franchise, as well as our innovative suite of Shield annuity products, and our work with BlackRock on LifePath Paycheck. RBC Capital Markets is acting as exclusive financial advisor to Aquarian Capital, with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom providing legal counsel, and Milliman and Oliver Wyman serving as actuarial advisors. Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs & Co are advising Brighthouse Financial on the transaction, along with legal advisor Debevoise & Plimpton and actuarial advisor Milliman. "Aquarian Capital affiliate to buy Brighthouse Financial in $4.1bn all-cash deal" was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. ICGB, the independent transmission system operator of the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector, joined regional partners in signing an agreement for the launch of two new route products to support Ukraine, the company told Trend. The initiative marks a major milestone in the development of the Vertical Gas Corridor as well. The TSOs have agreed to establish Route 2 and Route 3 capacity products - new strategic gas transportation options designed to enhance energy security, regional connectivity, and market integration across Southeast and Eastern Europe. During the 6th Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) in Athens, all TSOs inked their decision to move forward, submitting the new bundled products for approval by the respective national energy regulators. Routes 2 and 3 are dedicated capacity products designed to transport natural gas from the Alexandroupolis LNG terminal and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) through the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector (IGB) and onward via the Trans-Balkan Pipeline, Romania and Moldova to Ukraine. By linking Southern European entry points with Eastern markets, the routes transform IGB into a central axis for moving LNG and Caspian gas northward to strengthen regional energy resilience. This will provide crucial alternative supply sources and routes in line with EUs firm commitment to phase out Russian gas, enabling LNG deliveries from the United States and other producers. The establishment of Routes 2 and 3 complements the successful launch of Route 1 earlier this year and is expected to significantly improve the resilience of gas supply networks across the region. By offering multiple competitive capacity products via a unified auction platform (RBP) in competing auctions, the initiative ensures flexibility and continuity of gas flow, even in challenging circumstances. In the joint letter to regulators, the TSOs propose that Routes 2 and 3 are available from December 2025 until April 2026, aligning their duration with that of Route 1. This timeframe will allow TSOs, regulators, and market participants to assess the routes performance in practice and implement any refinements needed to enhance efficiency and market value. The coordinated efforts of ICGB and the transmission system operators of Greece (DESFA S.A.), Bulgaria (Bulgartransgaz EAD), Romania (Transgaz S.A.), Moldova (Vestmoldtransgaz SRL), Ukraine (GTSOU LLC) align closely with the European Commissions strategy for the diversification of gas routes and the gradual replacement of Russian supply with LNG and Caspian sources. The implementation of these new routes, supported by substantial tariff reductions, will further enhance Europes capacity to deliver natural gas where it is most needed -strengthening energy solidarity and supporting Ukraine as it continues to maintain energy stability. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has provided a loan of up to 50 million euros to Cimsa Cimento Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Cimsa), a Turkish manufacturer of building materials and part of Haci Omer Sabanci Holding A.S, Trend reports via EBRD. Meanwhile, the funds will be used to finance a green investment program under the company's Green Financing Framework (GFF). The project involves the construction of a new calcium aluminate cement plant and the implementation of measures to decarbonize existing production facilities at the plant in Mersin. According to information, the project is fully in line with the goals of transitioning to a green economy, including improving energy efficiency, using renewable energy sources, and reducing the share of clinker in cement production through the use of alternative raw materials. This decarbonization investment program fully supports the transition to a green economy through the development of environmentally friendly types of cement (in particular, calcium aluminate cement CAC), the introduction of renewable energy sources, improving thermal efficiency, and reducing the proportion of clinker in cement through the use of alternative raw materials. "Investments in the construction of a new CAC production plant will reduce fuel and energy consumption. Thus, the project is classified as 74 percent compliant with the principles of the Green Economy Transition (GET) and the EU taxonomy for climate change mitigation, as it will ensure and demonstrate a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions throughout its life cycle. In addition, the project includes the creation of a new internship program to develop technical and green production skills in cooperation with local educational institutions. It has also been awarded Gender SMART status, as it contributes to the economic empowerment of women in the traditionally male-dominated cement industry," the information states. Moreover, it is noted that the total cost of the project will be 57 million euros. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Azerbaijan is uniquely positioned to host AI infrastructure, Trend reports citing Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Over the next decade, technological sovereignty will become one of the key factors of economic influence. The leading positions will go to countries and regions that combine energy resources with human capital capable of transforming energy into innovation. With its strong energy base, Azerbaijan is uniquely positioned to host AI infrastructure. To succeed, the country will also need to invest in education and workforce reskilling, stimulate demand for AI solutions across government and business, and build strong partnerships between its local innovation ecosystem and global tech hubs like Silicon Valley and Israel to drive knowledge and technology exchange, reads the latest report published by the BCG. Anton Aristov, Managing Director and Partner at BCG, said that technology projects require not only strong local expertise but also global collaboration. The growing interest from Silicon Valley investors in several breakthrough projects developed in Azerbaijan some already close to commercialization shows that the country is emerging as a bridge between local innovation and the global tech ecosystem. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. U.S. President Donald Trump emphasized Central Asias growing significance and the United States commitment to deepening ties with the region during a working dinner with the C5 presidents, Trend reports. Were strengthening our economic partnerships, improving our security cooperation, and expanding our overall bonds, Trump said. A tremendous amount of trade was done just in the last little while. Lots of great products, military products and otherwise, are being bought from the United States. We make the best military equipment by far in the world, and theyve understood it ever since Ive been in office, where we rebuilt completely our military. Trump praised the regional leaders for their dedication to maintaining strong U.S. relations. I want to thank all of the leaders for being here and for their dedication to a strong relationship with the USA, he said. Highlighting the regions historical and geographic significance, he added, These nations were once home to the ancient Silk Road, connecting East and West. Today, their location in the heart of Eurasia gives them incredible importance and unbelievable potential. Criticizing past neglect, Trump said, Previous American presidents neglected this region completely. Its an unbelievable region, and by the way, it happens to be an extremely wealthy region too. But we are fixing that mistake. Im committed to making Americas partnership with each of these countries stronger than ever before. Trumps remarks underline a renewed U.S. focus on trade, security, and strategic cooperation in Central Asia. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 7. Kazakhstans national mining company Tau-Ken Samruk and U.S. investment firm Cove Capital have announced the creation of a joint venture to develop the Severny Katpar and Verkhnee Kairakty tungsten deposits, which are among the largest undeveloped tungsten reserves in the world, Trend reports via Samruk-Kazyna. The $1.1 billion agreement was signed on the sidelines of the C5+1 Summit in Washington, with Nariman Absametov, CEO of Tau-Ken Samruk, and Pini Althaus, CEO of Cove Capital, representing the two companies. Preparatory work is now underway on the final feasibility study for the Severny Katpar project, which includes plans to establish primary processing facilities in Kazakhstan for the production of ammonium paratungstate (APT), a key intermediate product used in advanced tungsten applications such as powders and wear-resistant components. The Severny Katpar and Verkhnee Kairakty deposits hold an estimated 410,000 tonnes of tungsten reserves (JORC standard), positioning Kazakhstan among the global leaders in tungsten resources. The project is expected to significantly contribute to the countrys mining and metallurgical development. Founded in 2015, Cove Capital invests in biopharmaceuticals, renewable energy, and mining sectors, with its headquarters in the U.S. Kazakhstan's additional significant deposits include Karaoba, Boguty, and Koktenkol, all predominantly stockwork deposits that frequently contain molybdenum and rare earth elements. The nation's tungsten potential, with deposits exceeding 2 million tons of WO, positions it as a pivotal global contributor in the metal's supply chain. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 7. Kazakhstan's Samruk-Kazyna and UK-based investment firm Ashmore, through its subsidiary Ashmore Healthcare International, plan to establish the first Western-branded multidisciplinary clinic in Kazakhstan, Trend reports via Samruk-Kazyna. The hospital will collaborate with one of Ashmores global clinical partners, bringing cutting-edge medical technologies and the latest scientific advancements to the regions healthcare sector. The Fund highly values the opportunity to integrate Ashmores proven expertise and that of its U.S. clinical partner into Kazakhstans healthcare system. This initiative will promote the adoption of advanced international standards in the field, said Nurlan Zhakupov, Chairman of the Management Board of Samruk-Kazyna. Mark Coombs, CEO of Ashmore Group, noted that Ashmore is committed to supporting Kazakhstans sustainable development across various sectors. "We are pleased to work with Samruk-Kazyna to establish a regional medical center that will deliver world-class healthcare services, he said. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 7. The National Bank of Kazakhstan and Visa have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation during the official visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Washington, Trend reports via the bank. The document was signed by Akylzhan Baimagambetov, Deputy Chairman of the National Bank, and Robert Thomson, Global Head of Government Engagement at Visa. The memorandum aims to further strengthen the long-standing partnership between the National Bank and Visa, as well as to jointly implement initiatives for the development of Kazakhstans payment market. We believe that our shared efforts will contribute to advancing the payment industry and open new opportunities for market participants, Baimagambetov said. Under the agreement, the parties plan to establish a Center of Competence based at the National Payment Corporation of the National Bank. The center will focus on testing cutting-edge payment solutions, including card services involving digital assets, and assessing their practical benefits for financial market participants. Another crucial piece of the puzzle will be beefing up the Anti-Fraud Center of the National Bank. The parties intend to explore AI-driven technologies to improve the efficiency of fraud prevention and strengthen the security of Kazakhstans financial ecosystem. Payment innovations in Kazakhstan encompass the swift expansion of mobile wallets and super apps such as Kaspi.kz, the prevalent use of QR code payments, the establishment of an Instant Payment System (IPS), and the integration of advanced technology like biometrics and artificial intelligence to improve security and efficiency. The government and central bank actively endorse these digital payment schemes to enhance financial inclusion and diminish dependence on cash. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 7. Donald Trump is a great leader, statesman, sent by heaven to bring common sense and traditions that we all share and value back into the United States policy, said President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a working dinner with Central Asian leaders during the C5+1 meeting in Washington, D.C., Trend reports. "Mr. President, you are the great leader, statesman, sent by heaven to bring common sense and traditions that we all share and value back into United States policy, either domestic or foreign. Therefore, millions of people in so many countries are so grateful to you, and I am convinced that your wise and bold policy needs to be strongly supported worldwide," he added. President Tokayev also noted that, under Donald Trumps presidency, America is ushering in a new golden age. "I commend your far-sighted vision of making America great again. This inspires me to pursue a target-oriented strategy towards building a just and strong Kazakhstan on the basis of my concept, law, and order," he said. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 7. Kazakhstans Qazaq Air has launched direct regular flights between Astana and Samarkand, Trend reports. The opening ceremony took place at Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport with the participation of Yousif Aljawder, Chairman of the Board of Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport, and Adilbek Umraliev, Chairman of the Board of QAZAQ AIR, as well as the first passengers and partners of the airline. The new route strengthens air connectivity between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and opens new opportunities for business and tourism travel. For the first time in our modern history, a direct flight between Astana and Samarkand has been launched. The route last operated during the Soviet era. Now, the AstanaSamarkand direct flight brings the two cities closer together, connecting their history and traditions, said Adilbek Umraliev, Chairman of the Board of QAZAQ AIR. Flights are scheduled to operate twice weekly, on Fridays and Sundays. Qazaq Air, which is transitioning to Vietjet Qazaqstan, is a Kazakh airline conducting scheduled flights from its primary hub in Astana, with a principal focus on domestic routes. The airline was established to improve the safety and accessibility of interregional air traffic within Kazakhstan, as well as in the border regions of neighboring countries. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 7. Kazakhstan and U.S. companies have signed cooperation memorandums in the field of digitalization and artificial intelligence, Trend reports via the Kazakh Invest National Company. The agreements were signed between the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan and companies Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Oracle East Central Europe Limited, with a total value exceeding $1 billion. According to Kazakh Invest, the partnerships are aimed at fostering mutually beneficial collaboration, sharing expertise, and implementing joint projects in artificial intelligence and high-performance computing. The signing followed the official visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the United States, during which 29 bilateral agreements worth approximately $17 billion were concluded between Kazakhstan and the U.S. across industry, energy, education, digitalization, and innovation. These agreements represent a significant step in strengthening the strategic partnership and expanding economic cooperation between the two countries. To note, Kazakhstan's digitalization initiatives commenced in the early 2000s, marked by the formal declaration of the e-government concept in 2004 and the introduction of the eGov.kz portal in 2006. The inaugural comprehensive national initiative, "Digital Kazakhstan," received approval in December 2017. The emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a fundamental national objective is a recent advancement, with the official National AI Development Concept ratified in 2024. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Rene Haas: With revenue of $1.14 billion, up 34% year on year, marking our third consecutive $1 billion quarter. Royalty revenue reached a record $620 million, up 21% year on year. Licensing revenue rose 56% to $550 million as companies continue choosing Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares to build our next-generation AI products. Our strong results lifted non-GAAP EPS above the high end of guidance. During the quarter, we announced a strategic partnership with Meta to scale AI efficiency across every layer of compute, from AI-enabled wearables to AI data centers on a consistent compute platform. Rene Haas: Thank you, Jeff, and welcome, everyone. We continue its fiscal year 2026 with strong momentum, fueled by accelerating demand for AI compute from milliwatts in the smallest of edge devices to megawatts in the world's largest hyperscale data centers. Artificial intelligence is reshaping every layer of technology, and Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares is the only compute platform delivering AI everywhere. Q2 was our best second quarter ever. We will refer to non-GAAP financial measures during this discussion. Reconciliations of certain of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures can be found in our shareholder letter, as can a discussion of projected non-GAAP financial measures that we are not able to reconcile without unreasonable efforts and supplemental financial information. Our earnings-related materials are on our website at investors.arm.com. And with that, I'll turn the call to Rene. Rene? Rene Haas, Arm's Chief Executive Officer, and Jason Child, Arm's Chief Financial Officer. During the call, Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares will discuss forecasts, targets, and other forward-looking information regarding the company and its financial results. While these statements represent our best current judgment about future results and performance, our actual results are subject to many risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ materially. In addition to any risks that we highlight during this call, important risk factors that may affect our future results and performance are described in our registration statement on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements. Story Continues This partnership combines Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares' leadership in energy-efficient compute with Meta's innovation in AI infrastructure and open technologies to deliver richer, more efficient AI experiences to billions of people worldwide. In the data center, access to power has now become the bottleneck, and this has accelerated adoption of Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares' Neoverse compute platform, which has now surpassed 1 billion CPUs deployed. Our compute forms the foundation of custom silicon from leading partners, including NVIDIA Grace, AWS Graviton, Google Axion, and Microsoft Cobalt. For example, Google's Arm-based Axion chip delivers up to 65% better price performance while using 60% less energy. As a result, Google is migrating the majority of their internal workloads to run on Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares. Customers are increasingly deploying Arm VMware CPUs alongside their AI accelerators to orchestrate massive clusters, highlighting the versatility and scalability of our platform. The addition of five new Stargate sites this quarter further expands visibility into future AI capacity and reinforces Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares' central role in the hyperscale build-out. As AI chip design becomes more complex, compute subsystems or CSS are helping customers accelerate their development cycles and reduce execution risk. Demand for CSS continues to exceed expectations. During the quarter, we signed three new CSS licenses, one each in smartphones, tablets, and data centers, bringing our total to 19 CSS licenses across 11 companies. We also expanded our collaboration with Samsung, which is leveraging CSS for its Exynos family of chipsets, driving up to 40% AI performance over previous non-CSS generations. As a result, the top four Android phone vendors are now shipping CSS-powered devices. CSS has quickly become the starting point for customers building next-generation silicon, offering faster time to market and delivering higher T world trades for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares. In the quarter, we also launched LUMIX CSS, our most advanced mobile compute platform to date. LUMIX enables rich on-device AI experiences such as real-time translation, image enhancement, and personal assistance. Flagship devices from partners like Oppo and Vivo are expected to ramp later this year, bringing console-quality performance and new AI capabilities directly to mobile devices. At the edge, AI is transforming how people interact with their devices in their hands, homes, and vehicles. Google launched the Pixel 10 smartphone featuring the new Arm-based Tensor G5 chip, which runs Gemini models up to 2.6 times faster and twice as efficiently as prior generations. NVIDIA began shipping its Arm-based DGX Spark system for AI developers, a compact desktop supercomputer for local model training, fine-tuning, and inference. In automotive, a flagship electric vehicle built on Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares platform introduced advanced park assist, voice control, and safety features featuring Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares' automotive-enhanced technologies. Tesla's next-generation Arm-based AI5 chip delivers up to 40 times faster AI performance, enabling the next wave of intelligent vehicles and autonomous machines. Our leadership in AI is amplified by our unmatched software developer ecosystem, now more than 22 million strong, representing over 80% of the world's developer base. This ecosystem is a powerful growth engine for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares. Every new Arm-based device brings more developers, which drives more software innovation, which in turn fuels greater demand for our compute platform across every market we serve. As mentioned in our last call, we are continuing to explore the possibility of moving beyond our current platform into additional compute subsystems, chiplets, or complex SoCs. As a result, we continue to accelerate the investment in our R&D as we are seeing increased demand from our customers far more from our. AI is shaping how the world computes, and Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares is the foundation making it. From milliwatts to megawatts, we deliver the performance, efficiency, and scalability to meet this moment and the years ahead. And with that, I'll hand it over to Jason. Jason Child: Thank you, Rene. We have delivered another strong quarter. Jason Child: Total revenue grew 34% year on year to $1.14 billion, a record for Q2. It exceeded the midpoint of our guidance range by $75 million and marked our third consecutive quarter above $1 billion. Royalty revenue exceeded our expectations, growing 21% year on year to a record of $620 million versus our guidance of mid-teens. The biggest growth contributors were smartphones with higher royalty rates per chip and in data centers where we continue to see share gains from custom hyperscaler chips. Royalty revenue from smartphones grew an order of magnitude faster than the market as multiple OEMs ramped smartphone space on Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares' V9 and CSS chips. Data center royalties doubled year on year, given the continued deployment of Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares-based chips by hyperscaler companies. Automotive and IoT both continued to grow year on year and contributed to our strong royalty performance. Overall, royalty growth rates continue to reflect Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares' increasing royalty rates and rising market share. Turning now to license. License and other revenue was $515 million, up 56% year on year. Growth was driven by strong demand for next-generation architectures and deeper strategic engagements with key customers. We further expanded our license and services agreement with SoftBank. We also signed four ATA and three CSS deals. These agreements reflect the continued investment by our customers in next-generation Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares technology. As always, licensing revenue varies quarter to quarter due to the timing and size of high-value deals. So we continue to focus on annualized contract value or ACV as a key indicator of the underlying licensing trend. ACV grew 28% year on year, maintaining strong momentum following the 28% year on year growth we reported in Q1. This is well above our usual run rate of low teens growth rates and is also above our long-term expectation of mid to high single-digit growth for license revenue. Turning to operating expenses and profits. Non-GAAP operating expenses were $648 million, up 31% year on year, on strong R&D investment, and slightly below guidance. These investments in R&D reflect ongoing engineering headcount expansion to support customer demand for more Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares technology, including continued innovation in next-generation architectures, compute subsystems, and possibly chiplets or complete SoCs. For example, over the past four years, we've invested heavily in developing the technology that makes up the Lumex compute subsystems for smartphones, which we announced in September. This project took around a thousand man-years with a team size peaking over 450 engineers and required around hundreds of millions of dollars in investment. Lumex CSS has attracted strong market interest and we're already seeing royalty revenue from an early licensee. Non-GAAP operating income was $467 million, up 43% year on year. This resulted in a non-GAAP operating margin of 41.1% and an improvement from 38.6% a year ago. Non-GAAP EPS was $0.39, $0.06 above the midpoint of our guidance range, driven by both higher revenue and slightly lower OpEx. Turning now to guidance. Our guidance reflects our current view of our end markets and our licensing pipeline. For Q3, expect revenue of $1.225 billion plus or minus $50 million. At the midpoint, this represents revenue growth of about 25% year on year. We expect royalties to be up just over 20% year on year, and licensing to be up 25 to 30% year on year. We expect our non-GAAP operating expense to be approximately $720 million and our non-GAAP EPS to be $0.41 plus or minus 4. Our higher revenue allows us to both accelerate R&D investment and pass through upside to EPS. We are seeing strong demand from our customers for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares technology, which gives us confidence in our long-term growth trajectory and our strategy to enable AI everywhere. In the cloud, at the edge, and in physical devices. And we will continue investing aggressively in R&D to capture these opportunities and ensure that AI runs on Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares. With that, I'll turn the call back to the operator for the Q&A portion of the call. Operator: Thank you. To ask a question, you will need to press 11 on your telephone and wait for your name to be announced. In the interest of time, please limit yourself to one question only and rejoin the queue for any follow-up. To withdraw your question, please press 11 again. We will now go to the first question. And your first question today comes from the line of Sebastien Naji from William Blair. Please go ahead. Sebastien Naji: Yeah. Good afternoon. And congrats on the nice results. Rene, I wanted to ask about the AI. There's been a seemingly nonstop stream of new data center deals announced over the last quarter calling for tens of gigawatts of additional computing capacity to be stood up. How do you feel about Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares' strategic positioning with respect to these AI deals? And what do you view as the opportunity across the build-out? Rene Haas: Thank you for the question, Sebastien. As a board member of SoftBank and also given our heavy involvement there with Stargate and regular dialogue with OpenAI, I believe I have a unique perspective in terms of visibility in terms of this market. One thing that's become quite evident is that power has become the bottleneck. For everyone, and power not only means access to energy, but everything underneath it in terms of infrastructure build-out, turbines, transformers, everything associated with generating power. So in that environment, everyone wants to move the most efficient compute platform as possible. Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares is about 50% more efficient than competitive solutions. We've seen that across the board in benchmarks, but also more importantly in real-life performance. And that's why we see NVIDIA, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Tesla, all using our best technology. We've seen unprecedented demand for compute and all the incremental compute that we've seen announced literally has all been based on Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares. So that's driving a huge growth opportunity for us. It's one of the indicators as to why we've seen such growth in our Neoverse business. More than doubling year over year. Sebastien Naji: Great. Thank you. Operator: Thank you. Your next question comes from the line of Joseph Michael Quatrochi from Wells Fargo. Please go ahead. Joseph Michael Quatrochi: Yeah. Thanks for taking the question. I noticed in the filing, you announced your intention to acquire Dream Big Semiconductor. Curious just kinda what's behind that and how does that kinda fold into your plans, you know, to potentially expand beyond your current kinda offering platform? Rene Haas: Yeah. Thank you for the question. So Dream Big is a great company. They've got a lot of interesting intellectual property, particularly around the Ethernet area and RDMA controllers, which are very key for scale-up and scale-out networking. So when we look at the demand for what's going on inside the data center and particularly in the area of high-speed communications, that type of technology will be very helpful for us to broaden our offering to end customers. So we're very excited about the company, and Dream Big's got some fantastic engineers. Jason Child: Thank you. Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Jim Schneider from Goldman Sachs. Please go ahead. Jim Schneider: Good afternoon. Thanks for taking my question. I noticed in your disclosures that you saw a material step up in related party revenue. I was wondering if you could maybe talk a little bit about, and there's also been many announcements related to Stargate and SoftBank since the last earnings. So also can you maybe give us any kind of color you can on the nature of that relationship and how things are changing in terms of design activities. Thank you. Rene Haas: So one of the ways to think about Stargate and particularly given the relationship between Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares and SoftBank is a huge opportunity for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares to partner with SoftBank and SoftBank's partners to provide technology into all those solutions. Without giving you too many of the specifics, but at a high level, if you think about what's associated with building out these data centers, you have the compute, obviously. You have the networking. You have everything associated with power distribution. You have potential technology that gets into the power mechanism of the data center and then everything associated with even potential assembly of the data center. So as a result of all the work that SoftBank and the SoftBank family of companies are doing, it provides a huge opportunity for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares to provide solutions into that space. So that at a high level is the way to think about how the SoftBank family works together on these design activities. Jason Child: Thank you. Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Srini Pajjuri from Deutsche Bank. Please go ahead. Srini Pajjuri: Thanks for letting me ask a question. I wanted to go back to the OpEx side of things. I know it's a little bit below your guide in the second quarter, but the fourth or third quarter looks like it's gonna step up again. Kind of a bigger picture one. You mentioned about exploring different sorts of go-to-market methodologies, chiplets, etcetera. When do you expect to give us more color on when that's going to go from exploration to return on investment or the actual strategy? How should we monitor that and expect to get more information from you? Rene Haas: Yeah. Thank you for asking. The best detail I can give you is that there's nothing I can talk to you about today in terms of timeline about products or technologies. When the time comes for us to announce it, you'll be the first to know in terms of what we're doing. Right now, the best commentary I can give is that everything associated with those solutions does require a significant level of R&D. Now as you've seen on the guidance going forward, our revenue go forward is higher than our OpEx increase, which is something we've been very careful to manage. So we feel comfortable about that. But at the same time, what we're looking at in terms of the opportunity for compute and more importantly, compute using Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares, has never been greater. So as a result, we want to make sure we're in the best position possible to capture it. We're looking at all possibilities in terms of how to do that. And when we're ready to talk about what that is, we will certainly, you know, advise. Jason Child: Yeah. The only thing I would add is I think last quarter we said as soon as the way we think about when we announce something, if it were to be, you know, something related to full SoCs, it would be once there's tape out, once there's samples back, and once there's actually non-cancel customer orders, and we achieve all three of those milestones, that's when we would probably talk about something because this would be a new business and something we haven't done before. So whenever those milestones are achieved, that's when you should expect to hear from us. Jason Child: Thank you. Operator: Thank you. Your next question comes from the line of Vivek Arya from Bank of America. Please go ahead. Vivek Arya: Thanks for taking my question. I just wanted to clarify how much was the SoftBank contribution in Q2 versus what you thought? And then what is baked in for Q3? And hopefully, if you have the number for Q4. And the real question is how long can this quarterly rate persist? And if you do move into physical chips or chiplets or any other products, as far as Target, does it start to cannibalize this licensing stream? Jason Child: Yeah. So thanks for the question. In terms of the impact, it was about a $50 million increase from last quarter. So last quarter, I think we were about $126 million, actually went up $52 million, so now about $178 million. And that's, you know, that's a good run rate to assume going forward. You know, the only way it would change is if we have any additional deals. And again, these are licensed plus design services. So think of it as being licenses to our IP to work with SoftBank on exploring solutions. But then think of the design services being effectively a kind of a funded R&D model. And so that's a lower margin revenue, of course. So in terms of how long these revenue streams will occur, we're not at liberty to say yet, but I would say, you know, as Rene said, at some point, probably in the next year or so, you'll hear us talk about what products those might be, but obviously that's not just up to us. It's when SoftBank's ready to talk about what these products could look like and what the revenue profile, etcetera is. And so when that would occur, you know, it's likely to assume, you know, that there would be, you know, some different revenue source, whether it's royalties or, you know, gross revenue from selling a chip if in fact it's a full SoC. Those are all things that are still to be worked out. And, yeah, I would think of that as being, you know, to some extent cannibalistic of whatever the current license and design services. But then, of course, you know, if there is a product, you could also assume there could be successive, you know, generations of products after that. In which case, you could stack royalty between license and design services, but then of course there could also be royalties or whatever the revenue relates to whatever the product that ships in market is. So I would think of it as very much durable revenue in that, you know, I think, you know, if SoftBank wasn't a related party, we would just be booking license and design services. And it wouldn't be related party, but then the numbers would be, you know, pretty similar. And so the fact that they're related party, you know, I think is probably what makes it look somewhat unique. But the reality is we also, as Rene already mentioned, this is not really just between, you know, us and SoftBank. They also have contracts with many others, OpenAI, other Stargate partners as well. So I would think of this as all being part of a larger effort. Jason Child: Thanks. Operator: Thank you. Your next question comes from the line of Timm Schulze-Melander from Rothschild and Co. Redburn. Go ahead. Timm Schulze-Melander: Yes, great. Thank you for taking my questions. I had two, please. Just following on the Stargate theme and the sites, can you maybe just talk about the shape of what that revenue opportunity looks like on a sort of one, three, and five-year view? Just kind of when it's gonna start having an influence on the revenue, the annual revenue or quarterly revenue of the business. And then my second question was, just to make sure I wasn't sure I caught it right, you talked about the Lumex CSS. I think that's, you know, a product that you launched in September, but I think you also said that you already have royalty revenues associated with that. If you could just maybe expand on that a little bit, that would be really helpful. Thank you. Rene Haas: Sure. I'll take the first part of that question. I'll let Jason take the second half. Without giving you a kind of a go-forward forecast of one, five years, maybe a way to think about it is back in January, OpenAI with Oracle and SoftBank announced Stargate, which was a $500 billion project to build out data centers over the next number of years. When we go back to where we are now eleven months later, I would say the demand picture for compute is greater than it was at that time. So this is a bit of why you're seeing all kinds of different accelerated announcements around spend, etcetera, etcetera. So if nothing else, I think the opportunity for compute has only grown since we made that Stargate announcement. And to be clear, that announcement is around a joint partnership with OpenAI and SoftBank being equity partners in this investment for compute. So we are quite bullish in terms of this overall demand for compute. Right now, what's in the way of realizing that potential is all of the infrastructure required around the power. But from everything that we can tell from people we talk to inside the ecosystem, the demand for compute to train these new models, reinforcement learning to make them great, and then inference to serve them, the demand opportunity is stronger than we announced eleven months ago. So this is why we're accelerating all the investments that we talked about to take advantage of that opportunity. On the Lumex CSS royalty question, I'll let Jason answer that one. Jason Child: Yeah. So I would say the licensee that we're already receiving royalties from, that is, I'd say, earlier than expected. And the way it's happened so quickly is this actually, you know, we're not able to say which partner it is, but it is a partner where this is not their first CSS. This is their second CSS. So as a result, there was already kind of close partnership on the first generation. And so then when we launched the next generation, because the teams had already been working pretty close to each other, it allowed that second generation to be adopted very quickly. And for royalties to come really just, you know, within a couple of months after the technology was delivered. So kind of unusual, a little ahead of what we'd expected, but it very much speaks to exactly why CSS has been more successful even than we thought when we launched it two years ago. It's really about speeding up time to market. And this is an excellent example of that occurring. Jason Child: Great. Thank you. Timm Schulze-Melander: Thank you. Operator: Your next question comes from the line of Harlan Sur from JPMorgan. Please go ahead. Harlan Sur: Hey. Good afternoon. Thanks for taking my question. Rene, you talked about Neoverse royalties growing 2x year over year. With all these cloud-based CPUs ramping. And then on top of that, with these high-performance AI clusters, right, they're using more GPUs or SmartNICs that are also using Arm cores. On the networking side, data center switching and routing chips have multiple Arm cores embedded in them for things like telemetry, load balancing, overall system management. The bottom line is that there's significant Arm cores compute going into all aspects of the data center. Right? We're also even seeing Arm taking over x86 in the service provider network. Networking markets as well. So last fiscal year, cloud and networking accounted for about 10% of royalty revenues. We're midway through this fiscal year. Maybe you guys could just true us up, I assume. This mix has increased. Is it approaching 15, 20% of total royalty revenues for the team? Any color here would be great. Rene Haas: Yeah. I'll let Jason address numbers, but thank you for being a great salesman and describing our penetration across domains. You're 100% right. There's Arm technology in virtually every set of the networking stack. The BlueField technology at Mellanox, GPU-based, that's Arm. Significant technology goes into the switches around Tomahawk and Arista. All using Arm technology. So we are definitely seeing an acceleration of all that. And at the same time, I think the power efficiency piece is probably the biggest accelerant I think we're going to see just in terms of being able to offload as much as everything you can onto the more power-efficient domain of the compute platform. So I'll let Jason comment on royalties. So scheme in terms of where that is going directionally. Jason Child: Hey, Harlan. So on the royalties, yeah, I mean, it ended the year at around 10% ish. And so, you know, we're certainly with the growth rate in infrastructure being, you know, double, I'd say, all the other categories in overall average, you should expect it to continue to increase. We'll provide a full update at the end of the year. But, you know, your trajectory is somewhere in the 15% to 20% range is not a bad assumption and probably a reasonable expectation for where we expect to trend throughout the year. Rene Haas: So I would say it's probably going faster than we expected a year ago. Jason Child: That's right. Harlan Sur: Great. Great. Thank you. Operator: Thank you. Your next question comes from the line of Krish Sankar from TD Cowen. Please go ahead. Krish Sankar: Yeah. Hi. Thanks for taking my question. I have a question for Rene. You know, clearly, you kinda highlighted how you have strengthened smartphones and also increasing market share. In data center, I'm kinda curious, when you look over the next few years, how do you see chip demand and token generation playing out and its implication for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares, especially as we move into more of an inference world where edge devices may play a bigger role. Rene Haas: Oh, I think, you know, from some accounts of people who I talk to will say that today, on some of these data centers, these build-outs of multi 100 megawatts that still, and again, depending on how you define training inference and reinforcement learning, the majority of compute is being used for training still. That clearly will flip. Well, at some point, it has to. We think. And then that demand starts to move to inference. What we're seeing is all kinds of demand for different architectures and compute. Type of solutions to run inference not in the cloud. Obviously, you're going to not rely 100% on something on the edge. But today, it's the reverse. It's about 100% on the cloud. We think that is going to change. We are seeing already lots of demand for the CPUs and LUMI that have these scalable matrix extensions. And these are the extensions that allow you to run AI workloads at higher performance. That's only gonna continue. And I think for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares, that is an enormous trend for us on two levels. Number one, huge trend for us because the further you move away from the cloud onto battery-level devices, that's a domain that Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares can play in the sense of the software workload running exclusively there. But at the same time, customers would love a scalable software solution between the cloud and the edge. And that's a lot of what's behind the announcement that we made with Meta in October. This is around working in such a way with Meta where whether they're running something in the cloud or running in the edge for developers, they're able to port models in such a way that it's as efficient as possible no matter where you're running. So this is all, I think, a good thing for us because more tokens mean more compute. More compute means more compute needed at the edge. And more compute at the edge is really good for us because that's a think we're in a very, very unique position to address that. Krish Sankar: Thank you, Aldrin. I appreciate it. Jason Child: Thank you. Operator: We will now take our final question for today. And the final question comes from the line of Lee Simpson, Morgan Stanley. Please go ahead. Lee Simpson: Great. Thanks for fitting me in, and well done, everyone, on a great quarter. I see China is maybe 22% of sales this queue. And I was just wondering what is driving that? Is it more licensing or royalties? For strength in the quarter? And maybe just as you look out to the licensing pipeline for the rest of the year, have you seen more reason to be confident in the growth this year for licensing? Especially as you look to Q4, which, as I believe, we said before, there's potential for good renewal deals this year. Thanks. Jason Child: Thanks for the question, Lee. In terms of the performance, yeah, it definitely has done well. And I would just, you know, overall say, the demand in China looks to be as strong as we've ever seen. We did have one of our largest license deals actually come out of China. And so I would say license was slightly more of a, I'd say, more of the overperformance came from license. Royalties are also growing strong in China as well, but license was a little bit of a bigger driver this quarter. And, you know, our pipeline indicates that we have a pretty strong license pipeline for the remainder of the year. In terms of overall license revenue, hard to say as we get into Q4, there are some large deals as we always have in terms of timing. You know, right now, we're just guiding on Q3. But next quarter we'll, you know, definitely have much more clarity around, you know, what deals are gonna be able to land in Q4 and whether there's any pull forward push outs or whatnot. But, you know, as a reminder, we, you know, the deal cycles on large license deals are usually six to nine months. And we don't really lose deals. It's really just about what exactly are the market needs for a and when do they need it. And given, you know, the current CapEx, you know, kind of forecast and all the AI cycles that continue to be as strong as they've been for the last couple of years. You know, have a lot of confidence, but we'll give you a little more detail next quarter on what's gonna land in Q4. Lee Simpson: That's great. Thanks, Jason. Jason Child: Thank you, Lee. Operator: Thank you. That was our final question for today. I will now hand the call back to Rene for closing remarks. Rene Haas: Thank you, and thank everyone for the questions. You know, as we stated, we could not be more happy with the results last quarter. Royalties at a record. 34% growth year on year. Just terrific results. But more importantly, when we think about the opportunity for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares going forward, the future has never been brighter. Brighter because if we look at what's going on with artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence is driving unprecedented demand for compute. And given the unprecedented demand for compute, we are seeing all kinds of constraints on power and infrastructure to deliver that compute. Which means that the compute that's being delivered for AI needs to be as efficient as possible. That's also a great place for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares. And then as more and more of this AI compute moves from the cloud to edge devices and requires the most efficient compute on the planet, that's a great place for Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares to be. So we are extremely excited about the future going forward. We continue to invest to ensure that we can take advantage of that opportunity. And on behalf of everyone inside Arm Holdings plc American Depositary Shares who made this quarter happen, and to our partners and customers, thank you so much. And thank you for all the questions. Operator: Thank you. This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for participating. You may now disconnect. Dont miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then youll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a Double Down stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. 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As with all our articles, The Motley Fool does not assume any responsibility for your use of this content, and we strongly encourage you to do your own research, including listening to the call yourself and reading the company's SEC filings. Please see our Terms and Conditions for additional details, including our Obligatory Capitalized Disclaimers of Liability. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Arm (ARM) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript was originally published by The Motley Fool ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 7. Kazakhstan and U.S.-based Oracle have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote collaboration in the fields of artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and cloud technologies, Trend reports via the country's Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. The signing ceremony was held in Washington in the context of the C5+1 business conference, which convened representatives from the United States and Central Asian nations to strengthen regional cooperation and advance economic and technological development. Under the agreement, Oracle will assist the ministry in assessing the feasibility of deploying Oracle solutions as a pilot AI infrastructure in Kazakhstan and conducting related testing. The collaboration also includes exploring the potential for phased development of cloud data centers and implementing pilot projects in applied artificial intelligence. Furthermore, the partnership may involve Oracle providing advisory support in workforce development programs, including specialized training and certification, joint research projects, and the establishment of an Oracle Competence Center in Kazakhstan. The parties also plan to continue discussions on regulatory and ethical aspects of AI development. "Cooperation with Oracle will help develop Kazakhstans national AI infrastructure and digital ecosystem. This reflects our commitment to advancing technological innovation and building a strong foundation for the countrys digital economy," Zhaslan Madiyev, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of Kazakhstan, said. Allison OBrien, Oracles Managing Director for Government Engagement, noted that Oracle looks forward to supporting Kazakhstan in implementing its national AI strategy. BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. Kyrgyzstan values the United States as one of our key partners in foreign policy, said President Sadyr Zhaparov during a working dinner with the presidents of Central Asian countries hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., Trend reports. He outlined four main areas of focus in bilateral cooperation: economy and investment, including tourism; hydropower development; digital economy, artificial intelligence, and information technology; and ensuring peace, security, and stability. I wish to highlight the significant contribution made by President Donald Trump to strengthening global stability and ending conflicts in different parts of the world, he added. Reflecting on regional achievements, Zhaparov noted progress in resolving border issues with neighboring states peacefully. Today, after five years, I am pleased to note that together with my counterparts, we have successfully achieved this goal, most importantly through peaceful means. As a result, the role of Central Asia in global politics has grown substantially. He also praised the C5+1 format as a platform for advancing political dialogue. I would like to express my special appreciation to your Excellency President Donald Trump for initiating and hosting todays summit. We highly value this step and regard it as a demonstration of the United States goodwill and commitment towards Central Asia and friendship, Zhaparov said. BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, November 7. The Kyrgyz Republic has been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for the 20252029 term following a vote at the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand, Trend reports via Kyrgyz MFA. Kyrgyzstan garnered 163 votes, landing itself in good company with Malaysia, India, China, Thailand, and Japan. The Executive Board, composed of 58 member states serving four-year terms, is UNESCOs principal governing body responsible for preparing the work of the General Conference, implementing its decisions, and shaping the organizations strategic and programmatic priorities. Kyrgyzstan previously served on the Executive Board from 2019 to 2023 and has also held positions on the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (20122016), the World Heritage Committee (20172021), and the Intergovernmental Council of the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 7. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev praised the outcomes of the ongoing C5+1 summit and emphasized the importance of deepening regional cooperation with the United States during a working dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump, Trend reports. We will take back a lot of results from this summit. It is a landmarking summit, and your attitude towards all of us means your great support to us to strengthen Central Asia and to strengthen the partnership between Central Asia and the U.S., Mirziyoyev said, highlighting the value of constructive engagement with Washington. The Uzbek president underscored the need to make the C5+1 format an effective platform for practical collaboration. C5 plus one has to become an efficient mechanism of our practical partnership, he noted. Mirziyoyev also proposed hosting the next summit in Uzbekistan. I propose to host our next summit in 2026 in Samarkand to establish this further. Im pretty sure that Im convinced, Mr. Trump, that under your leadership, it will be a strong partnership, he added. TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 7. Uzbekistan calls Donald Trump the president of the world, said President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at a working dinner with Central Asian leaders during the C5+1 meeting in Washington, D.C., Trend reports. "In Uzbekistan, we call you the president of the world. You've done a lot. You were able to stop eight wars, and I am convinced that only you can stop the war between Russia and Ukraine. We are very hopeful in this regard," he said. President Mirziyoyev further noted that todays summit demonstrates that the United States views Central Asia as a key partner. "Together, we are shaping a future based on trust and a commitment to creation," he added. The Australian market is experiencing a cautious close to the week, with futures indicating a slight decline amid ongoing concerns about AI valuations and job cuts impacting global sentiment. In such uncertain times, investors often seek opportunities in lesser-known corners of the market where potential value can be found. Penny stocks, though an outdated term, still refer to smaller or emerging companies that might offer growth potential and affordability when backed by strong financials. Top 10 Penny Stocks In Australia Name Share Price Market Cap Financial Health Rating Alfabs Australia (ASX:AAL) A$0.465 A$133.26M Dusk Group (ASX:DSK) A$0.88 A$54.8M IVE Group (ASX:IGL) A$2.98 A$458M MotorCycle Holdings (ASX:MTO) A$3.56 A$262.75M West African Resources (ASX:WAF) A$3.04 A$3.47B Praemium (ASX:PPS) A$0.87 A$416.23M Service Stream (ASX:SSM) A$2.22 A$1.36B Fleetwood (ASX:FWD) A$2.87 A$265.71M Perenti (ASX:PRN) A$2.55 A$2.4B GWA Group (ASX:GWA) A$2.40 A$630.63M Click here to see the full list of 417 stocks from our ASX Penny Stocks screener. Let's explore several standout options from the results in the screener. Simply Wall St Financial Health Rating: Overview: Ora Banda Mining Limited is an Australian company focused on the exploration, operation, and development of mineral properties, with a market cap of A$2.27 billion. Operations: The company generates revenue primarily from its gold mining operations, amounting to A$404.29 million. Market Cap: A$2.27B Ora Banda Mining has demonstrated significant earnings growth, with a 575% increase over the past year, surpassing both its historical average and industry peers. The company trades at a substantial discount to estimated fair value and maintains strong financial health, with short-term assets exceeding liabilities and more cash than total debt. Its net profit margin improved significantly from 12.9% to 46%, supported by high-quality earnings despite a high level of non-cash components. Recent annual results showed sales of A$404.29 million and net income rising sharply to A$186.08 million, reflecting robust operational performance in its gold mining activities. ASX:OBM Financial Position Analysis as at Nov 2025 Simply Wall St Financial Health Rating: Overview: Sheffield Resources Limited is involved in the evaluation and development of mineral sands in Australia, with a market cap of A$43.51 million. Lubbers Receives Leadership Award On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Tony Lubbers, director of Financial Aid in the Office of Student Financial Services, received the MASFAA State Leadership Award for Missouri at the Midwest Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA) annual conference in St. Charles, Missouri. The State Leadership Award is presented annually to recognize the outstanding leadership of a member from each of the nine states within MASFAA. The recipient must have made outstanding contributions to the financial aid profession at the state and regional levels over a sustained period of time. The individuals selected for this award must exhibit high integrity and character, have shown creative leadership, have inspired and encouraged others to participate actively in professional development activities, have sustained active involvement in professional organizations, and have supported the goals and objectives of MASFAA. Lubbers began working in higher education in 1993 and joined UCM in 2017. He earned his Financial Aid Certification from the National ASFAA (NASFAA) in 2020 and has 15 NASFAA credentials. Lubbers has served in leadership roles with the Missouri Association of Student Financial Aid Personnel (MASFAP), MASFAA, Kansas ASFAA, Rocky Mountain ASFAA and NASFAA, including president of MASFAP and KASFAA. He is also an inductee of the KASFAA Hall of Fame. Bihar 2025 Polls: Dalit Voters' Evolving Political Confidence The Dalit voters' evolving political confidence seen in 2025 Bihar assembly and other elections stems from a long struggle against caste oppression The Bihar Assembly elections were formally announced on October 6th. The Election Commissions final roll includes 74.2 million voters, following a special intensive revision that removed over 6.9 million entries and added approximately 2.15 million new names. Although the NDA, Mahagathbandhan, and the recently formed Jan Suraj Party are all attempting to attract Dalit voters, Dalits are demanding accountability, not just promises. In Bihar, the Dalit vote has never been limited to issues like the caste census or seat reservation; instead, it serves as a rallying cry against the entrenched social hierarchy, discrimination, and upper-caste control of resources. Before the 1990s, most Dalits in India were seen as a Congress vote bank. Previously, Dalits did not support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Since its inception, the BJP has tried to court Dalits, but failed to make significant inroads until the 1990s. Whats the Past? In the 2020 assembly elections, the BJP won nine SC-reserved seats, the JDU won eight, and Jitan Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) won three. Mukesh Sahnis VIP, then part of the NDA, won one seat. The opposition RJD won 10 SC seats, Congress won two, and the Left parties secured five. Of the 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly, 38 are reserved for Scheduled Castes. In 2010, the NDA swept by winning 37 such seats. By 2020, its lead had shrunk to 21-17. In 2015, when the Janata Dal (United) contested as part of the Mahagathbandhan, the alliance won 29 out of 38 reserved seats. Dalit Data and Vote Equations The Scheduled Caste population in Bihar was 16% according to the 2011 census, but after the 2023 caste census, this rose to 19.65%. The Scheduled Tribe population remained relatively unchanged at 1.68%. This shift offers renewed hope for voter access and political representation. Bihars caste system has always influenced welfare schemes and voting patterns. As of 2011, the states population was 130.7 million. The 2023 caste census transformed understanding of the Dalit demographic, showing that the 19.65% Dalit share, or 26 million Scheduled Castes, now presents a notable political challenge for all major alliances. Dalit voices have often been muted in the tense atmosphere of voter monitoring, shifting alliances, and campaign pledges, but they are now becoming more prominent. Their votes have tremendous potential, making them vital to both the NDA and Mahagathbandhan. In Bihars caste-based society, Dalitshistorically denied the votenow represent a major force. With the Brahmin population at 3.65%, Rajputs at 3.45%, and Bhumihars at 2.86%, Dalits, at 19.65%, are a powerful demographic, significantly outnumbering other marginalized groups in voting strength. How will the Dalit Vote be Decisive? Dalits are a pivotal group in Bihars complex caste equations. Data shows their votes could influence 6065 assembly constituencies. Within Dalits, the largest group is the Dusadh/Paswan community, which has largely supported the LJP(R), benefitting the NDA. The Paswan have also supported Left parties in some areas. The second-largest group is the Ravidas/Chamar community, traditionally influenced by Babu Jagjivan Ram and initially allied with Congress and later the CPI(ML) and CPI. Lately, Ravidas support has swung towards the RJD. The Mushar community, meanwhile, splits its loyalty between the BJP, Congress, CPI(ML), and most significantly, Jitan Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Morcha. Clearly, Dalit voting patterns are diverse, though a significant shift is apparent this year. After Nitish Kumar became Chief Minister, Dalit communities became divided into Mahadalits and Dalits for political reasons. The Paswan (Dusadh) caste was excluded from certain benefits reserved for Mahadalits, leading to resentment. Many analysts believe Ram Vilas Paswan bore a grudge against Nitish Kumar over this. While that formal divide is gone, LJP (R) leader Chirag Paswans grievances with Nitish Kumar persist. Political observers note that Dalit political power has long been underestimated. Dalit voter numbers have risen from five to six million. The Dusadh, Ravidas, and Mushahar together form about 65% of the states SC population. Other subcastes, such as Mehtar (0.19%) and Pasi (0.98%), are also significant. These evolving equations create new uncertainties for parties seeking to predict Dalit voting. Caste-Based Atrocities, Poverty, and Unemployment Currently, over 34% of Bihars familiesincluding more than 44% of SC familiessurvive on less than 200 per day. Poverty is still widespread. Bihar has one of Indias most entrenched caste systems. Violence peaked in 1977, when, on May 27, upper-caste attackers killed 11 Dalits in Belchi block, Patna district, tying them up, shooting, and burning them. Among the victims was a 14-year-old boy. Eight were Paswans and three were Sunars. The attackers destroyed their victims homes, and reports suggested they feasted while their victims burned. The massacre drew international attention and marked a significant political turning point. Chirag Paswan, chief of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) allied with the NDA, maintains that caste is the primary reason for Bihars continued underdevelopment. Political alliances built on caste remain central to Bihars electoral landscape, molded continuously by shifting alliances, socio-economic change, and new generational aspirations. A NACDOR survey of Dalit voters found that unemployment and the caste census were their chief concerns. Some 58.85% cited unemployment as the biggest issue, while more than 80% supported the caste census and increased reservations. Education and health (14.67%) and corruption (11.21%) followed as priority issues. Caste Equations of the Alliances Every major alliance and party in Bihar has focused on caste representation in its electoral strategies. Both upper-caste and non-upper-caste candidates have been fielded in targeted constituencies to counterbalance caste dynamics. Under the NDA seat-sharing agreement, the JDU and BJP are each contesting 101 seats. The LJP (R) is fielding candidates in 29 constituencies, while Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and Upendra Kushwahas Rashtriya Lok Morcha each have six seats. Chief Minister Nitish Kumars JDU has nominated the most candidates from OBC, EBC, and SC backgrounds combined. He has allocated 37 tickets to OBCs, 22 to EBCs, 15 to SCs, and one to an ST candidate. LJP (R) has fielded five candidates each from Rajput and Yadav communities, four each from Paswan and Bhumihar, across its 29 seats. The party has also given one ticket each to Brahmins, Teli, Pasi, Sudhi, Rauniyar, Kanu, Rajwar, Dhobi, Kushwaha, Ravidas, and Muslims. The BJP, an NDA major partner, released its first list with 71 candidates, denying tickets to 11 incumbent MLAs and nominating several new faces. Roughly half of the list comprises Dalit, OBC, EBC, SC/ST and women candidates: 17 OBC, 11 EBC, and six SC/ST. However, the BJP has also prioritized upper-caste representation, including 11 Bhumihars, seven Brahmins, and 15 Rajputs. The Mahagathbandhans internal cracks have not healed. Despite several rounds of talks between Congress, RJD, CPI(ML), and VIP, they could not avoid friendly contests in 11 seats. Within Mahagathbandhan, the RJD has given 51 of its 143 tickets to Yadavs. This time, upper-caste and EBC representation is higher than before. RJDs ticket allocation includes 18 Kurmi-Kushwaha, 51 Yadavs, eight Vaishyas, 14 upper castes, 33 EBCs, 19 SCs, and 18 Muslims. Congress, contesting 61 seats, has nominated 21 upper-caste candidates (about a third). It has also fielded five Yadav, six EBC, three Vaishya, and 12 SC candidates. Altogether, Mahagathbandhan will field 254 candidates, with 11 friendly contest seats. In these, Congress-RJD-VIP and CPI(ML) will face off. Seven of these are NDA-held, while four are with the opposition. These contests complicate the oppositions chances, especially given the last elections margin between NDA and Mahagathbandhan was just 0.03%. Notably, only CPI(ML) among the major parties has fielded a Dalit candidate from a general (unreserved) constituency. Prashant Kishors new Jan Suraj Party has also nominated an SC candidate for Harnaut, CM Nitish Kumars home seat. Attractive Packages Before the Elections Hours before the polls were announced, the BJP-JDU government declared an infrastructure package of 15,053 crore. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also launched projects worth over 13,720 crore through various departments and kicked off 22 projects worth 1,333 crore via remote control. Dalit Voters New Self-Determination Despite all the electoral noise, Dalits in both rural and urban Bihar are sending a clear message. While the NDA, Mahagathbandhan, and Jan Suraj continue to court them, Dalit voters are increasingly focused on demanding real accountability, not mere slogans. Leaders are naming Dalit communities in their speeches, but voters are scrutinizing their commitments. Young Dalit activist Nitin Arya puts it succinctly: Just naming names is not enough; there is a need to ensure jobs, education, and fair participation for all. This election could prove whether Bihars democracy is merely superficial or truly transformative. Dalits no longer want to remain on the marginsthey aim to be central to power and decision-making. Their journey, from enslavement to empowerment, from obscurity to political assertion, is the real test of Bihars democratic promise this election. Dalits evolving political confidence stems from a long struggle against caste oppression. Having broken free of historic shackles to claim land, dignity, education, and health, Dalitsonce relegated to the margins as migrant or bonded laborersare now moving steadily toward social and political self-determination. [The writer, Dr Goldy M George, is a Social Activist.] Follow ummid.com WhatsApp Channel for all the latest updates. Select Language to Translate in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic Bahrain is revamping its rules for investment trusts, as it looks to pitch the country as a global wealth management hub and attract the type of super-rich residents that have flocked to the neighboring UAE in recent years. The government has already made some tweaks in response to feedback from potential investors and is now working on a broader rewrite of laws to convince wealthy families and trusts to domicile themselves in Bahrain, Noor Ali Alkhulaif, CEO of the Economic Development Board, the countrys inward investment agency, said in an interview. The UAE has convinced many of the worlds wealthiest families, including the likes of hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio, to open offices in the country to manage some of their riches, lured by low taxes, long-term residency programmes, new infrastructure, and year-round sunshine. Bahrain was the regions main financial hub in the 1980s and 90s, before the rise of Dubai; it would like to recapture some of that glory. There is a need for careful management of integration charges and restructuring costs, which could impact financial results in the short term. The impact of the new bank tax law is expected to be around 100 million per year, which could affect profitability. There is uncertainty regarding the impact of the purchase price allocation (PPA) on the capital position, as it is still under assessment. Story Continues Q & A Highlights Q: With your capital ratio at 16.9% and a new dividend policy of up to 100% on net profit, does this mean you will pay out on a reported net profit basis, including potential DTA write-ups? Also, are you considering interim dividends for the 2026 fiscal year? A: Yes, we expect to distribute a dividend per share in line with last year, ensuring a high yield for shareholders. We are committed to growing DPS while maintaining a strong capital position. Interim dividends are an option we are considering, and we will provide more details with the business plan in the first quarter of next year. Q: Can you provide clarity on the integration of new businesses following the Mediobanca deal, both from a divisional and legal entity standpoint? A: We plan to focus Mediobanca on corporate investment banking and high-level private banking, leveraging their strong competencies. We aim to create a unique institution supporting the Italian economy. We are adopting a divisional approach from day one and will consider optimizing the legal structure once the business plan is clear. Q: Regarding the DPS for 2026, what are the moving parts, especially considering the synergies and restructuring costs? A: We will provide detailed information with the business plan. We are confident in achieving synergies, and our integration costs are being analyzed. We aim to deliver growing DPS, leveraging synergies and maintaining a strong capital position. Q: Can you update us on your asset management partnerships and any future M&A plans? A: We are focused on delivering the industrial combination with Mediobanca. Our relationship with Banco BPM is important, and we continue to grow our offerings. We are not currently pursuing other M&A activities as we focus on the integration. Q: How do you plan to manage the listing and potential delisting of Mediobanca, and what is the impact on synergies? A: With an 86% acceptance rate from the tender offer, we have effective governance. We will maintain and leverage the strong brands of Montepaschi and Mediobanca. It's too early to decide on delisting, and this will be assessed in the new business plan. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Southern Miss College of Business and Economic Development Honors 2025 Entrepreneur and Alumnus of the Year Award Recipients Fri, 11/07/2025 - 01:52pm | By: Bailey Harris Shoemake The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) College of Business and Economic Development held its prestigious Business Excellence Awards on Nov. 7, recognizing exceptional achievements in entrepreneurship and alumni impact. The awards luncheon honored distinguished individuals in three categories: Entrepreneur of the Year, Alumnus of the Year and Young Alumnus of the Year. Keith and Melissa Saucier were recognized as the 2025 Entrepreneurs of the Year. Owners of Keiths Superstores, the Sauciers have 43 store locations with additional sites currently under construction. They are also the owners of Keithco Petroleum, BRJ Oil Co., Saucier Enterprises, Shop Local Mississippi, and Mississippi Made & More. Both Keith and Melissa began working in family-owned businesses at an early age, a foundation that shaped their entrepreneurial drive. Today, they remain hands-on leaders while also investing heavily in philanthropy, particularly in causes supporting children and education. Their commitment to community impact includes support for the NICU Tower at Childrens of Mississippi Hospital and the USM Circle of Champions. Retired Maj. Gen. Steve Ainsworth was recognized as the 2025 Alumnus of the Year. A two-time Southern Miss graduate and longtime banking executive, Ainsworth retired in 2024 as executive vice president and managing director for Cadence Bank, where he focused on financing corporate entities, mergers and acquisitions, and specialized lending transactions. Over the course of his career, he led major corporate banking divisions for regional and national institutions while also serving more than 42 years in the U.S. Army Reserve. His decorated military career included numerous command positions across the U.S. and overseas. Notably, he served as commander of the 377th Theater Sustainment Command, the largest two-star command in the Department of Defense. Ashton Williams, CPA, was honored as the Young Alumnus of the Year for his early career success in corporate finance. Williams serves as vice president of finance at Codaray Construction, where he has played a vital role in the companys rapid growth of increasing revenues by more than 200% over the last five years. He is a two-time graduate of the School of Accountancy, earning his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in accounting and his masters in professional accountancy from Southern Miss. As a student, Williams took advantage of many opportunities within the College of Business and Economic Development, including studying abroad in Japan through the Business and Culture in Asia program, being an active member of Beta Alpha Psi, and serving as a graduate assistant while pursuing his degree. Beyond his professional and academic achievements, he is deeply committed to service and leadership. He is a graduate of both the Jones Leadership Academy and the Leadership Pinebelt Class of 2022. Additionally, he serves on the USM School of Accountancy Advisory Board and the USM Alumni Association Finance Committee. Our college takes immense pride in recognizing leaders who not only achieve professional success but also embody the values of integrity, service and innovation that define Southern Miss, said Dr. J. Bret Becton, dean of the College of Business and Economic Development. This years honorees exemplify what it means to use business as a force for gooddriving growth, giving back to their communities and inspiring the next generation of Golden Eagles to lead with purpose. The Southern Miss Business Excellence Awards luncheon is dedicated to and sponsored by the late Joseph Boardman Jr., a 1953 graduate of Southern Miss, who majored in marketing. Boardman remained connected to his alma mater through both his generosity and service as a past president of the Southern Miss Alumni Association and former member of the USM Foundation Board. Bank of Americas annual spending on new, strategic technology initiatives, which includes investments in artificial intelligence, has increased by 44% over the past decade to reach $4 billion in 2025. The executive thats steering those investments is Hari Gopalkrishnan, a 14-year veteran who was promoted to serve as the chief technology and information officer in late July. Today at Bank of Americas investor day event, Gopalkrishnan will outline the vision for these strategic tech bets and discuss how they tie into the broader $118 billion in tech investments that the company has made over the past decade. It is the first time leadership has held this event in 15 years and Gopalkrishnan, CEO Brian Moynihan, and other C-suite leaders will face investors as Bank of Americas stock has lagged the five other large U.S. banks for the past five years. We have steadily increased our spend in technology, now up to $13 billion a year, of which $4 billion goes into strategic growth, Gopalkrishnan tells Fortune ahead of his one-hour investor day panel discussion with two other Bank of America technologists. We leverage across the enterprise, so every dollar you spend gets the maximum bang for the buck, as opposed to sort of being siloed by line of business. That means that when Gopalkrishnan deploys new AI tools and functionality, he will prioritize applications that can scale across all eight lines of business, which includes global capital markets, consumer lending, and retail banking. One example of this in action is Erica, an AI virtual assistant thats surpassed three billion client interactions since the tool launched in 2018. It now averages more than 58 million interactions per month, facilitating chatbot conversations with clients, proactively altering them on changes to their past spending patterns or flagging when they may have been double-charged by a merchant, and answering banking questions. The tool is currently available on Bank of Americas mobile app, but will expand next year to the desktop. In 2020, Bank of America launched Erica for Employees, an internal version of the tool that more than 90% of the companys global workforce of 213,000 now uses regularly. Erica has helped reduce the number of calls into the companys IT service desk by 50%. The banking sector has embraced generative AI capabilities at a faster pace than most sectors, with investments focused on AI-enabled chatbots, virtual assistants that can summarize financial documents, fraud monitoring, and assisting employees as they navigate complex international regulatory changes. Generative, predictive, and other forms of AI collectively are projected to generate as much as $340 billion annually in value creation for the global banking sector, consulting giant McKinsey has estimated. Iranian Mahdieh Esfandiari was released on 22 October. She was placed under judicial control and transferred to the Iranian embassy in Paris. She was in pre-trial detention for "glorifying the attacks committed in Israel on October 7, 2023, provoking acts of terrorism and insulting the Jewish community". Frenchmen Cecile Kohler and Jacques Paris were conditionally released on November 4 and transferred to the French embassy in Tehran. They are safe there after 3 years of detention for "espionage". These movements come at a time when, for the past 8 years, Germany, France and the United Kingdom have interpreted the JCPoA (nuclear agreement with Iran) as if it included a ban on testing missiles that could carry nuclear bombs. Since this summer, these three countries have been pretending to consider that they can activate the snapback mechanism to reinstate the sanctions that were repealed by the JCPoA. Russia and China have opposed it several times, noting that the JCPoA is now validated by Security Council Resolution 2231. However, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pretended to understand that the Security Council had voted unanimously to reinstate sanctions on 26 September. He even distributed instructions for their enforcement, prompting strong protests from Russia and China, which were outraged by this interpretation of international law. Our director of publication and editor-in-chief directed French magazines several years ago, and has won journalism awards abroad. He has regularly contributed to some fifteen major dailies and magazines around the world. Voltaire, International Newsletter is available by subscription for 500 a year, is published 42 times a year (not in July-August, nor during the Christmas holydays). Its an indispensable tool for any professional in international relations or defense. Contents of issue N150 EDITORIAL 4204 Prisoner exchange between France and Iran amid manipulation at the UN AMERICAS 4205 Tulsi Gabbard says Donald Trump has abandoned political engineering to focus solely on results 4206 Donald Trumps plan for the Middle East 4207 Donald Trump considers intervention in Nigeria 4208 Donald Trump very satisfied with his meeting with Xi Jinping 4209 Controversy surrounding polls showing Americans concern about Donald Trump 4210 US President Trump is contradicted by Chris Wright: the nuclear tests will not be atomic explosions. 4211 John Brennan refuses to be confronted with his past 4212 Jack Smith had Donald Trumps phone seized 4213 Pentagon Organizes ASEAN Drone Capabilities 4214 Donald Trump has already raised $1.9 billion in donations for his political campaigns 4215 The American Students Would Be More Favorable to Socialism than to Capitalism 4216 A quarter of young Americans justify political violence 4217 Jake Sullivan and Jon Finer on YouTube 4218 Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City 4219 Member of Russian Duma suggests delivering Oreshnik missiles to Venezuela EUROPE 4220 The United Kingdom and the Destruction of Gaza 4221 British Politicians and Support for Israel 4222 The BBCs manipulations 4223 Lafarge tried in Paris for having served the DGSE 4224 The rigged Swiss referendum that passed the Digital Identity Act 4225 New "Russian" drone alerts and new refusal to make contact with Russia 4226 The Schoof government prepares its citizens for war 4227 Denmark establishes a Fund for Ukrainian Cultural Heritage 4228 Belarus congratulates Polands Grzegorz Braun 4229 The EU wants children to believe they have a gender identity that is distinct from their biological sex 4230 EU court partially annuls French agricultural strategy plan 4231 The European Commission prepares for a 30-member Union 4232 The European Commission: a stationary bureaucracy 4233 Ukrainians revolt against forced mobilization 4234 Volodymyr Zelensky sanctions supporters of the Russian Orthodox Church 4235 Tallinn Mechanism supports Ukraines civilian cyber capabilities 4236 Volodymyr Zelensky honors the 1st Corps of Ukraines "Azov" National Guard 4237 Alain Berset denounces democratic insecurity on the European continent AFRICA 4238 Inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum 4239 Mehdi Ben Barka was indeed assassinated by Morocco and Israel 4240 Jihadists attack Bamako in run-up to French mission ASIA 4241 Arrest of former IDF Advocate General 4242 Israel prefers to fall out with Washington than sign a gas agreement with Egypt 4243 Consultations to form the new governance of Gaza 4244 Washington prepares transitional authority in Gaza and the International Stabilization Force 4245 Syria restructures its banking sector 4246 Kurdish mercenaries in Syria refuse to merge into the Syrian army 4247 Iraqi-Turkish Water Agreement 4248 UAE still hesitates to join Gazas FIS 4249 Qatar holds US-Iran negotiations 4250 UK sells 20 Eurofighters to Turkiye 4251 JCPoA Still Recognizes Irans Right to Enrich Uranium 4252 Iran wants to complete the INSTC, despite the associated risks of conflict 4253 Ali Khamenei does not think the United States will make amends in the near future 4254 Taliban fear U.S. manipulates Pakistani clan to destabilize Afghanistan 4255 Maldives E-Cigarette and Tobacco Ban 4256 Muhammad Yunus suggests he could invade Bharat with Pakistans help 4257 Xi Jinping calls for an open Asia-Pacific economy INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 4258 The UN adopts the Doha Declaration 4259 The Human Rights Council on the verge of bankruptcy BDO UK and BDO Ireland have entered the final stage of merger discussions, contingent on partner approval and clearance from regulatory bodies. If the deal proceeds, it would combine the operations in Dublin and Limerick with the 18 offices in the UK, resulting in nearly 1.1bn ($1.4bn) of annual revenue. The unified firm would count 542 partners and 8,500 employees. Representatives from both sides stated that clients are increasingly seeking guidance on cross-border matters, which has influenced the move towards integration of services and expertise. The merger is expected to enhance collaboration across audit, tax, advisory, consulting, risk and outsourcing functions throughout both markets. In addition, the combined firm intends to increase investment in its workforce. Upon completion, the merged entity will remain within the BDO International network, which has presences in 166 countries and territories worldwide and employs more than 119,000 people in 1,800 offices. The discussions are ongoing and will be concluded following the necessary votes and regulatory review. BDO UK managing partner Mark Shaw said: This would be a landmark merger for both firms and demonstrates the ambition we have for our business, our people and our clients. Our client heartland is the ambitious, growing and entrepreneurial mid-market. These businesses are increasingly looking for support on a range of cross-border issues. In this environment, where markets are more inter-dependent than ever, it makes sense that we look at ways to collaborate even more closely with our international colleagues hence this proposed merger. BDO Ireland managing partner Brian McEnery stated: We have been discussing a merger built on a foundation of shared culture. From the start of our discussions, we agreed that a mutual commitment to our people, quality and integrity is as crucial to our long-term success as strategy and scale. BDO UK and Ireland have worked closely together for more than 40 years. For us, this is a logical step, one that is partner-led and brings us together as one team for the benefit of our people and our clients. "BDO UK and Ireland near completion of merger negotiations " was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand. Here are three stocks with buy rank and strong income characteristics for investors to consider today, Nov. 6: SB Financial Group, Inc. SBFG: This financial holding company for the State Bank and Trust Company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 5.4% over the last 60 days. SB Financial Group, Inc. Price and Consensus SB Financial Group, Inc. Price and Consensus SB Financial Group, Inc. price-consensus-chart | SB Financial Group, Inc. Quote This Zacks Rank #1 company has a dividend yield of 3.1%, compared with the industry average of 2.7%. SB Financial Group, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) SB Financial Group, Inc. Dividend Yield (TTM) SB Financial Group, Inc. dividend-yield-ttm | SB Financial Group, Inc. Quote Universal Corporation UVV: This agriproducts company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 6.5% over the last 60 days. Universal Corporation Price and Consensus Universal Corporation Price and Consensus Universal Corporation price-consensus-chart | Universal Corporation Quote This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company has a dividend yield of 6.4%, compared with the industry average of 3.2%. Universal Corporation Dividend Yield (TTM) Universal Corporation Dividend Yield (TTM) Universal Corporation dividend-yield-ttm | Universal Corporation Quote Lincoln National Corporation LNC: This insurance company has witnessed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current year earnings increasing 5.7% over the last 60 days. Lincoln National Corporation Price and Consensus Lincoln National Corporation Price and Consensus Lincoln National Corporation price-consensus-chart | Lincoln National Corporation Quote This Zacks Rank #1 company has a dividend yield of 4.5%, compared with the industry average of 1.6%. Lincoln National Corporation Dividend Yield (TTM) Lincoln National Corporation Dividend Yield (TTM) Lincoln National Corporation dividend-yield-ttm | Lincoln National Corporation Quote See the full list of top ranked stocks here. Find more top income stocks with some of our great premium screens. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Lincoln National Corporation (LNC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Universal Corporation (UVV) : Free Stock Analysis Report SB Financial Group, Inc. (SBFG) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research Campaigners say aim of price hike is to stamp out smoking and fund Italy's health service. Italian health and cancer groups on Thursday unveiled a campaign for a bill to raise the price of a packet of cigarettes by 5 in a bid to discourage smoking and to raise additional funds for the national health service. The campaign seeks to gather 50,000 certified signatures - the number required for parliament to debate the proposal - by next spring. Their aim is to call on parliament to introduce a flat 5 excise tax on all smoking and nicotine inhalation products, including e-cigarettes and heated tobacco. Landmark proposal The proposal, the first of its kind in Italy, was launched in the senate by the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), together with the AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, the Umberto Veronesi Foundation, and the AIOM Foundation. Outlining the benefits of the proposed measure, senate vice president Mariolina Castellone said: "With an increase of 5 per packet, in addition to reducing the number of smokers, an estimated 12 billion would be raised for prevention". Smoking patterns in Italy and health risks The promoters of the campaign said that almost a quarter of adults in Italy smoke regularly, and the prevalence among young people is also "worrying", with one in five teenagers aged between 15 and 19 smoking cigarettes daily, a habit they tend to maintain for the rest of their lives. "Despite the more restrictive regulations passed in recent decades, too many citizens still smoke" - the campaign promoters stated - "Smoking is one of the most significant cancer risk factors; therefore, all tools that encourage giving up the habit must be encouraged." "A smoker loses an average of 10 years of life compared to a non-smoker, and for young people, the danger also comes from e-cigarettes", Giulia Veronesi of the Veronesi Foundation said, adding that initial scientific data shows that e-cigarettes increase the risk of cancer and other diseases, while their addictive nicotine steers young people towards "traditional smoking." Social costs In Italy alone, smoking-related diseases cost 24 billion, directly and indirectly, and result in 93,000 deaths each year, mainly from cancer as well as chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Pointing to France and Ireland, which have introduced similar price increases and seen a dramatic drop in smoking, the campaigners claim that a 5 increase on each cigarette packet could reduce tobacco consumption in Italy by 37 per cent. Excise taxes "In our country, excise taxes are among the lowest in Europe" - Maria Sofia Cattaruzza, professor of public health at Rome's Sapienza University, said - "3.19 per pack compared to 7.45 in France and 9.92 in Ireland." "Making smoking an expensive and unsustainable practice, especially for young people, is the only way to reverse the trend," the campaign promoters insist, stressing that the extra funds raised could be reinvested in public health. CGIL union slams budget as Meloni mocks date chosen for strike. Italy's largest trade union, CGIL, has called a national general strike on Friday 12 December in protest over the government's 2026 budget bill. The news was announced on Friday by Fulvio Fammoni, president of the CGIL general assembly, during an event in Florence, attended by CGIL general secretary Maurizio Landini. "We are striking against a flawed budget law and against all the measures that have piled up over the years" - Famoni said - claiming the bill "rewards the richest and not the poorest, encourages inequality, and envisions essentially zero growth." Landini, speaking on the sidelines of the assemly in Florence, told reporters that the budget was "unfair and mistaken", adding: "The fundamental emergency right now is wages: we need to increase wages, and this budget doesn't do that." In a statement, CGIL issued a long list of reasons for the strike, including demands for the renewal of all national labour contracts; greater investments in healthcare, education, local authorities, long-term care, and housing rights; and measures to tackle job insecurity and workplace safety. Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, in a post on X, took aim at Landini and CGIL, asking sarcastically: "On which day of the week will 12 December fall?". Deputy premier Matteo Salvini struck a similar tone on X, writing: "We invite Landini, for once, to give up the long weekend and organise the strike on another day of the week". The nationwide strike will come just two weeks after another general strike, on 28 November, called by the USB and CUB union, also in protest over the budget. More details will be announced nearer the time of the strike. We update our news of public transport strikes in Italy regularly. For official information see the transport ministry website. Photo credit: Domenichini Giuliano / Shutterstock.com. Stephen Maguire A young man stole a Bus Eireann vehicle in Co Donegal and drove it to Dublin after being told another bus was full. Derek Dunne appeared before Letterkenny Circuit Court where he entered a plea of guilty. Dunne, of Markievicz House, Dublin, is charged with on July 10th, 2023 at Bus Eireann Bus Station, Ramelton Road, Letterkenny, he did unlawfully take possession of and use a mechanically propelled vehicle without the consent of the owner, Bus Eireann Transport Company, or without lawful authority. The 24-year-old appeared before Judge John Aylmer for sentencing after the extraordinary incident during which he drove the 390,000 bus from Letterkenny, along the M1 motorway and abandoning it in Sheriff Street in North Dublin. The court was told that the bus was not damaged and still had the key in the ignition. Garda Pearse Glynn, led by state barrister Ms Fiona Crawford, BL, outlined the incident to the court. He told how gardai received a call from Bus Eireann on the morning of July 10th, 2023 to say one of their buses was missing from the Letterkenny Depot and later learned that a bus had been found abandoned in Sheriff Street in Dublin. Dunne was identified from enquiries and he was arrested and interviewed on September 12th and made full admissions. CCTV was harvested which showed a male in a green hoodie arriving in Letterkenny at 10.35pm and was seen waiting until 11.06pm until the bus driver had left. At 11.52pm, Dunne was observed entering a number of buses which were parked up before eventually entering the bus he would steal. He sat in the driver's seat for about 45 minutes before eventually turning on the lights and driving off in the bus at 00.40am. When interviewed at Pearse Street Garda Station, Dunne told gardai that he was planning to get a later bus back but was told the bus was full and decided to take a bus himself. After the 237 kilometre journey, Dunne left the key in the bus and left. Barrister for the accused, Mr Daniel Comerford, BL, instructed by solicitor Danica Kinane, said his client had taken an extremely foolish decision and acted on impulse. He said that by doing this Dunne had created a substantial risk of farm to other people but that he now has a full understanding of this. Although he has no previous convictions, he is currently on remand in prison facing other charges which he has pleaded to. Mr Comerford said Dunne had grown up in a family with drug problems and that he lived with his grandparents. He has worked in the haulage industry and with heavy goods because of the influence of an uncle who also worked in that industry. The court was told that Dunne does not have a heavy goods vehicle license, when asked by Judge John Aylmer. Mr Comerford said his client regretted taking the boost the instant he had. He added that the accused did not comprehend the situation and drove the distance he did but that this was a situation which was rooted in panic rather than one which showed a flagrant disregard for others. Judge John Aylmer said this was "a very unusual offence." He outlined the journey taken by Dunne in the stolen bus which he said many in the court present knew was "a very hazardous route." He described Dunne's incident as "unusual and rather weird behaviour" saying he was told he had a long fascination with heavy goods vehicles. However, the Judge said he was not exactly sure what was behind the behaviour as he did not have the benefit of a probation report. He said it was obvious from the evidence that there was no intention to deprive Bus Eireann and that he simply wanted to get back to Dublin. Before mitigation he said the offence merited a sentence of two years in prison. But he said the accused came before him with only a previous conviction for speeding, that he was completely cooperative with gardai and he entered an early plea. Those features merited a reduction of sentence to one of 18 months, he said. He added that he was going to deal with the accused as a young man with an unusual fascination with heavy goods vehicles who behaved in an extraordinary manner. Notwithstanding the fact that he didn't have a probation report before him, Judge Aylmer said he was going to suspend the sentence of 18 months in its entirety on the understanding that Dunne go under the supervision of the probation services for 18 months when released from prison. The shortlist for the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards has been unveiled, featuring a diverse and exciting mix of exceptional writing, including from four Waterford writers. Rose Keating has been nominated in the Newcomer of the Year category, for her work titled 'Oddbody'. Kathi and John Burkes work, 'Animalopedia', has been nominated for Senior Childrens Book of the Year. Sarah Bowie has been nominated in the same category, for her book 'Nina Peanut Epic World Tour Era'. Joanne McCarthy has been nominated in the New Irish Writing Best Poetry category, for her poetry, Minimum Wage, South-Eastern Wind and Midnight Oil. Celebrating its 20th year, the An Post Irish Book Awards continue to champion and promote Irish writing to the widest range of readers possible. Each year, the awards bring together a vast community passionate about books readers, authors, booksellers, publishers and librarians to recognise the very best of new and established Irish writing talent. Larry Mac Hale, Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards, said: The shortlist for this years An Post Irish Book Awards once again highlights the extraordinary breadth and depth of talent among Irish writers. Its inspiring to see such creativity and passion reflected across every category, with deserving recognition for authors, publishers, illustrators, and booksellers alike. "The An Post Irish Book Awards remains the cornerstone of Irelands literary calendar, and we look forward to celebrating this years winners on November 27. Debbie Byrne, Managing Director of Retail at An Post, added: From exciting new talent to beloved favourites, this years shortlist is a celebration of imagination, bold ideas, unforgettable journeys and the richness of Irish literature that speaks to every kind of reader and every aspect of Irish life." To tie in with the announcement of the An Post Irish Book Awards shortlist, the public are now being asked to have their say and cast their votes for the best books of the year via anpostirishbookawards.ie/vote. Voters may cast their votes until 6pm on Sunday, November 16. Investors often opt for the stock-picking approach that involves stocks with a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. This strategy is based on the notion that the lower the P/E ratio is, the higher the stock value. The reasoning behind this is straightforward when a stock's current market price does not adequately reflect its higher earnings, it suggests potential for growth. But there is more to this whole P/E story. Because not only low P/E, stocks with a rising P/E can also fetch strong returns. In this regard, investors can bet on the likes of The Chef's Warehouse CHEF, Life Time Group Holdings LTH, The Honest Company HNST, CorMedix CRMD and Boston Scientific BSX. Rising P/E: A Useful Tool The concept is that as earnings rise, so should the price of the stock. As forecasts for expected earnings come in higher, strong demand for the stock should continue to push up its prices. After all, astock's P/E gives an indication of how much investors are ready to shell out per dollar of earnings. Suppose an investor wants to buy a stock with a P/E ratio of 30. This means that he is willing to shell out $30 for only $1 worth of earnings as he expects earnings of the company to rise at a faster pace in the future owing to strong fundamentals. So, if the P/E of a stock is rising steadily, it means that investors are assured of its inherent strength and expect some strong positives out of it. Also, studies have revealed that stocks have seen their P/E ratios jump over 100% from their breakout point in the cycle. So, if you can pick stocks early in their breakout cycle, you can end up seeing considerable gains. The Winning Strategy In order to shortlist stocks that are exhibiting an increasing P/E, we chose the following as our primary screening parameters. EPS growth estimate for the current year is greater than or equal to last years actual growth Percentage change in last year EPS should be greater than or equal zero (These two criteria point to flat earnings or a growth trend over the years.) Percentage change in price over four weeks greater than the percentage change in price over 12 weeks Percentage change in price over 12 weeks greater than percentage change in price over 24 weeks (These two criteria show that price of the stock is increasing consistently over the said timeframes.) Percentage price change for four weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 Percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 24 weeks relative to the S&P 500 (Here, the case for consistent price gains gets even stronger as it displays percentage price changes relative to the S&P 500.) An Coimisiun Pleanala has refused planning permission for a Lidl supermarket in the Gracedieu area of Waterford city. Plans entailed the construction of a part single-storey and part two-storey discount Lidl foodstore with an off-licence. Construction of an access road from Carrickphierish Road, serving the proposed development and to facilitate the future development of adjoining lands was also planned, as was a car parking area. Planning documents submitted in July 2024 outlined that it was estimated the proposed Lidl store would provide up to 25 direct full-time jobs, generating in the order of 1 million per annum locally in wages, in addition to construction stage employment with an excess of 1.5 million in construction wages. An objection to the project was previously submitted to Waterford City and County Council. The objection outlined that the proposed development constituted a material contravention of the County Development Plan and should be refused by the planning authority. Waterford City and County Council issued notification of the decision to refuse planning permission in June of this year. Lidl Ireland GmbH subsequently appealed the Councils decision to refuse, and An Coimisiun Pleanala was then left to determine whether or not the construction of the store would commence. The board decided to refuse permission this week. Having regard to the emerging pattern of development in the vicinity, it is considered that the proposed development would be of insufficient architectural quality on a prominent site in this area, and would seriously injure the visual amenities of the area, the board said. The board also noted that the proposed development is partially located on lands zoned for 'Existing Residential, and would therefore contravene the zoning objectives of the Councils development plan. (Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme) Waterford Council has been granted leave to take up a judicial review against the decision of Kilkenny County Council to grant permission for Dunne's Stores to move into Ferrybank Shopping Centre. Fighting words came from a meeting of south Kilkenny based councillors this week in response to the decision, and Director of Services with Kilkenny County Council, Ian Gardner, said that Kilkenny Council is prepared to defend to the greatest possible extent their decision to grant the development permission to progress. What is happening? Ferrybank Shopping Centre has sat idle since it's construction was completed in 2008. In the years since, there has been an endless string of significant setbacks and delays. Residents in the area and south Kilkenny-based politicians have pleaded with Dunne's Stores to move into the site. Councillors positioned in and around Ferrybank have fought hard to get the development moving, and to progress what they consider to be an essential development for the area. Then finally, in June of this year, Dunne's Stores submitted a planning application seeking to open a flagship store within the vacant shopping centre. These plans were approved by Kilkenny County Council in August. However, along came neighbouring Waterford City and County Council, who lodged an appeal against Kilkenny Councils decision to approve the development. Waterford Councils appeal was subsequently deemed invalid, due to a full application not being submitted in time. Consequently, Waterford Council have now decided to take a legal approach. A statement provided to the Waterford News & Star this week confirmed that Waterford City and County Council has been granted leave to take judicial review. The application for leave is the first step in the conventional judicial review procedure. It means that the Council have expressed that they have sufficient interest in the matter, and have demonstrated that they are affected in some way by the decision of Kilkenny County Council to grant the shopping centre permission to proceed. The Council has now been authorised to bring forward judicial review proceedings. Kilkenny reaction Reacting to Waterford's judicial decision this week, councillors in the Piltown Municipal District of South Kilkenny expressed major disappointment and shock. They say it has soured the relationship between the neighbouring authorities. Cllr Ger Frisby said he was completely astounded by Waterford Councils decision to take up a judicial route. We have worked tirelessly with Waterford City and County Council as a municipal area over the last number of years, and I think this just sours that relationship. "As a public representative who will be speaking with Waterford Council colleagues on the other side, this is a very disheartening and shocking decision to make. Cllr Fidelis Doherty added that Waterford Council was moving in a very confrontational and disingenuous way. Cllr Jenny Catt Slattery meanwhile, expressed the importance of the centre progressing. This development represents a very significant opportunity," she said. It is bringing jobs, investment and a long overdue commercial investment to an area thats waited too long for progress. "I really hope this matter can be resolved promptly and that a greater correspondence and mutual understanding can prevail between the neighbouring authorities for the benefit of all the people in the area along our shared border. Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme We have all heard whispers of a new financial device arriving soon. Like any big change, Ireland's move to auto-enrolment will likely spark debate. Before it lands in our pay slips and pub conversations, lets break down what My Future Fund is, why it matters, and who stands to gain or struggle in the short term, from the shift. What is My Future Fund? From 1 January 2026, most employees without a private pension will be automatically signed up to My Future Fund. In plain terms, this is a retirement savings pot linked to your payroll. Each month, workers will contribute a percentage of their salary, which will be matched by their employer and topped up by the State. For every 3 the worker contributes, the employer adds 3 and the State chips in 1. Crucially, this is in addition to the State pension not a replacement. The goal is to ensure fewer people reach retirement relying solely on the State pension. From RTE Radio 1's News At One, University of Galway's Dr Maureen Maloney on the report that says pension auto-enrolment scheme will not address structural inequalities faced by women Who will be enrolled? If you are aged 2360, earning 20,000+ per year (across one or more jobs) and not already in a pension scheme through payroll, then youll be auto-enrolled. Employees must stay in for at least six months, but can opt out in the following months. If they do, their contributions are refunded, but employer and State top-ups stay in the fund. Two years later, theyll be automatically re-enrolled if still eligible. Why auto-enrolment, and why now? Currently, about two-thirds of retirees in Ireland have no supplementary pension and rely only on the State pension. Ireland has also been the last OECD country without auto-enrolment. With a shrinking working-age population that is expected to support a growing retired cohort, policymakers and perhaps politicians see this as a catch-up and a necessary long-term fix. How does it affect us? The most visible short-term effect is less take-home pay. Our monthly disposable income will decrease slightly because part of it now diverts into retirement savings. Economists call this the classic "consume now versus save later" trade-off. But behavioural economics explains why this design works. Most of us have status quo bias we stick with the default. By making "saving" the default and "opting out" the effortful choice, the State is nudging us towards future security. Who might struggle? Not everyone will welcome the deduction. For workers already stretched by high housing costs, childcare, transport or debt, the drop in take-home pay will feel like a burden. People with volatile incomes casual or seasonal workers may also experience the contribution as a pay cut, even with matching and top-ups. Parents on unpaid leave may face another wrinkle. With paused contributions, there will likely be a loss of momentum in saving. And because the scheme excludes the self-employed and unpaid carers, those groups may remain outside the safety net for the near future. Lessons to be learned In our field research with female micro-entrepreneurs in India, we studied voluntary commitment savings products. Take-up was strongest among women who were less present-biased those more willing to sacrifice todays income for tomorrows return. Yet, overall participation stayed limited. Why? Because the product still felt like a pay cut in the short term. Unless people saw other parts of their financial life improving, many chose to step away. Read more: How the 'sandwich generation' are caught up in cost of living crisis Applied to Ireland, this suggests two groups will emerge. First, those most likely to stay enrolled: workers with stable incomes, lower present bias, and the "set-and-forget" mindset who value the employer match and State top-up. Second, those more likely to opt out: workers who are cash-strapped, juggling volatile hours, or for whom the deduction feels like steep a pay cut. Mothers returning from unpaid leave may also fall behind unless catch-up contributions are made simple and attractive. This prediction echoes trends in the UK, where opt-out rates from auto-enrolment schemes have risen over time. This rise in opt-out has occurred between 2020-2022, particularly during the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, as financially stretched households prioritised immediate spending over long-term saving. What could make it easier? To broaden support and fairness, policymakers could adopt the following: 1. Neutralise the pay-cut feeling - Pair enrolment with modest pay rises or a once-off start bonus. This reduces loss aversion our tendency to feel losses more deeply than gains; 2. Protect parents on leave. Introduce catch-up contributions for those returning from maternity or other unpaid leave, with matching and State top-ups intact. This would help avoid widening gender pension gaps; 3. Add flexibility. Allow short pauses (with automatic restart) or saving cessations without opting out for workers facing volatile incomes, so they dont drop out completely. Will it work in Ireland? Short answer - yes but unevenly. The Irish design is solid, with a State top-up thats more visible than tax relief systems elsewhere. That should boost take-up, especially among low-to-middle earners. But defaults arent magic. Without cushioning the immediate hit to net pay and addressing life events like unpaid leave, the very groups most in need of pension security may be the ones opting out at month seven. Auto-enrolment is a welcome reform. It shifts Ireland closer to international best practice and helps future-proof retirement security. But it will not land equally for everyone. The default does much of the work, but policy and pay packets need to meet it halfway. For further information contact: Barry Walsh Q.F.A. ALIA (dip) Managing Director Barry Walsh Financial Services Limited Landline: +353(0)51 584776 Mobile: +353(0)86 238 4225 linkedin.com/in/barrywalshfs e-mail: info@bwfs.ie Web Site: www.bwfs.ie Advertisement BusinessCompaniesMedia & marketing Opinion Kyle Sandilands medical update and the $180m question Calum Jaspan Media Writer November 6, 2025 9:05pm November 6, 2025 9:05pm 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 20 View all comments In this edition of On Background, an update on Kyle Sandilands brain surgery, Nick Papps Californian dream begins, and Guardian Australia closes the book on its Canberra headache. Medical update Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson have generated many headlines this year: falling ratings, $10-million-a-year salaries, distasteful comments its been rich pickings from the radio duo. One of the biggest stories happened nine months ago when Sandilands revealed on February 2 that he needed immediate brain surgery after his medical team found a neural aneurysm. So, if you just tuned in to us after all these years, lap it up. And if youre in Melbourne, youre coming to the party too late. You may get your wish. I may be dead, he told listeners. Advertisement Headline-grabbing Sandilands photographed in Sydney in 2023. Nic Walker He didnt say when hed be getting the surgery, which would have seen him off work potentially for months. But he hasnt had it. And as it turns out, he probably never will. Having been getting scans every three months, the aneurysm hasnt grown, which is a good sign, sources close to the provocateur tell On Background. Ultimately, his doctors decided that due to the Air Jordan logo shape of the aneurysm, the dangers of an operation, big or small, are about as high as the chances of it bursting. Its a scary thing to have, Prince of Wales Hospital neurosurgeon Dr Erica Jacobson (who is not Sandilands doctor) says, clarifying some of the misconceptions around brain aneurysms. Aneurysms are quite common, but the problem is, we cant predict when theyre going to burst, but they burst far less frequently than they occur, Jacobson says. Advertisement Three per cent of Australians suffer a brain aneurysm in their lifetimes, but only 1 per cent of those rupture, which is what can prove fatal. So while Sandilands diagnosis was initially worrying for him and his team, theres no surgery required for now, were told. Sandilands manager Bruno Bouchet said he would provide a comment, but it wasnt received before publication. We wish Kyle well with his health. Step change The other pressing issue for the radio duo is the $180 million left on their contract, and whether parent company ARN are still committed to rolling out the show nationally. Advertisement There are signs the unpredictable nature of The Kyle and Jackie O Show have prompted a rethink from ARNs new big cheese, Michael Stephenson, Nines former sales chief who spent years selling the companys brand-safe shows such as The Block and the Australian Open to advertisers, as well as some of the more dicey assets such as Married at First Sight and Alan Jones, when he was still on 2GB. Michael Stephenson brought the glamour of TV to ARNs first upfront. ARN Last week, Stepho brought the glitz and glamour of television to the radio company, putting on its first upfront event, a content showcase to secure as many ad dollars as possible for the year ahead. While Kyle & Jackie O appeared at the top of the show, they featured sparingly, with Golds Christian OConnell pushed to the spotlight a much safer option for brands and audiences. Rarely does a week go by without controversy, and this week it was the planned boycott of Brisbanes premier Comic-Con event Supanova over a scheduled appearance from Sandilands. After Supanova apologised to fans last week, Sandilands gladly thanked his overweight, ugly and deranged haters on Wednesday for giving him a reason to not attend, before launching into a game of Is It Gay? During the segment, the hosts were asked to decide whether things such as holding a mug with two hands, using your indicator while driving or taking a mental health day is gay or not. (Sandilands voted gay on the latter, for the record.) Advertisement Taking The Kyle and Jackie O Show national meant ARN could pay the duo more and cut staff elsewhere, but its proven a difficult task for their sales teams, with ad revenue tanking through the first nine months of the year, as the table below shows. (For those not familiar with their Melbourne record its gone badly.) Last week, ARN announced that instead of rolling out Sandilands and Henderson into Brisbane in 2026, as was widely expected, Craig Lowie Low, a man dubbed the poor mans Kyle (Sandilands) in local rag The Courier Mail, was replacing its sacked trio Robin & Kip with Corey Oates. Why would ARN bring in Lafufu Kyle when theyre already paying the cashed-up, authentic Labubu Kyle to do a national show? Theres an industry theory that Lowie is a short-term solution, brought in to take the 3-4 per cent share hit expected in Brisbane after ditching the breakfast trio, giving Kyle and Jackie a lower base to improve off on arrival in 12 months. That theory might be a bit unfair; Low has plenty of years in radio under his belt. But in Adelaide, ARNs Mix is rebranding to KIIS in 2026, and theyve hired former Nova duo Ben & Liam to host breakfast. That isnt a short-term move. Advertisement Forget the biggest stars on radio, Kyle & Jackie O are Australias biggest stars full stop, Stephenson said, touting a bigger presence on social media and everywhere else but local radio. Its a convenient side-step to justify the price tag. But pausing the national rollout could prove a smart step from fresh eyes. The McKenna question A week on, speculation is still running hot over Siobhan McKennas exit from News Corp, breaking off a 20-year relationship with Lachlan Murdoch and his private investment company Illyria. Sources with knowledge of the family patriarch Rupert Murdochs thinking say there was lingering bad blood over the embarrassing family feud which played out in Reno, Nevada (via the pages of The New York Times). It was the brain-child of McKennas, but was avoidable and created unnecessary angst. Advertisement Maybe thats why Murdochs bestie (and News Corp global CEO) Robert Thomson sprung the news out of nowhere in an internal email last Thursday, catching News Corp and Nova staff off guard locally. Related Article Exclusive Media & marketing Murdochs closest adviser quits News Corp and his private company Relations are fine with Lachlan, however, and there are suggestions he may eventually want McKenna as the next REA Group chair, with Hamish McLennan now in his 13th year running the digital real estate listings firm. REA has some challenges on the horizon, namely a refreshed Domain, now owned by US firm CoStar, and an ACCC probe into price-gouging. McKennas connections in the capital could come in handy, but that idea has been privately dismissed, with sources close to McKenna insisting its a full split, and she simply wants to move onto different things after two decades working for Lachlan. In the meantime, Lachlan wont be immediately replacing McKenna as Nova chair, with company boss Peter Charlton to report directly to the big man himself while hes in the country two weeks of every month. Advertisement Breit start Nick Papps, the Herald Suns weekend editor, was the surprise captains pick when appointed editor-in-chief of The California Post, News Corps New York Post offshoot, pipping a list of other internal editors to the gig. The paper will go to print in early 2026, with hopes of bringing a conservative voice to the states upcoming gubernatorial race, and more generally in the lefty home state of Trump-troller-in-chief Gavin Newsom. Papps, the protege of News Corp Australia giant Peter Blunden, announced his first hire this week, the same day Americans went to the polls for off-year elections handing big wins for Democrats both in the Posts native New York, and for Newsom in California. Nick Papps (right) is getting his crack team together to launch the California Post. He appeared with New York Post CEO Sean Giancola at an advertisers event last month. LinkedIn Joel Pollak, a 48-year-old South African-American Harvard graduate, joins the paper as opinion editor, fresh off 15 years at far-right news outlet Breitbart News, famous for its penchant for climate change denialism and conspiracy theorising among other things. He comes with some serious chops, and is excellent at giving his opinions on X. Advertisement A self-described pro-Israel writer, Pollak has spent his time at Breitbart as senior editor-at-large, in-house counsel (what?) and host of radio show Breitbart News Sunday. He penned his first piece this week, counting a list of Newsoms failures and why the governors electorate redistribution plan underscores the need for The Posts arrival in the Golden State. Expect more of the same. Slow and steadier Weve spent a lot of time reporting on Guardian Australias Canberra bureau in 2025. Thats because theres been plenty to write about as high-profile staff left and workplace disputes were managed by HR executives. Veteran Karen Middleton went on leave in December as political editor and never returned, while chief political correspondent Paul Karp left in January. Now the Australian outpost of the British publisher has finally filled its senior roles, promoting federal reporter Dan Jervis-Bardy to chief political correspondent. He filled the gap left by Tom McIlroy when he was promoted to political editor in September. Advertisement The process of replacing the political editor and the chief political correspondent took nearly a year to resolve and ended with two internal promotions. Luckily, there wasnt too much going on politically in 2025 er, election, anyone? Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. CLARIFICATION The initial version of this column said Ben, Liam & Belle would be presenting Mixs Breakfast show in Adelaide in 2026. The show will be helmed by just Ben & Liam. Belle Jackson will return to her previous role as producer. Advertisement Review Eating outMargaret River Can the ideal country pub exist in an upwardly mobile regional city? Head south to find out Past and present, Australian and Asian, local produce and worldly thinking: this Busselton treasure offers a way forward for the beloved neighbourhood pub. Max Veenhuyzen November 8, 2025 Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 1 / 3 Grilled pranws with a salsa inspired by Balinese sambal matah: an example of the Indonesian influences that chef Laura Koentjoro Harding is introducing to the menu. Blank State Creative 2 / 3 Pub classics star at this down-south diner. Blank State Creative 3 / 3 When youre this close to the ocean, expect seafood to feature heavily. Blank State Creative Previous Slide Next Slide 14.5 / 20 How we score Australian$$$$ Named after Augustus Frederick, Prince Street features prominently in the story of Busselton. Here be the sites of the towns first school, first post office and that yesteryear symbol of modernity and progress first drycleaners. Following the purchase of 43 Prince Street in January 1965 by Aubrey Nelson, Busseltonians had access to professional laundering services, no matter how pressed for time they were. Chef Laura Koentjoro Harding (centre) in the Banksia Tavern kitchen with Rohan Todd (left) and Liam Monaghan (right). Blank State Creative Advertisement Just like the township, this site has seen plenty of change. The most notable of these happened in 2012 when chef Tim Whitty (nee Taylor; formerly of Margaret River winery restaurants Clairault and Leeuwin Estate) took it from laundry to the Laundry Cafe: a small bar modelled on the laneway speakeasies of Melbourne. And so began the sites hospitality era. Since changing cycles, the space has housed everything from breweries (Rocky Ridges Darleens lived here pre-COVID) to tapas joints a la Bodega Busselton. Two years ago, the building was passed on to current custodians, Brendan McCarthy and Nathan Headlam: two publicans who felt Bussos growing population could sustain another local drinking hole. Enter Banksia Tavern, a svelte, 120-person longneck of a space that dresses like a 90s country pub yet is au fait with contemporary drink trends. Small-scale local brewers such as District Brewing dominate the taps, theres snap in the cocktails, plus temptation and intrigue in the whisky line-up. If you want a place to catch-up over drinks or enjoy a civilised nightcap, youre in luck. But heads up: obliging service led by manager Rav Purwaha plus a crisp vinyl-based sound system McCarthy and Headlam were musos in previous lives might derail that just-one-more thinking. Related Article Souped-up: The Perth restaurants taking diners on a regional Indonesian trip Banksias food offering is another key asset and reason enough to visit, especially during those moments when the body craves for what it knows. Although much of the compact menu has been, unsurprisingly, given over to pub classics, these favourites have been quietly considered through the thoughtful gaze of chef Laura Koentjoro Harding. Advertisement Typically, this contemplation translates to the application of imperceptible one-percenters. One-percenters like cutting Maris Piper potatoes to fry into pale, crisp chippies that, as far as size and crunch go, are more chip than French fries. Or doctoring the house burger sauce with dribbles of otherwise lethal Hot Ones chilli sauce. Or turning the head meat and trim from whole fish into the MVP of fish finger sandwiches. (Like Banksias terrific take on the Whopper-esque, pub hamburger, the fish finger sandwiches are a lunch-only item.) As keen-eyed restaurant observers know, Koentjoro cooked with former Noma head chef Ben Ing at Albertas: a workplace, Im sure, that reinforced the value of both provenance and technique. Yet Albertas is just one passage in Koentjoros cooking story. If you know where to look, other dishes on Banksia Taverns menu will reveal other key chapters. Banksia Tavern is the latest food venture to occupy the Prince Street space. Blank State Creative Those glorious fried chicken wings glossy with a sticky fish sauce caramel? A memento of tasting Andy Rickers Pok Pok chicken wings when he cooked at Long Chim Perth almost a decade ago. Advertisement Lamb birria tacos brightened with white onion are a souvenir from helping open Mount Hawthorns Casa and learning Mexican(ish) cooking from Paul Bentley. The focaccia, meanwhile, winds the clock back to Koentjoros teenage years and her first hospitality job as an assistant at the bakery that her chef mother Widijanti worked with. To paraphrase legendary musician Rick James, nostalgia is a hell of a drug. A drug, it seems, thats finding its way unchecked into so many hospitality businesses. Banksia Tavern and its interpretation of the country pub is a shining example of nailing that delicate balance between past and present. Impressively, it goes about its business with a minimum of tell and more low-key show. I dont know how long Banksia Tavern will be around for, but I plan on becoming a regular, especially as Koentjoro delves deeper into her Indonesian heritage. (See seasonal desserts such as an absurdly lush coconut panna cotta ringed by ripe persimmon plus her irregular Spice is Nice events where shell showcase regional specialties such as a Betawi-style soup noodle.) Advertisement Busselton or to use the towns traditional Nyoongar name, Undalup might be changing, but Prince Street looks set to remain integral to its story. The low-down Atmosphere: a sterling regional watering hole thats taking pub dining back to the future. Go-to dishes: fried chicken wings in fish sauce caramel, The Banksia Burger. Drinks: an exciting line-up of things to drink with a strong focus on cocktails, spirits and beers. Cost: about $150 for two people, excluding drinks. Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant cant pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide. Advertisement NationalVictoriaCity life I can save that gym: Billionaire Adrian Portelli again eyes takeover of Derrimut empire Isabel McMillan and Hannah Hammoud November 7, 2025 11:55am 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 Less than a week after Adrian Portelli backed out of his bid to save the floundering Derrimut 24:7 Gym empire, the Melbourne billionaire has once again teased his interest in buying the whole lot. In a post to his half a million Instagram followers on Friday, Portelli responded to news the gym chain had officially gone into administration, saying he would put a stop to the sharks circling the business. Adrian Portelli pictured in 2023. Kristoffer Paulsen Portelli confirmed to The Age on Friday that he had lodged a formal expression of interest with HM Advisory, the insolvency firm currently in control of the business, to buy it. He declined to reveal the details of his offer or the amount he was willing to pay. Its true, I didnt see eye to eye with the previous owners, he said in his social media post. Advertisement Related Article Investigation Fitness A house of cards: The financial chaos behind the Derrimut Gym empire They dont run a business like I do, and Im not willing to sacrifice tens of millions of dollars for someone else to potentially ruin my reputation in business. However, now that its gone into administration, I wouldnt be opposed to buying the whole f---ing lot. On Thursday, The Age revealed Derrimuts founder Nick Solomos had appointed an administrator to the largest company within the fitness empire. In an all-staff missive, employees were told it was business as usual for the gym chain, which is estimated to have racked up nearly $30 million in debts. Stephen Dixon, partner of HM Advisory, has been appointed administrator, according to documents filed with the corporate regulator on Thursday. Advertisement In September, Portelli confirmed to The Age he was in negotiations to take over the company after taking to social media to share his interest. Were currently in negotiations to purchase a stake in the business, which will include assisting in paying off the debts and keeping doors open for the 800 employed staff and the hundreds of thousands of members, Portelli said at the time. Speaking to The Age on Friday, Portelli said the gym chain was treading water financially, and despite putting up money to keep the business afloat in the preceding weeks to finalise a deal with Solomos, the process was fraught. Nick Solomos Derrimut Gym has entered into administration. Eddie Jim I dont have anything against Nick [Solomos], he said. I was there, ready to do a deal ... but we just kept facing hurdles, and we were just getting mucked around. Advertisement Since hearing about administrators and other parties were interested in throwing the business a lifeline, however, Portelli said he would put a stop to the sharks coming out to capitalise on the market share. If its got anything to do with me, Im gonna f---ing stop that, he said. I can get in there and I know I can clean it up and save that gym. That gym originated from the west where I was born, I went to that gym when I was a young chap. I do want to save that gym. Portelli said the gym empire entering administration has now made the process easier for him, describing himself as a bargain hunter. I didnt want to go down that path because its not a money play for me. I respect the work theyve done, and I wanted to keep them involved. But my back was pushed against the wall, and here we are, he said. Advertisement Im stepping in for the people, to be honest. I dont want to see the gym close. There are a few players [expressing interest], but like I said, Im down for a discount. Im a bargain hunter. Adrian Portelli (centre) said the Derrimut gym chain was treading water financially. Joe Armao The original Derrimut 24:7 Gym, based in Melbournes north-western suburb of Derrimut, was founded in 2010. Portelli confirmed that if he is successful in acquiring the business, there will be no change for members, though he does hope to remove the gyms bad boy image. Advertisement If I do get my hands on it, I can assure you that it will be there to stay, he said. Nick Solomos was contacted for comment. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter. Following on from a breaking story from yesterday, the state government has announced a new six-storey block will be built at Royal Perth Hospital, with two floors allocated for a new emergency department and extra floors to increase capacity. The latest announcement comes after Premier Roger Cook yesterday said his government will divert funding from the abandoned Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre upgrade to expand the states under-pressure hospital system at a cost of $1.5 billion which will include the purchase of St John of Gods Mount Lawley Hospital. Construction of the new emergency department is expected to begin in 2026, following completion of detailed design and procurement activities. Early tender advice will be released to the market next week and it is expected that the formal tender documents will be released shortly after. The State Government has allocated $33 million to progress detailing planning for the project. Cook said project will be funded out of the new $1.5 billion Hospitals Fund, which is made up of $500 million committed in September, with a further $1 billion announced yesterday. It means my governments total health infrastructure spare commitment is around about $4.7 billion during this term of government, making it the largest hospital building program in the states history, he said. Advertisement PoliticsFederalPolitical leadership Max Chandler-Mather on the Greens, his election loss and his return to politics James Massola November 7, 2025 3:28am 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 459 View all comments Remember Max Chandler-Mather? Anthony Albanese does. The firebrand former Greens MP seemed to be living rent-free in the prime ministers head at times during the last term of parliament. Albaneses dislike of Chandler-Mather was visceral. The prime minister personally targeted him in parliament and took particular delight in winning back Chandler-Mathers seat of Griffith, once held by Kevin Rudd, at the May election. Anthony Albanese shares his thoughts with Max Chandler-Mather in the last parliament. Alex Ellinghausen Nearly six months after that Labor win, Albanese was still relishing the result, highlighting it during his speech at the Midwinter Ball. Heading into the election, the Greens were confident the party would win seats such as Wills in Melbourne and Richmond on the NSW mid-north coast. Much like in 2010, when Labor lost seats and the Greens vote surged to a new high, so too would voters desert Labor and switch to the environmental party. Instead, the Greens national primary vote fell by 0.05 per cent in the lower house (hardly a disaster). But it fell further in the wrong places and major-party preference deals hurt the Greens enough to cost Chandler-Mather, Greens leader Adam Bandt and Stephen Bates their seats. Advertisement The party did undertake an election review but, since the poll, the Greens have said little about the reasons they lost seats. While new leader Larissa Waters is talented and capable, there is a sense that the party is still licking its wounds. And yet, while all the focus is on the Liberals and their internal fight over net zero, the Greens have largely escaped scrutiny of their dire 2025 election result. There has been no obvious mea culpa. Therefore, Chandler-Mathers frank assessment particularly of what the Greens got wrong is worth listening to. Its also a reminder that they sorely miss his more confrontational and cut-through style. So far, the Greens have had little say on new policy. They will play a key part in backing or blocking Labors proposed environmental law changes in the Senate, but the party has been pushed to the margins of political debate. Max Chandler-Mather celebrates his win in Griffith in 2022. Dan Peled Six months on from the federal election and after a lot more quality time with his partner and two-year-old son, 33-year-old Chandler-Mather, who isnt working full-time, has given his first interview to this column about the Greens political future. And his own. First off, he dismisses out of hand the often-repeated critique that the Greens were seen as too stridently pro-Palestine or that his decision to stand with the CFMEU at a Brisbane rally cost him personally. Advertisement No on both questions, he says. The Greens have a long history of standing up for peace from the beginning of Bob Browns opposition to the Iraq and Afghanistan war, which was proved correct. Its a consistent moral position. A lot people I speak to now thank me for doing that [speaking at the pro-CFMEU rally], especially once they heard why, which is standing up for basic civil liberties you cross the line when you go after an entire organisation. Chandler-Mather says that in the first 18 months of the last term of parliament you saw this mass mobilisation, campaigning around perhaps the most important material issue facing Australians, around housing ... it put the government under real pressure. The Greens had argued for rent caps and big spending on social housing and, in part, Chandler-Mather blames extremely powerful people, including major banks and property developers whose interests were threatened. Secondly I think it was a mistake in that second half [of the term] to focus so much on talking about keeping Dutton out. In the end, we just ended up making an argument for a Labor government. In other words, targeting Labor would have been a path to more seats; targeting Dutton was just a political party talking about stopping another politician. Advertisement The Greens didnt door-knock as effectively as they could have, Chandler-Mather says, and he accepts some of the blame for that. In 2022 in Griffith, he and his team door-knocked 90,000 residences (some more than once), but this time they managed only about 50,000. That pattern was repeated in target seats around the country as the Greens spread themselves too thin. Related Article Analysis Renting White hot: The political brawl that has Albanese losing his cool Its worth remembering Chandler-Mather was once a Labor member, joining because of his admiration for Gough Whitlam, before quitting disillusioned. But Labor schooled him in field-campaigning and organising skills he used against the ALP in Griffith, and which he shared in training workshops for Greens volunteers across the country. He is a fervent believer in the efficacy of door-knocking and that on-the-ground conversations are the way to turn peoples votes Green. Though he is out of politics for now, Chandler-Mather remains focused on changing the system for ordinary Australians. He frequently references the success for the newly elected mayor of New York, Zohran Mamdani, and the surging support for the UK Greens and their leader, Zack Polanski, who is from the Bob Brown we dont want to keep the bastards honest, we want to replace the bastards school of politics. And Chandler-Mather is still thinking about big policy ideas that his party could adopt to win support from Australian voters, including a massive project of building social and affordable housing, beyond anything the current government already has under way, so theres not a single mum in this country that will ever go hungry again. Advertisement I fundamentally believe that the next frontier for social demands is a four-day work week, with no loss of pay. Had working weeks kept up with productivity gains over the last 30 years, he argues, wed already have a four-day work week. Related Article Political leadership Incumbent, scholar, new challenger or dark horse: Who could be leading the Liberals in 2028? Chandler-Mather wants the childcare and electricity sectors to be nationalised by government to put downward pressure on prices because at the moment were just padding the profits of private childcare centres and a largely privatised energy system. He praises former leader Bandt and current leader Larissa Waters, adding he would have voted for her if he was still in the party room. That Chandler-Mather was once Labor was among the reasons offered last term as to why Albanese disliked him so much and that the prime minister saw a lot of his younger self in the Greens MP. Albanese and Labor recognised a dangerous opponent and a future party leader in Chandler-Mather, so they went all out to defeat him. Or, as Chandler-Mather puts it, What do people do when they feel threatened? They try and squash you ... but I dont think Mother Teresa could change the Labor Party from the inside. Advertisement So will he run again, in either the easier-to-win Senate or in his old seat of Griffith? Definitely not the Senate, he says, because theres not [a vacancy] Im very drawn to the lower house, yeah, because its a lot harder to win, and theres no guaranteed win, but I think the future of the party is that mass on the ground organising. I still cant really walk around Griffith at the moment without someone coming up and asking me the same questions youre asking me now. Itll be an organic process. And I want to try and keep an open mind as possible, and take a bit of time to reflect. But rather than licking their wounds and languishing on the sidelines, mostly irrelevant, Waters and the Greens should confront head-on what the party got wrong at the last election and trust that voters would reward them for being honest about their failings. Chandler-Mathers proposals and critiques might be a good place to start. James Massola is chief political commentator. If you know more about the Greens election review, share it on Signal with @jamesmassola.01. Advertisement WorldEuropeChina relations France leads charge against Chinese giant Shein amid sex doll scandal David Crowe November 7, 2025 3:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 33 View all comments London: French ministers are piling more pressure on retail giant Shein after protesters picketed its new store in Paris and regulators halted its online sales in a growing clash over Chinese expansion and European standards. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called on the European Union to act against Shein after the discovery of childlike sex dolls on its online marketplace, sparking an uproar over the fast-fashion powerhouse founded in China. A protester holds a picture of a childlike sex doll outside the new Shein store at BHV Marais in Paris. AP The move threatens to expand the sanctions on Shein beyond France, if European officials believe the company has breached European Union rules on digital standards, adding to earlier measures that targeted Chinese companies out of concern at the damage to the environment from fast fashion. The European Commission must take action. It can no longer wait, Barrot told broadcaster France Info. The commission has conducted certain investigations. It must now accompany them with sanctions. Advertisement The immediate dispute centres on the sale of sex dolls resembling children on the Shein site, which the company halted after French newspaper Le Parisien published a photo of a doll holding a teddy bear and stating it was sold for sexual purposes. Shein said it had suspended all third-party sales on its site and was working with authorities while it reviewed how those vendors operated on it. The Shein site, shown here, has drawn sanctions in France over claims it sold childlike sex dolls. AP Our priority is customer safety and marketplace integrity, Sheins head of public affairs in France, Quentin Ruffat, said. This suspension enables us to strengthen accountability and ensure every product meets our standards and legal obligations. Advertisement The dispute comes in the week Shein opened its first bricks-and-mortar store in Paris, highlighting the contrast between its fast fashion business model and the boutique approach of many European brands. The new store, housed in the BHV department store in the Marais district of the French capital, triggered protests from environmental groups who argue the mass-production of low-cost clothing is increasing waste and hurting the planet. A protester is removed from Sheins first global store opening in Paris. AP The French junior minister for digital platforms, Anne Le Henanff, also called on the EU to punish the company, in a joint letter with Finance Minister Roland Lescure. Le Henanff took to social media on Thursday to say that fraud investigators had identified the sale of the sex dolls last week and notified public prosecutors. Advertisement In parallel, an investigation is under way to severely punish the sellers and buyers of these products, she said, according to a translation of her post on LinkedIn. They face sentences of up to five years and a 75,000 [$133,000] fine. With Roland Lescure, I have written to the European Commission requesting that an investigation also be launched at the European level ... We will see this through to the end. Asian fast fashion brand Shein chose Paris, the home of haute couture, for its first physical store, in the BHV Marais department store in Paris. Getty Images EU official Thomas Regnier told the media the sale of the dolls was extremely concerning and the EU did not want the products being offered to customers. Advertisement The investigations and media attention come at a sensitive time for Shein, which has been seeking to go public on the London or Hong Kong sharemarket after posting enormous growth in global sales. Related Article Consumer safety Safety warning: Dont let your Temu, Shein purchases burn you The company was founded in Nanjing in China in 2008 but is now based in Singapore. It is estimated to have an annual revenue of about $US45 billion ($70 billion). Its name comes from its original brand, SheInside, and is pronounced she in. Activists in the Marais district urged customers to avoid the Shein store because they said the company used forced labour and contributed to waste. Shein has responded by adopting policies against wasteful packaging and modern slavery and insisting it supports human rights. Advertisement But the companys assurances have not swayed the French ministers, amid growing media attention on the investigation. Related Article Shopping Commbank, Temu and HCF under fire in Choices Shonky awards Ministers visited the Charles de Gaulle airport outside Paris on Thursday to demonstrate the authorities were halting millions of Shein packages arriving by air. The government said it was blocking 200,000 parcels to ensure they would be examined by customs officials. The EU designated Shein as a very large online platform in April last year because it had more than 45 million monthly users from EU member nations. This brought the company under tighter regulations due to its size. Shein has since estimated it had 145.7 million monthly active users in EU member states over the period from February last year to July this year. A spokesperson for Shein in Australia said it was fully committed to complying with all laws and regulations. Advertisement Our platform has strict policies and control measures in place to prevent the sale of prohibited and illegal items, the spokesperson said. Any listing that does not meet applicable requirements is promptly removed, and we continuously review and strengthen our controls. Australias national consumer watchdog the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it was not able to comment on complaints received or steps taken to investigate them. The ACCC administers a range of mandatory standards for certain products to reduce the risk of injury or death, however our role does not extend to regulating weapons or sex dolls, it said. The Australian Federal Police directed inquiries to the Australian Border Force, which has been contacted for comment. Advertisement With Jessica Yun 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 AmericaAUKUS Pentagon backs AUKUS amid criticism its review has upset Australia Michael Koziol Updated November 7, 2025 12:11pm ,first published November 7, 2025 3:54am 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 101 View all comments Key points The Pentagon says it supports AUKUS, believing it provides significant benefit for US strategic interests. A US War Department review, led by Elbridge Colby, is in its final stages, and submarine production capacity has been a key issue. Republican senators, including Roger Wicker, expressed frustration at the secrecy surrounding the lengthy AUKUS review and other defence matters. Washington: The Pentagon says its review of the AUKUS pact with Australia is in its final stages, but it now agrees the agreement will bring significant benefit for US strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific. Confirmation that the War Departments policy unit supports the deal came in a congressional hearing where Republican senators once again expressed frustrations about the secrecy surrounding the AUKUS review, and other defence matters concerning United States allies. Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles (left), Elbridge Colby (centre), who is leading the US review into AUKUS, and a US Navy Virginia-class submarine. Alexander Velez-Green, the senior adviser to war undersecretary Elbridge Colby, said the review was in its final stages and had been a useful exercise in trying to make the AUKUS agreement successful, in line with President Donald Trumps priorities. Part of that was taking into account the submarine industrial base, production timelines, capacity issues ... [which] continue to be a challenge, Velez-Green told the Senate on Thursday (Friday AEDT). Advertisement We did get, I think, additional insight into the state of things and where we are going on the production issue, on other aspects all with the goal of making this as strong and enduring as possible. It is our view consistent with what the president said with Prime Minister [Anthony] Albanese recently that it is in our interest for this to work. We do gain significant benefit from it. President Donald Trump strongly backed AUKUS when he met with Anthony Albanese at the White House last month. Getty Images Those remarks represent the strongest public endorsement of AUKUS to date from officials inside the Pentagon team that conducted the review. Colby and Velez-Green have been leading the inquiry, and Pentagon officials raised numerous concerns about how Australia would position and use the nuclear-powered submarines it acquired under AUKUS, especially in the event of a conflict with China. Advertisement Trump said the deal was full steam ahead when he met with Albanese last month, although Navy Secretary John Phelan said some ambiguity remained about parts of the deal, and Albanese later acknowledged there would be changes but would not say what they were. Australia is due to pay another $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) towards the US submarine industrial base before the end of this year to improve the production rate, which has lagged at about 1.2 boats a year. Experts say it must increase to about two boats a year for the US to be in a position to fulfil its AUKUS commitments. Australias first submarine chief, Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, has announced he will retire from the Australian Submarine Agency in the middle of 2026, meaning the Albanese government must appoint a new commander to the high-stakes job before the first US nuclear-powered submarine is due to be dispatched to Western Australia some time in 2027. Related Article Analysis AUKUS Whatever Trump decides on AUKUS, Australias subs are far from guaranteed Velez-Green, who has been nominated to be Colbys deputy, was being questioned by Mississippi Republican senator Roger Wicker, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who complained that he was not consulted about the lengthy AUKUS review, which upset out friends in Australia and cast doubt on whether we were committed to this agreement. Advertisement The hearing came two days after Wicker and other Republican senators vented frustration with the Pentagon policy unit over decisions on AUKUS, and other matters, which they said were at odds with Trumps priorities. However, others defended Colby and the Pentagon policy team from anonymous and misleading criticism. Missouri Republican senator Eric Schmitt said the resistance to Colby was coming from people invested in maintaining a foreign policy status quo that has repeatedly failed the American people. Evan Montgomery, the vice president of research and studies at the Centre for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, said he was confident the nuclear-powered submarines would be delivered because the pact was so important for the broader strategic alliance between the US and Australia. Its hard for me to imagine a situation in which the US does not actually provide those Virginia-Class [boats] to Australia roughly on the timeline we are expecting, he said after an event at the Cato Institute in Washington about defending Taiwan. It would be so disruptive to all these other co-operative endeavours that are underway for AUKUS to falter. Montgomery said even if Australia was reluctant to use the nuclear-powered submarines in the early stages of a conflict in the Taiwan Strait or South China Sea, having that capability may give Australia more confidence to lean in early and forcefully on the side of the United States in ways that may be just as valuable, or more valuable, in the early stages of a conflict. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter. By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Apple, Meta Platforms and other tech giants may win a reprieve from the EU's landmark artificial intelligence rules as regulators consider easing sections of the legislation as part of a drive to simplify a slew of regulations adopted in the last two years. The move by the European Commission came amid intense lobbying by big tech companies and criticism from the U.S. administration against the AI Act adopted last year, which applies risk-based rules to artificial intelligence. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen will present the so-called Digital Omnibus on November 19 according to a Commission agenda. The document could still be changed before then. "The Commission is proposing targeted simplification measures aimed at ensuring timely, smooth and proportionate implementation," the draft Digital Omnibus document seen by Reuters said. The changes include exempting companies from registering their AI systems in an EU database for high-risk systems if these are only used for narrow or procedural tasks, and the introduction of a one-year grace period where authorities can only levy penalties from August 2, 2027. A requirement for AI system providers to mark their output as AI-generated content to address concerns such as deepfakes and misinformation will be subject to a transitional grace period, the document said. The EU executive has in recent weeks watered down landmark environmental rules after blowback from companies and the U.S. government. (Reporting by Foo Yun CheeEditing by Gareth Jones) The News in Brief Friday, November 7, 2025 The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE Party) has issued a stern warning regarding the political climate in Georgia, responding to the Prosecutor's Office initiating criminal proceedings against several opposition politicians. The European liberal party asserts that the country is rapidly devolving toward authoritarian rule under the governance of the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party.The prosecution targets opposition figures on charges that include sabotage, aiding and abetting hostile activities, and inciting the overthrow of the government.In its released statement, the ALDE Party argued that the judicial action represents a serious assault on democratic principles."Opposition voices silenced. Democratic leaders prosecuted for 'crimes against the state,'" the statement read. The party then delivered its stark assessment: "Georgia is sliding into full autocracy under Georgian Dream, and the world must not stay silent."The pan-European political alliance framed the political crisis as a fundamental threat to the country's stability and democratic future."Democracy is under full-scale assault," the statement concluded, affirming the party's position: "European liberals stand in unwavering solidarity with all those in Georgia fighting for freedom, democracy, and human rights."Salome Zourabichvili, the fifth president of Georgia, has publicly denounced the ruling party, Georgian Dream (GD), following the initiation of new legal proceedings against multiple opposition leaders and the party's apparent disregard for a recent European Union (EU) report.Zourabichvili suggested that the actions of the General Prosecutor's Office are politically motivated and bear the hallmarks of foreign interference.She described the fresh accusations against almost all opposition leaders as being taken directly from a "Russian handbook at work." The charges reportedly include sabotage, plotting to topple the government, and serving foreign interests, carrying potential sentences of up to 11 years. She sharply contrasted these actions with the GD's reaction to the EU's recent assessment, stating that the government's response was effectively dismissive: "GD answers EU's Report: 'we don't care.'"In a separate post, Zourabichvili criticized the dominant state of the Georgian media landscape, saying that major channels like Imedi and Rustavi are promoting propaganda that distorts the nation's political reality.She asserted that the orchestrated messaging attempts to paint the EU as "the enemy" while portraying Georgia as an economic success story. She also highlighted a perceived double standard concerning Moscow."Propaganda, lies, orchestrated message box. Imedi, Rustavi, and other small channels dominate the Georgian media and bring to the public a deformed reality," the President wrote. She went on to note that in this climate, "Russia is never criticized, while Russian leaders praise GD." When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Getty Images Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says Washington has lost its edge in artificial intelligence and warns that China will win the AI race. He cited the West's cynicism, export controls, and favorable energy circumstances in China as the reason, claiming it is much easier for companies to access energy in the country. The chief of the most valuable company in the world by market cap has long been saying that the U.S. ban on chip exports is a failure, and that the spread of its advanced semiconductors is vital for it to retain its competitive advantage globally. However, the ongoing trade war between the two powers has resulted in export bans of Blackwell chips from the White House on the one hand, and the CCP banning foreign AI chips from state-funded data centers on the other. Because of this, Nvidias market share in China has since dropped to basically zero, which probably led to Huangs statement to the Financial Times. China is going to win the AI race, Jensen commented. He also added that we need more optimism, saying that the Wests cynicism is holding it back. Huang released a statement on Nvidias X account a few hours after FT published his words. As I have long said, China is nanoseconds behind America in AI. Its vital that America wins by racing ahead and winning developers worldwide. The Nvidia CEO previously mentioned this in late September on a podcast, leaning on his stance that hes been preaching for over a year that export restrictions on his companys AI chips are detrimental to the U.S.s long-term interests. Huang argues that if China loses access to Nvidias latest AI GPUs, its tech companies will be forced to purchase homegrown alternatives, which will pour money into its chip makers and further drive research, development, and innovations in the local semiconductor industry. Aside from that, it will also reduce these companies dependence on Nvidias software ecosystem, making it easier for them to migrate to a Chinese AI processor. On the other hand, other industry leaders contend that the U.S. is heavily dependent on China and that its only using Nvidias products as a stopgap until it builds a credible competitor to the AI chip powerhouse. The comments come just days after the administration hinted that China could have access to Nvidia Blackwell chips, but only once they are out of date. Aside from export controls, Nvidias top executive also highlighted Chinas approach to energy subsidies that make it easier for companies to put up power-hungry data centers, versus the hodgepodge of rules the different States in the U.S. are pushing on AI, potentially resulting in 50 new regulations. Experts have been saying that electricity generation is the next bottleneck that the AI industry must solve, and it seems that Beijing is miles ahead, as it has already addressed the energy problem for its AI infrastructure. On the other hand, American tech companies are still investing in alternative power sources like small modular reactors and space-based data centers, which will take years to materialize, if at all. Recently, Microsoft revealed it has GPUs it simply can't plug in because it doesn't have the energy required. LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A lawsuit was filed Thursday against UPS, General Electric and Boeing, claiming the companies' recklessness contributed to the plane crash Tuesday that killed at least 14 people. Shakeara Ware, who lives near the crash site, joined Triple D, Inc., and Ensey LLC, in the class action complaint filed by Morgan & Morgan. Triple D is an auto repair shop on Knopp Avenue destroyed by the plane, and Ensey LLC, owns the building where Triple D, Inc., operates, according to Jefferson County property records. "(Their) recklessness has upended the lives and livelihoods of Plaintiffs and numerous Kentuckians, who live with trauma, fear and uncertainty caused by Defendants' actions," the lawsuit says. UPS Flight 2976 was fully loaded with fuel for a nine-hour flight to Honolulu from UPS Worldport when it went down around 5:15 p.m. Nov. 4. According to documents WDRB requested from the Federal Aviation Administration, the MD-11 jet built by McDonnell-Douglas in 1991 had major maintenance completed just months before this devastating crash. As of this writing, 14 people have died as a result of the crash. "As a direct and proximate result of each Defendants willful and wanton conduct, Plaintiffs and Class Members suffered significant injury, discomfort, inconvenience, loss of use and enjoyment of property, emotional distress, business interruption, revenue losses, lost wages and damages relating to the repair and remediation of their property," the lawsuit says. In a news conference Thursday in Louisville, NTSB member Todd Inman said the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder was quickly flown Wednesday to Washington, and the information was successfully extracted. A transcript with "pertinent information" will be released soon, but Inman said the NTSB doesn't release audio in these situations. The speed and altitude readings were collected at 5:13:32 Tuesday. On Thursday, Inman said investigators walked runways 17L and 17R at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and found multiple pieces of engine fan blades as well as the main component of the left engine. Investigators have reviewed airport security video and said it showed the left engine detaching from the plane during the takeoff. The suit also takes aim at the aircraft itself, saying the MD-11 and CF-6 engines have a long history of catastrophic failures and that the MD-11 has the second-worst safety record of any commercial aircraft still flying. There was maintenance done on this engine in particular that did cause the wing to come off the airplane and if that was done adequately and appropriately, that certainly should not have happened, attorney Tanner Shultz said. However, NTSB investigators said it was the engine that detached from the plane, and it will likely be some time before a cause is determined. The complaint cites two other MD-11 crashes including a 2009 fatal FedEx crash in Tokyo and claims similar defects caused or contributed to what happened in Louisville. It also points to three major CF-6 engine crashes in the last 50 years: a 2016 crash in Chicago, a 1989 Sioux City crash that killed 112 people, and a 1976 crash in Chicago that killed 273. Attorneys say those engine problems likely played a role in Tuesdays fiery crash. Another lawsuit is also expected from Whiteford, Taylor & Preston on behalf of Kentucky families who were injured or killed, including employees at Grade A Recycling. Theres one thing to have a tragedy created by Mother Nature. Its another thing to have one created by human beings, Grade A Auto Parts CEO Sean Garber said. He said three of his employees are still unaccounted for, including Megan Washburn, a mother of two, and 52-year-old John Loucks. It feels like there's obviously been a high level of incompetency or neglect done to cause this type of tragedy, and that makes me angry." The lawsuit asks for an order certifying the class as well as unspecified damages. You can read the full lawsuit below. Morgan & Morgan said many more plaintiffs have joined the suit since its filing. The firm is seeking a jury trial and class-action status. Related Stories: New aerial video shows charred path of UPS plane that crashed in Louisville FAA records reveal crashed UPS cargo plane once had cracks, corrosion on fuel tank 'It was intense' | Aerial footage shows scale of UPS plane crash site in Louisville NTSB says an engine fell off UPS plane before deadly Louisville crash Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved. The McDonnell Douglas MD-11, built in 1991, went down around 5:15 p.m. Nov. 4 after its left wing caught fire. What to do if your flight is cancelled or delayed during the FAA shutdown HONG KONG (AP) China's exports contracted in October, hit by a 25% drop in shipments to the United States, the government reported Friday. Persisting trade tensions with Washington may get a respite in the final quarter of the year after President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed last week to de-escalate the trade war between the two largest economies. But trade friction still appears to be casting a pall on demand elsewhere. Customs data show a 1.1% drop in Chinas global exports in October compared to a year earlier, the weakest since February, following an 8.3% increase in September. Imports rose 1% last month from the year before, compared with 7.4% growth in September. Chinas shipments to the U.S. have already fallen by double-digits for seven consecutive months, while it has diversified its export markets to regions such as Southeast Asia and Africa. The October decline also was affected by a high base for the same month in 2024, when exports growth soared more than 12.6%, the fastest rate in over two years. Imports rose 1% last month, compared with a 7.4% growth in September year-on-year. Economists said a prolonged property sector downturn and weak domestic consumption remains a concern. At their meeting in South Korea in late October, Trump and Xi agreed to lower tariffs and postpone new port fees they had imposed on each other's vessels. China paused some of its export controls on rare earths for one year and agreed to purchase more soybeans and other farm products from the U.S.. The U.S. eased some sanctions on Chinese companies. Goldman Sachs economists said following the Trump-Xi meeting that they expect Chinese export volumes to grow by 5%-6% annually, helping China to gain global market share and driving its overall economic expansion. The reduction in some of these tariffs as part of the latest U.S.-China trade deal may provide a small boost to exports, Leah Fahy and Zichun Huang, China economists at Capital Economics, wrote in a recent note. But that wont show up until later in the last quarter of this year, they said. A meaningful U.S. export boost would probably start in the first quarter of next year and then accelerate in the second quarter, said Wei Li, head of Multi-Asset Investments at BNP Paribas Securities (China). This week, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told business leaders at the annual China International Import Expo in Shanghai that China would embrace free markets and free trade, while he criticized trade restrictions that hurt developing countries. Choice Hotels International has reported record adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of $190.1m for the third quarter (Q3) of 2025, a 7% increase despite a softer US revenue per available room (RevPAR). During the earnings call, the company's chief financial officer Scott Oaksmith stated that its performance reflected diversified revenue sources and initial results from ongoing investments. He said performance was driven by contributing factors that include growth in system-wide room count, increased revenue from extended stay and upscale segments, a higher average royalty rate, expansion in international markets through brand introductions, and partnership revenue. On a constant currency basis, international RevPAR growth was highest in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region, with an 11% increase compared to the previous year. The Americas and Asia-Pacific regions each recorded a 5% increase in RevPAR over the same period. In Canada, RevPAR grew by 7% in Q3. In the US, Q3 RevPAR declined by 3.2% year-over-year (YoY), mainly due to reduced demand from government and international inbound segments. The companys Q3 net income stood at $180m, up from $105.7m during the same period of 2024. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) rose to $3.86 from $2.22 YoY. The groups adjusted diluted EPS for the quarter was $2.10, compared to $2.23 in the same period last year. The decrease was attributed to factors including amortisation expense from the acquisition of Choice Hotels Canada, temporary increases in income tax expense, revaluation of a previously held joint venture interest, and foreign currency adjustments. Global net rooms grew by 2.3% with the upscale, extended stay, and midscale segments recording 3.3% growth since September 2024. International net rooms increased by 8.3% YoY and by 5.2% compared to June 2025. The companys global pipeline exceeded 86,000 rooms as of 30 September 2025, with upscale, extended stay, and midscale properties accounting for 98% of new developments. In the US market, extended stay net rooms rose by 12%, including a 14% increase in new openings compared to September 2024 period. The global franchise agreements awarded rose 54% YoY during the quarter. Choice Hotels International president and chief executive officer Patrick Pacious said: We are especially excited by the accelerating momentum in our international business, where we are on track to double profitability by 2027. "With an accretive, high-quality pipeline that rapidly converts signings into openings, and an enhanced value proposition that is attracting a growing base of higher-value guests, Choice is exceptionally well-positioned to deliver long-term growth and create meaningful value for all stakeholders. Global stock markets sold off this week as Wall Street execs warned equities are overvalued. Other analysts are worried about an artificial intelligence stock bubble. A Bloomberg report earlier this week said Wall Street chief executives said a U.S. stock market drop of more than 10% in the next 12 to 24 months could occur, and such a correction may be a positive development for the stock market, overall. www.barchart.com In another worrisome sign, Palantir Technologies (PLTR) earlier this week raised its annual revenue outlook to $4.4 billion and outpaced analyst estimates for its third-quarter sales. The companys revenue increased 63% to $1.18 billion, with profit, excluding some items, at $0.21 a share. Yet, Palantirs shares fell on the news due to concerns about the companys lofty valuation after a record run-up, despite the companys strong quarterly results. When a stock, or a market, cannot rally on fresh, bullish fundamental news, thats a sign that all the expected bullish news has already been factored into prices. More News from Barchart You can bet that wily gold (GCZ25) and silver (SIZ25) market bulls have taken note of the Palantir stock weakness this week, reckoning it could be a harbinger of general stock market weakness into the end of the year. There Could Be a Bigger Bogeyman Lurking in the Markets Shadows Bond traders lately have been extra worried about private credit deals that may not have solid financial footing. From global banks to alternative fund managers, more senior financiers are warning of cracks in private credit. Bloomberg reports that TCW Groups CEO Katie Koch told a forum in Hong Kong today that shes very nervous about parts of private credit. Tony Yoseloff, chief investment officer of Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP, said theres been a race to the bottom in terms of covenants. Their comments come as private credit or lending done outside the heavily regulated banking sector has ballooned to a $1.7 trillion industry. Some banks are making conscious decisions to collaborate with private credit players to earn fees and tap ever-deeper pools of capital, while others say the combinations are risky and could infect the banking sector, said Bloomberg. This comes a day after UBS Chairman Colm Kelleher highlighted risks in the U.S. insurance industry, citing weak and complex regulation as private financing booms. U.S. life insurers have ramped up private debt investments over the past few years, allocating close to one-third of their $5.6 trillion in assets to the sector last year, up from 22% a decade ago, according to data compiled by research firm CreditSights and as reported by Bloomberg. Risks are amplified by offshore jurisdictions that dont have the same regulatory and ratings standards as the U.S. Leesville, LA (71446) Today Clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 47F. Winds light and variable. By Fionnuala Walsh A man who was convicted of assault for spitting on his neighbour from an upstairs window has had his conviction overturned on appeal. The injured party said that the spitting was an act of aggression which shattered her sense of security. Anthony Finnegan (46), with an address in Portmarnock, Co Dublin, had pleaded guilty in the District Court to assault contrary to section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997. He was convicted and given a fine of 300, before later lodging an appeal against the severity of his sentence. Garda Jordan Metcalfe told the District Court Appeals Court that on November 20th, 2023, the injured party attended at a garda station to report an incident. He said the woman told gardai that after she parked her car at an address on Station Road, Portmarnock, a man opened a bedroom window on the second floor of a house and spat in her direction. Garda Metcalfe said the woman told them that the spit made contact with her leg and shoe. Defence counsel for Mr Finnegan, Lydia Daly BL, said that her client and the injured party are neighbours and that there are ongoing issues between them. She told the court that Mr Finnegan now has a restraining order against the injured party. The injured party told the court in a victim impact statement that the act of aggression may seem minor but it greatly affected her. The woman said that she had asthma attacks in the past and the incident gave her flashbacks to her time in hospital. She said the incident shattered her sense of security and that she suffered from stress-related asthmatic flare ups. The woman said that although Mr Finnegan said he was sorry, she believed this was not because of remorse but for convenience. The woman said that the incident was a violent and hateful act that had real consequences for her. Ms Daly said that her client is a father-of-three who has not come to garda attention since the incident and that a conviction for assault will have a significant impact on his life. Counsel asked for the conviction itself to be removed from Mr Finnegan's record. Judge Deirdre Browne told the injured party that the appeal does not undermine the wrongdoing accepted by Mr Finnegan, but relates to the consequences of the conviction for him. She said that it was certainly a nasty and very demeaning assault to be subject to. However, Judge Browne said that Mr Finnegan must get credit for his guilty plea and despite the horrible thing he did, he took responsibility from the start. She said that in the circumstances that there is already an order for the parties to stay well away from each other, she hopes that they will learn to live separately and apart. Judge Browne said that if the injured party chose to accept the sum of 500 as an expression of remorse, she would be willing to strike out Mr Finnegans conviction. Ms Daly later confirmed that the payment was accepted by the injured party. On that basis, the judge allowed Mr Finnegans appeal and his conviction was removed. A dance teacher who sexually assaulted two children and recorded the abuse has been jailed. Leighton Morrison, aged 49, of Woodfield, Galway Road, Tuam, Co Galway pleaded guilty at Castlebar Circuit Criminal Court to sexually assaulting two children, the sexual exploitation of a child, the production of child sexual abuse material, and possession of child sexual abuse material. Morrison ran a ballet dancing school which operated in counties Mayo and Galway. The school had around 200 students. He pleaded guilty to six counts before the court, including the sexual assault of two female victims at a location in the West. The specific details of the location are not being disclosed to protect the anonymity of Morrison's victims. The sexual assaults took place on March 9, 2024 and on dates unknown between January 1, 2023 and June 4, 2023. The victims were eight and nine years old when the assaults took place. Morrison admitted to two charges of production of child sexual abuse material relating to an image of the sexual assault of one of the children and a video recording of the sexual assault of his other victim. He also pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child with this offence occurring on March 9, 2024. On March 12, 2024, child sexual abuse material classed as category one were discovered by Gardai on a mobile phone belonging to Morrison. The investigating garda told the court that the first complainant was collected from dance lessons by her father on March 9, 2024. She was not her normal, bubbly self and on the way home disclosed that something had happened with her dance teacher. Later that same day, the girl told her mother that Morrison had made her wear revealing underwear and then touched her vagina and breasts. The incident occurred in the changing/costume room where the dance class was being held. On March 10, 2024, the girls mother contacted Gardai. Later that same day, the woman contacted Gardai again to tell them that another mother who had a child in the dance school also wished to speak to officers. The second mother disclosed that Morrison had sexually assaulted her daughter about a year earlier at the same location. An investigation team was assembled and an investigation launched. On March 12, 2024, detectives obtained a search warrant for the defendants home and the premises used for the dance classes. A number of electronic devices were seized including two mobile phones and a laptop as well as items of clothing from the costume/changing room. Victims' evidence The first victim was interviewed by Gardai on March 13, 2024. She told officers she had been attending ballet classes for a number of months. Some time before she was due to go home on March 9, 2024, Morrison asked her to try on a costume. She went into the costume room and the defendant gave her a costume to try on. It consisted of silver shorts, a silver cropped top and jacket and inappropriate underwear which looked like a thong from the back while the front part was cut away. The girl dressed herself while the defendant was out of the room. There were no other children present. The girl thought the underwear was for the outside of her costume but when Morrison returned he instructed her to remove her leotard and her underwear. He left the room but returned again when she did what she was asked. The girl told Gardai she felt very uncomfortable and the dance teacher told her he really liked what she was wearing. While on his knees, the defendant pulled down the girls shorts and said to her: It needs to be stretched. He asked the girl to sit down. She did not want to but felt she had no option. He also sat down and the girl recalled that Morrison put his hand into my private part". The girl said she was on the verge of tears and when she stood up the defendant zipped down her top and touched her breasts. He then told her to get dressed and left the room. The girl told Gardai she went into a corner and started crying. The young victim told officers she felt she had no choice but to do what Morrison asked as he was an adult. On March 9, 2024, the mother of the other victim spoke to her daughter asking if she had any issues with her dance teacher. Her daughter told her that the defendant took children to the changing room by himself. She told her Mum that he once helped her change her clothes which she found strange as she could dress herself. The next morning they spoke more about what had happened and the girl told her that the defendant was standing behind her while her top half was undressed and her underwear remained on. Morrison helped her take off her leotard. The girl told her mother that she thought the defendant had accidentally touched her vagina for 10 seconds. She later told Gardai it was more like 30 seconds. She returned to the dance studio in a costume that was different to everybody elses. It featured short shorts and a short jacket. The girl was embarrassed wearing it in front of her friends. When interviewed by Gardai on March 13, 2024, the girl said that being touched by the defendant made her feel uncomfortable. She told officers that the defendant watched her get undressed after the dance class was over. Garda investigation Gardai praised the mothers of both girls for the manner in which they allowed the investigation to proceed. A forensic examination of all devices found in the defendants home was carried out. Evidence supporting the girls version of events was found on the phones, including a video recording of the sexual assault of first complainant. The self-generated video was recorded by the defendant on March 9, 2024, and was two minutes and 33 seconds in duration. The camera is facing towards the girl and while Morrison is not visible his voice is recognisable. He tells the girl to "lose the leotard and underwear and put the black on and then the silver". The remainder of the horrific video corroborates the child's evidence of sexual abuse. At one stage, the girl is heard saying, Im dying with the defendant replying, Youre okay. Morrison told the child to stand up and out of view of the camera. A zip can be heard opening and Morrison can be heard stating, You look amazing. The camera moves and the girls top is now opened and her breasts exposed. The video recorded on the device was forwarded via WhatsApp to another mobile phone number. This number was for another mobile phone owned by the defendant. The second phone was severely damaged and Gardai believe this was done deliberately. However, officers were able to repair the device and it was forensically examined. This examination discovered thumbnail sprites. These are single image files containing a grid of smaller thumbnail images from a video. The first sprite contained 10 images. In the images, the other injured party is completely naked and sitting on the lap of the defendant. His face is visible and the her genitals are exposed. The second sprite contained 25 images which are from a video recording. The girl is wearing a white t-shirt and is sitting on the floor. She is seen wearing similar crotchless-type underwear that was also seen on the video of the first complainant. The girls genitals are exposed and a mans hand is touching her vagina. The girl appears to be unaware that the recording is taking place. Additional examination of the device detected further child sexual abuse material. These included 339 category one images and 853 category two images. Category one images depict sexual activity with a child while category two are images of child exposure. Morrison was searching the internet for child sexual abuse material and recording the images. Explicit videos of young children engaging in sexual activity were also found on the phone. Examination of a laptop revealed 25 category two images of child sexual abuse material. 'A life sentence' The mothers of the two children delivered heartbreaking victim impact statements in court. At a very young age this little girl has had to defend herself from an evil that most grown-ups will never come to know. At eight years of age she did not understand that such evil existed, said one of the mothers. She is a good, kind thoughtful little child who has had her life ruined at a young age. This little girl has had to grow up very fast. She did not get a chance at a normal childhood. This was taken away from her in the most cruel way, the statement added. One of the mothers said their daughter would bite her fingernails sometimes until they bled. Both girls have had problems sleeping and reported nightmares. She recently told me she will always be afraid of monsters when she tries to fall asleep, said one of the devasted parents. For me, her Mam, and for her Dad. We are completely broken. This has broken us. It has taken a piece of us that we will never get back. We will never view life the same way again, stated one of the victim impact statements. One of the mothers said the abuse her daughter endured haunts her. I dont know how this will affect her in the future. It is a life sentence for her. She told the court that the dance teacher would be happily chatting and laughing with other parents knowing he had abused her daughter. She said Morrison had been actively recruiting her daughter for the next term of classes after he had committed these horrific crimes. Had we not found out about these crimes against our little girl she would have continued attending class, continuing to suffer in silence. He was keen to get her back to class. One of the mothers said her daughter was afraid to try on a Communion dress in a shop after what had happened to her and experienced feelings of hating herself. When interviewed by Gardai on four occasions, the defendant made no comment replies to all question on legal advice. Morrison has been in custody on these matters since July 2024 and has not had any visitors in that time. The court heard the defendant is a separated father of two with no previous convictions. Originally from Derby in the UK, he was a talented ballet dancer who performed all over the world. The court was told he had a difficult upbringing and was sexually and physically abused as a child. A psychological report revealed a "paedophilic disorder" and recommended that he never have unsupervised access to children. He is deemed to be at high-risk of re-offending. Senior counsel Desmond Dockery, representing Morrison, said his client has remorse and wishes to apologise to his victims and their families. The defendant had problems with alcohol and became desensitised to pornography. Judge Eoin Garavan said Morrisons background was that of almost a type of Billy Elliot as a working-class ballet dancer. He said Morrisons victim has been totally robbed of their childhood and innocence with the dance school becoming a wolfs lair for the paedophile. The judge said the recording of the abuse was a particularly aggravating factor. He said a psychological report identifies Morrison as a paedophile who is sexually attracted to female children. Judge Garavan said Morrison had wreaked devastation and turmoil on his victims and their families. He praised the girls and their parents for having the courage to come forward. The judge imposed an eight-year prison sentence. He said he would reluctantly suspend the final year of that term to allow Morrison to undergo counselling and treatment for sexual offenders. No matter how long this man is in prison he will remain a paedophile, Judge Garavan reasoned. The prison sentence was backdated to July 2, 2024 to reflect time already spent in custody. Anyone impacted by this report should contact the 24-Hour Rape Crisis Helpline on 1800 778888 for free, confidential and non-judgmental support. Ballina native Martin Hughes has taken up the position as Clerk of Seanad Eireann. Mr Hughes has served in the Houses of the Oireachtas for eight years and takes over from Martin Groves who retired recently. The Ballina man has worked in a number of different roles during his time in the Oireachtas, including as Clerk to the Public Accounts Committee. A former student of Scoil Padraig and St Muredach's College, he was welcomed to the position by Fine Gael Senator Mark Duffy, both of whom grew up as neighbours on the Killala Road. "The role of Clerk of the Seanad is one of the most senior positions in the Oireachtas and it is in safe hands with Martin," said Senator Duffy. "It is a testament to his professionalism and dedication to public service. I wish him well in his new role and look forward to working with him." If you are of a certain vintage, you may have had a realisation, probably somewhere between your first pair of reading glasses and the unsettling knowledge that the last crop of Gardai look like schoolboys, when you stop giving a damn what anyone thinks of you. It arrives without fanfare - no trumpets, no epiphany, just a gradual and welcome evaporation of concern. With unexpected relief, you happily take note that the opinion of others, which once pressed upon you like a Victorian corset, has loosened its grip entirely and you can breathe freely. This is not the aggressive 'I don't care what you think' posturing of youth, which is really just caring desperately while pretending not to. This shift in consciousness is something altogether quieter and more profound, it's an almost spiritual indifference. The detachment of spirit that lets you wear comfortable but tattered shoes or wear an unfashionable knitted jumper because you genuinely prefer how it feels. It's immunity, not insurrection. We Irish have a complicated relationship with this particular form of liberation. Despite our cultural renaissance and legendary economic success, we remain a nation of chronic approval-seekers, especially when it comes to our approval ratings across the Atlantic. We swoon at American celebrity and political endorsements, glowing with misplaced pride when they mutter their flattering and plainly condescending platitudes. It's become woven into our social DNA, that peculiarly Irish cocktail of neediness and rebellion, kept in check by a barely concealed begrudgery. Which makes the freedom that arrives with age all the sweeter. It's like being released from a prison you didn't know you were in. Suddenly, you can say the quiet thing out loud. You can admit that you find most contemporary art pretentious rubbish, or that you quite liked that politician everyone's supposed to hate, or that you're bored rigid by RTE and its tedious presenters. The sky doesn't fall in. The earth doesn't swallow you whole. People might disapprove, but here's the revelation: their disapproval can't actually hurt you anymore. There's research behind this phenomenon. American scholars studying what they call "collective illusions" have discovered something both obvious and profound. We all privately hold opinions we're too terrified to voice, believing ourselves to be alone in thinking them, when in fact huge numbers of other people think exactly the same thing but are staying equally quiet. It's a conspiracy of cowardice, really. Everyone is pretending to believe something they don't, creating a false consensus that nobody actually agrees with. Choosing to walk away from toxic company isn't isolation - it's liberation. Illustration: Conor McGuire The data is stark. Nearly 60% of Americans believe that most people can't share honest opinions on sensitive topics anymore. Some 61% admit to self-silencing. And when researchers ask people what they publicly support versus what they privately believe, the gaps are astonishing. Young people who publicly champion certain progressive policies? Privately, they're sceptical in numbers identical to those of their grandparents. People who say society is fair turn out to think it's anything but when nobody's listening. We're all performing opinions we don't hold, creating a theatre of fake agreement. The Soviets, naturally, perfected this as the entire apparatus of totalitarianism ran on it - not tanks and secret police, though they helped, but on everyone pretending to support a system they privately loathed. The genius was making people think they were the only ones who saw through it all. Lonely dissent is easily crushed; shared dissent topples empires. When Russian dissidents finally helped people realise that hating the system was actually the majority view, the whole thing collapsed. Not with a bang but a whimper - once everyone knew everyone else had been faking it, the jig was up. We're not living under Soviet tyranny, obviously. Nobody's going to ship you to a gulag for unpopular opinions, but we've created our own genteel version of groupthink. Our own polite totalitarianism, where certain views are simply not done. Where you nod along, murmuring agreement about things you privately find absurd, because social death feels more terrifying than self-betrayal. And it does kill something, this constant self-censorship. That gap between what you think and what you say - between your private truth and your public performance - it corrodes you from the inside. Makes you feel like a fraud. Which you are, technically. You're lying, just with better manners and a nicer accent than your average liar. Emerson called it "lying hospitality", this business of pretending agreement for the sake of social harmony. Polite mendacity. We Irish have turned it into a high art. The psychological toll is measurable. Researchers have found that saying one thing while believing another creates genuine cognitive dissonance - the mental equivalent of trying to walk in shoes two sizes too small. You can do it, but why should you? This dissonance is linked to social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and feelings of inadequacy. It's self enforced double think: forcing yourself to hold two contradictory positions simultaneously, one thought and one stated, until you're not sure which is real anymore. But here's what changes when you hit a certain age: you stop caring whether you're invited to the party at all. The relief of not performing becomes infinitely preferable to the exhausting charade of fitting in. When you're young, you need the tribe. Evolution wired us that way- social isolation meant death on the savannah, so our brains treat disagreement with the group like mortal danger. But somewhere in your fifties, that wiring starts to fray. Maybe it's hormones. Maybe it's having survived enough contradictions to know it won't kill you. Maybe it's just being too tired to pretend anymore. And here's the part you only learn through practice: choosing to walk away from toxic company isn't isolation - it's liberation. There comes a point where you acknowledge that certain people, certain circles, certain relationships are draining the life from you precisely because they demand this constant pretence. Why silence yourself and edit your thoughts, presenting an acceptable version of who you are when you have realised that you no longer have to be there anymore? As an adult, you don't need to storm off with your middle finger raised or issue dramatic declarations or burn bridges. Instead, quietly withdraw your attention and energy. Stop listening to the nonsense and showing up for the performances. The people who love you for who you actually are will remain, while the others were never really there for you anyway - they were there because you fit into their preferred cast of characters. Let them audition another actor. This isn't bitterness or antisocial behavior but discernment, finally understanding that solitude isn't punishment and it's perhaps the most honest company you'll find. Better to enjoy solitude with your integrity intact than surrounded by people who require you to check yourself at the door. When we collectively self-censor, when we all perform opinions we don't hold, we somehow poison the well. So, here's the prescription: make a list of things you privately believe but don't say out loud. Things you pretend to agree with but actually think are rubbish. They won't be hard to find - every demographic group seems to be at it. Then, quietly, start telling the truth. Not aggressively. Not with manifestos or social media rants. Just honestly, calmly, stating what you actually think. You might find you're not alone at all. That the emperor everyone's been admiring is as naked as you suspected. Or you might discover you genuinely are in the minority, and you'll walk alone. Either way, at least you'll be walking in your own shoes. The unexpected joy of middle age isn't wisdom or serenity or any of that greeting-card nonsense. It's more straightforward and more profound: it's finally becoming immune to the opinions of others, good or bad. It's the liberty of not lying anymore, even politely. It's discovering that the worst thing that can happen when you speak your truth is that some people won't like you - and realising, with profound relief, that you don't actually care. Glenmore House was always far from the contentious Orange Day parades, so its hard to imagine that this peaceful corner of North Mayo was once home to a Unionist MP in Westminster. The old mansion once belonged to Godfrey Fetherstonhaugh, a distinguished lawyer, Kings Counsel on the Connaught Circuit, landlord of the Glenmore estate and aforementioned politician. Between 1906 and 1916, Fetherstonhaugh served as MP for North Fermanagh, though he never lived there. The constituency was a solid Unionist stronghold deep in Ulster and he had little connection to it beyond friendship with its political leader, Sir Edward Carson, who persuaded him to stand for the 'safe' seat which always returned a unionist MP. The landlord thus became a political representative of a county he barely knew. A mild man in an age of militancy, Fetherstonhaugh was no rabble-rouser. He believed in the constitutional link with Britain and the rule of law. But as NationalistUnionist tensions escalated before World War I, and the Orange Order grew militant in opposing Irish Home Rule, his moderation became a liability. His barbed letters to the Western People mocked local Nationalist politicians as splendid patriots while neglecting Mayo roads - with gleeful sarcasm - while he pressed in Parliament for a new pier at Ballycastle, championing North Mayos interests, when really he should have been more concerned with voters in North Fermanagh. The Western People rebuked his attacks on Rome Rule, noting the irony of a Fermanagh MP man living contentedly among the kindly, forgiving, tolerant people of Catholic Mayo. When sectarian violence erupted in Belfast, Fetherstonhaugh condemned cowardly gangs attacking Catholics - a stance that alienated hardline Unionists. Increasingly unwelcome in his own constituency, he stepped aside before the next election, becoming politically homeless: too Unionist for Mayo, too liberal for Fermanagh and too honest for both. Representation without roots - on both sides This habit of distant representation wasnt confined to Unionists. The Home Rule Party also parachuted outsiders into constituencies. A contemporary of Fetherstonhaugh, Daniel Boyle represented North Mayo from 1910-1918 while a Liverpool alderman, with no personal link to the county he served. His detachment became ammunition for Sinn Fein activists who accused him of being effectively a foreign politician representing Mayo by correspondence - and doing it badly. Whether Fetherstonhaugh in North Fermanagh or Boyle in North Mayo, the pattern was the same: returning MPs to parliament with no connection to the constituency they represented was only possible in 'safe' seats, especially in a first-past-the-post election system. From absentee MPs to engineered majorities But if such safe constituencies were largely more by accident than design in pre-independence Ireland, the Unionist party in newly created Northern Ireland soon made sure they built a perpetually safe majority, perfecting more systematic control: gerrymandering. The American term 'gerrymandering' is a combination of the name of an 1812 redistricting plan and the word "salamander". Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry approved a state senate redistricting map that was so oddly shaped, a political cartoonist dubbed one of the contorted districts a "Gerry-mander" or "salamander" and the name stuck. This strategic corruption of popular democracy did not remain in the States however. Northern Ireland Unionists scrapped proportional representation and returned to the first-past-the-post system, guaranteeing majorities where none naturally existed. Electoral boundaries were drawn to pack Catholic voters into a few districts and spread Protestant votes thinly for maximum effect. Only ratepayers - property owners and their spouses - could vote locally, while business owners (mostly Protestant) enjoyed multiple votes. This deliberate architecture of bias eventually sparked the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, whose slogan One man, one vote challenged Northern Irelands rotten democracy. They drew direct inspiration from the tactics and ideals of the United States Civil Rights movement. Key similarities included demands for voting equality, fair housing allocation and especially an end to discriminatory practices like gerrymandering. A modern echo: Americas redistricting arms race Back across the Atlantic, a similar story again unfolds. Thanks to the Civil Rights movement, racial gerrymandering (drawing districts to dilute the voting power of racial or ethnic minorities) has been illegal under the United States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, but recently, redistricting which happens to dilute political minorities is both legal and on the rise. Maps are ordinarily redrawn every 10 years after the census. While, both Democrats and Republicans redraw voting districts to gain advantage, the balance tilts toward Republicans, especially in Texas where lawmakers, prodded by Donald Trump, recently launched an extraordinary mid-cycle bid to [further] gerrymander Texas' map, notionally handing themselves up to five extra seats in congress. The effect, critics say, is to weaken minority representation and ensure long-term Republican dominance. In response, California, long proud of its independent redistricting system, is now poised to break its own rules. Proposition 50, on the November 2025 ballot, would let Democrats gerrymander Californias congressional map to offset Texass partisan advantage. Governor Gavin Newsom made no effort to disguise the motive, announcing We will fight fire with fire, while launching a defensive measure to protect American democracy. He added that in California: "We're not fighting with one hand tied behind our back." The Yes campaign's official website baldly warns: "If Californians don't pass Prop 50 on November 4th, Donald Trump will rig the 2026 election and steal control of Congress." The rhetoric may be fiery, but the consequence is chilling. Once both sides embrace the logic of manipulation, every state becomes a battlefield, every line on the map a political trench. The United States now finds itself in a redistricting arms race and public trust is the first casualty. Other states have joined in redistricting efforts including Republican dominated Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Kansas and Ohio. Meanwhile Democrats pursue modifications to electoral maps in Maryland, New York, Illinois and Virginia. This mid-decade redistricting surge is driven by political parties aiming for advantages in the 2026 midterm elections. While Prop 50 will surely pass, most Americans see gerrymandering as a major threat to democracy. Some 55% oppose partisan redistricting, a recent poll shows and 57% fear democracy is in danger. Yet the Supreme Court refuses to intervene, declaring only state legislatures can fix constituency boundaries - meaning the very foxes are not just guarding the henhouse, but in charge of deciding how the door is fixed and where to put the handle. The United States is long proud of being the greatest democracy in the world. But the last decade has greatly eroded that reputation - where a two-party state oversees a democracy with an increasing number of safe electoral seats and the escalation of the old gerrymandering instinct to dilute the voting power of the minority party in local, state and federal elections. Godfrey Fetherstonhaughs political career was shaped by those who drew the boundaries, not by those he represented. Over a century later, Texas and California politicians are redrawing their own electoral boundaries - and in doing so, dangerously redrawing the limits of democracy itself. Gerrymandering, whether in Fermanagh, Mayo, Texas or California, breeds cynicism. At a time when trust in politics is at an all-time low, it produces more politicians who serve parties, not places - landlords of politics rather than neighbours of the people. It should be remembered that it did not end well in Ireland for those that embraced it, for whatever reason. The logo of the semiconductor manufacturer "Nexperia" hangs above the entrance to the company building. David Hammersen/dpa Despite a fierce dispute over Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia, the German automotive supplier Aumovio has received a green light from Beijing to obtain the Nexperia chips it needs for its production. The Frankfurt-based company can now source the relevant chips from China after receiving a licence from the Chinese government, chief executive Philipp von Hirschheydt said. The items would be sent to Aumovio's Budapest branch to be distributed from there. There have been major concerns in the automobile industry in recent weeks about a possible shortage of the components after China halted general exports in the wake of the Dutch government takeover of Nexperia. Aumovio has now apparently obtained one of the individual approvals announced by Beijing. It initially remained unclear whether other companies have also obtained the required export licence. Aumovio, which was spun off from Continental in September, showed lower third quarter sales, with revenue down an annual 6.9% to 4.5 billion ($5.2 billion), despite a pick-up in global car production, the company said. Before interest, taxes and special items, Aumovio earned 150 million, almost one third (30%) less than a year earlier. The operating margin fell from 4.5% to 3.3% despite lower research and development costs. The bottom line was a loss attributable to shareholders of 19 million, after a profit of 73 million a year earlier. Hirschheydt attributed the development in an interview with dpa to exchange-rate effects and portfolio streamlining. "We are a company in transformation. We need to look closely: What are we good at and where do we need to improve?" Most recently Aumovio sold a drum brakes plant in Italy. Company aims to leverage independence At more than 100 sites worldwide, the company builds brakes, chassis, vehicle electronics, infotainment solutions, sensors as well as components for assisted and automated driving. As a standalone company it can tailor processes to the automotive sector and make them more efficient, Hirschheydt said. "We now need to show quarter by quarter that we are getting better." He said the global car business was somewhat more stable at a subdued level at the moment. China was growing significantly faster, while European market volume continued to decline, he noted. Aumovio was also signing more contracts with Chinese carmakers, the chief executive said. Sean Ryan A sister of missing woman Jo Jo Dullard has pledged to continue fighting for her. The 21-year-old disappeared while making her way back to Callan from Dublin on November 9th, 1995. Her last confirmed sighting was at a phone booth in Moone, County Kildare. Ms Dullard's case was upgraded to one of murder in 2020, and last year, just days after the 29th anniversary of her disappearance, a four-week search took place on lands in County Wicklow. While she wasnt found, gardai are adamant the search will go on. This Sunday, 30 years after Ms Dullard was seen, family, friends and those touched by her story will walk to the Missing Persons Monument in her memory. Speaking this week, her sister Kathleen Bergin said: "It is 30 years this Sunday since Jo Jo disappeared, and I know people say it is just another milestone, but to us it is another year without her." She said they hoped the investigations this year would shed some light on Ms Dullard's disappearance. "Even this year, it is even tougher as we obviously thought we would have been having a service for Jojo in different circumstances, but unfortunately, we are in the same situation without answers. "We will keep looking for her until she comes home. We will keep fighting for Jo Jo." She thanked the public for all their help and support and urged anyone with any information to come forward. The remembrance walk and service will commence in the courtyard of Castle Park in Kilkenny at 2pm this Sunday, where a walk will take place to the National Missing Persons monument. Kenneth Fox Friday's front pages focus on a range of stories, from a 50 per cent rise in prison deaths to franchise operators within the Fastway courier group being asked to submit to lie detector tests. The Irish Times reports overcrowding and poor healthcare contributed to a 50 per cent increase in prison deaths last year, according to a damning report from the Inspector of Prisons. The Irish Examiner reports that franchise operators within the Fastway courier group were asked to submit to lie detector tests, and was run was "like something out of a Netflix documentary", the Dail has heard. The Echo focus on the Port of Cork (PoCC) will be applying for planning permission this month to upgrade access to its Tivoli Docks site under plans that Cork city councillors have described as preposterous and a bombshell. All in Friday's Mail pic.twitter.com/1RWWWujSI7 The Irish Daily Mail (@irishdailymail) November 6, 2025 Story Continues Q & A Highlights Q: Do you see a bottoming out of the North American market, and are you considering adjusting your final assembly due to tariffs? A: (Eva Scherer, CFO) We see a positive trend in order intake, with inventories coming down due to production adjustments. However, it's still a low market environment. Regarding tariffs, we have flexibility in our assembly plans in the US and Mexico, but it's too early to say if we will make adjustments. We are assessing the new tariff scheme and discussing mitigation measures with the US administration. Q: Are you able to offset the tariff impact in North America, and what does this mean for your margins? A: (Eva Scherer, CFO) The tariff impact is included in our Q4 guidance. We have a tariff surcharge in place but do not plan to increase it in Q4. The net tariff impact for this year is expected to be in the low triple-digit million range, mostly affecting the second half. We are working on understanding the full implications and potential mitigation strategies. Q: How are customers in North America reacting to potential higher prices, and what is the outlook for tariffs? A: (Eva Scherer, CFO) Customers value our total cost of ownership advantage and reliability. However, due to the prolonged freight recession, the ability to increase prices is limited. Regarding tariffs, it's uncertain if the current state is final, and we are in discussions to understand the implications better. Q: Can you provide an update on European order trends and cost reduction initiatives? A: (Eva Scherer, CFO) European orders are improving slightly, with strong demand in countries like France and Spain. However, a decisive turnaround is yet to be seen. We are progressing well with our cost reduction initiatives, aiming for a positive impact in the low triple-digit million range by 2026. Q: What are the key drivers for achieving your industrial free cash flow target in Q4? A: (Eva Scherer, CFO) The main driver is inventory reduction, particularly in Mercedes-Benz Trucks, due to seasonal factors and resolving ramp-up issues. We expect significant cash contributions from reducing new vehicle stock and raw materials. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Allentown, PA (18103) Today Partly sunny, windy, and cold with wind chills in the teens and 20s all day. West winds will gust 25-35mph. A few lake-effect snow showers are possible north of I-78 in the afternoon and evening, especially in the Poconos. . Tonight Partly cloudy, cold, and brisk. Wind chills in the teens overnight. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: November 06, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Ducommun Inc (NYSE:DCO) reported a record quarterly revenue of $212.6 million, marking the 18th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. The defense business showed strong performance with a 13% growth, driven by a 21% increase in the missile franchise. Gross margins improved to 26.6%, benefiting from strategic pricing initiatives and productivity improvements. The company achieved a book-to-bill ratio of 1.6 times, increasing remaining performance obligations to a record $1.03 billion. Adjusted EBITDA reached 16.2% of revenue, showing significant progress towards the Vision 2027 goal of 18%. Negative Points The commercial aerospace business faced a 10% decline in revenue due to destocking at Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems. Ducommun Inc (NYSE:DCO) reported a GAAP net loss of $64.4 million for Q3 2025, primarily due to litigation settlements related to the Guaymas fire. The company is still experiencing headwinds from commercial aerospace destocking, which is expected to continue into 2026. The litigation settlement resulted in a significant cash outflow of $95 million, impacting liquidity. The restructuring program incurred additional costs, with $500 million expected in restructuring expenses by the end of Q4. Q & A Highlights Q: Can you provide more detail on the strong bookings in the commercial aerospace sector and the current ship rate on the Max? How should we think about potential headwinds in 2026? A: Steve Oswald, CEO: The Max build rate is influenced by both Boeing and Spirit, with more business at Spirit. Currently, the build rate is around 26-28 per month. We aim to maintain a level load in our factories, producing parts for 30-40 aircraft per month. We saw growth in bookings across Boeing and Airbus, with additional orders for Airbus platforms. The activity at Airbus was particularly strong this quarter. Q: What are the expectations for revenue growth in Q4, and where might we see upside or continued pressure? A: Suman Mukherjee, CFO: We expect continued pressure from destocking in commercial aerospace, but the medium to long-term outlook is positive. The defense sector remains strong and is expected to be a bright spot in Q4, with robust order intake and revenues. The 787 program at Boeing is also a positive factor. The Dutch government took control of Nexperia, headquartered in Nijmegen (pictured) last month - JOHN THYS / AFP/Getty Images The Dutch government could relinquish control of microchip giant Nexperia if China lifts an export ban which has triggered a parts shortage crisis at European factories. People close to the discussions between the Netherlands and China said the Dutch were prepared to reverse a previous decision to seize control of Nexperia as soon as next week, according to Bloomberg. Vincent Karremans, the Dutch minister for economic affairs, said he expected the impasse to be resolved shortly. The two sides have been locked in talks since last month when the Netherlands government used Cold War-era powers to essentially take control of Chinese-owned, but Dutch-headquartered, Nexperia. The company is a major producer of chips that are ubiquitous in everything from cars to medical devices and defence platforms. Dutch officials said they intervened for security reasons amid local media reports that Chinese executives were preparing to shut down the companys European operations. In response to the move, Beijing imposed strict export controls that stopped chips made by the Chinese division of Nexperia which finishes and packages the products being sent to the rest of the world. It created a major crisis that prompted manufacturers to warn they were running down stockpiles and were days away from production line stoppages. However, the Dutch government appeared to capitulate late on Thursday, as it was reported that officials were willing to walk back the seizure of Nexperia. Given the constructive nature of our talks with the Chinese authorities, the Netherlands trusts that the supply of chips from China to Europe and the rest of the world will reach Nexperias customers over the coming days, Mr Karremans said. Carmakers including Volkswagen and Nissan had warned that they would have to cut back production if the growing chip shortage was not resolved urgently. Volkswagen faces halting car production if the chip shortage dragged on - Jens Schlueter/AFP via Getty Images Nissan warned on Friday that it was temporarily cutting production by hundreds of units at its Oppama plant, near Tokyo, and its Nissan Motor Kyuushu plant the companys biggest site in Japan until supplies resumed. A spokesman said: The supply situation remains fluid and we are monitoring developments closely. To manage risk, we are implementing targeted production adjustments. Once supply stabilises, we will recover quickly and ensure any impact on customer deliveries is minimised. Elsewhere on Friday, a major German automotive supplier suggested China had lifted controls on Nexperias exports. Aumovio resumed shipping Nexperia semiconductors and components containing them after receiving an export licence from Beijing earlier this week, said Philipp von Hirschheydt, the chief executive. WIC maps agripreneurship untapped potential Wits Innovation Centre (WIC) studied how to better support and develop young agripreneurs in South Africa. The Project for the Agripreneur Ecosystem Mapping South Africa was sponsored by the Enterprise Development Agency (RVO) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which is the largest importer of South African agri-produce in Europe. The RVO plans to soon introduce a training programme for the young agripreneurs in South Africa, which the study results will inform. The study included people between the ages of 18 and 35 who work in the agricultural and agro-processing value chains in the nine provinces of South Africa. It was conducted over three months through desktop research, an online survey, in-person interviews, and follow-up activities. The results identified regions where training would be most likely to make an impact. This included, in particular, the eastern side of Limpopo, the western part of Mpumalanga and Gauteng. It also showed that Gauteng already had a number of existing agri-training entities. The study focused on the subsistence farming community, rather than the commercial agri-sector. The majority of youth working in agriculture were situated in the provinces of Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, while the Western Cape and the Northern Cape had very low amounts. Across provinces, the vast majority of farming occurred in backyards, rather than designated farm land or communal land. The majority farmed crops rather than livestock. Desktop research found that the high-demand gaps were in the production of sorghum, soy, subtropical fruits, berries, honey, coffee, and macadamia. There was also a gap in the sectors of timber processing, agri-logistics, packaging, and related digital services. The study found that the main challenges for youth agripreneurs were securing land, accessing financing, overcoming perceptions, and the inaccessibility of tech and training. It was evident that most youth preferred fast-turnover sectors like poultry and vegetables. Paul Bester, the Project Co-ordinator, says, Some challenges are structural, such as security of tenure and a lack of rural infrastructure that needs governmental action to address. However, there is also a significant opportunity for the sharing of product knowledge, advanced skills, technology applications, good seeds and input materials. Young agripreneurs would also significantly benefit from initial commercial support. Moses Mogotlane, the Manager of the Innovation Systems Lab at the WIC, says, Agriculture is viewed by youth as an inferior or unattractive career choice. He identifies the main challenge as skills shortages and knowledge gaps in terms of technical expertise, business acumen and compliance knowledge. Mogotlane is concerned that these farmers focus on primary farming with little value, overlooking the importance of processing. Overall, the study showed that young people can thrive in agriculture with targeted interventions, systemic alignment, and niche-market Support. There were significant opportunities for the adoption of agri-tech and digital transformation, as well as business and compliance skills development. The study also found that logistics and post-harvest processing systems could be improved and that public-private innovation support initiatives may be possible. While training programs exist, there are particular opportunities for projects that effectively target the youth. Mogotlane says that a sustainable and innovation-driven agripreneurship ecosystem would mean the adoption of technology, such as through hydroponics systems or vertical farming methods. He explains that these strategies do not require land and someone can start small and scale up over time when needed. The RVOs Programme Advisor of Youth Employment & Entrepreneurship, Geerten Schurink, says it was important to consider local expertise, such as that of the WIC, in their planning of agripreneurship projects. The Dutch agency is currently doing this work in Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Africa. The collaboration with Wits and the study went well, he says. Their systematic and data-driven approach has helped us better understand the challenges, opportunities and leverage points in the ecosystem. The RVO is currently in the process of developing a pilot project that will most likely focus on agripreneurship and innovation in the Stellenbosch area. Mogotlane explains that the next important step would be to establish the proposed youth agripreneurship development centre (YADC) as a coordinating body. On top of the work that the RVO is doing, the WIC is capable of helping establish the YADC, if funding is made available. Honouring the legacy of Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng The outgoing United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health is a champion of health as a human right Celebrating Dr Tlaleng Mofokengs tenure As Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng concludes her tenure as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, it is both a privilege and an honour to reflect on her extraordinary contributions. Dr Mofokeng has been a trailblazer in the global movement for health as a fundamental human right, reshaping the understanding of health beyond a service, but as a right that must be universally protected and upheld. Transforming the global health rights framework Dr Mofokengs impact has been profound, fundamentally transforming the legal and policy frameworks that govern health rights worldwide. Through her leadership, she has continually emphasized the importance of intersectionality in understanding healthcare access. She has brought to light the systemic barriers that foster inequality, advocating for their removal to ensure that marginalised communities are no longer excluded from essential health services. Championing sexual and reproductive health rights A central focus of Dr Mofokengs work has been the advancement of sexual and reproductive health rights. She has steadfastly maintained that bodily autonomy is integral to the right to health. Her advocacy has influenced policy at both national and international levels, prioritising the needs of women and girls, particularly in under-served regions. Dr Mofokeng has amplified the voices of those often silenced, working to ensure their health rights are not only recognised but actively protected. Advocating for Palestinian health rights Dr Mofokeng has also stood as a strong advocate for the health rights of Palestinians, focusing on the unique challenges faced by those in occupied territories. She has highlighted the severe consequences of restricted movement, limited medical supplies, and the destruction of healthcare infrastructure. Her work stresses the urgent necessity of international cooperation so that health services are accessible to all, regardless of political or geographical constraints, drawing on her own experiences of growing up in an apartheid state. Groundbreaking reports on structural inequalities Throughout her tenure, Dr Mofokeng has submitted comprehensive reports to the United Nations, analysing the structural inequalities obstructing healthcare access. She has exposed how discriminatory laws and policies disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, urging governments to adopt inclusive, rights-based approaches. These reports have become foundational blueprints for both addressing immediate needs and confronting long-term systemic challenges. Dr Mofokeng has consistently advocated for a human rights-based approach when addressing global health crises. Whether evaluating the effects of pandemics or climate change on health, she has called for equitable resource allocation and global solidarity. Her work reinforces the idea that global health challenges require collective action rooted in justice and equality. Addressing racism, violence, drug policies, food and digital rights Dr Mofokengs report on racism and health is a groundbreaking examination of how systemic racism restricts healthcare access and adversely affects health outcomes. She has demonstrated that racism is not solely a social issue, but a public health crisis, advocating for comprehensive reforms to dismantle these entrenched barriers. Her report on violence and the right to health delves into the profound effects of violencewhether domestic, structural, or state-sanctionedon physical and mental health. Dr Mofokeng argues for survivor-centred healthcare systems and policies that address violences root causes, reframing the issue as a public health concern that requires urgent action. This body of work challenges us to envision healthcare as a realm of healing and justice, free from exclusion and inequality. It is a call not just to treat symptoms, but to confront and change the systems responsible for harm. In her report on drug policies, Dr Mofokeng critiques punitive measures that worsen health inequities. She urges a transition to health-centred, evidence-based policies that prioritise harm reduction, treatment, and support for people who use drugs. Her work encourages a rethinking of drug policies through the lens of equity, dignity, and human rights. Her analysis of food and the right to health underscores the deep connection between access to nutritious food and overall well-being. Dr Mofokeng explains how systemic inequality, poverty, and corporate control over food systems hinder access to healthy, affordable food, perpetuating cycles of poor health and economic instability. She stresses that solving food insecurity is not a matter of charity, but of justice and systemic reform. A significant aspect of her analysis is the call for accountability from governments and policymakers. She advocates for laws and policies that prioritise public health over profit, support small-scale farmers, protect indigenous food practices, and address environmental harm caused by industrial agriculture. Her work demonstrates that the right to health is inseparable from the right to food, urging us to advocate for food systems that nourish everyone. Dr Mofokengs report on digital rights explores the intersection of technology and human rights. She highlights the importance of bridging the digital divide, ensuring that everyone can benefit from technological advancements. Her report argues that internet access is a fundamental right, essential for participation in education, healthcare, and economic life. She also addresses the dangers of unchecked surveillance and data exploitation, particularly for vulnerable populations, calling for robust regulations to protect privacy and ensure that digital tools serverather than harmthe people who rely on them. Dr Mofokengs focus on intersectionality within digital rights brings a necessary and timely perspective, and she calls for a human-centred approach to digital policy. Her analysis is a call to action for governments, technology companies, and civil society to work together toward a digital world that is inclusive, equitable, and just. Healthcare workers as agents of peace Dr Mofokengs report on healthcare workers and peace underscores the vital role that medical personnel play in conflict-affected regions. She stresses the importance of protecting healthcare workers under international law and investing in healthcare systems as a means to foster sustainable peace. Her advocacy spotlights the dedication of those on the front lines, who risk their lives to uphold the right to health for all. Strategic use of amicus interventions Through strategic amicus submissions, Dr Mofokeng has influenced judicial decisions to dismantle barriers to equitable healthcare. She has addressed the intersection of health and human rights, advocating for the legal protection of sexual and reproductive health and the rights of marginalised communities. These interventions have reinforced the global legal framework for health rights, ensuring that justice systems recognise health as a cornerstone of human dignity. A legacy of justice, dignity and equality Dr Mofokengs work serves as a powerful reminder that the right to health is inextricably linked to justice, dignity, and equality. Her leadership inspires all of us to continue working for a world where health is not a privilege, but a right enjoyed by everyone. By honouring her contributions and upholding the principles she championed, we move closer to a future where health is a pillar of human rights for all. Her tenure as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health has been exceptional. Dr Mofokengs unwavering commitment to justice, her bravery in confronting the status quo, and her relentless advocacy for the vulnerable have left a lasting legacy in the global fight for health equity. She has shown us that health is not solely about medicine or policyit is about humanity, dignity, and collective action. Reflecting on her legacy, we remember the lives she has touched, the systems she has challenged, and the hope she has ignited in countless hearts. Dr Mofokengs work stands as a beacon, illuminating the path toward a world where no one is left behind, health is a universal right, and justice and compassion prevail. Her legacy challenges all of us to continue this vital fight: to dismantle barriers, amplify silenced voices, and build a future where everyone, everywhere, can enjoy the highest attainable standard of health. Dr Mofokengs work has changed the world and will continue to inspire generations to come. Personal reflections Dr Mofokeng is not only a visionary leader and advocate; she is also a loyal friend, an endless source of inspiration, and a steadfast supporter of those she loves. As her best friend, I have witnessed her passion, resilience, and boundless compassion first-hand. Beyond the global platforms and policy negotiations, she values deep connection, listens with intent, and is always present for the people in her life. Her authenticity and warmth are as impactful as her professional achievements, and knowing her personally is one of the greatest gifts of my life. President Donald Trump, in front of Novo Nordisk CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar and Eli Lilly CEO David A. Ricks, makes an announcement from the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. on November 6. Tesla shareholders approved a stock compensation package for CEO Elon Musk potentially worth $1 trillion (865bn) if he meets performance targets over the next decade, meaning the world's richest man could also become the first ever trillionaire. The vote passed with more than 75% in favour at the company's annual meeting on Thursday despite declining sales and criticism over unprecedented executive pay. "Fantastic group of shareholders," Musk said after the vote, adding, "Hang on to your Tesla stock." The approval came three days after European data showed Tesla sales plunged last month, including a 50% collapse in Germany. Analysts have cautioned that Musk becoming the world's first trillionaire would require challenging operational and financial goals set by the board, including raising Tesla's stock market value almost sixfold. Musk also has to deliver 20 million Tesla electric vehicles to the market over 10 years amid new, stiff competition, more than double the number since the founding of the company. He is also expected to deploy 1 million of his human-like robots that he has promised will transform work and home he calls it a robot army from zero today. Musk could add billions to his wealth in a few years by partially achieving these goals through intermediate steps that will hand him newly created stock in the company as he nears the ultimate targets. That could help him eventually top what is now considered Americas all-time richest man, John D Rockefeller. Guinness World Records estimates the oil titan was worth $630 billion (545bn) in current dollars at his peak more than 110 years ago. Musk is worth $493 billion (426.6bn), according to Forbes magazine. 'Huge win for shareholders' Major institutional investors opposed the plan, including CalPERS, the largest US public pension fund, and Norway's sovereign wealth fund. Corporate watchdogs Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis also recommended rejection, prompting Musk to call them "corporate terrorists" at a recent investor meeting. "He has hundreds of billions of dollars already in the company, and to say that he won't stay without a trillion is ridiculous," said Sam Abuelsamid, an analyst at research firm Telemetry who has covered Tesla for nearly two decades. "It's absurd that shareholders think he is worth this much." People participate in a protest outside the state Capitol in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, against Tesla's proposed $1 trillion pay package for CEO Elon Musk - Jay Janner/ 2025 Jay Janner / Austin American-Statesman Critics argue the board remains too dependent on Musk, his behaviour has grown reckless, and the compensation exceeds reasonable bounds. Tesla faces declining sales, market share and profits largely attributed to Musk's involvement in conspiracy theories and political forays in the US and Europe, which drove customers away this year. Donald Trumps recent decision to resume nuclear weapons testing, which he blithely announced on his Truth Social platform, marks a dangerous new step toward nuclear catastrophe. Driven by an intractable economic crisis and desperate to maintain its domination over the globe, the American ruling elite is now planning a conflict that policymakers had for decades considered unthinkable. A House of Dynamite (2025) In this context, the release of director Kathryn Bigelows new film A House of Dynamite (2025) on Netflix has objective significance. It is not an entirely praiseworthy effort. In fact, it has quite negative features. The film imagines an ICBM launched by one of Americas enemies, presumably North Korea. This is the world turned upside down. The US imperialist military is the most provocative, aggressive, murderous such force on the planet. It has bombed, invaded and destroyed entire nations and regions in recent decades on the basis of blatant lies, resulting in the deaths of millions. The picture of the US as an innocent victim of an unprovoked missile attack is fanciful and creates artistic and political problems that never go away throughout the course of the film. However, if one is prepared to suspend ones disbelief to an extent, A House of Dynamite has genuine value in evoking the horrifying threat of nuclear warfare and depicting, in a plausibly accurate way, the system through which the United States political-military apparatus would decide whether to use weapons of mass destruction. This system includes the protocol for maintaining continuity of government, involving the evacuation of high-ranking officials to an underground bunker in Raven Rock, Pennsylvania. In Bigelows film, as noted, a nuclear missile is launched over the Pacific Ocean. The US military fails to detect the launch, which is initially thought to be a routine test, and the government responsible for it is unclear. Counter to expectations, the missile enters low orbit along a trajectory eventually determined to be targeting Chicago. Impact is estimated to be only 20 minutes away. Two ground-based interceptors fail to stop the missile, spelling the certain destruction of Americas third-largest city and the death of more than 10 million people. The US government and military are disorganized and unready. The soldiers who launch the ground-based interceptors are not much older than high school students. The Situation Rooms attempts to communicate with world leaders are thwarted by busy phone lines. The national security adviser is inexplicably unavailable, and his deputy joins an emergency video conference while sprinting toward the White House. The president (Idris Elba) admits hes unprepared for this situation. Many of these circumstances are all too believable. Having spoken quickly to Russian officials, the deputy national security adviser urges the president to show restraint. The head of US Strategic Command (Tracy Letts), however, calls for immediate retaliation. The president confirms his nuclear command authority, but we do not learn his decision. At one point, in one of the films more unnerving moments, a top military official asserts to the president: These are the circumstances. In little more than seven minutes, we will lose the city of Chicago. I cant tell you why. Or why were seeing North Korea, Russia, China, Pakistan, and even Iran raising their alerts and mobilizing their forces across air, land, and sea. Perhaps they are simply and innocently responding to our posture. It is also possible that theyve seen our homeland is about to absorb a catastrophic blow, and they are readying to take advantage of that. Or this is all part of a phased, coordinated assault, with far worse to come. I simply dont know. What I do know is this. If we do not take steps to neutralize our enemies now, we will lose our window to do so. We can strike preemptively, or risk 100 ICBMs launching our way, at which time, this war will have already been lost. At another point, the same general observes: Weve already lost one American city today. How many more do you wanna risk? President: What kind of question is that? This is insanity, okay? General: No, sir. This is reality. The strongest portion of A House of Dynamite is the final one, in which the president, en route to his underground hiding place, is offered by his adviser a menu of possible retaliatory scenarios, all of them clearly involving the deaths of millions or tens of millions of human beings. The utter insanity of the situation comes home most sharply and disturbingly at this point. This sequence seems the most heartfelt and sincere. Bigelows film begins with a title reading, At the end of the Cold War, global powers reached the consensus that the world would be better off with fewer nuclear weapons. That era is now over. The story that subsequently unfolds reveals the chilling implications of the imperialist powers shrugging off of all restraints in pursuit of a modernized nuclear arsenal. But does A House of Dynamite truly criticize US nuclear policy? Its plot revolves around an unexpected nuclear strike against the US by an unknown enemy. This unrealistic scenario is the official justification for the massive American nuclear program, which Barack Obama and his successors have modernized and expanded. In reality, the US maintains its nuclear arsenal as a threat against all adversaries who dare to defy its demands. The US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasakian unparalleled war crimenot out of military necessity but to intimidate the Soviet Union and establish American dominance in the postwar period. Today, the US Department of Defense labels China a pacing challenge, and recent administrations have revised classified US guidance on the use of nuclear weapons. A House of Dynamite A House of Dynamite is similarly uncritical of the continuity of governance procedure that it shows (initiated here by the secretary of defense). This procedure aims to preserve the existence and reign of the American ruling elite domestically and internationally. It can be invoked by the president at any time, should he or she choose to launch a nuclear war. The film shows that decisions that could lead to the extinction of humanity can be made by a mere handful of people. Yet it does not actively protest this situation, depicting it instead as a hard truth. The fatalistic and passive worship of the accomplished fact (and hence existing institutions), ultimately traceable back to her days in the postmodern New York art scene of the 1970s, is a common thread in Bigelows films. In Zero Dark Thirty (2012), Bigelow collaborated with the Central Intelligence Agency to produce a film, based on falsifications of fact, about the hunting and assassination of Osama bin Laden. It justifies torture and the violation of basic constitutional principles. Similarly, The Hurt Locker (2008), written by an embedded journalist in Iraq, celebrates a warrior mentality, accepts without question the second US war on that country and dehumanizes the Iraqi population. Although Bigelow did not consult the Pentagon while making A House of Dynamite, she nevertheless collaborated with several technical advisers who had worked there. Significantly, the Pentagon has objected that the film underestimates US missile defense capabilities. It claims that tests have shown current interceptors to be 100 percent accuratean assertion that Laura Grego, an expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, disputes. The Pentagons criticism shows the governments acute sensitivity, in the context of mass opposition to US-sponsored genocide and war, to any suggestion that the American military is fallible. Despite its unflattering depiction of US missile defense, and notwithstanding the dread and terror of nuclear war that it evokes, the film is weak in important respects. The story, for example, is repeated several times from various perspectives, but each retelling provides little new information. The repetition may tend to dull the emotional impact of the nuclear attack on the viewer. As usual with Bigelow, the characters are notably thin; none is significantly developed. Moreover, the various government officials are shown as people with heavy responsibilities who are essentially honest and mean well. There is no examination of the state they serve, no hint of social analysis and little historical context to the story. By drawing attention to and making palpable the threat of nuclear war, A House of Dynamite performs a welcome service. Nevertheless, Bigelow has not abandoned her defense of (and fascination with) the state and its armed forces. The appearance of this film may portend the emergence of more serious, angry and oppositional work from other artists. Shareholders at Tesla's annual general meeting Thursday voted to approve a 10-year "mega peformance equity award" that could catapult CEO Elon Musk to trillionaire status by boosting his holdings in the company to more than 25%, provided he can deliver on a pledge to pivot Tesla to concentrate on self-driving vehicles and robotics. File photo by Francis Chung/UPI Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Tesla shareholders approved an unprecedented new package for CEO Elon Musk that could see him become the world's first trillionaire. The firm said 75% of shareholders with voting rights on Thursday backed Musk's 10-year pay deal, which could net him $1 trillion over that time by boosting his stake in Tesla by more than 423 million shares. The share bonanza is contingent on him delivering on a promise to drive up Tesla's market capitalization five-fold from is current level of around $1.5 trillion to $8.5 trillion, roughly double the size of the Japanese economy. Shareholders at the annual general meeting at Tesla HQ in Austin, Texas, voted it through on the recommendation of Tesla's board, arguing Musk might quit if it were rejected and that the company could not afford to lose him. Counsel from independent advisors Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services who said the "astronomical" deal should be rejected due to "unmitigated concerns surrounding the special award's magnitude and design," was largely ignored. Addressing the meeting after the result, Musk thanked the board and shareholders, saying what Tesla was poised to do was not just "a new chapter in the future of Tesla, but a whole new book." Under the deal, Musk will receive the stock in tranches tied to delivering financial and production targets, including 20 million new electric vehicles rolling off production lines, 10 million full self-driving subscriptions, 1 million Optimus humanoid robots and 1 million robotaxis in service. The first block of stock gets paid to Musk when Telsa market capitalization reaches $2 trillion with the next nine awarded each time the company's value rises by another $500 billion, up to $6.5 trillion. Two additional rises in market capitalization, each of $1 trillion, bringing the value to $8.5 trillion, are required for the final two stock grants to kick in. While the deal is performance-based, it's not set in stone -- with Musk still in line to earn more $50 billion even if he fails to meet the bulk of the targets -- and includes riders for so-called "covered events" with the potential to impact Tesla's future designs, manufacturing and sales. These include natural disasters, wars, pandemics and changes to "international, federal, state and local law, regulations or other governmental action or inaction." In June 2024, Musk reincorporated Tesla in Texas, the company's headquarters and center of operations, moving from Delaware six months after a court there struck down a $56 billion pay deal the board awarded to Musk in 2018, ruling it was "unfair" and that Musk held excessive power over the rules and size of the deal. New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, center, looks on while members of his transition team speak during a news conference in the Queens borough of New York, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. [AP Photo/Heather Khalifa] At a press conference Wednesday in Queens, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), introduced the five members of his transition teamall veteran Democratic Party operatives who played key roles in implementing pro-capitalist policies against the working class under previous mayoral administrations. The announcement followed Mamdanis victory in Tuesdays election, where he decisively defeated disgraced former Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo as well as the Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa. More than 1 million people voted for Mamdani in the highest turnout for a New York City mayoral election since 1969a clear repudiation of the fascist policies of the Trump administration and an expression of popular anger over the soaring cost of living, especially the unaffordable housing crisis. Since winning the Democratic primary in June, Mamdani has worked to reassure the corporate and financial elite by meeting with executives and real estate moguls. He issued an apology to the New York Police Department (NYPD) for previously calling to defund it, and pledging to retain Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, a veteran of the NYPDs Counterterrorism Bureau and heiress to one of the wealthiest families in the United States. In response to attacks from the Trump administration and sections of the corporate oligarchy, Mamdani is lurching rapidly to the right in the immediate aftermath of the election. The executive director of the transition team is Elana Leopold, who joined the Mamdani campaign only after his primary victory in June. She has worked closely with Elle Bisgaard-Church, Mamdanis senior adviser. Leopold previously served as a senior adviser to Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio before founding her own political consulting firm, which has extensive ties to the political establishment. Leopold has been recognized by Fortunes 40 Under 40 and City & States Political Consultants Power 50 as a key figure in forging connections between the wealthy and influential. According to City & State, her role in the Mamdani campaign has been to seek to further ties with the citys wealthiest residents, drawing on her time in the private sector. The second member of the transition team is Maria Torres-Springer, who served after 2002 as senior policy adviser in the office of the deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding under billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Torres-Springer later took the position of executive vice president and chief of staff at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the citys official development agency, which is notorious for functioning as a conduit between real estate interests and municipal government. She then served as commissioner of the New York City department of small business services under the de Blasio administration, before being appointed CEO of the NYCEDC. Following that, de Blasio named her commissioner of the department of housing preservation and development. Torres-Springer was also a member of the administration of Eric Adams as deputy mayor for economic and workforce development, during which her office was implicated in fast-tracking fire safety inspections for the massive 50 Hudson Yards developmentat the expense of schools, apartment buildings and a city collegeon behalf of the owner, Related Companies, a major donor to the Adams campaign. Adams appointed Torres-Springer first deputy mayor in 2023 after the resignation of Sheena Wright during the federal investigation into the corruption of Adams and figures in his administration. Torres-Spinger only resigned from her role in February. The third member of the committee is Lina Khan, who was appointed by President Joe Biden as a commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2021 and later elevated to chair in 2024. Both appointments were confirmed with bipartisan support from Senate Democrats and Republicans. Under Khans tenure at the FTC, employee morale declined significantly, according to surveys conducted by other government agencies. Khan also imposed a ban on public statements by staff. Despite receiving praise from far-right figuresincluding Vice President JD Vance, who called her one of the few people in the Biden administration that I think is doing a pretty good job, and fascist adviser Steve Bannon, who declared, I would be a huge supporter of Lina Khan remaining, and I would love to see her given more powershe was ultimately replaced under the Trump administration. Grace Bonilla, the fourth member of Mamdanis transition team, is currently the CEO of United Way, one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the world. From 2004 to 2014, she held a series of key roles in the Human Resources Administration (HRA) under the Bloomberg administration. She later joined the de Blasio administration, serving first as executive director of the task force on racial equity and inclusion, and then as administrator of the HRA. The final member of the transition team is Melanie Hartzog, currently president and CEO of New York Foundling, one of the oldest charitable organizations in the city. Under the Bloomberg administration, she served as family services coordinator in the office of the deputy mayor for health and human services, as well as deputy commissioner for early childhood services at the Administration for Childrens Services. Hartzog held a number of prominent positions in the de Blasio administration, but her most perniciousand arguably criminalrole came after her appointment in October 2020 as deputy mayor for health and human services, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the citys point person overseeing the pandemic response, she assumed this role after more than 24,000 New Yorkers had already died. In the months that followed, daily deaths surged again to between 40 and 50 per day by December. Hartzogs appointment came shortly after de Blasio, alongside then-Governor Andrew Cuomo at the state level, reopened New York City schools, despite widespread recognition that they were major vectors for COVID-19 transmission. At the time, the city remained an epicenter of the pandemic. Under Hartzogs watch, the de Blasio administration launched a campaign of systematic misinformation, claiming that schools were the safest places in the city based on deceptively low test positivity rates. There is no doubt that Hartzog played a central role in the deliberate under-testing of children, educators and school staff to sustain this narrative. These are the figures who will oversee the selection of personnel for the incoming Mamdani administration and ensure it is staffed with officials acceptable to the financial aristocracy. The ruins of a school in the devastated Jobar district of Damascus. [AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki] Since Chancellor Friedrich Merz (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) declared immigrants to be a problem for Germanys urban environment, the agitation against refugees by the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) has taken ever more repulsive forms. Even Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, a right-wing CDU politician and loyal follower of Merz, has not been spared. After visiting the uninhabitable fields of ruins that stretch for kilometres on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus, the foreign minister stated the obvious: he had personally never seen such a great extent of destruction. In the short term, refugees could not return here, Hardly any people can truly live here in dignity, said Wadephul. Within the CDU/CSU this triggered a storm of indignation. Leading party figures reaffirmed their determination to deport Syrian refugees living in Germany back to this uninhabitable hell as quickly as possible. The Syrian civil war was over, and for most Syrians who had left the country, returning to wide parts of the country was reasonable, Bundestag (parliament) deputy faction leader Gunter Krings told the tabloid Bild. The degree of destruction of a country was no argument against a voluntary or compulsory return. The CDU state chairman and economics minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze, demanded a strategy for the swift return of people. A country partly destroyed and in worse living conditions than Germany were not good reasons. Parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn declared that it was the patriotic duty of Syrian refugees to help rebuild their homeland. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) announced that his ministry was negotiating with the regime in Damascus about agreements that will enable returns to Syria. This mandate arose from the coalition agreement and would be implemented accordingly. The Interior Ministry has already decided not to allow exploratory trips by refugees to Syria. If they visit their former homeland to assess the situation, they risk not being allowed to return to Germany. Chancellor Merz also spoke out in favour of a rapid return of Syrian refugees. The civil war in Syria was over, he said. There are now absolutely no more reasons for asylum in Germany, and therefore we can begin with returns. He was counting on a large proportion of refugees returning to Syria of their own accord and taking part in reconstruction. Those in Germany who then refuse to return to the country, we can of course continue to deport in the future, he added. Foreign Minister Wadephul had met with the new Syrian ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus. Now the chancellor has invited al-Sharaa to Berlin to discuss the deportation of Syrian criminals. This is even though al-Sharaas Islamist HTS militia, a branch of Al Qaeda, continues to act against political opponents and Alawite and Druze minorities, and even though the interim president has no democratic legitimacy. Israel also continues repeatedly to bomb targets in Syria. On Tuesday, Wadephul met for a discussion with the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. According to participants, he assured the deputies that he was no weakling and supported returns to Syria. But because he refused to retract his comment about the undignified living conditions in the country and added that the destruction in Syria was worse than in Germany after the Second World War, the attacks upon him became even more shrill. Behind closed doors, the first ones are calling for Wadephuls resignation, newsweekly Der Spiegel reported. Faction leader Jens Spahn indirectly accused the foreign minister of damaging the image of the coalition. For the 950,000 people from Syria currently living in Germany, the CDU/CSU agitation means existential insecurity and physical danger. A relatively high proportion of them, a total of 226,000, are employed and have a regular income; they pay taxes and social insurance contributions. In some areas, their deportation would have severe consequences. For example, around 7,000 Syrian doctors work in Germany, most of them in hospitals. Including naturalised Syrians, the number is up to 15,000. A further 80,000 Syrians work in so-called shortage occupationsposts that are particularly difficult to fill. However, the agitation is not aimed solely at refugees and immigrants but also serves domestic political goals. It strengthens the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and shifts the axis of the entire official political establishment ever further to the right. The German government knows that its war policy, the enormous expenditures on rearmament, the related social cuts, the wave of job losses in export industries and the widening gap between rich and poor are encountering growing resistance. Despite one trillion in additional loans for armaments and military-related infrastructure, the federal budget already has a shortfall of 170 billion up to 2029, which Finance Minister and SPD leader Lars Klingbeil intends to close through social cuts. In the summer, Chancellor Merz had announced: We can no longer afford the welfare state. Business associations are pushing for drastic cuts in healthcare and pensions. In its latest report on the economic situation in Europe, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) demands radical measures to defuse the explosive debt crisis: pensions, healthcare and many other state benefits are in the medium and long term no longer financially viable in their current form. Such measures, says the IMF, would probably face fierce resistance within the population. Agitation against refugees turns them into scapegoats for the social crisis and at the same time strengthens the far-right forces that are needed to intimidate and suppress popular resistance. Donald Trump uses the same methods in the US. The SPD and the Left Party play a particularly perfidious role in this shift to the right. While sometimes criticising openly racist statements by the CDU and verbally distancing themselves from the AfD, in all decisive questions they support its refugee, war and austerity policies. As part of the governing coalition with the Christian Democrats, the SPD bears full responsibility for the right-wing course of Merz and Dobrindt. Holding the defence and finance ministries, the SPD leads the two decisive portfolios responsible for rearmament and social cuts. The Left Party serves as a lightning rod for the Merz-Klingbeil-Dobrindt coalition. With its votes, it not only enabled the approval of war credits in the Bundesrat (upper chamber of parliament) and the rapid election of Merz as Chancellor, it fully supports the governments deportation policy and social cuts in the federal states and municipalities. Workers must not allow themselves to be divided. They must unconditionally defend refugees and immigrants against deportation and right-wing incitement. Only in this way can they defend their own democratic and social rights. A recent government-commissioned review into Sydneys public rail network has revealed that safety and service incidents across the system have reached their highest levels in a decade. The review itself is ultimately aimed at whitewashing the impact of longstanding neglect under successive Liberal-National and Labor governments. The Independent Rail Review, published at the end of August, was ordered to investigate a major two-day disruption across the Sydney Trains network in May. An overhead wire broke just beyond Homebush stationa key transfer junctionaffecting eight of the citys nine lines. A Tangara train operating on the Sydney rail network [Photo by Maksym Kozlenko / CC BY-SA 4.0 The review is the second in just over two years into Sydneys rail network. A 2023 review found train delays had climbed to their worst levels in 10 years, with over half of all disruptions stemming from deteriorating infrastructure such as tracks, signalling, structures and electrical systems. This period also saw a sharp rise in the backlog of routine inspections and unresolved maintenance issues. As defects accumulated, Sydney Trains was forced to introduce Temporary Speed Restrictions (TSRs) across the network, further undermining the reliability of train services. The 2023 review made 69 recommendations to reduce the backlog, including an immediate infrastructure maintenance blitz, unfurled as the Rail Repair Plan (RRP) in June 2023. However, this was funded by merely reallocating funds from an already inadequate maintenance budget. The latest review found that incidents, defects and delays have become even more numerous since the 2023 report. The number of TSRs reached 65 in February 2024, the highest ever recorded, while the backlog of required inspections ballooned from 79 in August to 388 by December. The number of high-priority defects, defined as Asset with damage or flaw requiring maintenance to be fixed, reached an all-time record of 4,714 in June 2025, compared with just over 3,800 when the RRP started two years earlier. In May last year, there were 568 peak-hour incidents linked to infrastructure faults, the highest since 2014. This metric has remained elevated throughout this year, according to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). Some 558 delay-causing incidents were logged in March, and 538 in July. These incidents, defined as any event causing a delay of more than five minutes, have become a near-constant feature of the network. The August review showed that train delays at peak hour were occurring at the highest rate since 2016. Since November 2024, the punctuality of intercity trains has remained between 60 and 75 percent, well below the target of 92 percent. With more than 1.1 million passenger journeys on a typical weekday, this means for the past nine months, 275,000 to 440,000 people have experienced some kind of delay each day. According to the SMH, Sydney Trains has reported 31 major incidents since the beginning of 2023. Of these, 42 percent were attributed to infrastructure failures, 23 percent to operational issues, and 10 percent to weather-related damage to infrastructure. The newspaper noted that infrastructure-related defects on Sydneys rail network had reached their highest levels since 2018, with 39,634 recorded in June, 38,932 in July and 38,912 in August 2025. According to the August review, the Homebush incident was caused by a preventable wiring breakage, which cut power to a train pulling into the station. An issue with the wire had been detected five years earlier, but was not followed up. The review also stated that visual inspections of the wire were performed every 13 weeks, but that officers cannot get close enough for an adequate view and had to rely on binoculars. There are planned physical measurements every four years, but the wire being thin and beyond breaking was not detected during these inspections. In our view their tools are insufficient for the job they are given, stated the review. The May event was only the most significant of a string of major incidents. One day in March, urgent repairs were required for the signalling at Ashfield station, another busy junction, causing delays and disruption to all train lines except one from morning until the end of service at night. In January, a derailment occurred at Clarendon station in the northwestern outskirts of Sydney, after a train failed to stop at a red signal. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) noted at the time that wet weather was thought to be the cause. The frequency of such safety breaches, referred to as signal passed at danger (SPAD), has increased 25 percent in the last year, with more than four incidents a week on average, according to the ABC. The derailment on the Richmond line was the product of just one SPAD out of 224 in the 20242025 financial year, 46 more than in 20232024. The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator explains that causes and contributing factors for SPADs include driver fatigue, workload, inadequate controls, inadequate maintenance, poor signal placement, poor visibility and trees blocking signals. Despite the overwhelming evidence of infrastructure failures caused by systemic underfunding over an extended period, both the 2023 and 2025 reviews attempted to pin responsibility for the dire state of the rail network on severe weather and workers taking industrial action in 20212022 and 2024. The latter is in line with the relentless campaign, which reached fever pitch late last year, by Sydney Trains, state and federal Labor governments and the corporate media, which have repeatedly vilified rail workers for taking even the most limited industrial action against cuts to real wages and conditions. Every minor delay or crowded train was seized as an occasion to slander and attack workers in the press, while multiple Fair Work Commission (FWC) and Federal Court cases were aimed at denying their right to take industrial action. In the face of this outright hostility, the union bureaucracies of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU), Electrical Trades Union (ETU) and other combined rail unions insisted that the only way forward for workers was plaintive appeals to the very Labor government attacking them. The union leadership repeatedly cancelled planned strikes and placed conditions on industrial action which had nothing to do with workers demands, such as calling them off if train travel was made free for a weekend. This gave complete control over the dispute to the government, which was effectively able to decide which stoppages could proceed, without ever having to make a single concession to workers. As they have done in every NSW rail dispute for decades, the unions ultimately rammed through the governments demands despite strong opposition from workers. The management, government and media lies stand exposed by the fact that, while there has been no industrial action since the FWC ordered a ban in February, and a sell-out enterprise agreement was pushed through by the unions in June, the condition of the rail network has only worsened. This is because the defects, incidents and delays are the product of years of underfunding and inadequate maintenance. Sydneys rail network, the only remaining mass transit system in NSW still under public ownership, has and continues to be starved of investment. This is part of a privatisation-by-stealth operation, devaluing the existing system and moving parts of it, along with all new rail development in the city, into the privately owned, driverless, Metro system. Under capitalism, public services that are essential to daily life are subordinated to the priorities of profit, not safety or social welfare. What is required is a fight for an alternative: Workers governments must be established to implement socialist policies. These include placing all forms of mass transport and other vital amenities, along with the major corporations and banks, under full public ownership and workers control. Only then can society and the economy be reorganised to serve the needs of the working class, including for high-quality public transport, with good wages and conditions for all staff, rather than the profit demands of the wealthy few. The decision by the National Party to formally abandon any commitment to a net zero climate policy at a meeting last Sunday has brought a protracted crisis of the Australian ruling elites main conservative political formation to a new level. Throughout the post-war period, that conservative formation has been based upon a coalition between the rural and regional-based Nationals and the urban Liberal Party. But the social constituency and political foundation of a stable and traditional conservative outfit no longer exists, with a break in the Coalition on the cards and the Liberals facing complete disintegration. The immediate function of the Nationals announcement was to place immense pressure on the Liberals to outline their position on net zero. The Nationals did that, under conditions where they were well aware of sharp differences within the Liberal Party on climate and a host of other issues. The Coalitions former pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 was always a sham, with no clear policies to reach it. Even on its face the program was a million miles behind what is required to address the existential threat of climate change. Far more than disputes about climate policy are involved. The issue of net zero is something of a symbol, behind which competing agendas are being fought out, in terms of the social orientation and political appeal that the Coalition and its constituent components should make. The move to abandon net zero, both by the Nationals and sections of the Liberal Party, is bound up with a broader shift to the right. In both parties, there are forces watching the rise of far-right elements internationally, including the fascistic President Donald Trump in the US and Nigel Farages Reform in the UK, and considering emulating them. Those within the Liberal Party who are calling for the maintenance of net zero are warning that its abandonment would confirm the partys inability to make any appeal in the major cities. They are also fearful that a turn to explicit climate change denial will put the Liberals out of step with major sections of business that are making substantial money from renewables. Liberal Party leader Sussan Ley [Photo: Facebook/Sussan Ley MP] Since the National announcement, Liberal leader Sussan Ley has desperately sought to hold the party together and to delay any decision on net zero, for fear that it will provoke a rupture within the Liberal Party. That holding act has characterised Leys tenure as leader, since her ascension after the May federal election. The election was a rout for the Coalition and above all the Liberal Party. Masses of people cast a ballot against the Coalition, because they identified it with Trump and his agenda of trade war, militarism and authoritarianism. The Liberal vote was its lowest since the party was formed in 1944. Previous Liberal leader Peter Dutton lost his own seat, and overall the Liberals retained just nine out of 88 metropolitan seats. That confirmed a pattern that was evident in the previous two elections, of former safe Liberal seats falling to Teal independents, who appeal to affluent layers of the middle and upper classes, based on pro-business policies and genuflections to concerns over the climate. Ley, who hails from former Prime Minister Scott Morrisons centre-right faction, has been described as a moderate since the election, itself an indication of a shift to the right within the Liberal Party. She only secured the leadership by a handful of votes, against a right-wing ticket headed by Angus Taylor and Jacinta Price, who had defected from the Nationals in the immediate aftermath of the election. Prices defection pointed to the role of elements of the National Party, in pushing the Liberals further to the right, again on display in the current furore around net zero. Leys leadership has been marked by a series of public attempts to undermine her. In September, Price refused to affirm her support for Ley and was demoted to the backbench. She called for a more openly right-wing pitch, based on virulent nationalism, anti-immigrant xenophobia and other staples of Trumpian politics. Andrew Hastie raised a similar flag last month. He demanded a far greater cut to immigration numbers than the Liberal Party is already committed to and insisted on the need to drop net zero. Hastie also went to the backbench and has continued his right-wing, nationalist agitation. Ley, despite remaining as leader, has been widely viewed as a placeholder figure, and it seems likely that her day of reckoning is coming. The attempt to put off the issues of dispute has its limits, and today it was confirmed that there will be a Liberal Party meeting to decide the issue next Wednesday. Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson this morning declared that Ley is losing support and refused to provide her own backing for the party leader. There is growing discussion in the press, based on internal Liberal leaks, that Taylor may make a bid for the leadership. Whatever the immediate fate of Ley, the crisis of her leadership is emblematic of a more deepgoing and objective crisis, the trajectory of which is towards a rupture or implosion. Right-wing figures, such as Hastie, have publicly made clear that they will not abide by the maintenance of net zero. Meanwhile, the moderate Liberals have indicated that they are no less hostile to the abandonment of the policy. The logic is towards a split. As the WSWS has previously outlined in analysing the crisis of the Liberals, it is rooted in far-reaching changes to class relations. The party, which emerged and gained an ascendency under conditions of the post-World War II boom, was based socially upon a relatively broad middle-class constituency, including small businesspeople and professionals. But after decades of social polarisation, that constituency no longer exists as the social buffer between the capitalist class and the working class. The conditions, work loads and pay freezes experienced by many sections of professionals including teachers, doctors, nurses and layers of the public service are parallel to those of broad sections of workers. Whether the divisions in the Liberal Party can be held together next week or not, a realignment in right-wing politics is already taking place. That was made clear by a report yesterday in the Australian that more than 200 members of the Liberal Party in South Australia have quit, citing their hostility to net zero. The report indicated that the resignations accounted for roughly 5 percent of the Liberal membership in South Australia. That itself is a marker of crisis, indicating that the Liberals, nominally a party of government, have just 4,000 members in a state with a population of almost two million. There is an intensive discussion within sections of the ruling elite, over the need for a far-right formation, in line with the rise of Trump in the US, Farage in the UK and similar forces throughout Europe. There have evidently been questions as to whether that can be carried out through shifting the Coalition to the right, or through the establishment of a new formation. Gina Rinehart, the countrys richest individual, has been involved and has been a prominent backer of Price and Hastie within the Coalition. She has been in the US, attending a Great Gatsby themed Halloween Party hosted by Trump over the weekend and then the Conservative Political Action Conference. Significantly, Pauline Hanson, the leader of the far-right One Nation outfit also attended both events. One Nations polling is higher than ever before, with a Newspoll published by the Australian this week showing it receiving a primary vote of 15 percent. This morning, the Australian claimed that One Nation has doubled its membership since the May election. Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, who formerly headed the party, has been in talks with Hanson about defecting to One Nation. Senior Liberal figures pushing the abandonment of net zero and a more explicit lurch to the right, have insisted that such a course is necessary to prevent what remains of the partys base from shifting to One Nation and other right-wing outfits. The issue they all have is that as the federal election showed, there is currently no mass constituency for far-right politics. As in the US and elsewhere, the drive to the right is being led by sections of the ruling elite, who recognise that more openly authoritarian forms of rule are necessary to enforce an inherently unpopular agenda of imperialist war abroad and ruthless austerity measures. The Newspoll showed that the crisis of the Coalition is a crisis of the entire official political establishment. At 60 percent, the combined support for the Coalition and Labor, the two formations of capitalist rule, was the lowest since polling began in 1985. With the Coalition meltdown deepening, the bourgeoisie is more dependent on Labor and its affiliated trade union bureaucracy than ever. Since returning to office in 2022, Labor has completely aligned itself with the interests of the capitalist class. On the social front, the Labor government is carrying out massive attacks on the working class, aimed at returning it to the conditions that existed in the 1930s. That goes hand in hand with its transformation of Australia into a frontline state for war with China and major attacks on democratic rights. That is an agenda that sets it on a collision course with the working class. On Thursday, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutors Office summoned well-known journalists including Soner Yalcn, Saban Sevinc, Asl Aydntasbas, Rusen Cakr, Yavuz Oghan, and Batuhan Colak for questioning. They were charged with publicly disseminating false information and aiding a criminal organization. The journalists questioned were then released with a ban on leaving the country, while some had their phones confiscated. The Chief Prosecutors Office announced that the operation targeting journalists was carried out as part of an investigation into the Imamoglu Criminal Organization. Ekrem Imamoglu, the Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) and presidential candidate for the Republican Peoples Party (CHP), has been in prison since March on charges of corruption. Additionally, a separate arrest warrant was issued against Imamoglu at the end of October on espionage charges. Stepped-up political arrests, operations targeting journalists, and attacks on press freedom are the steps taken by President Recep Tayyip Erdogans government to use the judiciary to build an authoritarian regime. Attorney Huseyin Ersoz said, Journalist Yavuz Oghan was taken from his home by the police at 6:45 a.m. in a manner that we could call de facto detention. This is not called detention [officially] but has been frequently seen in recent times. No search was conducted at Yavuz Oghans home. He was informed that he would be taken to the Istanbul Police Headquarters for questioning. When we requested to meet with him, we were told that the operation was ongoing and we could meet with him an hour later. The Turkish Journalists Trade Union stated, Journalists do their job, they inform the public. Fabricated detention orders are a policy of discrediting. We do not accept this! Journalism is not a crime. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Turkey Representative Erol Onderoglu stated, The endless operations targeting critical journalism and attempts to discredit those who make their living from journalism are unacceptable injustices. Unless the judiciary is freed from this political shadow, journalists and justice will continue to suffer severe harm. The early morning raids and detentions of journalists are designed to intimidate the press and opposition. As demonstrated by the recent political espionage investigation against Imamoglu, routine election campaigning and related journalistic activities are being portrayed as criminal acts. The World Socialist Web Site condemns the intimidation campaigns against journalists. Their prosecution for news reports and articles demonstrates that press freedom is under serious threat and this must be opposed on principle. In the same espionage investigation, journalist Merdan Yanardag was also arrested and a trustee was appointed to TELE1, the television channel where he served as chief editor. TELE1 was one of the few opposition channels broadcasting nationwide, and both Yanardag and the channel had long been under pressure from the government. The Erdogan government claims to uphold the independence of the judiciary while using it to suppress political and media institutions. On the other hand, when a decision goes against it, it tramples on the law by disregarding the constitution. As the latest example of this, on Thursday, Istanbuls 13th High Criminal Court announced that it did not recognize the Constitutional Courts (AYM) ruling on Tayfun Kahramans rights violation and release. Kahraman was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2022 for aiding an attempt to overthrow the government of the Republic of Turkey. The 2013 Gezi Park protests, the subject of the case, began in opposition to plans to redevelop the park in Taksim Square into a shopping mall. The protests became the focal point of broader discontent with the authoritarian policies of Erdogans Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and increasing social inequality. In May-June 2013, millions of people participated in demonstrations in almost all of Turkeys 81 cities. Kahraman was president of the Istanbul branch of the Chamber of City Planners during the protests. In its reasoned decision published in the Official Gazette last month, the Constitutional Court indicated that Kahraman could not be held directly responsible for the incidents unless a causal link could be established between the violent incidents that occurred during the protests, in which millions of people participated, and Kahramans actions. The Court had previously issued a decision regarding Kahraman to suspend his execution, release him, and hold a retrial. The Turkish Bar Association called for the removal of judges who do not comply with Constitutional Court rulings, while CHP Chairman Ozgur Ozel said, Today, Turkey is crossing a threshold in the process of de-constitutionalization, de-regulation, and de-institutionalization. Ozel implied government interference in the judiciary, adding, They are waiting for instructions from somewhere; they are not writing opinions. The governments vendetta against the political prisoners of the Gezi Park case, which disregards the Constitution as in other political cases, and its operations to intimidate the press, represent efforts to suppress growing social discontent. There is growing opposition worldwide to war, genocide, dictatorship, and social inequality. In Africa and Asia, Gen Z protests against inequality and attacks on democratic rights are shaking governments. Since October 2023, millions of workers and young people from the United States to Europe and Australia have staged protests and strikes against Israels genocide in Gaza and their governments complicity in the genocide. In the US, approximately 7 million people joined the No Kings protests on October 18 against Donald Trumps attempt to establish a fascist dictatorship. The working class must respond with its own independent political mobilization based on an international socialist programme. The struggle to resist the increasing repression of the Erdogan government and defend democratic rights cannot be advanced without a complete political break from the capitalist system, which is the source of this repression, and from the establishment parties that defend the interests of the ruling class. Damaged vehicles are parked in front of a convenience store destroyed by a fire, in Hermosillo, Sonora state, Mexico, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. [AP Photo/Abraham Tellez] On Saturday, November 1, an explosion at a low-cost retailer in downtown Hermosillo, capital of the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico, killed 23 people and injured 15 more. Children were among the dead and injured. Many of the victims were shopping at the Waldos outlet for supplies for El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festivities. As of this writing, three victims remain hospitalized: 81-year-old Marcos Segundos Reyes, afflicted with third-degree burns on 90 percent of his body; 20-year-old Maria Isabel Morales Bracamontes, who has been transferred to a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, for specialist care; and 16-year-old Danna Valeria, who was passing outside the store when the explosion occurred. Their families have expressed gratitude at the outpouring of popular support, including blood donations. Sonoran Attorney General Gustavo Romulo Salas Chavez told the media that, based on the initial investigation, most of the deceased died due to inhalation of toxic gases. The State Attorney Generals Office (FGJE Sonora) is interviewing public servants at the municipal, state and federal levels, with a focus on the licensing of and permits for the store. The FGJE quickly identified an electrical transformer as the probable cause of the fire. The explosion was preceded by two brief blackouts; the consequent stress on the transformer likely precipitated the inferno. Risk management and civil protection consultant Mariano Katase Ruiz, speaking to Hermosillo newspaper El Imparcial, said that the Waldos location had two serious irregularities: improper installation of the transformer indoors and a lack of an emergency exit. Either of these faults would present an imminent risk and should have resulted in authorities closing the establishment, Katase Ruiz told the paper. There are two very grave violations, he said, a transformer inside the property and a property without emergency exits. From my own very personal point of view, the emergency exit is non-negotiable, if an establishment doesnt have an emergency exit, it cannot operate. All indications point to government negligence, if not outright corruption. State Governing Minister Adolfo Salazar Razo confirmed that the stores civil protection plan was rejected in 2021, under the current administration, and that it had been operating without one since then. El Mitotero, a local independent journalist who writes under a pseudonym, cited an anonymous source who shared images and information about the transformer, which was effectively a ticking time bomb. The problem was reported and they ignored it. The transformer was improperly installed, enclosed and without ventilation. That was dangerous. Im doing [sharing] this because what happened hurts me; it could have been avoided, the source said. The fire has retraumatized Hermosillans who experienced or remember the June 5, 2009, ABC Day Care Center fire, which killed 49 children and injured dozens more, along with several adults. That fire began in an adjacent part of the improperly converted warehouse containing government financial documents before spreading to the day care. That tragedy was the result of rank corruption. The facility lacked fire extinguishers and emergency exits but was nevertheless allowed to operate and receive federal funds. It was co-owned by the wives of two state officials from the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional, PRI), one of whom was also the cousin of Margarita Zavala, wife of then-President Felipe Calderon of the National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional, PAN). Hermosillans, with parents of ABC victims playing a leading role, are demanding action to ensure that such a catastrophe cannot happen again. The June 5 Movement (El Movimiento de Cinco de Junio), an association of ABC survivors and victims parents, issued an emotional statement calling for a protest on November 5. To the families of the victims of the Waldos store fire, we say that you are not alone, just as we have never been. We want you to know that we know exactly what you are going through, that our thoughts and hearts have been with you since the first minute we learned of the magnitude of the fire. We want you to know that for 16 years we have fought to prevent the repetition of a tragedy similar to the one that of our sons and daughters. We are sorry, we failed you. Hundreds responded to this call and marched to the Government Palace, chanting 49+23, how many more?, Never again and It was not an accident, it was corruption. Rosalinda Rios, mother of deceased Waldos worker Jesus Ana Maria Cortez Rios, spoke of her daughter, She was a responsible young woman and that cost her her life. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Sonoran Governor Alfonso Durazo, both members of the National Regeneration Movement (Movimiento de Regeneracion Nacional, MORENA), expressed their condolences for the victims and promised investigations. The corporate leadership of Waldos likewise expressed its condolences. The crocodile tears of these politicians should be viewed with the same skepticism as those of the business owners. MORENA, no less than the PRI and PAN, is committed to the maintenance of private property and the subordination of Mexico to US imperialism, even under fascist President Donald Trump. It is impossible to secure safe working conditions and public spaces within this framework. While certain of the issues involved are more endemic, or at least more prominent, in developing countries like Mexico, conditions in the imperialist centers are regressing due to the decades-long social counterrevolution, which is being rapidly accelerated under Trump and other far-right politicians, as evidenced in the frequency of workplace deaths in Americas own industrial slaughterhouse. To secure their social rights and living standards, workers on both sides of the border must unite in an international movement for democratic workers control over production and economic planning, that is, for socialism. Elevenlabs AudioNative Player Plumes of smoke rise from the area after a UPS cargo plane crashed and exploded while taking off at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Louisville, Kentucky. [AP Photo/Jon Cherry] Tuesday evening, UPS Flight 2976 plummeted into a dense industrial area shortly after takeoff from Louisvilles Muhammad Ali International Airport. At least 13 people are dead, including the three crew members and a child. Several others remain missing. The aircraft, loaded with 200,000 pounds of jet fuel for its flight to Hawaii, exploded into a massive fireball visible for miles. On Thursday, UPS identified the crew members who were killed: Captain Richard Wartenberg, 1st Officer Lee Truitt, and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond. With even a slight deviation in the aircrafts final moments, the death toll could have been hundreds or even thousands. The crash occurred in a corridor that includes Fords Louisville Assembly Plant and UPSs massive Worldport air freight hub, as well as dozens of warehouses and other industrial workplaces. An investigation is underway, and more details will emerge about the immediate cause. It has already been confirmed that the planes left engine caught fire and detached during takeoff. Whatever chain of events in the aircrafts systems led to the catastrophe, the ultimate cause is the subordination of American and world society to a corporate oligarchy. There is a staggering contradiction at the heart of this disaster. Worldports facilities are among the most advanced in the world, with the ability to handle 370 flights and process more than 2 million packages a day. This is a remarkable feat of computation, planning, human skill and global coordination. UPS and its rivals are also rapidly introducing new systems in their warehouses based on the latest advances in automation and artificial intelligence. This advanced logistics system, however, is subordinated to the ruthless pursuit of profit, powered by highly exploited workers. The plane that crashed outside Louisville was part of an aging fleet. The MD-11 model, which has the second-worst safety record of all commercial aircraft, was 34 years old and had reportedly undergone major repairs, including a cracked fuel tank as recently as September. This is the third UPS crash in the past 12 years. UPS pilots have repeatedly demanded fatigue protections equal to those for passenger crews, only to be met with stonewalling by corporate management and federal regulators. UPS has sought to intimidate and silence whistleblowers, including UPS Captain Douglas Greene, who was fired and blacklisted after exposing fatigue and other unsafe conditions that led to the 2013 crash in Birmingham, Alabama that killed two crew members. Greene told the WSWS that this weeks crash was not only avoidable, it was caused by UPSs negligence. New technologies that could and should be used to ease the burden of labor and improve safety are of interest to the oligarchy only to the extent that they can be used to ramp up exploitation. According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, 1.1 million jobs have been cut so far this year, the highest level since 2020. Artificial intelligence and automation are being used as weapons to eliminate entire sections of the workforce and drive millions into poverty. This is why, alongside staggering technological advances, American infrastructure is underfunded, decaying and unsafe. Fireballs erupting over industrial areas have become a regular feature of life. Barely 24 hours after the UPS crash, a huge ammonia explosion ripped through a chemical plant in Yazoo City, Mississippi. In October, 16 workers were killed in an explosion at a munitions plant in Tennessee. Also last month, an explosion at Chevrons El Segundo refinery rocked the Los Angeles area. And these are only a few of the most recent. Friday marks seven months since the death of autoworker Ronald Adams Sr., who was crushed to death by a gantry while performing maintenance at the Stellantis Dundee Engine Complex near Detroit. With management and the UAW bureaucracy maintaining a guilty silence, the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC) launched an investigation into the accident, with preliminary findings presented at a July 27 meeting. Since that meeting, hundreds have been killed internationally, including, most recently, 16 garment workers in a fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh; two hard-rock miners in Australia; and 23 workers in an explosion at a retail site in Hermosillo, Mexico. These disasters underscore the global character of the industrial slaughterhouse. The UPS air disaster occurred in the midst of the ongoing government shutdown, now the longest in American history. The Trump administration is using starvation as a weapon against federal workers and the poor. Particularly cruel is its refusal to release food stamp funding for 42 million people, immediately plunging a large portion of the country into food insecurity. Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Louisville are working without pay. While not a direct cause of the crash, air traffic controllers are being forced to choose between working stressful, technical jobs for free or taking unpaid leave to feed their families. On Thursday, the government announced a 10 percent reduction in air traffic nationwide, warning of a total collapse of the national airspace system if the shutdown is not ended within days. The United States is a government of, by, and for the oligarchy, headed by would-be dictator Donald Trump. His administration represents the seamless integration of the capitalist elite and the state. The elimination of the Chemical Safety Board next year, along with deep cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other regulatory agencies, demonstrates this policy in practice. Trumps new head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), David Keeling, is the former UPS safety chief. As far as the ruling class is concerned, corporate entities receive total impunity. On Thursday, a judge dropped criminal charges against Boeing over its massive safety scandal, in which hundreds died because management concealed known issues with its aircraft. Boeing, a major defense contractor that is battling 3,000 striking workers at its fighter jet plants in St. Louis, is being lavished by Trump with tens of billions of dollars in new contracts. In return for Trumps services, the tech billionaires are paying for the demolition of the East Wing of the White House and its replacement with a massive new ballroom. The union bureaucracy, concerned only with maintaining its privileges and access to power, is a full partner in this process. Mass automation-led layoffs began at UPS almost as soon as the ink was dry on the 2023 contract signed by the Teamsters bureaucracy. The union has said almost nothing about these cuts and issued only a muted statement on the disaster. But Teamsters General President Sean OBrien has been far more vocal in his support for Trump, using America First rhetoric to blame corporate job cuts on foreign workers. The Socialist Equality Party calls for workers in logistics, transportation, manufacturing, and every industry to take up the fight for control over production through the building of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC). These committees must form the basis for a counter-offensive by the working class, transferring power from the trade union bureaucracies to the shop floor. They must unite workers internationally in a common struggle against the social counterrevolution being waged by the capitalist oligarchy. Disasters like Tuesdays crash are not accidents, but the outcome of a system that subordinates every aspect of life to private profit. The colossal cost to society of capitalist enrichment, built up through the labor of the working class, is incompatible with even the most basic requirements of safety, health or democratic rights. The immense technological capacity of modern society stands in irreconcilable conflict with the private ownership of production by a parasitic elite. It is also incompatible with democracythe real reason behind Trumps rise. The operation of the logistics and transportation networks must be organized for public need, not private profit. To guarantee safe working conditions, modern equipment and humane scheduling, workers must fight for: The expropriation of the corporate oligarchy, using its trillions in wealth to fund rapid improvements in living standards; The nationalization of the banks and the major logistics, manufacturing and aerospace corporations, to be run as public utilities; Democratic control by the working class over production, including exclusive authority on all issues of safety. The working class must insist on its own social rightsto decent jobs, healthcare, and a livable futureand take direct action through these committees to enforce them. Above all, this struggle requires a conscious political break with capitalism and the fight for socialism. The incompatibility of modern society with private profit can be resolved only through the establishment of workers power and the socialist reorganization of economic life. European Union, MiCA license, digital euro, crypto regulations, European Parliament Digital Euro CBDC. Photo by BeInCrypto Fourteen of Europes leading banks are pushing back against the European Central Banks plan for a digital euro. They argue the project could weaken private payment systems ahead of crucial parliamentary discussions in Brussels this week. Lawmakers are now calling for a scaling back of the initiative, arguing that it lacks clear benefits and risks duplicating market-led innovation. Meanwhile, the EUs crypto regulation framework may unintentionally advantage US issuers. Bank Revolt Challenges Digital Euro Plan The European Central Banks ambition to launch a digital euro by 2029 is encountering growing resistance across the continent. Fourteen major lenders including Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, and ING have formed a united front against the proposal. They believe the digital euro would duplicate existing private efforts to build a unified European payments network. Their alternative, Wero, already operates in Belgium, France, and Germany, and aims to expand across the entire eurozone. It was designed to reduce reliance on non-European providers such as Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal. The banks behind Wero argue that the ECBs proposed retail digital currency risks disrupting this progress instead of supporting it. The growing resistance from the banking sector has now reached policymakers, who are questioning whether the project should proceed in its current form. Lawmakers Push for Scaled-Back Version The ECB is pressing ahead with plans for a 2027 pilot, though the full rollout still needs political approval. Under existing law, the central bank cannot issue digital money without authorization from the European Parliament and national governments. Lawmakers are increasingly concerned that an online version of the digital euro could compete with private payment systems, rather than complementing them. Support is therefore building for a scaled-down, offline-only model that would act as a digital form of cash. It would allow payments without internet access and avoid overlap with established commercial networks already operating across Europe. While the digital euro faces resistance at home, Europes broader regulatory agenda may also be strengthening its rivals abroad. Former telecoms executive Romeo Kumalos investment firm plans to raise a $200 million fund to back AI-driven ventures in Africa. The South African entrepreneur, whose LLH Capital recently sold a major portion of its stake in the fintech Optasia, said the fund aimed to fuel founders who are building solutions that change lives and deliver meaningful, risk-adjusted returns. Kumalo, previously the chief operating officer of Vodacom International, is an alumni of Harvard Business School. Hes also a well-known business personality thanks to his role as one of the investors on the South African edition of in 2016. The 53-year-old is now betting on the impact of AI across the continent. Optasia debuted on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange earlier this week with a valuation of about $1.4 billion. This IPO has shown us what the future is for technology and companies driven by artificial intelligence in Africa, Kumalo told Bloomberg. Preeti Jha As of late October 2025, the European market has shown mixed performance with the pan-European STOXX Europe 600 Index slightly declining after reaching a new high, while expectations for further interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank have diminished. Despite these fluctuations, economic indicators such as steady inflation near target and modest GDP growth suggest underlying resilience in the region's economy. In this context, identifying promising stocks involves looking for companies that can thrive amid shifting monetary policies and geopolitical uncertainties. These undiscovered gems often exhibit strong fundamentals and adaptability to changing market conditions. Top 10 Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals In Europe Name Debt To Equity Revenue Growth Earnings Growth Health Rating Caisse Regionale de Credit Agricole Mutuel Brie Picardie Societe cooperative 37.61% 3.36% 6.34% Dekpol 64.28% 9.75% 13.77% Grenobloise d'Electronique et d'Automatismes Societe Anonyme 0.01% 7.01% -1.81% Evergent Investments 3.82% 10.46% 23.17% Inversiones Doalca SOCIMI 13.10% 6.72% 3.11% va-Q-tec 43.54% 8.03% -34.33% Deutsche Balaton 4.58% -18.46% -16.14% VNV Global 15.38% -18.33% -18.19% Procimmo Group 141.47% 6.84% 6.01% Practic NA 4.86% 6.64% Click here to see the full list of 324 stocks from our European Undiscovered Gems With Strong Fundamentals screener. Here's a peek at a few of the choices from the screener. Simply Wall St Value Rating: Overview: Arteche Lantegi Elkartea, S.A. specializes in designing, manufacturing, integrating, and supplying electrical equipment and solutions with a focus on renewable energy and smart grids globally, with a market cap of 1.13 billion. Operations: Arteche generates revenue primarily from three segments: Systems Measurement and Monitoring (352.38 million), Automation of Transmission and Distribution Networks (79.77 million), and Network Reliability (46.51 million). Arteche Lantegi Elkartea, a key player in electrical equipment for renewables and smart grids, showcases impressive earnings growth of 120.6% over the past year, outpacing the Electrical industry average of 9.3%. Despite a high net debt to equity ratio at 41.3%, its interest payments are well covered with EBIT at 9.4 times coverage. Recent half-year results highlight sales climbing to 244 million from 212 million last year, while net income jumped to 19.91 million from 7.42 million previously; basic earnings per share rose to 0.35 from 0.13, reflecting strong financial performance amid industry challenges and opportunities in electrification demand. Whats the opposite of the American dream? Is it abandoning your beloved family dog? Standing outside of Disneyland without the money to go inside? Having a communist sister? The death of said communist sister? Perhaps its spending Thanksgiving with a stranger and a frozen turkey, contemplating the vast distance between you and your family back home. Jane (Bridget Kim) and Luna (Angeleia Ordonez) of The Heart Sellers, which opened at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Oct. 25, ponder all of the above. On Thanksgiving Day, a chance encounter at the grocery store leads the two to become fast friends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Jane and Luna are 23-year-old housewives who recently immigrated to the U.S. with their resident physician husbands. Jane, from Korea, and Luna, from the Philippines. The year is 1973, in a midsize American city that feels suspiciously like Cincinnati. In a media landscape marred by cheap caricatures, lazy stereotypes and the same tired conversation about representation, Korean American Lloyd Suhs The Heart Sellers bears the handiwork of a playwright who knows the smallest details matter. The show is a humorous, achingly accurate portrayal of two weary immigrant women whove seen the shiny promise of a better life wear off quick. Theyve finally made it to the U.S., but the grass isnt any greener here. Angeleia Ordonez, who plays Luna in The Heart Sellers, sings a solo. A tightly written script and excellent casting lends itself to the easy dialogue between the two women. Each actress nails the comedic timing and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A vibrant, terribly nervous Luna paces around the apartment, ping ponging between anxiety and excitement as she wonders out loud how to host her first guest in the U.S. She babbles, gets self-conscious, then babbles some more. Jane perches on the corner of a kitchen chair, replying succinctly to Lunas long-winded questions as shes offered an open box of Ritz, a can of Easy Cheese and a bag of Cheetos in rapid succession. Where Luna moves like a whirlwind, Jane sweeps up the crumbs. Luna is dreamy, while Jane is matter-of-fact, even about family tragedies. Shes not sure if her sister died in a bus accident or if she was assassinated. Either is possible, Jane says bluntly. With their husbands working night shifts and a frozen turkey that wont thaw in time for dinner, the women uncork one bottle of wine, then another as they begin to discover the life experiences they share. As the night progresses and the wine flows, the two friends discover how many similarities they share. Both lived under dictatorships. Both had activist older sisters. Neither is convinced by Nixons denials of wrongdoing during Watergate. (When youve experienced a military coup, you know when a president is lying.) Both agree that even the rain, somehow, smells different in this country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both dissolve into a fit of giggles when Luna asks: Is it what you expected? Jane pours another glass of wine. The Heart Sellers, a play about Thanksgiving, friendship and the American Dream, runs at the Playhouse in the Park through Nov. 23. After their schemes to escape the apartment to the beach (its November), the night club (closed on Thanksgiving), a seedy adult theater (too risky) are thwarted, they curl up on Lunas twin-sized bed and turn their sights toward tomorrow. Together, they plan an improbable day free of expectation, duties and danger. First, an adult film at the theater. Theyll hit the club after that (never mind that its still morning). Then, they'll taxi to lunch in the countryside, at a yellow barn that once piqued Lunas interest. Then, the K-Mart where they first caught each others eyes. In the glow of company, they find just enough solace to confront tomorrow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Heart Sellers runs at the Playhouse in the Park through Nov. 23. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When the American dream fades, 'The Heart Sellers' asks, whats left? PARIS Give Kevin Germanier a blank page and hes liable to fill it with a rainbow of colors. His exhibition at Lausannes Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts is a case in point. The designer, known for his sustainable approach to fashion, made the Mudacs modernist building pop with a selection of his exuberant beaded creations, and covered an entire room in recycled colored plastic balls in a preview of his upcoming venture into interior design. More from WWD Advertisement Advertisement His first solo show, titled Les Monstrueuses: Carte blanche to Kevin Germanier, opened Friday and runs until March 22. The title of the exhibition nods to the use of monster as an adjective in Swiss slang. In Switzerland, when something is good, we say, Its monster cool, he explained. For Germanier, who is 33 years old, its a tongue-in-cheek take on a retrospective. He opened the show with a room called Not Dead Yet, which contains looks from each of his collections, beginning with his graduate show at Londons Central Saint Martins school in 2017, and ending with a wedding gown made of recycled Japanese paper from his most recent Paris runway show. A view of Kevin Germanier's exhibtion at the Mudac Museum in Switzerland. Germanier purposely placed his student effort next to a densely embroidered look from his debut haute couture show in January, which marked his pivot from ready-to-wear toward exclusive, made-to-measure designs. Advertisement Advertisement It shows that eight years later, Im still true to my original vision, but the execution is so much more refined, he said. Its pretty cool to see that evolution. There are red carpet pieces worn by the likes of Kristen Stewart and Heidi Klum, but he was also keen to reflect the reality of running an emerging fashion label. The second room is dedicated to his money-makers: his bestselling Tresorium beaded handbag, and collaborations with brands including Guerlain, Christian Louboutin, Perrier and Swiss writing instruments company Caran dAche, one of the sponsors of the exhibit. These are displayed alongside one of his designs for Bjork, a cow costume he made for this years Eurovision Song Contest, and outfits worn by performers during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Advertisement Advertisement I want to throw away the rule book and show that fashion isnt a closed world theres actually a lot of humor in it. And fashion isnt just about clothes; its a business, he explained. Kevin Germanier's poster for the 60th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival. Germaniers latest project is the poster for the 60th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival. A fully embroidered version will be available in a limited edition of six, alongside a capsule collection including a Tresorium bag, a bomber jacket and keychains. The designer, who specializes in turning landfill into wearable art, also wanted to provide a glimpse into his creative process by recreating a work room filled with personal mementos. I wanted it to be a little like Frankensteins laboratory, he said, nodding to the central table where a chimera creature lies, assembled from elements including his footwear collaborations with Louboutin and Ugg. Advertisement Advertisement Exhibits range from the Jeune Styliste fashion design video game he used to play as a child to a vintage dress by fellow Swiss designer Robert Piguet, which he recently inherited from a descendant of the legendary couturier. Also featured is a school project from 2010 that includes a corset made from upcycled PET bottles. Theres no greenwashing at Germanier. The inspirations have literally been there from the beginning. Ive always loved finding trash and turning it into something new, he said. Photos pay tribute to his family, including his grandmother Simone, who has pitched in to make his signature knitwear, like the yellow top and feather trim skirt worn by Lily Collins in Emily in Paris. Another one of his knitters, Anne-Marie Winet, is leading a crochet workshop as part of a program of events linked to the exhibition. A view of Kevin Germanier's exhibtion at the Mudac Museum in Switzerland. With rtw now on hold, Germanier is busy exploring new categories. The final room features fully beaded chairs, tables and lamps from a homeware collection with French online retailer La Redoute that is set to launch next spring. Advertisement Advertisement Germanier sees the room as a metaphor for his journey toward embracing his maximalist style. As a Swiss artist, theres still a long way to go when it comes to acceptance. When I first pitched my idea for this little cabin, they thought I was completely crazy. But if were going to do an exhibition, we have to go all the way, he said. In the end, that monstrous side that might seem negative really isnt. Its part of us. We all have that individuality inside of us and we should celebrate it. Its something I wish someone had told me when I was younger, but maybe I just had to figure it out for myself. Launch Gallery: Inside Kevin Germanier's Exhibition at the Mudac Museum in Switzerland Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Homemade slippers sealed the deal when it came to Betty Gilpin knowing Cosmo Pfeil was the one for her. While dating, the couple who met on set spent Thanksgiving with her parents, who lived in a no-shoes home. In the midst of a loud-talking contest with my father (their one Venn diagram overlap) about wiper fluid, my father gestured an apology to my dates bare hobbit feet having to spend the holiday naked and cold in our no-shoes home, she recalled in her 2022 book, All the Women in My Brain: And Other Concerns. Realizing that all of us had aging Christmas Walmart house socks, a look formed in his blue eyes that I could later identify as Must Do Immediate Elaborate Inconvenient Project to Fix Social Situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pfeil went under her parents kitchen sink and used paper grocery bags and blue duct tape to craft homemade slippers for the occasion, seemingly impressing Gilpin's father. This! Is a man! A man with solutions! her father said, clapping Pfeil on the back. Despite embarrassing Gilpin, the move worked and the two went on to tie the knot in 2016. Gilpin and Pfeil have since welcomed two daughters: Mary in 2020 and their younger child in 2024. So, who is Betty Gilpin's husband? Here is everything to know about Cosmo Pfeil and his relationship with the actress. He is an actor, director and nurse Monica Schipper/Getty Betty Gilpin and Cosmo Pfeil attend as Grey Goose toasts to the 2019 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 07, 2019 in New York City. Pfeil attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he got a bachelors degree in fine and studio arts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After graduating in 2000, Pfeil landed a role in the 2004 film Company K, in which he played Pvt. Nate Mountain. He went on to star in various film and television projects, including The Northern Kingdom, The Good Wife and Person of Interest. Pfeil also delved into directing, serving as an assistant director for Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter and Providence. It appears that Pfeil has since taken a career pivot; in a 2022 profile for The New York Times, he was described as a nurse. He also pursued a career in philanthropy Rachel Murray/Getty Betty Gilpin and Cosmo Pfeil attend Netflix 2019 SAG Awards after party at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 27, 2019 in West Hollywood, California. Betty Gilpin and Cosmo Pfeil attend Netflix 2019 SAG Awards after party at Sunset Tower Hotel on January 27, 2019 in West Hollywood, California. In 2005, Pfeil began a humanitarian career, working at various nonprofits. He was the director of operations at CAN-DO.org an organization that provides aid to communities in need before becoming the director of operations at GiveLove Haiti, Eco-Sanitation. They met on set and married in 2016 Gilpin and Pfeil met while working on the set of the 2009 drama, The Northern Kingdom. Filmed in Andes, N.Y., the movie follows three families during a meteor shower on a winter night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gilpin and Pfeil played the roles of siblings Carissa and Glen in the film, which was directed by Dorothy Lyman. Around seven years after meeting on set, the couple tied the knot in 2016. The couple share two children Randy Shropshire/Deadline via Getty Betty Gilpin attends Deadline Contenders Television at Directors Guild Of America on April 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Betty Gilpin attends Deadline Contenders Television at Directors Guild Of America on April 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Pfeil and Gilpin have two daughters: Mary, born in November 2020, and a second daughter born in May 2024. The GLOW actress opened up to the Los Angeles Times in 2025 about motherhood, saying that it gives you permanent access, whether you want it or not, to a darker, more rooted self. Gilpins elder daughter enjoys watching her mom act, especially during playtime. When Gilpin was starring in the Broadway production of Oh, Mary!, the performances often ran during Marys bedtime, so the mother-daughter duo would use the morning hours to live out Marys theatrical dreams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I basically have delusions of grandeur for 85 minutes at night, and then 7 a.m. I have another call, she told Vogue in 2025. Today my daughter cast me as a woman named Millie from Pennsylvania. So I was Millie from Pennsylvania from 7 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. this morning. I dont know who Ill be tomorrow, but I think Im going to get cast and Im really excited! He is supportive of Gilpins career Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic Actress Betty Gilpin attends the premiere of "GLOW" at The Cinerama Dome on June 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Actress Betty Gilpin attends the premiere of "GLOW" at The Cinerama Dome on June 21, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. While Pfeil mostly works outside of Hollywood, he is supportive of his wifes career. He and Mary joined Gilpin on location while she filmed the 2025 Western miniseries, American Primeval. Gilpin who was pregnant with their second daughter while filming played Sara Rowell, one of the lead roles. It wasnt the most easy, Gilpin told the Los Angeles Times of making the series, which included the use of a robotic steed instead of mounting a real horse. However, having her husband and daughter nearby helped. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That was my grand equalizer, she added. I would spend my days screaming bloody murder in a petticoat on a horse, then get home and hunch over in a candy cane position and do bath and bedtime. Being a mom in an Airbnb is way harder than filming on top of a ski mountain in below zero degrees. She admires their personality differences In All the Women in My Brain, Gilpin opened up about her husbands interests and the juxtaposition of their personalities. He knew every tree type by leaf and liked to cook obscure organs with peppers that made my eyes rain, she wrote. He could talk for an hour straight about the make of a table leg or a hawks itinerary." Gilpin continued, As for me, when a printer is out of ink, I fantasize about throwing the printer away. Thinking about how the wind works makes me crave a deep nap. He has talked about the wind to me for an hour. His name is, of course, Cosmo." Read the original article on People (NewsNation) Brad Pitt sued ex-wife Angelina Jolie for $35 million as the two continued to wage a legal war over Chateau Miraval, court documents revealed. Pitts lawyers submitted communications to and from Jolies legal team into evidence on Oct. 29, regarding her selling off her stake of their French winery in 2021, according to People Magazine. In November 2023, lawyers from the Salt star responded to a lawsuit from Pitt in an email, which reportedly involved millions of dollars in damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raven-Symone reflects on Bill Cosbys influence amid horrific accusations The burdensome nature of any production is a matter of Mr. Pitts own creation he is suing Ms. Jolie for $35 million in damages, Jolies attorneys wrote at the time. As a result, he has to incur the expense of producing the documents that will show (or not show) those damages. In an earlier email, Jolies team mentioned that Pitt was seeking ongoing damages for alleged harm to Miravals ongoing operations. Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt agreed on sale rules Jolie sold her half of the winery in October 2021 to Tenute del Mondo. Court papers showed that the couple agreed they would never sell their respective interests in Miraval without the others consent. VENICE, ITALY AUGUST 29: Angelina Jolie attends a photocall for Maria during the 81st Venice International Film Festival at on August 29, 2024 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images) Brad Pitt attends the world premiere of F1 The Movie on Monday, June 16, 2025, in Times Square in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) An insider told NewsNations Paula Froelich, She got angry because a judge awarded Brad 50/50 custody, and Brad finds out from the press she had sold her part of the business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The F1 actor has been successful, maintaining control over the vineyard when a court in Luxembourg ruled that 10% of the winery controlled by Tenute had to be held in escrow for two years, according to Froelich. David Del Rio hires Kim Kardashians lawyer after Matlock firing Before they married, the couple had bought the vineyard as a 60/40 split. Years into their marriage, Pitt gifted Jolie 10% more as a wedding gift for one euro. It is this 10% that is being held in escrow. NewsNations Paula Froelich 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 NewsNation. Cynthia Erivo turned heads at the Wicked: For Good world premiere in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as she showcased her toned abs. The actress arrived in a custom Jean Paul Gaultier creation that featured a charcoal crop top paired with a voluminous ruffled skirt. The look quickly garnered significant attention online. Here are more details about Erivos outfit. Cynthia Erivo stuns in crop top Cynthia Erivo made a glamorous appearance at the Wicked: For Good world premiere in Sao Paulo, Brazil, wearing a custom Jean Paul Gaultier creation. The British actress opted for a charcoal ensemble designed by Duran Lantink, the fashion houses creative director. The look featured a turtleneck crop top that highlighted her abs. It was paired with a voluminous ruffled drop-waist maxi skirt and a statement belt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To complete the ensemble, Erivo chose clear platform stilettos and stacked silver jewelry. She attended the premiere alongside co-star Jonathan Bailey and director Jon M. Chu. The post Cynthia Erivo Showcases Her Toned Abs in Crop Top appeared first on Mandatory. Closing out a year of international expansions, Bella Hadids next move for Orebella is something of a homecoming. The 29-year-old model and entrepreneur, who is of Dutch and Palestinian descent, is bringing her clean fragrance brand to the Middle East with Ulta Beauty, starting with the retailers just-opened store in Kuwait. The move follows Orebellas U.K. expansion this spring via Selfridges the British retailers biggest beauty launch of the year and more recently, Orebellas August foray into Mexico with Ulta. More from WWD Advertisement Advertisement The Middle East is my home, even if not necessarily geographically, but spiritually, said Hadid, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for Ultas Kuwait store at The Avenues mall. Its always been the dream to sell to the people that are family to me, and being in the Middle East now is such a huge accomplishment for us. At 15,000 square feet, Ultas Kuwait store is its largest globally. Via the retailers licensing partnership with Alshaya Group, Ulta plans to open its next Middle East store in the coming months in Dubai at the Mall of the Emirates, followed by a Dubai Mall opening in March 2026. Ulta will also debut in Saudi Arabia next March at the Red Sea Mall. Orebella, which is a top-five fragrance brand at Ulta Mexico and is known for its oil-infused scents, will roll out to each Middle East location as it opens. The Middle East Moment Its exciting to be in a region that over-indexes on perfume usage and has such a passionate consumer base within the category, said Alison Romash, general manager of Orebella, adding, the Middle East is also such an advanced retail market, where so much innovation is happening in mall culture. 'Orebella Indeed, the Middle East fragrance market is one of the largest in the world, valued at $3.8 billion in 2024 by research firm Claight Corp., which projects that figure to rise to $7.8 billion by 2033. Arab fragrance brands, too, have gained global prominence in recent years as fragrance shoppers increasingly seek out oud-infused, oil-based and long-lasting offerings in the category. Advertisement Advertisement When I think of the Middle East, I think about fragrance, said Hadid, who debuted Orebella in May 2024 after more than a decade of modeling for luxury brands ranging from Versace to Marc Jacobs and more. It goes back to my teta [grandmother in Arabic], and my aunts and uncles having these fragrances they would mix for themselves, or would wear for 45 years, that were such a part of their personalities; I hope Orebella can be one version of their personalities, as well, she said. Were excited to show the people that know the best about fragrance what were working with here. Each of Orebellas scents of which there are now five, priced at $72 for a 50-ml. bottle are alcohol-free and tap essential oils in addition to a signature Orelixir blend of skin-nourishing ingredients such as snow mushroom and jojoba oil. 'Orebella Heroes include Night Cap, a warm-spicy gourmand, as well as Salted Muse, which taps sea salt, pink pepper and olive tree accord. Most recently, the brand introduced an Eternal Roots scent in August, which features notes of lychee, bergamot, vetiver and patchouli. Advertisement Advertisement When we look at our customer data, were hitting that sweet spot of Millennials and Gen Z, and we are also rising with men, which has been very cool to see, said Romash, adding that Salted Muse, in particular, has exploded among the brands growing male shopper base. The brand is also resonating with consumers across ethic backgrounds: We are over-indexing, both at Ulta and direct-to-consumer, with a multicultural audience which has also helped drive our success in Mexico so far, because we have a strong affinity within the Hispanic community, Romash said. Gone Global Such has been the aim of Hadid whose global ambitions for Orebella include one day launching in Europe and, in particular, The Netherlands where her mother was born from Day One. Ive always wanted Orebella to not necessarily have a demographic; I want our fragrances to be a part of just about anybodys lives, no matter what walk of life they come from, said Hadid. Thats where the excitement comes from for me, is when I hear about a friends mom or grandmother loving Orebella just as much as I hear about younger kids and adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s loving it. Advertisement Advertisement Watching Orebella evolve from Bellas dream into a beloved global brand thats redefining the fragrance category has been truly inspiring, said Jessica Phillips, vice president of emerging brands and strategic initiatives at Ulta, in an email. Backed by Celebrands the firm also behind Halseys About-face color line Orebella has quickly established itself among the standout celebrity beauty brands of its time as the category proliferates. Hadids close friends, Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner, have similarly seen breakthrough successes, with Biebers Rhode being acquired by E.l.f. Beauty this year in a $1 billion deal, and Jenners Kylie Cosmetics seeing a resurgence thanks to its expansion into fragrance last year. Were all there for each other in different ways, said Hadid, adding that its not uncommon for the friends to exchange notes about their experiences vis-a-vis founder life. Hails gives me great advice when it comes to the business and the internal side of things, and we have very like-minded people on our teams. I can call her in the middle of the night and shell be there in the blink of an eye. Future Plans Recently, Hadid collaborated via Orebella with her longtime friends and Wildflower Cases founders and sisters, Sydney and Devon Carlson, on a celestial sky-patterned phone case and scentable wristlet. More collaborations with founder friends, Hadid hinted, could be on the horizon. Advertisement Advertisement We have so many ideas we want to do; youre going to see a lot more collaborations between me and the girls, she said. With 2025 serving as Orebellas first year of major retail expansion, the focus for 2026 will be product innovation. 'Orebella Were definitely looking to expand this concept of skinification of fragrance. We have new formats coming up this spring; the pipeline is one of the big axes for the business next year, said Romash, adding that the brand may eventually dabble in region-exclusive scents, too. We have a great opportunity with the Middle East to potentially tailor olfactives specifically for the region. Added Hadid: The world is our oyster when it comes to the Middle East, because people are open to so many different scents, even if its a bit stronger or has a good oud in it. Advertisement Advertisement With the model-founder now spending the better part of her days in Texas, where she is often immersed in nature, her creativity has been flowing as she embarks on newness for Orebella. I always feel very inspired by nature; when I open my windows while Im driving and it smells like freshly-mowed grass and every field is covered in flowers. Open air is what [Texas] smells like. And quietness. You cant smell quietness, but I can feel it for sure. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. According to a new rumor, Robert De Niro might bid adieu to the USA and move to Italy. Thus, he would be joining several stars who left the country in the wake of Donald Trumps presidential victory. Stars that have reportedly left the US following Trumps election include Eva Longoria, Rosie ODonnell, and Ellen DeGeneres. De Niro is a staunch critic of Trump, which only fuels rumors of his departure. Robert De Niro might leave US for Italy A new rumor suggests that Robert De Niro will depart the USA and settle in Italy. However, the actor has not officially revealed plans to leave the former. This rumor comes from The Daily Mail. It comes shortly after the two-time Oscar winner was honored with the Lupa Capitolina, Romes top honor. This honor was presented to him in recognition of his artistic achievements by Mayor Roberto Gualtieri at a ceremony in Campidoglio in collaboration with the Rome Film Festivals independently run Alice in the City sidebar, which focuses on children and youth-oriented films. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 82-year-old is currently in Rome to inaugurate his Nobu Hotel on Via Veneto. The actor co-founded the hotel chain with American-Israeli film producer-businessman Meir Teper and Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa. The Goodfellas actor became an Italian citizen in 2006. However, plans to naturalize him were opposed by the Italian-American group Order of the Sons of Italy (OSIA), who accused De Niro of portraying unflattering and untrue stereotypes of Italian-Americans via his gangster roles. Notably, De Niro played rising mobster Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II and shrewd criminal James Conway affiliated with a Mafia family in the aforementioned Goodfellas. Sons of Italy faxed the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, demanding that the actor not be honored with citizenship. They also claimed in a statement that he ruined the combined image of Italians and Italian-Americans via his gangster roles. He has done nothing to promote Italian culture in the United States, the statement read (via The Guardian). Instead, the Osia and its members hold him and his movies responsible for considerably damaging the collective reputations of both Italians and Italian-Americans. The post Fans Speculate Robert De Niro Might Move to Italy appeared first on Mandatory. Francis Ford Coppola's Belize getaway has sold for $1.8 million as the Napa Valley filmmaker seeks to recover from the financial blow of his 2024 box-office flop "Megalopolis." Coral Caye, a 2.5-acre island, is eight miles from the mainland behind the Belize Barrier Reef and is equipped with its own water tanks and solar panels. Once used as a commercial fishing camp, it was turned into one of the Family Coppola Hideaways, a collection of hospitality offerings made available to the public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coppola had leased it for the past nine years before his tenancy ended last month, according to brokerage firm the Corcoran Group. The firm's Peter McLean told Mansion Global, a digital platform that connects affluent buyers with luxury real estate worldwide, that Coppola visited Coral Caye every three to six months. Belize's Coral Caye spans 2.5 acres and is roughly eight miles from the mainland. (Courtesy of Terry Tao) "Mr. Coppola was very sad to see his lease come to an end," McLean, who handled the listing, said. "He treasured his time on this island paradise and it was a special place for him." The move comes after "The Godfather" director revealed plans to auction seven of his watches - valued up to $1 million - after self-funding his $120 million passion project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I don't have any money because I invested all the money, that I borrowed, to make Megalopolis,'" he revealed to Rick Rubin during an appearance on the "Tetragrammaton" podcast in March. "It's basically gone. I think it'll come back over 15 or 20 years, but I don't have it now." During his time on Coral Caye, Coppola built a pier and two residences: Coral Cottage and Seahorse Cottage. Another residence, the Great House, was built by Los Angeles-based lawyer Terry Tao, who has owned the island for roughly 10 years. Francis Ford Coppola visited Coral Caye every three to six months according to Peter McLean, who handled the listing. (Courtesy of Terry Tao) The Corcoran Group reports that a Guatemalan businessman has now purchased the island, with plans to convert it into a resort. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rosie, the dog that Coppola kept on the island, will remain a resident. "The new resort should be finished in about 12 to 18 months," McLean said. "But the island is continuing to operate as a resort with the structures and cottages that are already there." Tao first listed the island for sale in 2022 for $2.195 million. This article originally published at Francis Ford Coppola's Belize island sells for $1.8M amid financial fallout from Megalopolis'. Jeremy Renners filmmaking partner has accused the Marvel actor of threatening to call ICE on her after she confronted him about alleged misconduct. Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou, 34, who told the Daily Mail she was dating Renner, 54, last month, also accused him of sending unsolicited pornographic images of himself in a series of Instagram posts Monday. Zhou, who made a documentary and an animated movie with Renner this year, claimed the Hawkeye actor had introduced himself over direct message and WhatsApp with the unwanted photos in June 2025. Fans speculated about a possible relationship between Jeremy Renner, 54, and Yi Zhou, 34, after she posted a video of the pair driving near his Reno home on Instagram in September. / Theo Wargo/Getty Images Zhou said Renner pursued her by sending her unsolicited pornographic images. / Frazer Harrison / Frazer Harrison/Getty Images She said they then began a romantic relationship, and she invited him to be part of her two films. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zhou provided the Daily Mail with a screenshot of her alleged WhatsApp texts with Renner, including a short porn video clip Renner allegedly texted her in June. The filmmaker told the Mail that Renner became so angry after getting drunk during a meeting about the documentary, Chronicles Of Disney, at his home in Reno, Nevada, that she feared for her life. I was discussing about the doc logistics, then he drank a bottle of wine alone and got angry and angry yelling for two hours, Zhou said. I had to lock myself in a room to be safe praying he would not come into the room at night as he was really angry. I did not say a word, I was so scared for my life. In alleged texts with her Disney colleagues during the August 20 meeting obtained by the Mail, Zhou called Renner violent and said she was worried. She replied, I should be ok when asked Do you think you will be safe staying there? Zhou said she feared for her life when Renner allegedly got drunk during a meeting at his Nevada home on August 20. She shared screenshots of her alleged messages with her co-workers with the Daily Mail. / Yi Zhou Can you lock yourself in the bathroom? He sounds crazy, one co-worker texted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I did lock hope he cant open, Zhou replied. I m [so] worried he yelled for 2 hours with one bottle of wine down alone. Yi Zhou told the Daily Mail that she locked herself in a room while Renner was allegedly angry yelling for two hours. / Yi Zhou According to the Mail, fans speculated about a possible relationship between Zhou and Renner after she shared a video of the pair driving near his Reno home on Instagram in September. Zhou, who called Renner out in her Instagram post Monday for not promoting their films, told the Mail that Renner had used her before he denied their relationship. I did not reach out to him, he pursued me, she said. He used me and denied me and denied our work. In her Instagram posts, Zhou claimed that Renner threatened to call immigration after she confronted him over his behavior. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I called him out privately about his past misconduct and asked him to behave properly, to respect me as a woman and as a filmmaker, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on me, an act that deeply shocked and frightened me, she wrote. Zhou provided the Mail with alleged WhatsApp messages between her and Renner, in which she accused him of using all apps to send d--- pix and wrote, No one said anythingso far. Zhou refused to provide the rest of Renners alleged text, according to the Daily Mail. The Daily Beast recreated the alleged text messages, which were provided to the Daily Mail by Zhou. / Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast Renner responded, Immigration will be notified of your. Zhou refused to provide the rest of Renners alleged text, according to the Mail. Zhou characterized her claims as the unsaid truth about Hollywood and the conditions about how women and Asian filmmakers and filmmakers overall are still being mistreated, in her Instagram post. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Daily Beast has reached out to representatives for Renner for comment. Representatives did not respond to questions from the Daily Mail. According to court documents, Renners ex-wife Sonny Pacheco accused Renner of dangerous drug use and threatening to kill her and himself during a messy custody battle in 2019. / Weiss Eubanks/Getty Images Renner, who narrowly survived a 2023 snowplow accident that left him hospitalized for months with chest trauma and nearly 40 broken bones, was previously accused of abusive behavior by his ex-wife, Sonni Pacheco, during a messy custody battle for their then-6 year old daughter in 2019. The model and actress accused Renner of dangerous drug use and threatening to kill her and himself, according to court documents. The exes married in 2014 and Pacheco filed for divorce later that same year after just 10 months of marriage. Renner denied the allegations in an interview with The Guardian earlier this year. He and Pacheco now share joint custody of their daughter. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Getty Images King Charles has been battling cancer since early 2024, but he clearly hasn't let his health struggles stop his sense of humor. On Wednesday, November 5, The King visited Chatfield Health Care in London to learn about the special services they provide for veterans. During his visit, timed ahead of the Royal Family's Remembrance Day events this weekend, His Majesty joked about the metal in his body while speaking to a man recovering from arm fractures. The King spoke with David Wiggins, who broke his wrist and elbow after falling off his bike and needed to get metal plates in arm. "Are they keeping that under control? I'm so glad," The King said, via Hello!. He added, "I've got endless plates and screws in my arm as well. All that's left of you when you drop dead is 'Made in Switzerland.'" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The monarch has experienced his fair share of injuries over the years due to falling off his horse. In 1990, he broke his elbow after falling during a polo match, and in 2001, he suffered from a fractured shoulder after taking a spill off his horse in the middle of a fox hunt. Per Hello!, the then-Prince of Wales had to undergo a three-hour-long operation in 1990, which resulted in a weeklong hospital stayand some of the aforementioned "plates and screws." The King visited Chatfield Health Care on November 5. | Credit: Getty Images King Charles shared tea with a group of veterans at the facility. | Credit: Getty Images King Charles enjoyed tea with Wiggins and four other veterans during his visit to Chatfield Health Care, speaking about how they've been helped by the facility. "I'm so glad, I hadn't realized there was this marvelous effort in specializing with veterans in GP practices which is clearly making a big difference," the monarch said. His visit comes ahead of a busy few days for the Royal Family. On Saturday, The King, Queen and other members of the Royal Family will attend the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance, an annual concert held at the Royal Albert Hall. Sunday marks the annual Remembrance Day Service at The Cenotaph in London, and on Remembrance Day, which falls on Tuesday, November 11, numerous senior royalsincluding Princess Katewill carry out solo engagements to honor veterans. Meanwhile, Prince Harry is visiting Toronto at the moment, having met with the Queen's Own Rifles and the Royal Regiment of Canada, as well as personnel from one of the Royal Canadian Navy's largest reserve divisions. The Duke of Sussex was invited by True Patriot Love, Canadas national foundation for the military and veteran community. (Reuters) -Several pharmaceutical companies have said they will sell drugs direct to patients in the U.S. and offered discounts following President Donald Trump's calls to bring down drug prices and cut out "middlemen" like pharmacies, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. The Trump administration announced in September plans to launch a government-run website called TrumpRx.gov in early 2026, offering reduced prices for prescription drugs. U.S. patients currently pay by far the most for prescription medicines, often nearly three times more than in other developed nations. Trump sent letters to 17 major companies in July demanding they slash U.S. prescription drug prices. Below is an overview of pharmaceutical companies that recently announced direct-to-consumer sales and price cuts in the U.S., in alphabetical order: ASTRA ZENECA AstraZeneca and the Trump administration signed a deal on October 10 under which it would sell some medicines at a discount to the government's Medicaid plan in exchange for three years of tariff relief. The deal also envisages up to 80% discounts on some of AstraZeneca's drugs to be sold through the TrumpRx website, CEO Pascal Soriot said at the Oval Office. BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB Bristol-Myers Squibb will cut prices to eligible U.S. patients for blood clot treatment Eliquis and plaque psoriasis drug Sotyktu, with the latter being offered at a more than 80% discount to the list price, it said in September. ELI LILLY Eli Lilly said in June it would ship the two highest doses of its popular weight-loss drug Zepbound to cash-paying customers on its website starting early August. Trump, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk announced a deal on Thursday to cut the prices of popular GLP-1 weightloss drugs for the government's Medicare and Medicaid programs, as well as for cash payers. MERCK Trump and Merck KGaA said in October they had struck a deal under which the German company would sell its fertility treatments, including Gonal-f, Ovidrel and Cetrotide, directly to consumers with a combined discount of 84% off list price if three of them were used in IVF. Trump also said Merck would offer all new drugs launched in the U.S. at the prices it charges in other developed countries. NOVO NORDISK Novo Nordisk said in August it would offer its diabetes drug Ozempic for $499 per month to eligible cash-paying patients with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. via its own pharmacy, a tie-up with telehealth service GoodRx and other platforms. It had announced in April that it was working with telehealth firms Hims & Hers, Ro and LifeMD to sell Wegovy to cash-paying U.S. customers. Credit: Instagram/@innamoll/@eak_makeup Miss Chile has apologised after pretending to snort cocaine while getting ready for an event at the Miss Universe beauty pageant. Inna Moll, a model and influencer, dabbed makeup powder on her wrist before pretending to snort it to song Addicted to You by Shakira. The footage, which played on a viral TikTok trend, was shared across social media, forcing the 28-year-old into an apology in which she also blamed one of the makeup artists she was working with. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I want to apologise to everyone who felt offended, but I also want to explain the situation, she said. The person who uploaded that video was a makeup artist, and that makeup artist told me, record this. She continued: And I dont know if it was because of the language barrier that we werent understanding each other well, because I kept saying no and he kept going and going, and with everything thats going on, I didnt refuse. Inna Moll appeared to partially blame a makeup artist for the video - Jam Press Ms Moll said she should have flatly refused and not done the video. The model, who has one million followers on Instagram, said she was still happy to take part in the Miss Universe pageant, which is being hosted in Thailand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I love you all very much, see you tomorrow, because this is just the beginning, so anyway, Im super, super happy. The event has already been mired in controversy after a senior official berated Miss Mexico for apparently not promoting the beauty pageant on social media. Nawat Itsaragrisil, the director of Miss Universe Thailand, scolded Fatima Bosch in front of other contestants at a welcome event this week. Nawat Itsaragrisil (centre) scolded Miss Mexico for not promoting the pageant on social media - Instagram Mr Nawat appeared to say: If you follow the order from your national director, you are a dumb head. He denied using the word dumb. He then called security and threatened to disqualify Ms Bosch and her fellow contestants after she argued back. She walked out in protest, with others joining her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The director later started to cry as he issued an apology to those he had offended. I am human. I didnt want to do anything like that, he said. I had not intended to harm anyone because I respect all of you. I am so sorry it happened. Several models joined Fatima Bosch in walking out of the pageant event - BBC Ms Bosch later said in an interview: I just want to let my country know, Im not afraid to make my voice heard. Its here, stronger than ever. I have a purpose. I have things to say. Were in the 21st century. Im not a doll to be made up, styled and have my clothes changed. I came here to be a voice for all the women and all the girls who fight for causes and to tell my country that Im completely committed to that. Fatima Bosch has said Im not a doll to be made up following the row with Nawat Itsaragrisil Contestants have been taking part in welcome events before the winner is crowned the new Miss Universe on Nov 21. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The crown is currently held by Victoria Kjr Theilvig of Denmark, who supported Ms Bosch in walking out after Mr Nawats remarks. This is about womens rights, she said as she left the event. This is not how things should be handled. To trash another girl is beyond disrespectful Thats why Im taking my coat and Im walking out. 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. Miss Universe pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil broke down crying after issuing an apology for the controversial exchange he shared with Miss Mexico earlier this week. I am human. I didnt want to do anything like that, the Miss Universe Thailand director said through tears during a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 5, per USA Today. The Miss Universe Organization executive director was also seen crying and addressing reporters in a video shared to TikTok, while a man stood in the background carrying tissues that were presumably for the Miss Universe exec. Itsaragrisil berating Miss Mexico during the pre-pageant event. Miss Universe Thailand Itsaragrisil called Bosch a dummy. Miss Universe Thailand Meanwhile, Itsaragrisil addressed another crowd during a pageant welcome event later on Wednesday. He once again apologized, this time to the Miss Universe delegates standing behind him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had not [intended] to harm anyone because I respect all of you, he said. I am so sorry it happened. First, I have to apologize to the delegates. If anyone was affected and not comfortable with what happened, I am so sorry. Itsaragrisils apology tour came after he shared a surprising confrontation with Mexicos Miss Universe delegate, Fatima Bosch, during a pre-pageant event on Tuesday. Itsaragrisil berated Mexicos Miss Universe delegate, Fatima Bosch, during a pre-pageant event on Nov. 4, 2025. @fatimaboschfdz/Instagram Bosch in her Miss Universe outfit and sash. @fatimaboschfdz/Instagram Bosch was singled out by Itsaragrisil before the annual sashing ceremony. The event, which was live-streamed on the Miss Universe Thailand Facebook page and quickly went viral, captured Itsaragrisil calling out Bosch for not participating in a sponsorship shoot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mexico, where are you? he asked before Bosch spoke up. I heard youre not going to support everything about Thailand. Is that true? The exchange lasted for almost five minutes before Itsaragrisil called Bosch a dummy. Itsaragrisil singled out Bosch before the annual Miss Universe sashing ceremony. @nawat.tv/Instagram Itsaragrisils remarks to Bosch went viral. @nawat.tv/Instagram I still keep talking to everybody, why you still stand up to talk to me, he questioned Bosch. Because I have a voice, she fired back. You are not respecting me as a woman. The Thai businessman ultimately called for security to take Bosch out of the room as the rest of the Miss Universe contestants protested the move. More than a dozen other participants walked out of the pre-pageant event in solidarity with Bosch. Nawat Itsaragrisil during a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 13, 2025. NARONG SANGNAK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Itsaragrisil speaks next to contestants during the official Miss Universe 2025 welcome event in Bangkok, Thailand, on Nov. 5, 2025. RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/Shutterstock Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sit down, Itsaragrisil said as the contestants left the room. If anyone wants to continue the contest, sit down. Miss Universe President Raul Rocha Cantu later condemned Itsaragrisil and announced that he was sending someone else to Thailand to oversee the remainder of the events. Cantu added that Itsaragrisil humiliated, insulted and he showed a lack of respect, in addition to the serious abuse of having called security to intimidate a defenseless woman, trying to silence and exclude her. More than a dozen other Miss Universe contestants walked out of the pre-pageant event after Bosch was escorted away by security. Miss Universe Thailand Itsaragrisil threatened the contestants in an effort to get them to sit back down. Miss Universe Thailand Itsaragrisil spoke out on the controversy on his Instagram on Wednesday morning. He apologized for making those who saw the surprising video uncomfortable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I invested and tried my best to make this event fair to everyone but its hard to control because the daily events of being posted makes it harder for him to reach the miss, he wrote. Sorry universe fans I can only do this because my patience has a limit, the pageant executive concluded. Sorry again if I make anyone uncomfortable watching. Miss Mexico, Fatima Bosch, turned a routine pageant rehearsal into a global moment earlier this week when Miss Universe Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil publicly scolded her on a livestream. The clip exploded online, sparking outrage, walk-outs, and now after days of damage control a tearful apology. On Wednesday, November 5, Itsaragrisil faced reporters in Bangkok, visibly shaken as he addressed the backlash. I am human, he told the press, according to USA Today. Sometimes the pressure is a lot. I never wanted to hurt anyone. A short time later, during a welcome ceremony with contestants behind him, he took the mic again to face them directly. I have to apologize to the delegates, he said, bowing toward the group. If anyone was made uncomfortable by what happened, I am so sorry. In video clips posted across social media, Itsaragrisil can be seen wiping away tears while a man beside him holds a box of tissues. I had not [intended] to harm anyone because I respect all of you, he said. I am so sorry it happened. SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox For those in the dark, the drama started Tuesday, November 4, when Bosch and other contestants gathered in Bangkok for a pre-pageant rehearsal livestream. What was supposed to be a simple run-through turned chaotic when Itsaragrisil called out Miss Mexico for skipping a promotional photo shoot. In the clip, hes seen pointing at Bosch and accusing her of disrespecting the events sponsors. Bosch didnt back down. Because I have a voice, she fired back, before calmly reminding him that she was following her national directors instructions. Itsaragrisil reportedly interrupted and according to multiple outlets, called her a dummy or dumbhead. Within seconds, several contestants, including reigning Miss Universe Victoria Kjr Theilvig, stood up and walked out in solidarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The moment spread like wildfire online, with hashtags like #StandWithMexico and #RespectAllDelegates trending across TikTok and X. By the next day, the story had gone international. Fans, former titleholders, and pageant insiders blasted the exchange as disrespectful and unprofessional. Even Noelia Voigt, the former Miss USA who resigned last year citing a toxic environment, weighed in, saying she was shocked, disgusted, disappointed, and genuinely horrified. SIGN UP for our The Bachelor newsletter to stay up to date on the latest Bachelor Nation news, exclusive interviews, episode recaps & more As the backlash grew, the Miss Universe Organization stepped in, dispatching a senior delegation led by CEO Mario Bucaro to Thailand to ensure a safe and professional environment for contestants. In an official statement posted to its social channels, MUO reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with the host community, the Miss Grand International Organization (MGI), and all local partners to ensure the continued success of the 74th Miss Universe competition. Together, we are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of respect, safety, and integrity for all participants, staff, and stakeholders." Bosch, meanwhile, hasnt wavered. Speaking to reporters after the incident, she said in Spanish: Were in the 21st century, and Im not a doll to be made up, styled, and have my clothes changed. I came here to be a voice for all the women and all the girls who fight for causes and to tell my country that I'm completely committed to that. This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Miss Universe executive Nawat Itsaragrisil has publicly apologized after he insulted Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch in a moment that quickly went viral on social media. "I am human. I didnt want to do anything like that," the Thai TV personality, 60, said during a press conference on Wednesday, November 5, according to USA Today. Itsaragrisil broke down in tears while speaking to the press, according to multiple reports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Itsaragrisil also apologized to the contestants directly during a ceremony that same day. Karla Sofia Gascon Addresses Controversy Over Old Tweets in New Statement: They Already Won "I want to take this opportunity to say something about something that's happened. Because I am a human," the businessman, who holds executive positions within both the Miss Universe Organization and Miss Universe Thailand, in addition to serving as president of Miss Grand International, said at the ceremony. "I think you must understand the pressure is a lot, I am a human sometimes. I cannot control. By the way, I have not intend to hurt anyone." Itsaragrisil added, "I have to apologize for the delegates," before turning and bowing at the women. He also apologized to Miss Universes followers and anyone who felt affected by the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this week, Itsaragrisil made headlines for a viral argument with Bosch, 25, during a sash ceremony in which he called the Mexican model a dumbhead, an expression that means fool or empty-headed. Courtesy of Fatima Bosch/Instagram As seen in footage of the tense exchange shared online, Bosch told Itsaragrisil, We respect you, just as you should respect us. Im here representing my country, and its not my fault you have problems with my organization. Itsaragrisil replied, No, you must listen to me first, then argue with me. According to the outlet N+, Itsaragrisil had questioned why Bosch did not post about their host country, Thailand, on social media. Though Bosch tried to tell Itsaragrisil that it was a misunderstanding, he responded, If you follow your national directors orders, youre a dumb head. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bosch walked out of the room in protest, with many of her fellow competitors, including the current Miss Universe, Denmarks Victoria Kjr Theilvig, joining her in solidarity. Bosch later told the media of the incident, He called me dumb because he has issues with the organization, and I think thats unfair. I think the world needs to see this, because we are empowered women and this platform is for our voices. No one can silence it. No one will silence me. The Biggest Beauty Pageant Scandals and Controversies of All Time: Fatima Boschs Viral Moment and More She concluded, It doesnt matter if you have a big dream or a crown. If it takes away your dignity, you should walk away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Miss Universe Organization also issued a statement reassuring fans that it was committed to participants safety and respect. The Miss Universe Organization (MUO) reaffirms its commitment to work closely with the host community, the Miss Grand International Organization (MGI), and all local partners to ensure the success of the 74th edition of the pageant, the statement read. A high-level delegation, led by the MUOs CEO, Mr. Mario Bucaro, is traveling to Thailand to strengthen collaboration with the host country, MGI, and relevant authorities. All scheduled events and activities will take place as planned, reaffirming our shared goal of delivering a global celebration that reflects the values of diversity, empowerment, and inclusion that define the legacy of Miss Universe. In a video posted via social media on Tuesday, November 4, Miss Universe President Raul Rocha announced that Itsaragrisil's participation in events related to the 74th Miss Universe competition would be restricted, limiting it as much as possible or eliminating it entirely." Rocha also postponed the sash presentation ceremony "to avoid any interaction with Nawat and demanded that Bucaro issue a statement detailing the legal actions that the Miss Universe Organization would undertake as a result of the malicious acts committed by Nawat." Finally, Rocha announced a dissociation from Miss Grand International, saying that his trust in MGI failed under the unfortunate leadership of Nawat." In a jaw-dropping revelation, MrBeast a.k.a Jimmy Donaldson announced the inauguration of Beast Land, a one-of-a-kind theme park with never-before-seen games. The futuristic park draws inspiration from his viral challenge videos and promises visitors an immersive experience like no other. MrBeast announces his own theme park based in Saudi Arabia MrBeast fans and theme park enthusiasts around the globe are gearing up for the ultimate adventure at Beast Land. The Forbes Top Creator transformed his viral challenges into theme park games at his theme park, all set to open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 13, 2025. The philanthropist recently took to social media to share the news with his massive social media following. The X post captioned, Next week Beast Land, our brand new theme park opens!!!! We built custom games modeled after our videos that dont exist ANYWHERE else and will have the worlds largest prize wall :D went viral in no time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The post gave viewers a peek into the exciting games awaiting their visit to Beast Land. One game, Tower Siege, requires visitors to load balls in real catapults and fire them into gigantic 60-foot tubes to earn points. Drop Zone, on the other hand, is played with six players on trap doors. The last player to hit the button gets eliminated, while the final player earns the highest number of points. Beast Land also promises traditional rollercoasters and rides. MrBeast revealed that the park features the worlds largest prize wall. It is supposedly a wall of honor that allows visitors to bag high-value awards throughout the day. Explaining the never-before-seen additions, the YouTuber revealed that he didnt want visitors to have a typical theme park experience. Therefore, Donaldson curated games that he himself would enjoy. Beast Land will have 3 different types of tickets. The general admission ticket with just access to the park will cost $7. It wont cover rides, activations, games, or experiences. Meanwhile, the Beast Mode ticket with access to games, challenges, and 3 rides will cost $25, and the Beast Mode +, granting access to everything, will cost $66. Originally reported by Sibanee Gogoi on Mandatory. The post MrBeast Announces Beast Land Theme Park With Unique Games appeared first on Reality Tea. NEED TO KNOW Prince Harry traveled to Canada to take part in events commemorating Remembrance Day While in the country, the Duke of Sussex took time to address the backlash that arose after he wore a Los Angeles Dodgers hat to Game 4 of the 2025 World Series "I'm very sorry to the Canadian public. I'm devastated that the [Toronto] Blue Jays lost, but go Jays," he said, offering a good-natured apology Prince Harry is setting the record straight on hatgate" and offering an apology to Canada. The Duke of Sussex, 41, sparked some backlash after wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers hat while attending Game 4 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Oct. 28, with his wife, Meghan Markle instead of showing support for Canadas own Toronto Blue Jays. The criticism came from fans who felt the prince shouldve backed a team from a Commonwealth country rather than his new home base in California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Harry, who is in Toronto for Remembrance Day events the U.K.s equivalent of Veterans Day took a moment amid his busy schedule, which included visiting the Veterans Centre at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on Thursday, Nov. 6, to laugh off the friendly controversy and reaffirm his affection for Canada. "Is there anything you would like to say about wearing that L.A. Dodgers hat last week and getting into hot water?" Harry was asked in an interview with CTV News on Nov. 6. Harry replied, "Oh, the L.A. Dodgers hat hatgate. Well, firstly, I would like to apologize to Canada for wearing it." "Secondly, I was under duress," he continued, reflecting on his experience watching Game 4 at Dodger Stadium. "There wasn't much choice. I was invited to the L.A. Dodgers box or the dugout by the owner himself. So, I was doing what I thought was the polite thing to do." Joe Scarnici/MLB Photos via Getty Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for a photo during Game Four of the 2025 World Series Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for a photo during Game Four of the 2025 World Series While the Dodgers lost Game 4, they would go on to win Game 7 against the Blue Jays, 5-4, and ultimately become World Series champions, Harry wanted it to be clear where his heart lies by putting on a Blue Jays hat during the interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'm going to wear this from now on to make sure I don't make any more of those mistakes," he said, while offering another explanation as to why he wore a Dodgers hat to begin with. "When you're missing a lot of hair on top and you're sitting under flood lights, you'll take any hat that's available," he said. He went on to say that for the rest of the World Series, he was "Blue Jays throughout." Meghan proved just that when she shared an Instagram Stories clip in which Harry appeared to be upset after the Dodgers won Game 7. 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! While Harry said that it's going to be "really hard" to return to Los Angeles after revealing where his loyalty lies, the interview ended with him reiterating yet again, "I'm very sorry to the Canadian public. I'm devastated that the Blue Jays lost, but go Jays." Read the original article on People Prince William and Prince Harry are back in the headlines this week, and this time it is about their royal engagements and speculation that the latter tried to upstage his older brother. The two brothers happened to be on separate royal-style trips at the same time, sparking heaps of gossip about whether Harry was trying to steal his brothers thunder. But insiders say that its not true. Prince Harrys travel plans were not set by him, per source Hello! Magazine reported that Prince Harrys visit to Canada and Williams Earthshot Prize events in Brazil were a scheduling coincidence in their royal engagements and not the Duke of Sussexs plan to upstage William. A source told the magazine that Harry did not plan the trip himself. The True Patriot Love Foundation, a Canadian military charity he had supported in the past, invited him, and the group set the dates long before either brothers travel plans were public. The source explained that the charity set the dates of the event, not the duke. They added that informing Buckingham Palace was a matter of courtesy. Besides, according to their claim, the trip was to mark the period of Remembrancetide, which runs each year from November 1 to November 11. The report stressed that one cannot modify those dates. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the timing did raise eyebrows. On the same night William hosted his star-filled Earthshot ceremony in Brazil, photos of Harry meeting veterans in Canada appeared and made rounds on the internet. Even so, according to the report, the late notice about the Duke of Sussexs travel was all about his personal security arrangements. Since he no longer receives official royal protection, his team only confirms travel plans once everything is for sure. Observers noted that the clash may have looked awkward, but there is no suggestion that it was intentional. With William working across the Atlantic and Harry honoring veterans in Canada, it seems the brothers were busy focusing on their own commitments, even if their schedules collided for a few days. Originally reported by Ishika Mishra on Reality Tea. The post Prince Harry & Brothers Royal Engagement Overlap Not Intentional Source appeared first on Mandatory. Prince William is currently in Brazil and it feels like he hasn't stopped moving for a second. From taking in the views at Sugarloaf Mountain to jumping into a game of beach volleyball at Copacabana Beach and, of course, attending the 2025 Earthshot Prize Awards, hes been seriously booked and busy. With so much going on, its easy to miss one of the most touching moments of his trip: William quietly recreated a photo his mother took nearly 35 years ago. Back in 1991, Princess Diana posed in front of Brazils iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. On November 5, the Prince of Wales paid tribute with his own photo, standing before the nearly 100-foot statue in his signature navy suit. Chris Jackson/Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Kensington Palace spokesperson confirmed that the moment held deep meaning for him. The Prince has loved meeting so many people from across Rio over the last few days," the spokesperson said, according to People. Hes been incredibly struck by the number of people who fondly remember his mothers visit to this beautiful city." But Williams tributes to his mother go beyond photos. In July, on what would have been Princess Dianas 64th birthday, he spent part of the day focusing on one of her lifelong causes: ending homelessness. On July 1, he marked the two-year anniversary of Homewards, his Royal Foundation program working to end homelessness across the U.K. The event featured a panel with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and entrepreneur Steven Bartlett, both active supporters of the initiative. ANTONIO SCORZA/AFP via Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brown reflected on Dianas lasting influence, noting how she inspired her son to care about the issue early on. She encouraged him to take an interest in why people were on the streets, and why people were homeless, and why people needed a better chance, he said, per The Telegraph. Want all the latest royal news sent right to your inbox? Click here. Prince William Looks Next-Level Dapper on the Green Carpet Al Nassr captain opens up in Piers Morgan interview about personal grief Ronaldo breaks silence on missing Diogo Jotas funeral Cristiano Ronaldo addressed the reason behind his absence from the funeral of Diogo Jota, the late Liverpool & Portugal forward who tragically passed away in July 2025 in car accident in Zamora, Spain. Ronaldos decision not to attend sparked widespread criticism across social media with many questioning his silence despite his long standing connection with Jota through the Portuguese national team. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In candid interview with Piers Morgan, broadcast this week, the Al Nassr star explained his decision saying it stemmed from both personal principles and desire to protect the privacy of the ceremony. "I didnt want to turn it into a spectacle" Cristiano Ronaldo explains why he didn't attend Diogo Jota's funeral in July. pic.twitter.com/u1zTq2Dm7U ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 6, 2025 The 40 year old revealed that since his fathers death, he has never visited cemetery, adding: "You know my reputation wherever I go, it turns into something like circus. I didnt want that kind of attention at Diogos funeral" Reports at the time suggested Ronaldo privately reached out to Jotas family expressing condolences and providing support away from the cameras. "My support for Diogos family was private. I didnt need cameras to prove my sincerity" Ronaldo concluded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: November 05, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points First Majestic Silver Corp (NYSE:AG) reported record Q3 numbers, with record silver production of 3.9 million ounces and 11.3 million ounces year-to-date. The company achieved record revenues and cash flows, with $140 million in cash flow and over $560 million in the bank. Los Gatos acquisition has been successfully integrated, contributing significantly to the company's performance. The company is on track to meet all its guidance metrics for the year, including producing over 30 million silver equivalent ounces. Significant exploration successes at Santa Elena with two major discoveries, Navidad and Santo Nino, which will extend the mine's life. Negative Points Ongoing tax dispute with the Mexican government has been unresolved for 13 years, though management does not view it as material. Analysts have focused on the tax issue rather than the company's operational successes, causing some frustration for management. There was a perceived revenue miss due to holding 758,000 ounces of silver and 4,000 ounces of gold in inventory, affecting reported revenue. Some integration items from recent acquisitions are still being worked on, indicating ongoing operational adjustments. The company is not currently providing detailed updates on certain projects like Jarrett Canyon, which may leave investors seeking more information. Q & A Highlights Q: Can you provide more details on the ongoing tax dispute with the Mexican government? A: Keith Neumeyer, President & CEO, explained that the tax dispute has been ongoing for 13 years and is not considered material to the business. The company is in regular discussions with the Mexican government and has also involved the Canadian government. The issue is fully disclosed in financial statements, and management does not focus on it as it does not impact the company's core operations. Q: What were the key highlights of First Majestic Silver's Q3 2025 financial performance? A: Keith Neumeyer highlighted that Q3 2025 was a record quarter for the company, with 3.9 million ounces of silver produced and record revenues. The company reported $140 million in cash flows and a cash position of over $560 million. The focus remains on reducing costs and increasing production efficiency. The Gist The 137-carat Florentine Diamond was thought to be missing since the early 1920s. In November 2025, The New York Times reported that it has been in a Canadian bank vault since 1953. Empress Zita of the former Austria-Hungary transported the diamond out of Europe during WWII, her descendants revealed. One of the biggest royal jewelry mysteries of the last century has been solved. The legendary Florentine Diamond, once owned by the Medicis and Marie Antoinettes parents, has resurfaced in a bank vault in Canada. Descendants of Charles I, former emperor of Austria-Hungary and member of the Hapsburg dynasty, revealed to The New York Times in November 2025 that the marvelous gem had never really been lost. Weighing over 130 carats, the yellow Florentine is among the worlds most valuable diamondsbut for the last 100 years, its whereabouts were unknown to all but a few. The media speculated that the gem had been misplaced, stolen, or recut and sold amidst the chaos of two world wars. In reality, it was hidden by Charles Is wife, Empress Zita. Hulton Archive/Getty Images Empress Zita of Austria with her family in exile, circa 1920. Empress Zita of Austria with her family in exile, circa 1920. The emperors grandson, Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, told The New York Times that he and his family kept the diamonds location a secret to honor Zitas wishes. The empress died in 1989 at 96 years old. I think she wanted to make sure that it was not in her lifetime, he explained of why the Florentine did not resurface earlier. I have the feeling she was very glad that some important objects of the family are something that she had saved, he continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Below, learn the complete story about the famous Florentine Diamond, including its royal pedigree, why it was kept in Canada, and where it might end up next. Its a 137-carat pear-shaped pale-yellow diamond worth an estimated $750,000. Its not everyday you see a rock as large as the Florentine, which clocks in at an astounding 137 carats. The pear-shaped stone originated in India, according to Britannica. It made its way into royal possession sometime before or during the 15th century, when Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, wore it on his armor in battle. Impressive as it looked, the diamond failed to protect him from being killed at the Battle of Nancy in 1477. The Times reported that the Habsburg family declined to speculate on the stones value in 2025; however, a 2024 ArtNet feature on the whereabouts of the stone suggested it has a current value of between $700,000 and $750,000. While thats no small sum, it pales in comparison to the valuations of other famous diamondsfor example, the cursed Hope Diamond has an estimated worth of over $200 million. The Regent Diamond, part of the French crown jewels, comes with a price tag of $60 million. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images A glass replica of the yellow Florentine Diamond, thought missing until November 2025. A glass replica of the yellow Florentine Diamond, thought missing until November 2025. It was previously owned by a pope and Marie Antoinettes parents. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images An 18th-century portrait of Emperor Francis I, father of Marie Antoinette, by Martin van Meytens. An 18th-century portrait of Emperor Francis I, father of Marie Antoinette, by Martin van Meytens. Charles the Bolds loss was Pope Julius IIs gain, according to Britannica. His Holiness (and later the Medici family) possessed the Florentine Diamond from the early 16th century until the early 18th century. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The end of the male Medici line led to its passage into the hands of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine, per The New York Times. Specifically, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria gained the jewel upon her 1736 marriage to Francis Stephen, then Duke of Tuscany. The couple welcomed their 15th and perhaps most famous child, daughter Marie Antoinette, in November 1755. Upon the collapse of Austria-Hungary in 1918, Emperor Charles I transported the Florentine Diamond and other jewels considered to be the private property of the Habsburg-Lorraine house to Switzerland, where he and his family lived in exile. Thus began the mystery of the fate of the Florentine, with The Washington Post reporting it as missing in 1921, per the Times. Empress Zita secretly transported the Florentine Diamond to Canada during WWII. George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images Charles I, Emperor of Austria-Hungary, with his wife, Empress Zita, in 1916. Charles I, Emperor of Austria-Hungary, with his wife, Empress Zita, in 1916. Zita and her children continued to relocate after Charles Is death in 1922 from pneumonia. They left Switzerland for Spain and then Belgium. Upon the Nazis annexation of Austria in 1938, the family fled to the United States. Zita carried the familys jewels, including the Florentine Diamond, in a cardboard suitcase, her children told the Times. The royals next relocated to Canada, where Zita stayed until 1953. That year, upon the empresss return to Europe, the precious gems found their final home in a Quebec bank vault. Von Habsburg-Lothringen told the Times she only told her sons Robert and Rodolphe about the diamonds whereabouts, and made them promise to keep it a secret until 100 years after her late husbands death. One of Austrias imperial court jewelers examined the diamond and released a statement to the Times explaining why he believed it to be authentic. It may remain in Canada or return to Austria. If you want a glimpse of the majestic Florentine Diamond, dont book your flight to Quebec just yet. While the family told The New York Times of their desire to display this and other jewels at a Canadian museum as a gesture of appreciation for the country taking in their grandmother and parents during WWII, the Austrian government may have other plans. Austrias vice chancellor and minister of culture said in a statement, If it turns out that the Florentine Diamond is the property of the Republic of Austria, I will initiate the process of returning the jewel. Read the original article on InStyle Rachel Brosnahan will be making a major career move soon. It was announced on Thursday by Deadline that the Emmy-winning actress will be making her directorial debut with a documentary about fashion icon and her aunt, Kate Spade. Spade, who was born as Katherine Noel Brosnahan, was a fashion designer and businesswoman best known for her brand Kate Spade New York. The late designer founded her company in 1993 alongside her husband, Andy, and they met while Kate was a college student at Arizona State University, working at Carter Men's Shop in Phoenix. In 2018, Spade was found dead in her Manhattan home by suicide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kate Spade's playful and colorful designs helped redefine modern American style, leaving a lasting impact on both fashion and the way women expressed confidence through what they wore. Her accessible yet chic designs not only changed the accessories market but also influenced a cultural shift toward joyful, self-expressive fashion. Designer Kate Spade arrives at the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute Gala for the opening of 'Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Brosnahan's production company, Scrap Paper Pictures, Fisher Stevens Highly Flammable and Connor Schell's Words + Pictures are partnering together to produce the documentary. Stevens, Maura Anderson, Zak Kilberg, Libby Geist, Alexa Conway and Andy Spade are serving as executive producers. "Rachel is a remarkably talented storyteller and she has the most personal of connections to Kate Spades powerful story," shared Schell of Words + Pictures to Deadline. "We are thrilled to be working with her as she directs her first film." Brosnahan is an Emmy and Golden Globewinning actress best known for her breakout role as Miriam "Midge" Maisel in the acclaimed series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Born in Milwaukee and raised in Illinois, she began acting in high school before studying theater at New York University. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now 35 years old, her early roles in House of Cards, Manhattan and various indie films were how she quickly earned her reputation as an actress. Beyond television, Brosnahan has appeared in films such as Im Your Woman, Dead for a Dollar and Superman. Rachel Brosnahan attends Stella Artois Lets Do Dinner celebration at Gotham Hall, presented by Meta, on Sept. 09, 2025 in New York City. Currently, the documentary is in the very early stages of production. A release date has not been announced yet. Related: Scarlett Johansson's First Film as a Director Stirs Excitement With Release Date This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Centre Film Festival returns next week for its seventh annual celebration of film and conversation. Stretching across five venues, the festival will showcase about 300 films, facilitate conversations with viewers and filmmakers, host award ceremonies and more. The festival is the brainchild of Pearl Gluck and the late Curtis Chandler. In 2019, the pair found themselves pondering how to provide opportunities to engage with the arts to those who didnt have them. Chandler lived in Philipsburg, home to the historic Rowland Theatre, which first opened its doors in 1917. The theater has been used as a venue since the festivals beginnings, and free shuttle services will be offered next weekend from the White Building on Penn States campus to the Rowland. We thought through, how do we bring something that is just so intuitive for us, Gluck, co-founder and artistic director, said. How do we bring it into a historic theater and bring some of that energy into this historic space? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The festival, running this year from Nov. 10-16, has evolved from a weekend endeavor to a weeklong experience powered by almost 100 people. The scope has changed, but Gluck said their mission to celebrate local stories and honor the talent of central Pennsylvania hasnt. Every film that we bring, even if its from Mongolia, which were doing, we think about how it has relevance here, like to the rural communities, Gluck said. Because its a rural film, and it looks at those concerns in Mongolia, yes, but how does that speak to us here? Co-founder and artistic director of the Centre Film Festival Pearl Gluck, left, is pictured at a recent pre-festival event with Jennifer Lin, the filmmaker of About Face. Alongside that mission, Gluck said theyre committed to financial and physical accessibility. Student tickets are completely free, and all-access passes for non-students are $60 but Gluck says if people show up unable to foot the bill, they always just let them in. This year, we partnered with the Student Disability Resources to make sure that we have a good online presence, that the virtual festival is accessible, that we honor the 35th anniversary of the ADA, Gluck said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coordinating the festival has been a huge undertaking for Gluck, who has found a way to integrate it into her lectures as a Penn State professor. If were talking about making films, were also talking about how to support yourself as a filmmaker and put food on your table as an artist. So thats where festivals come in, Gluck said. Its a great example right there available to students. The festival received about 850 submissions this year, which is the most in its short history. The process for selecting films starts with first-year students then segues to the programming committee in what Gluck describes as a very arduous process. Students from two Bellisario College of Communications freshman seminars watch and judge the high school and college student films, then the programming committee meets and reviews the recommendations, according to Gluck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the end, we give a lot of consideration to ... what are we trying to talk about here, whats relevant to our community? Gluck said. Its incredible for me as a professor to be able to have that front row seat, and also as a filmmaker, it just encourages you to keep going, because you realize how much talent is out there. The Centre Film Festival returns Nov. 10-16 to venues across Centre County. Whats new at Centre Film Festival this year? This years festival will have two new features: an immersive virtual reality experience at the Palmer Museum of Art and all-day showings. Diane Akpovwa, a fourth-year student studying human-centered design and development, approached Gluck with the idea for a VR initiative last year during her time as a web and virtual reality intern. I love the way that art makes people feel, and I love the way that film makes people see, Akpovwa said. And so thats why I thought that virtual reality would be an excellent opportunity, because you are physically transporting people to other places and realms and feelings that they can experience and heightened emotions that have never really been experienced before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At last years festival she had the opportunity to do a pilot experience where they streamed a show for a small group of viewers who got to choose their own experiences at the Rowland Theatre. It was a huge success across so many ages, Akpovwa said. And so then this year, we decided to really go big and hone in on it. Six global VR films will be available on Thursday, Nov. 13 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Palmer Museum of Art. Akpovwa said shes a little nervous, but enthusiastic about the experiences potential to spark self-discovery in participants. Im really excited for the awareness that this will create, and also excited for just for people to learn something new about themselves, learn something new about other people and think differently, subvert their typical ways of thinking, Akpovwa said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Viewers will be able to catch in-person screenings at UEC Theatres 12, The State Theatre, Rowland Theatre, Carnegie Building at Penn State, Foster Auditorium in Paterno Library at Penn State. There are showings at nearly every hour during the day across the various venues. The full schedule can be viewed at centrefilm.org. The Centre Film Festival, which runs Nov. 10-16, features hundreds of screenings across multiple venues in Centre County. Penn State students help fuel the festival Similarly to Akpovwa, Penn State student Clara Da Silva is really excited for the festival. Da Silva is one of seven information, science and technology interns and assists with tasks such as web design and uploading movies. There are more than 50 student interns involved, alongside the entirety of two Bellisario College of Communication first-year seminars. Working with movies is kind of like mixing a hobby with my career, so its like perfect combination, Da Silva said. Throughout the festival shell be working 4-5 hour shifts and hopes to catch a couple films in between shifts and class. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seeing everything that we built up from the beginning of the semester until now, its so rewarding, fulfilling. Because at the time youre doing it, it doesnt seem like a lot, but at the end, you kind of see everybody finishing what they have to do, and seeing a result makes me feel happy about it, Da Silva said. Juliandra Jackson, the managing director, said many of the student interns are inspiring. Jackson is also new to the team she joined two months ago after receiving a call from Gluck, who expressed a need for some help. I have never taken on anything this big before. Ive been a part of many, many events. Ive been a part of Ironman. Ive planned multi-day bike retreats for the Mid-Atlantic region, Jackson said. But this festival being, what, seven days with venues ... its a lot. Shes already learned a tremendous amount about film, the history of the festival and its impact on the community. As a State College native, this is close to home for her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its amazing that Happy Valley is a hub for all of these films, Jackson said. If people lean in and listen and come to the films and stay for the Q&As, this is really gonna have a big impact and can change lives. Jackson, like many of those involved, is nervous about next week. She said a part of her is ready to get to the other side and breathe a sigh of relief. Next week will be the culmination of many sleepless nights, stress and months of meticulous planning. In that excitement and joy and anticipation there is this sense of urgency to wrap up all of our loose ends, to make sure that people know where theyre going, when they need to be there, Jackson said. Were still trying to recruit volunteers. Were still trying to fill in the gap. Those interested in volunteering should visit centrefilm.org for more information. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Editors note: This story contains spoilers about events related to the movie Nuremberg. In the mid-1940s, American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley sat eye-to-eye with almost two dozen of the most notorious figures in Germanys Nazi regime. Nazi Party leader Hermann Goring stood out among all of them. He was undoubtedly the most ruthless human being that I have ever experienced, Kelley wrote of Goring, according to Scientific American. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kelleys conversations with the imprisoned German commanderand their important part of the Nuremberg trials following World War IIare the focus of the new biopic Nuremberg. In theaters November 7, the movie stars Rami Malek as Kelley and Russell Crowe as Goring and dramatizes their harrowing interviews during the history-altering military tribunal. While the real Kelleys observations offered new understanding of the psyches of prominent Nazi leaders, they also may have set him on the path toward an untimely death. What was Douglas Kelleys role at Nuremberg? Kelley, born on August 11, 1912, earned degrees in medicine and psychology from the University of California and Columbia University, according to The New York Times. During World War II, he served as chief psychiatrist with the 30th General Hospitala military installation offering aid to American soldiers on the front lines in Europe. After the surrender of Axis power Germany and the death of Chancellor Adolf Hitler in 1945, military leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Soviet Union agreed to hold a joint military tribunal in Nuremberg, Germany, seeking to hold prominent Nazi figures accountable for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanityincluding the Holocaust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kelley was assigned competency evaluations for some of the most infamous Nazi figures including Hermann Goring, the former supreme commander of the German air forces who sought to succeed Hitler. Kelley performed Rorschach tests and interviewed 22 defendants to assess if they were competent to stand trialand able to understand the consequences of their actions. Kelley interviewed Goring extensively and noted his extreme egocentricity Getty Images Goring arrived at an American detention center in Mondorf-les-Bains, Luxembourg, in 1945 with 49 suitcases, ornate jewelry and cigarette cases, and a large supply of the narcotic paracodeine, according to Scientific American. First confronting Gorings apparent drug dependency, Kelley interviewed the German officer regularly over the next six months, and the two developed a friendly rapport. Each day when I came to his cell on my rounds, he would jump up from his chair, greet me with a broad smile and outstretched hand, escort me to his cot and pat its middle with his great paw, Kelley wrote in his journals. Goring even enlisted Kelleys help in delivering letters to his wife, Emmy, and reuniting her with their daughter, Edda. Kelley measured Gorings IQ at 138, third-highest among the incarcerated Nazi officials, and ultimately found him free of psychosis and capable of standing trial. However, he also noted Goring had a dark side to the charm he exhibited. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Goring is of interest because of his strong personality and his extreme egocentricity, Kelley told reporter Arthur Gaeth in a radio broadcast about the Nuremberg trials. He is a forceful leader, without thought of consequence or consideration for others. Goring was ultimately sentenced to death for his role during the war. However, hours before his scheduled death by hanging on October 15, 1946, he was found dead in his cell from suicide after ingesting a cyanide capsule. After returning from the prison, Kelley documented his observations of Goring and other prisoners in the book 22 Cells in Nuremberg, published in January 1947. He also gave interviews and public lectures, gaining prominence for his role in the trials. Kelley also died by ingesting a cyanide capsule Kelley, back in the United States, began experimenting with truth serums and pioneered drugs used to treat mentally disturbed soldiers who returned from the war. He also gave polygraph tests to criminal suspects, and his investigation of the kidnapping and murder of college student Stephanie Bryan in Berkeley, California, played a key role in the conviction of Burton Abbott in 1955, according to The New York Times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon, however, Kelleys health declined. According to his personal doctor, he received treatments for a seriously upset stomach for months and experienced stress from his business commitments. While its unknown if his condition played a role, Kelley died on January 1, 1958, after ingesting a cyanide capsule at his home. Its unclear if Kelleys death was a deliberate suicide attempt or an accident. Initial reports suggested he might have taken the cyanide from Nurembergand possibly his former interview subject, Goring. However, Kelleys widow, Alice-Vivienne Kelley, and son, Doug Kelley, told SFGate in February 2025 its impossible to know the true source because of the substances he kept in his home laboratory. Its also impossible to determine if the similarities between his death and Gorings are merely coincidental or somehow tied to their Nuremberg conversations. I know its ironic, Doug Kelley said of his fathers death. I think maybe he knew he was on a runaway train. I think he knew what was inside, but he didnt know how to make it go away. See Nuremberg in theaters starting November 7 Malek, an Academy Award winner for his portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), discussed how the movie is especially relevant amid modern concerns over the protection of human rights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I like to think that by taking on a film of this nature, Im sending a certain message with it as well, Malek, 44, told the Associated Press. Sometimes, we question if filmmaking is a frivolous endeavor. I think not, especially with a film like this. Nuremberg debuts in theaters November 7. The movie also stars Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, and John Slattery. You Might Also Like What do a bottle of water, a piece of candy and Greek cinema have in common? Thats the question posed by a provocative ad running ahead of screenings at this years Thessaloniki Film Festival, highlighting the dire state of film funding in Greece. More from Variety Advertisement Advertisement The 60-second animated spot, which was produced as part of the wider Visibility Zero movement, spotlights how the country ranks dead last in Europe when it comes to public support for its audiovisual industry. As the ad points out, Greeces selective funding scheme which is related specifically to domestic productions and international co-productions had a budget of just 6.5 million ($7.5 million) in 2025, putting it last among the continents screen industries relative to GDP. At 63 cents a head, this per capita expenditure amounts to roughly the cost of a bottle of water and a throat lozenge for every Greek citizen. Bolstered by a growing coalition of international supporters, Greek filmmakers are calling on their government to shore up their struggling film biz before its too late. The Greek state has to take a decision to further support the selective programs. Because right now, we cannot be competitive with the money that is [available], said filmmaker Syllas Tzoumerkas, who directed the 2019 Berlinale premiere The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea and whose last film, The City and the City, played at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement If we want to have a thriving and ambitious Greek cinema, this has to be supported in a significantly more substantial way. The Visibility Zero movement was launched in June with an open letter to the Greek government demanding action over the critical state of domestic production. Sending what it described as a distress signal to the Greek culture ministry and Creative Greece, the body created last year to oversee the countrys screen industries, the letter which attracted more than 2,000 signatories called for an increase in funding for the countrys audiovisual sector, a concerted effort to clear the backlog of delayed payments from Greeces cash rebate system and an overhaul of the Creative Greece board to include seasoned industry professionals. The movement, which takes its name from the 1970 drama by Greek filmmaker Nikos Foskolos, quickly attracted support from nearly 200 international film luminaries, including Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Vicky Krieps, Charlie Kaufman, Ruben Ostlund, Radu Jude and Pawe Pawlikowski, who signed a statement in solidarity with [Greek] filmmakers demands for greater support from their government. Advertisement Advertisement Attacks on cinema and the arts, whether through action or inaction, are unacceptable, the statement read. We remain steadfast in our support of our colleagues in Greece and hope that the artists of one of Europes most vibrant and dynamic film industries will soon be operating within a framework that is both appropriate and worthy of their work. This week in Thessaloniki, industry professionals have been circulating leaflets and Visibility Zero campaign buttons, hoping to raise awareness about their struggle by ensuring that the movement is anything but invisible to festival guests. [Thessaloniki] is our biggest national film event. It is important for the audience to understand that we are making these [films] that they come and see at the festival with [little] means, said veteran film producer Vicky Miha (Dogtooth, Quiet Life). Given the current circumstances, she added, how can we move toward a better future for Greek cinema? In response to questions posed by Variety, a representative for Creative Greece (known by its Greek acronym, EKKOMED) insisted that the body has now entered a stable and mature phase of operation after a shaky transition period following the organizations 2017 launch and is focused on a five-year action plan to support the long-term development of Greek cinema. Advertisement Advertisement Regarding the backlog of unpaid rebate claims, the rep noted that of the 234 million ($271 million) disbursed by the Greek government since 2019 to support the audiovisual sector through both its cash rebate and selective funding schemes, 88.5 million ($102 million), or 37.8% of the total, has been paid out since Sept. 2024, when EKKOMED was formally established. In addition, last year, in response to industry demands, EKKOMED raised the budget of its selective funding scheme, with this years allocation of 6.5 million ($7.5 million) marking the highest budget ever for selective programs an almost 55% increase compared to previous years, the rep said. However, Greek filmmakers insist that still falls short of the 15 million ($17.4 million) pledged to the industry by Greek officials in November 2023, and that the increase has done little to close the gap with neighboring countries. The crop of local productions screening this week in Thessaloniki which includes 32 feature-length and 30 short films, among them 29 premieres is a byproduct of the industrys resilience, according to Miha, rather than a sign of adequate government support. Despite their frustration, Greek filmmakers acknowledge the great strides their industry has taken since the cash rebate was introduced in 2019. And they say the efforts of the Visibility Zero movement have sparked a productive dialogue between industry stakeholders and the government that they hope will bear fruit in the months ahead. Advertisement Advertisement The Greek film industry has changed so much in the past 8 years, said Miha. There is progress with the institutions. Theres still a lot of work to be done on many levels, but the goal of everybody is to work together for a stronger Greek cinema. The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs Oct. 30 Nov. 9. 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: Nintendo The Legend of Zelda movie has now begun filming and a new synopsis provides some extra context to an adaptation that has largely been kept under wraps until now. As revealed in a product listing through the Film and Television Industry Alliance (H/T IGN), The Legend of Zelda movie is now shooting in New Zealand. The country once provided the backdrop for Peter Jackson's iconic Lord of the Rings Trilogy but, now, we can swap The Shire and Mount Doom for Hyrule. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Up until now, all that was known about the production was that Wes Ball would be on directing duties and the cast featured Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Link and Bo Bragason as Zelda. The new synopsis reads, "The Legend of Zelda follows Link, a young warrior destined to protect the magical kingdom of Hyrule from the forces of darkness. The land is under threat from Ganon, a ruthless warlord who seeks the Triforce an ancient relic said to grant limitless power. To stop him, Link must embark on a perilous journey, battling monstrous creatures, exploring treacherous dungeons, and solving intricate puzzles to uncover sacred artifacts that can aid him in his quest." While it's unclear whether that's a Nintendo-endorsed synopsis or simply a placeholder for the industry publication remains to be seen. If it's the latter, it's certainly giving more of a 'classic' Ocarina of Time vibe than the more freeform exploration seen in later titles such as Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. The Legend of Zelda movie was initially set for March 26, 2027 but was pushed to May 7, 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Legend of Zelda creator and producer Shigeru Miyamoto announced the delay was due to making the live-action adaptation "as good as it can be." For more, check out our guides on upcoming video game movies and best Zelda games. On Location peels back the curtain on some of your favorite films, television shows, and more. When you read Mary Shelley's book, it is like a tour of different exotic locations, Frankenstein production designer Tamera Deverell says of the source material for her new Netflix film. It takes place in Lake Como in Italy. It takes place in Switzerland. It takes place in Edinburgh, where we shot. It takes place in the north. Its a fantastic travelogue." But when it came time to shoot, says Deverell, "we narrowed our focus down mostly to Eastern Europe, without being too specific because [director] Guillermo [del Toro] wanted it to have a fable-like tone, and Edinburgh. Del Toro wanted to primarily shoot real locations, and he and Deverell spent a long time searching for the right places to set the story. The pair embarked on a lengthy trip to look at locations, including Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We went everywhere, Deverell says. We settled on coming to the United Kingdom, in particular Scotland, and Guillermo and I spent time going to museums. We got to look at the Hunterian Museum, where the actual Evelyn Tables [human anatomical models] are along with all the equipment of Dr. Frankenstein's era. They opened it especially for us two days before their grand reopening [in May after six years of redevelopment]. Here, Deverell discusses how and where the specific sets in Frankenstein were created. The film begins streaming on Netflix on November 7. Courtesy Netflix The Arctic North Frankenstein opens in the remote Arctic, where an expedition ship, the Horisont, has run aground on the ice. After discovering an injured Victor, the captain brings him onboard to hear his tale of woeas the Creature pursues him and threatens the crew. Deverell not only built the entire ship on a backlot in Toronto, but also created the surrounding ice. I was looking at the Franklin Expedition and the ships from the Terror and Erebus ships, she says. We had to experiment a lot for the ice. We built a base structure in metal and then we sandwiched Plexiglas and carved Styrofoam so there was some clear ice. We clad it in wax, fake snow, and real snow. The ship was on a massive gimbal so the Creature could actually rock it. A few scenes were also shot on location, including the dog sled scenes, which were filmed on a frozen lake north of Toronto in North Bay. It was February, but it was unseasonably warm so we had ice checkers because it was actually melting, Deverell remembers. Ice has to be a minimum of a foot deep, so they would check before we took the cranes out. It was a bit scary, because it was slushy, but it looks like the Arctic. House of Frankenstein Victors ancestral home is was created by combining multiple real-life estates in the UK. The production used four houses in Scotland and England: Gosford House in Longniddry, Burghley House in Peterborough, Dunecht House in Aberdeenshire, and Wilton House in Wiltshire. Dunecht House, a private residence, was selected for its long library, which Deverell and her team refurbished for the shoot. They were using it for kids to skateboard in and for birthday parties, she says. We had to re-polish the floors, build all the bookshelves, and paint the entire thing. It was a massive amount of work, but it was worth it and we could never have afforded to build that space. Courtesy Netflix Wilton House, a popular filming location for shows like Bridgerton and The Crown, is best known for its elaborate staircase, which became a visual focus in Frankenstein. Overall, the family home had a very specific color palette. The textures and colors of the family villa, which came out of the locations, which were dark wood floors and green walls and marble and stone, Deverell says. Victors mother has the signifying color of red, and her red bed moves with Victor through the story to several locations. Edinburgh, Scotland Shelleys original novel takes place in part in Edinburgh, so it was important to set some of the film in the Scottish capital. They used Parliament Square itself for Parliament Square, where the market was actually located in the 1800s; and the Writers Close and Bakehouse Close, two narrow alleyways with a historic feel. Old Edinburgh exuded that Gothic, wet cobblestone look we wanted, Deverell says. It's a great treasure of a city, almost 360 degrees of historic buildings. We shot right on the Royal Mile. It was crazy. We were working around all of the tourists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While in Scotland, the production also traveled to Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Arbroath. Arbroaths Hospitalfield House, an artist residence, stood in for Henrich Harlanders house. We had to build his bathroom because there's no such thing as a period bathroom as big as what we wanted, Deverell says. But that was interesting for me because I was able to draw from all the existing architecture. Deverell had hoped to find a real circular operating theater for the scene where Victor presents his discoveries, but it was too difficult to find something historic. She ended up using Londons Old Operating Theatre and Berlins Veterinary Schools Anatomical Theatre as references, and based their set build on Glasgow City Halls real-life structure. We originally had a scene in the hallway outside on location, which eventually was dropped, she says. It was the biggest source of inspiration though, and we used a lot of the motifs, mosaics, and details that I saw in the Glasgow City Hall. Frankensteins Laboratory The Wallace Tower in Ayr, Scotland, was a strong reference for Victors laboratory, which was primarily built in Pinewood Toronto. The base of the tower was built at the Markham Agricultural Fairgrounds outside of Toronto (a location also used for del Toros Nightmare Alley). It stood nearly 180 feet high, while the interiors were created across eight different sets. It was extremely intricate and required full blueprints, 3D-modeling, technical drawings and an 11-foot miniature replica. Del Toro was very specific about the aesthetic of the tower. Courtesy Netflix Guillermo often uses the circle, Deverell says. For him, its the circle of life. The circle encapsulates and traps his character. So in the tower we had the circle of the Medusa, this forgotten, misunderstood monster. She was used a lot in water towers, and our idea was that this is an abandoned municipal water tower. Opposing the circle of Medusa is a giant rosette window that is always framing the characters. We repeated the circles through a lot of the sets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The exteriors around the imposing tower were shot in Scotland along with the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada, and added by the VFX team. I had no idea Scotland was so gorgeous, Deverell says. I did get to tour a little bit and do some climbing and hiking, and theres beautiful mountains and valleys. We shot some between Arbroath and Glasgow, and VFX used that as plates. We also used the Canadian Rockies to get the Swiss Alps that you see in the final film. Eastern European Forest and Mill House When the Creature escapes from the destroyed laboratory, he climbs out of the sea, which was shot outside Edinburgh. He then finds himself in a beautiful wooded landscape, with twisting rocks and trees. Deverell wanted to use an actual forest, so the production went to Canadas Rockwood Conservation Area. The Creature was the most connected to nature, even though he's man made, Deverell notes. Courtesy Netflix He spends time hiding out at a mill house, which Deverell built at a horse farm next to Canadas Kleinberg Studios almost six months in advance of filming there. We couldnt build over winter, she says. And it was a tricky build because we were using actual wood shingles and plaster. The rock stone walls were molded. And those things dont behave well when it gets cold, so it got naturally aged, which was really nice. At the last minute, Deverell added a sculpture of the Green Man, a figure from folklore, to the roof to help accentuate the Creatures connection to nature. I drew it, and we had to go to the producers and say, Can we have a little bit more money? They said no. And I was like, Guillermo, you're a producer. Can we have some more money? So we did it, and it was worth it. It just made the movie for me. Originally Appeared on Conde Nast Traveler When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Sony Pictures There have been many great movies about war that have depicted the battles and the death and the horrors of it, but the new movie Nuremberg explores what happens next. Or, I should say what happened next, as the historical drama is set just after World War II, ahead of the real trials of 22 surviving leaders of Nazi Germany. Critics have seen the film ahead of its November 7 release on the 2025 movie calendar, and theyre calling it an old-school Oscar movie. Rami Malek stars as Douglas Kelley, the chief psychiatrist in charge of determining if the German prisoners are competent to stand trial, who enters a battle of wits against Hermann Goring (Russell Crowe), Adolf Hitlers right hand man. In CinemaBlends review of Nuremberg, Hugh Scott writes that while the second half of the movie carries the weight that it should, the first half is full of snappy jokes and one-liners that feel entirely out of place. He gives the movie 2 stars out of 5, writing: Its impossible to make a man like Hermann Goring sympathetic, and it's probably not a great idea to try to, but Crowe does find a twisted sense of humanity in him. Unfortunately, the rest of the film doesnt take itself seriously enough to make it stick. Brian Truitt of USA TODAY gives it 3.5 out of 4 stars, writing that Malek and Crowe will be battling for awards for their performances in a movie that is definitely rousing but lighter than you might expect, given the subject matter. He continues: The historical drama Nuremberg has more in common with A Few Good Men than Schindlers List as it deals with the Nazi high command who perpetrated the Holocaust seeing their day in court. Its also the definition of an Oscar-loving cinephiles dream movie. An all-star period effort that leans entertaining, though gets deadly serious exactly when it needs to, the film hinges on the matching of wits between Rami Malek as an Army psychiatrist and Russell Crowe as one of the most evil men in the world. Matthew Jackson of AV Club says theres nothing subtle about James Vanderbilts movie, which urgently and earnestly screams its warning that history repeats itself. Jackson grades it a B, writing: Nuremberg is at its bestand its best is pretty damn compellingwhen it is a story that should not need to be told again, and one thats well aware of that fact. It takes too much time, almost 150 minutes, to get there, but Vanderbilts film slowly, confidently morphs into something beyond a cautionary tale and more like a klaxon blaring through the cinema. All the exasperation generated by the news, all the frustration of a world in which evil charges forward, is on full display by its end. Vanderbilts point is not that it cant happen again, but that its already happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rocco T. Thompson of Slant rates Nuremberg a book-to-screen adaptation of Jack El-Hais The Nazi And The Psychiatrist 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing that between James Vanderbilts direction and Russell Crowes performance, Goring is slippery, seductive and an all-too-human monster, holding a mirror up to our current world. Thompson says: How does a civilized country become a slaughterhouse? And how does a family man become a butcher? Vanderbilts clever sleight of hand is humanizing this Nazi so as to allow us to see the folly of history, of how theres a rush to characterize those who commit atrocities as mustache-twirling villains rather than fallible people susceptible to the influence of bad actors, and thus fail to recognize just how far down the rabbit hole weve already tumbled. Lindsey Bahr of the AP also gives it 2.5 out of 4 stars, saying theres a spark lacking in the conversations between Rami Malek and Russell Crowes characters, and were deprived of an unnerving descent into the mind of Hitlers second-in-command. According to Bahr: The film centers on a series of conversations between Kelley and Goering, who develop something almost like a friendship or at least a temporary understanding. Its interesting, morally murky territory fitting of the filmmaker best known as the screenwriter of Zodiac that does gesture toward some provocative ideas including the very concept of war tribunals overseen by the victors. But it cant quite synthesize its classical form with the bleak, sobering truths at its core. Owen Gleiberman of Variety writes that what the movies psychiatrist and the audience want is to explore the nature of evil through the eyes of Russell Crowes Goring. However, according to the critic, Nuremberg doesnt quite get to the man behind the evil myth. Gleiberman says in his review: The film is two-and-a-half hours long, and its very much an old-school Oscar movie, full of stately studio staging (the bombed-out ruins, the creamy dark-toned courtroom, the name actors playing crucial figures from history). Written and directed by James Vanderbilt, who has a rather eclectic resume (his most prominent credits are writing the screenplays for Zodiac and The Amazing Spider-Man), it feels like the most prestigious Hollywood WWII drama of 1988. The film has a mostly positive 72% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is one of several highly anticipated films that will have us heading to the theater multiple weeks in a row. If you want to see one of the films that, according to some critics, we may see again on Oscar ballots, Nuremberg will be in theaters starting Friday, November 7. A legendary rock band recognized for having the biggest song of all time is gearing up for a farewell tour with a stop in Massachusetts. Journey is hitting the road on its Final Frontier tour, which includes 60 shows across the United States and Canada, the group announced Thursday. In a Facebook post, the band wrote, The wait is over - JOURNEY is hitting the road on our FINAL FRONTIER TOUR! The Final Frontier tour kicks off in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on February 28, 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rockers will later visit the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, on June 6, followed by a night at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, on June 7. Tickets for the tour go on sale Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. local time. Journey is known for its iconic hits, including Dont Stop Believin, Any Way You Want It, Open Arms, Whos Crying Now, Separate Ways, and Only the Young, among many others. In 2024, Forbes recognized Dont Stop Believin as the biggest song in American history, noting that its been certified 18-times platinum. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW From her first audition in a music video to becoming a Daytime Emmy-winning lead, Mishael Morgan, who plays Amanda on The Young and the Restless, continues to shine as one of daytime TVs most dynamic talents. Key Takeaways Mishael Morgan was born in San Fernando, Trinidad, and moved to Toronto, Canada, at age five, laying the foundation for her multicultural perspective. She discovered her passion for acting at ten during a school production, later choosing performance over law school after a pivotal meeting with her agent, David Ritchie. Morgans first audition led to a role in Trey Songzs Wonder Woman music video, and within ten months she landed her first series regular role on YTVs Family Biz. She made daytime television history, winning the 2022 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress for her portrayal of Amanda Sinclair on The Young and the Restless, after prior Supporting Actress nominations in 2018 and 2019. Off-screen, Morgan is a devoted wife and mother, married to Navid Ali with two children, and credits her French Creole, Indian, Black, and Chinese-Venezuelan heritage for shaping her identity and purpose-driven approach to her career. Y&Rs Amanda Sinclair Amanda Sinclair arrived in Genoa City in 2019, portrayed by Mishael Morgan, as a high-powered attorney representing the Chancellor estate immediately turning heads with her uncanny resemblance to the late Hilary Curtis. She has come and gone from Genoa City, with her most recent return being tied to Canes (Billy Flynn) return. 1. Where It All Began Born on July 15 in San Fernando, Trinidad, Morgan moved with her family to Toronto, Canada, when she was just five years old. Photo credit: JPI 2. From Pre-Law To Lawyer The actress discovered her passion for performing at the age of ten in her schools production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Though she initially set her sights on a career in law earning a Political Science degree from York University and an acceptance to Ottawa Universitys LLB (Bachelor of Laws) program fate had other plans although she would become a lawyer on Y&R. A chance meeting with her now-agent, David Ritchie, inspired her to take a leap of faith into acting, setting the stage for her rise to daytime television stardom. Photo credit: CBS 3. Early Break During her very first audition, Morgan booked a spot in Trey Songzs Wonder Woman music video a sign of big things to come. Within just ten months, she landed her first series regular role as Tracy Dupont-Roymont on YTVs Family Biz. Photo credit: JPI 4. Golden Girl Morgan won the 2022 Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role of Y&Rs Amanda Sinclair. She was the first Black woman to win in that category. In 2018 and 2019, she was nominated for the Outstanding Supporting Actress Daytime Emmy for her role of Y&Rs Hilary Curtis. But her true prize is her family. She married Navid Ali in May 2012, and together they share two children son Niam, born August 9, 2015, and daughter Naliyah, born November 8, 2018. Photo credit: JPI Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 5. Cultural Roots Morgan proudly embraces her richly multicultural heritage, which she credits for shaping her identity both on and off-screen. With French Creole, Indian, Black, and Chinese-Venezuelan roots, Morgan says her diverse background has inspired a purpose-driven mindset that guides her career choices and fuels her dedication to storytelling in daytime television. Photo credit: JPI This story was originally reported on Soap Hub on November 7, 2025. Add Soap Hub as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has rejected a Florida mans claim that the government owes him 3,443 Bitcoin (BTC), worth more than $345 million, after law enforcement destroyed a hard drive allegedly containing his private keys. The case of United States v. Michael Prime (No. 23-13776) is about a convicted counterfeiter who denied owning Bitcoin for years, only to later insist he was a millionaire when it was too late. Related: What is Crypto? Cryptocurrency explained A private key is like a secret password that lets you unlock and spend your crypto. If you lose it, you lose access to your coins forever; theres no way to reset or recover them. The rise and fall of Michael Prime Michael Prime was arrested in 2019 on charges of counterfeiting, identity theft, and illegal firearm possession. When police entered his home in Hillsborough County, Florida, they found what the court called piles of evidence." Fake credit cards, fake drivers licenses, laptops, and the like, the court said. Investigators seized a trove of electronic devices containing stolen financial data and evidence of online sales of counterfeit goods. Prime admitted to producing fake IDs, selling untraceable firearms, and receiving Bitcoin payments for his work. At one point, he told agents he held approximately 3,500 Bitcoin, which he said he had earned or mined years earlier. However, federal investigators were unable to find any crypto during multiple searches, reporting that no cryptocurrency, private keys or recovery seeds were found. Prime pleaded guilty in 2019 to access device fraud and other charges, agreeing to fully disclose all assets he controlled. But in a series of official disclosures that followed, he downplayed his Bitcoin holdings. More News: In February 2020, he filed a financial statement reporting only $200 to $1,500 in Bitcoin, then told the probation office that $1,500 in Bitcoin was his only remaining asset. His own lawyer later told the sentencing court that Primes earlier claim to large Bitcoin holdings was not supported by the evidence, adding that the coins dont exist other than what [Prime] had from his mining days in Seattle back almost ten years ago. Prime was sentenced to 65 months in prison and released to a halfway house in 2022. The $345 million claim Once free, Prime asked the government to return his seized electronics. On todays Days of Our Lives recap: Alex Gives Stephanie a BIG check! Alex is working from home, but Stephanie cannot be distracted. She is completing last minute plans for the upcoming gala and fielding all kinds of messages about the Anastasia Sands reveal. He hands her an envelope and says maybe it will ease her frustration. She finds a substantial check associated with One Stormy Night which brings a big smile to her face. It is the single biggest paycheck shes ever received! Stephanie is less than enthused to learn, after the gala, she will be going on a cross country tour. Stephanie had no clue she was expected to go across the country (really?). Alex promises to make it work for her PR firm and their relationship. After a little hugging, Stephanie needs to get back to work, and Alex promises to leave her alone. She breaks her own rules and chats a bit more about how almost perfect the prior evening was. He inquires and she notes the flying pumpkin who took him down. Alex blames Jeremy but even Stephanie notes it was Thomas who was the culprit. Alex is grateful she is going on the tour as it will create space between her and Jeremy. Alex looks over his pants and wonders if the pumpkin stains will come out. He sees a whole in his pants and Stephanie notes it looks like a slice Abe Continues to Give Paulina an Icy Cold Reception on Days of Our Lives Paulina arrives at the Brady Pub and asks Roman and Abe if they got her photos of little Trey Paul. Roman and Abe fawn over the pictures and she tells him the babys name is John III or Trey with the middle name Paul. They all raise their coffee cups and toast to baby Trey. Roman says seeing the pictures makes him happy both Eric and Sami are returning for the gala. Abe and Paulina say Eli and Lani are headed back as well. Abe gets all kinds of snarky clueing in Paulina he is still more than annoyed with her. He says he has to get to Liams tutoring session and quickly makes his exit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roman and Paulina chat about her current issues with Abe regarding Theo. Roman gets why Paulina supported Theo but notes she has no clue what it was like to live through the DiMera family tyranny. He knows Theo is capable of getting himself out of trouble but worries, by that time, it will be too late. What Is Going on in EJ and Gwens Lab? Gwen arrives and joins EJ in an early day toast with brown liquor. EJ says he is a new grandfather as Johnny and Chanel have adopted a baby boy. She asks to see the photos but EJ is barren because he wasnt included in the day one festivities. Gwen tries to cheer EJ up as she is certain things will all work out. She says she also has family issues. She is girding her loins as there is a wave of Hortons (along with Bradys and Blacks) heading for Salem for the gala. Gwen is certain it will be a maudlin tribute to John Black. EJ says it will be a rather large influx of holier than thou dullards (This dialogue is giggle-worthy). That being said, its good PR for the hospital. Gwen suspects EJ has a Sami Brady shaped ulterior motive. EJ gets all kinds of irritated, and they agree to a moratorium on all things of a personal nature. He shifts to the gala and Gwen says she and Rita have everything under control. She says they have a foolproof plan for sneaking in all the supplies they need. He inquires about a power supply and Gwen says they have everything under control. EJ says he is unconcerned with Sami, but Gwen notes she has blown through town twice without any contact. EJ pours another drink and says Sami is finished business but Gwen keeps pressing. She is very impressed with how doggedly Sami can hold onto passed ills, even better than she can. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theo sits behind the big desk at DiMera Enterprises when Gabi arrives for a meeting to officially divest Gabi Chic. He notes something is off and Gabi fills him in on the Little T of it all. He says they can move the meeting but Gabi needs something on which to focus. Theo isnt thrilled with the basis of the meeting as he really doesnt want to let the company go. They go back and forth before Theo backs down and agrees to have his assistant send her the final paperwork. Gabi wonders if Tony knew Theo was going to make a play for her company but he says his uncle is off the grid Theo calls the business man in Greece his Uncle Tony met with which caused him to miss the boarding of the cruise. He asks if he might be able to get a message to his uncle. Previous Days of Our Lives (DAYS) Recap: Johnny and Chanel Introduce Their Family to Trey Paul Theo arrives and updates EJ and, passively, Gwen on his call to Greece. The meeting didnt actually happen and Tony had plenty of time to return to the ship. EJ wonders where the hell is brother could possibly be. EJ offers up several possibilities but just in case he will contact the authorities. He makes reference to DiMera Enterprises but Theo says he has it under control. Theo makes a move on the chess board and exits, leaving Uncle EJ smiling in admiration. Gwen notices EJ isnt very worried about Tony. She also notes how controlling she always heard he is and wonders why he didnt give Theo more of a guiding hand. She wonders if EJ had anything to do with Tonys disappearance as the two of them worked together to make Dimitri disappear (Dimitri!). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theo runs into his father in Horton Square. Abe is doing some shopping because Liam didnt show up. Theo updates on Tony being missing in Greece and just came from checking in with EJ. With that, Theo heads back to the office leaving Abe to continue to worry about his son. Gabi Distracts Javi With Hot DiMera Tea on Days of Our Lives Javi sits at the kitchen table with tears in his eyes looking at pictures of two lost children. Gabi arrives home to find Javi all alone with his thoughts and pictures. She knows the entire family is grieving the loss of Little T. That being said, he and Leo were basically his fathers. Further, she knows all the past sorrow parting ways must bring up. Javi asks why she is home and she makes mention of being her own boss. He inquires how she finally wrestled her company free. Gabi spills everything saying she thought she was going to be DiMeras new CEO but Gabi Chic was her consolation prize. Javi thinks maybe everything turned out okay since she doesnt actually have to work with that horrid family. She has another bombshell and tells Javi she and Philip are now seeing each other. She worries if Philip finds out she was working with Tony, he wont want to see her anymore. Javi gets it but thinks she could end her worry by telling Philip the truth. Keep checking back for the latest Days of Our Lives recaps! This story was originally reported by Daytime Confidential on Nov 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Days of Our Lives section. Add Daytime Confidential as a Preferred Source by clicking here. When you think of author Nevada Barr, you likely think of the wildly popular Anna Pigeon book series, specifically the titular character, an adventurous, crime-stopping park ranger, long considered the authors alter ego. Barr once told a local news outlet, Its almost impossible to tell us apart. She certainly has experienced just as many twists and turns in her life from stage acting to painting to park ranger workall before Anna Pigeon became a household name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now Barr can add a TV series to the list, with the hotly anticipated drama based on her work, set to air on USA Network in 2026. But while Anna Pigeon was last spotted unraveling mysteries in U.S. National Parks and trying to outrun her traumatic past, the 73-year-old novelist now leads a quiet life in Ashland, Oregon, with her husband, Donald Paxton. Heres everything to know about the real-life Anna Pigeon. Her first love was acting Talk about an adventurous start. Barr was born in the tiny town of Yeringtonyou guessed itNevada, and raised by parents who were both pilots at an airport in the Sierras. The big city called for the self-described black sheep of the family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After earning an MFA in theatre from UC Irvine, she took a bite out of the Big Apple, landing parts in off-Broadway productions throughout the 70s. She later moved to Minneapolis and expanded into commercials and radio voice-overs. It was during this time, in the late 80s, that she got involved with the environmental movement, thanks to her first husband, and started spending summers at national parks, planting the seeds for Anna Pigeon. Nevada Barr was a park ranger Before her writing career took off, Barr landed a seasonal park ranger job and eventually went full-time. During an eight-year stretch, she park-hopped across the country, gathering inspiration for her books, with stints including Natchez Trace in Mississippi (Deep South), Texas Guadalupe Mountains (Track of the Cat), and Isle Royale in Michigan (A Superior Death). For More on USA Originals Braun Strowman Reveals Which WWE Superstar He'd Like to Tag-Team a Menu With The Rainmaker Cast Celebrates Season 2 Renewal in the Cutest Way Possible (Watch) Resident Alien Star Reveals Hilarious Fan Favorite Scene Was Actually Unscripted She never stopped writing Though she published several campfire stories and the historical novel Bittersweet in 1984, all of her varied interests coalesced in the mysterious world of Anna Pigeon, which now comprises nineteen novels, many of which have topped the New York Times bestseller list. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since penning the first book in 1993, she has captivated millions of readers, including actress Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), a longtime fan who worked tirelessly to bring the books to life and is now the series director and executive producer. When youve been together as long as Anna and I have, the neurons get all intertwined, Barr told The Denver Post ahead of the The Ropes 2012 release, number seventeen in the series. Shes stronger than I am, though. Anna isnt a hero in an elastic cat suit. Shes just stalwart and professional. Anna Pigeon is coming to USA Network sometime in 2026. Sam Keeley has kept his head down during most of the run of Task, the hit HBO series in which he stars, as hes been busy at work on another project. But the success of the show has followed him. Im on set most of the time, so I get up very early and I work all day and then I eat and go back to sleep, rinse and repeat, and its been like that since the show came out. But Im feeling that love off people, he says, over a Zoom call from his home in Reykjavik. Some people have even approached me in the hotel I was staying at recently who had watched it. For an actor, you cant ask for anything more. Its a dream job with a dream reception, so its been incredible. More from WWD Advertisement Advertisement The series was created and written by Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby and follows Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent outside Philadelphia who is in charge of a task force investigating a series of robberies tied to a local motorcycle gang. Keeley plays Jayson, the leader of the gang, the shows most obvious villain. Hed originally read for another role and didnt get the part, which devastated him. I was in the grieving process of letting go of a project that you really love, he says, and then I was with my mother out having a drink in Dublin, and my phone rang with all of my team on, which is either really good news or really bad news. Sam Keeley The news was of the very good variety: There was a straight offer for the role of Jayson in Task, who he immediately recalled from the earlier scripts. It was hard to forget that this very heavily muscled, heavily tattooed leader of this motorcycle gang who was responsible for so much pain and anguish in pretty much all of the characters lives, he says. On the call when my representation told me, it was very emotional because its not very often a job like this comes along. But in my rereading of the script, I got even more excited because I hadnt read past [episode] three at that point, so I didnt know where it was going to go and what type of antics he was going to get up to. So it just got better for me as I got more and more involved. Advertisement Advertisement Keeley, who is Irish, had three months to develop the Philly accent and understand the biker culture Jayson is part of before arriving in Philadelphia, with another month or so to embody Jayson in the city hes from. I was excited and enticed by the challenge of trying to create a conflict with the viewers. I mean, there was no way people werent going to hate him on the show, Keeley says. Hes got all those elements, but I wanted to sprinkle a sense of humanity in there as well, and a bit of reasoning and rationale as to why he behaves the way he behaves and what he does, the things he does. That was an exciting thing for me that I was kind of conscious and kind of tracking the whole way as we were shooting. Growing up in Tullamore, Ireland, which Keeley describes as a very humble working class community, he never imagined himself becoming an actor. It was only when he had failed math and was at risk of not graduating high school that a teacher suggested he try a drama degree. For his audition he learned a monologue from the Brian Friel play Philadelphia, Here I Come! and somehow, miraculously I got in. Once I got in, I was obsessed. I just was like, OK, this is what Im supposed to be doing, he says. I could feel that I was good at it, and I knew that I just took to it. Advertisement Advertisement He ended up booking a job six months later, signed with an agent and never looked back. [Acting] just was not on my radar and there were no actors in my family or anything like that. When I told them I was going to pursue acting, it was like, OK, he says. I think slowly then they came around to the idea once I started to appear on the television set. Once my granny and granddad could start collecting newspaper clippings, I think that was the proof in the pudding. Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fox News host Sean Hannity treated the audience to a Frank Sinatra sing-along to kick off Fox Nations Patriot Awards on Wednesday, butchering the lyrics in hopes of chasing away his commie Mamdani blues. Loosen up, the Fox News primetime host told the black-tie room, before launching into his short rewrite of New York, New York his mocking jibe at the citys newly elected Democratic mayor Zohran Mamdani. I want to give you a 30-second version so I dont ruin the night for some of you that still live in New York City. But Im going to need your help because I cant sing to save my life, Hannity told the crowd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The host planted the lyrics on giant screens behind him. Hannity promised a small, little, itsy-bitsy sample, before adding: This is what Sean Hannity does at 2 oclock in the morning and I wasnt even drinking. The crowd obliged, singing along with the lyrics: Start spreading the news, Im leaving today, no longer want to be a part of it, high taxed New York. These commie Mamdani blues, are longing to leave, right to the very heart of it, bye bye New York. All right, thats enough, he finally said. Hannity, a former resident, left the Empire State in 2024, declaring he had moved to the free state of Florida. Watch above via Fox News. The post Sean Hannity Chases Away the Mamdani Blues as He Leads Sinatra Sing-Along first appeared on Mediaite. Intelligence Unit fan favorite Dante Torres (Benjamin Levy Aguilar) has been feeling the blues on Chicago P.D., but he is gaining new momentum after a mind-boggling twist of events led him to connect with a prisoner who showed him the light. Torres has been navigating a crisis of faith on Season 13 of Chicago P.D. After being tossed through the wringer in Season 12 and navigating the tragic murder of a loved one and the disbandment of the Intelligence Unit, he's been struggling to regain his bearings. Earlier this season, the officer admitted that he had previously prayed when times got tough, but recently, he hasn't felt vindicated by his faith. Torres gained a new lease on life after a twist of fate led him on an action-packed quest to prove a wrongfully imprisoned convict's innocence. RELATED: What's Wrong with Torres on Chicago P.D.? And Why He Looks So Different (DETAILS) The Wire star Chad L. Coleman delivers a haunting performance as a misunderstood prisoner named Odell Morgan, crossing paths with an Intelligence Unit officer during a critical hour. Why you recognize Chicago P.D. guest star Chad L. Coleman Hank Voight and Dante Torres looking at Morgan in Chicago P.D. Season 13 Episode 6. Coleman has built a prolific career defined by powerhouse performances across primetime and beyond, first earning widespread recognition as Dennis "Cutty" Wise on The Wire and later as Tyreese Williams on The Walking Dead. Some of Coleman's other standout recurring television roles include Electric City, The Expanse, The Orville, All American, and Superman & Lois. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chicago P.D. isn't his first time working with series creator Dick Wolf; Coleman also appeared in two episodes of Law & Order: SVU and two episodes of the original Law & Order. His film credits include appearances in The Green Hornet and Horrible Bosses, where he showcased his talent for comedic characters. Coleman has also lent his voice to several animated and video game projects, such as Family Guy, Left 4 Dead 2, and Grand Theft Auto IV. Chad L. Coleman played an innocent convict, Odell Morgan, on P.D. P.D.'s "Send Me" began with Torres getting a call from Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) with a pressing errand; none of the other Intelligence Unit officers would answer her phone call. As Torres headed toward the location of Platt's task, he landed in a shocking car accident. After narrowly surviving the collision, Torres quickly realized the other car was a prisoner transport vehicle. Despite getting injured in the crash, Coleman's Odell Morgan held Torres at gunpoint after learning he was a cop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Torres was taken hostage by Odell and asked to drive to his brother's house in an effort to coax a confession about the murder of Odell's wife. During the drive, Odell revealed he was locked up for murdering his wife after his brother lied on the stand. The killer was still out there, and Odell insisted he was innocent. Dante Torres looking at someone in Chicago P.D. Season 13 Episode 16. Odell maintained that he was wrongfully charged. Torres tried to reason with him and redirect his attention to the wound he received during the accident, but he remained focused on using his unexpected prison break to his full advantage while tracking down his brother. During this pursuit, the Intelligence Unit officers realized Torres had landed in hot water, launching their own manhunt. Meanwhile, Torres began to add up the details of Odell's case and began to believe him, even taking him to a church to discreetly stitch up Odell's injury after he passed out from blood loss. Despite Torres' protestations, Odell refused to go to the hospital until he cleared his name. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What are the chances?" Odell said. "My van hits a police car this morning. Your car. What are the damn chances? Its fate? Torres shrugged. "What else could it be?" Odell said. "I'm innocent, I think you know that." Torres eventually tracked down Odell's brother, Carter, and the two discovered that he'd been forced to frame Odell for murder unless he wanted his own family killed. Just after Carter confessed and the Intelligence Unit arrived, Odell collapsed and flatlined on the way to the hospital. As he passed away, Odell continued to marvel at the wild twist of fate that brought him and Torres together and proved his innocence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After Carter was killed shortly after confessing, Torres confirmed that the murder of Odell's wife was a much larger conspiracy than he thought. As the episode ended, Torres visited Odell's daughter to clear his name and ask her some questions while reopening her mother's homicide case in light of new evidence. Watch Chicago P.D. on Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC and the next day on Peacock. If youve ever wanted to walk straight into a ghost story, America has plenty of places that make the supernatural feel a little too real. From crumbling asylums and abandoned hotels to battlefields still echoing with whispers of the past, these haunted spots arent just urban legendsyou can actually visit them. Whether youre a skeptic chasing a thrill or a believer hoping for proof, these eerie destinations promise goosebumps, ghost sightings, and stories youll never forget. 1. The Stanley Hotel, Colorado iStock Nestled in the picturesque mountains of Estes Park, The Stanley Hotel is famed not only for its stunning views but also for its supernatural residents. The inspiration for Stephen King's "The Shining," this elegant hotel exudes an aura of otherworldly intrigue. Guests often report hearing piano music echoing in empty rooms and seeing ghostly figures roaming the halls. Room 217, in particular, has garnered a reputation for unexplained events and sightings. According to a feature in National Geographic, The Stanley Hotel embraces its haunted reputation, offering ghost tours and events that delve into its spectral history. The staff recounts stories of F.O. Stanley, the original owner, making spectral appearances. Visitors are encouraged to explore the hotel with an open mind and a healthy dose of curiosity. Whether you encounter a ghostly apparition or not, the experience is bound to leave an impression. 2. Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania Shutterstock Once a fortress-like prison in Philadelphia, Eastern State Penitentiary is now an atmospheric ruin where echoes of the past seem to linger in every corner. Its imposing, gothic architecture sets the perfect backdrop for tales of restless spirits and eerie happenings. The prison was operational from 1829 until 1971, housing notorious criminals like Al Capone. Today, it stands as a museum and a testament to a dark chapter in penal history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walking through its abandoned cells, you might hear whispers or see flickering shadows, as many visitors claim. The site offers guided tours, which delve into the penitentiary's history and its infamous inmates. Once the sun sets, the atmosphere shifts, making it a prime spot for ghost hunters and thrill-seekers alike. The combination of chilling history and potential paranormal activity makes for an unforgettable visit. 3. The Myrtles Plantation, Louisiana Shutterstock In the heart of Louisiana, The Myrtles Plantation welcomes guests with its Southern charm and a reputation as one of America's most haunted homes. Built in 1796, the plantation is steeped in stories of tragedy and mysterious occurrences. Legends speak of a slave girl named Chloe, whose spirit is said to roam the grounds. Visitors often capture strange photos and hear unexpected noises during their stay. Travel + Leisure highlights The Myrtles Plantation as a must-visit for those intrigued by ghostly lore and antebellum history. The current owners offer ghost tours, sharing tales of the home's haunted past and unexplained events. Staying overnight is a popular choice for those looking to fully immerse themselves in the experience. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, the plantations ambiance invites you to ponder the line between history and haunting. 4. The Queen Mary, California Shutterstock Docked in Long Beach, California, the RMS Queen Mary is more than just a retired ocean liner; it's a paranormal hotspot on the Pacific. With a history spanning from the 1930s to the 1960s, the ship has seen luxury, war, and tragedy. Tales of ghostly apparitions, phantom footsteps, and mysterious sounds have made it a popular destination for paranormal enthusiasts. The ship's engine room and first-class swimming pool are particular areas of interest for ghost hunters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Visitors can explore the Queen Mary through various tours that highlight its rich history and supernatural stories. The "Haunted Encounters" tour provides insights into the ship's most haunted locations and the spirits believed to reside there. For those feeling particularly brave, the Queen Mary also offers overnight stays in its vintage staterooms. Whether you encounter a ghost or just enjoy a unique historical experience, the Queen Mary promises an unforgettable adventure. 5. Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Kentucky Shutterstock Perched on a hill in Louisville, Kentucky, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium is notorious for its dark history and paranormal activity. Originally opened in 1910 as a tuberculosis hospital, it witnessed thousands of deaths during its operational years. Visitors report hearing disembodied voices, seeing ghostly figures, and feeling an inexplicable sense of dread. The building's architecture, with its long, shadowy corridors, adds to the chilling atmosphere. According to an article in the Smithsonian Magazine, Waverly Hills Sanatorium is a site of significant interest for both historians and paranormal researchers. The sanatorium offers guided tours that explore its history and the numerous accounts of ghostly encounters. For those seeking a deeper experience, overnight investigations are available, providing a chance to explore the building after dark. The combination of history and mystery makes Waverly Hills an essential visit for those fascinated by the macabre. 6. The Winchester Mystery House, California Shutterstock The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, stands as a testament to eccentric architecture and spectral lore. Built under the direction of Sarah Winchester, heiress to the Winchester rifle fortune, the house is a labyrinth of 160 rooms, staircases leading to nowhere, and doors opening to walls. Sarah believed she was haunted by the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles and constantly added to the house to appease them. This resulted in a maze-like structure with no clear plan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, the Winchester Mystery House offers tours that guide you through its bewildering design and its haunting legacy. The mansion's peculiarities and ghost stories captivate visitors, sparking curiosity about Sarah Winchester's motivations. Tours after dark add an extra layer of thrill, as the house feels even more enigmatic by moonlight. Whether you believe in spirits or are intrigued by architectural oddities, a visit here is bound to be mesmerizing. 7. The Alamo, Texas Shutterstock The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, is not only a symbol of Texan independence but also a site with a reputation for paranormal activity. This historic mission witnessed the legendary Battle of the Alamo in 1836, a defining moment in American history. With such a storied past, it's no surprise that tales of restless spirits abound. Visitors and staff have reported seeing ghostly figures and hearing the sounds of battle echoing through the historic site. As highlighted by the Texas Historical Commission, the Alamo is a place where history and legend intertwine. Daily tours offer insights into the site's historical significance and the sacrifices made during the battle. For those interested in its ghostly tales, various books and local guides delve into its spectral lore. Whether drawn by history or hauntings, the Alamo remains a compelling destination for exploration. 8. St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida Shutterstock Standing tall on the coast of Florida, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is more than just a beacon for sailors; it's a hotbed of ghostly activity. Built in the late 19th century, the lighthouse and adjacent keepers house have a history filled with tragedy and loss. Visitors and staff frequently report seeing apparitions and hearing unexplained noises. The most famous ghost is that of a former keeper who is often seen on the lighthouse stairs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lighthouse offers ghost tours that allow you to experience its eerie atmosphere firsthand. As you climb the 219 steps to the top, the tales of its haunted history accompany you at every turn. The panoramic view from the top is stunning, juxtaposing the beauty of the present with the mysteries of the past. For those with a penchant for maritime history or the supernatural, the St. Augustine Lighthouse is a captivating site. 9. The Lizzie Borden House, Massachusetts Shutterstock In Fall River, Massachusetts, the Lizzie Borden House stands as a grisly historical landmark, infamous for the 1892 axe murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. Lizzie Borden, their daughter, was accused but later acquitted of the crimes, leaving the case unsolved. Today, the house functions as a bed-and-breakfast and museum, inviting guests to explore its dark past. Visitors often report strange occurrences, such as doors opening and closing on their own and the sound of footsteps in empty rooms. The house offers guided tours that delve into the details of the murder case and the subsequent trial. Staying overnight provides a unique opportunity to experience the house's unsettling ambiance after dark. Guests often participate in ghost hunts, hoping to encounter the spirits of the Borden family. Whether you're there for the history, the mystery, or the potential for a paranormal encounter, the Lizzie Borden House offers a hauntingly intriguing experience. 10. Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania Shutterstock Gettysburg Battlefield in Pennsylvania is a place where history and hauntings are deeply intertwined. As the site of a pivotal Civil War battle, it witnessed immense tragedy and loss, which many believe has left a lingering presence. Visitors often report seeing apparitions of soldiers, hearing the sounds of battle, and experiencing an overwhelming sense of sadness. The expansive fields and preserved landmarks serve as silent witnesses to the past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A visit to Gettysburg offers a comprehensive journey through its historical and spectral narratives. The National Park Service provides tours that explore the key moments of the battle and its lasting impact on American history. For those interested in its ghostly tales, evening ghost tours offer the chance to hear about the battlefield's haunted reputation. Whether you're drawn to its historical significance or its ghostly lore, Gettysburg remains a profound and moving destination. 11. The Crescent Hotel, Arkansas Shutterstock Perched above the town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, the Crescent Hotel is known as "America's Most Haunted Hotel." Since its opening in 1886, the hotel has served various purposes, including a spa, a college, and a hospital. Over the years, numerous guests have reported ghostly encounters, ranging from apparitions in period clothing to mysterious sounds. Room 218 is considered the most haunted, frequently the site of unexplained occurrences. Guests can partake in ghost tours that lead them through the hotel's haunted history, sharing stories of past residents and supernatural experiences. The hotel's Victorian architecture and lush surroundings add to its allure, creating an atmosphere that is both charming and eerie. For the adventurous, staying overnight offers the chance to experience its ghostly reputation firsthand. Whether or not you encounter a spirit, the Crescent Hotel promises a memorable stay steeped in mystery. 12. The Bell Witch Cave, Tennessee iStock In Adams, Tennessee, the Bell Witch Cave sits on land once owned by the Bell family, who were allegedly haunted by a mysterious entity in the early 19th century. The legend of the Bell Witch is one of America's most famous ghost stories, involving unexplained phenomena and a spirit that terrorized the family. Today, the cave and farmhouse are open to visitors eager to explore the legend. Many report feeling uneasy in the cave, while others claim to have captured strange photos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guided tours provide a deep dive into the Bell Witch story, exploring its historical context and enduring legacy. The cave's natural formations and the surrounding landscape add to the atmosphere, making for an intriguing visit. For those fascinated by folklore and the supernatural, the Bell Witch Cave offers a compelling blend of both. Whether you leave with answers or more questions, it's a unique destination that invites you to ponder the mysteries of the past. 13. The Whaley House, California Shutterstock Located in San Diego, California, the Whaley House holds the title of one of the most haunted houses in America. Built in 1857, it served as a family home, courthouse, and theater, witnessing numerous deaths and tragic events. Visitors frequently report encountering cold spots, apparitions, and the feeling of being watched. The ghost of Thomas Whaley is often seen in the parlor, a testament to the home's haunted history. The Whaley House Museum offers tours that guide you through its storied past, highlighting both its historical and supernatural significance. The house's Greek Revival architecture and period furnishings create an immersive experience, transporting you back in time. For those intrigued by its ghostly reputation, evening tours provide an opportunity to explore the house after dark. Whether you're there for the history or the hauntings, the Whaley House offers a fascinating glimpse into the past. Emotionally evolved peoplethose who have honed their emotional intelligencetend to avoid certain behaviors and mindsets that can hold others back. They have learned not to entertain things that drain their energy, cloud their judgment, or lead them astray from their path to personal growth. Instead, they focus on what uplifts them, aligning with their true selves. Here are 15 things emotionally evolved people don't entertain for a second, offering a roadmap to a more enlightened and fulfilling life. 1. Negative Self-Talk Shutterstock Emotionally evolved people have a keen understanding of the power of words, especially the ones directed at themselves. They consciously choose to silence that inner critic and replace it with nurturing self-talk. This positive internal dialogue fosters a healthier self-image and a more resilient mindset. According to Psychology Today, positive self-talk can significantly impact your mental well-being and help you manage stress more effectively. By steering clear of negative self-statements, they pave the way for a more optimistic and empowered life. Instead of entertaining thoughts that undermine their worth, they focus on affirmations that reinforce their strengths. This shift in focus doesn't mean they ignore areas for improvement; rather, they approach them with compassion and patience. By acknowledging their capabilities and celebrating small victories, they build a reservoir of self-belief. This habit of emphasizing the affirmative extends beyond personal growth and influences how they see and interact with the world. They become beacons of positivity, attracting energy that is equally uplifting and constructive. 2. Drama-Fueled Relationships Shutterstock Drama is a currency they refuse to trade in, as they understand its draining effects on emotional and mental well-being. They prioritize relationships that are built on trust, respect, and genuine connection. Instead of engaging with those who thrive on chaos or conflict, they invest their energy in cultivating harmonious bonds. They communicate openly and honestly, avoiding misunderstandings and unnecessary tension. By focusing on truly meaningful connections, they nurture a support system that fosters growth and stability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Choosing to step away from drama doesn't mean they shy away from conflict altogether. They approach disagreements with a calm and solution-oriented mindset, aiming for resolution rather than escalation. By maintaining clear boundaries, they protect their peace and ensure that their relationships are mutually enriching. This approach creates a ripple effect, encouraging others to adopt a more balanced and mature perspective. Emotionally evolved people understand that life is too short to be caught up in unnecessary turmoil. 3. Fear of Change Shutterstock Change is an inevitable part of life that emotionally evolved people welcome rather than fear. They understand that growth requires stepping out of comfort zones and embracing new experiences. This acceptance of change is often rooted in a strong sense of self-awareness and adaptability. A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that people who embrace change tend to be more resilient and open-minded. By viewing change as an opportunity rather than a threat, they transform potential anxiety into excitement for new possibilities. They harness the power of change to propel themselves forward, using it as a tool for personal and professional development. Rather than resisting or avoiding change, they are proactive in seeking out ways to learn and grow. They thrive on the challenge of the unknown, seeing it as a canvas for creativity and innovation. This mindset allows them to pivot gracefully when life throws them curveballs, maintaining a sense of control and purpose. By being open to change, they remain agile and prepared for whatever the future holds. 4. Pursuit of Perfectionism Shutterstock The pursuit of perfection is a trap they refuse to fall into, recognizing its paralyzing effects. They understand that aiming for perfection often leads to procrastination, anxiety, and burnout. Instead, they focus on progress and personal growth, valuing effort and learning over flawless results. They set realistic expectations for themselves and celebrate incremental achievements. By releasing the need for perfection, they reduce stress and increase their capacity for creativity and innovation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emotionally evolved people acknowledge that mistakes are an integral part of the learning process. They embrace failure as a stepping stone to success and view setbacks as opportunities for growth. This mindset allows them to take calculated risks and push their boundaries without fear of judgment. They understand that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, and are open about their imperfections. By letting go of perfectionism, they create a more authentic and fulfilling life. 5. Holding Grudges Shutterstock Holding onto grudges is a burden they consciously choose to release. They understand that harboring resentment only weighs them down and prevents them from moving forward. By practicing forgiveness, they free themselves from the shackles of past hurts and open the door to healing. According to Mayo Clinic, forgiveness can lead to healthier relationships, improved mental health, and a greater sense of well-being. Letting go of grudges allows them to focus on the present and cultivate a more positive outlook on life. They recognize that forgiving doesn't mean forgetting or condoning harmful behavior. Instead, it involves acknowledging their feelings and choosing to release the negative emotions attached to past events. This act of letting go is a gift to themselves, enabling them to reclaim their power and peace of mind. By not dwelling on past grievances, they have more energy to invest in nurturing growth-oriented relationships. This approach fosters a healthier emotional landscape and paves the way for a brighter future. 6. Comparing Themselves to Anyone Insta_photos/Shutterstock Comparison is the thief of joy, and emotionally evolved people refuse to let it diminish their happiness. They understand that everyone has their unique journey, and measuring themselves against others is both unfair and unproductive. Instead of comparing, they focus on their growth and accomplishments, celebrating their progress and achievements. They cultivate a mindset of abundance, believing that there's enough success and happiness for everyone. By embracing their individuality, they build self-esteem and foster a sense of contentment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They consciously choose to be inspired by others' successes rather than being envious. This perspective allows them to learn from others while remaining true to themselves. By appreciating diversity and different paths to success, they create a supportive and uplifting environment. They understand that collaboration and community are more valuable than competition and rivalry. This mindset nurtures a culture of support and encouragement, enhancing both their personal and professional lives. 7. Dwelling on the Past Shutterstock Emotionally evolved people understand that living in the past prevents them from fully experiencing the present. They choose to acknowledge and learn from past experiences, but they refuse to be defined by them. This forward-thinking mindset is supported by research from the American Psychological Association, which suggests that focusing on the present can improve mental health and overall well-being. By releasing the past, they open themselves up to new opportunities and experiences. This approach allows them to live more mindfully, appreciating the here and now. They view the past as a source of valuable lessons rather than a place to linger. By reflecting on what they've learned, they gain insights that help them make better decisions in the future. They practice self-compassion, understanding that everyone makes mistakes and that growth comes from experience. This mindset encourages personal development and fosters resilience, allowing them to navigate life's challenges with grace. By staying present, they cultivate a sense of peace and fulfillment that enhances their overall quality of life. 8. Ignoring Their Intuition iStock Emotionally evolved people trust their intuition as a valuable guide in decision-making. They have honed the ability to listen to their inner voice and recognize the wisdom it provides. By paying attention to their gut feelings, they navigate life's choices with greater confidence and clarity. They understand that intuition is a reflection of their accumulated experiences and insights. By honoring their instincts, they align more closely with their true desires and goals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They use their intuition as a complement to logic and reason, creating a balanced approach to decision-making. This harmonious blend allows them to assess situations from multiple perspectives and make more informed choices. They cultivate self-awareness, which strengthens their connection to their intuitive sense. By being attuned to their inner guidance, they reduce uncertainty and enhance their sense of security. This trust in their intuition empowers them to lead a more authentic and purposeful life. 9. Needing Validation From Others Shutterstock Emotionally evolved people understand that true happiness and fulfillment come from within, not from external approval. They avoid relying on others' opinions to define their worth or dictate their choices. Instead, they cultivate self-confidence and self-acceptance, allowing them to stay true to themselves. By valuing their own judgment and intuition, they make decisions that align with their values and priorities. This internal validation creates a strong foundation for growth and resilience. While they appreciate positive feedback and encouragement from others, they don't depend on it for their self-esteem. They understand that opinions are subjective and that everyone has their unique perspectives. By focusing on their intrinsic worth, they build resilience against criticism and negativity. They practice self-compassion, offering themselves understanding and kindness even in the face of setbacks. This independence from external validation fosters a sense of empowerment and freedom. 10. Chasing Happiness iStock Emotionally evolved people know that happiness is not a destination but a journey to be savored. They avoid the trap of constantly seeking happiness in external circumstances or material possessions. Instead, they focus on cultivating inner peace and gratitude, finding joy in everyday moments. They practice mindfulness, allowing them to fully experience and appreciate the present. By embracing this mindset, they create a deeper and more lasting sense of fulfillment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They understand that life is a series of ups and downs and that happiness is not a permanent state. By accepting emotions as they come and go, they build resilience and adaptability. They focus on meaningful activities and relationships that bring genuine joy and satisfaction. This perspective allows them to navigate life's challenges with a sense of balance and equanimity. By redefining happiness as a state of being rather than a goal, they enhance their overall quality of life. 11. Procrastination Of Any Form iStock Procrastination is a habit they consciously choose to overcome, recognizing its impact on productivity and well-being. They understand that delaying tasks often leads to increased stress and reduced efficiency. Instead, they prioritize time management and discipline, breaking tasks into manageable steps. They set clear goals and deadlines, holding themselves accountable for their commitments. By taking proactive steps to combat procrastination, they enhance their productivity and sense of accomplishment. They utilize strategies such as setting priorities and eliminating distractions to stay focused and motivated. They also practice self-compassion, understanding that perfection is not required to begin or complete a task. By maintaining a growth mindset, they view challenges as opportunities to learn and improve. They celebrate small victories and progress, building momentum and confidence. This approach allows them to achieve their goals while maintaining a sense of balance and well-being. 12. Victim Mentality Shutterstock Emotionally evolved people choose to take responsibility for their actions and circumstances, avoiding a victim mentality. They understand that blaming external factors can hinder personal growth and empowerment. Instead, they focus on what they can control and make proactive choices to improve their situation. They cultivate resilience and adaptability, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth. By taking ownership of their experiences, they build confidence and a sense of agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They practice self-reflection, which helps them gain insights into their patterns and behaviors. This self-awareness empowers them to make positive changes and set healthy boundaries. They seek solutions rather than dwelling on problems, focusing on constructive actions to address their concerns. By embracing this mindset, they foster a sense of empowerment and freedom. This approach allows them to navigate life's challenges with a sense of purpose and determination. 13. Holding Onto Fear Shutterstock Emotionally evolved people understand that fear is a natural emotion, but refuse to let it control their lives. They acknowledge their fears and confront them with courage and resilience. By facing their fears head-on, they build confidence and reduce their power over their actions. They practice mindfulness and self-compassion, which helps them manage fear in a healthy way. This approach allows them to embrace new experiences and opportunities with an open mind. They view fear as a signal to explore and understand rather than avoid. By examining the root causes of their fears, they gain insights into their beliefs and values. They take calculated risks, understanding that growth often requires stepping outside of their comfort zones. By focusing on potential benefits rather than potential losses, they cultivate a mindset of abundance and possibility. This perspective empowers them to live a more fulfilling and adventurous life. 14. Living With Regret Shutterstock Regret is an emotion they consciously choose to release, understanding its potential to hinder growth and happiness. They acknowledge past choices and actions, but they refuse to be defined by them. Instead, they focus on learning from their experiences and making positive changes moving forward. They practice self-compassion, offering themselves understanding and forgiveness for past mistakes. By letting go of regret, they create space for new opportunities and experiences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They view regret as a valuable teacher rather than a burden to carry. By reflecting on what they've learned, they gain insights that help them make better decisions in the future. They embrace the present moment and focus on what they can do now to create a better future. This mindset fosters resilience and adaptability, allowing them to navigate life's challenges with grace. By releasing regret, they enhance their sense of peace and fulfillment. 15. Allowing Anything To Harm Their Inner Peace Shutterstock Emotionally evolved people understand that true peace comes from within, not from external circumstances. They cultivate inner calm and resilience, allowing them to navigate life's challenges with grace. By prioritizing self-care and mindfulness, they create a sanctuary of peace and well-being. They practice gratitude, focusing on the positive aspects of their lives and appreciating the present moment. This approach allows them to maintain a sense of balance and harmony, regardless of external chaos. They set clear boundaries to protect their peace and energy, avoiding unnecessary stress and negativity. They engage in activities that nourish their mind, body, and spirit, fostering a sense of well-being. By focusing on what they can control, they reduce anxiety and increase their sense of empowerment. They cultivate a mindset of acceptance, embracing life's uncertainties with an open heart and mind. This perspective allows them to live with intention and purpose, enhancing their overall quality of life. Portugal and Spain attract lots of attention these days as great European destinations for retiring American expats, with their promise of coastal, vibrant lifestyles. Some have ventured to Central America, where Costa Rica's gorgeous scenery and laidback rhythms also appeal to retirees. But if a nearly 11,000-member Facebook community for expats in Paraguay is any indication, the once-overlooked, landlocked nation in South America is also on the rise, a beacon for those seeking low taxes, a cost of living that's 64.6% lower than that in the U.S., and a welcoming and safe atmosphere. With U.S. prices up more than 24% since the pandemic for everything from healthcare to groceries it's hard not to do a double-take at how "affordability is off the charts" in Paraguay, as described in a YouTube video from vlogger Adventure Freaksss. Where you live in this country of 7 million people will dictate how much you spend. Prices will be higher in Paraguay's up-and-coming capital of Asuncion, home to an international airport, museums, impressive architecture including the Government Palace, shopping malls, restaurants, and adventurous activities like boat rides along the Paraguay River. Here, monthly rents for basic one-bedroom apartments run from $300 to $500. This is compared to rents of around $200 to $400 in the countryside, like in the Cordillera region, about two hours away from Asuncion, where shopping and dining options are fewer but the hilly scenery is a draw. If you're looking to buy property, a new apartment in Asuncion can run about $140 per square foot and $110 outside of the city center compared to a median $220 per square foot in the U.S. (as of 2025). In general, monthly groceries can average $100 to $200 for a single person. Public healthcare is available, and yearly prices for private healthcare insurance can start around $300. Read more: The Best Vacation Destinations Where The US Dollar Goes Furthest Staying safe in Paraguay San Jose Beach in Encarcion, Paraguay along Parana River - Viagem Com Cafe/Shutterstock Even more mind-boggling is how Paraguay makes it easy to move. You can establish permanent residency through a staggered system of first obtaining temporary residency by showing proof of a monthly income of around $1,300 or more and providing documents such as a passport and birth certificate in person. Give yourself at least three months for the process. Then, as a temporary resident, you only need to be in Paraguay one day a year. After two years, you can apply for permanent residency, obtain a national ID to sign contracts, and start clocking the tax savings, especially for retirees from the U.S., where high earners can pay up to 37% in taxes. Paraguay's territorial tax system means foreign income and pensions are tax-exempt, and you only need to pay a 10% tax on income generated inside the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For residents and visitors, Paraguay is a safe country throughout most of its cities. It's ranked as the fifth-safest country in South America by the 2024 Global Peace Index. The low homicide rate was 6.2 per 100,000 people in 2023, a decrease from 7.9 in 2014, according to data from Statista. That's comparable to the 2023 U.S. rate of 5.9 outlined by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Peace Corp volunteers in 2023 reported feeling 100% safe where they worked and lived in the non-profit's annual survey. They reported being victims of only six crimes in 2023, compared to 40 in 2019. That said, flaunting your wealth isn't advisable. In busier corridors, there are reports of pickpocketing and purse-snatching. The bigger issue Paraguay faces, according to Interpol, is organized crime, which focuses on smuggling and money-laundering operations. Typically, these illicit activities don't impact expats, but political and bureaucratic corruption exists. Travelers to Asuncion in 2023 reported police officers threatening them with traffic tickets and seeking bribes. Food and family are a way of Paraguayan life Vori vori soup in Paraguay - Maggi Paraguay/Shutterstock What's day-to-day life like in Paraguay? With a location in the Southern Hemisphere, summers are hot and humid between December and February, when residents head to river beaches along the Parana River. First-world residents should consider that Paraguay is a developing country that is making lightning-fast progress. In 2003, the poverty rate was 51%, plummeting to 20.1% last year. Beef and soybean exports are helping fuel the economy, and the country is trying to find its democratic footing after weathering a tough history of dictatorship, a vice president's assassination, and corruption indictments against two presidents. Such headway, however, hasn't accelerated Paraguay's pace of life. People feel safe and relaxed here and as such, no one seems to be in a hurry, adopting a tranquilo attitude, in contrast to Anglo-American cultures. There are drawbacks to this for example, a case in the judicial system, which residents say is rife with corruption, can drag on for years. Securing health appointments in the public sector can take a while. But if you're late for a dinner date, no worries. Your friend is probably running behind as well. Indeed, meet-ups and coffee dates are common in Paraguay. Most of the country's residents are Mestizo, a mix of European and Native American peoples, who speak a mix of Spanish and Guarani, so brush up on your language skills. The culture prizes time spent with family and friends sharing food, including hearty soups like vori vori, and steak sandwiches called lomitos. If you haven't tried it yet, acquaint yourself with yerba mate, the caffeinated herbal tea that's a national drink. And if you're not sold on this way of living, you can check out the slightly pricier, Central American option of Panama, named the best place abroad to retire in 2025. 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. NEED TO KNOW A woman was fired from her adopted parents family business after eight years of hard work When they demanded she transfer the complex website she had built, she refused, offering instead to let them copy it and take the domain Now, shes wondering if shes wrong for standing her ground A woman sought advice from the Reddit community after she was fired from her familys business and refused to transfer the companys website that she had built and maintained for years. The woman explained in her post that the situation had a very involved history that stretched back more than a decade. I met my adopted parents when I was 19yo and they really took me in and helped raise me as a young adult, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When they decided to start a company eight years ago, she helped them build it from the ground up, taking care of everything from licensing and insurance to marketing and technical logistics. Getty Stock photo of a woman designing a website Stock photo of a woman designing a website She said she also built a very extensive website for the company on my own time as she had already started her own small freelance marketing company. Over the years, that website became a major part of the businesss success and a key example of her professional skills. As the business grew, the womans role deepened. I began working from home solely for the family business, she shared. Her responsibilities included handling all customer correspondence, scheduling, managing insurance and licensing, and overseeing crews and payments. Even though she was officially paid for three days a week, she said the workload was full time. I was often working until 3 or sometimes even 5am including on my days off and was always on call, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her husband joined the company six years ago, working long hours as a foreman and project estimator. He would be scheduled for appointments 2-3 days/week sometimes driving 300 miles in one day, she said, adding that his other days were spent leading crews at job sites often far from home. Both of them were using their own vehicles, phones, and tools for work, with no reimbursements. All business expenses were covered individually, she explained, noting that even mistakes made by other workers would be deducted from her husbands paycheck. Things began to unravel six months before she posted the story. Her adopted parents called her in for a meeting, supposedly to discuss her husbands performance. Keep in mind, I was his direct manager and took that role very seriously, she wrote. While her husband had some early issues, she said he had improved and was great at his job but severely overworked. During that meeting, the couples employers told her that her husband would never find another job that would keep him around and have him making what he does. When she replied that they didnt pay as well as they thought they did, the reaction was immediate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They were offended beyond belief that I would even suggest that, she wrote. They let me know that Friday would be my last day and good luck finding anyone else who will pay you what we do to stay home with your children. She said her husband was given a 30 day termination notice shortly after. Despite the tension, she says she tried to leave on good terms. I did try to get them to extend the time a week or more to be able to train the people replacing me well enough, she said. But they were adamant that I didnt actually do all that much and none of it was hard. Still, she spent the rest of her week creating informational data sheets to make the transition smooth and continued answering their questions in the weeks that followed. But outside of those work-related interactions, she said, the whole family have now cut us off entirely. Getty Stock photo of a stressed woman on her laptop Stock photo of a stressed woman on her laptop The real conflict began when her former employers asked her to transfer ownership of the businesss website to their eldest son. The woman explained that the website had always been her creation, something she maintained on my own time and dime as a way to sow into my adopted parents and the company. Even after being fired, she had agreed to keep maintaining it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, however, she was focused on rebuilding her freelance marketing business. If I transferred this site from my LLC at this point, it would be a MASSIVE hit to my own business, she said. The website, she explained, was a beautiful representation of my abilities and the only one on my portfolio like it. To compromise, she offered to make the process easier. I explained to the owner that I can leave the website up for their son to copy/paste everything over but he would just need to re-build it on his end as I cant duplicate it, she wrote. She even said she would transfer the domain name, which she valued at more than $1,000, to help them. Despite the generous offer, her former employers were furious. They are incredibly upset with the idea though because the son doesnt know how to do all of that, she said. She even offered to teach them how to manage the site, but they refused. Of course they dont want to do that because they operate the business out of their home and Im no longer welcome there, she added. Getty Stock photo of a woman on her laptop Stock photo of a woman on her laptop The woman said she felt torn. I dont want to make things difficult for them and do feel Im being more than fair by the options Ive given, she admitted. But she still wondered if she was wrong for not handing it over completely. Maybe I need to just transfer it over and accept the loss, she wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commenters on Reddit were quick to support her. One wrote, NTA. Youre being too kind to people who let you go without a second thought for you. Youre offering so much of yourself and your time to people who dont care about you. That commenter said her offer was reasonable and that her former family should be grateful instead of making all these demands. 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. Another commenter was even more direct. OP needs to go no contact, they said. A complex and well-designed website is worth thousands of dollars to design never mind maintain. The domain? OP paid for it and didnt get reimbursed? Its hers. That person urged her to bill the company for all the costs associated with the website. If the company wants it back then send them the invoice for ALL related costs. Paid up front in full or tell them to piss off, the commenter wrote. Your skills are worth time and money and you need to charge accordingly. No more freebies. Read the original article on People Cryptocurrency-friendly investment firm Franklin Templeton introduced a blockchain-based money-market fund for professional investors in Hong Kong and said it's also working on a version for retail investors as it looks to expand its footprint in Asia. The Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund invests in short-term U.S. government securities, with shares represented as tokens. Franklin Templeton says the structure allows faster transactions, better transparency and lower costs than traditional fund structures. The move builds on the firms role in Hong Kongs Project Ensemble, a Hong Kong Monetary Authority initiative exploring tokenized finance. It also helps strengthen the city as a growing hub for institutional digital assets. This launch shows our commitment to expanding tokenized investment products in Asia, said Tariq Ahmad, Franklin Templetons head of APAC. In partnership with HSBC, one of the world's largest banks, and OSL, a Hong Kong-based cryptocurrency exchange, Franklin Templeton tested how the fund token, gBENJI, could deliver yield onchain and interact with HSBCs tokenized deposits to enable around-the-clock settlement and smoother investor operations. The Luxembourg-registered fund uses a proprietary blockchain recordkeeping system to issue, distribute and service fund shares directly onchain. It is registered under the European Union's Undertakings for Collective Investment in Transferable Securities regulations. UCITS regulates investment funds to provide a high level of investor protection and create a single, harmonized market for these funds across EU member states. Franklin Templeton has been active in blockchain finance since 2018, launching several tokenized funds and developing its Benji Technology Platform, which underpins the new Hong Kong product. Aldi, Target and Walmart were among the Arizona grocers to offer the cheapest deals on Thanksgiving meals. For shoppers planning to cook a full holiday dinner at home, each of the stores is helping shoppers stretch budgets without sacrificing tradition. From frozen turkeys and stuffing mix to canned cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes, Arizona residents can find Thanksgiving grocery savings across the Phoenix area. Advertisement Advertisement Shoppers can also take advantage of pick-up and delivery options at some retailers. Here's a look at the best meal deals for Thanksgiving. Aldi offers competitive meal deal for Thanksgiving through Christmas Aldi's 10 for $40 deal featured staple Thanksgiving ingredients alongside a 14-pound Jennie-O turkey, with a total of 22 products featured in the sale. The basket included a 14-pound Jennie-O turkey, rolls, cranberry sauce, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing and pumpkin pie. The deal would be good through Dec. 24 for shoppers looking to stock up for Christmas. There was no shopper or loyalty card required to get the deal. Advertisement Advertisement Atty McGarth, CEO for U.S. Aldi operations, said this year's meal was more competitive than last year's sale. "Saving our shoppers money is our mission every day but it is especially important during the holidays when they need it most," McGarth said in a statement. Walmart brings back Thanksgiving meal through Christmas Walmart announced the return of its annual Thanksgiving meal basket, offering its most affordable holiday basket. It includes over 20 brands alongside Walmart's Great Value brand items, including a 13.5-pound Butterball turkey for $0.97 per pound, which Walmart said was its lowest price on the item since 2019. Walmart said the meal was designed to serve 10 people. Advertisement Advertisement The full meal costs less than $40 if a shopper buys a specific basket made up of brand names and Great Value items. Some prices would vary depending on the location. At a Phoenix Walmart, the basket rang up to about $48. "We want every family to be able to share a meal and celebrate without compromising on quality, quantity or tradition," said John Furner, President and CEO of U.S. Walmart. Walmart also offered a $34 prime rib meal, a $40 health-focused meal, and a $52 gluten-free meal. Walmart offered pickup and delivery options. Target offers meal for $20 A section of the Target website dedicated to holiday hosting and entertaining has a link to the Thanksgiving meal for four. Advertisement Advertisement It contained a mix of brand names and store brands, including an up to 10-pound Good & Gather Premium Basted young turkey. Customers can use store delivery or order pickup. Lisa Roath, Target's executive vice president, said the deal was priced cheaper than last year's sale and touted the company's broader selection of home goods not seen in regular grocery stores. "We also have new seasonal sides, stylish table decor, festive apparel and beautiful greenery and florals," Roath said in a statement. Mississippi Clarion-Ledger reporter Bonnie Bolden contributed to this article. Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cheap Thanksgiving meals under $40 at Aldi, Walmart and Target A visit to Italy is not complete without driving through its stunning scenic mountains, indulging in delicious handmade pasta, and immersing yourself in a culture steeped in traditions passed on through generations. While tourists typically make their way to Rome, Venice, and Florence to get a taste of the country, the best way to skip tourist traps in Italy is to experience a scenic road trip through the charming mountainous Abruzzo region. While there are things tourists should never do when visiting Italy, such as ordering a latte, renting a vehicle to embark on a road trip surely isn't one of them. Italy is full of stunning crowd-free destinations, such as the Abruzzo region and can be reached as a day trip from Rome in just over an hour. Although easily accessible from Italy's largest city, the true beauty of Abruzzo should be discovered by spending more than a few days slowly making your way through historic villages, such as Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Sulmona, and L'Aquila, while taking in the gorgeous scenery and sites along the way. Abruzzo has the best of both worlds when it comes to beauty. It has what is considered the backbone of Italy, referring to the approximately 870 mile long range of the Apennines Mountains that stretch along the peninsular portion of Italy. Beach lovers will love that the Abruzzo region is home to stretches of stunning beaches along the Adriatic, making it the perfect area for hiking and relaxing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Read more: 50 Of The Most Mesmerizing Places On Earth Timeless towns and scenic drives A scenic photo of a viewpoint looking down onto a lake, mountains and trees - riccardo livorni/Shutterstock While most road trips through the region tend to start in Rome, Abruzzo has its own airport (it's an under-four hour train ride Rome for about $21, too), and flying there could allow you more time to explore the entire region. From the airport, you can rent a car and make your first stop to the seaside town of Pescara, located just under four miles away. Spend a full day here exploring the sandy shores of Spiaggia di Pescara, spend some time relaxing in the peaceful Nature Reserve Pineta Dannunziana, and strolling along the impressive bridge Ponte del Mare, which spans over 1,500 feet. After Pescarra, drive to Sulmona, which is located just 44 miles away along the E80 and SS17 highways and is considered one of the most stunning places in Abruzzo. Surrounded by mountains and featuring quaint streets steeped in history, this was home to the ancient Roman poet Ovid. Treat yourself to some candy-coated almonds called "confetti," which come in a variety of flavors. Grab some lunch at Hostaria dell' Arco and enjoy the traditional Italian dishes along with the cozy interior. After lunch, drive 19 miles along SR479 for stunning mountain views. Stop at the Riserva Naturale Gole del Sagittario for scenic hikes with waterfalls and gorges, then visit Eremo di San Domenico before checking into the Park Hotel, overlooking the stunning Lago di Scanno. Hike to the Sentiero del Cuore viewpoint for a heart-shaped lake view from above, then enjoy a traditional and affordable Italian dinner at Il Rifugio del Lupo, before exploring the picturesque village. Mountain views, epic scenery, and unforgettable Italian charm Italian village surrounded by snow peaked mountains - Angelo D'amico/Getty Images Wake up nice and early the next day and make the 29 mile journey from Scanno towards Parco Naturale Regionale Sirente-Velino, which takes just over an hour. You'll be treated to curvy roads with stunning views. For a quick pitstop, turn onto SP60 to enjoy a panoramic photo opportunity at Punto Panoramico Olmo di Bobbi, before continuing along the curvy route 38 miles along the A25 & E80 highways towards Chieti. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chieti is commonly referred to as one of the oldest cities in Italy. It boasts an impressive mountain backdrop with Majella and Gran Sasso in particular feeling straight out of a postcard. Take in the views of the cliffside Castle of Roccascalegna, visit the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, stroll along the historic streets of Centro Storico di Chieti, then grab dinner at La Tavernetta. Stay the night in Chieti before making the 10-mile drive in the morning back to the Abruzzo Airport in Pescara. Thrill seekers looking to snake along the curvaceous mountain roads on two wheels will be happy to know that you can rent a motorcycle just a short two miles from the Abruzzo Airport with Riderly Rentals. Ride along the Adriatic Sea towards Vasto and stop for lunch at Trabocco Punta Isolata, which is a traditional trabocco, a fishing platform turned restaurant that serves fresh seafood. Ride the easy 31-mile long Trabocchi Coast, or head to the twisties on the Chieti route, which offers curves galore. Stop off during the ride in Casoli for some breakfast, Barrea for a quick bite, and Pacentro for a coffee before making your way back towards Chieti and returning the bike back to the rental agency. 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. One new EV owner is taking their ride and their excitement to new heights. A Reddit user recently posted a glowing one-month review of their 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 Cyber Gray, sharing a scenic shot of the car parked along Colorado's Peak to Peak Highway. The caption read: "Took a drive through the Colorado countryside and Peak to Peak Highway! Love the car on mountain roads so far." Photo Credit: Reddit Photo Credit: Reddit After putting 1,500 miles on the odometer in under a month, the new owner is clearly thrilled and they're not alone. The post earned nearly 200 upvotes and dozens of comments from fellow EV enthusiasts admiring both the car and the photo's cinematic shine. "Cool picture is it a filter or something that makes it look extra shiny?" one asked. The driver replied that they'd "edited a lot including HDR and contrast/shadows," and even applied a ceramic coat themselves for the glossy finish. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another commenter welcomed them to the EV community: "Love every excuse I can find to get in it and drive, knowing I'm not spewing exhaust emissions anymore." Beyond the photo-worthy design, EV drivers enjoy lower fuel and maintenance costs, zero tailpipe emissions, and the quiet, instant acceleration that makes electric driving so fun. Studies show EV owners save hundreds of dollars per year compared to gas car drivers while helping cut the air pollution that contributes to climate change and respiratory illness. If you're ready to make the switch, check out how to make your next car an EV. Pairing your EV with home solar can stretch your savings even further by letting you charge with free, renewable energy. Installing solar panels is the ultimate home energy hack it can reduce your energy costs to nearly $0. EnergySage makes it simple to compare quotes from vetted local installers and potentially save up to $10,000 on solar installation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If buying panels isn't in your budget, leasing through LightReach lets you install solar for no money down and lock in low energy rates. You can also save an average of $400 a year by upgrading your HVAC to a heat pump, and Mitsubishi can help you find an affordable option. Simple upgrades like switching to an EV, adding solar, or installing a heat pump all bring us closer to a cleaner, cooler future one road trip at a time. Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. If you're a home baker with a Costco card, we'd make a hefty bet that you already shop for most of your baking stapleslike eggs, butter, cinnamon, and vanillafrom the warehouse. For instance, McCormick's seasonal finishing sugars are a must-grab when the holidays roll around. Plus, the wholesaler has stellar deals on flour and sugar, and you can even score some pretty sweet baking sheets from the chain, too. In other words, if you're the type to whip up dozens of cookies, cakes, and other confections during the holidays, Costco is your home away from home...especially when you need to stock up on vanilla extract. Speaking of vanilla, consider this your formal (and urgent) notice to every baker and Costco member: The warehouse currently has a stellar deal on a gourmet ingredient that can elevate just about any bake. And, no, we're not talking about its pure vanilla extract (though that's also an essential). Rather, the warehouse has us taking any vanilla-enhanced creation to new heights this season with its wildly good deal on vanilla beans. Kirkland Signature Organic Madagascar Vanilla Beans Twenty-count jars of Kirkland's Signature Organic Madagascar Vanilla Beans were recently spotted at a California location for $10.89. To put it into perspective, that's about 55 cents for one individual vanilla bean. Vanilla can be ridiculously expensive, so when you see a good deal (especially on whole beans), it's always worth it because you never know how long it will last. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Twenty organic beans under $11 is a steal!" exclaims Allrecipes Editor Deanne Revel, who's comparing its price to those found at other grocery stores, where vanilla beans usually cost $3.50 each. "The cheapest I've seen vanilla beans...ever? At Costco, of course," Senior Editorial Director Arie Knutson tells me. "Feels especially surprising with the tariffs." Real vanilla beans offer an insanely easy way to upgrade any bake from the moment your guest sees it on their plate. They can add a lovely touch of color to recipes. Those specks you see in vanilla ice cream? That comes from scraping whole, authentic vanilla beans, and is a visual sign that the treat is packed with that sweet flavor. You don't have to be a baker to use the beans, either. Redditors who found the deal at their local warehouses flocked to the comments with tips on how to use the beans. Fans said they make homemade vanilla extract and Kahlua with the vanilla beans, while another uses them to make vanilla paste. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I put them in bourbon and let them diffuse," notes a Redditor. If you ask us, the deal couldn't have come at a better time for the home baker, with baking season officially upon us. So, make sure you head to your local Costco and stock up on some vanilla beans before this deal ends. Read the original article on Allrecipes A Delaware County artist has narrowed in on her experiences with loss and maintaining strength through faith in an autobiography published this year. Stephanie Zito, a professional musician who worked as a public school music teacher for several years, published her autobiography "Legend of the Unforeseen" in April. While she was raised on Long Island, Zito said she moved to Oregon before graduating high school and now lives just outside of Harpersfield. She said it took her about four years total to write the book, which came with its own stresses and challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the major life events Zito addressed in the book was the murder of her brother, Peter Zito Jr., who was killed in Oregon in October 1974 along with Don Bartron, another Oregon resident. She said the case remained cold for about 50 years. The case initially was dismissed in January 2024, letting the suspect go without a trial, Zito said, which was a big point of contention addressed in the book. "I was very traumatized by it," Zito said. "I stayed in Lewis and Clark College because I knew my brother would not have wanted me to give up. It was real hard, but I managed to do it." During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Zito began writing the autobiography. She said her brother was her best friend. The book is a historic autobiography, as well as a memoir, she said. It addresses her life growing with her family in addition to his killing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspect eventually was arrested in 2022 and preliminary hearings were held in 2023. The trial was scheduled for February 2024, but during the course of the hearings, the judge ruled to disqualify the evidence, Zito said. Throughout the years, especially following her bother's killing, Zito said her faith in Christianity kept her grounded. She was able to finish her college education and cello lessons, graduating from Lewis and Clark College in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in music. She received her master of arts degree in music from Columbia University in 1983. This led to her taking jobs as a music teacher in Oregon and New York, including in New York City. Zito added that after her bother was killed, her sister and her husband loaned Zito a cello to use. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I was so happy and so surprised," Zito said. "I will never forget that." During her time studying with cellist Avron Coleman, who played for the New York Philharmonic, Zito said she moved in with world famous pianist Eugene List and his wife, Carroll Glenn. She said she lived on the third floor of their Upper West Side brownstone, sharing the kitchen with two other students. "I was really blessed, so lucky to be in that house," Zito said. Through her teaching jobs in the city, she said she taught everything from band to chorus to general music. She resigned from the Catskill Symphony, Binghamton Philharmonic and the Utica Symphony several years ago, deciding instead to put her energy into solo cello concerts. Zito has a music studio in the town of North Kortright, which is not open to the public, as she said she prefers her "safety, privacy and peace and quiet here with my dogs and cat." Additionally, Zito plays guitar and sings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After leaving the symphony, she said she has performed her solo cello concerts in a variety of venues throughout the local area. She also drew and painted more than 150 of the historic churches in Delaware County, displaying them at showings in the community. Zito said she hopes the book is helpful to anybody who has gone through something similar as her, especially those who have lost loved ones. For music students, she said she hopes the story gives them a "taste of reality" about the experiences of working in the industry, either in the symphony or as a teacher. The goal of the autobiography, Zito added, is to show that "life is a long journey with many roads to take." "Sometimes it is not fun, but when we remember that we are not alone because Jesus is with us, we do not need to be afraid," Zito said. "Suddenly our journey takes us into the unforeseen, and unexpected fork in the road. But when we believe in God, and trust in Jesus, and allow Him to move us, we are blessed." Feldkirch, Austria, offers a quiet cultural escape with medieval charm and scenery. Visitors can explore historic sites, local markets, and enjoy diverse culinary options. This article is part of "Undiscovered Europe," a series exploring overlooked travel gems. Set along Austria's westernmost edge, Feldkirch is a small medieval town that invites curious wanderers who crave quiet culture and enchanting scenery over a checklist of sights to see. Here, winding cobbled streets and vaulted arcades weave alongside a storybook castle that's stood watch for over 800 years. Yet many visitors bypass Feldkirch en route to larger, more well-known cities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Most tourists head for Innsbruck, Salzburg, or Vienna Feldkirch doesn't yet make it onto many international itineraries, which is exactly what makes it so appealing," said Jacque Gabellone, the director of product and operations for Tenon Tours, a boutique tour company specializing in tailor-made European travel. "Compared to Innsbruck, it's more intimate and less commercialized, while still offering alpine architecture and access to mountain scenery," she said. Feldkirch borders the countries of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Carol Sachs for BI Gabellone has worked in the travel industry for over 30 years, often sourcing on-the-ground destinations, such as Feldkirch, for her clients. Its authentic charm immediately won her over, especially compared to other tourist-heavy Austrian towns. "It's the kind of place where you feel immersed in everyday Austrian life while still surrounded by centuries of history," Gabellone said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris Karl, an Austrian-born tour director for EF Go Ahead Tours who passes through often, also agrees. "I don't think that many tourists have Feldkirch on their agenda," he told Business Insider. "Feldkirch welcomes you with thick medieval fortification walls and an old tower. In the city center, you will find a vibrant town with shops and restaurants under ancient arcades." In Feldkirch, find history, culture, and gastronomic delights Winding cobbled streets and vaulted arcades weave alongside a storybook castle. Carol Sachs for BI Located in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, Feldkirch borders the countries of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The scenery is bucolic, situated in a valley surrounded by lush rolling hills and mountains. And while the capital of Vorarlberg is Bregenz, Feldkirch's attractions are known to rival it. "Feldkirch is sometimes called the secret capital of Vorarlberg," Karl said. "There are conferences held there, cultural events, architectural congresses people come for these events and then find themselves in an unknown oasis of medieval charm and modern functionality." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gabellone added, "Feldkirch offers culture without the crowds." Feldkirch has a population of around 36,000 people. Carol Sachs for BI 6 things to do in Feldkirch Marvel at a medieval castle. Built in the 13th century by the Counts of Montfort, Feldkirch's Schattenburg Castle is now a landmark and museum showcasing medieval weaponry, Gothic art, and period clothing. An on-site restaurant, Gasthof Schattenburg, serves hearty Austrian dishes. "From the castle, you get sweeping views of red-tiled rooftops and the Alps in the background," Gabellone said. Stop to see an ancient watchtower. Also known as the 'Cat Tower,' the Katzenturm is a prominent part of Feldkirch's skyline. Originally built in 1507 as part of the town's fortifications, the tower stands 40 meters high with Vorarlberg's biggest bell inside, which weighs 7,500 kilos and still chimes today. Peruse a street market. Feldkirch hosts twice-weekly farmers markets year-round. "Many visitors overlook the weekly markets where you can sample cheeses, cured meats, and breads from the surrounding farms," Gabellone said. Learn about the culture. The town's cultural center, Montforthaus Feldkirch, opened in 2015 and hosts many noteworthy exhibitions, concerts, and programs, from poetry slams to wine fairs. Some events take place in a former swimming pool-turned-performance space and venue. There's also the annual Poolbar music festival, which occurs over several weeks each summer and features programming centered on music, art, and creativity. Enjoy a leisurely walk. Admire Austria's natural beauty with a walk on a pedestrian trail in the scenic Walgau Valley, or along the Ill River, which runs through town. "In summer, walking along its banks is a lovely way to see the town from a different angle," Gabellone said. Take a day trip. There's also much to discover in neighboring areas such as Lake Constance, with its boat rides and lakeside promenades, or Bregenz, known for its summer opera festival on the lake. Additionally, nearby ski resorts like Lech can be reached by bus or car. "These side trips complement Feldkirch well without feeling rushed," Gabellone said. Schattenburg Castle Carol Sachs for BI After exploring, travelers will find that Feldkirch is well-suited to satiate hungry appetites. Karl, who brings many of his tour groups into Feldkirch for lunch, suggests a meal at the restaurant, Illside, named for its location along the river. "The food is a nice mix between traditional and modern." Pizza is also a must, ideally from Karl's pick, Ristorante Pizzeria Caruso. "Italy is very close to Austria, so we Austrians are very critical about pizza and Italian food. This one really has the original stuff," he said. Illside restaurant Carol Sachs for BI Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Karl also recommends the brewery Rosslepark "to dive into local food and top it off with locally brewed beer," and an upscale restaurant called E3 for its unbeatable address. "Location, location, location," Karl said. "It's on top of one of the most modern buildings in town." Gastronomy aside, Feldkirch remains an authentic choice for discerning travelers looking to forge their own path, away from the common tourist trail. And with a hilltop castle and a compact old town that welcomes slow wandering, it's easy to do exactly that you just need to know to look for it. "For travelers who want to feel like they've 'discovered' somewhere, Feldkirch is ideal," Gabellone said. Admire Austria's natural beauty with a walk on a pedestrian trail. Carol Sachs for BI Read the original article on Business Insider Montana is a state of many personalities, which is probably why it has over 10 nicknames. One of these is the Mountain State, which feels very apt when you consider Montana has over 300 peaks across its vast landscape. While this moniker mostly refers to the Rocky Mountains, there are actually over 60 ranges here that all contribute to the state's rugged and adventurous nature. The Crazy Mountains Range near the center of the state has rich Native American roots and around 30 summits reaching between 10,000 and 11,000 feet high. Known affectionately as the Crazies, this impressive range is ideal for long, scenic drives that let you leave behind civilization and enter a world of pristine nature. One popular route along various highways provides a leisurely experience that captures beautiful mountain views. An alternative route takes you along gravel backroads that provide more solitude, albeit with slightly rougher driving. Over 50 alpine lakes reside in the Crazies, many of which have enthralling hiking trails leading to their shorelines. The Twin Lakes via Big Timber Creek Trail is one of the most popular, with a 4.7-star rating on AllTrails. It starts at Halfmoon Campground, stretching 8.5 miles through the mountain range to the lakes. You'll need around five hours to complete it, but the trails are well-kept, and the lakes and waterfalls are worth it. Blue Lake is another great option from Halfmoon Campground. This walk is almost 1 mile shorter than Twin Lakes, but it still takes close to five hours. You'll encounter a lot of steep sections on either trek, so be prepared for huffing and puffing at times. Both of these treks reach elevations of over 8,000 feet, so you should brush up on how to prevent altitude sickness before hitting the trail. Advertisement Advertisement Read more: One Of West Virginia's Best-Kept Secrets Is A Train Ride Through A Canyon You Can't Reach By Car Classic towns and experiences in the Crazy Mountains Livingston's Old West downtown with neon signs and a mountain in the background. - Nick Fox/Shutterstock If you're heading to the Crazies, chances are you'll visit one of the gateway towns. Big Timber is a riverside darling that hosts a fun annual rodeo in June. It's also about one hour away from one of Montana's five best ranches for trying out Western life, Sweet Grass Ranch. Slightly down the Yellowstone River is Livingston, a small mountain town with an Old West-style downtown. Despite having fewer than 10,000 people, it's a mecca for cosmopolitan dining and local artists. Mexican, sushi, and Italian restaurants sit amongst the taverns, while the summertime art walk showcases local writers, painters, and musicians. Recreation is never far in this area. Yellowstone River is a popular spot for trout fishing, while Livingston Spring Creek often sets the scene for days spent fly fishing. If you're up for a challenge, you could take on the strenuous hike to Crazy Peak, the highest point in the mountain range at over 11,000 feet. The mountain and valley views are exceptional, but this isn't a trek for casual hikers. It is a long and difficult route, and the high altitude can bring on all kinds of unexpected weather. You'll need proper gear, including bear spray, and make sure someone knows where you are in case something goes wrong. The best time to visit the Crazies is during the summer, when the weather is pleasant and the snow hasn't arrived yet. The land is sacred to the Apsaalooke people, and its tie to the Indigenous culture dates back centuries. It's important to respect the land and leave no trace behind when you're visiting that means taking all trash when you go and not disturbing the flora or fauna. To reach the Crazies, you can fly into Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, Montana's gateway to outdoor wonders with plenty of nonstop flights. It's only a 1.5-hour drive from the range. 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. Traveling is all about opening yourself up to new adventures, and that includes food! While some of us are definitely more adventurous than others when it comes to trying new foods, the best way to learn about a culture can be through trying and learning about its delicious cuisine. Travel expert Rick Steves has been taking curious adventurers along with him on his European travels since the early 1970s, and along the way, he's tried his fair share of unique foods. While his adventures have taken his taste buds global, one Dutch dish in particular stood out. On a trip to Amsterdam, in his blog piece titled "Sensory Amsterdam," Steves discusses his experience with rijsttafel (pronounced RYE-stah-ful), an Indonesian-Dutch hybrid dish that literally translates to "rice table." Steves wrote, "Though not a true Indonesian meal, it's a Dutch innovation designed to highlight the best food of its former colony, especially all the great spices that funded the city's Golden Age. For around $40 you get about 20 dishes and a rainbow of spices with white rice to mix and mingle on your palate." While the Dutch and Indonesian peoples share a long, sordid colonial history, and the dish is technically not a product of Indonesia at all. Indonesia's spices and a certain way of serving multiple small dishes at once inspired the Dutch to bring the idea back with them to the Netherlands after their colonization of the archipelago. So what is rijsttafel anyway? Read more: Rick Steves Recommends Cinque Terre's Only Resort Town For A Vibrant Italian Getaway What is rijsttafel? Rijsttafel meal on table - Satsuei_athian/Shutterstock Rijsttafel isn't simply a meal; it's a full-blown food-tourism experience one that represents both Dutch and Indonesian culinary history. Picture a long table filled to the brim with small plates: crispy vegetables, tender meat dishes like sate, fish, spiced curry, a vegetable salad with peanut sauce, and a steaming portion of white rice in the center of it all. Like chicken tikka masala, which was invented in the U.K. by South Asian immigrants, the dish might not be from Indonesia, but it uses ingredients, spices, meats, and practices inspired by Indonesian cuisine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some say this communal style of eating was adapted from a Sumatran style of eating called nasi padang. In an interview with Folklife Magazine, California-based Indo chef and author Jeff Keasberry said of the dish, "It was inspired by Java, on the slametans [communal feasts]. Feasting, celebrating, and ceremonial meals were a way of showing thanks and involving people." While you'd be hard-pressed to find rijsttafel at a restaurant in Indonesia, the Dutch have been creating the dish for decades. According to Folklife Magazine, in November 2022, rijsttafel was even added to the Netherlands' Intangible Heritage Inventory, showing its prominence among Dutch culture. The culinary experience that is rijsttafel Communal dining experience - Peopleimages/Getty Images Today, rijsttafel stands as one of the most distinctive and celebrated dining experiences in the Netherlands, a feast that bridges two very different cultures through the universal language of food. Each plate, no matter how small, tells a story: of spice routes that connected continents, of colonial exchange and adaptation, and of how traditions evolve to create something entirely new. It's a meal that encourages conversation and education, not only between friends but also within communities, learning about and understanding the dishes and where they came from. In Amsterdam, rijsttafel has become something of a rite of passage for visitors looking to experience the city beyond its canals and museums (as well as experience Indonesian food for the first time). In 2023, even the Netherlands' prime minister decided to take the French president out to a rijstaffel dinner during an official visit. Restaurants across the city offer diners their own interpretations of the dish, some hewing closely to tradition while others have reimagined rijsttafel for a more modern palate. Tujuh Maret is a family-run restaurant serving up delicious, classic (and spicy) rijsttafel dishes, and Eater even named it as one of the top 23 restaurants in Amsterdam. Restaurant Blauw, on the other hand, offers a more contemporary take, presenting beautifully plated dishes with a unique twist. For something a bit more refined (and expensive), try Blue Pepper, which serves its rijsttafel over five courses versus all at once. Despite the complicated history of Dutch colonization in Indonesia, one thing about this comfort food is certain: It brings about a sense of community, memories, and cultural education that continues to resonate today. Each bite is a reminder of the shared history that shaped the Netherlands' culinary identity, transforming a colonial legacy into a celebration of flavor and connection. 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. Some Starbucks customers say they are disappointed about the launch of the "Bearista" cup after it appears to have quickly sold out around the country. The 20-ounce glass cup, which sold in stores for $29.95, is part of Starbucks' holiday merchandise line, which was released on Thursday, Nov. 6. Shaped like a teddy bear, the cup also has a green Starbucks stocking cap and a straw. While hype typically mounts around the release of Starbucks' holiday menu and collection, some people are saying they were let down by the lack of availability of the Bearista cup. Others said they arrived to stores before the sun came up to try to get their hands on one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This was a waste of my time," one person commented on Starbucks' Instagram. "The bearistas were sold out before the doors even opened and other stores only had about 2 bearistas." Starbucks launched officially its 2025 holiday menu on Thursday, Nov. 6. Starbucks launched officially its 2025 holiday menu on Thursday, Nov. 6. Starbucks launched its Hello Kitty collaboration collection on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Starbucks launched officially its 2025 holiday menu on Thursday, Nov. 6. A Starbucks Caramel Brulee Latte. Starbucks Hello Kitty Bearista. Starbucks holiday cold foam. Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bar. Starbucks gingerbread chai. Starbucks iced gingerbread oatmilk chai tea latte. Starbucks polar bear cake pop. Starbucks iced sugar cookie oatmeal latte. Starbucks peppermint mocha. Starbucks snowman cookie. Starbucks sugar cookie latte. Starbucks sugar plum cheese danish. Starbucks Hello Kitty gift card. Starbucks Hello Kitty gift card. Starbucks Hello Kitty mug. Starbucks Hello Kitty stainless steel cup. Starbucks Hello Kitty tumbler. Starbucks Hello Kitty water bottle. Starbucks Hello Kitty water cup. Starbucks Christmas Blend whole bean coffee. A Starbucks new cinnamon pull-apart croissant. Starbucks Thanksgiving blend whole bean coffee. Starbucks Christmas Blonde Roast whole bean coffee. Starbucks Christmas Blend decaf whole bean coffee. Starbucks Holiday Blend whole bean coffee. Starbucks' 2025 holiday cups, menu, merch are here. See the seasonal items 1 of 29 Starbucks launched officially its 2025 holiday menu on Thursday, Nov. 6. Is the Starbucks Bearista cup sold out? Starbucks confirmed in a statement that the Bearista cups have sold out. The new Starbucks Bearista glass cold cup ($29.95) is part of the coffee chain's holiday 2025 merchandise, which becomes available Thursday, Nov. 6. "The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations and despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast, the statement said. It's unclear whether the cups will be restocked before the end of the holiday season. USA TODAY has requested more information from Starbucks. 'I want to give you my money so bad but I guess y'all dont want it' On Instagram, customers flooded Starbucks' comments about the lack of stock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Petition for a re-release of the bear cup," one person said, while another quipped, "I want to give you my money so bad but I guess y'all dont want it." "I find it quite disappointing that a big company like Starbucks would release a new collection that clearly generates hype and inevitably, frustration," one user said. "Im sorry, but this time the disappointment has real consequences. There are plenty of alternatives out there, and many of us feel let down." Several people on Instagram and TikTok said they arrived at stores before dawn to be first in line to get the cup. "People camped out all night to not even get one," one person said on Instagram, then adding, "Please dont market something so heavily if people dont even have the option to actually purchase it, its has the opposite effect of what you are hoping for." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some videos on social media appeared to show people getting upset with workers or aggressive with other customers over the cups. Some people say they don't get the hype Meanwhile, others took to social media to dissuade people from searching for the cup. "Its a fad/trend that will be over in a matter of months. we will be seeing these in thrift stores by summer," one person wrote on Reddit. Another responded, "It literally just looks like one of those honey containers that's shaped like a bear lol. I don't get the hype." Some people even said they accidentally broke their cups which are fragile because they are made of glass. Others suggested similar alternatives from other retailers like Amazon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Starbucks fans call for restock of 'Bearista' cups after launch chaos Rye whiskey drinkers know all about the appeal of Templeton. But until recently, all the whiskey from this Iowa-based brand was produced in Indiana. In 2018, the Templeton Distillery opened in Iowa and for the first time the brand is announcing a rye whiskey made entirely in the Hawkeye State. Templeton Single Barrel Rye Templeton This barrel proof whiskey is made with a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley before being matured in new, charred American oak barrels. This limited-edition expression was distilled, matured, and bottled in Iowa at the Templeton Distillery. According to Templeton, this new release features flavors like baking spices, oak, and caramel. The finish is long, indulgent, lingering, and ends with a mix of sweetness and spice. Fans of well-made rye whiskeys will want to sip this expression neat, with a splash or water, or mixed into a whiskey-based cocktail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were proud to introduce Templeton Single Barrel Rye a whiskey crafted for our fans and connoisseurs alike, Shane Fitzharris, Senior Vice President, Global Commercial at Infinium Spirits says. This release embodies our spirit of innovation while honoring our rich heritage, setting a new benchmark for excellence in American whiskey. Every pour offers a rare and remarkable expression of character and craft no two barrels alike, each with its own distinct personality and complexity. Where can I buy it? Jag_cz / Shutterstock Templeton Single Barrel is available now at select whiskey retails for a limited time for the suggested retail price of $49.99 for a 750ml bottle. For more information, visit www.templetondistillery.com. This story was originally published on BioPharma Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily BioPharma Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Novo Nordisks offer to buy obesity drug developer Metsera may run afoul of federal law on premarket review of company acquisitions, the Federal Trade Commission told the companies in a Tuesday letter. While the FTC said its staff and commissioners take no position on the deals legality, the letter indicated that the structure of Novos proposal could allow the companies to evade a pre-merger review until after potentially anticompetitive harms have already occurred. Bloomberg first reported news of the FTCs letter. Pfizer, which is competing with Novo to acquire Metsera, has argued that its rivals bid would violate federal antitrust law because of Novos already dominant position selling obesity drugs. A Delaware court, however, denied Pfizers request to block the deal Wednesday and Metsera, in a separate statement, called Pfizers legal arguments nonsense. Dive Insight: On paper, Novos offer appears superior to Pfizers. Its most recent bid is worth $10 billion, surpassing Pfizers latest overture about $2 billion. But should the deal get hung up in a lengthy regulatory review, Novos offer could become less attractive to Metsera investors eager to receive their cash. Pfizers proposal, by comparison, has already been cleared by the FTC. Novo, which markets one of the worlds best-selling obesity drugs in Wegovy and has multiple experimental medicines behind it, would gain up to eight more weight loss candidates by acquiring Metsera. That prospect is fundamental to Pfizers argument that Novos offer constitutes attempted monopolization and conspiracy to monopolize in a federal lawsuit. The FTC, meanwhile, raised two concerns in its letter. The first is the deals unorthodox structure, through which Novo would make a large upfront payment in return for half of the companys shares regardless of whether the deal closes and then dole out the remainder later on. Because Novo Nordisks and Metseras deal structure transfers significant rights, benefits, and risks to Novo Nordisk prior to the HSR Act review, we have concerns that proceeding with the acquisition without filing for premerger review may violate the HSR Act, wrote Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTCs Bureau of Competition, in the letter. More and more northern "snowbirds" and remote workers are heading to Europe to soak up the sun, and it's no surprise why. The Mediterranean is a veritable hotspot, thanks to new digital nomad visas and record levels of warm weather and bright blue skies. Many European capital cities have year-round sunshine, historic sites, and colorful cultures. In fact, a recent study by Montenegro Car Rentals looked at data from World Weather Online and TimeandDate.com to discover the top three European countries that have more than 300 days of sunshine per year. Spain, Malta, and Cyprus were in a three-way tie for first place. Spain has more than 1,000 miles of coastline along the Mediterranean (the sunniest part of the country), not including the Balearic islands, a popular warm-weather getaway. Malta and Cyprus are both island nations that have an abundance of sunshine and dry days. With this comfortable climate, affordable cost of living, and new remote work visas, many digital nomads are flocking to all three countries for a better quality of life. Read more: The Most 'Overtouristed' Places In Europe Spain Castle turret overlooking marina in Alicante, Spain - RomanSlavik.com/Shutterstock It seems that everyone has Spain on their minds. The country is full of warmth, in both its weather and in its welcoming culture. Beyond big cities like Barcelona and Madrid, there are over 1,000 miles of coastline along the Mediterranean to explore. This sunny stretch is dotted with other more underrated (and livable) cities like Valencia, Malaga, and Tarifa all of which are digital nomad hotspots. One study by vacation rental platform Holidu used research from World Weather Online to calculate the number of sunny hours per month in major European cities since 2009 and discovered that the top five sunniest cities are all in Spain. Cartagena wins the top spot with 283 hours of sunlight on average per month, followed by Alicante, Malaga, Murcia, and Granada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This sunny European country is one of the best places to retire abroad, and it also draws droves of digital nomads. In 2023, Spain even launched its own digital nomad visa. This visa is for self-employed or freelance workers, and allows them to live and work in Spain for three years, then extend the visa for another two years (for a total of five years in the country with a temporary residency). After five years, expats can apply for permanent residency if they want to stay in the sun a little longer. The cost of living is manageable, with monthly expenses totaling around 1,700 to 2,450 (at the time of writing). Malta Cathedral dome and balconies in Valletta, Malta - Arcady/Shutterstock Malta is a small island nation in the heart of the Mediterranean that is another sun-drenched paradise, boasting over 300 sunny days annually. It has temperatures ranging from the low 50s in the winter to the high 80s in the summer. It's loaded with history, including the medieval Valletta capital city, where the Knights of St. John ruled around the 16th century. "Game of Thrones" fans may even recognize the ancient city of Mdina as the entrance to King's Landing. In the summer and early fall, many locals take the ferry to the smaller island of Gozo to get a tan on the less-crowded beaches. Malta became an even more popular destination when it created its Nomad Residence Permit in 2021. This temporary visa allows non-EU remote workers to live in Malta while working for foreign companies or clients. Because Malta is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe, it can be difficult to find apartments, particularly in the popular neighborhoods like St. Julian's. But the cost of living is manageable for remote workers, with apartment leases hovering around 1,000 to 1,500 per month (at the time of writing). English and Maltese are the two official languages of Malta, making it even easier to adapt. Cyprus Coastal road and rock stacks along the Mediterranean in Cyprus - DaLiu/Shutterstock Don't overlook Cyprus for other major islands like Crete or Sicily. This nation off the coast of Turkiye has the same Mediterranean climate (think: 340 days of sun) with fewer crowds. Its arid environment, crystal-clear water, and Troodos Mountains mean there are plenty of places to explore year-round. While summer can veer on too hot (high 80s to 90s), the shoulder seasons of spring and fall offer the perfect middle ground, with average temperatures in the 70s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you're looking to work abroad, Cyprus has a lot going for it. It's a safe country with a low crime rate, and it's easy to find an internet connection in the main cities and tourist areas. The country is divided into the north and the south. South Cyprus is an EU member state, which means it feels more Greek (and has a Europe-worthy price tag). North Cyprus is a Turkish Republic, meaning it will not count against your 90-day tourist stay in the Schengen Zone like the South side would. The cost of living in North Cyprus is also 30 to 50 percent lower. 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. Though some travelers get a thrill from venturing into less predictable territory, many prioritize safety above all else when choosing a destination especially when traveling with family. Iceland is consistently recognized as one of the world's safest countries, but it has a new rival for 2026. Travel insurance company Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection publishes an annual ranking of the world's safest countries to travel to, based on a mix of traveler surveys and global safety indexes. The top place for 2026 was snagged by the Netherlands, ousting Iceland as the previous year's winner. The study by Berkshire Hathaway is in part informed by a survey of American travelers who have actually visited each country, giving the rankings a firsthand dimension. The survey results are reinforced by data from international reports such as the Global Peace Index and the Numbeo Safety Index, to identify the safest destinations for 2026 travel. The Netherlands ranked 14th in the 2025 Global Peace Index and 19th in the Numbeo mid-2025 index, for example. Although the country didn't top these indexes, its combination of an inclusive atmosphere, reliable healthcare, and positive traveler experience feedback something not necessarily captured by raw data helped it score higher overall in the Berkshire Hathaway model. The Netherlands is followed by Australia and Austria in second and third place, respectively. Read more: European Destinations That Are Best To Visit In December Why the Netherlands is projected as the safest 2026 travel destination Windmills overlooking a colorful tulip field in the Netherlands - Neirfy/Shutterstock Travelers in the Netherlands don't need to worry about crime beyond maintaining a standard level of self-awareness. The country ranked 19th in Numbeo's 2025 mid-year safety index, slightly ahead of countries often cited as Europe's safest and most welcoming for travelers, including Iceland and Denmark. Even in larger cities, crime remains relatively low The Hague ranked 10th (out of nearly 400 cities) among the world's safest cities, with a safety index of 80.2 out of 100 in Numbeo's 2025 city data, while its capital, Amsterdam, came in 55th. For American travelers, it also helps that a vast majority of Dutch police (and the population in general) speak English, so in the event of an emergency, communication won't be a significant barrier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Berkshire Hathaway report also noted, in particular, the Netherlands' welcoming attitude towards women, LGBTQ travelers, and travelers of color. The country has strong laws against discrimination, and it has numerous social programs designed to support people who've been historically marginalized, from its Rainbow Cities program that funds safe places for queer people to meet to wheelchair-friendly ticket machines implemented at metro stations. On top of that, the Netherlands has a reputation for its ease of getting around, with well-developed public transport infrastructure and regulated taxi services. The country is particularly known for its infrastructure for bicyclists, with around 23,000 miles of designated bike lanes countrywide the one thing to look out for is making sure you don't accidentally step into one of these busy paths. Where to travel in the Netherlands in 2026 A bicycle parked by a canal in Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Tunart/Getty Images For many travelers, Amsterdam is a bucket-list destination, and it's one of the most walkable cities. While it's the Netherlands' biggest and busiest city, it's hardly a place where you need to worry about safety. Amsterdam was ranked the fourth-safest city in the world by the World Population Review. Pickpockets may be present around crowded tourist areas, but they're relatively uncommon compared with other major urban destinations. As a basic guideline for staying safe in the city, stay within the central area encircled by the A10 motorway, sometimes referred to as "the ring" or "the circle." Amsterdam's most iconic neighborhoods are located within the ring, including its medieval, canal-striped Old Town and the quirky, Bohemian zone of De Pijp, if you'd like to get away from the touristy canals. A smaller, less bustling alternative to Amsterdam is Utrecht. It's a university city known for its educated, livable vibe, with lots of walkable canals, though it may be best explored by bike. One index ranked Utrecht the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. The only area sometimes cited as one to avoid in Utrecht is Kanaleneiland, but fortunately, that district is well away from the city's most treasured spots, including the gorgeous central Dom Tower and lively Vredenburg Square. Utrecht can also serve as a convenient launchpad for a day trip into the Netherlands' countryside, including the heathland-filled Utrechtse Heuvelrug National Park, about an hour away by train. 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. Starbucks has issued an apology for the rollout of its viral Bearista cup. The popular coffee chain ushered in the holiday season last week, debuting its menu of seasonal drinks, treats and new, limited-edition merchandise. Included in the drop was the highly sought-after Starbucks Bearista cup, a glass cup in the shape of a honey bear, topped with a silicone, Starbucks-branded beanie and a striped green-and-white straw. For many, however, the adorable new cup was difficult to come by. Several customers have taken to social media to complain about how the company handled the drop, demanding answers as to why their local Starbucks locations had few Bearistas in stock. Customers have also claimed that Starbucks baristas hoarded Bearista cups for themselves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starbucks has since responded to the brewing controversy. The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations and despite shipping more Bearista cups to coffeehouses than almost any other merchandise item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast, Starbucks told People on Nov. 6. We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused. The Bearista, specifically designed for holding cold beverages, was quickly being resold on eBay for as much as $500. From cold brew to an iced matcha latte, your drinks have never looked cuter, reads the description on the Starbucks website. The Starbucks Bearista glass cold cup brings instant joy to every sip. The cup was released with the launch of the popular coffee chains 2025 holiday menu, which includes fan-favorite beverages such as the Caramel Brulee Latte, Peppermint Mocha and Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, among others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Heres everything to know about the buzzy new cup, and the lengths customers are going to get their hands on one. When was the Starbucks Bearista cup released? The Bearista cup became available at Starbucks locations across North America on Thursday, Nov. 6. How big is the Starbucks Bearista cup? How much does it cost? The Bearista cup holds 20 ounces and retails for $30. Whats the reaction to the Starbucks Bearista cup been like? For better or worse, the cup has gone viral. Customers at the coffee chain posted videos on social media showing the chaos that erupted as others tried to get their hands on the Bearista cup, with one person throwing it at another. In another video, a group of Starbucks customers can be seen fighting over a cup, while another seemed to suggest that customers had tried calling in advance to reserve the cups. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A woman and her mother, who said they stayed up overnight to line up outside their local Starbucks at 4 a.m., claimed that the stores employees literally snatched the bear cup in front of our eyes. Another customer, who said they waited since 2 in the cold for a cup, claimed that a Starbucks employee purchased the only one at their location. I am trying to figure out why yall hype this cup up for the last three weeks to a month only to get about two or three in each location, a woman on TikTok said. Starbucks really wasnt trying to sell us teddy cups today. Meanwhile, some customers were lucky enough to be at the right Starbucks at the right time. Is the Starbucks Bearista cup being resold online? The Glass Starbucks Bearista Cold Cup. (Starbucks) Yes. Within a day of the Bearista cup's release, several have appeared on websites like eBay, where theyre being listed for up to $500. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some fans of the chain are threatening to take their business elsewhere due to the companys supposed mishandling of the Bearista cup drop. I called all the Starbucks in my area even further that have barely opened and they all said that theyre out of the Bearista cups. The baristas are taking Starbucks cups, one woman said on TikTok. Starbucks, you need to do better with your company policies. I know that [employees] are allowed to buy the merchandise, but that goes out to customers first. I think were all done with Starbucks after this, unless you change your policy. Have any companies responded to the controversy? Yes. On Sunday, the official Walmart Instagram account shared its own version of the Bearista cup: A Great Value-branded honey bear bottle. walmart version, read the caption. Starbucks even got in on the joke. The popular coffee chains official Instagram account commented a single emoji on Walmarts post. Although often dismissed as followers by many both in the lead-up to and during the Second World War, the huge Japanese aviation industry was producing outstanding designs with a different design philosophy from any other nation. The vast expanse of the Pacific battleground meant an aircrafts range was of paramount importance, and in fighter development, an almost pathological emphasis on manoeuvrability above all other attributes resulted in the production of comparatively light aircraft with phenomenal levels of agility until the stark reality of war caught up with Japanese air combat doctrine. Join us as we examine the finest machines produced by this idiosyncratic aerial power. Some aircraft in our photos feature United States markings: thats because they were captured by the Americans and evaluated at the time the pictures were taken. 10: Mitsubishi Ki-83 Mitsubishi Ki-83 The result of an Imperial Army specification calling for a high-altitude, long-range heavy fighter the Ki-83 was possibly the most aerodynamically clean radial-engined aircraft ever built. As well as recording the highest speed attained by any Japanese aircraft built during the war, the Ki-83 was blessed with remarkable agility for such a large aircraft. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Compared to its direct US equivalent, the F7F Tigercat, which also failed to see meaningful service during the war, the Ki-83 possessed a similar range but was faster, more manoeuvrable, and more heavily armed with two 30-mm and two 20-mm cannon, all firing through the nose. Unfortunately for this superlative warplane, its timing was appalling. 10: Mitsubishi Ki-83 Mitsubishi Ki-83 First flown in November 1944, tests were regularly interrupted by American air raids and of four known prototypes, three were damaged or destroyed by bombing. After the war the sole survivor was evaluated in the US and received glowing praise. With the higher-octane fuel available in America the Ki-83 ultimately recorded a speed of 761 km/h (473 mph). Sadly, despite being earmarked for preservation the only Ki-83 to survive the war was presumed to have been scrapped in 1950. 9: Mitsubishi Ki-15 Mitsubishi Ki-15 The stylish Mitsubishi Ki-15 became a brilliant harbinger of what the Japanese aviation industry was capable of when in 1937 a single example, named Kamikaze (yes indeed - pictured), flew from Tokyo to London for the coronation of King George VI. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite much of the coverage of this flight turning out to be predictably obsessed with the racial make-up of the Kamikazes crew, a few reports managed to notice that the aircraft was a totally indigenous design. 9: Mitsubishi Ki-15 Mitsubishi Ki-15 Very few at all, however, pointed out that the 51 hour, 17 minute, 23 second flight over a distance of 15,357 kilometres occurred without any mechanical trouble and at a speed unattainable by virtually any contemporary military aircraft. This sort of thing should have acted as a sharp wake up call to Western observers (but didnt). The less peaceful version of the Ki-15 was used as a reconnaissance and light attack aircraft in the Second Sino-Japanese war, being arguably the first modern combat aircraft to see service in that theatre, and in developed form during the opening stages of the world war, when its speed was still good enough to render it highly difficult to intercept. 8: Mitsubishi A6M Zero Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Zero was one of the greatest aircraft of all time. However, unlike such aircraft as the Spitfire, it was not developed sufficiently to remain in the vanguard of international fighter design despite being produced in greater numbers than any other Japanese aircraft before or since. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nonetheless, for a period of around two years it was, without doubt, the most psychologically shocking aircraft in the sky and the most advanced carrier fighter in the world, and one with an enormous range of 2600km (1600 miles). 8: Mitsubishi A6M Zero Mitsubishi A6M Zero The fact that the Zero caused a stir amongst the Allies is perplexing: the aircraft had appeared over China well before Pearl Harbor and a Zero was captured as early as 1941 which was flown and inspected by an American intelligence team. Nonetheless, the overriding response to the Zeros capabilities once Allied fliers met it in combat was surprise. Utterly dominant from its appearance in 1940 to the latter end of 1942, the Zero remained a dangerous opponent until the very end in the hands of an experienced pilot, though such individuals were in short supply for the latter part of the conflict due to the horrific attrition of the Pacific war. But for two glorious years, if you were Japanese at least, the Zero reigned utterly supreme over land and ocean. 7: Mitsubishi Ki-67 Mitsubishi Ki-67 On the whole, Japanese bombers of the war were not a particularly inspiring bunch. The Navys Mitsubishi G4M for example, whilst boasting a beautifully streamlined airframe and spectacular range, was prone to burst into flames if on the receiving end of light attacking fire. The brilliant Ki-67 therefore comes as something of a surprise and the Army were utterly delighted with it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The contemporary Japanese definition of a heavy bomber was not the same as that of other nations and the Ki-67 would have been described as a medium bomber in any other air force. Furthermore its published bomb load and range of 1070 kg and 2800 km (1,700 miles) respectively dont sound that brilliant when compared with, say, the earlier B-25H Mitchell which could carry more than 2000kg and fly 2170 km. But the B-25 could either carry 2000 kg or fly 2,170 km, not both; the range quoted was only possible with a much-reduced load. 7: Mitsubishi Ki-67 Mitsubishi Ki-67 The Ki-67 on the other hand was quite capable of flying 2800 km with its 1070 kg bomb load. It could also do so at a speed the B-25 could only dream of and possessed an agility unmatched by any other medium bomber. The Hiryu was not only the finest bomber built by Japan, it was also one of the best aircraft in its class worldwide. The Ki-67 emerged into a world where Japanese forces were everywhere being pushed back and assailed by vast quantities of Allied aircraft. The Hiryu saw considerable action during its relatively brief service, attacking the US 3rd Fleet off Formosa and the Ryukyu Islands and later being used at Okinawa, in China, French Indochina, Karafuto and against B-29 airfields on Saipan and Tinian. 6: Kawasaki Ki-100 Kawasaki Ki-100 Few fighter aircraft in history have made a successful switch from an inline powerplant to a radial but one of the finest examples of this rare breed was the Ki-100. The Ki-61 from which it was derived was a fine fighter, but unfortunately for Kawasaki, engine supply had never kept up with airframe production, and even if it had, the Ha-140 was proving highly troublesome in service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The situation became totally untenable after a B-29 raid on 19 January 1945 effectively ended production of the Ha-140. This added considerable impetus to ongoing work to re-engineer the Ki-61 to accept the radial Ha-112 engine, which was in relatively plentiful supply and possessed much better reliability. 6: Kawasaki Ki-100 Kawasaki Ki-100 The resulting aircraft exceeded even the most optimistic expectations of the design team and utterly vindicated the decision to re-engine: although marginally slower than the Ki-61, the new Ki-100 could outclimb and outmanoeuvre the previous fighter. Tested against a captured P-51C Mustang the Ki-100 was found to be slower but much more manoeuvrable and could out-dive the American aircraft. Given pilots of equal ability, a dogfight would always favour the Ki-100 though it was admitted the P-51 could break off and escape at will. Against the F6F Hellcat, the Ki-100 was superior in every regard. 5: Aichi D3A Aichi D3A Though the Ju 87 Stuka remains the archetypical dive bomber of the war, it performed most of its deadly work on land. The D3A was the preeminent Axis dive bomber at sea, sinking more Allied warships than any other Axis aircraft, and was the first Japanese aircraft to bomb an American target. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The D3A opened its account at Pearl Harbor, but then proved that this was no fluke by sending three US destroyers to the bottom in February and March of 1942 and then causing havoc amongst Royal Navy shipping in the Indian Ocean during April, culminating in the sinking of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. 5: Aichi D3A Aichi D3A During the Indian Ocean raid, D3As achieved hits with 80% of their bombs this was against manoeuvring ships at sea and represents an incredible success rate. These post-Pearl Harbor attacks were conducted solely by the D3A but most of the successful strikes carried out by the Aichi aircraft were conducted in concert with the Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber. The glory days for the D3A were very much the initial two years of the war, when the surprising agility and adequate performance of the Aichi dive bomber saw it used as a fighter aircraft on occasion, but the inexorable improvement in Allied fighters saw the D3A gradually outclassed by its enemies, despite the introduction of the aerodynamically improved D3A2. Even once totally outdated the D3A could still inflict terrible damage on its enemies: a D3A sank the American destroyer USS William D Porter as late as 10 June 1945 in a kamikaze attack. 4: Kawanishi N1K-J Kawanishi N1K-J The Japanese happily converted heavy bombers into fighters, so it should come as no surprise that the Navys finest landplane fighter of the war should have derived from a floatplane. The float was removed from the powerful N1K1 maritime fighter and replaced with wheels to create the N1K-J. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The resulting aircraft proved faster than the Zero and had a better range than the J2M Raiden and was rushed into production. Compromised by the mid-wing configuration of the Kyofu, necessary to keep it clear of spray, the initial N1K1-J required unusually long landing gear which were the source of considerable trouble but the aircraft demonstrated an excellent turn of speed and a truly remarkable manoeuvrability. 4: Kawanishi N1K-J Kawanishi N1K-J A redesign to eradicate the N1K-Js most obvious flaw, its mid-mounted wing, saw the aircraft appear in a low-wing configuration as the N1K2-J Shiden-Kai with a simplified and lightened structure that consisted of fewer parts and could be built in fewer man hours whilst boasting improved performance. In combat, the Shiden proved formidable, even against the latest Allied fighters. The reputation of the Shiden was enhanced by the 343 Kokutai, a unit formed of the Navys most experienced surviving fighter pilots and equipped with the N1K2-J. Even during the chaotic conditions prevalent over Japan during 1945, the 343 Kokutai exacted a considerable toll from the enemy and the N1K2-Js of the unit were the equal of any Allied fighter they encountered. 3: Kawanishi H8K Kawanishi H8K The Pacific during the Second World War was the largest battlefield in history, yet all but a tiny fraction of it was water. As a direct result the flying boat was of particular value in this realm, and the best flying boat fielded during the conflict was the Kawanishi H8K: the most heavily defended and fastest flying-boat serving with any of the combatants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The H8Ks impressive range allowed it to bomb targets at distances of up to 1850 km (1,150 miles) in missions up to 18 hours in duration and even greater distances could be flown when the H8K operated in concert with supply ships from which they could refuel and arm, effectively conferring a transoceanic range. 3: Kawanishi H8K Kawanishi H8K Unlike most other Japanese aircraft, the H8K was a difficult target for Allied flyers. It was fast (for its size), well armoured, and well protected possessing a highly innovative fire suppression system for its huge fuel tanks. It was also prodigiously well-armed, the H8K2, bristling with five(!) 20-mm cannon and five 7.7mm machine guns. Offensive armament was similarly potent; the H8K could carry two Type 91 torpedoes or up to 2000kg of bombs or mines. Meanwhile, Kawanishi was renamed Shin Meiwa in 1949 (building cars under the Daihatsu name from 1951) and eventually returned to flying boat construction with the PS-1 which entered service in 1971, a direct successor to the mighty H8K. 2: Nakajima Ki-84 Nakajima Ki-84 On its combat debut in China the Ki-84 displayed all the virtues of earlier Japanese fighters but possessed none of their shortcomings. It was fast, powered by the mighty 18-cylinder Nakajima Homare with water-methanol injection and delivering 2000 hp at take-off; well armed with two 12.7-mm Ho-103 machine guns in the fuselage and two 20-mm Ho-5 cannon in the wings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tough, featuring self-sealing fuel tanks and armour protection, both largely absent from previous Japanese fighters; and manoeuvrable: on its debut the Ki-84 could outclimb and outmanoeuvre any Allied aircraft then in service. It couldnt last, of course. Allied bombing took their toll and Nakajima was forced to rely ever more on unskilled labour such as students. 2: Nakajima Ki-84 Nakajima Ki-84 Whilst utilising increasingly poor-quality raw materials and components, hydraulics failed, the Homare engine proved troublesome, and undercarriage legs sometimes snapped on landing. At the same time, combat attrition saw the quality of Japans fighter pilots inexorably dwindle. Nonetheless, a Ki-84 in decent shape gave even a mediocre pilot a fighting chance against the ever-increasing hordes of excellent Allied aircraft. Despite noting that very little effort has been made to make the pilots job easy or safe, the US report on a captured Ki-84 states the handling and control characteristics of the aircraft are definitely superior to those of comparable American fighters, concluding that it may be compared favourably to the P-51H and P-47N. 1: Mitsubishi Ki-46 Mitsubishi Ki-46 Reconnaissance aircraft seldom get the attention they deserve, performing essential work, usually alone and unarmed. In the Ki-46 the Japanese possessed the worlds finest example of this type of aircraft, which proved difficult to intercept throughout the conflict. As late as September 1944, even a Spitfire Mk VIII required the removal of armour and a pair of machine guns to achieve the performance necessary to intercept it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Curiously, the Ki-46 programme started with the decidedly unimpressive Ki-46-I which handled poorly, failed to meet performance estimates and was used largely for evaluation and training. An engine change to the Mitsubishi Ha-102 featuring single stage, two-speed supercharging transformed the aircraft and when the Ki-46-II entered service in July 1941 its performance rendered it immune from interception. 1: Mitsubishi Ki-46 Mitsubishi Ki-46 Throughout 1942 and 1943, the Ki-46 swanned about in near-perfect safety, with only an occasional unlucky or careless example falling to Allied fighters. The Ki-46-II was built in the greatest numbers of any variant and remained in service until the end of the war. By this time its performance advantage had diminished but it still possessed a decent chance of survival in Allied-controlled airspace, which is more than can be said for the majority of Japanese aircraft. The improved Ki-46-III was faster still due to a weight reduction programme, the adoption of more powerful Ha-112 engines with direct fuel injection, and a revised fuselage design resulting in near-perfect streamlining. In this form it could achieve a maximum speed a shade over 640 km/h (400mph). 1: Mitsubishi Ki-46 Mitsubishi Ki-46 The Ki-46 was developed further into the turbo-supercharged Ki 46-IV. Although it never entered production, its performance was incredible: in February 1945 two of the prototypes flew from Peking to Yokota in 3 hours 15 minutes, covering 1,430 miles at an average of 700 km/h (435 mph). By contrast the cruising speed of the contemporary, and much-vaunted, Mosquito PR Mk XVI was 512 km/h (318mph) and its absolute maximum 655 km/h (407mph). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Loved by its crews and respected by its enemies, the Ki-46, designer Tumio Kubos masterpiece, was for most of the war in a class of its own. Follow Hush-Kit's incredible aviation stories on Substack and X If you enjoyed this story, please click the Follow button above to see more like it from Autocar Photo Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en ]]> Rule Britannia? Not always. Considering they invented the aircraft carrier, Britains Royal Navy has really pulled out the stops ever since to field as many aircraft as possible that were too slow, too dangerous, too late, too expensive or sometimes all four. Not content with producing their own obsolescent death traps, the Senior Service also took on cast-offs from the RAF and bought in the occasional American dud to swell the numbers of inadequate aircraft crowding the decks of their too-small carriers. Narrowing down this underwhelming armada to a flotilla of merely ten was a daunting and difficult task. 10: Parnall Peto Parnall Peto The Peto was, in its way, an excellent little aircraft but it was the realisation of a terrible idea if not a terrible flying machine. Tragically a single airframe (of two built) directly resulted in the deaths of 60 Royal Navy personnel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Peto was designed for a seemingly foolish purpose, to serve as a scout aircraft for a submarine, in this case, the Royal Navys largest, the M-class. The concept was also toyed with by the French, German, US and Japanese navies but only Japan pursued it with any seriousness or success. 10: Parnall Peto Parnall Peto A small machine for obvious reasons, the Peto had folding wings and was housed in a watertight hangar immediately ahead of the conning tower. The crew of the M2 were zealous in their attempts to launch the aircraft in the shortest possible time after surfacing. Probably a little too zealous as it turns out, witnesses on a passing ship, unaware that anything was amiss, saw M2 briefly surface, then submerge forever. When the wreck was discovered the hangar doors were found to be open: in their haste to launch the Peto the doors has been opened too early and the hangar flooded, dragging the M2, the Peto and sixty sailors to the bottom of the sea. 9: Curtiss Seamew Curtiss Seamew Most of the best aircraft operated by the Royal Navy during the Second World War were of American origin and types such as the Wildcat, Corsair and Avenger dominated Fleet Air Arm (FAA) flight decks for most of the conflict. There were, however, exceptions to this rule and chief amongst them was the appalling Curtiss Seamew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 250 were allocated for British use but only 100 were delivered before the Royal Navy refused to take any more and sensibly demanded Vought Kingfishers instead. Its not entirely surprising that the USN had tried to offload as many Seamews as possible onto their allies; the Seamew didnt even win the competition that selected it for service. 9: Curtiss Seamew Curtiss Seamew A rival design by Vought was judged superior but Vought were busy with the Corsair and Curtiss had spare capacity so into production the Seamew went, and the surprisingly large total of 795 of these unpleasant aircraft were manufactured. If it had been merely slow and uninspiring it could have been written off as a humdrum mediocrity but the Seamew was also dangerous. Its main fuel tank could hold 300 gallons but it couldnt take off with more than 80. The engine was prone to failure but even were it to run perfectly it still had other nasty tendencies as, according to the pilot Lettice Curtiss, it was possible to take off in an attitude from which it was both impossible to recover and in which there was no aileron control 8: Supermarine Seafire Mk XV Supermarine Seafire Mk XV The Spitfires experience at sea was not a wholly happy one. In the air, the Sea-Spitfire retained all the qualities that had made the regular Land-Spitfire such a successful and popular fighter but revealed that the aircraft was essentially just too delicate for the rigours of operating from a carrier deck. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Merlin-powered variants were bad enough but the first Griffon-engined Seafires really did not like being on carriers. They had a tendency to veer to the right on take-off, even with full opposite rudder applied, and smashing into the carriers island superstructure. 8: Supermarine Seafire Mk XV Supermarine Seafire Mk XV Added to this was the unfortunate situation that the undercarriage oleo legs were still the same as the much lighter Merlin-engined Spitfires, meaning that the swing was often accompanied by a series of hops as the oleo could not fully cope with the weight and torque of the aircraft. The weak undercarriage also conferred on the Seafire XV a propensity for the propeller tips to peck the deck during an arrested landing and on some occasions led to the aircraft bouncing over the arrestor wires completely and into the crash barrier. The Canadians and the French replaced these aircraft after very brief carrier service. 7: Westland Wyvern Westland Wyvern A perplexing design described by Harald Penrose, Westlands chief test pilot, as very nearly a good aircraft, the Wyvern suffered from the typically British problem of excessive development time, such that it was nudging obsolescence once committed to service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of the reason for this was not the fault of the design at all; the Wyvern had been designed initially to use the Rolls-Royce Eagle, a complicated 46-litre H-block 24-cylinder sleeve valve piston engine (essentially a bigger Napier Sabre) that first ran in 1944 and delivered an impressive 3200 hp. 7: Westland Wyvern Westland Wyvern But the Eagle, and later Clyde engine, were cancelled. This left one engine option, the turboprop Python a woeful engine for carrier use. Slow spool-up time made for sluggish acceleration, and it loved to flame-out during catapult launches. Embarrassingly, the piston-engined Eagle prototype achieved a greater speed and range than its Python-powered production sibling seven years before the Wyvern even entered service. So saddled with a barely adequate engine the enormous Wyvern attempted to operate from the decidedly small RN carriers of the 1950s. Weighing 295kg (650 pounds) shy of a loaded C-47 Dakota the Wyvern could not be described as light and ultimately its main claim to fame derives from its part in the worlds first successful ejection from underwater. Of 127 built, 39 were lost to accidents. 6: Fairey Swordfish Fairey Swordfish The Swordfish was probably the most successful aircraft the Royal Navy has ever operated. If it had achieved nothing else, the attack on the Italian fleet at Taranto in 1940 would have ensured the Swordfishs immortality yet it also crippled the German battleship Bismarck and operated throughout the war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Swordfish were straightforward it was reliable, simple and easy to fly. It made for an excellent training aircraft but then so did its cousin, the Fairey Battle which regularly features in lists of the worst aircraft. Yet the Battle was better armed, longer ranged and much faster than the poor Swordfish. The Swordfish was appallingly slow, not very manoeuvrable and effectively defenceless when faced with even the worst fighter aircraft. 6: Fairey Swordfish Fairey Swordfish It is telling that in all its most famous successes the Swordfish never faced an enemy aircraft of any kind: it simply couldnt. Bismarck had no air cover and the Taranto operation was flown at night. By contrast, in February 1941 all of the Swordfish force sent to attack the German battleships engaged in Operation Cerberus, the so-called Channel Dash, were destroyed by fighters or flak. Of the eighteen aircrew involved, only five survived. It was dangerous to operate even a powerful anti-shipping aircraft such as the Beaufighter in European waters until the very end of the war, in a Swordfish it was effectively suicidal. Ultimately the success the Swordfish experienced was due to a combination of extremely canny tactical deployment by the Navy and the exceptional heroism and skill of its aircrews, not through any outstanding combat quality of the aircraft itself. 5: de Havilland Sea Vixen de Havilland Sea Vixen Had it entered service with the RAF in the early fifties de Havillands last fighter would be remembered as a great aircraft. But it didnt and the Sea Vixen turned out to be a death trap. 145 Sea Vixens were built, of these 38% were lost over the types twelve-year operational life. More than half of the incidents were fatal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Sea Vixen entered service in 1959 (despite a first flight eight years earlier), two years later than the US Navys Vought F-8 Crusader. The F-8 was more than twice as fast as the Sea Vixen, despite having 3,000Ibs less thrust. The development of the Sea Vixen had been glacially slow. 5: de Havilland Sea Vixen de Havilland Sea Vixen The specification was issued in 1947, initially for an aircraft to serve both the Royal Navy and the RAF. The prototype flew in 1951, and one crashed at the Farnborough airshow the following year. This slowed the project, and the RAF ordered the rival Gloster Javelin, whilst DH and the RN focused on the DH.116 Super Venom. This project was substantially redesigned to navalise it. All of which meant it arrived way too late, as is compulsory for all British postwar aircraft. Meanwhile, its peer, the F-8, remained in frontline service until 2000, and its other contemporary, the F-4, remains in service today. The Sea Vixen retired in 1972. 51 Royal Navy aircrew were killed flying the Sea Vixen. 4: Blackburn Firebrand Blackburn Firebrand Though good-looking, the Firebrand was a pilot-killer. The specification for the type was issued in 1939 and it first flew in 1942 but did not enter service until after the war had ended. Despite this luxuriously long development, it was an utter pig, with stability issues in all axes and a tendency to lethal stalls. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a litany of restrictions to try and reduce the risks, including the banning of external tanks, but it still remained ineffective in its intended role and dangerous to fly. Worse still, instead of trying to properly rectify the problems, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) started a witch-hunt of those pilots who dared to speak the truth about the abysmal Firebrand. 4V: Blackburn Firebrand Blackburn Firebrand Test pilot Eric Winkle Brown, had this to say on the Firebrand: it was a disaster and it was incapable of fulfilling competently either the role of torpedo-bomber or that of fighter, but it was built like a battleship and there were to be those that would say that it flew like one. Even so, somehow it managed to remain in service until 1953, double the length of time achieved by its successor, the similarly benighted Wyvern. 3: Blackburn Roc Blackburn Roc In the 1930s there was a fashion for turret fighters. Carrying their steerable guns in rotatable turrets greatly increased the angular coverage compared to fixed guns, but they came at a huge cost in terms of extra weight and drag. Described as a constant hindrance by the commander of 803 squadron the Blackburn Roc turret fighter was an unhappy outgrowth of the mediocre but adequate Skua. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Roc essentially comprised the Skuas airframe but saddled it with a gun turret weighing about a ton and adding enough drag to lower the speed of the already pedestrian Skua by some 30 mph. A maximum speed (at sea level) of 194 mph was simply suicidal for a fighter facing Luftwaffe Bf 109s. Add terrible agility, no forward-firing guns and you get the idea. 3: Blackburn Roc Blackburn Roc Wisely, the military decided the best use for it was as a static machine-gun post but not before the Roc had seen some action and scored one confirmed kill. Remarkably the Rocs sole victim was a Junkers 88, an aircraft capable of flying over 100 mph faster than the lumbering Roc. 2: Supermarine Scimitar Supermarine Scimitar Supermarine created the war-winning Spitfire, and it was continually upgraded throughout the War under the capable leadership of the English designer Joe Smith. Though Smith was a master of the piston-engined fighter plane, his endeavours in jet propelled fighters were far less impressive. The Scimitar was a case of too much too soon and its shortcomings were paid for in pilots lives. It suffered an appalling attrition rate of 51 per cent yet was a worse fighter than the Sea Vixen and a worse bomber than the Buccaneer. To add insult to injury it was also extremely maintenance heavy. 2: Supermarine Scimitar Supermarine Scimitar Nonetheless, the Royal Navy gamely took the Scimitar, an aircraft so dangerous that it was statistically more likely than not to crash over twelve years, and armed it with a nuclear bomb. Prior to this one example crashed and killed its first Commanding Officer in front of the press. The Scimitar was certainly not Joe Smiths finest moment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was the last FAA aircraft designed with an obsolete requirement to be able to make an unaccelerated carrier take-off, and as a result had to have a thicker and larger wing than would otherwise be required. Only once did a Scimitar ever make an unassisted take-off, with a very light fuel load and no stores, and then just to prove that it could be done. 1: His Majesty's Airship No. 1 Mayfly His Majesty's Airship No. 1 Mayfly Naval aviation started badly in the UK. In 1909, inspired by German Zeppelin developments, which despite their later fame as bombers were originally intended to operate as long ranged Naval scouts, the Royal Navy commissioned Vickers, at great expense, to build the worlds finest airship, intended to carry 20 crew in considerable comfort and capable of cruising at 40 knots (46 mph) for 24 hours. Sometime before trials were to be attempted the airships crew started training and it was charmingly noted They lived on board the airship and suffered no discomfort at all although no provision had been made for cooking or smoking on board. Over the course of the following year static trials were carried out and it was realised that the ship was too heavy. 1: His Majesty's Airship No. 1 Mayfly His Majesty's Airship No. 1 Mayfly There followed a series of cack-handed modifications which reduced the weight of the aircraft by three tons. Gone was the water recovery system along with half the aerodynamic control surfaces and, most seriously, the external keel of the airship. This last modification was strongly objected to by a draughtsman from Vickers called Hartley Pratt who claimed it would prove disastrous but his warnings were ignored and he left the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The airship was being removed from its floating shed in a light wind on the 24 September 1911 when cracking sounds were heard from amidships and it broke in two. The 156-metre-long aircraft had never flown, which was lucky, given its dangerously weak structure. As it was no one had been even slightly hurt in what was probably the least dramatic air crash of all time. Even without provision for cooking or smoking, His Majestys Airship No.1 had ultimately proved more successful as a house than as a flying machine. Follow Hush-Kit's incredible aviation stories on Substack and X If you enjoyed this story, please click the Follow button above to see more like it from Autocar Photo Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en ]]> Two people are in custody after a police chase in Fayette County on Thursday. Pennsylvania State Police said troopers were called to Vardell Street in North Union Township for reports of a stolen vehicle. Police said the 2023 Hyundai took off from them when they saw it on State Route 51 in Menallen Township. The chase ended when the vehicle crashed into a pole and a fire hydrant. There were three people inside. Two of them have been charged: Barry Baker, 28, of Washington and Megan Trombetta, 39, of Uniontown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said the people in the vehicle were throwing things out as troopers chased them. When recovered, they learned they were drugs and paraphernalia. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) Even in elementary school, Daniel Jones knew what he wanted to do after high school graduation. As a junior in Georgia, he joined the U.S. Army under the Delayed Entry Program. My stepfather was in the service, and his example is something I always admired, Jones said. On July 3, 1996, Jones shipped off to basic training. When physical training really started, I was like, Oh, my God, Jones said. I was not as prepared as I thought I would be. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jones then went to the Army Airborne School and volunteered for the Army Ranger Regiment before extending his enlistment and deploying to Germany in 1999. To be quite honest, I didnt know that I was going to make it a career, Jones said. On Sep. 11, 2001, Jones was in Vicenza, Italy. A car pulled up beside us. It was another American, and they said, Get back to the base. Were under attack. So thats how I found out, he said. Then the base went into lockdown, and we took precautions from there. After serving in three airborne infantry units, including the 82nd Airborne Division, he was sent to Iraq in 2003 as a sergeant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The early days of Iraq were very primitive, Jones said. That deployment was probably when I matured the most. The gravity of everything up to that point in my life kind of sunk in. In the following years, Jones joined the Army Special Forces and served for an additional 18 years. The autonomy and the accountability really drove me and really hooked me, he said. The people you serve with in special forces are the best of wherever they come from To walk among those people and be counted amongst them is an amazing feeling. After more than 28 years as a sergeant major, Jones decided to step away from the service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theres a saying, When you know, you know, and I just knew one day, he said. My last day, I shook everyones hand, thanked them for the opportunity, and that was that. Returning to civilian life, Jones admitted, was a challenge. I did take a job temporarily with another organization that paid very well, but I quickly realized that I was missing something, he said. It was a feeling that money couldnt supplement. At 48 years old, Jones decided to realize another childhood aspiration and joined the Winston-Salem Police Department. Probably one of the most professional things and experiences that Ive ever had, he said of the police academy. I was highly impressed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After being in the academy for eight months, Jones now finds himself in field training as a sworn officer. My goal is to be a good police officer, he said. I wake up every day, and I come to work, and I make a commitment to myself that Im going to be easy to work with and the most professional I can be. With a masters degree in criminal justice, Jones is considering pursuing his PhD. In the meantime, however, hes simply looking forward to organizing his own police vehicle. Every day, you can make a difference in somebodys life, Jones said. One thing is for sure: Jones still has no plans to slow down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite age, I encourage veterans to challenge themselves, he said. Take a step and consider law enforcement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Three of the victims of the UPS plane crash that killed 12 people in Louisville, K.Y., have been identified. Pilots Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond were killed in the Nov. 4 accident, UPS said in a Thursday, Nov. 6 social media post. "Our hearts go out to every UPSer who has been impacted and all in our Louisville community supporting you and ensuring you receive the care and resources you need is a priority," read the company statement. "This continues to be an incredibly sad time for our entire UPS family." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of our colleagues, and to the loved ones of those in the Louisville community," UPS said. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on Thursday, Nov. 6, that officials believe a child may also be among those killed, according to NBC affiliate WLWT and ABC News. At the time of publication, crews have located six of the 15 people reported missing, per NBC News. The MD-11-F plane was traveling from Louisville to Honolulu, Hawaii, when it crashed at about 5:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Nov. 4, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member Todd Inman said in a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 5. A preliminary investigation revealed three people were onboard the plane when a large plume of fire erupted from the area of the left wing during the takeoff roll, Inman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plane then lifted off and gained enough altitude" to clear a fence at the end of the runway, only to crash into multiple structures off of the airport property, he added. Stephen Cohen/Getty Fire and smoke mark where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 04, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. Fire and smoke mark where a UPS cargo plane crashed near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on November 04, 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. Airport CCTV security footage showed the left engine detaching from the wing during the takeoff roll, according to Inman. Surveillance footage from the nearby business Kentucky Truck Parts and Service showed the plane dragging on the ground with flames following behind as it slammed into the ground. The fire that resulted from the crash was nearly a half mile long, Inman said. The black box inside the plane survived the blaze, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fifteen people were injured in the crash and transported to the University of Louisville Health for treatment, and 12 people died in the crash. Several people are still missing, according to multiple reports. Mayor Craig Greenberg suggested there could be more confirmed fatalities in the future, according to ABC affiliate WHAS. 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. Read the original article on People A Mexican man has been arraigned on drug charges after federal authorities seized 325 pounds of methamphetamine from a storage unit in Norcross. The Department of Justice said Drug Enforcement Administration agents saw Marco Cueto-Rosales, who authorities said is in the U.S. illegally, going into the storage unit and moving items around in plastic tote bins and trash bags. A K9 unit from the Gwinnett County Police Department later detected the odor of narcotics, leading to a federal search warrant and the discovery of the methamphetamine on Oct. 10. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although the Mexican cartels stockpile and peddle their poison in our community, the quick actions of law enforcement thankfully took these deadly drugs off the streets, U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said. This operation is about more than drugs its about protecting families and giving our communities a chance to live free from the violence and addiction that meth brings, said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. The subsequent search, authorized by a federal warrant, uncovered nearly 1,500 rectangular packages of methamphetamine weighing 325 pounds. Cueto-Rosales, 47, of Malinalco, Mexico, was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Regina D. Cannon on Oct. 28 on federal charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] RELATED STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] An Overton County man charged with possessing more than .5 grams of meth with intent pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and received a six-year sentence to be served concurrent with a federal sentence and a sentence handed down in Overton County. Travis Dewayne Melton, 48, pleaded guilty to an information charging attempted possession with intent of meth in a sentencing agreement presented to Criminal Court Judge Shawn Fry. Fine and court costs were waived and Melton is receiving credit for 549 days already served in jail. The charge stems from his April 9, 2024, arrest in Cumberland County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other cases on the docket, the following pleas were entered: Tyler Lee Ford, 30, pleaded guilty to an information charging possession of a firearm by a felon and received a four-year sentence to serve at 100% as a Range II offender. Fine and court costs are waived. Ford was arrested Oct. 1 in possession of a weapon from which he was banned from owning or being around. Ford pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon by a felon in June 2020. He was given credit for 20 days served in jail since his arrest last month. Leah Christa Hoffman, 49, pleaded guilty to an information charging possession of more than .5 grams of fentanyl with intent to sell and received an eight-year suspended sentence to be served on supervised probation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hoffman was also fined $750 and forfeits items seized during the arrest. The charge stems from a Jan. 12 arrest. Troy Leonard Patterson, 41, pleaded guilty by information to a charge of possession of more than .5 grams of meth and received an 8-year suspended sentence to be served on supervised probation with credit for 149 days served in jail since his May 25 arrest. Nearly all Gen Xers say financial missteps in their 20s and 30s have hurt them emotionally and financially. A recent CFP Board survey found that these mistakes caused 49% of Gen X to have increased financial stress or anxiety, and 95% of Gen Xers lost money due to early money mistakes, with a median loss of $100,000. Find Out: The Most Common Retirement Mistake, According to an Expert Read Next: 6 Clever Ways To Pocket an Extra $1K This Month Heres a look at the financial mistakes that this generation regrets the most. Not Saving Enough for Retirement According to the survey, 33% of Gen Xers regret not saving enough for retirement. While theres no one-size-fits-all amount that this generation should have saved, there are some general guidelines to follow to calculate this. The only rule-of-thumb that will tell you how much you need to have saved to maintain or enhance your lifestyle in retirement is your unique thumbprint, said Don Grant, CFP. Work with your certified financial planner professional on a dynamic plan that will take a snapshot of your spending, savings and investments. Check Out: Who Americans Trust for Financial Advice in 2025 and Why It Varies by Age and Income Starting To Save Too Late Thirty percent of survey respondents wish they had not waited so long to start saving. This could be why the most common advice that Gen Xers have to share with younger generations is to start saving for retirement now (59%). Compound growth is the eighth Wonder of the World, Grant said. Its all about time. Even the smallest contribution can grow geometrically as interest and growth breed upon past interest and growth. Even though Gen X has less time on their side than millennials and Gen Z, there are still steps they can take now to grow their savings. Grant offered the following tips: Trim unnecessary expenses. It may take a bit of lifestyle sacrifice now, but that will pay off later. Take full advantage of employer plans and their matching contributions. Utilize catch-up provisions offered by the IRS if youre older than 50. Work a bit longer. Each year you can delay retirement not only shortens the time youll need your own income but also grows your investments so that they can create even more income when you need it. Consider a side gig to create income that is dedicated to retirement investments. Review your investment allocation with your financial advisor. You may be missing growth or income because youre not invested appropriately for your age, lifestyle, income and time horizon. Spending Beyond Their Means Over one-quarter of Gen X (29%) admits to overspending and they now regret it. Eight rural communities in West Tennessee have received grant funding totaling over $1 million from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to advance their outdoor recreation spaces. Pinson Mounds Archaeological Park was the host for the ceremonial check presentations on Oct. 30, in which representatives from their respective communities gathered to celebrate the occasion. In what TDEC officials describe as a very competitive grant cycle, $22 million was awarded to communities throughout the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Cypress Grove in Jackson hosts inaugural research forum, connecting local scientists More: Walkways at Cypress Grove Nature Park to be rebuilt by TDEC grant funding Funds can be used for planning purposes to create a system-wide parks and recreation master plan or to enhance outdoor recreation opportunities. TDEC Deputy Commissioner for Conservation Greer Tidwell says the grants are intended to strengthen communities and allow residents to enjoy the great outdoors that we have in Tennessee. TDEC Deputy Commissioner for Conservation Greer Tidwell speaks as over 1 million dollars are granted to rural West Tennessee outdoor spaces during the TDEC ceremony at Pinson Mounds Park, Pinson, Tenn., on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. Most importantly, it actually supports the strength of the people, the families and the community in those rural areas, but it also establishes those rural areas as a place that other folks from more urban areas or from outside the state of Tennessee want to come and visit, Tidwell said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were awfully proud that this is a full million dollars headed into these local communities in West Tennessee. Those are difference-making kind of checks. The City of Bells was the largest grant recipient with an award of $400,000 and its mayor, Eric Jordan, says the funds will be used to add on to a local theatre in Bells that was built several years ago. Bells Mayor Eric Jordan poses as his town receives the largest grant of the night with an award of $400,00 as over 1 million dollars are granted to rural West Tennessee outdoor spaces during the TDEC ceremony at Pinson Mounds Park, Pinson, Tenn., on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. Crockett County as a whole has been real receptive to the Bells theatre, he said. The whole county uses that theatre. We do programs, plays, weve had weddings there, graduation parties. So its being used, and its good community building for the whole community, and to say the least, Im proud of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From dressing rooms to a kitchenette to an outdoor sitting area, Jordan says the grant will allow the busy community asset to continue expanding. As small as our community is and the state offering to step in help us like they are, theres no words to say how we feel about that, Jordan said. We are so pleased and were humbled to the extent to get this kind of money to do what we need to do to move forward. Dyer County Mayor David Quick speaks with Bureau of Conservation Leadership Brian Clifford as over 1 million dollars are granted to rural West Tennessee outdoor spaces during the TDEC ceremony at Pinson Mounds Park, Pinson, Tenn., on Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. Grant recipients are as follows: City of Bells $400,000 City of Huntingdon $292,500 Crockett County $72,000 Gibson County $72,000 Decatur County $64,000 Dyer County $48,000 City of Dresden $48,000 City of Milan $48,000 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sarah Best is a reporter for the Jackson Sun. To support local journalism, subscribe to the Daily Briefing at jacksonsun.com. This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Eight West TN communities receive over $1 million in TDEC parks grant BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) The Associated Press is reporting flight cancellations will begin Friday around the country. These cancellations are in response to the FAA ordering 40 airports to reduce air traffic due to the ongoing government shutdown. Birmingham is not one of the airports on the list that the FAA has ordered to reduce air traffic. However, there are airports on that list that Birmingham flies directly out to, which the airport says may cause delays. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joie Barksdale flew into Birmingham Thursday to visit her grandson at the University of Alabama. She says that, when she landed and turned on her phone, she got startling news. We just got an announcement on our phone that there would be 10% cut. So, we dont know if well be included in that, Barksdale said. Clay Ingram with AAA Alabama says the effect will be felt all over the country. Planning ahead is always crucial. And in a situation like this, its even more important. But youre going to need to be patient. Youre going to need to be flexible. Youre probably going to need to have a plan B just in case. If you if youve got a destination that maybe you could drive to rather than fly to, you might want to consider that, said Ingram. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ingram says if you are planning to fly in the near future, there are steps you should take before heading to the airport. You want to be sure you get to the airport extremely early because they could be short staffed with TSA agents, meaning the lines will be much slower moving. And if you if something happens and you miss your flight, theres not going to be another one to hop on, you know, immediately afterwards, Ingram said. The Birmingham Airport says they dont know what the impact will look like to travelers at this point. They advise anyone who is flying in the near future to keep a close on their flights and stay in touch with the airlines they are flying 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 CBS 42. LIMA An Ada man was sentenced to a minimum of six years in prison with a maximum of nine years for a gas station robbery in July. Luke Gross, 31, of Ada, received the sentence, much to the dismay of his mother, who was in the courtroom. During his sentencing, she was disruptive at times, and Allen County Common Pleas Court Judge Terri Kohlrieser told her if she did not stop, she would be kicked out of the courtroom. After the sentencing was complete, she started to yell at a representative from Crime Victim Services and was escorted out of the courtroom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking at his record, you can see that he is at a high risk of reoffending, as he has been in prison multiple times in different counties, and due to those factors, we believe prison is appropriate, assistant prosecutor Colleen Limerick said. According to court documents, at around 6:30 a.m. July 12, officers from the Lima Police Department responded to 2054 N. West St. in reference to a robbery that had just occurred at a Circle K gas station. Arriving officers spoke with the female cashier of the gas station who had been robbed, and she told them that a heavy-set, white male with a mask had come into the store and set two Gatorade drinks on the counter and demanded all the money in the register, all of the Newport cigarettes and lottery tickets. The cashier also said the man showed a large screwdriver and said if she complied and did not make a scene, he would not hurt her. A video from the gas station showed a suspect wearing a black, long-sleeve McDonalds shirt, red pants and a mask. Officers were informed that the suspect rode a teal-colored bike. A patrolman at the 500 block of Brower Road observed a man riding a teal bike and holding a large garbage bag. When he approached, he began to flee and, after a search, was arrested. They identified him as Gross, who was found with the stolen items. The Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky, on February 27, 2024. Photo by Arden Barnes A number of advocacy groups are urging Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to halt utility disconnections in the state during the federal government shutdown. Kentuckians for Energy Democracy is organizing the call to action and lists more than 40 organizations as supporting a utility disconnection moratorium including the ACLU of Kentucky, Kentucky Voices for Health, the Appalachian Citizens Law Center, the Kentucky Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other local and statewide organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cara Cooper, the coordinator for Kentuckians for Energy Democracy, told the Lantern that Beshear could issue an executive order similar to one he issued during the beginning months of the COVID-19 pandemic that prevented utilities from disconnecting service for nonpayment. Cooper said low-income Kentuckians could especially be squeezed by having only partial federal food assistance this month through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. She said the groups are asking that any utility disconnection moratorium be extended through the end of the shutdown and until Kentuckians have access to more federal funds to help with energy costs and utility bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP. Were worried that theres going to be even greater need this year, and theres never enough LIHEAP money to go around, Cooper said. We want to help to protect Kentuckians and make sure that nobodys having to choose between groceries, medicine or paying their utility bill this winter. Energy assistance funding in flux About six million people across the country use LIHEAP funding to help pay heating or cooling bills, buy heating fuel, prevent emergency situations such as utility disconnections and help weatherize homes to be more energy efficient. In Kentucky, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services receives LIHEAP funding, and community action agencies throughout the state distribute it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government shutdown has prevented the annual allocation of federal funding to states, causing some state governments to delay distributing LIHEAP funds. But that hasnt been the case yet in Kentucky. Kentuckys LIHEAP operates from the previous years federal allocation and has not been affected thus far by the federal government shutdown, said Kendra Steele, a spokesperson for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Rick Baker, the executive director of the nonprofit Community Action Kentucky, told state lawmakers in July that LIHEAP funds can sometimes run out but that money from previous federal laws, such as the CARES Act, has kept funding sufficient. Baker told lawmakers more than $43 million in LIHEAP funding had been distributed through the current fiscal year. About $24 million of that went to 68,059 households in Kentucky for crisis benefits to prevent utility disconnections, with recipients receiving an average of $345.07 each. Community action agencies are accepting applications through December for a one-time, non-emergency LIHEAP payment to go toward heating costs on a first-come, first serve basis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The National Energy Assistance Directors Association, representing directors of state LIHEAP programs, called on utilities last month to suspend utility nonpayment disconnections during the government shutdown, especially as the need for LIHEAP and electricity costs rise. When asked about the possibility of a utility disconnection moratorium during a Wednesday press conference, Beshear said he was always willing to consider things that could help the people of Kentucky particularly federal workers going without a paycheck. Liz Pratt, a spokesperson for Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities, the states largest utility in terms of electricity customers served, was asked in an email whether the utility supports a disconnection moratorium during the government shutdown. She did not directly answer the question, but said in a statement that the utility has been working to support organizations leading critical food relief efforts in Louisville, Lexington and Paducah during the government shutdown. We understand how, at any time throughout the year and particularly now during the shutdown, a customer may face an unexpected situation, and we encourage our customers to contact us right away if theyre facing a situation and think they may have difficulty paying their bill, Pratt said in her statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pratt said the utility can arrange for payment plans and connect people with local agencies that can offer assistance, including working with federal employees. Stalled legislative efforts One of the nonprofit leaders supporting Kentuckians for Energy Democracy said the request for a utility disconnection moratorium is also connected to efforts by the group to support state legislation that would prevent disconnections during extreme weather. Lane Boldman, executive director of the environmental advocacy group Kentucky Conservation Committee, said such legislation could prevent dangerous situations during the upcoming winter. People are forced to use unconventional ways to heat their house or run appliances in ways that are less safe, when a utility turns off a homes heat, Boldman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic-sponsored legislation this year to limit when utilities could disconnect a customer, including depending on what the temperature is outside, did not advance in the GOP-controlled legislature. Boldman said such legislation would be a longer-term protection for low-income Kentuckians, while a utility disconnection moratorium would serve as a stopgap measure. The financial strain from the government shutdown on federal food assistance only exacerbates the situation. If we had a severe weather incident in the next week or two, people could be in serious risk, Boldman said. Nov. 6BEMIDJI The Affinity Plus Foundation has announced a $30,000 grant to the Headwaters Housing Development Corporation to expand financial education and homeownership opportunities for individuals and families across northern Minnesota. The grant is renewable for up to three years, pending annual results, and is set to help those in Beltrami, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Clearwater and Lake of the Woods Counties, as well as Red Lake and White Earth Nations and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "(The grant) will help the HHDC implement a new tracking process that follows participants from basic financial education all the way to first-time homeownership, while offering support and referral services for case management to augment success at every stage," a release noted. "The grant will also expand access to the HHDC's RENTwise and Getting Ahead programs in Beltrami County and will introduce RENTwise and Getting Ahead to other counties in the region. "Collectively, these programs will help more Minnesotans develop financial skills, repair credit and prepare for successful homeownership." The HHDC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a subsidiary of the Headwaters Regional Development Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conversely, the Affinity Plus Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established by Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union and is based in St. Paul. The foundation plans to partner with the HHDC to bring guest speakers and local experts to assist with future programming. With this partnership and the expanded capacity, the HHDC expects to work with around 75 participants per quarter, with a goal to help at least five participants transition into first-time homeownership each quarter. The release explained that the program is being rolled out in Bemidji and will soon follow in Mahnomen and surrounding areas. Folks can learn more about this program by visiting Affinity Plus Foundation's website. Nov. 6WASHINGTON As the government shutdown reached its record-breaking 36th day on Wednesday, most employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs have kept working. But VA policy limits their communication with Congress, making it harder for House and Senate offices to solve problems for former servicemembers. An important role of congressional staffers, who are working without pay until their bosses restore federal funding, is helping constituents with "casework" such as sorting out medication problems, getting referrals approved for care outside the VA or dealing with other parts of the federal government. As Veterans Day approaches, Northwest lawmakers from both parties say their offices are struggling to help veterans without being able to coordinate with the department. "Veterans regularly contact me for assistance with the VA, and I am proud of the work my staff does to elevate and often speed up their requests," Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, said in a statement. "The inability to communicate with the VA on their behalf is causing unneeded delays and extra headaches for our nation's heroes. This is no way to thank veterans for their service." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crapo blamed Democrats for repeatedly voting against a bill that would restore federal funding at current levels until the parties can agree on full-year appropriations bills. In exchange for their votes to reopen the government, Democrats are demanding that Republicans agree to extend health insurance subsidies that expire at the end of the year, threatening a more than twofold increase in premiums for the millions of Americans who rely on the tax credits, the health policy organization KFF estimates. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., has criticized Republicans for refusing to negotiate a solution to lower health care costs. In a statement, she said there's no reason for employees of the Veterans Health Administration, or VHA, to be barred from communicating with congressional staff. "Throughout this Republican shutdown, the Trump administration has done everything they can to inflict undue pain on Americans," Murray said, "whether it's blocking SNAP benefits from reaching hungry families, ripping away billions from critical infrastructure projects, or directing VHA to ignore veterans' casework requests despite the agency remaining fully funded." In a 2012 law, Congress decided to use "advance appropriations" to fund the salaries of VHA's more than 403,000 employees who represent the vast majority of the VA workforce of about 461,000 so veterans' health care wouldn't be compromised during a government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the department's official shutdown contingency plan, although a relatively small number of staff in the VA's legislative affairs and public affairs offices are furloughed, all VHA employees in nonresearch roles are exempt from furlough when government funding runs out. But in an email sent to the leaders of VA hospitals across the country on Oct. 30, obtained by The Spokesman-Review, the office of the VA's chief operating officer directed VHA employees to tell their counterparts in Congress that "VA cannot initiate, dispatch, or respond to congressional requests until government funding has been restored," with the exception of "urgent casework requests involving life, limb, or impending homelessness." "Congress passed legislation over a decade ago to make sure VHA could continue operating normally during a shutdown, so let's be clear: the Trump administration is choosing to make it harder for veterans to get the help they need," Murray said. "VHA employees are being paid to show up to work every day, and they want to do their jobs instead they're being asked to stonewall caseworkers and deny veterans the answers and assistance they need. It's truly despicable." The internal email also informed hospital leaders that events with members of Congress would be canceled, except for regularly scheduled Veterans Day events. If government funding hasn't been restored by then, lawmakers and their staff could only attend such events "as members of the public" and would not be recognized or invited to speak, the guidance said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The VA did not respond to questions about the policy. According to the department's shutdown plan, all but one of 75 employees in the VA Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs are furloughed, and just seven of 43 employees in the Office of Congressional and Legislative Affairs are still on the job. In a news release announcing the furlough of 37,000 VA employees on Oct. 30, the VA listed several other services affected by the shutdown, including the closure of the GI Bill hotline, regional benefit offices and a career training program with a backlog of over 60,000 applicants. "The Democrats' government shutdown is limiting services for Veterans and making life miserable for VA employees, and things are only going to get worse as time goes on," VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement, calling on Democrats "to open the government and enable VA to provide the complete and comprehensive services America's Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors have earned." A spokeswoman for Crapo, Melanie Lawhorn, said veterans contacted the Idaho senator's office for help with numerous issues related to their medical care and the benefits they've earned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have heard from at least one veteran that his course of treatment will need to be altered due to delays," Lawhorn said, adding that it's concerning that their casework team can't get prompt responses from the VA about prescriptions, appointment requests and specialized treatment. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., confirmed in a statement that her team is also hampered by the VA's shutdown policy. "For half a million veterans in the State of Washington, our office can't get updates or resolve routine veteran claims," Cantwell said. "While urgent cases involving medical emergencies or homelessness are still being handled, these delays are creating uncertainty for veterans who rely on timely assistance." The House of Representatives has been in recess since Republicans in that chamber passed a short-term spending bill on Sept. 19, but House staffers in D.C. and in their home districts continue to help constituents with casework. Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican who represents Central Washington, said the VA disruptions "should come as no surprise" when Congress fails to fund the government for more than a month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Senate Democrats who refuse to reopen the government knew essential services would be impacted at the start of this shutdown, yet they have dragged it on for over a month now," Newhouse said in a statement. "Regional VA offices are closed, hotlines are down, and the backlog of VA cases is going to be a real problem once the government is back open. Veterans in Central Washington deserve better, and I implore our Senators to get our government back to work." Rep. Russ Fulcher, a Republican who represents North Idaho and most of the state's western half, emphasized that his offices in D.C. and in his district remain open and encouraged his constituents to reach out for assistance. "As we approach Veterans Day, I am especially mindful of the impact the shutdown is having on Americans who selflessly served this nation," he said in a statement. "The financial hardships being placed on them our Idaho Veterans cannot be overemphasized. I urge my Senate colleagues on the other side of the aisle, who have now voted 15 times to keep our government closed, to end the political theatre." The Senate will remain in session on Friday, but no concrete plan has emerged to end the impasse and restore government funding. With House members scattered across the country, the shutdown is likely to continue through the weekend even if senators strike a deal. Veterans Day is Tuesday, Nov. 11. Orion Donovan Smith's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor. The pilot in the Air India plane crash was not to blame for the disaster, Indias top court has said. All but one of the 242 people onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner were killed when the aircraft plunged into a medical students hostel in a suburb of Ahmedabad in June, less than a minute after taking off. A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found that switches controlling fuel flow to the jets two engines were turned off, leading to a loss of thrust at take-off. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement US officials believe Sumeet Sabharwal, the captain, probably cut them off. However, a judge in Indias supreme court told a court hearing on Friday that nobody could blame Sabharwal for the crash. Pushkaraj Sabharwal, the pilots 91-year-old father, had called for an independent investigation that would consider causes other than the pilots actions. Its extremely unfortunate, this crash, but you should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed. Nobody can blame him for anything, Justice Surya Kant told him. Fifty-three Britons were among the 241 passengers who died in the crash - Reuters Addressing the AAIBs preliminary report, he said: One pilot asked whether the fuel was cut off by the other; the other said no. Theres no suggestion of fault in that report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another judge suggested there were safety concerns about Boeing planes across the world and that the crash should be understood within this context. Air India said it found no fault with the fuel switches on its Boeing aircraft. Mr Justice Kant went on to dismiss reports of the pilot being to blame as nasty. Pushkaraj Sabharwal had drawn attention to a Wall Street Journal story that pointed towards pilot error as the crashs cause and cited an Indian government source. We are not bothered by foreign reports, Mr Justice Kant told him. That is nasty reporting. No one in India believes it was the pilots fault. The plane crashed 11 seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12 - Reuters Pushkaraj Sabharwal requested a fresh investigation into the crash after arguing that the ongoing process was non-independent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said two officials from the AAIB had implied that his son was the one to cut the fuel, despite the government denying this allegation and insisting that their investigation was very clean and very thorough. They asserted that the [cockpit voice recorder] analysis implicated Capt Sumeet Sabharwal in the accident and inquired about the reasons for the alleged actions, he said. Mr Sabharwal told the investigation that his son was a highly qualified and trained pilot, who regularly passed all [Directorate General of Civil Aviation]-mandated medical examinations. Sumeet Sabharwal joined Air India in 1994 and logged 15,638 hours of flying time, having recorded 8,596 of those on the 787 aircraft. He flew a Boeing 777 before training to fly the newer Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in 2014. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the crash, The Telegraph reported that the pilots mental health was being examined by investigators after the death of his mother and separation from his wife. But his father told the investigation team that his son was not under any emotional distress. He has accused the investigation officials of being biased and causing unsubstantiated blame to the pilot, who cannot defend himself. His father has also raised the questions on the unexplained Ram Air Turbine (RAT) deployment prior to crew inputs. The RAT is an emergency generator that automatically deploys when both primary and backup electrical or hydraulic systems fail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As per the preliminary report, the RAT deployed at take-off, before the pilots could have made any control inputs or touched the fuel switches, he said. This premature activation is a direct indicator of an electrical or digital malfunction, contradicting the preliminary reports inference that pilot actions initiated power loss. Sabharwal had never been involved in any major incident in his career until the disaster on June 12. Neil Pais, 61, one of Sabharwals former colleagues, previously told The Telegraph: He was one of the nicest people you could ever hope to fly with. Three days before his death, Sabharwal told his father that he was planning to resign from Air India to take care of him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to an early US assessment of the planes black box data, Sabharwal probably moved the fuel switches and cut off the supply. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 39-year-old businessman who lives in Leicester, was the only person to survive the crash. Speaking publicly for the first time this week, Mr Ramesh said he struggled to leave his bedroom because of constant flashbacks that have left him mentally broken. Fifty-three Britons were among the 241 passengers onboard flight AI171 who died when the aircraft crashed 11 seconds after taking off, killing 19 more on the ground. 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 FAA ordered airlines to cut 10% of flights at 40 major US airports. Delta Air Lines canceled the most on Monday, at 492. Sunday was the 4th-worst day for flight cancellations in the US since the start of 2024, according to Cirium. Thousands of flights in the US have been canceled since the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to reduce traffic amid the government shutdown. According to data from the aviation analytics firm Cirium, over 7,000 flights from US airports were canceled between Friday and Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That translates to about 6% of all scheduled flights, it said. With over 2,600 cancellations, Sunday was the 4th-worst day for canceled flights since the start of 2024, per Cirium. It found that Delta Air Lines was the most affected that day, with 708 cancellations, or 14% of the scheduled flights. Delta also had the most cancellations on Monday, at 492, or about 10% of its schedule. It was closely followed by American Airlines' 426 cancellations, which accounted for 7% of the airline's scheduled flights. United Airlines also canceled about 7% of its schedule, equal to 323 flights. Southwest Airlines canceled 192 flights, almost 5% of its schedule, per Cirium. The FAA implemented an emergency order on Thursday to reduce traffic at 40 of the country's busiest airports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The government shutdown means air traffic controllers are working without pay. But now, on its 41st day, more of them are calling off sick, leading to understaffing and flight delays. The FAA said it needs to cut flight capacity to ensure it maintains the highest levels of safety. Senators met for a rare Sunday session, where they reached a deal to end the longest government shutdown in US history. However, the measure also needs to be debated in the Senate, then approved by the House of Representatives. The FAA said that airlines are required to give customers full refunds for cancellations. Airlines may also try to rebook passengers on alternative flights. If you're booked to fly over the coming weeks, they should directly inform you of any changes. Read the original article on Business Insider Good morning! It's November 7, 2025, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. This is where you'll find the most important stories that are shaping the way Americans drive and get around. In this morning's edition, we're looking at the first morning of the FAA's flight cuts and the 21% slash in Honda's annual profit forecast. We will also check in on China lifting the export ban on Nexperia chips and Trump announcing even more foreign deals for Boeing. Read more: 5 Nearly Indestructible Transmissions (And The Cars That Use Them) FAA-mandated flight cuts are having broader impacts People travel through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on November 7, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. - Megan Varner/Getty Images The Federal Aviation Administration mandated a 10% reduction in flights to alleviate the workload on unpaid and understaffed air traffic controllers during the government shutdown. Despite beginning on Friday at only 4% and increasing over the weekend, the chaos has started immediately as passengers rush to find alternative methods of reaching their destinations. From the Associated Press: Some passengers quickly searched for alternatives to flying. Hertz is reporting a sharp increase in one-way car rentals. One-way reservations have spiked more that 20% through the weekend, compared with the same period last year."We join the airlines in urging Congress to swiftly pass a clean continuing resolution and restore certainty for travelers," wrote Hertz CEO Gil West. "Every day of delay creates unnecessary disruption."More than 815 flights have been called off nationwide, according to FlightAware. Delta Air Lines said it would scratch roughly 170 flights Friday, and American Airlines planned to cut 220 a day through Monday. This was the inevitable result of any flight reduction, but it's a far better alternative to potentially endangering commercial flights. If the Trump administration wanted to avoid the situation entirely, it could have approached the Democratic Party with a reasonable compromise to end the federal government shutdown. 2nd Gear: Honda cuts profit forecast by $980 Million, cites sagging sales in Asia and one-off EV costs A Honda Motor Co. logo is seen during a media day for the Japan Mobility Show 2025 at Tokyo Big Sight in Tokyo, Japan on October 30, 2025. - Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images Honda is warning its investors that profits won't be as high as initially expected. The Japanese automaker has lowered its annual profit forecast by nearly $1 billion. It largely blames stiff competition across markets in Asia, one-time EV expenses and a chip shortage. From Reuters: For the first half of the current financial year, Honda's automobile business posted an operating loss, due in large part to 224 billion yen worth of one-time expenses related to electric vehicles. The company now expects its global EV sales ratio to be 20% in 2030, down from a previous target of 30%.It now expects to sell 925,000 vehicles in Asia - including China - for the current financial year, down more than 10% from a previous target of 1.09 million cars.Competition in Southeast Asia has intensified due to the entry of Chinese automakers, which prompted firms in the region to offer consumers higher incentives or lower prices, Executive Vice President Noriya Kaihara said on Friday."We recognise that a fundamental review is necessary for Asia," Kaihara said. "However, from this fiscal year through the next, there'll be no particularly new models." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Things aren't all doom and gloom for Honda. The hit from Trump's tariffs was less than projected. The manufacturer is also expecting to resume normal operations at one of its two production facilities in Mexico later this month. 3rd Gear: China lifts export ban on Nexperia chips A general view of the Nexperia plant on April 1, 2022 in Newport, Wales. - Matthew Horwood/Getty Images The struggle over Nexperia greatly influenced the ongoing chip shortage. The semiconductor maker is based in the Netherlands but is Chinese-owned. The Dutch government seized control of Nexperia due to concerns over technology transfer between the two countries, and China imposed a chip export ban in response. Both sides are now backing off and reversing their actions. From Bloomberg: Recently spun off by Continental AG, Aumovio makes products such as sensors, brakes and automated driving systems. It operates a dozen manufacturing sites in China and supplies major automakers including BMW AG, Volkswagen AG and Stellantis NV.Aumovio sends Nexperia chips from China to Hungary for further distribution to its plant network. "It will take some time before all procedures and processes will get back to normal," [CEO Philipp von Hirschheydt] said, adding that there's still a chance for disruptions in the next four to six weeks.Still, "if everything I know today is correct, we are not going to be affected," he said. The chip supply shortage won't reverse itself immediately, but there's still a chance that a permanent solution might not be found. Regardless, executives at European automakers are likely breathing a sigh of relief that the global supply chain has taken a step back from the ledge. 4th Gear: Trump administration announces Boeing deals in Central Asia P4-KDA Air Astana Airbus A321-200 aircraft on the blue sky background - Nimdamer/Getty Images The $96 billion deal with Qatar isn't the only Boeing sale that was sealed by President Donald Trump. The federal government announced airliner deals with three countries in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The orders for widebody planes will allow flag carriers to operate services to more far-flung destinations. From Reuters: The Commerce Department said Kazakhstan flag carrier Air Astana plans to buy up to 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to grow and modernize its fleet.The orders were signed at the C5+1 Summit in Washington on the 10th anniversary of the diplomatic meeting of the leaders of five Central Asian republics and the United States.Air Astana currently operates three Boeing 767 widebody jets connecting Kazakhstan with destinations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The new planes will enable expansion into North America, Boeing said.Tajikistan's national carrier, Somon Air, plans to buy up to 14 Boeing planes, including four 787-9s and 10 737 MAX airplanes, Commerce said, while Uzbekistan Airways converted options into a firm order for eight 787 Dreamliners, upping the flag carrier's total orders to 22 for the widebody jets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump's stint as Boeing's unofficial overseas deal mascot isn't quite over yet. The American aviation giant is hoping to seal a deal for over 500 aircraft in China. However, the Asian power has its own fledgling commercial aviation manufacturer and isn't on the best of terms with the White House at the moment. Reverse: Gertie gallops to the bottom of the Tacoma Narrows The original Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened in July 1940 as the third-longest suspension bridge in the world. The 2,800-foot span only held the spot in the record book for four months before it spectacularly collapsed just four months later on November 7. During construction, the bridge garnered the nickname "Galloping Gertie" for how the span moved up and down in high winds. The phenomenon persisted after the bridge opened, despite measures taken to mitigate the deck's movement. On the day of the collapse, a windstorm rocked the road deck in waves up to 28 feet high. The 42-mile-per-hour gusts twisted the bridge apart. The only fatality was a cocker spaniel named Tubby. Read more about the infamous collapse on the official website of the Washington State Department of Transportation. On The Radio: Frank Sinatra - 'Come Fly With Me' I'm pretty sure there will be plenty of airline customers in need of some exotic booze this weekend. When Frank Sinatra first sang "Come Fly With Me," travelling with an airline was still a luxurious experience that was strictly regulated by the federal government. Today, mismanagement by every vested interest has led us to the current chaotic state of affairs. If you're flying this weekend, good luck and make it a double. 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. Burlington's Patrick Leahy International Airport as of now is not one of 40 U.S. airports that will see a 10% cut in flights by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amid the ongoing government shutdown. The fact that Burlington's airport isn't on the federal lists, doesn't ensure those flying in and out of Burlington, will not be affected by cancelations as airports across the country try to reduce their flights. As of Thursday evening, there were no reported cancellations for flights arriving or departing from BVT on Friday. "At this time, we do not know of, if any, direct impact this may have on flights to and from Burlington," reads a statement post on Thursday to the airport's Facebook page. "We encourage all passengers to stay in close contact with their airlines for the most up-to-date flight information and to arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to departure. Advertisement Advertisement Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a Nov. 5 news conference that flight reductions are necessary to keep the nation's airspace safe and running smoothly. He warned earlier in the week that the cuts could come as a result of pressure on the country's air traffic controllers as the shutdown rolls on. "It's going to lead to more cancellations, but we are going to work with the airlines to do this in a systematic way," Duffy said. The flight reductions are expected to take effect Friday, Nov. 7. Here's what to know. How does the government shutdown affect air traffic controllers? The government shutdown started on Oct. 1 as lawmakers failed to reach an agreement over funding, causing some services to close temporarily. It is now the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Advertisement Advertisement While most employees at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are deemed "essential" and have been expected to work through the shutdown, they won't get paid until the government is funded again. While these employees are expected to get back pay for the duties they performed once the shutdown ends, many advocates say going weeks without pay puts them under additional stress and can result in them having to find other ways to earn temporary income. When air traffic controllers or Transportation Security Administration officers fail to show up for work, it can result in flight delays and longer security lines. How airports will be affected by the FAA's flight reductions Nearly all of the airports the BVT's flights go and out of are on the list of 40 major U.S. airports the FAA says will see flight reductions. Advertisement Advertisement The Boston airport said Nov. 6 that it was waiting for more details from the FAA on which flights would be impacted, Samantha Decker, a spokesperson for Massport, said in a statement Thursday. Planes waiting to take off at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. "For those traveling over the next few days, we do anticipate delays and cancellations and strongly urge passengers to check with their airline before coming to the airport," Decker said. What airlines are part of the cuts? These airports will be impacted: Anchorage International Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Boston Logan International Baltimore/Washington International Charlotte Douglas International Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Dallas Love Ronald Reagan Washington National Denver International Dallas/Fort Worth International Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Newark Liberty International Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Honolulu International Houston Hobby Washington Dulles International George Bush Houston Intercontinental Indianapolis International New York John F Kennedy International Las Vegas McCarran International Los Angeles International New York LaGuardia Orlando International Chicago Midway Memphis International Miami International Minneapolis/St Paul International Oakland International Ontario International Chicago O'Hare International Portland International Philadelphia International Phoenix Sky Harbor International San Diego International Louisville International Seattle/Tacoma International San Francisco International Salt Lake City International Teterboro Tampa International What are the airlines saying about the flight cuts Several airlines are preparing for the possible flight disruptions. Advertisement Advertisement United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a memo to employees provided to USA TODAY that the company will focus its reductions on "regional flying" and domestic flights that do not travel between its hubs. He said that any customer traveling while the reductions are in effect is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly, "even if their flight isn't impacted." The offer includes non-refundable and basic economy tickets. American Airlines said in a statement provided to USA TODAY that it expects "the vast majority" of its customers to be unaffected. "As schedule changes are made, we will proactively reach out to customers who are impacted," the statement reads. The airline called on "leaders in Washington" to end the shutdown. Southwest Airlines said it is "evaluating how the planned FAA flight reductions will affect our schedule and will communicate directly with Customers as soon as possible." Advertisement Advertisement Delta Air Lines referred questions to the Department of Transportation and the FAA. Allegiant and Spirit did not respond to the request as of Nov. 5. How to check for updates at Leahey Burlington You can check Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport Facebook page for up-to-date notices about any issues in the terminals or on the runways. Additionally, you can check your flight status from BVT Airport here. Kathryn Palmer, Kathleen Wong, and Zach Wichter of USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: FAA flight cuts may indirectly affect Burlington VT. What to know Laman Ismayilova On 4 November 2025, a ceremony was held at the Museum of Asia and the Pacific in Poland to present a Mal?b?yli carpet from the Garabagh carpet-making school to the museum, Azernews reports. The event was organised by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Poland with the support of the National Commission of Azerbaijan for UNESCO. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Chairman and members of the PolandAzerbaijan Parliamentary Group, representatives of the diplomatic corps, officials, Polish scholars and artists, local media, as well as Azerbaijani expatriates residing in Poland. Jozef Zalevski, the Director of the Museum, expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Poland for such a valuable gift. He noted that the carpet would enrich the Museums collection and said he was confident that visitors would view it with great interest. He also expressed his belief that the carpet would serve as a bridge between the two peoples, Azerbaijan and Poland, who value friendship, mutual respect, and the preservation of cultural heritage. In her speech, Nigar Qurbanova, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Poland, highlighted that Azerbaijani carpet weaving has ancient traditions, strong foundations, and a rich heritage. She pointed out that historically, Azerbaijan has had seven distinct carpet-making schools, each with its own geographical origin, design, composition, colour palette, and technical features. The Ambassador also emphasised that for centuries, carpet weaving has been an essential element of Azerbaijani culture and decorative art, symbolising the spirit of the people and reflecting significant events in the nations history. She stressed that Azerbaijani carpets are world-renowned for their quality and artistic value, with many examples displayed in prestigious museums across the globe. Additionally, the Ambassador reminded the audience of several important milestones, including the 15th anniversary of Azerbaijani carpet weavings inclusion in UNESCOs Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijans National Commission for UNESCO. She also noted that Azerbaijan ranks fifth on the list with 24 registered elements. Ambassador Qurbanova further emphasised that nearly all types of carpets and kilims found worldwide are produced in Azerbaijan, and she highlighted the exceptional density of Azerbaijani carpets, characterised by the high number of knots per square centimetre, which makes them especially durable. The Ambassador also provided detailed information about the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, describing its establishment, activities, and rich collection. She mentioned that the Museum has a branch in the city of Shusha, founded in 1987, which displays various exhibits under different themes. Following the occupation of Shusha in 1992, the branch building was destroyed, and part of the Museums collection was evacuated. The timing of the ceremony, just before Victory Day in Azerbaijan, was no coincidence. This victory was not only a military success but also a moral, historical, and cultural triumph. It marked the revival of life in the liberated territories: rebuilding museums, theatres, and religious sites, and restoring music, craftsmanship, and traditions. The reopening of the Shusha branch of the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum in 2023, after 31 years, is a vivid example of this revival. The Ambassador also provided detailed information about the Mal?b?yli carpet presented to the Museum, expressing hope that it would contribute to the Museums mission of promoting intercultural understanding and celebrating the rich heritage of the East. Following the speeches, Karolina Ksiwitska, a member of the Museums staff, gave guests a detailed explanation of the Garabagh carpet-making school and the Mal?b?yli carpet, after which a video on traditional Azerbaijani carpet weaving was shown. As part of the event, Ambassador Nigar Qurbanova also gave an interview on the Polish TVP channels programme Dobrego dnia. Minneapolis, Minnesota-based General Mills, Inc. (GIS) is a global manufacturer and marketer of branded consumer foods. It operates through North America Retail, International, Pet, and North America Foodservice segments. With a market cap of nearly $24.7 billion, General Mills boasts an extensive portfolio of 100+ brands. Despite its notable strengths, GIS has notably underperformed the broader market over the past year. The stock has plunged 27.3% on a YTD basis and tanked 32.1% over the past 52 weeks, notably lagging behind the S&P 500 Indexs ($SPX) 15.6% gains on a YTD basis and 17.5% returns over the past year. More News from Barchart Narrowing the focus, General Mills has also lagged behind the industry-focused Invesco Food & Beverage ETFs (PBJ) 6.4% decline in 2025 and 8.4% dip over the past 52 weeks. www.barchart.com General Mills stock prices observed a marginal dip in the trading session following the release of its Q2 results on Sept. 17. The company has continued to face pressure on its topline; its net sales for the quarter dropped 7% year-over-year to $4.5 billion. This included a 4% decline due to the net impact of divestitures and acquisitions and a 3% drop in organic net sales due to unfavorable pricing. Nonetheless, the topline figure surpassed the Streets expectations by 42 bps. Excluding the impact of gains from divestitures and other non-recurring items, General Mills margins have continued to suffer. Its adjusted EPS for the quarter dropped 19.6% year-over-year to $0.86, but surpassed the consensus estimates by 6.2%. For the full fiscal 2026, ending in May, analysts expect GIS to deliver an adjusted EPS of $3.65, down 13.3% year-over-year. On a positive note, the company has a robust earnings surprise history. It has surpassed the Streets bottom-line expectations in each of the past four quarters. Among the 20 analysts covering the GIS stock, the consensus rating is a Hold. Thats based on four Strong Buys, one Moderate Buy, 12 Holds, and three Strong Sells. www.barchart.com This configuration has remained stable in recent months. On Sept. 19, Mizuho analyst John Baumgartner maintained a Neutral rating on GIS, but lowered the price target from $57 to $52. BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) An Alabama man has been found guilty in a 2022 shooting that prosecutors say started with a meeting arranged through a social media app. According to State Attorney Larry Basford, 25-year-old Marques Isaiah Player of Sylacauga was convicted Wednesday of aggravated battery with a firearm after shooting a man at a Panama City Beach motel back in 2022. Prosecutors say, player thought he was meeting a woman, but evidence, including Snapchat messages, showed he knew the victim was a man and even sent threats before the two met. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surveillance video showed Player loading his gun, walking to the victims truck, and firing once before running off. The victim was able to call 911 for assistance. Deputies later arrested Player and a friend at a gas station and found the gun inside their vehicle. Player faces sentencing on Dec. 18. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Kodiak's St. Paul Harbor on Oct. 3, 2022 (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) Marine heatwaves, fisheries declines and coastal erosion show Alaskans how changes to our climate can threaten our ways of life. Governor Mike Dunleavy and others have proposed that we should welcome new industries that seek to capture and store carbon away from the atmosphere, including marine carbon dioxide removal, to boost our economy and reduce the impacts of climate change. This sounds like a win-win for Alaska, but there are many complexities and most Alaskans have never even heard about this issue. The idea behind marine carbon dioxide removal, also known as mCDR, is to increase the ability of the ocean to take up carbon dioxide. The ocean already absorbs carbon dioxide whenever the concentration is higher in the atmosphere than the water. Various mCDR proposals include adding minerals to the ocean to shift its chemistry so that more carbon dioxide can dissolve into seawater, adding nutrients such as iron to promote carbon uptake by algae or growing kelp and then sinking it into the deep sea. These proposals seek to test whether its feasible to build a new trillion-dollar global industry to sell carbon credits to governments or companies based on sequestering carbon in the ocean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alaskas unique oceanography and geography provide an ideal location for many types of mCDR strategies. On the other hand, our marine ecosystems provide the basis of a multi-billion dollar fishing industry and are priceless in terms of supporting Alaskan ways of life. Any industry that could have a substantial impact on ocean ecosystems should be examined carefully. The time is running short for communities to learn about mCDR and be adequately consulted before these technologies are implemented in Alaskan waters. The federal government is currently investing millions of dollars in mCDR research and congress is considering new legislation to support further research. Simultaneously, some privately-funded groups, such as Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions, are exploring plans to test the mCDR strategy of adding iron to stimulate carbon uptake in the Northeast Pacific in the next few years. We invite our fellow Alaskans to join us for community conversations to learn more about the various strategies for mCDR and to provide perspectives on this new proposed industry in our waters. Through the Community Leaders and mCDR project, known as the CLaM project, we plan to hold round-table events in Cordova and Kodiak this December, as well as a discussion at the Alaska Forum on the Environment in Anchorage in February. We hope that these conversations will give coastal communities, whose lives and livelihoods are dependent on marine ecosystems, a greater voice in shaping the trajectory of mCDR research and industry development in our state. We owe it to present and future generations of Alaskans to carefully consider what path to take on mCDR, understanding that whatever path we choose is likely to have a big impact on our economy and ecosystems. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) Two men who allegedly stole from Rochester Jewelry and Tek Pawn Shop on Mt. Read Boulevard have been arrested. Greece Police were called to the location on Thursday where suspects had stolen an unknown amount of property and left the scene. Police were able to find the suspect vehicle in the City of Rochester, and they said they tracked the suspects to a home on Spencer Street. They executed a search warrant where stolen property and a small amount of crack cocaine were recovered. Both suspects have been accused of stealing from a pawn shop in Greece (Photo/Monroe County Sheriffs Office) 51-year-old Charles Akers and 47-year-old Marion Bresko were arrested and charged with third-degree burglary and second-degree grand larceny. Akers was also charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. They both were taken to the Monroe County Jail. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Greece Police Department added that three vehicles were at the scene. Search warrants are pending. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. This holiday season looks a bit different for Food Bank for Larimer County, but one thing remains the same: it wants your turkeys. As it continues to face the unprecedented cut of federal food assistance and increased need at community food markets during the ongoing government shutdown, the food bank is gearing up for its biggest annual food drive, Tour de Turkey. The drive calls for donations of frozen turkeys from the community, with the food bank mainly collecting them from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 20 at these two locations: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Drake Centre, 802 W. Drake Road, Fort Collins Orchards Shopping Center, 261 E. 29th St., Loveland The first 250 Tour de Turkey donors at both drop off locations will receive a coupon for a six-pack of beer redeemable at New Belgium Brewery. You must be 21 years old or older to receive the coupon. Several $50 New Belgium prize packages will also be given away as part of the drive, according to the food bank website. Busy on Tour de Turkey day? If you're unable to make the Nov. 20 drive, frozen turkeys, birds and hams can be donated to any of the following food bank locations ahead of Tour de Turkey: Fresh Food Fresh Food Share Pantry, 1301 Blue Spruce Drive, Fort Collins Loveland Fresh Food Share Pantry, 2600 N. Lincoln Ave., Loveland Food Bank for Larimer County Administration, 5706 Wright Drive, Loveland What donations will the food bank accept as part of the Tour de Turkey drive? The main goal of the drive is to collect frozen turkeys, however, the food bank will also accept frozen hams, frozen whole chickens and "other holiday main course or centerpiece food items," according to the Food Bank for Larimer County website. "A turkey is ideal, but anything including common side items is a huge help," the site says. "Bring what you can!. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the food bank typically encourages monetary donations given its ability to stretch a dollar more than the everyday shopper Thanksgiving season represents the organization's one exception to that rule, according to Food Bank for Larimer County CEO Amy Pezzani. Without Tour de Turkey, the food bank would have to order the roughly 5,000 turkeys it needs each year months ahead of time. It would have to pay full price for each one, which it cannot afford to do, Pezzani told the Coloradoan late last month. How else can I help the food bank? Food Bank for Larimer County like many food banks across the country are seeing an increased need as the government shutdown continues and recipients of SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, go without their monthly benefits so far this November. Aside from participation in Tour de Turkey, the food bank is calling for monetary donations from the community to help them purchase more food during this time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can donate money through Food Bank for Larimer County's website. A lifeline: Colorado ups funding for food banks, WIC while SNAP funds are paused Where to find food resources in Larimer County Food Bank for Larimer County offers two no-cost Fresh Foods markets in Northern Colorado and several mobile markets for Larimer County residents. Fort Collins Fresh Food Share No-Cost Market, 1301 Blue Spruce Drive Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Open for older adults and individuals with disabilities from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday. Loveland Fresh Food Share No-Cost Market, 2600 N. Lincoln Ave. Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Open for older adults and individuals with disabilities from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For more resources, check out the Coloradoan's full list of area food pantries and businesses offering free food to those losing their SNAP benefits. Coloradoan reporter Sady Swanson contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: How to donate to Tour de Turkey, support Food Bank for Larimer County The federal government shutdown now the longest in history has threatened funding for the federal food stamps program that feeds millions of Americans, including nearly 30,000 San Luis Obispo County residents. On Tuesday, Congressman Salud Carbajal came to SLO to lobby on behalf of people who need the aid and the organizations who are working to help them. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, froze on Nov. 1. The program is known in California as CalFresh. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If an agreement to reopen the government isnt reached soon, funding for the program could soon run out. This would impact nearly 42 million people nationwide, 5.5 million in California, more than 100,000 on the Central Coast and programs like Meals that Connect, which provides free, healthy lunches to over 2,000 seniors in SLO County daily. The program offers meals every weekday at 10 sites in the county, with deliveries on weekends. Its very concerning for our seniors, executive director Laura Kelsay said in a news conference with Carbajal on Tuesday. They cant get SNAP benefits, they cant get CalFresh. ... Theyre already barely getting by and not being able to get groceries is a really big deal. CalFresh benefits delayed for SLO County families amid shutdown. How to get help Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, visited the programs kitchen in San Luis Obispo to discuss the federal government shutdowns impact on food insecurity in the county. With the shutdown, my Republican colleagues are weaponizing hunger, Carbajal said. The reduction in benefits has caused more people to turn to Meals that Connect for food, but with a loss of a quarter of its funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill which slashed $186 billion in SNAP dollars and a complete halt in all other grant funding under the government shutdown, Kelsay said the program is struggling to serve them. Were just operating from our reserve funding, which isnt a lot, she told The Tribune. Kelsay has been forced to lay off staff and reduce hours to extend their runway, which she estimates at no more than six months, if were lucky. Laura Kelsay, executive director of non-profit Meals That Connect spoke about the service impacts to those in need during the government shutdown on Nov. 4, 2025. SLO County congressman fights for more CalFresh funds SLO County CalFresh recipients spend about $6.2 million in benefits each month at local food stores and farmers markets, according to SLO Food Bank CEO Molly Kern. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After two federal judges ruled against the funding freeze, the Trump administration said Monday that it will use $4.65 billion in emergency U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to pay out partial SNAP benefits, but it will only provide half of what people normally receive and will not cover any new enrollees. Carbajal said that is still only a fraction of the funds that could be tapped. The Agriculture Department has a different pool of contingency funds Section 32 funds that Carbajal said contains $16 billion to $23 billion that Republicans are illegally holding back. That combined is more than enough to cover an entire month of SNAP benefits for those that are enrolled throughout the entire country, he said. Congressman Salud Carbajal visited San Luis Obispo County to talk about the impacts of the government shutdown on Nov. 4, 2025. The Trump administration reportedly did consider using the funds, but ultimately concluded they must remain available to protect full operation of Child Nutrition Programs throughout the fiscal year, instead of being used for SNAP benefits, NBC News reported. These include student school lunch programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, in a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump said benefits will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government. The language echoes language found on many government websites blaming Democrats for the government shutdown. This is a Trump-Republican manufactured crisis, Carbajal said. They control the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House. This shutdown is completely on them. Federal courts across the country are legally compelling the Trump administration to dip into the Section 32 contingency fund and pay up full benefits, but the pending cases are up against a timeline of dwindling SNAP resources during the persistent government shutdown. We just dont know what end is in sight, Kelsay said. Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh had a message Thursday for conservative law students: Keep up the fight. Speaking at an annual Federalist Society gala in Washington, Barrett zeroed in on conservative women, urging them not to heed criticism for career or personal choices at odds with their liberal classmates. In truth, being a conservative woman in law school, particularly, takes a lot of courage and independence, and in many ways, shows more feminism than just falling into some predetermined vision of what a woman should be, Barrett said during a joint, onstage interview with Kavanaugh. I admire your courage for facing that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barrett said she regards her decision to have seven children as one of many counter-cultural things shes done. She said social media may be contributing to women feeling suffocated by the expectations at law schools, but they should still try to reject that pressure. All women should feel free to truly choose whatever it is they want, whether it is to be conservative or to be liberal or to have large families, to not get married, whatever it may be. There is no stereotype of what a professional woman should look like, Barrett said. You dont have to fit into any box. Barrett and other speakers also referenced the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a Utah campus in September and what they said was a chilling effect on conservative students. The kind of poisonous hostility that led to Charlie Kirk's murder still exists on campuses and elsewhere, Barrett said, urging the students to show strength with grace exhibited by Kirks wife, Erika. Fighting poison with poison doesn't work. It leads to more poison. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kavanaugh made similar points. Be not afraid to pursue what you know is right, even when you're going to get criticized for it, he said, adding, Don't lose the civility. Kavanaugh also referred to challenges to his nomination in 2018, when he faced sexual assault allegations he vigorously denied. He thanked many of the Federalist Society members in the room again for standing by him during what he called dark days. Look out for your friends. Lift up your friends, and love your friends, Kavanaugh said. Both justices spoke about some of the unwelcome aspects of their high-profile jobs, including what they regard as unfair criticism. You got to tune out criticism in our jobs, absolutely. But you always need to be willing to learn and listen to responsible critiques, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barrett mentioned death threats and referenced abortion-related protests that regularly took place at her home. You can't take an oath to the Constitution if you're not willing to sacrifice, she said, describing her sacrifices as more minor than those faced by the countrys founders and military personnel. Barrett and Kavanaugh were interviewed by a district court judge based in Washington, Trevor McFadden. All three are Trump appointees. McFadden noted Justice Samuel Alitos presence in the audience at the event, but he did not join the public discussion. At a glance Communities Secretary Steve Reed has urged Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to cooperate with the US congressional inquiry into his ties with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The request follows new evidence cited by US lawmakers, including financial records allegedly referring to massage for Andrew, which they say raise serious questions about his involvement. The inquiry has been reignited by new posthumous allegations from Virginia Giuffre who claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was a teenager. He strongly denies the allegations. Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been told by the Government he should fly to America to answer questions about his long-standing friendship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Communities Secretary Steve Reed stressed that the former Prince should help the inquiry by a US Congress committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any individual who can help with an investigation of that gravity should go and help if they can, he told LBC Radio on Friday. Hes a private individual, its up to him but I think people should do what they can to try to help. The Cabinet ministers words piled pressure on Andrew to agree to the request by members of the US Congress who wrote to him asking for a transcribed interview in connection with his links with Epstein. In the letter, sent to the former prince on Thursday, the US politicians said their House Oversight Committee had identified financial records containing notations such as massage for Andrew that raise serious questions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The formal request came as the King officially stripped his disgraced brother of both his HRH style and his prince title. The letter, signed by 16 members of Congress, requested Andrew responds by November 20. Requesting he sit for an interview with the committee, the letter reads: We write to seek your co-operation in the Committee on Oversight and Government Reforms (Committee) investigation into Jeffrey Epsteins sex trafficking operations. The committee is seeking to uncover the identities of Mr Epsteins co conspirators and enablers and to understand the full extent of his criminal operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Well-documented allegations against you, along with your long-standing friendship with Mr Epstein, indicate that you may possess knowledge of his activities relevant to our investigation. In the interest of justice for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, we request that you co-operate with the committees investigation by sitting for a transcribed interview with the Committee. Jeffrey Epstein had a long-standing friendship with Andrew (US Department of Justice/PA) (PA Media) Mr Reeds intervention came after Sir Keir Starmer also suggested Andrew, who has now been cast aside by the Royal Family and Government, should speak to the committee. Speaking to broadcasters in Brazil, where he is attending the Cop30 summit, the Prime Minister said: Well, in the end, its a matter for him personally. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My view, and this is not about the individual case, more broadly, is that anybody who has relevant information should always be willing to give it to whatever inquiries need that information. But the individual decision is a matter for him. Andrews links to Epstein eventually led to King Charles dramatically stripping him of his titles - putting an end to his public life. The family of Virginia Giuffre said she declares a victory but said that stripping Andrew of his titles is not enough (Crime+Investigation/PA) (PA Media) The move followed the publication of his main accuser Virginia Giuffres posthumous memoirs Nobodys Girl, and the US governments release of documents from the paedophiles estate. Ms Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times - once at convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwells home in London, once in Epsteins address in Manhattan, and once on the disgraced financiers private island, Little St James. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The incident at Maxwells home allegedly occurred when Ms Giuffre was 17 years old. Andrew first relinquished his dukedom and other honours after excerpts from the posthumous autobiography of Ms Giuffre were released (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire) Andrew is accused of taking part in an orgy with underage girls, as well as Ms Giuffre, during the alleged incident on Little St James. The former prince vehemently denies all allegations made against him. Addressing the allegations in the letter, the Democrat members of Congress said: Given these recent events and the appalling allegations that have come to light from Ms Giuffres memoir and other reliable sources, the Committee requests that you make yourself available for a transcribed interview with the Committee and provide insight into the crimes of Jeffrey Epsteins co-conspirators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to the urgency and gravity of this matter, we ask that you provide a response to the Committees interest by November 20, 2025. As well as the allegations made by Ms Giuffre, the committee is also seeking testimony from Andrew on accusations against him that he asked his personal protection officer to dig up dirt for a smear campaign against his accuser in 2011. The letter continues: This fear of retaliation has been a persistent obstacle to many of those who were victimized in their fight for justice. In addition to Mr Epsteins crimes, we are investigating any such efforts to silence, intimidate, or threaten victims, and are interested in any avenues that may further shed light on these activities. Epstein took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. It appears to be a turbulent time for airlines. Yet another one based in the United States has suddenly ceased operations, presenting difficulties both for travelers and locals. Travel and Tour World (TTW) reports how Kenai Aviation which, according to its website, has been serving as a regional airline in Alaska since 1961 has suspended all operations after years of struggling with debt. A statement posted to the airlines main page by owner Joel Caldwell explains that Kenai Aviation is financially insolvent. Therefore, its planes wont be in service. TTW said those planes are crucial to many residents of the remote state who depend on them as a key mode of transportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TTW notes that regional hubs such as Anchorage and Homer are expected to face disruptions due to this abrupt shuttering. How the states tourism industry will be affected also remains to be seen. At the end of 2017, I was sitting at my kitchen table in Kenai when I received the call that [previous owner] Jim Bielfeld was about to finalize shutting down Kenai Aviation, but if I wanted to act quickly, we could step in and keep this historic airline alive, the post reads. It was only a few years later that I watched our first scheduled flight take off. Then COVID happened. The pandemic response affected all of us, but for most people its just a painful memory. For me, and for Kenai Aviation, the COVID [pandemic] gave us a debt load that we havent been able to get back on top of. Carrying that burden increased the effects of every obstacle that weve had to navigate. The statement further explains that other issues including plane maintenance exacerbated Kenai Aviations financial struggles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ..today, the bank is calling that debt, the statement continues. We have to cease all operations immediately. I am devastated. Our operations may stop, but this vision continues. Travel Read the original article on pennlive.com. In a surprising turn in one of Houston's most closely watched murder cases, the 14th Court of Appeals has ordered a hearing in the case of AJ Armstrong, the man convicted in 2023 of killing his parents in their southwest Houston home. The decision, issued just eight days after oral arguments in Armstrong's appeal, gives the defense a new opportunity to argue for a new trial, and a glimmer of hope in a case that has gripped Houston for nearly a decade. "This is good news for my client and good news for the family," Patrick McCann, Armstrong's appellate attorney, said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three-justice panel's order directs the trial court to hold a hearing on the defense's motion for a new trial by Jan. 6. The ruling found that Armstrong's legal team had shown "reasonable grounds" to argue that he may be entitled to relief, concluding that the trial court "abused its discretion" in not granting a hearing earlier. Armstrong was 16 years old when his parents, Dawn and Antonio Sr. Armstrong, were shot to death in 2016. Two previous trials ended in hung juries before a third trial in 2023 resulted in a guilty verdict. Jurors deliberated for about 10 hours after hearing testimony from 31 witnesses over 11 days. SEE ALSO: Timeline of deaths of AJ Armstrong's parents through his capital murder trials Central to the prosecution's case was a small speck of Antonio Armstrong's blood found on AJ's t-shirt. It was evidence discovered years later by an expert who later faced allegations of planting DNA evidence in a separate case. That complaint was later determined to be unfounded and dismissed, records show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the oral arguments, McCann argued that prosecutors failed to disclose the complaint to the defense. "Had my trial counsel known that he would have made a different decision," McCann told ABC13 on Thursday. The Harris County District Attorney's Office did not comment on the appellate order. However, in a filing last week, prosecutor Alan Curry included a list of evidence presented against Armstrong at the third trial and wrote that "the State looks forward to defending this conviction against any claim that the appellant wishes to raise." Legal analyst Brian Wice called the appellate court's decision "a potential turning point." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The defense loses 95 percent of the time on appeals, and it's not made any easier when it's a high-profile case," Wice said. "This gives them hope. It's difficult not to say how consequential this ruling was." Armstrong is currently serving a life sentence in the Robertson Unit in Abilene. That's about a six-hour drive from Houston, west of Dallas. Statement from Armstrong's defense attorney Rick DeToto: "We are very thankful that the court has granted us this opportunity. We look forward to presenting our evidence to the trial court to show that this information should have been disclosed by the state. We will never stop in our efforts to pursue justice for A.J." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Montgomery County District Attorney Michael R. Holley shared a statement that said in part: "The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office is aware of recent allegations made in court filings and in the media regarding District Attorney Investigator Celestina Rossi and claims that she "planted evidence" in a capital murder investigation. These claims are not new, and facts do not support them. A nearly identical complaint was previously submitted to the Texas Forensic Science Commission-one of the highest forensic oversight bodies in the State of Texas-and after a full review, the Commission found that the complaint was without merit. The Commission appropriately dismissed the complaint." "The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office stands firmly and unequivocally behind Investigator Rossi. Her integrity, professionalism, and commitment to the pursuit of truth have been consistently demonstrated over nearly three decades of public service. Any suggestion that she would compromise that duty is false, irresponsible, and directly contradicted by her record, her scientific credentials, and the findings of the Texas Forensic Science Commission itself." For more on this story, follow Jessica Willey on Facebook, X and Instagram. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) A divided federal appeals court in Ohio ruled against the state's fourth largest school district on Thursday in a case that pitted its gender pronoun policies against the rights of students who believe there are only two genders. The full Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the suburban Olentangy Local School District cannot prohibit students from using gender-related language deemed offensive by others, siding with Parents Defending Education, which had argued the policies were unconstitutional. The national membership organization first filed suit against Olentangy in 2023, saying the district's policies requiring the use of peers' preferred pronouns were a violation of students rights under the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The district argued the rules were aimed to prevent bullying and discrimination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit had captured broad national attention, with a number of conservative policy groups, the American Civil Liberties Union and Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu rights organizations lining up against the policy and leading LGBTQ+ rights and schools groups lining up generally in defense of it. The court found the district has fallen far short of meeting the standard that allowing such speech would materially and substantially disrupt school activities or infringe the legal rights of others in the school community. Our society continues to debate whether biological pronouns are appropriate or offensive just as it continues to debate many other issues surrounding transgender rights, Circuit Judge Eric Murphy wrote for the majority. The school district may not skew this debate by forcing one side to change the way it conveys its message or by compelling it to express a different view. Circuit Judge Jane Stranch retorted in a dissent written entirely without the use of gendered, third-person pronouns for individuals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While "it may be a new phenomenon for many to use new pronouns or to avoid using pronouns, it is certainly possible, Stranch wrote, adding that social mores around pronouns have shifted over the course of American history, and these shifting mores have not suddenly rendered people unable to speak. It is not clear how far-reaching the impacts of the ruling might be. One Ohio teachers union had told the court that Olentangys policies are substantially similar to those used by districts around the state. A three-judge panel of the 6th Circuit had found against the organization in July 2024, ruling that the school district had sufficiently shown that the speech it sought to prohibit would disrupt classroom instruction. That earlier decision also held that those policies did not compel students and families represented by the parents group to use any certain pronouns to address LGBTQ+ students nor suppress alternative viewpoints. Thursday's ruling reversed that decision and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Algenon Marbley in Columbus to issue a preliminary injunction against Olentangy enforcing the pronoun policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At issue in the case were overlapping district policies that prohibited the use of gender-related language that other students might deem insulting, dehumanizing, unwanted or offensive and call for the use of peers preferred pronouns. The districts electronic devices policy which applies both on and off school time prohibits transmitting disruptive material or material that could be seen as harassing or disparaging other students based on their gender identity or sexual orientation, among other categories. A separate antidiscrimination policy prohibits students from saying or writing discriminatory language when theyre under the schools authority. The policy bans derogatory comments, jokes or slurs based on a range of factors, including gender identity. The districts code of conduct echoes many of the same themes a third time. A special operations team is pinned down in a valley deep inside contested territory. Ammo is running low, and close air support is nonexistent. Extraction forces are still hours out. The operatives have kept the enemy at bay, but their ability to do so is dwindling with every round they fire. Their stocks of 40mm grenades have long been exhausted; now their rifles will soon run dry too. The sky cracks with a sonic boom, which echoes across the valley, and fighting pauses for a split second as fighters on both sides look up. Soon after, the shooting resumes, but out of the blinding sun comes a capsule stuffed with ammunition hanging on a parachute and flying right toward the special operations team. Help has arrived From orbit. The above is a scene that sounds like its ripped right out of a Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare video game, but one company is working to make it a reality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California-based space startup Inversion has unveiled its design for a fully reusable, lifting-body spacecraft named Arc. The spacecraft is intended to deliver critical cargo from space to any point on Earth within an hour, landing on water, snow or soil with a precision of around 50 feet, the company says. The concept, aimed squarely at the defense sector, reflects longstanding U.S. military interest in using space-based systems to rapidly move cargo around the globe to meet commanders urgent needs. Arc is a new kind of spacecraft. Not quite a capsule, not quite a spaceplane. Its based off of a lifting body design ideal for its mission to deliver cargo from orbit to anywhere on Earth in under an hour. pic.twitter.com/KHD6v5Kcs4 Inversion (@InversionSpace) November 5, 2025 The mission concept involves the Arc spacecraft being launched into low Earth orbit atop a rocket. Arc then remains in orbit until its cargo is required to be delivered. At that point, the spacecraft uses a deorbit engine to re-enter the atmosphere, moving at very high speed. Arc uses small thrusters and large trailing-edge maneuvering flaps to adjust its position and speed during its fiery reentry, through the atmosphere, until it approaches the drop zone. Once it has reached a lower altitude, Arc slows down and lands using its actively controlled parachute system. This is also able to fine-tune the spacecrafts path back to Earth. The parachute ensures a soft landing, meaning that Arc can then be reused. The entire mission is uncrewed, with the Arc being commanded by autonomous control systems. Arc depicted reentering the atmosphere. (Inversion) Interestingly, Inversions plan to field a spacecraft thats able to put a cargo at any place on Earth within an hour has parallels with an ambition laid out by U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), back in 2020. TRANSCOM provides transportation services and solutions to all branches of the armed forces, as well as various other defense and governmental organizations. Concept artwork shows the Arc spacecraft in orbit. Inversion Speaking back then, U.S. Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons, TRANSCOMs commander, said: Think about moving the equivalent of a C-17 payload anywhere on the globe in less than an hour. Think about that speed associated with the movement of transportation of cargo There is a lot of potential here Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At that point, TRANSCOM had begun a partnership with both SpaceX and Exploration Architecture Corporation (XArc) to pursue space-based rapid delivery concepts. SpaceX has since been working with the Air Force and Space Force on the Rocket Cargo program, which seeks to quickly deliver cargo anywhere on Earth that can support a vertical landing. Part of the Arc vehicles thermal protection system. Inversion It should be noted, however, that the sizes of payloads that Arc will be able to deliver are much smaller than those outlined by Lyons. The spacecraft itself will measure only around eight feet by four feet. The C-17 has a maximum payload of around 82 tons, although normal payloads are around 60 tons or less. Arc is reportedly planned to have a cargo of just 500 pounds. Still, small cargoes often require very big logistics. As we have noted in a prior piece: Even the Navy has said in the past that when ships encounter problems as a result of logistics-related issues that leave them partially mission capable or non-mission capable, 90 percent of the time this can be resolved by the delivery of a component weighing 50 pounds or less. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nevertheless, Inversion clearly sees a niche for the very high-speed delivery of what it describes as mission-enabling cargo. A test of the parachute-recovery system for Arc. Inversion Inversion doesnt provide any specific examples of the kinds of cargoes that might be delivered by Arc, beyond equipment, food, or other mission cargo. Conceivably, key cargo could comprise time-sensitive equipment and ammunition needed at forward operating locations. Since these spacecraft would be pre-launched, they would likely be filled with a range of generic cargoes that are generally time-sensitive. Then, they would be deorbited on demand. Today, other small autonomous resupply systems have been used in combat, like the paragliding Snow Goose, and others are in development or limited use now. But these systems fly exclusively within the atmosphere and are much slower, more vulnerable, and require regional basing or an aerial delivery platform to launch them from relatively nearby. Snow Goose resupply vehicle in use in Iraq. (DoD) Bearing in mind the considerable cost of a space launch, these cargoes would presumably only be delivered in the most critical scenarios, the kinds where only a high-cost rapid transport would suffice. Arc depicted in orbit. (Inversion) Inversion Such a capability would appear to have particular relevance in the context of future contingencies in the Indo-Pacific theater. With a growing expectation that this region will see a future high-end conflict involving the U.S. military, the ability to call upon space-based systems, like Arc, to quickly bring critical supplies to the area could be of high value provided, once again, that the technology can be mastered. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since Arc is reusable, that would go some way to making it more cost-efficient, when the vehicle can be recovered. Inversion also proposes putting several Arc vehicles into orbit at the same time (its unclear if these would be transported by the same or different rockets). The result has been described as something like a series of constellations with a variety of contingency cargoes that could be tailored to different customers and operational theaters. Each Arc vehicle is reportedly able to remain in orbit for up to five years. The structure of the Arc spacecraft makes extensive use of composite materials. Inversion Another advantage compared to other space-based cargo-delivery concepts is the fact that Arc uses a parachute landing system. Arc can, in theory, deliver cargo to any place on the planet, including remote regions, disaster zones, or hard-to-access theaters of war. Other orbital delivery concepts, such as suborbital VTOL rockets, have needed at least some kind of infrastructure to support the cargo-recovery part of the mission, but Arc should do away with that requirement, at least for small cargoes. U.S. Air Force concept artwork shows how a cargo rocket might be used to enable rapid delivery of aircraft-size payloads for agile global logistics in this example, for urgent humanitarian assistance and disaster response. U.S. Air Force illustration/Randy Palmer Last month, Inversion conducted precision drop-testing to prove the actively controlled parachute system that ensures that Arc will be able to put its cargoes where they are needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The company now says it wants to conduct a first mission with Arc as early as next year, which seems highly ambitious. On the other hand, the startup does have some valuable experience from its Ray spacecraft, Inversions first, which was launched in January of this year as part of SpaceXs Transporter-12 mission. This test mission helped prove technologies, including solar panels, propulsion, and separation systems, which will be incorporated into Arc. Another view of the parachute recovery system that Arc will use to return to Earth. Inversion For the time being, Inversion is focused solely on Arcs military potential, although there would clearly be specific commercial applications as well. There is also the question of the possibility of adapting Arc as a reusable and recoverable satellite or even orbital supply vehicle. Meanwhile, the company has spoken confidently of producing hundreds of examples of the spacecraft every year. Before that happens, and presuming military customers are forthcoming, Inversion will need to prove that its concept of space-based cargo deliveries can be cost-effective. There will also be various other regulatory issues to overcome, bearing in mind that this is an altogether new kind of transportation system. Concept artwork shows the Arc spacecraft below its parachute. Inversion Despite multiple dead ends and abortive programs, the idea of using some kind of space-based solution for rapid transport across the globe is one that wont go away. Potentially, with its much smaller cargo loads, reusable spacecraft, and parachute-landing system, Inversions de-orbit on-demand cargo concept could be the one that finally breaks the mold. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com From left: Arkansas Department of Human Services Secretary Janet Mann, Chief of Staff Lorie McDonald, Deputy Secretary for Operations and Budget Misty Eubanks and Division of County Operations Director Mary Franklin await questions from the Joint Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee at the Arkansas Capitol complex on Nov. 6, 2025. (Photo by Tess Vrbin/Arkansas Advocate) The Arkansas Department of Human Services delayed its plan to furlough hundreds of employees and temporarily close offices next week if the federal government shutdown does not end before then, the agency announced Thursday. In the meantime, DHS has not yet issued federal nutrition assistance for November, the agencys press release states. DHS staff began working on calculating recipients Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits under a new set of federal guidelines issued Thursday morning before a federal court order required benefits to be issued in full. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SNAP funding was expected to cease Nov. 1 before two federal court orders created leeway for the program to continue while the government shutdown continues. On Saturday, U.S. District Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of Rhode Island ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay at least a portion of SNAP benefits to the programs 42 million recipients nationwide. On Thursday, McConnell ordered USDA to issue the entirety of Novembers $9 billion in SNAP benefits. The ruling came after Arkansas Human Services officials took questions from lawmakers about DHSs ability to administer SNAP. Arkansas usually receives roughly $41 million in SNAP funds per month, Secretary Janet Mann said at Thursdays Joint Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee meeting. More than 222,000 Arkansas individuals and over 118,000 households received SNAP benefits as of Sept. 1, according to DHS. We are hoping for benefits to go out the door next week, but that is a day-by-day thing considering [USDA] made a change on us this morning, Mann said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The formula USDA initially sent to states Tuesday in response to McConnells Saturday order would have resulted in about a 50% cut to the maximum monthly benefits and left some households without benefits. A Wednesday filing in McConnells court revealed that USDA miscalculated its adjustments to SNAP benefit payments. The agencys new formula released Thursday reduced the cut to 35%, meaning SNAP households were expected to receive nearly two-thirds of what they typically would. Under this formula, USDA would have complied with McConnells order to spend the entirety of a $4.65 billion SNAP contingency fund. A coalition of cities and nonprofit organizations sued to force the federal government to pay SNAP benefits this month. The subsequent court rulings do not apply past Nov. 30, and USDA has issued no guidance to states regarding whether or how to issue SNAP benefits in December if the government remains shut down then, Mann said. At 37 days, the shutdown is the longest in American history. Before last weeks court orders, DHS had planned to temporarily close its offices in all 75 Arkansas counties and furlough 1,500 Division of County Operations employees starting Nov. 10. Thursdays news release said the plan had been delayed to Nov. 22 unless the government reopens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked if Thursdays order to issue full SNAP benefits averts the planned furloughs or changes DHS goal of releasing benefits next week, spokesperson Gavin Lesnick said DHS needs guidance from USDA before we determine next steps or any potential changes. The agency went ahead Friday with its plan to furlough 34 federally-funded employees in the Office of Payment Integrity; Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services; and Division of County Operations, according to Thursdays news release. DHS furloughed 37 employees in the Division of Provider Services and Quality Assurance on Oct. 1, and they remain furloughed as of Thursday. The agency suspended Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), and Community Service Block Grant (CSBG) initiatives due to a lack of federal funding. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX CLEBURNE COUNTY, Ark. Officials with the Arkansas State Police said a missing/endangered alert has been issued at the request of the Cleburne County Sheriffs Office. Officials said 56-year-old Robert McKay has not been seen since Nov. 6. McKay was at his home on Jennifer Lane in Heber Springs near the Barnett Access of the Little Red River the last time he was seen, officials said. Authorities find missing Lonoke 4-year-old girl safe Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McKay is described as a 6-foot-tall white man, officials said, who weighs 190 pounds. He has gray bushy hair and brown eyes. Officials were unsure which direction McKay might be traveling in, but said he is likely doing so in his 2013 Hyundai Sonata with Arkansas license plate BHA 54V. Robert McKay, missing from Heber Springs, Nov. 7, 2025 (courtesy Arkansas State Police) Anyone who has seen or knows of McKays whereabouts should contact the Cleburne County Sheriffs Department at 501-362-4615. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A man was arrested after he allegedly discharged a firearm and attempted to break into a Mayhill, New Mexico, church on Thursday, Nov. 6. The Otero County Sheriffs Office (OCSO) made the announcement on Friday, Nov. 7, via Facebook. At around 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, deputies were dispatched to the Village of Mayhill about an active break-in at the Mayhill Baptist Church. Upon arrival, deputies were told by the Tularosa Basin Regional Dispatch Authority (TBRDA) that a man, who was not identified by the Sheriffs Office, was actively discharging a firearm at the church and attempting to gain entry. However, the suspect was unsuccessful in entering the building and fled the scene in a dark blue van, according to OCSO. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A short time later, a deputy located a vehicle matching the description traveling west on U.S. Highway 82, and with the assistance of other Otero County deputies and the New Mexico State Police, a traffic stop was conducted on the vehicle. During the traffic stop, deputies located a black AK-47 style rifle. The suspect was arrested and booked into the Otero County Detention Center on multiple charges, including desecration of a church, shooting at a dwelling or occupied building, and criminal damage to property, according to OCSO. The investigation is ongoing. If you have any additional information regarding this incident, contact the Otero County Sheriffs Office at (575) 437-2210. 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. One man has been arrested in connection with a double murder investigation in north Charlotte. Detectives with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department say the shooting happened Sunday afternoon on Oakwood Road, just off Statesville Road. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Police investigating double homicide in north Charlotte Court records show Rodriguez Chambers was arrested Thursday for two counts of first-degree murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police identified the victims as Caleb Johnson and Prince Tribble. Detectives say they found both men shot to death in the front yard of a home. They believe the incident started as an argument that escalated. Chambers is expected to face a judge this morning. VIDEO: CMPD identifies victims in double homicide Beaufort County deputies arrested two men late last month for allegedly trafficking over eight pounds of cocaine out of their residence on Hilton Head Island. Xavier Alexander Rosa-Cabrera, 41, of Puerto Rico, and Rey-Agustin Zamora-Perez, 38, were charged Oct. 21 with cocaine trafficking and sale and distribution of cocaine, both felonies. Their arrests were a culmination of a month-long case with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the Beaufort County Sheriffs Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Undercover agents purchased cocaine from the suspects before police made their arrests. Officers then obtained warrants to search their home, where they reportedly found about four kilograms of cocaine and more than $25,000 in cash. The sheriffs office said Zamora-Perez was an illegal immigrant from Mexico who was residing on Hilton Head. He was booked into the Beaufort County jail on an ICE hold. Both men remained in custody as of Thursday afternoon. When we publish mugshots The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette publishes police booking photos, or mugshots, in the following instances: In situations where a public figure or someone in a position of public trust is arrested In cases where there is an immediate and widespread threat to public safety In cases where the arrested person is accused of a crime reporters have evidence to believe involved numerous, unknown victims Reporters will avoid using mugshots as lead images for online articles in order to limit their circulation on social media, except in cases where the public is served by the immediate identification of the accused. Reporters and editors may use discretion in situations that dont meet the criteria outlined in this policy but still present a compelling reason to publish a mugshot. NEED TO KNOW Relatives said Morgan Ray, an assistant principal at KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School, was killed in a car crash on Oct. 28. Her 4-year-old daughter survived the crash unharmed, Ray's mother said A GoFundMe has been set up to help Rays family pay for their loved ones funeral arrangements and the girl's care The family of a Colorado assistant middle school principal who was killed in a car crash is being remembered as someone who had wanted to be an educator since she was a little girl. "In kindergarten, the teacher said, 'I hope you don't mind. Morgan is grading papers. She knows how to do the key,' " Jimmie Nooner, Morgan Ray's mom, recalled to CBS affiliate KCNC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Lone Tree Police Department, a female driver was killed in a single-vehicle accident on northbound Interstate 25 on Oct. 28. A child inside was found alive. Family members and the Douglas County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Ray, 37, of Aurora. The child who survived was Rays 4-year-old daughter. "Morgan is a special human, Keni Nooner, Rays sister, told KCNC. She's kind of a hard nut to crack. She had sort of a tough shell, but inside it's very, very loving and caring. She was definitely a fierce power to be reckoned with. And she loved what she loved very, very hard." An alum of George Washington University and Howard University, Ray relocated to Colorado and served as an assistant principal at KIPP Northeast Denver Middle School, where she was beloved by students, according to the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The family recalled that Ray and her child were heading home after spending the night at her mothers place when the crash occurred. Jimmie told KCNC that despite the car rolling over twice, the 4-year-old girl was uninjured. "It's very difficult to think about her watching her mom die in front of her," Keni added. The Lone Tree Police Department reportedly investigated the circumstances behind the crash. PEOPLE contacted the department on Friday, Nov. 7, for additional information. A GoFundMe has been set up to help Rays family pay for their loved ones funeral arrangements and the girl's care. As of Friday, the campaign has raised nearly $40,000. 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. "No matter where my daughter is, she is with me," Jimmie told KCNC. In a statement shared with PEOPLE, KIPP Colorado Public Schools said that its community is in mourning. "Morgan was a deeply committed educator who believed in the brilliance of every child, especially our students who have historically been overlooked or underestimated," the district's statement read. "She worked each day to ensure students felt seen, heard, challenged, and held to high expectations. Morgan led with love, with clarity, and with the unwavering belief that belonging and academic excellence go hand in hand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Her impact was profound and will be felt in our classrooms and hearts for years to come. We are holding her daughter, her family, her students, and all who knew and loved her in our hearts," the district concluded. PEOPLE also reached out to the GoFundMe organizer for comment. Read the original article on People BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) Assumption Parish deputies arrested a man wanted in Mississippi after a traffic stop in Belle Rose. Sheriff Leland Falcon said deputies with the departments I.C.E. detail stopped a vehicle on LA 70 and identified a passenger as Davon Lee Lewis, 24, of Plattenville. Baton Rouge man sentenced to 18 years in connection with New Years Day crash killing teen After running a warrants check through the National Crime Information Center, deputies learned Lewis was wanted in Pike County, Mississippi, for burglary with forced entry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lewis was taken into custody and booked into the Assumption Parish Detention Center. He will remain in jail until he is transferred to authorities in Pike County, the sheriff said. 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. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An artist's impression of Cha 1107-7626 accreting material. | Credit: ESO/L. Calcada/M. Kornmesser Astronomers have spotted a "rogue" planet gobbling gas and dust at a record rate, and they can't explain its baffling behavior. Although many rogue planets, which float freely through space without orbiting a star, have been discovered before, this one known as Cha 1107-7626 appears to be the fastest-growing free-floating planet ever discovered, gorging at a peak rate of 6.6 billion tons (6 billion metric tons) of matter per second, according to observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The exoplanet 's rapid growth spurt may help scientists learn more about the difference between large planets and small stars, the team reported Oct. 2 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters . "Our main motivation to study this kind of object is to understand whether these objects are former planets that have been ejected from their planetary system, or they have formed 'isolated' from the gravitational collapse of molecular cloud material, like stars," lead study author Victor Almendros-Abad , an astronomer at the Palermo Astronomical Observatory in Italy, told Live Science in an email. The team spotted an "accretion burst," which happens when a planet suddenly pulls in a lot of material from its surrounding disk of gas and dust. Cha 1107-7626 is always accreting from this source material, but the study shows that the accretion rate is not steady. In fact, in August 2025, the planet was accreting eight times faster than it was a few months before. Accretion bursts suggest that rogue worlds may be like young stars, since these sudden bursts of eating have been observed in stars. But because rogue planets are so much smaller than stars, it's unclear where their formation pathways diverge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Accretion bursts have been known for quite some time; the first was discovered in the late 1930s, long before it was clear what we are witnessing," study co-author Alexander Scholz , a professor of astrophysics at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told Live Science in an email. "Such events are now understood to play an important role in the assembly of stars. They also shape the environment in which planetary systems form, by heating the gas and dust nebula surrounding young stars. An infrared image, taken with ESO's Visible and Infrared Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA), showing the position of the rogue planet Cha 1107-7626. The planet is a dot located exactly at the center of the frame. | Credit: ESO/Meingast et al. "The relics of such bursts may be seen in the chemistry of meteorites in our own solar system," Scholz continued. "It is not clear if bursts happen to all young stars, and what triggers them. The discovery of a similar event in a planetary-mass object may be a clue that there is a universal mechanism behind accretion bursts. In this sense, our discovery will have a much wider impact." Scientists have spotted more rogue planets in recent years, including a notable haul by JWST that discovered more than 500 of these worlds in a trapezoid-shaped spot within the Orion Nebula, a vast gas cloud noted for its star births. RELATED STORIES Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Earth-size planet is careening untethered through the galaxy, scientists find James Webb telescope spots 'rogue' planet with a cake-like atmosphere barrelling through space without a star 'We know so little': Bizarre 'runaway' planets discovered by James Webb telescope may be failed stars in disguise Rogue planets remain hard to find, however, as they glow in infrared light (radiant energy) best visible in large telescopes such as JWST and VLT, Almendros-Abad said. The scientists hope VLT and JWST can look at more of these rogue planets, to learn whether they form like stars or planets. Almendros-Abad noted that the accretion parallels between stars and planets are not fully understood. "One of the next steps is to understand how common these types of events are in 'rogue planets,'" he said. "This will tell us how important [accretion events] are in their evolution." FRANKFORT, Ky. (FOX 56) Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman asked the Franklin County Circuit Court to clarify that nothing is preventing Gov. Andy Beshear from signing a death warrant for a man convicted of killing two law enforcement officers over three decades ago. According to a Nov. 7 news release, the attorney general sent a letter to Beshear in June asking him to sign the death warrant for Ralph Baze, who killed Powell County Sheriff Steve Bennett and Deputy Arthur Briscoe in 1992. Beshear wrote in a letter dated Oct. 10 that since 2010, a court-ordered injunction has stopped the governors office from signing any death warrant due to concerns regarding the constitutionality of Kentuckys execution protocols. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UPS releases names of crewmembers killed in Louisville plane crash He noted in the letter that Kentuckys Department of Corrections didnt have the necessary drugs to carry out a lethal injection, and that since 2018, four different companies have told officials that they werent going to provide drugs to be used in executions. Colemans office wrote that in the letter, he made clear that there is no legal reason that would stop him from signing the warrant, and hed also included a letter to the governor from Briscoes sister, who had asked state leaders for justice after more than 30 years. Attorney General Coleman claimed that Beshear refused to deliver justice for the victims families, saying the governor believed a 2010 order kept him from signing Bazes death warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Respectfully, the Governor is wrong, Coleman wrote in his filing. But because he has rejected the Attorney Generals legal advice, only the judicial branch can settle this dispute. LATEST KENTUCKY NEWS: Records show that in 1998, Bazes death sentence was affirmed by the Kentucky Supreme Court. Were asking the court to clarify the Governors legal responsibility and end the decades-long wait these families have endured, Coleman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To read the attorney generals latest filing, 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 FOX 56 News. (Reuters) -Global equity funds saw a surge in inflows in the week through November 5 as investors, optimistic about rising artificial intelligence-linked corporate deals, favored higher allocations during a market correction. Investors acquired a net $22.37 billion worth of global equity funds in their largest weekly purchase since October 1, data from LSEG Lipper showed. In a pullback from the record high of last week, the MSCI World Index has lost about 1.6% so far in the latest week. "While political uncertainty and shifting investor sentiment could inject further volatility into the market, we continue to believe that the fundamentals supporting the rally remain intact," said Mark Haefele, Chief Investment Officer at UBS Global Wealth Management in a report on Thursday. "We maintain the view that the equity bull market has further to go and believe under-allocated investors should add exposure to transformative trends including AI," UBS' Haefele said. U.S. equity funds received $12.6 billion, the largest weekly inflow since October 1. Investors also added Asian and European funds worth $5.95 billion and $2.41 billion, respectively. The technology sector received about $4.29 billion, the biggest weekly inflow since at least 2022. Investors, meanwhile, extended purchases in bond funds into a 29th week as they invested a net $10.37 billion into these funds. Corporate and short-term bond funds received inflows of $3.48 billion and $2.36 billion, respectively. Demand for money market funds, meanwhile, surged to the highest in 10 months as these funds drew $146.95 billion worth of inflows. In the commodities segment, investors withdrew $554 million from gold and precious metals funds in a second successive week of net sales. Emerging market equity funds, meanwhile, saw a second successive weekly inflow to the tune of $1.61 billion, while bond funds faced an outflow of $1.73 billion, data for a combined 28,806 funds showed. (Reporting by Gaurav Dogra; Editing by Hugh Lawson) A woman was fatally stabbed Nov. 5 in Wilson County in what investigators have called a domestic dispute involving a divorced couple. Jessica Arita, 34, was identified by the Wilson County Sheriff's Office as the victim. Wilson County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a home in the 3400 block of Hunters Point Pike at about 9:30 p.m. Two children who were not injured were found outside. They told deputies their parents were inside, according to the sheriff's office. Wilson County Sheriff's Office vehicle The suspect briefly barricaded himself inside a bedroom before deputies were able to breach the door and make contact, the department said. The victim was found deceased from injuries that investigators believe were from being stabbed with a sharp-edged object, Wilson County Sheriff's Capt. Scott Moore said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Department of Children's Services has arranged for the children to stay with a relative. The investigation is continuing. The identity of the suspect hasn't been released pending further developments. The Tennessean will provide more information as details become available. Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Authorities: Woman, 34, fatally stabbed by ex-husband in Wilson County Communities around the world are struggling with illegal animal and animal product trafficking. In southern Vietnam's Vinh Long province, officials captured more than seven metric tons (over 15,000 pounds) of illegal animal products, ranging from pangolin scales to miscellaneous animal bones and bird beaks, according to Tuoi Tre News. What happened? The smugglers were apprehended in Vietnam on Oct. 3. The two smugglers, one from Vietnam and one from Indonesia, were unable to provide any documentation for the amalgamation of animal parts on board their two boats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The hoard included "more than 4.2 tonnes of suspected pangolin scales, 150 python skins, 40 kilograms of animal bile, over one tonne of dried snail meat, nearly 1.6 tonnes of fish skin, 17.5 kilograms of conch horns, 36 kilograms of animal bones, 100 kilograms of unidentified animal hides, 2.3 kilograms of fish gills, 39 bird beaks, 210 animal teeth, and 30 bottles labeled as honey," the news outlet reported. Many of these items belong to protected species. Pangolins in particular have been called the most trafficked wild mammals in the world. "If you manage to get 12,000 pangolins killed and skinned, if you get 39 beheaded hornbills, if you get 1.6 tons of fish skin that means you are a big player," Vincent Nijman, a researcher at Oxford Brookes University, told Mongabay. "It's industrial size, commercial, illegal trafficking. Organized crime, guaranteed." Why is animal conservation important? According to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, over 48,600 species are threatened with extinction, or 28% of all species included in its assessment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Smuggling activities can drastically decrease an animal's chance of survival, and these smuggling rings are active in multiple countries. Species loss has wide-ranging ripple effects on ecosystems that impact people as well as wildlife. Preserving a region's rich biodiversity ensures that the ecosystem remains in the balance that it has spent millennia adapting. For instance, removing wolves from Scotland had a cascade of effects, known as a trophic cascade, including an overpopulation of deer that prevented trees from reaching their full maturity. What's being done about illegal animal product trade? A September 2025 report from the Environmental Investigation Agency noted Vietnam's progress in cracking down on animal trafficking, but acknowledged that the country is still a major player in the world of animal contraband. According to the EIA, animal trafficking in Vietnam has serious consequences: up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to 2 billion VND (or about $86,500 USD) for individuals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the massive haul of parts, many believe that the smuggling operation in the news is far from over. "We hope that they will continue with the process of properly prosecuting them, investigating it and trying to figure out who is behind it," Nijman told Mongabay. 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. WKYT morning meteorologist Jim Caldwell will leave the news station after working more than 10 years in Lexington, he announced this week. Caldwell will become the public relations and marketing director for the Kentucky Educational Development Corporation, according to the news station. His last day at WKYT is Dec. 5. From the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to the heart of the Bluegrass, youve welcomed me into your homes, your classrooms, and your lives, Caldwell said in a Facebook post. Ive had the privilege of helping you prepare for everything from sunshine to snowstorms, and through it all, your kindness and trust have meant more than words could ever express. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he was 15, Caldwell began recording promos for WRLV-AM/FM in his hometown of Salyersville. He later got the opportunity to do color commentary alongside his high school electricity teacher for the Magoffin County High School Hornets. Caldwell was offered a job at the station and started out recording the evening weather and commercials. He held many roles at the radio station until he started working as the chief weathercaster for WYMT in 2001. While with WYMT, Caldwell became a member of the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association, and received his broadcast meteorology certificate from Mississippi State University. In 2013, Caldwell joined WKYTs First Alert Weather team. He is a three-time AP Best Weather Anchor award winner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I first walked into WYMT all those years ago, I was a kid from Eastern Kentucky who dreamed of doing weather for the state I love. That dream carried me to WKYT, where Ive spent countless early mornings, long storm nights, and unforgettable moments in Kentuckys most iconic newsroom, Caldwell said on Facebook. The KEDC is Kentuckys largest educational cooperative and has more than 80 school districts across the state. The corporation provides many services to its members and is focused on improving the education community. Though my time on these airwaves is coming to an end, my passion for weather and my love for Kentucky will never fade, Caldwell said in the Facebook post. I look forward to the next chapter and the new ways Ill continue sharing the new passion with you. As part of President Trump's peace plan for Gaza, the US has been speaking to Azerbaijan, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey about participating in the International Stabilization Force. Azerbaijan does not plan to send peacekeepers to Gaza unless there is a complete halt to fighting there between Israel and Hamas, an Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry source told Reuters on Friday. As part of President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, the US has been speaking to Azerbaijan, Indonesia, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey about possible contributions from those countries to an International Stabilization Force (ISF) of around 20,000 troops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We do not want to put our troops in danger. This can only happen if military action is completely stopped," the Azerbaijani source said. The source noted that any such decision would have to be approved by parliament. The head of the parliamentary security committee told Reuters that it had not yet received any draft bill on the matter. A US-drafted resolution at the United Nations would authorize the ISF to "use all necessary measures" - meaning force, if necessary - to carry out its mandate to stabilize security in Gaza. View of destroyed buildings following an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, October 25, 2025 (credit: Ali Hassan/Flash90) Hamas has not said whether it will agree to disarm and demilitarize Gaza, something it has previously rejected. US starts negotiations on Gaza UNSC resolution The United Nations Security Council began negotiations on the US-drafted resolution to authorize a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body and an international stabilization force, a senior US government official said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US formally circulated the draft resolution to the 15 council members late on Wednesday and has said it has regional support from Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates for the text. "The message is: if the region is with one on this and the region is with one on how this resolution is constructed, then we believe that the council should be as well," the senior US government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Mark Mullet, a former Washington state senator, was elected mayor of Issaquah on Nov. 4, 2025. He spent the day after the election picking up campaign signs. (Courtesy of Mark Mullet campaign) Two former Washington state lawmakers will return to public office after winning elections this week. Democrat Mark Mullet and Republican J.T. Wilcox each exited the Legislature at the end of their term in January. Both found success Tuesday in bids for nonpartisan posts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mullet spent Wednesday morning picking up campaign signs in Issaquah, where voters elected him to be the citys next mayor. The ex-state senator and 2024 gubernatorial candidate said hes looking forward to reengaging in public service that solves problems minus the partisan bickering of the legislative process. My focus will be on making sure state policies dont have a negative impact on the local level, said Mullet, who served on the Issaquah City Council before winning his Senate seat in 2012. Mullet fell well short in his bid for governor, losing the primary to a fellow Democrat, Bob Ferguson, who is now governor. Ferguson endorsed Mullet for mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesday wont serve as a springboard back into any state office, Mullet insisted. Former state lawmaker J.T. Wilcox won a Port of Tacoma commission seat this week. Hes seen here in the House of Representatives on Jan. 22, 2024. (Legislative Support Services) This is setting me up to hopefully be a really good mayor of Issaquah, he said. In Pierce County, Wilcox, who led the House Republican Caucus for five years, won a seat on the nonpartisan Port of Tacoma Commission. He said he was somewhat surprised because he is known as a Republican, and his opponent, Cyrus Donato, is recognized as a Democrat. It didnt seem like a very good year to be a Republican on the ballot, he said. He was alluding to how the unpopular policies of President Donald Trump hurt GOP candidates in western Washington in Tuesdays contests. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilcox won his House seat in 2010 and served seven terms in the 2nd Legislative District that encompasses parts of Thurston and Pierce counties. He served as House minority leader from 2018 to 2023. He said the part-time commission post will allow him to serve the public, work on salmon recovery and strengthen the ports relationship with local governments and tribes, as well as state and federal agencies. And to do the work collaboratively, not confrontationally, he said. This is an important part of the economy. It doesnt deserve to be ruled by activism or ideology, Wilcox said. Also Tuesday, two Republican state lawmakers were re-elected to local positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Sam Low of Lake Stevens won a third term on the Snohomish County Council. It will be his last due to term limits. He led Democrat Kelli Johnson by a margin of 54.2% to 45.7% on Thursday. His performance stood out as a rarity on Tuesday: a Republican getting above 50% against a Democrat for a partisan office. I have a good, strong track record of working in a bipartisan way, he said Wednesday, shortly before attending a council meeting where he would be voting on a 2026 county budget. In southwest Washington, Rep. David Stuebe faced no opposition en route to his election as mayor of Washougal. Stuebe joined the City Council in March 2021 and was appointed mayor in September 2022. In a ramshackle clinic in Diourbel, rural Senegal, a woman arrives burning with fever, head pounding, joints aching. She doesnt know it yet, but her illness is about to set in motion a chain of events affecting hundreds of people, millions of dollars, and some of the continents most sophisticated disease-tracking technology. In much of sub-Saharan Africa, a patient like her might simply be sent home with a handful of painkillers. She could be carrying anything: flu, malaria, Chikungunya, a haemorrhagic fever like Ebola, or something entirely new. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in Senegal, a small West African nation hugging the Atlantic coast, an invisible web of surveillance is watching. Its called the Syndromic Sentinel Surveillance System, or 4S, a national early-warning network run by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), a centre for infectious disease research and vaccine production. Its mission: catch dangerous pathogens before they can spread and spiral out of control. We are on the ground in Senegal to see how the system works and what it can and cannot do. Its limitations become apparent almost immediately. On the very day we toured IPDs laboratories in Dakar, one of Senegals deadliest outbreaks in decades is unfolding 160 miles to the north and the system missed it. Rift Valley Fever a virus transmitted from animals to humans by mosquitoes slipped through the cracks, killing 17 people in Saint-Louis, a remote farming region near the border with Mauritania. The death toll would eventually climb to 29. A sentinel clinic in Diourbel, Senegal - Vincent Baker/The Global Fund The 4S system covers just under half of Senegals 79 health districts. Despite processing thousands of patient samples each week, its expansion is hampered by funding constraints, worsened by the recent withdrawal of American foreign aid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet where it does operate, it is remarkably effective. Healthcare workers at 44 sentinel sites hospitals and clinics enrolled in the program enter each patients symptoms into a centralised database via phone or laptop. From here, the system produces a weekly bulletin mapping disease patterns across the country. When anomalies appear clusters of fevers, spikes in diarrhoea samples taken routinely from every patient are rushed by motorbike to IPD in Dakar or its satellite laboratories. There, they are analysed using high-tech diagnostic machines. Each vial of blood or saliva is screened for a range of infectious diseases: Covid-19, malaria, tuberculosis, Zika, yellow fever, Ebola even the plague. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Samples are also genomically sequenced, scrutinised letter by letter for mutations or changes in the pathogens DNA. The Institut Pasteur de Dakar - Vincent Baker/The Global Fund Any abnormalities are uploaded to international databases and shared with the World Health Organizations (WHO) global surveillance network. It means that within hours, health authorities across Africa and beyond know that something new is moving through Senegals clinics. The woman back in Diourbel tests positive for malaria. The diagnosis is helpful not just for her she will now be put on a course of anti-malarial drugs but for public health officials, who log the case and can better understand how, why, and where the mosquito-borne pathogen is spreading in the hopes of protecting others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once we have a positive it will be taken for sequencing, where we will try to look for mutation, any type of change in the virus structure that would be of public health concern, Dr Andy Mahon, a virologist at IPD said. We also carry out other types of testing, including antigenic testing, in which we will assess how efficient the vaccines or all the therapies that are currently available are against the pathogen we have detected, Dr Mahon added. A testing laboratory at Institut Pasteur de Dakar - Vincent Baker/The Global Fund This work is particularly critical for malaria, as the parasite is becoming increasingly resistant to artemisinin-based drugs, the frontline treatment for the disease. In Senegal, malaria cases rose by 13 per cent this year to over a quarter of a million confirmed infections as the mosquito continues to spread into new areas and drug and insecticide resistance rises. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2023, the 4S scientists picked up a cluster of malaria cases carrying a previously unseen mutation PfKelch13R515K in several patients who had attended a small clinic in Kaolack, a town that borders the Gambia. The mutation showed the malaria parasite was developing genes capable of resisting artemisinin. Its presence acted as one of the first significant indicators and early warning signals of potential treatment failure in Africa. This year, the system has flagged several other outbreaks: dengue in Dakar, West Nile virus in Goudomp in the south, and a smaller outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in Gossas in the east. When 4S detected these outbreaks, they were very small and at a very early stage, Dr Boubacar Diallo, Head of Surveillance and Outbreak Response at IPD told The Telegraph. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Pikine [Dakars largest suburb], we set up a sentinel site in March 2023. That clinic had never detected any outbreak in its history. By the end of the year, it had detected 200 dengue cases and two Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever cases, Dr Diallo added. The response is very easy when you catch it early, right? But when you let the outbreaks get propagated, the response will be very complicated, he said. A sentinel clinic in Diourbel, Senegal - Vincent Baker/The Global Fund Scientists are convinced that the next pandemic is likely to emerge from the developing world, where humans live in closer contact with animals, climate change is stirring up new risks, and weak healthcare systems make outbreaks harder to detect and contain. The 4S surveillance model is now being expanded across Africa, through a combination of domestic investment and foreign aid funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has already been rolled out in ten neighbouring countries The Gambia, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Togo, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, and Benin creating a regional tripwire designed to catch outbreaks before they cross borders. In The Gambia, the system detected the countrys first-ever Chikungunya outbreak in 2023, followed months later by its first Dengue cases. Cape Verdes network provided the first warning of what would become a major dengue outbreak that same year, leading to more than 28,000 cases. And in Guinea, the countrys first home-grown dengue case was spotted just ten days after the surveillance network began operation. Even Mauritania, Niger, and Mali have now logged their first laboratory-confirmed dengue clusters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Dr Boubacar Diallo, the 4S system is crucial to prevent a repeat of the devastating epidemics swept through West Africa. He and a handful of colleagues were the first medics on the ground in Guinea in March 2014 as Ebola began to take off, in an outbreak that would go on to kill 10,000 people. There was no semblance of a surveillance mechanism set up there at the time. When we did an investigation into Ebola in West Africa, we found that it started four months before the detection. Many people died before we detected it. We dont want that to happen anymore, we need to put in a surveillance system that can help countries to capture a pathogen as soon as we have the first signal, Dr Diallo told The Telegraph. A mobile diagnostic lab at Institut Pasteur de Dakar - Vincent Baker/The Global Fund But the limitations of the network are also clear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As I get my briefing on the ground, my colleagues in London are seeing more reports of the Rift Valley outbreak. My meeting with the Senegalese Minister for Health is inconspicuously cancelled, as he deals with urgent matters up north. With more than 100 people infected, its the highest case number of the brutal infection that Senegal has ever seen. The virus can cause blindness, liver, neurological damage. In its most severe form, it kills in 50 per cent of cases. The 4S system is incomplete, and there is a huge cost associated with maintaining and expanding it. Currently, surveillance sites are operational in just under half of Senegals 79 health districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saint Louis, the region where Rift Valley is now exploding, is one of those unmet regions. Its not the first time the systems gaps have been exposed. In 2023, an outbreak of Crimean Congo Haemorrhagic Fever, a close cousin of Ebola spread by tick bites, infected 20 people and killed six of them. Every single recorded death came in a district that wasnt covered by the programme. Scientists at IPD say this was likely because they were diagnosed too late to receive proper treatment. A scientist at IPD carries his suitcase mobile laboratory - Vincent Baker/The Global Fund By contrast, 14 people treated at sentinel sites elsewhere in Senegal were infected but caught early enough to avoid secondary complications. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All the cases detected in 4S sites were identified at a very early stage, so there were no deaths among them. But unfortunately, we are not yet covering the entire country. Cases detected at healthcare facilities at a late stage when patients have already started bleeding, and most of them died, Dr Diallo said. The Ministry of Health has tasked the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) with opening five new sentinel sites each year. But Senegals overall health system remains under immense pressure. Rates of infectious and non-communicable diseases including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, diabetes, and cancer are high, and the recent withdrawal of USAID has left a $75 million gap in the countrys health budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Public spending on health accounts for just 9 per cent of GDP, well below the 15 per cent target, and more than half of all medical costs are paid directly by patients. We are in a country where we have a lot of competing priorities, said Senegalese Health Minister, Dr. Ibrahima Sym, who we were finally able to sit down with towards the end of our trip. We are trying to see how we can reframe our priorities to have high-impact so we can develop a robust health system, he added, noting that last year the government increased its health budget from 267 billion CFA (roughly 355 million) to 270 billion CFA (roughly 359 million) in an attempt to rely less on foreign contributions. A mobile laboratory packed with genomic sequencing devices and high-tech diagnostics - Vincent Baker/The Global Fund So far, the 4S system has been largely insulated from recent funding cuts. It is mostly paid for by The Global Fund, the international institution that finances health programmes in developing countries through donations from governments and private organisations. But even that support is now under threat. Earlier this year, the US withheld a significant portion of funds promised for 2025 from the Global Fund, and other Western countries many of which have shifted overseas aid toward defence budgets have also been slow to make payments. As a result, the Global Fund has already had to cut 10 per cent of its budget in Senegal. Its eighth replenishment summit takes place later this month, with several countries, including Britain, expected to significantly reduce their commitments. If they are unable to raise the $18 billion it says it needs for health programmes in the 120 countries it supports, it will be forced to prioritise life-saving interventions in countries like Senegal first ensuring HIV treatment remains available, delivering bed nets to the young children most at risk from malaria, among other critical interventions. The future of 4S hangs in the balance, but its function, say the researchers here, is critical for global health security. b' Battle Lines x Global Health Security article banner ' The role of Institute Pastor is extremely critical, Dr Ibrahima Soce Fall, CEO of the IPD and former assistant Director-General for Emergency Response at the WHO told The Telegraph. Very few institutions in Africa have this kind of capacity. You need strong institutions at national, regional level to really work on rapidly detecting and responding to outbreaks to ultimately prevent pandemics, Dr Fall said. Across the courtyard, IPD scientists hustle, loading vans with testing kits, handheld sequencing devices, and stacks of PPE. Behind them, others wheel compact suitcases mini mobile labs that can be carried by hand into even the most remote areas, giving the team remarkable agility. Their destination: Saint Louis, where theyll work to contain the Rift Valley outbreak. Its not their first rodeo, one researcher laughs, nodding to the very suitcase he carried into the forests of Guinea in 2014 to battle Ebola. It certainly wont be their last. 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. BANGKOK (AP) China has commissioned its latest aircraft carrier after extensive sea trials, state media reported Friday, adding a ship that experts say will help what is already the worlds largest navy expand its power farther beyond its own waters. The official Xinhua news agency said the Fujian had been commissioned Wednesday at a naval base on southern Chinas Hainan island in a ceremony attended by top leader Xi Jinping. The Fujian is Chinas third carrier and the first that it both designed and built itself. It is perhaps the most visible example so far of Xis massive military overhaul and expansion that aims to have a modernized force by 2035 and one that is world class by mid century which most take to mean capable of going toe-to-toe with the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With it, Beijing takes another step toward closing the gap with the U.S. Navy and its carrier fleet and network of bases that allow it to maintain a presence around the world. Carriers are key to Chinese leaderships vision of China as a great power with a blue-water navy, or one that can project power far from its coastal waters, said Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China wants to contest waters as far as Guam For Chinas navy, one goal is to dominate the near waters of the South China Sea, East China Sea and Yellow Sea around the so-called First Island Chain, which runs south through Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. But deeper into the Pacific, it also wants to be able to contest control of the Second Island Chain, where the U.S. has important military facilities on Guam and elsewhere, Poling said. A carrier doesnt really help you in the First Island Chain, but its key to that contest, if you want one, with the Americans in the wider Indo-Pacific, Poling said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chinas increasingly capable military and ability to project power globally is one of the reasons the Pentagon in its latest report to Congress continued to call it the only competitor to the United States with the intent and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order. At the same time, it is Beijings right to transform its navy into a blue-water strategic navy commensurate with Chinas national strength, said Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military affairs expert. Chinas carriers cannot just operate near home, they must operate in the distant oceans and far seas to carry out various training and support missions, Song said. China is a great power and our overseas interests span the globe; we need to be globally present. News that the Fujian had been commissioned was met with wariness in nearby Japan. Minoru Kihara, a former defense minister and now chief cabinet secretary in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis new government, said it underscores that China is extensively and rapidly strengthening its military power without transparency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We believe that Chinas military intends to advance its operational capability at distant sea and air by strengthening sea power, he told reporters, emphasizing that Japan was watching Chinas military activity and would calmly but decisively respond if necessary. One possibility that raises concerns in foreign capitals is a possible Chinese blockade or invasion of the democratically self-governed island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and which leader Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking by force. Though the island sits right off of Chinas coast, if China had the ability to position an aircraft carrier group or groups around the Second Island Chain between Taiwan and the U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters in Hawaii that could delay possible American military assistance in the event of a Chinese attack. They want those aircraft carriers to play a part in kind of extending the strategic perimeter farther out from China, and one of the important things that an aircraft carrier can do is extend the range of Chinas domain awareness to keep an eye on activities in the air, on the sea, and below the sea, said Brian Hart, deputy director of CSISs China Power Project With the Fujian, Chinas warplanes can deploy far from its shores Chinas first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was Soviet made and its second, the Shandong, was built in China but based on the Soviet model. Both use older-style ski-jump type systems to help planes take flight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Fujian skips past the steam catapult technology used on most American carriers to employ an electromagnetic launch system found only on the latest U.S. Navy Ford-class carriers. The system causes less stress to the aircraft and the ship, allows for more precise control over speed and can launch a wider range of aircraft than the steam system. Compared to the ski-jump system, it gives China the ability to launch heavier aircraft, with full fuel loads, like the KJ-600 early warning and control plane, which it successfully tested during its sea trials. Its latest J-35 stealth fighter and J-15T heavy fighter were also launched from the Fujian, giving the new carrier full-deck operation capability according to the Chinese navy. The ability to carry its own reconnaissance aircraft means unlike its first two carriers, it wont be operating blind when out of the range of land-based support, giving it the ability to operate its most advanced aircraft far afield including the Second Island Chain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Fujian carrier is a big leapfrog for China in terms of the capabilities of its aircraft carriers compared to the first two, Hart said . Chinas carriers arent nuclear powered, limiting their range Still, Hart noted, Chinas navy lags behind the U.S. in several significant ways. Numerically it only has three carriers compared to the U.S. Navys 11, and while Chinas carriers are all conventionally powered, the U.S.s are all nuclear powered which means they can operate almost indefinitely without being refueled - dramatically increasing their range. The Ford-class carrier, of which only one is currently in service but more are being built, is also larger, can carry more aircraft on its flight deck, and has a third elevator that means it can move more aircraft from lower deck hangars in less time. China also lags behind the U.S. in guided missile cruisers and destroyers, which are critical in providing air and submarine defense and support for larger naval groups, as well as nuclear-powered submarines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. is also ahead in vertical launching system cells - basically the systems for holding and launching missiles from ships - which is a measure of how much firepower vessels can carry, though China is increasing that capacity, Hart said. Beyond just equipment, China lacks the network of overseas bases that the U.S. has, which are critical for resupplying carriers and also providing alternative runways should aircraft not be able to return safely to the carrier. China is working on expanding its foreign bases, however, and has a nuclear propulsion system for a carrier in development. Theres also evidence that China is already building another carrier. Chinese shipyards have the capabilities to build more than one at once and have also been churning out other new vessels at a pace the U.S. cant currently come close to matching. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Really across the board, Chinas closing the gap, Hart said. Theyre fielding and building more aircraft carriers, theyre fielding more nuclear-powered subs, they are fielding more, larger destroyers and other vessels that carry a larger number of missiles. So theyre really catching up. The Fujian is just one of Chinas latest military assets China has happily shown off its new military assets, releasing video of the KJ-600, J-35 and J-15T test flights from the Fujian. A World War II Victory Day parade at the start of September showcased all three aircraft along with hypersonic glide vehicles whose high-speed, maneuverability and other attributes make them more difficult to intercept than traditional ballistic missiles aerial and underwater drones and electronic warfare systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sophisticated new equipment does not necessarily translate to military readiness, however, said Singapore-based analyst Tang Meng Kit, who noted that China hasnt fought a war since 1979 and that the carefully choreographed parade was good at amplifying perceptions of strength. It is possible that Chinas capabilities are overstated, as real-world operational readiness lags behind its showcased arsenal, he told the AP. He also cautioned in a recent analysis for the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore that it would be a mistake to see Chinas military modernization as simply geared toward a possible Taiwan invasion, which he said is only one part of a larger mosaic. The parade signaled Chinas broader strategic intent, which is to deter major powers, pressure regional actors, expand its global influence, and reinforce its domestic legitimacy, he said. Albee Zhang in Washington and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report. Belgium convened a session of its National Security Council on Thursday after drones were spotted over military bases and airports, causing a string of flight disruptions and diversions from the main airport in Brussels. To tackle this threat, authorities are considering establishing an airspace surveillance centre as well as introducing mandatory registration of drones. "We are going to make operational from the 1 January the NASC, which is the National Airspace Security Center. It will be in Beauvechin, in the military base. That exists already but it has to be more operational with all the security services within, so that is the first and biggest challenge for the next coming weeks", Defence Minister Theo Francken told the media. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are working on the model 'detection, identification and possible neutralisation'. It is the framework we are working on," Interior Minister Bernard Quintin added. The drone incursions occurred while the EU is putting pressure on Belgium to confiscate Russian frozen assets held at Euroclear in Brussels, so that reconstruction loans to Ukraine can be issued. Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever addresses parliament after a meeting of the National Security Council in Brussels, 6 November, 2025 - AP Photo Hybrid warfare Despite a lack of proof, Russia is widely suspected of being behind the drone incursions. "You must ask yourself who has benefited from this and this is definitely Russia", Sven Biscop, Director of the Egmont Institute, told Euronews. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I think the effect that it seeks is double. One, it's intimidation of our decision-makers, perhaps linked to the decisions that has to be made about Euroclear, and two, it is to try to divide the public opinion. Perhaps some people would be inclined to say, well, if only we drop Ukraine, then we will not have this problem," he added. The Belgian defence minister is expected to table a 50 million investment plan for an "anti-drone intitiative" on Friday. Belgium is also considering the option of shooting down invading drones. A man walks by the headquarters of Euroclear in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025. - AP Photo "Belgium specifically has learned that we need a legal framework that allows to shoot down drones. Of course we actually need the military capacity that can do this. This will now be speeded up so that we will be ready very soon to deal with it," Biscop said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Russian embassy in Brussels has denied any involvement in drone operations in Belgium's airspace. Airspace violations Both NATO and the European Union have been on high alert following a string of airspace violations, thought to be from Russia, in recent weeks. NATO issued a warning to Moscow at the end of September, saying it would use all means to defend against any further breaches of its airspace after the downing of Russian drones over Poland and Estonia's report of an intrusion by Russian fighter jets. The 10 September incident in Poland was the first direct encounter between NATO and Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Estonia said three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace for 12 minutes on Friday without authorisation, a charge that the Kremlin has rejected. The incidents caused widespread consternation among leaders across Europe, raising questions about the alliance's preparedness against growing Russian aggression. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during the NATO Industry Forum in Bucharest, 6 November, 2025 - AP Photo "Russia should be in no doubt: NATO and Allies will employ, in accordance with international law, all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves and deter all threats from all directions," the alliance said in a statement. Following the violation of Polish airspace, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced the formation of the Eastern Sentry programme, which aims to deter further Russian incursions and show solidarity with Poland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We see drones violating our airspace. Whether it was intentional or not, it is unacceptable. The allies have expressed full solidarity with Poland. It is crucial to counter aggression and defend every member of the Alliance," the NATO chief said. There have also been similar incidents in Denmark, Norway and Romania. Happy Friday, traders. Welcome to our weekly market wrap, where we take a look back at these last five trading days with a focus on the market news, economic data, and headlines that had the most impact on gold prices and other key correlated assetsand may continue to in the future. Heres what you need to know: Gold spot prices hovered near the $4,000/oz level after early-week volatility and a brief dip below support. The ongoing U.S. government shutdown has fueled investor caution, weakening the U.S. Dollar late in the week. Consumer sentiment hit one of the lowest readings in history, suggesting fear and uncertainty could support gold prices heading into November. Despite a late rebound, traders remain alert to potential downside risk if shutdown resolution headlines emerge. So, What Kind of a Week Has It Been? Gold spot prices tested a boundary of support early this week but have otherwise traded relatively flat on the week. With a pickup of between $10$20/oz (as of midday Friday), the yellow metal has held on to a valuation near $4,000/ozan important signal of institutional interest moving toward year-end. With the U.S. government shutdown carrying on (despite some assertions that the close of an election cycle would prompt legislators to cut a deal), traders continue to navigate projections around monetary policy and labor markets without hard data to guide them. Early-Week Volatility and Sell-Off The most notable move on the gold chart came Tuesday morning. After rebounding above $4,000 on Monday, gold saw a moderate sell-off through the first sessions of the week. Asian traders extended the slide, pushing prices back below the round number, which appeared to spook U.S. markets. As New York opened, gold dropped sharply to $3,930/ozclassic behavior when a fast run-up is perceived as overdone and encounters early weakness. By Tuesday afternoon, concerns mounted that gold could fall further before the December FOMC meeting. Midweek Rebound and Dollar Weakness Despite the chatter about a correction, the pattern didnt hold. As Tuesday afternoon turned into overnight trading, bargain hunters stepped back in, driving spot prices to $3,985/oz by Wednesday night. The metal has since stabilized. Growing discomfort over the prolonged federal shutdowncombined with a softening U.S. Dollar on Thursday and Fridaygave gold the tailwind it needed to reclaim the $4,000 mark. A bleak consumer sentiment survey released Friday morning, among the most negative on record, points to fear and uncertainty that could continue to benefit gold in November. (Reuters) -Warren Buffett has a message for people who generate or view AI-created impersonations of him. There's only one Oracle of Omaha. Berkshire Hathaway said on Thursday that videos using AI-generated images of its longtime chief executive are circulating on YouTube, featuring comments he never made. The 95-year-old investor, known for his market instincts and long-held nickname the Oracle of Omaha, has increasingly become a target for AI impersonators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the visuals often mimic Buffett, Berkshire said the audio typically features flat, generic speech that "clearly" is not his voice. In a press release titled Its Not Me, the company highlighted one video, Warren Buffett: The #1 Investment Tip For Everyone Over 50 (MUST WATCH), in which an impersonated voice offers investment advice. "Individuals who are less familiar with Mr. Buffett may believe these videos are real and be misled by the contents," Berkshire said. "Mr. Buffett is concerned that these types of fraudulent videos are becoming a spreading virus." The rise of deepfake technology and AI-driven voice tools has made it easier to produce realistic forgeries of public figures, intensifying concerns over misinformation and reputational damage. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, the FBI reported that malicious actors had used AI-generated voice calls and text messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials in attempts to access government employees personal accounts. Buffett has previously complained about people pretending to be him, including through increasingly convincing AI-based impersonations. In October 2024, two weeks before the U.S. presidential election, Buffett warned of "fraudulent claims" that he had endorsed political candidates and investment products. He has largely stepped back from political endorsements after supporting former President Barack Obama and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Buffett will step down as Berkshires chief executive at the end of the year and will be succeeded by Vice Chairman Greg Abel. (Reporting by Pritam Biswas in Bengaluru and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Tasim Zahid) A Forsyth County man, Mark Moczarski, who was stranded in a hospital in Bali, Indonesia, has returned home to Georgia. Mark Moczarski, 34, suffered severe head trauma and other injuries in a moped accident during a trip to Bali. He was placed into a medically-induced coma. His family was faced with a staggering $300,000 price tag to bring their adventure lover home on an intensive care flight. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Last week, they were able to get him on a flight, and he is now recovering at Northside Hospital Gwinnett. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Channel 2s Bryan Mims has been speaking with the family since the accident in September. On Thursday, he spoke with Mark Moczarskis father, who flew to Indonesia to be with his son. Day by day, step by step, every little step. Better and better, said John Moczarski. Mark Moczarski, an IT professional with a thirst for adventure, had planned his dream trip to Bali for years. While there, he rented a moped, but lost control, resulting in a severe accident. He suffered head trauma, blood in his lungs and eight broken ribs. Doctors made sure he could breathe on his own before letting him fly back to Georgia. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, hes starting to eat real food again. But his thirst for adventure is quenchless. The family is grateful hes back home and for the overwhelming donations that helped them get Mark Moczarski on a commercial flight that could accommodate a stretcher. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $73,000 to help bring him home. He will likely be in the hospital for a couple of more weeks. Then, his family hopes to move him to the Shepherd Center for rehabilitation. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A new Tennessee bill is aimed at cracking down on animal cruelty by creating tougher penalties for both adults and juveniles. The legislation, drafted by Rep. John Gillespie (R-Memphis), would increase animal cruelty from a Class E felony to a Class D felony. Class E felonies are the least serious in Tennessee, and they carry a one- to six-year prison sentence along with a fine of up to $3,000. Class D felonies carry a two- to 12-year prison sentence with a fine of up to $5,000. Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wilson Countys director of animal control, Steve Gatlin, told News 2 it would send the message that TN takes animal cruelty seriously. We want to help people, but some of these folks who do things like this they need serious help. Most of them will not seek help, Gatlin said. They need court-ordered help, so I see this as a really positive step forward, especially with the juvenile enhancement on that. In addition, the bill would add animal cruelty to the list of crimes where a juvenile could be considered a serious youthful offender, which is a juvenile who commits a crime that is a Class A or B felony for adults. Serious youthful offenders are subject to harsher punishments, including receiving a blended sentence in which they can receive both a juvenile and adult sentence. According to 2023 data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, animal cruelty cases increased by nearly 40% from 2020 to 2022. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Gatlin believes the bill is a step in the right direction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I see these steps that the legislature is doing as positive, but we need to do more in Tennessee, Gatlin said. We need to advance these laws and show that we are serious about taking care of our animals and doing the things necessary to be better stewards of the animals we have. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (Photo by Oscar Wong/Getty Images) State regulators have opted not to revoke the license of a southern Iowa veterinarian accused of unlawfully dispensing significant quantities of a controlled substance and then blocking an investigation into his conduct. On Oct. 2, 2025, the Iowa Board of Veterinary Medicine issued an emergency order indefinitely suspending the license of veterinarian Jerry Couchman, 80, who practices in and around Appanoose and Decatur counties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the time, the board charged Couchman with five counts of violating laws and administrative rules governing veterinary medicine, and alleged his conduct posed an immediate danger to the public health, safety and welfare. According to the board, the disciplinary charges stemmed from a report received from a drug distributor alleging Couchman had been ordering a significant amount of xylazine, which the board describes as a powerful non-opioid sedative commonly mixed with fentanyl for illegal drug use, as well as ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic with hallucinogenic effects that is categorized as a controlled substance. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The board says it then reviewed Couchmans drug purchasing records from several drug distributors and determined that between January 2024 and June 2025, Couchman had purchased approximately 1,545 50-milliliter bottles of xylazine, plus 1,128 10-milliliter bottles of ketamine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On July 7, 2025, the board served Couchman with a subpoena for his veterinary records. According to the board, Couchman responded to the subpoena for his drug log by providing a copy of a handwritten document created in response to the subpoena that contains some, but not all, of the information required by Iowas rules. Couchman also refused the boards request that he identify all of his clients, the board alleged. The board charged Couchman with knowingly assisting a person in unlawfully practicing veterinary medicine; failing to properly document and prescribe controlled substances and prescription drugs; failing to keep adequate records; dispensing controlled substances and prescriptions in cases where he had no valid veterinary-client relationship; and dispensing drugs used by laypersons to provide unlicensed veterinary medical services. The board also charged Couchman with failing to comply with the requirements of an investigatory subpoena from the board, which the board says impeded its ability to investigate the matter. Board: Couchman lacked records to support his claims According to board records, Couchman attempted to explain the large quantities of ketamine and xylazine he purchased by asserting that he used the drugs for surgeries on dogs. The board noted that Couchman owned a kennel with approximately 70 bulldogs and also provided veterinary services for other kennels that had 1,100 bulldogs and other mixed-breed dogs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the board, Couchman claimed he also provided the drugs to various dog-grooming services, which he allegedly said might number anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 per year, and claimed to have used the drugs for the neutering or castration of roughly 1,200 to 1,500 horses per year, which would equate to an average of 23 horses per week. The board alleged Couchman failed to provide records corroborating those claims. On Nov. 4, 2025, Couchman and the board agreed to resolve the disciplinary case with a settlement agreement that calls for Couchmans license to be suspended for nine months, after which it will be placed on probationary status for three years. Couchman must also pay a $3,000 fine and meet at least once with a practice monitor to discuss the settlement agreement and the circumstances that led to the disciplinary action. In addition, he must complete 10 hours of educational training related to controlled substances, veterinary ethics and recordkeeping. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Couchman declined to comment on the case when contacted by the Iowa Capital Dispatch on Friday. His attorney, James W. Carney, said that with regard to the subpoenaed client records, Couchmans clients were predominantly Amish, and so he didnt want to provide any records without their approval. State and federal records indicate Couchman has done business with two Iowa dog kennels accused of puppy laundering a practice that involves a repeat violator routing dogs to an associated kennel thats operating under a different license so the animals can be sold in jurisdictions that ban the retail sale of dogs from repeat offenders. In December 2023, a federal inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture visited a dog-breeding kennel in the Van Buren County town of Cantril. The kennel is on property owned by Steve Kruse, one of Iowas largest dog breeders and a repeat violator. The Cantril kennel was operating under a license held by a Kruse associate, Wuanita Swedlund. The inspector cited the kennel for a number of violations, some of which were tied to the death of six puppies that appeared to have died due to a lack of shelter from the cold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State records indicate the attending veterinarian for the business at that time was a Dr. Couchman who had not examined dogs or been available when needed. Board records indicate Jerry Couchman is the only licensed veterinarian in Iowa with that last name. After the inspection, state officials instructed Swedlund to hire a new veterinarian. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The Louisville Metro Police Department released body-worn camera footage on Nov. 6 showing the fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man by police. In the footage, Officer Hunter Weaver is seen stepping out of his cruiser and twice ordering a man, later identified as Frank Mejia Aguilar, to show his hands, once using an expletive. Weaver and other officers had responded shortly after 2 a.m. to the 5500 block of Ridgecrest Lane in Newburg on Oct. 27 after a report that a woman had been shot. As Weaver and another officer issued commands, Aguilar pulled from his sweatshirt what appeared to be a handgun. Weaver fired five times, striking Aguilar, according to the footage. Police have not said precisely how many times Aguilar was hit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The encounter unfolded in the middle of Ridgecrest Road and lasted about ten seconds from the moment Weaver exited his vehicle to the time of the final shot. The second officer on scene, whom police have not identified, did not fire his weapon. Dont shoot, dont shoot, Aguilar can be heard saying between cries of pain after being shot. I dont shoot. Weaver then retreats behind a brick mailbox for cover while continuing to order Aguilar to drop the gun, lie on his stomach and spread his arms. Officers later approached, handcuffed Aguilar and began providing aid before he was transported to University of Louisville Hospital, where he died. Police said a gun was recovered from the scene. A woman later identified as Tiffany Reiner is also visible on Weavers body camera footage, lying on the sidewalk. According to police, she was also taken to University of Louisville Hospital but died from her injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family members told local media that she had been celebrating her sons 20th birthday when someone shot her in the head. LMPD released two versions of Weavers body cam footage on its YouTube page eight business days after the shooting, in line with its practice of releasing body-worn camera footage within 10 business days of what it calls critical incidents. (Police had scheduled a news conference to discuss the release, but canceled it when the National Transportation Safety Board announced a briefing at the same 3 p.m. time slot.) Then-Chief Jacqueline Gwinn-Villaroel established that practice in August 2023 when LMPD resumed investigating shootings in-house. After police fatally shot Breonna Taylor, the Kentucky State Police took over all shooting investigations involving Louisville officers. Critics later faulted KSP for taking too long to release footage and for responding slowly to questions or details about its investigations. Who will investigate the shooting? LMPDs Public Integrity Unit (PIU) is conducting the criminal investigation into the shooting. The unit investigates every case that results in death or serious physical injury, any traffic-related deaths or injury from pursuits or collisions, and incidents in which an officer fires their gun at someone or vice versa, regardless of injury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the investigation ends, the PIU will send its findings to the Kentucky State Police, Metros Office of Inspector General, and the Jefferson County Commonwealth Attorneys Office. Prosecutors will decide whether to file criminal charges. At the same time, LMPDs Professional Standards Unit is conducting an administrative investigation to determine whether Weaver violated department policy. After both investigations conclude, a departmental advisory board will review the case. The Performance Review Board made up of subject matter experts nominated by division commanders and approved by a deputy chief or the chief of staff examines whether officers initial contacts were constitutional and consistent with policy; whether the use of force was reasonable, necessary and proportional; whether the officer tried to deescalate the situation; or whether alternative tactical decisions could have resolved it. After its review, the board compiles recommendations and action items, then votes on which to send to a deputy chief in a memorandum. The board can suggest changes to policy, training, tactics, equipment, and technology, among other things, but does not make disciplinary recommendations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A deputy chief or the chief of staff decides which recommendations to adopt and how to implement them. Who is Hunter Weaver? LMPD hired Weaver in June 2023. Since then, he has earned nine commendations, including for recovering four stolen vehicles in three weeks in 2024. Weaver serves as a patrol officer in the Sixth Division, which covers Bashford Manor, Newburg and Watterson Park, among other neighborhoods. Hunter Weaver The departments Professional Standards Unit has investigated Weaver once for violating policy and determined that he failed to file the required paperwork for outside employment. That case began when a Heritage Creek police officer stopped Weaver and reported that he acted rudely and disrespectfully. At the time, Weaver was going door-to-door in the small Jefferson County city posting fliers for his mowing and landscaping business, Mowing Heroes LLC. The officer accused him of violating the citys no-soliciting ordinance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LMPD Detective Joel Phillips determined that Weaver submitted the secondary employment form eight days after the encounter. Phillips also found sufficient evidence to determine that Weaver violated policy by making remarks to the officer and the Heritage Creek police chief that brought discredit upon him as a member of LMPD. He recommended sustaining the Conduct Unbecoming allegation, but Chief Paul Humphrey disagreed and ruled the allegation not sustained. As of Nov. 6, there have been six officer-involved shootings, including the one involving Weaver, surpassing last years total of four. Monroe Trombly covers public safety. He can be reached at mtrombly@gannett.com. His X handle is @MonroeTrombly. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bodycam footage shows fatal LMPD shooting of 20-year-old Frank Aguilar Archaeologists in Scotland have made a major discovery at the battlefield of Culloden, the site where Bonnie Prince Charlie met defeat. Culloden is a famous battle in Scottish history, and it's also prominently featured in the popular television series, Outlander. "Archaeologists from the University of Glasgow and the National Trust for Scotland have recovered more than 100 projectiles, including lead musket balls and cannon shot, from Culloden Battlefield," an October 30 statement from the university reveals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Why it matters: "The battle, fought on 16 April 1746, saw the decisive defeat of the Jacobite army led by Bonnie Prince Charlie by government forces commanded by the Duke of Cumberland's government army," the statement reads. "The new findings, from an area of the battlefield that had not previously yielded any archaeological discoveries, is fresh evidence from the last battle fought on British soil," it notes. The University Says That Jacobite Artillery Shed Light on a 'Dramatic Episode' on the Battlefield Prince Charles Edward Stuart, 1720 - 1788. Eldest son of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart, by Antonio David, 1732. Oil on canvas. (Photo by National Galleries Of Scotland/Getty Images) According to the university, the "most striking result from the investigation, which took place between 13-18 October, was the recovery of over 100 projectiles, which included lead musket balls and cannon shot, the latter of which included what is believed to be a three-pound cannon ball fired by the Jacobite artillery." This collection of artifacts "not only proves that archaeology from the battle has survived in this area but, the project leaders believe, it has provided evidence for one of the most dramatic episodes in a battle that from beginning to end probably lasted less than an hour," the release says. Tourists visit the Culloden Battlefield memorial. Scotland with a guide. Highland, Inverness September 7, 2025. (Photo by Thibaut Durand / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by THIBAUT DURAND/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images) "Weve only had time to make a rapid assessment of our results, but musket balls fired by Jacobite and government troops, including pistol balls fired by government dragoons, likely relate to one of the last actions in the battle," Professor Tony Pollard Said in the University's release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This fight took place between the initial battle lines, at a location where boggy ground slowed the Highland charge, and this in combination with heavy fire from Cumberlands line helped to seal the fate of the Jacobite cause." An Expert Explained That a Battalion Fighting With the Jacobites 'Made a Brave Stand' According to Pollard, as the Jacobites retreated, "a battalion of Irish troops in French service, fighting with the Jacobites, made a brave stand against hundreds of mounted men from Cobhams Dragoons and possibly Kingstons Horse, advancing from the right of Cumberlands line." He added: :"The job of these horsemen was to cut down the disordered Jacobites, and we have recovered some of the shot fired from their heavy pistols. The Irish troops, numbering about 150 men, under their commander Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Stapleton, blocked this advance and according to an account by Adjutant General John OSullivan, one of Bonnie Prince Charlies senior officers, fired volleys into the approaching cavalry." However, according to Pollard, "The red-coated Irish Picquets then found cover behind the walls of Culloden Parks but their surrender, after suffering heavy casualties, with Stapleton among the dead, was the only alternative to total annihilation. Being regular troops in French service, they were treated as prisoners of war rather than rebels, but none-the-less they suffered the privations of confinement on a prison hulk in the Thames before being repatriated to France in early 1747." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This valiant action helped thousands of Jacobites get away from the field, but it gets only brief mentions in most of the history books. A more detailed analysis of the artefacts and their distribution pattern will be required before we can make a definitive statement but at present there are no obvious alternative interpretations. Related: This story was originally reported by Men's Journal on Nov 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here. BELEM, Brazil (AP) Brazil on Thursday unveiled long-awaited details of a plan to pay countries to preserve their tropical forests and announced it had already drawn $5.5 billion in pledges. The fund is President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's flagship project as he welcomes world leaders to the edge of the Amazon for the United Nations annual climate summit an effort to draw attention and money to the imperiled rainforest crucial to curbing global warming. Financed by interest-bearing debt instead of donations, the fund, dubbed the Tropical Forests Forever Facility, seeks to turn the economic logic of deforestation on its head by making it more lucrative for governments to keep their trees rather than cut them down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although destroying rainforests makes money for cattle ranchers, miners and illegal loggers, Brazil hopes to convince countries that preserving forests promises richer rewards for the entire world by absorbing huge amounts of planet-warming emissions. As senior Brazilian officials walked reporters through the funds inner workings, Norway pledged $3 billion the biggest commitment of the day raising hopes about Lula's ambitions becoming a reality. Through investments in fixed-rate assets, the fund aims to issue $25 billion of debt within its first few years before leveraging that into a pot worth $125 billion that can pay developing countries to protect their tropical rainforests. A list of more than 70 heavily forested countries from Congo to Colombia will be eligible for payments as long as they keep deforestation below a set rate. Nations that fail to protect their forests will see their payouts reduced at a punitive rate for every hectare thats destroyed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was already very excited about this, but now even more so, Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said in a press conference. But the fine print on Norways announcement contingent on Brazil raising some $9.8 billion in other contributions has ramped up the pressure on Brazil to deliver. Other pledges include $1 billion from Indonesia and $500 million from France, along with $5 million from the Netherlands and $1 million from Portugal toward setup costs. Brazil earlier announced $1 billion to kick off the fund. Officials said they expected to hear about Germany's contribution on Friday. But it remained unclear how many other countries would follow suit. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed support for the initiative on Thursday but declined to declare a pledge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brazil is also banking on the participation of the private sector after the fund reaches $10 billion, considered enough to start preparing bond issuances. When asked about possible concerns on Thursday, Norwegian Climate Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen said he thought the risks to the fund were manageable. There is perhaps an even bigger risk of not participating, he said. Rainforests are disappearing before our eyes. The funds rules call for 20% of the money to go to Indigenous peoples. These initiatives demonstrate a massive and welcome shift in recognizing the central role that Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants and local communities play in protecting the forests that sustain us," said Wanjira Mathai, managing director for Africa and Global Partnerships at the World Resources Institute, a research organization. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These commitments could be transformative, but only if governments turn these words into action. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org BERLIN (Reuters) -Google said it would announce its biggest-ever investment project for Germany on Tuesday alongside German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. The U.S. tech giant said its plan would involve the construction of "infrastructure and data centres," as well as pushing ahead with "innovative projects for the use of renewable energies and waste heat," according to an invitation to the press conference sent on Thursday. Google also wants to expand its locations in Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin, it added. When contacted by Reuters, a government official said Google would be "investing billions in Germany and will be addressing real issues of the future with innovations, artificial intelligence and climate-neutral transformation". The official added that the government would further improve competitive conditions and secure jobs through structural reforms. (Writing by Friederike Heine and Ludwig Burger, Editing by Miranda Murray and Madeline Chambers) A 67-year-old woman was struck and run over twice by a pickup truck while legally crossing at Belmont and Pulaski; she was taken to Illinois Masonic, and her condition has not been released. Video shows the truck moving into the crosswalk as the light turned green; significant snow was visible on the vehicle, though its unclear whether it contributed to the crash. Police said the woman was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, though her condition had not been released. BURLESON COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44) One person among those killed in the UPS plane crash in Louisville was from the Brazos Valley. According to the Associated Press, UPS have released the names of three people who died in the plane Capt. Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond. Diamond was the flights international relief officer who lived in Caldwell, Texas, according to public records. Diamond also had a history with Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1, who mourned his loss on social media Friday morning: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1 is deeply saddened by the loss of former Commissioner and Chief Dana Diamond. He ran towards danger so the rest of us can step back from it and that kind of devotion to his community leaves a mark on everyone it touches. He leaves behind not only a legacy of service but also the memories with fellow firefighters and the community he served. His contribution to the citizens of Bastrop County Texas are immeasurable. May his family find comfort in knowing he served our community to make it a better place and may we honor his memory. (Courtesy: Bastrop County Emergency Services District No. 1) At least 13 people were killed in the plane crash, according to the Associated Press. The Federal Aviation Administration said it is teaming up with the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate. In addition, AP says Truitt lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and had been a pilot for UPS since 2021, flying the MD-11 airliner, according to Truitts LinkedIn profile. Before that, he was a captain for SkyWest Airlines, a flight instructor at Bode Aviation and graduated from The University of New Mexico. Wartenberg lived in Independence, Kentucky, which sits south of Cincinnati, according to public records. 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 KWKT - FOX 44. Never one to keep his political opinions to himself, District Attorney Dan Dow recently reposted an incendiary message on X from an alleged anti-Islamic hate group his first mistake. Then he tried to dodge responsibility for the repost one of two he shared that linked New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to the 9/11 terror attacks by smugly pointing to a disclaimer at the top of his page: Retweets are not endorsements. When Tribune reporter Chloe Jones continued to press him on why he was connecting Mamdani to the worst terror attack on American soil in history, he offered this sanctimonious but flimsy excuse: I am a United States Army veteran who has served over 32 years and have had 4 tours overseas. I remember like it was yesterday our nation being attacked by Islamic extremists on 9/11/2001. I love this country and I do not in any way share the same views as the 33-year-old socialist Zohran Mandami (sic). Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont buy it. Posting a get-out-of-jail-free disclaimer at the top of your own social media page does not absolve you of responsibility for spreading blatantly racist messaging there. Nor does hiding behind your military career. We should not have to say this, but there is no way Mamdani had anything to do with 9/11. He was not quite 10 years old when this act of terrorism occurred. He was a child who had recently moved to New York City from Kampala, Uganda, where he was born. The terrorists were from the Middle East. Read more at: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/article312799236.html#storylink=cpy Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SLO County DA shares posts linking New Yorks first Muslim mayor to 9/11 attacks We also should not have to say this: Plastering images of 9/11 over the election victory of an upstanding immigrant citizen, who by all intents and purposes is trying to live the American dream, is clearly bigotry based on his Muslim religion, not his progressive politics or his self-identification as a democratic socialist Would a candidate who shared Bernie Sanders beliefs and also his skin color get the same 9/11 treatment? In addition, the post shared by Dow implies that the problem isnt only Mamdani; it also accuses his supporters of participating in a heinous plot to destroy New York City, as this particular detail shows: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ... To see New York my city stand in this moment, where someone like Zohran Mamdani could even be elected My God, New York, what have you done? Dow reposted a message from the RAIR Foundation. What is that? The post was written by Amy Mekelburg, founder of the RAIR (Rise Align Ignite Reclaim) Foundation, which has been identified as an anti-Muslim hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Its website is filled with ominous warnings about a Muslim takeover of the United States. Lets be very clear: Islam has no place in a free America, Mekelburg wrote in an essay. No ideology that seeks our destruction deserves dignity and no one who clings to it should expect America to bend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its denouncements of Mamdani are especially virulent: The mask comes off .... Mamdani elected NYC mayor, quotes Socialists while Jihadis gloat, is one headline., and in at least one opinion piece, the writer referred to Muslims as infidels. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow reposted an X post linking the election of Zohran Mamdani as New York Citys first Muslim mayor to the 9/11 attacks that killed 2,606 people at the World Trade Center. Bigotry is to be expected from extremists like Mekelburg. But we would not expect her voice to be amplified by an elected district attorney who has a duty to treat every one of his SLO County constituents fairly, regardless of religion. When he debases himself by carrying water for an ugly, anti-Islamic organization, Dow erodes confidence in his obectivity and the basic trust we have in him to do his job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And its not just hate from the RAIR Foundation that Dow reposted. He shared this from Elon Musk: Remember to vote tomorrow in New York! Bear in mind that a vote for Curtis (the Republican candidate) is really a vote for Mumdumi or whatever his name is. And this from poster Eric Metaxas: Its hard to believe that 24 years after 9/11, New York City is on the brink of voting in a Uganda-born Islamist mayor who campaigned last week with an unindicted co-conspirator in the first World Trade Center terrorist attack that killed six New Yorkers. (Imam Siraj Wahhaj appeared on a list of possible co-conspirators in the 1993 attack, but was never charged.) Dow gave that particular post a 100% emoji. Allegations of rigging the Prop. 50 election For Dow, this is nothing new. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He often shares his political and religious views on social media, on radio shows and in speeches, whether its to quote a passage of scripture, to lobby for the defeat of the Proposition 50 redistricting measure or to urge voters to support gubernatorial candidate Chad Bianco, the far-right sheriff of Riverside County. In the run-up to the Prop. 50 election, Dow shared a post on X that accused Gov. Gavin Newsom of rigging the election by manipulating ballot envelopes to allow no votes to be viewed through a hole, so Democrats can identify them and throw them away. Way to instill faith in the voting system, Dan the same system that declared you the victor in two separate elections. Of course, Dow is not alone among district attorneys who take political positions. For instance, he was one of 30 California DAs who opposed Prop. 50. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But does he really have to drift so far out of his lane as to weigh in on a mayors race on the other side of the country? We arent trying to stifle his right to free speech district attorneys do not give that up when theyre elected but its not too much to expect someone elected to a nonpartisan office to exercise some judgment before hitting repost on social media. If our district attorney truly wants the people of San Luis Obispo County to believe that he offers justice for all, he should focus on what he does best prosecuting criminals and supporting victims and leave opinionizing and proselytizing to the pundits and preachers. Especially when that opinionizing and proselytizing transitions into racism and fearmongering. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified where Zohran Mamdani was at the time of the 9/11 attacks. He was 9 years old and living in New York City. In the toughest rebuke on the president since crucial SNAP benefits ran out on November 1, a U.S. federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to fully reinstate SNAP food benefits to Americans as soon as Friday. In a court filing, Trump's Department of Justice stated it would appeal the judge's decision. RELATED: Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November On Thursday night, critical benefits started to roll in for places like California. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those funds arriving onto EBT cards for over five million Californians, providing much-needed relief as many go without food assistance for a sixth day. "With 30 percent of households in my district relying on SNAP, it is critical that the Administration meet its legal and moral obligations," U.S. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., said in a statement. "Taking food away from hardworking families in my district is not just unlawful, it's callous and immoral." The Fresno City Council is taking action and approving $250,000 for the Central California Food Bank with a unanimous 7-0 vote. RELATED: Fresno City Council awards Central California Food Bank $250K amid government shutdown The resolution was introduced by Councilmember Nelson Esparza and Mayor Jerry Dyer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Despite the court ruling, this remains the right thing to do. To be part of the safety nets that catches those residents who may otherwise fall through the cracks this month," Esparza said. On October 30, councilmember Esparza donated $50,000 to support 200,000 meals for Fresno families without SNAP food benefits. Esparza's donation comes from his own district's operating budget. The city then contributed $200,000 of its own money, pulled from its general fund. The two bundled together create the total $250,000 donation by the city council. "What I want to know is who, how, when and where. I want details to how that quarter million dollars will be spent from city taxpayers," councilmember Miguel Arias said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The thought that $250,000 is going to fix the problem in Fresno is just not going to be the case," Fresno city manager Georgeanne White said. "So to get as much out to as many people as quickly as possible was the goal,For news updates, follow Christina Lopez on certainly from the administration's perspective." The city says that check for $250,000 would be delivered to the Central California Food Bank as soon as Monday. Facebook, X and Instagram. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: mirsad sarajlic/via Getty Images TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Telegram are now restricted in Cameroon The block follows internet disruptions that began on October 23 amid post-election unrest Proton VPN has recorded a 3,000% increase in signups from the country In a move that further isolates its citizens from the outside world, authorities in Cameroon have reportedly blocked access to a host of major social media platforms. Advertisement Advertisement The blackout, which affects services such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Telegram, comes on the heels of significant and ongoing internet disruptions that began on October 23, 2025, amid widespread protests over the country's contested presidential election. The initial disruptions were confirmed by internet monitoring organization NetBlocks, which warned at the time that the measures would limit media coverage and the flow of information as political tensions escalated. Swiss-based VPN provider Proton VPN has witnessed a massive surge in demand from the Central African nation. According to its Internet Censorship Observatory, the company recorded a jaw-dropping 3,000% increase in new user signups from Cameroon on October 23, the day the initial internet disruptions began. Advertisement Advertisement This dramatic spike highlights a clear trend: when governments try to shut down the internet, citizens will actively seek out tools to fight back and stay connected. Why is Cameroon restricting social media access? Credit: NetBlocks This new, targeted social media ban represents a major escalation in the government's efforts to control the narrative and quell dissent following the re-election of 92-year-old President Paul Biya, who is set to extend his 43-year rule. Protests have erupted in several major cities after the opposition alleged widespread irregularities and electoral fraud. The government's response has been severe, with reports of clashes between security forces and demonstrators. By blocking access to social media platforms, which are reportedly crucial for organizing, reporting, and communicating in real-time, the government appears to be attempting to stifle the growing protest movement and prevent images and videos of the unrest from being shared globally. Citizens turn to VPNs for a digital lifeline In the face of this widespread censorship, many Cameroonians are turning to circumvention tools to reclaim their digital freedom. Advertisement Advertisement One of the primary beneficiaries of this trend has been the market for the best VPN services. That's because a Virtual Private Network (VPN) encrypts a user's internet connection and routes it through a server in a different location, effectively bypassing local censorship and allowing access to blocked sites and services. As General Manager at Proton VPN, David Peterson wrote in a tweet: "Since [October 23], VPN usage has continued to climb, catapulting Cameroon into our Top 5 countries for free VPN usage." Credit: Proton Recognizing the urgent need for reliable access, Proton VPN has actively responded to the crisis. On November 5, the company announced it had added eight new exit nodes in Cameroon to its server network via its Smart Routing feature. Connections are here rerouted via France and the UK to allow unrestricted internet access while still providing a local IP address, explains Peterson. Advertisement Advertisement The move is designed to provide more stable and faster connections for users within the country, making it easier for them to circumvent the blocks and access the open internet securely. This rapid deployment of new infrastructure underscores the critical role that VPN providers can play during periods of political turmoil and censorship. Anyone in Cameroon can sign up for the Proton VPN Free service here. However, as a company spokesperson explained to TechRadar, new Smart Routing Cameroon servers are exclusive to paid users. Free users can continue to access the free servers dotted across 8 locations worldwide. "But following on from our 'free servers for elections' campaign last year, we have made this more flexible and universal by offering a month of premium Proton VPN for $1 (or similar token amount in local currency) during such critical periods," said Proton. Advertisement Advertisement If you need more access, then you can try the paid version of the plan here: Proton VPN: (was $ 3.59) now just $2.49 a month Want one of the most privacy-focused VPNs on a budget? Then look no further than Proton VPN. A two-year subscription with Proton VPN Plus includes: Servers in more countries than almost any other VPN Unbeatable privacy Advanced security features Proton VPN has consistently ranked among the very best. And with a huge drop in price, what's more to ask for? Hit the 'View Deal' button to find out more. View Deal Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button! Nov. 7The 2026 congressional midterm elections are still a year away, but incumbent Sen. Ben Ray Lujan already has a sizable war chest with more than $5 million raised for his reelection campaign. The midterms will determine if Republicans retain control of the House of Representatives and Senate. Along with a Republican president in the White House, the party has slim majorities in both chambers, allowing President Donald Trump to rapidly move forward with much of his agenda. Some states have taken the unusual step of attempting to redraw the lines of their congressional districts ahead of the midterms. Typically redistricting happens every 10 years after the U.S. census. Trump encouraged Republican-led states to redistrict in an effort to hold on to the Republican majority in the House. The comments sparked contentious and litigious efforts to redistrict in 17 states with leadership on both ends of the political spectrum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Texas Legislature pushed through redistricting changes that could garner five more House seats for Republicans next year. Meanwhile, California voters approved changes to their state constitution Tuesday that will allow the state Legislature to redistrict and potentially secure five more House seats for Democrats. Democrats fill the ranks of New Mexico's congressional delegation, and so far those Democratic incumbents have out-raised their Republican challengers. Some of the Republican candidates filed to run last month, meaning they have yet to file a campaign finance report. Lujan, a Democratic U.S. senator, is running for a second six-year term, with two opponents so far. Senate races have a history of being some of the most expensive political fights in New Mexico. In 2024, Martin Heinrich raised $13 million defending his Senate seat, while Republican challenger Nella Domenici raised $7 million. But the competitive 2nd Congressional District race is also bringing in high-dollar donations, with $1.4 million raised for sitting congressman Gabe Vasquez's reelection campaign, a fundraising level his three Republican opponents have yet to match. Traditionally, the 2nd Congressional District is the most competitive House seat in New Mexico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vasquez broke a streak of one-term representatives in the seat when he won reelection last year. His 2024 campaign brought in $7 million, while Republican challenger Yvette Herrell spent close to $5 million attempting to unseat him. The majority of Republican challengers have raised less than $16,000 for each of their campaigns so far, according to campaign finance reports. The exception is Martin Zamora, a state House member who is challenging incumbent Teresa Leger Fernandez to represent a northern New Mexico-based district. The 3rd Congressional District stretches across northern New Mexico, but also reaches down through the eastern part of the state into Republican strongholds like Eddy and Lea counties. Zamora raised $247,000, while Leger Fernandez brought in $611,000. Senate Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lujan raised $5.5 million by the end of September, spent $2.5 million and had $3.1 million cash on hand. More than half of his funds $3.6 million came from individual contributions. The $1 million in committee contributions included support from Heinrich's Lobo PAC. Neither Republican Ben Luna nor Jewish-Christian National Party candidate Toby Smith has filed campaign finance reports yet. Smith only filed to run last week, after the most recent campaign finance reporting period. 1st Congressional District Incumbent Democrat Melanie Stansbury raised just under $600,000, spent $424,000 and had $322,000 cash on hand. Of that, $485,000 came from individual contributions and almost $100,000 from other political committees. Stansbury's donations included many from workers' unions and Native American tribes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican Ndidiamaka Okpareke raised just over $15,000, spent close to $9,000 and had almost $7,000 cash on hand. Republican Steve Jones, who also challenged Stansbury for the seat last year, had raised just over $8,000, including a $7,900 loan from the candidate. His campaign spent $4,000 and had $30,000 cash on hand, according to finance reports. His campaign committee has a debt of $200,000. 2nd Congressional District Vasquez raised $1.4 million, has spent $513,000 and had $989,000 cash on hand. The bulk of those funds, $830,000, came from individual contributions, but he did receive over $450,000 from other political committees, including $1,000 each from Lujan and Stansbury's committees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republican challenger Eddy Aragon raised $4,522, spent $178 and had $4,343 cash on hand by the end of September. Republican candidates Greg Cunningham and Jose Orozco filed to run in October, after the campaign finance reporting period. 3rd Congressional District Leger Fernandez had raised $611,000 in her bid to secure a fourth term, spent $468,000 and had almost $551,000 cash on hand at the end of September. Zamora raised $247,000, spent $21,000 and had $226,000 cash on hand. The vast majority of both candidates' campaign donations came from individual contributions. Five Myrtle Beach-area properties were seized this week in relation to a wide-ranging federal investigation connected to a Chinese chemical company and Mexican drug cartel. The Horry County Sheriffs Office served the forfeiture notices in Carolina Forest on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Investigations as part of a multi-million dollar seizure related to money laundering by a foreign terrorist organization, the agency posted on its Facebook page. The federal complaint seeking these forfeitures shows the properties 9039 Fort Hill Way, 9043 Fort Hill Way, 115 Calhoun Falls Drive, 490 Calhoun Falls Drive, 534 Calhoun Falls Drive are all within The Parks at Carolina Forest. Their total value adds up to nearly $2.2 million, the complaint states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Four of the properties are owned by Ruiqi Zeng and one by Liu Chuan, Horry County property records show. Zeng is the daughter and Chuan the son of Xiaoli Liu, the general manager of China-based Sichuan Sundia Chemical Co., according to the complaint. The U.S. government is accusing Sundia Chemical of supplying chemicals needed to manufacture methamphetamine to the Sinaloa Cartel, a notorious Mexican drug trafficker designated earlier this year as a foreign terrorist organization. Liu and her children laundered proceeds from these illicit transactions back into the United States and attempted to conceal those proceeds by purchasing assets, including these Carolina Forest properties, according to the complaint. Efforts to obscure these illegal proceeds included the creation of Myrtle Beach-based New Star Holding LLC, which the government alleges was a shell company for Sundia Chemical. Zeng, who entered the U.S. in 2023 to study at Johns Hopkins University, is the listed agent for New Star, which operated out of an office at 2411 N. Oak St. before closing toward the end of 2024, the complaint states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Star Holdings website remains active as of publication, and the company describes itself as a supplier of chemical raw materials and is a window company of Sundia Hong Kong Chemical Co. The government alleges the company hired fraudulent employees and even decorated its office to appear legitimate, but it had no known customers, inventory or vendors. Messages left by The Sun News at the phone number and email listed on the companys website were not returned. Attempts to reach Zeng, who the government alleges returned to China in November 2024, were unsuccessful. Zeng and Chuan purchased the Myrtle Beach-area properties in 2023 and 2024 from D.R. Horton via funds deposited into their accounts from proceeds of Sundia Chemicals sales to Nortpacif, a Mexican company that imports chemicals on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel, the complaint alleges. Sundia Chemical, via New Star Holding, sent at least 116 shipments of chemicals to Nortpacif between November 2023 and May 2025, according to the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration intercepted a shipment in May 2025 from New Star Holding headed to Nortpacif in Mexico that contained about 50,400 kilograms of a chemical used to manufacture meth, the complaint states. These chemicals are not controlled, meaning theyre legal to ship and purchase if not for the known intent of manufacturing illicit drugs, the government noted. U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted Sundia Chemical of this seizure, and the Chinese government advised Liu to avoid continuing these shipments, according to the complaint. Shortly after that alert, three of the Carolina Forest properties owned by Zeng were listed for sale, an act the government alleges is an indication Liu knew they were purchased with illegal proceeds and was her attempt to recover those laundered funds. Delaware lawmakers once again gathered to delay New Castle County's property tax deadline. The state is poised to push the due date for hundreds of thousands of tax bills from Nov. 30 to the last day of the year, Dec. 31. Just the Senate reconvened in Legislative Hall on Thursday, Nov. 6, to tee-up a bill from Sen. Jack Walsh and other Democrats that stands to push the deadline now three months past it's original date. And it passed unanimously in all of 10 minutes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers couched the decision on "unforeseen" litigation in Chancery Court that further delayed revised bills from the county. The judge overseeing that case already sided with taxing entities on split rates on Oct. 31, while an appeal heads back to court. But still, as the dust settles, the county now estimates bills will be online no earlier than Nov. 20. And they'll likely hit mailboxes by Dec. 1, Walsh told the chamber that afternoon. Even the first estimate would give just 10 days until the deadline, for those not using a payment plan or paying monthly through their mortgage's escrow account. Meanwhile, these delayed property tax bills, according to Vice Chancellor Lori Will's decision, are already depriving the county and schools of some $549 million in revenue. School districts could soon feel the pain. Sen. Jack Walsh, D-Stanton, talks to Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, on the Delaware Senate floor on Jan. 15, 2020. "We are confident that the state's ability to float Division I funds to districts and support payroll will allow districts to endure more delay in local funding coming in," Walsh told fellow lawmakers, pointing to a mechanism in the August special session legislation that allowed for split rates, House Bill 242. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No school district finance officers or budget officials contacted were able to comment on whether these funds have yet been tapped, citing the ongoing lawsuit appeal. Some bills have been paid across the county, though no exact figure has been given, while delay will likely cause further strain. This legal challenge is scheduled for arguments before the Delaware Supreme Court next Monday, Nov. 10. "We'll see everyone soon," Sen. Bryan Townsend said as the brief session concluded, after thanking all lawmakers present. "Apparently this is the year of special session." On the other side of Leg Hall, the House is expected to hear this bill on deadline extension three days after that appeal is heard, on Nov. 13. That extraordinary session will see both chambers looking to address the projected $400 million budget shortfall tied to corporate tax changes in the "Big Beautiful Bill." In both cases, lawmakers are watching the clock. Got a tip? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Senate OKs delay to tax deadline in New Castle County, again People who have never lived in a small town don't know what it's like to lose a business that has been part of the community for generations. The Northern California town where I grew up, for example, has an Ace Hardware that's been there since 1957. My late father, who never trusted ATMs or money cards of any sort, was such a frequent customer at Ace that the owner even let him use the store like a bank: My dad would swing by every Friday or Saturday to cash a check so he'd have cash for the weekend. The clerks were also his friends, sharing advice on everything from the best soil for growing his beloved tomatoes to the right lumber for building a chicken coop or a deck. If the store were to close, it would be a huge loss for the community with a population of 5,300 and not just because of the convenient service the owners used to provide for my dad. Whether it's a diner, a hair salon, or a hardware store, when an independent business shuts its doors, it leaves a gaping hole in a community. That's the case with Carnation Ace Hardware, which has closed after 56 years serving the town of Carnation, Washington, which is about 31 miles from Seattle. The nearest Home Depot is about 15 miles down the road. Ace Hardware stores are fixtures in small-town America.Orange County Register via Getty Images Mom-and-pop Ace Hardware store closes after 56 years For decades, Carnation Ace Hardware was a cornerstone of downtown Carnation population 2,515 selling tools, home supplies, and providing "handyman" services to local residents, as reported in The Valley Record. The closure is a reminder of how small, independent retailers sometimes struggle to survive against national chains and online giants, even though in this case, the primary reason for the closure seems to be the owner's retirement. Owner Ron Cox announced the closure in late October, posting on Instagram: "It is with both excitement and a bit of grief that I am writing to share with my community that after 56 years, I will be retiring and closing the doors to Carnation ACE Hardware. I was 10 years old when my parents purchased Carnation Lumber Supply in 1969, and serving this community alongside my parents, sister, and brothers, has been my life's work and deep joy. "It's hard to imagine not seeing you all so regularly," Cox added. "Yet, I am excited for what retirement holds for me and my family and also am excited about the future of this central downtown business space ... Thank you - from the bottom of my heart - for allowing our family to be part of yours for nearly six decades. We are incredibly thankful!" The city even recognized the Cox family's contribution in a proclamation, highlighting decades of service and commitment to the town. A farewell reception was held October 25, allowing the community to celebrate the local institution. Cedar Point was among the targets being considered by suspects in an alleged terror plot in Michigan recently foiled by the FBI, the Detroit Free Press is reporting. According to the Free Press, a part of the USA TODAY network, the FBI disclosed more allegations about the suspects, including claims they were also allegedly contemplating an attack at the popular Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park or a New Year's Eve celebration, according to new court filings. Among the allegations, one of the defendants, Ayob Nasser, 19, of Dearborn, Michigan, and another person visited an amusement park in the Midwest about three hours from Dearborn at least twice, buying tickets and entering once. The FBI seized a computer on which an accomplice had searched for "is it crowded on halloweekend at (amusement park)." Cedar Point is about 120 miles from Dearborn and hosts an annual HalloWeekends event. A file photo of a Cedar Point sign. Cedar Point spokesman Tony Clark confirmed the park was working with the FBI. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The safety and security of our guests and associates is a top priority. Cedar Point assisted the FBI on this investigation, as the individuals were recently observed on park property," Clark told the Free Press in an emailed statement. "Although there was no substantiated threat to the park, guests or associates, Cedar Points advanced security and surveillance capabilities provided important additional information to investigators. Together with additional third-party experts, the park took immediate and appropriate action to ensure the continued safety of all on property." FBI thwarts potential Halloween weekend terrorist attack in Michigan FBI Director Kash Patel announced on Oct. 31 that federal agents in Michigan thwarted a potential Halloween weekend "terrorist attack," USA TODAY reported. According to the Free Press, that attack targeted the Detroit suburb of Ferndale. Five people have been arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement USA TODAY reports that Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud of Dearborn, Michigan both are charged with receiving and transferring, and attempting and conspiring to transfer, firearms and ammunition to commit terrorism, according to a criminal complaint filed on Nov. 3. Two New Jersey men, Tomas Kaan Guzel and Milo Sedanet, both 19, also have been arrested in connection with the alleged plot, ABC reports. Guzel is charged with conspiring to provide material support to a terrorist organization and Sedanet is charged with transmitting interstate threats according to New Jersey Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, per ABC. Mohmed Ali, left, and Ayob Asmail Nasser right, while at Downriver Guns on September 25, 2025. The last defendant, Nasser, was charged Nov. 5, the Free Press reports. The defendants arrested so far landed on the FBI's radar following a yearlong investigation involving an undercover FBI informant, undercover agents, secretly recorded conversations and surveillance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Amir Makled, the attorney for one of the defendants, it was the groups recreational gun activity and internet communications that put them on the FBIs radar. But he maintains that the suspects were merely gamers who talked tough on social media, and had no plans to harm anyone. "These kids are gamers, gamers are weird in the way they talk to each other," Makled said to the Free Press following a jail visit with his client on Nov. 1. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cedar Point cased in terrorist attack plot foiled by FBI. What to know CHESHIRE, Mass. (WWLP) Cheshire Police Chief Michael Alibozek, 53, of Adams, was arrested Thursday night by members of the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit after allegedly soliciting sex for a fee. According to officials, Alibozek was taken into custody around 9:45 p.m. in the parking lot of Hoosac Valley Middle and High School after allegedly soliciting sex for a fee. Two West Springfield men arrested in connection with underage prostitution sting Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators said he had been communicating online with an undercover detective from the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit prior to his arrest. Following the incident, Alibozek was relieved of duty and placed on paid administrative leave by the Cheshire Town Administrator and Chair of the Selectboard. Michael Alibozek (Courtesy of Cheshire Police Department) His town-issued firearm and access to the police station were also seized. Town officials said an emergency selectboard meeting was held on Friday to appoint an acting chief to oversee the department. The Town of Cheshire has also reported the matter to the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission, which oversees police certification and misconduct cases across the state. Alibozek is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Central Berkshire District Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Massachusetts State Police said the investigation remains active. 22News will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available. 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. For the first time since Operation Midway Blitz began, a large group of Chicago's business, civic and faith leaders jointed together Friday to call for an end to the ICE raids. They say it's having a big impact on the city's workforce and economy. From downtown businesses to retail corridors in Latino neighborhoods, the economic repercussions of the Trump administration's ICE enforcement has brought together a diverse group of business and civic leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The point is to shock and to scare not to enforce immigration laws," Chicago CRED Founder and Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. "It is an attempt to create learned helplessness in our communities." In an attempt to help, Duncan brought together the group called United for Chicago. RELATED | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates "We know the president listens to business leaders," said Rebecca Shi, CEO of the American Business Immigration Coalition. "He's extremely motivated by what the business community has to say. And so this is just to start, and businesses are making their voices heard." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shi calls Operation Midway Blitz economically reckless. She says revenues for some businesses have gone down by 50%. "Immigrants, along with undocumented immigrants, contribute $22 billion in taxes and local spending every year," Shi said. "They're not just part of our economy. They drive it." Shi says removing landscapers, restaurant workers, day care workers and so on is already driving up consumer prices. "No one, Republican, Democrat or Independent voted for this," Former President & CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Lou Sandoval said. SEE ALSO | Group of 14 'suburban moms' arrested during protest outside Broadview ICE facility Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Business leaders say they hope to begin some dialogue behind the scenes with Republican business owners especially those who worry about their bottom line and fear the Trump administration if they speak out. "There are a lot of people in Chicago who love Chicago and love Trump, and we ask those people to to speak up and step up and come and talk to us, and unified together, we're much stronger," said John Atkinson with the Illinois Economic Development Corporation. The business community says coming together was as a collective voice is just the beginning. They are hopeful more business leaders, locally and nationwide, will join their effort. Broken bridges are breaking trust for some elected leaders and commuters in Chicago. For months, the ABC7 I-Team has been examining how one of Chicago's most iconic features - century-old bridges crossing the Chicago River - are now resulting in a flow of problems; from needed repairs piling up, to a lack of coordination and scheduling when bridges will be closed. And according to federal data and city inspection reports, there are more needed repairs to come for some of the most unique and intricately engineered bridges in the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There's nothing like them like in most parts of the country," said Arsalan Khan, the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT)'s Chief Bridge Engineer. Bridges are a fundamental resource Chicagoans use every day. And that's why it came as a surprise this past April when the city announced the State Street bridge in the Loop was closing for "emergency repairs." The city now says those repairs are not expected to be completed until January 2026. Khan, who was just named the city's Chief Bridge Engineer this year, told the I-Team the city closed the bridge after discovering a flaw that needed immediate attention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We probably shouldn't have called it 'emergency,' but there was definitely work that needed to be done on this bridge," Khan said. "We inspect these things every day, especially this bridge every two years, all the elements of it. And right before we were about to start construction, we found some elements in there that needed to have a lane closed immediately." That concerning element was captured in a video recorded by city inspectors and obtained by the I-Team: When buses drove over the State Street bridge, a larger than normal gap was formed between both bridge sections, creating an opening and potential risk. The I-Team shared bridge inspection reports of the State Street bridge, and five other river bridges in the Loop with two civil engineers, who both agreed there were no imminent threats, but the closure of State Street came at a vital time. "The bridge, generally speaking, was not in a good condition," said Gongkang Fu with the Illinois Institute of Technology. "It did need that emergency repair as announced, and I believe that was a right move for them to take." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Farhad Ansari with the University of Illinois Chicago told the I-Team the State Street bridge was "probably somewhere between bad and perhaps on the verge of being really bad." The State Street bridge is not the only river bridge currently closed for repairs. The Lake Street bridge, which first opened in 1916, is also closed, and officials say it's slated to reopen in January 2028. Moving out of the Loop, the Chicago-Halsted bridge, which was originally built in 1914 and was replaced with an interim temporary structure in 2018, is also currently closed, and slated to reopen at the end of next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And the Cortland Street bridge, originally built in 1902, is closed for repairs and slated to reopen in mid-2027. CDOT officials told the I-Team the total cost for these four projects is estimated to be nearly $284 million. Commuters are feeling the impact of those closures. "Some of these bridges are not going to be done until 2028. 2028!" Kiva McGhee said in a video posted to TikTok. "It's a nightmare," Nicole Pamphilis said in a video online. "It's taking me 20 minutes to drive .3 miles!" Khan told the I-Team in September his department is trying to avoid traffic nightmares. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "All of these need some TLC," Khan said. "And we just can't close everything all at once." But at a Chicago city budget committee hearing last month, 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly had a different take. "In whose wisdom did we determine that it was appropriate to close so many east-west bridges, all at the same time?" Reilly asked CDOT's Acting Commissioner Craig Turner. "I would argue that you failed to plan or properly coordinate on your bridge closure projects," Reilly said. "I think we can all agree that you've created a bit of chaos." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "These bridges are old bridges," Turner responded, in part. "These bridges are carrying more [weight] than what they were designed to carry... There's no easy way to do, to repair a bridge." The city may have even more repair projects coming. Inspection reports and federal data from the National Bridge Inventory reviewed by the I-Team show ten more Chicago river bridges need "high priority" repairs or "replacement" across the city. Those bridges include: 1. Division St: (Needing Replacement) 2. Franklin/Orleans St: (Needing Replacement) 3. Grand Ave: (Needing corrective Action) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 4. Kinzie St: (Needing corrective Action) 5. Lake Shore Dr: (Needing corrective Action) 6. N LaSalle St: (Needing corrective Action) 7. Michigan Ave: (Needing corrective Action) 8. Roosevelt Rd: (Needing corrective Action) 9. Wilson Ave: (Needing corrective Action) 10. Randolph St: (Needing corrective Action) Our review found most of these bridges, and the bridges already closed, have been listed in "poor condition" by the federal National Bridge Inventory since 2016, nearly ten years. After filing public records requests with the city, a spokesperson for CDOT told the I-Team there is no master list or schedule for upcoming repair projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Timing is subject to a number of variables, including the outcome of inspections, procurement processes, coordination with other projects and agencies, funding availability, and logistical considerations," a CDOT spokesperson said by email. No bridges inspected by the city have had "imminent danger" flaws, according to city inspectors, and the bridges are inspected every one to two years, depending on their condition. While the city is in a budget deficit, a spokesperson for CDOT said bridge repair projects are funded with a mix of local, state, and federal money. For the four bridge projects already underway, the funding is coming from local and state dollars, CDOT says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khan said with a robust inspection schedule, the city will not hesitate to close a bridge if necessary. "If something gets critical, we will close it," Khan told the I-Team. "And if something needs work... our first instinct is to try to figure out how can we still maintain traffic on it, either by load posting or by staging traffic." "If there was imminent danger, we would close the bridge," Khan said. China has outpaced the United States in releasing the first images of the rare interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it made its close approach to Mars. On Oct. 3, the comet came within about 18 million miles of the Red Planet. Both China's Tianwen-1 Mars Orbiter and NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured it. But while NASA's images remain locked away due to the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, China has already shared its photos with the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The China National Space Administration (CNSA) released the Tiawen-1 images this week, showing the comet's bright nucleus surrounded by a vast coma stretching between 3,100 and 6,200 miles across. The photos were taken with the orbiter's High-Resolution Imaging Camera (HiRIC), which has been orbiting Mars since February 2021. "This is the first attempt to photograph such a distant and relatively faint target (10,000 to 100,000 times darker than a target on the surface of Mars)," the CNSA said in a statement. "Through the collaborative research of the Tianwen-1 team, combined with the orbital characteristics, brightness characteristics, geometric dimensions, and scientific payload technical capabilities of the orbiter, the feasibility assessment of the observation mission." CNSA added that "comet characteristics of the celestial body are obvious in the image, which is composed of the comet's core and its surrounding coma, with a diameter of thousands of kilometersThrough these observations, researchers are further conducting in-depth research on Atlas." NASA's MRO also photographed 3I/ATLAS using its HiRISE camera, which has a 19.7-inch aperture capable of sharper images than Tianwen-1's 15.2 inch HiRIC. The MRO data reportedly offers about three times the resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope images from July 21. But the U.S. images haven't been released because of the federal government shutdown, now the longest in history since it began Oct. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida) said Wednesday she had a "good conversation" with NASA about releasing the comet images. Luna had written to Acting Administrator Sean Duffy on Oct. 31 urging the agency to make the data public despite the shutdown. Just had a good conversation with @NASA regarding 3I/Atlas. As soon as the government reopens, they'll be releasing images/data. Unfortunately, due to beaucratic reasons they cannot until then. Dr. Avi Loeb @GalileoProject1 (@Harvard) was correct in his early analysis of the - Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) November 5, 2025 "As soon as the government reopens, they'll be releasing images/data," Luna wrote on X. "Unfortunately, due to bureaucratic reasons they cannot until then." Harvard professor and astronomer Avi Loeb, who has also called on NASA to release the MRO images, wrote in his blog: "Here's hoping for better images from NASA's HiRISE in the coming days." Loeb has previously speculated that 3I/ATLAS could be an alien probe due to its unusual characteristics. Post-perihelion image of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, taken on Wednesday by the R. Naves Observatory. (R. Naves Observatory) Around Oct. 29-30, the comet reached perihelion, its closest point to the Sun. The R. Naves Observatory released new post-perihelion images Wednesday showing a faint sphere of light with no visible tail. Loeb called the appearance "surprising," noting that its coma looks "not very different in morphology" than it appeared in July Hubble images. Image shows interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after perihelion shared on Wednesday by the Virtual Telescope Project. (The Virtual Telescope Project) "Based on momentum conservation, I derived that the mass fraction lost during the perihelion passage of 3I/ATLAS is larger than 13%," Loeb wrote. "For a typical comet, this should have resulted in a massive coma with dust and gas that would have been pushed by the solar radiation pressure and the solar wind to the shape of a typical cometary tail pointing away from the Sun." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Loeb now lists the lack of a cometary tail among 3I/ATLAS's many anomalies, along with its unusually massive nucleus, high speed, rapid brightening near perihelion and the fact that it has turned bluer than the Sun. More Space NASA | Startling close call as undetected asteroid flies close to Earth Icon | Historic space shuttle could be compromised for trip to Texas Experiment | Texas family gets surprise as NASA equipment lands on farm Wonder | 'Alien comet' mystery deepens as new theory emerges For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here. This article originally published at China beats US to releasing photos of strange comet by Mars. BANGKOK (AP) China has commissioned its latest aircraft carrier after extensive sea trials, state media reported Friday, adding a ship that experts say will help what is already the worlds largest navy expand its power farther beyond its own waters. The official Xinhua news agency said the Fujian had been commissioned Wednesday at a naval base on southern China's Hainan island in a ceremony attended by top leader Xi Jinping. The Fujian is Chinas third carrier and the first that it both designed and built itself. It is perhaps the most visible example so far of Xis massive military overhaul and expansion that aims to have a modernized force by 2035 and one that is world class by mid century which most take to mean capable of going toe-to-toe with the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With it, Beijing takes another step toward closing the gap with the U.S. Navy and its carrier fleet and network of bases that allow it to maintain a presence around the world. Carriers are key to Chinese leaderships vision of China as a great power with a blue-water navy, or one that can project power far from its coastal waters, said Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. China wants to contest waters as far as Guam For China's navy, one goal is to dominate the near waters of the South China Sea, East China Sea and Yellow Sea around the so-called First Island Chain, which runs south through Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. But deeper into the Pacific, it also wants to be able to contest control of the Second Island Chain, where the U.S. has important military facilities on Guam and elsewhere, Poling said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A carrier doesn't really help you in the First Island Chain, but it's key to that contest, if you want one, with the Americans in the wider Indo-Pacific, Poling said. Chinas increasingly capable military and ability to project power globally is one of the reasons the Pentagon in its latest report to Congress continued to call it the only competitor to the United States with the intent and, increasingly, the capacity to reshape the international order. At the same time, it is Beijing's right to transform its navy into a blue-water strategic navy commensurate with Chinas national strength, said Song Zhongping, a Hong Kong-based military affairs expert. Chinas carriers cannot just operate near home, they must operate in the distant oceans and far seas to carry out various training and support missions, Song said. China is a great power and our overseas interests span the globe; we need to be globally present. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News that the Fujian had been commissioned was met with wariness in nearby Japan. Minoru Kihara, a former defense minister and now chief cabinet secretary in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis new government, said it underscores that China is extensively and rapidly strengthening its military power without transparency. We believe that Chinas military intends to advance its operational capability at distant sea and air by strengthening sea power, he told reporters, emphasizing that Japan was watching Chinas military activity and would calmly but decisively respond if necessary. One possibility that raises concerns in foreign capitals is a possible Chinese blockade or invasion of the democratically self-governed island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and which leader Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking by force. Though the island sits right off of China's coast, if China had the ability to position an aircraft carrier group or groups around the Second Island Chain between Taiwan and the U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters in Hawaii that could delay possible American military assistance in the event of a Chinese attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They want those aircraft carriers to play a part in kind of extending the strategic perimeter farther out from China, and one of the important things that an aircraft carrier can do is extend the range of Chinas domain awareness to keep an eye on activities in the air, on the sea, and below the sea, said Brian Hart, deputy director of CSISs China Power Project With the Fujian, China's warplanes can deploy far from its shores China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was Soviet made and its second, the Shandong, was built in China but based on the Soviet model. Both use older-style ski-jump type systems to help planes take flight. The Fujian skips past the steam catapult technology used on most American carriers to employ an electromagnetic launch system found only on the latest U.S. Navy Ford-class carriers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The system causes less stress to the aircraft and the ship, allows for more precise control over speed and can launch a wider range of aircraft than the steam system. Compared to the ski-jump system, it gives China the ability to launch heavier aircraft, with full fuel loads, like the KJ-600 early warning and control plane, which it successfully tested during its sea trials. Its latest J-35 stealth fighter and J-15T heavy fighter were also launched from the Fujian, giving the new carrier "full-deck operation capability" according to the Chinese navy. The ability to carry its own reconnaissance aircraft means unlike its first two carriers, it won't be operating blind when out of the range of land-based support, giving it the ability to operate its most advanced aircraft far afield including the Second Island Chain. The Fujian carrier is a big leapfrog for China in terms of the capabilities of its aircraft carriers compared to the first two, Hart said . Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China's carriers aren't nuclear powered, limiting their range Still, Hart noted, China's navy lags behind the U.S. in several significant ways. Numerically it only has three carriers compared to the U.S. Navy's 11, and while China's carriers are all conventionally powered, the U.S.'s are all nuclear powered which means they can operate almost indefinitely without being refueled dramatically increasing their range. The Ford-class carrier, of which only one is currently in service but more are being built, is also larger, can carry more aircraft on its flight deck, and has a third elevator that means it can move more aircraft from lower deck hangars in less time. China also lags behind the U.S. in guided missile cruisers and destroyers, which are critical in providing air and submarine defense and support for larger naval groups, as well as nuclear-powered submarines. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. is also ahead in vertical launching system cells basically the systems for holding and launching missiles from ships which is a measure of how much firepower vessels can carry, though China is increasing that capacity, Hart said. Beyond just equipment, China lacks the network of overseas bases that the U.S. has, which are critical for resupplying carriers and also providing alternative runways should aircraft not be able to return safely to the carrier. China is working on expanding its foreign bases, however, and has a nuclear propulsion system for a carrier in development. Theres also evidence that China is already building another carrier. Chinese shipyards have the capabilities to build more than one at once and have also been churning out other new vessels at a pace the U.S. cant currently come close to matching. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Really across the board, Chinas closing the gap, Hart said. Theyre fielding and building more aircraft carriers, theyre fielding more nuclear-powered subs, they are fielding more, larger destroyers and other vessels that carry a larger number of missiles. So theyre really catching up. The Fujian is just one of China's latest military assets China has happily shown off its new military assets, releasing video of the KJ-600, J-35 and J-15T test flights from the Fujian. A World War II Victory Day parade at the start of September showcased all three aircraft along with hypersonic glide vehicles whose high-speed, maneuverability and other attributes make them more difficult to intercept than traditional ballistic missiles aerial and underwater drones and electronic warfare systems. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sophisticated new equipment does not necessarily translate to military readiness, however, said Singapore-based analyst Tang Meng Kit, who noted that China hasn't fought a war since 1979 and that the carefully choreographed parade was good at amplifying perceptions of strength. "It is possible that Chinas capabilities are overstated, as real-world operational readiness lags behind its showcased arsenal, he told the AP. He also cautioned in a recent analysis for the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore that it would be a mistake to see China's military modernization as simply geared toward a possible Taiwan invasion, which he said is only one part of a larger mosaic. The parade "signaled Chinas broader strategic intent, which is to deter major powers, pressure regional actors, expand its global influence, and reinforce its domestic legitimacy, he said. ___ Albee Zhang in Washington and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report. Credit: China Central Television via Reuters Chinas new state-of-the-art aircraft carrier has entered service as Beijing seeks to rival the US for naval supremacy. Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, attended the official commissioning ceremony for the Fujian at a military port in Sanya, on Hainan Island. The ship is Chinas third and most advanced aircraft carrier, boasting an electromagnetic aircraft launch system (Emals) that means it can catapult fully-loaded warplanes off the deck and into the air, and operate against distant targets while out at sea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Xi personally decided that the Fujian would adopt the Emals system as he oversees the modernisation of the Chinese military, state media reported. The only other aircraft carrier in the world to have the system is the US Navys newest carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which was certified for flight deck operations using the system in 2022. Xi Jinping (C), the Chinese president, with representatives of the Fujian aircraft carrier unit at the official commissioning ceremony at a naval port in Sanya City - Xinhua/Alamy Live News The Fujian has two aircraft elevators versus three on the USS Ford, a smaller flight deck and three catapults compared to the Fords four. Experts say that means the American ship should be able to launch planes more rapidly. China has not disclosed how many planes the Fujian can carry, but experts estimate it is 40 to 60. The US carriers can hold 60 to 70 planes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beijing is seeking to project its maritime power against the US and its allies in the region, with tensions persisting over territorial claims over Taiwan. China already has the largest navy in the world, with 405 military vessels, but America, with 295 vessels, has more big ships. b' Chinese Fujian aircraft carrier ' Today, the Peoples Liberation Army has almost a million more troops than the United States and over a thousand more tanks. Its air force has nearly 2,000 fighter jets. Chinese defence officials confirmed in September that the Fujian had sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait to carry out scientific research trials and training missions in the South China Sea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than 2,000 people from the navy and the carriers construction units were present at the commissioning ceremony, standing on the dock in rows, according to state media. The atmosphere was grand and enthusiastic, Xinhua reported. After the ceremony, Xi Jinping boarded the Fujian... and learned about the development of the aircraft carrier system combat capabilities and the construction and application of the electromagnetic catapult system, it said. Mr Xi also went into the carriers control tower to learn about flight operations, Xinhua said, adding that he solemnly signed the ships logbook. Beijing has not disclosed how many planes the Fujian can carry, but experts estimate 40 to 60 - Ding Ziyu/Xinhua via AP, File But analysts say China still lags behind the US, which has 11 aircraft carriers in service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Like the Fujian, Americas 11 carriers all have catapult launches, but the 10 Nimitz-class carriers use a steam system rather than an electromagnetic one, which requires more maintenance and space. Unlike Chinas, Americas carriers are also nuclear-powered, giving them virtually unlimited range with no need to refuel. The US carriers are also able to carry up to 20 more planes than the Fujian. China appears to be working on nuclear propulsion for its next-generation carriers, but it is unclear when one might be commissioned. b' 2606 Fujian Aircraft carrier ' Mr Xi has directed billions of dollars into its navy in recent years, building the equivalent of the Royal Navy in just four years. Around 40 warships were built between 2019 and 2023, which is more than the Royal Navys battle force fleet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After conducting sea trials in recent months, the Fujian now joins Chinas other two carriers in active operation, the Liaoning and the Shandong. The Soviet-built Liaoning is the oldest, commissioned in 2012, while the Shandong entered service in 2019. The countrys three carriers push it past India, the United Kingdom and Italy, which have two each. 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. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, imaged from Mars orbit by China's Tianwen 1 spacecraft on Oct. 3, 2025. | Credit: CNSA China's Tianwen 1 Mars orbiter has imaged the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS during its close pass by the Red Planet, aiding global efforts to study the rare interstellar interloper. 3I/ATLAS is only the third object ever confirmed to have reached our solar system after originating in another planetary system, following 'Oumuamua in 2017 and 2I/Borisov in 2019. This time, space agencies around the world have been looking at any and all ways to study the invading comet, including repurposing spacecraft spread across the solar system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The European Space Agency and NASA are known to have pointed their Mars spacecraft , including surface rovers, toward the comet when 3I/ATLAS, which is thought to be older than our solar system , passed by in early October. And now the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has revealed that its own Tianwen 1 spacecraft imaged the comet between Oct. 1 and Oct. 4, publishing images showing its path during this time, as well as a standalone photo from Oct. 3. A series of photos of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, captured from Mars orbit by Tianwen 1 in early October 2025. | Credit: CNSA Tianwen 1 used its High-Resolution Imaging Camera (HiRIC) somewhat comparable to HiRISE on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), but slightly lower resolution to capture the comet moving against a stellar backdrop. The operation posed challenges, notably switching from imaging bright planetary surface features from low Mars orbit to tracking, from 18 million miles (28.96 million kilometers) away, a faint comet that's moving at 129,800 mph (58 km per second) and is just 3.5 miles (5.6 km) wide. "Data acquired by a high-resolution camera was received, processed and displayed by a ground-based application system," according to CNSA's Nov. 5 statement . "The images clearly show the comet's distinctive features, consisting of a nucleus and a surrounding coma, with a diameter reaching several thousand kilometers." CNSA says the comet imaging project was an important extension mission for Tianwen 1, stating that the ability to observe faint celestial bodies provided a chance to perform useful technical tests and accumulate experience for the second mission in China's deep-space exploration series, Tianwen 2 , which launched in May and is on its way to sample a near-Earth asteroid . PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Chuck Kesey, an Oregon pioneer in the field of probiotic yogurt and co-founder of Springfield Creamery, passed away Thursday at the age of 87. Kesey was instrumental in launching the natural foods movement more than six decades ago, having grown up in Springfield, where his father managed the Eugene Farmers Creamery. Kesey then went on to study dairy science at Oregon State University in the 1950s, becoming fascinated with the idea of beneficial bacteria. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Butternaise? New Tillamook, Kewpie collaboration sells out in under 10 minutes It was at OSU where he met his wife, Susan Jameson. After marrying in 1960, they opened Springfield Creamery which initially was only comprised of Chuck, Sue, some friends and a milk truck, just bottling glass jugs for local schools and homes. Chuck and Sue Kesey opened The Springfield Creamery in Eugene in 1960, undated (Courtesy photo) In 1970, Kesey made a breakthrough, adding L. acidophilus to honey-sweetened yogurt, creating the first yogurt in the United States containing live probiotics. This gave way to Nancys Yogurt and modern probiotics foods overall. Suddenly single, new mom lifted by Sunshine Division Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When the business fell on hard times in 1972, Keseys older brother Ken Kesey who wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest suggested he reach out to the Grateful Dead for a benefit concert. Less than a month later, the Grateful Dead performed for them in Veneta, Oregon, and the funds saved the creamery. The Grateful Dead played a benefit concert for Eugenes Springfield Creamery in 1972 (Springfield Creamery) Over the years, Kesey was the creamerys designated Keeper of the Culture, always taste-testing each batch of yogurt himself. He also held a wide range of interests and collected rocks, mushrooms, flowers, and other artifacts. Our Dad never stopped exploring his mind was interested in so many pieces of life, said Sheryl Kesey Thompson, Keseys daughter and co-owner of Springfield Creamery. He believed that real, healthy food could make peoples lives better. That was his true calling, and I think that is what he was most pleased to have had an impact on. He would often remind us, We are not making breakfast. We are making health food, and we are saving lives here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kesey was preceded in death by his wife, Sue, in Aug. 2025. Their family, including children Kit Kesey and Sheryl Kesey-Thompson, as well as grandchildren Taylor, Blake, and Grant Thompson, continue to own and operate the Springfield Creamery. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. TOKYO (AP) Honda reported Friday that its profit for the first fiscal half through September fell 37% from the previous year, as the damage from President Donald Trumps tariffs offset the lift from solid motorcycle sales. Tokyo-based Honda Motor Co. recorded a 311.8 billion yen ($2 billion) profit for April-September, down from 494.6 billion yen a year before. Sales over the six months totaled 10.6 trillion yen ($69 billion), down 1.5% from nearly 10.8 trillion yen. Honda lowered its profit projection for the fiscal year through March 2026 to 300 billion yen ($2 billion), which would be a decline of 64% from 835.8 billion yen the year before. It had earlier forecast a 420 billion yen ($2.7 billion) annual profit. Honda, which makes the Accord sedan and Odyssey minivan, said an unfavorable currency rate also hurt its bottom line, erasing 116 billion yen ($756 million) from its operating profit over the six months. But Honda achieved record sales in motorcycles, led by strong results in the Asian region, excluding Vietnam. Honda said it sold more than 9 million motorcycles in Asia during the first half, up from 8.8 million a year ago. Hondas motorcycle sales improved in every global region, except for Europe, at a record 10.7 million units sold. Hondas global vehicle sales in the first half totaled 1.68 million vehicles, down from 1.78 million. By region, vehicle sales grew in North America, but fell in Japan, the rest of Asia and Europe. Although it helps that Honda produces many of its vehicles in the U.S., tariffs caused a decline of 164 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in operating profit over the six-month period, the company said. Adding to its challenges, Honda has faced a chips shortage after the Dutch government in late September took control of Nexperia, which is based in the Netherlands but owned by Chinese company Wingtech Technology, citing national security concerns. In response, China blocked shipments of chips from Nexperias plant in the southern Chinese city of Dongguan, though it has now allowed those exports to resume. Vehicle production at Hondas plant in Celaya, Mexico, has halted since Oct. 28, while production at North American plants were adjusted, starting Oct. 27, due to the Nexperia-related supply disruptions. Honda did not give a date on when production will be restored to normal levels. Honda stocks on Friday gained 1.8% to 1,585 yen ($10) in Tokyo trading. ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama CHULA VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) A man suspected of murdering two people in their Chula Vista home in February is in custody in Ohio and is awaiting extradition to San Diego County to face charges. According to the Chula Vista Police Department, on Feb. 21, 2025, at around 2:30 p.m., deputies responded to a call involving suspicious circumstances at a townhouse located in the 1600 block of Paseo Carina in Chula Vista. The caller was reportedly a resident of the townhouse community who had several concerns about a specific apartment, including not seeing the residents for weeks. When officers arrived at the apartment, they conducted a welfare check and found a 57-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman both dead. The deceased individuals were later identified as Abdul Hasan and Paz Gojar, who were reportedly cohabitants of the apartment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The investigation was upgraded to a homicide after autopsies revealed that both victims had been fatally stabbed, according to authorities. Throughout the investigation, detectives reportedly identified Ohio resident Steven Cleveland, 43, as a person of interest after detectives discovered he fled to Kentucky shortly after the homicides. According to the report, Cleveland was arrested in Knoxville, Tennessee, on an unrelated warrant. Cleveland remained in jail as the homicide investigation continued. Authorities say that based on the findings, investigators believe on Jan. 29, 2025, Cleveland stabbed Hasan and then fatally stabbed Gojar before fleeing the scene, leaving both victims inside the residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An arrest warrant was issued for Cleveland on Oct. 22, charging him with murder and auto theft. The warrant has since been served, according to authorities, as Cleveland remains in custody at the Tri-County Regional Jail in Mechanicsburg, Ohio, awaiting extradition to San Diego. According to the report, the case has been submitted to the San Diego County District Attorneys Office, which has filed murder and other related criminal 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 FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. Nearly 2.2 million people in Illinois might see eligible criminal records sealed following passage of the Clean Slate Act during last weeks veto session. The bill would require law enforcement agencies to automatically seal eligible criminal records every six months. Excluded from the measure are convictions for sexual violence against minors, DUIs, reckless driving, cruelty to animals and serious violent crimes, including any that would qualify for sex offender registration. We are not adding any crimes that are not currently allowed to be sealed by petition, we are just making the process automatic, bill sponsor Sen. Elgie Sims Jr., D-Chicago, said during discussion on the Senate floor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After an earlier version of the bill failed to clear both chambers during the spring legislative session, House Bill 1836 now awaits only a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker to become law. The legislation passed 39-17 in the Senate and 80-26 in the House during the fall veto session. Law enforcement, courts and other relevant agencies would continue to have access to sealed records, but the public and private background check entities would not. Automatic sealing would apply to convictions as well as dismissed or reversed charges and arrests. Advocates of the bill say it will give Illinoisians a second chance to participate in society and will open new opportunities to work, vote and secure housing. Although a 2021 amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits employers from discriminating based on criminal convictions, many say they continue to face employment challenges due to their records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Clean Slate Initiative a bipartisan organization that seeks to pass automatic record sealing laws across the U.S. estimates that sealing records would infuse $4.7 billion in lost wages back into the states economy annually. To me, this is a jobs bill, Sims said of the Clean Slate Act. Twelve other states and the District of Columbia have similar laws in place, according to advocates. If signed, the bill would create a task force dedicated to overseeing implementation of the bill over the next five years and producing an annual report detailing progress. Automated sealing by the courts would begin by Jan. 1, 2031. Partisan divide Republican senators raised concerns during floor debate regarding appropriations needed to fund the bill, additional exemptions to automatic sealing, and the removal of a drug test requirement for sealing records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said she feared the $18 million estimated cost for circuit clerks to comply with automatic sealing would ultimately result in a property tax increase for local municipalities. That $18 million, which does not include costs for Cook County, would be phased in over five years. But future General Assemblies would have to agree to provide the funding. In reply, Sims invited Bryant to participate in this years budget process. Sen. Steve McClure, R-Springfield, said he wished that crimes involving financial exploitation of the elderly had been exempted along with others on the list of exemptions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McClure said he had seen the impact of those crimes on peoples lives while working as a prosecutor. He feared the Clean Slate Act would make it harder for victims to seek compensation and for families to avoid hiring someone with a record of harming the elderly. The family member whos hiring to look after their loved one is shielded from that information, McClure said. Sims said he discussed the issue of financial crimes against the elderly with states attorneys, and ultimately he decided it was appropriate to include those crimes in automated sealing. McClure and Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, each raised concerns regarding the removal of a requirement that petitioners have proof of passing a drug test within 30 days of requesting to seal drug-related records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youre trying to rehabilitate people. Youre trying to show that theyre on the right path, but youre also saying that you dont want them to prove that they cant stay clean for 48 hours? McClure said. Sims said that issue is addressed by a three-year prohibition on sealing new felony convictions. That is, the latest sentence served by the individual for a felony conviction is not eligible for sealing until three years from the end of their most recent sentence. Nothing stops us from rearresting and reconvicting anybody who may decide that they just dont want to stand on the side of law and order, Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, said. What we can say and send a strong message to the employers of the state of Illinois, to the people of Illinois, is that we are not going to be soft on crime, but we are going to be smart with justice. At the heart of the critiques, McClure said, was a concern about personal responsibility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the major themes in anyone who is rehabilitated from the criminal justice system is that they have taken personal responsibility to get their life on track, McClure said. This takes those things away. So, it makes us less safe. Barriers to clean records The drug test is just one of the hurdles to retaining a clean record lifted by the bill, according to advocates. They pointed to a study finding that only 10% of those eligible to have records sealed in Illinois actually go through the process to do so. McClure said the process is a simple one involving online forms and that advocates did not know what they were talking about. If the process were easy, then 90% of the people who are eligible to have their records sealed would not be barred from receiving those benefits, Sims responded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added that McClures experience as an attorney was not representative of the general population. It is daunting for someone who does not go in a courtroom often or every day to have to go into the courtroom and go through that process, Sims said. According to legal aid resources, the current process of sealing records includes collecting information on an individuals case, filling out forms some of which can be completed online and filing a petition in the county or counties where charges originated. There is usually a fee to file the petition, and petitioners must give notice to the prosecutor and police agency associated with the case, which are given 60 days to object. Some counties require petitioners to appear in court while others, such as Cook County, handle reviews administratively. Sims said he hoped the governor would sign the bill, adding that Pritzker had always been a champion of giving people second chances. NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) A Newport News jury on Thursday awarded $10 million in damages to Abigail Zwerner, the Richneck Elementary School teacher who was shot by one of her 6-year-old students in her classroom more than two years ago. Complete Coverage: Richneck Elementary School Shooting Zwerners lawyers had argued during the civil trial that then-assistant principal Ebony Parker was grossly negligent in her response to multiple reports that the boy might have had a gun in his possession on Jan. 6, 2023, when Zwerner was shot, with the bullet going through her hand and then narrowly missing her heart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zwerner sued the Newport News School Board and school officials in April 2023, seeking $40 million in damages. A judge later dismissed the board and others from the lawsuit, but not Parker, who faces eight counts of felony child neglect one count for each bullet that was allegedly in the gun at the time of the shooting in a criminal trial scheduled to begin Nov. 17. After the verdict was reached, Zwerners attorneys spoke to the crowd gathered outside the Newport News courthouse. The comments we received in my office, Dianes [Toscano] office, Kevins [Biniazan] office, overwhelmingly were teachers concerned about their safety in schools, said attorney Jeffrey Breit. And if this doesnt send a message to the schools of America that teacher safety and childrens safety from weapons is too important to make it a second thought, it needs to be the most important thing schools do taking care of the teachers and safety of our students. Parker and her legal team did not address the media following the reading of the verdict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defenses argument during the entire trial was that Parker shouldnt be the only one held responsible for the shooting. Other staff members, they said, should also share some of the blame. Though Zwerners $10 million award is much less than the $40 million her team was asking for, her attorneys are hopeful the verdict sets a new precedent on school safety. I think it says that what happened at Richneck Elementary School that day was wrong and is not going to be tolerated, that safety has to be a concern at schools, Toscano said. Said Biniazan: We have to acknowledge within our civil justice system that accountability comes from anyone who contributed to the ultimate outcome, and some of these things are foreseeable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The $10 million that Zwerner is to receive would be paid from the school divisions insurance policy. There is an insurance policy thats covered for the school board and the defendant Parker is a name insured, Breit said. Next from here will be post-trial motions for the legal teams to iron out the remaining details of this civil trial. Closing arguments were delivered Wednesday in Zwerners civil trial against Parker over the 2023 classroom shooting at Richneck Elementary. During the closing arguments Wednesday, one of Zwerners attorneys, Biniazan, recounted Parkers alleged failure to act on repeated warnings that a 6-year-old student had brought a gun. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A gun changes everything, Biniazan said. You stop and you investigate. Zwerners legal team added Parker was alerted by multiple staff members about the boys behavior that day. Parkers attorney, Sandra Douglas, argued she used real-time judgement, not hindsight judgments to respond to an unprecedented shooting. Your job is to consider only what Dr. Parker knew at the time, Douglas said. She also questioned testimony in court, such as how much of a recluse Zwerner had become, in the wake of the shooting. Im not minimizing what happened to Ms. Zwerner, Im not doing that, Douglas said. But when someone is asking for $40 million, its my job to tell you, there is another side to that story. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The jury got the case Wednesday. Court TV live-streamed all of the proceedings on its YouTube 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 WAVY.com. CNNs chief data analyst Harry Enten on Thursday revealed how President Donald Trump proved to be harmful for GOP candidates in key election races. If there is any idea that Republicans are going to be able to outrun Donald Trumps low approval ratings, this says, Nuh-uh, theyre going to be like impalas getting chased down in the African desert by a big lion, said Enten in his analysis of CNN exit polling. Politics: See How Donald Trump Reacted To Oval Office Medical Emergency Enten highlighted 2025 exit poll data showing how 93% and 92% of those who disapproved of Trump voted for the Democratic gubernatorial nominees in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those figures are a jump from Trumps first term in 2017 when 82% and 87% of those who disapproved of the president voted for the Democratic gubernatorial nominees in those two states. Enten declared that Tuesday nights results show Trump who continues to face disastrous approval ratings in his second term was an absolute drag on those candidates and likely was on those nationwide. If you are in a state where Donald Trump is underwater, you are in big, big trouble, Enten said. Moments later, Enten turned to several polls shared earlier this week that show Trumps net approval rating (percent approval minus percent disapproval) is down there with the Titanic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He went on to stress that the GOP was met with an absolutely awful result on Tuesday, noting that all three of Pennsylvanias Democratic state Supreme Court justices won their retention races, and Georgia Democrats saw statewide wins in a nonfederal election for the first time in a generation. Watch more of Entens post-election analysis in the clip below. Related... Read the original on HuffPost PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WTNH) The Coast Guard rescued five people on a sailboat which began taking water 260 nautical miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on Thursday. According to the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Command Center got a distress call from the crew of the Magic Bus, a sailboat which was taking water and all five people aboard were abandoning ship onto the life raft. PHOTOS: Plane runs off runway at Waterbury-Oxford Airport Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Coast Guard sent a boat crew, an aircraft crew and a helicopter crew to search for the life raft, and the aircraft crew located it with all five people aboard, established communications and determined that all five were stable and in good condition. The helicopter crew successfully removed all five people from the life raft in good health and took them to Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City in North Carolina. The Coast Guard confirmed that some of the five people on board are from Connecticut. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTNH.com. EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) For the first time in 15 years, the Rhode Island Department of State sent out mailers to every registered voter this week asking them to make sure their information on file is correct. Those who receive this mailer are asked to verify the information in the letter is correct, and if not, to contact the Department of State. In the video above, R.I. Secretary of State Gregg Amore joins 12 News at 4 to discuss the campaign. 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. World leaders have gathered in Brazil for the start of the UNs Cop30 climate summit, as the top leaders of the planets three biggest polluters the United States, China and India stay away from the opening meeting despite warnings that the 1.5C global warming goal is slipping out of reach. Brazils president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened the summit in Belem on Thursday with a warning against extremist forces spreading lies about the climate crisis for political gain. We need a roadmap to plan a just way to undo deforestation, overcome fossil fuels and mobilise the resources needed for those aims, he told fellow leaders, calling for renewed global solidarity to protect tropical forests and fund a just transition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sir Keir Starmer, who is attending the summit in person, also admitted the consensus is gone on climate crisis as governments across the world row back on pledges to cut emissions. But that makes our duty even greater, the prime minister told the conference: Because inaction will only deepen the problems of rising bills, energy insecurity and global instability. Pointing to the hurricane which recently brought destruction to the Caribbean, he continued: "Just look at the tragic destruction brought by hurricane Melissa: Lives lost, homes, livelihoods, entire communities destroyed, islands just trapped in its devastating path. "So, we say today to our friends in Jamaica and across the Caribbean, we stand with you. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer gives a speech at the Cop30 summit in Belem, Brazil (PA) "But, look, there is a better path for all of us. We can choose to rise to this moment and to recognise that this is not just a problem to be solved, but also an immense opportunity to be seized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So, the UK is doubling down on the fight against climate change as an investment in future generations, yes, of course, but also, crucially, as an investment in improving the lives of working people here and now." The summit takes place against the backdrop of alarming new data from the UNs World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), which said 2025 is on track to be the second or third hottest year on record. Global temperatures between January and August were 1.42C above pre-industrial levels, and scientists warned it is now virtually impossible to stay within the 1.5C limit in the next few years without a temporary overshoot. This unprecedented streak of high temperatures makes it clear that it will be virtually impossible to limit global warming to 1.5C in the next few years without temporarily overshooting this target, said WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo. But its still entirely possible and essential to bring temperatures back down to 1.5C by the end of the century. Oxfam activists wear puppet heads in the likeness of US president Donald Trump, left, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, center, and president of Argentina Javier Milei as they protest ahead of the Cop30 UN Climate Summit in Belem, Para state, Brazil (AP) UN secretary general Antonio Guterres added: Each year above 1.5C will hammer economies, deepen inequalities and inflict irreversible damage. We must act now, at great speed and scale, to make the overshoot as small, as short, and as safe as possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Too many corporations are making record profits from climate devastation, with billions spent on lobbying, deceiving the public and obstructing progress," Mr Guterres said in his speech. "Too many leaders remain captive to these entrenched interests." Despite these warnings, the absence of US president Donald Trump, Chinese president Xi Jinping and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has overshadowed the start of Cop30s high-level segment. The US will not send senior officials, as it pulled out of the Paris Agreement under Mr Trump, while Chinas delegation will be led by vice premier Ding Xuexian. Their absence leaves European and Latin American leaders to take the stage in Belem a city of 1.3 million people on the edge of the Amazon rainforest to push for progress on long-delayed pledges of climate finance and action. Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales (R) and Britain's prime minister Keir Starmer (L), shake hands with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, during the Cop30 UN climate conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil (AFP/Getty) Chilean president Gabriel Boric, addressing the summit after Lula, directly criticised Mr Trump, saying the US leader had lied at the UN General Assembly when he dismissed climate crisis as the greatest con job in the world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lula, who has pledged to restore Brazils environmental credibility, is expected to unveil a new Tropical Forests Forever Fund, a multibillion-dollar initiative that would compensate 74 forested countries for keeping their trees standing. I dont want to be an environmental leader. I never claimed to be, Lula said earlier this week, responding to criticism of his decision to allow state-owned Petrobras to explore for oil near the mouth of the Amazon River. The move has drawn concern from environmentalists over the risk of oil spills in one of the planets most fragile ecosystems. Belem itself encapsulates the contradictions of hosting a climate summit in the heart of the Amazon. Around 17 per cent of the forests original cover has already vanished, cleared for cattle ranching, logging and mining. Delegates arriving by plane see both emerald green canopies and vast brown scars from deforestation. The city, with limited hotel capacity, has been overwhelmed by tens of thousands of delegates, journalists and activists. Local residents have converted schools, public offices and even cat hotels into makeshift hostels, while love motels are charging visitors hundreds of dollars a night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unlike recent summits in Egypt, the UAE and Azerbaijan, Brazil has allowed full public demonstrations, with Indigenous groups, youth activists and NGOs marching and sailing into Belem with banners demanding stronger climate action. Being able to protest and dialogue is a great thing about this COP, Laurent Durieux of the US-based International Relief and Development group, told Reuters. Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Cornell University on Friday reached an agreement with the Trump administration to allocate $60 million that would end government investigations and restore several hundred million dollars in research funding for the private school. Cornell has now joined four other elite universities in making deals. The allegations stem from accusations of anti-Semitism and admissions discrimination. Cornell, located in Ithaca, N.Y., settled after Brown University, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cornell reached the deal with the Department of Justice, Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services that "will protect Cornell's students from violations of federal civil rights laws, including from discrimination based on race, sex, or national origin, and promote America's hardworking farming and rural communities," according to a DOJ news release. The Ivy League school agreed to pay a $30 million fine and to invest another $30 million for programs to improve efficiency and lower costs in agriculture and farming. Cornell is a land-grant school that conducts agricultural research. The money will be spread out over three years. The Trump administration froze more than $1 billion in research funding at the school. Cornell's president, Michael Kotlikoff, during his State of the University address in September, said officials didn't know how the government reached that figure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He said Cornell had accounted for "nearly $250 million in canceled or unpaid research funds." Kotlikoff had said he didn't want the government to "dictate our institution's policies." "The months of stop-work orders, grant terminations and funding freezes have stalled cutting-edge research, upended lives and careers, and threatened the future of academic programs at Cornell," he said in a statement to the Cornell community. "With this resolution. Cornell looks forward to resuming the long and fruitful partnership with the federal government that has yielded, for so many years, so much progress and well-being for our nation and our world." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The five-page document reads: "This agreement is not an admission in whole or in part by either party. Cornell denies liability with respect to the subject matter of the Investigations." The deal goes through Dec. 31, 2028. "Both parties affirm the importance of and their support for academic freedom," the agreement said. "The United States does not aim to dictate the content of academic speech or curricula, and no provision of this agreement, individually or taken together, shall be construed as giving the United States authority to dictate the content of academic speech or curricula." In the agreement, the school and government "affirm the importance of and their support for civil rights, and Cornell has a "commitment to complying with federal civil rights laws and agrees to include the Department of Justice's 'Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination." Cornell agreed to provide discrimination training to faculty and staff members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Trump administration has secured another transformative commitment from an Ivy League institution to end divisive DEl policies," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said. "Thanks to this deal with Cornell and the ongoing work of DOJ, HHS, and the team at ED, U.S. universities are refocusing their attention on merit, rigor, and truth seeking -- not ideology. These reforms are a huge win in the fight to restore excellence to American higher education and make our schools the greatest in the world." Attorney General Pam Bondi also praised the deal, saying, "Recipients of federal funding must fully adhere to federal civil rights laws and ensure that harmful DEI policies [diversity, equity and inclusion] do not discriminate against students. "Today's deal is a positive outcome that illustrates the value of universities working with this administration -- we are grateful to Cornell for working toward this agreement." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Trump Administration is actively dismantling the ability of elite universities to discriminate based on race or religion," HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. "The DOJ's agreement with Cornell strengthens protections for students against anti-Semitism and all other forms of discrimination." The investigations into Cornell centered on campus demonstrations against Israel in the war with Hamas that began on Oct. 7, 2023, and demands to diversify from weapons manufacturers that supplied the Israeli military. McMahon had said the protests "severely disrupted campus life" and Jewish students were fearful on campus. Despite a nearly $12 billion endowment, university officials warned about layoffs and "a comprehensive review of programs and head count across the university." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the other deals, Penn and Virginia had no financial penalties, while Columbia agreed to a $200 million fine and Brown committed to spend $50 million on workforce development programs. Harvard hasn't reached a deal and individually sued in April. The federal government said it would freeze more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts after Harvard refused to agree to demands, including eliminating DEI programs. Also, another $1 billion in federal health research contracts to Harvard could be withheld. The IRS is considering rescinding the tax-exempt status of the university. And the administration has threatened Harvard's ability to enroll foreign students. A Justice Department lawyer told a federal judge Thursday that the University of California system wasn't close to reaching an agreement. The schools include UCLA. By Bhargav Acharya (Reuters) -Cornell University's $250 million in federal grants were restored under a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration announced on Friday, the fifth such agreement to be struck amid a conservative crackdown on institutions. The agreement requires the university, known for its agricultural programs, to pay the government $30 million and invest another $30 million in agricultural research over three years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cornell also must provide admissions data to end government investigations of the Ivy League university over accusations of antisemitism and discrimination. Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff stressed his university had not been found in violation of U.S. civil rights laws in any government investigations or compliance reviews. ADMINISTRATION CITES BLOW AGAINST DEI Education Secretary Linda McMahon said on X the Cornell deal was another victory in the push to end what she called "divisive DEI policies" at Ivy League universities, referring to diversity, equity and inclusion measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In April, citing what it called insufficient efforts to curb antisemitism, the administration froze funding to the university, which is based in Ithaca, New York. Kotlikoff expressed relief a deal had been reached that would ease financial pressure. "The months of stop-work orders, grant terminations and funding freezes have stalled cutting-edge research, upended lives and careers and threatened the future of academic programs at Cornell," he said in a statement. He said the agreement allowed Cornell to decide hiring and admissions policies, as well as what it taught, "without intrusive government monitoring or approvals." Higher education advocate Jon Fansmith said the Cornell deal showed the Trump administration "losing leverage." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are seeing an increasing narrowness of what the agreements cover," said Fansmith, senior vice president for government relations with the American Council on Education, a higher education lobbying group. The deal states that "no provision of this agreement, individually or taken together, shall be construed as giving the United States authority to dictate the content of academic speech or curricula." Cornell agreed to provide the government with undergraduate admissions data through 2028 on race, grade point average and performance on standardized tests. The Trump administration has included similar terms in deals with other universities as it analyzes whether race is used to determine college admissions. PRESSURE ON UNIVERSITIES Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump administration has been pressuring top U.S. universities over pro-Palestinian student protests it has labeled antisemitic and policies designed to increase diversity that the administration has condemned as discriminatory. The administration has also targeted DEI programs at banks, corporations and law firms. Harvard, the richest and oldest university in the U.S., has launched a legal battle, but continues to explore a settlement. Trump said in September that a deal with Harvard was close. Columbia University and other colleges struck agreements over the summer. Columbia agreed to pay over $200 million to the U.S. government in its settlement and had earlier acquiesced to a series of demands that included scrutiny of departments offering courses on the Middle East and other concessions that were widely condemned by U.S. academics. The Trump administration has faced setbacks in its fight, including an August court ruling ordering the release of more than $500 million in funding to UCLA it had frozen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, it offered nine universities preferential consideration for federal funding in exchange for agreeing to a set of policies. Most rejected the proposal, citing academic freedom. MIT President Sally Kornbluth said the proposal's premise was "inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone." The White House later extended the offer to any school, but the response has been muted. (Reporting by Bhargav Acharya, David Ljunggren, Kanishka Singh and Brad Brooks; Writing by Andrew Hay; Editing by Caitlin Webber, Donna Bryson and Rod Nickel) Bill Gates and Warren Buffett ushered in a new Gilded Era of philanthropic giving, likened in influence to the Rockefellers and Carnegies. But charity work is about to look very different as higher taxes are threatened on liberal institutions, and new methods of giving are popularized by women mega-donors. MacKenzie Scott has become a pioneer in the cultural shift, gifting more than $200 million to HBCUs and charitable causes in recent months. Earlier this year, the world of philanthropy was shaken up when Gates announced that he would be sunsetting his foundation, giving away $200 billion by 2045 and expediting the plan to shed his $100 billion personal fortune. Theres an air of anticipation in terms of if and how people are going to follow in his footsteps, Amir Pasic, dean of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, told Fortune in May. And with prolific 94-year-old philanthropist Buffett departing from the helm of Berkshire Hathaway at the end of this year, even more change is expected. His Giving Pledge, signed by more than 250 billionaires across 30 countries who reportedly pledge a pool of at least $600 billion, opened the hearts and pockets of the ultra-rich. But the question arises if billionaires will pick up the torch and stay true to their promises once Buffett inevitably parts from the pledges limelight. Experts agreed a shift is on the horizonbut that doesnt mean a screeching halt to philanthropy altogether. In fact, it could open the door for a more diverse group of donors to take the lead. Were likely to see more women come out of the shadows, Pasic predicted. How philanthropy will look in a new era Many billionaires have started foundations as a way to channel their philanthropic efforts, but a recent decision from the U.S. House of Representatives may upend that practice. This May, a budget reconciliation package was approved, which stipulated a tax of 10% on foundations with more than $5 billion in assets. The reason this is insidious is that its going to really hit the big liberal foundations like Gates, Ford, and Soros, Kathleen McCarthy, director for the center on philanthropy at CUNY, told Fortune earlier this year. Whereas the conservative foundations are much smaller and they will pay a much lower rate. Thousands of liberal foundations led by billionaires including Gates, Scott, George Soros, and Mark Zuckerberg could be hit hard by these tax hikes. This could entirely change how billionaires approach philanthropy. [Billionaires] will start looking at alternative mechanisms once they realize that theyre going to be forced to sunset foundations, McCarthy said. Thats whats being jeopardized right now. Iowans may have sparkling wine bottles at risk of shattering, according to a Costco recall. Costco is recalling nearly 1 million bottles of sparkling wine, including ones sold at its Iowa warehouses, due to a serious safety hazard. Approximately 941,400 bottles of the retailer Kirkland Signature Valdobbiadene Prosecco are being recalled, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bottles, which sold for about $8 each between April and August, were manufactured in Italy and imported by Ethica Wines of Miami, Florida. Here's more about the recalled sparking wine, including how to get a refund. A bottle of Kirkland Signature Valdobbiadene Prosecco. What Kirkland Signature prosecco is being recalled? Here are additional specifications for the recalled sparkling wine, sold in a green bottle with purple foil and a purple label. UPC code: 196633883742 Costco item No: 1879870 Which Costco warehouses sold the recalled wine? Costco's four Iowa warehouses in Ankeny, Coralville, Davenport and West Des Moines sold the wine along with stores in the following states: Illinois Indiana Kentucky Michigan Minnesota Missouri North Dakota Nebraska Ohio South Dakota Wisconsin Safety notice initially issued for same bottles The recall comes on the heels of Costco recently issuing a safety notice to customers, warning of the shattering risk for the same product. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September, Costco announced the wine bottles could shatter, even when not being handled or in use. Costco logo is seen in this illustration taken, February 11, 2025. How to get refunded for recalled prosecco Consumers who purchased the affected prosecco are urged not to consume it and to throw it away instead. Consumers may contact Ethica Wines for instructions on how to get a refund from Costco: The recall number for the product is 26-068. 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: Costco wine recall includes bottles sold in Iowa A request for $22,900 funding of a second floor HVAC system at the Military Museum of Upper Cumberland was met with positive response from Crossville Council members during Tuesdays work session. The issue appears headed for the regular monthly meeting agenda and will require three readings before approval. Museum President Mark Pfaffenroth and curator Bob Terrafore attended the work session to explain the project request and the need for city funding assistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The upstairs is designated as a veterans section, and the request is similar to one last year for the first-floor HVAC installation. Presently, there is no heating and air to the second floor. In July of this year, the museum received a direct appropriation of $300,000 from the state, with those funds spent or to be spent on specific projects. There was not enough funding to cover the $22,900 cost of the second-floor HVAC, which a letter of request called essential for usability. The city authorized one-time funding for the first floor HVAC in the amount of $28,000. The new fund request will cover a 5-ton split-gas furnace, installation of the unit on the second floor, ductwork routed through the attic, thermostat installation and complete system setup. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meeting no opposing comments, Mayor R.J. Crawford said he would move the request to regular meetings. In other issues on the agenda, the following took place: Request from the police department for a temporary work zone sign ordinance requiring contractors to put out orange cones and signs for traffic safety and awareness. Police Chief Jessie Brooks told council his department routinely fields calls about mowing contractors and other businesses parking their vehicles in the roadway, causing a safety concern for motorists, pedestrians and workers. Approval of the ordinance will require three readings and members of council urged the department to have an educational grace or soft introduction of the requirement should the ordinance be voted into effect. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brooks said his department has no problem in giving warnings if the ordinance becomes law. Repeat violators would face fines up to $50 per violation under the proposal. Request for funding in the amount of $4.7 million for fire stations one and two and in a related issue, seek hot rate funding as opposed to the traditional variable rate funding from the state bond fund. The station one funds would be used for renovation to accommodate an extended bay and Henry Street access for fire apparatus. The station two funding would be used for the new firehouse on Interstate Drive. The requests will be moved to the regular agenda for action. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Request to receive funding for through a 50/50 grant from the Department of Justice for bulletproof vests for the police department, which was agreed to be moved to the regular agenda for three readings. Request for budget change to allow purchase of two police vehicles to replaced older models that had been involved in crashes at a cost of $130,000. This amount includes fully equipped units and will be forwarded to the meeting agenda. Request for annual Airport Maintenance Grant in the amount of $20,000 with receive approval moved to the regular meeting agenda. Request to receive a LPRF grant in the amount of $700,000 with the citys contribution set at $325,000. This is for an all-inclusive park on Centennial Park property to accommodate those with handicaps and first of its kind its a big deal, according to Crawford. Vote moved to regular monthly agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Request being planned over two years for a grant contract for urban forestry contact and tree care classes. Moved to agenda. Request to approve 100% funded grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in the amount of $250,000 for the citys lead service line inventory moved to full agenda. Request on work at the former Catoosa Water Utility District facility for site prep, fencing, septic, parking lot standby generator and roll-up door for new building which came in under budget by $1.2 million moved for action on the regular meeting agenda. Request for approval of downtown pedestrian improvements through a change order which will close out this project moved to agenda. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Request for contract amendment for drainage along Fourth Street and West Avenue moved to agenda. Request for temporary closure of crossing of Main Street for the Christmas Wellness 5K as requested by Total Balance and organizers. The run will be held the morning of Dec. 13 on the day of the Christmas parade, and request causes the least amount of traffic disruption on this busy day. Request moved to monthly agenda. The Frisco Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety have released more details about the death of Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland on Thursday morning. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, both the Cowboys and Kneelands agent have confirmed the passing of the second-year defensive lineman, with details now emerging about the events that took place before his death. The Frisco Police Department released a statement, writing that Kneeland died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after an outside agency vehicle pursuit that led to a multi-agency search in Frisco. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The initial incident began on November 5, around 10:33 p.m., when Frisco police officers were called to assist the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in locating a vehicle that had eluded DPS troopers during a high-speed pursuit. Texas DPS also released a statement about the incident, writing that troopers attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation on the northbound lanes of the Dallas North Tollway near Keller Springs Blvd. The driver refused to stop, resulting in a pursuit with DPS Troopers. However, DPS Troopers lost sight of the vehicle, and the pursuit was terminated. Texas DPS added that the vehicle was later found abandoned after being involved in a crash in the southbound lanes of Dallas Parkway near Warren Parkway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Frisco PD wrote in the statement that Kneeland had expressed suicidal ideations before the incident and was later found at 1:31 a.m. with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though an official cause of death has not been established at this time. Meanwhile, TMZ obtained police dispatch audio connected to the incident, in which Kneelands girlfriend can be heard telling a dispatcher that he would end it all. Shes saying he is armed and has a history of mental illness. And her quote was, He will end it all, said the dispatcher in the audio, per TMZ. This audio also states that the NFL called the Plano Police Department regarding an unnamed Cowboys player who was texting his family goodbye around the time of the incident. Further details about the death have not been released at this time. LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) This week on Crime Stoppers, law enforcement needs your help tracking down someone wanted for theft at the Frandor Shopping Center, tracking down two people wanted on warrants and solving a recent string of catalytic converter thefts. Frandor Shopping Center Theft (Crime Stoppers of Mid-Michigan) The Lansing Police Department is asking for any help identifying a woman who stole multiple items from a business in the Frandor Shopping Center on Oct. 10. Catalytic Converter Thefts LPD says it is seeing an increase in catalytic converter thefts, and are asking the public for any assistance in solving these crimes. Morgan Catherine Miller Morgan Catherine Miller, 29, is wanted on a warrant for assault out of Lansing. She is 55 and 140 lbs., with blonde hair and blue eyes. Matthew Lee Weller Matthew Lee Weller, 41, is wanted on a warrant for property damage out of Lansing. He is 64 and 250 lbs., with black hair and blue eyes. 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. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Getty Images Despite it being the year 2025 and with all our technology at hand, financial scams are still far too common. Thankfully, authorities everywhere are on the case, as evidenced by a European operation that busted 9 conmen who scammed victims out of $689 million in cryptocurrency. The investigative work was performed by French and Belgian authorities, who then joined prosecutors and judges from their home countries, along with Cyprus, Spain, and Germany, for a joint takedown. The arrests were made at various homes in Cyprus, Spain, and Germany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Along with the miscreants, the authorities seized $918,504 (800,000) in bank accounts, 415,000 ($476,444) in cryptocurrencies, $344,417 (300,00) in cash, and even luxury watches to the tune of $114,805 (100,00). Additionally, the authorities said that several properties linked to the network are undergoing investigation. The potential rap sheet for the criminals includes organized fraud, money laundering, offering unlicensed investment services, and participation in a criminal association. Under French law, these offenses may be met with up to 10 years in prison and up to $1.15 million (1 million) in fines. The thieves created multiple fake cryptocurrency investment platforms promising high returns, and dragged in victims using "various means" including social media and cold calling. After the victims transferred their cryptocurrency, it was unrecoverable, syphoned away, and laundered via various blockchain tools. The bust occurred on October 27 and 29 and was coordinated by Eurojust, the Hague-based European Union judicial cooperation agency. The investigation goes back to 2023, when French authorities received multiple complains from scammed victims. As an EU resident, I can personally attest that crypto and fake work scams are all the rage right now. I once got an amusing call from someone from The Blockchain (yes, really) that I entertained for a minute before going back to sleep. Every couple of days, I get a nicely-formatted phishing email from a fake exchange that looks pretty legit, save for the sender. Sometimes these imitate real exchanges, too. Thankfully, the ongoing European MiCA regulation/certification should help investors in verifying that their prospective exchange is listed and certified for some peace of mind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just today, Eurojust announced another huge bust, of 18 people, this time related to $344 million (300 million) worth of credit card fraud. Last June, Europol busted a cryptocurrency investment fraud ring that took in 450 million ($517 million) and laundered it through various methods worldwide, including cash withdrawals, bank transfers, and crypto transfers. Google Preferred Source Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. A California State University Channel Islands professor pleaded not guilty Thursday to a federal charge accusing him of assaulting a federal officer during a protest in Ventura County. Jonathan Caravello, a math and philosophy professor, is charged with assault on a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon after a July 10 protest against immigration raids at Glass House Farms in Camarillo. READ MORE | CSU Channel Islands professor arrested over tear gas canister incident at Camarillo immigration raid Jonathan Caravello, a U.S. citizen, was detained by federal agents during a protest that unfolded at last week's raid at Glass House Farms in Camarillo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal prosecutors alleged Caravello picked up and threw back a tear gas canister that agents deployed for crowd control during the immigration enforcement operation. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison if convicted. Supporters, including the California Faculty Association, dispute the government's account, claiming Caravello was trying to remove the canister from underneath a disabled protester's wheelchair and was peacefully protesting when federal agents detained him. Caravello was arrested during the protest and was held in custody for several days before being released on $15,000 bond. "We demand that the injustice charges against Dr. Caravello be dropped immediately," said Michelle Ramos Pellicia with the California Faculty Association. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Caravello, wearing an ankle monitor, thanked supporters after the hearing. '"I just want to thank all the people out here in support of me. It makes this difficult situation easier, not necessarily easy, but it makes it easier," he said. Defense attorney Knut Johnson said Caravello was reacting to agents' actions. "They rolled it at him and some other protesters as they were walking away and he threw back over their heads," Johnson said. Caravello's trial is scheduled for March 2026, unless prosecutors drop the case. Flight cancellations began at Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Friday, following the federal shutdown, which led to staffing shortages. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an order to cancel 4% of flights at 40 airports nationwide including DFW and Love Field, starting November 7, as The Dallas Express reported. Now, flight cancellations are starting to take a toll. As of publication, DFW had seen 59 flights canceled, with 27 arrival flights and 32 departure flights. Meanwhile, Love Field had seen 18 flights canceled, with nine arrival flights and nine departure flights. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When flight cancellations began across the country, they did not affect Dallas as severely as other cities in Texas. As of publication, DFW had only canceled 3% of departures and 2% of arrivals, and Love Field had only canceled 2% of both arrivals and departures. Meanwhile, George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston had canceled four departures and four arrivals 22% of each. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport had also canceled two departures and two arrivals 16% of each. Per the FAA, Austin was facing an average 47-minute delay due to staffing. Across America, staffing shortages caused delays at airports including Ronald Reagan Washington National, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and Newark International. The Dallas Express reached out to the FAA, but received an automatic reply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Due to a lapse in funding, the FAA is not responding to routine media inquiries, the reply read. There have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations. DFW Public Information Officer Zachary Greiner told The Dallas Express that airlines are responsible for managing their own flight schedules. We ask passengers to continue to check their flight schedules with their airline for any possible changes and allow extra time at the airport, Greiner said. Our website and app provide detailed, real-time information on both flights and TSA wait times. Travelers can visit dfwairport.com for flight information, and can download the DFW Airport app to check security wait times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Love Field Public Information Coordinator Patrick Clarke told The Dallas Express that specific questions should be directed to the FAA and the individual airlines, as the airport maintains the facilities and the airfield. While early arrival is still advised, the most accurate and up-to-date flight statuses can be found on the airlines mobile apps, websites, or by contacting their customer service teams, Clarke said. DAL is committed to maintaining a safe and operational airport as it supports its federal and airline partners during the shutdown. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford previously stated that the unprecedented measures are necessary for safety amid increased stress on the system, as reported by The Dallas Express. Were in new territory in terms of government shutdowns, Bedford said at the time, according to The AP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FAA ordered a 4% flight reduction by November 7, a 6% reduction by November 11, an 8% reduction by November 13, and a 10% reduction starting November 14. Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said they plan to meet with airline leaders to determine the best way to implement the reductions, as reported by The Dallas Express. Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday he is committing $1 million from his campaign coffers to put chapters of Turning Point USA, the group founded by the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, on every Texas college and high school campus. In a social media post, Patrick said that he spoke with Turning Point executives on Thursday about the idea. The state has more than 1,200 school systems that educate roughly 5.5 million schoolchildren and more than 200 colleges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had not planned to make a donation before the call, but the Lord put it on my heart to make a meaningful contribution to kick start the Texas project, Patrick said. Texas has the size and the heart to open more chapters than any other state and more than most countries. Lets get it done for Charlie, and for Texas. Kirk, 31, was assassinated in September while he spoke at a Utah college campus. He started Turning Point as an 18-year-old with a vision of corralling young conservatives at colleges across the nation to get involved in politics and champion their views unapologetically, traveling to campuses where he debated students during the Obama administration. He eventually oversaw the organizations rise as a behemoth of conservative activism. As Kirks voice grew louder, his comments drew backlash and criticism from people who felt he dehumanized already marginalized people, pointing to Kirks own words on race, women and LGBTQ+ people. Since Kirks death, momentum has surged through young Republicans across the state and nation. Patrick announced that he will also speak at a Turning Point event Tuesday night at the University of Houston alongside Attorney General Ken Paxton. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paxton, currently vying to win the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, has become a frequent guest at Turning Point events in recent weeks. This week he was the main speaker at one such event at the University of Texas at Austin. Texas college campuses should be places of open debate, not indoctrination, Paxton said in a statement Friday. I applaud these young conservatives at the University of Houston who have the courage to speak truth boldly, defend freedom, and challenge the leftist echo chambers that try to silence them. Disclosure: University of Houston and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here. North Dakota State University President David Cook held a public forum as an Iowa State University finalist for president on Nov. 6, 2025. (Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch) AMES Iowa State University presidential hopeful David Cook said Thursday that when he arrived on campus the previous day, he was feeling awesome about Iowa State. Less than 24 hours later, during his presentation to ISU students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members, Cook said he had learned many new things and felt even better. Cook, president of North Dakota State University and an Iowa State University alum, came back to Ames for interviews and a public forum as he vies for the university presidency. He was the second candidate this week to present his case to the ISU community, with Cornell University agriculture college dean Benjamin Houlton having participated in his own forum Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two other finalists dropped out before the campus visits were scheduled and their names were not disclosed. As an Ames native and ISU graduate, Cook said its been wonderful to be back. Like Houlton, Cook said ISU is doing amazing things in its capacity as a land-grant institution and as a driver of education, research and outreach. When looking at ISU graduation rates and growing enrollment, Cook said theres a lot of good there. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX My plan isnt to come in here and reinvent the wheel, its to come in here and build on President (Wendy) Wintersteens incredible legacy and foundation to make anything I can do maybe a little bit better, Cook said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wintersteen will retire from ISU in January after making the announcement earlier this year. Building strong relationships, both within and outside of the institution, is critical to ensuring ISU thrives, Cook said. Also essential is expanding work into sectors like artificial intelligence and rural health care, he said, with the foundations the university has already built through its existing AI programs and humanities and the ISU extension and outreach service. Cook said connecting with people and forming partnerships from his own executive team and the leadership, faculty, staff and students at ISU to business owners, industry leaders and lawmakers at the state and federal level, as well as other universities will help the university break into new areas of research and education, generate interest and elevate ISUs work. At North Dakota State, Cook said, he interacts with students often through events and just being there to welcome them onto campus. He also travels around the state during field days to connect with communities directly, from farmers to business owners to local politicians. If he hadnt had this forum, Cook added he would have been in Washington, D.C., this whole week to speak with his delegation about the issues his college is facing and what could be done on a national level to help them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were going to do more together, and were going to be better together, Cook said. I believe that with all of my heart. Students lead questions of Cooks career Students dominated the Q&A portion of the forum, asking Cook about his prior experiences making decisions and responding to issues that affect students. Multiple questions focused on past decisions made by Cook while starting at North Dakota State, namely cutting 80 positions and eliminating or merging nearly 30 academic programs, which his curriculum vitae stated brought down operating expenses by $24 million. Cook assured the audience that there are stark differences between North Dakota States situation when he first became president and ISUs situation now Cooks current university had been on a decade-long enrollment decline when he got the job, he said, and had reached a budget deficit of more than $7 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I got to tell you, were really starting to turn the ship around because we did some tough things there, Cook said. But I just want to emphasize again, that is absolutely not at all what I see happening here. When cutting programs, Cook said the university worked with an outside firm to get data on which degrees were high-cost, low-enrollment programs, but it was still a tough situation where he had to move faster than he would have preferred. Part of the job is continuously scrutinizing programs and looking for what opportunities may be out there, he said. Cook had similar responses to questions from students about how he would connect with and support different student groups, from international students to those involved in Greek life. He said he would seek to listen to them and best understand the issues theyre dealing with. When discussing topics like mental health and food insecurity during the Q&A, Cook said finding funding to support programs that students want and need would be a priority, whether thats through making mental health a legislative priority like he did at North Dakota State or speaking with alumni about food insecurity among students and fundraising from there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other questions focused on faculty, namely their academic and individual freedoms. Weston Abney, ISU record analyst and president of the union representing university clerical workers, repeated his question about terminated ISU employee Caitlyn Spencer from the previous forum. ISU presidential search committee co-chair and Faculty Senate President Meghan Gillette again reworded the question to ask about Cooks relationship with his board of regents. Cook said he has references from members of state higher education governing bodies hes worked with in the past, and while he said he didnt know the details of the case Abney referenced, every situation is different and making tough decisions is part of the job. My boss would be, you know, the board of regents, so Im going to work with them closely on tackling and managing difficult conversations, Cook said. Ginny Otto, an undergraduate student studying materials engineering at ISU, told Cook during the forum she and her peers have felt that instructors are afraid to discuss certain topics as a result of administrative decisions and policies at the state and federal level. Her question to Cook was about how he would try to alleviate these concerns, and Gillette added a query into his thoughts on academic freedom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cook said he supports facultys role in the classroom and understands its their job to teach topics that are germane and relevant to the subject matter at hand, which he said he supports. He also supports academic freedom and believes that faculty should have the right to research what they want thats relevant. I know that this is a big topic thats challenging right now, but its something I believe in wholeheartedly, Cook said. But again, some of these things really depend on the specific situation. With both finalists having completed their on-campus interviews and forums, the Iowa Board of Regents will interview them and get feedback from members of the presidential search committee, Nov. 11. An announcement of ISUs new president is expected to come the same day. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Typhoon Kalmaegi raged across Vietnam on Friday, claiming five more lives after its devastating passage through the Philippines saw 188 people killed. Kalmaegi unleashed record rainfall and flooding in the central Philippines this week sweeping away cars, trucks and shipping containers before lashing Vietnam overnight. The roof of my house was just blown away, said Nguyen Van Tam, a 42-year-old fisherman in Vietnams Gia Lai province, where the storm made landfall packing sustained winds of up to 92mph, according to the environment ministry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were all safe, (but) the typhoon was really terrible, so many trees fallen, he said, adding that his boat had survived. A house destroyed by Typhoon Kalmaegi in Phu My, Gia Lai Province, central Vietnam - Shutterstock A damaged building blocks a road in Dak Lak after Typhoon Kalmaegi lashed Vietnam - Hau Dinh/AP People eat at a street-side restaurant surrounded by floodwaters in Ho Chi Minh City - Thanh Hue/Getty Images Vietnamese authorities were still assessing the damage on Friday morning, but the environment ministry reported five dead, and 57 houses collapsed in Gia Lai and neighbouring Dak Lak. Nearly 3,000 more had their roofs blown off or were damaged, it said, while 11 boats or ships sank. The state power company said 1.6 million clients lost electricity as the typhoon smashed the central coast, but service to a third of them had been restored by Friday morning. Vietnam is in one of the most active tropical cyclone regions on Earth and is typically affected by 10 typhoons or storms a year, but Kalmaegi was the 13th of 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fast-moving Kalmaegi has already swept north-west toward Laos and is forecast to hit Thailand, which issued a warning on Friday for heavy rainfall and flooding starting in the north-east but spreading to the rest of the country. Kalmaegi had initially hit the islands of Cebu and Negros in the Philippines before swooping back out to sea. Floodwaters described as unprecedented rushed through the hardest hit Cebu provinces towns and cities, where the hunt for missing people continues. Philippines authorities raised the death toll to 188, with 135 still missing. The typhoon hit central Vietnam as it was still reeling from more than a week of flooding and record rains that killed at least 47 people and submerged centuries-old historic sites. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The heavy rains starting in late October had drenched the former imperial capital Hue and the ancient town of Hoi An, both Unesco-listed sites, turning streets into canals and flooding tens of thousands of homes. Up to 1.7m (5ft 6in) fell over one 24-hour period in a downpour, breaking national records. With nearly 2,000 miles of coastline and a network of 2,300 rivers, Vietnam faces a high risk of flooding. 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 passenger plane of the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air Hungary Ltd. is parked at Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport. Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air Holdings announced on Friday that it has rescheduled its existing aircraft order book in a deal with Airbus. While the total outstanding order of 273 aircraft remains unchanged, the revised agreement realigns the delivery schedule to support a more sustainable and profitable capacity growth plan, the company added on Friday. The Hungarian low-cost airline said that under the new delivery schedule, 88 aircraft, which were originally due for delivery by fiscal year 2030, will now be delivered by the year 2033. The company said that the adjustment offers greater flexibility in managing its fleet expansion and also aligns with its long-term growth plans. Wizz Air said that it has also made changes to its fleet composition. The commitment for A321XLR aircraft has been reduced from 47 to 11, including the five units already delivered, and the remaining 36 A321XLR orders have been converted into commitments for 36 A321 neo aircraft. The company said that these amendments have been made to support its target of achieving a 10% to 12% annual seat capacity growth rate through 2030. The fleet is expected to fully consist of neo aircraft by the year 2029. On the LSE, WIZZ ended Thursday's trading at 988.50 pence (1,295.50 US cents), down 3.5%. On the OTC Markets, EADSF ended Thursday's trading at $243.90, up 1.62%. This story has been updated with new information. An investigation continues into the crash of a United Parcel Service cargo plane near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport that left at least 14 people dead. Local, state and federal agencies, as well as a critical response team from UPS, have arrived in Louisville to conduct the investigation, which is expected to take several months. Emergency personnel are now focusing on recovery efforts, as no further possible victims are expected to be found alive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Here's the latest on what we know: A Louisville resident and two local business owners have sued UPS, General Electric and Boeing, three days after a UPS cargo plane bound for Honolulu crashed south of Louisvilles airport. The federal lawsuit alleges the companies were negligent and share responsibility for the Nov. 4 crash. Read more. More: Residents, business owners sue UPS, GE, Boeing after deadly cargo plane crash in Louisville Four days after the plane crash that killed at least 14 people, the National Transportation Safety Board released aerial footage showcasing the destruction in Louisville Nov. 7. See the footage here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: NTSB releases drone footage of UPS plane crash aftermath near Louisville airport Arnela Kustric, left, and her husband Denis at their residence, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. The Kustric's trucks and trailers from their trucking business are ashes due to the UPS plane crash. Denis and Arnela Kustric started their trucking business in 2024. Now their truck and trailer are ashes from the UPS plane crash. Read their story. More: "Everything went to ashes in minutes": Family loses small business in UPS plane crash The death toll from the deadliest plane crash in UPS history has reached 14, including three pilots, while nine others remain missing and unaccounted for. The Courier Journal is gathering information about the victims of the Nov. 4 UPS crash in Louisville. Learn the latest here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Who are the victims of the UPS plane crash? Here's what we know so far The UPS cargo plane that crashed Nov. 4 in Louisville appears to have undergone heavy maintenance during a six-week period in September and October, based on flight records and remarks from the National Transportation Safety Board. Read more. More: UPS plane underwent weeks of maintenance one month before deadly crash Independent Pilots Association President Capt. Bob Travis speaks at the IPA headquarters in Louisville, Ky., about the supprort he has received form the public, other unions and political leaders following the UPS Airlines Flight 2976 crash in Louisville. Nov. 6, 2025. Bob Travis, Independent Pilots Association President and a former MD-11 pilot and instructor, says the UPS plane crash feels different. Here's why. More: 'Most people know somebody at UPS:' Why the UPS plane crash feels different for Louisville Kyle Miller, Assistant Chief of Training of the Kentucky National Guard, talks about fighting the fire of the UPS cargo plane near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. November 6, 2025 In mere minutes after a UPS Airlines plane crashed in Louisville Nov. 4, flames shot upward of 200 feet and a plume of black smoke filled the sky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a firefighter with the Kentucky Air National Guard, Kyle Miller has responded to airplane crashes all over the world, but those flames were monstrous compared to most hed seen and they were right here at home in Louisville. Read more. More: This firefighter was one of the first on scene at the UPS plane crash. Here's what he saw "The fact that the airport is in such an urban setting surrounded by interstates, businesses and the state fairgrounds is the result of a decision made by city leaders more than 50 years ago when they chose not to pursue building a new regional airport in one of the outlying counties around Louisville," Joe Gerth explains in his latest column. More: Gerth: UPS crash could have been worse if plane took off to the north | Opinion Teamsters Local 89, the union that represents UPS and other workers in Louisville, hosted a vigil after a tragic plane crash killed at least 14 people, including a young child. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Nov. 6 vigil began with a moment of silence at 5:14 p.m., the time that officials believe the plane crashed just 48 hours before. Louisville residents showed up in large numbers, some holding signs with "2976," the number of the flight, while others read "Louisville is UPS strong." Read more. Nov. 6 news: Death toll rises to 13 in Louisville plane crash, Greenberg says This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Latest UPS plane crash in Louisville updates, death toll One week after Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica as one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, members of Delawares Jamaican American community are rallying to send aid to loved ones back home. The Category 5 hurricane pounded Jamaicas southwest coast Oct. 28, with sustained winds of 185 mph, destroying homes, roads and hospitals and leaving extensive damage across the island, especially in western parishes. According to USA TODAY, more than half a million residents remain without power as recovery efforts continue. For Delaware resident Alexis Whilby, founder of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce of the Northeast, the disaster is deeply personal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My moms older sister lost her roof, Whilby said. She also is hearing about people in her familys area who have lost everything making the area really unlivable. In relief she noted, everyone is alive. Whilby, who has close ties to the Jamaican American community across the region, said she has been flooded with calls from people eager to help. In response, her organization has launched the Caribbean Unity Saturdays Hurricane Melissa Relief Drive, to collect supplies Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at 77 McCullough Drive near New Castle through November. While the outpouring of support has been strong, Whilby explained donors also are expressing concerns about scams, shipping costs and whether their contributions will reach those most in need. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are looking for ways that they can give directly to their family members, she said. To ensure that aid reaches verified recipients, Whilbys organization is working with Christopher Chaplin, consul of Jamaica to Philadelphia. Shes also exploring air transport options to speed up delivery, though she acknowledged that such efforts are complex and depend heavily on connections. DELAWARE'S CARIBBEAN FILM COMMUNITY: See attendees arrive at the Caribbean Film and Fashion Night event in Wilmington The best donation after a natural disaster? Cash Drone view of flooding after Hurricane Melissa made landfall in St Elizabeth, Jamaica, October 29, 2025. With decades of experience coordinating international assistance efforts in countries such as Haiti and Indonesia, Carla Sydney Stone, outgoing president of the World Trade Center Delaware, urged donors to prioritize financial contributions over material goods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I'm advising everybody to give cash because it's fungible, Stone said. It doesn't need to be shipped it gets where it needs to go immediately. Monetary donations, she explained, allow survivors to buy what they actually need, such as prescriptions, diapers or medical supplies without waiting for shipments to arrive. Stone recommended vetted organizations such as GiveDirectly.org, which sends emergency cash transfers directly to affected individuals. She also cautioned donors to be vigilant about fraud. There are going to be a lot of scams, Stone warned. Even if it's not, you want to be sure the organization knows what its doing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She advised checking CharityNavigator.org to find reputable, four-star-rated organizations. More on Melissa: Satellite images show massive damage in Jamaica caused by Hurricane Melissa 'Don't just mail stuff' Drawing on more than three decades as an engineer and experience managing international aid projects with agencies such as USAID, USDA and USTDA, Stone said Jamaicas most urgent needs now include clean water, fuel, electricity, medical supplies and skilled labor to help rebuild critical infrastructure. She also emphasized the importance of coordinated, needs-based giving. Dont just mail stuff, she said. Find out exactly whats needed, in what quantity, and how they want it packed." Otherwise, she warned, unsolicited donations can overwhelm recovery efforts by creating more work for those on the ground who must sort and store everything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While cash donations remain the most efficient form of assistance, Stone added that donors also can give airline miles to help transport relief workers and supplies. Airlines such as American and United are currently matching donated miles through Airlink, a nonprofit that supports humanitarian airlifts during disasters. A list of ways to donate through charitable organizations, including Airlink, are available at USA TODAY. For those wishing to contribute cash directly, the government of Jamaica has established a secure online donation portal at supportjamaica.gov.jm. To share your community news and activities with our audience, join Delaware Voices Uplifted on Facebook. Nonprofits, community groups and service providers are welcome to submit their information to be added to our Community Resources Map. Contact staff reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware drive collects aid for Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa Flying into or out of LaGuardia today? Check your flight for delays, cancellations and long TSA wait times as dozens of major airports starting Friday, Nov. 7, and into this weekend face FAA flight cuts due to the government shutdown. Nearly 40 flights have been canceled at LaGuardia as of 11:30 a.m. today, according FlightAware.com, with nearly 30 delays at LGA from major airlines including Delta, American Airlines, United, and Southwest flights. Flights have either been cancelled or delayed from LaGuardia to Boston; Buffalo, New York; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Maine; Iowa; Missouri; and Nebraska and internationally, including flights to Toronto. FlightAware's MiseryMap shows dire conditions at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark, as well as major airports like O'Hare in Chicago, Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, and Dallas Fort Worth. Nationwide, 844 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. have been canceled so far Friday and those numbers continue to increase and will likely well through the weekend. Advertisement Advertisement Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy formally released the list of 40 airports facing cuts due to the government shutdown, stating that airlines will be required to slash 10% of flights from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., phasing them out over the next week. Friday morning, airports faced a 4% reduction, and by next Tuesday, reductions will hit 6%, by next Thursday it'll be 8% and by Friday, Nov. 14, those major airlines will see 10% reduction in operations. Weather has also played a factor, with recent winds in New Jersey and New York City delaying flights as an arctic blast hits New York and the eastern half of the U.S., dropping snow, winter weather warnings and frost across the region. How do I check if my flight is canceled? Do not wait until you arrive at LaGuardia, Newark, JFK or any other major airports impacted by the shutdown to check your flight status. Check cancelled flights early and often before you head out since cancellations will only increase as the shutdown continues. Check your airlines' mobile app, turn on text notification, sign up for alerts and use apps, such as FlightAware or your airport's website to track airport arrivals, departures, delays and more. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 28: People prepare to travel out of LaGuardia Airport on October 28, 2025 in New York City. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke during a press conference at the airport about how the government shutdown, now on its 28th day, is affecting travel at airports throughout the country. Duffy has stated that delays stemming from staffing issues has jumped from its usual mark of 5 % to 53% amid the shutdown. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) LaGuardia flight cancellations; Check Delta, American Airlines, United, Southwest LaGuardia Airport (LGA) had 39 canceled flights today into and out of the airport across major airlines including Republic, Delta, Southwest, Endeavor Air, and JetBlue, according to LaGuardia's official Flight Tracker and FlightAware.com. Advertisement Advertisement Flights from LaGuardia to Washington, D.C.; Boston; South Carolina; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Buffalo, New York; Omaha, Nebraska; St. Louis, Missouri and more were cancelled. Check the latest here. How to check delays at LaGuardia airport; See LaGuardia delays today Delta, United, WestJet, Air Canada and other major airlines were among nearly 30 flights delayed at LaGuardia Airport today, according to FlightAware and LaGuardia's official Flight Tracker. Check your flight status before you head to the airport. Flights to Bangor, Maine; Washington, D.C.; Portland, Maine; and Des Moines, Iowa were among delayed flights, as well as international flights to Toronto, Canada. WestJet, a Canadian airline with over 2,000 flights into and out of LaGuardia weekly, also faced major delays. American Airlines planes sit parked at LaGuardia airport on traditionally the busiest travel day, the day before the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving, in the Queens borough of New York City on Nov. 27, 2024. Will I get a refund if my flight is cancelled? Yes. Airlines are required to issue full refunds to affected passengers, but aren't required to cover secondary costs, such as hotel rooms, according to the Department of Transportation. Advertisement Advertisement Some airlines are also offering waivers that allow travelers to change their flights without paying change fees or fare differences. Major carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, have waivers in place related to the flight reduction, according to USA TODAY. LaGuardia TSA wait times TSA security wait times at LaGuardia Airport are updated in real-time, but as of this morning, Nov. 7, travelers were delayed just a few minutes. Check the latest wait times here. Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team. This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Flight cuts, shutdown cancels, delays LaGuardia flights; What to know Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, gives her victory speech on Nov. 4 in Richmond. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) Fresh off a decisive election night, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger is promising a sharp turn in Virginias energy policy, vowing to boost in-state power generation, lower costs, and force data centers to pay their fair share. Were going to produce more energy and were going to lower energy costs. We are going to produce more energy here in Virginia and make sure that data centers pay their fair share, Spanberger told a cheering crowd during her victory speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With Democrats securing a government trifecta and picking up 13 seats in the House of Delegates to solidify their majority energy policy is expected to shift away from the approach taken under Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The Republican governor was a frequent critic of the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) and vetoed multiple bills meant to expand renewable energy development. The political changeover also signals the possibility of tighter oversight of data center permitting and energy demand, an issue that has risen alongside soaring utility bills. Weve made some minimal progress over the course of the last four years. But with the change of administration, yes, I am hoping that we make more progress and faster progress, Del. Rip Sullivan, D-Fairfax, said. The states major utilities, Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power Company, are currently bound by VCEA requirements to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. During the 2025 regular legislative session, Youngkin vetoed legislation that would have increased requirements for utility investment in solar- powered battery storage technology that allows excess solar energy to be stored and deployed later. It is a developing technology that is slowly becoming more available. In his veto message, Youngkin argued that the bill would be too costly for ratepayers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utility-scale solar projects continue to run into resistance at the local level, particularly in rural areas where opponents cite land use and siting concerns. While solar is viewed as the fastest-to-deploy renewable energy source, many conservatives and utility officials argue that solar and wind cannot meet statewide demand on their own and warn large solar farms could consume valuable agricultural land. The movement for utility-scale solar is all coming from our urban and suburban areas, and the burden is being imposed on our rural areas, said Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg. Last year a fairly prescriptive bill was on its way out of the commission that would have removed a lot of power from local governments, (but) the Speaker spoke up and said, Not on my watch. I hope that commitment continues. Spanberger has pledged to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the multi-state carbon credit program Youngkin withdrew from, calling it an unnecessary tax. Before the withdrawal, Dominion customers paid a little over $2 per bill for RGGI costs money that flowed back to the state for energy efficiency programs and flood resiliency projects. I think the governor has to lead these conversations and bring resiliency efforts into everything that the state might prioritize. Road investments, bridge investments, new structures coming to Virginia, businesses that we are attracting, agriculture space efforts to make sure that were doing everything possible, Spanberger said in an August interview with The Mercury. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clean Virginia, a nonprofit and political action committee focused on utility regulation, noted that 57 members of the House of Delegates refused campaign contributions from the states largest utilities this election cycle. Executive Director Brennan Gilmore said the shift will play a major factor in future regulation. We have got to remove that block from the utilities and start harnessing every type of energy, clean energy technology thats out there, and that includes strengthening our energy efficiency outlay as well, Gilmore said. Spanbergers call for data centers to pay their fair share remains light of specifics, but Dominions pending rate case would create a separate class for data centers and other highload users. Under the proposal, those companies would be locked into 14-year contracts and face demand charges of 85% for transmission, 85% for distribution, and 60% for generation. The State Corporation Commission has not yet ruled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Data centers are an important part of Virginia and its future moving forward, but at the same time we need to be smart about growth, said Nate Benforado, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. We need to make sure communities are on board and that we can power this industry in a way thats good for Virginians. Some lawmakers and advocacy groups want data center companies not ratepayers to shoulder more of the cost of the new transmission lines and power infrastructure needed to run them. During last months gubernatorial debate, Spanberger echoed Youngkins all of the above energy messaging, highlighting nuclear power as a long-term option. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are touted by some as a carbon-free, more reliable alternative to solar and wind, but none are currently operating in the U.S. The problem with nuclear power is that even Dominion have pushed a timeline back for that and the timeline has been pushed back repeatedly in the past decade. Theyre now looking at 2035 before even a model SMR could be put on the grid, Gilmore said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Utilities maintain that without nuclear or continued fossil fuel use, a reliable grid isnt possible under current technology. Previous legislation to create a state review board to help localities evaluate energy project proposals failed to pass, though supporters expect a revised version to return. Across party lines legislators agree the state must confront rising energy demand and growing utility costs and that voters made affordability impossible to ignore. If there is anything the election told us, affordability is front and center, Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said during a recent Commission on Electric Utility Regulation meeting. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Senate Democrats feel confident after Tuesdays election that they have the advantage over Republicans in the government shutdown battle and are pointing to President Trumps statement that Republicans are getting killed politically as a big reason to stand their ground. A bipartisan deal hashed out by centrist Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee to reopen the government as soon as this week now appears stalled after Democrats won sweeping victories in New Jersey, Virginia and California. Democratic sources say they do not expect a bipartisan deal to reopen the government to be unveiled this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One Democratic senator who requested anonymity said if a small group of Democrats abandon the broader caucuss position and vote to reopen the government in return for modest or even paltry concessions from Republicans, it would have a devastating effect on Democratic voters morale. It would be hugely deflating. When your strategy when something is working, you dont stop, the senator said. The lawmaker acknowledged shutdowns are horrible but argued the solution is not to pacify the other side, especially when Democrats feel they are finally getting strong political traction. Democrats felt elated by the results of Tuesdays elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They won the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races by 13 and 15 percentage points, respectively. And they won, by 64 percent support to 36 percent, a California ballot initiative that will allow them to redraw congressional district boundaries and flip as many as five Republican-held House seats. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said on the Senate floor Wednesday morning that Democrats won overwhelmingly and by more than anyone thought. More than anything, Trumps analysis that Republicans paid a political price for the shutdown is now bolstering the resolve of many Senate Democrats that they need to stand firm until Trump agrees to a major concession on health care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump argued in a social media post that Republicans lost Tuesdays elections because he wasnt on the ballot, and because of the shutdown. Trump told Senate Republicans at a breakfast meeting at the White House on Wednesday that the party is getting killed politically because of the shutdown and urged them to eliminate the filibuster and reopen the government with a simple-majority vote. Those remarks have given Democrats renewed confidence that their strategy to keep the government shuttered until Republicans agree to extend health insurance premium subsidies is a political winner. Last night, [Trump] said that the shutdown is a negative factor for the Republicans. When addressing why he had lost, this is what Trump said: The shutdown was a big factor, negative for the Republicans, Schumer said Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president is right: Americans realize Republicans are responsible for this awful shutdown, now the longest officially in history, Schumer declared as the shutdown stretched into its record-breaking 36th day. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) said the election shows that the American people are fed up with the high costs of living and attacks on health care. Schumer and Jeffries sent a letter to Trump on Wednesday demanding once again that the president meet with them to end the shutdown and decisively address rising health care costs. Republicans concede they are on the defensive after Tuesdays election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she agrees the shutdown has become a political liability for her party because Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress. I think it had an impact, she said when asked if the shutdown hurt GOP candidates. People saw the shutdown, recognized Congress makes that decision, and were the party in power, she said. Other Republicans expressed concerns that the Democratic election results could prolong the shutdown, possibly for weeks. Im worried that this morning I hear a lot of my Democrat colleagues now saying, We think were winning. We think this is great for us, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said. Its not great for anyone in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hawley said Republican leaders should consider meeting with Democrats to discuss how to lower health care costs, something he has suggested for several weeks. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) pushed back on Democratic claims that they now have the political initiative in the shutdown fight after Tuesdays election, pointing out they were favored to win in states that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in the 2024 election. But Democrats are seizing on the large margins of victory as significant. They believe the election results confirm recent polls showing Trumps advantage on the economy, the biggest issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections, is rapidly eroding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a prominent progressive who caucuses with Democrats, warned that if a group of eight to 12 centrist Democrats strike a weak deal with Republicans to reopen the government, it will deflate the Democratic Partys voter base. Last nights election from coast to coast was a sweeping indictment and condemnation of Trumpism, Sanders said, arguing that people understand that right now, their health care premiums under the Affordable Care Act are going to double. He had a blunt message to centrist Democratic colleagues exploring a deal to reopen the government if promised a vote on extending health insurance premiums. He said it will be very, very dispiriting if centrist Democrats agree to reopen the government without securing a commitment from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Trump to do something to rein in rising health insurance premiums. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All over this country, people are saying, Please, Democrats, you havent been strong in the past. Stand tall now, Sanders said. The Democrats now are winning because they are standing with working people. When you cave, you lose, he warned. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a prominent progressive voice in the caucus, was spotted after a Wednesday meeting of Democratic ranking members, having an animated discussion with retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), a centrist who is leading the negotiations with Republicans to reopen the government. Warren has told colleagues that a vote to extend the expiring Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies without a commitment from the president and House Republicans to take up a Senate-passed bill would be largely meaningless. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont need a show vote. We need access to health care for millions of Americans who are about to lose it, she said. She argued that Tuesdays election results show affordability matters to families across this country, and resisting Trump also matters. Peters was tight-lipped after the meeting, only telling reporters that centrist Democrats are still trying to reach a deal. Were still talking about things, 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 The Hill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is dangling another carrot for Democrats. They still arent ready to bite. In his latest pressure tactic, the South Dakota Republican is teeing up yet another vote to reopen the government Friday, the 38th day of the record-setting shutdown. But this time, he is pledging to swap out the House-passed stopgap bill for a new funding patch, likely into January, along with full-year funding for veterans programs, food aid and more. Its what they asked for, Thune said Thursday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Democrats, stiffened by their partys big election wins Tuesday that have papered over rising internal divisions, are expected to block a procedural vote yet again, according to two people granted anonymity to describe caucus dynamics, as well as interviews with several potential Democratic swing votes. They are intent on forcing President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans to cough up a better deal and finally engage on their central demand an extension of expiring health insurance subsidies that arent definitively addressed in the latest GOP offer. Leader Thune isnt doing himself any favors by not coming to the table, said Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), who has been viewed as a possible swing vote but said she would vote no Friday. Several other Democrats professed unity coming out of a long lunch meeting Thursday one of several theyve held this week as theyve wrangled over an endgame to the long shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the No. 2 party leader, said Thursday that Democrats are as unified as we have ever been, while adding that people understand the gravity of the shutdown. But those proclamations belied the behind-the-scenes tensions between a group of Democratic senators who believe the time has come to reopen the government and the caucus progressive bloc, which is aghast at the idea of surrendering without a health care deal, especially after Tuesdays elections. They've got to stand up, and they've got to fight, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said of his fellow caucus members in a brief interview Thursday night. They have the American people at their back. And Republicans are going to have to come to the table and recognize they just cannot double premiums for millions of Americans in this country. Other corners of the caucus, however, believe Sanders and his allies who have not participated in the bipartisan talks are simply wanting to brawl with Republicans without having a realistic plan to bring the longest shutdown on record to an end. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The progressives have yet to articulate any sense whatsoever of how they think this ends or any proposal to get Republicans to the table other than waiting longer and longer, said a Senate Democratic aide who was granted anonymity to comment candidly about caucus dynamics. And in the meantime its the families who can afford it the least that are increasingly getting walloped by the shutdown. We are not going to get a better offer, another Democratic aide involved in the bipartisan talks added. Thats the case the Senate Democrats who have been negotiating have been trying to make privately to their colleagues, and they believed they were gaining traction earlier this week. But the sweeping election gains Tuesday fired up other Democrats and left many wondering if Republicans would offer new concessions. Progress has been made in recent days toward finalizing a three-bill package that would fund some federal agencies through September, one that would be attached to a stopgap bill to reopen the rest of the government for just a few months. Republicans are also discussing whether a final deal can involve rehiring thousands of federal workers who were laid off during the shutdown a new element first reported by POLITICO Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But according to a person granted anonymity to describe the sensitive talks, there has been no new GOP offer on health care. Republicans are willing to commit to a future vote to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies by an agreed-upon date but they have not moved off their position that the government must reopen first. Nor has there been any progress in getting Trump or Speaker Mike Johnson to guarantee a path forward for any Senate-forged compromise. "I've made this very clear to them that I can't guarantee them an outcome I can guarantee them a process, Thune said Thursday. We've had that conversation multiple times already. As senators left the Capitol around dinnertime Thursday, they still didnt know what exactly Thune would be asking them to vote on Friday. To allow more time for talks to progress, the Senate wont come into session until noon Friday, and a time hasnt yet been scheduled for the promised vote. If it fails as currently expected, its unclear what Thune might do next. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 2 GOP leader, said Thursday the Senate would stay in session over the weekend, but senators could head home potentially for a scheduled weeklong Veterans Day recess if theres no hope of a breakthrough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The uncertainty had weary senators questioning whether the end is truly in sight. We've been talking for days, but there's no product, said Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, who is among the Democrats considered most likely to support a bipartisan compromise. I'm hopeful we can find a way through this over the weekend. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who has been closely engaged in the bipartisan talks, said Thursday night there is no organized effort at this point that is bearing fruit. There are attempts to find a way to bring people forward, but I'm discouraged, he added. I'm hoping that overnight things might change a little bit, but Im not optimistic." Jennifer Scholtes, Mia McCarthy, Katherine Tully-McManus, Meredith Lee Hill and Nicholas Wu contributed to this report. Helping propel Abigail Spanbergers dominant win in the Virginia governors race Tuesday are dissatisfied rural voters who have supported Donald Trump. Spanbergers victory was largely driven by massive turnout in northern and eastern Virginia's urban areas. But she picked up support across the states deep-red central and western counties, where Trumps tariffs have hit the manufacturing and agricultural industries especially hard. Even as her GOP opponent won most of those places, Spanberger posed the best performance by a statewide Democratic candidate in several cycles, according to a POLITICO analysis of voting data in the localities classified as rural by the federal government. Rural voters are dissatisfied with economic conditions, including Trumps erratic tariff threats that have impacted farmers throughout the country. The result was a rude awakening for some rural-state Republicans, who have long relied on large margins in these deep-red areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last night, honestly, was an awakening for a lot of folks, said Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) Wednesday. If you don't pick up on what really happened last night, the margin of victory then I think you're living in a cave. Spanberger outperformed Kamala Harris margin in 48 of Virginias 52 rural localities. And according to exit polling , she won 46 percent of rural voters an 8-point deficit to Republican rival Winsome Earle-Sears, and a 19-point swing from 2021 Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffes 27-point disadvantage. And she accomplished that after emphasizing Trumps tariffs on the campaign trail. When those tariffs are squeezing Virginia farmers and producers, that is a huge impact on our economy, Spanberger said in laying out her economic plan . Throughout the campaign, she derided the tariffs as a massive tax hike on Virginians and pledged to lead trade missions to open export markets for the states $82 billion agricultural sector and $50 billion manufacturing sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now national Democrats, feeling bullish after Tuesdays big wins, are praising Spanbergers performance in rural areas as a blueprint for the party in the upcoming midterms, when netting three seats will hand them control of the House. Last nights results show Democrats can win back rural voters with a relentless focus on affordability, said Eli Cousin, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, on Wednesday. The results are also a massive warning sign for House Republicans who have made life harder for rural Americans by rubber stamping cost-spiking tariffs and voting to put rural hospitals and health clinics at risk of closure. Spanberger, the first woman elected governor in Virginias history, deviated from party orthodoxy by spending significant time campaigning in the deep-red rural pockets of the state, even as recently as last week. Her messaging there focused almost exclusively on the economic issues ailing rural America during the first nine months of the Trump administration, including the seismic impact of tariffs and the fallout on rural health care from Medicaid cuts. People are so tired about the chaos right now from the federal government, said Roberta Thacker-Oliver, the rural caucus chair for Virginia Democrats. She sent a message about the everyday things, about lowering costs for people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats see Spanbergers strategy as a template for the 2026 midterms. As Republicans eye redrawing more favorable House districts across the country, an aggressive push Democrats are starting to challenge , the minority partys chances at retaking control of Congress will increasingly rely on its ability to compete in rural districts. Chris Sloan, political director for the Democratic Governors Association, attributed Spanbergers win to a relentless focus on the economy and affordability. These are issues that resonated with voters everywhere, he added, and we took advantage of that. Rachel Shin contributed reporting. After weeks of different Democrats taking different shutdown approaches some voting with Republicans, some talking with GOP lawmakers about a bipartisan deal, and some holding out completely Democrats emerged from an hours-long closed-door meeting on Thursday advocating a new strategy: Unity. What that unity means, in practice, is unclear. And whether that unity can be maintained and for how long remains to be seen. But the answers to those questions could decide how and when the shutdown ends. Our goal is to try to all stay together as much as we can, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Democrats met. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked what the next steps are, however, Murphy reported that he didnt have much more to say. Across the ideological spectrum, Democrats struck the same tone over and over again: unified in message, vague on mechanics. Were unified on how were moving forward, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told reporters. It was an encouraging caucus, because theres a great deal of unity, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said. I feel like were very unified, Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., told reporters. Im excited to see what we can put together here. Behind closed doors, Democrats have been discussing making their own unified offer on the shutdown, sources told MSNBC, though they seem to be holding out at the moment to see if Republicans will make a better offer first. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Among the ideas Democrats are discussing is a clean continuing resolution in exchange for a guaranteed vote on scaled-down Obamacare subsidies by a date certain and in the House and Senate though sources cautioned that nothing is set in stone. At the moment, Republicans are intent on offering just a slight variation on what theyve offered Democrats more than a dozen times before. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., plans to hold another vote on government funding on Friday only this time, it wont be the same bill that Democrats have already rejected 14 times. Instead, Thune will offer to amend the bill, attaching a package of three appropriation bills and changing the end date for the stopgap spending measure, three sources told MSNBC. The new funding bill will likely be adjusted from Nov. 21 to some date in January, the sources said, though that detail remains undecided. The offer resembles a deal that a bipartisan group of members had been working toward for weeks as a possible offramp to the record-breaking shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But as of Thursday evening, several Senate Democrats told MSNBC that Thunes latest proposal would not sway them, with many pointing to the lack of action on extending Obamacare subsidies as their reason for their opposition. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said that if the proposal doesnt address expiring subsidies and all indications are, it wont its a nonstarter for me. Im not here for show votes, Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said. Show votes is not gonna make things an easier situation for a family that has to figure out: Im gonna pay utility bills or Im gonna pay my premiums. For all the talk of unity, whether all Democrats will stand in opposition to the bill considering the growing pain of the shutdown and the fact that many of them were working toward a deal like this for weeks is unclear. Several Democrats were noncommittal when asked by reporters Thursday night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The views of the caucus as a whole are still in flux, Blumenthal said of the overall dynamics. One Senate Democrat, who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive deliberations, said a nucleus of the caucus is in agreement that there has to be a health care guarantee tied to a funding bill. It cant be a separate vote, this Democrat said. It has to be combined. That position continues to be a nonstarter for Republicans. Thune and Republicans refuse to negotiate over the Obamacare subsidies while the government is shut down, insisting that Democrats first turn the lights back on before engaging in such deliberations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At most, Thune has offered to commit to a separate, standalone vote on the Affordable Care Act subsidies with no guarantee it will pass. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., threw an additional wrench into that approach Thursday when, in response to a question from MSNBC, he refused to commit to holding a vote on the Obamacare tax credits, calling into question whether the subsidies will ever be extended. The House did its job on Sept. 19. Im not promising anybody anything, Johnson said. Im gonna let this process play out. In the Democratic Caucus, some senators privately worry that more moderate members of their group may become antsy and support the GOP offer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Everybody wants to do it, the Senate Democrat said of extending the Obamacare subsidies. The question is how long another group might be willing or unwilling to hold out. This lawmaker added that the Democrats most uncomfortable with the shutdown feel that Congress needs to resolve the standoff in the next couple of weeks before Thanksgiving and better sooner than later. But Democrats who are hoping for a better deal are encouraged by some cracks on the GOP side. For one, on Thursday, Republicans began adding sweeteners to their funding offers like reinstating government workers who have recently been laid off. For another, there are some Republicans who seem to want to discuss the Obamacare subsidies. Democratic Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware are scheduled to meet with Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey on Friday to discuss a bipartisan extension of the Obamacare subsidies, two sources confirmed to MSNBC, a cross-party conversation that could bear some fruit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still, even if lawmakers started moving on a resolution, it would take a good deal of time to work through the legislative process. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., predicted that Congress is at least seven days, and more likely 10, and very possibly two weeks away from opening up at the best. Im totally disgusted with everybody in the Senate right now, Kennedy said. I wouldnt let us manage a ham sandwich, OK? This is embarrassing. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com WASHINGTON Democrats unveiled a potential path out of the record-breaking government shutdown on Friday, Nov. 7. The plan, which Democrats characterized as a good-faith offer to Republicans, would codify a one-year extension of health care subsidies that are set to expire at the start of 2026, raising premiums for millions of Americans. The tax credits for Obamacare enrollees are the issue at the center of the 38-day funding crisis. With Republicans already opposed to the deal, the unresolved back-and-forth virtually guaranteed the shutdown will drag on even longer. But it also was a notable sign of the two parties coming closer together amid hundreds of thousands of missed paychecks, massive travel disruptions, worsening food shortages and other mounting consequences that have intensified for more than a month. Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Travelers arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on November 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. A TSA agent directs people as they wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. A screen shows United Airlines 2619 landing at Chicago International Airport O'Hare, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 6, 2025. Air travelers face the morning commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2025. A crew member walks at the airport, as air travelers face the morning commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2025. A person walks at the airport, as air travelers face the morning commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2025. A passenger stands by a screen showing delayed flights due to the government shutdown, at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 6, 2025. Travelers arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on November 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas on November 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. See the impact of the government shutdown as agencies shutter or fight to stay open 1 of 10 Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. The Democrats' offer includes a proposal to reopen the entire government at current funding levels potentially into next year. Under the framework, lawmakers would, at the same time, advance separate budget bills to fund just some federal agencies and programs at new levels for a full year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, the plan would establish a bipartisan committee to continue talks on lowering health care costs. Read more: Democrats want health care tax credits to end the shutdown. Why the GOP says not yet. "This is a reasonable offer," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Friday. "Now the ball is in Republicans' court." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said he had called New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to congratulate him for winning the 2025 election. Schumer did not endorse Mamdani, the Democratic nominee, during the race. Republicans denounced the proposition and continued to accuse Democrats of making unreasonable demands to score more political points on the heels of their recent off-year election wins. Read more: Will Democrats' big election wins end the shutdown or prolong it? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement GOP lawmakers weren't the only ones expressing frustration with the proposal. Some Democrats criticized it, too, though for opposite reasons. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, said he wanted the bill to also reverse the recent layoffs of thousands of federal workers (which have been paused in court) and guarantee backpay for civil servants who've been furloughed. Read more: Education Department lays off roughly 20% of its workforce amid shutdown "I'll be very blunt. It's not everything I would've wanted," he said. "It is a compromise, and compromise is not a four-letter word." For the first time since the shutdown started, senators planned to stick around Capitol Hill over the weekend to potentially take more votes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, told reporters he would force a vote Friday on a standalone bill to deliver checks to federal workers who've spent weeks without pay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I am tired of political games," he said. Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Democrats outline new proposal for ending shutdown South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) has announced it has entered into a strategic partnership with UK-based AI startup Cusp AI Ltd, to accelerate the development of new materials through the use of artificial intelligence (AI). HMG described Cambridge-based Cusp AI as a frontier AI startup pioneering the discovery of breakthrough materials through the use of AI technologies, adding that the two companies have signed a partnership agreement to establish a framework for their collaboration across multiple domains. By integrating data-driven simulations with proprietary AI models, Cusp AI has created an AI-powered search engine for materials, with the potential to dramatically reduce the time and cost traditionally required for materials development. HMG further stated that the rapid advancement of AI technology has established 'AI for Science' as an emerging paradigm for addressing complex scientific challenges, particularly by driving innovative approaches in the pharmaceutical and materials industries. Expanding beyond widely known applications like language or image generation, AI for Science can leverage generative AI to analyse extensive scientific datasets, propose novel molecular structures or biological sequences, and significantly reduce the time, cost, and uncertainty involved in research and development. HMG added that in this context, it aims to accelerate the adoption of AI technologies to enhance the efficiency, durability, and stability of next-generation materials, integrating them into its future smart mobility solutions. Chul Park, Head of HMGs New Business Strategy Group, said in a statement: HMG is driving transformative change in mobility through fundamental materials innovation. By applying AI to solve scientific challenges that conventional methods cannot address, this partnership will strengthen our global leadership in sustainable, next-generation mobility. Chad Edwards, CEO and co-founder of Cusp AI, said: Next-generation materials are the only path to a more sustainable future. By partnering with HMG, which brings world-class manufacturing expertise and a drive for materials innovation, we can build that future faster. AI allows industry leaders to move beyond slow, experimental progress and start delivering greener, more efficient solutions. Were delighted to welcome Hyundai Motor Group as a long-term partner in realising this vision. "Hyundai partners with UKs Cusp AI in new materials R&D" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Senate Republicans and Democrats have rejected each other's proposals to fund the federal government and end the record 38-day government shutdown. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday afternoon said Democrats would support opening the federal government if the GOP would agree to extend credits for the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, for one more year. Schumer, D-N.Y., said Senate Democrats favor passing a temporary funding measure and three other bills that would fund the federal government for one year, CNN reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Democrats are offering a very simple compromise," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "Now, the ball is in the Republicans' court," he added. "We need Republicans to just say yes." Senators were expected to work through the weekend to reach a possible resolution to the record 38-day government shutdown. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and other Senate Republicans quickly rejected Schumer's offer, which Thune called a "non-starter," CBS News reported. He said the Senate Democrats' proposal "doesn't even get close" to being a viable solution to the shutdown. Senators will work through the weekend and try to reopen the federal government after Senate Democrats on Thursday rejected a bipartisan proposal to do so and renew funding for federal food assistance. File Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., offered a more drastic view of Schumer's announcement, which he called "terrible" and described it as "political terrorism." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thune earlier said the Senate will work through the weekend to negotiate reopening the federal government and possibly vote after a bipartisan effort failed Thursday. Thune wanted to hold another vote on the House-approved continuing resolution to fund the federal government through Nov. 21, but Senate Democrats aren't on board, he told media earlier Friday. "Our members are going to be advised to be available if, in fact, there's a need to vote," he said. "We will see what happens and whether or not, over the course of the next couple of days, the Democrats can find their way to re-engage again," Thune added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thune earlier this week expressed optimism that a funding agreement would be made this week, but that ended after Senate Democrats met on Thursday. "All I know is that the pep rally they had at lunch yesterday evidently changed some minds," he said Friday. "We had given them everything they wanted and had asked for," Thune explained. "At some point, I was gonna say they have to take 'yes' for an answer, and they were trending in that direction." The impasse is due to Senate Democrats not trusting President Donald Trump to agree to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire after December and to stop firing federal employees, The Hill reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Democrats held a working lunch on Thursday, as referenced by Thune, during which they rejected a bipartisan proposal to reopen the government. Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Angus King, I-Maine, had worked out a deal with the GOP, which buoyed Thune's hope of ending the government shutdown on its record 38th day. Senate Democrats discussed the bipartisan proposal during their Thursday lunch and rejected it due to their distrust of the president. The proposal would have included a short-term funding measure to reopen the government and a three-year appropriations bill that would have funded the Agriculture Department, Veterans Affairs, military construction and the legislative branch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The USDA funding would have meant full funding for currently suspended Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Lacking strong guarantees that the president would support extending Affordable Care Act credits that initially were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic and that are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, the Senate Democrats said they won't support the bipartisan plan to move forward. Despite the continued opposition from Senate Democrats, Thune doesn't expect the shutdown to continue into the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at the end of the month, he said while appearing on Fox News Friday. Thune needs at least five more Senate Democrats to join with Democratic Party Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada and King, who caucuses with Senate Democrats, to approve the continuing resolution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fetterman, Masto and King consistently have voted in favor of continuing the 2025 fiscal year budget while negotiating the budget for the 2026 fiscal year, which started on Oct. 1. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is the only Republican senator to continually vote against the measure. The House-approved continuing resolution consistently has received a majority of support in the Senate, but it has not received the 60 votes needed to overcome the Senate's filibuster rule for passage. Trump again blasted keeping the filibuster, writing on Truth Social on Friday night: "It's time for Republican Senators to stop playing games with the radical-left Democrats and terminate the filibuster, immediately open our country and pass great common-sense legislation!" ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) Dixie Power hosted one of Utahs most successful Red Cross blood drives of the year. This week, Dixie Power hosted a three-day event in partnership with the Red Cross of Utah, where 557 units of blood were collected. It was the most successful American Red Cross blood drive in Utah in 2025, and one of the most impactful in the past decade. One dead after accident involving Union Pacific train in Provo Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dixie Powers efforts are a shining example of how organizations can make a real difference, said Benjamin Donner, Executive Director of the American Red Cross Central and Southern Utah Chapter. Their commitment to hosting these drives not only ensures a reliable blood supply but also inspires others to get involved. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership. Last year, in 2024, 503 units of blood were collected at the Dixie Power annual blood drive. Additionally, it was an increase from 62 units in a one-day drive in 2019. Donating blood The American Red Cross shared that blood donations become even more crucial in the winter. Holiday traveling and celebrations often lead to a decline in donations, but emergencies increase demand. To schedule an appointment, visit the American Red Cross website or call 1-800-RED CROSS. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Nov. 7The city of Dixon is getting ready to add to its array of multi-use paths. The Dixon City Council on Monday, Nov. 3, approved an agreement with Fehr Graham, a Midwest-based engineering company, to complete the final design plans for extending the multi-use path that runs east of the Rock River. Construction is expected to start in fall 2026 or spring 2027, Dixon Public Works Director Matt Heckman told Shaw Local. The extension would start where the existing path ends near Bunny's Bait shop at 1024 E. River Road in Dixon and continue east adjacent to the river, according to the agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That path was completed in 2009 and originally included the extension "so some of that [design] work is already complete," Heckman said. Fehr Graham will make adjustments to those existing plans, including its engineering, landscaping and electrical and structural designs. It'll cost the city $41,500, which will be paid using Dixon's recovery fund and a $2.25 million grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program, according to the agreement. "We're certainly happy to partner with IDOT once again on another trail project here in Dixon. We're very grateful for the grant award, and we're looking forward to adding more pathways," Heckman said. In July 2024, the city completed construction of the multi-use path that runs west along the river with a ramp to the viaducts ending at Seventh Street. Its known as "ITEP west." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That path is being extended by a pedestrian bridge using the old Illinois Central Railroad piers, known as Project Rock. Its expected to be completed by June 2026. The city is also pursuing grant funding for a third multi-use path known as "ITEP south" which would eventually connect to ITEP west at Seventh Street and extend out to the Lee County Industrial Park near Interstate 88. NEED TO KNOW Chewie, a dachshund flung from a Wyoming car crash, was found alive after seven days alone A FedEx driver and a traveling couple helped rescue the pup along a highway on a mountainside Chewie was reunited with his owner after his microchip linked him to Amanda Lohr of Indiana A small dachshund named Chewie has defied the odds surviving seven days alone in the Wyoming wilderness after being thrown from a car during a terrifying highway crash. On Friday, Oct. 24, Amanda Lohr, 33, and her boyfriend were driving their 2005 Buick Century west along I-80 from Kokomo, Ind., to Portland, Ore., with Chewie and their cat, Newt, when a semi-truck struck their vehicle near Rawlins, Cowboy State Daily reported. The impact sent the car rolling three times before landing in a ditch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lohr was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, while her boyfriend suffered a neck fracture and was airlifted to Casper, Wyo., where he remained for eight days. Newt did not survive the crash, and Chewie, who was thrown from the vehicle, was believed to have been killed instantly. gofundme Amanda Lohr's car after the accident on Interstate 80 in Wyoming, Amanda Lohr's car after the accident on Interstate 80 in Wyoming, Days later, as Lohr grappled with the loss of her pet and mounting personal struggles, she received an unexpected call: Chewie was alive. I was really happy because I had been mourning for more than a week, Lohr told the outlet, adding that her daughter cried tears of joy when she heard the news. Chewies rescue came thanks to a group of strangers who refused to give up. Kenny Coomes, a FedEx driver, first spotted the little dog along the I-80 highway and tried to catch him, later setting a live trap with food and a blanket when his efforts failed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nearly a week later, Scott and Kodi Allred, a couple traveling to visit their son at the University of Northern Colorado, saw the frightened black dachshund darting along the same stretch of road near Elk Mountain. They pulled over and, after a brief chase, Scott managed to scoop Chewie to safety. With no tag, the couple drove an hour to a Humane Society in Laramie, Wyo., where staff scanned Chewie's microchip and traced the dog back to Lohr. Coomes, who had been following updates on Facebook, called the reunion a miracle. "This is a miracle and I am so happy he was found," Lohr wrote on a Facebook update. "That puppy is my best friend and I cant wait to have him back with me." Coomes helped coordinate Chewies return trip arranging for a fellow FedEx driver to deliver him home. It was God who put everything in place so this could happen, Coomes said. Read the original article on People HOLLAND, Ind. (WEHT) A normally quiet area of Dubois County is now the site of pre-construction work on the Crossvine Solar Project, a mixed battery/solar facility situated between Holland and Huntingburg. The project, operated by AES Indiana, has drawn concern from residents and elected officials, including Holland Town Council member John Kaltenbacher. Nobody knows about it. I didnt find out about a lot of this until Sunday, says Kaltenbacher. The Holland Town Council held a meeting on November 5 to inform residents, and others in Dubois County presented signatures to county commissioners, asking for a moratorium on the prpoject in hopes of implementing ordinances on future projects. When it comes to potential impacts, Kaltenbacher is concerned about the what ifs and many residents living in potential evacuation zones. We have all kinds of questions, like whos going to be responsible for funding evacuations, says Kaltenbacher. If we do have toxics in town, are we going to be like the town up in (East Palestine) Ohio, that theyre still, that trainwreck, the derailment. Kaltenbacher adds, We have a dairy here, are they going to be making stuff that has toxics in it? Its dumbfounding that we cant find out this information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Huntingburg Elementary students reaping bilingual benefits of DLI program AES Indiana says the battery storage facility and solar panels will sit on over 400 acres of private land. The project was approved by the IURC in April with construction scheduled to begin next Spring. Kaltenbacher feels like the project is moving forward without important discussions with AES. Theyre already starting to pour concrete out there, says Kaltenbacher. Its going to happen, so now we have to be, instead of being proactive, were being reactive. A representative from AES Indiana says there are three public information events scheduled through january. One is November 13 from 5:30pm-7:30pm at the Huntingburg Event Center. The second is a virtual meeting on November 19 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm, where residents will need to register online. The third meeting will be another in-person option on January 21 with a time and location to be determined. These meetings are intended to allow residents to meet with project officials and voice concerns, including concerns over potential impacts to surrounding residents, businesses and children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This company is doing something that can harm schools, explains Kaltenbacher. Huntingburg schools, the high school, elementary school there, Hollands elementary school and the daycares. Kaltenbacher adds, To me, its just the lack of caring. Thats where it makes me upset. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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). AMSTERDAM (Reuters) -The Netherlands' economy minister, Vincent Karremans, said on Thursday he trusts computer chips made by Dutch chipmaker Nexperia will reach customers in Europe and the rest of the world in the coming days. A shortage of Nexperia chips following a dispute with China over ownership and control of the company has disrupted auto supply chains, hit production and caused some buyers to furlough staff. The chips are also widely used in industrial, computing, mobile and consumer products. In a statement, Karremans said the Netherlands had been informed by China and the U.S. that the trade deal they struck last week would enable the resumption of supplies from Nexperia's facilities in China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is also consistent with information provided to the European Commission by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce," he said. Karremans seized control of Nexperia on September 30, citing fears its operations would be moved to China where its parent, Wingtech, is based. The Chinese government responded by blocking exports on October 4. This week carmakers and auto parts distributors began to apply to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce for exemptions but it is unclear whether any have received the chips. (Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Leslie Adler and Richard Chang) Like many progressive Democrats, U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia has accused President Donald Trump and Republicans of posing a threat to the future of American democracy. It was just 20 months ago that Garcia, during a debate with Chicago Ald. Ray Lopez, who was challenging him during the primary, said, I believe that most of the threats to democracy have come from right-wing extremists in the country are fueled by the rhetoric of Donald Trump and other enablers in Congress. Yet in a gambit straight out of the Democratic Machine playbook, Garcia waited until hours before the filing deadline for next years elections to announce his decision not to run, clearing the way for Patty Garcia, his chief of staff but no relation, to file for the party primary race to succeed him and ensuring she would have zero competition in a district thats safely blue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guess whos a threat to democracy now? Not a good look for the party of No Kings, Lopez told Fox 32 journalist Paris Schutz. No, Alderman Lopez, it surely is not. We acknowledge that this kind of anti-democratic maneuver wasnt hitherto unknown around these parts. In just this cycle alone, Illinois Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, pulled the same stunt, announcing his planned retirement Monday, with his chief of staff magically prepared with petitions to get on the Democratic primary ballot to succeed him. But Chuy Garcia isnt just your average Illinois Dem. Hes the man who challenged Mayor Rahm Emanuel at the behest of the Chicago Teachers Union and forced Emanuel into a 2015 runoff for a second term. Garcia lost, but he won the gratitude of the progressive left in Chicago and made himself a well-known name throughout the Chicago area. Many young people admire him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His elevated stature within the party and progressive movement led to the unusual sight of Garcia catching heat from fellow Democrats, including those on the national stage. Lis Smith, a high-profile Democratic political operative posted on X that this is why people hate politics. Chuy ran as a man of the people, but hes acting like a cog in the machine, she wrote. Exactly. Garcia may well admire and be grateful to his chief of staff and, of course, he would have been free to endorse her. But rigging the system so she cannot lose doesnt ennoble either of the two public servants here. Time and again, it seems, we have to remind Illinois Democrats that voters deserve to make choices and do not deserve to be disenfranchised. In an interview with Capitol Fax, Garcia said hed planned to run until nine days ago, when his cardiologist advised him to retire after a checkup. Garcia said his wife asked him not to run the following day, which was last Tuesday, Oct. 28. He apparently made his decision at some point later last week. Were sympathetic to Garcias health issues and rightly personal decision. But that doesnt explain waiting until the last second to disclose the news while his organization circulated petitions over the weekend to get his chief of staff on the ballot. I think I followed the rules, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whatever. Thats not the point. He could have given others interested in the seat a heads-up and a few days to gather signatures. It was a deliberate choice not to do so, and it was regrettable. Garcia has represented Illinois 4th District in Congress since 2019, succeeding Democrat Luis Gutierrez who in November 2017 announced he wouldnt run for reelection with just six days remaining before the filing deadline and endorsed Garcia. Critics derided the timing of Gutierrezs announcement at the time as a coronation for Garcia. Sound familiar? The difference, though, is that there were two candidates who ran against Garcia, so at least primary voters had a choice, even if the challengers were low profile. Garcia didnt provide 2026 voters with even that courtesy. Before the face-off with Emanuel, Garcia was a relatively obscure Cook County commissioner who had forged his political reputation largely on his status as a supporter of Mayor Harold Washington as an alderman, first elected in 1986. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Garcias legacy could have been built around his roots in helping Washington defeat his Council Wars opponents and the scare he gave Emanuel as a progressive challenger. Now, part of his legacy will be the way hes exiting the political stage handing his congressional seat to a loyal staffer and disrespecting his own voters by denying them a choice of who their next U.S. House member should be. We have no doubt our more cynical readers will roll their eyes at the thought of any Illinois politician doing the right thing when it comes to our famously hardball politics. But that has happened. Recently, too. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis earlier this year announced his plans to retire after decades representing the West Side and near west suburbs. But, while he immediately endorsed Illinois Rep. La Shawn Ford, he left plenty of time for others to contest the seat. And at least eight others are doing just that. Another example: Illinois Rep. Lance Yednock, a moderate Democrat from downstate Ottawa, decided in 2023 not to run again for his DeKalb-centered seat. But he made the announcement at the end of August of that year. His chief of staff, Amy Murri Briel, ran to succeed him and he backed her. But he left enough time for others to get in the race, and she got a spirited contest from two highly qualified Democrats. She prevailed in the primary and went on to eke out a general election victory in one of our gerrymandered states few bona fide swing districts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump deserves the criticism he gets for the way hes cast aside many of the democratic norms that have served this republic well for more than two centuries. We will kindly thank Garcia during the remainder of his time in Washington, D.C., for refraining from joining his partys ongoing chorus of opprobrium. _____ Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem holds a press conference in Minneapolis to discuss ICE operations and immigration enforcement in Minnesota on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Photo by Glen Stubbe/Minnesota Reformer) The sheriffs offices in eight Minnesota counties have agreed to assist federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement in their effort to ramp up deportations around the country, which immigrant rights advocates say creates a dangerous risk of civil rights violations, among other problems. The counties are Cass, Crow Wing, Freeborn, Itasca, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Mille Lacs and Sherburne, according to a list of agreements posted on the ICE website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Freeborn, Kandiyohi and Sherburne counties have longstanding agreements with immigration authorities to detain immigrants in their county jails. The 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act gave ICE permission to enter into contracts with local law enforcement agencies to assist with the arrest and detention of immigrants. The contracts fall into three categories: task force model, warrant service officer and jail enforcement model. Sheriffs offices with task force model agreements Cass, Crow Wing, Itasca and Millie Lacs can enforce immigration law on the streets or during routine police work, like traffic stops. The program was discontinued in 2012 after several controversies and a federal court finding that officers committed racial profiling. The Trump administration revived the task force model shortly after the presidents inauguration to a second term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warrant service officer contracts signed by the sheriffs offices of Crow Wing, Freeborn, Jackson and Kandiyohi counties allow local officers to perform immigration arrests within jails and correctional facilities when requested, though those officers cannot independently interrogate detainees on their immigration status. The jail enforcement model contracts, like that in Sherburne County, permit local law enforcement officers to question the immigration status of people held in the county jail, and detain them for up to 48 hours. The Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration, or ICOM, is a member of several coalitions opposing the deputization of local law enforcement agencies to carry out federal immigration enforcement. I want my law enforcement to have healthy relationships with everybody in the community, regardless of immigration status, ICOM advocacy director Greg King said. Immigrants are less likely to report crimes or ask for help when local law enforcement officers arrest immigrants. Using local police for immigration enforcement also directs resources away from more serious crime and creates an avenue for racial profiling, King said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ICOM and allied organizations have backed state legislation that would bar Minnesota law enforcement agencies from entering into agreements with ICE, but that bill never passed. King said he expects it to be re-introduced in 2026; Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is also a candidate for governor, will surely block it. Other states have passed the opposite legislation requiring local agencies to support ICE. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act more than tripled ICEs budget, surpassing that of the federal prison system. The Trump administration says it has deported more than half a million people since taking office. On November 6, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a NATO delegation in Baku. The delegation includes Permanent Representatives of Turkiye, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Spain to NATO, as well as Deputy Permanent Representatives of the United States and France to the bloc. The meeting discussed Azerbaijan's cooperation with NATO and the role of this cooperation in regional development, as well as the country's achievements in the alliance's peacekeeping operations. President Ilham Aliyev informed the guests that the Azerbaijani army is being brought into line with the standards of the North Atlantic Alliance and is closely cooperating with the Turkish army in this context. He also stated that Azerbaijan has achieved its main goal by liberating the occupied territories and is now continuing to modernize the army. Azerbaijan's relations with NATO have a history of more than thirty years and are developing on the basis of mutual respect, security interests and the desire for peace and stability. The foundation for this cooperation was laid on May 4, 1994 by Heydar Aliyev with the signing of the Partnership for Peace framework document. Azerbaijan has become one of the first CIS countries to establish cooperation with the alliance. This was an important step in strengthening the republic's international position and allowed it to participate more actively in Euro-Atlantic processes and peacekeeping missions. Despite the fact that Azerbaijan does not seek membership in the alliance, cooperation with NATO remains an important component of the country's foreign policy. During the meeting in Baku, it was emphasized that Azerbaijan is a valuable partner of NATO and has certain merits by participating in Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan. Operation Resolute Support, the mission of NATO and its allies in Afghanistan, began on January 1, 2015 and lasted until August 31, 2021. Azerbaijan joined the operation among 39 other countries. At the first stage, our contingent consisted of 94 military personnel, and since January 2018, in order to increase the contribution to the mission, it has been increased to 120. Azerbaijani servicemen guarded the Kabul International Airport and also held positions in the relevant headquarters. When the United States decided to curtail the operation, all foreign troops left Afghanistan. Only Turkish and Azerbaijani soldiers remained to cope with the chaos. Our peacekeepers helped in the evacuation of foreign citizens, UN staff and other international organizations, rescued children, and tried to regulate the difficult situation at the Kabul airport when thousands of Afghans besieged planes trying to escape from the rule of the Taliban. The Azerbaijani military carried out their mission, as the foreign media wrote in those days, with dignity, impartiality and at the highest level. It is no coincidence that upon completion of the mission in their homeland, the peacekeepers were presented with high military awards. Azerbaijan has contributed to the NATO mission in Afghanistan not only with its military contingent. Throughout the years of the mission, our country has served as a multimodal logistics route, providing transit opportunities for the transportation of goods and military personnel. This route has become an important transit hub for the delivery of goods and the rotation of NATO troops heading to and returning from Afghanistan. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, launched in 2017, was also used by NATO member countries for transportation to and from Afghanistan. This railway has made an important contribution to the success of the Resolute Support mission. But at one time, the United States, we recall, was against the implementation of this project for the reason that it bypassed Armenia. Subsequently, the BTK became the main link of the multimodal Lapis Lazuli route and provided safe transportation to Afghanistan to NATO countries. It is noteworthy that after the end of the operation in Afghanistan, the former White House administration immediately unfrozen the 907th amendment prohibiting assistance to Azerbaijan. Responding to a question from the Al Arabiya TV channel, President Ilham Aliyev said: "Why is that? Because they needed us in Afghanistan. They needed our sky, they needed our sea. They needed a railroad. We provided very important support to American logistics and transportation. As soon as Biden escaped from Afghanistan, they imposed sanctions on us again. How can you be so ungrateful?!" The addressees of these statements, I think, have heard them. The current US administration, represented by Donald Trump, has done everything to restore relations with Azerbaijan. Despite the fact that our country, as we have already noted, shows no interest in joining the bloc, the organization itself understands the importance of Azerbaijan in various aspects. Azerbaijan's cooperation with NATO covers a wide range of areas, from military and defense planning to civil initiatives. There is an ongoing dialogue and exchange of views on the security of the South Caucasus, the fight against terrorism, cyber and energy security. The latter is of particular importance, since Azerbaijan, being located at the intersection of key transport and energy routes, plays an important role in ensuring the energy security of Europe, and therefore of the NATO space. Baku's unwillingness to deviate from the policy of non-alignment does not create any obstacles in its cooperation with the North Atlantic bloc. The country maintains a strategic balance in its foreign policy, maintaining relations with both NATO and CSTO countries. This equidistance allows Baku to become a comfortable platform for political dialogue between different poles. It should be recalled that Baku has repeatedly become a meeting place for representatives of the leadership of NATO and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In February 2017, Chief of the General Staff of the US Armed Forces Joe Dunford met with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov in Baku. This was the first meeting in this format. In September of the same year, General Peter Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, arrived in Baku to meet with Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. In April 2018, Gerasimov held talks at the Baku site with the Commander-in-Chief of the NATO Joint Armed Forces in Europe, Curtis Scaparotti. And in June 2019, Gerasimov also met with the new Commander-in-Chief of the NATO Joint Armed Forces in Europe, Todd Walters. Azerbaijan has served as a neutral platform for NATO and Russia to build dialogue and discuss pressing issues. It is possible that in the future Baku may again serve as a negotiating platform for opposing world forces. Azerbaijan knows the value of war and peace better than many. Indias Reliance Industries, the top private refiner in the country, is looking to sell some UAE and Iraqi crude in a rare spot market offer, trade sources told Bloomberg on Thursday. Reliance has been a major buyer of crude from the Middle East and Russia in recent years. After the U.S. sanctions on Russias top oil firms Rosneft and Lukoil last month, the Indian refiner of billionaire Mukesh Ambani snapped up millions of barrels of crude from the Middle East as it said it would comply with the Trump Administrations sanctions. Reliance, which operates the worlds biggest refinery complex at Jamnagar with 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) of processing capacity, has a long-term deal with Rosneft to buy almost 500,000 bpd. Reliance was Indias single biggest buyer of Russian crude, until now. Reliance typically does not import crude from sanctioned entities and is unlikely to risk secondary U.S. sanctions by continuing imports from Rosneft, as the Indian conglomerate is a listed entity with access to the U.S. banking system, sources familiar with the company told the Financial Times at the time. Even before the U.S. sanctions were announced, Reliance had accelerated crude oil purchases from the Middle East and had been more active than usual in procuring oil from the Gulf region. Now, Reliance is looking to offload some Middle East crude in a rare offer to sell on the spot market, per Bloombergs sources at companies that have been approached with offers. The Indian refiner is reportedly offering Murban and Upper Zakum crude grades from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and has already sold one cargo of Iraqs Basrah Medium to a Greek buyer, according to Bloombergs sources. Meanwhile, Indian refiners are pivoting away from Russian crude and are buying additional barrels from the Middle East and the Americas to offset what is expected to be a steep decline in Russian loadings in December and January. By Tsvetana Paraskova 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. CHARLESTON, Ill. (WCIA) A Turning Point USA chapter will now be among the registered student organizations at Eastern Illinois University after the schools administration overturned a vote from the student government to reject the creation of the chapter. In a news release on Wednesday, university officials explained that the Student Government Association (SGA) voted against adding the chapter. Turning Point USA is a conservative national organization founded by the late Charlie Kirk that has chapters at hundreds of high schools, colleges and universities. U of I employee running for U.S. Senate seat Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, the university said the SGAs resolutions are only advisory, and administrators began an institutional review of the vote based on university policy, prior practice and relevant obligations. Eastern Illinois University is committed to free speech, the freedom of association, and viewpoint diversity. Universities are and should always be the spaces and places where difficult conversations and civil dialogue occur, administrators said. The decision, if allowed to stand, would violate EIUs obligation under and commitment to the First Amendment. As SGAs resolutions are advisory, effective immediately, the local chapter is a Recognized Student Organization, which is consistent with EIUs institutional values. WCIA reached out to the university for further comment and to the SGA for a response to the universitys action. EIU declined further comment, and the SGA did not reply back immediately. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Among other exciting results from Tuesday's elections, Denver residents voted to continue banning the sale of flavored tobacco products. CBS News reported that 71.53% of votes were in favor of Referendum 310. The legislation will make it harder for Denver residents, particularly teens and children, to purchase tobacco products like vapes. This action followed some intense debate following Denver's city council's initial vote to ban the sale of these products. The overwhelming support for the ban shocked critics, which include economic analysts and vape shop owners. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mike Dino, a Colorado Democratic political analyst for CBS, said that the referendum "was won by the promotion of the yes vote which means 'yes, I want to keep the ordinance.'" Despite any potential impact, this ban is one step in a positive direction. It could lead to a future where the 7% of local children and teens have less access to the addictive products or hopefully quit altogether. Fruity vape flavors have led many to believe that the products are intentionally being marketed toward children. Upticks in nicotine use in children and teens seem to support this idea. Because of this, many people have supported bans for the flavored products specifically. Vape use is dangerous for people of all ages but especially children. The chemicals in vapes can cause critical health problems, including lung disease, heart disease, and cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even more frightening is what we do not yet know. The novelty of e-cigarettes means we do not have a strong body of research on the long-term impacts of their use. Aside from the health impacts, disposable vapes are creating a massive waste problem. The toxic products can be found littered across parking lots, yards, and even in the mouths of animals. Even when they make it to a trash can, these products can cause life-threatening fires in garbage trucks or landfills. Denver is certainly not the first government to ban flavored tobacco products, and it is unlikely to be the last. In an interview with Denverite, Jodi Radke, the regional director for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, said, "I think it's being watched very much from in state, out of state, most certainly, and I think it does have implications to inspire and to have an impact in other areas outside of Colorado." 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. Elon Musk said Tesla owners might soon be able to text and drive while using the cars self-driving feature. However, the action is banned in nearly all states. The Tesla CEO made the remarks while speaking at the companys annual shareholder meeting on Thursday, Nov. 6. While speaking of Teslas version 14 self-driving update, which was released last month, Musk said, We're actually getting to the point where we almost feel comfortable allowing people to text and drive ... Because thats really what people want to do and (already) do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Musk said customers will be able to text and drive starting in one to two months. He did not provide explain how Tesla would skirt traffic laws. He said Tesla officials would first review safety statistics prior to making a decision. We will allow you to text and drive, essentially, Musk said to the delight of shareholders who applauded the announcement. Tesla's driver monitoring system knows when drivers are texting and will provide warnings. Drivers are currently turning off the self-driving feature to send a text, then turn it back on, Musk claimed, adding that doing so is less safe. Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Tesla Model X Explore the futuristic 2025 Tesla Model X. See photos 1 of 31 Tesla Model X Is texting while driving allowed? Texting while driving is illegal in 49 states as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montana does not ban texting and driving, and Missouri only imposes texting while driving rules on those who are under 21 years of age and commercial drivers. Its not clear how the mass production of autonomous vehicles could change highway laws. Tesla owners are currently required to watch the road even if the car is in self-driving mode. There have been instances of Tesla drivers being penalized for falling asleep at the wheel with their cars in autopilot. Last month, a man in Illinois was arrested and charged after their Tesla crashed into a cop car while it was in autonomous mode, local media reported. In 2021, Wisconsin authorities ticketed a man who was sleeping behind the wheel of his Tesla as it drove itself at 80 mph, national media outlets reported. The deputy involved tried to conduct a traffic stop but the man continued sleeping for two miles. The man woke up once the deputy pulled up next to the car. What are the penalties for texting and driving? The current penalties for texting and driving include fines, points on your driving record and potential jail time depending on the jurisdiction, according to a state-by-state guide from DriversEd.com. What would need to happen for Tesla to allow drivers to text and drive? Tesla would need to seek regulatory approval to allow drivers to text and drive. Currently, Mercedes-Benz is the only car company in the United States that can sell autonomous cars without a requirement that drivers watch the road. Still, those specific cars are only available for purchase in California and Nevada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Legislation is underway to address the use of autonomous vehicles. Lawmakers in 25 states have introduced 67 bills related to autonomous vehicles, according to a database from the National Conference of State Legislatures. What are the benefits of autonomous cars? According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, safety is the biggest benefit of autonomous driving. Higher levels of automation, referred to as automated driving systems, remove the human driver from the chain of events that can lead to a crash, the agencys website states. While these systems are not available to consumers today, the advantages of this developing technology could be far-reaching. The agency notes that there is considerable investment being made in testing, development and validation of automated driving systems that could help bring future technology to market. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Musk says Tesla might allow texting while driving. What do laws say? WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) On Thursday afternoon, the prosecution and defense rested in the case against a man accused of shooting a teen, leaving him paralyzed. Ruben Contreras is charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery. On May 11, 2024, police were dispatched to the Walmart in Goddard, where authorities said Anakin Zehring, who was 18 at the time, was with two other teens and had fired a toy gel blaster in the parking lot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A toy gel blaster is a toy gun that fires polymer water beads. The probable cause affidavit in the case said the teens were playing senior assassin, a game that was being played at Goddard High School in which students shoot at other students with water guns. One of the beads struck Contreras daughter. She called her dad, who, police said, came to the store and shot Zehring while the teenager was driving away. On Thursday morning, Contreras took the stand. He claimed self-defense, as he has throughout this entire case. The prosecution argued that he knew his daughter had not been injured by a real gun and that he never saw a weapon before he fired. Defendant asks judge to dismiss charges in murdered Kansas moms case Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Contreras testified that he did not understand that the weapon the teens were using was a toy. He testified that he heard a clicking, like either a rack or a magazine, and that one of the teens said, Get her. I wasnt going to wait to see what get her meant, he said, his voice cracking with emotion. And I took my shot. Contreras testified that he had taken concealed carry classes and believed he had the right to make a citizens arrest. He said he shot at the car to stop a threat. He said after he fired, he immediately called U.S. LawShield, the organization that led the concealed carry training he had previously taken. The prosecutor questioned Contreras about his actions after he got to the parking lot and discovered his daughter was not injured by a bullet. Contreras testified that as he was walking with his daughter and her boyfriend to the store to make a report and see a manager, his daughter pointed out the teens. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He testified that when the teens got into their car, he started running toward them and banged on the drivers side window and rear drivers side window and fired his weapon at close range. He later confirmed that he never saw a firearm in the car. Before the closing arguments, the judge ruled that the jury could not consider self-defense. Contreras attorney filed a motion for a mistrial, citing in court documents the Courts refusal to instruct the jury on self-defense deprived the Defendant of a fair trial and due process of law under both the U.S. Constitution and the Kansas Constitution Bill of Rights. The jury began deliberating on Thursday afternoon. In their instructions, they were told that each count against Contreras is a separate offense, and they can convict or acquit on any or all of the charges. They were also given the option to consider attempted second-degree murder, which is intentional but not premeditated, instead of attempted first-degree murder. The jury returns Friday to continue deliberations. 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. One of Europe's biggest oil companies has had to make major changes to its public messaging after a court found it misled consumers about its supposedly eco-friendly practices. What's happening? On Oct. 23, a Paris court found that TotalEnergies, a massive oil and gas company based in France, had overstated its commitment to helping the environment and preventing global temperatures from continuing to rise. As Mongabay reported, this is believed to be the first time an oil company has been found legally liable for this practice, commonly known as greenwashing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2021, the company changed its name from Total to TotalEnergies and launched a campaign that included goals such as shifting away from dirty fuels to renewable energy projects and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. But the following year, several environmental advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against TotalEnergies. Among the evidence they showed the court was that TotalEnergies had continued to pursue gas and oil projects across Europe and Africa, despite its eco-friendly messaging. The court mandated that TotalEnergies remove all misleading claims from its website and had to display the court's ruling prominently for six months, or face a daily monetary penalty. "It sends a signal globally that the oil and gas industry's common transition claims are misleading," Johnny White, a lawyer representing the consumers, told Mongabay. "From now on, when companies pursuing fossil fuel expansion use this type of narrative, it is neither credible nor legally safe." Why is this important? Unfortunately, greenwashing is a common practice among large companies, particularly those involved with dirty fuels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Visit the website of most large oil companies, and you're likely to find a prominent section about sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. But the reality is that these companies are among the world leaders in burning dirty fuels and releasing the heat-trapping pollution that has increased global temperatures. ExxonMobil recently came under fire for presenting a plan to trap and store carbon, as the claims didn't hold up to much scrutiny. In Canada, two large dirty-fuel companies face a complaint over "widespread inaccurate" claims about clean-energy practices. This isn't even TotalEnergies' first foray into greenwashing. Earlier this year, one of its social media advertisements promoting wind energy was banned after authorities found the company didn't properly disclose that it primarily dealt in dirty fuels. What can I do about greenwashing? The first step is to understand what greenwashing is and how companies do it. From there, it's easier to spot when a company is doing this performative tactic, and to spend time researching a company's actual practices, before giving them your hard-earned money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of course, there are companies that do walk the walk when it comes to protecting our planet. By supporting these eco-friendly brands, you can feel good knowing that your money is going toward those who want to make the Earth a cooler, better place. 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. Twenty-seven years ago, one of the most publicized and tragic anti-LBGTQ hate crimes in our nation's history broke the hearts of the LGBTQ+ community and allies alike. On October 7, 1998, Matthew Shepard , a 21-year-old gay college student, was horrifically attacked because of his sexual orientation. His body was tied to a fence in the countryside of Wyoming, as if it were a sign of homophobic triumph to be put on display. Five days later, Matthew died. Cause of death: Homophobia. Hate. Violence. Bigotry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew's death became a stark and gruesome reminder of the queerphobia and hate that exists within our nation, a nation that prides itself on its promises of equality and the unalienable right to life for all. In the years to come, legislation and foundations would be established in Matthew's name, promising an equal, safe, and free future for LGBTQ+ Americans. Seventeen years after we lost Matthew, forty-nine LGBTQ+ and allied lives were taken in Orlando at Pulse nightclub during Pride month. At the time, this was the worst mass shooting in American history, and it remains the most deadly recorded LGBTQ+ hate crime to ever occur in the United States. Community members painted a crosswalk outside of Pulse in rainbow colors as a reminder of the lives lost the following year, as a sign of queer resilience. Jump forward to August of this year. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, with support from the Trump administration, ordered the rainbow-painted memorial removed and had the crosswalk repainted to its original, lifeless asphalt color. DeSantis cites a rainbow-painted crosswalk as creating safety concerns for drivers. But critics say this is a political move motivated by conservative and Trump-era attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. Elected officials in Florida, the federal government , and elsewhere across the board are making it abundantly clear that they will not be mourning for the victims of homophobia and transphobia. They are making it clear they do not want us to remember. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What does this say about the trajectory of our nation in the years to come? What happens when the following Matthew Shepard-like case pops up on the news? What happens when the next LGBTQ+ nightlife venue is shot up? How will our government respond? How will we respond as Americans? These questions are more essential than ever. Before the next major LGBTQ+ hate crime unfolds, we have a responsibility to put pressure on our elected officials to support our LGBTQ+ community, condemn anti-LGBTQ+ violence, and those lost to queerphobia. We also have a responsibility in our communities to remember their lives and to make sure that nobody forgets. Say their names, paint your rainbows, wave your Pride flags, kiss your lover in public, all of that. To Ron DeSantis and the Trump administration: You can wipe away our crosswalk, but you cannot wipe away our history, pain, love, or existence. To Matthew Shepard, the Pulse nightclub victims, and all others we have lost to bigotry and anti-LGBTQ+ violence, rest in power. We miss you. And we will not forget you. Sam Clark is a graduate student of sociology at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, with research interests in social justice and LGBTQ+ studies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perspectives is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit Pride.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Perspectives stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of Pride or our parent company, equalpride. This article originally appeared on Pride: You can erase the crosswalk, but not our existence There are concerns within the EU that even if Belgium's objections to providing the reparations loan to Kyiv are resolved, the process of approving it could still be delayed. Source: Politico, Brussels-based politics and policy news organisation, as reported by European Pravda Details: According to two officials familiar with the plans, once Belgium's concerns are addressed, the European Commission will formally propose the reparations loan legislation within the next few weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two other EU officials familiar with the plans said that the European Parliament is also likely to be involved in drafting the legislation. This could slow down the process and jeopardise the Commission's hopes of securing 140 billion by April, when Kyiv is expected to run out of money. Pressure is growing due to the fact that further International Monetary Fund (IMF) support for Ukraine depends on the EU loan. "The longer we now run delays, the more challenging it will become," Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in Sofia this week. "It may open questions on some possible bridging solutions or so. So sooner is better," he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As a precaution, Belgium is demanding that EU governments provide national guarantees worth over 170 billion for the loan, which could be paid out at any time. Belgium also wants assurances that using the monetary value of Russian assets will be legally sound. Dombrovskis said that Commission lawyers had "very thoroughly assessed all the legal risks or possible litigation risks", which they considered to be "contained". He added that "in any case, guarantees to be provided to Belgium [are] to cover potential financial risks Belgium may face" if Moscow's lawyers file a lawsuit against the government. Background: There were unofficial concerns within the EU that the IMF could block financial support for Ukraine due to the member states' inability to agree on providing Kyiv with the reparations loan. It was also reported that the leadership of the European Commission and the Belgian government will meet on Friday 7 November to try to resolve the political deadlock over Russian assets. However, the EU stated that the issue of using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine remains on the agenda, and a final decision will be made in December 2025. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! BRUSSELS (AP) The European Union on Friday made it harder for Russian citizens to enter Europes ID-check free travel area due to Russia's continued war on Ukraine, increasing acts of sabotage blamed on Moscow and the potential misuse of visas. Russian nationals can no longer get multiple-entry visas into the so-called Schengen area, which is made up of 25 of the 27 EU member countries, plus Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. They will now have to apply for a new visa each time they travel to Europe, allowing for close and frequent scrutiny of applicants to mitigate any potential security risk, said the EUs executive branch, the European Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exceptions will be made for people whose reliability and integrity is without doubt like dissidents, independent journalists or human rights defenders, and for close family members of Russians living in the EU or family members of EU citizens living in Russia. We now face unprecedented drone disruptions and sabotage on our soil, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement announcing the stricter visa rules. Travelling to and freely moving within the EU is a privilege not a given. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova bristled at the decision. The European Commission apparently figured: Why does Western Europe need creditworthy tourists when there are illegal migrants living on benefits and Ukrainian draft dodgers? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The EU suspended its visa facilitation agreement with Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and decided to deprioritize the granting of visas to Russian nationals, making it more time consuming to get a visa. As a result, the number of visas issued to Russians drop from more than 4 million in 2019 to around 500,000 in 2023. The new move makes visa applications more onerous but falls short of an outright ban. The commission also pressed Serbia this week to stop granting citizenship to Russians, which then makes it easier for them to enter Europe, saying that this poses potential security risks for the EU. ___ Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia contributed to this report. (Reuters) -The European Commission is proposing to pause parts of its landmark artificial intelligence (AI) legislation amid intense pressure from big tech companies and the U.S. government, the Financial Times reported on Friday. The move follows months of urging by tech giants like Meta and Alphabet , and pressure from the Trump administration, which has warned against measures that could provoke trade tensions. The EU has been "engaging" with the Trump administration on adjustments to the AI act and other digital regulations as part of a wider simplification process, which is due to be adopted on November 19, a senior EU official told the FT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The EU did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. In July, a spokesperson for the European Commission dismissed calls from some companies and countries for a pause, saying the AI rules would be rolled out according to the legal timeline in the legislation. Talks were continuing within the commission regarding potential delays to "the implementation of targeted parts of the AI act," a spokesperson for the EU told the FT. They added that while various options were being considered, the EU remained "fully behind the AI act and its objectives." The legislation came into force in August 2024 but many of the provisions are staggered to come into effect in coming years. (Reporting by Abu Sultan in Bengaluru; Editing by Kim Coghill and Kate Mayberry) BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Representatives of the European Commission and Shein will meet on Friday, a spokesperson of the Commission said, after the French government called for an investigation into the Chinese e-commerce group due to the alleged sale of child-like sex dolls and banned weapons on its marketplace. The Commission has powers to investigate large online platforms for breaches of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires they collect and verify information on third-party sellers and check their marketplaces for non-compliant products. "This afternoon, our Commission's services working on the DSA will be in touch with Shein representatives ... we will take it from there and take potential next steps under the DSA," the spokesperson said. Shein did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment. (Reporting by Alessandro Parodi and Helen Reid, editing by Benoit Van Overstraeten) This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: November 06, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points Indoco Remedies Ltd (BOM:532612) reported a significant increase in net revenues for Q2 FY26, with standalone net revenues at INR 4,293 million, reflecting an 8.8% growth compared to the previous quarter. The company successfully launched six new products in the Indian market, enhancing its product portfolio in the anti-infective and respiratory segments. Indoco Remedies Ltd received final ANDA approval from the US FDA for rivaroxaban tablets, indicating progress in its international regulatory approvals. The company's API manufacturing facility at Pata Ganga was successfully inspected by the US FDA with zero observations, showcasing compliance with international standards. Indoco Remedies Ltd's focus on manufacturing capability enhancement has started yielding results, contributing to higher productivity and competitive cost advantages. Negative Points The company faced challenges in the Europe market, with a decrease in revenues from INR 63-64 crores in Q1 to INR 54-55 crores in Q2, attributed to distribution issues and customer approvals. Indoco Remedies Ltd's subsidiaries, FPP Holding and Warren Remedies, reported a combined loss of INR 23 crores in the quarter, impacting overall profitability. The company continues to incur high remediation costs related to US FDA compliance, which are expected to persist for another two quarters. Indoco Remedies Ltd's debt levels have increased significantly, with interest payments rising tenfold over the last decade, raising concerns about financial sustainability. The OTC business under Warren Remedies is still in the investment phase, with expectations of continued losses for the next two quarters before potential break-even. Q & A Highlights Q: What is the expected growth in the European market following the completion of the MMP? A: Ms. Aditi Panandikar, Managing Director, stated that with the MMP completed, they expect double-digit growth in the Europe and UK business. The approval from the largest buyer in the UK and Europe is anticipated to lead to increased revenues and improved efficiency, contributing to this growth. Q: Can you explain the increase in other expenses and what measures are being taken to control them? A: Ms. Aditi Panandikar explained that while recurring expenses like lab and plant-related costs are under control, remediation costs related to the US FDA at plant two and increased sales promotion expenses have contributed to the rise. These are expected to continue for another two quarters. The European Commission presented its annual enlargement report on Tuesday, assessing the progress of states aspiring to join the European Union: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. Of the ten membership hopefuls, two - Georgia and Turkey - are frozen in their accession tracks. Leading the pack are Balkan countries Montenegro and Albania, while Ukraine and Moldova have made important strides after lodging their applications in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Montenegro says it wants to complete talks by the end of 2026, while Albania is pressing to wrap them up in 2027. Ukraine and Moldova are eyeing 2028. European Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos said 2026 will be a "moment of truth for all candidate countries," stressing that a "united continent is the strongest response to those who seek to divide and destabilize Europe." So what are the prospects for the individual contenders? Here is an overview: Montenegro and Albania: The frontrunner duo The commission highlighted the rapid progress made by both countries. Montenegro, which started membership talks in 2012, has demonstrated "a continued political commitment" and "has produced tangible results in accomplishing required reforms and moving the country forward on its EU accession path," according to the report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The document however highlights that the country's democratic institutions remain fragile and vulnerable to political crises and potential institutional blockages. According to the assessment, Montenegro needs to improve its track record in terms of criminal prosecutions and convictions in corruption cases, particularly at a high level, as well as overall judicial efficiency, including the reduction of case backlogs. The commission found that Montenegro is moderately prepared regarding freedom of expression, having made some reform progress. However, it said that Podgorica needs to keep implementing all media-related laws and further align them with EU benchmarks - pointing in particular to a stand-off regarding senior state media appointments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The document also highlights that Montenegro's visa policy is not fully aligned with that of the EU, stressing that Podgorica should terminate visa-free regime agreements with countries whose nationals require visas to enter the bloc. The report on Albania, which has been a candidate country since 2014, notes significant progress in several areas such as justice reform, the fight against organized crime and Tirana's commitment to European integration. However, the commission stresses the need for further reform to Albania's democratic system, for example regarding the fight against corruption and organized crime, as well as political polarization and institutional dialogue. Ukraine and Moldova: Fast progress, tough reforms The commission's report said Ukraine must accelerate reforms if it is to meet its self-imposed goal of completing the EU accession process by the end of 2028. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The country "has continued to show remarkable resilience and strong commitment to its European path despite the escalation of Russia's ongoing war of aggression," it noted. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The attack revitalized long-stalled efforts to incorporate new members into the 27-nation bloc, an issue that Brussels now sees as a strategic priority in the face of the Kremlin's aggression - even if not all member states are on the same page. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday to stop blocking Kiev's bid to join the EU, as Brussels came out in favour of advancing the war-torn country to the next stage of negotiations, despite graft concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Brussels warned against "backsliding" on anti-corruption efforts after Zelensky was forced to reverse moves curbing the independence of anti-graft agencies, amid discontent from Kiev's European backers. Moldova, meanwhile, "has continued to face unprecedented challenges as a result of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, attempts by Russia and its proxies to destabilize the country, and threats to its energy supply and security," the commission said. "Despite this, Moldova has shown resilience and commitment to reforms." "Moldova has made the biggest one-year progress from all the candidates," Kos said. Serbia: Protests and anti-EU rhetoric bar progress In its report, the commission found that Serbia's implementation of reforms "has slowed down significantly," amid increased polarization in Serbian society, with protests sweeping the country for a year following the collapse of a train station canopy that killed 16. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The commission pointed to an "anti-EU narrative evident not only in Serbian media outlets but also used by political office holders, including at highest levels." It urged Serbian authorities to "take much more responsibility for proactive and more objective communication on Serbia's EU accession process and the EU, and for countering disinformation and information manipulation." However, the main takeaway for Foreign Minister Marko uric and parliamentary speaker Ana Brnabic was that Serbia is ready to open cluster 3 of the accession process - headlined 'Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth' - and has advanced in a number of areas. "What I completely agree with and it is indeed a criticism is that we have slowed down with reforms," Brnabic noted, adding that President Aleksandar Vucic had "called on all competent institutions to do everything they can to accelerate our reforms." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We must make an effort to change the narrative toward the EU and to have a much more positive - or at least much less critical - narrative," she added. The report also reviewed Kosovo, a potential EU candidate country, saying that despite "signalling its clear commitment to EU values," it is experiencing a slowdown in the pace of reforms due to a political stalemate following last February's elections. Bosnia-Herzegovina: Road to stability Despite political crises and slowed reforms in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the commission report highlights opportunities that could speed up the accession process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It notes that political disagreements have hampered progress, delaying reforms while pointing to tangible progress, notably in the alignment of legislation on data protection and border control, as well as the signing of an agreement with EU border protection agency Frontex. The commission praised Bosnia for signalling its readiness to further align with EU standards, while highlighting outstanding judicial reforms as a key challenge. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc remains committed to Bosnia's stability, noting that besides judicial reform, the appointment of a chief negotiator for proceedings with the EU remains key to further progress. North Macedonia: Foreign policy alignment The report stressed the need for North Macedonia to meet the initial benchmarks required to begin accession negotiations in earnest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Skopje was praised, however, for maintaining good relations with other enlargement countries and for its engagement in regional initiatives. The commission urged the country to "adopt the relevant constitutional changes" needed to advance, for example by "including in the Constitution citizens who live within the state borders and who are part of other peoples, such as Bulgarians." Sofia accuses North Macedonia of discriminating against ethnic Bulgarians, one of several flashpoints between the neighbours that have hampered Skopje's accession process. The commission said North Macedonia has actively engaged with the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans - a set of measures to encourage economic alignment - and has started to deliver on the plan's four pillars: Gradual integration with the EU single market, regional economic integration, fundamental reforms and increased financial support. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By fully aligning with the EU's foreign and security policy, including on Russia's war on Ukraine, Skopje is "sending a strong signal of its strategic choice of EU accession and showing itself to be a reliable partner," the report says. Georgia and Turkey: Odd ones out? The commission painted a grim picture of Georgia's accession chances, as the Caucasus nation has cracked down on opponents and shifted towards Moscow. "Georgia has no viable path to the EU at this stage unless conditions change dramatically. It is now a candidate country in name only," Kos said. Turkey is also noted for further backsliding on fundamental rights and rule-of-law standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The increasing legal actions against opposition figures and parties, alongside multiple other arrests, raise serious concerns about Turkiye's adherence to democratic values," the commission said, using the country's preferred name. Accession negotiations "remain at a standstill since 2018," it added. What's next for the EU hopefuls? Joining the EU involves years of painstaking negotiations and major reforms, and countries can be delayed by many issues along the way. Even once a candidate country clears all negotiating hurdles, it still requires unanimous support from the EU's existing member states. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Polish Foreign Minister Radosaw Sikorski put it: "EU membership is not an obligation but a free choice made by a country and its citizens." For the first time, the commission has now spelled out the need for future accession treaties to contain "stronger safeguards" against non-compliance with commitments made during accession negotiations, to "ensure that positive dynamics on the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights are maintained." In the eyes of many observers, the EU has learnt a painful lesson as countries such as Hungary have stymied the bloc's operations while backtracking on the rule of law. The content of this article is based on reporting by AFP, Agerpres, ATA, ANSA, BTA, dpa, FENA, MIA, MINA, PAP, STA and Tanjug as part of the European Newsroom (enr) project. Families displaced after the collapse of a bridge in the residential community of Spring Ridge Estates are finally seeing movement from city leaders to help begin repairs and relieve the crisis. On Thursday, the City Council of Eustis unanimously approved an emergency resolution to allocate funds for rebuilding infrastructure after the destructive storms swept through the region nearly two weeks ago. At the meeting, Commissioner Michael Holland motioned to approve Resolution 25-97, prompting the vote to begin the emergency funding process. The storms that hit Central Florida on October 26 brought more than 19 inches of rain in some places in just hours. The torrential downpour caused the bridge at Spring Ridge Estates, the only access point in and out of the subdivision, to partially collapse, forcing more than 20 homes to be evacuated and families to seek temporary housing. Were one of the families that were evacuated, said Robert Roorbach, who has been displaced since. Im expecting that this engineers report is going to tell us what happened. And then somebody has to figure out how were going to fix it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He and his wife have been staying with relatives since the evacuation order. During the council discussion, Commissioner George Asbate expressed concern about using city funds for work on a privately owned bridge. Theyre all our community, but when you add private, it changes a lot of the guidelines, Asbate said. And we are putting ourselves in danger as a commission legally. Still, leaders agreed the situation warranted immediate action. Although a final dollar amount for the project has not yet been released, pending engineering studies and insurance evaluations by the homeowners association (HOA), the residents will receive city-backed emergency support to cover the repairs. The communitys nonprofit partner, Lake Support & Emergency Recovery (LASER), has been covering hotel stays and other relief efforts for displaced families. Residents are expected to repay the city-issued funds within five to seven years once insurance claims are finalized. The repair work itself is estimated to take about two weeks once contractors are cleared to begin. I just hope it gets done, Roorbach said. Legally and quickly. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Denis and Arnela Kustric built a life in Louisville once before. Now, they're not sure how they're going to do it again. The Kustric trucking business was just two weeks in operation when a plane, falling from the sky, obliterated their semi-trailer truck. They had filed their business, Kustric Company LLC, with the state last July, and recently began parking their new semi on Grade Lane. On Nov. 4, Denis was in Nashville, waiting to haul a load when he called his dispatcher, who told him to wait an hour. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An hour passed. Still no load. He called the dispatcher and told them he'd drive back to Louisville empty. This was the benefit of being his own boss. He could say no to a load that wouldn't pay enough or would get him home too late. He stopped in Elizabethtown and pumped $300 worth of gas before driving to a Louisville parking lot where he rented a spot on Grade Lane. He saw the owner of the property fixing his truck and said, 'Hey, it's almost 5 p.m. Let's go home.' Denis called his wife Arnela to tell her he was tired and hungry. He'd driven loads between Indiana and Tennessee for the last two days. Whoever got home first started the coffee. Arnela had just set the coffee in front of Denis when the parking lot owner called: 'Hey did you see the picture?' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I'll look at it later," he said, hungry and tired, aware he was ignoring a text on his phone. 'I'm sorry Denis, but there's been a big accident,' the parking lot owner said. 'Your trailer and truck and everything is on fire.' A UPS cargo plane, loaded with hundreds of thousands of pounds of fuel and bound for Honolulu, crashed on Grade Lane at roughly 5:15 p.m., directly south of its runway at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. State and local officials reported at least 13 dead and 15 injured from the disaster, and the death toll could still climb. It is the deadliest plane crash in the history of UPS Airlines. "Were thankful hes alive and came home," Arnela told The Courier Journal on Nov. 6. "Everything we built the last three years to build this private business for him to be on his own and work his own company everything went to ashes in one minute." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That tractor was Denis' life work. He escaped war-torn Bosnia in the 1990s as a 17-year-old boy and started delivering papers for The Courier Journal, saving up money to build toward the American Dream. Every day between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m., he walked the streets of the Highlands him throwing papers to houses on the odd side of the street, his dad throwing to the even side. "I make miles from New York to China with my legs," Denis joked, his Bosnian accent only slightly still coming through. "And when it was Sunday, it was so heavy, you could break the door with the paper." He married Arnela in 2004 and she joined the route after finishing law school in Bosnia until they had their second son. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Then with one in school and one in diapers, we needed to do something else," Arnela said. They had been surrounded by death and destruction as teenagers in Bosnia. They lost their home. Their families. So much family. They didn't want that for their children. So Denis searched: What's the best job to make money right now in America? Driving trucks. He applied and landed a job on a dock to load trailers for FedEx making about $22,000 a year back in 2007. Then one day, an opportunity came to be a truck driver. FedEx would pay for everything. He passed his CDL and all six endorsements. "I got hazmat and I can pull double-triples, tankers," he said. "I like trucking." Arnela Kustric, left, and her husband Denis at their residence, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Louisville, Ky. The Kustric's trucks and trailers from their trucking business are ashes due to the UPS plane crash. Then one day he was working on his truck when a radiator fan blade nearly cut his fingers off. He was rushed to UofL's hand clinic where a doctor inserted metal rods into the fingers of his left hand. He couldn't close his fingers into a fist after, so he could no longer grab anything heavy. That's why he started his own business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arnela works as a records clerk at Seneca High School. Working for the public schools has allowed them to have health insurance and a good education for their two boys: Adin, a freshman at Bellarmine studying business administration and Kenan, an eighth grader. They had bought the truck in November 2024 and rented a trailer for the last year, but renting the trailer was expensive. So three weeks ago they went to the bank to take out a $40,000 personal loan to purchase their own trailer, the trailer parked on Grade Lane. Now, the Kustrics's American dream a home with a mortgage, a son at Bellarmine, another in JCPS quickly became a nightmare made even worse by an untimely Jefferson County tax bill just delivered. While they already opened a claim with their insurance, it hasn't begun to process. The insurance company needs photos of the trailer in ashes. They told Denis anyone could claim their trailer burned up in a plane crash. But as long as the NTSB investigates, the Kustrics likely cannot get to the site. They've already tried. Twice. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I save every penny to buy the truck and now I lost it," he said. "It's really, really tough. When I bought the truck, it was cheaper. It was election time. Now the same truck is $80,000." His Freightliner truck is made in Mexico and he said tariffs have doubled the cost. It's a sentiment they've heard from so many of the small business owners who operated just south of Ali airport. And none of them are sure where to turn to for answers. "I wish it was just my tractor that got hit and nobody else's and that nobody died," Denis said. Arnela looks at him. She knows if he had left 15 or even 30 minutes later from Nashville, he wouldn't be next to her on their couch, in this beautiful home with its looming mortgage and their two growing boys sitting on the floor, listening to their parents tell another family story of heartbreaking loss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It cannot be compared with someone losing a life," she said. "We are together. We're going to build our life again." Stephanie Kuzydym is an enterprise and investigative sports reporter. Reach her at skuzydym@courier-journal.com or on social at @stephkuzy. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: UPS plane crash causes Louisville family to lose small business The former executive director of a San Joaquin County Head Start program accused of embezzling public funds made her first court appearance in Stockton this week. Cecilia Warren, who was out of custody, stood before San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Chrishna Martinez during her arraignment Wednesday. Warren was arrested Oct. 22 following an investigation by the San Joaquin County Sheriffs Office that began in September 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the criminal complaint filed by the San Joaquin County District Attorneys Office, the alleged crimes took place from Jan. 1, 2023, to Sept. 10, 2024. Warren allegedly embezzled approximately $486,828.17 during her employment. Charging documents did not specify an exact amount for the funds misused. The sheriffs office said it was contacted by the San Joaquin County Office of Education regarding possible misappropriation of funds from the Head Start program Creative Child Care Inc. The funds were intended to support Head Start and state preschool programs, according to the district attorneys office. The DAs office said Warren used a company credit card for unauthorized purchases, including personal vacations, a London excursion, a San Francisco brunch cruise, an overnight retreat at Wine and Roses, cooking classes, Amazon orders shipped to her home, vehicle repairs and tens of thousands in gift cards from Southwest Airlines, Macys, Sky Zone and Dicks Sporting Goods. Public funds are for the children and families we serve, not personal enrichment, District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement. This office will hold accountable those who betray that trust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warren is charged with embezzlement by a public officer; unlawful use of public money by a person charged with receipt, safekeeping, transfer or disbursement of public money; falsifying an account; embezzlement by a public or private officer; and grand theft of money, labor or property. Chief Deputy District Attorney Don Vaughn is representing the prosecution in the case, and defense attorney Tim Tuitavuki is representing Warren. Warren was not given any pretrial monitoring, but a search of her person, property and electronic devices was required as a condition. Warren was released on her own recognizance and is not required to appear at her next hearing at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 8 at San Joaquin County Superior Court. Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. This article originally appeared on The Record: Former Head Start chief in Stockton accused of embezzling $487K Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and his top aide Cade Cothren will receive pardons from President Donald Trump, a White House official confirmed to USA TODAY. Casada and Cothren had been convicted at trial of more than a dozen public corruption charges related to a scheme where prosecutors said they, along with former state Rep. Robin Smith, R-Hixson, defrauded taxpayers through a state-funded legislative mailer program. The two men were weeks away from being behind bars. In September, U.S. District Judge Eli Richardson ordered Casada to self report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on Nov. 21, where he was to serve a three-year prison term. He ordered Cothren to self report to prison Nov. 17 to serve a 2.5-year prison term. Former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada exits with his wife, Michelle Greene Casada, after his sentencing at the Fred Thompson Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025. Cothren's attorney Joy Boyd Longnecker confirmed over text Nov. 6 that Cothren, once Casada's chief of staff, "received a call from President Trump today, who informed him that he would be receiving a full and unconditional pardon." Longnecker said she would share a "more fulsome statement" the next day. Casada's attorney Jonathan Farmer did not confirm if Casada had received a pardon at 5:40 p.m. Nov. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pardons did not yet show on the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Pardon Attorney's website at 7:56 p.m. Nov. 6. It does not appear Smith has received a pardon. Her attorney Ben Rose wrote in a post on X, "Justice requires a pardon for the cooperator." Smith pleaded guilty shortly after being charged in 2022 and testified against her co-defendants at trial. She was sentenced to eight months in prison. This is not the first time this year Trump has pardon a convicted Tennessee Republican lawmaker. In March, former state Sen. Brian Kelsey received a pardon from Trump, just two weeks after he reported to federal prison to serve a 21-month sentence for an illegal campaign finance scheme he pleaded guilty to in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the prison terms they were facing, Richardson had also ordered Casada to pay a $30,000 fine and repay $4,600 he earned through criminal conduct and Cothren to pay a $25,000 fine and repay the money earned through criminal conduct, which Richardson determined was $10,600. Cade Cothren leaves Fred D. Thompson U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building in Nashville, Tenn., with Ava Korby after being sentenced to two and a half years in prison for corruption tied to a political mailer scheme Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Casada, Cothren to be pardoned by President Trump, White House says Up to 50 people killed in U.S. drone strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific remain publicly unknown two months after the Trump administration began attacking suspected drug boats, according to MSNBC interviews with congressional officials, human rights monitors and journalists in the region. Pentagon officials have not publicly disclosed the names of the 69 people the U.S. says it has killed. Governments in the region have said little publicly, mindful of U.S. might and the potential for retribution by the Trump administration. And in addition to the gap in public knowledge, theres a private void for the families of the missing. Local journalists in Venezuela, Colombia and Trinidad tell MSNBC that the family members fear speaking out, worried that they could be retaliated against by drug traffickers, their own governments or the U.S. government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are afraid, Ronna Risquez, a Venezuelan investigative journalist, told MSNBC. They are simply afraid. Alejandro Carranza, killed in one of the initial strikes, is one of two Colombians who have been publicly reported as being on boats that were attacked. In an interview, Carranzas niece, Lizbeth Perez, told MSNBC that her uncle was a fisherman and her family has not received information or assistance from the Colombian or American governments. We havent received any help, she said. The dead likely include a mix of low-level drug traffickers who knew of illicit cargo, and day laborers or fishermen who did not, according to family members, human rights groups and journalists in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two congressional officials who spoke on condition of anonymity told MSNBC that based on Pentagon briefings and questions the administration has failed to answer that they believe the Trump administration does not know the identities of many of the people who have been killed. So far, two citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, two Colombians, nine Venezuelans and one Ecuadorian killed in the strikes have been publicly identified by their families in news reports. The governments of Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, and Ecuador did not respond to requests from MSNBC for the numbers of their citizens who have died in the strikes. Venezuelan officials have strongly criticized the U.S. strikes, calling them extrajudicial executions. They also deny that drug cartels operate in Venezuela, and have not publicly confirmed the killing of any Venezuelan in the boat attacks. In a rare display of bipartisanship in Washington, two Republican and two Democratic House members sent a letter to the administration this week demanding more information about the people killed in the strikes. Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., Mike Turner, R-Ohio, Seth Moulton, D-Mass. and Jason Crow, D-Colo., asked for evidence that they were narcotics traffickers. Cartels often force low-income individuals into maritime smuggling through threats or deception, they wrote. What evidence confirms that those killed were cartel operatives, rather than coerced, deceived, or trafficked civilians? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., an outspoken opponent of the strikes, has said that a quarter of the boats stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard on suspicion of carrying drugs near the U.S. are found to have no narcotics. The Coast Guard doesnt blow up boats off Miami because 25 percent of the time their suspicion is wrong, Paul said Thursday. To kill indiscriminately is akin to summary execution. Hours later, Senate Republicans voted down for a second time a war powers resolution that would have limited President Donald Trumps ability to launch attacks against Venezuela but not impacted boat strikes. Paul and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were the only two Republicans to support the measure. On Friday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on X that three men suspected of being drug traffickers were killed today in a US strike. He said the strike occurred in international waters, the vessel was carrying narcotics and no U.S. forces were harmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs, Hegseth added. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs we will kill you. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that U.S. intelligence showed that the men on all of the boats were trafficking narcotics, without offering any details of that intelligence. Since the Department of War began striking these vessels, we have consistently said that our intelligence did indeed confirm that the individuals involved in these drug operations were narco-terrorists, and we stand by that assessment, Parnell said. In a statement to MSNBC, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said that the administration believes its strikes in Venezuela are lawful and critical for the protection of American lives from the scourge of illegal narcotics. Last nights vote in the United States Senate was a recognition of that reality. All actions comply fully with the law of armed conflict. The President was elected with a resounding mandate to take on the cartels and stop illicit drugs from flooding into our country, and he is delivering. Fear across region One of the people killed in the U.S. strikes who has been publicly identified by name is Chad Joseph, a 26-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago who was working as a day laborer in Venezuela, according to his mother, Lenore Burnley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a phone interview with MSNBC, Burnley said her son was returning to Trinidad and Tobago by boat after several months of work. She said that she is speaking out because U.S. forces are required by international maritime law to intercept and inspect boats suspected of trafficking drugs not destroy them without warning. Theyre not supposed to kill human being like that, Burnley told MSNBC. I dont know what to do. Joseph is one of at least two Trinidadians known to have been killed in the strikes. The total number killed is unclear. Nobody knows, Denise Pitcher, a human rights activist in Trinidad and Tobago, told MSNBC in a telephone interview. We know about these two individuals because they were in touch with their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials in the island nation have said that Joseph was charged with a drug-related crime in 2018, and that the other Trinidadian known to be killed in a strike, Rishi Samaroo, served time in prison for his role in a 2009 murder of a street vendor before being released in 2021. Pitcher, the former executive director of the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights, acknowledged that some passengers in the boats may have been engaged in criminal activity, but said it is impossible to know because people in Trinidad and Tobago, like Venezuela, fear speaking out. In a small country like Trinidad and Tobago, its easy to be targeted, she said. People are scared here. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has supported the U.S. strikes, and Pitcher said Trinidad and Tobago has little choice: It is trapped geographically and economically between Venezuela and the U.S. Oil-rich Venezuela lies only seven miles away from southern Trinidad and has a population 20 times larger. The U.S., meanwhile, is Trinidads largest trading partner. I think the prime minister thought it was prudent to align herself with the most powerful country in the world, Pitcher said. If hostilities did begin, at least we would be protected. These are not drug kingpins Risquez, the Venezuelan investigative journalist, has written a book on Tren de Aragua, one of the criminal gangs the Trump administration is targeting. She told MSNBC that has sympathy for ordinary Venezuelans caught between the cartels, the Maduro regimes faltering economy and the Trump administrations strikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People from the area, in order to make a living and have some source of income, have dedicated themselves to drug trafficking, she said, referring to Venezuelas northern coast. An Associated Press story published on Friday said that one of its journalists based in Venezuela had spoken with relatives or residents of towns on the Paria Peninsula who said nine Venezuelan men died in the strikes. They said most of the men worked as crew members on the boats for the first or second time and made at least $500 for each trip. They said the men were a fisherman, a motorcycle taxi driver, laborers and two low-level career criminals, according to the AP. One was a well-known local crime leader who had agreed to work for narcotics smugglers. Risquez emphasized that the smugglers on the boats are not senior leaders of drug cartels and called them low-level mules. They handle some logistical operations like drug handling, but they are not the drug owners, she said. They are not the ones controlling the operation. Killing them wont end drug trafficking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A congressional official with knowledge of past U.S. interdiction efforts agreed that the traffickers on board the boats are likely low-level smugglers. These are not drug kingpins, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. These are not decision-makers. A limited impact? A former senior U.S. national security official who also spoke on condition of anonymity questioned the long-term impact on drug trafficking even if the administration achieves both of its stated goals: limiting narcotics trafficking by sea and toppling the authoritarian Maduro regime. No one has said you take out Maduro and the drug trade dries up, the former senior national security official told MSNBC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The former senior national security official acknowledged that Maduro and other Venezuelan officials engage in drug trafficking, but predicted that other traffickers will replace them if the regime is toppled. And if the sea remains unsafe, cartel leaders will shift to smuggling drugs by land, the official said. I dont think its going to cause the JNCG or Sinaloa cartel to say, Wait, this is too dangerous, said the official, referring to Mexicos Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the cartel founded by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman. These guys feed their rivals to tigers. They are not easily intimidated. Priya Sridhar, Kay Guerrero and Rosa Flores contributed to this piece. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com By Marisa Taylor and Chris Prentice WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The political appointee leveling fraud accusations against perceived opponents of President Donald Trump enlisted a man whod once been convicted of a felony sex offense as a consultant to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to six people familiar with the role. Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, appointed Mark Zarkin, a Michigan restaurateur and prominent Detroit-area Trump supporter, as a consultant to the two mortgage companies after taking office in March, these people said. Reuters couldnt determine exactly when Zarkin was recruited, under what terms, or the specific tasks assigned to him in the role. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In recent weeks, according to internal documentation reviewed by Reuters, Zarkin still had a Freddie Mac email and was described internally as a consultant. The role, the six people familiar with the matter told Reuters, has alarmed some employees at the FHFA as well as at Fannie and Freddie, the two government-sponsored mortgage enterprises overseen by the federal agency. Zarkin once pleaded no contest to a felony sex crime involving a sexual encounter with a mentally incapacitated woman, according to Michigan court records reviewed by Reuters, and has no significant experience in the housing sector. His felony conviction was later vacated, for reasons that werent explained by the judge. Separately, an ongoing Michigan lawsuit also accuses Zarkin of involvement in a plan to bribe Trump in exchange for the pardon of an unidentified person in New York. By telephone and in person at his restaurant in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Zarkin declined on Thursday to be interviewed by Reuters. In a text message Thursday evening, he wrote: I have never been employed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. I also have no criminal record, he added. Anything you say to the contrary is defamatory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pulte, in a separate text message, on Friday said the news agencys questions to him were filled with completely false and defamatory statements. He didnt elaborate. Neither Pulte nor Zarkin answered detailed questions about any working relationship between them, Zarkins role at the mortgage companies, or Zarkins publicly documented legal battles in Michigan. Reuters couldnt determine whether the FHFA chief was aware of the case involving the Michigan woman or the ongoing lawsuit alleging a bribery plan. Three of the people familiar with Zarkins consulting role said he was frequently a member of an entourage around Pulte when the new director began appearing at Fannie offices in and around Washington earlier this year. Officials at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac didnt respond to requests for comment. In an unsigned email in response to Reuters questions, the FHFA media office on Thursday wrote: Nearly all of your statements are false, misleading, or defamatory. It didnt offer specifics. The FHFA is a formerly low-profile agency that oversees elements of the mortgage industry. Under Pulte, it has emerged as a political cudgel for the president. The FHFA has accused a Federal Reserve governor and prominent Democrats of mortgage fraud, leading to the controversial indictment last month of New York Attorney General Letitia James. Both James and Lisa Cook, the Fed governor, have denied wrongdoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pulte has also described Fannie and Freddie, major government-backed companies responsible for much of the liquidity in the U.S. mortgage market, as hotbeds of corruption under former Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Obama and Biden kept Fannie and Freddie under the thumb of Washington grifters, he wrote in September on X, the social media site. Weve put them back to work for the American citizens. As chairman of the boards of both companies, Pulte has overseen the dismissal of senior leadership and other longtime employees. Although high-level personnel changes are common at government-affiliated enterprises in a new administration, the extent of the overhaul has angered some staffers. On Monday, Reuters reported that the White House fired the acting inspector general at the FHFA, removing an official meant to act as an independent watchdog at the agency. Four people familiar with the Fannie and Freddie dismissals told Reuters that Pulte internally has cast some firings as a purge of opponents of the White House agenda. His appointment of Zarkin as a consultant, a role that wasnt announced inside the FHFA, has troubled some staffers, according to the six people familiar with the matter. Reuters couldnt determine when Zarkin and Pulte became acquainted or why the FHFA boss decided to recruit him. Pultes family, like Zarkin, hails from the Detroit area. Pultes grandfather established a homebuilding company there, now publicly traded, that remains one of the largest in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NO-CONTEST PLEA IN CASE OF AN INCAPACITATED WOMAN Court records reviewed by Reuters show that Zarkin pleaded no contest to an attempted third-degree sexual conduct charge in Macomb County, Michigan, in 1999. The plea followed a case in which investigators found Zarkins DNA during a pelvic examination of a woman, not yet of drinking age, who had been mentally incapacitated by alcohol and Valium, according to the records. In 2000, Zarkin was sentenced to eight months in jail and three years probation, and ordered to register as a sex offender. After he served his sentence and spent nine years on the sex-offender registry, Zarkins lawyer successfully petitioned the state court to vacate the conviction, arguing that his continued listing on the sex registry was excessive, according to the records. The attorney argued that Zarkin, when he agreed to his plea deal, hadnt realized he would remain on the registry for so long. Court records from the plea deal show that registering as an offender was an explicit part of Zarkins plea agreement. The 2009 court order vacating the conviction gave no reason for the decision. Legal experts expressed surprise at the ruling afterward and said it was unusual, nearly a decade after such a conviction, for a court to vacate it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judges dont usually vacate a sentence like this, Jonathan Jones, a criminal defense attorney who has practiced in the area for more than 30 years, told Reuters. If someone is informed that theyll have to register as a sex offender, they generally cant come back years later and say I didn't realize it. A 2019 investigation by the Detroit Free Press found that the prosecutor assigned to the hearing not a member of the original prosecution team didnt object to Zarkins motion to vacate. Mark Switalski, the judge who approved the motion, told Reuters by telephone that he didnt remember the specifics of the case. Zarkin in recent years became an active Trump supporter in Michigan, a pivotal state for the Republicans comeback victory in 2024. A restaurateur known for ties to prominent businesspeople and local officials, Zarkin has appeared in public with well-known Trump-circle figures. Trump himself thanked Zarkin during a 2023 speech in the Detroit area, where people familiar with his efforts said Zarkin raised money and helped arrange at least one campaign appearance by Trump the following year. These people told Reuters Zarkin later boasted Trump would give him a job in the administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House didnt respond to Reuters requests for comment. Zarkin is involved in another Michigan controversy. In an ongoing lawsuit, filed earlier this year in a Wayne County court, a former city manager and a former police officer allege that Zarkin held conversations with Jamiel Altaheri, until recently the police chief in Hamtramck, a Detroit suburb. In those conversations, the plaintiffs allege, the two men discussed a plan to pay Trump as much as $5 million to secure a pardon for an unidentified New York acquaintance of Altaheri accused of unspecified financial crimes. According to their lawsuit, filed against the city and municipal officials including Altaheri, the plaintiffs allege they lost their jobs in part for disclosing the plan. Altaheri agreed to step down as police chief in October, following an investigation by the city. His attorney, Amir Makled, told Reuters that Altaheri denies the allegations and has filed a motion with the court to dispute them. The lawsuit doesnt identify the person in New York for whom a pardon was allegedly sought or indicate whether the person has been tried or convicted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamtramck city officials didnt respond to requests for comment. The plaintiffs also informed the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Michigan State Police of their allegations, according to the lawsuit and a summary of the investigation conducted for the city by a local law firm. The summary, reviewed by Reuters, said the FBI had seized mobile telephones related to the case. The FBI didnt respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Michigan police said the agency has no ongoing investigations related to an attempt to bribe the president. One of the city officials named in the lawsuit was charged by Monroe County prosecutors in August with felony election-fraud charges that mirror some of the allegations raised by the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Another faces a misdemeanor charge, also related to election irregularities, in state court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zarkin is not named in either of those cases. In March, according to four people familiar with the matter, Pulte hired Aaron Kofsky, a former advisor to Senator JD Vance before Vance became vice president, and later put him in charge of the FHFAs Division of Housing Mission and Goals. Last year, Vance fired Kofsky for posting online about using drugs including cocaine and opiates, according to a story in Wired magazine, which first reported his posts. Reuters was unable to independently confirm that Vance fired him. Neither Kofsky nor the vice presidents office responded to requests for comment. (Additional reporting by Mike Colias in Detroit and Sarah N. Lynch in Washington. Editing by Paulo Prada.) Russian opposition figures in exile have criticized the European Union's new restrictions on visas for Russian citizens, saying the measures unfairly target ordinary people. "Russia it's not just the Kremlin. It's millions of people who want to live in their country," said prominent Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who now resides in London. "It's more advantageous for the West to recognize this difference and maintain the bridges for future dialogue," Khodorkovsky, a former political prisoner and ex-head of the now-defunct oil company Yukos, posted on Telegram on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Khodorkovsky said Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has damaged relations with the West, but it is important to maintain contacts between people. Student and cultural exchanges should continue, he said. "You cannot say that all Russians are the same," he said. The EU earlier announced it would tighten rules for Russian citizens applying for visas. According to the European Commission, most Russians will no longer be eligible for multiple-entry visas and will need to apply for a new visa for each planned trip. The aim is to scrutinize applicants more frequently and to reduce potential security risks, the commission said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zhanna Nemtsova, daughter of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated in Moscow in 2015, also criticized Europes blocking of assets belonging to hundreds of thousands of Russians. She said these were ordinary investors, not government officials or billionaires, who were being discriminated against solely for holding a Russian passport. Her foundation, named after her father, has published an analysis and said it will advocate for changes. In the past, the team of Alexei Navalny, the opposition leader who died in a penal colony last year, also appealed for Western sanctions not to further complicate the lives of exiled Russians or opponents of Putin. Navalny's team has successfully campaigned for sanctions against Putin's associates, but cautions against punishing innocent Russians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Kremlin condemns Western sanctions as unlawful but also argues that the country has grown accustomed to them and will not yield to pressure. Security concerns drive EU crackdown EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said said the new measures were aimed at reducing "acts of sabotage and the potential misuse" of visas. "Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has created the most dangerous security environment in Europe for decades. We now face unprecedented drone disruptions and sabotage on our soil," Kallas said in a statement. "We have a duty to protect our citizens. Stricter rules will now apply to Russian nationals requesting a visa to travel to the EU," she said, adding "travelling to and freely moving within the EU is a privilege not a given." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The number of issued visas to Russian nationals has dropped from 4 million to around 500,000 within a few years, a European Commission spokesman said. The still relatively high figure has provoked criticism that wealthy Russians are still able to go on a vacation in Europe while people are dying in Ukraine as a result of Russia's war. The EU recently decided to restrict the freedom of movement of Russian diplomats and consular officials as well as their staff and family members over espionage and disinformation concerns. From January 25 next year, they will have to register trips between EU member states at least 24 hours in advance in the destination and transit countries. LANSING The Lansing School District Board of Education expelled a student for at least one school year nearly five months after he was found to have possessed a firearm in school. On May 22, an unloaded gun was found at the Dwight Rich School of the Arts, according to the Lansing School District. According to WILX TV-10, a then-seventh grader was given a gun by his friend, which he unloaded, skills he knows from his time hunting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The boy who unloaded the gun was suspended from the school, and then expelled. Dwight Rich School of the Arts in Lansing, pictured Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. The school board conducted a student discipline hearing in closed session at a parent's request, allowing them to consider an appeal against the permanent expulsion of the student from all public schools in the state of Michigan, according to the Oct. 21 meeting minutes. In Michigan, it is required that school districts permanently expel, subject to reinstatement, any student who possesses a weapon in a weapon-free school zone. Anyone expelled for having a weapon in a school would also be expelled from all public schools in the state, according to MCL 380.1311. State law says a student can be reinstated and permitted to enroll in other public schools throughout the state if the student is able to clearly and convincingly prove that: the item was not meant to be used by the student as a weapon, or to be delivered to another student to be used as a weapon; that the weapon was not knowingly possessed by the student; that the student didn't know or have reason to know the item could be considered a dangerous weapon; or that it was possessed at the suggestion, request, or with permission from school or police authorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through the investigation, the district found that the student did have a firearm on school grounds, which is considered a weapon-free school zone. After four and a half hours of closed session during the Oct. 21 meeting, the board also found that the student did not possess the firearm for use as a weapon, or to be given to anyone else to be used as a weapon, meaning the student could potentially transfer to another school in the state now. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our local coverage The only schools that expulsions would not apply to would be ones with alternative education programs "appropriate for individuals expelled" under the law, or "a strict discipline academy." The student could also join online school, according to state law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Originally the student was suspended, and has since been "permanently expelled only from the Lansing School District," according to district materials. After 150 days, the board may be able to consider a reinstatement to the Lansing School District, and the student would be unable to return sooner than 180 days from their expulsion. Contact Karly Graham at kgraham@lsj.com. Follow her on X at @KarlyGrahamJrn. This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Expulsion upheld for student who handled gun at Dwight Rich School On Wednesday, Nov. 5, the day the government shutdown broke the record for the longest in U.S. history, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a 10% reduction on flights nationwide, calling it a "proactive" effort to keep American airspace safe while addressing the "fatigue" impacting on controllers. Starting Friday at 6 a.m. local time, the FAA has ordered a 4% reduction in operations at 40 major airports nationwide, with cuts expected to increase to 6% by Nov. 11, 8% by Nov. 13, and up to 10% by Nov. 14, according to an emergency order issued Thursday by the FAA. Many Jacksonville travelers are wondering how this will affect Jacksonville International Airport? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Michael Stewart, president of the Florida Airports Council and an executive at the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, even though the FAA has not canceled any flights out of JIA, the expectation is that the entire airport system nationwide will feel the impact. He said its difficult to predict what effect that could have on Jacksonville. Heres what we know so far, along with the steps travelers are advised to take if their flights are canceled or delayed as a result of the FAAs nationwide flight reductions. Live flight updates and cancellations at Jacksonville International Airport Travelers can check the latest flight updates to and from Jacksonville International Airport by visiting flyjacksonville.com. What to do if your flight is canceled due to FAA reduction? The Department of Transportation has mandated that all airlines must issue full refunds to customers affected by cancellations. So far, major carriers say theyll notify travelers about cancellations, provide rebooking options, and issue refunds even if your flight isnt directly impacted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement American Airlines is issuing travel waivers, allowing customers whose flights are canceled to change their flight or request a refund without penalty. United said impacted customers will be notified via the app and push notifications about flight changes and rebooking options. United customers traveling during this period are also eligible for a refund, even if their flight isnt impacted. The airline also released a list of canceled flights from Friday to Sunday on its website. Delta is also offering travel waivers, allowing customers in affected markets to change, cancel, or refund flights without penalty. Southwest said the "vast majority" of customer flights won't be disrupted, and those impacted will hear from the airline. Those with travel booked through Nov. 12 can change their plans or receive a refund. How is the goverment shutdown and FAA reductions impacting TSA nationwide? According to a TSA spokesperson, While the vast majority of TSAs nationwide operations remain minimally impacted by the government shutdown, occasional delays at some security checkpoints are to be expected." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, "the longer the shutdown goes on, the more severe the impact on our TSA workforce who have expenses they must pay for, making it harder to show up for work when not being paid." That said, TSA has one ask from travelers: "We kindly ask for the publics patience and understanding as our officers are forced to work unpaid at this time." And despite this challenge, their spokesperson emphasized "TSA will remain vigilant and focused on performing our vital security mission on behalf of the American people. FAA list of 40 airports impacted by the cuts The FAA has selected the following airports for the gradual increase in cancelations. Here's the list, in alphabetical order by airport code: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ANC Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport ATL Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport BOS Boston Logan International Airport BWI Baltimore/Washington International Airport CLT Charlotte Douglas International Airport CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport DAL Dallas Love Field DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport DEN Denver International Airport DFW Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport DTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport EWR Newark Liberty International Airport FLL Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport HNL Honolulu International Airport HOU William P. Hobby Airport IAD Washington Dulles International Airport IAH George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport IND Indianapolis International Airport JFK New York John F. Kennedy International Airport LAS Las Vegas McCarran International Airport LAX Los Angeles International Airport LGA New York LaGuardia Airport MCO Orlando International Airport MDW Chicago Midway International Airport MEM Memphis International Airport MIA Miami International Airport MSP MinneapolisSt. Paul International Airport OAK Oakland International Airport ONT Ontario International Airport ORD Chicago OHare International Airport PDX Portland International Airport PHL Philadelphia International Airport PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport SAN San Diego International Airport SDF Louisville International Airport SEA SeattleTacoma International Airport SFO San Francisco International Airport SLC Salt Lake City International Airport TEB Teterboro Airport TPA Tampa International Airport Contributing Jeanine Santucci, Marc Ramirez, N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: FAA cuts impact on JAX: Track flight cancellations, delays The Federal Aviation Administrations unprecedented order to scale back flights nationwide because of the record-long government shutdown took effect Friday morning, with some passengers trying to figure out backup travel plans. As of 7 a.m. Friday, there were 1,105 cancellations and 575 delays at airports across the country, according to FlightAware. Track delays, cancellations in Boston and across the United States Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the order. In some metropolitan areas, including New York, Houston, Chicago, and Washington, multiple airports will be impacted, while the ripple effects could reach smaller airports as well. Full list of impacted airports: 1. Anchorage International in Alaska 2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia 3. Boston Logan International in Massachusetts 4. Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland 5. Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Kentucky 7. Dallas Love Field in Texas 8. Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia 9. Denver International in Colorado 10. Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas 11. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan 12. Newark Liberty International in New Jersey 13. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida 14. Honolulu International in Hawaii 15. Houston Hobby in Texas 16. Washington Dulles International in Virginia 19. John F. Kennedy International in New York 20. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas 21. Los Angeles International in California Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 22. LaGuardia Airport in New York 23. Orlando International in Florida 24. Chicago Midway International in Illinois 25. Memphis International in Tennessee 26. Miami International in Florida 27. Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota 28. Oakland International in California 29. Ontario International in California 30. Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois 31. Portland International in Oregon 32. Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania 33. Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona 34. San Diego International in California 35. Louisville International in Kentucky 36. Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 37. San Francisco International in California 38. Salt Lake City International in Utah 39. Teterboro in New Jersey 40. Tampa International in Florida Airlines scrambled to adjust their schedules and began canceling flights Thursday in anticipation of the FAAs official order, while travelers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervously to learn if their flights would take off as scheduled. Airlines also planned cancellations into the weekend, directing passengers to check apps to learn their flight status. More than 815 flights have been called off nationwide, according to FlightAware. Delta Air Lines said it would scratch roughly 170 flights on Friday, and American Airlines planned to cut 220 a day through Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The controllers can only do so much given the restrictions that they have on them and the staffing levels that existed prior to this whole situation, said Tom Cappelletti, President and founder of Professional Jet Aviation Consultants. Most airlines are waiving change fees, giving refunds, its going to create havoc, and as we get close to Thanksgiving, its going to be even more up until the point 535 legislators in Congress pass a continued resolution of our budget, said Cappelletti. The FAA said the reductions would start at 4% and ramp up to 10% by Nov. 14. They are to be in effect between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and impact all commercial airlines. The agency said the cutbacks are necessary to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month. Many are pulling six-day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers of them have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You cant expect people to go into work when theyre not getting a paycheck, said Kelly Matthews of Flat Rock, Michigan, a frequent business traveler who has canceled most of her upcoming trips. I mean, its not a matter of them not wanting to do the job, but you cant afford to pay for gas, your day care, and everything else. The order comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown. Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on customers. Some planned to focus on slashing routes to and from small and medium-sized cities. Carriers are required to refund customers whose flights are canceled but not to cover secondary costs such as food and hotel accommodations unless a delay or cancellation results from a contributing factor that is within the control of the airlines, according to the Department of Transportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt warned that the reductions will have a noticeable impact across the U.S. air transportation system. The cuts could also slow package service as two airports on the list are major distribution centers for delivery companies: FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this weeks deadly cargo plane crash. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Dozens of major airports across the U.S. began cutting flights Friday morning after a directive from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the ongoing government shutdown has left air traffic controllers working without pay. In total, 40 high-volume airports have seen a reduction in flights starting Friday morning across major metropolitan areas such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas to prioritize air traffic safety and alleviate any bottlenecks from the labor concerns. More from Sourcing Journal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of 1 p.m. Eastern time, there have been more than 850 cancellations for flights in and out of the U.S., along with more 2,300 flight delays. The FAA said the reductions would start at 4 percent of total flights and escalate to 10 percent by Nov. 14. They are to be in effect between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and impact all commercial airlines. The slowdown comes at an awkward time shippers as look to move goods via air ahead of the holiday season. But reactions are largely being mixed over direct impacts on cargo movement through the U.S. If there are reductions then it is usually the smaller passenger planes that are most affected, which are less relevant for air cargo, said Niall van de Wouw, chief air freight officer at Xeneta, told Sourcing Journal. Even then, air cargo makes up a very small percentage of total flights so this issue is likely to have limited impact on air freight services. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is still concern among some players in the logistics industry, with the Airforwarders Association (AfA) warned that the FAAs reductions airports will deepen the disruption already being felt across the aviation sector. Forwarders and their customers need answers, said Brandon Fried, executive director at the Airforwarders Association in a Thursday statement. Air cargo depends on every part of the aviation ecosystem working in sync. When capacity is cut and federal employees are stretched thin, the supply chain slows, and the longer this shutdown continues, the worse it will get. Fried warned that with essential federal employees, including air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration screeners and Customs and Border Protection officers already missing paychecks, staff shortages will continue to mount. Xenetas van de Wouw agreed that services outside of the flights themselves could pose problems to deliveries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Inefficiencies in ground operations, such as customs and regulatory checks, would be of more concern in terms of impact on air freight if it slows down the release of goods, he noted. FedEx said it has made the necessary operational modifications to meet the FAAs requirements. According to a company spokesperson, the majority of its flights operate at night, outside of the FAA-restricted daily timeframe. The company confirmed with the FAA that international flights will continue without interruption. The couriers primary air cargo sorting and handling facility is located at Memphis International Airport, which is one of the airports affected by the cutbacks. Its second national air hub is located at Indianapolis International Airport, which is also impacted. Contingency plans are in place to flex our integrated air and ground network to help protect time-sensitive, critical shipments such as lifesaving pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other products move through our network without disruption, said a FedEx spokesperson. As always, safety remains our top priority. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UPS did not return comment, but the companys Worldport air cargo hub is located within another of the selected airports, Louisville Muhammad Ali Airport. That 5-million-square-foot sorting and handling site temporarily closed midweek due to a cargo plane crash on location, already causing shipment delays ahead of the FAA mandate. The Atlanta-based courier also has four other regional U.S. air hubs, three of which are on the restriction list, including Philadelphia International Airport, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Californias Ontario International Airport. DHL, which operates its U.S.-based global air hub in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, said it has not experienced any flight cancellations directly related to the shutdown, but remains vigilant. Should air freight capacity become constrained, DHL is prepared to activate trusted contingency plans, a spokesperson said. Our global network and flexible logistics infrastructure enable us to maintain service continuity and minimize disruption to customer shipments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The logistics giant also has major air hubs in affected airports including Los Angeles International Airport, New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport, Chicago OHare International Airport and Miami International Airport. The FAA said the cutbacks are necessary to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month since the start of the government shutdown. Many are working six-day weeks with mandatory overtime, with FAA Administrator Brian Bedford saying 20 to 40 percent of controllers were not showing up for work at the top 30 airports. Did American Airlines announce on November 4, 2025 that it would immediately shutdown and cancel flights after 66 years of service? No, that's not true: A news headline reading "American airline abruptly confirms immediate total shutdown" was referring to Kenai Aviation, an Alaskan charter service. American Airlines did announce on November 6, 2025, that it would reduce its "flight schedules by four percent at 40 airports" for several days to comply with an FAA directive. Those two news items apparently merged in some readers' minds creating confusion. The headline appeared on an article (archived here) where it was published by the-sun.com on November 4, 2025. The headline read: FLOWN AWAY American airline abruptly confirms immediate total shutdown and cancels flights after 66 years of service The carrier underwent an expansion just years before it ended operations This is what the article looked like at the time of writing: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of the-sun.com A quick glance at the article might lead a reader to conclude that American Airlines, one of the world's largest passenger airlines was immediately going out of business. The difference between "American airline" and "American Airlines" in a headline can be missed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reading the body of the story, however, reveals the story is about "AN American airline" named Kenai Aviation that was closing. Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of the-sun.com Kenai Aviation (archived here) is not a regular passenger airline, but mainly a charter service. It did offer a regular flight on a small plane that can carry up to nine passengers between Anchorage and Kenai, Alaska. Another source of confusion was a Facebook page that appears to be connected to the Daily Mail newspaper. A post (archived here) carried the caption: American Airline announces immediate shutdown after 66 years of service. The airline has declared itself 'financially insolvent' More details: https://trib.al/vHX3S0J This is what the post looked like at the time of writing: Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of Facebook Even an American Airlines employee commented that this post fooled him: LOL, I work for American Airlines and my first thought was, well I don't have to fly tonight! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lead Stories emailed the Daily Mail to confirm if the Facebook page was officially connected to the newspaper, but we had not received a reply at the time of writing. An actual American Airlines announcement about flight cancellations related to the ongoing government shutdown may have enhanced the confusion. The airline said (archived here) on November 6, 2025, that it had "reduced flight schedules by four percent at 40 airports Friday through Monday, amounting to about 220 flights canceled each day" to comply with an FAA directive. There was no mention that it was also going out of business. Claim: A Google Earth image shows dozens of human bodies lying in blood in Kumia, Sudan. Rating: Rating: Miscaptioned Context: The satellite image does appear on Google Earth, but it shows animals gathered around a watering hole, not human bodies. While this specific photo was miscaptioned, verified satellite imagery has documented genuine atrocities elsewhere in Sudan. In early November 2025, a Google Earth image began circulating on social media, allegedly showing piles of human bodies lying in pools of blood in Kumia, Sudan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One post (archived) with the photograph, viewed millions of times on X, was captioned: "this is the most disturbing google earth image ever SPEAK ON THE GENOCIDE OF SUDAN." (X user @undsupermegahot) The image circulated on numerous social media platforms, such as Reddit, Facebook and Threads, often framed as proof of ongoing atrocities in Sudan's civil war. In short, the image was indeed available on Google Earth, but the claim about what it depicted was inaccurate. The satellite photo, which shows an area in Kumia, Sudan, actually portrays livestock gathered around a watering hole not victims of a massacre. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As such, we rated this claim as miscaptioned. While this particular photo was misinterpreted, other verified satellite images have documented real atrocities elsewhere in Sudan. What we know about the image The image circulating online showed dozens of small, indistinct shapes clustered around a circular patch of ground that appeared darker than the surrounding soil. Below is the location (coordinates 1057'39"N, 2624'52"E) visible on Google Maps, with the image dating back to March 2024: Therefore, the image does not represent new evidence that emerged in 2025. As of this writing, no more recent satellite imagery of the location is available on Google Earth or Google Maps. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, earlier Google Earth imagery from March 2022 depicts the same site with comparable soil markings and a visible fence, confirming the scene was not newly discovered (see image below). (Google Earth) The same area is also visible on Apple Maps, though the platform does not indicate when the image was taken. In that version, the figures are clearly identifiable as animals rather than human bodies. (Apple Maps) Below is a comparison between Google Maps and Apple Maps images of the exact same location in Kumia, Sudan: (Google Maps, Apple Maps) We were unable to independently confirm what specific animals appear in the satellite image. However, the available evidence strongly indicates that they are livestock gathered near a watering site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BBC's verification team reached the same conclusion after analyzing the image, describing it as "wrongly claiming to be evidence of mass killings in Sudan" and explaining it "actually shows cows or other animals at a watering hole." The article added that the small objects visible on the ground cast shadows in the same direction as nearby structures, indicating that the figures are standing upright on four legs, not lying flat like human bodies. This shadow pattern, together with the consistent appearance of the site across historical satellite imagery, reinforced the conclusion that the scene depicted animals. Speaking to the BBC, Nathaniel Raymond, director of the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, also confirmed that the image showed cows, not people. Below is a comparable site in the same area, where the arrangement and shadows clearly show the presence of animals. Benjamin Strick, OSINT analyst and Director of Investigations at the Centre for Information Resilience, also commented on the claim, underscoring that while genuine satellite evidence of atrocities in Sudan exists, this particular image was being misrepresented: "There are a lot of horrific images, videos and even satellite images you can use to show the horrors that are happening in Sudan. But this is a watering hole and those are animals. Note it was also there in March 2022." (X user @BenDoBrown) Strick, speaking to France24, further explained: "We do not draw our conclusions solely from satellite images," underscoring the need to be able to recontextualize these images with other factual elements (we translated the quotes using Google Translate): Have there been media reports from local journalists or sources on the ground that have confirmed that an abuse did indeed take place and that satellite images captured it? Have there been video sequences that can corroborate this information? It is important to consider what is revealing in satellite images, and what can be inferred from them. We cannot truly distinguish a genocide from satellite images alone, and therefore a multitude of factors must be taken into account In a similar tone, Nathan Ruser, analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, wrote: "The scale of murder and massacre by the UAE-backed RSF is unimaginable. But these are cow pens full of cows. The key thing when it comes to interpreting satellite imagery is knowing a 'normal' baseline," adding that "the imagery on Google Maps isn't close to live." Real satellite evidence of atrocities in Sudan In late October 2025, after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in Sudan, international observers warned of widespread abuses against civilians. The United Nations condemned what was described as "atrocities" committed during and after the city's capture on Oct. 26, 2025, while the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that it was monitoring events for possible "war crimes and crimes against humanity." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the most detailed open source analyses came from the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at the Yale School of Public Health, which on Oct. 28, 2025, published a report titled "Day Two of RSF Control: Mass Killings Continue in El-Fasher." The HRL analysis, based on satellite imagery, identified "evidence of mass killings including door-to-door clearance operations and objects consistent with reported bodies on berm entrapping El-Fasher." HUMAN SECURITY EMERGENCY El-Fasher has fallen to RSF. HRL finds evidence of mass killings including door-to-door clearance operations and objects consistent with reported bodies on berm entrapping El-Fasher.#KeepEyesOnSudan @AirbusSpace @Maxarhttps://t.co/1HApllgNL5 pic.twitter.com/yrCbM5HxeP Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at YSPH (@HRL_YaleSPH) October 27, 2025 According to the HRL report, satellite images from late October showed "lines of dark-colored objects consistent with groups of people stretching from the building to the gate of the compound and a group of people near the same gate." The report further explained, "this activity may be consistent with large groups of people being present on 27 October 2025, subsequently killed, and their bodies visible in satellite imagery on 28 October 2025." All in all, independent analyses demonstrate that, unlike the wildly spread Google Earth image from Kumia, real satellite imagery provides evidence of atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region. For further reading, we have also investigated a Google Maps image supposedly captured a furtive corpse disposal. Sources: "1057'39.0"N 2624'52.0"E 10.960833, 26.414444." 1057'39.0"N 2624'52.0"E 10.960833, 26.414444, https://www.google.com/maps/place/10%C2%B057'39.0%22N+26%C2%B024'52.0%22E/@10.9609096,26.4138958,283m/. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "1400'24.2"N 2601'12.3"E 14.006722, 26.020083." 1400'24.2"N 2601'12.3"E 14.006722, 26.020083, https://www.google.com/maps/place/14%C2%B000'24.2%22N+26%C2%B001'12.3%22E/@14.0066723,26.0200429,134m/. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025. "BBC Verify Live: Video Captures Aftermath of Attack on Town near Ukraine Front Line." BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cwy1xl4ywn5t. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025. 'Blood on the Sand. Blood on the Hands': UN Decries World's Failure as Sudan's El Fasher Falls | UN News. 30 Oct. 2025, https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/10/1166224. Dates of Satellite Imagery in Apple Maps - Apple Community. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255314593?sortBy=rank. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mikkelson, David. "Is a Dead Body Visible at Google Maps 52.376552,5.198303?" Snopes, 17 Apr. 2013, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/google-maps-body-disposal/. Une Image "Troublante" D'Exactions ? Comment Une Vue Satellite Du Soudan a Ete Mal Interpretee | Benjamin S. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/bendobrown_une-image-troublante-dexactions-comment-activity-7391844777446653952-ryqz. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025. Wintour, Patrick, and Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor. "Sudan Civil War Spiralling out of Control, UN Secretary General Says." The Guardian, 4 Nov. 2025. World News. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/04/sudan-civil-war-spiralling-out-of-control-un-secretary-general-says. The North Texas Christmas season will officially begin Nov. 24, when the beloved MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights illuminates the Hardin Administration Building lawn at Midwestern State University. MSU Texas President Stacia Haynie will flip the switch just after 6 p.m., marking the 52nd year the lights and displays have graced the campus at MSU Texas and continuing the tradition begun by Lillian and L.T. Burns in the 1920s. The MSU/Fantasy of Lights display will begin Nov. 24. Festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with MSU Texas carillonneur Jim Quashnock playing holiday music on the Redwine Carillon in the Hardin tower at 3410 Taft Blvd. Santa Claus is expected to make the trip from the North Pole for photos and will be available until 8 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Food trucks scheduled to be on hand include Kafe Maya, Kimmies Korn, McKinney BBQ, Razzles Italian Ice, and Smetzers Snack Shack. A new display of two nutcrackers in 2024 brought the total number to 51. The Nutcrackers are the 14th display added in the past nine seasons. Some of the displays have added sound this year. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers held a workday on Nov. 8 to help with the electrical requirements of the displays. For MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights Coordinator Dirk Welch, in his 10th season, this is a wonderful time of the year, and hes grateful for all the helping hands that make it possible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I experienced the magic of the MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights firsthand when I moved to Wichita Falls 22 years ago, Welch said. In 2016, I was entrusted with helping to sustain and grow this long-standing tradition. It is so fulfilling to witness the joy, happiness, and connections that occur each MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights season. Welch said the supporters of Fantasy of Lights have helped visitors each season make memories that last a lifetime. After the opening ceremony, the displays will be turned on seven days a week from dusk to 10 p.m. through Dec. 27. Displays will be turned on from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays for special events. For more information, visit the Fantasy of Lights website or call 940-397-4352. Admission to the Fantasy of Lights is free. Donations are welcome and needed to maintain the displays and keep the Fantasy of Lights a successful holiday tradition. Donations may be made using the special boxes stationed throughout the displays or online. Call 940-397-4352 for more information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Court turns down Anthony Patterson's appeal More: Veterans Day events planned for Wichita Falls This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights display to shine for 52nd year A 19-year-old from Kent has been charged with conspiring to support ISIS after being arrested by the FBI. According to a criminal complaint, Saed Ali Mirreh was arrested at his home on Tuesday. It was the same day his alleged co-conspirator was detained at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Federal prosecutors allege that Mirreh and others used encrypted messaging apps to coordinate travel from the United States to Turkey, with plans to cross the border into Syria to join ISIS as fighters. After his arrest, court documents say Mirreh admitted to purchasing a ticket from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Istanbul for mid-November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, W. Mike Herrington, said in a statement: I commend the outstanding work and dedication displayed over the past week by all in FBI Seattle, and other field offices across the country, who played an important role in preventing a potential attack and keeping our communities safe. This is a top priority for the FBI in the state of Washington, and our Joint Terrorism Task Force remains vigilant, working behind the scenes with our partners to protect our nation from threats, both foreign and domestic. Update on the alleged foiled terrorist attack out of Michigan last week - earlier this week the FBI and partners arrested a 6th subject in connection to the case, this time out of Washington state. This was another individual allegedly providing material support, inspired by FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) November 6, 2025 Link to Michigan Terrorist Plot Investigation The federal complaint also connects Mirreh to individuals in Dearborn, Michigan, who were arrested on October 31, 2025, for allegedly planning an ISIS-inspired attack. After those arrests, Mirreh and his co-conspirators allegedly accelerated their travel plans, rebooking flights to leave the United States earlier than planned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, Mirreh had referred to himself as the finance guy for the other co-conspirators who are traveling, and raised the money through internet scams. On the FBIs Radar Since 2023 Investigators say Mirreh was first identified by the FBI in 2023, when agents executed a search warrant at his Kent home. At the time, Mirreh, who was a minor, had been communicating online about potential ISIS-inspired attacks in the United States and providing support to a Canadian juvenile later arrested on terrorism charges. During interviews in 2023 and 2024, Mirreh admitted to sharing extremist propaganda but denied any intent to carry out violence. However, by mid-2025, agents say he had reconnected with ISIS supporters and resumed posting extremist content online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the affidavit, Mirrehs Instagram account was found to be in contact with at least three overseas ISIS affiliates. He allegedly discussed jihad against the kuffar, shared photos of weapons and tactical gear, and posted a video of himself wearing body armor and shouting Allahu Akbar inside a car with what appeared to be a gun case next to him. Federal Charges and Next Steps Mirreh is charged with conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. He faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has arrested a Tallahassee man in connection with a deadly shooting in Gretna last month of a 25-year-old whose Nov. 1 memorial service would become the scene of a mass shooting. Jacquez Shakur Oneal, 22, was taken into custody on Nov. 4 without incident and charged with first-degree murder, a first-degree felony, according to FDLE. The investigation began Oct. 21 after Gretna Police requested FDLEs assistance in a homicide case. Authorities say a vehicle parked in the front yard of a residence was riddled with gunfire, striking the victim inside. The victim, Zaccheus Miller, died from the injuries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Nov. 1 "celebration of life" for Miller became another scene of violence and death. Dedario Jermartinez Hunter, 40, of Gretna opened fire with an assault rifle during a gunfight at the large memorial, according to FDLE. Four victims were struck by gunfire, one died and another was run over by a fleeing vehicle after the mass shooting. Gretna Police Chief Brian Alexander said those who were shot were likely innocent bystanders, caught in the crossfire of "several other individuals" shooting in a gunfight. He said more arrests are likely and that the violence at the memorial service may have been "retaliatory." Detectives say Oneal was the shooter in the Oct. 21 homicide, alleging he opened fire on the vehicle before fleeing the scene. The Gretna Police Department assisted in the investigation, and the State Attorneys Office for the Second Judicial Circuit will prosecute the case. FDLE said the investigation remains active. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He sped off the scene of the crime thinking he got away with murder," FDLE wrote while announcing Oneal's arrest on Facebook. "We found him and the car he drove off in." This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FDLE arrests Tallahassee man in Gretna murder linked to mass shooting The U.S. Capitol on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, just hours before a federal government shutdown. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) We may think of a government shutdown as something that happens in Washington, with gridlock between legislators, press conferences on the U.S. Capitol steps, and federal agencies grinding to a halt. But after more than a month of the federal government lacking operating funding, the impact is no longer confined to images from the District of Columbia. The effects of this shutdown are reaching into every New Hampshire community and altering our states economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First, the federal government shutdown is hitting many Granite State workers directly in their wallet. For thousands of Granite Staters, the shutdown isnt a distant debate; it results in a missed paycheck. About 9,100 federal jobs are based in New Hampshire, and those jobs paid close to $1 billion in wages last year. Even when paychecks stop coming, bills and other expenses dont. Second, the shutdown has already put a key resource for thousands of Granite Staters at risk. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, helps approximately 76,000 New Hampshire residents buy groceries each month. Thats about one in every 19 people in the state and includes 26,000 children. But as of Nov. 1, those benefits ended as previously transferred federal funds for the program ran out. The impact of this disruption to food assistance is being felt in rural areas in particular, as nearly two-thirds of New Hampshires SNAP recipients live outside the states five most populous communities. Finally, with a prolonged federal government shutdown, the strain can spread through the states economy. The impacts of missed paychecks dont stop at household budgets. A federal worker who cant afford gasoline or groceries means one less customer at a small business. SNAP dollars move quickly through New Hampshires economy: an estimate from 2021 indicated the economy missed out on the approximately $1.61 in economic activity for every dollar in SNAP spending. When SNAP spending stops, it doesnt just hurt families it impacts local grocers, farmers, food suppliers, and other Main Street businesses. Uncertainty can be a drag on economic activity, as families pull back on spending, and businesses hold off on hiring. The result is slower growth and fewer opportunities. While the federal government shutdown centers around Washington, the impacts are felt in every state in the country, including right here in New Hampshire. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, the federal government awarded $14.8 billion in contracts, grants, and direct payments for work and services in New Hampshire, or the equivalent of about 12% of the states entire economy. Federal funds support child care, housing, transportation, public health, and education among other critical services. When that federal support becomes unreliable, New Hampshire has to either pick up the slack or risk weakening or stopping key programs, potentially leaving thousands of Granite Staters further behind. Even when the federal shutdown ends, federal support may not be as reliable going forward as previously assumed. To keep our families and economy stable, lawmakers could build more fiscal resilience so that critical programs and local economies can withstand future external shocks. A government that is able to serve Granite Staters in a reliable manner, even if resources from Washington are unreliable, can offer greater certainty for the states economy and residents. Female hit, seriously injured by car in West Jordan This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as more information becomes available. WEST JORDAN, Utah (ABC4) A person identified only as a female was hit by a car in West Jordan, and she was taken to the hospital in serious condition. According to Andrew Hercules with West Jordan Police Department, at around 5:50 p.m., West Jordan Police responded to crash where a car hit a pedestrian, near 8620 S and 4800 W. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How to make ABC4 your preferred news source on Google A female was crossing the street and was hit by a vehicle traveling northbound on 8620 S. The female was transported to the hospital in serious condition, but according to Hercules, she was talking, conscious, and alert. Police did not provide any additional information about the victim. The driver reportedly told police that they didnt see her, and the driver stayed on the scene and is cooperating with police. Hercules told ABC4 that any other potential factors like speed or alcohol are not known at this time. The road is blocked on 4800 West at 8600 South, and it will be closed until around 8:30 p.m., while police continue to investigate. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Japan's financial regulator is supporting a bank-led stablecoin. Credit: Lara Jameson via Pexels. Key Takeaways Local currency stablecoins are on the rise across Asia. In Japan and South Korea, financial authorities tend to favor bank-issued stablecoins. But fintech startups are also poised to enter the space. As Asian nations embrace stablecoins, competing visions for the technology pit Big Finance traditionalists against fintech upstarts. In Japan and South Korea, a key question sits at the heart of the debate. Should stablecoins be the preserve of banks, extending their control over the creation of commercial money into the digital era? Or should regulators open the market up to a wider range of participants? Japans Nascent Stablecoin Market The Japanese government paved the way for local currency stablecoins when it revised the Payment Services Act in 2023. However, the Financial Services Authority didnt license the first JPY-pegged coin until this year. The launch of JPYC represents a victory for team fintech. The company behind the token spent years preparing the ground, and was finally rewarded with a funds transfer service provider (FTSP) registration in August. FTSPs are one of three types of entities authorized to issue stablecoins in Japan. The other two are deposit banks and trust banks. While fintech stablecoins won an early lead, Japans banks arent far behind, with five of the countrys largest institutions working together on a joint stablecoin project. Initially launched in October, the project will receive support from the FSAs fintech hub, the banking consortium announced on Nov. 7. With the regulators endorsement, bank-issued stablecoins have received a major boost in Japan. But for now, banks arent looking to compete with retail-focused products like JPYC. Instead, the ongoing pilot is mostly exploring stablecoins as an interbank settlement technology. South Korea Favors Bank-Issued Coins The divide between fintech- and bank-issued stablecoins is also evident in South Korea. Bank of Korea (BoK) Governor Rhee Chang-yong has explicitly stated that he wants commercial banks to take the lead. If we allow non-banks to issue stablecoins, this will cause major chaos, he cautioned in July. Despite pressure from lawmakers and a crop of potential issuers waiting in the wings, the central bank maintains a conservative stance. In a recent report, the BoK outlined continued reservations about stablecoin risks. It has also displayed a renewed commitment to central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and tokenized deposits, restarting tests with commercial banks that had previously stalled. Asian Stablecoin Race Heats up As in Japan, South Korean authorities have shown a preference for bank-issued stablecoins, but the letter of the law doesnt rule out fintech incumbents securing a role. Travelers heading west on I-10 will want to find a different route. The Seguin Police Department reported a traffic alert at 5:50 p.m. that has shut down all westbound lanes near Seguin and East Highway 90. Officials are asking drivers to avoid the area and user alternate routes as an 18-wheeler was spotted engulfed in flames. Details are limited at this time, but traffic reporting website SigAlert shows a slowdown in the area. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Photos from the scene showed black smoke billowing from the scene and and flames alongside the frontage road from from the overpass above. Officials shared more information will be shared when available. MySA reached out to the Seguin Fire Department for more information. The scene echoes an early crash on Highway 90 on the Far Westside of San Antonio where two collisions locked down traffic for several hours. This article originally published at Fiery 18-wheeler crash shuts down I-10 near San Antonio. GenderNexus Executive Director Emma Vosicky, right, speaks alongside Indiana Youth Group CEO Chris Paulsen during a news conference on Nov. 6, 2025. (Photo by Tom Davies/Indiana Capital Chronicle) Advocates for transgender Hoosiers are keeping up their fight against plans by the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to stop allowing gender changes on drivers licenses. They oppose a BMV regulation revision first proposed in June to prohibit gender marker changes that have been allowed since 2009. The BMVs proposal followed an executive order issued by Gov. Mike Braun in March prohibiting what he called modern gender ideology by state agencies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Leaders of the advocacy organizations Indiana Youth Group and GenderNexus on Thursday criticized the BMV for reintroducing the rule change after dozens of people spoke against it during a July public hearing. The BMV later withdrew that proposal but refiled an identical one on Oct. 15, setting up a new public comment period ahead of its possible adoption. Also on Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a Trump administration policy to continue that requires passports list only an individuals sex assigned at birth. Opponents of the rule change plan on returning for a scheduled Nov. 14 public hearing at the Indiana Government Center in Indianapolis. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People are going to take the time to show up again and have their voices heard and tell real-life stories of why this is harmful to not only the people who are denied the ID or drivers license, but their families, their friends, said Chris Paulsen, the Indiana Youth Groups CEO. The advocates argue that the BMV is manipulating the rulemaking process to produce an outcome meeting Brauns wishes. GenderNexus Executive Director Emma Vosicky questioned why the BMV was seeking to change a policy that had been in place for more than a decade. Why is it that the BMV wants to change that approach, which has not caused harm to people in this state, but has actually uplifted the lives of thousands of Hoosiers? Vosicky said. Changing previous policy The proposed rule change would delete provisions allowing drivers license gender changes for a person presenting a certified amended birth certificate or a physicians statement that permanent gender change treatments had been completed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The BMV asserts that the rule change is needed to comply with a 2024 state appeal court ruling that the agency didnt have to allow a nonbinary or X option for drivers licenses. That ruling determined that gender under the states motor vehicle code referred to a persons male or female sex. BMV spokesman Greg Dunn said Thursday that the agency refiled the rule proposal at the direction of the state attorney generals office. The Attorney Generals office advised that a second public comment period and hearing should be held because so many substantive comments were submitted during the first public comment period, Dunn said in an email statement. Refiling the rule was only done for clerical purposes because it had already been submitted to the Attorney Generals office for approval. The BMV wants to assure that anyone submitting a public comment on the matter that their voice will be heard and entered into the record. Brauns office did not comment Thursday about criticism of the proposed rule change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governors March executive order directed state agencies to respect and enforce the biological binary of man and woman as a fundamental and deeply rooted principle. Paulsen argued that the BMV change would prevent people from having identification that reflects who they are. The advocates said such policies nurture hostility toward transgender people. The moment that you have a drivers license that doesnt match up with how you present, you have been outed, and you are now a target for violence, Vosicky said. We all know that outing results in violence. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Dozens of people including Utahs first lady Abby Cox and national and state leaders gathered in Olympus High Schools cafeteria to put together 1,200 meal kits and support kits for students in need in Utah on Thursday. The UServeUtah service project was part of the National Governors Associations Service-to-Career Pathways Summit. Those involved in the service project included youth volunteers from Olympus High School and One Utah Service Fellows as well as NGA Summit attendees. In her remarks at the start of the event, Cox emphasized that Utah is always number one in the country for volunteering and charitable giving, adding that service has been sort of in our DNA. First lady Abby Cox, center, prepares to speak before participating in a service project at the National Governors Association's Service-to-Career Pathways Summit at Olympus High School in Holladay on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News She also shared that service can help counteract the political polarization and hate and outrage seen in the country today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The antidote to all of that is service and volunteering, Cox said. When we come together, when we stop thinking about ourselves, when we put aside the outrage and the chaos that these chaos entrepreneurs are peddling, we can come together and serve each other and build our communities. Mike Moon, with UServeUtah, explained the acronym NHB, which is used to help train volunteers. He shared that the N stands for statement of need, the H is how you can help and the B represents the benefit, specifically the benefit to the volunteer. Mike Moon, of UServeUtah, speaks before participating in a service project at the National Governors Association's Service-to-Career Pathways Summit at Olympus High School in Holladay on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News The benefits to volunteers were highlighted multiple times throughout the event, which focused on how service can help build skills and lead to careers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Moon also focused on what the needs were behind that days project. As he spoke about the support kits they would put together, Moon shared that the leading cause of death for young people in Utah is suicide. Behind those statistics are individuals, youth that are trying to navigate this complex world and have so much pressure on their shoulders, he said. Moon shared that they would be assembling 500 support kits to give support to those students that counseling centers have requested in public schools. The kits included things that help these youth know that someone cares. People make 500 support kits in a service project at the National Governors Association's Service-to-Career Pathways Summit at Olympus High School in Holladay on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. People made 500 support kits and 700 meal kits. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News The second part of the project was putting together 700 meal kits for kids in the school district who suffer from food insecurity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cox shared that the meal kits were to help kids who go the weekend without any food, adding that we are here to help make sure that they have a meal that they can take home for the weekend that they can have food during the weekend. The meal kits included nonperishable food items such as oatmeal packets, fruit snacks, mac and cheese, applesauce, pudding, chocolate milk and apple juice. Inside the support kits were treats and snacks such as M&Ms and trail mix as well as sensory and fidget toys, fuzzy socks, motivational stickers, notebooks and moisturizer. Students, volunteers put together 1,200 kits First lady Abby Cox, left, speaks before participating in a service project at the National Governors Association's Service-to-Career Pathways Summit at Olympus High School in Holladay on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Those who were present put together 500 support kits and 700 meal kits. There were 12 different tables set up and everyone was divided into groups to work at different tables. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Every table had a bell on it and each time a table reached 40 or 50 kits depending on the project they would ring the bell and the whole room would cheer. Thursdays service project coincided with the high schools Olympus Does Good Day, which included the school ending its classes early and having its students participate in service throughout the Salt Lake Valley. Romisha Adhikari, an Olympus student, said the school has been focusing on service because studies have shown that volunteering can reduce stress, improve self-esteem and improve physical and social well-being. Romisha Adhikari, part of Volunteer for Good at Olympus High School, speaks before participating in a service project at the National Governors Association's Service-to-Career Pathways Summit at Olympus High School in Holladay on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News Adhikari added that we organized many different activities that the kids could participate in just for them to help find their passion, explore their community and make new friends. And we were shocked at how fast the slots for these activities filled up. I think it was a moment of realization for all of us that each student has a desire and interest for service work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event also featured multiple other speakers who shared their experiences as One Utah Service Fellows, as well as a student at Mountain Heights Academy who shared her experience being involved in service through her school. Officials arrested 5 people over the weekend, as a result of a street takeover, according to Fall River Police. The incident happened shortly after 3 p.m., Sunday. Packs of 50-100 individuals on dirt bikes, ATVs, scooters and motorcycles congregated on city streets, disregarding traffic laws while performing reckless stunts, Fall River Police say, adding that the event put not only [the riders] lives at risk, but the lives of innocent, law-abiding drivers and pedestrians at risk. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fall River police arrested Christopher Frias, Dylan Ploude, Aaron Pimental, Yethziel Medina, and Jerron Butler, all for negligent operation of a motor vehicle, as well as several other charges, police say. Officials warn of the dangers this type of activity can pose to the public. Many of these riders are uninsured and have little to no experience operating these vehicles, often resulting in crashes, personal injury and property damage, according to police. As a result of the arrests, the Fall River Police Department towed four motorcycles, one ATV, and a scooter. 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 Travelers around the country are preparing for flight cancellations and reductions amid the ongoing government shutdown. Flight operations are ordered to be reduced by 4% at 40 major U.S. airports starting Nov. 7 and will gradually increase to 10% over a week, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced. At the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), seven departing flights and seven arriving flights were canceled early Friday. The canceled flights on Nov. 7 were on American, Delta, United and Frontier airlines. Advertisement Advertisement What should travelers do if their flight is canceled? What are the flight policies for American, Delta, United and Frontier airlines? Here's what we know. How do I check if my flight is canceled? Travelers should monitor their flight status early and often by downloading their airline's mobile app and enabling push and text notifications, according to USA TODAY. Do not wait until you're already at the airport to learn if you've been affected. Many airlines also offer a Wheres My Plane? feature in their apps. This lets you see whether the aircraft scheduled to operate your flight has arrived, is delayed en route, or hasnt departed yet from its previous airport an early signal of trouble. What to do if your flight gets delayed or canceled If your flight is canceled for any reason, including a shortage of air traffic controllers, youre entitled to a full refund if you choose not to fly on alternative itineraries offered by your airline. The same goes for significant delays or changes. However, the airlines are not required to cover secondary costs, USA TODAY adds. Advertisement Advertisement If you must continue with your travel plans, then Scott Keyes, founder of Going, recommends that travelers rebook as soon as possible by using the airlines' mobile app or calling one of the carrier's international lines. American Airlines cancellation policy American Airlines announced Nov. 6 that it will issue travel waivers to customers traveling to, through or from the following airports: Atlanta, Georgia (ATL). Austin, Texas (AUS). Baton Rouge, Louisiana (BTR). Birmingham, Alabama (BHM). Boston, Massachusetts (BOS). Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT). Chicago, Illinois (ORD). Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas (DFW). Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina (GSP). Los Angeles, California (LAX). Miami, Florida (MIA). Nashville, Tennessee (BNA). New York Kennedy, New York (JFK). New York LaGuardia, New York (LGA). Newark, New Jersey (EWR). Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OKC). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL). Phoenix, Arizona (PHX). Tallahassee, Florida (TLH). Tampa, Florida (TPA). Washington Reagan, Washington D.C. (DCA). Change fees will be waived if you bought your ticket by Nov. 5, are scheduled to travel between Nov. 7-14, can travel between Nov. 6-16, don't change your origin or destination city, rebook in the same cabin, or cancel your trip and request a refund. Advertisement Advertisement However, to be eligible for the waiver, changes must be booked by Nov. 14 and travel must be completed within one year of the original ticket date. Customers whose flights are canceled for any reason are able to request a refund without any penalty. This also applies to customers who choose not to travel at this time. Delta Airlines cancellation policy To minimize last-minute disruptions, Delta said it plans to cancel flights a day in advance so travelers have time to rebook before arriving at the airport. This approach is meant to reduce crowding and prevent day-of travel surprises. A travel waiver is also in place, offering customers additional flexibility to rebook without change fees. Tickets must be reissued on or before Nov. 18. Booked travel must begin no later than Nov. 18 as well. Advertisement Advertisement If your flight has been canceled or if you choose not to travel, you can receive a refund through delta.com/refund. You can also receive an eCredit worth the "unused value of the ticket," which can be used to purchase a new ticket. A difference in fare may apply if you rebook your trip after Nov. 18, per the Delta Airlines website. United Airlines cancellation policy United Airlines will provide refunds to any customer who does not want to fly during the flight restrictions "even if their flight isn't impacted," CEO Scott Kirby announced Nov. 7. The offer includes nonrefundable and basic economy tickets. The United Airlines website states that customers can also reschedule their trip for free, during this time. Advertisement Advertisement Kirby added that the airline will make rolling updates to its schedule as the record-breaking government shutdown continues and will provide travelers "several days' advance notice" of changes to minimize disruption. Frontier Airlines cancellation policy Frontier Airlines posted on Instagram Nov. 6 that most flights are still operating as usual. Changes to flights for Nov. 7-8 have already been completed, but changes to flights on Nov. 9 and beyond are "in progress." Frontier states that it will update and communicate with impacted customers via email, text, and the Frontier mobile app, per a press release. If your domestic flight has been canceled or delayed for more than three hours, you are able to rebook or request a refund online. The same goes for international flights that have been canceled or delayed for more than six hours. The airline also issued a flexible travel policy for anyone traveling during this time. Changes or cancellations can be made on the Frontier website or app. Frontier Airlines will continue to post updates through the website's Travel Alerts page. Contributing: Eve Chen, Karissa Waddick and Nathan Diller, James Powel, Josh Rivera, USA TODAY; Bailey Allen, USA TODAY Network - New England; Corey Davis, USA TODAY Network - Memphis; Reuters. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Airlines set flexible flight cancellation policies amid shutdown Flight cuts are now in effect at 40 of the nations busiest airports. Major airlines have said international flights will not be reduced, but that doesnt mean those travelers are off scot free. Many travelers have to make domestic connections before or after long-haul flights, and aviation experts have told USA TODAY connecting passengers may face fewer options and longer layovers amid Federal Aviation Administration-directed cuts. United Airlines said its international flights and hub-to-hub operations will not be trimmed. Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines also plan to keep their international flights on track. Advertisement Advertisement USA TODAY has reached out to JetBlue, who has not explicitly said if or how international flights will be impacted. Airlines are complying with the FAA emergency order aimed at offsetting air traffic controller shortages during the government shutdown. Using a phased-in approach, they'll eventually reduce flights by up to 10% at airports in cities like Dallas, Miami and New York. Flight cancellations: What travelers should expect as cuts hit 40 US airports John F. Kennedy International Airport's air traffic control tower is seen in this file photo from Oct. 10. Air traffic controller staffing has been a critical issue throughout the government shutdown as workers have been asked to continue their duties without pay. Airlines have been alerting customers whose flights are canceled and offering flexible rebooking and refund options to other travelers headed to those 40 airports. Advertisement Advertisement To further reduce headaches, travelers should: Check flight status and TSA wait times before heading to the airport Arrive extra early to allow for potentially delayed security screening Make sure they have plenty of time to make connections, considering the next available flights may not be for a while, nor have extra seats Shye Gilad, a professor of Practice in Management at Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business and former airline captain, also recommends booking flights earlier in the day to avoid problems that may pile up later on, booking direct flights if possible, avoiding checking in luggage if possible, and packing snacks and patience. (This story has been updated with new information.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are international flights affected by the FAA cuts? Airlines and travel experts are warning that a move by federal authorities to throttle back the number of flights at 40 major airports starting on Friday could disrupt people's travel plans across the U.S. "Even if you're flying out of an airport that doesn't have reductions, there will be a domino effect across the entire system," said aviation expert Julian Kheel, CEO of travel booking site Points Path, adding that passengers should prepare for "significant flight disruptions." One airline chief executive urged customers to buy a second ticket from another airline in case one flight is scrapped a workaround that some travelers could see as beyond their means. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If you are headed to a wedding, funeral or something you must be somewhere for in the next few days given the risk of flights [canceling] I would suggest passengers buy a backup ticket on another carrier that departs after the first ticket," Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle said in an Instagram post on Thursday. "Carriers like Frontier will be putting you on the next available flight but that may not be until after your event due to the scale of this disruption," he added. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Wednesday announced that air traffic in 40 "high-volume" airports would be reduced by 10% in the coming days to cope with shortages of air traffic controllers, who are working without pay amid the ongoing government shutdown. The flight restrictions are expected to be phased in starting Friday, with airlines reaching the full 10% mark by next week, two sources familiar with discussions between the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation and the airlines told CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some airports on the FAA's list for capacity cuts are already experiencing problems. Passengers flying out of Boston's Logan Airport on Thursday were starting to see flight delays and cancellations due to the shutdown, CBS News Boston reported. Airlines promise extra help and refunds As the air capacity cuts loomed, major airlines vowed on Thursday to alert customers on flight issues, help people rebook their travel, and provide refunds or credit if their trips are disrupted. "As schedule changes are made, we'll proactively reach out to customers who are impacted," American Airlines said in a statement to CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The carrier also said that customers whose flights are canceled for any reason or who choose not to travel can change their flight or request a refund without penalty. American encouraged customers to stay up-to-date on their flight's status using its mobile app. The airline said that, from Nov. 7 to Nov. 10, it will trim its flight schedules by 4% at the 40 airports affected by the FAA capacity restrictions, the equivalent of about 220 flights canceled each day. That represents a small fraction of the 6,000 daily flights on those days, American noted. Southwest Airlines said it will notify customers if their flight is canceled and automatically rebook them on new flights. Customers who do not wish to be rebooked are eligible for refunds, provided they cancel a new itinerary arranged by Southwest at least 10 minutes before the new flight's departure, the airline told CBS News. Delta Air Lines also said it would allow customers to cancel flights without penalty between Nov. 7 and Nov. 9. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Check before you head to the airport Tiffany Funk, co-founder of travel rewards site point.me, said travelers should be extra vigilant in monitoring communications from their airline before heading to the airport. "Pay attention to updates from airlines. If you're not getting emails, call them." John Rose, chief risk and security officer at Altour, a travel management company, recommended that travelers use an airline's app to track inbound flights to anticipate any delays. "The main thing to watch is that the flight is still going, that it's on time. That's a trick that's easy to do on the airline's app. See where your plane is coming from and if it has any problems," he told CBS News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rose added that it's important to look beyond the airports where cuts are implemented for travel disruptions, given that shortages of air traffic controllers in airport towers could affect airspace outside of such regions. "Recognize that even with the 10% cutback, other flights could be impacted beyond that, because we don't know where people are going to be calling in sick and having staffing shortages," he said. But don't check luggage Although travelers should avoid checking luggage, if possible, to minimize another potential hitch, Rose recommends packing essentials like medication and a change of clothes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Plan to be stuck somewhere for an extra day," he said. He noted that international flights might be less prone to disruptions, given that airlines typically operate fewer flights a day to foreign destinations. "Historically, the last flights to cancel are international because they tend to only fly there once or twice a day, and if they put you on the next flight, it's in a day or two," he said. When to book a backup fare Travelers who are especially eager to avoid flight problems can get a backup ticket, Funk said. "If you have critical travel you cannot miss, then another ticket on a different carrier is always a good play," she said. "Every carrier will solve for these things differently, so get a ticket on another airline even if there's a connection." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Unused tickets can be canceled within 24 hours of purchase, she noted, so it's a relatively risk-free move. "If I had a trip scheduled in the next week that I didn't have to take, I would consider rescheduling it," said Kheel of Points Path. "If you do have to take a trip, you can book multiple flights on different airlines to try and protect yourself." Despite the headaches for passengers, air travel remains safe during the closure of federal agencies, now on Day 37 and the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Rose added. "People's safety is not being compromised. The FAA is not going to put travelers in a higher-risk situation because of this," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump says government shutdown was "a big factor" in GOP election losses Man says he was trapped by fire surrounding auto shop after UPS plane crash Government shutdown forces major flight cuts as judge orders Trump administration to pay SNAP Traveling by flight will be more complicated than usual in the immediate future, after federal officials have begun to direct a reduction in air traffic in response to staffing issues. Here's what to know if you're traveling out of Connecticut soon. What is happening with flights across the country? As reported by CNN, the Federal Aviation Administration began cutting flights at 40 airports on a "rolling schedule," starting at 4 percent on Thursday with plans for "a reduction of at least 10%" by Nov. 15. Though no airports in Connecticut have been reported to be among those affected, the list includes major hubs across the country. More than 800 flights were canceled Friday, including at Logan Airport in Massachusetts and John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia in New York. How is Bradley being impacted? Officials from the Connecticut Airport Authority, which operates Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, said Friday that the airport has not been identified as one where the FAA plans to reduce air traffic, but other major airports are expected to be impacted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The government shutdown remains a very fluid situation that the Connecticut Airport Authority continues to monitor daily," a spokesperson said. { "__type": "devHubFreeformEmbed", "__id": "FlightTrackerDelays", "__data": { "props": { "airport_codes": "bdl,hvn,hpn" } } } What about Tweed New Haven? A representative for Tweed New Haven Regional Airport said Friday that the airport is "operating business as usual" and not currently impacted in the way other airports are because its tower is not operated by the FAA. The airport is also not a hub, serving direct flights to and from New Haven, meaning that issues at other airports would not directly impact its flights. What happens if my flight is canceled? The website for Bradley International Airport states that passengers facing cancellations must contact their airline for information, listing 10 that serve the airport. A representative the from the CAA said customers with upcoming flights should download their respective airline's app and log in to check the status of their flight before getting to the airport. How do airline policies differ? Some airlines flying out of Bradley have announced how they will handle the flight restrictions, often with additional flexibility on rescheduling or canceling previously booked flights. CAA officials said such policies are set independently by airlines, rather than by the airport, and may vary between each provider. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For example, American Airlines has issued a travel alert for customers going to, through, or from 21 locations across the country. Tickets purchased before Nov. 5 can be changed for no fee, with some restrictions, or cancelled with a refund for the remaining ticket value. Frontier Airlines also currently offers "flexible travel policies" for flights that have been cancelled or delayed between Nov. 6 and Nov. 12. Though Delta has no specific announcements regarding the flight restrictions as of Friday afternoon, the company's "Customer Service Plan" outlines its policies regarding refunds, rebooking, and cancellations. This article originally published at Flights canceled, delayed at airports across the country: Here's what to know for airline passengers in Connecticut. Flights at Detroit Metro Airport and across the United States have been and will continue to be canceled with no end in sight to the federal shutdown, which began Oct. 1. Here's what we know as of the late afternoon Friday, Nov. 7: How flight cancellations will ramp up The Trump administration (through the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration) has ordered airlines to cancel 4% of domestic flights through 40 major hubs, including Detroit (otherwise known as DTW through its three-letter call code) beginning Nov. 7 to alleviate some of the stress on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month. The percentage of canceled flights will ramp up to 10% if Congress doesn't reach a deal to fund the government by late next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy suggested Nov. 7 in remarks that the percentage of canceled flights could go as high as 15% or higher if necessary. Officials say cancellations are about safety Duffy said Nov. 6 this isn't about politics, it's about safety, given the burden being placed on air traffic controllers nationwide and an increase in delays that have risen in recent days. This isnt about politics its about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay. Its safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking. On Nov. 7, he reiterated that message: "I have done all I can to minimize disruption in the airspace. Im trying to get people where they want to go and to get there safely. We are taking unprecedented action at @USDOT because we are in an unprecedented shutdown." DTW flight cancellations so far An arriving passenger waits to be picked up outside of the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Delays and cancellations could happen Nov. 7, when Detroit Metro and 39 other airports around the country see an increased shortage of air traffic controllers due to the federal government shutdown that continues. According to FlightAware, a site that provides comprehensive data on flight status, 35 flights scheduled to fly into or out of Detroit Metro Airport were canceled on Nov. 7 (as of 5 p.m.). While it's not clear that all of those cancellations are due to the shutdown order, it's a safe bet most are, considering there were six cancellations on Nov. 6 and four on Nov. 5. Most (eight) were Delta flights, which is unsurprising since Detroit is a major hub for that airline, and regional flyer SkyWest (also with eight). Regional airlines Republic and Endeavor Air had six cancellations apiece. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also, that may be a preliminary number: it could grow through the night. (Nationally, the number of domestic flights canceled was just over 1,000 by 5 p.m. by the way; that number had been rising throughout the day.) As for Saturday, Nov. 8, and Sunday, Nov. 9, 30 or fewer each day were scheduled to be canceled into and out of DTW, though it was unclear whether that included all the flights from Delta and some other carriers (and, again, it could change). So far, so good at DTW Security lines appeared to be moving well and the wait times at security check-ins were a typical 0-15 minutes, according to the Transportation Security Administration. And there didn't appear to be any immediate escalation of chaos and associated delays, which 30-year-old Cristian Garcia was grateful to see: He flew in via Spirit out of Orlando with his wife and his baby to attend a funeral in Lansing. Security lines in Orlando were long, he said, but the family line moved quickly and he kept an eye on his flight the whole time. Driving with a baby, he figured, was out of the question. We were definitely very worried that we were going to get canceled, said a relieved Garcia. We would not have known what to do (if their flight had been canceled)." Mano Hazime, 39, of Dearborn, was headed in the opposite direction to Orlando to celebrate the grand opening of a restaurant a friend owns in Jacksonville. It was her first time flying Frontier Airlines and she hadnt checked her flight status. But her friend called her and told her to check on the flight. I hope its not delayed, she said. Expect pileups in cancellations (and delays) today The Flighty app (which is also on social media platform X at @flighty) also indicated late Nov. 6 that the FAA was reporting flight delays could be expected to pile up in many airports on Nov. 7, especially in the Northeast because of staffing issues with air traffic controllers and other personnel (Transportation Security Administration officials are also working without pay), a situation which also could get worse as the day goes on. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That certainly seemed to be happening, per the FAA's online system status dashboard and its operations memos: As of 11 a.m., it was noting multiple staffing triggers affecting flight operations, including those in or around Atlanta; Austin; Boston; Newark, New Jersey; Philadelphia; Jacksonville, Florida; San Francisco; Kansas City, and Washington's Reagan National Airport (where many Detroit Lions fans were headed for the Nov. 9 game against the Commanders). By late afternoon, delays had spread to Chicago O'Hare, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and across the northern border in Toronto, and delays were averaging four hours at Washington Reagan and hitting a maximum of more than seven. And that's with the flight cancellations, suggesting they were not having as widespread an effect on reducing wait times and stress on the air traffic control system as hoped (at least not initially). FlightAware's numbers for delays by late afternoon on Nov. 7 in the United States was about 4,300 flights but there was still a lot of the day to go, suggesting it wouldn't be much changed from Nov. 6 even with the cancellations. Cancellations/delays can have a cascading effect People at the TSA security line waiting to go through for their Delta flights inside the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Delays and cancellations could happen Nov. 7, when Detroit Metro and 39 other airports around the country see an increased shortage of air traffic controllers due to the federal government shutdown that continues. Even if Detroit Metro Airport doesn't suffer direct delays due to staffing, anything that gums up the air network ripples throughout it, since a flight that doesn't leave an airport on time can get somewhere else late, tangling connections, flight crew assignments, aircraft maintenance, return flights and more. That leads to uncertainty, missed appointments, canceled reservations and potential business losses (think of auto execs flying around the United States to or from Detroit for meetings) and that's before considering all the economic results that a long shutdown can have on personal spending. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patrick Anderson of the Anderson Economic Group in Michigan and Chicago tells the Free Press, "Delays have what we call 'network effects' in business economics. Hold up a bunch of planes in one airport, and you get a cascading effect down the line. Delays also affect the behavior of people. Some people are going to just not travel. Others will arrive early, and anticipate waiting longer. Finally, this is affecting air traffic controllers that are working without pay. Thus, there are many unpredictable factors at play here. ... We are now in uncharted territory." It's also a bad time of year to fool with travel The airlines and economists are also keenly aware that we are approaching some of the busiest travel times of the year with Thanksgiving less than three weeks away on Nov. 27 and Christmas a month after. Flight cancellations now could seriously scare people who have already made plans or were expecting to do so shortly with no idea how long the shutdown could last. Take Jason Scott, a high school teacher in Armada, Michigan, who told the Free Press on Nov. 7 he is concerned that he and his wife may have to cancel their plans to fly to Florida for Christmas to visit family. They're not scheduled to depart until Dec. 24. But Nov. 22 about two weeks away is the last day they can cancel without penalty. If the situation then is the same (or worse) than it is now, with flights reduced in Detroit, the city he departs from, and Chicago, where he is scheduled to make connections, he'll cancel, he said. Scott, who teaches social studies, also noted that though school doesn't resume until Jan. 5, districts are particularly strict about teachers missing school just before or just after a holiday and he cant take the risk of getting stranded out of town. In my opinion, any government employee who is directly involved with the safety of citizens in this case air traffic controllers money should be set aside to pay them (during a shutdown), Scott said. How airlines are handling cancellations All of the major airlines have made it clear that they plan to give travelers as much advance notice of cancellations as possible, offer rebookings and provide flexibility in giving customers full refunds which the FAA is requiring and rebooking without charge. The best advice to travelers is to check with your airlines, keep an eye on their apps and watch your text messages. Patience almost certainly is warranted. (Also, the FAA says that while airlines have to refund flight costs for canceled flights, they do not have to pay secondary costs like those for hotels, food or other transportation.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Need some more advice on how to handle the cancellations? Check out this article by the Free Press' Susan Tompor, which gives you the lowdown. For more details on what led up to the cancellations in the few days before they occurred and what the airlines were saying just ahead of them happening, check out this article by the Free Press as well. What it will take to reopen the federal government As for the causes of the federal shutdown, which is now the longest in U.S. history, the short version is this: The federal government can't fully operate without a continuing appropriation from Congress that authorizes it to spend money, and the latest one expired Sept. 30. The U.S. Senate needs 60 votes to pass a new one and there are 53 Republicans in that chamber. Democrats have so far declined to provide the other votes needed for a simple continuing resolution that makes no policy changes, saying they first want Republicans and President Donald Trump to address health care premiums for people buying policies under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that will skyrocket Jan. 1. Republicans have so far refused. You can read about that here. The Trump White House put out a news release squarely laying the blame for the flight cancellations on Democrats, calling them "a brazen, demented betrayal of the American people." "Now, as FAA safety restrictions loom like a guillotine over holiday flights, Democrats are inflicting their man-made catastrophe on Americans just trying to make life-saving medical trips or get home for Thanksgiving," the White House said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats appeared to be sticking to their message. On X, the feeds of Michigan's Democratic U.S. senators, Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters, didn't mention the flight cancellations but both had messages up about the rising costs of health care. "This is the longest shutdown in history. I am working to try and bring this to a resolution, but we need the president to get in the game," said Slotkin. "To be clear, I am insistent on fighting for people facing as much as a 600% increase in health care costs." Peters also went to the Senate floor in the afternoon to talk up a proposal by which Democrats would agree to reopen government if Republicans agree to extend health care subsidies for one year. "We could reopen the government today," Peters said. But it was unclear where, if anywhere, the proposal was headed. Asked about the possibility that widespread flight delays could expedite negotiations to reopen the government, U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, said, The air traffic controllers are what finally got the government open five years ago during a partial shutdown that ended in January 2019. Are you affected by flight cancellations related to the shutdown? Did you miss a big event, or have to reschedule something you've been planning for months? We'd love to hear from you at votervoices@freepress.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Free Press staff writer Clara Hendrickson contributed to this report. Contact Todd Spangler: tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@tsspangler. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: DTW flight cancellations appear to ramp up: What we know The Florida Board of Governors has unanimously elected Alan Levine as chairman for a two-year term that begins in January while Tim Cerio was elected as vice chair. But before the election, board chair Brian Lamb offered a point of clarification from his perspective about the process. I know theres a lot of buzz around this part of the process, so let me demystify this for you, Lamb who is in his second term as chairman told the boards members during a Nov. 6 meeting on the University of South Floridas campus. I definitely think its the right time to put a successor in place, and I think the (Florida) governor (Ron DeSantis) has been an outstanding supporter of the Board of Governors, the State University System and me. Im very grateful for that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The job is never done, Lamb added, but I believe its in a place thats best positioned to give someone else an opportunity to lead. Florida Board of Governors chair Brian Lamb. While Levine chairman and CEO of the integrated health system Ballad Health, which is headquartered in Johnson City, Tennessee currently serves as the boards vice chair, his election to serve as chair comes after a nomination made by Board of Governors member and former House Speaker Jose Oliva. Gov. DeSantis has been crystal clear about his ambition for higher education in Florida, Levine said as he noted the importance of high student achievement, the production of students in degree programs that help them grow economically and an efficient state university system for taxpayers. I think over the course of the next couple of years, we need to stay focused on what he has laid out because hes right, and hes been right about this since the day he took office, Levine added. Florida Board of Governors vice chair Alan Levine was elected to serve as the board's chair with a two-year term that begins in January 2026. Board member Ken Jones nominated Cerio, a Tallahassee native and former general counsel to Gov. Rick Scott, as vice chair. Cerio serves as president, CEO and executive director of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation and was appointed to the board by Scott in 2017. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Levine has been serving on the board since 2013, when he was also appointed by Scott and was reappointed in 2017. He received his bachelors degree and two masters degrees from the University of Florida and served on the Gainesville-based universitys Board of Trustees prior to joining the states governing board. Levine also recently served on Florida A&M University's presidential search committee that led to the selection and confirmation of Marva Johnson as FAMU's new president. Anybody who has met him knows the passion that he has for everything that he does for all of the different universities, and for this system as a whole, Oliva said, referring to Levine. Hes an exceptional human being, and hes eminently qualified to be the chair. Florida Board of Governors member and former House Speaker Jose Oliva. Olivia who is also the owner and CEO of the cigar manufacturing company Oliva Cigar Co. said Lamb has done an exceptional job of serving as the boards chair. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has been a rather eventful several years, and youve gotten us through it with tremendous grace, Oliva said. Thank you for such a tremendous service that you have provided to this board and to the state of Florida. Levine commented that the board has been fortunate to be led by Lamb during his term as chair. Its been an honor for me to be his right hand and his wingman, and I dont think people really do understand how much time he has put into this, he said about Lamb. Ive learned a lot from him. Board of Governors reappoints trustees for FAMU, FSU In addition to the governing board elections during the Nov. 6 meeting, reappointments were also made for trustees of Florida State University and FAMU. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Businessman John Crossman was reappointed to continue serving as a trustee on FAMUs board, which comes after he was initially appointed in 2023. His current term was set to end in January. FAMUs board has five members whose terms are set to expire soon: Trustees Kristin Harper, Belvin Perry, Craig Reed, Natlie Figgers and Jocelyn Dopson-Rodriguez. With Harper, Perry and Reed being appointees of the Board of Governors, the governing board can either reappoint them or replace them with new trustees next year. Amid the Thursday reappointments were also FSU trustee Drew Weatherford founding partner of the private investment firm Weatherford Capital and FSU trustee Justin Roth, who is a partner at LINK Public Affairs. All of the reappointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate. Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida BOG elects Alan Levine as chair and Tim Cerio as vice chair We recently published 8 Stocks Jim Cramer Talked About. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) factored into the discussion after co-host Carl Quintanilla mentioned a peer cruise ship company. While Cramer started the year by being quite optimistic about cruise ship stocks, in this appearance, he linked their performance with Americans struggling with spending: Jim Cramer Discusses Royal Caribbean (RCL) & The Cruise Ship Industry When we had Royal on, Jason Liberty, people were saying, listen, be careful here. Because whats happened is that theyre not filling up their cruise lines as fast. They have, theres bad rush at the end of fill. A lot of people said ahh, but its still good but the stock has not had a single good day since, well maybe theres been one or two. But this group has lost its lustre. This was the last big travel group. And you dont want to see them lose. And this again is what Im thinking, government shutdown. Theres also this notion of this malaise notion, Jimmy Carter malaise. David, there are people who are just, theyre not spending. While we acknowledge the potential of RCL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Floridas Chief Financial Officer, Blaise Ingoglia, is holding cities and counties accountable for excessive spending, highlighting Orlandos relatively better financial management despite its own overspending. Ingoglia visited Orlando to discuss financial audits showing the city overspends, despite spending less than many Florida municipalities. He emphasized the importance of fiscal responsibility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the same audits, Orlando is doing a better job as stewards of the taxpayer dollars, Ingoglia stated during his visit. Ingoglia specifically addressed three county mayors, including Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, highlighting the importance of following Orlandos lead in managing budgets effectively. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Even though two courts ruled that the Trump administration must pay at least partial benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, its unclear when Vermonters will see that money. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture agreed in early November to pay partial SNAP benefits, it provided no additional information about how the funds would be distributed or when. On Nov. 5, the Vermont Department for Children and Families, which distributes SNAP in the state, said that they are reviewing this updated federal direction to understand how it applies in Vermont and to determine next steps for November SNAP benefits, called 3SquaresVT benefits in Vermont. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But in the meantime, Vermont SNAP recipients wont go without help: on Oct. 31, Gov. Phil Scott approved a one-time benefit that will cover the first 15 days of SNAP benefits in Vermont. Under the contingency plan, more than 38,000 Vermont households should expect to see payments by Nov. 7. They will appear on their EBT card or by direct deposit like normal SNAP benefits. About 64,633 out of the 643,077 people who live in Vermont are SNAP participants, according to USDA and U.S. Census Bureau data. Gov. Phil Scott said those affected include children, veterans, older adults, and people with disabilities. Did SNAP, food stamps go out for November? Federal SNAP benefits have not yet gone out for November. In October, the USDA said that they would not be sending out SNAP benefits in November due to the ongoing government shutdown despite earlier guidance that said it could use contingency funds to pay for the benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Bottom line, the well has run dry," the Agriculture Department said in a notice on its website. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats." On Oct. 28, Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark joined a coalition of 22 other attorneys general and three governors in suing the Trump administration over the funding lapse, saying that they can use contingency funds to pay for the program. A few days later, two federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the government to use the contingency funds to continue SNAP. Trump announces partial payments for SNAP recipients On Nov. 3, the Trump administration said that it would send partial payments for the month of November to the roughly 42 million Americans currently receiving SNAP benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration said it would "fulfill its obligation to expend funds during an emergency, using a reserve to cover 50% of eligible households current allotments. On Nov. 5, it said SNAP recipients would receive at most 65%. A sign for food stamps stands, as the U.S. President Donald Trump administration said it plans on Monday to partially fund food aid for millions of Americans after two judges ruled it must use contingency funds to pay for the benefits in November. When will Vermont residents get their November SNAP benefits? Its unclear when Vermont residents will get their November SNAP benefits from the federal government. USDA warned a federal judge in a filing that it could take days, weeks or even a month for the money to arrive. But they should receive funds from the states contingency plan by Nov. 7 Can I use last month's money on my EBT card? Yes. If you have funds left over from October, you can still use your EBT card as the funds roll over to the next month. The state contingency funds will also be issued directly to EBT funds by Nov. 7. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can check your EBT balances before heading to the store by visiting ebtedge.com or calling 1-888-979-9939. Where to get food Those who typically rely on SNAP benefits can use food banks and other subsidized meal programs amid the funding lapse. The contingency plan includes $250,000 to the Vermont Foodbank to further support food access in the state. You can find food resources and local food shelves at https://vermont211.org/ or by calling 211. Contributing: Bailey Allen. Sarah D. Wire This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Will food stamps go out in November? Can I use EBT? What to know in VT Even though a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration on Nov. 6 to fully cover federal food assistance for 42 million Americans in November by Friday, it's unclear when Connecticut residents will see that money. While the U.S. Department of Agriculture agreed in early November to pay partial benefits for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in response to an earlier court order, it provided no additional information about how the funds would be distributed or when. Partial benefits require states to reprogram their systems, which is a process that could take days or weeks depending on the state. Rhode Island federal District Judge John McConnell ordered the government to fully fund SNAP on Thursday, saying that the government knew there would be a long delay in paying [partial] SNAP benefits and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Vice President JD Vance slammed the decision an "absurd ruling" and suggested the administration might not comply. More: Trump administration appeals order to pay full November SNAP food benefits The uncertainty leaves states in limbo. On Connecticut's Department of Social Services website, which administers SNAP in the state, a box reads, "The federal government paused full SNAP funding effective November 1. While partial benefits may soon be released, we do not yet have a confirmed date." But in the meantime, Connecticut SNAP recipients wont go without some help: On Oct. 27, Gov. Ned Lamont announced that his administration was providing $3 million in emergency state funding to the nonprofit organization Connecticut Foodshare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 363,524 out of the 3,605,944 people who live in Connecticut are SNAP participants, according to USDA and U.S. Census Bureau data. Connecticut DSS Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves said this number includes children, older adults, and people with disabilities. In May 2025, the most recent month with available data, these recipients were given more than $70 million in food assistance. Did SNAP, food stamps go out for November? Federal SNAP benefits have not yet gone out for November. In October, the USDA said that they would not be sending out SNAP benefits in November due to the ongoing government shutdown despite earlier guidance that said it could use contingency funds to pay for the benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Bottom line, the well has run dry," the Agriculture Department said in a notice on its website. "At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats." On Oct. 28, Connecticut Attorney William Tong joined a coalition of 22 other attorneys general and three governors in suing the Trump administration over the funding lapse, saying that they can use contingency funds to pay for the program. A few days later, two federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ordered the government to use the contingency funds to continue SNAP. Trump announces partial payments for SNAP recipients On Nov. 3, the Trump administration said that it would send partial payments for the month of November to the roughly 42 million Americans currently receiving SNAP benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration said it would "fulfill its obligation to expend funds during an emergency, using a reserve to cover 50% of eligible households current allotments. On Nov. 5, it said SNAP recipients would receive at most 65%. A sign for food stamps stands, as the U.S. President Donald Trump administration said it plans on Monday to partially fund food aid for millions of Americans after two judges ruled it must use contingency funds to pay for the benefits in November. While McConnell then ordered the government on Nov. 6 to fully cover SNAP, the administration has appealed the decision and has not yet said whether they would comply. "We're trying to keep as much going as possible," Vance told reporters Thursday night. "The president and the entire administration are working on that, but we're not going to do it under the orders of a federal judge." When will Connecticut residents get their November SNAP benefits? Its unclear when Connecticut residents will get their November SNAP benefits. USDA warned a federal judge in a filing that it could take days, weeks or even a month for the money to arrive. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Lamont's plan helps support food banks in the state, he acknowledged that Connecticut's emergency funding will not fill the gap in aid. Kelly Middle School eighth grader Kitizia Perez-Campos stocks pasta on the food pantry shelves at the NPS Family Loft. Can I use last month's money on my EBT card? Yes. If you have funds left over from October, you can still use your EBT card as the funds roll over to the next month. You can check your EBT balances before heading to the store by visiting ebtedge.com or calling 1-888-979-9939. Where to get food Those who typically rely on SNAP benefits can use food banks and other subsidized meal programs amid the funding lapse. Connecticut Foodshare, the largest food bank in the state, will provide resources to those struggling amid the government shutdown, Lamont said. You can find a list of local food pantries on its website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement You can also call 211, visit 211ct.org, or text the word FOODSHARE to 85511 for more information on food resources. Feeding America maintains a list of food banks, as well. Contributing: Bailey Allen, Sarah D. Wire This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Will food stamps go out in November? Can I use EBT? What to know in CT A former British soldier wanted by Kenyan authorities has appeared in a London court after being arrested in connection with the alleged murder of a woman near a UK army training camp in the East African country more than a decade ago. In September, Kenya issued an arrest warrant and requested the extradition of a British citizen over the murder of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru near a UK army training camp in 2012, a case which has strained relations between the two countries. Wanjiru was found in a septic tank at the Lions Court Hotel in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki in 2012, having last been seen at the hotel with a group of British soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Kenyan magistrate concluded in an inquest in 2019 that she had been murdered by the soldiers, and in September, Kenya made a formal request to extradite a suspect. The United Kingdoms National Crime Agency (NCA) said the suspect was a former soldier who was arrested on Thursday by specialist officers after the warrant was issued. Robert James Purkiss, 38, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court today for extradition proceedings to begin, the NCA said on Friday. He was remanded into custody until his next appearance at the same court on November 14. The delay in securing justice has sparked outrage in Kenya, with Wanjirus family and rights groups arguing that the killers were being shielded by a defence cooperation agreement that complicates the prosecution of British soldiers training in Kenya. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wanjiru, the single mother of a then four-month-old baby, was beaten and stabbed, and was probably still alive when she was thrown into the septic tank, a magistrate said in the 2019 inquest report. Purkisss lawyer David Josse said that his client vehemently denies murder and that he has received funding from the UKs Ministry of Defence to pay for his defence. The case was a source of contention between Kenyan authorities and the UKs previous Conservative government, and was in limbo for years. Purkiss, a married father of two, told Westminster Magistrates Court in London that he did not consent to being extradited, the Press Association news agency reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Labour party, which removed the Conservatives from power in a July election last year, has promised to support the Kenyan investigation and secure a resolution to this case. Since Kenya gained independence in 1963, the UK has kept a permanent army base near Nanyuki, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Nairobi. The British Army Training Unit in Kenya is an economic lifeline for many in Nanyuki but has faced criticism over allegations of misconduct by its soldiers, as well as the maiming of civilians by unexploded ordnance. A South Carolina man who was killed Wednesday in a crash was a former high-ranking emergency medical services member, according to the Orangeburg County Coroners Office. William Bill Williams, a 79-year-old Eutawville resident, died in wreck, Coroner Sean Fogle said Thursday. Williams was a retired Orangeburg County EMS training director, according to Fogle. The two-vehicle collision happened at about 2:50 p.m. Wednesday, said Master Trooper Hannah Davidson of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Williams was driving a 1997 Honda Gold Wing trike motorcycle west on Acme Street, according to Davidson. Near the intersection with Tunita Street, the motorcycle collided with a 2024 Ford SUV that was turning left into a private driveway, Davidson said. Williams suffered blunt-force injuries in the crash and died at the scene, according to Fogle. Davidson said that Williams was the only person on the motorcycle, and no other injuries were reported. There was no word if Williams was wearing a helmet, or if anyone in the SUV was wearing a seatbelt, but the wreck continues to be investigated by the Highway Patrol. Ive had the pleasure of knowing and working with him for a number of years, Fogle said in a news release. Bill, as he was affectionately called, always had a story to share and a great person to be around. I extend heartfelt condolences to his family and the Orangeburg County EMS family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through Sunday, 741 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2025, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, at least 948 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported. At least 26 people have died in Orangeburg County crashes in 2025, according to DPS data. There were 46 deaths in the county in 2024, DPS reported. Former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-White Lake) talks to reporters after his second debate with U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly). Oct. 14, 2024. Photo By Jon King. Bernadette Smith, the co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party who was elected this year along with current chair and state Sen. Jim Runestad of White Lake, has resigned from her post, the party confirmed on Friday and with that has come rumors that she is gearing up to run for Michigans soon-to-be vacant U.S. Senate seat. Republican political consultants told Michigan Advance that rumors about Smith resigning and running for the U.S. Senate have been growing for weeks. They said Smith has been informing top GOP members that she plans to run for the seat that will open when Sen. Gary Peters (DBloomfield Township) retires next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both Jason Cabel Roe, of Roe Strategic LLC, as well as Dennis Lennox, who has worked in strategic communications over the past decade, as well as for high profile party events, told the Advance that they were privy to that speculation, as well. A message seeking comment from Smith was not immediately returned. Bernadette Smith | Photo from Michigan Republican Party Runestad confirmed to Michigan Advance on Friday that Smith resigned, but could not say whether that resignation occurred on Thursday or Friday. Although the party wont officially select a nominee until the August 2026 primary election, the Republican establishment in Michigan and abroad has been posturing as all in on Mike Rogers, a former mid-Michigan congressman and the only big name in the race. Rogers has also been endorsed by President Donald Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Smith, who is known by GOP grassroots activists throughout Michigan and was a party leader even before she was chosen by party delegates earlier this year to ascend as co-chair with Runestad, jumping into the race now may not bode well for Rogers, whose campaign has proceeded as if the nomination was secured. Earlier buzz that U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Holland Township) would also seek the nomination ended in July, when he confirmed he would instead seek reelection to his West Michigan congressional seat. But there have been some dissenting voices questioning whether grassroots Republicans were ready to bet on Rogers to the degree that national Republicans were. A message was also left for the Rogers campaign, but has yet to be returned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adding fuel to the speculation is the fact that Smiths personal website, which was used during her previous campaign for ethnic vice chair of the Michigan Republican Party and later when she ran with Runestad, has a registered cloned domain name of bernadettesmithforsenate.com. That URL redirects to Smiths existing website. The domain was registered on Oct. 22. No campaign committee information for Smith exists in the Federal Elections Commission candidate database, but new filings could be affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Representative Karianne Lisonbee, who has served in the Utah House of Representatives since 2017 and previously served in House leadership, has announced that she will not be seeking reelection at the end of her term. Lisonbee is a Republican from the 14th district, which covers Syracuse and Clearfield. She has served as the House Majority Whip and the Majority Assistant Whip, as well as Rules Vice Chair and the Judiciary Committee Chair. Utah Republican Party is not gathering signatures for referendum on Map C Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a post to social media, Lisonbee wrote, At the end of my current term in the Utah Legislature, I will have served in public office for 16 years. Each election cycle is a time for reflection. This year, after my biennial deep deliberation, I feel the time has come for a new chapter and new opportunities in my life and I have decided that I will not seek reelection next year. Rep. Karianne Lisonbee, courtesy Utah House of Representatives Prior to serving in the state legislature, Lisonbee served on the Syracuse City Council. She also said that she will serve out the remainder of her current term. With the filing period for the 2026 election in January, I want to provide ample decision-making time for those interested in running for the Utah House of Representatives, she wrote. How to make ABC4 your preferred news source on Google Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She thanked her husband Seth for his support over the years and said that they plan to stay active and involved within the community. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the wonderful people of House District 14, my community, and our great State of Utah. I am humbly grateful for the support from so many who care deeply about preserving our liberty and way of life. It is vital that we stay engaged and hold fast to the principles of good government that preserve individual liberty and strong families, she wrote. You can read her full post on Facebook here. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. PARIS (AP) As French police race to track where the Louvre's stolen crown jewels have gone, a growing chorus wants a brighter light on where they came from. The artifacts were French, but the gems were not. Their exotic routes to Paris run through the shadows of empire an uncomfortable history that France, like other Western nations with treasure-filled museums, has only begun to confront. The attention sparked by the heist is an opportunity, experts say, to pressure the Louvre and Europes great museums to explain their collections' origins more honestly, and it could trigger a broader reckoning over restitutions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Within hours of the theft, researchers sketched a likely colonial-era map for the materials: sapphires from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), diamonds from India and Brazil, pearls from the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean and emeralds from Colombia. That doesnt make the Louvre robbery less criminal. It does complicate the public's understanding of what was lost. There is obviously no excuse for theft, said Emiline C.H. Smith, a criminologist at the University of Glasgow who studies heritage crime. But many of these objects are entangled with violent, exploitative, colonial histories. While theres no credible evidence these specific gems were stolen experts say that doesnt end the argument: What was legal in the imperial age could still mean plunder in todays lights. In other words, the paperwork of empire doesnt settle the ethics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the heist investigation grinds on. Police have charged suspects, but investigators fear the jewels could be broken up or melted down. They are too famous to sell as they are, but easy to monetize for metal and stones. Colonial-era jewels made in France The Louvre provides scant information about how the gems in the French crown jewels showcased in the Apollo Gallery until the theft were originally extracted. For example, the Louvres own catalog describes the stolen diadem of Queen Marie-Amelie as set with Ceylon sapphires in their natural, unheated state, bordered with diamonds in gold. It says nothing about who mined them, how they moved, or under what terms they were taken. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Provenance isnt always a neutral ledger in Western museums. They sometimes avoid spotlighting uncomfortable acquisition histories, Smith said, adding that the lack of clarity about the gems origins is likely no accident. The museum did not respond to requests for comment. The stolen tiaras, necklaces and brooches were crafted in Paris by elite ateliers, and once belonged to 19th-century figures such as Marie-Amelie, Queen Hortense, and the wives of two Napoleons, Empress Marie-Louise of Austria and Empress Eugenie. Their raw materials, however, moved through imperial networks that converted global labor, resources and even slavery into European prestige, experts say. Pascal Blanchard, a historian of Frances colonial past, draws a line between craftsmanship and supply. The jewels were made in France by French artisans, he said, but many stones came via colonial circuits and were products of colonial production. They were traded under the legal conditions of the time, ones shaped by empires that siphoned wealth from Africa, Asia and South America. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some French critics press the point further. They argue that national outcry over loss should sit beside the history of how imperial France acquired the stones that court jewelers later set in gold. India and the British crown's Koh-i-Noor India is waging the best-known battle over a single colonial-era treasure the Koh-i-Noor diamond. India has repeatedly pressed the U.K. to return the mythologized 106-carat jewel, now set in the Queen Mothers crown at the Tower of London. It likely originated in India's Golconda diamond belt much like the Louvre's dazzling Regent diamond, one that was also legally acquired in imperial times and spared by the Oct. 19 robbers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Koh-i-Noor passed from court to court before landing in British hands, where it is hailed in London as a lawful imperial gift and denounced in India as a prize taken under the shadow of conquest. A 2017 petition to Indias Supreme Court seeking its return was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, but the political and moral dispute endures. France is not Britain, and the Koh-i-Noor is not the Louvre's story. But it frames the questions increasingly applied to 19th-century acquisitions: not only was it bought? but who had the power to sell? On that measure, experts say, even jewels made in France can be considered products of colonial extraction. The Louvre case lands in a world already primed by other fights. Greece presses Britain to reunite the Parthenon Marbles. Egypt campaigns for the Rosetta Stone in London and the Nefertiti bust in Berlin. France has acted haltingly on restitutions Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement France has moved narrowly. President Emmanuel Macrons pledge to return parts of Africas heritage produced a law enabling the return of 26 royal treasures to Benin and items to Senegal. Madagascar recovered the crown of Queen Ranavalona III through a specific process. Critics say restitution is structurally blocked: French law forbids removing state-held objects unless Parliament makes a special exception, and risk-averse museums keep the rest behind glass. They also say that under former Louvre chief Jean-Luc Martinez, the museum's narrow definition of what counts as looted and its demand for near-legal levels of proof created a chilling effect on restitution claims, even as the museum publicly praised transparency. (The Louvre says it follows the law and academic standards.) Colonialism is a thorny issue for Western museums Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asking museum visitors to marvel at artifacts like the French crown jewels without understanding their social history is dishonest, says Erin L. Thompson, an art-crime scholar in New York. A decolonized approach, she and others argue, would name where such stones came from, how the trade worked, who profited and who paid and share authorship with origin communities. Egyptian archaeologist Monica Hanna calls the contradiction glaring. Yes, the irony is profound, she said of the outcry over last month's Louvre theft, and its central to the conversation about restitution. She expects the heist will trigger action on restitutions across Western museums and fuel debate about transparency. At a minimum, Hanna and other experts say, what's needed from museums are stronger words: plain-spoken labels and wall texts that acknowledge where objects came from, how they moved, and at whose expense. It would mean publishing what is known, admitting what isnt, and inviting contested histories into the gallery even when they cloud the shine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some offer a practical path. Tell the honest and complete story, said Dutch restitution specialist Jos van Beurden. Open the windows, not for thieves, but for fresh air. ___ Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report France has advised French nationals to temporarily leave Mali as soon as possible as an armed group blockade upends daily life in the capital Bamako and other regions of the West African country. The al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) has since September been targeting fuel tankers, particularly those coming from Senegal and the Ivory Coast, through which the majority of Malis imported goods transit. Since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021 that led to the end of Frances military presence in the country, Mali has been ruled by a military government that is struggling to counter various armed groups, including the JNIM. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For several weeks, the security situation has been deteriorating in Mali, including in Bamako, the French Foreign Ministry said in a travel advisory released on Friday. French nationals are advised to plan a temporary departure from Mali as soon as possible on the commercial flights still available, it said, adding that travel by land remains inadvisable, as national roads are currently the target of attacks by terrorist groups. On Thursday, ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux said that France was following the deteriorating security situation in Mali with great attention and genuine concern, but that Frances diplomatic presence remains unchanged with the embassy open. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, the United States and Britain announced the evacuation of their nonessential personnel and their families because of the deteriorating situation. Frances announcement came as the Geneva-based shipping group MSC said it was halting its operations in Mali, citing the fuel blockade and deteriorating security. Admission of failure Fighters from JNIM have for weeks imposed the fuel blockade, which has paralysed the landlocked Sahelian countrys economy. It has forced the government to close schools, prevented harvesting in several regions and limited access to electricity. While JNIM has long laid siege to towns in other parts of the country, this is the first time it has used the tactic on the capital city. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier this week, President Assimi Goita called on citizens to do their part, particularly by reducing unnecessary travel, while promising to do everything possible to deliver fuel. For Alioune Tine, formerly the United Nations independent expert on the human rights situation in Mali, the leaders statement was a terrible admission of failure. The ruling military government had promised to stem the growing insecurity that has plagued the country for more than a decade. While it broke ties with former Western military allies, including France, it has instead partnered with Russian paramilitaries to fight armed groups. But the Malian state no longer controls anything within its territory, Bakary Sambe from the Dakar-based Timbuktu Institute think tank told the AFP news agency. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, he said, it is concentrating its forces around Bamako to secure the regime. And the populations initial support for the military rulers is beginning to erode in the face of the military regimes inability to keep its security promise, he added. JNIMs main objective is to capture and control territory and to expel Western influences in its region of control. Some experts suggest that JNIM may be seeking to control major capitals and, ultimately, to govern the country as a whole. However, observers say Bamako falling seems unlikely at this stage, as JNIM lacks military and governance capacity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do not believe JNIM possesses the capability or intent to take Bamako at this time, though the threat it now poses to the city is unprecedented, Charlie Werb, an analyst with Aldebaran Threat Consultants, said. JNIM is one of several armed groups operating in the Sahel, a vast strip of semi-arid desert stretching from North to West Africa, where fighting is spreading rapidly, with large-scale attacks. The group has killed thousands of people since 2017. Human rights groups accuse it of attacking civilians, especially people perceived to be assisting government forces. Investors looking for stocks in the Mining - Gold sector might want to consider either Kinross Gold (KGC) or Franco-Nevada (FNV). But which of these two companies is the best option for those looking for undervalued stocks? Let's take a closer look. We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The proven Zacks Rank puts an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, while our Style Scores work to identify stocks with specific traits. Right now, both Kinross Gold and Franco-Nevada are sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy). This system places an emphasis on companies that have seen positive earnings estimate revisions, so investors should feel comfortable knowing that these stocks have improving earnings outlooks. But this is only part of the picture for value investors. Value investors are also interested in a number of tried-and-true valuation metrics that help show when a company is undervalued at its current share price levels. The Style Score Value grade factors in a variety of key fundamental metrics, including the popular P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, cash flow per share, and a number of other key stats that are commonly used by value investors. KGC currently has a forward P/E ratio of 14.33, while FNV has a forward P/E of 35.52. We also note that KGC has a PEG ratio of 0.41. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. FNV currently has a PEG ratio of 1.64. Another notable valuation metric for KGC is its P/B ratio of 3.56. Investors use the P/B ratio to look at a stock's market value versus its book value, which is defined as total assets minus total liabilities. By comparison, FNV has a P/B of 5.39. These are just a few of the metrics contributing to KGC's Value grade of B and FNV's Value grade of F. Both KGC and FNV are impressive stocks with solid earnings outlooks, but based on these valuation figures, we feel that KGC is the superior value option right now. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Kinross Gold Corporation (KGC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Franco-Nevada Corporation (FNV) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research PARIS (Reuters) -France's commerce minister on Friday defended a recent deal between the state-owned postal service and Chinese ecommerce site Temu, agreed just weeks before the Paris prosecutor launched an investigation into several online marketplaces. France also threatened to ban Shein's online marketplace on Wednesday after finding child-like sex dolls and banned weapons for sale on its platform, with ministers due to report their preliminary findings later on Friday on whether the company complied with local laws. Speaking on BFM TV, Serge Papin said France must act to curb a "digital Wild West", with customs frequently detecting illegal goods arriving in small parcels at its borders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, asked to explain an October agreement by the state-owned La Poste with Temu, an online marketplace owned by Chinese ecommerce giant PDD Holdings (PDD.O), Papin said the company had to "do its job". Under the agreement, La Poste provides last-mile delivery of parcels to Temu customers. The deal has faced criticism from lawmakers in recent weeks who say the government is supporting a company that is destroying French industry and exacerbating environmental problems. Neither Temu nor La Poste immediately responded to a request for comment. In a statement published on Wednesday, La Poste said the deal was a "classic" logistics services agreement that extended collaboration already in place since Temu arrived in France in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "La Poste is required to treat all its customers equally, with the same terms and conditions of sale. As such, the company cannot refuse access to its services," it said. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon and Dominique Patton. Editing by Mark Potter) The search is on for the person or people involved in the death of an 18-year-old woman who was found shot in the head over the weekend on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The loss of 18-year-old Kimberly Olmos is a tough one for her friends and family, who describe her as sweet, and silly. She loved doing DIY crafts and wanted to go college. She died Sunday after being shot in the head. Daya Nellis says she was very close to Kimberly, or as she calls her, Kim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "She was amazing. You ever been around somebody and you just felt like, everything, like your whole room was just filled, like a hole in your heart was just filled," Nellis said. "That's exactly how she was. She knew how to make sure to make you laugh. She knew what to say to you." Her beloved friend's death is now being investigated as a homicide. According to police, it happened at 12:45 a.m. Sunday at a public housing complex on West 55th Street. Officers found Olmos in a stairwell with a gunshot wound to the head. Police originally were looking at this as a possible self-inflicted shooting, but now police believe she was with someone who was playing with a gun that went off, and the person ran away. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A small memorial now sits outside Olmos' home in the Mount Hope section of the Bronx. Those that knew her are confused and saddened, and have a message to the person police are now looking for. "We lost another young soul to gun violence and someone I was actually close with. It's hard, at the end of the day because it's my friend," said Olmos' friend, Jordan Berrios. "Turn yourself in. Like at the end of the day, you did wrong, like it's your fault and like you have to suffer the consequences," said Olmos' friend, Jason Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Nellis had a message for her friend. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I know you might not see this, but I love you down bad," she said. "And I really hope justice is for you, and you did not deserve what happened to you." An online fundraiser is set up to help Olmos' family organize a funeral which is planned for this Sunday -- a last goodbye for the 18-year-old, as police continue to investigate her death. ---------- * 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. SACRAMENTO, California Gavin Newsom called his redistricting win and the rest of Tuesdays Democratic sweep evidence the beleaguered party is in its ascendancy. He could have been talking about himself. The California governors constituents handed him a career-defining triumph Tuesday by approving a bid to thwart President Donald Trump with a new congressional map that will help California Democrats flip up to five seats, bolstering the partys chance of reclaiming a House majority despite the cascade of red states redrawing their congressional lines at the presidents behest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But if the election buoyed national Democrats, party strategists around the country saw it, too, as lifting Newsoms presidential prospects, rocket fuel for the California governor in a 2028 primary. Leaders are rewarded when they do the right thing, said Neera Tanden, a longtime top policy adviser to Democratic presidents. People are going to remember he stood up in this moment. It wasnt a fight Newsom started, but it was almost tailor-made for him to join, and ultimately lead, given the upsides for both the Democratic Party and his own ambitions. The campaign handed Newsom the opportunity to counter Trump and national Republicans with Californias Democratic might, building on years of practice. A campaign that once looked like like a longshot ended in an unambiguous victory and Newsom was its star player, cementing his reputation as the kind of anti-Trump combatant Democrats say they are desperate for. Soon after the win he was positioning himself as a national pacesetterby exhorting fellow Democrats to follow his lead. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any person who pays attention to politics is assuming that this is the precursor to something else, said former South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Trav Robertson, whose state Newsom toured this summer in a potential 2028 preview. I think Gavin Newsom was the man for the hour, he was looking for this fight, and he answered it very well. Earlier in the year, Newsom was rapidly approaching the kind of lame duck cul-de-sac that can be perilous for ambitious politicians. Californias budget was in shambles, his poll numbers were faltering and devastating wildfires compelled Newsom to play nice with the White House as he cajoled federal help. Then, in the spring, he was fighting again with the White House, hostilities renewed by Trumps tariffs and troop deployments into Los Angeles amid immigration raids. In August, Trump demanded Texas Republicans deliver him more House seats. Already on a wartime footing against a hostile administration that had attacked California on every conceivable front, Newsom seized on a chance to once again make California the epicenter of the resistance. Soon he was hosting dissident Texas Democrats in Sacramento. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Governor Newsom showed a lot of courage to do what needed to be done to counteract the clearly political moves Greg Abbott engaged in to follow the orders Donald Trump gave him, said Gilberto Hinojosa, former chair of the Texas Democratic Party, referencing his states Republican governor. Youve got to have someone who has the courage to stand up to Trump, and thats what Gavin Newsom is doing. Newsom swiftly united top California Democrats and key allies like labor unions behind the plan. But from the start, the California ballot initiative push took on the tenor of a national campaign: Newsom and his team coordinated with House leadership, enlisted party luminaries like Barack Obama, and framed Prop 50 as a maximum-stakes vote on the Trump agenda and American democracy. It was a winning message in a Democratic state where Trump is profoundly unpopular. But it also boosted Newsoms image and built out campaign infrastructure far beyond Californias borders. Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser on Bernie Sanders presidential runs, said he was skeptical Newsoms post-Prop 50 boost would continue for long and argued it was clear that Californias "overwhelmingly Democratic electorate would approve the measure. Still, Weaver said, Newsom racked up significant advantages in this special election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It gave Governor Newsom an opportunity to further build his list, Weaver said. It also gave him an opportunity to flex his team. Its very difficult to find opportunities to test your operation. Everything in California is at scale not the scale of a presidential, but its as big as you can get without going national. The governor brought more than 100,000 new donors into the fold and onto his prized list. He became a campaign season fixture on network television, preaching the perils of Trumpism and extolling Californias role in fighting back while finally admitting his interest in the presidency. He reprised the stalwart party warrior role hed embraced as a surrogate for Joe Biden. By the campaigns waning days, Newsom announced hed raised as much money as he needed and began directing donors to send their money to other frontline Democratic races continuing his work to fill a reservoir of goodwill with other Democrats. He also reached beyond conventional media by looking to liberal influencers like Brian Tyler Cohen, whose YouTube channel has nearly 5 million subscribers. Cohen was actively a part of the Prop 50 campaign, including hosting a three-hour livestream featuring Newsom, other Democratic officials and a slew of content creators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cohen said Prop 50 represents the kind of assertive feistiness that is a necessity for anyone vying for the Democratic nomination in 2028. Any politician who puts their neck on the line and abandons the very circumspect mentality of the old Democratic party and actually leans in ten toes forward and fights personally, in my opinion, thats the kind of Democratic Party I want to see moving forward, Cohen said. We have to fight with the same intensity that (Republicans) are fighting. Prop 50 is a testament to exactly that. Winning an anti-Trump campaign in California is very different than winning a Democratic primary in South Carolina or Pennsylvania in a general election. Newsom would still have to answer for serious, entrenched challenges like a homelessness crisis and a soaring poverty rate while articulating a platform beyond stopping Trump. There is a clear difference between being the opposition and the resistance, Robertson said, and the person who moves people forward and creates the infrastructure needed to win the presidential nomination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And theres no guarantee the relentless anti-Trump focus that has propelled Newsoms rise now will carry the same cachet in a presidential primary years from now. San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who has repeatedly sparred with Newsom, credited the governors punchy posture toward Trump as cathartic for fearful and frustrated Democrats. But he warned it would not be sufficient for Democrats. I think he should call out the president's abuses of power. I think he should stand up for democracy, Mahan said. I also think there's a risk of social media memes and name calling and all the rest being a sugar high that feels really good today, is extremely popular and leads to a crushing defeat electorally in a couple of years. Other potential 2028 presidential contenders are scrambling not to completely cede the spotlight to Newsom. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore stood up a redistricting advisory commission over the objections of his Democratic state Senate president. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, another state Newsom name-checked after his Prop 50 win, said Wednesday that his state may have to react if Republicans in neighboring Indiana coalesce behind a redraw. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiros team issued a memo Wednesday morning, shared first with POLITICO, touting his work to protect key state Supreme Court seats this week and win upcoming battleground House races next year. And Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), are preparing to travel to early-voting New Hampshire next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nevertheless, Newsom has his partys attention now more than at any previous point in his career. Hes showing people there are Democrats who are willing to step up and fight, said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. What that does for his career or a 2028 run I don't know, but hes been an example for Democrats to look to. Lisa Kashinsky and Shia Kapos contributed to this report. The Supreme Court is debating taking up a case challenging the decade-old decision that legalized same-sex marriage in the United States. The deliberations on Friday, Nov. 7, were closed-door, but the court could announce its decision to take up the case as early as Monday. The case centers on former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who who appealed to the high court after she was ordered to pay a gay couple $100,000 for refusing to marry them in 2015. She argued that presiding over the marriage would violate her religious beliefs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Kim Davis refused same-sex marriage license in 2015. Now she wants to cancel gay marriage. Davis, who served as clerk in Rowan County at the time, drew international attention when she refused to issue a marriage license to David Ermold and David Moore in the wake of the court's ruling that made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. That case was known as Obergefell v. Hodges. Some conservatives are hoping the justices will revisit the question now that the conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, undoing a 50-year legal precedent and effectively turning questions about abortion access back to the states. Justice Samuel Alito, one of the court's most conservative justices, wrote the majority opinion that undid Roe v. Wade. But Alito has given no indication he is inclined to do the same in the Davis case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More: Justice Alito still doesn't like court's gay marriage decision but said it's precedent After criticizing the decision that legalized same-sex marriage, Alito recently clarified his stance. "I am not suggesting that the decision in that case should be overruled," he said at an event organized by the C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State on Oct. 3. "I have to state that so that what I say today is not misunderstood." Same-sex couples and others in the LGBTQ+ community are watching the court closely, worried that their right to marry could be curtailed or their marriage made null. More: 'Like a horror movie': LGBTQ+ community speaks out against same-sex marriage appeal Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Emillie Friedman married her wife, Brooke Friedman, in October 2024 after three years together. The Davis appeal shocked and worried her, especially because the two plan on starting a family, she said. But she remains hopeful. "Nothing is going to change the fact that Brooke and I are legally married," she told USA TODAY. "We are married in our hearts." If the court takes up the Davis case and overturns precedent, same-sex marriages could still remain protected. In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, which protects same-sex and interracial marriages at the federal level. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court justices debate taking same-sex marriage case "The Jews" became a topic of conversation over the last week after Tucker Carlson interviewed someone named Nick Fuentes, a young man I had heard of but never actually heard. So I did what a critical thinker should do: I went to the source - to read, listen, watch, think, describe, and evaluate. From this exercise, I wish to add a few thoughts to the conversation about "the Jews," about Christian loyalty, and what it means to be an American. Nick Fuentes is an ambitious, voluble social media influencer who readily admits he craves relevance and love. He builds his audience, and his income, in cyberspace by "taking on the establishment" and playing the victim: being denounced and ostracized for "just being honest" about "the Jews." He speaks in the self-assured, grating Chicago accent George Wendt & company popularized a generation ago in Saturday Night Lives superfan skits immortalizing "da Bears!" Except that Nick Fuentes is a superfan of da Whites and da Christians, and thinks da Jews are a globalist cabal worse than da Packers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And Joseph Stalin? The Soviet dictator who killed off da Jews within his own Bolshevik ranks and slaughtered another 20 million Russians and Ukrainians in his "great purges"? To Nick Fuentes, Stalin is "Ditka!" Pause and reflect on that for a moment: His hero is a Communist dictator. Oh, and previously he said Adolf Hitler was "cool." He does this while espousing racial identitarian politics. Fuentes is more Mamdani than MAGA. Of course, Fuentes added in his conversation with Tucker Carlson, hes not antisemitic. My best friend is a Jew, he actually said. Nonetheless, Fuentes insists that da Jews have divided loyalties and will never put Americas interests first because da Jews among the diaspora always maintained a distinct ethnic-religious identity while living in other countries. He believes da Jews use their wealth and power to purchase support from, and pervert, weak politicians like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who then put da Jews first by supporting foreign military aid for Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Jews: This phrase is a tell. Everyone who knows anything knows that Jews are not a "the"-and I say this as a philosemite. Jews are as diverse as stars in the sky. Have dinner with four Jews, and youll hear four different opinions. Jews dont even agree on what it means to be a Jew - thats part of what it means to be Jewish. Its a religion for considering and debating nuances - and for mystics and pragmatists too. While successful individuals may gain prominence around the country or in other countries, Jews could never form and maintain a global cabal because Jews are observably not a monolith. The very idea is, was and always will be ridiculous. Ask Moses. Read Exodus! Nonetheless, Fuentes believes AIPAC, an organization dedicated to promoting the alliance between the United States and Israel, has a malign influence on U.S. politics, suggesting its a vehicle for da Jews to control American foreign policy. I have been a donor to AIPAC for many years, not because I am Jewish (I am Episcopalian), but because I believe an alliance with Israel is vital to American interests. If AIPAC were the hegemon that Fuentes and Carlson imagine, how then do they explain the cacophony of campus hate for Israel funded by the rivers of cash coming into the U.S. from Arab nations such as Qatar, not to mention the Democratic Partys growing problem with antisemitism? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tucker Carlson says people like me who believe our alliance with Israel is vital suffer from a "mind virus," while Fuentes asserts that I am not a true American. This is not only offensive, but risible nonsense. While both men express their patriotism, they miss the essential point about this country, what makes America great, and why our relationship with Israel is special too. Our nation is exceptional because of the enlightenment ideals around which our Republic is structured - personal liberty and empowerment, representative government, freedom of conscience, and so forth - and that shape our culture and economy as well. "Americanism" is a mash-up of religious, philosophical and pragmatic perspectives on the nature of man (created equal); the proper role of government (limited); in light of God-given individual and economic rights; infused with optimism and animated by the pursuit of individual happiness. Americanism is not a white male ethnic thing, as both Fuentes and left-wing critics of America assert. To the contrary, our founding principles are a promissory note that American activists like Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King call upon over generations, past and future. And, while we pledge allegiance to our great nation, those of us who are Christians know that men and women of other religions - or no religion - make the same pledge and mean it as sincerely as we do. Our loyalty to our nation and our faith are independent concepts; America is home to every faith. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Americans are "created equal," which is a call to treat others as we wish to be treated; out of many we seek national unity with this creed. Congruently, Christians are called to follow Christ, to love God, and also to love thy neighbors, and not just thy Christian neighbors. Theres certainly nothing in Christs gospel about hating Jews. Thats as stupid as branches hating roots of a tree. Israel is also a multi-cultural nation premised on the same ideals as America in a region that was the ancient homeland for Jews, the land promised to Jews by the God of Christians and Jews. Despite its small size, Israels free market economy generates innovations and products that make life better for Americans. Israels culture is concordant with Americanism - Israel is essentially an outpost for our ideals in region of the world that otherwise hates Americanism generally and in most of its particulars. Note that Israel and the U.S. are described by Iran and other fanatics as being like brothers. Which is why most Americans like Israel, not just da Jews, even though Benjamin Netanyahus increasing unpopularity opens the door to demogogues like Fuentes and Mamdani. In "Its a Wonderful Life," a frustrated George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) is given the gift of seeing what the world would be like without him in it. Lets put Israel to the George Bailey test - would the world be better or worse if Israel ceased to exist? Indeed, lets go further and ask: better or worse for America? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Obviously, it would be worse. The people who would replace Israelis would be hostile to our continued existence as well. Consider the analogy: Would America be better or worse off if North Korea took over South Korea and turned off the lights of freedom? The world would be a darker, more dangerous place. America and Israel both make the world better and are each stronger with the other than without. And lets be honest - Israel needs arms in order to continue to exist. But think about this: if Israel laid down its weapons, millions of Israelis would be slaughtered within weeks. If, on the other hand, Israels Islamic neighbors were to lay down their weapons, as President Trump is advocating, then all can live in peace and harmony forever. Thats why I support helping Israel buy American-made armaments through the foreign aid bill that these two gentlemen find so noxious. Nick Fuentes is provocative, but in a way that is not insightful. As he continues in his chosen profession, I hope he gives himself the George Bailey test from time to time, asking himself: does my existence make the world a better place? Hes only 27, so perhaps theres hope that his views will develop in a way that allows him to look in the mirror someday and comfortably say, "Yes!" - even if that means hes just one of the millions of true American patriots who are not famous on social media. Richard Porter is the former National Committeeman to the RNC from Illinois. This story was originally published by The Imprint, a national nonprofit news outlet covering child welfare and youth justice. Sign up for The Imprints free newsletters here. The sounds of toddlers laughter and shouts fill the brisk air in Clarkston, Ga. On this Head Start playground, children tumble, run and push bright red scooters as their watchful teachers look on. The cold is just beginning to settle in, so its a sea of tiny puffer jackets in motion. One toddler wears his coat backward, the hood jutting out beneath his chin. His attentive teacher applauds the creativity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least hes wearing a jacket, she said. Overlooking the playground activity, Donna Davidson, CEO of Easterseals North Georgia, expressed relief. The Head Start programs her nonprofit runs are open due to an emergency loan. Across the state, Head Start programs serving more than 500 children in more rural parts of the state have had to close, because of the ongoing federal government shutdown. These are our children, we care deeply about what happens to them, Davidson said. At the end of the day, families are the collateral damage of all this. Its not right. On Tuesday, the federal government shutdown stretched into its 35th day the longest in U.S. history. The partisan standoff in Congress centers on extending tax credits offered through the Affordable Care Act. The effects have hit hard for millions of the countrys most vulnerable children and families who have not received food stamps and other nutritional benefits this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The frozen funding threatens roughly 6,500 of Georgias 22,000 Early Head Start and Head Start slots for children up to age 5. Parents rely on the programs for child care and early education, daily meals and other social services, said Juanita Yancey, executive officer of the Georgia Head Start Association. Only Florida has more Head Start kids threatened by closures, according to the associations tallies. As of Monday, more than 8,000 children and families in 15 states and Puerto Rico were not able to access Head Start services due to the ongoing government shutdown, the National Head Start Association reports. Our childrens development cant wait for Washingtons dysfunction, Yancey said. The bottom line is, we need Congress and the president to act now. LaToya Logan, director of Easterseals Clarkston center, in a Head Start classroom. Last week, three of Georgias largest Head Start providers including the Clarkston campus received a last-minute reprieve: an $8 million emergency loan from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta and other private funders. The funds will keep classrooms at Easterseals North Georgia, Sheltering Arms and the YMCA of Metro Atlanta open to more than 5,800 kids for the next 45 days. It also prevents more than 800 early education professionals from being furloughed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents like Elizabeth Morris are relieved. The Colbert resident relies on the Head Start center in Madison County to care for her 3-year-old son, McCoy. Her three older children Wyatt, 12, Lilly Kate, 10, and Jack, 5, also participated in the program, starting when they were babies. McCoy, who has speech delays, receives daily therapy, meals and the structure he needs. Morris said he loves going to school and has learned sign language to better communicate. Its things as simple as all done at dinner or he wants more milk or needs to go potty, she said. Missing even one therapy session can set back his progress. He will either stop exactly where he is, or he can go backwards. Without the Head Start support, Morris added, I dont think we would be able to communicate as successfully as we do within the family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The shutdown has hit her in more ways than one. She is a substitute teacher at Head Start. And her husband, a U.S. Army employee, has been furloughed, leaving the family without their main source of income. Hes trying to fill the gaps with fire and paramedic jobs. Shes just thankful that her local Head Start is here to stay, for now. The burden was definitely lifted because we didnt know what we were going to do, she said. A teacher and student sit together at Head Start in Clarkston, Ga. Head Start is more than a child care provider. Its subsidized, no-cost programs to those who qualify also offer early education, health screenings, meals and support for low-income families, including those who are homeless or in the child welfare system. Kids with disabilities can also receive daily physical therapy, language therapy and other specialized care at no cost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Head Start allows parents who cannot otherwise afford child care to work or attend school. If the federal shutdown continues after the private funding runs out, such families face dire choices, said Mindy Binderman, executive director of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. Parents may have to risk losing their jobs to stay home with their small children. Older kids may need to skip school to watch younger siblings in a state where parents have been arrested for leaving kids alone. The cascading impacts of closing these programs are just horrific to consider, Binderman said. We are creating this emergency. The impacts in south Georgia are already playing out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Action Pacts Head Start programs across 15 counties were forced to close this Monday. Prior to that, the multi-site program served roughly 550 children and employed 190 people. The closure is the first since the community action agency Action Pact began in 1965. With operations costing $700,000 per month, Action Pact Executive Director Diane Rogers said she couldnt take the risk of relying on a line of credit, particularly because the federal government has not guaranteed providers they will receive retroactive payments after the shutdown ends. This is heartbreaking, Rogers said. We havent ever had to do this before. Action Pact has secured scholarships for 25 kids at other day care centers, but the unmet need is far greater. Even if families could afford alternatives on their own, there are no similar programs in some rural counties, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Whats more, when the federal money does start flowing again, Rogers worries some of her staff will not return from their current furloughs. That would make it impossible to staff the re-opened classrooms. Georgias child care workforce is deeply strained due to low pay and burnout since the pandemic: More than 80% of child care centers reported staffing shortages in 2021, according to a survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Advocates for families and service providers have pleaded with Georgias top officials for help since the shutdown began. But Gov. Brian Kemp has made his stance clear. He recently told local media he has no plans to use Georgias $14 billion surplus to backfill funding for programs like Head Start or anti-hunger programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food stamps known as SNAP benefits, or WIC subsidies for Women, Infants and Children. A recent press release from his office stated that there is no mechanism for the state to make up the costs and blamed Democrats for putting bad politics over the people they claim to care about. Democrats like Rep. Nikema Williams have contradicted that claim, arguing that its Republicans who hold the presidency and majorities in the House and Senate. Donald Trump and Republicans shut the government down and every job lost, every service halted and every hard kitchen-table conversation is because of their choice to put Trumps agenda over the needs of the American people, she stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, households reliant on multiple safety net programs are bearing the brunt of the standoff. Most Head Start staff report that the families they serve are food insecure, according to the National Head Start Association. This synergy is vital in rural parts of the state, such as the communities where the Action Pact centers had to shut down. The nonprofit Science for Georgia reports that food insecurity is about 3% higher in rural counties than in urban Georgia. On Friday, two federal judges ruled it was unlawful to halt SNAP payments. In response, the Trump administration agreed to provide partial payments to hungry families. But delays are expected to be lengthy and the reduced benefits are not expected to last the entire month. Were very concerned about food insecurity, Rogers said of the families her centers serve. Head Start children get breakfast and lunch and a snack every day, so theyre not getting that. And with the SNAP benefits not coming yet, we know its going to be a problem for our families. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Shutdown costs some Georgians child care, Head Start programs lose funds A former German top diplomat has described misjudging the intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin as "one of the biggest mistakes in German foreign policy." Sigmar Gabriel, who first served as economy minister and then as foreign minister under former chancellor Angela Merkel between 2013 and 2018, was testifying on Friday before an inquiry committee looking into possible Russian influence on a German foundation linked to the Nord Stream gas pipelines. While Gabriel denied that there had been close and regular cooperation between the federal government and the foundation in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the pipelines end, he admitted to having made mistakes when dealing with Russia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Misjudging Putin and his intentions "is one of the biggest mistakes in German foreign policy that I have been involved in," Gabriel said, describing this as "a bitter realization." The inquiry of the state parliament in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has been tasked with clarifying whether Russia exerted influence on the establishment of the foundation which helped to complete the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in 2021, despite the US threatening sanctions on the companies involved. German Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said on Friday that she is planning to present a bill to criminalize voyeuristic videos or photos by early next year. "The rule of law must do more to protect people from violence," Hubig said after a conference of state justice ministers in Leipzig. The plan did not receive full backing from the state ministers, who could not agree on a common line. The bill would address concerns around recordings that deliberately film or photograph, for example, a woman's clothed bottom for the purpose of sexual arousal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hubig, from the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), cited the case of the Cologne resident Yanni Gentsch. While she was jogging in February, a man on a bicycle filmed her bottom. Gentsch confronted the man and filmed the altercation, which has since been viewed thousands of times on social media. But Gentsch said the police told her the man's behaviour was not a criminal offence. "We simply see that sexual harassment in public spaces is increasing and has become a real problem for many women and in part for men," Hubig told Deutschlandfunk radio. She said women should be able to move freely without thinking "can I still walk along there in the evening? Or is it unpleasant, do I have to dress differently?" Germany received its first P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft at Berlin's main airport on Friday, with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius personally welcoming the naval jet designed to detect and combat Russian submarines in the North Atlantic. The Boeing 737-based Poseidon arrived from the US via Iceland as the first of eight to be delivered by 2028 at a cost of 3.1 billion. The aircraft can fly over 7,000 kilometres and carry five MK-54 lightweight torpedoes weighing 300 kilograms each, plus four AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The P-8 will sustainably strengthen our capabilities for maritime reconnaissance, global maritime surveillance and, in particular, for detecting and combating enemy submarines," Naval Inspector Jan Christian Kaack told the domestic press, describing the aircraft as a "flying sentinel". Armament for underwater warfare The Poseidon deploys sonar buoys that emit sound waves to locate submarines, with underwater microphones recording echoes to pinpoint both conventional and nuclear submarines. The aircraft can also attack land targets. Germany intends to deploy the aircraft primarily in the gap between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom, NATO's main supply artery, where Russian subs could disrupt supply lines during conflict. Russian subs could also attack from the Baltic Sea via St Petersburg or from the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The tactical crew includes three pilots, two tactical coordinators and six sensor operators. Lack of investment left Europe's waters inadequately protected despite thousands of kilometres of critical cables laid across seabeds connecting northern and central Europe. Russian submarines repeatedly attempt to spy on cable systems, scout nodes and cause damage, while Moscow's shadow fleet has been repeatedly accused of underwater cable sabotage in Europe's north. UK Defence Secretary John Healey and German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius at the signing of a joint agreement, 23 October 24 - PA The UK and Germany have signed the Trinity House Agreement in 2024 to jointly patrol the North Sea and North Atlantic, with German Poseidons to operate from Lossiemouth military base in Scotland. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's about knowing where they are and what they are doing. We can do that with P-8 Poseidon," Pistorius said during a Scotland visit weeks ago. NATO partners, including the United States and Norway, also operate the maritime patrol aircraft. Related The Poseidon replaces Germany's P-3C Orion aircraft, propeller-driven planes purchased second-hand from the Netherlands in 2004 that are now around 40 years old. Portugal purchased six of the retiring aircraft to expand its existing P-3C Orion fleet. The aircraft will be stationed at Nordholz airbase in Cuxhaven district, a NATO reconnaissance base, where it arrives later Friday. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Friday rejected allegations of "treason" over plans for several of the far-right party's lawmakers to visit Russia next week. The trip has attracted severe criticism from conservative German politicians due to Russia's war with Ukraine. Martin Huber, general secretary of the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU), called the move "treason" and described the party as "Moscow's mouthpiece." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Anyone who allows Putin's henchmen to dictate their policies is not a patriot, but a puppet and a risk to our country," he added in comments to the Handelsblatt business newspaper. But senior AfD figure Bernd Baumann compared the situation to visits by German conservative politicians to Moscow in 1987, during the Soviet Union's war with Afghanistan. He also emphasized that the AfD parliamentary group has unanimously passed a resolution condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine "unequivocally as a war of aggression contrary to international law." The AfD delegation includes two lawmakers in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, as well as one regional politician and a European Parliament lawmaker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The group is reportedly travelling to Russia to attend a "BRICS Europe Symposium" with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev listed among the speakers. The BRICS countries include founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, along with additional nations. The AfD, an anti-immigrant party that opposes the sanctions slapped on Moscow over the war in Ukraine, has repeatedly made headlines with its Russia-friendly positions. By Yantoultra Ngui and Kane Wu SINGAPORE/HONG KONG (Reuters) -KKR & Co and Singapore Telecommunications are in advanced talks to buy more than 80% of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres - which would give them full ownership - for over S$5 billion ($3.9 billion), two people with direct knowledge of the plans said. KKR currently owns about 14% of the firm while Singtel, the city-state's biggest telecom operator, has a stake of more than 4%. The rest is held by ST Telemedia, which is wholly owned by Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings. If successful, the deal would rank among Asia's biggest data centre transactions, with the boom in artificial intelligence creating soaring demand for digital infrastructure. KKR, ST Telemedia and ST Telemedia Global Data Centres declined to comment. Singtel said in a stock exchange filing on Friday that it regularly reviews business opportunities and is in discussions as part of a consortium regarding ST Telemedia Global Data Centres. There is no certainty the talks will lead to a binding agreement, it added, and advised investors to exercise caution in dealing with its securities. KKR is leading the acquisition, according to one of the sources, but Reuters was not able to learn the separate investment amounts planned by the global investment firm and Singtel. A deal could be struck before year-end, though final terms and the timeline could still shift, the same source said. The sources declined to be identified as the matter is private. KKR and Singtel first invested S$1.75 billion in the data centre firm in June 2024. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Singapore, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres describes itself as one of the world's fastest-growing data centre providers. It operates more than 100 data centres with over 2 gigawatts of IT load across over 20 major markets, including Singapore, India and Japan, as well as Europe via its VIRTUS brand in the U.K, Germany and Italy, according to its website. KKR's Asia Pacific infrastructure business, launched in 2019, has about $13 billion in assets under management. Recent deals include the acquisitions of Australian independent power producer Zenith Energy in June and poultry farming operator ProTen in July. (Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui in Singapore and Kane Wu in Hong Kong; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Edwina Gibbs) Google will likely pay a $700 million settlement in response to a Utah-led complaint over its anticompetitive conduct concerning payment processing and app distribution within the Google Play Store. A news release from Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, the Utah Department of Commerce Division of Consumer Protection and the coalition of 52 other attorneys general behind the complaint said their lawsuit alleged Google used its power to enter into exclusive agreements that prevented companies from gaining access to key distribution channels. This, they said, resulted in higher prices and fewer options for consumers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to Google being required to pay consumers and significantly change its payment practices on the Google Play Store through the settlement, Utah is expected to receive approximately $10 million for its sovereign claim and associated costs. The other states involved will receive an additional $70 million for their sovereign claims. Googles monopoly over the Play Store has hurt everyday Americans and small businesses by jacking up prices and limiting choices, Brown said in a statement. The bulk of this $700 million settlement goes directly to consumers who were overcharged for in-app purchases. Im proud Utah has been a leader on the national stage in holding Google accountable for its conduct. Big news we achieved a $700 million victory over Google, holding them accountable for hurting everyday Americans and small businesses by increasing prices and limiting choices! Utah led a coalition of 52 attorneys general in a lawsuit against the tech giant for reducing pic.twitter.com/t9sJXHuujF AG Derek Brown (@AGDerekBrown) November 7, 2025 Per the expected settlement, Google will pay $630 million minus costs and fees to consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 and were harmed by Googles anticompetitive practices. Additionally, eligible consumers do not have to submit a claim; instead, they will receive automatic payments through PayPal or Venmo, or the option to receive a check or ACH transfer, the release says. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today marks an important milestone in restoring trust in the app store marketplace. This settlement addresses the harm caused to consumers by Googles deceptive practices and paves the way for a more transparent and fairer environment for all users, Margaret Busse, executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce, said in a statement. The path to the settlement began in 2021 when Utah spearheaded a bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys general in suing Google, alleging the company unlawfully monopolized the market for Android app distribution and in-app payment processing and claimed Google signed anticompetitive contracts to prevent other app stores from being preloaded on Android devices, bought off key app developers who might have launched rival app stores, and created technological barriers to deter consumers from directly downloading apps to their devices. In 2023, the coalition announced a settlement in principle, but it had been pending before the court since. Along with consumer restitution, the settlement requires Google to reform its practices to: Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) wasnt having it with NewsNations Leland Vittert after the anchor pressed him on live TV over the GOPs handling of the ongoing government shutdown. (You can watch the tense exchange below.) Vittert on Wednesdays edition of NewsNations On Balance asked the MAGA senator how much longer Americans are going to suffer before pointing to Americans facing reductions and delays to their SNAP benefits as well as an expected 10% reduction of air traffic at 40 U.S. airports due to the shutdown. Politics: Republicans Quickly Reject Democrats' Offer On Ending Government Shutdown He went on to note that Republicans control the House, Senate and the White House before quoting President Donald Trump who following Democrats sweep of key election races described the shutdown as a negative for the GOP and a big factor in the partys losses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement How long can you afford this PR crisis? Vittert asked. Marshall swiftly responded. Now, Leland, youre a better journalist than this! he said, adding that despite the GOP controlling the White House, the House and the Senate it takes 60 votes in the upper chamber to fund the government. Politics: Pete Hegseth Brings An Old Trump Admin Scandal Back To Life At Fox Awards Show Vittert hit back at the senator. Youre right, youre right. I am a better journalist. And I guess implying that I was saying that you dont need seven democratic votes, you do, he began. Im also a good enough journalist to know how things are playing politically. And dont ask me ask the president of the United States! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vittert again quoted the presidents comments tying Republicans election losses to the shutdown. So do you also disagree with the president that the shutdown is bad for Republicans? he asked. Politics: 'Take It To The Bank': Trump's 'Delusional' New Claim Might Haunt Him Very, Very Soon Marshall emphasized that the shutdown is not good for anybody and declared that Republicans werent going to get the government open at the expense of compromising more of a budget. More than 50% of voters indicated that Trump or Republicans in Congress are to blame for what is now the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, according to a recent NBC News poll. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Nov. 6SANTA FE For the second time in two months, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling legislators back to the Roundhouse for a special session prompted by federal funding concerns. The Governor's Office said Thursday the latest special session will take place Nov. 10, and will be limited to appropriating more state funding to pay for food assistance benefits for more than 460,000 state residents. The move comes one week after Lujan Grisham announced the state would use $30 million in stopgap funding to cover the cost of SNAP benefits for a 10-day period. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We acted fast in October when the Trump administration abandoned New Mexican families, and now the Legislature is coming back to finish the job," Lujan Grisham said in a statement. "We are fortunate that several years of economic prosperity and sound fiscal management have enabled us to support New Mexicans in this time of need," the governor added. "However, we will not be able to fund these state supplements forever. Republicans in Congress need to come back to the table to end the longest government shutdown in American history and get everyone back to work." However, the governor will not be present for next week's special session, as she recently left the state to attend a two-week United Nations climate change conference in Brazil. With the governor out of the country until Nov. 18, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales will serve as acting governor during the special session, according to the Governor's Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lujan Grisham also called legislators back to Santa Fe for a two-day special session last month. That session ended with the Democratic-controlled Legislature approving bills aimed at helping rural hospitals and temporarily averting steep health care premium increases for some state residents. Legislators also approved the $30 million in funding the governor used to foot the bill for keeping the SNAP benefits intact. Democrats say they'll 'step up again' Lawmakers could approve up to $250 million in additional emergency funds during the latest special session, which is expected to last for just one day. That would make enough funding available to last until the start of a scheduled 30-day legislative session in January, several legislators said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Top-ranking Democratic lawmakers expressed support for the special session on Thursday, describing it as a necessary step. "The Legislature is ready to step up again to ensure our families have the food assistance they need," Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said in a statement. House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, blamed President Donald Trump for failing to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides food assistance to more than 20% of New Mexico residents during the ongoing shutdown. "While the federal government shutdown drags on, we are going to keep showing up to work, so we can protect our people from the chaos and cruelty coming out of Washington, D.C.," Martinez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, leading Republican legislators blamed New Mexico's two Democratic U.S. senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan for the state's food assistance predicament. Heinrich and Lujan have joined most other Senate Democrats in staunchly opposing a GOP-backed plan to reopen the federal government. "We are being called into another special session because Senators Lujan and Heinrich are refusing to fund SNAP benefits for the neediest New Mexicans," said House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena. "I would much prefer the governor use her authority and influence to urge our Senate delegation to end this crisis by voting to reopen the federal government," Armstrong added. "Instead, they are holding vulnerable New Mexicans hostage for political leverage." Federal shutdown backdrop Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal government is 37 days into the longest shutdown in U.S. history because Congress has not passed annual appropriations bills to keep it funded. The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a temporary funding bill in September that would keep the government funded at the current level, but the bill has yet to make it through the Senate, where Democratic votes are needed to pass it. Democrats are pushing for the temporary funding bill to address expiring health insurance subsidies. Without the subsidies, health insurance costs will go up for many Americans on Affordable Care Act plans. After the program's annual appropriations ran out this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it could not legally use a roughly $5 billion contingency fund to keep SNAP funded in November, leaving 42 million Americans without food assistance. But two federal judges disagreed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled last week that the Trump administration must use the contingency fund to pay for SNAP benefits, and could use its ability to transfer other funds to fully cover November benefits roughly $8 billion. The Trump administration said earlier this week it would use just the contingency fund to partially pay for SNAP benefits and that the process could take weeks. In Rhode Island, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ruled Thursday that the administration must find money to fully fund November benefits. But the Governor's Office has said it plans to forge ahead with the state-level plan as the court cases play out. Gov. Ned Lamont filed papers Friday that create a candidate committee and make him an official, if still unannounced, candidate for governor, an anticlimactic start to a campaign for a third term as Connecticuts 89th governor in 2026. Lamont, 71, a Democrat who had left no question in recent months of his intention to run while lining up a manager and a campaign consultant, still plans a formal public kickoff, a spokesman said. The creation of a campaign committee, Ned for CT, is a step allowing Lamont to begin making expenditures and accepting contributions, though the independently wealthy governor has largely self-funded his previous campaigns and is expected to do so again. Gov. Ned Lamont congratulates Foxwoods Resort Casino Tuesday during the 30th anniversary celebration of Foxwoods in Mashantucket. By state law, he became candidate at 1:20 p.m., the moment his papers were filed with the State Elections Enforcement Commission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lamont said at a press conference Friday to outline a housing bill that there would be more details about the plans for the campaign next week. [Lt. Gov.] Susan [Bysiewicz] and I are ready to go, he said. Asked why they waited so long to file, Bysiewicz said they were waiting for municipal elections to end. We had some really impactful municipal elections, and were glad theyre over with, Bysiewicz said. The people of Connecticut have spoken very loudly, and now we can think about whats next. Lamont and his staff had been more focused on waiting for next weeks special session, not the municipal races. The two-day session is expected to be over Thursday, pointing to a formal campaign kickoff the next day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the special session goes as planned, Lamont can begin his campaign with a revised housing bill on the way to his desk, a salve to Democrats furious at his veto of the version passed in regular session. Lamont backed into his campaign for a second term with a similar filing Nov. 8, 2021, though he initially confused reporters then by saying the filing facilitates his getting into a campaign, but hes got to make up my mind formally in the months to come. Bysiewicz quickly clarified they were running at the time. On the form he filed Friday, Lamont did not disclose if he once again will opt out of the states voluntary system of publicly financing campaigns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The public grants for a gubernatorial race are $3.2 million for a primary and $15.4 million for the general election. Lamont spent $15.1 million on his 2018 campaign and $25.7 million on his 2022 reelection. Lamont could face a primary. Rep. Josh Elliott, D-Hamden, opened a gubernatorial campaign over the summer, saying the governor is too conservative on taxes and spending. The contenders for the Republican gubernatorial nomination are Sen. Ryan Fazio, 35, of Greenwich and Mayor Erin Stewart, 38, of New Britain. Fazio opened his campaign in August, and Stewart has been raising money through an exploratory campaign committee since January. They have hinted at an intent to tap into a desire for generational change. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lamont is the first Connecticut governor to seek a third term since Republican John G. Rowland in 2002 and the oldest to seek reelection since the 76-year-old Wilbur Cross, a Democrat, lost a bid for a fifth term in 1938, when gubernatorial terms were two years. On Friday, Fazio quickly tried to make incumbency a liability, not an asset. He blamed Lamont for the states high electric rates, which preceded Lamonts election and have continued. Gov. Lamonts first eight years in office have seen Connecticuts electricity rates rise to the third highest in the nation and our economic growth plummet to fourth worst in the country, Fazio said in a press release. Two terms are more than enough. Connecticut, which has no term limits, is one of only 13 states that allow a governor to seek three consecutive terms. Over the summer and into the fall, Lamont had been a running a soft campaign, holding events publicizing the states fiscal stability and economic growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A month ago, he acknowledged in an interview he soon would have to have to shift to outlining a third-term agenda. You cant sit around and talk about the past, he said. Thats for damn sure." Mark Pazniokas is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (https://ctmirror.org). CT Mirror reporter Ginny Monk contributed to this story. Copyright 2025 The Connecticut Mirror. This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont to run again, Republican Ryan Fazio reacts After Charlotte hosted the Southeast U.S./Japan Conference last year, top North Carolina officials were in Tokyo last week for the latest edition of the annual business event. Their goal was to recruit more Japanese companies to a state where Japan is already the top source of direct foreign investment, both in dollars and jobs. Toyota, Fujifilm and the HI-CHEW candy maker Morinaga are among 74 Japanese companies to have opened or expanded North Carolina sites since 2014. Going back further, Tokyo is where the state opened one of its first overseas economic development offices in 1978. Less than two days after returning from his Asia trip which included meeting executives in Taiwan an admittedly tired Gov. Josh Stein spoke to The News & Observer about which types of businesses are eyeing the Tar Heel State. The top sector was no surprise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would say that the majority of companies we met with were life sciences, Stein said. At least half. We also met with a handful of electric vehicle battery manufacturers, because I think its now understood with Toyotas presence here that we are developing our own hub when it comes to EV battery manufacturing. And food processing, agriculture remains the number one industry in North Carolina and talked to a handful of food processors. This was Steins second foreign business trip as governor. In June, he led a state delegation to the Paris Air Show. North Carolina brought a 51-member group to this years SEUS/Japan Conference, and it had competition as the governors of Tennessee and Georgia also attended. With its growing population, the Southeastern United States has been a target for Japanese companies whose home country is experiencing record low birthrates. In September, the contract drug manufacturer Fujifilm Biotechnologies opened a projected $3.2 billion facility in the Wake County town of Holly Springs. And in nearby Sanford, the Tokyo-based pharmaceutical company Kyowa Kirin aims to launch its first foreign manufacturing site in 2027. Its well known that North Carolina is one of the top three leading pharmaceutical life sciences states in the country, Stein said. Really theres no other Southern state that can compete in biotech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This years SEUS/Japan Conference came at a time of unique U.S.-Japanese economic relations. In July, the two countries reached a tariff deal that levies 15% tariffs on Japanese exports to the United States. Referring to President Donald Trump as the dealmaker in chief, the White House announced on Oct. 28, during the conference, a list of investments Japan had committed to make in the U.S. as part of the trade agreement. Stein, a Democrat, said tariffs dominated conversations with executives last week. I had 30-plus individual meetings with businesses in Japan and Taiwan, and I would say at nearly all of them, the issue of tariffs and the uncertainty they create came up, he said. A lot of these companies have existing locations in the United States, and so they feel like theyve done what the president wants them to do, but its a global supply chain, and a lot of their inputs come from abroad, and theyre getting hit in that regard, too. South Australian officials are taking drastic measures to protect a number of vulnerable marine species off the state's coast. As reported by ABC News, the South Australian government announced the enactment of temporary fishing bans and restrictions in response to a major algal bloom outbreak that has impacted fish stocks in the region. A commercial fishing ban is now in full effect for the Gulf St Vincent and Kangaroo Island zones until June 30, 2026. The government will also cut recreational fishing limits in half for popular species such as calamari, crabs, whiting, and garfish starting in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move will attempt to give a chance for many marine species to recover following the presence of a devastating algal bloom that has persisted throughout 2025. This has caused a substantial decline in fish numbers off the coast of South Australia. "This is the area that we're most concerned about because it's where the bloom is at the minute, we are seeing the foaming events occurring when we've got strong westerly winds and choppy conditions, and we're likely to see that a lot more as we go into the November weather system," said Mike Steer, executive director of the South Australian Research and Development Institute. Algal blooms can threaten marine biodiversity by producing toxins that can be lethal for certain species. The blooms also create areas known as "dead zones" that are plagued with low oxygen levels, which can potentially suffocate fish and block sunlight needed by seagrass and other vital marine plants. This can greatly affect the food chain in regional ecosystems, further damaging fish stocks. The temporary commercial fishing ban may be a substantial hit for the fishing industry in the region. With diminished hauls, local economies may be in store for a rough stretch. However, Seafood Industry South Australia executive officer Kyri Toumazos explained that the move may ultimately benefit the industry in the long run. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The decision to look after fish stocks in a trajectory of rebuilding over the next period is the right decision, which we fully support," Toumazos said. "Seafood Industry SA is facing probably the hardest decision and the hardest journey that we've had in the history of commercial fishing in South Australia." Toumazos' sentiments were echoed by Australian Fishing Trade Association chair Bob Baldwin, who pointed to what's at stake for the region's future as a whole. "The billion-dollar industry here isn't just tackle shops, it's all the caravan parks, it's the hotels, it's the restaurants, it's the broader suppliers," said Baldwin. "We are part of the tourism economy, and we want to make sure that we stay part of that, and the longevity is by making proactive and sensible, and sustainable decisions." 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. Over 1 million federal workers have not received a paycheck, even though as many as 737,000 have continued to work through the shutdown. The US government shutdown has now entered its 38th day, making it the longest shutdown in American history. This means that over 1 million federal workers have not received a paycheck even though as many as 737,000 have continued to work, CNN and NBC reported. Some 750,000 federal workers have been on furlough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bipartisan policy center estimated that if the shutdown continues into December, the US government will miss payments on $21 billion in federal paychecks. Over 434 staffing problems were reported by the FAA, CNN reported Thursday. Travelers face the commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/ELIJAH NOUVELAGE) US Shutdown causes 4% slowdown on flights FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Fox Business on Tuesday that at the agency's largest 30 airports, "anywhere from 20 to 40% of our controllers aren't coming to work." Subsequently, the US federal government announced that it would reduce flights by 4% on Friday. The Trump administration stated that it would further reduce flights by up to 10% next week if the shutdown drags on. For example, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents have worked without pay for over a month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Additionally, one in eight Americans, roughly 42 million people, have not received SNAP benefits needed to feed their households. Even if the shutdown were to end in a week, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the GDP would slow up to 2%. The CBO estimates that $7 billion has already been permanently lost during the four weeks of shutdown, but as much as $14 billion could be lost if the shutdown reaches eight weeks. The current shutdown looks likely to have the greatest economic impact of any shutdown on record, chief political economist at Goldman Sachs, Alec Phillips, said, as quoted by CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This comes as US President Donald Trump pressured Republican senators to end the Senate filibuster during a Tuesday meeting at the White House. "We have to get the country open. And the way we're going to do it this afternoon is to terminate the filibuster," Trump said. Earlier this week, Trump called on Congress to end the shutdown immediately. The Democrats are far more likely to win the Midterms, and the next Presidential Election, if we dont do the Termination of the Filibuster (The Nuclear Option!), because it will be impossible for Republicans to get Common Sense Policies done with these Crazed Democrat Lunatics being able to block everything by withholding their votes, he wrote on Truth Social. FOR THREE YEARS, NOTHING WILL BE PASSED, AND REPUBLICANS WILL BE BLAMED. Elections, including the Midterms, will be rightfully brutal, he continued. If we do terminate the Filibuster, we will get EVERYTHING approved, like no Congress in History. With the government shutdown threatening to disrupt federal food assistance programs, food banks across the country are scrambling to help people in need. The Great Plains Food Bank, which has distribution centers in Fargo and Bismarck, has already asked for "urgent help" as it to tries to raise the funds needed to source and distribute an additional 1 million pounds of food to meet the "surge in demand expected in the weeks ahead," the organization's website says. The story is similar at food banks across the country, with more people expected to come through the doors as the shutdown drags on, USA TODAY reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you're able to help by donating or volunteering, here's what you need to know. Related: How will the government shutdown affect North Dakota? Here's what to know How can I donate to a food bank in North Dakota? The Great Plains Food Bank accepts monetary donations online through its website, and also has information on donating essential foods. What is a food bank? A food bank, according to Feeding America, is a nonprofit that safely stores large amounts of food to be distributed to local food pantries, where families in need can receive it. They're all different sizes, and some can be twice the size of an average wholesale club, but the food they all store is donated by neighbors, retailers, grocery stores, and restaurants. How many people get SNAP benefits in North Dakota? More than 57,000 people in North Dakota rely on benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to afford food each month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nationwide, about 42 million people rely on the federal program, which provides low-income families monthly benefits to pay for healthy food, USA TODAY reported. How many people in North Dakota are food insecure? Nearly 78,000 people in North Dakota, including one in seven children, are food insecure, meaning they lack consistent access to enough food for every person in their household to live an active, healthy life, according to Feeding America. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: What to know about donating to a food bank in North Dakota North Carolina Governor Josh Stein announced an additional $4 million to combat hunger, a move that could significantly impact residents of Anson County, where a third of the population relies on food assistance. The funding announcement comes as many families in Anson County face uncertainty with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Local food pantries, such as Anson Crisis Ministry and Feed My Lambs in Wadesboro, are crucial for residents who depend on them for basic needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gina Esposito reported from Anson County, highlighting the challenges faced by residents relying on food pantries. ALSO READ: CATS to offer mobile transit passes to people with SNAP, WIC benefits Trey Moore, who visited a pantry for his girlfriend, noted the importance of these resources as her SNAP benefits have been inconsistent. Sylvia Lindsey, another resident, shared her struggle with reduced SNAP benefits, which are insufficient to cover essential items like Pediasure for her grandson with autism. Its sad ... its like youre already down and they want you to be even further down, said Lindsey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, she expressed gratitude for the support from local pantries, which provide not only food but also other necessities like diapers. Every time I leave I tell them how much of a blessing. And how grateful I am, Lindsey expressed. Feed My Lambs, one of the food pantries in Wadesboro, served 90 families in a single day, underscoring the high demand for assistance in the area. The pantries are vital for many families, especially as they navigate fluctuating SNAP benefits. The $4 million funding from Governor Stein aims to alleviate some of the pressure on food assistance programs in North Carolina. Residents can check their EBT card balances here. VIDEO: Delays in SNAP funding hit children hard Governor Josh Stein called for state lawmakers to return to the General Assembly for a special session on Monday, November 17th to address Medicaid funding. "The members of the General Assembly have had six months to take action and solve this problem. But they have failed. They have failed North Carolina. They have failed the people of North Carolina. And now they have packed up and left town, ostensibly until next year. It is shameful," said Stein. In October, NCDHHS instituted a 5% cut on reimbursement rates, citing a lack of funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're really at a point now is if we don't get those dollars, we're going to have to continue with the rates because we cannot spend money we don't have. We've often used the phrase we can't put these costs on a credit card. So we're $319 million short to be able to meet our Medicaid obligation for this year," said NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Dev Sangvai. More than 3 million North Carolinians utilize Medicaid, including Daysi Hurtado, who qualified as a result of Medicaid expansion. "I'm expecting my first child and I'm pregnant, so we're really excited about that. But also (we're nervous) of possibility of losing coverage. There are a lot of doctor's appointments that come with being pregnant and so I am worried about what that's going to look like next year," said Hurtado. The House and Senate have been unable to come to an agreement on a budget and have remained at an impasse over budget priorities, namely over funding of a new children's hospital in Wake County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It is absolutely wrong and frankly cruel to use sick and vulnerable people as a bargaining chip on an issue entirely unrelated to Medicaid funding," said Stein. Earlier in the day, Stein delivered remarks at the groundbreaking of a new WakeMed Hospital in Garner, where he addressed impacts of Medicaid coverage in accessing care. "At the end of the day, folks need to be able to pay for their health care and the hospital, WakeMed, accepts Medicaid. If the legislature does not address the Medicaid funding gap, they are not going to get paid the cost it takes to provide the care. That's unsustainable for the health care system here. It's unsustainable for our health care system statewide," said Stein. Officials expressed concern that the longer the reduced reimbursement rate remains in effect, the more likely providers will stop accepting Medicaid. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have now started to get emails from large practices and large providers that have given dates certain by which time they will exit Medicaid. Many of them are calling the end of this month the time period that they will exit the Medicaid program," Sangvai said, while acknowledging it's hard to quantify the number of practices at this point. Republicans have disputed whether the reimbursement rate cuts are necessary. In a statement, Lauren Horsch, a spokeswoman for Senate President Phil Berger wrote: "Gov. Stein's self-inflicted 'crisis' is not an extraordinary occasion by any measure. Now that the courts have stepped in to block some of his politically motivated cuts, he's attempting a new stunt to pass the buck. The General Assembly appropriated $600 million to the Medicaid rebase, and instead of prioritizing funding for services, Gov. Stein decided funding bureaucracy was more important." House Speaker Destin Hall pointed to several House-backed proposals to address the funding shortfall, adding the chamber "has also offered to provide written assurances of future funding commitments to prompt the NCDHHS to pause its destructive cuts." In a statement, Hall wrote: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The House has done its job to fund Medicaid with clean bills and is prepared to do more if needed. We need to resolve this matter quickly to protect patients, support providers, and ensure the long-term stability of North Carolina's Medicaid program. Until recently, the General Assembly has worked with the executive branch to provide funding to Medicaid, while also monitoring the program's integrity. The administration should have continued that practice." In a statement, Senate Democratic Leader Sydnee Batch wrote: "Senate Democrats fully support Governor Stein's call for an extra session of the legislature to fix the Medicaid rebase. This funding is urgent and essential and without it, our healthcare system faces devastating consequences. Providers are stretched thin, patients are being turned away, and entire communities are left feeling scared and vulnerable. It's long past time for Republicans to stop playing games with people's health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, we're now 129 days into a new fiscal year without a state budget. Senate Democrats have been ready to govern from day one in order to pass a responsible budget that invests in working families. But instead of doing their jobs, Phil Berger and Senate Republicans have chosen months of delay and dysfunction. The Governor's call to action is a chance for them to finally show up and do the bare minimum: keep Medicaid funded and our communities cared for." House Democratic Leader Robert Reives wrote: "I applaud Governor Stein's call for the General Assembly to return for a special session to fund Medicaid in North Carolina. North Carolinians are hurting right now because of cuts to Medicaid that were entirely preventable. The North Carolina House, Senate Democrats and Governor Stein are all willing to negotiate and ensure this problem gets solved. Senate Republican Leadership can break this logjam by coming to the table." Shares of Koss Corporation KOSS have declined 5.7% since the company reported its earnings for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2025, underperforming the S&P 500 index, which registered a modest 0.4% decline over the same period. The stock has also seen a steeper drop of 10.1% over the past month, in contrast to the S&P 500s 2.1% gain, highlighting a period of investor caution despite the companys return to profitability. For the fiscal first quarter, Koss reported earnings per share (EPS) of 3 cents against a loss of 5 cents per share a year earlier, reflecting better cost discipline and higher-margin sales. The company posted net sales of $4.1 million, a 27.1% increase from $3.2 million in the year-ago quarter. This marks a strong turnaround driven by improved demand dynamics. Net income stood at $0.2 million, a reversal from the net loss of $0.4 million reported in the same period last year. Koss Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Koss Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Koss Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Koss Corporation Quote Other Key Business Metrics The companys gross profit surged to $1.6 million from $1.2 million a year ago, with gross margin expanding 340 basis points to 40% from 36.6%. This improvement was primarily attributed to a favorable shift in the customer and market mix, led by increased sales in the direct-to-consumer (DTC) channel. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses were $1.7 million, down from $1.8 million in the prior-year quarter, contributing to a reduction in operating losses. The company narrowed its operating loss significantly to $0.05 million from $0.6 million last year. Interest income also improved, increasing to $0.3 million from $0.2 million, helping to lift overall profitability. Management Commentary Chairman and CEO Michael J. Koss credited the revenue growth to a large order from the companys biggest Education sector customer and a 22.5% rise in DTC sales. The latter was buoyed by the launch of new products and updated colorways for existing models. While European sales declined due to delayed orders from key distributors, strong performance in Asian markets helped mitigate some of that shortfall. Koss also highlighted the positive impact of higher DTC sales on margins, which tend to carry better profitability than traditional retail or wholesale channels. However, he cautioned that the company faced margin pressure from high-tariff inventory, specifically on goods produced in China subject to a 145% tariff rate. The impact was partially offset by improved absorption of fixed manufacturing costs and lower provisions for excess or obsolete inventory. MomsRising, an advocacy group pushing for local and federal legislation expanding paid leave and affordable child care, hosted a virtual town hall Wednesday. (Video forum screengrab) Nevadas child care crisis should warrant a special session rather than efforts to give public subsidies to film studies, advocacy groups say. We dont think this is the time where we need to be giving tax incentives to billionaires, said Denise Tanata with The Childrens Cabinet. Instead of giving money away, we should be creating new revenue sources to fund things like child care, pre-K and a wide array of other programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement MomsRising, an advocacy group pushing for local and federal legislation expanding paid leave and affordable child care, hosted a virtual town hall Wednesday to discuss the state of those priorities, along with food insecurity pressing issues. Democratic Assemblymembers Natha Anderson and Duy Nguyen, along with the Childrens Cabinet and the Childrens Advocacy Alliance, weighed in on the state of food insecurity intensified by the government shutdown, as well as child care affordability issues. The Trump administration announced last month it would refuse to pay SNAP benefits for the month of November. A federal ruling forced his hand to administer the funds and approximately $29 million in food assistance benefits was added to the EBT cards of over 196,000 Nevada households. Nevada Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation to establish an emergency cash assistance program to help the nearly 500,000 Nevadans whose food stamp benefits have lapsed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, Gov. Joe Lombardo issued a statement saying there would be a special session, and that the goal will be to finish what the Legislature left unfinished plain and simple. He was alluding to his proposed crime bill, which died in the final moments of the session after being rushed through, and a Democratic-led bill to give the largest public subsidy in state history to the film industry. Lawmakers are expected to reconsider failed legislation from the regular legislative session earlier this year that sought to allocate $1.4 billion in transferable tax credits over 15 years to support a film studio in Las Vegas. The Childrens Cabinet has signed onto a letter opposing the film tax credit bill, Tanata said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proponents of the legislation have argued the legislation could create thousands of jobs, a claim that has been met with skepticism from both sides of the aisle. And the proposals critics contend Nevadas workforce would be better and more immediately served by the state addressing other priorities, such as a lack of accessible and affordable child care in Nevada that has long been cited as a barrier to people entering the workforce. A lot of the programs and services we do have are not serving close to the number of families who need the services, Tanata said. The Trump administration announced over the summer it would be withholding millions of dollars of federal funding streams for education programs, including after school programs. After ample bipartisan backlash, Trump released the funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The last few months have underscored the state has a very heavy reliance on federal funding, Tanata said. Its uncertain if that funding model will continue to be sustainable. A big piece of what were looking at moving forward is identifying how our states can make investments in our own families and not just rely on federal funding, she added. There hasnt been any mention from state officials about addressing the uncertainty of federal funding streams supporting child care and education programs during the special session. Child advocacy groups and allied lawmakers are instead looking toward the next time state legislators convene in a regular session, in 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As lawmakers attempt to attract industries to Nevada, there needs to be more effort to address the needs of children, said Carissa Pearce with the Childrens Advocacy Alliance. Our children cant wait, Pearce said. We certainly want to see child care be a priority. Groups plan to revive legislation Lombardo killed among the record breaking 87 bills vetoed this session including a bill designed to make child care more accessible, and a measure to expand access to paid leave. Also on the list is Assembly Bill 185, which sought to prevent most homeowners associations from prohibiting licensed home-based childcare operations within their communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anderson, who sponsored the bill, said the issue was low hanging fruit and an attempt to address the fact that across the state in every single area, we are severely understaffed. In his veto message he wrote the legislation disrupts that balance by stripping HOAs of a key element of their regulatory authority. Lee on shutdown outlook Democratic U.S. Rep. Susie Lee also spoke during the virtual town hall to answer questions about the federal shutdown, now the longest in history. A continuing resolution passed the Republican-controlled House in September has not been able to secure enough votes in the Republican-controlled Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats have pushed that any resolution to fund the government to also reverse cuts to Medicaid and restore subsidies to the Affordable Care Act health insurance premiums actions Republicans took while passing Trumps Big Beautiful Bill Act. Republicans have insisted they will negotiate with Democrats on health care subsidies after Democrats vote to reopen the government. But Democrats, skeptical that Trump can be trusted, are demanding that Trump negotiate the ACA issue with them first before they vote for a budget resolution. Some Democrats are reportedly in talks about voting for the Republican budget resolution in exchange for getting a vote on extending ACA subsidies. Many in my caucus are saying do not give in until we get the result we want, Lee said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some Democrats feel that if we vote to reopen the government and you take a vote on the ACA tax subsidies there will not be enough votes. Maybe there will be, Lee said. Republicans in the House represent people who also rely on health care subsidies, Lee said. These ACA tax subsidies are more important in many red states than states like ours that expanded Medicaid, she said. While she thinks there would be enough Republicans in the House who would support extending the ACA premium subsidies, she was less certain about the Senate. Since the vote that started the shutdown Oct. 1, Nevada Democratic U.S Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, along with Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with the Democrats, have all repeatedly voted for the Republican spending resolution. Through multiple votes on that resolution over the ensuing weeks, no other Democratic senator has joined them. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) Governor Sanders announced the new Arkansas Plate Initiative, a statewide program connecting schools with local producers. The initiative aims to provide students with nutritious, locally sourced meals made from Arkansas-grown products. This is part of Sanders ongoing efforts to improve health across the state of Arkansas, including applying for funding to improve healthcare and the Bell to Bell, No Cell law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Arkansas ranks 47th in new lung cancer cases, report finds Arkansas students deserve access to healthy, nutritious foods at school, and the Arkansas Plate Initiative shows meaningful progress in our effort to improve child nutrition and support our farmers and producers across the state, Governor Sanders said. Not only will this program give students access to fresh, locally sourced products, but it will also teach them about Arkansas largest industry and what it takes to keep it. The initiative will start in five school districts during the 2025-2026 school year. Starting January 2026, schools within the districts will have monthly Arkansas Plate Days, serving meals that highlight Arkansas-grown ingredients, like poultry, catfish, beef, rice, edamame and seasonal fresh fruits and vegetables. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Participating schools will also receive materials and Meet the Farmer profiles to help students learn about the source of their food and the importance of Arkansas agriculture. Feedback and data will be collected to assess the programs impact. The initiative has plans to expand to more school districts during the 2026-2027 school year. Learn more about the initiative at the Arkansas Department of Agricultures 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 KNWA FOX24. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has issued an executive order aiming to ease the water issues that have rocked a northern Torrance County community for months, leaving residents of the Melody Ranch neighborhood near Edgewood without reliable water service. The neighborhood of about 75 homes has been grappling with water shutoffs since May because the well that feeds the community water system, operated by Melody Ranch Water Co. LLC, has more or less run dry, producing only about 5 gallons per minute. Until recently, residents were calling the small utility each morning to see when they would have water, and could usually expect water to flow from their faucets for three to four hours a day. The Oct. 28 executive order signed by Lujan Grisham unlocks $250,000 so the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management can provide water on a temporary emergency basis to the community. The order followed the Torrance Board of County Commissioners issuing an emergency resolution declaring a disaster Oct. 27 because of the situation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the order, potable water is being delivered and poured into the Melody Ranch water system for home faucet water, according to an email from Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesperson Danielle Silva. There is also a tank of drinking water at the distribution site for residents to fill jugs and take home. Bottled water is available for residents to pick up from the same location In order to ensure these residents have access to safe, clean water, we will provide water until a long-term solution is in place, Silva said in a statement. It still remains unclear when a new well, or a resolution to the water issues in the community, will occur. While residents are glad to have reliable water back in their homes, they are still concerned a long-term fix has not been accomplished and continue to voice concerns about Melody Ranch Water Co. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is just a Band-Aid to cover the short term, said Bruce Sanchez, a longtime resident of the neighborhood. It seems to me that the executive order from the Governors Office and the countys declaration of emergency basically are nothing more than pieces of paper. And the reason Im saying that is the water company is still in control. The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission opened a case in July against Melody Ranch Water Co., a privately owned utility with 78 customers, all of them in the Melody Ranch subdivision proper, and about 4,000 gallons in water sales each year, according to a 2024 annual report. The timeline for drilling a new well, or any other solution to restore reliable water flow to homes, remains unclear. Melody Ranch Water admitted in a July letter to the PRC it had exhausted its financial resources, reporting it spent about $20,000 in an attempt to resolve what it characterized as an emergency that resulted in complete disruption of water service to our community while requesting emergency financial assistance and support from the commission. According to a filing in the PRC case last month, Melody Ranch Water has circulated a letter of intent to engage in a transfer of assets such as water rights and system infrastructure to the EMWT Regional Water Association and abandon the utility previously approved by the PRC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2014, the town of Estancia, city of Moriarty, village of Willard and Torrance County adopted an agreement organizing the EMWT Regional Water Association for the purpose of acquiring or constructing a regional water supply system that would serve all users and address water issues in the region. But it is unclear when such a transfer could occur and how long it would take the EMWT Regional Water Association to get the neighborhoods system running again. Melody Ranch Water representatives and a lawyer associated with the small utility did not respond to questions Thursday about a timeline for the assets transfer. (The Center Square) As the government shutdown drags into its 38th day and forced flight reductions begin taking effect, the number of daily flight cancellations Americans are experiencing has skyrocketed. By noon Friday, airlines had slashed 850 flights within, into, or out of the United States quadruple the number of cancellations made the previous day. The numbers will only increase over the coming days as 40 major U.S. airports implement the Federal Aviation Administrations order to reduce flight volume by 10%, a necessary safety measure as staffing shortages become more severe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Air traffic controllers and other federal employees deemed essential have been forced to work without pay for over a month, and many are taking off work to find odd jobs. With a deadlocked Congress providing no end in sight to the record-long shutdown, millions of flyers will likely be impacted. At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, just outside of Washington, D.C., frustration with U.S. lawmakers inability to reach a government funding agreement is high. The Center Square ran into multiple flyers who have already experienced flight delays or cancellations. Donna Baniewicz from Newtown, Pennsylvania, was supposed to meet her son at the airport so they could travel to Maryland for a family celebration, but his flight was delayed by three hours. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's frustrating because this shouldn't be happening at this day and age, the whole government shut down. Its just ridiculous, Baniewicz told The Center Square. I am embarrassed as an American citizen that we're going through this. Baniewicz, who owns a physical therapy clinic with her husband in Newtown, Pennsylvania, said the shutdown is also impacting their business. We're physical therapists, and because of the government shutdown, Medicare is not paying, she said. There's no reason why this should be happening, and there's no reason why it should be happening for this long. The current shutdown is the longest in U.S. history, breaking the previous record of 35 days. This shutdown is also the first one in modern history to impact air travel so severely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I mean, we have smart people out there. We need to come up with a solution, and we cant come up with a solution to fix this? It's kind of sad, Baniewicz said. Im usually a very calm person, but this is insane. Republicans need at least seven Democratic votes for their House-passed funding bill to advance in the Senate, but Democrats are still refusing to cooperate unless they receive certain Obamacare policy wins in return. The Senate will vote on the funding bill, a Continuing Resolution to reopen and temporarily fund the government, for the 15th time Friday. It is expected to fail. GREECE, N.Y. (WROC) A Greece woman has been arrested and charged after police say she stole more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from the newly opened Boscovs at the Mall at Greece Ridge. According to the Greece Police Department, officers responded to the store around 11:30 a.m. on Nov. 5 for a reported theft. Investigators say loss prevention staff and responding officers determined that merchandise valued at about $1,200 had been stolen. Police identified the suspect as 56-year-old Davonna M. Williams of Greece. Officers later located her at her home, where she was taken into custody without incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Williams is charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony. She was transported to the Monroe County Jail for arraignment. According to police, Williams has 31 prior convictions, including three felonies and 28 misdemeanors. Officials say Boscovs has been working with Greece Police to maintain a safe environment for shoppers and employees. The department says it will continue to prioritize retail theft prevention and enforcement efforts to protect local businesses and the community. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to RochesterFirst. Sheriff's deputies removed a group of 14 suburban moms, as they call themselves, who were sitting in a circle in the middle of the road outside of the Broadview Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility as a symbol of civil disobedience on Friday. These are moms from across the western suburbs, they say. They are demanding an end to the "campaign of chaos," as they refer to the Department of Homeland Security's immigration enforcement operation "Midway Blitz." Protesters say they are enraged by the terror being inflicted upon their communities. They say their friends, relatives, caregivers, and neighbors are living in fear, and people are being ripped from their lives and their families. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, these moms want to use their "privilege as white women," they say, to amplify what is happening in their neighborhoods and throughout the Chicagoland area and mobilize their community to stand with immigrant families. SEE ALSO | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates "It is worse than you can imagine out on the streets right now, and it is because of the federal immigration enforcement we're seeing every day. Our communities are living in abject fear, and it's time for people that look like us to take a stand and put our own physical bodies in front of those bodies, because it is unacceptable," said Ellen Toobin, who lives in Oak Park. "I hope that people can hear us inside. I mean, if you see absolutely horrific reporting of the conditions, we are here to stand with our friends and neighbors who have been abducted and terrified." Toobin continued, "We are all upset seeing this. We need to get off our phones and onto the streets, because that is what is required at this moment." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the same time, a caravan of about 20 cars drove by the intersection of Beech and Lexington outside the Broadview ICE facility. The participants honked their horns, with signs posted on their vehicles that said, "hands off Chicago," also in protest of the ongoing immigration enforcement. Two more people were also detained on Friday, bringing the total to 16 arrests, officials said. At least three demonstrations total, all with similar messages, took place outside of the facility on Friday, including a multi-faith prayer service that got underway around 11 a.m. Community members and faith leaders say they are worried about the tactics being used during immigration operations, and they are concerned about the conditions inside the Broadview processing center. "They need to get the hell out of Chicago, and get the hell out of Illinois," said Saint Sabina Church Father Michael Pfleger. "This is not acceptable. We are going to fight against them. We demand the freedom of the folks that have been locked up in these centers in inhumane conditions." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement READ MORE | Father of cancer patient says he endured 'inhumane conditions' at Broadview ICE facility: EXCLUSIVE The group of multi-faith leaders gathered in prayer. They attempted to access the facility to meet with detainees on Friday, but their request was denied. "Today, we are demanding that we have the opportunity to provide pastoral and spiritual care for those who are detained," said Live Free IL Executive Director Rev. Ciera Bates. The protests came after a federal judge ordered the Department of Homeland Security to improve the treatment of immigration detainees at Broadview. It requires DHS to issue things like clean bedding to detainees with clean holding cells and enough space to sleep. Twice a day, they must give detainees soap, towels, and adequate meals and water. The judge ordered the changes to go into effect on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DHS has repeatedly denied allegations of inhumane treatment at the Broadview processing center. The government has stated they already made improvements, such as ordering wet wipes so detainees can clean themselves while they are in custody. On Friday, a remote status hearing was held regarding the conditions at the Broadview facility. Judge Laura McNally said she would like to visit the Broadview facility on Thursday morning. The judge reiterated that the group will be small and both sides must give the court details as to who will attend the visit by next week. Meanwhile, federal judge says the Trump administration cannot remove a day care worker from the U.S. Diana Santillana Galeano was taken into custody Wednesday from Rayito de Sol in Chicago's North Center Neighborhood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She's currently being held at an ICE facility in Clark County, Indiana after she was held in Broadview. DHS says she's accused of paying people to illegally bring her two children into the U.S. Her attorneys say she has a valid work permit that allows her to legally work here. They're now pushing for a bond hearing. The Harris County Sheriff's Office on Thursday told the state agency overseeing jail standards that it would cancel one of its million-dollar, out-of-state outsourcing contracts, months after a commissioner pressured the sheriff's office to bring all out-of-state inmates back to Texas. The announcement at a Texas Commission on Jail Standards meeting in Austin on Thursday morning was met with applause from the crowd, many of whom were family members of people who have died in the Harris County Jail in recent years. There have been 71 inmate deaths since 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief Deputy Thomas Diaz told commissioners that the sheriff's office's contract with private prison company CoreCivic for a facility in northwest Mississippi will be terminated at the end of the month, meaning roughly 300 inmates will be brought back to Texas. The county paid nearly $53 million in fiscal year 2025 to send thousands of inmates to private correctional facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi. Commissioner Duane Lock has repeatedly asked Harris County to end out-of-state outsourcing and thanked the sheriff's office on Thursday for terminating the Mississippi contract. TIMELINE: 15 inmates have died this year in Harris County Jail custody, surpassing 2024 jail death toll Diaz said there is no timeline for the sheriff's office to terminate its contract with LaSalle Corrections, which privately owns and operates a central Louisiana jail where several hundred Harris County inmates are sent. The number of inmates being outsourced to Louisiana has been reduced by 20% to about 800 inmates from about 1,000, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We all share that same goal of reducing the population outside of Texas and bringing them back to Harris County," Diaz told commissioners. The reduction in outsourced inmates can in part be attributed to efforts by the sheriff's office to hire more detention officers, as minimum state standards require one detention officer for every 48 inmates. Roughly 150 additional detention officers have been hired and trained this year, with 47 more expected to finish training on Friday and 50 more expected to be hired next week, Diaz said. The average length of stay inside the jail has also been reduced to 166 days from a high of 200 days, "which has been a leap forward in our ability to maintain jail population," Diaz said. Correcting violations Commissioners on Thursday voted to have an amended remedial order, issued to Harris County in February, remain in place. The remedial order is a legal directive that mandates the county to correct its minimum standards violations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Harris County Jail has been out of compliance with state standards since January. An inspection of the jail in October found that four of five fire control panels were in trouble mode, indicating a problem with the fire alarm system. The jail was cited for the same issue in June. Jason Spencer, senior policy and communications adviser for the Harris County Sheriff's Office, said at the time that the sheriff's office was working with the Harris County Facilities and Property Management staff to repair and replace aging fire alarm control panels. Inspectors in June also found that some inmates were held in a holding cell for more than 48 hours and that the jail had not completed a required fourth-quarter fire prevention inspection, both issues that have since been corrected. Commissioners initially issued a remedial order in May 2023 after an inspection found that the jail didn't meet minimum standards, including a failure to provide inmates with prescription medications in line with its Health and Human Services policy, an issue the jail is no longer facing, according to recent inspections. An agreed second remedial order was issued in August, according to records from the commission. However, Harris County has not agreed to the August amended remedial order, and discussions are ongoing among the county, the commission and the Attorney General's Office, which handles legal matters for the commission, according to Jason Spencer, a spokesman for the sheriff's office. This article originally published at Harris County jail ends Mississippi outsourcing and will bring 300 inmates back to Texas. Travelers across the country are scrambling after hundreds of flights were canceled due to the Federal Aviation Administrations unprecedented order forcing airlines to cut 4% of flights to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers during the ongoing government shutdown. The cuts, which took effect Friday, affect 40 major, high-traffic U.S. airports. If the shutdown continues, flight cancellations will increase to 6% on Tuesday and gradually thereafter until they reach 10% on Nov. 14. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford cited increased staffing pressures and concerns over fatigue among air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay since the government shutdown began on Oct. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement International president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Sara Nelson, joined Morning Joe on Friday to discuss the toll the shutdown is taking on airport employees across the country. Nelson said cutting flights is a common strategy when there are additional risks entered into the system. We slow down the system so that we dont have a safety problem, so that we are able to mitigate those risks, she explained. But what this is doing is having a ripple effect: People are not going to be able to get their medicine, theyre not going to be able to get their packages, theyre not going to be able to get to their loved ones who are in pain or are dying. Nelson warned that if the shutdown continues and the 10% reduction is met next week, the situation at Americas airports will only get worse. They essentially have to take a five-lane highway in the air, and move that down to a two-lane street, and so that really slows everything down, she said. The union president praised air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers for coming to work every day to keep this system going, but noted that they could soon reach their breaking point. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are heroes, but theyre humans, and humans will break at a certain point when they can no longer put a tank of gas in their car, when they can no longer get a meal to eat, when they can no longer buy their own insulin to take care of themselves or their families, Nelson said. These issues will come to a head. Nelson called the current situation simply unsustainable and called on lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to end the shutdown. This is urgent right now to fix today, she stressed. Congress has got to pass this today and its very, very simple. This is not difficult: Negotiations, extend the subsidies and open the government. How can we allow ourselves to expect people to come to work for free for 38 days now? Nelson asked. We dont do that anywhere in the private sector ... because we understand that you cannot operate a business without paying people for coming to work. You can watch Nelsons full appearance on Morning Joe in the clip at the top of the page. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth poked fun at Signalgate on Thursday, referencing the scandal earlier this year in which he shared sensitive military planning around U.S. strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen via the online messaging platform Signal. Hegseth, speaking at Fox Nations Patriot Awards, spotted fellow Trump administration official, United Nations Ambassador Mike Waltz, in the crowd. It was Waltz who started the Signal group chat and inadvertently added The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg to the chain. I see Mike Waltz, Mike, Ill hit you up on Signal later, Hegseth said, drawing a mixture of laughter, groans and applause. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Waltz was then seen mouthing, Im good, to Hegseth. Too soon? Hegseth responded. Hegseth in March shared sensitive information about impending airstrikes in Yemen, including precise launch and attack times, in a chat thread filled with emojis that included top officials including Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President Vance. The scandal engulfed the administration for weeks, with some Democrats calling on Hegseth and Waltz to resign. Waltz, who at the time was serving as national security adviser to President Trump, was quickly moved into the U.N. ambassador role. The GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee requested the Pentagons watchdog investigate Hegseths actions, an effort the Defense chief has derided as a political witch hunt. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Defense Department inspector general has reportedly concluded the investigation but has yet to release its report. Hegseth, who made a surprise appearance at the Fox Nation ceremony to celebrate the networks Salute to Service honoree, Maj. James Capers Jr., has been unapologetic for his role in Signalgate, insisting repeatedly he never shared classified information. At the ceremony, he delivered a monologue on his goal to rid the Defense Department of diversity initiatives, echoing remarks made in September when he addressed a room full of the U.S. militarys top generals and admirals. He finished his speech by sharing orders Trump gave him to be tough, and restore the warrior ethos. 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. Eighty-five years ago, Galloping Gertie collapsed and fell into the Tacoma Narrows. on Nov. 7, 1940, about 11 a.m., the previous version of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge came tumbling down. Heavy winds were too much for the four-month-old suspension bridge. At 2,800 feet, the third-longest suspension span in the world was completed on July 1 of that year. The remains now serve as an artificial reef in the Narrows below. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No human life was lost in the collapse; however, a cocker spaniel named Tubby died in the disaster. According to historylink.org, Tubbys owner said: Just as I drove past the towers, the bridge began to sway violently from side to side. Before I realized it, the tilt became so violent that I lost control of the car... I jammed on the brakes and got out, only to be thrown onto my face against the curb. Around me I could hear concrete cracking. I started to get my dog Tubby, but was thrown again before I could reach the car. The car itself began to slide from side to side of the roadway. On hands and knees most of the time, I crawled 500 yards or more to the towers... My breath was coming in gasps; my knees were raw and bleeding, my hands bruised and swollen from gripping the concrete curb... Toward the last, I risked rising to my feet and running a few yards at a time... Safely back at the toll plaza, I saw the bridge in its final collapse and saw my car plunge into the Narrows. Heres video of the collapse: The second bridge wasnt built until 1950. World War II delayed construction. The bridge was nicknamed Sturdy Gertie, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). Its now the westbound bridge, connecting Tacoma and Gig Harbor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 1998, voters in several Washington counties approved an advisory measure to create a second Narrows span. The goal was to separate the eastbound and westbound lanes. Working on water. The white structures, or Construction began in 2002. Two years later, the project was nearly half complete. The bridge opened in 2007. Its the fifth-largest suspension bridge in the United States. Birth of a tower. With the 1950 bridge looming in the background, a female worker focuses on the task at hand - pouring the first concrete of the new towers. Reinforced with bright green steel rebar, the concrete towers will rise 510 feet into the sky to stand regally next to their more mature bridge companions. Summer 2004. WSDOT collects a toll before entering the eastbound span, crossing from Gig Harbor to Tacoma. Tolls on the bridge are expected to pay off the loans and deferred sales tax by 2032. By Vladimir Soldatkin and Anna Hirtenstein MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) -Lukoil's international operations faced mounting disruptions on Friday as a U.S. deadline for companies to cut off business with the Russian oil company looms and after a hoped-for sale of the operations to Swiss trader Gunvor collapsed. The U.S. Treasury, which would have to approve any sale as Lukoil is under U.S. sanctions, on Thursday labelled Gunvor a Kremlin "puppet" and signalled its opposition to the deal. The United States sanctioned Lukoil and larger rival Rosneft last month as part of President Donald Trump's push to get Russia to the negotiating table over Ukraine. "The stark Treasury message is a signal to the market that those gambling on a speedy normalisation of the Russian energy trade will be disappointed," said Geoffrey Pyatt, senior managing director at McLarty Associates and former U.S. assistant secretary of state for energy resources. Analysts and oil executives said Lukoil will likely be forced to sell the assets at steep discounts by Treasury's November 21 deadline for companies to halt business ties with the firm, possibly to a Western major. These include operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and Mexico, and range from a controlling stake in Iraq's sprawling West Qurna 2 oilfield to refineries in Bulgaria and Romania. MOLDOVA ASKS FOR EXEMPTIONS In the latest fallout from the restrictions, Moldovan energy minister Dorin Junghietu said on Friday that Lukoil will have to stop its operations in the country from November 21. According to the minister, Lukoil owns a number of gasoline stations, supplies the oil market, and is the private owner of the airport's only fuel storage, supply, and aircraft refuelling facility. He said Moldova has requested a temporary exemption from Washington for Lukoil to operate in the country until it resolves the issue, so that the supply of fuel to Moldova is not disrupted. He also said Moldova had decided to reject Lukoil's offer to divest its assets and sell the airport infrastructure to another company. BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT MOVES TO SEIZE AND SELL REFINERY Bulgaria's parliament on Friday adopted a law change that will allow the government to seize control of Lukoil's Burgas oil refinery and sell it to protect the plant from the impact of U.S. sanctions. Under the revision, a special commercial manager appointed by the government will be able to oversee the continued operation of Lukoil's refinery in Bulgaria beyond November 21. Nov. 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has dispersed an additional $155 million for western North Carolina to fund 130 projects from Tropical Storm Helene. The funding is the most allocated in the state for the storm, which struck the western Appalachian region Sept. 27, causing widespread river flooding and landslides with 30 inches of rain in some areas. There were 85 direct and indirect deaths in the state. The 2024 storm was the costliest and deadliest in North Carolina's history at $60 billion. Helene had intensified into a Category 4 hurricane and made landfall in western Florida before hitting the Carolinas. The total impact was $79.8 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More than $957 million has been provided for road repair, debris removal, infrastructure repair and emergency protective measures. Since Donald Trump became president Jan. 20, more than $632 million in public assistance reimbursements have been approved to support the recovery efforts in North Carolina. A senior HHS spokesman said Trump and HHS Secretary Kristi Noem "are committed to streamlining aid and supporting North Carolina's recovery from Tropical Storm Helene and other disasters. These millions of dollars in federal assistance will help communities repair critical infrastructure, restore essential services and continue rebuilding stronger for the future." The grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency include $54 million to the North Carolina Department of Transportation to rebuild roads and bridges. Also, $40 million was awarded for two utilities -- French Broad Electric Co. and Rutherford Electric Membership Corp. -- for repairs and emergency protective measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other funding includes $14.8 million to Henderson County, $9.6 million to Buncombe County, $1.6 million for city of Boone, $1.4 million for Paddy's Creek Beach and Catawba Beach, $1.3 million to the Buncombe County School District. State officials are awaiting on other funding, NC Newsline reported. A $1.4 billion pool of grant money for a homebuilding program that now has more than 4,000 applicants. Also, another grant program allows FEMA to buy out private properties with applications pending for months. OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) In 1987, David Schuhart joined the US Army as a way to get out, travel, and explore the world. But before he would start his military career, he would have to find a change of plans. Started out, I was going to be a military policeman, but my dad got into a horrific car accident just before I shipped out, so I decided to stay home for a few months and take care of him, and the only job that was left that I liked was combat engineer, says Schuhart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the peacetime period, Schuhart was deployed to Belize, where he spent six months in the jungle, working on building a bridge that would last for 17 years before a tsunami took it out. Hometown Heroes: Fox Valley veterans wall completed through partnership effort When he returned home, another obstacle would be in Davids path of service, and one that would ultimately end his military service. After I got back from Belize, I injured myself during physical training, ripped ACL, PCL and MCL, and that is how I ended up out of he military, I really struggled for a while because seeing your buddies go out for the first Gulf War because I was out August 1, and Iran Invaded Kuwait August 2, everybody says that I got the best injury ever cause I didnt have to go, but it was tough to watch all your buddies go home and you have to stay, says Schuhart. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once David was healed from his injury, he turned to hiking and photography, something that he was known for in the military, having a camera, which helped him find a calming presence, and made him realize the future is bright up ahead. Hiking is your relying on yourself, getting anyway from reality, that it centers you, your one foot in front of the other seeing, taking time to see everything around you, and you know the camera capturing everything around you, in the military you gotta remember everyone lives together, sleep together, eats together and just everything together, and once you were out of the military, you were one your own and its tough, says Schuhart. Hometown Heroes: Brian Hinckleys life of service includes search & rescue efforts of the Edmund Fitzgerald Fast-forward to today, and David is now volunteering with the Omro American Legion, putting his photography passion on display as he is the historian for the group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now working to preserve the history, stories, and memories of service of the men and women who fought for our freedom. One of the things I stayed away from the American Legion for is I always felt lesser, I wasnt in wars, and I wasnt drafted, and Ive always looked at drafted military people as you should honor them more, because they were uprooted form everything and had to go, I chose to go and still got hurt, there the ones that said we all served and all did what we were supposed to, says Schuhart. We thank you for your service, David. If you have a Hometown Hero that you would like to nominate, you can send an email to wfrvhometownheros@wearegreenbay.com. Make sure to add their name, branch of service, length of service, and what makes them a Hometown Hero. 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. VERMONT (ABC22/FOX44) Its simple, its fast, and its saving lives. November 8 is National Lung Cancer Screening Day. Hospitals in Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire are hosting screening events to try to catch cancer early while it can still be treated. If we catch lung cancer when its small, were looking at easier treatment, lower costs, and better outcomes, says Beth Zigmund, MD, director of UVM Cancer Centers lung screening program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if the cancer is a later stage, the sooner we know about it, the more we can help. Fairfax health center set for expansion The event is happening at ten participating sites, including nine in our region. All events are on November 8 unless listed. Vermont Northwestern Medical Center, St. Albans, Vt. UVM Medical Center, Burlington, Vt. Vermont Diagnostic Imaging, Williston, Vt. (11/15) Central Vermont Medical Center, Berlin, Vt. (11/7) Rutland Regional Medical Center, Rutland, Vt. Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Bennington, Vt. New Hampshire Dartmouth Cancer Center, Hanover, N.H. New York Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, Plattsburgh, N.Y. Elizabethtown Community Hospital, Elizabethtown, N.Y. Elizabethtown Community Hospital, Ticonderoga, N.Y. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though for some it may be too late to get a screening this weekend which may require a referral from a primary care provider physicians say that remembering to get regular checkups is still critical. UVM Childrens Hospital celebrates renovations Gretchen Bailey of Panton, Vermont said that her cancer was caught at a routine screening recommended by her doctor. Today, shes cancer-free and living her life to the fullest. Lung screening gave me extra quality time doing the things I love and being with the people I love. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. The Maldives has introduced a generational smoking ban covering anyone born on or after 1 January 2007, with the rule applying to visitors as well as residents. For hotel operators, the move makes the archipelago the first country to implement a nationwide, birth-year tobacco ban, following a separate, existing ban on electronic cigarettes. Scope of the smoking ban in the Maldives Under the law, individuals in the restricted generation may not purchase or use tobacco in the Maldives; retailers must verify age before any sale. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officials describe the measure as a step toward a tobacco-free generation. Penalties include fines for retailers who sell to underage customers and for users of vape devices, reflecting wider enforcement across the islands. Implications for hotels, resorts and on-property retail The smoking ban applies across the country, including resort islands. While resorts operate under tourism regulations, they remain bound by national law, meaning staff cannot sell or provide tobacco to guests in the restricted generation. Hotels on local islands typically enforce tighter smoking rules, often limiting smoking to designated outdoor zones. Operators should review guest communications, signage, and staff training to ensure age checks at outlets and clarity on where smoking is permitted for older guests. Vaping ban and import limits that affect guests A separate policy already bans the import, sale, possession and use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices for all ages. Travellers who arrive with a device can have it held by customs until departure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tourists may import only limited quantities of traditional tobacco (for example up to 200 cigarettes, 25 cigars or 250g of tobacco), with excess typically confiscated and retained for a set period before departure. These rules sit alongside the new smoking ban and will shape pre-arrival advice and on-property briefings. Tourism outlook and operational takeaways for the trade Authorities say the policy is aimed at protecting public health rather than discouraging travel. For now, there is no clear evidence of an impact on bookings, and hotels continue to host guests who are not part of the restricted generation in designated smoking areas where permitted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the trade, the priority is practical compliance: update pre-arrival emails, booking confirmations and in-room information; brief retail and F&B staff on ID checks; and map or reassess any designated smoking zones to align with local guidance on resort islands versus local islands. "Hotels adapt to Maldives total ban on youth smoking" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The president of Hudson City Council announced he was resigning, effective immediately, on Nov. 5, the day after the general election. Ward 2 Councilman Chris Foster, who first was sworn into Council in December 2019 and has served as president since December 2021, could not be reached for comment. In an email to city officials the morning after the election, he stated that he wished Hudson "the best of luck." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It has been my honor to serve the city of Hudson these past 6 years," Foster wrote. "I am however resigning my position effective immediately." 2025 Ohio election results In the Nov. 4 election, six candidates sought three at-large seats on Hudson City Council. Incumbents Karen Heater and Chris Banweg lost, according to final but unofficial results from the Summit County Board of Elections. Amanda Weinstein and Samantha D'Eramo were the top two vote-getters, with Kyle Brezovec narrowly edging out Banweg by 36 votes for the third seat. At-large Councilwoman Nicole Kowalski decided earlier this year not to run for another term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weinstein said in a Facebook post Nov. 6 that she was disappointed to learn of Foster's resignation. "I appreciate anyone who steps up to serve our community," she wrote. "Its not easy work, and it matters." She acknowledged that Hudson is "entering a time of real transition" after the election results and Foster's resignation. She stated a commitment "to listening, learning, and working together to move Hudson forward." Brezovec wrote on Facebook Nov. 5 that a recount was possible because of the narrow margin of victory. Because of this, he said he did not want to declare a victory but was confident the outcome would remain the same. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Campaign signs and a website touted the "team" of Brezovec, D'Eramo and Weinstein. "Working together this past year has been a great pleasure," Brezovec wrote about capaigning with the two. "I'm extremely excited to continue our journey together in city hall." Selecting a new council member in Hudson According to a notice posted about Foster's resignation, the Council seat will be filled temporarily by the remaining Council members through a majority vote, then by voters for the remainder of the term at the next general election. Foster's four-year term expires Nov. 30, 2027. The term of the person chosen to fill the unexpired term will begin at the first regular Council meeting after the Board of Elections' certification of the vote following the election, according to the city's charter. The person chosen to fill the unexpired term will continue for the remainder of that term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the Council fails to fill a vacancy within 60 days, a special election will be called by Council, according to the city charter. Candidates are listed on ballots as nonpartisan. Information on how to apply for the unexpired Ward 2 term is being drafted, said Jody Roberts, and will be published when the information is finalized. Hudson City Council is next scheduled to meet Nov. 18, where it will have both a workshop and a regular meeting. Council meets at the Town Hall, 27 E. Main St. in Hudson. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hudson City Council President Chris Foster abruptly resigns Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban visited the White House Friday for a summit with President Donald Trump and lavished praise on the president while disparaging former President Joe Biden. "The reason why we are here, to open a new chapter between the bilateral relation between the United States and Hungary basically because during the Democrat administration everything was rigged," Orban said, according to The Hill. "Everything was basically broke, ruined, cancelled. A lot of harm done by the previous administration," he said. "You've improved the bilateral relationship. You repaired what was done badly by the previous administration, so now we are in quite a good position to open up a new chapter. Let's say a golden age between the United States and Hungary." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Orban wants Trump to come to Budapest and to meet with Russia President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war. Trump has already canceled one meeting, saying he didn't want to "have a waste of time." Orban also came to the White House to ask Trump to give Hungary an exception to the sanctions on buying Russian oil. The president said he might exempt Hungary from those sanctions. President Donald Trump hosts a lunch with Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orban in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Friday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI He also called on European leaders to be more respectful of Orban, who has faced battles with them over migration, democracy and rule of law. "I think they should respect Hungary and respect this leader very, very strongly because he's been right on immigration," Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hungary claims it must buy Russian oil because it has no other viable source. "We're looking at it because it's very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas," Trump said. "It's a big country, but they don't have sea. They don't have the ports. And so they have a difficult problem." He also accused other European countries of buying Russian oil and gas. They "don't have those problems, and they buy a lot of oil and gas from Russia. And, as they know, I'm very disturbed by that." Trump and Orban are both conservative leaders who share similar values, including a dislike of immigration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Look what's happened to Europe with the immigration. They have people flooding Europe," Trump said. "You go to some of the countries, they're unrecognizable now because of what they've done. And Hungary is very recognizable." Orban defended his migration policies, blaming Europe. "This is the absurd world we are living in now in Europe," Orban said. "We are the only government in Europe which considers itself as a Christian government. All the other governments in Europe are basically liberal leftist governments." In September, Trump lifted travel restrictions against Hungarians, readmitting them to the Visa Waiver program. Biden had added restrictions against Hungarians when he learned that Budapest was granting Hungarian citizenship without adequate security measures. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Guardian reported that at Friday's meeting, Orban was expected to try to set up another meeting between the two leaders not only to broker peace in Ukraine, but to also boost his own standing as a statesman. Citing insiders, the news outlet said the far-right leader is facing stiff opposition ahead of April's parliamentary elections, and a visit from Trump would potentially boost support among conservatives. "Orban wants Trump to come to Budapest before the elections," an unnamed source working in the Hungarian government told The Guardian. "This is a top priority. They will discuss the Russian gas issue, but the thing Orban cares about the most is the elections." In a post on X on Thursday, Orban said Trump's first 10 months back in office have repaired the relationship between the United States and Hungary. He said the Biden administration damaged that relationship through "politically motivated sanctions." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our goal is to establish a strategic partnership that includes energy cooperation, investments, defense collaboration, and discussions on the post-war landscape following the Russia-Ukraine conflict," Orban wrote. "We are working on an agreement based on mutual benefits -- one that serves the interests of every Hungarian citizen." Trump told reporters last week that Orban wants an exemption from the oil and gas sanctions. "We haven't granted one, but he has asked," Trump said aboard Air Force One. "He's a friend of mine. He's asked for an exemption." Minidoka Memorial Hospital is the joint operation of Minidoka Countys only hospital and nursing home located in Rupert, Idaho. Services offered at Minidoka Memorial Hospital include surgery, inpatient and outpatient treatments, long-term care, home health, ambulance and occupational health. The hospital employs over 250 people, making it one of the countys larger employers. (Courtesy of Minidoka Memorial Hospital) Idaho is asking the federal government for $100 million annually over five years to support rural health care through a grant created in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Through the major federal tax and spending bill approved by Congress in July, states are entitled to a pool of $25 billion divided equally among each state, of which Idaho will receive $500 million over five years. Another $25 billion was set aside to be distributed as grants to states based on need. Idaho submitted its application Nov. 4 in hopes of receiving the additional $100 million in annual grant money, aiming to collect a total of $200 million annually between both distributions, or $1 billion over five years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Idaho is a mostly rural state, and we are grateful for the significant investments President (Donald) Trump and Congress have committed to improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes in rural Idaho and across the country, Idaho Gov. Brad Little said in an emailed statement. We are proud of the effective, collaborative approach we utilized in preparing Idahos application for funding through this transformative new program. Little created a task force through an October executive order to recommend priorities for the application. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare also solicited input from the public through a survey. Idahos application centered on five initiatives: Initiative 1: Improving rural access to care through technology. Initiative 2: Ensuring accessible, quality care through innovative models. Initiative 3: Sustaining rural workforce with training, recruitment, and retention. Initiative 4: Implementing population-specific, evidence-based projects to make rural America healthy again. Initiative 5: Investing in rural health infrastructure and partnerships. What is Idaho trying to do with the funds? The states application focused on a population of 655,070 Idahoans who live in rural census tracts, all rural health care centers, hospitals and facilities, and the five federally recognized Native American nations in the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Idaho officials plan to set aside 3.5% of total funds awarded for the states tribal nations, the report said, based on the percentage of the states Native population over the states total rural population. The state hopes to enhance telehealth as well as mobile and community-based services, upgrade electronic health records, develop a shared technology infrastructure, utilize artificial intelligence, and pair technology with provider training. There are also proposed investments in Emergency Medical Services, software upgrades at rural health centers, installation of telehealth pods and diagnostic kiosks, recruitment and retention incentives at the undergraduate and graduate level for training physicians as well as retention bonuses and sign-on incentives for practicing doctors, and increased utilization of non-physicians health care professionals such as nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and pharmacists. The application also lays out plans to deploy technology, such as phone apps, to monitor and educate about chronic health conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The goals laid out in the application include reducing emergency department visits for chronic conditions by 20%, and increasing the ratio of physicians per 100,000 population from 193 in 2023 to at least 195 by 2030. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX What are the health care challenges in rural Idaho? The states application outlines several of the challenges faced by rural residents, including higher rates of preventable illness and premature deaths than the national average. Idahos rural residents with chronic conditions have higher death rates than those living in urban areas, according to the application. Nearly 60% of residents are affected by primary health care professional shortages, and nearly 66% of residents are in whats called a dental health care professional shortage area. The entirety of the states landmass and population fall in whats considered a mental health professional shortage area, the application said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Most rural residents have no or limited access to public transportation and must drive significant distances to reach care, which can cause people to postpone preventative care, the application said. The states rural hospitals and clinics face significant financial pressures. A 2024 assessment found that 46% of Idahos Critical Access Hospitals maintain fewer than 100 days cash on hand, the application said. [subhed]Rural Idaho hospitals bracing for reductions in Medicaid payments [/subhed] Many rural hospitals in Idaho are struggling financially because of low patient volumes and a reliance on reimbursements from Medicaid, which are often less than what it costs to provide the care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This summer, Idaho said it would cut Medicaid reimbursement rates for health care providers by 4%, the Sun reported. The state budget is facing a projected budget shortfall of more than $49.3 million by the end of the fiscal year, which prompted Little to direct agencies to cut their budgets by 3% ongoing. The federal Big Beautiful Bill is expected to reduce Medicaid spending in rural areas by $137 billion nationwide over 10 years, according to an analysis by the health policy organization KFF. Its estimated Idahos Medicaid funds will be cut by up to $4.3 billion over the decade. U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, previously told the Sun that the reductions are meant to protect Medicaid for those it was intended for, and most people who are disabled, children, or able-bodied and complying with new work requirements will maintain their coverage. The only way to prove this is to wait and see what actually happens, Crapo said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Two companies active in the global clean energy space are collaborating on what they say is Europes largest battery energy storage installation. LEAG Clean Power GmbH and Fluence Energy GmbH, a subsidiary of Fluence Energy, on November 7 announced a 1-GW/4-GWh system that will be built in Janschwalde, Germany. The groups on Friday said the GigaBattery Janschwalde 1000 project will be powered by Smartstack, Fluences advanced energy storage solution. LEAG Clean Power is known for combining solar photovoltaic and wind energy systems with flexible power plants and large-scale storage facilities. The company has said its GigawattFactory concept, a combination of different power technologies, is being deployed at sites in the Lusatian energy region as well as at other locations in Germany. With this project, we are igniting another growth engine for our GigawattFactory, said Adi Roesch, CEO of the LEAG Group. By constructing gigascale storage facilities, we are addressing one of the biggest challenges of the energy transition: the constant availability of energy regardless of the availability of renewable energies. The key to the energy system of the future lies in a combination of renewable energies, storage facilities that can be used as needed, and flexible power plants. The LEAG Group is Germanys second-largest electricity producer and one of the largest private employers in eastern Germany. It is the company behind what it calls a clean energy hub in Germany that would feature energy storage. Germany Diversifying Energy German officials in recent years has moved to diversify the countrys energy mix. Germany has phased out nuclear and coal-fired power generation, while increasing energy storage and hydrogen production. Some areas have not abandoned nuclear power, though, and are studying fusion technology. Fluence Energy is considered a global market leader in delivering intelligent energy storage and optimization software for renewable energy resources and energy storage. The company has built and deployed gigawatts of projects across nearly 50 markets. [caption id="attachment_244560" align="alignnone" width="640"] From left: Thomas Merker, CFO LEAG; Markus Meyer, Managing Director of Fluence Energy GmbH; Julian Nebreda, Fluence President and CEO; Adi Roesch, CEO LEAG; Thomas Brandenburg, Managing Director LEAG Clean Power; and Carsten Kruger, Fluence, celebrate after a signing ceremony for the companies' major energy storage project in Germany. Source: LEAG / Andreas Franke / Fluence Energy[/caption] We are proud to partner on a project of this scale and importance and congratulate LEAG Clean Power on this milestone for the energy future of Germany and Europe, said Julian Nebreda, president and CEO of Fluence. This flagship project demonstrates that when expertise, vision, and courage come together, a major transformation is possible. Together, we can transform the energy system and thus the foundation of our economy and our everyday lives. Officials said the German government this year has reiterated its support for energy storage to help the country secure a more affordable and sustainable power system. The GigaBattery Janschwalde 1000 system will be designed to deliver essential grid services, support energy trading, reinforce Germanys energy security, and drive the energy transition forward at scale, the companies said Friday. The size of this project makes it something special," said Thomas Brandenburg, managing director of LEAG Clean Power GmbH. The technical design as a four-hour storage facility helps to stabilize the grid and enables optimal utilization of the existing grid connection. We are looking forward to implementing GigaBattery Janschwalde 1000 together with Fluence, an experienced technology partner. As a company with deep roots in Germany, we are honored and proud that our technology will play a key role in the transformation of both the country and the region, said Markus Meyer, managing director of Fluence Energy GmbH. With our proven expertise in delivering advanced battery storage systems and our strong German software, execution, and services team, Fluence is well-positioned to support LEAG in realizing the GigaBattery Janschwalde 1000. Together with our strong partner, we are shaping the future of energy in Lusatia, Germany, and Europe. Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER. "Lior was a man of the land, family, and community. A volunteer, a neighbor, and a true friend who was always there for everyone," Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak wrote in a statement. The remains of the hostage that Israel received on Friday night were of First Sergeant (res.) Lior Rudaeff, the IDF, and the Prime Ministers Office announced on Saturday. The identity of the remains was confirmed at the L. Greenberg Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rudaeff was initially believed to have been taken alive to Gaza. In May 2024, it was announced that he had been killed on October 7. On the morning of October 7, Nukhba terrorists breached the gates of Nir Yitzhak, attacking its residents. Rudaeff, along with other members of the kibbutzs emergency standby squad, rushed to defend the community. The squad fought for hours without any IDF backup. During those chaotic hours, several members of the team were killed in the fighting. At some point, Rudaeff was nowhere to be found. Over a hundred Eshkol residents at the Gama junction are paying their respects to the convoy carrying the coffin of the kidnapped man who was returned to Israel. (credit: Spokesperson for the Eshkol Regional Council) Who was Lior Rudaeff, defender of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak? When his phone was later tracked to Gaza, it was believed that he had been taken hostage alive with others from the kibbutz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His family believed him to be alive for seven months before the IDF informed them that Rudaeff had been killed on October 7, and his body was hijacked into the enclave by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Rudaeff leaves behind a wife, four children, three grandchildren, and a father, sister, and brother. After 763 harrowing days, our Lior has been returned home to be buried in the land he went out to defend on that dark morning, which changed our lives forever, his children wrote on Instagram. Thank you to all the good people who accompanied us in the uncompromising and humane struggle to bring our Lior home, along with all the other hostages. Rudaeff was born in Argentina and made aliyah when he was seven. He settled in Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak, where he raised his family. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Argentinian Ambassador Shimon Axel Wahnish hosted a gathering of freed Argentinian hostages and their families on Friday evening, noting Rudaeffs resounding absence. After two years of uncertainty and pain, we finally had a night of emotion and hope together with the released Argentine hostages and their families. We celebrated life and liberty, Wahnish said. But that happiness was not complete: We were still waiting for the return of the bodies of the kidnapped from Gaza, including that of our compatriot, Lior Rudaeff. In a later post on social media, Wahnish thanked Argentinian President Javier Milei for his firm decision and moral clarity, regarding the hostages. Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak wrote in a statement that it was two years and a month ago that Rudaeff left his home for the last time to defend his family and the place that had been his home his whole life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks to his courage and resourcefulness, a greater disaster was prevented but he paid for it with his life, it said. Lior was a man of the land, of the family, and of the community a volunteer, neighbor, and true friend who was always there for everyone. The entire community of Nir Yitzhak mourns Liors passing and embraces his wife, Yaffa, his children, grandchildren, and all the family with love during this difficult and tumultuous moment of closure. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said Rudaeff was a generous and kind man who loved helping others. Those close to [Rudaeff] say he had a generous spirit. He volunteered for 40 years as an ambulance driver in the Eshkol Regional Council and as a member of the Nir Yitzhak emergency standby squad. He was always the first to volunteer, extending a helping hand to everyone, the forum said. PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) We need a healthier river that grows the workforce. That was the rallying cry Thursday for mayors of communities that lined the Illinois River as they came together to show support for preserving and protecting the river. The Illinois River Cities and Town initiative represents 15 municipalities, including Peoria, East Peoria, Peoria Heights, Chillicothe and Pekin. They signed a memorandum of understanding to allow joint initiatives to improve the rivers health and grow the workforce. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2021, river-related and dependent industries supported nearly 262,000 jobs in Illinois, said Peorias Mayor Rita Ali, who co-chairs the group. In a very bipartisan way, were working together to protect, to enhance our Illinois River, our precious asset. Next up is to decide what issues the communities will want to address first. That could include , plastic pollution, water quality, invasive silver carp and riverfront development, said Anshu Singh, who heads the initative. According to the states Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois River frequently experiences harmful algal blooms, which can make the river toxic for life. The IEPA also noted the river receives a significant amount of pollution from agricultural runoff. Its not only municipalities signed onto this. The Illinois River Biological Station, supported by multiple state and federal environmental departments, signed on as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [This] will enable us to work more deliberately and more purposefully together with the mayors and communities of the Illinois River, to promote the use of ecological data, applied research, workforce training and community engagement to improve the health of the river system and the resilience of riverfront communities, said station director James Lamer. According to their website, one of the initiatives purposes is to collaborate with other regional, national, and global partners which include other rivers and the great lakes. East Peoria Mayor John Kahl, who co-chairs with the mayors group with Ali, said he hopes to see more Illinois River mayors join the group. This river touches every one of our communities and has a different meaning to all of us, but we have a shared purpose. he said. I appreciate all the mayors for their willingness to step up and serve along with us. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pekin Mayor Mary Burress said she was honored to be a part of the group. I think collaboration for us all to work together to clean our river up as far as making it safer for boaters, make it a cleaner for sports, help get some of the traffic off of our highways and put it on the river through barges, which will help tremendously, she said. Lamer said this signing is a major milestone in supporting our collective vision of ensuring that the Illinois Rivers and national and globally significant aquatic ecosystem for future generations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. New York is quietly preparing for a Donald Trump takeover of the countrys largest city. A wide range of New Yorks most prominent civic leaders have for weeks been meeting behind the scenes to plan for the possibility of Trump sending in the National Guard or any other federal agents into New York City, according to multiple top elected officials. Alarmed at what Trump may do in response to Zohran Mamdanis election as New York City mayor, Gov. Kathy Hochul has devised a virtual war room and convened a series of conversations with law enforcement, business officials and activist groups to stop or at least mitigate any federal incursion. More meetings are being scheduled, including with New Yorks leading clergy and veterans groups, some of whom will be gathering around Veterans Day next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The goal is to prevent, and if we cant prevent, then hopefully we can delay, said Jackie Bray, the states homeland security and emergency services director, whos Hochuls point person on the preparations. And if something happens, we then have to manage. All three scenarios have real planning behind them. The extent of the planning and coalition-building, which has not previously been reported, is meant to deny Trump any pretext to dispatch the National Guard or active-duty troops to the city. New York leaders have for months been watching Trumps deployment of the National Guard, ICE agents and uniformed military into other cities and braced for similar efforts in the presidents hometown. Hochul has developed an on-and-off rapport with Trump, who takes an intense interest in New York, but has told people she is concerned about the president using Mamdanis election as his opening to effectively federalize the city. Last month, the governor invited a broad range of activist and labor groups including the ACLU, the powerhouse local SEIU and grassroots network Indivisible to her Manhattan office. At the meeting, she pleaded with them to work constructively with one another and New York officials to avoid the sort of violence or vandalism that could spur Trump to send in federal troops, as he did in Los Angeles this summer, according to officials present. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hochul assured the groups that any protests they staged would be protected by state and city law enforcement, but she said they had to try to maintain control and keep people from provoking police and effectively clearing the way for Trumps intervention. The groups acknowledged the importance of order and not handing Trump the sort of made-for-TV street chaos he craves, vowing to do their part to maintain what discipline they can with activists. The governor also organized a meeting of business leaders late last month, and is planning another next week, with a related objective: forging a united front across ideological lines to prevent a Trump takeover from happening at all. Bray has been leading an array of state officials and coordinating with outgoing Mayor Eric Adams administration most notably police commissioner Jessica Tisch, with whom shes close and whom Mamdani has pledged to retain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tisch sounded the first notes of what will soon be a public campaign earlier this fall, when she said she was revolted by the idea of the militarization of our streets and, alluding to the New York Police Department, said weve got this. Hochul and Tisch have repeatedly emphasized New York Citys plummeting crime rates in a sort of show-dont-tell effort to convey that a federal takeover isnt needed. Subway crime dropped in October: It was as low as the same month during the Covid year of 2020 which was one of the lowest-crime months in the transit systems history and the first 10 months of this year saw historic lows of shootings citywide. With strategic investments in public safety and targeted interventions, crimes across our subway system have officially reached record lows, said Hochul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Hochul and her allies recognize they have to act even more aggressively on the PR front now that Mamdani has been elected. Theyre planning an expansive push in November and December to keep federal agents out of the city, an effort that will also include the voices of clergy and veterans. Those who have served understand how deeply wrong and unconstitutional it is to deploy troops against U.S. citizens, Rep. Pat Ryan, an upstate New York Democrat and Army veteran who has been involved with the planning, told me. We want to make sure New Yorkers hear from those who have served. Ryan also emphasized Americas founding tradition of not being made to quarter troops, calling such efforts un-American and vowing to issue a patriotic call ahead of the countrys 250th anniversary next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The planners have also begun to engage faith leaders and will step that effort up this month, I'm told by Hochul aides. Ryan has already spoken to the Rev. Al Sharpton, who was enthusiastic about a preemptive campaign and suggested holding a message event at the Statue of Liberty. We are very much concerned about what Trump will do after the (Mamdani) inauguration, Sharpton told me. The longtime civil rights activist said he was already speaking to clergy across religious and denominational lines and that theyd present a moral appeal: dont make New York Los Angeles." But, along with Hochul, Sharpton is also in touch with the citys business titans and is working to enlist them to argue that a federal takeover would hurt the financial capital much as San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie had technology executives nudge Trump away from deploying troops there. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our plan before the first of the year is to show the diversity and the depth of New Yorkers who dont think this is a good idea for New York and to also show that we got this, Bray told me. She emphasized that Hochul is willing to use the state guard recalling that the governor dispatched them to the New York City subway for a time last year but that she wants to do it of her own volition. If we need to deploy our guard, we will deploy our guard, said Bray. But rather than confront that question, New York officials would prefer to preempt Trump and win the public relations battle. That means prebunking some stuff, as Bray put it. Were going to show New Yorkers whats happened in other cities, talk to New Yorkers about what the Trump administration is saying and whats reality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's what happened this summer in other cities, namely Trump sending Marines into Los Angeles, that first prompted Hochul to act. The governor directed Bray to engage with her California counterparts and ask them what they wish they would have known in the weeks before Trumps incursion. Then, once ICE stepped up its detention of suspected illegal migrants in Chicago, Hochul officials stepped up their planning. They set up a virtual war room in which aides across state departments in Albany and New York have daily discussions and then began reaching out to non-governmental officials. Whats less clear is the role Mamdani will play, particularly closer to his inauguration on January 1. Hochul officials have had initial conversations with the mayor-elects transition team but have largely been coordinating with the citys police and emergency leaders, who are still technically part of the Adams administration. Unlike New Yorks two leading congressional Democrats Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer Hochul reached a detente with Mamdani and campaigned with him in the general election. The governor pressed Mamdani to pledge to retain Tisch as police commissioner and privately, Im told, urged him to resist his most expansive ambitions in 2026, when shes on the ballot and a number of New York House races could determine control of Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mamdani did vow to keep Tisch whos more likely to stay in her post if the city is forced into a Trump-created crisis but his fiery victory speech Tuesday has raised doubts about just how much hell temper his progressive agenda. "Donald Trump isnt deploying the National Guard to protect people, hes doing it to instill fear," said Dora Pekec, a Mamdani spokesperson. If safety were truly the goal, hed be sending them to the eight out of ten states with the highest crime rates all run by Republicans. As mayor, Zohran Mamdani will work closely with Governor Hochul to serve as a bulwark against Trumps vindictive attacks on New Yorkers." The president has threatened to send less federal money to Mamdanis New York but has so far resisted the aggressive ICE deployment hes unleashed on Chicago. City and state officials, however, were jolted by the ICE raid on Manhattans Canal Street last month, when migrants whove long sold their wares on a busy downtown thoroughfare were rounded up. It was a test of how the city, its leaders, law enforcement and citizens, would react. And it likely was only the first test. Nouadhibou, Mauritania When Omar*, a 29-year-old bricklayer from rural Gambia, crossed the border into Mauritania in March, he came in search of the better pay hed heard he could find. He settled in Nouadhibou, Mauritanias second-largest city, where he shared a one-room shack with four friends, and found work as a casual labourer on construction sites, earning two to three times more than he had back home. The oldest of nine children and the son of a rice farmer, Omar was able to save enough to support his family in The Gambia and pay his younger siblings school fees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then, in August, the National Guards armed pick-up trucks arrived in the city, and the police began rounding up migrants to detain and deport. Nouadhibous construction sites became early targets, so, to avoid capture, Omar who did not have a residence permit stopped working. He limited his movements to his housing compound in a dusty alleyway in Ghiran, a neighbourhood with a large migrant population, and the adjacent corner store. But soon, the police began targeting homes. They came day and night breaking down doors if those inside did not respond immediately. One evening, police swept through Omars compound. He and his friends escaped by fleeing over the rooftops, but with nowhere else to go, they returned later that night. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Still unable to work, Omar and his housemates ran critically short of money, sharing just one small bowl of rice a day, and occasional fish caught by a friend who would sneak through the backstreets to a nearby estuary in the dead of night. All the emotions I go through in one day are hard to explain, Omar told Al Jazeera in early September. A neighbourhood in Nouadhibou where many African migrants live, subjected to frequent police raids [Josef Skrdlik/Al Jazeera] Cruel and degrading conditions Al Jazeera spoke to migrants caught up in the government crackdown in Nouadhibou, the capital Nouakchott, and in both Rosso, Mauritania, and Rosso, Senegal twin cities on opposite sides of the Senegal River, which marks the border between the two countries. Many of those we spoke to have since been pushed out of Mauritania, often to a third country. The Mauritanian Association for Human Rights (AMDH) estimated that in March alone, 1,200 people were deported. Of those, about 700 had residence permits allowing them to legally work in Mauritania. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Mauritanian authorities have not released deportation figures, but according to a statement by government spokesman Houssein Ould Medou, 130,000 migrants entered the country of 5 million in 2022, while only 7,000 people renewed their residence permits that year. The government has not publicly detailed the scope and aims of its deportation campaign. But in May, Interior Minister Mohamad Ahmed Ould Mohamed Lemine told parliament that Mauritania was fully within its rights to control the movement of foreigners on its territory, stressing that authorities acted with respect for human dignity. The deportees were to be given sufficient food and water, access to medical services, and were allowed to keep their personal possessions, he added. Earlier, in March, government spokesman Medou insisted that reports of recent deportations were exaggerated, referring to accounts circulating on social media sites. After the mass deportations started this year, some experts noted that similar campaigns had also taken place in Mauritania in 2009 and 2012, albeit at a smaller scale. However, other observers pointed out that this time, the crackdown came not long after Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced a 210 million euro ($248m) migration partnership deal between the European Union and Mauritania in February 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The financial package supports security and migration management as well as other investments in green energy, employment and skills, entrepreneurship and strengthening access to socioeconomic services for refugees, asylum seekers and host communities, a European Commission (EC) spokesperson told Al Jazeera in a written statement. An aerial view of artisanal fishing boats moored in Nouadhibou [File: Sylvain Cherkaoui/Reuters] However, experts note that in pursuing a policy of border externalisation, the EU has in recent years made deals with countries including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Niger to stem irregular migration from major departure points in Africa. Mauritania is of particular interest because of its proximity to Spains Canary Islands. A 2025 report from Spains National Security Department stated that in 2024, 25,081 people departed from Mauritanias shores for the archipelago more than half of the islands 46,843 total irregular arrivals that year. A few people Al Jazeera spoke to said they might have considered travelling by boat to Europe, but that it was now too expensive and difficult. Most wanted to stay in Mauritania to work and send money home to their families. In October 2024, an amendment to Mauritanias 1965 immigration law came into force. The amendment legislated that any foreign national convicted of not abiding by immigration regulations, particularly those entering or residing in the country illegally, would be automatically expelled and banned from re-entry for a period of one to 10 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A few months later, in a speech to parliament, Prime Minister Mokhtar Ould Djay described the fight against illegal immigration as one of the governments priorities. The Mauritanian government did not respond to Al Jazeeras requests for comment. But in response to questions about the EU, the EC spokesperson said the bloc has scaled up its support to Mauritania on migration management, while stressing that protection for those in need and respect for the human rights of migrants were fundamental principles. The spokesperson added that the EU is in a constant dialogue with Mauritania to ensure the partnership is respectful of human rights. However, rights groups, opposition politicians and migrants paint a different picture of what is happening. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What people see every day is fear, said Kadiata Malik Diallo, a Mauritanian opposition MP who has been a vocal critic of the government campaign. Mass expulsions carried out under cruel and degrading conditions. The streets of Nouadhibou, Mauritanias second-largest city [Josef Skrdlik/Al Jazeera] How much can you pay? Nouadhibou, a windswept port city located on the tip of a narrow, 65km (40-mile) peninsula, has long drawn migrants from West and Central Africa. Many of them find work in construction, fishing, or other sectors of the citys informal economy. They are a visible part of city life in markets, ports, and streets and while up-to-date numbers are hard to come by, in 2020, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated the citys migrant population at 32,000, about a fifth of the total. For Nouadhibous migrants, the arrests have created fear and confusion. An Ivorian construction worker in his mid-20s told Al Jazeera that he had been arrested three times in less than a week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The worker, who did not have valid documents and asked to use only his surname, Traore*, said the first time police raided his compound, 11 people were handcuffed but released when they managed to pool the equivalent of $200 in bribes to the police. Two days later, he said, the police reappeared, breaking down doors and arresting 14 people. They were taken to a local police station before being released when their boss at the construction site paid a bribe. The third time, he was on a large construction site near Nouadhibou airport when it was raided by police, who arrested more than 60 men without documents. Some of those were able to pay bribes ranging from $11 to $33, but Traore had no money left and was only released after his boss intervened on his behalf. Traores Ivorian colleague, Ibrahim*, said that when his compound was raided, he showed the police officers his recent entry stamp, which permitted him to stay in the country for the following three months. One of the police officers concluded that Ibrahims documents were in order, but another officer ignored the stamp and arrested him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After spending five days in prison, Ibrahim was approached by a police officer, who he said told him, Now we will do business. How much can you pay? Ibrahim paid a $100 bribe. The constant threat of extortion and harassment has dealt a major blow to the livelihoods of Nouadhibous migrant workers. We dont know what to do, said Obi*, an electrician from the Ivory Coast. After narrowly escaping three arrests, he now only goes to work on days when he has heard that there will not be raids. He now feels trapped in Mauritania unable to earn a living, but also unable to afford to return home. Obi in his room on a day he couldnt go to work because police were conducting raids [Josef Skrdlik/Al Jazeera] If you have money, you can survive Two weeks after the first raid on Omars compound, the police turned up again. This time, they found him sleeping. Physically and mentally exhausted after weeks of worry, Omar said he submitted without resistance. But for others, arrest was a more traumatic experience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yunisa*, a 28-year-old Sierra Leonean forklift operator at a Chinese fish-processing plant, was apprehended on his way to work. When he tried to call his boss for help, he said his phone was slapped out of his hand, shattering the screen. I have to go to work, he protested as he was handcuffed. He said the officer told him, You can go exploit your own countrys riches now. Yunisa said he was not allowed to retrieve his belongings from his home before he was deported to Rosso, Senegal. Even those who were arrested in their homes describe not being permitted to take their possessions with them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Youssouf*, a 22-year-old Guinean working in a sardine factory, said he asked for a moment to get his birth certificate and school diploma when police broke down the door of his shack, but was told, We dont have time for that. When he tried to insist, he said he was slapped. He was taken without shoes to a nearby school, where he said he was searched, and police confiscated $3 they found in his pockets. Once in Nouadhibous migrant detention facility, Youssouf said he was fed only once a day, typically a piece of bread with sardines, or sometimes just plain bread. For water, he was forced to rely on a small tap in the common toilet, accessible only during infrequent toilet breaks. Omar said he was given no food during his three-day detention, but that police would offer to bring food from shops at extortionate prices. If the price is 50 [Ouguiya], they bring it to you for 100. If you have money, you can survive, he said. The same principle applied when he wanted to make a phone call to the Gambian embassy in Nouakchott. The 11 Gambians he was in detention with were able to pool $13 to use a guards phone. The call failed, but they were forced to pay regardless and were not allowed to try again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Migrants who have been detained say access to toilets was limited or non-existent. In the three days Omar was held in detention, he was forced to urinate into a large bucket with 50 other men in the same room where they slept. Yunisa said he and his fellow inmates were told to urinate into empty water bottles. Omar and his friends in their compound, while police were raiding the house next door [Josef Skrdlik/Al Jazeera] I cried, but the police didnt listen While the deportation campaign has largely targeted men, women and children have also been swept up in police raids. Mariam*, a 31-year-old mother of two from Sierra Leone, who had lived in Nouakchott for five years, selling ice-cream on the street, was approached by police on the way to a pharmacy, where she intended to buy medicine for her one-year-old daughter, who was sick with severe diarrhoea. When she protested that her two daughters were at home one in urgent need of medicine she said she was told, This isnt the time for your baby. This is the time for documents. She was then taken to a holding facility, which she described as a cattle shed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After pleading with guards at the detention facility, she was allowed to make a phone call to a neighbour, who brought her children to the facility. For the next two days, they were held together. Guards would enter the room to eat in front of them, she said. On the second day, a guard gave her daughters an ice cream to share. It was the only thing they ate during their detention. After two days, Mariams husbands boss paid a bribe, and she and her children were released. That same day, she left voluntarily for Senegal to reunite with her husband, who had been deported some months earlier. Others remain separated from their children. Oumar*, a 22-year-old Guinean migrant, now in Senegal, was arrested with his wife as they went to buy food, while their four-year-old daughter stayed at home. I explained everything, I cried, but the police didnt listen, he told Al Jazeera from his temporary accommodation in Rosso. Unable to travel back to Mauritania and strapped for cash, Oumar and his wife do not know how they will be reunited with their daughter, who is being cared for by a neighbour. The Senegal River forms the border between Rosso, Mauritania (on the left) and Rosso, Senegal (on the right) [Josef Skrdlik/Al Jazeera] Trapped in no-mans land From Nouadhibou, migrants are typically transported south in buses to detention facilities in Nouakchott, from where they are subsequently sent either to Gogui, Mauritanias border crossing with Mali, or Rosso. Detainees told Al Jazeera they are often chained to one another during the journey. Amadou*, a 19-year-old Guinean now in Senegal, described how a policeman, intending to chain him to another detainee, pulled him forcefully by the collar. My brother, dont pull me like that, dont pull me like Im a sheep, he protested. He said the officer slapped him so hard that a week later, he was still unable to hear properly. Once in Rosso, detainees have their fingerprints taken at Mauritanias border post, before they are released into the port area. There, they wait for a ferry to take them to the Senegalese border post on the other side of the River Senegal, just over 500 metres (550 yards) away. Once there, some of those with documents that enable them to enter Senegal visa-free are fortunate enough to cross the border. But many others remain stranded. Omar, though still in possession of his Gambian ID card, which should have given him visa-free access to Senegal, was refused entry. Have you been deported? the border guards on the Senegalese side of the river asked. When Omar and his friends acknowledged that they had been, they were told to return to Mauritania. Stuck at the Senegalese border post, they waited until the dead of night, when they instead paid for a pirogue to smuggle them to a remote drop-off point in the bush on the Senegalese side of the river. Those lacking valid documents often left in their Mauritanian homes because police did not allow for their collection recounted similar experiences. Youssouf was trapped at the Mauritanian border post until his friends pooled about $9 to help him pay for the pirogue to Senegal. Under the cover of darkness, the pirogue took him to a remote marshland a few kilometres downstream of the border post across the river. From there, he waded through knee-deep water until he reached dry land on the outskirts of Rosso. Unable to afford the journey back to Guinea, Youssouf joined large groups of deportees sleeping on the streets of Rosso. Guinean deportees in Rosso, Senegal, near the border with Mauritania [Josef Skrdlik/Al Jazeera] A day after Youssouf and his friends spoke to Al Jazeera, they were arrested by Senegalese police and sent back to the no-mans land on the Mauritanian side of the river. There, they were once again forced to pool money to pay for a pirogue to take them back across the river. Stepping off the pirogue and onto Senegalese soil, Omar and his friends circumvented Rosso through remote bush roads, entering the highway after the last police checkpoint outside the city. From there, they took a series of shared taxis towards The Gambia. Al Jazeera reached out to the responsible government bodies in Mauritania to ask about the migrant deportation campaign, including the deportees allegations of widespread violations and misconduct by police. We contacted the government spokesman, the Gendarmerie, and the Ministry of the Interior, Decentralisation and Local Development, which is responsible for the campaign and in charge of the police forces conducting the operation. As of the time of publication, they had not responded. If they stop deporting people, Ill go back Speaking to Al Jazeera in late September, a week after his return to The Gambia, Omar expressed mixed emotions. Theres no policeman chasing us here. You dont have to look over your shoulder, he said, adding, Theres no place like home. But with the rainy season not yet over in The Gambia, demand for labourers is low, and Omar has been unable to find work. The schools are opening, and my family is asking, Where is the bag of rice? he said. There is no cash and they dont like it. Despite his ordeal, Omar remains nostalgic about his early days in Nouadhibou, when the work was regular and the wages good. For now, he intends to keep a close eye on the climate in Mauritania. If they stop deporting people, Ill go back to Nouadhibou, he said. *All interviewees requested that only one of their names be used for safety reasons. The Find my iPhone app helped police arrest a man who allegedly tried to strangle an Uber driver during the brazen theft of her vehicle in Boston on Thursday night, authorities said. Officers responding to a report of a carjacking in the area of Massachusetts and Columbus avenues around 6:30 p.m. encountered a visibly shaken rideshare driver, according to the Boston Police Department. The woman told officers that she had picked up a passenger in Cambridge before the violent incident occurred. As she reached the Boston intersection, the suspect allegedly wrapped a cord around her neck in an attempt to strangle her, according to police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She managed to escape the vehicle and call for help. A witness told police she saw the victim struggling with a man in the back seat of her white 2017 Lexus NX SUV before the suspect jumped into the drivers seat and fled down Massachusetts Avenue toward Boston Medical Center. The victim informed officers that her phone was still inside the stolen vehicle, and her husband was able to track it using the Find My iPhone app, according to police. Officers followed the signal to Grove Hall, then to Stanwood Street and Blue Hill Avenue, where the vehicle was stopped. The suspect, identified as Christopher Dawkins, was arrested at the scene. Police noted that the victim also positively identified Dawkins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Dawkins faces charges of carjacking, strangulation or suffocation, assault with a dangerous weapon, and receiving a stolen motor vehicle. The operation to track down Dawkins involved numerous Boston police units, state police, and a state police helicopter. Body-worn cameras were also activated during the response, according to police. Boston 25 News has reached out to Uber for comment on the incident. 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 Mexican authorities thwarted an attempted attack on Ambassador Einat Kranz-Neiger. Mexico thwarted an Iran-orchestrated terrorist attack against Israeli Ambassador Einat Kranz Neiger, the Foreign Ministry revealed. This announcement on Friday was made hours after N12 reported American and Israeli officials confirmed that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps planned to attack Israels ambassador as part of a wider plot targeting both Israeli and American interests in the region. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are in the direct line of fire right now. Diplomats are literally standing at the forefront as they represent the State of Israel in a climate that is not always simple, Kranz Neiger told Walla. We are well aware of the history of Iran and its attacks in Latin America, and this is a good opportunity to thank the authorities and security services here in Mexico for their assistance in thwarting the attack against me. Kranz Neiger said that ever since the information was publicized, she has been talking to the media in Mexico. A man holds a candle as he attends a demonstration in support of Palestinians and the Global Sumud Flotilla, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, outside the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, September 20, 2025. (credit: JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ/REUTERS) I have been conveying messages that reflect the complexities we are currently facing, especially regarding the Iranian threat in the form of attacks of this nature that, as mentioned, we have seen in the world in the past, Kranz Neiger continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The IRGC planned to assassinate the ambassador earlier this year. In this context, US officials told N12 that there was no longer an active threat. The Foreign Ministry thanked the security and law enforcement services in Mexico for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran that sought to attack Israels ambassador in Mexico. The Iranian embassy in Mexico said the accusation was entirely false, reported Mehr News Agency, which is sponsored by Iran. We will never tarnish the good reputation of Mexicans, our friends. We consider a betrayal of Mexicos interests as a betrayal of our own, and respecting Mexicos laws is our highest priority, Mehr cited the embassy as saying. Iran's attacks on Israeli and Jewish targets American sources told N12 that large components of the attacks were planned from the Iranian embassy in Venezuela and were led by a man called Hassan Izadi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After spending years recruiting from the Venezuelan embassy, Izadi was relocated to a new position in Tehran, where he was said to have continued to plot against the Israeli ambassador. The IRGC Quds Forces 11000 Unit, which is presumed to be the military wing responsible for orchestrating this planned assassination, is also behind a number of recently foiled attacks on Jewish and Israeli targets in Australia and Europe, according to Axios. This is just the latest example in a long history of assassination attempts by Iran worldwide against diplomats, journalists, dissidents, and anyone who disagrees with it something that should raise deep concern in any country where there is an Iranian presence, one American official said. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said the Israeli intelligence and security community will continue to work tirelessly and in full cooperation with comparable agencies worldwide to thwart terror threats from Iran and its proxies against Israeli and Jewish targets. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Security services in the UK and Sweden warned last year that Tehran was using criminal proxies to carry out violent attacks in those countries, with London saying it had disrupted 20 Iran-linked plots since 2022. A dozen other countries have condemned what they called a surge in assassination, kidnapping, and harassment schemes by Iranian intelligence services. The UKs domestic spy chief, MI5 Director-General Ken McCallum, said last month that Iran was frantically trying to silence its critics on a global scale. He mentioned as examples that Australia had exposed Irans involvement in antisemitic plots and that Dutch authorities had revealed a similar failed assassination attempt. Iranian President Pezeshkian will not hold talks if not allowed nuclear science or missiles for defense. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Friday that Iran seeks peace, but will not be coerced into abandoning its nuclear and missile programs, state media reported. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Iran had been asking if US sanctions against the country could be lifted. "We are willing to hold talks under international frameworks, but not if they say you can't have a (nuclear) science, or the right to defend yourself (with missiles), or else we will bomb you," Pezeshkian said. Iran will 'not be humiliated' Iran has repeatedly dismissed the possibility of negotiations over its defensive capabilities, including its missile program, and the idea of abandoning all enrichment of uranium on its soil. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We want to live in this world in peace and security, but not be humiliated, and it is not acceptable that they impose upon us whatever they want and we just serve them," Pezeshkian said. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visits the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation in Tehran, Iran, November 2, 2025. (credit: IRANIAN ATOMIC ORGANISATION/WANA (WEST ASIA NEWS AGENCY)/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS) Israel sees Iran as an existential threat. But Iran says its ballistic missiles, with a range of up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles), are an important deterrent and retaliatory force against the United States, Israel, and other potential regional targets. It denies seeking nuclear weapons. LANSING, Mich. (WJW/AP) Federal investigators believe suspects charged in a Michigan federal court with plotting a Halloween terror attack on U.S. soil on behalf of the Islamic State had scouted out Cedar Point in Sandusky as a potential target, and had stockpiled numerous firearms and accessories, along with more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition. Ayob Nasser, his live-in brother Mohmed Ali and Majed Mahmoud are charged with conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated terrorist organization and receiving and transferring guns and ammunition for terrorism, according to court documents. 1 killed in home invasion robbery in Maple Heights Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ali and Mahmoud were arrested Friday, Oct. 31. Investigators said two minors, identified only as Person 1 and Person 2 in court documents, were also involved in the discussions. The Associated Press reported that Nasser, 19, was arrested Wednesday, Nov. 5. He is accused of participating in the planning of a possible attack on LGBTQ+ bars in suburban Detroit that was inspired by the Islamic State, federal authorities have said. We will not stop. We will follow the tentacles where they lead. We will continue to stand guard with the FBI against terrorism, said U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said in a statement. The FBI surveilled them for weeks A federal affidavit alleges that in August and September while Person 1 and Ali were planning the attack Ali bought a shotgun, an AR-15 style rifle and firearm accessories including a device that can increase a semi-automatic weapons rate of fire, according to the complaint. Nasser and Mahmoud also bought an AR-15 style rifle and accessories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Investigators found they also obtained licenses for the firearms in Michigan. (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) According to court records, Nasser was one of two people sued in federal court in October by the makers of the popular video game Fortnite, reported AP. The two are accused of making thousands of fake bot accounts that earned tens of thousands of dollars in unearned payments. That month, Mahmoud stockpiled more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition for the rifles he and the others bought, according to the complaint. The suspects then took the rifles and ammunition to numerous practice ranges in October, to develop their firearms skills, the investigator wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Surveillance footage from the shooting ranges that month, pictured below, show Ali, in a gray shirt and a gray hooded sweatshirt; Nasser, in a black shirt; Person 1, in a brown sweatshirt; Person 2 in a black hooded sweatshirt: (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) Person 1, a juvenile, also visited a shooting range in mid-October, according to the complaint. Plainclothes FBI agents were nearby watching as he fired a handgun, an AR-15 style rifle and a semi-automatic shotgun, according to the complaint. The suspects then scouted potential locations for the attack in Michigan and at Cedar Point in Sandusky, investigators said. One of the juveniles and Ali also asked the father of an Islamic extremist ideologue when they should plan the attack. The ideologue is known to investigators as being active on social media, as a cheerleader for ISIS extremists, but was unnamed in the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cell phone location data showed some of the suspects traveled to a nightlife district in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale, known as an attraction for members of the LGBTQ+ community. The suspects internet search history revealed they had looked up information on the 2016 shooting at Pulse, an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, where an Islamic State-aligned gunman killed 49 people and wounded 53 others. Major CMSD changes: CEO recommends many school closures, mergers They were seen at Cedar Point twice, FBI says Investigators believed that after purchasing at least some of the firearms, the suspects scouted out Cedar Point in Sandusky as a possible attack location, reads the complaint. Cellular location data showed the suspects in September traveled twice to the Six Flags park, which is about three hours from their Dearborn, Michigan residence. They first visited Sept. 18, ignoring workers instructions to turn around and leave, instead cruising a road that circles the park. They stayed for about a half hour, leaving hours before the park was set to open at 6 p.m. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They made the same trip the following day, Sept. 19, and stayed for several hours, buying two single-day tickets, but leaving about 20 minutes before the park opened at 6 p.m. Nasser and one of the juveniles were seen on surveillance cameras near the park that day: (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) While searching the suspects Dearborn home, they found an internet search query that read, is it crowded on halloweekends presumably referring to Cedar Points HalloWeekends, which ran this year from Sept. 11 to Nov. 1. One of the suspects also downloaded maps of the park. App messages reviewed by the FBI suggested the suspects used the word pumpkin and pumpkin emojis as code while solidifying plans for an attack on Halloween, Oct. 31, according to the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Six Flags spokesperson declined an interview with FOX 8 News on Thursday, but issued a statement that read: The safety and security of our guests and associates is a top priority. Cedar Point assisted the FBI on this investigation, as the individuals were recently observed on park property. Although there was no substantiated threat to the park, guests or associates, Cedar Points advanced security and surveillance capabilities provided important additional information to investigators. Together with additional third-party experts, the park took immediate and appropriate action to ensure the continued safety of all on property. The suspects later scouted two public parks in Dearborn the following October. FBI agents were once again nearby, watching, as they drove around the city, presumably to discuss illegal activities, reads the complaint. FBI agents gather outside a home in a Dearborn, Mich., neighborhood on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Householder) FBI makes Halloween bust in Michigan FBI agents on Oct. 31 served search warrants at the suspects homes and a storage unit that had been rented by Ali, according to the complaint. They also got consent to search an auto repair shop operated by Ali and Nassers family. In all, agents seized three AR-15 style rifles, two shotguns, four handguns and nearly 1,700 rounds of ammunition for the rifles, along with dozens of extra magazines two of which were loaded body-worn cameras, tactical vests and backpacks and numerous other firearm accessories. (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan) Dallas Cowboys defensive end dead at 24 FBI alleges 2 other co-conspirators On Wednesday evening, acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba in New Jersey said in a video posted to social media that her office had charged two more people connected to the alleged plot. Court documents detailing the charges were not immediately available. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The complaint alleges another person living in the U.S. whom agents had been tracking since 2024 was a co-conspirator in the planned attack. The persons cellular phone data showed they stayed at Alis home in late June. While overseas the following July, the person allegedly participated in an encrypted group call with several unidentified people, including one person who recorded the call and informed the FBI. Another alleged co-conspirator said during the call that two people believed to be Person 1 and Ali were planning to do the same thing as France presumably a reference to the 2015 ISIS terror attacks in Paris, in which eight militants armed with machine guns and wearing explosive belts killed more than 100 people. Yeah were not coming back, bro we are gonna die there [in Syria] Inshallah unless the [ISIS commander] sends you to Paris for a 2015, the first alleged co-conspirator replied. When returning to the U.S. the following August, the alleged co-conspirator was interviewed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Agents reviewing the persons phone found Google searches related to ISIS and the Islamic State and pictures of themself in military-style clothing with weapons, reads the complaint. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The first alleged co-conspirator participated in another group call the following September, where the person talked about traveling to Turkey. The FBIs informant and an undercover FBI agent were listening in. I dont want to say anything on this call but theres going to be brothers doing something else while we go. Like a nice surprise. Thats all Im going to say, the complaint reads. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received a delegation from the Slovak Republic led by Robert Kali?ak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, on November 7, Azernews reports. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Slovakia congratulated the head of state on the fifth anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War and expressed gratitude for the invitation to the military parade to be held on this occasion. Robert Kali?ak also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to President Ilham Aliyev. The head of state expressed gratitude for the greetings and asked that his own greetings be conveyed to the Prime Minister of Slovakia. President Ilham Aliyev highly appreciated the participation of the delegation led by Robert Kali?ak in the military parade dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War to be held in Baku the following day. The Deputy Prime Minister extended congratulations to President Ilham Aliyev on the achievements in normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and advancing the peace agenda reached in Washington. Expressing gratitude for the congratulations, the head of state underlined the historical significance of the documents signed with the participation of the President of the United States to advance the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia, emphasizing their role in ensuring lasting peace in the region. Robert Kali?ak noted that Slovakia looks forward to President Ilham Aliyevs visit to the country. During the conversation, they described bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Slovakia as strategic partnership based on mutual understanding and support, and highlighted opportunities for expanding cooperation in various areas, including military and defense industry sectors. They also touched upon Slovakias support for the expansion of Azerbaijan-European Union and Azerbaijan-NATO relations. By Giulia Segreti ROME (Reuters) -Italy's Leonardo will exceed the financial goals it has set itself for the full year given the strong results achieved so far in 2025, Chief Executive Roberto Cingolani said on Wednesday. Earlier, the aerospace and defence group reported year-on-year double-digit growth for orders, revenues and core profit in the first nine months of the year. Although the group did not update its guidance, Cingolani told analysts in a call that he felt "confident with the numbers... and I am sure that we will pass the targets", without specifying which ones. CFO Alessandra Genco said that given that "orders are not linear" the guidance for orders was confirmed and would hit the range set with mid-year results. In July, the company improved its 2025 guidance for orders, free cash flow and net debt, estimating orders of between 22.25 billion to 22.75 billion euros ($25.95 billion-$26.53 billion). Results for the first nine months of the year were lifted by a support and training contract for the Kuwaiti air force's Eurofighter programme, as well as rising revenues in its electronics and helicopter divisions. The group also had stronger orders for its space businesses, including manufacturing activities and Telespazio, one of its joint ventures with France's Thales, as it increasingly focuses on the space industry. After diluting its share last week in rocket maker Avio, from just under 29% to just over 19%, Cingolani explained that it did not make sense for Leonardo to "nurture" two missile companies. Avio has recently launched a 400-million euro capital hike mainly to fund a U.S. plant which will produce solid rocket motors for missiles. Leonardo is already part of European missile maker MBDA, a joint venture with Airbus and Britain's BAE Sustems. "We would be duplicating... there are certainly other companies interested in investing more in (Avio)," Cingolani said, adding that Leonardo would maintain a stake in Avio. Leonardo has benefited from rising European defense spending in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It has also expanded through partnerships including with Germany's Rheinmetall and Baykar for drone technologies. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Giulia SegretiEditing by Keith Weir and Crispian Balmer) Israel's military said on Thursday it has ended attacks on Hezbollah military targets in southern Lebanon, after a series of strikes that were condemned by UN peacekeepers. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it targeted weapons depots from the elite Radwan unit of the Iran-backed militia, accusing the group of rearming in contravention of the ceasefire agreement. "The weapons depots were built in the middle of areas where civilians live," the statement said. Before the attacks, the IDF called on residents to leave certain buildings and their surroundings in five locations in the south of the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the state news agency NNA, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the attacks as a "flagrant crime" committed by Israel. The affected areas included the villages of Taybeh, Tir Dabba and Ayta al-Jabal, Lebanese security sources said. A photographer for dpa reported that a building in Tayr Debba was hit. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, one person was wounded in the strikes on Tayr Debba. A dpa journalist on the ground said the warnings triggered panic, with parents rushing to schools to collect children and streets being blocked. "I can't stand living in fear any more," one woman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lebanese Health Ministry reported one dead and eight injured in a separate Israeli strike earlier in the day near the port city of Tyre. Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have escalated in recent weeks, as Israel presses for the militia's full disarmament, backed by the United States. A ceasefire has technically been in place since late November last year, but Israel accuses Hezbollah of rearming and has continued near-daily strikes. US envoy Tom Barrack and Israeli officials have recently warned of additional measures if Hezbollah does not disarm. UNIFIL condemns strikes UN peacekeepers on Thursday condemned the strikes, calling them "clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701" and warning that military action "undermines the progress being made toward a political and diplomatic solution." The statement from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said called on Israel "to immediately cease these attacks and all violations of resolution 1701." Israel has received remains of one of the last deceased hostages held in Gaza, in the fourth such transfer this week. On Saturday morning, the Israel Defense Forces said the remains were identified as Command Sergeant Major Lior Rudaeff. The 61-year-old was killed at Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak during the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023. He was the deputy security coordinator for the communitys rapid response team. His remains were held in Gaza throughout the course of the war sparked by that attack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hamas transferred the remains to Israel via the Red Cross. The return means the bodies of five deceased hostages remain in Gaza. Transfers of deceased hostages from Hamas to Israel is one of the key conditions of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire. Israeli intelligence has assessed that Hamas may not be able to find and return all the remaining dead hostages in Gaza. On Sunday, Israel received the bodies of Israeli-American Omer Neutra, as well as those of Asaf Hamami and Oz Daniel. Two days later, Israel received the body of Itay Chen, the last Israeli-American dual citizen whose remains were held in Gaza. And on Wednesday, Hamas transferred the remains of Joshua Loitu Mollel, a Tanzanian agricultural student who was abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command, spoke at Neutras funeral in Israel on Friday. Omer made the ultimate sacrifice we hope no soldier ever has to make, but many have made it nonetheless, in service to a higher cause, Cooper said. We express our deepest condolences for the loss of Omer. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum has continued to organize rallies in Tel Aviv and elsewhere across Israel calling for the release of the remaining deceased hostages. Eitan Horn, who was recently freed after 738 days in captivity, said in Hostages Square on Saturday, I cannot begin my journey of healing and recovery as long as I know there are families who are not with me on this journey. We have no future without the return of all the hostages. Earlier this week, CNN also reported that Israel believes it has new information about the location of the longest-held remains in Gaza, belonging to Lt. Hadar Goldin, who was killed in the final days of the 2014 war between Israel and Hamas. Goldins remains, according to two Israeli sources, are likely held in Rafah in southern Gaza near an area where up to 200 Hamas militants are hiding in underground tunnels in territory occupied by Israeli forces. Catch-up immunization campaign for Gazas children In war-ravaged Gaza, the United Nations announced an immunization campaign to reach thousands of Palestinian children who have missed essential vaccines since the start of the conflict over two years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UNRWA, together with UNICEF, WHO, and partners, is launching a catch-up immunization campaign to reach 44,000 children with life-saving vaccines and malnutrition screening, UNRWA, the main UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said on Friday. The announcement comes as the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza since October 7, 2023 exceeded 69,000 on Saturday, according to Gazas health ministry. Since the ceasefire with Israel came into effect in October, 241 people have been killed in Gaza, while the bodies of 522 Palestinians have been recovered from under the rubble, the ministry added. Aid has resumed flowing into the enclave after the ceasefire came into effect last month, but the scale of the need remains high after months of meager shipments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least 460 people in Gaza died of starvation, including 154 children, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave, since Hamas launched its attack on Israel in October 2023 prompting a relentless Israeli bombardment campaign. The UN has said that more than one million children are in need of mental health and psychosocial support. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinian families are also at risk of facing a winter without desperately needed protection from the elements, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UN-coordinated entry of essential shelter materials and tents into the enclave faces major limitations, the agency added. Last winter, several children and adults died from hypothermia as a result of the cold and the lack of winter supplies. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com The Israeli military struck several towns in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hours after militant group Hezbollah urged the Lebanese government not to enter negotiations with Israel over the group's disarmament. According to Israeli army Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee, residents of several towns on the Mediterranean coast and near the Lebanon-Israel border were given advance warning to keep a distance from residential buildings Israel was targeting, adding that they were used by Hezbollah. The Israeli military said "it targeted military infrastructure for Hezbollah in those areas, including weapons storage facilities ... constructed in the centre of civilian-populated areas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It accused the group of rebuilding its capabilities almost a year after a US-brokered ceasefire went into effect that ended some two months of intensive fighting. While most residents evacuated the areas ahead of the strikes, Lebanons health ministry reported one person wounded. We will not allow Hezbollah to rearm themselves, to recover, build back up its strength to threaten the state of Israel, Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian said at a briefing Thursday. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in the village of Teir Debba, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari) - Mohammad Zaatari/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved Strikes come amid Lebanese plan to disarm Hezbollah Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and his government met in Beirut to follow up on a plan drafted by the Lebanese military to disarm Hezbollah and other non-state armed groups in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the meeting, Information Minister Paul Morcos said that the cabinet commended the progress (the army) has made... despite continued obstacles, foremost among which is the continuation of Israeli hostilities." Lebanese President Joseph Aoun criticised the strikes, saying that every time Lebanon expresses its openness to peaceful negotiations... Israel intensifies its aggression. Nearly a year has passed since the ceasefire came into effect, and during that time, Israel has spared no effort to demonstrate its rejection of any negotiated settlement between the two countries, he said. Your message has been received. A civil defense member inspects the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in the village of Teir Debba, southern Lebanon, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. - Mohammad Zaatari/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved Israel says its near-daily strikes have targeted Hezbollah officials and military infrastructure. In contrast, the Lebanese government, which has backed disarming Hezbollah, say the strikes have targeted civilians and infrastructure unrelated to the Iran-backed group. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hezbollah has refused to disarm, and its secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, has stated that the group will be prepared to fight regardless of how reduced its capabilities may be. But analysts say Israel's fierce air campaign over southern Lebanon, which began in September 2024, already significantly weakened the group's military capabilities. Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which nominally ended the Israel-Hezbollah war last November. Related Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The conflict started when Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians, prompting Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling. According to Lebanons health ministry, more than 270 people have been killed and around 850 wounded by Israeli military actions since the ceasefire took effect. James D. Watson, the brilliant but controversial American biologist whose 1953 discovery of the structure of DNA, the molecule of heredity, ushered in the age of genetics and provided the foundation for the biotechnology revolution of the late 20th century, has died at the age of 97. His death was confirmed by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, where he worked for many years. The New York Times reported that Watson died this week at a hospice on Long Island. In his later years, Watson's reputation was tarnished by comments on genetics and race that led him to be ostracized by the scientific establishment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even as a younger man, he was known as much for his writing and for his enfant-terrible persona including his willingness to use another scientist's data to advance his own career as for his science. His 1968 memoir, "The Double Helix," was a racy, take-no-prisoners account of how he and British physicist Francis Crick were first to determine the three-dimensional shape of DNA. The achievement won the duo a share of the 1962 Nobel Prize in medicine and eventually would lead to genetic engineering, gene therapy and other DNA-based medicine and technology. James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA helix and father of the Human Genome Project, stands inside a laboratory at the Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston May 31, 2007. Crick complained that the book "grossly invaded my privacy." Another colleague, Maurice Wilkins, objected to what he called a "distorted and unfavorable image of scientists" as ambitious schemers willing to deceive colleagues and competitors in order to make a discovery. In addition, Watson and Crick, who did their research at Cambridge University in England, were widely criticized for using raw data collected by X-ray crystallographer Rosalind Franklin to construct their model of DNA as two intertwined staircases without fully acknowledging her contribution. As Watson put it in "Double Helix," scientific research feels "the contradictory pulls of ambition and the sense of fair play." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2007, Watson again caused widespread anger when he told the Times of London that he believed testing indicated the intelligence of Africans was "not really ... the same as ours." Accused of promoting long-discredited racist theories, he was shortly afterward forced to retire from his post as chancellor of New York's Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Although he later apologized, he made similar comments in a 2019 documentary, calling different racial attainment on IQ tests attributed by most scientists to environmental factors "genetic." 'Tough Irishman' James Dewey Watson was born in Chicago on April 6, 1928, and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1947 with a zoology degree. He received his doctorate from Indiana University, where he focused on genetics. In 1951, he joined Cambridge's Cavendish Lab, where he met Crick and began the quest for the structural chemistry of DNA. Using what was known about biology at the time and X-ray images, the two determined that DNA had a double-helix structure - like a twisted ladder, with each rung made up of a pair of chemicals. Understanding that structure enabled them to explain what had been a great mystery: How DNA passes its genetic blueprint to the next generation of cells and creatures. That description has enabled researchers to, among other things, trace evolution and human history, and better understand and treat a huge number of diseases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watson and Crick went their separate ways after their DNA research. Watson was only 25 years old then and while he never made another scientific discovery approaching the significance of the double helix, he remained a scientific force. "He had to figure out what to do with his life after achieving what he did at such a young age," biologist Mark Ptashne, who met Watson in the 1960s and remained a friend, told Reuters in a 2012 interview. "He figured out how to do things that played to his strength." James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA helix and father of the Human Genome Project, prepares to autograph his book for a researcher at the Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center in Houston May 31, 2007. That strength was playing "the tough Irishman," as Ptashne put it, to become one of the leaders of the U.S. leap to the forefront of molecular biology. Watson joined the biology department at Harvard University in 1956. "The existing biology department felt that molecular biology was just a flash in the pan," Harvard biochemist Guido Guidotti related. But when Watson arrived, Guidotti said he immediately told everyone in the biology department scientists whose research focused on whole organisms and populations, not cells and molecules "that they were wasting their time and should retire." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That earned Watson the decades-long enmity of some of those traditional biologists, but he also attracted young scientists and graduate students who went on to forge the genetics revolution. In 1968 Watson took his institution-building drive to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island, splitting his time between the lab and Harvard for eight years. The lab at the time was "just a mosquito-infested backwater," said Ptashne. As director, "Jim turned it into a vibrant, world-class institution." Genome project In 1990, Watson was named to lead the Human Genome Project, whose goal was to determine the order of the 3 billion chemical units that constitute humans' full complement of DNA. When the National Institutes of Health, which funded the project, decided to seek patents on some DNA sequences, Watson attacked the NIH director and resigned, arguing that genome knowledge should remain in the public domain. In 2007 he became the second person in the world to have his full genome sequenced. He made the sequence publicly available, arguing that concerns about "genetic privacy" were overwrought but made an exception by saying he did not want to know if he had a gene associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. Watson did have a gene associated with novelty-seeking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His proudest accomplishment, Watson told an interviewer for Discover magazine in 2003, was not discovering the double helix - which "was going to be found in the next year or two" anyway - but his books. "My heroes were never scientists," he said. "They were Graham Greene and Christopher Isherwood - you know, good writers." Watson cherished the bad-boy image he presented to the world in "Double Helix," friends said, and he emphasized it in his 2007 book, "Avoid Boring People." Married with two sons, he often disparaged women in public statements and boasted of chasing what he called "popsies." But he personally encouraged many female scientists, including biologist Nancy Hopkins of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I certainly couldn't have had a career in science without his support, I believe," said Hopkins, long outspoken about anti-woman bias in science. "Jim was hugely supportive of me and other women. It's an odd thing to understand." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Watson, co-discoverer of DNA's double helix, dead at 97 James D. Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics, has died, according to his former research lab. He was 97. The breakthrough made when the brash, Chicago-born Watson was just 24 turned him into a hallowed figure in the world of science for decades. But later in life, he faced condemnation and professional censure for offensive remarks. Watson shared a 1962 Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for discovering that deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is a double helix, consisting of two strands that coil around each other to create what resembles a long, gently twisting ladder. In 2014, he became the first living prizewinner to auction off their medal, though the purchaser returned the award to him several months later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The breakthrough discovery suggested how hereditary information is stored and how cells duplicate their DNA when they divide. The duplication begins with the two strands of DNA pulling apart like a zipper. Even among non-scientists, the double helix would become an instantly recognized symbol of science, showing up in such places as the work of Salvador Dali and a British postage stamp. President of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Fortov, right, returns a Nobel prize medal which was sold at auction to a Russian businessman, to U.S. Nobel laureate, biologist James Watson in the Russian Academy of Sciences, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 17, 2015. / Credit: Ivan Sekretarev / AP The findings, based on data from Wilkins, Rosalind Franklin and other colleagues at King's College London, were a "pivotal moment in the life sciences," said the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island. Watson spent much of his career at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, becoming its director in 1968 and focusing the facility's research on DNA viruses that cause cancer. Watson, his wife and their two children lived on the laboratory's grounds for decades. "Watson's extraordinary contributions to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory during his long tenure transformed a small, but important laboratory on the North Shore of Long Island into one of the world's leading research institutes," the institution said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watson continued to make scientific discoveries. While at Cambridge in England, he carried out pioneering research on the structure of small viruses, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory said. He also helped demonstrate the existence of mRNA in his lab at Harvard University in partnership with researchers at Cambridge, and later discovered important bacterial proteins that control gene expression, the laboratory said. He also wrote influential textbooks and a best-selling memoir, mentored young scientists and guided the early years of the Human Genome Project. Watson gained unwelcome attention in 2007, when London's Sunday Times Magazine quoted him as saying he was "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours where all the testing says not really." He said that while he hopes everyone is equal, "people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true." Watson apologized for the remarks after international uproar and was suspended from his job as chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and retired a week later. U.S. Nobel laureate biologist James Watson speaks during his visit to the Russian Academy of Sciences, in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, June 17, 2015. / Credit: Ivan Sekretarev / AP In a television documentary that aired in early 2019, Watson was asked if his views had changed. "No, not at all," he said. In response, the Cold Spring Harbor lab revoked several honorary titles it had given Watson, saying his statements were "reprehensible" and "unsupported by science." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Watson's combination of scientific achievement and controversial remarks created a complicated legacy. He has shown "a regrettable tendency toward inflammatory and offensive remarks, especially late in his career," Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, said in 2019. "His outbursts, particularly when they reflected on race, were both profoundly misguided and deeply hurtful. I only wish that Jim's views on society and humanity could have matched his brilliant scientific insights." Watson's DNA discovery helped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkering with the genetic makeup of living things, treating disease by inserting genes into patients, identifying human remains and criminal suspects from DNA samples and tracing family trees. But it has also raised a host of ethical questions, such as whether we should be altering the body's blueprint for cosmetic reasons or in a way that is transmitted to a person's offspring. "Francis Crick and I made the discovery of the century, that was pretty clear," Watson once said. He later wrote: "There was no way we could have foreseen the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society." Major flight cancellations increase amid shutdown staffing shortages "The Wounded Generation": Bearing the invisible scars of war Faith Salie on the addictive internet meme "6-7" On a foggy Saturday morning in 1953, a tall, skinny 24-year-old man fiddled with shapes he had cut out of cardboard. They represented fragments of a DNA molecule, and young James Watson was trying to figure how they fit together in a way that let DNA do its job as the stuff of genes. Suddenly, he realized that they joined together to form the rungs of a long, twisted ladder, a shape better known nowadays as a double helix. His first reaction: Its so beautiful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it was more than that. Discovering the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, was a breakthrough that would help open the way to a revolution in medicine, biology and other fields as diverse as crime-fighting, genealogy and ethics. Watson died Thursday, according to his former research lab. The Chicago-born scientist was 97 years old. His career was marked by significant achievements, including his role in mapping the human genome. However, his legacy is complicated by controversial remarks on race, which led to his condemnation and loss of honorary titles. Figuring out the double helix goes down as one of the three most important discoveries in the history of biology, alongside Charles Darwins theory of evolution through natural selection and Gregor Mendels fundamental laws of genetics, said Bruce Stillman, president of the Cold Spring Harbor lab, on Friday. Watson shared the Nobel Prize with collaborator Francis Crick and scientist Maurice Wilkins. They were aided by X-ray research by colleague Rosalind Franklin and her graduate student Raymond Gosling. Watson was later criticized for a disparaging portrayal of Franklin in his book The Double Helix, and today she is considered a prominent example of a female scientist whose contributions were overlooked. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Both of his Nobel co-winners, Crick and Wilkins, died in 2004. Franklin died in 1958. Their discovery instantly suggested how hereditary information is stored and how a cell duplicates its DNA before dividing so that each resulting cell inherits a copy. The duplication begins with the two strands of DNA pulling apart like a zipper. Francis Crick and I made the discovery of the century, that was pretty clear, Watson once said. He also wrote: There was no way we could have foreseen the explosive impact of the double helix on science and society. Among non-scientists, the double helix has become an instantly recognized symbol of science. And for researchers, it helped open the door to more recent developments such as tinkering with the genetic makeup of living things, treating disease by inserting genes into patients, identifying human remains and criminal suspects from DNA samples and tracing family trees. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That in turn has raised a host of ethical questions, such as whether we should be altering a persons genome in a way that is transmitted to ones offspring. Watsons initial motivation for supporting the gene project was personal: His son Rufus had been hospitalized with a possible diagnosis of schizophrenia, and Watson figured that knowing the complete makeup of DNA would be crucial for understanding that disease, maybe in time to help his son. Watson never made another lab finding as big as the double helix. But in the decades that followed, he wrote influential textbooks and a best-selling memoir, picked out bright young scientists and helped them. And he used his prestige and contacts to influence science policy. Following the discovery, Watson spent two years at the California Institute of Technology, then joined the faculty at Harvard in 1955. Before leaving Harvard in 1976, he essentially created the universitys molecular biology program, scientist Mark Ptashne recalled in a 1999 interview. Watson became director of the Cold Spring Harbor lab in 1968, its president in 1994 and its chancellor 10 years later. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From 1988 to 1992, he directed the federal effort to identify the detailed makeup of human DNA. He created the projects huge investment in ethics research by simply announcing it at a news conference. He later said it was probably the wisest thing Ive done over the past decade. Yet he gained unwelcome attention in 2007 when the Sunday Times Magazine of London quoted him as saying he was inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa because all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours where all the testing says not really. He said that while he hopes everyone is equal, people who have to deal with Black employees find this is not true. He apologized, but after an international furor he was suspended from his job as chancellor of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. He retired a week later. He had served in various leadership jobs there for nearly 40 years. I only wish that Jims views on society and humanity could have matched his brilliant scientific insights. Dr. Francis Collins, then-director of the National Institutes of Health, said in 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a television documentary that year, Watson was asked if his views had changed. No, not at all, he said. In response, the Cold Spring Harbor lab revoked several honorary titles it had given Watson, saying his statements were reprehensible and unsupported by science. His 2007 remarks on race were not the first time Watson struck a nerve with his comments. In a speech in 2000, he suggested that sex drive is related to skin color. And earlier he told a newspaper that if a gene governing sexuality were found and could be detected in the womb, a woman who didnt want to have a gay child should be allowed to have an abortion. ___ Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ritter is a retired AP science writer. AP science writers Christina Larson in Washington and Adithi Ramakrishnan in New York contributed to this report. ___ 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. As the nation watches and waits for November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Vice President JD Vance called the federal ruling requiring the Trump administration to pay full benefits "absurd." The Trump administration is now appealing the federal court order. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Nov. 6., and on Nov. 7 asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to halt the order by 4:00 p.m. EDT. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is no lawful basis for an order that directs (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) to somehow find $4 billion in the metaphorical couch cushions," the administration said in its request. A federal program formerly known as food stamps, SNAP provides low-income families with monthly payments to purchase food. The program lapsed Nov. 1 for the first time in its history as a result of the longest federal government shutdown on record. .@VP: "Its an absurd ruling because you have a federal judge effectively telling us what we have to do in the midst of a Democrat government shutdown... What wed like to do is for the Democrats to open up the government then we can fund SNAP, and we can also do a lot of other pic.twitter.com/TWSpzllzKt Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 7, 2025 After the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the "well" of available funds had run dry for November, the city of Columbus and other cities and nonprofits filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. Judge John McConnell in Rhode Island ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would need to release partial funds by Wednesday, Nov. 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When funds were not provided to states by this deadline, McConnell issued a second ruling Nov. 6 that the federal government must fully fund November SNAP benefits. In Ohio alone, SNAP distributes $263 million monthly in benefits to low-income families. In Franklin County, $31 million flows from the program each month. 'It's an absurd ruling' Following the second federal court order amid the federal government's appeal, Vance, who is from Ohio, called the ruling "absurd." Vance said SNAP would be funded when the government reopened. He blamed Democrats in Washington for the continued shutdown. "In the midst of a shutdown, we can't have a federal court telling the president how he has to triage the situation," he said in the Nov. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ". . . We're not going to do it under the orders of a federal judge, we're going to do it, according to what we think we have to do, to comply with the law of course," he continued. This isn't the first time the executive branch pushed back on releasing SNAP funding. After the first federal order, President Trump suggested on a Truth Social post that he wouldn't release the money until Congress voted to reopen the government. The White House later clarified that statement by stating the federal government would comply with the court order, but it would take time for recipients to receive the money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of Friday, Nov. 7, it was still unclear when the funds would flow to millions of Americans, including 1.45 million Ohioans. In the meantime, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine began distributing the first portion of $25 million in food aid across the state. Additionally, Columbus and Franklin County each gave $500,000 to Mid-Ohio Food Collective to feed central Ohioans in need. Reporter Sophia Veneziano may be reached at sveneziano@dispatch.com. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: JD Vance calls federal court order to fully fund SNAP 'absurd' Former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said he believes the Republican Party is beginning to move away from President Trump, citing pockets of dissent within the party and the recent poor performances of GOP candidates in downballot races. In politics, migrations rarely happen all at once. They start quietly one or two members of a herd moving toward safer ground while the rest pretend not to notice. But once the wind really changes, the movement becomes unmistakable, Flake wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on Thursday. I believe that a migration has begun within the Republican Party, he continued. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flake, who was fiercely critical of Trump during his first administration, said he sees the first signs of fractions emerging in the GOP. He pointed to Republican senators opposition to Trumps call to end the filibuster. He also noted Sen. Rand Pauls (R-Ky.) vocal criticism of Trumps tariff policies and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greenes (R-Ga.) public break with the president on several issues. While Flake noted Greenes independent streak might not last forever, even a temporary defection signals to others that it can be done, and It gives cover to those who have privately questioned the direction of the party but have been unwilling to say so aloud. The political climate that once rewarded absolute loyalty to the president is shifting, he continued. The Democratic landslide in Tuesdays off-year elections will only add momentum to that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, Flake said candidates will have a choice of whether to align with Trump on his economic policies, including the presidents tariffs, which Flake sees as unpopular, Or they can begin the slow, necessary work of reclaiming the party of free markets and global engagement. The midterms, now less than a year away, clearly favor the Democrats particularly in the House, where they are poised to take the majority, Flake wrote. And if that happens, it will not be because Democrats have suddenly found the perfect message. It will be because the presidents economic policies are fundamentally misaligned with both conservative principles and economic reality. Flake noted that many of Trumps imitators have not fared well when trying to emulate the presidents approach to politics, even when Trump is on the ballot. He pointed to races in his home state of Arizona in the past few years as a prime example of that phenomenon, noting the state now has two Democratic senators and a Democratic governor. He predicted Republicans will continue to struggle in downballot races and urged his party to return to its roots of traditional conservatism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GOP cannot sustain itself indefinitely as a movement defined by isolationism abroad and populism at home, Flake wrote. Those instincts may thrill a rally crowd, but theyre corrosive to governing. Eventually, voters tire of performative anger and want competence. What were witnessing, then, is not merely a tactical adjustment but the early stages of a re-realignment, he said. Politics abhors a vacuum, and as the presidents hold weakens, space will open for traditional conservatives those who still believe in limited government, open markets and an America that leads through example rather than intimidation. Flake urged Republican lawmakers to seize opportunities to demonstrate independence, noting the path back wont be easy, but vulnerable Republicans will come to see that silence is more costly than dissent. The migration wont be a stampede. It will unfold vote by vote, district by district. Some will move out of conviction, others out of political necessity. Motives will vary, but the movement is happening, Flake wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And in the end, after enough of the herd has made the journey, the GOP will look up and find itself in a new, old place one rooted in optimism, free trade and the conviction that America leads best when it engages rather than retreats. Flake left the Senate in 2019, after opting not to seek reelection after his first six-year term. He became known in the Senate as one of the most vocal GOP opponents of the former president and suffered from poor approval ratings through the last end of his term. He endorsed former President Biden in 2020 and served as Bidens ambassador to Turkey until stepping down in 2024. He endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris in her 2024 bid for president. The Republican National Committee (RNC) dismissed Flakes argument, pointing to Trumps 2024 victory over the Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were not taking political advice from failed senator Jeff Flake who quit and then took a job from Joe Biden a President who could barely finish a sentence, let alone lead a country, RNC spokesperson Kiersten Pels said in a statement to The Hill. The real migration is the voters who left the Democrat Party because of Bidens broken economy and joined the MAGA coalition that actually delivers results, she continued. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. ORLANDO, Florida Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, a frequent Democratic foil of Gov. Ron DeSantis, rallied supporters of his bid for Florida governor in his hometown Thursday, a move that ushers in a contested Sunshine State Democratic primary. "This is not a right or left moment, but a right or wrong moment in our history, Demings said in a speech making his announcement before a packed ballroom at the Rosen Centre. The power of a people is greater than the people in power. Demings, who is married to former Rep. Val Demings, is launching his first bid for statewide office at a time when Florida has shifted sharply red and has become increasingly more expensive. He promised in his rally speech to work to raise wages, to lower the cost of housing by tapping into a trust fund for affordable housing and to increase access to mental health. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Demings is the first big name to enter the primary against former Rep. David Jolly, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat who has dozens of Democratic-elected officials already behind his candidacy. Demings entry into the race marks the first time Florida has had two Black candidates running for governor in the same election cycle. Rep. Byron Donalds, the candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump, is the Republican front-runner. Val Demings introduced her husband before he reached the stage, saying to a roaring crowd: "I came here to tell you: Through all of the darkness, help is on the way." The 66-year-old former police chief and Orange County sheriff hails from one of the remaining heavily blue counties in the state and has clashed with DeSantis administration on Covid regulations, local spending and immigration policy. Demings has said hell stay in office for the remainder of his term, which goes through 2026 setting himself up to use his position as mayor to show contrasts with DeSantis. In a meeting with reporters after his speech, Demings said he was launching a listening tour and would be traveling all over the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also acknowledged being a mayor was a full-time job where he often worked seven days a week for months on end, but said hed built up a strong team to help take charge while I may be away. Ultimately, he said, one of the main parts of his job had been clashes with Tallahassee. So rather than sit on the sidelines, I've chosen to get into the arena, he said. Asked to contrast himself with Donalds, Demings said the congressman has never been a crisis manager or leader, and pointed to his own work experience as a beat cop and leading his county through mass shootings, hurricanes and the pandemic. If you vote for me, its a vote for a new style of leadership. Its a vote for change. Its a vote for democracy. Its a vote for the right person at the right time. Then he paused before echoing a line DeSantis used often in his fight against Walt Disney World: Its time, Demings said, for a new sheriff in town. Demings speech came roughly one year ahead of the 2026 midterms. Some Democrats, including Jolly, have said they worry that a divisive, drawn-out primary could distract from their effort to try to stem the red wave that has taken over this once-purple state. But others have said theyre concerned Jollys candidacy might fail to motivate the partys base and drag down Democrats running downballot. Black voters, in particular, have been lagging in voter participation in recent years, and they tend to make up just under one-third of voters who reliably vote for Democrats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jolly welcomed Demings to the race in a statement, saying Floridians deserved a spirited Democratic Party primary over affordability issues on housing and health care, public education and other key topics. But Jollys campaign also released a memo this week arguing hed have a better shot in the general election given hes an independent-minded Democrat that they argue could also peel off independents and disaffected Republicans. Jolly did not hold a campaign-style rally when he launched his bid for governor in June, instead favoring stops in more than 100 locations across Florida to hold town hall-style events where voters could question his positions and experience. Because Jolly has switched parties, he often draws comparisons with Charlie Crist, a fellow party-swapping Democrat who lost to DeSantis by 19 points in 2022. And Jolly has also had to face scrutiny from inside his own party regarding his shifting stance toward supporting abortion rights. Demings, who officially opened a campaign account on Oct. 31., is the first Black Democrat to run for governor since progressive Andrew Gillums failed bid against DeSantis in 2018, though his positions are far more centrist. Nevertheless, Donalds campaign immediately began likening Demings to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, warning hed usher in more government and higher taxes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jerry Demings is weak, woke and wrong for Florida, said Ryan Smith, chief strategist for the Donalds campaign. Other Republicans have accused Orange County of fiscal mismanagement and have tried to paint him as overly welcoming to undocumented immigrants. The campaign for another major GOP candidate in the race, former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, said they welcome making the contrast about Demings candidacy. Jerry Demings non-leadership has been a fiscal and cultural disaster for Orange County, a drag on Floridas entire economy, said Brett Doster, senior adviser to the campaign. Even before the official announcement, the Republican Party of Florida began painting the mayors candidacy as a sequel to his wifes failed 2022 bid for the Senate against Marco Rubio. That cycle, Val Demings was among the top fundraisers in the Senate but lost to Rubio by 16 points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jerry Demings at one point in his speech brought attention to the backlash hes gotten from Republicans, noting theyd often called him woke. I don't know what they mean, he said, but after 4 decades of public service they woke me up. Lloyds Banking Group has announced its plans to introduce an AI-powered financial assistant for its customers, with a public rollout planned for early 2026. The bank said that this tool will be the first of its kind in the UK, offering features to help users manage spending, savings, and investments through Lloyds mobile app. Also, the assistants functionality is said to expand over time to support additional financial products, including mortgages and car finance. According to a Bloomberg report, Lloyds is currently testing the AI assistant with around 7,000 employees, who have conducted 12,000 trials of the system. The AI assistant will operate as a conversational tool, allowing users to ask questions about their finances and receive instant responses. Lloyds Banking Group chief data and analytics officer Ranil Boteju said: Lloyds Banking Group is committed to leading the way in mobile banking and technology transformation. By becoming the first UK bank to bring agentic AI to our customers, we are taking a crucial step in helping millions of customers benefit from more control over their finances. This launch is not just about introducing new technology; it is a pivotal step in our strategy as we continue to reimagine the Group for our customers and colleagues. The technology uses what is known as agentic AI, which can break down customer requests, plan actions, and execute tasks. Customers can query a payment, and the assistant will process the request and carry out the transaction. If necessary, the AI will refer users to human specialists. The AI assistant is designed to provide tailored support by using curated bank data, setting it apart from general-purpose AI models, according to Lloyds. Built on the banks generative AI and Agentic framework, the agent will address these concerns by delivering a more individualised experience. The bank plans to expand the assistants features following its initial pilot phase, aiming to make the technology available to more than 21 million customers. Lloyds Banking Group chief digital officer Helen Bierton said: This new technology will take the customer experience up a level by giving people access to a personal AI agent, empowering more people than ever to make informed decisions about their money. Were excited to bring this feature to our customers in the coming months. "Lloyds Banking to launch AI-powered financial assistant in 2026" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill sat down with Bill Ritter for Up Close, discussing her resounding victory over Republican Jack Ciattarelli on Election night, and what she would do on day one as governor. An excited Sherrill called Tuesday's contest a "huge juggernaut of an election," and said the momentum and energy on the ground matched the wider-than-expected margin over her opponent in the election results, despite the polls predicting a much tighter race. "We're seeing I moved every single county of all 21 counties to the left... that is a shot across the bow, that is a warning sign to Republicans everywhere that they need actually start taking governing seriously and serving the people of this country, and certainly of New Jersey," she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the interview, Sherrill addressed the ongoing government shutdown, and its impact on SNAP funding and the air traffic controller shortage impacting airports and airlines across the country. She also talked about the first actions she will take as governor, including freezing rate hikes, entering a tariff lawsuit and expanding the first-time homebuyers program, with the ultimate goal of driving down costs for people in New Jersey. You can watch Bill Ritter's entire interview with Governor-elect Sherrill in the media player above, and on Up Close Sunday morning at 11. ---------- * Get Eyewitness News Delivered * More New Jersey 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 "suspicious package" was delivered to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Nov. 6, prompting an evacuation and investigation into the incident, officials said. A Joint Base Andrews spokesperson told USA TODAY on Thursday, Nov. 6, that "a building and a connecting building" were evacuated "as a precaution" after a person opened a suspicious package. A cordon was established around the area, and first responders were sent to the scene, according to the spokesperson. "Joint Base Andrews first responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats, and normal operations have resumed," the spokesperson added. "An investigation is currently ongoing." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joint Base Andrews, one of the most sensitive military bases in the United States and home to Air Force One, is located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The base is just southeast of Washington, D.C. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joint Base Andrews opens probe after receiving 'suspicious package' Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said Democrats election sweep Tuesday night sent a message that voters are tired of the Trump administrations extremism and that they want leaders who prioritize day-to-day issues in their communities. I think theres two takeaways: One is that it was a clear message to Donald Trump that folks are tired of the chaos, Shapiro told 6ABC Action News in an interview Wednesday. Theyre tired of the extremism. And the second storyline is they want people who are focused on meeting their needs, who wants to get stuff done for them, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shapiro, a moderate Democrat considered a possible 2028 presidential contender, noted that voters sent the same message in races beyond just the high-profile contests making headlines. Whether youre talking about the Luzerne County Council County race, or the Bucks County DAs race, or the Erie County executive race, or, of course, the governors races in Virginia, New Jersey, or the mayors race in New York, Shapiro said, There was a through line throughout. The candidates spoke about the issues that mattered in their communities. They had plans to lower costs, the governor continued. They had plans to address unique needs in that community, in that state. At the same time, voters went to the polls to say to Donald Trump, We dont like what youre doing,' he added. And what youre doing is making prices go up, bringing chaos into our communities and restricting our freedom and compromising our democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Affordability has emerged a key issue after Democrats won big on Tuesday in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City. Trump, reacting to the election results, cast at least some of the blame on the ongoing government shutdown which hit a record 37 days 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 The Hill. The Page Belcher Federal Building, pictured March 19, 2025, houses a post office and the courthouse for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma in Tulsa. (Photo by Nuria Martinez-Keel/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY A federal judge has declined to require daily monetary penalties against the states mental health department for failing to meet certain benchmarks. The benchmarks are a part of an agreement to begin providing timely competency restoration for indigent defendants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frizzell directed the parties to use a dispute resolution process outlined in a consent decree to resolve differences. The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services has begun implementing a settlement agreement stemming from a 2023 lawsuit that alleged the agency failed to provide timely competency restoration services, leaving some inmates, who were ordered by a court to receive competency restoration services, languishing in jails. The agency entered an agreement with the plaintiffs to resolve the lawsuit. It set out certain benchmarks for the agency to meet. A September report from the court-appointed consultants determined the agency had not met those benchmarks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Plaintiffs in the case sought monetary penalties of $10,000 a day against the agency. Frizzell with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District disagreed with plaintiffs allegations the noncompliance was willful, adding that the consultants said the agency was acting in good faith. But he was also critical of the agency. It is true that Class Members continue to endure long wait times for restoration treatment, often in conditions that exacerbate their mental illness, his Wednesday order said. The continued delay in the provision of restoration treatment by the Department should be and is of great concern to this court, as well as the general public. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency issued a statement saying it welcomed the decision. We remain mission-driven and steadfast in this long-term process, supported by all of our facilities and state partners, to meet the consent decrees requirements and strengthen Oklahomas competency restoration system, the statement said. Paul Demuro, the plaintiffs attorney, said the ruling was not what they wanted, but he appreciated the courts quick action to decide the motion. He said theyll use the dispute resolution process before asking the court to intervene again. Weve already initiated that process, he said. We wont stop fighting until the competency restoration system is fixed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The agency has been in financial turmoil. It received a $27.4 million supplemental appropriation from lawmakers. The agency is requesting an extra $79.5 million for the upcoming fiscal year. Agency officials said some of that funding would help the agency comply with the settlement agreement. Lawmakers in May removed former Commissioner Allie Friesen from her post, saying they had lost confidence in her. Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed Gregory Slavonic as interim commissioner. The agency has launched a search for a new permanent commissioner of mental health. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit that claimed Des Moines Register subscribers were harmed by the publication of a poll released in the lead up to the 2024 presidential election. Dennis Donnelly of West Des Moines, who identified himself as a Register subscriber, alleged the Register, its parent company Gannett Co., Inc. and pollster J. Ann Selzer violated Iowa consumer fraud law when the paper released its final Iowa Poll of the 2024 cycle. The Iowa Poll showed Vice President Kamala Harris leading now-President Donald Trump by 3 percentage points just days before the election. Trump went on to win the state by 13 percentage points. Donnelly's lawsuit echoed similar claims made by Trump, later joined by Iowa U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former Iowa state Sen. Brad Zaun, in a separate lawsuit filed against the Register. Where Republicans Trump, Zaun and Miller-Meeks claimed the poll damaged their campaigns and electoral prospects, Donnelly argued the poll damaged the value of his Register subscription and sought to bring a class action on behalf of all Register subscribers. The U.S. Federal Courthouse located at 111 Locust St. in downtown Des Moines. Previously: Trump files new suit against Des Moines Register one day before new SLAPP law takes effect Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit was pending before U.S. District Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger. Ebinger also presided in Trump's suit until a federal appellate court ruled in October that Trump should be able to dismiss his federal case and proceed in state court. The defendants in that case have made a motion to reargue the ruling requesting the appellate court reconsider its decision. Donnelly's suit was not part of the appeal, and in an order filed Thursday, Nov. 6, Ebinger granted motions from Selzer and the Register to dismiss it. To avoid dismissal, a plaintiff must state sufficient facts to establish "a claim to relief that is plausible on its face," Ebinger wrote, citing Supreme Court precedent. She ruled each of Donnelly's claims was "insufficient to meet the plausibility standard." Ebinger wrote that in the context of media reporting on political events, only statements made with "actual malice," knowing falsity or reckless disregard for the truth, can conceivably create liability in spite of the First Amendment's protection of press freedom. The judge found Donnelly failed to allege any facts showing the Register intentionally falsified or tinkered with the design of its poll to produce an inaccurate result. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Finding actual malice requires Donnelly to plausibly allege defendants sacrificed decades of work in cultivating (a) reputation for accuracy by 'knowingly or recklessly' manufacturing a poll they knew was incorrect in pursuit of an unclear goal," Ebinger wrote. "With no factual allegations to support such an assertion and mere conclusory statements, Donnelly asserts only a bare legal conclusion accompanied by actual malice buzzwords that Defendants acted knowingly or recklessly." She also found that even without the First Amendment, Donnelly's claims of fraudulent misrepresentation would fail "because no false representation was made." "Defendants conducted a poll using a particular methodology yielding results that later turned out to be different from the event the poll sought to measure," she wrote. "The results of an opinion poll are not an actionable false representation merely because the anticipated results differ from what eventually occurred." She likewise rejected claims of negligent misrepresentation, professional malpractice, violating the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act and interfering with the right to vote, finding in each case Donnelly failed to state a recognizable legal case. 'A good day for the First Amendment' The defendants praised the ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Today is a good day for the First Amendment," Gannett Co. Chief Legal Officer Polly Grunfeld Sack said in a statement. "We are encouraged by the courts recognition of the vital role a free press plays in our democracy and the total lack of merit underlying this lawsuit. The decision affirms basic First Amendment principles that are the basis of community news reporting in this country." Selzer also celebrated the result. "The First Amendments protection for free speech and a free press held strong," she said in a statement through the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which represented her in the case. "I know that I did nothing wrong and I am glad the court also concluded that there was never a valid legal claim. "This decision shows where petty politics ends and the rule of law begins," FIRE chief counsel Bob Corn-Revere said. "The courts strongly worded opinion confirms that a legal claim cannot be concocted with political slogans and partisan hyperbole, and that there is no hiding from the First Amendment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney Daniel Suhr of Chicago, representing Donnelly, said his client will continue to pursue the case. "We're reviewing the opinion, we plan to appeal, and we remain confident in our legal arguments," Suhr said. William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Register subscriber's Trump v. Harris poll suit dismissed As the longest government shutdown in American history continues, tens of millions of people continue to face uncertainty over federal benefits that have been disrupted by the political crisis. In the latest development, a federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration must fulfill obligations to provide food assistance in November. Federal judge issues new ruling to fully fund SNAP U.S. District Judge John McConnell ruled Thursday that the federal government must make full payments in November for the nearly 42 million Americans who receive aid through the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program. The Rhode Island-based judges ruling follows earlier rulings made by McConnell and another federal judge that ordered the Trump administration to use billions of dollars of contingency funds to partially cover SNAP payments for November as the programs ordinary funding remains unapproved due to the ongoing government shutdown. Now, McConnell is ordering the government to fully fund SNAP, giving the administration until Friday to distribute the money to state governments, which administer SNAP for their residents. People have gone without for too long, McConnell said in his ruling, adding that not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable. The judge also called out the Trump administration for arbitrarily and capriciously deciding not to fully fund SNAP for November. Now, McConnell is saying that the Trump administration must not only use the contingency funds covered in his previous order but must also draw from a separate set of funds held by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its Child Nutrition Program in order to fully fund SNAP. In his ruling, McConnell warned that not fully funding SNAP would cause irreparable harm to the programs recipients. SNAP fight continues as administration resists orders to fund program The fight over SNAP benefits comes after the Trump administration decided not to use the contingency funds to pay for SNAP while the government shutdown endures. The administration argued that it was not legally allowed to tap into the contingency money in this circumstance, leading a group of Democratic-controlled states to sue to release the funds. Even though several court rulings have ordered the federal government to fund SNAP this month, the Trump administration continues to resist. The administration indicated that the Justice Department would file an appeal to Thursdays ruling, and on Friday it filed an emergency motion for a stay to be issued against McConnells ruling. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to reporters at the White House, Vice President JD Vance said, Its an absurd ruling because you have a federal judge effectively telling us what we have to do in the middle of a Democrat government shutdown. The vice president also attempted to deflect responsibility for the SNAP funding crisis. What wed like to do is for the Democrats to open up the government of course, then we can fund SNAP and we can also do a lot of other good things for the American people, Vance argued, continuing the administrations strategy of attempting to blame Democrats for the government shutdown. But in the midst of a shutdown, we cant have a federal court telling the president how he has to triage the situation, the vice president said. With the current government shutdown now the longest in United States history, tens of millions of people across the country have been feeling the hardship of having salaries or benefits cut off. With no end yet to the deadlock between the two parties, and the Trump administration resisting efforts to keep important services like SNAP operational during the shutdown, vulnerable populations across the United States are bearing the brunt of this latest political fight. The post Judge Orders Trump Admin To Pay Full SNAP Benefits For November As They Continue To Resist appeared first on Blavity. A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration to release full funding for November food stamps by Friday. The oral order Thursday comes as nearly 42 million Americans have lost access to benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the record-breaking government shutdown. The Trump administration previously agreed to pay for partial SNAP benefits using emergency money but said that doing so would result in weeks, if not months, of delays. Last weekend, SNAP benefits lapsed for the first time in our nation's history. This is a problem that could have and should have been avoided, said U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr., an Obama appointee. The government knew there would be a long delay in paying [partial] SNAP benefits and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Almost immediately, the Trump administration appealed McConnell's decision to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. During Thursday's hearing, McConnell said the Trump administration violated his earlier written order, which gave the government two options for compliance: The administration had discretion to make full payments which would not need to go through the same administrative hurdles as soon as practical. The government also had the option to make partial payments, but was required to do so by Wednesday. Thats the plain reading of the courts order, and instead the government did nothing to ensure that the money would be paid on Wednesday," the judge said. He noted that President Donald Trumps post on social media that benefits wouldnt be funded until the government reopened stated his intent to defy the court order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People have gone without for too long, McConnell said. Not making payments to them for even another day is simply unacceptable. Justice Department attorney Tyler Becker argued that the government complied with the judges order by making all $4.6 billion in a USDA contingency fund available to states on Monday and releasing guidance for how to distribute partial benefits. Any delay due to logistical hurdles, he added, was because of states' inability to quickly process partial payments. But thats not what the order said, Mr. Becker, McConnell responded. The government has also argued that it cant divert money from other funds to support the full $8 billion or so thats needed for November benefits. However, Democratic lawmakers and nonprofits have pushed back on the administrations decision, noting that officials were previously able to tap unused tariff revenue to support a nutrition program for millions of low-income women and children. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a separate court in Massachusetts, states suing the administration filed another motion Thursday seeking to force the government to pay for SNAP in full. States are scrambling to fill the void as day six passes without SNAP benefits. Some states are sending millions of dollars to food banks and others, like Virginia, are launching their own temporary food stamp program using state funds. But food bank leaders and local officials say that their efforts cant replace the loss of federal dollars. Beth Shapiro, CEO of Citymeals on Wheels, warned that even the increased donations shes seeing are inadequate to cover the loss of SNAP in New York City. Our warehouse is filled. We have enough food to deliver to 50,000 older New Yorkers, she said. But this will not answer the need. Private nonprofits cannot fill the entire gap that this government is opening. A Texas federal judge had scathing words for the Trump administration last month when he dismissed a largely fictional case against a Honduran immigrant who officials accused of harming an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who broke the mans car window during a stop. The Governments conduct wasand has beenoutrageous, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez, a George W. Bush appointee, wrote in his October 20 ruling tossing the case. The controversy centered around a June stop in San Antonio, where federal agents and Texas troopers arrested Jaime Alberto Quintanilla-Chavez, 35, a Honduran immigrant married to a U.S. citizen. After getting a tip from a Texas woman who claimed Quintanilla-Chavez was in the country illegally and had abused her daughter, officers considered the man an easy target and prepared to arrest him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the stop, agents ordered him to open the doors of his truck and soon broke the drivers-side window. In the process, a Homeland Security Investigations officer, William Carl, suffered a cut to his arm. Federal officials accused Quintanilla-Chavez of impeding officers and harming the agent, seeking a sentence of up to 20 years. A Texas federal judge accused the Trump administration of offering a largely fictional account of a June immigration stop where an agent cut his arm (Texas Department of Public Safety) In his ruling, Judge Rodriguez called the governments description of the stop largely fictional, pointing to a variety of issues with the stop: agents lacked a warrant; there was no evidence the Honduran had an order of removal from the country; and officers only asked about his immigration status after they forcibly removed him from the truck and handcuffed him. Officers claimed the 35-year-old was a threat to them, but the judge found that the evidence did not show the man trying to assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with the officers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, Carl, the immigration agent, appears to shatter the window out of impatience, according to the body camera footage. Im going to go get my window break; I aint got time for this, he can be heard saying on the footage, shortly after ordering Quintanilla-Chavez to open the door of the truck. In dismissing the case, Judge Rodriguez criticized immigration agents apparent break car windows first and ask questions later policy. He wrote that letting the indictment stand would would grant immigration enforcement officers carte blanche to evade the requirements of the Fourth Amendment, which bars the government from conducting unreasonable search and seizures. Courts across the country have expressed concerns about aggressive tactics by immigration officers (Chicago Sun-Times) The Independent has contacted the Department of Homeland Security, ICEs parent agency, for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the case being dismissed, Quintanilla-Chavez remains in detention while he awaits a November 20 immigration court hearing, his public defender Marina-Thais Douenat told The Daily Beast, which first reported the case. We cannot allow these overreaches to stand unchallenged, the attorney said, warning of how the aggressive tactics being employed by ICE are becoming increasingly unchecked and threaten the very fabric of our society. Immigration agents have broken car windows nearly 50 times since Trump took office, a July analysis from ProPublica found, compared to just eight instances identified in the previous decade. Courts across the country have expressed deep reservations over the tactics used by immigration agents as they seek to carry out the Trump administrations goal of a record-breaking deportation campaign. On Thursday, a federal judge largely banned immigration officers from firing tear gas and using other riot weapons during protests in Chicago, accusing a top Border Patrol official of lying in court about officer conduct. NEBRASKA (KCAU) Former State Senator Julie Slama announced that shes suspending her 2026 campaign for Nebraska State Treasurer. Slama said in a statement on November 5 that the campaign ended after former State Treasurer Tom Briese announced his resignation on November 3. Joey Spellerberg was appointed in his place. The former GOP legislator said shes endorsing Spellerberg in his 2026 election campaign for the State Treasurer seat. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Story continues below I believe Joey will bring the energy and perspective needed in the role of State Treasurer, said Julie Slama. Too often in our party, primary races turn into expensive and bitter feuds with no upside for voters or for our party. This race will not be one of those circumstances. Slama said people who donated to her campaign since the launch on Monday will be refunded. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Slama announced that her campaign on November 3 and ran as a Republican. She was a State Senator in the Nebraska Legislature representing District 1 from 2019 to 2025. Spellerberg said in a statement that hes deeply grateful for Slamas support and trust. Julie has been instrumental in shaping the next generation of conservative leadership in Nebraska. From her leadership in advancing election integrity with the overwhelming passage of the Constitutional Amendment for Voter ID, to her remarkable advocacy for her district during the historic 2019 floods, Julie has set a strong example of effective and principled leadership, said Joey Spellerberg, (R) Nebraska State Treasurer. I am confident we will continue working together to bring conservative results to Nebraska. Spellerberg was sworn in as Nebraskas 47th State Treasurer on November 6. 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. Cheniere Energy is a producer and exporter of LNG in the United States. The company provides clean and secure LNG to integrated energy companies, utilities, and energy trading companies worldwide. The company operates two natural gas liquefaction and export facilities. One is at Sabine Pass, Louisiana (Sabine Pass LNG Terminal), and another is near Corpus Christi, Texas (Corpus Christi LNG Terminal). As the leading U.S. LNG exporter, Cheniere Energy Inc. ( NYSE: LNG ) is positioned to benefit from both domestic AI-driven demand and international energy needs and pays a 1% dividend. Natural gas accounts for 43% of U.S. electricity production. Chenieres ability to scale operations quickly makes it a key player in this sector. The companys export capabilities also provide a hedge against fluctuations in the domestic market. Some across Wall Street feel electricity demand growth could rise as much as 160% by 2030. We screened our 24/7 Wall St. energy stock research database, looking for companies with the most significant presence in the natural gas industry. We also looked for companies that, although not directly involved in exploration and production, played a crucial role in the transportation and storage of natural gas and LNG. Five top companies appear on our screens, all of which are dividend-paying leaders in their respective sectors. Additionally, all are rated Buy by top Wall Street firms that we cover. Some investors get rich while others struggle because they never learned there are two completely different strategies to building wealth. Dont make the same mistake, learn about both here. Some of the top companies in the industry are still at reasonable entry points for investors. Export demand for LNG, combined with demand for electricity here in the U.S., could drive prices higher through 2026. Natural gas prices are hitting levels not seen since 2022 and March 2025 and are expected to rise further as we enter the winter months. Liquid natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe and Asia, combined with the increasing electricity demand from data centers, are expected to significantly increase natural gas consumption in the U.S. and abroad in the coming years. Natural gas is a highly positive resource, as it is reliable, scalable, and relatively cleaner than other fossil fuels. That makes it an effective means to meet this demand. This is especially so since renewable energy sources like solar and wind face challenges related to intermittency and weather conditions. Based on recent Wall Street analyst reports and market insights, several natural gas stocks are well-positioned to benefit from this trend due to their roles in production, transportation, and infrastructure. With prices reaching $4.21 MMBtu and higher recently, it's high time for investors to examine the top companies in the natural gas sector. Story Continues The Sabine Pass LNG Terminal, which features natural gas liquefaction facilities comprising six operational trains, has a total production capacity of approximately 30 million tons per annum (mtpa) of LNG. The Corpus Christi LNG Terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas, consists of three trains for a total production capacity of approximately 15 mtpa of LNG, three LNG storage tanks, and two marine berths. It also owns and operates a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several large interstate and intrastate pipelines. Jefferies has a Buy rating with a $290 target price. EQT This top company is one of the largest natural gas producers in the U.S., particularly in the Appalachian Basin. It is recognized for being a low-cost producer with a dividend yield of 1.13%. EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT) is a premier, vertically integrated American natural gas company with production and midstream operations focused on the Appalachian Basin. It has operations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio. Its strategic position in the Southeast, especially near data center hubs like Northern Virginia, makes it a key supplier for AI-driven energy needs. EQT has secured agreements to supply natural gas to major data center campuses, such as the redevelopment of a former coal plant in Homer City, Pennsylvania, into a natural gas-powered data center. EQT owns or leases approximately 610,000 net acres in Pennsylvania. Most of the acreage is located in the southwestern region of the state, with the majority located in Greene and Washington Counties. The company is developing the Marcellus Shale and Upper Devonian Shale in this area. It also owns or leases 405,000 net acres in West Virginia. Most of the acreage is located in the northwestern region of the state, with the majority located in Doddridge, Marion, Tyler, and Wetzel Counties. It owns or leases 65,000 net acres in eastern Ohio and is developing the Utica Shale in Belmont County. It operates Utica wells throughout its Ohio acreage. The Marcellus Shale lies nearly a mile or more beneath the surface throughout much of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and West Virginia. UBS has a Buy rating, accompanied by a $67 target price. Kinder Morgan Kinder Morgan Inc. (NYSE: KMI) is one of North America's largest energy infrastructure companies. This is one of the top energy stocks and remains a favorite among Wall Street, paying a solid and dependable 4.49% dividend. Kinder Morgan is an energy infrastructure company in North America. The company operates the largest natural gas transmission network in the U.S., with approximately 66,000 miles of pipelines transporting around 40% of the countrys natural gas production. It serves 20% of U.S. power demand. That positions it to benefit from the projected 15% to 20% of electricity demand from AI data centers by 2030. The companys extensive gas storage capacity (15% of U.S. total) and fee-based revenue model provide stability and growth potential as gas volumes rise. Kinder Morgan operates through four segments: Natural Gas Products Terminals CO2 The Natural Gas Pipelines segment: Owns and operates the interstate and intrastate natural gas pipeline and underground storage systems Natural gas gathering systems and natural gas processing and treating facilities Natural gas liquids fractionation facilities and transportation systems Liquefied natural gas liquefaction and storage facilities The Products Pipelines segment owns and operates refined petroleum products, crude oil, and condensate pipelines, as well as associated product terminals and petroleum OKE pipeline transmission facilities. The Terminals segment owns and operates liquids and bulk terminals that store and handle various commodities, including: Gasoline Diesel fuel Chemicals Ethanol Metals Petroleum coke Owns tankers Lastly, the CO2 segment produces, transports, and markets CO2 to recover and produce crude oil from mature oil fields. It owns interests in/or operates oil fields, gasoline processing plants, and a natural oil pipeline system in West Texas. It holds and runs approximately 83,000 miles of pipelines and 144 terminals. Wells Fargo has an Overweight rating for the shares with a $34 target price objective. Energy Transfer Energy Transfer L.P. (NYSE: ET) is one of North America's largest and most diversified midstream energy companies. This top master limited partnership is a safe option for investors seeking energy exposure and income, as the company pays a substantial 7.88% distribution. Energy Transfer owns and operates one of the largest and most diversified portfolios of energy assets in the United States. It has a strategic footprint in all the major domestic production basins. Energy Transfer operates one of the largest integrated midstream systems in the U.S., with nearly 107,000 miles of natural gas pipelines and 235 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of storage capacity. Its strong presence in Texas, particularly in the Permian Basin, provides it with access to some of the country's most affordable natural gas. The company is receiving significant inquiries for pipeline projects to serve power plants (45 plants across 11 states) and data centers (over 40 prospective projects). Potential demand exceeds 5 Bcf/d for power plants and 3 Bcf/d for data centers. The company is a publicly traded limited partnership with core operations that include: Complementary natural gas midstream, intrastate, and interstate transportation and storage assets Crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGL), and refined product transportation and terminalling assets NGL fractionation Various acquisition and marketing assets Following the acquisition of Enable Partners in December 2021, Energy Transfer owns and operates over 114,000 miles of pipelines and related assets in 41 states, spanning all major U.S. producing regions and markets. This further solidifies its leadership position in the midstream sector. Through its ownership of Energy Transfer Operating, formerly known as Energy Transfer Partners, the company also owns Lake Charles LNG Company, the general partner interests, the incentive distribution rights, and 28.5 million standard units of Sunoco L.P. (NYSE: SUN), and the public partner interests and 39.7 million standard units of USA Compression Partners L.P. (NYSE: USAC). Barclays has an Overweight rating to the shares, with a target price of $25. Exxon Mobil Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) manages an industry-leading portfolio of resources and is one of the world's largest integrated oil, gas, and chemical companies. It has a reliable dividend yield of 3.47%. The decline in oil prices presents investors with an excellent entry point, and they will likely seize the opportunity to capture a strong dividend yield. Exxon is the world's largest international integrated oil and gas company. It explores for and produces crude oil and natural gas in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. As a significant natural gas producer, Exxon benefits from the 43% share of U.S. electricity production powered by natural gas. Its scale and ability to ramp up production quickly make it a strong contender. Although, its broader focus on oil may dilute its AI-specific upside compared to pure-play natural gas companies. Exxon also manufactures and markets commodity petrochemicals, including olefins, aromatics, polyethylene, and polypropylene plastics, as well as specialty products. Additionally, the company transports and sells crude oil, natural gas, and petroleum products. Top Wall Street analysts expect the company to remain a key beneficiary in a higher oil price environment, and most remain very optimistic about the company's sharp positive inflection in capital allocation strategy. Upstream portfolio and leverage to a further demand recovery. Exxon offers greater Downstream/Chemicals exposure than its peers. Exxon has completed its purchase of oil shale giant Pioneer Natural Resources in an all-stock transaction valued at $59.5 billion. The deal created the largest U.S. oilfield producer and guarantees a decade of low-cost production. Wells Fargo has an Overweight rating with a $156 target price. OPEC+ Gave In: Grab These Large Cap High-Yield Dividend Energy Giants Now Jurors were selected and opening statements were made Friday in the murder trial of NoDa Sandwich Shop owner Scott Brooks. READ MORE: Community rallies around restaurant as trial for Scott Brooks accused killers continues Terry Conner and Steven Staples are accused of robbing and shooting Scott Brooks when he was about to open the restaurant six years ago. From left: Terry Conner, Steven Staples Channel 9s crime reporter Hunter Saenz learned more about the timeline of the crime that happened about 4:40 a.m. on Dec. 9, 2019. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prosecutors laid out a roadmap of their case against Staples and Conner, who were each charged with murder. Prosecutor Heidi Perlman told the jury that Scott Brooks co-owned his business with his twin brother, David Brooks. Scoot Brooks went to open the shop that morning and was ambushed by two men in gloves, ski masks and hoods, Perlman said. The suspects knew it was a cash-only business. He walked toward the front door with his keys, business as usual Perlman said. He thought he was alone but that morning, he encountered a different type of brotherhood. Terry Conner and Steven Staples also worked side-by-side like brothers and business partners. Their business, however, was taking things that didnt belong to them. Their business was shooting when things didnt go their way. In his opening statements, Kenneth Snow (defense attorney for Terry Conner), said his client didn't kill anyone. He said the then-girlfriend of Conner (whose DNA was found on the shell casing) is the center of the state's case. "Without her there would be no case." Hunter Saenz (@Hunt_Saenz) November 7, 2025 Perlman said Scott Brooks spoke to his accused killers for 10 seconds while he was robbed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspects then shot and killed Scott Brooks. DNA evidence on one of the shell casings came back to Conners then-girlfriend, prosecutors said. Cellphone records showed that Conner and Staples were near Brooks Sandwich House at the time of the deadly shooting. The suspects defense attorneys said that does not put their clients at the scene during the crime. Theyre going to say its close to the sandwich shop. Their expert can only give you a large arc where Mr. Staples could have been, said defense attorney Laura Baker. Close only counts in horseshoes, and hand grenades. Mr. Conner is not guilty, said defense attorney Kenneth Snow. He is not guilty of robbery. He didnt do anything. He didnt kill anyone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defense teams also argue there were no confessions, and no murder weapon were found. However, prosecutors said not only will they prove Conner and Staples did the crime, they will also talk about a double homicide case both of them are charged in. Bodycam shows first responders at murder scene of Brooks Sandwich House David Brooks took the stand and talked about the morning his twin brother was killed. He remembered getting a call from the security company that the alarm was going off at his business. He just thought his brother didnt turn it off in time, so he called him. Scott Brooks didnt answer. David Brooks told jurors that he got a call from his bread vendor to tell him something happened, and police were at the shop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, he rushed to the scene. Jurors were also able to see the body camera video from one of the first responding officers. Officers walked up to the scene and immediately asked, Is that the owner of Brooks? as he instantly recognized him from working in the area. They do breakfast so theyre normally there early, prepping, ready for the breakfast crowd, Said Officer Todd Mun, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. A man who lives next to Brooks also took the stand and walked jurors through the surveillance video his RING cameras captured that day. It showed two people running away from the scene. The restaurant was closed Friday so family members could be in court. VIDEO: Prosecutors to use similar murder case as evidence in Brooks trial Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican campaigning for state insurance commissioner, removed at least three House Republicans from committee chairmanships for declining to sign a petition allowing a special session of the Kansas Legislature to consider President Donald Trump's request to redraw the state's U.S. House district boundaries to improve odds of defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids in the November 2026 election. This March 2025 image is of Hawkins speaking to a GOP colleague. (Photo by Grace Hills/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins stripped three Republicans of committee chairmanships for refusing to sign a petition calling for a special legislative session to redraw congressional boundaries in a bid to block reelection of Democratic U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids and to tackle a handful of unrelated bills. Hawkins relied on his unilateral power as the Houses top leader to alter committee assignments and remove as chairmen GOP Reps. Steven Howe of Salina, Nathan Butler of Junction City and Jesse Borjon of Topeka. Hawkins also removed Rep. Clarke Sanders of Salina and Rep. Leah Howell of Derby from vice chair positions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sanders, who was vice chair of the House Higher Education Budget Committee, said Hawkins called him Friday with the news. Sanders said Republicans in committee leadership positions who wouldnt sign the special session petition were targeted. Those of us who were chairs and vice chairs have been relieved because we didnt agree to sign on for a special session, Sanders said. I understand it. I knew that not signing it came with a risk. I just didnt think it was the right thing to do. I hope to maintain a good relationship with the speaker, but this was something he felt he had to do. Its likely additional committee vice chairs could be removed from leadership positions by the House speaker. Rank-and-file members of the House also could face sanctions in terms of committee assignments ahead of the 2026 legislative session in January. The committee leaders demoted by Hawkins were among 10 Republican House members who declined to sign the petition for the special session. Neither Howe, Butler nor Borjon could be immediately reached for comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not shocked. It wasnt too much of a surprise to me, said Rep. Mark Schreiber, an Emporia Republican who was among the GOP representatives who didnt sign the petition. Ive been there quite a long time as a lobbyist and legislator. Ive seen that from leadership. He said the Republicans who lost committee assignments wouldnt be deprived of an opportunity to represent their constituents in the House. They still have votes on the floor and can speak from the (House) well, Schreiber said. Hawkins was able to convince 78 of the 88 GOP members of the House to sign, which fell below the two-thirds requirement of 84 signatures from 125 House members to authorize the special session. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson was able to secure the necessary 27 signatures to complete special session requirements in that chamber. The special session had been scheduled for Nov. 7. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Tuesday, Hawkins threw in the towel on a plan to circumvent Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and call a special session devoted to congressional redistricting intended to undermine Davids, a four-term congresswoman with a district centered on Johnson County. The Kansas Constitution permits the states governor to call special sessions. The Legislature also could convene the House and Senate at the Capitol for a special session, but that required petition signatures from at least two-thirds of members in the House and Senate. Under legislative rules, Hawkins said, once the Nov. 7 deadline was breached the original House and Senate petitions would be voided and the signature search would have to start over. To say Im disappointed would be an understatement, Hawkins said in his newsletter posted Friday. At this late date, the only option was to wait until we return for the regular session on January 12. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In terms of Kansas four congressional districts, President Donald Trump urged GOP-led legislatures in Kansas and other states to redraw boundaries to promote election of more Republicans in November 2026 so the U.S. House might remain under GOP control. Hawkins wanted the Legislature to gather in November to address Trumps plea for mid-decade redistricting and to consider how to handle federal funding of rural health care and a court decision allowing Kansans to change gender information on a drivers license. There also were discussions about taking up property tax legislation during the special session. He said in a statement Tuesday that scheduling conflicts and competing agendas made planning a special session an uphill battle. In the House speakers newsletter Friday, he said delaying decisions until January meant Kelly would have full discretion on allocation of new federal funding for health care in rural Kansas. Without advance guardrails, he said, funding accepted by Kelly couldnt be returned to the federal government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those who refused to sign a petition played right into the governors hands by giving her free rein without oversight on hundreds of millions of dollars. Sad, Hawkins said. Hawkins said delaying passage of a gender identification bill meant the Legislatures action to nullify the court decision would be very costly and difficult. The timeline for imposing new congressional districts on Kansans the focus has been on splitting voter-rich Johnson County among multiple districts would be greatly shortened, Hawkins said. He also disclosed there were valid complaints about the cost to taxpayers of a special session, especially since the regular session would begin in two months on Jan. 12. The GOP-controlled Legislative Coordinating Council voted in October to allocate $460,000 to the special session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its also important to remember that the Legislature did their business in record time this (2025 regular) session saving a significant amount of money, Hawkins said. These savings would have been more than enough to cover the cost of a special session. Hawkins notified the chief clerk of the House of committee changes in a memo dated Friday. The memo shows Rep. Adam Turk of Shawnee replaced Howe as the chair of Higher Education Budget Committee. Rep. Rick James of La Cygne replaced Butler as chair of the Veterans and Military Committee. Rep. Carl Turner of Leawood replaced Borjon as chair of the Legislative Modernization Committee. Rep. Kyler Sweely of Hutchinson replaced Sanders as vice chair on the Higher Education Budget Committee, and Rep. John Resman of Olathe replaced Howell as vice chair on the Transportation and Public Safety Budget Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In other changes, Rep. Blake Carpenter of Derby was removed from the Interstate Cooperation Committee, Rep. Brian Bergkamp of Wichita was removed from the Child Welfare and Foster Care Committee, and Rep. Megan Steele of Wamego was removed from the Veterans and Military Committee. Rather than serve on veterans affairs, Steele was moved to the House Appropriations Committee. House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard, a Lenexa Democrat, wrote in a post on the social media platform X that any time a GOP member votes against leadership, they eventually get punished by being removed from committee leadership. I appreciate the bipartisan coalition that stood against a costly special session to draw new maps, Woodard wrote. Regardless of party, drawing new maps mid-decade is wrong and Kansans know it. Hopefully the (Kansas Legislatures) leaders will wake up to that fact, as well. Joseph "Zeke" Rupnick is chairman of Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. He explained to a legislative committee on Nov. 3, 2025, in Topeka, Kansas, the importance of water sovereignty. (Photo by Cami Koons for Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA Joseph Rupnick, chairman of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Council, is disappointed that the recently formed Kansas water task force does not include any Native American representation. He said so at the groups Monday meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We asked for that position when this committee first started, Rupnick said during testimony. But the 16-member task force contains only legislators and legislatively appointed members, none of them representatives from any of Kansas four federally recognized tribes. As Kansas navigates water quality and quantity issues and plans for the future, the states Native populations dont have a seat at the table. The task force has met five times in rotating locations across the state since its creation through legislation that passed in April, hearing about water quality and quantity issues. It must submit a preliminary report by the end of January and a final report to the governor and the Legislature by the end of January 2027. The document will guide water policy and funding priorities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There should be Native representation on the task force, Rupnick argued, because of the Winters doctrine, which ensures reservations are vested with the water rights necessary to support tribes activities on a reservation. Rep. Ken Rahjes, an Agra Republican, responded to Rupnicks concerns, saying if everyone who wanted a seat at the table received one, the task force could fill an arena. This is the size that we came up to, he said Rahjes, who said he wrote the bill that created the task force, vowed not to limit debate or conversation. Just because you dont have a seat here, Rahjes said, doesnt mean youre not listened to and being taken care of. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maximizing sovereignty The Prairie Band Potawatomis goal is to become water sovereign, Rupnick said. That would involve creating its own water source and treatment plant and factoring in local, state and federal interests. Rupnick highlighted Native water rights, which predate the state of Kansas and have been strengthened through courts and legislation over the past century, as key to understanding how a tribe could become water sovereign. One way to achieve that goal is with federal action creating a settlement meant to resolve water rights disputes The payments could then be used to create water resource infrastructure on tribal land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One Kansas tribe, the Kickapoo, is currently negotiating to obtain a Congressionally recognized water rights settlement. Its at step two in a four-step process. Tribes must go through pre-assessment, pre-negotiation and negotiation before reaching a settlement and subsequent implementation. The federal negotiating process is decades long, said Stephanie Zehren, special water counsel to the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. Of the United States 584 federally recognized tribes, 39 tribes largely in the northwest and southwest have sanctioned water rights through Congressionally or administratively approved settlements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That leaves the vast majority unquantified, said Zehren. The fact that a water right is not quantified does not change the fact that it exists. Tribes inherently have water rights, Zehren said, which often precede any existing rights. But the federal process is a major undertaking that requires time and money. Often, navigating the checkerboard of governance, which includes tribal, state, municipal and federal jurisdictions, is the best available option for urgent needs. Government-to-government relationships are much more effective because we are hamstrung by how much progress we can make, said Missty Slater, chairwoman of the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska. She said the tribe would like to continue its partnership with other governments, including the task force and the state of Kansas, so when the water comes to us, we might have less work to do to improve its quality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Slater said the tribe has taken proactive measures to improve water quality, including treatment, testing and a transition to regenerative farming, which reduces the need for water treatment. We are committed, as water is sacred, to doing what we can to make sure all of our water is the highest quality, Slater said. Both she and Rupnick said their tribes were considering pursuing a federal settlement. I cannot commit to anything right now, Slater said, but we are exploring that, as it would maximize our tribal sovereignty. Sen. Michael Fagg, an El Dorado Republican, asked earlier in the meeting how much land in Kansas is tribal and didnt receive a definitive answer. In many ways, tribal land extends beyond the bounds of a reservation, Rupnick said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zehren later said that tribes need to be factored into the task forces work regardless of what percentage of Kansas land is tribal. Trying to suggest that in order to protect and preserve these rights in the future requires a quantification is fairly offensive, she said The task forces next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19. Kazakhstan is joining the Abraham Accords, US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, although the country already has longstanding diplomatic relations with Israel. I just held a great call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of Israel, and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is the first Country of my Second Term to join the Abraham Accords, the first of many, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. The accords are Trumps signature foreign policy accomplishment from his first term, and the White House is looking to expand the circle of countries that fall under the agreement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration believes that Kazakhstans addition to the Abraham Accords will be just the tip of the iceberg, according to a source familiar with the matter. This is a major step forward in building bridges across the World, Trump said as he announced the agreement. Today, more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords. He said a signing ceremony would take place soon to formalize the agreement. The announcement, which came as Trump met with leaders of five Central Asian nations, marks the first country to join the Abraham Accords since 2020. But its unclear if there will be any substantive change or upgrade to the diplomatic relations Israel and Kazakhstan have had for decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Top Trump administration officials defended the significance of the agreement during the meeting, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio telling reporters that it constitutes an enhanced relationship beyond just diplomatic relations and having embassies in each others capitals. It is not just with Israel its with all the other countries that are part of the accords, youre now creating a partnership that brings special and unique economic development on all sorts of issues that they can work on together, he added. Vice President JD Vance argued that Kazakhstans agreement sent a broader message: What the president has done is actually signaled that the momentum of the Abraham Accords is alive and well in the second administration. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff hinted at the announcement Thursday during an appearance at a Miami financial conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Abraham Accords - Im flying back to Washington tonight, because were going to announce tonight another country, Witkoff said, declining to provide specifics. On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also met with Tokayev. The two discussed expanding opportunities for commercial trade and investment, according to a readout of the meeting provided by the State Department. Tokayevs office said in a statement that Kazakhstan was ready to engage in constructive dialogue on deepening multifaceted cooperation. The Trump administration has made the expansion of the Abraham Accords one of its top foreign policy goals. The accords saw Israel normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and others. The US is now trying to advance normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, but Riyadh has made clear that it would only happen with a viable pathway to Palestinian statehood, something openly dismissed by Israels government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last month, Trump told Time Magazine that Saudi Arabia will lead the way toward the Abraham Accords. When asked whether he thought the country would join the accords by the end of the year, Trump responded, Yes, I do. I do. This story and headline have been updated with the announcement that Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com "The most important thing [is] it will 'bring to life' the issue of the Abraham Accords, ahead of more countries joining," a source with knowledge of the matter told The Jerusalem Post. Kazakhstan officially joined the Abraham Accords following a trilateral phone call between US President Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Trump confirmed in a Thursday Truth Social post. Kazakhstan's signature of the accords will be the "first of many" of Trump's second term, he affirmed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is a major step forward in building bridges across the World. Today, more Nations are lining up to embrace Peace and Prosperity through my Abraham Accords," he wrote. "There are many more Countries trying to join this club of STRENGTH. So much more to come in uniting Countries for Stability and Growth - Real progress, real results. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!" he concluded. "This evening, I'm also delighted to report that Kazakhstan has officially agreed... a tremendous country with a tremendous leader, has officially joined the Abraham Accords - and I just want to thank you, Mr. President, it's a great honor, a tremendous honor to have you," Trump said at the meeting between the Trump administration and the Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan, at the White House. "You are the great leader, statesman, sent by Heaven to bring commonsense and traditions that we all share and value back into the United States' policy, either domestic or foreign, therefore millions of people in so many countries are so grateful to you, and I'm convinced your wise and bold policies need to be strongly supported worldwide," Tokayev responded. "The momentum of the Abraham Accords is alive and well in the second Administration," Vice President JD Vance commented, also affirming that other countries are likely to join in the coming months. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also present were officials from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The announcement brings issue of normalization 'to life,' source tells 'Post' On Thursday, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had said he would announce the entry of a new nation into the Abraham Accords agreement with Israel. The most important thing [is] it will bring to life the issue of the Abraham Accords, ahead of more countries joining, the source told The Jerusalem Post. Witkoff told a business forum in Florida that he would be returning to Washington for the announcement and declined to say which country it would be. So far, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco are members of the Abraham Accords. Sudan also joined the accords in 2021, but the deal was never finalized due to internal unrest in the African nation. Trump administration pushes to expand Abraham Accords Witkoff had hinted in June that several countries would soon be joining. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of the presidents key objectives is that the Abraham Accords be expanded, Witkoff told CNBC. In the same interview, Witkoff stressed that he and his team have been coordinating with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to persuade more countries to sign. We are hoping for normalization across an array of countries that people never would have contemplated would come in, so we are excited for that prospect; it will also be a stabilizer in the Middle East, Witkoff said. History of Israeli-Kazakh relations Kazakhstan may be the first of several countries to join the Abraham Accords, in light of Witkoffs earlier statements. Israel and Kazakhstan established diplomatic relations in 1992; the Israeli embassy in Almaty was established later that year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu first visited the country in 2016. Jerusalem and Astana last signed an agreement in 2022, which established trilateral development cooperation between Israel and several Central Asian countries. Kazakhstan Chief Rabbi Yeshaya Cohen said that the Thursday night reports that Astana was joining the Abraham Accords were exciting but not surprising due to the countrys pro-peace policies. I have lived here since 1994, and I see that Kazakhstan is a model for peace and tolerance, said Cohen. When Trump announced his intentions to expand the accords, the rabbi said that he believed Kazakhstan to be the right place, as there was much that the world could learn from the country about peace and tolerance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I knew one day this will be, said the rabbi, because of the governments adherence to those principles. Cohen said that Kazakhstan had fostered a welcoming environment for the seven Jewish congregations in the country, which was also home to the resting place of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, father of Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. The elder Schneerson was exiled to Kazakhstan by the Soviet Union for practicing his faith, and Cohen noted that his legacy was well respected by authorities. The main synagogue in Almaty is a few hundred meters from the grave site. Trump hopeful Saudi Arabia to join accords, as State Dept. explores Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan signing Trump has been upbeat about the prospects that regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia will finally join the accords since a ceasefire went into effect in Gaza last month, but Riyadh has shown no willingness to move ahead without at least a pathway to Palestinian statehood. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is expected to visit the White House on November 18. Other Central Asian countries such as Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, both of which have close ties with Israel, have also been seen as potentially joining the Abraham Accords, which is considered a signature foreign policy achievement of Trump's first term. Reuters contributed to this report. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that the UK governments new Employment Rights Bill could undermine its own ambition to keep Britain working, cautioning that measures in the legislation risk reducing the number of flexible retail jobs that support millions of workers. The comments follow the launch of the governments Keep Britain Working campaign, a three-year initiative aimed at tackling long-term sickness and boosting workplace health through closer collaboration with major employers. Retail warns of a clash between goals and policy Responding to the Keep Britain Working review by Sir Charlie Mayfield, BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said the retail industry recognises the importance of supportive workplaces and continues to invest in workforce health and wellbeing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, she argued that government goals and policies are at odds with one another, noting that while encouraging employers to invest in workforce health and provide flexibility, they risk making it more difficult. Dickinson said the Employment Rights Bill, in its current form, would make it harder for retailers to continue offering crucial flexible roles that allow people to balance health conditions, caring responsibilities or education with paid work. The BRC has called on ministers to join the dots between employment policy and labour-market reform so that well-intentioned legislation does not erode opportunities for part-time or variable-hour staff. Government drive to tackle economic inactivity The Keep Britain Working plan brings together more than 60 employers and local leaders to pilot approaches to workplace health and retention. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the initiative aims to reduce the high number of working-age adults currently outside the labour market due to long-term illness, improve return-to-work rates, and promote disability inclusion. Sir Charlie Mayfield, who led the review, described ill health as one of the biggest brakes on growth and urged employers to play a direct role in improving attendance and wellbeing. The government says the partnership will test new models of support across sectors and inform the creation of a voluntary healthy work standard by 2029. Employment rights bill under scrutiny The Employment Rights Bill, now progressing through Parliament, proposes changes to redundancy rules, trade union access, and elements of labour-market enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It forms part of the governments Plan to Make Work Pay, which seeks to modernise employment law and strengthen worker protections. Supporters argue the reforms will promote fair treatment and economic security, but business groups warn that added administrative pressures could make scheduling and part-time arrangements more complex. Retailers say the issue is not opposition to stronger rights but ensuring new rules align with the flexibility on which the sector depends. The retail industry stands ready to support national efforts to keep Britain working, Dickinson said, but reforms must work with, not against, the reality of how people work today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As Parliament debates the bill, attention will focus on whether adjustments can balance worker protection with the operational flexibility vital to keeping shops open and people in jobs across the UKs largest private-sector employer. "Keep Britain working? New bill puts it in doubt, says retail leader" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. A Kentucky farmer who lied about crop losses to get insurance payouts was sentenced to serve four years in federal prison and pay almost $2 million in restitution. David Wisdom, 69, was sentenced to four years in prison Monday on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States. According to federal prosecutors, Wisdom stole $1,941,007 in crop insurance indemnity payments over a span of four years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wisdom was considered an organizer or leader in the activity, which included several others who are actively being prosecuted by the government. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 28. Wisdom, of Barren County, owned and rented farmland in Barren and Metcalfe counties and grew crops, including tobacco, according to his plea agreement. Wisdom admitted that over several crop years, he wrote checks showing he bought tobacco from Farmers Tobacco Warehouse, creating the impression his crops had been short, and he needed to buy tobacco to fulfill his contract. Thomas Kirkpatrick, the former manager of the warehouse, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in July. Kirkpatrick is on the hook for nearly $16 million and could receive a 20-year sentence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wisdom used the checks to support claims for insurance payments by making it appear he had grown less tobacco than he actually had. In reality, the warehouse paid him back for those checks, though it kept a cut in some cases, according to his plea agreement. Wisdom also wrote checks to other farmers from 2015 through 2020 to make it appear he had bought tobacco from them, according to the plea. In one example cited in the indictment, Kirkpatrick allegedly received five checks totaling $763,434 from a farmer named Larry Walden in February 2020, as evidence that Walden had bought 479,704 pounds of tobacco from the warehouse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Walden pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering in May and was ordered to pay $9.9 million in restitution. He faces 20 years in prison. Prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum that Wisdom grew up in a stable household, strong family support and no mental or physical abuse. Because of this, federal attorney said only greed and the ease of obtaining unearned income as the principal motivators. Kentuckys housing market continues to deliver on affordability and steady growth. The state earned a C+ on the Realtor.com State-by-State Housing Report Card, part of the Let America Build campaign that evaluates how states balance housing costs and new construction. While doing well, this isn't the case in much of the rest of the country. Hoping to spur on action, President Donald Trump recently put pressure on large homebuilders to increase construction nationwide. In a post on his Truth Social platform in early October, he accused major builders of hoarding lots to prop up prices likening them to OPEC, which restricts oil output to maintain high prices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre my friends but now, they can get Financing, and they have to start building Homes. Theyre sitting on 2 Million empty lots, A RECORD, Trump wrote. He urged Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to intervene and get Big Homebuilders going in order to restore the American Dream. Kentucky is proving that sustainable building and affordability can coexist, but how are they making that possible? A healthy housing market Kentucky scored 58 overall, landing among the better-performing states nationwide. The median listing price of $304,296 in 2024 is well below the national average, while the median household income of $62,837 keeps homeownership within reach for much of the population. The Realtor Affordability Score came in at 0.75, indicating that typical Kentucky buyers can still afford a broad range of available listings. The states construction outlook remains solid. Kentucky accounted for 1.1% of all new home permits nationwide in 2024, roughly matching its share of the U.S. population. The permit-to-population ratio shows healthy alignment between demand and new supply. The new construction premiumthe difference between prices for new and existing homeswas 32.3%, signaling that new builds remain relatively affordable and continue to attract buyers looking for modern options. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Which is good, considering that many other states are falling behind America is short more than 4.7 million homes, and every new home built helps close that gap while fueling local economies," says Shannon McGahn, executive vice president and chief advocacy officer at the National Association of Realtors. "NAR research shows that the U.S. has faced a persistent housing shortage for more than a decade, driving up prices and limiting options for buyers. Expanding housing supply creates jobs, supports small businesses, and affords families the opportunity to build generational wealth. A regional advantage According to the most recent Realtor.com New Construction Insights report, the South and Midwest continue to lead the nation in affordability and homebuilding activity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The median listing price for new homes nationwide stood at $450,797, nearly flat year over year, while resale prices rose 2.4%. This lowered the national new construction premium to 7.8%, the smallest on record and a clear sign that new builds are offering more competitive pricing than ever before. Kentucky benefits from these same regional trends. With moderate land costs and a supportive environment for builders, the state has avoided the inventory crunch that plagues much of the Northeast and West. Governor Beshears housing investments While no specific provisions have been added to recent legislation targeting new home builds on a widespread scale, Governor Andy Beshear has made recovery housing for disaster relief a priority. After some historic flooding at the start of 2025, Governor Beshear pledged $6.2 million in Disaster Recovery funds to go towards creating new housing for victims. Part of those funds went towards transforming a former medical building into into 18 new and affordable apartments Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that a former medical building will be transformed into 18 new and affordable apartments for flood victims in Jackson. I made a promise to be there for the people of Eastern Kentucky until every structure, home and life is rebuilt, Gov. Beshear said in a release. Thats a promise Im going to keep, regardless of the challenges we face. Jackson has been through the very worst, and they deserve the very best. He also encouraged people impacted to apply for recovery housing support with the newly launched online form at housingcantwait.org. Our promise wasnt just to rebuild, but to provide a better life, the governor said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Months later, in September, Gov. Beshear joined local leaders and representatives of The Hope Initiative to present keys to new homes in Princeton and Mayfield for families who lost their houses in the deadly December 2021 tornadoes. After such heartbreak and loss, today is a day of healing and hope as we see these two families who have been through so much enter their new homes that will provide the safety and security they deserve, Beshear said at the ceremony. These home dedications are a reminder of how Kentuckians take care of each other, and we will be here for our neighbors until every structure, home and life is rebuilt. This article was produced with editorial input from Dina Sartore-Bodo and Gabriella Iannetta. Milwaukee police are hoping a trio of fundraisers will help send family and officers to Washington, D.C., for National Police Week to remember a fallen officer. Milwaukee Police Department officers are planning to join with the family of Kendall Corder next May in the nations capital to remember the 32-year-old man killed in the line of duty in June. To do that, theyre hoping fundraisers can help cover costs for the family, lower the cost for attending officers and hopefully make it possible for more officers to attend. (Kendall) did everything he could to take care of his family, said Officer John Parlier. We have done our best to make sure we are doing what he wanted. In 2019, Raymond Corder pinned the badge on his son Kendall Corder at the Milwaukee Police Department graduation ceremony at the Milwaukee Safety Academy on December 12, 2019. Michael Sears / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Corder and his partner, Officer Christopher McCray, were shot June 26 on Milwaukee's northwest side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Corder, a six-year police veteran, would die three days later, on June 29, at a local hospital, becoming the sixth Milwaukee police officer to die in the line of duty since 2018. McCray, 29, survived the shooting. In the weeks afterwards, a flurry of fundraisers, memorials and an emotional funeral service were held. (Center) Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman gives final remarks as Milwaukee police officer Kendall Corders body arrives at the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office on Sunday June 29, 2025 in Milwaukee, WI. Officer Corder was given an End of Watch ceremony, he died on June 29 and was shot on June 26 while responding to a report of a subject with a gun. Now, its been almost six months since Corder was killed and the sting is still there for the department, Parlier said. At police District Two, where Corder worked, theres a memorial to him that acts as a daily reminder for those officers. Parlier is a patrol officer in district two and works on the departments wellness team. He routinely checks in with officers on how theyre handling Corders death. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Remembering him all those good memories that we did is meaningful, Parlier said. They are never really gone, its just different. Milwaukee police officer John Parlier stands for a photo next to a memorial for Kendall Corder. Corder died after he was shot in the line of duty in June. Now, the department and local businesses are trying to fundraise money for attending National Police Week, where Corder will be remembered. The police departments various districts are organizing fundraisers to send officers to National Police Week. The annual event brings police officers from around the country to Washington, D.C., for a variety of events, including a candlelight vigil for memorializing officers killed in duty. Those who died have their names engraved in the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. District staff worked with businesses within their areas to organize the varying events, from a volleyball tournament to a Green Bay Packers watch party. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have so much optimism for the type of healing this can provide, Parlier said. Police officers from Milwaukee police district two pose for a photo. Kendall Corder stands in the back row, along with John Parlier. Parlier is departments liaison for the Corder family, and it is his job to be with the family during the trip to Washington, D.C. He speaks with Corders father, Raymond, almost daily and said his father is still navigating losing his son. He rode with Raymond in the funeral procession, and he recalled how impactful it was to see the crowds lined up to remember Kendall. Now, Parlier is hoping the community can support the family once again. We want to make sure they are fully covered, Parlier said. They paid the ultimate sacrifice. What to know about fundraisers for National Police Week Nov. 12: The Brick Pub & Grill, 6343 N. Green Bay Road, is donating 10% of meal costs to help officers attend National Police Week. The Glendale fundraiser runs 5-9 p.m. and will include live music. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nov. 15: Kelly's Bleachers Wind Lake, 7805 S. Loomis Road, is hosting a volleyball tournament in support officers' travel to National Police week. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., with games between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. It costs $30 per player and there's a$60 non-refundable deposit per team. Those interested are asked to email lwqurm@milwaukee.gov and draine@milwaukee.gov. Dec. 7: Doc's Smokehouse, 754 N. Vel R Phillips Ave., is hosting a Green Bay Packers watch party with all proceeds going towards the cost of officers' attendances to National Police Week. The fundraiser is between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m., with prizes from Milwaukee Tool and other local businesses. 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 police seek support for trip to D.C. to honor Kendall Corder Lucid Motors chief engineer Eric Bach is leaving the company after more than a decade, the company has announced. Bach, who also served as Lucid Motors Senior Vice President of Product, has been with the company since 2015. He joined Lucid after spending three years as Teslas Director of Engineering, where he worked alongside Lucid Motors former CEO and CTO Peter Rawlinson. Bach spent more than 10 years at Volkswagen before Tesla. TechCrunch has learned that Lucids VP of Engineering, James Hawkins, is also no longer with the company after spending 10 years there. Lucid Motors declined to specifically comment on his departure. Bachs and Hawkins departures are part of a wider shake-up announced Wednesday. Lucid Motors Vice President of Quality, Jeri Ford, is retiring as well. She will be replaced by Marnie Levergood, who is coming to the company from Scout Motors. At the same time, Lucid Motors current Senior Vice President of Powertrain, Emad Dlala, is being elevated to oversee all of Engineering and Digital. Dlala was promoted once already earlier this year and has been with the company since 2015. The executive shake-up comes as Lucid enters its ninth month without a permanent CEO after Peter Rawlinson suddenly resigned in February. Former chief operating officer Marc Winterhoff has been serving as CEO on an interim basis ever since. The loss of Bach and Ford is the latest in a line of executive departures at Lucid Motors. The companys head of investor relations, Senior Vice President of Operations, Managing Director for Europe, and the Vice Presidents of Software Quality and Marketing have all left within the last year. The changes are happening at a critical moment in Lucid Motors history. The company finally launched its long-awaited luxury SUV, the Gravity, which the company expects will ultimately be more successful than the Air sedan, which it has struggled to sell. Lucid Motors is also working on a midsized vehicle that will be priced closer to $50,000 in 2026, though it has said it likely needs to raise more money before that happens. On Wednesday, Lucid Motors announced that its majority owner Saudi Arabias sovereign wealth fund had boosted the cap of a loan agreement from $750 million to around $2 billion, which provides the company liquidity until 2027. This story has been updated with more information about departures and the amended loan agreement announced Wednesday. Travelers to, from, and within Australia and New Zealand need to be informed and take precautions as the global measles outbreak continues to spread. On October 16, the Australian Centre for Disease Control last updated its webpage dedicated to measles, also known as rubeola. The source notes that, In measles outbreaks, the public health response focuses on quickly identifying and isolating infected people. The authoritys National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System reports that 147 measles cases were reported in 2025, with 53 of those in Western Australia, 35 in Victoria, and 28 in New South Wales. Furthermore, 29 of this years cases were experienced by those aged 25 through 29. Just over a week later, New Zealands Ministry of Health noted that the country was experiencing an escalating national risk of measles. The ministry added that cases had recently been reported in Northland, Auckland, Manawatu, and Nelson. Moreover, the countrys designated health website shared that locations of interest places where someone with measles visited include sites in Wellington, Taranaki, Manawatu-Whanganui, Tasman, and Marlborough. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently advises travelers to practice usual precautions against measles in Australia and New Zealand. The authority classifies the risk as a Level 1 travel health notice, adding that measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. Is There A Measles Outbreak In The U.S.? The last time the CDC updated its information about measles in the U.S. was in early November, as of this reporting. According to the health authority, in 2025, the U.S. had 1,681 confirmed measles cases reported. Although those cases were reported across 42 states, 803 of the 1,681 reported illnesses were in Texas. Out of the total number of cases this year, 40% of the sick were aged 5 through 19, and 92% who developed the disease were unvaccinated. The CDC says there have been three official deaths from measles in 2025 and 203 hospitalizations related to having the disease. Additionally, the source reports that the annual number of measles cases is the highest it has been since the early 1990s. Regardless of whether youre flying abroad or staying local, measles outbreaks should be taken seriously. Measles is an extremely contagious airborne disease caused by the spread of a virus. The elderly, young children, those who are pregnant, and those who are immunocompromised are particularly vulnerable. There can be flu-like symptoms, a rash, red eyes, muscle pain, and more. Complications can be life-threatening. According to the CDC, the best prevention against measles is being fully vaccinated against it, meaning getting two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The post What To Know About The Measles Outbreaks In Australia And New Zealand appeared first on Travel Noire. LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) Pirates off the coasts of Somalia have hijacked a commercial vessel for the first time in 18 months, raising fears of a resurgence of armed attacks along the coasts of Somalia. This week, the pirates have launched multiple attacks against vessels before successfully boarding the Malta-flagged Hellas Aphrodite, which was en route to India from South Africa and ferrying gasoline, according to the ships owner, Latsco Marine Management Inc. EU Naval reached the ship on Friday and found all crew members safe. The last time the pirates boarded a ship was in May 2024, when they hijacked the Liberian-flagged vessel Basilisk around 380 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said there was another close incident in the area on Friday, but the ship outran the pirate vessel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Experts say Thursdays seizure might be a prelude to more assaults because conditions along the coasts have changed due to the redistribution of naval forces and a weakened government in Mogadishu, which is battling armed groups offshore. What we are seeing is also increasing reports of pirate groups hijacking vessels and recruiting new pirates, as well as arming themselves, Timothy Walker, a senior maritime researcher at the Institute of Security Studies, told The Associated Press. Those were major signs that attacks were likely, with the fact that there was less deterrence than before, and some have taken the chance and succeeded with some of the attacks. Here is what to know about the pirates and their impact on maritime commerce and security: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pirates trace their history to civil war in Somalia Through the 1980s, Somalia experienced a brutal civil war that briefly stopped in 1991. The war, which arose from opposition to the Siad Barre-led military junta, fractured the East African nation to this day, with several armed groups controlling parts of the country. The war led to the disbandment of the Somali Navy, leaving the countrys territorial waters undefended. Foreign vessels took advantage of the opportunity to dump industrial waste off the Somali coast. Local fishermen banded together to protect their waters, evolving into armed attacks which escalated in the early 2000s, involving kidnappings of crew members until ship owners paid ransoms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Incidence of piracy peaked in 2011 with a high of 243 hijacks, but has since then decreased. While there are no definite figures on how much has been paid in ransom to the pirates, UN agencies say the pirates have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. In April 2024, $5 million was paid by Bangladeshi owners SR Shipping Lines to release MV Abdullah. The pirates have been hard to track and stop The presence of the pirates in Somalia, which lies along key nerves of global maritime shipping routes, constitutes a severe threat to the global economy. Military authorities and international agencies have attempted to counter piracy for decades, but the vastness of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden make the region difficult for military ships to patrol. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Somali pirates have the capacity to operate about 1,000 kilometers from shore by using mother ships a large ship on which smaller vessels like skiffs can be launched to reach deep waters. This allows them to operate away from the less patrolled coast. They usually confront a vessel with heavy ammunition to slow it down. Once a vessel has been boarded with light ladders, pirates typically move the vessel towards Somalia and hold it for ransom. Analysts say that coastal patrolling has been neglected because Somalia, a war-torn country with a fractured government, has shifted its attention to battling internal armed groups. That is why you can have as much protection at sea, but if you are not preventing pirates from forming groups offshore and launching attacks, you are not really able to stem the problem. You are only dealing with the symptom, Walker said. In 2003 a UN Security Council resolution created the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia to document violations of an arms embargo on Somalia, but its scope has since broadened to include piracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coalitions including the European Naval Force Somalia and the Standing Group of NATO have sought to tackle the issue, and several national and regional initiatives have also been developed. Last year Turkey and Somalia signed a 10-year deal on defense and economic cooperation, which included combating piracy. Under the deal, the Turkish Navy will help in building, training, and equipping a Somali naval force and conduct joint operations to protect Somali waters. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) An investigation is underway after a man was shot and killed by two Metro police officers in downtown Nashville Friday morning. Officers were called to the Greyhound bus station at the intersection of Fifth Avenue South/Rep. John Lewis Way South and Lafayette Street around 6 a.m. for a suicide call. Have breaking news come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) According to Metro police, witness told officers the man said he had a gun and reached into a backpack. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a press conference, a Metro police spokesperson said the man called dispatch himself to report he was feeling violent. When the two Central precinct officers encountered the man, they were forced to fire upon him out of concern for their own safety, according to Metro police. The man was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he died. According to a release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the man told the officers he was armed and verbally threatened to kill them. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com No officers were injured. They were both placed on routine administrative assignment during the investigation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No weapon was found in the mans backpack. At least 20 Metro police cruisers responded to the scene and blocked the intersection off with crime scene tape. Fifth Avenue was closed to traffic driving away from downtown at Division Street. The backpack was seen on the ground with at least nine bullet casing markers around it. TBI agents responded to the scene to assist with the investigation. Footage from the officers body cameras is expected to be released later Friday. No additional information was 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. Republicans have spent a year cheering President Donald Trumps gains among Latino voters in November 2024. Now, Democrats big wins among Latino voters this week have some Republicans sounding the alarm. This is a wake-up call for the GOP, Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., told NBC News. Democrats double-digit victories in governors races in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as wins in other elections in New York City and California, were driven in part by high levels of support among Latino voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Latino voters supported the Democratic candidates this year by at least double-digit margins, according to NBC News exit polling. Latino men, who broke for Trump last year, according to the 2024 exit polls, favored the Democrats in each of the races where exit polling was conducted on Tuesday. In the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial contests, two-thirds of Latino voters supported the Democratic candidates. That support was especially pronounced in New Jersey, where Latino voters made up 10 percent of the electorate. Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill won big in areas of the state with sizable Latino populations, as she beat Republican Jack Ciattarelli by 13 points and reversed some of Trumps gains in New Jersey. For example, Sherrill carried Passaic County which is about 45% Latino, according to census data by 15 points on Tuesday, following Trumps 3-point victory there last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., dismissed concerns about Latino voters shifts when pressed by NBC News. I do believe that the demographic shift that we were able to see and experience in the 2024 election will hold, Johnson told reporters. But other Republicans say their party should pay attention to Latino voters shift toward Democrats on Tuesday, as the Trump administration ramps up immigrant detentions and deportations. When asked how Trumps immigration agenda is playing in Latino communities, Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., told NBC News, Id be less than honest if I told you, No, everythings great. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are some things that we need to change and have a course correction with in regards to immigration, Gimenez added. Everybodys in favor of gang members, criminals, et cetera, being deported and all that. Not too many people are in favor of grandmothers and caregivers and all that you know falling under the same umbrella. Thats the course correction. Another House Republican from Texas, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about the election results, said the GOP needs to do a better job keeping Latino voters inside their tent especially without Trump on the ballot in next years midterms. Clearly its an issue, and a big one, the member said. Jose Arango, the GOP chairman in Hudson County, New Jersey, which is 41% Latino, said, People send you a message and elected officials should learn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrill won Hudson County by 50 points, almost doubling then-Vice President Kamala Harris margin of victory there last year. Latino voters are not satisfied with the government closing. Theyre not satisfied that New Jerseys not affordable and the [Sherrill] campaign has blamed the White House. And theyre not satisfied with the issues of ICE, Arango said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Arango noted that ICE detained a popular restaurant owner in Monmouth County just a few days before the election. Salazar told NBC News, We need economy, we need border security, but we have an issue with immigration, touting her proposal to provide legal status for certain undocumented workers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We do not want the illegals who are criminals, but we do want to give dignity to those who are not criminals," Salazar said. "And they have been among us for years and decades, and they have been contributing to the economy." It appears voters on Tuesday were concerned about Trumps actions on immigration enforcement, with majorities of Latinos in New Jersey, Virginia, California and New York City saying the administration has gone too far, according to exit polling. Amanda, a Latina resident of Morris County, New Jersey, was one of them. She voted for Trump last year but decided to back Sherrill on Tuesday. I dont like that were deporting American citizens that are not criminals, said Amanda, who declined to share her last name while discussing politics. She spoke to NBC News outside a Colombian bakery in Dover, a predominantly Hispanic community, and said she quickly regretted her vote for Trump because of his immigration policies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic pollster Anna Greenberg, who conducted polling for the pro-Sherrill super PAC One Giant Leap, noted that deportations and masked ICE agents came up in focus groups with Latino voters. This is the beginning of the reckoning around mass deportation, Greenberg said. While Latino voters said the Trump administrations actions had gone too far, the economy remained the top issue. Pluralities of Latino voters in every state where exit polling was conducted said the economy or cost of living was the issue that mattered most to their vote. When it comes to their family finances, majorities also said they are holding steady or falling behind financially, with about a third consistently reporting theyre falling behind. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In exit polls, at least 6-in-10 Latino voters said they feel dissatisfied or angry about the direction of the country, and at least 4-in-10 said their vote was to oppose Trump. Latinos who voted for him had buyers remorse for Trump, said Patricia Campos-Media, a Sherill campaign vice chair and longtime activist in New Jersey, noting Trump promised to boost the economy and deport criminals. Campos-Medina credited Sherrills victory among Latino voters to a message focused on bread and butter economic issues, and with sizable investments in Latino voter outreach and organizing. Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist who worked on the New Jersey Democratic Partys canvassing effort, said the door-knocking program reached hundreds of thousands of Latino voters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What we kept hearing at the door was an ongoing anxiety around affordability, Rocha said, noting voters raised concerns about the cost of utilities, groceries, housing and insurance. Rocha noted that voters did express concerns about ICE, but the top concerns were economic ones. Theres a group of Latinos who gave Republicans a shot in the presidential [election], Rocha said, later adding, It hasnt gotten any better under Trump and in fact got worse. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com The Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department announced its investigation into the fatal shooting of a house cleaner outside of a Whitestown home earlier this week has been handed to the prosecutor. Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez, 32, was fatally shot on Nov. 5 after she and her husband, Mauricio Velazquez, arrived at the wrong Boone County address for a cleaning job, according to the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department. Mauricio Velazquez has insisted they were at the correct address. The police department submitted the case to the Boone County Prosecutors Office for review on Nov. 7. Kent Eastwood, the Boone County Prosecutor, will determine if any charges will be filed against the shooter. Maria Florinda Rios Perez, 32, was shot dead on a porch at a home on Maize Lane in The Heritage, a Whitestown subdivision on Nov. 5, 2025. Eastwood said the case file includes recorded statements, digital data, diagrams and measurements. He's assembled a team to comb through the details and evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have to make sure that we listen to every single second of every single taped statement of all of the witnesses," Eastwood said. "That process is going to take a while." Initially, he said, he'd hoped to have a decision by the end of next week, but the process may take longer. The prosecutor's case review could result in charges, no charges or referral to a grand jury. Eastwood, who has been a prosecutor for more than 25 years, said the case is complex due to the language of the state's stand your ground law. "It might need to be revisited," he said of the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Boone County Coroners Office conducted an autopsy on Nov. 6 and determined that Rios Perez died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Officials have not released the name of the homeowner. "This is a complex, delicate and evolving case, and it would be both inappropriate and potentially dangerous to disclose that information," Whitestown Police Chief Scott Rolston said in a news release. Housekeeper killed: Boone County Coroner releases cause, manner of death in shooting of housekeeper in Whitestown Whitestown attempts to squash rumors and misinformation The slow release of information has led people to speculate and share misinformation about the homeowner across social media, including suggestions they are tied to law enforcement. "No officer whether currently serving, retired, resigned, terminated, or otherwise affiliated with the Whitestown Metropolitan Police Department or any other police department resides at or has any personal connection to the location of the incident," Rolston said in a news release. "These inaccurate claims pose a serious safety risk to uninvolved officers and their families and must cease immediately." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The chief urged people to be patient while the case makes it way through the justice system. Indiana's self defense laws: Can I shoot someone on my Indiana property? A lawyer explains Indiana Castle Doctrine What led up to the shooting of Maria Florinda Rios Perez de Velasquez (From left to right) 10-year-old Gricelda, 7-year-old Greysi, their father Mauricio Velazquez and 17-year-old Sayda on Nov. 5, 2025. Just after 6:45 a.m. Nov. 5, police received a 911 call about a suspected home invasion on Maize Lane in The Heritage, a Whitestown subdivision. Officers who arrived at the scene found Rios Perez shot dead on the front porch, according to police. Investigators quickly determined that Rios Perez and her husband were not attempting to break into the home. They were instead part of a cleaning crew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Velazquez told IndyStar that he believed they were at the right address. He said he checked the location of the address twice before approaching the house. He said they were standing on the front porch searching for the key to the home when the shooting happened. Rios Perez is originally from Quetzaltenango in Guatemala. That's where she and Velazquez met before moving to Indianapolis. She has four children. The youngest is about to turn 1. Noe Padilla is a public safety reporter for IndyStar. Contact him at npadilla@indystar.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement IndyStar reporters Ryan Murphy and Jade Jackson contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana prosecutor looking into killing of woman who showed up at wrong house An aerial view of the land on the north side of Parallel Parkway, submitted to the planning commission of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, on May 28, 2025 An aerial view of the land on the north side of Parallel Parkway, submitted to the planning commission of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, on May 28, 2025. The government approved Red Wolf DCD Properties' proposal to build a $12 billion data center there, but a lawsuit put the project on hold. (Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas) LAWRENCE A protest petition and lawsuit have put the brakes on a proposed $12 billion data center after zoning was initially approved by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, in May. The developer of the hyperscale facility, Red Wolf DCD Properties, submitted plans for six buildings totaling 1.8 million square feet on the north and south sides of Parallel Parkway in western Wyandotte County. A hyperscale data center is 10,000 or more square feet and houses at least 5,000 computer servers. The project would be the largest development in Wyandotte Countys history. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Proponents of the plan say it will bring badly needed revenue to the county. However, residents and an environmental group have voiced concerns about government transparency, location and environmental costs associated with the facility, whose end user remains unknown. Were trying to figure out, if were going to welcome data centers to Kansas, how we can make sure that were not doing any harm to the communities, to the ecosystems and the environment, said Zack Pistora, director of the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. Protest petitions were filed for each of the north and south developments, triggering the requirement of supermajority zoning approval from the 11-member planning and zoning commission. On July 31, a rezoning amendment for the north side application failed to meet that threshold after a 7-3 vote. The south side of the proposal did not require supermajority approval after eight signatories to the petition removed their signatures. Petition signatures retracted In documents filed in Wyandotte County District Court, the plaintiffs, Neal Palmer and Haskell Farms LLC, allege the Unified Government should not have approved rezoning from residential to commercial because of numerous errors and insufficiencies in the developers applications, which they say failed to adhere to the Unified Governments municipal code. The lawsuit claims the commission rushed review processes without sufficient study of short and long-term impacts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit also alleges a commissioner was unduly pressured to recuse himself from planning commission hearings and that Red Wolf orchestrated an effort to have signatories withdraw from the south side petition. On Oct. 29, a Wyandotte County district judge denied the Unified Governments motion to dismiss the plaintiffs case against the south tract. The court found the lawsuit against the north tract may proceed if commissioners make a final decision regarding the zoning application. Palmer, the plaintiff, ran for election to the Wyandotte County Board of Public Utilities but lost his race on Tuesday. Steve Sessions, a community organizer who operates the We the People of Wyco Facebook page and who is not involved in the lawsuit, said in an interview the developer needed eight fewer signatures on the petition in order to proceed without supermajority approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Conveniently, Sessions said, eight people that signed the petition then retracted their petition via a letter that was written and notarized by Polsinelli Law Firm. Polsinelli Law Firm, which did not reply to inquiries for this story, is representing Red Wolf in its application process. Sessions said elected officials have not been transparent with the community or articulated the benefits the project will bring. We send hundreds of emails asking for a response on the record, Sessions said. None of them are ever responded to. The north side of Parallel Parkway. Some of the land has been rezoned from residential to commercial for the development of the Red Wolf data center, but the north side remains stalled because of a protest petition and a citizen lawsuit. (Photo by Erin Socha) Flipper style development As advances in artificial intelligence drive the proliferation of data centers around the country, developers and municipalities have been eager to cash in. The often-massive buildings house computer servers that handle everything people do online, from processing Amazon orders to answering Google queries. Often, data centers are built before corporate tenants commit to the location, drawing comparisons to real estate flippers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The risk to our health and the risk to our bills of just inviting this kind of real estate flipper style of data center from Red Wolf is great, said Ty Gorman, senior campaign strategist for the Sierra Clubs Beyond Coal Coalition. In many parts of the country, data centers are increasing energy costs for residents, although the Kansas Corporation Commission, which regulates public utilities, on Thursday approved a plan to allocate energy costs to try to ensure residents dont foot the electric bill for data centers. Gorman said hyperscale development should be focused on attracting end users like Google that have committed to green energy and will invest in infrastructure to help communities develop resilient, renewable energy sources. The prospect of being able to have the commission say this real estate flipper has to sell it to someone whos willing to do that, like Google, is a big opportunity, Gorman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kasia Tarczynska, a senior research analyst at Good Jobs First who studies data center subsidies, said there has been a lot of buildup and talk about a bubble. Big tech companies are hiding behind developers. Its a huge, huge problem, she said, because the public should have access to information. Do people want to have this company as a community member? She said speculative projects that dont end up attracting a corporate tenant can leave communities stuck with massive, empty buildings. Red Wolf is owned by Aaron Wolofsky of Brooklyn, New York. According to the Kansas City Business Journal, Red Wolfs headquarters is listed as a residential address in New York, and it has proposed, but not yet built, two data centers in Georgia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shots in the arm Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte Economic Development Council, sees the data center project as a welcome and badly needed investment in the community. We need some pretty good shots in the arm, he said. Kindle emphasized the need to fund local schools, noting the project is sited within Piper School District, the second-fastest growing school district in the state. He said the project, when complete, would generate more than $2 million in property tax revenue annually for each of its six buildings. The data center will also pay local taxes on its power usage, he said. It runs 24/7 every day, and its the same consistent load, he said. Those are really consistent revenues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kindle said the project will generate between 40 and 60 confirmed jobs, and possibly as many as 100. These are technical jobs, he said, that generate salaries around $100,000 a year. He said that the Parallel Parkway location is ideal because it can support the power and water needs of the data center. He also said Red Wolf will be responsible for upgrading infrastructure like substations and transmission systems. Some opponents say the project does not suit the locations agricultural and residential character. Kindle said the project will generate substantial revenues on a relatively small footprint. General Motors pays about $3.5 million annually in property taxes on four million square feet, he said. Were looking at one data center generating $2.4 million a year on 330,000 square feet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Environmental impact Data centers have become notorious for their energy requirements and for the massive amount of water needed to cool their servers. AI likes to represent itself as a clean technology, but AI must be powered by the grid, said Alex Boynton, a professor of environmental ethics at the University of Kansas. There are significant parts of the U.S. grid that are still run by fossil fuel energy, which calls into question the validity of those claims. The water needs of the data center remain unclear. Kindle said water requirements will be determined by the tenant. Some newer technologies, such as closed-loop systems, reuse water but require more energy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These folks arent planning to use a significant amount of water, Kindle said. Theyre going heavier on power and less on water. But Gorman, of the Sierra Club, said the proposed project would double the energy usage of the county. As federal dollars for renewable energy disappear under the Trump Administration, the Southwest Power Pool, which manages the flow of electricity for Kansas and 13 other states, is working to transition away from a reliance on coal. The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities still utilizes coal for 39% of its power generation. A double-edged sword Boynton said AI is coming, one way or another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With AI, data centers are inevitable, he said. I think everybodys rushing in on the current gold mine, Boynton said. But it can be a double-edged sword. We need to take a long, hard look into the environmental consequences and a long, hard look into the benefits, and whether or not theyll include everybody. Sessions, the community organizer, said he isnt opposed to responsible development. He pointed to the recently approved data center in De Soto as an example. That project was handled very well, he said, noting that De Soto did a good job of articulating community impacts and benefits. But the Red Wolf Project, he said, was approved by the zoning commission in just six weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im not anti-data center, he said. We obviously need these and they are revenue generators, but the way its presented is not truthful. It is not how we should be allowing businesses to do business in our community. The project leaves too many questions unanswered, he said. If its already irresponsible at the very beginning, what kind of disaster is going to happen later? he said. This article was written for a class at the University of Kansas William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications and distributed through the Kansas Press Association. The Lebanon County Commissioners on Nov. 6 unanimously approved entering into an agreement with Tucker Arensberg P.C. to represent Children and Youth after the district attorney's office announced an investigation into the department. County Solicitor Matt Bugli said the agreement is for the representation services of Barbara Zemlock and Marisa McClellan from the firm. Tucker Arensberg is not requiring a payment or retainer fee, but is charging a $375 an hour fee for Zemlock and a $350 and hour fee for McClellan should their services be required. According to the agreement, Tucker Arensberg will be representing CYS and potentially staff involved with the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We're at the very early stages since the DA just announced last week in her press release, so I think that is to be determined," Bugli said about the firm's role in the investigation moving forward. On Oct 29, Lebanon DA Pier Hess Graf announced a formal investigation into CYS, saying detectives were looking into actions by caseworkers that might have resulted in the death or serious injuries of multiple children. The DA's office cited a recent case, saying a CYS caseworker returned a 1-year-old baby to the residence of his alleged abusers. CYS Investigation: Lebanon Co. DA investigating Children and Youth Services for allegedly endangering kids Lebanon County Children and Youth Services should serve as an additional layer of protection for victims," District Attorney Pier Hess Graf said in the release. "One child hurt or killed while in their care is too many; the instances we know about are far higher and horrific." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The DA's office said that police are aware of past cases where CYS returned children to unfit physical environments, and the child suffered a death or serious injury as a result. Officials have not released the name of the individuals charged in the incident referenced in the DA's announcement, or say if the CYS caseworker who returned the baby was ever charged as of Nov. 6. County commissioners responded to the DA's office Oct. 29, saying that CYS faces "very complicated circumstances in many of these cases." Officials also said that CYS has always maintained itself in good standing with the State Department of Human Services/Office of Children, Youth, and Families. "Lebanon County Children and Youth Services (CYS) faces very complicated circumstances in many of these cases," commissioners said in their Oct. 29 response. "They must try and find a balance between the safety of the children and honoring their legal obligation to reunify families. Sometimes, despite best efforts and limited options, parents hurt their children. While thats never acceptable, it is a harsh reality of humanity." During the Nov. 6 commissioners' meeting, Wolgemuth said there is no special item in the 2025 or 2026 budget to pay for Tucker Arensberg's services. He added the firm would be paid out of the county's general fund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Right now, this is an engagement," he said about the agreement with Tucker Arensberg. "Maybe they're utilized, maybe they're not." Graf was at the Nov. 6 commissioners meeting, but did not talk about the CYS investigation and left before county officials began discussing the agreement with Tucker Arensberg. When asked by the Lebanon Daily News about if the DA's office indicated any charges were going to be filed against CYS or its case workers, Bugli declined to comment. As of Nov. 6, the Lebanon County DA's office has not announced if any charges have been filed in connection with incidents the office or law enforcement allegedly were aware of or witnessed in investigating Lebanon CYS. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth. This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Commissioners engage attorneys for CYS after probe announcement BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Lebanon faces the dilemma of whether to go ahead with negotiations with Israel to end the ongoing cycle of violence and prevent a full-scale war despite Hezbollah's rejection of the talks -- highlighting a deep political divide within the country. The Hezbollah-Israel war, which broke out when the Iran-backed group opened a support front for Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, never came to an end, even after a cease-fire agreement was reached on Nov. 27, 2024. Israel has continued its unrestrained attacks on Hezbollah, causing further casualties and destruction. It has refused to withdraw from five strategic positions it still occupies in southern Lebanon, refrained from releasing Lebanese prisoners detained during the war, and prevented displaced residents from returning to their border villages turned to ruin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Lebanese Army's successful advance in taking control of southern Lebanon and eliminating Hezbollah's military presence along the border and south of the Litani River, as stipulated by the cease-fire agreement, does not seem sufficient for Israel, which wants Hezbollah to be completely disarmed. In fact, Hezbollah, which suffered heavy losses during the war, has refrained from firing a single shot in retaliation to Israel's continued air and drone strikes, which allegedly target the group's remaining arms depots and military infrastructure beyond southern areas of the Litani River. However, Hezbollah's recent claims that it has fully recovered, restructured its military capabilities and rebuilt its command structure -- coupled with its refusal to disarm or support Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in his new approach to negotiations with Israel -- put the country at risk of another round of war. While Aoun said that Lebanon has no choice but to engage in talks with Israel to end its occupation and halt its attacks, Hezbollah rejected any attempt to involve the country in new negotiations -- outside the framework of the "mechanism" committee responsible for supervising the implementation of the ceasefire accord -- arguing that they would only serve "the enemy and its interests." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hisham Jaber, a Lebanese military expert and former Army general, said it is the Lebanese state -- not Hezbollah -- that should negotiate with Israel, based on terms set by President Aoun: no direct or political negotiations, only military-security talks conducted via a third party, such as the U.S. or the United Nations, and no use of force to complete Hezbollah's disarmament. Jaber said that indirect talks with Israel had proven successful, recalling the 2022 U.S.-mediated maritime border deal that ended a years-long dispute between Lebanon and Israel over the ownership of natural gas fields. "Why not do that again?" he told UPI. But to sit at the negotiation table, he added, the United States, which is pressuring Lebanon to accept the talks, should ensure that Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon and releases the prisoners, instead of "cornering us." What Lebanon wants is for Israel to abide by the truce accord through the "mechanism" committee, which is made up of Israel, Lebanon, the United States, France and the United Nations. However, the newly proposed negotiations, although their framework is still unclear, would also address land border disputes and other issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is a need for an agreement on the disputed points along the border, and this is not within the mandate of the mechanism," said Riad Kahwaji, a Middle East security analyst, adding that the truce committee is charged with ensuring Hezbollah's disarmament, the return of prisoners, and Israel's withdrawal behind the [U.N.-drawn] Blue Line that existed before the last war in October 2023. If the new negotiations with Israel proceed and result in a final land border agreement, it would lead to the cessation of the state of war between the two countries, and "the 1949 Armistice will prevail," Kahwaji said.. "But, of course, Hezbollah does not want an end to the state of war between Lebanon and Israel, because that would require it to disarm, causing it to lose its value for Iran and its significance and standing within its own popular base," he told UPI. "Its resistance will no longer be needed or relevant." However, Hezbollah's attempts to rearm appear extremely difficult after the group lost its main supply route after the overthrow of its key ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, as well as its long-standing access to Beirut's port and airport, which it had used for years to smuggle weapons and funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is now impossible for Hezbollah to smuggle large weapons, such as heavy missiles, across the border with Syria, though it may still attempt to acquire Grad rockets, anti-tank Kornet missiles and drones. "If Hezbollah goes into another war with Israel, it will be using whatever is left from its arsenal, which is not that much," Kahwaji said, noting that the group now has "a different leadership" after Israel killed most of its top leaders and military commanders, and that "its popular base is exhausted ... so the repercussions will be huge." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "is acting as a victor," refusing to make any concessions and imposing all his conditions, he added. Lebanon has been facing mounting pressure, especially from the United States and Israel, to disarm Hezbollah even forcibly. Authorities prefer a quiet approach to avoid a confrontation between the Lebanese Army and the militant group, which could create divisions within the army and potentially spark a civil war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jaber, the former Army general who is well-informed about Hezbollah, said Washington should instead understand and support Lebanon's approach, because the group "is ready to hand over its weapons" if Israel stops its attacks and withdraws in line with the truce accord. "Hezbollah is prepared to relinquish its offensive weapons first, followed by its defensive weapons at a later stage, as part of a national defense strategy," he said. "This is now an attrition war, not between two parties, but led by only one [Israel]." Iran, which has funded and armed Hezbollah since its formation in the early 1980s, no longer is interfering in the group's day-to-day affairs, but remains keen to preserve it as a political and military entity -a card in its hand -- after "losing all its other cards in the region," Jaber said. With Israel threatening to expand its attacks and launch a full-scale war to force the complete disarmament of Hezbollah, Lebanon remains with few options: diplomacy and political pressure. "It is in Lebanon's best interest to seize this opportunity and drag Israel into negotiations to end the war and the conflict," Kahwaji said. As the Pennsylvania 2025-26 budget impasse continues, Lebanon County officials say the delay could result in major impacts for residents for 2026. Officials reported to the county commissioners during their Nov. 6 meeting that if they don't have a budget soon from state lawmakers, officials will run out of funds by the second week of January 2026. County Administrator Jamie Wolgemuth said the county has been using funds normally set aside to cover the beginning of fiscal year 2026 to pay for expenses in 2025 since state funds have not come through. The county had originally set aside funds through March 2026, but Wolgemuth said the county has used those "from back to front." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What I see here is, we've used about $6 million in set aside cash," Wolgemuth said to the commissioners. "We are owed at this point by the state somewhere around $11 or $12 million that we have not received." As the Pennsylvania 2025-26 budget impasse continues, Lebanon County officials say the delay could result in major impacts for residents in 2026. "I've never budgeted on IOU's before, but that's kind of where we are," County Administrator Jamie Wolgemuth said. Since the 2025-26 fiscal year started on July 1 without a budget in place, billions of dollars in payments have not been distributed to counties, schools, nonprofits and various other municipalities and programs. The state House, with a Democratic majority, proposed a more than $50 billion plan. The GOP controlled Senate proposed a budget around $47.9 billion. If state legislators are not able to finalize a budget soon, Lebanon County officials would have to tap into reserve funds of close to $8 million that Wolgemuth described as an "absolute rainy day Armageddon fund." Even if the county were to tap into that reserve, they would run out of funds by the second week of January 2026. "If there isn't something in place by the beginning of December, I'm going to have to start to prepare to borrow in January," Wolgemuth said during the meeting. "And we would be borrowing against our ability to tax, which is what the collateral is. It's the ability to tax millage." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In preparing for the 2026 county budget, officials already acknowledged there is a deficit of more than $5 million that is being addressed for the next fiscal year. When the Lebanon Daily News asked Wolgemuth after the meeting if the lack of a state budget may cause a tax increase for county residents in 2026, he said it could. "What I typically do is try to cover the gap, the deficit, with that set aside money that we've now used," he said. "While we have a reason to believe the state will eventually pay us back that $12 million I mentioned, if the budget changes, if they make it a smaller budget and cut, then I don't know how much of that we'll get back." Officials acknowledged that several other counties, including Dauphin, Berks and Lancaster, have ceased paying their social service providers during the budget impasse. Wolgemuth said Lebanon County is still paying service providers "100%," with no suggestion yet by officials to cut any services. But county officials said that if state lawmakers don't come together to pass a 2025-26 state budget soon, officials will have to consider other revenue options for 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I've never budgeted on IOUs before, but that's kind of where we are," Wolgemuth said. Lebanon County officials are inviting residents to participate in two public forms during the week of Oct. 10 to to gather community input on development trends and future planning priorities for the county comprehensive plan. Comprehensive plan hearings Lebanon County officials are inviting residents to participate in two public forms during the week of Nov. 10 to gather community input on development trends and future planning priorities for the county comprehensive plan. Senior Planner Michelle Brummer, from Gannett Fleming, said holding the forums next week is very timely. "We've just come off some local elections, and people, I hope, have been thinking about their communities, the leadership, and how that leadership will influence the future of those communities," she said to the county commissioners. "So I think it's, in fact, timely that we follow on with 'and where do we go from here?' kinds of conversations." Forums scheduled to discuss the county comprehensive plan include: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services at 1805 Cornwall Road, Lebanon. A virtual public forum Thursday, Nov. 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Residents willing to participate must contact Brummer at mbrummer@gftinc.com, with the subject FORUM, by 6 p.m. Nov. 12. "This will not be the only opportunity for the public to weigh-in on the future of Lebanon County," she said. "We'll have additional forums next year, as we are further into plan development (and) offering what we think are some of the directions and some of the choices we need to face in particular. But that will happen next year. This is a starter conversation." Officials are planning to file their first milestone report on the comprehensive plan by the end of the year, which will be published on a Lebanon County comprehensive plan website. While the site had not gone live as of Nov. 6, Brummer said the site will be linked on the county's website, lebanoncountypa.gov, when it is completed. The Lebanon County Comprehensive Plan is expected to be completed in 2026. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth. This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon officials say PA budget impasse will cost the county in 2026 For over 30 years, Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturer Jiangsu Highstar had been supplying batteries to a range of major firms in the appliance, telecommunications, electrical utility, transportation, and other industrial sectors. The trade conflicts between the US and China during President Trumps first term in office started the alarm bells. Highstar saw the handwriting on the wall, as the inevitability of a second Trump presidency and the imposition of tariffs against China threatened to make continued US battery sales unprofitable - it was facing over -$50 million in annual losses . However, dozens of long-term, multi-billion dollar clients would be left in the lurch with a supply chain void - many located in the US - upon Highstars departure. The trade war dispute between the US and China has resulted in tariffs against imported Chinese products that created a unique opportunity for Mutant Inc. President Trumps reciprocal tariffs have changed the supply chain landscape for many products that were routinely imported but are now too expensive due to the tariffs. This is causing major US companies from Apple ( NASDAQ: AAPL ) to General Electric (NYSE: GE ) to ramp up reshoring manufacturing operations back on to US soil. Norfolk, Virginia based Mutant Inc. are stepping up their game to fill the new supply chain void created by tariffs. With departing Chinese suppliers no longer able to compete due to the reciprocal tariffs, Mutant Inc. is taking over supplying batteries and other energy solutions for clients old and new, which may include such entities as Stanley Black & Decker ( NYSE: SWK ), international telecom companies, major utilities, and others. Some investors get rich while others struggle because they never learned there are two completely different strategies to building wealth. Dont make the same mistake, learn about both here. Norfolk, VA based Mutant Inc . is one such company, and is already expanding based on pending orders from customers like Stanley Black & Decker ( NYSE: SWK ) into a larger platform poised for a 2027 IPO. New US companies that can strategically co-opt major customers of a Chinese company that can no longer afford to compete in the American market have built-in sales and cashflow that can take most startups years to develop. While many US companies are reshoring manufacturing in the wake of the Trump Administrations pro-business policies and reciprocal tariffs to level the playing field, some entrepreneurs are creating new businesses to fill the supply chain gaps. Weiterlesen Sensing an opportunity, Mutant Inc. was created by CEO Richard S. Marten, COO Craig Hutchison, and CTO Dr. Lei Chen to be a turnkey made in USA solution. Bringing cumulative legal, military, technology, logistics, and management skills honed over several decades, Mutant Inc. boldly arranged a licensing agreement where it would take over sales to those Highstar client businesses. Inherited and Cultivated Clients VADZIM SHUBICH / Shutterstock.com Mutant Inc. battery products range from those for handheld tools and devices to room sized units designed for electric power plant utilities. A 48,000 SF automated manufacturing plant in Norfolk, Virginia is currently gearing up to commence activation of Mutants assembly lines in early 2026 while the company continues to onboard the various Highstar clients. Although some of these clients cannot be named explicitly, as those revolving purchase orders are still in migration, among the client end users are power tool company Stanley Black & Decker, a major telecom firm using celebrities from Guardians of the Galaxy in its recent TV ads, and other large firms, both publicly traded and privately owned. Estimated at $30 million - $50 million in annual revenues, these ex-Highstar clients comprise a solid revenue stream and cashflow for Mutant, upon which it is in separate negotiations to expand its own proprietary client base in three sectors: telecommunications power systems, utility-scale energy storage, and replacement of lead acid batteries for fleets. Current negotiations with the battery provider for the aforementioned telecom companys largest competitor in Japan are expected to constitute as much as 70,000 annual battery units on a 10-year contract. Mutant has received a Letter of Intent for up to twenty-two (22) 5-MWh Megapack installations in New York City (valued at $70 million) to provide clean, grid-stabilizing power to urban centers as U.S. cities transition to renewable energy sources. The designated end user in this project is Con Edison (NYSE: ED). Additional future locations include: Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, South Carolina, California and New Brunswick (Canada). Lastly, a contractor providing telecom units to the US Navy under US Department of War purview is working with Mutant to produce renewable microgrids and mobile batteries for defense contractors, logistics fleets, and municipalities. Technical Efficiencies and Cost-Cutting courtesy of Mutant Inc. Mutant Inc. offers a wide range of battery products, all made in the USA at its Norfolk, VA factory. Acknowledging that keeping prices attractive are the keys to keeping Highstar clients and winning new ones, Mutant is taking proactive steps. Mutant is advancing proprietary 3D printing processes for lithium-ion components. PrimeStar Technologies, a sister company, will license key battery component technology to Mutant for cell production. Separately, Mutant is currently also in negotiation with a German company to license Solid-State technology for North America. Current Financing With An IPO Exit Strategy Chunumunu / iStock via Getty Images Mutant Inc is technically a startup company, albeit a startup with a projected $30-50 million in initial 2026 revenues, putting it on track for a 2027 IPO. The company has already raised several million dollars through a Regulation D private placement. A forthcoming Reg CF offering, managed by the investment banking firm Dealmaker, will be priced at $10 per share and is expected to launch in late-2025, pending SEC qualification. The company projects an eventual 2027 IPO, with investment bankers estimating a potential share value of $30 at public offering. Taking the lessons from Lord of War seriously, Mutant Inc. satisfies the following criteria for success: An identified market with strong demand and ready, willing, and able customers; Domestically made products using the latest technologies; Sales and Marketing For investors, Mutant Inc. avoids the pitfalls of over 90% of new companies with: Strong revenue (estimated $30-50 million for 2026) and cashflow from its inherited Highstar customers; A solid and experienced management team that is already implementing greater cost efficiencies while pursuing additional sales and large, long-term projects; By merging operational excellence with a clear strategic mandateto make high-quality lithium-ion batteries in America for AmericaMutant Inc. stands as an early exemplar of how policy, innovation, and private enterprise can converge to rebuild critical manufacturing infrastructure. WASHINGTON (AP) New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a federal judge Friday to dismiss a mortgage fraud case against her, calling it a vindictive and politically motivated prosecution brought at the behest of a president who regards her as an enemy. The motion, which had been expected, lays out a litany of comments from President Donald Trump designed to show the case was driven by personal animus that arose out of James' fraud lawsuit against Trump in her capacity as state attorney general. This lawsuit, and AG James outspoken criticism of the President, triggered six years of targeted attacks. President Trump and his allies have used every insulting term in their vocabulary to deride AG James and call for criminal penalties in retaliation for the exercise of her rights and fulfillment of her statutory duties to fulfill her obligations as New York states attorney general, lawyers for James wrote in urging that the case be dismissed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The name-calling by Trump includes describing James as crooked, scum, a monster, and criminal, according to the filing. The filing is similar to one from another of Trumps perceived adversaries, James Comey, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement and obstructing Congress and who has said the case against him is similarly vindictive and inspired by the president's desire for retribution. James is accused of lying on mortgage papers to get favorable loan terms when purchasing a modest house in Norfolk, Virginia, where she has family. She pleaded not guilty last month, and told reporters outside the courthouse that the Trump administration was using the justice system as a tool of revenge. To bolster their claim of a vindictive prosecution, James' attorneys also assert that the Justice Department has singled her out for scrutiny while ignoring apparent inconsistencies in the mortgage records of numerous other public officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They say the activities that form the basis of the indictment match the conduct of other high-profile figures who have not been investigated or charged. The only meaningful difference between AG James and these individuals is that AG James is a Democratic Attorney General who spoke out against the President, while the others are his allies and cabinet members, defense lawyers wrote. Like Comey, she was charged in Virginia by a hastily appointed U.S. attorney, Lindsey Halligan, a White House aide without any prosecutorial experience who was named to the post by Trump after the administration effectively forced out the prosecutor who had overseen both investigations, Erik Siebert, but had not brought charges in either case. After Sieberts resignation, Trump, in an extraordinary social media post, urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute James and other political foes, noting that he had been impeached and indicted himself multiple times. Trump wrote the administration cant delay any longer, its killing our reputation and credibility, adding: JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!! Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James was first elected in 2018 as New York states top lawyer, after holding elected jobs in New York City. She is the first woman elected as the states attorney general. James has been a frequent target of Trumps ire, especially since she won a staggering judgment against the president and the Trump Organization in a lawsuit alleging he defrauded banks by overstating the value of his real estate holdings on financial statements. An appeals court overturned the fine, which had ballooned to more than $500 million with interest, but upheld a lower courts finding that Trump had committed fraud. ___ ODONNELL: Mr. Oblivious opened the floor to questions from the White House press corps and he finally got a good question from the White House press corps about tariffs because yesterday the Supreme Court handed White House reporters questions that even they could understand. And the reporter who asked the question that Im about to present to you is one of the best, S.V. Date, who actually understood tariffs before the Supreme Court explained them to the White House press corps yesterday. His question was, Mr. President, yesterday in the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts said the tariffs are taxes and that theyre paid by Americans. He said this pretty clearly, and yet youre saying that this money is rolling in from other countries. How do you square those two? Now, before you listen to Donald Trumps words, I want to warn you there is not even a hint of an answer in what he says. It is just Trump gibberish after a reporters question. A good question. This is the kind of gibberish for which most of the Washington news media thinks Donald Trump deserves great credit for taking so many questions from reporters. Most of the Washington news media does not care at all that what Donald Trump says in response to their questions varies from utterly empty and nonsensical to outright screaming lies. Heres that question followed by Donald Trumps words. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REPORTER: Yesterday in his Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts said that tariffs are taxes, that theyre paid by Americans. He said this pretty clearly. And yet youre saying that this money is rolling in from other countries. How do you how do you square those two? DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, it is its coming in because theyve charged us, you know, those same countries that you talk about are charging us massive amounts of money. If you look at the tariffs over the years that were put on our on our heads, we theres a reason were at $38 trillion owed. Now that money is going to start coming down, but we had presidents that didnt know how to use tariffs. We had presidents that had no understanding of business. (END VIDEO CLIP) ODONNELL: In other words, he has no idea how to respond to what the chief justice said that the Trump tariffs are taxes and they are taxes on the American people. And this time there was a follow-up. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REPORTER: So then do you agree then that Americans are paying those tariffs? TRUMP: I think no, I dont agree. I think that they might be paying something. (END VIDEO CLIP) ODONNELL: And there it is. Donald Trump finally asked about Americans paying for his tariffs and he says, quote, I think no, I dont agree. I think that they might be paying something. Something? Really? Thats a new one. Something. China was paying all of those tariffs until today when now apparently we are paying something as was established in the Supreme Court yesterday to the agreement of all nine Supreme Court justices, the Trump tariffs are taxes, taxes on the American people. Chief Justice John Roberts said, Yes, sure. The tariffs are a tax and thats a core power of Congress. And the chief also said the vehicle is imposition of taxes on Americans and that has always been the core power of Congress. Justice Amy Coney Barrett raised the issue of the Trump tariffs having to be refunded if the Supreme Court rules against the Trump tariffs. If the Supreme Court agrees with the other federal courts that the Trump tariffs are illegal and unconstitutional. And when asked about that today, Donald Trump told this lie. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) TRUMP: You know, wed have to pay back trillions of dollars. Weve taken in trillions. We havent taken in billions. Weve taken in trillions of dollars. (END VIDEO CLIP) ODONNELL: That is a lie! That is actually trillions of lies. The total amount of tariff revenue collected by the United States treasury this year is $495 billion. That is roughly the same amount that the Internal Revenue Service refunds to taxpayers in a typical year. The Treasury knows how to refund billions of dollars when it takes too much money from people. In fact, Donald Trumps Justice Department lawyers in appealing the Trump tariff case to the United States Supreme Court assured the appeals court and the Supreme Court in writing that they could easily pay back the tariffs if they lose the case. The Treasury has very precise records of who paid the tariffs at the port of entry for all of the goods that have been illegally tariffed by Donald Trump here in the United States. And the Treasury knows exactly how to refund that money. After Donald Trumps terrible day in the Supreme Court yesterday, the conservative Wall Street Journal posted an editorial today saying that the Supreme Court should rule unanimously nine to nothing against Donald Trump on his illegal and unconstitutional tariffs. NEED TO KNOW Lindsay Clancy, 35, is seeking a change of venue for her upcoming murder trial Defense attorney Kevin Reddington cites "prejudicial information contained in the media coverage" and "the community disapproval the coverage has evoked" Clancy has pleaded not guilty to the murders of ther three children Lindsay Clancy is requesting a change of venue for her upcoming murder trial in a motion filed in court this week. The Massachusetts mother is currently set to stand trial starting on Feb. 9 in Plymouth County after being indicted on three counts each of murder and strangulation for the deaths of her three children: 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan Clancy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A motion filed on Nov. 3 by defense attorney Kevin Reddington is now seeking a change of venue to Boston, arguing that Clancy cannot receive a fair trial in Plymouth County. Reddington specifically cites the "extensive media coverage" and "prejudicial information contained in the media coverage," plus the "community disapproval the coverage has evoked," to support his motion, a copy of which was obtained by PEOPLE. "The unavoidable conclusion is that Lindsay Clancy cannot be given a fair trial in Plymouth County," Reddington argues. Facebook Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy The motion comes on the heels of another filed one week prior by Reddington, which seeks to push back the start date of the trial to May 11. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clancy is accused of murdering her three children and then attempting to take her own life Jan. 24, 2023. Prosecutors allege Clancy meticulously planned the crime based on Internet searches made in the preceding days and hours. Clancy's husband, Patrick, came home that evening to find his wife had jumped out the window, at which point he called 911, according to a search warrant obtained by PEOPLE. While on the phone with dispatchers, he allegedly discovered his children's bodies. Cora and Callan were found on the floor of the denm the warrant said, while Dawson had been left on the floor of Patrick's home office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Each child had an exercise band tied around their neck, which Patrick immediately removed as he tried to perform life-saving measures on his children, per the warrant. When officials arrived on the scene, the warrant said that Patrick allegedly yelled from the basement: "She killed the kids." The two oldest children, 5-year-old Cora and 3-year-old Dawson, died later that night at a local hospital while the youngest child, 8-month-old Callan, died two days later. Clancy survived the 20-foot fall from her bedroom window but broke several bones in her back and ribcage. She also suffered injuries that left her paralyzed from the waist down. David Ryan/The Boston Globe/AP Clancy appears in court from her hospital bed in 2023 after suicide attempt left her paralyzed 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. Clancy, who has entered a not guilty plea to all charges, is arguing that she was not of sound mind due to postpartum depression and the large cocktail of drugs that had been prescribed to her by various doctors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patrick told officials that at one point prior to the deaths of their children, his wife was seeing two doctors and had prescriptions for Zoloft, Valium, Trazadone, Ativan, Klonopin, Prozac, and Seroquel, according to the warrant. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org. Read the original article on People The U.S. Supreme Court had an unusual visitor Wednesday, as justices listened to arguments on President Donald Trumps authority to impose tariffs. Stand-up comedian John Mulaney grabbed a seat near the back of the public viewing area for the hearing, which lasted almost three hours. Cheap seats but a great show, Mulaney said in a post on X. Cheap seats but a great show pic.twitter.com/IGqIDewqcK John Mulaney (@mulaney) November 5, 2025 Mulaney did not explain why he attended the court proceedings though his close friend Neal Katyal has previously described the acclaimed comedian and voice actor as a constitutional law nerd. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Katyal also happens to be acting as the lead counsel for a group of small businesses that are challenging the legality of Trumps global tariffs. The Supreme Courts ruling will determine whether the presidents tariffs are legal, and if so, how tens of billions of dollars of refunds will be distributed to the U.S. businesses that have paid them. It is a monumental case that could eventually be adapted as a storyline in the television show Mulaney and Katyal are developing together. Im actually writing a television show about the Supreme Court, its kind of a West Wing for the Supreme Court, Katyal said in June, according to The Hollywood Insider. Im writing with John Mulaney and itll be out in a couple of years. But part of the idea is to try and use the arts to spur a conversation about what justice is. In a brief interview Wednesday with Business Insider, Constitutional law scholar Akhil Reed Amar said it was unsurprising that Mulaney chose to sit in on oral arguments in the tariff case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My dear friend John ... is a serious public intellectual with a deep interest in law and American civics, Akhil Reed Amar, a Yale Law School professor, told Business Insider. So it is unsurprising that he would want to attend one of the biggest Supreme Court oral arguments of our time especially because his close friend Neal Katyal was center stage today, so to speak. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The State of Ohio just freed up millions of dollars to help people put food on their tables during the ongoing government shutdown. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) will provide $7 million to regional food banks across the state. For the Dayton and Cincinnati region, the Shared Harvest Foodbank in Fairfield will get $1.4 million. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They will split it up among food banks across the Miami Valley. TRENDING STORIES: The Dayton Food Bank will receive approximately $420,000 to serve Montgomery, Greene and Preble counties. The Ohio Foodbank Associations Executive Director, Joree Novotny, said the funds were much greater before the shutdown. Were usually moving in and out $32 million worth of food every month across the state already, Novotny said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Novotny said anything will help at this time. Were very grateful for the additional $7 million to help buy food, but its not going to fill all the gaps, Novotny said. Local food banks and pantries are seeing an even greater need because federal workers are not getting paychecks. Yesterday, we served 145 clients. Today, we served 129, Greene County Fish Pantry Executive Director Mike Reeves said. We did 25 brand new families. Today, it was about 15. Almost every one of them says its due to snap issues. Some local restaurants have also stepped up to help. In Dayton, the Root Beer Stand on Woodman Drive said kids on SNAP can stop by and eat for free. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was like, if we all just do a little, we can help so many, restaurant owner Emily Collins said. Since starting the offer earlier this week, Collins said her business doubled in a time when its usually slow. I bet were pushing 100 meals in the last day and a half, she said. The Root Beer Stand will continue to offer free kids meals as long as there is a need. News Center 7 will continue to follow this story. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] MARTIN COUNTY A developer is seeking changes to the growth management plan here to build more than 1,000 homes on hundreds of acres west of Interstate 95. One change would expand the primary urban services boundary, within which most public services such as water, sewer, education and public safety are provided most efficiently. The developer is seeking the expansion on 646 acres just south of Southwest 96th Street and just west of Southwest Kanner Highway, and includes the large, white warehouses of the South Florida Gateway Distribution Center. "We think we're in the perfect location for expansion of the urban boundary," Morris Crady told the Local Planning Agency Nov. 6. Crady is senior vice president of Lucido & Associates, representing the property owner Kolter Land Management before the LPA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Expansion has drawn the ire of County Commissioner Sarah Heard, and Commissioner Blake Capps has said growth should occur according to the rules of the growth management plan rather than amending them. Commissioner Eileen Vargas upset six-term incumbent Doug Smith more than a year ago by siding with residents opposed to overdevelopment. At that time, Vargas was going to investigate whether she could reverse recent amendments to the growth management plan. No one at Kolter Land Management, including President Jim Harvey, responded to requests for comment Nov. 6. Kolter Land Management is also seeking to change the future use of the land the homes would be built on from agricultural to low-density residential. The company is proposing 1,050 homes. The proposed site of the Waterside project, which could consist of 1,050 homes including apartments, townhomes and single-family homes, in unincorporated Martin County, Florida, on Nov. 6, 2025. Crady on Nov. 6 was seeking the LPA's endorsement of the proposed changes before Kolter Land Management seeks approval for them from the County Commission Nov. 18. LPA denies support The LPA, in two 4-1 votes, agreed with the county staff's recommendation to deny the changes to the growth management plan and the change to the future land use. Both times the dissenting vote was cast by LPA member Rick Hartman. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "This is the perfect spot for it," Hartman said. "If we're going to do anything with the urban services district, this is the place to do it." The 646 acres is adjacent to the primary urban services boundary, according to county records. Homes, which could include apartments, townhomes and single-family homes, would be built on 396 of those acres. The name of the project is Waterside. The homes could serve people working nearby, including people working at the distribution center, Crady told the LPA board. County staff recommended denying the change of land use to low-density residential because of the lack of county services there, the incompatibility with the other land uses in the area and the failure to discourage urban sprawl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crady disagreed with the staff's recommendation and the reasons for it. For one, water and sewer lines are already on 96th Street and elsewhere nearby, he said. He declined to comment following the meeting. More on development: Rio Marine Village getting closer as Martin County votes more approvals More on Stuart: Martin County business leader calls for governor to remove three Stuart commissioners Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County. He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com or at 720-288-6882. This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Huge housing project fails to get Local Planning Agency support A Missouri man was taken into custody in Wilmington on Monday on multiple felony charges. Wilmington Police officers assisted the Callaway County Sheriffs Office in Missouri in locating Erik Hyman at his home on E. Kentucky Ave. They took him into custody without incident, according to a Facebook post. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hyman was wanted in Missouri on multiple felony charges of first-degree statutory sodomy involving a victim under 14 years old. He waived his extradition hearing and was transported back to Missouri. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] The federal government enters Day 38 of the longest shutdown in U.S. history, which has furloughed about 750,000 federal employees, forced thousands more to work without pay, and cut off food assistance to millions of Americans. And starting Friday, Nov. 7, airports across the nation are bracing for cuts in airline flights due to a lack of pay for air traffic controllers. There is some indication of progress, as the Senate is expected to vote on an amended budget bill on Friday after Republicans presented a new proposal that includes a short-term stopgap funding measure, along with a years worth of funding for food assistance, military construction, and veterans affairs. But even if Senate Democrats and Republicans reach a deal to reopen the government this week, the legislation would require approval from the House before President Donald Trump could sign it into law. Adult Education Manager with the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Maria Lopez, of Woodland Park, holds boxes of food as she awaits the next vehicle, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Leonie. The bank distributed approximately 2,000 boxes of food to federal workers and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients who have been affected by the government shutdown. Asia Lester, a volunteer at Anderson Interfaith Ministriees in Anderson, helps distribute food in Anderson S.C. Thursday, November 6, 2025. Many who normally receive SNAP benefits being cut line up at Anderson Interfaith Ministries for food. With SNAP benefits cancelled during the government shutdown, All Access Community Development Corporation, a Hackensack non-profit, is doing an early distributions of turkeys and other food. Joellen Green, Chief Operations Officer at All Access Community Development Corporation, hands a box of food to David Gregorea in the parking lot of the Majestic Elks Lodge on Nov. 4, 2025 in Hackensack, N.J. Jessica Hogan sits next to a neighborhood food pantry, on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, that she set up outside of her home, at 422 Eventide Drive, in Murfreesboro. Hogan thinks no one should be going hungry and created the pantry to help those in need, especially during the time when people have lost SNAP benefits. Neighbors are contributing as well as receiving a variety of items from food, to toiletries, to clothes. A sign in her yard states there is no judgement and no questions regarding the pantry. Sherry Tillman and passenger Nellie Johnson, sit in their car near Sarah Ann Bannister, left, Director of Resource Development at Anderson Interfaith Ministries in Anderson S.C. Thursday, November 6, 2025. Food distribution started at 9 a.m. and Tillman got there at 6:30 a.m. Many who normally receive SNAP benefits being cut line up at Anderson Interfaith Ministries for food. Kenneth Brown, left, gets help from volunteers Pat Field, center and Rick Norquist, from Arlington Community Services, with his food allotment Thursday November 6, 2025. The federal government shutdown is increasing demand at food pantries because many federal workers are not getting paychecks and the federal government cut back on SNAP benefits. One in five households in Arlington depends on SNAP to help put food on the table. Clients were picking up food at the pantry In Jacksonville, Fla., Thursday. With SNAP benefits cancelled during the government shutdown, All Access Community Development Corporation, a Hackensack non-profit, is doing an early distributions of turkeys and other food. Joellen Green, Chief Operations Officer at All Access Community Development Corporation, in the parking lot of the Majestic Elks Lodge. Taj Indian Restaurant and Bar offers free meals for those affected by the lapse in SNAP payments, taken on Nov. 4, 2025, in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Dolly Fant, a volunteer for six years at Anderson Interfaith Ministries gets ready for a food distribution in Anderson S.C. Thursday, November 6, 2025. Many who normally receive SNAP benefits being cut line up at Anderson Interfaith Ministries for food. Dolly Fant, a volunteer for six years at Anderson Interfaith Ministries brings some of the carts of food for a 9 a.m. food distribution in Anderson S.C. Thursday, November 6, 2025. Many who normally receive SNAP benefits being cut line up at Anderson Interfaith Ministries for food. Willie's Copper Top serves as a soup kitchen on Tuesdays and Saturdays in Owsley County. Leeomi Smith rode into the Owsley County Food Place, a food bank that distributes boxes of food each Tuesday, in Booneville, Ky., Nov. 4, 2025. Donal Dickens, Regional Branch Coordinator, Willamston Branch, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina helps set up before the food distribution at the Jockey Lot in Williamston, S.C. Friday, November 7, 2025. The event fed over 900 families. Sandwiches or AuSnap SandiesAu are offered to those who need them at The Goose in Oklahoma City on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Kent Useary, 65, who lives on Detroit's east side, rides his scooter during a food distribution event at Jesus Tabernacle of Deliverance Ministries in Detroit, Mich., Nov. 5, 2025. Simone Matthew, a volunteer with Feeding South Florida, (L) hugs Tammy Norton, a Department of Treasury worker, as she stops to pickup essential food items on Oct. 28, 2025 in Dania Beach, Florida. As the government shutdown nears four weeks, Feeding South Florida launched a food distribution site for government employees who have been impacted. The organization handed out food items to approximately 250 families in need during the event. Federal workers, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and air-traffic controllers, receive food parcels at Newark Liberty International Airport as the workers have been impacted by the government shutdown on Oct. 27, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. The morning event was organized by the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), the state's largest anti-hunger organization. The dozens of federal workers who attended the event received one box of nonperishable items, one premium 10-pound produce box, along with potatoes, spaghetti squash, and apples. Federal workers are set to miss their first full paycheck on Wednesday, October 29th, as the government shutdown continues. Federal workers, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and air-traffic controllers, line up to receive food parcels at Newark Liberty International Airport as the workers have been impacted by the government shutdown on Oct. 27, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. The morning event was organized by the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), the state's largest anti-hunger organization. The dozens of federal workers who attended the event received one box of nonperishable items, one premium 10-pound produce box, along with potatoes, spaghetti squash, and apples. Federal workers are set to miss their first full paycheck on Wednesday, October 29th, as the government shutdown continues. Federal workers, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers and air-traffic controllers, receive food parcels at Newark Liberty International Airport as the workers have been impacted by the government shutdown on Oct. 27, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. The morning event was organized by the Community FoodBank of New Jersey (CFBNJ), the state's largest anti-hunger organization. The dozens of federal workers who attended the event received one box of nonperishable items, one premium 10-pound produce box, along with potatoes, spaghetti squash, and apples. Federal workers are set to miss their first full paycheck on Wednesday, October 29th, as the government shutdown continues. Betty Anne Gallagher a volunteer with Feeding South Florida, helps load essential food items into the vehicles of government workers on Oct. 28, 2025 in Dania Beach, Florida. As the government shutdown nears four weeks, Feeding South Florida launched a food distribution site for government employees who have been impacted. The organization handed out food items to approximately 250 families in need during the event. Employees of DMARC, Catholic Charities, and Food Bank of Iowa hold signs during a press conference on the loss of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown at DMARC headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Des Moines, Ia. Sparse shelves at Golden Harvest Food Bank are seen on Oct. 28, 2025 in Augusta, Ga. Golden Harvest Food Bank is facing shortages as the government shutdown puts SNAP benefits at risk. Working at a food bank in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Oct. 28, 2025. Because of the federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that federal food aid will not be distributed on Nov. 1. An assortment of food sits at the Food Bank for Larimer County in Fort Collins, Colo. on Oct. 28, 2025. Food Bank for Larimer County is feeling the pinch as the government shutdown stretches on, endangering SNAP benefits for 600,000 Coloradans. Faith communities, nonprofits and volunteers step up amid the federal block of SNAP 1 of 24 Adult Education Manager with the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Maria Lopez, of Woodland Park, holds boxes of food as she awaits the next vehicle, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025, in Leonie. The bank distributed approximately 2,000 boxes of food to federal workers and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients who have been affected by the government shutdown. More: Senators to vote again on revised bill to end shutdown. Live updates Is the government still shut down? Yes, the federal government remains largely shut down and has been since just after midnight on Oct. 1. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the exception of members of the military, who were paid on Oct. 15 and Oct. 31, and some Department of Homeland Security officers, other federal workers have gone without pay during the shutdown. Their last partial paycheck on Oct. 10 covered hours worked before the shutdown. Are SNAP benefits being issued? A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully fund this months food aid for 42 million low-income Americans by Nov. 7, halting a plan to provide reduced benefits during the government shutdown. U.S. District Judge John McConnell of Rhode Island accused the administration of withholding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, known as SNAP or food stamps, for political reasons and ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund the program so people get 100% of their benefits. The Trump administration appealed McConnells decision, leaving it unclear whether SNAP benefits would be paid out in full as the judge had ordered. Food items at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, including milk, pasta and frozen blueberries. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, load food into a waiting car on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, load food into a waiting car on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, load food into a waiting car on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, pause for prayer before loading food into waiting cars on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, pause for prayer before loading food into waiting cars on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, pause for prayer before loading food into waiting cars on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Former trucker Doug Wheeler, 56, waits to collect food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Wheeler is among those whose benefits have been halted. A volunteer distributes food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers distribute food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. A volunteer at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, takes a picture of a heart-shaped potato before distributing food to people following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers distribute food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers distribute food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Thomas Booth, the site coordinator for Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site, and an elder with the Restoration Christian Fellowship, which hosts the distribution, helps hand out food to people on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Free food as SNAP benefits halted 1 of 14 Food items at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, including milk, pasta and frozen blueberries. More: SNAP recipients to get as much as two-thirds of promised benefits. Whats happening to U.S. flights? The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight reductions at major airports due to a shortage of air traffic controllers resulting from the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Nov. 5 ordered 10% flight cuts to start on Friday at 40 major U.S. airports, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, affecting both commercial and cargo services. On Nov. 6, the FAA revised the plan and said airlines must cut 4% of domestic flights starting at 6 a.m. ET on Friday, then ramp up to a full 10% cut by Nov. 14. What do Democrats and Republicans want for the government to reopen? Democrats are pushing to ensure tax breaks for 24 million Americans who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act and have refused to back a government spending bill that doesnt address the issue. Senate Democrats want to make the tax break permanent, which would otherwise expire at the end of the year, and provide reassurances to prevent the Trump administration from temporarily withholding funds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans and the president say they are open to considering a fix for the expiring ACA tax breaks, but want the issue addressed separately from the ongoing budget impasse. Contributors: USA TODAY's Joey Garrison, Trevor Hughes, Bart Jansen, Melina Khan, Kathryn Palmer, Rebecca Morin, James Powel, Marc Ramirez, Zachary Schermele, Zach Wichter, Mary Walrath-Holdridge, Sarah D. Wire, Kathleen Wong, N'dea Yancey-Bragg; and Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How long has the federal government been shut down? [Source] A long-lost piece of Philippine cinema history has been found in Brussels, Belgium, nearly a century after it vanished. The 1936 film Diwata ng Karagatan, directed by Carlos Vander Tolosa and produced by Jose Nepomuceno, was uncovered at the Cinematheque royale de Belgique. Its rediscovery shifts the historical timeline of surviving Filipino films, predating the 1937 film Zamboanga, previously considered the oldest extant title. In a social media post on Friday, film historian Nick Deocampo confirmed he viewed the surviving 35mm print on Oct. 28, calling it a breakthrough for national film preservation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rediscovery and preservation in Brussels: Deocampo said the film was deposited in 2016 by the now-defunct Belgian laboratory CineLabor, which had stored several unidentified reels later transferred to the national archive. The nitrate print remains in stable condition but has not yet been digitized. According to Deocampo, the discovery was the result of years of collaboration with European archives. What makes the discovery of this film doubly historical is that this is the first and perhaps the only film that is extant that was produced by the Father of Philippine Cinema, Jose Nepomuceno, he told GMA News. Historical context and production legacy: Produced under Nepomucenos Parlatone Hispano-Filipino studio, Diwata ng Karagatan premiered in 1936 and was re-premiered in 1939 following screenings in France, Belgium and South America. Like many films of its era, it was presumed lost when Philippine film archives were destroyed during World War II. Nepomuceno, who began his career in the silent film era with Dalagang Bukid (1919), is regarded as the Father of Philippine Cinema. Trending on NextShark: Bruce Lee to appear on 2026 USPS Forever stamp This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what were building, consider becoming a paid member your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Trending on NextShark: Study finds Studio Ghibli films, 'Zelda' games can boost happiness and calm Subscribe here now! Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today! By Alexander Marrow LONDON (Reuters) -The Magnum Ice Cream Company has concluded that the chair of its Ben & Jerry's independent board "no longer meets the criteria" to serve after internal investigations, according to a securities filing late on Tuesday, the latest twist in an internal feud. The spat between Magnum and the Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's brand is heating up as consumer goods conglomerate Unilever prepares for the spinoff of the Magnum ice cream division in early December, which has been delayed by a month due to the U.S. government shutdown. Until the spin-off, Ben & Jerry's and Magnum are both ultimately owned by Unilever. Magnum said in a filing that after commissioning investigations by external advisers, it found that the current chair "no longer meets the criteria to serve as a member of the Ben & Jerrys Board." Magnum did not give any details on the nature of the investigations. Ben & Jerry's website names Anuradha Mittal, the executive director and founder of the Oakland Institute, a think tank, as chair of its independent board focused on advancing the brand's progressive social mission. Unilever has previously said the board has evolved into advocacy for controversial and polarizing topics such as the war in Gaza, a change drive by Mittal. Magnum said in the filing that it informed Ben & Jerry's board about the investigation and will consider its options depending on the response it receives. It is unclear what action Magnum can take, however, as the board was set up to operate independently when Ben & Jerry's was bought by Unilever 25 years ago. According to the merger agreement from 2000, replacing most board members requires a majority vote from the board, which is capped at 11 members. Ben & Jerry's parent company has at least two spots on the board, according to the agreement. UNILEVER AND BEN & JERRY'S AT ODDS SINCE 2021 Both Magnum and Unilever declined to provide further clarity. Mittal did not respond to a request for comment. "This is a deliberate attempt to rewrite history and strip the Ben & Jerrys Independent Board of the legal authority it was guaranteed," Ben & Jerry's co-founder Ben Cohen said in a statement. Unilever and Ben & Jerry's have been at odds since at least 2021 when the Chubby Hubby ice cream maker said it would stop selling in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry's has sued Unilever over alleged attempts to silence it and called the Gaza war a "genocide", highly unusual for a major U.S. brand. BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) As the federal government shutdown continues, military families across Louisiana are facing growing financial challenges. On Thursday, the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) presented a $135,000 check to the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) to support the Military Family Assistance (MFA) Fund, a program that provides critical relief to service members and their loved ones. Since 2020, Louisiana drivers have donated more than $135,000 to the MFA Fund by contributing just one dollar during drivers license or ID transactions at OMV and Public Tag Agent locations statewide. Those small donations add up to big helpproviding up to $10,000 per family to cover rent, utilities, medical expenses, and other essentials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Anytime you come into a Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles customer service center, you have the option of donating a dollar to this fund, said Keith Neal, Commissioner of the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles. Its an easy way to give back to those who serve. For many military households navigating pay delays and benefit uncertainty caused by the shutdown, this fund has become a vital safety net. Theyre able to continue their day-to-day lives, to make it through without worrying whether their children will have food or if their power will be disconnected, said Holly Talley, Administrator of the Military Family Assistance Fund. Its a little bit of security for them during a difficult time. Applications for assistance are available on the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs website or can be mailed upon request. Donations can also be made through OMV specialty license plates or tax refund contributions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a way for us to actively support our military community and our veterans who have sacrificed so much for us, Talley added. So far this year, nearly $25,000 has been donated at OMV locations across the state. Since its creation in 2005, the MFA Fund has provided over $1.5 million in assistance to Louisiana veterans and their families, helping ensure that those who serve receive the support they deserve. 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 Center Square) Louisiana on Wednesday sued Smittys Supply, a lubricant manufacturer whose Tangipahoa Parish facility exploded in August, sending millions of gallons of oily waste and hazardous runoff into nearby waterways. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday by Attorney General Liz Murrill and the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, alleges the company unlawfully polluted state and federal waters and repeatedly failed to comply with state permit requirements for years before the incident, in violation of the Clean Water Act. When federal regulators reviewed Smitty's required oil spill prevention and response plans after the Aug. 22 incident, they "determined that those plans were insufficient," according to the suit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An employee who answered the phone at Smitty's on Thursday hung up, and subsequent messages left by The Center Square were not immediately returned. In October, Smitty's sued two companies in connection with the fire, blaming them for manufacturing and installing a defective thermal fluid heater in the facility. The explosion destroyed much of the 15-acre complex in Roseland that housed more than half a million gallons of flammable materials. The fire burned for two weeks before it was extinguished, according to the suit. Subsequent testing found arsenic, barium, chromium, lead and the carcinogen nitrobenzene in local soot, water and soil samples. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To date, around 11 million gallons of materials, including oil, have been collected from the facility, nearby ponds and drainage channels, according to the suit. Oil and hazardous materials remain at the facility "and pose a threat of future discharge," the suit says. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the suit asks the court to hold Smitty's accountable for the pollution, impose civil penalties and order the company to prevent further discharges into waterways. One of the people killed in the UPS plane crash in Louisville this week has been identified as a retired officer with the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB). [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Executive Vice President, U.S. & UPS Airlines, Nando Cesarone, said Captain Richard Wartenberg, First Officer Lee Truitt and International Relief Officer Captain Dana Diamond were killed in the crash at Muhammad Ali Airport. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a post on the social media platform X, Arizona Senator Wendy Rogers, a former Air Force pilot, shared that Wartenberg served in the 356th Airlift Squadron within the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. TRENDING STORIES: As an aircrew member, he flew the C-141C transport aircraft on numerous missions. Colleagues have shared that he was a skilled and respected pilot, with one former crew chief noting they flew together on many operations, Roger wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs confirmed on Friday afternoon that Wartenberg served as a member of the 445th Airlift Wing at WPAFB from 1994 to 2016, when he retired as a lieutenant colonel. Wartenberg obtained his commission through Air Force Officer Training School and throughout his career held qualifications in the C-141Starlifter, C-5 Galaxy and the C-17 Globemaster III. He retired as a command pilot with over 5000 military flight hours, the public affairs office stated. As previously reported, the UPS cargo plane bound for Honolulu, Hawaii, crashed shortly after taking off from Muhammad Ali Airport. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at least 13 people have died as a result of the crash. About a dozen people were hurt, and some people remain missing. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. PHOTO: WLKY-TV A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. PHOTO: WLKY-TV A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. PHOTO: WLKY-TV Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. PHOTO: WLKY-TV A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. PHOTO: WLKY-TV Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. PHOTO: WLKY-TV A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. PHOTO: WLKY-TV A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. A UPS plane has crashed in Louisville, prompting a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zac Brown X Margaritaville at Sea onboard venue 'Same Boat' (Courtesy Margaritaville at Sea) A fiery plane crash is sending plumes of smoke into the sky in Louisville. A fiery plane crash is sending plumes of smoke into the sky in Louisville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A fiery plane crash is sending plumes of smoke into the sky in Louisville. A fiery plane crash is sending plumes of smoke into the sky in Louisville. A fiery plane crash is sending plumes of smoke into the sky in Louisville. A fiery plane crash is sending plumes of smoke into the sky in Louisville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A fiery plane crash is sending plumes of smoke into the sky in Louisville. A fiery plane crash is sending plumes of smoke into the sky in Louisville. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] PARIS (AP) The diamond and emerald-studded crown of Empress Eugenie, which was found damaged outside the Louvre after apparently being dropped during the Oct. 19 robbery, will be restored as a symbol of renaissance, the museum's director Laurence des Cars said Friday. Thieves made away with eight objects on display at the Paris museum, including a sapphire diadem, necklace and single earring from a set linked to 19th-century Queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense. They forced their way through a window into the Apollo Gallery with the help of a freight lift, using disc cutters to cut through display cases and steal the jewels. Only Empress Eugenies imperial crown, with more than 1,300 diamonds, was recovered on the day of the robbery outside the museum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Des Cars said the crown was likely damaged when it was removed from its display case through a small cut made by the disc cutter, rather than when it fell down on the ground. All of the most important pieces, the diamonds and emeralds, are actually still there, she said in an interview with the France Info news broadcaster. "A few small pieces of diamonds are missing, but thats about it, she said, adding that one of the eight gold eagles on the crown is missing. Des cars confirmed the crown will be restored with financing from patrons who already offered their support. We're going to set up a scientific committee to supervise the restoration and it will be a beautiful symbol of the Louvres renaissance, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Des Cars offered to resign on the day of the robbery, which was refused by the culture minister. I saw a tragic, brutal, violent reality for the Louvre, and as the person in charge, after all the hard work done by the teams that day it felt right to offer my resignation, she said. Des Cars said she pushed for modernizing the museum soon after she was was named its head in 2021. Problems she listed include the obsolescence of our technical facilities, the dilapidation of the building, structural issues related to welcoming visitors and overcrowding in the pyramid, which was designed for four million visitors but now welcomes nine million, and the problem with the display of the Mona Lisa, which is very unsatisfactory. Her comments come a day after France's court of auditors urged the Louvre to speed up its security modernization plans as a priority. The report, focusing on the 2018-2024 period and conducted before the robbery, said the museums investments prioritized visible and attractive operations, such as buying new pieces of art and improving visitor experience, rather than security. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Des Cars rejected the criticism, arguing that the Louvre is tasked with all missions together. The decade-long Louvre New Renaissance plan, which includes security improvements, was launched earlier this year. It is estimated to cost up to 800 million euros ($933 million) to modernize the museum's infrastructure, ease crowding and give the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031. The low-cost online platform Shein has avoided a ban in France amid investigations into the sale of illegal products. "The government has succeeded in getting Shein to remove all illegal products that were being sold on its platform," the French Economy Ministry announced on Friday. However, Shein remains "under close observation by the state authorities," the ministry said. The legal proceedings initiated against the Chinese-founded company on Wednesday are to continue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, in an interim assessment on Friday, the national consumer protection agency determined that no illegal products such as child pornography, stabbing weapons or certain medicines were being sold on Shein anymore. The French government is planning further measures against online retailers after illegal products were detected on other platforms, the ministry's statement continued. "The government will initiate new proceedings against these platforms in the coming days," the authorities said. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has requested a new assessment of the situation next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the statement, Shein is facing four investigations into the sale of dolls with child pornographic characteristics, in addition to legal proceedings in Paris. Hundreds of thousands of Shein packages have also been seized by customs, which according to the statement are still being inspected and may result in sanctions. At the European level, France has called on the EU Commission to investigate and crack down on Shein. Belgiums Liege airport has temporarily halted flights for the second time in a week due to a drone sighting, the countrys air traffic control service has said. The disruption comes just three days after drone sightings in the capital, Brussels, and in Liege forced the diversion of many incoming planes and the grounding of some due to depart. Sightings of drones over airports and military bases have caused major disruptions across Europe in recent months. Authorities in some countries have linked Russia to the incidents, saying they form part of Moscows hybrid warfare campaign against Europe. Moscow has denied any connection to the incidents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Skeyes air traffic control service said it received a report of a drone being spotted over the airport around 6.30am GMT, leading to a closure of the airport for about 30 minutes. Moscow has denied any connection to the incidents (Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia) We have to take every report seriously, Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the service, said. He added that flights had resumed. Flights bound for Brussels airport were also held or diverted late Thursday, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24. The Belgian government called an emergency meeting of key government ministers and security chiefs on Thursday to address what the defence minister called a coordinated attack. Belgiums defence minister, Theo Francken, on Tuesday told public broadcaster RTBF that the incident appeared to be carried out by professionals intent on destabilising the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He also voiced alarm following a series of unidentified drone flights over the weekend near a military base housing US nuclear weapons and suggested that the incidents appear to be part of a spying operation. The drones penetrated the airspace around the Kleine Brogel air base in northeast Belgium across two distinct phases on Saturday and Sunday nights, he said. He lamented on Monday that Belgium is chasing after the threat posed by such drone flights, adding: We should have bought air defence systems five or 10 years ago that can deal with drones. Theo Francken said that the incidents appeared to be part of a spying operation (Getty) Germany decided on Thursday that the Bundeswehr would provide Belgium with short-notice support in counter-drone capabilities, the defence ministry said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Separately, one or more drones were observed at the Gothenburg-Landvetter airport on Swedens west coast just before 5pm GMT on Thursday, authorities said, forcing more than a dozen flights to be rerouted or cancelled. Russia has been blamed for a number of airspace violations, notably in Estonia and Poland, in recent months. But the perpetrators of a series of mysterious drone flights in Denmark and Germany have been harder to pin down. In neighbouring Denmark, several airports, including Copenhagen, also closed temporarily in September due to reported drone sightings. On Thursday, Poland and Romania announced they would deploy a new American weapons system, Merops, to defend against Russian drones. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The American-made Merops system, compact enough for a mid-sized pickup truck, identifies and intercepts drones. It uses artificial intelligence to navigate even when satellite and electronic communications are jammed. Last month, several drones were spotted above another Belgian military base near the German border. The operators were not identified. By now, you've probably heard that Zohran Mamdani won New York's mayoral race. He's the first South Asian, Muslim, democratic socialist and the youngest person in a century to hold the office. ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images There have already been plenty of conservative meltdowns over the win, but that isn't stopping Mamdani from doubling down on his platform, including delivering a pointed message to ICE. Speaking after his win, he addressed ICE directly: Related: Ariana Grande Just Shared This 1 Very Blunt Question For Trump Supporters "My message to ICE agents and to everyone across this city is that everyone will be held to the same standard of the law," he began. "If you violate the law, you must be held accountable." "There is sadly a sense that is growing across this country that certain people are allowed to violate that law, whether they be the president or whether they be the agents themselves," he said. "What New Yorkers are looking for is an era of consistency, an era of clarity, an era of conviction." You can watch the clip here. Mamdani: "My message to ICE agents & to everyone across this city is that everyone will be held to the same standard of the law. If you violate the law, you must be held accountable. There is sadly a sense that is growing across this country that certain people are allowed to pic.twitter.com/RyoKNNaeRr Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 5, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Twitter: @atrupar Related: JD Vance Said He Wished His Wife, Usha Vance, Would Convert To Christianity And No Matter How Bad You Think This Clip Is, It's Worse The clip quickly went viral on X, with many people excited to see such a direct statement from a politician: "This is the kind of leadership New Yorkers deserve, clear, fair and accountable. When laws apply equally to everyone, trust in government is not just restored, it is strengthened," one person said. "Enough. Mamdani just said what the whole country is afraid to say out loud: No more kings. No more untouchables. If Trump can be held accountable, ICE can too. The law is the law or its nothing at all," another wrote. Related: This Senator Just Shared A Hilarious Plan For Trump's Ballroom After He Leaves Office "It's about time we hold ICE agents accountable for their assaults and illegal detentions," this person wrote. And another said, "We need more of this." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But conservatives, particularly Donald Trump, haven't had the same perspective. In July, when asked about what would happen if Mamdani "defies" ICE, Trump said, "Well then, we'll have to arrest him." Boom: President Trump says that if Mamdani blocks ICE, we'll just have to arrest him.Now let the games begin? pic.twitter.com/O2q8G5tKTb Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) November 5, 2025 C-SPAN / Via Twitter: @RealAlexJones In the same clip, he said that he'd be watching over the situation in New York "very carefully." "We're gonna be watching that very carefully. A lot of people are saying he's here illegally, you know, we're gonna look at everything," he said. "Ideally, he's gonna turn out to be much less than a communist. But right now, he's a communist. That's not a socialist." The Washington Post / The Washington Post via Getty Images Related: Karoline Leavitt's Absurd Description Of Democratic Voters Is Going Viral To reiterate, Mamdani stated that "everyone will be held to the same standard of the law," regardless of whether one is a citizen, an ICE agent, or an officer. He has not said that ICE would be prevented from doing their jobs, only that they must carry them out legally and fairly. And secondly, to fact check Trump, Mamdani is a naturalized US citizen he was born in Uganda and later moved to the US as a child, becoming naturalized in 2018 and now holds dual citizenship in both the US and Uganda. And third, while conservatives love to yell "communist!" about Mamdani, he is actually a democratic socialist. Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images Conservatives often use the term to evoke communist governments that control everything, like the Soviet Union but that's not what Mamdani advocates. Instead, he supports policies that promote a more equitable distribution of wealth, helping lower-income families afford basic living costs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Countries like Norway, Denmark, and Finland operate similarly, working within a capitalist framework while providing strong social safety nets, universal healthcare, workers' rights, and other measures to reduce inequality. So, no, he's not trying to turn New York into the Soviet Union, despite the cries from conservatives. It's actually more straightforward: Everyone, including ICE agents and politicians, should adhere to the law. What a revolutionary concept, huh? Also in In the News: "May We All Have The Courage That The Lady In The Polka Dot Dress And Blazer Had": People Are Applauding This New Yorker Going Viral For Her Reaction To The ICE Raids On Canal Street Also in In the News: This Clip Of Pete Buttigieg Breaking Down All The Ways The Trump Administration Is Making Your Life Worse Is Going Viral Also in In the News: Seth Meyers Uncovered A Truly Unhinged Trump Moment That Has Everyone Questioning His Mental State Read it on BuzzFeed.com Fremont police arrested a man in Walnut Creek wanted in five Bay Area counties for stealing teachers' credit cards from their classrooms. "It appears, from seeing other cases, he was very comfortable on a school campus. He would give various excuses that he was parent, when he was confronted, at times. Or, he would say that he was a staff member," said Sergeant Richard Hamblin, with the Fremont Police Department. In October, a Fremont elementary school reported a suspicious man walking around campus. When confronted by staff, police say the man gave conflicting explanations for being on campus, and then left. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Soon after, police got reports of similar incidents at other Fremont schools. MORE: Surveillance video shows suspects in Oakland museum storage facility heist of 1,000+ items "He would find unoccupied classrooms and enter a classroom, and go through and steal their IDs, their credit cards. A lot of people did not even know they were victims until they got home and started getting fraud alerts," Hamblin said. The Fremont Unified School District declined an interview request, deferring all questions to Fremont PD. On Monday, Fremont police tracked the suspect to Walnut Creek -- when he was returning a rental car -- and arrested him, with the help of Walnut Creek police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Suspect arrived in a rental car that we believed he was driving at the time. There was a marked unit in the parking lot," Hamblin said. "Our officer called Walnut Creek PD, told them why he was there and who he was after, and they were able to respond quickly with units -- and they were able to catch him." MORE: Copper wire theft knocks out power to Gilroy school as reform bill sits on governor's desk And it's not just Fremont. Police say the suspect is wanted in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Solano and Yolo Counties for similar thefts occurring on school campuses. In February, the man he hit four schools in Marin County. In April, two schools in Lafayette. In September, one school in Hillsborough. Police believe there could be other districts as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Different police departments reviewed surveillance video at locations where the unauthorized card transactions took place, which helped match the illegal transactions to the suspect. The suspect was arrested after the Marin County burglaries, but police have not been able to confirm how or why he was released. MORE: Santa Rosa police bust man for LEGO theft scheme, recover over $6K in stolen products "I know he was arrested and then was let go. And they were actively looking for him. I don't know all the circumstances of why he was let go or how he got out," Hamblin said. In a statement to ABC7 News, Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan praised the police for their investigation, writing: "As a parent and as Mayor, nothing matters more to me than the safety of our children and teachers. I'm incredibly proud of our Fremont Police School Resource Officers for their hard work and collaboration with neighboring cities to stop this suspect." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Our schools should always be safe spaces for learning -- and this arrest shows what's possible when our community, educators, and police stand together to protect one another," Salwan said. Fremont police say that there is no indication that the suspect hurt or threatened students or staff. The suspect remains in custody in Contra Costa County Jail. Police expect him to be in court next week. If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live A man was arrested in another state and charged with aggravated arson in connection to a fire in Cicero where another man was found shot to death earlier this week. The fire broke around 9:15 p.m. Monday in a three-story apartment building in the 1800-block of 51st Avenue in Cicero, officials said. First responders found Jesus Daniel Nunez Campana dead inside after the fire was extinguished, police said. He died of a gunshot wound to the head, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement His roommate, Naman Alfredo Vazquez, was arrested in New Mexico on a charge of possession of a stolen vehicle believed to belong to the homicide victim, officials said. Cicero police said Vazquez was facing an aggravated arson charge and is now awaiting extradition back to Illinois. It was not yet known if additional charges will be filed. No further information from local authorities was immediately available. An area man was arrested after he pulled a gun on authorities in Indiana on Tuesday, according to a spokesperson with the Wayne County Sheriffs Office. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Deputies initially responded to reports of an intoxicated man being belligerent and trying to push his car out of the road near Whitewater and Gifford roads in Wayne County. Upon arrival, they found 53-year-old Michael Baker, the spokesperson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baker reportedly refused to take his hands out of his pockets, identify himself, or stay on scene. He kept walking away as more deputies arrived on scene, the spokesperson said. TRENDING STORIES: Baker reportedly pulled out a gun and ignored commands to drop it. He made several statements suggesting he wanted deputies to use deadly force against him. Despite the escalating danger, deputies showed restraint and continued to issue verbal commands while maintaining cover, the spokesperson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Baker allegedly fired two shots in the opposite direction of the deputies. He eventually put the gun down and was taken into custody. The spokesperson said Baker was arrested for resisting law enforcement, criminal recklessness, and public intoxication. This was a volatile and potentially deadly situation. The responding deputies demonstrated exceptional judgment, patience, and courage under pressureresolving it without anyone being harmed, Wayne County Sheriff Randy Retter said. The sheriffs office encourages anyone who may be experiencing a crisis or suicidal thoughts to call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Diamond Hill Capital, an investment management company, released its Large Cap Fund third-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Markets continued their YTD rally in the third quarter of 2025, with the Russell 3000 Index gaining 8%, bringing the calendar-year returns to over 14%. The portfolio declined and underperformed the Russell 1000 Value Index in the quarter. In addition, you can check the top 5 holdings of the fund to know its best picks in 2025. In its third-quarter 2025 investor letter, Diamond Hill Large Cap Fund highlighted stocks such as Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM). Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) is a building materials company that supplies aggregates and heavy-side building materials to the construction industry. The one-month return of Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) was -3.80%, and its shares lost 1.82% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On November 6, 2025, Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) stock closed at $608.33 per share, with a market capitalization of $36.687 billion. Diamond Hill Large Cap Fund stated the following regarding Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter: "Among our top individual contributors in Q3 were General Motors and Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM). Heavy building materials supplier Martin Marietta is taking steps to optimize its portfolio of product offerings including the upcoming divestiture of its Midlothian cement plant to Quikrete. As infrastructure and non-residential and possibly housing construction seem poised to improve in the period ahead, Martin Marietta should benefit from its competitive positioning as one of the USs largest aggregates producers and distributors." Jim Cramer on Martin Marietta Materials (MLM): Road Building Is Booming This Is the One You Want! Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 64 hedge fund portfolios held Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) at the end of the second quarter, up from 58 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. In another article, we covered Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) and shared the list of stocks Jim Cramer discussed recently. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. (NYSE:MLM) was a top contributor to Aristotle Capital Value Equity Strategy's performance in Q3 2025. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q3 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors. A Dublin man suspected of prowling and stealing personal items from a sorority house at the University of California, Berkeley was arrested by police on suspicion of multiple crimes, the department said Thursday. On Saturday, members of a sorority house in the 2300 block of Warring Street said that an unknown man was seen inside the bedroom of one of the residents. The man then fled the house through a back door at about 6 a.m. According to investigators, other women in the sorority had reported seeing the man as early as 3 a.m. A review of security footage showed the suspect walking inside and outside of the house until about 6:35 a.m. At one point the suspect left, changed clothes, then returned in a ski mask. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During the course of the investigation, detectives learned that the suspect had stolen food and underwear from a resident's room and had also watched women shower in the communal shower room. Using security video footage, detectives with the Department's Sex Crimes Unit followed the evidence and investigative leads to a possible suspect--Courtney Alford, 45. Using license plate reader technology, detectives allegedly found multiple images of Alford's vehicle in the area before and after the burglary. An arrest warrant was issued for Alford and he was taken into custody in Castro Valley on Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When officers later searched Alford's Dublin residence, they allegedly found parts to assault rifle, high-capacity ammunition magazines, and over 900 rounds of ammunition. On Thursday, prosecutors charged Alford with alleged burglary, prowling/peeking, invading privacy, unlawful entry, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. If you're on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live An investigation is underway after a man was struck by a vehicle in Dedham early Friday morning. Officers responding to a report of a crash involving a pedestrian in the area of Harris and High streets just after 5 a.m. found a 66-year-old man suffering from serious injuries, according to the Dedham Police Department. The man, whose name hasnt been released, was rushed to a Boston hospital for treatment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police didnt see if the driver involved is facing charges. State police detectives assigned to the Norfolk District Attorneys Office are assisting Dedham police with the 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 The Baltimore County Circuit Courts Building in Towson. Photo by Bryan P. Sears. A former Maryland Department of Health police captain has pleaded guilty to two counts of misconduct in office, after prosecutors said she attended university classes during her shifts. Capt. Astarte Hunt, who started at the police department in 2016 and mainly worked at the Spring Grove Hospital in Catonsville, admitted in a guilty plea Wednesday that she repeatedly attended courses at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County during her shifts this spring, without approval from a supervisor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunt also admitted in her plea that she used a state-issued vehicle to travel to her classes, and for other personal reasons, though she was prohibited from doing so. Law enforcement officers are entrusted with upholding the law and maintaining public confidence and trust, read a statement from Maryland State Prosecutor Charlton T. Howard III. When that trust is violated through misconduct or misuse of public resources, it undermines the integrity of the entire system. Our office will continue our efforts to hold all public officials who abuse their authority accountable for their actions. Baltimore County Circuit Judge Garret P. Glennon Jr. accepted the guilty plea Wednesday. A sentencing hearing for Hunt has been scheduled for Dec. 18. In the guilty plea, Hunt acknowledged that she signed up for two classes at UMBC on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the spring 2025 semester that conflicted with her scheduled work shift. She attended the courses throughout the semester, but submitted timesheets reflecting that she was working at the hospital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hunt enrolled at the university in 2019 and graduated in May, according to the court document. In addition to the false timesheets, Hunt also submitted false mileage logs for her state vehicle, according to the guilty plea. Besides using the state-owned vehicle to commute to and from classes during her shifts, Hunt also used the vehicle after work hours and on weekends throughout April 2025 and most of May, and drove the vehicle home after every shift. In March 2023, officials reprimanded Hunt after she was involved in a car crash in her state vehicle while off-duty. Hunt was reminded that she could not use a State-owned vehicle for personal reasons, including taking the vehicle to [her] residence, according to the guilty plea. By Nate Raymond (Reuters) -Maryland on Thursday sued the Trump administration over its decision to scrap a Biden-era plan to construct new FBI headquarters just outside of Washington, D.C., in the state. The state alleged in a lawsuit that the Republican administration was attempting to unlawfully "sabotage" the Greenbelt, Maryland, location and divert over $1 billion approved by Congress to an alternate location, the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The FBI did not respond to a request for comment. The administration in July announced the new site, which is not far from the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the agency's current headquarters. In the process, it cancelled the prior Biden administration plan for the Maryland headquarters. "The problem with the current FBI building is that it's too old, too small, and too exposed," Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Democrat, said in a statement. "So what does the president do? He moves the FBI to another building that is too old, too small, and too exposed." The lawsuit, which was filed by the state and Prince George's County, argued that the Republican administration's actions violate Congress' explicit directives in two 2022 laws limiting where a new headquarters could be located. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three suburban locations listed were Greenbelt, Maryland; Landover, Maryland; or Springfield, Virginia. The General Services Administration selected Greenbelt as the site in September 2023. Congress appropriated more than $1.1 billion for the project between 2016 and 2024, according to the lawsuit. "We will not let the Trump administration strip away what Prince George's County won and deny its communities the transformative benefits this project would bring," Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, said in a statement. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) Artificial Intelligence offers more chance for harm than good, most Marylanders agreed, based on a new University of Maryland, Baltimore County, poll released today. More than 90% of respondents said they were either somewhat or very concerned about the spread of misinformation and political propaganda fueled by AI, as well as threats such as identity theft, deepfake videos, and impersonation. Those anxieties extended beyond politics over 80% expressed unease about declining face-to-face social interactions and the technologys possible erosion of education, critical thinking, and learning. A similar share also voiced concern that AI could displace human workers. Overall, a clear majority 58% said AI will harm society, while just 30% believed it would be beneficial. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was surprising that so many residents agreed on the potential negative consequences, said pollster Mileah Kromer, director of the UMBC Institute of Politics. Very rarely do you find widespread agreement between Democrats and Republicans on many issues, Kromer said. Both groups are very concerned about the likelihood of AI being abused in terms of political propaganda, identity theft and impersonation. The poll, conducted in late October among 810 Maryland adults, including 757 registered voters, suggests that most residents are paying attention to the technologys rapid rise 86% said they had read some or a lot about AI. Even so, 26% reported they have never used it, while only 9% described themselves as avid users, turning to AI tools multiple times a day. About 43% said they use AI at least once a week. The margin of error for the poll was reported at 3.5%. Party lines play a noticeable role in shaping Marylanders attitudes toward artificial intelligence. Among Democrats, 62% said AI would have a negative societal effect a significantly higher share than the 48% of Republicans who said the same. Republicans and Democrats tended to use AI at similar rates, although 30% of Democrats said they never use the technology, compared with only 23% on the political right. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Gender differences were even more pronounced. Nearly two-thirds of women (64%) said AI would negatively affect society, compared with 49% of men. Women were especially likely to highlight fears about AIs environmental footprint, its influence on education and critical thinking, and its potential to replace human workers. Older respondents generally expressed fewer concerns about AIs potential to harm society and tended to use the technology less. Daily use dropped from 26% of 18- to 34-year-olds down to 19% of those over 55. More younger users expressed concerns about negative effects on society, at 64%, compared to 53% of those over 55. Despite these divides, the poll reveals a shared unease cutting across demographic lines, Kromer said, a rare consensus that also seems to be playing out in legislatures across the country. In late October, the National Conference of State Legislatures sent a letter to congressional leadership opposing any federal proposal that preempts state authority to legislate or regulate artificial intelligence. Such a preemption would undermine the federalist system that has allowed states to respond swiftly and effectively to emerging technologies and public needs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kromer said it was notable how many states were working on or had passed laws to regulate AI. One of the interesting things about this type of technology with regards to politics is that usually it takes a little bit for legislation to catch up with the tech, she said. Researchers have discovered what they say is the largest known spider web complex in the world. The web in a remote cave on the border between Greece and Albania, known as the Sulphur Cave, covers an area of about 106 square metres and is home to more than 111,000 spiders, according to the research published in the journal Subterranean Biology last month. The enormous web stretches along the rock walls of a passageway and consists of countless funnel-shaped substructures, according pictures and video published on Greek media this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The scientists describe it in their paper as an "extraordinary colonial spider assemblage." The structure is a kind of web mosaic that was built jointly by two different species of spiders a behaviour that has not been observed before. The colony consists of around 69,000 specimens of the common house spider Tegenaria domestica, which is also found in Central Europe; and 42,000 specimens of the species Prinerigone vagans, which belongs to the canopy spider family. Both species are normally solitary and are usually found near human settlements. According to lead author Istvan Urak from Sapientia University in Romania, the extreme conditions in the dark, highly sulphurous environment may have favoured the unusual cohabitation. A recent front-page story in the Orlando Sentinel looked at teenagers in Florida held at gunpoint and even shot dead after staging ring-and-run pranks where they ring a doorbell at night and then scurry away before anyone answers. Now, kids have been doing this kind of thing since doorbells were invented two centuries ago. But in recent years, some in Florida have ended up staring down the barrel of a gun. As a result, the story from our sister paper in South Florida quoted an array of people, including the Broward County Sheriffs Office, defense attorneys and gun-rights advocates, issuing warnings not to the people shooting at kids, but to the kids and their parents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents need to be responsible and teach their kids, dont play pranks, said the director of the Florida chapter of Gun Owners of America. Thats the proper response here. And here I thought the proper response was maybe to also suggest we not kill kids for doing the same thing their parents, grandparents and ancestors did, dating back to 1790 when the term runaway ring was coined. In fact, my first reaction after reading the story was: What is wrong with these people? We have a story about a bunch of trigger-happy men pulling guns on kids, and the agreed-upon takeaway was to fuss at the kids? But the more I thought about it, I concluded: The fussers are right. We live in a trigger-happy world and in an especially trigger-happy state where the laws were written to encourage more trigger-pulling all around. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Florida 2025 isnt a place that encourages sensible and restrained use of firearms, but rather one that gives extra legal protection to shooters. A place where the states attorney general recently parachuted into Orlando to demand that the local prosecutor go easy on a motorist who shot and killed another driver in a road-rage incident. Orlando murder suspect gets short sentence after Florida AG intervenes So while I might personally like to discourage a shoot-first mentality with regards to anything that might annoy or scare us, theres very little discouragement from the people who write and enforce the laws. As a result, kids should indeed be scared of adults with guns. Sadly, this is Florida today, said Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter, Jamie, in the senseless mass shooting at Parkland High School when she was only 14 years old. I wish we could go back to a day where kids are just being kids. However, we now live in a state where kids being kids may result in dead kids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Guttenberg cited Floridas Stand Your Ground and open-carry laws as emboldening people eager to shoot. And Linda Coffin, the leader of the Orange Countys League of Women Voters gun-violence committee, agreed, saying the laws have emboldened individuals to believe they have the right to shoot anyone that approaches their door, annoys them while driving or irritates them at a drive-through. If you dont believe that, peruse the comments in response to a Facebook post the Broward sheriffs office made just before Halloween, warning teens that front-door pranks might escalate into confrontations. Pellet in the back is first warning, said one respondent. Caliber goes up from there. Consequences is (sic) the only way to alter behavior, replied another. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet another responded: A threat is a threat. Im not asking for identification before I neutralize it. (Remember that the it in the sheriffs offices scenario was a teenage prankster.) I find some tough talkers envision themselves only on the trigger-end of these situations and wonder if theyd cheer so loudly for the death of a middle-schooler if it was their own kid whod done something dumb. Of course, ring-and-run or ding-dong-ditch is a stupid game one that can admittedly be scary for homeowners, especially if accompanied by banging or kicking on a door. Few people blame anyone for protecting their family from what they perceived as genuine threats. I dont. But kids have always done stupid things. Historically, society hasnt collectively endorsed killing them for it. Traditionally, the message from adults hasnt been: Do it, and I might shoot you. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps ironically, several of those whove actually brandished or fired guns at doorbell-ringing teens ended up being prosecuted. The Sun Sentinel noted that a homeowner who pulled a gun on one 14-year-old boy, forcing him to his knees and allegedly saying, You messed with the wrong guy, was arrested last month on aggravated assault charges and admitted to police that he went too far. A Palm Beach man who chased down a group of middle-schoolers and pointed his gun at each of them, asking Who did it? ultimately pled guilty to improper exhibition of a firearm. And back in 2003, a man in West Palm Beach County pleaded guilty to manslaughter after authorities said he shot a 16-year-old in the back while the teen was running away from a doorstop prank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No such thing as a prank anymore: In Florida, do ding-dong ditches endanger kids? Yet despite all that, the overwhelming message from the tough-talkers isnt to use restraint or judgment, but to warn kids they might get shot. So the tough-talking and gunplay continues. Gutenberg said he hopes for a day when the state has more leaders committed to safety and sanity. I agree. While I dont blame anyone for self protection, I wish leaders would spend as much time asking Floridians to think before killing as they spend defending those who seem eager to do so. For now, though, I cant blame anyone whos urging caution whether its to a kid considering a prank or even just a motorist considering a horn honk. Youth have done pranks since the beginning of civilization. Its almost a rite of passage, the Leagues Coffin said. In the past, we taught them not to do it because it wasnt kind, but today, we teach them not to because it could be deadly. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson spoke to United Nations leaders in Geneva, Switzerland. He joined a discussion Friday morning with members of the U.N.'s Human Rights Council. Johnson spoke about the federal immigration crackdown and also the impact of the government shutdown. Speaking on the ending of SNAP benefits, Mayor Johnson said, "As someone with first-hand experience, I can tell you how humiliating it is when you open the refrigerator and you have nothing to eat. In the wealthiest country in the world, there is no reason why our federal government should allow hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans to go hungry." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On the immigration enforcement in Chicago, Mayor Johnson said. "In Chicago, we live with the consequences of that moral failure every day. Families torn apart by immigration raids. Raids that have targeted daycare teachers, ride-share drivers, and restaurant cooks. Honest, hardworking, law-abiding people who contribute to the soul of Chicago, who literally make our city run." He invited U.N. leaders to visit the city to experience the impact firsthand. Members of Indivisible Michigan display illuminated signs that read "RESIST TRUMP" on a pedestrian bridge over Grand River Ave. in Lansing, Mich., on Jan. 29, 2025. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance) A slate of proposed regulations put forth by the Michigan Department of Transportation have activists and political advocacy groups up in arms, as the department mulls broad restrictions on political activity at its facilities, with criminal penalties for those who stray from the rules. Among the affected areas would be rest areas, as well as bridges and overpasses, spaces often used for petition activity and public protest. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposed rule changes include a prohibition on demonstrating, organizing, soliciting membership or distributing literature at an MDOT facility without official permission from the department. Those with permission are limited to entrances and exits and non-work areas, and cannot interfere with the operation and use of the facility or block people from entering or exiting. The proposed rules also block individuals from making sales or soliciting funds, with an exception for charities that receive permission from the department. The Department of Transportation manages 61 highway rest areas, 82 roadside parks, 267 carpool lots, 23 scenic turnouts and 14 welcome centers, though the rules also apply to the areas on, under or in bridges and culverts, and other bridges or culverts and other department right of ways. The rules would also bar individuals from bringing signs or placards into an MDOT facility, along with voice amplifying devices, like a megaphone. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under the proposed rules, official permission can either be granted by permit from the department, or a letter of authorization. Failing to abide by these restrictions, if implemented, would be considered a misdemeanor. Photo from Kalamazoo Visibility Brigade In an appearance on the departments Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Greg Losch, the head engineer for MDOTs University Region, said the rules were drafted in response to complaints from the public regarding its public facilities, describing the rules as a starting point should the department need to ask for help from other state agencies. In regards to the restrictions on politicking at the departments facilities, Losch said our goal there is simply to say, Hey, you know, we would like you to get official permission in most situations, because when the public protests or demonstrates in places where traffic could be in contact with pedestrians, we want to make sure some steps have been taken to plan for that, and that traffic control or law enforcement have been contacted. Losch acknowledged the criticism that the rules would infringe upon freedom of speech, but said that was not the departments goal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The people that are worried about this know how to do those things correctly, but there are some bad actors out there that try to block entrance ways or intimidate people at our rest areas, and we want to make sure that we have an ability to ask for help to deal with that behavior, Losch said. However, Mariah Bryant, the program director for Voters Not Politicians, argued that the behavior of some bad actors was not grounds to restrict protected speech, warning this rule change would make it harder for petition circulators to gather signatures. Voters Not Politicians, which successfully led the 2018 initiative to create the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission and is currently supporting the Michigan Money Out of Politics campaign, trains its circulators on how to gather signatures on public property without interfering with others using the property, Bryant said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any circulators who arent capable of conducting themselves in a similar fashion should be dealt with on an individual basis, Bryant said. While the rules only partially prohibit political activities at MDOT facilities, Bryant emphasized that putting a barrier in place is still government overreach. If you have to get a permit then its not free speech, she said. Mark Brewer, an election lawyer for Goodman Acker and a former chair of the Michigan Democratic Party said the rules were quite troubling citing concerns with the broad definition of an MDOT facility. A gated, closed area is obviously very different from the plaza in front of a rest stop or at the Michigan welcome centers, which are generally pretty bigyou cant lump them all together, Brewer said, emphasizing that permits are not required for First Amendment activities in public areas, such as parks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alongside granting Department of Transportation officials arbitrary discretion over who they confirm and deny permission, Brewer raised additional concerns with the penalty for violating the rules. A violation of these rules is at the very end, its a crime. Its not something you get a ticket for or you get a warning, Brewer said. Courtesy of Kent County Indivisible While there are legitimate restrictions against individuals blocking or impeding the movement of people or traffic in public areas, individuals collecting signatures at a table in a public plaza or in the grass of a roadside park arent creating any danger, Brewer said. The courts have been very clear, starting with the U.S. Supreme Court, that collecting signatures on petitions whether its candidates or ballot proposals is constitutionally protected, Brewer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, Jocelyn Garza, the departments deputy director of public affairs, told the Advance in an email that the proposed administrative rules are in line with their existing policies and those of other state agencies. The rules address issues that have occurred previously. Its important to note, our intention is not to limit demonstrations from occurring at MDOT facilities or in MDOT right of way but rather ensure that the activity is not disruptive for other users (like blocking a road, sidewalk, entryway, etc.) and all participants remain safe, Garza said. Kyle Zawacki, the legislative director of the ACLU of Michigan, said the organization is still reviewing the rules in depth, but raised preliminary concerns around the First Amendment and the departments requirement for prior approval. In [the] current political climate that we find ourselves in, the concern of some of the provisions in these proposed rules being broadly applied to peaceful expressive activity with the potential to infringe on First Amendment rights or to discriminate is extremely concerning, Zawacki said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While he does not believe that was the departments intention, Zawacki said the downstream impact of these rules could impinge on those rights. Looking at that permitting process, Zawacki said the ACLU of Michigan, at the very least, would suggest monitoring to see how those rules are enforced, to ensure theyre not applied disproportionately to certain individuals or at certain locations. When asked about the impact these rules may have on protests held on highway overpasses, Zawacki said the organization is still investigating to ensure they have a full understanding of the situation. But we do know that roadways, including sidewalks, have long been held in public trust for the free exercise of speech and assembly peacefully, Zawacki said. It is the core tenet of our ability to exercise our free speech, and we have major concerns with its restriction. Public comment on the rules will remain open until Nov. 20. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX When Reddit user Musikcookie took to the popular Ask Reddit page to ask doctors, "What was the wildest self-diagnoses a patient was actually right about?", medical professionals of all types (and some patients, too) wrote in some truly wild answers. Here are some of the most fascinating: 1. "Patient here. I told my family GP (who Id seen since I was a kid, and who worked with and saw both my parents as patients for years) that I thought I had reactive hypoglycemia." Filmstudio / Getty Images "He scoffed. 'You dont have that. Why would you think you have that?' I told him my symptoms. He was doubtful, but told the nurse to get me a Coke, and made me chug it. Sent me to roam around the hospital for a little bit, then get bloodwork and come back. I came back, and his first words were 'This is so aggravating.' 'Doesthat mean I have it?' 'YES THAT MEANS YOU HAVE IT.'" Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement u/chekhovsdickpic 2. "A woman in her 40s came in and told me she was having seizures. I asked how she knew, and she said her right hand would periodically stiffen." "There was no loss of consciousness or other symptoms more associated with classic seizures, but I ordered tests anyway. Turns out she had been having multiple focal seizures." u/darcydidwhat 3. "I work as a medical lab tech. We had a patient who came in insisting that her neighbor was poisoning her. Everyone dismissed her assuming she had some kind of paranoid psychosis." "She remained in the ER on a psych eval. I ran all the standard labs on her and they were normal, but this patient would not budge. She was admitted to psych on a hold. At that point, one of the hospitalists said, Why not? and ordered labs to test for several heavy metals and ethylene glycol. Her ethylene glycol level was 32. THIRTY TWO. I don't know if she was legitimately being poisoned by her neighbor or if it was self-induced, but damn, that patient taught me a very important lesson that day." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement u/Wrong_Character2279 Related: Colon Cancer Is On The Rise, But Doctors Say This One Habit Can Significantly Reduce Risk 4. "I'm a nurse, and just had a patient who came in for a colonoscopy due to constipation and pain with bowel movements. He told me prior to the test he felt like there was something 'catching' on the left side of his abdomen when he pooped." Channel 4, BBC Two "He was like, 'Maybe I have a big polyp there or something.' Sure enough, he ended up having a 2.5 cm polyp that we removed from that exact area. Ill never get to find out if that catching sensation ever went away for him, but I thought it was interesting that he was right." u/madicoolcat 5. "I knew my partner had leukemia about a week before I could convince him to go to the doctor. He was bleeding and bruising really easily and had petechiae. I wanted to go to urgent care where I knew the CBC was done quickly onsite, but he instead wanted to wait to go to his primary care doctor." Nemes Laszlo / Getty Images "I took him to his primary and had a bag packed for the hospital in the trunk. The doctor told him it was likely a B-12 deficiency but that he'd do bloodwork to put my mind at ease anyway. I asked if the CBC was done onsite or not, and he said it was sent out. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I asked if he planned to rush the CBC. He got very angry and said, 'There is nothing the CBC could show that would change my treatment plan.' Then he told my partner he needed to stop me from googling. We got a call that night from the lab that his white blood cell count was dangerously high and platelets were dangerously low, and I had to immediately take him to the ER. I did, and he was diagnosed with acute leukemia." u/Psmpo 6. "I had a patient who came into the emergency department with vague mild abdominal pain whose friend had recently died of colon cancer. She was convinced she must have it too." "I told her cancer wasn't contagious like that, but she was so insistent that I ordered a CT scan in order to reassure her. Lo and behold, she had a huge colon mass. Very bizarre case." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement u/harrycrewe 7. "I'm a phone triage RN for a family practice. We had a woman in her early 60s, who we talked to often, call one time in a near panic attack, convinced she had terminal cancer." Dragos Condrea / Getty Images "Super nice lady, but high anxiety. Really not in terrible health otherwise. She wasn't even feeling unwell and had the vaguest set of symptoms. I scheduled her the same day with her PCP, who ordered a CT of her abdomen to hopefully help alleviate her concerns... Nope. Metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was dead within 6 weeks. I'll never forget taking her initial call and trying to calm her down." u/Wobbly_Joe Do YOU have a story about correctly diagnosing yourself? Let us know in the comments Related: 17 Cancer Patients Are Sharing The Concerning Symptoms That Made Them Go To The Doctor ASAP 8. "'Im going to die' a spot-on diagnosis from a woman right before she went into cardiac arrest. That was eerie." Kinga Krzeminska / Getty Images u/davetheweeb "[I'm a] lowly EMT, but they tell us this is a common sign of cardiac arrest. 'Sense of dread,' our book says." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement u/LiveConstant3548 9. "[This is about me as a] patient, but I work in healthcare. I had pain in my right leg, specifically my glute. It progressed to lightning-like pain down my leg, pins and needles. I assumed I had fluid or a mass crushing my sciatic nerve, and after a week of rapidly increasing pain, assumed it was an abscess." Nathan Devery / Getty Images "So I started feeling septic. Went to the ER, and they refused me and sent me up to the primary ward. They immediately sent me back down to the ER and ordered a CT lo and behold, I had 500 mL abscess under my muscle crushing the nerves in my right leg." "Before my second surgery, my specialist refused to believe they drained that much from me, and I had to show photos as proof. He said and I quote, 'If there had been that much youd be in the Guinness Book of World Records.'" E! "He called in other doctors and nurses to review my photos and case afterward. " u/Kit-the-cat 10. "Not the patient himself, but his mom. This child was 18 months old and was admitted due to constipation. We were giving him medicines for that and it was getting better but the mom started to insist we get an MRI of his brain." Tunvarat Pruksachat / Getty Images "We refused at first because we did not think there was any need for it and thought it was a waste of resources. Eventually, we gave in and it turned out that he had a massive brain tumor (medulloblastoma)." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement u/Ok-Distribution308 Related: "Young People Would Be Surprised By This": 21 "Hard To Swallow" Truths About Getting Older That No One Talks About 11. "Rural paramedic here. Several years ago had a woman call with feelings of impending doom. No pain, no symptoms, just 'I feel like I'm about to die.' Vital signs were all normal, on scene exams all normal. But she wanted to go get checked out, so into the ambulance and away we go." "We went to the hospital, and she started getting really sweaty, but there were no other symptoms/exam changes/vital sign changes. We dropped her off, gave our report, and went back into service... A couple hours later, we went back to the same hospital. I asked if they ever found anything with the previous patient, and I found out she passed away. CT showed a ruptured aortic aneurysm, and they didn't have enough time to transfer her or the resources to operate at that facility. The bizarre thing is, ruptured aortas usually (as in, every other case I've seen/heard about/read about) have other symptoms such as high heart rate, low blood pressure (or both), dizziness/lightheadedness, pain...this woman had none of those." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement u/Striking_Earth_786 12. "A woman came into maternity triage and said, 'My baby is playing with my bowel.' Your bowel doesn't have somatic nerves, so... not really a thing." Reklamlar / Getty Images "Long story short, she ended up with an MRI showing she had an advanced abdominal pregnancy (i.e. her baby was not in her womb but just sitting in her abdomen). On the MRI images, the baby did indeed have its hand holding a piece of her transverse colon. That was wild." u/Halmagha 13. "Hansen's disease. I saw a patient for the first time to establish care. [He was a] 52-year-old man from Brazil. He came in with his nephew, who was my patient already. He had contractures of the bilateral hands and feet, decreased sensation, and lesions with areas of what appeared to be necrosis." Penpak Ngamsathain / Getty Images "He reported worsening mobility over the past six months. He had not had medical care in many years. I saw him, and to me, the lesions looked like a vascular issue; I suggested I would order testing but planned to send him urgently to a vascular specialist for an opinion. He said he believed it was leprosy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I told him I thought it was not likely, and pulled up some photos just to show him how unlikely it was. I hesitated when I saw some photos of milder cases and saw that there was actually a close resemblance. I asked if he had any contacts and he said no. I decided it was likely over-cautious, but I said I would be sending him to a dermatologist as well to ensure we were being thorough. Well, a couple of weeks later he did in fact get a skin biopsy that was positive for leprosy. To this day it is one of the rarest and most unlikely diagnoses I have ever seen in 10 years of practice." u/DanielFyre 14. "As a child, I didnt have many friends so would read my great-grandma's medical dictionary. My grandma developed a chronic cough that her doctor said was bronchitis. I was nine at the time and told [her it] sounded more like congestive heart failure because it primarily happened when she put stress on her heart, and her sputum was clear." Sopone Nawoot / Getty Images "After the doctor wasted three weeks on antibiotics, he finally diagnosed her with congestive heart failure and started working on a treatment plan for her heart." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement u/Professional-Row-605 15. "Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist here. I essentially self-diagnosed Lymphoma after realizing the association between consuming alcohol and having specific pain in my neck, shoulder, and arm." Bymuratdeniz / Getty Images "I did some research and went to my PCP with my concerns. Hell, I didnt even think I was right. After the biopsy confirmed it, we were all shocked. Even my eventual oncologist said she had only read about this, and hadnt seen it in practice yet as a presenting symptom. Go me because it was my only symptom, and I caught it early by about 4-5 months. :)" u/Sammarg 16. "When I was in med school, there was a guy in his early 60s, fairly healthy, who kept coming into the hospital with vague symptoms of feeling like 'hes dying.' Tons of blood tests, imaging studies, etc. didnt show any problems." Bymuratdeniz / Getty Images "Thought he had some sort of trauma in his life and he internalized it and was going through a version of adjustment syndrome. During the admission where I was involved, a MRI/MRCP of the pancreas found a small pancreatic cancer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats when I learned a portion of patients with pancreatic cancer present with a vague 'overwhelming sense of impending doom' and not much else. That's always stuck with me." u/wolfpack1986 Related: "NEVER Disclose This": Women Are Sharing The "Urgent" Safety Tips That Other Women Taught Them, And They're Crucial To Know 17. "I had a brittle diabetic who felt like she was reinfected after an amputation which had already healed months before. Just said her bones hurt deep. Clinically, it was very benign looking." NBC "But I got an MRI for her, and sure enough, there was osteomyelitis (bone infection). So now for any of my diabetics who think they have an infection, I just put them on antibiotics 'cause most often theyre right. I do so many amputations, and its alarming how many people do not care about their health. So for those that give any concern, Im on their side and will do what I can to help make us both sleep well at night." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement u/Fitzrian7 18. "I had a patient come in when he lost the strength in his right leg. He took baby aspirin for the heart. The first thing he said to me was, 'I think I need more blood thinners.' On his ECG, he had artial fibrilation, which usualy requires more blood thinners." Flavio Coelho / Getty Images "I asked him if he felt his irregular heartbeats. 'Nope.' He then started with ten more theories, like: 'I ate salmon yesterday, did that cause the artial fibrilation? But his first guess was spot on, he had a TIA (transient ischemic attack)." u/Xyzar 19. "This isn't weird so much as impressive. I had a 15-year-old girl diagnose herself with Turner Syndrome. She was learning about it in science class and thought it described her pretty well, so she brought it up to her pediatrician, and sure enough, [she had it]." Fatcamera / Getty Images u/Peterpotamous 20. And finally: "Working in toxicology I once had a patient who treated her anaphylaxis unknowingly (and sucessfully) with a line of cocaine." "It counteracts the histamine-mediated vasodilation." u/Kooky-Maintenance513 So, what do you think? If you're a medical professional or a patient, I'd love to hear your stories about self-diagnoses that turned out to be real. Leave your comments down below! Or, if you want to write in but prefer to stay anonymous, feel free to check out this anonymous Google form. Who knows your answer may end up in an upcoming BuzzFeed article! Please note: some comments may have been edited for length and/or clarity. Also in Goodful: People Asked Male Gynecologists To Honestly Answer Questions About Their Job, And It's Way More Wholesome Than I Thought It Would Be Also in Goodful: My Moms Disappearance Was A Mystery. Then I Saw An Old Photo And What I Discovered Next Left Me Shaken. Also in Goodful: "Im Sitting There With My Jaw On The Floor": Guys Are Sharing The Minor Things Women Say, Do, Or Wear That Drives Them Wild, And I Didn't Expect Any Of These Read it on BuzzFeed.com German Chancellor Friedrich Merz delivers a speech during the UN Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belem. Kay Nietfeld/dpa The chip crisis stemming from halted deliveries from manufacturer Nexperia is likely to be over soon, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Friday on the sidelines of a climate summit in Belem, Brazil. "It seems the way is now open for a resumption of deliveries," Merz said. There have been supply problems at Nexperia, the Dutch subsidiary of a Chinese company, after the Dutch government took control of the firm in Nijmegen in eastern Holland. The Dutch government blamed Chinese mismanagement for its move. Beijing then halted exports of products from Nexperia factories in China, such as chips for the car industry, causing major concern in Germany that shortages could affect production. But Merz said there were "positive signals that deliveries can resume again" after talks. "That can happen in the next hours," he added. The German chancellor said he had spoken to Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in Brazil. According to the Bloomberg news agency, Schoof stated that China had agreed to resume deliveries of Nexperia chips from factories in the country. "We have been informed by China that they will allow the resumption of deliveries from Chinese factories of Nexperia," Schoof said in Belem. "We don't yet know how quickly they will deliver, but I consider this an important message, and the chancellor has of course welcomed this message, as it is important for Germany." Ralf Brandstatter from German carmaker Volkswagen told the Handelsblatt newspaper that the Chinese Commerce Ministry had announced it would grant temporary exemptions. "The first exports have already taken place," said Brandstatter. "How quickly and sustainably this system works depends primarily on the stability of relations between the US and China." This holiday season, the Merced Police Department is urging residents to protect themselves from porch pirates. Officers say there are a few simple steps you can take to keep packages safe, along with installing cameras in visible spots around your home... The department says requiring a signature for all deliveries can help prevent theft and that it's also important to track and ensure the valuables you are set to receive. If your package is stolen, report it to the carrier and local police immediately, saving any video and photos as evidence. Mercy Medical Center stopping maternity and newborn services in December is challenging for the community, officials with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health acknowledged Friday. Trinity Health, the organization overseeing the Springfield-based Family Life Center, said the services are stopping Dec. 8 due to significant provider and staffing constraints, including nurses, who have persisted over several months despite concerted efforts to recruit and retain FLC clinical colleagues. Certified nurse midwives will continue to provide prenatal and postnatal care in outpatient sites with physician collaboration throughout Western Massachusetts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Instead, patients will go to Baystate Healths Baystate Medical Center in Springfield through a cooperative agreement for triage and delivery services. At the same time, we will continue to pursue all options to resume continuous, safe, high-quality maternity care at Mercy Medical Center, a hospital spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. Mercy Medical Center in Springfield has notified the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) of its decision. DPH said it will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide guidance and oversight as needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mercys decision to temporarily suspend maternity services is, rightfully, challenging for the community. The hospitals decision needed to be made to balance patient access and patient safety. DPH is actively monitoring Mercys plans to maintain outpatient access to maternity services and to secure an agreement for inpatient labor and delivery service at nearby Baystate Medical Center, said Dr. Robbie Goldstein, commissioner of Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) fears the decision to stop maternity and newborn services, even temporarily, could have lasting impacts on the health of mothers, newborns and families. We know from experience that so-called temporary closures can too easily become permanent. Once services are suspended, they often fail to return, leaving communities without vital care, a MNA statement reads. Overall, there is a lack of womens health services in the Pioneer Valley and few options for places to give birth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is certainly a lack of providers in the area. So it really takes a village to find folks, Robin Sauve, executive director of Baystate Ob/Gyn Group, said. The medical practice reached out to its social media network, saying it was looking to hire providers. The announcement from Trinity in June prompted Baystate Ob/Gyn Group to explore ways to expand its womens health services. The group with locations in Springfield, South Hadley and Longmeadow recently opened a fourth site in Agawam. Some of the major concerns cited by the coalition are a lack of bilingual services at other hospitals, difficulty with transportation and lack of access to midwives. In 2020, the birthing center at Holyoke Medical Center closed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Members of the Coalition for Birthing Care Access, in partnership with the Massachusetts Nurses Association and Jobs with Justice, held a protest in August 2020 to advocate for access to services at the medical center and better communication with residents. Some of the coalitions major concerns included a lack of bilingual services at other hospitals, transportation difficulties and limited access to midwives. After the closure, Holyoke Medical Center had an agreement with Mercy Medical Center, under which some of the centers obstetrician/gynecologists would be on rotation. The hospitals Family Life Center for Maternity provided delivery services for 91 Holyoke Medical Center babies in five months in 2020, as well as serving many patients in the obstetric triage area. Mercys Family Life Center for Maternity provides services that meet the cultural and linguistic needs of our patients, a spokesperson said in 2020. We have staff that represent the community we serve that are supported by on-site Spanish interpreter services 7 days a week and remote services 24/7 as needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, patients will go to Baystate Healths Baystate Medical Center. More News Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The Roundhouse pictured during the 2024 legislative session. Republican lawmakers on Monday called on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to broaden the upcoming special session agenda and de-emphasize looming federal spending cuts. (Patrick Lohmann / Source NM) New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Thursday she would call lawmakers into a special session to extend food benefits to New Mexico residents reliant on federal food aid. At the end of October, the governor and state legislators announced $30 million in state funding to compensate for SNAP after the United States Department of Agriculture announced it would not pay Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits during the federal shutdown. Federal judges since then have ordered the Trump administration to pay out the benefits, but they remain delayed and are expected to be less than usual. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The $30 million appropriation runs out on Monday. A news release from the governors office said the special session is expected to last one day. It will be the second time the governor has called state lawmakers into session to address federal fallout from reduced appropriations for benefit programs. During the three-day session that began Oct. 1, lawmakers ultimately passed an approximate $162 million spending package to compensate for health care and food assistance cuts at the federal level In a statement Thursday, the governorwho is currently attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil said the state acted fast in October when the Trump administration abandoned New Mexican families, and now the legislature is coming back to finish the job. We are fortunate that several years of economic prosperity and sound fiscal management have enabled us to support New Mexicans in this time of need. However, we will not be able to fund these state supplements forever. Republicans in Congress need to come back to the table to end the longest government shut down in American history and get everyone back to work. Approximately 460,000 New Mexico residents receive SNAP benefits. In their absence, food banks across the state have reported a spike in clients. Our responsibility is to ensure that families dont go hungry waiting for this essential nutrition program to resume, Health Care Authority Kari Armijo said in a statement. This special session will allow us to continue serving New Mexicans while federal funding for the SNAP program remains uncertain. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic legislative leaders Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth and House Speaker Javier Martinez, of Santa Fe and Albuquerque, respectively, both backed the special session in statements provided in a news release from the governors office. No New Mexican should go hungry because of inaction and uncertainty in Washington D.C., Wirth said. The legislature is ready to step up again to ensure our families have the food assistance they need. State Republican legislative leaders, however, said congressional Democrats are to blame for the federal shutdown and the lost benefits and called out New Mexicos two U.S. senators in particular. Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich have made it crystal clear: They dont care about you, Senate Republican Leader Bill Sharer (R-Farmington) said in a statement. They have repeatedly prioritized party politics over serving their constituents back home. While weve seen their antics before, Senators Lujan and Heinrich have set a new low by holding the hard-working people of New Mexico hostage as political pawns for their partisan theatrics, forcing state lawmakers to have to shoulder the cost so that vulnerable New Mexicans can put food on their tables for the holidays. House Republican Leader Gail Armstrong (R-Magdalena), issued a comparable statement that said Lujan and Heinrich are refusing to fund SNAP benefits for the neediest New Mexicans. I would much prefer the Governor use her authority and influence to urge our Senate delegation to end this crisis by voting to reopen the federal government. Instead, they are holding vulnerable New Mexicans hostage for political leverage. The New Mexico Legislature will be back in Santa Fe for a one-day special session Monday to extend state food aid amid the federal government shutdown, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday afternoon. Lawmakers will convene at noon Monday at the state Capitol. The state distributed $30 million in food aid Nov. 1 as a stopgap measure, designed to last until Nov. 10. That money came out of an emergency fund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program was suspended during the shutdown, and although federal judges have ordered the government to pay the food benefits for November, the timing and amount of the distributions remain unclear. The state-funded benefits released Saturday covered around 30% of SNAP beneficiaries' monthly benefits. We acted fast in October when the Trump administration abandoned New Mexican families, and now the legislature is coming back to finish the job, Lujan Grisham said in a statement. We are fortunate that several years of economic prosperity and sound fiscal management have enabled us to support New Mexicans in this time of need. However, we will not be able to fund these state supplements forever," she added. "Republicans in Congress need to come back to the table to end the longest government shut down in American history and get everyone back to work." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 'This is the right decision' Around 460,000 New Mexicans are on SNAP, or one-fifth of the population the highest per-capita rate in the country. This special session will allow us to continue serving New Mexicans while federal funding for the SNAP program remains uncertain," state Health Care Authority Secretary Kari Armijo said in a statement. The Governor's Office is working with the Legislature to provide benefits "until January, planning for a worst-case scenario with the federal government shutdown," spokesperson Jodi McGinnis Porter wrote in an email, adding specific funding details will be released Monday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth of Santa Fe said lawmakers are expected to consider only one piece of legislation a budget bill during the special session. The idea is to provide enough money to the Health Care Authority to get us potentially as far as the [regular 30-day] session in January, he said, adding the appropriation could be up to $200 million since federal food benefits in New Mexico run about $80 million a month. Wirth said it's important the funding "go out on a week-to-week basis so that if the federal government reopens and the funds start flowing well be in a position to have this money stop and resent back to its original purpose." He added the "bulk of the money" will likely come from previously budgeted items for the Health Care Authority, which oversees the program. Lujan Grisham is in Brazil attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference, according to a news release, so Lt. Gov. Howie Morales will serve as acting governor during the session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement State Democratic leaders said in a statement they support the governor's efforts to fill in for the federal suspension in aid. Wirth acknowledged the state has the option not to act. But he called it the right thing to do, especially as the holidays approach. I just think were in a position here in New Mexico where we do have the funds to be able to do this, Wirth said. As we head into Thanksgiving, as we head into Christmas, I just think the idea of taking food off the tables of 460,000 New Mexicans is not one the governor supports, and the Legislature is 100% behind her, so this is the right direction to go. New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, noted children, seniors and vets across the state rely on the SNAP program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While the federal government shutdown drags on, we are going to keep showing up to work, so we can protect our people from the chaos and cruelty coming out of Washington, D.C.," Martinez said in a statement. 'Dangerous political games' The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1 over a health care impasse. U.S. Senate Democrats have rejected stopgap spending bills until they get a deal to keep in place tax credits for low- and middle-income Americans insured under the Affordable Care Act. Without the tax credits, premiums for enrollees are set to spike. A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November, but the Justice Department said it would appeal. Earlier this week, the Trump administration said it planned to issue partial SNAP benefits, but it could take weeks for families to receive them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement New Mexico Senate Republicans in a news release Thursday blamed the federal shutdown on Democrats particularly U.S. Sens Ben Ray Lujan and Martin Heinrich. "Senators Lujan and Henrich have set a new low by holding the hard-working people of New Mexico hostage as political pawns for their partisan theatrics," state Senate Minority Leader Bill Sharer of Farmington said in the statement, "forcing state lawmakers to have to shoulder the cost so that vulnerable New Mexicans can put food on their tables for the holidays." Sharer also noted it's thanks to the oil and gas industry that New Mexico has funding to provide the aid. He urged New Mexicans to "remember this when you visit the ballot box." Heinrich blamed President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress for the shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Republicans arent just indifferent; they are actively choosing to harm working families, he said in a statement. Its time for Republicans to get serious, come to the table, and work with Democrats to pass a deal that lowers health care costs, reopens the government, and ensures families in New Mexico dont go hungry because of Republicans failure to lead, he added. Lujan, meanwhile, urged New Mexico Republicans to call on Trump to do right by New Mexicans in light of the Justice Departments decision to appeal the court ruling ordering payment of full SNAP benefits. Their silence speaks volumes as the Trump administration, which administers the SNAP program, continues doing everything possible to keep food off the tables of hungry Americans, he said in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At no point has New Mexico Republican leadership called on the president to follow the law. And at no point have New Mexico Republican leaders condemned their partys decision to block our legislation in the Senate that would have kept families fed, Lujan added. In a separate statement, House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong of Magdalena also blamed Heinrich and Lujan. I would much prefer the Governor use her authority and influence to urge our Senate delegation to end this crisis by voting to reopen the federal government," Armstrong wrote. "Instead, they are holding vulnerable New Mexicans hostage for political leverage. The people of this state deserve more than the costly and dangerous political games Senators Lujan and Heinrich continue to play," Armstrong said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reimbursements uncertain New Mexico might not be reimbursed for the state aid. Last week, the U.S. Department of Argriculture's Food and Nutrition Services wrote in a statement that "despite their willingness, states cannot cover the cost of benefits and be reimbursed. A spokesperson for the Governor's Office previously said "our primary concern right now is getting that money out the door to help feed hungry New Mexicans. ... Well worry about ways to recover it if possible at a later date. Wirth said its unknown whether the state will be reimbursed. The [Trump] administration sent the signal that we would not be reimbursed, but Im kind of taking a wait-and-see approach, he said. You know, this is not a blue state, red state issue. I would note Louisiana stepped up $150 million for these benefits, and I have a hard time seeing that the states are going to get left holding the bag here, but that, of course, is up to Congress and the president, so [to be determined]. I just think were moving forward either way. Editors Note: This story originally said that the federal government denied nearly $100 million for disaster relief. Officials clarified that that number is still being calculated. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) Millions of dollars in federal funding has not only helped New Mexico clean up after devastating floods and wilfires in recent years but those funds have also helped build more resilient infrastructure against future. But state disaster officials are fearing that those fgunds may be drying up under the Trump Administration. Albuquerque City Council approves changes to traffic code Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The director of the department, Ali Rye, said millions of dollars in federal funding have always been part of the picture. The feds typically, weve never had to apply for it before, but typically you receive a 7% allocation on top of that disaster for hazard mitigation, for that disaster area, said Rye. The Hermits Peak Calf Canyon and South Fork Wildfires have both received those federal distaster repair funds to rebuild roads, bridges, and sewers, that can better handle the next storm. But now, the state said more recent disasters, including the July Ruidoso flooding, arent getting the same treatment under the Trump Administration. We put in an application to have hazard mitigation be checked in a year Theyre telling us, were not even going to check it. Were not even going to give it to you, youre not even eligible for it, said Rye. Rye said the situation is rare. I wouldnt say its never been done. But in my understanding of history, its never been denied in all the years that weve done disaster funding. And when I say never, I mean across the country. She said Nebraska faced a similar rejection after requesting funding to pay for winter storm damage. Rye said the feds have only told New Mexico that the funding was not warranted. A decision that the state said it is appealing. If New Mexicans are continually facing repeated disasters, then this money is needed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The state said that if their appeal gets denied again, they will look for other ways to improve the flooding infrastructure in Ruidoso. But they admit that its unlikely that theyll find the same amount that they would have gotten from the federal government. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. MEXICO CITY (AP) The groping of Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum on a downtown street shone a bright light on the gender violence women face every day, but the countrys political polarization has tarnished what under other circumstances would seem a natural moment for national solidarity, analysts say. The president has tried to use the assault to send a clear message that such behavior is not acceptable. She has explained why she decided to press charges against the drunk man; she used her bully pulpit to pressure the remaining states that dont have sexual harassment on the books as a crime; and she talked about the need to make it easier for women to report such crimes. But almost immediately political opponents accused her of using the incident to distract from another burning issue in Mexico: political violence. The previous weekend, a popular mayor in the western state of Michoacan was gunned down in public during Day of the Dead festivities. Protests against the violence were happening in several cities in the state and Sheinbaum was under pressure to offer new solutions for the states persistent violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Opposition politicians went so far as to suggest that her assault was staged to change the narrative. Ceci Flores, the leader of a collective of relatives searching for disappeared loved ones, who has clashed before with the administration, wrote bitterly on X that our president only needed a few meters outside the palace to become a victim. Thats the Mexico that we all walk every day: if were lucky its assault, if were not they kill or disappear us. A political distraction Sen. Alejandro Moreno, leader of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, condemned violence against women, but in the same breath accused Sheinbaums Morena party of using the incident as a political distraction from the mayors killing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Uruapan Mayor Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez was killed last Saturday, shot by a 17-year-old who died at the scene, in what authorities said was an organized crime plot. On Wednesday, his widow met with Sheinbaum at the National Palace and later was sworn in to finish out his term. On Tuesday, Sheinbaum was walking from the National Palace to the Education Ministry for a meeting when she stopped to speak with some citizens. A video showed that with her back turned an obviously inebriated man put his arm around her, then touched her body with his hands and leaned in for kiss. The morning before her assault, Sheinbaum had announced a new security plan for Michoacan that included sending more troops, but also doubling down on efforts to address the root causes of violence. Moreno was suspicious and called for an in-depth analysis of Sheinbaum and said it could be a big setup to generate a distraction and so public opinion doesnt keep talking about what its talking about, the assassinations, the administrations narco-politics, the pact with organized crime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ricardo Anaya, former presidential candidate of the opposition National Action Party, did express his solidarity with Sheinbaum, but called on the government to study the protocols for protecting the president. If they cant take charge of the presidents security, how are they going to secure the country? he asked. Political consultant Javier Rosiles Salas said the opposition is trying to fight this very strong narrative the administration has, which is helping an already very popular president. This countrys opposition is weak. Another case of revictimization Maria de la Luz Estrada, director of the National Citizen Observatory on Femicide, a nongovernmental organization fighting gender-based violence, saw the suggestions that Sheinbaum was using the assault for political purposes as a high-profile example of how women who suffer such assaults are revictimized by authorities. Frequently, the crimes are not reported because police and prosecutors dismiss the reports or interrogate the victims. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its always about disparaging and not trying to understand what happened, Estrada said. With that in mind, Sheinbaum on Thursday presented a plan to make government more responsive to sexual abuse by trying to get states to line up their laws and sanctions for the crime and launching a campaign to urge women to report such assaults. Sheinbaum said she wants Mexican women to have a way to report that is agile, that is fast and that allows (authorities) to really do an investigation that leads to arrests. A fund seeking to help Salt Lake City residents affected by last months flooding is getting a significant boost from one of Utahs more prominent families. The Larry H. & Gail Miller Family Foundation announced Thursday that its committing $100,000 to the Westside Flood Relief Fund, launched days after over two dozen homes in the Westpointe area were flooded amid record rainfall in the city. Larry H. Miller Real Estate also announced it has committed up to $25,000 in donated materials for home repairs. All of the new funding is currently being distributed, according to the foundation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our hearts go out to the families and neighborhoods impacted by this destructive flooding, said Don Stirling, executive director of the Miller Family Foundation, in a statement. The west side is an essential part of our community, and were grateful for the partnerships and efforts to help residents recover and rebuild. Flooding was reported as 2.61 inches of rain fell in 14 hours between Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, with the latter ending up the second-wettest day in city history since the National Weather Service began tracking data in 1874. A drainage canal near the Willow Place community overflowed into homes, yards and roads, leaving some with over a foot of water in their basements. Many of the affected residents are either blue-collar workers or have retired after spending decades in the neighborhood, and many of them had flood insurance denied, said Salt Lake City Councilwoman Victoria Petro, whose district includes Westpointe. Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall declared a state of emergency on Oct. 7, the same day that the Westside Coalition created the relief fund. It sought to raise $100,000 to help affected residents but had collected a little over $6,500 in a month before Thursdays announcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Westside Coalition, which advocates for multiple neighborhoods on the citys west side, is grateful for funding, said Dan Strong, the organizations president. Funds like these allow us to provide immediate relief, help residents repair their homes and fortify our west side neighborhoods, he said. DETROIT LAKES, MN A Detroit Lakes woman has been convicted by an Angolan court of involvement in the murder of her husband while the couple was serving as missionaries in southern Africa, according to her Minnesota church. In a letter to the Lakes Area Vineyard Church community this week, lead pastor Troy Easton said Jackie Shroyer was found guilty by an Angolan court in the October 2024 killing of her husband, Beau Shroyer, and is expected to serve her sentence in an Angolan detention facility. Easton said the verdict followed "a very thorough investigation and trial process that was monitored closely, conducted fairly, and carried out with integrity." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He described the outcome as "shocking and extremely difficult to comprehend" and urged church members to pray for the Shroyer family, especially the couples five children, who continue to be cared for by relatives with support from the church and SIM USA. Background Of The Case Beau and Jackie Shroyer moved to Angola in 2021 with their children as part of their mission work with SIM USA, a North Carolinabased Christian organization that supports international missionaries. Beau was killed on Oct. 25, 2024, in what Angolan authorities described as a murder-for-hire plot. Law enforcement officials alleged that Jackie arranged her husbands killing, paying a security guard she was allegedly romantically involved with, along with two accomplices, about $50,000. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Police said Beau was lured to a remote area under the pretense of helping someone with car trouble, where he was attacked. Investigators reported recovering a knife and roughly $5,000 in local currency as part of the case. Jackie was arrested in early November 2024 and formally charged in February 2025 as a co-author in her husbands murder. Easton told congregants at the time that she would remain in custody and be tried before a judge. Legal And Diplomatic Oversight SIM USA said in a December 2024 statement that Jackie had an Angolan attorney and two American legal advisers, and that the FBI and U.S. State Department were aware of the proceedings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The organization said its team in Angola was visiting Jackie regularly and providing supplemental food during her detention. Easton reiterated in this weeks letter that while the outcome brings clarity and closure, it also carries pain and confusion for many in the Detroit Lakes community. He encouraged members to pray for Jackie, her children, and all affected by the tragedy, adding that Sundays service will be devoted to worship, prayer, and communion rather than discussion of the case. Remembering Beau Shroyer Before moving to Angola, Beau Shroyer was a Detroit Lakes police officer and worked in real estate, according to the Star Tribune. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A verified GoFundMe page set up after his death stated that his body was repatriated from Angola on Dec. 11. A graveside service was held on Dec. 21, attended by his family. The Shroyers were among the first missionary families with SIM USA to relocate to Angola following the easing of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. SIM, which was founded in 1893, describes itself as a "catalyst for cross-cultural mission work" that believes "no one should live and die without hearing the good news of the gospel." Minnesota Missionarys Wife Convicted In Husbands Killing In Angola, Church Says originally appeared on the Saint Paul Patch Microsoft (MSFT) CEO Satya Nadella didnt mince words in his appearance on the Bg2 Pod with investor Brad Gerstner and OpenAIs Sam Altman. The tech leader made a startling admission that the biggest problem facing AI expansion right now isnt chips its power. In what was a rare moment of candor, Nadella confessed that Microsoft has some of the most cutting-edge GPUs sitting idle because theres basically nowhere to plug them in. I dont have warm shells to plug into, he said, referring to unfinished data center facilities that dont have power or cooling capacity. Its a stunning admission from arguably the worlds most resource-rich companies, and a potential reality check for the entire AI boom. With industries across the globe racing to build smarter machines, its hitting a very human limit; there might not be enough electricity to keep the dream running. Satya Nadella admits Microsoft cant plug in all its AI chips as power demand surges.Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Microsofts AI ambition meets a power wall Microsofts all-in bet on AI may have run into an obstacle no algorithm can fix. The tech giants relentless push to expand its AI footprint is being weighed down not by innovation, but by infrastructure. Its not often you hear a CEO admit his biggest problem is finding enough plugs! Too many GPUs, not enough juice When quizzed on Brad Gerstners Bg2 Pod on whether he concurred with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang that theres no chance of a compute glut, Nadella gave a reality check. "The biggest issue we are now having is not a compute glut, but its power, he said, adding that the tech behemoth has a bunch of chips sitting in inventory that I cant plug in. That wasnt metaphorical, but literal, in that without warm shells, or powered data centers ready for operation, Microsofts GPUs stay boxed. AIs power crunch, in four painful facts: The strain Nadella described isnt purely a Microsoft problem, but a full-blown industry slowdown. Heres what it looks like across the cloud and compute landscape: 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) The federal government fully funded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, for November, complying with a court order issued by a federal judge in Rhode Island. Minnesota officials say the benefits could go out to recipients as soon as this weekend. The Star Tribune reported that recipients began receiving benfits Saturday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some recipients may get their benefits earlier than usual a step the state Department of Children, Youth and Families said it is taking to protect Minnesotans during the uncertainty of potential future court orders. For many Minnesota families dealing with the SNAP stoppage during the long government shutdown, the aid cant come soon enough. Food shelves are taxed and one that the Reformer visited this week had to send people away empty handed. Gov. Tim Walz redirected $4 million in state funding to food shelves at the end of October to help bridge the gap, but the money still fell far short of the emergency food systems projected needs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees SNAP, sent a letter to state agencies Friday stating that the federal government would make funds available within hours for states to distribute to recipients. The two-paragraph letter did not mention the elaborate new formulas USDA sent states Tuesday to provide recipients with partial benefits, apparently rendering the new mandate moot at least for now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal government shutdown left SNAP without any funding after October. Fridays court order requires USDA to use contingency funds to cover November benefits. Around 440,000 Minnesotans rely on SNAP; 152,000 are children, 72,000 are seniors and 52,000 are adults with disabilities. Nearly half of recipients live outside of the Twin Cities. Global hospitality group Minor Hotels has confirmed plans to open an Anantara new-build waterfront resort in Ushuaia, Argentina. The Anantara Ushuaia Patagonia resort, which will launch in early 2028, will be constructed within the Costa Susana master plan area close to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. The waterfront resort is designed to include 60 guest rooms and suites, along with a wellness facility and spa at sea level, dedicated dining venues, and meeting spaces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The project falls under a hotel management agreement with Fideicomiso Urbanizacion Monte Susana, an Argentinean developer comprising of two partners. Costa Susana, the planned location for the resort, has been recognised as Argentinas first carbon-neutral real estate development. The development has also been chosen to participate in the World Architecture Festivals Landscape and Environment category. This nomination marks a first for an Argentinean project in this category. The site is accessible by a short drive from Ushuaia International Airport, which offers direct flights to Buenos Aires and other domestic destinations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Visitors to the future resort will be able to access local attractions, including ski resorts and journeys on the End of the World Train. Guests will also have opportunities for cruises to Antarctica and other South American ports, as well as visits to the 70,000ha Tierra del Fuego National Park. Fideicomiso Urbanizacion Monte Susana Meliton spokesperson Gonzalez del Solar said: Partnering with Minor Hotels to introduce Anantara to our country is incredibly exciting. Were equally proud to work with a brand that shares our values in protecting the environment and uplifting local communities. Together, we are creating a benchmark green hotel for the region. Global hotel operator and owner Minor Hotels states that this new property will enable the company to maintain local ties while observing environmental standards linked to the wider Costa Susana scheme. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Minor Hotels Europe and Americas CEO Gonzalo Aguilar said: Anantara Ushuaia is a major step in our growth strategy for the Americas and a fulfilment of a long-held ambition. With our partners deep local expertise and our shared vision, we are confident the property will become a benchmark for immersive, sustainable hospitality at the edge of the world. Minor Hotels recently announced plans to open a Tivoli Hotels & Resorts property in Lecce, Italy, after completing an extensive renovation. "Minor Hotels signs new Anantara property in Argentina" was originally created and published by Hotel Management Network, a GlobalData owned brand. For more than 70 years, the Miss Universe competition has claimed to celebrate womens empowerment. But a bitter row has erupted after an organiser of the 2025 edition appeared to call Miss Mexico dumb, sparking a mass walkout by the contestants. At a pre-event ceremony, Nawat Itsaragrisil, a Thai businessman who co-owns the Miss Universe organisation, scolded Fatima Bosch of Mexico for not taking part in promotional activities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In widely circulated footage of the sashing ceremony on Tuesday, Mr Nawat said all the women representing their countries were expected to promote Thailand, the host country. He then singled out Ms Bosch, who had refused to take part in a promotional photo-shoot on the advice of her management. Mr Nawat appeared to say: If you follow the order from your national director, you are a dumb head. He denied using the word dumb. Miss Universe director Nawat Itsaragrisil provoked outrage after having Miss Mexico thrown out by security - nawat.tv/Instagram When the 25-year-old attempted to object, Mr Nawat, 60, interrupted her, telling her to be quiet and sit down while he spoke. He added: I didnt give you the opportunity to talk. Keep polite for me. Im still talking. Listen. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When Ms Bosch protested that she has a voice and is not being respected as a woman, Mr Nawat ordered security to remove her, prompting audible gasps from around the room. Around a dozen contestants all dressed to the nines in ballgowns and sashes left the room in solidarity, while others stood, confused. Contestants storm out in solidarity with Miss Mexico after she was thrown out by the pageants director Mr Nawat can be heard ordering them to sit down if they want to continue in the competition. Reigning tiara-holder Victoria Kjr Theilvig of Denmark said after walking out: This is about womens rights. To trash another girl is beyond disrespectful. The Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) has since condemned Mr Nawats malicious behaviour and restricted his participation in the pageant, which has gone ahead despite the row. Were in the 21st century In a video statement after the incident, Ms Bosch said: Were in the 21st century, and Im not a doll to be made up, styled and have my clothes changed. I came here to be a voice for all the women and all the girls who fight for causes and to tell my country that Im completely committed to that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Nawat later apologised for the alleged confrontation, which a livestream appeared to capture, but insisted he did not use the word dumb. At a press conference on Wednesday, he broke down in tears. I am human. I didnt want to do anything like that, he said. The MUO has sent a delegation of international executives to take over running the competition, in which contestants from 123 countries compete for the title. The winner will be crowned on November 21. Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch said she came here to be a voice for all the women and all the girls who fight for causes - instagram.com/fatimaboschfdz/instagram.com The Miss Universe competition has been considered the most prestigious international beauty pageant since it started in 1952, but it has suffered a dramatic decline in ratings in recent years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raul Rocha, president of the competition, rebuked Mr Nawat on Wednesday, saying he had humiliated, insulted and showed a lack of respect to Ms Bosch, and committed the serious abuse of having called security to intimidate a defenceless woman. He added in a video statement that legal actions would be taken against him. I wish to reiterate that Miss Universe is an empowerment platform for women so that their voices can be heard in the world, he said. 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. Tragic twist in the case of missing College of Charleston student Owen Kenney ... cops say they have video showing Owen dying by suicide after walking onto a bridge. Owen, a 19-year-old student, had been missing since the morning of Halloween, and there was a big search effort to find him in South Carolina ... but now those search efforts have changed to recovery efforts. Charleston Police Department Charleston Police say they recovered video evidence showing Owen walking onto the Ravenel Bridge pedestrian walkway at 3:49 AM on Oct. 31 and taking his own life. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bridge connects Charleston with Mt Pleasant and it crosses over the Cooper River. Charleston Police Department Charleston PD says they are working with different agencies to find Owen's body and bring closure to his family. An underwater recovery team has been searching for his remains. Owen was reported missing Nov. 1 and the last photo of him showed him wearing a black jacket, black hat, light-colored jeans and Nike sneakers. Charleston Police Department Cops say they remain in close contact with Owen's family, who they say are "living through unimaginable pain." If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org. Thanksgiving is a day about togetherness and warmth. But in November 2022, a Tennessee family faced a chilling situation. Two days before Thanksgiving, Jasmine Jazzy Pace, 22, sent a startling text to her mom, Catrina Bean. Jazzy, a student at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, informed her she was spending time with a friend instead of her family. The abrupt change was out of character for Jazzy, a dependable old soul, as loved ones recounted during the Nov. 6 episode of Oxygens Dateline: Unforgettable. But following the recent death of a beloved family matriarch, perhaps Jazzy needed a little space to grieve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Concerns grew a few days later when Jazzy inexplicably went off the radar. Somethings wrong, said Paces cousin Jacqueline White. Shes not picking up the phone. For more from Oxygen Inside the Barbaric Murder of a 91-Year-Old Bronx Grandmother Who Fought for Her Life Why a Las Vegas Widow Was Murdered by 3 Family Members Out of Greed and Jealousy The Rise and Fall of Alex Murdaugh: Inside the Double Homicide that Shattered a Legal Dynasty What happened to Jasmine Pace? Jazzys family found out she wasnt with the friend shed texted about visiting. They set out to find out what happened to her by tracing a trail of digital breadcrumbs. Everyone has an electronic footprint, said Paces cousin Jacqueline White in the episode, titled The Pin at Apartment 210. There are clues everywhere. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jazzys family began with her email records. They discovered passwords to her bank and social media accounts had been changed. Jazzys phone records showed a recent 71-minute call to an unknown number on Nov. 22. On Nov. 26, the family tracked down Jazzys car using a vehicle app. The car was empty, but Jazzys half-sister, Gabby Pace, observed that the drivers seat had been pushed back. Gabby told me that that was her first moment of real dread, recalled Dateline correspondent Blayne Alexander. For whatever reason, someone else had been driving her sisters car and left it in this strange place. A police handout of Jasmine Pace Jasmine Pace reported missing The same day Jazzys mother called the police, who came to the parking lot where the car had been left. As family members explained that Jazzy was missing, a provocative post popped up on Jazzys Facebook page. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats not something she would put out there, said Jacqueline. Jazzys mom asked officials to pull any security footage from the parking lot. In the meantime, the family dug deeper into that mysterious 71-minute phone call. Jacqueline ran the number through a mobile payment app and turned up the name of Jason Chen. He and Jazzy had dated casually on-and-off for a few months. Catrina called him, and he claimed he hadnt spoken to Jazzy recently. But her phone records told a different story. When she pressed him about that, Jason claimed hed forgotten about that call. Pin drop comes to light Catrina realized that Jazzy had dropped a pin on her location at 2:18 a.m. on Nov. 23. Catrina had missed the message because she was preoccupied due to the recent death of a beloved family matriarch. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pin led them to an apartment complex. The family made their way into the building and used coordinates to determine it had been dropped from apartment 210. A resident of the adjacent apartment told Jazzys family that a loud scream had come from apartment 210 around 2 a.m. on Nov. 23. Using a credit card, Jazzys mom popped the lock on apartment 210. Inside, she and other family members found Jazzys overnight bag, credit cards and drivers license. Jason Chens name was written on a notebook on a desk. A neighbor confirmed it was Jasons apartment. Jazzys loved ones called the police, who told them they were already working the case. Authorities warned them not to enter the apartment again. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jazzys family told me they had no hesitation about breaking into that apartment, said Alexander, and that they would do it again if it meant possibly saving her rather than sitting back and waiting for police to step up. Who was Jason Chen? Investigators learned that Jason was the son of Chinese immigrants who owned a restaurant. The family lived 30 minutes outside of Nashville. Jason moved to attend the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, where he majored in computer science. He was a quiet guy, but he was kind of funny, said former college dormmate Ryan Barrett, who met him in the summer of 2020. Hed always come in with little jams at everybody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jazzys family was convinced Jason had something to do with her disappearance. They took everything theyd gathered that could be used as evidence. They also had their family lawyer reach out to the District Attorney General for help. A police handout of Jason Chen What police found in Jason Chens apartment When Det. Zach Crawford entered apartment 210, he recognized the faint odor of cleaning products. I saw what appeared to be blood transfer, he said, in the form of a heel print on the floor. After the scene was photographed, a chemical reagent applied to the floor revealed, an extremely large amount of blood, recounted Crawford. We all said, We have a homicide. While searching for Jason, investigators searched his phone records. They showed hed been at Walgreens and Walmart, where security footage caught a man resembling him buying cleaning supplies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jason was apprehended at his parents home in Nolensville, Tenn. Detectives confirmed he was the man in the video by the clothes he was wearing the day he was detained. Jason Chen charged with first-degree murder Jason was arrested on Nov. 29, 2022, and he immediately asked for a lawyer. As they gathered evidence, police learned from Ryan Barrett that their friendship abruptly ended. Jason had allegedly hacked his Venmo and social media accounts. Location data from Nov. 23 put Jason on the banks of the Tennessee River. On Dec. 1, 2022, detectives searched the area and found Jazzys body. Jazzy had told him about that place, said Alexander. Thats where he ultimately chose to dump her body. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jazzy was handcuffed and stuffed inside a suitcase. She had been stabbed 60 times. It was not something that was quick, said Crawford. It was violent. Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp took stock on the part Jazzys family played, saying: I dont know how the police department would have ended up getting a search warrant had it not been for her family. But Jasons attorney, Josh Weiss, said the entire crime scene was compromised the moment Jazzys family stepped inside. RELATED: Indiana Mom is Found Stabbed to Death in Van After Leaving Home to Buy Masa At Grocery Store Jason Chens trial and conviction Prosecutors presented evidence of the crime's brutality, including 60 stab wounds and the disposal of her body in a suitcase. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The defense attorney shocked the court with his opening statement about Jason. He is guilty, the lawyer said, but hes not guilty of the crime that hes charged with. Weiss argued self-defense, claiming Jasmine attacked Jason after discovering his Tinder messages. A forensic expert testified that Jason was not on Tinder at the time of the murder. The jury deliberated for less than an hour and found Jason guilty of first-degree premeditated murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Dateline: Unforgettable airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on Oxygen. The Malian city of Mopti has been plunged into darkness for weeks as a fuel blockade by jihadists tied to al-Qaeda cripples power supplies. For a month now, the people of Mopti one of Malis largest and most vibrant cities have been living in darkness. The lights went out in early October, and they have not come back on since. The blackout is the result of a blockade imposed by jihadists linked to al-Qaeda. The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims known as JNIM announced in early September that it was cutting off fuel supplies to much of central Mali. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Since then, armed fighters have been attacking convoys of fuel tankers, leaving towns across the country struggling to power homes, hospitals and businesses. Mopti, a riverside trading hub of more than 560,000 people, has been among the worst affected. Power cuts were already part of daily life, but with the blockade in place, fuel has all but disappeared. Generators have fallen silent, and solar panels are now the citys only lifeline powering parts of the main hospital and letting residents charge their phones for a few minutes at a time. Malis economy near standstill amid JNIM fuel attacks Catastrophic crisis Since 7 October, we havent had a second of electricity, says Mohamed Sanous Nientao, a Mopti native now living in exile. Its a total blackout. For residents, its catastrophic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nientao is a businessman and former local politician who once led the Mopti branch of the UDD, an opposition party now dissolved along with all political organisations under Malis military-led transition. Though he is abroad, he remains in close contact with his hometown and describes a city at breaking point. Economically, theres no work, so no income, he told RFI. We get a few hours of water distribution, but even that is uncertain. With the security situation, were practically cut off from Bamako. The road is controlled by jihadist groups, and with the fuel shortage, the price of a bus ticket to the capital has exploded. Weve never experienced anything like this in Mopti. Its unbearable. Mali under pressure to end fuel crisis as negotiations with jihadists stall Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nientao appealed to Malis junta for help. We know the authorities cant fix everything overnight, he says. But were asking for at least one hour of electricity each day. The country is under attack from an extremist force. We have to stand together, but to do that, people need food, fuel and the means to live. Were now in a position where were begging for a single hour of power. Earlier this week, Malis interim president, Assimi Goita, said the government was working to find solutions. Some of the answers must also come from families, he added, urging Malians to limit travel, show solidarity and avoid panic. This article was adapted from an original story in French by David Bache. A woman in Colorado suffered head and back injuries after being attacked by a bull moose while walking her dog on Wednesday, Nov. 5, state parks and wildlife officials said. The attack occurred west of Jamestown, about a 43-mile drive from Denver, around 1 p.m. local time, Kara Van Hoose, spokesperson for the Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said in a news release on Nov. 6. The unidentified woman was walking her dog off-leash near her home at the time of the attack, according to the state government agency. During the attack, the young moose knocked the woman to the ground before stomping her multiple times, Van Hoose said, adding that the victim was taken to a nearby hospital with "head and back injuries." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers responded to the scene but were unable to locate the aggressive moose. The officers placed "signs warning of aggressive moose behavior" near the scene, according to the agency. Watched and photographed by human visitors, a resident bull moose walks through Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. A bull elk rounds up a female cow during the fall rut in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Watched and photographed by human visitors, a resident bull moose shakes off water from Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. A bald eagle soars over Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. A bull elk rounds up a female cow during the fall rut in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Changing aspen leaves are highlighted by fresh snow on the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park scan the area around Sprague Lake on Sept. 15 for wildlife. Sprague Lake is accessible to people who use mobility aids like wheelchairs. A bull elk rounds up a female cow during the fall rut in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Sarah Joaquin holds an elk antler to her head while Jake Kundert takes a photo at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado on Sept. 15, 2025. A bull elk chomps grasses on a fall day in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Changing aspen leaves are highlighted by fresh snow on the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. A bull elk chomps grasses on a fall day in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Watched and photographed by human visitors, a resident bull moose walks through Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. A bald eagle soars over Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Changing aspen leaves are highlighted by fresh snow on the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Water drops off the face of a bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. A bald eagle soars over Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Watched and photographed by human visitors, a resident elk walks near Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. A bald eagle soars over Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. An young male elk known as a spike walks through Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. A bald eagle soars over Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. Inspiring National Park wildlife: Moose, elk and bald eagles 1 of 21 Watched and photographed by human visitors, a resident bull moose walks through Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park on Sept. 15, 2025. What should people do when encountering moose? According to Van Hoose, the majority of moose attacks involve dogs, which are viewed as predators or potential threats by the large animals. The agency is also urging people to keep pets on a leash when recreating outdoors, particularly near riparian habitats, which are where moose prefer to live. Riparian areas are "lands that occur along the edges of rivers, streams, lakes, and other water bodies," such as streambanks, riverbanks, and floodplains, according to the National Park Service. When encountered, moose should be given ample space and not approached, Van Hoose said. Although moose are large animals, they are "very fast" and capable of running at speeds up to 35 mph, she added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If spotted while recreating outdoors, people can use rocks, trees or vehicles as barriers between themselves and the moose, according to Van Hoose. Are bull moose aggressive? During the fall mating season in late September and October, also known as the rut, bull moose "may be aggressive toward humans," according to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. If a moose is preparing to attack, the long hairs on its hump will raise, its ears will lay back (similar to a dog or cat) and it may lick its lips, the department said. "A moose that sees you and walks slowly towards you is not trying to be your friend; it may be looking for a hand-out or warning you to keep away," the department added. "All of these are dangerous situations and you should back away. Look for the nearest tree, fence, building, car, or other obstruction to duck behind." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Moose attack in Colorado leaves woman with head, back injuries SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Gerald Causse, a high-ranking official in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who oversaw its finances and a global temple building boom, became the faith's newest apostle on Thursday. Causse, 62, joins an all-male governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which sits just under the church's president and his two top counselors. Apostles help set church policy while overseeing the faiths many business interests. With his appointment, he joins the order of succession to the church presidency, which is decided by seniority in the Quorum of the Twelve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A native of France, Causse spent the past decade as a presiding bishop who managed the church's money and welfare programs. Under his leadership, the church increased its humanitarian spending and dotted the globe with lavish temples where the faiths most sacred ceremonies take place. The faith known widely as the Mormon church does not disclose or discuss its finances, but the latest filings from its investment arm, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc., valued its portfolio at $58 billion. The churchs businesses include real estate, farms, publishing, life insurance, nonprofits, universities, a Polynesian cultural center in Hawaii and an upscale open-air shopping mall in Salt Lake City. Causse has at times been the official tasked with defending the church's secrecy surrounding its finances, saying in 2020, We really consider those funds as belonging to the Lord. He fills a vacancy in the Quorum of the Twelve left by the recent death of President Russell M. Nelson and the appointment last month of a new president, 93-year-old Dallin H. Oaks. In the first significant difference from Nelsons presidency, Oaks announced during the faiths recent general conference that the church will slow the announcement of new temples. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Born in Bordeaux, in southwestern France, Causse becomes the third European in the Quorum of the Twelve. During Nelson's presidency, the church injected some diversity into the previously all-white leadership panel by selecting the first Latin American apostle and the first apostle of Asian ancestry. The faith, headquartered in Utah, has more than half its 17.5 million members living outside the United States. The apostles, who are called to serve for life, tend to be older men who have achieved success in occupations outside the church. Causse was the general manager of Pomona, a food distribution company in France. The last three chosen for the Quorum of the Twelve before him were a U.S. State Department official, an accountant for multinational corporations, and a board member of charities and schools. A court run by Moscow-installed authorities in Ukraines occupied Donetsk region has sentenced two Colombian nationals to 13 years in prison each for fighting on behalf of Kyiv. The ruling, announced on Thursday, is the latest in a series of lengthy sentences handed to foreign fighters accused by Moscow-backed prosecutors of being mercenaries. For participating in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Ante, 48, and Jose Aron Medina Aranda, 37 were each sentenced to 13 years in prison, the prosecutors office said on the Telegram messaging app. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to reports, the pair fought for Ukraine in 2023 and 2024 before disappearing in July while transiting through Venezuela, a close ally of Russia, on their way home to Colombia after serving in the war. Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported in July 2024 that the men were detained in the Venezuelan capital Caracas while still wearing Ukrainian military uniforms. A month later, Russian authorities said they had taken custody of the two, who both hail from the western Colombian city of Popayan. Footage released by Russias FSB security service showed the men handcuffed and dressed in prison uniforms as masked officers escorted them through a court building. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement News of the pairs sentencing on Thursday was widely covered in Colombian media. I dont know if we will see them again one day. Thats the sad reality, said Medinas wife, Cielo Paz, in an interview with the AFP news agency, adding that she had not heard from her husband since his arrest. #Colombia Alexander Ante y Jose Medina fueron condenados por participar como "mercenarios" en las hostilidades del lado de las Fuerzas Armadas de Ucrania. Lee la nota completa en: https://t.co/UrlDjv6Tnp pic.twitter.com/1kiEl1rlU2 RTVC Noticias (@RTVCnoticias) November 6, 2025 Translation: Alexander Ante and Jose Medina were convicted for participating as mercenaries in the hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In June, Russian state news agency TASS reported that Pablo Puentes Borges, another Colombian national, was handed a 28-year prison term by a Russian military court on charges of terrorism and mercenary activity for fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Earlier, in April, Miguel Angel Cardenas Montilla, also from Colombia, received a nine-year sentence for fighting with Ukrainian forces. While Russian investigators have labelled foreigners who fight alongside Ukrainian forces as mercenaries, the Kyiv Post notes that most foreign fighters serving in Ukraines armed forces are formally enlisted and receive the same pay and status as Ukrainian soldiers. That formalisation of their status in the Ukrainian army means they do not meet the legal definition of a mercenary under international law, the media outlet reported. But Moscow continues to prosecute captured foreign fighters as mercenaries a charge that carries up to 15 years in prison rather than recognising them as prisoners of war who are protected under the Geneva Conventions. Colombias government says dozens of its citizens have been killed fighting in Ukraine since the war began in February 2022. Hungarian oil company MOL Group has announced that it can source most of its crude oil from non-Russian suppliers, signalling a change in its approach to energy procurement. This announcement came just ahead of a meeting today between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and US President Donald Trump in Washington, DC, reported Bloomberg. The discussions between the two leaders are expected to focus on sanctions targeting Russian oil. MOL, which operates refineries in both Hungary and Slovakia, stated that it could look at a pipeline from Croatia as an alternative to replace up to 80% of its crude supply, if flows from Russia via the Druzhba pipeline through Ukraine are disrupted. MOL reportedly said: Should the crude flows via the Druzhba pipeline drop significantly, MOL can increase its utilisation of the Adriatic pipeline and supply ca. 80% of its landlocked refineries intake, although entailing higher technical risks and logistics costs. Both MOL and the Orban Government have previously argued that Hungarys landlocked geography left the country with no viable alternatives to Russian oil. Orban had been urging President Trump to grant an exemption allowing Hungary to keep importing Russian oil without facing US sanctions. The current statement from MOL marks a shift from its previous positions on Russian oil. Hungary currently relies on Russia for around 90% of its crude imports, following increased purchases since Russias invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The country has benefitted from lower Russian fuel prices, which have contributed to higher refining margins and improved MOLs earnings in the third quarter. As the EU plans to phase out Russian energy imports after 2027, Hungary is required to diversify its supply sources. MOL stated that it is cautiously progressing with upgrades to its refineries in Hungary and Slovakia to boost its ability to process non-Russian crude. Previously, both MOL and the Hungarian leadership have downplayed the potential for the Adriatic pipeline to serve as a significant alternative, citing technical and logistical challenges as well as disputes over the pipelines capacity. The recent statement from MOL suggests a reassessment of these options as international pressure mounts, said the news agency. Last month, fire broke out at MOLs Hungarian refinery, which will reduce output by up to 300,000 tonnes per month until repairs are completed. The company now anticipates refining 11.5 million tonnes (mt) of crude at the group level this year, as against the earlier 12mt. "MOL looks to procure most of its crude oil from non-Russian suppliers " was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. Lefty MSNBC news anchor Joe Scarborough revealed hes brokering a meeting between Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt after the anti-Israel socialist was accused of refusing to work with the organization. Scarborough made the announcement during a breakfast with reporters following a heated on-air exchange with Greenblatt on Wednesday, during which the ADL chief claimed Mamdani vowed not to work with the group to fight antisemitism, Mediaite reported. The Morning Joe host pushed back during the interview, alleging Greenblatt was blurring and bending his criticisms of Mamdani, even though the incoming mayor has been a vocal critic of Israel, including refusing to say the nation has a right to exist as a Jewish state. ADL chief Jonathan Greenblatt said he would be willing to sit down with Zohran Mamdani. MSNBC Theres a lot of blurring and blending here, Jonathan, Scarborough responded. And, you know, I love you and youre on all the time. And were always a fierce defender of yours. But you seem to be, like, blurring a lot of things together Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Greenblatt conceded that Mamdani had made an effort to reach out to New York Citys Jewish community and had ample Jews working on his campaign but said he has yet to see the Democratic socialist engage meaningfully with the biggest institutions that represent Jewish New Yorkers. He said the synagogue Mamdani visited was anti-Zionist, which he likened to going to the black breakout at CPAC and saying you understand African Americans. Zohran Mamdani, Joe Scarborough and Al Sharpton Instagram/real_sharpton Scarborough then suggested on air that he and Mamdani sit down for lunch and have a discussion, adding that the Rev. Al Sharpton could help facilitate the meeting. I am willing to have conversations, hard conversations. Because my job is to keep the community safe, Greenblatt shot back. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But let me be clear: Im not accusing him of those things, he said, clarifying that he hasnt accused Mamdani of explicitly refusing to condemn antisemitic attacks. What I want to make sure is, he doesnt create an environment where Jewish people are unsafe. He doesnt create an environment where global intifada becomes a mantra. Greenblatt had also announced Wednesday that the ADL is launching a Mamdani Monitor. He said the organization will dive into the backgrounds of Mamdani appointees and funding of organizations to see if they are hostile to Jewish people. The ADL will also create a specific New York City Antisemitism Tipline amid a surge in reports of anti-Jewish hatred following the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In his victory speech Thursday night, Mamdani told his supporters that he would build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism. Other Jewish groups alarmed by Mamdanis victory have put out statements saying they will fight against any Jew-bashing in city government among them the New York Solidarity Network and the UJA Federation. MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WKRN) After being named Mt. Juliets new chief of police last week, Tyler Chandler sat down with News 2 to share his priorities and vision for his hometown as the department continues to invest in even more technology to better serve the community. On Oct. 27, the City of Mt. Juliet celebrated the opening of its new police headquarters, as well as the swearing in of its eighth police chief following the promotion of the previous chief, Michael Mullins, to Mt. Juliets deputy city manager. Mt. Juliets home to me. I grew up here, Chandler stated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Chandler, it was truly a calling at a young age. Being a police officer was a dream of mine ever since I was little bitty, he said. Mt. Juliet Police Department holds ribbon cutting to open new headquarters Officials said Chandlers journey with the department started when he joined the first MJPD Cadet Program at age 14, four years before he started serving the department full-time. After graduation, Chandler became a dispatcher for the city before he went to the police academy and eventually moved into a communications role for MJPD. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Through that period, Ive had different roles here, different responsibilities, from a corporal, from a sergeant, from a lieutenant, from a captain, to the deputy chief, Chandler explained. After 21 years of law enforcement experience and 11 years on MJPDs command staff, Chandler has assumed the role of police chief for his hometown. I tell people Im a police officer at heart, so they get confused when they see me out there on the street, stopping vehicles or showing up on calls for service. I think thats important to maintain, as well as to stay connected with what is going on out there every day in the field, Chandler told News 2. Mt. Juliet shuffles leadership: Mullins promoted to deputy city manager; Chandler sworn in as police chief Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When it comes to his priorities as the new chief of police, Chandler said Mt. Juliet will continue to be relentless when it comes to tackling crime. The way our city is postured with nearly 90% of our offenders not being city residents, we have to be a proactive police department to ensure our city remains safe, Chandler stated. According to Chandler, thats why the city continues to invest in technology and license plate recognition cameras. He added that Mt. Juliets drone system will soon be operational so the drones can arrive at scenes before other first responders. Its going to keep us a lot of safer; our officers are going to have real-time video, real-time intelligence before they arrive to scenes; our firefighters are going to be able to see whats happening on scenes of emergencies, whether its a fire or a crash, Chandler described. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On top of that, he said he wants to keep strengthening community relationships. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com We always have people showing up for Coffee with a Cop, but where are those people that arent showing up for Coffee with a Cop so where can we go to make better connections? Chandler asked. He said its an honor to protect and serve a community he is proud to call home, adding that he wants his home to be the most thriving, safe community in all of Tennessee. Chandler told News 2 hed also like to focus on lowering crimes in shoplifting with proactive enforcement and internet fraud through community education. He added that the department will finish the accreditation process next year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the city, Chandler earned his Master of Organizational Leadership at Trevecca Nazarene University and a bachelors degree in criminal justice and public administration from Bethel University. In his spare time, he also serves as an adjunct professor at Trevecca Nazarene University, a Wilson County commissioner for District 10, a board member of the Mt. Juliet Senior Activity Center, and a Rotarian. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. After a monthslong investigation by local, state and federal agents, indictments against 38 Middle Tennesseans were handed down in what the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation called a "dismantling" of a fentanyl pipeline in the state. The Tennessean is not naming those charged until additional information is provided. Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Robert McGuire announced during a Nov. 6 press conference at the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse that the indictment involved drug traffickers, violent criminals and MS-13 gang members. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McGuire was joined by agents from Homeland Security, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms, the FBI, the military, Metro Nashville Police and Cumberland County Sheriff's Office. "Working together, we will provide real justice for hurting families in Tennessee who have suffered for too long at the hands of these criminals," McGuire said during the press conference. While McGuire said much of the work to take down the pipeline started at the local police level, he said collaboration between multiple agencies began in March. And the work will continue to dismantle new cartels as they pop up, McGuire said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eight separate cases were discussed, resulting in 38 individuals being indicted. While the cases are not related, McGuire said they all have a throughline of criminal activity and trafficking of fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and other narcotics. How Nashville police got involved Nashville Police Chief John Drake said the department's specialized investigation unit saw a rise in violent crime two years ago, including non-lethal shootings and homicides connected to the MS-13 gang. Drake said in 2024, MNPD partnered with ATF to form a joint task force leading to the arrest of local MS-13 members. Through the department's work, Drake said they took 40 guns off the street as well as large amounts of narcotics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the Nov. 6 indictments, Drake believes Nashville is a safer place. Where was the fentanyl coming from? McGuire said some of the fentanyl was tracked to Mexico and other countries as part of the investigation. In one case, McGuire said five people are charged in connection with trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and marijuana into the Trousdale Correctional Facility. In a separate case, involving the military, McGuire said agents initiated a "complicated" takedown of suspects involved in fentanyl trafficking. McGuire said in a standalone indictment, a man was in the country illegally with a stolen firearm, and ballistic evidence connects the gun to the shooting death of a 14-year-old girl. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The formation of the Homeland Security Task Force will bring law enforcement agencies together to curtail drug trafficking and crime in the area, McGuire said. Colin Jackson, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Nashville, said the unit will continue to grow. "The Homeland Security task force was created to end the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs and transnational criminal organizations throughout the United States," Jackson said. "The enhanced interagency collaboration allows us to address the threats of the U.S. homeland more effectively and efficiently." Reach reporter Craig Shoup by email at cshoup@gannett.com and on X @Craig_Shoup. To support his work, sign up for a digital subscription to www.tennessean.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee agencies team up, charge 38 in drug takedown, officials say Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Multiple people at Joint Base Andrews have fallen ill after "a suspicious package" sent to the military facility was opened, according to reports. The package was sent to the Maryland base on Thursday, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios as well as CNN, which was the first to report on the incident. "As a precaution, the building and connecting building were evacuated and a cordon was established around the area," according to a statement, as reported by CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Joint Base Andrews first responders were dispatched to the scene, determined there were no immediate threats and have turned the scene over to Office of Special Investigations. An investigation is currently ongoing." Matt Ebarb, a spokesperson for the 316th Wing of the U.S. Air Force at the base, told Axios in an emailed statement that "multiple" individuals fell ill. "They were evaluated and treated by JBA medical personnel, determined to be in stable condition and released today," Ebarb said. According to authorities, there are no immediate threats and normal operations at the facility have resumed. (Reuters) -A suspicious package containing white powder delivered to a U.S. military base in Maryland caused multiple people to fall ill and led to several being hospitalised, CNN reported on Thursday. A building on the base was evacuated after an individual "opened a suspicious package," CNN said, citing a statement from Joint Base Andrews, located outside Washington, D.C. "As a precaution, the building and connecting building were evacuated, and a cordon was established around the area," the statement said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Several people were transported to the Malcolm Grove Medical Center on the base, CNN said. The extent of their illnesses was not known. Joint Base Andrews is famously known as the home base for Air Force One, the aircraft used to transport the President of the United States. The package contained an unknown white powder, said CNN, citing two sources familiar with the investigation. Joint Base Andrews first responders had determined there was no immediate threat and had turned the scene over to the Office of Special Investigations, said CNN. An initial field test from the HAZMAT team did not detect anything hazardous, but the investigation remains ongoing, added CNN, citing one of the sources familiar with the matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNN said that the room where the envelope was opened, located in a building that houses the Air National Guard Readiness Center, had been closed. The U.S. Department of Defense and Joint Base Andrews did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the report (Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Michael Perry) CHICAGO (WGN) A mural that honors 12 men from South Chicago who gave their lives in Vietnam will be restored. The mural, titled South Chicagos Vietnam Veterans Mural, is located at 91st and Brandon in the citys South Chicago neighborhood. It has been a neighborhood staple for more than 40 years. The mural honors 12 Mexican-American Vietnam Veterans who did not return home. Meet the muralist whose art will soon adorn Wintrust Mural Building Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A campaign launched within the last year to restore the mural has been reached. Three companies doing business in the neighborhood are helping the effort of reaching the $100,000 goal to make it happen. WGNs Patrick Elwood has more in the video player 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 WGN-TV. A Muslim chaplain employed by the state prisons system fatally shot himself early Friday in the same facility where inmate Robert Brooks was beaten to death by correction officers in December 2024. The civilian employee walked into the administrative offices at Marcy Correctional Facility, located about 240 miles north of the city, pulled out a firearm he had brought inside and pulled the trigger, officials said. The man was identified as Imam Abdalla Hadian, 55, of Syracuse, the New York state police confirmed. His suicide was first reported by The Free Lance News website. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A State police spokesman said a note in Arabic was found by Hadians side. He had recently returned to work following a medical leave. Prison staff attempted to revive him and medics and police were called, but Hadian died at the scene, officials said. His body was taken to the Onondaga County Medical Examiners Office. Hadian split time as a chaplain between Marcy and the Hale Creek Correctional Facility about 60 miles east, state salary records show. He earned $101,197 as a chaplain in fiscal 2024, the records show. He had been a chaplain since 2002, the records show, and had worked at at least two other prisons Oneida Correctional Facility and the since-shuttered Mount McGregor Correctional Facility. Our thoughts are with the family of the deceased, the staff at Marcy who knew and worked with this person, said Thomas Mailey, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DOCCS Commissioner Daniel Martuscello and the Office of Special Investigations responded to the prison in the aftermath, Mailey said. An investigation is ongoing. I am shocked to hear about the tragedy that took place this morning at Marcy Correctional Facility, in which a civilian ended his own life, said State Sen. Julia Salazar, Chair of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction. My thoughts and prayers are with this individuals loved ones as they grieve this unimaginable loss, as well as to both the staff and incarcerated individuals at Marcy who are affected by his death. In the statement, Salazar said she intended to inquire why the security team allowed a civilian to enter Marcy with a firearm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is completely baffling and unacceptable that this could happen in a New York State prison. I am grateful that no bystanders or other individuals were physically injured, she added. A DOCCS spokesman said the agency is conducting a review of its front gate procedures in the wake of the suicide. Under state law, DOCS cannot force staff to go through body scanners at each facility, he said. Instead, they show identification and are selected at random for a bag search, a frisk and a pass through a metal detector, he said. The fatal beating of Brooks took place at Marcy on December 10, 2024 after he was transferred there from Mid-State Correctional Facility. The appalling incident was caught on body camera and security video and led to the indictment of 12 prison guards who were accused of involvement and a cover-up. Several pleaded guilty, including Christopher Walrath who was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he admitted to punching, choking and kicking Brooks and lying to investigators. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Another officer, David Kingsley, was found guilty at trial in October of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in connection with Brooks death, while two others were acquitted. On March 1, another inmate, Messiah Nantwi, of Harlem, was beaten to death by guards at Mid-State, a short distance from Marcy. Ten officers were charged in the beating and subsequent cover-up, which included a plot to plant a knife on him. At least one officer has pleaded guilty thus far. The prison system has been under tremendous strain since staffing shortages, claims that a law barring the use of solitary confinement made them less safe and general discontent among correction officers led to the 22-day strike in February and March. After negotiating an end to the strike, Gov. Hochul fired some 2,000 officers who had refused to return to work, exacerbating the staffing shortage. DOCCS officials have since mounted a major recruitment campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Imam Hadians death calls further attention to the crises plaguing New York States prison system, said Jennifer Scaife, Executive Director of the Correctional Association of New York. We extend our deepest condolences to Imam Hadians family, his adherents, and to the staff and incarcerated individuals at Marcy who have been affected by this horrific incident. The nonprofit watchdog group cited the murders of Brooks and Nantwi, the strike, a 34% increase in prison deaths overall from 2023 to 2024 including a 108% increase in the number of suicides and a rising contraband trend. Some 5,136 instances of found contraband were reported in 2024. The association also pointed to a jump in the staff vacancy rate of 13.3% in January 2024 to 27.4% is April 2025. Scaife urged Hochul to close three prisons, including Marcy, a move approved in the state budget, and sign the Prison Omnibus Reform Bill, which requires broader use of surveillance cameras in the prisons and additional public disclosure of video footage. One of the New Jersey men charged in the Michigan terror attack plot this week was a Rowan University student, the school and federal authorities confirmed. Tomas Kaan Jiminez-Guzal, 19, of Montclair, was a student at the university, according to a federal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office District of New Jersey. The university on Thursday confirmed that a student had been charged, but didnt mention his name. On Tues., Nov. 4, the FBI announced the arrest of an individual who has been enrolled at Rowan University this fall, the university statement said. The Montclair, New Jersey, resident was indicted in federal court on Wed., Nov. 5, and is in federal custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jiminez-Guzal and Milo Sedarat, also of Montclair, allegedly pledged themselves to ISIS as fighters, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said in a video released on X on Wednesday. A man from Kent, Washington, also faces federal charges in the Michigan plot, Habba said. Jiminez-Guzal is charged with conspiring to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and Sedarat is charged with two counts of transmitting threats to interstate and foreign commerce. Additionally, Ayob Nasser, 19, of Dearborn, Michigan, has been charged in the terror plot with conspiring to provide material support to ISIS and possessing firearms intended to further a terrorist act and a Kent, Washington, man has been charged with transmitting violent antisemitic threats on the internet to individuals in New Jersey and beyond. Federal prosecutors allege that Jiminez-Guzal and Sedarat spent about a year talking through encrypted messages about plans to travel to Turkey and Syria to join ISIS and plotting terrorism acts in the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Authorities said they discussed detailed travel plans, physical training, weapons and methods to avoid detection by law enforcement. In a message to someone only identified by authorities as Individual 1, Sedarat talked about his desire to kill Jewish men and keep their wives as slaves, according to the federal complaint. In one particular message, he said he hopes there is a second Holocaust, according to the complaint. In Thursdays statement, Rowan University said there is no threat to the university community. Jiminez-Guzal and Sedarat both made their initial appearances in federal court on Wednesday. Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House of Representatives, has announced her retirement from politics. The 85-year-old, who was first elected to Congress in 1987 during Ronald Reagans presidency, said she would not be standing for re-election in her California district in 2026. As the first female speaker of the House, Mrs Pelosi ushered landmark legislation through Congress, and was widely seen to have ended the political career of Joe Biden during the 2024 presidential election. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I will not be seeking re-election to Congress. With a grateful heart, I look forward to my final year of service as your proud representative, she said in a video message released on Thursday. Mrs Pelosi, a lifelong Catholic, told constituents in San Francisco said she had loved serving as your voice in Congress and quoted St Francis of Assisi: Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. She went on to describe her election as the first female speaker of the House as a historic moment, and said she had secured billions of dollars for San Francisco and California during her time in office. She made the announcement after California voters passed Proposition 50, a ballot measure she campaigned for which is expected to give Democrats five extra seats in the House ahead of the 2026 mid-terms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democrat grandee will remain a hugely influential figure long after she leaves Congress. But, she has not announced what her next moves are, if any. Mrs Pelosi led her party in the House for 20 years, from 2002 to 2022. She is credited with marshalling votes to pass legislation such as the Affordable Care Act under Barack Obama, along with massive spending projects during Mr Bidens administration. Mrs Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi - ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images She is widely understood to have leveraged her supporters to put pressure on Mr Biden during his faltering campaign before he pulled out of the 2024 presidential race. The former president is reported to have a grudging respect for Mrs Pelosi, regarding her as a ruthless operator. She played up to that reputation, often saying: I eat nails for breakfast. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite her intervention, she was considered one of Mr Bidens staunchest allies during his presidency, as well as one of Mr Obamas. Mrs Pelosi mobilised her caucus against Donald Trump, particularly during his first term, when he was impeached twice. Mr Trump on Thursday hit out at the former speaker as evil, corrupt and only focused on bad things for our country and claimed she was rapidly losing control of her party. Im very honoured she impeached me twice and failed miserably twice, the US president said in a statement to Fox News. Nancy Pelosi is a highly overrated politician. Mrs Pelosi and Joe Biden - OLIVIER DOULIERY Concluding her retirement announcement, Mrs Pelosi urged San Franciscans to fight for the American values we hold dear. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said: In doing so we ensure that our city shines on as a beacon of hope, justice and peace for the country and for generations to come. Speculation has mounted in recent weeks that Mrs Pelosi would not seek another term and step down after the result of the Proposition 50 vote, ending her career on a high. Mrs Pelosi recently appeared to hint that at her retirement, suggesting she might not be on the House floor to watch Hakeem Jeffries, currently the Democrat leader in the chamber, sworn in as the first black speaker in 2026. Mr Jeffries hailed Mrs Pelosi as the greatest speaker of all time and an incredible mentor in a statement. Mrs Pelosi and Kamala Harris, the then vice-president, applaud after Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, addressed Congress in December 2022 - JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images Praising her giant and historic legislative accomplishments, he said: The United States is a much better nation today because [of] Nancy Pelosi. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The party has been riven by splits over the age of their leaders, amid accusations from younger figures that the party is in the grip of a gerontocracy. Two Democrats, both several decades younger than the former speaker, launched primary campaigns to challenge her for her California seat. Mrs Pelosi, who is three years older than Mr Biden and will be 86-years-old by the time her term ends in January 2027, had made no outward move to counter 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. Dozens of Metro Nashville Police blocked Division and Rep. John Lewis Way South outside the Greyhound bus station after officers fatally shot someone early Nov. 7, officials confirmed.Just after 6 a.m., dispatchers received a call from a man who said he was feeling violent, Nashville Police Spokesperson Don Aaron said during a news conference before 8:30 a.m. All around him, police tape crisscrossed around every light pole, and street sign cordoning off the crime scene. Two officers on the midnight shift of the central precinct responded to the bus station. According to witnesses, the man made references that he had a gun, Aaron said. As the officers talked with him further, he put his hand in a backpack that he was carrying and removed his hand from the backpack, and the officers fired, were forced a fire upon him out of concern for their own safety. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed the shooting and responded to the scene before the news conference. Aaron said when the TBI opened the backpack, there was no gun found. He did not specify how many shots the officers fired. The man, who has not yet been identified, was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center but died, Aaron said. Nate Stoner, owner of Outlaw Training Club, was inside working out when the shooting happened, he said.Stoners gym is across the street from the bus station on Division Street.The guys working out had their music loud, Stoner said, so they didnt hear the gunfire. It wasnt until later, when they saw the massive police presence outside their window that they knew something bad had happened.There is a lot of, I guess I would say, crime in this area. We've had some cars broken into of our clients, a lot of littering, he said. We've kind of been in constant contact with the police and the city council around here to try to clean up this area.Stoner said he wasnt surprised something like this happened.I wouldn't say surprised, because it seems like every day we have like this activity out here. Just it's a shame that it got this bad, he said. Its just sad someone died.Stoner said he hopes there will be increased patrols of the area.I would hope that they would send more patrols, he said. They did for a few weeks a couple months back, and it seemed like it was getting better out here, but obviously it's kind of back to where it was. So I think more patrols, especially at night, would be helpful. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An officer wearing black gloves, carrying a camera and wearing a Tennessee Bureau of Investigations t-shirt concentrated on a section of road right in front of the bus station.Yellow evidence markers dotted the ground and what appeared to be clothing laid on the pavement. A Yellow Cab taxi remained parked within the scene while police patrol vehicles remained circled around the evidence on the ground.The station is frequently populated with both travelers and people looking for a place to sleep. Partners in Care, a unit that assists police in mental health related calls, was not on scene before the shooting, Aaron said. The program normally works with central precinct officers during the day and evening shifts, not the overnight shift. Regardless, in this situation, Partners in Care would not have been called in yet. Partners in Care would come into a situation once things have been settled and deescalated, Aaron said. As the officers are responding to this particular person with his hand in a backpack, making references that he has a gun, Partners in Care, even if they were here, would not have interceded at that point, because the situation is still very volatile. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two officers are on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. Aaron said the body camera footage from those officers will be released later. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville cops fatally shot man near Greyhound Station, officials say Akbar Novruz Georgia has played an important role in promoting peace and stability in the South Caucasus, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in an interview with TRT World, Azernews reports. The Georgian leader underlined the importance of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, noting that regional cooperation directly contributes to the shared economic development of all countries involved. The establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as our economic partnership, plays an important role in the economic development of all of us, Kobakhidze stated. He emphasised that the recent peace efforts have already brought tangible benefits for regional stability and growth. I think that the peace agreement is extremely important. Georgia's economic partners play a decisive role in our economic development. Therefore, we are glad that peace has been achieved between these countries. This is important for the strengthening of the economies of our countries, the Prime Minister added. Kobakhidze also highlighted that Georgias sustained economic growth reflects the atmosphere of peace and cooperation among the three neighbouring countries. Therefore, we must move in the same direction. This is Georgia's view of the three countries, he concluded. This story was originally published on Food Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Food Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Molson Coors is considering new acquisitions to further expand its portfolio beyond beer and fend off a decline in alcohol sales. Newly appointed CEO Rahul Goyal said in an earnings call Tuesday that the Miller Lite owner is looking to fill gaps within its portfolio through new acquisitions, adding that the company will more likely look for opportunities in the beyond beer space than the beer space. Molson Coors has looked to expand into categories, such as energy drinks and nonalcoholic cocktails, to insulate itself from a downturn in beer sales. The company invested in nonalcoholic carbonated mixer Fever-Tree and upped its stake in energy drink Zoa. Dive Insight: Molson Coors is moving with a sense of urgency and pace to respond to declining beer sales and shifting consumer preferences, Goyal said during the call. The company internally projected that the total beer market is down about 4.7%, though Goyal said this downturn is likely cyclical. While a greater interest in better-for-you options and generations rethinking their alcohol habits has impacted sales, Goyal expects the macroeconomic conditions that exacerbated consumer sentiment in 2025 to improve next year. We recognize the volatility in the category this year, but we also recognize the things that we can work on within our team, Goyal said. Last month, Molson Coors announced it would cut 400 salaried jobs, a 9% reduction in the companys corporate workforce. The restructuring also involved reshaping the executive leadership team and eliminated the chief commercial officer role. The company plans to redeploy those savings into M&A, as well as investing in key brands and supply chain upgrades. Goyal said the company continues to look at areas and opportunities to augment its portfolio. In the beyond beer space, we probably need to be both creative and deploy capital to fill some gaps, Goyal said. Molson Coors is also focused on investing in marketing for its bigger brands. Despite the focus on nonalcoholic categories, beer remains a foundation of the business, Goyal said. More beer giants are expanding their nonalcoholic business to become more well-rounded beverage companies. Anheuser Buschs recorded a 27% increase in revenue for no-alcohol beer, and its beyond beer profile in the third quarter, compared to less than 1% overall revenue growth. To get ahead of airport craziness as nationwide flight cuts began Nov. 7, Amanda Lomas arrived as dawn broke to a sleepy Nashville International Airport for her United Airlines flight to St. Louis. Instead of long lines and hectic masses of travelers scrambling through delays and cancellations, she found short security lines and a quiet airport as federal regulators begin to cut US air traffic down by 10% this week. That number could jump to 20% if the shutdown continues, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Fox News. "I got an email from the airline saying that this was happening, but not confirming that my flight was good," Lomas said. "So, I'm apprehensive that I'll have a flight coming back." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite passenger concerns, Nashville International Airport has managed to stay above the fray amid nationwide reductions. The Nashville airport is not among major airports that the Federal Aviation Administration is directly impacting right now, according to BNA officials. However, there are still some negative effects trickling down from other airports, especially Atlanta, including delayed flights that are Nashville-bound and some cancellations from airlines trying to manage their nationwide networks amid strict FAA requirements. Glenn Miller, a self-proclaimed frequent flyer, said he's not worried about travel issues, but he could tell other travelers were "panicking" during his recent trip from Boston to Nashville. "Everybody doesn't like traveling in general and now this time adds stress to most people," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plan to stabilize the flight industry amid widespread air traffic controller shortages began with a 4% reduction of flights on Nov. 7. That will gradually increase to 10% over the following week. Nashville International Airport travelers line up at Transportation Security Administration lines on Nov. 6, 2025. How many flights delayed Nov. 7? Across the country, there were already 14,030 delays and 1,211 cancellations by 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 7, with that number likely to increase based on airline projections. Aviation data site FlightAware reported that the airports feeling the reductions the most are Chicago OHare International Airport, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Denver International Airport and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Each of those airports cancelled 3% of their daily schedules and delayed between 2% to 6% of outbound flights by 10:20 a.m. Nov. 7. Nashville International Airport has just 31 total delays and four cancellations as of 10:20 a.m. on Nov. 7. Meanwhile, BNA has just 31 total delays and four cancellations as of 10:20 a.m. on Nov. 7. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with our federal partners to ensure the safe and efficient operation of all flights, Nashville airport officials said in a statement. Some flights inbound for Nashville are delayed, cancelled While there has been minimal impact to flights leaving Nashville for other destinations, inbound flights have already begun to be affected. In all, the debacle has resulted in three cancellations, and 129 delays of flights inbound for Nashville from other U.S. cities, according to FlightAware. Delta Air Lines is the only airline that has preemptively cancelled Nashville flights through the weekend. So far, it cancelled two Nashville flights for Sunday, Nov. 9. One Tennessean reporter trying to return to Nashville was among hundreds of passengers stranded and delayed at Reagan National Airport in Washington DC, one of many airports affected by the flight reductions that began across the country Thursday, Nov. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Standing room only could be seen in one of DCA's terminals as crowds built up after repeated flight cancellations and delays. The last flight out to Nashville was delayed multiple times. Passengers report anxious travel amid government shutdown Kaylea Holland, who traveled to Nashville from Dallas, by way of St. Louis, arrived at Love Field extra early to combat long lines. "I showed up early thinking that I would have problems," Holland said. "I was through within five minutes." Despite a trip with no issues, Holland said there's a lack of clarity among travelers. "Nobody knows if their flight's getting canceled until, like, right before, so that kind of sucks," she said. "But, you know, luck of the draw at this point." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While flight cancellations begin to climb, Lomas said she would have only considered driving if her flight was cancelled. "I'm flying because I didn't want to drive, so [a cancellation] would screw it up," Lomas said. Who's to blame? Travelers look for end to the shutdown Airports across the nation are struggling with hundreds of delays and cancellations amid an air traffic controller shortage and a record-long government shutdown. Miller blames "poor government." "They can't run themselves, the budget should be a standalone budget," he said. Amid the government shutdown, air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers are receiving no compensation, but still work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I feel bad for these people not getting paid," Miller said. "They should get paid interest too, when they get backpay." "Get it together Congress," Miller said. First Amendment reporter Angele Latham contributed reporting to this story. She can be reached at alatham@gannett.com. Hadley Hitson covers business news for The Tennessean. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to The Tennessean. Stuart Dyos covers auto news and other business topics for The Tennessean. He can be reached at sdyos@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville travelers scramble amid nationwide flight cuts, uncertainty Hardly 24 hours after voters across the country delivered a clear rebuke of Donald Trump, some North Carolina Republicans are embracing one of the more unpopular parts of his agenda. In a letter Wednesday, a trio of Republican congressmen urged Gov. Josh Stein to deploy the National Guard to Charlotte, even as polls show that voters in North Carolina and across the country oppose the idea. The letter , signed by U.S. Reps. Pat Harrigan, Mark Harris, and Chuck Edwards, said there is a violence crisis in Charlotte that has become increasingly dire. It cites recent statistics that show an increase in violent crime in uptown Charlotte this year, even as violent crime in the city as a whole has increased. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tuesdays elections, which were a blowout for Republicans everywhere , should have sent the message that voters are tired of politicians ignoring the real struggles theyre having. Instead, this is what we get: more of the inflammatory political stunts that frustrated voters in the first place. The request comes as Trump has sent troops to several U.S. cities led by Democrats, including Chicago and Los Angeles, to crack down on crime and lawlessness. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Fraternal Order of Police wrote its own letter last month to request federal law enforcement assistance, including the National Guard, and Vice President JD Vance said in a September visit that the administration would be willing to send the National Guard to Charlotte if local and state leaders request it. Stein has said he doesnt believe the National Guard is needed in Charlotte. Other leaders, including Mayor Vi Lyles and Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis , have expressed similar sentiments. Ironically, none of the congressmen who signed the letter represent uptown Charlotte, and only one of them represents Mecklenburg County at all. The 8th Congressional District, which is represented by Harris, includes a southeastern portion of the county. But Harrigans district doesnt come closer than Lincoln County, while Edwards and his western North Carolina district are three counties away. If youre a voter in any of these districts, youre probably wondering: Why is my congressman spending time on this instead of whats affecting my community? But Wednesdays letter isnt about actual need its about politics. For months, Republicans in North Carolina and beyond have used recent incidents in Charlotte to bolster a larger message that Democrats are soft on crime, while Trump and Republicans are the solution. Thats exactly whats happening here, too. In a statement accompanying the letter, Harris accused Stein of being deaf to the desperate pleas of Charlottes police and residents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He refuses reinforcements to crush the violent crime surgeexposing him and his party as pro-crime Democrats who coddle criminals while ignoring victims, the statement said. But even from a strictly political perspective, the letter doesnt really make sense. Public safety isnt a winning issue for Republicans in Charlotte at least not right now. At first, it seemed like concerns about safety might give this years GOP candidates a rare boost in the states largest city. But voters reelected the mayor and all four city council at-large members by comfortable margins in what was the highest turnout for an odd-numbered election year in at least a decade. In Charlotte City Council District 6, Democrat Kimberly Owens easily defeated Republican Krista Bokhari , becoming the first Democrat to ever represent that seat. Bokharis campaign was heavily centered around crime and safety, and she was supportive of sending the National Guard to Charlotte. Safety in Charlotte is an obvious concern, especially after the horrific murder of a 23-year-old woman on the light rail in August. Change is obviously needed. But its an issue thats best handled by state and local leaders and law enforcement not the military, and certainly not by politicians who dont even represent the city they claim to be so concerned about. Paige Masten is a deputy opinion editor for the Charlotte Observer and McClatchys North Carolina Opinion team. After years of warning about Russia's advantage, NATO is starting to look positive on ammo making. NATO chief Mark Rutte said the alliance is now making more ammo "than we have done in decades." It's a sign that NATO believes it can soon overcome Russia's massive production advantage. NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Thursday that the alliance is closing the gap with Russia's advantage in ammunition manufacturing. "We are already turning the tide on ammunition," Rutte said at a defense industry forum in Bucharest, Romania. "Until recently, Russia was producing more ammunition than all NATO allies put together. But not anymore." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The secretary-general's comments were a rare positive note for the alliance in its assessment of the balance of power between Europe and Russia. Rutte and his predecessor, Jens Stoltenberg, have warned for years that NATO is desperately behind Russia in ammunition production. It's unclear whether Rutte intended to suggest that the alliance had already achieved parity or if it was close to achieving parity with Russia in ammunition manufacturing. Just five months ago, Rutte said the Kremlin was making four times as much ammunition as NATO, despite the alliance fielding a combined economy that's 25 times as large as Russia's. A NATO official told Business Insider in an email that they could not disclose estimates for Russia or the alliance's production capacity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "But what we can say is that Allies are in a much better place than even just a few months ago, and the capacity to produce what's needed, at speed, continues to improve," they wrote. European production of 155mm artillery shells has increased by sixfold in the last two years, they added. In his Thursday speech, Rutte said that NATO is now producing more ammunition "than we have done in decades." However, he also spoke of new factories as works in progress. "Across the alliance, we are now opening dozens of new production lines and expanding existing ones," he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A key concern for NATO has been stocks of 155mm artillery shells, which European nations are funneling toward Ukraine as the war drags into an extended conflict of attrition. To replenish their inventories, NATO countries such as Poland, Germany, and the UK have invested heavily in local industries to rapidly scale up shell production, with over a dozen factories opened in Europe in the last two years. But ramping up shell manufacturing can take months, if not years, with some companies estimating that they can only meet demand by 2026 or later. The US military, for example, had hoped to produce 100,000 shells a month by October but has now pushed that goal back to mid-2026. Meanwhile, Ukrainian estimates say Russia produced about 3.8 million artillery shells in 2024 alone, or roughly 310,000 shells a month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Making artillery ammo isn't just about building factories. The 155mm shell relies on supply lines for steel, fuzes, propellant, and energetics. Propellant, which drives an artillery shell out of its launcher, has often been a major chokepoint for ammo production because it relies on a compound called nitrocellulose that's now in short supply. Another vital component is the explosive material within the shell, such as regular TNT and its higher-performance counterpart, RDX. Several countries and companies have been building TNT plants to reduce Western reliance on the Asian market. November 7, 2025: This story was updated to reflect comment from NATO's press team. Read the original article on Business Insider The Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise (Navajo Gaming) will honor and celebrate veterans and veteran team members during a special Veterans Day program on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, at Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in the Dine Event Center. The program, titled Honoring Our Veterans, will open with a Presentation of Colors by the Chinle High School JROTC Color Guard, led by Sgt. Joseph DeLeon. The National Anthem will be performed by Kylie Jim, violinist and guitarist of August Remedy, followed by an invocation from Harry Clark (Haatalii) of Monument Valley, Utah. 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 Invited speakers include former Navajo Nation Chairman and Navajo Code Talker Peter MacDonald, Council Delegate Otto Tso, and Percy Piestewa, founder of the Piestewa Fallen Heroes Memorial and mother of the late Army Spc. Lori Piestewa, the first Native American woman killed in combat. Special remarks will be given by John James, CEO of Navajo Gaming, who will recognize the service of veterans across the Navajo Nation and the contributions of Navajo Gamings own veteran employees. The program will conclude with an Honor Song performed by Clark, followed by a reception for all guests. Herb Clah Jr., executive director of human resources for Navajo Gaming, will serve as master of ceremonies. A highlight of the event will be the Honoring Our Veterans Wall, located in the rotunda. Attendees will receive a sticker to write the name of a veteran they wish to honor, which will then be placed on the banner wallcreating a visual tribute to service and remembrance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This event is an opportunity for us to pause and reflect on the tremendous courage and sacrifice of our veterans, said John James, CEO of Navajo Gaming. Were proud to honor our community heroes and our own NNGE team members who have served our country with pride and dedication. The free event is open to the public. Veterans, active-duty service members, their families, and community members are encouraged to attend. Where/When:10 a.m. Noon, Tuesday, November 11, 2025 Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort, Dine Event Center 22181 Resort Boulevard Flagstaff, AZ 86004 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 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in North Carolina began receiving payments on their EBT cards Friday morning, covering roughly 50% of their benefits, Attorney General Jeff Jackson said Friday. Some eligible recipients could receive up to 65% of their benefits, as of 5 a.m. Friday, he said during a news conference at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, there are 1.4 million SNAP recipients in North Carolina, including 580,000 children. Usually, money is added on the first of the month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This development stems from a lawsuit filed by Jackson, along with 22 other states, against the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to protect SNAP food assistance benefits. WATCH: AG Jeff Jackson gives update to lawsuit on SNAP benefits AG Jeff Jackson gives update to lawsuit on SNAP benefits: Full Earlier this week, in response to the lawsuit, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it would allocate $4.65 billion in emergency funds to cover about half of the federal SNAP program for November. Jackson said that while the remedy is still under negotiation, they are pushing for full payment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Whereas some other states are having more difficulty with processing, NCDHHS has been working around the clock and was able to get those payments out as of today," Jackson said. "There was a brief interruption in service for a few days, but people are now seeing funds on their EBT cards." The USDA is notifying states that it is working toward paying November SNAP benefits in full, complying with a federal judge's order. In a news release, NCDHHS acknowledged receiving notice from USDA, writing: "The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services received notice Friday afternoon that the United States Department of Agriculture will fully fund November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. While NCDHHS works with federal partners to get the remainder of November processed, beneficiaries could see the additional funds on their EBT cards possibly as soon as this weekend." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It comes just hours after recipients received the partial benefits on their EBT cards. "Some folks are seeing up to 65% payment on their (EBT) card, depending on their overall eligibility. But the average that folks are seeing right now is a 50% payment," said North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson Friday morning. Last week, ABC11 met with Julie Rappleyea, a Durham SNAP recipient who cares for two children, before the freeze went into effect. On Friday afternoon, she shared plans to go to the grocery store now that funds have been loaded onto her EBT card. "I'm just grateful for anything that was sent. You know, something's better than nothing. So I was relieved knowing that we at least have enough for food for the next couple of weeks," said Rappleyea. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Eshawney Gaston, a SNAP recipient and mother of three who is set to welcome her fourth child, reacted to the partial funds. "Relief because it is something. Frustration because it's not the full amount," said Gaston. Typically, SNAP benefits are applied on the first of the month. According to NCDHHS, more than 60% of beneficiaries had $25 or less on their accounts at the beginning of November. "My kids have medical conditions where they really have to eat specific (food). Trying to make sure they get the food that they need, the most nutrition that they can get," said Gaston, who is a temp worker. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She's been relying in part on food banks during the first week of the month. "Our partners were reporting before the shutdown they're seeing anywhere between 20 and 60% increases month over month. Now we have our federal employees who have not received paychecks that may be accessing the system for the first time," said Amy Beros, President and CEO of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Gaston said she believes the funding freezes strengthen calls for living wages and stronger employee protections. "There is no reason why our workers should be struggling the way they are. No reason why we shouldn't have healthcare (or) child care. Food is a basic necessity. That's something that we shouldn't have to struggle or ask about. We should just be able to get that," said Gaston. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, in Orange County, emergency funds have already been approved to support the community, as many residents faced uncertainty about their benefits at the end of October. SEE ALSO: NC Attorney General thinking about additional action as Trump threatens not to release SNAP funds What's next? A federal judge criticized the Trump administration for not acting swiftly enough to secure funding for the program. The USDA has been ordered to tap into a contingency fund to ensure full payments to states by the end of Friday. Then, Trump asked the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday to issue an emergency stay of a judge's ruling Thursday ordering the administration to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration said it is unable to further fund SNAP because they had to save additional funds for child nutritional programs. SEE ALSO: Heart to Home Meals launches initiative to provide free meals to those who lost SNAP benefits North Carolina's oyster industry is experiencing a resurgence. Research finds it has grown by 500% in a decade and the latest statistics finds that the industry contributes more than $24 million to our state's economy. Scientists are working to rebuild North Carolina's reefs and a group of oyster farmers are trying to support the effort. There will be a fundraiser this weekend to benefit the North Carolina Coastal Federation, which is trying to build a concrete structure that will help oysters once again thrive in our state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oyster farmer Ed Mera splits his time between Raleigh and Carteret County. He says North Carolina's reefs were overfished. "The wild oyster population has just been depleted and kind of just not done well in the past," said Mera. "So they're going to help rebuild the reefs in North Carolina and help clean up the water, build the ecosystems." The Rawleigh Oyster Fest is holding its inaugural event Saturday in downtown Raleigh at Smoky Hollow. It is a ticketed event and the event starts at 1 p.m. Local chefs will be using North Carolina-grown oysters and making different dishes for people to sample. SEE ALSO | Bill aimed at banning inshore shrimp trawling in NC dead LAS VEGAS (AP) A Las Vegas man's family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit Friday against the Nevada Department of Corrections after he was killed just days before his scheduled release from prison. The lawsuit alleges the department defied protective custody rights and housed Jacob Herman, 35, with another man who had repeatedly threatened Herman's life at High Desert State Prison, 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Las Vegas. This is not the only lawsuit the department has been hit with in recent years. In September, Nevada agreed to pay $4.6 million to settle a lawsuit that accused prison guards of beating up a man and leaving him to die in 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hermans family contends that systemic overcrowding, understaffing and disregard for protective-custody safeguards led to Hermans death, according to the complaint filed in Clark County District Court. Through this action, Mr. Hermans family seeks accountability in the hope that no other family endures such a loss within Nevadas correctional system, the complaint states. The Department of Corrections declined to comment, citing the active litigation. A staff shortage has been a well-known problem in the department, which pointed to the issue as a reason for delay in completing changes recommended by a state audit finished in March 2022. Herman pleaded guilty in 2023 to larceny and was sentenced to a maximum term of 36 months, according to court records. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Herman was supposed to be housed in protective custody but was instead housed with a cellmate the lawsuit referred to as King, an alias. The cellmate was serving a life sentence for homicides, robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault, according to the lawsuit. The family believes King told corrections officers he would kill Herman if Herman was put in his cell, and on July 16, the cellmate informed corrections officers that he killed Herman, the lawsuit said. The family argues that the warden, who also was named as a defendant in the lawsuit, and other corrections officers violated Herman's civil rights by understaffing the unit Herman was in and failing to find and remove contraband that was used to kill him. Herman's family is asking for at least $15,000 in damages. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will hold a rally in Texas on Saturday opposing the states redistricting efforts alongside local Democratic lawmakers, days after Golden State voters backed a measure to redraw their own congressional districts. Texas was the first of several red states that followed President Trumps directive to change their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms. Though some blue states considered redrawing their maps through the legislatures, Newsom elected to have voters choose if California should proceed with his plan. California stepped up. Now, we are taking this fight across the country helping Democrats in other states push back against Trumps election rigging, Newsom said in a statement to Politico. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Hill has reached out to Newsoms office for a comment. On Tuesday, California voters approved Proposition 50, allowing lawmakers to rework the Golden States maps. This allows Democrats in the state to potentially gain five House seats in 2026. California represents the first state where Democrats have been able to successfully redistrict midcycle in response to the GOPs moves. With Proposition 50s success, it could raise Newsoms national profile as he continues his tit-for-tat with Trump and considers a run for president in 2028. The rally is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Saturday, though the location has not yet been released, The Houston Chronicle reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Texas lawmakers approved of Gov. Greg Abbotts (R) redistricting plan in August. Like California, the new district lines are likely to add up to five additional House seats for Republicans in next years midterms. The One Big Beautiful Map has passed the Senate. Despite Democrats petty stunts, we delivered on our promise, Abbott wrote on the social platform X at the time. This map reflects Texans actual voting preferences, and I look forward to signing it into law. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. For the first time in over 40 years, Hudson's is open for Christmas again. The Nick Gilbert Way, a public plaza situated between Hudsons office building and the Hudsons skyscraper in downtown Detroit, opened to the public on Thursday, Nov. 6, featuring lights, holiday decorations, gift shopping, roasted nuts, a coffee truck, and more. Members of the Gilbert family, politicians and Detroit Historical Society leaders remembered Hudson's Department Store and Nick Gilbert's legacy while expressing their excitement over the creation of a new Detroit holiday tradition at a news conference on Thursday afternoon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement From wintery window displays to the giant-sized toy bear on Woodward Avenue, Nick Gilbert Way hopes to welcome families and friends to a robust and spectacular holiday season, said Bedrock Senior Director of Experience Dustin Stolzman, who led the design team working on the outdoor space. Tradition Joseph L. Hudson opened his first store downtown in 1881. After Hudsons second major expansion in 1946, the store became the second-largest department store in the world, behind Macy's in New York City, President and CEO of Detroit Historical Society Elana Rugh said. More: 10 cool facts about the legendary Hudson's store in downtown Detroit At its peak, the store had over 200 departments, from furs and fashion to furniture and full restaurants. The store offered 2 million square feet of retail and service space and was so big it had its own ZIP code 48226, Rugh said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said he enjoyed going to Hudson's as a child and that he is happy to see its revival. For everybody my age, this was the time of year where you were excited," Duggan said. "You were coming downtown to see the new window displays at Hudson's, and everybody, for generations, their childhood memory is going to the 12th floor of Hudson's and that wonderland to visit Santa Claus." After a ribbon cutting for Nick Gilbert Way outside of the new Hudsons buildings in Detroit the newly minted space was open to the public on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recalled stories her grandmother told about taking her children to the store when they were young. What a joy its going to be to see this alive again, and I am so incredibly grateful to everyone who worked so hard to make this a reality," she said at the news conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Duggan said he loved Hudson's so much, he drove from law school in Ann Arbor to visit it in its last week open for the holidays in January 1983. The store's closure was announced during the 1982 holiday season. I bought a Christmas ornament, one of the last things left, and I still hang it on my Christmas tree every year, more than 40 years later, because its such a reminder of the special place that Detroit was," Duggan said. "This site has been a hole in the city for 40 years, and this year I am going to hang that ornament with a big smile because Dan Gilbert has given Hudsons back to us in a spectacular way." More: The Bear takes seat outside Hudson's site buildings in downtown Detroit What happened after Hudson's closed? After multiple failed schemes to reuse the vacant structure, the city imploded the building in 1998. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2007, businessman Dan Gilbert announced he'd move his company, Quicken Loans, downtown from its previous location, and the city of Detroit gave him development rights for the site to build a possible headquarters, according to Free Press reporting. In 2017, Gilbert's plan was approved, and construction began on the skyscraper. The 12-story Hudson's Detroit building is set to become the global headquarters in January for General Motors and to house several other office and retail tenants. The 45-floor skyscraper is expected to open in 2027 with a luxury EDITION Hotel and 96 high-priced condos. The space between the two buildings is where the Nick Gilbert Way sits. It is named after Dan Gilbert's son, who died at age 26. 'Could there be a better tribute to Nick Gilbert'? Speakers at the opening event remembered Nick as a positive person who brought laughter and light into the lives of others. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rugh said it's fitting to name a larger-than-life department story after a young man with a legacy larger than life. "History is made of the stories of the people who bring spaces and plazas to life," Rugh said. "Nick Gilbert Way is more than a naming honor. It reflects the Gilbert familys ongoing invest in Detroits public spaces, culture and history." Duggan said the space will carry on Nick Gilbert's legacy by making people smile at holiday relics. Spontaneous smiles, could there be a better tribute to Nick Gilbert than that experience?" Duggan said. Designs behind the holiday season Now, some of Hudson's lower windows are filled with designs by GM, Detroit Historical Society and Design Core, Stolzman said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Crystal Windham, GMs executive director of industrial design, said GMs window designs on Woodward Avenue encompass warm glows with a pop of silver and dimensional layers with screens displaying snowflakes falling while celebrating the companys heritage and innovation. General Motors designers put their touch on some to the windows in the Hudsons office building, photographed after the media gathers for a ribbon cutting for Nick Gilbert Way outside of the new Hudsons building in Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. The space will be a multipurpose space used for vendors and other holiday activities, including a special mailbox to send Santa a note. Its amazing that weve had this opportunity to just create different experiences and really bringing back such cherished memories of JL Hudons in the windows and bringing that forward to today and reimaging that, she said. Along with the windows, GM is displaying a decorated red Chevy truck and Silverado EV for backgrounds for pictures, Rebecca Waldmeir, GMs architecture and experience design manager, said. We wanted it to be magical, Rebecca said. Being inspired by what Hudsons used to be and people coming down, thats what we wanted to bring back. Comeback story Outside of window displays, the Detroit Historical Society will have an exhibit at its museum opening Saturday, Nov. 8, including relics from the original Hudson's site. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A large flag is hung on the Hudsons office building, recreating the tradition. Whitmer said the plaza being named after Nick Gilbert is a reminder that the center of Detroit's revival has always been love for family and community and hope for a brighter future. Im proud that more and more people are starting to see Detroit for what it really is: The best damn story in America, Whitmer said. Contact Natalie Davies: ndavies@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Nick Gilbert Way brings back Hudson's Christmas traditions (This story was updated with new information: The SpaceX Starlink rocket launch is 3:10 a.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 9, after a morning scrub Saturday, Nov. 8.) A so Florida thing is coming up, but its going to be a long night: A rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is scheduled to lift off soon. The countdown to 100 continues for Florida's Space Coast with SpaceX targeting a very late-night launch window into the weekend to launch what would be the 93rd orbital rocket of the year from here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The space agency founded by billionaire Elon Musk will send up a Falcon 9 rocket on another Starlink satellite mission. Rockets here launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island, Florida, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and people in and around Brevard County usually have the best chance at seeing this phenomenon in the sky. Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Floridas Space Coast is sometimes visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach and as far south as Vero Beach and West Palm Beach. When theres a nighttime launch window or very early morning, theres an opportunity for unique photos the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Below is more information on the next rocket launch from Florida and suggestions on where to watch it in person (or virtually via the USA TODAY Networks Space Team). Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Blue Origin, ULA launch schedule at Cape Canaveral For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space. When is the next rocket launch in Florida? Sunday, November 9: SpaceX Starlink 10-51 Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 will will lift 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit. Launch window : 3:10 a.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 9, after a morning scrub Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Previous attempt was between 3:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Launch trajectory: Northeast Launch location: Launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida Sonic booms for the Space Coast of Florida (Titusville, Merritt Island, Melbourne area): No Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Networks Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser. For the latest news and launch schedule from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. Live weather radar: Will it rain in Melbourne, Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral, Florida, today? Will weather cancel a rocket launch? Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache. Where to watch SpaceX rocket launch from Space Coast of Florida Pretty much anywhere in Brevard, you'll get a view of the rocket launch in certain areas, you can get an amazing view of SpaceX rocket boosters returning to the pads. The best view to watch a rocket launch from the Space Coast is along the beach. However, visibility will depend on weather conditions and people should make sure not to block traffic or rights of way on bridges and to follow posted rules at beaches. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you are viewing the launch along the Indian River in Titusville from Space View Park or Parrish Park, look east directly across the river. If you are farther south along the Indian River, look northeast. Playalinda Beach or Canaveral National Seashore is the closest spot to view liftoff because it is almost parallel to Launch Pad 39A. On the beach, look south along the coastline, (you can even see the pad from some spots). Some hotspots to check out: Jetty Park Beach and Pier , 400 Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral. Note, there's a charge to park. Playalinda Beach , 1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Note, there's a charge to park, and access to Canaveral National Seashore isn't always granted depending on capacity and time of day. Max Brewer Bridge and Parrish Park , 1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville. Note, parking is available on both sides of Max Brewer Bridge. Space View Park , 8 Broad St., Titusville Sand Point Park , 10 E. Max Brewer Causeway, Titusville Rotary Riverfront Park , 4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville Riverfront Park at Cocoa Village , 401 Riveredge Blvd., Cocoa (just before State Road 520 Causeway) Cocoa Village , near the parks and shops or near the docks Various parks on Merritt Island Rotary Park , 1899 S. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island Kiwanis Park on Kiwanis Island Park Road on Merritt Island Port Canaveral , with ships from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean at port Alan Shepard Park , 299 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs. Cocoa Beach Pier , 401 Meade Ave. Parking fee varies. Lori Wilson Park , 1400 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson Park has a dog park, by the way. Sidney Fischer Park , 2200 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs. Downtown Cocoa Beach , along Minutemen Causeway Tables Beach , 197 SR A1A, Satellite Beach The Tides on SR A1A in Satellite Beach Various parks, including the Pelican Beach Clubhouse, in Satellite Beach Pineda Causeway Eau Gallie Causeway Front Street Park near Melbourne (U.S. 192) Causeway and U.S. 1 in Melbourne Indialantic boardwalk at Melbourne Causeway and SR A1A Paradise Beach Park , aka Howard Futch Park, 2301 SR A1A, Melbourne (this is a beachside park) Sebastian Inlet Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter) Where to watch a rocket launch in Indian River County, Florida Sebastian Inlet State Park , 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach, Florida (cost to enter) Wabasso Beach Park , 1808 Wabasso Beach Road, Wabasso, Florida Ambersands Beach Park , 12566 N. SR A1A, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking) South Beach Park , 1700 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking) Merrill Barber Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida Where to watch a rocket launch in St. Lucie County, Florida Fort Pierce Inlet State Park , 905 Shorewinds Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Blind Creek Beachside North and South, 5460 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Blue Heron Beach , 2101 Blue Heron Blvd., Fort Pierce, Florida Frederick Douglass Memorial Park , 3600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Dollman Park Beachside , 9200 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida Herman's Bay Beach , 7880 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida John Brooks Park Beachside , 3300 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Middle Cove Beach , 4600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida Normandy Beach in Jensen Beach, Florida Pepper Park Beachside , 3302 N. SR A1A, Fort Pierce, Florida Walton Rocks Beach , 6700 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida (dog park) Waveland Beach, 10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida Where to watch a rocket launch in Martin County, Florida State Road A1A causeway in Stuart, Florida House of Refuge and beach, 301 S.E. MacArthur Blvd., Stuart, Florida Where to see Florida rocket launch in Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach area In Volusia County, immediately north of Brevard County home to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station you can get a great view of a SpaceX, NASA or United Launch Alliance rocket launch. The best views to watch a rocket launch from here are along the beach. Look due south. Recommended spots: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement South New Smyrna Beach (Canaveral National Seashore) Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach is 3.5 miles south of New Smyrna Beach and one mile north of the Apollo Beach entrance to Canaveral National Seashore Park. Apollo Beach at Canaveral National Seashore (south of New Smyrna Beach). Canaveral National Seashore runs along Florida's East Coast in Volusia County and Brevard County. To access Apollo Beach, take Interstate 95 to exit 249, then travel east until it turns into State Road A1A. Follow SR A1A south to the park entrance. Oak Hill riverfront is the southernmost city in South Volusia County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill Goodrich's Seafood and Oyster House back deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill Seminole Rest national historic site, 211 River Road, Oak Hill Riverbreeze Park, 250 H.H. Burch Road, Oak Hill Mary Dewees Park, 178 N. Gaines St., Oak Hill Nancy Cummings Park, 232 Cummings St., Oak Hill Jimmie Vann Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill A.C. Delbert Dewees Municipal Pier, 243 River Road, Oak Hill Bird Observation Pier on River Road across from A.C. Delbert Municipal Pier (see above) Rose Bay in Port Orange, Florida Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement beaches along New Smyrna Beach, Florida New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna Beach lifeguard station Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach, Florida Ormond-by-the-Sea in Ormond Beach, Florida George R. Kennedy Memorial Park in Edgewater, Florida Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rocket launch near Cape Canaveral. What time is liftoff, how to watch Royal Caribbean (RCL) has recently been on Zacks.com's list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future. Over the past month, shares of this cruise operator have returned -18.2%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1% change. During this period, the Zacks Leisure and Recreation Services industry, which Royal Caribbean falls in, has lost 8.8%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction? Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision. Revisions to Earnings Estimates Rather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings. Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements. Royal Caribbean is expected to post earnings of $2.80 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +71.8%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -2.2%. The consensus earnings estimate of $15.62 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +32.4%. This estimate has changed +0.1% over the last 30 days. For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $17.83 indicates a change of +14.1% from what Royal Caribbean is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -2.1%. Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Royal Caribbean is rated Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Israel-based Nitinotes Surgical has gained a CE mark for EndoZip, enabling the company to launch the automated suturing platform for endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG) on the European market. The companys platform aims to improve on endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), a weight-loss procedure that involves reducing the size of the stomach using an endoscope and internal sutures, without any external incisions. A minimally invasive form of bariatric surgery, ESG is positioned as an alternative obesity treatment for patients who have not achieved successful weight loss with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) but are reluctant to undergo more invasive forms of bariatric surgery. For example, gastric bypass is a more invasive treatment that involves reducing the size of a patients stomach and rerouting part of the digestive system to help them achieve weight loss. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement EndoZip is claimed to be the first fully automated suturing platform for ESG. According to Nitinotes, the platform stands to reduce procedural times and shorten the learning curve for physicians undertaking the procedure by ideating on the manual suturing process historically used in ESG. Nitinotes CEO, Lloyd Diamond commented: With EndoZip, we have the potential to dramatically expand patient access to a safe, durable, minimally invasive obesity treatment while creating significant value for providers and healthcare systems." Nitinotes outlined that it initially plans to launch EndoZip in select European centres of excellence, while building upon the platforms clinical adoption and real-world data to support broader market penetration. The company is also preparing to launch a pivotal investigational device exemption (IDE) trial of EndoZip in the US, with the trials data intended to support a future regulatory filing with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With their promise of weight loss via a simple injection, GLP-1RAs have dominated discussions in the obesity treatment space in recent years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, research suggests that ESG maintains a role in addressing obesity due to reduced costs and improved health outcomes over time. A study published in JAMA found that the annual US cost of semaglutide would need to be reduced three-fold, from $13,618 to $3591 (prices relevant upon the studys publication in April 2024), for it to be a cost-competitive alternative. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk announced deals with the US Government on 6 November, which will significantly reduce the cost of GLP-1RAs for patients. It therefore remains to be seen how this new pricing model will interplay with weight loss surgeries. Another study indicates that ESG may function as a more long-lasting weight loss option, finding that patients treated with GLP-1RAs regained up to two-thirds of their weight lost one year after withdrawing from the treatment. "Nitinotes gains CE mark for endoscopic gastroplasty suturing platform" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. Pueblo Bonito, constructed by Ancestral Pueblo People a millennia ago, as seen from the air on Sept. 14, 2025. The site is the most significant site at Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, which Pueblos and advocates say remains under threat from continued oil and gas development, and worry protections could by scaled back by the new administration. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM) In a letter Thursday, New Mexicos congressional delegation continued exhorting U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to change course on plans to rescind federal protections around Chaco Culture National Historical Park. In 2023, under the Biden Administration, the federal government issued Public Land Order No. 7923, banning further oil and gas development on federal lands within 10 miles of the historic site for 20 years. Advocates celebrated the move, as did numerous tribal governments, as the area around Chaco Canyon holds paramount spiritual and cultural significance for numerous tribes and pueblos. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The delegations letter follows an Oct. 30 letter from the U.S. Interior Department to pueblo and tribal governments, announcing that BLM would be considering a revocation of the land order creating the buffer. New Mexicos congressional delegation also issued a statement last week condemning the Trump administration for seeking to remove the protections. Native activists also referenced the threats to Chaco during a protest over forthcoming oil and gas lease sales in the Greater Chaco landscape held Wednesday at the Bureau of Land Managements Santa Fe office. The delegation also introduced legislation last spring to try to make the buffer zone permanent. In their letter Thursday, all five members of New Mexicos congressional delegation, all of whom are Democrats, noted they have been in ongoing communication with Burgum since his confirmation regarding the importance of protecting Chaco Canyon. We have invited you to follow in your predecessors footsteps and visit New Mexico to conduct robust Tribal consultation and community outreach before taking any action on the existing mineral withdrawal around Chaco, the letter says. Tribes are sovereign governments, and you have a legal trust obligation to Tribal leaders to operate with the highest responsibility and trust, which is not reflected by your expedited actions and unclear directions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter also contends the National Historic Preservation Act requires the Interior department to consult with tribal governmentsin order to consider how the agencys actions will affect historic properties. Chaco Canyon is a sacred cultural landscape central to the identity of Tribes throughout New Mexico. The value of this living landscape does not end at the park boundary, the delegation writes, concluding that your legal and moral responsibility as trustee to these Tribes requires your direct attention and involvement in this issue and for meaningful engagement with the Tribes before any action is taken. At least 10 pueblo governors went to Washington D.C. in September as part of a week of advocacy to press for protections for Chaco. In response to a request for comment to the Interiors media department email, Source NM received an unsigned message that said: We do not comment on congressional correspondence through the media. A North Carolina man was ordered Tuesday to serve 16 years behind bars after being convicted of three felony narcotics charges stemming from a traffic stop in April, according to the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office. Xerxus Rashad Belvin, 46, of Henderson, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to possession of a large amount of fentanyl, possession of large amount of cocaine and importing fentanyl into the state of Maryland, according to a state's attorney's office press release. Belvin was sentenced by Frederick County Circuit Court Judge Julia Martz-Fisher to a total of 65 years of incarceration, with all but 16 years suspended. He must serve 10 of those years without the possibility of parole. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He will receive credit for time served since April and will serve five years of supervised probation upon release. Belvin also forfeited $3,818 to the Frederick County Sheriff's Office Narcotics Investigations Section. The sentence Belvin received is "significantly above" the sentencing guidelines for the offenses, which is 5 to 8 years of incarceration, according to the press release. "The length of this sentence, particularly the portion to be served without the possibility of parole, should be a warning to anyone who seeks to use our highways to traffic these dangerous substances," State's Attorney Charlie Smith stated in the press release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Belvin was arrested by a Sheriff's Office deputy on April 25 following a traffic stop in the area of Spectrum Drive and Buckeystown Pike. The deputy observed Belvin "repeatedly entering and exiting" U.S. 15, according to the release, and ultimately found approximately 1,000 grams of fentanyl and 500 grams of cocaine in Belvin's vehicle. Online court records list an attorney who did not respond to a request for comment as of Tuesday evening. North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Jon Jensen delivers the state of the judiciary address to a joint session of the Legislature on Jan. 7, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Jon Jensen has announced he will step down as head of the court when his term ends this year. Jensen will continue serving as a justice. The position of Chief Justice, for me, has not been about a title, it has been about service and making our judicial system as great as it can be, Jensen told the North Dakota court system in a Wednesday letter. It has been an honor to serve. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jensen was elected chief justice in December 2019 and reelected to another five-year term in 2020. In his letter, Jensen highlighted accomplishments but did not cite a reason for not seeking another term. He said one of his priorities as chief justice was growing resources for state district courts. Jensen noted that the court system has added three new judges and 29 full-time employees under his tenure. District court judge salaries have also gone up by $30,000 since 2021, he added. The chief justice is selected by a vote of the five North Dakota Supreme Court justices and state district court judges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jensens predecessor as chief, former Justice Gerald VandeWalle, led the court from 1993 until he decided not to seek another term as chief in 2019, citing his age. VandeWalle retired from the North Dakota Supreme Court in 2023 for health reasons. North Dakota voters generally elect state Supreme Court justices for 10-year terms. In Jensens case, he was appointed by former Gov. Doug Burgum in 2017 to fill a vacancy on the high court left by former Justice Carol Ronning Kapsner, who retired. Jensen was then elected to a 10-year term on the court in 2020. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer can be reached at msteurer@northdakotamonitor.com. City officials will rename 9th and Clearfield Streets in North Philadelphia on Saturday in memory of local rapper Quidere Johnson, better known as LGP QUA. Johnson, dubbed the Voice of the Youth, was shot to death this past Mother's Day during an attempted robbery at M and Luzerne streets in the city's Juniata Park section. Police have arrested three suspects in connection with Johnson's murder. His songs touched on gun violence in North Philadelphia. His mother is pressing for more police enforcement. Cruise vacationers should be aware that gastrointestinal illness outbreaks are not the only type of health concern that can come with cruising. Cruise travel also comes with the risk of contracting respiratory illnesses, including serious infections. Although rare, a serious bacterial infection can spread on cruise ships that can lead to severe pneumonia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has previously linked outbreaks of the disease to cruise ship balcony hot tubs, which offer favorable conditions for Legionella bacteria growth. For some people, Legionella exposure leads to Legionnaires' disease, a serious pneumonia. When a person who has recently sailed on a cruise ship is diagnosed with the disease, the CDC works with the cruise line to investigate a potential outbreak and minimize risk to other passengers. In response, the cruise line will step up sanitation efforts according to CDC guidelines and issue a health alert to passengers to notify them of potential exposure. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Norwegian Cruise Line just issued a Legionnaires' disease alert for one of its ships after two former passengers were diagnosed. Doug Parker shared details on Norwegians Legionnaires' disease alert, and more cruise news, on the Nov. 6 edition of Cruise News Today. Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Norwegian Cruise Line issues Legionnaires' disease alert Cruise News Today Transcript: This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker. Good morning, here's your cruise news for Thursday, November 6th. Passengers aboard the Norwegian Epic have been warned about a possible exposure to Legionnaires' disease. NCL has issued alerts to current and recent guests after learning two former passengers were diagnosed with the illness. Related: Norwegian Cruise Line begins sailing from convenient, drive-to port It's unclear if the ship was the source, however, the cruise line is working with the CDC and guests are urged to watch for symptoms like fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Anyone who feels sick is advised to contact their doctor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If you are on an impacted sailing, you will hear directly from NCL. A similar alert was issued recently on a Royal Caribbean ship as well. Norwegian Cruise Line brings back Free At Sea package And Norwegian Cruise Line has brought back its Free At Sea package, replacing the More At Sea that was introduced last year. The updated bundle includes a fixed drink gratuity cost, 150 minutes of Wi-Fi per cabin, and specialty dining based on the cruise length, regardless of what cabin you book. Free at Sea is now available on all new bookings with NCL. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Traffic delays expected at Port Everglades on Nov. 7 And if you're cruising from Port Everglades tomorrow, listen up. Fort Lauderdale is expecting a busy cruise day on Friday as seven ships are expected to dock. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cruise guests are advised to allow extra time and use one of the three designated port entrances to avoid delays. The lineup includes ships from Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America. The port is also preparing to welcome three new homeporting vessels this month, including Celebrity Xcel, Star Princess, and Disney Destiny. Related: New Disney cruise ship arrives in Florida ahead of maiden voyage And cruise stocks were mixed on Wednesday. Carnival Corporation: up 3%, 26.90. Royal Caribbean: down slightly, 256.63. Norwegian: down 1%, 18.61. And Viking: up slightly, 57.18. If you have a lead on a story, let us know: tips@cruiseradio.net. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this week's Cruise Radio podcast: a review of Virgin Voyage's Valiant Lady where you listen to your favorite podcast. Here in Port Everglades, about to board Star Princess for the christening, I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. Have yourself a great Thursday. (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Mes Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel, or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472. This story was originally published by TravelHost on Nov 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here. By Andrew Goudsward WASHINGTON (Reuters) -New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday asked a federal judge to throw out a federal criminal case against her, arguing it was retaliation by President Donald Trump for her offices civil fraud lawsuit against him and his family business. The filing from James, an elected Democrat, argued the case is an improper vindictive prosecution meant to punish her for her criticism of Trump and her work as New York attorney general. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Trump and his allies have used every insulting term in their vocabulary to deride AG James and call for criminal penalties in retaliation for the exercise of her rights and fulfillment of her statutory duties to fulfill her obligations as New York states attorney general, James' lawyers wrote in a court filing. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. Prosecutors are due to respond to the claims later this month. James faces charges of bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution for allegedly using a Virginia home as an investment property in violation of loan terms that required her to make it a secondary residence. James has pleaded not guilty and accused the Trump administration of using the justice system as a tool of revenge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement James last year secured a $450 million civil fraud judgment against Trump after a judge found he fraudulently overstated his net worth to dupe lenders. A New York state appeals court in August threw out the penalty, which had grown to more than $500 million with interest, but upheld the trial judge's finding that Trump was liable for fraud. The filing echoes arguments made last month by former FBI Director James Comey, who is also seeking to have a criminal false statements case against him tossed out on similar grounds. James, Comey and former National Security Adviser John Bolton, all prominent critics of Trump, have been indicted in recent weeks after Trump pressured Justice Department leaders to move against his perceived political enemies. Legal motions claiming vindictive prosecution face a high legal bar for success and rarely lead to the dismissal of charges, but some legal experts have said that James and Comey may have unusually strong arguments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The indictments against both Comey and James were secured by Lindsey Halligan, top federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia. Halligan, a former personal lawyer for Trump with no prior prosecutorial experience, was put in the role at Trump's urging after he forced out her predecessor over his reticence to prosecute Comey and James. U.S. District Judge Jamar Walker, who is overseeing the case, has scheduled a December 5 hearing to consider James claims. (Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by David Gregorio) A town judge in Chautauqua County has resigned as he was being investigated by the New York State Commission of Judicial Conduct following a 2024 drunk driving incident, according to the commission. Ellington Town Justice Reid L. Johnson in September 2024 was charged with two traffic offenses, including aggravated driving while intoxicated, and identified himself as a judge when he was arrested, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired, a violation-level offense, in December 2024 and six months later was sentenced to a $500 fine, a $420 surcharge and other mandatory sentencing terms. According to the Commission, Johnson tendered his resignation dated in mid-September, effective Oct. 3. It was accepted by the Commission of Judicial Conduct on Oct. 30. In the letter, he agreed not to seek or accept a judicial office again, court records show. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Drinking and driving, which threatens public safety as well as the motorist, also undermines faith in the courts when the offender is a judge," said Robert Tembeckjian, administrator for the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct. "The offense is compounded where the driver invokes judicial office when stopped by the police. Judge Johnsons resignation from the bench brings this matter to an appropriate conclusion. Johnson, who is not a lawyer, was a town justice since the start of 2024. His four-year term was set to expire at the end of 2027. Chautauqua County is in western New York, just north of the Pennsylvania state line, and borders Lake Erie. This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: NY judge Reid Johnson quits bench amid investigation into DWI arrest NEW YORK NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch received advance notice from the Trump administration last month that ICE agents were about to conduct a controversial immigration enforcement raid along Canal Street in Manhattan, the Daily News has learned. In response, sources say Tisch directed NYPD officers to stay away from the ICE agents as they bore down on the busy downtown thoroughfare and arrested nine allegedly undocumented street vendors a chaotic operation that drew mass protests and marked one of the Trump administrations most aggressive immigration crackdowns in the city to date. Tisch, who has served as NYPD commissioner since Mayor Eric Adams appointed her in November 2024, didnt violate any sanctuary city laws by getting a heads up about the Oct. 21 operation or acting on that information. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In fact, an NYPD spokeswoman said Thursday that Tisch ordered officers to remain on the sidelines in order to comply with such laws, which bar the city from helping the feds with civil immigration enforcement, and, conversely, to also avoid any sort of standoff between ICE agents and city cops. Still, the revelation that Tisch had advance knowledge of the Trump administrations Canal St. raid could raise a number of complicated questions for Zohran Mamdani, the mayoral-elect who has said he wants to keep Tisch on as NYPD commissioner once he takes office Jan. 1. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has vowed to as mayor fight President Donald Trumps mass deportation agenda to try to stop detentions of undocumented New Yorkers not accused of serious crimes. On Wednesday, Mamdani even said he wants individual ICE agents to know that under his administration they will be held accountable legally if they violate any local laws. When asked during last months second and final mayoral debate specifically what he would have done in response to the Canal St. raid if he was mayor, Mamdani called ICE a reckless entity that cares little for the law before adding: What we need to be doing here in our city is to end the chapter of collaboration between City Hall and the federal government, which weve seen under Mayor Adams. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked Thursday about Tischs communications with the feds before the Canal St. raid, a Mamdani spokeswoman, who insisted on anonymity, said the mayoral-elect believes she acted appropriately and wishes she would do the same thing if a similar situation arises in the future, citing the need to not have the NYPD assist the feds in immigration enforcement. But the fact that Tisch received word of the raid beforehand comes as she still reports to Adams, who has publicly committed to not publicly criticize Trump and got his corruption indictment quashed by the presidents Department of Justice this past spring. Its unclear if the Trump administration would be inclined to provide that same type of advance notice to Tisch about any ICE activity if shes police commissioner under Mamdani, who has been maligned by the president as a communist. ICE spokespeople didnt return requests for comment Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has threatened to deploy the National Guard, in addition to ICE, to New York City in the event of a Mamdani mayoral election, saying his administration would need to clean up the city if he took over the reins at City Hall. Tisch who hasnt yet said whether she will accept Mamdanis offer to remain NYPD commissioner found out about the Canal St. raid roughly four hours in advance of it playing out, with a federal law enforcement official in the Trump administration informing her of the plans in a private conversation, according to several sources familiar with the matter. The NYPD spokeswoman confirmed New York-based federal law enforcement partners informed Tisch of the raid before it happened. Tisch then told the mayors office of what she had learned before also issuing the directive to NYPD personnel, the sources said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement NYPD officers stayed away from the ICE raid as ordered. Later, the NYPD was on hand as a large group of protesters gathered that evening at 26 Federal Plaza, the federal immigration agencys headquarters, where ICE transported those detained. The NYPD spokeswoman said Tisch disclosed her advanced knowledge of the Canal St. raid during a recent meeting with City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Council Public Safety Committee Chairman Yusef Salaam and Council Immigration Committee Chairwoman Alexa Aviles. Also in that meeting, the spokeswoman said Tisch told the speaker and the other Council members that the Canal St. incident was a perfect example of the critical role the NYPD is playing in ensuring public safety in the city in order to prevent the National Guard from being deployed to the five boroughs by Trump. _____ Elon Musk dances with robots at Tesla shareholders meeting Elon Musk has clinched the largest corporate pay award in history after being awarded a $1 trillion (760bn) deal by Tesla despite a shareholder backlash. On Thursday, the worlds richest man secured the backing of 75pc of Tesla shareholders for the unprecedented pay award, which hinges on Mr Musk transforming the electric car maker into an artificial intelligence and robotics giant. The deal, confirmed at a Tesla shareholder vote in Texas, paves the way for Mr Musk to become the worlds first trillionaire. He is already worth just under $500bn. As the result of the vote was announced, shareholders in the room chanted Elon, Elon, Elon! Mr Musk thanked shareholders for their backing. I super appreciate it, he said. He added Tesla could ultimately produce billions of two-leg Optimus robots, which he claimed could even eliminate poverty and perform cutting-edge surgery. Mr Musk said: I think there could be tens of billions of Optimus robots out there. The billionaire, who is known for his outlandish promises, said the robots could be an infinite money glitch and urged investors to hold onto your Tesla stock. To secure the maximum payout, which would award him an additional 12pc of Teslas shares, Mr Musk must grow Teslas market value to $8.5tn, sell 20 million electric cars and launch one million robo-taxis and humanoid robots over the next decade. The electric carmaker is currently worth $1.4tn. Elon Musk claimed billions of Optimus robots could be produced - Michael Nagle/Bloomberg The pay vote has taken on further significance after he recently implied he could abandon the electric carmaker if shareholders failed to pass the pay award. Mr Musk had faced a mounting backlash over the pay deal, with major investors including Norways sovereign wealth fund saying they were voting against the pay award in the lead up to the vote. The Tesla founder also labelled proxy advisors Glass Lewis and ISS corporate terrorists after they called on shareholders to block the pay deal. Glass Lewis had warned the deal offered Mr Musk extraordinary pay levels without commensurately exceptional performance. Teslas army of retail investors and allies of Mr Musk such as Ron Barons Baron Capital helped tip the vote in Mr Musks favour. Robyn Denholm, Teslas chairman, had warned investors that there was a risk that the billionaire give up his executive position if the vote had not gone his way. The pay award comes despite a judge quashing an earlier pay deal for Mr Musk, which was worth $56bn, after a shareholder lawsuit. Mr Musk has also been rewarded despite concerns from shareholders that his multiple business ventures, including xAI and SpaceX as well as his involvement in politics, have proved a distraction. A deal to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies is looking more uncertain as Senate Republicans push to make headway Friday on ending the longest-ever government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has promised Democrats a floor vote to prevent the enhanced subsidies from expiring at the end of the year. But Senate Democrats are splintered over how much stock to put into Thunes commitment, given the South Dakota Republican has also said he cannot guarantee an outcome of any such vote. Some lawmakers argue they should hold out for a concrete deal on an extension before voting to reopen the government. Others believe they could make real progress on a bipartisan framework after the government reopens, building on negotiations this fall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats are now wrestling with their options as Thune plans to force a vote Friday afternoon that would tee up consideration of a new government funding package to allow federal operations to resume. This vote is likely to fail but it presents an opportunity for some Democrats to break rank as the shutdown pain grows more severe. At stake is a policy that Democrats argue will help millions of Americans who are set to get hit by skyrocketing premiums in 2026. Its also putting to the test Democrats trust that a massively complex and politically loaded issue can be solved through old-fashioned bipartisan negotiations, with many Democrats skeptical that Republicans will ever follow through on the issue once the shutdown ends. This is the old days of making sure you write it into black letter law. Thats what we do when we write bills. We havent seen that yet, Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), whose panel has jurisdiction over the ACA premium tax credits, told reporters Thursday. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) has also been urging his colleagues to not vote to reopen the government without clear signs the subsidies would be extended, arguing that the partys victories in elections across the country earlier this week sent a signal that voters want Democrats to keep up the fight. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I have obviously expressed my reservations about agreeing to only a vote without a certainty of outcome, said Murphy in an interview Thursday. I dont think that we should proceed without knowing that these health care premiums are not going to go up by 200 percent. Weve been talking all day today inside the caucus about what a path forward is, whether its negotiations that some of our colleagues have been having, or is it a different path? Murphy added. Those negotiations are largely being spearheaded by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Angus King (I-Maine) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), opposite rank-and-file Senate Republicans. According to two people granted anonymity to share details of ongoing conversations, Senate Democratic negotiators have been exchanging details of proposals and white papers with their Republican counterparts. One person pointed to these discussions as evidence of willingness from Senate Republicans to come to the table if the government is reopened, though the other person noted that the exchange of white papers is not necessarily a strong signal of progress being made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A third person added that this paper-trading was paused a couple weeks ago, anyway, when Republican leaders made it known they wouldn't seriously negotiate the terms of a framework until after the government reopens. Weve made it very clear that you open up government, and then we can work on a solution that will actually stand the test of time including one that our president could perhaps consider supporting and convincing the House to support but nothing is going to happen until we open up government, said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). Internal differences on the policy are not Democrats only problem. Even if Democrats get a vote on an extension of the Obamacare subsidies in the Senate, House Speaker Mike Johnson wont commit to putting such a bill on the House floor, saying Thursday morning that hes not promising anybody anything. Johnson is facing heavy resistance from his right flank on the issue, with members of the House Freedom Caucus promising to revolt if the subsidies are extended. Democrats also have to figure out which modifications to the credits they are willing to accept. Some proposals pushed by Republicans, like those that would put an income cap on the credits, appear palatable, while other ideas like restricting the subsidies from plans that cover abortion promise to be non-starters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I would call that exceedingly frustrating. Theres several unanswered questions, and thats one of them, said Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), when asked about Johnsons refusal to commit to a vote, in an interview Thursday. I understand the position that the speakers in politically, but thats why President [Donald] Trump could get all this done. Because he could, if he got involved and pushed a negotiation, he could give Speaker Johnson the cover he needs to give it a vote in the House. The White House has, however, given congressional Republicans little to work with. Trump has so far been silent on the issue publicly, while people inside his administration are reportedly divided on whether to let the subsidies expire or extend them for the purposes of political preservation in next years midterms. Besides exhorting Trump to get involved, some freshman senators who won their seats after serving in the House are hoping that their relationships with their old GOP colleagues could spur momentum for a bipartisan proposal. Democratic Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware invited GOP Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey to huddle Friday morning to see if they can find a way forward. One possible idea being broached by some Senate Democrats includes having House counterparts pursue a discharge petition, a procedural maneuver allowing rank-and-file members to force a vote on legislation without the blessing of leadership. In this case, though, it's not clear whether enough Republicans would sign onto a bill to extend the subsidies to clear the necessary 218-signature threshold to get the measure onto the floor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A number of us that have come out of the House recently and have relationships in the House want to have a dialogue with our House Republican counterparts to see whether theres a way to work forward to extend the Affordable Care tax credits and find our way out of this both health crisis and government shutdown, said Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), one of the first-term lawmakers engaged in talks. As for Johnson refusing to commit to a vote, Schiff said, Hell do whatever Donald Trump tells him to do. Jordain Carney and Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.) Last week, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose sent more than 1,000 cases of alleged voter fraud to the U.S. Department of Justice. Critics contend, as LaRose himself has, that enforcing election laws is best handled at the state and local level. Going shopping Since taking office, LaRose has regularly announced the number of alleged election law violations his office has found. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In nearly all cases, those allegations have proven meritless. After reviewing more than 600 cases, for instance, Ohios Republican Attorney General Dave Yost brought just six charges. At the time, Yost grumbled about how many of those referrals were for illegal registration. I think that we ought to be focusing on the voting, he said, rather than sidelining violent criminal investigations to check paperwork. And Yosts review amounted to a second opinion. LaRose had previously referred those cases to county prosecutors. They largely found there wasnt enough evidence to bring cases. Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association Executive Director Lou Tobin called LaRoses actions an attack on prosecutors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement With the U.S. Department of Justice referral, LaRose is again going back to the well, touting an administration that has expressed an interest in actively reviewing and potentially prosecuting election crimes. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Yost and Tobin declined to comment for this story, but a measure in the Ohio Senate is illuminating. In the most recent budget, Gov. Mike DeWine vetoed a provision allowing the Secretary of State to re-refer election law cases to the attorney general if the county prosecutor doesnt bring charges within a year. That idea came from Senate Bill 4, which has passed the Senate and is now moving through the Ohio House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In testimony against the bill, Tobin criticized its codification of forum shopping. When a prosecutor declines to pursue a case, he said, the matter should end. If a prosecutor decides that a case should not or cannot be prosecuted for whatever reason, the secretary of state can make the referral to the attorney general and hope for a different outcome, Tobin wrote. This is forum shopping, and it undermines the integrity and legitimacy of our justice system. LaRoses referrals In a press release, LaRose emphasizes the more than 1,200 criminal cases hes sent to federal prosecutors. The secretary did not respond to Ohio Capital Journals request for an interview or comment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Of LaRoses referrals, about 1,000 appear to be instances of illegal registration alone. LaRose notes only 167 examples of noncitizens allegedly casting a ballot spread over the last eight years of four federal elections. Ohioans cast almost 27.5 million ballots in those elections. Even if every single one of LaRoses allegations proves true, thats a rate of .0006%. LaRose also cites 99 cases of people allegedly voting in two states in the same election, 16 of people allegedly voting twice in Ohio, and 14 of people allegedly voting after their death. Additionally, LaRose referred four cases of alleged ballot harvesting and two more of people registering at an improper residence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We work tirelessly to ensure that every eligible voters voice is heard, LaRose said in the press release, and anyone who tries to cheat the system will face serious consequences. LaRose is not wrong. In addition to the charges brought by Yost late last year, in 2023, a Shaker Heights Trump supporter named James Saunders was convicted of voting in Ohio and Florida in at least two elections. But LaRose contends his referrals have encountered varying degrees of adjudication from Ohios 88 county prosecutors, and hed like the U.S. Department of Justice to have another look. I formally refer for your consideration the materials we have gathered and submitted to local and state prosecutors, he wrote, and I have included with this letter documentation and evidentiary materials regarding each of the alleged offenses. Red flags Ohio was able to nab Saunders thanks to a multistate data sharing agreement known as ERIC. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Joining a handful of other Republican-led states, LaRose pulled Ohio out of the compact in 2023. He complained states should be allowed to use the data without having to encourage voter registration a core part of ERICs mission. David Becker helped establish ERIC but now runs the Center for Election Innovation and Research. He criticized LaRose for trotting out years-old evidence that has already been reviewed by state and local prosecutors. Becker added that, in some instances, flagged registrations got processed despite an individual identifying themselves as a noncitizen, meaning that they are, in fact, victims, not criminals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To wait over a year, Becker said, and publicly submit this stale evidence to the Trump DOJ, immediately before elections that are happening in many states, certainly raises questions. And LaRose has argued in the past that federal officials should stay out of election oversight. Early in the Biden administration, Democrats proposed a sweeping elections and ethics measure that would have made simplified voter registration, reformed redistricting, and strengthened campaign finance laws. LaRose rejected the idea as a massive power-grab. Elections belong to the people and are regulated by their representatives at the state level, LaRose said after a scaled back version of the proposal failed in the U.S. Senate. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington bureaucrats have a long and storied tradition of messing up the most revered of institutions we wont let them do that to Ohios elections. Case Western Reserve University law professor Atiba Ellis sees LaRose scrapping those arguments about federalism now that the political winds have shifted. To Ellis, it seems like LaRose is working backward from the Trump administrations prioritization of immigration enforcement in hopes of finding a more receptive audience for his voter fraud claims. Particularly in Ohio, there have been political conversations some factual, some fanciful, about the impact of illegal immigrants in our communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Certainly, this would score political points for the people who believe in that narrative, Ellis said of LaRoses referrals. Ellis also pointed to a recent court ruling rejecting a Trump executive order requiring proof of citizenship. This court seemed to rule, correctly, that the basic constitutional structure does not put policing elections within the purview of the executive office, Ellis said. Its dubious, he said, for LaRose to attempt an end run around elected state and local prosecutors. Trying to make a state issue a federal issue in order to pursue political agendas ought to raise concern about the discretion that is being used by the Secretary of State, Ellis said. Given that state authorities, who are duly sworn to prosecute these issues, have declined to prosecute most of them, and appear to have done so on a reasonable basis. Follow Ohio Capital Journal Reporter Nick Evans on X or on Bluesky. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Warning: This story includes graphic descriptions of sexual misconduct involving minors. An Ontario Grade 8 teacher who used Snapchat to send and solicit nude pictures from former students has pleaded guilty to luring and child pornography charges. Kelly-Anne Jennings appeared in a Peterborough, Ont., courtroom Thursday morning, as parents of victims sat in the public gallery. Jennings, 41, was arraigned on six charges stemming from incidents in 2023, including child luring, making child pornography and distributing sexually explicit material to a minor. The victims were named as teenage boys whod been Jennings students. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The accused stood and said guilty when asked by Ontario Court Justice Nathan N. Baker how she would be pleading. The court heard further charges, including one count of sexual assault, would be stayed, at the request of the Crown. The court also heard Jennings had been drinking when she began sending increasingly explicit images including videos of herself masturbating to the former students over Snapchat. According to an agreed statement of facts, Jennings also received nude pictures of the boys at her request. A court-ordered publication ban covers the names of the victims and any information that could identify them, such as the school where Jennings taught. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My son looked up to her as a second mother, someone who truly cared about him, a mother of one of the victims said in a statement read in court. She described Jennings behaviour as predatory, manipulative and deeply harmful. Crown attorney Julie Ann Barrett told the court the three boys were manipulated by [Jennings] and used for her own selfish sexual needs. When the allegations first surfaced, Jennings was placed on unpaid leave from her job at the school in Port Hope, part of Northumberland County, east of Toronto. Thursday afternoon, the Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board said in a statement "Ms. Jennings is no longer employed" by the board. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We recognize that hearing about these serious charges is deeply upsetting for our students, families, staff, and the wider community," school board spokesperson Mark Giunta told CBC News in an email. "Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our staff and students, and we continue to provide support where it is needed." Her profile on the Ontario College of Teachers website listed her as a member in "good standing." Jennings was first charged in August 2024 after police said a male student told his mother about inappropriate physical contact with a teacher on a class trip. Police later said three more complainants had come forward, which led to further charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Crown has recommended a four-year prison sentence. Jennings defence lawyer Dean Embry asked that his client receive no jail time, but rather a conditional sentence of two years less a day, followed by probation. Jennings is expected back in court on Nov. 27. Some of the images may be graphic for some viewers. OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) A powerful glimpse into courage under fire as Ukrainian surgeons fresh from advanced training in Oklahoma return to the front lines, performing nonstop operations in active war zones. They have shared graphic images and video with News 4 from inside the operating rooms, offering a rare and sobering look at medicine in the midst of conflict. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a quiet trauma bay at OU Health, the echoes of war are never far. For these surgeons, this is not just professional development it is a lifeline. They have come from bombed-out hospitals, underground operating rooms, and combat zones where surgeries stretch for days without rest. Their mission is urgent learn everything they can, then return home to save lives. The war is still going on, unfortunately, Dr. Yelyzaveta Borysova of the Military Medical Academy in Ukraine said. It hasnt become safer in any way, unfortunately again. The shelling is still going on. In fact, like a month prior to this trip, I had my windows shattered in Kyiv. They speak not just of shattered glass but of shattered lives hospitals reduced to rubble, healing spaces turned into battlegrounds. I am from military unit 1248. This is from Mariupol Military Hospital. Our facility was totally destroyed and occupied, Dr. Anton Yakovenko said. There are many operating rooms underground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For the last eight months, I was in combat zone in Sumy Region. It was nonstop war, Dr. Antolii Rublenko of Irpin Military Hospital said. For example, operation day started two days ago, and we operated nonstop. Union representing FAA workers warns shutdown could lead to staff departures, cripple flight systems nationwide Meaning they operated for two days straight. Without rest, he said. They all did. Their stories are threaded with exhaustion, perseverance, and a fierce sense of duty. We came here with the same goal to learn something new, to bring back the knowledge, and to restore the health of our warriors who fight for us for our freedom, Borysova said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The wounds they treat today tell a different story than a decade ago. Back then, it was bullets and artillery- blunt, brutal, and tragically familiar. Now, the violence has evolved into something much more calculated and remote. Most of the injuries for now are shrapnel injuries, Yakovenko said. Russians have a lot of drones, and they can be a very big percent of damages of our soldiers, Rublenko said. Today, nearly 80 percent of battlefield injuries come from drones machines that hover silently overhead, dropping death from a distance. These surgeons see the aftermath daily torn flesh, embedded metal, trauma delivered by technology. It is a new kind of war, and they are learning to fight it with precision and every ounce of skill they have gained abroad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But there are limitations beyond their control often forcing them to improvise with mismatched equipment. We do sometimes have to use some of the plates that are not supposed to be used for the specific type of bone, for example, but we dont have in stock, Borysova said. While in Oklahoma, they trained in microsurgery, facial reconstruction, and advanced orthopedic techniques skills they desperately need. Yet back home, they often lack the supplies to perform them. Titanium plates are scarce. Ilizarov frames, essential for orthopedic recovery, are expensive and difficult to source, especially since their origin traces back to Russia. In the orthopedic service, they significantly lack Ilizarov frames, because Ilizarov frames origin from our enemies, and European and United Statesare much more expensive, Yakovenko said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is where global support can make a tangible difference. Countries including the United States can help not only through training and solidarity but by urging medical manufacturers to lower the cost of critical supplies. Every plate, every frame, every shipment of surgical tools is a step toward healing a chance to mend what war has broken. Regional Food Bank in need of 600 volunteers amid shutdown, holiday season Its tough. Its not easy, Borysova said. And it is not just the surgeries. It is the truths they shoulder. The emotional toll is staggering. I will forever remember a moment of a family of four mother, father, two kids, Yakovenko said. Russians just shot them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The parents died. The two children rushed to the ER. The team saved the little girl. That was terrifying, Yakovenko said. Every one of us was totally destroyed by this case. Civilians, especially children, made up a heartbreaking portion of their patients, but now the Ukrainian government evacuates them to prevent that. At that time there were much more civilian casualties and much more wounded children, Yakovenko said. Despite supply shortages and the trauma, they carry these surgeons remain hopeful. Theres so much more to our country, to our people, and theres so much support from not only inside the country but from abroad from you guys, from the USA, as well. Those connections probably are the ones that keep us going, Borysova said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And those connections run both ways. We are learning just as much from them as theyre learning from us, OU Health Trauma Surgeon Emily Switzer said. They really do what we do in an austere environment with very limited resources. With no backup and no room for error. Theyre literally doing what we do but underground with like five people, she said. Its impressive what theyre able to do there. Their expertise in stopping bleeding fast is unmatched, but what they came to learn is how to care for the whole patient how to move from survival to recovery. Hearing how they take care of these things in Ukraine compared to here, its really eye opening, Switzer said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the war, many of these surgeons were not trauma trained. Now, they are performing complex procedures they never expected to. One was a general surgeon, one an orthopedic hand surgeon. They were deployed three years ago and have been learning on the fly, Switzer said. They were thrown into trauma surgery without formal training. Theyve learned a lot, and were all learning from each other. And that collaboration started with a call to action. The humanitarian arm of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery began one week mission trips to Ukraine after the full-scale invasion in 2022. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They recognized the Ukrainian surgeons were facing an increased volume of complex facial trauma patients missing jaws, noses, eyes -the simple things that allow us to be human, to speak, to swallow, to give emotion, OU Health facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine Dr. Mark Mims said. But the missions were short, and when they left, there was no one to continue the work. So, they opened a call for anyone interested in a stateside program to train the trainer and allow Ukrainian surgeons to take over that work themselves, Mims said. Mims raised his hand. OU was selected, and in May 2023, OU welcomed their first cohort. This is now their sixth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thirty surgeons. Five specialties. And a growing legacy. OU now hosts the largest Ukrainian surgical training program in the United States. Dr. Hudson Berrey is a professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Florida. My dad was an Army doc, he said. I went to West Point. They sent me to medical school. Berrey spent years at Walter Reed and was deployed to Central America and Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. He has launched orthopedic oncology programs at UT Southwestern and MD Anderson. But in the past two years, his mission shifted. Ive made 12 trips to Ukraine in the past two years. Im going back in another couple of weeks. I believe in whats going on there, and us helping them is much like the French helping us in our fight for independence 250 years ago, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mayor David Holt addresses SNAP strain Berrey has seen the challenges firsthand aging infrastructure, limited resources, and a healthcare system stretched to its limits. I would say its probably like what we were sometime in the mid-sixties as far as their facilities go, Berrey said. A lot of these are old Soviet era. Theyre being renovated, but they have to do this in the middle of a war, and so their first priorities are surviving. With too few hospital beds, many patients are diverted to civilian facilities already overwhelmed. Yet what stands out most to Berrey is not scarcity, but spirit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre super confident, super technical people. The Ukrainian people are lovely, he said. Theyre coming out from underneath the Soviet era, and so they havent had all the advantages that weve had. So, I think exposing them to what were doing and how were doing it hopefully will lay a foundation for their future. Now back in Kyiv, that support is already saving lives. The whole program is definitely boosting our surgical skills and helping us provide not only better care but develop Ukrainian medical field a lot in general, Borysova said. I hope this program will thrive and will grow even more, because I see the result of it, and I think it has a big future. They came to learn. They go back to heal. And in every stitch, every reconstructed bone, every saved life, they carry the spirit of resilience and the hope of a nation that refuses to break. Operation Ukraine has been selected to receive the Saint Panteleimon Award, one of the most prestigious honors given by Ukraine to foreign individuals and groups who support healthcare efforts in the country. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. President Trump is reportedly mulling options for undertaking three different military operations, none of them in East Asia. He continues to increase the show of military force off Venezuelas coast and for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros departure from office. He also has acknowledged that he has authorized CIA operations inside the country. Although Trump has denied that the U.S. would go to war with Venezuela, multiple reports have emerged that the White House is considering several options for a miliary operation against the Maduro regime. Doing so could well involve committing considerably more forces than those currently deployed in the Caribbean or that the administration anticipates it would need for such an operation. Yet at the same time, Trump is also threatening to use force against Muslim radicals in Nigeria, most notably Boko Haram. Late last week he wrote on Truth Social that Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. He added that he was making Nigeria a country of particular concern and in a second post wrote that if President Bola Ahmed Tinbu did not act to stop the killing of Christians, then Washington not only would cut off all aid to Nigeria but also may very well go into that now disgraced country guns-a-blazing to wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. already provides intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support to several countries where Boko Haram operates, including Nigeria, and Trump has not specified what kind of additional military action he might authorize. Any kinetic operation to defeat the terrorists would have to involve more than a few small military units, since Boko Haram attacks Christians (and indeed Muslims, too) over a wide swath of territory including not only northeastern Nigeria, but also Chad, Niger and Cameroon. Moreover, the U.S. has never been able to eliminate terrorists quickly, whether in the Philippines in the early twentieth century or more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even the relatively comprehensive defeat of the Islamic State has not entirely wiped it out that terrorist group American troops continue to strike at its affiliates in Iraq, Syria and Somalia. Finally, there have been numerous reports that the Administration is considering sending troops into Mexico to fight the drug cartels that operate there. President Trump has publicly regretted that his Mexican counterpart, Claudia Sheinbaum, opposes American forces conducting military operations in her country. The last time American troops entered Mexico was 1916, when Woodrow Wilson sent 6,000 troops under General John J Pershing to capture Pancho Villa, whose bandits had raided Columbus, New Mexico. Pershings forces remained in Mexico for eleven months but failed to catch Villa. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As with any fight against Boko Haram, an operation against the cartels, even if approved by Mexican president Sheinbaum, would call for thousands of American land forces. And those forces might require considerable time to accomplish their mission, as was the case in the hunt for Villa, if indeed it that mission can be accomplished at all. It is certainly possible that Trump will not authorize any of these operations. Nevertheless, the fact that he has spoken of the use of military force in areas to which Department of Defense planners traditionally assigned low priority does appear to reflect the reported thrust of the soon to be released National Defense Strategy. The priority that reportedly is being assigned to Homeland Defense could incorporate the use of force against Venezuela and inside Mexico though certainly not in Africa. Yet given the challenges that both operations in the Western Hemisphere would certainly face, it is not at all clear that the United States could at the same time sustain its deterrent in East Asia, which remains an important if not critical Administration priority as well. Moreover, while Europe might receive lower priority in the new defense strategy, the president has not foresworn assisting in NATOs defense against a possible Russian attack. Indeed, he has gone even further in publicly committing Washington to the defense of Poland and the Baltic States in the face of Moscows aggression. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration might take a more relaxed view of a confrontation with China because Trump has said Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him Beijing will not authorize an attack on Taiwan during Trumps term of office. In theory, that could provide Washington the flexibility to conduct military operations elsewhere, including Venezuela, Mexico or for that matter Africa or Europe. Verbal assurances from dictators mean very little, however. Indeed, Hitler not only convinced Stalin that he would not attack the Soviet Union, Germany signed a full-blown treaty to that effect. The Nazi promise lasted less than three years before it was broken. Xis assurances might be equally worthless. In that case, forces tied up in longer than expected operations in Latin America or Africa might be sorely missed if China does choose to attack Taiwan while Trump is still in the White House. Dov S. Zakheim is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and vice chairman of the board for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He was undersecretary of Defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer for the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and a deputy undersecretary of Defense from 1985 to 1987. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Reports that Qatar has commissioned private intelligence firms to investigate a woman who claims to have been sexually assaulted by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court are deeply disturbing. Karim Khan KC announced on May 16 that he would take leave of absence from his post as the ICCs senior prosecutor until the conclusion of an external investigation, launched a year ago by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services. Its conclusions are likely to be delayed still further if it now examines what looks like an attempt to interfere with its main witness. Khans alleged victim told The Guardian she was appalled by the disturbing operation. The idea that private intelligence firms have been instructed to target me is as incomprehensible as it is heartbreaking. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The newspaper reported that investigators had sought to establish connections between the complainant and Israel. However, documents seen by The Guardian suggest that no such evidence was found. Reports say the investigation was led by Highgate, a strategic advisory company based in Mayfair whose senior advisers include the former Conservative minister Sir Alan Duncan. Highgate confirmed it had worked on an operation related to the ICC but said it had not acted against any individual. It denied the project was paid or commissioned by the government of Qatar. The alleged victims husband reportedly told The Times last month of her claims that on several occasions, for a period of 11 months and without her consent, Khan had kissed, groped and had sex with her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A lawyer in her 30s, she had been promoted to work as Khans special assistant a job that involved overseas travel with him. But Khan, a member of the English bar, has said he never engaged in misconduct of any kind. Through his lawyers, he denies harassing or mistreating any individual, misusing his authority or engaging in any coercive or professionally inappropriate conduct. An internal ICC watchdog known as the Independent Oversight Mechanism was first told on May 3 2024 of allegations that an elected official had breached the courts anti-harassment policy. Although the alleged victim chose not to pursue a formal complaint, the prosecutor had been told of the allegations a day earlier. On May 20, having cancelled a planned trip to Israel, Khan unexpectedly announced that he was seeking warrants for the arrest of the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his then defence minister Yoav Gallant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That led to suspicions that the prosecutor had brought forward his decision in an attempt to deflect attention from his alleged victims claims. When The Wall Street Journal suggested a link between her allegations against Khan and his allegations against Netanyahu, the prosecutors lawyers issued a denial. But insiders wondered why else Khan would have made such a high-profile announcement, putting pressure on pre-trial judges who who would normally consider applications for warrants in secret. What interest would Qatar have in undermining the investigation into Khans behaviour? Although his two deputies are standing in for the prosecutor, criminal proceedings against Israeli leaders are thought more likely to go ahead if Khan is vindicated and resumes his duties. That might be seen as Qatars preferred outcome, given its support and funding for Hamas. Leaders of the terrorist group were thought to be hiding in Qatar when Israel launched an air strike on a building in Doha two months ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even if Khan is found to have committed serious misconduct, he cannot be sacked unless 63 of the courts 125 member states an absolute majority vote for his removal. Meanwhile his alleged victim, who by all accounts was deeply traumatised when she fled the court last year, must live with the thought that personal details about her and her child are now in the hands of investigators and their clients. Reporters have found no evidence that the woman was trying to undermine him, still less that she wanted to thwart his investigation into the massacre launched by Hamas on October 7 2023 and Israels response. If her allegations are true, though, she has been violated not just by her attacker but by those who have a political interest in restoring him to power. 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. Hungarys prime minister Viktor Orban will meet president Donald Trump at the White House on Friday to seek exemptions from US sanctions on Russian oil and broker a summit between the American leader and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Last month, Mr Trump levied sanctions on Russian state-affiliated energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft, exposing buyers including India, China and Hungary to secondary penalties. Mr Orban, an ally of both Mr Trump and Putin, said Hungary would seek exemptions from the decision due to its reliance on Russian oil as a landlocked country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All diplomatic negotiations are hard, but I expect a friendly and easy negotiation, Mr Orban told state media ahead of the visit, which marks the first bilateral meeting between the two countries since Mr Trumps return to the White House earlier this year. He is reported to have said that the stakes were high during his flight to Washington. I know the president, he knows me, we know the subject, we simply have to reach an agreement, the PM said, according to MTI. Mr Trump and Mr Orban share similar populist right-wing policies, including a hardline stance on immigration. The Hungarian PM was one of the first international leaders to publicly support Mr Trumps first presidential bid in 2016. Trump and Putin will meet on Friday to discuss Russian oil sanctions and Putin summit (Reuters) With Mr Orban facing a domestic election in 2026, he will hope that the meeting will boost his standing among Hungarian voters. The PM is seeking to use his alliances to play a central role in brokering a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, to Kyivs dismay. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Budapest had been due to host a highly anticipated summit between Mr Trump and Putin over the war in Ukraine, but the meeting collapsed last month after a phone call between Russias foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US secretary of state Marco Rubio. The Russian minister is said to have reiterated Moscows maximalist demands for a peace agreement, which were rebuffed by Washington. The talks were postponed and then eventually axed, with Mr Trump saying he did not want to waste time meeting Putin if the two sides could not agree on the framework for a deal. Mr Orban, once a fierce critic of Putin, has consistently opposed Ukraines independence and repeated Kremlin talking points on the origin of the war. In September, he baselessly claimed Ukraine is not an independent country, sparking outrage in Kyiv and other European capitals. Orban meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow earlier this month (Hungarian Prime Ministers Office) Hungarys increasingly cosy relationship with Putin and subsequent reliance on Russian oil is one that could be crucial to its economic survival. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2024, the country received 80 per cent of its oil (5 million tonnes a year) through the Friendship pipeline from Russia, via Belarus and Ukraine. We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia, Mr Orban said last month. Mr Trump told reporters in response: The president he has asked for an exemption. We havent granted one, but he has asked. Hes a friend of mine. The US president imposed sanctions on Russian oil in an attempt to drain funding for Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Mr Trump, whose position on the conflict has changed several times during his presidency, has urged European allies to stop buying Russian oil. President Donald Trump sees Hungarys Viktor Orban as something of a kindred spirit, a model for the sweeping reforms of his own second term. Thats exactly why Europeans are nervous ahead of the presidents first face-to-face meeting with Orban at the White House, weeks after the U.S. finally imposed sanctions on two Russian oil companies. Orban is coming to the White House Friday squarely focused on obtaining an exemption on the sanctions. People inside and outside the administration havent ruled out the idea Trump might grant one, pointing to Hungarys close relationship with both Russia and Trump as factors in Orbans favor. An exemption for Hungary would amount to a major carveout of Trumps sanctions regime against Russia, not to mention his criticism of the European nations still purchasing Russian oil. It would also be a symbolic setback for Ukrainian and European leaders who have spent months using a unified voice to prod the president to increase pressure on Moscow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were fairly used to these efforts to undermine European unity, and we know [Trump] likes to deal with leaders one-on-one, predicted an EU official granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. If Trump grants the exemption, it may be more of a symbolic setback in terms of the message it sends to Putin and the rest of the world about the lack of resolve to really punish Russia. In reality, it will be harder to achieve. After dangling the threat for months, Trump last month finallyimposed additional sanctions on two Russian oil companies when the Kremlin made clear that it still isnt ready to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. The president, who has criticized European countries for continuing to import Russian oil and gas, hopes that increased economic pressure will eventually push Moscow into peace talks. Orban has called Trumps sanctions on Russia a mistake, arguing that the country is not ready to abruptly stop its reliance on Moscows oil due to economic circumstances. "Hungary is very dependent on Russian oil and gas, he said last month. And without them, energy prices will skyrocket, causing shortages in our supplies. Trump could be inclined to grant a carve-out for Orban, given his affinity for the populist leader who has seized control of numerous state agencies and tested the resilience of Hungarian democracy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People in and close to the Trump administration also point to Hungarys willingness to engage with Russia making it something of a pariah within NATO and the European Union and its interest in defending Western values as factors in Orbans favor. Administration officials, including Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, have voiced appreciation for Hungarys support of Trumps policies and Orbans efforts to be a mediator between Ukraine and Russia. Hungarian leaders have propped up Trump unequivocally, and former Trump officials have made clear that Hungary stands to be rewarded for their long-term support, with one prize being a potential peace summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest. Holding a summit in Budapest, which would be a prestige event for the Hungarians, and cast them in the role of peacemakers, it would be a benefit for them, and thus ideally incentivize other countries within Europe to tack closer to the administration's line, said Andrew Peek, Trumps former senior director for European and Russian affairs at the National Security Council. Specifically, Hungary has stood out against other European countries for its tough positions on immigration. Trump and Orbans relationship remained close during Trumps years in the political wilderness. When the president was out of office, the Hungarians and Orban talked about some of the injustices he was facing, which resonates rightfully with people in the White House, Peek said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once back in office, Trump has waged a fast and furious assault on the federal bureaucracy and made brazen moves expanding the governments reach into civil society through pressure campaigns against the media, universities and the private sector. His actions mirror Orbans in his country more than a decade earlier. And yet, Orban is making only his first visit to the White House some 10 months into the presidents term after a number of other European leaders have been there multiple times. This ideological affinity hasnt been all that beneficial to the Hungarians. They havent gotten much from this White House, said Jeremy Shapiro, research director at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Washington. Theres an oxymoron in that, yes, its an ideology they share, but the ideology is one of national selfishness, so even if youre aligned in the approach, the ideology says youre on your own. A White House official, granted anonymity to preview the meeting, said there would likely be several deliverables announced during the meeting deals on expanded trade, defense partnerships or possibly sociocultural endeavors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And while exempting Hungary from new sanctions on Russian oil would be exceedingly complex in practice, requiring new instructions from the Treasury Department and the willingness of financial institutions in Europe to accept them, Trump could still announce a change in policy without warning once he and Orban are seated face to face beside the Oval Office fireplace. The administrations love of Hungary has been on display at the highest levels of the State Department. Speaking at a Hungary Embassy event last month, Landau commended Hungary for continuing to have a relationship with Russia despite its history fighting communism under the Soviet Union. MAGA world beyond the West Wing has also celebrated Hungary as a model for the future of conservatism. Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said in a 2022 interview that modern Hungary is not just a model for conservative statecraft, but the model, while media personalities like Tucker Carlson have traveled to Budapest to cheer on the governments focus on keeping Hungary Christian by keeping out migrants and enacting pro-natalist policies. Orban has not extended the same welcome to Ukraine as other countries in Europe. He has been outspoken on vetoing any prospect of Ukraine ever joining the EU a project that would need unanimous consent by all EU member states. Hes said Ukraine should be in a strategic partnership with the EU, but not a member. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Landau also spoke about Hungarys values alignment with the U.S. and the role that plays in their relationship. I just want to thank Hungary again for its strong stewardship of Western values of our European heritage at a time when that is under attack, frankly by forces within Europe, no less, not even to mention the sources outside of Europe, Landau said at the embassy event commemorating Hungarys national day. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A man died on Tuesday after crashing into a semi-truck on Highway 97, Oregon State Police said. The crash took place just after 5:30 p.m. near milepost 43 in Sherman County. Investigators say Eric Barton, 66, was driving a Chevy Impala north on the highway when he crossed into the opposite lane and struck the southbound truck. Barton was declared dead at the scene. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) Nearly a full ton of garbage was removed from Melton Hill Lake on Thursday by a group of 40 volunteers. Volunteers from Knoxville Montessori School, the University of Tennessee, the Oak Ridge Power Squadron, the Melton Hill Lake Users Association and others removed 1,878 pounds of trash. Prior to the cleanup, the Oak Ridge Power Squadron presented Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful group with a check for $9,525. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Quality of life improvements: Recreation project funding awarded to East TN communities Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful, a nonprofit conservation chapter, has received a total of $167,085 from the Oak Ridge Power Squadron since last year. With a total of 183,273 pounds of trash removed from local waterways this year, Keep the Tennessee River Beautiful is on pace to meet its annual goal of 200,000 pounds removed for the second straight year. The cleanup was a part of CNNs international Call to Earth Day and took place during Tennessee Dept. of Transportations No Trash November initiative. 100th annual Knoxville Veterans Day parade honors those who served Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The energy at todays cleanup, the perfect weather, peak fall colors, breathtaking scenery of Melton Hill Lake, abundant wildlife sightings, and what the volunteers were able to accomplish in a few hours is testimony to why we do what we do and what we can accomplish with the strong support of partners like the Oak Ridge Power Squadron, said Kathleen Gibi, KTnRB Executive Director. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings NCLH delivered a year-over-year increase in third-quarter 2025 earnings and revenues, marked by strong demand trends and record bookings. The companys adjusted earnings per share surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate, reflecting stronger profitability. However, revenues came in slightly below expectations, partly due to some pricing mix effects as the company leaned more into family-driven itineraries and short Caribbean sailings. Norwegian Cruise reported an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.20, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.16. In the prior-year quarter, the company reported an adjusted earnings per share of $1.02. Quarterly revenues of $2.94 billion missed the consensus mark of $3.02 billion. The metric increased 4.7% year over year. Occupancy levels were a standout positive, rising to 106.4% and exceeding internal forecasts. This resulted in net yield growth and supported continued margin expansion. The momentum was fueled by broad-based consumer appetite for travel across all three of the companys brands: Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. One of the most notable highlights was the booking strength. The company reported its highest third-quarter booking volume in history, with bookings up more than 20% year over year. This trend carried into October, setting a strong foundation for upcoming quarters. The companys shift toward shorter, family-friendly Caribbean itineraries is beginning to gain traction, helping to drive repeat travel and onboard spending. Enhancements to Norwegian Cruises private island, Great Stirrup Cay, are also expected to play a growing role. The island is undergoing phased upgrades, including new leisure areas and water attractions, which are designed to enrich the guest experience and support premium pricing over time. From a financial standpoint, Norwegian Cruise generated its highest-ever quarterly adjusted EBITDA, showcasing effective cost management alongside demand recovery. Full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance was reaffirmed and adjusted EPS guidance was raised as the company maintains focus on margin gains and balance sheet improvement. Looking ahead, Norwegian Cruise remains optimistic. Strong forward demand, expanding product offerings and continued cost discipline position the company for sustained earnings growth as travel trends remain favorable. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Quote More than 800,000 Peloton exercise bikes are being recalled due to parts that can potentially break and cause injury. Peloton, the exercise media and equipment brand that exploded onto the scene in 2021, initiated the recall for certain bikes sold in the United States and Canada on Nov. 6, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Approximately 833,000 recalled bikes were sold in the United States, while an additional 44,800 were sold in Canada, according to Health Canada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The bikes' seat post assembly can break during use, posing a fall and injury hazard to the user, according to the recalls. As of Nov. 6, Peloton has received three reports of instances in the United States when a bike's seat post broke and caused injury. Here's what to know about the recall. Which Peloton bikes are recalled? Peloton is recalling 833,000 bikes for injury risk. Peloton Original Series Bike+ units with model number PL02 and serial numbers beginning with the letter T." The bikes are 4 feet long and 2 feet wide with an adjustable seat and handlebars. To check the serial number on your bike, look inside the front fork, behind the front fork or behind the flywheel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The recalled bikes were sold from January 2020 through April 2025 at Peloton and Dicks Sporting Goods stores nationwide, as well as online at onepeloton.com, eBay, Amazon and DicksSportingGoods.com for about $2,495. What to do if you have a recalled Peloton bike The issue can be fixed with an at-home repair. If you have a recalled bike, stop using it immediately and contact Peloton for a free seat post that can be self-installed. To contact Peloton, call 866-679-9129 from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.onepeloton.com and click on Product Recalls at the bottom of the page. There, you will find instructions for ordering the free replacement post and installing it. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Peloton recalls more than 800,000 bikes for injury risk. See issue. PANAMA CITY A local woman on Oct. 31 was sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with the death of a Holmes County man. Lois Merkel, 61, of Panama City, was facing trial in connection with a 2023 shooting death. She decided to enter an open plea (no plea bargain in place) to a charge of manslaughter with a firearm on Sept. 22. While his full name is not mentioned in the report, multiple news outlets have identified the victim as 44-year-old Steven Lamar Hall, from Chipley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Holmes County Sheriff's Office told multiple outlets that it received a call at 3:23 a.m. on May 29, 2023, from a woman who said she had accidentally shot a man while loading a firearm. HCSO arrived at the Holiday Inn Express Bonifay, where deputies found that Hall had sustained a gunshot wound to his leg. Hall was transported to Doctors Memorial Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Merkel told authorities that she had some kind of romantic entanglement with Hall, although an HCSO spokesperson said at press time that her story wasn't quite adding up. HCSO said in a release that Merkel was arrested at her home in Callaway on Feb. 7, 2024, on a warrant for second-degree murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Oct. 31 release from the State Attorney's Office says it was ready to present evidence that Merkel was married to another man but was having an affair and doing methamphetamine with Hall. Prosecutors said the two were in the hotel room together, arguing and doing drugs. "Texts from the victim earlier showed he was afraid Merkel was going to hurt him," reads the release. "Pictures he took secretly on his phone in the minutes leading up to his death showed Merkel appearing angry and pointing at him with one hand while hiding her other hand behind her back. Less than a minute after the last picture was taken, Hall was shot." The release also says the state had additional evidence that Merkel was angry with Hall, and that Hall had told others he was afraid she was going to hurt him. Prosecutors say she was standing over an open gun safe with her hand behind her back while arguing with him moments before the shot was fired. More on local court cases: 10 years in prison for fatal crash during Thunder Beach Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Merkel could have gone to prison for up to 30 years on the manslaughter charge, Circuit Court Judge Russell Roberts decided on 25 years after hearing from both sides. This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City woman gets 25 years in prison in shooting death The Great Plains Food Bank, which works with food pantries across North Dakota, prepared for a surge in demand after federal funding was disrupted in November. On Thursday, the state announced that partial benefits would begin flowing to some households enrolled in the federal program. (Photo courtesy of Great Plains Food Bank) The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services said some North Dakota residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will be able to access partial November benefits as early as Friday. Full benefits looked to be imminent after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday it would restore November SNAP funding to states by the end of the day. However, the Supreme Court later Friday blocked a lower courts order that the Trump administration pay for a full month of food benefits Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fridays developments came after a federal judge on Thursday directed the President Donald Trump administration to fully fund the program for November. The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services wasnt immediately available for comment Friday afternoon. The program started the month without funding due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. We know how important these benefits are to families and individuals across North Dakota, Interim Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Pat Traynor said in a Thursday evening announcement. Our team has been working diligently to update systems, recalculate benefits and ensure households receive their adjusted benefits as quickly as possible. The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services as of Thursday said it was distributing partial benefits to the roughly 28,000 North Dakota households on SNAP based on a formula set by the federal government that funds the program at 65%. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under that formula, some households would receive less than their typically monthly benefit and some would receive no funding, according to the agency. The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services acknowledged in the Thursday announcement that the formula could soon change given the judges recent court order. The agency said Thursday it was prepared to comply with any new federal guidance from the USDA pending the outcome of ongoing court proceedings and once systems are updated. North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong last week announced the state had granted $915,000 to the Great Plains Food Bank to address food insecurity amid the funding distribution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal government is now also fully funding the Women, Infants and Children program for November. North Dakota had previously planned to use $600,000 in Department of Health and Human Services general fund money to sustain the program through the month if no federal money was available. Information about food assistance is available at hhs.nd.gov or greatplainsfoodbank.org. People can call the Health and Human Services Department for help at 701-328-1000. North Dakota has created a website for government shutdown resources at ndresponse.gov/shutdownresources. Editors note: This story was updated Friday with additional information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and again with information about the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. North Dakota Monitor reporter Mary Steurer can be reached at msteurer@northdakotamonitor.com. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Michigan is in for a rainy and snowy weekend, marking the first measurable snowfall with some areas getting plenty to measure. "Winter arrives for much of the U.P. this weekend as the coldest air so far this season brings lake effect snow showers to north and northwest wind snow belts," the National Weather Service in Marquette said on X on Nov. 7. "Localized heavier snowfall is possible Saturday/Sunday where dominant lake effect snow bands set up." Snow is expected statewide beginning on Saturday, Nov. 8. The central UP is forecast to see the heaviest snow accumulation, according to the NWS Probabilistic Precipitation Portal, from Nov. 7-10. Munising is expected to receive 5-7 inches of snow and up to 15 inches. Surrounding areas, including Marquette, are forecast to get 3-8 inches of lake-effect snow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Munising area received 257.1 inches of snow from Sept. 1, 2024, to June 1, 2025. In the Lower Peninsula, the heaviest snow will fall along Lake Michigan's shoreline due to lake effect, with Ludington getting 3-6 inches and St. Joseph in the 2- to 8-inch range. "Our first accumulating snow chances arrive this weekend as cold air ushers in lake effect snow showers on Saturday (Nov. 8). Best snow chances appear to be Saturday night through Sunday (Nov. 9), especially near the Lake Michigan and Huron shorelines. Stay tuned to the latest forecast for updates," the NWS in Gaylord said on X on Nov. 7. Lighter snow is forecast for central, eastern and southeast Michigan, with Detroit receiving the least about 1 inch of accumulation. Snowfall forecast for Michigan from Friday, Nov. 7 through Monday, Nov. 10. Lighter blue indicates a lighter snow accumulation of 1-2 inches. Darker blue means heavier snow, 3-4 inches, and yellow-orange means 6-8 inches. Temperatures are also expected to drop this weekend as the cold front sweeps through. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the Lower Peninsula, highs will range in the 30s-40s, then drop to 20s-30s at night. Gaylord is expected to see the coldest low of 18 degrees on Sunday, Nov. 9. In the Upper Peninsula, highs will be in the 20s-30s, with lows in the 20s and teens. Ironwood is forecast to see a low of 18 degrees on Nov. 9. Snowfall is expected to linger into early next week through Veterans Day, Tuesday, Nov. 11. Here's the National Weather Forecast for cities around Michigan this weekend: Is it going to snow in Detroit this weekend? Detroit is likely to get about 1 inch of snow by Monday. Here's the forecast for Detroit: Nov. 8: Increasing clouds, with a high near 48. At night, rain mainly after 1 a.m. Low around 35. Nov. 9: Rain likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Gusts as high as 22 mph. At night, rain and snow before 10 p.m., then snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 27. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More weather: Could a blizzard hit Michigan this winter? Some key weather factors already in place When will it snow in Lansing? Lansing is expected to see 1-4 inches of snow this weekend by Monday. Here's the forecast for Lansing: Nov. 8: Rain after 1 p.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 45. At night, rain showers likely before 10 p.m., then snow showers likely, possibly mixed with rain. Cloudy, with a low around 31. Nov. 9: Rain and snow showers before 4 p.m., then a chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. At night, more snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 22. Is it expected to snow in Grand Rapids? Grand Rapids will see about 1.9 inches of snow, but could get up to 5. Here's the forecast for Grand Rapids: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nov. 8: Showers after 1 p.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 45. At night, rain showers before 10 p.m., then rain and snow. Low around 31. Nov. 9: Rain and snow showers likely, becoming all snow after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. At night, snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. What will the weather be like in southwest Michigan? Coldwater will get 1-3 inches of snow. Here's the forecast for Coldwater: Nov. 8: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 48. At night, rain before 1 a.m. then rain and snow. Low around 31. Nov. 9: Snow possibly mixed with rain before 4 p.m., then a chance of snow. High near 40. At night, snow likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Kalamazoo will get 1-5 inches of snow by Monday. Here's the forecast for Kalamazoo: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nov. 8: Rain after 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. At night, rain before 1 a.m., then rain and snow. Low around 30. Nov. 9: Snow likely possibly mixed with rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. At night, snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21. Benton Harbor is forecast to see about 2 inches of snow, but could get up to 11 inches. Here's the forecast for St. Joseph and Benton Harbor: Nov. 8: Rain mainly after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 49. At night, more rain with a low around 34. Nov. 9: Rain before 4 p.m., then rain and snow. High near 42. At night, rain and snow becoming all snow after 10 p.m. Low around 28. How much snow will northern Michigan get this weekend? Gaylord will receive 1-3 inches of snow. Here's the forecast for Gaylord: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nov. 8: Partly sunny, with a high near 36. At night, snow likely mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Nov. 9: Snow showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. At night, snow likely mainly before 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Traverse City could get 3-10 inches of snow. About 6.5 inches is expected closer to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Here's the forecast for Traverse City: Nov. 8: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. At night, snow possibly mixed with rain, becoming all snow after 1 a.m. Low around 29. Nov. 9: Snow expected. High near 38. At night, more snow with a low around 24. Alpena will get 1-5 inches of snow. Here's the forecast for Alpena: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nov. 8: Partly sunny, with a high near 38. At night, snow likely, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Nov. 9: Snow likely, mainly before 1 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36. At night, snow expected. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Where will it snow in the Upper Peninsula this weekend? The weather service says Marquette could get 3 to 11 inches of snow by Monday. Here's the forecast for Marquette: Nov. 8: Snow expected, mainly after 1 p.m. Increasing clouds, with a high near 37. At night, Snow likely. 20 mph wind gusts. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 26. Nov. 9: Snow showers. High near 34. 25 mph wind gusts. At night, more snow with a low around 26. The NWS said Sault Ste. Marie could receive up to 7 inches of snow by Monday. Here's the forecast for Sault Ste. Marie: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nov. 8: Isolated snow showers after 4 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. At night, snow likely, mainly between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Nov. 9: Snow likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 34. At night, more snow with a low around 21. The forecast for Ironwood calls for 4-11 inches of snow. Here's the forecast for Ironwood: Nov. 8: Snow mainly after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. At night, more snow expected with a low around 18. Nov. 9: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. At night, more snow likely with a low around 19. Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: West Michigan, UP to see heavy snow in places. What we know CANTON BOROUGH, Pa. (WETM) An inmate currently residing in the Bradford County Correctional Facility was sentenced to time in state prison after officials said he was found guilty on 50 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material. Robert L. Pillot Jr., 50, was sentenced to an overall minimum of 25 years in state prison to a maximum of 50 years for his conviction on 50 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material, according to a release from the Bradford County District Attorneys Office. Lockwood man sentenced for burglary in Bradford County Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pillot Jr.s sentencing stems from an arrest in April 2025 following a child predator sting in Bradford County. During the sting, officials were able to prove that Pillot Jr. possessed images depicting child sexual abuse material while living at a residence on North Washington Street in Canton Borough, the DA said. Five other men were also arrested as a result of the operation, according to previous reports. Further, Pillot Jr. was found guilty of a similar offense in Lycoming County in 2013, noted Bradford County District Attorney Richard Wilson. For that reason, this significant sentence is important, both to punish Pillot, but also to show others in the community that this type of behavior will not be tolerated here in Bradford County, exclaimed DA Wilson. This conviction likely results in Pillot never being released from state prison for the rest of his lifetime, DA Wilson stated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. DODGE COUNTY, Wis. (WFRV) A 19-year-old woman from De Pere was arrested after multiple pursuits that spanned three northeast Wisconsin counties and involved two different vehicles. Deputies with the Dodge County Sheriffs Office detailed the multiple pursuits that began around 1:45 p.m. on November 6 by a Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper in Winnebago County. That initial pursuit was followed by an active pursuit by the Fond du Lac County Sheriffs Office just north of the Dodge County line. When those deputies lost sight of the suspect vehicle, the chase was terminated. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Former band director accused of child porn possession back in court Shortly after, the suspect vehicle was reported to be in the Juneau area heading toward Beaver Dam on County Highway W. Another pursuit began with law enforcement from the Beaver Dam Police Department and continued through the city. However, the vehicle once again evaded officers, ending the chase. Deputies noted that during the chase in Beaver Dam, the driver allegedly almost hit a Dodge County Sheriffs Detective while trying to avoid stop sticks. Isabella Bomske, 19 (Dodge County Sheriffs Office) Numerous squads were then placed around the area, and the vehicle was tracked in the Reeseville area. Multiple Reeseville residents were able to provide information on the vehicles whereabouts, leading deputies to a nearby field. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was noted that while in the area, the suspects ran out into a field and got into a second vehicle. Shortly after, authorities stopped that vehicle and took the suspects into custody. Police offer $25k for info leading to arrest of Wisconsin homicide suspect accused of shooting children for no reason The driver was identified as 19-year-old Isabella Bomske of De Pere. Bomske was arrested for reckless endangerment of safety and criminal operating without a valid drivers license, deputies say. She could also face charges from the other jurisdictions involved in the multiple pursuits. We are thankful that Bomske is off the roadway after endangering the safety of citizens in three counties. A reminder to all persons who consider fleeing law enforcement that if you flee from law enforcement, particularly in Dodge County, you will be held accountable. In addition, when you knowingly endanger a law enforcement officer or member of the public by driving at or near them in an effort to evade, it will certainly enhance the resolve of the sheriffs office to hold you accountable for the crime of recklessly endangering safety. Dodge County Sheriffs Office The incident remains under investigation. Deputies also thanked the citizens who helped to find Bomske during the pursuit. 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. Former Vice President Dick Cheney died last Tuesday at the age of 84. He was disliked by a majority of the public both during and after his vice presidency, including most Democrats and a large section of Republicans. That ire came for multiple reasons, one of which is because he stood up to the mob, when others would rather pander. Some were frustrated at the perception he was a warmonger who promoted unwise policies after 9/11. Others disliked him because they claimed he was a fierce partisan who didnt always follow polite pieties. Still others disliked him because, despite being a longtime conservative Republican stalwart, he supported Kamala Harris for president, calling Donald Trump a coward for refusing to be honest about his defeat in 2020. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There is no doubt that each of these stances earned him enemies. But none fully explain the ire directed at Cheney. For instance, even people who defend the Iraq War admit major failings with post-9/11 actions Cheny was involved in, and the collapse of Afghanistan in 2021 has caused many to question the last 25 years of American foreign policy. But President George W. Bush held more-or-less the same positions, and while hes taken his lumps, hes now viewed more positively than negatively. And if we take off partisan blinders, its worth noting that most of the positions held by Cheney after 9/11, including on the Iraq War, were also held by Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Joe Biden. As the Wall Street Journal recently pointed out, Cheneys unique contribution was helping save Iraq vis a vis the surge when others who had supported the war wanted to shirk responsibility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One common response is to paint Cheney as some sort of Rasputin-like character, cynically manipulating the powers that be. According to this narrative, Cheney was really to blame, even if others did the deed. This, too, has the semblance of a real argument. Cheney was, undoubtedly, one of the most experienced people in government ever to hold high office. Starting in 1966, hed been a congressional aid, a Nixon Administration official, President Gerald Fords chief of staff, minority whip in the U.S. House of Representatives, and secretary of defense before becoming vice president in 2001. When Cheney became vice president, Bush was still green as a national leader. While partisan Democrats liked to paint George W. Bush as stupid and easily manipulated, no learned person sincerely believes that now. As Stanford lecturer Keith Hennessy, an accomplished economist who worked in the Bush White House for six years, told his students: President Bush is smarter than almost every one of you. And how could one sincerely believe that Cheney could manipulate both Bush and his most fierce critics, like Kerry, Clinton and Biden, at the same time, with very little formal power? Cheney was often seen as fiercely partisan. This is partly true. You dont get to be the Republican whip in Congress without knowing how to throw partisan punches. But there is other evidence that challenges this stereotype. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For instance, Cheney, and the wider Bush team, took active steps in 2006 to ensure his former vice presidential rival, Joe Lieberman, remained in the Senate as an independent Democrat, because he viewed Liebermans support on key national security matters as more important than partisanship. Likewise, his support for Kamala Harris in 2024 showed he was willing to put what he saw as best for his country over party. Cheney also took a stance on gay marriage all the way back to 2004, well before any national Democrat held that position openly, that was unpopular at the time. Since President Bush was on the opposite side, and most gay marriage supporters were Democrats, it became easy to forget Cheneys stance. Cheney believed in the post-World War II order where America was preeminent over its foes, and that freedom and democracy at home was worthwhile for its own sake. He subsequently helped safeguard the international order he supported. The Republican Party, which he believed best articulated those views at the time, was treated by Cheney as a vehicle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When he saw threats to freedom, at home or abroad, he acted accordingly, even when others didnt see the threat or articulate it as he did. Cheney stuck by these beliefs, to his personal political detriment, but not to the detriment of the causes he championed. Indeed, a better reading of the situation is that Cheneys critics dislike him because he was unapologetic about his stances, controversial as they may be, and he fought effectively for them. Cheney never gave his critics the satisfaction of watching him retreat from stances he believed to be right, and they loathed him for it. Cheney believed he was promoting the best interests of his country, and was much less concerned about the shorter-term, personal ramifications. This stands in contrast to most politicians, and most national leaders today. Most senior officials in the Trump Administration, most notably the president himself, zigzag wildly on issues with no clear north star beyond their own immediate political interests, with a lot of senior Congressional leaders following suit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, the Democrats pander to increasingly fringe segments of society on divisive identity politics. Harris lost, in significant part, because she struggled to pivot away from fringe positions shed held just a few years earlier, like supporting taxpayer funded sex reassignment surgery for illegal immigrants. Cheneys position on Trump further clarifies what drove him. By supporting Harris, the former vice president won few friends. Already loathed by the left, supporting Harris changed few Democratic minds. Indeed, it became a common (and silly) complaint on the hard left that Harris lost because she spent too much time campaigning with Cheneys daughter Liz, who shared her fathers opinion on Trumps threat to democracy. But Cheneys stance did further alienate the party hed spent his life serving. To many younger Republicans, the Cheney name now amounts to a cuss word. But most politicians, on all sides, are far less willing to take personal or political risks for their beliefs when they prove unpopular. And yet approval ratings for Congress, for President Trump and senior Democrats all remain poor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What Cheney showed is that politics ebbs and flows. Sometimes unpopularity is inevitable. Better to stand by your convictions, and make a difference, than pander in a likely vain attempt to stay marginally more popular. We should want more people like Cheney boldly defending their views in public life and not pandering to the latest whim. Doing so takes guts. And guts is something Cheney had. Big time. Peru has declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum a persona non grata who is unable to enter the country, days after severing ties with Mexico amid an escalating diplomatic dispute. Perus Congress voted 63 to 34 on Thursday in favour of symbolically barring Sheinbaum from the country after her government granted asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, after she fled to the Mexican embassy in Perus capital Lima. The designation of persona non grata is typically reserved for foreign diplomats and compels them to leave a host country, and is seen as a rebuke to their government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President of Perus Congress Fernando Rospigliosi said the move was a show of support for the government and its decision to break off relations with Mexico, according to Mexicos El Pais newspaper. During a debate on Thursday, Ernesto Bustamante, an MP who sits on Perus Congressional Foreign Relations Committee, also accused Sheinbaum of having ties to drug traffickers. We cannot allow someone like that, who is in cahoots with drug traffickers and who distracts her people from the real problems they should be addressing, to get involved in Peruvian affairs, Bustamante said, according to El Pais. Chavez, who is on trial for her participation in an alleged 2022 coup attempt, earlier this week fled to the Mexican embassy in Lima, where she was granted political asylum. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perus Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela called the decision by Mexico City an unfriendly act that interfered in the internal affairs of Peru. Mexicos Ministry of Foreign Affairs has maintained that it was acting in accordance with international law, and the move in no way constitutes an intervention in Perus internal affairs. Lima has yet to offer safe passage for Chavez to leave the embassy and travel to Mexico. Chavez, a former culture minister, briefly served as prime minister to President Pedro Castillo from late November to December 2022. Charges against the former minister stem from an attempt by President Castillo in December 2022 to dissolve the Peruvian Congress before he was quickly impeached and arrested. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chavez, who faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty, has denied involvement in the scheme. She was detained from June 2023 until September of this year, and then released on bail while facing trial. Earlier on Friday morning, Tomer-Yerushalmi was released to 10 days of house arrest and forbidden from contacting others involved in the Sde Teiman case. Civilians did find former military advocate-general Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmis phone at Cliff Beach in Tel Aviv, the police confirmed on Friday. The cellphone was handed over to officers who arrived at the scene. The device had disappeared five days earlier, when Tomer-Yerushalmi went missing on the beach shortly after she resigned from her post, admitting to leaking a classified video to the press last year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The device was found, police are on their way to the attorney-general, MK Yitzhak Kreuzer (Otzma Yehudit) posted to X/Twitter following the discovery. Ex-MAG released to house arrest, banned from contacted others involved in case Earlier on Friday, Tomer-Yerushalmi was released to 10 days of house arrest and forbidden from contacting others involved in the Sde Teiman abuse case, in the framework of which the video was leaked. Additionally, the former top IDF attorney was asked to make herself available to the Israel Police whenever required and to obtain the polices permission before leaving her home to meet with her legal team. The judge denied the presss request to photograph Tomer-Yerushalmi during her hearing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The identity of the defendant is known. I understand the importance of media coverage, but there is no reason a photo of the suspect in court needs to be publicized. Tomer-Yerushalmi reportedly provided the access code to unlock her cellphone during her police interrogation, according to public broadcaster KAN. HONOLULU (KHON2) The hum of downtown Honolulu will soon get a taste of Seoul. CU, one of South Koreas largest convenience store chains, is opening its first United States location in Hawaii to mark a new era for local shoppers and food lovers alike. Instacart offers 50% off groceries through November for SNAP participants The store at 1088 Bishop Street, inside the Executive Centre, will open next week, with its grand opening and blessing ceremony scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 12 at noon. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Downtown Honolulu is the perfect place for us to open our first CU Hawaii, said Robert Kurisu, CEO of CU Hawaii LLC. The store will offer fresh grab-and-go food, customizable beverages, a wide range of popular instant ramen, and many other unique Korean and local products for people working, living and visiting downtown. 1 year on, Shiges Saimin Stand still makes the best burgers A new kind of convenience Gina Haverly, president of CU Hawaii, called the Nov. 6 soft launch a special day for some of our special vendors and friends and family. For Haverly, this opening marks a moment of pride and progress. Its not only about a new store but about making history in the islands. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were gearing up to open our first CU store, not just in Hawaii, but in the United States, Haverly said. CUs reach in Asia is staggering, with more than 18,000 stores in South Korea and 680 more in Mongolia, Malaysia and Kazakhstan. The Honolulu store will be the first step in expanding across Oahu and beyond. After years of planning, CU Hawaiis debut in downtown Honolulu is only the beginning. Haverly said the companys vision reaches far beyond Bishop Street. We are looking to open so many stores starting on the island of Oahu, potentially throughout the while, she said. Authentic flavors meet local taste Haverly explained that CUs food program aims to stay true to its Korean roots while still honoring Hawaiis diverse tastes. She said the stores mission is to deliver real Korean flavors to the islands without compromise. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We havent adjusted the recipes to the local palate, she said. What weve done instead for our local palate is we created a line called Hoina. The Hoina line, developed with local celebrity chef Sheldon Simeon, will feature dishes tailored for Hawaii. Hes helped us create our local recipes, Haverly said. So, CU Korea authentic recipes for you to line up, me for the local palate. Alongside that menu will be CUs signature Korean foods like gimbap, musubi, and bento, along with ramen and udon cooking stations where customers can heat and eat on site. We also have cookers in our store so you can cook your ramen and your tapioca and all of that here, she said. Community and opportunity Haverly said the new Honolulu store is already creating local jobs, with about 20 employees hired and more positions to fill as CU expands across Oahu. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Were interviewing and hiring for store managers, assistant store managers, leads and sales, she said. So come see us. We have awesome benefits, too. To mark the grand opening, CU plans to thank its first customers with a little extra excitement and appreciation. On our grand opening day, we have these awesome swag bags that were giving out to the first 100 purchasers, Haverly said. As Hawaii becomes CUs fourth overseas market, the convenience store giant is bringing with it a modern design, Korean national brands and private-label items, along with local partnerships that celebrate the islands mix of flavors and people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Haverly described the launch as a moment shaped by collaboration and gratitude as she reflected on the many hands that helped make CU Hawaii a reality. We have our special vendors, partners who really helped us bring this together, she said. And we have obviously really great friends in the media coming to visit us today. The CU Hawaii story begins in Honolulu next week, but for Haverly, the work of blending Korean innovation with Hawaii spirit has only just begun. Outside store front at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Bishop Street on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Kalbi and kimchee prepared food at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Gina Haverly,. president of CU Hawaii, at the CU family day soft opening in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Prepared food selections at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kimchee musubi at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Rapokki at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. plushy offerings at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Wall of ramen selections at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The make your own ramen station ramen selections at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. The make your own ramen station at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Ramen made at the make your own ramen station at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Person eating ramen at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hot prepared foods at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Meal prep selections at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Shoppers and employees enjoy family day at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Beverages and a wrap being purchased at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hoina selections at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Grab n Go selections at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Hot prepared food selections at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Musubi selections at CU in downtown Honolulu, Hawaii on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kurisu said CU Hawaiis menu reflects both the global appeal of Korean cuisine and the companys commitment to authenticity. We know that Korean culture, trends and food are very popular, he said. We worked diligently to ensure we are offering the same great CU Korean fresh food and snacks with authentic Korean flavors. He added that the company also aims to celebrate Hawaiis local identity while introducing new flavors from across Asia. We also wanted to honor what is unique about our local culture and palates, which can be found in our own Hoina brand foods, Kurisu said. And as we expand, we want to ensure that we are delighting our customers with unique local and Asia-inspired treats, foods and snacks, along with new items and recipes that will be added frequently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2. (Reuters) -The Dutch government is ready to shelve the order that gave it power to block or change key corporate decisions at chipmaker Nexperia if China resumes exports of critical chips, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Nexperia did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Dutch economy minister Vincent Karremans said on Thursday he believes computer chips made by Nexperia will reach customers in Europe and the rest of the world in the coming days. He added that the Netherlands would "support these developments, and will take the appropriate steps on our part where necessary." A spokesperson for Karremans' office said on Friday that the Dutch government would not comment on whether that would include ending the intervention, which gave the government veto rights over corporate decisions for one year from September 30. The Bloomberg report said Dutch authorities are willing to suspend the ministerial order as soon as next week, if the shipment of supplies resumes and is verified in the coming days. A shortage of Nexperia chips following a dispute with China over ownership and control of the Dutch company has disrupted auto supply chains, hit production and caused some buyers to furlough staff. The chips are also widely used in industrial, computing, mobile and consumer products. (Reporting by Dheeraj Kumar in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; Editing by Janane Venkatraman and Joe Bavier) After five attempts, a local school bond is passing. As of Thursday afternoon, the Pierce County Elections Office says the Orting School Bond has 3,715 (64%) yes votes and 2,031 (35%) no votes. In order to pass in Washington state, a bond needs: A 60% supermajority A total turnout threshold equivalent to 40% of the last election. Kyle Haugh, the elections supervisor for the Pierce County Elections Office, told The News Tribune the bond needs 4,242 total votes in order to meet that turnout threshold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are currently 5,746 votes in total, with about 1,500 left to count across the county. The next round of results will drop at 4 p.m. on Monday, and results will be certified on Nov. 25. Orting Elementary School and Orting High School currently share a 40-acre campus. If passed, the bond will build a new Orting Elementary School on 65 acres of land the district owns adjacent to the high school, allowing the high school to take over both current buildings. The bond will also build a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) wing for the high school, giving students about 20 seats in classes like welding and culinary studies. This was the districts fifth attempt to pass the bond since 2023. The bond is $137 million, down from previous attempts to pass the bond. Ed Hatzenbeler, superintendent for the school district, previously told The News Tribune that they made the bond cheaper by cutting HVAC improvements, safety and security measures for other schools and a gym and cafeteria expansion at Ptarmigan Ridge Elementary School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Voters in the school district which covers 45 miles across Orting and areas near Puyallup, Graham, and Bonney Lake, including part of the master-planned Sunrise Community in South Hill already pay $1.98 per $1,000 of assessed property value each year in levies. Levies go towards things that arent fully funded by the state such as extracurriculars and transportation. This bond will add an extra $1.27 per $1,000, meaning taxpayers will pay $3.25 per $1,000 in property taxes to the district each year. A home worth $500,000 will require the owner to pay the district about $1,820 each year. If the bond failed, theyd pay $711 less. We are grateful to our community for recognizing the importance of investing in safe and modern learning environments for our students, Brittany Piger, spokesperson for the school district, said in an email to The News Tribune. These early results reflect a shared commitment to ensuring Orting schools can continue to grow and meet the needs of our students now and into the future. Hatzenbeler and Orting High School principal Matt Carlson previously spoke to The News Tribune in October about the overcrowding the schools are dealing with. Most of Orting High School was built in the 1980s, for 350 students and now the population is more than double capacity at 900. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elementary principal Connie Halvorson-Tran previously told The News Tribune that over half of the students are in portable classrooms each day. At Orting High School, the portables outweigh the regular classrooms 22 to 15. The overcrowding has also led to brutal lunch and bathroom lines. We have 100 kids that eat lunch out of our cafeteria in the hallway, or in picnic tables out front, Matt Carlson, principal of Orting High School, told The News Tribune in October. We have kids sitting on ramps and stairs eating lunch. Carlson also said the bathroom situation at the high school is so dire, he would have had to create a port-a-potty city by the portables to keep up with demand, if the bond didnt pass. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Residents can view other Pierce County election updates on The News Tribunes live results page. Editors note: This article has been updated to include a statement from Brittany Piger, spokesperson for the Orting School District. Nov. 6When a UPS plane burst into flames shortly after takeoff at a Louisville, Kentucky, airport Tuesday, it left at least 13 people dead and families across the nation mourning. Lee Truitt, one of three pilots onboard, was an Albuquerque native and University of New Mexico graduate, earning a bachelor's degree in 2006 in Spanish language and literature. The 45-year-old had worked for UPS for four years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also listed himself as a public radio volunteer at KUNM and is listed on the radio station's website as "host" of the Freeform program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Truitt occasionally DJ'd for the radio station starting in 2022, according to operations manager Steven Emmons. "He had a wide knowledge of music and he brought it to the airwaves on afternoons a few times," Emmons said. "He was just a really nice guy and very passionate about a lot of different types of music. The last show he did was very guitar player-centric and he was into electronic music, like techno." Emmons said Truitt didn't regularly DJ at KUNM because he had a demanding work schedule as a pilot. Two other UPS pilots, Capt. Richard Wartenberg and International Relief Officer Capt. Dana Diamond, also died in the crash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cause of the crash is still unknown and the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating. Truitt's family did not respond to calls for comment Thursday but gave the number to an attorney in Albuquerque. The attorney did not respond to calls for comment. UPS did not respond to calls or emails with additional questions. Those killed in the crash also included one child, The Associated Press reported. Nine people remain unaccounted for, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said at a news conference Thursday. The official number of victims is unclear and authorities in Louisville said it would take time for the death toll to be finalized. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The plane departed the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport around 5:15 p.m. The flight's destination was Honolulu, Hawaii, according to a news release from UPS. Video from the crash showed the plane's left wing erupt in flames as the plane left a trail of smoke behind it. Shortly after, video from a separate camera showed the plane slam into a business, leaving a large explosion in its wake. "Our hearts go out to every UPSer who has been impacted and all in our Louisville community supporting you and ensuring you receive the care and resources you need is our priority," said Nando Cesarone, UPS executive vice president, in a statement Thursday. "This continues to be an incredibly sad time for our entire UPS family, and as our CEO, Carol Tome reminded us: 'United, we are strong.'" Preliminary flight data showed that at the last reporting time, the plane was at 475 feet of altitude before it crashed, NTSB board member Todd Inman said during a news conference Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We found multiple pieces of engine fan blades, along with the main component of the engine... which is on the left side of the aircraft," Inman said. "Yesterday we had recovered the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder." Inman said the MD-11 plane had previously been in San Antonio, Texas, for maintenance work for roughly six weeks. Pirates off the coast of Somalia have successfully hijacked a commercial vessel for the first time in 18 months, raising fears of a resurgence in armed attacks. The Malta-flagged Hellas Aphrodite, carrying gasoline from South Africa to India, was boarded this week following multiple pirate attacks, according to its owner, Latsco Marine Management Inc. EU Naval forces reached the vessel on Friday, confirming all crew members were safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This incident follows the hijacking of the Liberian-flagged Basilisk in May 2024, approximately 380 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, which marked the last time pirates boarded a ship. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre also reported a close call on Friday, where another vessel successfully outran a pirate attack in the area. Experts suggest Thursdays seizure could herald further assaults, attributing the changing conditions along the coast to a redistribution of naval forces and a weakened government in Mogadishu, which is battling armed groups offshore. Pirates off the coasts of Somalia have hijacked a commercial vessel for the first time in 18 months, (AP) What we are seeing is also increasing reports of pirate groups hijacking vessels and recruiting new pirates, as well as arming themselves, Timothy Walker, a senior maritime researcher at the Institute of Security Studies, told The Associated Press. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Those were major signs that attacks were likely, with the fact that there was less deterrence than before, and some have taken the chance and succeeded with some of the attacks. Here is what to know about the pirates and their impact on maritime commerce and security: Through the 1980s, Somalia experienced a brutal civil war that briefly stopped in 1991. The war, which arose from opposition to the Siad Barre-led military junta, fractured the East African nation to this day, with several armed groups controlling parts of the country. The war led to the disbandment of the Somali Navy, leaving the countrys territorial waters undefended. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Foreign vessels took advantage of the opportunity to dump industrial waste off the Somali coast. Local fishermen banded together to protect their waters, evolving into armed attacks which escalated in the early 2000s, involving kidnappings of crew members until ship owners paid ransoms. Somali pirates guard hostages on board the Hong Kong tanker FV Tian Yu 8, which was carrying wheat to Iran before it was seized in the Gulf of Aden (EPA) Incidence of piracy peaked in 2011 with a high of 243 hijacks, but has since then decreased. While there are no definite figures on how much has been paid in ransom to the pirates, UN agencies say the pirates have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. In April 2024, $5 million was paid by Bangladeshi owners SR Shipping Lines to release MV Abdullah. The presence of the pirates in Somalia, which lies along key nerves of global maritime shipping routes, constitutes a severe threat to the global economy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Military authorities and international agencies have attempted to counter piracy for decades, but the vastness of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden make the region difficult for military ships to patrol. Somali pirates have the capacity to operate about 1,000 kilometers from shore by using mother ships a large ship on which smaller vessels like skiffs can be launched to reach deep waters. This allows them to operate away from the less patrolled coast. They usually confront a vessel with heavy ammunition to slow it down. Once a vessel has been boarded with light ladders, pirates typically move the vessel towards Somalia and hold it for ransom. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Analysts say that coastal patrolling has been neglected because Somalia, a war-torn country with a fractured government, has shifted its attention to battling internal armed groups. The presence of the pirates in Somalia, which lies along key nerves of global maritime shipping routes, constitutes a severe threat to the global economy (AP) That is why you can have as much protection at sea, but if you are not preventing pirates from forming groups offshore and launching attacks, you are not really able to stem the problem. You are only dealing with the symptom, Walker said. In 2003 a UN Security Council resolution created the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia to document violations of an arms embargo on Somalia, but its scope has since broadened to include piracy. Coalitions including the European Naval Force Somalia and the Standing Group of NATO have sought to tackle the issue, and several national and regional initiatives have also been developed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last year Turkey and Somalia signed a 10-year deal on defense and economic cooperation, which included combating piracy. Under the deal, the Turkish Navy will help in building, training, and equipping a Somali naval force and conduct joint operations to protect Somali waters. Pirates trace their history to civil war in SomaliaThe pirates have been hard to track and stop Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Corey OConnor met with current mayor Ed Gainey today. OConnor shared a picture on social media of the two shaking hands with the caption: Im grateful to have had the opportunity to sit down with Mayor Gainey today to discuss a smooth transition between administrations and our shared dedication to the people of Pittsburgh. OConnor is wasting no time putting together his administration. He appointed Dan Gilman his chief of staff. Gilman held the same role for former mayor Bill Peduto. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED COVERAGE >>> Pittsburgh Mayor-Elect Corey OConnor announces choices for chief of staff, public safety director OConnor also nominated Sheldon Williams as the director of public safety. Williams was a member of Pittsburghs SWAT team and has experience in the military and medical services. Meanwhile, 11 Investigates also obtained an email from Public Safety Director Lee Schmidt saying he will be transitioning out of his role. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW A man has been arrested in connection to a Westwood shooting that killed 18-year-old Khyreece Roberson, according to a news release from Cincinnati police. With help from the Columbus Police Department, the Cincinnati Police Department arrested Franklin France, 31, on an open murder warrant Nov. 7 in Columbus. His exact charges are unclear at this time. The shooting happened in the 2800 block of Westknolls Lane around 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, according to the news release. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cincinnati Fire Department officials attempted life-saving measures on Roberson, but he died on the scene. Anyone with information about this homicide is asked to call the Cincinnati Police Department Homicide Unit at 513-352-3542, or Crime Stoppers at 513-352-3040. This story may be updated. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man arrested after Westwood shooting killed Khyreece Roberson Police on Long Island say they busted a drug operation, that stretched across the east end to the Bronx, that had enough fentanyl to kill 1.5 million people who live in Suffolk County The massive eight-month drug investigation yielded six different arrests in separate takedowns last week. Just about every arm of law enforcement was involved, from local police in the communities of Riverhead, Southampton and Southold, to the Suffolk County Police and district attorney, to the NYPD and the feds, because the supply chain was far reaching. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We believe that these drugs that ended up here on Long Island are coming from the Mexican cartels," said Frank Tarentino of the DEA New York Division. What they recovered were narcotics, including heroin, cocaine and a trove of pills laced with deadly fentanyl. Plus, at the home of Miguel Torres in Wyandanch, at least three kilos of suspected fentanyl were found. "That's enough fentanyl to kill all 1.5 million residents of Suffolk County," said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. Torres was found sleeping in his bedroom with a loaded handgun. In fact, police say they seized severalillegal weapons, high-capacity magazines and military-style ammo as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There's always violence associated with drugs, and to argue that it's not, is either a misinformed interpretation, or just plain stupidity," Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Kevin Catalina. Investigators tracked the drugs from the Bronx to the suspects in Western Suffolk allegedly dealing from Bay Shore, Lindenhurst, West Islip and Wyandanch. But the drug trade reached all the way out to the east end, with highly addictive pills often billed as oxycodone but laced with fentanyl, and it's being purchased more easily than ever. "Counterfeit pills can be sold over social media, paid for with cash apps, and delivered straight to your doorstep from the screens to the streets, just one pill can kill," Tarentino said. So, the East End Task Force is promising to continue its work, with the hope that overdose deaths on Long Island will continue to drop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ---------- * 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. AUSTIN (KXAN) The Austin Police Department asked for the publics help to find a suspect wanted in connection with a robbery that happened at a north Austin H-E-B in October. Shortly before 4 p.m., Oct. 23, the robbery happened after the alleged suspect attempted to steal merchandise from the grocery store, located at 12407 N. Mopac Service Road northbound, per a news release from APD. A victim confronted the suspect, and the suspect subsequently assaulted the victim, police said. Austin police seek public help to find a suspect connected with a robbery that happened at a north Austin H-E-B on Oct. 23, 2025 (APD Photo) Suspect vehicle connected with Oct. 23, 2025 H-E-B- robbery (Austin Police Department Photo) APD provided a description of the suspect below: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black woman 30 years of age 52 tall Bald Heavy build According to police, the suspect was last seen wearing a black T-shirt, blue shorts and light green running shoes. Additionally, police provided a suspect vehicle and believe it is a Toyota that is black in color. Anyone with any information on the case can contact APDs Robbery Unit at 512-974-5092. An anonymous tip can also be submitted via the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program or by calling 512-472-8477. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. By Joshua McElwee VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo's recent criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies are emboldening Catholic efforts to help immigrants caught up in the administration's hardline crackdown, senior U.S. Church leaders say. After Leo called on Tuesday for "deep reflection" in the U.S. about the administration's treatment of immigrants, several top bishops as well as the country's main network of Catholic nuns and its national charity federation told Reuters they would step up their work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Pope Leo's comments strengthen the resolve of those of us in the United States who remain deeply committed to welcoming the stranger," said Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, a national federation of 168 Catholic charity agencies. Leo, the first U.S. pope, has been ramping up his disapproval of the Trump administration's treatment of immigrants. "There's a deep reflection that needs to be made in terms of what's happening," the pontiff said on Tuesday, when asked about the condition of migrants detained at a federal facility in Broadview, Illinois, near Chicago. "I know how much it means to detainees and their families that Pope Leo is paying close attention to the suffering of migrants and their families here," Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich told Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Cupich, who leads an archdiocese including about 2 million Catholics, said the Church's teachings about helping immigrants cannot be disregarded. "This is not some abstract value that people who say they are Christian can easily ignore," said the cardinal. "No, this is the kind of moral imperative that is tested in the here and now." The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, said in a statement on Wednesday that detainees there are held under humane conditions and receive three meals a day. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said President Trump was elected based on commitments to American voters that included deporting "criminal illegal aliens". Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He is keeping his promise to the American people," Jackson told Reuters. POPE RAMPING UP CRITICISM OF TRUMP POLICIES Leo, originally from the Chicago area, was elected in May to replace the late Pope Francis. He tends to take a more cautious tone in public than his predecessor, who often grabbed headlines with surprise, off-the-cuff remarks. But Leo has been steadily increasing his criticisms of Trump. In September, the pope said the U.S. administration's treatment of immigrants was "inhuman", in comments that drew a heated backlash from some prominent conservative Catholics. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some critics, who had earlier praised the new pope for his more reserved style, have expressed shock that Leo continues to criticize Trump, who is seen as a champion by many conservatives around the world. After the pope's remarks in September, White House Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she rejected the characterisation of inhumane treatment of immigrants in the U.S. It is unusual for the leader of the 1.4-billion-member Church to comment directly on politics in any individual country. Vatican officials said Leo cares especially deeply about the treatment of immigrants. Cardinal Michael Czerny, a close advisor to Leo, said the pope is "expressing the concerns that should be in the heart of every Christian and of every citizen." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Golden Rule, in other words: Do unto others as you would wish them to do unto you," said Czerny. U.S. BISHOPS TO DISCUSS IMMIGRANTS AT ANNUAL MEETING El Paso Bishop Mark Seitz, who leads a Catholic diocese spanning nine counties in southern Texas bordering Mexico, said the pope's most recent comments "certainly reinforce my own commitment to speak up for (immigrants) and to redouble my own efforts." Seitz, who also heads the migration committee of the U.S. bishops' conference, said the conference is discussing whether to issue a statement about the Trump administration's treatment of immigrants during its annual meeting, to be held in Baltimore from November 10-13. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Without question, this issue will be a major, if not the major, topic that we undertake during the bishops' meeting," he said. Leo was asked on Tuesday about migrants at the Broadview facility who have been refused the opportunity to receive holy Communion, an important religious obligation. Many of the migrants entering the United States come from Latin America, a predominantly Catholic region. He said the detainees' spiritual rights need to be respected and cited scripture passages indicating Jesus will judge Christians after death on how they welcomed immigrants. "I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people," the pope said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TRUMPS CRACKDOWN IN CHICAGO TAKES HEIGHTENED TURN A delegation of clergy, including a Catholic bishop who is one of Cupich's deputies, tried to bring the inmates at Broadview holy Communion on November 1, the Catholic feast of All Saints, but was denied access to the facility. U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said that the ICE facility in Broadview was a field office that is used for processing and short-term detention and that it was not "standard operating procedure", due to security concerns, to have religious services there. McLaughlin said religious groups were "more than welcome" to provide services at ICE's longer-term detention centers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Seitz said his diocese had recently been granted permission to celebrate Mass inside an ICE detention facility in El Paso, which he took part in. He said it was an emotional experience, with some detainees crying during the service, and a Catholic delegation now plans to go every Sunday. The detainees in Chicago are part of Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown in that city, where DHS says more than 3,000 people have been held. A raid on a Spanish-language immersion daycare on the city's North Side on Wednesday, where a woman was dragged out of the building while screaming, marked a heightened turn in the crackdown, which has also caught up U.S. citizens and people with no criminal record. "We stand with Pope Leo in affirming that how we welcome the stranger is a defining measure of the values of this country," the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an umbrella group that represents Catholic nuns across the U.S., told Reuters. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We urge authorities to cease violent action against migrants, ensure their access to care and safeguard their human rights while they are detained," the group said. (Reporting by Joshua McElwee; additional reporting by Yesim Dikmen in Rome, Ted Hesson and Steve Holland in Washington; editing by Daniel Flynn) Ellingtons Oakridge Dairy has vastly broadened the distribution of its milk and other fresh farm products under the leadership of current CEO and a fifth-generation farmer Seth Bahler since 2018, and that expansion is continuing with the farms first retail store. The Oakridge Farm Store, located at 80 Meadow Brook Road in Ellington, will officially open its doors on Saturday at 8 a.m. and will open 24 hours a day and seven days a week as a self-service honor system using credit cards only. The store will be stocked daily with all of Oakridge Dairy products as well as seasonal items. The store has been in the works for the last few months, but it has always been a goal of the company to have a retail space to sell its products along with the growing Modern Milkman service. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Bahler, customers call or stop by the office daily asking if they have a store. We thought there was an opportunity here to be a part of the community, but I think it could turn into something bigger, Bahler said. Its just another way for customers to purchase our products. I see huge potential in the store where we can expand it or duplicate it. We never know what this will lead to. Home delivery doesnt work for every family. This gives them the ability to stop by the farm. It will be open 24/7 and we have security cameras there, but hopefully everyone is trustworthy. We have credit card only payment and people can stop in and get their milk or whatever else they need, Bahler added. Last year, Oakridge Dairy opened Oakridge Creamery, a production facility where the farm bottles the milk. Prior to the creamery, the farm rented a production facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Oakridge Dairys throwback Modern Milkman delivery service began in late 2018 delivering just in Ellington and then later the surrounding towns. The subscription-based service delivers fresh milk from Oakridge along with local farm fresh eggs, breads, butter, yogurt and cheese weekly to customers throughout the state and in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Earlier this year, Oakridge Dairy opened a distribution center in Danbury and will open another in North Attleboro, Massachusetts next year. Bahler said hes seeing the biggest growth in southern Connecticut branching outside of Tolland and Hartford County into Fairfield County with the Modern Milkman distribution center in Danbury. Bahler said that Modern Milkman has well over 12,000 subscriptions and the number continues to grow each month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our goal is to build a brand, and we want people to trust our products, Bahler said. We want people to be able to enjoy them. We put a lot of hard work into getting that gallon of milk on their doorstep, on their table or in their hands. We want to be that trusted partner where people can be proud of where it comes from and be able to have that single source. They know that we grow the crops, we feed the cows, we milk the cows, we bottle the milk, and they can buy it right on the farm. We want to build our brand with that connection to the farm. Bahler said the new store is another way for customers to find Oakridge Dairy products. Its a small footprint and with the honor system theres plenty of security built in, Bahler said. We are making it very convenient for people to get really fresh products from the farm and being open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. HealthSource RI hopes to convince Rhode Islanders to stay covered even if expiring federal subsidies mean they have a less expansive marketplace plan. (Photo by Nancy Lavin/Rhode Island Current) The open enrollment campaign for Rhode Islands health insurance marketplace usually promotes affordability. Not this year. In the past weve been saying, Health care is more affordable than ever before, so take a look and check it out, Lindsay Lang, HealthSource RIs director, said in an interview Thursday. Now were really sticking to a message of, We want to make sure you have coverage. Where to learn more Open enrollment continues through Jan. 31. More information, including plan comparisons and sign-ups, is available at healthsourceri.com Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats because the low or no-cost premiums available to many of the 48,000 people covered through the state insurance marketplace are set to expire at the end of the year, barring action by Congress. Without the pandemic-era federal tax credits, HealthSource RI participants are expected to see their monthly premiums double, on average, from $109 to $220 a month, according to an Oct. 30 analysis by the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). Democratic officials frame the looming premium spikes in dire terms, warning of the tough choices that low and middle-income families will face. Lang acknowledges the challenge, too. But, unlike political leaders, Lang needs to make sure marketplace enrollees know whats coming, and why maintaining health insurance still matters. Theres a fair amount of this we cannot control, Lang said. What we can do is show up and be available and provide good reliable information to support as clear decision making as can be done in this environment. Showing up Lang and other state health care administrators have spent months preparing. They changed the ad campaigns blanketing airwaves, billboards and screens, staffed up the East Providence call center with extra workers, and held virtual and community events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Six days in, calls are a tick higher, than in previous years. But its too early to put much stock in initial call volumes, Lang said. Enrollment numbers dont provide much insight yet either: All existing enrollees were already automatically renewed for their same plan next year unless they already signaled they wanted to make a change. The real marker will come Dec. 23, when the 44,000 auto-renewed participants have to make their first payment to stay on marketplace insurance next year. In the past weve been saying, Health care is more affordable than ever before, so take a look and check it out. Now were really sticking to a message of, We want to make sure you have coverage. Lindsay Lang, HealthSource RIs director HealthSource RI estimates 13,000 current enrollees will drop coverage when federal tax credits expire at the end of the year. Its a fate Lang and her team are trying their best to minimize by focusing on the more limited federal tax credits that will still be available even after the year ends. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A 40-year-old Rhode Island adult who earns $30,000 per year, for example, can still get $351 in monthly tax credits, reducing their annual premium for a silver or second-tier insurance plan to $158 per month, according to HealthSource RI. Younger and middle-income enrollees will see the highest monthly premium increases, up to $333 more on average for an adult who earns more than $62,600, based on 2025 federal poverty guidelines. Rather than opting to forgo insurance entirely, Lang hoped to convince people to keep a less expensive, and less expansive, marketplace plan. Were still offering a high-quality product, Lang said. We understand how stressful this is, but were resolved to be here no matter what. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As of October 2024, Rhode Island boasted the sixth-highest insured rate of any state in the country, with nearly 98% of residents covered. Returning to pre-Affordable Care Act days, when more than 11% of the state population lacked any form of health insurance, could have dire consequences well beyond state bragging rights. You cant have a healthy thriving economy at the state level without a steady and reliable health care system, and our health care system is already under enormous pressure, Lang said. More uninsured people will drive up demand for costly emergency room services and simultaneously reduce federal funding to the tune of $70 million a year dollars ordinarily funneled back to health care providers and hospitals, according to EOHHS report. Younger and healthier people are most likely to drop coverage, leaving a pool of older, sicker and more medically expensive enrollees for commercial health insurers to cover. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, the two insurers that cover marketplace enrollees, sought record high premium increases partly because of the costs associated with covering a riskier pool of plan participants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner Cory King, whose office is charged with reviewing and approving annual commercial insurance rates, shaved $59 million off what insurers wanted. But the approved 2026 premiums for marketplace enrollees are still 20-22% higher than 2025 even before waning federal subsidies. While public sentiment may be less sympathetic toward health insurers, company financials impact what they can pay health care providers. Rhode Islands lower reimbursement rates compared with neighboring states are widely blamed for the shortage of primary care providers, along with other medical specialties. Rhode Islanders who purchase healht insurance through the state marketplace will see monthly premiums rise on average by $111 per month starting Jan. 1. (Courtesy of Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services) Can Congress step in? Democratic state and federal elected officials continue to apply pressure in D.C. in the hopes of convincing the Republican-led Congress to extend the federal discounts for marketplace insurance. Gov. Dan McKee called on President Donald Trump to get his party to the table in a statement Monday, while U.S. Sen. Jack Reed called the presidents health care policy a cruel joke in a separate statement the same day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As open enrollment begins, many Rhode Islanders are being forced to make impossible choices: between affording health care next year and necessities like food and housing, U.S. Rep. Gabe Amo said in an Oct. 31 statement. Its time for Trump and Republicans to demonstrate they care by moving quickly to negotiate with Democrats to reopen the government and lower health care costs. If Congress extends the federal tax credits, it will cause short-term administrative burdens for Langs 16-person team to recalculate monthly premium costs and let people know about the discounted rates. But, it would be a great problem to have, Lang said. She continued, This is a challenging year in that we feel the pain on behalf of our customers in a really visceral way. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Andrew Mountbatten Windsor is petrified over speculation that he could face criminal investigation amid multiple investigations into late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, a source tells the National Enquirer. Queen Elizabeth IIs son, 65, is melting down, says the source. Hes in a state of total disbelief at the moment and lamenting how his mother would never have allowed him to be hanged, drawn and quartered like this. King Charles III officially stripped his brother of his titles and evicted him from the Royal Lodge in Windsor, England, amid the ongoing backlash stemming from the former princes connection to Epstein, as well as a posthumous memoir by sex-trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre, in which she repeated her claim that Andrew had sex with her when she was a minor. Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations and insisted he never even met Giuffre, despite a photo of them together. She filed a civil suit against him in 2021, and they reached a confidential settlement which was about $15.7 million, per the Daily Mail the next year, after which he expressed regret over his association with Epstein in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Epstein died by suicide while in jail awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges in 2019, while Giuffre took her own life earlier this year. But many people are still demanding answers. Andrew has powerful enemies in America, continues the source, noting that the FBI and federal prosecutors have long accused him of evading questions regarding the Epstein case. And on Thursday, November 6, a U.S. congressional panel also sent Andrew a formal request to submit to an interview as part of their Epstein inquiry, via the The Guardian. If theres any evidence he committed a crime, be it proof of his sexual relationship with Virginia Giuffre or otherwise, there will be calls for him to be extradited to New York and formally charged, says the source. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And of course theres no shortage of people in the U.K. who are baying for his blood, adds the source. Republic, an anti-monarchy group in the U.K., announced their plan to pursue private prosecution of Andrew for sexual assault, corruption and misconduct in office, in a statement released on Thursday, October 30. London Police are also actively looking into allegations that he once asked a personal protection officer to dig up dirt on Giuffre, per the Associated Press. Theres a real sense that the floodgates are opening up now, says the source, adding that if Andrew were actually convicted of a crime, theres no way he could handle prison. Hed sooner be dead than suffer that ultimate disgrace. Read More From National Enquirer This story Prince Andrew Melting Down Over Calls for Criminal Investigation: No Way He Could Handle Prison (Exclusive) first appeared on National Enquirer. Add National Enquirer as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Authorities have arrested a woman they say was selling drugs at Farmer Johns Produce Stand in Dallas, Georgia. The investigation was initiated after authorities received a tip-off about drug activities at the produce stand. On Oct. 24, law enforcement officials discovered 270 grams of meth linked to the operation. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Channel 2s Tom Regan went to the produce stand on Friday, where the owner said he had no idea illegal activities were occurring at his business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Scott Birchell has been running Farmer Johns Produce Stand for over three decades, selling farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. He said a homeless woman named Athena Alloway offered to help out when he was short-staffed. Alloway was not officially employed but was doing odd jobs at the stand. I thought I was helping someone out, I didnt know I was going to end up getting burnt like this, Birchell said. Authorities allege that Alloway was involved in selling meth from the produce stand. TRENDING STORIES: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Undercover agents reportedly made purchases from her on three separate occasions, leading to her arrest. The Paulding County Sheriffs Office, along with the Northwest Georgia Drug Task Force, found the methamphetamine hidden by Alloway, although Birchell insists no drugs were found on the premises itself. In addition to Alloway, Melvin Stevens was also arrested in connection with the drug operation, and authorities are searching for Crystal Ballweg. I was trying to help her, and she turned around and did this, Birchell said. Despite the incident, he noted that his customers have been supportive throughout the ordeal. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] TRIAD The Greater High Point Food Alliance and A Simple Gesture nonprofit groups announced an expanded campaign Thursday in response to the effects that the ongoing government shutdown is having on people who rely on federal food benefits. Although those who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known as food stamps, are expected to receive some money on their Electronic Benefit Cards next week, it wont have as much as normally comes each month, and if the shutdown continues, the prospect for any further funding is uncertain. More than 50,000 households in Guilford County rely on SNAP benefits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Local food pantries have seen a 20-30% increase in people coming in search of food during the past two weeks, the two groups said. The GHPFA and A Simple Gesture said that, in collaboration with community partners including Guilford County and N.C. Cooperative Extension, they have expanded the Fill the Gap campaign, which was created last month to help food pantries as Nov. 1 approached and the Trump administration said that no benefits would be sent. Two federal judges ordered on Oct. 31 that $5 billion in emergency funds be used to send partial benefit payments. The GHPFA and A Simple Gesture have updated their websites with links to the campaign, and Guilford County government has launched OneGuilford: Support Our Food Pantries, working with those two groups as well as Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina and local food pantries to assess needs and allocate those resources that are available. The countys OneGuilford web page includes links to help people find food or find places needing donations of food, money or volunteer help, and links to information about the shutdown and related resources. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To help local residents find immediate relief, GHPFA offers two key tools: The Community Resource Guide, listing nearby food pantries, community meals, and essential resources. https://www.ghpfa.org/post/community-resource-guide The Guilford Food Finder app, a free, easy-to-use digital directory connecting residents to food and support services in real time. People also can call 211 or visit the website https://nc211.org/ for help finding a variety of resources offering help. Rishaunda Moses, chair of the Greater High Point Food Alliance board, said: We are facing a time of great challenge for many of our neighbors who are already struggling to make ends meet from month to month. This is an opportunity for those in the community who want to help but are unsure how best to support them. Donating to those organizations that are doing the work and can be trusted to manage the resources responsibly is an excellent option. On top of the SNAP funding crisis, new Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents eligibility guidelines took effect on Nov. 1, potentially cutting off food assistance for some adults, which GHPFA said it expects to cause a sharp rise in local pantry use in the coming weeks. A North Side day care remained closed Thursday as parents scramble for child care. They also expressed their concerns about a teacher who was arrested there by ICE agents on Wednesday. It's believed the Colombian day care teacher is being held at the ICE Broadview detention facility. Protesters gathered there on Thursday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Secuirty says Diana Santillana Galeano is Colombian and was arrested for human trafficking. A statement from the agency alleges she paid traffickers to bring to two teenage children to the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To some Chicagoans, they only know her as Ms. Diana, a preschool teacher who cares for their young children. The Colombian Consul General in Chicago and community members came to the Broadview ICE facility Thursday. "When we talked to the Illinois state troopers. They told us they won't let us see her," community organizer Paula Gean said. "They won't let us check to see if she is okay. Does she need any medical treatment?" Other Chicagoans also came to Broadview to protest her detention. "It is wrong she was taken it's wrong that our children are living in fear the only violence and terror we are experiencing is from the governments right now," Chicago parent Maria Moser said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates "I had this outrage and for this to hit close to my community and people I know and children I know it takes it to another level," a Chicago parent named Emily said. Galeano was taken into custody Wednesday at her workplace, Rayito de Sol Spanish immersion day care and preschool in North Center. Some staff, children and parents witnessed the arrest, according to witnesses. DHS reports Galeano and a man driving her car refused to stop and then fled into the daycare barricading themselves inside. Some who witnessed the incident and viewed video at the daycare refute that claim instead alleging armed ICE agents went room to room inside the daycare. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some day care workers and union members rallying in support of Galeano in the Loop on Thursday. Galeano is pictured on a GoFundMe page that's raised tens of thousands of dollars for her. Late Thursday, parents of the day care posted signs supporting Galeano's return. "She takes care of our babies if women and people who take care of our babies can't be protected who is safe," Rayito de Sol parent Laura Tober said. A Department of Homeland Security statement read, "ICE law enforcement did NOT target a Daycare. Officers attempted to conduct a targeted traffic stop of this female illegal alien from Colombia. Officers attempted to pull over this vehicle, which was registered to a female illegal alien, with sirens and emergency lights, but the male driver refused to pull the vehicle over. Law enforcement pursued the vehicle before the assailant sped into a shopping plaza where he and the female passenger fled the vehicle. They ran into a daycare and attempted to barricade themselves inside the daycare-recklessly endangering the children inside. The illegal alien female was arrested inside a vestibule, not in the school. Upon arrest, she lied about her identity. The vehicle is registered to in her name, though she claims that she didn't know the man who was driving her car and just picked him up from a bus stop. Facts including criminality and information on the male assailant are forthcoming and we will update the public with more information as soon as it becomes available." A Providence City Councilor's desk. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) The Providence City Council on Thursday gave its final OK to tighten rules in order to deter local police from interacting with federal immigration officers, sending the measure to Mayor Brett Smiley, who has pledged to sign it. Councilors unanimously gave its second approval to amend the citys Community-Police Relations Act to clarify prohibited conduct following questions over police compliance after officers were seen at the scene of an U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the summer. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At the end of day, this is building trust and more accountability as public servants, Council Miguel Sanchez said. We all have seen and continue to see, unfortunately, horrific actions by our federal administration when it comes to immigration enforcement. The council gave its first approval to amend the ordinance on Oct. 16 after updating a new provision that allows community organizations to challenge potential violations in court. Smiley had previously expressed the initial language could open the city up to frivolous lawsuits. Councilors changed the wording to clarify that organizations may only sue the city as a whole and only for a court to uphold ones civil rights, not for monetary damages. The ordinance now heads to Smileys office, where the mayor has 10 days to sign, veto it or allow its enactment without his transmittal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After collaborating with Council to update their proposed amendments, Mayor Smiley will sign the Community Police Relations Act, Anthony Vega, a spokesperson for the mayors office said in an email to Rhode Island Current. Amendments to the existing policy come after a civilian oversight board found Providence police officers violated the ordinance during an ICE arrest on Alverson Avenue in July. The new language in the ordinance would bar Providence police from complying with any federal agencys request for assistance such as sharing information or controlling traffic unless they provide a criminal warrant signed by a judge. Providences public schools and the municipal court are also barred from granting access to their premises for any federal immigration authority to investigate, detain, apprehend, or arrest any individuals for potential violations of federal immigration laws, unless there is a judicial warrant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That provision acts somewhat of a prelude to the next action councilors like Sanchez want to take: Urging Rhode Islands Judiciary to provide virtual court hearings amid ICE officer sightings and arrests outside the states courthouses. The council on Oct. 16 passed a resolution asking the citys Municipal Court and Probate Court begin to offer accommodations for remote hearings if requested, when possible, beginning Nov. 1. The councils resolution emphasized the Rhode Island Supreme Courts 2021 order permitting courts to conduct hearings remotely at the discretion of the court or upon a partys request during the pandemic which certain judges still do to this day, said judiciary spokesperson Jonathan Bissonnette. Currently, some court calendars are held in a virtual format; for example, the Family Courts child support calendars are held primarily virtually, he said in an email to Rhode Island Current Thursday. Most other matters which implicate constitutional and due process concerns are held in person. A decision to grant a request for a virtual hearing is within the discretion of the presiding judicial officer, Bissonnette added. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX PROVO After eight years in office, Michelle Kaufusis time as mayor of Utah Countys largest city is seemingly about to come to an end. Thank you again for allowing me this phenomenal experience. What I will miss most will not be the projects and meetings; it will be the great people I have worked with through these eight years. You will always be in my heart, Mayor Kaufusi said in a Facebook post Thursday night. Kaufusi had been locked in a tight race in the 2025 general municipal election with challenger Marsha Judkins. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kaufusi initially looked poised for reelection in Tuesdays unofficial results. But the tide quickly turned, as of Thursdays latest showing, she was trailing Judkins by nearly 400 votes. In a Facebook post Thursday evening, Kaufusi appeared to concede the race in a post thanking the community for allowing her to serve. It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve my hometown as mayor. It was trusted friends and associates who pushed me to do this, and Im forever grateful they did. My administration has been marked by teamwork and partnerships and together weve accomplished so much, she wrote. She said Provo added more than 10 police officers and 10 firefighters and built a police and fire headquarters, a city hall, and two new fire stations; tackled our biggest infrastructure problems, by building a state-of-the-art sewer treatment plant and a new water treatment plant, and built the nations fastest growing airport, among other achievements. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later Thursday evening, Judkins released a statement on her social media emphasizing her gratitude to voters and eagerness to serve as Provos next leader. Marsha Judkins in an undated photo. Unofficial election results shows Judkins on track to become Provo's next mayor. | Mengshin Lin, Deseret News I could not have won this election without the incredible, tireless, and passionate support of my volunteers, friends, and family, the mayor-elect wrote. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to Mayor Michelle Kaufusi for her years of dedicated service and leadership. Judkins served three terms in the Utah House of Representatives, representing west Provo. Prior to that she served for several years on the Provo City School Board of Education. Although election results are not final, with 51.18% of the vote, Judkins appears on track to serve her first term as the citys mayor. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I look forward to working with Provos dedicated city employees and with residents across our community to build on our successes, tackle challenges, and elevate Provo, she said in her statement. As for Kaufusi, she noted that it was her goal to lift the city of Provo during her time as mayor in ways that will be felt for generations to come. Generational Provo projects built off non Provo-resident dollars: thats been a hallmark of my administration, she said. From day one, my goal was not to survive politically; it was to lift to Provo in ways that will be felt not only now and but 30 years on. I feel weve accomplished that. Being recognized as the best run city in the nation was only a cherry on top. When the Trump administration declined to tap into contingency funds that could have kept food assistance going during the government shutdown, the justification that leaders offered was a claim of powerlessness. Samuel Corum / Getty Images Theres no legal mechanism to do it, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Tom Williams / Getty Images Related: I've Had 2 Near-Death Experiences. Here's What I Saw When I Died. My understanding is that the administration made the assessment that those funds could not be used for this purpose, said Rep. John Rose (R-Tenn.) on CNN. As families across the country worried about how theyd put food on the table, leaders portrayed the harm as beyond their control. Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images But such claims stand in contrast to legal experts analysis, to the presidents actions during the last government shutdown, and to an earlier memo from Donald Trumps U.S. Department of Agriculture that suggested the government could in fact keep funding the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in the event of another impasse. Now two federal judges have ruled that the administration cannot continue to withhold food benefits from the 42 million Americans who rely on this social safety net to afford groceries each month. Related: Colon Cancer Is On The Rise, But Doctors Say This One Habit Can Significantly Reduce Risk Put simply, the folks in charge do indeed seem to have the power they claim they do not. Samuel Corum / Getty Images Advertisement Advertisement When people or institutions cause harm, they might rush to insist that their hands were tied, that the situation was out of their control, that theyre just following the rules whether or not thats actually true. Its all an attempt to maintain a sense of moral or procedural purity in the face of the damage theyve wrought. And theres a term that captures this very phenomenon: violent innocence. Related: "NEVER Disclose This": Women Are Sharing The "Urgent" Safety Tips That Other Women Taught Them, And They're Crucial To Know Violent innocence is a term that posits that a person or institution can cause significant harm while remaining morally ambiguous and/or seemingly unaware that they are causing it, Alexandra Cromer , a licensed therapist with Thriveworks, told HuffPost. Andrew Harnik / Getty Images The concept was primarily outlined in a book by psychoanalyst Christopher Bollas, who referred to it as an aggressive form of denial. The violent innocent sponsors affective and ideational confusion in the other, which he then disavows any knowledge of this being the true violation, he wrote, noting how people who engage in this behavior sow confusion and isolation. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc and Andrew Harnik via Getty Images Related: "The Amount Of Lives I've Seen Ruined By It Is Outrageous": Medical Professionals Are Revealing The Everyday Activities That Are Secretly "Death Traps" Cromer describes this mindset as sort of a willful ignorance. Advertisement Advertisement It means that an institution or person is maintaining a level of unawareness to protect or preserve their belief that they are not harmful and do not cause active harm, she said. In this sense, violent innocence is a cognitive mechanism that people wield in order to defend their self-image against the reality of the damage and pain theyre causing. Violent innocence can be dangerous because it posits that growth is not an ongoing process of gaining consciousness awareness, Cromer noted. This harmful dynamic shows up in personal relationships when conflicts lead to defenses like, I didnt mean to hurt you, so you shouldnt be upset. But perhaps the most potent examples of violent innocence involve national politics, where the harm is particularly serious and widespread. When leaders choose not to release contingency or emergency funds to maintain SNAP benefits during a government shutdown and then claim their hands are tied thats a form of violent innocence. The insistence on purity or procedure functions as a moral shield, obscuring the real-world consequences of inaction. Families go without food assistance, yet decision-makers frame their choice as unavoidable. Bloomberg / Getty Images The lens of violent innocence highlights these kinds of events as an insidious performance of righteousness or helplessness when confronted with the suffering theyre actively enabling. Theres a refusal to see ones own power or responsibility. Advertisement Advertisement By insisting we cant do anything, lawmakers disown their agency, making the harm appear inevitable when there are actual political choices involved. Thus, the innocence becomes the mechanism of the violence. People or institutions might insist on their own innocence despite being given information that their decisions or inaction cause harm due to a desire to protect or preserve their view of self, Cromer said. Receiving feedback and a request for change is hard, but it is necessary. By clinging to the story of their own goodness or helplessness, individuals and institutions can sidestep accountability and in doing so, perpetuate the very harm they deny. For some, being made aware of hurt caused requires them to take active remedial steps, Cromer said. Many institutions and people have a hard time with this insight due to the fact that many view mistakes as permanent. In some instances, the people or institutions do believe that they are actually innocent and have not caused any harm, despite contrary feedback. Advertisement Advertisement Cromer emphasized that healthy, adaptive people and institutions view feedback, education and awareness as constants, just like change. Its all part of the ongoing process of growth, which is not a threat to their identity. The first step toward real accountability is an openness and awareness that being receptive to feedback even feedback you disagree with is a requirement for health, Cromer said. Active listening and note-taking on the feedback you receive and harm that you caused is key. While you cant change the past, youre being asked to modify your behavior to prevent future harm, Cromer said. Create an action plan that specifically targets these behaviors and identifies both direct and indirect expressions of each. Lastly, educate yourself in the areas that you need to grow in. Advertisement Advertisement Dont forget to continuously hold yourself and others accountable as you grow as well. Ultimately, violent innocence thrives wherever accountability feels unbearable. Breaking that pattern means choosing awareness over comfort, and accepting that growth and change dont threaten your integrity but actually strengthen it. This article originally appeared on HuffPost. Also in Goodful: People Asked Male Gynecologists To Honestly Answer Questions About Their Job, And It's Way More Wholesome Than I Thought It Would Be Also in Goodful: My Moms Disappearance Was A Mystery. Then I Saw An Old Photo And What I Discovered Next Left Me Shaken. Also in Goodful: "Im Sitting There With My Jaw On The Floor": Guys Are Sharing The Minor Things Women Say, Do, Or Wear That Drives Them Wild, And I Didn't Expect Any Of These Read it on BuzzFeed.com WEST LAFAYETTE, IN Purdue University's peanut butter man remained a sticky mystery, much like Bigfoot in the northwestern United States, until Thursday afternoon. Initially, the only evidence of Purdue's peanut butter man much like Bigfoot or UFOs was a grainy video and screen-grabbed image. Peanut butter man vanished before police received the report of the sandwich-spread guy gunking up whatever he touched in the Active Learning Center on campus. More than 24 hours after the condiment-covered man strutted through the center, Purdue University police received word that university officials believed they identified the man, police Capt. Song Kang said. He's a student, and he was smothered in sunflower butter, not peanut butter, as first reported. Sunflower butter does not cause irritation to those with nut allergies, Kang said, saying they were thankful the prankster was considerate of those who might have a nut allergy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before Thursday afternoon, police didn't even know whether the man was a student, a post-grad student, faculty or staff, Kang said, adding they didn't even know how tall he is. Police only knew he appeared light brown the color of peanut butter or apparently sunflower butter, Kang said. He was there, and then he was gone before authorities arrived, Kang said. Chief among the mysteries is how the man smothered himself in sunflower butter. They also don't know the brand of sunflower butter used to disguise him. No empty jars of sunflower butter were found in or around the Active Learning Center, and police have not received any reports of any suspiciously abnormal purchases of sunflower butter, Kang said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Similar to the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film of Bigfoot, someone at VERVE, a student apartment community, shot a grainy video of what was believed to be the peanut butter man walking on the campus sidewalk. Building services were called to the Active Learning Center to clean up anything surfaces that were peanut-buttery because the man touched them, Kang said, describing it as a safety precaution for those who might have nut allergies. Now they know that precaution was not needed. Kang does not know whether the man, if he's a student, was part of a fraternity initiation or what his motive might be, Kang said. Because the man did not commit a crime, police are not investigating him, and the university will deal with the sunflower-butter man. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "At the end of the day, if this is the biggest issue we have, we'll take it any day," Kang said. Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue's peanut butter man was a mystery, like Bigfoot, until Thursday Queen Sirikit, who has died aged 93, was the relict of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled Thailand as Rama IX from 1946 until his death in 2016. When they married her husband (although uncrowned) had already been on the Thai throne for four years, following the violent death of his elder brother, Rama VIII, in mysterious and still unexplained circumstances. Bhumibol became the third-longest reigning sovereign ever, outdone only by Louis XIV and Elizabeth II; Sirikit was the longest-serving queen consort in history. King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit - keystone-france The seven decades of Rama IXs rule were marked both by a succession of political challenges at home, and by the transformation of Thailands image abroad. Demographic and economic changes ushered in a new middle class, while a concomitant growth in enfranchisement transformed the electoral scene. Traditional reverence for the royal family endured among the great majority of Thais as a young constitutional kingdom blinked its way into the light, while photography and television brought King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit into closer focus then any of their predecessors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The performance of the young couple under such intense scrutiny mattered greatly: old Siam had only become Thailand in 1939, and for most of the time since that point there had been no king in residence. Republican sentiment was growing among the political classes, and senior military officers were prepared to take over the reins of government if they thought it necessary. Queen Sikirit arrives in Geneva, 1950 - ullstein bild Dtl. Nevertheless, for the rest of his life Bhumibol presided over considerable success and stability the occasional coup notwithstanding and became an enduring symbol of national coherence, especially among the peasantry. Throughout all this Sirikit was by his side: with a radiant smile and sparkling personality she became the perfect foil to her husband, who, although a man of deep intelligence and wide-ranging culture, could appear shy or diffident in social settings. Her natural beauty and stylishness also established her presence as a figure on the international stage; the outward image, however, belied her practicality and determination to see the Crown succeed. In 1956 she was named Regent of Thailand when Bhumibol entered a monastery for a period as custom dictates for Thai males; in 1960 she joined Tatlers Best Dressed List. Queen Sirikit of Thailand with the Duke of Edinburgh on a state visit to London, 1960 - PA Sirikit thoroughly understood the impact of appearance; in some quarters she was known as the Jackie Kennedy of Asia. Her clothes came from leading designers, notably Pierre Balmain, and her jewellery included spectacular gems and pieces by Van Cleef & Arpels and Faberge. As her hour-glass figure gave way to a more mature frame much like Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother she continued to exude elegance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Although she was often to be seen in twin-set and pearls, Sirikit also raised the profile of traditional Thai fabrics and styles. Her wardrobe continued a long-established royal policy of interweaving ancient Siamese conventions with Western innovations, begun under Rama IV (played by Yul Brynner in The King and I, which was banned under Thailands strict lese-majeste laws) and continued by Rama V, who sent 11 of his sons to Eton and oversaw the construction of an extraordinary new palace building consisting of a neo-classical structure topped with a tiled, gilded and spired Thai roof. Sirikit founded the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles nearby in 2003. Queen Sirikit wearing Thai silk, 1965 - Henry Clarke Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakara was born in Bangkok on August 12 1932. A great-granddaughter of Rama V, her father was Prince Nakkhatra Mangala, a diplomat who at the time of her birth was Secretary of the Siamese Legation to the United States. He was later Ambassador to the Court of St Jamess, to Copenhagen, and to Paris. It was in France that Sirikit, by then fluent in English and French as well as an accomplished pianist, met the quiet, earnest, and music-mad King Bhumibol, who stayed at the embassy on a visit during his time as a student at Switzerland in the late 1940s. The wedding of Bhumipol and Sirikit, 1950 - Eric-Paul-Pierre PASQUIER Sirikit was deputed to accompany her distant cousin around some of the sights of Paris; they soon struck up a rapport which quickly developed into deepening friendship. When Bhumibol was injured in a car accident outside Lausanne in 1948, Sirikit rushed to his bedside. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reading the situation well, Bhumibols mother, Princess Srinagarindra, arranged for Sirikit to continue her studies nearby. The anticipated engagement took place in 1949, and they were married in Bangkok on 28 April 1950 after the cremation ceremony of his brother, and a week before his own coronation. He was 22, and she was 17. The King and Queen with their children, 1966 - Keystone Over the next 70 years Sirikit became a determined power behind the throne. She pioneered charitable developments of her own (particularly in the fields of the environment, arts and crafts, healthcare, and education) and had a particular affinity for the rural poor. Despite a massive disparity in wealth and status, she combined an ability to communicate simply and maternally with humble folk while retaining a sense of mystery about the monarchy, which she thought essential to its preservation. Her birthday was declared a public holiday in 1976 and kept as the national Mothers Day. Sirikit withdrew from public view after suffering a stroke in 2012, but her portrait, dripping in orders and jewels, remained prominently displayed around Bangkok and in private homes. She occupied a space in the Thai national consciousness exceeded only by King Bhumibol while he lived, and was affectionately known as the Queen Mother. Her lavish funeral ceremonies will take place during a year of court mourning. King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit in 2006 - Getty Images AsiaPac Inevitably, within a system in which the royal family has no official power but enormous influence, Queen Sirikit was accused from time to time of overstepping the mark. She was not above making her political sympathies known, even if she should have been. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her greatest determination, given the instability of the situation her husband inherited, was to ensure the security of the throne of Thailand for her son, Maha Vajiralongkorn, who, after something of a chequered youth, succeeded his father as King Rama X in 2016. He survives her, with his three sisters. The Queen Dowager of Thailand, born August 12 1932, died October 24 2025 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. The Camel Project will host a free public forum focused on youth violence prevention, healing and shared responsibility. The program, titled Power in Unity: Accountability to Our Community, will take place Nov. 15 at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, 201 Washington St. The event will feature presentations by three community organizations: Bethany Childrens Home, Green Building Alliance and The Camel Project. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Representatives of each organization will share what they are doing to address violence, the progress theyve made and what support they need from the broader community to strengthen their impact. The forum will also include a special tribute to local youth lost to violence, honoring their lives and reaffirming the communitys commitment to meaningful change. Accountability starts with showing up for each other, said Pamela S. Gockley, founder and executive director of The Camel Project. This event is about more than conversation; its about compassion, connection and commitment to real community-driven action. The program will wrap up with an open dialogue session, giving attendees the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and explore collaborative next steps to reduce violence and strengthen community trust. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Camel Project encourages area residents, educators, service providers and youth advocates to attend the free forum. Founded in 2018 by Pamela S. Gockley, The Camel Project is dedicated to preventing violence, suicide and bullying by addressing trauma and promoting positive behavioral change. The organization provides boots-on-the-ground training, education and community initiatives that build awareness, accountability and hope. If you go What: Power in Unity: Accountability to Our Community, free forum hosted by The Camel Project. When: Nov. 15, 9 a.m. Where: Boscov Theater, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, 201 Washington St. Free and open to the public. Free onsite parking. For more information or to RSVP, contact Pamela Gockley at pamgockley@thecamelproject.org or visit thecamelproject.org. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: November 06, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points NIIT Learning Systems Ltd (BOM:543952) reported a strong revenue growth of 20% year-on-year and 5% quarter-on-quarter, demonstrating resilience in a volatile economic environment. The company's AI-enabled revenues now contribute approximately 10% of the business, highlighting the successful implementation of their AI-first strategy. The acquisition of MST Group in Germany added 7 marquee clients, expanding the company's presence in the DACH region and enhancing its industrial vertical capabilities. NIIT Learning Systems Ltd (BOM:543952) maintained a 100% renewal record, securing 3 new MPS logos and renewing 3 existing contracts, showcasing strong customer trust and satisfaction. The company has a robust contract pipeline and expects constant currency growth of 12.5% to 13% year-on-year, with margins projected to be in the 20% to 21% range for the full year. Negative Points The global economic environment remains volatile and uncertain, leading to longer decision cycles and increased scrutiny of discretionary spending by clients. Despite the acquisition of MST Group, the revenue contribution from this acquisition was lower than expected due to the vacation quarter in Germany, impacting overall growth. Net other income was negative 89 million INR, a significant drop from the previous quarter, primarily due to lower treasury income and acquisition-related expenses. The company's professional and technical outsourcing expenses have increased, reflecting reliance on variable costs due to market volatility, which may impact profitability. There is a risk of slower decision-making cycles due to market uncertainty, which could affect the conversion of the contract pipeline into actual business. Q & A Highlights Q: How will the MST Group's revenue be accounted for, and what was its contribution this quarter? A: We will consolidate MST's net revenue into our accounts. This quarter was a vacation period in Germany, so MST contributed about 2.5% to growth. The run rate revenue will start from the next quarter. - Unidentified_3 Q: Is the North American real estate contract fully accounted for this quarter? A: Yes, we have completed the transition and teach-out of the North American real estate contract. There will be no further impact from this contract in Q3. - Unidentified_3 Starting next Monday, more of Lowells police force, which consists of more than 230 officers, will begin training at a new, virtual reality training machine that brings real, dangerous policing scenarios to life. Deputy superintendent Mark Leblanc told Boston 25 on Thursday that, through a state grant, their previous system was upgraded to the VirTra-300 4K Virtual Reality Simulator. The simulator has hundreds of scenarios in its system and allows the department to take panoramic shots in the field and develop situations of their own to train in-house. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 300-degree screens and sounds are magnified during the training sessions, where officers are armed with training gear. Officers showed Boston 25 crews a simple wellness check first, which didnt require them to discharge their weapons. Its the realism of not only being surrounded by the sound, but its also the realism of the scenario, said Leblanc. We can play back the officer so he can see, or she can see, how they responded. In September, police in the city were met with a very real threat at UMass Lowell when a suspect with a long gun was reported on campus. The suspect was later identified as a 12-year-old with an airsoft rifle. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Leblanc said they are able to recreate and critique their response using the training system. He said it gives them The ability for us to take an incident like that, see how it played out, and then create a scenario in-house that the officers can then practice on. Boston 25 news reporter Daniel Coates geared up to try the simulation in a more serious situation. The virtual incident depicted a police response to a school shooter at a local high school. With an instructor in his ear, Coates was led through the active area and directed on how to neutralize suspects with rifles. Scenarios, characters, and their actions in the system are dictated second-by-second by an officer outside the simulation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The department plans to train officers regularly using the system downtown. 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 Police departments in Redmond and Lynnwood have temporarily shut down their Flock license plate reader systems following growing public concerns about privacy and system access, according to city officials. Redmonds City Council voted unanimously Monday to turn off its Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras after learning that U.S. Border Patrol improperly accessed Auburns Flock system last month. Redmond officials emphasized that the pause is not tied to misconduct inside the department but to address community unease surrounding the technology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I do support turning off the cameras at this time while we continue to evaluate what is both best in terms of technology, our department, and what our community wants, Councilmember Melissa Stuart said at the meeting. Police Chief Darrell Lowe told councilmembers that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not access Redmonds system on the day agents detained several people in the city. Absolutely not. None of our data has been received by any outside entity, Lowe said. The concerns did not originate in Redmond but stemmed from an incident in Auburn, where officials discovered that U.S. Border Patrol accessed the citys Flock system without permission. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That revelation spurred Redmonds council to recommend the temporary shutdown. In Lynnwood, police also announced a pause while reviewing privacy protections and system controls. The department disabled all access to its Flock network and turned off the cameras on Oct. 30 as part of what it described as a precautionary step. Flock cameras have already proven to be an invaluable investigative tool in solving crimes and keeping our community safe, Lynnwood Police Chief Cole Langdon said. However, its equally important that we maintain the publics trust. The ALPR program in Lynnwood launched June 29, 2025, with 25 cameras funded through a Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority grant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shortly after implementation, the department learned a vendor-enabled nationwide search feature allowed broader access than Lynnwood authorized. Police said they worked with Flock Safety to disable that feature on July 8. The Lynnwood system produced consistent results before the pause, averaging about 66 alerts per month for stolen vehicles or license plates. Police say the technology helped recover several stolen cars, assisted in the arrest of suspects in child sexual assault and narcotics cases, provided leads in identity-theft investigations, and even helped locate a missing elderly man. Lynnwood officials say they will review vendor agreements, departmental policies, and system settings before deciding whether to reactivate the cameras. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The review will involve the city administration, the City Council, and community members. Both departments said they will provide updates as their evaluations continue. Residents in Lynnwood can submit questions or feedback about the system at crimeprevention_flocksafety@LynnwoodWA.gov OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is in need of at least 600 volunteers to cover the demand they hope to meet by the end of the month. Were always looking for friends and funds. We need people to come in and volunteer; those are our friends. We also need funds to make it happen, Austin Prickett with the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma told News 4. Regional Food Bank. (KFOR) Helping hands have filled the regional food banks in recent weeks as they work around the clock to meet the need for our states most vulnerable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Federal judge orders Trump administration to fully fund SNAP benefits in November They typically package approximately 600 emergency food boxes per week in a normal month. However, in the next two weeks, theyre looking at packing around 10,000. Although theyve prepared for the increase in demand, they need you, Oklahomans, to step in and bridge the gap, especially with Thanksgiving approaching. Rochelle Johnson, a first-time volunteer at the food bank, came to volunteer alone on her day off, with the mission to make a difference. You can give your time. Just find out when you can come and volunteer some kind of way. Go through your cabinets, your canned goods that you dont want. You know, things like that can make a difference, Johnson said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If youre interested in volunteering, schools can come with students, you can serve with friends, or staff members if you own a business. The Regional Food Bank has morning, afternoon, and evening shifts available for you to serve. Theyve also added time slots on weekends if your schedule doesnt allow much time throughout the week. Keep in mind, you can also support the organization financially. Making a monetary donation goes a long way, as the food bank can purchase items at a cheaper price than you would at a grocery store. Click here if youd like to donate or sign up to volunteer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. Rehoboth Beach officials want to acquire federal and state historic designations for the boardwalk, and theyre seeking task force members to do it. "The Rehoboth Beach boardwalk is iconic," Mayor Stan Mills said in a statement. "It has been around since 1873, and while it has been rebuilt several times over the past 250+ years, it is a symbol of Rehoboth Beach that everyone knows, recognizes, and enjoys. Just as the City of Rehoboth Beach has a historical marker, so too should the boardwalk itself." City officials are seeking seven to nine Rehoboth residents, property owners and/or business owners, preferably with experience in historic preservation, for the task force, a news release said. Non-residents with related experience will be considered, as well. Those interested are encouraged to apply online. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ultimately, the mayor will nominate the members, which will then be voted on by the Board of Commissioners, the release said. The process of obtaining historic designations is expected to take about one-and-a-half years, with meetings taking place in-person at City Hall. The search for task force members comes at the recommendation of the citys boardwalk and beach committee, Rehoboth Beach spokesperson Brooke Thaler said, and the committees interest was piqued by the Village Improvement Association. The nonprofit womens group most recently led the effort to install a Delaware historical marker for a surf safety line at the boardwalk and Rehoboth Avenue, Thaler said. Surf safety lines were used by women of the early 20th century to get back to shore when heavy wool bathing suits made it difficult, the marker says. Timeline: A history of the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk at a glance Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition, earlier this year, the Rehoboth Beach Patrol received a state historical marker at their Baltimore Avenue headquarters. A marker for the historically gay Poodle Beach will be installed in June 2026, Thaler said. Rehoboth Beach itself gained a state historical marker in 1991. Rehoboth Beach has eight sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. They include the Woman's Christian Temperance Union Fountain, the stone water fountain on the boardwalk at Rehoboth Avenue erected in 1929, and All Saints Episcopal Church on Olive Avenue, constructed in 1893. 'Can't ask for much more': Meet the carpenter who maintains the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Rehoboth Beach boardwalk could get federal, state historic designation A Boston hotel will transform into a big-top tent starting this week when a world-class circus returns to the city. Do Portugal Circus will host daily performances at Courtyard by Marriott Boston Logan Airport in East Boston starting Friday, Nov. 7. Aerialists, jugglers, clowns, magicians, dancers and acrobats will entertain audiences until Sunday, Dec. 7. As a family-oriented circus, we pride ourselves on making our performances accessible and affordable for everyone, Do Portugal Circuss Susan Vance said in a press release. We aim to provide a memorable experience for all who attend, filled with thrills, excitement, and moments that families will cherish for a lifetime. The smiles and joy on our audiences faces motivate us every single day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Portugal family began performing in circuses around Mexico in 1911. The circus did not premiere in the U.S. until 2019, and the last Boston performances were held in late 2024. Due to the success of last year, Do Portugal Circus decided to come back and give Boston another year of thrills. Intended for people of all ages, Do Portugal Circus is emceed by Scottish born ringmaster Jodie Leith. Highlights include motorcyclists risking life and limb inside a Globe of Death and the slapstick humor of clowns. Do Portugal Circus does not use animals. Meanwhile attendees can chow down on several signature circus eats, such as hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, pickles, cotton candy, snow cones and more. Do Portugal Circus will host its Boston shows at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, in addition to shows at 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sundays. Each performance is 1 hour and 45 minutes long with an intermission. Tickets start at $20 and go up to VIP tickets for $60. Super-saver family and friends packs are available for $80 and $100 online only. Tickets can be purchased on the Do Portugal Circus website. destinations Read the original article on MassLive. Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, a South Kingstown Democrat, will become the next chair of the House Committee on Judiciary. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi announced Friday that he is elevating Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee to be the next chair of the panel responsible for shaping Rhode Islands penal code and judicial system. McEntee, a South Kingstown Democrat, will succeed Rep. Robert Craven, who announced Oct. 6 that hes stepping down from the House Committee on Judiciary and elected office altogether when his term ends following the 2026 legislative session. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Craven bowed out from his committee position after launching a brief run for Rhode Island attorney general that ended in early October amid renewed scrutiny of domestic assault charges from two decades ago. Craven will remain on the committee, House spokesperson Larry Berman confirmed. McEntee spent the last five legislative sessions as first vice-chair of the Judiciary Committee, presiding over hearings in Cravens absence. In a statement Friday, McEntee called her appointment a tremendous honor. At a time when countless rights are being trampled upon and disregarded, the House Judiciary Committee stands as a crucial line of defense for all Rhode Islanders and that will not change, McEntee said in a statement. I look forward to working with other members of the committee and the entire House of Representatives to ensure that the people of Rhode Island are cared for, supported and protected. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to giving McEntee the chairmanship, Shekarchi has appointed Rep. Jason Knight, a Barrington Democrat running for attorney general next year, from second vice-chair to first vice-chair. Rep. Matthew Dawson, an East Providence, will take over as second vice-chair. McEntee was elected to represent House District 33 in 2015 and has been a champion of legislation assisting victims of domestic assault and sexual violence. In 2024, she was the lead sponsor of a law that now allows sexual assault victims use a medical forensic exam instead of a police report to qualify for the State Crime Victim Compensation Program. She was also one of the proponents of the newly enacted law banning the purchase and sale of assault-style firearms starting in July 2026. McEntee works as an attorney, licensed in both Rhode Island and Massachusetts, at her private practice in Wakefield and Warwick. She is also a former special assistant attorney general in Rhode Island and a former assistant city solicitor and prosecutor for the City of Warwick. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shekarchi said of McEntee in a statement that he has no doubt that her dedication and compassion will continue to serve all Rhode Islanders well as the Judiciary Committee. I have the utmost confidence in her ability to lead this important committee, Shekarchi said. As one of the Houses leading voices to protect and deliver justice for victims of childhood sexual abuse, she truly understands how this committee helps and protects the people of Rhode Island. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia sat down with ABC7 Chicago to discuss his decision not to run for reelection to Illinois' 4th Congressional District and quickly anoint his chief of staff. The congressman seems to be embroiled in controversy. His critics are now accusing him of playing politics after he announced he wouldn't seek reelection, but appeared to left in place a plan to make sure his chief of staff took over his seat. "I'm concerned about me being portrayed as a king and someone anointing, like Donald Trump," Garcia said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawmaker defended his last-minute controversial decision, saying the timing was result of family obligations and not the Chicago political machine at play. The 69-year old says he's stepping aside because of advice he received from his cardiologist. Garcia also cited his wife's fight against MS. "I knew that she was hurting," Garcia said. "I knew that she was worried about the future and that she told me I need you home soon and I need you home alive. That was gut wrenching." Garcia filed petitions with the Illinois State Board of Elections to run for his 4th Congressional District seat on October 27, but his chief of staff, Patty Garcia, who is not related to him, filed her petitions ahead of Monday's deadline for filing. The congressman says he struggled with the decision. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement RELATED | Rep. Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia's decision to exit 2026 race, anoint his chief of staff draws criticism "I've been contested. I've been challenged every race that I've had, so anyone could have filed and run for this office as they did two years ago four years ago, six years ago," Garcia said. Garcia has been a mainstay in Chicago politics for four decades. He's served as an alderman, a Cook County commissioner, state senator and was a two-time mayoral candidate. Garcia is the deputy whip of the congressional Progressive Caucus and has represented the 4th District since 2019. He's been reelected three times. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Alderman Mike Rodriguez of the 22nd Ward is part of Garcia's coalition and might have been considered to run for Garcia's seat. "The best candidate, the only candidate that anyone should be looking right now is Dr. Patty Garcia," Ald. Rodriguez said. "She's amazing." Born in Mexico, "Chuy" Garcia came to Chicago in the 1960s, eventually living in the city's Little Village neighborhood. He became politically active in the coalition of then Mayor Harold Washington. Garcia remains sentimental about his legacy. "All this reminded me of the loss of our daughter and the children arriving, and the strength that they gave us," Garcia said. "During this time, we discovered what life is all about and how you make a difference. I really want to cherish my family." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement SEE ALSO | Race to replace Sen. Durbin: Who could take the Illinois seat in DC? The congressman's decision is the latest in Illinois politics this year, with five open congressional seats and an open senate race for the March primary. The congressman has until January 8 to withdraw his petitions. That's the day the Illinois State Board of Elections certifies the March 17 ballot. So far, that hasn't happened yet. NEED TO KNOW A preliminary report on the Air India crash indicated the pilot of the plane was not to blame for the crash, according to India's Supreme Court The father of Sumeet Sabharwal, the captain of the flight, has called for an investigation into the crash by a panel of experts No one in India believes it was the pilot's fault," said Justice Surya Kant Indias top court says a preliminary report on the Air India crash indicated the pilot of the plane was not to blame for the crash. The announcement comes after the pilots father, 91-year-old Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, called on India's Supreme Court for an investigation into the crash by a panel of experts, according to Reuters and Sky News. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The dad has been critical of the governments investigation into the crash, which killed 260 people on June 12, including his son Sumeet Sabharwal. Officials previously said Sumeet was the captain of Air India Flight 171, while Clive Kundar was the first officer. Justice Surya Kant told the dad that there's no insinuation against the pilot in the preliminary report, according to Indian news outlet NDTV. "This crash was extremely unfortunate, but you should not carry this burden that your son is being blamed," Kant said, noting, No one in India believes it was the pilot's fault. Central Industrial Security Force / Handout/Anadolu via Getty A view of the site after a plane crashed following takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India's western state of Gujarat. A view of the site after a plane crashed following takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India's western state of Gujarat. The preliminary report, published by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, stated that fuel to the aircrafts engines was cut off shortly before the crash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Black box audio from the cockpit recorded one of the pilots asking the other if he had cut it off, but the other pilot responded that he did not do so, according to the report. Gopal Shankaranarayan, the lawyer for Sumeets father, cited concerns about a Wall Street Journal article that he believed placed blame on the pilot, but the judge pushed back. The article suggested that the co-pilot thought the captain had turned off the planes fuel switches and seemed calm when the co-pilot raised concerns. "We are not bothered by foreign reports. Your remedy should then be before a foreign court? It's just nasty reporting," Kant explained, NDTV reported. The lawyer argued, "I am concerned because they cited an Indian government source. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the release of the preliminary report, Air India said it stood "in solidarity with the families and those affected by the AI171 accident. We continue to mourn the loss and are fully committed to providing support during this difficult time." "Air India is working closely with stakeholders, including regulators. We continue to fully cooperate with the AAIB and other authorities as their investigation progresses," the airline added. "Given the active nature of the investigation, we are unable to comment on specific details and refer all such enquiries to the AAIB." Raju Shinde/Hindustan Times via Getty The wreckage of the crashed Air India plane is being lifted by a crane from the roof of the BJ Medical College mess building, on June 14, 2025 in Ahmedabad, India. The wreckage of the crashed Air India plane is being lifted by a crane from the roof of the BJ Medical College mess building, on June 14, 2025 in Ahmedabad, India. There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner when it crashed while traveling from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to London Gatwick. 19 others were killed on the ground. 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. Only one person who was on the flight survived. The survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, recently spoke out and said he lost everything as a result of the tragedy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement God gave me life but took all my happiness, and from my family, he told the PA news agency, per The Guardian. It completely brought down my family its very difficult for me and my family. Read the original article on People Gov. Josh Shapiro makes an announcement on the availability of SNAP benefits for two million Pennsylvanians, during a press conference in Philadelphia on Nov. 7, 2025. (Photo courtesy of PAcast) Editors note: This story was updated at 3:15 p.m. on Nov., 9, 2025, to reflect a memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The two million Pennsylvanians who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could have their benefits restored by midnight, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Friday in a Philadelphia press conference. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When SNAP was taken away from our fellow Pennsylvanians, we saw an immediate impact. Folks came knocking on the doors here at Share, said Shapiro, speaking at hunger relief organization Share Food Program. One out of every eight of our neighbors relies on this funding, and it was taken away. Benefits are awarded on a rolling basis, meaning that only a fraction of people were due to receive their SNAP dollars sometime this week. Shapiro praised the Department of Human Services for quickly processing roughly $100 million in funds awarded within the last few hours, saying a full accounting could be released Saturday. The two million Pennsylvanians, equal to more than 15% of the states population or more than the combined populations of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, receive a combined $366 million in monthly SNAP benefits. So if youre one of those people that had a zero on your SNAP card because you were supposed to get your benefits on the first of the month, go check it out, Shapiro said. Those dollars are flowing. We are hoping that by this evening, maybe midnight or so, that all those individuals who were owed money over the first week or so of this month who havent gotten it from the federal administration are going to get their money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its unclear how payments will be affected by a Supreme Court ruling blocking them late Friday and a memo from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) directing states to undo any payments made in full in favor of disbursing benefits at 65 percent the typical amount. Court battle background As the longest-ever federal government shutdown stretches into its sixth week, the billions sent out in food assistance have appeared to be at risk. Shapiro joined a lawsuit suing the Trump administration, attempting to pressure the U.S. Department of Agriculture to release the funds after the agency said it couldnt tap contingency funds. Additionally, Shapiro earmarked $5 million in state funds for food banks and encouraged people to donate to a private sector fundraising campaign, saying $2 million had been contributed so far. Fridays announcement comes one day after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to pay the full $9 billion in nutritional assistance benefits for the month of November by the end of the week in a separate case. Initially, the court ordered the Trump administration to make partial November payments, which would have required recalculating benefits through a formula and could have delayed delivery, by Wednesday. After failing to meet that deadline, the judge ordered full payments. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shapiro pinned the blame on President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, saying weve got an administration in Washington, (D.C.) that doesnt give a damn about their neighbors in need. He noted that the administration had filed an appeal in an attempt to reverse the judges order. We stood together as Pennsylvanians, donating money, donating time (and) donating canned good to be able to be in a position to love thy neighbor, as is commanded in our Bible, said Shapiro. And my appeal to the Trump administration is just do the right thing. Give up. Youre going to lose again in court. And the only thing youre fighting for think about this the only thing youre fighting for is to make Americans hungry. Shapiro, whos rumored to be exploring a presidential campaign in 2028, continued to criticize both Trump and Vance calling the latter a total phony. At one point, Shapiro got emotional, invoking scripture as his impetus for aiding Pennsylvanias hungry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im sorry that the federal government has held you captive; Im sorry the federal government has quite literally taken food out of your childrens mouths, said Shapiro, when asked what hed say to SNAP recipients. Were going to do everything we can here in Pennsylvania to love thy neighbor. Its unclear if all states have processed their SNAP funds on the same timeline. Emily Previti contributed to this story. Norway has suspended the ethical investment rules governing its $2.1-trillion oil fund just weeks after signaling higher 2026 withdrawals, drawing a direct line between petroleum revenues and fiscal control. The Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) move, as detailed by the Irish Times, is being described as an emergency measure to prevent forced equity sales that could shake global markets. Parliament has approved a temporary freeze on the funds Ethics Council, suspending new exclusion recommendations on human-rights and environmental grounds, according to Reuters. The Finance Ministry warned that maintaining the current rules risked triggering the sale of multi-billion-dollar positions in Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon, which collectively represent around 15% of the GPFGs total equity exposure. Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg said the suspension was necessary to protect portfolio stability and the fiscal framework that depends on it. The fund contributes roughly one-quarter of Norways annual budget through returns generated from oil and gas revenues managed by Equinor and the States Direct Financial Interest scheme, as noted by the Financial Times. The move builds on an October plan to boost spending from the oil fund in 2026, unveiled in response to slowing offshore production and softer gas export receipts. At that time, the government said it expected to lift withdrawals above the long-standing fiscal rule of 3% of fund value, citing energy-transition projects and social spending pressures. That announcement drew criticism from economists who warned that expanding reliance on fund income risked undermining its long-term buffer role. Combined, the two policy shifts suggest the Funds attempt to stabilize returns at a time of declining offshore revenues, weaker North Sea investment, and volatile gas prices that are tightening the screw. Lawmakers from the Labour and Green parties have questioned whether the government is prioritizing short-term portfolio performance over the funds founding principles of ethical accountability and intergenerational equity. Norways Finance Ministry said the suspension would remain in place until a review of the Ethics Councils framework concludes, likely in late 2026. By Michael Kern 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. MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) The state of Alabama has submitted a plan for the Rural Health Transformation Program, which was passed by Congress earlier this year. State leaders hope the plan will help Alabamians in rural areas get the medical help they need. Gov. Kay Iveys plan focuses on eleven initiatives, which are all geared towards boosting healthcare in the states 58 rural counties. In a lot of our rural communities, the populations are dwindling, said Joseph Marchant, CEO of Bibb Medical Center in Centreville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marchant said his hospital is facing higher costs and other challenges to provide the care needed in his community. He said the federal governments Rural Health Transformation Program can help with that. The plan, I think, is broad enough to create plenty of opportunities for innovation, Marchant said. We need those patients to stay in our communities, and I think access to specialized care could help us do that. So, I think thats a big opportunity. If approved, Alabamas plan would allocate federal dollars toward emergency medical services and health workforce programs in the state. Sen. Bobby Singleton (D-Greensboro) said helping hospitals buy new X-ray machines, expanding telehealth and better connecting medical centers would offer relief in rural areas. To make sure that those hospitals who have been left out, and those who are on the brink of closing, get that real transformation to keep them open, said Sen. Singleton. Because we need those hospitals in our communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Highway 280 closing lanes at Pumphouse Road bridge during widening project Rep. Ron Bolton (R-Northport) agreed that transformation is necessary, especially for people who need immediate medical help. Well, the reality is if you have an accident with a tractor or something like that, we have to transport you thirty-five to forty miles to a hospital, said Rep. Bolton. And thats just not good. Our smaller emergency rooms and hospitals out in the rural areas are struggling just to be able to survive. Funding awards for the Rural Health Transformation Program are expected to be announced by the end of the year. Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement that she looks forward to the state and federal governments working together to improve healthcare across the state. 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. Poland and Romania are deploying a new weapons system to defend against Russian drones, following a spate of incursions into NATO airspace in recent months that exposed the alliances vulnerabilities and put Europe on edge. The American Merops system, which is small enough to fit in the back of a midsize pickup truck, can identify drones and close in on them, using artificial intelligence to navigate when satellite and electronic communications are jammed. As well as being deployed in Poland and Romania, Merops will also be used by Denmark, NATO military officials told The Associated Press, part of a move to boost defenses on the alliances eastern flank. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The aim is to make the border with Russia so well-armed that Moscow's forces will be deterred from ever contemplating crossing, from Norway in the north to Turkey in the south, the officials said. The need for such technology became acute after around 20 Russian drones flew into Polish airspace in early September. Multimillion-dollar jets were scrambled to respond to drones which cost tens of thousands of dollars. Romania later faced a drone incursion, while drones temporarily closed airports in Copenhagen, Munich, Berlin and Brussels. There were also sightings near military bases in Belgium and Denmark. While the origin of the drones could not always be traced to Russia or linked to its war in Ukraine, the urgent need to bolster defenses is clear. A protracted drone battle or full-scale war as in Ukraine would drain Western coffers and limited stocks of missiles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What this system does is give us very accurate detection, said Col. Mark McLellan, assistant chief of staff operations at NATO Allied Land Command. Its able to target the drones and take them down and at a low cost as well. Its a lot cheaper than flying an F-35 into the air to take them down with a missile. A bird, a plane, or a drone? Drones fly low and slow, making them hard to pinpoint on radar systems calibrated for spotting high-speed missiles. They can also be mistaken for birds or planes. The Merops system, NATO officials said, helps plug those gaps. Merops basically flies drones against drones, said McLellan, either by firing directly at the hostile drone or information from the system can be passed to ground or air forces so that they can shoot it down. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Merops gives commanders a certain amount of time to be able to assess the threat and decide to shoot or not shoot, said Brig. Gen. Thomas Lowin, deputy chief of staff operations at NATO Allied Land Command. It can be used to protect both critical infrastructure, such as airports, and armed forces maneuvering in a combat zone, he added. NATO is now deploying the first systems along the borders of Poland and Romania, while Denmark has also decided to acquire the Merops technology, Lowin said. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has invested in Merops, but both he and the company are keeping a low public profile, declining requests for interviews. Defense officials from Poland and Romania also refused to comment publicly. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The big picture The Russian incursions have concentrated minds in Europe, highlighting the need for new defenses against a rapidly developing form of warfare. The Merops system is one of many that European militaries would need to tip the scales of a drone war in NATOs favor. European companies are now developing new technologies, including drone-against-drone systems like Merops and anti-drone missiles, while European Union countries have agreed to work together to create a drone wall on the blocs eastern border. U.S. military leaders in Europe are also advocating for the creation of an Eastern Flank Deterrence Line, a layered zone of defenses along NATOs border. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The commanding general for the U.S. Army in Europe and Africa and head of NATOs Allied Land Command Gen. Chris Donahue said in July that he wants to create a network of sensors and a command-and-control system that will work with almost any hardware available allowing systems to be swapped in and out as they are updated or become obsolete. Russia has conscription and a large military, which means it has more forces immediately deployable than NATO along its borders. The alliance needs to build defenses which offset that manpower advantage by using its technological capabilities, Donahue said. Merops is the first phase of building those defenses, said Lowin, a process which is forecast to take two to five years. Zone of instability Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The drone incursions and the instability on NATOs eastern flank stem from Russias war in Ukraine, now approaching the end of its fourth year. The conflict has become a crucible for drone development, transforming the battlefield into a testing zone for new technology which now has applications elsewhere in Europe. The Merops system has been chosen because it has been used successfully in Ukraine. If something doesnt work there, its probably not worthwhile acquiring, Lowin said. Drones are evolving rapidly, and each new type demands a different response: The challenge is to identify the threat and then almost immediately work out how to attack it, said Brig. Gen. Zacarias Hernandez, deputy chief of staff plans at NATO Allied Land Command. That requires extremely fast production cycles from development to battlefield within weeks. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, Russia is also mass-producing attack drones, equipping them with cameras, jet-propelled engines and advanced anti-jamming antennae. It, too, has been forced to adapt, as Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged in early October. Speaking about the militarys initial failures in Ukraine, Putin publicly admitted that there were entire fields where our knowledge was simply non-existent but claimed Russia was now able to field more advanced technology within a matter of days. Ukraine, NATO and Russia are in a game of technological cat-and-mouse, the NATO officials suggested. We see what Russia is doing in Ukraine, said Hernandez. We have to be ready for that. The news out of Moscow is a bit of non-news: Russias top diplomat is still in his job. On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov moved to tamp down intense media speculation about a potential reshuffle at the highest echelon of Russian foreign policy. The reason? Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovs prominent absence from a Russian Security Council meeting on Wednesday, when President Vladimir Putin floated the possibility of full-scale nuclear testing. There is no truth to these reports whatsoever, Peskov said on a call with reporters Friday. Lavrov continues to serve as foreign minister, of course. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To explain why thats news, a bit of Kremlinology is in order. On Wednesday, the Russian business daily Kommersant citing informed sources raised eyebrows by reporting that the veteran diplomat was absent by agreement from the high-level confab with Putin. Whats more, observers noted that Lavrov was the only permanent member of the Security Council to miss the meeting. And in parallel, it emerged that the foreign minister would not be leading the Russian delegation to the G20 summit in Johannesburg later this month: Putin on November 4 signed a decree, appointing a more junior official, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Maxim Oreshkin, to head up the delegation. Russia's President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday, at which Lavrov did not attend. - Gavriil Grigorov/AFP/Getty Images Inquiring minds quickly asked: Was Lavrov on the outs with Putin, and was this a sign of a possible shakeup inside the Russian government? News of Lavrovs no-show came just a couple of weeks after the collapse of a plan for an in-person summit in Budapest between Putin and US President Donald Trump. Lavrov was Russias point man for making that happen, but after a phone call between Lavrov and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the summit was put on ice. US officials said the Russians had not shifted from their maximalist position on Ukraine; the Trump administration followed with fresh sanctions on Moscow. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But if there is blowback in Moscow over an apparent diplomatic setback, the Kremlin appears keen to keep any internal squabbles out of public view. Asked by CNN whether Lavrov was still serving, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Lavrov was still in his post; she confirmed his absence from Wednesdays session, adding, but that happens. Lavrov has been the face of Russian diplomacy for over two decades and previously served as Russias ambassador to the United Nations. He served Putin loyally through a period of intense Russian confrontation with the West, from the brief 2008 Russo-Georgian war and the 2014 invasion and annexation of Crimea to Moscows entry into the Syrian civil war in 2015. He has also been a full-throated defender of Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The 75-year-old Lavrov has also honed a brash, confrontational style of diplomacy that has often matched Putins imperial aspirations. At the recent summit in Anchorage, Alaska, with Trump, the Russian foreign minister arrived wearing a sweater emblazoned with the logo CCCP, the Cyrillic initials for the Soviet Union. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, second left, attends a US-Russia summit on Ukraine in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15. - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images But trolling may only get you so far, especially when it comes to the Trump administration. After Trump signaled that the Budapest meeting was canceled, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund and a Kremlin special envoy, flew to the United States for what some observers saw as a round of damage control. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Under Putin, however, loyalty and continuity are still prized. Last year, for instance, the Kremlin announced the replacement of Sergei Shoigu, Russias long-serving minister of defense. But instead of being fired outright for a lack of battlefield success, Shoigu was moved sideways to a post as the secretary of Russias Security Council. Even when faced with major setbacks, it seems, the Kremlin leaders response is often a rearrangement of the deck chairs. CNNs Anna Chernova and Matthew Chance contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Safeway is closing a Hayward store at 231 W. Jackson St. in late February, the company said. The grocery chain said it expected to transfer all of the store's 76 employees to nearby Safeways, with no layoffs planned, in a letter to state officials. That's consistent with the unionized workers' collective bargaining agreement, Safeway told the Chronicle. "We have been proud to serve the Jackson Triangle neighborhood over the years, and this decision was not made lightly. With our lease term ending, we have carefully considered our options and decided to shift our strategy," the company said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Safeway has another store at 22280 Foothill Blvd. just over 2 miles away. It's the fourth Bay Area Safeway to close since the beginning of this year. Safeway also closed stores in San Francisco's Fillmore district, as well as Pinole and Vallejo. Separately, Safeway is closing 10 stores in Colorado, as well as one in Nebraska and one in New Mexico, citing poor store performance. Safeway parent Albertsons and grocery rival Kroger had previously planned a merger, but terminated the deal in late 2024 after regulators blocked it. Safeway has over 900 U.S. locations. This article originally published at Safeway to close fourth Bay Area store in just over a year. Instructors with Lutheran Services Carolinas teach a career development class for high schoolers and young adults at the New Americans Program office in Columbia, S.C. (Photo courtesy of Lutheran Services Carolinas) COLUMBIA When President Donald Trump won a second term, Saleh Alkhalifa knew his older brother had until January of this year to get from Lebanon to the United States or remain trapped in a country at war. Alkhalifas brother arrived in December 2024, a month before Trump, following promises made on the campaign trail, suspended most refugee admissions in an executive order. Since then, the Trump administration has slashed funding to refugee resettlement groups and paused or eliminated programs meant to help people flee war and persecution to come to the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, the administration said it would limit the number of refugees allowed in the country during the coming year at 7,500, a record low. For nonprofits helping refugees get to South Carolina and settle in once theyre here, those changes mean significant reductions to their budgets and services. Meanwhile, refugees are facing uncertainty about how long they can legally remain in the country and cuts to the benefits that once helped keep them afloat while looking for a job. Alkhalifas family fled to Lebanon from their home country of Syria in 2014. Ten years later, Alkhalifa, his six siblings and his parents settled in Columbia. The pressure of getting his 28-year-old brother the last immediate family member overseas from Lebanon to South Carolina took a toll on the family. But 21-year-old Alkhalifa recognizes how lucky he is to have everyone together and safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats something really special, he said. We have to remember that its something that doesnt happen twice. Pause in resettlement Many did not have the same luck as Alkhalifa. Since the beginning of this year, Lutheran Services Carolinas has resettled six people into the country four from Afghanistan and two from South Africa, said Seth Hershberger, who runs the states New Americans Program. Thats a far cry from the more than 1,300 the nonprofit resettled in South Carolina by this time last year. Lutheran Services expected a new Trump administration to make cuts. Before Trump took office, the nonprofit expected to welcome 500 people into South Carolina in 2025. But that came to a grinding halt in January, Hershberger said. People the nonprofit worked with had sold all their belongings, if they had any belongings, and had prepared to move to the U.S., and then all of a sudden were told, No, you cant come to the U.S., Hershberger said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The cities and small towns taking in refugees couldnt handle the number of people moving there from abroad, the Trump administration said in its January executive order pausing refugee resettlement programs. The United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees, the order read. Thats supposed to be the job of organizations like Lutheran Services Carolinas, which works with Global Refuge, one of 10 agencies nationwide approved to identify, screen, process and move refugees from countries where they face persecution into the United States. Every person the nonprofit works with is coming to the country legally. Many, like the Alkhalifa family, go through years of processing and screening before they can enter the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lutheran Services is operating with half the staff and a quarter of the budget it had last year, Hershberger said. Lutheran Services Carolinas laid off about half its staff after the Trump administration slashed funding for refugee resettlement programs such as the New Americans Program, pictured at its Columbia, S.C., office on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (Photo by Skylar Laird/SC Daily Gazette) Last year, the nonprofit received about $16 million in federal grants to fund its offices in Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Columbia. This year, its getting $4 million to help refugees pay their bills or fund support services for them, Hershberger said. Reductions in other services Stopping refugees from coming into the country doesnt stop the nonprofits work, Hershberger said. For the first few months after a refugee arrives in the country, Lutheran Services Carolina covers their expenses, including rent, utilities, groceries and other necessities. The nonprofit offers cultural orientation and English classes, as well as help finding jobs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In the past, the nonprofit helped people sign up for public assistance programs, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly called food stamps. However, that changed with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law July 4, which immediately made refugees ineligible for either program. Refugees still get help paying for health care during their first four months in the U.S. After that, they need to either get insurance through a job, pay for it themselves which is almost impossible or just go without. But finding a job that quickly is unrealistic, Hershberger said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you have to focus on just getting a job so fast, it also makes it so that you dont have as much time for cultural orientation, he said. You dont have as much time for English classes. Theres more pressure on the family in general to all be working and making that a top priority over some of these other things that are necessary for integration in the long term. Alkhalifas family lost their SNAP benefits, which they used to pay for groceries, under the change in federal law. The family has been getting by, but paying for food and other costs makes saving up for other expenses difficult, Alkhalifa said. His father and one brother are working. But not all of his family speaks fluent English, which makes it more difficult to find a job, he added. Alkhalifa, whos looking for one himself, plans to attend Midlands Technical College for two years before transferring to the University of South Carolina to pursue a degree in cybersecurity, he said. First, though, he needs to save at least $4,000 per semester for tuition. Hell need more if he doesnt get the aid he applied for, he said. Its kind of a lot of money to pay while having a big family to spend money on, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some people who received help from Lutheran Services Carolinas stopped getting assistance at all. In June, the Trump administration received permission from the U.S. Supreme Court to end a humanitarian parole program for people who came to the country from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The nonprofit cant help refugees from those countries who may have stayed anyway, since it can offer aid only to people in the country with a legal permit, Hershberger said. Uniting for Ukraine Also in question is a program offering Ukrainians humanitarian protection amid the countrys ongoing war with Russia. Under the Uniting for Ukraine initiative, U.S. residents could apply to sponsor Ukrainian families into the country and help them get settled. When reviews for new applications stopped in January, so did the process for Ukrainians who came to the U.S. two years ago and needed to reapply to stay, said Curtis Lee, who founded Carolinas for Ukraine, a nonprofit that has helped resettle 30 Ukrainian refugees in Hartsville. Since then, approvals nationwide have been sporadic, and families with expired or nearly expired parole forms have no clue whether they will be able to stay in the country legally, Lee said. Without legal residence, the Ukrainians who settled in Hartsville and other parts of the country could lose their jobs or face deportation. But their only other option, in many cases, is to return to a country still at war, Lee said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Theyre really kind of caught in limbo, Lee said. Youre sitting there not knowing if you should be planning on staying or if you should be planning on having to leave, and then you dont know when you would need to leave. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Its very stressful, he added. As of Thursday, just one of those 30 families in Hartsville had received reapproval, Lee said. For the rest of the community, a path forward remained unclear. Without official word as to whether the program is still running, families dont know if their applications are under consideration or not, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think thats whats really kind of worn them down, is just not knowing, Lee said. Theyve been waiting for months and months and months. Looking ahead Lutheran Services regularly gets calls from clients who are afraid that police might stop and detain them, even though they have legal permission to be in the country, he said. Theyre fearful if they see a police car in their neighborhood on a random patrol. Hershberger said hes getting more calls from people wondering if they should go to work. Clients learn their legal rights during cultural orientation, but people are still afraid, he said. We used to be like, Yes, you should go to work, nothing will happen, Hershberger said. Now weve changed our verbiage to more of, Nothing should happen, but we cant guarantee it, because theres just a lot of unprecedented things happening, unfortunately. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lutheran Services Carolinas is working to help its clients become self-sufficient so they wont rely on the nonprofits resources. Independence is always the goal, but it became even more important with the uncertainty over the future of resettlement agencies, Hershberger said. I think thats the biggest thing, is we want them to be prepared, Hershberger said. If were not there to help them, we want them to still be able to live and thrive in the U.S. Alkhalifas own migration to the U.S. hit one road bump after Trumps first election in 2016. His parents started the process of coming into the country two years prior, but their application went on pause until Biden took office in 2023, he said. Since moving to Columbia in February 2024, Alkhalifa has made friends and figured out how to navigate an unfamiliar place. Most important, though, is knowing that he and his family are safe, he said. Its really amazing, having the security, like you belong to somewhere, he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A new scholarship fund named for Virginia Ginny Sweetser is set to start giving awards in early 2026 to women veterans pursuing advanced degrees in mental health fields, according to an announcement. Sweetser, who grew up in Essex Junction, served in the Army Reserves and Vermont Army National Guard after enlisting following the events of 9/11. She was deployed to Iraq in 2004, where she drove heavy-equipment transport vehicles in convoy operations. After returning home, she pursued higher education and earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees in social work from the University of Missouri in Kansas City, according to the announcement. She became a licensed clinical social worker in Missouri and Kansas, working with survivors of sexual assault and people with post-traumatic stress disorder. A member of the Vermont Army National Guards 172nd Cavalry Regiment, 86th Infantry Combat Team (Mountain) adjusts his unit patch on Jan. 19, 2021, while deployed to support security for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Sweetser died by suicide in December 2020. Her family established Ginnys Scholarship, a nonprofit, to support women veterans like her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After her death, so many soldiers and people Ginny had counseled reached out to us to share with us how Ginny had saved their lives. The only life she couldnt save was her own, Susan Sweetser, her mother and a scholarship co-founder, said. The scholarship was established in Ginnys memory to continue Ginnys good works and to help other women veterans get their advanced degrees. The focus is on those who want to work with people struggling with PTSD. The scholarship is eligible for workplace giving programs. To date, employee-match programs from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and J.P. Morgan Chase have recognized Ginnys Scholarship for matching donations. To raise initial funds, the organization is hosting a quilt raffle, with the winner expected to be drawn on Veterans Day. Additionally, the "IGY6;" store is open through Dec. 2, selling items that feature a message Sweetser shared in a TikTok video shortly before her death. "IGY6;" stands for I got your back, with the semicolon symbolizing a pause and a reminder for those struggling with PTSD that their pain is temporary. Proceeds from the store benefit the scholarship fund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement More information, including donation options and Sweetsers story, is available at ginnysscholarship.org. This story was created by Dave DeMille, ddemille@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 Burlington Free Press: Ginnys Scholarship supports women veterans in mental health An expert has raised concerns after more confirmed sightings of an invasive lizard species in Florida. What's happening? There have been 27 sightings of the Peter's rock agama lizard in Duval County, according to First Coast News. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission noted that it is an invasive species native to Africa, and it first appeared in South Florida about 50 years ago. Photo Credit: iStock First Coast News reported that there have been more than 2,000 confirmed sightings in Miami-Dade County. But now, the species is spreading in Duval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "A lot of non-native species get around through rafting," Eric Suarez, a leader in invasive species research at the University of Florida, told First Coast News. "It's hitchhiking on vehicles. They'll just go wherever you take them, basically." Suarez said the increasing presence of agamas in the Sunshine State could affect native species populations and, if they outcompete the brown anole lizard, lead to the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. "Brown anoles, unlike other hosts, like birds, for example, are kind of a stop host for mosquito-borne disease like West Nile virus," said Suarez. "So, if you don't have anoles available to mosquitoes because agamas are suppressing the population somehow, then those mosquitoes are going to be biting other species like birds, passing on that West Nile virus to other mosquitoes that don't have it." Why are invasive species concerning? The National Wildlife Federation referred to invasive species as "one of the biggest threats to wildlife and their habitats in the United States." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The non-native plants and animals invade ecosystems, destroy habitats, and reduce biodiversity. About 42% of threatened or endangered species are at risk due to invasives. Most times, invasive species are spread by human activities, such as travel and trade. In addition to transmitting diseases or facilitating virus spread, non-native species often outcompete native species for vital resources, leading to population decline or local extinction. There's also the economic impact. Research cited by the World Economic Forum found that invasive species cost the world $423 billion per year and that number could increase. The Invasive Species Center observed that a warming planet is exacerbating the threat of invasive species. What's being done about invasive species? The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service uses eco-friendly approaches to prevent and eradicate invasives. However, the World Economic Forum noted that the species are difficult to destroy, and that border biosecurity and import controls are prevention measures that work. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, homeowners can help prevent the spread of invasive plant species by rewilding their yards. Native plants will crowd out invasive flora for resources, making it less likely they can take hold. They also attract pollinators, which helps protect the human food supply. Since they require less water and chemical fertilizers, native plants help homeowners keep more money in their pockets. 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 changing climate has dramatically changed the migration patterns of several large mammals in Iran, a new study found. What's happening? Researchers from Shahid Beheshti University and Iran's Department of Environment studied 23 years' worth of migration patterns for four large mammals in the Central Alborz Protected Area, a region within Iran's Alborz Mountains. In particular, they wanted to see how the overheating of the planet had affected the patterns for Caspian red deer, wild goats, brown bears, and wild boars from 1999 to 2022. As they wrote for Scientific Reports, they chose CAPA because it is considered "a biodiversity hotspot," and its average summer temperature rose by 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit over those two decades. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They found that, by the end of their research period, deer were migrating two to three weeks earlier, and in numbers more than three times greater. The number of goats and boars also increased, with goats migrating earlier than before, while bears showed considerably less change. Warmer, drier weather increased the amount of foliage in CAPA, researchers said, which could have driven an increase in herbivores migrating to the area. The change in climate also likely occurred when animals began their migratory journeys. "These patterns highlight the role of climate as a significant regulator of movement ecology, influencing high-altitude habitat use," the authors wrote. "However, human-induced barriers, such as roads and settlements, present additional threats to these seasonal migrations." Why is this concerning? The changing climate has hit Iran particularly hard. According to the Atlantic Council, the country has the most polluting gases in the Middle East, and the eighth-most worldwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "As climate change accelerates, terrestrial animals are increasingly compelled to migrate longer distances, shift their migration timings, and alter their numbers, seeking new habitats to find suitable conditions," the authors wrote. And any change to migratory patterns could be a reason for concern. When and where animals migrate is vital to local ecosystems and wildlife health. This has been seen in the Caribbean, where fewer birds are completing spring migrations, and in Maine, where lobsters are now moving north into colder waters. What can be done to protect these species? The study's authors urged government officials to work together with local communities and conservationists to protect these mammals and other 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. One suggestion was to expand CAPA's boundaries and reclassify it as a national park, giving wildlife a larger area that's well protected from development or other human-led destruction. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Given the heightened pressures these species face, proactive conservation strategies are crucial for mitigating the adverse effects of climate change," they wrote. "Such efforts will help maintain ecological resilience and support the long-term survival of these vulnerable mammal populations within CAPA and beyond." One of the country's most unique cities, known for its cuisine and colorful culture, is not only sinking, but it is also being engulfed by rising seas. What's happening? New Orleans rightfully boasts of an "invigorating spirit" that can be found in its rich history, art, music, and eclectic culture. The city's tourism industry provides around 75,000 jobs for its residents. Scientists say this special city is at risk, though, from a number of forces. NASA and researchers at Tulane University say the Crescent City is sinking at the rate of one to two inches per year, per Big Easy Magazine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "New Orleans is built on soft, marshy land formed by centuries of Mississippi River sediment," Scott Ploof wrote for the magazine. "Over time, that land naturally compresses and sinks, a process called subsidence. But it's not just nature at work here human intervention has made it worse." According to a report from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "The landscape of Southeast Louisiana was built upon a coastal delta created by the Mississippi River during the past 8,000 years as sea level rise due to glacial melting in the last ice age slowed." The report offered additional context about the reasons, saying that with human activity, "natural subsidence was offset by a combination of sediments deposited during Mississippi River floods the decay of wetland vegetation." Somewhat tragically, it said, "construction of flood control levees to protect the Gulf Coast economy and local populations interrupted the sediment supply, leading to a net increase in land subsidence," or the gradual sinking of an area of land. Rising sea levels on our overheating planet are exacerbating the problem, too. New Orleans was already vulnerable to flooding and storm surges, and now, as rising seas inundate wetlands that act as a natural buffer to help protect the city, it is even more at risk of flooding today. Why is New Orleans' plight important? Coastal cities are dealing with the impacts of a warming world that include rising sea levels and supercharged storms. New Orleans faces those threats in addition to the subsidence it is experiencing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has projected sea levels to rise 1.4 to 2.8 feet by the end of this century, with even a jump of nearly seven feet possible in a worst-case scenario. This would dramatically alter coastal states, with large portions of Louisiana being inundated by rising seas. What's being done about what is happening to New Orleans? Additional research will help bring focus to the complicated problems cities like New Orleans face. Tulane University received a $3.2 million grant to study how sea-level rise will impact more than 1800 military installations worldwide. The hope is that data gathered from research like this will help officials make decisions on how they can remediate the problems in New Orleans. Moving away from a reliance on dirty energy sources and embracing renewable options is crucial. On an individual basis, the decisions we make can be part of the solution. Installing solar panels, using induction stoves instead of conventional ranges, and choosing an EV for our next vehicle purchase are all small ways we can help reduce heat-trapping pollution and these actions aren't so small when enough people do them. Travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) began experiencing the impact of nationwide flight cancellations today, with more than two dozen flights canceled at SEA early this morning and more cancellations likely throughout the day. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered the reduction in flights at 40 airports, including SEA, as part of measures to mitigate the effects of the ongoing government shutdown. The FAA says that the cuts in air traffic were necessary for safety as air traffic controllers, who are working without pay due to the government shutdown, have been calling out sick, leading to staffing shortages. The AP reports that many have been working six days a week with mandatory overtime. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight reductions started with a 4% cut today and are expected to increase to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday, and 10% by next Friday. Some airlines are currently waiving fees for changing flights, but travelers are concerned about the continuing impact on upcoming holiday travel. Hopefully they get it figured out by Thanksgiving or before the holidays because thats going to impact a lot of travelers, said Gabriel Lopez, a traveler whose flight from SEA was canceled and rescheduled. He got the flight change notification at 2 a.m. on Friday. He was originally slated to arrive at his destination at 2 p.m. on Friday, but is now set to arrive hours later, at roughly 5 p.m. We were going to go visit my sister in Denver. Were deciding if were going to cancel because were afraid we cant get back, said Marla Silva, who is reconsidering her Thanksgiving travel plans with her partner, Patrick. The two live in Hawaii and were traveling through SEA this morning, and said they both know the risks the shutdown can pose to flying at the moment. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The website Flightaware, which tracks cancellations and delays, had listed 33 delays at SEA and 27 cancellations, numbers that will fluctuate and likely increase throughout the day. Flight cuts will ramp up over the next week, and SEA could see around 100 flights cut by next Friday when the 10% reduction kicks in. Travel experts advise booking directly with airlines and avoiding layovers to make it easier to change flights if necessary. They also recommend contacting airlines proactively, either through apps or customer service lines, to manage cancellations. Some even said to call international customer service lines if they had difficulty getting through to customer service representatives. SEA has advised travelers to check in with their airlines for updates and to arrive two hours ahead of domestic flights and three hours ahead for international flights, which is relatively standard, to grant passengers extra time to sort things out should delays, disruptions, or cancellations pop up. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Major airlines such as American, Delta, United, Southwest, and Frontier are temporarily providing waivers to change flights without fees. For a rundown of what each airline has shared with customers, click here. With flight reductions set to increase, travelers are advised to stay informed and plan ahead to minimize disruptions during the busy holiday season. The situation remains fluid as the government shutdown continues to affect air travel across the country. Some travelers, like John Lang, who was flying to San Jose from Seattle on Friday, decided that the hassle for the holidays might not be worth it if the government shutdown persists through to Thanksgiving. I wouldnt touch Thanksgiving in a line here for nothing. Not for the leftovers, and I like cranberry sauce! said Lang. To learn what you can do if your travel plans are impacted, click here. By Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Maggie Fick COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Shares in Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly slipped on Friday after both agreed with the U.S government to lower prices of their blockbuster GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. The deal announced on Thursday, covering Novo's Wegovy and Lilly's Zepbound, will reduce monthly prices for U.S. government programmes, including Medicare and Medicaid, and cash payers to between $149 and $350, down from $500 to $1,000. It also grants them a three-year relief from tariffs. NEAR-TERM HEADWIND, LONGER-TERM BOOST? Novo said although lower prices would have a negative "low single-digit" impact on global sales growth next year, bigger volumes under Medicare were expected in the mid to long-term. Lilly CEO David Ricks said the U.S. drugmaker will charge a net price of $245 for its Zepbound under the new programme. He compared this to diabetes drug Mounjaro, which has the same active ingredient, saying it represented a 20% to 35% discount. Ricks also said that while Lilly is cutting obesity drug prices, expanded access is expected to boost sales volume. "The deals are probably more positive than negative for both companies," said Markus Manns, portfolio manager at Union Investment, a shareholder in both. "They are short-term negative as the price cut will hit immediately and potentially mid-term positive for the uplift in volumes," Manns added. Novo's shares were down 3.7% at 1450 GMT to their lowest level since Mike Doustdar became CEO on August 7. Eli Lilly shares traded 2.7% lower. NOVO, LILLY GO HEAD-TO-HEAD Novo faces increasing competition from Lilly's Zepbound and compounded copycat drugs in the weight-loss drug market. First to market when it launched Wegovy in 2021, Novo briefly became Europe's most valuable listed company as demand boomed, but has seen its market value slump by 70% since last year amid supply constraints and commercial challenges. Lilly's shares have gained more than 15% over the past week, and Friday's dip likely reflected investors taking profits, said Kevin Gade, chief operating officer at Bahl and Gaynor. "Initial tone is that pricing concessions on Lilly's drugs to Medicare and Medicaid will be more than offset with volume gains and the net present value from (obesity pill) orforglipron," said Gade, who holds Lilly shares. Lilly said the lowest dose of Zepbound will cost $299 per month, with higher doses at $449 for cash-paying patients, a $50 discount to current direct-to-patient prices. The Seaford Police Department and Delaware State Police assisted Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers in detaining a man the morning of Nov. 6. Around 8:20 a.m., ICE requested the assistance of Seaford police near Lowe's on Sussex Highway, a Seaford Police Department news release said. "The suspect allegedly physically resisted federal agents, before fleeing and hiding under a nearby utility trailer," the news release said. "Seaford officers responded to the scene, and helped hold the scene until additional federal agents could arrive. Seaford officers then assisted in moving the trailer so that federal law enforcement could take the subject into custody." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The suspect "obtained a minor injury" while being taken into custody, the release said, and was treated by Seaford police util EMS arrived. Seaford police contacted the owner of the trailer but had no other involvement, the release said. ICE: ICE enforcement, arrests chill some business in Sussex, Kent counties "I cant confirm at this time whether or not this was our first assist for ICE," Seaford Police Department spokesman Tyler Justice said via email. "In this situation, we were requested by them to respond to assist which is generally our threshold for any federal agency or local partners. We do not have any information as to what grounds the individual was being detained on." No one answered the phone at ICE's Philadelphia office around 4 p.m. and emails were not immediately returned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Delaware State Police spokesperson India Sturgis said her agency responded to the incident "following a report that a federal agent had been assaulted." "DSP was a neighboring parking lot when Seaford PD was dispatched to an incident involving a federal agent who called for help," Sturgis said when asked if her agency's assistance was requested by ICE. "Given our close proximity, we responded to assist. As far as our threshold, our troopers assist any agency or individual when help is needed." The Seaford incident may be the first documented incident in which police have assisted ICE in Delaware. In June, Sturgis said Delaware State Police had not participated in, nor been asked to participate in, "any ICE actions within the State of Delaware." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration: A state Office of New Americans has been created. What this means for Delaware immigrants "Our mission remains focused on ensuring public safety for all Delawareans and visitors to our state. Regarding any potential future requests from ICE, the Delaware State Police does not engage in hypotheticals. We assess real-time situations based on their immediate public safety impact and respond accordingly," Sturgis said. Delaware enacted a law earlier this year prohibiting police agencies from entering into agreements with ICE after the Camden Police Department did just that, but then withdrew the agreement after backlash. Unless there is a valid court warrant and an exigent circumstance where the community is at risk, we will not use state law enforcement resources to effectuate federal immigration policies, Misty Seemans, a deputy legal counsel with the governors office, told Spotlight Delaware's Jose Ignacio Castaneda Perez earlier this year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement (This story has been updated to add additional information about the state law regarding ICE and video.) Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at smcnaught@gannett.com or on Facebook. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: ICE assisted by Seaford, state police in detaining man The Seattle Police Department says that a 13-year-old girl who went missing from Madison Middle School today has been found, and she is safe. The department sent out an alert around 3 p.m. asking the public to call 911 if they saw her. North Carolina is overhauling its math standards, with major changes potentially coming to the courses students take in high school. The state Department of Public Instruction presented Thursday the first draft of new K-12 math standards that include replacing the required NC Math 3 class in high schools. DPI staff said the changes will help make math more relevant and include more study of statistics and data science. Were trying to empower our students and our parents to make thoughtful decisions about the math they take, said Charles Aiken, DPI section chief of math, science and STEM. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement DPI will take public comment on the draft. There will be several more drafts before the State Board of Education votes on the new standards next summer. The standards say what students should know about a subject by the end of a grade level or course. Schools select curriculum to teach those standards. Schools wouldnt be required to begin using the new standards until the 2028-29 school year. Theyd use the next few years to train teachers on the new standards. Math not seen as meaningful by some students The current math standards were phased in between 2016 and 2019. The current standards replaced the controversial Common Core-based standards. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A review team found that the current math standards were too broad. In addition, Aiken said some students dont see the math classes theyre taking as being meaningful. Aiken cited how he struggles to explain to his son why hes working very hard in Math 3. Math is often viewed by our stakeholders as something that you study, not necessarily something that you use, Aiken said. For some they do see that, for many they dont. And not surprisingly because so many students feel that way, teachers tell us that quite steadily over the K-12 career of the student, they see the students interest in math steadily decline. Keeping four required math credits North Carolina is among around 20 states that require high school students to complete four math credits/courses to graduate, according to Aiken. The UNC System requires applicants to have completed four high school math credits as an admission requirement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Aiken said the team that developed the new standards believes the state should continue to require four credits in math. Currently, high school students must take NC Math 1, NC Math 2 and NC Math 3. Students can pick from different choices, including NC Math 4, for their fourth required math course. Math 1 integrates algebra, geometry, function and statistics. Math 2 builds on Math 1 and goes into more on topics such as polynomials, trigonometric ratios, probability and geometric concepts like congruence and similarity. Math 3 builds on Math 1 and Math 2 and goes into topics such as complex numbers, inverse functions, trigonometric functions and geometric concepts such as conics and circles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new draft would continue to require students to take Math 1 and Math 2 with some changes being made to whats taught. Students would pick their final two math courses based on their post-secondary interests, whether its going to college or getting a job after graduation. First Draft of New North Carolina K -12 Math Standards by Keung Hui New data science and statistical modeling courses Math 3 would no longer be required. Math 3 and Math 4 would be replaced by two new courses that students could choose: Applied Statistics and Data Science : Students pose questions, collect and visualize data, problem solve to draw relevant conclusions from data and communicate findings to various audiences. Mathematical and Statistical Modeling: The course bridges statistics and applied mathematics through research, reasoning, and evidence-based justification. Students use reasoning and probability to quantify, evaluate and make informed decisions based on data. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The research clearly shows the need for students to be able to truly understand statistics and the data that theyre looking at and what that data story is and how to think critically, Aiken said. The role of AI is only increasing that even faster. Teachers who were successful teaching Math 3 and Math 4 can also be successful in the new courses, Aiken said. There would be a variety of other courses that students could choose from for their final two math courses, providing what DPI said is a high school math pathway. DPI is also recommending renaming the Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science course as Applied Logic and Reasoning. The name change would also come with an increased emphasis on using reasoning to think like a computer scientist or mathematician. House approves math requirements bill The new standards come as state lawmakers want to weigh in on the issue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In May, the state House supported a bill replacing NC Math 3 with computer science as one of the four required math credits. House Bill 415 would require the UNC System Board of Governors to adopt the new high school math requirements as the systems minimum math admissions requirements. The bill also changes social studies requirements, including requiring students to pass a test on their civics knowledge before they can graduate from high school. The Senate has not voted on the bill. Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced a bill Friday to restore funding for Head Start programs during the ongoing government shutdown. "My bill would give families certainty that Head Start and the care it provides will continue," Baldwin said in a statement provided exclusively to CBS News. "If my Republican colleagues don't want to sit down and talk about saving 22 million Americans from skyrocketing health care costs, I hope they can at least agree that 750,000 children and their families shouldn't pay the price for Washington dysfunction." The Keep Head Start Funding Act of 2025 would ensure that programs could keep operating even if Congress hasn't passed new appropriations bills. It would retroactively take effect from Sept. 30 immediately before government funding lapsed and the shutdown began. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least 140 Head Start programs, serving 65,000 children, have not received federal funding to renew grants in October or early November, according to the National Head Start Association. As of Nov. 1, the organization says 20 programs have partially or fully closed as a result of the shutdown, affecting nearly 10,000 children. "Simply put, there is broad bipartisan, bicameral support for Head Start in Congress, because it works," said Yasmina Vinci, executive director of the National Head Start Association. This month, the Southwestern Wisconsin Community Action Program shuttered its Head Start program, impacting more than 300 children. Even if the shutdown ends, Head Start director Tawny Hardyman told CBS News she expects the program could remain closed through the end of the year. "My main concern is for the well being of the children and families," Hardyman explained. "Once they come to their resolution, then the federal workers that support the Head Start grants have to be recalled back to work and they have to process our applications." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "What we have told staff is to be prepared, possibly through the rest of this calendar year until December 31st," she said. Other programs have been granted a temporary reprieve. In Tallahassee, Florida, the Capital Area Community Action Agency has relied on donations and a patchwork of support from local schools and churches to keep most of its Head Start programs afloat through mid-November. Once that is exhausted, the program, which has 378 children enrolled, could be forced to close. "As far as having the money to run the operation, pay employees, things of that nature, we won't have that," said Head Start director Darrel James. James welcomed news of Baldwin's bill, given the uncertainty of the government funding impasse, now in its 38th day. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We are definitely concerned that it could be a lot longer," James said. "That's the scary part." Trump says government shutdown was "a big factor" in GOP election losses Man says he was trapped by fire surrounding auto shop after UPS plane crash Government shutdown forces major flight cuts as judge orders Trump administration to pay SNAP Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Republicans narrowly defeated a bipartisan bill in the Senate requiring congressional approval for military action against Venezuela as the Trump administration continues a military buildup in the region and attacks on alleged drug boats in nearby waters. The GOP lawmakers rejected Senate Joint Resolution 90 in a 51-49 vote on Thursday evening, with Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska casting ballots in favor of the measure with their Democratic colleagues. The resolution was introduced by Paul, and Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia in response to reporting that President Donald Trump was considering military ground strikes against Venezuela. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Venezuela has long been a target of Trump, who, during his first administration, launched a failed multiyear pressure campaign to oust its authoritarian leader, President Nicolas Maduro. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has used his executive powers to target drug cartels, including the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. Trump has claimed, without providing evidence, that TdA has "invaded" the United States at Maduro's direction, despite his own National Intelligence Council concluding in May that the regime "probably does not have a policy of cooperating" with TdA. The vote was held as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a 17th known military strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in Caribbean international waters. Since Sept. 2, the United States has killed around 70 people in the attacks. The attacks have drawn domestic and international criticism and allegations of war crimes, murder and extrajudicial killings. Some Democrats called on the Trump administration to answer questions over the legality of the strikes without gaining proper congressional approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Following the Thursday vote, Kaine said the Trump administration told some members of Congress that it lacked legal authority to launch any attacks into Venezuela. Some worry that an attack could devolve into a full-scale war. "Trump's illegal strikes on boats in the Caribbean and threats of land strikes in Venezuela recklessly and unnecessarily put the U.S. at risk of war," Kaine said in a statement. In a separate statement, he criticized his Republican colleagues, stating: "If the U.S. is going to put our nation's sons and daughters into harm's way, then we should have a robust debate in Congress in front of the American people." Sen. Todd Young, a Republican of Indiana, voted against the bill on Thursday, and explained in a statement that he has been informed of the legal rationale behind the strikes and does not believe the resolution is appropriate right now, but that could change. "My vote is not an endorsement of the administration's current course in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. As a matter of policy, I am troubled by many aspects and assumptions of this operation and believe it is at odds with the majority of Americans who want the U.S. military less entangled in international conflicts," he said. Washington Senate Republicans blocked a war powers resolution on Thursday aimed at preventing President Trump from conducting strikes against Venezuela after a bipartisan group of senators warned that a continued campaign against alleged drug smugglers in the region could escalate. The vote to advance the resolution failed with 49 supporting it and 51 senators opposing. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to support it. The resolution, led by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, would direct the president "to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities within or against Venezuela, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force." The resolution had 15 cosponsors, including Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California and Paul. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Congress should not cede its power to any president," Kaine told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday. "If colleagues believe that a war against the narco-traffickers in the ocean or a war against Venezuela is a good idea, then put an [authorization of military force] on the table and debate and vote it, but don't just hand the power over to an executive. That runs against everything that this nation was founded on." The U.S. military is building up forces in waters off South America and has conducted at least 17 strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific since Sept. 2, killing at least 70 people. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the most recent strike hours after the Senate voted, saying three "narco-terrorists" were killed in the Caribbean. Kaine introduced the bipartisan resolution on Oct. 16, one day after Mr. Trump confirmed that he had authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. "A lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea," Mr. Trump said at the time. "But we're going to stop them by land also." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Trump said last week he had not made a decision about strikes within Venezuela. The Trump administration recently began briefing lawmakers on the strikes ahead of Thursday's vote, allowing them to read the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel opinion that the administration argues justifies the strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with congressional leaders and national security committee heads on Wednesday as lawmakers in both parties demand more details on the intelligence and legal basis for the strikes. Democrats left the briefing saying that the administration's answers on the legal rationale were insufficient, but expressed confidence in the U.S. intelligence community's capabilities. "Nothing in the legal opinion even mentions Venezuela," said Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Warner added that intelligence assets on alleged drug trafficking operations in the region are "quite good," but argued that the U.S. should be intercepting the boats and bringing the alleged traffickers to justice. "I'm not too worried that they're going to take out a fishing boat, because our intelligence community is very, very good. But I'm not confident that we know precisely who are in those boats and why they're there," said Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, disagreed with the characterization, telling reporters that "we know the contents of the boats" and "we know the personnel, almost to a person." Kaine said Thursday the Office of Legal Counsel opinion is based on a misreading of constitutional text. Schiff added that the opinion "is broad enough to authorize just about anything." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If that opinion were to be adopted, it would not constrain any use of force anywhere in the world," he said. Schiff also questioned the U.S. military buildup in the region, calling it "an open secret that this is much more about potential regime change." In an interview with "60 Minutes" last week, Mr. Trump said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's days are numbered. After Wednesday's briefing, Himes, a Democrat, said "there is no apparent plans to expand this beyond what they say that they are doing." Kaine said some of his Republican colleagues are uncomfortable with the potential for escalation, but have not told him they plan to support his resolution. Schiff added that some of them "may have been more comfortable with the idea when they thought it was a very short campaign, but now that it is an ongoing thing with no definite endpoint, I think the concern has increased." Kaine's resolution would require the U.S. to remove its armed forces from "hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress." It said U.S. actions in the region "indicate imminent involvement" in hostilities within or against the South American nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In October, Senate Republicans blocked a similar effort aimed at preventing continued U.S. strikes on alleged drug-carrying boats off the coast of Venezuela. Kaine said he and Schiff planned to keep renewing their efforts to force votes on the war powers issue. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the president is required to consult Congress "in every possible instance" before introducing armed forces into hostilities, unless there has been a declaration of war or other congressional authorization. In emergency situations, the administration must report to Congress within 48 hours and cease hostilities within 60 days absent congressional authorization. The 60-day deadline expired Monday. When asked how the administration plans to proceed, a senior administration official told CBS News that the 1973 resolution "has been understood to apply to placing U.S. servicemembers in harm's way." The strikes have been largely carried out by drones launched from naval vessels "at distances too far away for the crews of the targeted vessels to endanger American personnel," according to the official. The official added that the administration does not consider the strikes against the alleged drug traffickers as "hostilities." In a floor speech on Oct. 8, Paul said the strikes risk killing innocent people and decried the lack of due process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "If anyone gave a you-know-what about justice, perhaps those in charge of deciding whom to kill might let us know their names, present proof of their guilt, show evidence of their crimes," Paul said. "Is it too much to ask to know the names of those we kill before we kill them? To know what evidence exists of their guilt? At the very least, the government should explain how the gang came to be labeled as terrorists." On Thursday, Paul asked why the two survivors were repatriated if they were such a threat to the U.S. Supreme Court appears to push back against Trump administration lawyer over tariffs Trump says government shutdown was "a big factor" in GOP election losses Supreme Court justices appear skeptical of Trump's tariffs policies BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Serbian lawmakers on Friday passed a special law clearing the way for a controversial real estate project that would be financed by an investment company linked to Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner despite widespread public opposition and legal hurdles. The project seeks to redevelop a landmark military complex in central Belgrade that was partially destroyed in a NATO bombing campaign in 1999, turning it into a luxury compound with a high-rise hotel, offices and shops. The special bill was approved with a 130-40 vote in the 250-member parliament after days of heated parliamentary debate and street protests by opponents. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serbias government last year stripped the complex of its protected status and signed a 99-year-lease agreement with Kushner-related Affinity Global Development, based in the U.S. But the project stalled after Serbias organized crime prosecutors launched an investigation into whether documents used to remove that status were forged. While the pro-Trump populist government of President Aleksandar Vucic says the project would boost both the economy and ties with the current U.S. administration, the plan has met fierce opposition from experts because of the buildings architectural significance and because it is seen a symbol of resistance to the U.S.-led NATO bombing, widely viewed in the Balkan country as an unjust aggression. The special law, known as Lex Specialis in Latin, allows authorities to push forward work on the site, including demolition of what remains of the two sprawling buildings seen as prime examples of mid-20th century architecture in the former Yugoslavia. The bill does not mention Kushners company or details of any future development projects. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We are demolishing the ruins in order to build, populist Serbian Progressive Party lawmaker Milenko Jovanov said in defense of the project during the debate. Critics say the special bill undermines Serbias legal system. Corruption watchdog Transparency Serbia has warned it represents a combination of the two most dangerous forms of corruption the legalization of law violations and the tailoring of general rules to fit hidden interests in one specific case. Vucic has claimed the ongoing judicial investigation was launched based on demands from abroad to "prevent Serbia from establishing better relations with the Trump administration. The $500-million luxury compound project would include a high-rise hotel, a luxury apartment complex, office spaces and shops. Authorities say Kushners company has committed to building a memorial complex within the site, dedicated to all victims of the NATO bombing campaign. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As the debate started earlier this week, hundreds of protesters rallied outside the Serbian parliament building with banners reading: Culture is not for sale, we will not give up the general staff" building. Opposition lawmaker Aleksandar Jovanovic described the law as a crime that would replace a heritage site with casinos and Jacuzzis. Zdravko Ponos, a former Serbian army commander-in-chief who is now an opposition party leader, told lawmakers from the governing party that you will demolish something that is a symbol for this nation. With the agreement you signed with the most important son-in-law on the planet, you have obliged to tear this down and clear at the cost of Serbia's taxpayers, Ponos said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Serbia was bombed in 1999 for 78 days to force then-President Slobodan Milosevic, to end his crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Anti-NATO sentiments in Serbia remain strong to this day and many feel the U.S. role in revamping the army headquarters is particularly sensitive. In the past year, Vucic has faced youth-led protests shaking his grip on power. Protesters have accused his government of rampant corruption in state projects. The protests started after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad after renovation, killing 16 people. Tens of thousands of people on Nov. 1 marked the tragedy's anniversar y in the city of Novi Sad. Earlier this year, the government in Albania, another Balkan country, approved a $1.6 billion plan from Kushners company for investment off its Adriatic coast that envisages turning a communist-era fortified island into a luxury resort. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Several people fell ill after a suspicious package was opened at a U.S. military base in Maryland, though they were evaluated and released, the U.S. military said on Friday. The incident took place on Thursday at Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington, D.C. Authorities at the base said the package did not contain any white powder, a warning sign that can alert people of danger. The base, roughly 15 miles (24 km) southeast of the White House in Washington, D.C., is used by the president, vice president, and cabinet leaders to travel around the country and world. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The base said in a statement that the individuals who felt sick were in stable condition and did not require hospitalization. First responders determined there was no immediate threat from the package and operations had returned to normal, the statement added. The news was first reported by CNN, which said an initial field test from the HAZMAT team did not detect anything hazardous. (Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by David Gregorio) As Hurricane Melissa intensified to a Category 5 storm pointing right at Jamaica, Shaggy knew he had to help, he just wasn't sure how. So he asked ChatGPT. I dont know anything about relief and how to prepare for a storm," the Grammy-winning reggae musician said. I went to ChatGPT and looked at what we would need in a storm and we just bought that. Luckily, thats exactly what they needed. Orville Richard Burrell, known for pop-dancehall hits like Boombastic" and Angel, was born and raised in Kingston until he moved to New York when he was 18. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He was in Miami when Melissa made landfall, but lives in Kingston. Thats where the wife, kids and dogs are, he said. Its where I call home," he said. After the devastating October storm that killed at least 75 people across the northern Caribbean, Shaggy, 57, mobilized relief immediately for Jamaica, shuttling supplies from Miami and hand delivering them to the worst-hit areas. He's now made it a mission to bring attention to his country's needs. It's urgent to get the word out and make sure people dont forget. The needs are dire, he said. I think Jamaicas forever changed by this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shaggy spoke with The Associated Press on Wednesday from New York City. The interview has been edited for clarity and length. What went through your mind as Melissa approached Jamaica? When I heard that a Category 5 is coming, Im saying to myself, Whoa, this is going to be catastrophic. I just started preparing myself, hoping I can get in there and be effective. I called my friend Dan Newlin. He has two planes and I said, Lets load these planes up and well just shoot down there. As soon as the airport opened, we hit the ground. Tell us about the impacted areas. It took us about six hours to get to a place that normally would be about two-and-a-half hours. Theres debris everywhere, there is sand and mud and some (roads) are still flooded, power poles are in the road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I got there in the middle of the night, there was no electricity, it was pitch black so all I could give out was just water. We drove six hours back to the city that night, and we put all the stuff into smaller vehicles ... things like tarpaulins, female sanitary pads, Pampers for kids, flashlights, batteries. (The next day we) took another route, which took us about four hours this time. That's the only way to do it. Black River (St. Elizabeth parish) looked like they dropped an atomic bomb there with how damaged it was. We pulled up right before the bridge and they had just shut the whole town down because they said it was ground zero. And we just pulled up right there and opened the truck and said, Were gonna give it out right here. We thought we were going to get chaos because we didnt have much security. But the truck pulled up and they just started to form a line by themselves. Thats how orderly it was. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What did you see and hear from people impacted? No one could really prepare for that. No one has ever seen it. I feel for them. The psychological effects its going to have on these children. A couple days ago they were probably playing, and now theyre standing in a queue just trying to find some food for their tummies. We dont just need to be rebuilding as far as food and shelter, but youre also going to need some counseling. How can people help Jamaica? If people cant do cash, or (in) kind (donations), one thing they can do is keep it on their socials, keep it trending. Weve got to keep the awareness up, because were going to need the aid. These places arent going to be fixed until probably 10 years before this is back and running the right way. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I'm working closely with Global Empowerment Mission. They have an Amazon link that you can just click on the items and Amazon will ship it straight to GEM and because they have boots on the ground they will get it straight into these neighborhoods. Food for the Poor is also well established. Its a Jamaican charity organization. Theyve been helping Haiti and places like those. Theres also the Support Jamaica site that has been set up by the government. What would you want people who haven't been to Jamaica to know about the culture and the people there? Were very resilient people. Theres a lot of love and a lot kindness. Ive seen this firsthand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kingston now operates as an hub that can get food and supplies in and out. Youre seeing a lot of people, just regular Jamaicans, who are loading up their cars on the weekend and just going down there and that really helps. Youre feeling that community, camaraderie, within the Jamaican society. I love that. - Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy. Nvidia (NVDA) stock led a sell-off in tech on Friday, plunging as much as 4% as AI valuations continued to be top of mind for investors. Concerns about an artificial intelligence-driven stock market bubble have led to bumpy trading for shares of the "Magnificent Seven" companies in the past week. Circular deals among key players in the AI boom have drawn comparisons to the dot-com boom and bust. Nvidia's stock decline caps a brutal week for the chipmaker, with shares on track to end the five-day period down roughly 10% as of midday. Read more about Nvidia's stock moves and today's market action On Thursday, the stock slid along with other tech names as a Trump official said the government had no intention of backstopping the artificial intelligence industry, in reference to comments by OpenAI (OPAI.PVT) CFO Sarah Friar. White House artificial intelligence and crypto czar David Sacks wrote on X, "There will be no federal bailout for AI. The U.S. has at least 5 major frontier model companies. If one fails, others will take its place." Sacks went on to say, "I dont think anyone was actually asking for a bailout. (That would be ridiculous.) But company executives can clarify their own comments." The post was in response to remarks from Friar during a Wall Street Journal conference on Wednesday regarding the financing of chips. Friar said the maker of ChatGPT could want a government "guarantee" that would make the financing of AI chips for data centers easier. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman later shot down the idea that the company is seeking a government guarantee to protect it against failure. Chipmakers were already in the red on Thursday following Qualcomm's (QCOM) quarterly results on Wednesday afternoon. The results were strong, but investors have been jittery due to concerns about overvaluation in the sector. Earlier in the week, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told the Financial Times that China "will win" the AI race with the United States. Huang later stated on X that China is "nanoseconds" behind the United States in artificial intelligence. "It's vital that America wins by racing ahead and winning developers worldwide," he wrote. Nvidia and other Big Tech names have had a rough week as investors question whether the stock market is in an AI-fueled bubble. (AP/Chiang Ying-ying, Archive) ASSOCIATED PRESS Ines Ferre is a senior business reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X at @ines_ferre. You can now share your stories about how anti-Black actions from the City of Kansas City affected you or your loved ones as the city considers issuing reparations. The Mayors Commission on Reparations is inviting Black Kansas Citians to share their stories about harm done by the city in five categories: health, economics, housing, criminal justice and education. The commission, established in 2023, hired Florida-based research firm Carter Development Group to help understand how the City of Kansas City has harmed the Black community over the years. The researchers are tasked with sharing an initial report in August 2026, and a final report with recommendations on how to proceed in February 2027. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Their first community conversation for people to share their experiences will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15. Commission chair Terri Barnes said if people have a story of anti-Black racism in Kansas City, We still want to hear that story, because there may be some tie in to the city (government) that youre totally unaware of. Barnes says she wants participants to feel heard when they share their stories. I hope that they feel hopeful that their story will contribute to a group of stories that will help us understand what occurred at various times in our history across Kansas City, Barnes said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And she said people shouldnt expect reparations to mean a check in the mail, because she said municipalities dont have the money to pay out significant amounts. I certainly do think its reasonable for people to expect improvement in housing or health care or educational access other ways that people can feel an immediate benefit and value from the experience, said Barnes. The project website includes examples of harms, including: Historical exclusion from medical services and facilities Employment discrimination and wage gaps Redlining and segregation Over policing and racial profiling Segregation and underfunded schools Reparations in Kansas City This is the start of a 16-month process to produce a report with recommendations on plans for reparations, which the city defines as actions taken to repair harm caused by past and ongoing injustices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But it has taken multiple years to get to this point. In 2023, the Mayors Commission on Reparations was approved by the city council and committee members were appointed. The city councils ordinance said it was expressing apologies on behalf of the City of Kansas City and declaring the citys intent to make amends for its participation in the sanctioning of the enslavement of Black people and any historical enforcement of segregation and accompanying discriminatory practices against Black citizens of Kansas City. The committee originally did not have a budget, but was given $350,000 in early 2024 to conduct research. But in June 2025, their money was frozen due to legal review after President Donald Trumps attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, KCTV5 reported. Kansas City is not the only Missouri city looking into reparations. In 2024, the St. Louis Reparations Commission recommended the city send money to people whose ancestors were enslaved in the city and/or Black residents impacted by racism, in addition to other measures, according to a St. Louis Public Radio report. How to get involved In addition to the November storytelling event, there are a variety of ways for Black Kansas Citians to participate in the reparations research project. They can take an online survey, share their stories online or call the researchers at 855-925-2801, extension 11912. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For people who are not Black, Barnes suggested other ways to support the work for reparations. People can attend meetings for the Mayors Commission on Reparations on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 3 to 5 p.m. In addition, there are similar conversations happening around the Kansas City area, through the Reconnecting the East Side initiative and the KC Reparations Coalition, which people can join by emailing chair Janay Reliford at info@campchoicekc.com. Kansas City Reparations Community Conversation By Helen Reid LONDON (Reuters) -France's crackdown on Shein over childlike sex dolls and banned weapons is exposing a perennial problem of online marketplaces: failing to properly police third-party sellers and block sales of counterfeit, illegal, dangerous or simply offensive products. Online marketplaces - platforms that let multiple vendors display and ship their goods globally - have surged over the past decade, with Amazon, Alibaba, Temu and Shein generating massive revenues by offering consumers a seemingly endless array of low-cost products. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Not all products comply with safety or legal standards. Amazon was criticised in Britain in 2022 for selling illegal weapons, and in 2018 for selling sex dolls resembling children, the same issues that have caused an uproar in France with the government moving to ban Shein. "Because marketplaces are not policing the products all the time, you can find lookalikes or even the same products just being sold under a different name again, very briefly after they've been taken down," said Sylvia Maurer, director of advocacy coordination at European consumer organisation BEUC. "It's a little bit like fighting windmills." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shein was meeting with the European Commission on Friday, a spokesperson for the EU executive said, after France urged the Commission to launch an investigation into the Chinese online retailer under its Digital Services Act law governing online platforms. VAST MARKETPLACE Shein, popular with young and lower-income consumers for its ultra-affordable fashion, showcases around 10 million individual items on its website, with the vast majority from third-party vendors rather than its own brand clothes, estimates New York-based ecommerce analyst Juozas Kaziukenas. "It's just a massive, massive catalogue from all sorts of different manufacturers and sellers, and things you will find are things no person at Shein has manually reviewed to be on the site - it's just on the site," said Kaziukenas. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a statement to Reuters, Shein said it screens product listings to identify any prohibited goods or policy violations. It said it uses detection tools to help flag potential issues and has more than 900 employees globally working on content moderation. Amazon said it takes measures to prevent prohibited products from being listed by third-party sellers and continuously monitors its store. NO ONE TO HOLD ACCOUNTABLE Marketplaces, as intermediaries, are not liable for the products they sell as they are not the "deemed importer" under European Union law, said Maurer. Her organisation is among those pushing for this to change, in the EU's upcoming customs reform. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Many foreign suppliers get away with selling on platforms with minimal oversight and no EU-based entity, said Gabriela da Costa, partner at law firm K&L Gates in London. "This leaves the authorities with no one in the Union to hold accountable, compounded by the practical and resource difficulties of enforcing against massive volumes," she added. French authorities are investigating online marketplaces Shein, Temu, AliExpress and Wish for alleged rule breaches that include minors being able to access pornographic content via their marketplaces, the Paris prosecutor said on Tuesday. France's crackdown on Shein comes amid growing concern in Europe about online platforms facilitating increased flows of cheap Chinese products into the bloc. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Shein, Temu, AliExpress, and Amazon Haul send products from Chinese factories direct to consumers without paying customs duties, as the EU waives these for ecommerce parcels under 150 euros ($174.93). Some 4.6 billion low-value ecommerce parcels were imported into the EU in 2024, double the number in 2023. 'SMALL PARCELS INUNDATING OUR CITIES' Paris, the global fashion capital, is also increasingly frustrated with platforms selling counterfeit handbags or cosmetics. "There are, in this massive flow of small parcels inundating our cities and our villages, counterfeit products, unhealthy products and illicit products," France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a radio interview. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement France's Budget Minister Amelie de Montchalin on Friday said customs authorities have examined 100,000 low-value parcels at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, as the government looks for evidence of illegal products sent by Shein. The child-like sex doll is "egregious and easy to point to because it makes headlines, but in reality, the everyday situation we're dealing with is, for example, a cream that's not exactly the real deal, but looks legitimate," said da Costa. French state-owned postal service La Poste, which last month announced a partnership with Temu, says French consumers are ordering heavily from Chinese platforms, which now account for 20% of its Colissimo parcels - the same share as Amazon. Temu said its compliance teams work to ensure that products and sellers on its platform meet EU safety and legal requirements. AliExpress said its algorithms detect risky listings which are then reviewed by humans. ($1 = 0.8575 euros) (Reporting by Helen Reid; additional reporting by Casey Hall in Shanghai, Claude Chendjou in Paris; Editing by Lisa Jucca and Ros Russell) default Stella Barey has an hour for lunch. At 1.30pm, she loads her banged-up Tacoma with her three Belgian malinois and drives to a secret Los Angeles hiking trail. There, she gulps down a tapioca pudding and laces up her sneakers. After checking over her shoulder for foot traffic, she pulls down her brown sweatpants and jiggles her bare ass for the camera. Then come the undies. Her coiffed landing strip hovers above the rocks as a rush of urine floods the trail. Every mile she walks, she films another video: a flash, a moon, a finger up the ass. When Barey decided in 2020 to pursue porn full-time, she did not imagine that at 28 she would spend more time hunched over a desk not in the fun way making flow charts, scheduling Zoom calls, and sending pitch decks. Im at my happiest when Im making a video like putting a strawberry in my butt and pushing it out, she says. Now Im on calls all day and I have tech neck. Known online as the Anal Princess, with large, blinking Shelley Duvall eyes and an American Girl doll pout, she will try anything once even the title tech founder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barey is looking to disrupt the porn landscape with Hidden, a site designed to alleviate creator burnout and restore the fun in making and consuming adult content a place where, unlike OnlyFans, she can post public exposure and piss clips from her daily lunch-break hikes. You cant be spending your entire day making content, promoting it on socials. Its unsustainable Stella Barey Hidden arrives during an uncertain time for porn, especially for gen Z. They are skeptical of it, raised on it and increasingly behind the camera themselves. The platform reflects the DIY sensibility that Bareys generation grew up with, and its mission speaks to their conflicted relationship with big tech, sex work and making a living online. At the end of the day, Hidden is more than porn, Barey says. Its a political statement and one of the only sex worker-founded sex-tech companies hosting adult content today. Born in San Juan Capistrano, California and raised by a gynaecologist mother, Barey cannot remember a time when she was not insatiably curious about her body. At NYU, she invented her own major ethical healthcare systems and policy then finished med school prerequisites for gynaecology at University of California, Los Angeles, where she gravitated to the citys X-rated underbelly: sex parties, industry mixers, late-night friendships with porn girls. Trapped in her apartment during the first wave of Covid, grinding through schoolwork, she started experimenting with anal sex with her then boyfriend and sharing her sexploits via dirty story times on TikTok. This is when TikTok still felt like this hidden little piece of the internet, she recalls. Related: Rise of the porno-trolls: how one porn platform made millions suing its viewers Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Her third video went viral. Men in the comments wanted her OnlyFans. Women wanted more story times. By 2021, Barey had given them both. OnlyFans bikini shots and nude selfies pulled in more than $40,000 a month enough to make medical school look optional. She dropped out, figuring the white coat would wait for her. On TikTok, she became the horny professor to a cult following of gen Z women, quoting Michel Foucault, Sigmund Freud and Marquis de Sade as she spoke about the color of her vagina, STD checks, treating bacterial vaginosis (BV) and inserting a menstrual sponge and the delights of anal sex. I was making the sacrifice of potentially ruining my reputation to speak about sexual health and sexual topics, things 99% of the girls my age are also thinking about, in a non-stigmatized way, Barey says. (Having a gynaecologist mom on speed dial helped.) By 2022, she had hit 750,000 TikTok followers and a $285,000 month on OnlyFans. It didnt last. Four years prior, in 2018, federal law made websites legally liable for hosting material linked to sex trafficking. Spooked by the law as well as mounting pressure from banks, advertisers and religious lobbying groups, Instagram and TikTok began issuing community violations for even the hint of sexual content. The word obscenity, long the legal standard for what counts as too sexual, remained deliberately undefined, giving them carte blanche to remove anything that made them nervous. Adult creators were shadowbanned, deleted and demonetized without warning. But they could not afford to leave the mainstream platforms altogether thats where they advertised their content and built fanbases. To survive, they developed their own internet survival codes, resorting to algospeak to circumvent obscenity guidances (corn for porn, seggs for sex, accountant for sex worker), VPNs and burner accounts to evade detection, and private Discords to swap intel. We became outlaws, Barey says. You have no clue what is allowed or not allowed until you get hit with a violation. Its all word of mouth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By the end of 2022, Barey had gone through 22 TikTok accounts, many with more than 600,000 followers, buying burner phones to start from scratch each time she got booted from the platform. Severely limited by mainstream sites, sex workers sought out new havens for posting adult content, the most popular of which is OnlyFans. Whereas Pornhub and its peers monetize traffic through ads and streaming, OnlyFans monetizes relationships, letting creators sell directly to fans. By 2024, more than 4.6 million creators were pulling in $7.2bn from subscribers. But OnlyFans comes with its own set of problems. The platform is notorious for lacking creator-friendly tools. Unlike Instagram or TikTok, there is no explore page or discovery feed; the burden of finding an audience falls entirely on the performer, which means relentless self-promotion on the very sites that are so hostile to them. People dont realize that most of these girls dont want to be doing social media they just want to make porn, Barey says. Once fans do make it to a creators page, monthly subscriptions account for only a fraction of potential earnings. The real money comes from time-consuming manual engagement, such as selling custom videos, sexts and one-to-one messaging. At one point, 70% of Bareys income came from these direct messages. You cant be spending your entire day making content, promoting it on socials, and also be on your account selling to fans 24/7, she says. Its unsustainable. Everyone is getting sick of the OnlyFans model. Were exhausted and burnt out Leila Lewis The idea for Hidden began in 2023, when a high school friend and Wharton business school grad approached Barey about co-founding a porn site. Barey set the terms: a platform designed by and for sex workers, built to promote passive income in an industry where constant performance is often the price of survival. The platform launched on 12 April with a sleek black interface and artful branding. Focused on amateur content, it recalls the Tumblr-era cam girl aesthetic a period many creators look back on with fondness. (Hidden is a reference to the phone folder in which normies keep their nudes.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After clicking 18+, users land on a TikTok-style For You page that serves clips tailored to their taste. Scrolling through videos and photos, one can find anything from a girl-next-door-type smiling in her pyjamas to a performer gyrating on a lubed-up dildo. See someone you like? A quick swipe to that creators profile is usually where the first paywall appears: a small fee to unlock their feed, view explicit posts or send a message. Barey is most excited about the ways Hidden, unlike OnlyFans, helps creators keep earning without constantly filming or messaging. The sites algorithm promotes old videos as much as new ones, and each profile includes a built-in store where fans can buy clips and pay-per-view posts content that creators have already made, now working for them in the background. None of Hiddens features are brand new, Barey admits. The scrolling feed is lifted from RedGifs; the store from ManyVids; and the chargeback protections, popular among creators for making it harder for customers to dispute charges and get refunds, from SextPanther. But they are consolidated on Hidden, which also takes the smallest cut in the industry (18% of creators earnings, compared with OnlyFans 20%). For Leila Lewis, 28, a Philadelphia-based creator making over $30,000 a month on OnlyFans, the appeal was immediate. Everyone is getting sick of the OnlyFans model. Were exhausted and burnt out, she says. After a consultation with Barey, she said Hidden felt like a return to the golden days something that finally made her excited about the work again. You cant do fisting or pee content on OnlyFans, which is the content her fans like best but is prohibited on the more skittish platform, Lewis explains. Thats why I love Hidden, because they just let you do pretty much anything. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Barey oversees a 40-person software team, a product designer and six content moderators, and more features are on the way. Barey and her team are building a takedown bot to scan the internet for leaks and stolen content with a single click. She is experimenting with AI tools that would let fans request personalized clips generated from a performers likeness (for instance, me in a red dress on a plane), while safeguarding ownership of their likeness from sites that are already selling nonconsensual AI versions of them. Barey even wants Hidden to handle its own payments instead of relying on third-party payment processors an unheard-of move in the adult industry that would cut out the middlemen that drive up fees. (If she could buy a bank outright, she says, creators might one day keep nearly all of what they earn.) Ultimately, she insists its sex workers who will decide what comes next for Hidden. I have a list of thousands of things, but if Im hearing from the girls that they really want live streaming, Im going to put that up at the top. Meanwhile, her core crew of gen Z assistants Drew, Chloe and Naomi, who once ran her OnlyFans and now act as her angels weigh in on everything from marketing strategy to her sex tapes final cut. Years of navigating porn sites and the minefield of social media have given them an instinct for what will resonate. So far, Hidden has registered over 113,000 users who have spent on average $53 each, and has enrolled more than 2,100 active creators most of them gen Z women. *** Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this moment public sentiment toward porn is souring. Thats in part due to the rise of rage bait porn, the kind of deliberately provocative content that first launched Barey into viral fame, when her TikTok about sleeping with her fathers fiftysomething best friend broke the internet. Gen Z creators such as Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips, whose exhibitionist gangbang spectacles were engineered to be detested, thrive in an ecosystem warped by burnout, censorship, algorithmic whiplash, slop churn, and audiences with ever-shortening attention spans. For critics, they are proof the industry has lost its grip. The backlash also mirrors cultural anxieties about sex, gender and power among gen Z. By age 13, most US teens have already encountered pornography, often by accident. Gen Z is the first cohort to grow up with porn not just available but ambient, algorithmically unavoidable. Related: A generation of virgins is leading Americas next sexual revolution The American Survey Centers 2025 report found that nearly two-thirds of men under 25 now support making online pornography harder to access a sharp increase from previous generations. This shift could be tied to growing discomfort with porns ubiquity, as well as a broader conservative turn among young people (as you can see in the NoFap and abstinence trends spreading across TikTok). At the same time, feminist critics, gen Z or otherwise, are calling out the damaging effects of some porn, from normalized choking to transactional porn-script sex bleeding into dating culture. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Interestingly, survey data shows gen Z reports less sexual activity than earlier generations, suggesting a more cautious cohort. And yet, new Kinsey Institute research finds gen Z to be the most kink-friendly generation on record. Internet porn historian Noelle Perdue argues that the contradictions themselves are the story. There is among younger generations this resentment towards the concept of mainstream pornography, she says, but they are also genuinely curious about their sexuality. What gen Z is open to, she adds, is ethically produced porn that matches their sensitivities and desires. Recent Pornhub data also shows a broader cultural shift toward authenticity in porn: searches for ethical porn rose 92% in 2024, while authentic sex climbed 43%, meaning viewers are increasingly drawn to user-generated and amateur content over scripted, studio productions that can feel unrealistic. Ethical porn, a recent buzzword in the industry, generally refers to erotic content that is transparently and legally produced, fairly paid and filmed with mutual pleasure in mind; feminist porn filmmakers such as Erika Lust are often held up as the gold standard. Hidden is, in that sense, as ethical as a platform can reasonably claim to be: its content is self-filmed by age-verified performers who own their work and keep most of what they earn. However, one can never be entirely sure what is or is not ethical without being in the room where the sex is happening. Between her time on TikTok and an in-person erotic philosophy reading series she started last February, Barey has drawn in a wide circle of college-aged women. I know theres a rise in conservatism amongst gen Z, but I see this generation as the most accepting of porn of any generation yet, she says. Theyre so supportive of sex work and understanding it as a legitimate job. Tech companies have a long history of establishing financial sustainability by hosting explicit content and then suddenly abandoning it Noelle Perdue By the time young people have worked out what they want or do not want from porn, it might be a moot point. The Heritage Foundations Project 2025 went so far as to openly call for pornography to be outlawed and its producers imprisoned, indicating a rightwing thirst for a national ban on the industry. A less existential but more immediate threat are new age-verification laws across the US and UK that require users to upload government IDs or biometric data before accessing porn. Lawmakers frame these bills as child-protection measures, but in practice they penalize the very platforms trying to comply and slash the income of sex workers especially queer and trans creators already working on razor-thin margins. When Louisianas Act 440 went into effect in 2023, Pornhub reported an 80% drop in traffic from the state, while VPN searches spiked. As Perdue notes, minors will always find adult content; what these laws actually do is punish compliant platforms like Hidden, OnlyFans and Pornhub, and funnel users toward sketchier sites rife with pirated or nonconsensual material. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement By some estimates, porn still accounts for more than a third of internet data transfers. Its future could depend on creators finally taking control of the industry they built. Tech companies have a long history of establishing financial sustainability by hosting explicit content and then suddenly abandoning it, Perdue says. It would be amazing to have this pattern disrupted by a company that is truly aligned with sex workers, instead of just seeing adult content as a means to a financial end. Three dogs pant out of open windows as Bareys pickup barrels down the freeway, away from the hiking trail. She will miss the beginning of her 2.30pm call, a meeting with her chief technology officer to review Hiddens next software update. There is no signal on this stretch, so for a few more minutes she can remain in her favorite role just another horny girl on the internet with a camera roll filled with nudes. Even though porn has been around forever, this version of online sex work is so brand new, Barey says. In this way, Hidden may be less a product than a provocation an argument that an industry dismissed as slop can still be reinvented. The San Luis Obispo County man who was convicted of driving under the influence causing great bodily injury after a 2011 conviction for murder was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday. On Sept. 19, a jury convicted Ryan James Johnson, 48, of driving while under the influence of drugs causing great bodily injury, reckless driving causing great bodily injury, hit-and-run causing great bodily injury and property damage and driving on a suspended license on Sept. 19, court documents show. His previous convictions, which stem from an armed residential burglary gone wrong in Los Osos in 2009, qualified as four strikes under the California Three Strikes Law, according to a news release from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorneys Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The strikes increased Johnsons sentence, which was ultimately 14 years plus 25 years to life in state prison, the District Attorneys Office said. Todays sentence sends a strong message that violent, repeat offenders will be held accountable in San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow said in a Thursday news release. By imposing severe penalties for repeat violent felons, we protect our community and deter others from engaging in similar lawless conduct. Court records show Johnson also had several drug- and alcohol-related crimes and petty theft convictions, including drunk driving, from 1998 to 2008. Defendant drove wrong-way on Highway 101 According to the District Attorneys Office, Johnson was driving southbound on Highway 101 through San Luis Obispo on Dec. 27, 2023, when he abruptly turned his car around near the Marsh Street exit and began driving northbound against traffic. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Johnson drove in the emergency lane at more than 70 miles per hour in heavy traffic, the District Attorneys Office said. He slammed head-on into a motorist when he reached the Broad Street exit, the agency said, which caused his vehicle to go airborne and strike another vehicle. The victim of the head-on collision suffered serious injuries while the second vehicle was badly damaged, the agency said. Johnson left his vehicle, discarded two methamphetamine smoking pipes from his pockets and attempted to flee the scene. Bystanders identified Johnson for California Highway Patrol officers, who then detained him, the release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A DUI investigation and forensic blood draw found Johnson was under the influence of methamphetamine and marijuana, the agency said. He was arrested and taken to the hospital for medical clearance before he was booked into jail. While at the hospital, the release said, Johnson left the hospital on foot once officers were not in his immediate presence. CHP officers arrested Johnson again at his home the following day. Strike offenses stem from Los Osos burglary Johnson had been released from prison for about a year and half before he crashed driving the wrong way on Highway 101, court records show. In 2011, a jury convicted Johnson of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit robbery, first-degree residential burglary, being a principal in a crime involving being armed with a firearm, and first-degree residential robbery with the enhancement of using a firearm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to previous Tribune reporting, Johnson was found guilty of planning a robbery that went bad, which was carried out by Kelsey Alvarez and Jesse Baker-Riley in 2009. Baker-Riley and Alvarez went to the home of Peter Davis and demanded money and marijuana at gunpoint. Davis, fearing for his life, then grabbed a gun and fired shots at Baker-Riley one of which struck and killed Alvarez. Court documents show that while Baker-Riley and Alvarez were committing the robbery, Johnson boasted that he was running things while he was at another persons house and said his homies were basically doing a home invasion with a gun. The District Attorneys Office called Johnson the mastermind of the crime, according to the news release. Los Osos resident Jesse Baker-Riley was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison on Wednesday, May 18, 2011, for murder by provocation for his role in a 2009 home invasion robbery gone awry. Changes to the felony murder law in California eventually led to Johnsons convictions for murder and being the principal in a crime involving a firearm to be vacated in 2022. To be found guilty of felony murder, the law now requires defendants to be an active participant, meaning they were physically at the scene of the crime violating the law. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Despite the vacated convictions, Johnson still had four strikes under Californias Three Strikes Law connected to the crime. Johnson was resentenced and released from state prison in June 2022, court records show. Baker-Riley, who was also found guilty of murder and related burglary crimes in 2011, filed a petition to be re-sentenced in 2023. His next hearing on the matter was scheduled for Nov. 20. Coldwater, Kansas, mayor Jose Joe Ceballos is facing criminal charges for allegedly voting as a non-U.S. citizen. On Tuesday, Jose Joe Ceballos handily won re-election as mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, capturing roughly 83% of the vote, according to unofficial results. Attorney General Kris Kobach announced charges against Ceballos the next day three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. A legal permanent resident of the U.S. with Mexican citizenship, Ceballos was first elected mayor of the town of fewer than 700 people just north of the Oklahoma border in 2021. Before that, he served two four-year terms on the City Council. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At a press conference on Wednesday and in Comanche County District Court filings, Kobach alleged that, as a non-U.S. citizen, Ceballos illegally voted in August 2024, November 2023 and November 2022. Election officials said Ceballos has been on the Kansas voter rolls since at least 2006. In large part, our system right now is based on trust, Kobach told reporters. Trust that when the person signs the registration or signs the poll books saying that hes a qualified elector or that he is a United States citizen, that the person is telling the truth. In this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust. Ceballos did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday by phone, email or Facebook message. Coldwaters official response In a post on the south-central Kansas towns official Facebook page, Coldwater City Council President Britt Lenertz said Ceballos called a special meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss recent events that have transpired with the Kansas Attorney Generals Office. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At this time, our focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met, Lenertzs statement reads. While the recent allegations involving the mayor are understandably concerning, we will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments, Lenertz continued. Its important that we respect both due process and the integrity of our local government. Coldwater is located roughly 325 miles southwest of Kansas City. The city website briefly describes the mayors role overseeing day-to-day city business. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Mayor presides over the City Council meetings, serves as a spokesperson for the community, facilitates communication and understanding among elected officials, assists the City Council in setting goals and policies by participating in its deliberations and serves as an ambassador and defender of the community, the website says. In a phone interview on Thursday, Lenertz said the city attorney will determine whether Ceballos can serve out the final two months of his current term. Hes working on, I believe, his citizenship, Lenertz said of Ceballos. If he can get approval on his citizenship before swearing in for his next term, then he will be able to legally be mayor. Lenertz described Ceballos as very dedicated to his role as a local official. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes always wanted to make sure that the citizens and that the town are taken care of, and he volunteers a lot of hours to make sure that things get done, Lenertz said. Just about everybody in the community knows him and knows that he is an outstanding member of our community. Coldwater community reacts In comments under the post on Coldwaters Facebook page, community members grappled with the news of the charges brought against Ceballos. His daughter, Jewell Falletti, defended her fathers integrity. I would like to remind everyone to be kind, Faletti commented. You all know my father and know that he is a hard working man. I can promise you that he TRULY didnt know that he couldnt vote or run for the positions that he ran and served. It is a very sad day Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other users weighed in with their own thoughts about the mayor. Joe was a pleasure to work with when I worked for the city and he was head of the water department, one user commented. Hes one of the most honest, intelligent and hardworking people I know. He obviously won by a landslide, and I pray the city gives him their full support. This petty action by Kobach makes me ill. Another user commented that Ceballos should be granted U.S citizenship effective retroactively from the time he began all his services to the community. One user questioned whether the citys legal department would represent Ceballos in court, and another posted a meme featuring President Donald Trump with the caption, Enjoy an ice cold glass of deportation. What happens next? Kobach and Secretary of State Scott Schwab declined to say who tipped them off about Ceballos non-citizen status. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The specifics of how we came to know that this individual is on the voter rolls and voting, were not at liberty to talk about right now, Kobach said. Thats part of the investigation in the case. Kansas law requires state-level candidates for office to be citizens, and federal laws require the same of candidates seeking national office. But laws surrounding who can and cant be elected to local offices in Kansas are less clear. Kobach and Schwab told reporters it will be up to local officials to decide whether Ceballos will be allowed to continue as mayor. Kobach said the felony charges brought against Ceballos carry a potential maximum penalty of up to 68 months in prison and up to $200,000 in fines. Immigration attorneys perspective Kobach, the one-time head of Trumps voter fraud commission, has for years pushed the narrative that scores of non-citizens are illegally voting in U.S. elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a 2018 ruling striking down a Kansas law that required people to prove their citizenship before registering to vote, a federal judge rebuked Kobach, then secretary of state, for failing to provide evidence of the widespread fraud he claimed. Kansas City immigration attorney Michael Sharma-Crawford said the non-citizens who do cast ballots by and large dont know theyre breaking the law. Misunderstandings at the DMV are a common culprit, he said. Theyll go to get a drivers license and the person behind the counter will go, Do you want to register? The motor voter kind of thing, Sharma-Crawford said. Well, I dont know if I can. Oh, you can. Sure, you can. Well, I dont have a green card. You can vote. Its that momentary social pressure there or at a voter registration event. That persuasion leads a lot of people to register, he added. They told me I could is the more frequent commentary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sharma-Crawford said Trumps aggressive approach to immigration enforcement is stoking fear in communities across the country. Everybodys just afraid because there is this machine that is marching at everybody thats not a citizen of the United States, or who they dont think is a citizen of the United States, he said. In July, Lenexa police informed City Councilmember Melanie Arroyo that she would have to provide documents proving her citizenship after an anonymous tipster suggested she may be in the country illegally in a call to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation Arroyo, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was able to resolve the matter, but said the citizenship probe caused her emotional and mental harm. A federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump administration Thursday to find the money to fully fund SNAP benefits for November. The ruling by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. gave President Donald Trumps administration until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, though its unlikely the 42 million Americans about 1 in 8 will see the money on the debit cards they use for groceries that quickly. The order was in response to a challenge from cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration was only offering to cover 65% of the maximum benefit, a decision that would leave some recipients getting nothing for this month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement READ MORE: Alabama sending $300 to needy families, $5 million to food banks as shutdown continues The defendants failed to consider the practical consequences associated with this decision to only partially fund SNAP, McConnell said. They knew that there would be a long delay in paying partial SNAP payments and failed to consider the harms individuals who rely on those benefits would suffer. McConnell was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip Novembers benefits entirely because of the federal shutdown. It has been a week of twists and turns for SNAP beneficiaries Last weeks rulings ordered the government to use one emergency reserve fund containing $4.6 billion to pay for SNAP for November but gave it leeway to tap other money to make the full payments, which cost between $8.5 billion and $9 billion each month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Monday, the administration said it would not use additional money, saying it was up to Congress to appropriate the funds for the program. The next day, Trump appeared to threaten not to pay the benefits at all unless Democrats in Congress agreed to reopen the government. His press secretary later said that the partial benefits were being paid for November and that it is future payments that are at risk if the shutdown continues. Late Wednesday, the USDA, which runs the program, said in a filing in federal court in Rhode Island that it had done further analysis and found that the maximum benefit will be 65% of the usual amount. Speaking at the Greater Boston Food Bank in Massachusetts Thursday morning, Democratic Gov. Maura Healey said the Trump administration is sending mixed messages: Come on. You know, youre going to partially fund food for Americans? Youre going let people starve? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ___ Associated Press writers Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; and Gary Robertson in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report. Read the original article on al.com. Flags in South Dakota are being flown at half-staff to honor former Vice President Dick Cheney, who died Nov. 4. South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden ordered flags to be lowered statewide effective immediately the morning of Nov. 6, according to a news release from his office. More: Dick Cheney, the most controversial, powerful vice president in US history, dies at 84 Cheney served as vice president under George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 and was considered one of the most powerful VPs in American history, according to USA Today. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Flags will remain at half-staff until the day of Cheney's interment. How did Dick Cheney die? Cheney, whose death was confirmed by a statement from his family, was 84. The cause was complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, the statement said. Where will Dick Cheney be buried? Many of the details surrounding Cheney's funeral plans, burial location and whether the former vice president will lie in state have not been publicly announced as of 11:20 a.m. CST Nov. 6. More: What we know so far about Dick Cheney's funeral services Has Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for Dick Cheney's death? Trump has not publicly issued an order for flags to be flown at half-staff for Cheney's death, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said they were lowered at the White House "in accordance with statutory law." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal law about the position and manner of display of the American flag says that it must be flown at half-staff until a former vice president's day of interment. Traditionally, past presidents have issued proclamations ordering flags to be flown at half-staff across the U.S. to symbolically mourn the deaths of a former president or vice president. Most recently, in December 2024, former President Joe Biden ordered flags lowered for 30 days after the death of former President Jimmy Carter. The last time a former vice president died Walter Mondale in 2021 then-President Biden also ordered flags to be flown at half-staff. Similar orders have been made to honor the deaths of other public figures or the anniversary of days of remembrance. Trump directed that flags be lowered most recently after the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk in September. Reporting contributed by Natalie Neysa Alund and Melisa Khan. This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Gov. Rhoden orders flags in South Dakota at half-staff for Dick Cheney South Korea may reconsider its sanctions approach toward North Korea after new US measures connected Pyongyangs crypto theft operations to the funding of its weapons programs. Key Takeaways: South Korea is weighing a review of its sanctions policy after the US linked North Koreas crypto theft operations to weapons funding. The US Treasury targeted eight North Koreans and two entities, including KMCTC and Ryujong Credit Bank, for laundering stolen crypto. Pyongyangs cyber tactics remain a major source of illicit financing for its weapons programs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an interview with Yonhap News TV on Thursday, Second Vice Foreign Minister Kim Ji-na said Seoul could review sanctions as a measure if they are really needed, stressing close coordination with Washington to counter North Koreas growing cyber and digital threats. In cases of cryptocurrency theft by Pyongyang, coordination between South Korea and the US is important, as it can be used to fund North Koreas nuclear and missile programs and pose a threat to our digital ecosystem, Kim stated. US Targets North Korean Crypto Laundering Network Tied to Weapons Funding Her comments followed the US Treasury Departments latest sanctions against eight North Korean nationals and two entities accused of laundering stolen cryptocurrency. Among them were the Korea Mangyongdae Computer Technology Company (KMCTC) and Ryujong Credit Bank, both alleged to have funneled illicit digital funds to finance weapons development. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Treasury officials identified KMCTC president U Yong Su, as well as Jang Kuk Chol and Ho Jong Son, as central figures in laundering operations tied to ransomware and fraud schemes. The measures target DPRK-linked operatives in China and Russia who allegedly managed front companies and accounts used to repatriate proceeds from North Korean IT workers abroad. According to Ryan Yoon, senior analyst at Tiger Research, the move marks a continuation of sanctions that began after North Koreas 2016 nuclear test. Since then, small-scale sanctions have continued to be imposed, Yoon said, adding that while further actions are likely, their economic impact may remain limited. This has been happening for decades, he noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The renewed scrutiny underscores Seouls intent to align with Washington on countering North Koreas cyber operations, which remain a persistent source of illicit funding for its weapons ambitions. North Korea Linked to Major Crypto Hacks North Korea has also been linked to several other major crypto heists, including those targeting Bybit, the Ronin Bridge, Harmony, and various DeFi platforms. Global law enforcement is responding. The US Department of Justice recently moved to seize over $7.7 million in digital assets tied to North Korean IT workers embedded in blockchain firms. Meanwhile, the US and South Korea signed a bilateral agreement in 2023 to enhance their technical capabilities in detecting and countering DPRK cyber operations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement North Korean cyber strategies continue to evolve. In April, Lazarus-linked operatives reportedly set up US-based shell companies to distribute malware to crypto developers. Kraken recently thwarted an infiltration attempt by a suspected North Korean posing as a job candidate. Read original story South Korea May Revisit Sanctions on North Korea After US Links Crypto Theft to Weapons Funding by Amin Ayan at Cryptonews.com Southwest Airlines said it was cutting more than 100 flights on Friday Nov. 7, with dozens more being canceled on Saturday, Nov. 8 due to air traffic restrictions issued during the ongoing federal government shutdown. The airline slashed about 120 flights across 34 airports on Friday, Nov. 7, Southwest released in a statement to USA TODAY. The low-cost, Dallas-based carrier said it expects cancellations to impact less than 100 flights on Saturday, Nov. 8 and that "the vast majority" of customers' flights "will not be disrupted." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement USA TODAY has reached out to Southwest to confirm exactly how many flights would be canceled on Nov. 8 and in subsequent days. Here's what to know about Southwest's response to flight reductions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Live updates on flight cuts: Latest on cancellations, how to request refunds Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. A traveler sits in front of departure display screens showing a small number of cancellations of flights at Denver International Airport on Nov. 9. 2025. People enjoy the weather at the closed National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, on Oct. 20, 2025. The US government shutdown dragged into a third week, with Congress gridlocked in a clash over spending and no resolution in sight to a crisis that has already cost thousands of jobs. A child peers into the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, which closed after the prior years funding it was using to remain open temporarily, ran out during the continuing U.S. government shutdown in Washington, D.C., Oct. 12, 2025. The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC is closed to visitors temporarily as the U.S. federal government shutdown drags on, along with other Smithsonian Museums on Oct. 13, 2025. The Smithsonian Institution drew on funds from the prior year to stay open for 11 days after the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Visitors to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum find its doors are closed due to the continuing U.S. government shutdown in Washington, D.C., Oct. 13, 2025. The U.S. Capitol behind construction sandbags in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8, 2025, the eighth day of the federal government shutdown. A woman walks past a sign indicating the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art is closed as the federal government continues its shutdown Oct. 6, 2025, in Washington, DC. A view of North Capitol Street and the U.S. Capitol's rotunda as the federal government continues its shutdown on Oct. 6, 2025, in Washington, DC. The Cades Cove Visitor Center,Cades Cove and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Blount County, Tenn., reopened during the government shutdown thanks to a group of local and state leaders. Oct. 4, 2025. A man is reflected on the window door to the entrance of the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park Visitor Center in New Bedford, Mass., as he crosses William Street. The tape hides hours of operation due to the center being closed due to government shutdown. (L-R) A group of friends and family traveling on a road trip, Harriett Green of Milford, New Jersey, Eveyn Hauck of Bangor, Pennsylvania, Colleen Abahazy of Easton, Pennsylvania, and Sharon Reuss of Easton, Pennsylvania, look through the locked gate to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on Oct. 3, 2025 in Baltimore, Md. The fort is closed due to the government shutdown that began early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal. People visit the Smithsonian National Zoo as the US government is shut down for the second day on October 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Efforts to swiftly end the US government shutdown collapsed October 1, 2025 as Democrats in Congress went home without resolving an acrimonious funding stand-off with President Donald Trump and the White House threatened public sector jobs. Smithsonian institutions receive federal funding and shut down during a federal government. The Smithsonian, a federal government entity, says on its website that it will use money from the last fiscal years budget to stay open at least through Monday, Oct. 6. A would-be visitor looks into the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum which is closed, on the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown, in Boston, Mass. on Oct.1, 2025. The United States Capitol seen on the morning of the first day of the federal government shutdown on Oct.1, 2025 after President Donald Trump and congressional leaders failed to reach a funding compromise. Tinker Air Force Base is pictured in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The base employs thousands of civilian employees and is the largest employer in the city's metro area. Many will be impacted by the shutdown. People wait in line to enter the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California on October 1, 2025, where services are experiencing significant disruptions due to the federal government shutdown, as essential workers continue working without pay and non-essential federal workers are furloughed. The United States Park Service place a notice on the visitors entry door notifying of the closing of the Washington Monument to visitors on the first day of the federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025. Members of the National Guard patrol along the grounds of the US Capitol on the first day of the US government shutdown in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2025. Essential services, like military and law enforcement, remain working. A man walks past Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site which is closed on the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown in New York City, New York, October 1, 2025. Travelers pass through a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security screening at Hollywood Burbank Airport during the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown in Burbank, California, October 1, 2025. The United States Courthouse in White Plains, N.Y. remained open Oct. 1, 2025 even with the shutdown of the federal goverment. The United States Capitol Rotunda and the United States Capitol closed to tours on the first day of the federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025 after President Donald Trump and congressional leaders failed to reach a funding compromise. A U.S. Park Service employee cleans up trash on the National Mall on the first day of the government shutdown on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. A child tries to look inside the visitor center of the Washington Monument, which is closed because of a partial government shutdown, in Washington, D.C., October 1, 2025. Tourists stand outside the entrance to the Capitol Visitors Center, which is closed due to the federal government shut down, on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) sits on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Library of Congress is closed to visitors during the federal government shut down on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. Visitors look through the window of the closed U.S. Botanical Gardens during the federal government shut down on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC. A worker locks the gate to the entrance of Everglades National Park Shark Valley due to the government shutdown on October 1, 2025, in Everglades National Park, Florida. The park will remain open to visitors, but with minimal staffing. The U.S. government shut down at midnight, with President Donald Trump and Democrats blaming each other for failing to reach an agreement. The Internal Revenue Office in White Plains, N.Y. remained open Oct. 1, 2025 even with the shutdown of the federal goverment. The Social Security office in White Plains, N.Y. remained open Oct. 1, 2025 even with the shutdown of the federal goverment. A person walks by the African Burial Ground National Monument Visitor Center, which is closed on the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown, in New York City, October 1, 2025. People look up at the Washington Monument ticket office window with a notice of closure following the United States Park Service placing a note on the ticket office window notifying of the closing of the Washington Monument to visitors on the first day of the federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025. A man walks across the otherwise empty U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, closed to the public on the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., October 1, 2025. A Park Closed sign in the driveway for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, N.Y. on October 1, 2025. All of the facilities on site are closed, but the grounds are currently open to the public, however there are no rest rooms, nor will trash be collected. Denise McGregor peers through a window to catch a glimpse inside the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, on Oct. 1, 2025. Due to the shutdown the building was closed. Stones River National Battlefield, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. is currently closed on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, due to a partial government shutdown. A sign referring to the federal government shutdown is hung on the door on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 at the Natural Resources Conservation Service Office in Oklahoma City. A sign indicating that the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is closed due to a lapse in federal appropriations on October 1, 2025. A Park Closed sign in the driveway for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum on October 1, 2025. All of the facilities on site are closed, but the grounds are currently open to the public, however there are no rest rooms, nor will trash be collected. See the impact of the government shutdown as agencies shutter or fight to stay open 1 of 41 Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Where might Southwest flights be canceled? Southwest did not specify which 34 airports would be impacted by its cancellations. But according to the emergency order provided to USA TODAY by the U.S. Department of Transportation on Nov. 6, airports in New York, California and others are included in the list of sites facing flight reductions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The airports facing flight cuts as a result of the federal order are listed below: Anchorage International (ANC) Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) Boston Logan International (BOS) Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG) Dallas Love (DAL) Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) Denver International (DEN) Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) Newark Liberty International (EWR) Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL) Honolulu International (HNL) Houston Hobby (HOU) Washington Dulles International (IAD) George Bush Houston Intercontinental (IAH) Indianapolis International (IND) New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK) Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS) Los Angeles International (LAX) New York LaGuardia (LGA) Orlando International (MCO) Chicago Midway (MDW) Memphis International (MEM) Miami International (MIA) Minneapolis/St. Paul International (MSP) Oakland International (OAK) Ontario International (ONT) Chicago O`Hare International (ORD) Portland International (PDX) Philadelphia International (PHL) Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) San Diego International (SAN) Louisville International (SDF) Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA) San Francisco International (SFO) Salt Lake City International (SLC) Teterboro (TEB) Tampa International (TPA) What happens if my Southwest flight is canceled? Travelers with flights booked through Nov. 12 may choose to adjust their travel plans at no cost or receive a refund if they choose not to travel, even if their flight is not affected, the company told USA TODAY. "Southwests international flights will not be affected," Ashley Persons, a spokesperson for the airline told USA TODAY. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We will continue to update customers as this situation evolves," Persons said. "We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve its impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity" Why is Southwest cutting flights? The announcement comes after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday Nov. 5 that 40 major airports will see a 10% cut in flights. Duffy had previously warned of staffing shortages among air traffic controllers across the United States amid the record-breaking government shutdown. Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford told CEOs of major airlines that the flight cuts would begin at a 4% reduction on Nov. 7, rise to 5% on Nov. 8 and 6% on Nov. 9 before hitting 10% next week. The drastic plan to reduce flights sent airlines scrambling to cut flights in just 36 hours, and passengers flooded airline customer service hotlines with concerns about air travel in the coming days. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement 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: Southwest Airlines cancels over 100 flights amid government shutdown Chinese scientists discover rare-earth biomineralization in ferns, boosting prospects for sustainable supply 08:44, November 07, 2025 By Du Qiongfang ( Global Times Chinese scientists have, for the first time, discovered rare-earth biomineralization in ferns a breakthrough that could pave the way for a cleaner and more sustainable method of extracting rare-earth elements, the Global Times learned on Thursday. The research team, led by Zhu Jianxi from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, achieved the milestone through phytomining a green technique that uses hyperaccumulator plants to extract metals from soil offering a potential solution to the environmental challenges of traditional rare-earth mining. Rare-earth elements, known as the "vitamins of industry," are indispensable strategic resources for high-tech fields such as artificial intelligence, new energy and national defense, yet their supply faces environmental and geopolitical challenges. The team found that the edible fern species Blechnum orientale contains high concentration of rare-earth elements, and observed these elements crystallizing within extracellular tissues under ambient conditions, forming dendritic, nanoscale monazite through mineralization coupled with self-organization. This is the first discovery of biological mineralization phenomenon of rare-earth elements in natural plants, the research team told the Global Times, noting that such minerals are typically formed through geological processes such as magmatic or hydrothermal activity, that require higher temperatures. The findings, published in the international journal Environmental Science &Technology online on Wednesday not only reveal the mechanisms by which plants "detoxify" and mineralize rare-earth elements but also provide a new pathway for the sustainable use of rare-earth resources. By cultivating hyperaccumulator plants such as Blechnum orientale, it is possible to both remediate contaminated soil and restore rare-earth mine tailings while simultaneously recovering high-value rare-earth elements from biomass - achieving a truly green circular model of "restoration alongside recovery," researchers said. "In the past, we only knew that microorganisms and animals could 'produce minerals' in their bodies, such as calcite and aragonite in shells and corals, and apatite in animals' teeth and bones. However, the 'mineral-producing ability' of plants has long been underestimated," He Liuqing, first author of the research paper, told the Global Times on Thursday. "The discovery of rare-earth biomineralization in Blechnum orientale not only expands human's understanding of biomineralization mechanisms in plants but also opens a new window for studying nearly a thousand known hyperaccumulator plants," said Zhu. Blechnum orientale is a special type of rare-earth "hyperaccumulator" - essentially acting as a "rare-earth vacuum cleaner" in the soil. It efficiently absorbs rare-earth elements dispersed in the environment, and concentrates them in the vascular bundles and epidermal tissues of its leaves. The rare-earth elements precipitate in the form of nanoparticles and further crystallize into rare-earth minerals. This self-protection mechanism helps lock potentially harmful rare-earth ions into mineral structures, neutralizing and naturally "detoxifying" them. Monazite is an important industrial source of rare-earth elements. However, its natural form often contains radioactive uranium and thorium, which complicates both its mining and practical application. By contrast, the "biological monazite" formed by Blechnum orientale under natural growth conditions is pure and non-radioactive, showing strong potential for green extraction. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Apple Inc. criticized European Union digital competition laws, warning that new regulations have made its platforms less secure, according to a letter CBS News unveiled on Thursday. The company said rules forcing it to open its App Store to rivals have increased risks of "fraud and scams", Azernews reports. In a letter to the European Commission, Apple Vice President Kyle Andeer accused officials of an "enforcement agenda" that weakens "the security and privacy of iOS and iPadOS." Earlier in April, Apple was fined 500 million for alleged App Store violations, citing that the Digital Markets Act (DMA) requirements to allow external links have created new threats for consumers. (WTAJ) Many Pennsylvania residents looked up to the skies Tuesday and saw something rather strange a spiral-shaped light. Viewers were stunned to look up and see the light almost taking over the evening sky. The pictures seen below might seem like it came straight from the X-Files. Photo: Rhonda Good in Philipsburg Photo: Tyler Benz in Altoona What We Know The European Space Agency (ESA) blasted off just after 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, from the ESAs port in French Guiana. This is the second successful Ariane 6 launch theyve reported. 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. The Ariane 6 is the latest in a 50-year history of rockets and space travel for the ESA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As rockets climb, their boosters are used and then released back down to Earth. This often results in gases from the rocket and/or its boosters crystallizing in Earths atmosphere and reflecting light. Very credible Bigfoot sighting reported in Central Pennsylvania, researcher said It was documented that a similar phenomenon occurred earlier this year over Europe when SpaceX released its boosters after takeoff. According to the ESA, their next venture into space will be with the Ariane 6 VA266, which will launch two Galileo satellites into orbit. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. (Corrects paragraph 10 of November 7 story to show that Volkswagen's China chief said the industry as a whole, not VW specifically, had received its first consignments of chips) By Rachel More, Christina Amann and Daniel Leussink BERLIN/TOKYO (Reuters) -Semiconductor maker Nexperia has resumed some shipments of its vital chips, auto executives said on Friday, with Germany welcoming signs of de-escalation in a fight for control of the company that has rattled the car industry. Nexperia, Chinese-owned but based in the Netherlands, makes billions of simple but ubiquitous chips for cars and other electronics. Supply of those chips has been snarled since a dispute between Amsterdam and Beijing over technology transfers amid a broader U.S.-China trade war. "The de-escalation and continuation of negotiations between the Netherlands and China are very welcome at this point," said a spokesperson for the economy ministry in Germany, Europe's biggest car manufacturer. The ministry remains hopeful that "short-term individual permits will quickly reach the industry", allowing Nexperia's chip shipments to resume, the spokesperson added. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said there were positive signals that deliveries could restart, "possibly within the next few hours". The Dutch government took control of Nexperia on September 30, saying its Chinese owner Wingtech, was planning to move the company's European production to China and that this would pose a threat to European economic security. China responded by cutting off exports of the company's finished chips, which are mostly packaged in China. It said however this weekend it would begin accepting applications for exemptions, following a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. AUMOVIO, VOLKSWAGEN, HONDA REPORT MOVEMENT IN DELIVERIES Germany's Aumovio, one of the automotive suppliers facing pressure on supply chains, has secured deliveries of Nexperia's chips from China, Aumovio's chief executive told Reuters on Friday. It was the first supplier to confirm an exemption had been approved from Chinese export controls put in place after the Netherlands seized control of Nexperia, citing concerns about its Chinese parent Wingtech. The car industry has received its first deliveries of chips, Volkswagen's China chief told German daily Handelsblatt. "After the agreement with the United States, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce reacted quickly and announced that it would grant short-term special permits," said Ralf Brandstaetter, board member for China at Europe's largest carmaker. Assembly member Brian Maher, RWalden, announced Thursday, Nov. 6 that he has been called to active duty as part of the Navy Reserve and will be deployed overseas in a designated combat area for a period of nine months. Maher, whose 101st Assembly District includes part of Delaware County, said his district office "will remain fully staffed and operational to continue assisting residents." Maher announced his deployment with a letter mailed to each of his constituents, according to a news release from his office. It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of the 101st District, Maher said. As I temporarily fulfill my duties in a different capacity, I want to reassure residents that our commitment to serving them remains steadfast. My team will continue to advocate for your needs with the same passion and diligence that define our office, and I will continue to introduce and advocate for legislation that is important to our communities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maher said additional staff members have been hired "to strengthen district operations and ensure ongoing communication with constituents across one of the largest Assembly districts in the state." There is no more admirable call to answer than the one to serve your nation. I deeply admire Assemblyman Maher for his unwavering commitment to his country and wish him a safe deployment abroad. I am confident that his staff will continue to serve and meet the needs of the constituents of the 101st district during his absence, said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay R-Pulaski. I will miss my family and my community deeply, but I carry their spirit with me every day, Maher said. Serving both my district and my nation is a privilege I do not take lightly. I look forward to returning home in 2026 to continue the work weve started together. According to the release, Maher enlisted in the Navy Reserve in July 2018. Over the past seven years, he has been promoted to the rank of petty officer second class, rated as a logistics specialist. He has served exclusively with expeditionary warfare units, including a cargo unit based in Lakehurst, New Jersey and, more recently, logistical support units attached to Navy SEALs and Naval Special Warfare units in Little Creek, Virginia, the release stated. Maher said he intends to run for re-election in 2026. The Adair Youth Detention Center, site of a riot in late 2022, is one of the Kentucky facilities under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. (Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet) An oversight agency has filed a federal lawsuit against Kentuckys Department of Juvenile Justice, alleging it is wrongly refusing to release records of two teenage boys it says experienced abuse and neglect at a state facility. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Frankfort by Kentucky Protection and Advocacy, part of a federally-authorized, nationwide system charged with oversight of individuals with mental illness, intellectual or developmental disabilities or other conditions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That includes some youths in custody of Kentuckys juvenile justice system, the lawsuit says. Given the ongoing reports of abuse and criticism of the care and treatment of DJJ youth, it is unacceptable that DJJ refuses to comply with federal law and is blocking this investigation, Jeff Edwards, Protection and Advocacy director, said in a statement. A spokeswoman for DJJ said that protecting juveniles confidential information is a top priority. In order to obtain the records, Protection and Advocacy must provide releases signed by the respective juveniles authorizing the production of youth records, the spokeswoman, Morgan Hall, said in an email. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She added: Legal counsel who represents juveniles in state custody regularly ask the juvenile to sign the release, and the department then complies, and the documentation is provided. The lawsuit is the latest allegation against the problem-ridden agency which has been buffeted for several years by accusations of abuse and neglect at the detention centers for youths charged with offenses and residential facilities that house those found to have committed crimes. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a civil rights investigation into the conditions at eight of the states youth detention centers and one residential center. Also last year, Kentucky Republican Auditor Allison Ball, released an audit of DJJ she said revealed harsh and alarming conditions in facilities. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, recently announced new policies meant to improve treatment of youths placed in isolation he said were recommended by federal justice officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The current lawsuit involves Protection and Advocacys efforts to get access to records of incidents involving two male residents, both 16, at the Adair Regional Youth Development and Detention Centers. Both have mental health diagnoses and are under jurisdiction of the oversight agency, the lawsuit said. One went without medical care for two days despite suffering pain and swelling after he suffered broken bones in his arm and wrist in a fight with another youth, the lawsuit said. The other was sprayed by staff in the back of the head with pepper spray as he was walking away from an altercation with another youth, in violation of state policies on use of the chemical irritant, the lawsuit said. The youth overheard staff say, Spray him, get him, the lawsuit said. Protection and Advocacy learned of the incidents from the youths during an Oct. 1 visit to monitor conditions at Adair. But when it asked for incident reports from the facility, the state denied the request, claiming the youths must authorize the release, the lawsuit said. The oversight agency responded that under state law, youths under 18 cannot authorize release of such records and that federal law clearly states Protection and Advocacy shall have access to all records of a minor who has a state guardian and abuse or neglect has been alleged. Both youths are in custody of the state. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The lawsuit asked a federal judge to find the states refusal to release the records in violation of the law and order full and immediate access to the material. This article has been updated to include a response from the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Devastation from the Ruidoso-area flooding pictured July 8, 2025. The state emergency management department announced Nov. 6, 2025 that FEMA is withholding disaster mitigation funding. (Danielle Prokop/Source NM) Officials with New Mexicos state emergency management agency said Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency opted to withhold disaster prevention funding following deadly flooding in the Ruidoso area, a decision they are appealing. FEMAs decision not to award funding from its Hazard Mitigation Grants Program puts lives and property at risk unnecessarily during new or cascading life-threatening flooding events, said Ali Rye, deputy secretary of the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, in an appeal letter Oct. 24. The appeal also calls the funding indispensable. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The mitigation program enables the state to prepare for future disasters and prevent so-called cascading events from causing repeated damage or undoing progress in disaster areas, according to Ryes letter. Earlier this summer, flooding devastated the Ruidoso area, causing widespread damage to homes and business and prompting numerous swiftwater rescues. Also, three people, a father and his two kids, died after floods swept them out of their home. Flooding and debris flows have continued to threaten the area since the Salt Fork and Salt Fire last summer. Rain that falls on burn-scarred mountainsides often becomes powerful floods, and the state and other agencies have been working since last summer to harden the area against future flooding. President Donald Trump on July 22 declared a presidential disaster in Lincoln County, a couple of weeks after storms, floods and landslides devastated the area in and around Ruidoso. Then FEMA in mid-August announced that Dona Ana County residents could also qualify for aid after separate flooding. Local governments and other public entities in Otero County can receive some funding to recover from floods under the same disaster declaration as well. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The letter did not specify how much funding FEMA is withholding.DHSEM spokesperson Danielle Silva told Source New Mexico that there is no set number on how much the grant is worth, but that it can be as much as 7% of the total cost of the disaster. She did not immediately respond to how much the disaster cost, but some estimates put it at at least $10 million. Ryes letter says FEMA denied the funding without adequate reason and that agency officials lack the discretion to do so under the law. She also said that FEMA officials articulated verbally to the state that they withheld the grant funding because the state hasnt fully spent the money its received in previous disasters. But Ryes letter disputes that premise. Instead, she writes, FEMA has provided the state with only about $20 million of about $120 million its promised for mitigation grants for multiple recent disasters. FEMA officials did not respond to Source New Mexicos request for comment Thursday. Despite withholding the mitigation grant funding, FEMA has provided about $11 million in response to the disasters in Southern New Mexico, according to the latest figures. That includes a little more than $8 million to about 600 households affected in the disaster. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Tennessee Highway Patrol officers photographed during a May dragnet in South Nashville. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Shelby County Sheriffs officers will start enforcing immigration law in Memphis as part of a deal reached with Tennessee and federal officials, a move critics say will increase fear in the Hispanic community. Deputies will serve as warrant officers on immigration cases under the agreement, documents show, potentially increasing their role in the Memphis Safe Task Force and the Trump administrations national immigrant sweep. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tennessee Safety and Homeland Security Commissioner Jeff Long told the Lookout on Tuesday that Shelby County was preparing to sign the paperwork, but he didnt know if it had been completed. I think theyre negotiating some issues on jail space, Long said. By Wednesday, it was signed. Shelby Countys entrance into the 287(g) program made it the 28th Tennessee county to reach an agreement with the feds for local law enforcement officers to enforce immigration law. Six more requests by sheriffs offices and police in Tennessee are pending. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner has signed off on a partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Photo: Shelby County Sheriffs Office) Long said the states new immigration bureau isnt dealing with individual task force cases but is coordinating with local agencies that want to enforce immigration laws. The bureau also is making grants to local agencies, but it was unclear how many of those have been made. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Immigration enforcement was once a federal matter. The 287(g) partnerships between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and state and local authorities delegate immigration enforcement powers to local agencies, enabling them to identify and remove immigrants who dont have permanent legal documentation. Tennessee lawmakers created the Immigration Enforcement Bureau this year at the request of Gov. Bill Lee and made it exempt from the states Public Records Act. Republican lawmakers largely hail the Shelby County task force formed by Trump and Lee to cut into crime, despite stories of wrongful detainment and thousands of tickets for minor violations such as a driving with a loose bumper. State Rep. Kevin Vaughan, a Collierville Republican, told the Lookout that if the agreement streamlines the ability to remove criminals from the streets, whether theyre here legally or illegally, he favors it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Folks that are law-abiding folks shouldnt have any concerns. Im not sure why this waivers being requested, he said. If it is to deal with criminal activities within the area, then Im fully supportive of it. Most Democrats and advocacy groups arent quite as enthused. Memphis City Council member JB Smiley was surprised that Sheriff Floyd Bonner requested the agreement. Smiley and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris are plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the state to stop it from deploying Tennessee National Guard troops to Memphis. A Davidson County chancellor is considering a temporary injunction to remove the troops while determining whether the governor violated state law and the Constitution by sending soldiers to Memphis without a local request or approval by the legislature at a time when no rebellion or invasion is taking place. Smiley told the Lookout that Shelby County residents arent upset about agencies such as the U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Drug Enforcement Agency stepping up enforcement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But almost everyones going to be concerned with what ICE is doing in our communities, Smiley said. Its making it problematic for people who are brown to go anywhere. Smiley told of an American-born man who was more than an hour late to work because ICE stopped his car, questioned him, took his license and roughed him up a little bit. The majority of people dont want ICE here, Smiley said. Sentiment is similar for the National Guard, he added. Likewise, Lisa Sherman Luna, executive director of the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said ICE agents are terrorizing Memphis residents, tearing apart families who have lived there for decades by harassing, detaining and deporting them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Parents are afraid to send children to school, and crime victims are remaining silent because theyre scared of running into ICE agents at the police department, according to Luna. Shelbys sheriff could be making the move just to get grant money. But deputizing sheriffs officers as immigration agents will make the crisis even worse, she said. In a time where elected leaders across the country are standing up for their communities against these invasions by the Trump administration, Sheriff Bonner instead has turned his back on Shelby County residents, Luna said. Bonners office did not respond to questions, and Harris could not be reached for comment. Hallway arguments Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti and plaintiffs in a lawsuit to remove National Guard troops from Memphis took their arguments outside the courtroom this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After an injunction hearing before Chancellor Patricia Moskal, Skrmetti spoke to reporters, continuing to claim that the governor has authority to deploy the Guard without oversight by the courts. Moskal didnt make an immediate ruling. The argument is not that theres no room for oversight. Its that the determination of when the Guard should be brought out is statutorily left to the governors discretion, Skrmetti said. He called it a separation of powers issue, one that, otherwise, could keep the governor from fulfilling the role the Constitution clearly confers him without significant court oversight. Skrmetti contends the government needs to be in position to respond to emergencies. Yet Lee never declared an emergency, nor has anyone been able to turn up an order to deploy the Guard, only a press release after he received word from President Trump. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The attorney general also cast doubt on claims by Mayor Lee Harris that the mobilization is hurting Shelby County by overcrowding the county jail. In five weeks, the task force has arrested nearly 2,100 people, including 138 gang members, and seized 366 firearms, according to a WREG report. Its also written up thousands of motor vehicle violations. The harm of arresting criminals seems like a pretty flimsy harm to base a significant lawsuit on. It seems like a pretty bad reason to upset an important constitutional balance of power, Skrmetti said. Yet Sheriff Bonner is moving hundreds of inmates out of the jail to facilities across the state, according to WREG. The Constitution was rewritten in 1870, in part to stop Gov. William Brownlow from sending troops to ward off the Ku Klux Klan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Skrmetti said he was shocked to hear plaintiffs argue that Brownlow was an example of what the governor should not do. For 150 years, Gov. Brownlow has been maligned for abuses of authority. Whats important to realize is he was fighting the Ku Klux Klan. He had used the state Guard because there was a very organized, very militarized effort to disenfranchise Black voters after the Civil War, the attorney general said. It should be noted that Brownlow, a violently pious Methodist minister and former newspaper editor, was pro-Union yet favored slavery pre-Civil War, even arguing that it had biblical backing. He shifted views later. Gov. Bill Lee glossed over the Tennessee Constitution in deploying National Guard troops to Memphis, says Memphis Councilmember JB Smiley. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Smiley, who attended the hearing, spoke along with other plaintiffs, Memphis Reps. Gabby Salinas and G.A. Hardaway, calling Skrmettis remarks intellectually dishonest and flawed logic, especially in regard to locking up more criminals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What he attempted to gloss over was the fact that the Constitution was violated. The governor cannot do this without the General Assembly consenting, Smiley said. Neither the Memphis City Council nor Shelby County Commission were given the opportunity to vote on Guard deployment. Hardaway said he was disappointed to hear such arguments from the state attorney general and was particularly ticked when he heard an insinuation that Shelby County lawmakers are not concerned about crime and that the lawsuit was a political effort. If they had fulfilled their constitutional obligations to have us, the General Assembly, debate the issues, we wouldnt be here, Hardaway said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even so, with a Republican supermajority in control, tanks would likely be rolling into Memphis. Who said that? Gov. Lees top finance administrator urged departments to cut their budgets by 1% next fiscal year. And Senate finance chairman Bo Watson supported the move, the Tennessee Journal reported. But Lee seemed caught off guard this week when asked about the looming reduction. Im sorry, I dont know what youre referring to, Lee said when a Tennessee Journal reporter asked him why department heads werent offering budget cuts during hearings this week. Pressed on the matter, Lee said, One percent budget cuts in? Im sorry, I dont know what youre referring to. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It would have been a great opportunity for Lee to say something in the vein of, Yes, were always looking for ways to save money. Instead, he played it dumb. More dumbing it down? House Speaker Cameron Sexton reportedly floated the idea to allow Tennesseans to start teaching after earning nothing but an associates degree in an effort to fill classroom vacancies. They could follow up with a bachelors degree and then earn a masters to take on an administrative job. Considering Gov. Lee was skewered a few years back for taking cues from Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn, who was recorded as saying teachers come from the dumbest colleges in the country, could this further dumb down the profession, at least in the eyes of those who hold no respect for teachers? Some students might be prepared to teach after earning a two-year degree, but it probably wont improve the teaching corps overall. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement So, how do we solve this teacher shortage? The answer: Pass a law keeping the legislature from trying to control education. The more they tinker with it the worse things get. California tumbles into the sea / thatll be the day I go back to Annandale * * Steely Dan, My Old School General Atomics Gambit family of drones, with its common modular core chassis concept, now has a sixth member optimized for air-to-surface missions, such as attacking hostile air defenses or enemy ships. The company is already eyeing international sales of the new Gambit 6, particularly in Europe, but it could also be of interest to branches of the U.S. military. The latest Gambit configuration underscores the growing pursuit of loyal wingman-type drones, also now often referred to as Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), by armed forces globally. Gambit 6 made its official debut yesterday at the annual International Fighter Conference in Rome, Italy. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. division (GA-ASI) first unveiled the Gambit family back in 2022, at which time it included four designs. They were joined last year by Gambit 5, which is intended for carrier-based operations. The Gambit Series is a modular family of unmanned aircraft designed to meet diverse mission requirements, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; multi-domain combat; advanced training; and stealth reconnaissance, according to a press release from GA-ASI. Its built around a common core platform that accounts for a significant proportion of the aircrafts hardware, including the landing gear, baseline avionics, and chassis. This shared foundation reduces costs, increases interoperability, and accelerates the development of mission-specific variants like Gambit 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The multi-role [Gambit 6] platform is optimized for roles such as electronic warfare, suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD), and deep precision strike, making it a versatile option for evolving defense needs, the release adds. An accompanying rendering, seen in part at the top of this story and below, shows a trio of Gambit 6s. Each one is depicted releasing several GBU-53/B StormBreaker precision-guided bombs, also known as Small Diameter Bomb IIs (SDB II). General Atomics The Gambit 6 design looks similar, at least externally, to General Atomics YFQ-42A. The YFQ-42A is one of two uncrewed aircraft currently under development as part of the first phase, or Increment 1, of the U.S. Air Forces CCA program. The other is Andurils YFQ-44A, also known as Fury. General Atomics has previously confirmed that the YFQ-42A leverages prior work on an experimental drone called the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station, which flew for the first time last year, and the Gambit family. The YFQ-42A made its maiden flight earlier this year, and a second example is now in flight testing. General Atomics is also now among the companies under contract to develop conceptual CCA designs for the U.S. Navy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its best to think of Gambit 1 as optimized for advanced sensing, and represented by our XQ-67A OBSS [Off-Board Sensing Station] flying today, C. Mark Brinkley, a spokesperson for General Atomics, told TWZ. Gambit 2 is optimized for air-to-air combat and represented by our YFQ-42A, which has multiple airframes currently flying. Loaded with the proper weapons, a Gambit 2 could conduct a ground or surface strike as a multirole aircraft, but it is not optimized for that ground mission. From top to bottom, General Atomics Avenger drone, the experimental XQ-67A, and the first YFQ-42A CCA prototype. GA-ASI The Gambit series, including YFQ-42A, can be equipped with EW [electronic warfare] suites or EW-capable launched effects [uncrewed aerial systems], Brinkely added. The Gambit 3 design is primarily intended to act as a red air adversary during training. The flying wing Gambit 4, so far the most visually distinctive member of the family, is focused on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. As noted, Gambit 5 is designed for carrier-based combat operations. Gambit 6 will be truly optimized for air-to-ground/surface operations. It might visually look like a Gambit 2, and perhaps the differences would be imperceptible to the casual viewer, as both would utilize RF [radiofrequency] and optical sensing, Brinkley added. But the mission systems inside Gambit 6 are fine-tuned specifically for ground/surface operations, missions in which General Atomics has developed deep experience over decades of ground/surface sensing and strikes. Gambit 6 could also be outfitted for an electronic warfare mission, for instance, or even naval strikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Overall, the idea is that Gambit 6 will be primarily looking down. Just like an air-to-air combat optimized CCA-type drone, an air-to-surface focused design would help friendly forces expand their coverage and capacity to perform relevant missions over one or more areas of the battlespace, while also reducing the risk to crewed platforms. As described, Gambit 6 seems geared to be particularly well-suited to the suppression and destruction of enemy air defenses mission sets, or SEAD/DEAD, to aid in clearing the way for follow-on operations. A previously released General Atomics rendering showing members of the Gambit family, some of which are depicted firing air-to-air missiles. General Atomics The idea of CCA-type drones taking on these downward-focused missions is not new. Though the U.S. Air Forces CCA program is currently focused on air-to-air missions, the service has expressed interest in future air-to-surface strike and electronic warfare capabilities. Previous U.S. Marine Corps testing of Kratos XQ-58 Valkyrie has put particular emphasis on the ability to launch electronic warfare attacks as part of SEAD/DEAD missions conducted together with F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. Earlier this year, the Marines confirmed that experimental work with the XQ-58 was transitioning into a full program of record with a clear eye toward a real operational capability. Air-to-surface missions are also a component of other CCA-type programs globally. Air forces throughout the world are looking to air-to-ground-capable CCAs to enhance operational capabilities and address emerging threats in a denied environment, the General Atomics press release says. Airframes will be available for international procurement starting in 2027, with European missionized versions deliverable in 2029. GA-ASI is building industry partnerships throughout Europe with the aim of providing sovereign capabilities for all its platforms. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It has been pointed out that the stated schedule aligns particularly well with a German requirement for a CCA-type drone capable of air-to-surface missions. Last year, Airbus also unveiled a loyal wingman drone with a clear eye toward meeting German Air Force needs. Airbus and Kratos also announced a partnership earlier this year to supply a version of the XQ-58 to the Germans. Gambit 6 sounds a lot like it's General Atomics' pitch for Germany's 'fighter bomber drone' requirement. Notice the system being described as a 'deep precision strike' solution and that European missionized versions will be deliverable in 2029 (Germany's readiness deadline). https://t.co/HA06tR9eel Fabian Hinz (@fab_hinz) November 5, 2025 General Atomics has made clear that it is looking at multiple potential foreign sales opportunities with Gambit 6. Many international allies and partners have expressed interest in a CCA optimized for ground or surface strike. Gambit 6 was announced here in Rome on the first day of the International Fighter Conference, and the resulting interest and inquiry from attending military representatives has been great, Brinkley, the General Atomics spokesperson, also told TWZ. We look forward to continuing those discussions here this week. We absolutely intend to submit Gambit 6 for various emerging international opportunities. Nothing would prevent the United States from procuring a Gambit 6 variant, fine tuned to American specifications, he added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I dont have any additional details to offer on Gambit 5 or the US Navy opportunity. Weve been talking about the Gambit 5 concept for about 16 months at this point, since Farnborough 2024, Brinkley also said when asked for a general update on the work the company is doing in relation to the Navys CCA effort. There is no specific relationship between Gambit 5 & Gambit 6 at this time. The point of the Gambit Series is to quickly deliver affordable mass at scale, and to adjust to customer demands rapidly, and each of these aircraft does that, while also leveraging years of hard work and demonstrated success. As has been made clear in this story already, the market space for CCA-type drones has been steadily growing in recent years, and extends well beyond General Atomics. Just since September, Lockheed Martins Vectis and Shield AIs X-BAT have joined the growing field of relevant designs. The jet-powered X-BAT is a particularly novel design, intended to take off and land vertically, as you can learn more about in great detail in this recent TWZ feature. In addition to the Gambit family, Vectis, X-BAT, and Andurils Fury, among other drone designs, are also being showcased at the International Fighter Conference this week. Also on the market now is Boeings MQ-28 Ghost Bat, originally developed for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Aviation Week just recently disclosed the existence of a new drone design from Northrop Grumman subsidiary Scaled Composites, referred to now simply as Project Lotus, which could be in the broad CCA category, as well. The U.S. military, as well as Americas allies and partners, are hardly the only parties interested in these kinds of uncrewed aircraft, either. Several CCA-type drone designs have now emerged in China, along with a host of more exquisite ones, including multiple types of flying wing uncrewed combat air vehicles (UCAV). Gambit 6 has now become the latest example of these trends, which show no signs of slowing down. Contact the author: joe@twz.com By Renee Hickman CHICAGO (Reuters) -More than a dozen suburban Chicago mothers were arrested outside an immigration detention facility in Broadview, Illinois, on Friday, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Office, in a protest against the ongoing immigration crackdown in the area launched by U.S. President Donald Trump. The facility has been a flashpoint for anger around Trump's "Operation Midway Blitz" for months, with frequent confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. The clashes have included federal agents deploying tear gas and shooting pepper balls at protesters, and the indictment of a congressional candidate and others on charges of impeding federal agents at the facility. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Raids across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, including one at a daycare this week, have led to protests and violent arrests. "Every day is more and more alarming," said Dani Munoz, a protesting mother who was not among the 14 arrested. The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and others have sued the government on behalf of detainees at the Broadview facility, and a federal judge on Wednesday ordered officials to improve conditions that he determined "did not pass constitutional muster." The protesters, who described themselves as a coalition of area mothers, were calm as they were led away in handcuffs from a circle where they sat after crossing barriers outside the Broadview facility. It was not immediately clear whether they faced charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two days earlier, the dramatic arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of a teacher at a Spanish-language immersion daycare center on Chicago's North Side drew national attention. "The situation with the daycare provider was horrifying, and something like that happens here and in other communities every day. We don't want to stand by and do nothing," Munoz said. Charlie Wysong, a lawyer for the daycare teacher, Diana Santillana Galeano, said she had a work permit that allows her to work legally in the U.S. In a habeas corpus petition, her lawyers said that the agents entered the daycare without a warrant, violating a Department of Justice consent decree. Wysong said a hearing in the case of Santillana, who is from Medellin, Colombia, would likely take place in federal court next week. Trump's immigration crackdown in Chicago began in September, with the stated purpose of pursuing dangerous criminals without the legal right to reside in the U.S. It has resulted in more than 3,000 arrests, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Those arrests have included U.S. citizens and people with no criminal history. (Reporting by Renee Hickman in Chicago; Editing by Emily Schmall and Matthew Lewis) The horrifying reports of the massacre of hundreds of Sudanese civilians after the Darfur city of El Fasher was captured by the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) last week were the latest chapter in a brutal conflict that has killed more than 150,000 people over the past two and a half years. But while the war in Sudan has most often been portrayed as an internal conflict between two warring generals, the murky involvement of several foreign powers makes the conflict far more complex and deadly. Sudan is seen by many as strategically important within the wider region. A bridge between the Middle East and Africa, Sudan controls some 500 miles of Red Sea coast along a major shipping route. It has plenty of agricultural land and significant gold deposits. It is the worlds top producer of gum arabic, a food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics ingredient. It also plays a key role in water diplomacy in the region, with some 400 miles of the Blue Nile flowing through its territory. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Thursday, facing mounting international pressure over the reported massacre in Darfur, the RSF said it had agreed to enter a humanitarian truce proposed by four countries, known as the Quad: the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. A US State Department spokesperson said the US continued to engage directly with the RSF and the rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to facilitate a humanitarian truce. It urged both sides to accede to it, given the immediate urgency of de-escalating the violence and ending the suffering of the Sudanese people. Three of the same countries involved in brokering the potential truce the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt have, along with Russia, been accused by experts, human rights watchdogs and several Western governments of trying to influence the conflict in Sudan by various means, including by supplying weapons, financial and logistical support and by offering diplomatic backing. All four initially supported the Sudanese military when it ousted long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and when it consolidated its power over the country in a coup in 2021. General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Deputy Head of the Sudan Transitional Military Council, attends the signing ceremony of the agreement on peace and ceasefire in Juba, South Sudan, on October 21, 2019. - Samir Bol/Reuters Sudan army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan attends former UN official Kamil Idris swearing-in ceremony, as Sudan's new prime minister, in Port Sudan, Sudan, on May 31, 2025. - Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council/Reuters But when the two leading figures behind the coup RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in charge of the SAF began fighting each other, the foreign powers had to choose whom to support and their involvement became even murkier. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Much is at stake. Whoever controls Sudan is in a position to have influence in the broader region, in the Horn of Africa, as well as sub-Saharan Africa, said Charles Ray, a retired US diplomat who served as the US Ambassador to Cambodia and Zimbabwe and is now chair of the Africa Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Here is what we know about some of the alleged players. United Arab Emirates The UAE has been repeatedly accused of supplying weapons to Dagalos paramilitary RSF. Experts and human rights campaigners have traced weapons found in Darfur back to the UAE, and under the Biden administration, the United States a key ally of the UAE outlined links between a number of companies based in the Gulf nation and the RSF rebels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UAE has vehemently denied the allegations, even though an expert panel appointed by the United Nations Security Council said last year they were credible. Several US lawmakers have repeatedly tried to block US arms sales to the UAE over the allegations, and last week the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called for the RSF to be officially designated as a terrorist organization. In the same statement, the committee said that foreign backers including the UAE have fueled and profited from the conflict. The committee did not specifically call for the US to stop arms sales to the UAE. Khalil al-Anani, a professor of politics and visiting researcher at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University, told CNN that while the UAE was involved in Sudan primarily for economic objectives to control its natural wealth, including agriculture and gold, there were other reasons too. He said the UAE does not want to see a successful democratic transition in Sudan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This fits into its broader regional campaign against the Arab Spring movements; for more than a decade, (the UAE) has been a main sponsor of counter-revolutionary forces across the Arab world, he said. The links between the UAE and the RSF militia date back beyond the current conflict. RSF chief Hemedti is well connected in the UAE through some of his family members, who US officials say control a web of companies based in the Gulf state. The US Department of the Treasurys Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned several of these companies, saying they were involved in supplying weapons to the RSF and in financing the force by selling gold sourced from mines in RSF-controlled areas to merchants in Dubai. OFAC said these companies were controlled by Hemedti, his brothers Algoney Hamdan Dagalo Musa and Abdul Rahim Dagalo, or other people closely linked with him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When announcing the sanctions against Musa, OFAC specifically said he resides in Dubai and is involved in RSF efforts to procure weapons and other military materiel. Sudanese Armed Forces soldiers on the now-disabled Shambat Bridge in Khartoum, which connects Omdurman with the Bahri neighborhood of Khartoum, Sudan, on April 27, 2025. - Giles Clarke/Getty Images Anwar Gargash, the top diplomatic adviser to the UAE leader, called the reports about UAEs involvement with the RSF fake news. Unfortunately with fake news, with all sorts of media campaigns, there are attempts to really picture us in a different light. But this is what we want: We want negotiations, we want transition to civilian rule and most importantly we need a ceasefire, Gargash said. Separately, the UAEs embassy in Washington, DC, reached out to CNN this week following publication of an earlier CNN report mentioning its alleged involvement in Sudan, rejecting the claim and saying it has consistently supported regional and international efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure accountability for violations committed by all warring parties. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We categorically reject any claims of providing any form of support to either warring party since the onset of the civil war, a UAE official said in the note sent to CNN. The official pointed to a report published by the UN expert panel on Sudan this April, which does not include allegations of UAE involvement, unlike previously published iterations of this report. But a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN that UN experts did find what they believed was credible evidence of the UAE supplying weapons to the RSF, including tracing munitions previously exported to the UAE from Bulgaria in Darfur. This evidence was not included in the April report. CNN has reached out to the UN for comment. The Bulgarian government told CNN it did not issue any permits for the export of defense-related products to Sudan. Activists take part in a march from the US embassy to Parliament in London, on November 9, 2024. - Mark Kerrison/In Pictures/Getty Images Separately, Amnesty International published a detailed report earlier this year alleging that Chinese weapons, including AH4 howitzers, had been found in Darfur. The UAE is the only country confirmed to have imported these specific weapons from China, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement CNN has asked the UAE government for comment on these specific allegations. The countrys Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the howitzers in question have been available on the international market for nearly a decade. The assertion that only one country has procured or transferred this system is invalid, the ministry told CNN, despite the records showing otherwise. CNN has reached out to the Chinese manufacturer of the weapons for comment. The UAE ministry did not address a question about the Bulgarian-made munitions. But in a rare admission of diplomatic failure, Gargash said at an event in Bahrain on November 2 that the international community made a mistake not to put our foot down when the two generals overthrew the civilian government in 2021. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UAE was among a handful of countries, alongside Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and China, not to condemn the coup when it took place. But it was a time when Sudan was just coming out of American sanctions and we thought, no, let us get Sudan out of the American sanctions. Clearly, what happened later is the relationship of the two generals deteriorated and led Sudan to the current civil war that we are seeing today, he said. Evacuees from Sudan wait upon arrival at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, on June 18, 2023. - Murtaja Lateef/AFP/AGetty Images Selma el Obeid, an independent researcher who has been studying the situation in Sudan and the wider region for more than a decade, said the military cooperation between the UAE and RSF goes well beyond weapon transfers. For the UAE, the most important thing is to get (access to) the RSF militia, so they can use them elsewhere, she told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sudanese troops were fighting in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels there before the 2021 coup in Sudan. In 2019, Hemedti confirmed Sudanese fighters were in Yemen and said their support for the coalition would continue. Egypt Neighboring Egypt supported Al-Burhan and Hemedti when they launched their coup to remove al-Bashir, even conducting a series of joint military exercises in 2021 and 2022. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is a former general who swept into power when he led the 2013 military coup, which removed from office Egypts first democratically elected president. Sisi has since cracked down on dissent and civic freedoms. Multiple international organizations, including the UN and the Human Rights Watch, have raised serious concerns over the human rights situation in Egypt. A free and democratic Sudan (would) expose all of the problems in Egypt and that doesnt make it easier for the government there to maintain control, Ray, the former US diplomat, told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the two generals fell out, Cairo made it clear it saw al-Burhan and the SAF as the legitimate power in Sudan. The government has held repeated meetings with al-Burhans ministers, providing diplomatic backing. At one of these meetings last month, the Egyptian foreign ministry specifically endorsed the SAF, with a statement expressing Egypts commitment to Sudans sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the vital role of its national institutions, particularly the Sudanese Armed Forces. Hemedti has in the past accused Egypt of supplying weapons to the SAF and attacking the RSF allegations Egypt has rejected. CNN has asked the Egyptian government for a comment. Armed forces of Egypt and Sudan complete a joint military exercise in southern Kardavan province, Sudan, on May 31, 2021. - Mahmoud Hjaj/Anadolu/Getty Images As its immediate neighbor, Egypt has a multitude of reasons to be interested in Sudans future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Egypt is involved mainly due to national-security concerns, particularly the implications of Sudans instability on the Nile River, Egypts lifeline, al-Anani of Georgetown University said, adding that there is another key motivation for Cairo: To prevent the emergence of a democratic system in Sudan after al-Bashirs fall. He added, however, that Egypts support is limited, because Cairo is constrained by its heavy economic dependence on the UAE, which provides Sisis regime with massive financial assistance. There are practical considerations, too. Egypt also fears the humanitarian consequences of the war: the influx of tens of thousands of Sudanese refugees has added pressure to an already fragile economy, al-Anani said, while Ray also pointed to Egypts long-running water security issues. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Egypt and Ethiopia have been locked in a conflict over water for more than a decade, ever since Ethiopia announced its intention to build the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile. The dam was officially inaugurated in September, amid loud protests from Egypt, which relies on the Nile for some 90% of its freshwater supply. Sudan, sitting between Ethiopia and Egypt, is a key player in the dispute. Having Sudan compliant and on their side is a plus (for Egypt) in the competition with Ethiopia, Ray noted. Saudi Arabia On the surface, Riyadh maintains neutrality, calling for a Sudanese solution to the conflict and co-sponsoring mediation efforts with the US. But like Egypt, observers say Saudi Arabia has subtly supported al-Burhan and his SAF, providing him with diplomatic backing. The country played a prominent role in the evacuation of thousands of people from Sudan, most of them foreigners, in the early weeks of the fighting. Saudi Arabia has made it clear it sees Sudan as its immediate neighbor and its main effort has been to maintain stability along the Red Sea a key trade channel central to Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans plans for the Saudi economy. CNN has reached out to Saudi Arabia for comment. Ray said that like the UAE, Saudi Arabia has a deep economic and strategic interest in Sudan, including making sure it is not overshadowed by its regional rivals. There are economic benefits to the Saudis being involved in Africa, both in Northern Africa and in the sub-Saharan (Africa), where theyre also showing up more and more, but I think also they probably look at some of their competitors being there, and its as much being able to keep up with the competition as anything else, Ray said. Russia While busy fighting its own war in Ukraine, Russia has also seen Sudan as an opportunity to deepen its influence in Africa. The US has accused Russia of playing both sides of the conflict to advance its own selfish political objectives at the expense of Sudanese lives. CNN has previously reported that Russian mercenary group Wagner was supplying RSF with missiles through Syria, Libya and the Central African Republic. The mercenary group for years propped up militant groups and authoritarian regimes in the Sahel in exchange for mineral resources including huge concessions in Sudans gold mining industry. Wagners involvement in Sudan apparently caught the attention of Ukraine too. Kyiv reportedly conducted a series of attacks on the RSF in 2023. A CNN investigation into the attacks concluded that Ukraine was likely behind them, a claim Kyiv declined to confirm or deny. Russias involvement became more complicated after Wagners failed mutiny against Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 and the subsequent death, in a plane crash, of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Kremlin has since then attempted to absorb Wagner and its fighters into the Russian military and assert direct control over paramilitary groups that have taken over Wagner operations. However, while Wagner openly supported Hemedti, the Kremlin has been negotiating with al-Burhan and his forces. Seeking access to the Red Sea, Moscow has been trying to get Sudans agreement to build a naval base in Port Sudan. CNN has asked the Russian government for comment. Ripe for exploitation Al-Anani told CNN that he believed there was no neutral actor in the Sudanese conflict. Every party has its own goals and intervenes to pursue its interests. Controlling (Sudan) means holding influence over the entire sub-Saharan region, he told CNN. The years of horrific violence have weakened Sudan, plunging its institutions into chaos and making its population more vulnerable and poorer. All of that, al-Anani said, makes it ripe for exploitation by foreign powers. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com OMV and Masdar have signed a binding agreement to jointly develop and operate a 140MW green hydrogen plant in Austria. The new facility, located in Bruck an der Leitha, is set to become one of Europes largest green hydrogen production sites. This marks a major step in OMVs focus on decarbonising its Schwechat refinery and speeding up the energy transformation. The project will be executed through a joint venture (JV), which is majority-owned by OMV, with Masdar holding the remaining 49% stake. The partnership leverages OMVs leadership in integrated fuels and chemicals and Masdars expertise in clean energy project development, financing, and operation. Construction of the new facility began in September 2025, with commercial operations targeted for 2027. United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Masdar chair Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said: The UAE has a longstanding commitment to working with our partners to accelerate the global energy systems transformation. This joint venture unites Masdars two decades of renewable energy leadership with OMVs industrial capability, paving the way for future commercial opportunities across Europe. Todays agreement also underscores the deep and growing collaboration between the UAE and Austria in powering growth for the information age. OMV is already operating a 10MW electrolyser for green hydrogen in Schwechat and will procure the renewable electricity required for the new plant. OMV will also own the green hydrogen produced at the facility. The companies plan to explore opportunities in green hydrogen, synthetic sustainable aviation fuels, and synthetic chemicals production in both the UAE and Central and Northern Europe. This follows the letter of intent signed by the two companies in April 2024. The JV is expected to close in early 2026, subject to final documentation, shareholders approvals, and regulatory clearances. Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi said: This landmark partnership with OMV marks an important step in expanding Masdars green hydrogen footprint in Europe and strengthening the energy collaboration between the UAE and Austria. By combining Masdars global expertise in developing and scaling clean energy projects with OMVs strong industrial and technological capabilities, this joint venture will accelerate the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate industries and advance the development of a sustainable hydrogen economy in Europe. By 2030, Masdar plans to become a global producer of green hydrogen and its derivatives, focusing on commercial project development and building scalable platforms across key markets worldwide. Sudans paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has agreed to a United States-led humanitarian ceasefire in their catastrophic two-year civil war with the army. The RSF made the announcement following an international outcry after its forces appeared to massacre thousands of people in recent days in the city of El Fasher. Diplomatic sources urged caution over whether a ceasefire had actually been agreed by both sides, pointing out that the Sudanese army seemed to rebuff the proposal earlier this week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A US-led diplomatic bloc nicknamed the Quad, which also includes Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, has spent months trying to stop the fighting. An RSF statement said: In response to the aspirations and interests of the Sudanese people, the Rapid Support Forces affirms its agreement to enter into the humanitarian truce proposed by the Quad countries. There was no immediate comment from either the Quad or the US. Credit: Facebook / _ A Sudan military official told The Associated Press that the army would agree to a truce only when the RSF completely withdrew from civilian areas and gave up its weapons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sudans civil war has raged since April 2023 and has sparked the worlds biggest humanitarian crisis. Some 14 million people have fled their homes and as many as 150,000 are thought to have died. The RSF did not give details of what it had agreed to. In September, the Quad proposed a three-month truce leading to a ceasefire and a nine-month transition toward civilian rule. However, earlier this week, the Sudanese army said it would press on with the war, after holding its own internal deliberations. The army expressed its gratitude to the government of the US only to declare it would mobilise the Sudanese people to support the armed forces in eliminating the rebel militia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The war erupted over rivalry between the de facto president, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who commands the RSF. Each side has blocked supplies from crossing front lines into their opponents territory, tipping several regions into famine and leading aid agencies to call for a humanitarian pause. b' 3110 Sudan SAF and the RSF map update ' Both the RSF and the Sudanese army have agreed to various ceasefire proposals during their two-and-half-year-old war, though none have succeeded. RSF troops, which are widely thought to receive backing from the UAE, captured El Fasher late last month. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Satellite images have since shown evidence of ethnic killing sprees against black African residents and mass graves. The UAE strongly denies backing the militia. One diplomatic source suggested the RSF announcement may represent an attempt to switch pressure back to the Sudanese army, after the massacres had heaped international scrutiny on the UAE. Meanwhile, new satellite pictures suggested the RSF may be attempting a cover-up of massacres in El Fasher by digging mass graves. Images from the few days since the militia overran the city, in Sudans Darfur region, show at least two such suspected graves. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elsewhere, piles of bodies have been removed and large lorries have been seen in the city. The Yale School of Public Healths Humanitarian Research Lab, which has been tracking the siege of the city for months, said it believed body disposal operations are under way in RSF-held territory. The lab said that satellite images taken from Oct 30 to Nov 3 showed suspected mass graves at the El Fasher childrens hospital and at a mosque in the Daraja Oula neighbourhood. The lab has already accused the RSF of conducting a massacre at the hospital after spotting piles of body-sized bundles nearby last week. Later photos now show a 7m by 4m trench being dug. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A separate pile of suspected bodies was also located next to a sand berm which had been built to surround the city to strengthen the siege. Survivors who have made it out of the city have reported people being stopped and executed as they attempted to cross the earthwork. Later photos showed the bodies had been removed from the berm. The lab concluded: This activity appears consistent with RSF conducting clean-up of their alleged mass atrocities. 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. Former Sen. John E. Sununus comeback attempt in New Hampshire has Democrats there warning about a tougher-than-expected Senate race that could complicate the partys effort to flip control of the chamber next year. Sununu a Republican who served one Senate term two decades ago and whose younger brother, Chris, was more recently the states popular four-term governor jumped into the race last month. The GOP establishment quickly rallied around Sununu in a primary that also includes Scott Brown, who served as an ambassador in President Donald Trumps first term and as a senator from neighboring Massachusetts in the early 2010s. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats are likely to counter with Rep. Chris Pappas for a seat that is up for grabs next year after Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen, who beat Sununu in 2008, decided against seeking re-election. Mindful that their partys recruiting windfalls in Maine, North Carolina and Ohio have brought more attention to those 2026 Senate battlegrounds, Democrats fear New Hampshire could be lost in the national shuffle. I think people are sleeping on New Hampshire nationally, and thats really foolish, said Aaron Jacobs, who managed Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassans 2022 re-election effort there and ran the state campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris last year. I certainly think a Sununu getting in the race puts this race at a different level, Jacobs added. John Sununu is not Chris Sununu. Its been a long time since he was a senator. But the bumper stickers are still going to say Sununu. Gov. Chris Sununu in 2024. (Margie Cullen / USA Today Network via Imagn Images) Democrats need to net four seats to regain control of the Senate in the midterm elections. Maine, North Carolina and Ohio stand as top pickup opportunities, while Michigan and Georgia are two swing states where the party is playing defense. New Hampshire can get overlooked, given that voters there havent elected a Republican to the Senate in 15 years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elections for governor this week in New Jersey and Virginia favored Democrats while underscoring how worried voters are about affordability and other economic issues. A challenge for Republicans in closely divided states next year will be how to navigate their relationships with Trump, ever influential in GOP primaries, while keeping a distance from him in the general election if he becomes a political liability. The Sununus are a household name in New Hampshire. Even before John became a senator and Chris the governor, their father, John H. Sununu, had served as governor. The sons are known for possessing an independent streak that plays well in a state that has never favored Trump in a general election. Both have been occasional critics of Trump and supported Nikki Haley over him last year in New Hampshires first-in-the-nation GOP presidential primary. A day before Trumps victory there, John E. Sununu wrote a guest column for the New Hampshire Union Leader under the headline, Donald Trump is a loser. Even so, Trump had been high on the prospect of Chris Sununu expanding the Republicans Senate map, telling reporters in April that he hoped the former governor would run. The younger Sununu, who also had been courted to run for Senate in 2022, passed again. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., instead went to work to recruit his older brother. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He makes it a tough race, Kathy Sullivan, a former New Hampshire Democratic Party chair, said of John E. Sununu. The name means something in New Hampshire. And Sununu will bring in a ton of money. It will be the most expensive race weve ever seen in New Hampshire. Sununus launch was quickly cheered by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and its chair, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. Sen. Sununu turned New Hampshire from a potential opportunity into a top battleground race, NRSC spokesperson Samantha Cantrell said. His deep ties to the state and grassroots support make him uniquely qualified to take on Chris Pappas and give New Hampshire a Senator that will put their needs first always. Several Democrats pointed to two recent elections as too close for comfort and a sign of what could await them if Sununu is the GOP nominee. In 2016, Sen. Maggie Hassan unseated Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte, now the states governor, by just over 1,000 votes. And in last years presidential contest, Harris beat Trump there by 2.8 percentage points the narrowest margin in a state Trump lost. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump was on the ballot both of those years and won the White House despite losing New Hampshire. Hassan, who did not share a ballot with Trump in her 2022 re-election bid, won a second Senate term by 9 points in the most recent midterm election. A University of New Hampshire poll in late September, conducted before Sununu entered the race, measured him to be a stronger general election opponent than Brown. The poll, which had a margin of error of 2.7 points, found that likely voters favored Pappas over Sununu, 49% to 43%, and over Brown, 52% to 37%. Chris Pappas outside the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19. (Bill Clark / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images file) Im not sure, atmospherically, this matches up to be a massive Republican year, especially in New Hampshire, said Matthew Bartlett, a GOP strategist and former Ayotte aide. But we always have competitive races, and the name Sununu alone, much less John E.s personal relationship with so many Granite Staters, is certainly worth something. Sununu would first have to win a primary. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The UNH poll found him leading Brown by more than 20 points. Brown has vowed to continue on in the race, embracing the contrast between a Washington establishment lining up behind Sununu and a grassroots base that he argues is more in tune with his candidacy. The X factor is Trump, who has yet to endorse but whose openness to one Sununu for the Senate seat has raised the possibility hell back another. Both Sununu and Brown have said they are seeking Trumps support. That is not necessarily a good strategy for the general election, because New Hampshire has not ever voted for Donald Trump for president, said Jim Demers, a longtime Democratic insider in the state. The independent voters here, who are our biggest bloc of voters, tend to be very anti-Trump. Brown, despite having served in Trumps first administration, has also been critical of the president at times, most notably when he said Trumps presidency was diminished by the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In an interview last weekend on New Hampshires WMUR-TV, Brown repeated a new campaign talking point Its not Chris, its John while casting Sununu as a Trump hater. John is no Chris, obviously, and hes going to have to go and prove himself, and hes going to have to answer a lot of questions, Brown said. He and his family have been Trump bashers for over a decade. He did the whole thing, Trumps a loser. And then he said, Well, I didnt write the headline. Yeah, but you read the article, thats what hes saying. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The White House did not respond to a request for comment about the possibility of a Trump endorsement in the primary. Asked in the interview about the prospect of Trump backing Sununu, Brown said well figure out where we go from there if that happens. But I can tell you what, Brown added. If he gets the endorsement from the president, the grassroots and the activists will absolutely not be with him, and he will absolutely not win this election, period. Sununus campaign announced Wednesday that seven grassroots leaders in the state had switched their support from Brown to Sununu. And in his own WMUR interview, Sununu rejected the idea that hes anti-Trump. We need someone who can be an effective advocate with President Trump in this White House, and theres absolutely no question I will be that person, Sununu said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Responding to the suggestion that the Republican base would prefer someone who pledges full political allegiance to Trump, Sununu added: I dont think people in New Hampshire want a rubber stamp for anyone. Ray Buckley, the New Hampshire Democratic Party chair, predicted that Brown and Sununu will spend the 10 months leading to the September 2026 primary battling it out for Trumps endorsement and taking positions that will hurt them in the general election. Democrats, who are facing a less contentious primary in which Pappas is a clear front-runner, will use that time to build the resources and infrastructure we need to win next November, Buckley said. New Hampshire is no stranger to competitive races, but we are confident that Democrats will keep this seat regardless of who Republicans pick to be their Trump yes-man, he added. In a statement to NBC News, Sununu spokesperson Mike Schrimpf emphasized how often Pappas voted with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the liberal former speaker of the House. Sununu, he said, is running to be the New Hampshire candidate and has a proven record of always putting Granite Staters first. He will be a voice for all people in New Hampshire on important issues like the economy and affordability. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A Brown adviser did not respond to requests for comment. Republicans see Pappas as a tough opponent given how in 2018 he flipped and then held a congressional seat that swung back and forth in the previous decade. This is someone who is most famous not for being a long-standing congressman, but for being the owner of one of the states most famous restaurants, Bartlett said, referring to the Puritan Backroom, a Manchester restaurant co-owned by Pappas that lays claim to having invented the chicken tender. So that lends credibility. Pappas campaign manager Rachel Petri previewed a clash with Sununu by emphasizing the former senators work in the private sector and how he lost the Senate seat in 2008. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our campaign will continue to make the difference between Chris Pappas and John Sununu clear, Petri said. Pappas will fight for Granite Staters and Sununu will sell out New Hampshire to corporations and special interests and thats why Granite Staters will reject John Sununu just like they did seventeen years ago. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com In a 6-3 decision Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court granted an emergency stay order requiring all new passports to display an individuals biological sex at birth. The vote upholds President Donald Trumps executive order, requiring the federal government to recognize male and female as biological sex instead of people to mark their perceived gender. A lower court in Massachusetts had blocked the policy, claiming the new passport policy violated the Equal Protection Clause in the Constitution and the federal Administrative Procedure Act. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Upon the high courts decision, ACLU Masachussets released a statement saying the decision will cause immediate, widespread, and irreparable harm to all those who are being denied accurate identity documents. The civil liberties organization added, the new passport policy is an unlawful attempt to dehumanize, humiliate, and endanger transgender, nonbinary, and intersex Americans. However, a legal brief filed with the Supreme Court by 26 states, called sex a useful category of information, adding that the government must be able to adopt some consistent definition of the term rather than let individuals be definitions unto themselves. Utah Attorney General Derek Brown signed onto the brief, which encouraged the Supreme Court to greenlight the new passport policy. This Court should grant the stay and clarify that no constitutional principle requires government-issued papers to serve as canvases for self-expression, the brief said. What is the history of sex markers on passports? For decades before 1992, passport applicants were required to check M or F on their passport applications. Then, during George H.W. Bushs administration, the policy was updated to allow applicants to submit evidence of surgical sex reassignment, if they wanted a marker other than male or female. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In 2010, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton eased the policy to require only a doctors note saying the individual was transitioning genders, as Politico reported. Then in 2021, under former President Joe Biden, the State Department allowed all passport applicants to self-select their preferred sex marker. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson writes a dissent Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in her dissent against the majoritys decision to temporarily uphold Trumps executive order. Jackson wrote, The documented real-world harms to these plaintiffs obviously outweigh the Governments unexplained (and inexplicable) interest in immediate implementation of the Passport Policy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She referenced instances where transgender travelers felt they were targeted by TSA officers because their passport sex did not match how they identified. Zaya Perysian has been subjected to invasive pat-downs by TSA agents to confirm her gender after they observed the disjunction between her female gender expression and the male sex marker on her passport, Jackson wrote. She added that two others had been accused by the TSA of presenting fake identity documents and were forced to out themselves as transgender and nonbinary to TSA agents. Jackson said the new passport policy gives transgender people only two options: use gender-incongruent passports and risk harassment and bodily invasions or avoid all activities (travel, opening a bank account, renting a car, starting a new job) that may require a passport, on the other. The new passport policy will hold until the Supreme Court issues a final ruling based on the merits phase of litigation, which is currently at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The Pierce County Sheriffs Office (PCSO) says deputies arrested a man accused of impersonating a local doctor to fill a prescription in Graham. The suspect, a 22-year-old man, was arrested while trying to pick up the prescription at a pharmacy. According to deputies, the suspect contacted the pharmacy and told staff he was a doctor. He then provided the name of a real doctor and tried to fill a prescription for a fake patient. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Later, the suspect called the pharmacy back using the same phone number and asked if he could pick up the medication. When deputies contacted the real doctor, he said he was aware that someone had been attempting to use his identity to fill prescriptions. PCSO booked the suspect on charges of criminal impersonation and prescription fraud. European Union countries must prepare for the long-term isolation of Russia even after the war in Ukraine ends, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has said. Source: ERR, Estonian public broadcaster, as reported by European Pravda Quote from Kristersson: "We have never had greater control over the Baltic Sea. And this, of course, irritates Russia. It is our sea. I am firmly convinced that Sweden, Estonia and other European Union countries must prepare for the long-term isolation of Russia. Everything will not end with this war." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: According to Kristersson, Europe must strengthen its competitiveness, as this forms the basis of prosperity and security, as well as of support for Ukraine. He also added that Sweden is not naive about Russia and emphasised the need to strengthen deterrence and limit the actions of the Russian submarine fleet in the Baltic Sea. Background: Estonian President Alar Karis believes that Europe must treat Russian aggression as "another kind of war" and be prepared for new forms of hybrid threats. Meanwhile, the prime ministers of Norway and Finland have recognised Russia as the number one threat to the security of the Nordic states but stressed their readiness to counter it. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Nov. 6 that Sweden has helped Ukraine produce 400 long-range drones, which are then often used to hit targets such as oil refineries deep inside Russia. "Ukraine and Sweden are strengthening cooperation in the development of innovative defense technologies," Shmyhal said in a Facebook post, where he announced that he signed a letter of intent on a defense innovation partnership with Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson. He added that Sweden has helped Ukraine produce 400 long-range strike drones under the Danish model scheme, which helps fund Ukraine's defense production. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In addition to the over $9 billion in aid that Sweden has already allocated to Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale war in 2022, the Nordic country plans to provide approximately $8 billion in 2026 and 2027 for military support, according to the minister. Sweden has long been one of Ukraine's staunchest allies, providing not only funding but some of the most advanced weapons systems in the world. Most recently, it was announced Ukraine plans to purchase between 100 and 150 JAS 39 Gripen E fighter jets. Sweden's Saab JAS 39 Gripen is a versatile, cost-effective multirole fighter jet known for its agility, advanced avionics, and short takeoff capability. This aircraft can perform air-to-air, air-to-ground, and reconnaissance missions. A Saab Gripen E-series fighter aircraft is seen in the sky over the airport of Linkoping, Sweden, as it is shown to the Ukrainian President during his visit on October 22, 2025 (Jonathon Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images) Its latest single-seat modification, the Gripen E, packs serious power with its General Electric F414G engine, delivering rapid acceleration and high climb rates. Inside, an advanced data-fusion cockpit with a large panoramic display gives pilots a clear, real-time view of the battlespace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Capable of reaching Mach 2 at high altitude, around 2,130 km/h (1,320 mph), fast enough to cover the distance between London and Paris in around 10 minutes, the Gripen E features a new AESA radar and advanced electronic warfare systems. In May 2025, the Gripen E also became the first fighter jet flown by artificial intelligence. And then there is the Archer artillery system, one of the world's most advanced artillery systems, capable of firing projectiles at a distance of up to 50 kilometers. Its advantages further include a high fire rate and the ability to quickly redeploy to avoid enemy counter-fire. It only takes a few minutes to deploy, shoot, and drive off from the location. Sweden just confirmed that Archer artillery systems will be provided to the Ukrainian Army in the near future. These unique self-propelled howitzers can fire 20x 155mm shells (incl. Excalibur) in 2 1/2 minutes, firing one every 7.5 seconds. (Re)deployment in less than 30 seconds. pic.twitter.com/C3YjU1xLyp Hugo Kaaman (@HKaaman) January 10, 2023 Shmyhal's announcement comes as Ukraine aims to strike deeper into Russian territory in an attempt to disrupt its logistics and grind down its war machine from a distance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is unclear how much the regular Ukrainian attacks using homemade drones inside Russia or in occupied territories have affected Moscow's army. The partnership with Sweden marks a step forward in Ukraine's calls to its Western allies for funding to domestically produce long-range weapons, after seeing the Western hesitation in providing missiles that would hit Russia. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak admitted in September that the country faces a "small deficit" of petroleum products, which he said is being offset by reserves. Between July 28 and Sept. 22, the number of gas stations selling gasoline in Russia fell by 360, or 2.6%, according to the Russian pro-government media outlet Kommersant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Fuel shortages are particularly severe in occupied Crimea, where roughly half of gas stations have halted gasoline sales due to disrupted supplies, Kommersant reported on Sept. 24. The Southern Federal District, which Russia claims includes occupied Crimea, has been among the hardest hit, with more than 220 stations about 14% suspending fuel sales. Read also: Ukraines defense of Pokrovsk on a knife-edge as high command resists calls to withdraw Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. The Tacoma Police Departments three-year test run of ShotSpotter gunshot-detection technology installed in a neighborhood that has struggled with violence has ended prematurely without ever activating one of the devices that police leaders said would save lives. Trying out ShotSpotter was part of an $800,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance the Police Department announced in April last year that included a 3-D scanner for crime scenes and a device designed to lift fingerprints from discharged bullet casings. About $300,000 of that grant money is left over a two-year period, according to the Police Department, which is working with the Bureau of Justice Assistance to reallocate the funds to pre-existing tech programs within the department. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ShotSpotter promised to get police officers to the precise location of gunfire in the South Hosmer Street corridor in a fraction of the time it takes officers to get there based on the reports of 911 callers. But it raised concerns about over-policing and the value of a project that wasnt addressing underlying problems that lead to gun violence. Officer Shelbie Boyd, a spokesperson for the Police Department, told The News Tribune on Wednesday that the decision was made in the summer to not move forward with implementing ShotSpotter. Ultimately, the department determined that this was not the right time or tool for Tacoma, Boyd said in response to written questions. The decision followed a comprehensive reassessment of department priorities under new leadership, Boyd said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A representative for SoundThinking, the company that owns ShotSpotter, told The News Tribune on Thursday that he would check if the company had a comment on the Police Departments decision. Why did Tacoma police end ShotSpotter program early? The Police Departments leadership has changed significantly since the ShotSpotter program was announced under the leadership of former Police Chief Avery Moore, who resigned in February. Moores deputy chief, Paul Junger, was designated as the project lead but was fired March 31. A financial manager who was assigned to the project is also no longer with the department. Writing in a community newsletter last month, Tacoma City Council member Olgy Diaz said she was grateful to city administrators and Interim Police Chief Patti Jackson for hearing the concerns she raised on the use of ShotSpotter. Boyd pointed to three key factors that informed the decision not to proceed with the pilot program: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Changing crime patterns in the originally proposed deployment area. A shift in operational focus toward long-term, sustainable crime reduction strategies. A need to ensure any adopted technology aligns with both community expectations and the departments core mission. Data from the Police Departments crime dashboard shows that calls for service and violent crime has decreased in the area where ShotSpotter was going to be activated, roughly 2 square miles from South 72nd to 96th streets and Hosmer Street to Yakima Avenue. In the last six months, there have been approximately 5,174 calls for service to that area, down from 6,009 calls in the same period in 2024 and 6,156 calls in the same period in 2023, according to the crime dashboard. Thats about a 16 percent reduction in calls for service. The number of assaults, robberies, arsons and kidnappings also have declined. There were about 121 of those offenses from May 1 to Nov. 4, 2023. That number fell to about 96 in 2024 and 89 in 2025, approximately a 26 percent decrease over two years. We are going to save lives... Tacoma residents seemed to have mixed opinions on ShotSpotter. At informational meetings the Police Department organized in August 2024, some residents saw value in improving police response times to shooting incidents. Others were worried about wrongful arrests or skeptical of SoundThinkings claim of 97 percent accuracy in detecting a gunshot and not other loud noises like a firework. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Elisa Gonzalez, a Tacoma resident since the mid-2000s, went to multiple meetings and was supportive of ShotSpotter. She said she wished it would have been implemented to help save lives and make arrests. Gonzalez lost her son in a shooting in 2022 in Tacomas Eastside neighborhood. At one ShotSpotter meeting covered by KING 5 News, Gonzalez said she felt there was a delay in the police response. If gunshot detection had been active in that neighborhood at the time, could police have gotten him medical care faster and saved his life? Reached by phone Thursday, Gonzalez said thats something shes wondered about. The seconds and the minutes are just important, Gonzalez said. After going to those meetings last year, Gonzalez got the impression ShotSpotter was going to be activated by spring 2025. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In March, Tacoma police leaders and SoundThinking CEO Ralph Clark faced tough questions from the Tacoma City Council about the value of ShotSpotter. Still, police leaders seemed confident the technology would improve police response times. Boyd told The News Tribune then the program would begin in 2025, but that a start date hadnt been set. We are going to save lives with this technology, Assistant Chief Crystal-Young Haskins told the council members at the time. Test run of tech was behind schedule The ShotSpotter project appears to have been beset by delays. A 26-page action plan dated in February 2024 included a month-by-month timeline that identified months six to nine as when ShotSpotter would be implemented. Boyd said the first month of the project would have approximately corresponded to the first quarter of 2024, when internal coordination, grant procurement and early planning efforts were underway. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the timeline, the Police Departments research partner, an assistant professor in the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati, should have been collecting ShotSpotter activation data by month seven. At the latest, that would have been September last year. ShotSpotter sensors were installed, according to Boyd, but they were never activated. SoundThinkings CEO previously told The News Tribune it took about 20-30 sensors in a square mile for ShotSpotter to be deployed. Boyd said the city has removed all of the devices and returned them. BRUSSELS (AP) Taiwan's deputy leader urged the European Union to boost security and trade ties with the self-governing island and support its democracy in the face of growing threats by China, in a rare address to a group of international lawmakers in Brussels on Friday. Peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential to global stability and economic continuity, and international opposition against unilateral changes to the status quo by force cannot be overstated, Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao told lawmakers assembled for a China-focused conference in the European Parliament building. While Hsiao did not formally address the whole EU Parliament the European trade bloc does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan her visit drew ire from China. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In an era marked by increasing fragmentation, volatility and rising authoritarianism, this gathering affirms something vital that democracies, even when far apart, are not alone, she added to a standing ovation in a small chamber of the European Parliament. Hsiao also called on the lawmakers from countries including Germany and Spain to collaborate more on trusted supply chains and AI technology with Taiwan, the island off Chinas east coast that Beijing claims as part of its territory and says must come under its rule. EU members, like most countries including the United States, have no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and follow a One China policy. But the EU and Taiwan share common democratic values as well as close trade ties, and the bloc opposes any use of military force by China to settle its dispute with Taiwan. Hsiao also drew parallels between Taiwan suffering cyberattacks and having its undersea internet cables cut by China, and hybrid attacks faced by European nations since Russias invasion of Ukraine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Europe has defended freedom under fire, and Taiwan has built democracy under pressure," she said. She said that China's disruptions of global supply chains likely a reference partly to Beijing's throttling of rare earth exports to the EU earlier this year should push Brussels to forge with Taiwan a reliable technology ecosystem rooted in trust, transparency and democratic values like they already have for semiconductor sales. Chinas mission to Europe on Saturday criticized the EU parliament for allowing her and other leading Taiwan independence figures to carry out separatist activities in its building despite China's opposition. China expressed strong indignation over the matter and already made a solemn representation to the European side, according to a statement on its website This act seriously harms Chinas core interests and violates the one-China principle, while seriously interfering in Chinas internal affairs and undermining China-EU political mutual trust, it said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It added the Taiwan issue, which concerns China's sovereignty, is a red line that cannot be crossed, urging Europe to stop sending any wrong signals to the separatist forces. China routinely states that Taiwans independence is a dead end," claiming the island as its territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Chinas military has increased its encircling of Taiwans skies and waters in recent years, holding joint drills with its warships and fighter jets on a near-daily basis near the island. Last month Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te vowed to accelerate the building of the air defense system T-Dome, or Taiwan Dome, and boost defense spending to reach 5% of Taiwans GDP by 2030 amid growing security concerns. Hsiao's visit was part of a conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a global group of hundreds of lawmakers who want to strengthen coordination on China-related policy and lobby for unified international action on key China challenges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some 50 lawmakers from about two dozen countries attended Fridays event in Brussels. The trip and speech were kept under wraps because of high security concerns after reports that Chinese agents plotted to ram Hsiao's car during her visit to the Czech Republic in March 2024, when she was vice president-elect. Czech officials later said Chinese agents had followed Hsiao and planned to intimidate her physically. Hsiao said at the time that the Chinese Communist Party's unlawful activities will not intimidate her from voicing Taiwans interests in the international community. Ben Bland, director of the Asia-Pacific program at the London-based think tank Chatham House, wrote in an analysis last month that despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, the EU and Taiwan can do much more to deepen ties for mutual benefit in the face of worsening U.S.-China rivalry. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Any conflict over Taiwan could have far more devastating impact on Europe than Russias invasion of Ukraine, given Taiwans leading role in semiconductor and electronics supply chains, he wrote. European nations cannot stop Beijing from squeezing Taiwan harder, Bland wrote. But they can help to preserve and even increase Taiwans global connections, and share lessons in how to stay resilient. China and Taiwan split during a civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in China in 1949. The defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, where they set up their own government. __ Hui reported from London. Associated Press writer Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report. WASHINGTON (AP) After voters swung toward Republican Donald Trump during last falls presidential election, states like Virginia and New Jersey swung back towards Democratic candidates at nearly the same velocity as 2024s shift, an Associated Press analysis of election data from this week found. From populous suburbs to big cities to military-heavy counties, this years electorate moved decisively towards the Democratic Party. Some of these areas had the largest shifts towards Trump last year, particularly in New York and New Jersey, but on Tuesday, the returns more closely resembled 2020 margins. This came alongside relatively high turnout, at least compared to recent off-year elections, suggesting that one pattern of the last decade in American politics Republicans doing well when Trump is on the ballot, and Democrats doing better when he is not continues to hold. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The APs analysis is based off county- and precinct-level data. In all cases, 2025 margins are as of 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 7. Additional votes will be counted as election officials tabulate late-arriving mail and provisional ballots. Here are some of the findings. Virginia and New Jersey continue a trend but with big margins Virginia and New Jersey, the two states that elect governors in the year following a presidential election, both have a tradition of moving against the party in the White House. Starting in 1976, every time a party has won back control of the presidency, Virginia voters have chosen a governor from the opposing party the following year. And in New Jersey, voters elected a governor from the opposite party of the sitting president in every election from 1989 to 2017. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill continued this trend with double-digit victories. Spanbergers victory was especially notable for its scale. In the last 12 Virginia gubernatorial elections, the average margin of victory was 8.6 percentage points. Spanbergers 14.4-point win coming a year after Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris won the state by just 5.8 percentage points was bolstered by big margins in Northern Virginia, home to Washington, D.C., suburbs heavily affected by federal government cuts and the ongoing government shutdown. It also greatly exceeded former President Joe Bidens 10.1-point victory in 2020. These shifts helped Spanberger win 15 counties and independent cities that her predecessor, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, had won four years earlier. Six of those jurisdictions Spotsylvania, Lynchburg, Nelson, Waynesboro, Prince Edward and Surry also supported Trump in 2024. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Spanberger also benefited from a spending advantage of around $27 million and Trumps reluctance to endorse her Republican opponent. In succeeding term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, Sherrill not only restarted New Jerseys history of voting for the party not in power but also broke a 60-year streak. No party has held the New Jersey governorship for more than three consecutive terms since the 1960s, when a two-term Democratic governor succeeded another two-term Democratic governor. Recent voting patterns in New Jersey suggested the governors race could have been much tighter. And in addition to receiving Trumps endorsement, Republican Jack Ciattarelli kept pace with Sherrill in terms of spending. He also got close the election prior. Ciattarelli came within 3 points of ousting Murphy in 2021. And between Ciattarellis 2021 and 2025 campaigns, Trump made massive inroads in New Jersey: He flipped five counties that Biden won in 2020 and cut the Republican margin in the state down to just 5.9 percentage points. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sherrills 13.5-point win indicated a return to pre-2024 levels. While she fell short of Bidens 15.9-point win, she returned all five of the counties Trump flipped to the Democratic column. She also improved on Harris margin in Bergen County, the states largest, by more than 8 points. New York City saw generational turnout Some of Tuesdays elections were notable outliers in terms of the number of people they brought to the polls, while others were more in line with past races. In New York City, state assemblymember Zohran Mamdani juiced turnout in his successful primary campaign and built on that in the general election. More than two million New Yorkers voted for mayor this year, a level of voter enthusiasm the city hasnt seen in a mayoral election since 1969, when John Lindsay won a second term. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The governor races were more of a mixed bag. New Jersey had the highest turnout rate in a governor election since 2009, when Republican Chris Christie beat incumbent Democrat Gov. Jon Corzine. As of Friday morning, this years turnout was just under 50%. Virginias turnout rate was just shy of 2021 levels as of Friday morning. It is not yet clear if turnout in 2025 will meet or exceed 2021 as ballots continue to be counted. Mamdani made strides among voters of color Before the general election, Mamdani drew skepticism from political pundits for perceived weakness with some voters of color in New York City. While he did well in Junes primary among neighborhoods with large Asian and Muslim populations, he generally fell short of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The general election was a different story. Whether it was because of outreach, the benefit of running on the Democratic ballot line, or his mega-viral campaign videos, Mamdani won nearly every single majority Black and majority Hispanic neighborhood. In general, Mamdani did well in areas and among demographics that moved toward Trump over the last two presidential elections. Forty-seven New York City neighborhoods shifted at least 25 points towards Trump in 2024. Mamdani won 37 of them. And a year after Trump eroded Democrats advantage among young voters nationally, Mamdani won about three-quarters of voters under the age of 30, according to the AP Voter Poll. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement California becomes the first state to draw more Democratic seats There was only one race on the ballot in California, but it had major implications for control of the U.S. House in next years midterm elections. In passing Proposition 50, which temporarily substitutes a Democratic-drawn congressional map for the map created by an independent redistricting commission, California voters could flip as many as five Republican-held U.S. House seats next year. California became the first state to adopt a new map that would add Democratic seats. Four other states Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio have also enacted new maps since Trump began encouraging states to redistrict over the summer. Those four states all changed their district lines to create winnable Republican seats. Federal workers voted blue; military families were more split Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two groups that have been particularly affected by the ongoing government shutdown are military families and federal workers. Many in these groups have been furloughed or are working without pay as the shutdown stretches into a sixth week. Democrats sought to capitalize on this in both gubernatorial campaigns. In Virginia, home to one of the largest concentrations of federal workers as well as major military bases, federal workers in particular supported Spanberger. Households with a current or former member of the military were evenly split between the two candidates in Virginia and favored Ciattarelli in New Jersey. Organon is selling its JADA post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) treatment system to Laborie Medical in a deal valued at up to $465m. The US-based company will receive $440m at the deals closing, with additional payments up to $25m, subject to certain 2026 revenue targets being achieved. Around 100 Organon employees are expected to transfer to Laborie as part of the agreement. The transaction is expected to complete by Q1 2026. Neither Organon nor Laborie immediately responded to Medical Device Networks request for more details around what the revenue targets would be. Originally developed by Alydia Health, the JADA system comprises an intrauterine vacuum designed to control and treat abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding or haemorrhage. The device gained US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in 2020 and was then acquired by Organon for $240m in 2021. Reflecting on the sale of JADA, Organons interim CEO Joseph Morrissey said the deal would improve capacity on Organons balance sheet to be able to pursue other growth opportunities in womens health biopharma in the future." Organon span off from MSD in 2021, inheriting debt of around $9.5bn. According to Organons Q2 2025 financials, its debt remains at $8.9bn. While JADAs sales grew 40% in 2024 to $61m, it appears evident that alongside paying down the debt on its balance sheet, Organon is choosing to move away from medtech womens health devices to renew its focus on its womens health biopharma range. Nexplanon is the companys top-selling biopharma product, achieving around $179m in revenue in Q2 2025. The contraceptive implant recently took centre stage in a sales malpractice imbroglio uncovered by Organons board in October 2025 that resulted in the companys CEO Kevin Ali standing down from his position. According to the boards probe, Organon was conducting improper wholesaler sales practices, whereby it encouraged US-based wholesalers to buy more Nexplanon units than they required. Organons stock value dropped 20.9% from $9.16 at market close on 24 October to $7.25 at market open on 27 October following the publication of the probes findings. The sales malpractice revelation further doused the companys stock performance, which has decreased by more than 60% in the past year to a current price per share of $6.61, down from around $17-$18 in November 2024. "Organon divests JADA system to Laborie in $465m deal" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. A welfare check requested on a Lake Tansi woman revealed a violent crime scene and the arrest of the womans son for first-degree murder Tuesday. Kenneth Spivey, 59, Walla Walla Trace, is charged in connection with a brutal knife and blunt-force trauma death of his mother, Linda Spivey, 76, Big Horn Drive. At this time, Kenneth Spivey remains in jail under $1 million bond and is awaiting an appearance in Cumberland County Criminal Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Around 9:30 p.m. Monday, Lake Tansi Police Officer Allen Parton responded to a residence in the 7110 block of Big Horn Drive to conduct a check on Linda Spivey. According to an arrest affidavit filed by Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Kobe Cox, Parton found Kenneth Spivey at the residence. Spivey reportedly told the officer his mother was not at home. During further investigation, Spivey led Parton to a bedroom where the officer found a deceased female. Parton immediately took Spivey into custody, called investigators to the scene and transported Spivey to the Justice Center for an investigative hold. On Tuesday, Spivey was formally charged. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Coxs narrative in the arrest affidavit states Spivey was interviewed and gave police a statement in which it is alleged he admitted to beating and stabbing his mother in various locations on her body. Cox wrote he processed the crime scene and observed the body of Linda Spivey with severe blunt force trauma to the face and multiple stab wounds to her body. Investigators found the body covered with household trash with picture frames and a mirror shattered over the victims head. Beside the victims body, investigators recovered a broken knife blade and a fixed blade knife with broken blade in a bathroom sink. The arrest affidavit alleges Kenneth Spivey committed the homicide with premeditation. A tentative court date of Dec. 8 has been set, but Spivey may appear in court before that date to address bond. DODOMA, Tanzania (AP) Prosecutors in Tanzania on Friday charged dozens of people with treason over their alleged roles in violence surrounding the countrys disputed election. The charge sheet identified 76 suspects accused of intending to obstruct the Oct. 29 election for the purpose of intimidating the authorities in Dar es Salaam, the commercial capital. In addition to treason, the suspects also face criminal conspiracy charges. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tanzania is reeling from violence following an election that international observers say fell short of a free and fair vote. The authorities face questions over the death toll after security forces tried to quell riots and opposition protests in the East African country. The main opposition party, Chadema, has claimed that more than 1,000 people were killed and said Tuesday that security forces were trying to hide the scale of the deaths by secretly disposing of the bodies. President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who took office in 2021 after the death of her predecessor, took more than 97% of the vote, according to an official tally. Her main rivals, Tundu Lissu of Chadema and Luhaga Mpina of ACT-Wazalendo, were barred from running in what rights groups have called a climate of repression. There were enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and extrajudicial killings, according to Amnesty International. Tanzanias government denies the claims. The African Union said this week that its observers had concluded the election did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections. AU observers reported ballot stuffing at several polling stations and cases where voters were issued multiple ballots. The environment surrounding the election was not conducive to peaceful conduct and acceptance of electoral outcomes, the statement said. Teamsters Local 89, the union that represents UPS and other workers in Louisville, hosted a vigil after a tragic plane crash killed at least 13 people, including a young child. The Nov. 6 vigil began with a moment of silence at 5:14 p.m., the time that officials believe the plane crashed just 48 hours before. Louisville residents showed up in large numbers, some holding signs with "2976," the number of the flight, while others read "Louisville is UPS strong." Among local union leaders were elected officials including Mayor Craig Greenberg, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, Kentucky state Rep. Lisa Willner and Secretary of the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet Jamie Link. Each speaker shared the love they have for Louisville and the ability to show up for community, even in tragedy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "I want to make sure that everyone here and everyone across the entire city knows that we are here to help and support each of the survivors, each of the families who are in grief," Greenberg said. "Any member of our community who has been impacted by this horrific tragedy, we will continue to support you not just today [or] two days after the crash, but in the months and the years to come." Though UPS pilots are represented by the Independent Pilots Association and not Teamsters Local 89, the two work closely together. IPA President Bob Travis expressed his appreciation for the crowd turnout and the members of Teamsters Local 89. "I've had national politicians and leadership reach out to me, extending their condolences, their offers of help, personal cellphone numbers and that's on both sides of the aisle," he said. "Politics doesn't play a part, your political party doesn't play a part when you face one of these kinds of tragedies." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Travis said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was among those who reached out. Reporter Olivia Evans contributed. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: UPS plane crash vigil hosted by Teamsters Local 89 Louisville community Police in Riverside County have arrested a 35-year-old man from Temecula in connection with an alleged attempted murder in Murrieta on Halloween night. The Oct. 31 violence broke out at around 10:50 p.m. near the intersection of Margarita and Torrey Pines roads, Murrieta police said in a news release posted to social media. Responding officers located a man suffering from multiple stab wounds at the location and attempted lifesaving measures while waiting on paramedics who rushed the unidentified victim to the hospital in critical condition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A search for the suspect was launched after witnesses told officers that another adult male had committed the stabbing before fleeing the scene. A male adult has been arrested in connection with a stabbing near Margarita and Torrey Pines roads on Oct. 31, 2025. (Google Maps) Despite an exhaustive search, the suspect was not immediately located, investigators said. Skeletal remains of California man, 33, who died at sea in 1978 identified Three days later, police officials requested the publics assistance in identifying the suspect, which resulted in a lead for detectives on the case. On Nov. 6, the suspect, who has now been identified as Matthew McMahon, was located more than 130 miles from the scene of the stabbing in Yermo and taken into custody. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 35-year-old was booked at the Cois Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. According to police, the victim remains hospitalized in critical condition. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact Murrieta Police Department Detective Mehr at 951-461-6369 or by email at jmehr@murrietaca.gov. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. A West Tennessee man was ordered to pay thousands to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency and give up his hunting license after he illegally killed three deer on prison property. The 53-year-old Henning man pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of illegal possession and one misdemeanor count of hunting without permission in Lauderdale County, the wildlife agency said in a news release Nov. 6. Lauderdale County is about three hours west of Nashville and an hour north of Memphis on the Tennessee, Arkansas state line. Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency Lt. Tim Ward heard reports in January that a 15-point, double drop-tine, meaning some of the antlers point down, deer was shot in Lauderdale County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Lieutenant Ward was familiar with this deer, as it had been spotted frequently around the West Tennessee State Penitentiary (WTSP), where hunting is prohibited," the agency's news release said. Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency Lt. Tim Ward stands between two mounted taxidermied deer and the antlers of a 15-point, double drop-tine deer after they were hunted illegally on prison property in Lauderdale County. After interviewing witnesses, Ward got a search warrant to track the Henning man's cell phone and where it pinged on cell towers in the area. Evidence found during the search warrant, and other corroborating evidence, showed that the man actually killed three deer on the prison property, the news release said. "The three bucks had a combined gross score of 491 5/8 inches and were declared contraband by Lauderdale County General Sessions Judge Scott Lovelace," the news release said. Those deer were taxidermied and will be used for educational displays by the agency, the news release said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The man lost his hunting privileges for six years and was ordered to pay $17,500 in restitution to the wildlife agency and $850 to the taxidermist who mounted the deer. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee man bags 15-point deer, forced to surrender it to state Larry Bushart Jr. was just freed from a Tennessee jail cell after spending more than a month behind bars for a Facebook post. The 61-year-old retiree and former cop who had a penchant for posting provocative progressive memes that made him stand out in his deeply conservative community southwest of Nashville was accused in September of threatening to shoot up a local school. The evidence, which the countys elected sheriff used to hold Bushart in a cell on a $2 million bond until last week, is a meme accusing President Donald Trump of dismissing the lives lost in a 2024 school shooting in Perry, Iowa, while pushing punishment for critics of slain right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The charges were dropped and Bushart was released from the Perry County Jail in Linden, Tennessee, only after Sheriff Nick Weems acknowledged in a TV interview that there was no true threat. Weems initially claimed that Busharts post set off mass hysteria that he was plotting a shooting at the local Perry County High School. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The high-profile arrest appears to be part of a broader crackdown by Republican lawmakers including the Trump administration on Americans whose social media posts about Kirks killing they found to be offensive. Among them are educators nationwide who allege they were fired in violation of the First Amendment for online posts about Kirks Sept. 10 death. Busharts case is an extreme example, civil rights advocates said, and may be the only one where someone has wound up in handcuffs. He plans to file a lawsuit. Related Charlie Kirks Killing Sets off a Censorship Wave Now Threatening Campus Speech This guy should never have been arrested in the first place, but the second that there was real scrutiny of the meme that he posted and it was very apparent that he was not in any way suggesting that he intended to commit a school shooting or anything like that he should have been released immediately, said Brian Hauss, an American Civil Liberties Union senior staff attorney who focuses on free speech issues and called Busharts arrest an absolute travesty. A woman hugs a police officer at the entrance of the Covenant School at the Covenant Presbyterian Church, in Nashville, Tennessee, after a school shooting in March 2023. (Getty Images) Busharts arrest calls attention to recent Tennessee laws applying strict penalties for school shooting threats and mandating police officer involvement in campus threat assessments intended to ferret out students with violent plans before they act. The bipartisan laws, passed in the wake of the 2023 mass school shooting at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, have led to a wave of student arrests and have similarly become the subject of several free speech lawsuits. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The states new and incredibly broad laws can be used as a convenient tool, Hauss said, for law enforcement officials with political grudges to settle. Weems, himself an avid Facebook user who warned after Kirks death that evil could be standing right beside you in the grocery store, didnt respond to interview requests. Neither did Bushart nor the local school district. Related Ohio School-to-Prison Pipeline Bolstered by Exclusionary Discipline, Absenteeism While Busharts school days are long behind him, his case is a prime example of why police shouldnt be part of the broader role of educators in scrutinizing students behaviors to distinguish an off-the-cuff remark of a frustrated student from a threat of violence, said Dan Losen, a senior director at the National Center for Youth Law who has spent more than two decades researching school discipline policies and the so-called school-to-prison pipeline. Dan Losen, National Center for Youth Law senior director (Dan Losen) Once the police are involved, theyre entrenched, Losen said, adding that officers can make arrests even without the support of educators on threat assessment teams. While law enforcement should be called in threatening circumstances, he said theres a greater risk for law enforcement to abuse their authority if theyre regularly asked to evaluate student conduct through a policing mindset. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They can, at any point, decide that a student is a threat, Losen said. They can go after people that they dont like they can go after their kids. Losen said he initially saw value in school-based threat assessments as a clear process to evaluate students conduct and react appropriately. In recent years, however, hes come to believe the research supporting the model lacks rigor and that its led to a surge in unjust suspensions and arrests particularly of kids with disabilities. I dont care, I want him arrested In states across the country, police officers have become routinely involved in evaluating students behaviors and motives as members of formal campus-based behavioral threat assessment teams. School-based threat assessments have become mainstream, particularly in the aftermath of the 2018 mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Schools nationally have assembled teams of teachers, mental health officials, police and other campus adults to identify students who pose safety threats and intervene with counseling and other services and sometimes arrests before anyone commits violence. Such teams are used in 85% of schools across the U.S., according to a report released in October by the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute. Forty-five states have policies that establish the teams in public schools, the report states, and 20 have laws requiring them. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement District leaders have also turned to technology for school safety, using artificial intelligence-powered surveillance tools to scan social media websites in search of posts that could spell danger. Threat assessments have prompted concerns from civil rights groups that the method could misidentify struggling students as future gunmen and unnecessarily push them into the juvenile justice system. School shootings are statistically rare yet student behaviors that are often factors in threat assessments like alcohol use and a history of mental health issues are exceedingly common. In 2023, Tennessee lawmakers passed rules requiring every school to have threat assessment teams that included police officers. That same year, lawmakers established mandatory yearlong expulsions for students who make violent threats against schools. In 2024, lawmakers increased the penalty for threats against schools from a misdemeanor to a felony. Georgia and New Mexico have since followed suit with similar laws. The changes have led to widespread student arrests, according to reporting by The Tennessean. Last year, 518 students statewide were arrested under the new law, 71 of them between the ages of 7 and 11. Some of the arrests were preceded, the outlet reported, by ill-advised jokes and statements erroneously perceived as threats. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In one case, a lawsuit alleges a high school student was arrested for allegedly making a Hitler salute and, despite a lack of evidence, the principal said I dont care, I want him arrested. The teen was reportedly taken into custody, strip-searched and placed in solitary confinement at the local juvenile jail. When speech becomes a true threat The rate of school shootings has surged in recent years, yet early interventions have received credit for saving lives in several instances. In September, the nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise which was formed in the wake of the 2012 mass school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that left 20 first graders and six school staffers dead boasted of preventing an attack at a California high school. A high school student reported to the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System detailed threats on social media, to shoot up a local school complete with images of ammunition, a mapped-out attack plan and access to a gun, according to the nonprofit, which notified a local school district response team. The student who made the alleged threats was ultimately detained by the police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Related They Lost Their Kids at Sandy Hook 10 Years Ago. Their Fight is For Life Sandy Hook Promise claims the incident is the 19th planned school shooting theyve prevented since 2018. School shootings are most often carried out by current or former students, a majority of whom leak their violent plans to people around them in advance, offering officials a window to act. Mo Canady, National Association of School Resource Officers executive director (Mo Canady) Mo Canady, the executive director of the nonprofit National Association of School Resource Officers, said the police play a critical role in assessing school threats and preventing campus violence. Canady acknowledged that social media, in particular, is not an easy environment to navigate when trying to decipher whether someones speech constitutes a threat. But the focus needs to be placed on keeping campuses safe, he said, rather than being hyperfocused on, Oh my gosh, am I violating someones First Amendment rights? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People have a right to say what they want to say, but there are also consequences at times to what they say, Canady said. From a behavioral threat assessment standpoint, I dont think theres ever an intent there to try to squish anyones First Amendment rights. Thats not what this is about. In its new report on school-based threat assessments, the Learning Policy Institute concluded that the approach appears effective in preventing violence at schools where its implemented with high fidelity and where educators receive instruction from expert trainers. In the absence of adequate staff and training, educators often turn to suspensions, expulsions and arrests to handle students who are viewed as problematic. Poorly designed assessments have led to concerns they may target and potentially traumatize the most vulnerable students, including through the exclusion and criminalization of historically marginalized students. It also called for additional research into threat assessments, noting that much of the existing evidence supporting them comes from a team of University of Virginia researchers who developed a model used in schools nationwide. In one 2021 study, researchers found their threat assessment model resulted in low student disciplinary rates and didnt exhibit racial disparities in outcomes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Psychologist Dewey Cornell, the principal author of the universitys Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines, declined an interview request, but argued that First Amendment implications were rare. Free speech objections to threat assessment dont come up very often in school threat settings, Cornell wrote The 74 in an email. There is case law on how threats are excluded from free speech protections. The Supreme Court has set a high bar for what constitutes a true threat, and the Cato Institute, the libertarian think tank, said Busharts Facebook post fell clearly within the confines of protected speech. In a 1969 Supreme Court opinion, the group noted, the nations top court made it crystal clear that only true threats are exempt from the freedom of speech not hyperbole and political bombast. In 2023, the Supreme Court further strengthened First Amendment protections, finding someone can only make a true threat if they knowingly disregard a substantial risk that their speech would cause harm. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Busharts case, it doesnt matter whether the sheriffs actions were the result of a misunderstanding about the intent behind the Facebook post or an effort to censor speech he found objectionable, the ACLUs Hauss said. The monthlong confinement violated the Tennessee citizens constitutional rights. Hauss said he understands the very serious security concerns when it comes to school shootings. But campus safety matters, he said, should not be left up to people who cant distinguish political speech from threats of violence. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the online gaming platform Roblox for allegedly exposing children to sexually explicit content and exploitation, the latest in a flurry of lawsuits from his office aimed at big business. Texas is the third state to sue Roblox, after Kentucky and Louisiana, on the grounds that the company is not sufficiently protecting minors. Dozens of private suits have been filed in the last few months as well, primarily by families who say their children were sexually abused, exploited or exposed to inappropriate content while using the gaming platform. On Thursday, a California judge ruled that a high-profile lawsuit against Roblox must proceed in the public eye, after the company tried to handle it in private arbitration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roblox is an online platform and virtual community where people can play and design their own games, communicating with each other from behind avatars. Players earn and spend the in-game currency, Robux, and form social groups. The platform is especially popular with kids and teenagers; in 2020, half of all Americans under the age of 16 had a Roblox account. In a statement, Roblox said it shares Paxtons commitment to keeping kids and teens safe online and pointed to industry-leading protocols it had employed to protect users. We are disappointed that, rather than working collaboratively with Roblox on this industry-wide challenge and seeking real solutions, the AG has chosen to file a lawsuit based on misrepresentations and sensationalized claims, a spokesperson said in a statement. Paxton, who is running to unseat U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next years GOP primary, said the platform had become a digital playground for predators where the well-being of our kids is sacrificed on the altar of corporate greed. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roblox must do more to protect kids from sick and twisted freaks hiding behind a screen, Paxton said in a statement. Any corporation that enables child abuse will face the full and unrelenting force of the law. In 2023, Texas lawmakers strengthened laws requiring social media platforms to protect minors from inappropriate content online. That legislation is still fighting its way through the courts and parts have been blocked for being unconstitutionally vague. But Paxton has used the remaining provisions of the law to bring lawsuits against TikTok and now, Roblox. The litigation against TikTok is ongoing. The Roblox lawsuit is filed in West Texas King County, the second least populous county in Texas with just 265 residents and no incorporated communities. One judge, Jennifer Habert, hears cases in King County, as well as three others. Thousands of people across Middle Georgia are facing greater difficult to keep food on the table after Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits didnt go out on Nov. 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown. SNAP benefits come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture funds that are distributed to households by state governments. President Donald Trumps administration promised to cover 65% of the maximum benefit, but that still wouldve left many Americans without SNAP. A federal judge ordered the administration Thursday to fully fund SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, families and communities are struggling to make up the gap. In Bibb County, 23% of residents relied on SNAP benefits in 2024, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Kathy McCollum, director of the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, said SNAP benefits play an important role in combating food insecurity, and nonprofits are expecting waves of people in need due to their pause. She said that for every meal provided by a nonprofit in Georgia, another six meals are provided through SNAP benefits. Were doing what we can and trying to encourage more resources to come to us, McCollum said. Are you looking for ways to help? The Telegraph has listed some actions you can take to help families who rely on SNAP benefits. Middle Georgia Community Food Bank executive director Kathy McCollum walks past empty shelves in the food bank on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Macon, Georgia. McCollum said that for every meal provided by a nonprofit in Georgia, another six meals are provided through SNAP benefits. Donate to food banks and pantries Food banks and pantries play a critical role in supplying food to households experiencing food insecurity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McCollum said food banks were already seeing high demand before the government shutdown, and SNAP benefits being paused will only exacerbate it. Many of those organizations are looking to the community for assistance. McCollum said that monetary donations go the furthest, but the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank can also take donated food. Food that is donated to or purchased by the food bank is then sent out to pantries and partner organizations who distribute it to those in need. Many food pantries are also accepting donations. Loaves and Fishes in downtown Macon has information online about donating, and many places of worship in Middle Georgia operate pantries. Give them a call to see what they need from the community. Empty and partially filled shelves sit inside the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Macon, Georgia. Middle Georgia Community Food Bank executive director Kathy McCollum said that shelves were full at the end of January and the food bank is working with limited resources. Check with local businesses Local businesses have also stepped up to help neighbors who may be struggling while SNAP benefits are paused. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A group of businesses in Middle Georgia including Village Coffee and the Bohemian Den in Macon, have come together to collect donations. To participate, visit Tommy Campbells Collision Center, Grow, The Bohemian Den, The Growler Spot or Village Coffee during their regular business hours and bring nonperishable food items to donate. Talk to your local officials While the federal government is shut down, local and state governments remain in operation. In Middle Georgia, local leaders have sought to help residents struggling without SNAP benefits by running food drives, dipping into public funds and partnering with local organizations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Macon-Bibb County announced Wednesday it would donate $150,000 to 11 local organizations that provide food and other essential supplies to those in need. Meanwhile, in Houston County, Warner Robins announced a city-wide food drive to collect non-perishable food items, cleaning products and personal hygiene and baby care supplies. Donations can be dropped off at select fire stations in the area Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Reach out to your local government to see if they are running any initiatives to assist SNAP recipients. Beloved Palantir PLTR reported its Q3 results, reflecting one of the more sought-after releases in the Q3 cycle overall. Its easy to see why so many have been laser-focused on the software titan, with recent short positions and broader uncertainty largely dominating the narrative around the stock over the past few weeks. But were the results good? Lets take a closer look at a few key growth indicators. Growth Remains Stellar Regarding the top line, quarterly sales of $1.2 billion set another record, up a sizable 63% from the year-ago period. Growth was broad-based, with US commercial revenue surging 121% YoY and US government revenue shooting 52% higher. PLTR inked many lucrative deals throughout the period, closing more than 200 deals worth at least $1 million, 91 worth at least $5 million, and 53 deals worth at least $10 million. It closed a record-setting $2.8 billion of Total Contract Value (TCV) overall, up a staggering 340% from the same period last year. And for the cherry on top, Customer count grew by a massive 45% YoY. It goes without saying that the company has continued to witness extremely hot momentum, underpinned by a rapidly growing customer base. Below is a chart illustrating Palantirs sales on a quarterly basis. Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research To top off the robust results, Palantir provided its highest sequential quarterly revenue growth guide in its history for its Q4 (61% growth expected), while also increasing its current year sales, adjusted operating income, and adjusted free cash flow guidance. Putting Everything Together Palantir PLTR again posted robust quarterly results and provided a rosy outlook for its upcoming periods and current fiscal year. Growth was immense again, with a snowballing customer count and more lucrative deals providing obvious growth tailwinds. While the share reaction may be muted relative to how good the results were, its worth noting that PLTR shares have already climbed +140% in 2025, with the earnings positivity likely baked in over the past few weeks. Nonetheless, the company remains a prime selection for those seeking exposure to software and the AI trade, underpinned by massive growth rates and big demand forecasts. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the Latvian capital on Thursday night to protest against the country's possible withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention. Signed by 45 countries and the European Union as of 2019, the Council of Europe treaty is meant to standardise support for women who are victims of violence, including domestic abuse. "It is time to give a clear signal to both current Saeima (parliament) deputies and those who will come after them we will not allow political games at the expense of human rights," organisers of the rally wrote in a statement. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Latvian police estimated that at least 10,000 people attended the "Let's Protect Mother Latvia" protest in Riga, which was organised by the local NGO, Marta Centre. The rally comes just days after President Edgars Rinkevics said he was sending the law on the withdrawal back to parliament for further review, public broadcaster LSM reported on Monday. The parliament, or Saeima, voted on 31 October to withdraw from the human rights treaty which opposes violence against women and domestic violence. Latvia President Edgars Rinkevics addresses the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, 24 September, 2025 - AP Photo 32 lawmakers voted to stay in the treaty, while 56 voted to leave, saying the treaty promotes "radical feminism based on the ideology of gender". There were two abstentions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rinkevics said withdrawing from the treaty would send a "contradictory message." "The ratification and denunciation of the Convention during one Saeima term sends a contradictory message to both Latvian society and Latvia's allies internationally about Latvia's readiness to fulfill its international obligations in good faith," Rinkevics said in a letter. "It should also be taken into account that Latvia would be the first European Union member state to withdraw from an international human rights treaty. It should be seriously assessed whether such action is compatible with the principle of loyal cooperation enshrined in the Treaty on European Union." People protest in Riga against Latvia's potential withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, 6 November, 2025 - EBU Rinkevics also said it might be better for the next parliament to decide the issue since Latvians head to the polls in a general election no later than 3 October next year, suggesting the Saeima park the issue for the best part of a year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president has the constitutional right to request that Saeima rethink its decision, but cannot unilaterally reverse it. Ultra-conservative groups and political parties across Europe have criticised the treaty, arguing that it promotes "gender ideology," encourages sexual experimentation and harms children. Opposition MPs in Latvia started the process of possibly withdrawing from the treaty in September. The Union of Greens and Farmers, an agrarian alliance member of the tripartite ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Evika Silina's centre-right Unity party joined them. Related Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Silina, whose coalition government came to power in 2023 with a promise to ratify the convention, has criticised the efforts to withdraw from the treaty. "Those who have been brave enough to seek help are now witnessing their experiences being used for political battles," Silina wrote on social platform X in October. "It is cruel." On the day of the vote, the European Commission said that Latvia would still be obliged to respect international rules for the protection of women. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The move to walk away from the Istanbul Convention was seen by civil society organisations as backtracking on fundamental rights. Latvian lawmakers attend a session in Riga, 11 August, 2022 - AP Photo The Istanbul Convention is a treaty which aims to prevent and combat violence against women and has been signed by all the European Union's member states and several other nations outside the EU, like the United Kingdom and Norway. The EU as a whole acceded to the Istanbul Convention in 2023, making it a legally binding agreement for the 27 member states in areas falling under the EU's competence. Those include EU institutions and the public administration, judicial cooperation in fighting crime and asylum rights. But Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Lithuania have not ratified the convention. The website of the South Dakota Department of Social Services displays a sample EBT card, which is what participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program use to buy food. (Screenshot by South Dakota Searchlight) Three South Dakota counties have some of the highest percentages of federal food assistance participation in the country, based on a report from the Center for American Progress. The report highlights retailers and areas most at risk of being harmed by changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Amid the federal government shutdown, President Donald Trumps administration has said it will eventually run out of money to fund SNAP benefits or will have to reduce benefits for the program, which provides 42 million low-income Americans including 75,000 South Dakotans with payment cards they can use to buy food. A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to pay full November SNAP benefits by Friday. South Dakota has counties with the nations third-, sixth- and eighth-highest percentages of residents utilizing SNAP, according to the Center for American Progress report. Those are Todd County, where 49.3% of residents use SNAP, Ziebach County (43.5%) and Oglala Lakota County (43%). The counties include tribal lands of the Rosebud, Cheyenne River and Oglala Sioux tribes, respectively. Rosebud Sioux Tribe President Kathleen Wooden Knife wrote a letter to South Dakotas congressional delegates in October, urging them to reopen the government. Wooden Knife wrote that 60% to 70% of Rosebud tribal members, some of whom live off tribal land, rely on SNAP. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sicangu Co., an economic development organization based on Rosebud land, plans to harvest and process five bison to distribute to SNAP recipients across the Rosebud Reservation. The estimated cost for the effort is about $10,000. RF Buche, with GF Buche Foods, said the grocery and convenience store chain will offer $100 worth of groceries to each SNAP household if funds arent processed by Nov. 10 (SNAP benefits in South Dakota are loaded onto payment cards on the 10th of every month). GF Buche stores are largely on or near tribal land. Republican South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden told South Dakota Searchlight earlier this week he would not support using any state funds to supplement SNAP payments during the shutdown. The state Department of Social Services, which administers SNAP in South Dakota, has said its monitoring the rapidly evolving situation and has not yet provided any public guidance on its plan for November benefits. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SOMERSET, Pa. The solemn sound of a bugle call Thursday brought tears to Roger Gilbert's eyes and raw, vivid memories of the day 60 years ago the U.S. military announced his brother had died in Vietnam, he said. Pfc. Paul A. Gilbert's sudden death "burned a hole inside me," Roger Gilbert said. And it devastated his parents. When the U.S. military approached about commemorating Paul Gilbert with a proper tribute and a 21-gun salute, "Dad told them no," Roger Gilbert recalled. "It was too much for my mother." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That "long-overdue" tribute, in Gilbert's words, was paid Thursday by members of the fallen Marine's family, old friends, and state and local officials during a bridge dedication ceremony at Sipesville Volunteer Fire Company. By state law, the state Route 985 bridge that carries traffic over the North Branch of Quemahoning Creek now bears Pfc. Paul A. Gilbert's name. "After all this time," Roger Gilbert said, "I felt like I had to do something. He deserved this." The Gilbert family grew up in the Jenners Township village of Gray, where Paul Gilbert was a Boy Scout and attended Jenner-Boswell Joint High School before dropping out to join the U.S. Navy Seabees, family said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In November 1964, he enlisted in the U.S. Marines, serving as a Third Battalion rifleman within a division of the Corps' 9th regiment. Roger Gilbert recalled his older brother returning home on leave for Christmas in 1965 and surprising him with a flashy new bicycle. "It was equipped with headlights and had chrome wheels," he recalled, smiling. And suddenly it was off-limits after the Marines delivered the news to his family's doorstep that his older brother was killed in action Feb. 19, 1966, in Quang Nam Province, Roger Gilbert said. "The sight of that bike was just too much for my mother," he said. "Paul's death ... was hard on everyone." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Paul Gilbert was one of more than 52,000 Americans killed in the grim, difficult conflict with North Vietnam. Today, his name is among thousands etched on a panel of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. But until now there was no hometown tribute, Roger Gilbert said. That changed this year through help from state Rep. Carl Metzgar, R-Somerset, and state Sen. Patrick Stefano, R-Fayette, who moved a bill through the state Capitol to rename one of Somerset County's 489 state bridges. Just 20 bridges across the county are dedicated to prominent Somerset County citizens, many of them fallen service members, according to PennDOT District 9 Executive Vince Greenland. "We're proud and honored to be part of this tribute," Greenland said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Metzgar and Stefano said it was the least anyone can do to honor a man who sacrificed everything for his community and his country. "Our country lives on because of his sacrifice," Metzgar told the crowd. "There's no greater love," Stefano added, "than to sacrifice your life for someone else." By carrying Paul Gilbert's name, the Route 985 bridge will not only honor him for his sacrifice, but also remind future generations of the cost of freedom, both lawmakers said. Roger Gilbert said his brother's story wasn't the typical hero's tale of Hollywood fiction. Paul Gilbert was a young man who expressed real fear about the fate that awaited him in Vietnam in 1966. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "He didn't want to die there. He wasn't excited to go," Rober Gilbert said. "But he knew he had a job to do. He was willing to serve." "When people cross that bridge and see his name, I just hope they take a moment and think of him," he said, "and be thankful." A short-term financing deal between the owner of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital and the Rhode Island Attorney General's office will keep the hospitals operating through November. (Photo by Michael Salerno/Rhode Island Current) Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital will have enough money to stay open till the end of the month under a short-term financing agreement between their bankrupt owner and the Rhode Island Attorney Generals office. The deal approved by a federal bankruptcy judge in Dallas Friday morning attempts to cure what looked like a fatal prognosis a week earlier. Prospect Medical Holdings, the LA-based hospital chain operator, sought court permission to close the safety net hospitals in Providence and North Providence by the end of the year amid delays in the sale to a new owner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The $80 million sale of the hospitals to The Centurion Foundation received conditional approval from state regulators in June 2024. Despite multiple revisions to the 85 conditions, the Atlanta-based nonprofit remains unable to secure the $150 million in bond financing needed to close the deal. Meanwhile, Prospect, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, continues to rack up losses on the hospitals to the dismay of its many creditors. The compromise: The state will put up half of the $6 million cost to keep the hospitals operating in November, using money from an AG-controlled escrow account funded by private equity firm Leonard Green as part of its 2021 exit from the hospital ownership group. The remainder of hospitals November costs will be put up by Prospects legal bankruptcy estate. Maintaining access to care is critical for the communities that Roger Williams and Fatima Hospital serve, as well as our statewide health care system, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement Friday. This temporary funding solution will ensure that until the transfer of the hospitals to new ownership, patients will continue to receive care from the dedicated health care professionals at both facilities. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Otis Brown, a spokesperson for CharterCARE Health Partners, Prospects local subsidiary, also said the company was pleased with the agreement. We are encouraged that this will provide the additional time necessary to achieve a positive result, Brown said in an emailed response Friday. The two hospitals offer 500 beds between them, including 104 beds for behavioral health patients, which represents more than one-fifth of the states behavioral health beds. They accounted for more 50,000 emergency room visits in 2024 and Roger Williams houses the only fully accredited bone marrow transplant unit in the state. Providers and elected officials warn that closing the hospitals and laying off its 2,400 workers would have catastrophic consequences for the states fragile health care system. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Neronha was initially reluctant to deplete any of the states $51.5 million escrow balance, wanting to preserve the money for daily operational costs once a new buyer takes over, according to court filings. But following a day of in-person negotiations with attorneys for Prospect and Centurion in Dallas Tuesday, Neronha softened. If the hospitals close, preserving the hospital fund balance becomes meaningless. Rhode Islanders are counting on these hospitals for life-saving care, and the Office is committed to keeping them open, Neronha said Friday. Rhode Islanders are counting on these hospitals for life-saving care, and the Office is committed to keeping them open, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi in a statement Friday thanked Neronha for his work and attention on a critical issue, calling it an all-hands-on-deck approach. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The states financial contribution wont be permanent. Under the terms of the agreement, the new buyer will be required to repay Prospects estate for the money it is contributing to cover the hospitals November expenses, and simultaneously replenish the state escrow account, or other consideration acceptable to the RI Attorney General. Megan Skinner, a spokesperson for Neronhas office, said the stipulation is meant to address a rapidly evolving situation but did not specify what alternative conditions the AGs office might impose on a buyer. We will keep the public apprised of next steps in this proceeding or any further actions involving the hospitals, Skinner said in an email Friday afternoon. Andrew Troop, a New York attorney hired by Neronhas office to represent the state in the bankruptcy case, stressed the importance of acting quickly during the court hearing Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What I think everyone is saying very politely is we continue to be off to the races to get to the end, which is a real solution to transfer these hospitals from Prospect to new owners, Troop said. Time is of the essence. Primed for purchase? Centurion appeared for years to be the only interested buyer for the struggling community hospitals. But earlier this week, an alternative option was publicly acknowledged for the first time: Prime Healthcare Foundation. The California charity, which distinct from its for-profit counterpart, Prime Healthcare, owns 18 hospitals nationwide including Woonsockets Landmark Medical Center. Rhode Island Health and Human Services Secretary Richard Charest had reached out to the foundation within the last couple months to inquire about its interest in buying the hospitals. Charest previously served as CEO and president of Landmark during its bankruptcy and 2013 sale to Prime. We have reached out to Prime Healthcare Foundation, a nonprofit public charity, because of their unique ability to save and improve hospitals in times of crisis nationally and ensure award-winning quality, equity and access for communities, Charest said in a statement Friday afternoon. Time and time again they have saved hospitals even amidst the greatest challenges and have the national scale, leadership, clinical quality, and dedication to charitable care that can ensure these hospitals continue their missions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Noel True, a spokesperson for Prime, confirmed in an email Friday morning that Prime Healthcare Foundation has begun rapid assessment of an acquisition deal at the request of state officials. True declined to provide details on the status of the review. Ben Mingle, CEO of Centurion, did not address Primes interest. Instead, Mingle praised the short-term financing agreement reached between the AGs office and Prospect. We continue to work daily with state leaders and our underwriting partners on a restructured financing plan that will create a path to a sale closure, Mingle said in a statement Friday. Centurion remains confident that our business and acquisition plan is the best solution for CharterCARE and the entire Rhode Island healthcare marketplace. Earlier this week, David Wender, an attorney for the foundation, said it may be able to delay bond financing and secure a short-term loan through Bank of America instead, with the goal of closing the sale in early or mid-December. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief Judge Stacey Jernigan of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas reiterated her prior frustrations with the delays in closing a deal on Friday morning. Were 10 months into this case now, and as we all know, we had Centurion in place for months, pre-petition, Jernigan said. If its not going to be them, its got to be someone else. The United Nurses and Allied Professionals, which represents more than 1,200 union workers across both Roger Williams and Fatima, maintains that Centurion presents the best hope for survival, given that its offer is already on the table. The union is also pressuring a local charitable foundation formerly tied to the hospitals to return $6 million in donations to the facilities. CharterCARE Health first asked the unrelated Chartercare Foundation in early October to reimburse the hospitals for donations made before the entities separated in 2014. Its request, backed by state lawmakers, is still pending before the foundations board of directors more than one month later. An alternate hospital buyer would still need the sign-offs of Neronhas office and the Rhode Island Department of Health. It took over a year, and multiple failed applications, before Prospect and Centurion secured state regulators approval. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An update on the sale proceedings is scheduled for Nov. 18 in Dallas bankruptcy court. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) A 53-year-old man has pleaded guilty to deer hunting on Tennessee state property. Terry Sellers, of Henning, was ordered to pay $17,500 in restitution to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and has lost his hunting privileges for six years. He pleaded guilty to two counts of illegal possession and one count of hunting without permission in the Lauderdale County General Sessions Court. One Tennessee farm is turning deer season into dinner for thousands Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the TWRA, Lt. Tim Ward received reports of a 15-point, double drop-tine deer killed in Lauderdale County in January 2025. Ward was familiar with the deer, which had been spotted frequently around West Tennessee State Penitentiary, where hunting is reportedly prohibited. Ward launched an investigation and interviewed several witnesses, and a ping warrant was issued for Sellers cell phone data. The court order authorized law enforcement to access his cell phones location data to determine its location on specific dates and times, according to a release. (Courtesy: TWRA) (Courtesy: TWRA) Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Investigators determined Sellers illegally killed three deer on WTSP property. The three bucks had a combined gross score of 491 5/8 inches and were declared contraband by Lauderdale County General Sessions Judge Scott Lovelace. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The TWRA will now use these deer for educational displays. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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. A popular tomato sauce has been recalled due to a concerning health risk. First and Last Bakery, LLC, based in Connecticut, is recalling three of its tomato sauce products, according to a Monday press release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The recall was issued after the sauces were manufactured without an approved schedule or otherwise evaluated to determine if the process is adequate, which can result in the formation of Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium responsible for Botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The three products being recalled are: First and Last Original Marinara Sauce, Tomato & Basil, First and Last Original Traditional Pasta Sauce, Meat Flavored, and First and Last Original Puttanesca Sauce, Mildly Hot & Spicy. Sauces, packaged in 26 FL OZ jars, were distributed in Connecticut and Massachusetts in Big Y and Stop & Shop retail stores starting on September 22, 2025. They bear the Use By Dates of September 2026. Three tomato sauces recalled after they were manufactured without an approved schedule (AFP via Getty Images) First & Last Bakery, LLC's Traditional Pasta Sauce is one of the three recalled products (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) The sale and production of these sauces have been suspended to ensure full compliance with all regulatory requirements, according to the FDA. While there have been no illnesses reported to date due to the sauce, customers have been urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Products that are not appropriately processed, acidified, or low-acid canned foods can harbor Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism. Botulism can result in symptoms like weakness, dizziness, double-vision, and trouble with speaking or swallowing. Difficulty in breathing, weakness of other muscles, abdominal distension, and constipation may also be common symptoms. People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention, the FDA notes. The sauce recall comes after Nate's Fine Foods of Roseville, California, recalled 245,000 pounds of linguine, fettuccine, penne, and other pastas sold to large producers of heat-and-eat meals and pasta salads, including Walmart and Target. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Tests showed that the pasta contained the same strain of Listeria found in an outbreak that has killed four people and sickened 20 since August 2024. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed earlier this month that the listeria outbreak linked to precooked pasta meals has claimed two more lives and caused seven additional illnesses, bringing the total death toll to six and those sickened to 27 across 18 U.S. states. The latest fatalities were reported in Hawaii and Oregon, adding to previous deaths in Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and Utah. AN UP-AND-COMING MEMBER of Britains Conservative party is proposing to deport 4 to 7 percent of the legal population of the United Kingdom. That wasnt a typo: Not 4 to 7 percent of the immigrant population, but of all of us. Opposition MP Katie Lam created controversy last month by saying, in an interview with the Sunday Times, that there are a large number of people in this country who came here legally, but in effect shouldnt have been able to do so. They need to go home, she saidwhich would leave behind a mostly but not entirely culturally coherent group of people. Even by the standards of the modern far right this is extreme. Donald Trump won in 2016 and 2024 after running on a platform of deporting large numbers of those in the country without documentation, and other leaders have made similar pledges, but removing those with long-term legal status is different. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When challengeddid she really mean legal residents?Lam doubled down. Yes, she wanted to retroactively end Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR, the U.K.s permanent settled resident status). She explains this with the dehumanizing visual metaphor (as in this video from July) of pouring beads representing migrants into overflowing glass containers. Even more alarmingly, Lam could point to draft legislation published by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp back in May that would indeed revoke ILR for most who held it. (Both amusingly and worryingly, this went unnoticed at the time.) Despite some internal concern, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch confirmed through a spokesperson that all this was broadly in line with the partys policy. She then backtracked, saying that while Conservatives want less immigration, they would not apply new rules retroactively. Lam had just stated it imprecisely according to Badenoch. Whether or not we deport millions of legal residents is not a minor detail, as Badenochs clarification implied. The party leader gives the terrible impression of not knowing what their own policy is. Lam was not caught in an offhand remarkshe made several well-produced videos and followed them up with an interview in a major newspaper. Worse, the partys draft legislation matches her rhetoric. If this isnt their position, why did leadership allow it to be published? If Lam was out of line, why hasnt her radical proposal been decisively rejected? Keep up with all our articles, newsletters, podcasts, and livestreamsand pick which ones show up in your inbox: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There are a few possibilities here. At best, Lam, Philp, and a handful of others went rogue, and party leaders, having noticed only belatedly, find it too embarrassing to shoot down their idea. Or the Tories were floating a radical new position and backed off a bit when there was an outcry. Or, at worst, this is still their position and theyre obfuscating. Realistically, I think they may not even know themselves. Theyre internally divided with a leader too weak to adjudicate. Some want a merely very draconian immigration policy and others, like Lam (who appear to be ascendant), want an overtly fascistic one. I dont use the term fascism lightly. The Lam/Philp plan, if enacted, would be a human rights violation of a scale without an obvious analogue in the modern era. The closest anyone can seem to find is Idi Amins expulsion of South Asians from Uganda in 1972. That notoriously sadistic and fanatical dictator forced out 80,000 people, or around 1 percent of his countrys population at the time. The Tories draft legislation would expel forty times as many. To find something of this magnitude, youd have to go back to the population transfers in the years just after the Second World War: of Arabs from Palestine during the creation of Israel, of Jews from majority-Muslim nations, of Muslims from India and Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan during the partition. Share Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement People with ILR statusthose whom the Philp removal proposal would targethave often lived large parts of their lives in the United Kingdom, and have received a promise from the government that they can stay. They have built lives and families around that promise. They are the parents and partners of British citizens. Imagine your wife having to leave to a country you cannot join her in. Imagine being separated from your children. Imagine not being able to be with a parent as they died, not being able to attend their funeral. Lam and her colleagues casually and condescendingly assert that we must do this to millions for cultural cohesionthe exact same justification Idi Amin used. If you do not feel a wave of nausea when contemplating this policy then you either havent understood it, or there is something profoundly wrong with you. And, not that it would justify it, but this definitely wouldnt create cultural cohesion. Donald Trumps hard line on deportations quickly led to masked men grabbing people off the street. If such open authoritarianism were to happen in Britain (and it would; the Philp plan is more radical than Trumps) the country would quickly become implacably internally divided over it. You cannot unify a country by tearing apart millions of the families within it. You cannot bring social peace with brutality and violence on a massive scale. The pain and anger from the partition of Palestine and India are still with us three generations later. Not to mention it would be national suicide. We would never recover. This would make Brexit look like losing pocket change. Our care sector and National Health Service (NHS) are already stretched thin, with massive staffing shortages. Expelling huge numbers of people already working in these sectors would collapse them. One in five NHS staff, including 36 percent of doctors, are non-U.K.-nationals. Hospitals would close or stop functioning, the consequences would cascade into every other institution. There is a reason why, outside of global total war or the creation of nations, only mad tyrants attempt such things. What makes this all the more striking is that it isnt coming from Reform (the British far-right party, led by Nigel Farage) but from the Tories, a party that has often been held up as a bastion of serious, sensible center-right politicians. In the blink of an eye, thats all gone. The party always had its share of bigots and idiots, but it also contained serious people with a sane approach to governance. Even in its worst post-Brexit manifestations, it wasnt this. What on earth happened? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Join now LETS PUT THIS U.K. PROPOSAL IN CONTEXT: We are living through a global resurgence of fascism. This is the force that captured the Republican party in the United States, and its aspirations are global. Elon Musk is using his power and influence to promote far-right racists in the U.K. (as he also is in Germany). The Tories radical lurch shows just how successful Musk and his fellow travelers have been in this. It is not merely a matter of boosting far-right alternatives, but the capture of once mainline conservative parties. Its not universal, but its increasingly true that those who work for the Tory party, or write for right-leaning outlets like the Telegraph or Daily Express, are increasingly rotting their brains in fascism-friendly echo chambers like X. Christian Calgie, a senior political correspondent for the Daily Express, recently joked on X about deporting MP Zarah Sultana. Talk of deporting nonwhite progressive politicians is a staple of modern fascist politics; think of Trumps calls to do this to Ilhan Omar. While Calgie apologized, the next person to say it probably wont feel like they have to; the lines are being pushed further every day. Fascism is an opportunistic predatorit tests boundaries, backs off if theres blowback, then tries again. And these trends are felt across society. I regularly see anti-immigrant or anti-trans graffiti. Schools report a massive surge in racist bullying. Lawyers and judges working on immigration are facing violence and threats of murder and rape. Far-right groups are violently attacking events attended by trans people. Even those providing public services, like nurses, have experienced a sharp increase in racist abuse directed at them. The Philp draft legislation, and Lams rhetoric, should be understood in this context: They are picking a side. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The front lines are moving so fast, and institutions like the Tory party falling so quickly, in part because there is virtually no institutional opposition on the other side. Labour politicians are much less willing to name the threat directly than are Democrats in the United States. What Lam is proposing is ethnic cleansing, but youd never know it. Labour put out a response disagreeing with the proposal (while stressing they believed the right to stay here must not be automatic), but stopped short of labeling the proposal racist, or fascist, or ethnic cleansing, or anything else that would draw a clear values contrast. If a Labour government minister is now not willing to even put their name to denouncing out-and-out racism . . . then we are absolutely nowhere, a senior Labour source (who themselves wouldnt put their name to it), complained. The mainline and liberal press in the U.K. are often not much better. There was some strong criticism of Lam, which I dont want to downplay. But I dont think it will be enough. For the most part, there has been a persistent tendency to massively understate the number of people who would be affected by her position. And the press have proven similarly reluctant to call things what they are. The vast majority, I think, have just not woken up to the ideological predator that is now inside the house. Despite the clear warning of the last decade of American politics, they have no idea, at all, how much danger we are in. The U.K. is a small country. We have a small elite. My sense is thateven relative to their American or European counterpartstheyre unusually vulnerable to groupthink and even more uncomfortable attacking fellow elites in direct terms. Calling someone a fascist just isnt the done thing. Especially if that person is well-spoken, went to the same university you did, and presents themselves as a mature, serious sort. They consider calling someone a racist or a fascist to be a statement about what they feel in their heart of hearts. Which makes such a claim epistemologically untenablenot to mention terribly rude. These cultural blinders must be removed: In calling Katie Lams proposal fascist, Im not claiming to know whats inside her head, or throwing around a loaded term for effect. Im making a claim about her politicswhat policies she says she supports, the rhetoric with which she argues for them, and what they would do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Our media and political elites, frankly, need to get over themselves. There is no intrinsic British sensibleness that will get us through this, that renders us invulnerable to what is destroying other free countries. The Tory party casually adopting a policy like thisor even just considering it in a confused and equivocal wayis a massive, glaring red light that our democracy is at serious risk. We have to talk about it in these terms if we are to save it. The key question is not whether any individual Tory politician is personally a hateful bigot. My guess is some are and some arent. Its whether the party is aligning itself with the global trend toward fascism. And increasingly, it is. Share Protesters gather Nov. 5, 2025 in front of the Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia. (Photo courtesy Ian Philabaum) The contract between Torrance County and federal immigration authorities to house immigrant detainees at an Estancia jail has been expired now for a week, a lapse that immigrant legal advocates say necessitates detainees immediate release. The Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia is one of three in New Mexico that has an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to house detainees. But that agreement expired Oct. 31 and has not been renewed, advocates for the detainees and Torrance County Commission Chair Ryan Schwebach told Source New Mexico on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ian Philabaum, a program director for Innovation Law Lab, said Friday that the contracts expiration means ICE and CoreCivic, the private company that owns and operates the jail, no longer can legally hold hundreds of ICE detainees. Innovation Law Lab attorneys conduct weekly legal aid meetings with detainees and also are seeking to shut the facility down. Philabaum cited a section of ICEs standard operating procedures that says a contract expiration requires the removal of all detainees and ICE equipment on or before the expiration date. CoreCivic and ICE are detaining people in immigration custody without the authority to do so, and because they cannot detain people at [the facility], they should all be released immediately, he said. County Manager Jordan Barela told Source in an email Sunday evening that he hadnt received a formal reason for the delay, but believes the government shutdown has been a factor. Still, he said ICE and CoreCivic can operate the facility in the interim. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There have been staffing issues at the federal government, which has made getting timely responses difficult, he told Source about the delay. In addition, a new contract would be funded out of the upcoming federal budget, and right now that budget hasnt been approved. Sources calls and emails to CoreCivic and ICE officials also were not returned Friday. Sources calls and emails to CoreCivic and ICE officials were not returned Friday. Lauren Rodriguez, chief of staff for New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, told Source in an email that the office is aware of the matter. Our office is assessing available legal options and jurisdictional authority to determine what, if any, action may be appropriate, she said. Amid the fallout of the contract expiration, Source received an email Friday from Rogelio Izquierdo, a detainee at the facility, who wrote a letter alleging that CoreCivic is continually denying detainees access to their lawyers. Six other detainees signed the letter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Philabaum confirmed Friday that Izquierdo is one of the people the nonprofit is trying to help but said he wasnt authorized to comment further about his case. He said Innovation Law Lab also received the letter and confirmed its authenticity. CoreCivics alleged failure to facilitate detainees legal assistance denies access to a fair defense and violate[s] the fundamental principle of equality before the law, Izquierdo wrote. The most recent example occurred Thursday, according to the letter, when Izquierdo prepared to meet with his lawyers to collect important translated documents he needed for a final court hearing Nov. 13. But Izquierdo said he was never called to meet with his attorneys and then, around 2 p.m., officers told him that his lawyers had already left. What actually happened, according to Philabaum, is that Innovation Law Lab lawyers had arrived at the facility for their usual Thursday legal appointments but were ordered to leave about 30 minutes afterward. The reason officers told them to leave, he said, is that they were investigating a protest the day before. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to Philabaum, a few dozen protesters organized into a caravan that drove past the facility on Wednesday. He described it as a peaceful protest over the expired contract, and said he has no idea why CoreCivic would investigate it or use it as a reason to deny legal aid attorneys access. The response of ICE and Core Civic, which was clearly coordinated, was to deny access to counsel, which is extremely problematicand a clear demonstration that it is not business as usual, at the facility, he said. They are continuing to ramp up their actions of impunity with respect to how they navigate immigration detention. In addition to citing the Thursday legal meeting that CoreCivic canceled, Izquierdo said CoreCivic often abruptly cancels meetings with lawyers without explanation, that detainees dont have access to the legal library, phone communication does not work well and detainees have little access to pro bono attorneys. The Estancia detention center has increasingly been at the center of statewide debates about local immigration detention amid President Donald Trumps mass deportation push. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) in June called for the center to be closed after his staff reported seeing troubling conditions during a visit in late May. A local advisory committee to the United States Civil Rights Commission made the same recommendation in September. According to the latest figures from DetentionReports, the facility now has an average daily population of about 550 detainees, which is about 150 more than earlier this year. Most of them are brought to Estancia from other states, Philabaum said, though some are from New Mexico. Barela and other county officials have said the center provides millions of dollars in salaries to local residents in an otherwise depressed area. Schwebach, the Commission chair, told Source in a phone interview that hes growing tired of the controversy, which he said has resulted in threats against his family. He blamed out-of-town activists who he said dont understand the importance of the facility to the community or ICEs role in keeping people safe. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are not willing to look at the whole picture. And quite honestly, Im getting tired of it, he said. I mean, do we not need any prisons within this country? Is that the end goal? TRAFFIC ALERT: All lanes closed on Redwood Road/SR-68 in Utah County This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as more information becomes available. SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah (ABC4) A head-on crash on SR-68 and Redwood Road in Utah County has closed lanes in both directions. According to UDOT, the crash happened on SR-68 and Redwood Road at Wildlife Blvd (MP 26.4). All lanes are closed, and so are both exit ramps. How to make ABC4 your preferred news source on Google Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UDOT originally estimated the clearance time to be 4:53 p.m., but as of 5:10 p.m., the lanes are still closed. According to Saratoga Springs Police Department, the accident should be cleared by 6 p.m. As of 7 p.m., lanes appear to have been reopened. Police told ABC4 that this incident was a head-on crash between two vehicles, a passenger car and a dump truck. The driver of the passenger car was transported to the hospital via life flight, but reportedly, they were talking and alert. The driver of the dump truck was not injured. No fatalities have been reported. Latest headlines: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Gotham is the company's breadwinner, at the moment. It's a cloud-based, AI-driven, software-as-a-service platform that helps the U.S. military and its allies plan and oversee missions, as well as collect and analyze data. Palantir typically secures four- or five-year contracts from federal governments, which have sustained double-digit sales growth, pushed the company into recurring profitability, and has made forecasting its operating cash flow highly predictable. The true beauty of Palantir's operating model is that no large-scale competitors for its two core operating systems (Gotham and Foundry) exist. Make no mistake about it, Palantir's stock has gone parabolic for a reason. It's a company with well-defined competitive advantages that's made a recent habit of leaping over the consensus revenue and profit expectations of Wall Street analysts. While it's plainly evident that professional and everyday investors are excited about the growth potential and real-world utility of AI, Palantir's latest operating results revealed an undeniable weakness for Wall Street's AI darlings that should become apparent when Nvidia unveils its quarterly operating results on Nov. 19. The pie-in-the-sky addressable market for AI -- $15.7 trillion by 2030, according to a report from PwC -- has sent shares of AI data-mining specialist Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) and graphics processing unit (GPU) kingpin Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) soaring. Since the end of 2022, Palantir shares have skyrocketed 2,870%, while Nvidia stock has rallied 1,260% and crested the $5 trillion market cap plateau. Over the last three years, nothing has captivated the attention and pocketbooks of investors quite like the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) . The capacity for software and systems to make split-second decisions without human intervention, and to potentially grow more efficient at their assigned tasks over time, is a game-change for most industries. The world's largest publicly traded company will have a difficult time justifying its valuation when it lifts the hood on its fiscal third-quarter results in less than two weeks. The sky-high addressable opportunity presented by artificial intelligence (AI) has sent shares of Palantir Technologies and Nvidia soaring by 2,870% and 1,260%, respectively, since 2023 began. Story Continues The other core segment is Foundry, which is a subscription service that helps businesses make sense of their data. It can streamline their operations by improving manufacturing efficiency, tightening up supply chains, and automating certain tasks. The lack of large-scale competition was evident for Palantir during the September-ended quarter. Its $1.18 billion in quarterly sales topped expectations by a cool $90 million. The company also guided for $1.33 billion in fourth-quarter revenue, which was $140 million above the consensus. But on Nov. 4, the day after Palantir unveiled its operating results following the closing bell, shares of the company tumbled more than $16, or close to 8%. In terms of market cap, we're talking about a loss of $39 billion. What this sizable move lower in Palantir stock showed was that no earnings or revenue beat would have been sufficient to justify its premium valuation. As of the closing bell on Nov. 3 (i.e., in the minutes leading up to Palantir's earnings release), shares of the company were valued at a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 152! To put this figure into perspective, the internet companies leading the charge prior to the dot-com bubble bursting in early 2000 peaked at P/S ratios ranging from 31 to 43. Consistently, this range has served as a ceiling for hyped megacap stocks on the cutting edge of a next-big-thing trend. Palantir entered its earnings report at four to five times this historical ceiling. Whereas Wall Street analysts are known for setting the bar conservatively when establishing sales and profit expectations, there was simply no beat that would have justified Palantir's P/S ratio. Image source: Nvidia. Palantir's tumble foreshadows one of the biggest issues with Nvidia However, an outlandish valuation isn't an issue exclusive to Palantir. It's a problem that's somewhat pervasive among AI stocks, including the stock market's largest publicly traded company, Nvidia. Similar to Palantir, Nvidia's well-defined competitive advantages have lifted its valuation to new heights. Though estimates are all over the board, some analysts view Nvidia's share of GPUs deployed in AI-accelerated data centers at 90% or above. Demand for Nvidia's three generations of AI chips (Hopper, Blackwell, and Blackwell Ultra) have been backlogged. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is ensuring that his company won't cede its spot at the head of the AI hardware table anytime soon. He's overseeing the development and launch of a new advanced GPU on an annual basis. Following the ramp up of Blackwell Ultra is Vera Rubin and Vera Rubin Ultra, which should make their commercial debuts in the latter-halves of 2026 and 2027. None of Nvidia's external competitors have been particularly close to matching the compute capabilities of Hopper, Blackwell, or Blackwell Ultra. The other core advantage of Nvidia is its CUDA software platform, which is the toolkit developers use to maximize the compute capabilities of their AI-GPUs, as well as to build and train large language models. CUDA is sort of an unsung hero for Nvidia in that it keeps customers loyal to the company's ecosystem of products and services. When Nvidia reports is fiscal third-quarter operating results after the closing bell on Nov. 19, there's a very good probability it's going to handily surpass Wall Street's expectations. But similar to Palantir, I wouldn't expect this beat to be anywhere near enough to justify its current valuation. Although Nvidia has pulled back from a peak P/S ratio of a little over 42, which was reached during the summer of 2023, it did end the Nov. 3 trading session at a P/S ratio of 31. It's right back in the range that history tells us isn't sustainable and is typically a marker for bubbles. Speaking of bubbles, did you know that we haven't had a game-changing investment trend in over 30 years avoid an early stage bubble-bursting event? Starting with and including the internet, we've watched bubbles form and burst with genome decoding, nanotechnology, China stocks, 3D printing, blockchain technology, cannabis, and the metaverse. Nothing suggests artificial intelligence will be the exception to this unwritten rule. If investors have, once again, overshot with their expectations for early stage AI adoption and utility, Nvidia would be among the hardest-hit companies. It's trending toward generating 90% of its revenue from its data center segment. Furthermore, Nvidia isn't shielded from competitive pressures. Though it's run circles around external GPU developers, many of its largest customers by net sales have been internally developing AI-GPUs for their data centers. These internally developed chips are much cheaper and more readily accessible than Nvidia's hardware. Despite not matching Nvidia's chips on a compute basis, these GPUs can reduce the AI-GPU scarcity that's fueled Nvidia's pricing power and gross margin. Palantir exposed Nvidia's biggest weakness -- its historically unsustainable valuation premium -- and it'll be on full display come Nov. 19. Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now? Before you buy stock in Nvidia, 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 Nvidia 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 $589,424!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,217,942!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,054% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% 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 November 3, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Palantir Just Exposed Nvidia's Biggest Weakness, Which Should Be on Full Display on Nov. 19 was originally published by The Motley Fool Flights are being cut at 40 of Americas busiest airports to offset air traffic controller shortages in whats become the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. But its not just those travelers who will be affected by the cancellations. There's going to be extensive disruption across the entire nations air transportation system, said Henry Harteveldt, and airline industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group, an independent travel analytics firm. And the consequences could last longer than the shutdown. Heres what travelers should know as the cancellations begin taking effect Nov. 7. Flight impacts: 'Connecting passengers are potentially even more at risk' The Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration directed a 10% reduction in flights at 40 airports. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's going to be a step-up, phased-in approach to cutting flights, Harteveldt said. It will start Friday with a 4% cut to flights ... and it will step up from there to 10%. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines confirmed they are canceling flights ahead of time to avoid same-day congestion at the airports. Airlines have to consider the flow of aircraft and crew when they cancel flights. Its not just canceling one flight that aircraft and those crew members are supposed to continue later in the day, Ahmed Abdelghany, associate dean for research at the David B. OMaley College of Business in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told USA TODAY. So the airlines that have more round-trip loops in their schedule are in a better position to handle cancellations. If you cancel both flights of the loop, the aircraft and crew end up in the right place later. That avoids stranding planes and crew, which is what makes recovery possible. People wait in line at a security checkpoint at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Nov. 6, 2025 in Houston, Texas. Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford has announced that the FAA will be reducing flights by 10% in 40 major airports around the country in an effort to keep airspace safe amid staffing shortages due to the government shutdown. Impacted airports include hubs like Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Chicago OHare International and Los Angeles International, but Shye Gilad, a professor of Practice in Management at Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business, said travelers at other airports will be impacted, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I think connecting passengers are potentially even more at risk, more likely to experience fare increases, less frequent flights, less options and potentially much longer layovers than usual, he said, noting that airlines may increase prices to offset lost revenue. Gilad was an airline pilot for 10 years and his specialities include the airline industry. Airlines are trying to minimize impacts on travelers, but Harteveldt compared the challenge to disassembling Humpty Dumpty without smashing him into 1,000 pieces. For an airline to be told by the government they've got 36 or so hours to start dismembering their carefully built flight schedules doesn't give airlines a lot of time, he said, noting that in addition to crew availability, airlines are juggling gates, maintenance schedules, passenger demand, and more. He said its a mixed blessing that demand is relatively low right now, because that means flights were already scaled back compared to summer. With flights on so many airlines often close to full or completely full, it leaves airlines very little flexibility. Flight canceled, delayed? What travelers can do Even if the shutdown ends, the impact of cuts will last Airlines may face even less flexibility in the weeks to come. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We have to remember that this is up to a 10% reduction just based on staffing, but that doesn't mean that other kinds of delays won't happen: weather, mechanical problems, Gilad said. Those kinds of interruptions are still going to happen, and when you reduce the capacity ... it's harder to recover. You don't have as many aircraft and employees in the system to recover, so that can be problematic. Both he and Hardeveldt warned that some Thanksgiving travel plans could be ruined or at least shifted, depending on how long the cuts continue. That could mean more traffic on the highways and perhaps other modes of transport or simply people not being able to travel at all ... and having to opt out of spending time with their families over the holidays, Gilad said. If people choose not to travel, Hardeveldt said, It's going to have a downline impact on not just the airlines and the concessions at the airport who will feel the financial impact, but the destinations that people are traveling to may see fewer visitors. Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Travelers arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on November 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. A TSA agent directs people as they wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. A screen shows United Airlines 2619 landing at Chicago International Airport O'Hare, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 6, 2025. Air travelers face the morning commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2025. A crew member walks at the airport, as air travelers face the morning commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2025. A person walks at the airport, as air travelers face the morning commute at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, a day after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that he would order 10% of flights at 40 major U.S. airports to be cut starting Friday unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. November 6, 2025. A passenger stands by a screen showing delayed flights due to the government shutdown, at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, U.S., November 6, 2025. Travelers arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, on November 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas on November 7, 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. See the impact of the government shutdown as agencies shutter or fight to stay open 1 of 10 Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles. That may be avoided if the shutdown ends sooner. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Open the damn government," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a Breitbart News policy event on Nov. 7, directing his frustration at Democratic lawmakers, whom he blames for the continued shutdown. "Vote to open the government." But Hopper analyst Hayley Berg noted, Its not that the day the shutdown ends, this capacity restriction is lifted. The qualifier is that theyre not going to lift this capacity reduction until air traffic control and FAA are operating at the staffing level ... That might not happen immediately once these employees are paid and have had their time off. Abdelghany agrees: Even if the government reopens, recovery will still take time. Some passengers will have to be refunded and removed from the system because capacity simply cannot absorb everyone. The severity and duration of this reduction will determine how long recovery takes. (This story has been updated to video and new information.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How cuts may affect travelers, even if their flights arent canceled The best thing to do is to review your options before you're stuck at the airport with a flight that's now going nowhere this weekend. Beginning Friday, Nov. 7, the Federal Aviation Administration is reducing air traffic by 10% at major airports, including Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Plenty of airlines will be canceling flights. Some airlines, including Delta Air Lines, are offering some breaks to travelers who already know they can postpone a trip and opt not to fly this weekend. Advertisement Advertisement As the old saying goes, pack your patience if you've got no choice but to head to one of 40 "high-volume" airports in the country that will face air traffic reductions. The FAA is taking this unusual, emergency step to keep air travel safe during what has turned into a record-long federal government shutdown. As of Nov. 6, it remained unknown when the FAA reductions on flights would end. People at the TSA security line waiting to go through for their Delta flights inside the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Delays and cancellations could happen Nov. 7 when Detroit Metro and 39 other airports around the country see an increased shortage of air traffic controllers due to the federal government shutdown that continues. Pack patience or make new travel plans What should you do if you're traveling soon? First, as much as you want to get angry at the airline now, it's not a good look. Some things happen including these cancellations that are beyond an airline's control. Advertisement Advertisement "These flight reductions are in response to air traffic control staffing shortages stemming from the ongoing government shutdown and are intended to maintain safety across the national airspace system," according to an alert by Delta Air Lines. Travelers should understand that guarantees beyond refunds, such as hotel vouchers and meal vouchers, don't apply in cases where the cancellation wasn't the airline's fault, said Teresa Murray, who directs the Consumer Watchdog office for U.S. PIRG, a nonprofit advocacy group. Still, you can always ask for a voucher. You are entitled to a full refund if your flight is canceled, but most travelers probably don't want a refund. And you'd qualify for a refund even if you bought a nonrefundable ticket if that flight was canceled. Still, most consumers don't want the cash. Advertisement Advertisement "They likely would prefer to get where they were going," Murray said. People parked at baggage claim to pick up loved ones from the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport in Romulus on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. Delays and cancellations could happen Nov. 7 when Detroit Metro and 39 other airports around the country see an increased shortage of air traffic controllers due to the federal government shutdown that continues. Some steps you can take include: Get the app. You want to have the airline's app on your phone and check it frequently for updates. Also, Murray says, you want to make sure your contact information is up to date with the airline. Watch out for alerts. As annoying as it might seem, you want to check your app frequently for notifications. Keep an eye out for emails, voicemails and text messages. You need to review information the day before the flight, too. "If your flight is canceled, the airline may offer you another flight and you may need to respond quickly to snag it before all of the seats are gone," Murray said. Go online to research what airlines are offering Pay attention to what your airline is doing. Delta Air Lines customers will find a detailed "FAA Directive" regarding a travel waiver online at Delta.com. The alert notes that impacted travel dates are Nov. 7 through Nov. 9. Advertisement Advertisement Delta customers who elect not to travel on these dates have an opportunity to cancel their reservation and receive a refund of the unused portion of their ticket upon request at delta.com/refund. Or you can get an eCredit that may be used to purchase a new ticket. Yet there are some restrictions and rules. "When rebooked travel occurs on or before Nov. 16, 2025, in the same cabin of service as originally booked, the fare difference will be waived," Delta states online. "When rebooked travel occurs after Nov. 16, 2025, a difference in fare may apply." If you want to travel after Nov. 16, Delta will allow customers to cancel their reservation and apply any unused value of the ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket for one year from the date the original ticket was issued. Yet, you could face a higher cost if there's a change in the fare. Advertisement Advertisement Delta notes that eligibility is limited to customers with an original ticket issue date on or before Nov. 6. "Changes to origin or destination may result in a fare increase. Any difference in fare between the original ticket and the new ticket will be collected at the time of booking." We're bound to hear of all sorts of special breaks in the next few days. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby promised refunds to customers who did not want to fly during restrictions on flights imposed by U.S. transportation officials, according to a Nov. 6 report in USA TODAY. United has details relating to the FAA-mandated flight reductions listed on its site. A United travel waiver applies to flights at specific airports, according to information listed at the United site. Flight dates covered are between Nov. 6 and Nov. 13. Advertisement Advertisement Original tickets had to be bought on or before Nov. 4. Your new flight must be a United flight departing between six days before and six days after your original travel date. Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked, if you expect to see a change fee and fare differences waived. "If your new trip is after Nov. 5, 2026, or is to a different destination, well still waive any change fees but you might have to pay a fare difference depending on the flight," according to United. "If you cancel or dont take your trip, you can get a full refund," United states online. More: Detroit Metro Airport expected to be hit with flight cancellations due to shutdown Figure out a Plan B Have a backup plan. Maybe, thats buying another ticket with another airline now that is refundable. Some recommend using your airline miles to get a backup ticket since those miles can be credited back to your account if you decide to cancel. Advertisement Advertisement If you've already booked your flight and the trip involves a connecting flight, Murray recommends that you consider rebooking to something less likely to ruin your plans. Planning to travel in the days ahead but you've not booked a ticket yet? We don't know how soon things could improve or when the federal government shutdown might be resolved. "If you havent booked your flight yet: Be intentional about your flight," Murray said. "Now more than ever, avoid connecting flights if possible. Two flights double your chances of a problem. Travel the day before if its something important. Or get the first flight of the day. Avoid evening flights if possible." Advertisement Advertisement While this advice doesn't apply to cancellations like those associated with weather delays or the FAA action, you still might want to go to FlightRights.gov to review a dashboard that spells out what your airline has agreed to do in cases of "controllable cancellations." Among the 10 largest airlines, all 10 state that they will rebook on their own airline and provide a meal voucher if a cancellation or three-hour-plus delay is their fault. And six of the 10 will rebook on a competitors airline if the delay is their fault. Nine of the 10 all except Frontier will cover a hotel and pay for ground transportation if a traveler is stranded overnight and its the airlines fault. Advertisement Advertisement "The airlines don't have to offer these types of considerations to customers, but if they've made the commitment to the Department of Transportation, then they do have to follow through," Murray said. Contact personal finance columnist Susan Tompor: stompor@freepress.com. Follow her on X @tompor. Are you grounded? Did you miss a big event, or have to reschedule something you've been planning for months? We'd love to hear from you at votervoices@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How to request refunds, take other steps as FAA cancels some flights When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Triple Divide Peak is in Glacier National Park in Montana. | Credit: Logic Images/Alamy QUICK FACTS Name: Triple Divide Peak Location: Glacier National Park, Montana Coordinates: 48.5730, -113.5169 Why it's incredible: Water on the peak ultimately flows into one of three oceans. Triple Divide Peak is a mountain in Montana's Glacier National Park where a drop of water could flow into one of three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic or the Arctic Ocean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Other triple divides also known as "hydrological apexes" exist in the world, but Triple Divide Peak is the only place on Earth that links three oceans rather than three seas or a mix of seas and oceans. However, some experts dispute this. Snowmelt from the peak can travel west through the Columbia River drainage basin and end up in the Pacific Ocean, or it can ride along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and into the Atlantic, according to the National Park Service . Alternatively, meltwater or raindrops landing on Triple Divide Peak can flow into Hudson Bay via the Saskatchewan River. The International Hydrographic Organization considers Hudson Bay to be part of the Arctic Ocean, so by that reckoning, Triple Divide Peak feeds three separate oceans. The peak sits on North America's Continental Divide, an imaginary line that runs through the Rocky Mountains and separates major river systems flowing to the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. Triple Divide Peak is one of just two hydrological apexes on the Continental Divide and across North America, the other one being Snow Dome in Canada. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meltwater from Snow Dome can flow into the Pacific Ocean via the Columbia River, into the Arctic Ocean via the Mackenzie River or into Hudson Bay via the Nelson River. Some scientists argue that Hudson Bay is part of the Atlantic Ocean, so in their view , Snow Dome is the only triple divide on Earth that connects three oceans. For them, water on Triple Divide Peak only flows into either the Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean. MORE INCREDIBLE PLACES Eternal Flame Falls: New York's mini waterfall that hides a grotto filled with undying fire Loughareema: The 'vanishing lake' in Northern Ireland that mysteriously drains and refills itself within hours Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mount Thor: The mountain with Earth's longest vertical drop Triple Divide Peak and Snow Dome also sit on other "great divides," with these divides marking out different watersheds. As well as the Continental Divide, Triple Divide Peak sits on the Laurentian Divide, which separates the Hudson Bay watershed to the north from the Gulf of Mexico watershed to the south. Snow Dome, meanwhile, sits on the Arctic Divide, which separates the Arctic Ocean watershed to the northwest from the Hudson Bay watershed to the southeast. Donald Trump on Thursday badly flubbed the name of a country whose president was sitting right in front of himbut didnt seem to mind. In remarks prefacing a White House dinner with several Central Asian countries, Trump announced that Kazakhstan had agreed to join the Abraham Accords, his first term deal to help normalize relations between Israel and Muslim-majority countries. This evening, Im also delighted to report that Kazakhstan has officially...joined the Abraham Accords, Trump, seated across from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said, pronouncing Abraham correctly this time. And I just want to thank you, Mr. President. Its a great honor. Its a tremendous honor to have you. Really great. Trump addresses his Kazakh counterpart Thursday after the Asian country joined the Abraham Accords, Trump's first term Middle East deal. / X/WhiteHouse Yet Trump, 79, not only emphasized the wrong syllable of the countrys name, but added a fourth one: ka-ZACK-a-stan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That didnt deter Tokayev, 72, from heaping praise on his counterpart. After expressing gratitude for the meeting and complimenting Trumps steadfast leadership, Tokayev commented on last years presidential election. Precisely one year ago, you achieved a landslide victory in a historic election which was absolutely clean and fair, he said, making eye contact. Tokayev took it further. You are the great leader and statesman sent by heaven to bring common-sense and traditions that we all share back into the United States policy, either domestic or foreign, he claimed. Therefore, millions of people in so many countries are so grateful to you, and I am convinced that your wise and bold policy needs to be strongly supported worldwide. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thank you, Trump said. Tokayev also repeated Trumps claim that he has brought an end to eight wars. The president, based on his 60 Minutes interview last week, apparently keeps a list, should anyone askor should he forget. While bragging in September about the peace deal he brokered between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Trump mistakenly referred to Armenia as Albania. Trump listens as Tokayev (far right) delivers flattering prepared remarks at the White House dinner. / Andrew Harnik / Getty Images That same month, he falsely claimed to have settled hostiles between Armenia and Cambodia, which are 4,000 miles apart. When Tokayev was done with his remarks Thursday, Trump seemed pleased. Thank you, Mr. President. Great job, too. The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for comment. Donald Trump has unleashed another vitriolic attack against Nancy Pelosi, accusing the retiring former House Speaker of being an old and broken political hack and declaring hes glad to be rid of her stench. Pelosiwho was one of Americas most consequential speakers and the first woman to lead the chamberannounced her retirement this week, even winning praise from MAGA firebrand Marjorie Taylor Greene for her 40-year career. But in yet another early morning diatribe, Trump, 79, hit out at the 85-year-old Democrat, who was instrumental in impeaching him: firstly in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress; and later for inciting the January attack on the US Capitol in 2021. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her retirement this week. / REUTERS/Erin Scott Nancy Pelosi, the old and broken political hack who Impeached me twice and lost, is finally calling it quits. She illegally made a fortune in the Stock Market, ripped off the American Public, and was a disaster for America, he wrote on Truth Social, without providing evidence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im glad to see the stench of Nancy Pelosi go!!! The bad blood between Trump and Pelosi dates back years, as she was pivotal in hindering parts of his first term agenda. In 2019, the then House Speaker also went viral for clapping in his face in a demeaning way at his State of the Union address. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence applaud President Donald Trump at the State of the Union address in 2019. / Getty Images The following year, she caused an even bigger stir by ripping up his State of the Union speech after he finished addressing a joint session of Congress. But things took a particularly dark turn in 2022, when a man entered Pelosis home in San Francisco while she was away and bludgeoned her husband, Paul, with a hammer, fracturing his skull. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The assailant, David DePape, was a believer in Trumps false claim that the election was stolen, and told police he was hoping to take Nancy Pelosi hostage and break her kneecaps. David DePape was sentenced for the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi. / SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY / via REUTERS Trump later joked about the attack, telling his followers at a rally: Hows her husband doing by the way? adding that the wall around her house didnt do a good job protecting him. But the presidents Friday morning post was swiftly criticized on social media. Classy as ever from Trump. The guy who wont even look your way if you collapse behind him, quipped one X usera reference to the president freezing on Tuesday as a White House guest fainted in the Oval Office. Trump froze on Thursday while others rushed to help a man who collapsed during an Oval Office announcement. / Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Trumps comment about the stench of Nancy Pelosi comes after his own apparent odor also made headlines recently. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Speaking to the Daily Beast podcast, New York writer E. Jean Carroll - who successfully sued Trump for sexually assaulting and defaming her - recounted the jury being mesmerized at his mannerisms during the trial. He never sat still, and he talked the entire time within earshot of the jury. He belittled Alina Habba, his own attorney. He would spit as he was talking. He didnt smell so good, Carroll said. At her new stand-up comedy show in D.C. last month, adult film star Stormy Daniels also addressed the longstanding rumor that Trump may have expressed some flatulence issues while she testified against him at a separate trial in New York last year. Adult film actress Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford) exits the United States District Court Southern District of New York after testifying against Trump. / Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images It did smell really weird, she recalled of the trial, which resulted in Trump being criminally convicted for 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a sexual encounter they had years ago. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pelosi announced in a social media video this week that she would not seek re-election, ending a trailblazing career that spanned 20 terms representing her district in San Francisco. Among her many achievements was the passage of the Affordable Care Act in early 2010, giving Democrats one of their most significant legislative achievements. She also spearheaded landmark legislation on climate change, economic stimulus, and veterans benefits and LGBTQ equality. While Pelosi was loathed by MAGA world, Taylor Greene once again broke ranks with her partyand Trumpby offering some unexpected praise on Thursday. I served under her speakership in my first term of Congress, and Im very impressed at her ability to get things done, she told CNN. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I wish we could get things done for our (Republican) party like Nancy Pelosi was able to deliver for her party So I wish her well in her retirement, but I would like to see people exit Washington a lot sooner rather than wait until their eighties. Trump will celebrate his 80th birthday next year. The Trump administration is appealing a judge's order for it to provide full SNAP food aid benefits to states by Nov. 7. The Justice Department filed a notice of appeal Nov. 6 the same day Rhode Island federal Judge John McConnell ordered the administration to make full payments of November SNAP benefits to the states within a day. On Nov. 7, it asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit to halt McConnell's order by 4:00 p.m. EDT. "There is no lawful basis for an order that directs (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) to somehow find $4 billion in the metaphorical couch cushions," the administration said in its request. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McConnell instructed officials to use a combination of contingency funds and other funds he said were available to make the full payments during the federal government shutdown. Food items at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, including milk, pasta and frozen blueberries. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, load food into a waiting car on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, load food into a waiting car on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, load food into a waiting car on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, pause for prayer before loading food into waiting cars on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, pause for prayer before loading food into waiting cars on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, pause for prayer before loading food into waiting cars on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Former trucker Doug Wheeler, 56, waits to collect food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Wheeler is among those whose benefits have been halted. A volunteer distributes food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers distribute food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. A volunteer at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, takes a picture of a heart-shaped potato before distributing food to people following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers distribute food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Volunteers distribute food at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Thomas Booth, the site coordinator for Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site, and an elder with the Restoration Christian Fellowship, which hosts the distribution, helps hand out food to people on Nov. 1, 2025, following the halt of SNAP benefits for 42 million Americans. Free food as SNAP benefits halted 1 of 14 Food items at a Food Bank of the Rockies distribution site in Aurora, Colorado, including milk, pasta and frozen blueberries. The administration previously told McConnell it wouldn't use its discretion to tap into the non-contingency funds in order to make full November payments. It said in a Nov. 6 court filing that Congress meant for those other funds to be used for child nutrition programs, which it said would face "an unprecedented and significant shortfall" if the money were redirected for SNAP benefits. McConnell ordered the administration to make the full payments only after it said it wouldn't voluntarily do so. The judge wrote in his order that any disruption to child food assistance is "hypothetical" and not projected to occur before May of 2026, "if at all." Congress could replenish those funds before May, he noted. Items are laid out for a neighborhood food pantry at the home of Jessica Hogan in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, created to help those in need amid a potential lapse in SNAP benefits. By contrast, a failure to pay SNAP food aid presents "the very real and immediate risk of children being deprived of their food assistance today," McConnell wrote. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McConnell determined that the administration's arguments "run so contrary to the evidence and are so implausible as to make them arbitrary and capricious." That meant the administration's decision likely runs afoul of a law called the Administrative Procedure Act, which restricts the actions of executive agencies. On that basis, he ordered the administration to pay out the full SNAP benefits. However, in its request for a halt to McConnell's order, the administration said that law doesn't apply to its decision on the funds, and even if it did, the decision "was eminently reasonable." "Nothing in the SNAP statute contains any mandatory language directing the raiding of other USDA programs to fund a SNAP shortfall," according to the filing. Ahead of that filing, Vice President JD Vance slammed the decision as an "absurd ruling," telling reporters Nov. 6, "In the middle of a shutdown, we can't have a federal judge telling the president how he must triage the situation." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Vance seemed to suggest the administration might not comply with the order. "We're trying to keep as much going as possible," he said. "The president and the entire administration are working on that, but we're not going to do it under the orders of a federal judge." Contributing: Joey Garrison/USA TODAY This story has been updated with additional information and to correct the date of Vice President JD Vance's statement. It was Nov. 6. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump administration appeals order to pay full November SNAP food aid BOSTON The U.S. Supreme Court late Nov. 7 agreed to put on hold a federal judges Nov. 6 orders that the government fully fund food stamp benefits for more than 40 million low-income Americans, despite the government shutdown. The high court, through Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, administratively stayed the matter pending the U.S. Department of Agricultures appeal to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Justice Jackson specified that the pause will terminate 48 hours after the 1st Circuits resolution of the pending motion, which the court said it expected to issue quickly. It's the latest in the fast-moving case over the government's failure to issue Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, previously known as food stamps, for the month of November. States and organizations have brought legal challenges asking the court to resume the food-assistance benefits with haste. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 1st U.S. Circuit of Appeals late Nov. 7 denied the request for a stay of U.S. District Court Chief Judge John J. McConnell's Nov. 6 orders directing the government to tap into USDA resources to fully fund the benefit. A three-judge panel issued a brief order late on Nov. 7, denying the governments request. The request for an administrative stay is denied. The government's motion for a stay pending appeal remains pending, and we intend to issue a decision on that motion as quickly as possible, the appeals court said. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi hit the social media platform X within minutes, announcing: "Judicial activism at its worst. A single district court in Rhode Island should not be able to seize center stage in the shutdown, seek to upend political negotiations that could produce swift political solutions for SNAP and other programs, and dictate its own preferences for how scarce federal funds should be spent."With hours to go before the TRO compliance clock runs, and the First Circuit waiting to deny immediate relief until minutes ago, we have filed an emergency stay application in the Supreme Court requesting immediate relief." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The federal government filed for a Supreme Court review of the cause, spurring Justice Jackson's order. In the meantime, the federal government said in a memo sent to states Nov. 7 that it will comply with the order and restore full benefits. How we got here U.S. District Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. granted a temporary restraining order Nov. 6 requiring the USDA to tap into its resources to fully fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, previously known as food stamps. The USDA within hours appealed McConnells order to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and filed a motion to stay the order the following day. McConnell rejected any delay in imposing his order. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Without SNAP funding for the month of November, sixteen million children will be immediately at risk of going hungry. This should never happen in America, McConnell said. On Nov. 7, the USDA filed for an immediate stay of McConnell's ruling, with interested parties weighing in throughout the day. Sacks of potatoes await distribution at the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, seen on Oct. 28. Prospects for the appeal to the Supreme Court Earlier in the day, Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, forecasted that the U.S. Department of Justice would likely seek a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court if denied by the 1st Circuit, "which the justices may grant." "[T]he DOJ makes some plausible arguments that defend the administrations decisions and seem to place blame on Congress," Tobias said in an email. What does the USDA appeal say? The USDA took McConnells order to task in asking the 1st Circuit to halt the order, accusing McConnell of making a mockery of separation of powers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This is a crisis, to be sure, but it is a crisis occasioned by congressional failure, and that can only be solved by congressional action. Instead, a single district judge has devised his own solution: ordering USDA to cover the SNAP shortfall by transferring billions of dollars that were appropriated for different, equally critical food-security programs and to do so within just one business day, lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice said. The USDA disputed McConnells conclusion that its refusal to raid school-lunch money from the agencys Child Nutrition Programs to fund SNAP benefits was arbitrary and capricious. The USDA described the finding as akin to starv[ing] Peter to feed Paul. For these reasons, the government is likely to succeed in overturning this order on appeal, and the equities and public interest cut strongly in favor of a stay to avoid forcing USDA to permanently impair the Child Nutrition Programs to the tune of $4 billion, the government said. The agency said it expected McConnell's ruling to be overturned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The district courts order replaces the agencys prudent choice in this situation a temporary reduction in November SNAP benefits with a significantly more tumultuous one with long-term consequences into next year. This court should allow USDA to continue with the partial payment and not compel the agency to transfer billions of dollars from another safety net program with no certainty of their replenishment," the USDA argued. Groups: 'Time is of the essence' The Rhode Island State Council of Churches; the National Council of Nonprofits; the cities of Pawtucket, Central Falls, Providence; and other groups nationwide sued the USDA and its secretary, Brooke Rollins, in late October after Rollins revealed that SNAP payments would not go out Nov. 1 as the monthly benefits have since the food assistance programs inception in 1964. The council on Nov. 7 argued against any delay in enacting McConnells order, stating that the governments refusal to provide full funding to provide relief for children and families is arbitrary and pretextual. The withholding of the benefits, they allege, is for political reasons. The groups emphasized that more than 40 million people approximately one in eight Americans depend on SNAP benefits, a figure that includes 16 million children, 8 million elderly people, and 1.2 million veterans. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For an entire week now, these families have gone without urgently needed assistance to meet their basic nutritional needs, they said, adding, "Time is of the essence: the stay pending appeal and administrative stay should be denied. Every moment that the district courts order goes unenforced, SNAP recipients 16 million of whom are children will go hungry [because] they [will] not receive their SNAP benefits, the groups argued, citing McConnells order. States urge court to deny stay Multiple Democratic states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, joined in urging the appeals court not to halt McConnells order, citing the potential dire health consequences to millions of residents and the rippling impact the SNAP crisis is causing across communities. The states faulted the USDAs decision to opt for partial SNAP payments, saying it had created chaos and left them scrambling to calculate such payments based on changing instructions that are "rife" with errors. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Numerous states have determined that implementing USDAs partial benefits plan will take weeks or even months, leaving their residents to go hungry in the interim, or attempt to get by with already-stretched state resources, they argued. This is not a surprising development; indeed, Defendants predicted such lengthy delays but refused to issue full benefits anyway. This choice was arbitrary and capricious. Every day Defendants fail to issue full benefits causes harm to millions of SNAP recipients, the states continued. The USDAs motion for a stay pending appeal and an immediate administrative stay should be denied, they said. A Massachusetts judge last week also ordered the resumption of SNAP benefits in a separate case brought by states. Advocates castigates government's actions Democracy Forward, which is representing the groups challenging the pause in SNAP benefits, decried the Trump administration's decision to head to the U.S. Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Trump-Vance administration continues to attempt over and over to take food out of the mouths of families, seniors, workers, and children. And every time they tried, the courts told them what the law already makes clear: they cannot. Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement. American families should not be used as political props in a shutdown that this White House manufactured. Even as the administration attempts again through an appeal to the Supreme Court to deprive people of nutrition, we will continue to meet them with effective legal action and secure benefits for the American people. This story has been updated with new information. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Supreme Court agrees to stay order requiring payment of SNAP benefits The Trump Administration announced earlier this week that due to the orders of two federal judges, partial Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments would be issued. Now, one of those two judges has ordered that full SNAP payments must be issued, an order the Trump Administration has already appealed. Here's what we know. What is going on with SNAP benefits? During the last week of October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it did not believe it had the authority to provide SNAP benefits in November because of the ongoing government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 12% of Americans began the week waiting to find out if they would receive federal food assistance in November, the first time it was in question since SNAP began more than 60 years ago. The Trump administration has been ordered by two federal judges (in Massachusetts and Rhode Island) to provide the funding, but it was unclear how soon people would begin receiving their food stamps and how much they would or wouldn't get. The Trump Administration then said on Nov. 3 they would issue partial SNAP payments. President Donald Trump caused some confusion on Nov. 4 when he posted on Truth Social and wrote no SNAP payments would be issued until the government shutdown ended. On Nov. 6, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump Administration to issue full SNAP payments within the day by using contingency funds. Shortly after the order happened, the Trump Administration issued an appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two-page appeal document filed in the Rhode Island court didn't explain the government's reasons for challenging the order. How many in Kentucky receive SNAP benefits? In Kentucky, 1 in 8 residents rely on SNAP benefits for food assistance. In Louisville, the local school system serves roughly 60,000 children who live in homes that qualify for the assistance. SNAP participation in the commonwealth varies, but counties in southeast Kentucky tend to have higher rates compared to the rest of the state, according to data from the state and U.S. Census estimates. More than 30% of households in McCreary, Knox, Harlan, Clay and Bell counties receive SNAP benefits, while Owsley County has the highest rate in the state at 57%. There are nearly 41.7 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits each month, according to the USDA. When will Kentucky residents get their SNAP payments? With the Nov. 6 order from the Rhode Island judge demanding full SNAP payments should be issued, it is unknown if or when Kentuckians should expect to receive their full funding. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement During a recent press conference, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he received confirmation from the federal government the morning of Nov. 5 that the payment process would begin the following day. The latest news follows significant back and forth over whether the benefits would go out during the ongoing government shutdown, leaving many scrambling to find other options for food. CONTRIBUTING: Aysha Bagchi This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Judge says full SNAP benefits must be issues. Trump already appealed WASHINGTON (AP) Near the end of his first term, President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that aimed to reduce harmful, planet-warming pollutants emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners. The bipartisan measure brought environmentalists and major business groups into rare alignment on the contentious issue of climate change and won praise across the political spectrum. Five years later, the second Trump administration is reversing course, as it moves to loosen a federal rule based on the 2020 law that requires grocery stores, air-conditioning companies and others to reduce powerful greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment. The shift in approach has upended a broad bipartisan consensus on the need to quickly phase out domestic use of hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs, that are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide and are considered a major driver of global warming. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency highlights the second Trump administration's drive to roll back regulations perceived as climate-friendly, even at the cost of causing disarray for the very business interests it is claiming to protect. The plan is among a series of sweeping environmental rollbacks that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has said will put a dagger through the heart of climate change religion. The HFC proposal will help make American refrigerants affordable, safe and reliable again, Zeldin said in a statement. But environmentalists say the plan will exacerbate climate pollution while disrupting a years-long industry transition to new coolants as an alternative to HFCs. With HFCs one of the main drivers of extreme heat and pollution, any delay in their phaseout is going to be have negative outcomes and significant ones, said Kiff Gallagher, executive director of the Global Heat Reduction Initiative, an international effort to reduce trapped heat that is warming the planet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Industry groups supported the phaseout The 2020 law signed by Trump, known as the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act, phased out HFCs as part of an international agreement on ozone pollution. The law accelerated an industry shift to alternative refrigerants that use less harmful chemicals and are widely available. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Chemistry Council, the top lobbying group for the chemical industry, were among numerous business groups that supported the law and an international deal on pollutants, known as the Kigali Amendment, as wins for jobs and the environment. U.S. companies such as Chemours and Honeywell developed and produce the alternative refrigerants sold in the U.S. and around the world. The 2020 law led to a 2023 rule, now being relaxed, which imposed steep restrictions starting next year on HFCs. Zeldin said the Biden-era rule did not give companies enough time to comply and the rapid switch to other refrigerants had caused shortages and price hikes. Some in the industry dispute this. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In September, the EPA announced it is relaxing standards for cold storage warehouses and other cooling equipment and delaying other aspects of the HFC rule until 2032. EPA now says the rule is bad for business On a visit this summer to a refrigeration facility in swing-state Georgia alongside Vice President JD Vance, Zeldin said the administration was responding to grocery stores and refrigeration companies that have complained about the federal rule. We at the Trump administration are heeding the call of Alta Refrigeration,'' Zeldin said at an Aug. 21 appearance at the company in Peachtree City, Georgia, outside Atlanta. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Zeldin said the so-called Technology Transitions Rule, finalized under former President Joe Biden, has been restricting access to refrigerants Americans need to cool their homes and businesses, while costs are going up and supply is going down. It was costing more to be able to fix that system," Zeldin said. Alta Refrigeration, along with grocery stores, the semiconductor industry and residents across America, were dissatisfied with the rule, he said, vowing to fix this mistake. The Food Industry Association, which represents grocery stores and suppliers, applauded the EPA plan, saying the current rule imposed significant and unrealistic compliance timelines. Zeldins proposal achieves the intended environmental benefits without placing unnecessary and costly burdens on the food industry, said Leslie Sarasin, the groups president and CEO. Jorge Alvarez, co-founder of iGas USA, a Florida air conditioning company whose products include HFCs, said the Biden rule was shoved down our throats and threatened to create havoc. The delay gives industry a chance to create new refrigerants, and we will, he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rule's rollback sparks confusion over Trump's strategy But the change in tack comes after industry players had already made adjustments to ensure they could meet the goals set in motion by the 2020 law. Changing the schedule now would disrupt planning and inject uncertainty across the market, said Samantha Slater, a senior vice president at the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, which represents more than 330 HVAC manufacturers and commercial refrigeration companies. Manufacturers have already retooled product lines and certified models based on the current timeline, she said, noting that nearly 90% of residential and light commercial air conditioning systems use substitute refrigerants. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A delay would give an advantage to foreign-based competitors that did not invest in alternative refrigerants and risks higher costs for U.S. consumers, Slater said. Chemours, the Delaware-based chemical giant that is a leading producer of alternative refrigerants, said in a statement that it has consistently supported an orderly phasedown schedule of HFCs as outlined in the AIM Act.'' Delays to the transition risk undermining and stranding U.S. manufacturing and innovation investments, while also increasing uncertainty and supply chain inefficiencies, ultimately driving up consumer costs,'' said Joe Martinko, president of Chemours Thermal & Specialized Solutions business. Even with the holdup, the transition to low-global warming potential refrigerants is well underway,'' he said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A temporary shortage this summer of cylinders used by HVAC contractors which Zeldin and others have cited as a reason to delay the EPA rule has been resolved, Martinko and other industry representatives said. David Doniger, a senior strategist at the environmental nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council, said the current rule ensures an efficient, affordable phasedown of harmful HFCs, while offering industry regulatory uniformity and a way to remain globally competitive. He said the federal rule averts a previous patchwork of state laws and regulations. States such as California, Washington and New York have similar requirements to the Biden rule and may end up in conflict with the Trump standard. Weakening the rule will confuse the market,'' he said. The Trump Administration announced earlier this week that due to the orders of two federal judges, partial Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments would be issued. Now, one of those two judges has ordered that full SNAP payments must be issued, an order the Trump Administration has already appealed. Here's what we know. What is going on with SNAP benefits? During the last week of October, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it did not believe it had the authority to provide SNAP benefits in November because of the ongoing government shutdown. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement About 12% of Americans began the week waiting to find out if they would receive federal food assistance in November, the first time it was in question since SNAP began more than 60 years ago. The Trump administration has been ordered by two federal judges (in Massachusetts and Rhode Island) to provide the funding, but it was unclear how soon people would begin receiving their food stamps and how much they would or wouldn't get. The Trump Administration then said on Nov. 3 they would issue partial SNAP payments. President Donald Trump caused some confusion on Nov. 4 when he posted on Truth Social and wrote no SNAP payments would be issued until the government shutdown ended. On Nov. 6, a federal judge in Rhode Island ordered the Trump Administration to issue full SNAP payments within the day by using contingency funds. Shortly after the order happened, the Trump Administration issued an appeal. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The two-page appeal document filed in the Rhode Island court didn't explain the government's reasons for challenging the order. SNAP update: Trump administration appeals order to pay full November SNAP food benefits How many Hoosiers receive SNAP benefits? Nearly 600,000 Hoosiers are recipients of SNAP benefits. There are nearly 41.7 million Americans who receive SNAP benefits each month, according to the USDA. When will Hoosiers get their SNAP payments? With the Nov. 6 order from the Rhode Island judge demanding full SNAP payments should be issued, it is unknown if or when Hoosiers should expect to receive their full funding. Prior to the new order, IndyStar reported on Nov. 5 that Hoosiers who rely on SNAP for food will get partial benefits at least one week later than normal because of the federal government shutdown, and some won't get any help at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Story continues after photo gallery. The federal government halved maximum monthly benefits, with totals varying by household size. A household's allotment is calculated by subtracting 30% of a household's monthly net income from the maximum. For some people with the incomes on the higher end of eligibility, that means they will receive zero dollars in benefits for November, unless full funding is restored or the formula is changed. More: Hoosiers on SNAP will get partial benefits at least a week late, state says When do Indiana residents typically get their SNAP benefits? In Indiana, benefits are made available from the 5th to the 23rd of every month, based on the first letter of the clients last name: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement First Letter of the Last Name is: A or B = benefits available on the 5th First Letter of the Last Name is: C or D = benefits available on the 7th First Letter of the Last Name is: E, F, or G = benefits available on the 9th First Letter of the Last Name is: H or I = benefits available on the 11th First Letter of the Last Name is: J, K, or L = benefits available on the 13th First Letter of the Last Name is: M or N = benefits available on the 15th First Letter of the Last Name is: O, P, Q, or R = benefits available onthe17th First Letter of the Last Name is: S = benefits available on the 19th First Letter of the Last Name is: T, U, or V = benefits available on the 21st First Letter of the Last Name is: W, X, Y, or Z = benefits available on the 23rd CONTRIBUTING: Aysha Bagchi This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Judge orders Trump to fully fund SNAP. Will Hoosiers get full benefits? By Gianluca Lo Nostro (Reuters) -Worldline on Thursday unveiled plans to raise 500 million euros ($583 million) by tapping some of France's biggest banks to fund a strategy aimed at turning around the payments firm following years of setbacks. The two-stage capital increase will begin with a 110-million-euro reserved share sale to Bpifrance, Credit Agricole and BNP Paribas, followed by a 390-million-euro rights issue open to all shareholders. The three lenders have committed to subscribe around 135 million euros to the rights issue. Upon completion of the capital raise, expected in the first quarter of 2026, Bpifrance will hold a 9.6% stake in Worldline, Credit Agricole will own 9.5%, with BNP Paribas at 7.9%. Swiss stock exchange operator SIX Group, Worldline's biggest investor, said it has accepted dilution as it will not participate in the capital increase. SIX expects a 550-million-Swiss-franc ($693.48 million) impairment on its Worldline stake and said it will manage it as a financial investment in the future. NEW PLAN FAILS TO WIN BACK INVESTORS The move failed to calm investors as shares in Worldline fell over 6%, hitting a new all-time low on Thursday. Chief executive Pierre-Antoine Vacheron dismissed concerns that the company, valued 581 million euros as of Wednesday, could become a takeover target despite the new funding. "We have very strong support from anchor shareholders, which are very large financial institutions in Europe," Vacheron said in a call with reporters. "When you look at the competition, they are not really in good shape." J.P. Morgan analysts said in a note the new plan gives the firm credibility but that investors will want to see proof of stabilisation. Worldline, spun off from IT group Atos in 2014, was a standout in France's technology sector before its market value plummeted by about 97% from a 2021 peak of over 20 billion euros. The company has faced challenges including client retention, repeated profit warnings, governance instability, and a broader slowdown in consumer spending that has impacted the payments industry. A criminal probe into alleged money laundering at its Belgian unit has further damaged its reputation. RETURN TO GROWTH EXPECTED FROM 2027 On Thursday, Worldline set longer-term targets of 4% annual revenue growth between 2027 and 2030, 1 billion euros in core earnings, and positive free cash flow as early as 2027. The French group said 2026 will be a transition year, and it is expecting more pressure on profits and free cash flow. (Reuters) -The Trump administration asked a federal appeals court to block a judge's order that the U.S. Department of Agriculture provide full November food stamp benefits to 42 million low-income Americans. U.S. District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, on Thursday ordered the payout by Friday, accusing the administration of withholding Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits for political reasons with the government shutdown now more than a month old. The Department of Justice in a filing on Friday with the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston said McConnell had no authority to order the payout, saying judges have no power to appropriate or spend federal money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There is no lawful basis for an order that directs USDA to somehow find $4 billion in the metaphorical couch cushions," the department said. "This is a crisis, to be sure, but it is a crisis occasioned by congressional failure, and that can only be solved by congressional action." Americans whose income is less than 130% of the federal poverty line are eligible for SNAP benefits, commonly known as food stamps, which top out monthly at $298 for one-person households and $546 for two-person households. The case being appealed was brought by several large U.S. cities and many public service and community groups. They are expected to respond to the administration later on Friday. A group of Democratic-led states is pursuing similar litigation. Earlier this week, the Agriculture Department said it would pay only partial SNAP benefits for November. (Reporting by New York NewsroomEditing by Bill Berkrot) The Trump administration raced to an appeals court to block a federal judges order directing the Agriculture Department to use emergency funding to pay full food stamp benefits for November. The move comes after U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. ordered USDA to drain a contingency account for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and tap unused tariff money to pay full benefits by Friday. Justice Department lawyers argued in an emergency stay request that the judge's decision was misguided and that it is likely to be overturned on appeal at the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. Nearly 42 million low-income Americans rely on the SNAP program, which ran out of funds Nov. 1, prompting states and nonprofits to scramble to replace federal aid as the government shutdown reaches day 38. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the plaintiffs nonprofits and cities to respond to the governments motion by noon Friday. DOJ attorneys claimed in their filing that McConnells order has thrust the Judiciary into the ongoing shutdown negotiations and may well have the effect of extending the lapse in appropriations, exacerbating the problem that the court was misguidedly trying to mitigate. The Trump administration agreed to tap the contingency fund earlier this week after two separate court orders, but contends that it cannot use money from a different account for the SNAP program. Partial benefits, as the administration advised states to release earlier this week, are more complicated to administer and are expected to take weeks to flow to recipients. Administration officials have argued that tapping an account known as Section 32, which funds child nutrition programs and other USDA initiatives, strays from congressional intent and could cause a budget shortfall for programs like school meals. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement McConnell said in his oral order Thursday that the administrations interpretation of Congresss purpose for the account was erroneous, noting that officials have previously tapped Section 32 funds to keep running the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC. He added that Congress has time to address concerns about potential shortfalls in the school meals program. Justice Department attorneys maintained in the governments appeal Friday that only Congress can fix SNAPs budget shortfall. This is a crisis, to be sure, but it is a crisis occasioned by congressional failure, and that can only be solved by congressional action, they wrote in the filing. There is no lawful basis for an order that directs USDA to somehow find $4 billion in the metaphorical couch cushions. They also argued that it cant be assumed that Congress would replenish a drained Section 32 account. That is pure speculation, they wrote, adding, agencies cannot spend money based on wishful thinking. President Donald Trump and his MAGA gang had their political posteriors handed to them this week in elections in Virginia, New Jersey, New York City and California, where a ballot initiative allowing the Democratic state legislature to temporarily redraw congressional maps passed handily. But make no mistake, that doesnt mean the world is safe. It means Trump is now a cornered sewer rat fighting for survival. And hes going to get even nastier. The election setback came less than a week after the president banned reporters from the Upper Press area of the White House, which contains the offices of the press secretary and other senior press officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Two sources close to the administration told me independently this week that Trump has further plans to curtail the press, possibly including a total or partial ban of reporters from the West Wing. When I asked the White House to respond to this concern, I received this email: Due to staff shortages resulting from the Democrat Shutdown, the typical 24/7 monitoring of this press inbox may experience delays. We ask for your patience as our staff work to field your requests in a timely manner. As you await a response, please remember this could have been avoided if the Democrats voted for the clean Continuing Resolution to keep the government open. The press office also cannot accommodate waves requests or escorts at this time. Thank you for your attention to this matter. It was signed The White House Press Team. If you make fun of Donald Trump, he wants you arrested. If you report him in an unfavorable light, he wants you muted. If you take a picture of him he doesnt like, then he screams and pouts. The president of the United States acts like a spoiled first grader who thinks hes a king. And this king doesnt like bad news, so he takes out his anger on those who provide it. Thats why he persists in calling us fake news. In discrediting us, he seeks to turn the American people against the press and use their anger to control us and our coverage, all while exalting himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Media coverage how to create it and how to control it is obviously a prominent part of Trumps strategy, say former and current associates. Of course we talked about the press, a former White House official told me. He loves the press. I think you mean he loves the cameras, I said. Same thing, they said flatly. Those who have worked with Trump and those who still do say hes dangerous. Then theres Pep Secretary Karoline Leavitt. To hear her tell it, Trump has never made a mistake and should be seated at the right hand of the Father. What Trump doesnt like is criticism, questions or any hint of curiosity or impartiality. During his last administration, he tried to ban individual reporters he didnt like. Jim Acosta and I bore the brunt of his attacks, and we had to go to court to keep our press passes. CNN and Acosta beat him and he gave up. He tried the same thing on Playboy and me, and we won three times in court. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This time Trump is not bothering with individual reporters. Hes going after the companies that hire them and the framework that gives reporters access to real information. He has compromised most corporate media to some degree, if only by dominating most coverage. The depth of his interference in most cases, though, is much deeper. When he returned to office in January, Trumps people took over press pool assignments and kicked out the most experienced reporters, banning the wire services from being in the pool. They have dedicated a seat to new media in the briefing room to blatant right-wing propagandists and stacked the deck in pool sprays with secondary personnel, which is often populated by the new media group. Trump sued 60 Minutes, CBS and Paramount for producing an edited version of an October 2024 interview with Vice President Kamala Harris conducted by reporter Bill Whitaker. He knew it was edited because CBS also published a transcript of the entire interview. Donald said the edit made Harris look good. So he sued. CBS settled. That was then. Bari Weiss, a questionable Trump acolyte with limited journalistic experience but a healthy ego, is now running CBS News as its editor-in-chief. She knows as much about newsgathering as Trump knows about humility. Nonetheless, Donald Trump sat for an interview on 60 Minutes with Norah ODonnell this week, just as Harris did with Whitaker. He liked the edit of his interview. He didnt sue. This is now. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The death of traditional American journalism is complete. We can call it a wrap on its production and move on, though I sincerely wish it werent so. There wont be a funeral for my profession. Too many people from both sides of the aisle are beating a dead horse and blaming each other for trying to kill it. They never figured the horses owner killed it for profit. Fewer even know its dead. Meanwhile, Laura Loomer, a proud MAGA activist and conspiracy theorist, is now credentialed as a reporter to cover the Pentagon. Five will get you ten that she can visit Defense Secretary Pete Hegseths makeup room whenever she needs touching up. The legitimate press left in unison after Hegseth demanded they sign NDAs. The propagandists are now arriving to take up space. Then, on Oct. 31 after 5 p.m., the Trump White House dumped some administration garbage, as memorialized in the Take out the Trash Day episode of The West Wing. Josh Lyman explained it best: Any stories we have to give the press that were not wild about, we give all in a lump on Friday. 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. The lump that Trump dumped on Halloween was the news that his administration was banning reporters from the Upper Press area. The email accompanying the announcement said reporters had to be removed from the offices because we had gone wandering off, and had access to information we shouldnt have. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No one wanders off in the White House. The Secret Service does its job very well. A short time after the White House released the news, communications director Steven Cheung accused correspondents of secretly recording conversations in the West Wing. Its kind of hard to secretly tape anything. Our cameras are rather obvious. Did he mean video from cell phones? What were the circumstances? Most of the press is so busy following the administrations orders these days that its difficult to believe any reporter would risk their access and job by attempting such a move. Under the guise of transparency, the administration is trying to convince honest Americans that reporters eavesdrop on administration officials, wander off into private areas of the White House and the Pentagons classified areas at will, to routinely harass important people who have important things to do. What they call eavesdropping is merely observation. UPIs Helen Thomas spent hours just standing in Upper Press. In the past, presidential officials, staff and the occasional president brought her coffee and donuts. What Trump and his team calls harassment is actually nothing more than reporters asking to talk to sources directly, then or later. The people we want to interview work for our government. We have every right to ask them questions. If you think its rude to ask, on behalf of the American people, how our elected officials and their employees are spending our tax dollars, then its safe to say you dont understand how this is supposed to work or dont care. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This administration claims we are listening to private conversations in public areas. Then dont have private conversations in public areas. The answer isnt to ban reporters because youve been so damn sloppy as to discuss things you shouldnt where you shouldnt, or because you left classified or sensitive information lying around. That is incredibly unprofessional behavior from any employee of the executive branch. Mike McCurry, former press secretary to President Bill Clinton, characterized the loss of Upper Press as destructive not only to the press, but also to the president. The give and take between reporters and our staff in that room during the Clinton years helped shape policy for the better, he told me. We could meet off-camera and talk about issues. Wed say this is what we got, and the press would say this is what we want to ask about, then we would do our homework. I still remember President Clinton getting on the phone to cabinet secretaries and telling them we had to have more on an issue. It usually started in those offices. That kind of interaction was very productive. The next move, according to a source close to the White House, is to probably ban most of the press from the work space in the West Wing all together. There have been serious discussions about it, I was told. Theyre working out details. The likelihood, Im told, of the press moving out increased after Cheung accused us of chicanery. The question now appears to be what form such an escalation of the press ban would take, and if it does, then when. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When is always problematic in a Trump administration. According to the two sources I spoke with, the holiday season may be ideal to issue further press restrictions. Trump wont be around much, and neither will the press. Maybe hell just make us go away like he did to Congress. Maybe well find ourselves under lock and key across the street in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Some say the greater possibility is we will be relocated to larger offices off Lafayette Park. Or maybe nothing changes. Among the considerations, Im told, is how quickly the presidential pool could set up in the Oval Office. One possibility being considered is for the pool to remain in offices at the White House while everyone else moves out. There would be plenty of office space (off campus), not like the basement of the West Wing, one of my sources explained. But, there have been no [final] decisions made yet that I know of. That wouldnt be surprising. I remember seeing plans for a big press center on the North Lawn when I first got to the White House, McCurry said. That didnt happen. Joe Walsh, the former Republican presidential candidate who is now a Democrat, was quick to question Trumps press restrictions. The danger of Trump banning the press from the White House is a President utterly unaccountable to the people. The press is our watchdog. Without the press free to do their job, government rules over the people He cant ban the press from the White House. Thats our house, not his. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For now, the reporters are relegated to lower press where a wrangler admitted in writing that they cannot speak on the record for the administration. That means there is absolutely no chance of meeting sources or gathering information in the White House press office that doesnt have the stamp of approval from Trump. In 1985, I met President Ronald Reagan on my first day at the White House. I had followed UPIs Helen Thomas and ABCs Sam Donaldson to meet staffers when a member of the Secret Service walked through the door, telling us to leave because the president was walking over to talk to deputy press secretary Larry Speakes. Helen and Sam turned and left. I followed several steps behind when I tripped, falling over my own feet. Suddenly I felt the grip of a large hand on my shoulder. I was sure it was the Secret Service kicking me out. I turned and met the gaze of the 40th president of the United States. Well, you dont have to bow in front of me, young man, Reagan said with a smile. That was in Upper Press. Today, I cant even go there. The post Trump administration tightens its grip on White House press corps appeared first on Salon.com. Donald Trump is getting more honest about the impacts of his inconsistent tariff plan. Speaking to the press inside the Oval Office Thursday, Trump admitted to knowing that his overhaul of Americas trade relationships has come at the cost of American consumers. Do you agree then that Americans are paying those tariffs? asked a reporter. I think they might be paying something, but when you take the overall impact, the Americans are gaining tremendously, Trump said. Look, Im ending war because of these tariffs. Americans would have to fight in some of these wars. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has touted himself for months as a great peacemaker, pushing a narrative that he hasso farsolved eight foreign conflicts. He has claimed responsibility for inventing peace between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Rwanda, between Cambodia and Thailand, between Israel and Iran, between India and Pakistan, between Serbia and Kosovo, between Egypt and Ethiopia, between Armenia and Azerbaijan (although he has previously forgotten and said Albania instead of Armenia), between Israel and Gaza, and for doing the Abraham Accords. He has repeatedly cited his tariff plan as the key to solving those wars, even though several of them never existed to begin with. But its not the first time that Trump has fessed to the ramifications of his tariff proposals. During a Cabinet meeting in April, the president acknowledged that his plan would spike prices on American goods, such as childrens toys, though his solution that Americans should simply buy less was as anti-American and anti-capitalist as it was anti-Trumpian. (Some of Barron Trumps childhood toys included a customized mini Mercedes convertible featuring a BARRON license plate, several life-sized stuffed animals, and famously, a Louis Vuitton soot-case that reportedly now retails for nearly $10,000.) Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is in the midst of debating the validity of Trumps tariff plan. Justices on both sides of the ideological fence have expressed their skepticism over the policy, questioning the administrations foundation to base the legitimacy of the supposedly unrestricted levy power on a vague federal law that has never before been used for this purpose. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If they rule against Trump, it will be the first major break between the conservative-majority court and the president since he was inaugurated in January. So far, the nations highest judiciary seems to share little in common with Trump when it comes to their perspective on the trade plan, apparently disagreeing on even the most basic details, such as the definition of tariff. Chief Justice Roberts said that tariffs are taxes and that theyre paid by Americans. He said this pretty clearly. And yet youre saying this money is rolling in from other countries. How do you square those two? asked a reporter. Well, it is. Its coming in because they charged us, Trump said. You know those same countries that you talk about are charging us massive amounts of money. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He then went on to blame the national debt on imbalanced tariff sheets between America and its trade allies. We had presidents who didnt know how to use tariffs, presidents who had no understanding of business, Trump said. Once such prior president would be Ronald Reagan, who became a central figure in Trumps trade war with Canada last month when Ontarios provincial government aired an anti-tariff advertisement aimed at Americans. The political advert featured snippets of the conservative icons 1987 radio address, in which Reagan argued that tariffs undermine economic prosperity, and that they only serve to hurt every American. Hey, we all tend to doze off while listening to the asinine jabberings of a daytime talk show host like Dr. Mehmet Oz. But when you make that daytime talk show host the U.S. Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and hes speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, falling asleep isnt the best look. And Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) highlighted exactly that in his latest troll post aimed at President Donald Trump. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) smiles during a ribbon cutting in 2010. Justin Sullivan via Getty Images On Thursday, Trump was seen with his eyes shut at several points during his administrations announcement about lowered prices for certain weight loss drugs for Medicare and Medicaid recipients. In a moment, caught by CSPAN, Trump can be seen struggling to fight off the Sandman while listening to Oz spout off fatphobic rhetoric 25 minutes into the White House event. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But, just in case one needs more proof of how sleepy Trump was, here he is fully snoozing in a photo caught by Getty photojournalist Andrew Harnik. President Donald Trump appears at an event on lowering drug prices in the Oval Office at the White House on Nov. 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Andrew Harnik via Getty Images And another one: Trump gets a little shut eye during Thursdays announcement. Andrew Harnik via Getty Images And another one where Trump was trying his darndest to stave off the sleepies. Trump struggling to stay awake once again. Andrew Harnik via Getty Images In response to Trumps naptime antics at the event, Newsoms press office decided to revive a nickname he had used for the president in the past. DOZY DON IS BACK! the account wrote, alongside a photo from Harnik and a snippet of CSPANs footage. DOZY DON IS BACK! pic.twitter.com/TQHaMi9YaF Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) November 7, 2025 Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Newsom has used the moniker which is presumably a play on Trumps nickname Sleepy Joe for former President Joe Biden in the past, notably when Trump struggled to keep his eyes open during a White House roundtable on antifa last month. Yet, social media users widely used the nickname Sleepy Don when Dr. Oz seemed to put Trump into a catatonic state during a Making Health Technology Great Again event at the White House in July. And to nail down how out of it Trump appeared at the White House Thursday, not long after he knocked off during Dr. Ozs speech, he reacted like this when a guest at the meeting fainted. (It should be noted that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the man was OK, and he was a representative of one of the health care companies in attendance.) Trump stands by as attendees help a guest after he collapsed during an event at the White House Thursday. Andrew Harnik via Getty Images Or you can watch the whole incident unfold in the video below: Political Updates Read the original on HuffPost Lately, it seems like elected Republicans have forgotten something important about the 2024 elections they won. The president is a Republican. The Senate and the House of Representatives have Republican majorities. Even the Supreme Court is stacked with Republicans. These are basic and glaringly obvious facts, but somehow, when it comes to who is responsible for well, anything the government does, our elected officials seem to forget just who is in charge. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Take Iowas Representatives. They harp on about what the Democrats will or wont let them do, but the Speaker of the House, the Majority Whip and most Representatives are Republicans. And the person who made the call to adjourn the House in mid-September? Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Or Iowas Senators. They have bemoaned the impacts of the government shutdown on air travel and healthcare. Our governor has tried to claim the mantle of the savior replacing food assistance by giving less than a days worth of funds to Iowas food banks. All of them have blamed the Democrats for the shutdown. Funny how the people in charge of the government cant seem to govern. But wait, you say, what about the filibuster? Doesnt it take 60 votes to pass a budget and reopen the government? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a word, no. The Constitution has no rules about how many votes are needed to pass budgets. In fact, with only a few Constitutional exceptions, the rules about how many votes are required to pass bills (or stop debate on bills) are made by vote of the Senate meaning the majority party can control them. And the majority party can change the filibuster rules with a simple majority vote. The House of Representatives used to have a filibuster but got rid of it. In this years shutdown, Senate Republicans have not been willing to get rid of the filibuster on budget bills to reopen the government. That still leaves Senate Republicans a tried and true option to pass a budget negotiating with the other party. But in the 2025 shutdown, there isnt even a budget on the table. The House of Representatives, way back in mid-September, passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through the end of the year. A continuing resolution is a bill that says we cant agree on spending priorities well enough to pass a budget, so we are just going to keep doing what were doing right now. With a House Republican majority, that continuing resolution was a failure of the Republicans in the House to agree with one another well enough to pass a budget. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As soon as that continuing resolution passed, Johnson adjourned the House. House Republicans left Washington. Its hard to say where they left to go, because in Iowa, at least, it certainly wasnt to hold town halls in their districts. And that continuing resolution? Well, the last time Congress passed a real budget was under President Biden in March 2024, with a Democrat-controlled Senate and a Republican-controlled House. They werent even continuing their own budget. If this whole mess gives you a sense of deja vu, you may be sensing the ghost of 2017-2019, when the Republicans last controlled the government and shut it down three times. The party of victimhood just cant seem to figure out how to keep the lights on when it is in power. How times have changed. Our governing partys mantra has gone from Democratic President Harry Trumans The buck stops here to the current President dodging all responsibility with the constant refrain: I know nothing about it. Sad. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kelcey Patrick-Ferree and Shannon Patrick live in Iowa City and write at www.ourlibertiesweprize.com. And biannual time changes must be abolished. This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Trump, Congressional Republicans need to buck up and govern | Column President Donald Trump said Friday that he asked the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into meatpacking companies, which he accused of illegally manipulating beef prices at the expense of beef farmers and consumers. The announcement comes amid pressure over the high cost of beef and a bubbling feud with farm state Republicans over plans to import beef from Argentina and shortly after a White House meeting with a handful of senators from beef-producing states. I have asked the DOJ to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation, Trump wrote on social media on Friday. We will always protect our American Ranchers, and they are being blamed for what is being done by Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nations food supply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement While Cattle Prices have dropped substantially, the price of Boxed Beef has gone up Therefore, you know that something is fishy, Trump continued. The fight over whether to crack down on the country's largest meat-packing conglomerates is the source of a long-running and incredibly bitter internal fight among Senate Republicans. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), a Trump ally whose family raises cattle, told Vice President JD Vance last month that meatpackers were the reason for high beef prices, not ranchers, an argument Trump echoed Friday. Trump met with Hyde-Smith and Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) on Friday shortly before his post, according to two people familiar with the meeting who were granted anonymity to discuss the conversations. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a social media post the investigation into the meatpacking companies is already underway, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture. Neither Bondi nor Trump specified which companies were being targeted, but many of the largest companies in the industry are based abroad. The push from Trump also follows Tuesdays sweep by Democrats of the major off-year election races, including the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, where Govs.-elect Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill made Trumps inability to lower prices a central issue of their campaigns. In the days following Tuesdays results, Trump referred to the focus on Democrats affordability message as a con job. But many Republicans are calling on the president to take more steps to address high costs. In identifying the price differentials between food producers and distributers, Trump has hit on a similar target as former President Joe Biden. The Biden administration made a focus on agricultural monopolies a key piece of his domestic agenda, writing regulations intended to make cattle markets fairer for ranchers and ensure better terms for contract poultry farmers. His administration also successfully blocked a grocery megadeal and sued beverage companies alleging price discrimination. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yet Trump has also repeatedly blamed high food costs on his predecessor. In his first few months in office, the Trump administration ended a USDA partnership with state attorneys general to tighten enforcement of federal antitrust law in food and agricultural markets. Under the Trump administration, USDA announced a partnership with DOJ to scrutinize agriculture inputs like fertilizer for potential anti-competitive conduct in a bid to help lower costs for farmers and consumers. United States President Donald Trump has said he expects a US-coordinated international stabilisation force to be on the ground in Gaza very soon as part of his post-war plan for the enclave, which is still suffering a full-blown humanitarian crisis amid continued Israeli bombing. Its going to be very soon. And Gaza is working out very well, said the president on Thursday, adding that an alliance of very powerful countries had volunteered to intervene if any problems arose with the Palestinian armed group Hamas, which has not yet confirmed it will disarm. The presidents projection came as the United Nations Security Council prepares to start negotiations to authorise a two-year mandate for a transitional governance body and the stabilisation force, which is supposed to protect civilians, secure border areas and train Palestinian police. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Al Jazeera on Tuesday that any stabilisation force must have full international legitimacy to support Palestinians in Gaza. A senior US government official told the Reuters news agency that negotiations were expected to start on Thursday, following his countrys circulation of the draft resolution to 10 elected UNSC members and several regional partners this week. The resolution, which was reportedly seen by Egypt, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, would permit a stabilisation force of 20,000 troops to use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate, meaning it will be allowed to deploy force, according to Reuters. Hamas has not said whether it will demilitarise, a key tenet of Trumps 20-point plan, but part of the stabilisation forces task would be to destroy its capacities and offensive infrastructure and to prevent it from rebuilding. Trumps plan helped lead to a captive release deal and a fragile ceasefire between Israel and the armed group on 10 October, which the former has repeatedly breached with its repeated bombing and heavy restrictions on aid to the enclave. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Turkiye played a crucial role in the negotiations by encouraging Hamas to accept the peace plan and rallying support for the stabilisation force by hosting foreign ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia in Istanbul this week. Turkiye has repeatedly condemned Israels genocidal war in Gaza and demanded at the top-level meeting that Israel stop violating the truce and allow crucial humanitarian aid to enter the embattled Palestinian territory. But Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar are adamant that their country will not accept a Turkish presence in Gaza. Israel appears to have its own narrative on the stabilisation force. During a joint news conference with Trump back in September, Netanyahu told reporters that Israel will retain security responsibility, including a security perimeter, for the foreseeable future in Gaza. The head of the US Central Command, which is responsible for the Middle East, said last month during a visit to Gaza that no US troops would be deployed there. Donald Trump suddenly has a big beef with, well, Big Beef. After days of being hammered over his failure to lower prices on everyday grocery staples and just about an hour after being pressed on the matter while sitting next to Hungarys strongman leader Viktor Orban in the White House the president unleashed on U.S. meat producers Friday, accusing them of artificially inflating prices and saying hes ordered a Justice Department probe into the beef industry. Writing on Truth Social, Trump said hed asked the Justice Department to immediately begin an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who he claimed are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The president went on to claim that American ranchers were unfairly taking blame for the actions of what he called Majority Foreign Owned Meat Packers, who artificially inflate prices, and jeopardize the security of our Nations food supply. Action must be taken immediately to protect Consumers, combat Illegal Monopolies, and ensure these Corporations are not criminally profiting at the expense of the American People. I am asking the DOJ to act expeditiously, he added. He subsequently claimed in a second post that something was fishy because the price of Boxed Beef has gone up even while cattle prices were stable or falling. Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday, November 7 (Reuters) The presidents Friday afternoon rant came weeks after he floated and quickly abandoned a plan to have the government purchase Argentine beef in an effort to lower prices and also prop up the Argentine beef sector ahead of last months elections in the South American country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We would buy some beef from Argentina, he told reporters during an October 20 media availability on Air Force One en route from Florida to Washington. If we do that, that will bring our beef prices down. US beef prices have been stubbornly high for a variety of reasons, including drought and reduced imports from Mexico because of a flesh-eating pest in cattle herds there, as well as tariffs Trump has placed on beef imports from Brazil to punish the Brazilian government for imprisoning his friend, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, for having attempted a coup to remain in power after losing an election. But the plan met with swift opposition from the American beef industry as well as Republican senators from cattle-producing states. One senator, Deb Fisher of Nebraska, said in a statement at the time that the Argentine beef proposal wasnt the way to address high prices. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Right now, government intervention in the beef market will hurt our cattle ranchers. The U.S. has safe, reliable beef, and it is the one bright spot in our struggling ag economy. Nebraskas ranchers cannot afford to have the rug pulled out from under them when theyre just getting ahead or simply breaking even, she said. Vice President JD Vance was subsequently bombarded with questions about President Donald Trumps new beef deal with Argentina during a lunch with Republican senators last week, leading the VP to reportedly ask if any senators had questions NOT about beef at one point. Trumps outburst over high beef prices also follows devastating losses for his partys candidates in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races at the hands of voters who expressed anger over his administration's failure to address rising prices contributing to an ever-higher cost of living in the U.S. Citing New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill and Virginia Governor-elect Abigail Spanbergers laser-focused campaigns which centered on affordability just one year after voters cited higher prices as the reason for returning him to the White House in the 2024 presidential election, Trump complained that the Democrats focus on affordability was a con job. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Democrats are good at a few things, cheating on elections and conning people with facts that arent true, said Trump, who then proceeded to rattle off a list of baseless assertions about the prices of this years Thanksgiving dinner staples and gasoline, the latter of which he falsely claimed is available to Americans at $2 per gallon. Prices are down under the Trump administration, and they're down substantially ... gasoline is way down, and the other big thing is ... inflation is way down ... we did a great job on groceries and affordability. The The only problem is the fake news. You people don't want to report it, he said. The reason I don't want to talk about affordability is because everybody knows that it's far less expensive under Trump than it was under sleepy Joe Biden and the prices are way down. US President Donald Trump met with leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House on Thursday as he intensifies his hunt for rare earth metals needed for high-tech devices, including smartphones, electric vehicles, and fighter jets. Trump and officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan held bilateral meetings in the Oval Office before a working dinner. "One of the key items on our agenda is critical minerals," Trump said at the dinner with the leaders. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He stated, "We're strengthening our economic partnerships, improving our security cooperation, and expanding our overall bonds." These nations were once home to the ancient Silk Road connecting East and West, Trump said, while noting that sadly, previous American presidents neglected this region completely. The White House visit came after Trump managed to at least temporarily ease tensions between the US and China over the export of rare earth metals, a major source of friction in their trade talks. Last month, Beijing expanded export restrictions over vital rare earth elements and magnets before announcing, after Trump-Xi talks in South Korea last week, that China would delay its new restrictions by one year. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington is now seeking new ways to circumvent China in the critical minerals market, which accounts for nearly 70% of the worlds rare earth mining and controls roughly 90% of global rare earth processing. Legislation to repeal Soviet-era trade restrictions Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the Central Asian leaders at the State Department on Wednesday to mark the 10th anniversary of the C5+1 and to plug the potential for expanding the countries economic ties to the US. We oftentimes spend so much time focused on crises and problemsand they deserve attentionthat sometimes we dont spend enough time focused on exciting new opportunities, Rubio said. President Donald Trump, seated center left, attends a dinner with leaders from countries in Central Asia, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. - Jacquelyn Martin/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved And thats what exists here now: an exciting new opportunity in which the national interests of our respective countries are aligned. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thursday's meetings also came after a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Wednesday to repeal Soviet-era trade restrictions that some lawmakers say are holding back American investment in the Central Asian nations, which became independent with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Related According to Trump administration officials, deepening the US relationship with the countries is a priority, a point they have made clear to the Central Asian officials. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The presidents commitment to this region is that you have a direct line to the White House, and that you will get the attention that this area very much deserves, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor, who also serves as Trumps special envoy to South and Central Asia, told the Central Asian officials on Wednesday. Central Asia holds deep reserves of rare earth For decades, the grouping of countries, referred to as the C5+1, has largely focused on regional security, particularly in light of the US military presence and later withdrawal from Afghanistan, Chinas treatment of ethnic Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and attempts by Russia to reassert power in the region. Despite this, China and Russia have long benefited from Central Asia's vital mineral exports. According to country-level trade statistics published by the online data platform Observatory of Economic Complexity, Kazakhstan shipped $3.07 billion in key minerals to China and $1.8 billion to Russia in 2023, compared with $544 million to the US. The Central Asia region holds deep reserves of rare earth minerals and produces roughly half the worlds uranium, which is critical to nuclear power production. Fast-casual pizza chain &pizza has acquired TexMex operator Tijuana Flats and established a new holding company, Latitude Food Group. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. The purchase includes all 95 Tijuana Flats 95 corporate and franchised restaurants across the southeastern US, together with its headquarters in Maitland, Florida. Led by &pizza CEO Mike Burns, the newly created holding company will manage and direct both &pizza and Tijuana Flats. It will focus on growth via multiunit franchising and by working with entrepreneurs building multibrand portfolios. Burns described &pizza and Tijuana Flats as a natural fit, saying: "From their innovative use of technology and bold design to their shared commitment to community and purpose, the alignment is clear. Were excited to harness the unique strengths of both brands and apply proven strategies and efficiencies to build a strong foundation for future growth. In 2025, &pizza launched its first franchising programme, setting an expansion target from 45 locations to 300 by 2030. The chain also entered four franchise agreements to move beyond its midAtlantic footprint into Orlando, Atlanta, Charleston and Raleigh. Tijuana Flats, founded in 1995, operates close to 100 corporate and franchised sites across Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee and is known for madetoorder TexMex offerings prepared with fresh ingredients. The brand filed for Chapter 11 protection in April 2024, was sold to Flatheads LLC which closed 11 outlets and guided restructuring and formally emerged from bankruptcy in January. "&pizza acquires TexMex chain Tijuana Flats" was originally created and published by Verdict Food Service, a GlobalData owned brand. President Donald Trump achieved one of his key targets in the healthcare sector, following agreements with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that will see the prices of weight loss drugs slashed for US patients. Trump has long lamented the higher prices of prescription drug prices in the US compared to other countries, with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) a key focus of his pricing reforms. That goal has now been achieved for weight loss products, with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk signing agreements with the US government to significantly reduce the prices of their popular GLP-1RAs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Novos Wegovy (semaglutide) and Ozempic (semaglutide) will cost $350 per month, a steep discount from the dose-dependent $1,000-$1,350 monthly cost currently. Eli Lillys Zepbound (tirzepatide) will cost an average of $346, down from the $1,086 per month now. These price drops are through TrumpRx, the US governments direct-to-consumer (DTC) platform that is set to launch in January 2026. The deals expand access on Medicare and Medicaid, with co-pay prices on the former programme as low as $50 a month, helping to remove a major financial barrier to many US patients. GlobalData Life Sciences research analyst Cyrus Fan said: "The latest deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk is significant given the demand for GLP-1RA drugs in the US and their inclusion for Medicare coverage. This means that millions more patients on Medicare will have access to weight-loss therapies. The inclusion of the weight-loss therapies in Medicare may mean future approved GLP-1RA drugs indicated for weight loss could be covered in government programs." Lillys CEO, David Ricks, commented: "Today marks a pivotal moment in US health care policy and a defining milestone for Lilly, made possible through collaboration with the Trump Administration. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement For Trump, this marks a significant win in his ongoing pledge to cut prescription drug prices for US citizens. The President particularly called out weight loss jobs earlier this year, embarking on policy reforms to pressure drugmakers into overhauling medication cost structures. In a 6 November statement via the White House, Trump said: In case after case, our citizens pay massively higher prices than other nations pay for the same exact pill, from the same factory, effectively subsidising socialism abroad with skyrocketing prices at home. So we would spend tremendous amounts of money in order to provide inexpensive drugs to another country. And when I say the price is different, you can see some examples where the price is beyond anything four times, five times different. Novo did not reveal the prices it will charge in the US, though it said it expects negative "low single-digit impact on global sales growth in 2026" as a result of the agreement. Novo is already battling commercial headwinds amid a loss of market share to Eli Lilly. The Danish drugmaker is also locked in a fierce bidding war for obesity biotech Metsera currently, with offers exceeding $10bn. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Access has been a consistent headwind to uptake, and we suspect these changes will see volume influxes more than offset pricing concessions, Citi analysts said in a note. A significant aspect of the deals with Trump is the inclusion of oral weight loss drugs. Lillys orfoglipron and Novos oral Wegovy, neither of which are yet approved, will cost $149 at the lowest dose. Weight loss pills are anticipated to be a major fueller of the obesity market beyond what injectable GLP-1RAs have managed to achieve. Lilly confirmed that it has applied for the Commissioner's National Priority Voucher for orforglipron. These vouches are part of a new framework by the FDA to accelerate drug approvals with US-centric interests. GlobalData analysts forecast orforglipron sales could reach $11bn in 2031, with Eli Lilly already building several billion-dollar facilities to ramp up production of the pill. GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lilly and Novo become the latest big pharma companies to agree drug pricing deals with the White House against the backdrop of Trumps Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing reforms. MFN is a policy framework that would tie US drug prices to the lowest prices in other developed countries. Pfizer paved the way with the first agreement in September, while AstraZeneca followed soon after in October. Companies have been enticed to shake hands with Trump amid the financial effects of ongoing tariffs. As with Pfizers three-year period of tariff immunity, Lilly and Novo stated that their deals with the government also include a three-year period of tariff relief. "Trump hits long-term pledge as US prices of weight loss drugs slashed" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. WASHINGTON (AP) President Donald Trump hosted leaders of five Central Asian countries at the White House on Thursday as he intensifies his hunt for rare earth metals needed for high-tech devices, including smartphones, electric vehicles and fighter jets. Trump and the officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan held bilateral meetings in the Oval Office before having a working dinner. These nations were once home to the ancient Silk Road connecting East and West, Trump said, while noting that sadly, previous American presidents neglected this region completely. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He added, I understand the importance of this region but a lot of people dont know that. The White House visits followed Trump managing at least a temporary thaw with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on differences between the United States and China over the export of rare earth elements, a key point of friction in their trade negotiations. Early last month, Beijing expanded export restrictions over vital rare earth elements and magnets before announcing, after Trump-Xi talks in South Korea last week, that China would delay its new restrictions by one year. Washington is now looking for new ways to circumvent China on critical minerals. China accounts for nearly 70% of the worlds rare earth mining and controls roughly 90% of global rare earths processing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What the region has and needs Central Asia holds deep reserves of rare earth minerals and produces roughly half the worlds uranium, which is critical to nuclear power production. But the region badly needs investment to further develop the resources. Central Asia's critical mineral exports have long tilted toward China and Russia. Kazakhstan, for example, in 2023 sent $3.07 billion in critical minerals to China and $1.8 billion to Russia compared with $544 million to the U.S., according to country-level trade data compiled by the Observatory of Economic Complexity, an online data platform. "In recent weeks, my administration has strengthened American economic security by forging agreements with allies and friends across the world to broaden our critical minerals supply chains, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement He asked each of the visiting presidents to give remarks, and they praised his efforts to promote trade in their region and peace around the world. Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon said his country has very rich, boundless critical mineral resources. But he also offered a nod to being in a tough geopolitical neighborhood, situated between Russia and China. That makes partnering with the U.S. all the more important, Rahmon said: We are very keen to continue closely our cooperation on security items, which we are so concerned for." The White House meetings came after a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Wednesday to repeal Soviet-era trade restrictions that some lawmakers say are holding back American investment in the Central Asian nations, which became independent with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today, its not too late to deepen our cooperation and ensure that these countries can decide their own destinies, as a volatile Russia and an increasingly aggressive China pursue their own national interests around the globe at the cost to their neighbors, said Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a sponsor of the legislation. The United States offers Central Asian nations the real opportunity to work with a willing partner, while lifting up each others' economies. Building economic ties The grouping of countries, referred to as the C5+1, has largely focused on regional security, particularly in light of the two-decade U.S. military presence and then withdrawal from neighboring Afghanistan, Chinas treatment of ethnic Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and attempts by Russia to reassert power in the region. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the Central Asian leaders at the State Department on Wednesday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the C5+1 and to plug the potential for expanding the countries' economic ties to the U.S. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We oftentimes spend so much time focused on crisis and problems and they deserve attention that sometimes we dont spend enough time focused on exciting new opportunities, Rubio said. And thats what exists here now: an exciting new opportunity in which the national interests of our respective countries are aligned. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and the U.S. ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, who also serves as Trumps special envoy to South and Central Asia, recently visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to prepare for the summit. Administration officials say deepening the U.S. relationship with the countries is a priority, a point they have made clear to the Central Asian officials. The president's "commitment to this region is that you have a direct line to the White House, and that you will get the attention that this area very much deserves, Gor told the Central Asian officials Wednesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Expanding the Abraham Accords Also Thursday, Kazakhstan's president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, agreed that his Muslim-majority country will join the Trump-led Abraham Accords. Trump posted word of the agreement shortly before Thursday's dinner began. The largely symbolic move is aimed at reviving an initiative that was the signature foreign policy achievement of Trumps first term, when his administration forged diplomatic and commercial ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. Kazakhstan has had diplomatic relations with Israel since 1992. With a fragile ceasefire holding in Gaza, Trump is hoping Saudi Arabia will soon join the accords, while the White House has said the same of Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim nation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Saudi Arabian and Indonesian officials have maintained that they cannot move forward on normalizing relations with Israel until there is a clear path for a Palestinian state. Trump said during the working dinner that he hoped to announce that more countries would join the expanded Abraham Accords, especially with Iran losing standing in the region. "One of the reasons is, we are right now in negotiations, or talks, with many countries that really wanted to come in, but they couldnt because of the status of Iran where Iran had a possibility of nuclear weapons, which they do not have now," Trump said. He also rejected the idea that the Gaza ceasefire may not hold. Its not tentative, Trump said. Its very strong peace. ___ AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report. Rep. Elise Stefanik, the onetime moderate Republican turned staunch MAGA ally of President Donald Trump, announced on Friday that she is running for governor of New York. Stefaniks entry into the race sets up what is likely to be one of the most closely watched elections of the 2026 campaign season. Politics: As Millions Of Americans Lose SNAP Benefits, Trump Keeps The Party Going At Mar-A-Lago In the lead-up to the launch of her campaign, Stefanik had been relentlessly attacking incumbent Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), calling her the Worst Governor in America, seizing on her endorsement of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now more than ever, New Yorkers need a strong check and balance in the Governors Office to counterbalance jihadist terrorist sympathizer Commie Mamdani, Stefanik wrote on X, joining the chorus of Islamophobic attacks Mamdani has faced from right-wing pundits. Her campaign video announcement on Friday reinforced that theme. I am running for Governor to make New York affordable and safe FOR ALL. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents will unify to save our state. Its time to: FIRE HOCHUL. SAVE NEW YORK, she wrote in the caption. Politics: Democrats Sweep Election Night As Shutdown Wears On: Live Updates Her two-and-a-half-minute video did not reference Trump at all. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But Hochul made sure to highlight her strong ties to Trump in a supercut posted on social media. Elise Stefanik is running to deliver New York for Donald Trump and raise your costs, Hochul wrote. Not on my watch. My message to Trumps top ally bring it on. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., questions the panel of witnesses during a House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee hearing on Antisemitism in Higher Education: Examining the Role of Faculty, Funding, and Ideology on Capitol Hill, on July 15, 2025, in Washington. AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr. Meanwhile, New York GOP chair Ed Cox made clear the party is united behind Stefanik, noting there will not be a Republican primary in a year from now. She is the warrior we need to lead the fight against Democrats corrupt Albany machine, Cox said in a statement. Politics: Senate Reaches Deal To Reopen Government After Moderate Democrats Cave New York hasnt had a GOP governor in nearly 20 years, with George Pataki being the last Republican to hold the post from 1995 to 2007. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stefanik, an alum of the George W. Bush administration who also helped former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) in his preparation for the vice presidential debate against Joe Biden in 2012, won her first House race in 2014, making history as the youngest woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress at the time. While she entered politics as a moderate Republican, she went on to fully embrace Trump, endorsing him in 2016 after he became the partys nominee. She has stood by him ever since, voting against his impeachment and was also one of the 147 Republican lawmakers who voted against certifying Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 race on Jan. 6, 2021, pushing his debunked election falsehoods. Politics: It Sure Looks Like Trump Believes This Satirical Article About Obama Is True: 'WOW!' In 2022, she became the first Republican, and the highest-level one, to endorse Trumps 2024 presidential bid, while most Republicans blamed him for the partys lackluster performance in that years midterm elections. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She was also reportedly on Trumps vice-presidential shortlist last year before he settled on JD Vance. But while Stefanik seemed poised to be rewarded for her loyalty to Trump, being picked to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, he withdrew her nomination over concerns that Republicans could lose her seat in a special election, further limiting their already-small majority in the House of Representatives. Related... Read the original on HuffPost Donald Trump has outed White House communications chief and resident attack dog Steven Cheung as a user of fat drugs. Announcing plans to slim down the cost of popular weight loss drugs, the president began naming his Cabinet members and aides, asking if they needed such medication. US President Donald Trump alongside White House Communications Director Steven Cheung. / ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images You taking any of this stuff, Howard? he asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Not yet, Lutnick replied. CMS administrator Mehmet Oz, he doesnt take it, Trump said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wheres Steve? the president then asked. Head of public relations for the White House. Hes taking it. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung looks on as U.S. President Donald Trump walks off Air Force One. / Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images Steven Cheung is a former spokesperson for the UFC, who joined Trumps 2016 campaign and served as his director of strategic response. He is now the White House communications director, working alongside Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and is known for his combative style and profanity-laced responses to media inquiries. You must be truly f--king stupid if you think were not transparent, he said recently, when asked by Huffington Post reporter S.V Date why many of the presidents remarks were not posted as transcripts. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Asked if he cared to comment on Thursday, Cheung told the Daily Beast: Its important to encourage others to explore options to address health concerns by speaking openly and honestly about it. Trumps unexpected outing of his 43-year-old aides weight loss attempts came as he announced a deal on Thursday that could significantly expand access to hugely popular obesity drugs by reducing the price to as little as $150 a month. Trump has long fixated on GLP-1 medications, often expressing frustration about the high cost of what he has dubbed the fat drug in the U.S. But the presidents own health has also been in the spotlight lately, from his recent chronic venous insufficiency diagnoses (which has caused his swollen ankles) and frequent hand bruising, to his revelation that he recently had an MRI scan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In terms of his own weight, an official medical report released by the White House after his first medical examination in April recorded him at 224 pounds, although some observers have questioned this. Trumps most recent check up took place last month, but the latest report from White House doctor Sean Barbabella did not record his weight. In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump announced concessions from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk that will lower the price of the companies weight-loss drugs for some patients who are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Its a triumph for American patients that will save lives and improve the health of millions and millions of Americans, he said, flanked by pharmaceutical executives and Cabinet members. Trump on Weight Loss Drugs: Howard LutnickYou taking any of this stuff Howard? Lutnick: Not yet Trump: Mehmet Oz, he doesnt take it. Wheres Steve Head of public relations for the White House. Hes taking it. pic.twitter.com/Yboa5A09is Acyn (@Acyn) November 6, 2025 Under the administrations plan, drug makers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk would sell their medications to Medicare for $149 per month for the lowest dose and $245 per month for larger doses. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The drugs would also be will be offered at discounted rates through through a new administration website TrumpRx.gov, which is expected to go live next year. Consumers would then be able to purchase the drugs directly in cash for an average of $350 or less per month - less than the current rate of about $500 per month. President Donald Trump has pardoned former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada, who was handed a 36-month sentence in September for fraud, money laundering and conspiracy charges tied to a scheme involving constituent mailer services. Trump also pardoned Casadas former chief of staff, Cade Cothren, who received a 30-month sentence. The two were indicted in August 2022 and convicted this May. A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss the pardon, accused the Biden administration of coming down too hard on Casada and Cothren. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Biden Department of Justice significantly over-prosecuted these individuals for a minor issue involving constituent mailers which were billed at competitive prices, never received a complaint from legislators, and resulted in a net profit loss of less than $5,000, the official said in a statement. The Biden DOJ responded with an armed raid, perp walk, and suggested sentences exceeding 10 years penalties normally reserved for multimillion dollar fraudsters. Trump has spared several high-profile Republicans since returning to the White House in January. He pardoned Michele Fiore, the former Las Vegas City Council member occasionally dubbed Lady Trump just before her sentencing on fraud charges in the spring. In October, he granted clemency to former GOP lawmaker George Santos, fewer than three months into a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and identity theft. Trump also gave clemency to former New York House Rep. Michael Grimm and former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland two more Republicans in May. And in February, he pardoned former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a former Celebrity Apprentice guest who these days calls himself a Trumpocrat. Cothren has played into the administrations distrust of the Biden White House. Targeted by Bidens DOJ for standing with Trump, his bio reads on X. Convicted for refusing to break. Redeemed by grace and not done yet. By Jody Godoy and Tom Polansek WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) -President Donald Trump on Friday accused meatpacking companies of driving up U.S. beef prices, which have hit records, through manipulation and collusion, and ordered the Justice Department to investigate. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an X post the probe was under way and being run by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater. Slater leads the Justice Department's antitrust division, which investigates price-fixing and other practices that stifle competition. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement No targets of the probe were identified. Tyson Foods, Cargill, JBS USA and National Beef Packing Company slaughter about 85% of U.S. grain-fattened cattle that become steaks, beef roasts and other cuts of meat in supermarkets. In a post on Truth Social, the president said he directed the Justice Department to launch "an investigation into the Meat Packing Companies who are driving up the price of Beef through Illicit Collusion, Price Fixing, and Price Manipulation." The move comes as Americans are focused on pocketbook worries, like food prices that have outpaced inflation. A Reuters/Ipsos poll in late October found that 40% of respondents said cost-of-living was the most important election issue. The Department of Justice is also probing whether egg producers conspired to inflate the price of eggs. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Beef prices set records in 2025 after a years-long drought burned up pasture lands and hiked costs of cattle feed, forcing ranchers to slash the nation's herd to the smallest level in nearly 75 years. Consumer demand has remained generally strong despite high prices. A pound of ground chuck beef cost retail consumers about $6.33 in September, up 13.5% from a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ranchers have long complained about consolidation in the packing industry. Cargill declined to comment. Spokespeople for the other companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "We need transparency, accountability, and a fair market that rewards those who actually raise and produce our beef not the corporate middlemen gaming the system," Rollins said in a post on X. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Meat Institute, a trade group representing meatpackers, said the beef industry was heavily regulated and that market transactions were transparent. "Despite high consumer prices for beef, beef packers have been losing money because the price of cattle is at record highs," said Julie Anna Potts, the institute's CEO. The administration of former President Joe Biden also blamed meatpacking companies for rising food prices. JBS USA is owned by Brazilian meatpacker JBS, while Brazil's Marfrig Global Foods SA holds a controlling stake in National Beef Packing Company. "This entire industry is highly concentrated and well beyond the level that's normally considered a harm to the economy," said Bill Bullard, CEO of cattle producers' group R-CALF USA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PRICE-FIXING LAWSUITS Tyson, Cargill and JBS have paid tens of millions of dollars to settle lawsuits accusing the companies of conspiring to inflate U.S. beef prices by restricting supply. They have denied wrongdoing. The Justice Department's antitrust division has both civil and criminal investigative authority, and can issue subpoenas for documents and witness testimony in its investigations into suspected anticompetitive conduct. Slater, a former economic adviser to Vice President JD Vance, has said the division will focus on "pocketbook issues" facing consumers, such as food, housing and transportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bipartisan calls for antitrust enforcement in the packing industry have mounted in recent years. At a hearing in June, Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, and Cory Booker, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, called for antitrust enforcement in the sector. "Its time to fix this broken system once and for all," said Angela Huffman, president of advocacy group Farm Action. Trump recently angered ranchers by urging them to lower cattle prices and suggesting the country could increase low-tariff imports of Argentine beef to reduce U.S. beef prices. Economists said increased imports from Argentina would not meaningfully lower grocery store prices for U.S. consumers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August, Trump implemented a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods that slowed imports of a major source of beef that was mixed with U.S. hamburger meat, further tightening supplies. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington, Bhargav Acharya in Toronto, Tom Polansek in Chicago and Jody Godoy in New York; editing by Chris Sanders, Costas Pitas, Rod Nickel) US President Donald Trump said he still favours Budapest as the site of a potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine, though both Washington and the Kremlin have made clear that no talks are imminent. "If we have it, I'd like to do it in Budapest," Trump told reporters during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is on friendly terms with Putin, at the White House on Friday. Trump did not give a reason for choosing the Hungarian capital. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The US leader first suggested talks in mid-October, proposing a summit in Budapest within two weeks. But subsequent US contacts with Moscow indicated that Russia was unwilling to soften its maximalist demands toward Ukraine, prompting Trump to postpone the talks indefinitely. Meanwhile, Washington imposed sanctions for the first time on two Russian oil companies Rosneft and Lukoil citing their role in funding the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine. Russia has also downplayed the likelihood of new Putin-Trump talks. There is "no need" for a hasty meeting at this time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday, the state-run TASS news agency reported. "What is needed now is very careful work on the details of a settlement," he said. Trump last met Putin in Alaska in August, an encounter that produced no concrete results. ATHENS, Greece (AP) U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright on Friday condemned the COP30 environmental summit as harmful and misguided defying the global scientific consensus and concern by governments worldwide on climate change. Its essentially a hoax. Its not an honest organization looking to better human lives, Wright told The Associated Press at the close of a two-day business conference in Athens. He added that he might attend next year's summit just to try to deliver some common sense. Wrights comments came as world leaders gathering over 5,000 miles away, on the edge of the Amazon in Brazil, blasted U.S. President Donald Trump for his absence from the United Nations-sponsored discussions on climate change running through Nov. 21. His remarks echoed the U.S. administrations rejection of global climate agreements and Trump's prioritization of fossil fuels. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The U.S. will send no high-level officials to the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, the White House said Friday. President Trump will not jeopardize our countrys economic and national security to pursue vague climate goals that are killing other countries, Taylor Rogers, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement. Wright led a senior U.S. delegation to Athens for talks centered on boosting U.S. liquefied natural gas exports to eastern Europe and Ukraine. Among them were Interior secretary Doug Burgum, deputy secretaries and the new U.S. ambassador to Greece and close Trump ally, Kimberly Guilfoyle. At the forum, top U.S. officials criticized European Union carbon reduction policies, arguing they undermine economic growth, democratic alliances, and global leadership in AI and energy innovation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A world away, leaders take aim at Trump's claims It was a stark contrast with the Brazilian city of Belem, where world leaders at COP30 issued urgent warnings about the accelerating pace of global warming, driven in large part by emissions from burning fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a moral failure to act would trigger rising hunger, displacement, and environmental damage. Backed by overwhelming scientific consensus, the U.N. reaffirmed that climate change is already underway, requiring urgent global action to prevent irreversible harm. Latin American leaders attending COP30 in Belem took swipes at Trump for his stance on climate discussions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Today Mr. Trump is against humanity. His absence is proof of that, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro said in his speech on Thursday. What should we do then? Leave him alone. Oblivion is the biggest punishment. Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva struck a more moderate tone regarding Trumps absence, expressing hope that his U.S. counterpart would eventually change his mind. President Trump told me he doesnt believe in green energy, Lula told reporters earlier this week. He will believe in it, because he'll realize that we dont have much of an alternative. Trump wasnt the only one staying away; the summit was also notably absent of leaders from China and India. Together, these three nations are the worlds largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wright a former fossil fuel executive who has been a leading voice against efforts to fight climate change defended Washingtons stance, arguing that global gatherings should prioritize energy access, growth and technological advancement over what he described as fear-driven environmentalism. Gatherings of global leaders and businesses should be about humans not on the desire to scare children and grow government power, he told the AP in Athens. Theyve lost the plot. The Belem talks opened as the U.N. weather agency announced that 2025 was on track to be the second or third warmest year ever recorded. The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which hit a record high last year, continued to rise in 2025, as did ocean heat and sea levels, the World Meteorological Organization reported Thursday. Climate policy reversals under Trump Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump has reversed Bidens focus on slowing climate change to pursue what the Republican calls U.S. energy dominance in the global market. At the U.N. General Assembly in September, he called climate change the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world. At the start of his second term, Trump again withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, while the Environmental Protection Agency has announced a series of actions to roll back landmark regulations. Trump created a National Energy Dominance Council and directed it to move quickly to drive up already record-high U.S. energy production, particularly fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, and remove regulatory barriers. Under executive orders, the EPA and other federal agencies have sought to revive coal, a reliable but polluting energy source thats long been shrinking amid environmental regulations and competition from cheaper natural gas. Meanwhile, Trumps administration has blocked renewable energy sources such as offshore wind and canceled billions of dollars in grants that supported hundreds of clean energy projects across the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps in no other time in history have leaders in Washington been more determined to pull the United States backwards in the fight against the climate crisis," Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said Friday in a statement. ___ Savarese reported from Belem. AP reporter Matthew Daly contributed from Washington. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: &pizza has acquired Tijuana Flats, a fast casual Tex-Mex chain with 95 units, the company said Thursday in an emailed press release. The acquisition includes the chains headquarters in Maitland, Florida. Terms and purchase price were not disclosed. Alongside the deal, &pizza launched Latitude Food Group, a holding company that will oversee and guide both the pizza chain and Tex-Mex chain and unite fast-casual and quick-service concepts that share a bold, unconventional spirit. Latitude Food Group will help the chains grow through multi-unit franchising and partnering with entrepreneurs with multi-brand portfolios. Mike Burns, current &pizza CEO, will become CEO of Latitude. Both restaurant brands are in the midst of a variety of different initiatives. &pizza launched franchising earlier this year and recently announced four new franchise agreements that will bring the chain beyond the mid-Atlantic and into markets like Orlando, Florida; Atlanta; Charleston, South Carolina; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Tijuana Flats emerged from bankruptcy earlier this year and has been undergoing store refreshes and a menu update that includes adding Street Tacos to its permanent menu. From their innovative use of technology and bold design to their shared commitment to community and purpose, the alignment is clear, Burns said. Were excited to harness the unique strengths of both brands and apply proven strategies and efficiencies to build a strong foundation for future growth. The two brands dont have much overlap in existing markets, which could provide opportunities for each to grow into new markets where Latitude will be able to support that growth. &pizza has locations across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia, while Tijuana Flats has a stronghold in Florida, and a presence in Alabama, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. We felt like we can take a lot of the operational and marketing models that we ran at &pizza in the last few years Ive been here and just replicate that playbook, Burns said. Tijuana Flats also cleaned up its portfolio during restructuring so there werent any surprises with the brand, Burns said. The two brands now share HR, accounting and financing direction under Latitude Food Group and Burns said the companies will also benefit from a shared supply chain, especially since there are similar ingredients at both concepts. A Tukwila man who repeatedly phoned a member of Congress office with violent threats pleaded guilty on Oct. 31 to a federal charge of transmitting an interstate threat, according to court documents. Bradley Whaley was arrested in downtown Seattle on March 21, one day after investigators say he threatened to slit the lawmakers throat and harm staff during a call to the representatives Washington, D.C., office. According to MyNorthwest.com, the lawmaker was Rep. Dan Newhouse. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The threat came from a cell phone traced to the Tukwila area, according to a detailed criminal complaint. The documents say that an intern answered the March 20 phone call shortly before 2 p.m. Pacific time. The staffer immediately recognized Whaleys voice from earlier calls and voicemails. During the call, Whaley asked to speak with the representative. When told the lawmaker was not in the D.C. office, he asked if the representative was at the district office in Washington state and then said that if the representative was there, he would slit [his/her] throat and slit [his/her] staffs throat. Whaley added, yeah its two pm, I still have plenty of time to do that. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The intern wrote down Whaleys statements immediately after hanging up and reported that the call lasted about 45 seconds. The staff member also photographed the office phones display to document the incoming number, which matched a T-Mobile number ending in 1016 that investigators later traced to Whaleys household. Phone records obtained from T-Mobile confirmed that Whaleys number placed a call to the congressional office at 1:43 p.m. that day. The call connected through a cell tower in Tukwila, which investigators said matched the timeline of the threatening call. The subscriber listed for the number was a woman with a Burlington address previously linked to Whaley. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Agents noted they believed she was a relative. Court documents show the March 20 threat was not the first time Whaley had contacted the office. A week earlier, on March 13, he had threatened to drive to D.C., kick down your door and assault the representative and everyone in [the] office, according to the staffers notes. That report was the fourth written about Whaleys communications. The office also retained voicemails from March 15 and March 18. In the March 15 message, Whaley warned that if his Social Security payment was delayed one god damn day, he would confront the representative face-to-face and invoked his Second Amendment right to form a militia. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a March 18 message, he again identified himself, provided his phone number, used explicit language to criticize the representative, and stated, Were in Washington. We will take his ass out. After identifying Whaleys phone through real-time location data provided by T-Mobile, agents found him at his workplace in downtown Seattle. He was arrested outside around 2:39 p.m. on March 21. On Oct. 31, 2025, Whaley pleaded guilty to one count of transmitting an interstate threat. Sentencing will be set by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Turkiye says it has issued arrest warrants for genocide against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials. Among 37 suspects listed are Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, according to a Friday statement from the Istanbul prosecutors office, which did not publish the complete list. Turkiye has accused the officials of genocide and crimes against humanity that Israel has perpetrated systematically in its war on Gaza since October 2023. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The October 17, 2023, attack on the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital claimed 500 lives; on February 29, 2024, Israeli soldiers deliberately destroyed medical equipment; Gaza was placed under blockade, and victims were denied access to humanitarian aid, it said. The statement also refers to the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, built by Turkiye in the Gaza Strip and bombed by Israel in March. Israel denounced the move as a PR stunt. Israel firmly rejects, with contempt, the latest PR stunt by the tyrant [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X. The Palestinian group Hamas welcomed the announcement, calling it a commendable measure [confirming] the sincere positions of the Turkish people and their leaders, who are committed to the values of justice, humanity and fraternity that bind them to our oppressed Palestinian people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Turkiyes announcement comes almost one year after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes. Turkiye last year also joined South Africas case accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Israels war on Gaza has killed at least 68,875 Palestinians and wounded 170,679 since October 2023. An arrest has been made in connection with the death of a 23-year-old nonverbal woman. On Oct. 26, police responded to a traffic accident on I-85 northbound near exit 21 involving Marlo Wallace. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Mother says she reported abuse years before homicide of nonverbal woman in Dallas home Following the crash, Wallace informed investigators that they would find a deceased person at her home on Green Brook Trail in Dallas, North Carolina. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Officers discovered the body of 23-year-old Aaliyah Michelle Fortner, who had been living under Wallaces care. Following an investigation, Marlo Wallace, along with Vera Williams Wallace, was taken into custody. According to court documents, Marlo Wallace admitted to assaulting Fortner on multiple occasions, including hitting her with objects, pushing her to the ground, using a taser on her, and stomping her head. In separate documents, Vera Williams Wallace admitted to also assaulting Fortner on multiple occasions, including hitting her with objects, pushing her to the ground, and breaking a broom by hitting her. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to court documents, Fortner was under the care of Vera Williams Wallace during the assaults. Marlo Wallace faces charges including concealment of death from unnatural causes, patient abuse and neglect, and felony assault of an individual with disabilities. She is being held in Gaston County Jail under a $1.5 million bond. Vera Williams Wallace has been charged with patient abuse and neglect and felony assault of an individual with disabilities. Williams is also held in Gaston County Jail under a $1 million bond. The case remains active and ongoing, with no further details released at this time. VIDEO: Mother says she reported abuse years before homicide of nonverbal woman in Dallas home The FBI announced that two men from Massachusetts have been arrested in connection to an explosion that happened in the middle of the night at Harvard Medical School. Logan David Patterson, 18, and Dominick Frank Cardoza, 20, were taken into custody in the early hours of Tuesday, November 4, according to ABC News. Federal prosecutors said they have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to damage, by means of an explosive. The explosion took place on the fourth floor of the Goldenson Building just before 3 a.m. on Saturday, November 1, officials said. No one was injured amid the incident. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The explosive detonated inside of a wooden research laboratory locker. The explosive is believed to be a Roman candle firework, according to U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts Leah Belaire Foley. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz May Return for Mummy 4: Heres Everything We Know Meanwhile, FBI Boston Special Agent in Charge Ted Docks said that Patterson and Cardoza intended to commit an "extremely dangerous act." He added that the incident was "not some harmless college prank, and is instead a federal crime. Docks went on to note that there could have been casualties if people were in the building at the time of the explosion. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Patterson and Cardoza are not students at Harvard University, and its believed they were visiting the nearby Wentworth Institute of Technology for Halloween parties at the time they set off the explosion. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz May Return for Mummy 4: Heres Everything We Know This investigation is ongoing," Docks said, per ABC News. "There is no evidence of any ongoing threat to the university or to the public. Surveillance cameras captured the two suspects concealing their identities in face coverings as they near the medical school in the early hours of November 1. They were seen lighting what appeared to be Roman candle fireworks in the footage. Foley also explained that the suspects got into the building by allegedly climbing scaffolding and gaining access to the roof. Shortly after the suspects were seen on camera, campus police were alerted to a fire alarm that was set up from the explosion that occurred on the fourth floor of the building. DAK LAK, Vietnam (AP) Typhoon Kalmaegi brought fierce winds and torrential rains to Vietnam on Friday, killing at least five people, flattening homes, blowing off roofs and uprooting trees. In the Philippines, where the storm left at least 204 dead earlier in the week, survivors wept over the coffins of their loved ones and braced for another typhoon. As the storm moved on, recovery work began in battered towns and villages in both countries. Across central Vietnamese provinces, people cleared debris and repaired roofs on their homes. Jimmy Abatayo, who lost his wife and nine close relatives after the typhoon unleashed flooding in the central Philippine province of Cebu, was overwhelmed with sorrow and guilt as he ran his palm over his wifes casket. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I was able to swim. I told my family to swim, you will be saved, just swim, be brave and keep swimming, said Abatayo, 53, pausing and then breaking into tears. They did not hear what I said because I would never see them again. Mourning the dead in the Philippines In Cebu, 141 people died, mostly in floodings. Villagers on Friday gathered to say goodbye to their dead, including at a basketball gym turned funeral parlor where relatives wept before a row of white coffins bedecked with flowers and small portraits of the deceased. A state of national emergency declared by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday was still effect in the Philippines, as the country braced for another potentially powerful storm, Typhoon Fung-wong, known locally as Uwan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Marcos, who visited Cebu on Friday, said an unusually large volume of rain overwhelmed dikes and flood-control safeguards and caused rivers to rapidly overflow on Tuesday, flooding nearby residential communities, where residents scrambled to climb to the upper floors or roofs of their houses in panic. Across the country, Kalmaegi left at least 204 people dead and 109 missing, the Philippines Office of Civil Defense said, and more than half a million people were displaced. Nearly 450,000 were evacuated to shelters, and nearly 400,000 remained in evacuation centers or homes of relatives as of Saturday. The weather bureau said Fung-wong would come early next week and predicted it would span an estimated 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) before making landfall late Sunday or early Monday in northern Aurora province. It could also potentially affect the densely populated capital region of Manila. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The toll in Vietnam State media said five people were killed in Vietnam three in Dak Lak and two in Gia Lai provinces while three remained missing in Quang Ngai. Fifty-two houses collapsed and nearly 2,600 others were damaged or had their roofs blown off, including more than 2,400 in Gia Lai alone. The storm also caused multiple power grid failures and knocked down hundreds of power poles, cutting electricity to more than 1.6 million households. Authorities said Saturday that power had been restored to most areas, but about 500,000 households remained without electricity. Factories lost their roofs and equipment was damaged because of flooding in Binh Dinh province. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In hard-hit Quy Nhon, residents woke up to find corrugated metal roofs and household items scattered along the streets. Later on Friday, families crowded into a brightly lit shopping mall one of the few places with backup power in the city clutching tangled extension cords and their phones. Children rejoiced at the unexpected outing while parents lined up at every available outlet, charging their devices and anxiously calling relatives to make sure they were safe. As the skies cleared and sunlight broke through on Friday morning, residents in Dak Lak province stepped out to assess the wreckage left behind. Streets were littered with fallen branches and twisted sheets of metal, and muddy water still pooled in low-lying areas where the river had surged to record heights overnight. Shopkeepers dragged out waterlogged goods to dry in the sun, while families swept mud from their doorsteps and patched together missing roof tiles. Many areas in Vietnam reported uprooted trees, damaged power lines and flattened buildings as Kalmaegi weakened into a tropical storm and moved into Cambodia on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In Vietnam's financial capital Ho Chi Minh City, many waded through flooded streets Friday as high tides and lingering rains from Kalmaegi swamped low-lying neighborhoods. In Lam Dong province, officials evacuated around 100 households near an irrigation lake after discovering leaks in the dam. Local authorities told state media that the evacuation was a precaution to prevent a potential disaster. Tropical cyclones slamming the region Kalmaegi struck Vietnam as the countrys central region was still reeling from floods caused by record-breaking rains. Authorities said more than 537,000 people were evacuated, many by boat, as floodwaters rose and landslides loomed. The storm was forecast to dump up to 24 inches (600 millimeters) of rain in some areas before moving into Laos and northeast Thailand later on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Three fishermen were reported missing Thursday after their boat was swept away by strong waves near Ly Son Island off Quang Ngai province. Search efforts were later suspended due to worsening weather, state media said. The Philippines experiences about 20 typhoons and storms each year and is among the worlds most disaster-prone countries. Vietnam, which is hit by around a dozen storms annually, has endured a relentless series this year. Typhoon Ragasa dumped torrential rain in late September, followed by Typhoon Bualoi and Typhoon Matmo, which together left more than 85 people dead or missing and caused an estimated $1.36 billion in damage. Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and typhoons increasingly destructive and frequent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kristen Corbosiero, a professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany, said a normal year has 23 named storms by this time, but Kalmaegi and Fung-Wong are the 26th and 27th named storms. Kalmaegi is the fourth strongest typhoon this season, she said. If you look at the climatology for the Philippines and for Vietnam, its almost the entire year that they can get them because the warm waters that fuel the storm just are there, Corbosiero said. ___ Gomez reported from Manila, Philippines. Associated Press writers Joeal Calupitan in Manila, Philippines, and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report. Nov. 6 (UPI) -- The United States on Thursday lifted a Biden-era arms embargo on Cambodia following several high-profile meetings between officials of both countries. The notice filed by the State Department with the Federal Register that explains the Trump administration was removing Cambodia from the International Traffic in Arms Regulations list due to Phnom Penh's "diligent pursuit of peace and security, including through renewed engagement with the United States on defense cooperation and combating transnational crime." The embargo was placed on Cambodia in late 2021 by the Biden administration to address human rights abuses, corruption by Cambodian government actors, including in the military, and the growing influence of China in the country. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It was unclear if any of those issues had been addressed. "The Trump administration has completely upended U.S. policy toward Cambodia with no regard for U.S. national security or our values," Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said in a statement criticizing the move to lift the embargo. "There has been broad bipartisan concern about the Cambodian government's human rights abuses and its deepening ties to Beijing." The embargo was lifted on the heels of Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn meeting with Michael George DeSombre, U.S. assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in Cambodia on Tuesday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement On Friday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth met with Tea Seiha, another Cambodian deputy prime minister, in Malaysia, where the two agreed to restart "our premier bilateral military exercise," the Pentagon chief said in a statement. Great meeting with Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister, Tea Seiha, in Kuala Lumpur. We agreed to restart our premier bilateral military exercise with Cambodia. The KL Accords demonstrate President Trump's commitment to peace through strength. pic.twitter.com/bqpQRhhC03 Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 31, 2025 President Donald Trump has received much praise from Cambodia for his involvement in securing late July's cease-fire and then last month's peace declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, which had been involved in renewed armed conflict in their long-running border dispute. During Tuesday's meeting between Prak and DeSombre, the Cambodian official reiterated Phnom Penh's "deep gratitude" to Trump "for his crucial role in facilitating" the agreements, according to a Cambodian Foreign Ministry statement on the talks. Meeks framed the lifting of the embargo on Thursday as the Trump administration turning a blind eye to Cambodia's "rampant corruption and repression ... because the Cambodian government placated Trump in his campaign for a Nobel Peace Prize." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "That's not how American foreign policy or our arms sales process is meant to work," Meeks said. Cambodia in August nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize "in recognition of his historic contributions in advancing world peace," the letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee stated. Construction workers work on a new condo development in Charlotte, North Carolina. Housing prices in the region have increased 72% since 2017. (Photo: Getty Images) A government shutdown that lasts beyond November would be incredibly harmful to efforts to provide safe and affordable housing to the nations most vulnerable citizens, U.S. Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12) said Thursday. The record-breaking government shutdown has already been devastating for citizens who have trouble accessing healthcare and food assistance or paying rent, Adams said. U.S. Rep. Alma Adams (Screenshot: Housing Webinar) Were talking about thousands of residents who will not be receiving the essential rental assistance payments that theyre due and unhoused people will not receive the housing support that they need, said Adams, adding that she hopes the shutdown doesnt go beyond next week. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Adams noted the threats the shutdown poses to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments (HUD) rental assistance programs such as Housing Choice Vouchers, Projects-Based Rental Assistance and public housing. Citizens who receive such assistance are expected to have rent paid through November. But assistance from HUD will come more slowly due to Trump administration-ordered firings and furloughs, Adams said. Since January, roughly 2,300 HUD employees have been laid off, she said, and staffing at HUDs Fair Housing Office has been significantly reduced, which gives citizens less recourse to address housing discrimination. People who need that kind of support from those agencies, will continue to face delays in receiving the services, because if you go into an agency and you fire half the people, then the people who are depending on getting access to services, they dont have access to a person who can help them, so that becomes a problem as well, Adams said. She said Congress must come together and pass a bipartisan solution to the problem, because people need housing, people need health care and weve got the resources to take care of both. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The congresswoman made her remarks during the final installment of her Charlotte Matters webinar series, which was put together to discuss how the government shutdown is impacting Charlotte and the rest of North Carolina. Previous topics included healthcare, education and hunger. Adams said President Donald Trump is being dishonest when he says theres no money to provide Americas most vulnerable citizens decent housing, health care and food assistance. Youve got money to send $40 billion over to Argentina or some other place, Adams said. Youve got money to tear down half of the White House to put up a ballroom. Housing, health care and hunger are not partisan issues, Adams noted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its about being human and everybody needs a decent, affordable place to live, she said. Skyrocketing rents, increasing evictions Karen Pelletier (Photo: Screenshot from housing webinar) Adams was joined by a panel of housing experts and advocates for people experiencing homelessness. Karen Pelletier, division director of Housing Innovation and Stabilization Services for Mecklenburg County, said the county has been able to help cover rents for about 200 households that receive HUD subsidies. Weve been able to provide that support and continue to pay the salaries of staff that are also federally funded, Pelletier said. And so what this shutdown has created is great stress in the community between staff that are wondering when those payments are going to run out, landlords wondering when the rent payments are going to stop. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said individuals with long histories of homelessness, seniors, children and other vulnerable citizens who live in subsidized housing programs are now at risk of losing housing because of changes to HUD policy. OShauna Hunter, director of Housing Solutions for A Home for All with the United Way of Greater Charlotte, noted that the Charlotte area has more than 2,000 people who are unsheltered . Evictions are increasing and rents are skyrocketing, she said. OShauna Hunter (Photo: Screenshot from housing webinar) Hunter said more resources are needed to ensure homelessness is rare, brief and non recurring. We need case management and support to those who are on their journey to housing stability, Hunter said. We need efforts to prevent people from becoming unstably housed or losing their housing, and then we need the production of more housing and all types of housing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Latonya Agard, executive director of the North Carolina Coalition to End Homelessness, said shes concerned about Trump administration plans to end funding for Housing First initiatives, which prioritize providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness. Latonya Agard (Photo: Screenshot from housing webinar) This is the program that works, the evidence is there, and it is distressing to know that the current administration is deciding not to fund Housing First programs and then to turn to other programs that really do place more obstacles, rather than abilities to help in front of people, Agard said. Adams began the housing webinar discussing housing issues in Charlotte, which she said is one of the greatest challenges facing the city. That was true, she said, even before the Trump administrations reckless federal cuts to housing and the government shut down. She noted that 157 people move to Charlotte-Mecklenburg everyday, which has placed pressures on the regions housing supply. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We simply are not building enough housing to meet our housing demand and this, of course, has led to housing prices skyrocketing in the Charlotte region, Adams said. Housing prices in the region have increased 72% since 2017, compared to 41% nationally. Charlotte is experiencing a significant rise in gentrification as a result, pushing out residents of historically Black working-class neighborhoods, because they are some of the only affordable locations in our city, Adams said. Adams said corporate home ownership continues to be a serious problem. In 2023, 26% of all single family homes in Charlotte were owned by large corporations, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I believe a home should be a place for you to start a family, build your life, but unchecked corporate housing ownership is really making that less and less attainable for Charlotteans, Adams said. She noted that she introduced the American Neighborhood Protection Act to address the problem of mass corporate ownership of housing. My bill requires any corporation that owns more than 75 single family homes to pay an additional $10,000 per home annually, Adams said. These funds would be placed into a housing trust fund for down payment assistant grants to families who are purchasing homes. The law would lower housing costs, increase housing supply and provide financial assistance for families looking to buy a home and start their lives, she said. As Charlotte navigates our housing issues, the government shutdown and federal cuts made this year are only worsening the problems facing our residents, Adams said. U.S. forces on Thursday struck another alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean, killing three people, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said, bringing the death toll from Washington's controversial anti-narcotics campaign to at least 70. The United States began carrying out such strikes which experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The U.S. strikes have destroyed at least 18 vessels so far 17 boats and an alleged "narco sub" but Washington has yet to make public any concrete evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hegseth released aerial footage on X of the latest strike, which he said took place in international waters like the previous attacks and targeted "a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization." The video showed a boat traveling through the water before exploding into flames. "Three male narco-terrorists -- who were aboard the vessel -- were killed," Hegseth said, without any further identifying information. "To all narco-terrorists who threaten our homeland: if you want to stay alive, stop trafficking drugs. If you keep trafficking deadly drugs -- we will kill you," he wrote. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced another deadly U.S. strike on a boat he said was trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea. / Credit: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Like some previous videos released by the U.S. government, a section of the boat is obfuscated for unspecified reasons. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement President Donald Trump's administration has built up significant forces in Latin America, in what it says is its campaign to stamp out drug trafficking. So far it has deployed six Navy ships in the Caribbean, sent F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico, and ordered the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike group to the region. The governments and families of those killed in the U.S. strikes have said many of the dead were civilians primarily fishermen. Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly accused Mr. Trump of seeking to oust him. When asked in an interview with "60 Minutes" last week if Maduro's "days were numbered," Mr. Trump responded, "I would say yeah. I think so, yeah." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr. Trump last month also confirmed that he had authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela. Earlier this year, the Trump administration designated several cartels as terrorist organizations, including Venezuela's notorious Tren de Aragua. U.S. bombers have also conducted shows of force near Venezuela, flying over the Caribbean Sea off the country's coast on at least four occasions since mid-October. Maduro who has been indicted on drug charges in the United States insists there is no drug cultivation in his country, which he says is used as a trafficking route for Colombian cocaine against its will. The Trump administration has said in a notice to Congress that the United States is engaged in "armed conflict" with Latin American drug cartels, describing them as terrorist groups as part of its justification for the strikes. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The United Nations has asked the United States to cease its campaign, with rights chief Volker Turk saying the killings have taken place "in circumstances that find no justification in international law." Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed a small group of congressional leaders Wednesday on the growing military campaign, providing one of the first high-level glimpses into the legal rationale and strategy behind the strikes. Republicans emerged either staying silent or expressing confidence in the campaign. Democrats said Congress needs more information on how the strikes are conducted and the legal justification for actions that critics say violate international and U.S. law by killing alleged drug smugglers on the high seas. On Thursday, Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trump's ability to launch an attack against Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take a stronger role in Trump's high-stakes campaign against Maduro. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In August, the Trump administration doubled a bounty for Maduro, offering a $50 million reward for his arrest. Supreme Court appears to push back against Trump administration lawyer over tariffs Trump says government shutdown was "a big factor" in GOP election losses Man says he was trapped by fire surrounding auto shop after UPS plane crash Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh said a maritime route channeling pre-screened aid from the East Mediterranean island was a vital lifeline to the people of Gaza. The United Arab Emirates is preparing to increase aid deliveries into Gaza, an envoy said on Friday, saying a sea corridor from Cyprus was essential alongside land and air access. Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh said a maritime route channeling pre-screened aid from the East Mediterranean island was a vital lifeline to the people of Gaza. The UAE has partnered with Cyprus in supplying large quantities of aid to the Palestinian enclave, devastated by a two-year war. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Maintaining multiple entry points into Gaza remains incredibly important," Nusseibeh said after an inspection of aid accumulating at the port of Limassol in Cyprus. "As this plan moves forward, access to Gaza by land, air, and sea is going to remain critical," she told reporters. Too little aid reaching Gaza, humanitarian agencies say Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed a month ago to a first phase of a plan presented by US President Donald Trump. It paused a devastating two-year war in Gaza triggered by a cross-border attack by Hamas militants on October 7, 2023. It secured a deal to release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Aid donated by the UAE for the people of Gaza is stored in a warehouse at the port of Limassol, Cyprus November 7, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou) Despite the ceasefire, far too little aid was reaching Gaza, humanitarian agencies said on Tuesday. Some 22,000 tons of pre-screened aid has been dispatched from Cyprus under the so-called Amalthea Initiative launched last year. Some of it reached Gaza directly via a short-lived temporary pier set up by the U.S. last year, while other shipments have been dispatched to the port of Ashdod in Israel. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images The UN has designated the civil war in Sudan the worlds largest humanitarian crisis, with 13 million people forced to flee their homes and widespread reports of war crimes targeting civilians. As the bloody power struggle intensifies, the United Arab Emirates has been accused of stalling peace efforts in the region. Abu Dhabi is the main backer of the Rapid Support Forces, an unnamed intelligence officer in the militia told Sky News. In the beginning, it was the Russians Wagner and the state. Now, they tell me it is the UAE supporting the RSF. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Weapons from the UAE are reportedly arriving by plane via Darfur and Chad. What did the commentators say? The slaughter in Sudan is the horror the world swore would not happen again, said The Sunday Times. But as the UAE allegedly funnels weapons and funds to the RSF, it feels as though historys nightmare is returning. Following the bloody aftermath of the takeover of El Fasher by the RSF, Abu Dhabi has been dragged into the spotlight, accused of having a central role in the metastasising civil war, said the Financial Times. During the Biden and Trump administrations the UAE has been an important ally to both there has been a noticeable silence. But the latest atrocities have raised hackles in Washington. Two Democratic representatives have reintroduced an act to Congress that would halt US weapons exports to the UAE until it provided evidence it has ceased support for the militia. The Republican chair of the Senate foreign relations committee has called on Donald Trump to designate the RSF a terrorist organisation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Disentangling the UAE from the RSF may be difficult, given Abu Dhabis vested interest in the region, said Middle East Eye. Sudan presents the UAE with an arena in which to project its power across the Red Sea and also a potential gateway to east Africa. Its untapped gold resources are also appealing to the UAE, which has emerged as a global trading hub in gold, as it attempts to diversify its financial portfolio away from oil. The RSF leader Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti and his family reportedly own a gold company that operates on lands seized by the RSF in Darfur in 2017. One of his brothers, Algoney Dagalo, is a businessman based in the UAE. What next? Although it continues to deny directly funding and supplying the RSF, the UAEs diplomatic machine is for the first time admitting to mistakes in its Sudan policy, a sign that the reputational damage is beginning to bite, said The Guardian. On Sunday, a UAE representative said that the emirate and others, in hindsight, should have imposed sanctions on Sudan following the 2021 military coup partially led by the RSF. The admission indicates that the Gulf state believes it must distance itself from the RSF, the force it so nurtured. The fall of El Fasher marks a turning point, said The Sunday Times. If no resolution can be reached Sudan risks partition, a scenario that does not suggest any imminent end to the killing. On the contrary, in fact. Porsche AG has announced it has opened a new centralised R&D centre in China, which the German automaker said represents a major milestone in its In China, for China strategy. The opening event was attended by Porsche AG board members, Shanghai government officials, and strategic partners. Porsche said the new 10,000-sq-m facility, located in Shanghais Hongqiao central business district (CBD), is the companys first integrated overseas R&D centre, designed to accelerate local innovation by merging Porsches engineering excellence with Chinas fast-paced digital ecosystem. The new facility consolidates some of Porsches existing operations in China, including the Technical Division, Porsche Engineering China, and Porsche Digital China, into a single comprehensive hub. It already employs more than 300 engineers, integrating R&D operations, procurement, and quality functions, which can now operate with enhanced autonomy and agility. Dr. Oliver Blume, chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG, said in a statement China is leading the way in future mobility, combining electrification, digitalisation, and new luxury concepts. Solving the challenges of this transformation isnt possible from afar it has to happen here. The China R&D centre is a strategic pillar that connects German engineering with China's digital future. This centre will help us move faster, learn more, and strengthen Porsche R&D globally. Alexander Pollich, president and CEO of Porsche China, stated: Today marks a defining moment in our commitment to China. This centre is our promise to deliver intelligent solutions that deeply connect to the digital life and specific needs of our Chinese customers, while unmistakably being Porsche in every drive, as well as maintaining Porsche's engineering quality and reliability standards. Sajjad Khan, member of the Executive Board at Porsches Car-IT unit, further explained: The new China R&D centre allows us to tap directly into the country's fast-moving innovation ecosystem. This has enabled a significant acceleration of our development pace, cutting cycle times from years to months. As a result, we can respond to the evolving needs of Chinese customers with greater speed and in a more targeted manner. "Porsche opens new integrated R&D centre in China" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The UN Security Council has removed sanctions on Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al Qaeda leader who now rules Syria, ahead of his visit to the White House to meet with Donald Trump. Mr Sharaa took over as president after leading an Islamist rebel offensive to overthrow Bashar al Assads government in December 2024, ending over a decade of civil war. The resolution to lift sanctions on Mr Sharaa and his interior minister, Anas Khatta, was introduced by the US on Thursday and received 14 votes in favour, with China alone abstaining. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Mr Sharaa was sanctioned by the UN in 2014 as leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, then the Syrian chapter of al Qaeda. Mr Sharaa, under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, rose through the ranks of al Qaeda and a precursor of Isis called ISI, fighting occupying US forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian civil war. He was captured and imprisoned by US troops for several years. His group broke ranks with al Qaeda in 2016 and it was removed by the US from its list of foreign terror groups in July. On Thursday, Mr Trump praised Mr Sharaa for doing a very good job as Syrias leader. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It's a tough neighbourhood, and he's a tough guy, but I got along with him very well. And a lot of progress has been made with Syria, the US president said. We did take the sanctions off Syria in order to give them a fighting shot. US president Donald Trump meets with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 14 May 2025 (Reuters) Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said the resolution was a strong political signal that recognised Syria was in a new era. The American government, he claimed, was working hard to fulfil its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, on eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons, and promoting regional security and stability as well as an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process. Syrias ambassador, Ibrahim Olabi, hailed the move as a message of support for Syrian women and men in their effort to rebuild their homeland and restore their lives. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The new Syria will be a success story, he told the Security Council. It will be a shining model that proves the optimal path in international relations is positive engagement and constructive cooperation. If therere concerns, Syria is fully prepared to address them with sincere intent based on mutual respect. Mr Sharaa is visiting Washington on Monday for the first time since he took power, a long stride for a man once designated by the US as a terrorist with a $10m bounty on his head. In September, Mr Sharaa visited New York for the UN General Assembly session, becoming the first Syrian president to address the international body in 58 years. Mr Trump first met Mr Sharaa in May when the US president was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a Middle East tour. He later described the Syrian leader as a tough guy with a very strong past. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement China abstained on the resolution because it did not properly address its concerns about counterterrorism and security in Syria, Beijings ambassador Fu Cong noted. Beijing has long voiced concerns about the presence of the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement in Syria. The group, also called the Turkestan Islamic Party and dominated by Uyghurs from China and Central Asia, was one of the Islamist militias that helped Mr Sharaa take over the Arab country. China accuses the group, which aims to establish an independent country of East Turkestan in the countrys northwest, of waging terrorist violence in the Xinjiang province, where Beijing is accused of overseeing widespread abuses of the mainly Muslim ethnic minority. Mr Fu said the resolution adopted on Thursday "makes it clear" that Syria should "take decisive actions to combat terrorist acts and respond to the threat of foreign terrorist fighters, which include ETIM. Newark's typical 20-foot Christmas tree will no longer be found at Main and Academy streets this season, as it has for decades. This year, the University of Delaware has declined to allow the city to pitch this evergreen on its Academy Lawn instead pushing the pinnacle of downtown holiday decoration to outside City Hall. A smaller version will still be allowed for the one-day Winterfest event on the lawn, now in its 30th year, according to the city. "It's something people love to walk by, to get in the holiday spirit," said Jayme Gravell, Newark's community engagement chief. "But nothing about our event is going to change." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Winterfest should still take over the lawn from 6 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 6, with a 12-to-14-foot pine, a holiday market, ice carving and much more. The city said official notice of the tree decision came around September. UD officials said this decision wasn't exactly made by its "Campus Culture and Engagement" group, but rather falls into months of discussion around campus culture and inclusion. Onlooker takes photos of a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, in Rehoboth Beach. "What we've adjusted is allowing third parties and the city is one of them those not affiliated with the university directly, to use UD's grounds for long-term displays," Vice President for Student Life Jose-Luis Riera said over the phone on Nov. 7. "What we're doing is reserving those display rights for our registered student organizations." So, this isn't seeking to set a cooling precedent for student faith-based or cultural organizations, he said, but limits guests that may seek to pitch displays on campus. That way, Riera said, "we can, in fact, ensure that all faith, all affinity groups in our campus community have an equal opportunity for expression." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The broader UD initiative, which Riera leads, formed earlier this year to review campus practices under new university leadership, a changing federal landscape and more. But this month, attention was on a 20-foot tree. 'Nothing wrong with new traditions' The menorah is completely lit on the sixth night of Hanukkah after a ceremony hosted by Chabad of Delaware at the Brandywine Town Center, Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. UD leaders called it a decision based on ongoing examination around the use of campus space. Newark now sees it as starting fresh and maybe even expanding. "There's nothing wrong with new traditions," Gravell said Nov. 7. The new City Hall location certainly offers less room to gather against Main Street, but she said any impact will be understood once the tree is up and lit by Dec. 5. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Also, regardless of past deliberation, it may soon have company. Newark officials cleared a policy this month to welcome other holiday displays in front of City Hall, Gravell said, which could include a menorah, a Kwanzaa Kinara and more. More information will be available and sent out to faith leaders in the coming days, as applications open due to limited space. And as for UD's tree decision, the city spokesperson said: "We respect it." And Riera said the university still welcomes its role as a community hub. From left, mother and son, Diana and Matt Barreira, a first-year student, take a selfie as Matt moves to on-campus housing at the University of Delaware's South Academy Hall in Newark, Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. More than 4,000 first-year students will arrive on campus for Move-in Weekend and the start of the 2023-2024 academic year. "The recognition of UD's centrality, like the cultural ethos if you will, in the City of Newark we recognize that's really important," Riera said, noting Winterfest, Liberty Day and more will continue to use the grounds. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As for the "Campus Culture and Engagement Initiative," multiple listening sessions have already been held across campus, as the group pulls in leaders from student groups, faculty and administration. In October, UD told Delaware Online/The News Journal it's "a comprehensive, long-term strategy and framework for operationalizing our values of diversity and inclusion. Several programs fall within this broader framework to ensure a cohesive, campus-wide approach." So far, amid both federal pressure and rethinking, the university has made some changes to personnel titles and at least one website previously detailing the "UD Anti-Racism Initiative." It now reroutes users to a letter announcing this initiative, which should be completing overall recommendations to submit to administration in the new year. "Obviously we're making responsive changes based on the expectations of our role within, you know, the infrastructure of receiving federal grants, which are very important to UD," Riera said. "But obviously this situation is not directly connected to that." Got a story? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: UD decision moves Newark's annual holiday tree display to City Hall ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) Tricks of the mind, weather balloons, or extraterrestrial life. The UFO, or Unidentified Flying Object, is one of the most infamous mysteries and is generally associated with aliens, but the term UFO can be many different things. In this episode of New Mexico Strange, David Marler, the Executive Director of the National UFO Historical Records Center, joins KRQE News 13 host and anchors Chad Brummett and Stephanie Chavez to discuss the many strange and unique UFO sightings that have happened on the land of enchantment. Marler is very knowledgeable on the subject and has studied hundreds of different sightings. Chad and Stephanie, alongside David, dive into common misconceptions about UFO sightings, the governments use of the UFO subject, the most convincing sightings, and how drones and Starlink satellites have changed the view of UFOs. To learn more about David Marler and the National UFO Historical Records Center, click here. About New Mexico Strange New Mexico is perceived worldwide as a mecca for the extraordinary. Whether its the healing soil of Chimayo, the haunted trails of the Old West, or visitors from the final frontier, our state is home to countless myths and mysteries. New Mexico Strange is KRQE News 13s online exclusive web series, celebrating our unique history and shedding light on the shadows of the unexplained, unexplored, and unknown. Hosted by Chad Brummett, New Mexico Strange takes viewers through some of the Land of Enchantments most mysterious folklore and conspiracies. 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. In our Reality Check stories, Herald-Leader journalists dig deeper into questions over facts, consequences and accountability. Read more. Story idea? hlcityregion@herald-leader.com. Andy Beshear has gotten a lot of use out of his navy blue emergency management jacket in his six years as Kentucky governor. He wore it when he visited London in May after a tornado ripped through the area killing 20. He wore it in 2022 when catastrophic floods killed 45 across Eastern Kentucky. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And he wore it Nov. 5, surveying damage from a UPS plane crash in Louisville that has left at least 13 dead. Similarities among photos of the governor in the jacket with yellow text seem to be confusing social media users online including a popular AI chatbot. Beshears Director of Digital and Creative Services James Hatchett told the Herald-Leader he took the posted photo Nov. 5. It's impossible to describe the devastation from yesterday's deadly plane crash. My heart is broken. My prayers are with all those affected, and I promise we will be there in the hours, days and weeks ahead. We will get through this together. We love you, Louisville. pic.twitter.com/5qDXTYS2cN Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) November 6, 2025 Its impossible to describe the devastation from yesterdays deadly plane crash. My heart is broken, Beshears recent post said. My prayers are with all those affected, and I promise we will be there in the hours, days and weeks ahead. We will get through this together. We love you, Louisville. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Replies to the post that went up Wednesday around 7:15 p.m. on X, formerly known as Twitter, criticized the governor for reusing a photo of himself among destruction. Several users speculated, because of the grassy background, the image of Beshear was from a trip to Western Kentucky in 2021 when he consoled grieving families near Mayfield and Dawson Springs after a tornado outbreak damaged the area. Bremen Mayor Allen Miller, left, leads Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear through a tornado ravaged area of Bremen, Ky., Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. One user asked Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot integrated with X, where the photo was from. This photo shows Governor Beshear surveying damage from the December 2021 tornado outbreak in Dawson Springs, Kentucky, where over 80 people died, Grok replied. Its not from the recent UPS plane crash. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats not true. Hatchett, who is part of the governors digital and creative services team said Grok was entirely false. As someone who was there to photograph the 2021 tornadoes as well, those photos do not contain the fire damage clearly seen in the picture from yesterday in Louisville, said Hatchett, who took the photo. Our focus should be on the victims and their families at this time. In the photo, Beshear is wearing the same jeans shown in photos posted this week by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg and U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, who represents much of Jefferson County in Congress. When Beshear was in Western Kentucky Dec. 14, 2021, where he was joined the following day by then President Joe Biden, Herald-Leader photographers caught the governor examining the damage in khakis. Amy Arnold, of Bremen, Ky., greets Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as he examines damage at Church Street General Baptist Church in Bremen, Ky., Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. In an online photo album from the governors office titled 11.05.2025 UPS Plane Crash Site, Beshears team has uploaded several photos of the governor shaking hands with firefighters and walking to the crash site with Greenberg and McGarvey. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Satellite imagery from the line of the crash just beyond Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport show wreckage continues past several businesses south of UPS Worldport separated by roads and some small patches of grass. In the Grok Conversation, a feature that appears when you ask the AI tool a question, the chatbot corrected itself and identified the image as being one taken at the UPS plane crash site. The original Grok post that incorrectly said the photo was from 2021 has not been taken down and has been amplified Thursday morning by two prominent Kentucky personalities: Terry Meiners, who is a WHAS radio host, and Andrew Cooperrider, who is part of the Liberty movement within the states Republican Party. A number of replies on the governors post, which includes just one photo, take aim at what one user described as an IG photoshoot at a gravesite, and others agreed was nothing but a staged photo opportunity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This isnt a harlequin romance. Its a tragedy, another user replied. Beshear is, as the Associated Press called him in 2022, Kentuckys Consoler-in-Chief, forged by natural disasters, fatal accidents and the blue jacket he wears when hugging those grieving. Photos of the governor in the jacket with yellow text have been consistent throughout his two terms. Since 2019, Kentucky has had at least 18 severe weather emergencies requiring state of emergency declarations. Those are in addition to numerous declarations made during COVID-19, the state of emergency declaration following the plane crash and another recent one made in response to the disruption of federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that keeps more than 600,000 Kentuckians fed. (Reuters) -The White House has informed other federal agencies that it will not permit Nvidia to sell its latest scaled-down AI chips to China, The Information reported on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter. Nvidia has provided samples of the chip to several of its Chinese customers, according to the report. The chip, known as the B30A, can be utilized to train large language models when efficiently arranged in large clusters, a capability many Chinese companies require, the report added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An Nvidia spokesperson told Reuters that the company has "zero share in China's highly competitive market for datacenter compute, and do not include it in our guidance." White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment. Nvidia is working on modifying the B30A's design in hopes that the U.S. administration will reconsider its stance, the The Information report said, citing two company employees. The California-based company, however, has also been facing regulatory headwinds in China. Beijing has recently issued guidance requiring all new data center projects that receive any state funding to use only domestically developed chips, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Data centers that are less than 30% complete will have to remove all installed foreign chips, or cancel plans to purchase them, while projects in a more advanced stage will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the sources added. The guidance effectively shuts out Nvidia and its AI chips from a lucrative market segment, including advanced models under U.S. export controls that are nevertheless available in China via grey market channels. (Reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing, Shivani Tanna and Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) By Daniel Wiessner (Reuters) -A federal judge ruled on Friday that President Donald Trump's administration violated the free-speech rights of furloughed U.S. Department of Education employees by altering their out-of-office email messages to blame "Democrat Senators" for the ongoing government shutdown. U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., said that nonpartisanship is the foundation of government service, and commandeering Education Department employees' email accounts to broadcast a partisan message erodes it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "Political officials are free to blame whomever they wish for the shutdown, but they cannot use rank-and-file civil servants as their unwilling spokespeople," wrote Cooper, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama. The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, had sued over the email messages last month. Cooper ordered the Education Department to immediately remove a line blaming "Democrat Senators" for the shutdown from the email messages of workers who are AFGE members. The judge said he would order the department to remove the messaging from all employees' accounts if it is technologically impossible to parse out accounts of union members. The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, entered its 38th day on Friday with no end in sight. The lapse in funding has led to many federal workers missing paychecks and millions of Americans losing food stamp benefits, and could force airlines to cut up to 20% of flights due to a lack of air traffic controllers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democrats in the Senate are refusing to pass a budget bill that does not include the extension of expiring health insurance subsidies, and the Trump administration has blamed Democrats for the funding lapse at every opportunity. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has aired videos in airports blaming Democrats for disruptions to airport security, and many agencies have posted similar messages on their websites. (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot) When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The long moratorium has been one of the so-called nuclear taboos meant to preserve stability. | Credit: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images The United States has not conducted a working test of a nuclear weapon since the early 1990s. That could change. President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to restart testing, raising alarms about a dangerous new arms race with Russia and China. Other countries are testing, Trump said Sunday on 60 Minutes . The United States is the only country that doesnt test its nuclear weapons , he said. That created some confusion among nuclear observers. The United States, China and Russia have all observed decades-long moratorium on underground nuclear blasts, said The Wall Street Journal , and continue to do so. (Russia has recently tested warhead delivery systems, which seems to have provoked Trump.) America also has an extensive program to ensure the reliability of its nuclear arsenal using computer simulations and small nuclear experiments. The president, however, seems determined to proceed. That process will begin immediately, he said on Truth Social. Pragmatic and prudent? The United States should resume nuclear testing, said the National Review editorial board. The country has invested heavily in maintaining the nuclear arsenal, but it is common sense that the next generation of weapons will be strengthened with a responsible testing regime. America should keep that arsenal up-to-date to deter aggression from nations that wish us ill. That is why a pragmatic and prudent American testing regime is warranted. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trumps talk of nuclear testing is dangerous, said W.J. Hennigan at The New York Times . During his first term, the president ordered the Energy Department to be ready to conduct a simple test within six months. That never happened, but administration officials said such a test would be political, to send a message to adversaries. That is a bad reason for testing. Todays Americans are lucky to live in a time where the deadliest weapons arent routinely being exploded by leaders for show. Resuming testing would augur a dangerous, unpredictable new era. The long moratorium has been one of the so-called nuclear taboos meant to preserve stability among nuclear powers, said Andreas Kluth at Bloomberg . If America were to blow up that taboo, there is an increased risk that somebody, somewhere, someday might break the ultimate taboo and use the weapons in anger. No responsible leader could reasonably want to take this risk. China would benefit The concern is that Trumps testing push provokes other nations to do the same, said The New York Times . Why would we want to open the Pandoras box and provide an opportunity for nuclear testing to Americas rivals, said John F. Tierney, the executive director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. government said President Donald Trump's hush money criminal conviction in New York should be thrown out, because it was based on improper evidence and a legal theory preempted by federal law. In a Friday filing with a state appeals court in Manhattan, the Department of Justice adopted Trump's view that he deserved immunity for official acts he took as president, and introducing evidence of such acts at trial "can never be harmless." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It also said federal law barred jurors from considering whether Trump violated federal election law by concealing a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, the disclosure of which could have disrupted his 2016 presidential campaign. The Justice Department made its arguments in a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Trump's bid to overturn his May 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Courts need not take such briefs into account when ruling. A spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office won the conviction, declined to comment. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT CITES LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASE Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump and the Justice Department cited the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark July 2024 decision shielding presidents from prosecution over official acts, and barring prosecutors from discussing such acts in criminal cases about private behavior. The Justice Department said this means Trump's trial judge should not have let jurors hear about Trump's alleged discussions with Attorney General Jeff Sessions about a potential federal election probe, and White House Communications Director Hope Hicks about dealing with negative press. "To allow any of the Nation's more than 2,300 prosecutors' offices to indict a former President for his official conduct would risk chilling every President in the vigorous discharge of the duties of his office," the Justice Department said. The department acknowledged that Trump's six-week trial predated the Supreme Court decision, and trial judge Juan Merchan could not have applied its findings. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement TRUMP RECEIVED UNCONDITIONAL DISCHARGE On Thursday, a federal appeals court ordered a Manhattan district judge to reconsider Trump's request to move his conviction to federal court from state court. Such a move could speed up Trump's potential exoneration. The state appeals process could take a couple of years. Merchan sentenced Trump on January 10 to an unconditional discharge, a rare sentence he said would help minimize disruption and ensure "finality" as Trump prepared to begin his second White House term 10 days later. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) By Stephen Nellis and Arsheeya Bajwa SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Chip designer Qualcomm on Wednesday forecast quarterly sales and profit above market expectations as premium smartphone sales rebounded, but a possible loss of business next year from Samsung, a key customer, sent its shares down after hours. Qualcomm is among the world's biggest suppliers of modem chips that connect smartphones to wireless data networks. For the current fiscal first quarter ending in December, Qualcomm said it expects sales and adjusted profit with a midpoint of $12.2 billion and $3.40 per share, above analyst estimates of $11.62 billion and $3.31 per share, according to LSEG data. For Samsung Electronics' most recent Galaxy S25 models, Qualcomm supplied 100% of modem chips, but Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told Reuters on Wednesday that Qualcomm was prepared for a lower share in Samsung's next generation. "When you think about Galaxy S26, we're planning for 75% - that's what we expect," Amon said. Qualcomm shares fell 2.7% in extended trading on Wednesday. The stock had risen nearly 4% during regular trading. The company has been expanding into other fields such as laptops and automobiles, as well as data center chips, after longtime customer Apple has planned to substantially transition to its own modems. Amon told analysts on a conference call on Wednesday that the company was in discussions with a large AI computing company to supply chips. He told Reuters that the forecast and better-than-expected fourth-quarter results were driven by a wave of consumers upgrading midpriced smartphones to more expensive devices to handle AI apps, with the market beginning to divide between low-end devices and the pricier premium devices. "You don't have anything in the middle," he said. "And that's kind of a global phenomenon that's happening in China, that's happening in India. We continue to see an expansion of the premium tier." Investors have been working to understand how Apple's transition to its own modems will affect Qualcomm's business. In a note to clients, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon said Apple is likely using its own chips in its iPhone Air and iPhone 16e models but has remained with Qualcomm chips for iPhone 17 models, softening the blow to Qualcomm. Apple, Samsung and China's Xiaomi all still account for more than 10% of Qualcomm's revenue, Qualcomm said in securities filings on Wednesday. DISCUSSIONS WITH HYPERSCALER Qualcomm last month announced a new series of AI data center chips, saying that Humain, an AI firm founded by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, will be a customer. Amon said on the conference call that Qualcomm is in discussions with another large customer. Leila Stillman-Utterback, a Vermont native, was deported and banned from Israel after joining a Palestinian olive harvest, highlighting tensions between the Israeli government and Jewish activists. Having spent the night in an immigrant detention center in Ramle, Israel, Leila Stillman-Utterback, still handcuffed, began to daven shacharit, the morning prayers, as dawn broke. I think the police officers were very confused, because that was not the image of an activist that they had, said the 18-year-old Vermont native. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now, after being deported and banned by Israel for 10 years, she is unsure when she will be able to confuse people in Israel again. In two separate incidents this past week, the right-wing Israeli governments conflict with the Jewish left, both at home and abroad, reached new heights as American and Israeli Jews attempted to accompany Palestinians during their olive harvest in the West Bank. Harvesters have faced repeated restrictions by the Israeli military and a string of threats and attacks by local Israeli settlers. In the first incident, Stillman-Utterback and another Jewish American were accused of violating the terms of their tourist visas and entering a closed military zone. The two were detained, deported and banned for 10 years from Israel. Israeli forces intervene against Palestinian farmers harvesting olives in the village of Sa'ir in Hebron, West Bank on October 23, 2025. (credit: WISAM HASHLAMOUN/FLASH90) Days later, armed Israeli settlers confronted a delegation of Jewish American activists. An Israeli dressed in partial military fatigues shot a live bullet into the air and a drone struck and injured a rabbi on the scene. The incident was caught on camera. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement These two incidents, one after another, are just evidence both of the danger of whats happening, and that the Israeli government has made a decision that, rather than address the horrific violence by settlers, theyre going to penalize American Jews who are here because they care about this land and the people who live here, said Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the executive director of the progressive Jewish organization Truah, who was present at the second incident along with a delegation organized by Truah. The clashes and deportations of American Jewish activists, most of whom with deep connections to their Jewish communities as well as Israel, left Jewish groups and those affected dismayed. The rabbinical associations for the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements issued a joint statement saying they were appalled by the attack on a group of rabbis, including members from all three of our organizations, by radical settlers in the West Bank. We demand that the attackers be held accountable for their actions and that the Israeli government use its authority to end such provocations and attacks, they said. An Israeli Reform rabbi and member of parliament, Gilad Kariv, plans to raise the issue in the Knesset. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement This year has seen an uptick in Israeli and international activists providing a protective presence for Palestinians attempting to complete the all-important olive harvest, which is a cultural touchstone as well as an economic lifeline for rural Palestinians facing high unemployment. OCHA documents at least 126 olive harvest-related attacks in October Between October 1 and October 27, the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 126 olive harvest-related settler attacks against Palestinians resulting in casualties, property damage, or both, a record pace. In addition, Palestinian farmers have been consistently presented with closed military zone orders for up to 24 hours in the areas they wish to harvest. In mid-October, Israel detained and deported 32 foreign activists who were accompanying Palestinian harvesters near Burin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Stillman-Utterback joined 10 other Jews - seven Israelis, and three other foreigners - on October 29 as part of a solidarity harvest in Burin organized by Rabbis for Human Rights. When she graduated from high school this past spring, Stillman-Utterback knew she wanted to spend a gap year in Israel. Stillman-Utterbacks mother is a rabbi, and she worked as a Hebrew school teacher while spending her summers at Eden Village, a Jewish summer camp in upstate New York. She was also on the Jewish Youth Climate Movements executive board in high school, and she was named a Bronfman Fellow, a cohort of high-achieving Jewish teens, two years ago. My anchors in my life and a lot of my communities that are really important to me are all Jewish, Stillman-Utterback told JTA. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Having gone on multiple summer trips to Israel over the years, Stillman-Utterback spent the 2022-2023 school year living in Jerusalem with her family. She attended many of the pro-democracy protests outside the Knesset that year, calling them inspiring. I learned about Israel through the perspective of Jewish values like tikkun olam and btselem elohim, she explained, using Hebrew terms meaning social action and the concept that all humans are created in Gods image. That every human being is made in the image of Hashem, and that is how I was learning about and looking at the conflict. Along with the other woman deported by Israel, Stillman-Utterback had come to Israel this fall as a part of the Achvat Amim program, which is connected to the socialist Zionist youth group Hashomer Hatzair. The five-month volunteer program in Jerusalem focuses on self-determination of all people. Stillman-Utterback joined half a dozen harvests before the one that led to her deportation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Before the latest and last action, the activists were stopped by Israeli soldiers at a flying checkpoint at the entrance of the village of Burin. An organizer was handed a closed military zone order, prohibiting the group from entering the area. According to one of the volunteers, they decided to take another route to join the harvest in an area that they believed was not included in the order. Shortly after arriving at the new area, organizers learned that their bus drivers had been detained by the Israeli military, with their keys confiscated. Upon hearing this, they decided to bring the group to the soldiers, according to one volunteer present. The volunteer asked for anonymity because Israeli authorities later demanded the activists sign a statement promising not to speak publicly about the incident. After the activists were held for 90 minutes by the soldiers, Israeli police arrived and announced they were detaining the entire bus because the participants were aware they had entered a closed military zone. The volunteers were escorted to the police station in the Israeli settlement of Ariel. Those with Israeli citizenship or with visas other than a student or tourist visa were released shortly thereafter. According to Michal Pomerantz, the lawyer for the deported women, Stillman-Utterback and another Jewish-American woman on tourist visas were brought to an immigration tribunal in Ramle. With the proceedings carried out in Hebrew, they were unaware that it was a deportation proceeding and that the man they were speaking to was a judge, according to Pomerantz. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Israeli authorities say the participants ignored the initial warning and were aware they were in a closed military zone. One of the other detained participants said the group believed they had moved to an area that was not under the order. The policeman asked [Stillman-Utterback], Why didnt you get off the bus? recounted Pomerantz. I mean, it was an 18-year-old in the middle of the West Bank. She had no idea where she was. The head of Hashomer Hatzair wrote a letter to Israeli authorities vouching for the two women while asserting they were engaged in a Zionist program oriented around coexistence. Pomerantz says this plea didnt make a difference to immigration officials. Neither did telling Israeli officials that they were Jewish. Faced with either appealing the decision and spending the weekend in an immigration prison or accepting a flight out of Israel, both women accepted the offer to be flown out, leaving the country on Friday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They basically are getting deported over being in a closed military zone for a couple of minutes, said Becca Strober, the executive director of Achvat Amim. The deportation of foreign Jews engaged in solidarity activism with Palestinians is a relatively new phenomenon. Strober recalled one such action she and others took in 2016 in which they deliberately entered a declared closed military zone. In that case, while six Israeli activists were detained, the American citizens were left alone. The closest example to the case in Burin is that of Leo Franks, a British Jew who arrived in Israel last year on a tourist visa with plans to immigrate. After being detained for pro-Palestinian activism work in the West Bank, Franks had his immigration application denied and was ordered to leave the country within seven days. For a state that claims to be a Jewish state for all Jews, said Strober, if you just show up one day and stand in support of Palestinians by doing something as basic as picking olives together, actually, then your Jewishness is irrelevant. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Jewish and other groups organizing solidarity harvests this year complain that while there were previously mechanisms for coordinating harvests with the military, this year they are largely unable to do so. Organizers for Rabbis for Human Rights say they have been presented with closed military zone orders the majority of the time they arrive at Palestinians olive groves. Pomerantz and a team of lawyers have been involved in an ongoing case with the Israeli Supreme Court for the last three years, claiming that military zone closures are being misused by the army for political instead of security purposes. Our ability to be protected by the army has really broken down, said one of the other Jewish volunteers who was detained in Burin. And especially with this Netanyahu-led coalition, were treated as traitors. Were treated as suspects, as anarchists, as people coming with some kind of foreign agenda. But we affirm that were doing this for the sake of Israeli society, as much as were doing it for the liberation of Palestinians. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In a joint statement made by the IDF and Israeli police after the incident, authorities said they had conducted an operation in Burin together with the Population and Immigration Authority after discovering activities by Israeli and foreign activists in the area that were endangering public security and causing friction on the ground. Subsequently, they worked to locate and stop foreign elements involved in incitement and provocations which create disturbances of the public order. The statement went on to say that the two women had violated the terms of their tourist visas. Though at first promising to do so, a spokesperson for the IDF did not comment further to JTA. A drove hovers overhead as Jewish volunteers participate in an olive harvest in the West Bank on November 4, 2025. (credit: Courtesy Jill Jacobs) Rabbi Jacobs said she organized a trip to the West Bank this year in response to the changing conditions on the ground. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Settler violence has just gone up extraordinarily in the last couple of years during the war, Jacobs told JTA. When weve been watching it from afar, as many of our Israeli and Palestinian colleagues have been affected by it, it seemed appropriate that even if we cant as Americans be here every day, that we would at least find a time for a group of us to be here. Working with Rabbis for Human Rights on the ground, Jacobs and eight other rabbis - several of whom had already flown to Israel to attend the World Zionist Congress - first went out picking olives in the Palestinian village of Battir before staying overnight with Palestinian shepherds in the Jordan Valley. Such shepherds report an onslaught of physical attacks by Israeli settlers while being mostly prevented by settlers and soldiers from grazing their flocks in lands now often located in military firing zones or nearby Israeli settlements or outposts. On Tuesday, the group then went to fields near Deir Istiya to pick olives with local Palestinians, joining other solidarity activists, a few of whom wore markers of Jewish observance such as tzitzit and kippot. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The local Palestinians had been unable to reach their olive groves this year due to restrictions from Israeli soldiers and local settlers. The rabbis and Palestinians managed to pick the olives for a short time as a drone buzzed overhead. At times the drone came close to the harvesters. At one point, the drone swooped down and struck Rabbi Dana Sharon from Rabbis for Human Rights, leaving a deep gash on her shoulder. Soon after, two armed Israelis arrived, dressed in partial military fatigues and claiming to be a part of the security coordinator team of the nearby settlement of Revava. The drone is a property of the [settlement security guards]! shouted the men. Though the drone was returned, shouting ensued, with one of the harvesters shouting back. One of the men then shot a live round in the air before retreating. Soon after, Israeli soldiers in uniform approached the group of olive harvesters, saying they were told by the two armed Israelis that the group of rabbis and olive harvesters had taken their drone and attacked them. These soldiers relented when shown videos by the harvesters suggesting otherwise. The shock of the encounter was palpable among the group of visiting American rabbis, who hailed from a combination of Reconstructionist, Reform and Conservative congregations. One stunned rabbi asked an Israeli working for Rabbis for Human Rights about the gunshot, That was a blank, right? It was not. The men have not been identified but appear to reflect a blurring of the lines between settlers and soldiers in the West Bank. In a statement to JTA, the IDF identified the men the group thought were armed settlers as soldiers. IDF soldiers operated a drone that hit harvesters, the statement said. The incident is under review. According to the IDF, the soldiers arrived to collect the drone, during which they fired shots in the air. The incident was unusual and included unprofessional behavior by the soldiers, said the IDF, which said without offering specifics that disciplinary action would be taken. According to Jacobs, different IDF soldiers in uniform were present from the beginning when the group began the harvest. By Jacobs account, these soldiers did nothing as the drone came closer and when the armed men confronted the group. I dont think this [incident] is unusual, though, she said. Settlers in IDF uniforms harass Palestinians every day and sometimes wound and kill them. What was unusual was that this group included American and Israeli rabbis, which is likely the reason the IDF is responding at all [to requests for comment]. Rabbi Sarah Reines, of Temple Emanu-El in New York, looks back on her three-day trip in the West Bank heartened by the Palestinian communities she visited and committed to continued solidarity. Reines praised these peoples resilience and their ability to discern the difference between Israelis who threaten them and cause them harm, those who are neutral, and those who are friends. She added, The rising danger only increases my resolve to represent the highest Jewish values of respect, lovingkindness, peace and preservation of life in the land Jews call home. In the case of Stillman-Utterback, her deportation and banning left her with a sense of betrayal, one that she is now processing from back in the United States. It sent me the message that, despite being Jewish in a state that was created for Jews, Im not the right kind of Jew, or maybe not even Jewish at all, in the eyes of the state and the army and the police, said Stillman-Utterback. SCOTUS on Tuesday extended an order blocking full SNAP payments. The government won't have to pay full benefits for now, as the shutdown is expected to end soon. The Senate approved a bill to end the shutdown, which now heads to the House. The Supreme Court has extended an order that blocks the full payment of SNAP benefits as the government shutdown approaches a potential end. The court extended the order until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Senate on Sunday approved a bill to end the government shutdown. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives, where it could be voted on as early as Wednesday. If approved, it would then be sent to President Donald Trump's desk for signing. The order the court extended was previously issued on Friday. It temporarily blocked a lower court's order that would have required the US Department of Agriculture to pay full SNAP benefits this month. The ruling, issued late Friday night by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, who oversees the First Circuit, paused two previous orders from a federal judge in Rhode Island requiring the USDA to pay full November SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. The Trump administration had asked the US Appeals Court to halt the Rhode Island judge's order, but the court declined to take immediate action. The Supreme Court routinely issues temporary stays to maintain the status quo in similar circumstances while proceedings are ongoing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "The Trump-Vance administration continues to attempt over and over to take food out of the mouths of families, seniors, workers, and children. And every time they tried, the courts told them what the law already makes clear: they cannot," said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the left-leaning policy group Democracy Forward. The organization is a plaintiff in the Rhode Island case. The Supreme Court's order followed a November 6 ruling from Rhode Island federal judge John McConnell Jr., in which he called on the Trump administration to provide food stamps. He ordered that payments be made to states by Friday, November 7. The Agriculture Department has indicated it will follow the order and begin releasing SNAP funds to states. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X Friday that the Thursday ruling, "purports to force the government to divert some $5 billion from the school lunch program to SNAP by the end of today" by paying out food stamp benefits. The Justice Department has requested a stay of McConnell's order, meaning the case could proceed to an appellate court, and the case over SNAP funding will continue. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We ask the First Circuit to get courts out of the business of deciding how to triage scarce funds during a shutdown," she wrote. "When lawless district courts step in to try to manage the federal fisc, it upends the political process." SNAP, or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides monthly food benefits to about 42 million low-income Americans. SNAP payments proceeded despite Trump threat In a November 5 court filing in Rhode Island, the USDA said it had complied with an earlier court order, issued on October 31, to "disburse the funds in its contingency fund" to support SNAP benefits. The agency said that although the contingency fund "has never before been used to fund benefits in a lapse due to congressional opposition to continuing appropriations," it "took the steps necessary to use the fund" to help cover November SNAP benefits marking the first time it's been tapped during a funding lapse. The USDA added that the funds are generally "used in the event of a disaster, such as a hurricane, to provide critical relief." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement However, since the funds weren't enough to cover full payments, the USDA said it told states to cut November benefits by half. On Tuesday, the agency issued guidance to states regarding the reduced payment amounts for November. For a single person living in the 48 continental states and in D.C., their monthly amount will be reduced to a maximum of $149. In the filing, the USDA also said it decided against diverting billions from the Child Nutrition Programs to fund SNAP. "The result would be a substantial shortfall in funding school meals, among other things, that would likely not be filled by any future appropriation," it said. This court filing followed Trump's Truth Social post on Tuesday, in which he threatened to withhold SNAP benefits until the government reopened. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "SNAP BENEFITS, which increased by Billions and Billions of Dollars (MANY FOLD!) during Crooked Joe Biden's disastrous term in office. (Due to the fact that they were haphazardly 'handed' to anyone for the asking, as opposed to just those in need, which is the purpose of SNAP!), will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government, which they can easily do, and not before! " the president wrote in a Truth Social post. Federal judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts previously ordered the Trump administration to continue funding SNAP during the government shutdown. Representatives for USDA and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider outside regular hours. Read the original article on Business Insider Two days after passing through the Strait of Gibraltar en route to the Caribbean, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has not moved significantly from a position just west of Morocco in North Africa, the Navy confirmed to us Thursday. The flattop and elements of its strike group were ordered by President Donald Trump to join the ongoing enhanced counter-narcotics mission in the region, but it is unclear if plans have changed. The relatively static position of the Ford and at least two of its escorts comes as reports are emerging that the Trump administration has decided, for now, not to carry out land strikes against Venezuela. It is unknown at the moment if there is a correlation, and the possibility remains that the carrier could still soon sail westward. We have reached out to the White House for clarification. #USNavy F/A-18E Super Hornet Codigo de llamada: R106 Matricula: 166836 Hex: #ae1b61 Desde el USS Gerald R. Ford CVN78 al sureste de Madeira lo que ubica ya al barco en esa zona.. pic.twitter.com/867LRRtFZk FlightWatcher (@Flightwatcher1) November 6, 2025 The USS Gerald R. Ford remains holding off the coast of Morocco. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jacob Mattingly) The Trump administration on Wednesday told Congress it is holding off for now on strikes inside Venezuela out of concern over the legal authority to do so, CNN reported on Thursday. The briefing was conducted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and an official from the White Houses Office of Legal Counsel, the network reported, citing sources familiar with the events. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lawmakers were told that the authority given to suspected drug boats did not apply to land strikes, the network noted. So far, nearly 70 people have been killed in at least 16 publicly known attacks on vessels allegedly smuggling drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific. The most recent acknowledged strike took place on Tuesday. The strikes have garnered heavy criticism for being extrajudicial and carried out without Congressional authorization. Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO). Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known pic.twitter.com/OsQuHrYLMp Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) November 5, 2025 Asked if the administration is indeed opting against land attacks on Venezuela, at least for now, the White House gave us the following response: President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate to take on the cartels and stop the scourge of narcoterrorism from killing Americans, a White House official told us. The President continues to take actions consistent with his responsibility to protect Americans and pursuant to his constitutional authority. All actions comply fully with the law of armed conflict. CNNs reporting came after a Wall Street Journal story on Wednesday stating that President Donald Trump recently expressed reservations to top aides about launching military action to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Trump feared that strikes might not force Maduro to step down, the newspaper noted. Though ostensibly begun as an effort to stem the flow of drugs, it has grown into a massive show of military force aimed partially at Maduro. The administration is considering three main options for dealing with Maduro, The New York Times reported earlier this week. They include stepping up economic pressure on Venezuela, supporting that nations opposition while boosting the U.S. military presence to add pressure on the Venezuelan leader, and initiating airstrikes or covert operations aimed at government and military facilities and personnel. However, the goal is in flux, administration officials acknowledge, according to the Journal. Meanwhile, Trump has also delivered mixed messages, saying he doubts there will be an attack but that Maduro must go. See President Donald J. Trump's FULL interview on @60Minutes all 73+ minutes, without the network's edits and cuts. WATCH IN FULL: pic.twitter.com/i95cQ3Gqei Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 3, 2025 What is clear is that there is a massive U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, which includes at least eight surface warships, a special operations mothership, a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, F-35B stealth fighters, AC-130 gunships, airlifters, MQ-9 Reaper drones and more than 10,000 troops. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Ford was supposed to join that force, but if the administration is content for now to hit boats suspected of carrying drugs, it might not make sense to move the carrier and escort ships more than 3,600 miles west, especially as there is high demand elsewhere for American naval presence, including in Europe, where the supercarrier just came from. The issue of wear and tear on the force is something that the Pentagon will have to evaluate as it decides which assets to keep and which to pull from the Caribbean. Navy vessels began arriving in the region in late August and at some point, they will need relief. That could mean bringing in ships, possibly from other regions. The same can be said for aircraft units and personnel deployed around the region for the operation. Those forces can only remain spun-up for so long, or the operation needs to be adapted for a long-term enhanced presence. This could very well be underway already, although we have not confirmed this as being the case. However, being so close to the U.S. mainland reduces some of those concerns, especially for rotating units in and out. Regardless of Trumps intentions, the U.S. military presence continues to endure in the region. Thursday afternoon, two more B-52H strategic bombers flew near the coast of Venezuela, according to online flight trackers. These bomber flights have become something of a routine at this point. In addition, the San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale is once again back in the Caribbean after a pitstop in Florida for routine maintenance. Just in: A pair of B-52 bombers are 80 miles off the coast of Venezuela and rapidly closing pic.twitter.com/E8QV7lxXW7 The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) November 6, 2025 At 5 p.m., the U.S. Senate is scheduled to hold a floor vote on a bipartisan war powers resolution that would block the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela, unless that action has been authorized by Congress. A similar measure failed several weeks ago and it remains to be seen if news that the administration is holding off on striking Venezuela will move the needle on that resolution. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor the progress of the Ford and the U.S. military presence arrayed against Maduro and provide updates when warranted. Update: 6:07 PM Eastern The Senate bipartisan war powers resolution was voted down by a vote of 51 to 49. Contact the author: howard@theewarzone.com Utah Republican Party chair Rob Axson said the GOP has abandoned plans to hold a referendum on the states newly proposed congressional map, and will focus its efforts on repealing the states Proposition 4 redistricting law through a ballot initiative. A referendum gives voters the chance to undo a law shortly after it is passed. An initiative allows voters to approve new legislation independent of the Legislature. In this case, the GOP wants to give voters the chance to change state code to strike out the same language Utahns narrowly approved in 2018. We firmly believe that we are right on this issue, specifically, that representative government is the best form of government that we have, Axson told the Deseret News. Well stand up, and well defend that all day long and promote a return to those representative principles. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The GOPs campaign to challenge Proposition 4, which outlined redistricting requirements and created a map-drawing commission, is just the latest wrinkle in a winding legislative and legal saga that is expected to continue even after a judge rules on a new map sometime before Tuesday. At the root of the disagreement is whether the Legislature fulfilled its electoral responsibility or violated the will of the people by side-stepping the Proposition 4 law in 2021, and whether the courts have authority to tell lawmakers how to exercise a function assigned to them in the state constitution. Several prominent Republican leaders in the state, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, and Attorney General Derek Brown, have signed their names onto the initiative which rests on the belief that the inevitably political task of drawing electoral boundaries should be left to locally-elected lawmakers. However, the GOPs campaign to launch both a referendum and an initiative quickly hit a number of roadblocks, leading sponsors of the effort to give up on gathering signatures for a referendum and to focus on getting Proposition 4 on the ballot again for the November 2026 election. What happened to the GOPs referendum? On Oct. 14, state GOP chair Rob Axson submitted two applications: one for a referendum on Map C passed by the Legislature a week earlier, and another for an indirect initiative, asking the Legislature to eliminate the law created by the 2018 Better Boundaries initiative. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Better Boundaries initiative prohibited partisan gerrymandering that disproportionately benefited one party, outlined requirements for redistricting like minimizing the division of municipalities and created an independent commission to recommend congressional maps every 10 years. Plaintiffs in the states redistricting lawsuit quickly filed a complaint against the GOP, arguing that to give the Legislature a second chance at discarding this law, known as Proposition 4, would violate the same constitutional rights identified by the Utah Supreme Court last year. The complaint established a legal timeline making it nearly impossible to gather the requisite 70,500 signatures by Nov. 15, Axson told the Deseret News, and pushed sponsors to switch to a direct initiative, giving them until Feb. 14 to gather 141,000 signatures. Originally, the GOP had planned to gather signatures for the referendum and the initiative at the same time, Axson said, cutting costs in half, and setting the stage to retain Utahs current congressional map if lawmakers repealed Proposition 4 before voters weighed in on the new map in November. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But once the deadline for the indirect initiative became unfeasible, Axson said they decided to go all-in on challenging Proposition 4 in the same way it was originally approved, and chose to forgo signature-gathering for a referendum on the new congressional map passed by lawmakers last month. The initiative is, always has been, and always will be our focus, Axson told the Deseret News. To provide clarification about the initiative the GOP is going out of its way to provide double the number of public hearings required under law. They hosted seven, in seven different regions of the state, on Nov. 3, and will do so again on Monday. The party will begin gathering the 140,748 required signatures next week, with the help of as many volunteers as possible, and a conservative signature-gathering firm, Patriot Grassroots, Axson said. These signatures must be submitted to county clerks by Feb. 14. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Axson did not say how much money the party planned to raise for this effort, but he said theres interest in and outside of Utah on this issue. This interest appears to extend to the White House. On Oct. 20, Donald Trump Jr. posted a link to a Patriot Grassroots recruitment form for the Utah GOP. Why is the GOP still challenging Prop 4? Utahs redistricting fight stands out from other map-drawing battles taking place across the country. Unlike the mid-cycle efforts to increase partisan advantage in Texas and California, Utah is undergoing a process of finding the proper checks and balances between branches of government. On this point Elizabeth Rasmussen, the executive director of Better Boundaries, and Axson agree. Where they diverge is on whether the Legislature acted out of turn by rewriting the statutory language put in place by Proposition 4, or whether it is the courts that overstepped by forcing the Legislature to follow the initial version of the initiative. Now, according to Rasmussen, the GOP is trying to find yet another way to stop lawmakers from following through with the 2018 law which voters have yet to see truly take effect because of Republican opposition. Rasmussen said her group resists the GOPs effort because of policy, not process. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We dont have an issue with voters using the initiative process, Rasmussen said. Whats disappointing is seeing leaders try to reverse those reforms before the system even has a chance to work. We believe the reforms Utahns supported should be given a fair chance to be implemented. In 2021 and in 2025, critics say the Legislature attempted to work around Proposition 4 to split up Democratic strongholds in Salt Lake County, leaving no competitive congressional seats even though one-fourth to one-third of residents vote Democratic in presidential elections. Utah voters will now have a second opportunity to speak in favor of independent redistricting standards that keep the process fair, Rasmussen said, and by doing so ensure that redistricting is more transparent, collaborative and free from political gamesmanship. A Deseret News-Hinckley Institute of Politics poll conducted in October found that a plurality, but not a majority, of Utah voters continue to support Proposition 4, with 44% of respondents saying they would support a similar proposal on the ballot again, 20% saying they would oppose it and 36% saying they did not know. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Republican Partys view, according to Axson, is that Proposition 4 not only handicaps the Legislatures ability to draw political boundaries without court oversight, but it also introduces unfair advantage for Democrats by likely creating a blue-leaning district. Democrats currently make up less than 14% of registered voters in the state, while Republicans make up nearly 53%, Axson pointed out. Instead of metrics of partisan symmetry, Axson supports the Legislatures focus on drawing maps to include a split of rural and urban areas. If Democrats want to see that change, they should engage in earning the trust and respect of the people of Utah and representing the people of Utah instead of demanding that Utahns abandon, by and large, their core principles in order to feel at home within the Democrat Party, Axson said. "Yes" votes continued to outpace the "no" votes on the ballot question that asked Maricopa County residents to finance nearly $900 million in improvements to the public health system. The margin of support grew in the updated unofficial results posted the evening of Nov. 6. The "yes" side is now ahead by 18,672 votes. An estimated 36,490 ballots had yet to be counted, the Maricopa County Elections Department reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The 342,376 "yes" votes posted Nov. 6 represented 51.4% of the ballots counted, while the 323,704 "no" votes represented 48.6%. Most of the results for a host of city, school and fire district measures have been determined, simply because of the margins between yes and no votes. However, some races are going down to the wire. Another post of Maricopa County results was scheduled for midday on Nov. 7, with a final post of unofficial results expected at midday on Nov. 8 after the curing deadline has passed and all audits and reconciliation processes have been completed, elections officials said. Voters will have until 5 p.m. Nov. 7 to address issues regarding their signatures. Information on how to cure a signature can be found at https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/ballot-curing.html. What projects would Proposition 409 fund? Proposition 409, which would help Valleywise Health continue to replace and expand its aging facilities via a secondary property tax, is the only countywide measure that appears on the all-mail election ballot for Maricopa County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One major project that's part of Proposition 409 is replacing a 93-bed two-story inpatient psychiatric hospital on the southeastern part of the main Valleywise campus on Roosevelt Street near 24th Street in central Phoenix. The psychiatric facility was built in 1976 and opened in 1978. If Proposition 409 passes, it will finance construction of a new $220 million, 200-bed psychiatric facility that's closer to the main hospital than the existing building. The bond issue also would finance $500 million for outpatient health facilities, including rebuilding neighborhood clinics, replacing an outpatient specialty care clinic and adding an outpatient surgery center; plus $177 million for expanding Valleywise's main hospital, which opened in 2024, including building out the 10th floor and adding observation beds to add capacity in the emergency department. Avondale, Glendale ballot measures still in question Bond measures in two West Valley cities were too close to call on Nov. 6. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement One of Avondale's two general obligation bonds was winning while the other was losing, both by narrow margins. Avondale asked for $123 million for improvement projects. Proposition 404 asked voters to approve $68 million for parks, recreation and library improvements. It was winning by 232 votes, or about 3 percentage points. Proposition 405 asked voters to approve $55 million for projects related to public safety and court improvements. It was failing by 33 votes, or just about 0.5 of a percentage point. One of Glendale's two general obligation bonds passed, while the other was losing by a narrow margin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Glendale asked its voters to approve two bonds amounting to $65 million. Question 1 asked voters to approve $30 million to invest in storm drains, pipes and catch basins to remove water during heavy rainfall. It passed by a margin of more than 5%. Question 2 asked voters to approve $35 million for facilities that support city infrastructure maintenance. It was failing by fewer than 100 votes as of Nov. 6. Find more election news here Results of several other races already have been determined. Find more information about them in these articles: East Valley voters pass bonds, reforms. Council member concedes in Mesa recall. Majority of school bonds and overrides appear headed to victory. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What races are too close to call? The latest Arizona election results This story was updated to correct an error. This year, Veterans Day is on a Tuesday. The day has been observed in one form or another since 1919, when then-President Woodrow Wilson commemorated the first anniversary of the World War I armistice. "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the countrys service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations," Wilson said at the time. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Congress renamed it from Armistice Day to Veterans Day in 1954. It's worth noting that this change came into effect after urging by veterans' service groups to change it from Armistice to Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs website said. When is Veterans Day 2025 Veterans Day will be celebrated on Nov. 11. Many schools and companies will also be closed Monday in observation of the holiday. Most retail stores and eateries traditionally remain open, often offering discounts for military veterans. How is Veterans Day different from Memorial Day Besides being observed in two different months, the set purpose of Veterans Day and Memorial Day is different. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Memorial Day is observed the last Monday of May each year, and is meant to honor all who served and gave their lives for their country. Veterans Day is in November, and honors all veterans, both living and dead, who served in times of war and peace. When and where are local Veterans Day events taking place? Here are some Veterans Day events taking place around Stark County: Alliance The Alliance Veterans Council will honor U.S. military veterans at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at Memorial Park on East State Street, across from McDonald's restaurant. Keynote speaker will be U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer A.K. Fullmer, a construction engineering technician with the Ohio Army National Guard, who has served since 2005. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ceremony will begin with an invocation by the Alliance Veterans Council master of ceremony and American Legion 10th District Chaplain Frank Barnes. Brewster The village has scheduled a Veterans Day performance by area third and fourth grade students at 9 a.m. Nov. 11 at the Brewster Legion Hall, 320 Wabash Ave. S. Canal Fulton The Serving Area Military (SAM) Center, 8101 Manchester Ave. NW, is hosting a post-Veterans Day appreciation luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 14. The organization also is hosting a flag raising ceremony at 9 a.m. Nov. 7 at the facility. Canton Malone University's Symphonic Band will hold a Veterans Day concert at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 in the Worship Center at the Johnson Center, 2600 Cleveland Ave. NW. The special guest speaker will be U.S. Army Chaplain Randy Heckert. Green The Veterans Day ceremony will take place at 10:45 a.m. Nov. 11 at Veterans Memorial Park, 1900 Steese Road. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The ceremony is to start with the presentation of colors led by Green Fire Honor Guard and the Green High School Junior ROTC, followed by the national anthem sung by the Green High School A Capella Choir. Mayor Rocco Yeargin will address the audience and introduce the Green Veterans Advisory Commission members. Following the mayor's remarks, Bill Burgess, a member of the Veterans Advisory Commission and a Vietnam veteran, will provide a keynote speech. The MAPS Air Museum, 2260 International Parkway, will host its 13th annual Veteran Celebration, Voices of Vietnam, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, from 4:30 to 10 p.m. Nov. 8. Tickets to the dinner are sold out. Jackson Township Stark State College, 6200 Frank Ave. NW, will hold a Veterans Day event from 11 a.m. to noon Nov. 12 in room M-100 at the college Business and Entrepreneurial Center. Patrick Martinez, a Stark State alum and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is the featured guest speaker. A light lunch will also be provided. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kent State University at Stark, 6000 Frank Ave. NW, is hosting its Veterans Day Commemoration at 11 a.m. Nov. 10 at the Student Green. Keynote speaker is Patricia "Trish" McDaniel, a 1983 Kent State alumna and senior executive research scientist of chemistry in the U.S. Army. Lake Township Lake Middle High School, 709 Market Ave. SW, will host its annual Veterans Day celebration on Nov. 11. All veterans and their families are invited. An informal morning reception for all veterans in the middle school cafeteria will take place at 7:45 a.m. The main program starts at 8:30. Massillon A Veterans Day observance is slated from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Massillon East Elementary School, 400 George Red Bird SE. The event is hosted by the third graders. North Canton A Veterans Day ceremony will be held from 11 a.m. to noon Nov. 11 in the main lobby of City Hall, 145 N. Main St., North Canton. Perry Township The Greater Canton Veterans Council has slated its Veterans Day observance for noon Nov. 11 at Perry High School, 3737 13th St. SW. Stark County Veteran of the Year Margaret DeLillo-Storey is to be recognized immediately following the event, which is held annually to benefit Stark County communities. Plain Township United We Stand, the township's 11th annual salute to veterans, will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Central Fire Station, 1742 Schneider St. NE. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Includes reporting by USA TODAY. Editor's note: The keynote speaker at Alliance's Veterans Day ceremony will be U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer A.K. Fullmer. An earlier version of this story had the incorrect branch of service for Fullmer. This article originally appeared on The Repository: Veterans Day events slated around Stark County VESTAL, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) November is National Veterans and Military Families Month. News 34s Lindsay Arons introduces us to a local veteran who had a near death experience that changed his life forever. Rick Yarosh says, I look in the mirror, I know exactly who I am. I dont look like who I used to look like, but I know exactly who I am. Rick Yarosh is a Windsor native and a Retired Army Sergeant. He says at the age of 24, his life changed forever. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yarosh shares, I was 9 months into a deployment into Iraq and was injured in an IED explosion. My vehicle that I was in, Bradley Fighting Vehicle was hit with an explosion underneath and it went through the bottom of my vehicle to the turret where I was sitting. But also where the turret is is where we have our fuel tank. So the explosion hit the fuel tank, caused a really big fire and thats what changed my life forever really. Yarosh says he was engulfed in flames and covered in fuel as a result of the explosion. He jumped out of the vehicle and broke his leg, without being able to run he says he believed his life was over. He eventually was able to roll into a canal that put the fire out. He was seriously injured and needed to be taken to a hospital to treat the burn injuries and to amputate his right leg. He was first taken to Germany before they knew his injuries required treatment from a Burn Center in San Antonio. Rick Yarosh says, My parents were getting ready to come to Germany, that was basically unfortunately just to say probably goodbye. Because that was not the hospital I needed, I needed to be in San Antonio for the Burn Center. But last second they called my parents and said never mind dont come to Germany, go to San Antonio we got him on the plane. I remember the wording my dad used, he said the stars lined up right.' Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The stars lined up right for Yarosh and after spending 3 years recovering in Texas, he moved back home to upstate New York. He was then approached by Sweethearts and Heroes, an organization that gives presentations to schools and businesses across the country to spread their message. Rick Yarosh says, Our message is about hope. H-O-P-E, hold on possibilities exist. Thats the way I live my life now when things are tough cause things are tough. Not if theyre tough, when theyre tough, cause they will be. And when theyre tough, hold on cause the possibilities that exist are amazing. Yarosh says he can tell some children are taken aback when first seeing him, but that quickly fades once they listen to him speak and it turns into the same admiration he says he once looked at Veterans with when he was a child. Rick Yarosh says, Now Im the veteran, and its really cool when I go into schools and kids are looking at me that way now. The way I used to look at those Veterans. And as a Veteran its like its not really that big of a deal, but it is a big deal when I see what it means to other people, especially kids. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Yarosh says that what he once viewed as the worst thing that ever happened to him, actually turned into the best thing thats ever happened to him. Yarosh shares, If that didnt happen I dont have my wife Amy, I dont have my daughters Grace and Tenley, thats not a part of my life. So how can I look back at that day, I have a hard time looking back at that day and saying that was the worst thing thats ever happened to me. Because of all the amazing things that came out of it. Yarosh currently resides with his wife and 2 daughters in Vestal. He says he has told his story to over 2 million people over the past 15 years, and continues to inspire those going through tough times to hold on, cause possibilities exist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Reporting in Vestal, Lindsay Arons, News 34. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. 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 Iowa Supreme Court cleared the way for dozens of people affected by a 2023 fatal building collapse to continue their lawsuits against the City of Davenport. The May 2023 disaster saw a portion of a historic downtown building known as the Davenport Hotel crumble. Three residents died, another was severely injured and had her leg amputated, and dozens more had to evacuate and lost all their possessions. The structure has since been demolished. Subsequent lawsuits accuse Davenport city officials, building owner Andrew Wold and other businesses and contractors of wrongdoing leading to the collapse. The cases have been on hold since June 2024, after the city appealed a preliminary ruling denying its motion to dismiss its part of the case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Supreme Court's Nov. 7 order will let the case move forward again. The unanimous court, with two justices recused, agreed the city is not entitled to dismissal under a recent state law because it doesn't apply to the plaintiffs' claims. At issue is Iowa's 2021 "Back the Blue" law, which codified a "qualified immunity" for government officials accused of misconduct unless their actions violated "clearly established" law. The law specifically requires that plaintiffs show the alleged violation was clearly established in their initial complaint, or else face mandatory, permanent dismissal of their claims. Related: Ex-owner of collapsed Davenport complex accused of selling assets so tenants can't collect Davenport officials are accused of numerous missteps leading to the collapse, including repeatedly failing to post notices informing residents of orders to vacate the building because of structural concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The city had asked the district court to dismiss those claims for failing to meet the new law's pleading requirements, while the plaintiffs argued the law did not apply to their cases and, in any event, they had included the necessary information in their complaints. Despite the long wait, Friday's ruling is anticlimactic: Justice Matthew McDermott wrote that the court has recently resolved the same question in two other cases, finding both times that the qualified immunity law only applies to statutory or constitutional claims, not to general torts such as negligence. The same result applies here, McDermott wrote. More: No criminal charges will be filed in deadly Davenport apartment collapse Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Davenport had also asked the court to review the judge's ruling that, at least at this stage, the city is not protected by a seperate legal rule known as the public duty doctrine. The court declined to take up that part of the appeal, leaving the lower court's ruling in place as the case proceeds. Attorney Andrew M. Stroth, representing the plaintiff who lost her leg and that plaintiff's wife, praised the team's appellate counsel for their work and said his clients are heartened by the court's ruling. "Peach and Lexus Berry have seen some very dark days, and Peach and Lexus are still recovering from the 324 Main tragedy," Stroth said in an interview, referring to the building's address. "They just shared with me, this decision reinforces and reinstills in them that theres some hope and light in this tragedy. The city of Davenport, Andrew Wold and others are responsible for Peach Berry almost dying and losing her leg. They look forward to the city ultimately being held accountable." Bruce Braley, an attorney representing the families of deceased residents Daniel Prien and Ryan Hitchcock, also praised the ruling and said his clients have been "patiently waiting" to move forward with their case. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "(The families) applaud the Iowa Supreme Court for recognizing that the Qualifed Immunity statute was never intended to apply to claims of ordinary negligence involving city officials," he said. "They are anxious to move forward with their case and to take depositions of city employees who had a role in this tragedy." Attorneys for the city did not immediately return messages seeking comment. William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Davenport building collapse lawsuits can continue, Supreme Court rules At a glance Vladimir Putin could send tanks into a European Nato country tomorrow, a German general is warning The Russian president could launch a limited attack on Nato territory, says Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank Britain has deployed aircraft to eastern Europe including to take part in patrols over Poland Vladimir Putin could order tanks to roll into a European Nato country tomorrow, a German general is warning. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank stressed that Russia could now launch a limited incursion against Nato territory. Russia has enough main battle tanks to make a limited attack conceivable as early as tomorrow, he said, in a warning which will strike home in countries close to Russia including the Baltic States and Poland. Speaking at his headquarters in north Berlin, Lt Gen Sollfrank explained further: If you look at Russias current capabilities and combat power, Russia could kick off a small-scale attack against NATO territory as early as tomorrow. Small, quick, regionally limited, nothing big - Russia is too tied down in Ukraine for that. Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank (Nato) The general, who heads Germanys joint operations command, also echoed Nato warnings that Russia could potentially mount a large-scale assault on the 32-member alliance as early as 2029 if its armament efforts persist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Germanys Chief of Defence Carsten Breuer told a meeting of his countrys military top brass that Putin must not be allowed to believe that Russia can win a war against Nato or one of its members. As Putins war in Ukraine rages on, he said: We must prevent Russia from another miscalculation like this. Russia must never come to the assumption that it can win a war against Nato or a single Nato country. We need to look into the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, adapt them for ourselves and develop our own concepts and structures accordingly because the war in Ukraine is our teacher, he explained, adding that Moscow expected a quick win when it invaded its neighbour in 2022. Vladimir Putin being briefed on a test of Russias nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile (Kremlin) Instead, Putins army was forced to retreat from near Ukraines capital Kyiv and has got bogged down in fierce battles in the east of the country, suffering heavy losses while gradually claiming more land. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As tensions rise with the West, the Russian president has ordered plans for Russia to restart nuclear tests after Donald Trump told his military chiefs to carry out new weapon trials. Lt Gen Sollfrank, who previously ran Natos logistics command, said that despite setbacks in Ukraine, Russias air force retains substantial combat strength, and its nuclear and missile forces remain unaffected. While the Black Sea Fleet has suffered significant losses, other Russian fleets have not been reduced, he added. The ground forces are suffering losses, but Russia says it aims to boost its total troop numbers to 1.5 million soldiers. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Recent drone incursions into Polish airspace have stoked Western fears of Russian escalation. The general emphasised that Moscows hybrid warfare tactics, including drone incursions, should be viewed as interconnected elements of a strategy that also included the war on Ukraine. The Russians call this non-linear warfare. In their doctrine, this is warfare before resorting to conventional weapons. And they threaten to use nuclear weapons, which is warfare by intimidation, he said. Russias aim, he added, was to both provoke Nato and to gauge its response, in order to foster insecurity, spread fear, to do damage, to spy and to test the alliances resilience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Germany plans to expand its armed forces by 60,000 troops, bringing its total military personnel to around 260,000. British jets will confront Russian aircraft violating Nato airspace, the Foreign Secretary has told the UN (PA Wire) Britain is putting its armed forces on readiness for war given the threat posed by Putin and has deployed aircraft to eastern Europe including to carry out patrols over Poland. Poland will roll out a new military training programme for its citizens as part of a broader plan to train around 400,000 people in 2026. The country bordering Ukraine has grown into Natos third-largest military, with 216,000 personnel, and plans to expand its forces by nearly a third over the next decade. California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks as his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom looks on during an election night gathering at the California Democrats' headquarters on Nov. 4, 2025 in Sacramento. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Last weeks column noted the dismal approval ratings for Trump and even worse for Montanas all-Republican Congressional delegation. Indeed, with one in three (or fewer) Montanans approving the delegation and the record low national approval of the president, it seemed like the propaganda about how great everything is was, well, running into the hard wall of reality. Then came Tuesdays elections and the reality-TV president and his gobbling MAGA sycophants nationwide went down hard as the voters just said no to the anger, lies, and aggression spinning out of the White House. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chief among Tuesdays most decisive rejection of the president and his unending threats of retribution was the election of 34-year old Zohran Mamdani as New York Citys next mayor. He was vilified as a lunatic Communist by Trump, who threatened to cut off federal funding for the city if he was elected. Yet Mamdani cruised to victory and he didnt pull any punches in his victory speech, saying: After all, the conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older. I am Muslim. I am a Democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse to apologize for any of this. In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light. New York will remain a city of immigrants a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us. Together, we will usher in a generation of change. And if we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves. After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nor was he alone in securing victory by speaking truth to power as MAGA candidates and issues fell by the wayside nationwide. Far from being just a blue state rejection as claimed by the GOP, a sheriff who embraced ICE was defeated in Pennsylvania; progressives won all the open seats on Texas third largest school board; Georgia elected its first Democrats to the Public Service Commission since 2007; the Republican supermajority in Mississippi no longer exists for the first time since 2012; Colorado approved higher taxes on households with more than $300,000 income to fund free school lunches; and Maine voters rejected a MAGA initiative to make voting more difficult and did so by a whopping 60% Surely given their already terrible approval numbers, Montanas GOP Congressional delegation and governor should be having second thoughts about their unquestioning support for everything that splurts from Trumps mouth and his cadre of wealthy, racist and hard-hearted cronies. Denying Supplemental Nutrition (SNAP) funding for low-income families while blaming Democrats isnt working since its the GOP that controls all three branches of government but cant seem to govern. Then theres the job cuts, which are up a whopping 175% since the same time last year with more than a million jobs lost since Trump took office. The takeaway? Its long past time for our governor and congressional delegation to get back to being public servants rather than MAGA puppets or come next election, theyll likely be joining their ousted fellow MAGAs on the losers bench. Akbar Novruz British Chamber of Commerce Azerbaijan (BCCA) hosted an event to unveil its rebranded corporate logo and announce the results of recent elections for leadership and expert positions across its Working Committees, Azernews reports. Sponsored by bp, the event brought together representatives of BCCA member companies and the wider business community, providing a platform for open dialogue and professional networking. Mr. Giovanni Cristofoli, bps newly appointed regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye, addressed the gathering as a guest speaker. In his remarks, he emphasized bps long-standing partnership with Azerbaijan and the companys continued focus on sustainable development and innovation in the energy sector. Its a pleasure to be part of this important moment for BCCA, said Mr. Cristofoli. bp is proud to support initiatives that strengthen collaboration between the UK and Azerbaijan. As we look to the future, our commitment remains firmly rooted in driving innovation, supporting local talent, and contributing to a more sustainable energy landscape in Azerbaijan. Serving as a bridge between the British and Azerbaijani business communities, BCCA continues to foster engagement between companies from both countries, promote international best practices, and contribute to the growth of bilateral economic cooperation. Eager to get his AI company off the ground, David Kobrosky dropped out of college in late 2020. He worked over 60 hours a week to build his business, even after being diagnosed with blood cancer. Kobrosky said he doesn't regret the trade-offs he made so he could sell his business at age 26. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with 26-year-old David Kobrosky, the founder of Intros AI, from Brooklyn. The following has been edited for length and clarity. When I went to college in 2017, I already knew I wanted to work in startups and make a difference in the world. After my freshman year at the University of Michigan, I switched majors from business to computer science, which I felt would be more useful for running an early-stage company. But in late 2018, at age 19, I dropped out of college for a full-time job. Although I returned to college in late 2019, I dropped out again in late 2020, at the age of 21, to start my company, Intros AI. Despite being diagnosed with cancer in early 2024 and having six months of chemotherapy, I pushed myself to work on the business. It was acquired in July 2025, setting me up financially after years of hard work. I don't regret leaving college to pursue my own venture, even though there were trade-offs along the way. BI's Young Geniuses series spotlights the next generation of founders, innovators, and thinkers who are trying to reshape industries and solve global challenges. See more stories from the series here, or reach out to editor Jess Orwig to share your story. I couldn't resist an opportunity to work for Gary Vaynerchuk In 2018, after my freshman year, I started a product management internship at a company called Roll, where I focused on community engagement. In November 2018, roughly three months after the internship ended, I was offered the opportunity to work full-time for Gary Vaynerchuk, the businessman and social media personality, at his company VaynerX. I knew I'd have to drop out of college to take this on, and decided it wouldn't be too risky. If things didn't work out, I could always go back to school. I dropped out of college a second time to start my AI company I had a passion for building tools for online communities and connecting people through software. While I worked at VaynerX, I built my own side projects: AI assistants focused on bringing people together. In late 2019, after working at VaynerX for roughly eight months, I went back to college to gain more technical computer science skills, and worked on my side projects in my free time. County commissioners voted Thursday to cut $140,000 from Washington Countys economic development budget, a 2-1 decision officials say is intended to help avoid layoffs as the state budget remains nearly 130 days overdue. Commissioners Nick Sherman and Electra Janis voted for the reduction; Commissioner Larry Maggi opposed it. The funding supports a multi-year contract with the Washington County Chamber of Commerce to run county job-creation and tourism efforts. We havent had one single meeting with the Chamber or Economic Development. We dont have a comprehensive plan its been radio silence. We dont feel theres been a return on investment for taxpayer money, Sherman said at the commissioners meeting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maggi pushed back, saying the program has delivered a strong return. Just last year, for $140,000, we did over $33 million worth of economic development, he said. Jeff Kotula, president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, said his organization was caught off guard by the vote and accused the two commissioners of making the decision without contacting the chamber. We were blindsided by Commissioners Sherman and Janis decision today to shut down the countys job creation efforts. They never contacted us to discuss their decisionwe only heard about it from the media, Kotula said. The Chamber has been partners with the County for over 26 years, benefiting our businesses and our residents with new jobs. In fact, in 2024 alone, our partnership attracted over $33.0 million in new investment to Washington County. Kotula said the chamber will continue operating but will refocus its efforts, and warned the countys action will harm job growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Commissioners Sherman and Janis actions today will damage our countys job growth as Washington County will now be the only county in the region, perhaps the state, without a program to attract companies and help small businesses grow. I want to be clear, they are cancelling the countys job creation efforts, not the chambers. The Chamber will continue to operate but refocus its efforts. Kotula also said the county provided the chamber with about $12,000 a month, which the chamber matched dollar for dollar, and that by terminating the contract, the county owes the chamber roughly $300,000 in damages. We expect Commissioners Sherman and Janis to honor the countys commitments, he said. Kotula disputed the commissioners contention that the chamber breached the contract because he did not serve on the LSA or SPC boards. I served as chairman on the LSA board for nearly 20 years and the commissioners had to appoint me to the SPC board, which they refused to do so, he said. Several residents at the standing-room-only meeting voiced concern about other potential cuts, including services such as Washington Drug and Alcohol. County officials said they have not laid off employees but have absorbed staff reductions through attrition roughly 30 county workers recently retired and their positions are not being refilled. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Maggi said the dispute over the cuts will likely be litigated, a move he argued could prove costly for the county. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW President Trump is hosting the leaders of five Central Asian nations at the White House on Thursday as the president seeks to deepen economic and security ties in the region while developing a rare earth metal supply chain. The metals are needed to develop high-tech devices such as smartphones and electric vehicles, as Trump pushes for more manufacturing in the U.S. as part of his America First agenda. The leaders of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will participate in the C5+1 summit. Two sources also told The Hill that Trump is expected to welcome Kazakhstan into the Abraham Accords the agreements centered around normalizing ties with Israel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. EST. 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. Austrias domestic intelligence service has uncovered a weapons cache in Vienna that is believed to be linked to the Palestinian militant group Hamas for use in possible terrorist attacks in Europe, the government said Thursday. A 39-year-old unidentified British citizen allegedly having close ties to the weapons cache was arrested in London on Monday, the interior ministry statement said. According to the current state of the investigation, Israeli or Jewish institutions in Europe were likely to be the targets of these attacks, it added. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The weapons cache and the suspect were part of an internationally coordinated investigation by the countrys Directorate for State Security and Intelligence service, or DSN, into a global terrorist organization with ties to Hamas. In the course of the investigations, the ministry said its intelligence service found suspicion that a group has brought weapons into Austria to use in possible terrorist attacks in Europe. Germanys federal prosecutors office later on Thursday identified the suspect as Mohammed A. in line with German privacy lines. It said in a statement that he met up twice with Abdel Al G. who was arrested in Germany last month on suspicion of plotting attacks on Israeli or Jewish institutions in Germany. On these occasions, Mohammed A. took over five handguns and ammunition from Abed Al G. He then transported the weapons to Austria and stored them in Vienna, the prosecutors statement said. These actions served to prepare terrorist attacks on Israeli or Jewish facilities in Germany. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The statement said that after his extradition from Great Britain, the suspect will be brought before an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Germany. In a statement at the time, Hamas denied having any connection to the suspects arrested in Germany last month, describing the allegations of a link to the group as baseless. The group has carried out hundreds of attacks against Israeli civilians over the years but has rarely operated outside Israel and the Palestinian territories. The weapons cache, which is thought to belong to unspecified foreign operations linked to Hamas, was discovered in a suitcase in a rented storage room in Vienna and contained five handguns and 10 accompanying magazines. The current case shows once again that the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence has an excellent international network and takes consistent action against all forms of extremism, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. The mission is clear: zero tolerance for terrorists. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Britains National Crime Agency confirmed on Thursday that a 39-year-old was arrested in central London on Monday by specialist officers from the NCAs National Extradition Unit. He is being held in custody until his next appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Hundreds of flight delays and cancellations will hit South Florida's airports this weekend following the Trump administration's order to cut flights amid the federal government shutdown. As of about noon Nov. 7, 14 flights either in or out of Palm Beach International Airport had been delayed at least 15 minutes, and two were canceled, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Two flights on Nov. 9 also already are canceled. PBIA's Nov. 7 cancellations were American Airlines flights either to or from Philadelphia International Airport. The Nov. 9 ones were scheduled to travel either to or from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement PBIA had 79 delays on Nov. 6, more than triple the Nov. 5 count. Flight cancellations meant to help air-traffic controllers The U.S. Department of Transportation ordered a 4% reduction in flights at 40 major U.S. airports starting Nov. 7, gradually increasing to 10% over a week. The cuts will increase to 5% on Nov. 8 and 6% on Nov. 9 as travelers prepare for long delays and security lines. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Miami International Airport are among the 40 scheduled for flight cancellations. PBIA is not, but some flights either to or from it are likely to be delayed or canceled due to the order. A total of 18 flights either to or from Fort Lauderdale had been cancelled as of about noon Nov. 7, and 45 delayed, FlightAware reported. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement An additional 19 flights in and out of Fort Lauderdale on Nov. 8 are canceled, along with two on Nov. 9. Those planning to fly from South Florida airports should check with their airlines on delays or cancellations until the federal reduction in flights is resolved. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport already felt effects of the cutbacks on Nov. 7, 2025. In Miami, 26 flights as of about noon on Nov. 7 were canceled and 77 delayed. An additional 27 flights are canceled on Nov. 8, and two on Nov. 9. Fort Lauderdale had 190 delays Nov. 6 and Miami 231. RELATED: More than 100 flights cancelled at Florida airports Friday. What we know Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered the cuts, saying the government shutdown had left air-traffic control towers short-staffed. The government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, has forced 13,000 air-traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers to work unpaid, straining staffing at U.S. airports. Congress has been unable to agree on legislation to reopen the government. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The flight reductions have led airline and travel officials to warn of losses of up to $5 billion to their industry if the cancellations continue. The shutdown would reach its 40th day on Nov. 10. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport felt effects of the federal reduction in flights on Nov. 7. A total of 18 flights had been cancelled as of about noon and 45 delayed. An additional 19 flights on Nov. 8 already were canceled, along with two on Nov. 9. How do you check if your flight is canceled? Travelers shouldnt wait until theyre already at the airport to learn whether theyre affected. The most important step, experts say, is to monitor your flight early and often. Start by downloading your airlines mobile app and turning on push and text notifications. What are key non-stop routes from West Palm to airports affected? PBIA may be a good alternate airport to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, but destinations for some direct routes out of it may be affected by the reductions in flights. Among them: Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To La Guardia Airport in New York City (JetBlue and American Airlines). To JFK in New York City (JetBlue and Delta). To Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, N.J. (JetBlue and United). To Boston Logan International Airport (JetBlue and Delta). To Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Delta). To Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, N.C. (American). Which airports are impacted by the cuts? The FAA's order covers these airports. ANC Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. ATL Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. BOS Boston Logan International Airport. BWI Baltimore/Washington International Airport. CLT Charlotte Douglas International Airport. CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. DAL Dallas Love Field. DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. DEN Denver International Airport. DFW Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. DTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. EWR Newark Liberty International Airport. FLL Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. HNL Honolulu International Airport. HOU William P. Hobby Airport. IAD Washington Dulles International Airport. IAH George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport. IND Indianapolis International Airport. JFK New York John F. Kennedy International Airport. LAS Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. LAX Los Angeles International Airport. LGA New York LaGuardia Airport. MCO Orlando International Airport. MDW Chicago Midway International Airport. MEM Memphis International Airport. MIA Miami International Airport. MSP MinneapolisSt. Paul International Airport. OAK Oakland International Airport. ONT Ontario International Airport. ORD Chicago OHare International Airport. PDX Portland International Airport. PHL Philadelphia International Airport. PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. SAN San Diego International Airport. SDF Louisville International Airport. SEA SeattleTacoma International Airport. SFO San Francisco International Airport. SLC Salt Lake City International Airport. TEB Teterboro, New Jersey, Airport. TPA Tampa International Airport. THE USA TODAY Network contributed to this report. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Chris Persaud covers transportation in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email news tips and ideas to cpersaud@pbpost.com. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hundreds of flight cancellations, delays at Florida airports There's nothing quite as heartbreaking as the crumbling failure of a beloved restaurant chain. Yet, fans of Sizzler are walking the ruins: as of late October 2025, the restaurant is 625 venues down, with only 74 still standing. It's an unfortunate precipice to straddle, especially after already surviving decades of bankruptcy declarations, closures, and more rebirths than a phoenix. Ironically, the once-iconic chain is renowned by fans for its value and nostalgia, and has always fared positively in rankings of popular U.S. steakhouse chains. Sadly, after closing approximately 89% of its restaurants, the chances of your local Sizzler being at risk are staggeringly high. Closures are becoming increasingly dramatic, too; the company is almost waving goodbye to entire states. New Mexico is already down to one location, and after closing a restaurant in Phoenix in August 2025, there is only one remaining in Arizona. The surviving steakhouses are predominantly scattered across California; so, it might be time to visit before it's too late. Road-trip, anyone? Read more: 15 Mistakes Everyone Makes When Eating At A Steakhouse Is there any chance of Sizzler surviving? close up of Sizzler restaurant sign - Artography/Shutterstock In the unpredictable hospitality industry, there's always a chance of recovery. This is Sizzler -- the business that launched with tasty grilled steaks in 1958 and grew to be famous for its all-you-can-eat salad bar -- we're talking about, after all. Pivoting is practically its middle name, so everything will be fine... right? The truth is that Sizzler locations have been disappearing for a while. The company has long struggled with profitability and industry competition. Its latest blow seemed to be aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic when, in September 2020, it was reported that Sizzler had filed for bankruptcy for its company-owned restaurants. But, the company president, Christopher Perkins, told Restaurant Business that many locations were struggling even before then. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Clearly, business has only spiraled since 2020. But, on a more positive note, there is change on the horizon. In a 2025 interview with QSR, Robert Clark, Sizzler's chief growth officer, appeared optimistic. He said he'd be switching things up by ditching attempts to make Sizzler what it isn't, and instead focusing on its roots. In turn, the chain is remodeling its surviving restaurants and aiming to remind customers why they fell in love with it in the first place. Sasha Shennikov, VP of marketing, described it as a "brand excavation." In other words, Sizzler is cooking up a nostalgia-based comeback -- and it seems to be working. QSR reported a 47% increase in sales at remodeled locations. Not too shabby, all things considered. While survival will be difficult, it doesn't appear impossible. 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. It took Versel Johnson six days before he could get in touch with his family in Westmoreland, Jamaica. When he finally heard from an aunt, he learned that the roof to his grandfather's house blew off at 2 a.m. His grandfather's next memory was waking up under someone else's house. On Oct. 28, Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a Category 5, the most powerful to ever strike the island, according to USA Today reports. On Nov. 3, the death toll in Jamaica was confirmed to be 32, according to officials. Deaths were also reported in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with possibly 73 total deaths through the Caribbean. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "It's a crazy situation," said Johnson, in a Nov. 4 phone interview. Johnson owns Brickhouse Restaurant in Eastham with his wife Lindsay. Johnson felt a sense of hopelessness about the deadly storm. That hopelessness faded when he was approached by Cliff Harvey and Amelia Kisna-Harvey, friends and former owners of Brickhouse. They asked to park a 20-foot container where donations for Jamaica could be left. He of course said yes. "I wanted to do something for my neighborhood that got really hard hit," said Harvey, in a Nov. 4 phone call. Harvey, who lives in Hanover, owns Cape Rentals and Interior Designs with his wife. Even though he has never experienced a Category 5 hurricane, he knows how long it can take for communities back home to get help. Miller Lawrence, of North Truro, left, and Basil Wentworth, of South Yarmouth, help to organize items donated for relief of Jamaicans whose lives were shattered by Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm that hit the island. Both men, who have friends and family in Jamaica, were organizing the donations which are being accepted and stored at a storage container at the Brickhouse Restaurant in Eastham. Former Brickhouse owner Cliff Harvey and his wife Amelia Kisna-Harvey organized the effort with current owners Versel and Lindsay Johnson lending a hand. Photo taken Nov. 6, 2025. "The front of the street will get stuff, but who lives all the way in the back of the street," Harvey said, "Maybe not everyone is going to get something, so that's what we're focusing on." Donations accepted in shipping container at Brickhouse Restaurant, Eastham What started as a Facebook post on Harvey's page on Oct. 31, has now grown more than he anticipated. M.A. Frazier Disposal donated the 20-foot container. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement All donations are accepted, but what's needed most right now are non-perishable food items and clothing, Harvey said. "People can stay a couple days without getting a shower, but having no food for a few days, it's gonna it hit hard," he said. Johnson said is also trying to get in touch with a supplier from whom he typically buys food to see if they can deliver pallets in bulk. Sanitizer tablets for water, flashlights and batteries, are also needed. While the container is being filled, Harvey is also trying to fill some extra suitcases with supplies. In addition to food, Harvey also bought 100 pieces of plywood, and 290 two-by-fours and lots of tarps so people can build shelter. Harvey has cousins in Westmoreland whose roof blew off during the hurricane. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "So now they're basically homeless because they have nowhere to live, everything got wet, blown away." Organizer Cliff Harvey carries items donated for Jamaica relief to a container set up at the Brickhouse Restaurant in Eastham. Harvey and his wife Amelia Kisna-Harvey, former owners of the Brickhouse, organized the collection to help Jamaicans whose lives were impacted by Hurricane Melissa. Current owners Versel and Lindsay Johnson are helping with a large container in their parking lot. Photo taken Nov. 6, 2025 Harvey plans to pack and send the container to New York by next Thursday, Nov. 13. From New York, the container will be shipped to Kingston, Jamaica. A relative in Jamaica will be able to facilitate the container once it arrives on the island, he said. "It's only so much one person can do, but with the help of the community, I'm able to get a lot of stuff," Harvey said, "I'm very grateful that we live in such a wonderful community, who is ready to help." On Nov. 25, Brickhouse will have a live steel drum night, with Jamaican dishes. Proceeds will go towards hurricane relief, Johnson said. Fatal price of Hurricane Melissa felt on Cape Cod Similar to Harvey, Sunny Fellman and her partner, Gregory Fenton, who is Jamaican, have been collecting donations to send to rural areas that don't have access to supplies and help from organizations on the ground in Jamaica. Fenton's uncle, whose home was in a rural area of Westmoreland, died in the storm, Fellman said in a Nov. 5 phone interview. Other members of his family who lost their homes are sleeping on the veranda in the front of their home. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "We decided we need to do something to directly help those communities," she said, "We want our communities to get direct help." Along with another Jamaican couple, Fellman and Fenton are accepting donations at the Cordial Eye, in Hyannis. The donations will be sent in large barrels, which Fellman said is a regular practice in the Jamaican community. They have purchased four barrels so far, but will continue sending so long as people donate. Fellman is accepting food items, clothing (cleaned like new), sheets and towels. "I just heard from a friend that, you know, she's like 'I've been sleeping on a damp mattress, because that's all I have," Fellman said. Fellman hopes that what they are sending will help, but there is still so much more Jamaicans need, she said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement They are also accepting donations and have already raised $4,300. "We feel like it's a lot of money for our small effort," Fellman said. The money Fellman is accepting will be split between two communities, Culloden, Westmoreland, and Watchwell, St. Elizabeth. Eastham resident Payson Krell carries a box of bed sheets from his car to a container set up at the Brickhouse Restaurant in Eastham to collect donations for Jamaicans whose lives were upended by Hurricane Melissa. Former Brickhouse owners Cliff Harvey and his wife Amelia Kisna-Harvey organized the effort with help from current owners Versel and Lindsay Johnson. Photo taken Nov. 6, 2025 "We have two point people on the ground who are leaders in the community through their churches," Fellman said. The money will then go to hardware stores where people can pick up supplies needed to rebuild. Fellman hopes to have the barrels packed and sent by the end of next week, Nov. 14. Businesses come together, raising money and awareness "The Jamaican community has been such an important part of our community for a long time," said Mac Hay, owner of Mac's Seafood, on the phone on Nov. 4. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some of Hay's co-workers flew home to Jamaica the week of Oct. 27, and so Hay went to Lowes and bought as many flashlights and first aid kits as he could for them to pack in their suitcases. "I think that's why this has impacted all of us, they're not just co-workers, they are friends," he said. Hay reached out to restaurants and businesses on the Cape to join him in raising awareness of a GoFundMe account for those impacted by the hurricane. As of Nov. 5, the GoFundMe has raised more than $100,000. Money raised through the GoFundMe account will be funneled through multiple vetted relief organizations in Jamaica, including Jamaica Red Cross, Holy Spirit Foundation, JAHJAH Foundation, DESSO Foundation, Paths and Gateways, Poor Relief Department and St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Businesses involved in the GoFundMe, according to the webpage include, The Pearl, Blackfish Bistro, Flying Fish, Truro Vineyards, Salty Market, Bagel Hound, The Wicked Oyster, Wellfleet Shellfish, The Lobster Pot, Chatham Fish & Lobster, The Lobster Trap, Hog Island Beer Co., Swaby Construction, Top Mast Resorts, Brundage Site Work, Victor's Restaurant and the Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet Chambers of Commerce and the Wellfleet Oyster Alliance. Hay is also hoping to raise money from a fundraiser at Hog Island Beer Co. in Orleans on Sunday, Nov. 9 from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. The suggested donation is $40 or pay what you can. Money raised will go to American Friends of Jamaica's general fund. "Donate if you can. If you can't, that's not the point, raise some awareness," Hay said. Desiree Nikfardjam is a reporter covering breaking and trending news. She graduated from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. You can reach her at DNikfardjam@gannett.com. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans. This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod helps Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa. How to help. Upon receiving the first Charlie Kirk Legacy Award at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards on Thursday night, Erika Kirk told the room to never stay silent. For the rest of my life, I will make sure that I dont stay silent. Ill keep speaking the truth, no matter the cost, she said, and I pray that all of you do too. She spoke with conviction about her late husband, conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk a man who was known for encouraging young people to center their lives around faith, families and patriotism. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Kirk said her husband never fled from the truth and the spiritual battle thats ahead. This whole nation feels the spiritual warfare, she continued, But Charlie would say, thats how you know youre over the mark. When you feel it, when the enemy is there, thats how you know youre doing the Lords work, and thats how you know youre defending truth. Charlie Kirk was assassinated in the beginning moments of his Prove Me Wrong debate at Utah Valley University, where an estimated 3,000 people stood as witnesses. Before he was killed, some of his last spoken remarks were about his faith in God and love for his country. Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old from the St. George area, has been arrested and charged in the shooting. Kirk gives first media interview In her first media interview since the death of her husband, Kirk sat down with Fox News Jesse Watters and spoke about her seven-year relationship with her husband, her experience the day of his death, the events that followed, and how the world has reacted to his killing. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement She said Charlie Kirk changed the most in the years she knew him when he became a father to their two young children. His relationship with them was so pure and precious because you see him being on stage in front of thousands of people, commanding the presence, telling them all about Western civilization, telling them all about whats going on in the world, telling them why they should care, she said. And then you see him come home and just be a dad. How anyone could celebrate the death of any human or say he deserved to die, she said, is something she couldnt begin to understand. Theres so much beauty in life, Kirk said. I dont know why you would waste your time saying somebody deserves to be publicly executed in front of everyone. ... why would you say that? Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Though the video of her husbands assassination spread all over social media for hours before it was removed, Kirk said she never saw it and never will. Again, that could have been your parent, your spouse, your loved one. You think its funny until its someone you love, she added. I would just ask them to really reassess their priorities in life if they get a high off of watching someone be murdered. Kirk seemed to have shocked the country when speaking at her husbands funeral, when she publicly forgave his alleged killer, Tyler Robinson. Watters asked how she did it. Kirk said she decided it the night before, while going over her speech. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There was a portion in there that I remember putting about how Charlie was trying to save the Lost Boys of the West. He was trying to save the exact type of individual who murdered him. And when I reread that the night before ... it was just weighing on my heart. Forgive him, she said. A lot of people in this world think that forgiveness is a weakness or that when you forgive, you forget. And its the exact opposite. Its a form of freedom. Robinson has only appeared virtually before the court three times since he was apprehended on Sept. 12, though he is expected to be in person at his next hearing, scheduled for Jan. 16, 2026. Kirk said she wants the Utah judge overseeing the alleged assassins case to reject a motion to remove news cameras from the courtroom. There were cameras all over my husband when he was murdered, she argued. Why not be transparent? Theres nothing to hide. I know theres not because Ive seen what the case is built on. Let everyone see what true evil is, she continued. Let everyone see and know how it happened, how it even got to this point. This is something that could impact a generation and generations to come of understanding there is never a justifiable moment for violence, especially political violence. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When asked if Robinson is convicted, should he receive the death penalty which the prosecution is seeking Kirk said she doesnt want to make that decision: I do not want this mans blood on my ledger when I stand before the Lord. I want the government to decide. Its biblical, too. Justice will ultimately be served. Democratic and Republican candidates for governor are working to build their name recognition and campaign throughout the state and had their first opportunity to appear on the same platform at a forum Thursday. Shown are, from left, Matt Smith of WISN-12, Francesca Hong, Sara Rodriguez, Kelda Roys, David Crowley and Missy Hughes, all Democrats, and Josh Schoemann, a Republican. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) The primaries for Wisconsins open gubernatorial election are about nine months away and the 2026 general election is still a year out, but Democratic and Republican candidates had their first opportunity to speak at a group forum Thursday. The forum, moderated by WISN-12 News Political Director Matt Smith, was hosted at the Wisconsin Technology Councils annual symposium and focused mostly on the economy, especially the technology sector. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Democratic candidates at the forum included Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Sen. Kelda Roys, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, state Rep. Francesca Hong and former Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) CEO Missy Hughes. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann was the lone Republican candidate at the forum. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, who is seen as the frontrunner on the GOP side, was not present. All are competing to replace Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who wont seek reelection, in the first open Wisconsin governors race in 15 years. Threats to the economy Smith asked the candidates what they see as the greatest threat to Wisconsins economy. In her answer, Roys elicited the first and biggest round of applause from the audience. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Wisconsin needs three key things to survive and thrive economically. We need higher wages for our workers we lag behind our midwestern peers we need lower costs on everything from housing to health care, and we need more freedom, Roys said. The biggest threat to all three of these things is the Trump regime. Roys said Trumps tariffs are driving up prices for many products including appliances, building materials and groceries. She also said cuts to health care are going to have a disproportionate impact on rural parts of the state and that targeting immigrants is hurting the states agriculture industry. Entrepreneurship and capitalism, she added, also rely on the rule of law. We need to have a free society that obeys democratic norms, and right now, Trump and his regime are our biggest threat, Roys said. Hong said authoritarianism is the biggest threat to the economy, adding that disparities are growing in part because of actions being taken at the federal level, such as cutting food assistance. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When you have essentially a federal government that is taking away rights of states and our communities, that is going to threaten the economy, Hong said. It is workers that power the economy. Schoemann said affordability is the greatest threat and expressed concerns about young people and retirees leaving the state to live elsewhere. He said the state should work to deregulate industry and lower utility rates and cut taxes to address the threat. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann speaks at the first candidate forum of the campaign cycle. He said affordability is the greatest threat and expressed concerns about young people and retirees leaving the state to live elsewhere. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) The average price of a home in Wisconsin right now is almost $350,000 A brand new teacher and a brand new cop who are married with a dual income cant afford to qualify for the mortgage for that one. If they have a child, theyre trying to pay for child care, and they have utility bills that are going through the roof, and Verizon just had another increase in prices, and not to mention Netflix, Schoemann said to some chuckles from the audience. I know we laugh, but its a problem. Its a massive problem. Rodriguez agreed that affordability is a big concern, saying that she wants her 19-year-old son to be able to build a life in Wisconsin but she is concerned that he wont be able to afford to live here. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hes not going to be able to do that if he cant afford a home. Hes not going to be able to do that if, you know, hes not going to be able to afford child care, so I think affordability is our biggest threat, Rodriguez said. She added that the state needs to figure out how to ensure that its workforce can grow. Crowley said complacency is the biggest threat. We cant continue to do the same work that weve been doing. We should no longer be defending the status quo because we have to figure out how do we build new institutions Crowley said. We see that public trust has been destroyed in government. Hughes said the state isnt investing enough in K-12 and higher education. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When we start from a place of thinking, No, we dont want to take a risk. No, we dont want to have investment in something, we end up just staying in the same place and often spiraling downward, Hughes said. Working with the Trump administration Democratic candidates were asked how they would work with the Trump administration, while Schoemann was asked whether there is anything he would push back on. Rodriguez said that she would use the bully pulpit of the governors office to put pressure on the Trump administration to be more consistent. She noted her background as a health care executive, saying that being able to plan is essential. Youre trying to figure out what youre going to be doing in the next several years. Small businesses do the same thing. With this back and forth on tariffs it is almost impossible to, so, thats why it feels like were stuck, Rodriguez said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roys called Trump a bully and an authoritarian and said Wisconsin needs a governor who will stand up to the administration. She noted governors in other states, including California Gov. Gavin Newsome, Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, as examples of governors across the country who are pushing back. State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) speaks at the first candidate forum of the campaign cycle. We need to have a free society that obeys democratic norms, and right now, Trump and his regime are our biggest threat, she said. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) Crowley said that he has worked with the federal government under Trump and President Joe Biden to secure grant funding for Milwaukee County. He also noted that he worked with Republicans at the state level to help pass legislation that overhauled local government funding in Wisconsin. When we go into a restaurant, youre not having a conversation with a waiter about their relationship with the cook. You want to make sure that your food is coming out hot and ready and delicious, Crowley said. We need our government to work the exact same way. Doesnt matter if we agree on anything or not. We need to be delivering for the people that we represent every single day because its about moving our state forward. Hughes noted that Trump pushed for a plan operated by FoxConn during his first term, which had promised would create 13,000 jobs, and the state of Wisconsin invested $1.5 billion in infrastructure to make that happen. The original plan was mostly abandoned by the company. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement I had to come in and clean up that mess, Hughes said. She was involved in brokering a deal with Microsoft, which launched plans in 2024 for a $3.3 billion data center on the land that was once going to be the site of the FoxConn development. You have to work at every level of the economy from a small business on Main Street all the way to our biggest businesses and supporting them and everywhere in between, Hughes said. Donald Trump thinks you can do these big things, and its all going to be better, and were all ending up paying the price for that. Instead of taking Trumps silver bullet approach, Hughes said, Wisconsins governor must understand the complexity of the state economy and keep working hard to create the quality of life that keeps people here here. Hong said it would be hard to work with the administration. She added that the lack of funding for SNAP is disrupting an entire ecosystem, and said public officials need to fight for the most vulnerable. We have to make sure that people have food, and so, I think working with an administration that has no interest in your constituents is going to be incredibly difficult to be able to ensure that there is an economy that works for everyone, Hong said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Schoemann didnt say whether he would push back on anything the Trump administration is doing. He said tariffs have been difficult, but he also said the issues are global. I hear from manufacturers and agriculture alike its the constant give and take, but lets face it, the changes that the world is going through right now its a global thing, he said. Data centers and artificial intelligence regulations The growing presence of data centers in Wisconsin and the concerns they raise about increased electricity costs and water consumption, as well as the use of artificial intelligence (AI), was a significant focus of the forum. According to datacentermap.com, there are currently 47 data centers in Wisconsin. Proposals for more centers in the state are popping up as well, including one for a campus operated by OpenAI, Oracle and Vantage Data Centers in Port Washington. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement A recent Marquette Law School poll asked Wisconsinites about data centers and found that 55% say the costs of large data centers are greater than the benefits they provide, while 44% say the benefits outweigh the costs. Schoemann, noting his close proximity to Port Washington, said that he thinks there is an abundance of opportunity created by data centers, but the state needs to be very, very strategic and smart about where data centers are placed. He said he also has concerns that there isnt enough power in Wisconsin, and expressed hope that there will be a nuclear power renaissance in the state. Crowley said he doesnt think the government should be picking winners and losers when it comes to data centers, but instead should make sure that this is fertile ground for entrepreneurs and businesses to either stay or move right here to the state of Wisconsin. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley speaks at the first candidate forum of the campaign cycle. Theres an opportunity for us to really become AI and a data hub not only for the entire country, but for the entire globe, Crowley said. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) Theres an opportunity for us to really become AI and a data hub not only for the entire country, but for the entire globe and really sets us apart in making sure that we continue to invest in businesses and companies here, Crowley said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hughes said that Wisconsin has a diverse economy and that she doesnt see the state becoming a data center-based economy in the near future, but that data centers do offer an opportunity for communities. To have some of these data centers land here in Wisconsin, provide incredible property tax and revenue for the communities that are really determining how to pay their bills, how to build new schools, how to build new fire departments, its an opportunity for those communities to access some of that investment and to benefit from it, she said. Hughes also said the state is already involved in conversations with companies seeking to build data centers in Wisconsin and that should continue. She said a project needs to be right for individual communities, noting the example of Microsoft scrapping its plans last month for a data center in Caledonia after major pushback from the local community. The company is now looking for an alternative site. We talked to them about their environmental needs, about where theyre building and how to make that happen in a way that has the least impact to the communities and the best benefit for Wisconsin, Hughes said. Working directly with the companies and getting to know those companies, acting with them as partners, is critically important for these to be good investments and ultimately beneficial for Wisconsin. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Hong raised concerns about the environmental impact of data centers and the prospect that they could drive up utility bills. One of the big considerations here is that for the workers and jobs that are created from these AI data centers, lets make sure that the housing thats being built, the workers are going to stay in Wisconsin, that we have to make sure that the companies are being held accountable, Hong said. Roys said that data centers are coming whether people like it or not and the question for policymakers is whether they can implement an approach that respects the values that I think all of us share of democracy and shared decision making thats transparent, thats accountable, of fair play and of protecting all of our resources. She added that she has been concerned seeing the biggest and wealthiest companies seek to force their ways into communities. Asked about the role that the state should play in regulating artificial intelligence, most of the candidates appeared open to some regulation of AI but expressed concerns about stifling growth. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Roys said she wants to see consumer protections and said she has authored legislation to crack down on crypto kiosk scams as well as to regulate on the use of AI to ensure landlords dont use it to help hike rents. Hughes compared AI to a hammer, saying it could be used to hurt someone or to build structures. Trying to regulate it at this moment could potentially hold back some of the benefits that we might see from it. I think that we need to continue to watch it, Hughes said. I want to make sure that we preserve the right to use that tool in a way that can really advance our society forward. Crowley said he thinks there should be laws in place, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution for technology. How do you make sure that those who are directly involved in this particular industry are at the table, making sure that there is some predictability when it comes down to starting your company and also making sure they can continue to grow? But make sure that were also protecting our environment, protecting the consumer at the exact same time. Crowley said. Schoemann, meanwhile, said he was concerned about how AI could be a threat to the states workforce. He noted that Washington County has studied the potential impacts of AI, finding that many jobs could be automated using AI in the next 15 years or so. He said he wanted to see more study of AIs impact, to answer the question, How do we prepare the workforce? Broadband and marijuana A question about how to increase broadband access in Wisconsin led the an unexpected answer from Hong: Legalize weed. Wisconsin is one of 11 states that hasnt legalized recreational or medical marijuana. By some estimates the state is losing out on millions in tax revenue each year due to cannabis prohibition. The revenue that comes in will be able to invest in fiber optic and high-speed internet in many different companies across the state, Hong said. State Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison) speaks at a candidate forum hosted by the Wisconsin Technology Council. (Photo by Baylor Spears/Wisconsin Examiner) The push to legalize marijuana for either recreational and medicinal purposes in Wisconsin has been a fruitless pursuit under split government. Republican lawmakers are working to advance a medical marijuana proposal in the Legislature right now, though it is unclear whether it can garner enough support to become law. Rodriguez said she didnt disagree with Hong, noting that Wisconsins midwestern neighbors are able to bring in significant revenue by taxing marijuana. Gov. [J.B.] Pritzker thanks us all the time for the amount of tax Wisconsin [consumers pay], Rodriguez said. Rodriguez also added that she wants to build off the Evers administrations successes expanding broadband. It is a requirement for modern day working, for schools. We saw that during COVID, Rodriguez said. Making sure that we are able to get that type of connection to every part of Wisconsin is going to be important. Hughes agreed both with marijuana legalization and with Rodriguez on broadband, saying there have been incredible strides in installing broadband in rural areas under the Evers administration. Im all for legalizing weed, and abortion for that matter, Roys said. Roys noted that the states progressive tax structure has flattened over the last 16 years and that reversing that trend taxing higher income residents could help pay for investments in broadband. Schoemann started his answer focused on broadband, rather than staking out his position on marijuana legalization, saying broadband it is a massive issue, especially in the Northwoods. He said Washington County was able to make progress using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, though he didnt necessarily support the funding. I took [U.S] Rep. Glenn Grothmans advice: If theyre dumb enough to give you the money, you should be dumb enough to spend it, Schoemann said. Some of that we did in broadband I think we have to finish the job on broadband. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Corrections: An initial version of the story incorrectly stated that the Wenatchee was brought back to service after nearly three months. According to a WSF's statement in an email to Kitsap Sun on Nov. 10 requesting corrections to the story, after the Wenatchee was removed from service on August 15, it went back into service on Sept. 17, was removed from service on Sept. 25 for planned maintenance and returned to service on Oct. 9. And it was removed from service again on Oct. 29 and returned to service on Nov. 7. Update (Nov. 12): According to a statement from WSF on Nov. 12, the Wenatchee was taken out of service on Oct. 29 due to a mechanical issue involving one of its electrical subsystems. The vessels engine crew and maintenance teams worked to remove and replace the damaged equipment, which remains under warranty. The Wenatchee returned to service on the Bainbridge-Seattle route on Nov. 7, operating on hybrid-electric power. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Wenatchee was removed from service on Sunday, Nov. 9, afternoon and was returned to service Monday morning for the 4:45 a.m. Bainbridge Island departure. According to WSF, the vessel "was taken out of service after one of its main engines shut down twice due to a fault in the overspeed protection circuit for that engine." "We removed the vessel from service for troubleshooting and repairs. The Chief Engineer identified the source of the fault as a micro switch responsible for triggering the engines overspeed shutdown sequence. The switchs orientation placed its contacts too close to the actuation point, making it overly sensitive and causing a false shutdown under normal operating conditions. When the switch tripped, the engine safely shut down as designed," WSF said in a written statement to Kitsap Sun. "Our engineering team was able to replicate the fault in testing, adding additional confidence to the determination the switch was the source of the unintended engine shutdown. The engine room team replaced the micro switch and adjusted the orientation to reduce the sensitivity of the switch. This will allow it to maintain critical overspeed protection while preventing future nuisance trips. All other circuits have been tested and verified to be functioning correctly," according to the statement. ------- Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Washington State Ferries has brought its first hybrid-electric ferry back to service. The agency announced that theWenatchee returned to the Bainbridge-Seattle route on Friday, Nov. 7, replacing the Walla Walla "after successful repairs." The Washington State Ferry Wenatchee, right, heads for Bainbridge Island as the ferry Tacoma, left, heads for Seattle on Monday, July 28, 2025. The Wenatchee was pulled from the route in mid-August after arriving at Colman Dock in Seattle, where two of four drive motors on the ferry went off-line, causing a temporary loss of power, a WSF spokesperson said at the time. The power came back approximately a minute later and the vessel was able to sail to the Eagle Harbor Maintenance Facility, where assessment and repairs were performed. The Walla Walla replaced the Wenatchee on the Bainbridge-Seattle route at the time. Converting the Wenatchee to hybrid-electric propulsion was a $133 million project that took place from September 2023 to July this year, when the vessel debuted on the Bainbridge-Seattle route. The problem that disabled the boat in August, which WSF described as control system communication wires causing "intermittent instability," was not related to the propulsion system and the wires are common to WSF diesel-powered ferries as well. After that, it went back into service on Sept. 17, was removed from service on Sept. 25 for planned maintenance and returned to service on Oct. 9. The ferry was removed from service again on Oct. 29 and returned to service on Nov. 7, according to Washington State Ferries. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The next round of hybrid-electric ferries will be new boats, rather than conversions, after the state awarded a $715 million contract to Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group for three ferries, each capable of carrying up to 160 cars and 1,500 passengers. Deliveries are now estimated to begin in 2029. This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: WSF's hybrid-electric ferry Wenatchee back on Bainbridge-Seattle route This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Red Robin CFO Todd Wilson will leave the company on Dec. 12, the company said in a Wednesday press release. Wilson held this post for over three years, according to his LinkedIn profile. The company has begun a formal search for a replacement. Wilson will become the CFO at BJs Restaurants. Red Robin also promoted Jesse Griffith, who has been with the brand since March 2023, to chief operations officer from senior vice president of operations, the chain said. Griffith has significant operations experience and has already helped the casual dining brand improve operations over the course of its ongoing turnaround, CEO and President Dave Pace said in a statement. In his new role, Griffith will continue to help improve the chains four-wall operations and the guest experience under its First Choice strategic plan, Pace said. Dive Insight: Red Robins C-suite has undergone significant changes this year. G.J. Hart stepped down as CEO and president in April after two and a half years. In September, the chain hired Humera Kassem as chief people officer to oversee its organizational strategy and to strengthen the brands culture. Griffith has over two decades of restaurant experience, according to his LinkedIn profile. Prior to joining Red Robin, he served as vice president of operations at Torchys Tacos, which doubled its unit count during Griffiths three-year tenure. His tenure at Torchys overlapped with Harts leadership of that chain for some time. He also worked at California Pizza Kitchen for over seven years and held senior operations roles at Texas Roadhouse, Quaker Steak & Lube and Bennigans. Red Robin has already made some progress with its First Choice plan, which it unveiled earlier this year as a successor to its North Star plan. That plan is focused on improving traffic, fixing restaurants and reducing expenses, among other initiatives. The company is planning to refranchise up to 15% of its company-owned stores and could close up to 70 underperforming units over the next five years. Third-quarter results exceeded managements expectation and the brand is seeing momentum building. Comparable sales are expected to be a negative 1.2%, which will be an improvement compared to negative 3.2% during the second quarter. Recommended Reading Nov. 6Washington State University has suspended continuing education courses offered by an organization designated as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group as it reviews whether the materials comply with accreditation standards. The move comes after staff and more than 30 LGBTQ+ organizations in Eastern Washington and North Idaho voiced concern that the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine had offered continuing education courses for physicians provided by the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine. Last month, the organization announced a "joint providership" with the WSU medical school that included materials titled "Transgender Identities and the Brain: What Do We Know?" and "History: How Problems in Adult Gender Medicine Launched Pediatric Transitions." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The announcement notes that the course material belongs "to the authors and do not represent Washington State University." The courses remain viewable online. On Wednesday, 31 LGBTQ+ organizations wrote a letter to President Elizabeth Cantwell and other WSU administrators to call on the university to revoke the course's accreditation, alleging they violate the non-discrimination policies of the state of Washington and WSU. The letter says it is "not enough" for WSU suspend the accreditation of the courses and called on the university to implement stronger review and oversight procedures and require gender-affirming care curriculum for medical education and training. "Accrediting SEGM's programming represents a breach of that trust," the letter states. "We urge WSU to act swiftly to correct this decision and to reaffirm its commitment to protecting the dignity, safety, and well-being of all 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Washington State." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pam Scott, a WSU spokesperson, said the course materials were not provided or created by the university and were accredited based on standards set by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. "Accreditation indicates that the courses met ACCME's requirements for scientific balance and educational integrity," Scott wrote in an email Thursday. "This designation does not represent the university's endorsement or co-sponsorship of the group providing the course." Scott said the university is working to verify that the materials meet accreditation standards. WSU has suspended the courses as it determines whether they meet the ACCME's standards. "We remain committed to providing high-quality, evidence-based Continuing Medical Education courses," Scott wrote Thursday. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement According to the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine, the materials were initially approved on June 2. The organization was notified on Oct. 29 that the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education was reviewing the course's accreditation. "The series aims to support informed clinical decision-making that prioritizes patient safety and informed consent," the organization wrote in a statement after it was notified of the review. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine is known for its opposition to gender-affirming care for youths and was designated a hate group in 2024. "Trans patients deserve better. And so do providers. For some licensed practitioners, continuing education is the only opportunity to learn about transgender healthcare," KJ January, co-executive director of Spectrum Center, said in a statement Wednesday. "Accrediting a group that promotes anti-trans propaganda is a disservice to both the medical community and the patients they serve." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine has disputed its designation as a hate group. In a lengthy response to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the group said it was "established to promote evidence-based, ethical care for children, adolescents, and young adults with gender dysphoria." "We promote the principles of evidence-based medicine and the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice in healthcare," the organization wrote in a response issued in September. "We reject the politicization of questioning how best to care for gender-dysphoric youth." In 2022, researchers at the Yale School of Medicine described the Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine as "an ideological organization without apparent ties to mainstream scientific or professional organization." The organization has suggested that an increasing number of minors or young adults could be influenced by Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria, a theory that suggests they could be influenced by peer influence. The theory is disputed by the American Psychological Association, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Coalition for the Advancement and Application of Psychological Science. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement "There are no sound empirical studies of ROGD and it has not been subjected to rigorous peer-review processes that are standard for clinical science," the Coalition for the Advancement and Application of Psychological Science wrote in June 2021. "Further, there is no evidence that ROGD aligns with the lived experiences of transgender children and adolescents." In a post on a WSU Senate discussion board, one faculty member said while they appreciated the university's decision to suspend the courses, they were concerned with the vetting process and whether the courses met medical education and ethical standards. "As a faculty member committed to academic integrity, ethical scholarly practice, and equitable healthcare education, I believe it is important for us to take seriously the risks posed when university-affiliated educational activities align with medically unsupported approaches," the post states. "I hope Senate leadership will consider whether additional transparency and oversight processes would be beneficial moving forward." WYOMING COUNTY, WV (WVNS) A man from Wyoming County was sentenced for felony drug crimes. According to a press release, 46-year-old Chad Franklin Simmons, of Herndon, was sentenced to three to 30 years in prison after being found guilty of Possession with Intent to Deliver Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Deliver Cocaine. Seven people arrested for drug-related crimes in Wyoming County The press release stated that members of the Wyoming County Sheriffs Office found a large amount of controlled substances, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, more than $18,000 in cash, and a handgun in Simmons possession after an investigation was held. This case exemplifies the skill, hard work, and dedication of the Wyoming County Sheriffs Office in their fight against the local drug trade in Wyoming County. Our citizens are fortunate to have Sheriff Ellison and his deputies working around the clock on our behalf to serve the county and combat crime. Derek Laxton | Wyoming County Prosecuting Attorney According to the press release, Simmons had a pending capias warrant from Raleigh County, from a case in which he pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Deliver Fentanyl, when he was arrested. Simmons was sentenced to three to 15 years in prison in Raleigh County. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. When Venus Bontadelli and her husband moved to Powell, Wyoming, to be closer to family, they also hoped to find a reprieve from the "increasingly illiberal and imperious state of politics in California." But it seems this Wyoming townwith a population of roughly 6,500isn't as "live and let live" as she hoped, but rather "exercise[s] shockingly broad power over the lives and property of citizens." In December 2024, the family was gifted a baby Nigerian pygmy teacup dwarf goatan increasingly popular choice of pet in the United Statesnamed Porsche Lane. Porsche lived peacefully at the family's home until May 2025, when a Powell police officer arrived at Bontadelli's door to tell her that someone had complained about the then 10-pound, indoor-kept goat. The officer informed Bontadelli that she could keep Porsche, but only if she obtained an exotic pet permit. Since this encounter, the city has repeatedly and arbitrarily denied Bontadelli's permit, and Porsche has had to be removed from her family. Now Bontadelli is suing to bring the goat home and protect her and her family's right to due process of law. Under Powell's city ordinance, a "household pet" is defined as "any trained or domesticated animal kept at a place of residence." Although Porsche is a breed of domesticated goat that, according to the complaint filed in federal court on Tuesday, typically stays under 20 pounds and has been bred in the United States for more than 50 years as a companion pet due to their gentle temperament, Powell excludes "goats" as a qualifying household pet. But the ordinance allows the city to "authorize in writing, the possession of specificexotic animals" tailored to a "specific site" or address, provided that the "exotic animals are nonvenomous." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Even though Porsche is nonvenomous and requires less space and maintenance than a comparably sized dog, Bontadelli's request was denied. She was told it is because "goats" are listed as "livestock" animals under Wyoming state statute, and are excluded from Powell's definition of "household pet." Therefore, the rationale goes, Bontadelli's exotic pet application could not be granted unless the city's ordinance on household pets was changed, rendering her exotic pet application moot. (Wyoming also defines "pet" as "any domesticated animal normally maintained in or near the house of the owner.") Bontadelli appealed to the city council, but her attempt was in vain. Despite explaining that her home is located on a sizeable lot "in a light industrial area" on the edge of town, and providing statements from her neighbors in favor of keeping Porsche as part of the neighborhood, the council made a final decision in July to deny her request. During the meeting, one councilmember conjectured that by providing Bontadelli an exception to keep her pygmy goat, "a herd of Nubians"a much larger breed of goat, weighing between 100 and 250 poundswould end up "running around town." Rather than risking a misdemeanor charge, punishable by fines and confiscationand potential euthanizationof Porsche by city officials, Bontadelli opted to have her cherished pet cared for by the breeder until they can be reunited. This is not the first time Powell's City Council has taken a hard line against granting residents exceptions around animal ownership. In 2020, the council declined to allow a family to keep a rooster under an exotic pet permit, claiming there was no route to grant variances. More recently, in 2023, the council rejected a bid to increase the number of chickens residents could own from four to six, even for residents with 10 acres of land. One councilmember stated that if the number of allotted chickens increased, "then pretty soon you've got somebody who wants to raise, well, pot-bellied pigs or dwarf goats or somethingpretty soon you're living in the country." But hypothetical scenarios of future applications should not factor into Bontadelli's application. The decision to reject her permit application, she argues, was based on the whims of the councilmembers, rather than on a legitimate government interest. Such "arbitrary" decision-making violates her right to due process under the 14th Amendment. Additionally, the complaint, which was filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a public interest law firm, alleges the council violated Bontadelli's right under the Wyoming constitution, which provides that "[a]bsolute, arbitrary power over the lives, liberty and property of freemen exists nowhere in a republic, not even in the largest majority." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In response to news of the lawsuit, Powell Mayor John Wetzel told the Powell Tribune that he's "sad it's come to this, but we do have to follow our ordinance[s] as they're written." He continued by saying, "I think we would have done more of a disservice to grant an exception, because that's not the way it works." As ridiculous as this case may sound, it is not all that unusual. Bureaucrats across the country have meddled in people's harmless choices to raise petslike the ones that famously murdered the internet sensation Peanut the Squirrel. If successful in her challenge, Bontadelli is seeking only $1 from the city and a declaration of Powell's ordinance as unconstitutional to stop the city's overreach into the lives of its residents. As for Porsche, Bontadelli asks the court to deem the city's decision void so she can bring her pet home. The post Wyoming Woman Sues Her Town To Let Her Keep Her Pet Pygmy Goat appeared first on Reason.com. Xcel Energys sprawling Sherco Energy Hub will be among the United States biggest solar farms when the last of its three approved phases powers up next year. Soon after, the central Minnesota site could also host one of the Midwests biggest battery clusters. In a Halloween filing, Xcel asked the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for permission to double its planned battery capacity at Sherco while adding a 200-megawatt fourth phase of solar there and deploying about 136 MW of batteries at a separate site southwest of Minneapolis. The push to build even more clean energy was spurred by rising electricity demand and the looming phaseout of federal clean-energy tax credits under the Trump administration, which has worked to hamstring renewables while attempting to boost coal and gas generation. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement If the commission approves Xcels proposal, Sherco would host 910 MW of solar and 600 MW of battery capacity by the end of the decade. At peak production, that would go a long way toward offsetting the output of what Xcel representatives have called the backbone of the companys Upper Midwest generation fleet: the roughly 2,300-MW Sherco coal plant, which shut down its first unit in late 2023 and is set to fully retire in 2030. George Damian, director of government affairs for Clean Energy Economy MN, said the proposal underscores the growing importance of batteries as the grid shifts away from fossil fuels. As demand continues to rise, technologies like battery storage are becoming essential to maintaining reliability while integrating more carbon-free generation, Damian said. Xcel regional president Bria Shea agreed, saying in a statement that [w]ere making a significant investment in battery storage because we see it as a critical part of Minnesotas energy future. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The separate 136-MW Blue Lake project would replace retired fossil-fuel capacity, too, boosting output at whats now a 332-MW gas peaker plant. Xcel retired Blue Lakes aging oil-fired units earlier this year, leaving two newer gas units operating and freeing up more than 200 MW of grid interconnection capacity. Minnesota requires its utilities to procure 100% clean power by 2040 and aims to decarbonize its entire economy by 2050, with ambitious targets for building and transport electrification. Meanwhile, developers have proposed at least a dozen large-scale data center projects around the state, including several in Xcel territory. In December, Xcel executive Ryan Long then serving in Sheas role said the company could absorb 1.3 GW of data center capacity by 2032 without derailing its carbon-free power plan, though he added it may need to extend the life of some gas plants to accommodate the load increase. In the filing, Xcel said it wants to move quickly to expand its generation capacity while theres still time to qualify for federal clean-energy tax incentives of 30% or more. President Donald Trumps One Big Beautiful Bill Act will sunset those incentives several years early, forcing most wind and solar projects to begin construction before July 4, 2026, to qualify for the full value. Energy storage projects qualify for the full credit value through 2033, but Xcel said uncertainty around new foreign-sourcing restrictions taking effect next year increases the urgency to deploy storage soon too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Xcel says it expects to break ground on the Sherco and Blue Lake battery installations next year and power them up in 2027. It aims to commission the Sherco solar project by 2029. Rather than contract with independent solar and battery installations in its territory, Xcel wants to build and own all three projects itself. In the filing, it said rules set by Minnesotas grid operator require company ownership of new energy facilities reusing interconnection rights at retiring power plants. The same filing asks the commission to approve agreements to purchase power from several third-party solar and battery projects that will connect to the grid elsewhere. John Farrell, the Minneapolis-based codirector of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and a frequent critic of the monopoly-utility model, said the looming tax-credit cliff creates an unusual circumstance where the need to quickly develop more clean energy cuts against his preference for an open and competitive bidding process that could result in a better deal for electricity customers. I am more sympathetic than I would be normally because we are stuck in the regime weve got and theres a lot of money on the table, he said, referring to the tax credits whose rollback is expected to raise Minnesotans electricity bills in the coming years. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To incentivize faster clean-energy deployment ahead of the cliff created by Trumps megalaw, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in August said it would allow projects that meet the deadline for federal tax incentives to also access extended eligibility for state renewable energy credits. Xcel spokesperson Theo Keith said the utility has already taken steps to ensure this portfolio of projects will qualify for federal tax credits before they expire. But with the North American Electric Reliability Corp. forecasting a high risk of capacity shortfalls on the Upper Midwest grid by 2028, theres a chance that the U.S. Department of Energy issues an emergency order requiring one of the Sherco plants two remaining coal units to run past its planned retirement next year, said Allen Gleckner, chief policy officer for Minnesota-based Fresh Energy. The DOE has already done so for one retiring coal station in the Midwest, Michigans 1,420-MW J.H. Campbell plant. Its operator, Consumers Energy, says that order, which runs at least through Nov. 19 and which the DOE says it could extend for much longer, has already cost consumers at least $80 million. Its unclear whether a similar order at Sherco would affect Xcels battery plans, but it would be disruptive to the utility either way, Gleckner said. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The uncertainty that scenario contemplates is another reason why it would be a terrible idea, Gleckner said. Asked if Xcel had reason to expect a DOE emergency order at Sherco and whether that could interfere with its proposed clean-energy deployments there, Keith said only that Xcel is moving ahead with its plans to retire the coal units by 2030. We are in regular conversations about Minnesotas energy future with various stakeholders, including federal, state, and local elected officials, he said. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he does not believe recent attempts made by self-proclaimed Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko to appear sympathetic towards the Ukrainian people, as Russia invaded Ukraine from Belarusian territory on the morning of 24 February 2022. Source: Zelenskyy during a press briefing Quote from Zelenskyy: "Lukashenko should not forget, because now he's become very talkative in the media, trying to show how kind he is to our people. We don't need his kindness that came with missiles at 04:00. If he thinks that with his words he can talk our memory away... we are young people, we remember everything very well, and he will still pay for what he did namely, enabling the offensive launched from his territory. The start of the full-scale war came to us from Belarus. No one will forget that." Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Details: Zelenskyy made these remarks in the context of declaring that Ukraine will never agree to peace talks with Russia on Belarusian territory, as that country aids the Kremlin's aggression. Background: On 6 November, Lukashenko attempted to show "sympathy" for Ukrainians because of the war and invited them to come and work in Belarus. Quote from Lukashenko: "Come, Ukrainians! We will gladly welcome you. Your families and children will have the same life as Belarusians... For us, Ukrainians are a blessing. They are hardworking people who understand us and speak the same language... But trouble has come to our neighbour's home. I think we'll sort this problem out." Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon! Registrar Corp has acquired CMC Medical Devices, a Spain-based company specialising in clinical, regulatory, and compliance services, for an undisclosed sum. CMC works with manufacturers in more than 70 nations, focusing on requirements related to the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation (IVDR), authorised representation, and strategies for navigating regulatory frameworks. Backed by Paine Schwartz Partners, the deal will see Registrar Corp aim to integrate its network with CMCs technical and clinical offerings, providing a combined service to help medical device and IVD companies to bring products to market. Registrar Corp will now provide services as an authorised representative or sponsor in Australia, China, the US, the UK, the European Union (EU) and Switzerland, assisting manufacturers with regulatory compliance across these regions. The acquisition also enables Registrar Corp to manage Free Sale Certificates from key jurisdictions, streamlining export documentation processes and supporting quick approvals for the product. Furthermore, CMCs clinical network allows Registrar Corp to deliver additional services such as developing plans for data gathering, reporting on post-market clinical follow-up (PMCF), and providing detailed guidance on MDR and IVDR regulations. Registrar Corp CEO Raj Shah said: Were proud to welcome CMC Medical Devices to the Registrar Corp family. Together, we offer medical device manufacturers a single partner to navigate complex regulations and access the US, EU, and other key global marketsso they can focus on innovation rather than compliance. According to Registrar Corp, this development is intended to ease global expansion for manufacturers by minimising associated expenses, challenges, and timelines. With a suite of regulatory, clinical, and compliance solutions now available through a single provider, medical device and IVD firms are positioned to benefit throughout all phases of product compliance and commercialisation. "Registrar Corp purchases Spains CMC Medical Devices" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. Ford Motor leaders are reported to be "in active discussions" over the fate of the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup, and if they do decide to end it, that would make the Lightning the first of the electric trucks to go. It would also be a move industry observers say has been long expected as sales of the vehicle have fallen short of expectations. "We don't have anything definitive (on it being canceled)," said Sam Fiorani, vice president of Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions. "But the numbers play out that we don't expect them to bring it (in production) back anytime soon." The Ford F-150 Lightning EV pickup truck at the well-lit customer acceptance line, one of the final stages of the production process, at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn on April 21, 2022. Ford halted production of the Lightning, assembled at Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, on Oct. 23 due to an aluminum shortage after a fire destroyed part of Novelis aluminum factory in New York. Novelis is the main supplier of aluminum to Ford for use in its pickups and SUVs. On Oct. 23, Ford COO Kumar Galhotra told the news media that the automaker expects to also pause production of its highly profitable gasoline-powered F-150 pickup made at Dearborn Truck Plant at some point this month due to the aluminum shortage. When asked whether the pause in Lightning production would be permanent, Galhotra's answer was vague. "We're 100% focused on the F-150 and covering as much as possible. The plant is right there next to DTP and so whenever we're ready, we'll get the Lightning back up," Galhotra said on Oct. 23. A report in the Wall Street Journal on Nov. 6 cited unnamed sources as saying the fate of the Lightning is being debated inside Ford, but no final decision has yet been made. The report also said that General Motors executives have discussed discontinuing some electric trucks, too, citing people familiar with the matter. GM spokesman Kevin Kelly told the Free Press on Nov. 6 that there have been no discussions about changing the automaker's portfolio. In a government filing last month, GM said, "Our strategic realignment of EV capacity does not impact today's retail portfolio of Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac EVs currently in production, and we expect these models to remain available to consumers." Stellantis, which makes Ram trucks, canceled plans earlier this year to make an electric version of its full-size pickup. Ford's take on the Lightning When asked about the fate of the Lightning and whether Ford is considering killing it, Ford spokesman Dave Tovar told the Detroit Free Press on Nov. 6, "We dont comment on speculation about future product plans." You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters. Despite already high RIA valuations, the figures could continue to rise due to a robust buyers market, said Jeff Dekko, CEO of Wealth Enhancement, an acquisitive registered investment advisor that has grown to nearly $125 billion in client assets. Dekko, speaking at Schwabs Impact conference in Denver this week, said the market is being driven by approximately 75 private equity-backed acquirers and 25 non-private equity-backed buyers, bringing the total pool to around 100 firms. Everything is about 12x headline to 14x headline, and sometimes higher for larger firms, he said. And theres definitely upward pressure within that. The structure of those acquisitions under consideration is typically a combination of equity, deferred compensation (such as an earn-out) and cash. The CEO cautioned RIAs against being the first acquiree by dealmakers, noting that its better to partner with a firm that has a proven track record of dealmaking, not hobbyists in the space. Jennifer Souza, CEO and president of minority investor Emigrant Partners, agreed that the market for RIAs was frenzied at the moment, with multiples for RIAs having increased over the past five years. Beyond a protracted market downturn, deal activity is expected to continue. However, she advised RIAs not to be distracted by the big-ticket numbers and to remain focused on their own shops to achieve the best valuations in the end. Think about not so much the multiple, but the opportunity to create value within your business, she said. Souza pointed to cultivating talent, having strong organic growth that is sustainable, and professionalizing the business. Professional financial management of your business, she said. Infrastructure, technology investment, investment in marketing as an enterprise, not just your advisors doing it off the side of your desk. All of those are important to really drive value. Eric Kittner, CEO and chairman of Moneta, said the valuations make sense in the RIA space, considering that margins are good and client relationships are sticky. Ive asked every RIA out there if theyre disappointed that they own an RIA, and every single one says no, he said. Moneta, which has about $43 billion in client assets, is not private equity-backed. It operates through a partnership model with its RIAs, with deals often being equity swaps in which an RIA gives up equity to Moneta in exchange for ownership in the larger firm. The Budapest city government is filing a compensation lawsuit to recover 28 billion forints (EUR 70m) "collected unlawfully" as solidarity contribution, plus interest, after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the capital on Thursday in the case concerning the year 2023, Gergely Karacsony, the mayor of Budapest, told a press conference. The court upheld a lower court's decision, confirming the deduction was illegal and setting a precedent for local government financing in Hungary, the mayor said, adding that the decision was "significant" because it clarified that the "solidarity contribution" was not a tax and should have been enforced through administrative procedures, ensuring it did not endanger municipal operations. Karacsony said the Supreme Court ruled that in 2023 that the State Treasury illegally collected the capital's current account and illegally withdrew 28 billion forints from this account. He said almost 4 billion forints in interest was also a stake. Following the Supreme Court's decision, the capital is seeking compensation to recover the 28 billion forints too, the mayor said after consulting representatives of the capital's trade unions. The mayor warned that the city's financial situation was dire and by the end of the year its credit limit of 37 billion forints would be reached, leaving no funds to pay salaries from January to mid-March 2026. He emphasised that the city and its companies must comply with fiscal laws, which prohibit year-end deficits. Meanwhile, Gabor Naszalyi, head of the Unified Transport Union, said that in line with their unanimous decision representing 27,000 workers, they called on representatives of the capital and the government to resume stalled negotiations on the capital's financing, and if this did not happen within a week, the union would organise forums to inform employees that work should not be carried out unpaid. The Hungarian State Treasury told MTI that the Kuria's ruling "did not call into question the solidarity contribution as a payment obligation or the legality of that obligation" in respect of the metropolitan administration. In its reasoning, the court explicitly stated that the Budapest municipality was also required to contribute to the budget, the treasury said, adding that the court had not imposed any repayment obligation on the treasury. The treasury added that it would continue to enforce the collection of the solidarity contribution in accordance with the court's latest guidance. Source: MTI Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent. Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media. XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com ********************************************************************************************* 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 National Bank of Hungary (NBH) has issued an executive circular instructing banks to inform retail clients on cheaper account packages by the end of January, in line with an agreement signed with the Hungarian Banking Association. Central bank governor Mihaly Varga signed an agreement in April with the banking association on cutting the fees of retail banking services and encouraging clients to switch accounts. MTI Stock Photo - for illustrative purposes only Source: MTI Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent. Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media. XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com ********************************************************************************************* 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. Some HUF 190bn of American corporate investments, the record of the decade, will come to Hungary this year, because of the new golden age of bilateral relations since US President Donald Trump took office, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said on Thursday during a stop in Reykjavik on his way to Washington. Szijjarto noted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Donald Trump will hold their sixth official meeting on Friday and strengthening economic cooperation will be on the agenda. The minister said economic cooperation has improved in the ten months since President Trump took office, and nine investment projects by American firms have been announced since then. "Tomorrow we will finalise an agreement on boosting economic cooperation, under which we will be able to announce seven new American corporate investments this year," Szijjarto said. "These will represent a total value of HUF 100bn and create many hundreds of new jobs in both Budapest and rural locations, in high-value-added industries such as IT, electronics or medical technology," he added. Orban: 'We are travelling to Washington to open new chapter in Hungary-US ties' "Today, we are travelling to Washington to open a new chapter in Hungarian-American relations with President Trump," Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Facebook. Orban said Donald Trumps re-election had opened up new opportunities in Hungary-US ties. "The first ten months of this year marked the initial phase, during which we repaired the damage Hungary and Hungarian-American relations suffered under the Biden administration," the prime minister said on X in an English post identical to the Facebook entry. "The politically motivated sanctions have disappeared, American funding for NGOs attacking Hungary has ended, and we can once again travel to the United States without a visa. With this, the first phase has come to an end." "Our goal is to establish a strategic partnership that includes energy cooperation, investments, defence collaboration, and discussions on the post-war landscape following the Russia-Ukraine conflict. We are working on an agreement based on mutual benefits, one that serves the interests of every Hungarian citizen," Orban said. "Heading to Washington! Lets get to work!" the prime minister said. Source: MTI Hungarys national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent. Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media. XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com ********************************************************************************************* 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. On November 14, 2025, the Night of Modern Factories program is back for its ninth run. Organized by the Hungarian Economic Development Agency (under the Ministry of National Economy, or NGM), this annual, nationwide series offers a unique chance to get up close with innovation and technology across Hungarian industry. This year, over 120 factories throughout the country are opening their doors for the event, offering both online and in-person tours and presentations. It's a fantastic opportunity to see beyond the gates and gain insight into the production processes, operations, and innovative solutions driving companies in various industries and sectors. An Excellent Opportunity for Expats and Career Changers The Night of Modern Factories is completely free to attend, but registration is required on the official Modern Factory Night website, as the number of places is determined by the individual factories. For expats, the event provides a fascinating look into the backbone of the Hungarian economy. Its also an exceptional opportunity for anyone interested in a career move, or for young people exploring their professional options, to see how modern technology is reshaping industrial production in Hungary. In recent years, the program has grown significantly, attracting thousands of visitors annually and becoming one of the most successful community events in Hungarian industry. Major Players and New Participants The lineup of participating companies is strong, featuring well-known names that operate locally, such as: Coca-Cola HBC Hungary Ltd. Magyar Suzuki Ltd. Marka Uditogyarto Kft. Caola Ltd. Several facilities are joining the program for the first time on November 14th, including Michelin Hungaria Kft. in Nyiregyhaza, Beres Gyogyszergyar Zrt., Sopron Brewery, and Magyar Vagon Vasut Zrt. The event is still open for more companies to sign up and participate. From Traditional to 'Smart Factory' Laszlo Hunyadi, Deputy State Secretary for SME Development at the Ministry of National Economy, emphasized that the program's core goal is to connect the world of innovation and technology with the public, especially young people and businesses. He noted that the Night of Modern Factories goes beyond simple tours; its a showcase of how essential industrial companies are evolving and finding new ways to innovate. Visitors will see firsthand how a traditional plant can transform into a smart factory. As he put it, the event is a joint learning process that demonstrates that the factories of the future are already operating all around us in Hungary. Tamas Fehervary, CEO of the Hungarian Economic Development Agency, echoed this sentiment, highlighting that the success of the 2017 launch is rooted in knowledge transfer. The visits offer career starters, university students, and even the family members of company employees a valuable look into the day-to-day operations of these key facilities. More: mgfu.hu/en / https://www.moderngyarakejszakaja.hu/ and Facebook Event ********************************************************************************************* 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. Abdullah posted a picture of himself with the IndiGo flight in the background during the early hours of Sunday and slammed the Delhi Airport. DRDOs new jam-proof actuator system promises unstoppable Indian fighter jets, which will be immune to electronic attacks, sharper and deadlier than ever before. Maharashtra government has issued a new order for government employees. According to this order, government employees will have to say Vande Mataram instead of hello on the phone. But now this order is being opposed. SEOUL (Reuters) -Samsung Electronics said on Friday it had named Park Hark-kyu as the new head of its business support office, a key decision-making body of the technology giant that serves chairman Jay Y. Lee. The South Korean company said in a statement the office had been upgraded from a task force. Park's predecessor, Chung Hyun-ho, will assume an advisory role to Lee, Samsung said. Vice Chairman Chung "expressed his intention to step down from management to focus on nurturing future leaders, as Samsung's business has been back on track," a Samsung spokesperson said. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies) Pepkor Holdings, a clothing retailer in South Africa, has purchased several fashion brands from Retailability in a deal worth around R1.7bn ($97.22m). As part of the agreement, Pepkor has taken ownership of the Legit, Swagga, Style and Boardmans brands, adding 469 outlets to its operations. The acquisition increases Pepkors total store network to more than 1,000 locations. Having obtained all regulatory approvals, the transaction became effective on 2 November 2025. Pepkor said that the Legit, Swagga and Style brands will be incorporated into its Pepkor Speciality division, expanding its presence in the adult apparel segment, particularly womens fashion. The Boardmans brand will join the Pepkor Lifestyle division, strengthening the companys position in the homeware sector. Pepkor expects the deal to create additional value by using its large scale and retail expertise across the entire value chain including financial services. Pepkor Emerging Businesses CEO Tyrone Vieira said: We are delighted to have successfully concluded this transaction. This marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for these businesses under the custodianship of Pepkor. As we move into the integration phase, we look forward to harnessing the strengths of these businesses within the Pepkor Speciality and broader Pepkor ecosystem. Investec Bank acted as equity and debt sponsor to Pepkor. Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank, served as financial adviser and corporate broker. ENS Africa provided legal advice to Pepkor. Retailability received advisory support from Investec Bank and legal services from Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr. "South African clothing retailer Pepkor acquires 469 stores from Retailability " was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. "Red Cup Day" has become a hotly anticipated event for Starbucks fans every year. It marks the day the company officially launches into the holiday season, releasing the reusable holiday cups that can carry its coffee drinks throughout winter. Now, timed to coincide with Starbucks lovers' unofficial holiday, a labor strike looms as Starbucks battles sales declines, operational overhauls, and rising union pressure. Thousands of workers are expected to walk out during the annual Red Cup Day event, protesting, among other issues, the large gap between CEO and worker pay, according to Workers United, the worker-led unionizing effort. The planned strike will affect hundreds of stores in 25 cities nationwide and comes as the company struggles to reignite growth after several disappointing quarters. The timing could hardly be worse for a brand trying to balance major operational changes with pressure from Wall Street to improve performance. Starbucks union members are planning a strike to begin on November 13, 2025, aka Red Cup Day.Image source: Andrew Lichtenstein/Getty Images When is Starbucks' Red Cup Day? Red Cup Day has become one of Starbucks' most powerful marketing tools, signaling the start of the holiday season and driving a major spike in sales. Analysts estimate it can boost November traffic by up to 20% at participating stores. This year, Red Cup Day is November 13, 2025. More on retail and bankruptcy: The de facto holiday's success has, however, turned it into a flashpoint for labor tensions. Baristas say the annual promotion highlights the same issues they've been raising for years high stress, unpredictable scheduling, and lack of adequate staffing during heavy-volume days. Workers United has accused Starbucks of delaying contract talks and retaliating against union supporters. Starbucks denies those claims, saying it's negotiating in good faith and that store staffing levels are based on real-time data and sales forecasts. Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks already offers the best job in retail, including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners, Starbucks Spokeswoman Jaci Anderson told AP. Related: Starbucks closes more stores in a key market In a letter to Starbucks employees released Wednesday, Starbucks Chief Partner Officer Sara Kelly said the union has proposed a 65% pay increase immediately and a 77% increase over three years, with additional payments for weekends or days when Starbucks runs promotions. Steven Madden Ltd. CEO Edward Rosenfeld had great news about the shoe firms prospects, and investors cheered. Shares of Madden spiked 13.6 percent to close the trading day Wednesday at $37.32 following Rosenfelds remarks in a conference call after the company posted third quarter earnings results. More from WWD During the period in April and May, when new tariffs on Chinese imports reached 145 percent, wholesale customers cut back meaningfully on orders for the third quarter, and we shifted large amounts of production out of China midstream, which led to shipment delays, Rosenfeld said. These factors, together with the negative impact to gross margin from the significant increase in our landed costs, resulted in substantial pressure on both revenue and earnings in Q3. He also noted that the value side of the wholesale channel were the ones that pulled back most significantly. Rosenfeld also spoke about the China tariff reduction and its impact on sourcing. Its a welcome development to see the reduction in the tariff on China. The way that this tariff regime looks right now, the math would tell us we would move quite a bit back to China, he said, explaining that theres a need to be cautious too. I think that were going to be careful about that. We want to remain diversified. We dont want to get back into a position where we have 70-plus percent of our sourcing coming from one country, Rosenfeld said. And so were going to continue to try to be diversified, but it obviously does give us greater flexibility to go back to China, where we need to get the right deliveries and quality, pricing, speed, et cetera. For the three months ended Sept. 30, net income was down 62.9 percent to $20.5 million, or 29 cents a diluted share, on total revenue that rose 6.9 percent to $667.9 million. Revenue for the wholesale business fell 10.7 percent to $442.7 million. Excluding the recently acquired Kurt Geiger brand, wholesale revenue was down 19.0 percent. Wholesale footwear revenue decreased 10.9 percent, or 16.7 percent when excluding the Kurt Geiger brand. Wholesale accessories/apparel revenue decreased 10.3 percent, or 22.5 percent excluding Kurt Geiger. The company closed on its $360 million deal for the Kurt Geiger London brand in May. The good news from Rosenfeld was that while the company will continue to see negative impacts from tariffs, We believe the worst is behind us. He said order patterns from wholesale customers are normalizing and we are mitigating a larger percentage of the gross margin pressure through strategic pricing actions and sourcing initiatives. The CEO added that underlying consumer demand for our brands and products is strong. Rosenfeld said the fall product assortment for Steve Madden is resonating with consumers, enabling the company to outperform the competition. He cited boots as a standout led by casual tall shaft styles, although the company is also seeing strong performance in dress shoes across various heel heights, as well as casual such as loafers, Mary-Janes and mules. The CEO also noted how the company has been really pleased so far with the lack of price resistance that weve seen, particularly in the Madden brand. But Rosenfeld also emphasized that the real takeaway on the price increases is that when you have real fashion for product or new fashion, the consumer is willing to pay. Where you have to be much more careful with price increases is on the core and more basic product, he said, adding that the higher prices were planned out, style by style, as opposed to a blanket uptick evenly across the board for every item. He said that some items had stock-outs, but good early reads on some of the product enabled the firm to fill some reorders. And because a good portion of the product was coming from Mexico, thats where we have a lot of speed and we can get back into reorders in 30 days, the CEO said. The marketing team has increased investment across YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Pinterest, helping to drive increases in awareness and conversion with key Gen Z and Millennial customers. As a result, both wholesale sell-through and DTC (direct-to-consumer) sales trends for Steve Madden have accelerated meaningfully in recent months, Rosenfeld said. As for Geiger, he said it has strong momentum as consumers continue to respond to its designs and eye-catching marketing, including campaigns featuring actress Emily Ratajkowski. He noted that the brand is over 70 percent DTC. Comparable sales for the brand were up mid-teens for the quarter, and the company is making progress on revenue strategies, including expanding Geiger in international markets through the Steve Madden network, as well as growing Steve Madden in the U.K. through the Geiger platform. Rosenfeld also said there are plans to open a handful of stores in the U.S. in 2026 for the Geiger brand, adding that theres opportunity for growth in both brick-and-mortar doors and in wholesale sales. In company-owned brands, the CEO cited success in the U.S. footwear business for Dolce Vita, which is expanding in international markets and will be extended to other categories such as handbags. The company is working on renewed cultural relevance for the Betsey Johnson brand, as well as differentiated merchandise assortments. Both Dolce Vita and Betsey Johnson are on track to deliver revenue gains for the full year 2025, despite the headwinds from tariffs, he said. Looking ahead to holiday, Rosenfeld said the company has been able to be less promotional because of the strength of the product and the trend. He said that while the company needs to remain competitive into the fall and heart of the holiday season when everybodys promotional, were going to attempt to continue to be less promotional where we can. Best of WWD Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. (Corrects assets under management in paragraph 5 of November 5 report to $79.9 billion from $76.3 billion) (Reuters) -U.S.-based investor Stonepeak said on Wednesday it plans to launch a redeemable, infrastructure-backed debt security on the Australian Securities Exchange after securing over A$300 million ($194.94 million) in cornerstone commitments. The note will offer monthly interest payments linked to the one-month Bank Bill Swap benchmark rate (BBSW) plus a 3.25% annual margin and is expected to begin trading on December 10. "The Stonepeak-Plus INFRA1 Note will provide Australian investors access to regular monthly income generated through a curated portfolio of high-quality infrastructure debt assets," the firm said in a statement. E&P Capital, Westpac, and Morgans among others are serving as joint lead managers for Stonepeak. In September, Reuters reported that Stonepeak, which began investing in Asia in 2019 and manages $79.9 billion in assets globally, is seeking to raise as much as $4 billion for its second Asia-focused infrastructure fund. ($1 = 1.5389 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Nikita Maria Jino in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee) By Akbar Novruz A conference titled "Correct application of the norms of the Azerbaijani literary language in the media" is being held in Baku, jointly organized by the Media Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Press Council, Azernews reports. The event addresses key topics such as "The state of compliance with the norms of the Azerbaijani literary language in the television and radio space and speech culture" and "Rules for using the Azerbaijani language in print and online media: problems and solutions." The conference places particular emphasis on preserving the Azerbaijani language, echoing President Ilham Aliyevs remarks on language protection made at the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS). The goal of the event is to encourage the fluent and correct use of the Azerbaijani language in the media environment in accordance with literary norms, to enhance linguistic culture, and to promote higher standards of speech in mass communication. After years of turbulence, it appears that Boeing (BA) is finally gaining altitude. The aerospace giant just reported one of its most optimistic quarters in recent memory, with improved operational efficiency, rising revenue, and the long-awaited return to positive free flow. BA stock has gained 30% over the past year, outperforming the S&P 500 Indexs ($SPX) gain of 18%. So far year-to-date (YTD), BA stock has risen 11%, slightly underperforming the markets gain of 16%. Wall Street rates BA stock as a Strong Buy, indicating high trust in the company's growth prospects, financial health, and stock price potential, making it a steal deal of 2025. Should you buy Boeing stock now? More News from Barchart www.barchart.com Boeings Comeback Gains Altitude Valued at $150.5 billion, Boeing is one of the worlds largest aerospace and defense companies that designs, manufactures, and sells commercial airplanes (like the 737, 787 Dreamliner, and 777). It also manufactures defense, space, and security systems, including fighter jets, military drones, satellites, and spacecraft. Essentially, Boeings biggest clients are a mix of top global airlines and major government, military, and space organizations. Boeings turnaround story continues to gain altitude. Revenue for the third quarter soared 30% year-over-year (YoY) to $23.3 billion, owing to improved operational performance, increased commercial deliveries, and consistent defense volume. Importantly, Boeing reported positive free cash flow of $238 million, its first since late 2023. This marked a critical milestone in the aerospace giants post-crisis recovery. The company's Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) business delivered 160 aircraft, its best quarterly total since 2018, and revenue increased by over 50% to $11.1 billion. Despite substantial costs related to the delayed 777X program, the company continues to grow. Orders also flowed in, totaling 161 net, including 50 Dreamliners ordered by Turkish Airlines and 30 737-8 jets by the Norwegian Group. This brought the commercial backlog to $535 billion and more than 5,900 airplanes. Furthermore, the 737 program stabilized at 38 jets per month and is now ramping up to 42 per month following FAA approval. Boeing also finished rework on all pre-2023 aircraft and closed its shadow factory, indicating a return to smoother, more efficient operations. The 787 Dreamliner program delivered 24 planes in the quarter, decreasing the inventory of older aircraft to only 10. Boeing anticipates delivering the units by 2026, in line with airline fleet projections. By Faith Hung and Emily Chan TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's exports grew at their fastest clip in nearly 16 years in October, setting a record as booming demand for chips and artificial intelligence (AI) technology outpaces the effects of U.S. tariffs on the island's goods. Exports jumped 49.7% in October from a year earlier to $61.80 billion, a record amount in dollars and the fastest growth since 57.7% logged in May 2010, the finance ministry said on Friday. The figure easily surpassed the 31.6% increase forecast by economists in a Reuters poll. It also marked the 24th consecutive monthly year-on-year gain. Taiwan's exports to the United States are subject to a 20% tariff, which Taipei is in talks to reduce, though semiconductors are at present excluded. Taiwan's export momentum is expected to be buoyed both by the continued acceleration of AI and high-performance computing applications and the traditional peak season of year-end shopping in western markets, the ministry said in a statement. The ministry now expects 2025 exports to grow 30% year-on-year to $600 billion. However, the global economic outlook remains highly uncertain, as U.S. tariff policies take shape and geopolitical risks linger, so there is need for careful monitoring, the statement added. Taiwan companies such as TSMC,, the world's largest contract chipmaker, are major suppliers to Nvidia, Apple and other tech giants. For November, the ministry expects exports to rise between 35% and 40% year-on-year. In October, Taiwan's exports to the United States soared 144.3% on-year to $21.135 billion, while exports to China climbed 3.2%. Exports of electronic components rose 27.7% to $21.16 billion, with semiconductor exports up 29.2%. Imports rose 14.6% to $32.22 billion, behind economists' forecasts for an increase of 25.3%. (Reporting by Faith Hung and Emily Chan; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Kim Coghill) TalkTalks founder, Sir Charles Dunstone, has previously provided an emergency bailout for the telecoms group - David M. Benett/Getty Images TalkTalks losses have more than doubled after the struggling broadband provider was forced to borrow money to pay its bills. The telecoms group posted a loss of 67m in the three months to the end of August, compared to 31m in the same period last year. The worsening performance was driven by higher finance costs, which jumped from 33m to 72m because of rising interest on the companys debt pile. Overall debt at the end of August stood at 1.4bn, up from 1.2bn at the same time last year. TalkTalk was forced to raise 100m from shareholders, including Ares Management, over the summer amid concerns about its liquidity and ability to meet debt covenants. It subsequently raised a further 18.9m from a new lender. That came less than a year after TalkTalk secured a 235m emergency bailout from Ares and its founder, Sir Charles Dunstone, to avoid a looming debt default. The latest funding has largely been pumped straight into settling up unpaid bills after TalkTalk fell behind on payments to suppliers, including Openreach, BTs network division. The delay prompted a stand-off with Openreach, which threatened to block TalkTalk from putting new customers on its network. In June and July, TalkTalk was forced to secure a letter of credit from one of its lenders to guarantee 73m owed to Openreach. TalkTalk booked a 12m interest charge for late payments to one unnamed supplier. It also paid down debts to other suppliers by 30m over the quarter as bosses negotiated to secure better contract terms. Overall, the company said it expected net working capital the gap between its assets and liabilities to reduce by 70m for the whole year. Tumbling customer numbers TalkTalks hefty debt costs have been compounded by lower revenues as customer numbers tumble. The broadband firm lost a further 120,000 customers over the quarter, taking its total subscriber base to around 2.9 million as revenues fell 6pc to 324m. TalkTalk has carried out significant cost-cutting to rebalance the books, including job cuts and lower spending on customer acquisition. Bosses are now targeting savings of 146m by 2028. The company has also refreshed its WiFi offering and launched a new advertising campaign as it looks to stabilise subscriber losses. However, TalkTalk is now expected to be sold off for parts. The company has hired advisers from investment bank PJT Partners to explore options for its consumer and wholesale divisions. James Smith, chief executive of TalkTalk, said: Over the past six months, weve made huge progress in continuing to transform and simplify the group. Tesla TSLA is back in the spotlight as shareholders prepare to vote on CEO Elon Musks massive pay package worth around $1 trillion. The proposal, which needs shareholder approval, has stirred debate over both its size and necessity. Robyn Denholm, Chair of the Board, confirmed that voting closes today at 11:59 p.m. ET, with the final count to be revealed at Teslas annual general meeting tomorrow. It will be a big day for the company. The board believes Musks leadership is the only way Tesla can successfully pivot into artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous vehicles (AVs) and robotics. But as investors await the verdict, the key question remains: how is Tesla positioned currently, and is now the right time buy its shares? Musks Controversial $1T Pay Package The proposed package has been quite controversial. Many large and high-profile Tesla backers like Cathie Wood and Michael Dell have already pledged to vote in favor of Musk. Baron Capital Management has also backed Musks pay, calling him the companys most valuable asset. Its worth noting here is that Musk will be rewarded only if he meets the targets tied to the pay package. That includes boosting adjusted EBITDA 25-fold to $400 billion by 2035, hitting a market value of $8.5 trillion (from just around $1.5 trillion today). Additionally, it will have to sell 20 million vehicles by 2035, add 10 million Full Self-Driving subscriptions, deploy 1 million robotaxis and deliver 1 million humanoid robots. If Musk succeeds in achieving these milestones, it will increase shareholder value significantly. These incentives are constructed such that if Elon wins, shareholders win. Still, many critics are concerned about the size of the package. Yesterday, a major institutional investor, Norways sovereign-wealth fund which owns more than 1% stake in the electric vehicle (EV) giant disclosed that it would vote against Musks massive remuneration package. While the Norwegian fund recognizes the value Musk has created for Tesla, its worried about how huge the pay package is, the potential share dilution and the companys heavy reliance on him. And these concerns are similar to what proxy advisors Glass Lewis and ISS have also said, urging investors to vote against the compensation plan. Despite the pushback, approval appears likely. Prediction market Polymarket currently gives the pay package a 93% chance of passing. The board, meanwhile, continues to defend its position. Denholm credits Musk for making Tesla the only profitable U.S. EV maker and argues that his compensation is strictly based on performance. Shes also warned that without the right incentives, Tesla risks losing the person it believes is key to its success. Quoting Denholm, We run the risk that he gives up his executive position, and Tesla may lose his time, talent and vision, which have been essential to delivering extraordinary shareholder returns. (Corrects to remove section on political neutrality, which was not on the ballot) By Akash Sriram and Abhirup Roy SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Tesla shareholders will decide on Thursday whether to pay CEO Elon Musk up to $878 billion, the richest executive pay in history by a long shot. But the high-profile vote is only one of several proposals that could reshape the electric vehicle maker's future, from the board's power to whether Tesla should invest in Musk's artificial intelligence firm xAI. The results of the pay vote are expected during the annual general meeting on Thursday afternoon at the company's factory in Austin, Texas. Passage of the payday would be a vote of confidence in Musk's leadership and his vision of transforming the company into an AI and robotics juggernaut. A rejection could create turmoil. Here are the key proposals shareholders are voting on: UP TO $878 BILLION FOR MUSK The pay package proposed for Musk requires Tesla to achieve a number of profit and operational milestones such as delivering 20 million vehicles over the next 10 years and having a million robotaxis in operation on roads. In tandem, Tesla stock must rise, hitting new valuation milestones. The company, currently worth more than $1.5 trillion, would have to hit levels starting with $2 trillion and going up to $8.5 trillion. Passage is widely expected given Musk is allowed to vote his roughly 15% stake. He did not vote his shares on pay questions when the company was incorporated in Delaware, but it has moved to Texas. Supporters say the goals for Musk are highly ambitious and investors stand to gain if he achieves the milestones. However, some major investors, including Norway's sovereign wealth fund and other proxy advisors have opposed the package, calling it excessive. Tesla's board had said Musk could quit if the pay package was not approved. Musk has a previous pay package that is caught up in Delaware court. Investors will also vote on a proposal that would allow Musk to receive a replacement package if the court eventually rejected the old plan. xAI INVESTMENT Investors will also consider a proposal for Tesla to invest in Musks artificial intelligence startup, xAI. Musk has said publicly he believes Tesla should back the company. The board has not endorsed the plan. Investors will have to decide whether such a tie-up would advance Teslas AI ambitions or deepen potential conflicts of interest as the lines between Musk's companies blur. SUPERMAJORITY VOTING Shareholders also are being asked to scrap Teslas supermajority voting requirement, replacing it with a simple majority standard. Tesla shareholders approved Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package on Thursday. The billionaire's previous $56 billion pay package was struck down by a Delaware judge after an investor filed a lawsuit. Legal professors told BI that challenging Musk's pay deal will be a lot more difficult this time. Tesla won the war for Elon Musk's $1 trillion pay package. Now it's prepared to win future legal battles. Shareholders voted to approve the record-breaking compensation plan by a 75% margin on Thursday, paving the way for Musk to become the world's first trillionaire should he meet a series of ambitious product and financial goals. It came after the Tesla CEO's previous $56 billion pay package, which was approved by Tesla shareholders in 2018 and again in 2024, was struck down by a Delaware judge last year following an investor lawsuit. Since then, Tesla has made a series of moves to ensure Musk's $1 trillion payday doesn't suffer the same fate. The EV giant has relocated its legal home from Delaware to Texas after gaining shareholder approval for the move at its 2024 annual meeting. In May, the Lone Star State passed SB 29 and SB 1057, two bills that make it much harder for small shareholders to bring legal challenges against companies. Under SB 29, litigants must now prove in a lawsuit that a company's directors are not acting in good faith and that they have engaged in fraud or violated the law. The bill also introduced a new rule that shareholders have to own at least 3% of the company's shares to bring legal action, also known as a derivative lawsuit. The threshold is not automatically applied to companies, but Tesla incorporated it into its bylaws in May. Only Musk himself and a handful of large, institutional investors, including BlackRock and Vanguard Group, own more than 3% of Tesla and although shareholders can club together, $42 billion worth of shares is a high bar to meet. By contrast, the lawsuit that led to the Delaware Court of Chancery's ruling on Musk's previous pay package was bought by Richard Tornetta, a former heavy-metal drummer who owned just nine Tesla shares at the time. The judge in the Tornetta case ruled that Musk was too close to some of Tesla's board members for them to act independently, and that Tesla's board did not do enough to justify how it arrived at the package's $56 billion figure. Lawsuits face 'a very hard road' Legal professors told Business Insider that it would be far more difficult for shareholders to bring legal challenges against Musk's new pay package in Texas. Tether, the issuer of the world's largest stablecoin USDT, bought the Bitcoin dip during the recent market downturn, signaling long-term conviction. The wallet linked to the stablecoin issuer deposited, purchased, and withdrew 961 BTC, worth $97.18 million, from crypto exchange Bitfinex, according to on-chain analytics platform Arkham. The purchase is part of Tether's policy of allocating 15% of its net realized operating profits to Bitcoin, according to a tweet from EmberCN, a Chinese on-chain analysis account. Tethers portfolio now holds 87,296 BTC, valued at approximately $8.84 billion, making it the sixth-largest Bitcoin wallet in the world. The stablecoin company's massive stash is currently sitting on an unrealized profit of about $4.55 billion, with an average purchase price of $49,121 per Bitcoin. Since September 30, Tether has increased its exposure to precious metals and reduced exposure to Bitcoin, Gleb Kurovskiy, Chief Digital Officer at Luminary Bank, told Decrypt. Given that Bitcoins price has fallen by over 10% while gold has appreciated, Tethers recent Bitcoin purchases may simply reflect portfolio rebalancing rather than a strategic accumulation. Bitcoin faces headwinds Bitcoin is currently trading at $100,253, down 2.6% over the past 24 hours and still reeling from the major liquidation event in October, per CoinGecko data. Tethers latest $97 million Bitcoin purchase reinforces a familiar institutional pattern: conviction buying during liquidity stress, Enmanuel Cardozo, market analyst at Brickken, told Decrypt. Smart money rarely tries to time tops or bottoms; it accumulates when leverage unwinds and fear dominates. Tether is continuing its strategy to diversify its treasury towards hard assetsit has also increased the gold on its balance sheetand Bitcoin sits at the core of this strategy, Rachel Lin, CEO and Co-Founder of SynFutures, told Decrypt. Its a vote of confidence in Bitcoins long-term fundamentals as a hard asset as fiat currencies continue to devalue. For retail investors, the takeaway is about discipline rather than impulse, the analysts added. Patient investors who genuinely believe in Bitcoins fundamentals could view this dip as an accumulation window rather than a moment to panic, Lin said. She emphasized strategies like dollar-cost averaging and focusing on the long game. Users of Myriad, a prediction market launched by Decrypts parent company Dastan, flipped bearish on Bitcoins prospects Friday morning, with a slight majority expecting its next move to take it to $85,000 rather than $115,000, a marked change from the optimism seen earlier in the week. The government shutdown is on day 37, and is impacting the finances of thousands of people laid off from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Rob Burnette is a financial advisor and the CEO of Outlook Financial Center in Troy. For federal workers who are going this long without pay, the time to act is now, said Burnette. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: If you havent reached out to your creditors, now is the time, said Burnette. Many creditors are expecting federal workers to call, and plan to be accommodating to the situation. Most of the institutions are being pretty accommodating, because they know youre not making this up. They know youre not trying to dodge them, said Burnette. Day-Air Credit Union is offering short-term, interest-free loans for furloughed workers. Burnette said if you choose a short-term loan, be sure to pay the amount back once the first paycheck comes in. Furloughed workers could also turn to a family member to help, but make sure there is an expectation to pay that money back. For workers who are really in a pinch, looking for a part-time job like ride share or food delivery can help. You need to have somebody keep the cash flow coming in, and quite frankly, it keeps you occupied, so youre not having that time just to sit home and fret and get depressed, said Burnette. The shutdown will end, but its all about getting through until leaders in Washington can reach a deal. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Taboola.com recently saw a slight uptick in its consensus analyst price target, moving from $4.17 to $4.38 per share. This change comes amid a mix of analyst opinions, with some pointing to strong recent earnings as a reason for cautious optimism. Others remain wary about the companys near-term growth prospects. Stay tuned to discover how you can monitor these evolving analyst perspectives and stay informed about the narrative driving Taboola.coms stock outlook. Analyst Price Targets don't always capture the full story. Head over to our Company Report to find new ways to value Taboola.com. What Wall Street Has Been Saying Analyst sentiment on Taboola.com remains mixed, with recent street research providing a snapshot of both optimism and caution regarding the company's outlook. Recent commentary from BTIG, which initiated coverage on the stock, highlights both encouraging signs and present challenges. Bullish Takeaways Some analysts recognize steady topline growth projections, with BTIG forecasting mid-single-digit growth for 2025 and 2026. The company's performance has offered reason for cautious optimism, particularly in light of recent earnings and ongoing execution. Bearish Takeaways BTIG has initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and cites a lack of clarity around the company's ability to achieve double-digit revenue growth as a key limitation. The firm also notes limited visibility into near-term catalysts that could unlock further upside for Taboola.com's shares. Overall, while some analysts acknowledge Taboola.com's ongoing growth and execution, others remain cautious and emphasize the importance of greater transparency and stronger growth trajectories to support a more constructive outlook. Do your thoughts align with the Bull or Bear Analysts? Perhaps you think there's more to the story. Head to the Simply Wall St Community to discover more perspectives or begin writing your own Narrative! NasdaqGS:TBLA Community Fair Values as at Nov 2025 What's in the News By Qabil Ashirov A delegation of the Azerbaijani Navy, led by First Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff Captain First Rank Teymur Murshudov, has traveled to Karachi to participate in the 11th International Maritime Exhibition and Conference PIMEC-2025, Azernews reports. According to the Ministry of Defense, senior officials of the Pakistan Navy held several meetings with the Azerbaijani delegation during the visit. The sides discussed cooperation between the navies of the two brotherly countries, along with other issues of mutual interest. Within the framework of the international event, the Azerbaijani delegation attended various conferences covering topics on the agenda, including green energy, maritime security, environmental protection, the maritime economy, sea trade and transport, as well as tourism at sea. The exhibition aims to bring together leaders and investors of the global maritime industry to showcase Pakistans capabilities in maritime trade, defense, and technology. GENEVA (AP) A top-tier international commodities trader has dropped plans to buy the international assets of Russia oil company Lukoil as it rejected U.S. government allegations of being the Kremlin's puppet." Trading firm Gunvor, whose main trading office is in Geneva, announced on X that it's withdrawing its proposal to acquire the Lukoil assets, a deal that the Russian company announced last week. Lukoil said it agreed to the deal, pending some conditions including permission from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC. Terms of the deal were not specified. On the same social media platform late Thursday, the Treasury Department alluded to Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to send Russian troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022 and U.S. President Donald Trump's efforts to end the war, which has killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people. President Trump has been clear that the war must end immediately, the department's post on X said. As long as Putin continues the senseless killings, the Kremlins puppet, Gunvor, will never get a license to operate and profit. Gunvor, in its post shortly afterward, said Treasury's statement about it was fundamentally misinformed and false. Gunvor is and has always been open and transparent about its ownership and business, and has for more than a decade actively distanced itself from Russia, stopped trading in line with sanctions, sold off Russian assets, and publicly condemned the war in Ukraine, the post said. We welcome the opportunity to ensure this clear misunderstanding is corrected. In the meantime, Gunvor withdraws its proposal for Lukoils international assets, it added. Gunvor was founded by Swedish oil magnate Torbjorn Tornqvist, its chairman, and Gennady Timchenko, an oligarch close to Putin. Its headquarters are in Nicosia, Cyprus. The company says Timchenko is no longer affiliated with Gunvor and his shares, in anticipation of potential economic sanctions, were sold to Tornqvist in March 2014 as Russia moved to annex the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. Lukoil had said it was selling its international assets in response to U.S. sanctions, which aim to push Russia to agree to a ceasefire in its war against Ukraine. The company has stakes in oil and gas projects in 11 countries, refineries in Bulgaria and Romania, and a 45% stake in a refinery in the Netherlands, as well as gas stations in many countries. The Trump administration is warning that if the Supreme Court were to dismantle President Trump's tariffs, it would cause "unnecessary economic pain and hardship," damaging financial markets and confidence. "To the extent that the policy would be reversed or watered down, that would damage financial markets," Counselor to the Treasury Secretary Joe Lavorgna said this week in an interview with Yahoo Finance. "You've seen record high equity markets, record low credit spreads. You've seen commitments by all different countries and companies to invest in the US. "It would damage confidence. The economic system capitalism works on confidence," he added. While economists acknowledge it could lead to greater uncertainty, they and others say the impact of a ruling against Trump could have other impacts including positive ones. Trump has invoked authorities under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to levy blanket tariffs on goods from other countries to try to bolster national security and the economy, address what he views as trade imbalances, and reduce the US deficit. Counselor to the Treasury Secretary Joe Lavorgna speaks onstage during the Semafor World Economy Summit Fall Edition at Gallup HQ on Oct. 16 in Washington, D.C. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Semafor ) Paul Morigi via Getty Images The Supreme Court is now weighing whether the president has the legal authority to issue tariffs using these authorities, given that Congress is the branch of government tasked with taxation and spending the so-called power of the purse not the executive branch. Gregory Daco, chief economist for EY-Parthenon, said a permanent and immediate reversal of the IEEPA-based tariffs would "significantly" reverse pressure from tariffs on the economy, cutting his estimated hit to GDP by nearly 60%, from 1% to around 0.4%. "But the real catalyst for restoring confidence lies in the permanence and clarity of the policy shift," Daco said. "Without that, businesses will remain cautious, trade flows will stay disrupted, and the potential economic gains will be considerably diminished." The US has collected $225 billion in tariffs over the past year, $145 billion more than the previous year. Daco estimates a full reversal of the IEEPA tariffs could imply over $85 billion in tax rebates or reimbursements. He cautioned that unless a reversal is seen as durable, the resulting uncertainty will continue to weigh on investment decisions and global supply chains, muting any positive impact from a reversal of tariffs. Read more: What Trump's tariffs mean for the economy and your wallet Luke Tilley, chief economist for Wilmington Trust, said a reversal of the IEEPA tariffs would have "profound implications for the outlook," notably that it would extend the already elevated uncertainty that is keeping many businesses from hiring or making new capital investments. By David Lawder WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration said on Thursday it would pursue negotiations with China over its dominance of shipbuilding and ocean logistics as it formalized plans for a one-year pause on U.S. port fees on China-linked vessels as part of a broader deal to reduce trade tensions. The U.S. Trade Representative's office said in a Federal Register notice that it would pause for a year starting November 10 all punitive actions against China resulting from its "Section 301" unfair trade practices investigation. USTR added that it would accept public comments on the matter on November 6 and November 7. The 12-month reprieve on an estimated $3.2 billion annually in U.S. fees for large Chinese-built vessels sailing to U.S. ports was among the agreements reached in South Korea by U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in late October. Also paused were 100% tariffs on ship-to-shore cranes and container intermodal chassis for trucks. "Pursuant to this deal, the United States would suspend for one year, beginning on November 10, 2025, the responsive actions taken in this investigation," USTR said in the notice. "The United States also would negotiate with China pursuant to Section 301 regarding the issues raised in this investigation." The notice gave no details about how the negotiations would begin, or what the objectives would be. It said that the U.S. would continue its own efforts to revitalize domestic shipbuilding, including through discussions with key allies and partners. A USTR spokesperson could not immediately be reached for further comment. China's embassy in Washington also did not immediately respond to a Reuters query. China also had agreed to pause its own retaliatory fees on U.S.-linked ships as part of the Trump-Xi de-escalation agreement. Hawaii-based ocean shipping company Matson said on Tuesday that it had paid $6.4 million in port fees to China since they were implemented on October 14. State-owned container line COSCO is the Chinese shipper most exposed to U.S. port fees, which analysts said could add up to $1.5 billion annually. (Reporting by David Lawder; Additional reporting by Lisa Baertlein; Editing by Jamie Freed) For wealthy Americans, business is taking off literally. Thats thanks to a revived tax break from the first Trump administration, called bonus depreciation. Must Read Bonus depreciation lets businesses write off 100% of big-ticket business purchases like new tech, equipment, or upgrades in the year they are purchased. By front-loading those tax breaks, the policy gives companies a reason to spend now nominally fueling investment, productivity, higher pay, and new jobs down the line, according to the Tax Foundation (1). It also means that private jet brokers, car wash developers, and luxury accountants say theyve never been busier. According to jet broker Global Charter, private jet industry sales are up 11% from last year and 30% higher than the year before. CEO Dan Hurley says his phone hasnt stopped ringing. They werent even going to use the jet, he told Bloomberg about one client. Theyre just going to charter it out to the wider market and offset a load of tax by acquiring it (2). But while this isnt a tax break for your average American, could the knock-on effects impact everyday consumers? The tax break fueling the frenzy Bonus depreciation isnt new. Trumps 2017 tax overhaul temporarily allowed the write-off, too, but the perk started phasing out after 2022. Now, under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the full 100% deduction is back, and this time, its permanent (3). On paper, the goal is to encourage business investment. But in practice, some tax strategists say its also become a loophole gold mine for the ultra-wealthy. At Engineered Tax Services, a Florida-based advisory firm, real estate projects under review are up a whopping 145% from last year. Chief Marketing Officer Heidi Henderson told Bloomberg, We are seeing a huge uptick, adding, We are getting so many calls from people asking, What should we buy, how can we take the most advantage?. So who exactly is cashing in? Its business owners, real estate investors, and family offices with serious cash flow. Mark Johnson, a Colorado entrepreneur, first used the break in 2017 when he was looking to sell his family business. Instead of cutting a massive check to the IRS, his accountants advised him to buy several car washes. It works while Im alive and, at my death, the estates going to have to pay tax, but my heirs will have a pretty nice bunch of assets, he said. Then the whole thing starts over again. WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and Uzbekistan have reached a trade and economic deal, President Donald Trump said on Thursday, stating that Uzbekistan plans to purchase and invest $35 billion in the next three years and more than $100 billion in the next 10 years in some U.S. sectors. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Jacqueline Wong) Independent retailers are urging Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use the autumn statement to restore business confidence, warning that uncertainty and rising costs are weighing on the UK high street and risking a slowdown in economic growth. Fresh survey data from the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) points to weaker trading in late 2025 and subdued expectations for 2026, with business rates reform emerging as the sectors top ask. Confidence dips ahead of the autumn statement Biras latest Heartbeat survey reports that 46.2% of independent retailers feel pessimistic about 2026, while only around a quarter are confident about the key Christmas trading period. Just over half said sales were down or significantly down compared with a year ago, and 43.9% reported weaker trading in Q3 2025 versus Q2. Respondents linked softer sales to caution among consumers and businesses before the fiscal event. Business rates reform top of retailers concerns The trade body says business rates reform is the most urgent priority, with the next revaluation due in April 2026 expected to lift bills for thousands of firms unless mitigations are introduced. Bira argues that higher property taxes would add to existing pressures from energy, staffing and other operating costs, and could discourage investment on the high street. Its chief executive said the Chancellor faces a choice between boosting business confidence or piling on additional costs, framing the autumn budget as a moment of truth for independent retailers. What retailers want from the autumn budget Independent shop owners are seeking measures in the autumn statement that they say would support growth and jobs, including action on business rates, predictable tax policy for SMEs, and steps to ease regulatory burdens. The associations members report pulling back on investment plans amid low confidence for 2026, with only 25.5% expressing optimism for next year. Calls for clarity are centred on the business rates system and the broader cost base facing small businesses, which retailers say is constraining margins and stalling expansion. "UK retailers to Chancellor: fix business rates or stall growth" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. (Reuters) -The White House has informed other federal agencies that it will not permit Nvidia (NVDA) to sell its latest scaled-down AI chips to China, The Information reported on Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter. Nvidia has provided samples of the chip to several of its Chinese customers, according to the report. The chip, known as the B30A, can be utilized to train large language models when efficiently arranged in large clusters, a capability many Chinese companies require, the report added. An Nvidia spokesperson told Reuters that the company has "zero share in China's highly competitive market for datacenter compute, and do not include it in our guidance." White House did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment. Nvidia is working on modifying the B30A's design in hopes that the U.S. administration will reconsider its stance, the The Information report said, citing two company employees. The California-based company, however, has also been facing regulatory headwinds in China. Beijing has recently issued guidance requiring all new data center projects that receive any state funding to use only domestically developed chips, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Data centers that are less than 30% complete will have to remove all installed foreign chips, or cancel plans to purchase them, while projects in a more advanced stage will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the sources added. The guidance effectively shuts out Nvidia and its AI chips from a lucrative market segment, including advanced models under U.S. export controls that are nevertheless available in China via grey market channels. (Reporting by Eduardo Baptista in Beijing, Shivani Tanna and Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) Vanguard Mining has begun its 2025 diamond drill programme at the Redonda copper-molybdenum project in the Vancouver Mining Division near Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada. The Redonda copper-molybdenum drill programme is guided by targets and structural corridors defined by a Precision GeoSurveys airborne geophysical survey, integrated with insights from recent drilling and surface sampling. Recent drilling at Redonda intersected intervals up to 142.6m, grading 0.279% copper and 0.0281% molybdenum. Surface sampling identified near-surface intervals ranging from 3.1m to 48m, grading 0.529% copper equivalent (CuEq). An earlier drilling campaign reported a 174m mineralised interval from surface, with strong surface sampling averaging around 0.5% CuEq. Vanguard Mining CEO David Greenway said: "Drilling is now under way at Redonda, launching our 2025 programme and the next leg of growth for Vanguard. Permits are in hand, budgets set, and crews turning we are executing a deep-drill campaign on the highest-priority targets defined by recent geophysics and prior holes. "Earlier work delivered a 174m mineralised interval from surface and strong surface sampling averaging ~0.5% CuEq, giving us clear vectors to chase at depth. "British Columbia remains a top-tier jurisdiction for responsible development, and Canadas new Major Projects Office signals a commitment to advancing critical projects efficiently. Our goal this season is simple: build on the 202324 discovery and start defining the true scale of the Redonda system." Vanguard has engaged Paradigm Drilling to carry out the programme using a Boyles T-75 hydraulic, track-mounted diamond drill equipped with NQ tooling. This rig is capable of testing targets at depths beyond 600m. Initial drill pads have been permitted and are being prepared, with step-out holes planned to assess the continuity of porphyry-style copper-molybdenum mineralisation along prioritised structural trends. Vanguard will work closely with the Klahoose First Nation throughout the campaign, prioritising local labour, training opportunities and the use of Klahoose-affiliated service providers for logistics where practicable. The company will coordinate site access, safety and environmental monitoring with Klahoose representatives and continue to identify additional opportunities for capacity building and economic participation as the programme progresses. The project has all necessary permits to begin drilling and the company has secured full funding for the proposed exploration programme. Lagos-based Ventures Platform, one of Africas most active early-stage investors, has raised $64 million so far for its second fund, targeting a final close of $75 million, founding partner Kola Aina tells TechCrunch. Among the investors is the Nigerian government, through its Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) program, which marks the first time this government has invested in a VC fund. Thats significant, since Nigerias burgeoning startup community is home to the largest number of startup unicorns on the continent. Other limited partners in Ventures Platforms second fund include IFC, British International Investment (BII), Proparco, Standard Bank, MSMEDA, and AfricaGrow, along with European family offices such as Alder Tree Investment and prominent global backers like former Y Combinator CEO Michael Seibel. Aina says 70% of the investors from its previous fund returned. Nigeria choosing this firm for a debut investment is perhaps not surprising. Since its founding in 2016, Ventures Platform has built a reputation for spotting breakout startups in the country early, something it hopes to replicate in other African markets. Ventures Platform launched its first institutional fund, a $46 million vehicle, in 2022 to focus primarily on pre-seed and seed rounds. With the second fund, the firm will also pursue Series A investing, while investing with more conviction and seeking larger ownership stakes, Aina said. This should be good news for the regions founders, as Series A funding has become harder to obtain after years of pullback from Silicon Valley firms. While Ventures Platform plans to deepen its presence in Nigeria, the firm has begun establishing a presence in Francophone West Africa and North Africa, regions where it has already made a few investments, to gain earlier access to promising deals. So far, the Pan-African venture capital firm has funded over 90 startups across the continent. Most of these investments, the firm says, are painkiller businesses across fintech, health tech, agtech, edtech, and AI companies that solve for non-consumption, or in simpler terms, serve markets where people have little to no access to a service. Aina points to portfolio companies Visa-backed unicorn Moniepoint and Stripe-owned Paystack, two fintechs that unlocked new markets for online payments and small business banking. Many small businesses couldnt sell beyond their immediate vicinity before Paystack because they couldnt accept online payments, he said. Moniepoint, on the other hand, has driven financial inclusion to the nooks and crannies of this country. Thats market creating innovation. Yet, shares of the wireless carrier have been treading a choppy path down about 3.81% over the past 52 weeks and off 9.06% just this past month. But after a mixed Q3 and some upbeat analyst chatter, VZ is showing flickers of life. Trading volume has been ticking higher, hinting at renewed investor interest as the companys new CEO, Daniel Schulman, in the Q3 earnings call last week, signals a major strategic reset. Beyond mobile, Verizon extends its reach through fixed-line telecom services, connecting millions of homes and businesses, many powered by its ultra-fast Fios fiber technology. Constantly evolving, the company continues to invest heavily in 5G and fiber technologies cementing its role as among the nation's leaders in performance and quality in an increasingly connected world. New York-based Verizon Communications is one of the worlds leading names in connectivity powering how people, businesses, and governments communicate. With a market capitalization of about $166.4 billion, Verizon is best known for its rock-solid network, dependable coverage, and lightning-fast data speeds. The companys backbone lies in its wireless business, which drives roughly 75% of its service revenue, serving millions of postpaid and prepaid phone users across the U.S. But with VZ stock still treading cautiously, should investors plug in now while its trading at an attractive valuation? Thats where Verizon Communications (VZ) has stepped in. Recently, the telecom company announced a new partnership with Amazon Web Services to build high-capacity fiber routes linking AWS data centers across key regions. Under the Verizon AI Connect initiative, the company will lay down long-haul, low-latency pathways designed to handle the heavy traffic of next-gen AI workloads. Its a timely move that strengthens Verizons deep relationship with AWS, and underscores how telcos are quietly becoming the muscle behind the AI boom. In the age of generative AI, data is the new electricity, and the power lines running it are high-capacity fiber routes. These fiber networks form the backbone of modern computing, enabling lightning-fast data transfers between sprawling data centers that fuel everything from real-time analytics to massive artificial intelligence (AI) model training. Without them, the AI revolution simply cannot run. Story Continues Technically, the setup looks mildly encouraging. The 14-day RSI is hovering near neutral around 43.87, suggesting the stock is not overbought or oversold. More notably, the MACD line (orange) has just crossed above the blue signal line a bullish sign that momentum may be shifting upward. The histogram turning positive reinforces that sentiment, showing buying strength building beneath the surface. With Schulman steering a turnaround and Verizon teaming up with tech giants like Amazon (AMZN) to bolster its data and fiber backbone, the stock could be setting up for a more connected and confident rebound. www.barchart.com VZ stock looks like a bargain. Trading at just 8.4 times forward earnings and 1.2 times forward sales, it is priced below both its sector peers and its own history, making it a quietly compelling pick for value hunters in telecom. Meanwhile, for income investors, Verizon has long been the quiet heavyweight that consistently pays out dividends. The company has raised its dividend for two decades, a streak built on discipline and shareholder loyalty. On Nov. 3, it handed out its latest quarterly dividend of $0.69 per share, translating to an annualized dividend of $2.76. That gives Verizon a handsome 6.95% yield, one of the richest in the telecom space. With a forward payout ratio hovering around 57.3%, the company strikes a smart balance between rewarding investors and keeping enough cash to reinvest in its network and manage debt. In a volatile market, Verizon remains the steady income engine investors can count on, quarter after quarter. Verizons Shares Surge After Its Q3 Results On Oct. 29, Verizon released its earnings report for the third quarter of 2025, and the stock rose 2.3%. Revenue came in at $33.8 billion, up 1.5% year-over-year (YOY), with adjusted EPS climbing 1.7% annually to $1.21. While earnings beat expectations, revenue fell just shy of estimates a minor miss in an otherwise solid showing. Driving top-line growth was a 2.1% rise in wireless service revenue to $21 billion, alongside a 5.2% jump in wireless equipment sales to $5.6 billion. Verizons broadband engine continued to hum, adding 261,000 fixed wireless access customers, lifting its base to nearly 5.4 million well on track toward its 8 million to 9 million goal by 2028. The company also saw 61,000 new Fios Internet customers, pushing total broadband additions to 306,000, though traditional Fios Video subscriptions slipped by 70,000 as streaming alternatives gain traction. Meanwhile, free cash flow the lifeblood of Verizons rich dividend hit $15.8 billion for the first nine months of 2025, up from $14.5 billion a year ago. Management reaffirmed full-year guidance, projecting wireless service revenue growth between 2% and 2.8%, EBITDA gains of 2.5% to 3.5%, and FCF between $19.5 and $20.5 billion. Meanwhile, analysts tracking the stock anticipate the companys Q4 EPS of $1.08, down 1.8% YOY, on revenue of roughly $36.1 billion. But for fiscal 2025, EPS is anticipated to rise by 2.2% YOY to $4.69, and then rise by another 4.3% annually to $4.89 in fiscal 2026. What Do Analysts Expect for Verizon Stock? Verizons shares have been on a slow climb out of the red, trying to win back Wall Streets full confidence and analysts have plenty to say about its next move. With a Moderate Buy consensus, Verizon may just be gearing up for a steadier signal ahead. Of the 30 analysts monitoring the telecom stock, eight suggest a Strong Buy, three recommend a Moderate Buy, and a majority of 19 analysts are playing it safe, advising a Hold. The average analyst price target for VZ is $47.15, indicating potential upside of 20.5%. The Street-high target price of $58 suggests that the stock could rally as much as 49% from here. www.barchart.com On the date of publication, Sristi Suman Jayaswal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com Key Points Verizon management anticipates free cash flow of between $19.5 billion and $20.5 billion this year. That will be more than enough to cover the company's current dividend, mitigating the risk of a payout cut for income-focused investors. 10 stocks we like better than Verizon Communications If you invest in a stock primarily for its dividend, you're probably a long-term investor, since most U.S. companies only pay dividends quarterly. As a dividend stock investor, during earnings season, I often feel like a business partner awaiting an update on my company's prospects. Many people invest in Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) for its generous dividend, which yields just shy of 7% at the current share price. Of course, the most pressing concern of any dividend investor, especially when talking about such high dividend yields, is whether they can count on those payouts being maintained at their current levels or better. Particularly, retired investors oftentimes are counting on their dividend checks to provide income to help pay their expenses. Verizon recently reported its third-quarter results, and the telecom giant delivered some excellent news for those who love its ultra-high 7% yield. Image source: Verizon Communications Robust cash flow supports a growing dividend Investors may be aware already that in September, Verizon declared its 19th consecutive annual dividend increase. The news I'm focusing on now is the robust cash flow the company unveiled in its third-quarter earnings report. More specifically, Verizon has generated $15.8 billion in free cash flow through the first nine months of 2025, up from $14.5 billion during the same period of 2024. Here's why that's important. When you get a dividend deposited into your account each quarter, it's cold, hard cash, and that's a straightforward expense for the payer. So, the best way to gauge whether a company can afford the dividend it has been distributing is to look at its free cash flow. Verizon's management anticipates that the company will generate between $19.5 billion and $20.5 billion for the year. The company has spent a total of $8.5 billion on dividends through the first three quarters of 2025, so if you annualize that, it will pay out roughly $11.3 billion for the entire year. So it's clear that Verizon's free cash flow will be more than enough to cover its dividend expenses. It'll have a dividend payout ratio of about 58% of cash flow, even at the low end of guidance. Ultra-high dividend yields aren't always a good thing It's essential to be a little skeptical whenever you're considering stocks with outsized dividend yields. Remember, management sets the dividend amount, but the yield depends on how the market trades the stock. The lower the share price, the higher the yield. (Reuters) -Tesla CEO Elon Musk has won shareholder approval for the largest corporate pay package in history. At the EV maker's annual meeting at its factory in Austin, Texas, Musk bounded to the stage accompanied by dancing robots. The proposal was approved with more than 75% support, allowing Musk to get as much as $1 trillion in stock over the next decade. Here are some comments from analysts and experts: MATT BRITZMAN, SENIOR EQUITY ANALYST, HARGREAVES LANSDOWN "A $1 trillion CEO pay package is outrageous but so are the Everest-sized milestones Tesla must conquer to unlock it. For shareholders, it's the ultimate alignment: Musk earns nothing unless he creates staggering value, and if he pulls off the unimaginable, investors will be sitting atop an $8.5 trillion titan." "2026 looms as a watershed moment ... Critics cry 'key man risk', and they're not wrong, but investors have spoken. The Musk premium is alive and well." MIKE O'ROURKE, CHIEF MARKET STRATEGIST, JONES TRADING "There is no doubt Musk has the ability to execute the impossible in the business world ... With Tesla's EV business on the decline, we are surprised Musk has not abandoned ship and simply used his genius in his private companies. For that reason alone, it was worth it for shareholders to grant the package." "Nonetheless, it is highly unlikely this works out well when a $1.5 trillion company needs to award a $1 trillion pay package to the richest man in the world." CHRIS BEAUCHAMP, CHIEF MARKET ANALYST, IG MARKETS "If it's performance-based stock options, then it's not necessarily the requirement to provide it (the pay) all upfront. And if he grows the company to $8.5 trillion, then the questions will answer themselves in due course. So I don't think it's a particular concern about how they will pay for this." "(The board) has taken some steps. But the question is really where Musk sees his focus lie. The lofty goals he's been given requires a lot of attention and whether he continues to keep so many plates spinning is another matter entirely." RUSS MOULD, INVESTMENT DIRECTOR AT AJ BELL "There are logical reasons for shareholders to have given their assent. To reach the astronomical headline figure Musk must hit some extremely demanding targets... In this sense there was little to lose for most Tesla holders in approving the deal. If Musk does get the $1 trillion, shareholders will have done very nicely indeed." BRIAN DUNN, DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTE FOR COMPENSATION STUDIES IN CORNELL UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS) is a leading American multinational headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, providing financial technology solutions to over 20,000 clients worldwide, including banks, asset managers, and businesses. Its market capitalization currently stands at $33 billion. Shares of the fintech giant have struggled to keep up with the broader market over the past year. FIS has declined 25.2% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has rallied nearly 17.5%. Moreover, in 2025, FIS stock is down 19.8%, compared to the SPXs 15.6% rise on a YTD basis. More News from Barchart Zooming in further, FIS has also underperformed the Global X FinTech ETF (FINX). The exchange-traded fund has gained 11% over the past year and 4.9% in 2025. www.barchart.com FIS shares climbed 2.5% on Nov. 5 after delivering solid third-quarter earnings. Its revenue soared 6% year over year to $2.7 billion, and adjusted EPS rose 8% to $1.51, exceeding expectations. The company expanded its adjusted EBITDA margin by approximately 53 basis points to 41.8%. Following the strong results, FIS also lifted its full-year 2025 outlook, now expecting revenue to grow between approximately 5.4% and 5.7%. For the current fiscal year, which ends in December, analysts expect FIS EPS to grow 10.3% to $5.76 on a diluted basis. The companys earnings surprise history is solid. It beat or met the consensus estimate in each of the last four quarters. Among the 27 analysts covering FIS stock, the consensus is a Moderate Buy. Thats based on 13 Strong Buy ratings, three Moderate Buys, ten Holds, and one Strong Sell. www.barchart.com This configuration is more bearish than one month ago, with 12 analysts suggesting a Strong Buy. On Oct. 24, Truist Securities analyst Matthew Coad reaffirmed a Hold rating on Fidelity National Information Services but cut the price target from $75 to $72, marking a 4% reduction. The mean price target of $84.82 represents a 31% premium to FIS current price levels. The Street-high price target of $103 suggests an ambitious upside potential of 59.1%. On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: November 05, 2025 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Positive Points DC sales showed strong growth, increasing by 34% year over year and 40% sequentially. Gross margin improved significantly to 39.8%, exceeding the guided range due to improved bill of materials, higher prices, and carbon credits. Labor costs and operating expenses saw a 28% improvement compared to the same period last year. The company achieved a 34% year-over-year reduction in cash costs, reflecting significant efficiency gains. Wallbox NV (NYSE:WBX) is reinforcing its sales organization and integrating sales teams for a more holistic approach, aiming to accelerate revenue growth. Negative Points Revenue for the third quarter was below expectations, landing at 35.5 million. AC sales were down 16% compared to last quarter and 5% year over year, impacting overall revenue. Adjusted EBITDA loss was -6.9 million, slightly outside the guided range due to softer sales. The European market faced operational headwinds and changing product regulations, affecting order intake. North American revenue growth was uneven, with strong performance in the US offset by a slowdown in Canada. Q & A Highlights Q: Can you discuss how Wallbox's market share in Europe is trending and what you expect in the coming quarters? A: Enrique, CEO, explained that market share varies by product line and country. In countries like Spain, France, Belgium, the UK, and Germany, market share is stable or increasing. However, in the Netherlands, Italy, and the Nordics, there has been a decline. The company aims to maintain or increase market share despite operational challenges. Q: Regarding the standstill agreement, when can we expect more formal communication about the company's debt situation? A: Luis, CFO, stated that the standstill agreement matures on December 9th, and the company is working towards providing updates by then. Q: Should we expect any news regarding the debt situation before December 9th? A: Enrique confirmed that updates are expected between now and December 9th. Q: How did DC sales perform in the third quarter, and what contributed to their growth? A: Enrique highlighted that DC sales grew by 34% year-over-year and 40% sequentially, driven by the introduction of new generation supernovas and high demand in North America. The company announced new commercial partnerships in Europe and North America, contributing to this growth. Michael Burry is back to posting on X, warning about market mania, and betting against AI giants. The investor of "The Big Short" fame compared the AI spending boom to the dot-com bubble. Burry's wagers against Nvidia and Palantir could pay off if they miss forecasts, one analyst said. Michael Burry, the contrarian investor who called the 2008 financial crisis, is back with his unique blend of dire warnings, cryptic messages, winking memes, and pop-culture references. The Scion Asset Management chief has returned to X after a two-year hiatus to sound the alarm on the AI boom. Where advocates see a revolutionary technology that will supercharge productivity and generate massive profits, he sees hype, speculation, and excess. Burry, whose iconic bet against the mid-2000s housing bubble was immortalized in the book and movie "The Big Short," kicked off his comeback with a single, ominous post on Thursday. "Sometimes, we see bubbles. Sometimes, there is something to do about it. Sometimes, the only winning move is not to play," he wrote. The third sentence is a nod to the movie "WarGames," where an AI supercomputer runs thousands of simulations of nuclear war and discovers all of them end in mutual destruction. Burry's quote underscores how perilous he believes today's market is for investors. Signaling he'll be sticking around for a while, the famed forecaster has updated his profile picture and revised his bio to read: "Cassandra Unchained: Missteps to Mayhem, Coming December 2025, Stay Tuned." A screenshot of Michael Burry's banner image on X. X That line is an apparent reference to the Greek myth of Cassandra, the Trojan priestess cursed to utter true prophecies but never to be believed, and to a speech Burry gave at Vanderbilt Medical Center in 2011 titled: "Missteps to Mayhem: Inside the Doomsday Machine with the Outsider who Predicted and Profited from America's Financial Armageddon." Back then, Burry delivered a step-by-step breakdown of how the subprime mortgage bubble inflated, how he predicted and placed bets on its collapse, and how the fallout revealed glaring vulnerabilities in the US financial system. "We must remember that entire societies can and often do follow the wrong path for a very long time, and that there is nothing wrong with breaking from the social norm to ensure good outcomes," Burry said. "Sober analysis on the part of the individual is paramount." Burry sees himself as a Jedi battling the Empire Positioning himself as a rebel who's speaking out against the AI mainstream, Burry swapped his banner image on X to a still from "Star Wars: A New Hope," where Obi-Wan Kenobi uses a Jedi mind trick to deceive Imperial stormtroopers. Dynavax Technologies announced in the past week that it will repurchase up to US$100 million of its common stock, reaffirmed its full-year 2025 guidance for HEPLISAV-B net product revenue at US$315 million to US$325 million, and reported improved third-quarter earnings with year-over-year growth in both revenues and net income. Alongside higher quarterly profits, the launch of the share repurchase program indicates the company's confidence in its financial position and future prospects. Now, we'll explore how Dynavax's new US$100 million share buyback program could influence its investment outlook and future direction. Uncover the next big thing with financially sound penny stocks that balance risk and reward. Dynavax Technologies Investment Narrative Recap To invest in Dynavax Technologies today, you need to be confident in the long-term demand for adult hepatitis B vaccines, especially continued HEPLISAV-B market expansion in the United States. Recent news of a new US$100 million share repurchase, along with reaffirmed 2025 guidance, signals managements steady focus and supports optimism around near-term financial catalysts; however, these announcements do not materially reduce the businesss core risk of revenue concentration in a single product. Among Dynavaxs latest developments, the revenue surge and improved quarterly profits are most relevant to the new buyback program, as they provide the kind of financial momentum required to undertake significant capital returns. While rising earnings bolster the short-term investment outlook, longer-term catalysts such as pipeline progress or broader market adoption remain unaddressed by this event. On the other hand, investors should not overlook the ongoing risk posed by Dynavaxs dependence on HEPLISAV-B if... Read the full narrative on Dynavax Technologies (it's free!) Dynavax Technologies' outlook anticipates $486.9 million in revenue and $127.9 million in earnings by 2028. This is based on a projected annual revenue growth rate of 15.5% and an increase in earnings of $180.6 million from the current level of -$52.7 million. Uncover how Dynavax Technologies' forecasts yield a $22.80 fair value, a 107% upside to its current price. Exploring Other Perspectives DVAX Community Fair Values as at Nov 2025 Simply Wall St Community fair value estimates for Dynavax span from US$11 to US$37, based on 3 distinct member forecasts. With such a wide range present, differing outlooks are driven by both pipeline progress and continued market concentration risks. Explore 3 other fair value estimates on Dynavax Technologies - why the stock might be worth just $11.00! Key Points Iamgold's Cote mine delivered record production. Surging gold prices are a boon for shareholders. 10 stocks we like better than Iamgold Shares of Iamgold (NYSE: IAG) rose on Wednesday as investors cheered the Canadian mining company's third-quarter results. As of 1:35 p.m. ET, Iamgold's stock price was up more than 8%. Image source: Getty Images. Higher gold prices are lifting Iamgold's profits The miner's gold production climbed by 10% year over year to 190,000 ounces in the third quarter, driven by record results at its flagship Cote Gold Mine. Combined with a 46% rise in the company's average realized gold price, to $3,492 per ounce, these strong results drove a 61% surge in Iamgold's revenue to $706.7 million. Moreover, expense-control measures helped to keep a lid on production costs despite industrywide pricing pressure. The company's all-in sustaining costs -- which include operating expenses and spending required to maintain existing production -- increased by 11% to $1,956 per ounce sold. This widening spread between mining costs and gold prices is boosting Iamgold's profits. The company's adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) soared by 62% to $359.5 million. "Our trailing twelve-month EBITDA now exceeds $1 billion, and we have repaid approximately $270 million of our second lien notes, further strengthening our balance sheet and financial flexibility," CEO Renaud Adams said in a press release. Acquisitions and buybacks should boost Iamgold's long-term earnings power Iamgold's enhanced profitability is allowing it to accelerate its expansion plans while still returning cash to shareholders. The company struck deals to acquire mining assets in the Chibougamau region in Quebec. Iamgold's board of directors also authorized a stock buyback program of up to 10% of its shares. Should you buy stock in Iamgold right now? Before you buy stock in Iamgold, 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 Iamgold 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 $589,424!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $1,217,942!* Now, its worth noting Stock Advisors total average return is 1,054% a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% 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. It's prime time for the dip-buying crowd, JPMorgan said. Analysts said they recommend buying any dips until at least 2026. Economic growth, strong earnings, and the easing of key headwinds are bullish, they said. In uncertain times, the simplest advice may be the best, and right now it might boil down to the old mantra: buy-the-dip. Despite rising fears about the sustainability of the AI trade, JPMorgan is seeing an opportunity for investors. In a note to clients on Thursday, the bank said it would be looking to buy the dip in any sell-off through the end of the year, including the big dip that markets saw this week on the back of tech-valuation fears. "We would be dip-buyers into year end," analysts led by Andrew Tyler, the global head of JPMorgan's market intelligence team, wrote. The analysts said they believe the bull market in stocks was still intact and expect the S&P 500 to "blast through" 7,000 over the "very near-term." That implies the benchmark index jumping another 3% from its current levels. Here's why the bank remains so optimistic on the outlook for stocks: 1. A strong US economy filadendron/Getty Images US growth looks like it will remain strong for a while, despite murmurings of a potential recession that have percolated around Wall Street in recent months. Job market: With the government shutdown underway, investors still don't have full insight into the strength of the US labor market, but there are positive signs that hiring is starting to stabilize, JPMorgan said. Private employers added 42,000 jobs in October. That's higher than the 25,000 economists expected, and an improvement from last month's numbers, when the private sector shed 32,000 jobs. Meanwhile, US employers announced over 153,000 job cuts last month, marking the worst October for layoffs in 22 years, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas. But those cuts are still muted enough to likely not have a "material impact" on unemployment, JPMorgan said. Services sector: The services side of the economy continued to expand last month, with the ISM's Services PMI clocking in at 52.4% in October. That's consistent with 2.5% GDP growth, a solid pace for the economy, the bank said, citing the ISM's analysis. GDP: The bank said it expects real GDP growth to be "above-trend" for the third quarter. Atlanta Fed economists expect quarterly GDP to clock in at around 4%, according to the latest GDPNow reading. 2. Strong corporate earnings US companies have posted strong results for the third quarter, another factor that's expected to prop up the market, analysts said. Can you call your digital assets property? For many countries, cryptocurrencies and tokens still occupy a regulatory gray area as governments continue to understand how these assets function. However, some nations have taken decisive steps toward legal clarity by recognizing crypto as property. Classification of digital assets as "property" strengthens ownership rights and brings them under existing tax frameworks. In the United States, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) treats virtual currencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and XRP as property for federal tax purposes, making them subject to capital gains tax when sold, exchanged, or spent. The United Kingdoms courts have similarly recognized crypto as a form of personal property, allowing for remedies such as injunctions, tracing, and asset recovery in cases of fraud or theft. Singapores High Court has also affirmed that digital assets are property capable of being held on trust, granting them protection under civil law. Now, India has joined these ranks, setting a new precedent in the countrys legal and regulatory landscape. More from TheStreet Crypto Court qualifies crypto ownership In a landmark decision, the Madras High Court, on Oct. 25, ruled that cryptocurrencies such as XRP qualify as property capable of being possessed and held in trust, formally recognizing them as a distinct form of property under Indian law. XRP is a cryptocurrency used primarily for fast and low-cost cross-border payments. It runs on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) an open-source, decentralized blockchain network developed by Ripple Labs Inc., a fintech company based in San Francisco. The decision arose from a petition filed by Rhutikumari, a WazirX user whose 3,532.30 XRP, worth approximately $9,400, had been frozen following the exchanges July 2024 hack. WazirX is one of Indias largest cryptocurrency exchanges. Founded in 2018 by Nischal Shetty, Sameer Mhatre, and Siddharth Menon, the platform allows users to convert Indian rupee (INR) to crypto. In July 2024, a hack into the exchange drained around $235 million in assets. The crypto exchange introduced a socialization of losses plan to spread the financial damage across all user accounts. More News: New York Times Co. (NYT) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.59 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.54 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.45 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +9.26%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this newspaper publisher would post earnings of $0.5 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.58, delivering a surprise of +16%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times. New York Times, which belongs to the Zacks Publishing - Newspapers industry, posted revenues of $700.82 million for the quarter ended September 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.33%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $640.18 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. New York Times shares have added about 11% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 15.1%. What's Next for New York Times? While New York Times has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for New York Times was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.85 on $779.15 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $2.28 on $2.79 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Thalidomide was developed by a Swiss pharmaceutical company and quickly gained popularity worldwide, especially in Europe. However, the drug's teratogenic properties caused birth defects in thousands of babies. Even a single dose during pregnancy could interfere with limb development and lead to severe congenital abnormalities, a condition known as thalidomide embryopathy. Advertisement The thalidomide scandal highlighted the urgent need for global regulatory reform. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially blocked thalidomide thanks to the caution of Dr. Frances Kelsey, the drug was distributed in over 40 countries. Babies born with thalidomide-related disabilities still live today, supported by organizations like the Thalidomide Trust. With Apple's work to create its own SiriGPT not yet bearing the necessary fruit to be used on its own, without needing the AI smarts from companies such as OpenAI, Perplexity, Alphabet, Anthropic or others, a report says Apple is set to do a deal with Google for a private version of Gemini. With Google reportedly now paying Apple US $20 billion per year to be the default search engine on iPhones, and Apple's other computing devices, and with Apple earning hundreds of billions of dollars per year as the world's top consumer tech company, Apple certainly has the funds needed to pay for quality AI. Despite reports that Apple was considering purchasing Perplexity, and despite a series of AI company purchases over the years, as well as hiring Google's former lead of its Machine Intelligence, Research and Search teams, a role he spent 8 years in, the stark reality is that Siri has never blossomed as the true intelligent assistant Steve Jobs envisaged it would be. On top of that, Apple's promises of an advanced "Apple Intelligence" AI capability at WWDC 2024 were only partly fulfilled, with the advanced Siri assistant that was due in the first half of 2025 never appearing, and in its place, an apology that the upgrade was delayed. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has long been following the developments, and his most recent article https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-11-05/apple-plans-to-use-1-2-trillion-parameter-google-gemini-model-to-power-new-siri from yesterday has now brought forth the news that Apple is nearing a deal to pay Google US $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter version of Gemini that will run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure, to deliver the Siri GPT 2.0 that users have long been waiting for. This new Siri - if it keeps that name - is now mooted to arrive with iOS 26.4, due in the first half of 2026, and clearly, Apple's reputation on being able to deliver this advancement is on the line. {loadpositio alex08} Criticisms that Apple is often late to the party ignore the fact that Apple is usually late to the party for good reason - it surveys the battlefield, sees the successes and failures of others, and then comes out with a solution that seems so natural and user friendly that everyone else rushes to copy it. Of course, Apple prematurely announcing what Siri would be like during its WWDC 2024 conference was unfortunate, given that it was not able to meet its mid-2025 deadline, and consequently, we did not see a great deal of AI announcements at WWDC 2025, even though Apple Intelligence has nevertheless still been evolving in the background. This post on X outlines details of what is known thus far, along with an undated photo depicting Tim Cook in conversation with Alphabet's Sundar Pichai, presumably at a restaurant, although whether this photo has anything to do with a discussion over Gemini is unknown - presumably such discussions would have happened behind closed doors, not at a venue where such a photo could be taken. And naturally, given Apple's desire to own as much of its production as possible, which has seen it create its own CPUs, GPUs, NPUs and now communications chips, Apple's quest to have its own market leading AI would still be under active development until such time as it could replace a private Gemini implementation with its own. So, let's hope Apple does deliver an outstanding SiriGPT 2.0 in the first half of 2026, even if it runs on Gemini technology, because the Siri of today is a very frustrating experience when you try to use it in the same way as you can with ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok or other AI agents. Here's that X post with more information! Gigamon, a leader in deep observability, today announced the availability of GigaVUE 6.12, introducing new support for post-quantum cryptography (PQC), further expanding the capabilities of the Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline. This release equips organizations with an immediate defensive strategy against emerging cryptographic threats hidden in encrypted traffic, including both classic and post-quantum ciphers, while accelerating the transition to quantum-safe encryption standards. As quantum computing advances, current public key encryption methods will soon be at risk. Leading analysts forecast traditional cryptography will be unsafe as early as 2030. According to the Gigamon Hybrid Cloud Security Survey of more than 1,000 Security and IT leaders, 73 percent are currently planning to implement PQC in their networks, as they prepare their hybrid cloud infrastructure and defense strategies for quantum computing. Quantum readiness isnt a future concern. Its a critical imperative for all security teams today, said Chaim Mazal, chief AI and Security officer at Gigamon. With the advances we've made, I'm optimistic about the safeguards we're building to future-proof hybrid cloud infrastructure and its data. The Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline delivers the encryption visibility and network intelligence organizations require today, while building a resilient foundation for tomorrows quantum-safe future. Deep Observability Pipeline: Building the TLS 1.3 Foundation for PQC Readiness As organizations prepare for the transition from public key algorithms to PQC, Security and IT teams first require an understanding of where cryptography is used, how data flows between systems, and which assets remain exposed. That level of insight is only possible through deep observability, the correlation of network-derived telemetrypackets, flows, and metadatawith log data from security, cloud, and observability tools. The Gigamon Deep Observability Pipeline delivers this level of intelligence by exposing weak cipher suites and non-compliant encryption methods that often remain hidden in encrypted flows. With Gigamon, organizations can build a cryptographic inventory, validate PQC implementations, and promote the secure and efficient operation of encryption, whether classical or quantum safe. Todays organizations are rapidly transitioning to TLS 1.3, one of the most widely adopted security protocols that uses encryption and currently the only protocol to support PQC. TLS 1.3 is natively supported by Gigamon, and depending on requirements, customers can choose to either decrypt traffic or select specific traffic for its Gigamon Precryption technology. Precryption technology allows security teams to get plaintext visibility across encrypted traffic in virtual, cloud, and container environments without having to perform break and inspect. Countering Harvest Now, Decrypt Later Threats Amid the industrys transition to PQC, threat actors are adopting a harvest now, decrypt later strategy to exfiltrate unreadable data now with a plan to decrypt it once the technology is available. According to Gartner, "The harvest now, decrypt later threat has made the transition to quantum-safe cryptography a global imperative. Because todays public-key cryptography is fundamentally at risk, governments and regulatory bodies are pushing organizations to act now. This is not a strategic choice but a mandated requirement to ensure long-term data security." Gigamon Application Metadata Intelligence (AMI), which is network-derived telemetry enriched with application-level context, delivers visibility into encrypted traffic and now also supports PQC, enabling organizations to easily identify, report, and eliminate insecure cryptographic practices. This ability to immediately identify threats and take action to prevent data exfiltration today paves the way for a secure, quantum-resistant hybrid cloud infrastructure. The new Gigamon PQC capabilities enable Security and IT teams to: Gain Encrypted Traffic Visibility . Gigamon delivers visibility into encrypted communications by giving organizations the flexibility to either decrypt traffic or use Precryption technology. This capability enables teams to access plaintext visibility before encryption occurs, adapting seamlessly to diverse infrastructure and security requirements. Additionally, by extracting rich metadata from network packets, including the TLS protocol version, cipher suite, server name indication (SNI), and client and server IPs, Gigamon provides deep observability into encrypted traffic without requiring decryption. . Gigamon delivers visibility into encrypted communications by giving organizations the flexibility to either decrypt traffic or use Precryption technology. This capability enables teams to access plaintext visibility before encryption occurs, adapting seamlessly to diverse infrastructure and security requirements. Additionally, by extracting rich metadata from network packets, including the TLS protocol version, cipher suite, server name indication (SNI), and client and server IPs, Gigamon provides deep observability into encrypted traffic without requiring decryption. Integrate with Existing Security Tools. Gigamon exports flow records and metadata to SIEM, vulnerability management, and compliance tools, including Splunk, QRadar, Elastic. The tools then generate dashboards and alerts for connections using insecure cryptographic protocols, supporting compliance with internal and external security standards. Gigamon exports flow records and metadata to SIEM, vulnerability management, and compliance tools, including Splunk, QRadar, Elastic. The tools then generate dashboards and alerts for connections using insecure cryptographic protocols, supporting compliance with internal and external security standards. Accelerate PQC Transition. Organizations can proactively discover and phase out insecure TLS/SSL versions, reducing exposure to exploits and compliance violations and identify gaps in cryptographic posture, as organizations prepare for post-quantum standards. For More Information SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY JWR UPDATE. IT'S FREE. Just click here. A handful of moderate Senate Democrats are considering voting to end what has now become the country's longest government shutdown, splitting the caucus as some colleagues to their left urge them to hold out for a better deal. A bipartisan group of senators is working to craft an agreement in which Congress would pass three full-year appropriations bills to fund some agencies, along with a short-term bill that would reopen the rest of the government, according to four people familiar with the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. In exchange, Senate Republicans would agree to hold a vote at a set date on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are otherwise slated to expire. Democrats have insisted throughout the shutdown that the subsidies be extended. About a dozen Senate Democrats are open to backing the proposal, three of the people estimated, which is still being hammered out - more than enough to break the impasse and reopen the government. But Democrats' victories by double-digit margins Tuesday in the races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia - which President Donald Trump attributed in part to voters' dissatisfaction with the shutdown - renewed calls on Capitol Hill for the party not to settle for what Republicans are offering. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who has urged Democrats for days not to cave to GOP pressure, said the election results showed that voters want Democrats to press for lower health care costs. "What people want is for the Democrats to stand up and continue to fight," Sanders told reporters. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) described the election results "a bolt of lightning and a wake-up call to Donald Trump to start working with us" to extend ACA subsidies. "Last night should make it clear to Republicans that they simply cannot continue to ignore not only us but the American people," Schumer told reporters. Trump told Republican senators Wednesday that the shutdown was "a big factor" that hurt the party in Tuesday's elections. But rather than encourage bipartisan talks, Trump pressed Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to allow them to reopen the government without Democratic votes - an idea that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (South Dakota) and other Republicans have rejected repeatedly. The government has been shuttered since Oct. 1, when funding ran out and Congress failed to agree on a funding extension. Democrats have demanded Republicans work with them to extend pandemic-era ACA subsidies that will expire at the end of the year, raising health care premiums, in some cases sharply. Republicans have refused, saying they won't negotiate on health care while the government is shut down. They have repeatedly offered a bill that would fund the government through Nov. 21, which Senate Democrats have defeated 14 times. But as food aid remains uncertain, flight delays mount and federal workers continue to miss paychecks, some moderate Democrats are looking for a way out of the impasse. Senate Democrats met for lunch Tuesday for nearly three hours to discuss the path forward. Those involved in the talks updated their colleagues on where they stand. Afterward, Sen. Gary Peters (D-Michigan), who has been part of the negotiations, said it was a "thoughtful" discussion: "It was one of the better caucus meetings I've been in in a while." Democratic senators will meet again Thursday. Republicans who have been seeking to persuade Democrats to end the shutdown argue that a vote on a handful of appropriations bills could provide enough cover for them. "They're tired of this. So if they can see a path forward, such as something more than just a vote up or down on ending it, that gives them another reason to vote for something," said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota). Republicans, who control the Senate 53-47, need the support of at least eight Democrats to reopen the government because Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) opposes the bill and it will take 60 votes to break a filibuster. Sens. Angus King (I-Maine), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nevada) and John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) have voted for the Republican funding bill. Some Democrats are more ready than others to strike a deal in coming days. Sen. Dick Durbin (Illinois), the No. 2 Senate Democrat, noted after lunch Tuesday that there were "differences of opinion" among his colleagues on what to do. Some Democrats are urging their colleagues not to agree to reopen the government without a concrete agreement to extend the health care subsidies, rather than a promise to hold a vote. Sanders said Wednesday that Democrats should insist House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and Trump endorse the subsidies before they vote to reopen the government. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) described Democrats' victories on Tuesday as "wind at our back." "This whole shutdown is about Trump's insistence on letting health care premiums explode, so [the election results are] an affirmation to us that we're doing the right thing by fighting for health care," Welch said Wednesday. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she thought the election results had made some Democrats more reluctant to accept a deal that doesn't deliver everything they want. "I think some of them are looking at this and saying, Okay, shutdown was tagged on the Republicans,'" Murkowski told reporters. "We just saw evidence there. So maybe we have a better bargaining position.'" House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) and Schumer renewed their demand Wednesday for Trump to meet with them, which the president has ruled out until the government reopens. Jeffries told House Democrats on a caucus call Wednesday afternoon that they will continue to "urge the Senate to stay the course and hold the line" and said that Tuesday's election was an "affirmation" that Democrats are on the right side of the issues, according to a person on the call, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation. In another sign of Democratic confidence, Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pennsylvania) interrupted Johnson's daily press conference Wednesday to ask if he was ready to negotiate. "I'm asking if you're ready to have conversations with the other side," she yelled from behind stanchions where reporters were standing outside of the Capitol. "You have an obligation to call the leadership on both sides and bring them together." More Americans blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown than blame Democrats, a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found last week. Democrats warn that millions of Americans who received the subsidies will see their insurance premiums rise unless the subsidies are extended in coming weeks. That's causing some members of the caucus to balk at a possible deal that does not guarantee the subsidies will be extended. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona) said he wouldn't vote to end the shutdown "unless there's somehow assurances that insurance rate premiums aren't going to double for 24 million Americans." The idea that "we should have some level of trust that they're going to deal with us and deal with the American people in an equitable way, I think, is just laughable," he said. "I'm unwilling to accept a vague promise for some vote at an indefinite point in the future on a bill yet to be determined," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut). Republicans have said any bipartisan deal would require extending funding levels into December or January, rather than November, but senators disagree on how long the measure should last. More than 650,000 federal workers have been furloughed since the shutdown began, and an additional 600,000 have been forced to work without pay. Many of those workers are struggling to make ends meet as bills come due after two missed paychecks. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - known as SNAP, or food stamps - is in flux, jeopardizing food security for millions of Americans. A court ordered the Trump administration to fund November SNAP benefits. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration is "fully complying" with the order, even though Trump posted on social media Tuesday that SNAP benefits "will be given only when the Radical Left Democrats open up government." Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy on Wednesday announced the administration will reduce flight traffic by 10 percent in 40 markets across the country to ease pressure on air traffic controllers. He warned earlier this week of "mass chaos" in the skies if the government shutdown drags on, potentially causing air traffic controllers to skip work as they continue to miss paychecks. Staffing shortages have already caused flight delays across the country. (COMMENT, BELOW) Jason Arsenault, 41, pleaded guilty in Portland, Maine, to an unconventional bank robbery attempt, HNGN reported. Arsenault, wearing a black hat, a mask and sunglasses on his face, pulled into the drive-thru lane of a Key Bank location and sent a note to the teller through the pneumatic tube: "CAR BOMB No Cops Alarms or WE ALL DIE $50,000 in 20s." The teller sent the money back through the tube, and Arsenault drove away. Surveillance video allowed law enforcement to track Arsenault's movements until they could spot him without his disguise; six days later, he was arrested. He directed police to a backpack with the money, hidden in the woods. He faces up to 20 years in prison. [HNGN, 7/29/2924] Early in the evening last Tuesday, on-air personalities began to call Virginia's governor race for Abigail Spanberger (D) over Winsome Earle-Sears (R). Despite refusing to call for Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones to drop out of the race after texts surfaced of him fantasizing about the shooting of a political opponent and the death of his children, voters still elected both Spanberger and Jones. On the red-and-blue maps the news anchors stood in front of, this trend continued into New Jersey, where Mikie Sherrill (D) defeated Jack Ciattarelli (R) and, up in New York City, where democratic-socialist Zohran Mamdani (D) trounced Andrew Cuomo (I). All of these races were differentand will have very different impacts on citizens' Second Amendment-protected rightsbut a far-left, very anti-gun sweep was a common theme. In Virginia, a majority of voters rejected a candidate for governor who stands so devotedly for individual freedom Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Watch on YouTube. Catch up on old episodes! Neurologist Scott Abramson discusses his article Why the best physicians risk burnout and isolation. In this YouTube-optimized episode, Scott reflects on the ancient Talmudic teaching that warns how pride and perfectionism can become a physicians downfall. He explores how the culture of grit, self-sacrifice, and fear of vulnerability leads many doctors to burnout and emotional isolation. Drawing on decades of medical experience, Scott emphasizes humility, connection, and the courage to seek help when the weight of responsibility becomes too heavy. Viewers will gain insight into how physicians can protect their well-being, sustain empathy, and rediscover meaning in medicine by supporting one another. Our presenting sponsor is Microsoft Dragon Copilot. Microsoft Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow, is transforming how clinicians work. Now you can streamline and customize documentation, surface information right at the point of care, and automate tasks with just a click. Part of Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare, Dragon Copilot offers an extensible AI workspace and a single, integrated platform to help unlock new levels of efficiency. Plus, its backed by a proven track record and decades of clinical expertise, and its built on a foundation of trust. Its time to ease your administrative burdens and stay focused on what matters most with Dragon Copilot, your AI assistant for clinical workflow. VISIT SPONSOR https://aka.ms/kevinmd SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended Transcript Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today we welcome Scott Abramson. Hes a neurologist. Todays KevinMD article is Why the best physicians risk burnout and isolation. Scott, welcome to the show. Scott Abramson: Hey, Kevin. Good to be here. Kevin Pho: All right, so youve been on multiple times. Tell us what this latest article is about. ADVERTISEMENT Scott Abramson: OK, well first of all, the title is Why the best physicians are destined to hell. Thats an odd thing to say, right? But this is commentary in the Jewish Bible; it says these words, and it seems peculiar. But when you think about it, it makes sense because sometimes the best physicians are the most prideful or the most arrogant. When they dont know something, they dont realize it. If they do realize they dont know something, their pride prevents them from asking for help. For that reason, they fail their patients, and for that reason, theyre destined to hell. I can tell you, Kevin, there have been times in my life where I should have been asking questions to someone, but maybe I felt intimidated, or I felt I didnt want to look stupid or incompetent. I didnt ask the questions. I think this works in another way, because as you know, I was active and one of the leaders in the physician communication and wellness projects at Kaiser. It works the other way because sometimes the best physicians are the hardest working, most conscientious, and theyre the ones that get most exhausted, physically and emotionally. What do the best physicians do then? They dont reach out and ask for help. They do what they always do: They put their nose to the grindstone, they suck it up, and they pay the piper because when the going gets tough, we know what happens. So in the article, what I said was that if youre on this journey, on this pathway to be one of the best, that youre going to be the best physician destined to hell, to reach out for help. Reach out to someone: a trusted colleague, EAP counselor, faith community, or a person. The other thing I said in there was, And if you see one of your physician brothers and sisters heading on this path, dont let them take the journey alone. Reach out to them. In the closing article, I thought I was being clever and I said, Friends dont let friends become the best doctors. Basically, this was about doctors reaching out and also reaching out to our colleagues when we see that theyre going down the wrong path. Kevin Pho: You mentioned earlier that there were times in your career where you were afraid to be vulnerable, where you felt held back from asking questions. Give us an example from your own story about times where you maybe didnt ask a question where you should have. Scott Abramson: That happened many times. Instead of going into some of the specifics, let me just say that as physicians, we have incredible power to affect how our colleagues feel about things and how they feel emotionally. I remember once a young physician had started at Kaiser, and he said to me, I had a patient in my office. We have this system where if you have something that youre wondering about, you can call someone on the phone while a patient is in your office and get an immediate response. Thats what he did. He called this orthopedic surgeon. He knew it wasnt an ER emergency, but he just didnt know what it was. He explained the problem. On speaker phone, the doctor said, Well, you do this, this, and this. Then the doctor said to him, You didnt really need to call me about this patient. Next time just Google it. Now imagine, youre sitting there with a patient in your office, and what is this patient thinking? Can she trust her doctor? What is this doctor thinking? The next time he has a problem and has to call this specialist, hes going to think twice about calling. He doesnt want to be humiliated. What is he going to do? He is going to wait until the next day when Dr. Nice Guy comes on, and that guys going to be overburdened. Its just this chain effect. Sometimes we can do so much to help our colleagues, but sometimes inadvertently we do things that do the opposite. Its this interaction between doctors that I was so interested in. Kevin Pho: Why do you think that medicine still carries a culture of silence around emotional and mental health struggles? Scott Abramson: I think, at least in my generation, thats how we were brought up. You just suck it up. You pay the piper. You just do what youre supposed to do. I think thats why so many doctors have what we call burnout or moral injury: because our values are that were going to do things right all the time. We always achieve; we produce. I had one colleague tell me that she was an APM. Do you know what an APM is, Kevin? Kevin Pho: I dont. Whats an APM? Scott Abramson: An APM is an Asian perfection machine. You dont have to be Asian to be an Asian perfection machine. Were all brought up that way. When we find that in our daily life our actions dont match this value of being perfect and doing everything, it creates this dissonance. The only way we know to handle that is just to work harder, put our nose to the grindstone, and thats it. We dont reach out for help. Kevin Pho: Have you seen a cultural shift towards the end of your career with the newer physicians entering the workforce? Do they have a different mentality? Scott Abramson: I think they do. One of the things is that when I read the blogs, letters, and articles that come in, people have this platform where they are able to vent and let it out. When they do that, they read other articles about other doctors that are struggling, and it gives them this feeling of, Hey, Im not alone. Even if its digital, they have fellow travelers that they can relate to. Thats why I think you are doing a marvelous job in that. Kevin Pho: Why is it important for physicians not to be alone in that journey? When they meet those obstacles or feel burnt out, why is it important for others to commiserate in other stories? Scott Abramson: Gosh, its just so important. Its the human condition. When were feeling hurt, we want to reach out and tell others about our hurt. When we get the response back that, Hey man, its not so bad. Or, Maybe its bad, but you know what, Im sorry youre feeling that way. Im sorry youre going through this. Gosh, its tough. To get that. Number one, to be able to admit it. Number two, to express it to someone else to get it off your chest. Number three, if you can get a response back, maybe theres no solution, but maybe the solution is just someone putting a hand on your shoulder and giving you a hug. Kevin Pho: You mentioned that you worked in the wellness space when you were with Kaiser. Did you ask other physicians to ask for help, because sometimes it doesnt come naturally to them? How did you get other doctors and your colleagues to ask for help when they needed it? Scott Abramson: Thats a good question. We had a lot of programs at Kaiser. We developed a lot of programs. We had a mentorship program, a one-on-one mentorship program. We had offsites where people would go, and some of them dealt with marriage issues. Some of them dealt with burnout issues, and people could sit and discuss these things. We had Schwartz Rounds; we had balance groups. We developed many venues where people could talk to each other and were encouraged to talk to each other. Kevin Pho: Tell us a story where someone initially would be hesitant to ask for help or lean on their colleagues, and maybe they made that change, and it appreciably helped them with their burnout in the profession. Is there a positive story you could share about a physician who has course-corrected? Scott Abramson: Gosh, there are so many stories, Kevin. Let me tell you one. There was this physician, a cardiologist. Hed been at Kaiser for about 30 years. I was talking to him. He said, You know, when I first joined Kaiser, I was like a lot of doctors. I was uncomfortable. I was unsure of myself, and I worked so hard to try to prove my worth. He said it was tough, those beginning years. But he said there was one guy, a neurologist by the name of Sid Rosenberg. He said, Every time that I ran into Sid in those first few years, he would always, maybe it was in the cafeteria, in the hallway, tell me he appreciated how hard I was working. He appreciated the quality of my consults. He said, This was 30 years later, and he said, Its 30 years later now, and I still feel so grateful for those words of encouragement from my colleague Dr. Rosenberg. Sometimes a kind word and encouragement can go so far to make a difference in ones career. Kevin Pho: As you know, we talk a lot on this site. The state of our health care system isnt making it easier for physicians. Tell us the type of advice you have for physicians who are currently practicing, or physicians who are just entering the workforce, about how they can ask for help or do the things that they could do to prevent burnout, based on this article and your reflections. Scott Abramson: Heres one thing, and this is more of a preventative thing. I know theres a chief at Kaiser, and every so often on a regular basis, he will call one of his physicians into his office. Heres what hell say. Its real quick. He will say, Dr. Jones, I called you into my office today. You have no patient complaints against you. There are no medical legal problems. Your patient survey scores are great. The reason I called you into my office to have this personal conversation is: Dr. Jones, you are doing one hell of a job. Keep it up. That was the end of the conversation. This is a proactive thing. Come on in. Let me tell you How often does that happen? Heres the other thing, Kevin: You dont have to be a chief to do this. The guy in the next office, you could walk in his office and say, I just want to tell you how much I appreciate all the backup that youve given me, the support youve given me. Thank you for being my colleague and my friend. Kevin Pho: No strings attached, right? I think just a simple interaction and encounter like that, because how often is it that you get called into an administrator or a leaders office and its universally something bad, something critical, a patient complaint? A simple, positive encounter without any strings attached can mean a world of difference. Scott Abramson: Thats right. You go home that day and you tell your wife and you tell your kids. You remember that, just like Dr. Ed Fisher remembered that encounter with one of his colleagues. Kevin Pho: One of the things that you talked about in your article about the best physicians is that they are frequently isolated. Talk more about that and how they can find community. You mentioned things like faith, spirituality, and community. What are some of the things they can do, these best physicians, to feel less isolated? Scott Abramson: Well, Im going to turn it on its head, Kevin, and Im going to say, what can we do as colleagues to help those physicians who maybe dont reach out? What can we do? Again, its the same story. One of my colleagues was hardworking, one of the best physicians, and she was feeling broken down, beaten up, and just flat burnt out. She decided to leave Kaiser and leave medicine altogether. On the last day she was working, many of us came to her office and told her how much we enjoyed working with her professionally and how much we enjoyed knowing her personally. At the end of that day, guess what she said? She said, You know, if I wouldve known folks felt like this, I might not be leaving. Heres the thing: Why is it that our colleagues have to be beaten up, broken down, and flat burnt out before we tell them how much we honor them as colleagues? Heres what we can do for our colleagues: Reach out to them. Tell them how much we appreciate them. No one ever does that. Kevin Pho: We are talking to Scott Abramson. Hes a neurologist. Todays KevinMD article is Why the best physicians risk burnout and isolation. Scott, as always, lets end with some take-home messages you want to leave with the KevinMD audience. Scott Abramson: Heres one, Kevin. Again, its the same thing. As I mentioned, we worked in physician wellness and we have many programs. One of our people on our committee was a woman named Jackie Magnolia-Ska. This woman, shes about five feet tall, but shes a powerhouse. Physically, shes a great athlete. She does this California Death Ride, a 120-mile ride in the mountains, and shes a black belt in TaeKwonDo. She decided she was going to do this project called the Spartan Race or something like that. People have to do these incredible things: They have to jump hurdles, they scale walls, they haul sandbags, they flip tires. Its just an incredible thing. So we said to Jackie, Jackie, this is a great thing, but this may be a little bit too tough for some of our participants. Jackie looked at us and said, Dont worry about it. Nobody gets left behind. Ill make sure of it. Nobody gets left behind. If all of us looked at our colleagues and we saw them struggling, and we had that mindset, Nobody gets left behind. Especially my colleague. Kevin Pho: Scott. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective and insight. Thanks again for coming back on the show. Scott Abramson: Thank you, Kevin. I appreciate it. Travelog Just a few hours from the vibrant energy of Macau lies Zhaoqing, a region where time drifts slowly, measured by the rhythm of nature and the suns passage over limestone peaks. My recent visit offered a refreshing blend of outdoor adventure and cultural exploration, highlighting the serene beauty that defines much of the Greater Bay Area. Seven Star Caves and Yanqian My journey began at the Seven Star Caves (Qixingyan), where dramatic karst peaks rise from misty lakes like timeless sculptures. Visitors can hire local boatmen to navigate the tranquil waterways, steering clear of the typical tourist routes. As we glided past limestone formations, ancient cliff carvingspoems etched by scholars of the Tang and Song dynastiescame into view, with crystal-clear water revealing schools of fish below. For lunch, I sought out Zhaoqings renowned zongzia pyramid of glutinous rice stuffed with pork and mushrooms, slow-cooked in lotus leaves for over eight hours. This rich, savory dish paired beautifully with silky tofu pudding made from pure mountain spring water. A short drive brought me to one of Zhaoqings hidden gems: the Song Dynasty City Wall. As one of the best-preserved ancient walls in Southern China, it offers a walk through history. Strolling along its ramparts, I admired the moss-covered bricks and panoramic views of the old city, feeling a deep connection to the architects of a bygone era. As evening descended, the revitalized fishing village of Yanqian became a highlight of my trip. Now home to artsy cafes and boutique B&Bs lining the lakefront, the villages Rainbow Road offered stunning sunset views. I enjoyed a simple yet exquisite steamed Xijiang river fish at a lakeside restaurant, followed by a local craft beer at a cozy bar with live folk music. Dinghu Mountain: A UNESCO sanctuary No visit to Zhaoqing is complete without exploring Dinghu Mountain, one of Guangdongs Four Famous Mountains and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Known for its pristine subtropical forests and rich biodiversity, Dinghu Mountain is also a centuries-old center of Buddhist culture. The mountains lush trails led me to the captivating Flying Water Terrace waterfall, where a cool, clear pool invited a refreshing swim. Further along the path, I discovered the revered Qingyun Temple, an active Buddhist monastery filled with the scent of incense. Here, I observed devotional practices and sampled Dinghu Shangsu, an exquisite vegetarian feast featuring eighteen mountain-sourced ingredients like mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and lotus seeds. A leisurely farewell On my final morning, I returned to Yanqian Village for coffee at a lakeside cafe, watching fishermen cast their netsa scene largely unchanged for generations. Before departing, I picked up a small Duan inkstone, a meaningful souvenir from my journey through time and nature. Dont miss: Rent an e-bike to explore Yanqian Village and its surrounding areas for a more immersive experience. GBA correspondent, Zhaoqing Zhaoqing by numbers GDP: Approximately 300 billion RMB (2024) GDP per capita: 70,600 RMB (2024) Population: 4.13million (2024) Main industries: New Energy Vehicles Advanced Equipment Manufacturing Energy Conservation & Environmental Protection Like this: Like Loading... The small and Medium Enterprises (SME) interest subsidy scheme, launched in April, has provided up to MOP2.5 billion in support by September, according to Portuguese newspaper Ponto Final. In the first six months, the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) received 1,250 applications, approving 1,057, while only two were rejected, the report said. Retail businesses were the largest beneficiaries, with 271 applications approved and MOP 597.5 million in subsidies granted. The construction and public works sector followed, receiving MOP550 million for 197 approved applications. Other sectors also benefited: business services received MOP287 million for 120 applications; wholesale trade obtained MOP278.8 million for 97 applications; and hotels and restaurants secured MOP274.5 million across 138 applications. The plan aims to increase liquidity and ease financial pressure for SMEs, offering interest subsidies of up to MOP5 million per enterprise for a maximum period of three years, with an annual interest subsidy rate capped at 4%. The total subsidy ceiling for the programme is MOP10 billion. lv Like this: Like Loading... A year has passed since the canopy collapsed in Novi Sad, killing 16 innocent people and maiming a young mother. Despite the time that has passed, justice is still nowhere in sight. The courts are barely reporting on the trials of the suspects of a crime that deeply shook Serbia. [Originally published in Serbian at crvenakritika.org] On the anniversary of the tragedy, 100,000 gathered for a protest and commemoration. As was stated there, it has seemed as if time has stood still since then, because Serbian society cannot return to normal until it sees change. After a year of protests, the masses are visibly fatigued. But that is still being overcome by a desire for justice. Meanwhile, the fatigue of the regime has led to the complete collapse of its legitimacy, both in the eyes of the masses and in the eyes of its main backer, European capital. The commemoration of the anniversary of the collapse of the overpass in Novi Sad is another victory against the rotten regime of Aleksandar Vucic. All roads lead to Novi Sad Although this is not the first protest for which people from all over Serbia have mobilised to march in one city, this one was definitely special, considering that everyone headed for Novi Sad, where the tragedy took place. Due to the slowing of the movement, students being swamped with their university commitments, and the sadness surrounding the event, there were far fewer announcements about it and less visible excitement in the media and on social networks. The first event that was part of the preparations for the commemoration was the march by students of the State University of Novi Pazar, which was symbolically named 16 Days for 16 Victims. As we have written about before, Novi Pazar has been one of the particularly inspiring centres of this movement. Once again, students of different ethnicities and religions launched a media campaign, equipped with goodwill, a festive mood, the flags of their university, Serbia, Sandzak, and Palestine, as well as traditional Muslim and Palestinian attire. They were enthusiastically welcomed in every town on their journey, and they passed through places which had shown particular fighting spirit during the movement. As the anniversary approached, columns also set off from other towns. From Subotica, Backa Palanka, Zrenjanin, Vrsac, Sremska Mitrovica, and Ruma, convoys came to show solidarity with their compatriots from Vojvodina. From the west of Serbia, convoys of people and tractors came from Cacak, Sabac, and Bogatic, and Valjevo, a particularly combative region and one profoundly affected by the pressures of the regime and the company Rio Tinto [a multinational mining company. Its controversial plans to open a lithium mine triggered a wave of protests in 2024]. The most magnificent column came from the capital. When the column from Belgrade set off, which also gathered people from the rest of Serbia, the author of this article was left in shock. 'Is it possible that a column of several thousand people really plans to march for two days to my town, out of pure love and solidarity?' The answer to that question was yes. This column spent the night in Inija, where, due to the regime's uncooperativeness, thousands of marchers had to sleep under the open sky. But this only increased their determination. To top it all off, we also saw pirate flags with the straw hat from the Japanese manga One Piece. This has become a symbol of the so-called Gen Z revolutions around the world, in which, just as in Serbia, young people have played a key role. The logistical preparations for welcoming what felt like the rest of the population of Serbia in Novi Sad seemed like the most serious operation to date. Novi Sad's zborovi [mass assemblies], the students on strike, the IT Blokada, and other initiatives made every effort to make the welcome as pleasant as possible for their compatriots. Solidarity appeals for funds made it possible to set up numerous refreshment points where marchers and hosts could get food and drink if they became hungry or thirsty, and for universities to be stocked with supplies for those staying overnight. A network of people was established, ready to offer accommodation to those arriving the day before the commemoration, in order to reduce costs and increase the availability of overnight stays due to high demand. The welcome on 31 October was magnificent. Thousands upon thousands of people lined Freedom Boulevard, by the Freedom Bridge, to greet the columns from all over Serbia with enthusiasm, applause, and chants of pump it, which has become a viral chant of the movement. The columns were announced over the loudspeaker, greeted with torches and fireworks, and representatives from some of them also gave short speeches of solidarity. The welcome lasted from 18:00, and the people of Novi Sad did not want to go home until midnight, until they had welcomed the very last guest. The gathering for the commemoration on 1 November saw sixteen columns that set off from different parts of Novi Sad converge on the train station. It was significantly different from other gatherings, as there were no flags, whistles, or vuvuzelas, due to the sadness surrounding the event. The programme ran from 10:00 to 19:00, the highlight of which was 16 minutes of silence that began at 11:52, the very same time that the canopy collapsed. Over 100,000 people paid silent tribute to the victims of corruption. Several speeches were also delivered from the stage, which echoed along Freedom Boulevard. One of them was from a young neighbour of the deceased Nemanja Komar from Stepaniceva, which was a particularly moving expression of the pain felt by the youth at the loss of their friends. Dijana Hrka, the mother of the deceased Stefan Hrka, also addressed the crowd. She has been with the protesters for months and expressed her special affection for the students and secondary school pupils, who, as she stated, keep her alive. She announced a hunger strike as a form of further protest after a year of injustice for her son, as well as for other victims of corruption. At the end of the first part of the programme, a short film was broadcast, providing a retrospective of everything the movement had been through, what it had achieved, and the various outrageous moves the regime had made over the past year. The day was concluded with a gathering on the Belgrade Quay (in Novi Sad), where 16 lanterns were released for the 16 victims, and tens of thousands of phones were lit up and held aloft, accompanied by another 16 minutes of silence. Vucic on his knees The last three months represent a series of mounting defeats for the regime. The erosion of the regimes pillars of support has been evident in embarrassments like the filing of an indictment by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office for Organised Crime against high-ranking SNS [Serbian Progressive Party, Vucics party] officials in connection with corruption over the reconstruction of the railway station in Novi Sad, an attack in August by regime thugs on demonstrators who boldly fought back, and the growing mistrust of Vucic by imperialist countries. The European Union has remained silent for months regarding the protests and the collapse of the canopy. But class anger is growing across the world. Governments in Nepal and Madagascar have fallen to revolutions, and Europe is being shaken by events like the Italian general strike for Palestine and the French general strike against austerity, just to name a few. The last thing the European rulers want is a revolution on their continent, which could inspire other countries as well. Serbia is, above all, a sphere of interest of the European Union, no matter how much liberals whine that Vucic is a puppet for Putin or Xi Jinping. Until recently, he played his part as a loyal stooge of the European Union well. But after this latest crisis, he has proven completely incapable of bringing about political stability. The European Parliament recently overwhelmingly adopted a resolution by the European Parliament condemning the regimes repression of the movement, just after Ursula von der Leyen had been on a tour of the Western Balkans. Von der Leyens public comments were quite reserved. But this is the first time the EU has put any significant pressure on Vucic. Before now, Vucic has been reckless. He once insinuated that the movement was a colour revolution funded by someone in the EU. At one point, he drunkenly attacked the German Greens as scum for joining a protest in Novi Sad. But now the instability has gone on for too long, and his destabilising actions risk having an effect on the EU itself. They are reigning him in, which significantly adds to the pressure on Vucic. Indeed, the hold the EU has over Vucic was symbolised by the fact that during Ursula von der Leyens tour, Vucic told the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ana Brnabic, in front of the media, to do whatever Europe asks. Although von der Leyen was actually quite reserved in her public remarks when she was in Serbia, it was obvious that European leaders are using Vucic's political weakness to further consolidate Serbia as a sphere of interest. This is a concession he is now finally prepared to make. This was further confirmed by the European Parliament's resolution on Serbia, which condemned the regime's actions towards the movement, among other things. One should have no illusion that this condemnation stems from the goodwill of so-called European values of freedom, democracy, and equality. The European Union bombed Serbia, imposed austerity measures on it, has encouraged NATO aggression across the world through its existence, supported Israels genocide in Palestine, and has been complicit in ensuring the continuation of the slaughter in Ukraine. The European Union is a union of capitalists, which continually carries out attacks against its own working class, and even more so against the working classes of the countries outside the EU, that are within its spheres of interest. In many ways, they do not even respect their so-called European values in their own countries. Police brutality is commonplace, solidarity protests with Palestine are banned, dissenting candidates are barred from running, and so on. All along, they knew who Vucic was and the methods he uses; only now they see an opportunity to further tame him. However, the weakening of European imperialism's trust in Vucic is a product, above all, of the pressure from the mass movement across Serbia. By forcing the EU to take a more cautious stand in relation to Vucic, the movement has struck at the main foundation of his rule, which is his cliques profiteering from foreign investment from the European Union. This blow has led to further divisions within the regime, as Vucic can no longer bribe those he previously bought off. The day before the commemoration, Vucic made (another) emergency address. This time, he struck a conciliatory tone and even apologised to the students / Image: Wikimedia Commons Even before the canopy collapsed, Vladimir ukanovic, often dubbed Vucic's spokesperson in the media, complained of sabotage within the party. A year later, he has repeated the same complaint, showing that the unity of the SNS that was temporarily created due to the political crisis is once again declining, but now at a much more critical moment. The day before the commemoration, Vucic made (another) emergency address. This time, he struck a conciliatory tone, in which he even apologised to the students and demonstrators for speaking ill of them. As it is clear to everyone that the movement will not easily forget everything he and his clique have done to them, this message was aimed primarily at his own remaining supporters and Europe. Vucic also organised rallies against the students' blockades, to try and pave the way for representatives of the regime to return to Novi Sad for the anniversary. This, however, did not happen, which represents a great victory for the movement. The butchers of Novi Sad are not welcome here. Just a day after the commemoration, tensions continued. Dijana Hrka began a hunger strike, but she was forbidden from doing so in front of the National Assembly because the Caciland [A pro-regime protest camp set up by the SNS, named Caciland by the student protesters after a piece of pro-government graffiti saying students, go to school which, ironically, was misspelt] is located there. Citizens soon gathered to support her, but in response to the gathering, the thugs of the regime thugs also arrived, and a clash ensued. They were joined by police reinforcements. The main demand of the students and demonstrators remains the calling of elections, which Vucic, following his apology, announced he would hold earlier than planned. Now the regime is behaving as if it were in an election campaign. But we must not lose sight of what the elections would actually serve to do at this moment, namely, to cut across the revolutionary mood that exists in Serbia and to return politics from the hands of the masses to the hands of politicians and the establishment. The fall of Vucic would be a great victory for the movement, but only then would it become fully apparent just how rotten the entire capitalist system is, and that the problem is not just Vucic's clique. Serbian society has undergone a complete transformation in the past year. If, before the canopy collapsed, you had told someone that within a year, over a million people would take to the streets to protest against the regime, they would not have believed you. Nor would they believe you had you told them that students would occupy their universities, organise themselves into plenums, and offer leadership to the movement of those million people. You would not be believed if you said that people would organise themselves into assemblies, as action committees to organise broader sections of society. Or that teachers would have the most militant and inspiring strike yet, that several rallies of over 100,000 people would be held, that bikers and veterans would organise into self-defence units, and that this movement would shine with love and solidarity. Just over one year ago, many would have said you were dreaming. But this is the new Serbia, born of the masses, with the students at their head. This movement has shown what we communists have always said: once the masses are in motion, nothing can stop them. A global economic crisis lies ahead, a direct product of the capitalist mode of production. As long as capitalism remains, we will face crises, wars, corruption, and more tragic events. However, the masses around the world, and especially the youth, are not remaining silent. In Serbia, this movement has given rise to a new generation of fighters, many of whom will look to continue the struggle and organise against this rotten system. If capitalism gives us no peace, then there should be no peace for the ruling class either. Defeating Vucic is the first stage of this process. But at the same time, we must preserve the wonderful energy of this movement as a lesson in what is possible, not to stop there, but to prepare for the even greater battles that await us in the future. The European Union has called on parties involved in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to open a humanitarian corridor and allow the resumption of relief flights. Speaking in Kinshasa on Wednesday, EU Special Representative to the Great Lakes region, Johan Borgstram, expressed alarm at the deterioration of essential services and urged combatants to uphold international humanitarian law. He blamed the M23 rebel groupallegedly backed by Rwandafor intensifying violence that has displaced thousands and condemned the reported presence of Rwandan troops in Congo as a breach of the countrys sovereignty. Borgstram commended mediation efforts by Qatar and the United States aimed at sustaining dialogue between the Congolese government and the rebels, who signed a ceasefire declaration in Doha in July. Despite the agreement, clashes persist, with both sides accusing each other of violations. Nearly seven million people remain internally displaced, while M23 rebels claim that no humanitarian crisis exists in areas under their control. The EU insists that urgent humanitarian access and adherence to the ceasefire are vital to restoring stability in the region. Amnesty International has condemned Tunisia for what it describes as horrific human rights violations against refugees and migrants, particularly those from sub-Saharan Africa. In a report based on three years of research and interviews with 120 migrants from nearly 20 countries released on Thursday, November 6, the rights group detailed accounts of rape, torture, arbitrary detention, racial profiling, and forcible expulsions to unsafe territories. Amnestys regional director, Heba Morayef, said the Tunisian government had stoked xenophobia and inflicted severe harm on refugee protections, urging Tunisian authorities to halt mass expulsions and end racist incitement. The organization also criticized the European Union for risking complicity in these abuses through its migration partnership with Tunisia. The EU has been funding and equipping North African states to prevent irregular migration across the Mediterranean, while designating Tunisia as a safe country. Amnesty argued that the EUs silence over the reported violations and continued cooperation undermines its own human rights commitments. The group called for an immediate suspension of EU support until robust human rights safeguards are implemented. The report has intensified scrutiny on the EUs migration strategy, which faces mounting criticism for outsourcing border control to states accused of systemic abuses. Rights organisations contend that years of EU engagement with countries like Libya and Tunisia have only enabled impunity and worsened the plight of migrants. Following reports of violence by Libyan coastguards, several humanitarian groups have severed ties with state agencies, citing legitimised abuses. The Central Mediterranean remains the worlds deadliest migration route, with over 1,000 deaths and disappearances recorded so far in 2025, according to the International Organization for Migration. Cameroons President Paul Biya was sworn in on Thursday for an unprecedented eighth term, cementing his 43-year grip on power after winning 53.66% of the vote in last months election. The inauguration, marked by a 101-gun salute as his motorcade travelled from the Paul Biya Glass House to the Unity Palace, was broadcast live by the state-run CRTV. In his address, Biya expressed gratitude to Cameroonians for their continued trust, pledging to prioritize the welfare of youth and women in his new mandate, and to remain committed to national unity and stability. However, the election was marred by controversy and deadly unrest. Opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who garnered 39.19% of the vote, rejected the results, alleging irregularities and sparking protests that led to violent confrontations with security forces. Several civilians were reportedly killed in the clashes. Despite growing domestic and international calls for political reform, Biyas latest term underscores his enduring control over the Central African nation, where he remains the worlds oldest sitting president. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed optimism that the upcoming G20 Leaders Summit in Johannesburg will deliver tangible reforms to the global financial system while tackling widening global inequality. Speaking in Cape Towns National Assembly on Thursday, November 6, he said South Africas presidency of the G20 aims to build a more stable, effective, and resilient international financial architecture that prioritises the needs of developing nations. Ramaphosa highlighted that one of the summits anticipated outcomes is a stronger commitment to reforming multilateral development institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the African Development Bank. These reforms, he said, would help countries achieve their sustainable development goals and manage debt vulnerabilities that hinder poverty reduction and growth. The Johannesburg Leaders Declaration, he added, is expected to include measures to enhance the implementation of the G20 Common Framework for Debt Treatment, ensuring a fair and coordinated approach to debt relief. Addressing inequality, the president referenced a new report by the G20 Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Wealth Inequality, chaired by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz. The report proposes reforming international economic rules, implementing fairer taxation for multinational corporations and the ultra-wealthy, and creating an independent global panel to monitor inequality trends. Ramaphosa underscored that these recommendations form part of South Africas wider call for a just and inclusive global economic order. 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 Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. In recent years, immunotherapiestreatments that reactivate the immune system to attack tumor cellshave transformed the treatment of many types of cancer. However, most patients with metastatic colorectal cancer do not respond to these treatments. A study led by Drs. Eduard Batlle and Alejandro Prados (both from IRB Barcelona and members of CIBERONC), together with Dr. Holger Heyn, from CNAG, sheds light on the mechanisms that limit the efficacy of these treatments and suggests strategies to improve it. Published in Nature Genetics, the study reveals how, via a hormone called TGF-, colorectal tumors build a dual barrier that prevents cells from the immune system from acting against the cancer. On the one hand, TGF- prevents a sufficient number of T lymphocytes (the cells responsible for eliminating cancer cells) from reaching the tumor from the blood. On the other hand, it blocks the expansion of the few T cells that manage to infiltrate the tumor. "Our work shows that tumors defend themselves against immunotherapies by manipulating their environment to slow the immune response on two fronts. Understanding this communication language between the tumor and the immune system opens the door to designing strategies that can deactivate these defenses and thus improve the efficacy of immunotherapy," explains Dr. Eduard Batlle, ICREA research professor, head of the Colorectal Cancer Laboratory at IRB Barcelona, and CIBERONC researcher. "By sequencing individual cells within the tumor microenvironment, we have been able to characterize the main players affected by TGF-," explains Dr. Holger Heyn, Single Cell Genomics Group Leader at CNAG and ICREA Research Professor. "Applying state-of-the-art technology, we observed how TGF- blocks immunotherapy efficacy and identified new therapeutic targets to improve colorectal cancer treatments." The CNAG team's expertise in single-cell technologies, cellular immunology, and data analysis was key to uncovering how TGF- blocks the immune system in metastatic colorectal cancer. Inhibition of T cell motility by PD-1PD-L1 interactions but not by TGF- signaling. Credit: Nature Genetics (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02380-2 Two barriers that block defenses The study combines experimental models of metastasis in mice with analyses of tumors from patients. The researchers sought to understand how TGF- mediates resistance to immunotherapy, a phenomenon they had previously observed. What they have observed in this study is that TGF- acts as a "no entry" signal: it prevents T cells capable of attacking the tumor from circulating in the blood. Simultaneously, it modifies cells called macrophages to produce a protein, osteopontin, which in turn slows the multiplication of the few T cells that manage to infiltrate the metastasis. The combination of both actions makes the tumor virtually invisible to the immune system. "In our experimental models, when we blocked the action of TGF-, the immune cells were able to massively enter the tumor and regain their capacity to attack," explains Dr. Ana Henriques, the paper's first author. "Furthermore, when combining this blockade with immunotherapy, we observed very potent anti-tumor responses," adds Dr. Maria Salvany, also co-author. New therapeutic strategies Although clinical trials for TGF- inhibitors exist, the use of these medications in patients is currently limited due to their side effects. This study suggests that alternative strategies, such as blocking the mechanisms activated by TGF-including the production of osteopontincould achieve a similar effect. "In any case, these alternatives will need to be evaluated in clinical trials, and always in combination with immunotherapy," comments Dr. Eduard Batlle. "Understanding this circuit allows us to search for safer and more selective solutions. The ultimate goal for immunotherapies, which today only work in a small group of patients, is to be able to also benefit the majority of those with metastatic colorectal cancer," concludes Dr. Prados, formerly at IRB Barcelona and now a researcher at the University of Granada. More information: Ana Henriques et al, TGF- builds a dual immune barrier in colorectal cancer by impairing T cell recruitment and instructing immunosuppressive SPP1+ macrophages, Nature Genetics (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-025-02380-2. Journal information: Nature Genetics 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: Karola G from Pexels A mismatch between two common tests for kidney function may indicate a higher risk for kidney failure, heart disease, and death, a new study shows. Health care providers for decades have measured blood levels of the molecule creatinine to track the rate at which kidneys filter waste from muscle breakdown in the bloodstream. According to more recent guidelines, levels of cystatin C, a small protein made by all cells in the body, can also be used to measure kidney function. Since these two tests are influenced by different factorsincluding some related to disease or agingusing both markers together can provide a better measure of kidney function and risk of organ failure than either one alone. Led by NYU Langone Health researchers, the new work reveals that many people, especially those who are sick, often have a large gap between the two readings, which may be a signal of future disease. Specifically, the global study shows that more than a third of hospitalized participants had a cystatin C-based readout of kidney function that was at least 30% lower than one based on their creatinine levels. "Our findings highlight the importance of measuring both creatinine and cystatin C to gain a true understanding of how well the kidneys are working, particularly among older and sicker adults," said study co-corresponding author Morgan Grams, MD, Ph.D. "Evaluating both biomarkers may identify far more people with poor kidney function, and earlier in the disease process, by covering the blind spots that go with either test." The study is publishing online Nov. 7 in the JAMA and is simultaneously being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual Kidney Week conference. Beyond detecting signs of disease, assessing patients' kidney function is important for calculating the appropriate dosage for cancer medicines, antibiotics, and many other drugs, says Grams, the Susan and Morris Mark Professor of Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. During another investigation, the results of which were published the same day, the same research team found that a record number of people worldwide have chronic kidney disease, which is now the ninth leading cause of death globally. Having new ways to spot the condition early can help ensure that patients receive swift treatment and avoid more dramatic interventions such as dialysis and organ transplantation, says Grams, who is also a professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. For the recent investigation, the research team analyzed health care records, blood tests, and demographic data collected from 860,966 men and women of a half-dozen nationalities. All participants had their creatinine and cystatin C levels measured on the same day and received follow-ups 11 years later on average. The team considered factors unrelated to kidney function that influence the biomarkers' readings, such as smoking, obesity, and history of cancer. Performed as part of the international Chronic Kidney Disease Prognosis Consortium, the study is the largest to date to explore differences between the two tests and whether they may signal potential health problems, the authors say. Established to better understand and treat the condition, the consortium provides evidence for global definitions of chronic kidney disease and related health risks. According to the new findings, those whose cystatin C-based measures of kidney filtration were at least 30% lower than their creatinine-based measures were at higher risk for death, heart disease, and heart failure than those who had a smaller difference between the two metrics. The former group was also more likely to be diagnosed with severe chronic kidney disease that required dialysis or an organ transplant. The same was found for 11% of outpatients and seemingly healthy volunteers. Grams notes that while cystatin C testing was first recommended in 2012 by the international organization Kidney DiseaseImproving Global Outcomes, a 2019 survey revealed that less than 10% of clinical laboratories in the United States performed it in-house. The two largest laboratories, Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp, now offer the test. "These results underscore the need for physicians to take advantage of the fact that more hospitals and health care providers are starting to offer cystatin C testing," said study co-corresponding author Josef Coresh, MD, Ph.D., director of NYU Langone's Optimal Aging Institute. "Physicians might otherwise miss out on valuable information about their patients' well-being and future medical concerns." Coresh, who is also the Terry and Mel Karmazin Professor of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, cautions that among the hospitalized Americans in the study, less than 1% were tested for cystatin C. More information: Discordance In Creatinine-and Cystatin-C-Based eGRF and Clinical Outcomes, JAMA (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2025.17578 Menaka Sarav et al, Divergent GFR Estimates and Clinical Implications, JAMA (2025). DOI: 10.1001/jama.2025.14043 Journal information: Journal of the American Medical Association This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graphical abstract. Credit: Journal of Applied Physiology (2025). DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00977.2024 The saying goes that you should stay out of the kitchen if you can't take the heat, but new research suggests otherwisefor the sake of your blood pressure. In a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers at UNT Health Fort Worth found at-home heat therapy may hold the key to lowering blood pressure. A group of older adults wore heated pants for an hour a day, four days a week. After eight weeks, their blood flow improved and their systolic blood pressure, which measures blood flow when the heart beats, dropped by around 5 points. The study comes at a time when nearly 120 million American adults have high blood pressure, but only one in four of those adults has it under control. In Texas, about 32% of adults report being told by a health care professional they have high blood pressure. And in 2023, high blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause in over 664,000 deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Exploring ways to reduce the risks of high blood pressurelike stroke and heart attackis crucial, and "this is an important proof-of-concept study," said Dr. Amit Khera, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, who was not involved in the research. Khera doesn't see heat therapy "as a replacement for blood pressure medicine," he said, but he does find it intriguing. "It could be a potential adjunctive treatment for other heart diseases and problems." Crank up the heat Anyone who's stepped out of a sauna or settled into a hot tub knows heat can feel good. Research backs that up: A 2025 study found soaking in hot water can lower blood pressure, stimulate the immune system and, over time, improve how the body handles heat stress. Other studies similarly found heat therapy can improve cardiovascular function in middle-aged and older adultswhether or not they have chronic diseasesand that its benefits can be comparable to aerobic exercise, said Scott Romero, an associate professor of physiology and anatomy at UNT Health, who led the study. "The crazy thing is, the cardiovascular responses to heat exposure are almost identical to exercise," Romero said. "Heart rate changes, blood flow changes, muscle changes. It's almost identical, which is one of the reasons why we think that heat therapy is efficacious, especially in a clinical population, because it almost mimics exercise." Raising your core temperature with heat therapy usually means regular time in a sauna or hot tubtough if you don't have either. To make heat therapy more accessible, Romero and Ysabella Ruiz, the study's first author and a graduate student in Romero's lab, tested whether pants lined with tubes that circulate hot water could deliver similar cardiovascular benefits. (The pants, Romero said, were adapted from suits developed by NASA to study cardiovascular function during heat stress.) The researchers recruited 19 adults, aged 55 to 80, without a diagnosed condition of high blood pressure and split them into two similarly aged groups. One wore heated pants circulating water at nearly 124 degrees Fahrenheit, which raised skin temperature to about 104 degrees. (Romero and Ruiz chose that setting based on earlier work showing it nudged up core body temperature by about one to two degrees Fahrenheit over an hour in older adults.) The other group wore pants that were mildly warm, with the water heated near 88 degrees Fahrenheit and skin temperatures just over 90 degrees. Romero said these pants would feel pleasant but wouldn't make people sweat like in the heat therapy group. Participants had their blood pressure checked three ways: at the start of the study, during the day while active and after eight weeks. The researchers also used ultrasound before and after the treatment to see how well it helps widen the endothelium, or inner lining, of a blood vessel to let blood flow. Problems with this lining are among the earliest signs of aging in the circulatory system and can appear even without the usual risk factors for heart disease. When the lining stops functioning normally, the risk of clogged arteries, cardiovascular disease and complications such as stroke or death goes up. The participants kept their normal routines, setting aside an hour a day, four days a week, to wear the pants. After eight weeks, when they returned to the lab for final tests, the results stood out: systolic blood pressure was about 5 points lower for the heat therapy group, and on ultrasound, the inner lining of the blood vessels among those group members seemed much improved, dilating better than before. Further studies needed Romero and Ruiz aren't sure why the heated pants led to these results. One possibility, Romero said, is that the brain adjusts how tense or springy blood vessels are in response to heat. Another is that the vessels change and improve with repeated heat exposure. "We think that some of those things are actually changing long term," Romero said. "We didn't actually measure the mechanisms," since the study focused on whether the therapy would be effective in this population. Khera is curious about how the results would translate for people diagnosed with hypertension. There's also a question of the clinical significance of a modest drop in blood pressure when treating patients one on one. "On a population level, if you treated 100,000 people, 5 points help," Khera said. "But on an individual level, [blood pressure] pills are much stronger than that. If your blood pressure is modestly high and you want to start with this as a feasible first step, as they continue to do more studies, this could be a potential treatment." Khera added it's unclear how long the benefits of heat therapy last. Romero and Ruiz acknowledged that's something they hope to determine as they investigate the underlying biology behind the results. The researchers' longer-term goal with at-home heat therapy is to create an accessible way for older adults to acclimate to heat. "We know that older folks are most at risk for heat-related illnesses, especially in Texas, where we have really hot summers," Romero said. "Those older folks are the ones who are getting sick and the ones that are dying during heat waves. Our idea is to be proactive about these heat waves and have individuals heat acclimate themselves at home." Romero said preliminary data from his lab suggests that at-home heat therapy can help older adults build better resilience to heat stress. That matters because heat-related deaths disproportionately affect older adults, and research from 2024 projects that as many as 246 million more people in this demographic will face dangerous levels of heat by 2050. More information: Ysabella I. Ruiz-Pick et al, Home-based heat therapy lowers blood pressure and improves endothelial function in older adults, Journal of Applied Physiology (2025). DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00977.2024 Journal information: Journal of Applied Physiology 2025 The Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Whole body lean mass, which is an indicator of muscle mass, increased in the exercise group, while it decreased in the control group. Credit: Anne May Aerobic and resistance exercise can significantly improve physical performance in patients living with metastatic breast cancer, according to new results presented at the Advanced Breast Cancer Eighth International Consensus Conference (ABC8). Anne May, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology of Cancer Survivorship at the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht and the Netherlands Cancer Institute, The Netherlands, presented new results from the PREFERABLE-EFFECT study that showed a nine-month program of supervised exercise improved muscle mass and muscle strength, particularly in the arms and legs, and physical performance in patients with breast cancer that had spread to other parts of the body (metastasized). "Until now, there has been limited evidence that physical exercise can improve muscle mass and strength in patients with metastatic cancer, partly because they were often excluded from studies," said Professor May. "Treatments for the disease can affect patients' quality of life, with debilitating side effects such as fatigue, nausea and pain. Combined with the underlying disease itself, the treatment and physical inactivity, these factors often cause a decrease in skeletal muscle mass, which negatively affects body composition, muscle strength and functional performance. "In patients who are having chemotherapy for localized or advanced breast cancer, low muscle mass has been associated with increased treatment-related toxicities, more frequent dose reductions, as well as poorer treatment outcomes and survival. In addition, hormonal therapy is associated with low muscle mass. "Exercise has proven to be effective in patients with non-metastatic disease. The PREFERABLE-EFFECT study is the largest study to date to investigate whether physical exercise is a viable and effective option for patients with advanced breast cancer." The study is an international, randomized controlled trial involving centers from five European countries (Germany, Poland, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands) and Australia. It enrolled 357 patients with stage IV metastatic breast cancer between 2019 and 2022. Most were receiving first or second line treatment and 74% had bone metastases. Half of the patients were offered standard care and half were offered a nine-month exercise program, consisting of aerobic, strength and balance training, supervised by a trainer twice a week for six months. In the remaining three months, the patients in the exercise arm of the trial replaced one supervised session a week with one unsupervised session. All participants received an activity tracker, and general advice to take part in a physical activity for 30 or more minutes a day. "After six months, we found that exercise significantly improved physical performance, including balance and muscle strength at three and six months," said Prof. May. "Whole body lean mass, which is an indicator of muscle mass, increased in the exercise group, while a decrease in the control group was seen. Compared to the control group, muscle mass was on average 0.79 kg higher after three months, which was significantly different, and 0.32 kg higher after six months in the exercise group." No significant differences between the exercise and the control group were observed for whole body fat percentage. Muscle mass in arms and legs increased significantly in the supervised exercise group. At three months, it had increased by an average of 0.6 kg and by 0.48 kg at six months, compared to the control group. The skeletal muscle mass index, which is like body mass index (BMI) for muscles, also increased by an average of 0.22 kg/m2 after three months and 0.18 kg/m2 after six months compared to the control group. These measurements for muscle mass in the arms and legs are important because they are responsible for movement and load-bearing; therefore, deterioration is an important indicator of skeletal muscle loss resulting in frailty. In the control group of patients, muscle mass and skeletal muscle mass index in the arms and legs declined at three and six months. Muscle mass in arms and legs increased significantly in the supervised exercise group. Credit: Anne May Prof. May said, "Importantly, balance improved in the exercise group. Low muscle mass and strength are associated with balance problems, which can be exacerbated further by therapy-induced damage to the nerves in hands and feet, and increases the risk of falls. Preventing falls is particularly important in patients with bone metastases as they have an increased number of fractures. "One patient, who had balance problems, was not able to get on and off a bus at the start of the study. After being included in the supervised exercise group, that problem was solved, and now she can use the bus again. This means for her that she can again visit the city center and the library. "The results from our study are important since lean body mass is linked to better treatment tolerance, prognosis and overall health, and increased muscle strength correlates with improved quality of life and lower mortality risk. This supports the call for exercise, and specifically supervised exercise with a resistance exercise component, to be integrated as a standard component of cancer care for patients with metastatic breast cancer." The ABC Global Alliance will be launching a Physical Activity Resource Hub in early 2026. It is designed for people with ABC, their caregivers and their exercise or health care professionals. It will contain videos, exercise guides and links to external resources that will be suitable for people with different sites of metastasis, different symptoms and different levels of fitness or enthusiasm for exercise. Isabelle Aloi-Timeus is a cancer physiotherapist and founder and president of Salvati AC, a charity in Mexico City dedicated to improving the quality of life of cancer patients. She is coordinating the ABC Global Alliance working group developing the physical exercise hub. "As a cancer physiotherapist, I have seen how physical exercise brings great benefits to patients. However, it is important that exercise is personalized, supervised and safe," she said. Ms. Eva Schumacher-Wulf, who is a patient living with metastatic ABC, editor-in-chief of the German cancer magazine Mamma Mia! and a member of the working group developing the physical exercise hub, said, "We all know how important exercise isfor quality of life and perhaps even prognosis. However, people with advanced cancer have special needs, and not every exercise program is feasible or suitable. That is why targeted exercise programs are so important for these patients." Professor Fatima Cardoso, medical oncologist and President of the ABC Global Alliance, said, "In the management of advanced or metastatic breast cancer it is fundamental to find a good balance between quantity and quality of life. Research is needed not only on the development of new and better treatments but also on how to improve quality of life of those living with this disease. "Professor Anne May's research is an important step forward in the field and also contributes to empowering the patient. By learning how to best exercise, the patient can directly improve her or his quality of life and regain some control over the disease." More information: Anne May. Exercise and body composition. Provided by Associacao Advanced Breast Cancer Global Alliance AI capability boost strengthens China's advanced manufacturing base Xinhua) 08:45, November 07, 2025 This photo shows a production line of the NIO Second Advanced Manufacturing Base in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu) BEIJING, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Inside an eastern Chinese smart factory, a new generation of AI-powered welding robots rolls off the assembly line at a rate of 1,000 units per year, combining precision with intelligence. These robots are helping to fill the gap caused by a shortage of human welders, ensuring that the world's largest manufacturing sector continues its legacy. Facing a national welder shortage of nearly 3.5 million, industry analysts project a potential market of 1.4 million smart welding robots in China, based on a replacement rate of 2.5 workers per robot. "Our deep focus on factory-floor integration relies on a mastery of welding to deliver specialized robotics," said Wang Dezhao, CEO of 3S Robotics, a Shanghai-based AI startup. Meanwhile, a Beijing tech firm has launched a welding AI model that enables full-process robotic decision-making, cutting welding process development time by approximately 60 percent. "It allows welding robots to mimic human-like, expert judgment, making them remarkably intelligent," said Han Tengyue from Botsing Technology. These efforts are part of China's broader push to infuse intelligence into its industrial base. The country aims to build a modernized industrial system in the coming five-year period, with advanced manufacturing as its cornerstone. As the world's leading manufacturer for 15 consecutive years, China has seen a significant rise in automation. The country now accounts for more than 50% of the global installed base of industrial robots, and its manufacturing robot density has reached 470 units per 10,000 workers. This progress has generated a vast amount of high-quality, industry-specific data, creating ideal conditions for AI integration. China has established over 35,000 entry-level and more than 230 advanced smart factories. "These factories already demonstrate a certain level of 'AI+' readiness," said Zhong Xinlong, a researcher from CCID Consulting under China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. "The advanced smart factories, in particular, have achieved remarkable gains: with product R&D cycles shortened by 28.4 percent, productivity increased by 22.3 percent, and carbon emissions reduced by 20.4 percent on average," Zhong added. The expansion of China's newly cultivated leading industries -- including batteries, electric vehicles and renewable energy -- is paving the way for widespread adoption of industrial robots. Deployed on automotive production lines, an AI inspection machine from a manufacturer in south China's Shenzhen uses deep learning and large models to simultaneously detect over 70 types of defects, thereby boosting quality inspection efficiency by more than 85 percent. "Having collaborated with nearly 300 manufacturers, our company is committed to supporting the intelligent transformation of over 1,000 enterprises," said Jia Jiaya, founder of SmartMore, the machine's designer. A smart system powered by AI models has increased revenue by almost 21 percent for Envision Energy, a major Chinese wind turbine manufacturer. Installed directly on its turbines, the system delivers hyper-local weather forecasts with a precision of under 20 meters and enables intelligent, predictive maintenance. "This technology advances the failure prediction timeline by over two months," said Huang Hu, a vice president of Envision Energy. In August, Chinese authorities released a guideline on deepening the "AI Plus" initiative, which outlines a roadmap for the deep integration of AI with the real economy. This policy sets a goal of achieving a penetration rate of more than 70 percent for new-generation applications, such as intelligent terminals and AI agents, by 2027. The initiative aims to orchestrate all industrial elements intelligently and seamlessly integrate AI into operational stages, spanning design, pilot testing, production, service, and management. As an AI strategy specialist, Zhong noted that the United States, by going "all-in AI," is strategically focused on leveraging formidable computing prowess to consolidate its technological supremacy. In contrast, China's "application-first" path leverages its unique advantages: a "full industrial system" that generates vast data, a "unified massive market" that provides scale, and a national strategy that champions new quality productive forces and the real economy, Zhong explained. "China's approach aligns with its comparative advantages -- a robust industrial base and vast application scenarios -- as well as its strategic goals of high-quality development and common prosperity, reflecting a more inclusive and sustainable vision," Zhong told Xinhua. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) On Thursday evening, Central Railway (CR) employees staged a massive Rail Roko protest at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) against Government Railway Police (GRP) officials after an FIR was registered against two CR engineers over the Mumbra train tragedy of 9 June. The spontaneous protest paralysed Mumbais Central line for nearly an hour and resulted in the deaths of two pedestrians near Sandhurst Road station. The incident has reignited a long-standing rivalry between the two railway departments, with the GRP now launching a fresh probe into the legality of the protest. According to GRP officials, the demonstration was unplanned and unauthorised. Tragedy on the tracks Two passengers were crushed to death, while two were critically injured while walking the tracks between Byculla and Sandhurst Road railway station. The trains were halted due to the unplanned protest for around 45 minutes. Four people met with an accident due to a fast local running from CSMT towards Ambarnath near Sandhurst Road. All were rushed to JJ Hospital, where doctors declared two people dead, confirmed DCP Pradnya Zende of the Central line. An Accidental Death Report (ADR) is being registered, she added. The GRP later identified the deceased as Heli Momaya (19) and Suryakant Naik, a resident of Mira Road. Investigations into the incident and the cause of the deaths are ongoing. Rivalry reignited, probe ordered According to police sources, the Central Railway Mazdur Sangh (CRMS) had initially called for a protest near the Divisional Railway Managers (DRM) office near CSMT railway station premises. The protest was announced by union leaders as a reaction to the FIR. However, protesters gradually shifted to the railway station, creating chaos, a GRP official said. Officers stated that the protest had no prior permission. We are prioritising medical aid for the injured. We will soon act against the organisers as they did not seek approval to protest at the railway station, said DCP Sunita V Salunkhe-Thakre. The DRM had reportedly met union representatives earlier in the day and agreed to hear their grievances. However, the demonstration escalated, with CRMS workers carrying placards and chanting slogans inside CSMT premises. When 27-year-old garment worker Ramesh S from Kurla walked into his neighbourhood pharmacy in February, complaining of a persistent cough and fatigue, the pharmacist did something not many might have done a few years ago he logged the case on the governments Nikshay portal, flagging a potential tuberculosis (TB) infection. Within days, health workers from the local ward office visited Rameshs home, collected samples for testing, and ensured he was started on free treatment under the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP). This single entry reflects a wider shift across Mumbais private healthcare sector. According to data obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) query from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the number of TB cases notified by private pharmacies has almost doubled this year, marking a significant leap in compliance with Indias mandatory TB reporting system. Between January and October 2025, 108 TB cases were reported by private pharmacies nearly twice as many as in the entire year of 2024, when 59 cases were logged. Notifications also surpassed those from 2022 and 2023, which recorded 63 and 53 cases, respectively. The data shows that in just the first ten months of 2025, the city logged over 60 per cent of the total 180 pharmacy notifications reported across the previous three years combined a clear indicator of stronger adherence to public health rules. Awareness and accountability Health officials clarified that the rise does not necessarily indicate a spike in infections but rather a surge in awareness and stricter enforcement of norms. This jump is a good sign, said a senior official from the BMCs Public Health Department, which oversees TB surveillance. Were not seeing a sudden surge in disease, but an improvement in compliance. Pharmacies are finally recognising their legal obligation to notify every suspected or confirmed TB case. Under Indias Revised National TB Control Programme, every doctor, laboratory and pharmacist must report TB patients through the governments Nikshay portal. Dr Daksha Shah, Executive Health Officer, said pharmacies often serve as the first point of contact for people with TB symptoms, especially in low-income areas where many rely on over-the-counter remedies. Until recently, this meant a large number of TB cases remained invisible to the public health system, she said. Rajesh Parmar, a pharmacist in Dadar, shared a typical experience: Patients come asking for strong cough syrups or antibiotics. If their symptoms persist, we now record their details and inform the ward health officer. Earlier, many chemists didnt bother, but now theres regular follow-up from the BMC. Officials attribute the rise in reporting to training workshops, digital guidance and regular audits. Each pharmacy that sells anti-TB drugs is monitored, said another health officer. Our teams visit them, explain the Nikshay process, and ensure no sale goes unrecorded. Small but a notable change Experts note that improved notification helps capture the true burden of TB, one of Mumbais most persistent public health challenges. Once a case is notified, authorities can ensure access to free medicines and nutritional support through the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, as well as follow-up visits to prevent treatment lapses. A notified case means a patient we can trace, treat and support. The private sector handles nearly half of all TB care in Mumbai, so their participation is crucial if we want to eliminate TB, said a senior state health department official. While the progress is notable, officials concede that pharmacy notifications still form only a small portion of Mumbais total TB burden, estimated to be in the tens of thousands annually. Sustaining this momentum will depend on continued digital support, private sector engagement and strong accountability mechanisms. Mahrashtra government recently concluded a statewide survey of students in government-run schools. The findings exposed certain harsh truths: children silently battling stress at home and students who cant see the blackboard from far behind but are mistaken as weak. The survey highlights that the so-called backbenchers, often written off as least interested or playful or troublemakers, are in reality dealing with deeper issues that they cannot articulate and their struggles remain invisible. As a result of the survey, officials say the new guidelines, soon to be issued across all state-run schools, are aimed at breaking this cycle of neglect. We conducted a detailed analysis of students in schools and found that certain policies and guidelines are needed to address students mental health. We are in the process of issuing new guidelines to ensure that every government and private school has a school counsellor. In cases where appointing a counsellor is not possible, we will ensure that at least one trained teacher is designated to look after students mental well-being, a senior Education Department officer told Mumbai Mirror. The officer added that the department recently equipped schools with ophthalmologists tools to screen for eyesight problems. Several children who struggled to write or copy from the board werent disinterested at all; they just couldnt see clearly. Once they received spectacles, their performance changed overnight, he said. He further stressed how misunderstood backbenchers are. There is an assumption that they sit at the back because theyre not serious about studies. But when teachers or counsellors finally talked to them, it was found that they struggle to express their real grievances. Every child needs attention and individual care, and counsellors can make a real difference. Real issues still ignored Meanwhile, questioning the governments approach, Prasad Gokhale, parent and convenor of the awareness group Marathi Shala Aapan Tikavlya Pahijet (We Must Save Marathi Schools), said, These are all secondary and tertiary issues. Whats far more important is that the government improves the curriculum and understands why students are stressed in the first place. We need to ask what is causing eye strain, what is weakening these childrens eyesight, and address those root problems. He added that the government must consult far more education experts instead of issuing guidelines in isolation. What usually happens is that the government drafts rules, invites suggestions and objections, but most stakeholders dont even know where or how to submit them. Meanwhile, the real issues, infrastructure gaps, the need for better teachers, and reducing the overall stress on students get pushed aside, Gokhale said, adding that permanent, sustainable solutions that all schools can follow must be implemented. On the other hand, Gargi Ramesh, retired BMC school teacher, welcomed the move. There are so many issues students are silently dealing with. Sometimes problems at home spill over into the classroom, affecting how they behave with classmates and even with teachers. These children need attention, not punishment, she said. Counselling must be made mandatory in all civic and government schools. I hope the new guidelines recognise this. More check-ups needed Mahendra Ganpule, spokesperson for State School Principals Association, pointed out that while schools do conduct local-level health check-ups, the current system is far from adequate. These check-ups are done only once a year. We maintain case histories and follow up annually, but thats not enough. Health and eye examinations need to happen more frequently; childrens needs change far quicker than our calendar allows, he said. Regular counsellor visits to ZP schools are essential. Right now, only career counsellors are available in government and aided schools. Students actually need counsellors trained in stress management, behavioural therapy, and emotional support. Teachers should also receive basic counselling training. As the US absorbed Zohran Mamdanis mayoral win on Tuesday night, some high-profile social media users rushed to mourn what they characterised as the destruction of America. New York City has fallen, Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida) said in a post on X. America is next if we dont stop it. Remember you only vote for communism once! warned convicted and pardoned former congressman George Santos in response to a post praising the citys poll workers. Mamdani is a democratic socialist. Mamdanis supporters hit back, often with jokes: Wow look at the Empire State Building in NYC tonight, quipped one account along with a fake image of a hammer and sickle projected onto the skyscraper. The outsize online reaction to Mamdanis win was in step with the powerful internet buzz surrounding his campaign, as his team deployed a stream of high-quality videos and beloved content creators to push his affordability-focused platform. As the Mamdani campaign tapped the rhythms of the internet to catapult the relatively unknown candidate to national notoriety, Mamdani himself became a lightning rod for internet discourse, endlessly referenced by posters and politicians with no direct stake in the mayoral race. This memeification helped Mamdani mobilise a critical mass of volunteers and voters. It also kicked off a stream of denunciations and attacks from opponents. The risk is that this relentless caricaturing overshadows the substance, making it harder for people to see what his administration is actually doing, said Adam Penenberg, a journalism professor at New York University. For political talking heads who deal in attention, a candidates electoral fate has always been less important than the fodder they provide, said Richard Flanagan, a political science professor at the College of Staten Island, CUNY. A win for the democratic socialist means a steady stream of content for years to come as his administration attempts to deliver on its policy promises. Its a log in the fire for MAGA, Flanagan said. But Mamdanis online success also formed the underpinnings of a digital coalition other Democrats may to join, said Glennis Meagher, a strategist who designs digital campaigns for left-leaning candidates. If the new mayors online profile is a boon for his administration, other Democrats may update their own digital strategies something the left needs, Meagher said. According to analytics firm Sprout Social, Mamdanis campaign was mentioned almost 10 times more than Andrew Cuomos across social media leading up to the election. Hours after Mamdanis win, the term WOKE IS BACK trended on X, with some posters celebrating and others bemoaning what they saw as a symbolic victory for the left. By Wednesday, Islamist was trending. Major conservative content creators were also quick to share reactions to the election results. Within an hour of the polls closing in New York, Fox News-host-turned-creator Megyn Kelly was on YouTube chatting with right-wing commentator Matt Walsh in a video labelled Dangers of Mamdani. Far-right activist Lauren Chen bid farewell to New Yorkistan in a post on X, referencing Mam-danis win and his Muslim identity. Content painting Mamdani as a dangerous extremist has gained traction online, according to a report from the Center for the Study of Organized Hate. In an analysis of X posts about Mamdani between June 24 and Oct. 31, the organization says it found 35,522 original posts containing Islamophobic or xenophobic attacks created by 17,752 unique accounts. Following his win, many online reactions from conservative figures referenced political violence, mandatory hijabs or terrorism. Official Republican channels harnessed the election frenzy to associate other Democratic candidates with Mamdani. There are mini-Mamdanis running in multiple 2026 battleground states, National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokeswoman Joanna Rodriguez told The Washington Post. Republicans are going to remind voters of that relentlessly. In a flurry of X posts and emails to subscribers, NRSC described various candidates across the nation as carrying Mamdanis torch, modelling himself after Mamdani or Maines Mamdani. On Bluesky, the left-leaning X alternative where Mamdani maintained an active presence while campaigning, the mood was celebratory. Politicians should get on Bluesky to get better in touch with the American electorate, opinion journalist Matt Pearce deadpanned, poking fun at critics of the site. The small army of niche creators who partnered with Mamdanis campaign popped up on X, Instagram and TikTok for a victory lap. All that bigoted, racist, xenophobic exploitative smear campaigns fuelled by AI videos and fear-mongering propaganda just for a CONGRATULATIONS MAYOR MAMDANI, lawyer, content creator and campaign collaborator Joseph Abdin posted to his Instagram story along with an image of a smiling Mamdani holding a giant letter L (short for loss). Some outspoken figures were already adjusting their messaging as they prepared for four years of Mamdani. Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge-fund financier, who has become a leading voice against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies, had gained such a reputation for posting lengthy polemics against Mamdani on X that social media wags traded jokes about just how long a rant the result would elicit. Instead, he posted a simple 24-word post congratulating Mamdani on his victory and offering to help. The prediction site Polymarket used the moment to promote its forecasts: JUST IN: Florida & Texas real estate prices projected to soar, as NYC sees exodus of up to 1 million people, the company posted on X Wednesday morning, prompting a series of anti-Mamdani replies. The Mamdani campaign is much larger than New York City, said Christina Greer, a political science professor at Fordham University. The hard conversations begin on November 5th. Will Oremus in Delaware contributed to this report. LONDON (AP) Pauline Collins, the versatile British actress who won a cult following for her portrayal on stage and screen of Shirley Valentine, a disillusioned middle-aged housewife finding excitement in Greece, has died. She was 85. In a statement Thursday, her family said that Collins died peacefully at her care home in north London this week, having endured Parkinsons for several years. In a long career that spanned television, film and theater, Collins was adept at playing an array of roles, all of which she infused with her trademark authenticity that indisputably earned her the status of a national sweetheart in the U.K. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, in 2001 for services to drama. Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life, the family said. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Born in Exmouth in southwest England in 1940, Collins was raised near Liverpool in the northwest and began her career as a teacher. After taking up acting part-time, she landed a series of roles in the 1960s. Collins won plaudits in 1969 when she starred in the first series of the BBC comedy series The Liver Birds about the lives and loves of two young women sharing an apartment in Liverpool. She did not become a household name until 1971 when she won a regular role in the ITV drama Upstairs Downstairs about the lives of an aristocratic family and their servants in London. But it was her eponymous performance in Shirley Valentine that won her plaudits around the world. She first played the born-and-bred Liverpudlian in a one-woman show at the Vaudeville Theatre in Londons West End in 1988 for which she won an Olivier Award for best actress. After reprising the show the following year on Broadway, the play was adapted for the big screen. She earned an Academy Award nomination in 1990 for her starring performance in the movie, that required her to emote the mundanity of loneliness in a marriage to a neglectful husband and the re-animation of Shirleys youthful aspirations as she holidayed on a Greek island with a friend. While there, she is charmed by the charismatic Costas, played by Tom Conti, and her journey of self-discovery begins. She will always be remembered for Shirley Valentine, not only for her Oscar nomination or the film itself, but for clean-sweeping all seven awards when she portrayed her on Broadway in the stage play, in which she played every character herself, her husband of 56 years and fellow actor John Alderton said. But her greatest performance was as my wife and mother to our beautiful children, added Alderton, who regularly performed alongside Collins. Collins also won great acclaim for her role in 1997 film Paradise Road, which tells the story of a group of women in a Japanese prisoner of war camp who defy their captors by founding an orchestra. Her final film role was alongside Dame Joan Collins in 2017s The Time Of Their Lives, which follows a retired actress and her friend as they travel from London to France for an ex-lovers funeral. By PAN PYLAS Associated Press A primal punk spirit rages through Lynne Ramsays Die My Love, a jagged, go-for-broke psychodrama starring Jennifer Lawrence as an increasingly unhinged new mother and Robert Pattinson as her husband. In this cauldron of marital nightmare, set in a ramshackle rural Montana home, there are fires, real and imagined, and a variety of wildlife. Theres an incessantly yapping dog, brought home by Jackson (Pattinson) shortly after the couple move in from New York. Theres a horse in the road, inopportunely. And on the shirt on Grace (Lawrence) is a tiger. But, more than these animalistic flourishes, there is Grace, herself. In a moment early in the film, she prowls on all fours through tall grass, with a knife in her hand. The shorthand description of Ramsays film, adapted from a 2012 novel by the Argentine writer Ariana Harwicz, is that its about a woman with postpartum depression. But thats not quite right. Its more about the power and urges of a woman who, like a beautiful, feral creature, is not taking to domestication. Thats the appealing through line of Die My Love, though it can be difficult to firmly grasp it in Ramsays piercing but tediously overamplified character study. Still, as unkempt and overwrought as Die My Love is, its not a movie thats timidly weighing in on parenting and gender roles. Theres plenty to admire in Ramsays uncompromising and delirious portrait of marital hell, particularly in the bracingly raw performance of Lawrence. The abandon with which she throws herself into the role is enough to make you exclaim Mother! Grace and Jackson have moved near his childhood home. Their house belonged to Jacksons uncle before he killed himself. Jacksons parents (Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek) live nearby, and Spaceks knowing eyes suggest they went through something not so dissimilar long ago, casting Graces struggles as part of a long, gothic American history. Soon after moving in, the couple dance ferociously before winding up naked on the floor. That scene is announcement of the pitch Ramsay, the great Scottish filmmaker of Ratcatcher and We Need to Talk About Kevin, is working at and of how much her stars are with her on the ride. This is the first movie together for the former teen idols. But I found myself wondering if Lawrence and Pattinsons evident chemistry works against the film. Pattinsons Jackson is some ways a stereotypical dude and foil to Grace. He drinks Budweiser, goes absent with work and can seem more interested in their young son, or the dog, than in Grace. But Pattinson has always exuded a bemused resistance to male tropes that makes him less of an oppositional force to Grace. Pattinson does a lot with concerned looks, as Graces behavior grows more extreme. But a more conventional leading man might have been better suited to the role, and clarified their dynamic. But clarity is also not what Ramsay is after. Working from a script she penned with playwrights Enda Walsh and Alice Birch, Ramsay sticks resolutely to Graces disturbed perspective. The sound design, by Tim Burns and Paul Davies, is purposefully chaotic, filled with barking and the childrens music Grace blares as she stomps half naked through the house, ignoring housework and indulging in sexual fantasies. (LaKeith Stanfield has a small, peculiar part.) Grace is also a writer who isnt writing, so her manic mindset has some echoes with Jack Torrance in The Shining. So, no, this isnt postpartum, and Grace, herself, makes it clear. Her son is great, she says. Its everything else thats fed. What falls into everything else? Its mostly the things that are trying to subtly and not so subtly conform Grace to a simple and restrictive mom persona. Heaven help the cheery suburban mothers who try to make small talk with her at a birthday party. Even the classic rock Jackson plays in his truck irks her. I hate guitars, she pronounces. It helps for Die My Love to get out of the house, where the movie is overwhelmingly, even oppressively set. Die My Love might have benefited from more scenes like these that let Lawrence use her comedic talents more. Instead, a live-wire performance gets suffocated, and the conceptual force of the movie ends up feeling more oppressive to Grace than anything else. Die My Love, a Mubi release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for sexual content, graphic nudity, language and some violent content. Running time: 118 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four. By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer NEW YORK (AP) The 2026 Grammy Award nominees are here, and who else but Kendrick Lamar leads this years crop with nine nods on the strength of 2024s GNX? Its an exciting lineup, but like every year, there were a few artists who made the coveted list Friday and a few who didnt. Snubs and surprises are in no short supply in 2026. The 2026 Grammy Awards will air Feb. 1 live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Hip-hop heavyweights get recognized in the top prize Its Lamars world, but hes sharing it. This year, for the first time, there are three releases nominated in both the rap album and album of the year categories. Those are GNX, Clipse, Pusha T & Malices Let God Sort Em Out and Tyler, the Creators Chromakopia. In the past, the Grammys have been criticized over a lack of diversity artists of color and women left out of top prizes; rap and contemporary R&B stars ignored. Is this symbolic of a new shift? The best new artist category leaves out rap and country Despite the hip-hop attention in the album of the year category, raps missing in the list of best new artist nominees this year. The same is true of country. Dont get it twisted Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marias, Addison Rae, sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young make a great list but what about Ella Langley? Megan Moroney? Billie Eilish is back A favorite of the Recording Academy, Billie Eilish is up for two trophies this year: song and record of the year, both for her track Wildflower. That make come as a surprise to some award show devotees: Only recordings commercially released in the U.S. between Aug. 31, 2024 through Aug. 30, 2025 were eligible for nominations. Wildflower was released in May 2024, on her last album, the critically acclaimed Hit Me Hard and Soft. So, why is Eilish allowed to compete again in 2026? Theres another rule that states tracks from an album released during last years eligibility period are eligible in the current eligibility period, provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy. There are a few exceptions. The rule excludes several categories, including all the classical ones. But because Wildflower was not previously entered and it was entered as an album track it is eligible. Will that ruin others opportunity to take home one of the top prizes? Only time will tell. New country categories confuse There were a few changes to the Grammys this year, one of which was the creation of a best traditional country album category, while the existing best country album category has been renamed best contemporary country album. (Beyonce won best country album at the 2025 Grammy Awards for Cowboy Carter.) It was unclear how the two categories would differ from one another and it is still unclear. The traditional country category includes Charley Crocketts Dollar A Day, Lukas Nelsons American Romance, Willie Nelsons Oh What A Beautiful World, Margo Prices Hard Headed Woman and Zach Tops Aint In It For My Health. And in the contemporary country category is Kelsea Ballerinis Patterns, Tyler Childers Snipe Hunter, Eric Churchs Evangeline vs. The Machine, Jelly Rolls Beautifully Broken and Miranda Lamberts Postcards from Texas. Is it that the latter leans more crossover country? You decide. And let the record show Morgan Wallen didnt submit his hit album, Im the Problem for consideration. Whats up with The Weeknd? At the 2025 Grammy Awards, The Weeknd performed for the first time since 2017. As many may recall, back in 2020, he slammed the Grammys, calling them corrupt after he landed zero nominations despite a megahit album. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency, he wrote on social media. At the 2025 event, Grammys CEO Harvey Mason jr. introduced The Weeknd by stating that he understood the criticism and listed all the things the academy has done to fix it. We have completely remade our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members. The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40% people of color, and 66% of our members are new since we started our transformation, he said. Over the past few years, we have listened, weve acted and weve changed. However, in 2026, The Weeknds Hurry Up Tomorrow album was eligible and submitted for Grammy consideration in over a dozen categories, including album, song and record of the year. He does not appear on the 2026 nominations list. Make way for K-pop Last year, K-pop was absent from the 2026 Grammys major categories. It seemed odd, to fans of the genre, especially considering the prolific output from BTS members who released solo material: RMs Right Place, Wrong Person, J-Hopes Hope on the Street, Vol. 1, and Jimins Muse among them. (As a boy band, BTS has received five nominations across its career.) This year, that changes somewhat. Rose, perhaps best known as one-fourth of the juggernaut girl group BLACKPINK, is the first K-pop artist to ever receive a nomination in the record of the year field for APT., her megahit with Bruno Mars. Song of the year which is awarded to a tracks songwriters, which sometimes includes the performer but not always also features Golden from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. Timothee Chalamet gets first Grammy nomination You read that correctly. The actor is up for best compilation soundtrack for visual media for A Complete Unknown, for his portrayal of the great Bob Dylan. But competition is stiff: Hell have to beat out Wicked, KPop Demon Hunters, Sinners and F1 the Album. Hes not the only shocking first-time nominee: Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and the Dalai Lama are up for audio book, narration and storytelling recording. Steven Spielberg is also nominated in the music film category for Music By John Williams. Is the Grammys future Spanish? Or is it just the Bad Bunny effect? Bad Bunny is a top nominee this year, making history with his critically acclaimed album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos. It is only the second all-Spanish language album to be nominated in the album of the year category. The first? Well, that was also Bad Bunny: in 2023, for Un Verano Sin Ti. Harry Styles Harrys House won that year. It brings up a few questions. Are the Grammys recognizing more Spanish-language music, or is Bad Bunny an exception? Notably absent from the 2026 nominees list is Fuerza Regidas 111XPANTIA, which this year became the highest charting musica Mexicana album. And at one point, it was No. 2 on the Billboard 200 right underneath Bad Bunny, marking the first time two Spanish-language albums held both top positions. Instead, Fuerza Regidas collaborative EP with Grupo Frontera, Mala Mia is nominated. On Monday, it was announced that all Latin Grammy voting members were invited to join the Recording Academy as part of its 2025 new member class. Itll take time to see the results, but perhaps an evolving, diversifying electorate could result in more openness to Latino performers in the future. Jack Antonoff returns Last year Antonoff did not receive a nomination in the producer of the year, non-classical category, and that unfortunate trend continues this year. It was unusual because previously, he took it home three years in a row. (Dan Nigro, known for his work with Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo, took home the trophy in 2025.) But its not all doom and gloom: This year hes tied for the second most Grammy nominees, largely recognized for his work with Lamar and Sabrina Carpenter, with seven. ___ For more coverage of the 2026 Grammy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer Sonora, CA This weekends Mother Lode Views will feature District 8 Republican Assemblyman David Tangipa. He is among a group of lawmakers who filed a lawsuit contesting Proposition 50, a Congressional redistricting initiative approved by voters on Tuesday. Assemblyman Tangipa will explain what the lawsuit argues and the potential timelines. He will also speak about a Voter ID ballot initiative that he is proposing for 2026, and talk about his recent call for Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to resign due to excessive spending on state-funded trips. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Maryland officials sued President Donald Trumps administration Thursday for blocking the previously-approved construction of new FBI headquarters just outside the nations capital. Gov. Wes Moore joined other Maryland leaders to criticize the plan to move the FBIs headquarters several blocks from its current home in Washington to the Ronald Reagan Building complex, instead of to Greenbelt, Maryland, which had been selected by the Biden administration for a modern building after years of planning. The FBI announced the change over the summer after a yearslong battle over the location. But Moore, a Democrat, described that building as too old, too small and too exposed. The big problem with the current FBI building is that it lacks the modern security provisions and protections that the bureau needs in 2025, the governor said at a news conference with other Maryland officials. The suburban Washington location chosen by the Biden administration was selected over nearby Virginia following an intense competition between the two states. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the Trump administration illegally discarded years of planning by Congress. What were really seeing is an administration that doesnt like the decision Congress made, so theyre trying to undo it without going back to Congress, Brown said. That violates federal law. It violates congressional directives. It harms Marylanders who were promised jobs and opportunities. Thats why we took action. Brown, a Democrat, said the Trump administration is attempting to unlawfully reprogram and transfer over $1 billion in funds that Congress designated specifically for the Greenbelt project. They violated explicit congressional directives that limited site selection to the three authorized locations. They ignored federal requirements to consult with state and local government, and they acted arbitrarily and capriciously by abandoning years of careful planning without explanation or justification, Brown said. In the federal lawsuit, Maryland is asking the court to stop the unlawful selection of the Reagan Building, prevent the diversion of congressionally appropriated funds and ensure the Trump administration follows the law, Brown said. The Justice Department declined to comment on the suit. U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks said the Greenbelt site was chosen after a thorough and transparent selection process that found it was the site best for a new FBI headquarters that meets the Bureaus security and mission needs. The Trump Administration has no grounds to ignore this selection, or redirect even one penny that Congress specifically appropriated for construction of the competitively selected site, the senators said in a joint statement. Prince Georges County Executive Aisha Braveboy said building the headquarters in Greenbelt would be the largest economic development project in the history of the county, creating more than 7,500 jobs and add about $4 billion in economic benefit to the county and the state. The FBIs current Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, was dedicated in 1975. Proponents of moving the headquarters have said the Brutalist-style building, where nets surround the facility to protect pedestrians from falling debris, has fallen into disrepair. Discussions have been underway for years to relocate it. The FBI and General Services Administration announced in a joint statement in July that moving the headquarters just a few blocks away to an existing property would avert the need to construct a brand-new building in suburban Washington, which they said would have taken years and been costly for taxpayers. The Reagan Building houses, among other tenants, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. By BRIAN WITTE Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) The U.N. Security Council voted Thursday to lift a series of sanctions on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and members of his government days before he is set to arrive in the U.S. for a historic visit to the White House. The U.S. resolution to drop U.N. sanctions tied to al-Sharaa and Syrias interior minister, Anas Hasan Khattab, passed with 14 members in support. China abstained from the vote. With the adoption of this text, the council is sending a strong political signal that recognizes Syria is in a new era since Assad and his associates were toppled in December 2024, Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said in his statement after the vote, referring to longtime autocratic leader Bashar Assad. American officials pushed to pass the resolution before Monday, when President Donald Trump is expected to host al-Sharaa in the first visit by a Syrian president to Washington since the country gained independence in 1946. Fu Cong, Chinese ambassador to the U.N., said that while Beijing supports the Syrian people, the U.S. proposal did not adequately address the legitimate concerns of all parties regarding counterterrorism and security in Syria. The sponsor did not fully heed the views of all members and forced the council to take action even when there were huge differences among council members in an attempt to serve its own political agenda, he said. While al-Sharaa is in Washington, Syria is expected to join the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition, which includes some 80 countries working to prevent a resurgence of the militant group. The effort is part of Trumps strategy to rebuild relations with Syria after the 50-year rule of the Assad family came to an end in a lightning offensive led by al-Sharaa. Assads fall also brought to an end nearly 14 years of civil war. Since then, al-Sharaa has sought to restore ties with Arab countries and the West, where officials were initially wary of his past ties with the al-Qaida militant group. The rebel group he formerly led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, was previously designated by the U.S. as a terrorist group. Trump met al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in May and made good on a pledge to lift or waive decades of sanctions against the war-torn country. However, the most stringent sanctions were imposed by Congress under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act in 2019 and will require a congressional vote to remove them permanently. In a bipartisan statement, the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee welcomed the U.N. action Thursday and said it was now Congress turn to act to bring the Syrian economy into the 21st century. We are actively working with the administration and our colleagues in Congress to repeal Caesar sanctions, Sens. Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen said in a statement ahead of the vote. Its time to prioritize reconstruction, stability, and a path forward rather than isolation that only deepens hardship for Syrians. Syrias conflict broke out in early 2011 and left nearly half a million people dead and millions displaced, including many who are now refugees. The war caused widespread destruction, and Syria will need tens of billions of dollars to rebuild. By FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) The Congressional Budget Office on Thursday confirmed it had been hacked, potentially disclosing important government data to malicious actors. The small government office, with some 275 employees, provides objective, impartial analysis to support lawmakers during the budget process. It is required to produce a cost estimate for nearly every bill approved by a House or Senate committee and will weigh in earlier when asked to do so by lawmakers. Caitlin Emma, a spokeswoman for the CBO said in a written statement that the agency has identified the security incident, has taken immediate action to contain it, and has implemented additional monitoring and new security controls to further protect the agencys systems going forward. The Washington Post first wrote the story on the CBO hack, stating that the intrusion was done by a suspected foreign actor, citing four anonymous people familiar with the situation. The CBO did not confirm whether the data breach was done by a foreign actor. The incident is being investigated and work for the Congress continues, Emma said. Like other government agencies and private sector entities, CBO occasionally faces threats to its network and continually monitors to address those threats. The CBO manages a variety of massive data sources that relate to a multitude of policy issues from the Trump administrations mass deportation plans, to the unprecedented implementation of sweeping tariffs on countries around the world, to massive tax and spending cuts passed into law this summer. By FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a close Republican ally of President Donald Trump, announced Friday that shes running for governor of New York, a place she depicted in a campaign launch video as being in ashes because of lawlessness and a high cost of living. In her video, a narrator declares The Empire State has fallen as it paints a grim picture of urban, liberal leadership and life in New York City, though the message appeared to be aimed at audiences in other, more conservative parts of the state. Her candidacy sets up a potential battle with Gov. Kathy Hochul, a centrist Democrat, though both candidates would have to first clear the field of any intraparty rivals before next Novembers election. Stefanik, 41, has teased a run for months, often castigating Hochul, 67, as the worst governor in America. Shes also assailed Hochul for endorsing the ascendent, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, now the mayor-elect of New York City. In a written statement, Stefanik said she is running to make New York affordable and safe for families all across our great state. Our campaign will unify Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to Fire Kathy Hochul once and for all to Save New York, she said. Hochuls campaign released its own attack ad Friday against the Republican, dubbing her Sellout Stefanik, and blamed her for enabling Trumps tariffs and federal funding cuts to education and health care. Apparently, screwing over New Yorkers in Congress wasnt enough now shes trying to bring Trumps chaos and skyrocketing costs to our state, said Hochul campaign spokesperson Sarafina Chitika. Representing a conservative congressional district in northern New York, Stefanik had once been a pragmatic and moderate Republican who would avoid uttering Trumps name, simply calling him my partys presidential nominee. But in recent years she has reshaped herself into a brash disciple and ardent defender of Trumps MAGA movement, rising through the ranks of the Republican Partys congressional hierarchy as it molded to Trumps political style. Last year, Stefanik was tapped to become the presidents ambassador to the United Nations, though her nomination was later pulled over concerns about her partys tight margins in the House. She then began to angle toward a run for governor, and very quickly got a public nod of support from Trump. Her announcement video, which was titled From the Ashes, casts New York as a dangerous place plagued by migrant crime and economic crisis, placing the blame on Kathy Hochuls failed policies, as urgent, ominous music plays in the background. New York City police officials have long touted drops in crime and this week said the city is in its eighth consecutive quarter of major crime decline. The Republican primary field remains unclear ahead of the 2026 race. On Long Island, Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman has said hes weighing a run for governor. In a statement Friday, he said he has tremendous respect for Stefanik but that the GOP needs to nominate a candidate who has broad based appeal with independents and common sense Democrats. The party must nominate the candidate with the best chance to defeat Kathy Hochul and I have been urged by business, community and political leaders across the state to make the run and I am seriously considering it, said Blakeman, who handily won reelection to another four-year term on Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler had been contemplating a run but instead decided to seek reelection in his battleground House district in the Hudson Valley. Hochul faces a contested primary, with her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, running against her. Democrats have a major voter registration edge in New York. The states last Republican governor was former Gov. George Pataki, who left office about two decades ago. Still, Republican Lee Zeldin, a former Long Island congressman and current head of the Environmental Protection Agency, made a serious run for the office in 2022, coming within striking distance of upsetting Hochul. ___ AP writer Philip Marcelo contributed to this report. By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) President Donald Trump granted a pardon Friday to a former New York police sergeant who was convicted of helping China try to scare an ex-official into going back to his homeland, a prominent case in U.S. authorities efforts to combat what they claim are Beijings far-flung efforts to repress critics. Michael McMahon was sentenced this spring to 18 months in prison for his role in what a federal judge called a campaign of transnational repression. He insisted he was innocent, saying he was unwittingly used when he took what he thought was a straightforward private-investigator gig. McMahon said he was told he was working for a Chinese construction company, not the nations government. A White House official, speaking Friday on condition of anonymity to discuss a pardon that hasnt been publicly announced, pointed to McMahons explanation that hed been misled. The official also noted that McMahon earned dozens of commendations before a 2001 injury ended his 14-year NYPD career. McMahons lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, said the pardon corrects a horrible injustice. I will always believe that it was the Chinese government that victimized Mike, a true hero cop, whom our government should have celebrated and honored, rather than indicted, Lustberg said by email. The Brooklyn-based federal prosecutors office that brought the case declined to comment. A jury had convicted McMahon, 58, of charges that included acting as an illegal foreign agent and stalking. He was released from prison to a halfway house earlier this year and was back at his New Jersey home Friday, his attorney said. McMahon had supporters in Congress McMahon had gotten support from U.S. Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.J., and Pete Sessions, R-Texas. They wrote to the court last year to back McMahons assertions of innocence and urge the judge to spare him prison. Lawler cheered the pardon Friday, writing on X that the former officer never should have been prosecuted to begin with. A message seeking comment was sent to Sessions office. McMahon was one of three men convicted at the first trial stemming from U.S. claims about Chinas decade-old Operation Fox Hunt initiative. His co-defendants, both Chinese citizens, also were sentenced to prison, where they remain. Messages seeking comment were sent Friday to attorneys for the men, who denied the charges. Three other people pleaded guilty in the case, and another five defendants remain at large, believed to be in China. U.S. authorities have viewed Operation Fox Hunt, in at least some instances, as a tool of transnational repression a term for sending government operatives to harass, threaten and silence dissidents living abroad. Beijing says its just trying to repatriate fugitives, including corrupt officials, and denies making threats to secure their return. The case involving McMahon centered on a former Chinese city official named Xu Jin, who moved with his family to suburban New Jersey in 2010. The Chinese government has accused him and his wife of bribery. The couple denied the allegation and said he was unjustly targeted because of internal politics within Chinas Communist government. China has no extradition treaty with the U.S. so it couldnt legally compel Xus return. Instead, U.S. prosecutors said, Beijing engineered years of creepy outreach and innuendo to try to induce him to come back. A Chinese ex-official got an ominous note Hired by co-defendants to locate Xu, McMahon searched law enforcement and government databases and conducted surveillance. He and Lustberg acknowledged that McMahon missed red flags about the $11,000 job, but they said he was duped by his clients and didnt foresee that the information would be used to hound Xu. I never thought for one minute I was working for China, stalking anyone, McMahon said at his sentencing. Prosecutors and trial witnesses said Xu was subjected to a pressure campaign that included disparaging Facebook messages to friends of his adult daughter, a slew of letters to a relative in New Jersey and a startling visit from his octogenarian father, who was flown in from China to press his son to return. Finally, Xus wife found a note on their front door that read, in translation: If you are willing to go back to the mainland and spend 10 years in prison, your wife and children will be all right. Thats the end of this matter! Xu said at the trial that before seeing the note, he thought the Chinese Communist Partys overtures were only a mental threat to me. However, when I saw that note, I realized that it had become a physical threat, Xu testified, through a court interpreter. ___ Superville reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Philip Marcelo and Anthony Izaguirre contributed. By JENNIFER PELTZ and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation Thursday that would have put a check on President Donald Trumps ability to launch an attack against Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take a stronger role in Trumps high-stakes campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Lawmakers, including top Republicans, have demanded that the Trump administration provide them with more information on the U.S. military strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. But Thursdays vote, on legislation that would essentially forestall an attack on Venezuelan soil without congressional authorization, suggested Republicans are willing to give Trump leeway to continue his buildup of naval forces in the region. President Trump has taken decisive action to protect thousands of Americans from lethal narcotics, said Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Still, the vote allowed Democrats to press their GOP colleagues on Trumps threats against Venezuela. The legislation failed to advance 49-51, with Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only Republicans voting in favor. The U.S. is assembling an unusually large force, including its most advanced aircraft carrier, in the Caribbean Sea, leading many to conclude that Trump intends to go beyond just intercepting cocaine-running boats. The campaign so far has killed at least 69 people in 17 known strikes, the latest carried out Thursday against a boat in the Caribbean. Its really an open secret that this is much more about potential regime change, said Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who pushed the resolution. If thats where the administration is headed, if thats what were risking involvement in a war then Congress needs to be heard on this. Some Republicans are uneasy with Caribbean campaign Republican leadership pressed Thursday to make sure the legislation failed, but several senators still carefully considered their vote. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, another Republican who voted against the resolution, said that he still has doubts about the campaign. He pointed out that it was expensive to change the deployment location for an aircraft carrier and questioned whether those funds could be better used at the U.S.-Mexico border to stop fentanyl trafficking. Tillis said that if the campaign continues for several months more, then we have to have a real discussion about whether or not were engaging in some sort of hybrid war. Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican, said in a statement that he voted against the legislation because he didnt believe it was necessary or appropriate at this time. But he added that he was troubled by many aspects and assumptions of this operation and believe it is at odds with the majority of Americans who want the U.S. military less entangled in international conflicts. The push for congressional oversight As the Trump administration has reconfigured U.S. priorities overseas, there has been a growing sense of frustration among lawmakers, including some Republicans, who are concerned about recent moves made by the Pentagon. At a hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier Thursday, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair, said that many senators have serious concerns about the Pentagons policy office and that Congress was not being consulted on recent actions like putting a pause on Ukraine security assistance, reducing the number of U.S. troops in Romania and the formulation of the National Defense Strategy. GOP senators have directed their ire at the Department of Defenses policy office, which is led by Elbridge Colby, an official who has advocated for the U.S. to step down its involvement in international alliances. It just seems like theres this pigpen-like mess coming out of the policy shop, said Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, during another Armed Services hearing earlier this week. As pushback has mounted on Capitol Hill, the Trump administration has stepped up its outreach to lawmakers. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a classified briefing for congressional leaders Wednesday. The officials gave details on the intelligence that is used to target the boats and allowed senators to review the legal rationale for the attacks, but did not discuss whether they would launch an attack directly against Venezuela, according to lawmakers in the meeting. Still, Democrats have tested the unease among Republicans by forcing the vote on the potential for an attack on Venezuela under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war. A previous war powers vote pertaining to the strikes against boats in international waters also failed last month on a 48-51 vote, but Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who pushed the legislation, said he still plans to force more votes. We should not be going to war without a vote of Congress. The lives of our troops are at stake, Kaine said in a floor speech. Democrats also argued that the Trump administration was using a flimsy legal defense for an expansive military campaign that is putting U.S. troops and the nations reputation at risk. Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services panel, charged that Trump is engaging in violence without a strategic objective while failing to take actions that would actually address fentanyl smuggling. You cannot bomb your way out of a drug crisis, he said. By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) Nancy Pelosi is bringing her history-making career in the U.S. House to an end, but she leaves a linguistic legacy in Congress and beyond. The enduring leadership of the first woman to become speaker of the House can not only be seen but also heard. The turns of phrase she uses her Pelosi-isms have defined the Democratic leaders tenure and become embedded in the political discourse, echoing from the halls of power. Know your power, Pelosi said in a video address announcing her decision not to seek reelection, dropping a Pelosi-ism and leaving her San Francisco constituents with a call to action. At a time when the Democratic Party spins in turmoil, hungry for leadership as it confronts President Donald Trump, the Pelosi-isms endure as a reminder of the power of language. Words matter. They can stand as an organizing principle, a shorthand for a shared vision and values, way-finders from the political outback. As Pelosi, 85, sets out for this next chapter she plans to finish her final year in Congress her language over time has captured her legacy and offers guideposts for the next in power. Pelosi spoke with The Associated Press this summer at her office in Washington. Know your why Thats very important, Pelosi said. Because, when I left home to run for Congress, I had to know why I was doing that. Politics, she said, is a hard business, particularly for women. Its not for the faint of heart. And it is tough. Its rough. So its only doable if you know why youre doing it. My why was 1 in 5 children in America lives in poverty, goes to sleep hungry at night, she said. That was my why. Throw a punch for the children In the arena, you have to be active, she explained. What started as her nod to Theodore Roosevelts The Man in the Arena speech has become Pelosis own a century later. Roosevelt celebrated what he called the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly. The Pelosi version: You have to be ready to take a punch. You have to be ready to to throw a punch for the children. Diversity is our strength. Unity is our power. Its so obvious, she said. Ive used it for a while. Congress, particularly the often chaotic House, is often considered the branch of government closest to the moods of the people. It reflects the breadth of the nation. Pelosi calls it the giant kaleidoscope in politics. We take pride in our diversity, but unless were unified were not going to achieve what our goal is, she said about her Democratic side of the aisle. And thats something that people should fear. Its our strength. Mr. President, dont characterize the strength that I bring A government shutdown was looming shortly after the 2018 midterm elections during Trumps first term, when he summoned the congressional leaders to the White House. With the cameras rolling in the Oval Office, Trump badgered and belittled the leaders over his demand for funds to build U.S.-Mexico border wall. And then he turned on Pelosi. She had been vilified by Republicans in a failed multimillion-dollar ad campaign to stop her party from winning the House. The president suggested she faced her own political problems ahead. Mr. President, please dont characterize the strength that I bring to this meeting as the leader of the House Democrats who just won a big victory, she said. Pelosi soon after walked out of the White House, her burnt orange winter coat swaying in the December afternoon, a lasting image of her return to power. Dont agonize, organize What do you gain by agonizing? Pelosi asked. The feminist leader Florynce Flo Kennedy is said to have popularized the phrase during an earlier era. Pelosi put it to use from the Capitol and in this weeks decisive election over redistricting in California. The most important thing is time. Its the most precious commodity of all. So why are you using your time, agonizing over this? she said. We organize. Treat everyone as a friend, but know who your friends are Darling, Pelosi recalled the late Rep. Lindy Boggs telling her, Dont make every fight your last fight. Its a life hack Pelosi grafted onto her own approach early on. Everybody is a resource to you, she said. You never know where a vote might come from. E pluribus unum A founding principal of the nation, E pluribus unum comes from Latin, meaning out of many one. More recently, Pelosi has drawn on another historical resource: the national anthem. This is what Im telling members now is our goal: We have to prove through the night that our flag is still there, she said. And I think those things are very much at risk. Recreate to recreate Isnt that interesting, its the same word? Pelosi said. I made that up myself. Go home and recreate to recreate, she said, because youve got to be ready for the fight. But she added, I dont always do it myself. Resting is rusting You cannot tire. You must be there to the end, she said. Its a skill she said she learned from union leaders during negotiations. But doesnt that contradict recreate to recreate? Resting is rusting, she said, is strictly for me. By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) Pakistan and Afghanistan have been holding peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey, as a tenuous ceasefire holds following cross-border clashes that left dozens of people dead and hundreds wounded. Heres a look at whats been going on between Pakistan and Afghanistan: Clashes since early October The fighting, which has killed civilians, security forces and militants, has been the deadliest in years between the two neighbors. It erupted after an Oct. 9 explosion in the Afghan capital, Kabul, and another in the southeastern province of Paktika the same day that Afghanistans Taliban-led government blamed on Pakistan. Pakistani officials have neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the blasts, and there was no official comment from either side on whether there were any injuries. Since Oct. 9, there have been several shelling and shooting incidents which have led to dozens of deaths on both sides of the border, although the two sides have differed widely on the casualty figures. Earlier this week, Pakistans military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif said more than 200 Afghan soldiers and more than 100 militants were killed when Pakistani forces targeted militant hideouts and army positions in Afghanistan after coming under attack. Afghan government spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid rejected the claim, saying only nine Afghan soldiers had been killed and 22 wounded. But he said up to 45 civilians had been killed and 102 had been wounded in the attacks. Mujahid also claimed 58 Pakistani soldiers had been killed, but Pakistan countered that number was incorrect and that 23 of its soldiers had been killed in the fighting. Afghanistan and Pakistan traded thinly veiled threats of escalation, prompting Qatar to bring the two to the negotiating table in Doha for peace talks that led to a ceasefire on Oct. 19. Since then, another two rounds of negotiations have been held in Istanbul. The latest began on Nov. 6, but stalled on the night of Nov. 7 and ended without a result. While both sides say the ceasefire is holding, there have been attacks even while the talks continued. An Afghan official said Friday that overnight clashes in the border area killed four Afghan civilians and wounded another five. The border area The two countries share a 2,611-kilometer (1,622-mile) border known as the Durand Line, named after British diplomat Mortimer Durand and established in 1893. The line cuts through the heartland of the Pashtun, Afghanistans largest ethnic group and also the group from which the Afghan Taliban who now run the country stem from. Although the line is internationally recognized as Pakistans western border, Afghanistan has not recognized it. Both countries often accuse each other of turning a blind eye to Islamic militants operating along the porous frontier. Militants Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of allowing the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, to be based on its soil and to carry out carry out bombings and gun attacks within Pakistan. Kabul rejects the allegations, and says it does not allow anyone to use Afghan soil for attacks on any country, including Pakistan. Created in 2007, the TTP brought together different outlawed groups that agreed to work together against Pakistan and support the Afghan Taliban, who at the time were fighting U.S. and NATO forces. The United Nations and United States have designated it a terrorist organization. The group seeks stricter enforcement of Islamic laws, the release of its members imprisoned in Pakistan, and a reduction in Pakistani military presence in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the province bordering Afghanistan that it has long used as a base. Although separate, the group is closely allied with the Afghan Taliban. Many of its leaders and fighters are believed to have taken refuge in Afghanistan since the Talibans return to power in 2021, further straining ties between the two countries. Pakistan has seen an increase in militant attacks on its security forces and civilians in recent months, most of them claimed by the TTP. In response, Pakistans military said it has targeted TTP hideouts inside Afghanistan. Last month, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said his country wants Afghanistan to hand over TTP members and leaders based in Afghan territory or take steps to stop them from carrying out attacks inside Pakistan. If that does not happen there could be open an open war with Afghanistan, he warned. Afghan officials say they will not hand over TTP leaders, that Pakistans conflict with the group is an internal matter and that Islamabad should open negotiations with the group. Mediation The outbreak of cross-border fighting alarmed the international community, particularly as the area is one where other militant groups, including al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, still have a presence and have been trying to resurface. Qatar and Turkey have been helping broker the ceasefire and peace talks, aiming to prevent all-out conflict and creating a durable framework for border security. A ceasefire that began on Oct. 19 following the first round of talks in Qatar has largely held since then. U.S. President Donald Trump later weighed in, saying on the sidelines of an ASEAN summit in Malaysia that he intended to resolve the conflict very quickly. His comments came as the two sides held a second round of talks in Istanbul, Turkey. But those negotiations collapsed after four days, with Pakistan accusing Kabul of refusing to act against the TTP. Despite the setback, the ceasefire held. The third round of peace talks took place on Nov. 6-7. ___ Becatoros contributed from Athens, Greece, and Ahmed from Islamabad, Pakistan. By ABDUL QAHAR AFGHAN, ELENA BECATOROS and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press Syrian Archbishop Warns: "The Church in Syria is Dying" Archbishop Jacques Mourad. ( ACN) An archbishop in Syria who survived being kidnapped by jihadis has warned the "Church in Syria is dying" as the number of Christians in the country continues to drop. Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Mourad of Homs, Hama and Al-Nabek, said the country's "disastrous political and economic situation" was causing waves of migrations at the launch of Aid to the Church in Need's Religious Freedom in the World 2025 report launch in Rome. He pointed out that around 2.1 million Christians lived in Syria in 2011 dropping to around 540,000 in 2024, according to estimates by ACN. Archbishop Mourad said: "None of the efforts by the universal Church or the local Church managed to stem the tide of the exodus, because the causes are not related to the Church, but rather to the country's disastrous political and economic situation. "You can't stop a wave of migration without first establishing a well-defined political government model in Syria and a solid security system." He added: "The Syrian people continue to suffer violence, reprisals, and tragic and regrettable events that undermine all the international claims and popular demands to put an end to this bloodbath. We are become more and more like Afghanistan. We don't have that level of violence yet, but we're not that far off either. People are under all sorts of pressure. "Don't think we are heading towards greater freedom, religious or otherwise." Archbishop Mourad also expressed concern over a possible peace treaty with Israel that would cede the Golan Heights. He said it would "deprive the inhabitants of Damascus of water sources and enslave them". Archbishop Mourad added: "Who would accept a treaty such as this? Where are the human rights values that should help ensure that decisions are fair for both parties?" He proposed that the international community "adopt a clear position regarding what is happening in Syria", and also that "all local and international institutions and organisations that operate in Syria cooperate with cultural bodies, schools, universities and institutes to overcome the fear that has taken hold in society, and organise training courses on the role of legislation in the establishment of justice and the independence of the state's judiciary." At the launch of the Religious Freedom in the World report launch on 21st October ACN launched a petition to protect Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights calling on governments to defend religious liberty, protect at-risk faith communities and provide emergency and legal aid for those suffering persecution because of their beliefs. In a decade Christians have dropped from 6.3 percent of the population to 2.3 percent while Muslims have grown from 91.74 percent to 95.5 percent. Archbishop Mourad was kidnapped in Syria by Daesh (ISIS) terrorists in 2015 and managed to escape after five months in captivity. Having been rescued by Muslims the 57-year-old now promotes fraternity between the two Abrahamic religions. BRUSSELS (AP) Taiwans deputy leader urged the European Union to boost security and trade ties with the self-governing island and support its democracy in the face of growing threats by China, in a rare address to a group of international lawmakers in Brussels on Friday. Peace in the Taiwan Strait is essential to global stability and economic continuity, and international opposition against unilateral changes to the status quo by force cannot be overstated, Vice President Bi-Khim Hsiao told lawmakers assembled for a China-focused conference in the European Parliament building. While Hsiao did not formally address the whole EU Parliament the European trade bloc does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan her visit drew ire from China. In an era marked by increasing fragmentation, volatility and rising authoritarianism, this gathering affirms something vital that democracies, even when far apart, are not alone, she added to a standing ovation in a small chamber of the European Parliament. Hsiao also called on the lawmakers from countries including Germany and Spain to collaborate more on trusted supply chains and AI technology with Taiwan, the island off Chinas east coast that Beijing claims as part of its territory and says must come under its rule. EU members, like most countries including the United States, have no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and follow a One China policy. But the EU and Taiwan share common democratic values as well as close trade ties, and the bloc opposes any use of military force by China to settle its dispute with Taiwan. Hsiao also drew parallels between Taiwan suffering cyberattacks and having its undersea internet cables cut by China, and hybrid attacks faced by European nations since Russias invasion of Ukraine. Europe has defended freedom under fire, and Taiwan has built democracy under pressure, she said. She said that Chinas disruptions of global supply chains likely a reference partly to Beijings throttling of rare earth exports to the EU earlier this year should push Brussels to forge with Taiwan a reliable technology ecosystem rooted in trust, transparency and democratic values like they already have for semiconductor sales. Chinas mission to Europe on Saturday criticized the EU parliament for allowing her and other leading Taiwan independence figures to carry out separatist activities in its building despite Chinas opposition. China expressed strong indignation over the matter and already made a solemn representation to the European side, according to a statement on its website This act seriously harms Chinas core interests and violates the one-China principle, while seriously interfering in Chinas internal affairs and undermining China-EU political mutual trust, it said. It added the Taiwan issue, which concerns Chinas sovereignty, is a red line that cannot be crossed, urging Europe to stop sending any wrong signals to the separatist forces. China routinely states that Taiwans independence is a dead end, claiming the island as its territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Chinas military has increased its encircling of Taiwans skies and waters in recent years, holding joint drills with its warships and fighter jets on a near-daily basis near the island. Last month Taiwans President Lai Ching-te vowed to accelerate the building of the air defense system T-Dome, or Taiwan Dome, and boost defense spending to reach 5% of Taiwans GDP by 2030 amid growing security concerns. Hsiaos visit was part of a conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a global group of hundreds of lawmakers who want to strengthen coordination on China-related policy and lobby for unified international action on key China challenges. Some 50 lawmakers from about two dozen countries attended Fridays event in Brussels. The trip and speech were kept under wraps because of high security concerns after reports that Chinese agents plotted to ram Hsiaos car during her visit to the Czech Republic in March 2024, when she was vice president-elect. Czech officials later said Chinese agents had followed Hsiao and planned to intimidate her physically. Hsiao said at the time that the Chinese Communist Partys unlawful activities will not intimidate her from voicing Taiwans interests in the international community. Ben Bland, director of the Asia-Pacific program at the London-based think tank Chatham House, wrote in an analysis last month that despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations, the EU and Taiwan can do much more to deepen ties for mutual benefit in the face of worsening U.S.-China rivalry. Any conflict over Taiwan could have far more devastating impact on Europe than Russias invasion of Ukraine, given Taiwans leading role in semiconductor and electronics supply chains, he wrote. European nations cannot stop Beijing from squeezing Taiwan harder, Bland wrote. But they can help to preserve and even increase Taiwans global connections, and share lessons in how to stay resilient. China and Taiwan split during a civil war that brought the Communist Party to power in China in 1949. The defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, where they set up their own government. __ Hui reported from London. Associated Press writer Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report. By SAM McNEIL and SYLVIA HUI Associated Press Every revolution begins as an idea before it becomes political fact. History shows that the energy of rebellion is born not from policy, but from philosophy. Nepals emerging generation embodies this same restlessness and moral conviction. Disillusioned by decades of political stagnation, corruption, and elite impunity, young Nepalis have ignited a new wave of dissent. Thousands flooded the streets demanding transparency, accountability, and systemic reform. Social media became the central engine of this revolt. It connected the youth across provinces, transforming online frustration into physical mobilization. These demonstrations have been notably leaderless and nonpartisan, unified less by political affiliation than by a shared rejection of corruption and political decay. This inclusivity would be both their strength and weakness. Movements built on moral solidarity can move the streets but struggle to move the ballot box. Without a disciplined structure, moral energy often diffuses before it consolidates. History is replete with examples of revolts that inspired transformation but failed to institutionalize it, ceding power back to the experienced and entrenched. Nepals Gen-Z movement stands at this same precipice. Can a shared moral vision evolve into a coherent political machine? Related story Modi Magic on the Wane A parliamentary majority requires 138 seats. Winning these constituencies, particularly the first-past-the-post ones, demands extensive local engagement and networks that reach into the countrys most remote areas. The Maoist insurgency of 19962006 shows that moral rebellion alone does not win political power. The Maoists succeeded because they embedded themselves in rural communities, built parallel institutions, and provided localized governance where the state was absent. Revolutions that endure are rarely spontaneous. They are cultivated patiently, village by village, institution by institution. Transforming moral grievance into structural organization took nearly a decade. This raises a stark question. With elections just over a hundred days away, how could a Gen-Z movement realistically replicate that reach across seven provinces and 165 constituencies? The challenge is not energy or idealism; it is infrastructure, relationships, and the patient labor of building trust at the grassroots. This challenge is compounded by the fact that the movement is running against established parties such as the Nepali Congress, the Communist Party of Nepal, and the Maoist Centre, all of which possess decades-old machinery connecting local bureaucrats, party cadres, and community leaders to ordinary citizens. The difficulty is amplified by the realities of rural Nepal, where political loyalty is often less ideological and more transactional. Support for a party is frequently tied to the delivery of tangible goodsroads, irrigation, schools, health posts, and access to local employment, etc. In areas where malnutrition and poverty persist, abstract ideals like transparency or systemic reform have limited resonance compared to immediate survival needs. The moral argument for change, while compelling in theory, loses traction in communities where party affiliation can determine whether a family secures essential resources. Coalition-building may be essential for any emerging party. In Nepals fragmented political landscape, alliances with sympathetic politicians or minor parties could help convert street legitimacy into parliamentary viability. Yet such coalitions demand negotiation, compromise, and the ability to appeal beyond urban networks. Even if a coalition forms, its capacity to maintain coherence under the pressures of electioneering remains untested. For a Gen-Z movement to transform moral energy into political power, it must navigate entrenched party networks, the material realities shaping voter behavior, and the complexities of coalition politics. Grassroots presence, sustained engagement, and the ability to address concrete needs are prerequisites. Without these, the promise of generational revolt risks remaining an aspirational narrative rather than a force capable of reshaping Nepals political landscape. Yet the significance of Nepals Gen-Z movement should not be underestimated. The protests demonstrate the awakening of a generation willing to challenge structural corruption, demand accountability, and envision a political system responsive to citizens rather than entrenched elites. The ideas planted today can redefine discourse, shape future candidates, and create the conditions for lasting change. Early steps toward change are already visible: the formation of an interim government, the establishment of an organization to investigate corruption, and the dissolution of parliament. Yet these measures remain temporary, underscoring that real transformation will require sustained organization, strategic planning, and long-term engagement. Nepals Gen-Z movement is at a crossroads. Its energy, courage, and ideological clarity provide hope for a future where youth engagement shapes national governance. The coming months will reveal whether the movement can convert civic revolt into political reality, embedding itself into local communities, winning trust, and ultimately transforming Nepals electoral landscape. History teaches us that revolutions are rarely instantaneous. They require patience, strategic planning, and sustained engagement across both urban and rural spheres. Nepals Gen-Z has begun the moral awakening, but the hard test of political consolidation lies ahead. The author earned a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics with minors in Computer Science and Finance from Washburn University, US. KATHMANDU, Nov 6: A two-day meeting of the Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group in Belem has called for accelerated global climate action amid the worsening climate crisis. The pre-sessional strategy meeting, held on November 45, 2025, aimed to strengthen the groups common negotiating positions ahead of the UN Climate Conference (COP30), scheduled to begin next week. The internal coordination among the 44 LDC nations focused on their shared priorities and advocacy points for the upcoming formal UN climate talks, said, Dr. Maheshwor Dhakal, Chief of the Climate Change Management Division, who participated in the meeting. He added that the LDC Groups expectations for COP30 center on three core areas: climate finance, ambition for the 1.5C goal, and adaptation. The group is calling for a "clear roadmap" to scale up climate finance to $1.3 trillion annually by 2035 to meet the needs of developing countries. It stresses that such finance should primarily take the form of grants and highly concessional loans, particularly for adaptation and addressing loss and damage, to avoid deepening debt vulnerabilities. Regarding post-2025 climate finance milestones, the LDC Group seeks to triple adaptation finance to at least $3 billion under the LDCFGlobal Environment Facility (GEF-9) replenishment cycle. This, they say, would be a step toward meeting adaptation costs estimated at around $120 billion annually. Related story Rising threats of climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayas According to Dr. Dhakal, the group also prioritizes progress on, Just Transition, Fast-Start Finance for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), technology transfer, capacity building, and gender equality. Key LDC demands include tripling adaptation finance through grants, securing a minimum of $3 billion for the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), and implementing a comprehensive set of adaptation indicators with fast-track funding by 2030, said Dr. Dhakal, who made a statement on behalf of Nepal. Reaffirming Nepals commitment to align its development pathway with the 1.5C target and to advance nature-positive, resilient, and inclusive growth, Dr. Dhakal urged, We call on the global community to establish special support windows for LDCs, recognizing our disproportionate vulnerability and limited resources. Our collective future depends on a climate-secure world where no nation is left behind. Highlighting the success of Sagarmatha Sambaad held in May, he added, Our message to COP30 is crystal clear: the Baku-to-Belem roadmap must be realized at COP30. There is no alternative but to align ambition in both climate finance and climate action. Nepal has been consistently advocating for predictable, accessible, and grant-based climate finance, which is essential to build climate resilience amid rising losses and damages from climate-induced disasters. The country has already submitted its updated Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) , outlining clear priorities and actions to reduce carbon emissions. Dr. Dhakal said Nepal is urging other nations to match the speed and spirit of the Paris Agreement during COP30 in Belem. The LDC Group has also emphasized the importance of implementing the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate financean integral part of the broader $1.3 trillion roadmap through 2035. The group reiterated its long-standing call for a clear definition of climate finance, arguing that the lack of a universally agreed definition undermines accountability and transparency. It also called for urgent action on the NDC Synthesis Report, the First Global Stocktake, and the Mitigation Work Programme to keep the 1.5C goal within reach. In relation to the Baku to Belem Roadmap, the group demanded the development of a pathway to achieve the 2035 NDC targets, ensuring alignment with the 1.5C goal and continuous enhancement of ambition. In view of inadequate global support for NDC implementation, the LDCs also urged "enhanced international assistance" to bridge the widening gap between pledges and actual delivery. Gen-Zees may be divided over issues like a directly elected executive, drafting a new compact, constitutional reform, anti-corruption and good governance, overseas voting, and representation in the Cabinet. The countrys politics is revolving around two issues, namely, the re-instatement of the parliament vs. elections on March 5, 2026. For some, these are not mutually exclusive or either-or issues, that is, if there are no elections, then the parliament may be re-installed. For others, the re-instated parliament may decide on early polls, including necessary constitutional reforms. However, the fact is that you cannot have your two feet placed under two boats. The Nepali saying, jharla ra khaula attitude may invite further disaster. You may trade off the re-installation of parliament with the elections, but in the end, you may end up having none. Positions of the 3 Bigs Of the three big political parties, we find the Maoist party and the CPN-UML at the extremes in a continuum. The Maoist party, the third largest party but at a distance, has already agreed to go for the polls. Moreover, it is in no mood to re-install the dissolved parliament. On the other hand, the CPN-UML does not believe that there will be elections on 5 March; there is no point in participating in an election that is not going to be held at all. Therefore, the party is strongly in favour of re-installing the parliament. It is even contemplating challenging the issue in the Court. The Nepali Congress, the largest party in the dissolved parliament, is in the middle. Its official line of thinking is that it will participate in the upcoming elections but will not challenge the issue in court. It has voiced its opposition to the unconstitutional dissolution of parliament. It has expressed its concerns over security issues and the Interim Government bypassing political parties. Other smaller and newer political parties may have their positions and concerns, but they are not significant here. Nepals political scenario will be dominated by these three big political parties. Related story UML Chair Oli says party will skip elections, prioritises HoR r... Is the Interim Government interested in holding elections? Prime Minister Sushila Karki has already expressed her commitment to hand over power within six months after holding elections to the new government. However, as senior journalist Mr Kishore Nepal expressed on a TV channel, her ministers are behaving as if they have been appointed for 100 years. They keep busy doing mundane things. The government has a lifespan of less than five months. There is no seriousness. The main political parties are already accusing the government of ignoring them and the Karki Government of not showing any interest in communicating, let alone entering into a dialogue, with the political parties. Her Cabinet is composed primarily of party haters; this is what mainstream political parties are wary of. They are demanding a conducive election environment. Deposed PM KP Oli is even contemplating boycotting the elections. This means another political disaster in the making. Managing Oli may become a separate issue for the government. In management parlance, when it comes to performance, there are three determining factors. These include the ability to do, willingness to do and opportunity to do. The Interim Government may have an opportunity to hold elections, but there is a shortage of both ability and willingness factors. In a country where millions of people residing inside the country are still disenfranchised, calling for overseas voting is a joke. Moreover, since simply counting votes takes months and months, holding elections within less than five months is another big joke and without some donors donating ballot boxes, marker pens and indelible inks, no elections have ever been held. We are contemplating a digital voting system for vote counts. It is stupid to expect a different result by doing the same thing. What different results are Gen-Zees expecting with the same electoral machine? What Next? The euphoria of the Gen-Z revolt may be over, but political fluidity and uncertainty will continue to hang on. It may take ages for the country to reel back. The impending court cases for the unconstitutional appointment of Karki as prime minister and her recommendation to dissolve parliament may postpone or delay elections. There is a rumour that the government itself is contemplating delaying the elections by a month or two. This may buy time but may lead to another political disaster in the making. There is no solution if the court reinstalls the parliament either. Overly stressed and stretched by pushing and pulling factors, who knows, the Karki Government may give up in the middle of the road. She is famous for throwing tantrums and eccentricity. Basically, Nepali society as a whole is in a state of flux. When a hierarchical society, where authority and knowledge flow from top to bottom, with seniority and age being the predominating factors, is challenged by juniors, newcomers, and urbanites, it takes time to settle the trauma and shock. When old people hang on to their past and youngsters look to the future, the present is badly disturbed. Peru declares Mexican president persona non grata Peruvian lawmakers said Claudia Sheinbaum was unwelcome in the country, days after its government severed diplomatic ties with Mexico for granting asylum to former prime minister Betssy Chavez. File photo: Reuters Peru's Congress voted to declare Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata on Thursday, after her country granted asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister on trial for allegedly aiding a 2022 coup attempt. The two Latin American countries have had strained diplomatic relations for years, but tensions rose on Monday when Mexico granted asylum to ex-PM Betssy Chavez, prompting Peru to break off formal ties. Chavez was Peru's prime minister in December 2022 when then-president Pedro Castillo was ousted for trying to dissolve Congress following a months-long standoff. The declaration against Sheinbaum was passed on Thursday in a 63-33 vote by Peru's Congress, which also recently removed Castillo's highly unpopular successor, Dina Boluarte. Fernando Rospigliosi, the right-wing acting Congress president, said "it has been clearly established" that Sheinbaum interfered in Peru's affair, "not only in words" but also by granting Chavez asylum. Socialist lawmaker Jaime Quito meanwhile criticised the measure, saying "once again, they are making an international embarrassment by breaking relations with our sister country Mexico." Following the breakdown in diplomatic relations, interim president Jose Jeri announced on Monday night that Mexico's top diplomat in Peru had been given a "strict deadline to leave." Relations between Lima and Mexico deteriorated sharply over the ouster of Castillo, a former rural schoolteacher and trade unionist dubbed Peru's "first poor president." Back in December 2022 Castillo was on his way to the Mexican embassy in Lima to request asylum together with his family when he was arrested and charged with rebellion and abuse of authority. Chavez was charged alongside him, and the pair went on trial in March. While Castillo has been in preventive custody since his impeachment, Chavez was released on bail. She has taken up asylum at the Mexican ambassador's residence as Peru's Foreign Ministry evaluates a request for safe passage to Mexico. Prosecutors had sought a 25-year term for Chavez for allegedly participating in Castillo's plan. They have sought a 34-year sentence for Castillo. (AFP) Donations will be welcomed for the Saluki Food Pantry during the Thanks GivingBack food drive on Nov. 18 at the Student Center. (SIU Carbondale photo) Help Salukis in need by giving to SIUs Thanks GivingBack 2025 food drive by Christi Mathis CARBONDALE, Ill. Everyone needs a little help now and then, and Southern Illinois University Carbondales Thanks GivingBack food drive offers the opportunity to help Salukis in need this holiday season. Faculty, staff and community members are invited to donate nonperishable food items for the Saluki Food Pantry, which has served thousands of students and their families since it opened in August 2016, on Nov. 18 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donation drop-offs can be made in the first floor cross halls of the Student Center, near the University Bookstore. Those who are unable to drop off donations are encouraged to email foodpantry@siu.edu to make other arrangements. We served 280 students during the 2024-2025 academic year, and weve already served 239 students so far this semester, said Emily Spann, associate director of the SIU Student Center. The need is definitely there. Studies show that 36% of SIUs students have limited or uncertain access to adequate food, which can have detrimental effects on their physical and mental health and academic performance, officials said. The Saluki Food Pantry, along with the HEROES (Higher Education Resources and Opportunities for Student in Need) program, work to address those basic needs. Students who visit the pantry typically receive enough food to feed themselves and members of their household for three days at no cost. Some items especially needed While all food gifts are appreciated, organizers encourage donors to consider the type of foods college-age students typically eat and know how to cook. The need is particularly great for: Canned tuna, chicken, turkey, Vienna sausage and similar proteins. Peanut butter and canned or dried beans. Brown or white rice, oatmeal, cereal and pasta/boxed-pasta meals. Spaghetti, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, Ramen noodles, chicken noodle soup, chili and similar sauces and soups. Canned fruit or fruit cups, preferably with no added sugar. Canned vegetables of all kinds. Packaged/boxed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, cornbread. Staples, including sugar, flour, salt and seasonings. Jelly, jam, baking mixes, dressings (preferably low-fat.) Monetary donations for the pantry to purchase food items are also welcomed online. In addition, the pantry has an Amazon wish list. Located on the lower level of the Student Center, the Saluki Food Pantry is open three hours each weekday with hours varying from day to day to fit students diverse schedules. For more information about the pantry or the Thanks GivingBack Food Drive, visit the website or email foodpantry@siu.edu. SIUs Simon Institute to host former CNN chief White House reporter CARBONDALE, Ill. Jessica Yellin, a former CNN chief White House correspondent with nearly three decades of journalism experience, will join Southern Illinois University Carbondales Paul Simon Public Policy Institute for a virtual conversation on Thursday, Nov. 13. Yellin, the founder of the News Not Noise media platform, will discuss with John Shaw, institute director, the need for greater rigor, credibility and content in news reporting. She will also discuss her journalism career and Washington politics and national campaigns. The discussion via Zoom begins at 1 p.m. and is free and open to the public, but registration to view the conversation is required. The event is part of the institutes Understanding Our New World discussion series. Visit paulsimoninstitute.org/events to register. Jessica Yellin is doing extraordinarily important work in reframing how news is presented to the public, Shaw said. She is determined to avoid the rancor and hyper-conflictual focus of many outlets and rather explain what is happening with civility, balance and empathy. The success of News Not Noise demonstrates that many of us are looking for information that is provided in a succinct, careful and noninflammatory way. Yellin covered the White House for CNN during Barack Obamas presidency and for ABC during the presidency of George W. Bush. She also covered Congress for CNN. She has won Emmy, Gracie and Peabody awards for her political journalism and has reported from Russia, China, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. A native of Los Angeles, Yellin graduated from Harvard with honors before beginning her career as a broadcast journalist in Florida. Yellin launched News Not Noise in 2018 on Instagram, and her reporting can now also be found on her podcast, YouTube, Substack and other platforms. More information, including a list of the institutes upcoming events and past speakers and events, is available. The Russian Embassy in Pakistan has strongly criticised, Pakistani daily, The Frontier Post, accusing the English-language newspaper from Peshawar of running a "series of anti-Russian articles" and promoting "Western propaganda" against Moscow. The embassy also noted that The Frontier Post has its global news service headquarters in Washington. In a statement issued on Thursday, the embassy said the newspaper''s international news section was being influenced by an Americanised editorial team, allegedly based in Washington, which it said "invariably gives preference to ardent Russophobes and critics of Russian foreign policy." https://x.com/rusembpakistan/status/1986453830838722920?s=48 The embassy said it was difficult to find even one article in the paper that spoke about Russia or its leadership in a neutral or positive way. "Recently, it has been impossible to find a single article in the international section of the newspaper that portrays Russia or its leadership in a positive or even neutral light," the statement said. It added that the continued publication of "anti-Russian" reports showed "political bias rather than freedom of speech." "This barrage of anti-Russian articles containing standard Western propaganda and lacking any alternative viewpoint makes one wonder whether the editorial board''s policy is based on political bias rather than freedom of speech, " the statement added. The statement also noted that The Frontier Post, which has an entire section on Afghanistan, "completely ignored" the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan held on October 7, which was widely covered by other regional media. "This approach further highlights the Russophobic nature of the Westernised editorial office," the embassy said. The Russian mission went on to accuse the publication of echoing Western narratives about Russia''s "weak economy" and "vulnerability to sanctions," calling such claims factually incorrect. The embassy cited official figures showing that Russia''s GDP grew by 4.1 per cent in 2024, with manufacturing up 8.5 per cent and an unemployment rate of 2.5 per cent. "These are strange indicators for a country with an ''economy vulnerable to collapse,''" the statement said, It further highlighted recent military developments, such as the testing of Russia''s Burevestnik cruise missile and Poseidon underwater vehicle, as signs of continued strategic capability. "We urge the Pakistani public to seek information from various sources and not rely on publications that serve the dubious interests of foreign sponsors," the statement said. (ANI) India's automobile industry is entering 2026 on a strong note after a record-breaking festive season, with the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) projecting a sustained rise in sales driven by GST 2.0 reforms, rural consumption, and robust dealer sentiment. FADA's latest data shows October 2025 auto retail sales surged 40.5 per cent year-on-year, reaching an all-time high. The 42-day festive period covering Dussehra to Diwali posted record numbers with a 21 per cent year-on-year increase, cementing it as the strongest festive cycle in India's automotive history The growth was broad-based, two-wheelers jumped 52 per cent to 31.5 lakh units, while passenger vehicle (PV) sales rose 11 per cent to touch 5.57 lakh units. Commercial vehicles grew 18 per cent, and tractors climbed 14 per cent, underscoring a widespread recovery across categories. FADA President C.S. Vigneshwar said October 2025 marked "The 42-day festive period of 2025 stands as a defining milestone for India's auto retail, delivering the highest-ever sales and growth across categories. Overall vehicle retails surged 21% YoY, affirming the success of the Government's transformative GST 2.0 reforms -- a reform that truly embodies the spirit of Simpler Tax, Stronger Growth." PV sales in rural markets grew three times faster than urban areas, while two-wheeler growth was nearly double that of cities. The association expects the festive surge to spill over into the remaining months of 2025, powered by harvest incomes, wedding-season purchases, and continued policy support. FADA's dealer survey indicates that 64 per cent of retailers expect growth in November, with another 70 per cent projecting expansion between November and January 2026 "Overall, Dealer confidence remains upbeat yet measured -- with 64% expecting growth, 27% anticipating a flat trend, and only 8% foreseeing a decline," FADA noted, adding that post-festive moderation is expected but volumes will stay firm. Passenger vehicle dealers are banking on pending festive deliveries and steady demand for compact cars boosted by GST rate cuts. Two-wheeler retailers foresee continued rural traction, aided by improved liquidity and tax benefits. Commercial vehicle sales are also likely to stay robust due to freight and infrastructure demand, while tractor volumes are expected to benefit from farm cash flows and rural infrastructure spending. In the medium to long term, FADA sees India's auto retail sector maintaining a structurally positive trajectory, supported by the GST 2.0 "Simpler Tax, Stronger Growth" framework, affordable financing, and steady fuel prices. The association described the current environment as a confluence of reform, resilience, and rural revival, noting that GST 2.0 has made ownership more attainable and strengthened middle-class consumption, particularly in small-car and two-wheeler segments "As we step into 2026, the momentum from GST 2.0 and the Viksit Bharat vision continues to anchor growth. India's auto retail is poised for a stable, inclusive expansion," FADA said. The sector, it added, now enters the new year on firm and confident footing, transforming festive euphoria into sustainable growth across the nation. (ANI) Samsung Electronics Co. Executive Chairman Jay Y Lee is set to meet Mercedes-Benz Group AG Chairman Ola Kallenius during Kallenius's two-day visit to South Korea next week, as per a report by Pulse, the English service of Maeil Business News Korea. The two chiefs are expected to discuss potential supply arrangements for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and automotive semiconductors. The report stated that Lee and Kallenius are finalising plans for a meeting in Seoul on November 13. Samsung SDI Co. Chief Executive Choi Joo-sun and Samsung Display Co. CEO Lee Chung are also expected to join. The meeting is seen as a move to incorporate Samsung SDI batteries into Mercedes EV platforms. The German automaker has so far relied on Korean suppliers LG Energy Solution Ltd. and SK on Co. According to the report, Kallenius is also scheduled to meet LG Energy Solution CEO Kim Dong-myung to explore expanded supply cooperation and hold separate sessions with executives from LG Electronics Inc. and LG Innotek Co. Talks around new battery partnerships between Samsung and Mercedes come as Chinese cell makers continue to gain ground globally. Mercedes's outreach to Samsung SDI is part of this broader shift. "Samsung SDI currently supplies batteries to BMW AG, Audi AG, and Rivian Automotive Inc. It has maintained a long-standing partnership with BMW since 2009. The two companies recently began collaborating on all-solid-state battery technology, which is widely viewed in the industry as next-generation architecture due to its improved safety profile. Securing Mercedes as an additional customer would further broaden Samsung SDI's business pipeline," the report said. Next week's discussions with Mercedes are expected to generate momentum for further orders. SK already supplies batteries to Mercedes, Hyundai Motor Group, Ford Motor Co, and Volkswagen and is seeking to increase its order book. Samsung and Mercedes may also deepen cooperation in displays. "In July, Mercedes selected Samsung Display's organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels for its next-generation Maybach lineup, with installation scheduled for vehicles debuting in 2028. The technology is expected to be extended to higher-volume models as well. Samsung Display already provides OLED displays to the BMW Group," the report noted. Additional collaboration is also possible in the semiconductor industry. (ANI) VMPL New Delhi [India], November 7: Dubai is a city synonymous with luxury, innovation, and grandeur. Among the companies shaping its high-end real estate, hospitality, and lifestyle sectors, ANAX Holding stands out. Under the visionary leadership of Satish Sanpal, ANAX Holding has redefined what luxury means in Dubai, delivering projects that combine design excellence, innovation, and exclusivity. The company's remarkable achievements have recently been recognized by Forbes Middle East, highlighting its pivotal role in transforming Dubai's luxury landscape. Visionary Leadership Driving SuccessAt the heart of ANAX Holding's accomplishments is Satish Sanpal, the company's founder and chairman. Known for his strategic foresight and entrepreneurial acumen, Sanpal has consistently identified opportunities in Dubai's luxury market and executed them with precision. His leadership has transformed ANAX Holding from a regional player into a company featured on the global stage. Forbes Middle East highlighted Sanpal's visionary approach, emphasizing how his leadership has turned ambitious ideas into billion-dollar ventures and set new benchmarks for luxury in the region. Under Sanpal's guidance, ANAX Holding prioritizes not just growth but innovation, sustainability, and experiential living. His philosophy integrates world-class architecture, superior amenities, and lifestyle-driven design, setting a new standard for the luxury sector in Dubai. Redefining Dubai's Luxury Real EstateANAX Holding's impact is most evident in Dubai's real estate sector. The company develops ultra-luxury residential and commercial projects catering to international investors and high-net-worth individuals. From opulent villas with panoramic Arabian Gulf views to premium commercial spaces in Dubai's business districts, ANAX Holding projects are distinguished by design excellence and meticulous attention to detail. Each development reflects Sanpal's philosophy of blending lifestyle, aesthetics, and functionality. Beyond just creating luxurious spaces, the company focuses on crafting experiences where architecture and interior design harmonize with urban planning, redefining the concept of modern luxury living. Expansion into Hospitality and LifestyleANAX Holding has strategically diversified into hospitality and lifestyle ventures, expanding its footprint across Dubai's premium markets. Its portfolio now includes high-end hotels, resorts, and lifestyle communities that cater to elite residents and global travelers. This expansion reflects the company's commitment to curating comprehensive luxury experiences. Forbes Middle East's feature noted how Satish Sanpal's vision seamlessly combines business growth with customer-centric, world-class experiences, setting ANAX Holding apart as a trendsetter in Dubai's luxury ecosystem. Commitment to Innovation and SustainabilityA defining factor behind ANAX Holding's success is its focus on innovation and sustainability. In an era where luxury development often raises environmental concerns, ANAX Holding integrates eco-conscious designs, energy-efficient technologies, and sustainable urban planning in its projects. Sanpal ensures that every development incorporates smart technologies and green solutions, offering residents convenience while minimizing environmental impact. This commitment to responsible luxury resonates with both investors and residents, reinforcing the company's position as a forward-thinking leader in Dubai's real estate market. Forbes Recognition and Industry ImpactBeing recognized by Forbes Middle East underscores the company's influence and credibility. The publication highlighted Satish Sanpal's role in turning visionary concepts into tangible luxury experiences, emphasizing how ANAX Holding is redefining the standards of high-end living in Dubai. This recognition not only validates the company's achievements but also reinforces investor confidence, boosts brand authority, and positions ANAX Holding as a benchmark for excellence in the region. It illustrates how visionary leadership combined with strategic execution can elevate both a company and the market it operates in. Shaping the Future of Dubai's Luxury SceneLooking ahead, ANAX Holding continues to expand its portfolio, exploring new avenues in luxury residential, commercial, and lifestyle sectors. The company's vision is focused on curating iconic experiences that resonate globally, from designing premium villas to creating world-class hospitality projects. Under Satish Sanpal's leadership, ANAX Holding ensures that every project reflects a long-term vision, where innovation, sustainability, and exclusivity converge to redefine Dubai's luxury landscape. As a result, the city continues to grow as a hub for high-end living and investment, with ANAX Holding at the forefront of this transformation. ConclusionThe story of ANAX Holding under Satish Sanpal is a testament to how vision, strategy, and leadership can reshape an industry. From ultra-luxury real estate to lifestyle and hospitality ventures, the company is redefining what it means to experience luxury in Dubai. With Forbes Middle East's recognition, ANAX Holding's achievements are now celebrated globally, showcasing how innovative thinking and a commitment to excellence can create lasting impact. As Dubai's luxury scene continues to evolve, ANAX Holding and Satish Sanpal remain at the forefront, driving the city toward a future of unparalleled sophistication and global prominence. (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.) VMPL New Delhi [India], November 7: Alternativa, the global impact-driven film initiative founded by inDrive, has announced that the 3rd edition of the Alternativa Film Festival (AFF) -- an nomadic event with a focus on impact cinema -- will take place in Medellin, Colombia, from April 21 to April 30, 2026. Following its previous editions in Almaty, Kazakhstan (2023) and Yogyakarta, Indonesia (2024), the festival continues to celebrate powerful storytelling from the Global South, this year shining a special light on voices from India and Asia. The 2026 call for entries closed on October 10 with a record-breaking 1,831 submissions from 55 countries -- the largest number in the festival's history. Latin America led with 1,499 films, while Asia made a remarkable showing with 319 submissions, including a significant number from India, alongside Iran, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. This surge underscores India's growing influence in global independent cinema and its alignment with Alternativa's mission to amplify voices tackling pressing social, cultural, and environmental issues through film. "We are thrilled to see that, for the third year in a row, the Alternativa Film Festival continues to attract a remarkable number of submissions from Asia. This shows that the region remains a driving force of powerful, impact-driven storytelling. The mission of our festival is to spotlight and support talented filmmakers from the Global South who are committed to bringing positive change to society. We hope that the third edition of AFF will not only bring greater international recognition and new networking opportunities to bold voices from Asia, but also open new pathways for them to reach Latin American audiences and exchange ideas with their peers from the region. We are inspired to see Indian filmmakers continue to contribute such powerful stories year after year. India's independent cinema scene is one of the most dynamic in Asia, and we believe its filmmakers are key to the global conversation on impact and change." -- said Liza Surganova, Head of Alternativa. At AFF 2026, filmmakers from Asia, including India, will compete in four major feature-length categories -- Spotlight, Future Voice, Alter, and Nativa -- offering strong opportunities for recognition. The new Focus Award will recognize a feature-length film from the current Alternativa focus region, Latin America, while two Shorts Awards will, as always, be reserved exclusively for directors from the focus region. The total prize fund amounts to 120,000 USD, with 20,000 USD awarded in each feature-length category and 10,000 USD for each of the two Shorts Awards winners. The Selection Committee -- a group of outstanding curators, programmers, and impact experts from Latin America, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and beyond -- has already begun working on the festival's lineup, evaluating submissions for both artistic excellence and impact. The Competition Program of AFF 2026 will be announced at the end of February 2026. "It's inspiring to see so many fresh, fearless perspectives -- including a strong wave from South Asia. The diversity and depth of storytelling this year are truly remarkable," shared Rajan Kathet (Nepal), filmmaker and member of the AFF 2026 Selection Committee. The choice of Medellin as the host city reflects Alternativa's commitment to decentralization -- celebrating creative centers beyond traditional capitals. The city's thriving film community, rich cultural life, and openness to collaboration make it a natural home for the 2026 edition. "Thirteen years ago, inDrive was founded on the fundamental principle of fighting injustices and empowering communities by giving people the power of choice. This core belief, that the power of choosing is critical in communities that often have limited options, is what still drives us today. That's why we are incredibly excited to bring our social impact programs and their flagship initiative, Alternativa, to one of the most important cities in Colombia, Medellin. Our goal is to democratize access to the film industry across the Global South and ensure that all important stories from all voices can be heard. This city's vibrant spirit is a perfect match for our mission, and we are thrilled to be here to work alongside its passionate community." -- Harold Forero Neira, Senior Business Development Representative of inDrive. All events of the upcoming 10-days Alternativa Film Festival will be free of charge, reflecting its mission to bring powerful stories to wider audiences. The program will focus on -- but not limited to -- public screenings of films selected for the Competition. The screenings will be accompanied by discussions and other public events to deepen the films' social impact and engage audiences in dialogue. The festival will also feature Industry Days -- a professional program that connects filmmakers, producers, and social impact leaders, fostering insights and collaborations. The festival culminates in the Awards Ceremony. Directors, whose films are selected for the Competition, are invited to attend the festival and the ceremony, and the organizers cover their travel and accommodation costs. Alternativa is a global non-profit initiative, founded by Arsen Tomsky, CEO and founder of inDrive company. Through Alternativa, inDrive demonstrates that innovation extends beyond transportation, reshaping how opportunities are created and change is ignited in the creative sphere. As inDrive continues to expand its footprint in the creative economy, its foray into Latina American's film industry serves as a blueprint for how businesses can use innovation to create broader societal impact. By bridging technology and art, the company is redefining what it means to be a global leader as one that doesn't just move people, but also inspires and uplifts entire industries. Find photos, videos, and all relevant materials at the link. Follow Alternativa on our socials and find all information about the upcoming Festival on our website alternativa.film. Alternativa is an international non-profit project launched by the global technology company inDrive in 2023. The project is designed to support and promote filmmakers from the Global South whose work has the potential to bring positive change to the world. Its mission is to amplify the international visibility of impact-driven talents and help their films reach broad and diverse audiences. By championing stories that make a difference, Alternativa bridges regional divides, empowers local communities, and contributes to meaningful social transformation. inDrive is a global mobility and urban services platform. The inDrive app has been downloaded over 360 million times, and has been declared the second most downloaded mobility app for the third consecutive year. In addition to ride-hailing, inDrive provides an expanding list of services, including intercity transportation, delivery, and financial services. In 2023, inDrive launched New Ventures, a venture and M&A arm. inDrive operates in 982 cities in 48 countries. Driven by its mission of challenging injustice, the company is committed to having a positive impact on the lives of one billion people by 2030. It pursues this goal both through its core business, which supports local communities via a fair pricing model; and through the work of its impact arm. inDrive's community empowerment programs help to advance education, sports, arts and sciences, gender equality and other vital developments. For more information visit www.inDrive.com (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.) Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 7: LANXESS India has won three prestigious industry recognitions from the Indian Chemical Council (ICC) which includes ICC - Vinati Organics Award for Excellence in Management of Health & Safety for Jhagadia site and two ICC -Epsilon Carbon Certificates of Merit under Responsible Care for best compliant company for 'Security Code' and 'Product Safety & Stewardship Code'. These honors reflect LANXESS' strong commitment to safety, security, sustainability, and responsible practices. The award was presented to LANXESS by Shri Deepankar Aron IRS, Joint Secretary Chemicals, Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, Government of India at a ceremony held in Mumbai in this month. Namitesh Roy Choudhury, Vice Chairman and Managing Director along with Balaram Khot, Wholetime Director and Head of PTSE, LANXESS India received the award on behalf of the organization. The two Certificates of Merit were received by Rajiv Gaur, VP - Head of Procurement & Logistics and Naresh Mude, Head of Site Health, Safety, Environment, Jhagadia, LANXESS India. Commenting on the achievement, Roy Choudhury said "At LANXESS, safety and sustainability are at the core of our business. These recognitions are a testament to the rigorous safety standards we maintain and the responsible practices we follow to ensure the safety of our employees and operations. From product development and production to use and disposal, we are committed to minimizing risks and maximizing safety across the product lifecycle. We are thankful to Indian Chemical Council for these honors." (ADVERTORIAL DISCLAIMER: The above press release has been provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of the same.) The inaugural edition of the Bharat International Rice Conclave (BIRC) 2025 concluded on a high note, marking a historic moment for India's rice sector. Over two days, the event brought together more than 10,000 participants, making it the largest-ever platform for the global rice community. Delivering the valedictory address, Dev Garg, Vice President of the Indian Rice Exporters Federation (IREF), said, "BIRC 2025 has been a resounding success. For the first time, the entire rice ecosystem, farmers, millers, exporters, researchers, chefs, policymakers, financiers, and global buyers, came together under one roof." He added "When an Industry unites under one roof it redefines the future." Garg lauded the tireless efforts of the Federation's office bearers and all stakeholders, calling the event a milestone for an industry that nourishes millions and anchors a vital share of India's agri-trade. A key highlight of the conclave was the signing of deals worth Rs30,153 crore (approximately USD 3.7 billion), underscoring the sector's growing global significance. Garg noted that rice already contributes nearly 40-50 per cent of India's agricultural exports, reaffirming its strategic importance. The Vice President also made a three-point appeal to the Government, for stability in duty structures, policy consistency, and support for sustainable agri-clusters. "Exporters need predictability. Stable policy allows us to plan, honour contracts, and strengthen global confidence," he emphasised. BIRC 2025 also featured eight high-level technical sessions curated by Ernst & Young (EY) and moderated by leading media houses like Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, The Economic Times, The Financial Express, and CNBC TV18. These sessions informed the Federation's upcoming Vision and Roadmap for India's Rice Sector, aimed at aligning with India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. Another major attraction was the culinary showcase curated in collaboration with APEDA, IRRI, ITC Hotels, and the Indian Federation of Culinary Associations (IFCA), where chefs presented over 17 exotic and GI-tagged Indian rice varieties adapted for 26 international cuisines. The valedictory session of BIRC 2025 launched a Coffee Table Book on Indian Rice, celebrating the grain's journey from Basmati to black rice and highlighting its cultural, economic, and global significance. In his closing remarks, Garg said, "BIRC 2025 has set a benchmark. Together, we've shown what's possible when an industry unites around purpose, quality, and ambition. We now look ahead to BIRC 2026, bigger, better, and bolder. (ANI) VMPL New Delhi [India], November 7: From redefining travel experiences and sustainable design to advancing AI, agriculture, and fashion, these trailblazing founders and innovators are setting new benchmarks in their industries. The following list celebrates ten dynamic entrepreneurs whose vision, creativity, and determination are shaping the future of business in 2025 and beyond. Each one exemplifies leadership that goes beyond profits -- creating impact, innovation, and inspiration for the next generation of changemakers. Prateek Wadhwa, Founder, Dreamtrip4u Prateek Wadhwa, Founder of Dream Trip4U, is passionate about turning travel dreams into reality. As a Premier Aussie Specialist, Gold Specialist for New Zealand, and an Official Marketing Partner of New Zealand, Oman & Ras Al Khaimah, they offer clients unmatched access to hidden gems and exclusive experiences. At Dream Trip4U, travel isn't just about visiting places--it's about truly living them. With meticulous attention to detail and a commitment to personalized service, Dream Trip4U curates unforgettable journeys that go far beyond the ordinary. Let them craft your next extraordinary adventure, tailored just for you. Ayan Qudsi, Director, Alif Cloud IT Consulting Ayan Qudsi, Director of Business Development at Alif Cloud IT Consulting, has been recognized among the Top 10 Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2025 for his remarkable contributions to the IT cloud space. At a young age, he has played a pivotal role in driving Alif's revenue growth by empowering over 150 Microsoft partners globally and strengthening the company's presence in the Microsoft ecosystem. Known for transforming affordable cloud resources into measurable business outcomes, Ayan has also created new opportunities for IT professionals, earning multiple leadership awards as a next-generation entrepreneur shaping the future of cloud. Sharma BKP, Founder & CEO, Acta.ai Acta.ai is revolutionizing the way teams work by making every meeting smarter and more actionable. As an advanced Persona based AI note-taker, Acta.ai understands each participant's role and delivers customized summaries that convert conversations into instant outputs such as PRDs, tickets, reports, and follow-ups. From sales and product to HR and support, it ensures role-specific intelligence that drives clarity and productivity. Seamlessly integrating with MS Teams, Google Meet, Zoom, and other enterprise tools, Acta.ai offers security, privacy, and efficiency for every workflow. Ria Rustagi,Co-founder & CEO, Sychedelic Ria Rustagi is the Co-founder & CEO of Sychedelic, a next-generation consumer tech brand redefining what headphones can do. After losing her sister to a rare brain illness, she transformed her grief into purpose - building technology that doesn't just measure the mind but helps elevate it. Armed with dual master's degrees from Technical University of Munich - Nanyang Technological University. Sychedelic headphones help users shift from stress to calm, distraction to focus, and fatigue to sleep within minutes. She aims to scale Sychedelic from its Indian roots into a global powerhouse, targeting $500 million in revenue over 5 years. Arpit Krishan, Founder & Director , Indeville Design Studio Pvt. Ltd. Arpit Krishan, Founder & Director of Indeville Design Studio Pvt. Ltd., is reshaping India's design practice with a strong commitment to sustainability, innovation, and biophilic principles. Under his leadership, Indeville has delivered landmark projects for the Indian Army, Navy, and top hospitality brands, while also creating inclusive spaces such as the AIISH project for individuals with disabilities. Currently leading the Gangaji Jalashay Park in Bihar, Arpit champions bamboo architecture, green infrastructure, and eco-conscious interiors. Recognized by Startup India, MSME, and NITI Aayog, Indeville Design Studio aims to drive a cultural shift toward creative, inclusive, and sustainable growth under the founder, Arpit Krishan. Bharat Bhasin, Bhasin Brothers, Partner Bhasin Brothers, a trusted ethnic wear brand, has been dressing celebrations with elegance and pride since 1950. From royal sherwanis, tuxedos, Indo-Western suits, and bandhgalas for men to dreamy bridal lehengas, festive lehengas, and timeless sarees for women, every collection is crafted with love and detail. Known for premium tailoring and assured fittings, Bhasin Brothers continues to be part of countless weddings and special moments, making every outfit a cherished memory. Madhuri Nand & Piyush Nand , Founder & CEO , Waymiro In the small town of Amlai, Madhya Pradesh, a determined brother-sister duo dared to dream beyond limitations. Without access to elite colleges or networks, they built Waymiro from their family home. What began as a small idea soon evolved into WayMiro -- a PMS redefining how hotels connect with their guests through WhatsApp, making bookings and communication seamless for both sides.Their turning point came when iHub Anubhuti IIITD New Delhi recognized their vision, offering mentorship, grants and resources that helped shape their idea into a scalable tech venture. Today, as founders of Waymiro, they stand as proof that entrepreneurial success is defined not by privilege, but by courage, persistence, and the will to innovate. Amit Raghunathrao, Founder, Vijaydurg Eco Ventures Amit Raghunathrao, Founder of Vijaydurg Eco Ventures (VecoV Farms), is a new-age entrepreneur reshaping India's premium fruit market. In 2016, he started VecoV with a simple mission -- to bring back purity and trust in how fruits are grown and delivered. By enforcing strict quality checks, promoting sustainable farming, and building direct partnerships with over 230 orchards across Maharashtra, Solapur, and Kashmir, Amit has built VecoV into a nationally trusted name for Alphonso mangoes, pomegranates, and apples. Driven by his belief that "premium quality is a promise, not a privilege," Amit continues to push for ethical sourcing, innovation, and a transparent farm-to-table supply chain. Swarup Dhulap, Founder, AMO Swarup Dhulap Founder, AMO: Farms Since 1890, An engineer turned agri-entrepreneur, Swarup left his corporate career at Mahindra & Mahindra in 2011 to modernize traditional farming in Devgad, Maharashtra. With a blend of scientific rigor and a farmer's intuition, he transformed his family's 22-acre orchard -- established in 1890 -- into a sustainable, tech-enabled agri-business. By pioneering advances in soil health, micro-irrigation, and traceable farm-to-consumer distribution through www.alphonsomangoes.online, Swarup has built AMO into a trusted name for authentic Devgad Alphonso mangoes, now supplied to BigBasket and leading e-commerce platforms. Rohini Hans , Founder & Creative Director , Thread Stories Rohini Hans, Founder & Creative Director of Thread Stories, began her entrepreneurial journey in 2019 with a vision to make handcrafted footwear both stylish and accessible. What started as a small Instagram page showcasing artisanal juttis has grown into a nationally loved brand with its own manufacturing unit and a loyal customer base across India. Six years on, Thread Stories continues to thrive under Rohini's leadership, blending tradition with modern design -- proving that passion, perseverance, and purpose can truly build a brand loved across the nation. (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.) Commemorating the visit of Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, accompanied by the largest-ever Indian business delegation, the India-New Zealand Business Forum was organised by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the High Commission of India. According to a press release by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the forum brought together senior government officials, leading industry representatives, and key business stakeholders from both countries to explore new avenues for partnership and collaboration. A key highlight of the event was a fireside chat between Piyush Goyal and Todd McClay, Minister of Trade and Export Growth, New Zealand. "The interaction reaffirmed the strong commitment of both nations' leadership to enhance their economic engagement and underlined the importance of the ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations in shaping a stronger, mutually beneficial economic partnership. The discussions built on the renewed momentum in bilateral relations following the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, in India in March 2025, where both leaders agreed to pursue a comprehensive and forward-looking trade agreement," the release said. During his visit to Auckland and Rotorua, Goyal interacted with several prominent New Zealand business leaders, including Carmen Vicelich, CEO of Valocity; Ranjay Sikka, CEO of Slumberzone; Nathan Guy, Chairman of the Meat Industry Association; and Tony Clifford, Managing Director, Pan Pac. The interactions reflected the growing interest in expanding cooperation with India across various sectors, including agriculture, tourism, technology, education, sports, gaming, and drone technology. Given India's significant advancements in the space sector, including its recent lunar missions, space collaboration was identified as a promising area for future engagement. "At Rotorua, Goyal addressed a CEO Roundtable attended by members of the Indian business delegation and CEOs from leading New Zealand enterprises. He reiterated the significance of the FTA as a symbol of bilateral friendship, trust, and strategic partnership, while highlighting India's attractiveness as a global investment destination offering vast opportunities for value addition and innovation," the release noted. The Minister, along with McClay, also engaged with members of the Indian diaspora in both Auckland and Rotorua. In Auckland, Luxon joined them in addressing the Indian community. He emphasised the vital role of the Indian diaspora as a "living bridge" between India and New Zealand, echoing the sentiments expressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As per the release, Goyal encouraged members of the diaspora to continue contributing to the growth and development of New Zealand, their "Karm-Bhoomi", while staying deeply connected to their roots in India, and to take on leadership roles in strengthening communities in both countries. (ANI) India has taken a proactive stance in adapting tax laws to the digital era and the rise of borderless digital businesses challenges traditional taxation, and India leads globally in ensuring fair, transparent, and equitable revenue distribution, Varunesh Mishra, Joint Commissioner of Income Tax in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), told ANI today. "The digital economy is now all-pervasive," Mishra told ANI today on the sidelines of the International Tax Conference 2025 in New Delhi. "Entities can operate across borders without any physical footprint, making it difficult to determine where profits should be taxed," he said. He explained that India recognized this shift early and has been at the forefront of reforming its tax laws to ensure fair and equitable revenue distribution in the digital landscape. India's journey began with the introduction of the concept of Significant Economic Presence (SEP) in 2018, later refined in 2020 and operationalized in 2021. This measure allows India to tax profits from foreign digital entities based on their economic activity and user base in the country, even without a physical office. Mishra also mentioned the Equalization Levy, initially designed to tax cross-border digital transactions, which has since been withdrawn as India aligns with global frameworks like the OECD's Pillar One and Pillar Two initiatives. On the domestic front, Mishra highlighted progressive steps such as the Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) on e-commerce transactions under Section 194-O, ensuring that digital platforms contribute fairly to India's tax ecosystem. He also pointed to the taxation of virtual digital assets (VDAs) -- including cryptocurrencies and NFTs -- introduced in 2022. This framework imposes a 30% tax on income from the transfer of such assets and a 1% TDS on payments related to their sale, making India one of the first major economies to define and regulate digital asset taxation comprehensively. However, Mishra cautioned that challenges remain. The primary issue lies in attribution -- determining where profits should be taxed when digital businesses operate seamlessly across jurisdictions. "We must ensure our tax policies encourage innovation while maintaining fairness and equity," he said. As global cooperation through the OECD gains momentum, India continues to balance innovation with accountability, setting a precedent for emerging economies navigating the digital tax frontier. During the same event, Mukul Bagla, Chair of the Direct Tax Committee, PHDCCI, acknowledged the global shifts in trade, manufacturing and geopolitics have positioned India as a central player in international tax discourse. Bagla emphasized the government's ongoing efforts to streamline tax laws, lower litigation, improve dispute resolution, and make doing business easier are all in line with India's goal of becoming a developed, innovation-driven economy by 2047. The conference featured expert-led deliberations on international taxation, BEPS 2.0, transfer pricing mechanisms, cross-border tax issues and emerging global tax governance trends. (ANI) Villagers fetch water from a well, drilled by a China-aided rural water project team, in the Plateaux Region, Togo, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Koffi Tovor/Xinhua) LOME, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- "The moment I saw the clean water gush out, I was overwhelmed," said Sankah Yaovi, the 70-year-old chief of Donwe Village in Togo's Plateaux Region, recalling the day the new well began producing water. "In the past, villagers had to walk a long way to fetch water, and the river water was often polluted by livestock. Now, our hardship is finally over," he said. "This spring has changed the life of our entire village." The well was drilled by a China-aided rural water project team in Togo. "We found stable groundwater at a depth of 70 meters, a success for the entire region," said Togolese technician Kassegne Yao, who participated in the construction. The story of Donwe Village stands as a vivid example of how "turbid water turns clear" across the Plateaux Region in the West African country. Although the area receives ample rainfall during the wet season, its water storage capacity remains limited. The dry season is long and severe, with groundwater unevenly distributed and found at considerable depths. Many residents used to fetch water directly from rivers or hand-dug pits, where the water was muddy and mosquito-infested. The scarcity of clean water and the difficulty of access had long troubled local communities. In November 2024, Jiangxi Zhongmei Engineering Construction Company officially broke ground on the rural water project in Togo, marking a major step in implementing the outcomes of the 2024 Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. The project aims to drill 300 wells and install 300 hand pumps across the Plateaux Region, which will significantly improve rural drinking water conditions and enhance public health once completed. According to project manager Huang Xianzhou, 230 boreholes have been completed so far, 113 of which have already been handed over to local communities for use. "Now people can fetch clean water right at their doorstep, no more long treks. That is a real change," said Yoma Kpatcha, chief of Nimini Kope Village. "This project has truly changed our lives. We thank the construction team for overcoming rugged terrain and bringing clean water to us," said Djangani Djadja, chief of Fodjouye Village. Huang said that the Plateaux Region's complex terrain and variable geology make drilling extremely challenging. "Groundwater is mostly found in rock fissures at depths exceeding 60 meters. The hot climate, poor transportation and prevalence of diseases add to the difficulty," he said. To improve efficiency, the Chinese technical team adopted a combination of natural field detection and electrical sounding techniques, greatly increasing the success rate of drilling. "The project meets the urgent needs of local people and is of great significance," said Maganawe Djadja, prefect of the Plateaux Region. "The Chinese team's dedication and close coordination with local authorities are truly admirable." Beyond providing clean water, the project also focuses on training local technicians. "I joined the Chinese company because of this project, and I have learned a lot over the past year," said Yao, the Togolese technician. "Chinese experts taught us hands-on, from locating wells to drilling, from handling accidents to vehicle maintenance. We learned by doing, and now we can drill independently." Today, Yao has become a key member of the project team. "I am grateful to the Chinese experts for their patient guidance. This job has given me real skills and the ability to bring clean water to my hometown," he added. Chinese Ambassador to Togo Wang Min said the project represents concrete action by China to build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. "It is not only a livelihood project that benefits local people but also a symbol of China-Togo friendship," Wang said. A villager fetches water from a well, drilled by a China-aided rural water project team, in the Plateaux Region, Togo, Oct. 28, 2025. (Photo by Koffi Tovor/Xinhua) The teams were alerted after the DGP office received an email threat from a mysterious individual, as stated by officials of the Ekkattuthangal Police Station. It warned about a bomb being planted at Arun Vijay's Chennai residence in the Ekkattuthangal area. After receiving the information, a bomb detection squad, along with a team of police personnel, rushed to the actor's house and conducted a thorough search. Authorities are currently investigating the source of the threatening email, and further inquiries are underway. Arun Vijay is known for predominantly working in Tamil films. Some of his prominent acting credits include Yennai Arindhaal (2015), Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018) and Chakravyuha (2016). The actor will be next seen in Kris Thirukumaran's 'Retta Thala', produced by Bobby Balachandran under his BTG Universal banner. The film stars Arun Vijay in the lead alongside Sidhi Idnani, Tanya Ravichandran, Yogi Samy, John Vijay, Hareesh Peradi, and Balaji Murugadoss . A release date is yet to be announced. (ANI) The event, co-produced by Nykaa and BookMyShow Live, is being held from November 7 to 9 and has brought together several well-known names from the film and fashion industry. Rasha looked every bit gorgeous and chic in a shimmery lavender-blue outfit that featured a metallic corset-style top, which she paired with matching flared pants. She completed her look with soft curls and minimal makeup, keeping the focus on her glowing skin and effortless charm. The Delhi edition of Nykaaland celebrates beauty, style, and self-expression through brand showcases, interactive experiences, and celebrity appearances. In the coming days, stars including Taapsee Pannu, Aditya Roy Kapur, and Aditi Rao Hydari are expected to join the event. Talking about Rasha, the actress made her Bollywood debut with the movie 'Azaad'. The film starred Ajay Devgn and his nephew Aaman Devgan in lead roles. Directed by Abhishek Kapoor, 'Azaad' revolved around themes of freedom, rebellion, and self-discovery. (ANI) An FIR has been registered at Bavdhan Police Station in connection with alleged irregularities in a multi-crore land transaction in Pune involving Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's son Parth Pawar. According to the complaint filed by Santosh Ashok Hingane, Deputy District Registrar, the accused, Sheetal Kishanchand Tejwani, Digvijay Amarsingh Patil, and suspended Sub-Registrar Ravindra Balkrishna Taru, allegedly conspired to evade stamp duty worth Rs six crore during the registration of a sale deed for land in Survey No. 88, Mouje Mundhwa. Despite official communication from the district administration dated May 9, 2025, directing payment of Rs 5.89 crore in stamp duty, the sale deed was executed without collecting the mandatory amount. The alleged act caused a major financial loss to the state exchequer. The FIR has been filed under Sections 316(5), 318(2), and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, read with Section 59 of the Maharashtra Stamp Act. Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Registration in Pune has submitted an interim report to the Additional Chief Secretary in Mumbai on the alleged land scam. The land in question, approximately 40 acres of government-owned Mahar Vatan land, was reportedly sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm in which Parth Pawar is a partner. According to the interim report, the property, allegedly valued as high as 1,800 crore rupees, was sold to a company linked to Parth Pawar for just Rs 300 crore with a nominal stamp duty of only Rs 500, allegedly bypassing proper procedures for government-linked land. Following the submission, one official has been suspended, and the government has ordered a high-level committee to conduct a full investigation into the irregularities and financial losses to the state. The final report from the investigation committee is expected within eight days. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that he has no connection with the alleged land deal. Emphasising transparency and accountability, Pawar said he "will never support anyone flouting rules," adding that even those close to him are not exempt from following due process. "I only want to say that whatever reports are being run are not known to me. I have no connection with the issue. I had already clarified that I will not tolerate any wrongdoing. I will analyse the details of the case personally," Ajit Pawar told reporters on Thursday. "I have never called any officer to benefit any of our relatives or any party worker. If anyone is doing wrong or against the set norms, I will never support them. I always abide by the rules and regulations. CM should definitely inquire into the matter and find the truth behind it. All the rules should be followed, and no one should flout the rules. Even those close to me are not allowed to surpass the rules," he added. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while addressing reporters in Nagpur, confirmed that the government has taken cognisance of the issue. "In connection with the allegations made regarding the alleged land scam in Pune, I have sought complete information from both the Revenue Department and the Land Records Department. Based on this inquiry and the information received, we will present our official stance," Fadnavis said. "At first glance, some of the issues that have come to light appear to be extremely serious in nature. Therefore, I will make a detailed statement on this matter only after receiving all the relevant information," he added. RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, who first raised the issue, alleged that the land in Pune's Mundhwa area was purchased at a price far below the prevailing market rate. "The land was bought at a throwaway price, and the government granted a stamp duty waiver of Rs 21 crore. We demand that whoever is responsible for this scam should be booked in a criminal case," Kumbhar said. (ANI) Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, again trained guns on the Election Commission for indulging in the "Vote-Chori", accusing the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi of "murdering the democracy". In a post on X, Gandhi addressed the 'Gen-Z' and youth and said, "Just yesterday, I proved with evidence how the government was stolen in Haryana through vote theft, and the will of an entire state was snatched away." He claimed that during the first phase of polling in the Bihar Assembly polls, people were stopped from voting. "A few days ago, in Bihar, I also undertook the 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' to raise awareness among the public about the large-scale tampering of voter lists through SIR. Today, reports and videos pouring in from every corner of Bihar are further strengthening the chain of evidence of vote theft. Even before, the names of lakhs of voters had been removed from the lists; now, people are being prevented from voting at polling stations as well," Rahul Gandhi said. The Congress MP also alleged that many BJP leaders and workers, who had voted in elections in other states, voted in Bihar in the first phase of the election. "Remember, a government formed through vote theft never works in the interest of the youth, Gen Z, and the common people. And know this: the main culprits responsible for this murder of your democracy are: Gyanesh Kumar, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, and Vivek Joshi. These are the top officials of the Election Commission, but they are the ones playing the biggest prank with the Constitution and democracy. Those who were appointed as guardians of the right to vote have themselves become partners in the theft of your future," Gandhi added. Earlier on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi alleged that 25 lakh fake voters had been added to the electoral rolls of Haryana ahead of the 2024 Assembly election in the state. Meanwhile, the first phase of the assembly elections in Bihar concluded peacefully on Thursday with a record voter turnout of 64.66 per cent, the highest-ever in the state's history. The voting was held on 121 seats spread across 18 districts, and a total of 3.75 crore voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase of polls. The second phase of assembly polls will be held on November 11, and the votes will be counted on November 14. (ANI) Surat Police on Thursday arrested Salman, also known as Salman Lassi, a history-sheeter wanted in connection with the murder of Shakeel Bandra in the Bhestan police station area. The Crime Branch team tracked Salman down to a village in Navsari district, where he was hiding. During the raid, Salman attacked the police with a knife, prompting them to open fire, injuring him in the leg. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. DCP Bhavesh Rojiya detailed the incident, "On October 23, 2025, a murder took place in the Bhestan police station area of Surat in which a young man named Shakeel Bandra was killed using knives and a pipe. In this case, the accused, Salman alias Salman Lassi, was wanted." DCP Rojiya further stated that the accused killed Shakeel using knives and a pipe and was being searched by the police for days. He is a notorious criminal with at least 16 police cases, including murder, attempted murder, and other heinous crimes to his name. The Crime Branch, after receiving valuable intel, conducted a raid in the Navsari district of Surat, where Salman was hiding. While attempting to arrest him, the accused attacked the officials with a knife. The police opened fire in defence, which injured him. He has been admitted to a nearby hospital and later to a Civil Hospital for treatment. Salman has a long history of criminal activity, with 16 cases registered against him, including murder, attempt to murder, and other heinous crimes. The police had been searching for him extensively before finally apprehending him. "The Crime Branch team was searching for him at various places; he had already been arrested in as many as 16 cases, including murder, attempt to murder and other heinous crimes... This morning, the Crime Branch team received information that the accused was hiding in a village in the adjacent Navsari district of Surat at that time. After this, the Crime Branch team conducted a raid, and during this, he attacked the police with a knife. At the same time, the police opened fire, due to which he was injured and was admitted to a nearby hospital...." DCP Rojiya told ANI. (ANI) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will flag off the "Janjatiya Gaurav Yatra" from Adhyashaktidham Ambaji on November 7, a CMO release said. The 150th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, revered as a deity by tribal communities, is being celebrated this year under the inspiration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. To ensure that the present generation understands the historical contribution of tribal communities in the freedom struggle under the leadership of Birsa Munda and draws inspiration for nation-building, this year is being observed as the "Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh". The 'Janjatiya Gaurav Yatra' organised as part of the 'Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh Utsav' in Gujarat will be inaugurated from Ambaji. On this occasion, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Shankar Chaudhary, along with Ministers of State P. C. Baranda, Kamlesh Patel, Pravin Mali, and Swaroopji Thakor will remain present. This Yatra will be held from two locations, Ambaji in the tribal area of North Gujarat and Umargam on the Maharashtra border in South Gujarat, from November 7 to 13. During this period, the Yatra will spread the message of public awareness and tribal pride to the masses in various districts of the state, including 14 tribal districts. During the Yatra, people in the villages along the route will warmly welcome the Janjatiya Gaurav Rath (Tribal Pride Chariot). At the overnight halt locations, cultural performances, exhibitions depicting the life and contributions of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, and information about various Central and State Government schemes will be shared with the public. In addition, service-oriented activities such as health check-up camps, Seva Setu programs, and community cleanliness drives will be organised in the villages along the Yatra route with public participation. Various programs will also be held to help children, youth, and society at large become familiar with the life and teachings of Bhagwan Birsa Munda. Furthermore, painting and elocution competitions, plays, Bhavai performances, lectures, and film screenings on the life and contribution of Bhagwan Birsa Munda towards nation-building will be organised by various government departments. Apart from the 14 tribal districts, different programs celebrating the Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh will also be held across 20 non-tribal districts from November 13 to 15. In the inspiring presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the national-level celebration of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas, marking the 150th birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, will be held at Dediapada in the divine presence of Devmogra Mataji on November 15. The state government has resolved that every tribal brother from the remotest and farthest villages will remain at the forefront of development to achieve the goal of Viksit Gujarat for Viksit Bharat. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the Tribal Pride Rath Yatra will play a vital role in integrating tribal communities into the mainstream of development and nation-building. The Chief Minister has also called for making the celebration of Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh grand through this Rathyatra, which realises the mantra of 'Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi' given by the Prime Minister, and for embodying the slogan 'Aapno Desh, Aapnu Raaj' given by Bhagwan Birsa Munda through the building of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat. (ANI) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognisance of the alleged murder of an Army officer by a railway attendant, Zubair Memon, on a train in Rajasthan. The officer, who was returning home during vacation after a field posting, got into a scuffle with Memon while asking for a bedsheet. An army personnel was stabbed to death in a moving train in Bikaner over an argument with a railway attendant while returning home to Gujarat during vacation after a field posting on Thursday. The complaint of the murder has been filed by an NGO named Sahyadri Rights Forum. Member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Priyank Kanoongo condemned the incident, stating that nothing is more disgraceful than being unable to protect the country's army men. The NHRC has asked the authorities to submit a report within two weeks, emphasising that failing to safeguard Army personnel is "shameful" and such criminals should have no place in society. "We received a complaint from an NGO, Sahyadri Rights Forum, that an Army officer, returning home during vacation after a field posting, got into a scuffle with a railway attendant while asking for a bedsheet. The railway attendant, whose name is being told as Zubair Memon, stabbed the officer to death. Nothing is more shameful than failing to safeguard our Army personnel. Such criminals should have no place in society. We have sent a notice to the Chairman of the Railway Board. We have asked him to clarify the admission criteria for railway attendants... We have notified RPF DG as well," Priyank Kanoongo said. The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Chairman of the Railway Board and the Director-General of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) regarding the disclosure of details related to the recruitment process, qualification criteria, skill assessments, and police verification of railway attendants. The NHRC has also questioned the RPF, whether the attendants are hired directly or through agencies. The commission has ensured that severe action will be taken against the accused and that an example will be set to deter criminals across the nation, so that this crime never happens again. (ANI) BJP spokesperson CR Kesavan on Friday accused the Congress party of deliberately altering the national song Vande Mataram, claiming that stanzas praising Goddess Durga were removed in 1937 under Jawaharlal Nehru's leadership. Kesavan alleged that this decision was made to appease certain communal groups, sparking debate about the song's original form and intent. In a post on X, Kesavan claimed that only the first two stanzas were accepted by the Congress, omitting later verses that invoke Goddess Maa Durga, due to alleged communal considerations. He further contrasted this with the current celebrations of the song's 150-year commemoration, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which include a mass singing of the full version. The social media post reads, "It is imperative for our younger generation to know how the Congress party brazenly pandering to its communal agenda under the Presidentship of Nehru, adopted only a truncated Vande Mataram as the party's national song in its 1937 Faizpur Session, while PM @narendramodi ji today will inaugurate the 150th year commemoration & participate in the mass recital of the full version of our glorious Vande Mataram across the nation." He added that the song "did not belong to any particular religion or language" but accused the Congress of committing a "historic sin and blunder" by linking it with religion and removing its devotional invocations to the goddess. "The glorious Vande Mataram became the voice of our nation's unity and solidarity, celebrating our motherland, instilling nationalistic spirit and fostering patriotism. Chanting it was made a criminal offence by the British. It did not belong to any particular religion or language. But the Congress committed the historic sin and blunder of linking the song with religion. Congress under Nehru, citing religious grounds, deliberately removed stanzas of Vande Mataram, which hailed Goddess Ma Durga," the BJP leader posted on X. https://x.com/crkesavan/status/1986604782669447297 The controversy surrounding Vande Mataram stems from its origins in Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel Anandamath, where it's seen as a symbol of national unity and resistance against British rule. However, some Muslims objected to the song, viewing it as promoting Hindu nationalism. In 1937, the Congress Working Committee decided to sing only the first two stanzas, aiming to avoid offending Muslim sensitivities. This decision was influenced by concerns that the song's imagery, particularly references to Goddess Durga, might be seen as exclusionary. Kesavan cited an October 20, 1937, letter from Nehru to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in which Nehru reportedly wrote that the song's background "might irritate" Muslims and further stated that Netaji Bose had strongly advocated for the full, original version of Vande Mataram. "In a letter dated Sep 1, 1937, Nehru spitefully writes that anybody considering the words in Vande Mataram as anything to do with a Goddess was absurd. He also derisively opines that Vande Mataram is not suitable as a national song. Netaji Subash Bose had strongly advocated for the full original version of Vande Mataram. On Oct 20, 1937, Nehru wrote to Netaji Bose claiming that the background of Vande Mataram was likely to irritate Muslims. He went on to say that there does seem to be substance regarding outcry against Vande Mataram and people who are communalistically inclined have been affected by it," the BJP spokesperson said in the post. Kesavan drew a parallel between Nehru's alleged actions and recent remarks by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying, "In 1937, if Nehru, as Congress President, blanked out the mention of Goddess Ma Durga by truncating Vande Mataram, Rahul Gandhi in March 2024 maliciously remarked, 'There is a word called Shakti in Hindu Dharma and we are fighting against Shakti'. The Hindu Virodhi mentality of Nehru finds a pungent echo in Rahul Gandhi, who recently demeaned and maligned the sacred Chatth Puja as a drama, hurting the sentiments of crores of devotees." Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the year-long commemoration of the National Song "Vande Mataram" at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, New Delhi, on Friday morning. (ANI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a probe into allegations of a land scam involving Parth Pawar, son of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, in Pune's Koregaon Park area. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Fadnavis said that preliminary inputs suggest some of the issues raised are "extremely serious in nature," adding that the government will take a clear stance only after receiving all the relevant information. A company allegedly owned by the son of the National Congress Party (NCP) chief is facing major allegations over a land deal worth crores. "In connection with the allegations made regarding the alleged land scam in Nagpur and Pune, I have sought complete information from both the Revenue Department and the Land Records Department. Based on this inquiry and the information received, we will present our official stance. At first glance, some of the issues that have come to light appear to be extremely serious in nature," he said. The Chief Minister further asserted that the "Mahayuti government believes in transparency", and hence, this matter would be thoroughly examined to verify whether any irregularity has occurred. "I will make a detailed statement on this matter only after receiving all the relevant information. As for the government's further course of action, I will not support any wrongdoing of any kind. If any irregularities are found, strict action will be taken. Our Mahayuti government believes in transparency, and therefore, this matter will be thoroughly examined to verify whether any irregularity has occurred. If any are found, stringent action will be taken without hesitation," he said. The Chief Minister further assured that strict action will be taken if any wrongdoing is established. "As for the government's further course of action, let me make it clear that, as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, Ajit Pawar will not support any wrongdoing of any kind by anyone. If any irregularities are found, strict action will be taken," Fadnavis said. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that he has no connection with the alleged multi-crore land deal in Pune involving his son, Parth Pawar. Emphasising transparency and accountability, Pawar said he "will never support anyone flouting rules," adding that even those close to him are not exempt from following due process. His reaction followed the Maharashtra government's initiation of a high-level inquiry into the alleged land scam. "I only want to say that whatever reports are being run are not known to me. I have no connection with the issue. I had already clarified that I will not tolerate any wrongdoing. I will analyse the details of the case personally," Ajit Pawar told reporters on Thursday. "I have never called any officer to benefit any of our relatives or any party worker. If anyone is doing wrong or against the set norms, I will never support them. I always abide by the rules and regulations. CM should definitely inquire into the matter and find the truth behind it. All the rules should be followed, and no one should flout the rules. Even those close to me are not allowed to surpass the rules," he added. Further, the Inspector General of Registration in Pune has submitted an interim report to the Additional Chief Secretary in Mumbai on the alleged land scam. According to the interim report, a property, allegedly valued as high as 1,800 crore rupees, was sold to a company linked to Parth Pawar for just Rs 300 crore with a nominal stamp duty of only Rs 500, allegedly bypassing proper procedures for government-linked land. Following the submission, one official has been suspended, and the government has ordered a high-level committee to conduct a full investigation into the irregularities and financial losses to the state. The final report from the investigation committee is expected within eight days. The land in question, approximately 40 acres of government-owned Mahar Vatan land, was reportedly sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm in which Parth Pawar is a partner. A senior Revenue Department official also confirmed that an FIR has been registered against Taru, the seller, and the purchaser for further investigation into the case. According to sources in the Revenue Department, the transaction has raised serious concerns over alleged irregularities, including the waiver of stamp duty and the transfer of government land to a private entity. RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, who first raised the issue, alleged that the land in Pune's Mundhwa area was purchased at a price far below the prevailing market rate. "The land was bought at a throwaway price, and the government granted a stamp duty waiver of Rs 21 crore. We demand that whoever is responsible for this scam should be booked in a criminal case," Kumbhar said. (ANI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described India's national song, Vande Mataram, as a "mantra, energy, dream and resolve," while leading the nation in commemorating 150 years of its creation. Addressing a grand event marking the occasion, the Prime Minister said the song embodies devotion and worship for the motherland and continues to inspire generations with a sense of patriotism and pride. "Vande Mataram, these words are a mantra, an energy, a dream, a resolve. Vande Mataram, these words are devotion and worship to Maa Bharti. Vande Mataram, these words take us into history, they fill our present with new confidence, and they give our future this new courage that there is no resolve that cannot be achieved, no goal that we, the people of India, cannot attain," Prime Minister Modi said. "Aisa koi sankalp nahi, jiski siddhi na ho sake. Aisa koi lakshya nahi, jo hum bharatwasi paa na sakein," the PM added. PM Modi described the collective singing of Vande Mataram as "an experience beyond expression," capturing the unity and emotion of the nation. He said, "The collective singing of Vande Mataram is an experience beyond expression. In so many voices, one rhythm, one tone, one emotion, the same thrill and flow, such energy, such a wave, has stirred the heart. This magnificent experience of the collective anthem Vande Mataram is truly beyond expression. In so many voices, one rhythm, one tone, one emotion, one kind of thrill, one kind of flow, such harmony, such waves... this energy has made the heart pulsate." Calling November 7 a "historic day," the Prime Minister said the 150th year of Vande Mataram is a moment of pride that will "fill crores of Indians with new energy." "Today, November 7, is a historic day. We are having a grand celebration of 150 years of the creation of Vande Mataram... This event will generate new energy among crores of Indians... My greeting to every citizen on the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram," PM Modi stated. Prime Minister Modi also paid homage to the freedom fighters who devoted their lives to the ideals enshrined in the song. "I pay my humble obeisance today to the millions of great souls of the nation, the children of Mother India, who devoted their lives to 'Vande Mataram', and extend my heartfelt congratulations to my fellow countrymen," he stated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the year-long commemoration of the National Song "Vande Mataram" at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The Prime Minister also released a Commemorative Stamp and Coin on the occasion. Prime Minister Modi also launched a portal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the National Song 'Vande Mataram'. The celebrations featured a mass singing of the full version of "Vande Mataram" across public places, with participation from citizens across all segments of society, in conjunction with the main programme.PM Modi also participated in the mass singing of the full version of 'Vande Mataram' at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta were also present on the occasion. This programme marks the formal launch of a year-long nationwide commemoration, from November 7, 2025, to November 7, 2026, celebrating 150 years of this timeless composition, which inspired India's freedom movement and continues to evoke national pride and unity. Vande Mataram is a Sanskrit poem written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1876. It was later included in his novel Anandamath, published in 1882, and became a symbol of Indian nationalism during the country's struggle for independence. The poem is a hymn to the motherland, personifying India as a goddess, and is often translated as "Hail to the Motherland". The song has been a source of inspiration for many Indians and is considered one of the most iconic expressions of patriotism in the country. (ANI) Ali Larter finds life in Idaho "incredible calming". Ali Larter left Los Angeles for Idaho with her family The 49-year-old actress relocated to a mountainous retreat in Sun Valley in 2022 after moving out of Hollywood and has embraced the soothing nature of rural life. Ali - who has son Teddy, 14, and daughter Vivienne, 10, with her husband Hayes MacArthur - told People magazine: "When I lived in LA, there were so many demands that came on top of being an actor. It's incredibly calming and grounding to live in the mountains, and we love raising our children in a rural, small town." Larter stars in the Paramount+ series Landman as Angela Norris - the ex-wife of Billy Bob Thornton's lead character Tommy Norris - and explained that she shares a similar dedication to her children as her alter ego. The Final Destination actress said: "I would move heaven and earth for my children. "She makes up her own rules, and that's so exciting to play because I'm not like that." Ali needs to mentally and physically prepare herself to work in tight dresses and bikinis in her role as Angela. The former model said: "I work really hard. I'm not pretending that I don't. There is no space in my mind for insecurity. "The sexiest women I know are the women that own it, so part of getting there with Angela is owning it." The Varsity Blues actress has to spend time away from her family as she films Landman in Texas and explained that she relies a lot on her actor and comedian husband during these periods. She explained: "Our love is so deep and true that it allows me to go away to work and have him as my support system. "And then when he leaves, I hold down the fort. But he's my rock." Larter ensures that she still regularly sees her children when she is away working. She said: "I'm always there for ballet recitals, graduations, parent-teacher conferences. And there's also the rule: If they ever want to come to see me, they're on a plane the next day." Ali added: "There are no rules I won't bend for that. "I try to explain to them: You can be a mother, and you can also thrive in your career. I am living the beauty of my dreams." Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Friday unfurled the national flag in Lakhpat, Kachchh district, while participating in an event with BSF jawans to commemorate the 150th anniversary of India's national song, 'Vande Mataram'. Sanghavi extended greetings to citizens on the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram', saying that people from Kashmir to Kanyakumari are uniting in a patriotic spirit to sing the national song, with thousands of programmes organised across the state under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Speaking to the reporters, Harsh Sanghavi said, "On this proud occasion, on the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram', I extend greetings to all the people of the country. Today, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, thousands of people are coming together to sing 'Vande Mataram'. Under the guidance of Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, across the state, thousands of programs have been organised where 'Vande Mataram' will be sung." "Everywhere in the state, oath is being administered wherein people are pledging to use 'Swadeshi' as much as possible and visit India's tourist places as much as they can. I too received the opportunity to join one such event on India-Pakistan border, with BSF jawans. I am overjoyed," he said. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the year-long commemoration of the National Song "Vande Mataram" at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The Prime Minister also released a Commemorative Stamp and Coin on the occasion. Prime Minister Modi also launched a portal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the National Song 'Vande Mataram' The celebrations witnessed mass singing of the full version of "Vande Mataram" across public places with participation of citizens across all segments of society, in conjunction with the main programme. Vande Mataram, India's national song, was written originally on November 7, 1875, by novelist Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. The song was adopted on January 24, 1950, by the Constituent Assembly as India's national song. (ANI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday put the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on blast for celebrating the 150 years of the song while "avoiding" it in its offices, shakas, their own texts or literature despite the song being a popular cry for the Indian freedom struggle. According to Kharge, the RSS prefers to sing "Namaste Sada Vatasale", a musical prayer rather than India's national song. Comparing it to Congress party's traditions, he mentioned that since 1986 till today, every meeting of Congress, whether a plenary session, or a Block Level meeting, leaders have sung the Vande Mataram. "It is deeply ironic that those who today claim to be the self-proclaimed guardians of nationalism - the RSS and the BJP, have never sung Vande Mataram or our National Anthem Jana Gana Mana in their shakhas or offices. Instead, they continue to sing Namaste Sada Vatsale, a song glorifying their organisations, not the nation. Since its founding in 1925, the RSS has avoided Vande Mataram, despite its universal reverence. Not once in its texts or literature does the song find mention," Kharge said in an official statement released on the 150 year anniversary of the song. Kharge's comments come as earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 150-year anniverasry celebration of the song in New Delhi, where he released a commemorative stamp. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also attended a program in Patna, Bihar, where he announced a nationwide year long campaign. Criticising the Sangh for its role in the freedom struggle, Kharge mentioned that it is "well known fact" that the RSS supported the Britishers, refused to raise the national flag, abused the Constitution and burnt effigies of Baba Saheb Ambedkar. "It is a well-known fact that the RSS and Sangh Parivar supported the British against Indians in the National Movement, did not raise the National Flag for 52 years, abused the Constitution of India, burnt effigies of Bapu and Babasaheb Ambedkar, and, in the words of Sardar Patel, were involved in Gandhiji's assassination," Kharge's statement read. Comparing it with Congress' traditions, he added, "The Congress Party, on the other hand, takes immense pride in both Vande Mataram and Jana Gana Mana. Both songs are sung with reverence at every Congress gathering and event, symbolising India's unity and pride." Talking about the history of the song, Kharge said that it was infact the Congress party which has been the "proud flagbearer of Vande Mataram." "It was during the 1896 session of the Congress in Calcutta, under the leadership of the then Congress President, Rahmatullah Sayani, that Vande Mataram was sung publicly for the first time by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. That moment infused new life into the freedom struggle. The Congress understood that the British Empire's policy of divide and rule, manipulating religious, caste, and regional identities, was designed to break India's unity. Against this, Vande Mataram rose as a song of unflinching strength, uniting all Indians in devotion to Bharat Mata," the Congress chief said. From the partition of Bengal in 1905 to the last breaths of our brave revolutionaries, Vande Mataram echoed through the land. It was the title of Lala Lajpat Rai's publication, inscribed on flag made by Bhikaji Cama. Terrified of its popularity, the Britishers banned the song which had become the heartbeat of India's freedom struggle, Kharge mentioned. "In 1938, Pandit Nehru wrote, "For more than 30 years now, the song has been related directly to Indian nationalism. Such 'songs of people' are not tailor-made, nor can they be imposed on the minds of people. They attain the heights by themselves." Therefore, a year earlier, in 1937, the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly started reciting Vande Mataram when Purshottam Das Tandon presided as its Speaker," he wrote. Vande Mataram, India's national song, was written originally on November 7 1875 by novelist Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as part of his novel Anandmath. The song was adopted on January 24, 1950, by the Constituent Assembly as India's national song. The Congress too, adopted it as the "National Song of India" in 1937. (ANI) Deputy Opposition leader & former AIADMK Minister R. B. Udhayakumar slammed AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran, stating that he is spreading false rumours about the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and its candidates. "TTV. Dhinakaran is someone who was disqualified by Jayalalithaa herself and was barred even from standing before her. Every action taken by Jayalalithaa carried a deeper meaning. If she chose to sideline someone, it meant even God had decided to set them aside. Dhinakaran is now spreading false and defamatory remarks about AIADMK and its loyal cadres. Spreading slander has become his only job..." he stated. He further reacted to TTV Dhinakaran's statement on AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami, and credited the latter for restoring faith in AIADMK after the death of Jayalalithaa. He said, "It was Edappadi K. Palaniswami who safeguarded AIADMK and enabled two crore party workers to breathe freely again. After Jayalalithaa's demise, it was Edappadi K. Palaniswami who restored the people's faith in AIADMK as it was during her time. He is the one who carried the 'Two Leaves' symbol to the people and achieved great success." Udhayakumar further alleged that Dhinakaran destabilised the party, leading to the resignation of several party members. "TTV Dhinakaran claims that AIADMK MLA P.H. Manoj Pandian joined the DMK because of Edappadi K. Palaniswami. But has Dhinakaran ever thought about why several key administrators who were once with him, such as Senthil Balaji, Mariappan Kennedy, and Palaniappan, have all left him? T. T. V. Dhinakaran is the one who tried to usurp power and seize control of the AIADMK. He is the one who attempted to destabilise the party. But Dhinakaran's plans never worked against Edappadi K. Palaniswami. It is out of that frustration and helplessness that he is now making all these statements," he asserted. Earlier, AMMK General Secretary TTV Dhinakaran hads launched a sharp attack on AIADMK leader Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS), predicting a political shake-up with the emergence of actor Vijay's TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) party. "Predicting the changing electoral landscape, Dhinakaran asserted that the AIADMK alliance could slip to third place after the entry of Vijay's TVK.TVK is a one-year-old party, but because of his cinema popularity, he is very popular. I don't know what percentage he will get in the election. But the perception is that it will be a fight between the DMK alliance and the TVK alliance. He has to form a good alliance; otherwise, it will be a very tough election. Normally, DMK vs AIADMK will be the election situation, but this time, because of Palaniswami's failure and his selfish, arrogant nature, he has lost that. Surely, he will go to third place," he said. "Condition of AIADMK is very bad, it is in ICU; it may also go to CCU. Palaniswami is the B team of DMK. That is why he has fought against the BJP in the 2024 elections, knowing that he will not win. He helped DMK win," he added. (ANI) Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma on Friday met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi and held a detailed discussion on three major road-related issues concerning Panchkula district in Haryana. The discussion was held on poor condition of Pinjore-Nalagarh four-lane (NH-105). This National Highway serves as an essential industrial corridor connecting Haryana with Himachal Pradesh. Several stretches of the road are in extremely poor condition, particularly near Pinjore and Sukhomajri, where large potholes and damaged layers have made vehicular movement difficult. MP Kartikeya Sharma requested the Union Minister to direct the NHAI to undertake immediate repair and strengthening work, ensuring both road safety and smooth traffic flow. Sharma also discussed the lack of lighting on the Mauli-Bagwali road (NH-344). The MP pointed out that this stretch has no street lighting at all, despite being a heavily used route for industrial and local traffic. The entire area remains dark at night, significantly increasing the risk of accidents. He suggested that a special project be prepared for the installation of street lights along this section to improve visibility and road safety. Sharma further noted that during the construction of the Himalayan Expressway (Pinjore Bypass), NHAI failed to construct adequate retaining walls, resulting in weakened foundations of several houses located along the road. Recent rains caused the collapse of boundary walls and soil erosion, putting residents' lives at risk. The MP urged the Minister to direct NHAI to conduct a technical survey and construct new retaining walls immediately to prevent any potential loss of life or property. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari took all three matters seriously, approved the submitted letters (marked them for action), and directed ministry officials to initiate prompt measures. He assured that these projects would be given priority in view of public interest and safety considerations. (ANI) The company was reportedly operating in a ground-plus-two-story building where cloth dyeing work was carried out. The sudden fire engulfed the entire building, causing panic in the area. Upon receiving information about the incident, several fire engines from Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivli, and Thane rushed to the spot and launched a firefighting operation, officials said. No casualties have been reported so far in this incident. Police and fire department officials are present at the scene and are monitoring the situation. The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained. Further details into the incident are awaited. (ANI) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kerala Crime Branch has arrested former Thiruvabharanam temple Commissioner KS Baiju in the Sabarimala gold theft case. KS Baiju will be produced before the court today. Earlier on Thursday, Congress MLA Sunny Joseph Thursday alleged that the Pinarayi Vijayan led Kerala government has been indifferent over the Sabarimala gold theft case. The Congress MLA further alleged that the government is unable to arrest the culprits and accused the government of betraying the devotees. "Kerala Government continues to remain indifferent in the Sabarimala gold theft case. The investigation is dragging on like a snail. They are unable to put the culprits in handcuffs. The government has betrayed the devotees. Sabarimala issue is being viewed with utmost seriousness. Although the Special Investigation Team was appointed by the court, it functions under the Home Department," said Joseph. Meanwhile, Kerala BJP chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar demanded a central investigation into Sabarimala Gold theft and an audit of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB). This comes after the Kerala High Court granted permission to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a scientific examination as part of its ongoing investigation into the alleged case. The Sabarimala gold controversy involves alleged irregularities concerning the gold plating work at the Sabarimala temple. This situation arose from a donation of 30.3 kilograms of gold and 1,900 kilograms of copper by industrialist Vijay Mallya in 1998, intended for cladding the sanctum sanctorum and wooden carvings of the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple in Kerala. Unnikrishnan Potti, the prime accused, was reportedly taken into custody by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) on October 17. The SIT, which is investigating the matter, submitted its second report to the Kerala High Court on Wednesday, revealing serious irregularities in the minutes of the Travancore Devaswom Board. According to the SIT report, the record book does not include details about the transfer of the dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol to Unnikrishnan Potti in 2019. Furthermore, the report indicates that no entries have been made after July 28, 2025. It also notes that the documentation regarding the transfer of gold platings to Smart Creations, the firm responsible for the electroplating of gold-clad copper coverings for the idols at the Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple is missing from the minutes book. Currently, the SIT has requested permission to conduct a scientific investigation to determine the actual weight of the gold-plated idols before and after restoration. (ANI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Friday inaugurated the 'Vande Mataram 150th Commemoration' program at Shaurya Smarak in the state capital Bhopal, marking the 150th anniversary of the national song 'Vande Mataram'. The programme also featured patriotic performances by the police band and CM Yadav released a booklet based on the history of 'Vande Mataram' here on the occasion. During this, the Chief Minister also administered oath to everyone to serve and respect the nation, adding that to maximise the indigenous products in daily life. During the event, a live broadcast of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address from New Delhi was screened, followed by a collective rendition of the National Song 'Vande Mataram' by 150 artists. Additionally, an exhibition was also organised at the venue, showcasing pictures related to 'Vande Mataram' and the freedom movement. "The 'Vande Mataram Commemoration' program is a unique example of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's patriotism and vision for preserving heritage. Today, I inaugurated a state-level 'Vande Mataram 150th Commemoration' program at Shaurya Smarak, Bhopal. I also participated virtually in the program organized in New Delhi on this occasion," CM Yadav stated in a post on X. Emphasising the importance of Vande Mataram poem, the Chief Minister further adds in the post that it ignites the spirit of freedom and symbolizes devotion to the motherland. The 150 years of "Vande Mataram" inspire us to stay connected to our roots and remain constantly devoted to Mother India. The Government of India has decided to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the national song with ceremonial programs across the country from November 7, 2025, to November 7, 2026. Vande Mataram is a Sanskrit poem written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1876. It was later included in his novel Anandamath, published in 1882, and became a symbol of Indian nationalism during the country's struggle for independence. The poem is a hymn to the motherland, personifying India as a goddess, and is often translated as "Hail to the Motherland". The song has been a source of inspiration for many Indians and is considered one of the most iconic expressions of patriotism in the country. (ANI) The arrested individuals, identified as Swinder Singh, alias Bodhi, and Sukhman, alias Jashan, both residents of Kalanaur in Gurdaspur, were found in possession of sophisticated firearms. Authorities have recovered two Glock pistols, a Zegana pistol, a PX30 pistol, and a motorcycle during the operation. In a post on X, the Director General of Punjab Police, Gaurav Yadav, wrote, "In a major breakthrough, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (#AGTF) Punjab, in a joint operation with #Hoshiarpur Police, arrests two active members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria Gang -- Swinder Singh @ Bodhi and Sukhman @ Jashan -- both residents of Kalanaur, #Gurdaspur, and recovers sophisticated weapons from their possession." https://x.com/dgppunjabpolice/status/1986638148340990319?s=46 Preliminary investigations indicate that the duo was operating under the guidance of a foreign handler named Amrit Dalam. They are allegedly involved in a firing incident at a medical shop in Wadala Bangar, Kalanaur, targeting Dr. Hari Singh. An FIR has been registered under the Arms Act at PS Dasuya, Hoshiarpur in the matter. "Preliminary investigation reveals that the duo was acting on the directions of their foreign-handler Amrit Dalam and are wanted in a firing incident at a medical shop in Wadala Bangar, Kalanaur targeting Dr. Hari Singh. Recovery: 2 Glock Pistols, 1 Zegana Pistol, 1 PX30 Pistol and 1 Motorcycle," the social media post reads. "FIR has been registered under Arms Act at PS Dasuya, #Hoshiarpur. Further investigation is underway. @PunjabPoliceInd remains committed to dismantling gangster networks operating across #Punjab," the DGP posted on X. Further investigations are underway. Earlier on November 1, Punjab Police arrested two people in connection with two recent firing incidents in Gurdaspur that were linked to extortion attempts. DGP Punjab Police, Gaurav Yadav, said that the preliminary investigation revealed the arrested accused were being handled by foreign-based radicalised gangsters Gurdev Jassal and Gurlal, also known as Gullu, who are associated with the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist organisation. (ANI) The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice to the Delhi Government on a plea of Balwan Khokhar seeking 21 days' Furlough. He was convicted in a 1984 Anti Sikh riots case in Delhi Cantt. In this case, Khokhar was co-accused with former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar. Justice Ravinder Dudeja issued a notice to the concerned authorities and sought a response. Additional standing counsel sought time for verification and to file a status report. Thereafter, the court listed the matter for hearing on November 17. The application moved by Khokhar was dismissed by the Delhi government. He has challenged the order before the High Court. Khokhar moved a petition through advocate Uday Chauhan. It is stated that the petitioner is a convict and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He has been serving a life sentence and has been in custody since 2013. He is on furlough for a period of 21 days to re-establish social ties with Society and Family members, the plea said. Earlier, on October 29, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi directed the Prosecution to file written submissions in a 1984 Sikh riots case against former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar. Sajjan Kumar is facing trial in a case linked to FIRs registered at Janakpuri and Vikas Puri Police Stations.' The Janakpuri case pertains to the killing of two Sikhs, Sohan Singh and his son-in-law Avtar Singh, on November 1, 1984. The second case was registered in the Vikaspuri police station related to the burning of Gurcharan Singh on November 2, 1984. Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh asked the Prosecution to file written submissions and listed the matter for arguements on November 27 and December 4. Additional public prosecutor (APP) Manish Rawat appeared for the prosecution. Advocate Anil Kumar Sharma, along with Apoorv Sharma and SA Hashmi, appeared for Sajjan Kumar. Advocate Surpreet Kaur appeared for the riot victims. (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday expressed confidence in a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) victory and warned people of the potential return of the infamous "jungle raaj" if the people deviate from pressing the Lotus (BJP party symbol) or the arrow (JDU party symbol) in the upcoming second phase of the Bihar polls set to happen on November 11. "If you make even the slightest mistake and deviate even a little from the lotus symbol or the arrow symbol, then jungle raj will return once again. Does Jamui want jungle raj?" Shah told people in Bihar's Jamui. Minister Shah addressed a public rally in Jamui district, which is set to go to polls on the second phase of polls on November 11. Jamui district consists of 4 assembly constituencies, with Shah urging the people to "give all four seats in the account of NDA". Praising the initiatives of the NDA led government in Bihar, Shah highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to make "India Naxal free", highlighting how polling can peacefully be done across various districts, including in Jamui, which was previously a naxal dominated area. "In this naxal area, around 150 Naxals hijacked the Dhanbad Patna express, killing 3 people. The area was totally under naxal control, but this is the work of PM Modi to make this area Naxal free. Before, people could only vote till 3 PM, but now, we people can vote till 5 PM," Amit Shah said. Taking a dig at Lalu Prasad Yadav, Shah said that the MGB would open a new department "Apaharan" (kidnapping) if they come to power. "If we win, we will constitute a new department to ensure Bihar becomes free of floods. If Lalu's son wins, he will open a new department for 'Apaharan' (Kidnapping and abduction).... In the last 10 years, PM Modi has created an infrastructure of roads, bridges, ethanol factories and sugar factories in Bihar. The next five years will focus on a fully developed state...We will not let 'jungle raj' return to the state," he said. Talking about the first phase of Bihar polls, which concluded on November 6, Shah said that the parties of "Lalu-Rahul", that is the Congress and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) have been "wiped out" in the first phase of elections, and that the same should happen in Jamui too. "The first phase of the elections concluded just yesterday. Lalu-Rahul's party has been wiped out. Their account should not open in Jamui either. All four seats here need to be credited to the NDA's account." Jamui district has four assembly constituencies under it, namely Jamui, Jhajha, Chakai and a Scheduled Caste reserved constituency Sikandra. BJP is set to contest the Jamui assembly constituency, chosing incumbent MLA Shreyasi Singh to go against RJD's Shamshad Alam. The other three seats have been distributed amongst its allies, particularly the Janata Dal (United) contesting the Jhajha and Chakai constituencies with candidates Damodar Rawat and Sumit Kumar Singh respectively, and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) contesting the Sikandra seat with candidate Prafull Kumar Singh. The voting was held on 121 seats spread across 18 districts , and a total of 3.75 crore voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase of polls. The second phase of assembly polls will be held on November 11, and the votes will be counted on November 14. In the second phase, 122 seats in 20 districts will go to polls and subsequently conclude polling for the Bihar elections. Districts including Aurangabad, Jahanabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, Bhagalpur, Purnia and others will be included in the second phase. (ANI) Ariana Grande could make her debut on London's West End next year. Ariana Grande could make her bow on London's West End next year The 32-year-old star has expressed a desire to return to the stage and it is rumoured that she could appear in a revival of the 1984 musical Sunday In The Park With George, which was last revived on the West End back in 2006. If she lands the part, Ariana will be acting in the theatre production alongside her Wicked: For Good co-star Jonathan Bailey. A source told The Sun newspaper's Bizarre column: "The West End is renowned for landing major Hollywood stars. Sarah Jessica Parker, Tom Holland, Rachel Zegler and Nicole Scherzinger have all starred in shows. "The demand is there to see these big names, despite the fact it sends the ticket prices soaring. "Ariana has proven she has the acting chops to take on a stage role. Talks have been ongoing. "The hope is a deal can be struck for her appear in the West End next year." Ariana had suggested this week that she will be back on stage in the future - but in something unrelated to her pop career. She told The New York Times newspaper: "It's not on Broadway, but it's something I'm very excited about and inspired by." Grande has stressed that her music career isn't over, even as her profile grows in terms of acting. The 32-year-old star said: "Of course, music will be in my life forever." She added: "I have to say that for my fans who are reading this who are going to have a heart attack." Despite her reassurance, Ariana previously revealed that she was close to quitting music prior to filming the 2024 movie Wicked, in which she played the role of Glinda. Appearing on Shut Up Evan with Evan Ross Katz, she said: "[Playing Glinda] has done so much for Ariana. It has totally rearranged everything about my relationship to creating, you know. "I didnt think I was going to make an album ever again when I left for London. "That was kind of my secret, but I didnt think I was going to, you know." The One Last Time hitmaker says Glinda's strong "self-belief" inspired her return to music. She continued: "So I learned a lot from her as a character who learns so much over the course of these two films and has to look at herself in the mirror constantly and sort of peel away at the pieces of her that dont feel aligned. So I do think that I was kind of forced to do that alongside her." According to the release from the party, Tsachola Rothrong, Co-Convenor of Vande Mataram and President of the Nagaland State BJP Mahila Morcha, delivered the keynote address, reflecting on the historical significance of Vande Mataram, composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875. She highlighted how the song became a unifying force and a source of inspiration during India's freedom struggle. In her address, Rothrong urged all citizens to embody the spirit of Vande Mataram through unity, discipline, and service to the nation. She emphasised that the essence of the song goes beyond words; it represents the collective strength, cultural identity, and patriotic devotion of every Indian. She also encouraged the younger generation to uphold these values and make meaningful contributions to nation-building. The programme was chaired by Maibam Sanjit, Vice President, BJP Dimapur District. The invocation was led by Sentile Tep, followed by a welcome address by Om Prakash Gupta, President, OBC Morcha, Dimapur District. The national song Vande Mataram was sung by Mamta Karir, Pradip Barman proposed the vote of thanks, and Azatoli H Zhimo offered the benediction. The programme concluded with the singing of the National Anthem. The event reaffirmed BJP Nagaland's commitment to promoting national pride, unity, and patriotism, while paying tribute to the enduring legacy of Vande Mataram, a song that continues to inspire generations of Indians. (ANI) Saha said the song, composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, is a symbol of the country's unity and integrity, with programs held across India to mark the anniversary. Speaking to ANI, Manik Saha said, "...Vande Mataram, which was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, is completing 150 years...Several programs were held across the entire country, including our state...PM also gave a message to the country. This is a mantra for us, for the integrity of the country..." Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the year-long commemoration of the National Song "Vande Mataram" at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. The Prime Minister also released a Commemorative Stamp and Coin on the occasion. He also launched a portal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the National Song 'Vande Mataram'. Prime Minister described India's national song, Vande Mataram, as a "mantra, energy, dream and resolve," while leading the nation in commemorating 150 years of its creation. Addressing a grand event marking the occasion, the Prime Minister said the song embodies devotion and worship for the motherland and continues to inspire generations with a sense of patriotism and pride. "Vande Mataram, these words are a mantra, an energy, a dream, a resolve. Vande Mataram, these words are devotion and worship to Maa Bharti. Vande Mataram, these words take us into history, they fill our present with new confidence, and they give our future this new courage that there is no resolve that cannot be achieved, no goal that we, the people of India, cannot attain," the Prime Minister said. The celebrations witnessed mass singing of the full version of "Vande Mataram" across public places with participation of citizens across all segments of society, in conjunction with the main programme. Vande Mataram, India's national song, was written originally on November 7, 1875, by novelist Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. The song was adopted on January 24, 1950, by the Constituent Assembly as India's national song. (ANI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged "vote theft" in the Bihar elections, claiming that fake voters had been included in election lists and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the Election Commission of orchestrating voter fraud in Haryana elections. He said that Bihar's youth would not allow such manipulation this time. Addressing an election rally in Bhagalpur, Rahul Gandhi said, "...There are 2 crore voters in Haryana and more than 25 lakh voters in the polling list were fake.... I guarantee you that PM Modi, HM Amit Shah, and the Election Commission have conspired to steal the Haryana election together. We said it with evidence that they committed theft in the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and now they are trying to win Bihar's election by stealing...We do not get the voter list till the last moment... The Gen Z of Bihar will not let vote theft happen here..." On Wednesday, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi alleged that 1 in 8 voters in Haryana are fake, claiming large-scale voter fraud and pointing to unexplained differences between postal and booth votes. He said his team has clear proof that around 25 lakh voters in Haryana are either duplicates, nonexistent, or manipulated. While addressing a press conference, 'H files', Rahul Gandhi said, "...We have crystal clear proof that 25 lakh voters (in Haryana) are fake, that they either don't exist or they are duplicates or are designed in a way for anybody to vote...1 in 8 voters in Haryana are fake, that's 12.5%..." "We have the word 'H' Files, and this is about how an entire state has been stolen...We suspected that this was not happening in individual constituencies, but rather at the state and national levels. We received numerous complaints in Haryana from our candidates, stating that something was not working correctly. Their predictions all went upside down. We had experienced this in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, but we decided to zoom in on Haryana and go into details about what had happened there," he said. (ANI) Amid the ongoing protests of sugarcane farmers, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday accused the Central government of not raising the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for sugarcane farmers. The chief Minister has also written to the central government much before but he has not received cooperation from the ministers from Karnataka. "The central government is not increasing the MSP rate to complement the FRP rate. The central government has not increased the MSP rate since 2019. It has not increased the ethanol rate either," the Chief Minister's office said. Earlier today, CM Siddaramaiah held a meeting with sugarcane farmers and factory owners at Vidhan Soudha hall. According to the statement, the factory owners urged the Chief Minister to write a letter to the central government and raise the demand. The statement mentioned that the Chief Minister responded to this and said that he had written a letter to the center and the Prime Minister a long time ago to increase the MSP rate. "Till now, the central government has not increased the MSP. The central ministers representing the state have also not cooperated in increasing the MSP rate for sugarcane growers, the Prime Minister is not talking to them," the statement mentioned. Talking about the role of the central government, the statement added, "It is the responsibility of the state and central governments to help sugarcane growers. It is the job of the central government to fix the FRP keeping in mind the interests of farmers. The central government has fixed the FRP on 6-05-2025." The proposal to impose a tax of 60 paise per unit on the electricity sold by sugar factories will be reviewed, the Chief Minister said. Murugesh Nirani, speaking on behalf of the sugar factory owners, said that the problem of sugarcane growers has continued in all governments, with the state government has not renewed the power purchase agreement from sugar factories. According to the representative, in Maharashtra Rs 6 is being paid for each unit of electricity purchased from sugar factories, and the Karnataka government should work on a similar model. Meanwhile, protesting sugarcane farmers in Karnataka allegedly threw slippers at State Minister Shivanand Patil's car when he was leaving the protest site in Belagavi on November 6. The protest by sugarcane farmers demanding a higher price for their produce entered its eighth day in Belagavi on Thursday. The protestors also blocked the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway. The farmers are demanding Rs 3,500 per tonne for their produce. (ANI) The Supreme Court has overturned an order of the Orissa High Court that had rejected a plea by Hindustan Prefab Limited (HPL) seeking the appointment of an arbitrator in its contractual dispute with the National Law University, Odisha (NLUO). A Bench of Justice Manoj Misra and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan held that once the existence of an arbitration agreement is undisputed, courts must refer the matter to arbitration without entering into questions about the maintainability or merits of the claim. Appearing for Hindustan Prefab Limited were Advocates Gaurav Gupta, Rajesh Kumar, Vinit Tyagi, and Gaurav Goel (AOR). The respondent, National Law University Odisha, was represented by Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra, assisted by Advocates Pankaj Singhal, Akshat Kumar, Ashima Gupta, Chandan Kashyap, Harshita, Monu Kumar, and Sougat, with Ayush Anand as AOR. Hindustan Prefab Limited, a government enterprise, was awarded a works contract by NLU Odisha and subsequently engaged a contractor to execute the project. Disputes later arose between HPL and the contractor, leading to arbitration proceedings that ended in an award against HPL. HPL challenged the arbitral award under Section 34 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, and a stay is currently operating. Relying on Clause 47 of its agreement which provides that the client (NLU Odisha) must bear the cost of any arbitration award in favour of the contractor HPL raised a claim seeking reimbursement from the University. NLU Odisha resisted the claim, stating that since the arbitral award was under challenge and stayed, its liability to pay had not yet arisen. The Orissa High Court dismissed HPL's Section 11(6) application seeking appointment of an arbitrator, reasoning that no cause of action existed as the award had not yet attained finality. Disagreeing with the High Court's reasoning, the Supreme Court stated that at the stage of appointing an arbitrator, the court's role is limited to verifying the existence of an arbitration agreement. Once that is established, the issue of whether the claim is maintainable or arbitrable must be left to the arbitral tribunal. The Bench cited its earlier rulings, reaffirming that "once there is an arbitration agreement, the matter must end there." The court observed that whether NLU Odisha's liability arises upon the passing of an award or only after payment is a question of arbitrability, which should be determined by the arbitrator. Allowing the appeal, the Supreme Court set aside the Orissa High Court's order dated September 8, 2023, and appointed Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya, former Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court, as the sole arbitrator. The Court directed that Justice Bhattacharya make the required declaration under the Sixth Schedule read with Section 12 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act within 15 days of receiving the order. His fee will be governed by the Fourth Schedule of the Act. (ANI) The court held that the Bengaluru-based defendants had "dishonestly and deliberately" used the mark 'CARNATIC', deceptively similar to the registered brand 'CARNATIC CAF', to offer identical restaurant services. "The defence having been struck off and the factual foundation remaining unchallenged, this Court finds that the plaintiff has made out a clear case for pronouncement of judgment," the order stated. Judge Singh noted that the defendants' own affidavit and statement filed in 2022 acknowledged compliance with an earlier injunction and undertook not to use the name in the future, effectively amounting to an admission of infringement. The court emphasised that even such an admission "does not obviate the necessity of a final decree that formally crystallises the plaintiff's rights. Accordingly, the court made the 2019 interim injunction permanent, restraining Lemonpepper Hospitality, its directors, agents, and representatives from using the mark 'CARNATIC' or any similar expression in connection with restaurants or allied services. It also ordered the defendants to transfer their website to the plaintiff within four weeks. Recognising the "loss to goodwill and reputation" caused to the Delhi-based Carnatic Cafe chain, the court awarded Rs 50,000 as damages and Rs 10,000 as litigation costs to the plaintiff. The order finished a six-year-long legal battle that began in 2019, when Carnatic Cafe, known for its authentic South Indian cuisine, discovered a Bengaluru restaurant using a similar name and presentation style, allegedly misleading customers and harming its online reputation. (ANI) The Chief Minister participated in a collective singing of Vande Mataram and a 'Swadeshi Pledge' ceremony held at the Gujarat Legislative Assembly premises in Gandhinagar, attended by Speaker Shankarbhai Chaudhary and other dignitaries. Similar events were organised across all districts, where guardian ministers, officials, and employees of panchayats, municipal corporations, and municipalities joined in the unified rendition of the national song. Speaking on the occasion, CM Patel hailed Vande Mataram as "the resonance of India's soul and the sacred sound of patriotism" that inspires faith, energy, and national resolve. He recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's words describing Vande Mataram as "the royal path of development and the heartbeat of our freedom." Composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1875 during a train journey in Bengal and later set to music by Rabindranath Tagore, Vande Mataram continues to symbolise India's unity and spirit of self-reliance. According to an official release, Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Modi embodies the essence of the words "Tvam hi pranah sharire" from the song Vande Mataram--living every breath in devotion to Maa Bharati and setting an exemplary ideal for the entire nation. The Prime Minister has described Vande Mataram as the pride, dignity, and glory of India. Chief Minister Patel stated that PM Modi has actualised the vision of Maa Bharati depicted in the song Vande Mataram through concrete initiatives aimed at realising every aspect of a prosperous and bountiful nation -- Sujalam, Sufalam. He further added that initiatives such as Panchamrut Shakti, Kanya Kelavani and welfare measures for the poor and underprivileged, launched in Gujarat, embody the true essence of Vande Mataram -- the spirit of inclusive growth, well-being, and prosperity for all. (ANI) On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram,' Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the period from today until 2047 is the time to draw inspiration from the national song and create a great India. Shah's statement came while addressing a celebration in Bihar's Patna, marking 150 years of the national song 'Vande Mataram. On the occasion, the Home Minister also led the collective recitation of the Swadeshi pledge. "The time has now come to build the India envisioned and desired by all those great souls. The period from today until 2047 is the time to draw inspiration from Vande Mataram and create a great India," Shah stressed. Shah urged the countrymen to take a pledge to adopt Swadeshi on the 150th anniversary of 'Vande Mataram', and said, "We should all resolve to join the process of making India a great nation by 2047 and take a pledge today to once again dedicate our lives to Bharat Mata." The Minister further said, "Today is a day of awakening Indian consciousness because 150 years ago, on this very day, great freedom fighter and renowned literary figure Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay penned 'Vande Mataram.' Bankim Chandra, through this song, gave the nation a great mantra of national consciousness, which later became the proclamation and guiding principle of India's freedom struggle and, after independence, a reason to unite the country." He said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the collective efforts of the nation over the past 11 years have accomplished many tasks toward fulfilling the dreams of a great India envisioned by our freedom fighters. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, "With the collective singing of 'Vande Mataram' today, a phased effort has begun to reawaken India's consciousness over the next year." He emphasised that a nationwide campaign will be launched to align lives with the mantra and spirit of 'Vande Mataram.' "This campaign will be conducted in both physical and digital formats. Shah announced that a social media campaign named 'VandeMataram150' will be launched in all languages, encouraging people to write 'Vande Mataram' in all regional languages to strengthen national unity." Shah said on August 15, 1947, at the behest of Sardar Patel, Pandit Omkarnath Thakur sang the complete 'Vande Mataram,' resonating with the first heartbeat of a free India. On January 24, 1950, during the final session of the Constituent Assembly, Shah said India's first President Rajendra Prasad accepted 'Vande Mataram' as the national song, paving the way for its revered acceptance by the nation, and from that moment, 'Vande Mataram' became a song of national consciousness for all, and today marks the celebration of its 150th anniversary. (ANI) A day after the end of the first phase of polling in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday continued to attack the Mahagathbandhan and alleged that the "people of jungle raj" who are desperate to return to power have no intention to work for the welfare of the people. ... I have before me a vast power of women whose blessings have always been upon all of us, upon the NDA, and I am grateful to the women's power of Bihar. In the first phase of elections, there has been a tremendous turnout for the NDA candidates... I have come to seek your support, your cooperation, and your blessings...," PM Modi said at a rally here. "You can imagine why these Jungle Raj people are so desperate to return to power. They don't want to serve the public. They want to rob the public at gunpoint, rob them... This is their plan... This is the sound of Jungle Raj. This is an attempt to intimidate sisters and daughters, the poor, Dalits, Mahadalits, and backward and extremely backward communities... People of jungle raj can never build anything. They are the epitome of destruction and misery," PM Modi said. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sounding the poll bugle in Bihar's Aurangabad on Friday, took a sarcastic jab at the Opposition's 'rift-ridden' Mahagathbandhan alliance claiming that the Congress "does not have faith" in its ally RJD's manifesto, which he said was "a packet of lies". Aurangabad district, located in the south of Bihar, is one of the 20 districts, where polls will be held during the second phase of the State's Assembly elections. The district contains six assembly constituencies namely Goh, Obra, Nabinagar, Kutumba (SC), Aurangabad and Rafiganj. "Even the Congress does not have faith in their (RJD) promises. Congress does not even talk about the RJD's manifesto. Bihar has also rejected RJD's package of lies," PM Modi said while addressing a rally in Aurangabad. Speculation has been rife over an alleged rift in the Mahagathbandhan. While the alliance partners, including Congress have denied such claims, PM Modi had earlier claimed that the RJD "forcefully" took the Chief Ministerial post from Congress despite the latter's objections during the negotiation phase during the election preparations. On Novermber 6, voting was held on 121 seats spread across 18 districts and recorded a voter turnout of 64.5 per cent. The second phase of assembly polls is set to be held on November 11, with counting of votes to be held on November 14. In the second phase, 122 seats in 20 districts will go to polls and subsequently conclude polling for the Bihar elections. Districts including Aurangabad, Jahanabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, Bhagalpur, Purnia and others will be included in the second phase. (ANI) The Central Bureau of Investigation has taken over the probe into the suspicious death of Aqil Akhter, son of former Punjab DGP (Human Rights) Mohammad Mustafa and former PWD Minister Razia Sultana. The case, earlier registered at the Mansa Devi Complex Police Station in Panchkula, has now been re-registered by the CBI under Sections 103(1) and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. According to the FIR, the complaint was lodged by Shamshudeen Chaudhary, a resident of Model Town, Malerkotla, Punjab, who sought an investigation into the suspicious circumstances surrounding Aqil Akhter's death. The complaint states that there had been ongoing tensions between the deceased and his family. On August 27, Aqil had posted a video on social media accusing his mother and sister of "conspiring to kill him or implicate him in a false case". Aqil had clearly expressed his fear that his "life was in danger". Earlier, Mustafa, in an interview with ANI, described his son's death as the "greatest grief a father can bear", asserting that Aqil had been struggling with drug addiction for 18 years and had likely died due to an overdose. Dismissing allegations of murder, he termed them "petty politics". "There is no greater pain for a father than losing his only son. My son struggled with drug addiction for 18 years. Some people are trying to exploit this tragedy for their political motives. I welcome the case against me; I have nothing to hide," Mustafa said. ACP Vikram Nehra, head of the Special Investigation team earlier said that there was "undoubtedly some tension" between the father and the son. Days later, his sudden death was reported, confirming his earlier apprehensions. The complainant alleged foul play and requested a detailed probe, including examination of digital evidence, social media videos, call records, and the post-mortem report. Based on the complaint, the Haryana government issued an order on October 22 transferring the case to the CBI under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946. The transfer was later approved by the Union Government through a notification issued on November 6. The FIR names four accused - Mohammad Mustafa, Razia Sultana, the wife of the deceased, and the sister of the deceased - all residents of Sector 4, Mansa Devi Complex, Panchkula. The investigation has been assigned to Deputy Superintendent of Police Rishiraj Sharma of the CBI's Special Crime Branch, Chandigarh. The FIR was signed by Rahul Sharma, IPS, Deputy Inspector General of Police and Head of Branch, CBI, SCB Chandigarh, and officially registered on November 6, at 10:30 pm. (ANI) Guillermo del Toro heard "an entire murder" play out during a ghostly encounter. Guillermo Del Toro had a ghostly encounter The Frankenstein filmmaker has always requested the "haunted room" when he stays in hotels but has had few supernatural experiences, though he found himself in a scary situation while staying at the Waitomo Caves Hotel, a place notorious for unexplained happenings, on New Zealand's North Island. Speaking on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Guillermo - who was originally set to direct The Hobbit movies but exited due to ongoing delays - said: I have heard [a ghost] twice. The second time was very dramatic. We were scouting for The Hobbit in an empty hotel in Waitomo, the Waitomo Hotel. Every hotel I go, I know the haunted room. I say, Can you give me the haunted room? Nothing ever happened until then. I was watching The Wire on DVD, so it was not exactly the mood. I was watching [Idris Elbas character] Stringer Bell and, all of a sudden, I hear an entire murder in the middle of the room. The screams and the stabbings and the crying. But the host insisted there was a logical explanation for the dramatic sounds. He noted: That was probably just The Wire. I mean, its not like youre watching Abbott Elementary, you were watching a show there were hundreds of murders on The Wire! But the 61-year-old filmmaker insisted the cries weren't coming from the screen, or anyone else in the building. He said: There was nobody else in the hotel, not even the manager. They gave us the keys because it was off-season. And I was on the east wing and everybody else was on the west wing. While the Pan's Labyrinth director was terrified by the experience, he didn't move to a different room but spent the entire night refusing to look away from his laptop in case there was something behind him. He said: I put the earphones back and I stayed looking at the computer the whole night. I didnt sleep at all. I didnt want to turn around there was a balcony and I said, What if I look and theres something there? But the experience hasn't put Del Toro off his love of the supernatural and he's looking to buy a "haunted house in the middle of England" in the hope of more ghostly encounters. He said: My instruction to the broker, I said, It has to be haunted.' "And I said, I have to be able to spend a night there and get haunted or I will not buy it. " He admitted he needs to "see, hear, feel" a ghost in the property or he won't buy it. He added: I would like to see something. I heard already. Ahead of the second phase of Bihar elections on November 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the RJD and Congress of "obstructing Bihar's progress" during Nitish Kumar's first nine years as Chief Minister, and his "double-engine" government had allocated "three times more money" for the development of Bihar. "During the first 9 years of Nitish Kumar as the CM, there was an RJD-Congress government at the centre... They constantly obstructed Bihar's development. They did not let Nitish Kumar work... In 2014, when I got the opportunity to serve, a double-engine government was formed in Bihar. We allocated three times more money for the development of Bihar...," PM Modi said at a public rally. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sounding the poll bugle in Bihar's Aurangabad on Friday, took a sarcastic jab at the Opposition's 'rift-ridden' Mahagathbandhan alliance claiming that the Congress "does not have faith" in its ally RJD's manifesto, which he said was "a packet of lies". Aurangabad district, located in the south of Bihar, is one of the 20 districts, where polls will be held during the second phase of the State's Assembly elections. The district contains six assembly constituencies namely Goh, Obra, Nabinagar, Kutumba (SC), Aurangabad and Rafiganj. "Even the Congress does not have faith in their (RJD) promises. Congress does not even talk about the RJD's manifesto. Bihar has also rejected RJD's package of lies," PM Modi said while addressing a rally in Aurangabad. Speculation has been rife over an alleged rift in the Mahagathbandhan. While the alliance partners, including Congress have denied such claims, PM Modi had earlier claimed that the RJD "forcefully" took the Chief Ministerial post from Congress despite the latter's objections during the negotiation phase during the election preparations. On Novermber 6, voting was held on 121 seats spread across 18 districts and recorded a voter turnout of 64.5 per cent. The second phase of assembly polls is set to be held on November 11, with counting of votes to be held on November 14. In the second phase, 122 seats in 20 districts will go to polls and subsequently conclude polling for the Bihar elections. Districts including Aurangabad, Jahanabad, Gaya, Nawada, Jamui, Bhagalpur, Purnia and others will be included in the second phase. (ANI) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday inaugurated the Janjatiya Gaurav Yatra to mark the 150th birth anniversary of tribal freedom fighter Bhagwan Birsa Munda, highlighting that the one whom no one remembers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, worships those. The state-wide yatra, part of the "Tribal Pride Year Festival," aims to promote awareness about tribal contributions under Birsa Munda's leadership and inspire participation in India's developmental journey during the Amrit Kaal. According to a statement from the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office (CMO), CM Patel stated that the tribal communities, who played a leading role under Bhagwan Birsa Munda's leadership in the freedom struggle, have been engaged by the Prime Minister to actively participate in India's developmental journey during the Amrit Kaal. Furthermore, the Prime Minister has also initiated the tradition of celebrating the birth anniversary of freedom hero Bhagwan Birsa Munda as Janjatiya Gaurav Dwas since 2011. The 150th birth anniversary of tribal leader Bhagwan Birsa Munda is being celebrated this year, inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Aimed at enabling today's generation to recognise the historic contributions of tribal communities under Birsa Munda's leadership in the freedom struggle and to draw inspiration for nation-building, this year is being observed as the " Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh" under the Prime Minister's guidance. On the occasion of Bhagwan Birsa Munda's 150th birth anniversary, as part of the "Tribal Pride Year Festival" celebrations from November 1 to 15, 2025, the state government, led by CM Patel, will organise a Janjatiya Gaurav Rath Yatra across the state's tribal areas from November 7 to 13. Route 1 will cover 665 km from Umargam to Ekta Nagar, while the route from Ambaji to Ekta Nagar will span 713 km, totalling 1,378 km. This special yatra has been meticulously planned to extensively cover the tribal regions.. During the yatra, the Janjatiya Gaurav Rath will be received and warmly welcomed by the people in the villages along its route. At the overnight halt, residents will be shown plays and exhibitions depicting the life and principles of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, along with information on various Central and State Government schemes. The yatra will also feature a range of service-oriented activities, including health check-up camps, Seva Setu initiatives, and community cleanliness drives, all conducted in the villages along the route with active public participation. Furthermore, programs will be held to make children, youth, and the wider community more aware of the life and values of Bhagwan Birsa Munda throughout the yatra. Additionally, the departments of state government will also organise a range of programs showcasing Bhagwan Birsa Munda's contributions to nation-building, including painting and oratory competitions, theatrical performances (natak-bhavai), lectures on his life, and film screenings. In addition to the 14 tribal districts, various Tribal Pride Year celebrations will take place in 20 other districts from November 13 to 15. While flagging off the Gaurav Yatra from Ambaji Dham, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel stated that the Prime Minister has prioritised the holistic development of tribal communities during his tenure, implementing numerous welfare initiatives. He further noted that the state government has extended the Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana, launched for the socio-economic upliftment of tribals in Gujarat, until 2025 with an allocation of Rs 1 lakh crore. Chief Minister highlighted that under the PM-JANMAN Abhiyan, tribal communities in the state have gained access to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana houses, 21 mobile towers, and 4G connectivity in their settlements. He lauded that under the Adi Karmayogi Abhiyan, more than 1 lakh 40 thousand people across the state contributed to preparing the Adivasi Village Vision 2030, creating a Village Action Plan aimed at the comprehensive development of tribal villages. Chief Minister emphasised the significance of the upliftment and contributions of tribal communities in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "Viksit Bharat @ 2047." He also called upon people to celebrate Janjatiya Gaurav by embracing local products through the "Vocal for Local" initiative and by promoting indigenous tribal handicrafts, craftsmanship, and traditional cuisine. On this occasion, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Shankar Chaudhary said that Bhagwan Birsa Munda was a source of inspiration and an exemplary figure for the tribal community. Throughout his life, he made tireless efforts to preserve their religion, culture, and tribal identity. He also worked to raise awareness among the people to eradicate social evils and superstitions within the community. The Speaker stated that Bhagwan Birsa Munda gave prime importance to promoting education and worked for social reform through campaigns for an addiction-free society. By establishing ashrams, he guided the community toward a new direction, inspiring today's youth. Despite facing numerous challenges, he stood up against the oppressive policies of the British government. From his life of struggle, we can draw inspiration to uphold national unity, self-respect, and justice. Bhagwan Birsa Munda's contributions will remain immortal in India's history. Minister of State for Tribal Development and Food & Civil Supplies, Poonamchand Baranda, stated that Bhagwan Birsa Munda's life exemplified struggle, service, and dedication. He instilled self-confidence and unity within the tribal community. Today, the state government is persistently working to ensure the holistic development of tribal communities by expanding opportunities in education, healthcare, and employment in tribal areas. On the occasion of the inauguration of Janjatiya Gaurav Yatra, Minister of States Pravin Mali, Swarupji Thakor, Kamlesh Patel, Ramesh Katara, Leader Ratnakarji, Rajya Sabha MPs Babubhai Desai and Ramilaben Bara, MLA Aniket Thaker, Principal Secretary (Tribal), Shahmeena Husain, former Minister, Kuber Dindor, Hari Chaudhary, District Collector Mihir Patel, District Development Officer MJ Dave, District Police Chief Prashant Sumbe, along with other officials, dignitaries, and a large number of tribal leaders and community members, were present. (ANI) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday celebrated 150 years of the National Song 'Vande Mataram' by organising collective singing programmes across all four parliamentary constituencies of Himachal Pradesh. The main event for the Shimla parliamentary constituency was held at Hotel Woodville Palace, where Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, MP and former Union Minister Anurag Thakur, and MP Suresh Kashyap participated in the collective singing of Vande Mataram. The event was part of the nationwide campaign launched by the BJP and the Central Government, commemorating the song's 150 years and recognising its pivotal role in India's freedom movement and national unity. Similar events were held simultaneously across the country, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the celebrations in Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said, "The mantra and voice of freedom Vande Mataram led to the liberation of our country. I would like to thank and greet the Prime Minister for initiating this idea of celebrating 150 years of Vande Mataram. The present and future generations must remember the immense contribution of those who fought for India's independence." He added that the song symbolises the essence of India's cultural and spiritual unity. "Opposition parties, including those in power in our state, claim that Mahatma Gandhi belonged only to them. But the Prime Minister has revived Gandhi's campaigns like Swachhata Abhiyan and the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Even Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a Congress leader, has been rightly honoured by Modi ji through the Statue of Unity." "It is unfortunate that the Congress hesitates to sing Vande Mataram. Across the country, especially in NDA-ruled states, the celebration is being held with enthusiasm. We hoped the Congress government in Himachal would also join this effort to recall the mantra that contributed to our freedom. Back in 1950, Congress wrote to Pt. Nehru, deciding to sing only two lines of the song citing religious concerns. Such decisions only divide the nation," Jai Ram Thakur further said. "We are fortunate to have leadership today that is connected with the nation's freedom, culture, and development. As the Prime Minister said, we must carry our culture, gratitude, and progress together. The youth need to know more about our heritage and those who made sacrifices for this freedom. We must remember and pay tribute to leaders like Birsa Munda and others," he added. Addressing the gathering, Union Minister and MP Anurag Thakur said that across the country, the programme is being held under the leadership of the Prime Minister. "This is not merely a song but a mantra of our devotion, culture, and faith. It reminds us of the heritage of our great nation. Vande Mataram was written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and was given the status of the National Song by President Dr. Rajendra Prasad," he said. "The Union Cabinet decided to celebrate the 150 years of Vande Mataram as a national Utsav. Starting from Bankim Chandra's poetry, it became the slogan of the freedom struggle, and today, it is the mool mantra to build a Viksit Bharat." he said. Taking a swipe at the Congress, Anurag Thakur said that even during the freedom struggle, there were objections within the Congress. "Maulana Mohammad Ali and others opposed the song on religious grounds. Unfortunately, even now, Congress governments try to avoid singing it. As the Prime Minister said, Vande Mataram is the voice of India's soul. Those who hesitate to sing it should reconsider their sense of national integrity," he said. "The Congress is promoting appeasement politics by supporting Rohingya and Bangladeshi infiltrations. They even opposed Sardar Patel, whom Modi ji honoured with the Statue of Unity. Modi ji has given Yoga to the world, and campaigns like Har Ghar Tiranga have united the nation. Vande Mataram was once a slogan of freedom and today serves as an inspiration for a Viksit Rashtra. Congress disowned Dr B R Ambedkar, but Modi ji has honoured all contributors to India's freedom," he added. Concluding the programme, MP Suresh Kashyap said, "The BJP has organised these programmes across all four parliamentary constituencies of Himachal Pradesh to celebrate 150 years of Vande Mataram. The song is a symbol of India's unity and nationalism, and under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, such initiatives remind us of our shared history and the sacrifices made for our independence." The leaders collectively emphasized that Vande Mataram is not just a song but a timeless call for patriotism, unity, and cultural pride a mantra that continues to inspire generations to work towards building a strong and united India. (ANI) In a post on X, Southern Command shared, "Showcasing Tri-Service synergy under Exercise Trishul, formations of the Sudarshan Chakra Corps of Southern Command have embarked on a Joint Amphibious Exercise with the Indian Navy along India's Western seaboard. Integrated planning, mobilisation, embarkation and meticulous rehearsals, preceded the final phase of this Integrated Amphibious Task Force which has embarked to validate Multi-Domain Amphibious Assault Operations, encompassing coordinated Land, Sea & Air manoeuvres in a realistic operational environment." Southern Command said that the exercise aims to validate integrated mission planning, operational readiness and interoperability in addressing contemporary security challenges, while demonstrating India's Amphibious capabilities. "From shore to ship, and beyond the horizon, the mission underscores India's resolve, Tri-Service integration, and readiness to secure national interests across multiple domains," Southern Command added. Earlier last month, reflecting the national vision of JAI - Jointness, Atmanirbharta, and Innovation, the Southern Command showcased the strength of unified air defence through a joint exercise Sudarshan Vayu Sanchar as part of Exercise Trishul in the Desert Sector, demonstrating how seamless coordination across services is redefining India's air defence architecture, according to a release. The exercise brought together Army Air Defence units, Indian Air Force elements, and naval surveillance inputs into a single, integrated control and reporting network, ensuring real-time threat detection, identification, and engagement. This unified structure validated joint airspace management, enhanced command-and-control integration. It demonstrated how a layered defence grid can operate at speed, precision, and resilience in high-tempo combat environments. (ANI) Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Sunday urged voters to think wisely and make a decision in the Jubilee Hills Bypolls on November 11 and Hyderabad became a "growth engine" during the previous Congress government. "Voters should think wisely and make a decision in the Jubilee Hills by-election taking place on the 11th of this month. Voters should think about the overall development of Telangana. People should see how much development Congress has achieved during its time. Giving the state to BRS led to huge debts," CM Reddy told reporters here. He also highlighted the work done by the Congress government in the State. "Wasn't it Congress that made Hyderabad a metropolis?.. Metro, Outer Ring Road, International Airport.. all these were brought by the Congress government..." He also targeted Union Minister G Kishan Reddy. "If Hyderabad is submerged in floods, G Kishan Reddy will not bring a single penny from the Center. The construction and demolition of Kaleshwaram happened within three years...Rs one lakh crores were drained into Godavari....The people of Jubilee Hills should think wisely and vote.. Hyderabad became a growth engine during the last Congress government." Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday slammed Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and accused him and the Congress candidate of "wearing a skull cap for votes". Bandi Sanjay Kumar said, "If a day comes when I must wear a skull cap for votes, I'd rather cut off my head. I'm an unapologetic Hindu - I won't insult other faiths by faking a namaz. Even Muslim leaders like Azharuddin and AIMIM didn't wear it. But CM Revanth Reddy and the Congress candidate did - just for votes. Does CM have the courage to ask Azharuddin to chant Vakratunda Mahakaya? Or take Owaisi to Bhagyalakshmi temple and make him sing a song for Ammavaru to win Hindu votes?" The counting of votes is scheduled for November 14. This by-election was prompted by the death of the sitting MLA and BRS leader, Maganti Gopinath. The Congress party has nominated V. Naveen Yadav, a leader from the Backwards Class (BC), as its candidate. Meanwhile, the BRS has chosen Gopinath's widow, Sunitha, to run for the position. The BJP has selected Lankala Deepak Reddy as its candidate. (ANI) Air Marshal M Matheswaran (AVSM VM PhD, Retd) emphasised the critical importance of building technological and industrial capabilities across the value chain, particularly in the defence sector. Speaking exclusively to ANI, on the significance of rare elements, he noted, "The rarer elements are a critical part of the defence industry in terms of their use in a variety of applications, whether it's radars, sensors, missiles, smart bombs, or display systems like multifunction displays. Actually, it's quite extensive." He highlighted the necessity of securing supply chains, stating, "There is no option but to ensure the supply chain is always safe and secure. Ultimately, of course, the ideal situation is that we have everything made within the country, but that's not always possible economically and viable. But we should ensure the supply chain is in our control." Despite ongoing efforts, Matheswaran acknowledged challenges in achieving full indigenous production. "We are doing a lot of research in that. A lot of tests have been done, but we are still not at a stage where it's indigenized fully," he said, pointing out issues with import dependency at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). "HAL has problems with the supply chain because there is so much import dependency on multiple components. Much of it is indigenized in production, but even when it is produced within the country, the raw material still comes from outside. So there is always a supply chain connection to import supply chains. So that is something that needs to be addressed." Matheswaran also discussed the integration of indigenous and imported technologies in defence applications. "Quite a lot of weapons that we've used are also indigenous weapons, but even indigenous weapons have imported components. And that is why, particularly when you use sensors and smart systems, they will have the rarest incorporation into it. That is one. Second, big weapons like fire from the rifle, the scalp and the hammer, long-range missiles, etc. They're all imported weapons. So they have their applications as well." He underscored the foundational role of mining and research institutions in developing domestic capabilities. "They are the foundational guys because they are the ones who will develop the mines,....mine the ores, and give it. So it's better late than never. The government has developed a strategic plan that incorporates many aspects of the private sector, utilising a hub-and-spoke model to connect research institutions and academic institutions. So a lot of research will go on, R&D, to be able to develop our own machinery, our own technologies, and replace or substitute the technologies on which we are dependent on machinery imports and permanent magnet imports. But all that is actually what they've done. The good thing is that they've allocated a significant amount of funds. It's almost five billion dollars over seven years. So that should make some results, give some results, but it needs to be done." Matheswaran advocated for a collaborative approach between the public and private sectors. "I think we need to get out of this old, archaic idea of looking at PSUs as the only agency for the government, and others are not. The industrial ecosystem was combined with PSUs, which initially emerged due to the government's involvement, as the country was poor at that time, and only the state could create industries. Now they have the best infrastructure, but simultaneously, the private sector emerges. So now you need to have an equal playing field for both the public and private sectors to be able to address problems like this." He stressed the urgency of enhancing capabilities, saying, "We need to create capabilities much more than what we have right now. There is, however, a very big mountain to climb. Let's focus on that first, rather than becoming a leader in rare earths later. We can see that later." Regarding international partnerships, Matheswaran cautioned, "In terms of partnership, yes, we have to work with friends. Japan, Australia, Singapore, Korea, the US, and the UK. So these are all countries with whom we have industry and trade relations. But nobody gives you technology..... So remember that, whether friend or enemy, nobody will give you critical technology. They all do, it's business. So the only way to do that is while you take the technology from them in terms of buying components, focus on your education, research, and your own development." (ANI) Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday inaugurated a large-scale Farmers' Conference at G B Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, Pantnagar, as part of the state's Silver Jubilee celebrations. During the programme, progressive farmers from agriculture, horticulture, dairy, fisheries, and cooperatives, along with Lakhpati Didis, were felicitated by the Chief Minister with mementos, commendation certificates, and traditional shawls. Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi was also present on the occasion. Extending his greetings to all farmers on the Silver Jubilee of Uttarakhand's statehood, the Chief Minister said that the "hard work and dedication of farmers are the true strength and wealth of the state." He paid tribute to all those farmers who played an "important role" in realising the vision of Uttarakhand's formation and in making the state "self-reliant" over the past 25 years. He emphasised that this "conference is not merely a discussion" on agriculture-related schemes, "but a gesture of gratitude to the farming community and their families". The Chief Minister said that the "balanced development of the country and state is possible only when the farmers are empowered". "Without the empowerment of farmers, the dream of a strong nation remains incomplete," CM Dhami said. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed India can only be realised "when the farmers progress", as India has been an agrarian country since ancient times. Speaking about his personal connection with farming, the Chief Minister said that agriculture has shaped our society, festivals, and traditions. The Chief Minister highlighted that since 2014, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, unprecedented work has been done for farmers' upliftment. "The Prime Minister firmly believes that the confidence of a farmer is the greatest strength of the nation," CM Dhami said. He said that the central government is committed to providing Indian farmers the same modern facilities that farmers in developed countries enjoy. "Today, 11 crore farmers across the country are receiving financial assistance under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, including about 9 lakh farmers in Uttarakhand," CM Dhami added. He said that from increasing Minimum Support Prices to providing crop insurance under the PM Fasal Bima Yojana, the government has ensured that farmers receive security and fair prices. "Through the Soil Health Card Scheme, farmers are being informed about soil nutrients and fertilizer needs to improve productivity and soil fertility," CM Dhami said. He added that the state government is providing loans up to Rs 3 lakh to farmers without interest, and under the Farm Machinery Bank Scheme, farmers receive up to 80 percent subsidy for purchasing agricultural equipment. "Irrigation through canals has also been made completely free of cost. Provision of Rs 200 crore has been made for polyhouse construction, under which about 350 polyhouses have already been established," CM Dhami said. The Chief Minister further said that the state has approved the Uttarakhand Climate Responsive Rain-Fed Farming Project worth Rs 1,000 crore to strengthen rain-fed agriculture in hill districts. "Additionally, new policies for apple, kiwi, dragon fruit, and millets have been implemented with up to 80 percent subsidy to promote horticulture," CM Dhami said. He highlighted that food processing units, cold storage structures, mushroom units, beekeeping units, and mega food parks are being expanded to increase farmers' income. He noted that mushroom production has increased from 500 MT at the time of state formation to over 27,000 MT today, placing Uttarakhand fifth in the country. "Honey production is also rising, placing the state eighth nationwide. Tea cultivation has expanded from 196 hectares to 1,585 hectares, and tea tourism is being promoted in Kausani, Shyamkhet, Ghorakhal, and Silingtok, creating new employment opportunities," CM Dhami said. The Chief Minister said that during the Silver Jubilee Year, the state is launching the campaign "Uttarakhand ka Kisan - Uttarakhand ka Gaurav" (The Farmer of Uttarakhand - The Pride of Uttarakhand). He urged everyone to work together to build Uttarakhand into a prosperous, self-reliant, and modern agricultural state. Agriculture Minister Ganesh Joshi also addressed the gathering and congratulated everyone on the Silver Jubilee celebrations. He said that the last 25 years have seen remarkable progress in agriculture and horticulture. He stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is as committed to the welfare of farmers as he is to soldiers guarding the nation. He highlighted that more than 1.65 lakh women in the state have become Lakhpati Didis through livelihood groups and self-employment initiatives. Presiding over the programme, local MLA Tilak Raj Behar said that under the guidance of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the state is progressing rapidly. He thanked the Chief Minister for approving an industrial park in Kichha and for the decision to repair the roads of Pantnagar. (ANI) Assam Rifles has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rudram Dynamics Foundation (RDF), a non-profit organisation, to jointly undertake initiatives in the fields of academics, research, innovation, incubation, training and online education, a press release said. This partnership marks a significant step towards strengthening the professional capabilities of Assam Rifles personnel through structured academic and skill enhancement programs. The MoU was signed by Major General Jai Singh Bainsla, SM, Additional Director General of Assam Rifles and representatives of Rudram Dynamics Foundation in a formal ceremony held at the Assam Rifles Headquarters, Shillong. The primary objective of this MoU is to synergise the expertise of Assam Rifles and Rudram Dynamics Foundation to promote research-oriented learning, innovation and capacity building. The partnership is expected to open new avenues for professional growth and contribute to nation-building by equipping personnel with contemporary skills and knowledge. Through this collaboration, both organisations reaffirm their commitment to advancing education, research and training for the greater good of the security forces and the nation. The DGAR, while speaking on the occasion, stated that this MoU will provide Assam Rifles personnel with a valuable platform to enhance their professional competencies and academic qualifications by aligning their service profile, tenure, and courses with recognised civil education standards. This initiative will ultimately open up wider opportunities for them in the civil sector. Earlier, the Assam Rifles Inspector General's Conference 2025 was held at the Headquarters Directorate General Assam Rifles in Laitkor, Shillong, on November 3 and 4. According to a release, the two-day conference was chaired by Lieutenant General Vikas Lakhera, AVSM, SM, Director General of Assam Rifles, and attended by Formation Commanders, Battalion Commanders, and Staff Officers from Headquarters DGAR and various formations. During the conference, Lieutenant General Vikas Lakhera complimented all ranks of the Force for their professional conduct and performance under challenging circumstances. He emphasised the importance of maintaining security and the sanctity of the Indo-Myanmar Border, highlighting the need for the Force to remain prepared for all contingencies and security challenges in the future. Key highlights of the conference included discussions on enhancing the capability and combat potential of the Assam Rifles, preparing a roadmap for the acquisition of new-generation weapon systems and military equipment, and sharing best practices among formations and units to enhance overall efficiency. The discussions also emphasised the importance of training and skill development for soldiers, the release said. (ANI) Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday said that Congress recognised "Vande Mataram" as the national song for the first time in the presence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore and other leaders and alleged that today the BJP and RSS are playing "divisive politics" and propagating it for their "agenda". "In the presence of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Subhas Chandra Bose, and Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian National Congress recognised 'Vande Mataram' as the national song for the first time, and the Congress is proud of both 'Jan Gan Man' and 'Vande Bharat'... Today, the BJP and RSS are propagating it for their agenda, playing divisive politics, but people now understand their intentions," Gehlot said on the occasion of the 150 years of the national song. "From vote tampering to pressuring the election commission and judiciary, they are doing all wrong to win the election, putting democracy in danger...,: Gehlot told reporters here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the year-long commemoration of the National Song "Vande Mataram" at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.The Prime Minister also released a Commemorative Stamp and Coin on the occasion. Prime Minister Modi also launched a portal commemorating the 150th anniversary of the National Song 'Vande Mataram'.The celebrations featured a mass singing of the full version of "Vande Mataram" across public places, with participation from citizens across all segments of society, in conjunction with the main programme.PM Modi also participated in the mass singing of the full version of 'Vande Mataram' at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium. Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Saxena and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta were also present on the occasion. This programme marks the formal launch of a year-long nationwide commemoration, from November 7 to November 7, 2026, celebrating 150 years of this timeless composition, which inspired India's freedom movement and continues to evoke national pride and unity. Vande Mataram is a Sanskrit poem written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1876. It was later included in his novel Anandamath, published in 1882, and became a symbol of Indian nationalism during the country's struggle for independence. The poem is a hymn to the motherland, personifying India as a goddess, and is often translated as "Hail to the Motherland". The song has been a source of inspiration for many Indians and is considered one of the most iconic expressions of patriotism in the country. (ANI) The staff of PP Subroto Park, PS Delhi Cantt, has arrested four accused persons in a robbery case and has recovered Rs 18,000 cash and a car used in the offence, DCP Amit Goel said. The accused arrested are identified as Amit alias Kaku, Pawan, Manish alias Churri and Sonam. DCP Goel further added that on November 3, a PCR call was received at PS Delhi Cantt regarding a robbery in an unknown car. The complainant reported that after arriving at Dhaula Kuan Bus Stand from IGI Airport at about 1:30 AM, he boarded a private tour car that was already occupied by three men and one woman. During the journey, the woman started abusing and threatening him while the others forcibly took his belongings, including a mobile phone and debit cards. The accused withdrew Rs 33,000 from his account using the stolen card, broke his mobile phone, and threw it away before abandoning him at an isolated place. Accordingly, a case vide FIR No. 283/2025, U/s 309 BNS was registered at PS Delhi Cantt, New Delhi, and an investigation was taken up. A raid was promptly conducted, resulting in the arrest of Amit, alias Kaku, and Manish, alias Churri. On their instance, co-accused Pawan and Sonam were also apprehended from their residences. DCP Goel further informed that cash amounting to Rs 18,000 was robbed from the complainant, and a car was used to carry out the robbery. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the involvement of the accused persons in other similar offences. (ANI) What can India learn from China in combating air pollution? Global Times) 08:51, November 07, 2025 Illustration: Liu Rui/GT As the smog continues to plague Delhi of India, attention is also turning to what India can learn from China's air pollution control. According to India Today, data shows that Delhi's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) rose to 264 on Thursday, firmly in the "poor" zone. According to The Economic Times, air pollution has become an annual feature in Delhi as winter begins, with several parts of the capital wrapped in a thick layer of smog. Amid worsening air pollution in India, spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India Yu Jing stated on social media on Tuesday, "China once struggled with severe smog, too. We stand ready to share our journey toward blue ones." This is not the first time voices have emerged in India calling for India to learn from China's air pollution control. Previously, some Indian media outlets, including Indian business newspaper The Economic Times, have looked to China for reference. Years ago, China's air pollution once drew international concern. In 2013, the State Council issued the Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution. Over the past decade, China has established a systematic and practically tested framework for air pollution control. Jia Weilie, a professor at the Institute for Sustainability of Huzhou University and a researcher at the Budapest Centre for Long-term Sustainability, told the Global Times that China has developed practical and replicable practices, including establishing a scientific and efficient monitoring and regulatory system, promoting the transition to cleaner energy sources, optimizing industrial structure and layout, as well as strengthening regional joint prevention and control mechanisms. China's success has demonstrated to developing nations worldwide that economic growth and environmental governance are not mutually exclusive. They can avoid the traditional path of "polluting first and cleaning up later" the Western industrialized countries once took. China and India share certain commonalities in the environmental challenges and the sources of pollution. Indian cities like Delhi are currently grappling with severe air pollution due to reasons including crop residue burning, vehicle emissions, and industrial activities - all of which have been key focuses in China's air governance agenda. Long Xingchun, a professor from the School of International Relations of Sichuan International Studies University, said China has extensive expertise in areas such as energy substitution and heating equipment improvements, with measures like the coal-to-gas transition in particular offering relevant insights for India. He added that when it comes to new energy, China and India already have a foundation for cooperation in solar energy, which further expands the possibilities for collaboration on pollution control. India doesn't need to completely replicate the Chinese model due to the differences in economic development level and political system. However, as The Economic Times noted, "India can't be China but can learn important lessons." Cooperation between the two countries in air pollution control would not only help India avoid detours in combating air pollution but also open new avenues for rebuilding mutual trust. China's experience shows that addressing air pollution is an arduous long-term battle that demands firm political will and sustained investment from the government - it cannot be accomplished overnight. While the potential for cooperation in air pollution control is substantial, the depth and breadth of future collaboration will largely depend on how the Indian government responds to China's goodwill in sharing its experience. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Glen Powell got "running lessons" from Tom Cruise. Glen Powell got tips on how to run from Tom Cruise The 37-year-old actor plays the lead role in the remake of the 1987 dystopian action movie The Running Man and revealed that he got an in-depth guide to stunt work from his Top Gun: Maverick co-star. Speaking on Friday's (07.11.25) episode of The Graham Norton Show, Glen said: "Tom rang me to give me the low down and, what I thought would be a 10 minute call, lasted two and half hours - he basically told me how not to die! "He also gave me running lessons. He said, 'You should film yourself running because you don't look as cool as you think you do.' He was so right!" Glen added that the reality of doing stunts is a long way removed from the glamorous image that people have in their minds about action heroes. The Hit Man actor explained: "I had to abseil down eight storeys of a building in freezing conditions half naked and wearing a harness which cinched me - believe me nothing looked good! "The crazy thing I found out after was that there was a guy whose only job was to stop me kicking a window - I wondered what he was seeing take after take." Powell's character Ben Richards was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1987 version ofThe Running Man and he sought permission from the Terminator legend before taking on the role. The Chad Powers star said: "I didn't want to tread on his legacy without speaking to him. He was lovely and gave me his blessing. "He doesn't miss any of his action movies. He was like, 'It's a brutal way to go to work, I preferred Kindergarten Cop and Twins.'" Glen recently lamented how audiences don't realise the amount of hard work that goes into making action sequences for the big screen. He told Screen Rant: "Its a process to really sell stunts. From an outsiders perspective, when youre watching a movie, youre like, 'Okay, Im sure theyre padded up or whatever,' but youre delivering and taking a lot of hits over the course of a movie." The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday 7th November at 10.40pm. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday announced that it has signed a deal worth around USD one billion with US firm General Electric, for the supply of 113 F404-GE-IN20 engines along with a support package to execute the 97 LCA Mk1A aircraft program. Posting on X, HAL said, "The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has entered into an agreement with General Electric Company, USA, on 7th November 2025 for the supply of 113 Nos of F404-GE-IN20 engines and support package for execution of 97 LCA Mk1A programme" The engines are expected to be delivered from 2027 and are anticipated to be completed by 2032. "The engine deliveries would be from 2027 to 2032. The contract for 97 LCA Mk 1A was signed in September 2025," HCL posted. Earlier in the week, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia's Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to produce, for the first time, a passenger aircraft, the SJ-100, in India. The agreement was inked in Moscow on Monday, according to a press release by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). HAL shared details of the signing on X, stating, "HAL and Public Joint Stock Company United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) Russia signed an MoU for production of civil commuter aircraft SJ-100 in Moscow, Russia on October 27, 2025."The SJ-100 is a twin-engine, narrow-body aircraft currently in operation with more than 16 commercial airline operators. Over 200 such aircraft have already been produced. Under the new arrangement, HAL will have the rights to manufacture the SJ-100 for India's domestic customers, a move seen as crucial for enhancing short-haul connectivity under the government's UDAN scheme. This collaboration represents the first time a "complete passenger" aircraft will be produced in India since the AVRO HS-748 project, which began in 1961 and ended in 1988. According to the release, the partnership between HAL and UAC reflects the mutual trust that the two organisations have developed over years of collaboration on aerospace projects. The initiative is expected to help meet India's growing aviation needs. Industry estimates suggest that over the next decade, the country will require more than 200 jets in this category to strengthen regional connectivity, along with an additional 350 aircraft to cater to the Indian Ocean region and nearby international tourist routes. "The manufacturing of the SJ-100 aircraft marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Indian aviation industry. It's a step towards fulfilling the dream of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in the civil aviation sector," the release said. HAL said that the project is expected to boost local manufacturing, provide opportunities for private industry participation, and generate both direct and indirect employment across the aviation value chain. (ANI) Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that the campaign against Chitta in Himachal Pradesh would be transformed into a mass movement, and the participation of every citizen of the state in this movement was most important. He was chairing a review meeting here today regarding preparations for the Anti-Chitta Walkathon, to be held in Shimla on 15 November,said the release. The Chief Minister said that registration for participation in this walkathon could be done by scanning a barcode. Various awareness activities would be organized during the walkathon from Ridge to Chaura Maidan which would be participated by the youth, students and people from various sections of society. CM Sukhu directed the relevant departments to complete all preparations in a timely manner to ensure the event's success. This campaign would continue for the next three months, and it was going to be a decisive battle against Chitta. He stated that the state government was committed to completely eradicating the Chitta and no person involved in this trade would be spared. The Chief Minister stated that, following the state-level anti-Chitta walkathon, various events against it would also be organised at the district and sub-divisional levels. The Cabinet members, all MLAs, and prominent individuals from society would also participate in these events. Director General of Police Ashok Tiwari gave detailed information about various preparations for the walkathon. Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary K.K. Pant, Additional Chief Secretary Shyam Bhagat Negi, Secretary to the Chief Minister Rakesh Kanwar, OSD Gopal Sharma and other senior officers were present in Shimla while Deputy Commissioners and Superintendents of Police of various districts joined the meeting virtually. Meanwhile, on Thursday, CM Sukhu reviewed the ongoing projects of the Tourism Department and stated that Rs. 460 crore has been disbursed to beneficiaries for land acquisition for the expansion of Kangra Airport, while another Rs. 1,899 crore is ready for disbursement, according to the release. (ANI) To connect young students with Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji's enduring legacy, timeless teachings, and unparalleled sacrifice, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) organised a three-day seminar series commemorating the 350th Anniversary of the Ninth Guru Sahib, according to the release. These seminars were held from 3rd to 7th November at sacred sites in Punjab closely associated with Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji's final journey. Elaborating on the PSEB's initiative, Punjab Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains informed that the seminar series were thoughtfully organised along the historic route where Bhai Jaita Ji (Baba Jiwan Singh Ji) carried the sacred Sis (Head) of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib Ji from Delhi to Sri Anandpur Sahib, creating a deeply impactful and immersive learning experience for students. According to the release, Bains further shared that the three-day seminar series commenced on November 3 at Senior Secondary School, Dayalpur Sodhian (Sis Asthan, Nabha Sahib), continued on November 6 at School of Eminence, Kiratpur Sahib and culminated on November 7 at Government Kanya Senior Secondary School, Sri Anandpur Sahib. Over 2,600 students participated in the seminars, gaining insight into the lives, teachings and unparalleled sacrifice of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, Mata Gujri Ji, and the Chotte Sahibzade, S. Harjot Singh Bains said while adding that the seminars were focused on Ninth Guru Sahib's supreme sacrifice for the protection of dharam (faith and righteousness) and courage, making the historical event a living, breathing lesson for the young minds. The Education Minister S. Bains appreciated the PSEB's initiative, stating, "Where there is the teaching of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, there is the victory of humanity. It's a matter of deep pride to see today's children understanding and embracing the Guru sahib's teachings. This was not merely a ceremony; it's a journey of connecting our youth with our core values through education." Amarpal Singh, PSEB Chairman, highlighted that the initiative's success is rooted in students internalising the lessons, making the Guru's teachings a part of their lives. "The true objective of education is fulfilled as young minds draw inspiration from Guru Sahib's life, learning truth, courage and righteousness. We're shaping conscientious citizens, not just students," he added. (ANI) The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) today participated in a soulful collective rendition of 'Vande Mataram'. The occasion marked the 150th anniversary of the iconic National Song that has inspired India's spirit of unity, courage and devotion to the Motherland, the press release said. The event was held in the presence of senior officials and staff members, who also joined the live address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted the historic significance and enduring legacy of 'Vande Mataram', as a symbol of India's collective identity, national pride and timeless cultural heritage. To commemorate the occasion, the Ministry organised a tree plantation drive and a thematic exhibition. The plantation activity reflected the essence of 'Vande Mataram'. The exhibition showcased the journey, cultural impact and patriotic significance of the National Song, reaffirming its role in the Indian freedom movement and its continuing relevance in contemporary India. The Ministry reiterated its commitment to advancing environmental conservation and national unity through meaningful citizen engagement and initiatives rooted in the ethos of respect and care for India's natural heritage. (ANI) Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday visited the site of Tata Electronics' Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test (OSAT) project at Jagiroad in Morigaon district, a pathbreaking initiative that marks India's first semiconductor assembly and testing facility in the North-East, an official press release said. The Finance Minister, accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, interacted with officials overseeing the project and reviewed its progress. Later, she participated in an interactive session titled 'Enterprise Assam - Viksit Bharat @2047', engaging with over 200 students, start-ups, and entrepreneurs from across the State. Addressing the gathering, she highlighted the expanding opportunities for the youth in Assam's emerging industrial and innovation landscape. "The present time offers immense opportunities. Once an industrial unit is established, several peripheral industries are likely to emerge, creating additional employment opportunities for the youth. Assam is witnessing a golden moment of growth, and I urge the youth to step forward, take risks, and start their own ventures to contribute to the nation's economic development," the Finance Minister stated. Sitharaman emphasised that Assam has taken the lead by establishing a semiconductor manufacturing unit in the State, demonstrating foresight and dynamism in its industrial policy. "Just ten days ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a Rs 1 lakh crore fund for research and development. This fund is accessible not only to government institutions but also to private sector entities across the country to promote innovation and research," she added. The Finance Minister underlined that such forward-looking initiatives would foster an ecosystem of innovation, entrepreneurship, and employment, propelling Assam toward the vision of 'Viksit Bharat @2047'. Nirmala Sitharaman, along with the Chief Minister of Assam and students of Sankardev Vidya Niketan, Charaibaahi, Morigaon, also fervently participated in the mass signing of Vande Mataram as the nation celebrated the 150 years of its National Song. The TATA semiconductor project is being developed with an investment of Rs 27,000 crore and is expected to produce 48 million semiconductor chips per day upon completion. It will employ advanced packaging technologies such as Flip Chip and Integrated System-in-Package (ISIP) and is set to become one of the country's premier high-technology manufacturing facilities. The project is expected to generate approximately 15,000 direct and 11,000-13,000 indirect jobs. The OSAT project aligns with the Government of India's vision to establish a self-reliant. (ANI) BRS Working President KT Rama Rao has demanded that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy present the achievements of his two-year rule and seek the people's verdict in the Jubilee Hills by-election, instead of resorting to diversionary tactics. Addressing a roadshow in Vengalrao Nagar as part of the Jubilee Hills by-election campaign on Friday, KTR strongly countered the comments made by Revanth Reddy earlier in the day. The voting for the Jubilee Hills by-election is scheduled on November 11, and the counting will take place on November 14. KTR alleged that Revanth Reddy has already conceded defeat in the Jubilee Hills by-election, which is why he is claiming that this election is not a referendum on his administration. "If the Chief Minister truly believes in his governance, why is he refusing to make this election a referendum? His own statements clearly show that he is afraid of the public verdict," KTR said. KTR appealed to voters to compare two years of the Congress government's "misrule and corruption" with ten years of development achieved under the BRS government, particularly in Hyderabad. He said that the BRS government transformed Hyderabad into a leading global city with major advancements in IT, healthcare, infrastructure, housing, and public services. "From IT growth to the construction of TIMS super-speciality hospitals, flyovers, strategic road development, and one lakh double-bedroom houses--Hyderabad was taken to national leadership during BRS governance. But in just two years, Revanth Reddy has pushed the city into decline, damaging livelihoods from real estate workers to auto drivers," KTR stated. KTR accused the Congress government of using the 'Hydra' demolition drive to target the poor, while sparing influential individuals involved in illegal constructions. Displaying visuals on LED screens during the roadshow, KTR challenged Revanth Reddy to demolish the illegal constructions and farmhouses owned by his own ministers if he truly believes in law and justice. "Hydra bulldozers should not stop at the homes of the poor. Let him prove his sincerity by acting against his own cabinet," KTR said. The BRS Working President further questioned why voters should support a government that has "betrayed every section of society over the past 24 months" despite promising six guarantees. "Only by defeating the Congress in Jubilee Hills can the people force the government to implement those guarantees," he asserted. He also criticised the Congress for invoking the name of the late N.T. Rama Rao, reminding that it was the Congress that had overthrown NTR's democratically elected government and later removed his name from the Shamshabad airport. KTR recalled Revanth Reddy's earlier comments insulting NTR and said the Congress has no moral right to use his legacy for political gain. KTR urged voters to deliver a decisive verdict in Jubilee Hills to "put an end to two years of unchecked corruption, harassment, and authoritarianism." He appealed to the public to defeat the Congress to restore accountability and ensure that promises made to the people of Telangana are fulfilled. (ANI) India's Ambassador to Brazil, Dinesh Bhatia, represented Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the World Leaders' Summit held ahead of the COP30 Climate Conference in Belem, Brazil, the Indian Embassy said. The Heads of State Summit will conclude on November 7. This summit aims to facilitate focused, high-level discussions and improved organisation. India's participation at the summit reaffirms its commitment to climate responsibility under Prime Minister Modi's 'Panchamrit' vision, which is India's five-point action plan to combat climate change, announced at the COP26 summit in Glasgow in 2021. "Representing PM @narendramodi, Ambassador @dineshbhatia participated in the opening of Leaders' Summit during Cop30noBrasil in Belem," the Embassy said. https://x.com/indiainbrazil/status/1986457498476290397 Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav is scheduled to lead India's main delegation to COP30, which is set to take place from November 10 to 21 in Belem. India is expected to push for stronger commitments on climate finance, technology transfer, and equitable representation of developing countries in global climate decision-making. "Delegation is going to Brazil to attend the COP 30 conference. More than 190 countries will be participating in the COP 30 conference. The Indian delegation will discuss climate finance, Indicators Rationalise Adaptation, new technology, and other issues," Union Minister Yadav said. The Leaders' Summit, hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, marked the opening of high-level discussions on global climate goals ahead of the main COP30 session. At the meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged nations to take decisive action to limit global warming. He called for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels and stronger protection of forests and oceans. "Every fraction of a degree means more hunger, displacement, and loss, especially for those least responsible. It could push ecosystems past irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unlivable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security," Guterres told leaders in Belem. He added that failure to contain global heating would amount to "moral failure and deadly negligence." "Each year that is warmer will hammer economies, deepen inequalities, and impact developing countries hardest, even though they did least to cause it," he said. Guterres further noted that while science now suggests a temporary overshoot beyond the 1.5 degree Celsius limit may occur by the early 2030s, the target remains "a red line for humanity." Later, in an X post, he warned that the world had "failed to keep temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius." https://x.com/antonioguterres/status/1986453258487976152 He urged rapid emissions cuts, accelerated fossil fuel phase-out, and stronger forest and ocean protection. The UN chief also highlighted the progress of the clean energy transition, stating that renewable energy investments now exceed fossil fuel investments by USD 800 billion. "Clean energy is winning in price, performance, and potential," he said, "but what is still missing is political courage." Hosted in the Amazon region, COP30 will bring together nearly 200 countries, global leaders, and climate experts to shape the next phase of the world's environmental agenda. (ANI) The Russian Embassy in Pakistan has strongly criticised, Pakistani daily, The Frontier Post, accusing the English-language newspaper from Peshawar of running a "series of anti-Russian articles" and promoting "Western propaganda" against Moscow. The embassy also noted that The Frontier Post has its global news service headquarters in Washington. In a statement issued on Thursday, the embassy said the newspaper's international news section was being influenced by an Americanised editorial team, allegedly based in Washington, which it said "invariably gives preference to ardent Russophobes and critics of Russian foreign policy." https://x.com/rusembpakistan/status/1986453830838722920?s=48 The embassy said it was difficult to find even one article in the paper that spoke about Russia or its leadership in a neutral or positive way. "Recently, it has been impossible to find a single article in the international section of the newspaper that portrays Russia or its leadership in a positive or even neutral light," the statement said. It added that the continued publication of "anti-Russian" reports showed "political bias rather than freedom of speech." "This barrage of anti-Russian articles containing standard Western propaganda and lacking any alternative viewpoint makes one wonder whether the editorial board's policy is based on political bias rather than freedom of speech, " the statement added. The statement also noted that The Frontier Post, which has an entire section on Afghanistan, "completely ignored" the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan held on October 7, which was widely covered by other regional media. "This approach further highlights the Russophobic nature of the Westernised editorial office," the embassy said. The Russian mission went on to accuse the publication of echoing Western narratives about Russia's "weak economy" and "vulnerability to sanctions," calling such claims factually incorrect. The embassy cited official figures showing that Russia's GDP grew by 4.1 per cent in 2024, with manufacturing up 8.5 per cent and an unemployment rate of 2.5 per cent. "These are strange indicators for a country with an 'economy vulnerable to collapse,'" the statement said, It further highlighted recent military developments, such as the testing of Russia's Burevestnik cruise missile and Poseidon underwater vehicle, as signs of continued strategic capability. "We urge the Pakistani public to seek information from various sources and not rely on publications that serve the dubious interests of foreign sponsors," the statement said. (ANI) The US Supreme Court on Thursday (local time) allowed the Trump administration to require the sex designation on US passports to align with a traveller's biological sex - male or female, a blow to transgender and nonbinary Americans who have argued the policy is unconstitutional, CNN reported. The order represented another win for US President Donald Trump on the court's emergency docket and another setback for LGBTQ rights at a time when the justices are considering multiple cases involving state laws aimed at trans Americans. "Displaying passport holders' sex at birth no more offends equal protection principles than displaying their country of birth - in both cases, the government is merely attesting to a historical fact without subjecting anyone to differential treatment," the court said in an unsigned order, as per CNN. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, named to the court by former US President Joe Biden, penned another scathing dissent, joined by the court's other two liberals. "Such senseless sidestepping of the obvious equitable outcome has become an unfortunate pattern," Jackson wrote, as per CNN. "So, too, has my own refusal to look the other way when basic principles are selectively discarded," she said. "This court has once again paved the way for the immediate infliction of injury without adequate (or, really, any) justification." The American Civil Liberties Union, which had challenged the policy, described the court's decision as a "heartbreaking setback for the freedom of all people to be themselves." "Forcing transgender people to carry passports that out them against their will increases the risk that they will face harassment and violence and adds to the considerable barriers they already face in securing freedom, safety, and acceptance," said Jon Davidson, senior counsel for the ACLU's LGBTQ and HIV Project. The Trump administration's policy, stemming from a January 2025 executive order, mandates that federal documents, including passports, recognise only two sexes, male and female, based on "biological classification" and birth certificates. This temporarily reverses a 2021 policy under President Joe Biden that allowed Americans to self-select their gender marker, including a nonbinary "X" option, without medical documentation. As a result of this change, new passport applicants must currently select either male or female based on their birth certificate; however, existing passports with an "X" marker remain valid until their expiration date. (ANI) The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan said it agreed to a proposal by the US for a ceasefire in Sudan after more than two years of fighting with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Al Jazeera reported. The paramilitary group said in a statement on Thursday that it would accept a "humanitarian ceasefire" proposed by the US-led "quad" mediator group, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, "to address the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of the war and to enhance the protection of civilians". There was no immediate comment from Sudan's military. Earlier this week, the US senior adviser for Arab and African affairs, Massad Boulos, said efforts were under way to reach a truce and that the warring sides had "agreed in principle," as per Al Jazeera. "We have not recorded any initial objection from either side. We are now focusing on the fine details," Boulos said on Monday, Al Jazeera reported, citing its sources. Earlier on Thursday, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had said his forces were "striving for the defeat of the enemy". "Soon, we will avenge those who have been killed and abused ... in all the regions attacked by the rebels," he said in a televised address, as per Al Jazeera. The announcement comes as the RSF faces accusations of committing mass killings since it seized the city of el-Fasher in North Darfur state on October 26, following an 18-month siege. The RSF now dominates the vast western Darfur region and parts of the country's south, while the army holds the north, east and central regions along the Nile and the Red Sea. More than 70,000 people have fled el-Fasher and surrounding areas since the RSF's takeover, according to the United Nations, with witnesses and human rights groups reporting cases of "summary executions", sexual violence and mass killings of civilians. The World Health Organization had reported the "tragic killing of more than 460 patients and medical staff" at a former children's hospital during the city's takeover. Both the warring sides have been accused of war crimes. In a September report, the UN Human Rights Council accused both sides of extrajudicial killing, large-scale attacks against civilians and torture. It also reported an "overwhelming volume" of evidence on sexual violence primarily perpetrated by RSF and SAF members, as per Al Jazeera. (ANI) Jack Whitehall's jokes about the Louvre heist didn't go down well in Monaco. Jack Whitehall misjudged his audience when joking about the recent Louvre heist The 37-year-old star couldn't resist poking fun at last month's theft of 78 million worth of jewels from the Paris museum when he hosted a jewellery awards bash in the Principality but admits that he "died on (his) a***" in front of an unimpressed audience. In an interview on Friday's (07.11.25) episode of The Graham Norton Show, Jack recalled: "I was hosting a jewellery awards event in Monaco and I was wondering what on earth I could talk about when the comedy gods delivered the Louvre heist. "I don't speak French, so I had no idea that the woman that came on before me said the robbery was one of the most tragic things that had ever happened to the French people, and on I come with a high viz vest with a load of prop jewellery. When I said, 'Who wants Napoleon's tiara', it was tumbleweed. I died on my a***. "How did I know that mentioning 'heist' five times to a room full of jewellers is like shouting 'bomb' at an airport. It was horrendous!" Jack plays an antagonistic male nanny in the Amazon Prime Video series Malice and relished getting to play a "proper villain" for a change. The Jungle Cruise star said: "It has the vibe of The White Lotus and Mr Ripley. It was such a different role for me as I'm playing a proper villain." Jack - who has daughter Elsie, two, with his partner Roxy Horner - was in the process of hiring a nanny while filming for the show and had some "intense questions" for those eyeing the job. He explained: "I had just become a dad and was hiring a nanny when I was filming it, so my level of questioning was intense!" Whitehall appears alongside David Duchovny in the show and explained that The X-Files star didn't know him at first - but was "excited" when the comic was an answer on the British TV programme Catchphrase. The Afterparty star said: "He didn't know who I was at the start but while we were filming in England he got obsessed with Catchphrase and was so excited that my name was one of the answers." The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Friday 7th November at 10.40pm. South Korean military said that Pyongyang had fired at least one unidentified ballistic missile toward the East Sea as per a report in Yonhap. It did not give further details. The Japanese government also said today that North Korea had fired what could be a ballistic missile. Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi told reporters that the missile apparently fell outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, with no damage to planes or ships reported, Kyodo news agency said. North Korea as per the Seoul-based Yonhap, last fired a short-range ballistic missiles northeastward on October 22 ahead of South Korea's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and US President Donald Trump's visit to the country. It also fired multiple artillery rockets less than an hour prior to the visit by US defence chief Pete Hegseth to the Demilitarized Zone, separating both the Koreas. Meanwhile, Pyongyang has vowed to take action to counter sanctions imposed on Tuesday by the US President Donald Trump's administration. The US Treasury Department announced earlier this week that it had imposed sanctions on eight North Korean individuals and two entities for their role in laundering funds stolen through illicit cyber activities. The department said that the individuals were "state-sponsored hackers," whose illicit operations were conducted "to fund the regime's nuclear weapons programme." Previously, on November 3, the US State Department had said that it would request the UN Security Council committee to impose sanctions on seven ships accused of smuggling North Korean coal and iron ore to China. North Korea views its missile and nuclear programs as crucial for deterring any potential attacks on its regime. (ANI) Nepal has seen an enthusiastically high number of new voters with more than 1,30,000 new voters enrolled in the poll roll update within the last 42 days. In the southern plains of the Himalayan nation, the voter registration drive has brought thousands of enthusiastic new voters to queue up outside the District Election Commission office to get their names updated in the poll roll. "I am excited about casting my vote in the election. My vote can drive the development, roads, and other infrastructures will be built, it will bring the change in our lifestyle as well," Anil Mahato, a youth from Birgunj, told ANI as he stood in line for the voter roll update. "It will be the first time that I will be exercising my voting right. I am quite excited about being able to experience the first vote that I will be casting. This will also make me updated about the politics and get to know the candidates and people around," Ankita Gupta, another youth from the strategically important economic town of the Himalayan nation, told ANI as she also stood in line for her turn to get herself enrolled in the voter list. The two-day Gen Z movement on September 8 and 9 unseated the KP Sharma Oli government, where at least 72 people were killed as the government tried to suppress the protestors. After three days of deliberations, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was appointed the interim Prime Minister of the nation, who had recommended dissolving the parliament. Upon Karki's recommendation, President Ramchandra Paudel dissolved the House of Representatives on September 12 and announced fresh polls for March 5, 2026. Starting September 26, the Election Commission resumed voter registration after Paudel issued an ordinance clearing legal hurdles to open the voter roll. As per the ordinance, any Nepali citizen who turns 18 by March 4, 2026, can register. The commission has set November 16 as a deadline to update the list. "The voter enrollment process is being carried out. People are participating enthusiastically to get their names up in the poll roll list. The number has gone quite high; on average, we are enrolling 350-450 names on a daily basis. We have been enrolling the names from 8 am in the morning to 6 pm in the evening on work days through two stations within this office," Arun Kumar Thakur, information officer at the District Election Office, Parsa, told ANI. As per the Election Commission of Nepal, 18,148,654 voters have been listed as of Chaitra-end (mid-April)--the previous Nepali year 2081. As many as 17,988,570 voters-9,140,806 men, 8,847,579 women, and 185 from other categories- were eligible to cast their ballots in November 2022. By April 2025, in two and a half years, the number increased by 160,054 to 18,148,654. A total of 136,060 (male 81,864, female 54,178 and others 18) new voters have been added to the electoral roll, as per the Election Commission. The number of new registrations has been rising steadily, with 11,197 voters added on Thursday alone, the highest single-day addition since the registration campaign began on September 25. The registration rate has significantly increased since mid-October, when the total stood at less than half of the current figure. The highest numbers of new registrations have been reported from Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Parsa districts. The surge in registrations can be attributed to widespread awareness campaigns organized by the EC and various civic groups, including the Gen Z-led groups, which have been urging young citizens to register their names in the voter list. It was projected that 18,168,230 citizens would have reached voting age by November 2, 2025. As of mid-April, 18,148,654 voters had already been registered, an increase of roughly 160,000 compared to the 2022 general elections. With about three months left, the registration of political parties has also peaked in Nepal. As per the electoral body of the Himalayan nation, 125 political parties have already been registered, with the number expected to increase. In the 275-strong lower house, 165 members are elected through first-past-the-post (FPTP), while the remaining 110 are elected under proportional representation based on each party's vote shares. As per the commission's schedule, parties willing to contest next year's polls should register separately. They will have 10 days to do so, starting November 17. Parties contesting the polls will have to submit their closed lists of candidates for the proportional representation system on January 2 and 3, 2026. The commission has decided to give two weeks starting February 15 for election publicity campaigns. There will be two days of electoral silence before voting commences at 7 am on March 5. Voting will continue until 7 pm that evening. (ANI) The 13th Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Finland took place in Helsinki, reaffirming the countries' commitment to enhancing bilateral cooperation, according to the Ministry of External Affairs press release. The Indian delegation, led by Sibi George, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, and the Finnish side, led by Jukka Salovaara, Permanent State Secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, discussed various areas of mutual interest. The consultations focused on strengthening ties in trade and investment, digitalisation, quantum computing, 5G/6G, AI, sustainability, clean technologies, and the circular economy. Both sides also emphasised the importance of people-to-people connections, education, research, and development. "Both sides took stock of the progress in the India-Finland bilateral relationship, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the cooperation in the areas of trade & investment, digitalization, quantum computing, 5G/6G, AI, sustainability, clean technologies, circular economy, education, research & development, people-to-people ties and mobility," added the release. India and Finland, valued partners in the EU and Nordic region, aim to conclude an ambitious India-EU Free Trade Agreement. Finland reiterated its support for India's permanent membership in a reformed UN Security Council. "India considers Finland a valued and trusted partner in the EU and the Nordic region. With the notable progress in collaboration under the India-EU Strategic Partnership, Finnish side reaffirmed its support for early conclusion of an ambitious and mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement. Discussions were also held on multilateral cooperation, including the Arctic and in the UN. Finnish side reiterated its support for permanent membership of India in a reformed UN Security Council," added the release. The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual concern. They underscored the importance of multilateral engagements and continued dialogue on global challenges. Both sides agreed to continue regular consultations and to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations at a mutually convenient date in New Delhi, as per the statement. https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1986450498191528339 https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1986431325419544722 In a post on X, the MEA said, "Secretary (West) Sibi George called on Mr. Matias Marttinen, Minister of Employment, Republic of Finland today during his visit to Helsinki. They discussed topics of mutual interest including mobility of talent, contributions of Indian Diaspora and deepening India-Finland partnership under the Talent Boost Program." (ANI) The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution removing Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the country's home minster, Anas Hasan Khattab, from the UN sactions list. All members of the 15-member council voted on Thursday (local time) on a US-sponsored resolution to remove the pair from the list of individuals, groups, undertakings and entities targeted by sanctions. China abstained from voting saying that the draft's sponsor pushed the text forward to serve its own interests The development comes ahead of al-Sharaa's upcoming meeting with Donald Trump in the White House on Monday. "Now is Syria's chance at greatness," said the representative of the United States, whose delegation sponsored Resolution 2729 in the UNSC. China abstained from the vote stating that while the UNSC held multiple rounds of consultations, in which Beijing expressed legitimate concerns about terrorism, including foreign terrorist fighters in Syria the US pushed the text forward to serve its own interests. "Syria is in a precarious state" in which many foreign terrorist fighters -- including members of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement -- continue to threaten the country's security and stability, according to China's permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong, who urged the new Syrian Government to win the trust of the international community. Acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the council declared that the Syrian President and the home minister were no longer subject to asset freezes or travel bans imposed under previous counterterrorism measures. The Security Council in a statement said that it has decided to remove the two individuals from its Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list. The UNSC also reaffirmed its "strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and national unity of the Syrian Arab Republic." Washington's ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, said that with the resolution, the Council is sending a "clear political signal" in recognition of Syria's "new era". He noted that the new Government is working to fulfil its commitments on counterterrorism. The delisting, said the US permanent representative to the UN, will help give the Syrian people the best possible chance for a stable and prosperous future. United Nations had first imposed sanctions on Al-Sharaa in May 2014. The US first introduced sanctions in 1979 and expanded significantly after the beginning of the civil war in Syria in the year 2011. Under the sanctions there were restrictions on trade, investment and energy exports. In May this year, Washington lifted most of its sanctions on Syria. Al-Sharaa had led the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) coalition during the December 2024 offensive that toppled the previous Bashar al-Assad regime, after which he became the de facto leader of Syria. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria until al-Sharaa cut off ties in 2016. In September, he became the first Syrian leader to address the UN General Assembly in New York in almost 60 years. The United Kingdom's representative to the UN welcomed progress made by the Syrian Government to advance the country's political transition, as well as to address terrorism and the threat posed by chemical weapons. The representatives of the Russian Federation and France both emphasized the importance of supporting Syria's economic recovery, alongside its political transition. Syria's representative to UN, Ibrahim Olabi welcomed the adoption of the UNSC resolution and noted that the text aligns with "the historic and courageous decision of President Trump to support Syria". "We consider [this resolution] a sign of a growing confidence in the new Syria, its people and its leadership," he said, describing it as a "badge of honour". Syria is turning the page on war and suffering, he stressed, and building a modern State founded on the rule of law. "Damascus continues to extend its hand to all countries of the world," he said, striving to be a meeting point for East and West as reported by UN news. Meanwhile, the Syrian President al-Sharaa participated in activites of the summit of heads of states and government within the 30th session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), held in the city of Belem, Brazil on Thursday. (ANI) The cycle of extrajudicial killings in Balochistan has deepened, with four more men, among them a former paramilitary soldier and a teenage student, reportedly killed in Kech district. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has blamed Pakistan's armed forces and state-sponsored militias for what it termed part of an ongoing "kill-and-dump" campaign targeting civilians, as reported by The Balochistan Post. According to The Balochistan Post, the victims identified as Abdul Khaliq, Najeebullah, Bahad Baloch, and Abdul Rehman were slain between October 28 and November 2 in the areas of Dasht, Tump, and Dehaat. The BYC stated that these killings fit into a recurring pattern of state-backed violence used to suppress dissent in the province. Abdul Khaliq, formerly with the Frontier Corps, was abducted from Dashti Bazar on October 28 and found dead in the Kech River days later, his body bearing gunshot wounds and marks of torture. The BYC alleged that Khaliq had resigned after refusing to take part in abuses against detained Baloch civilians and was later targeted for his defiance. In another case, Najeebullah, a 31-year-old school staff member, was reportedly gunned down by unidentified men travelling in a white Toyota Corolla near Miri Link Road, a vehicle the BYC associates with state-sponsored militias. On November 1, labourer Bahad Baloch was killed in the Dehaat area while transporting oil near the Gwadar border. The attackers allegedly robbed him before shooting him dead, later attempting to stage the murder as a suicide by leaving his body in a mosque, as cited by The Balochistan Post. The final victim, 16-year-old Abdul Rehman, was fatally shot inside a shop in Tump on November 2, allegedly in front of his father. The BYC described him as a bright student during school holidays. Calling the incidents a continuation of Pakistan's "policy of impunity," the BYC urged human rights groups to investigate a systematic campaign of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions in the province, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI) In a new report, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has accused Pakistan of turning its border management policies into instruments of suffering and social collapse across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The fact-finding study, titled "When Policy Divides," paints a grim picture of how Pakistan's post-2023 passport-visa regime and the fencing of the Durand Line have destroyed livelihoods, fractured families, and deepened resentment among border communities. According to the report, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 people who used to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border daily, labourers, traders, drivers, and divided families, have lost their only means of income since the "one-document policy" came into force. HRCP notes that what once served as a lifeline for local economies has now been strangled by bureaucratic rigidity and corruption. "The thriving middle class of Chaman has vanished," the report quotes one local journalist as saying. The study highlights tragic human consequences: children increasingly risk their lives to smuggle goods through gaps in the fencing, with multiple reports of minors crushed under trucks while attempting crossings. Families living along the border have been split apart, with funerals and post-death rituals rendered impossible due to movement restrictions. Over 25,000 computerised national Identity Cards (CNICs) of border residents have reportedly been blocked, further isolating them from basic rights. Entire communities displaced since 2014 around Ghulam Khan remain in limbo, with Islamabad offering no clear rehabilitation policy. Meanwhile, locals allege rampant corruption among customs officials and Frontier Corps personnel, accusing them of facilitating illicit trade while punishing poor border crossers. The HRCP urges the government to restore traditional Rahdari and Labour cards, permit regulated visa-free crossings for residents, and establish jointly managed border trade zones to revive economic life. The report concludes that Pakistan's militarised border policy, driven by security paranoia rather than human concern, has turned once-vibrant frontiers into zones of deprivation, resentment, and despair. "A fence," it warns, "cannot secure a country if it cuts through its own people." (ANI) India on Thursday reinforced Blue Economy cooperation in Bay of Bengal region through BIMSTEC-India Marine Research Network (BIMReN) hosting its first Biennial Conference at Kochi. Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said that BIMReN, an initiative of MEA, launched in 2024, has till date connected 25 institutions and over 50 researchers from BIMSTEC countries. In a post on X, MEA said, "The event was an essential milestone in advancing regional cooperation in marine research and sustainable blue economy initiatives focused on marine challenges, ecosystem health, and research innovations. BIMReN, an initiative of MEA, GoI, launched in 2024, has till date connected 25 institutions and over 50 researchers from BIMSTEC countries. It enables institutional collaborations, through twinning research grants and split-site PhD fellowships, linking leading Indian research institutions with those in other BIMSTEC countries. The initiative, announced by PM Narendra Modi, aligns with India's broader regional policy objectives under its Neighbourhood First, Act East, Indo-Pacific and MAHASAGAR strategies." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1986663065786720579 The first biennial conference of BIMSTEC-India Marine Research Network (BIMReN) was hosted in Kochi from November 4-6, reinforcing India's Blue Economy cooperation in Bay of Bengal region, a statement by the MEA said. BIMReN, an initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, launched in 2024, enables institutional collaborations, through twinning research grants and split-site PhD fellowships, linking leading Indian research institutions with those in other BIMSTEC countries. The BIMReN initiative was announced by the Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi during the Colombo BIMSTEC Summit in 2022, to strengthen collective research in marine sciences. It aligns with India's broader regional policy objectives under its Neighbourhood First, Act East, Indo-Pacific and MAHASAGAR strategies. The first Biennial Conference of BIMReN hosted by India in Kochi brought together BIMReN partners to engage in discussions and exchange of views on the outcomes of BIMReN's activities since its launch. The pilot phase of BIMReN has till date has connected 25 institutions and over 50 researchers from BIMSTEC countries. The event served as a milestone in advancing regional cooperation in marine research and sustainable blue economy initiatives focused on marine challenges, ecosystem health, and research innovations, including building scientific networks among young researchers, effective marine resource management and harmonious policy development. The launch of BIMReN by India is testimony to its long-term commitment towards sustainable fisheries management through regional cooperation in the Bay of Bengal, which accounts for 6% of the world's fish catch and over a third of worlds fishing fleet ply around it, MEA statement said. (ANI) Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal concluded his official visit to New Zealand on Friday and said both countries are working towards the "early conclusion" of a "balanced, comprehensive & mutually beneficial" Free Trade Agreement (FTA). In a post on X, Goyal stated that, during his visit, he, along with his delegation, reviewed progress made in the 4th Round of India-New Zealand FTA negotiations, which focused on goods market access, services, economic and technical cooperation, and investment opportunities. The Commerce Minister emphasised India's intent to work towards the early conclusion of a "balanced, comprehensive and mutually beneficial" agreement that reflects the growing strategic and economic convergence between the two countries. "Concluded my fruitful visit to New Zealand with a meeting with my friend & counterpart, Todd McClay. The 4th Round of India-New Zealand FTA negotiations was focused on goods market access, services, economic & technical cooperation, and investment opportunities," his post read. "We look forward to working towards the early conclusion of a balanced, comprehensive & mutually beneficial agreement, in line with the growing strategic and economic convergence between India & New Zealand," it added. The November 3-7 visit also saw extensive engagements with business leaders, industry representatives, and members of the Indian diaspora across Auckland and Rotorua, as per a release issued by the Minister of Commerce and Industry. The India-New Zealand Business Forum, organised by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the High Commission of India in Wellington, marked a major highlight of the trip. It brought together senior government officials and key stakeholders to explore new avenues for partnership and collaboration. As per the release, a fireside chat between Goyal and McClay during the forum underscored the strong political and economic will on both sides to deepen engagement, with discussion built on the renewed momentum following the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in March 2025 in India, where both leaders agreed to pursue a forward-looking trade pact. Goyal also interacted with several prominent New Zealand business leaders, including Carmen Vicelich (CEO, Valocity), Ranjay Sikka (CEO, Slumberzone), Nathan Guy (Chairman, Meat Industry Association), and Tony Clifford (Managing Director, Pan Pac). Conversations centred around expanding cooperation in agriculture, tourism, technology, education, sports, gaming, drone technology, and the space sector, with space collaboration emerging as a promising new area, the release added. In Rotorua, the Minister addressed a CEO Roundtable attended by members of the Indian business delegation and New Zealand enterprise leaders, highlighting India's attractiveness as a global investment destination that offers vast opportunities for innovation and value addition. Goyal, along with McClay, also interacted with members of the Indian diaspora in Auckland and Rotorua. In Auckland, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon joined the gathering, lauding the Indian community as a "living bridge" between the two nations. Goyal urged the diaspora to continue contributing to New Zealand's development while remaining deeply connected to their roots in India. "In Auckland, Rt. Christopher Luxon, Prime Minister of New Zealand, joined them in addressing the Indian community. He emphasized the vital role of the Indian diaspora as a "living bridge" between India and New Zealand, echoing the sentiments expressed by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. Shri Goyal encouraged members of the diaspora to continue contributing to the growth and development of New Zealand--their Karm-Bhoomi--while staying deeply connected to their roots in India, and to take on leadership roles in strengthening communities in both countries," the release read. As part of the visit, the Indian business delegation held a series of meetings with key New Zealand enterprises and conducted site visits to Red Stag Sawmill, Fonterra Co-operative Group's Dairy and Food Innovation Headquarters, and the Auckland University Innovation Hub, exploring opportunities for collaboration in trade, technology, and investment. The visit underscored New Zealand's emerging position as a strategic partner in India's growth journey and reaffirmed India's commitment to deepening bilateral economic linkages and fostering long-term cooperation with New Zealand. (ANI) The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that three additional Chinese researchers affiliated with the University of Michigan have been charged with smuggling biological materials from China to the United States as part of a major development on the growing concerns about China's misuse of academic exchange programmes, as reported by The Epoch Times. According to The Epoch Times, in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Bai Xu and Zhang Fengfan face charges of conspiring to smuggle biological materials. At the same time, Zhang Zhiyong is accused of lying to federal agents. The trio was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on October 16, just before boarding a flight to China. The investigation links the defendants to Han Chengxuan, a researcher from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in China. Han was detained in June after arriving in the United States under a J-1 visa, and authorities later discovered that she had shipped petri dishes containing genetically modified C. elegans worms to Michigan while falsely labelling the packages. She pleaded no contest to smuggling and lying to customs officials and was deported in September after serving time. Prosecutors revealed that several intercepted shipments linked to Han were sent to Bai and Zhang Fengfan, often mislabelled as "plastic plates". The packages contained genetically modified nematodes and DNA molecules, materials that could pose biosecurity risks. Bai refused to cooperate with customs officials during questioning. Following Han's deportation, the University of Michigan launched an internal investigation, but all three accused researchers declined to participate and were dismissed from the institution. Their J-1 visas were subsequently revoked, making them subject to deportation, as highlighted by The Epoch Times. When questioned, the suspects identified Han as a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Prosecutors further connected Han's academic mentor, Liu Jianfen, a senior scientist at HUST, to a key laboratory run by China's Ministry of Education. This latest revelation adds to mounting evidence of a coordinated Chinese campaign to infiltrate U.S. research institutions under the guise of academic collaboration, as reported by The Epoch Times. (ANI) India on Friday hit out at Pakistan over reports of its alleged nuclear testing activities as revealed by US President Donald Trump, saying such "clandestine and illegal" conduct is consistent with Islamabad's long history of nuclear proliferation and smuggling networks. Commenting on Trump's recent revelation that Pakistan has been secretly testing nuclear weapons, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal noted that India has consistently flagged these concerns to the international community, referring to Pakistan's record in these matters. "Clandestine and illegal nuclear activities are in keeping with Pakistan's history, that is centred around decades of smuggling, export control violations, secret partnerships, AQ Khan network and further proliferation," the MEA Spokesperson said. "India has always drawn the attention of the international community to these aspects of Pakistan's record," he added. He further stated that India had "taken note" of Trump's comment about Pakistan's nuclear testing. Jaiswal's comment comes in the backdrop of Trump's recent revelation of Pakistan being among the countries that have been actively testing nuclear weapons. In an interview with CBS News's 60 Minutes on Sunday, Trump said several countries, including Russia, China, North Korea, and Pakistan, are conducting nuclear tests. "Russia's testing and China's testing, but they don't talk about it. We're an open society. We're different. We talk about it. We have to talk about it because otherwise you people are going to report. They don't have reporters that are going to be writing about it," Trump stated. "We're going to test because they test and others test. And certainly North Korea's been testing. Pakistan's been testing," he added. Trump made these remarks when he was asked about his decision of "detonating nuclear weapons" after more than 30 years following Russia's recent trials of advanced nuclear-capable systems, including a Poseidon underwater drone. "You have to see how they work. The reason I'm saying testing is because Russia announced that they were going to be doing a test. If you notice, North Korea is testing constantly. Other countries are testing. We're the only country that doesn't test. And I don't want to be the only country that doesn't test," Trump stated during the interview. (ANI) Jennifer Lawrence says some of her past male co-stars would punish her if she turned down their advances. Jennifer Lawrence says some of her past male co-stars would punish her if she turned down their advances Revealing their lewd behaviour during a discussion about intimacy on set for her new film Die My Love, the 35-year-old Oscar-winning actress made the remarks while appearing on the Las Culturistas podcast, hosted by comedians Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. Jennifer said she did not need an intimacy co-ordinator for Die My Love, which co-stars Robert Pattinson, 39, but emphasised he was not among the actors who had mistreated her. She said: A lot of male actors get offended if you dont want to f*** them. And then the punishment starts. Bowen and Matt reacted with surprise, before Matt joked: Just a little cute social punishment. Jennifer then added, in an exaggerated, mock-serious tone: Ive just heard of this, Ive never experienced it . Discussing her experience filming Die My Love, Jennifer said she felt comfortable working with Robert and did not find an intimacy co-ordinator necessary. She said: We did not have (an intimacy co-ordinator), or maybe we did, but we didnt really. I felt really safe with Rob. Hes not pervy and very in love with (his partner) Suki (Waterhouse.) We mostly were just talking about our kids and our relationships. So there wasnt any weird like, Does he think I like him? If there was a little bit of that, Id probably have an intimacy co-ordinator. The film, directed by Lynne Ramsay, is released in cinemas on Friday (07.11.25.) Based on Ariana Harwiczs 2012 novel, it follows a womans mental unraveling and marital struggles after becoming a mother. Jennifer, who won an Academy Award for Silver Linings Playbook in 2013, has become one of Hollywoods most prominent actors. Her career took off after her breakout performance in Winters Bone, directed by Debra Granik, which earned her an Oscar nomination at 20. Jennifer, who has two sons with husband Cooke Maroney, went on to achieve global recognition for her role as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games film series. Alongside her work in blockbuster franchises, Jennifer has built a reputation for working with acclaimed filmmakers, including David O. Russell on American Hustle and Joy, and Darren Aronofsky on Mother! International policymakers and security experts at the 17th South China Sea Conference in Vietnam's Da Nang pressed ASEAN to reduce its growing dependence on China and to internationalise the South China Sea issue to safeguard regional peace and freedom of navigation. Participants urged collective global engagement to counter China's increasingly assertive maritime actions, as reported by The Taipei Times. According to The Taipei Times, the two-day event, organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, drew defence officials, diplomats, and scholars from over 40 nations. The forum served as a platform to discuss China's escalating aggression and the urgent need for ASEAN to assert greater autonomy in dealing with maritime disputes. Philippine Coast Guard Commodore Jay Tarriela shared how Manila and Taipei peacefully resolved tensions following a 2013 incident in which a Taiwanese fisherman was fatally shot by the Philippine Coast Guard. The two sides later signed a fisheries cooperation pact in 2015. His remarks highlighted the potential for constructive diplomacy and legal cooperation in resolving conflicts, a stark contrast to China's coercive approach in regional waters. German Ambassador to Vietnam Helga Margarete Barth quoted her country's foreign minister, saying that China's belligerent behaviour in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea threatens global stability. Meanwhile, EU Ambassador Julien Guerrier emphasised that the "rules of engagement" in the South China Sea must not be defined solely by China or ASEAN. He urged greater involvement from global partners through platforms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum, as cited by The Taipei Times. Scholars from Taiwan also highlighted the island's potential to contribute meaningfully to maritime innovation and sustainability. National Taiwan University's Jin Shi-yi pointed to Taiwan's strengths in artificial intelligence and semiconductors, while National Cheng Kung University's Kuo Cheng-yuan highlighted the nation's advances in marine biodiversity and renewable energy technologies. The conference highlighted a clear consensus: to safeguard the South China Sea's stability and uphold international law, ASEAN and its partners must act collectively and resist China's attempts to dominate the region's future, as reported by The Taipei Times. (ANI) A total of 270 Indian nationals were repatriated from Thailand after fleeing Myanmar following a military raid on cybercrime hubs, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday. Speaking during a weekly press briefing, MEA Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that the Indians stranded in Thailand returned from Mae Sot on Thursday, with more expected to return in the coming days. He explained that after a crackdown in certain camp centres in Myanmar, the individuals had illegally crossed into Thailand. "270 Indian nationals returned yesterday from Thailand. They got back from Mae Sot in Thailand on two special aircraft. When there was a crackdown in Myanmar in some of those camp centres, they illegally came into Thailand, and the Thai authorities thereafter undertook certain processes that were required on their side. After that, once we verified the documents of all these people and made sure they were Indian nationals, they were flown to India yesterday," Jaiswal said. The MEA Spokesperson further noted that some more Indian nationals remain in Thailand and will also be brought back shortly. "I understand that there are some more Indian nationals who are there right now in Thailand, and they will also be coming back in a few days' time. I shall keep you updated on the number," he added. Jaiswal's remark came in the wake of Indian nationals detained in Thailand after fleeing a military raid in October on a cybercrime hub in Myanmar. According to the Bangkok Post, several Indian nationals crossed into Thailand following a raid by the Myanmar military on the KK Park compound, a site notorious for running international cyber scams. The military operation forced hundreds of foreign workers at the compound to flee across the border into the Thai town of Mae Sot. Thai authorities stated that at least 1,700 people from 10 countries, including India, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, had entered Thailand after the raid, according to the Bangkok Post. This is not the first such incident. Earlier this year, India had repatriated several citizens trapped in scam centres along the Thai-Myanmar border after coordinated regional crackdowns. KK Park, located in Myanmar's Myawaddy region, is well known among global law enforcement agencies for running large-scale online fraud operations. Reports suggest the compound and nearby facilities are controlled by Chinese criminal syndicates and supported by local armed groups allied with Myanmar's military. The MEA spokesperson also reiterated long-standing travel advisories warning Indians to avoid fraudulent job centres across the world. "Over the years, several agencies of the Government of India have constantly put out this point and issued travel advisories to Indian nationals to stay away from these scam centres. The price that one has to pay is very high. People go there, they are met with violence, and there are all sorts of exploitation that happen," he said. Jaiswal urged Indians to exercise caution and verify recruiters and agencies, whether domestic or foreign, before accepting employment offers. "We once again urge all Indian nationals to stay away from such job offers and verify the people who offer these jobs, because it comes with a lot of risks," he warned. (ANI) In a post on X, Jaishankar stated that both leaders also exchanged views on key regional, global, and multilateral developments. "Good to meet Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko of Russia today. Discussed taking forward our multifaceted bilateral cooperation. Also exchanged views on important regional, global and multilateral developments," the post read. Russia has been a longstanding and time-tested partner for India, with the development of India-Russia relations being a key pillar of New Delhi's foreign policy. Since the signing of the "Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership" in October 2000, during the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, India-Russia ties have acquired a qualitatively new character with enhanced levels of cooperation in almost all areas, including political, security, defence, trade and economy, science and technology, culture, and people-to-people ties, as per the Ministry of External Affairs. During the visit of the Russian President to India in December 2010, the Strategic Partnership was elevated to the level of "Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership". The bilateral relationship has remained strong and stable over 75 years, with the India-Russia partnership being among the steadiest in the contemporary era, with a shared commitment to a multipolar world as well as expanding the engagement beyond the traditional military, nuclear and space cooperation. Last month, the 23rd Working Group Meeting of the India-Russia intergovernmental commission on military technical cooperation and defence Industry was held in Moscow. The meeting was co-chaired by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary, Defence Production from India and Andrey A Boytsov, First Deputy Director, FSMTC, from Russia, according to a post on X from Defence Production India. The discussions culminated in the signing of a protocol outlining areas of mutual cooperation, collaboration and mutual Growth. "The 23rd Working Group Meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation and Defence Industry was held in Moscow on 29th October 2025. The meeting was co-chaired by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production) from India and Andrey A Boytsov, First Deputy Director, FSMTC, from Russia... The discussions culminated in the Signing of a Protocol outlining areas of Mutual Cooperation, Collaboration and Mutual Growth," Defence Production India said. (ANI) Cuba and Jamaica have publicly thanked India for standing with them after Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean, leaving widespread destruction and a rising death toll. Leaders and foreign ministries from both nations highlighted India's medical help, equipment and humanitarian supplies, describing the support as timely and deeply valued. The Ambassador of Cuba to India posted a message on X expressing appreciation for the assistance reaching affected provinces. "Our sincere gratitude to @MEAIndia, Air Force, Government and the people of #India for the noble and solidarity gesture of donating medical supplies and equipment, and two BHISHM hospitals, to help people affected by Hurricane Melissa in the eastern provinces of #Cuba," it said. The Indian Embassy in Havana added details of the shipment that arrived after the storm's devastation, noting the spirit behind India's outreach. "A special aircraft from IN carrying HADR assistance arrived this evening in CU following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. Guided by the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world is one family. India stands in solidarity with the people of Cuba, reaffirming bonds of friendship and humanitarian cooperation. Approx 20 tonnes of relief materials include a special BHISHM Medical Trauma Unit, other essential medicines, electricity generators, tents, bedding, kitchen & hygiene kits, solar lanterns and other essential items to aid recovery efforts," it said. In Jamaica, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade expressed its gratitude on X, noting that the support will help accelerate recovery efforts. "Jamaica, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, has received humanitarian relief support from the Government of India to accelerate recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa. Foreign Minister @kaminajsmith and Permanent Secretary Ambassador Sheila Sealy Monteith welcomed the assistance yesterday and expressed gratitude to the Government and people of India for the donations, which were facilitated by His Excellency Mayank Joshi, India's High Commissioner to Jamaica," it said. Jamaica's Foreign Minister Kamina Johnson Smith also wrote a detailed message thanking India and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, linking the cooperation to India's broader approach to global partnership. "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam was more than the theme of India's G20 Presidency. It is a world view that supports a most intentional approach to South South Cooperation. One which always keeps people at the forefront of engagement, together with building resilience. I take the opportunity to extend our most sincere thanks to my excellent counterpart @DrSJaishankar for the monumental effort made to ensure relief is delivered to those hardest hit by #HurricaneMelissa . Solar lamps, generators, medical supplies, including the BSHM modular trauma kit, remote-controlled delivery mechanisms for flooded areas and gender sensitive hygiene kits are just some of the items included. We also welcomed the Indian medical team here for the next few days to train our teams in the use of the new equipment and technology. We always remember #VaccineMaitri and will also remember this support as well," Smith wrote. Jaishankar replied to her message on X, saying, "Deeply appreciate your warm sentiments FM @kaminajsmith. India stands in solidarity with the people of Jamaica in these testing times, as it has done before." The Indian Embassy in Kingston shared details of the assistance received by Jamaican authorities. "India delivers humanitarian aid to Jamaica for disaster relief from devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, 6 Nov 2025:A consignment of appx. 20 tonnes of Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) materials from the Government of India arrived in Kingston aboard a C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on 6 November 2025. The relief materials include special BHISHM Medical Trauma Unit, generators, tents, bedding & mats, kitchen kits, solar lanterns, hygiene kits, and other essential supplies to support post-hurricane recovery," it said. Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic storms to hit the region in more than 150 years, has left Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti struggling with severe flooding, landslides and infrastructure damage, as per CNN. The UN Development Program estimates that western Jamaica alone produced nearly five million metric tonnes of debris, equal to around 500,000 truckloads. Early assessments suggest the losses may amount to almost 30 per cent of Jamaica's GDP. Across the region, the storm has claimed dozens of lives, with local authorities in Haiti and Jamaica reporting a combined toll of around 75 deaths, as per UN News. (ANI) The Ministry of External Affairs has confirmed that at least 44 Indian nationals are currently serving in the Russian army. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government has raised the issue with Russian authorities, urging the release of these individuals and warning citizens against accepting recruitment offers, citing serious risks to life. Jaiswal said, "In the last few months, yes, we have come to know, we have been informed of several Indian nationals who have been recruited in the Russian army. We have once again taken up the matter with the Russian authorities to have them released at the earliest, as also to put an end to this practice." He added, "As per our understanding, 44 Indian nationals are currently serving in the Russian army. We are in touch with the Russian side. We are also in touch with the families of these people and giving them an update on the matter. We once again take this opportunity to convey to all that one should stay away from offers being made to serve in the Russian army because it is an offer that is fraught with danger to life and there's risk to life..." The statement comes on a day when External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko in New Delhi. In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "Good to meet Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko of Russia today. Discussed taking forward our multifaceted bilateral cooperation. Also exchanged views on important regional, global and multilateral developments." The development comes ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's planned visit to India in early December for the annual summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India and Russia share a longstanding strategic partnership. Since the signing of the "Declaration on the India-Russia Strategic Partnership" in October 2000 during President Vladimir Putin's visit, the relationship has expanded across political, security, defence, economic, science, cultural and people-to-people cooperation. This is not the first time the issue of Indians being recruited into the Russian military has come up. In July, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh told the Rajya Sabha, "There were 127 Indian nationals in the Russian armed forces, out of which the services of 98 individuals were discontinued as a result of sustained engagement between the Indian and Russian Governments on this matter, including at the highest levels. 13 Indian nationals remain in the Russian armed forces, out of which 12 individuals have been reported missing by the Russian side." He had further said that Russian authorities had been urged to provide updates on the remaining or missing individuals and ensure their safety, well-being and early discharge. For those who were released, Indian missions helped arrange travel documents and tickets for their return. Singh had reiterated that Indian missions accord "highest priority to the safety, security and well-being of all Indian nationals abroad" and act promptly whenever assistance is required. In January this year, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that 12 Indian nationals were killed while serving in the Russian army during the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. Last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation uncovered a major human-trafficking network operating across several states. The racket targeted Indian nationals by promising high-paying jobs abroad but allegedly sent them to the Russia-Ukraine war zone instead. (ANI) CAIRO, Nov 07 (News On Japan) - The Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened on November 1st near the Giza Pyramids outside Cairo, marks one of Egypts most ambitious cultural projects in decadesbuilt with extensive Japanese financial and technical support totaling about 84.2 billion yen in yen loans. More than 30 years after its initial proposal, the museum now stands as the worlds largest devoted to a single civilization. Covering roughly 50,000 square metersabout ten times the size of Tokyo Domethe facility houses over 50,000 artifacts from ancient Egypt, with an estimated five hours needed just to walk through the entire exhibition. Admission is about 6,300 yen for adults with guides (1,150 yen for Egyptian citizens). At the heart of the collection is the Tutankhamun Exhibition Hall, featuring more than 5,000 relics displayed together for the first time since the young pharaohs tomb was discovered in 1922. The entrance hall features an 11-meter statue of Ramses II, which was relocated from a busy traffic circle in central Cairo to its new home at the museum. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed gratitude for Japans longstanding partnership, stating that Egypt would not forget the great support provided by Japan, a friendly nation, for this monumental project of civilization. Japans contribution went beyond funding, extending to technology, preservation, and cultural exchange. Reflecting that, the museums front gate bears the words Grand Egyptian Museum in Japanese, and artifact descriptions are written not only in Arabic and English but also in Japanese. According to Professor Nozomu Kawai of Tsukuba University, who helped oversee the Japanese-language displays, the translations were not literal renditions of English texts but were written to be natural and accessible for Japanese visitors. It may be the first time a major overseas museum has Japanese explanations, Kawai said. Japans role also included providing technical expertise for artifact restoration. Around 120 Japanese specialists collaborated on preserving and repairing 72 of Tutankhamuns treasures. Kawai noted that traditional Japanese washi paper was used to stabilize and mend fragile items such as chariots, wooden beds, and fragmented papyrus scrolls, showcasing Japans distinctive conservation technology. Commenting on the broader implications, TBS special commentator Hoshi Hiroshi observed that Japans engagement reflects a long-standing friendship and diplomatic depth between the two nations. Egypt has always been friendly toward Japan, and Japan has consistently prioritized support for Egypt, he said. With the U.S. having reduced foreign aid under the Trump administration, this is a good opportunity for Japan to demonstrate its presence on the global stage. Source: TBS TOKYO, Nov 07 (News On Japan) - The National Police Agency announced on November 6th that it has revised the National Public Safety Commission regulations to allow police officers to use rifles for bear control. The amendment will take effect on November 13th. By the end of November 5th, a total of 13 people had been killed in bear attacks this fiscal yearmore than double the record-high toll in fiscal 2023prompting authorities to take urgent measures. Earlier this week, the agency dispatched officials to Iwate and Akita prefectures, where bear-related damage has been severe, to assess local needs and current conditions. Based on their findings, the agency decided to expand the permissible use of rifles, which had previously been limited to cases such as hijacking incidents, to include bear culling. National Police Agency Commissioner Yoshinobu Kusunoki said, "Starting today, November 6th, we have begun dispatching rotating support units from other prefectural police forces to Iwate and Akita, where the damage has been particularly serious. We aim to establish a system that allows for bear culling operations by November 13th." According to the agency, firearm response units from other prefectures have already been deployed to Iwate and Akita. Before operations begin on November 13th, officers will receive training on bear behavior and vital points, as well as rifle shooting practice with bear culling in mind. After the amendment takes effect, each of the two prefectures will have two four-person teamscomprising two snipers, one field commander, and one liaison officer responsible for coordination with local governments. In situations where local emergency hunting teams cannot respond in time, police officers will carry out bear culling operations under the Police Duties Execution Act. Source: TBS HOKKAIDO, Nov 08 (News On Japan) - The Niseko area at the foot of Mount Yotei, about a two-hour drive from Sapporo, is now in the spotlight once again as one of Japans top resort destinations prepares for the peak ski season. Fueled by surging inbound demand, construction of hotels and leisure facilities is rapidly expanding across the regionbut local residents are increasingly alarmed by the rise in illegal land development and unauthorized building extensions. A recent investigation revealed that a Sapporo-based company had carried out an unapproved expansion on a single-story building that had passed its inspection in April. When authorities revisited the site last month, they discovered that the structure had been extended without permission. Signs reading Construction Halted and Use Prohibited are now posted on-site. With cranes towering above new developments and ski lifts rising behind them, the once-quiet Niseko landscape has transformed into a sprawling construction zone. Residents say that along with the benefits of tourism, the negative side of unregulated development is becoming impossible to ignore. There are illegal constructions and unauthorized tree cuttingthose things are definitely negative, one resident commented, adding, I just want them to follow the basic rules. Population in the town of Niseko is around 4,500, yet last year the area saw a total of 200,000 visitorsdriven by foreign investors and developers buying up land, which has sent real estate prices soaring. Around 20% of the residents are now foreigners. People come in with carts, buying bundles of goods worth tens of thousands of yen, said a local store owner. To outsiders, rent here looks very high. The town has modernized quickly, but thats not always a good thing. In neighboring Kutchan Town, a contractor reportedly hired by a foreign national carried out large-scale deforestation without filing the necessary applications before constructing two houses. When reporters visited the site, it had already been sealed off and declared off-limits. In response, the Hokkaido government opened an online reporting hotline last month to handle growing complaints. As development accelerates, some residents are being forced out of their homes. One woman who moved to Niseko eight years ago said she was told to leave her rental house three months ago. The owner said they were either going to sell or convert it into a vacation rental, and that my lease wouldnt be renewed, she explained. When I talked to others, I found out many were in the same situation. With rents rising sharply, more people are relocating from Niseko to nearby towns such as Iwanai, about an hours drive away. There are almost no vacant houses anymore, said a local realtor in Iwanai. Whenever one opens up, its taken immediately. Meanwhile, local governments are struggling to keep track of property owners. In Kutchan Town, the names of those who cannot be reachedmany believed to be foreignershave been publicly posted after tax notices went unanswered. Experts warn that while the Niseko bubble is transforming the area into a playground for the wealthy, long-term residents risk being left behind. The town is turning into a community for affluent outsiders, said one local commentator. We need urban planning that allows residents to keep living here. Professor Takahashi Jin of the Graduate School of Policy Studies emphasized that despite the negative aspects, there are economic benefits. Hotels and villas create local employment opportunities, he said. If 300 people are hired in the construction sector alone, thats a positive outcome compared to the previous trend of population decline and falling tax revenues. As Niseko continues its rapid transformation, the challenge for local authorities is to ensure that development remains sustainable and that communities remain livable. The government plans to finalize its new basic policy on foreign land ownership and investment by January next year. Source: FNN How member states are harmonizing legal frameworks and strengthening compliance for global migrants WASHINGTON, DC, October 30, 2025 In 2026, the European Union is entering a defining phase of immigration reform aimed at standardizing visa policy, improving transparency, and strengthening border compliance across all member states. The movement toward a unified immigration framework marks one of the most significant shifts in European governance since the establishment of the Schengen Area. While freedom of movement remains the cornerstone of European integration, the EUs growing need for skilled labor, border security, and migration control has driven a new wave of legal modernization. These reforms come at a time when demographic challenges, global displacement, and economic transformation are reshaping the continents labor and social policies. The EUs 2026 immigration agenda reflects a dual objective: to attract lawful migration that supports innovation and productivity while closing loopholes exploited by irregular migration networks. The evolution of EU visa access for non-EU citizens represents both a regulatory challenge and an opportunity to define Europes role in a globalized labor market. The Legal Framework for Reform The EUs legal foundation for migration and visa policy is anchored in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which grants shared competence between the Union and its member states over border and immigration matters. Key instruments, such as the Schengen Borders Code, the EU Visa Code (Regulation No. 810/2009), and the Long-Term Residents Directive (2003/109/EC), define how non-EU nationals can enter, work, and reside in Europe. In 2026, new legislative updates, including the Migration and Asylum Pact, the Revised Blue Card Directive, and the Entry/Exit System (EES), will consolidate these frameworks. Together, they form the backbone of Europes legal and digital modernization strategy. The European Commissions goal is to harmonize processing standards, ensure consistent enforcement, and reduce disparities between member states that have historically complicated immigration procedures. This harmonization also aims to strengthen data protection and oversight under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ensuring that the collection of biometric and personal data for visa applications remains lawful, necessary, and proportionate to the purpose. Why the 2026 Reforms Matter For decades, immigration policy in the EU was largely fragmented, with each member state applying its own interpretations of entry, residence, and work authorization. The 2026 reforms address this imbalance by promoting greater standardization and interoperability among systems. Three key priorities are driving these reforms: Labor Market Necessity: Europe faces an aging population and skill shortages in healthcare, technology, and engineering. Streamlined visa programs are intended to attract global talent and sustain economic competitiveness. Security and Compliance: The EU aims to strengthen vetting mechanisms, reduce identity fraud, and enhance cross-border cooperation through the use of integrated databases and biometric verification. Legal Transparency: Simplifying visa categories and centralizing application procedures ensures equal treatment for non-EU nationals while reinforcing public trust in migration management. In effect, these updates shift Europe from a fragmented system of national discretion to a coordinated governance model emphasizing both fairness and legal accountability. The Digital Transformation of EU Visa Systems The backbone of the 2026 reforms is the full deployment of digital systems that modernize immigration procedures. Chief among these are the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) and the Entry/Exit System (EES), both designed to operate in parallel to streamline border management. ETIAS will require travelers from visa-exempt countries to obtain prior authorization before entering the EU. Applicants will submit personal and biometric data online, which will then be cross-checked against security, migration, and health databases. EES, meanwhile, will replace manual passport stamping with digital registration of entry and exit records, tracking biometric data such as fingerprints and facial images. These systems will enhance border integrity, improve oversight, and reduce the administrative burden on consular and immigration offices. For lawful travelers, digital automation promises faster approvals and consistent decision-making across all member states. However, the digitalization of migration control also raises legal questions about privacy, consent, and data retention. The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) continues to monitor compliance, ensuring that the use of automation does not compromise individual rights. Case Study 1: Germanys Skilled Immigration Reform Germany, the EUs largest economy, has been at the forefront of the blocs efforts to modernize its immigration policies. The 2023 Skilled Workers Immigration Act (Fachkrafteeinwanderungsgesetz) created new pathways for non-EU professionals to enter the labor market, reducing bureaucracy and recognizing foreign qualifications. By 2026, the system will be fully integrated with the EUs digital migration infrastructure, enabling electronic verification of qualifications and remote visa processing through consular platforms. Germanys opportunity card (Chancenkarte) now allows foreign nationals to enter the country to search for employment under a points-based system that values skills, language ability, and education. The legal structure of this program reflects Europes broader shift from restrictive immigration toward a selective, skills-driven model. Germanys success has inspired similar frameworks in Austria, Finland, and the Netherlands, where talent shortages are particularly acute. Case Study 2: Portugals Residency and Digital Nomad Visas Portugal remains one of Europes most accessible entry points for non-EU nationals seeking long-term residence. The countrys legal framework includes multiple visa categories for investors, remote workers, and self-employed professionals. In 2024, Portugal replaced its long-standing Golden Visa real estate pathway with investment options tied to entrepreneurship, job creation, and cultural development. By 2026, the Digital Nomad Visa is expected to become one of Europes most sought-after legal residency options, attracting thousands of applicants from North America and Asia. The Portuguese model emphasizes compliance, transparency, and anti-money-laundering safeguards. Applicants must demonstrate a lawful source of income, private health insurance, and accommodation within the country. The use of biometric verification and integration with the Schengen Information System (SIS) ensures alignment with EU security standards. Portugals balanced approach exemplifies how member states can combine an open migration policy with strong legal oversight and data governance. Case Study 3: France and Harmonized Labor Mobility Frances Talent Passport system represents the EUs model for legal consistency and economic alignment. Introduced under the Code de lEntree et du Sejour des Etrangers et du Droit dAsile (CESEDA), it provides multi-year residence permits for qualified professionals, researchers, investors, and artists. In 2026, the program will undergo digital integration with ETIAS, allowing pre-clearance verification of applicants and secure data exchange across EU borders. French authorities have streamlined procedures for renewal, family reunification, and intra-EU mobility, ensuring compliance with the European Commissions guidelines on fair and transparent migration. The Talent Passport framework also reinforces Frances commitment to human rights within the migration process. Applicants are guaranteed legal recourse and protection under the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits discrimination and ensures due process in administrative proceedings. Legal Harmonization and Compliance The EUs 2026 migration strategy aims to remove inconsistencies in visa and residency programs across member states. The Migration and Mobility Framework under the European Commission promotes standardization in four key areas: Visa Processing: Establishing unified digital platforms for applications and tracking. Legal Definitions: Aligning national laws on long-term residence, family reunification, and humanitarian protection. Data Exchange: Ensuring interoperability among border, asylum, and law enforcement databases. Compliance and Oversight: Strengthening EU-level supervision through Eurojust, Europol, and the EDPS. These measures are designed to enhance efficiency while strengthening the legal framework of migration management. They also address disparities in enforcement that have led to asylum shopping and inconsistent adjudication of residence rights. Human Rights, Transparency, and Data Protection The expansion of biometric and digital verification systems has prompted ongoing debate about privacy and human rights. EU institutions have responded by embedding rights-based safeguards into every level of migration reform. The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the General Data Protection Regulation mandate that all data collected for immigration purposes must be lawfully justified, proportionate, and time-limited. Applicants are entitled to access, correct, or delete their personal information upon request. Member states are also required to maintain independent oversight bodies to review visa denials, data processing activities, and potential discrimination. These mechanisms ensure accountability and uphold the EUs commitment to the rule of law. Economic and Demographic Implications The EUs immigration modernization is not purely administrative; it reflects broader demographic and economic realities. With an aging population and labor deficits across multiple sectors, legal migration is increasingly viewed as a financial necessity rather than a political liability. The European Commission projects that by 2030, Europe will need at least 20 million additional workers in healthcare, green technology, and information technology to sustain growth. The new visa framework positions Europe as a competitive alternative to North America and Asia for skilled migration. At the same time, the EUs focus on compliance and due diligence ensures that economic migration remains lawful, transparent, and beneficial to both host and sending countries. Toward a Common European Migration Policy The long-term objective of the 2026 reforms is to establish a unified European Migration Code, an integrated legal framework that harmonizes procedures for entry, residence, and return. This concept, currently under negotiation between the European Parliament and Council, would create a single set of legal standards for all non-EU citizens entering the Union. Such a code would eliminate duplication between national systems, promote mutual recognition of residence permits, and enhance coordination in labor mobility. It would also represent a significant step toward consolidating Europes identity as a cohesive legal and humanitarian space. Conclusion The European Unions immigration reforms and visa access policies for 2026 mark a decisive shift toward modernization, legal uniformity, and data-driven governance. As Europe continues to adapt to global migration pressures, its challenge will be to maintain openness while preserving compliance, transparency, and security. For non-EU citizens, the reforms bring both opportunity and responsibility. Access to Europes labor markets and residency rights will depend on adherence to legal requirements and the integrity of data-sharing mechanisms. For EU policymakers, the success of these reforms will be measured not only in terms of efficiency but also in fairness, accountability, and respect for human dignity. The European Unions evolving approach to lawful migration represents a vision of balance: a system where global mobility, economic resilience, and human rights coexist under the rule of law. Contact Information Phone: +1 (604) 200-5402 Signal: 604-353-4942 Telegram: 604-353-4942 Email: info@amicusint.ca Website: www.amicusint.ca Kim Kardashian has hit back at critics of her new Hulu legal drama Alls Fair. Kim Kardashian has hit back at critics of her new Hulu legal drama Alls Fair Sharing a series of social media posts that both acknowledged and mocked the shows harshest reviews, the 45-year-old reality star and entrepreneur, who plays lawyer Allura Grant in the series, posted them on Instagram following Alls Fairs debut earlier in the week. The show, created by Ryan Murphy, also stars Glenn Close, Niecy Nash-Betts, Sarah Paulson, Naomi Watts and Teyana Taylor. It follows a group of women who leave a male-dominated law firm to start their own practice. Kim began her post with a photo of herself wearing a purple fur-trimmed crop top before sharing an image of her and Ryan. She then uploaded a screenshot of a tweet showing the shows Rotten Tomatoes score for the show sitting at 0%, alongside a fans response that read: Immediately pressed play. Kim then followed it with a picture of herself laughing with Ryan and her co-stars, before posting another tweet that read: Some of the worst acting Ive ever seen in my life alongside the most predictable storylines and the most ridiculous styling. Im obsessed, I need 14 seasons. #AllsFair. Kim also included screenshots of reviews from The Hollywood Reporter and the BBC, plus an image of comedian Amy Schumer recreating their viral 2015 Time 100 Gala moment at a screening of the show. One tweet she shared read: Alls Fair on Hulu dares to ask the question Does a show need to be good? And the answer is no, it doesnt. We have legendary actresses here giving the worst performances of their careers, it takes a special kind of talent to pull that kind of inability out of them. Amazeballs. The post ended with Kim highlighting more positive feedback and captioning the photos: Have you tuned in to the most critically acclaimed show of the year!?!?!? Alls Fair streaming now on @hulu and @disneyplus. Her co-star Glenn Close also joined in, posting a doodle of the cast and a pot labelled Critic-Bunny Stew a tongue-in-cheek nod to her infamous role in Fatal Attraction, in which her character boiled a pet rabbit alive in revenge for being snubbed after one-night stand. Director and executive producer Anthony Hemingway has defended the show in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He said: Youre not going to please everybody. You may have certain criticisms, while there are a million others who love it. I think the show holds a mirror up to each person who watches it. Its just about: Can you connect to it or relate to it, and see yourself? Speaking to People magazine before the shows release, Sarah Paulson said: I had the best time, I really did. Glenn added: Sarah and Kim sometimes could not look at each other without laughing. New episodes of Alls Fair are released every Tuesday on Hulu until 23 December. The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has adopted a model law on equality and equity presented by Morocco, to serve as a common reference framework, adaptable and aligned with international standards and rooted in African values and cultures. The text, adopted in plenary during the 6th ordinary session of the 6th PAP legislature (November 1-14), aims to provide legislators with a model for promoting gender equality in areas such as education, nutrition, and political participation, in line with the continental objectives of Agenda 2063. Presenting this model law, Khadija Arouhal, Vice-Chair of the Committee on Gender Equality, Family, Youth and People with Disabilities, said that this law, the result of collective and consultative work, broadens the scope of the Maputo Protocol by incorporating the contemporary challenges facing Africa. These challenges, she explained, include climate change, the digital divide, rapid population growth, humanitarian crises, and relentless economic and political inequalities. As a result, the model law will provide member states with a framework for action adapted to current realities, which require a renewed and inclusive approach to promoting the rights of women and girls in Africa. It is through this legal framework, she continued, that Africa can turn its promises into tangible realities in favor of equality and equity between women and men. Khadija Arouhal specified that, in addition to a preamble, the text includes 16 thematic chapters divided into 75 articles that describe the principles, Rights, and obligations aimed at promoting equality and equity between women and men across the continent. She stated that the articles of this text emphasize, in particular, equality and non-discrimination, equitable access to justice, measures to promote and advance equal opportunities, political and economic empowerment, equal pay, the eradication of violence and harassment in the workplace, and the elimination of gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation. They also focus, she added, on equal rights in marriage, the protection of women, children, and people with disabilities in conflict situations, access to adequate healthcare to address obstetric violence, combat forced sterilization and degrading treatment -some of the causes of maternal and neonatal mortality- and equal access to and use of new technologies. During this session, the Pan-African Parliament also adopted a model law on labor migration in Africa to serve as a legal and policy framework guiding AU member states in adopting national legislation, secondary regulations, and international agreements governing labor migration in an effective, harmonized, and coordinated manner. The two new laws add to the PAPs growing rounds of legislative frameworks, complementing previously adopted laws on food security, disability, factoring, and policing in Africa. Other model laws are currently being developed and will be presented for adoption during the current session. The Pan-African Parliament is hosting the sixth legislative period of the sixth ordinary and social session under the African Unions theme for 2025: Justice for Africans and people of African descent through reparations. Tunisia has become increasingly unsafe for refugees and migrants, particularly from Sub-Saharan Africa, amid a surge in human rights violations that Amnesty International says amount to a dangerous dismantling of protections and a humanitarian crisis. In a newly released report titled Nobody Hears You When You Scream: Dangerous Shift in Tunisias Migration Policy, Amnesty International documents widespread abuses by Tunisian authorities over the past three years. These include racially motivated arrests and detentions, violent and reckless sea interceptions, mass expulsions to desert border zones, and systemic mistreatment including torture and sexual violence, the NGO said. The Tunisian authorities have presided over horrific human rights violations, stoking xenophobia, while dealing blow after blow to refugee protection, said Heba Morayef, Amnestys Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. The report is based on interviews with 120 refugees and migrants from nearly 20 countries, conducted between February and June 2023 in Tunis, Sfax, and Zarzis. Amnesty also reviewed official Tunisian sources, UN data, and civil society documentation. Among the most harrowing accounts are testimonies of violent behavior by the Tunisian coastguard during sea interceptions. Migrants described being rammed, beaten, and subjected to tear gas. One Cameroonian woman recounted watching babies drown after coastguards pierced her boat with batons. Since mid-2023, Amnesty says Tunisian authorities have expelled over 11,500 migrants-mostly from Sub-Saharan Africa- into remote desert areas near Libya and Algeria, often without food, water, or identification. These expulsions, carried out without legal safeguards, violate international law and the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning individuals to places where they face serious harm. The crackdown has also targeted civil society organizations. At least eight NGO workers and two former officials have been arbitrarily detained since May 2024. The Tunisian Council for Refugees, one of the few groups providing critical support, faces trial later this month. In June 2024, Tunisia ordered the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to cease processing asylum claims, effectively eliminating the countrys only legal pathway to asylum. Amnesty warns that this move has left thousands trapped in a country where their lives and rights are at risk. Amnesty International shared its findings with Tunisian, European, and Libyan authorities ahead of publication but received no response. In a recent analysis, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) declared Morocco the clear diplomatic victor in its long-standing struggle to safeguard its sovereignty over the Sahara territory, following the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2797. The resolution, passed on October 31, marks a significant shift in international consensus, with CFR noting that Moroccos autonomy proposal is now widely seen as the most viable path forward. According to CFR, the Sahara- once colonized by Spain until 1976- has been a central national cause for Morocco. The Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, has long opposed Moroccan sovereignty, advocating for separatism. However, CFR asserts that the momentum has shifted decisively in Moroccos favor. The resolution, which received 11 votes in favor and three abstentions (China, Russia, and Pakistan), endorses Moroccos autonomy plan as the foundation for negotiations. Algeria, a non-permanent member of the Council this year, did not participate in the vote. CFR highlights that the resolution urges all parties, including Algeria, to engage in talks without preconditions, and describes autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as a most feasible outcome. CFRs analysis traces US policy on the issue back to the George W. Bush administration, when the first autonomy proposal was supported. That backing has continued under successive administrations, including Obama, Trump, and Biden. CFR emphasizes that bipartisan US support, along with endorsements from France and Spain, has helped elevate Moroccos plan from one of many options to the central framework for resolution. While acknowledging that Algeria remains opposed and continues to support the Polisario diplomatically and militarily, CFR argues that the UN vote represents a practical solution and a diplomatic victory for Morocco. The think tank concludes that if Algeria were to encourage genuine negotiations, a resolution benefiting all parties could be within reach. As CFR puts it, Autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty was the right answer when proposed a quarter-century ago and remains so today. In his first public statement since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara made it clear that autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the basis of talks between the parties: Morocco, Algeria, the Polisario, and Mauritania. De Mistura confirmed a significant shift in the diplomatic framework surrounding the long-standing regional dispute with the autonomy proposal, submitted by Morocco in 2007, as the foundational reference for future negotiations. Resolution 2797, adopted on October 31 and spearheaded by the United States, was hailed as historic for its clear endorsement of the autonomy initiative as the only realistic, serious, and credible basis for a lasting political solution. The resolution received broad support within the Security Council and marks a turning point in UN diplomacy on the Sahara issue. During the press briefing, de Mistura outlined the new negotiation framework which considers Algeria as a main party to the dispute, ending decades of ambiguity and aligning with the language of Resolution 2797, which calls for the engagement of all parties in the political process. We will of course, as indicated in Resolution 2797, take the Moroccan autonomy plan of 2007 as the basis for these negotiations, de Mistura stated, signaling a departure from previous approaches that treated multiple proposals equally. He also confirmed that Morocco would present an updated version of the plan, referencing both his October 2024 briefing to the Security Council and a recent speech by King Mohammed VI. In his October 31 address, King Mohammed VI announced that Morocco would soon submit a revised and detailed autonomy proposal to the United Nations, reaffirming its position as the sole viable framework for negotiations. As a realistic and applicable solution, it must constitute the only basis for negotiation, the monarch declared. De Mistura emphasized that the UNs role is evolving from facilitating dialogue between opposing positions to structuring a process around a single, adaptable, and realistic proposal. De Mistura, however, invited the parties to submit concrete proposals in an approach aiming to ensure that all parties, including Algeria, feel included without diluting the central framework. Sudans Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have accepted Thursday, November 6, a humanitarian ceasefire proposal brokered by a U.S.-led coalition known as the Quad, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. The move comes shortly after the RSF seized el-Fasher, the last Sudanese military stronghold in the Darfur region, following 18 months of siege. While the Sudanese army has cautiously welcomed the proposal, officials insist any truce must include RSF withdrawal from civilian areas and the surrender of weapons. The U.S. has been facilitating talks aimed at securing a three-month truce to allow aid access, followed by a nine-month political process. The war, which erupted in 2023 between the Sudanese military and its one-time ally, the RSF, has devastated the nation. The conflict has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced over 12 million, with more than 24 million facing acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme. El-Fasher and Kadugli have been declared famine zones, with international agencies describing the hunger crisis as man-made. Aid organizations warn that the continuing violence, limited access, and collapsed community kitchens are accelerating the humanitarian catastrophe, leaving families across Sudan on the brink of starvation. Those fleeing el-Fasher recount horrific journeys of survival amid drone attacks, hunger, and exhaustion, as reported by Associated Press. The agency quoted witnesses who describe seeing corpses along escape routes and people dying from dehydration and abuse. Many survivors who reached displacement camps, such as Al-Affad in Northern State, are suffering from extreme hunger and trauma. Relief groups like the Norwegian Refugee Council report that residents in besieged areas have been forced to eat animal feed and drink rainwater while hiding in self-dug holes for safety. Humanitarian workers continue to press for the establishment of safe corridors, warning that without immediate intervention, millions more could perish in silence. The Libyan Government of National Unity has confirmed the release of Hannibal Gaddafi by Lebanese authorities, lifting both the travel ban and bail conditions that had been imposed. Tripoli attributed the development to sustained Libyan diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the matter through a legal and humanitarian framework that upheld the dignity of its citizens. The Government expressed gratitude to the Lebanese leadership, particularly the President and the Speaker of Parliament, for their cooperation and the positive stance that led to Gaddafis release. The Government highlighted in a statement that the decision reflects the enduring bonds of brotherhood and shared history between Libya and Lebanon while reinforcing judicial cooperation and mutual trust. Tripoli also welcomed Lebanons commitment to reviving diplomatic relations and expanding collaboration in political, economic, and security spheres. The release followed a visit by a high-level Libyan delegation to Beirut, during which Libyan officials presented findings from their own investigation into the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadran act that reportedly eased Lebanese judicial concerns and paved the way for the decision. Hannibal Gaddafi had been held since 2015 in connection with the al-Sadr case. Sean Diddy Combs has secured a procedural victory in his ongoing federal case. Sean Diddy Combs has secured a procedural victory in his ongoing federal case A US court has approved his request for an expedited appeal a decision that could bring oral arguments forward to April 2026. The ruling offers the music mogul, who is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence for trafficking individuals in prostitution, a chance to challenge elements of his conviction before his sentence nears completion. Combs legal team had argued a standard appeals process, which can take 12 to 18 months, would likely make any ruling irrelevant if completed after he has served most of his term. According to Fox News, the courts decision to fast-track the appeal was not an indication of doubt about the conviction or evidence but was made to ensure the appeal process remains meaningful. Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, the former federal prosecutor who now heads West Coast Trial Lawyers, said the court recognised the appeal would be largely meaningful if it concluded only after Combs had already served most of his term. He explained this shift may allow Combs to push for a transition to a halfway house or home confinement sooner than expected. Combs legal representatives are also believed to be exploring other avenues for sentence reduction, including the possibility of a presidential pardon from Donald Trump. Criminal defence lawyer Nicole Blank Becker told Fox News a pardon from Trump is not out of the realm, particularly given the US Presidents past willingness to grant clemency to high-profile individuals. She added a pardon is rarely a straightforward request as Combs would need to demonstrate remorse and avoid appearing confrontational towards the federal system. Becker also explained successful clemency petitions are often handled discreetly, through intermediaries with established political connections. Donald Trump, 79, previously acknowledged Combs had requested a presidential pardon. The President has said he was open to reviewing the matter, depending on whether he believed the case had been handled fairly. Sources have told the likes of TMZ Combs remains confident Trump will grant him a pardon in 2026. The rappers eight-week trial earlier this year resulted in acquittals on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, but he was convicted on prostitution-related offences. Legal experts have described the expedited appeal as a lifeline rather than a guarantee of a reduced sentence. It offers Combs an opportunity to make his case before his full term expires. The Bad Boy Records founder is serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution at Fort Dix and has been ordered to pay a fine of approximately 390,000 ($500,000.) Following his release, he will face five years of supervised probation. His current release date is set for 8 May 2028. Tunisia is witnessing a troubling escalation in authoritarian practices, marked by hunger strikes, expedited trials, and a crackdown on civil society, according to repeated alerts from human rights organizations and independent media. Despite mounting concerns, President Kais Saieds administration appears increasingly unresponsive to criticism, deepening fears of democratic backsliding. The suspension of the Tunis office of the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) on November 5, 2025, for a period of 30 days, has sent shockwaves through Tunisias human rights community. Amnesty International and several local NGOs condemned the move as a flagrant violation of the freedom of association, describing it as part of a broader pattern of repression targeting dissenting voices. Among the most symbolic acts of protest is the hunger strike launched by constitutional law expert and political detainee Jawhar Ben Mbarek. Refusing food, water, and medication, Ben Mbarek accused President Saied of silencing him, declaring in a letter from prison: I will live free or die free. His strike underscores the intensifying standoff between political prisoners and a government increasingly intolerant of opposition. The President has also been criticized for using the judiciary to silence opponents. The conviction of lawyer and former judge Ahmed Sawab to five years in prison and three years of probation following a seven-minute hearing has sparked outrage within the legal community. What is taught in lecture halls no longer resembles what happens in courtrooms, wrote lawyer Sami Ben Ghazi in a public post, reflecting widespread disillusionment with the justice system. Further allegations of abuse have emerged in connection with the so-called conspiracy case. Elias Chawachi, son of opposition figure Ghazi Chawachi, described violent treatment of detainees, including beatings and forced transfers carried out without notifying families or legal representatives. These accounts, widely circulated in the press, have heightened concerns over the erosion of judicial independence and due process. The repression has extended beyond political circles. Several civil society organizationsincluding the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights (FTDES), the Association of Democratic Women, and independent investigative outlet Nawaathave faced suspensions or restrictions. The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) denounced what it called the weaponization of administrative, judicial, and security tools to silence free voices. A petition signed by prominent national figures calls for the reversal of these unjust decisions and an end to what they describe as a campaign of administrative and legal intimidation. Observers warn that the next target may be the powerful Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), a move that could trigger widespread unrest in an already fragile society. Meanwhile, social discontent continues to mount. In Gabes, more than 100,000 demonstrators recently took to the streets to protest industrial pollution, reflecting broader frustrations over deteriorating public services, a collapsing healthcare system, and declining purchasing power. Tunisias economic crisis is deepening, with shortages of basic goods, rising debt, and institutional paralysis fueling public anger. Arbitrary arrests of business figures, often without clear evidence, have further eroded trust in state institutions. The surge in demand for electricity from data centers is driving up power prices even in the energy-rich United States, potentially jeopardizing the country's lead in artificial intelligence. The pursuit of net-zero ambitions has led to high electricity costs in the UK and EU, which directly threatens their plans to become AI superpowers, as AI development is highly dependent on affordable power. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang publicly stated that China is positioned to win the global AI race due to its significantly lower energy costs and less stringent regulation compared to the United States and Europe. Not long ago, the UKs Prime Minister declared his government would turn the country into an AI superpower. The EU leadership has similar plans for the blocwhile China and the U.S. race ahead without looking back. Neither the UK nor the EU will catch up soon. Their energy is too expensive. Now, Nvidias boss is warning that even the United States energy costs may be too high to help it win the race. China is going to win the AI race. Jensen Huang made the blunt statement at the Financial Times Future of AI Summit this week, going on to list as reasons for this prediction the fact that China enjoyed lower energy costs and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, less regulation than the United States. He then proceeded to accuse the collective West of cynicism with regard to the AI pursuit, calling for some optimism instead. Power is free in China, he said, referring to generous state subsidies for the industryand likely to the fact that China has a lot of low-cost hydrocarbon power generation, unlike, notably, the UK and the EU. In fairness, Nvidias chief executive has a very good reason to be angry with the U.S. leadership. Beijing this week banned foreign microchips from AI data centers receiving state funding. Per the new regulation, new data centers are to only use Chinese-made chips, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources. It was unclear from the report whether the regulation had a national or local scope, but in either case, Nvidia chip sales to China would be affected by it. Set OilPrice.com as a preferred source in Google here Personal reasons for disgruntlement aside, Huangs critique of energy policies and overall regulation are quite on point. The European Union is a perfect case in point: it has for years used regulation as a means of stimulating innovation and competitiveness, only to achieve the complete opposite, drawing strong criticism from industries about it. The UK, meanwhile, is a perfect case in point on energy costs. The country has some of the highest electricity prices in the world because of the net-zero push by several successive governments. AI development, however, depends on low electricity costs. In other words, the UKs AI superpower dream will likely remain a dream unless the Starmer cabinet finds a way to bring costs downeven though Nvidia recently announced plans to invest $2 billion in fostering an AI startup culture in the UK. Yet even in the United States, which is a lot more self-sufficient in affordable energy than either the UK or the EU, the artificial intelligence race is driving electricity prices higher, which may jeopardise the countrys success in that race. Earlier this year, the biggest capacity auction in the country, covering a fifth of Americans, ended with a record-high price of $329.14 per megawatt-day. The number was 22% higher than the final price of last years auction and reflected the surge in demand for electricity driven by the data center industry. States with high concentrations of data centers are seeing soaring electricity prices that some households are struggling to pay. Related: U.S. Ambassador Warns That British Energy Costs Are Too High Meanwhile, China is subsidizing its AI industry and building new coal plants to ensure stable, reliable, and affordable electricity even as it remains the largest wind and solar installer in the world. Since 2021, the Chinese state has paid an estimated $100 billion in subsidies to the AI industry, Reuters reported this week, after reviewing government tenders in that sector. Nvidias CEO has criticized the Trump administration openly for its export curbs on chips, saying it was smart to keep Chinese AI developers hooked on U.S. chips, which, of course, would also boost Nvidias profits, but the Trump administration has refused to listen, focusing on what it sees as a risk of the Chinese government using U.S. chips in military technology. Corporate interests aside, however, it is true that energy costs will determine the winner of the AI race. The challenge for the West is to choose between bringing those costs down and suffering defeat in AI as it remains focused on net zero ambitions. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Adding to the supply-heavy tone, U.S. crude production remains elevated. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirmed that U.S. output reached a record 13.8 million bpd in August, extending a months-long streak of strong production that Saudi Arabias pricing strategy added to the downbeat mood. The kingdom cut its official selling prices for December deliveries to Asia, signaling weak regional demand and reinforcing the message of a well-supplied global market. The price reduction is widely interpreted as a competitive response to eroding refinery margins and sluggish buying interest among key Asian importers. OPEC+ attempted to stabilize prices by confirming a modest 137,000 barrels per day (bpd) increase in December and signaling a pause on further production hikes in early 2025. While the move was designed to address oversupply concerns, it fell flat with traders. The pause was seen less as proactive supply management and more as a reluctant admission of the growing surplus expected in early 2025. Light crude oil futures are on track to finish the week lower after failing to confirm a recent closing price reversal bottom for the second time. As of Thursdays close, the market is trading at $59.70, down $1.28 or -2.10%. With one session remaining, traders remain focused on the fundamental backdrop, which continues to tilt bearish. Light crude oil futures are on track to finish the week lower after failing to confirm a recent closing price reversal bottom for the second time. As of Thursdays close, the market is trading at $59.70, down $1.28 or -2.10%. With one session remaining, traders remain focused on the fundamental backdrop, which continues to tilt bearish. OPEC+ Output Strategy Fails to Convince Market OPEC+ attempted to stabilize prices by confirming a modest 137,000 barrels per day (bpd) increase in December and signaling a pause on further production hikes in early 2025. While the move was designed to address oversupply concerns, it fell flat with traders. The pause was seen less as proactive supply management and more as a reluctant admission of the growing surplus expected in early 2025. Saudi Arabias pricing strategy added to the downbeat mood. The kingdom cut its official selling prices for December deliveries to Asia, signaling weak regional demand and reinforcing the message of a well-supplied global market. The price reduction is widely interpreted as a competitive response to eroding refinery margins and sluggish buying interest among key Asian importers. U.S. Production and Inventories Add to Bearish Sentiment Adding to the supply-heavy tone, U.S. crude production remains elevated. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirmed that U.S. output reached a record 13.8 million bpd in August, extending a months-long streak of strong production that continues to offset geopolitical disruptions and OPEC+ restraint. Inventory data compounded the pressure. The EIA reported a 5.2 million barrel build in U.S. crude stocks last week, lifting total inventories to 421.2 million barrels. This followed APIs earlier report of a surprise 6.52 million barrel build, which caught many in the market off guard. While sharp drawdowns in gasoline (-5.65 million barrels) and distillates (-2.46 million barrels) provided a degree of support, the underlying crude build underscores the fragility of the markets supply-demand balance. UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo noted that refined product strength helped offset the bearish crude number, but emphasized that demand-side indicators still need to firm up to justify a sustained recovery. Global Demand Fading Across Key Markets Demand weakness remains a central concern. JPMorgan revised its 2024 global oil demand growth forecast to 850,000 bpd from 900,000 bpd previously, citing disappointing trends in travel and freight. In the U.S., high-frequency data points to subdued gasoline consumption and lower shipping activity. Chinas manufacturing sector contracted for a seventh straight month in October, while Japans PMI data showed its sharpest contraction in over 18 months, led by declines in exports tied to automotive and technology goods. These data points suggest that industrial and consumer demand are weakening at a time when supply remains robust, increasing the likelihood that inventories will continue to build unless corrective action is taken. Dollar Strength Caps Upside Momentum The broader economic environment adds further headwinds. The U.S. dollar strengthened to near a three-month high as traders trimmed expectations for a December Fed rate cut. A stronger dollar tends to weigh on oil by making it more expensive for foreign buyersan effect thats especially pronounced during periods of sluggish global growth. Russian Sanctions: More Noise Than Impact Sanctions imposed two weeks ago on Russias largest oil producers, including Lukoil and Rosneft, have not meaningfully tightened supply. While disruptions to international operations have been reported, traders remain skeptical. Jorge Montepeque of Onyx Capital remarked that the market "still needs to be convinced there will be an impact." Until disruptions are reflected in physical supply data, the market is unlikely to price in a meaningful premium. Fundamental Forecast: Bearish Bias Carries Into Friday With one trading day remaining, crude oil remains fundamentally pressured. A combination of high U.S. output, rising inventories, weak global demand, and a stronger dollar continues to cap any bullish momentum. While refined product drawdowns and geopolitical risk provide some counterbalance, they have yet to meaningfully shift sentiment. Unless Friday brings a surprise catalystsuch as a shock inventory revision or a sudden disruptionmarket conditions point toward a bearish continuation into next week. Weekly Light Crude Oil Futures Trend Indicator Analysis Light crude oil futures are on track to finish the week lower after failing to confirm a recent closing price reversal bottom for the second time. As of Thursdays close, the market is trading at $59.70, down $1.28 or -2.10%. On the upside, the first major resistance comes in at the 52-week moving average at $62.24. Two minor resistance levels follow at $62.50 and $62.59. A close above $62.59 would confirm the reversal bottom, but bulls would still need to clear the long-term pivot at $63.74. That level is seen as a potential trigger for an upside breakout, targeting $65.95 as the next objective. However, the inability to break above the 52-week moving average for a third consecutive week suggests that bearish traders are defending the level aggressively. This has opened the door for a fresh retest of the 61.8% retracement support at $59.44. A decisive move below this Fibonacci level could accelerate selling pressure down toward $55.96. From a trend analysis perspective, the 52-week moving average remains the key indicator to watch. With prices expected to close the week below this level, the short-term trend remains bearish heading into Fridays session. Momentum will likely hinge on the markets reaction to the key 61.8% retracement support. Weekly Technical Forecast The direction of the weekly Light Crude Oil Futures market for the week ending November 14 is likely to be determined by trader reaction to the 61.8% retracement level at $59.44. Bullish Scenario A sustained move above the Fibonacci level at $59.44 will signal renewed buying interest. If this move generates sufficient upside momentum, a retest of the 52-week moving average at $62.24 could follow. Bearish Scenario A sustained move below the Fibonacci level at $59.44 will indicate active selling pressure. This could trigger a sharp decline toward $55.96, with potential for an extended move down to $55.27 or lower. Weekly Forecast: Bearish Bias Holds as Key Support Level in Focus With one trading day remaining, crude oil remains fundamentally pressured. A combination of high U.S. output, rising inventories, weak global demand, and a stronger dollar continues to cap any bullish momentum. While refined product drawdowns and geopolitical risk provide some counterbalance, they have yet to meaningfully shift sentiment. Unless Friday brings a surprise catalystsuch as a shock inventory revision or a sudden disruptionmarket conditions point toward a bearish continuation into next week. Technically, a second consecutive close below the 52-week moving average confirms short-term trend weakness. The 61.8% retracement level at $59.44 remains the key pivot; holding above it could stabilize prices, while a sustained break below opens the door to deeper losses. There will be plenty of warmth on display as US President Donald Trump welcomes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban at the White House on November 7, but alongside the strong personal chemistry there will be a full plate of issues as they sit down to lunch. Long united by ideology and words, the two leaders are on opposite sides of the policy fence when it comes to imports of Russian oil. Meanwhile, plans for Orban to host Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Budapest have been placed very much on the back burner. An exemption from US measures aimed at restricting the trade in Russian oil appears to be a key item on Orbans wish list in Washington. RFE/RLs Hungarian Service reported that conversations with sources in the Hungarian government suggested they thought a deal on an exemption was likely. There is a European precedent, following a decision last month to temporarily exclude Rosnefts German subsidiary from sanctions. The White House and the State Department did not comment on questions from RFE/RL. He has asked for an exemption. We havent granted one.... Viktor is a friend of mine. He has asked for an exemption, Trump told reporters on Air Force One on October 31. Sanctioning Russian Oil Last month, Washington announced sanctions on two of Russias biggest oil companies, state-controlled Rosneft and privately owned LUKoil, in an effort to force Putin into talks on ending his more than three-year full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The move could expose those doing business with them to secondary sanctions. Prior to that, Trump had threatened secondary tariffs on nations that import Russian crude oil. In September, he called on all NATO nations to stop. He did not mention Hungary by name, but last month one of his most senior diplomats did. Hungary, unlike many of its neighbors, has not made any plans or [taken] any active steps" toward weaning itself off Russian energy supplies, US Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker said in an interview with Fox News published on October 27. "There's a lot of planning our friends in Hungary will have to do," he added, promising US aid to help make this happen. Orban has not hidden his displeasure over the issue. Asked recently whether the US sanctions went too far, he said from a Hungarian point of view, yes. He has also said that stopping oil purchases would be a catastrophe that would bring his countrys economy to its knees. In a statement on November 5, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto made no mention of the issue, perhaps to temper expectations of a deal in Washington. 'We Dont Really Have Much To Offer Each Other' Szijjartos statement said bilateral ties were enjoying a golden age and that talks would focus on economic and energy cooperation but provided no details. Hungary is not a major US trading partner. The US ran a $9.4-billion deficit in 2024, with exports worth just $3.2 billion to Hungary, according to the United States Census Bureau. A Hungarian government source told RFE/RLs Hungarian Service we dont really have much to offer each other, but added that Orban may agree to buy some US liquified natural gas despite previously viewing it as uneconomical compared to Russian gas imports. This, plus possibly some minor arms purchases and cooperating with US companies on civilian nuclear energy, might be part of a quid pro quo involving an oil-sanctions waiver. Orbans 180-strong delegation, which will use an aircraft chartered from Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air, will include several cabinet ministers, business leaders, and others. Szijjartos statement also listed peace in Ukraine as a key topic for the talks and reiterated the offer of Budapest as a summit venue. But as noted, Orbans hopes of hosting a Trump-Putin meeting have been mothballed for now. Orbans position on Ukraine has been largely unchanged since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022: opposing military support to Kyiv and trying to prevent sanctions on Russia. This once aligned him with Trump, but the US leader has appeared increasingly frustrated with Putins unwillingness to compromise in peace talks. Trump announced on October 22 that "every time I speak with Vladimir [Putin], I have good conversations, and then they don't go anywhere." His comments were followed by the new oil sanctions, a move denounced by Putin as unfriendly. Orbans opposition to Ukrainian EU membership may or may not be an issue. Back in August, Bloomberg reported that Trump had called Orban urging him to stop blocking Kyivs membership talks. However, Szijjarto denied this. "I would like to make it clear that no such phone call took place. It did not happen. Period," he said. Ahead of Orbans visit, the issue has resurfaced. Asked about whether Trump had voiced support for Ukrainian EU membership on November 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Donald Trump is supporting Ukraine as a future EU member. Speaking through an interpreter, he added: We were talking about the blockage of some of the points by the Hungarian leader. And I asked President Trump, if he supports me in that, to help us. So, he told me that he will do everything possible. The same day, Orban hit back on social media. Hungary does not and will not support Ukraines membership in the European Union, because it would bring the war into Europe and take the money of Hungarians out to Ukraine, he wrote. In a separate development in the run-up to the Trump-Orban talks, Kari Lake, the acting CEO of the United States Agency of Global Media, on November 5 notified Congress of action to terminate and no longer fund RFE/RLs Hungarian Service as "it is not aligned with US national interests." This service was relaunched in 2020 at the direction of US Congress. RFE/RL management had no immediate comment. By RFE/RL More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Inside Israel, the politics are no better. The energy ministry wants to hold back more gas for domestic power and winter storage. The security establishment wants tighter control over anything that crosses into Sinai. Cabinet discipline is weak. Every decision on export quotas or new infrastructure is now conditional on post-Gaza review. That phrase alone is enough to freeze private investment. (So, imagine how the Gaza reconstruction will go when Lets start with Egypt. Cairos finances are breaking again. Foreign-currency reserves are thin, LNG exports have collapsed since last year, and arrears to international operators are piling up. The government is still short on feedstock for its own power plants. It cant promise timely payments for new Israeli gas without hard-currency guarantees. Even IMF and Gulf injections are being absorbed by domestic subsidy needs. Until Egypt stabilizes, Chevron and NewMed wont commit real capital to Phase 2 of Leviathan. The $35-billion Leviathan-to-Egypt gas deal looked settled six months ago. This week, the pipeline, which would move that gas across Sinai, finally got technical clearance. On paper, that should have been the green light. In practice, everything else is stuck, and there are three pressure points: Egypts ability to pay, Israels internal gridlock, and Washingtons shift in posture. Whats unfolding now is a real test of whether Israel and Egypt can run a joint energy project under political pressure. The $35-billion Leviathan-to-Egypt gas deal looked settled six months ago. This week, the pipeline, which would move that gas across Sinai, finally got technical clearance. On paper, that should have been the green light. In practice, everything else is stuck, and there are three pressure points: Egypts ability to pay, Israels internal gridlock, and Washingtons shift in posture. Lets start with Egypt. Cairos finances are breaking again. Foreign-currency reserves are thin, LNG exports have collapsed since last year, and arrears to international operators are piling up. The government is still short on feedstock for its own power plants. It cant promise timely payments for new Israeli gas without hard-currency guarantees. Even IMF and Gulf injections are being absorbed by domestic subsidy needs. Until Egypt stabilizes, Chevron and NewMed wont commit real capital to Phase 2 of Leviathan. Inside Israel, the politics are no better. The energy ministry wants to hold back more gas for domestic power and winter storage. The security establishment wants tighter control over anything that crosses into Sinai. Cabinet discipline is weak. Every decision on export quotas or new infrastructure is now conditional on post-Gaza review. That phrase alone is enough to freeze private investment. (So, imagine how the Gaza reconstruction will go when all the materials for a rebuild will have to run through Egypt, with Israeli inspections?) Then the U.S. layer. Washington used to treat East Med gas as a showcase for regional cooperation, but there seems to have been a bit of a change of heart lately. The White House is unwilling to spend political capital defending Israeli export deals while Gaza is still hot. At the same time, Washington sees Egypts LNG system as the only viable route to get East Med product to global buyers. The result is paralysis for now. No one in DC will sign off, but no one wants the project to collapse, either. Chevron has slowed procurement. Engineering teams are still on contract, but bid packages for the onshore line and compression units have been postponed. Internally, theyre assuming at least a one-year slip on first gas. NewMed is pushing for a firm decision by early 2026, but without political cover, financing cant close. Technically, the route is ready. It runs from Egypts Dor to Al-Arish through the existing EMG corridor, with a new spur across northern Sinai. Environmental permits are routine; its the political approvals that are not forthcoming. Egypt hasnt issued the import license, and Israel hasnt finalized its gas-balance forecast to justify export volumes. For Egypt, this gas is survival fuel. Without it, the LNG trains at Idku and Damietta cant reach full throughput, and Cairo loses one of its few hard-currency sources. For Israel, its leverage and proof of normalcy. It needs evidence that energy trade can continue even under conflict conditions. Both sides need it, but neither can move first without U.S. backing. The best-case timeline here is for the U.S. to quietly re-engage once the ceasefire looks solid, followed by Egypt securing a payments guarantee, and Israel signing off on the export quota by late next year. In the worst case, well see another year of drifting, during which time both Cairos finances and investor confidence deteriorate. So, the deal is still alive, but only technically. The engineering is basically done, but the politics still has plenty of legs. The next twelve months will decide whether the East Med gas story can still hang on, or whether this $35 billion framework will become stranded for good. U.S. electric utility giant Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) posted consensus-beating earnings for the third quarter as rates and retail sales volumes increased. Duke Energy on Friday reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.81 for the third quarter, up by 11% from the same period a year earlier. The earnings also beat the analyst consensus estimate of $1.75 per share. The higher earnings for the third quarter were driven by the implementation of new rates and riders, along with higher retail sales volumes, said Duke Energy, whose electric utilities serve 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, and collectively own 55,100 megawatts (MW) of energy capacity. As load growth materializes across our jurisdictions, we are expecting our new five-year capital plan to be between $95 and $105 billion when we refresh the plan in February, increasing the largest capital plan in the industry, Duke Energy president and CEO Harry Sideris said in a statement. In August, Duke Energy agreed to sell an indirect 19.7% stake in its Florida business to infrastructure investor Brookfield for $6 billion in cash, part of which will fund Dukes increased capital spending plan for the next five years. A total of $2 billion of the proceeds from the transaction will fund Duke Energys increased $87 billion, current five-year capital plan, while the remaining $4 billion will be used to displace holding company debt, the firm said. In recent months, U.S. power utilities have announced billions of U.S. dollars in capital plans until the end of the decade and are getting a lot of requests from Big Tech for new power capacity in certain areas as the surge in AI and the expansion of data centers drive demand. Electric utilities in the United States are set to spend $212.1 billion in capex this year alone, which would be a 22.3% annual increase, as they race to secure new electricity supply for data centers, the Financial Times has reported, citing data from Jefferies. By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Swiss commodity major Gunvor has pulled a $22-billion bid for Lukoils international business after the U.S. Treasury Department signaled it was not happy with the deal, calling the company a Russian puppet. President Trump has been clear that the war must end immediately. As long as Putin continues the senseless killings, the Kremlins puppet, Gunvor, will never get a license to operate and profit, the Treasury said in an X post. Gunvor was co-founded by its current CEO, Torbjorn Tornqvist, and Russian businessman Genadiy Timchenko, who sold his stake in the commodity trader back in 2014. Like many other large businessmen from Russia, Timchenko is under Western sanctions. In response, Gunvor told Reuters in a statement that what the Department of the Treasury had written was fundamentally misinformed and false, adding that it would be happy to clear any misunderstandings. Until that happened, however, Gunvor was pulling its bid for Lukoils international business. The companys decision follows a fraught few days during which chief executive officer Torbjorn Tornqvist had to repeatedly assure anyone interested that the deal did not feature a buyback clause for Lukoil, which was apparently a top concern for Western market regulators. Tornqvist also warned that unless regulators approved the deal in a timely fashion, there could be a disruption of fuel supply in Central and Eastern Europe after the U.S. sanctions kick in on November 21. The magnitude of this deal needs regulatory work. It cannot be completed in two weeks. Lukoils whole international operations are paralysed. Nobody can transact with them. A lot of jobs are at stake and the refining capacity could be very disrupted, Tornqvist told the Financial Times earlier this week. Lukoil has faced escalating restrictions on its global operations since the onset of Western sanctions following Russias invasion of Ukraine. The company holds a range of international upstream and downstream assets across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, including refineries in Italy and the Netherlands, and upstream stakes in Iraq, Uzbekistan, and West Africa. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Hungary will buy U.S. nuclear fuel for the first time to use at a Russia-built nuclear power plant in the country, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said ahead of a meeting of the U.S. and Hungarian leaders. Szijjarto is part of a large Hungarian delegation led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban who is meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday. The U.S. and Hungary are expected to discuss energy cooperation and Hungarys insistence that it should continue to rely on and import Russian crude oil, which Washington has advised against. We will sign a major intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy with my foreign minister colleague Marco Rubio, Szijjarto said on Friday ahead of the meeting, as carried by Reuters. This is the first time in Hungarys history that we will purchase American nuclear fuel, the foreign minister added. Hungary will buy U.S. nuclear fuel for the Paks nuclear power plant, built by Rosatom, which was awarded in 2014 an expansion project at the site without a tender. Nuclear power cooperation will be one of the topics Hungary and the U.S. will discuss today. Another major issue will be talks on Hungarys oil imports, rather, the countrys insistence that it cannot remain competitive without Russian oil. Orban has already signaled he would seek to persuade President Trump to carve out an exemption for Hungary in the U.S. sanctions against Russias top oil firms. We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia, Orban, a Trump ally and admirer, told Hungarian state radio last week. But following the sanctions, the U.S. increased pressure on Hungary to cut off its reliance on Russian oil imports and vowed to work with Hungarian authorities and neighboring countries to help Budapest wean off Russian supply. Hungary, whose top officials have remained in contact with Russias leadership including Vladimir Putin, has continuously clashed with its fellow EU member states over plans to ditch Russian gas by 2027 and cut off oil supply from Moscow as soon as possible. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Japan will start buying liquefied natural gas for an emergency reserve from January next year, Reuters has reported, citing two unnamed sources from the countrys trade and industry ministry. The purchases aim to boost Japans Strategic Buffer LNG program at a monthly rate of at least 70,000 tons, the sources told Reuters, for a total of at least 840,000 tons for 2026. Over the last two years, Japan has been buying LNG at a rate of 210,000 tons annually, the publication noted. Japan is the worlds second-largest importer of liquefied natural gas due to its energy commodity scarcity. These imports recently came into the spotlight after the United States stepped up the pressure on Russias energy industry and buyers of Russian energy commodities, urging them to switch to U.S. energy instead. Initially, Japan told Washington it would find it difficult to replace Russian gas from the Sakhalin-2 project, in which Japanese firms Mitsui and Mitsubishi hold minority stakes, saying it was crucial for the countrys energy security. Later, however, executives from some of Japans biggest utilities said they believed that they would be able to find an alternative gas supply in case they were no longer able to import Russian LNG. JERA, which imports LNG from Sakhalin-2 under contracts expiring in 2026 and 2029, can tap alternative supply, and there is a good chance that we will be able to do something if it has to halt imports of Russian LNG, Naohiro Maekawa, an executive officer at the utility, said last month. JERA will now buy at least one LNG cargo every month for the Strategic Buffer LNG program, the ministry sources told Reuters. If unused, the cargoes would either be used domestically or resold, the sources also said. Shifting to a monthly basis is not directly related to Russian energy issues, but it enables us to respond to any emergency situation, one of the unnamed officials said. By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Traders and crude market analysts are baffled by a ship-to-ship (STS) transfer of a Rosneft crude cargo offshore India without any attempt to conceal the origin of the oil, as the U.S. sanctions on Russias top oil producers and exporters have upended Indias crude purchases in recent weeks. Earlier this week the Fortis tanker, sanctioned by the UK and the EU, took about 720,000 barrels of Russias Urals crude from another sanctioned vessel, the Ailana, off the coast of Mumbai, according to tanker-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg, Vortexa, and Kpler. The Ailana, for its part, had departed with the crude from Russias export port Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea in a loading that had taken place before the U.S. announced sanction on Rosneft and Lukoil, according to the ship-tracking data. Since the sanctions were announced on October 22, the Ailana has idled off the Indian coast. Now apparently it has offloaded its cargo onto another vessel thats still bound for India, for the Kochi port in the south, while the Ailana is currently observed to be travelling back to Russia. The unusual STS transfer is not that it has happened, but that it has happened from one sanctioned tanker to another, suggesting there hasnt been any attempt at concealing that the cargo is of Rosneft origin. The STS transfers and other tactics in Asian waters are bound to thrive even more in the coming weeks as Russias top crude buyers, China and India, are scrambling to ensure supply without incurring the wrath of the Trump Administration. Indian refiners are pivoting away from Russian crude and are buying additional barrels from the Middle East and the Americas to offset what is expected to be a steep decline in Russian loadings in December and January. Chinas state refiners have reportedly suspended purchases of Russian oil, but the independent refiners in China, the so-called teapots, are unlikely to halt imports of the cheap crude that has become a staple for their refineries. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com Timothee Chalamet was disappointed not to win the Best Actor Oscar this year. Timothee Chalamet wanted to win an Oscar The 29-year-old actor was nominated for his work as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown but lost out at ceremony to The Brutalist star Adrien Brody, and he has candidly admitted that he was upset to miss out on an Academy Award statuette. Timothee - who was nominated for the same honour in 2017 for Call Me By Your Name but lost to Darkest Hour actor Gary Oldman - told America's Vogue magazine: If theres five people at an awards show, and four people go home losing you dont think those four people are at the restaurant like, Damn, we didnt win?' "Ive been around some deeply generous, no-ego actors, and maybe some of them are going, That was fun. But I know for a fact a lot of them are going, F*** People can call me a try-hard, and they can say whatever the f***. But Im the one actually doing it here. While he didn't win the Academy Award, Timothee did receive the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) honour for Best Leading Actor for his work on the movie and admitted during his acceptance speech he wants to be "one of the greats". He said on stage: "I know the classiest thing would be to downplay the effort that went into this role and how much it means to me, but the truth is, this was five-and-a-half years of my life, I poured everything I had into playing this incomparable artist, Mr. Bob Dylan, a true American hero. It was the honour of a lifetime, playing him... "I can't downplay the significance of this award because it means the most to me and I know it is a subjective business but the truth is I'm really in pursuit of greatness. "I know people don't usually talk like that but I want to be one of the greats, I'm inspired by the greats that are here tonight. "I'm as inspired by Daniel Day Lewis, Marlon Brando, Viola Davis as I am by Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps, and I wanna be up there so I'm deeply grateful. "This doesn't signify that, but it' a little more fuel, a little more ammo to keep going, so thank you so much." By Taxpayers Association of Oregon OregonWatchdog.com Oregon is the #3 food stamp (SNAP) user in America as a percentage of people on the program. This means the government shutdown disruption on SNAP benefits will hurt Oregon more compared to most states. Oregon State Government has worked hard over the years to get people enrolled and consequently dependent on government services. In 2011, the Obama administration gave our Oregon Health Department a $5 million award for being among the best in the nation for signing up the most new people on welfare. The Department was so proud that they issued a press release about it at the time until public backlash forced them to take it down. Oregon keeps finding ways to offer benefits not found in other states. The State offers benefits to non-citizens not available in most states. Multnomah County handed out $500 gift cash cards to the homeless during COVID. Over a $1.5 billion has been spent on 105,000 non-citizens and their health benefits in Oregon. The Department of Human Services did a statewide public campaign seeking people to give $120 monthly grocery benefits for the summer. We wrote at the time: The State of Oregon is desperately trying to give away free $120.00 to over 10,000 families as part of their Summer EBT program. The idea is that many students get free breakfast and lunch in their local public school, but when school is out, the government feels compelled to hand them food money for the summer even if people are not asking for it. Could a High School student not work for the summer for one week to earn $120? Now, they dont have to. Summer is nearly over, and now the Oregon Department of Human Services is on a race and media campaign to hand-out the free food money to people for whom they have no idea exist (in the way that they think they do). They are seeking to over 10,000 families to qualify. Free stuff that Oregon and local governments give to Oregon homeless: 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: Common types of trade-offs and synergies across Brazil. Credit: Global Change Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1111/gcb.70418 Over the past 50 years, Brazil has emerged as one of the world's agricultural giants. Becoming a leading global exporter of soybeans, beef, coffee and sugar has significantly boosted its economy and placed the country at the center of the global food system. This agricultural development, however, has come at a cost. The expansion of agriculture has driven the widespread conversion of natural vegetation into pastures, croplands, and forest plantations. Much of this expansion has occurred in areas that are critical for biodiversity conservation and terrestrial carbon storage. In the past 40 years alone, agricultural land has expanded by approximately 109 million hectares, an area nearly twice the size of metropolitan France. Brazil includes some of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots. At the same time, its ecosystems are critical carbon sinks, storing vast amounts of carbon that are essential for mitigating climate change. The continuing pressure from agricultural expansion underscores the urgent need to reconcile production with biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration. Our new study explores how future changes in land use in Brazil could affect biodiversity, the global climate, and the agricultural economy by 2050. We consider two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), each outlining a distinct potential future for the world and Brazil. Among these, SSP3 depicts a scenario characterized by regional rivalry, heavy reliance on fossil fuels, strong nationalism, and significant challenges to both climate mitigation and adaptation. Under this scenario, agricultural land in Brazil is expected to expand further due to rising food demand and only modest improvements in crop yields. In contrast, SSP1 represents a sustainable future, emphasizing proactive climate mitigation and adaptation, clean energy adoption, and the protection of natural ecosystems. Under SSP1, agricultural land in Brazil is projected to contract, thanks to reduced food demand and substantial yield improvements. Where agriculture expands matters Under the SSP3 scenario, around 52 million hectares of natural land are converted for agricultural use to meet rising food demand, affecting all of Brazil's biomes, regions that encompass large ecosystems with similar climatic or ecological conditions and a specific type of vegetation. This expansion drives a projected 28% increase in agricultural revenue between 2025 and 2050, but it comes with significant environmental trade-offs. The loss of natural vegetation is expected to release a total of 12 gigatonnes of CO 2 over this period. On average, this would result in 0.5 gigatonnes per year, which is higher than Brazil's annual emission rate from land use during the 2010s. Biodiversity would also be affected, with about 70% of the mammal species we studied, including the maned wolf and howler monkey, losing habitat over the same period. Our results show that the environmental impacts depend not only on the extent of agricultural expansion, but also on where it takes place. Deforestation should be avoided in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest, as both biomes are rich in carbon and biodiversity, and clearing them has a major impact on both. In these biomes, whether deforestation occurs at forest edge or deep within the interior, it releases substantial amounts of CO 2 . For biodiversity, however, location is decisive: deforestation within highly biodiverse areas (including Indigenous Lands and Conservation Units, officially designated areas in Brazil that receive legal protection) disproportionately threatens species with restricted habitats. For instance, Saguinus bicolor, a primate species with one of the smallest habitats in the Amazon, is projected to lose more than 7% of its remaining range, further constricting an area that is already limited. 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. Restoration of ecosystems with low economic loss Under the SSP1 scenario, declining food demand is projected to lead to the abandonment of agricultural land, freeing vast areas for restoration to their natural state. Between 2025 and 2050, revenue from agriculture is projected to fall by 31%, but this comes with positive environmental trade-offs. More than 12.4 gigatonnes of additional CO 2 roughly five years' worth of EU emissions from fossil fuels and industryare expected to be sequestered, a major contribution to climate change mitigation. In addition, the habitats of two thirds of the mammal species we studied are projected to expand. Interestingly, these results indicate that restoring land around remaining biodiversity- and carbon-rich areas could deliver substantial environmental benefits with relatively modest agro-economic losses. In these areas, restoration would result in an agricultural revenue loss of only $5 to $10 per ton of carbon gained. By comparison, the European Union Emissions Trading System currently prices carbon at around $70 per ton, suggesting that strategic reforestation in Brazil could be a highly cost-effective climate change mitigation strategy. This is particularly relevant, as Brazil has recently launched its own Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading System (SBCE). In addition to increasing carbon sequestration, reforesting these areas would generate substantial co-benefits for biodiversity, creating a synergistic opportunity to advance both. Lesson learned for a more sustainable future Reconciling agriculture with biodiversity and climate is critical in Brazil's sustainable transition. Future global developments in food demand and agricultural yields will determine how much land the country dedicates to agriculture, and, by extension, how much pressure is on its ecosystems. The more land required for production, the greater the impacts on biodiversity and carbon storage. If expansion is unavoidable, several strategies can help reduce the environmental consequences. Agricultural expansion should be carefully planned, avoiding carbon- and biodiversity-rich areas, and should not include deforestation deep within forests. At the same time, restoration efforts focused on biodiversity- and carbon-rich areas can deliver substantial environmental benefits at a relatively low economic cost. Brazil's path toward sustainable land use ultimately depends on two essential questions: how much land is required, and which land should be used. 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: The Dutch have dealt with flooding for centuries. A twin-prop Chinook helicopter shatters the calm of the Dutch countryside, hovering just meters from a canal before dumping four huge sandbags into the water: welcome to Operation Cloudburst. The five-day exercise simulates catastrophic floods from a "water bomb," an ever-present fear in a country where 60% of people live below sea level and climate change is making things worse. The operation, bringing together the military, crisis planners, and local water authorities, tests responses to 200 millimeters of rain falling in one daya quarter of the annual amount in the Netherlands. Such a scenario would be similar to the floods that devastated western Europe in 2021, with nearly 200 deaths in Germany and 40 in Belgium. No one died in the Netherlands but large areas were flooded. "Dutch people, when we are born, we know we're going to fight the water," said commanding officer Corporal Michel Vrancken. The military are always learning to fight the enemy, but "Dutch people know that water can always be an enemy," the 25-year-old told AFP, as his unit piled up sandbags behind him. Vrancken's team is training to deploy an innovative mobile dam that could slow damaging floodwaterspart of the exercise. Out of necessity, the Dutch have become world leaders in managing water and floods. The Dutch are adept with sandbags. If nature had been left to take its course, most of the Netherlands would be a muddy swamp, not the European Union's fifth-largest economy. The country is essentially a large delta crossed by three major rivers, the Rhine, Schelde, and Maas, that flow into the unpredictable North Sea. Without sound defenses, 60% of the country would be regularly flooded, according to the government. That would affect some nine million people. "If we want to stay in this country, we have to" learn to prevent flooding, said Marian Booltink, crisis coordinator at the local flood management association, who is supervising Operation Cloudburst. "Climate change is affecting my work because we now know we will have more crises because it's too dry (drought) or there's too much water (flooding)," the 59-year-old told AFP. 'Don't underestimate water' Overseeing water levels and flood defenses across the country is Bart Vonk, Chair of the National Coordination Committee during Flood Threats. The psychological impact of water should not be underestimated, says Vonk. "The impact of water on a person is immense," the 64-year-old told AFP from his office, surrounded by big screens showing real-time national water data. "What I've learned in my career is don't underestimate the force of water, but also don't underestimate the impact on people when their house is flooded," said Vonk. Vonk and his team ensure the country is ready for extreme scenarios: a drought meaning all inland shipping is beached or a devastating storm surge. The Dutch are bringing innovation and the latest technology to bear on a centuries-old problem. Drones inspect dikes and levees, producing data then crunched by AI to identify weaknesses. Another innovation: "Green eggs" or devices that listen for beavers, whose digging can be devastating for flood defenses. What is the secret to the Dutch success? The Dutch have installed enormous dykes and levees to protect against floods. "We stay very proactive," said Vonk. "You have other countries that are reactive, they accept an incident. In the Netherlands, we can't accept it because the consequences are too high." However, he said the Dutch have also learned much from other countries, notably about recovery from major floods. Vonk acknowledges that climate change is making his job "more and more challenging." Glacier melt from the Alps is swelling river levels in the Netherlands, storms and droughts are more frequent, and rising seas are increasing salination, he explained. His biggest fear would be a breach of a levee protecting the Netherlands"the impact would be immense," but he is confident in Dutch preparations. "I always sleep very well... we are really good protectors... the probability is really very, very low, so that's why it's not keeping me awake," said Vonk. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A man looks at damage caused by typhoon Kalmaegi in the Quy Nhon coastal area of Gia Lai province, central Vietnam. Typhoon Kalmaegi churned across Vietnam Friday, claiming five more lives after its devastating passage through the Philippines where the death toll rose to 188. Kalmaegi unleashed record rainfall and flooding in the central Philippines this weeksweeping away cars, trucks and shipping containers before lashing Vietnam. "The roof of my house was just blown away," said Nguyen Van Tam, a 42-year-old fisherman in Vietnam's Gia Lai province where the storm made landfall late Thursday. "We were all safe, (but) the typhoon was really terrible, so many trees fallen," he said, adding that his boat had survived intact. Vietnamese authorities were still assessing the damage on Friday, but the environment ministry reported five dead, and 57 houses collapsed in Gia Lai and neighboring Dak Lak. Nearly 3,000 more had their roofs blown off or were damaged, it said, while 11 boats or ships sank. Vo Thi Danh, 43, watched from higher ground as Kalmaegi ripped through Nhon Hai fishing village in Gia Lai, splitting boats into kindling and sweeping away the small seaside house where she lived with her family. "The waves were so high, swallowing in the whole house," she told AFP in tears as she surveyed the rubble. "The house totally collapsed, nothing left." The environment ministry reported five dead, and 57 houses collapsed in Gia Lai and neighbouring Dak Lak. It was one of seven homes clustered together in the fishing village that were reduced to chunks of concrete and twisted metal. In the streets along Gia Lai's Quy Nhon beach, AFP journalists saw rescue workers and soldiers working with residents to clear uprooted trees, remove debris and collect sheet-metal roofs blown away in the night. The state power company said 1.6 million clients lost electricity as the typhoon smashed the central coast, but service to a third of them had been restored by Friday morning. Vietnam is in one of the most active tropical cyclone regions on Earth and is typically affected by 10 typhoons or storms a year. Kalmaegi was the 13th of 2025 and hit the country with sustained winds of up to 149 kilometers (92 miles) per hour, according to the environment ministry. Scientists warn that storms are becoming more powerful due to human-driven climate change. Warmer oceans allow typhoons to strengthen rapidly, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, meaning heavier rainfall. Vietnamese authorities were still assessing the damage on Friday. Fast-moving Kalmaegi had already swept northwest toward Laos by morning with significantly weakened winds, but heavy rain was still forecast for much of Vietnam's central coast, the national weather bureau said. The storm was next forecast to hit Thailand, which issued a warning Friday for heavy rainfall and flooding starting in the northeast and spreading to the rest of the country. Relentless rains Kalmaegi had initially battered the islands of Cebu and Negros in the Philippines before swooping back out to sea. Floodwaters described as unprecedented rushed through the hardest hit Cebu province's towns and cities, where the hunt for missing people continues. Philippine authorities raised the death toll to 188, with 135 still missing. The typhoon hit central Vietnam as it was still reeling from more than a week of flooding and record rains that killed at least 47 people and submerged centuries-old historic sites. A worker cleans broken glass at a hotel close to Quy Nhon beach as Typhoon Kalmaegi makes landfall in Gia Lai province in central Vietnam. The heavy rains starting in late October had drenched the former imperial capital Hue and the ancient town of Hoi An, both UNESCO-listed sites, turning streets into canals and flooding tens of thousands of homes. Up to 1.7 meters (5 feet 6 inches) fell over one 24-hour period in a downpour breaking national records. With more than 3,200 kilometers of coastline and a network of 2,300 rivers, Vietnam faces a high risk of flooding. Before Kalmaegi, natural disasters had already left 279 people dead or missing this year and caused more than $2 billion in damage, according to Vietnam's national statistics office. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: T. oblongifolia growing in Death Valley, California. Credit: Karine Prado In California's Death Valley, where summer temperatures regularly soar above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, life seems almost impossible. Yet among the cracked earth and blinding sunlight, one native plant not only survivesit thrives. That plant, Tidestromia oblongifolia, has helped Michigan State University scientists uncover how life can flourish in extreme heat, revealing a potential blueprint for engineering crops that can adapt to our changing climate. In a paper published in Current Biology, Research Foundation Professor Seung Yon "Sue" Rhee and Research Specialist Karine Prado report that T. oblongifolia grows faster in Death Valley's summer conditions by rapidly adjusting its photosynthetic system to withstand the heat. A heat-defying growth spurt For Prado, the study began with a simple but searing question: how can this plant remain green and vigorous where most others would wither in hours? "When we first brought these seeds back to the lab, we were fighting just to get them to grow," Prado said. "But once we managed to mimic Death Valley conditions in our growth chambers, they took off." Working with colleagues from the Rhee lab at MSU's Plant Resilience Institute, Prado used custom-built plant growth chambers to recreate the intense light and temperature swings of a real Death Valley summer. Dr. Karine Prado collecting T. oblongifolia seeds in Death Valley, California. Credit: Jennifer Johnson Dr. Karine Prado working with T. oblongifolia inside a plant growth chamber customized to simulate Death Valley conditions. Credit: Sterling Field What happened next stunned them: T. oblongifolia tripled its biomass in just 10 days. In contrast, closely related species often praised for their heat tolerance stopped growing altogether. Within only two days of exposure to extreme heat, the plant raised its photosynthetic comfort zone, enabling it to keep producing energy. Within two weeks, its optimal photosynthetic temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit), higher than any major crop species known. "This is the most heat-tolerant plant ever documented," Rhee said. "Understanding how T. oblongifolia acclimates to heat gives us new strategies to help crops adapt to a warming planet." Death Valley, California. Credit: Sue Rhee Inside a plant built for extremes By pairing physiological measurements with live imaging and genomic analysis, the researchers discovered that T. oblongifolia's remarkable resilience comes from coordinated changes across multiple layers of biology. Under Death Valley-like heat, the plant's mitochondria, its energy-producing organelles, reposition next to its chloroplasts, where photosynthesis takes place. The chloroplasts themselves change shape, forming distinctive "cup-like" structures never before seen in higher plants. These may help capture and recycle carbon dioxide more efficiently, stabilizing energy production under stress. Meanwhile, thousands of genes switch their activity within 24 hours. Many are involved in protecting proteins, membranes, and photosynthetic machinery from heat damage. The plant also boosts production of a key enzyme called Rubisco activase, which may help keep photosynthesis running smoothly at high temperatures. A model for agriculture in a hotter world With global temperatures projected to rise by up to 5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, heat waves are already cutting yields for major crops like wheat, maize and soybeans. As the world's population continues to grow, scientists are searching for ways to increase food production. 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. "T. oblongifolia shows us that plants have the capacity to adapt to extreme temperatures," Rhee said. "If we can learn how to replicate those mechanisms in crops, it could transform agriculture in a hotter world." Dr. Seung Yon "Sue" Rhee at the MSU Student Organic Farm holding a beaker planted with T. oblongifolia. Credit: Finn Gomez, MSU College of Natural Science For decades, most plant biology has focused on model species that are easy to grow, such as Arabidopsis or crop plants like rice and maize. But Rhee argues that extreme survivors like T. oblongifolia represent a new frontier for improving resilience. "Desert plants have spent millions of years solving the challenges we're only beginning to face," she said. "We finally have the tools, such as genomics, high-resolution live imaging and systems biology, to learn from them. What we need now is broader support to pursue this kind of research." Her lab is already putting those insights to work, exploring how the genes and cell structures that give T. oblongifolia its heat resilience could be harnessed to make staple crops more robust. "This research doesn't just tell us how one desert plant beats the heat," Prado said. "It gives us a roadmap for how all plants might adapt to a changing climate." More information: Photosynthetic acclimation is a key contributor to exponential growth of a desert plant in Death Valley summer, Current Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.10.004. www.cell.com/current-biology/f 0960-9822(25)01312-0 Journal information: Current Biology 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: Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said tackling energy would determine 'success or failure in the battle against climate change' Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday said Earth cannot sustain humanity's dependence on fossil fuels and without confronting this reality the climate fight will be lost. The leftist leader spoke at a pre-COP30 summit in the Brazilian Amazon where other heads of state and government implored all nations to start weaning off the burning of coal, oil and gas responsible for most of planet-heating pollution. Evidence of dangerous warming has never been clearer: the decade since the Paris Agreement has been the hottest on record, marked by intensifying hurricanes, heatwaves and wildfires. Lula said tackling the urgent question over the future of energy would determine "success or failure in the battle against climate change," he added. "Earth can no longer sustain the development model based on the intensive use of fossil fuels that has prevailed over the past 200 years," Lula told world leaders in Belem where the UN climate talks are taking place. Brazil has stressed that each country would pursue its own course to "transition away from fossil fuels"a pact made by all nations at a previous COP in Dubai in 2023. Lula is presiding over the world's top climate negotiations just weeks after his government approved new oil drilling in the Amazon region. Earlier this week he told AFP and other outlets that "it's not easy" for countries to reduce fossil fuels, but that the subject could be approached through a "roadmap" developed at COP30. Rwanda's environment minister Bernadette Arakwiye told delegates that they face a stark choice. "We can continue with incremental progress while the planet burns, or we can rise to meet the scale of this crisis," she said. "The fossil fuel era is drawing to a close. We must now ensure the transition is just, inclusive and equitable." 'Fossil age ending' The absence of leaders from the world's biggest polluters, including the United States, where President Donald Trump has dismissed climate science as a "con job," cast a shadow over talks, but also catalyzed calls for greater mobilization. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the summit that his country was moving forward with others to tax premium-class flights and private jets, one major source of heat-trapping emissions. "It is only fair that those who have more and pollute more should pay their fair share," he said. UN chief Antonio Guterres said global investment in renewable energy reached two trillion dollars in 2024eight hundred million more than polluting forms of energy. "The fossil fuel age is ending," he told an event in Belem, a rainforest city on the edge of the Amazon. Guterres warned Thursday that the world would fail to keep global warming below 1.5Cthe Paris Agreement's primary targetbut must keep to a minimum any overshoot before returning temperatures below this safer limit. Despite this, climate change has slipped down the agenda as nations grapple with economic pressures, trade disputes and wars, as well as the Trump administration's aggressively pushing for more fossil fuels. Roadmap support Lula lamented the "pressure and threats" that led the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to postpone a plan to curb shipping emissions, and also spoke of the need to pursue alternative fuels for transport and industry including ethanol. 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. And the latest round of negotiations to agree a world-first treaty on plastica byproduct of oil and gas manufactured by petrochemical companiescollapsed in August. The idea of phasing out hydrocarbons is gaining traction in Europe. Despite their divisions, EU countries noted that they have reduced greenhouse gas emissions for more than three decades and are aiming for a 90% cut by 2040. Lula's "roadmap" presented on day one of the summita pathway to halting deforestation, reducing fossil fuel use, and finding the money to achieve those goalswas applauded from the floor. A formal anti-fossil fuel decision in Belem is unlikely, given the requirement for consensus among nearly 200 countries attending the conference. Still, COP30 will put a spotlight on countries' voluntary pledges and their implementation, which could lead to fresh announcements on methanea "super pollutant" and the main component of natural gas, prone to leaking from pipelines and installations. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: After arriving at the California launch site at the end of September, the two HydroGNSS satellites have been carefully prepared for liftoff, scheduled for November. HydroGNSS a twin-satellite mission marks the European Space Agencys first Scout venture. By harnessing signals from navigation satellites, HydroGNSS will help scientists gain new insights into key climate variables linked to water. Since their arrival, the HydroGNSS satellites have undergone a series of final checks including testing, propellant loading, battery charging and integration with their launch adapter. Credit: SSTL After arriving at the California launch site at the end of September, the two HydroGNSS satellites have been carefully prepared for liftoff, scheduled this month. HydroGNSSa twin-satellite missionmarks the European Space Agency's first "Scout" venture. By harnessing signals from navigation satellites, HydroGNSS will help scientists gain new insights into key climate variables linked to water. The identical microsatellites will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, sharing their Transporter-15 ride into orbit with several other small satellites. Since their arrival, the HydroGNSS satellites have undergone a series of final checksincluding testing, propellant loading, battery charging and integration with their launch adapter. Both satellites are now ready for the next milestone: closing of the rocket fairing. ESA's HydroGNSS Project Manager, Jean-Pascal Lejault, said, "Reaching this milestone is a tremendous achievement, and I am incredibly proud of the entire team behind HydroGNSS. Developing ESA's first Scout mission within such a tight timeframe and budget has required exceptional dedication and ingenuity. My special thanks go to our prime contractor Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in the UK and the ESA project teamtheir commitment and creativity have made HydroGNSS possible." HydroGNSS provides measurements of key hydrological climate variables, including soil moisture, freezethaw state over permafrost, inundation and wetlands, and above-ground biomass, using a technique called Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry. In doing so it complements missions such as ESAs SMOS and Biomass, Copernicus Sentinel-1 and NASAs SMAP. The satellite measures the signal reflected off the land, ice and ocean from existing GNSS missions such as Galileo and GPS. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab Once in orbit, the two satellites will travel 180 degrees apart around Earth to maximize coverage. They will use an innovative technique called Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry to quite literally 'scout for water." Navigation satellites such as GPS and Galileo transmit L-band microwave signals that change when reflected off Earth's surface. HydroGNSS will compare these reflected signals with the direct GNSS signals to extract valuable information about geophysical parameters related to the water cycle. The mission focuses on four crucial variables, all recognized as Essential Climate Variables or closely related to them: soil moisture, freezethaw state over permafrost, inundation, and above-ground biomass. These data are vital for improving our understanding of Earth's water cycle, agricultural planning, flood prediction, and our understanding of wetlands, permafrost dynamics and forest carbon storage. Orbiting Earth 180 degrees apart, the two-satellite HydroGNSS Scout mission uses a technique called Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflectometry to measure important climate variables such as soil moisture, freezethaw state over permafrost, inundation and biomass all of which are linked to Earths water cycle. The mission comprises two identical satellites orbiting 180 degrees apart. Embracing the New Space concept, HydroGNSS is one of ESAs new Scout missions being developed within the Earth Observation FutureEO programme. Credit: ESA/Mlabspace As ESA's first Scout mission, HydroGNSS is part of the agency's Earth Observation FutureEO program. Scout missions are designed to deliver cutting-edge science quickly and affordably, complementing ESA's larger Earth Explorer missions. Inspired by the principles of New Space, the Scout program emphasizes agility and innovationusing small satellites to miniaturize proven technologies or demonstrate entirely new ways of observing Earth. Each Scout mission must move from kick-off to launch within just three years and under a budget of 35 million, covering everything from satellite development to in-orbit commissioning. The resulting data are provided as a service to the scientific community and ESA, helping accelerate our understanding of the planet. 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 Ten years on from the landmark Paris Agreement, countries have taken big strides in limiting emissions and the clean energy transition is accelerating rapidly. But geopolitical headwinds are growing and the damage bill for climate pollution is rising. Climate action hangs in the balance. Next week, these issues will come to a head as negotiators gather in Brazil for COP30, the 30th annual global climate talks. This year's talks could be pivotal, as all countries were due to set more ambitious targets to cut emissions. Will the world double down on the clean energy transitionor will momentum stall and fossil fuel interests win out? Australia has a larger role than its size and clout might suggest. After two decades as one of the world's worst climate laggards, the new national emissions target compares favorably with much of the developed world. Australia is also bidding to host the next COP talks with Pacific nations. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has attracted some criticism over his decision not to attend the summit. But Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen will be there, alongside dozens of negotiators and experts from Australia and the Pacific. The outcome is uncertain. But for the first time in years, Australia will be a leader in working towards a consensus on a managed transition away from fossil fuels. What's at stake at COP30? The world's climate talks are returning to their birthplace. The UN Climate Convention was signed in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 before talks began three years later. This year, the 30th Conference of Parties will be held in the Amazonian city of Belem. For COP30 to succeed, it must firm up global commitment to the Paris Agreement. That may seem hard, given the United States is once again walking away from climate action. But there is good news. The Paris Agreement is working, slowly but surely. Countries agreed to set emissions targets and increase their ambition every five years. These targets are bending the curve of emissions and limiting warming. Before Paris, the world was on track for a catastrophic outcome: 4C degrees of warming this century. The first wave of global emissions targets brought this closer to 3C. In 2021, upgraded targets brought projections down to 2.12.8C. Tallying up the new round of national targets suggests it may be possible to limit warming to 1.9C. That assumes, of course, all targets are met in full. The new United Nations emissions gap report suggests 2.32.5C is more likely. The bad news is the Paris Agreement is not working fast enough. The longer we take to bring global emissions to net zero, the more heating we bake in. Every fraction of a degree intensifies damage to ecosystems and human communities. We are seeing these worsening impacts now at 1.2C of warming. Almost every corner of the world is already reeling from intensifying heat, storms, floods, droughts and fires. 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 Australia do? Australia's delegation will arrive in Belem with a much stronger target: cutting emissions 6270% by 2035 (from 2005 levels). This isn't aligned with the sciencea cut of at least 75% is needed to align with the Paris goal of limiting warming to 1.5C. But it's an improvement. Australia's 2030 target was one of the weakest among wealthy nations. But only a handful of nations now have a more ambitious 2035 target. That's not all. Australia's rapid shift to renewable energy is one of the fastest in the world. One in three Australian homes now has rooftop solar. Grid operators are at the forefront of soaking up more and more clean power. The federal government plans to have the main grid running on over 80% renewable power within five years. These successes offer an encouraging story. Australia's turn next? If the COP31 bid succeeds, it would mean Adelaide would host Australia's largest ever diplomatic meeting. Success would help cement Australia's place in the Pacific at a time of increasing geostrategic competition. In 2022, the Australian government announced its bid to host the COP talks with the Pacific. Since then, Bowen has effectively been auditioning to head the talks, taking on key roles at the annual climate talks. At last year's talks in Azerbaijan, he co-chaired negotiations for a new global finance goal. The bid has broad support. But Turkey has refused to withdraw a rival bid. The standoff is expected to be resolved in the second week of talks in Belem. If Australia secures hosting rights, leaders will have a positive story to tell about the renewables shift. But hosting would also draw attention to Australia's huge gas and coal exports. Long one of the largest coal exporters, Australia's gas production has doubled since the 2015 Paris Agreement. The emissions of these exports are three times larger than the entire domestic economy. Until recently, these exported emissions were considered a customer responsibility. But in July, the world's highest court found countries are legally responsible for climate damages caused by fossil fuel production and consumption, noting countries approving new fossil fuel projects may be committing "internationally wrongful acts." This finding is likely to ripple through these talks. Two years ago, nations at COP28 in Dubai agreed to "transition away from fossil fuels" in their energy systems. Bowen hailed the announcement: "If we are to keep 1.5C alive, fossil fuels have no ongoing role to play in our energy systemsand I speak as the climate and energy minister of one of the world's largest fossil fuel exporters." Bowen and the Australian delegation will have to bring this level of clarity to Brazil amid backsliding by other major fossil fuel exporters such as the United States. If COP31 comes to Adelaide, Bowen will need to go further. No one has yet given a sunset date for Australia's fossil fuel industry. Working alongside Pacific nations, Australia can build a global legacy: beginning the managed phase out of fossil fuel production. 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: Icarus will be carried on the GENA-OT satellite, shown here with all solar panels delpoyed. Credit: OroraTech After a three-year pause, Icarus, the pioneering project that tracks wildlife from space, is set to resume operations. On 11 November 2025, a rocket is scheduled to carry a satellite equipped with the Icarus receiver into spaceopening a new chapter in the study of animal observation. The latest launch status will be updated on the SpaceX site. During the first three months in orbit, the system will undergo extensive testing. Once operational, Icarus will establish a continuous link with miniature sensors on animals across the globe, enabling scientists to monitor the locations, behavior, health, and environmental conditions of species ranging from migratory birds and bats to sea turtles and large mammals. For the first time, Icarus will offer full global coveragea critical leap forward in understanding biodiversity, ecosystem health, and the impact of climate change. For Icarus, the 11 November launch is only the beginning: a second receiver will follow in 2026, carried by an independent satellite from the Max Planck Society and the space company Talos. Additional satellites are already in the planning stage. Together, they will form Icarus 2.0, a constellation designed to deliver more frequent and higher-resolution data faster than ever before. "With Icarus 2.0, we are building a truly planetary-scale observatory," said Martin Wikelski, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior. "For the first time, we will be able to listen to the signals of animals worldwide in near real time, offering unique insights on biodiversity and environmental change." From ISS to CubeSat Icarus first took flight in 2020 as a technological experiment aboard the International Space Station. An antenna on the station collected signals from lightweight sensors attached to animals, providing unprecedented insights into migration routes, breeding behaviors, and survival strategies. The project quickly proved its value: in its first year, Icarus delivered datasets on dozens of species worldwide. However, the war on Ukraine in 2022 brought the Icarus collaboration with Russia to an abrupt end. Icarus paused operations. For the team behind the project, this pause became an opportunity to reimagine the technology from the ground up. Working with the Munich-based NewSpace company Talos, engineers miniaturized the Icarus system into a ten-centimeter payload that can fly on a tiny satellite known as a CubeSat. Compared to the ISS-based prototype, the new receiver consumes one tenth the energy, reads four times as many sensors, and enables faster data downloads and remote software updates. It was successfully tested in an experimental orbital flight in 2023. "What once required a massive antenna on the International Space Station now fits into the palm of a hand," says Gregor Langer, CEO of Talos. First receiver in orbit The space mission was made possible by a collaboration between Icarus and the Seranis research mission of the University of the Bundeswehr Munich. With a fleet of small satellites serving as a "laboratory in orbit," Seranis is one of Germany's largest university space programs. The new Icarus receiver is flying on the Gena-OT CubeSat. The satellite is a platform developed by the Munich-based company OroraTech. "We are delighted to have Icarus in our orbital laboratory," says Andreas Knopp, spokesperson for the Space Research Center at the University of the Bundeswehr and head of the Seranis program. "We have been happy to provide technological support for Wikelski's groundbreaking work from the very beginning, and have learned a great deal ourselves in our scientific cooperation. We are convinced that Germany should derive much more benefit from projects of this kind." After a three-month test phase at an altitude of around 500 kilometers, Icarus will begin two-way communication: miniature sensors attached to animals will begin transmitting high-precision GPS data to the satellite, which will in turn relay it back to researchers on Earth. This bi-directional function also means that scientists can remotely reprogram sensors without having to remove them from animals. A sooty tern with an Icarus transmitter leaves the breeding colony on Bird Island in the Seychelles. Credit: Martin Wikelski / Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior 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. ICARUS 2.0: A new chapter in wildlife tracking The second receiver has already been built and is scheduled to launch into space aboard a SpaceX mission in 2026. Independently operated by Talos and the Max Planck Society, this satellite will double the frequency of Icarus data collection. By mid 2027, a constellation of six Icarus receivers is expected to be operational, creating an array that guarantees continuous functionality and delivers near real-time information on animal movements. This improved coverage will allow scientists to monitor animals' well-being with unprecedented accuracy, detect disease outbreaks at their earliest stages, and anticipate ecological shifts that affect both wildlife and humans. "This capability radically increases the speed with which we can respond to global challenges such as habitat loss, disease outbreaks, and shifting migration patterns," says Wikelski, who is also a professor at the University of Konstanz. Complementing the new receivers are a suite of next-generation animal tags currently under development. According to Langer from Talos, which is the company developing the tags, "Icarus tags will be among the lightest, smallest, and most energy-efficient sensors on the market." These tiny, ultra-light sensors will not only record location data but also temperature, humidity, air pressure, and acceleration. Thanks to sophisticated on-board data pre-processing, they will give researchers a holistic view of animal health and behavior within their environments. A global tool for big challenges At a time when biodiversity loss and climate change are accelerating, Icarus 2.0 represents a vital tool for science and conservation. The project is now embedded within the Animal Movement Biodiversity Observation Network (Move BON). By linking Icarus data to Move BON, the signals collected from tagged animals can be translated into indicators of ecosystem health, migratory connectivity, and species resilience. These indicators feed directly into global biodiversity monitoring frameworks and help guide decision-makers, ensuring that the movements of animals inform strategies to protect habitats, mitigate climate impacts, and safeguard species at risk. Wikelski adds, "From predicting the spread of zoonotic diseases to tracking the survival of endangered species, Icarus offers insights that will shape policies, guide conservation strategies, and deepen our understanding of the interconnectedness of life on Earth." Dave Bautista has teased the Highlander reboot will be a game changer. Dave Bautista has said the new Highlander movie will be a 'game changer' The upcoming reimagining of the 1986 fantasy movie is helmed by John Wick creator Chad Stahelski, and Bautista - who portrays the immortal warrior The Kurgan in the film - has teased Highlander will carry the same stylised combat sequences as the directors famed action series. Speaking with Collider, the 56-year-old actor said: These films are just so different. Highlander [is] so stylized. Highlander is a game changer. It's like a real game changer. As well as Highlander, Bautista is also working on Road House 2 - the sequel to Jake Gyllenhaals 2024 action film - and the Dune star admitted his schedule has been a little stressful. He explained: This is the first time ever in my career that I've actually had to juggle films where I'm going from one film to the other. So mentally it's a little stressful as well. But I am not complaining. These are like champagne problems. These are dream roles for me. The Knives Out actor added he had been training for months, and conceded it has been a grind. He said: I think I started training before I even had the role. I had the conversation and I knew that Chad wanted me, and he asked me if I'd go over to [London] and start training. And I did. And then a couple of weeks later, the contracts were signed, and I was on my way to London. I've been training since then, with a couple weeks in California. So I've been training for quite a bit. And it's a grind. Not only did I have the physical stuff, the stunt training, the sword fight training, the fight training. But Chad has also asked me to put on a few pounds, so I've been on weight training on top of that as well. So it's been a grind. Bautista also confirmed production for Highlander had been delayed slightly after Henry Cavill - who portrays protagonist Connor MacLeod in the movie - sustained an injury to his calf, but said filming was due to start back up again on November 28. In Highlander, immortal warrior Connor MacLeod (Cavill) battles across centuries, facing duels with others like him. In modern-day New York, he must confront his greatest foe to claim the ultimate prize. The movie also stars Russell Crowe as Juan Sanchez-Villalobos Ramierez, Karen Gillan as MacLeods wife Heather and Jeremy Irons as the leader of The Watchers. Cavill recently confirmed he was forced to halt production of Highlander after injuring his leg, and had gone back home to recover. On Instagram, the Man of Steel star, 42, posted a picture of himself resting with his left leg on a coffee table, and added the caption: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul (sic). 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: France's President Emmanuel Macron and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wave after a bilateral meeting within the framework of the COP30 UN climate conference in Belem, Para State, Brazil on November 6, 2025. World leaders will meet for a second day of climate talks in the Brazilian Amazon on Friday after fiery speeches and renewed criticism of Big Oil marked the opening session. Dozens of ministers and several heads of state and government, including those of Spain, Germany and Namibia, will meet in Belem just before the United Nations' (UN) annual two-week conference, COP30, which starts on Monday. Evidence of the climate crisis, driven largely by the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, has never been clearer: the past 11 years have been the hottest on record and marked by intensifying hurricanes, heat waves and wildfires. UN chief Antonio Guterres and a series of national leaders said on Thursday that the world will fail to keep global warming below 1.5C, the Paris Agreement's primary target set a decade ago, but said they have not yet given up on its fallback goal of 2C. The absence of leaders from the world's biggest polluters, including the United States, where President Donald Trump has dismissed climate science as a "con job," cast a shadow over talks, but also catalyzed calls for greater mobilization. Countries made an unprecedented pledge to "transition away" from oil, gas and coal at COP28 in Dubai two years ago. However, the issue has since slipped down the agenda as nations grapple with economic pressures, trade disputes and wars, and the Trump administration aggressively pushing for more fossil fuels. 'Roadmap' calls praised Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's call in his opening address for a "roadmap" to halt deforestation, reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and mobilize the financial resources needed to achieve those goals was met with applause. The coalition backing Lula's call includes European nations and numerous small island states whose very survival is threatened by stronger cyclones and rising sea levels. Gaston Browne, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, railed against the "large polluters (who) continue to deliberately destroy our marine and terrestrial environments with their poisonous fossil fuel gases." The idea of phasing out hydrocarbons is also gaining traction in Europe. Despite their divisions, EU countries noted that they have reduced greenhouse gas emissions for more than three decades and are aiming for a 90% cut by 2040. "COP30 must send a clear message that the green transition is here to stay, and that fossil fuels have no future," said Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Marta Salomon of the Brazilian think tank Politicas Climaticas do Instituto Talanoa told AFP: "When the president talks about a roadmap to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, we understand it as a favorable sign for this discussion to take place during COP." Lula had already hinted at his plan in an interview this week with AFP and other outlets, though he cautioned "it's not easy" to reduce fossil fuels. Indeed, Brazil has just authorized its state oil company to begin offshore exploration in the Amazon. A formal anti-fossil fuel decision in Belem is seen as highly unlikely, given the requirement for consensus among nearly 200 countries attending the conference. Still, COP30 will put a spotlight on countries' voluntary pledges and their implementation, which could lead to fresh announcements on methanea "super pollutant" and the main component of natural gas, prone to leaking from pipelines and installations. "The world must pull the methane brake," said Mia Mottley, prime minister of Barbados and a highly respected voice in global climate diplomacy. 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Distribution of lunar sampling sites. Credit: Nature Geoscience (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01819-9 The abundance, distribution, and origin of lunar surface water has recently drawn significant scientific interest, owing to its critical role in future space exploration. A research team from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGGCAS) has found that lunar soil samples brought back by China's Chang'e-6 mission (collected from the lunar farside) contain high concentrations of OH/H 2 O and low deuterium-to-hydrogen (D/H) ratios. These characteristics align with lunar water originating from the solar wind, the team noted. When compared with samples from China's Chang'e-5 mission (collected from a similar mid-latitude region on the lunar nearside) and NASA's Apollo missions (obtained from lower-latitude areas), the findings indicate that lunar surface water has a global source in the solar wind, and its distribution is mainly controlled by latitude and regolith maturity. The study is published in Nature Geoscience. Lunar surface water serves two critical purposes: It helps trace lunar surface processes, and it represents a potential in-situ resource for future lunar exploration missions. In early observations, the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) instrument aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 mission used infrared spectral analysis to show that hydroxyl is concentrated primarily at higher latitudes. Missions by NASA's Deep Impact and Cassini confirmed water absorption features at lower latitudes, though these signals were weaker than those at higher latitudes. However, subsequent quantitative analyses of global M3 data produced conflicting conclusions about the spatial distribution of lunar surface water. Analyses using empirical thermal-correction methods suggested a strong link to latitudewith water content ranging from tens of parts per million (ppm) at low latitudes to approximately 750 ppm at the poles. Analyses relying on a heat-diffusion-based thermal-correction model found no significant variation in water content across the lunar surface. This discrepancy stems largely from the lack of accurate models to account for uncertainties in thermal emission effects within reflectance spectra. For this reason, the team emphasized that direct laboratory analysis of returned lunar soil samples remains the most reliable way to determine the true abundance and distribution of lunar surface water. While Apollo and Luna samples provided direct data on lunar water content and origin, all those samples were collected from low-latitude regions on the lunar nearside. Information about the lunar farside was previously limited to remote-sensing observations, leaving gaps in understanding the global distribution and origin of lunar surface water. China's lunar missions have since addressed this gap. In 2020, the Chang'e-5 mission returned approximately 1,731 grams of lunar soil from a mid-latitude site (43.06N) in the Northern Oceanus Procellarum Basin. 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. Most recently, the Chang'e-6 missionmarking the first time samples were returned from the lunar farsidebrought back about 1,935.3 grams of lunar regolith from a mid-latitude site (41.63S) in the Apollo Basin, located within the South PoleAitken (SPA) Basin. Together, these samples offer a unique opportunity to assess lunar surface water content and distribution across low-to-mid latitudes, while enabling direct comparisons between the lunar nearside and farside. In this study, the team used two analytical methods to examine the Chang'e-6 samples. They employed spectral measurements to quantify the bulk OH/H 2 O content of the soil. Results showed the bulk OH/H 2 O content was 183 34 ppm. They also used NanoSIMS depth-profiling to measure hydrogen abundances and D/H ratios at the grain scale. Most grain rims were found to have high hydrogen concentrations (1,00017,500 ppm) and extremely low D valuesdown to 983 (11)indicating a solar wind origin. (Here, D expresses the deviation of a sample's D/H ratio from a standard reference, reported in per mil ().) Water content in the topmost surfaces of the Chang'e-6 soil grains is comparable to that of Chang'e-5 samples (from the nearside mid-latitudes) but nearly double that of Apollo samples (from lower latitudes). This confirms latitude (which is closely tied to temperature) as a key control on water distribution. Despite similar water content depth profiles, bulk Chang'e-6 samples showed stronger OH/H 2 O absorption features and higher regolith maturity than Chang'e-5 samples using infrared reflectance spectra. This identifies regolith maturity as a second critical controlling factor. Based on these findings, the researchers predict that lunar surface water is likely more abundant in highly mature regolith at higher latitudes. This insight has important implications for planning future lunar resource utilization efforts. The research was conducted in collaboration with the CAS Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, the CAS Institute of Geochemistry, and the China Academy of Aerospace Systems and Innovation. More information: Honglei Lin et al, Distribution of lunar surface water dependent on latitude and regolith maturity, Nature Geoscience (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41561-025-01819-9 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: Northern Maned Sloth (Bradypus torquatus). Credit: Instituto Tamandua The northern and southern maned sloths may look very similar from the outside, but their genomes reveal different stories: The two species have faced very distinct conditions in Brazil's Atlantic Forest in the past and confront different conservation threats today. In an article recently published in the journal Molecular Ecology, scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Leibniz-IZW) in partnership with the Brazilian NGO Instituto Tamandua show that the southern, and currently more endangered, lineage displays lower genetic diversity than the northern lineage, which shows a rapid rise in inbreeding in recent decades. The findings demonstrate that genomic studies can offer critical insights for conservation of endangered species. From November 10 to 21, conservation leaders from across the globe meet in Brazil at the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The country is home to several biodiversity hotspots of global importance, regions that not only boast species diversity but also contribute to a stable global climateif sufficiently protected. The new study by the Leibniz-IZW and the Instituto Tamandua offers important insights for biodiversity conservation in tropical forests in Brazil. The Atlantic Forest, South America's highly diverse coastal tropical forest, used to cover a significant portion of Brazil's territory. Due to human activities such as clearing for agriculture and urbanization, today only about 8% of its original extent remains. Even though severely reduced and fragmented, the Atlantic Forest still serves as habitat for a multitude of fascinatingand resilientspecies. Among these species are the maned sloths, which can be found nowhere else on the planet. Collaborating closely with the Brazilian conservation NGO Instituto Tamandua, scientists from Leibniz-IZW were able to sequence whole genomes of two closely related sloth species from Brazil's Atlantic Forest: the northern maned sloth (Bradypus torquatus) and the southern maned sloth (Bradypus crinitus). A species genome is equivalent to its genetic "blueprint" and the process of genome sequencing consists of converting the information contained in the DNA to data scientists can analyze. By studying the sloth's genomes, the goal was to investigate how ancient climatic shifts and recent human-driven habitat changes have shaped the species' genetic diversity, population history and current conservation status. Southern Maned Sloth (Bradypus crinitus). Credit: Instituto Tamandua Genomic insights for conservation Some of the studies' key results show that the southern maned sloth, which currently is more endangered, displays lower genetic diversity and also lower historical population sizes compared to the northern relatives. This finding likely reflects the distinct environmental and climatic conditions the two areas have experienced in the past. But the situation is also worrisome for the northern maned sloth: despite its higher genetic diversity and larger current population sizes, there has been a rapid rise in inbreedingcharacterized by the mating of related individualsin recent decades. This is likely owing to recent deforestation and habitat fragmentation in the northern region. The study also shows that the northern lineage carries a higher genetic load (i.e., more disadvantageous gene variants), which could be dangerous if the trend of population decline is not reversed. "By revealing key aspects of the species' genetic health, these findings allow us to design conservation actions that are truly focused on what the species needs most," said Larissa Arantes, scientist at Leibniz-IZW who led the work. These key finds buried deep in the sloth's genomes show that each lineage has unique conservation needs, shaped by both deep-time environmental change and modern threats to their tropical habitat. 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. Why it matters This study provides genomic insight into a species living in one of the world's most threatened biodiversity hotspots. Despite the importance of these mega diverse regions, this kind of data is only available for a very limited number of species found there. The work offers actionable genetic information for managing vulnerable populations. In particular, the findings highlight the urgency of preserving genetic diversity, mitigating inbreeding, and maintaining habitat connectivity for the long-term survival of these sloths. "Genomic erosion poses a serious threat to populations under pressure, especially with rising inbreeding. This should serve as a warning that fragmentation is reducing the maned sloth's chances of survival, particularly in the northern region of Bahia. We will continue our close partnership with Instituto Tamandua to assess the extent of the impact on the maned sloth's genomic health," says Camila Mazzoni, Research Group Leader in Evolutionary and Conservation Genomics at Leibniz-IZW and senior author of the study. Far beyond collecting the samples that made this genomic study possible, the NGO Instituto Tamandua has years of experience leading a wide range of hands-on actions to protect these and other species of sloths and anteaters. From describing a new species of maned sloth to restoring its native habitat through reforestation, all of the organization's actions are guided by science and generate new scientific knowledge, including studies like this one. More information: Larissa S. Arantes et al, Genomic Signatures in Maned ThreeToed Sloths From Ancient to Recent Environmental Changes in Brazil's Threatened Atlantic Forest, Molecular Ecology (2025). DOI: 10.1111/mec.70148 Journal information: Molecular 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: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Reaching for CBD-infused lotion or oil may seem like a low-risk way to find pain relief, but little is actually known about the impact that CBD has on the nervous system. Over the past decade, the use of cannabis products for pain management has increased, in part because in 2018, Congress signed a law removing hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act, thereby legalizing hemp-derived CBD. Today, it is most commonly found in oil form, as well as in lotions and cosmetics, and it is widely understood that CBD does not cause a "high." However, what CBD does in the human body and brain is not well understood. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has only approved CBD as an adjunctive treatment for certain forms of epilepsy, and it is not recommended for use during pregnancy. "We need to understand more about this compound, what mechanisms it interacts with in the brain, its impact on the body, and whether it is a potentially safer solution for treating the chronic pain epidemic," said Kuan Hong Wang, Ph.D., professor of Neuroscience and member of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester, whose lab in collaboration with researchers at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital, recently discovered that in mice, they could effectively deliver CBD to the brain for neuropathic pain relief with no adverse side effects. This research was published in the journal Cell Chemical Biology. Devising a delivery method The first hurdle researchers had to cross was the blood-brain barrier. This part of our anatomy does an incredible job of keeping our brain healthy, as it essentially acts as a protective force field around the brain. Because of this barrier and the fact that CBD does not dissolve well in water, very little CBD reaches the brain when taken in its common oil form. Staff scientist Jingyu Feng, Ph.D., in the Wang Lab, and the first author of the study, helped develop the delivery mechanism: inclusion-complex-enhanced nano-micelle formulation or CBD-IN. CBD-IN is a method that encapsulates CBD molecules within nano-micelles or water-soluble spheres that are considered safe in food and drugs. Researchers found that when CBD-IN was given to mice, it provided pain relief within 30 minutes, and with none of the common adverse side effects, like loss of movement, balance, or memory, that often occur when taking conventional pain drugs. "The pain relief also lasted through repeated use," said Feng. "We did not see its effect wear off over time." Impact on the brain Using imaging and genetic mapping tools, researchers revealed that when CBD-IN is ingested by mice, it calms overactive nerve circuits in the areas of the brain and spinal cord responsible for sensing touch and pain. This calming effect only occurs where abnormal activation is present, like after a nerve injury. Importantly, CBD-IN does not affect healthy neurons. 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. Researchers were surprised to discover that the pain-relieving effect did not rely on the typical cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) that THC and other cannabis compounds target in the body. "Instead, CBD-IN seems to influence broader electrical and calcium signaling in nerve cells, offering a new way to control nerve hyperactivity without triggering the 'high' or dependency risks associated with traditional cannabinoids or opioids," Feng said. "The broader implication of this research is that nanotechnology can make natural compounds like CBD more effective and precise," said Wang, co-senior author of this research. "By enhancing brain delivery and targeting only disease-related neural overactivity, this strategy could open new doors for treating chronic pain and possibly other neurological disorders, such as epilepsy or neurodegenerative diseases, where abnormal nerve activity plays a central role." 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 More than 1.4 million people are employed in Australian retail and fast food businesses. Sadly, it's not always a happy or safe place to work. A union survey of more than 4,600 frontline workers found 87% had experienced customer verbal abuse in 2023consistent since 2016. But incidents have become more frequent: in 2023, 76% of those who'd been abused experienced it daily, weekly or monthly, compared with 54% just two years earlier. Retailers have spent millions on beefing up staff security measures, including body-worn cameras. The lead up to Christmas is a notoriously bad time for customer violence and abuse against workers. On Thursday, a large collective of retail groups launched a national "Be Kind in Retail" campaign, urging shoppers to be compassionate and patient over Christmas. But there is one ultra-cheap solution, trialed since 2020, which our three-part study has now confirmed seems to significantly reduce customers' intention to verbally abuse workers. A name and a story In late 2017, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) union launched its "No One Deserves a Serve" campaign to reduce abuse of frontline staff. Later, as part of this initiative, the union bought 500,000 adhesive plastic "under badges," which were handed out for free from early 2020 to retail staff to stick to existing name badges. An under badge is a small personal identifier attached below a name tag that can convey a short humanizing message in a few words. Examples include "I'm a mother" or "I'm a son." The badges were trialed with retailers such as Woolworths, Target, Big W and KFC. Around 2020, lead author Gary Mortimer's daughter came home from her job at a supermarket wearing one of these under badges. Surprisingly however, there's been little research done into the evidence behind low-cost solutions to customer abuse, and whether such badges really could help curb customer abuse. So, we decided to investigate. 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 our research found In our recently published study, we began by speaking with 17 supermarket workers in late 2024, who had participated in the "No One Deserves a Serve" campaign. Some said they'd felt awkward about wearing phrases like "I'm a son." But overall, participants said under badges seemed to reduce verbal abuse, created opportunities to chat and increased customers' empathy. A 39-year-old supermarket worker said, "[Customers] treat us like dirt. I recall this old fellow coming in and carrying on [] and then he just calms down when he sees that I'm a mother. He starts talking about his kids when they were younger. It was like I suddenly became a real person, not just a worker." Another 22-year-old worker said, "I think badges made customers see us as equals." Interestingly, none of the workers interviewed were still wearing their under badge. It was not always unclear why; one participant told us it had fallen apart, while others may have been lost. How did almost 1,000 customers respond? We also ran two experiments with a total of 940 customers. First, we created a scenario where we described a poor service experience, which elicited anger. We then presented artificial intelligence (AI) generated images of fictional retail workers. Some had just their name badge, while others disclosed personal information such as "I'm a daughter" on an under badge. We then asked 600 respondents how likely a "reasonable" customer would be to shout, complain aggressively, become verbally abusive, or argue with the worker. While the under badge didn't completely deter verbal abuse, there was a statistically significant reduction in customers' intention to engage in verbal abuse when the additional badge saying "I'm a mum/dad/daughter/son" was also worn. Finally, we replicated the experiment with 340 different customers. We changed the under badges to read, "I'm a local." The same procedures were used, and we again confirmed that any form of self-disclosurethat is, revealing something about our "personal story"reduced customer abuse. How humanization can reduce customer abuse Two theories can help explain why revealing something about ourselves fosters greater levels of respect and empathy in others. The first, social penetration theory describes the way we move from shallow, to deeper relationships with others. It suggests we assess the "rewards" and "costs" attained from interacting with other people. Social rewards may include being liked. Social costs emerge from feelings of vulnerability. The second, social exchange theory, suggests when the social rewards are greater than the costs of the interaction, exchanges will continue. However, for self disclosure to work, these theories suggest the information shared must be perceived as "more than what is expected," possibly of a personal nature. This "extra" personal disclosure tips the balance in favor of the customer, simply: "I've learned something about this worker, without having to divulge anything in return." Our research demonstrates when workers disclose personal information, a social exchange takes place. Customers see the worker as a humannot just an extension of the retail brand. Trying to keep retail workers safer Over the five years since the badges launched, we've observed far fewer worn in shops. However, the SDA told The Conversation it is still sharing them and they are still available. But it's something businesses of all sizes could experiment with. Looking online to gauge current costs, we found it could cost as little as 17 cents per badge (plus GST) for a large business with 10,000-plus employees, to 43 cents for a smaller order of fewer than 1,000 badges. It seems a small price to help remind customers that retail workers deserve to be treated as equals. 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: A new study has constrained the Enceladus's global conductive heat flow by studying its seasonal temperature variations at its north pole (yellow). These results, when combined with existing ones of its highly active south polar region (red) provide the first observational constraint of Enceladus's energy loss budget (<54 GW) which is consistent with the predicted energy input (50 to 55 GW) from tidal heating. This implies that Enceladus's current activity is sustainable in the long term an important prerequisite for the evolution of life, which is thought possible to exist in its global sub-surface ocean. Credit: University of Oxford / NASA / JPL-CalTech / Space Science Institute (PIA19656 and PIA11141) A new study led by researchers from Oxford University, Southwest Research Institute and the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona has provided the first evidence of significant heat flow at Enceladus's north pole, overturning previous assumptions that heat loss was confined to its active south pole. This finding confirms that the icy moon is emitting far more heat than would be expected if it were simply a passive body, strengthening the case that it could support life. The research is published in the journal Science Advances. Enceladus is a highly active world, with a global, salty subsurface ocean, believed to be the source of its heat. The presence of liquid water, heat and the right chemicals (such as phosphorus and complex hydrocarbons) means that its subsurface ocean is believed to be one of the best places in our solar system for life to have evolved outside Earth. But this subsurface ocean can only support life if it has a stable environment, with its energy losses and gains in balance. This balance is maintained by tidal heating: Saturn's gravity stretches and squeezes the moon as it orbits, generating heat inside. If Enceladus doesn't gain enough energy, its surface activity will slow down or stop, and the ocean could eventually freeze. Too much energy, on the other hand, could cause ocean activity to increase, altering its environment. "Enceladus is a key target in the search for life outside Earth, and understanding the long-term availability of its energy is key to determining whether it can support life," said Dr. Georgina Miles (Southwest Research Institute and Visiting Scientist at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford), lead author of the paper. Until now, direct measurements of heat loss from Enceladus had only been made at the south pole, where dramatic plumes of water ice and vapor erupt from deep fissures in the surface. In contrast, the north pole was thought to be geologically inactive. Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, the researchers compared observations of the north polar region in deep winter (2005) and summer (2015). These were used to measure how much energy Enceladus loses from its "warm" (0C, 32F) subsurface ocean as heat travels through its icy shell to the moon's frigid surface (223C, 370F) and is then radiated into space. By modeling the expected surface temperatures during the polar night and comparing them with infrared observations from the Cassini Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS), the team found that the surface at the north pole was around 7 K warmer than predicted. This discrepancy could only be explained by heat leaking out from the ocean below. The measured heat flow (46 4 milliwatts per square meter) may sound small, but this is about two-thirds of the heat loss (per unit area) through Earth's continental crust. Across the whole of Enceladus, this conductive heat loss totals around 35 gigawatts: roughly equivalent to the output of over 66 million solar panels (output of 530 W) or 10,500 wind turbines (output of 3.4 MW). When combined with the previously estimated heat escaping from Enceladus's active south pole, the moon's total heat loss rises to 54 gigawatts, a figure that closely matches predicted heat input from tidal forces. This balance between heat production and loss strongly suggests that Enceladus's ocean can remain liquid over geological timescales, offering a stable environment where life could potentially emerge. 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. "Understanding how much heat Enceladus is losing on a global level is crucial to knowing whether it can support life," said Dr. Carly Howett (Department of Physics, University of Oxford and Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona), corresponding author of the paper. "It is really exciting that this new result supports Enceladus's long-term sustainability, a crucial component for life to develop." According to the researchers, the next key step will be to determine whether Enceladus's ocean has existed long enough for life to develop. At the moment, its age is still uncertain. The study also demonstrated that thermal data can be used to independently estimate ice shell thickness, an important metric for future missions planning to probe Enceladus's ocean, for instance using robotic landers or submersibles. The findings suggest that the ice is 20 and 23 km deep at the north pole with an average of 25 to 28 km globallyslightly deeper than previous estimates obtained using other remote sensing and modeling techniques. "Eking out the subtle surface temperature variations caused by Enceladus's conductive heat flow from its daily and seasonal temperature changes was a challenge, and was only made possible by Cassini's extended missions," added Dr. Miles. "Our study highlights the need for long-term missions to ocean worlds that may harbor life, and the fact the data might not reveal all its secrets until decades after it has been obtained." More information: Georgina Miles et al, Endogenic heat at Enceladus' north pole, Science Advances (2025). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adx4338. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adx4338 Journal information: Science Advances 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 Baobabs are sometimes called "upside-down trees," because their branches look like roots reaching skyward. Of the eight species of baobab in the world, six are confined to Madagascar, one to northern Australia and one species, Adansonia digitata, is found across the savanna regions of continental Africa. They're more than striking trees; they are cornerstones of African ecosystems and livelihoods. They provide fruit, fiber, medicine and shelter for both people and wildlife. But it's their night-blooming flowers and partnership with tiny nocturnal visitors, like bats and moths, that hold the secrets of their evolution and future survival. Baobabs have huge white flowers that are visited at night by bats and moths to drink their sweet-tasting nectar. While feeding on the nectar, the flower covers its nocturnal visitors with pollen which they carry to the next flower they visit. This transfers pollen from the male part (anther) of one flower to the female part (stigma) of the next flower. Without this pollination, the trees would not be able to produce nutritious fruit, which African people have eaten for thousands of years, or seeds to grow the next generation of baobabs. I'm a baobab ecologist who has studied these trees for 18 years. In my latest research, my team studied 284 baobabs across west (Ghana), east (Kenya), and southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana) to see which animals pollinated their flowers. We observed bats and moths for 205 hours, filmed and caught bats to identify them, and collected pollen from their bodies. We also compared the flowers' shapes, nectar, and scents across the regions. Our study found that the baobabs have different pollinators in different regions and have each adapted their flowers to suit those pollinators. The baobabs are all genetically the same species, but their floral traits, shape, scent and nectar have evolved to suit the different pollinators in each region. It takes thousands of years for these changes to happen. This also means the trees are deeply dependent on their relationships with either bats or moths. If these creatures go into a decline because of climate change, the trees might not reproduce. This would endanger not just the baobab species but the web of life that depends on it. More research is needed about the animals that are pollinating baobab flowers and how important they are to the survival of baobabs in future. Safeguarding Africa's tree of life Protecting pollinators is more than preserving biodiversity. It safeguards the continuity of one of Africa's most life-giving trees and the communities rooted in its shade. For restoration and conservation, one crucial lesson stands out: when selecting baobab seeds and seedlings, they must match the pollinators of each region. Flowers emit fragrance and produce volumes of nectar suitable for their pollinators. If flowers fail to attract the proper visitors, they cannot produce fruit or seeds. For example, a baobab tree that is adapted to bats may not thrive where only moths remain. This is what we found: West Africa: The main visitor to the baobab trees is the straw-colored fruit bat ( Eidolon helvum ), a large species that feeds while hanging upside down from branches. The baobab flowers here reflect their companion: they're big, with long stalks and deep pools of nectar. The bats rotate the flowers with their thumbs and the pollen brushes their heads and chests. The bats carry this to other blossoms, setting in motion a new generation of trees. ), a large species that feeds while hanging upside down from branches. The baobab flowers here reflect their companion: they're big, with long stalks and deep pools of nectar. The bats rotate the flowers with their thumbs and the pollen brushes their heads and chests. The bats carry this to other blossoms, setting in motion a new generation of trees. East Africa: Here, the smaller Egyptian fruit bat ( Rousettus aegyptiacus ) dominates. These bats crash-land directly onto flowers, using the stalk as a springboard. East African flowers have therefore evolved to be smaller and sturdier, with less nectar but still enough to encourage repeated visits through the night. ) dominates. These bats crash-land directly onto flowers, using the stalk as a springboard. East African flowers have therefore evolved to be smaller and sturdier, with less nectar but still enough to encourage repeated visits through the night. Southern Africa: No bats visit baobab trees in this region. Instead, a variety of moths fill the role of pollinators. Some hover delicately; others land on the flowers themselves. The flowers here are smaller, with drooping petals and wider stigmas. These subtle adaptations nudge moths into direct contact with pollen-bearing parts. 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. Secrets of flower form, nectar and scent We also analyzed the flowers and found a range of differences that mirror the feeding styles of bats and moths: Shape: In bat regions, petals fold back. This makes space for the bats to land or hang on the flowers. In moth regions, petals droop, encouraging close contact and effective pollen transfer. The length of the peduncle (the stalk that attaches the flower, and later the fruit, to the branch): Flowers on west African baobabs have long stalks that suit large bats feeding while hanging from branches. In east Africa, shorter stalks reduce wobbling when smaller bats land directly on flowers. Nectar: Large bats encourage the development of nectar-rich flowers in west Africa. East African flowers produce less nectar for smaller bats, and southern African baobab flowers provide only drops of nectar, just enough for moths. Stigma position: In southern Africa, some flowers have short and wide stigmasthe part of the female reproductive organ which receives the pollen before it is transferred to the ovary buried below the stamen ball. This is unlike the fully protruding stigmas of west and east African baobab flowers that are visited by bats. For moths, this positioning increases the chance that they brush against the flower's reproductive parts, forcing them to pollinate the flower. Scent: Baobabs across Africa release unusual sulfur-like compounds that draw bats, but southern African flowers emit sweeter-smelling scent, making them appealing to moths instead. Our future rests on wings Birds, bees and beetles do not pollinate baobab flowers, so baobabs rely on moths and bats for survival. Baobab trees can cope with a wide range of environmental and climatic conditions. But bats and moths may be more susceptible to climate change. Our research shows that even giants depend on delicate partnerships, in this case, with the smallest of night-time visitors. Protecting these pollinators means protecting the baobabs themselves, and with them, the communities and ecosystems that depend on them. 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: 3D rendered images of the macroscope, showing the system design and optical components. Credit: Ian Coghill A team of European researchers has developed a versatile, open-source luminescence imaging instrument designed to democratize access to advanced fluorescence and electroluminescence techniques across disciplines ranging from plant science to materials research. The new system, detailed in Optics Express, offers an affordable and customizable alternative to bespoke laboratory setups and was developed with support from the DREAM project. The devicedescribed as a luminescence macroscope with dynamic illuminationcombines flexibility, affordability, and precision in a single platform. Unlike conventional imaging instruments, which are often constrained by fixed optical architectures, the macroscope supports complex, time-resolved illumination and detection protocols. Researchers can program arbitrary light modulation sequences, synchronize multiple wavelengths, and record high-speed responses, all while maintaining compatibility with diverse sample typesfrom potted plants to photovoltaic devices. Bridging the gap between optical innovation and accessibility Luminescence imaging has become a cornerstone of modern science, capable of revealing molecular and physiological processes invisible to the naked eye. Yet, implementing advanced illumination protocols typically requires deep expertise in optics, electronics, and software engineering. "Our goal was to remove that barrier," said co-lead author Dr. Ian Coghill of Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris. "We've built a system that others can easily replicate, without specialist training." The team provides open access to a complete suite of resourcescomputer-aided design (CAD) files, detailed build instructions, calibration protocols, and Python-based control software. The entire system can be assembled for less than 25,000, using mostly off-the-shelf and 3D-printed components. This makes it feasible for small laboratories and interdisciplinary teams to perform experiments once reserved for high-end custom setups. A single platform, many disciplines The macroscope's design accommodates multiple illumination sources spanning ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths (405740 nm) and supports synchronized imaging up to 100 frames per second. It can apply tailored modulation sequencessinusoidal, pulsed, or user-definedto probe the kinetics of photoactive systems. The research team demonstrated its capabilities across a wide range of applications: Plant physiology: Measuring photosynthetic parameters and tracking the uptake of herbicides in Arabidopsis thaliana using dynamic fluorescence protocols. Protein photophysics: Distinguishing reversibly photoswitchable fluorescent proteins through their kinetic "fingerprints," using methods such as RIOM (Rectified Imaging under Optical Modulation). Optoelectronic devices: Mapping the frequency-dependent electroluminescence of solar cells and LEDs, shedding light on charge transport and recombination dynamics. "These examples are just a glimpse of what's possible," noted Dr. Ludovic Jullien, senior author and coordinator of the DREAM project. "By combining open hardware with programmable illumination, we hope to enable both fundamental research and practical innovation in fields as diverse as plant biology, photonics, and renewable energy." In keeping with the open-science ethos of the DREAM project, all build files, analysis scripts, and experimental data are freely accessible via Zenodo. The researchers invite the scientific community to adapt the design to their needs, modify it for new optical modalities, or incorporate it into automated imaging workflows. "This is not a one-off prototype," said Coghill. "It's a platform others can build uponan accessible gateway to exploring dynamic photophysics." More information: Ian Coghill et al, Versatile luminescence macroscope with dynamic illumination for photoactive systems, Optics Express (2025). DOI: 10.1364/oe.570450 Journal information: Optics Express Provided by CNRS 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: MKK3 locus complexity in barley. Credit: Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adx2022 Every year, billions of dollars' worth of crops worldwide perish due to pre-harvest sprouting (PHS), a phenomenon in which grain or seeds germinate on the plant before harvest. The process is triggered by a variety of factors, such as warm, moist weather, which can spoil the crop and threaten the global food supply. But this could be a thing of the past, as a team of researchers, primarily from the Carlsberg Research Laboratory in Denmark, has uncovered the genetic mechanism that controls when barley should sprout. Self-inflicted problem PHS is entirely a problem of our own making. When early farmers domesticated barley, they wanted a crop that would sprout soon after planting. So, they selected strains with less natural seed dormancy, a pause that stops seeds from sprouting until conditions are just right. While this allows farmers to plant quickly after harvest, sometimes yielding two crops, it comes with a considerable downside. If perfect weather conditions hit before harvest, the entire crop starts to sprout early on the stalk. This is a problem because even if you could pick it early, the grain is often too wet for storage or has already started the biochemical changes that ruin its quality for food or brewing. To better understand the causes of PHS, scientists focused on MKK3, a gene known to play a role in controlling dormancy in barley and other cereals. They analyzed the DNA of more than 1,000 barley types from farms and seed banks worldwide. They also cultivated barley varieties in fields over several seasons, subjecting half to conditions that would cause PHS. This allowed them to compare affected grain against normal grain. Back in the lab, researchers studied gene expression and measured protein activity to see how MKK3 genes directly influenced dormancy. Genetic insights The key findings, according to their study published in the journal Science, are that dormancy is controlled by multiple versions of MKK3, not one. Wild barley has one copy, while domesticated varieties have several. What this means is that the more MKK3 genes a barley plant has, the stronger the signal to sprout and shorter seed dormancy. The study also examined how MKK3 variants spread in response to the climate and the needs of ancient farmers. Some were hyperactive and were chosen by farmers in Northern Europe for their superior malting quality. Others were less active (high dormancy) and favored by farmers in wet climates, such as East Asia. This meant that crops could survive monsoons without sprouting early. With these deep genetic insights, the study authors hope that today's farmers can cultivate the perfect barley variety for any region. "Our work shows that understanding the genetic complexity of dormancy can help breeders develop barley that is both productive and resilient to climate change." Written for you by our author Paul Arnold, edited by Gaby Clark, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Eganthis article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you. More information: Morten E. Jrgensen et al, Postdomestication selection of MKK3 shaped seed dormancy and end-use traits in barley, Science (2025). DOI: 10.1126/science.adx2022 Journal information: Science 2025 Science X Network 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: Locations of impact assessment (IA)-assessed projects within the database of mines, categorized by the material class of each proposed development. Credit: FACETS (2025). DOI: 10.1139/facets-2025-0114 The global demand for critical minerals is surging. Driven by the clean-energy transition, digital infrastructure, and geopolitical shifts, governments in Canada are pushing to unlock subsurface resources. These mineralslike lithium, graphite, and rare earth elementsare touted as necessary for clean tech and national defense. In the rush to skirt regulatory hurdles under the guise of building mines faster, industry and governments are increasingly seeking to avoid or streamline environmental impact assessments (IAs), which are required by law and allow the public, experts, and Indigenous groups to weigh in on proposed projects. However, our examination of IA processes over the years shows that, despite their challenges, they remain a key planning tool for protecting communities, ecosystems, and democratic accountability. In our new study published in FACETS, we built a first-ever database of IAs for mines and quarries across Canada. We found data for 227 proposed projects spanning the past 50 years. In many ways, what we discovered didn't surprise us. Mining projects have been getting bigger, with more earth being moved over longer timeframes. The frightening part was the IA systems we reviewed were plagued by inconsistent data, inaccessible records, and fragmented oversight. Given the potential for mega-mines to have major effects and cumulative impacts on salmon, caribou, and other important aspects of ecological systems, the lack of coordination and transparency displayed across IA jurisdictions concerned us. Inconsistent regulatory coordination and decision-making Mining regulation in Canada is primarily the responsibility of the provinces and territories. However, it remains the duty of the federal government to regulate aspects of the environment like fish habitat and species at risk and impacts on the well-being of Indigenous Peoples. IA in Canada began in the 1970s to bring all parties together and help both decision-makers and the public understand the risks and benefits of proposed industrial projects. But the different levels of government in Canada haven't always been on the same page. Thirty-nine projects in our database were assessed under both federal and provincial regimes, often at the same time. Of these, 64% had discrepancies in key metrics like production size, lifespan and footprint. In one case, the same mine was said to have a capacity of 43,800 metric tons of iron ore per day in federal documents and 104,000 metric tons per day in provincial paperwork. In 2005, an oil sands mine proposed a total footprint to the federal regulator that was more than double what was proposed to the Province of Alberta (23,000 hectares versus 11,000 hectares). That's the difference between evaluating the impacts on the scale of a large cattle ranch versus a whole county. Lessons from the past made difficult to access Even more concerning was our inability to access information that is supposed to be available to the public. In many provinces, public registries are incomplete, outdated, or difficult to navigate. Documents for most projects proposed before 2000 were simply unavailable. We requested these using access to information procedures, and our requests were either denied or quoted large sums (e.g., $6,000) for digitizing paper records. Some jurisdictions are doing better. British Columbia and the three territories have accessible and robust public IA data registries, but these are the exceptions. Companies that propose new mines collect a lot of data to understand how their project might impact the surrounding environment, economy, and communities. Making that data public is necessary for independent oversight to assess if IAs are working as intended. In British Columbia, access to project data has allowed researchers to study freshwater impacts from mining project alterations, audit the financial performance of coal mines, and examine how gender impacts are accounted for in mining IAs. Historical IAs also provide valuable information for industry and regulators alike. They contain environmental baseline data like species inventories, financial projections like job creation and tax revenue, and the records of meetings between industry, government, rightsholders, and other stakeholders. If IA documents are not public, how can a company that wants to mine in a well-explored area understand why previous proposals were unsuccessful? 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. Does looser regulation lead to speedier developments? Our findings also revealed much about the impact of looser regulation on projects. We see efficiency in the IA process as inherently a good thing. It helps keep public-sector costs down, avoids fatiguing communities with repeated consultations and can result in better predictability for industry and investors. But efficiency and speed are not always the same thing and efficiency can't come at the cost of cutting corners, resulting in decisions based on weak scientific evidence or that ignore important stakeholder and rightsholder concerns. The current push to accelerate resource projects isn't the first time IA laws and regulations are in the crosshairs of political and industry narratives claiming they impede mining development in Canada. The goal of the Harper government's Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012 (CEAA 2012) was to subject fewer projects to a faster IA process. Did the planned acceleration work? In short, no. We found no difference in the IA timelines for mines and quarries assessed under CEAA 2012 and its predecessor, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act of 1992. The site of the Kerr-Sulpherets-Mitchell (KSM) ProjectCanada's largest approved metal minesits undeveloped more than 11 years after the IA concluded due to challenges related to start-up capital. Two pipelines rushed through the IA process under CEAA 2012 never got built. Courts overturned their approvals due to inadequate Indigenous consultation. The economics of developing a new mine can fluctuate along with commodity pricing and geopolitics, something that government regulation alone cannot address. Recent streamlining laws passed in Ontario and British Columbia as well as the new federal Building Canada Act are already facing pushback, protests, and legal action from Indigenous groups and civil society actors. Strengthening IA processes Nobody wins when IA processes are duplicated and there appears to be movement towards coordinating federal and provincial regulators on IAs. However, significant concerns have been raised that weaker IA systems will be used instead of stronger ones. Apart from project-level IAs, Canada underuses broader planning tools like strategic assessments and regional assessments. These tools can improve the efficiency of IA processes while also providing guardrails to prevent ecosystems and communities from being pushed past their limits due to the cumulative effects of human disturbance. Although some jurisdictions have improved transparency, governments should also commit to building capacity in under-resourced departments. IA offices, for example, could ensure that this invaluable information (some collected at taxpayer expense) is readily available to all. If not, poor data practices and bureaucratic opacity will continue to erode the public's ability to participate meaningfully in environmental decision-makingand industry's ability to learn from past IA case studies. In Canada, one thing is certain: responsible mining requires the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoplesrights that are affirmed in the Constitution, courts, and other areas of international and domestic law. Mining and IA policies should focus less on rigid, arbitrary regulatory streamlining timelines and instead promote genuine collaboration with Indigenous communities (which may conduct their own Indigenous-led impact assessments), recognizing that consent-based partnerships and strong local governance can produce efficient mining development that benefits both communities and investors. Overall, the results from our study suggest that: IAs continue to be valuable tools when combined with other broader planning initiatives to guide responsible mining development that learns from the past. Members of the public, subject matter experts, and knowledge holders are legally entitled to meaningfully participate in any ongoing IA and should be able to evaluate the performance of projects and IA processes over time. Ensuring this requires that governments improve the accessibility of their websites and ensure that all data from IAs past and current is available in the public record. If history repeats itself, politically motivated efforts to fast-track, streamline, or abandon IAs may have the opposite effect, resulting in delays in project development or fewer projects getting built all together. Moving forward, we encourage all Canadian jurisdictions to increase data sharing and cooperation to strive for responsible IA efficiency in the mining sector and beyond. More information: Alana R. Westwood et al, Unearthing trends in environmental impact assessments for mines and quarries across Canada, FACETS (2025). DOI: 10.1139/facets-2025-0114 Squeeze drummer Gilson Lavis has died aged 74. Gilson Lavis has died at the age of 74 As well as joining Jools Holland in the new wave group, Lavis was also a member of Jools Hollands Rhythm And Blues Orchestra. Holland was the first to report on the news of his bandmate's passing on Thursday (06.11.25). He penned on Instagram alongside pictures of the pair: "Im very sad to report that Gilson Lavis my dear friend and long-standing drummer passed away at his home in Lincolnshire last night. On behalf of my Orchestra, Squeeze, the many musicians who have worked with and befriended Gilson over the years and all the people he has supported through the AA fellowship, I send our love and sympathy to Nikki and Gilson, his dear wife and son." No cause of death was given. His death comes after Lavis retired from performing late last year. The musician first made his mark in 1976 when he joined Squeeze, becoming a core member during the bands most influential years. His drumming powered classics like Cool For Cats and Up The Junction, and he appeared on every studio album through the mid-1990s. Before his time with Squeeze, Lavis built his reputation as a sought-after session drummer, touring with legends including Chuck Berry, Dolly Parton, and Jerry Lee Lewis. Following his departure from Squeeze, Lavis continued performing alongside longtime collaborator Holland, contributing to his Rhythm And Blues Orchestra until late 2024. Cancun bar waitress killed in crossfire during criminal gang shootout Cancun, Q.R. A Cancun waitress was killed in what is reported to be crossfire between criminal groups. The shooting happened Thursday night at a club in SM 228. The exchange of gunfire started inside the bars restroom and ended up on the street outside. A woman reported to be a waitress at the El Pajaro Azul bar was hit by a bullet during the exchange of gunfire on Kabah Avenue. According to initial reports gathered by authorities, the altercation started in the bars restroom and was carried out into the street. It is not known at what point, inside or outside of the bar, the waitress was hit. Forensic personnel collected over 20 spent shell casings from the scene. The deceased woman, who has not been named, is reported to have been the mother of two young children. The bar waitress was the only person reported injured in the shootout. Police have not announced the arrests of any suspects. Motorists report disorientated man seen wandering along Cancun road Cancun, Q.R. A disoriented man was reported in the early hours of Friday morning wandering a Cancun road. Motorists traveling on the Arco Vial around 2:30 a.m. saw the man on the side of the road and called emergency services. Motorists reported seeing the man on the side of the road early Friday. The incident happened in SM 106 where State Preventive Police officers were sent to verify the report. The man, identified as Vicente Luisum N, 40 of French nationality, had apparently been lost for hours. Police reported that he was found unharmed, however, responding officers did request the support of a medical unit. Paramedics from the Red Cross arrived shortly after their call. The man was assessed and found to be dehydrated, and was transferred to a Cancun hospital. Local authorities have not confirmed if the man is a tourist or resident, nor have they said how he became to be found sitting on the side of the road. Quintana Roo boosts its European presence during London World Travel Market fair Riviera Maya, Q.R. The Mexican Caribbean participation in the London travel market finished with outstanding results. The state of Quintana Roo has boosted its presence in the European market with the promotion of the states tourist destinations. This week, the state participated in the World Travel Market (WTM) in London. During the three day event, the State Tourism Secretariat (SEDETUR), together with the Quintana Roo Tourism Promotion Council (CPTQ), maintained a broad agenda of meetings with airlines, wholesalers and business partners. The presence of the Mexican Caribbean within the Mexico featured a specific area and a special representation of Tulum, along with all the destinations that make up this tourist region. Among the main agreements reached, one was finalized with TUI Group. TUI is the worlds largest integrated tourism company dedicated to the global marketing of travel services such as airlines, cruises, hotels, tour operators and travel agencies. The agreement included a joint support in marketing matters to strengthen the presence of the Mexican Caribbean and increase tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom. As part of this collaboration, TUI allocated special banners dedicated to Tulum, Cancun and Riviera Maya, boosting sales for these destinations in coordination with the CPTQ. During the fair, British Airways confirmed the continuation of its daily operations to Cancun during 2026 thanks to the high occupancy rates of its flights, while Virgin Atlantic consolidates its return to the destination with excellent occupancy levels and cooperative campaigns. Another highlight was Aer Lingus announcement that it will launch its direct Dublin-Cancun flight on January 6, 2026. The January flights were announced in a joint promotional campaign in May, which they say, has already generated an excellent response in bookings. Meanwhile, HotelBeds continuously displayed a promotional video showcasing all the destinations in the Mexican Caribbean on its main screen throughout the trade show, significantly contributing to the destinations visibility among international tourism industry professionals. During the fair, strategic meetings were held with Avoris, Soltour, W2Meet and El Corte Ingles with the purpose of strengthening the presence of the Mexican Caribbean towards FITUR 2026 and ensuring the growth of tourist flow from Spain and Portugal. Quintana Roo continues to strengthen its presence in the main source markets of Europe, consolidating its position as a tourism leader in Mexico and Latin America and reaffirming its commitment to the economic, social and environmental development of the state through inclusive and sustainable tourism as established in the New Agreement for Well-being and Development promoted by Governor Mara Lezama. The head of SEDETUR, Bernardo Cueto, held a key meeting with the Head of Travel Alert Selection at the UK Foreign Office, that strengthens bilateral cooperation and strategies to improve the perception and safety of Mexican Caribbean tourist destinations among British travelers. Cueto Riestra highlighted the relevance of these achievements for the diversification of markets and the international positioning of the Mexican Caribbean: Bernardo Cueto, center, held a key meeting with the Head of Travel Alert Selection. The participation of the Mexican Caribbean in WTM London 2025 reaffirms Quintana Roos tourism leadership on a global scale. Thanks to the drive and support of Governor Mara Lezama, we continue to consolidate strategic agreements that guarantee effective promotion of all our destinations and strengthen connectivity with Europe through sustainable and responsible tourism, he said. Yucatan passenger bus inspection intercepts drug shipment bound for Quintana Roo Halacho, Yucatan Two people were arrested and 21 kilos of narcotics seized during a passenger bus check stop this week. The two men arrested were found transporting 21 kilos of methamphetamine to Quintana Roo. The passenger bus was stopped in the town of Halacho, Yucatan where members of the National Guard inspected the baggage. During their inspection, they found the narcotics. The Security Cabinet of the Government of Mexico reported on the finding Wednesday through a Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) press release. In Halacho, Yucatan, members of the National Guard, Mexican Army, Navy and State Police, while inspecting a bus bound for Quintana Roo, arrested two people and seized 21 kilos of methamphetamine, the SSPC said in a briefing on the check stop. According to their statement, the drugs bound for the state of Quintana Roo had a value of 5.6 million pesos. Authorities did not identify the two men arrested. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been urged by the UK government to travel to the United States to answer questions about his long-standing friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been urged by the UK government to travel to the United States to answer questions about his long-standing friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein Communities secretary Steve Reed told LBC Radio on Friday (07.11.25) the former prince should assist a congressional inquiry examining Epsteins network after the ex-Duke of York was this week stripped of his royal titles by King Charles over his links to the late paedophile financier. Mr Reed said: Any individual who can help with an investigation of that gravity should go and help if they can. Hes a private individual, its up to him, but I think people should do what they can to try to help. The remarks come after members of the US House Oversight Committee wrote to Andrew, 65, requesting a transcribed interview as part of their investigation into Epsteins sex trafficking operations. The committee said it had discovered financial records containing notations such as massage for Andrew that raise serious questions. In the letter, signed by 16 members of Congress and sent on Thursday (06.11.25), the committee said: We write to seek your co-operation in the Committee on Oversight and Government Reforms investigation into Jeffrey Epsteins sex trafficking operations. The committee is seeking to uncover the identities of Mr Epsteins co-conspirators and enablers and to understand the full extent of his criminal operations. Well-documented allegations against you, along with your long-standing friendship with Mr Epstein, indicate that you may possess knowledge of his activities relevant to our investigation. In the interest of justice for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, we request that you co-operate with the committees investigation by sitting for a transcribed interview with the Committee. Prime minister Keir Starmer echoed the view Andrew should consider assisting the inquiry. Speaking to broadcasters during the Cop30 summit in Brazil, he said: Well, in the end, its a matter for him personally. My view, and this is not about the individual case, more broadly, is that anybody who has relevant information should always be willing to give it to whatever inquiries need that information. But the individual decision is a matter for him. The congressional request followed King Charles decision to strip his brother of his HRH style and prince title, effectively ending Andrews public role. The move came after the release of the memoir Nobodys Girl by Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide 41 after she accused Andrew of having sex with her when she was 17 and being trafficked by Epstein and his madam and fixer Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew has consistently denied all allegations made against him. Singapores largest bank, DBS, has announced a hiring freeze for roles most vulnerable to automation as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes banking operations. CEO Tan Su Shan said the bank will confront AI angst head-on by retraining employees rather than cutting jobs. The plan is to redeploy staff into higher-value positions where human judgment, empathy, and trust remain essential. Routine tasks in operations and customer service are increasingly handled by AI systems, prompting DBS to shift its workforce toward advisory services and financial planning. The bank is investing heavily in training programmes to build digital literacy, data analysis, and advisory skills, turning tellers into bankers and bankers into advisors. Analysts say the strategy reflects Singapores broader push to embrace AI while safeguarding jobs, setting a precedent for Asian banks balancing efficiency with workforce resilience. More on DBS announcing hiring freeze here. Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi of Prince Group, accused of orchestrating billiondollar scams, has now found himself scammed by his own aide. His Singapore family office chief, David Wong, allegedly siphoned funds from the very institution meant to safeguard his wealth. The twist adds a sharp layer of irony, as the man accused of defrauding victims worldwide became a victim himself. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Family offices are designed to protect fortunes and ensure continuity, yet in this case they became the source of financial loss. Singapore regulators are watching closely, with analysts warning that lightly regulated offices remain vulnerable to insider abuse. For global observers, the saga underscores how deception often breeds more deception, leaving even empires built on dishonesty fragile when trust collapses. More on Chen Zhi's robbery in ironic Singapore twist here. Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates. At the invitation of the government of Bolivia, President Xi Jinpings Special Envoy and Minister of Water Resources Li Guoying will attend the inauguration of Bolivias President Rodrigo Paz in La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, on November 8. At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway Espen Barth Eide will pay an official visit to China from November 10 to 11. CCTV: To follow up on your announcement about the visit to China by Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, how does China view its relations with Norway and what is Chinas expectation for the visit? Mao Ning: We welcome Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide to visit China. China has extended congratulations to the Norwegian government immediately after it won a second term in power. The Foreign Ministers visit to China not long after the election speaks to the importance Norway attaches to its relations with China. During the visit, the two sides will have in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations and international and regional issues of mutual interest. We believe the visit will help consolidate mutual trust, enhance common understanding, and deepen cooperation, and play an important role for the sustained, sound and steady growth of bilateral relations. Nippon TV: The Japanese government has announced that Japans scallops have been exported to China a few days ago. It is the first time in two years after China has banned imports from Japan. Does China have any comment for this? Mao Ning: China has released an announcement about the import of Japanese aquatic products to China. China will continue working with the international community to ensure Japan will fulfill its commitments and continue to accept the international monitoring of the Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water and Chinas independent sampling and monitoring. Competent authorities of China will continue to step up regulation of the import of Japanese aquatic products in strict accordance with laws and regulations and ensure peoples food safety. Once any risks are identified, necessary import restrictions will be taken immediately in accordance with the law. RIA Novosti: President Donald Trump said earlier that he believes that the denuclearization would be a great thing and that he has been discussing this with Russian and Chinese leaders. Can you please confirm that U.S. and Chinese leaders have discussed this issue and if there is any change in Chinas position on the trilateral talks? Mao Ning: China has stated its position on multiple occasions. Chinas nuclear strength is by no means on the same level with that of the U.S. or Russia. At the current stage, its not fair, reasonable or realistic to ask China to join the nuclear arms control talks. Sitting on the worlds biggest nuclear arsenal, the U.S. should earnestly fulfill its special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament, further make drastic and substantive cuts to its nuclear arsenal, and create conditions for the realization of complete and thorough nuclear disarmament. Global Times: Its reported that according to the Emissions Gap Report released by the UN Environment Program on November 4, nations remain far from meeting the key climate goals of the Paris Agreement. As the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) is being held in Belem, whats Chinas take on the current climate response? What role will China play? Mao Ning: China has actively implemented the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and its Paris Agreement. China has made notable achievements in implementing its 2030 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and achieved ahead of schedule the targets of installed capacity of wind and solar power and total forest stock. At the UN Climate Summit, President Xi Jinping solemnly announced Chinas 2035 NDCs covering all economic sectors and all greenhouse gases. This is the first time that China put forward an absolute emissions reduction target, which is a testament to Chinas firm resolve and maximum effort. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Communist Party of China Central Committee deliberated over and adopted the recommendations for the economic and social development plan over the next five years. It made important arrangements for building a Beautiful China. China will accelerate the green transition in all areas of economic and social development, work actively and prudently toward peak carbon emissions, and make greater contributions to addressing climate change. Climate change is a global challenge that requires joint efforts from all parties. Developed countries should step up to their historical responsibility, take the lead in drastically cutting emissions, and support developing countries in funding, technologies and capacity building. China will continue to work with all parties to uphold true multilateralism, safeguard the multilateral process on climate change, and promote global green and low-carbon development. Reuters: Shein has been suspended in France for selling sex dolls that look like children. Does the selling of these products reflect badly on China? Mao Ning: For anything specific, Id refer you to competent authorities. More broadly, the Chinese government asks companies to do business in accordance with laws and regulations and fulfill their corporate responsibilities. We also hope relevant parties will abide by the principles of market economy and provide a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment for companies from all countries. On November 6, 2025, President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory messages with the Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Samoa. Xi Jinping noted that the friendly exchanges between China and Samoa have a long history. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Samoa half a century ago, the two countries have always respected each other, treated each other as equals, firmly supported each other in safeguarding national independence and sovereignty, continuously deepened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful results in mutually beneficial cooperation, and expanded people-to-people and cultural exchanges, enhancing the well-being of the two peoples. Xi Jinping emphasized that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Samoa relations and is ready to work with the Head of State Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship, deepen practical cooperation, and write a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Samoa. Afioga Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II stated that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Samoa and China 50 years ago, bilateral relations have sustained positive development, and friendly cooperation between the two countries has constantly expanded. Samoa sincerely thanks China for its long-standing respect for Samoa's sovereignty and independence, as well as for China's valuable support for the country's sustainable economic and social development. He expressed confidence that Samoa-China relations will continue to reach new heights, and the friendship between the two peoples will keep deepening, contributing to a more prosperous and peaceful future for both countries. On the same day, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council exchanged congratulatory messages with Prime Minister of Samoa Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt. Li Qiang said that China attaches great importance to the development of China-Samoa relations and is ready to work with Samoa to take the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations as an opportunity to expand practical cooperation across various fields and advance the continuous development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Samoa. Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Schmidt said that the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Samoa and China marks an important milestone in bilateral relations. Samoa is willing to work with China to deepen partnership and cooperation, continuously lift bilateral relations to new heights, and deliver more benefits to the two peoples. On November 6, 2025, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi had a phone call with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at the latter's request. Wang Yi said that amid today's volatile and turbulent international situation, China-UK relations must move forward or risk moving backward. Both sides should enhance strategic communication and promote the sustainable development of bilateral relations along a sound, mutually beneficial and stable track. As major countries and permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, China and the UK shoulder important international responsibilities for world peace, stability and development. China firmly upholds the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, maintains the United Nations' leading position in the international system, respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, advocates resolving disputes through peaceful means, supports global free trade and rules of the World Trade Organization, and ensures the stability of the global industrial and supply chains. China and the UK have generally consistent positions on the major issues mentioned above, which is an important connotation of deepening the strategic cooperative relationship between the two countries. China is ready to make joint efforts with the UK to address global challenges and promote world peace and development. Noting that China and the UK differ in history and culture, Wang Yi said that it is normal for the two sides to have differences. However, the two sides should, based on the principle of mutual respect, strive to enhance mutual understanding and provide a solid guarantee for the stability of bilateral relations. Regarding the occasional noises and disturbances, Wang Yi said it is particularly important to keep a clear head, handle them actively and prudently, and focus on the growth of bilateral relations. Yvette Cooper said that the UK and China share many common interests. The UK attaches great importance to its relations with China and looks forward to strengthening high-level exchanges with China and expanding cooperation in areas such as security, development, and the environment. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major countries supporting multilateralism, it is necessary for the UK and China to maintain regular strategic communication, jointly address global challenges such as climate change, uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and safeguard global free trade and the multilateral system. Wang Yi emphasized China's position on accelerating the resolution of pressing issues affecting China-UK relations. Both sides agreed to work in the same direction and address their respective reasonable concerns on an equal footing. On November 6, 2025, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Samia Suluhu Hassan on her assuming office as President of the United Republic of Tanzania. Xi Jinping noted that China and Tanzania enjoy a profound traditional friendship. In recent years, bilateral relations have gained high-level development. The two sides have supported each other on issues related to their respective core interests and major concerns, and achieved fruitful results in practical cooperation across various fields. Xi Jinping said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Tanzania relations, and is ready to work with President Samia Suluhu Hassan to implement the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, continuously advance the China-Tanzania comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership to new heights, and make greater contributions to building an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era. On November 7, 2025, President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Paul Biya on his re-election as President of the Republic of Cameroon. Xi Jinping noted that China and Cameroon enjoy a traditional friendship. In recent years, the two countries have continuously deepened political mutual trust, achieved fruitful results in cooperation across various fields, and firmly supported each other on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns. Next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Cameroon, presenting new opportunities for the development of bilateral relations. Xi Jinping said that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Cameroon relations, and is ready to work with President Paul Biya to take the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation as an opportunity to promote the in-depth development of the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, and better benefit the two peoples. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Tuesday was a banner day for progressive prosecutors. Philadelphias Larry Krasner was elected to a third term, defeating Patrick Dugan. Krasner had already bested Dugan by 30 points in Mays Democratic primary. Dugan secured the Republican nomination as a write-in candidate, rendering the general election a rematch of the primary. But Krasners victory was even more resounding the second time aroundhe beat Dugan by nearly 50 points. Krasner was not the only progressive prosecutor to win reelection this week. Stephanie Morales, of Portsmouth, Virginia, also secured a third term, receiving more than twice as many votes as either of her two challengers. In New York, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was elected to a second term. He won more than 70 percent of the vote, beating two challengers. In Brooklyn, Eric Gonzalez didnt even have to campaign to be reelected. Gonzalez, who was first elected in 2017, faced no challengers in either the Democratic primary or the general election. These results stand in stark contrast to a narrative that circulated last fall. In 2024, two high-profile progressive incumbents, Los Angeles George Gascon and Portlands Mike Schmidt, lost to more-moderate challengers. News accounts of these elections proclaimed that the losses were a significant setback for the progressive prosecutor movement, evidence that the push is under siege, and even signaled its end. Similar accounts prevailed when San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin lost a recall election in 2022. The conventional wisdom appeared to be that postpandemic increases in crime had led to a backlash against criminal justice reform more generally, and progressive prosecutors in particular. However, even before Tuesdays victories, there were reasons to doubt this pessimistic account of the progressive prosecutor movement. Eli Savit and Karen McDonald, two progressive prosecutors elected in Michigan in 2020, were both reelected in 2024 and are now both running for Michigan attorney general. Progressive prosecutors in Tucson, Arizona, and Austin, Texas, were also reelected in 2024. Perhaps most impressively, Monique Worrell, who was appointed Orlandos chief prosecutor on a progressive platform in 2020, won that office again in 2024, despite being removed from office by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023 and having to run for her old office as a challenger rather than as an incumbent. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its worth asking why, despite these electoral successes, people keep predicting the end of the progressive prosecutor movement. Its not because those prosecutors losing reelection are more widely known than those who are winning. A recent study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at the University of California, Berkeley, found that Krasner and Bragg are more well known than Gascon, Schmidt, or Boudin. In fact, the study found, Krasner and Bragg are the most well-recognized progressive prosecutors in the country. If the most widely known progressive prosecutors in the country are being reelected, then why is the national narrative about progressive prosecutors so pessimistic? One explanation may be that the movement is not as successful as it was in the recent past. Prior research found that during 201419, progressive candidates fared far better than nonprogressive candidates when challenging incumbent prosecutors. Progressive challengers prevailed in their elections 55 percent of the time, as compared with 30 percent of nonprogressive challengers. Progressive candidates performed even better in open-seat electionsthat is, races in which no incumbent is running for reelection. The typical open-seat candidate wins 36 percent of the time. But when progressive candidates ran for an open seat, they won 90 percent of their elections. Advertisement Advertisement After they take office, progressive prosecutors no longer enjoy such dramatic success at the polls. But that doesnt mean that progressive incumbents have been unsuccessful. To the contrary, it appears that progressive prosecutors win reelection at a rate comparable to or even higher than other contested incumbents. Another reason for the pessimistic narrative may be that those progressive incumbents who have lost elections have sometimes been replaced by prosecutors with dramatically different politics. The UNC/UCB study found that the prosecutors who replaced Gascon, Schmidt, and Boudin are perceived as significantly less progressive. In other words, those election losses resulted in large ideological swings, which could be interpreted as important setbacks for the movement. Advertisement Related From Slate Goodbye and Good Riddance, Andrew Cuomo Read More I suspect that the pessimistic narrative may also be attributable to the reinforcement it receives from those who oppose the progressive prosecutor movement. The center-right think tank R Street Institute, for example, published an op-ed titled Last Gasp of Progressive DA Movement?, which used the negative poll numbers of George Gascon as an opportunity to criticize the movement as focus[ing] too much on reducing jail populations and refuting public fear of crime, rather than ensuring community safety. The organization appears to be pushing its own, more moderate and technocratic prosecutor model, the pragmatic prosecutor, who doesnt choose sides between punitive crackdowns or lenient approaches. Instead, they reimagine justice as a complex ecosystem that requires strategic, targeted interventions that draw from the strengths of both philosophies. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Heritage Foundation, the think tank responsible for Project 2025, has also been quick to use electoral losses to declare the progressive prosecutor movement over. Heritage has made no secret of its intense opposition to the movement. An entire page on its website is devoted to rogue prosecutors, a term it uses to refer to progressive prosecutors. Heritage published a commentary after Boudins recall election loss, titled Recall of Chesa Boudin in San Francisco Shows Rogue Prosecutor Movement for Failure It Is, that not only criticized the policies of progressive prosecutors but also declared that the bloom is off the rogue prosecutor rose and that voters had turned against the movement. It is no surprise that those who oppose the policies of progressive prosecutors would also cheer their losses. But political opponents should not set the public narrative for one another. The success or failure of a movement should be measured according to reality, rather than the wishful thinking of partisans. The facts show that although the progressive prosecutor movement is less successful than it once was, claims that the movement is at an end are clearly overstated. Advertisement Advertisement The movement is continuing to fare well in some American cities, including those hospitable to progressive politics more generally. It should not be surprising that two progressive prosecutors were reelected in New York City the same night that city residents also selected a democratic socialist as mayor. And just as the progressive movement sometimes loses other elections, progressive prosecutors should be expected to sometimes lose their elections too. For example, the night that Gascon lost his reelection bid, California voters also passed a ballot measure imposing harsher penalties for shoplifting and drug possession, and they voted for Kamala Harris at a much smaller margin than they did for Joe Biden in 2020. In other words, his loss was one of several indications that the states voters were less progressive than in prior years. In short, the conventional wisdom about the progressive prosecutor movement is wrong for a relatively boring reason: The progressive prosecutor movement is a political trend. A single election doesnt define a movement. And although a political trend may ebb and flow, there is reason to think that this movement will endure, at least for the immediate future. Prince William has warned the Earth is "dangerously close" to "critical tipping points". Prince William at Cop30 The Prince of Wales spoke on behalf of King Charles and the British Government at Cop30 in Belem, Brazil, and urged world leaders to leave "delay and division" behind to rise to meet this pivotal moment in human history in order to save the planet. He told delegates: This, here at Cop30, is our moment. Let us not waste it. Our children and grandchildren are watching, and hoping. Let us use these inspiring surroundings here in the heart of the Amazon to rise to meet this moment, not with hesitation, but with courage. Not with division, but with collaboration. Not with delay, but with decisive commitment. The 43-year-old royal praised his father's dedication to the environment over the years. He said: I have long believed in the power of urgent optimism: the conviction that, even in the face of daunting challenges, we have the ingenuity and determination to make a difference, and to do so now. I grew up with my father the King talking about the power of nature and the importance of harmony in the natural world. A subject he has championed for over five decades. It is a privilege to also represent him here today, as well as everyone else who has championed this cause, for so many years. William noted melting ice and changing temperatures are no longer "distant threats" but are fast approaching and will affect every one of us, no matter where we live. He said: All of us here today understand that we are edging dangerously close to the Earths critical tipping points thresholds beyond which the natural systems we depend on may begin to unravel. The prince - who is in Brazil for his Earthshot Prize environmental competition - went on to call for "urgent optimism". He added: "We must ask ourselves, what legacy do we wish to leave? Because the impact of all our choices will be felt by us all around the world, in the safety of their homes, the stability of their livelihoods, and the health of the natural world that sustains us all. The road ahead will be tough. We must transform the way we power our lives, produce our goods, move from place to place, and care for our land. "But this is not just a challenge. It is a profound opportunity. An opportunity to build cleaner economies, restore nature and improve the health and wellbeing of communities everywhere. The science is clear we must go further if we are to secure a liveable future for all. And we must go together. The time for partnership, protection and progress is now. We know what is at stake. We know what must be done. And we know that no country, no community, no individual can do it alone. Our children and grandchildren will stand on the shoulders of our collective action. Let us use these inspiring surroundings here in the heart of the Amazon to rise to meet this moment, not with hesitation, but with courage. Not with division, but with collaboration. Not with delay, but with decisive commitment. Let us honour the leadership of those who have long protected the planet indigenous peoples and local communities and walk forward together. Let us build a future where nature is valued, and where every child inherits a world of prosperity, not peril. Let us rise to this moment with the clarity that history demands of us. Let us be the generation that turned the tide not for applause, but for the quiet gratitude of those yet to be born. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. Nancy Pelosi, a lion of the Democratic Party and one of the most storied dealmakers and leaders in Washington, is finally stepping down after four decades in Congress. When her term ends in 2027, she will finally retire at the age of 86. It is well past time. But hopefully other lawmakers will learn from Pelosis remarkable careerlessons in how to effectively wield power, but also in pitfalls to avoid: namely, that even the appearance of using the office for personal gain loses public trust, and staying on too long loses the party power. Pelosis life is nothing short of incredible. She raised five children and worked in Democratic politics long before it was particularly common for women to be in those particular rooms. She came to Washington in 1987, two years before New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was even born, and steadily made her way up her partys ranks. She became the first female speaker of the House, and remains the only woman to ever serve in the role. As speaker, she was a dealmaker like no other, managing even to usher a national health care system through Congressa feat several before her had tried, and all had failed at. The passage of the Affordable Care Act remains one of her signature achievements, and one of the most consequential for everyday Americans. One study found that the ACAs Medicaid expansion alone saved nearly 30,000 American lives from 2010 to 2022. She has also been a champion of younger members of Congress, forging a relationship with Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and working to get the Houses ban on headwear removed so that Omar can wear her hijab at work. In her early 80s she mentored a protege, Hakeem Jeffries, to take her spot as party leader. It has certainly not always been an easy ride. Pelosi is a favorite right-wing target, with Donald Trump consistently lambasting her on social media. She is hated by MAGA Republicans; when rioters burst into the Capitol complex on Jan. 6, 2021, some of them made a beeline for Pelosis office, and there is good reason to believe that they would have physically attacked her if given the opportunitynot long after, a man broke into Pelosis home and, finding the congresswoman away, savagely beat her husband with a hammer, fracturing his skull. Trumps son Don Jr. joked on social media about the attempted murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pelosi is a legend. She has served her constituents and her country with the kind of force and effectiveness that very few elected officials can claim. She embodies many of the best aspects of the Democratic Party: its diversity, its feminism, its insistence on making life better for ordinary Americans. But her career has also been emblematic of the partys worst impulses: its disconnect from the same working class it claims to represent, embodied in its refusal to force politicians to stop trading stocks. Its descent into a stubborn gerontocracy. The Pelosis are fabulously wealthy, and Paul Pelosis investment portfolio has long been an eyebrow-raiser for ethics-watchers. Members of Congress have access to information not available to average Americans, and that gives them an incredible advantage in the stock market. While Pelosi may not actually share what she learns at work with her husband at home, the truth is that many members of Congress do seem to have enriched themselves based on what they hear in private meetings and briefings. Its just plain wrong. And even if members arent actually trading on insider information, the appearance of doing so erodes public trust. Pelosis tenure in Congress has happened during an era in which members of Congress have grown fabulously wealthynearly half are millionaireswhile Americans have struggled. The Pelosis are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Advertisement Related From Slate Are We Living in Americas Assassination Era? Read More Other Democrats, including Ocasio-Cortez, have argued that members of Congress should not be able to buy and sell individual stocks, and theyre right. There is no evidence that Pelosi has done anything illegal when it comes to her familys investments. But the appearance of impropriety is bad enoughand the temptation to act on insider information is just too high to continue allowing the status quo. Pelosi, with all of her power, could have been a model for a better way. Advertisement Worse than the money problem is the age problem. This is bipartisanPresident Donald Trump is pushing 80but Democrats are supposed to be the party of progress, which should mean the party of new ideas and young people who hold them. Young Americans remain pretty liberal, and while the party has sought their votes, it has not given them power in turn. Democrats continue to run and re-run well into their 70s and 80s, even when they are struggling with clear cognitive deterioration; in the past few years, several have died in office. Joe Biden became the avatar for this dynamic when he, already the oldest president in history, ran for reelection as an octogenarian in increasingly visible decline. He dropped out only after he stumbled through a debate and the calls for him to step aside (including from Pelosi) became too loud to ignore. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Pelosi is not experiencing the kind of obvious impairment that plagued Biden. But she is an 85-year-old woman. She recently had a hip replacement after a fall. Had she retired earlier, it might have sent a message to her other aging colleagues: You have to know when its time to go, and part of the job is to mentor, then make room for the young. She is, to her credit, stepping back before she has totally physically or mentally deteriorated, but thats an awfully low bar. And she has, in her defense, still been doing incredible work on Congress. It seems unlikely that her age will be the kind of legacy-defining black mark that it has become for Biden. Age, though, has become a party-defining black mark for Democrats. And it has been under Pelosis leadership, and in line with her decades in office and into her own advanced years, that Democrats have gone from the party of the sincere and idealistic young to the party of senile and infirm older adults. Bidens bowing out only after enormous pressure was a low point for the party. But it was also hopefully the nadir of its gerontocracy problem. Pelosis retirement announcement may just signal a lesson learnedand one that will allow a new generation of Democrats to emulate Pelosis grit, her commitment, and her ability to amass and wield power for good. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. A D.C. jury acquitted Sean Dunn of assaulting an officer on Thursday, delivering another embarrassing setback to the Trump administrations effort to punish Washingtonians who oppose its crackdown on the city. Dunnaka Sandwich Guybecame a folk hero in August after hurling a sub at an officer to protest President Donald Trumps deployment of federal forces in the Districts streets. His acquittal comes on the heels of many similar humiliations for the administration: D.C. grand juries have consistently refused to indict protesters arrested on exaggerated charges of violence, while criminal juries have declined to convict those whose cases actually make it to trial. This skepticism toward the governments overzealous prosecutions shows that while Washingtonians are denied full self-governance, they can still make their voices heard one verdict at a time. On this weeks Slate Plus bonus episode of Amicus, co-hosts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discussed the Dunn case and what it reveals about meaningful, enduring resistance to Trumps abuses of power. A preview of their conversation, below, has been edited and condensed for clarity. Dahlia Lithwick: This is one of those things that looks lighthearted, but its a big, huge deal. The guy who yeeted a sub at a federal agent is, in fact, not going to be guilty of anything. Mark Joseph Stern: This has given me more hope than almost anything that has happened over the last 10 months. As a Washingtonian, it made me want to stand up and cheer. The acquittal shows that this was extraordinary federal overreach and a vindictive prosecution. To see 12 Washingtonians bravely stand up to thatit was one of the greatest acts of resistance to the regime that you could imagine. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Thats because this entire case is, in some ways, really all about Donald Trumps takeover of D.C. Back in August, Trump surged federal officers from ICE, CBP, the FBI, and other agencies and sent National Guard troops into the District without our consent. At the outset, Sean Dunn threw a Subway sandwich at a CBP officeras prosecutors put it, at point-blank range. It hit the bulletproof vest on his chest. And D.C.s U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro tried to make an example of him by charging him with felony assault of a federal officer. But a grand jury refused to indict Dunn, which was shocking: As we all know, a grand jury will typically indict a ham sandwich, but it turns out a D.C. grand jury wont indict the guy who threw the sandwich. That appeared to be a pretty clear case of grand jury nullification, which is exceedingly rare; federal grand juries return an indictment more than 99 percent of the time. But here, the grand jury said no, were just not going to indict him. So Jeanine Pirros office came back with a misdemeanor charge of assaulting an officer, because a misdemeanor doesnt have to go through a grand jury. But Dunn still demanded a trial by jury. His trial in D.C. federal court lasted four days, including something like seven hours of jury deliberations. With a stop for sandwiches at lunch. Yes, and if a sandwich were truly a weapon, Im not sure youd be able to eat it. So theres a bit of a paradox there. Anyway, the jury came back with a verdict of not guilty, acquitting Sandwich Guy of all charges. Advertisement Before we get into jury nullification, I want to make a couple of points. First of all, as a rule, Mark and I are not generally for throwing sandwiches. Lets not do that. Second, this comes the same week that voting proves to still be salient and doable. And I do see this as a story about one person standing up and saying, to quote last weeks show, that hes not waiting for a postcard inviting him to resist. Advertisement This prosecution was, as you say, obscene overreach, and in some sense, thats the story to tell. It got drowned out if you were following the coverage closelywhich was truly amazing, because there was cross-examination about whether the sandwich truly exploded or was still in its wrapper. But if you put all of the jokes aside, there is this genius of the American jury system. It turns out that if you surge federal and military forces into a District that lacks the formal power to represent itself and willy-nilly fire much of its workforceeven randomly selected juries will express their displeasure. Because the residents of D.C. are real people who have actual thoughts and preferences. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Exactly. Because it was never in doubt that Sandwich Guy threw the sandwich; he admitted it to law enforcement. His defense attorneys told the jury that he did it. The misdemeanor with which he was charged prohibits forcibly assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or interfering with federal officers while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties. Sandwich Guy forcibly assaulted a federal officer with a sandwich; isolated in a context-free sense, it was probably a criminal act. But it was also an act of civil disobedience. And juries have an absolute right under our system to acquit any defendant for any reason, especially if they feel the prosecution is unjust, partisan, or vindictive. It is a fundamental aspect of our democracy that juries can still acquit even if the definition of the crime seems to fit the offense. None other than Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that the jury functions as a circuit breaker in the states machinery of justice. Advertisement Related From Slate The Supreme Courts Tariffs Arguments Were a Bloodbath for Trump Read More As you noted, Dahlia, we in D.C. dont have voting representation in Congress. We have limited home rule. We dont have true autonomy, let alone statehood. Trump has taken advantage of that fact at every single turn. We were the testing ground for him to send in a massive surge of federal agents and National Guard troops. He even took over our police force and forced them to work with immigration agents who staged horrible abductions of law-abiding immigrants. We had to watch from the sidelines because there was almost nothing we could do. We cant call our senators and ask them to try to stop it because we dont have senators. Advertisement Advertisement So what part of democracy can we still participate in? We still have the jury. And I think this acquittal was 12 jurors participating in democracy in the highest and noblest way, saying: This is one of the few avenues that we have to push back against authoritarian government oppression. We are going to do it. They seem to have thought about it for a long time; they deliberated for hours. Maybe they rejected prosecutors claim that the officer couldnt reasonably fear bodily harm, even though the judge defined that term to include merely offensive touching. Maybe they just nullified the charge. Either way, this was not an easy call. But I think it was obviously the right call in terms of standing up for D.C. and sending a message to Jeanine Pirro and the White House. Advertisement We talk a lot about how the courts alone cant fix it. We had a long talk with Judge Michael Luttig last week about the limits of what courts can do. And sometimes we forget that juries also factor into that conversationin an essential way, and also in a contagious way. We talk about judicial courage being contagious. So, too, is a jury saying: This is overreach and its preposterous. Its very, very important to tell the truth and to say: No, this is what I saw, and that sandwich did not harm you. This is a moment really that vindicates truth-telling. Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. The Trump administration is threatening a massive pain in the ass in American aviation if Democrats do not imminently cave to the Republican position to end the government shutdown. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a press conference Wednesday that high-volume airports will begin to see traffic cuts on Friday, with air traffic declining by 10 percent by next week. He added the move was to alleviate the pressure on air traffic controllers, who are perpetually short-staffed and now working without pay. Duffy is trying to lay groundwork for Democrats to hold the blame for roughly 1 in 10 flights being canceled and who knows how many more being delayed as the shutdown drags on. Despite the looming disruptions, Duffy wants people to keep booking holiday flights, posting on X, We are just going to have to work together to navigate this situation that the Democrats are putting the American people through. The White House echoes that talking point, saying, This couldve all been avoided if Democrats simply did their jobs. Instead, they chose chaos. The administration has long thought transportation is a good pressure point in the shutdown. So far, its been wrong about that. When the shutdown began on Oct. 1, President Donald Trumps team quickly got to work axing transportation projects in Democratic areas, hoping to put on a good show and perhaps draw some liberal blood. Russell Vought, the director of Trumps Office of Management and Budget, quickly chopped billions of dollars in infrastructure funding for New York and New Jersey. Vought might as well have just donated that money directly to the campaign of New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, the Democrat who beat her Republican opponent over the head with it and coasted to a 13-point win. Zohran Mamdanis NYC mayoral campaign probably appreciated it, too. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The administration now turns to air traffic controllers. Will this use of the transportation system as a shutdown bargaining chip pay more dividends than the first attempt did? If the administration succeeds in using chaos in American travel to leverage a Republican-friendly end to the shutdown, that will be more of a break with precedent than Duffy probably thinks. The plan could also backfire in ways that do not take a lot of imagination to understand. Best of luck to the secretary in this game of airplane chicken. Advertisement Unlike the targeting of blue-state infrastructure projects, theres no feasible way for the government to own the libs via the manipulation of airport traffic. Democrats and Republicans both take commercial flights, and I do not believe that any airports have established themselves as woke enough to become targets of conservative ire. Not even Portland International, in the home of antifa, has opened up a trans-only security line yet. The 40 airports due to see slashes in flight volume are scattered all over the country. The two major airports in Dallas and Houston are on the list. So is Anchorage International, which somehow counts among the high-volume airports to be affected. Everyone flies everywhere, so even if the administration sought to limit the disruption to, say, LAX and JFK, Republicans would also find themselves extremely annoyed by the inconvenience the government has brought on. Related From Slate Trump Is Missing One Massive Reason for Tuesdays Election Results Read More Its why the conventional wisdom that air traffic controllers are the skeleton key to ending a government shutdown is so odd. The flying public needs to not only be furious that flights are canceled or delayed, but be furious at a specific party that feels the pressure being brought to bear on it. When Trump caved to end a government shutdown in 2019, he seemed at least a little bothered by disruptions to air traffic in New York City, a place he reveres. Someone in his orbit told the New York Times then that the air traffic issue was the icing on the cake that brought him around, though, even then, it wasnt a driving factor. Advertisement Advertisement Meanwhile, air traffic controllerswho would love to get paid and work for a government that is operationaldont even think they have the kind of shutdown-resolving power that Duffy seems to think they do. Nearly a month ago, the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association told the Times that narrative is false and that controller shortages werent abnormal. The public may or may not be aware that air traffic controller shortages are now a many-years-old problem. And yet most of our flying experiences have not changed as a result, and American aviation does not feel any less safe to most people than it ever has before. Thats despite a series of near misses the past few years and the horrifying collision between a commercial plane and an Army helicopter above the Potomac River in January. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating, but its not as if it would take an unreasonable public to connect long-term controller shortages at Reagan National to the disaster that killed 67 people. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That there was not a mass movement to stop flying after that crash calls into question how many travelers will see the government canceling their flights and just take Duffys word that there was no other option. Oddly enough, his point makes underlying sense: It really does seem very bad that our air traffic controllers are understaffed, tired, and currently not getting paid. But when thats been the status quo for years and people have gotten used to flying without incident anyway, it might be hard to convince people that not only do their flights need to be canceled, but its the fault of the party not running the government. Will the most average American flyer you can think of blame Hakeem Jeffries for her flight not taking off, or will she blame the most powerful person in the world and the main character of every day in U.S. politics? Advertisement Advertisement There is an underrated possibility on the table, though. Enough canceled flights could annoy members of Congress so much, on a personal level, that they get into a bipartisan dealmaking spirit that allows everyone to save face. I base this not on any grand political theory but on how many times I stood next to members of Congress at urinals at DCA during my years living in D.C. These people fly all the time, often on routes that ostensibly exist to keep them happy as they go back and forth between Capitol Hill and their home districts. I question how many members of Congress care about their constituents health care premiums skyrocketing, or how many care about the well-being of the federal workforce. They do all care about untimely air travel. But if their constituents dont care about it the same way and hold the intended people responsible, does that hand Duffys side much bargaining power? Trot Insider has learned that U.S. and Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Peaceful Way has passed away at the age of 24. A daughter of Angus Hall - Royal Bait, Peaceful Way won 33 of 52 starts with $3,245,055 in earnings, the third most ever by a trotting mare in North America at the time of her retirement. Bred in Ontario by Angie Stiller of Arva, Ont., Peaceful Way was a four-time OBrien Award winner as Canadas divisional champion, as well as a two-time Dan Patch Award winner in the United States. Her biggest victories came in the Goldsmith Maid at two, the Delvin Miller Memorial at three, the Breeders Crown at four, and the Maple Leaf Trot, Armbro Flight and Matchmaker at five. Her lifetime mark of 1:51.4, taken as a four-year-old at The Meadowlands in a leg of the Classic Oaks, matched the world record for her age, sex and gait. After limited success as a broodmare in North America, Peaceful Way was sold to Norwegian-based owners in 2013. It was there where she flourished, delivering her most accomplished foal Thankful NO, a daughter of Muscle Hill who eventually crossed the Atlantic to race in North America and eventually settle in Canada. "We were so lucky," Ingvild Seljord, the daughter of owner Svein Seljord, told Trot Insider. "She was the love of my dad's life. He was so amazed with that mare. "She had a tumour in her mouth and she started losing teeth. This year, she started losing weight because she couldn't chew right," Seljord continued, indicating the decision was made to euthanize. "It was hard but you have to think about the pain." According to Seljord, Peaceful Way caught easily and delivered foals for an incredible 14 consecutive years, producing from 2009 through to 2022. (photo of Peaceful Way taken in 2024) "It was like a fairy tale, doing this from Norway. She flew into cold Norway in 2013, with a baby by her side, 13th of December. Gave birth on the 14th of March no problems. No problems ever getting pregnant. "We stopped breeding her three years ago she got pregnant every year and gave birth, but we said that was enough...she had three great years just being a horse with her friends in the field, feeling good." Seljord noted that Peaceful Way is currently being considered for Elite mare status in Norway. The legacy of Peaceful Way will continue both in Europe and in North America. Her youngest foal is Peaceful Day a three-year-old sired by Maharajah, currently unbeaten in four career starts in Sweden while Freedom a six-year-old by Muscle Hill is racing in France. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the connections of Peaceful Way. Gold VAT trade reform to bring healthier order China Daily) 09:42, November 07, 2025 China's latest reform of the value-added tax system for gold trading is expected to bring greater clarity and order to the market of the precious metal, as regulators aim to distinguish investment from consumption and strengthen oversight across the entire trading chain, said experts. The reform comes at a time when global gold prices are flirting with record highs. By revising VAT rules in the segment, it is expected to cool speculative demand, close tax loopholes and strengthen oversight of off-market trades, they said. The new policy, jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration which took effect on Saturday introduces a differentiated VAT system based on the principle of "tax exemption for investment, taxation for consumption". It refines levy procedures, extends supervision to banks and retailers, and leverages digital tools for real-time monitoring. "This is a systematic reconstruction of China's gold-market mechanism," said Tian Lihui, university chair professor of finance at Nankai University. "The biggest change is not just the rate itself, but how the entire supervision framework is being rewired longer tax chains, differentiated treatment and digital oversight. It finally separates investment from consumption, which used to overlap in practice." Under the new rules, standard gold traded on exchanges remains VAT-exempt as long as it isn't physically withdrawn. Once delivery occurs, trades are sorted into two streams investment and non-investment each governed by its own invoicing and deduction rules. Investment gold including bullion, coins and high-purity bars continues to enjoy tax refunds or exemptions. Consumption gold, such as jewelry or industrial-use gold, faces a 6 percent deductible rate, down from 13 percent. In simple terms, if a purchase is purely for investment through exchange trading without physical withdrawal, it remains lightly taxed or tax exempt. But once the gold is taken for personal or commercial use, a higher tax applies. Banks and retailers must now clearly identify the purpose of each purchase investment or consumption and apply taxes accordingly. Zeng Gang, chief expert and director of the Shanghai Institution for Finance &Development, said the reform maintains support for exchange-based trading while adding long-missing precision. "For the first time, the rules formally recognize the difference between financial investment and everyday consumption," Zeng said. "That alignment with market reality makes supervision far more effective." He said the change will likely push more off-market trades onto regulated platforms, a shift that will strengthen market order and transparency over time. The reform also reshapes how financial institutions and retailers interact with regulators. Banks and gold retailers must now link their operations directly with the national tax system, allowing authorities to monitor gold flows and fiscal data in real time. "This creates a closed-loop framework that connects tax, finance and market supervision," Tian said. "Competition in the industry will gradually shift from price to compliance, promoting healthier consolidation and higher-quality growth." Lou Feipeng, a researcher at Postal Savings Bank of China, said financial institutions will need to adjust product structures and invoicing systems to meet the new classification standards. "While the short-term cost of compliance may rise, the reform will help standardize product design and align financial instruments with supervisory goals," Lou said. He added that investors are likely to shift from physical accumulation plans toward standardized financial products such as gold exchange-traded funds, while banks could link accumulation plans with ETF products to meet different investment needs. Following the policy's release, China Construction Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China both announced on Monday they would temporarily suspend parts of their gold accumulation businesses to adjust systems and processes. ICBC, however, announced later on Monday the resumption of such business activity. Dong Ximiao, chief researcher at Merchants Union Consumer Finance, said the temporary suspension reflects prudence rather than panic. Data from the Shanghai Gold Exchange show that the trading price of spot gold (Au99.99) was 914.6 yuan ($128.40) per gram as of noon Thursday, representing a year-to-date increase of nearly 50 percent. Analysts said the timing of the VAT reform rolled out amid sharp price movements signals authorities' intent to temper speculative trading and reinforce regulatory discipline. Quite a few Chinese banks have been adjusting their accumulation of the yellow metal since October in response to the rapid price rises and growing investor demand. For example, Ping An Bank raised its minimum investment to 1,100 yuan from 900 yuan, effective Oct 24. (Web editor: Huang Kechao, Liang Jun) Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies said it was an "honour" to have the late Pauline Collins star in the BBC sci-fi series. Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies The actress - who died at the age of 85 after living with Parkinsons disease for several years - played Queen Victoria in the 2006 episode Tooth and Claw. Following news of her death on Thursday (06.11.25), Russell took to Instagram and remembered the time he worked with her on Doctor Who, saying: "We had the huge privilege of working with Pauline on Doctor Who - Tooth and Claw, the one with Queen Victoria vs the werewolf, happy days! It was such an honour to have her on set, I was in awe." He also recalled how much Pauline - who also starred in a 1967 episode of Doctor Who, titled The Faceless Ones, as Samantha Briggs - disliked Queen Victoria's outfit. Russell continued: "Though she soon cut that down to size - I remember one night, meeting her in a wet Cardiff car park as she hauled Victorias yards of bombazine through the puddles, 'This f****** dress is so heavy!' "I told her she looked like Giless Grandma, and she swore royally. And then roared with laughter! Oh, she was salty and wonderful, and the finest of actors." And Russell has been a fan of Pauline's work - particularly in the Upstairs, Downstairs spin-off Thomas and Sarah, as well as the 1989 comedy-romance film, Shirley Valentine - since he was a child. He finished his heartfelt tribute with: "As a kid, I thought Thomas and Sarah was TV magic (an actual spin-off! Good idea!). I loved No Honestly. As for Shirley Valentine, as @mrmatthewtodd says today, 'Says more about UK life at that time than any history book ever could.' "A true star. And shed laugh at that. (sic)" Pauline - who received an Oscar nomination for her lead role in Shirley Valentine - passed away peacefully at her care home in London, surrounded by loved ones. In a statement released on Sunday (02.11.25), which came to light on Thursday evening, her family said: "Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens. "She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine a role that she made all her own. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them. "More than anything, though, she was our loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma. Warm, funny, generous, thoughtful, wise, she was always there for us. And she was Johns life-long love. A partner, work collaborator, and wife of 56 years. "We particularly want to thank her carers: angels who looked after her with dignity, compassion, and most of all love. She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. "We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers, so joyful and full of energy, and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her." Pauline is survived by her 84-year-old husband, retired actor John Alderton, their three children - Nicholas, Kate and Richard - and their grandchildren. Microsoft built a simulated economy with hundreds of AI agents acting as buyers and sellers, then watched them fail at basic tasks humans handle daily. The results should worry anyone betting on autonomous AI shopping assistants. The company's Magentic Marketplace research, released Wednesday in collaboration with Arizona State University, pitted 100 customer-side AI agents against 300 business-side agents in scenarios like ordering dinner. The results, though expected, show the promise of autonomous agentic commerce is not yet mature enough. When presented with 100 search results (too much for the agents to handle effectively), the leading AI models choked, with their welfare score (how useful the models turn up) collapsing. The agents failed to conduct exhaustive comparisons, instead settling for the first "good enough" option they encountered. This pattern held across all tested models, creating what researchers call a "first-proposal bias" that gave response speed a 10-30x advantage over actual quality. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement But is there something worse than this? Yes, malicious manipulation. Microsoft tested six manipulation strategies ranging from psychological tactics like fake credentials and social proof to aggressive prompt injection attacks. OpenAIs GPT-4o and its open source model GPTOSS-20b proved extremely vulnerable, with all payments successfully redirected to malicious agents. Alibabas Qwen3-4b fell for basic persuasion techniques like authority appeals. Only Claude Sonnet 4 resisted these manipulation attempts. When Microsoft asked agents to work toward common goals, some of them couldn't figure out which roles to assume or how to coordinate effectively. Performance improved with explicit step-by-step human guidance, but that defeats the entire purpose of autonomous agents. So it seems that, at least for now, you are better off doing your own shopping. "Agents should assist, not replace, human decision-making," Microsoft said. The research recommends supervised autonomy, where agents handle tasks but humans retain control and review recommendations before final decisions. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The findings arrive as OpenAI, Anthropic, and others race to deploy autonomous shopping assistants. OpenAI's Operator and Anthropic's Claude agents promise to navigate websites and complete purchases without supervision. Microsoft's research suggests that promise is premature. However, fears of AI agents acting irresponsibly are heating up the relationship between AI companies and retail giants. Amazon recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to Perplexity AI, demanding it halt its Comet browsers use on Amazons site, accusing the AI agent of violating terms by impersonating human shoppers and degrading the customer experience. Your AI Trading Bot Might Have a Gambling Problem Perplexity fired back, calling Amazons move legal bluster and a threat to user autonomy, arguing that consumers should have the right to hire their own digital assistants rather than rely on platform-controlled ones. The open-source simulation environment is now available on Github for other researchers to reproduce the findings and watch hell unleash in their fake marketplaces. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Blue Origin CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. After a year of delay, NASA's next Mars mission is ready to launch on Blue Origin's powerful New Glenn rocket, and you'll be able to watch it all live online. The twin ESCAPADE Mars probes are scheduled to lift off atop the partially reusable New Glenn from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today (Nov. 13), during a nearly 90-minute window that opens at 2:57 p.m. EST (1957 GMT). It will be the third attempt for this mission; the first try, on Sunday (Nov. 9), was scrubbed due to weather , and the second was called off due to an intense solar storm . You can watch the launch the second-ever for New Glenn live via Blue Origin , which was founded by Amazon's Jeff Bezos , starting about 30 minutes before liftoff. Space.com will carry the feed as well on our YouTube channel, which is embedded at the top of this page. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement ESCAPADE (short for "Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers") will be the first Mars mission to launch in more than five years, since NASA's Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter lifted off together on July 30, 2020. The mission was originally scheduled to launch in October 2024, but NASA postponed the flight to no earlier than spring 2026 to avoid potentially significant cost overruns in case the ESCAPADE team was unable to launch on time. "It's been a long road, and very grateful to all the partners that have worked so hard with us for so many years," ESCAPADE Principal Investigator Robert Lillis of the University of California, Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory, which is overseeing the mission for NASA, told reporters in a prelaunch briefing on Saturday (Nov. 8). UC Berkeley, Blue Origin and Rocket Lab (which built the twin ESCAPADE probes) hosted the press briefing. NASA was not able to be present due to the government shutdown. NASA's ESCAPADE (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers) mission consists of two identical probes designed to study Mars' atmosphere. | Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett The ESCAPADE mission, which costs less than $80 million, consists of two spacecraft, which were built by Rocket Lab and will be operated for NASA by the University of California, Berkeley. That latter fact explains the duo's names Blue and Gold, which are UC Berkeley's school colors. New Glenn will launch Blue and Gold toward the Earth-sun Lagrange Point 2 (L2), a gravitationally stable spot about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) beyond our planet. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The pair will hang out there for 12 months while studying space weather . They'll loop by Earth in November 2026, getting a gravitational boost from our planet to head out to Mars, which they'll reach about 10 months later. This complex trajectory is required by orbital dynamics: Earth and Mars align just once every 26 months for efficient interplanetary travel, and the next such window opens in late 2026. "We are using a very flexible mission design approach where we go into a loiter orbit around Earth in order to sort of wait until Earth and Mars are lined up correctly in November of next year to go to Mars," Lillis said Saturday. Blue Origin's second New Glenn rocket stands atop its launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for NASA's ESCAPADE launch to Mars. | Credit: Blue Origin Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After the ESCAPADE probes reach the Red Planet, they will spend about seven months lowering themselves into precisely aligned orbits, then gather data for at least 11 months. The orbiters will "fly in formation to map the magnetic fields, upper atmosphere and ionosphere of Mars in 3D, providing the first stereo view of the Red Planets unique near-space environment," UC Berkeley wrote in a mission description . "What they find will help scientists understand how and when Mars lost its atmosphere and provide key information about conditions on the planet that could affect people who land or settle on Mars ," the university added. Today's launch will be the second to date for the 321-foot-tall New Glenn, which can haul about 50 tons (45 metric tons) of payload to low Earth orbit. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The rocket debuted with a successful test flight on Jan. 16, 2025, which sent a prototype version of Blue Origin's Blue Ring spacecraft platform to orbit. The company failed in its attempt to land New Glenn's first stage on a ship at sea that day. It will try this landmark maneuver again today, so there will be lots of action for space fans to watch. "Our number one objective is to deliver ESCAPADE safely and successfully on its way to L2, and then eventually on to Mars," Laura Maginnis, Blue Origin's vice president of New Glenn mission management, said during Saturday's briefing. "We also wanting to land our booster, but if we don't land the booster, that's okay. We have several more vehicles in production." New Glenn's first-stage booster will hopefully land on the landing platform Jacklyn now stationed in the Atlantic Ocean about 375 miles off the Florida coast, Blue Origin officials said. It should take up to five days to return the booster to Cape Canaveral, if all goes well. Blue Origin's second New Glenn rocket test fires its BE-4 rocket engines ahead of the ESCAPADE launch. | Credit: Blue Origin Blue Origin originally had three days Nov. 9, Nov. 10 and Nov. 11 in which to try and launch ESCAPADE to Mars. But a new wrinkle popped up on Friday (Nov. 7). Advertisement Advertisement Due to the government shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a halt to daytime commercial rocket launches as of Nov. 10 in order to prioritize airspace for commercial air travel. Air traffic controllers have been working without pay during the shutdown, and the restrictions on commercial rocket launches are aimed at easing the strain on controllers and pilots, FAA officials have said. After Blue Origin was unable to launch on Sunday (Nov. 9), the company sought an exception to the FAA restrictions for potential launches later in the wekk, since those windows are during the daytime, Maginnis said. "We are working really closely with both our partners at the FAA and with the NASA team to ensure that we're, of course, honoring and respecting the airspace expectations there and the safety requirements, while at the same time meeting the objectives that NASA and the Blue Origin have for this mission," Maginnis said. "So, we're working closely with them on opportunities for exceptions to the policy based on how our mission goes." Those efforts were successful, as New Glenn and ESCAPADE were set to launch on Wednesday and are now ready to go today. Editor's note: This story was substantially updated to incude comments and details from Blue Origin and UC Berkeley's ESCAPADE prelaunch briefing on Nov. 8. Space.com Editor-in-Chief Tariq Malik contributed to this report from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was updated again at 3:30 p.m. ET on Nov. 11 with more information about the new Nov. 12 launch date. It was updated at 12:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 13 with news of the Nov. 13 launch date. 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 At a Whole Foods store just outside of Philadelphia, Amazon built a small warehouse housing Goldfish crackers, Tide Pods and other items you wouldn't find in an organic grocery store. Amazon, which acquired Whole Foods in 2017, said the concept is a new experiment from the company to supplement the granola shopping experience of a Whole Foods with name-brand items found in other grocery stores. But cases of Coca-Cola and boxes of Cheez-It crackers won't share the shelves with their organic-branded counterparts. Instead, the 10,000-square-foot warehouse Amazon constructed in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, within the Whole Foods' back-of-house area acts as a micro fulfillment center. Shoppers will find QR codes throughout the store that take them to a custom digital storefront where they can order items not usually stocked in a Whole Foods, then pick them up in the store. Jason Buechel, vice president of Amazon Worldwide Grocery Stores and CEO of Whole Foods, said in a news release that the move is to keep customers from shopping elsewhere after hitting up Whole Foods. "At Whole Foods Market, we've always taken pride in offering a wide selection of natural and organic products, but we understand our customers appreciate the convenience of one-stop shopping," he said. Amazon has been trying to broaden its reach in the grocery industry and hack at the market share dominated by companies like Walmart. The company's other ventures into physical stores include its Amazon Fresh grocery stores and Amazon Go convenience stores. Amazon has also broken into the grocery delivery game, a business that CEO Andy Jassy recently said is growing fast. Speaking during an earnings call with analysts last week, Jassy said over the past year, Amazon's grocery business, not counting Whole Foods or Fresh, has brought in over $100 billion in gross sales, "which would make us a top three grocery in the U.S." Jassy also said Whole Foods is expanding over the next few years and recently launched a smaller version of the store for urban settings. "We have three that we've launched that are off to very good starts that you should expect to see more of as well, Jassy said. 2025 The Seattle Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Coinbase has its European headquarters in Ireland. Ireland's central bank imposed a fine of 21.5 million euros ($24.7 million) Thursday on crypto giant Coinbase over transaction monitoring failures, including some potentially linked to criminal activities. The Central Bank of Ireland said in a statement that it had fined the firm "for breaching its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing transaction monitoring obligations between 2021 and 2025." Coinbase is registered in Ireland as a "virtual asset service provider" (VASP) and has its European headquarters there. The company is accused of a "failure to monitor over 30 million transactions" over a year, amounting to 176 billion euros and approximately a third of the transfers carried out by Coinbase Europe Limited (CEBL), the central bank said in a statement. The company then "took nearly three years to complete the monitoring of the transactions in question," said the statement. The events span a total period from April 2021 to March 2025. Some of these transfers, amounting to some 13 million euros, are suspected to be linked to child sexual exploitation, fraud, money laundering, drug trafficking, or cyberattacks, said the bank. The initial fine of more than 30 million euros was eventually reduced to 21.5 million following an agreement with the firm. In a statement Thursday Coinbase, one of the largest crypto exchanges, acknowledged "technical programming errors" but said they "have since been corrected." The crypto industry, seeking legitimacy, has long sought to shed its image as a tool favored by scammers and criminals, and hopes to position itself as a reliable alternative to the traditional financial system. But Colm Kincaid, the bank's deputy governor, said "crypto has particular technological features which, together with its anonymity-enhancing capabilities and cross-border nature, makes it especially attractive to criminals looking to move their funds." 2025 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Caroline Stage, Danish Minister for Digitalization and representatives from the agreement parties attends a press conference about a new political agreement for better protection of children and young people online, in Copenhagen, Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. Credit: Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP Denmark's government on Friday announced an agreement to ban access to social media for anyone under 15, ratcheting up pressure on Big Tech platforms as concerns grow that kids are getting too swept up in a digitized world of harmful content and commercial interests. The move would give some parentsafter a specific assessmentthe right to let their children access social media from age 13. It wasn't immediately clear how such a ban would be enforced: Many tech platforms already restrict pre-teens from signing up. Officials and experts say such restrictions don't always work. Such a measure would be among the most sweeping steps yet by a European Union government to limit use of social media among teens and younger children, which has drawn concerns in many parts of an increasingly online world. Speaking to The Associated Press, Caroline Stage, Denmark's minister for digital affairs, said 94% of Danish children under age 13 have profiles on at least one social media platform, and more than half of those under 10 do. "The amount of time they spend onlinethe amount of violence, self-harm that they are exposed to onlineis simply too great a risk for our children," she said, while praising tech giants as "the greatest companies that we have. They have an absurd amount of money available, but they're simply not willing to invest in the safety of our children, invest in the safety of all of us." No rush to legislation, no loopholes for tech giants Stage said a ban won't take effect immediately. Allied lawmakers on the issue from across the political spectrum who make up a majority in parliament will likely take months to pass relevant legislation. "I can assure you that Denmark will hurry, but we won't do it too quickly because we need to make sure that the regulation is right and that there is no loopholes for the tech giants to go through," Stage said. Her ministry said pressure from tech giants' business models was "too massive." It follows a move in December in Australia, where parliament enacted the world's first ban on social media for childrensetting the minimum age at 16. That made platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram subject to fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts. Officials in Denmark didn't say how such a ban would be enforced in a world where millions of children have easy access to screens. But Stage noted that Denmark has a national electronic ID systemnearly all Danish citizens over age 13 have such an IDand plans to set up an age-verification app. Several other EU countries are testing such apps. "We cannot force the tech giants to use our app, but what we can do is force the tech giants to make proper age verification, and if they don't, we will be able to enforce through the EU commission and make sure that they will be fined up to 6% of their global income." Aiming to shield kids from harmful content online Many governments have been grappling with ways of limiting harmful fallout from online technologies, without overly squelching their promise. Stage said Denmark's legislative push was "not about excluding children from everything digital"but keeping them away from harmful content. Chinawhich manufacturers many of the world's digital deviceshas set limits on online game time and smart-phone time for kids. Prosecutors in Paris this week announced an investigation into allegations that TikTok allows content promoting suicide and that its algorithms may encourage vulnerable young people to take their own lives. "Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present," the Danish ministry said. "This is a development that no parent, teacher or educator can stop alone." The EU's Digital Services Act, which took effect two years ago, forbids children younger than 13 to hold accounts on social media like TikTok and Instagram, video sharing platforms like YouTube and Twitch, and sites like Reddit and Discord, as well as AI companions. Many social media platforms have for years banned anyone 13 or under from signing up for their services. TikTok users can verify their ages by submitting a selfie that will be analyzed to estimate their age. Meta Platforms, parent of Instagram and Facebook, says it uses a similar system for video selfies and AI to help figure out a user's age. TikTok said in an email that it recognizes the importance of Denmark's initiative. "At TikTok, we have steadfastly created a robust trust and safety track record, with more than 50 preset safety features for teen accounts, as well as age appropriate experiences and tools for guardians such as Family Pairing," a tool allowing parents, guardians, and teens to customize safety settings. We look forward to working constructively on solutions that apply consistently across the industry," it added. Meta didn't respond immediately to requests for comment from the AP. "We've given the tech giants so many chances to stand up and to do something about what is happening on their platforms. They haven't done it," said Stage, the Danish minister. "So now we will take over the steering wheel and make sure that our children's futures are safe." 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: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain As Europe prepares for the leap to 6G, researchers, policymakers and citizens are working together to make sure that the next digital revolution is not just faster, but also ethical, sustainable and inclusive. What if tomorrow's super-fast, super-connected digital world could be shaped by public valuesright from the start? Dr. Monique Calisti, an Italian engineer, entrepreneur and researcher, is a leading voice in the drive to keep people at the center of digital transformation. "I have three teenage daughters and I feel a big responsibility to give them a digital world that is sustainable and socially inclusive," she said. Calisti is the founder and CEO of Martel Innovate, a digital innovation and consulting company based in Switzerland and with offices in the Netherlands. She also founded Digital for Planet, a non-profit association that campaigns for sustainable, ethical and inclusive digital technologies. On the cusp of next-generation connectivity Currently, Calisti is leading a two-year initiative called 6G4Society to ensure that when the next generation of mobile networks6Garrives, it is not just faster or more capable, but also inclusive, sustainable, ethical and trusted. Today's 5G wireless networks are already paving the way. But around 2030, 6G is expected to go much further. It will offer not only much higher speeds, but also lower latencythe delay between sending a signal and getting a response. In practice, this means near-instant reactions, which are vital for things like remote surgery, self-driving cars or improved environmental monitoring. For everyday users, 6G will bring clear benefits. Connectivity will be widespread, lightning-fast and ultra-reliable, blurring the lines between the physical and digital worlds. "The vision is to have a super-reliable network where there could be, for instance, hologram conversations, with a 3D image of the person you are talking to present in the room with you," she said. This would help children in hospitals, or refugees, for example, talk to their loved ones. Unlocking future benefits Telemedicine, remote surgery and vehicles that communicate directly with infrastructure could all become standard in the next decade, unlocking new possibilities for society. That means a leading heart surgeon in Paris, for example, will be able to use fast and reliable 6G connectivity to operate a robotic arm in a hospital in Romania and perform life-saving surgery on a patient at the other end of Europe. Yet alongside its potential, 6G also raises questions. The rollout of 5G in 20192020 triggered public concerns about health, the environment and privacy. Living in Switzerland, Calisti was surprised by the strong opposition from a big portion of the population. This shows that new technology cannot assume instant public acceptance, she conceded. Calisti therefore wants to lay the groundwork now to ensure that 6G development puts people and the environment first and is widely accepted. A society-first approach The 6G4Society team brings together universities, industry, policymakers, non-profits and civil society groups from across Europe working towards future networks that are technically advanced, but also socially responsible. "Our work is really unique because it is fully dedicated to looking at the societal, environmental and sustainability aspects of 6G technology developments," said Calisti. The initiative is also part of a wider European drive to accelerate the deployment of 5G and lay the foundations for 6G. At the heart of this effort is the European Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking. This publicprivate partnership has a budget of 1.8 million for 20212027. It funds projects covering everything from advanced network technologies to security, cloud systems, sustainability and microelectronics. By bringing together EU policymakers, companies and researchers, it aims to keep Europe at the cutting edge of these technologies while ensuring they meet society's real needs. Voices beyond engineering While engineers design the technology, social scientists help explain how it is used and how it fits into society. One of these is Dr. Katrina Petersen, a senior researcher with Public Safety Communication Europe, a non-profit that focuses on communications systems for emergency services such as fire brigades, ambulances and the police. She argues that involving social sciences adds an important alternative perspective, because they explore why technology is used and what values it should serve. "Involving end users and broader society is vital," she said. To give a real-world example, Petersen pointed to the difficulties faced by emergency workers. In crises such as wildfires or floods, emergency responders from different agencies, or across national borders, still struggle to communicate. By feeding these kinds of insights into the process, the 6G4Society team can help guarantee that developers already start by thinking about the impact of 6G and the needs of society and citizens, to help make lives better now and in the future. Listening to citizens To understand public expectations, 6G4Society scientists are surveying people across Europe about their experiences with 5G and hopes for 6G. Survey responses vary by location and age, said Calisti. "Younger people are more concerned about environmental aspects, while older people are more concerned about privacy and security." Asked about 5G, 23% of respondents mentioned speed and connectivity, while 16% expressed concern or criticism. Most people expect 6G to deliver better access to fast and reliable information and remain optimisticfor now. Many also expect 6G to be more energy-efficient, though Calisti is quick to point out that sustainability extends far beyond energy. Mining for rare minerals, e-waste and broader ecosystem impacts also matter. Initiatives like 6G4Society aim to make sure these issues are not overlooked. Shaping Europe's digital future The 6G4Society team will continue to engage the public through interviews, workshops and webinars until their collaboration formally wraps up in December 2025. Its findings will help inform EU policy and guide industry decisions for years to come. As Europe prepares for the arrival of 6G, their work highlights the importance of shaping technology with societal values in mind. By engaging citizens, social scientists and industry in dialogue, these efforts aim to make sure that the next digital revolution delivers not just speed, but a fairer and more inclusive future for all. This article was originally published in Horizon the EU Research and Innovation Magazine. 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 Last week, artificial intelligence (AI) music company Udio announced an out-of-court settlement with Universal Music Group (UMG) over a lawsuit that accused Udio (as well as another AI music company called Suno) of copyright infringement. The lawsuit was brought forward last year by the Recording Industry Association of America, on behalf of UMG and the other two "big three" labels: Sony Music and Warner Records. The lawsuit alleged Udiowhich offers text-to-audio music generating softwaretrained its AI on UMG's catalog of music. But beyond agreeing to settle, the pair have announced a "strategic agreement" to create a new product, to be trained exclusively on UMG's catalog, that respects copyright. We don't have any details about the product at this stage. In any case, the agreement puts both Udio and UMG in powerful positions. Uncertainty remains Some notable copyright campaigners have trumpeted the outcome as a success for creators in the fight against "AI theft." But since it's a private settlement, we don't actually know how compensation for artists will be calculated. To seasoned observers, the agreement between UMG and Udio mainly reflects the realpolitik of music big business. In a panel discussion at last year's SXSW festival in Sydney, Kate Haddock, partner at the law firm Banki Haddock Fiora, anticipated many lawsuits between copyright holders and AI companies would end in private settlements that may include equity in the AI companies. Such settlements and strategic partnerships will help major labels set the ground rules for developing AI-music ecosystems. And it seems they are becoming common. Last month, Spotify announced a deal with UMG, Sony and Warner to produce "responsible AI products" across a range of applications. Again, we have little detail as to what this will look like in practice. Such arrangements could allow music giants to benefit financially from non-infringing uses of AI, as well as getting a cut from uses that attract a copyright payment (such as fan remixes). How does this affect creators? According to Drew Silverstein, co-founder and chief executive of AI-powered platform Amper Music: "The real headline is that with one of the biggest rights-holders now actively engaging with generative AI music products, smaller players can't afford to sit on the sidelines." However, any vision of how such a settlement might serve smaller individual creators remains murky. Even with AI companies agreeing to do deals to get training data (rather than helping themselves to it), there's no straightforward model for how attribution and revenue can be equitably distributed to creators whose work was used to train an AI model, or who opt in for future use of their works in generative AI contexts. Several emerging companies such as ProRata are claiming to develop "attribution tracing" technologies that can mathematically trace the influence on an AI-generated output back to its sources in the training data. In theory, this could be used as a way to divide royalties, just as streaming services count the number of plays on a track. However, such approaches would assign extraordinary economic power to algorithms that regular stakeholders don't understand. These algorithms would also be contentious by their nature. For instance, if an output sounded like 1950s bebop, there is no "right way" to decide which of the thousands of bebop recordings should be credited, and how much. A more blunt but practical approach has been used by Adobe's Firefly image-AI suite. Adobe pays artists an "AI contributor bonus," calculated in proportion to the revenue their work has already generated. This is a proxy measure because it doesn't directly capture any value a work brings to the AI system. When it comes to generative AI, it's hard to find attribution and revenue solutions that aren't highly arbitrary, difficult to understand, or both. The results of this are systems that risk being easily exploited and inequitable. For example, if there's a payment structure, attribution tracing could encourage artists to create music that maximizes the likelihood of attracting attributions. Artists are already struggling to understand complex rules of success defined by powerful digital platforms. AI seems poised to exacerbate these problems by "industrializing" the sector even further. Music as a public good As it stands, individual artists don't have clear, globally agreed protection from having their work used to train AI models. Even if they're able to opt out in the future, generative AI is likely to present major power imbalances. A model legitimately trained on a catalog as vast as UMG'sa giant tranche of the world's most significant recorded musicwill have the ability to create music in many different styles, and with a wealth of conceivable applications. This could transform the musical experience. To understand what risks being lost, academic research is now reinvigorating a view of music when considered at the scale of AI, as a collectively produced shared cultural good, sustained by human labor. Copyright isn't suited to protecting this kind of shared value. The idea that copyright provides an incentive for creators to produce original work is faltering with AIrecording industry licensing deals. Looking for other ways to support original music might be the solution we need. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Diversity's Jordan Banjo would be "partly relieved" if his dance troupe co-member Perri Kiely snubbed him as best man at his future wedding. Diversity stars Perri Kiely and Jordan Banjo Amid there being no official announcement that Perri, 29, and his actress girlfriend Jessica Pickles are engaged - despite the star having dropped a huge hint that he is in 2024 - Jordan, 32, dreads the pressure that comes with writing a best man's speech. Jordan - who asked Perri to be his best man at his and Naomi's wedding in 2022 - told the new issue of Heat magazine: "I'd be partly relieved because there's nothing more pressured than a best man's speech. "But I would be quite interested in who he picks." But ultimately, Jordan thinks he will be the best man because Perri is "quite thin on friends". Jordan quipped: "There aren't plenty of options outside of Diversity. So, I'm pretty much guaranteed for a best man." He added: "Although he's close to another Diversity friend, Mitch [Craske]. Maybe he'll be best man, not me." Perri and Jessica grew close to each other when they met doing the 2022 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pantomime at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-Sea, with the rest of the Diversity crew. And three years later, Jordan says they are still "so loved-up". Asked if he is hoping that Perri will be a dad or a husband soon, Jordan said: "Fingers crossed. He's so loved-up with his girlfriend Jess, but they're also doing their thing, going on trips and exploring the world." And because of their trips and work commitments, Jordan thinks they will not get married for a while yet. He added: "He's got the best of both worlds at the moment, so I think he's going to live the dream for a little while. But one day." In 2024, Perri dropped a big hint that he and Jessica are engaged as he commented on her Instagram post about their exotic getaway. Jessica uploaded a series of photos from their trip, captioning the post with: "Cant get any better than this." And Perri - who shot to fame with Diversity on ITV's Britains Got Talent in 2009 - teased that he had asked her to marry him by leaving a ring and the side-eye emoji in the post's comments section. Report: Cyber Attackers Are Fully Embracing AI According to Google Cloud's latest cybersecurity forecast for 2026, artificial intelligence is driving an accelerating arms race between cyber attackers and defenders. The forecast, produced by Google Cloud's security leaders and experts on the frontlines, outlines the trends they expect to define cybersecurity in the year ahead. The report warns that adversaries are fully embracing AI, moving from experimental to routine use of the technology to "enhance the speed, scope, and effectiveness of operations." Google predicts that attackers will leverage AI across the entire lifecycle of cyber campaigns, scaling and automating attacks at unprecedented speed. Prompt injection attacks where AI models are manipulated to execute hidden commands are called out as a critical and growing threat. The report anticipates "a significant rise in targeted attacks on enterprise AI systems" as these vulnerabilities are exploited. AI-enabled social engineering is also expected to intensify, including voice-based phishing that uses cloned voices to impersonate executives or IT staff. Google warns these AI-generated interactions will make phishing campaigns far harder to detect and defend against. On the defensive side, the forecast envisions widespread adoption of AI agents that reshape security operations. It describes an emerging "Agentic SOC," where analysts direct AI systems that correlate data, summarize incidents, and draft threat intelligence. To keep pace, identity and access management models will need to evolve so that AI agents are treated as independent digital actors with their own managed identities. Traditional cyber crime remains a major concern. Ransomware, data theft, and multifaceted extortion are expected to continue as the most financially disruptive categories, with attackers increasingly targeting third-party providers and exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities. The report also identifies new risks to virtualization infrastructure, calling it a "critical blind spot" where a single compromise could disable hundreds of systems in hours. Nation-state cyber operations are projected to expand and diversify. Russia is expected to shift focus toward long-term strategic goals; China will continue high-volume, stealthy attacks on edge devices; Iran will blend espionage, disruption, and hacktivism; and North Korea will pursue financially motivated campaigns alongside espionage and IT-worker operations. Google urges organizations to prepare for these threats through proactive monitoring and AI-enhanced defenses. For the full "Cybersecurity Forecast 2026" report, go to Google Cloud's Threat Intelligence site here. His Excellency Fiikry Cassidy, Ambassador-Designate of the Republic of Indonesia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (right), presents his credentials to Governor General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Her Excellency Dame Susan Dougan, GCMG, OBE. His Excellency Fikry Cassidy, Ambassador-Designate of the Republic of Indonesia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, presented his Letters of Credence to Her Excellency Dame Susan Dougan, Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, during a formal ceremony held at Government House on Wednesday, November 05, 2025. In her remarks, Her Excellency Dame Susan Dougan extended a warm welcome to Ambassador Cassidy and reaffirmed the cordial and enduring relations between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the Republic of Indonesia. She expressed confidence that the ties between both nations will continue to strengthen through enhanced cooperation and mutual understanding. As part of his official engagements, Ambassador Cassidy paid a courtesy call on the Honourable Frederick Stephenson, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, and Consumer Affairs, and visited the University of the West Indies Global Campus, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Minister Stephenson conveyed the Governments appreciation for Indonesias continued partnership and reiterated Saint Vincent and the Grenadines commitment to further collaboration in areas of shared interest, including education, trade, and sustainable development. The Republic of Indonesia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines established diplomatic relations on November 30, 1993. The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines look forward to deepening this valued partnership in the years ahead, in pursuit of mutual progress and prosperity for both nations and their peoples. Caribbean Choice Awards The Caribbean is full of stories worth telling, found in its coastlines, its communities, and its culture. To help bring those stories into focus, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC), in partnership with Caribbean Compass magazine, invited photographers to share their vision of the region through the Seas & Scenes: Love the Caribbean Photo Contest 2025. Several photographs capturing the essence of St. Vincent and the Grenadines captured awards and are showcased below. Sea & Wind Award Awarded by Judge Lexi Fisher, the Sea & Wind Award goes to Nicolle Trudeau for celebrating the harmony between ocean and sky, current and breeze. Taken in Union Island, St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The Heart of the Caribbean Award Awarded by Judge Makil Bedminster, the Heart of the Caribbean Award goes to Jada Chambers for capturing the soul of our region. Not only its beauty, but its resilience, its spirit, and above all, its people. Taken in Baliceaux, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Grand Prize Winners of the Seas & Scenes: Love the Caribbean Photo Contest 2025 Category Caribbean Nature & the People who Love it 3rd Place "Wave Jumper by Nicola Cornwell "Just a regular Sunday on Lower Bay, some kids were playing with a ball and errant throws required running into the sea to retrieve. The joy was infectious. Category Audience Choice Category 1st Place "Where the Blues Meet the Breeze by Rusty Wallace "I wanted to capture the feeling of freedom that comes from standing between two worldsthe calm, clear lagoon and the endless open sea. Flying my DJI Mini 2 high above, I saw how the island stretched like an invitation into the horizon, and I knew I had to freeze that moment of pure escape. Category Sailing & Yachting Adventures 2nd Place "The Unsung Heroes of the Sea by Anastasia White "I ended up at the Calliaqua fish market and started snapping pictures of fishermen in their element. While taking pictures of them I learnt so much about, how everyone had different roles and how they also play an important part in ensuring food security. The excitement and passion they spoke with as they educated me on their reasons for becoming a fisherman and how they ensure that theyre being good steward of the environment. Managing the coasts, tracking ocean health , advocating for certain marine areas to be protected & passing down the information they learned from their forefathers, they continue to protect and preserve the environment that provides not only them and their families, but the community with the products of their labor. Its important to highlight the individuals who dont publicly show the work they do behind the scenes. The unsung heroes of the ocean: Fishermen. (Excerpt from EPIC News) L-R: Daniel Cummings, NDPs Parliamentary representative for West Kingstown; President of the Christian Council, Bishop Gerard County and Director of the Institute of Governance and Politics of Latin America and the Caribbean Augustine Ferdinand (representing the ULP), at the Signing and launch of Code of Conduct for 2025 Elections held on Tuesday at the the Methodist Church Hall. The two main political parties are committed to a peaceful exercise for the general elections carded for November 27, 2025. Their pledges came last Tuesday morning at the Kingstown Methodist Church Hall. Augustine Ferdinand, apologised for the absence of the Unity Labour Partys general secretary Julian Francis. Ferdinand projected his party as being peacemakers, adding "we believe in conducting ourselves. Ferdinand admits that the procedure is "competitive but that his party is "doing so peacefully, and in accordance with the laws of the country. He thanked the National Monitoring and Consultative Mechanism (NMCM) for continuing the pattern of holding peaceful general elections. Daniel Cummings, Parliamentary representative for West Kingstown, apologized for the absence of his party leader Dr. Godwin Friday and echoed his partys mantra for a "kinder and gentler society. He contrasted his partys response to the 1998 general elections to that of 2020, and points that the "NDP respects the rule of law. Cummings, the sitting West Kingstown representative, pointed to amendments to this polling exercise. Cummings finds it strange that his party submitted outlines for a series of meeting two weeks ago and that the ruling Unity Labour Party announced a meeting for West Kingstown at the same spot where NDP planned one of their sessions. Cummings indicates that "errors can be made, but describes that scenario as mind-boggling. He is hoping for "free and fair general elections. Godfrey Samuel, secretary attached to the NMCM, notes that amendments are "minor and that the 2025 outline is "identical to 2020. Samuel assures that the change is aimed at "protection for the leader of the Opposition. We would say if we knew: Cummings The New Democratic Party has no reports of "election violence in the build up to the November 27 general elections. Daniel Cummings is the Parliamentary representative for West Kingstown, one of six seats taken by the NDP in the last polls November 5, 2020. He admits that reports have surfaced on social media of clashes, but as to actual reports, there has nothing direct. Cummings used the opportunity to respond to reports of damage to posters erected by the Unity Labour Party. Pertaining to the damaged posters, Cummings said: "We would say if we knew. He added that his party has "no idea what could have caused the alterations to the banners. Cummings is hoping that cameras trace the culprits, and that they are punished. He wants all candidates to have liberty to carry their campaign. Cummings notes his partys adherence to environmental sanity with the use of material which leave no scars on the surroundings. Reports have emerged of a burnt ULP posters in the Northern Grenadines district of Bequia, at least three incidences of slashed posters in West Kingstown, and one in the area hovering on the South/ Central Leeward done. You are being monitored Persons mounting political platforms for these general elections will be advised to keep their presentations clean as the National Monitoring and Consultative Mechanism (NMCM) will have persons listening to the presentations. Any departures from the code of conduct set out by this body will be reported. Those persons will have indication tags, and they will be in contact with party leaders as to any violations carried out. President of the Christian Council, Bishop Gerard County outlined that development at last Tuesdays signing ceremony for the Code of conduct for the November 27 polls. Announcement of the elections date came Tuesday October 28 at a rally staged by the Unity Labour Party at Richmond Hill in capital city Kingstown. Nomination Day is Monday November 10, and persons attaining the age of 18 on or before November 13, 2025 can secure identification cards and become eligible to vote by ensuring their names are on the list. The contest is a straight fight between the Unity Labour Party, elected for the first time March 28, 2001, and the New Democratic Party who won the June 15, 1998. That poll turned out to be a watershed moment, which in the formation of the National Monitoring and Consultative Mechanism, (NMCM). The nation was thrown into upheaval in 2000 after protests on the streets. Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and CARICOM governments intervened which led the Grand Beach Accord. Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell and opposition leader Ralph Gonsalves signed an agreement in May 2000, which paved the way for the March 28, 2001 general elections. The NMCM has overseen polls on: December 7, 2005; December 13, 2010; December 9, 2015; November 5, 2020, and the Referendum for proposed Constitutional changes on November 25, 2009. Priest Jah Winston is making sure that paths of righteousness endure forever. He moves with assurance grounded on the passing of events. Priest of the Ethiopia Black International Congress, Jah Winston is standing on the base of his culture and identity. His lectures at educational institutions fills a void. November is a critical juncture in African history, observed and acknowledged internationally with dignity. Jah Winston points to food and beverage use, everyday behavior, dress, and conduct as matters to take seriously. "We are royal people, he asserts. He appeals to women to value themselves. He stresses the danger of drinking alcohol. He warns women about "nakedness as opposed to regal splendor. As to Ethiopian, Jah Winston suggests: "People must position themselves to learn about the throne of David. If things work out smoothly, an Ethiopian Black International Congress based School will be set up here. He is committed to his purpose. For Jah Winston, people must pray every day. "Remember to keep the Sabbath. To correspond with Zion, you have keep the Sabbath. Only Fools and Horses legend Paul Barber has been cast in a new murder mystery series for Channel 5. An Only Fools and Horses star has been cast in Channel 5's Death in Benidorm The 74-year-old actor - best known for playing lorry driver Denzil Tulser in the beloved BBC sitcom - stars as an expat who finds himself embroiled in a murder case in Death in Benidorm. Speaking about the show - which is set to air in 2026 - a source told The Sun newspaper's TVBiz column: "Paul filmed his scenes in sunny Spain a few months ago. He enjoyed being in the holiday hotspot for a few weeks and got on great with the cast and crew, as well as holidaymakers and locals. "He was more than happy to spend time talking about his days as Denzil and working with David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst on Only Fools and Horses." In Death in Benidorm, John Hannah, 63, plays the lead character - a former police officer who has swapped the line of duty for running a bar in the popular Spanish seaside resort. But with dead tourists scattered on the Costa Blanca John's alter ego goes back to his detective roots. Paul has had an illustrious career, spanning over 50 years - with his first big TV role as Sam "Lucky" Ubootu in ITV Playhouse in 1974. And Paul inspired Idris Elba, 53, to become an actor after The Full Monty star visited Idris' school's drama class. In a video shared on Clarence House's Twitter - now called X - account in 2019, Idris answered a question from a young entrepreneur, asking what made him become a role model for others, as part of Black History Month. Idris said: "I was in my drama class, I loved drama class. It was a place of expression, I enjoyed being there, I enjoyed the sort of creative freedom. "And this professional actor came in. His name was Paul Barber. He came in and sat amongst us, and, you know, we recognised him from TV and it was a big moment. "He sat in our class and talked to us about his profession, who he was. I just remember thinking, 'Wow, man.' He didnt know it, but he really, really inspired me to become an actor." A Vincentian national who stole a debit card belonging to a Grenadian working here and used it to withdraw thousands of dollars from the mans bank account, was jailed on Monday for his actions. The defendant, Orrif Smith of Georgetown, who pleaded guilty to eight counts of theft in connection with the transactions, was sentenced to 15 months and 12 days in prison on each count, but the sentences will run concurrently. Senior Magistrate Tammika McKenzie handed down the penalties on Smiths return to the Kingstown Magistrates Court on Monday. Smith was initially charged on six counts of theft I connection with the debit card and seven counts of theft in relation to the withdrawal of monies from the account belonging to Grenadian Francis Alexis, on various dates in September, 2025. Smith had pleaded guilty to all 13 charges when he first appeared in Court on October 22, but the matter was adjourned to allow Prosecutor Aliston Stapleton to seek instructions from the Director of Public prosecutions (DPP), on whether one of the dates in relation to the theft of the debit card should be amended. When the matter resumed on Tuesday, November 3, the Prosecutor, acting on instructions from the DPPs Office, made, and was granted, an application to have five of the six charges in relation to the theft of the debit card withdrawn, and to amend the date of the other one from September 11, 2025 to between September 10, 2025 and October 1, 2025. As a result, the total number of charges were reduced from 13 to eight, and Smith maintained his guilty pleas. The facts presented on October 22, showed that Alexis has been in SVG since June, 2025, during which time he stayed and worked at the Ottley Hall Marina on the Brand Bay Express boat, where Smith was also employed. Alexis is an account holder at the Republic Bank, from where he holds a blue debit card, which gives him access to his monies via the ATM. On July 17, 2025, he went to the Republic Banks ATM in Kingstown and withdrew EC$4,000 in cash from his account leaving a balance of EC$32,800. He returned to the Ottley Hall Marina, placed his debit card into his wallet and left the wallet in his room on the boat. On October 9, he went back to the Republic Bank in Kingstown, and made efforts to withdraw EC$1,000 from his account, but was told that his account only had a balance of EC$12.62. Alexis questioned this, because he did not withdraw any monies from his account, or give anyone permission to access his account. He was then given a bank printout which depicted that various sums of monies had been withdrawn from his account at various locations between September 11, 2025 and September 30, 2025. He reported the matter to the police and investigations led to Smith. You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber. Not a subscriber? Subscribe today for access to: Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles). Home and Away actor Luke Jacobz has welcomed his second child with wife Raychel. Home and Away actor Luke Jacobz has welcomed his second child with wife Raychel Sharing their joy after what he described as a long and emotional fertility journey, the 44-year-old, best known for playing Angelo Rosetta in the Australian soap opera, announced the birth of their son on Instagram, revealing the baby was conceived naturally following years of IVF treatments. Luke and 37-year-old Raychel, who already share a daughter, Maisie, said their newborn had been given a name steeped in family tradition. Posting a series of photographs of the baby, Luke wrote online: On Monday, our little family of three grew a little bigger and we are all so in love already. Welcome my baby boy John James Scott. He added: We named him after my Dad, Raychels Dad and uncle. Named after the men who helped shape both our lives so their legacy can live on. The actor also paid tribute to his wife in the post, writing: Raychel, your bravery, love, true grit and determination to give our Maisie a best friend for life is nothing short of incredible. I saw such strength in you that I never thought possible, I love you with my heart and my soul and promise to teach our boy to be kind, caring, protective and loving. He will carry the legacy of the great men he is named after. Addressing his newborn directly, Luke said: Little Johnny, JJ I am so proud to be your Dad, you and I will have the most wonderful adventure together, we are going to love and support your mum and sister, because I know they love you so much already. I love you Raychel, thank you for giving me the honour to be your babies Dad. Fans and friends quickly flooded the comments with congratulations. Fellow Home and Away actor Todd Lasance posted online: Amazing news, mate. Congratulations, guys. Incredible. Luke and Raychel met in 2017 and began trying for a baby the following year. They turned to IVF after struggling to conceive and later revealed they experienced three early miscarriages before they had their first child, Maisie, in 2023. Reflecting on their first pregnancy, Luke told followers: We werent expecting that, so we just lost our minds. We were so close to not trying anymore because it was just so hard. Luke first rose to fame in the late 1990s on Australian teen drama Heartbreak High before joining Home and Away. He later won Dancing With The Stars in 2008 and went on to host The X Factor Australia. If cockroach have no business in fowl party, politicians should also stay out of police acti For about three days, I considered moving Andrew Schulz over from my list, Men who should be banned from public speaking, to my other list, Men who can keep their podcast mics. Then, the latest episode of Flagrant released, and he bounced right back into the first column. His overwhelming self-satisfaction with his own political importance is not only nauseating but also a little scary. He might be almost as influential as he believes he is. The opening of Flagrants Thursday episode starts with Schulz saying, What's up everybody? Welcome to the most powerful podcast on the fucking planet. Put some respect on our names. We getting dictators elected. We getting communists elected. Whoever the fuck we want. Its a far stretch to say that Flagrant got Donald Trump elected; though their softball interview weeks before the 2024 presidential election certainly didnt hurt Trump. It is also a stretch to say that Flagrant got Zohran Mamdani elected; though their buddy buddy interview with the candidate the week before the New York City mayoral election certainly didnt hurt. Don't Miss It is notable that Schulz calls Trump a dictator, though hes clearly speaking in hyperbole, as he then goes on to call Mamdani a communisthes a Democratic socialist. But still, theres been a shift in the show recently, climaxing at the decision to bring on Mamdani. Now, Schulz and his co-host Akaash Singh seem to be drunk on their political power. Advertisement So what's the deal? Should we charge more for ads? Like what's really going on when you have this much power? Schulz asked. In a cacophony of cross-talk, the Flagrant panel erupted: We want all the credit! If we got all the credit for getting Trump elected, you better keep that same energy. All the credit. Unless things go sideways, in which case We want the left to give us all the credit cuz they're very happy right now, Schulz joked. So, give us all the credit because you scapegoat us for Trump. It is true that Mamdanis win was part of a sweeping victory against Trump-backed candidates in the November 4 elections. Elsewhere, a Democrat beat Republican challengers in both Virginia and New Jersey. The failures nationwide signaled to many political experts on both sides of the party that Trump and the Republican Party may face real trouble against Democrats in the 2026 midterms, which could radically shift Trumps ability to carry out his radical policy agenda. Whoever comes out on top in this divisive political moment, the Flagrant bros believe themselves to be quite well positioned, having interviewed both Mamdani and Trump. We gave you Trump. Be happy. We gave you both gifts, the podcast host continued, sounding a bit nasally this week. We're very benevolent. We might be the most benevolent podcast. I dont know how long playing both sides will workmaybe forever. But it is a frightening thought that podcast hosts are now legitimate political power brokers in America. Thats probably not going to work out well for any of us. As former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prepares to retire from Congress after nearly four decades, early polling suggests her daughter, Christine Pelosi, faces an uphill battle to succeed her in representing California's 11th Congressional District. A recent EMC Research poll of 500 registered San Francisco voters found that Christine Pelosi holds a favorability rating of just 21% among potential candidates. That places her far behind State Senator Scott Wiener, who leads with a commanding 61% favorability rating. The findings, reported by The San Francisco Standard and Metro Weekly, underscore how the race to replace Pelosi could mark a generational shift in San Francisco politics. The same poll revealed that 51% of voters prefer to elect "someone other than Nancy Pelosi" in 2026 a clear sign that many constituents are looking for new leadership, even as they express respect for the Pelosi family's long-standing service. Christine Pelosi, a Democratic strategist, attorney, and author, has been a fixture in state and national party politics for years. She has served as chair of the California Democratic Party's Women's Caucus and written extensively on grassroots campaigning. Though she has filed preliminary paperwork to run for the seat, she has not yet launched a full campaign. Political observers say her challenge lies in balancing her family's legacy with the district's appetite for change. "She has name recognition, but not yet the grassroots enthusiasm that's driving some of the other candidates," said Bay Area political analyst John Avalos in comments to the San Francisco Chronicle. "If the race becomes a referendum on continuity versus change, she'll have to fight to define which side she's on." Meanwhile, Scott Wiener, a longtime state senator and leading figure in California's progressive wing, has already launched his campaign and secured early support from major Democratic donors, according to The Guardian. Another contender, Saikat Chakrabarti, the former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has positioned himself as the insurgent progressive in the race, calling for aggressive action on climate and economic reform. Given the current polling, Christine Pelosi's chances of victory appear modest estimated around 20 to 30 percent according to analysts, due to her lower favorability and limited campaign infrastructure. Still, the race remains fluid, and with her family's deep ties to the district and national Democratic circles, her fortunes could shift quickly if she enters the race in earnest. For now, San Francisco's post-Pelosi political landscape is shaping up as a contest between continuity and change and Christine Pelosi must convince voters that she represents more than just a famous name. Originally published on IBTimes HA NOI Developing Ha Nois traditional craft villages along with building strong brands under the 'One Commune, One Product' (OCOP) programme has become a key strategy to enhance the value of Vietnamese goods and strengthen the capital citys position in both domestic and international markets. With more than 1,350 craft villages, including over 300 traditional ones, Ha Nois handicraft sector plays an important role in rural economic development, job creation and cultural preservation while contributing to the 'Vietnamese people prioritise Vietnamese goods' campaign. However, the citys craft villages face growing challenges amid rapid global integration and increasing competition, including small-scale operations, outdated technology, limited innovation, weak branding and restricted market access. As the OCOP programme has proved effective in helping local producers standardise production, improve quality, enhance packaging and traceability, and expand their market reach, municipal authorities have introduced a range of policies to promote craft village development and encourage the production of OCOP-certified products. President of the Ha Noi Handicraft and Craft Village Association Ha Thi Vinh said it is vital for craft villages to change their mindset towards brand building to achieve sustainable growth, stressing that a brand must first be built on quality. Product quality must be considered the core in branding, said Vinh, adding that artisans should combine handmade techniques with modern design trends to create products that are both traditional and contemporary. Consumers today are different. They dont just buy a product but a story of culture, people and heritage. Linking craft villages with tourism and cultural experiences, she added, is one of the fastest ways to spread brand value. Pham Anh Tuan, vice president of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front in Ha Noi, said developing craft villages in line with OCOP branding is not only an economic goal, but also a cultural and social mission. He stressed the importance of helping each craft village preserve its traditional identity while achieving sustainable growth and deeper integration into the value chain of high-quality Vietnamese goods. Tuan urged stronger communication efforts to raise public awareness of the OCOP programme, moving towards the goal of 'one village one brand, one product one story.' He also called for greater support in planning, infrastructure and environmental management to develop modern craft villages that connect production with cultural preservation, green tourism and sustainable growth. It is necessary to increase the adoption of science, technology and digital transformation in production, quality management, traceability and e-commerce, along with trade promotion and skill training, Tuan added. We must foster links between the Government, scientists, enterprises and farmers to develop brands, protect intellectual property and improve the competitiveness of OCOP products. President of the Viet Nam Consumer Cooperative Union (VCCU) Nguyen Thi Lan Huong said integrating OCOP branding into the development of Ha Nois craft villages is essential to improving the value, competitiveness and recognition of Vietnamese products at home and abroad. She said the VCCU is working to establish retail chains and distribution channels for local producers and craft villages, especially those producing OCOP goods, to ensure quality, transparency and convenience for consumers. Branding is not just about logos or packaging but a process integrating product quality, production standards, cultural stories and supply chain links, said Huong. She also called for the introduction of incentive policies to help local producers and retailers build supply chains for OCOP products from craft villages, which would significantly boost their value and better protect consumers. OCOP and rural tourism Ha Nois OCOP products have been increasingly recognised in both domestic and international markets. Since the launch of the OCOP programme in 2019, the capital city has achieved remarkable results with 3,463 OCOP products so far, accounting for 21 per cent of the countrys total and leading the nation in both scale and quality. Nine of the products have achieved a five-star rating, with 19 more considered for a potential five star label. Meanwhile, 1,576 goods have a four-star rating and 1,859 have earned three stars. Alongside the OCOP programme, Ha Noi is also promoting rural tourism as a strategic direction to leverage its cultural, ecological and economic potential. There are currently 52 recognised tourism destinations, including 26 community-based tourism sites associated with craft villages and rural agricultural areas. As Ha Noi enters a new phase of OCOP and rural tourism development with the goal of improving quality, accelerating digital transformation and promoting sustainable growth, the capital city has outlined four key tasks, including strengthening communication and worker training, developing production links and material zones, promoting organic and processed products and applying digital technology in marketing and distribution. Ha Noi will give priority to developing OCOP in connection with tourism and craft villages to create integrated value chains among agriculture, culture and tourism that will drive rural economic restructuring towards modernity and inclusiveness. The capital city has proposed that the Government rapidly issue the national target programme on new rural development, the OCOP programme and the rural tourism development programme for 20262030. Ha Noi has also urged the introduction of criteria for agricultural and rural tourism, as well as mechanisms and incentives to attract investment in rural tourism. The Hanoi Support Centre for Enterprise and Investment Promotion will focus on providing support to companies, including those in craft villages, to expand their export markets. Under the master plan to develop craft villages in Ha Noi for the 2025-2030 period, the capital city aims to certify products from more than 50 per cent of craft villages under the OCOP programme. Another goal is to develop three craft villages for tourism, with 10 craft village tour routes set to be established. VNS HCM CITY With one of the countrys largest science and technology foundations and a vibrant innovation ecosystem, HCM City is accelerating breakthrough strategies to realise its goal of becoming a leading regional and international innovation hub. The citys innovation and startup ecosystem is regarded as one of the most dynamic in the region. It ranks second nationwide for both the Digital Transformation Index and Innovation Index, and leads the country in digital infrastructure, attracting numerous major and hyperscale data centres. Globally, its startup ecosystem ranks 110th, and fifth in Southeast Asia. Home to nearly half of Viet Nams total startups, the city now hosts more than 2,000 innovative enterprises, supported by over 100 venture capital funds and 20,000 professionals in science and technology. It has also nurtured Viet Nams three technology unicorns VNG, MoMo and Sky Mavis. Founded in 2004, VNG Corporation is one of the citys leading digital enterprises, creating key platforms such as Zalo, ZaloPay and internationally standardised data centres. With the citys support and enabling environment, VNG has grown from a small business into a global technology company, VNG Founder and Chairman Le Hong Minh said. In just the first half of 2025, the citys science and technology sector attracted US$1.6 billion in foreign direct investment, and now has more than 140 certified science and technology enterprises, ranking second nationwide. With nearly 100 high-quality training institutions, the city has also become a preferred destination for major global tech firms establishing offices and R&D centres including SAP, Marvell and Qualcomm. Marvell Vietnam, founded in 2013 with only five engineers, has since expanded rapidly. In September 2025, Marvell inaugurated three new offices in Viet Nam two in HCM City and one in a Nang making the country its third-largest global R&D hub, with more than 500 engineers. Our new lab at Etown6 is equipped with state-of-the-art testing and research facilities for high-speed connectivity products, Marvell Vietnam General Director Le Quang am said. Municipal Peoples Committee Chairman Nguyen Van uoc said the expansion marks a milestone in international cooperation in semiconductor and high-tech industries. The city is committed to accompanying Marvell and other investors by creating favourable conditions in terms of policy, infrastructure and human resources, he said. Strategic breakthroughs Beyond infrastructure and investment, the city is introducing a series of special policies to attract talent and nurture startups. In August, the official operation of the city Innovation Startup Centre is expected to serve as a nucleus connecting resources and fostering creative entrepreneurship. The centre is envisioned as a key driver in propelling the city into the worlds top 100 most dynamic startup ecosystems. Lam inh Thang, director of the citys Department of Science and Technology, said that despite its progress, the city still faces challenges including rigid management mechanisms, a lack of testbeds for new technologies, incomplete data infrastructure, and limited R&D investment. Strengthening the triple helix link among academia, government and business remains a top priority, he said. The citys Party Congress has identified science, technology and innovation as the main drivers of growth, setting ambitious targets of the digital economy contributing 30-40 per cent of GRDP, total R&D spending reaching 23 per cent of GRDP, and at least 45 per cent of the citys annual budget dedicated to science, technology and digital transformation. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Hoang Ngan, National Assembly Deputy from HCM City, said these targets reflect the citys strong political commitment to innovation-led growth. He emphasised the need for greater investment in research and development centres not only at the city level but also within universities and enterprises. To realise its strategic vision, the city is pursuing three breakthrough directions. The first focuses on policies and investment mechanisms, piloting innovative publicpublic partnership models to channel state funding into university R&D while encouraging greater private-sector participation. The second targets strategic technologies and innovation ecosystems, with priorities in artificial intelligence, cloud computing, semiconductors, robotics, blockchain and biomedical technology, alongside the creation of a new Startup Support Fund. The third centres on digital governance and human capital development, fostering stronger collaboration among universities, government, businesses and financial institutions, and deepening international cooperation to attract global expertise. Addressing the citys Party Congress for the 2025-30 term, Party General Secretary To Lam urged HCM City to accelerate economic restructuring, take science, technology and innovation as the main engines of growth, and promote effective digital and green transformation to raise productivity and competitiveness. With solid foundations, strong political will and active global partnerships, the city is positioning itself to become a true innovation powerhouse of Southeast Asia in the coming decade. VNS HA NOI Amid the persistent volatility in Viet Nam's domestic gold market and large gaps between local and international prices, the formation of a national gold exchange is gaining traction as a critical structural reform. According to industry experts and financial institutions, the policy move has significant expectations, though its implementation demands careful phasing and robust infrastructure. Prices of gold in Viet Nam have surged and corrected rapidly in recent months, reflecting a market out of sync with global benchmarks. Nguyen uc Thai Han, deputy general director of Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank, pointed to the urgent need for a transparent and regulated platform. "In the current context, the establishment of a gold exchange is both necessary and urgent," he said. "The objective is to fully transparentise all imported gold that is traded, sold and introduced into production." Han advocates beginning with a focus on physical gold and standardised imported bullion, such as one-kilogram gold bars under international standards, and deferring trading of more popular domestic bars like SJC brand in the early phase. "This is a sure, step-by-step move before transitioning into more complex products," he added. Meanwhile, at the securities services front, Nguyen Thi Thu Hien, CEO of Techcombank Securities (TCBS), described the exchange initiative as a strategic policy instrument that would "unlock dormant gold resources in the public" and reduce asymmetric-information-led price spreads. "A gold exchange is not only a new investment channel but also a modern tool for government regulation, shifting from administrative management to a market-based mechanism," she said. Hien further proposed the early adoption of blockchain technology to record every purchase and sale transaction in real time, ensuring traceability and full oversight. She said: "Each trade will be logged like a node in the system, enabling the central bank to monitor the total market scale. At the same time, information security and asset protection must meet the standards of major financial exchanges." Despite strong support, regulators and market participants underscore that the initiative must be rolled out with due caution. The Foreign Exchange Management Department, under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), reiterated that gold trading remains a conditional business activity under the Investment Law and must adhere to principles of safety, transparency and effectiveness. However, challenges remain. Viet Nam is not a gold-producing country, and from 2014 to 2024, the SBV did not permit gold imports in order to safeguard foreign-exchange reserves, meaning domestic supply remains constrained. In the 2014-24 period, the SBV did not license gold imports, hence domestic supply is still limited, and current conditions do not yet permit the formation of a large-scale exchange. In addition, Viet Nam lacks centralised vaulting infrastructure and a dedicated gold-certification centre, both of which are prerequisites for the secure operation of a large-scale exchange. Historically, self-organised gold trading platforms in 20062010, which used financial leverage, led to significant risks for both gold and broader financial markets. Under the plan, the gold exchange will be introduced in three phases beginning with physical gold trading, then moving to gold bars and eventually to gold-account and derivative products. Phase one is expected to last approximately two years, focusing initially on imported bullion. Phases two and three will expand the product set as capacity builds. The initiative is aligned with the Government's broader agenda of modernising Viet Nam's financial market. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh recently said that in 2026 the legal framework will be completed to establish integrated markets for finance, gold and real estate. The gold exchange may thus become a key part of Viet Nam's market-modernisation roadmap. BIZHUB/VNS HA NOI Viet Nam currently has about 21 million cryptocurrency investors, with a turnover exceeding US$200 billion, a huge figure compared to the scale of the economy. The information was shared by Can Van Luc, chief economist at BIDV, at a seminar on digital assets in Ha Noi on Thursday. The seminar was held by the Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper in collaboration with the State Securities Commission of Vietnam. However, this flow of capital has yet to be managed and directed clearly, Luc said. The risk of losing money and the lack of protective mechanisms has caused many investors to lose their capital without knowing who to turn to for help. The tax revenue from these transactions was also flowing abroad, while Viet Nam was left with the management risks, he said. Therefore, Resolution No 05/2025/NQ-CP on piloting a digital asset market, issued in September 2025, was considered a golden opportunity as it ensures safety for tens of millions of investors while helping the state mobilise a huge financial resource, Luc said. To make Resolution 05 effective, it is necessary to implement four main groups of solutions, he noted. The first is cryptocurrency classification. This involves building a detailed classification system according to international standards, such as IMF and MiCA-EU, to apply appropriate management for each type of asset. The second solution is flexible tax policies. Taxes should be based on risk level. High-risk assets should be taxed at a higher rate, while assets that encourage investment should benefit from tax reductions. The third solution is clear licensing and charter capital regulations. Companies must have a minimum capital of VN10 trillion ($385 million) and at least two shareholders from banks, securities firms or finance companies. The fourth solution is an intersectoral management mechanism aimed at controlling money laundering, cybersecurity, intellectual property rights and counterterrorism financing. The pilot phase will last for five years, with an evaluation after three years. He emphasised that financial education was a necessary condition for the sustainable development of the market. Despite having a large number of investors, most lack basic knowledge and were easily influenced by crowd mentality. Balanced regulatory framework From the perspective of regulators, the pilot phase is expected to help accumulate practical experience for building a long-term legal framework. To Tran Hoa, deputy director of market development at SSC, said Resolution 05 marked a historic step in finance in Viet Nam, laying the legal foundation for cryptocurrency activities. During the pilot phase, regulators will focus on overseeing cryptocurrency service providers, who act as intermediaries between issuing companies and investors. This model was seen as reasonable for testing new operational methods, limiting systemic risks, and accumulating practical experience to refine the legal framework in the future, Hoa said. A major challenge was the capacity of human resources and expertise in blockchain technology, cybersecurity and financial risk management, he added. Viet Nam needed to develop systematic training programmes, certification for professional qualification and build a team of experts with enough capacity to manage risks, prevent money laundering and counterterrorism financing. Regulators aim to apply the balanced management principle, encouraging innovation while controlling risks. The goal was to create a transparent, efficient cryptocurrency market that protects investor interests and contributes positively to the development of the digital economy, Hoa said. The results of the pilot phase would serve as a basis for research, reporting, and submitting to the Government for consideration, either to complete Resolution 05 or build a specialised law for the cryptocurrency market, he said. This was considered an important legal foundation, helping Viet Nam gradually integrate and develop sustainably in the digital financial era, he added. BIZHUB/VNS HA NOI Viet Nam will ensure macroeconomic stability and a supportive regulatory environment, pledging all possible support for investors to thrive, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assured a delegation from the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), who is in Viet Nam for the 2025 SEMIEXPO, during a reception in Ha Noi on November 6. The meeting drew 32 executives from SEMI and its members that represent 3,700 companies across the global semiconductor supply chain. PM Chinh said Viet Nam is pivoting to rapid, sustainable growth via green, circular, knowledge-based and digital economies powered by sci-tech, innovation and digital transformation, including semiconductors. Viet Nam targets at least 8 per cent GDP growth in 2025 and double-digit expansion thereafter, requiring global partnerships in finance, talent development, transfer of technology and management know-how, especially in chips, he added. According to him, Party General Secretary To Lam has repeatedly stressed Viet Nams target of achieving rapid, sustainable development rooted in sci-tech, innovation and digital transformation, with the goal of attaining technological autonomy and competitiveness in strategic sectors, especially semiconductors. Viet Nam already issued a national semiconductor industry development strategy through 2030 with a vision to 2050, plus a workforce development plan for the semiconductor sector, and a list of 11 strategic technologies and technological products. The country aims to launch its first chip manufacturing facility next year. He urged SEMI and global players to trust Viet Nams investment climate and scale up investments, while proposing policies for mutual gains, a full semiconductor ecosystem, an R&D hub, and support to advance from testing and packaging into design, fabrication and manufacturing, plus training of quality engineers and integration of local firms into global semiconductor value chains. Viet Nam will continue improving its regulatory framework, developing modern and synchronous infrastructure, enhancing management capability and workforce quality, and streamlining administrative procedures, including establishing a national one-stop investment service portal, he said, adding that Viet Nam aims for a domestic semiconductor ecosystem that supports efficient, long-term investment. The host spotlighted partnerships based on balanced benefits and shared risks, and the principle of mutual listening and understanding, shared vision and actions, for collective wins and success. President of SEMI Southeast Asia Linda Tan and representatives of international semiconductor companies said they were impressed with Viet Nams recent socio-economic strides, especially its strategy for sci-tech and semiconductor industry, which align with global trends and SEMIs directions. They also voiced confidence in Viet Nams semiconductor development policies. They pressed for sharper regulations, simpler administrative procedures, English-language one-stop investment services, SME supply-chain access, and infrastructure like clean energy and digital grids, along with coordinated value-chain growth spanning research, testing, manufacturing, packaging and artificial intelligence Keen to invest more, they suggested Viet Nam set clear priorities and form a national semiconductor association to link Government, industry and academia, driving policies, research, training, supply chains, capital and a complete ecosystem to establish Viet Nam as a global and regional chip hub. BIZHUB/VNS On November 4, Kdrama actor Park Joong-hoon honestly talked about his decision to include his past marijuana controversy in his debut essay, "Don't Regret," in a press conference held at the Jeongdong 1928 Art Center in Seoul. According to OSEN, the event was hosted by pianist and writer Moon A-ram and marked the official launch of Park's first essay, which was published on October 29. The book is about the actor's 40-year career and his reflections on life, growth, and accountability. Park Joong-hoon shared that he wanted to be honest about both successes and failures, including his involvement in a past marijuana scandal. "When someone only uses the Yongbi Eocheon Ga (Song of the Dragons Flying to Heaven) to talk about themselves, it doesn't seem believable," he said. As per Chosun, the actor felt it was important to acknowledge the marijuana incident because, while it may be less remembered by younger generations, it was a significant part of his life. He believed that sharing this aspect would add credibility to his story rather than just portraying a flawless image. The veteran actor reflected upon times past, emphasizing personal accountability for growth. "In the end, the past was mine. Both the good things and the bad things were all things I did," explained Park. "I thought it's important to recover, inherit, and develop that well now, at this age." Using an analogy, he compared himself to concrete: pure cement alone is weak and breaks easily, but when mixed with gravel and sand, it becomes strong. Similarly, he sees mistakes as necessary components that contribute to personal strength and resilience. He does not intend to repeat his errors but acknowledges them fully. Park also spoke of gratitude and humility in his long career. "Actually, I've been very lucky in life. I only remember being startled because I'm famous, but I've been incredibly lucky," he said. "I'm okay if my acting career ends here, even though I'll be a little sad. I don't have any regrets." Comparing his current mindset to an Olympic athlete aiming for a third gold medal, he expressed his commitment to working even harder while accepting whatever results come his way. A NANG More than 40 Italian companies in key sectors including lifestyle, interior design, energy, electricity and water technologies, machinery, equipment and construction, food and beverage, education and services are on display at the first ever Italian Days in a Nang 2025' and the Italian Expo at APEC Park. The event, a multi-sector exhibition showcasing Italian technology and products, combined with trade promotion, investment and cultural exchange, was organised by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ICHAM) and Prometeo Group as part of positive moves in cooperation and investment between a Nang and Italian partners. The Italian Expo event also served as a cultural and commercial centre, seamlessly linking product and technology showcases, B2B matching and sectoral workshop series. It featured Italian cultural, culinary and musical performances as well as a photo exhibition celebrating solidarity between Viet Nam and Italy, creating a lively space for cultural exchange and business cooperation between the two nations. Italian Ambassador to Viet Nam Marco Della Seta said: Beyond trade, this is a celebration of shared values. Both Italians and Vietnamese cherish beauty, quality and authenticity, whether in craftsmanship, cuisine, design or lifestyle. ICHAM Chairman Michele DErcole said that the decision to host the Italian Expo in a Nang was a deliberate and strategic choice. He said a Nang is not only a beautiful and fast-growing coastal urban hub, but it is also a key strategic gateway to central Viet Nam. The Italy-a Nang Cooperation Forum included in the event focused on four main pillars of collaboration between Italian regions and the city: education, culture, people-to-people diplomacy and economic cooperation. ICHAM, in collaboration with the a Nang Young Entrepreneurs Association, also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen bilateral cooperation in trade, investment and innovation between Italian and Vietnamese small- and medium-sized enterprises, as well as to promote the city to businesses and investment projects in the Italian market. Last year, the City of Genoa (Italy) and a Nang signed an MoU on cooperation and friendship to expand opportunities in trade, investment, tourism and education. The Italian Days in a Nang and Italian Expo a Nang, which is open to the public for free, will close on November 8. VNS HCM CITY HCM City tourism saw growth in arrivals in the first ten months of the year, welcoming nearly 6.6 million foreign visitors, representing a year-on-year increase of 18 per cent, according to its Department of Tourism. During the period, domestic visitors reached more than 33 million. Tourism revenue totalled VN208 trillion (US$7.9 billion) during the period, up 22 per cent year-on-year. In October alone, the city received more than 705,000 foreign visitors and 3.9 million domestic visitors. The growth was driven by more diverse cultural events and festivals and the recovery of key markets and efforts by businesses to renew their products. Tran Thi Bao Thu, representative of Vietluxtour, said that the peak months of international tourism usually begin from October and last until the end of April next year. During this period, tourists from many countries in Europe and North America want to avoid the cold of winter and look for warm destinations in Southeast Asia. HCM City is one of their top choices, she said. As part of efforts to develop new tourism products, the department has coordinated with airlines and tourism businesses to reopen scenic helicopter tour service by December. Nguyen Minh Man, deputy general director of VinaGroup Travel, said the company will deploy three main products: helicopter tours, sightseeing flights, and model flight experiences. There are additional services such as charter flights to serve high-end customers and specialised businesses, he said. The city strives to welcome 10 million foreign visitors and 45-50 million domestic visitors this year. Total tourism revenue is expected to reach VN290 trillion ($11 billion). VNS A NANG The Italian Days in a Nang 2025 kicked off on November 6 at APEC Park in the central city, offering a vibrant platform to strengthen trade, investment and cultural ties between Viet Nam and Italy. The event, co-organised by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Viet Nam (ICHAM) and Prometeo Group, takes place from November 6-8 under the patronage of the Italian Embassy in Ha Noi, the Italian Consulate General in HCM City, and the a Nang Peoples Committee. This is the first time the event has been held in a Nang, bringing together more than 40 Italian businesses and their partners from both Viet Nam and abroad. At the heart of the programme is the Italian Expo, showcasing products and technologies from five major sectors of lifestyle and interior design; energy, electricity and water technologies; construction machinery and solutions; food and beverages; and education and services. ICHAM Chairman Michele DErcole said choosing a Nang as the venue for the Italian Expo is a strategic move to promote trade and investment in the central region. Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Marco Della Seta highlighted that Italian Days in a Nang not only enhances economic cooperation but also celebrates the shared cultural values of the two nations, fostering mutual understanding and friendship between Viet Nam and Italy. Vice Chairman of the a Nang Peoples Committee Ho Quang Buu expressed his belief that the event will open new opportunities for collaboration in trade, investment and cultural exchange between a Nang and Italian partners. A key activity of the programme is the seminar titled Italya Nang Cooperation, which focuses on four pillars: education, culture, people-to-people diplomacy, and economy. During the seminar, the ICHAM and the a Nang Young Entrepreneurs Association signed a memorandum of understanding to promote trade, investment and innovation between enterprises of the two countries. Another highlight is a photo exhibition on Viet NamItaly friendship, depicting moments of solidarity between the two peoples throughout history from wartime to the COVID-19 pandemic fight. VNA/VNS HCM CITY Promoting the potential and advantages of Viet Nam's largest economic, cultural, and social hub, HCM City has been making efforts to renew its tourism products and diversify events to enrich visitors experiences. In particular, its tourism sector is strongly capitalising on local cuisine as a key tourism product to increase the appeal of the city to both domestic and international visitors. Culinary tourism on the rise In recent years, the citys tourism industry has focused on developing diverse products such as river tours, cultural and historical tours, eco-tourism, and community-based tourism. After the administrative unit merger, the sector identified culinary tourism as a key area for growth with the ambition to position HCM City as a hub where Viet Nam's and the worlds specialities converge. This type of tourism is also expected to become a major competitive edge of the city compared to other destinations in Viet Nam and regional countries. Currently, the city has more than 680 tourism resources suitable for development into attractions, with vibrant street food spaces serving as standout features. Since September 2025, the municipal Department of Tourism has been conducting in-depth surveys to launch 20 new culinary tour programmes. These are not just food journeys but also stories about the citys culture, history and people. Upcoming tour packages include two-day-one-night trips such as Flavours of the Sea, A Journey of the Taste Buds, and Returning to Hometown Flavours, as well as shorter half-day and one-day tours like Vespa Le La, Coastal Saigon, a double-decker bus tour with dinner aboard the Indochina Cruise, and the From Farm to Bar organic chocolate farm experience. Travel businesses are also offering self-guided culinary discovery programmes such as Irresistible Flavours of Vung Tau and Unique Cuisine of Binh Duong. Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Tourism Bui Thi Ngoc Hieu said each culinary tour connects dining, shopping, and sightseeing services across the southern metropolis, which now includes former Binh Duong and Ba RiaVung Tau provinces. This is part of the citys culinary tourism development strategy to 2030, and helps attract 10 million international visitors and earn VN290 trillion (US$11 billion) in tourism revenue this year. With such diverse and culturally rich culinary programmes, HCM City will continue to affirm its position as an international tourism centre and a must-visit destination on the world tourism map, Hieu said. We hope these programmes will soon be introduced widely to both domestic and foreign travellers, contributing to a diverse, sustainable, and vibrant tourism ecosystem. Experts suggest that incorporating local cuisine into tourism offerings is a flexible and progressive approach as Viet Nam embraces a new era of development. Culinary tourism has emerged as a significant trend across Asia, especially among Vietnamese travellers, with breakfast options even affecting their choice of accommodations. Data from Agoda shows that not only Asian but also Vietnamese travellers increasingly prefer hotels offering free breakfast. Vu Ngoc Lam, Agodas Country Director in Viet Nam, said: Breakfast is not just the first meal of the day its a bridge between travellers and local culture. More and more Vietnamese travellers are prioritising booking rooms with breakfast because they understand the practical value and the feeling of being welcomed and cared for that breakfast service brings. Therefore, with smart and easy-to-use search filters, Agoda helps users quickly find ideal accommodations. Spreading Vietnamese flavours to the world HCM City is not only an attractive destination but also a gateway through which a large number of visitors enter Viet Nam. Each of them can be considered a link in spreading Vietnamese flavours to the world. To make local cuisine a unique language of tourism, the city aims to create experiences that allow visitors not only to taste but also to feel the soul behind every dish. Director of the Chim Canh Cut Travel Service JSC Tran Quang Duy noted the company is developing food tours to promote the local culinary culture through sustainable and cultural experiences. Each dish tells a story, he said. Accordingly, each dish introduced to diners is a story, along with the discovery of multi-layered culinary culture from the perspective of "eating to understand and understanding to love". The enterprise has developed seven typical journeys in line with seven flavours of Sai Gon HCM City, namely: Touching the taste of herbs, culinary quintessence, journey of eating authentic food living healthy, Sai Gon scent of the past present, Food Tour in the way of GEN Z, tropical sweetness, Saigon in every corner of Nguyen Thai Binh. Surveys by local travel firms show that cuisine is a core identity of HCM Citys tourism and a major factor in exploring local culture. Vietravels data reveals that 81 per cent of international visitors want to experience local food, proving culinary tourisms strong global appeal. The city is seen as a miniature map of Vietnamese cuisine, with huge potential to build an international brand as The City of Flavours and Experiences. Huynh Phan Phuong Hoang, Deputy General Director of Vietravel, proposed that the city issue a culinary tourism development strategy to 2030, create a HCM City Culinary Destination recognition system, and establish an international expert centre. The local tourism industry should strengthen public private cooperation, organise food events and festivals, design thematic tours, and develop street food associated with the nighttime economy. It should also promote international cooperation and implement marketing campaigns through representative agencies and global businesses, aiming to organise the Southeast Asian Food Festival here in the near future, Hoang said. Experts also recommend that the citys tourism and travel companies apply digital transformation to develop online culinary maps, experience videos and interactive content, while training Culinary Ambassadors and engaging young people in preserving and innovating traditional cuisine. They stress that only through collaboration among authorities, associations, enterprises, and creative communities can the city turn its potential into real value, making Vietnamese cuisine a universal language in global tourism and cultural dialogue. VNA/VNS ROME A ceremony to launch the Italian translation of the book Fidel Castro Ruz A Revolution Can Only Be Born of Culture and Ideas was held recently by Anteo Edizioni Publishing House and the Cuban Embassy in Italy. The event, which marked the 100th birth anniversary of President Fidel Castro, gathered Cuban Ambassador Mirta Granda Averhoff, Anteo Edizioni director Stefano Bonilauri, translator Giulio Chinappi, and over 40 guests. The book features Fidel Castros speech delivered at the Central University of Venezuela on February 3, 1999, during the inauguration of President Hugo Chavez. Anteo Edizioni, which has also published Italian editions of works by President Ho Chi Minh and Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, completed printing in September 2025. At the event, Bonilauri who was the winner of the 2024 essay contest on protecting the ideological foundation of the Communist Party of Viet Nam, praised Cubas resilience as a small island nation standing firm against imperialism. He said Fidel Castro inspired hope even among Italians and was right in foreseeing that the US would no longer remain the worlds only superpower. Bonilauri also cited Viet Nam as a model of self-reform, affirming that socialism continues to be the most relevant political doctrine today. Translator Chinappi said the evolutions of Viet Nam and Cuba have guided them steadily on their socialist paths even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He noted that both nations overcame imperialism and colonialism in ways that suited their own circumstances. Chinappi highlighted their historic friendship fostered by Fidel Castro and Ho Chi Minh, recalling that Fidel was the only foreign leader to visit a frontline area during Viet Nam's resistance war against the US. He said this friendship endures today across state, party, and people-to-people levels, as seen in Viet Nam's recent fundraising campaigns supporting Cuba amid the ongoing US embargo. He added that Italians have long expressed solidarity with the Cuban and Vietnamese revolutions. During the war in Viet Nam, many Italians held demonstrations in support of the Vietnamese people, while solidarity initiatives for Cuba remain active among those who chose socialism. Meanwhile, Daniele DallAglio, a political activist from Reggio Emilia, said the Cuban and Vietnamese revolutions have long served as inspirations for Italys communist and socialist movements. He noted that they represent resistance against imperialism and oppression, symbolising enduring hopes for freedom, sovereignty, and equality both in national and global contexts. VNA/VNS LONDON Works by four contemporary Vietnamese painters were showcased at the exhibition themed Viet Nam Enchanting Beauty, held from October 31 to November 5 at Sothebys London, attracting strong interest from collectors, auctioneers, and art enthusiasts from the UK and abroad. Organised by Thang Long Art Gallery as part of the 28th Asian Art in London (AAL), the exhibition marks the gallerys second consecutive participation following the success of last years A Glimpse of Viet Nam. The exhibition showcased refined works from leading Vietnamese artists, such as Hong Viet Dung, member of the Five Painters Group; Nguyen Thanh Binh; Vu Cong ien; and Ngo Van Sac. These artists are recognised for their distinct styles and techniques, expressing a profound appreciation for the enchanting beauty of Viet Nam. Their works open a dialogue between nature and humanity, set in serene and harmonious landscapes, a quiet reflection amid the turbulence of the modern world. A highlight of the exhibition is Indochina (2024), a wood-burning painting by Ngo Van Sac, nominated among the top three works in the Modern and Contemporary category at Asian Art in London 2025. Ngo Van Sacs wood-burning artworks, exhibited at Thang Long Art Gallery, have attracted attention for their intricate craftsmanship, blending archival imagery, classical aesthetics, and the natural texture of wood. This artistic synthesis invites reflection on culture, identity, and human experience. Founded in 1998, Asian Art in London brings together leading galleries, institutions, and auctions houses specialising in Asian art. By taking part in such international events, Thang Long Art Gallery continues to promote Vietnamese contemporary art to global audiences, including curators, collectors, and art experts. The opening of Viet Nam Enchanting Beauty drew distinguished guests such as H. Howard-Sneyd, Chairman of Asian Art at Sothebys London; R. Hyman, Head of Asian Art at Bonhams London; R. Markbreiter, Chairman of Arts of Asia magazine (Hong Kong, China); S. Kempson, Development Director of Asian Art in London; M. Slaats, Asian art consultant; and S. Pilling, newly appointed Chairman of Asian Art in London and Japanese art specialist, along with N. McKinley, representative of Apollo art magazine. This years Asian Art in London included about 20 exhibitions and themed auctions covering Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Islamic, and Indian art, hosted simultaneously by major auction houses including Sothebys, Bonhams, and Christies. VNA/VNS On the occasion of Vietnam Law Day (November 9), Viet Nam News and Law of the Vietnam News Agency talked with Le Ve Quoc, Director General of the Department of Law Dissemination and Education and Legal Aid under the Ministry of Justice, about the justice sectors recent achievements and key priorities. The discussion highlighted ongoing reforms under Politburo's Resolution 66-NQ/TW and new initiatives to enhance public legal awareness in the digital era. Could you share some insights into notable results achieved in law dissemination and education over the past year, especially in bringing the law closer to the people, enterprises and vulnerable groups? What successful models, initiatives and communication activities would you highlight from 2025? In recent years, the work of law dissemination and education has been implemented comprehensively and creatively, closely following the Partys guidelines, the States policies and laws, and the justice sectors key tasks. It has made an important contribution to raising public awareness and compliance with the law among officials, civil servants, citizens and enterprises, while supporting the state management work, preventing violations, maintaining social order and safety, and promoting socio-economic development. Leadership, direction and coordination in this field across the political system have seen numerous positive changes, becoming more practical, effective and targeted. Awareness of the position, role and importance of law dissemination and education has been significantly strengthened among ministries, sectors and mass organisations at both central and local levels. There is now a unified understanding that the work of law dissemination and education is the responsibility of the entire political system, with the State playing the leading role. The quantity and quality of human resources engaged in this work have been gradually improved to meet management and professional requirements. The content of law dissemination and education has become more focused and relevant, closely aligned with social needs and the political tasks of ministries, sectors and localities, while being tailored to specific groups and regional contexts. The forms of law dissemination have become increasingly diverse and creative, reflecting local cultural characteristics and producing tangible results. Financial resources and support policies for those engaged in this field have also been gradually improved as compared to previous years. Meanwhile, more attention has been paid to the efforts to mobilise social participation in law dissemination and education through flexible and innovative models. In 2025, several outstanding legal communication models and activities were effectively implemented. These include the enhanced application of information technology in law dissemination and education, the development and efficient operation of the National Portal for Law Dissemination and Education and the National Law Portal, and the expansion of legal information channels on social media platforms and mobile applications. Artificial intelligence-integrated online and interactive tools have also been developed to provide legal information in cyberspace, meeting peoples growing demand for self-study of legal knowledge. Alongside digital initiatives, traditional models such as in-person law education, legal counselling and legal aid, as well as the distribution of legal information and materials, have continued to be promoted. Various activities in response to Vietnam Law Day have been widely organised nationwide. Numerous print and broadcast outlets have also strengthened their law-focused sections. Notably, the Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with Vietnam Television (VTV), has produced and aired the programme Policy Spotlight at 7am every Saturday on VTV1, featuring policies with significant social impact. These innovative and engaging formats have made it easier for citizens and enterprises to access, understand and apply the law in daily life. Could you outline the key tasks that the Department of Law Dissemination and Education and Legal Aid is expected to prioritise in 2026 to further improve the effectiveness of policy communication and law dissemination and education work? In 2026, the department will continue to implement seven major tasks in a coordinated and comprehensive manner to enhance the effectiveness of law dissemination and education in line with the goal of building a socialist law-ruled state and achieving the nations socio-economic development objectives. First, the department will focus on improving the institutional framework to promptly institutionalise the Partys guidelines and policies on reforming law dissemination and education, meeting the countrys development requirements in the new era, and addressing shortcomings in current legal documents and regulations. Special attention will be given to researching and drafting the revised Law on Law Dissemination and Education and guiding documents. Second, the content, forms and methods of dissemination will continue to be innovated, following a people-centred approach that emphasises practicality, clarity, accessibility, and suitability for each target group, region and ethnic community. The department will accelerate digital transformation, focusing on operating and upgrading the National Law Portal and the National Portal for Law Dissemination and Education; developing online applications and software integrated with artificial intelligence; and increasing the use of digital platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Zalo, along with specialised legal apps to deliver information in a vivid and accessible way - particularly for young audiences. Third, the department will further promote the role of the Central Coordination Council for Law Dissemination and Education, particularly in areas and among target groups requiring interdisciplinary coordination. It will also strengthen partnerships with socio-political-professional organisations, businesses, media agencies, and the network of legal rapporteurs and communicators and grassroots conciliators to expand outreach and enhance community-based legal communication. Fourth, efforts will be made to consolidate and professionalise the team of officers, rapporteurs and communicators engaged in this work. The department will promote the social responsibility of lawyers, jurists and other legal practitioners, while introducing inventive policies for individuals who can speak ethnic languages, respected community figures, village chiefs and religious dignitaries in ethnic minority areas to engage them in law dissemination and education activities. Fifth, the department will step up cooperation with press and media agencies, diversifying models and forms of communication. Priority will be given to multimedia and social media platforms, with key content broadcast during peak hours on national radio and television. Sixth, in addition to actively engaging in international cooperation, the department will adopt mechanisms and policies to encourage organisations, individuals and enterprises across society to participate in law dissemination and education. Finally, the department will focus on monitoring, evaluating and inspecting the effectiveness of law enforcement and dissemination activities. It will promptly commend and replicate effective models and creative practices while addressing existing shortcomings to improve the overall quality and sustainability of this work. Resolution 66-NQ/TW emphasises the need to vigorously renew law dissemination and education work in association with building a legal culture in society. Could you tell something about what measures the Ministry of Justice in general and the Department of Law Dissemination and Education and Legal Aid in particular will take to realise this spirit in the coming time? In your opinion, what is the breakthrough step for legal communication to truly become a bridge connecting law to life, thus contributing to building a modern law-ruled state that serves the people? Resolution 66-NQ/TW provides a major strategic orientation for the entire process of law making, improvement and enforcement. It sets forth the task of enhancing the quality of law dissemination and education, particularly in cultivating a culture of law compliance. The Ministry of Justice has identified this as a strategic breakthrough for the coming period. To achieve this goal, the ministry and the department will focus on several key groups of solutions. The first priority is to formulate the Scheme on building the culture of law compliance, as assigned under the Prime Ministers Decision 1669/Q-TTg dated August 5, 2025. The scheme aims to foster a culture of law observance across the political system and society as a whole. It seeks to promote respect for the Constitution and the law and to encourage learning and applying the law as an intrinsic need of every citizen, thereby strengthening the cultural foundation and inner driving force for sustainable national development. At the same time, the ministry will comprehensively renew communication methods, enhance digital application, and integrate law dissemination with the nurturing of legal-cultural values so that citizens not only know the law but also internalise it as part of their daily behaviour. The approach will shift toward proactive, timely policy communication, ensuring that people can access legal information from the earliest stages of policy formulation, thereby narrowing the gap between the will of the State and social realities. Law education in schools will also be strengthened to instil law-abiding awareness and a civilised, healthy lifestyle from an early age. Meanwhile, dissemination policies will be tailored to vulnerable and specific groups such as ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and migrant workers to ensure equitable access to the law. Another priority is building a pool of exemplary legal officers, communicators, and journalists who uphold the law and serve as role models to inspire public trust. Regular training programmes will be held to enhance their legal knowledge, ethics and professional capacity, particularly in the context of application of the two-tier local government model. In my opinion, the breakthrough for law dissemination and education to truly serve as a bridge between law and life lies in shifting from the mindset of merely transmitting legal information to cultivating peoples real need to understand and act in accordance with the law. It is not only about bringing the law to the people, but also bringing the people closer to the law - so they can see it as a tool to protect their lawful rights and interests. When the law is understood, trusted and voluntarily practiced in daily life, it becomes the solid foundation for building a modern socialist law-ruled state of the people, by the people and for the people, as envisioned in Resolution 66. Could you talk more about the departments plans to cooperate with press agencies in the work of policy communication and law dissemination and education? The press is always an important, effective and far-reaching communication channel. It serves as a vital bridge for competent authorities to promptly receive feedback from enterprises and citizens, particularly those directly affected by policies, thereby contributing to the effectiveness of law dissemination and education. Recognising this crucial role of the press, in recent years, the Ministry of Justice and the justice sector have actively collaborated with press agencies in policy communication. Since 2023, the ministry has closely coordinated with the Vietnam Television, the Voice of Vietnam and the Vietnam News Agency to carry out policy communication and law dissemination and education through diverse formats, including news reports, talk shows, thematic programs, documentaries and dramas, as well as broadcasts in ethnic minority and foreign languages, creating a rich and dynamic communication ecosystem. In the coming time, the department will continue to expand and improve coordination with press agencies. In particular, following the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long, the ministry will work with the Vietnam News Agency to strengthen policy communication and law dissemination in multiple languages. Starting in 2026, the ministry will also increase the publication of legal information in English on the National Law Portal, focusing on issues directly related to the daily life, employment and business activities of foreign individuals and enterprises in Viet Nam. VNSL HA NOI Deputies on Friday morning are hearing proposals and reports on the draft revised Law on Planning, adjustments to the National Master Plan for 20212030, and the draft law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Urban and Rural Planning Law, part of the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly (NA). The NA will then discuss these matters in groups. At the 9th session in May 2025, the Government submitted to the NA for consideration and feedback the draft law revising and supplementing several articles of the Planning Law. At that same session, in line with the Partys orientations, the NA adopted a series of historic and far-reaching decisions, including amendments and supplements to the Constitution, the establishment of a two-tier local government model, and the reorganisation of administrative units at provincial and communal levels. These reforms aim to reduce intermediary levels, enhance governance efficiency, and restructure the countrys development space. To meet the new context and address persistent challenges in the planning system, under Resolution No. 227/2025/QH15 dated June 27, 2025, the NA decided to adjust the timing for the adoption of the amended Planning Law to the 10th session for further comprehensive review. In addition to the Planning Law, other related laws will also be reviewed to ensure consistency within the legal framework, remove institutional bottlenecks, and enhance the effectiveness of spatial development planning, contributing to rapid and sustainable growth toward the goal of double-digit economic expansion. Under the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents No. 64/2025/QH15, the draft law amending the Urban and Rural Planning Law is being developed through a simplified process to promptly institutionalise new Party and State policies on reforming planning practices. The amendments will align with the two-tier local government model, strengthen accountability, simplify procedures, reduce costs, and improve the business environment. In the afternoon, the NA will discuss the draft Law on Cybersecurity and the draft revised Law on Protection of State Secrets. VNA/VNS HUNG YEN Officials and Party members in the northern province of Hung Yen have expressed strong support for the draft documents of the 14th National Party Congress, noting their comprehensive preparation, coherent structure and close linkage between theory and practice. Many innovative and breakthrough viewpoints demonstrate the Partys strategic vision and aspirations for Viet Nams rapid development in the new era. According to Vu Hong Thai, former Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Thai Binh City, former Thai Binh Province (now part of Hung Yen Province), the 14th Congress documents have been meticulously prepared, with renewed structure and content, especially in assessing Party building work and summarising 40 years of reform. A key innovation is the integration of three reports political, socio-economic, and Party-building into a single political report, ensuring conciseness, consistency and comprehensiveness. Among 18 new topics introduced, Thai highlighted the proposal to build a moral and civilised Party as especially noteworthy. This is the first time that building a civilised Party has been defined as a strategic task, reflecting the inheritance of President Ho Chi Minhs thought and meeting the practical needs of todays development. He stressed that building an ethical and civilised Party is difficult but essential, requiring steadfast ideological foundations, innovation in leadership methods, close ties with the people, and a Party culture based on integrity, example-setting and responsibility. Strengthening discipline, combating corruption and wastefulness, and developing a capable, virtuous and modern cadre contingent are crucial for long-term success. Culture soft power in new development vision Cultural researcher Nguyen Thanh, a 60-year Party member and former Director of the Department of Culture and Information of former Thai Binh Province, praised the scientific, democratic and comprehensive nature of the draft documents. He noted that the Party has clearly defined culture and human development as foundational, endogenous strengths and driving forces for sustainable growth. He emphasised that culture is not only heritage and tradition but also a creative resource, an attraction and a defining brand of the nation in the era of globalisation. By affirming culture as soft power, the Party has elevated its role from a spiritual foundation to a key driver of national development. To realise this vision, Thanh suggested continued institutional improvement to support creativity, cultural exchange and integration, and prioritising investment in culture as a form of sustainable development. Cultural industries should be considered a spearhead economic sector. Referring to the new concept of a heritage economy introduced in the draft, he viewed it as a forward-looking policy that links heritage preservation with economic growth. However, this requires policy innovation, digital transformation in heritage management, and promoting local cultural strengths such as heritage tourism, traditional crafts and OCOP products. These approaches, he said, will help generate dual values, creating livelihoods for communities while preserving Vietnams rich cultural identity in modern society. VNA/VNS HA NOI Lawmakers on Thursday afternoon discussed the draft law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Technology Transfer, highlighting the need to introduce a post-implementation review mechanism to enhance transparency and prevent abuse in technology valuation and transfer. Delegates said the revised law reflects the spirit of a knowledge-based and digital economy driven by innovation, contributing to realising the Party and States goal that science, technology and innovation are the top national policy. However, they also emphasised that without proper oversight, risks could arise from the new provisions on technology-based capital contributions. Deputy Nguyen Thi Thu Ha from Quang Ninh Province noted that one of the new points in the draft law is allowing capital contributions in the form of technology. This could help unlock the frozen value of intellectual assets. Yet, she cautioned that allowing parties to self-determine the value of technology might lead to inflated valuations, creating virtual capital, and negatively impacting the investment environment. She recommended that the drafting agency clarify the mechanism for self-determination of technology value and encourage the use of independent valuation services to avoid abuse and ensure transparency. Other deputies agreed with the principle of granting ownership rights to organisations directly creating the technology, except for certain specific cases, as this helps remove long-standing bottlenecks in tranfer of intellectual assets between research institutions and the market. However, they warned that the provision allowing parties to freely determine technology value could lead to transfer pricing or virtual capital creation if not properly stipulated. Deputy Duong Khac Mai from Lam ong Province proposed supplementing the law with a post-implementation review mechanism and requiring independent valuation for high-value technology transactions. He also called for clearer legal responsibility for parties involved in inaccurate or fraudulent valuations. He urged simplification of procedures for contributing capital through technology and suggested creating a one-stop system linking the Law on Technology Transfer, the Law on Enterprises, and the Law on Intellectual Property to facilitate faster commercialisation of research results. Regarding technology appraisal in investment projects, he noted that current procedures remain complex, involving multiple agencies and lengthy processing times. He proposed integrating technology appraisal with investment licensing and environmental impact assessment through an electronic one-stop mechanism to save time and reduce overlaps. Deputies also supported adding a post-implementation review mechanism to ensure the laws effective enforcement. They suggested that the Government develop detailed criteria and methods to evaluate the efficiency of technology transfers and delegate provincial-level authorities to assess projects using State funds, with regular reporting to the Ministry of Science and Technology for monitoring and oversight. Deputy Hoang Van Cuong from Ha Noi welcomed the draft laws focus on encouraging technology transfer both from abroad and domestically but noted that provisions on outbound technology transfer remain vague. He recommended clarifying policies to promote two-way technology transfer, both inbound and outbound, while safeguarding key and core technologies developed by Vietnamese scientists. He added that for new technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and big data, there should be mechanisms to limit their transfer or require licensing before export, in order to protect competitive advantages and national secrets. VNA/VNS HA NOI A national-scale ceremony marking Vietnam Law Day (November 9) is scheduled for November 7 afternoon in Ha Noi, connected online to 34 provinces and cities, and livestreamed on the National Legal Portal at https://phapluat.gov.vn. National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man is expected to attend and chair the event, which will also see the participation of representatives from the Government, ministries and agencies, as well as leaders of Party Committees, Peoples Councils, Peoples Committees of provinces and cities, and the Viet Nam Fatherland Front committees nationwide. As the country accelerates efforts to streamline its administrative apparatus and operate a two-tier local administration system with urgency and strong political determination, the Party and the State have issued and vigorously implemented a series of breakthrough policies, including resolutions of the Politburo, aiming to drive Viet Nam toward prosperity and power in the new era. At the ceremony, the Ministry of Justice will launch an official version of the National Legal Portal, featuring new and advanced functions that facilitate public and business access to legal information, provide legal consultations, and support state management in lawmaking and law enforcement in the digital environment in a timely, convenient, and effective manner. The event will offer a chance for every citizen to uphold the spirit of respecting the Constitution and law, fostering a culture of legal compliance for the goal of wealthy people and a strong, democratic, equitable, and civilised nation. On this occasion, outstanding collectives and individuals in lawmaking and law enforcement will be presented with certificates of merit from the Prime Minister, while individuals recognised as shining examples in law implementation will also be honoured at the event. VNA/VNS HA NOI Viet Nam is facing mounting demographic pressure as its fertility rate has now fallen well below replacement level, gender imbalances at birth persist and the quality of its population falls short of development needs while the process of ageing accelerates. To counter these trends, many localities are offering incentives to women who have two children before age 35, in an effort to maintain the replacement birth rate. Yet experts say that without broader support for child-rearing and long-term security, these measures will deliver only short-term relief. Dr Nguyen Minh Phong of the Ha Noi Socio-Economic Development Institute warns that the shortage of people of reproductive age is not unique to Viet Nam but is increasingly common among many countries, including those which are already highly developed. In this context, the State is taking steps such as abolishing regulations around having a third child, which will favour couples who wish to expand their families. Besides this reform, the government should focus on policies to reduce the cost of raising a child one of the major hurdles for young couples since both financial burden and limited time deter many from having children. Direct financial support measures play a key role in encouraging child-bearing, helping to reduce anxiety and pressure for young families, Phong said. However incentives alone will not be enough to change child-bearing behaviour sustainably. Policies need to be implemented synchronously, combining financial support, improving parental leave conditions, ensuring suitable housing and reducing the cost of educating and raising young children. Beyond economics, Phong emphasised that social and psychological barriers are also reasons why young people hesitate to have children. A portion of young people, particularly Generation Z, are pursuing individualistic lifestyles prioritising self-enjoyment and viewing having children as a burden, even as something outdated. This is a distorted perception that needs to be corrected through communication and education and the promotion of family values, social responsibility, as well as the importance of maintaining the replacement fertility rate for the nations sustainable development. If the birth rate remains low, Phong said, then in 10 or 20 years, Viet Nam could face a risk of population decline a path already being travelled by countries such as Japan. In a world of natural disasters, epidemics and global economic fluctuations, maintaining replacement fertility is of vital importance. To that end, Viet Nam must build a coherent institutional system combining socio-economic policies and orientated communication so as to keep the birth rate at an appropriate level an important foundation for future stable, sustainable and strong development. Policy is attractive but only short-term effect Dr Hoang Tu Anh, director of the Centre for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP), noted that while the policy of cash rewards for childbirth may appear easy to implement and appealing at first glance, both domestic and international experience show that isolated financial incentives tend to generate only short-term effects. They may prompt some couples to have children earlier but they do not raise the average number of children over a lifetime. She pointed out that in Viet Nam the total fertility rate (TFR) dropped to 1.91 children per woman in 2024, below the replacement level. In major cities such as Ha Noi and HCM City, the figure is around 1.41.6. Tu Anh stressed that beyond the direct cost of child-rearing, another key deterrent is the opportunity cost for women: having children often reduces womens employment prospects, income and chances of promotion disadvantages that one-off cash payments cannot offset. She cited ILO research showing that, on average, women lose 45 per cent of lifetime earnings per child while men are largely unaffected. She noted that in Viet Nam, although official data are limited, a 2022 ILO study found that 63 per cent of women either left their jobs or reduced hours after childbirth compared with only 8 per cent of men. Monetary rewards, therefore, are not meaningless but must be embedded in a broader strategy: expanding childcare for workers and young families, promoting paternity leave, subsidising early education and creating family-friendly workplaces. In such a framework, financial rewards become one supportive element of a national policy that helps families view child-bearing as both achievable and worthwhile. Tu Anh warned: If Viet Nams fertility rate remains low within 10-20 years, the country will enter rapid population ageing earlier than expected. As the workforce shrinks and the proportion of older people rises, social welfare, healthcare and the economy will come under pressure. Each worker will support more dependents and the risk of growing old before becoming rich will become real. Viet Nam is eager to capitalise on its demographic dividend. Alongside encouraging fertility, the country must also raise labour productivity and adapt to ageing. The rising elderly population should not be seen solely as a burden but as an achievement a sign of progress in health, the economy and living standards. The goal should be an age-friendly society where older people continue to contribute: a healthy prosperous ageing society. VNS HA NOI The tropical depression, downgraded from the Typhoon Kalmaegi has weakened further into a low-pressure system over southern Laos. The 5am bulletin issued on Friday by the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said at 4am, the systems centre was located near latitude 14.6N and longitude 106.8E, with maximum wind speeds below Force 6 (under 39km/h). Forecasters predict that over the next 12 hours, the low-pressure system will continue moving mainly west-northwest before dissipating. On Thursday night, after making landfall, the typhoon rapidly weakened into a tropical depression. Due to its impact, winds of Force 8 with gusts up to Force 10 were recorded at Ly Son Island in Quang Ngai Province. From a Nang City to ak Lak Province, wind speeds reached Force 79, and up to Force 1011 near the storms centre, with gusts hitting Force 14. Heavy to very heavy rainfall have lashed areas from Hue City to Khanh Hoa Province. Between 7am on Thursday and 1am on Friday, several localities recorded extreme rainfall exceeding 250mm, including Son Hoi Station (ak Lak) with 354mm, Tra Thanh (Quang Ngai) with 283mm, and Ha Nhe Reservoir (Gia Lai) with 263mm. From Friday to Saturday, moderate to heavy rain is forecast across provinces from Thanh Hoa to northern Quang Tri, with average rainfall ranging from 50 to 150mm and isolated areas exceeding 200mm. Three missing On Thursday evening, authorities in the Ly Son Island, Quang Ngai Province reported that three local men were swept out to sea and unable to return to shore as the typhoon approached the central region. Earlier that afternoon, D.Q.C, 44, from Tay An Vinh Hamlet, reportedly jumped from Ly Son Port into the sea following a family dispute. In an attempt to rescue him, L.V.S, 37, from Tay An Hai Hamlet, and P.D.Q, 47, from Tay An Vinh, launched a basket boat to reach him. Although the two rescuers managed to pull C. from the water, strong waves prevented them from rowing back to shore. Upon receiving reports of the incident, local authorities dispatched the vessel Thanh Tam (registration VT0035) to assist with the search. However, operations were suspended at around 6pm due to worsening sea conditions with high waves and strong winds. VNS HA NOI The main outcomes of the project Verification of the Integrated Management Model between a Japanese-style Nursing Training Institution and an Elderly Care Centre in Viet Nam was presented at a workshop held in Ha Noi on Thursday. The outcomes included training in Japanese elderly care methods, the use of nursing practice rooms, a study programme in Japan, and the adoption of an e-learning system for teaching. Jointly organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Espoir Co., Ltd. (Japan), and Bach Mai Medical College under Bach Mai Hospital, the workshop reviewed the projects implementation results and served as a platform for experience-sharing among partners. Around 40 delegates attended, representing the Embassy of Japan in Viet Nam, the General Department of Population under the Ministry of Health, Bach Mai Hospital, Bach Mai Medical College, JICA and other related organisations. As part of the project, a training programme was held in Japan in May 2025 with the participation of five representatives from the general department, the hospital and the college. The programme enabled participants to gain first-hand experience of Japans welfare and elderly care systems and to visit facilities operated by Espoir Co., Ltd. Through close cooperation with Vietnamese institutions, particularly the hospital, one of Japans long-standing partners, the project aims to help train a skilled workforce in elderly care suited to Viet Nams local conditions. It is also expected to promote the professionalisation and sustainable development of the sector. Proposed by Espoir Co., Ltd., based in Komoro City, Nagano Prefecture, the project is part of JICAs Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Support Programme for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is implemented from 2024 to 2026. Espoirs distinctive approach to elderly care centres on respecting each individuals independence and supporting their ability to maintain autonomy in daily life. The philosophy underpins the projects contribution to addressing socio-economic challenges in developing countries. The initiative seeks to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of an integrated management model linking nursing education institutions with elderly care centres, thereby raising public awareness and fostering the development of professional elderly care in Viet Nam, a country experiencing rapid population ageing. The project has introduced a training curriculum aligned with sustainable care principles, established fully equipped practice rooms, and strengthened the integration of theory and hands-on training in the field of geriatric care. JICA reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing cooperation with Vietnamese partners and to continuing support in healthcare and medical training, contributing to improved quality of life for the Vietnamese people. VNS HA NOI - Professor Dr Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, recently met with a delegation from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), led by Dr Georges-Fabrice Blum, the ministry's Health Sector Export Coordinator, in Ha Noi. Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan highlighted the ongoing development of Viet NamFrance relations in recent years, with healthcare cooperation emerging as a key area of focus. He noted that medical collaboration has increasingly become a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship, with growing significance across various sectors. Viet NamFrance cooperation in the field of healthcare spans a wide range of areas, from training and scientific research to the prevention and control of infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS research, and public health initiatives, said the Deputy Minister. Dr Georges-Fabrice Blum expressed his gratitude for the warm reception from the Ministry of Health. He outlined France's healthcare export network and proposed several potential areas for future cooperation between the two countries, including establishing partnerships among hospitals, modernising healthcare infrastructure and organisational models, developing publicprivate partnerships in the pharmaceutical sector, as well as enhancing collaboration in education, science and technology, and digital health solutions. During the meeting, the Deputy Minister led a discussion with senior officials from the Ministry of Health, including the Drug Administration, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment, and the Department of International Cooperation, and the MEAE delegation to address and clarify the areas of interest raised by the French side. Currently, Viet Nam is home to 114 pharmaceutical plants invested in by French companies, with 260 medicines registered for circulation. The Ministry of Health is exploring ways to streamline procedures and reduce the time required to import medical equipment and materials from France. It is also working to finalise the draft of a new intergovernmental agreement on health cooperation between Viet Nam and France, with the aim of signing the agreement in Lyon in April 2026.-VNS HCM CITY The draft Political Report for the 14th National Party Congress has sparked widespread engagement, with officials, Communist Party members and the public submitting feedback. Many of them stressed the urgency of coordinated social welfare policies, quality workforce and private-sector empowerment, which will serve as critical levers for enduring economic expansion. Focus on social welfare, human capital Several submissions urged greater policy support for disadvantaged groups and workers, asserting that social stability underpins sustained growth. oan Ngoc Suong, a Party member in Ho Chi Minh City, said she anticipates future resolutions will deliver more robust aid for those with disabilities and the elderly. Phan Thi Bach Tuyet, Vice Secretary of the Party cell in Vung Tau Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, stressed the need for equitable education access in remote regions via appropriate school placement policies and tuition assistance. She also called for better livelihood support for teachers. Youth employment and entrepreneurship came into focus as well. ang Hoai Minh Tam, Vice Secretary of the Youth Union in Tam Long Ward, Ho Chi Minh City, hoped that policymakers will amplify support for job creation and young start-ups, enabling them to effectively drive national progress. On workforce development, Hoang Phuc Long, Chairman of the Vietsovpetro trade union, said that the Vietnamese working class must evolve in step with the digital economy, green transition and knowledge-based industries. He suggested training focus on technical skills, industrial work discipline and adaptability amid digital transformation and global integration. Backing private sector Alongside human capital, business voices highlighted nurturing the private sector, especially small and medium-sized firms, which make up over 98 per centof companies countrywide. Long expressed support for the drafts push to refine regulations and investment climate, but added that reforms should be geared toward rapid and sustainable growth. Architect Nguyen uc Lap, Director of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau Construction Planning Centre, said ensuring consistency in planning, land and construction regulations across agencies is critical to clearing obstacles and speeding up projects. VNA/VNS HA NOI Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has urged local authorities to act swiftly in restoring essential infrastructure and supporting residents after Storm No 13 (Typhoon Kalmaegi) caused widespread damage across several central and Central Highlands provinces. Speaking at an in-person and online meeting in Gia Lai Province on Friday with leaders from Hue, a Nang, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai and Khanh Hoa, as well as relevant ministries and forces, he noted that early warnings and preparedness measures played a key role in reducing casualties. Authorities reported that the 'four on-the-spot' approach - on-the-spot command, manpower, supplies and logistics - helped reduce casualties and damage. Rescue teams saved more than 200 people, maintained supply of essential goods and worked to reopen blocked roads. Initial reports show the storm left five fatalities, damaged more than 2,000 homes, and caused widespread power cuts. About 93,000 households were evacuated for safety, and the total estimated economic loss exceeds VN5,000 billion (over US$190 million). Gia Lai Province reported two deaths, and number of injuries, four fishing boats sunk and significant damage to housing and roads. Nearly 1,000 power workers and vehicles have been deployed to restore electricity. Three other people died in ak Lak. The Ministry of Industry and Trade warned of safety risks at the La Hieng 2 hydropower dam on the Ky Lo River. Deputy PM Ha directed that operations must be suspended if structural safety is not assured. Meanwhile, plans are being prepared to tow a stranded cargo ship off Quang Ngai to prevent the risk of an oil spill. Rail and road routes remain disrupted in several locations, with military and police teams continuing to assist rescue and clearance work. The army confirmed it is prepared to deploy more personnel and equipment if requested. Closing the meeting, the Deputy PM asked localities to speed up repairs to homes, restore electricity and road access, and provide timely aid to bereaved or displaced families. He said the Government would provide financial support tailored to the specific needs of each affected province to help stabilise life and recovery efforts in the aftermath of the storm. VNS HA NOI The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VNRC), on November 6, launched an emergency relief campaign to support people who suffered heavy damage due to prolonged floods in six provinces and cities. The aid will be sent to a Nang, Thua Thien Hue, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Quang Ngai, and Lam ong. The VNRC has allocated more than VN4.8 billion (US$182,500) for emergency relief work, including cash and P&G water purifier powder packages. Specifically: Ha Tinh Province, VN560 million ($21,300) and 24,000 P&G water filter powder packages; Quang Tri Province, VN400 million ($15,200) and 24,000 P&G water filter powder packages; Hue, VN1.095 billion ($41,600) and 48,000 P&G water filter powder packages; a Nang, VN1.78 billion ($67,700) and 72,000 P&G water filter powder packages; Lam ong, VN175 million ($6,650) and 43,200 P&G water filter powder packages; and Quang Ngai, VN580 million ($22,000) and 24,000 P&G water filter powder packages. The funding comes from the mobilisation source through account H2025 of Vietcombank, along with the P&G water filter powder package provided by the Americares organisation as non-refundable aid in the project 'Clean drinking water for the community', according to the VNRC. VNRC called on organisations and individuals to support flood victims by transferring money to the account of the Vietnam Red Cross Society, account number: H2025 at the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank). VNS HA NOI As urbanisation accelerates rapidly and the impacts of climate change become increasingly evident, developing a smart city model along with improving air quality have jointly become an inevitable trend and a key solution for sustainable development in Viet Nam. Experts agreed with this assessment during a conference on urban planning and sustainable development organised by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in Viet Nam. The two-day conference, which ends on Friday, drew the participation of nearly 100 international and domestic experts on urban planning, transport, and climate change. Viet Nam is widely considered one of the countries most severely affected by climate change. With a coastline of 3,260km, a sea-level rise scenario of 100cm could submerge 16.8 per cent of the Red River Delta and 38.9 per cent of the Mekong Delta area. In response to this pressing challenge, at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, Viet Nam committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Realising this commitment hinges on developing sustainable smart cities based on digital technology platforms and improving air quality as a key solution. Smart planning Han Minh Cuong, Director of the AIST Institute of Construction Science and Technology and also Chairman of S-Group Vietnam, said: Smart urban planning is not only about building future cities, but also shaping how we govern cities today." With rapid urbanisation posing unprecedented challenges in infrastructure, population and environm,ent, a new model of planning and governance is required, which should be data-driven and flexible and include community participation. Cuong said that a crucial piece of this transformation is shifting from traditional planning to the "data and simulation mindset" of smart planning. He pointed out the fundamental difference between the two models. Traditional planning, with a top-down approach, is often rigid and has difficulty forecasting population and economic fluctuations, leading to a "gap between the plan and development reality." Smart planning, on the other hand, is an adaptive process, with decision-making based on real-time data evidence. To implement smart planning, Cuong emphasised three core mechanisms. First is integrating digital infrastructure from the planning stage, including fibre optic cables, data centres, and electric charging stations, to build a "digital foundation" parallel to physical infrastructure. Another mechanism involves applying decision support tools, such as 3D models and artificial intelligence (AI) forecasting systems, which allow real-time simulation and management. Finally, a mechanism for community participation through digital platforms will be needed. He gave the example of Barcelona, where the Decidim platform is used for citizens to directly participate in planning and propose projects, helping make the process transparent, improve social consensus and connect government with citizens and businesses. In terms of policy, Cuong noted significant progress in Viet Nam. The Prime Minister's Decision 950/Q-TTg of 2018 approved the Sustainable Smart Urban Development Scheme, defining three pillars: planning, management and utilities. Most recently, Decree 269/2023/N-CP mandates integrating smart content into planning. The Ministry of Construction has issued Sustainable Smart Urban Criteria, confirming that smart planning has become the dominant legal and technical foundation. Cuong also emphasised that smart planning is the backbone of the smart urban governance system. Sustainable orientation Sovanarith Sieng, an urban development expert at the UN-Habitat in the Asia-Pacific region, said that Viet Nam needs a strategic investment roadmap focusing on key infrastructure pillars, while overcoming financial and implementation capacity barriers. Regionally, ASEAN is witnessing an investment wave in smart cities, with frameworks such as the ASEAN Sustainable Urbanisation Strategy and the ASEAN Smart Cities Network. But the concept "smart" is often misunderstood as merely applying high technology, rather than aiming at human-centred urban systems that are climate resilient and financially sustainable, he said. An UN-Habitat analysis shows that many smart city projects in emerging markets, including Viet Nam, face three main obstacles reducing attractiveness to investors: unsynchronised project preparation processes lacking clear feasibility assessment standards; fragmented data and a lack of transparent key performance indicators; and a lack of alignment between local development priorities and national and regional frameworks. This causes difficulty in attracting investment capital, slowing implementation and eroding trust from both public and private sectors. Sovanarith said Viet Nam needs to redirect its strategy based on four key infrastructure pillars with low risk and long-term benefits. The first pillar is developing sustainable transport systems and transit-oriented urban areas, combined with electronic mobility solutions ensuring safe access for all. Another focuses on water management and flood safety via combined green-gray infrastructure at the commune and ward scale. The third pillar emphasises building a comprehensive and social infrastructure network that can reduce urban heat and promote community cohesion. Finally, developing interoperable public data infrastructure based on human rights and linked to Sustainable Development Goal 11 indicators is a foundation for a truly smart city. UN-Habitat also proposes a three-level approach to minimise risk and build stakeholder trust sequentially. The first level involves tactical interventions via small-scale, low-cost pilot projects to prove efficacy and gain initial support. Successful projects will expand into corridors or networks at the system upgrade level, while the highest level is transformative projects integrating multi-sectoral areas like transport, land development, and climate resilience to create dual benefits and long-term sustainability. To realise this roadmap, Sovanarith said, financial frameworks and project preparation must be standardised using existing toolkits to ensure compatibility with regional frameworks. Identifying clear key performance indicators based on recognised monitoring and evaluation frameworks is crucial to turning reports into banking instruments for projects. More importantly, applying human-centred smart city principles from the outset will ensure urban development is not only modern, but inclusive and equitable. Experts agree the ultimate goal is to create a prosperous urban future resilient to climate change and, most importantly, deliver good air quality as well as quality of life for all residents. VNS HA NOI The 10th Francophone Young Reporters contest marked its tenth anniversary on Friday, honouring a new generation of French-speaking storytellers whose work explores education, community, and global citizenship. The competition, known as Jeunes Reporters Francophones, was launched in 2016 by Le Courrier du Vietnam, the countrys only French-language newspaper and part of the Vietnam News Agency. What began as a modest editorial initiative has grown into one of Viet Nams most recognised Francophone cultural events, attracting a record 236 contestants with 155 articles this year from across Viet Nam and several other French-speaking nations. The 2025 theme 'Learning and Acting' (Je meduque, donc jagis) echoed that of this years International Francophonie Day, encouraging young writers to reflect on how education shapes responsible citizenship. "This competition is not only about journalistic skills," said oan Thi Tuyet Nhung, Deputy General-Director of the Vietnam News Agency. "Its also about spreading human values, civic responsibility and the aspiration to act for the community." The event was held under the patronage of the Vietnam News Agency, the Asia-Pacific Regional Office of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) and the Group of Francophone Embassies, Delegations and Institutions (GADIF) in Viet Nam. Support came from the embassies of France, Switzerland, Morocco, and Canada, as well as universities and cultural associations. Pierre du Ville, President of GADIF and Head of the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation, praised the quality and originality of the submissions, calling the competition a celebration of talent and commitment that keeps the French language vibrant and open to the world. Edgar Doerig, the OIFs Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific, said the jubilee edition his last before completing his mandate had set new records for both participation and quality. "Education remains the essential foundation for building inclusive, resilient, and supportive societies," he said. The first prize went to Nguyen Vu Linh and Trinh uc Anh of the Foreign Trade University for 'La Silhouette du Son: du sensible a lhumain' (The Silhouette of Sound: from the sensory to the human). Second prize was awarded to Nguyen Thi Khanh Huyen and Phung Dieu Linh of the University of Languages and International Studies for 'TOA: des jeunes qui rayonnent avec les minorites ethniques' (SHINE: young people who radiate with ethnic minorities). Third prize, along with the French Embassy Award, went to Nguyen Ngoc Thao Phuong, Vu Thai Hoang and Pham Nguyen Khanh Hoa from Hanoi University for 'Leducation: une cle davenir pour les femmes dage mur' (Education: a key to the future for middle-aged women). Two consolation prizes and eight additional awards recognised work on themes such as cultural heritage, social responsibility, and environmental awareness. The Public Choice Award went to a Congolese student team for 'Role central de la jeunesse congolaise dans le changement' (The central role of Congolese youth in change). For Nguyen Hong Nga, Editor-in-Chief of Le Courrier du Vietnam, the milestone reflects a decade of commitment to youth and the French language. "This competition has become a true space of expression, a springboard for talent and a place where French is lived, told and shared," she said. Nga also paid tribute to Edgar Doerig and the OIFs Asia-Pacific Office for their decade-long support, saying his contribution had left an indelible mark on the history of the competition. Over ten years, the Francophone Young Reporters Competition has evolved into more than a contest a bridge between languages and generations and a reminder of how education and storytelling can turn learning into action. VNS As Vietnam accelerates towards industrial modernisation, investing in high-quality human resources is key to unlocking productivity, attracting premium investment, and building a resilient, future-ready economy. With that, the countrys vision for 2030 and 2045 hinges on its ability to cultivate a workforce that can adapt, innovate, and lead in a rapidly changing global economy. Dr. Nguyen Hoang Ha, lawyer, country office for Vietnam International Labour Organization Despite strong political commitment and notable progress, the labour market faces persistent challenges. Labour productivity remains low, and only 28.8 per cent of the workforce has formal training or certification. High-value sectors like semiconductors, finance, and digital services are growing fast, but the talent pipeline is not keeping pace. These gaps risk slowing down economic growth and deterring high-quality foreign investment. The National Assembly has acknowledged these issues and laid important legislative foundations through laws on education, vocational training, and science and technology. But the pace of reform must quicken. In August, the National Assembly Standing Committee passed Resolution No.1796/NQ-UBTVQH15, which is a bold and comprehensive directive aimed at transforming Vietnams human capital landscape. At its core, the resolution calls for a national human resource development strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2050. This strategy will guide ministries, sectors, and provinces in aligning their efforts with national goals. It also mandates updates to key laws to promote autonomy in education, equity in access, and innovation in training. Importantly, it introduces a clear definition of high-quality human resources, helping Vietnam identify and nurture talent more effectively. To support smarter planning, the resolution proposes a national database on personnel, better labour market forecasting, and stronger collaboration between schools and employers. These tools will help ensure that training programmes are relevant and responsive. The resolution prioritises investment in STEM education, digital skills, and strategic industries like semiconductors, AI, and clean tech. It also promotes public-private partnerships and international cooperation, recognising that Vietnams success depends on its ability to learn from and work with the world. Equally important is the resolutions focus on inclusivity. It calls for reducing regional disparities, supporting ethnic minority communities, and empowering women through digital literacy and STEM education. Local governments are given more autonomy and resources to tailor workforce development to their unique needs. Examples are already emerging: Bac Ninh province in the north and the central city of Danang are piloting programmes to train semiconductor engineers in partnesrship with universities and companies. Ho Chi Minh City is expanding digital literacy schemes for women-led small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These initiatives reflect the resolutions spirit of innovation and localisation. Turning Resolution 1796 into real-world impact will require coordinated action across sectors. The government must ensure sufficient funding and policy alignment. This includes expanding vocational and digital training, upgrading infrastructure, and incentivising innovation in education. Businesses must step up as co-investors in talent. They can collaborate with schools to design curricula, offer internships, and establish industry skill councils. Samsung Vietnams partnership with technical universities to train engineers in electronics and automation is a strong example of industry-led education. Educational institutions must evolve into hubs of innovation. They need to modernise facilities, build international partnerships, and offer flexible learning pathways. The Hanoi University of Science and Technologys collaboration with European universities on AI and robotics shows what is possible. The resolution also emphasises support for disadvantaged regions. This includes investing in schools in ethnic minority areas, offering incentives for professionals to work in remote provinces, and providing scholarships for underrepresented students. These efforts aim to ensure that no-one is left behind. Across Vietnam, companies and institutions are showing whats possible when human capital becomes a strategic priority. In partnership with the National Innovation Centre, Samsung Innovation Campus has become a launchpad for tech talent. Over 6,500 students and trainers have been equipped with skills in AI, the Internet of Things, and big data. In the central province of Nghe An, Hoa Tien Textile Cooperative is helping women from ethnic minority communities revive traditional weaving techniques while learning modern business skills. And in Vietnams industrial zones, SMEs are proving that internal training pays off. A furniture manufacturer in the former province of Binh Duong, now part of Ho Chi Minh City, invested in tailored skills workshops for its workers. Within a year, productivity rose by 20 per cent. These stories reflect the transformative power of investing in people. For investors, the message is clear: Vietnams future competitiveness depends on the quality of its workforce. For policymakers, the task is to implement Resolution 1796 with urgency and precision. With bold reforms and collective action, Vietnam can build a workforce that is ready for the future. Resolution 1796 is a roadmap for transformation, and so the time to act is now. * All views in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of the ILO. Hardy Diec, COO of KCN Vietnam Group, presented a symbolic plaque to Tran Thi Mong Thoa, chief representative of the Standing Agency of Lao Dong Newspaper in Ho Chi Minh City, launching the KCN Vietnam Group - Connect for Good journey In Q4, KCN Vietnam Group in collaboration with Lao Dong Newspaper, will carry out key corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities worth VND400 million (around $15,400) across Tay Ninh, Dong Nai, Bac Ninh, and Haiphong. The programme will support the construction or renovation of homes for workers in need, contributing to the Union Shelter initiative led by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour. In addition, KCN Vietnam Group will award scholarships to children of workers from disadvantaged families with outstanding academic achievements, as well as providing financial and facility support to vocational colleges. Through these efforts, KCN Vietnam Group aims to enhance learning environments and develop technical skills, particularly in fields such as electronics and high technology, areas that are critical to Vietnam's long-term workforce development and industrial competitiveness. At the signing ceremony, Hardy Diec, COO of KCN Vietnam Group, shared that community engagement has always been at the heart of KCN Vietnam Group's vision and mission, and it represents a core pillar of its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategy. Through the 'KCN Vietnam Group - Connect for Good" initiative, we aspire to make a tangible contribution to the socioeconomic development of the localities where we operate. This programme reflects our long-term commitment to fostering sustainable growth and building a better future together with the communities around us, said Diec. Marking the first milestone of this meaningful journey, on November 1, KCN Vietnam Group delivered the first round of community support in Tay Ninh province. The group sponsored the construction of a home for a worker under the Union Shelter initiative and awarded 25 scholarships to students from disadvantaged families. This timely initiative provided not only practical support to improve living conditions but also brought encouragement, helping workers' families achieve greater stability and giving their children the opportunity to continue their education with confidence. Speaking at the event, Nguyen Hoai Thanh, vice chairman of the Tay Ninh Labour Federation, shared that the local authority highly values KCN Vietnam Group's partnership and long-term vision through the "KCN Vietnam Group - Connect for Good" programme. The company's support not only provides meaningful assistance in helping workers secure stable housing, but also contributes to improving the quality of education and vocational training, supporting the province's goal of developing a skilled workforce to meet its socioeconomic growth targets in the year ahead, Thanh said. These activities are part of the group's CSR drive KCN Vietnam Group - Connect for Good, which is built around two key pillars: housing support aimed at improving living conditions for workers, and children and education support which focuses on nurturing future generations and developing a high-quality workforce for Vietnam. This initiative highlights KCN Vietnam Group's strong commitment to ESG principles and reflects its long-term dedication to fostering sustainable development and community wellbeing across the localities where it operates. Following the first activities in Tay Ninh, the "KCN Vietnam Group - Connect for Good" journey will continue in Dong Nai, Bac Ninh, and Haiphong throughout 2025. The programme is expected to benefit more workers and students from disadvantaged backgrounds, extending its positive impacts and reaffirming KCN Vietnam Group's long-term commitment to corporate social responsibility and community development. The "KCN Vietnam Group - Connect for Good journey reaffirms KCN Vietnam's commitment to long-term collaboration with local communities KCN Vietnam scales up industrial portfolio with focus on sustainability In just four years, KCN Vietnam has emerged as a major industrial real estate developer, rapidly building scale in both land resources and operational projects. KCN Vietnam breaks ground on An Phat industrial project KCN Vietnam has begun construction on its new An Phat industrial project, expanding its footprint in northern Vietnam. KCN Vietnam boosts supply in north with factory model KCN Vietnam in October broke ground on its An Phat-Haiphong industrial ready-built project, spanning 8.9 hectares. As global original equipment manufacturers continue to expand production in the country, Delta Electronics aims to strengthen its presence by offering localised service, expertise, and smart solutions that address energy efficiency, automation, and infrastructure needs. Viet-Dung Nguyen, country manager of Delta Electronics Vietnam, said the nation is rapidly emerging as a hub for high-tech and AI-driven manufacturing, as well as being a key player in the global shift towards green industries. Vietnams manufacturing sector holds great potential as it embraces digitalisation and sustainability at a national level. The governments commitment to digital transformation and green growth aligns closely with Delta Electronics mission to enable smart, connected, and energy-efficient industries. With increasing investments in renewable energy, smart factories, and e-mobility, Vietnam is emerging as an important hub for sustainable manufacturing in the region, and Delta Electronics is proud to support this vision through its advanced technologies and global experience, Nguyen added. To facilitate the goal, Delta Electronics displayed its technologies at the Vietnam Industrial Automation Fiesta (VIAF) 2025 in Bac Ninh on November 5-7. Key highlights included an auto screwing solution with SCARA, AI-powered facility monitoring and control system, and a digital twin solution, which are scalable technologies that help manufacturers enhance uptime, achieve cost savings, and reduce their carbon footprint. Through the participation at VIAF 2025, Delta Electronics showcased how its cutting-edge industrial automation and smart manufacturing solutions can advance Vietnams manufacturing sector. From smart assembly and motion control to facility monitoring and digital twin applications, its integrated automation systems help manufacturers achieve higher productivity, consistent quality, and more sustainable operations. Drawing on its local expertise and technical innovation, the company aims to support Vietnams industries in advancing towards smarter manufacturing. Taiwanese investments expand horizons in Vietnam Despite global economic challenges, trade ties and investment cooperation between Vietnam and Taiwan continue to flourish. Vietnam benefits from China+1 policy shift Chinese and Taiwanese groups continue to seek strategic investment opportunities in Vietnam as the country emerges as one of the top gainers from the China+1 strategy. New York, US (PANA) - The UN Special Adviser on genocide prevention has raised concerns over widespread allegations of war crimes committed in Sudans El Fasher last month, and plans to meet his African Union counterpart on Friday to discuss a coordinated response Homelessness bill passes first Senedd hurdle Sweeping plans to abolish the exclusionary priority need and intentionality tests for homelessness support in Wales have cleared the first hurdle in the Senedd. Senedd members agreed the principles of the homelessness bill without objection, doing away with the need for a vote following Tuesdays (November 4) stage-one debate. Housing secretary Jayne Bryant explained the bill would better protect the workforce as well as abolish the priority need and intentionality tests for homelessness support. She told the Senedd: Our focus is how to help people not whether to help people, outlining a trauma-informed approach focused on prevention and early intervention. She said phased implementation is expected to cost 247m over 10 years, outweighed by estimated benefits of 481m meaning every 1 invested will generate 2. Ms Bryant added that every 1 will generate 4 if wider societal benefits are included. Under pressure Her Labour colleague John Griffiths, who chairs the Senedds housing committee, said: Nobody should have to experience the trauma of homelessness and, as such, we welcome action that aims to take us further towards the goal of ending homelessness in Wales. But Mr Griffiths stressed legislation alone will not be enough to achieve the ambition, saying delivering more social housing and sufficient resources must be prioritised. He raised councils concerns about increased demands on an under-pressure system. He added: We have highlighted our significant concerns about providing local authorities with a power to determine categories of people eligible for social housing allocation. Such a power will move us away from the universal idea that anyone can apply for social housing and we are skeptical as to its inclusion in the bill. We didnt hear evidence in support and we do not feel the Welsh Government has sufficiently made its case. Robustness Finance committee chair Peredur Owen Griffiths expressed concerns about the robustness of evidence used as a basis for cost estimates. He said: While we accept that the best available evidence has been used, we believe further modelling is needed. Conservative Joel James backed the bill but warned it will not be a silver bullet due to the scale of the homelessness crisis and the lowest-ever rate of housebuilding in Wales. Mr James told the Senedd: If this bill is to succeed, it must be accompanied by substantial support, pointing to recurring concerns about short-term funding cycles. He called for an exemption for veterans from the local connection test for social housing. While we support the bills general principles, we must be clear about its limitations, said Mr James. Ending homelessness in Wales will require far more. Different reality Sian Gwenllian, Plaid Cymrus shadow housing secretary, supported moving to more of a proactive, preventive approach to homelessness. But she emphasised the need to strengthen the bill, with more than 10,000 people, including 3,000 children, living in temporary accommodation often without basics such as a kitchen. She said: Although the Welsh Government has claimed it is prioritising homelessness, the figures show a different reality: it is forecast homelessness could increase by 24% by 2041. It is a crisis, isnt it? There is no doubt the bill does include positive steps and I welcome the ask-and-act approach but I do feel there is an opportunity to go further. Labours Julie Morgan called for greater support for care leavers who are too often discharged into the homelessness system, which is totally unacceptable. The bill now moves to second and third stages detailed consideration of amendments by the housing committee then the whole Senedd before a final stage-four vote. By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter Hotel Heddlu promise from police over fake banknote use You could have a cosy time at Hotel Heddlu if you use fake bank notes say local police. Local police said, We have had a number of reports in recent weeks of fake bank notes, in particular 20 notes in circulation in the Wrexham area. They have been used in transactions for small values where change is given, particularly in local stores and in taxis. At first glance they look similar to the genuine one, but on closer inspection they feel very plasticky and crinkly like a crisp packet and some have prop money on the face side. North Wales Police advise all businesses to thoroughly check bank notes before taking them from customers. Weve included a link to the Bank of England website below where there are a number of videos and booklets showing how to distinguish between genuine and fake notes. Please report any fake notes that you receive via 101 or via webchat on our website. They added, a quick reminder to anyone thinking of using any of these notes in a sale, DONT! It is an offence, you will likely be arrested, your house searched and youll spend some time with us in Hotel Heddlu More info on bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/counterfeit-banknotes/how-to-check-your-banknotes! Llangollen Railway invites volunteers to take part in Berwyn Tunnel evacuation exercise Llangollen Railway is inviting members of the public to take part in a major safety exercise in partnership with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service on Tuesday 11 November. The Berwyn Tunnel Evacuation Exercise will simulate an emergency, giving railway staff, volunteers and emergency services the chance to test their joint response procedures in a realistic setting. To make the exercise as effective as possible, the Railway is looking for around 60 volunteers from Llangollen and the surrounding areas to take part. Participants will play the role of passengers and help staff and emergency services practise a full evacuation from the train inside Berwyn Tunnel. This is a rare opportunity for members of the community to get involved behind the scenes at Llangollen Railway, said Mike Williams, a member of the Railways Operations Team. Our volunteers and staff take passenger safety extremely seriously, and this joint exercise will help ensure we are fully prepared for any eventuality. Were keen for local people to join us and see the teamwork and professionalism that goes into keeping our railway safe. Built in the 1860s, Berwyn tunnel is 689 yards long and the longest single bore tunnel on a UK heritage railway. It is narrow, curved and in a remote location with very limited road access. It therefore offers a great and fascinating challenge for a rescue training exercise. Arron Jones, Locality Manager from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service added: Working closely with partners like Llangollen Railway helps us ensure that our crews are ready to respond quickly and effectively to any incident. Exercises like this are vital for testing communication, co-ordination and safety procedures, and they also demonstrate how seriously we all take the safety of the public. Volunteers should be available to meet at Llangollen Station at 5.30pm for a short safety briefing before the train departs at 6.30pm. The exercise will conclude at around 9.30pm. To register your interest, please call 01978 860 979 or email info@llangollen-railway.co.uk You can also sign up online at: https://llangollen-railway.co.uk/news/berwyn-tunnel-evacuation-exercise/ Welsh Government scales back plans to ban lying politicians The Welsh Government has rowed back on a promise to bring in a ban on lying politicians a commitment previously made to avoid defeat in a key Senedd vote. Welsh ministers promised to introduce a law before the next election to disqualify Senedd members and candidates found guilty of deliberate deception. But the Welsh Government has now brought forward proposed legislation which falls short of a commitment made to the Welsh Parliament. Mick Antoniw, then-counsel general, the Welsh Governments chief legal adviser, struck a deal with Adam Price just before a vote on creating an offence of deception in July 2024. He said at the time: The Welsh Government will bring forward legislation before 2026 for the disqualification of members and candidates found guilty of deception through an independent judicial process. In return for that commitment, Plaid Cymru and independent Rhys ab Owen abstained in a crunch vote enabling ministers to remove plans for a ban from a previous elections bill. Not feasible But the accountability bill introduced this week does not create an independent judicial process for sitting members, with deception to instead be handled internally initially. Under the bill, the Senedds standards committee could recommend a recall poll after an investigation giving the public a vote on whether to remove a member between elections. A vacant seat would automatically be filled by the next candidate on the political partys list. However, the process would remain political with a recall poll triggered by a simple majority vote in the Senedd giving rise to concerns about members marking their own homework. The committee, which is made up of politicians from the main parties, must first issue recall guidance that will need to be approved by a two-thirds supermajority. Neither does the bill implement the promised ban for candidates in time for Mays election, which the Welsh Government described as not feasible. Instead, it creates a duty for ministers to introduce rules prohibiting false statements in elections which could include a new criminal offence at an unspecified later date. Collapse in trust In the Senedd on Tuesday (November 4), Mr Price who has spearheaded calls for a ban warned of a collapse in trust in democracies worldwide. The former Plaid Cymru leader welcomed plans to make the Senedd the first parliament to introduce a general prohibition on deliberate deception in the context of elections. But he questioned why the change could not be introduced for the next election when were going to face a flotilla of bot farms etc and political actors with nefarious aims. The former MP added: The bill, currently, is completely silent on [sitting] members. Jane Dodds, leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales, said: For me, introducing the deliberate deception element in 2030 is doing something after the horse has bolted. Sam Rowlands, for the Conservatives, backed plans to give voters greater power to hold politicians to account warning a Senedd recall mechanism has been lacking for too long. Elin Jones, the Senedds speaker or Llywydd, cautioned of potential legislative obstacles. She noted clauses imposing duties on the courts to notify the Senedd if a member is convicted of a crime, an automatic recall poll trigger if a politician receives a custodial or suspended sentence have not yet received consent from the UK Government. Incredibly complex Under the bill, the standards committee will become a legal requirement for every Senedd term and non-politicians could be appointed to sit on the committee for the first time. Douglas Bain, the standards commissioner who investigates Senedd politicians, would be given own-initiative powers to launch investigations without first needing a complaint. In this afternoons statement, Julie James said the duty on ministers will lay the foundations for the creation of an offence to tackle deliberate deception by candidates. The counsel general cautioned: This is incredibly complex. It isnt something we can rush, before stressing: By including this duty in the bill, we are ensuring that the work to create the offence of deliberate deception will continue to be taken forward. Ms James, a former solicitor, raised the need for further consultation as well as a fuller assessment of the impact on the justice system and human rights. She said: This bill represents a landmark moment in this Senedds history. It will strengthen Welsh democracy and ensure that representatives are held to the highest standards. By Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Tanzania's 2025 General Elections did not comply with AU principles, normative frameworks, and other international obligations and standards for democratic elections On Thursday, President Trump took to social media to endorse Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo. In a post, the president called Lombardo a strong and popular governor. In turn, Governor Lombardo thanked the president. "I look forward to continuing my work to advance our conservative agenda and keep Nevada red," said the governor in his reply. Both Congressman Steven Horsford and Congresswoman Susie Lee from Nevada districts introduced legislation in the house called the Nuclear Testing Without Approval Act. The act would prevent explosive nuclear testing Nevada or elsewhere without congressional approval. There are no winners in nuclear war, and there is no reason for this saber rattling, Congressman Steven Horsford said. As other nuclear powers respond to President Trumps announcement, we are all less safe from these horrific weapons. Nevadans carried the burden of Americas domestic nuclear tests in the past, and we will not go back. By requiring Congressional authorization, the legislation Rep. Lee and I are introducing today protects our state from the radioactive fallout that poisoned our air, our land, and our people in the past. According to Congressman Steven Horsford's Office, Nevada was impacted by Americas past explosive nuclear testing, which had devastating human and environmental consequences on Nevada and neighboring states. Congresswoman Susie Lee said, Too many Nevadans for decades have suffered the consequences of from nuclear testing and toxic radiation exposure. The Congresswomen also said, Experts, including those in the Trump administration, have consistently testified that explosive nuclear testing is unnecessary. We need to listen to the science, not the whims of this president. Im proud to join Congressman Horsford in introducing this legislation ensuring innocent Nevadans will not pay the price for this presidents nuclear saber-rattling. NOV 5. U.S Senators from Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico have introduced legislation requiring no president can resume explosive nuclear testing without approval. The bill would require President Trump, or any future administration to show Congress that there is engagement with the state in which the test would take place. U.S. Senators are calling this bill "The No Nuclear Testing Without Approval Act." This comes after President Trump announced that the United States would begin testing nuclear weapons again. According to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's office the only place the United States could resume explosive nuclear weapon testing is at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), just 60 miles outside Las Vegas. Nevadans were blindsided when President Trump said he could revive the outdated, misguided practice of detonating nuclear weapons just 60 miles from my hometown of Las Vegas, said Senator Cortez Masto. No administration should have the authority to set off nuclear bombs on American soil without any oversight or outreach to the states that would bear the burden of these dangerous tests. The Congressional Research Service says nuclear explosive testing sites have been maintained in Nevada but are not used due to a voluntary moratorium from 1992. The Congressional Research Service also says the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security (NNSA) Administrator stated that the United States has no technical reasons to conduct nuclear tests. Senator Jacky Rosen also put out a statement saying she collaborated with U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich who both led 14 Democrats by sending a letter to President Trump demanding that his administration put a stop to resuming nuclear weapons testing that risks contaminating Nevada and the surrounding states. The letter starts with, We write to you today to express grave reservation about any action to resume nuclear weapons testing. While Secretary Wright recently sought to provide context to the directive you announced last week, we request that you personally provide clarification, wrote the Senators. Representatives Steven Horsford and Susie Lee from Nevada will also be introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives. Library of China Cultural Center in Sri Lanka opens Xinhua) 10:04, November 07, 2025 Guests visit the library of the China Cultural Center in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Nov. 5, 2025. The China Cultural Center in Sri Lanka on Wednesday unveiled its library at a ceremony held in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. (Xinhua/Wu Ziyu) COLOMBO, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The China Cultural Center in Sri Lanka on Wednesday unveiled its library at a ceremony held in Colombo, Sri Lanka's capital. The ceremony was attended by guests from various institutions, including the Sri Lanka China Society, the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, and Sri Lanka's National Museum and National Library. Speaking at the ceremony, Indrananda Abeysekera, president of the Association for Sri Lanka-China Social and Cultural Cooperation, noted that the opening of the library means Sri Lankan scholars and all those who are curious about China now have an unprecedented new channel to systematically explore the profound civilization of China. Ni Lisheng, chief of the China Cultural Center in Sri Lanka, said that the library will be not only a space for reading, but also a window for cultural exchange, allowing people to gain insights into Chinese culture and the vibrant development of modern China. The library now owns a collection of 4,500 books on various topics, including Chinese history, art, literature, and science and technology. In addition, the library is also equipped with an electronic management system, ensuring a smooth and unimpeded reading and borrowing experience for readers. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) New York, US (PANA) - The UN High Commissioner for Refugees appealed on Thursday for more solutions to address forced displacement in his final address to the General Assembly loading......... Malibu, CA, Nov 7, 2025 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Join Ellis Martin for a conversation with Rana Vig, President and CEO of Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. ( CVE:BLLG ) ( 7BL:FRA ) ( BLAGF:OTCMKTS ) - the company advancing its high-grade Dome Mountain Gold Project in British Columbia. In this interview, Vig and Martin discuss: Blue Lagoon's selection for PDAC's 2026 Sustainability Award, recognizing leadership in environmental stewardship and meaningful Indigenous partnerships. Collaboration with the Lake Babine Nation and how cultural respect guides company decisions. Transition from exploration into production, with mineralized material shipped to Nicola Mining for toll milling and first gold sales targeted for Q4 2025. Blue Lagoon's strong financial position, its rare B.C. mining permit (one of only nine since 2015), and its commitment to community and sustainability. Rana Vig on the award: "Being recognized by PDAC for sustainability affirms the approach we've taken at Dome Mountain: protect the environment, engage early and often, and build long-term partnerships with local communities. We're grateful to the Lake Babine Nation for their trust and collaboration." Ellis Martin commentary: Blue Lagoon joins a prestigious list of past recipients including Teck Resources, the Lundin Foundation, and B2Gold - a remarkable accomplishment for a British Columbia project operating in one of the world's most rigorously regulated jurisdictions. The company's transition to production and recognition for environmental stewardship mark a turning point for sustainable junior mining models. To Listen to the Interview, please visit: https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/840E68O0 About Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. Blue Lagoon Resources Inc. (CNSX:BLLG) (FRA:7BL) (OTCMKTS:BLAGF) is a Canadian-based, well-funded, growth-oriented mining company focused on advancing its 100% owned Dome Mountain Gold Project in British Columbia. Led by a team with deep mining and finance experience, the Company operates in one of the world's most attractive mining jurisdictions. In February 2025, Blue Lagoon achieved a major milestone with the granting of a full mining permit - one of only nine issued in British Columbia since 2015 - and has since commenced underground mining operations. Mineralized material from Dome Mountain will be processed under a long-term toll milling agreement with Nicola Mining, with first gold sales targeted for Q4 2025. Beginning in H1 2026, the Company plans to reinvest internally generated cash flow into near-mine and regional exploration to further expand its resource base. With a strong commitment to sustainability, community, and First Nation engagement, Blue Lagoon's objective is to become a profitable, cash-flowing gold producer while creating lasting value for shareholders and stakeholders alike. The Company is not basing its production decision at Dome Mountain on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. The production decision is based on having existing mining infrastructure, past bulk sampling and processing activity, and the established mineral resource. About PDAC The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development community, an industry that employs more than 724,000, and contributed $156 billion to Canada's GDP in 2024 (Natural Resources Canada, February 2025). Currently representing over 8,200 members around the world, PDAC's work centres on supporting a competitive, responsible, and sustainable mineral sector. PDAC 2026, our 94th annual convention, will take place in person in Toronto, Canada from March 1-4. About The Ellis Martin Report The Ellis Martin Report (TEMR) and Money Talk Radio feature interviews with industry leaders in mining, biotech, energy, and technology. The program is globally syndicated through multiple financial platforms and streaming services. Related Companies Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, center, greets House Majority Leader Reena Szczepanski, D-Santa Fe, and other legislators before an Oct. 29 news conference in Albuquerque to announce the state would provide stopgap funding to cover SNAP benefits. SANTA FE For the second time in two months, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is calling legislators back to the Roundhouse for a special session prompted by federal funding concerns. The Governors Office said Thursday the latest special session will take place Nov. 10, and will be limited to appropriating more state funding to pay for food assistance benefits for more than 460,000 state residents. The move comes one week after Lujan Grisham announced the state would use $30 million in stopgap funding to cover the cost of SNAP benefits for a 10-day period. We acted fast in October when the Trump administration abandoned New Mexican families, and now the Legislature is coming back to finish the job, Lujan Grisham said in a statement. We are fortunate that several years of economic prosperity and sound fiscal management have enabled us to support New Mexicans in this time of need, the governor added. However, we will not be able to fund these state supplements forever. Republicans in Congress need to come back to the table to end the longest government shutdown in American history and get everyone back to work. However, the governor will not be present for next weeks special session, as she recently left the state to attend a two-week United Nations climate change conference in Brazil. With the governor out of the country until Nov. 18, Lt. Gov. Howie Morales will serve as acting governor during the special session, according to the Governors Office. Lujan Grisham also called legislators back to Santa Fe for a two-day special session last month. That session ended with the Democratic-controlled Legislature approving bills aimed at helping rural hospitals and temporarily averting steep health care premium increases for some state residents. Legislators also approved the $30 million in funding the governor used to foot the bill for keeping the SNAP benefits intact. Democrats say theyll step up again Ad Lawmakers could approve up to $250 million in additional emergency funds during the latest special session, which is expected to last for just one day. That would make enough funding available to last until the start of a scheduled 30-day legislative session in January, several legislators said. Top-ranking Democratic lawmakers expressed support for the special session on Thursday, describing it as a necessary step. The Legislature is ready to step up again to ensure our families have the food assistance they need, Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe, said in a statement. House Speaker Javier Martinez, D-Albuquerque, blamed President Donald Trump for failing to fully fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that provides food assistance to more than 20% of New Mexico residents during the ongoing shutdown. While the federal government shutdown drags on, we are going to keep showing up to work, so we can protect our people from the chaos and cruelty coming out of Washington, D.C., Martinez said. However, leading Republican legislators blamed New Mexicos two Democratic U.S. senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan for the states food assistance predicament. Heinrich and Lujan have joined most other Senate Democrats in staunchly opposing a GOP-backed plan to reopen the federal government. We are being called into another special session because Senators Lujan and Heinrich are refusing to fund SNAP benefits for the neediest New Mexicans, said House Minority Leader Gail Armstrong, R-Magdalena. I would much prefer the governor use her authority and influence to urge our Senate delegation to end this crisis by voting to reopen the federal government, Armstrong added. Instead, they are holding vulnerable New Mexicans hostage for political leverage. Federal shutdown backdrop The federal government is 37 days into the longest shutdown in U.S. history because Congress has not passed annual appropriations bills to keep it funded. The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a temporary funding bill in September that would keep the government funded at the current level, but the bill has yet to make it through the Senate, where Democratic votes are needed to pass it. Democrats are pushing for the temporary funding bill to address expiring health insurance subsidies. Without the subsidies, health insurance costs will go up for many Americans on Affordable Care Act plans. After the programs annual appropriations ran out this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it could not legally use a roughly $5 billion contingency fund to keep SNAP funded in November, leaving 42 million Americans without food assistance. But two federal judges disagreed. Judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island ruled last week that the Trump administration must use the contingency fund to pay for SNAP benefits, and could use its ability to transfer other funds to fully cover November benefits roughly $8 billion. The Trump administration said earlier this week it would use just the contingency fund to partially pay for SNAP benefits and that the process could take weeks. In Rhode Island, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ruled Thursday that the administration must find money to fully fund November benefits. But the Governors Office has said it plans to forge ahead with the state-level plan as the court cases play out. By Laura Guest, Associate Governance, Administration and Projects Consultant, Hymans Robertson To support our LGPS members, what can we learn from countries that have successfully reduced their GPG, and from those that still have work to do? This article explores how work patterns and employment decisions, financial literacy and persistent gender norms shape the pensions gap - and what LGPS funds and employers can consider to drive change. The nature of work women are more likely to pursue One of the countries with a persistently high GPG of above 40% is the Netherlands. As in all countries with a GPG, the reasons behind the Netherlands gap are wide ranging and complex. Notably, the Netherlands high pensions gap contrasts with a gender pay gap in line with the EU average, showing that income alone does not explain the disparity. One Dutch study found that women place higher importance on work that is considered meaningful and another found evidence that women value amenities such as hybrid working and flexible working patterns over income. By contrast, Icelands small GPG of 5% could be linked to universal, heavily subsidised childcare and high female participation in the labour market, sitting at 80% compared to 57.3% in the UK. Access to childcare and flexible working options are key factors enabling women to build better pension outcomes. The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) emphasises that a key step in addressing the GPG is the provision of appropriate childcare by local authorities. Its therefore a promising step that the LGPS may be one of the forerunners when it comes to assessing and reporting on the GPG, as some mitigations have the potential to be considered at a local level. With 73% of the LGPS membership made up of women, its reasonable to assume that members with children may choose roles that allow flexi-time, enhanced holiday accrual packages, term-time working patterns and the ability to more easily juggle work alongside childcare requirements. Financial literacy as a key lever for improvement Denmark has one of the highest levels of financial literacy in the world. Subsequently, it demonstrates higher levels of both individual saving and engagement with pension investment strategies. An emphasis on financial literacy can give women confidence to take the steps required to supplement their pensions. Denmark has attained such high rates of financial literacy through mandatory money management lessons introduced from age 13. The UK Government is considering its approach to financial education. In a private sector Defined Contribution (DC) scheme - while the option to increase member contributions is relatively straightforward - it can still feel inaccessible to some women who have, or perceive themselves to have, a lower level of financial literacy and are therefore less likely to engage with financial planning. And in the case of the LGPS - where additional benefits can only be secured by a third party Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) provider - the level of knowledge and understanding required to set up such an arrangement may be off-putting. It's worth noting that meaningful improvements as a result of State investment in financial education would likely be seen over generations rather than benefiting the current female workforce. Employers in the LGPS could therefore take steps to help mitigate the GPG through improved and targeted communications. These would help women to understand their options - particularly around the use of AVCs as an additional savings vehicle - and better consider different arrangements that may serve their personal financial needs. Gender norms remain Its widely understood that historic societal structures influence the GPG. Gender norms remain. Traditionally men are considered the breadwinners and women stay at home or work part time to provide childcare. A 2019 study of German citizens found that 65% of females aged between 12-25 would like to work part-time when considering raising a child. Similarly, 68% of young men would also like their partner to work part time or otherwise scale back their employment when starting a family. Although fathers in Germany can take parental leave of up to 36 months, uptake is low. This is mirrored in the low uptake of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) in the UK. Its currently taken up by only 1% of eligible mothers and 5% of eligible fathers. Recommendations to improve the uptake of shared parental leave amongst men include greater promotion of SPL by employers and raising awareness amongst employees. Across Europe, the participation of women in the labour market is gradually increasing, as are more family-friendly working policies. However, challenges remain, and we shouldnt take these changes as indicators of a job done, but rather a shift in the right direction. With GPG reporting likely to become mandatory in the LGPS, funds and employers are in a great position to support the female workforce. By understanding the gap that exists, employer teams can explore the underlying issues holistically. From there, we can work together to think about how to improve things for members as they move through their careers and into retirement. Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Nearly 100 people in Syria have been abducted or forcibly disappeared since January, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday, calling for greater accountability from the authorities Image: PTI After living under the shadow of conviction for over 27 years, Ramprakash @ Popat Govind Manohar has finally been acquitted by the Bombay High Court, which ruled that there was no evidence of cruelty or abetment in the suicide of his wife, Rekha. Justice Milind Sathaye set aside the 1998 judgment delivered by a Pune sessions court that had sentenced Manohar to three years rigorous imprisonment under Sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 498-A (cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code. His mother, who was also charged in the case, had been acquitted earlier. The case dates back to May 1997, when Manohar married Rekha. Just six months later, she was found dead in a river near Pune. The prosecution had claimed Rekha was harassed by her husband and in-laws for money and a sewing machine, which allegedly drove her to suicide a charge Manohar consistently denied. After examining the case record, the High Court found no credible evidence to support the allegations. The necessary ingredient of cruelty in the form of conduct likely to drive a woman to suicide is not clearly spelt out, much less proved, Justice Sathaye observed, adding, Mere statements that the deceased used to be unhappy or wept are not sufficient to conclude harassment beyond reasonable doubt. The court also noted several lapses in the prosecutions case no neighbours were examined, the panch witness turned hostile, and the recovery of the alleged sewing machine from the accuseds home was unsubstantiated. The ownership of the machine itself was in doubt since the purchase receipt was in another persons name. Significantly, the judge observed that Manohar had filed a missing person complaint on the day Rekha disappeared, reporting that she had left her ornaments at home. During the subsequent police inquiry, Rekhas parents did not allege any harassment at that time. Concluding that the trial court had erred in holding that Rekha was driven to suicide by mental cruelty, Justice Sathaye extended the benefit of doubt to Manohar and acquitted him of all charges. The court directed Manohar to furnish a personal bond of 15,000, ensuring his appearance if the State challenges the verdict before the Supreme Court. With this judgment, the Bombay High Court not only restored Manohars reputation after nearly three decades but also reinforced that unhappiness alone does not establish cruelty or abetment under criminal law. Jason Lee Gosdin, 41, was convicted in the 2023 shooting death of a 19-year-old in Elmore County. (Elmore County Jail) A south Alabama man has been convicted in the 2023 shooting death of a teen who was in the wrong place at the wrong time during a family dispute in Elmore County. A jury on Thursday convicted 41-year-old Jason Lee Gosdin, who was initially charged with murder, of manslaughter in the slaying 19-year-old Christian Jace Baker. The verdict followed a four-day trial. The deadly shooting happened about 4 a.m. on Feb. 27, 2023, at home on Ceasarville Road in Deatsville. District Attorney CJ Robinson of the 19th Judicial Circuit said Gosdin, of Gulf Shores, that morning received a phone call from his ex-wife asking him to come pick up their teenage daughter from her house because they were arguing. Gosdin became enraged and began yelling threats that he was going to clear that whole house out, and everybody over there was going to get some, Robinson said. Jace Baker, 19, was shot to death in 2023 in Elmore County. Authorities said he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Contributed) Baker was sitting in the backseat of a car in the yard of Gosdins ex-wifes home. Another young man was sitting the drivers seat. When Gosdin arrived, he got out of his vehicle brandishing a gun. He pistol-whipped the young man in the front seat and then fired a shot that struck Baker in the groin area. Baker jumped out of the car and ran about 200 yards where he collapsed in the woods. The victim called 911 and while speaking to the 911 operator he uttered the last words of his life, Jason shot me, Robinson said. Baker died on the scene. Authorities said Baker was dating Gosdins ex-wife. Gosdin was taken into custody several hours later while driving on U.S. 231. Unfortunately, senseless gun violence has become a way of life in our society, the district attorney said. Jace Baker found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when Jason Gosdin arrived armed and enraged. Those who lack self-control must face the consequences and penalties when they engage in such dangerous behavior, Robinson said. Sadly, for the Baker family, they will forever count the cost of those actions. Circuit Judge Amanda Baxley will sentence Gosdin on Dec. 11. He faces 10 to 20 years in prison. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, from left, poses with members of the cast of "Avengers: End Game," Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo at a hand and footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Tuesday, April 23, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP) Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP Jeremy Renner, of Marvel fame, has been accused of threatening to call ICE after a female confronted him about alleged misconduct. Chinese filmmaker Yi Zhou, 37, told the Daily Mail she was dating the 54-year-old Hawkeye actor last month. She also accused him of sending unsolicited pornographic images of himself in a series of Instagram posts Monday. Zhou and Renner, per the report, have finished two projects in the last year together. Zhou claimed the actor introduced himself over direct message and WhatsApp with the photos in June 2025. Per the Daily Mail, the filmmaker provided a screenshot of her alleged WhatsApp texts with Renner, including a short pornographic video clip Renner allegedly texted her in June. The filmmaker told the Mail that Renner became so angry after getting drunk during a meeting about the documentary, Chronicles Of Disney, at his home in Reno, Nevada, that she feared for her life. I was discussing about the doc logistics, then he drank a bottle of wine alone and got angry and angry yelling for two hours, Zhou said. I had to lock myself in a room to be safe praying he would not come into the room at night as he was really angry. I did not say a word, I was so scared for my life. In her Instagram posts, Zhou claimed that Renner threatened to call immigration once she confronted him about his behavior. When I called him out privately about his past misconduct and asked him to behave properly, to respect me as a woman and as a filmmaker, he threatened to call immigration/ICE on me, an act that deeply shocked and frightened me, she posted. Comedian and actor John Mulaney arrives at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) AP Comedian John Mulaney was in attendance during the Supreme Courts discussion over President Donald Trump imposing sweeping tariffs on countries around the world. Cheap seats but a great show, Mulaney said in a post on X. Cheap seats but a great show pic.twitter.com/IGqIDewqcK John Mulaney (@mulaney) November 5, 2025 My dear friend John ... is a serious public intellectual with a deep interest in law and American civics, Akhil Reed Amar, a Yale Law School professor, told Business Insider. So it is unsurprising that he would want to attend one of the biggest Supreme Court oral arguments of our time especially because his close friend Neal Katyal was center stage today, so to speak. Katyal argued on behalf of two groups of companies that challenged the legality of the tariffs Trump imposed using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. Katyal, per the report, said at an event in June that he was working with Mulaney on a television show. Im actually writing a television show about the Supreme Court, its kind of West Wing for the Supreme Court, Katyal said at the Aspen Ideas Festival, per Business Insider. Im writing it with John Mulaney, and itll be out in a couple of years. Part of the idea is to try and use the arts to spur a conversation about what justice is. A head-on crash Friday morning left two people dead, including a teen. Alabama State Troopers identified one of the victims as Lashandra S. Bell. She was 53 and lived in Gainesville. Troopers do not release the names of juvenile fatality victims. The wreck happened at 7:15 a.m. on U.S. 43, about five miles south of Linden in Marengo County. Sgt. Reginal King said Bell was driving a Volkswagen Jetta that collided head-on with a Lexus ES330 driven by the 18-year-old from Mobile. Both victims were pronounced dead on the scene. The investigation is ongoing. A suspect sought for six months in the 2024 shooting death of a man in Bessemer is in custody. Timothy ONeal Lacey Jr., 21, is charged with murder in the slaying of 21-year-old James S. Bowen Jr. Bessemer police detectives obtained the warrant against Lacey on May 6. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force took him into custody and he was booked into the Jefferson County Jail Friday morning. Cameron Dermell Smoot, a 21-year-old Birmingham man, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder in Bowens death. He was arrested May 5 and released from jail later that month on $60,000 bond. Smoots case has already been waived to a grand jury for indictment consideration. The shooting happened at 3:45 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in the 5900 block of Greenwood Parkway. Bowen was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:42 p.m. Det. Justin Burmeister said at the time the deadly shooting happened in the parking lot of an undisclosed business. A motive in Bowens killing has not been released. Democrat Abigail Spanberger walks out on stage after she was declared the winner of the Virginia governor's race during an election night watch party Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) AP Democrats are basking in decisive victories from Tuesdays elections, results that some Republicans have shrugged off as predictable wins in blue strongholds. But Democrats also scored gains in reliably red states such as Georgia and Mississippi. In Mississippi, where Republicans control nearly every statewide office, Democrats flipped enough state Senate seats to end the GOPs supermajority that had stood since 2011. With President Donald Trumps approval ratings slipping, Democrats are eyeing the 2026 midterms with fresh optimism for the first time since last Novembers losses. The question now is whether that momentum can carry into deep red Alabama, where Trump remains popular. Most observers doubt Democrats can replicate their Southern wins in Alabama, but the party believes the political winds may be shifting after an election that saw resounding Democratic wins in contests nationwide. The Alabama Democratic Party says it is actively recruiting candidates and has been doing so since 2023. However, fundraising remains far behind Republicans statewide. The governors race heavily favors Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a close Trump ally. Still, Democrats see openings farther down the ballot, particularly in county races and legislative contests. To weaken the GOPs supermajority hold on the Statehouse and replicate Mississippis success, Democrats would need to flip at least eight seats in the Alabama House and four in the Senate. The 2026 midterms are an opportunity for Democrats across the country to pick up seats, and it will require good candidates with a message that speaks to affordability and kitchen-table issues, said Kevin Akins, a Montgomery-based Democratic strategist. Alabama Democrats have time to recruit statewide, but theres real opportunity to chip away at Republican supermajorities in the Legislature, with an eye toward flipping swing suburban and exurban seats. State Rep. Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, the state House minority leader, said the results on Tuesday will lead to more candidates seeking to run for office next year. The deadline for major party candidates is Jan. 23, 2026. With where we are at now, if there is not a shift in policy, you will see organically people that you wouldnt necessarily see running for office starting to run for office, Daniels said. Republicans, however, have recent history on their side. In 2018, even amid a national Democratic wave, GOP voters turned out in force to pass two conservative constitutional amendments on the Ten Commandments and rights of the unborn, and kept firm control of statewide offices and the Legislature. Obviously (Tuesday) set off alarm bells for conservative voters across the country, said Angi Horn, a GOP strategist based in Montgomery. But I think it is not an alarm bell on whether this will happen to us but whether this is something we have to do with messaging in Alabama elections and remind the people that we are a conservative state with conservative values who needs conservative leaders. Political observers say there are lessons Alabama Democrats can draw from Tuesdays results. Jess Brown, a retired political science professor at Athens State University and longtime observer of Alabama politics, said the Virginia governors race illustrated the type of candidate who can succeed in the South one focused on state issues rather than national ideological battles. However, Brown said Alabama Democrats face an electoral climate that is much worse than what Virginia Democrats faced Tuesday, when Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the governors race by more than 15 percentage points. Her victory came less than a year after Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris carried Virginia by fewer than 6 points. Trumps won Alabama by 30.5 percentage points. Only North Dakota and Oklahoma had higher margins of victory for Trump last year. Alabama, in my view, remains too crimson red and Trumpian for Democrats to expect victory, Brown said. Their best hope is to enhance their position as a more credible challenge to the GOP. Democrats should remember it took the Alabama GOP almost 20 years to move from absolute irrelevance as a major party to being the dominant party. A large crowd of protesters turned out of the "No Kings" day of protests on Saturday, June 14, 2025, in downtown, Mobile, Ala. John Sharp Perhaps the biggest difference since 2018 is the surge of progressive political organizing across Alabama, backed by groups like Indivisible. The No Kings protests in Mobile, Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery and even smaller Republican-leaning cities such as Fairhope and Oxford have drawn large crowds. Maura Mandyck, who has coordinated No Kings rallies in Mobile, said more events are planned to keep supporters engaged. The group is promoting what it calls a mass economic blackout from Nov. 25 to Dec. 2, urging the public to avoid spending during the week that includes Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Early next year, the organization plans to hold an open house to encourage more participation. We know that progressives in Mobile and Baldwin County need community, and we want to nurture that as well, Mandyck said. I absolutely believe the success we saw in (Tuesdays) elections will remind people that together we are stronger. And that we must come together now. Daniels said Democratic candidates in 2026 will focus on working-class issues and helping voters who have lost federal food assistance during the government shutdown. Health care access will also be a top issue, he said. He pointed to a recent job fair in Huntsville, where he said about 1,300 people stood in line seeking work, and another 500 were unable to get into the building. There will be an uprising and a pushback from the citizens, Daniels said. The backlash from the federal level, if we are not trying to be more vocal on why we need help in Alabama, well be casualties of war. The Alabama Supreme Court this week issued a ruling in the case of Sandra Phillips versus Shelby Baptist Medical Center and Dr. Steven M. Taylor. In her complaint, Phillips claims that Taylor left gauze in her leg for nearly two months following a vein ablation procedure in early 2017. Phillips alleges that the site then became infected and has sued Taylor for medical malpractice, saying she suffered physical and emotional trauma, as a result. I went through hell and back for months, she said, according to court documents. Taylor claims that what he found in Phillips leg during the exam she refers to in her complaint was not a sponge, but a 4 x 4 piece of gauze, not placed by Taylor, that was part of Phillips ongoing wound-check examinations. Based on its appearance and absence of any odor upon removal, Taylor said the gauze had not been in the wound for very long. Phillips stated that she was screaming as the gauze was removed and that Dr. Taylor removed this big round thing full of blood and pus and whatever, skin, and he said this is what they left in you, the documents state. Her wound was healing well, and there was no adverse effect on...Phillips or her wound as a result of the gauze removed on that date, Taylor said, according to court documents. I did not document the finding of the 4x4 gauze in my note of that date as it was inconsequential, had no adverse impact on the progress of her healing, and was clearly a part of the dressing changes that had been taking place prior to the visit. Taylor says all of this was explained to Phillips at that time. She continued to progress well, and as of April 11, 2017, [the date of Dr. Taylors final examination of Phillipss wound,] her wound was essentially healed, he said. This week, the Court granted Taylors request to strike an amended complaint filed by Phillips in November of 2024, over 6 years after she had filed her original complaint. The amended complaint corrected dates listed for medical procedures Phillips received, which her counsel acknowledged as being inaccurate over two years before the amendment was filed. In January of this year, Shelby County Circuit Court denied Taylors request, ruling that the incorrect dates had not impacted his ability to build a defense against Phillips claims. While it is regrettable that this error existed, they are a part of legal practice, the ruling reads. The interests of justice do not mandate dismissal of claims merely because a date was wrong within a complaint. But the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that the circuit court exceeded its discretion by denying Taylors request. Despite Phillipss contentions and shifting arguments to the circuit court to the contrary, the materials before us clearly demonstrate that she failed to fulfill her duty as to pleading under the Alabama Medical Liability Act, the ruling reads. Birmingham attorney Lloyd Peeples, who has been senior trial counsel for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Alabama, announced Nov. 6, 2025, that hell be running for the Alabama House of Representatives, District 48, File Birmingham attorney Lloyd Peeples, who has been senior trial counsel for the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Alabama, announced today that hell be running for the Alabama House of Representatives, District 48, which covers portions of Jefferson and Shelby counties. The Alabama primaries are May 19, 2026. Ive spent most of my professional career serving the public as a federal prosecutor, standing beside victims, holding criminals accountable, and working to make our communities safer, Peeples said in a statement released today. Im also a small business owner, a husband, and a dad raising two kids right here in this district. I want to help strengthen our district and state so that our children have more opportunities than we did and dont leave after graduation because they dont see a path to build their own careers here. Peeples is seeking the seat currently held by State Rep. Jim Carns, a Republican from Vestavia Hills, who on Wednesday was endorsed by the Alabama Farmers Federation. Peeples has prosecuted high-profile cases including Joran van der Sloot and the Kamille Cupcake McKinney kidnappers. He has also served previously as CEO of his familys business, Container Service Corporation, which makes corrugated boxes. Alabama has some great leaders, but it also needs more problem solvers, Peeples said. My commitment is simple: every dollar the state spends should deliver real value to the people it serves. The people of our district work hard, pay their taxes, and deserve to know their money is being used wisely. No matter how accountable government tries to be, there will always be waste and misplaced priorities. In Montgomery, Ill fight to eliminate waste, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy, improve transparency, and focus on results-driven spending - making government more efficient and delivering more back to our communities without cutting essential services. Peeples is a graduate of the Samford University Cumberland School of Law, according to his web site. With more and more cases of premature infants being born and their chances of survival being slim, the AquaWomb is giving mothers a chance at a miracle to help their babies live. An example of this is Beth Schafer, who braced for the birth of her son as she lay in a hospital bed. The first contractions she had happened before she was even remotely ready to give birth to her baby. Helping Premature Infants Survive Schafer knew that the baby she had was not ready just yet, at only 23 weeks of gestation. Her son was teetering on the cliff edge of viability by medical standards, which is the fragile threshold where modern medicine offers any promise of keeping babies alive. When her child was born, the mother's son could not cry at all, and the instant his entire body landed in the delivering doctor's hand, other medical professionals assisted to start resuscitation, according to The Guardian. However, despite their desperate efforts to triage and coax air into the infant's tiny, caved-in lungs, they were not able to supply enough of what the baby needed most, which was more time in his mother's womb. The 39-year-old mother, who is a painter turned graphic designer, said she would have "moved mountains for him," referring to her late son. Her statement came two years after the tragic development that took her baby from her. But now, artificial wombs are one way that researchers are using to try and give premature babies a better chance at survival after being born. Startup AquaWomb is one of these, and it is based in the Netherlands, CPG reported. Benefits of the AquaWomb AquaWomb is developing these devices that will improve health outcomes for the smallest and sickest infants. The device itself is only about the size of a household fish tank and is situated under fluorescent lights for better visibility inside. The device should, ideally, be covered to mimic the dimness of the womb and features tubes that coil from the sides into filters that cycle synthetic amniotic fluid in rhythmic glugs. A technical physician and the co-founder and CEO of AquaWomb, Myrthe van der Ven, showed how the device worked. She noted that the manikin shown was not only realistic in terms of size and weight, but added that it also contained sensors. This allowed them to measure just how the baby placed inside the device is doing, including providing them with oxygen and heart rate data, as per TUE. Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis is seated in the mayor's seat for the first time after being sworn into office on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, at Government Plaza in Mobile, Ala. John Sharp Spiro Cheriogotis is still in the honeymoon phase of his mayoral administration, having been sworn in last week and learning the ins and outs of Mobiles government. His public battles during his first week in office have been minimal. But the new Mobile mayor has already stepped into a fight that engaged his predecessor, Mayor Sandy Stimpson: the internet sales tax. This week, Cheriogotis told reporters he is hopeful for a legislative battle over Alabamas Simplified Sellers Use Tax, or SSUT, which imposes a flat 8 percent tax on online sales. He also signaled he may join a lawsuit, first filed in August by the City of Tuscaloosa, challenging the states handling of the tax. Im not interested in hurting the money the state is receiving, Cheriogotis said. But the truth is our cities will crumble under the lack of funding through SSUT if its not addressed. His comments echo those of Stimpson, whose administration sparred with the Association of County Commissions of Alabama (ACCA) over the SSUT program. Stimpson called the tax system, enacted in 2016, the biggest threat to Alabamas cities, warning that without reform, it could cripple the finances of a large city. Cheriogotis entry into the debate comes as Sonny Brasfield, longtime executive director of the ACCA, has rallied resistance among the states 67 counties. Brasfield remains wary that any efforts by Alabamas largest cities to alter online sales taxation could throw the system into chaos and jeopardize a fast-growing revenue stream that brought in an estimated $850 million last year. Sonny Brasfield, executive director with the Association of County Commissions of Alabama, speaks during the ACCA's annual summer meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, Ala. John Sharp All the national experts say SSUT is a model law for simplicity that is well within the pathway created by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Wayfair case, Brasfield said, referring to the 2018 decision that allowed states to tax remote sellers and strengthened local governments ability to collect online sales taxes. He has said that any changes to any portion of the SSUT could threaten the programs existence. Mr. Brasfield is sticking with that talking point, Cheriogotis said. But I think we can absolutely look at a fix that is very predictable and that well know what the results will be. Brasfield said cities should use their local audit authority to collect taxes on transactions they believe are owed to them. He said that is a better solution than constantly beating the drum for dangerous changes to a program that provides essential revenue to the state General Fund, the state education trust fund, and every city and county in our state. Raising concerns Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis, who will become Mayor Nick Derzis in less than a couple of hours, signed off the police radio for the last time as an officer. (Photo courtesy of Hoover Police) As mayor of Alabamas second-largest city, Cheriogotis belongs to the Big 10 Mayors Association, which has long highlighted SSUT as a policy concern. The association includes cities with other newly elected mayors, such as Hoover, Madison and Decatur. At least one of those mayors is also raising alarms. When I was sworn in earlier this week, I promised to hit the ground running from day one, and that includes actively reviewing several issues important to Hoover, including the Simplified Sellers Use Tax, said Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis, the citys former police chief. Due to SSUT, the city is losing millions in revenue, and its a challenge that other larger municipalities are also facing. Like Cheriogotis, Derzis is considering whether legal action may be necessary. I have asked our City Attorney to review the legal action taken by Tuscaloosa so that we can fully understand its implications, he said. I will also discuss this matter with the City Council before making any decisions. Once I have all the information before me, we will pursue the path that is in the best interest of Hoover and its residents. Distribution The mayors are concerned about the taxs distribution formula, which sends less revenue back to their coffers than the conventional sales tax assessed on purchases at brick-and-mortar stores. The SSUT program is voluntary, meaning internet retailers are not required to sign up and participate. There is, however, a legal threshold for participation, which requires a company to collect and pay the tax if it exceeds $250,000 in Alabama sales during a year. Big city mayors have long argued that since the majority of online sales from businesses paying into SSUT occur within the states largest cities, those cities should receive a greater portion of the SSUT revenue. Under the current formula, 1.6 percent of the 8 percent tax goes to the states 67 counties, while 2.4 percent goes to municipalities through a prorated formula based on Census population data and divided among 463 communities. The states General Fund receives the remaining 4 percent. Mobiles overall sales tax rate is 10 percent. With each sale at a store in Mobile, 4 percent goes to the state, 5 percent to the city and 1 percent to Mobile County. Tuscaloosa claims it is projected to lose $14.6 million in local tax revenue due to the difference between SSUTs rate and the rate on conventional sales taxes. When a city should be receiving $3 in tax revenue, but is instead getting 20 cents, its not something that your cities can sustain, Cheriogotis said. We want to find a reasonable solution that works for everybody. Legal recourse For the new mayors and their Big 10 colleagues, the courts may be the only avenue for change. Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels, a Democrat representing Huntsville, said he doubts there is enough political will to alter SSUT before the 2026 elections. Past efforts to reform the SSUT in the Legislature have not advanced. I dont see there being a chance to make any changes unless its done through the courts, Daniels said. Litigation is already underway with the City of Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa City Schools and the City of Mountain Brook filing a lawsuit against the Alabama Department of Revenue on Aug. 12, claiming the SSUT program is unconstitutional. The lawsuit argues that the program should be replaced by a system that does not shortchange the states cities. A hearing on the Department of Revenues motion to dismiss the case is scheduled for Monday in Montgomery Circuit Court. The mayors are also hopeful they can close what they call the DoorDash loophole, arguing that food delivery services such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and Birmingham-based Shipt pay the lower SSUT tax. Tuscaloosa and other cities claim these companies have a physical presence in the cities where they operate, including employees and equipment, and should be taxed at the conventional sales tax rate. Offering alternative Tuscaloosa mayor Walt Maddox talks with constituents before a city council meeting in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Will McLelland | preps@al.com) Will McLelland Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, who has led efforts to change SSUTs structure, said he would support a system that allows for destination-based sourcing that would end routine over-taxing in many rural areas where SSUTs 8 percent rate is higher than conventional sales taxes. For instance, in rural southwestern Washington County, the conventional sales tax rate is 5 percent. Maddox said removing SSUT would also increase revenues for cities to support public safety, infrastructure and economic activity. A majority of states tax online products using destination-based sourcing, which applies a sales tax rate based on where the buyer is located or where the sale is delivered. The ACCA and other critics of destination-based sourcing say the system is confusing compared to SSUT because it can assess multiple tax rates depending on the buyers location. Other states have proven this works, and Alabama can as well, he said. Markell Tolbert, 21, is charged with capital murder in the Oct. 19 slaying of 33-year-old Monderrius McClellan. (Contributed) A suspect has been charged in the shooting of a man found dead inside his vehicle last month, Markell Tolbert, 21, is charged with capital murder in the Oct. 19 slaying of 33-year-old Monderrius McClellan. The Birmingham Police Departments Crime Reduction Team took Tolbert into custody Tuesday, police officials announced. He was undergoing booking at the Jefferson County Jail Thursday night where he will be held without bond. Birmingham police investigate a deadly Oct. 19, 2025, shooting on Mayfield Avenue. (Carol Robinson) The citys West Precinct officers were dispatched at 12:05 a.m. that Sunday, Oct. 19, on a call of a person shot at 12th Place and Mayfield Avenue. Police arrived to find McClellan unresponsive in the drivers seat of a vehicle. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead on the scene at 12:26 a.m. Authorities said the shots were fired by the suspect as the victim tried to drive away. A motive has not been disclosed. This is a guest opinion column Every November, our nation pauses to honor those who wore the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. Veterans Day is more than just a date on the calendar. It signifies who we are as a nation. Here in Birmingham, its also a part of who we are as a city. Few people know that the idea of Veterans Day originated in Birmingham. When Navy Veteran Raymond Weeks returned home from World War II in 1945, he had a vision. He felt that our country needed to honor all Veterans, not just those who died in World War I, and after petitioning Congress and the President advocating for this, the dream became law less than a decade later. In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming November 11 as Veterans Day and Birmingham held the nations first Veterans Day parade that same year. To this day, our city continues to uphold and respect that legacy. Honoring service through action At the Birmingham VA Health Care System, we honor and celebrate Veterans through both our work and the services we provide daily. Our mission is to ensure that the men and women who served this country receive the care they earned and deserve. Today, more than 93,000 Veterans in central and northern Alabama are enrolled in our health care system. In the past year alone, we gained over 3,000 new enrollees. Every Veteran we serve has a story and they all deserve timely access to the highest quality of care VA can provide. To meet this responsibility, the Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented an organizational approach called Access, Choice and Excellence (ACE) that intends to expand scheduling options, extend hours of clinic operations and increase access to telehealth services. We are also collaborating with community care providers and improving referral processes to reduce wait times. We stand behind our pledge to put Veterans first and hold ourselves accountable for their experience. A five-star commitment This year, the Birmingham VA Health Care System accomplished something I am very proud of: It became one of only two hospital systems in Alabama to earn a Five-Star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, with our colleagues at Central Alabama VA being the other one. The focus is entirely on the quality of service and health care experience. It reflects the hard work and dedication of our doctors, nurses and staff who come to work every day with one goal in mindto serve Veterans. This, in turn, puts us among the best hospitals in the nation. Our Veterans deserve nothing less and the prestigious designation confirms that they are receiving the highest quality care. Every day is Veterans Day At VA, we know our obligation to Veterans doesnt stop when their service ends. And its our profound privilege to continue the mission by caring for those who once bravely carried our nations defense on their shoulders. In our hospitals and clinics, in our Vet Centers and during telehealth visits, we honor that service every day. From Bunker Hill to Baghdad, from Normandy to Kandahar, Americans have given their lives for our libertyand the world we live in today. For more than 249 years of independence, Veterans have stood watch over our liberty. (I would be remiss if I did not wish a Happy (milestone) Birthday to the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Navy who celebrate 250 years of service this year.) All Veterans of our Armed Forces are the reason we do what we do. And everything we dofrom the services we provide to the support we offerstarts and ends with you. So, as the parade makes its way through downtown Birmingham on Veterans Day and flags wave proudly, remember that this day started here because a community believed Veterans should always be recognized. It still does. To every Veteran and family member reading this, thank you for your service and your sacrifice. You gave so much so that others could live in peace and freedom. And at Birmingham VA, every day is Veterans Day. Dr. Oladipo Ladi Kukoyi is Executive Director/CEO of the Birmingham VA Health Care System Mazda Toyota Manufacturing is donating $50,000 to the Food Bank of North Alabama to help in response to the federal government shutdown and the delay of SNAP benefits. The Food Bank of North Alabama is the driving force in providing access to hunger relief programs to our community, said David Fernandes, senior vice president of Mazda Toyota Manufacturing. We want to do our part to support the Food Bank in feeding families and ending hunger in North Alabama. During the shutdown, the food bank has increased the size and frequency of its mobile pantries. The food bank hosted a pantry specifically for TSA workers at its distribution center near the airport and served hundreds of families at two large-scale mobile pantries at Joe Davis Stadium and Milton Frank Stadium in Huntsville. The Food Bank is also scheduling mobile pantries across its 11-county service area. In addition, the Food Bank has increased the amount of food available to its more than 235 partner organizations. Food Bank of North Alabama CEO Shirley Schofield said the funds being provided by Mazda Toyota Manufacturing are coming at a critical time, when families with children, seniors and veterans are struggling with high costs and now fewer resources due to the record-long government shutdown. We are so fortunate to be in a community like North Alabama with such great corporate partners like Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, who dont hesitate to step up when they see a need to be addressed, Schofield said. Support like this will ensure we have the resources we need to respond to this crisis and ensure even after the shutdown that we have the supplies we need to help people as they get back on their feet. Mazda Toyota has been a partner with the food bank through the years. It has provided the food bank with turkeys for purchase annually, awarded grants, and participated in food drives. The food bank estimates that 23,000 federal workers have been placed on furlough in the Huntsville area, and that 100,000 north Alabama residents are affected by the delay in SNAP benefits. Alabama State Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, speaks in support of HB244 during a public hearing before the Alabama House Education Policy Committee on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at the Statehouse in Montgomery, Ala. John Sharp An Alabama legislator has prefiled a bill that would allow parole officers to restrict the communications of people convicted of a sexual offense against children and require them to undergo treatment. HB 26, sponsored by Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, authorizes parole and probation officers to restrict people listed on the sexual offense registry from using a post office box or electronic media, including computer tablets and cell phones and smart phones. It also allows the court or the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to require them to complete polygraph examinations. More from Alabama Reflector It gives them another tool in the toolbox, Butler said in an interview on Tuesday. It is a pretty disgusting crime. Butler introduced a similar bill in the 2025 legislative session that passed the House but did not come to a vote in the Senate. HB 26 also allows the court or the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles to order an offender to receive mental health treatment, which could also include recurring polygraph examinations. People who fail to report to treatment could be found guilty of a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine. It is just another level of accountability, Butler said. The polygraph people came to me with that. We are seeing other states putting that in because, apparently, people are lying to you. Experts and defense attorneys agreed with the treatment requirement but expressed doubts about other elements of the legislation. Kerry McCarthy, clinical director at Wandering Pines Wellness, an organization based in Colorado that provides mental health counseling services, provided therapy to people who had been convicted of sexual-based offenses for seven years. He took issue with restricting peoples access to communication devices. Those all sound like really good tools to limit access and availability to problematic content, but they are not research and evidenced based, she said. They also create hindrances for individuals to pay their bills. A lot of things are online. A lot of jobs require you to fill out an online application. Kyle Pierce, a criminal defense lawyer with Pierce and Pierce Attorneys, based in Gadsden and Birmingham, expressed concerns with the polygraph component. This requirement to go do this polygraph, pay for it twice a year, so it is adding a significant financial burden, a significant time burden, on people who are already having to regularly register, to pay every time that they register, he said. Polygraphs are bad science; polygraphs are not admissible in court. I cant see the benefit of the required polygraph testing. The Alabama Legislature begins its 2026 session on Jan. 13. Alabama can have tornadoes any month of the year, including in the fall and winter. November is actually No. 3 when it comes to the number of tornadoes on record in the state. NWS Alabama faces the prospect of a few severe storms today (Friday), according to forecasters. But November storms are nothing new. In fact, this month really kicks off Alabamas so-called secondary severe weather season, which runs through December, January and February. And then forecasters say there are hints that the upcoming spring severe season could be even busier than usual. Storms possible today Theres a possibility for a few severe storms today (Friday) in a large part of Alabama. NOAAs Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a Level 1 out of 5 or marginal risk today. Its a lower-end severe weather threat, according to the National Weather Service. The National Weather Service thinks that damaging wind gusts could be the main concern, but there will be a non-zero chance for a tornado as well. Heres the severe weather outlook for Friday: A large part of Alabama (shown in dark green in the map above) has a Level 1 out of 5 risk for severe weather on Friday. Isolated severe storms will be possible everywhere except southwest Alabama starting this afternoon, and storms will be possible through the nighttime hours. But good news, the severe weather risk for Saturday has been dropped for Alabama. Storm Prediction Center 2025 tornadoes (so far) Alabama hasnt recorded a tornado since Oct. 26, when an EF-1 was confirmed in Baldwin County. And before that you have go back to May to find a confirmed tornado in the state. But believe it or not its been a busy year for tornadoes, according to the weather service. Alabama has had 70 confirmed tornadoes already this year, said John De Block, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Birmingham. There have been 70 confirmed tornadoes so far in 2025 in Alabama. NWS The 10-year average is 60 per year, the 20-year average is 64 and the 30-year average is 66. So were already a good five to 10 tornadoes above whatever average you might pick out, he said. So we dont need a whole lot more. The weather service doesnt think theres a big risk for tornadoes today -- although they cant be ruled out entirely. De Block said the overall tornado threat is low, but its a good reminder to make sure you are ready for severe weather, just in case. Its a good introduction to the fall peak of severe weather. A reminder that this is one of the times of year that we are prone to tornadoes, he said. Make sure youve got your good batteries in your weather radio, knock the dust off your safe place, get your helmets all ready, get yourself prepared for the upcoming peak severe weather season. November is actually the third-most active month for tornadoes in Alabama. Of course April and May are No. 1 and No. 2. But fall in Alabama has some of the same volatile ingredients for severe weather as the spring. Its the clash of air masses, De Block said. And we can see with the forecast for Monday with temperatures falling into the 20s were starting to see that colder air push farther south. And when that happens that colder air comes into contrast with that warmer, moist Gulf air, and that sets the stage for the potential for tornadoes. And November is the first month where were really starting to see that clash of the air masses. November has produced some of Alabamas strongest or deadliest tornadoes, most notably the Nov. 15, 1989, F4 tornado that killed 21 people and injured 463 in the Huntsville area, according to De Block. November of 1957 also brought not one but two F4 tornadoes just one day apart, according to De Block. An F4 struck just north of Jasper on Nov. 17, 1957, killing four and injuring 15. Then another F4 hit on Nov. 18, tracking through Blount and Marshall counties from northwest of Oneonta to Albertville, killing three and injuring 12. And December has also had its share of tornadoes, including an F4 on Dec. 16, 2000, near Tuscaloosa that killed 11 people and injured 144. Worrying signs for Spring After today there is no severe weather in the forecast for Alabama through the next five days, according to forecasts from NOAAs Storm Prediction Center. But will the calm hold, and for how long? De Block said there are some concerns that Alabamas spring severe weather season (March-May) could be an active one -- though nothing is certain this far out. But meteorologists are always analyzing the trends and taking clues from the past, and both of those things involve La Nina. La Nina (along with its counterpart El Nino) is a weather phenomenon that can influence the weather worldwide. La Nina begins with cooler-than-average ocean waters off the coast of South America. Those cooler waters can affect the weather pattens in the United States and the rest of the world. La Nina is ongoing now, according to NOAAs Climate Prediction Center, and is expected to continue into the winter months. But then La Nina could transition to whats called ENSO-neutral conditions, which means neither La Nina or El Nino. That transition could happen anytime from January through March. And that could be bad news for those hoping for a placid spring weather pattern. We have noticed that when we are in a transition from a La Nina to an El Nino, or La Nina to neutral, those are some of our most prolific years of producing tornadoes, De Block said. Unfortunately, we are looking at that situation for this year coming up, where we will be transitioning out of a La Nina come springtime. So that certainly has our interest and our concern. But anyone who has lived in Alabama for any length of time knows that its always good to be watchful during the spring, La Nina or not. A normal severe weather season in Alabama is enough to make anyone be concerned and be prepared hopefully, De Block said. Tornadoes, fortunately, are rare, but they do happen. And when theres more of them theres a higher chance that you might personally be affected or somebody you know or love might be affected. So we certainly want everyone to be prepared every year regardless of whether we think theres going to be a higher risk or lower risk for tornadoes. MONTREAL, Oct. 31, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - (NYSE: CAE) (TSX: CAE) CAE will release its second quarter financial results on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, after market close. Analysts and institutional investors are invited to attend a conference call on Wednesday, November 12, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) during which a review of CAE's performance and outlook will be provided. Calin Rovinescu, Executive Chairman of the Board, Matthew Bromberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Nick Leontidis, Chief Operating Officer, Constantino Malatesta, Interim Chief Financial Officer and Andrew Arnovitz, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Enterprise Risk Management will participate in this call intended for financial analysts and institutional investors. The conference call will be available via a live audio webcast and a recording will be available following the event at www.cae.com/investors/. It will also be possible to attend by telephone in North America by dialing 1-800-990-2777 (conference ID: 92863). International Toll-Free Access International participants who wish to join the call should click on this link, select the flag of the country where their phone number is registered, complete the form and press the button to submit. They will immediately receive a call on the number provided and will be joined to the conference on a muted line. Afterwards, press *1 to join the question queue. About CAE At CAE, we exist to make the world safer. We deliver cutting-edge training, simulation, and critical operations solutions to prepare aviation professionals and defence forces for the moments that matter. Every day, we empower pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians, airlines, business aviation operators, and defence and security personnel to perform at their best and when the stakes are the highest. Around the globe, we're everywhere customers need us to be, with approximately 13,000 employees at around 240 sites and training locations in over 40 countries. For nearly 80 years, CAE has been at the forefront of innovation, consistently seeking to set the standard by delivering excellence in high-fidelity flight simulators and training solutions, while embedding sustainability at the heart of everything we do. By harnessing technology and enhancing human performance, we strive to be the trusted partner in advancing safety and mission readiness - today and tomorrow. Read our FY25 Global Annual Activity and Sustainability Report. CAE Contacts: General Media Samantha Golinski, Vice President, Public Affairs & Global Communications, +1 438-805-5856, [email protected] Investor Relations Andrew Arnovitz, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Enterprise Risk Management, +1-514-734-5760, [email protected] SOURCE CAE Inc. In the Palatine museum in Rome there is a collection of ancient graffiti etched on slabs of marble and limestone that once defaced the walls of palaces and public buildings across the Roman Empire. Among these is one that historians call Alexamenos graffito. It depicts a roughly drawn figure of a man with the head of an ass crucified on a cross. Next to the crucified figure is a smaller figure with one arm extended towards the former. Underneath the figures is a caption, written in equally crude letters, that reads , meaning Alexamenos worshipping his God. Carved sometime between the first and the third centuries, the figure is the earliest known pictorial representation of the crucifixion of Christ and his idolization. The graffiti was discovered on a building complex that was unearthed in 1857 on the Palatine Hill in Rome. The complex of imperial palace was once the house of Emperor Caligula before it became a boarding school for the Roman nobles messenger boys. It is believed that the graffiti was drawn during this period by a mischievous student to tease another student named Alexamenos, who was apparently a devout Christian. At that time, Christianity was roundly derided by the pagans of the Roman Empire as a strange minority religion, centered on a man punished as a criminal in one of the most humiliating form of execution. The notion of a suffering god was ridiculous to them. Equally absurd was the concept of a savior who was himself defeated by the powers of evil. Marcus Cornelius Fronto, a 2nd century Roman orator and rhetorician, asserted that the religion of the Christians is foolish, inasmuch as they worship a crucified man, and even the instrument itself of his punishment. They are said to worship the head of an ass, and even the nature of their father. The reference to donkey-worship comes from a story recounted by the Roman historian Tacitus, in which a group of Jews, expelled from Egypt, wandered through the desert, exhausted and dying of thirst, until they were led to water by a herd of wild asses. In turn, they started worshipping the animal that delivered them. The association of Jews with donkeys became a common feature of Hellenistic and Latin historical writings. Christians were mocked for worshipping a donkey head and were even accused human sacrifices. These depictions must have offended many believers, but some took them in jest. Third-century Christian author Tertullian mentions a peculiar anecdote that occurred in Carthage, where he saw an apostate Jew carry around a picture of man dressed in toga but with the head of an ass and hooves for legs. Rather than feeling insulted, Tertullian was amused at the joke and wrote that we laughed at both the label and the image. But Tertullian also defends his religion. Our god is the head of an ass, he wrote, but then he accused pagans that you in fact worship the ass in its entirety, not just the head. And then you throw in Epona, the patron saint of donkeys and all the beasts of burden, cattle, and wild animals. You even worship their stables. Perhaps this is your charge against us that in the midst of all these indiscriminate animal lovers, we save our devotion for asses alone. Aside from that one cheeky engraving, crucifixion was rarely depicted in Christian art until the 6th century. By then, the characteristic beard, shoulder-length hair and long face had become the standard. References: # Art and Theology, https://artandtheology.org/tag/alexamenos-graffito/ # Aelius Stilo, https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/gladiators/graffito.html # Judaism and Rome, http://www.judaism-and-rome.org/alexamenos-graffito # Richard W. Bulliet, Hunters, Herders, and Hamburgers Samsung might be looking to change up its face unlock technology for the Galaxy S27 Ultra in 2027. Rumors are pointing to Polar ID v1.9 in early test firmware, and other internal logs describe it as a polarized-light authentication system. Which means Samsung could be ditching the infrared hardware. This would be a pretty big pivot for Samsung with its face unlock technology, since the infrared hardware allows for a detailed 3D scan of the face, similar to Apples Face ID. It appears that this is being referenced to the front ISOCELL Vizion sensor and a new secure enclave routine labeled BIO-Fusion Core. Apparently, the new face authentication mechanism boasts an unlock latency of around 180ms and it also offers improved resistance to spoofing vs the standard face unlock that has been available on the Galaxy S series. Take this all with a grain of salt Its important to take all of this with a grain of salt, since the Galaxy S27 Ultra is still about 15 months away. And at this point in the development cycle, Samsung is still working on several prototypes of the phone, likely with different versions of face authentication. So this could end up happening, it could also end up being shelved. Most smartphone makers finish their devices about 6 months ahead of the release; hardware is usually done closer to a year before release. With other minor things being tweaked in the meantime. Of course, more secure face unlock is always welcomed, and needed. Especially if were going to use this as authentication into apps, like banking apps. While many still believe that fingerprint unlock is more secure, face unlock can be much more secure, as long as the hardware is there to make it more secure. This is why Apples Face ID uses so much hardware in the iPhone. Samsungs foldable phones are about to get a fresh coat of paint. According to a post on X by Tarun Vats, the company is already testing One UI 8.5 for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. This signals that Samsung is actively preparing the next software update for its clamshell foldable lineup. One UI 8.5 expands to Galaxy Z Flip 7 series One UI 8.5 focuses heavily on visual polish and usability improvements. Early builds suggest Samsung could be taking some inspiration from Apples Liquid Glass UI design. The update will bring smoother animations and more 3D-like icons to the interface. The quick settings panel is getting a complete redesign with fully customizable layouts. It will let users move or remove widgets, toggles, and cards freely. Another practical change involves search bars across Samsung apps. They will move to the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed use. This adjustment makes particular sense on foldables like the Flip 7, where the taller display means the reach of your thumb is limited. Users can also expect new clock styles for the lock screen and subtle Always On Display animations. Samsung will also continue refining features like the Samsung Internet browser and AI-powered tools such as Galaxy AI Now Brief. For Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Flip 7 FE owners, the update should enhance the overall foldable experience with better software optimization. The appearance of firmware for the Flip 7 FE is particularly notable since it uses the same Exynos chipset as the Galaxy S24 and S24+. Could this mean Samsungs work on One UI 8.5 for last years flagship series is also progressing according to plan? Samsung originally planned to launch a One UI 8.5 beta program in November, but those plans hit a snag. Delays to the Galaxy S26 series likely pushed that timeline back, and the beta program will probably get delayed as well. The update is now expected to arrive in early 2026, around the same time as the Galaxy S26 rollout. The rollout will likely follow Samsungs usual pattern. The Galaxy S26 series will launch with One UI 8.5 pre-installed, and then Samsung will gradually expand availability to other devices, including the Flip 7, Flip 7 FE, and Fold 7. Based on Samsungs recent track record with updates, expect the rollout to take a few weeks after the S26 launch. And since the rumors suggest the Galaxy S26 series could arrive in February 2026, expect One UI 8.5 to arrive in March for other devices. A dynamic, intelligent ecosystem that empowers financial institutions to Lend Better, Lend Faster and Lend More SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Baker Hill today announced the launch of UN/FY, its most ambitious loan origination system to date combining digital small business lending, deposit account opening and AI-driven insights into an intelligent ecosystem that enables speed, enriches trust and increases profitability for clients. Built on more than 40 years of Baker Hill innovation and powered by the Data Pond, UN/FY introduces a dynamic, data-driven architecture that continuously gathers, verifies, and enriches data from core banking systems, regulatory sources and trusted external partners in real time. The result: instant decisions, proactive risk detection and personalized experiences that make business lending faster, smarter and more human. With UN/FY, financial institutions cut underwriting time from weeks to minutes, reduce origination costs by up to 60 percent, and open new accounts instantly; creating faster growth, higher yield and deeper customer loyalty. "UN/FY isn't just a platform launch it's the evolution of Baker Hill's award-winning commercial and business LOS and the foundation for the next era of lending," said Andy Ivankovich, Chairman and CEO of Baker Hill. "With UN/FY, financial institutions can approve small business loans in seconds and open business deposit accounts instantly. It's a powerful leap forward in how financial institutions serve their clients one that unites innovation, intelligence and relationships in a way no one else is doing. And with the Data Pond, we're turning data into momentum empowering our lenders to act faster, think smarter, and build stronger connections." Unlike traditional systems that move in slow, linear steps, UN/FY acts dynamically, prepopulating applications, verifying documents instantly and continuously evaluating risk. Its Mission Control dashboard gives bankers a full view of customer relationships and engagement, while AI-driven CRM tools surface real-time insights that enable more proactive service and faster decision-making. UN/FY transforms the lending journey into a guided, transparent experience one that keeps bankers and borrowers aligned every step of the way. Each stage, from business development through closing, is connected in real time and intelligently configured by AI to adapt to each institution's unique workflows and policies. The result is a process that feels simpler, smarter and more collaborative strengthening client relationships and building confidence on both sides of the transaction. For existing Baker Hill NextGen clients, the move to UN/FY is a natural evolution not a replacement. The platform builds on their trusted LOS foundation while unlocking new levels of scalability, intelligence, and automation through Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB and Microsoft Fabric, ensuring real-time performance and continuous innovation without disruption. As part of this evolution, Baker Hill will retire the NextGen name in 2026, bringing the LOS suite under the UN/FY brand to better reflect the platform's expanded capabilities and future vision. "We designed UN/FY to enhance and integrate seamlessly with our clients' core capabilities," said Joe Pavlik, SVP of Product Management. "It's not just about digitizing lending it's about enabling financial institutions to lend better, lend faster and lend more, while preserving what matters most: trusted customer relationships." The launch also marks the opening of Baker Hill's Innovation Center in Santa Barbara, California, developed in partnership with Montecito Bank & Trust a collaboration between two leaders committed to advancing the future of community-focused banking. They piloted key elements of UN/FY, including its digital small business lending and business deposit account opening capabilities, designed to enhance both banker efficiency and customer experience demonstrating how innovation and relationships move banking forward. From faster lending cycles to lower origination costs, UN/FY enables financial institutions to scale performance without sacrificing connection proving that efficiency and empathy can thrive together. The debut of UN/FY marks a defining moment for Baker Hill and its clients a shift from static systems to a living, learning platform that evolves with the speed of modern banking and the people it serves. To learn more about UN/FY and the future of relational lending, visit http://www.bakerhill.com/unify or attend the annual Baker Hill R/SE Conference, May 3 6, 2026 in San Antonio, to experience UN/FY in action. About Baker Hill Baker Hill is the leading provider of lending technology for banks and credit unions across the United States. Each month, financial institutions use Baker Hill's platform to process more than $7 billion in lending originations helping them lend better, lend faster, and lend more in their communities. Backed by Flexpoint Ford, a private equity firm, Baker Hill delivers the scale, security and innovation required to meet the demands of modern banking. The company is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana, with operations in Santa Barbara, California. For more information, visit www.bakerhill.com. SOURCE Baker Hill The Algerian sex offender accidentally released from HMP Wandsworth has been arrested. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, was arrested near Capital City College on Blackstock Road in Islington, north London, the Metropolitan Police said. A huge manhunt was launched for him after the Met were alerted on Tuesday he had been wrongly released from the south London jail six days earlier. A TV crew witnessed the dramatic moment he was detained just before 11.30am on Friday. In dramatic footage, Sky News reporter Tom Parmenter confronts Kaddour-Cherif who does not initially confirm his identity but says: Everyone knows him, hes news. He denies being the escapee as an officer handcuffs him but later admits who he is, saying: Its not my f***ing fault. Footage shows a policeman tell him he looks identical to Kaddour-Cherif as reinforcements arrive on the scene. BREAKING: Exclusive Sky News footage shows Algerian sex offender, Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, being arrested after he was mistakenly released from prison. Warning: This video contains swearing.https://t.co/m8pyR8BfvB Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/z0CUzrButY Sky News (@SkyNews) November 7, 2025 The Algerian is seen shouting to people standing in the street. An officer then holds up a photo of Kaddour-Cherif on a phone, comparing the image to the man arrested. Finally, Kaddour-Cherif confirms the mix-up at the prison was the fault of the authorities. Asked by Parmenter why he didnt had himself in, he yelled: Do your job, do your job! The justice in the UK You release people by mistake. Its not my f***ing fault. The judge, he told me you are released on bail. Thats it. You destroy your life. Its not my fault. I was in jail. They released me illegally. The fugitive had been spotted by a member of the public and the force said on X, formerly Twitter: Officers responded immediately and he was arrested. A Met Police spokesman added: His identity was confirmed and he was arrested for being unlawfully at large. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif blames justice system for mix-up (Sky News) He was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker in relation to a previous incident. He has been taken into police custody. The Prison Service has been informed. Kaddour-Cherif was accidentally freed from HMP Wandsworth in London on October 29, but police were only informed of the mistake on Tuesday, prompting the search. He was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal, but had previously been convicted for indecent exposure. Another prisoner, Billy Smith, 35, who was also accidentally freed from the same prison on Monday, has handed himself back in. The mistaken releases have brought fresh pressure on Justice Secretary David Lammy, following the high-profile jail blunder of Hadush Kebatu, the now-deported migrant at the heart of protests in Epping, Essex. Stronger security checks were announced for prisons and an independent investigation was launched into releases in error after Kebatu was accidentally freed on October 24, prompting a three-day manhunt. The Ethiopian national had been jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, but was freed by mistake instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre. He was later traced and deported. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif blames justice system for his release (Sky News) But Lammy, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, has faced criticism over his handling of the latest release in error after he repeatedly refused to confirm at Prime Ministers Questions whether any more asylum seekers had been wrongly released since Kebatu. Lammy said he found out about the mistake on Wednesday morning, but the detail was released just after he had finished PMQs. It is understood Kaddour-Cherif is not an asylum seeker, but is in the process of being deported after he overstayed his visa. Lammy said on Thursday that engineers, analysts and designers will be sent into prisons within 48 hours to roll out technology aimed at reducing human error and modernising the paper-based processes that have led to mistaken releases. He announced the new measures after meeting with 11 prison governors at the groundbreaking of a new prison in Gartree, Leicestershire. Kaddour-Cherif is a registered sex offender who was convicted of indecent exposure in November last year, following an incident in March. At the time, he was given a community order and placed on the sex offenders register for five years. He was then subsequently jailed for possessing a knife in June. Mr Lammy said: I can confirm Brahim Kaddour-Cherif has been recaptured and is back in custody. My thanks are with the police and staff at HMPPS who have been working around the clock. We inherited a prison system in crisis and Im appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing. Im determined to grip this problem, but there is a mountain to climb which cannot be done overnight. That is why I have ordered new tough release checks, commissioned an independent investigation into systemic failures, and begun overhauling archaic paper-based systems still used in some prisons. At a glance Anti-black racism is baked into the Metropolitan Police, a landmark report has warned despite efforts to stamp out prejudice in the force The review highlights how darker-skinned officers and civilians face stereotypes that lead to disproportionate policing, harsher treatment, and exclusion masked as professionalism Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said Dr Daniels evidence is powerful and he recognised the scale of the challenges set out Anti-black racism is baked into the Metropolitan Police, a landmark report warns as it says discrimination is thriving despite senior officers intent and PR rebrands. Darker-skinned staff are often cast as risky, ungrateful, angry or in need of support whereas lighter-skinned employees - unconsciously perceived as trustworthy and approachable - receive quicker empathy and leniency, the report found. Author Shereen Daniels says Scotland Yards HR systems, leadership, governance and culture is biased towards unspoken norms of who is welcomed, promoted, and protected, so-called whiteness. It rewards those who align with dominant values and punishes those who challenge or differ from them, allowing exclusion to be framed as professionalism. The situation is no better for black and ethnic minority Londoners who encounter police in the street, she adds. They are more likely to be read as suspicious, non-compliant or aggressive with greater use of force deployed against them because darker complexions trigger unconscious associations with danger, it is said. Heavier policing in working-class areas reinforces stereotypes of disorder, Dr Daniels adds her review called 30 Patterns Of Harm: A Structural Review Of Systemic Racism Within The London Metropolitan Police Service. Baroness Doreen Lawrence, whose 18-year-old son Stephen was killed in a racist attack (ES Composite) For blacks that means the type of car driven, particularly if expensive or sporty, combined with casual clothing, can prompt assumptions of criminality rather than success. The Met said it welcomed in full the report which draws on more than 40 years of evidence showing how racism has shaped the forces relationship with black communities, officers and staff. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said Dr Daniels evidence is powerful and he recognised the scale of the challenges set out. The latest examination of the force, commissioned from the consultancy HR Rewired, comes after Baroness Louise Caseys 2023 review following Sarah Everards murder, found the Met institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic. Dr Daniels makes a point of highlighting reviews dating back to 1981s Scarman Report in a section titled four decades of warning. The MacPherson report in 1999 labelled the Yard institutionally racist after the bungled investigation into student Stephen Lawrences murder was mired in allegations of corruption. Dr Daniels said: Systemic racism is not a matter of perception. For almost 50 years, reviews of the Metropolitan Police have documented the harm experienced by black Londoners, officers and staff. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley with officers in Sutton (Metropolitan Police/PA Wire) True accountability begins with specificity. When institutions speak in broad terms of ethnic minorities or diversity, those most harmed disappear from view. This work begins where harm is sharpest, because that is where structural change must start. Anti-blackness is the clearest indicator of organisational dysfunction. The same systems that sustain racial harm against black people also enable other forms of harm. Confronting this is not an act of exclusion but a necessary foundation for safety, fairness and justice for everyone. For the Met, the challenge ahead is to build the leadership discipline to face what the report has revealed and act on its findings in a way that protects the public rather than the institution. Sir Mark said further systemic, structural, cultural change is needed, adding: I asked for a review focused on the Met and black communities which challenges us to go further in becoming an actively anti-racist organisation. London is a unique global city, and the Met will only truly deliver policing by consent when it is inclusive and anti-racist. Initiatives like New Met for London and the London Race Action Plan are helping us make progress. The level of trust in the Met that black Londoners report is improving by 10 per cent in two years but still lags behind others. We remain committed to listening, learning, and acting on their concerns. Working with black communities and colleagues whose experiences are reflected in Dr Daniels report, we will be applying the same resolve to go after the patterns of discrimination that show up in our operational work, and within the organisation by identifying and addressing their root causes. Mr Lawrences mother welcomed the new report, but said it contained nothing that I did not already know. Baroness Doreen Lawrence, whose 18-year-old son was killed in a racist attack in south east London in 1993, continued: Racism was the reason why Stephen was killed and racism was the reason why the police have failed to find all of his killers. Racism must be acknowledged, accepted and confronted in the Met. In the three decades since my sons murder there has never been an honest acceptance of racism and how it has affected how our communities are treated. The police must stop telling us that change is coming whilst we continue to suffer. That change must take place now. Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, said: Dr Daniels report confirms what black officers and communities have said for decades racism in the Met is not an isolated failing, its built into the system. Despite promises of reform, weve seen regression, not progress. The London Race Action Plan has failed, and the New Met for London strategy is simply not strong enough to dismantle the structures that keep racism alive. Our members continue to face hostility and harm for speaking out, and the Commissioner has surrounded himself with people who tell him what he wants to hear. The Met must stop managing its reputation and start repairing the damage. Real accountability means listening to those most affected and working with the Met Black Police Association, NBPA and Mayors Office for Policing and Crime to deliver genuine anti-racist reform. Last month a BBC Panorama journalist covertly filmed officers at Charing Cross Police Station revelling in the use of force, calling for immigrants to be shot and being dismissive of rape claims. Luke Jerram, now 50, says he is starting to think about legacy projects. Theres something quite nice about projecting yourself into a future, he adds. Photograph: Alexander Turner/The Guardian Luke Jerram, whose art installations have travelled the world, is philosophical about his latest project bearing fruit beyond his time on Earth. Known for his Play Me Im Yours street pianos project and his Museum of the Moon artwork a seven-metre diameter sculpture of the moon featuring detailed Nasa imagery of the lunar surface Jerram is now working on Echo Wood, a living, breathing installation made of native British trees. Planted this winter in Somersets Chew Valley, in collaboration with the charity Avon Needs Trees, the 365 trees crabapple, hawthorn and oak will slowly grow into a vast 110-metre-wide design and will take a century to fully emerge, long after Jerram is gone. In 50 to 100 years Im not going to be here, Jerram, 50, says next to a scale model of the project in his studio in Bristol. Im at a stage in my career when Im starting to look forward, Im not looking back. Im 50, it might be a midlife crisis. Im up to 900 exhibitions now. Forty countries around the world and the artworks are in about 80 museums. So you suddenly start thinking about legacy projects and the fact that I cant keep these levels of energy up. I suppose theres something quite nice about projecting yourself into a future, which is quite exciting. The living sculpture will form part of Lower Chew Forest, which at 422 acres and 100,000 trees, will be one of the biggest new woodlands in England when completed. Pathways and avenues, blossoming at different times of year, will be created to guide visitors to Echo Wood on a journey through the forest towards a central circular gathering space, formed from 12 English oak trees. As with many of his projects, Jerram wants this central space to foster creativity. It will form an event space. It can be used for weddings or educational activities, music, poetry, you name it, he says. Jerrams other works, which often touch on themes of nature and the climate emergency, include: Gaia, a seven-metre diameter sculpture of the Earth using Nasa imagery; Helios, a sculpture of the Sun using detailed solar imagery to recreate its surface; and Tipping Point, a simulated forest fire combining smoke, lights and sound. Echo Wood is perhaps the closest representation of those themes, a symbol of the fight against climate change. This is a way to physically do something about it. Using creativity to inspire the general public, but also to help use trees to raise a bit of money and create a legacy, Jerram says. What art can do is communicate messages in a different language that can then reach people in a slightly different way. Im often collaborating with scientists, but also charities on how to communicate their ideas. Despite the concerning lack of progress in tackling the climate crisis, Jerram says he is always hopeful despite finding the breaching of tipping points frightening. Theres this lovely comic illustration of a doctor with a slightly ill looking Earth in front of them on the doctors chair, Jerram says. The Earth is saying: Im afraid weve got a nasty infection of humans at the moment. The doctor says: Dont worry, itll soon pass. Were just the latest invasive species. The wood from his latest artwork will ultimately be sustainably harvested and used for educational and creative projects, before the trees are replanted to then continue the cycle of life. I like the idea of what can you then do with the wood turn the oak into playground equipment for the schools in the city, or create a boat, or musical instruments for kids in the city, Jerram says. Companies and individuals are able to sponsor individual trees to raise money for Avon Needs Trees, which has a number of tree-planting projects across the region. Stood in the heart of a brand new forest, Echo Wood is a symbol of optimism to us and future generations that with some thought, creativity and determination we can meet the climate and nature crises were facing, Dave Wood, the chief executive of Avon Needs Trees, says. Not quite a message in a bottle but a message in wood, water and sunlight. We want as many people as possible to be thinking about creative ways to meet the climate and nature crises were facing. By working with Luke, were able to engage a whole new set of people who otherwise might not make the journey out into the countryside to see the work were doing to increase woodland cover in a severely deforested part of the country. Faith and Tom are so relieved their baby arrived happy and healthy (Collect/PA Real Life) (Collect/PA Real Life) Parents in County Durham are expressing immense relief after their son arrived "happy and healthy", despite the harrowing discovery during pregnancy that his hand had been "severed" in the womb. Tom Noble, 30, a business development manager, and Faith Richmond, 33, a hairdresser, from Middleton St George, were initially "overjoyed" in August 2024 upon learning they were expecting, with early scans indicating "everything was fine". However, a private gender scan at 15 weeks delivered devastating news: their baby boy was "missing his left hand". Further tests confirmed a diagnosis of amniotic band syndrome, an extremely rare condition. The NHS said this can occur when a baby kicks through the amniotic sac early in development, causing a band of tissue to form inside the womb, which the baby then gets caught up in. Doctors informed Mr Noble and Ms Richmond that such a band had "severed" their babys left hand from the mid-forearm down. Baby Ezra in the womb Following months of weekly monitoring scans to track his development, baby Ezra was safely born in April 2025. His parents are now "so relieved" and resolute that "nothing will ever hold him back". In September 2025, Mr Noble completed the Great North Run to raise awareness about the condition and raised more than 3,500 for Tommys, the UKs leading pregnancy research charity. Were just so relieved that hes OK and he was born happy and healthyhe could have had it so much worse, and hes not going to struggle in life, hell find his own little way, Mr Noble said. His arm could make him an easy target when he is older, but by then he might have some kind of bionic arm that all the other kids are fascinated with! We dont want his arm to stop him from doing anything or achieving anything, and Im sure it wont. Baby Ezra is happy and healthy (Collect/PA Real Life) Ms Richmond said getting the news their babys hand was missing was a massive shock, like an out-of-body experience. Doctors explained that a band had severed his left hand from the mid-forearm and that he would not have felt any pain, as his pain receptors had not developed yet. After that, they had to go to hospital for scans every week. Ms Richmond said she managed to relax a little more after the 28-week mark and had such a sense of relief, as she was told the chance of survival was higher if they made it past that point. Ezra was nearly delivered at 30 weeks because a band had wrapped around his feet. Tom Noble, Faith Richmond and their baby Ezra (Collect/PA Real Life) Mr Noble explained: The band was getting close to his face but he managed to untangle himself in the time it took for our doctors to consult another doctor. Luckily for us, he was an active baby. Ms Richmond was induced at 37 weeks, on 11 April. It was gorgeous, I loved it he had jaundice and needed some incubation treatment, but other than that he was brilliant, she said. Ezras parents now take him for an appointment every three months at The James Cook University Hospital to monitor his progress. Ezra has checks every three months (Collect/PA Real Life) He gets X-rays, and they check his back muscles because hes got two loose bones near his elbow, Ms Richmond explained. Everything has been fine so far we keep an eye on him to see if there is an infection where his fingers would be. Ezra is also on the list for prosthetics, and he has weekly swimming lessons, with Ms Richmond saying nothing can stop him. In September 2025, Mr Noble ran the Great North Run for Tommys in around one hour and 50 minutes, and raised more than 3,500. He said: I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well. I really committed to the training, but when I actually got there, on the track, I just didnt care I wanted to run my own race and try to enjoy it and the atmosphere. Ms Richmond says she hasnt been put off having more children (Collect/PA Real Life) He said he just wanted to raise money for Tommys and awareness about the condition. We also wanted to shout out another charity called LimbBo they do pop-ups around the country for children and parents and itd be nice to support them in the future. Looking back on her experiences, Ms Richmond said: It hasnt put me off having more children at all I think if we have more kids, it might make me realise how hard this pregnancy was. To donate to Toms fundraiser, visit: www.justgiving.com/page/thomas-noble-1. A cleaning woman was shot through a door and died in her husbands arms after arriving at the wrong house by mistake, police have said. Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a 32-year-old mother of four, had tried to open the door of the property in Whiteshead, Indiana, using her keys when she was shot in the head, her brother told NBC News. Officers from the Whiteshead Police Department responded Wednesday morning at just before 7 a.m. to reports of a possible residential entry in progress. Upon arrival, officers found an adult female, later identified as Perez, with a gunshot wound and her husband on the front porch of the residence. She was moved to a safe area but was later pronounced dead at the scene. WPD later determined that the pair were members of a cleaning crew who had mistakenly arrived at the wrong address for work. The loss of life is always a profound tragedy, and our hearts and prayers go out to all those affected, the force said in a statement. WMPD is committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation. Our detectives are interviewing all individuals involved, and our Crime Scene Investigators are meticulously collecting and analyzing all relevant evidence to understand the full scope of what occurred. Maria Florinda Rios Perez, a 32-year-old mother of four, had tried to open the door of the property in Whiteshead, Indiana, using her keys when she was shot in the head, her brother said (WTHR) Perezs brother, Rudy Rios, 22, said after being shot, his sister fell into the arms of her husband. Its so unjust. She was only trying to bring home the daily bread to support her family, Rios told NBC News in Spanish. She accidentally went to the wrong house, but he shouldnt have taken her life. She wasnt threatening, she had nothing in her hands, only those keys. Indiana has relatively strong "Stand Your Ground" laws, which protect homeowners by allowing them to defend their residences against perceived threats. "When it comes to a dwelling, individuals can use reasonable force, including deadly force, against another person," Boone County prosecutor Kent Eastwood told NBC News. "They have no duty to retreat, that's in the law. That person who uses that force has to reasonably believe that the force is necessary to prevent or terminate an unlawful entry or attack on the person's dwelling." However, Rios said he and his family want the person responsible for Perezs death to be brought to justice, adding that he believed his sister had been killed during a time when anti-immigrant sentiment is rising. She had no bad intentions, he said. Investigations into the complex incident are ongoing, WPD said, adding that the next official update was likely to come next week. We understand that incidents like this can cause concern and speculation, the department said. We respectfully ask the public to place their trust in the investigative process and refrain from sharing unverified information. These cases are often complex and require time to fully understand. Misinformation can be harmful to those involved and to the integrity of the investigation. Detail of Debutante of the Year, at Home, Boston, Mass, 1966. Photograph: The Estate of Diane Arbus In 1971, at the age of 48, the American photographer Diane Arbus killed herself. Someone should have seen the clues, for her photography is not so much tragic as utterly alienated from the human species. Here is a woman nursing her baby, a modern Madonna except the womans limbs are as thin as an addicts, her face wizened and the infant resting in her arms, dressed in baby clothes, is a monkey. Just to make clear that this is an absurd, miserable travesty of Madonnas and motherhood Arbus captioned it: A woman with her baby monkey, NJ, 1971. It is an utterly pitiable image of desperation, of someone trying to make sense of a life that cant be made sense of. And the despair mirrors that of Arbus herself. You might want to see her many images of gender-blurring positively. Theres a photograph called Transvestite at Her Birthday Party, NYC 1969: she lies on her bed laughing, double chinned and gap-toothed in a blond wig, in a shabby hotel room with balloons. But Arbus actually said how macabre and pathetic she found the occasion: She called me up and said it was her birthday party and would I come and I said, How terrific. It was a hotel on Broadway and 100th Street Ive been in some pretty awful places but the lobby was really like hades. The elevator was broken so Arbus walked up to the fourth floor. You had to step over about three or four people every flight. And then I came into her room. The birthday party was me and her, a whore friend of hers and her pimp, and the cake. It wasnt that Arbus did not like or admire her friend. But she saw how impoverished and lonely her life was and ruthlessly photographed that sad truth as she saw it, not her little moments of victory. Arbus portrayed her as a freak because she saw everyone that interested her as a freak (a word she used). Theres even a portrait of a baby here that manages to be pessimistic and hopeless, seeing a fleshy mess of potential flaws in that unformed face a born freak. When Arbus was catapulted to artistic stardom by a posthumous exhibition at New Yorks Museum of Modern Art in 1972, the cultural critic Susan Sontag took exception. She wrote a brilliant essay condemning Arbus for dwelling on misery and ugliness, rejecting her work as anti-humanist. Sontag was right about the morality of these photographs. But I dont agree that art has to be humane. It just has to have a strong, memorable vision. If Arbus is a bad artist so are Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol, Lucian Freud and Velazquez, all of whom share her disenchanted eye. To be a horrible, mean, depressive person and communicate that in your art is not failure if the art is as haunting and unforgettable as that of Arbus. The scary reason she is so good is because her eye is true. As it happens, I have met two of the people in this show and see their real faces in memory from her shots. Norman Mailer I spoke to in an awful first term at university when I blundered into an after-event gathering: I cant remember what we talked about but I remember how kind he was. He twinkles for Arbus, too. As for Gerard Malanga, whom I met much later, she captures the sultry splendour of the Velvet Undergrounds whip dancer in his youthful glory. I believe these pictures. Arbus can see beauty. She finds no flaw in Marcello Mastroianni resting on his bed in a hotel room. Nor does her near-naked Mia Farrow look anything but immaculate. But these are not her best work they are celebrity pics that a thousand snappers could take. Its when Arbus photographs the rest of us, the ones the camera does not love, that she can do what very few photographers achieve and reveal a personal vision of life, albeit a grotesquely bleak one. Behold the little man in the arms of his tall dominatrix, embracing perhaps the only person who brings happiness into his life, when she cracks the whip and cures his heart. Feast your eyes on the nudist family, with a teenaged daughter obliged to share her parents lifestyle. And theres age, of course. The cruellest photographs here are of wealthy old widows, evidently sought out by Arbus as keenly as the nudists. She homes in on dry mummified skin under the jewellery. Mrs T Charlton Henry, portrayed in 1965, looks literally dead as she sits in a dress with a skeletal wrist and hand on her armchair. I dare you to find a positive in that. Arbus did have a sensual eye for beauty, but it is ugliness she finds all around her, and it scratches at her soul. She sees every blemish, every bad haircut and decaying face. She sees the monkeys little hand touching its mother in a final gut-wrenching detail of twisted love. What a monster, what a genius. Diane Arbus: Sanctum Sanctorum is at David Zwirner, London, until 20 December Montassib drops down in grade with lot of things right for him in the Virgin Bet Supports Safe Gambling Wentworth Stakes, bidding to land a timely end-of-season blow at Doncaster. William Haggas speedster has a great record on Town Moor and won the Cammidge Trophy over the course and distance at the beginning of last season before going on to scoop Group One honours later in the campaign. He may be without usual pilot Cieren Fallon who is sure to be watching on alongside Haggas from Australia but the Sommerville Lodge handler has confidence he can make up for lost time in what has been an interrupted season in a race he sets an obvious standard. Its his ground and hes a winner at Doncaster, so there are a lot of things right for him on Saturday, said Haggas. The only thing not right for him is Cieren is in Sydney and not able to ride him and its his ride, but James (Doyle) is a more than able deputy and I would be very hopeful. I hope hes still in good order as hes only had the two starts this season. He had a setback in the spring which is why hes been so late coming out. He had a nice prep at Newbury and ran well and then Ascot on Champions Day wasnt really that soft enough for him, but hopefully conditions will be right at Doncaster. Karl Burkes Spycatcher is another who enjoys his visits to the South Yorkshire track and in fact won this years running of the Cammidge on the opening day of the Flat turf season. It would be fitting if he could cap another profitable campaign back at Doncaster having bolted up at Chantilly in a Group Three most recently, with connections keen to take advantage of the ground in this end-of-term fixture. Hes really well and has come out of the French race in great form, said Burke. I know hes got the penalty to give away, but he loves that heavy ground and who knows what it will be like in the spring if we put him away. Its more the ground than anything. It wont be an easy task with the penalty, but its such an advantage if you have a horse who goes on that ground. This will be his last run (of the year) and if he runs up to the French form he should very go close. Peter Charalambous and James Clutterbucks Apollo One was second in the Portland at the track on St Leger day before going close again at Ascot in the Bengough Stakes. Like Montassib, Tim Easterbys Art Power would have found conditions on the quick side on British Champions Day but should be more at home with ease in the ground, while Ed Walkers Balmoral Lady has somewhat disappointed since winning the Achilles Stakes in May, but was second in this last year. LA fraudsters living like kings by scamming the IDs of foreign celebrities and academics, cyber experts say Scammers are using identity data to impersonate foreign celebrities, athletes, and academics and apply for credit in the U.S., according to experts. The fraudsters are doing it to make millions of dollars, live in nice houses, all at the expense of taxpayers, Sgt. Frank Diana of the L.A. County Sheriffs Department Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau told The Los Angeles Times. Its not their money, but theyre living like kings. The tactic was uncovered by David Main, a Georgia State University criminology professor and head of fraud insights at SentiLink, a company that stops identity fraud for financial institutions. They were initially examining applications for credit from celebrities, who it was presumed were being impersonated. During their investigations, they happened upon hundreds of credit applications that could be traced back to a handful of similar California addresses and areas in September. Maimon told The Times that the scammers were also using the Social Security numbers of foreign scholars, who came to the U.S. for work in roles in academia, such as teaching professors or visiting lecturers. Organized criminals appear to be impersonating the identities of foreign celebrities and academics to commit financial fraud in the U.S., with many false applications for credit being made in the Los Angeles area (Getty Images) The scholars were no longer living in the U.S., but their information is still available in various online databases, which have been found and used by hackers. Personal information came from visitors who had arrived as far back as 1977 and left as recently as 2024, Maimon added. If the academics were to return for work, they would find piles of credit card debt and scores that would make it impossible for them to find work or housing. Fraudulent applications came from addresses in key areas of Los Angeles: Van Nuys, North Hollywood, Toluca Lake, Glendale and Thai Town. Maimon told The Times that the scammers have chosen places they have access to to pick up mail, credit cards and other documents. The addresses also fall in the Burbank and Glendale area, which authorities say is the home of Armenian Power, an organized crime group known for carrying out sophisticated financial crimes. Maimon noted that about half of the scholars who were defrauded are from Turkey, a historical rival of Armenia. They [Armenian Power] have been involved in identity theft and white-collar crime for the last 15 years or so, Maimon told The Times. It leads us to believe that these guys are essentially stealing all these identities and using them in order to create all those bank accounts and credit lines. Diana said he did not know for certain if Armenian Power was behind the specific fraudulent applications, but said the groups are responsible for a large amount of financial crime in L.A. County. We run into a lot of sophisticated Armenian crime groups that are experts on identity theft, he said. Thats what they do for a living and [they] make a lot of money. The Independent has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department, Burbank Police Department, and Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office for further information about the cases and possible investigations. Maimon told The Times that he has not provided information to the authorities out of fear of potential repercussions from criminal organizations involved, but has contacted the affected financial institutions. Sir Keir Starmers party records just 15 per cent in an opinion poll - PA Labour has fallen to fourth in a new opinion poll, putting the party on track for its worst election result in more than a century. Support for Sir Keir Starmers party in the poll of 2,717 adults has slumped to 15 per cent behind Reform UK, the Greens and the Conservatives. It is the latest in a string of polls which have put Labour behind the Greens since Zack Polanski was elected leader of that party in September. Last week, the Greens overtook Labour for the first time in a survey by the same company, which placed it on 17 per cent, a point ahead of Sir Keir and Mrs Badenochs parties, which were tied on 16 per cent each. Modelling by Find Out Now predicts Nigel Farage would enter No 10 if the poll were replicated at a general election. Find Out Now voting intention: Reform UK: 33% (+1) Greens: 18% (+1) Conservatives: 16% (-) Labour: 15% (-1) Lib Dems: 11% (-1) Changes from 29th October [Find Out Now, 5-6th November, N=2,717] pic.twitter.com/ta3zJOROBz Find Out Now (@FindoutnowUK) November 6, 2025 Reform UK would win 386 seats under the scenario, enough to give it an overall majority. Meanwhile, the Greens would win 55 seats in cities and university towns, including Emily Thornberrys seat of Islington South and Finsbury and former transport secretary Louise Haighs Sheffield Heeley constituency. The Liberal Democrats would win 73 seats and become the official opposition to Mr Farage, while the SNP would win 46 seats. Labour would be relegated to the fourth-largest party in the Commons with just 25 seats, while the Conservatives would win just 17 seats in a total collapse for the traditional parties of government. The Greens Mr Polanski, a self-professed eco-populist, is a former hypnotherapist who claimed women could increase their breast size with their minds. He won the ballot of party members after seeing off a joint leadership bid from Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns. Earlier this week, he defended his partys proposals for a wealth tax. Speaking on BBCs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Polanski said: Whatever youre going to create from a wealth tax, its ultimately about reducing inequality. This isnt about creating public investment. We can do that anyway, we dont need to tax the wealthy to do that. This is ultimately about tackling the deep inequality in our society. The new grants aim to accelerate innovative research addressing inequities in cancer care and outcomes. BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Binaytara is excited to announce competitive Implementation Science Research Grants of $25,000 each to support innovative projects that will make a real difference in how we deliver cancer care and improve patient outcomes. This grant is eligible only to current hematology/oncology fellows or early-career researchers who have an abstract accepted for presentation at the Summit on Cancer Health Disparities 2026, Binaytara's flagship continuing medical education conference. These grants support the development of bold, practice-changing research that reduces cancer disparities. Hematologist/Oncology fellows and early-career professionals will not only have the chance to spotlight their research in this live competition at SCHD26, but also hone their communication skills in the process. The Impact Pitch Competition The winners will be selected through our Impact Pitch, a Shark Tankstyle competition that will redefine how we fund innovative cancer research. Reviewers will evaluate each proposal, and the audience will vote to select the winning projects that receive Binaytara Implementation Science Research Grants. This is not a traditional grant application process. It is engaging, it is competitive, and it puts early-career cancer researchers in the spotlight to showcase their most innovative research ideas for improving cancer care and delivery. The competition invites visionary early-career investigators who are ready to challenge conventional thinking and design practical, scalable solutions for cancer care delivery. If that sounds like you, we cannot wait to see you on the SCHD26 stage. This initiative is part of Binaytara's broader mission to minimize cancer disparities and aligns with our upcoming flagship continuing medical education conference, the Summit on Cancer Health Disparities (SCHD). SCHD26: Uniting Oncologists to Transform Cancer Health Disparities SCHD is a leading national oncology conference dedicated to advancing health equity in cancer care. Held on March 27-28, 2026, in Bellevue, Washington, this CME/CE/ACPE-accredited cancer conference brings together oncologists and healthcare providers from diverse clinical settings to address persistent cancer disparities affecting the underserved population. Dr. David Aboulafia (Virginia Mason Medical Center) and Dr. Ana Maria Lopez (Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center), recognized leaders in oncology and cancer health disparities research, are set to chair SCHD26, bringing a wealth of expertise and innovative vision to the conference. Why This Matters: A Message from the SCHD26 Chairs "Binaytara is at the forefront of examining and addressing disparities in cancer care across the globe," said Dr. Martha Pritchett Mims, professor of hematology & oncology at Baylor College of Medicine, and co-chair of the SCHD26 Abstract Committee for Binaytara. "These implementation science grants are the next step in supporting these efforts and represent a real commitment to moving the needle in cancer care." "To address disparities in cancer care, effective programs must build on successful implementation," said Dr. Don S. Dizon, Service Line Chief of Hematology and Oncology and the Jane F. Desforges, M.D., Chair in Hematology and Oncology at Tufts University School of Medicine, and co-chair of the SCHD26 Abstract Committee for Binaytara. "This requires intentional, evidence-based efforts in strategic planning and analysis. However, funding for these early efforts is often lacking. Binaytara aims to address this need by encouraging early-career scientists to explore and develop in this field. By providing resources and support, the foundation hopes to foster innovation and progress in cancer care, ultimately leading to more equitable treatment outcomes for patients." "Binaytara is focused on achieving equitable cancer care for all, including the most marginalized populations," said Dr. David Aboulafia, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Washington and attending hematologist at Virginia Mason, Chair of the Binaytara Board of Directors, and Co-Chair of SCHD26. "We are fostering the next generation of leaders by offering competitive Implementation Science Research Grants, each for $25,000, to support novel projects that advance equitable cancer care delivery and outcomes. This is a wonderful opportunity to help launch the next phase of your career." "The Impact Pitch is a fast-paced, high-energy, and inspiring way to celebrate and invest in the next generation of innovators transforming cancer care," says Dr. Binay Shah, co-founder and president of Binaytara. "The Impact Pitch is where science meets showtime because it gives researchers a chance to present their research project live on stage to an audience who will be voting for the grant winners." Ready to make your pitch? Start by submitting your abstract to the Summit on Cancer Health Disparities 2026. The deadline for abstract submission is December 15, 2025. For more information on grant proposal guidelines and abstract submission, visit the Binaytara Research Grants page. About Binaytara: Binaytara is a leader in global oncology dedicated to eliminating cancer disparities worldwide. As the largest organizer of hematology/oncology conferences in the United States, Binaytara educates thousands of oncology and hematology practitioners in staying current on cutting-edge treatments for their patients. Binaytara's impact extends globally, partnering with local health organizations and governments to establish cancer care centers, improve healthcare access and outcomes through advocacy, foster innovative research in implementation science, and strengthen continuing education programs. Website: Binaytara.org X: @Binaytara Instagram: @Binaytara LinkedIn: Binaytara SOURCE Binaytara Lando Norris delivered under intense pressure to take pole position for Saturdays sprint race at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Norris, who reclaimed the world championship lead with a statement win in Mexico a fortnight ago, will have a golden opportunity to further extend his advantage with both of his title rivals behind him on the grid for Saturdays 24-lap dash to the chequered flag in Interlagos. Oscar Piastri, just one point adrift of Norris with 114 points still to play for across the remaining four contests, is third on the grid. Max Verstappen, 36 points behind Norris, is only sixth as he complained his Red Bull was completely broken and just undriveable. Amongst the championship contenders, Kimi Antonelli qualified second, with George Russell fourth in the other Mercedes. Fernando Alonso is a place ahead of Verstappen in fifth. Norris finished 0.097 seconds clear of Antonelli with Piastri 0.185 sec off the pace. Verstappen was a third-of-a-second down. It was a little bit tougher than I would have liked, said Norris. We did the job we needed to do which was to be fastest today. I have not been feeling as comfortable as I did in Mexico so far, so it is a great result. Norris sits one point ahead of McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri (Ettore Chiereguini/AP) Norris saw off his adversaries under blue skies, but rain is set to disrupt Saturdays schedule. The sprint race is due to start at 11:00 (14:00 GMT) prior to qualifying for Sundays main event later in the day. Norris continued: Well wait and see what tomorrows going to do. Its meant to rain a lot in the morning, its meant to be incredibly windy, so make sure everyone brings their rain jackets. But no point worrying about anything for now. Im happy with today. It was difficult. It was a good job. I put things together. Now, the focus will switch to tomorrow. Hamilton, who idolised Ayrton Senna, enjoys huge support in the Brazilians homeland. But his fans had little to cheer about after seeing their man eliminated in Q2. Hamilton, whose wait for a first podium in Ferrari colours has extended into his 21st appearance for the Scuderia, will start the sprint from 11th. YES KIMINHO!!! Vamos la! Starting P2 for the Sprint pic.twitter.com/nyuTPO8XL6 Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 7, 2025 The seven-time world champion started his final run in the drop zone and was not helped when team-mate Charles Leclerc spun in the closing stages of the lap. He did not improve and was left shaking his head as he trundled back to the pits. P11 and box, Hamiltons race engineer, Riccardo Adami said. Yeah, every time, mate, came the disillusioned response from the 40-year-old. Despite his spin, Leclerc was able to progress to the concluding phase of qualifying and will line up three places ahead of Hamilton. Hamiltons day was at risk of getting even worse with the stewards investigating a yellow-flag infringement. However, following the probe, Hamilton escaped with only a reprimand. 'Breakfast' the pig, potentially owned by a Buffalo police officer, allegedly attacked a woman Thursday in the Hamlin Park Historic District (7 News) Breakfast is on the go in Buffalo. A pig named Breakfast terrorized the Hamlin Park Historic District neighborhood Thursday, allegedly knocking down a woman during a wild goose chase around town. Resident Renita Shadwick told 7 News that Breakfast charged at her and attacked her in a bizarre and terrifying encounter. It was on me, Shadwick said of the animal. "And it grabbed me by my hair like youd shake a bag of microwave popcorn. I was able to put my arm around to protect my face, she continued. My second thought was, this is ridiculous this is a pig on Victor Place, in the city of Buffalo? Where did this come from? 'Breakfast' allegedly escaped through a police officers fence before rampaging around a small community in Buffalo, New York (7 News) A viral video recorded by Shadwick doesnt show the alleged attack but captures the surprising moment when a Buffalo police officer runs toward the pig, shouting, That's mine, I got her! The officer idenifited the pig as Breakfast, explaining that his daughter said it escaped under the back fence. Shadwick told the officer that the animal jumped on me and bit me, to which he replied, She thinks youre gonna feed her because you smell good. Neighbors told 7 News that the officer eventually took the pig home. Resident Angie Davis-Leveritte told the outlet that the incident might seem funny at first, but noted that any animal roaming the streets of the neighborhood could turn into a bad situation. Your first glance is to laugh because thats unexpected to see in the city, she said. But thats dangerous. Its just like having a loose dog. City code does not clearly address keeping pigs or other farm animals as pets, 7 News reported. City officials are probing the incident, after calling it unacceptable (7 News) Council member Zeneta Everhart addressed the incident in a statement to the outlet on Friday, writing, I was alarmed by the incident involving a pig attacking a resident on Victor Place. I did notify Buffalo Police of the incident when it occurred. I have been in contact with the victim and I am grateful that the injuries they sustained were not more serious, she added. However, what happened to the resident is unacceptable. The city charter forbids ownership of livestock animals throughout Buffalo except under some very limited circumstances and we should revisit these regulations to determine whether it makes sense to have any exceptions to the ban in our modern era. As this incident illustrates, it is neither safe for residents nor humane to animals to raise large livestock in an urban environment like Buffalo, Everhart concluded. The Independent has contacted the Buffalo Police Department and Buffalo city officials for comment. Within hours of the Louvre theft, researchers sketched a likely colonial-era map for the materials (REUTERS/Abdul Saboor) As French authorities pursue the stolen Louvre jewels, a growing debate is emerging regarding their true origins. While the artifacts themselves are French, the precious gems trace exotic routes through the shadows of empire a difficult history France, like other Western nations with vast museum collections, is only now beginning to address. Experts suggest the theft provides a crucial opportunity to compel the Louvre and other major European museums to disclose their collections' provenance more transparently, potentially sparking a wider discussion on restitution. Within hours of the theft, researchers sketched a likely colonial-era map for the materials: sapphires from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), diamonds from India and Brazil, pearls from the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean and emeralds from Colombia. That doesnt make the Louvre robbery less criminal. It does complicate the public's understanding of what was lost. There is obviously no excuse for theft, said Emiline C.H. Smith, a criminologist at the University of Glasgow who studies heritage crime. But many of these objects are entangled with violent, exploitative, colonial histories. While theres no credible evidence these specific gems were stolen experts say that doesnt end the argument: What was legal in the imperial age could still mean plunder in todays lights. In other words, the paperwork of empire doesnt settle the ethics. Meanwhile, the heist investigation grinds on. Police have charged suspects, but investigators fear the jewels could be broken up or melted down. They are too symbolic to fence, but easy to monetize for metal and stones. The heist took place on October 19 (AP) Colonial-era jewels made in France The Louvre provides scant information about how the gems in the French crown jewels showcased in the Apollo Gallery until the theft were originally extracted. For example, the Louvres own catalog describes the stolen diadem of Queen Marie-Amelie as set with Ceylon sapphires in their natural, unheated state, bordered with diamonds in gold. It says nothing about who mined them, how they moved, or under what terms they were taken. Provenance isnt always a neutral ledger in Western museums. They sometimes avoid spotlighting uncomfortable acquisition histories, Smith said, adding that the lack of clarity about the gems origins is likely no accident. The museum did not respond to requests for comment. The stolen tiaras, necklaces and brooches were crafted in Paris by elite ateliers, and once belonged to 19th-century figures such as Marie-Amelie, Queen Hortense, and the wives of two Napoleons, Empress Marie-Louise of Austria and Empress Eugenie. Their raw materials, however, moved through imperial networks that converted global labor, resources and even slavery into European prestige, experts say. Pascal Blanchard, a historian of Frances colonial past, draws a line between craftsmanship and supply. The jewels were made in France by French artisans, he said, but many stones came via colonial circuits and were products of colonial production. They were traded under the legal conditions of the time, ones shaped by empires that siphoned wealth from Africa, Asia and South America. Some French critics press the point further. They argue that national outcry over loss should sit beside the history of how imperial France acquired the stones that court jewelers later set in gold. Origins of the jewels range from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), to India, Brazil and the Persian Gulf (AP Photo/Alexander Turnbull, File) India and the British crown's Koh-i-Noor India is waging the best-known battle over a single colonial-era treasure the Koh-i-Noor diamond. India has repeatedly pressed the U.K. to return the mythologized 106-carat jewel, now set in the Queen Mothers crown at the Tower of London. It likely originated in India's Golconda diamond belt much like the Louvre's dazzling Regent diamond, one that was also legally acquired in imperial times and spared by the Oct. 19 robbers. The Koh-i-Noor passed from court to court before landing in British hands, where it is hailed in London as a lawful imperial gift and denounced in India as a prize taken under the shadow of conquest. A 2017 petition to Indias Supreme Court seeking its return was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, but the political and moral dispute endures. France is not Britain, and the Koh-i-Noor is not the Louvre's story. But it frames the questions increasingly applied to 19th-century acquisitions: not only was it bought? but who had the power to sell? On that measure, experts say, even jewels made in France can be considered products of colonial extraction. The Louvre case lands in a world already primed by other fights. Greece presses Britain to reunite the Parthenon Marbles. Egypt campaigns for the Rosetta Stone in London and the Nefertiti bust in Berlin. The Koh-i-Noor diamond is a colonial-era treasure (Photo/Alastair Grant, File) France has acted haltingly on restitutions France has moved narrowly. President Emmanuel Macrons pledge to return parts of Africas heritage produced a law enabling the return of 26 royal treasures to Benin and items to Senegal. Madagascar recovered the crown of Queen Ranavalona III through a specific process. Critics say restitution is structurally blocked: French law forbids removing state-held objects unless Parliament makes a special exception, and risk-averse museums keep the rest behind glass. They also say that under former Louvre chief Jean-Luc Martinez, the museum's narrow definition of what counts as looted and its demand for near-legal levels of proof created a chilling effect on restitution claims, even as the museum publicly praised transparency. (The Louvre says it follows the law and academic standards.) Colonialism is a thorny issue for Western museums Asking museum visitors to marvel at artifacts like the French crown jewels without understanding their social history is dishonest, says Erin L. Thompson, an art-crime scholar in New York. A decolonized approach, she and others argue, would name where such stones came from, how the trade worked, who profited and who paid and share authorship with origin communities. Egyptian archaeologist Monica Hanna calls the contradiction glaring. Yes, the irony is profound, she said of the outcry over last month's Louvre theft, and its central to the conversation about restitution. She expects the heist will trigger action on restitutions across Western museums and fuel debate about transparency. At a minimum, Hanna and other experts say, what's needed from museums are stronger words: plain-spoken labels and wall texts that acknowledge where objects came from, how they moved, and at whose expense. It would mean publishing what is known, admitting what isnt, and inviting contested histories into the gallery even when they cloud the shine. Some offer a practical path. Tell the honest and complete story, said Dutch restitution specialist Jos van Beurden. Open the windows, not for thieves, but for fresh air. Belgiums Liege airport has temporarily halted flights for the second time in a week due to a drone sighting, the countrys air traffic control service has said. The disruption comes just three days after drone sightings in the capital, Brussels, and in Liege forced the diversion of many incoming planes and the grounding of some due to depart. Sightings of drones over airports and military bases have caused major disruptions across Europe in recent months. Authorities in some countries have linked Russia to the incidents, saying they form part of Moscows hybrid warfare campaign against Europe. Moscow has denied any connection to the incidents. The Skeyes air traffic control service said it received a report of a drone being spotted over the airport around 6.30am GMT, leading to a closure of the airport for about 30 minutes. Moscow has denied any connection to the incidents (Raimond Spekking/Wikimedia) We have to take every report seriously, Kurt Verwilligen, a spokesperson for the service, said. He added that flights had resumed. Flights bound for Brussels airport were also held or diverted late Thursday, according to flight tracking site Flightradar24. The Belgian government called an emergency meeting of key government ministers and security chiefs on Thursday to address what the defence minister called a coordinated attack. Belgiums defence minister, Theo Francken, on Tuesday told public broadcaster RTBF that the incident appeared to be carried out by professionals intent on destabilising the country. He also voiced alarm following a series of unidentified drone flights over the weekend near a military base housing US nuclear weapons and suggested that the incidents appear to be part of a spying operation. The drones penetrated the airspace around the Kleine Brogel air base in northeast Belgium across two distinct phases on Saturday and Sunday nights, he said. He lamented on Monday that Belgium is chasing after the threat posed by such drone flights, adding: We should have bought air defence systems five or 10 years ago that can deal with drones. Theo Francken said that the incidents appeared to be part of a spying operation (Getty) Germany decided on Thursday that the Bundeswehr would provide Belgium with short-notice support in counter-drone capabilities, the defence ministry said. Separately, one or more drones were observed at the Gothenburg-Landvetter airport on Swedens west coast just before 5pm GMT on Thursday, authorities said, forcing more than a dozen flights to be rerouted or cancelled. Russia has been blamed for a number of airspace violations, notably in Estonia and Poland, in recent months. But the perpetrators of a series of mysterious drone flights in Denmark and Germany have been harder to pin down. In neighbouring Denmark, several airports, including Copenhagen, also closed temporarily in September due to reported drone sightings. On Thursday, Poland and Romania announced they would deploy a new American weapons system, Merops, to defend against Russian drones. The American-made Merops system, compact enough for a mid-sized pickup truck, identifies and intercepts drones. It uses artificial intelligence to navigate even when satellite and electronic communications are jammed. Last month, several drones were spotted above another Belgian military base near the German border. The operators were not identified. Mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard arrested on charges unrelated to her disappearance, police say Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, has been arrested on charges unrelated to her daughters disappearance. Santa Barbara County Sheriff's officials took Buzzard into custody on Friday at her Lompoc, California home. The sheriffs office said in a press release that her arrest on a felony charge of false imprisonment is unrelated to their missing person investigation. Officials say detectives recently learned that Buzzard had prevented a victim from leaving a location against their will. They added that no other information about that incident is being released at this time. Meanwhile, the search continues for her daughter Melodee, who was reported missing on October 14 when the Lompoc Unified School District reported her prolonged absence. Ashlee Buzzard, the mother of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, was arrested Friday on unrelated charges. The search for Melodee continues (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office) Deputies who went to the familys home in Lompoc said they spoke with her mother, but no verifiable explanation for [Melodees] whereabouts was provided, according to the sheriffs office. Buzzard has not cooperated with the investigation, they added. Earlier this week, the sheriffs office announced that they'd narrowed their investigation to the timeframe between October 9 and October 10, while the pair were on a multi-state road trip to Nebraska. Surveillance images show Melodee, in what appeared to be a wig, alongside her mother at a Lompoc rental car company on October 7. The last confirmed sighting of Melodee came two days later, on October 9, near the Colorado-Utah border. But when her mother returned home on October 10, Melodee was nowhere to be found. Surveillance images show Melodee, in what appeared to be a wig, alongside her mother at a rental car business that same day. The last confirmed sighting of Melodee came two days later, on October 9, near the Colorado-Utah border (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office) California authorities released new surveillance images of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office) Investigators also announced this week that they believe Buzzard removed the California plate 9MNG101 from the white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu rental car and replaced it with a New York plate HCG9677 either on or before October 8 in order to avoid detection. When she returned the car, the California plate was back in place. It is unknown when the plate was installed or whether additional plates were used at other times during travel. The sheriffs office said they remain focused on finding Melodee. They shared a map of the vehicles stops along Buzzards route back to California, which they believe took her through Green River, Utah; Panguitch, Utah; northwest Arizona; Primm, Nevada; and Rancho Cucamonga, California. Zeroing in on that crucial 24-hour window between October 9 and October 10, authorities urged anyone in those communities to check surveillance and report relevant information. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office shared a map of the vehicles stops along Ashley Buzzards route back to California (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office) Zeroing in on that crucial 24-hour window between October 9 and October 10, authorities urged anyone in those communities to check surveillance and report relevant information. (Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office) Local authorities, assisted by the FBI, also searched a storage locker and a rental car believed to have been used on the multi-state road trip shortly before the child vanished. It is unclear if anything was found. Melodee is described as 4 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 60 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities have provided two phone numbers and a web address for anyone with information about Melodees whereabout: a Detectives Line: (805) 681-4150; an anonymous tips line: (805) 681-4171; and an online tips address: www.sbsheriff.org/home/anonymous-tip/. Hungarys prime minister Viktor Orban will meet president Donald Trump at the White House on Friday to seek exemptions from US sanctions on Russian oil and broker a summit between the American leader and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Last month, Mr Trump levied sanctions on Russian state-affiliated energy giants Lukoil and Rosneft, exposing buyers including India, China and Hungary to secondary penalties. Mr Orban, an ally of both Mr Trump and Putin, said Hungary would seek exemptions from the decision due to its reliance on Russian oil as a landlocked country. All diplomatic negotiations are hard, but I expect a friendly and easy negotiation, Mr Orban told state media ahead of the visit, which marks the first bilateral meeting between the two countries since Mr Trumps return to the White House earlier this year. He is reported to have said that the stakes were high during his flight to Washington. I know the president, he knows me, we know the subject, we simply have to reach an agreement, the PM said, according to MTI. Mr Trump and Mr Orban share similar populist right-wing policies, including a hardline stance on immigration. The Hungarian PM was one of the first international leaders to publicly support Mr Trumps first presidential bid in 2016. Trump and Putin will meet on Friday to discuss Russian oil sanctions and Putin summit (Reuters) With Mr Orban facing a domestic election in 2026, he will hope that the meeting will boost his standing among Hungarian voters. The PM is seeking to use his alliances to play a central role in brokering a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, to Kyivs dismay. Budapest had been due to host a highly anticipated summit between Mr Trump and Putin over the war in Ukraine, but the meeting collapsed last month after a phone call between Russias foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and US secretary of state Marco Rubio. The Russian minister is said to have reiterated Moscows maximalist demands for a peace agreement, which were rebuffed by Washington. The talks were postponed and then eventually axed, with Mr Trump saying he did not want to waste time meeting Putin if the two sides could not agree on the framework for a deal. Mr Orban, once a fierce critic of Putin, has consistently opposed Ukraines independence and repeated Kremlin talking points on the origin of the war. In September, he baselessly claimed Ukraine is not an independent country, sparking outrage in Kyiv and other European capitals. Orban meets with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow earlier this month (Hungarian Prime Ministers Office) Hungarys increasingly cosy relationship with Putin and subsequent reliance on Russian oil is one that could be crucial to its economic survival. In 2024, the country received 80 per cent of its oil (5 million tonnes a year) through the Friendship pipeline from Russia, via Belarus and Ukraine. We have to make the Americans understand this strange situation if we want exceptions to the American sanctions that are hitting Russia, Mr Orban said last month. Mr Trump told reporters in response: The president he has asked for an exemption. We havent granted one, but he has asked. Hes a friend of mine. The US president imposed sanctions on Russian oil in an attempt to drain funding for Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Mr Trump, whose position on the conflict has changed several times during his presidency, has urged European allies to stop buying Russian oil. As airports across the U.S. cut traffic due to the government shutdown, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to fly to a campaign event for his son-in-law drawing ire from some in MAGA world, according to a report. Duffy is scheduled to headline a November 11 meet-and-greet for Michael Alfonso, a 25-year-old Republican candidate for Congress in Wisconsin, who is married to Duffys daughter, NOTUS reports. But, the secretary who previously held the same congressional seat did not receive the approval of President Donald Trump, who has yet to endorse a candidate in the race, an unnamed source with knowledge of the matter told the outlet. A source with ties to the White House described it as a world-class stupid decision on Duffys part. Duffy believes its a non-issue though. Leave it to D.C. gossip to find a father supporting his son-in-law breaking news, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation told NOTUS. The secretary would be attending his son-in-laws meet and greet in his personal capacity. His presence does not reflect any official administration position or endorsement. And White House Deputy Press Secretary Kush Desai had nothing but praise for the transportation secretary. Duffy is an America First patriot who has been front and center keeping Americans safe and supporting our air traffic controllers throughout the Democrat Shutdown, Desai told The Independent. Americans are better off thanks to Secretary Duffy who is restoring competence and merit at Department of Transportation after four years of DEI nonsense under Joe Biden. Leave it to D.C. gossip to find a father supporting his son-in-law breaking news, a DOT spokesperson said (Getty) Duffys upcoming trip to the Badger State also comes amidst the longest-ever government shutdown, which has disrupted air travel nationwide. You will see mass chaos, Duffy predicted on November 4, pinning the blame on Democrats. You'll see mass cancelations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don't have the air traffic controllers. As a result of the shutdown, the Federal Aviation Administration reduced flights at 40 of the nations busiest airports. On Nov. 7, the first day the cuts went into effect, more than 1,000 flights were canceled across the country. 40 major airports across the country were operating with a reduced flight load Friday. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Its not the first time Duffy has weighed in on a congressional election before Trump, who has long established himself as the ultimate kingmaker in Republican politics. In May, Duffy was due to stage a fundraiser for Congressman Bill Huizenga, who was contemplating running for a Michigan Senate seat. At the time, Trump was preparing to endorse erstwhile Rep. Mike Rogers for the seat, so administration officials were taken by surprise when the secretarys name appeared on a fundraising invite, sources said. Trumps allies, left fuming by Duffys decision, contemplated barring cabinet secretaries from getting involved in GOP primaries, Politico reported. Last month, administration officials also expressed growing frustration with Duffy over his efforts to bring NASA under the Department of Transportation in order to maintain control of the space agency. White House Chief of Staff reportadely told him told him to knock it off, according to the Daily Mail. However, the White House pushed back on this characterization, telling NOTUS that Duffy is a trusted, valued and loyal cabinet member. The Independent has reached out to Duffy and Alfonso for comment. A convicted sex offender who was released from prison by mistake a week ago is back in custody. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, from Algeria, was accidentally freed on 29 October from Wandsworth prison in south London. He was arrested in Finsbury Park, north London, on Friday after police said they had received a call from a member of the public. The erroneous release, and that of another prisoner who was mistakenly freed, has led to mounting political pressure on David Lammy, the justice secretary, days after he introduced stringent checks for jails. Related: The Guardian view on mistaken prisoner releases: a broken system not human error | Editorial Lammy had refused several times to say whether any more prisoners had been released in error in a bruising session of prime ministers questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, having been ambushed with a string of questions. The moment that Kaddour-Cherif was detained appears to have been captured by a Sky News camera crew in Finsbury Park at 11.30am, where a man initially claimed to be someone else. Police officers then approached him and put him into the back of a police van after telling him he was under arrest on suspicion of being wanted after being falsely released from prison. When he initially denied being Kaddour-Cherif, the arresting officer told him he looked exactly like him and had a very distinctive wonky nose. Police brought him to the back of the van and held up an image of Kaddour-Cherif next to his face before uncuffing and recuffing his hands behind his back. Officers searched his backpack and found a laptop, umbrella and wallet. Before he was put in the back of a police van, Kaddour-Cherif turned to those gathered and said: Look at the justice of the UK, they release people by mistake, after this they ah ah ah its not my fucking fault. A homeless man who stays in the Finsbury Park area claimed he had called the police after recognising Kaddour-Cherif from a newspaper photograph. I am proud Algerian. I am proud British. We do the right thing, Nadjib Mekdhia, 50, told the PA news agency. The Metropolitan police, which had launched a manhunt for Kaddour-Cherif, had expressed frustration that he had had a six-day head start because the mistaken release was only reported to the Met a week later, on 4 November. Kaddour-Cherif was identified as an overstayer five years ago, but had not been removed from the UK. When he was mistakenly freed from prison, he had been serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal. He was convicted for indecent exposure in November 2024, when he was given an 18-month community order and placed on the sex offender register for five years. It is understood Kaddour-Cherif has not applied for asylum and was in the initial stages of being deported for overstaying his visa when he was let out. He entered the UK on a visitor visa in 2019, but was flagged as an automatic case of having overstayed on 6 February 2020. According to the Met, Kaddour-Cherif uses other variations of his first name, including Ibrahim, and has links to Westminster and Tower Hamlets. Lammy said in a statement: I can confirm Brahim Kaddour-Cherif has been recaptured and is back in custody. My thanks are with the police and staff at HMPPS [HM Prison and Probation Service] who have been working around the clock. We inherited a prison system in crisis and Im appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing. However, the Conservatives made calls on Friday night for the prisoner to be deported as soon as his sentence is finished. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: This case sums up the total collapse of law and order under Calamity Lammy. A foreign sex offender, meant to be deported, strolling the streets of London because Labour cant even keep track of its prisoners. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: The vast majority of offenders released by mistake are quickly brought back to prison, and we will do everything we can to work with the police to capture the few still in the community. These cases only further expose the scale of the crisis in our prisons we inherited. This will not be fixed overnight, but we are using every possible lever to bear down on these errors. The other prisoner who was mistakenly released, a fraudster, handed himself back in on Thursday. While Lammy insisted the government would clamp down on clerical errors, William Smith was filmed waving to cameras and hugging his partner before he walked back into HMP Wandsworth, in south-west London. Smith, 35, usually known as Billy, had been sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences at Croydon crown court on Monday, but was then released in error by the prison. Shay Mitchell is being accused of sending the wrong message about societal beauty standards after launching a skincare line for children. The 38-year-old actor announced Thursday the debut of her company, Rini, which sells hydrating face and eye masks for kids. In the caption of her Instagram post, she said her company wasnt about beauty or self-care, but it was instead about teaching our kids that taking care of themselves can be fun, gentle, and safe. Kids are naturally curious and instead of ignoring that, we can embrace it, the mother of two daughters Atlas, six, and Rome, three, whom she shares with partner Matte Babel wrote in the caption. She urged that Rini products can be trusted by parents and lead to sweet moments that bring us closer. However, fans of the Pretty Little Liars alum are fuming over the perceived message Mitchells products are sending to young children. Absolutely missed the mark. Children dont need skincare! one wrote, while another added: I'm deeply disappointed. Why are we projecting beauty standards onto children now? Shay Mitchell accused of absolutely missing the mark with new skincare company for kids (Getty Images) I really hope this is just like bathing and sunscreen. Last thing we need is little kids getting more obsessed with unnecessary skincare, a third commented. What kind of message is this sending to young girls? Four-year-olds do not need skincare, a fourth agreed. Some people also accused Rini of trying to be an innovative business in the wellness and beauty market. Were living in capitalisms final boss level where a childs unblemished face is just another untapped market. Sell a calming face mask so they can relax from what, exactly? Snack time? Existing? one commented on Mitchells post. Even if the intention is good, kids really dont need skincare. Its just another business move dressed up as something cute or innovative. Let them be kids. Not mini consumers, another wrote. According to a press release from Rini, all of its products undergo clinical testing and toxicity risk assessments, which are facilitated by a dedicated regulatory team and pediatric toxicologist. Rinis Hydrating Hydrogel Facial Mask for children (rini) The Independent has contacted representatives for Mitchell and Rini for comment. Mitchells latest business endeavor comes amid the ongoing Sephora kids trend, where tweens and young teens rush to the makeup store to get the latest adult beauty products trending on social media. Usually, beauty brands fight for the attention of Gen Alpha people born between 2010 and 2024. But children as young as seven sharing their own skincare routines on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. In fact, skincare routines are one of the biggest trends on TikTok, where there are more than 20 million get ready with me (GRWM) tutorials under hashtag grwm. The Sephora Kids trend has sparked a heated debate online over the years, with some claiming its harmless fun for children and teens to test out these makeup products. However, young skin could be too new and delicate for aggressive adult skincare products and could result in breakouts or irritations on kids skin, as noted by the Cleveland Clinic. The adult products could also make childrens skin extra vulnerable to the sun. Game on: an orange felt billiard table is the focal point of the hotels chic and simple lobby (Sir Victor Hotel) A modern hotel opposite Gaudis La Pedrera, Sir Victor is a clean, chic office away from home with a minimalist feel and a restaurant serving up the best steak in the city With the three Michelin-starred Disfrutar restaurant only a short walk away, Sir Victor is perfectly situated for foodies. Not for nothing, the hotels fabulous rooftop bar also does a superb fried chicken sandwich, which it serves up alongside an unbeatable view of Gaudis La Pedrera building. Annabel Nugent Location Its proximity to Gaudis iconic La Pedrera isnt the only thing Sir Victor has going for it. The hotel is situated in the lively hum of the citys Eixample district, known for its modernist architecture and ample shopping opportunities on Passeig de Gracia. Foodies will rejoice when hearing that the three Michelin-starred Disfrutar, voted last years best restaurant in the world, is only a15-minute walk. If you didnt manage to snag a table booking a year in advance isnt a bad idea you certainly wont be left wanting with plenty of other restaurants about, no reservation necessary. Sir Victor is also conveniently close to the metro, meaning youre well situated for excursions further afield. Read more: The best hotels in Barcelona The vibe The hotels modern facade stands opposite Gaudis iconic and ornate La Pedrera (Sir Victor Barcelona) First impressions matter, and Sir Victor makes a wonderful one. Upon entry, its clear this is a design-first hotel. To the left of the expansive lobby, a custom-made marble billiard table with an orange felt top makes for the chicest game of pool youll ever play. Youll likely find a scattering of digital nomads dotted around the place, tapping away at laptops and iPads so its a good spot if youre looking to get some work done on your holiday. To the back, a sleek shelving unit dotted with curiosities and accessories functions as a gallery wall as well as a shop. On that note, Sir Victor offers a personal shopper experience in case Barcelona inspires you to switch up your whole style. Everything here is pleasing to the eye, and the emphasis on looks makes sense; reborn in 2019, the hotel is now part of the trendy Amsterdam-based Sir Hotels, a boutique brand with outposts in Berlin and Ibiza. The service All around the hotel, from the restaurant to the bar to the rooftop pool and the cleaning service, staff are friendly and very professional. Recommendations come thick and fast from the concierge if youre in need of ideas on how to spend your day in the city. The 24-hour front desk and 24-hour room service are a bonus: I personally recommend ordering an Aperol spritz to your room while getting ready for a night on the town. Bed and bath The 91 rooms and suites are modern, decked out in a soothing palette of soft greys and light blues, with some wood accents for good measure. They are sparingly but thoughtfully furnished around one focal point: a luxurious king-size bed complete with fluffy down pillows and crisp linens. The open plan space (there is a partition to the bathroom as opposed to a door) is warehouse-chic but may not be for everyone. Crucially, though, the loo is separate. The electronic black-out blinds are a nice touch a technological luxury in keeping with the space-age feel of the hotel as are the bathrobes, which are made of soft blue denim instead of the typical white fluffy terry cloth. Families and groups of friends have the rare option of staying in the six-person suite. Only one minor gripe: Ive heard the air conditioning can be temperamental, which isnt ideal in the scorching summer months, but it was sufficient when I stayed. Rooms favour a minimalist aesthetic (Sir Victor Hotel Barcelona) Food and drink I have it on good authority from multiple sources that the best steak in Barcelona can be found right here at Mr Porter, the hotels handsome ground-floor steakhouse. Decked out in black leather banquettes with large circular lamps overhead, the eatery commands a sense of occasion one bolstered by punchy prices, but the food mostly lives up to the cost. Those not keen on red meat can feast on king prawns served with sweetcorn, avocado, and a chilli sauce, this seafood dish gives the steak a run for its money. Mr Porter is home to one of Barcelonas best steaks (Sir Victor Barcelona) You certainly dont need to like steak to enjoy the cocktails, which are best when sipped on the rooftop bar under a setting sun. I recommend the maracuja mule, a delectable concoction of gin, orange oil, honey syrup and passion fruit. Breakfast is delicious and lavish a bountiful spread of cereals, yoghurts, fresh juices, and cold cuts served in Mr Porter, which has a very different vibe in the daytime. The a la carte menu boasts all the crowd-pleasers: eggs benedict; fluffy pancakes, shakshuka. Read more: Im a Barcelona destination expert and these are the best cheap hotels Facilities Between the distressed leather medicine balls and floor-to-ceiling mirrors, the gym is so good-looking, you may be tempted to work out. If youre looking to up the ante further, Victor guests enjoy a special discount at the nearby Barrys gym the same HIIT destination with outposts in New York and London. The real pull, though, is the hotels rooftop pool, which wouldnt feel out of place in Ibiza. The pool itself is only a sliver of a thing so dont expect to be doing laps, and the hotel could do with a few more sun loungers as they tend to fill up very quickly but there are plenty of tables with views of the neighbouring Gaudi building while you wait. Might I suggest doing so with a fresh juice and fried chicken sandwich? One thing to note, though, is that the pool is loud not with the sounds of kids or revellers, but music. If youre in need of even more rest and relaxation, check out the subterranean spa which guests have access to for one hour per day just speak to the concierge to book your slot. Awash with natural light, the spa has everything you want: steam, cold plunge, showers. Theres a menu of facials and massages you can book, too. The pool may only be a sliver of a thing, but the view cant be beaten (Sir Victor Barcelona) Disability access Sir Victor has three rooms adapted for disabled people, situated on the first and second floor, with ramps in almost every area of the hotel and bathrooms adapted in both Mr Porter and The Rooftop. The only access to higher rooms is through lift. Unfortunately, neither the spa nor the rooftop pool has been adapted to accommodate disabled people. Pet policy Pets up to 15kg are welcome at Sir Victor for a small fee you can select the pet add-on when making your reservation and your room will be set up with a cosy bed, food and water bowls. Guide dogs and service dogs always stay for free. Guests are allowed to use the spa for one hour a day (Sir Victor Barcelona) Check in/check out Check in from 3pm; check out by 12pm. If youre after a late check out, ask the concierge on the morning you are set to leave. Family friendly? Yes, the hotel offers family-friendly suites that can accommodate up to six people but the vibe is less family-oriented than some other Barcelona hotels. At a glance Best thing: The smorgasbord breakfast is scrumptious and decadent Perfect for: A place of calm and solitude to rest in between busy days out exploring the city Not right for: Those looking for a budget stay or anyone who prefers a door separating the bathroom and bedroom Instagram from: One of the sun beds, preferably with a view of the Gaudi building in the background. Address: Carrer del Rossello, 265, Eixample, 08008 Barcelona, Spain Phone: +34 932 71 12 44 Website: Sirhotels.com/en/victor/ Read more: Barcelona city guide where to eat, drink, shop and stay in the Catalan capital BRUNSWICK, Md., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brunswick Collision Center is bringing trusted collision repair and a customer-first experience to Brunswick and the surrounding region, combining expert craftsmanship with a strong commitment to community values. Brunswick Collision Center Specializing in collision repair and auto body services, Brunswick Collision Center also assists clients in navigating insurance claims, making a stressful process smoother and more transparent. At the heart of the business are three guiding values: honesty, integrity, and reliability. These principles shape every repair and every interaction. The story behind Brunswick Collision Center is one of dedication, perseverance, and passion. The founder first discovered his love for auto body repair as a high school student at Broad Run High School in Loudoun County, Virginia. Encouraged by his teacher, the late Mrs. Jo Habibi, and Instructor Doug Upright, he pursued training at Monroe Technology Center and began his first job as a bodyman helper. After several years in the hospitality industry, he realized that great service and great repair work could go hand in hand. "I wanted to create a shop that treats people like guests in a five-star restaurant," said Owner, Jose Gonzalez. What started as a small operation in a home garage has now grown into six thriving locations with more than 60 employees, and the newest shop in Brunswick marks the company's next milestone. "Our success comes from the support of the communities we serve," he said. "We're proud to create local jobs and give young professionals a path into a rewarding career. Brunswick is a special place, and we're honored to be part of its growth." Brunswick Collision Center is excited to welcome the community to celebrate its grand opening in Brunswick. A Ribbon Cutting Ceremony will be held on Friday, November 7, 2025, at 10:30 AM, followed by a Grand Opening Celebration on Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, both at 1200 N. Maple Avenue, Brunswick, Maryland. Guests are welcome to stop by for light refreshments and a chance to meet the team. About Brunswick Collision Center LLC: Brunswick Collision Center is the newest addition to the Mid-Atlantic Collision Centers of America family. Committed to honesty, quality, and customer care, the team provides expert collision repair with a smooth, stress-free process from start to finish. Working with all major insurance providers, Brunswick Collision Center restores vehicles to pre-accident condition, or better, with craftsmanship you can trust. Located at 1200 N. Maple Avenue, Brunswick, MD 21716, the center is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and Saturdays by appointment. Learn more at www.brunswickcollision.com. About the City of Brunswick: The City of Brunswick is located in south-western Frederick County along the Potomac River, the C & O National Historic Park, and the MARC train line. Proud of its historic contribution as a railroad and canal hub to Frederick County's growth and development, Brunswick continues to attract commercial and residential growth with its easy proximity to urban centers, beautiful natural resources, award-winning schools, and small-town charm. Visit the City's official website at www.brunswickmd.gov. SOURCE Brunswick Main Street Still sidelined: Dominic Solanke (Getty Images) Dominic Solanke is not expected to play in a friendly for Tottenham during the upcoming international break, with Thomas Frank hoping the striker will return before the end of 2025. The striker has been out for two-and-a-half months with an ankle injury which he eventually had surgery on. Solanke is yet to start a match under Thomas Frank and his recovery from the minor procedure he underwent at the end of September has been a slow one. Spurs are set to play a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break and plan to use it to give Radu Dragusin some minutes, with the hope he will then be ready for first-team action again. He has not played since January after an ACL injury. However, asked if Solanke could also feature in that match, Frank responded: Most likely not." No firm timeframe has been provided for Solanke's return, with Frank not able to fully guarantee that fans could expect to see the 28-year-old before the end of they year. I do hope so," Frank said. "I would say lets see what happens after the international break. We are still going steps forward. Its on track so far. Solanke has made a total of three appearances this season, all of the bench. He played a total of 31 Premier League minutes across two cameos and was also involved in the UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-German. Spurs will be cautious with his return to action after such a frustrating couple of months, with a clearer idea of when Solanke could play again expected to come after the next fortnight. "Yeah, I think the international break will be the big deciding factor because we have two weeks there to push in the next steps," Frank said. "As I say, it's going forward. Just to take it instead of the questions every single time because it was clearly that he was not ready before the international break. It's more, we look after the international break, that's what we're aiming for. "I think we always want to get it right, but I think it's important to get it right so he's out there, can help the team and we need him back." Jury trials could be axed as a possible solution to the courts crisis (Jonathan Brady/PA) (PA Wire) Listen here on your chosen podcast platform. Did you know Britain's courts are in crisis? After years of cuts by politicians, pandemic disruption and operational failures, The Standards special report explores the spiralling backlog of court cases that define our broken justice system. Defendants and victims talk about the impact of being trapped, waiting years - sometimes until 2029 or 2030 - for their cases to even come to court. The Standards Courts Correspondent Tristan Kirk reports on this shameful decline, and how jury trials could be axed as a possible solution. It comes as Justice Secretary David Lammy is under fire, as two criminals were mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth by mistake - with prison governors called in for crisis talks. He went on to admit that the government has a "mountain to climb" in tackling the prisons crisis, as it emerged that 40 more inmates may be wrongly freed before Christmas. Students protest against the Trump administration at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, on Friday. Photograph: Artivista Karlin Students, faculty and staff at more than 100 campuses across the US rallied against the Trump administrations assault on higher education on Friday the first in a planned series of nationwide, coordinated protests that organizers hope will culminate in large-scale students and workers strikes next May Day and a nationwide general strike in May 2028. The day of action was organized under the banner of Students Rise Up, a network of students including both local groups and national organizations such as Sunrise Movement and Campus Climate Network. Students were joined by faculty and educational workers unions like the American Association of University Professors and Higher Education Labor United. Protesters called on university administrators and elected officials to denounce the presidents months-long effort to force US universities to abide by its ideological priorities and urged them to reject Trumps compact, which would give universities preferential access to federal funding in exchange for a commitment to advance the administrations conservative agenda. Only one university, New College of Florida a public school that state legislators have turned into a bastion of conservatism has so far accepted it. Related: Cornell University settles with Trump administration to restore $250m in funds Universities should be a place of learning, not propaganda machines, Alicia Colomer, managing director at Campus Climate Network, said ahead of the protests. Thats why students, workers and alumni around the country are taking action. As the day unfolded, hundreds of students across the country walked out of classes, unfurled banners and rallied on campuses, often joined by faculty and other staff. In addition to denouncing the compact, they called for a more affordable education and for the protection of all students from transgender to international ones. At the University of Kansas, about 70 students demanded administrations divest from weapons manufacturers and Israel, refuse to collaborate with ICE, safeguard gender-affirming housing and meet facultys demands for fair contracts. At Duke University, in North Carolina, students and professors held signs demanding the university stand with immigrants, pay its workers a $25 hourly wage, and protect trans and international students. At Brown University in Rhode Island one of the first institutions to reach a settlement with the Trump administration earlier this year passersby were invited to endorse a banner listing a series of demands by dipping their hands in paint and leaving their print, while a group of faculty members nearby lectured about the history of autocracy. Trump came to our community thinking we could be bullied out of our freedom, said Simon Aron, a sophomore and co-president of Brown Rise Up. He was wrong. In New York City, students and faculty from multiple campuses gathered by the midtown headquarters of the investment firm Apollo Global Management to protest against its CEO, Marc Rowan, a billionaire Trump donor and key architect of the compact whom they say has no business making policy for higher education. They cited Rowans involvement with the online University of Phoenix, which they described as the largest single producer of student debt in the country and his role in paving the way for the ongoing abuse of civil rights legislation to target universities over students and facultys criticism of Israel. A spokesperson for Apollo did not respond to a request for comment but the firm reportedly instructed staff to stay home on Friday in anticipation of the protest. In a recent New York Times op-ed, Rowan defended the compact, writing that American higher education was broken and that course correction must come from the outside. Amy Offner, a history professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Guardian that the campaign against Rowan is part of a broader effort to protect US higher education from the influence of ultra-wealthy individuals. Billionaires should not control what can be taught and studied in the United States, she said. The protests marked the first time that students, faculty and staff have staged such a large-scale response. There is only one way forward in saving higher education and democracy writ large and that is students, faculty, staff united, Todd Wolfson, the president of the AAUP, said on a call with protest organizers last week. We have to become a new political force. Three men have been charged with the murder of child killer Kyle Bevan at HMP Wakefield on Wednesday, West Yorkshire Police said. Bevan was jailed for life after murdering his partners two-year-old daughter, Lola James, in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in 2020. He was set to spend at least 28 years in prison after inflicting catastrophic head injuries on the toddler during a six-hour attack. Prisoners Mark Fellows, 45, Lee Newell, 56, and David Taylor, 63, are due to appear at Leeds Magistrates Court on Friday morning. Officers were called to category A HMP Wakefield at 8.25am on Wednesday after Bevan was found dead in his cell. A Prison Service spokesperson said previously: "HMP Wakefield prisoner Kyle Bevan's death was confirmed on 5 November. We are unable to comment further while the police investigate." Lola James injuries were so severe they were likened to those in a high-speed car chase (Dyfed-Powys Police) Lola was found to have sustained more than 100 bruises and scratches to her body and damage to both her eyes. Bevan denied murdering his stepdaughter and claimed that she had fallen down the stairs after being jumped on by the pet dog. Medical experts said the trauma suffered by the two-year-old was similar to that seen in car crash victims. Bevan, who was a prolific drug user, moved into Lolas home within days of connecting with her mother, Sinead James, on Facebook. He murdered the toddler months later. James was sentenced to six years in prison for causing or allowing her daughter's death. Former Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was stabbed to death (South Wales Police) Bevans death comes less than a month after Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins died in an attack at the same prison. An inquest has heard that the paedophile died from a stab wound to the neck. Inmates Rashid Gedel, 25, and Samuel Dodsworth, 43, were charged with his murder, and two more men from the prison have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder. He was jailed for 29 years in 2013 with a further six years on licence after admitting a number of sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fans baby. In 2012, he was arrested following the execution of a drugs warrant at his Pontypridd home, when a large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized. The UN Security Council has removed sanctions on Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former al Qaeda leader who now rules Syria, ahead of his visit to the White House to meet with Donald Trump. Mr Sharaa took over as president after leading an Islamist rebel offensive to overthrow Bashar al Assads government in December 2024, ending over a decade of civil war. The resolution to lift sanctions on Mr Sharaa and his interior minister, Anas Khatta, was introduced by the US on Thursday and received 14 votes in favour, with China alone abstaining. Mr Sharaa was sanctioned by the UN in 2014 as leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, then the Syrian chapter of al Qaeda. Mr Sharaa, under the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, rose through the ranks of al Qaeda and a precursor of Isis called ISI, fighting occupying US forces in Iraq before entering the Syrian civil war. He was captured and imprisoned by US troops for several years. His group broke ranks with al Qaeda in 2016 and it was removed by the US from its list of foreign terror groups in July. On Thursday, Mr Trump praised Mr Sharaa for doing a very good job as Syrias leader. It's a tough neighbourhood, and he's a tough guy, but I got along with him very well. And a lot of progress has been made with Syria, the US president said. We did take the sanctions off Syria in order to give them a fighting shot. US president Donald Trump meets with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 14 May 2025 (Reuters) Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said the resolution was a strong political signal that recognised Syria was in a new era. The American government, he claimed, was working hard to fulfil its commitments on countering terrorism and narcotics, on eliminating any remnants of chemical weapons, and promoting regional security and stability as well as an inclusive Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process. Syrias ambassador, Ibrahim Olabi, hailed the move as a message of support for Syrian women and men in their effort to rebuild their homeland and restore their lives. The new Syria will be a success story, he told the Security Council. It will be a shining model that proves the optimal path in international relations is positive engagement and constructive cooperation. If therere concerns, Syria is fully prepared to address them with sincere intent based on mutual respect. Mr Sharaa is visiting Washington on Monday for the first time since he took power, a long stride for a man once designated by the US as a terrorist with a $10m bounty on his head. In September, Mr Sharaa visited New York for the UN General Assembly session, becoming the first Syrian president to address the international body in 58 years. Mr Trump first met Mr Sharaa in May when the US president was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a Middle East tour. He later described the Syrian leader as a tough guy with a very strong past. China abstained on the resolution because it did not properly address its concerns about counterterrorism and security in Syria, Beijings ambassador Fu Cong noted. Beijing has long voiced concerns about the presence of the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Movement in Syria. The group, also called the Turkestan Islamic Party and dominated by Uyghurs from China and Central Asia, was one of the Islamist militias that helped Mr Sharaa take over the Arab country. China accuses the group, which aims to establish an independent country of East Turkestan in the countrys northwest, of waging terrorist violence in the Xinjiang province, where Beijing is accused of overseeing widespread abuses of the mainly Muslim ethnic minority. Mr Fu said the resolution adopted on Thursday "makes it clear" that Syria should "take decisive actions to combat terrorist acts and respond to the threat of foreign terrorist fighters, which include ETIM. At a glance Vladimir Putin could send tanks into a European Nato country tomorrow, a German general is warning The Russian president could launch a limited attack on Nato territory, says Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank Britain has deployed aircraft to eastern Europe including to take part in patrols over Poland Vladimir Putin could order tanks to roll into a European Nato country tomorrow, a German general is warning. Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank stressed that Russia could now launch a limited incursion against Nato territory. Russia has enough main battle tanks to make a limited attack conceivable as early as tomorrow, he said, in a warning which will strike home in countries close to Russia including the Baltic States and Poland. Speaking at his headquarters in north Berlin, Lt Gen Sollfrank explained further: If you look at Russias current capabilities and combat power, Russia could kick off a small-scale attack against NATO territory as early as tomorrow. Small, quick, regionally limited, nothing big - Russia is too tied down in Ukraine for that. Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank (Nato) The general, who heads Germanys joint operations command, also echoed Nato warnings that Russia could potentially mount a large-scale assault on the 32-member alliance as early as 2029 if its armament efforts persist. Germanys Chief of Defence Carsten Breuer told a meeting of his countrys military top brass that Putin must not be allowed to believe that Russia can win a war against Nato or one of its members. As Putins war in Ukraine rages on, he said: We must prevent Russia from another miscalculation like this. Russia must never come to the assumption that it can win a war against Nato or a single Nato country. We need to look into the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine, adapt them for ourselves and develop our own concepts and structures accordingly because the war in Ukraine is our teacher, he explained, adding that Moscow expected a quick win when it invaded its neighbour in 2022. Vladimir Putin being briefed on a test of Russias nuclear-powered Burevestnik missile (Kremlin) Instead, Putins army was forced to retreat from near Ukraines capital Kyiv and has got bogged down in fierce battles in the east of the country, suffering heavy losses while gradually claiming more land. As tensions rise with the West, the Russian president has ordered plans for Russia to restart nuclear tests after Donald Trump told his military chiefs to carry out new weapon trials. Lt Gen Sollfrank, who previously ran Natos logistics command, said that despite setbacks in Ukraine, Russias air force retains substantial combat strength, and its nuclear and missile forces remain unaffected. While the Black Sea Fleet has suffered significant losses, other Russian fleets have not been reduced, he added. The ground forces are suffering losses, but Russia says it aims to boost its total troop numbers to 1.5 million soldiers. Recent drone incursions into Polish airspace have stoked Western fears of Russian escalation. The general emphasised that Moscows hybrid warfare tactics, including drone incursions, should be viewed as interconnected elements of a strategy that also included the war on Ukraine. The Russians call this non-linear warfare. In their doctrine, this is warfare before resorting to conventional weapons. And they threaten to use nuclear weapons, which is warfare by intimidation, he said. Russias aim, he added, was to both provoke Nato and to gauge its response, in order to foster insecurity, spread fear, to do damage, to spy and to test the alliances resilience. Germany plans to expand its armed forces by 60,000 troops, bringing its total military personnel to around 260,000. British jets will confront Russian aircraft violating Nato airspace, the Foreign Secretary has told the UN (PA Wire) Britain is putting its armed forces on readiness for war given the threat posed by Putin and has deployed aircraft to eastern Europe including to carry out patrols over Poland. Poland will roll out a new military training programme for its citizens as part of a broader plan to train around 400,000 people in 2026. The country bordering Ukraine has grown into Natos third-largest military, with 216,000 personnel, and plans to expand its forces by nearly a third over the next decade. Leila Jackson, 43, leaving Gloucester Crown Court - Eleanor Storey/PA A school administrative worker has denied having sex with a pupil five times in six months. Leila Jackson, 43, pleaded not guilty to five charges of sexual activity with a boy aged 16 to 17 while in a position of trust. The offences are alleged to have taken place over a six-month period. Ms Jackson was pictured hiding behind her grey coat while leaving Gloucester Crown Court on Friday. During a short hearing, Ms Jackson, of Gretton, Cheltenham, spoke only to confirm her name and enter her pleas. A six-day trial is expected to take place in July 2027. Ms Jackson was released on conditional bail and ordered not to contact any prosecution witnesses, including the complainant. Credit: Sky News The Algerian sex offender mistakenly released from Wandsworth prison has been recaptured after a police manhunt. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif, 24, who was accidentally freed more than a week ago, was spotted by a member of the public in Islington, north London, and detained by the Metropolitan Police. Nadjib Mekdhia, a 50-year-old Algerian who is homeless but stays in the area, claimed he had recognised Kaddour-Cherif from a newspaper photograph, borrowed a phone from a passer-by and called 999. Kaddour-Cherif was freed in error despite David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, introducing the toughest ever checks after Hadush Kebatu, the Epping migrant sex offender, was accidentally released from HMP Chelmsford two weeks ago. His arrest on Blackstock Road was yards away from where Kebatu was arrested in Finsbury Park. Footage from Sky News showed the moment he was arrested after officers held up a phone with his photograph on the screen next to his face. The video showed him initially standing by the passenger window of a police van wearing a grey hoodie, black beanie and black backpack. Kaddour-Cherif told a reporter: Im not Brahim. When asked if he knew him, he said: Everyone knows him, hes in [the] news. Officers brought up his mugshot on a phone to confirm his identity They added: Youre going to be placed under arrest on suspicion of being wanted ... because you look identical to the person released from custody. Ive had a look at the photo, youve got a very distinctive wonky nose, which looks the same as the person. Asked if he knew he was being arrested, he said he did not know, claiming the mix-up was the authorities fault. As he was taken into a police van, he shouted: Its not my fault. The judge, he told me: You are released. F---ing hell. When a journalist asked, why didnt you hand yourself in?, he said: Do your job. Officers searched his backpack and found a laptop, umbrella and wallet. Before he was put in the back of the van, he turned to those gathered and said: Look at the justice of the UK, they release people by mistake. A Met Police spokesman said: Officers have arrested Brahim Kaddour-Cherif who was released in error from HMP Wandsworth on Oct 29. Cherif was spotted by a member of the public in Blackstock Road, Islington, just before 11.30am. Officers responded immediately and he was arrested. Mr Mekdhia told how he first recognised Kaddour-Cherif and called police. He said: I was by the Algerian cafe when the individual approached me. I dont know what he was doing. I recognised him. I asked a member of the public to give me a phone. Straight away I called the police. The police vans came quickly. It is understood that upwards of 50 Met police officers have been involved in the hunt for Kaddour-Cherif, including specialist staff for finding and tracking suspects using the latest surveillance technology. A prison system in crisis Mr Lammy confirmed Kaddour-Cherif had been recaptured and was back in custody, saying: My thanks are with the police and staff at [HM Prison and Probation Service] who have been working around the clock. We inherited a prison system in crisis and Im appalled at the rate of releases in error this is causing. Im determined to grip this problem, but there is a mountain to climb, which cannot be done overnight. Mr Lammy ordered prison governors to personally sign off on all prison releases after making sure a checklist has been completed. That is why I have ordered new tough release checks, commissioned an independent investigation into systemic failures, and begun overhauling archaic paper-based systems still used in some prisons. Kaddour-Cherif was accidentally freed from HMP Wandsworth in London on Oct 29, but police were only informed of the mistake on Tuesday, prompting the search. He was serving a sentence for trespass with intent to steal, but had previously been convicted for indecent exposure. Brahim Kaddour-Cherif is handcuffed by Met Police officers in Islington, north London Kaddour-Cherif was identified by the Home Office five years ago as an illegal visa overstayer who should have been removed from the UK. He entered the UK in 2019 and was logged as having illegally overstayed his visitor visa on Feb 6 2020, according to the Home Office. William Smith, 35, who was also accidentally freed from the same prison on Monday, has handed himself back in. Mr Lammy has come under fire over his handling of the blunders after repeatedly refusing to confirm that Kaddour-Cherif had been freed during exchanges at Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday. He subsequently rebuffed a call from Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the Commons, to return to Parliament and give a statement. In his first interview on the issue on Thursday, Mr Lammy mistakenly suggested that Kaddour-Cherif had been released before he introduced the new checks. In fact, he had meant to say that the initial error that led to his accidental release had occurred before the measures were introduced on Oct 25. Rank incompetence Steve Reed, the Housing Secretary, dismissed allegations of incompetence and cowardice levelled against the Justice Secretary as anonymous tittle-tattle on Friday morning. He denied that he was one of the anonymous ministers briefing against the Deputy Prime Minister and defended Mr Lammys handling of the crisis as right, adding: The problem is weve got a broken system. The Times quoted one Cabinet minister who described Mr Lammys behaviour as cowardly, adding that he should have fronted up and owned it. A senior government source reportedly said: It feels less like a contempt [of Parliament] issue, more just rank incompetence and frankly pretty dodgy. Asked about the comments, Mr Reed told Times Radio: Do you know what, I dont think the public will be very interested in anonymous tittle-tattle. Last week the Government deported Kebatu a 41-year-old Ethiopian migrant who was jailed for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl after he was recaptured following his release in error 48 hours earlier. The Home Office gave him 500 so that he would drop his asylum claim and his threats to start a new one in an attempt to disrupt his removal. The Home Office gave Hadush Kebatu 500 so that he would drop any asylum claims disrupting his deportation - Television Stills Kaddour-Cherif was being held in the Colnbrook immigration removal centre, awaiting deportation in June, when he appeared before Croydon magistrates court and was charged with handling stolen bank cards in August last year, according to court records. The Telegraph understands that he was released on immigration bail on July 15 so he could be prosecuted for handling the stolen goods, but then failed to contact the authorities. By mid-October, he was being held in HMP Pentonville and appeared before a court on Oct 28 when charges of breaching the sex offenders register were dismissed. He had been placed on the register after admitting an offence of indecent exposure. It is understood he was then moved to HMP Wandsworth, but the paperwork requiring his continued custody to face theft charges was not passed on to the prison and he was wrongly released the next day. The blunder was only discovered six days later when a court flagged that he had been charged with stealing a bike. Kassim Mubiru, a neighbour of Kaddour-Cherif in Tower Hamlets, east London, said: The police came yesterday at 3pm, almost 4pm. They asked me about the person and if I knew him but he didnt show his picture. They gave me a description but they didnt tell me why they were here. The police have come six times in total and they left a leaflet to call them. They were just asking for this gentleman but they did not tell me why. They didnt tell me anything. One mistaken release is too many Mr Lammy said on Wednesday that he was absolutely outraged and appalled by the mistaken release of a foreign criminal wanted by the police and officials have been working through the night to take him back to prison. The Prime Ministers spokesman said one mistaken release is too many and the latest cases would be included in a review that Dame Lynne Owens, a former head of the National Crime Agency, would conduct into the Kebatu release. Andy Davy, the governor of HMP Wandsworth, is understood to have been away from the prison on the day Kaddour-Cherif was released as he has been seconded to carry out the internal inquiry into how Kebatu was mistakenly released from HMP Chelmsford last month. The number of prisoners released in error has more than doubled in a year, from 115 to 266 in the year to March. Mr Lammy said: This latest incident exposes deeper flaws across the failing criminal justice system we inherited. These migrants boat collapsed off France but many more make it across the Channel - PA Migrants should be forced to pay back the costs of their asylum claims once granted, the head of the Red Wall caucus of Labour MPs has said. Jo White, who chairs the group of up to 50 Labour MPs, said the Government should introduce an asylum repayment system similar to the way student loans operated. She said the move where the Government would recoup the costs of financial support and housing could act as a deterrent to migrants seeking to come to Britain. The cost of operating the UKs asylum system is currently more than 5bn, of which 2.1bn is allocated to housing and supporting more than 32,000 migrants in about 200 hotels. Ms White said: I would like [the Chancellor] Rachel Reeves to announce in the Budget that asylum claimants, once their claims have been processed, should be responsible for the costs of their claim. They should be expected to work and, a bit like a student loan, they should pay back over time the whole cost of their claim. That may also act as a deterrent. Jo White is calling for action in the Budget to get the cost of asylum claims under control - House of Commons International refugee law and human rights conventions require any country to support asylum seekers who present themselves as destitute. As well as accommodation, this includes a weekly allowance of 49.18 a week. They can apply to work after a year. The proposal has previously been advocated by Tony Smith, the former director general of the Border Force, who estimated up to half the 5.4bn a year spent on processing, accommodating and supporting asylum seekers could be recouped. Mr Smith said: If they got the message that its not a free ride and any money that they cost the state would have to be repaid, it would act as a deterrent. We could also serve them notice on arrival of the costs they would incur if placed in hotels and asylum accommodation and give them the option to stay with friends or relatives as well. He suggested successful asylum claimants should not be granted indefinite leave to remain or citizenship until they had paid off their debts. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, backed the idea, saying: Illegal immigrants who needlessly come from a safe country like France and claim asylum should not have a free ride. Where they are housed at taxpayers expense, it is only reasonable that they should have to pay these costs back. British taxpayers have been fleeced for too long by illegal immigrants abusing our system. This nonsense has to end. The change was one of three proposals advocated by Ms White, who also called for asylum accommodation to be managed by councils rather than private contractors. The cost of 10-year contracts to provide housing has tripled from 4.5bn to 15.3bn. She said that fixing the migration crisis would mean that the housing bought or developed by the councils could be used to house people in need. Thirdly, she said there was strong public backing for asylum seekers applications to be handed in and processed at the nearest point of safety to their country of origin. Ms White said if such a system could be set up citing Erbil in Iraq as an example the Government could ban asylum claims from anyone who came across the Channel in a small boat to enter the UK illegally. She added: If you have points of safety where claims can be processed then we can make crossing the Channel on small boats illegal because there are alternative ways of people making claims. The four Angelenos were wrenched from their jobs, homes and families by federal immigration agents this summer and disappeared into detention facilities. But in a mass public campaign to stand with them and hundreds of other neighbors taken in immigration raids, the California Community Foundation and other prominent institutions are projecting their stories and photographs of Angelenos who support them onto their buildings in billboard-sized, illuminated images. The images will appear nightly at CCF, LA Plaza Cultura y Artes and the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles, with other institutions soon to follow. The community campaign raises the urgent question: If people are arrested without regard to constitutional rights, who is safe? "This is a call to action," CCF President and CEO Miguel A. Santana said at a Nov. 6 news conference unveiling the project. "'Am I Next?' is more than a question. It is a declaration of courage, a stand for justice and a defense of our most sacred American values, because until justice returns, none of us is free, none of us is safe." The "Am I Next?" campaign confronts attacks on civil liberties and the undermining of democratic norms that weaken civic life. The 20 by 30-foot portraits feature a cross-section of Angelenos united in protest over recent U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service raids that have swept up hundreds of residentsmost with no criminal recordand placed them in detention. Edward James Olmos and George Takei, renowned actors and long-time social justice icons, have joined the campaign. In remarks at the news conference, they compared the federal immigration raids today with civil rights abuses their communities have experienced in the past and urged Americans to step up to oppose them. Takei recounted his terror when, as a five-year-old boy, two U.S. soldiers armed with bayonets forced his family from their Los Angeles home and brought them to Little Tokyo to join thousands of other Japanese Americans sent to World War II concentration camps without charges, hearings or evidence of wrongdoing following the Pearl Harbor attack and subsequent racial scapegoating. "We have been asking the question, 'Am I Next?' But I am a Japanese American, and we Japanese Americans have been there before," Takei said at the news conference. "I stand together with all our fellow Americansto inform them of where our democracy failed during World War II, and when we see it happening again, we have to be actively participating in the movement to oppose it." Olmos, a Mexican American, said he feared the current administration would go after not only those who looked like him but also anyone perceived as an opponent. But he thanked CCF for launching a campaign he said would unite people as never before. "We're in a very, very difficult time and moment in history, a moment that will be remembered forever," he said. "Be ready. Stay united. Become part of the people who speak out." The campaign harnesses the power of art and collaborative action to highlight the threat to democracy to all when immigrants are targeted. Along with CCF, LA Plaza de Cultural Y Artes and the Japanese American National Museum, the Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) and the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) have joined the campaign, with other institutions to follow. In addition, a dedicated campaign website will allow Angelenos to send in their own photos to show their support. The "Am I Next" content will also be available as open source material to download from the website. At LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, in addition to the "Am I Next" content, the installation includes illustrations by over 30 large-scale digital images created by nine Los Angelesbased artists: Brandy Gonzalez, Ernesto Yerena Montejano, Joel Garcia, John Fleissner, Lalo Alcaraz, Las Chicas Peligrosas, Lilia Ramirez "Liliflor," Man One and Mario Hernandez. The project at LA Plaza, titled "We Belong Here" and displayed indefinitely, also features a display of 13 neon artworks by Los Angelesbased artist Patrick Martinez. Leticia Rhi Buckley, CEO of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, spoke about the powerful role art plays in building bridges, fostering dialogue, nurturing empathy, strengthening the community's social fabric and building resistance to injustice. The artists' work, she said, aren't just visuals but also voices speaking truth about migration, struggle, resilience and unity. "We must make visible what has been ignored. We must stand shoulder to shoulder with communities," she said. "Together, we remind Los Angeles and the nation that silence is not an option at a time when diversity is under attack." The Japanese American National Museum will intersperse images of those incarcerated with Angelenos standing against the ICE raids. The museum's historic Little Tokyo location and plaza is where more than 37,000 Japanese Americans from Los Angeles boarded buses bound for America's concentration camps in 1942. "Few people stood up for Japanese Americans when they were unjustly incarcerated, which is why we have the moral responsibility to stand up for others today to ensure that what happened back then never happens to anyone again," says Ann Burroughs, JANM president and CEO. "As our immigrant brothers and sisters face the terror of ICE and [border patrol] raids across the country, the parallels between the state-sanctioned exclusion of 1942 and today are immediate and real. "Through this project, JANM helps the public reckon with being participants in shaping civic life. It is also a strong reminder to all that memory is not passive. It is an act of resistance, a tool for resilience, and a moral responsibility to defend the principles that define a free and just society." CCF will project the images at 6 p.m. nightly on the facade of its building at 717 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90012. To join the campaign, visit https://www.aminextla.org. Media Contact: Gilien Silsby, 213-500-8673 SOURCE California Community Foundation The Washington State Legislative Building is seen in Olympia. Photo: Brett Davis / The Center Square (The Center Square) The Washington State Attorney Generals Offices efforts to modify best practices for responding to public records requests is putting it at odds with some state agencies and local government advocate groups that feel the changes would be overly burdensome. At the same time, the changes have drawn support from government transparency groups such as the Washington Coalition for Open Government. The Model Public Records Act Rules law gives the AGO authority to set guidelines for state agencies to comply with public records requests, though they are legally nonbinding. In addition to modifying the Model Rules, the AGO announced the creation of a new unit to modernize public records and retention processes. Among some of the changes the AGO has proposed to the Model Rules include the following: Add the word prompt and require a response within one business daySeparate simple and complex requests in terms of responsesLimit third-party notification of recordsElectronic payments; fee waiversAuto-deletion ban The state has recently been sued by open government advocate Jamie Nixon over the failure to produce records related to its auto-deletion policy that allows state employees to delete internal communications. In 2017, a court ruling found that legislators are subject to the Public Records Act, after the Associated Press and other media filed a lawsuit. Speaking on behalf of WaCOG, Colette Weeks said at Thursday's public hearing on the Model Public Records Act that best practices should require that all deletion decisions are made only by records management staff. Also prohibit storage of the public records on personal devices. She added that third-party notification that a public records request has been made should be the exception, not the rule. It needlessly delays the process unless disclosure could cause irreparable harm to a person or a vital government function. Agencies should be flexible and aim to complete simple request in one day. However, Candice Bock with the Washington Association of Cities said at the meeting some of the proposed changes could create more problems than it will solve. One of them is the notion of triaging requests, which Bock said puts us in the position of deciding which requester is complicated, which is simple. That could lead to debate and disagreement amongst the requesters about how they're being identified or make them split their requests into multiple requests to try and avoid being considered complex. Regarding third-party notification limits, she said that we're concerned that the provisions in the proposed rules changes would actually be inconsistent with a statutorily required third-party notice and so they should reflect that there are times when third party notice is absolutely mandated in the statute. Dolapo Akinrinade, director of university policy and public records at Western Washington University, also expressed reservations about the notion of triaging requests. It would impose an undue burden on public records officers to have to figure out what is important to one person, Akinrinade said. Many requesters consider their request important and it's just going to be difficult for the public record officers who have made that decision. Executive Director of the Washington State Transit Association Justin Leighton shared similar apprehensions, arguing that the proposed changes represent an overreach of the administrative rulemaking process. They go well beyond technical updates. In fact, they create new policies that would have real operational and financial consequences for public agencies across the state. These kinds of decisions should be made through a legislative process, not through administrative rulemaking. Taking a separate approach was long-running AGO critic Bob Scales, a former King County prosecutor and president of Police Strategies who has filed several lawsuits against the AGO as well as Washington State University over public records. At the meeting he said the AGO had a conflict of interest in setting the rules, since the represent the state agencies who might oppose them. "The Attorney General's Office does not represent the public's interests or the requester's interests, he said. The Attorney General's Office represents state agencies and themselves in terms of public records. They have attorney-client relationships with their clients. They have to look out for the best interests of their client, so if their clients do not want to disclose public records, then the Attorney Generals Office is going to advocate for nondisclosure." He also noted that the issue with public records requests arent the rules, but compliance. Scales is the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the AGO for redacting public records he requested. According to court documents, the Court of Appeals in October reversed a prior trial court's decision and sided with Scales in the matter. In an email to WaCOG, Scales wrote that there is no enforcement mechanism to ensure that agencies comply with the PRA other than filing a lawsuit under RCW 42.56.550. This is a costly and time-consuming path that most requesters are unwilling or are unable to take. Written comments on the proposed changes are due to the AGO by Nov. 17. Comments can be sent to agorulemaking@atg.wa.gov. Andrew Zimmern in black glasses and beanie with chin on fist - Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images Andrew Zimmern is primarily known for sampling unconventional food from around the world, which he showcased on his wildly popular Travel Channel show, "Bizarre Foods." He's an advocate for food sustainability which is why Zimmern wants donkey meat to be legal in the U.S. -- and has also hosted a number of other food-based shows, including "Wild Game Kitchen." He's not so much known for his pastry or dessert recipes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate a good bar of chocolate. In 2023, Zimmern shared on Substack that he'd sampled a coffee- and cardamom-flavored chocolate bar from Eclat Chocolate, a sweet he loved so much that he used an enthusiastic expletive to describe it. Zimmern gushed, "They are un-f******-believable. Get on these now ... it blew my mind." The chocolate bar, called a Parallel Bar, features distinct stripes of milk and dark chocolate, each with complementary flavors. Zimmern continued, "Each chocolate was delicious, but together they were amazing." Eclat explains on its website that the flavor was inspired by a popular type of Middle Eastern coffee, which blends the unmistakable essence of java with warm, spicy cardamom. It also makes such interesting flavor combinations as chocolate with allspice and sesame or porcini mushroom and thyme. Read more: The Most Iconic Snack Foods Across All 50 States Eclat Chocolate isn't made in Europe Coffee & Cardamom chocolate bar from Eclat Chocolate - Eclat Chocolate Some of the best chocolate in the world comes from places like Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy. Andrew Zimmern's preferred chocolate, Eclat, doesn't come from any of these countries or from Europe at all. The chocolatier behind the brand, Christopher Curtin, creates his confections in West Chester, Pennsylvania, a town just outside of Philadelphia. Born in Wisconsin, Curtin studied pastry and chocolate-making all over Europe and in Japan before becoming the first American to win the title of Konditormeister, or Master Pastry Chef and Chocolatier, in Cologne, Germany. His creations combine European technique with astonishing beauty and unparalleled flavor but pay homage to his American roots as well. Curtain celebrated a famous American historical site, Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater in Pennsylvania, with his solid milk and dark chocolate bars he named for the iconic house. Curtin's chocolates and caramels have not only been praised by Zimmern but also by other famous culinary names like Eric Ripert, who actually collaborated with Anthony Bourdain to make Good & Evil chocolate bars, which were sold by Eclat before being discontinued due to Bourdain's death in 2018. 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. Untitled design (4) [Screenshot/YouTube/CGTN] The Peoples Republic of China officially cut the ribbon Wednesday on the newest and most advanced aircraft carrier to enter their navys service, according to state media. The Fujian was commissioned into service at a ceremony and display of military power held at a military port on the island of Hainan in South China, NBC News reported, citing Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV. Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the event along with 2,000 naval officers and construction personnel. The move comes as China aims to ramp up their presence in the Pacific Ocean and beyond. Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) boasted the largest navy in the world in 2024 with 234 active warship compared to 219 in the U.S. Navy, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. The new carrier, Chinas third, is the first both designed and constructed in the communist country, NBC News reported. It boasts an electromagnetic catapult system equipped for deploying aircraft with heavier payloads compared to ships already in service, CCTV reported. (RELATED: Chinese Naval Vessel Spotted Off Hawaiian Coast) The Fujian is reportedly the second aircraft carrier globally to have such a system. The first ever was equipped aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford. The previous two carriers commissioned by China feature a ski-jump style system for launching aircraft, which does not allow for jets with more significant loads to take off. The Fujian first launched in 2022 and completed sea trials in May of 2024. There are three particularly noticeable electromagnetic catapult systems on board the Fujian, according to Chinese state media. Chinas three new carrier-oriented jet aircraft the heavy fighter J-15T, the early-warning aircraft KJ-600 and the stealth-fighter J-35 were also seen aboard. However, two former American carrier officers said the ship may only have significantly less operational capacity compared to a 50-year-old U.S. carrier, according to CNN. They argued that the flight decks design the rate of launch and recovery of aircraft, particularly in comparison to Americas Nimitz-class vessels. The Fujians operational capability is only about 60% of that of the Nimitz class, former U.S. Navy Captain Carl Schuster, who was posted aboard two American carriers, said. He and former Lt. Cmdr. Keith Stewart, previously a navigator for the U.S. Navy, looked at photographs and said the layout restricts aircraft takeoffs and landings. Regional experts warned that the three carriers commissioned by the Chinese government could provide the communist nation if it finds itself in a fight over Taiwan, according to NBC News. However, the ship lacks nuclear power while all American carriers are equipped with power source, meaning she can travel an estimated 10,000 nautical miles while her U.S. counterparts are virtually unlimited in range. Satellite evidence suggests China is working on developing a nuclear-powered supercarrier, five analysts previously told NBC News. Gov.-elect Tony Evers, D-Wis., attends a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Dec. 13, 2018. Photo: Shealah Craighead / Official White House Photo via Flickr / PDM 1.0 (The Center Square) Wisconsin spent at least $160,000 to send Gov. Tony Evers, his wife and several staff members and security along with former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes and WEDC staff to Germany and France earlier this year, according to documents acquired through public records requests by The Center Square. The costs included $69,000 for a chauffeur and limousine service, nearly $19,000 to AHP International for consulting and printed materials related to the trip and a nearly $3,200 group welcome dinner at Zucker restaurant in Braunschweig, Germany. The expenses also included $1,600 for a VIP service that greeted Evers and his wife during layovers at the Paris and London airports with a personalized name sign, luggage assistance and moving through the airports and customs from a company called Fastrack. The expenses also included a $182 staff lunch that Hughes purchased that didnt include a receipt and instead had a lost receipt for saying the expense was from a restaurant in Wiesbaden, Germany. The expenses included per diem food costs for trip participants along with Madison airport parking, seat upgrades and extra bags on the flights. Evers office and the WEDC did not respond to multiple attempts over multiple months to seek comment related to the trip, starting when WEDC produced a press release on the trip on April 1. The WEDC took nearly seven months to produce the records from the trip. John Mozena is the president of the Center of Economic Accountability and recently testified about the value of overseas economic development trips in a committee meeting discussing the topic in Michigan. These economic development subsidy programs run all too often not as economic tools but as political tools, a way for elected officials to essentially get taxpayers to fund re-election advertising on the cheap, Mozena said. These things arent being done to create jobs, theyre being done to make voters believe that youre responsible for creating jobs. These international trips are a way for governors and other elected or high ranking officials to get a nice trip on the taxpayer dime but also to show how hard theyre working, supposedly, when in fact the real issues that companies are sitting back at home not being addressed. Mozena noted that face-to-face meetings with governors and economic development officials are not an essential part of bringing businesses to states and cited a survey from Area Development magazine of U.S. business site selectors showing that state and local incentives were the ninth most important factor behind things such as energy availability and cost, workforce availability, available land, skilled labor and regulatory environment. They dont do nearly as much as the folks that go on them would like to have everyone believe, Mozena said, noting that the trips always seem to be to nice places where he and tourists would also visit but Im paying for it and not letting the taxpayers do it. He also noted that meeting a governor isnt really a big or important meeting for a multi-national corporation. Evers office and the WEDC did not respond to questions on how the trip was paid for but the WEDCs budget plan summary includes $900,000 for trade missions and foreign direct investment that it says includes trips planned to Japan, Canada, Mexico and Germany. Hughes has since resigned her post and is currently running for governor while touting her economic development work, including Foxconn in Pleasant Prairie, which is now set to be a pair of data centers within tax increment districts. I had to come in and clean up that mess, Hughes reportedly said at a Thursday morning candidate forum. I think Foxconn is the perfect example of the problems and dangers and limitations of this kind of thing, Mozena said. Foxconn is easily the highest profile international economic deal that Wisconsins ever had and its a disaster. Mozena said that he isnt sold that placing data centers on those properties is a taxpayer win either. If you were trying to design the dumbest possible thing to subsidize, it would be a data center, Mozena said. They are these big, dark buildings where virtually nobody works. Most of the high-value work at those facilities isnt being doing by people on-site, its being done programmers in Silicon Valley or Shanghai or Mumbai or someplace like that. Christine Finch and her dad, Graham Finch, prepare for traveling from San Francisco International Airport on Nov. 6, 2025. Photo: Madeline Shannon / The Center Square (The Center Square) - As Christine Finch helped her father, Graham Finch, gather his luggage at the San Francisco International Airport, she was worried about how flight delays caused by the federal shutdown would affect their travel plans. Am I going to be able to get Dad home? Christine said of her first thought when hearing about the impending flight delays. Christine, who is flying her father home to New Zealand, said she's also worried whether she'll be able to get back to Canada to go to work. I dont come back for a month, so Im hoping it will be all solved by then, and it wont affect me on my way back up, Christine told The Center Square at the airport Thursday afternoon. Otherwise, she noted, I wont be able to get back up to get back to work. That's the possible personal impact as the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history continues. Starting Friday, the 38th day of the shutdown, flights up and down the West Coast are expected to be delayed, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. On Thursday, the FAA released a list of the airports that will be affected by reduced flights. They include 12 major ones in the West, stretching from California north to Alaska, west to Hawaii and east to Colorado and Texas. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, announced Wednesday the FAA will reduce flights by a total of 10% in what he called 40 high-volume markets throughout the United States. Those cuts are expected to take effect on Friday in an effort to make airline flights safe as shortages in staffing are made worse by the funding lapse caused by the shutdown. West Coast airports on the list include a few in California: Los Angeles International, San Diego International, San Francisco International and Ontario International. Elsewhere in the West, the affected airports include Anchorage International, Seattle/Tacoma International, Portland International, Las Vegas Harry Reid International, Phoenix Sky Harbor International, Salt Lake City International, Honolulu International, Denver International and Dallas/Fort Worth International. Travelers flying out of San Francisco International on Thursday told The Center Square they were concerned about the travel plans of friends and family, despite their own good timing in traveling before the reductions. Were really worried about our friends traveling, said Della Shapen, who was catching a flight to Denmark with her husband, Kevin, and their dog, Jetta. Were really fortunate that were getting ahead of it. Others travelers to Europe said they werent worried their flights were going to be delayed. They saw the words on time flashed on nearby screens showing that most flights flying out of San Francisco on Thursday were departing as scheduled. I was monitoring the situation with the shutdown, but today, maybe were lucky, said Raphael Heisen, who said he was flying to Germany. The situation Im truly worried about that," Heisen told The Center Square about the shutdown. According to a report published by EY-Parthenon, the federal government shutdown could cost the American economy $7 billion a week, leading to a 0.1% decline in gross domestic product growth. Federal employees, who include Transportation Security Agency workers at airports, arent getting paid their wages because of the federal government shutdown - leading to many of these workers calling out sick, according to Forbes. STARKVILLE, Miss., Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CampusKnot Inc., an AI-powered teaching assistant platform for higher education, announced today that it has raised $1.1 million to expand its footprint across the United States and accelerate adoption of its technology among universities. Rahul Gopal - Co-Founder & CEO pitching at Idea Village Demo Day 2025 The investment comes from Tulane Ventures, Boot 64 Ventures, Invest Mississippi Impact Fund, Momentum Fund, and Greaux Innovation Ventures, along with several private angels from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arizona. The funding highlights the growing strength of the Mississippi and Louisiana innovation corridor, where startups combine academic expertise with emerging technology to improve education. Helping Professors Teach, Not Just Manage CampusKnot was built around a simple idea: enhancing student engagement begins with empowering professors. Teaching is at the heart of every learning experience, and professors play a pivotal role in shaping it. It all starts with them. They should be spending more time teaching and mentoring students, not juggling the constant demands of research, administration, and classroom management. The platform acts as an AI teaching assistant, helping instructors generate classroom questions, track participation, automate grading and feedback, and summarize discussions while giving professors a clear view of who is engaging and who might be falling behind. In practice, a professor using CampusKnot can upload a syllabus and course content, automatically generate activities aligned with learning objectives, deploy interactive and fun classroom activities, track attendance, manage rewards and incentives, and receive engagement analytics that tie teaching goals to measurable learning outcomes. The result is more time for meaningful conversation and mentorship, and a deeper understanding of how students are learning week by week. "Our vision is to make teaching more effortless and fun," said Rahul Gopal, Co-founder and CEO of CampusKnot. "Students are looking for community, quick feedback, and genuine connections with their professors. But professors often lack the time, resources, or instructional support to make that happen. CampusKnot steps in as an intelligent assistant that helps them bring those connections to life in real time. AI has changed how information is created and shared, but its real value is how it enhances the human experience of learning. We help professors address everyday classroom needs with practical, responsible, and measurable ways to use AI for teaching and engagement." Growth, Hiring, and Expansion With the new funding, CampusKnot plans to scale nationwide while driving regional impact through job creation and expanded university partnerships across the Gulf South. The company will hire in sales, engineering, and customer success roles to meet increasing demand from universities and scale its partnerships with VitalSource and Follett, which provide frictionless entry into more than 1,000 campuses nationwide. CampusKnot already has professors using the platform at 32 universities, including Mississippi State University, The University of Alabama, Texas A&M University, Tulane University, and Louisiana State University. Ecosystem Driven Growth and Support CampusKnot's journey reflects the power of regional collaboration in driving innovation. The company was accelerated through the Invest Mississippi and Idea Village accelerator programs, which helped refine its business model, scale operations, and expand its reach across the Gulf South. The Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach at Mississippi State University also provided early support and mentorship during CampusKnot's formative years. "These ecosystems have been instrumental in shaping who we are today," said Gopal. "The support we have received from both Mississippi and Louisiana partners has created a foundation for long-term growth and meaningful impact in higher education." What Partners and Experts Are Saying "CampusKnot exemplifies the kind of scalable, mission-driven innovation Tulane Ventures seeks to support. By automating key teaching tasks and enhancing student engagement, the platform is transforming how faculty interact with students. With adoption and traction at over 30 universities, CampusKnot is well-positioned to expand its impact on teaching and learning across the nation. We are proud to support its continued growth in higher education." - Kimberly Gramm, MBA, PhD, Managing Director, Tulane Ventures "AI in higher education should not automate learning; it should illuminate it, slow the process down, exposing the productive steps, and helping students wrestle with ambiguity. Used thoughtfully, it can open doors to perspectives students have not yet imagined, and CampusKnot helps you do that in real time." - Dr. Alex Joubin, George Washington University "We are excited to join the team at CampusKnot. Our belief in Rahul's leadership and execution as CEO is strong, and we see a clear path for CampusKnot to continue gaining market share while challenging more established players in the space." - John Roberts, Boot 64 Ventures "Innovation Catalyst is proud to support CampusKnot as they transform the classroom experience through AI by empowering professors to drive engagement and track learning outcomes in real time." - Bill Ellison, CEO, Innovation Catalyst Inc. About CampusKnot CampusKnot Inc. is an AI teaching assistant platform that enables professors to create interactive classrooms and keep students engaged throughout the semester. The platform automates hours of manual work, including content generation, grading, feedback, summarizing, and rewarding participation, while providing data-driven insights that connect classroom participation to learning outcomes. Headquartered in Starkville, Mississippi, with operations and partnerships based in New Orleans, Louisiana, CampusKnot is redefining how higher education institutions approach teaching, learning, and engagement through the power of AI. SOURCE CampusKnot Inc. Simon Stiell, executive secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), left, and Fernando Haddad, Brazil's finance minister, during the preparatory ministerial meeting ahead of COP30, at the Brazil International Convention Center (CICB) in Brasilia, Brazil, on Monday, Oct. 13, 2025. Credit - Ton Molina/BloombergGetty Images Greetings from Sao Paulo where corporate executives from around the world have gathered ahead of this years United Nations climate talksknown as COP30. This is my second stop in a two-week trip to Brazil as I try to understand how the world is approaching climate change at this moment. People always ask me whether its really worth spending so much time and energy at COP. This year, Ive heard that question even more than usual given the rapid developments in the U.S.from the AI-linked rise in power demand to the Trump Administrations ongoing assault on climate policy. My answer has never been clearer: to understand the state of climate efforts requires getting out of the U.S.now more than ever. Acquiring a true sense of where things currently stand almost requires going region by region, sector by sector, technology by technology. And anticipating where things are headed means grappling with changing economics. For me, the COP experience is an opportunity to drink from a firehose and get a crash course in answering these questions. What Ive learned is that geopolitical tension, reshaped trade dynamics, and technological advances all mean that when it comes to climate change, the U.S. is no longer in the driver's seat. For the past decade, a decent portion of my time at COP has been dedicated to trying to track down what the U.S. delegation is doingwhether thats watching the U.S. broker compromises to help deliver the Paris Agreement or sitting in as the first Trump Administration pitched coal-fired power as a source of clean energy. What the U.S. said mattered, so much so that negotiators from around the world had to bend to address the countrys domestic considerations. In 2015, U.S. negotiators held up talks in the wee hours of the morning over wording in one section of the Paris Agreement out of fear that it would trigger the need for Senate confirmation. In Belem, the Amazon city where official COP30 proceedings are set to begin next week, heads of government from a few dozen countries gathered on Nov. 6 and 7 for a convening with the Brazilian president. The gathering was loaded with criticism of the U.S.subtle and directbut offered no indication that the rest of the world is following the U.S.s lead. Thats not to say that governments are moving at the necessary speed or scale. The vast majority of countries failed to submit new climate plans to the U.N. as they had pledged to do. Those that did submit by and large showed improvement in their emissions reduction efforts, but not enough to meet climate targets. But the heart of this COPand indeed climate efforts generally right nowis really less about targets and more about implementation. Plans arent worth much if they arent put into action. And much of which is occurring to help bring these targets to life is in the private sector. Indeed, in Sao Paulo, private sector leaders seem keen to try to understand the new landscape while remaining largely undeterred by the U.S. pullback. Electricity demand is rising around the globe, creating an incentive for clean energy investment to serve that need. Clean technology manufactured in Chinalike EVshas become increasingly affordable, creating new opportunities for Chinese exporters and importers around the world. And in many countries, including Brazil, access to clean energy and bio-economy solutionsthink of biofuelsmeans chances abound to invest in decarbonization today. In Brazil, climate finance is really mainstream finance, said Joaquim Levy, a former Brazilian Minister of Finance, on a panel I moderated in Sao Paulo this week. And while policy efforts have slowed in some parts of the world, they continue in others. Brazil recently rolled out a new emissions trading scheme. Meanwhile, disclosure regimes requiring companies to disclose emissions and climate risks are kicking off in much of Asia. What all of that amounts to at climate talks here in Brazil remains to be seen. The Brazilian hosts have rolled out some concrete programs aimed at creating momentumincluding a landmark effort to protect forests and a roadmap to accelerate climate finance. But at the very least, attendees will leave Brazil with a sense that climate efforts are alive and well. At a TIME dinner in Rio de Janeiro earlier this week, E2 Executive Director Bob Keefe, who we recognized this year on our annual TIME100 Climate list, summed it up well: What else gives me hope? he asked the crowd rhetorically. Its the realization that Washington D.C. is not America, and America is not the world. To get this story in your inbox, subscribe to the TIME CO2 Leadership Report newsletter here. This story is supported by a partnership with Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. TIME is solely responsible for the content. Contact us at letters@time.com. A patient fills out a medical form in a hospital office. Photo: DC Studio / Freepik Get Covered Illinois premiums to spike The Get Covered Illinois division of the Illinois Department of Insurance says Illinoisans enrolling in state-based health coverage can expect an average 78% increase in monthly premiums for 2026, with higher price spikes expected in Southern Illinois. Nearly 466,000 Illinoisans purchased health coverage through Get Covered Illinois during open enrollment in 2024, a 17% increase from the previous year. For coverage starting January 1, customers must enroll by December 15. More information is available at GetCoveredIllinois.gov or 1-866-311-1119. Chicago budget director suggests property tax hike Although Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson did not include a property tax increase in his 2026 budget proposal, his budget director has suggested a tax levy of more than $1.8 billion. In a letter to City Clerk Anna Valencia last month, Budget Director Annette Guzman stated the estimated amount of $1,848,501,077 would be necessary, according to the citys Office of Budget and Management. In her letter, Guzman cited the Illinois Truth in Taxation Law. Marine celebration Illinois will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps on Monday, Nov. 10, with a ceremonial cake-cutting and program. The Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs has invited all of the states past and present Marines to attend the ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library in Springfield. The annual ceremony honors the sacrifices and achievements of Marines. ### By Vladimir Soldatkin and Anna Hirtenstein MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) -Lukoil's international operations faced mounting disruptions on Friday as a U.S. deadline for companies to cut off business with the Russian oil company looms and after a hoped-for sale of the operations to Swiss trader Gunvor collapsed. The U.S. Treasury, which would have to approve any sale as Lukoil is under U.S. sanctions, on Thursday labelled Gunvor a Kremlin "puppet" and signalled its opposition to the deal. The United States sanctioned Lukoil and larger rival Rosneft last month as part of President Donald Trump's push to get Russia to the negotiating table over Ukraine. "The stark Treasury message is a signal to the market that those gambling on a speedy normalisation of the Russian energy trade will be disappointed," said Geoffrey Pyatt, senior managing director at McLarty Associates and former U.S. assistant secretary of state for energy resources. Analysts and oil executives said Lukoil will likely be forced to sell the assets at steep discounts by Treasury's November 21 deadline for companies to halt business ties with the firm, possibly to a Western major. These include operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and Mexico, and range from a controlling stake in Iraq's sprawling West Qurna 2 oilfield to refineries in Bulgaria and Romania. MOLDOVA ASKS FOR EXEMPTIONS In the latest fallout from the restrictions, Moldovan energy minister Dorin Junghietu said on Friday that Lukoil will have to stop its operations in the country from November 21. According to the minister, Lukoil owns a number of gasoline stations, supplies the oil market, and is the private owner of the airport's only fuel storage, supply, and aircraft refuelling facility. He said Moldova has requested a temporary exemption from Washington for Lukoil to operate in the country until it resolves the issue, so that the supply of fuel to Moldova is not disrupted. He also said Moldova had decided to reject Lukoil's offer to divest its assets and sell the airport infrastructure to another company. BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT MOVES TO SEIZE AND SELL REFINERY Bulgaria's parliament on Friday adopted a law change that will allow the government to seize control of Lukoil's Burgas oil refinery and sell it to protect the plant from the impact of U.S. sanctions. Under the revision, a special commercial manager appointed by the government will be able to oversee the continued operation of Lukoil's refinery in Bulgaria beyond November 21. This manager will also be able to sell the company, with proceeds to be placed in an account in Lukoil's name but which the company cannot use, Boyko Borissov, Bulgaria's former prime minister and leader of the GERB party that heads the coalition government, told local media. LUKOIL'S FUEL CHAIN IN FINLAND IS RUNNING DRY In Finland, petrol station chain Teboil, owned by Lukoil, is running out of fuel as the U.S. sanctions against its parent company prevented it from doing business, newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported on Friday, citing a Teboil spokesperson. "We are running down our fuel stocks, which means some stations are already out of certain fuel types and the number of such stations is growing daily," Toni Flyckt, Teboil's marketing and communications director, told the newspaper. KREMLIN DEFENDS LUKOIL'S INTERESTS The Kremlin said Lukoil's international interests should be respected after Gunvor had withdrawn its bid for the assets. Asked about the development, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was commercial matter and related to what he called illegal U.S. sanctions on Moscow, but that it was important that Lukoil's interests were protected. "We believe that all legitimate interests of a major international company, including a Russian one, like Lukoil, in terms of international trade and economic relations, must be respected," said Peskov. (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov, Anastasiia Malenko, Georgi Slavov, Stoyan Nenov, and Anna Hirtenstein; writing by Lucy Papachristou and Daria Sito-Sucic; editing by Andrew Osborn and Jason Neely) Ben Shuldiner stands outside of the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence in Seattle.Photo: Seattle School Board of Directors / Courtesy of Seattle Public Schools (The Center Square) Seattle Public Schools is set to hire Ben Shuldiner, current superintendent of the Lansing School District in Michigan, as the next leader of Washington state's largest school district. On Wednesday, the Seattle School Board unanimously authorized contract negotiations with Shuldiner to finalize hiring him. Candidate identities were kept confidential throughout the process, per state law RCW 42.56.230, to protect the privacy of those currently in leadership roles at other districts, as the statute shields personal information in files for appointees or elected officials. Last month, the board moved to name "Candidate Seven Shuldiner as the finalist to be the district's next superintendent. Several board members praised Shuldiners financial and operational expertise, as he has served in education leadership roles in Michigan and New York for more than 20 years. Shuldiner has served as superintendent in Lansing since 2021. During that time, the district saw a 26% increase in graduation rate, a 15% increase in attendance, and a true increase in district enrollment for the first time in decades, according to Seattle Public Schools. Board members noted Shuldiners experience in budgeting as he successfully increased the Lansing School Districts fund balance by over $40 million. Seattle Public Schools faced a budget gap of approximately $100 million that led to a plan to close 17 to 21 schools in order to save about $30 million However, pushback from teachers and families led to the district scrapping any school closure plans and relying on levy renewals to secure long-term financial stability for the district. Ben Shuldiner brings exceptional financial and operational expertise and clear and precise insights on Seattles budget challenges, Joe Mizrahi, school board member, said in a statement. Perhaps more importantly, he brings a clarity of vision and ability to communicate that vision with candor that will bring focus and momentum to our district. Prior to serving as superintendent of the Lansing School District, Shuldiner founded and served as principal of the High School for Public Service, a public school in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y., for 10 years. In February, Shuldiner came up short in becoming the Clark County superintendent in Las Vegas, Nev., the fourth largest school district in the U.S. An article from Lansing-based WILX 10 quoted Shuldiner saying he was looking to remain at Lansing School District as long as he could and was not actively searching for a new job. Eight months later, Shuldiner is moving west. On Wednesday night, Shuldiner said he believes Seattle is his permanent home. Seattle is an incredible city, its an incredibly vibrant place with loving adults and brilliant children, Shuldiner said during a school board meeting on Wednesday. I believe our goal today is to make Seattle the single greatest urban school district in America. A Navy ship is docked near the shoreline. Photo: Sarah Roderick-Fitch / The Center Square (The Center Square) As the number of suspected narcotic transport boats destroyed by the U.S. military grows, so does the number of naval vessels in the Caribbean. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on social media Thursday evening that U.S. forces carried out their 17th strike on alleged drug boats, killing three male narco-terrorists in the targeted operation. President Donald Trump has made it clear that his administrations intent to target narco-terrorists in the region to help curb the flow of drugs into the country. Last month, it was announced that the newest and largest U.S. Navy Aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, and its strike group would be transiting to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility in the Caribbean. Ahead of the Fords arrival, several naval ships are already in the region, including the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, according to the U.S. Naval Institutethe Iwo Jima, a Wasp-class amphibious ship, among the larger classes of ships in the Navy. The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group deployed in August, carrying over 4,500 sailors and Marines, according to the Department of War. The group includes the Iwo Jima, USS Fort Lauderdale, USS San Antonio, and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. As of early this week, the USNI reported that, in addition to the group, three Navy guided-missile destroyers are operating in the Caribbean, including the USS Jason Dunham, USS Gravely, and USS Stockdale. In addition, USNI reported the USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and the USS Wichita (LCS-13) are operating in the Caribbean. The buildup of navy ships in the region points to the administrations commitment to prioritizing targeting narco-terrorists. Still, it could also signal the U.S. focusing on potential adversarial threats in Latin America. Hegseth told The Center Square last month at an event in the White House that the Department of War is keeping its eyes on adversaries in the region after TCS asked the secretary and the president if they had plans to expand U.S. Naval operations in Puerto Rico, specifically Roosevelt Roads, a Navy base closed in 2004. We're familiar with the location that you're referring to, and we will make sure that we're properly placed in order to deal with the contingency we're dealing with there, and also any ways in which other countries would attempt to be involved also, so we can walk and chew gum. We're definitely keeping our eyes on near peer adversaries at the same time, Hegseth told TCS%20as%20a%20fertile%20ground%20for%20exploiting%20popular%20resentment%20vis-%C3%A0-vis%20the%20United%20States%20and%20the%20%E2%80%98collective%20West,%E2%80%99%20which%20they%20%E2%80%93%20rather%20successfully%20%E2%80%93%20harness%20to%20advance%20their%20view%20of%20a%20multipolar%20world,%E2%80%9D%20according%20to%20CSIS.%20%20The%20group%20cites%20sanctions%20from%20the%20West,%20which%20are%20growing%20in%20large%20part%20due%20to%20Russia%E2%80%99s%20ongoing%20offensive%20in%20Ukraine.%20%20%E2%80%9CSecond,%20LAC%20partners%20could%20prove%20instrumental%20in%20offsetting%20the%20impacts%20of%20Western%20sanctions%20against%20Moscow%20and%20Tehran%20by%20mitigating%20their%20diplomatic%20and%20economic%20isolation.%20Finally,%20certain%20LAC%20countries%20could%20also%20serve%20as%20less%20scrutinized%20partners%20for%20further%20developing%20Russo-Iranian%20warfare%20capabilities%20or%20cooperation,%20sheltering%20mercenaries%20or%20militias%20%E2%80%93%20such%20as%20Hezbollah%20%E2%80%93%20and%20acting%20as%20vectors%20for%20%E2%80%98horizontal%20escalation%E2%80%99%20of%20conflicts%20in%20which%20Russia%20and%20Iran%20are%20currently%20involved,%E2%80%9D%20the%20group%20added.). The secretarys response cemented the administrations America first policy, which is beginning to shift focus to its own backyard. But we think sending a message on these cartels, these narco-terrorists, is an important, important inside our hemisphere, which for far too long other presidents, as the president pointed out, they've ignored our own backyard and allowed other countries to increase their influence here, which only threatens the American people. We're changing that, Hegseth concluded. The naval buildup in the region could highlight concerns in recent years that Venezuela, under the dictatorship of socialist Nicolas Maduro, has aligned the country with American adversaries, such as Russia, China and Iran. In 2022, Venezuela hosted military drills with countries including Russia, China and Iran. The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns that Latin America is ripe for U.S. adversarial influences. While Western observers have focused their attention on joint connivances of Russia and Iran in Eastern Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East, where Russo-Iranian military-security operations directly affect U.S. and European interests, the Western Hemisphere is not isolated from the two countries quests for global influence. In fact, in many ways it is an essential piece of the puzzle. First, both Iran and Russia perceive Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as a fertile ground for exploiting popular resentment vis-a-vis the United States and the collective West, which they rather successfully harness to advance their view of a multipolar world, according to CSIS. The group cites sanctions from the West, which are growing in large part due to Russias ongoing offensive in Ukraine. Second, LAC partners could prove instrumental in offsetting the impacts of Western sanctions against Moscow and Tehran by mitigating their diplomatic and economic isolation. Finally, certain LAC countries could also serve as less scrutinized partners for further developing Russo-Iranian warfare capabilities or cooperation, sheltering mercenaries or militias such as Hezbollah and acting as vectors for horizontal escalation of conflicts in which Russia and Iran are currently involved, the group added. According to USNI, the Ford is transiting from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, where it will continue to the Caribbean. Qantas planes at Melbourne Airport, Australia in 2020. (Daniel Pockett / Getty Images file) Travelers were forced to evacuate after a man caught on fire in a business lounge at an airport in Australia when a power bank ignited in his pocket. The incident, which left the man with minor burns, took place Thursday in a business lounge for Qantas Airways at the busy Melbourne International Airport, the airport confirmed to NBC News. Firefighters responded to the incident, with the lounge evacuated as a precaution, the airport confirmed. Passengers reported panic as smoke emerged. In a Reddit post, one traveler said they heard screaming from the other side of the lounge and that the explosion of the device sent battery acid flying everywhere. "His jacket caught on fire. They evacuated us because the smoke and smell was so strong, but I really just hope the guy is okay," the traveler added. Local media reported that the man, who is in his 50s, was in stable condition at a hospital, after suffering the burns to his leg and fingers. Qantas did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News. Australian filmmaker Leanne Tonkes, who was in the lounge at the time, posted about the incident on social media. Hoping the man who caught fire holding it is ok, she wrote in her Instagram post. Quick thinking from the man who jumped in to help and the staff who got him in the shower and everyone else out of the lounge, she added. According to the Transport Security Administration (TSA), power banks containing a lithium ion battery must be packed in carry-on bags. Spare lithium batteries, which include power banks, are not allowed in checked luggage. Several of the world's biggest airlines, including Emirates, Singapore Airlines, and Cathay Pacific, prohibit the use of power banks on their flights. In October 2025, an Air China flight made an emergency landing in Shanghai after a lithium battery in a passenger's carry on bag ignited. Billionaire Jared Isaacman led SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission before he was initially nominated for NASA administrator. The Washington Post/Getty Images Billionaire Jared Isaacman is back in the news after Trump re-nominated him to lead NASA. Isaacman is a billionaire CEO who dropped out of high school and founded two companies. He has led and flown on two SpaceX missions, including the first-ever commercial space walk. Jared Isaacman isn't just a billionaire CEO. He's also a SpaceX astronaut and financier and now he's being re-nominated to lead NASA. Last December, Trump announced he was nominating Isaacman to be the new NASA Administrator, but rescinded the nomination after reviewing "prior associations." In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, Trump announced he was putting Isaacman forward once again for NASA Administrator, a position responsible for the overall vision and policy for the agency. Isaacman has flown to space twice aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon, on flights he commissioned, funded, and commanded including a mission where he conducted the first-ever commercial spacewalk in September. So who is Jared Isaacman, and how did the entrepreneur end up on Trump's radar? Read on to learn about his career rise. Isaacman decided to drop out of high school at the age of 15. Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post/Getty At the age of 15, Isaacman decided to drop out of high school and take the GED, according to the Netflix docuseries "Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space." "I was a horrible student," Isaacman said in the series. "And I wasn't, like, happy in school, either." He described his younger self as independent and said he didn't understand things like raising your hand to go to the bathroom. At 16, he founded a multibillion-dollar payment-processing company in his parents' basement. SOPA Images/Getty Isaacman founded United Bank Card in 1999. The company, now called Shift4, offers mobile-payment software, point-of-sale solutions, and online payments for various businesses. Isaacman said in the Netflix docuseries that when he started the company, he would wake up every day at 7:30 a.m. and fall asleep on the keyboard at 2 or 3 in the morning. By 2020, he took the company public. Today, Shift4 processes over $260 billion annually and serves over 200,000 customers, according to its website. Isaacman has a wife and two kids. Joe Raedle/Getty Isaacman has known his wife, Monica Isaacman, for most of his life. The two come from the same town and got married in 2012. They now live in Pennsylvania with their two daughters. "I want my kids to see humans walking on the moon and Mars," Isaacman told Business Insider. His wife said in the docuseries that she had good and bad dreams leading up to his first SpaceX mission, Inspiration4, which launched in 2021. She said while she wouldn't want him to compromise on his dreams of going to space, she worried about what could happen if something went wrong. Isaacman told Business Insider in the interview that his family and wife were much more enthusiastic about the Polaris Dawn mission this time around, thanks to a successful first mission. While there are still risks, he told Business Insider his family is aware and accepts them. He also founded Draken International. The Washington Post/Getty Isaacman founded Draken International in 2012. The company is a private aircraft provider that also trains pilots for the US military, the UK, and NATO countries. In 2019, Isaacman sold the company to Blackstone. Isaacman became a billionaire in 2019. Jared Isaacman at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California. SpaceX/Business Wire via AP Photo Isaacman hit billionaire status in 2020 after selling Draken International and taking Shift4 public. His net worth is estimated at $1.1 billion, according to Forbes. He always had a passion for flying planes. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images Isaacman said in the Netflix docuseries that he took an early interest in flying and went to flight school at a local airport in 2004. At the time, he was feeling burned out from starting his company and described flying as "therapeutic." Isaacman also set a world speed record for flying around the globe in 2009. "I do believe you only get one crack at life," Isaacman said in the docuseries. "To the extent you have the means to do so, you have this obligation to live life to the fullest. You never know when it's going to be your last day." He added in the docuseries that this philosophy had taken him to fly in air shows as part of a seven-ship formation aerobatic team and on mountain-climbing expeditions in Antarctica. He's involved with philanthropy. Eugene Gologursky/Getty Isaacman has been involved in several charitable causes and organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. His first SpaceX mission raised over $240 million for St. Jude and was named Inspiration4 to inspire support and raise awareness for the research hospital. Isaacman and his wife have also committed to The Giving Pledge, a charitable campaign founded by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett in 2010. The Giving Pledge serves as a commitment from wealthy people to donate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Isaacman's first space mission took place in 2021. The Inspiration4 crew members pose together in their SpaceX spacesuits. Inspiration4/John Kraus In 2021, Isaacman funded and led the first civilian mission to space, called Inspiration4. The mission was carried out by SpaceX 's Dragon capsule. Isaacman previously told Business Insider that the prep for the mission was extensive and involved a lot of studying and physical tests. "The academics were pretty intense," Isaacman said, adding that there were thousands of pages across a hundred manuals to learn about SpaceX's Falcon and Dragon aircraft. It also involved crew members learning how to draw blood from each other as well as take skin samples to prepare for increased radiation levels on the trip. Isaacman commanded the first-ever privately funded spacewalk. The Crew of the next SpaceX private astronaut flight called Polaris Dawn, (Left to Right) Anna Menon, who works to develop astronaut operations for SpaceX, Scott Poteet, who served as the mission director of the Inspiration4 mission SpaceX, and Jared Isaacman, who is financing the mission. The Washington Post/Getty Images On September 10, 2024 Isaacman and three other crew members successfully took off on their way into orbit for the first-ever privately funded spacewalk. The spacewalk featured SpaceX's new EVA suits. During the spacewalk, the Polaris Dawn crew will wear the new SpaceX EVA suits https://t.co/LRl5pPlAC9 pic.twitter.com/MVHzNwiWZU SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 10, 2024 Polaris Dawn lifted off from Launch Complex-39A at NASA's KSC, which also saw the launches of other historic missions, such as the Apollo 11 moon landing. Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew safely arrived back on the coast of Florida on September 15, 2024. Trump nominated Isaacman to lead NASA. Elon Musk, Founder of SpaceX and Commissioner of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), beside U.S. President-Elect Donald J. Trump. Brandon Bell/Getty Images In an X post on December 4 of last year, Isaacman called the nomination "the honor of a lifetime" and suggested that human space exploration would be a top priority. Space-industry experts told Business Insider that Isaacman was not a traditional pick for NASA Administrator, but his background in commercial spaceflight would benefit the agency. "They need someone who is not afraid to try something new if the old ways aren't working," George Nield, a former head of the FAA's office of commercial space transportation, previously told Business Insider. Michelle Hanlon, executive director of the Center for Air and Space Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, called Isaacman "an inspired pick," in part due to his "stellar" managerial skills. "He has shown a real commitment to increasing access to space, and I think he is going to be a great person to promote space to the general public," she said. Trump later withdrew Isaacman's nomination, citing a review of "prior associations." Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images Trump said he was dropping Isaacman's nomination on May 31 in a post on Truth Social, after a "thorough review of prior associations." He also said that he would soon announce a new, "mission aligned" nominee. Isaacman had donated to Democratic candidates throughout his career up until the 2024 election, according to OpenSecrets. Isaacman responded to the withdrawal on X by saying he was "incredibly grateful" to the president, the Senate, and anyone who supported him throughout the nomination. "The past six months have been enlightening and, honestly, a bit thrilling. I have gained a much deeper appreciation for the complexities of government and the weight our political leaders carry," Isaacman wrote in a post. Isaacman later said he was a "good visible target." Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images In an episode of the "All-In Podcast" released in June, Isaacman said that his Democratic donations were always public and he doesn't think it was the reason his nomination was withdrawn. "I don't think that the timing was much of a coincidence that, you know, there was other changes going on the same day," Isaacman said, adding that there was "more than one departure that was covered on that day." Isaacman said that he thinks there were "axes to grind" and he was a "good visible target." He said he doesn't "fault the president at all" and fully supports him. Musk defended Isaacman and later entered into a highly public feud with Trump over his spending bill. Elon Musk, Donald Trump Marc Piasecki/Getty Images, Bill Pugliano/Getty Images Musk had ended his time at the White House leading DOGE just days before the decision to withdraw Isaacman's nomination. Musk came swiftly came to Isaacman's defense following the withdrawal and wrote in a post and said on X that it was "rare to find someone so competent and good-hearted." Days later, Musk ramped up his criticism for Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which escalated into the two exchanging insults on social media. Musk accused the president of being involved in the Epstein files and Trump threatened to eliminate government contracts with Musk's companies. Trump referred to Isaacman as a "blue blooded Democrat" on Truth Social. "I am saddened to watch Elon Musk go completely 'off the rails,' essentially becoming a TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks," President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday. Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images While the dust appeared to momentarily settle between Musk and Trump after their public dust-up, the feud started back up again when Musk renewed his criticism on Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," which was just signed into law in July. Isaacman was drawn to the forefront as tensions rose between the two. In a post about the end of EV mandates in Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill," Trump shed some more light on the decision that went into withdrawing Isaacman's nomination. "Elon asked that one of his close friends run NASA and, while I thought his friend was very good, I was surprised to learn that he was a blue blooded Democrat, who had never contributed to a Republican before," Trump said on Truth Social in July. Isaacman had previously said in the "All-In Podcast" in June that he's always been "somewhat of a moderate" and leaned right. Trump added that he thought it was "inappropriate" that a close friend of Musk would run NASA when it's such a big part of Musk's corporate life. Isaacman said he thought his initial nomination was a scam. Isaacman said he thought his initial nomination was a scam. Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for WIRED On an episode of the "Shawn Ryan Show" in September, Isaacman said he didn't take it seriously when Trump's transition team first approached him about leading NASA. He said that in late November 2024, a friend informed him that his name was being circulated for a job in the administration. Then, while running in Central Park, he said he missed a call and had a message from a number he didn't recognize he said he assumed it was a scam. "It was like, 'Would you be interested in serving in DJT's administration?" Isaacman said on the podcast. "And I deleted it because I was like, if it was not a scam, it would be just a little bit more legit than this." Isaacman said he realized his mistake when the friend reached out again and said the administration was trying to reach him. He soon got on the phone with Howard Lutnick , who had been running his transition team at the time, about leading NASA, Isaacman said. The next day, he said he met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. He said Trump shook his hand at the end of the meeting and said "you got the job." Isaacman added that he thought Trump liked him in part because he was a "political newcomer." Trump re-nominated Isaacman for NASA administrator on Tuesday. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Months after withdrawing his nomination for Isaacman, Trump renominated Isaacman for NASA administrator on Tuesday. "Jared's passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era," Trump wrote in his Truth Social post. Following the renomination announcement, Isaacman thanked Trump for the opportunity in a post on X. "Godspeed, President Donald J. Trump, and Godspeed NASA, as America leads the greatest adventure in human history," Isaacman said in the post. If Isaacman gets confirmed, he will take over the position from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who has served as the agency's interim administrator since July. This story was originally published on September 11, 2024, and most recently updated on November 7, 2025. Read the original article on Business Insider RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/Shutterstock (2) Nawat Itsaragrisil; Fatima Bosch. NEED TO KNOW Miss Universe President Raul Rocha announced that pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil has been restricted from the pageant, which is set to take place on Nov. 21 in Thailand The sanction follows Itsaragrisil's viral confrontation with Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch on Nov. 4, which resulted in multiple contestants walking out of a pre-pageant event Itsaragrisil has since apologized for his actions Nawat Itsaragrisil has been dismissed from this year's Miss Universe pageant following his confrontation with Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch. On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Miss Universe President Raul Rocha announced multiple sanctions against Itsaragrisil, including his restriction from the pageant, which will be held on Nov. 21. "I have restricted Nawat's participation in the events that are part of the 74th Miss Universe competition, limiting it as much as possible or eliminating it entirely," Rocha stated in Spanish in a subtitled video posted to the organization's official Instagram page. He continued to express his "great indignation towards Nawat for the public aggression he committed against Fatima Bosch ... whom he humiliated, insulted, and showed lack of respect to." Miss Universe Thailand/Facebook Miss Mexico Fatima Bosch responds during the Miss Universe event on Nov. 4, 2025. The announcement comes after Itsaragrisil made headlines for his heated interaction with Miss Mexico during a livestream on the pageant's official Facebook page. He called out Bosch for allegedly refusing to partake in a photo shoot set up to provide content for contestants to share on social media. She denied the claims; however, Itsaragrisil continued to chastise her. She eventually walked out of the room, and several other contestants got up to follow. "I will not allow the values of respect and dignity towards women to be violated," said Rocha in his statement. "Nawat, you need to stop." He also said that the pageant's sash presentation would be postponed to "avoid any interaction" with Itsaragrisil. Rocha urged Miss Universe Organization CEO Mario Bucaro to speak on behalf of the pageant and announced the legal actions they expect to take "as a result of the malicious acts committed by Nawat." Itsaragrisil has since apologized for the incident. During a press conference held on Nov. 5, the Miss Universe Thailand director tearfully expressed remorse for his actions. "I am human. I didnt want to do anything like that," he told the press, as reported by USA Today. RUNGROJ YONGRIT/EPA/Shutterstock Nawat Itsaragrisil at a Miss Universe event on Nov. 5, 2025. In a video posted to TikTok, Itsaragrisil could be seen addressing reporters emphatically as he sheds a tear. In the background, a man stands by, carrying tissues for Itsaragrisil. Later the same day, during a pageant welcome event, Itsaragrisil addressed a crowd of onlookers, apologizing to the Miss Universe delegates who could be seen standing behind him. 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. "I had not [intended] to harm anyone because I respect all of you," he said, speaking into a microphone. "I am so sorry it happened. First, I have to apologize to the delegates. If anyone was affected and not comfortable with what happened, I am so sorry." The Miss Universe Organization, Fatima Bosch and Itsaragrisil did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Read the original article on People DALLAS, Nov. 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Polymer Adhesives Holdings, LLC ("Polymer Adhesives"), a portfolio company of DalFort Capital Partners, has acquired Fielco Adhesives ("Fielco"), a Huntingdon Valley, PA-based manufacturer of industrial epoxy adhesive solutions. Fielco's products serve a broad array of applications, including abrasive converting, industrial brushes, paint rollers, grinding wheels, and electronic encapsulation, among others. The combination of Polymer Adhesives and Fielco enhances the platform's formulation capabilities and broadens its product portfolio, enabling the combined company to better meet the needs of its customers. Fielco joins Polymer Adhesives and Volunteer Adhesives as part of a growing portfolio of adhesive and sealant solutions serving a broad array of end markets. Together, the businesses create a stronger foundation for continued growth through technical innovation, operational synergies, and expanded market reach. Brady Basil, President of Polymer Adhesives, commented, "We are excited to welcome Fielco to the Polymer Adhesives family. This strategic acquisition is a significant step forward, expanding our epoxy product portfolio and giving us greater capacity to create custom solutions for our customers." Greenberg Traurig, LLP served as Polymer Adhesives' legal counsel and FTI Consulting served as Polymer Adhesives' financial advisor. About DalFort Capital Partners DalFort Capital Partners is a sector-focused investment firm based in Dallas, Texas, specializing in partnering with entrepreneurs and management teams in the lower middle market. We work collaboratively to strengthen a company's strategic and financial position through operational improvements and acquisitions of complementary businesses. We specialize in identifying and executing strategic add-on acquisitions for our portfolio companies that enhance the company's relationship with existing customers and expand its reach into new geographies or market niches. SOURCE DalFort Capital Partners Ashlee Buzzard, the mom of missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard, has been arrested on a charge unrelated to the search for her daughter, whose whereabouts remain unknown, authorities in California said Friday. Buzzard, 40, was arrested on Friday on a warrant for a felony charge of false imprisonment, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office. She will be booked into a Santa Maria jail with bail set at $100,000, the sheriff's office said. Obtained by ABC News - PHOTO: A still from a video of Ashlee Buzzard's arrest in Vandenberg Village, California, Nov. 7, 2025. "Detectives learned of a recent incident where Ashlee prevented a victim from leaving a location, against their will which constitutes false imprisonment," the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office said in a statement. The sheriff's office said the arrest comes "during the course of the missing person investigation" but is not connected to the ongoing search for Melodee. Additional details are not being released at this time "as it would impede their ongoing investigation," the sheriff's office said. "Sheriffs detectives remain fully focused on locating Melodee and confirming her safety," the sheriff's office said. FBI - PHOTO: The FBI and Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office are looking for missing 9-year-old Melodee Buzzard. Where is Melodee Buzzard? A timeline of the 9-year-old's puzzling disappearance The sheriff's office has been searching for Melodee for weeks, and from the beginning, authorities said Buzzard has not cooperated with the investigation. Authorities learned Melodee and her mother left their Lompoc, California, home on Oct. 7 for a road trip, traveling as far as Nebraska in a rented white 2024 Chevrolet Malibu, the sheriff's office said. Melodee was last seen alive on Oct. 9 on the drive home near the Colorado-Utah border, according to authorities. Buzzard returned to their house on Oct. 10 with the car she and Melodee had rented on Oct. 7 -- but Melodee was not with her, the sheriff's office said. Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office - PHOTO: The Santa Barbara County Sheriff's office released this surveillance image of Ashlee Buzzard, apparently wearing a wig, on Oct. 7, 2025, in California. Mom of missing girl Melodee Buzzard switched license plates during road trip: Officials Investigators allege Buzzard switched license plates during the road trip in an apparent effort to avoid detection. Authorities also said the mother and daughter were seen wearing wigs when they rented the car on Oct. 7. Investigators believe Buzzard "swapped wigs throughout the trip" to intentionally avoid recognition during their travel, the sheriff's office said Thursday while releasing surveillance footage showing the two in the rental car location in Lompoc on Oct. 7. Donald Trumps deployment of National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. will extend through the new year into the spring, according to new orders reported by the Associated Press. Trump deployed Guard troops to the city this past summer after the high-profile assault of a Republican White House staffer during a carjacking attempt. Supporting federal law enforcement agencies including ICE, U.S. Park Police and others, Guard troops could be seen milling around landmarks and transit stations around the city. Some were relegated to yard work and cleaning duties while the president claimed that they were needed to suppress crime. In at least one instance, on Halloween, the Guard did come in handy. Police struggled with large groups of high-school aged teens congregating in open lots in Navy Yard and other areas of the city, and National Guard troops were called to support city police in dispersing crowds. Now, new orders issued on Tuesday command the D.C. contingent of the Guard to maintain its presence in the city through February of 2026. Numbers of Guard troops have been around 2,375 since the order was issued earlier this year, but that number includes Guard troops from several states that contributed to the effort and which still plan to reduce their deployments to the city by the end of November. The D.C. National Guard, which is under the direct control of the president and the Secretary of Defense, has 949 Guard troops deployed around the city. Some states involved in the D.C. deployment, which includes Guard forces from Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi indicated to the Associated Press that their deployments could be extended alongside the D.C. Guard, but no formal announcements have been made by any states on the list. Three members of the National Guard patrol the National Mall (AFP via Getty Images) D.C. officials are still half-heartedly battling the president, cogniscent of simmering anger among longtime city residents over the deployments but largely unable to counter the power of a unified White House and Congress, thanks to the District of Columbias special status. Attorney General Brian Schwalb is suing Trump in court over the D.C. Guards deployment, but the case hasnt reached a resolution. Some have turned to working with the Guard directly to address local community beautification efforts, seeing a mixed opportunity. Meanwhile, the political blowback from the situation is beginning to emerge. Polls show that the deployment is extremely unpopular among city residents, with federal law enforcement shouldering much of the vitriolic response. Clashes between residents and law enforcement during raids and arrests were common during the summer. Advisory Neighborhood Commission commissioner Paul Spiles shakes a Guardsman's hand, one of a few local officials who've taken advantage of the Guard deployment to direct local beautification efforts (Getty Images) Members of the National Guard are now commonplace at landmarks like the Lincoln Memorial, pictured, and the Washington Monument (AFP via Getty Images) A spree of announcements from Democratic politicians in the region indicate that there may be a shakeup at the ballot box next year, with officials including Mayor Muriel Bowser facing serious challenges. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the Districts nonvoting member of Congress, is facing mounting pressure to step down after a series of confusing and contradictory statements about her future plans indicated that her own staff was repeatedly walking back comments she made to journalists. That pressure is only growing after it was revealed that she was victimized by credit card scammers in her home this year and was described as suffering from the early stages of dementia in a police report. Her staff issued a denial, but wouldnt say if shed authorized an aide to have power of attorney. Complicating the issue is the federal government shutdown. With Congress now in its 37th day without a deal to fund federal agencies, pay for the hundreds of Guard troops deployed in D.C. and other cities where Donald Trump has expanded his anti-crime efforts remains in danger. In recent months, Trump has expanded his crime suppression campaign to Memphis, Tennessee and threatened to do so in San Francisco. In Portland, Oregon, his administration remains fiercely locked in battle with state officials over the matter in the courts. The reaction to a Guard deployment in D.C. has been mixed, with angry residents taking out their anger by hurling abuse at federal law enforcement, some showing understanding, and tourists gawking at the show (AFP via Getty Images) Members of the National Guard have completed hundreds of small yard work and city improvement projects as they've largely gone under-utilized during Trump's deployment (Getty Images) A jury of city residents found Sean Charles Dunn not guilty after his lawyer admitted he hit a Border Patrol agent with a sandwich in downtown D.C. as an act of protest (Getty Images) White House officials and their allies at the Defense Department have moved money around (possibly illegally) in order to keep troops and federal civilian employees paid during the shutdown, but many have been forced to endure furloughs as funds become tighter and tighter. On Thursday, lawmakers in the U.S. Senate were still talking about a deal to end the shutdown but Democrats had no indication as of the end of the D.C. work week (which ends at lunchtime on Thursday) that House Republicans would honor any arrangement struck in the upper chamber. In Washington, city residents sent the White House a clear message about the deployment on Thursday. A jury of city residents found a man not guilty even after his lawyer admitted to them that hed angrily tossed a sandwich at members of federal law enforcment during the earliest days of Trumps D.C. takeover. It was a second humiliation for the Department of Justice, which initially failed to convince a grand jury to indict Sean Charles Dunn on a more serious felony charge at all. FILE - Smoke billows after drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the northern port in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, Sudan, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. (AP Photo/File) CAIRO (AP) For more than two years, Sudans military and a powerful paramilitary force have torn the country apart in a war for power, both digging in against peace efforts even as atrocities mount and starvation spreads. One reason they can keep going is the support each reportedly gets from other nations looking for influence. International alarm has grown since Oct. 26, when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces seized the key city of el-Fasher in Sudans Darfur region from the military and reportedly went on a rampage. Witnesses and aid groups say fighters have killed hundreds of civilians, and the fate of thousands more is unknown. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF are accused of committing atrocities throughout the war. The United States says the RSF is committing genocide with repeated mass killings and rapes. U.S. intelligence assessments for many months have found that the United Arab Emirates, a close U.S. ally, has been sending weapons to the RSF, according to a U.S. official familiar with the reports who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details of the classified reports. The UAE denies backing the RSF. In a statement, it said, We categorically reject any claims of providing any form of support to either warring party. It said it has supported efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire, protect civilians and ensure accountability for violations by both sides. On the other side, Egypt is accused of supporting the Sudanese military. The war began in 2023, when the RSF and the military, which together ruled Sudan after crushing a pro-democracy movement, turned against each other. The conflict has killed at least 40,000 people though aid groups say the toll is likely several times higher and has caused the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. Heres a look at the players accused of having a hand in Sudans conflict. The United Arab Emirates The Emirates backs the RSF in part to prevent the Islamist groups that underpin the Sudanese military from seizing power, said Hamid Khalafallah, a Sudan researcher and policy analyst. Since the 2011 Arab Spring, the UAE has used hard and soft power to counter Islamist groups across the region, which it views as a threat. The support of the paramilitaries is also rooted in the UAEs imperial ambitions," Khalafallah said. Tiny in size but enormously wealthy, the Emirates supports a network of factions across the region to spread its influence. In long-divided Libya, the UAE has supported forces of the military strongman Khalifa Hifter against Islamist and other militias based in the capital, Tripoli. In Yemen, it has backed southern militias fighting Houthi rebels. It has also built ties with Somaliland and Puntland, breakaway regions of Somalia. Khalafallah said the UAE wants to expand its influence "and that is better served through paramilitaries outside the state institutions. The RSF originated from the Janjaweed, Arab militias that were accused of committing genocide in the 2000s in a campaign against communities of East and Central African origin in Sudan's western Darfur region. In the current war, the U.N., U.S. and others say the RSF has targeted the same communities with mass killings and rapes. The U.S. official said two intelligence reports issued in late September found that the UAE's provision of weapons to the RSF had increased from late summer into early fall. The reports, from the State Departments intelligence bureau and Defense Intelligence Agency, found the weapons included Chinese armed and unarmed drones, heavy machine guns, small arms, mortars and artillery, the official said. A U.N. panel of experts said in a January 2024 that reports of UAE arms shipments to the RSF, mainly via neighboring Chad, were credible. RSF attacks became more sophisticated this year, particularly through the large-scale use of drones. When the military retook the capital, Khartoum, in April, it was a severe blow to the RSF. But the paramilitary force has since been able to advance in Darfur and the nearby Kordofan region. A fight fueled by Sudan's resources Competition over access to Sudan's resources particularly gold and gum arabic, a key industrial food ingredient has fueled the rivalry between the military and RSF, and drawn their backers' interest. Each side has helped finance the fight by selling resources in areas under its control. The Emirates has provided a crucial outlet for the RSFs business interests and gold sales, according to the U.N. experts. The U.S. imposed sanctions on six UAE-based companies that it says helped carry out gold sales and provide weapons and security technology to the RSF. Gold has also been smuggled out through Egypt, according to the U.N. Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow in the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told a U.S congressional hearing in May that the UAE has also provided financial support to Ethiopia and Kenya to back the RSF, as well as provided military support through Libya, Chad, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. The UAE, he said, has encircled Sudan in a ring of fire. Egypt Egypts support for the Sudanese Armed Forces is rooted in years of close ties between the two countries militaries. Saudi Arabia and Turkey have also sided with the military in Sudan's war. Egypt prefers a military-run government in its southern neighbor, seeing it as a more reliable ally than a democratic civilian government, Khalafallah said. With their long, shared border, Egypt and Sudan have key strategic interests, driven by the Nile River, which snakes through both countries, and their position along the shipping lanes of the Red Sea. Those interests have outweighed Egypts concerns over Islamist influence in the Sudanese military. The extent of Egypts material support for Sudans military is unclear. But the Institute for the Study of War says Egypt is likely the source of a batch of fighter jets sent to the Sudanese military in March, and it has also provided it with Turkish drones. Egypt has denied providing arms. In an interview this week with MBC television, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said there is no military solution in Sudan. "There must be pressure on all outside powers to stop the flow of weapons. There must be a humanitarian truce leading immediately to a ceasefire. The U.S. and the Quad The U.S. brought together Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia in a mediating group called the Quartet, or Quad, to work for an end to the war. In September, it issued a peace plan calling for a three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a nine-month political process. The RSF on Thursday said it agreed to the Quad's humanitarian truce. A Sudanese military official said the army will only agree to a truce when the RSF completely withdraws from civilian areas and gives up weapons as per previous peace proposals. The Trump administrations point person Massad Boulos, senior adviser for Arab and African Affairs told The Associated Press that the U.S. is working with both sides to finalize a truce. When asked if Washington was pressuring the UAE to stop supporting the RSF, he didn't answer. Hudson said attempts to push the RSF and military into direct negotiations have failed. Instead, the U.S. should work to get the outside powers to stop supporting the warring parties. There is no single country better placed to do this than the United States, he said. ___ Price reported from Washington. AP correspondent Sarah El Deeb contributed from Beirut DANIEL RAMALHO/AFP via Getty Prince William in Brazil on Nov. 5, 2025 NEED TO KNOW Prince William remained diplomatic when asked about "a lot of change in your family recently" during his visit to Brazil The prince sat down with veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour He used the question as a chance to talk about his Earthshot Prize project Prince William turned a question about recent "change" in his family into a chance to talk about his passion project. The Prince of Wales, 43, sat down with veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour of CNN at The Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly on Nov. 5 amid his weeklong trip to Brazil. After starting off with questions about the environmental focus of the environmental project, Amanpour brought up William's recent candid chat on Eugene Levy's Apple TV series The Reluctant Traveler. She pinpointed a quote from the future king in which he addressed his plans for his eventual accession to the throne: "I think its safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for good. And I embrace that and I enjoy that change I dont fear it," William said at the time. Amanpour asked him to expand on that, "given there has been a lot of change in your family recently." While some interpreted the question as a reference to his uncle, the former Prince Andrew, being stripped of his titles or his estranged brother, Prince Harry, Prince William took the diplomatic route. MAURO PIMENTEL/POOL/AFP via Getty Prince William speaks during the COP30 UN climate conference in Belem, Brazil, on Nov. 6, 2025 He answered, "I think the Earthshot Prize is a classic example of change. Rather than talk about it, we're doing it. That's where I want it to be, is that, these people in here are the true, actual heroes of our time. Change will come by backing them, not by what I do." "I want to surround myself with people who want to make change and do good in the world," he added. Amanpour pivoted back to the Reluctant Traveler, asking, "Is that what you meant when you told Eugene that you want your son to be proud of that kind of change?" "Yeah, I think it's really important," William said. "Again, you have to provide leadership and a vision that theres good things to come and that its not all negative. And for my children, particularly, knowing the planets going to be in a healthier, better state because of the brilliant people in this room is something that I love to tell them when they go to bed." During Prince William's trip to Brazil, news about both Andrew and Prince Harry made headlines. On William's first day in Brazil, Harry announced a series of engagements in Canada connected to Remembrance Day, the British equivalent of Veterans Day in the U.S. He met with members of Canada's Reserve Forces and spoke at a banquet dinner for the True Patriot Love Foundation. Meanwhile, the fallout continued for Andrew as King Charles issued a Letters Patent, a legal document, expressing the will of the monarch to strip Andrew of his royal titles, making the move official. 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! PEOPLE understands that the King made the decision to finally strip his younger brother of all his titles, including prince, with consultation from members of the royal family, including Prince William. Read the original article on People Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace Prince William meets with Indigenous Peoples in Brazil on Nov. 7, 2025 NEED TO KNOW Prince William is winding up his five-day visit to Brazil The Prince of Wales spent his last day in Belem, where he met indigenous leaders in what's called the "Gateway to the Amazon" William also learned about a surprising link to his grandparents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Prince William is saying farewell to Brazil but not before meeting with Indigenous Peoples, taking in some of the country's natural beauty and learning about a surprise connection to his grandparents. The Prince of Wales, 43, spent his final day of his visit to the country on Nov. 7 in Belem, which is known as the "Gateway to the Amazon." Leaving his hotel, the royal stopped for an impromptu walkabout to greet some well-wishers gathered outside, who were chanting, "William, William." His last day also included discovering a surprising, unique connection to his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth: one of the Brazilians in the team protecting him had a historical link to the late monarch. Andre Benjamin Ferraz was one of the team of protection officers helping keep William safe as he moved from engagement to engagement through Rio and the surrounding areas. It has now emerged that his grandfather was in the squad who looked after the Queen when she visited Recife, in the northeast of Brazil, with Prince Philip in November 1968. Otacilio de Souza Ferraz was a military policeman from Recife and was called upon as part of the security team 57 years ago. For his final engagement at a botanical park that surrounds the citys Museu Emilio Goeldi, William was taken to see the towering sumauma tree, which is one of the oldest and most magnificent trees in the park. Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace Prince William in Brazil on Nov. 7, 2025 Hosted by Joenia Wapichana, President of the National Association for Indigenous Peoples, he then met five Indigenous Peoples leaders, who had come from across Brazil and represent the different cultures and regions of the nation. They told him about the role their people and communities play in protecting critical ecosystems. Their traditional knowledge is also being modernized as they integrate digital tools to monitor territories, combat disinformation, and promote their solutions. The meeting touched on a theme of much of his week: how important it is that indigenous people are supported in their livelihoods and for the work they do in countering the destruction of the natural world, on which their lives depend. On Tues Nov. 4, Prince William announced a huge commitment to Indigenous Peoples as his Royal Foundation and United for Wildlife are to fund help for them around the world. Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace Prince William meets Indigenous Peoples in Brazil on Nov. 7, 2025 Prince William arrived in Belem with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after his fifth Earthshot Prize awards evening in Rio. The royal heir made a key speech on behalf of his father, King Charles, 76, and the U.K. government at the World Leaders Summit, which is part of the COP30 talks. There, he urged global leaders, against the backdrop of an often-divided world, to "not waste" this moment. Andrew Parsons/Kensington Palace Prince William in Brazil on Nov. 7, 2025 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! "Our children and grandchildren will stand on the shoulders of our collective action," he said. "Let us use these inspiring surroundings here in the heart of the Amazon to rise to meet this moment, not with hesitation, but with courage. Not with division, but with collaboration. Not with delay, but with decisive commitment." Read the original article on People The Design MasterPrize (DMP) has revealed the winners of its 2025 edition, celebrating creative excellence in Product, Graphic, and Communication Design. The awards highlight how innovation, craftsmanship, and emotion come together to shape the way we live and connect. An international jury of design experts and industry leaders from Google, Apple, Amazon, and Meta selected this years top projects, honoring originality and meaningful impact across disciplines. From beautifully crafted products to inspiring visual storytelling, these award-winning designs show how creativity continues to redefine whats possible. Scroll down to explore the Best of Best winners from the 2025 Design MasterPrize and see how design brilliance thrives around the world. More info: designmasterprize.com | Instagram #1 Red Thread By Kuma Daily Talk Art Studio Created by Yi Chia Chien in Taiwan, Red Thread is a painting series that explores loves complexity through color and form. Each piece follows a womans emotional journey from pursuit to loss, with the red thread symbolizing both fate and constraint. The works invite reflection on how love binds and frees us in equal measure. #2 Unisynk Stand2 Magnetic Wireless Charger By Unisynk Ab _ Carl&carl Designed by Johan Thelander and team in Stockholm, Stand2 redefines wireless charging through thoughtful simplicity. Its timeless form blends with any environment, while behavior-driven design makes charging effortless and intuitive. Durable, refined, and made to last, it reflects Unisynks belief that great technology should improve habits and reduce waste, beautifully. #3 Aphrodite By Patrizia Volpato Srl Designed by Giovanni Luca Ferreri in Italy, Aphrodite transforms the timeless drapery of classical sculpture into radiant, sculptural lighting. Crafted through the Venetian glass art of Conteria and cutting-edge 3D printing, it bridges centuries of tradition and innovation. Each piece glows with the elegance of history reimagined through modern design. #4 Monterey By Landscape Forms Designed by Landscape Forms in the United States, Monterey brings the elegance of interior living to the outdoors. Its sculpted metal frame and soft, tailored cushions combine durability with refined comfort. Built to weather the elements yet feel effortlessly luxurious, it redefines what outdoor seating can be -graceful, inviting, and enduring. #5 The Tension Between Choice And Intention By Mdash Creative Consultancy Designed by Kim Min-Su in Seoul, this exhibition poster turns the psychology of decision-making into visual art. A single shifting line symbolizes the choices we make each day, transforming a square into pure minimal form. The result is a poetic reflection on how simplicity, time, and intention shape our sense of balance and control. #6 Tarot Cards By Fgra Following her acclaimed art book, FGRA returns with TAROT Universal Book & Cards, a multilayered visual journey through archetypal symbolism. Each card combines photomontage, digital artistry, and painted detail to create a distinctive fine art language. The result is a striking, modern interpretation of Tarot that merges mysticism with contemporary creativity. #7 Living Architecture_ Gehry By Refik Anadol Studio Created by Refik Anadol Studio for the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Living Architecture: Gehry transforms Frank Gehrys iconic architectural legacy into a living, evolving experience. Using advanced AI trained on Gehrys sketches and blueprints, the installation weaves form, color, and sound into a mesmerizing visual symphony that blurs the line between design, memory, and imagination. #8 Cora By Landscape Forms Inspired by the harmony of nature, Cora reinterprets the shapes of river stones and layered leaves into a series of sculptural, low-profile tables. Designed by the Landscape Forms team in Kalamazoo, each piece blends organic beauty with strength, using laser-cut and bent steel to create durable, timeless forms that nest and flow together with natural ease. #9 The Worlds First Actively Luminous Watch With Smartcore By Common Technology_kavvo Merging timeless craftsmanship with intelligent design, this watch reimagines wearable technology as a personal expression rather than a gadget. Designed by Derek Li of Common Technology/KAVVO, it showcases classic elegance and smart innovation, offering luminous artistry that celebrates individuality in a world of mass-produced devices. #10 Forzax By Edc Designed by Soroush Doustvandi and the EDC team in Tehran, Forzax transforms industrial lighting into an art of precision and balance. Its minimalist form and modular design bring both beauty and performance to demanding spaces, adapting intelligently to the environment and energy needs while maintaining timeless visual harmony. #11 Outotsu By Umenodesign Inc Created by Satoshi Umeno in Tokyo, OUTOTSU is a minimalist set of glasses and coasters that fit together through gentle concave and convex forms. The design absorbs moisture, enhances aroma, and even improves a drinks texture while keeping storage effortless. Thoughtful, elegant, and rooted in everyday ritual, it turns a simple drink into a sensory experience. #12 Emanuelle By Gregoire Maisiondieu Architecture & Interior Design Designed by Gregoire Maisondieu in Belgium, Emanuelle is a refined disc-shaped light that brings warmth and texture to any space. With its rattan-inspired detailing and soft, glowing diffusion, it turns functional lighting into a sculptural centerpiece. Elegant on its own or grouped in clusters, it transforms interiors with quiet sophistication. #13 Arsk 001 _ Look & Sound Different By Oxygen Ltd Created by Anthony Aurelien Ribout and Serge Kokkinis, ARSK 001 redefines portable sound through precision design and powerful performance. Milled from recycled aluminum, this ultra-compact speaker delivers rich clarity and deep resonance with an elegant, sculptural form made for both indoor and outdoor use. A piece of sound engineering that feels as refined as it looks. #14 Dwiss A1 By Dwiss Sa Created by Rafael Simoes Miranda in Switzerland, DWISS A1 reimagines mechanical watchmaking with luminous precision. Powered by the Swiss La Joux-Perret movement, it offers striking clarity day and night through Super-LumiNova detailing. Every component reflects meticulous craftsmanship, turning high horology into a statement of light, engineering, and timeless design. #15 Equalizer By Bbrand Designed by Ben Depuydt and Luc Binst in Belgium, Equalizer transforms architectural lighting into a rhythmic sculpture of light and form. Inspired by concrete reinforcement structures, its vertical tubes create a dynamic, soundwavelike presence. Lightweight, modular, and adaptable, it brings industrial beauty and harmony to both residential and commercial spaces. #16 Love Spectrum Art Therapy Message Cards By Mindslow Created by Huang Shiang-Ting and Yang Shao-Chun in Taiwan, Love Spectrum is an illustrated deck that turns emotion into art and reflection. Through 44 symbolic cards featuring birds, flowers, and poetic messages, it explores love in all its forms, from tenderness and forgiveness to fear and hope, offering comfort, insight, and gentle healing through creativity. #17 Wormy Compact Fishing Systems By Wormy Global Ltd Invented by Szabolcs Nemeth in Hungary, Wormy reinvents fishing gear with a smart, modular design and unbreakable performance. Ultra-compact and adaptable, it works anywhere, from shorelines to kayaks and even under ice. With interchangeable parts and all-season versatility, Wormy turns fishing into an experience of freedom, precision, and endless adventure. #18 Parkinsons UK Brand By Red Stone Created by Red Stone in London, this rebrand for Parkinsons UK strengthens visibility and emotional connection for a community that needs support now. Centered on the message Pushing for better. Right here. Right now., the design introduces a tulip symbol and open-source typeface to make the charitys voice more human, accessible, and empowering. #19 Axiom By Accenture Global It & Song Designed by Padmini Patel and team in Dublin, Axiom turns complex analytics into clear, conversational insights. Its modular design system allows users to ask questions in everyday language and receive visual data stories in response. By combining intelligence with simplicity, Axiom redefines how people interact with information, building trust through clarity and design. #20 Verisure By Ziwei Liu Created by Ziwei Liu in San Francisco, VeriSure reimagines digital healthcare with empathy and clarity. This HIV testing assistant offers step-by-step guidance, emotional support, and easy access to follow-up care. With a focus on privacy and accessibility, it transforms self-testing into a calm, confident, and empowering experience. #21 Envision+ California Mathematics __ Cover Series By Savvas Learning Company Designed by Omar Salgado and Christina Martinez, this vibrant cover series reimagines how students see themselves through learning. Spanning kindergarten to high school, each design shows young learners envisioning their futures through the lens of mathematics, turning education into an inspiring story of imagination, confidence, and possibility. A teacher writes notes on a digital whiteboard during a math lesson. Photo: Allison Shelley / EDUimages / CC BY-NC 4.0 / Cropped from Original (The CEnter Square) The latest education statistics indicate stagnant proficiency for public school students in Illinois, despite dramatic increases in taxpayer funding. Kelsey Bakken, director of policy for Advance Illinois, said the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data shows stagnant academic proficiency for Illinois public school students. Only about a third of students are demonstrating proficiency in reading and math based on the NAEP, a trend that has remained remarkably stable for the last 15 years, Bakken said. Bakken said Illinois has increased education spending more than most other states. Funding for K-12 schools grew 75% between 2008 and 2024, increasing our ranking from 47th to 18th, Bakken said. Gov. J.B. Pritzker said his administration increased its commitment to students by more than $2.8 billion, a 33% increase in school funding by Illinois taxpayers. The states education budget for the 2025-26 school year is a record-high $11.2 billion. The increased spending has come during the latter half of a time period in which school enrollments have dropped. Public school enrollment for K-12 students in the Land of Lincoln decreased 10.3% from 2010 to 2024. Elected officials and political candidates are offering different ways forward as public school students continue to struggle. Although the Advance Illinois report said Illinois narrowed equity gaps across the education continuum, state Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, said policy changes are necessary to close gaps involving race, economics and zip code. Every single year, we should not say, Well, weve got gaps, but you know At some point, gaps have to be closed, Ammons said. Republican gubernatorial candidate Ted Dabrowksi said the governors education policies have failed. Two years ago, Gov. Pritzker and the Democrats allowed school choice to die. They killed the only school choice legislation we had. They could have kept it going, and they let it die, Dabrowski said. Dabrowski said states all around Illinois have universal school choice. In addition to academic challenges, Bakken pointed to troubling chronic absenteeism in public schools. Student wellness trends, including chronic absenteeism are at a historic and worrisome level, Bakken said, adding that rates have increased 8% since the pandemic. The overall statewide chronic absenteeism rate for Illinois public school students was 26% in 2024, up from 18% in 2019. Bakken said college and career readiness has been dropping and is something that would be worth investigating. Data showed that 38% of students showed college and career readiness in 2015, but the number was down to 30% last year. Greg Bishop contributed to this story. A medical exam room with an exam table, diagnostic tools and a weight scale. Photo: Shopify Partners / Burst (The Center Square) - The number of states with the highest obesity rates declined in 2024, while Nevadas obesity epidemic deepened. Last year, 34.2% of Nevadans lived with obesity, putting the state on the edge of the 35% cutoff for the highest obesity rate, according to a new nationwide report. The 3% obesity rate increase between 2023-2024, deemed statistically insignificant, was nonetheless the biggest growth among all states. Without a doubt, obesity rates are too high, Nicole Bungum, supervisor of the Southern Nevada Health Districts Office of Chronic Disease Prevention for over 20 years, told The Center Square. They're too high in the country, they're too high in Nevada, and they're too high in Clark County. In 2024, over 35% of the population in 19 states was obese, which was down from 23 states from the year prior. This was according to Trust for Americas Health, which looked at data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2019 and 2024, all states with available data increased in obesity, with Western states like Nevada seeing the biggest hikes. Obesity is defined as an individual having a body mass index of 30 or higher, as per the CDC. It has been increasing over the last decade, and we know that obesity is tied to a number of chronic diseases, Bungum told The Center Square. Obesity is associated with many long-term physical health issues such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several varieties of cancer, arthritis, digestive disorders. It is also known to increase the risk of long-term mental health issues depression, anxiety, social isolation, as well as other emotional impacts that come with the stigma attached to obesity. We know a lot more about obesity than we did even 10 years ago, said Bungum. And we understand that it's not just eat less and exercise more. The Oct. 16 report by Trust for Americas Health showed Nevadas obesity rate grew by 3% to 34.2% in 2024, marking the greatest increase in obesity of any state for the year. Still, it may not be cause for too much concern yet. Obesity rates should be looked at over many years, Bungum said, before they are considered a trend. We were highlighted as having the biggest rate of increase in that year, but it isn't a statistically significant increase. As the obesity epidemic continues in Nevada and across the U.S., new medicine could add to the old solution of exercise and healthier eating. Factors that contribute to it [obesity] are systemic environmental, genetic and behavioral, she said. The development of pharmacotherapies, like GLP-1 medications for obesity, the use will continue, I think, to increase, and that will be a major factor. GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic, reduce the hunger desire in the brain and delay emptying the stomach to make users feel more full for longer, leading many people to lose weight, as per the Harvard Medical School. In fact, I think that's why there is nationally starting to be a decline in obesity rates, Bungum continued. But that impact is going to be limited if they're [GLP-1] not affordable and available to those who need them. Across the board, obesity can be an expensive disease for both the government and individuals. People with obesity pay an average 34% more in health care costs, while obesity in general costs $1.7 trillion in the U.S., according to the Obesity Action Coalition, a national leader of obesity-related policy. Parts of Spain have been left submerged after fresh flooding struck Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Heavy rainstorms left Catalan cities underwater, while several airports in the region were forced to close due to lightning strikes and strong winds after dangerous weather battered the area on Thursday morning. Dramatic footage shows cars sinking in floodwater, residents running from intense rainstorms, and high streets submerged in a deluge of brown water. A flood alert was in place on Thursday morning, with residents being warned to take extreme precautions as the weather approached. Fallen tree damages house during storm in Mallorca (X/@BombersdeMca) It ended shortly before 2pm, but widespread disruption continued after flooding and fallen trees led to the cancellations of trains, flights, and university classes. A pre-alert remains in place due to forecasts of continued heavy rainfall in northeastern Catalonia, with a risk of further rain reaching up to 20mm in half an hour, Catalan News reported. Firefighters responded to nearly 400 incidents on Thursday relating to the flooding, most of which came from the Metropolitan North. The Meteorological Service of Catalonia reported that the highest rainfall totals were recorded in Caldes de Montbui, reaching up to 81.7 litres per square metre, according to El Pais. Heavy rainfall, including 35 litres of rainwater per square metre which dropped on Sant Hilari in just 20 minutes, has caused localised flooding in four low-lying areas of the region. Data from the Catalan Ministry of the Interior showed that 22,000 fewer vehicles travelled on Catalan roads on Thursday morning than on the same day last year, according to El Periodico. Flooding caused devastation in Mallorca (X/@BombersdeMca) Catalonias interior minister Nuria Parlon said her ministrys policy regarding the floods is to promote a culture of self-protection adding that it is a process we have to get used to. Several trains were suspended, including on the R15 line where a collapsed wall caused major disruptions. Meanwhile at El Prat airport, 47 flights were cancelled, two of which were diverted to other destinations It comes one year after Spain suffered one of the worst floods in its history, when 237 people were killed after a year's worth of rain drenched areas around Valencia in just one day. The disaster occurred when an unusual weather pattern known locally as gota fria or cold drop hit the eastern coast of Spain. It occurs when a cold air mass interacts with warmer, moisture-laden Mediterranean air, triggering heavy rainfall over a concentrated area. Spains national weather service said it rained more in eight hours in the Valencian town of Chiva than it had in the preceding 20 months. Tesla (TSLA) shareholders approved CEO Elon Musk's new pay package, one that could reach $1 trillion in overall compensation. Tesla said Musk's package passed with over 75% approval. "I'd like to give a heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported the shareholder votes," Musk said at the meeting. "I super appreciate it." Musk added: "What were about to embark upon is not merely a new chapter of the future of Tesla but a whole new book." Tesla stock rose after the vote results were announced on Thursday night but fell in early trading on Friday. "With this pay package now voted positively keeping Teslas biggest asset, Musk, as its leader for the foreseeable future, we continue to believe that the AI valuation is getting unlocked, and we believe the march to an AI driven valuation for TSLA over the next 6-9 months has now begun," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote shortly after the meeting. This year's package revealed in early September would grant Musk 12 massive tranches of stock options tied to targets the board argues are aggressive. Prior to approval of the latest plan, Musk held a 13% stake in Tesla after various share sales over the past couple of years, but he hasn't been "paid" in years, he said. His 2018 pay package is embroiled in a lawsuit in Delaware, where shareholders alleged they didn't have enough information to properly vet the compensation awarded by the board, and a trial judge agreed. The Delaware Supreme Court is currently weighing the merits of Tesla's appeal. Read more: How to avoid the sticker shock on Tesla car insurance Elon Musk speaking at the 2025 Tesla shareholder meeting. (Tesla.com) In other news, Tesla shareholders reelected the three directors up for election: Ira Ehrenpreis, Joe Gebbia, and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson. Tesla also said a majority of shareholders approved a proposal to invest in xAI (XAAI.PVT), Elon Musk's AI startup, but there was a substantial number of "abstain" votes, so the board said it will review the proposal further. In a presentation following the results announcement, Elon Musk announced that Tesla will build a 1 million-unit Optimus production line at its factory in Fremont, Calif., and eventually a 10 million-unit line at Giga Texas in Austin. Tesla also revealed that Cybercab robotaxi production would begin in April 2026, and that Miami, Dallas, Phoenix, and Las Vegas would be the next cities to test Tesla's robotaxi service. In terms of new products, Musk announced that the new Tesla Roadster will be revealed on April 1, 2026, with production set to begin 12 to 18 months after that. StockStory aims to help individual investors beat the market. Pras Subramanian is Lead Auto Reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on X and on Instagram. Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance